You guys wanted more Dream Games? You got 'em...
Here's "Handy Man:"
"Story:
Privileged information is not the key to happiness, but it does make life seem a little more like a dream. In my career, I've learned to find peace in the fact that someday I will wake up and it will all be over. But each day brings me closer to the day I will break. The day
I accept that what I do has meaning. That the things I've seen have also seen me. I don't want to know why you are asking me these questions, but please let my family know that I am alright.
I guess the beginning you seek is the same one I do. I really don't know what happened, but I can tell you what I remember. I was called in to repair a hole in a wall. Seems that there was a little domestic disturbance, but that's none of my business. Anyway, when I got there, everything was pale and my feet had trouble finding the floor. I'd been doing that work for so long that I just started fixing the wall by instinct. I didn't even pay attention to the thing that bit me in there. The wall was fixed and a fee paid for my services. It was a very generous fee.
I awoke to find my hand black and the skin peeling off. My wife freaked out and took me to the emergency room. They didn't know what it was, but had seen it before. They had to remove the hand to keep it from spreading. In my line of work, that's a ticket straight to homelessness, but I just complied and told my wife that we'd find a way.
I grew back my hand over the next few days. It was hard to see at first with all of the bandages, but I felt it growing even before the old one was gone. The new hand worked better than the old one. So well that I forgot to even question how it existed. Big mistake.
A few months later, I got a call from the government. That's you, right? What is it that you want? I mean, you've told me that you want me to make some repairs, but it can't be that simple. Can I call my family?
[It isn't that simple, of course. As the game progresses, the "government" sends our handy man on repair jobs involving paranormal phenomena. As he becomes less willing to take on the dangerous and unseemly jobs, they reveal more and more of how he attained his gifts and teach him more ways to hone them. They also tell his wife, who pushes him to continue. She wants to know who he is more than he does. She's afraid that he isn't the man she married.]
Gameplay:
The hand can change forms to become different tools. For example, the hand can become a hook if the player swings the controller out, and then pulls it up quickly in a curling motion. The trigger can be pressed to shoot it out like a hookshot and latch onto things. Or, the player can use it to hold onto a ceiling beam and slide across to another area. Another hand shape could be a hammer. If the player swings it at the floor, he can kill the odd insects that are around a drainpipe. By pushing the trigger, he can make it inflate and use it to knock out walls or break down doors. Of course, there is also the flashlight hand. It emits a strange glow that illuminates dark basements. The special function is a flash of light that makes certain creatures visible for a few moments or scares away others. Some of the hands are not so obvious. The player would have to think carefully before understanding what they do. For example, one hand may look like an old fashioned fluted speaker. Upon shaking it in a certain pattern, the controller may shake (rumble) back in a different pattern. By playing with this for a while, a language can be learned to communicate with a creature that can help the player solve a puzzle.
The emphasis of the gameplay is on finding ways to do repairs rather than staying alive. While there are some dangers, they are mainly an aid to the atmosphere or part of puzzles rather than a focus of the game. The player may choose to do a botchy job of certain tasks on purpose. This can be a means of leverage for the player to find out more information (hand forms or story advancement) faster or to keep some of the supplies to use in other repairs. The wife is also an issue, as she pushes the player to do certain things that are not totally necessary. This can lead to alternate endings, including keeping or losing his family at the end. Losing the wife also means losing some nice tools as the game progresses, but it is mainly an emotional loss."
And another one, with a similar flight-based concept to the other one that I posted:
"My Revolution game would be an action-adventure title revolving around physically and graphically realistic exploration and combat in an enormous sky-based world through flight. The human protagonists of the game would progress through the adventure employing various highly customizable fantastic flying creatures -- say, a dragon, a giant eagle, a winged horse, and a number of others that could be bought or earned -- all with different strengths, weaknesses and abilities. Progressively more impressive rides would become available as the game bears on, affording more powers, speed, and the like with each more powerful ride. In the meantime, the player could improve their ride by winning battles, feeding it and taking good care of it (it would be a living creature after all!), decking it out with armor, finding/winning items would provide statistical boosts to offensive/defensive power, and using other items to customize its appearance and abilities. As the player explores their vast aerial world, they will encounter treasures to collect, puzzles to be solved, and enemies to defeat in real-time. Some of the game action could take place on floating islands, giving the protagonist a chance to dismount and explore the world separate from their mount, but the majority of the action would occur mid-air.
Now, the part where the Rev controller comes in. This game would require the player to use the remote and the analog "nunchuck" attachment in tandem. The analog thumbstick of the nunchuck would be used to control direction in flight and the big sexy A button would be pressed to move forwards in the air, while the Direct Pointing Device of the remote would essentially represent the "eyes" of the creature presently being used. Whichever way the remote is turned, that's which way your mount will look (although you, the player, will continue looking ahead). So, how will this be used? Let's say your 3-dimensional, globe-like radar is detecting enemies approaching from behind at various angles. While using the thumbstick to fly in the opposite direction, physically turn the remote back towards you and press the remote's trigger to fire an attack (or combine this with quick taps or charge-ups of the trigger on the nunchuck for other special attacks). This way, your continual forward motion and the attack radius of your animal would be completely independent, and yet completely under your precise control at all times.
Imagine dodging away from an approaching enemy, then seamlessly aiming back towards it with the remote to return fire... or navigating through a fully 3-D maze with the thumbstick within a time limit, shooting objects to complete a puzzle or take out baddies as you simultaneously race to the finish. Also, to avoid getting disoriented, in addition to a 3-D radar, part of the screen would always show the world through the eyes of the creature you are riding. Then the player would be able to accurately track their enemies and targets on all fronts and capitalize upon the precision of the Direct Pointing Device. In addition, players would be given the option to view the action in 1st person or 3rd person view (in reference to the human protagonist) at any point throughout the game. There could also be epic battles where the player leads a group of other airborne NPCs in a team to confront enemy troops.
Finally, this game would feature a comprehensive multiplayer battle mode. With up to four players each controlling their own custom ride (which would be imported in via a memory card attachment for the remote, much in the same way that players could import custom data for Perfect Dark with the N64 controllers), the battles that ensued would be a true test of the players' skill in flight and creating/honing the best "battle" ride. Furthermore, the game would allow the player to own and use at least one of every type of creature currently available (depending on how far they have progressed through the game). These would all be available for selection in battle mode as well, allowing each player a large assortment of rides to choose from and ensuring that the time and attention they've put into each one in the main game wouldn't go to waste. By pitting different creatures with different strengths and weaknesses against each other, this mode would offer immense replay value and plenty of hectic unpredictable multiplayer frenzy.
Overall, I believe the unique depth-perceiving properties of the Revolution controller would enable airborne dogfights and precision shooting the likes of which we've never seen before, and a game taking place in the air could perfectly demonstrate the potential of the controller. Personally, I would love to see an action-adventure styled game which capitalized upon these intriguing features."
And here's one more:
"Name: Providence
Type: God / RTS
Backdrop:
There are two factions of humanoids on a tiny planetoid. Both are looking for resources to advance their society. Being simple folk, they need guidance and inspiration to meet their goals. Various environments on the globe provide the resources they are seeking.
Goal: Prevent the opposition from gaining their resources while collecting your own.
Gameplay:
Choose a 'team', the CPU (or online competitor) with have the other. The game starts on a simple grass field with a simple goal: the little guys need food. The 'people' will chase various wildlife around the field for a limited time. Use the wand to deform the landscape. Build up mountains, build down valleys, anything to help trap the wildlife so the characters can move in for the kill. Anything that kills the wildlife before the characters do will not count. Affect your opponents structures to kill the trapped animals, or change the landscape to affect how the opponent's characters reach the animals.
Other landscapes: ocean, jungle, desert, ice and snow. Each landscape has particular goals and resources that need to be found. As resources are found and society advances, previous landscapes can be revisited for different resources that were not usable without the new skill sets.
How It Works:
Use the wand to draw a selection box on the landscape, holding the 'A' button while the box is dragged out. Release the 'A' and pull the trigger to affect the selection. Push toward the screen to push the ground in, pull away to pull up. The resulting animation should reflect the action in real-time. Want an avalanche? Pull away then twist the wrist in the direction you want the rocks to fall. While it is intuitive for left/right action, turning the wand to face away from the screen and then twisting will result in rocks falling in any direction you choose. On the ocean, pull up a wall of water and send it crashing down (or watch it fall back into the ocean affecting everyone around it). The jungle will grow or die with the same movements, cause a giant tree to topple. Each landscape will have its own particular hazards for players to explore. The limits for how much can be pushed in or out will be reached when lava appears. A volcano will happen, but the lava will burn it to the ground. And lava will fill a hole. Other limits include water tension and how tall a tree can get before it falls under its own weight.
Watch out for your actions, for the characters have a mood meter. If they know they are being helped, they become enthusiastic. If they notice things going wrong, they'll become lethargic. Just think about the jungle, too much and they get frustrated by not being able to move forward, kill off too much and they get sad for the loss of habitat.
The d-pad on the wand can give simple commands (inspiration) to the characters on screen, a general direction to move, or group together, fan out, based on the level and goal. Rapid presses of the d-pad can help the mood (when the time is right).
If there ends up a microphone with the wand (not separate) blow to bring the speed of the wind up. When a certain speed is reached, draw a circle with the wand and if its good enough, a tornado is formed. Select the tornado to drag it across the screen for a small period of time. A limited number of tornadoes can be used. Sand storms on the desert, water spouts on the ocean.
The optional thumb stick will control the camera, turning left and right, up and down, zoom in, zoom out.
Break up the gameplay:
Occasional mini-game of smacking meteors out of the atmosphere. One will throw, one will hit. Target area provides something to aim for while limiting where the meteors can be thrown. Positions will switch so each will have a chance to play both sides. Action is wand based. There are no points, only whether or not the meteor hits the target area, though trophies can be awarded for great throws and hits. Throw your arm like throwing a baseball, adding a twist at the end to spin it if so desired. Alternate method so people won't feel like chumps swinging their arm around: setup like a pinball. A meter on the screen indicates when to press the button. The same will hold true for the batter. Either swing like a bat or rely on a meter based system. The drawback is you lose the control on how the swing is made.
Replay Value:
Play at home for practice against online players, as well as viewing an unfolding story of how the society is progressing. Mood from game play affects the story, and any tension in the story is apparent on the game field (characters occasionally stopping to beat each other or whatever else might arise). Choose to play a particular landscape for practice or go for story mode.
Online competition, choose a limited number of landscapes to compete on, or engage in a full out world domination. The online play will keep opponents on equal levels and track who you've played against so play can pause and be restarted later.
Pros:
Takes advantage of the features of the controller
Puts you in control of a world and its landscapes
Online play
Cons:
Learning curve of controls
Some people may feel uncomfortable swinging the controller around like a bat
Only 2 player (but try to imagine all the madness with more players) "
Again, if you guys want more, just ask.
Topic: How subtley will affect "new-gen" software - fascinating article (Read 15512 times)
