GunFlame

They are similar. It builds on part of what made Twilight so popular - the young lovers - but that's about it. There's no teenage angst though really.

I would be 99.9% that it would be 2D. The good thing about ASW fighting games, is that they always manage to have a strong story built into it, so that's one aspect that would be interesting, considering the story strength of the Persona series. I have plenty of faith in both Atlus and ASW. I'm expecting a lot of style, loads of awesome music, and amazing graphics. Seriously pumped about this.

The fact that Arc System Works are making it, makes it the most anticipated title of the bunch. Capcom knows how to appeal to the masses with it's fighters, and SNK know how to target the Asian market with what they release. But ASW are the best a crafting a fighting game. No doubt about it for me. Of course, Persona 5 is exciting. But I just can't wait to see what Arc Systems will do.

Red Riding Hood. It's so poorly made. On top of that, it's sooooo boooooring too.

Yeah, for a second, I almost decided not to. But then I thought; fuck it. Everything is going to be using it down the line, so I may as well use it now.

Anyone sign up for the Beta? I just did, I'm 50/50 in regards to caring if I gain access or not. Chances are, I wouldn't play it after the full release, but I'm always interested in checking out new games when chance arrives. The themes are at least a little different, so there's that. FYI: I went for Templar.

I miss my Anime collection sooooo much right now... I badly want to watch Patlabor and Akira again. I usually watch both once a year, but it's been nearly 3 since I last watched them...

This is true, but it's only really on a project to project basis. But regardless, game programmers are still hard to come by. Especially good ones. Programmers are the only ones that need a degree to get a job, but that exception actually helps them because once they have it, finding work should not be a problem. Yeah, it is hard to stand out. And this industry is a prime example of that. But programming is by far the safest way to get work in games. Like I said before, Artists and Designers are everywhere. And most companies will only want to hire those with a track record. Because regardless of qualifications, the experience in the environment isn't there. They aren't proven. But this isn't so much the case with programmers. The skills that they have picked up through school are the ones that they will be using for employment. Sure, some training and learning is still needed, but the individual can be an instant asset.

It depends of the passion really. I remember when I first started working in games as a tester, and even though we did 12-15 hour shifts, I never lost any lust for gaming. There was one period where I played Suikoden V during this session of employment. I would make an effort each night to go home and play for about an hour on a game of my choice. It worked. It kept me happy. I also thoroughly enjoyed playing Suikoden V, and it has come to be one of my favourite JRPG games. As I have continued to work (QA Manager and Design Consultant), I have only ever become more and more passionate about games. It's a hobby that I have done for 22+ years and I enjoy it as much now as ever. I don't get as much time to play, but that is the same with all hobbies as work starts to build up and other of social aspects of life develop. There was a phase during the first 2 years in the industry, where I started to see bugs in games that I bought and dissect them rather than just play them. But I have now long matured past this point. I have come full circle and now more than ever, enjoy each gaming experience that I can afford.

Apply. Some people think it's bad when they don't receive anything after 3 or 4 attempts. But seriously, you gotta be ready to hit around 20 applications at least. Don't send an application and wait, just send and search and do so even if you have interviews lined up. For your resume, add what is useful, not what isn't. Also, don't make it too short, 3 pages is good. And make sure you send a cover letter, this can be very important as some places look at that more than the resume itself. And finally, tailor your resume for the job. Even though you can't drive, be prepared to travel. Look for bus routes, trains or cycling routes that you could take. Take it seriously. Finally, during the interview; sit up, don't cross your arms, and speak clearly to the questions asked. Also, ask questions. It shows that you are interested, and that means that you are a good option, and have taken the interview seriously.

For me, Retro is anything that is 16-Bit or less. Why? Because those games had limitations on them that really didn't exist in the next generation of consoles. It's hard for me to say that a predominantly 3D graphics capable console - like the PS1 and N64 - is retro. They had the visual base of today's current games, the only difference being scale and poly count. It's the same with the style of play and gameplay mechanics. With Analog Sticks being brought in more commonly, and large save files being available to the player. They're not retro games, just early versions of what we have now. A retro game is something that carries themes and style that is no longer dominant. That's why I would say games 16-Bit and earlier can only be classed as this. Classic games are different. But I believe that a Classic can only be considered so, if the game is actually as good in the present day, as it was in the past. So they can only really be judged perhaps a generation later. I can't really think of too many games that have been released this generation that will live up to that 'Classic' title that they may have been given already. Stuff like Uncharted, Gears of War and God of War - all though excellent now - may just seem dated a few years later. You could even say that the original Uncharted game already shows some signs of age. I think the only exception to this, would be if the game itself was groundbreaking in some way. If it did something that helped shape the genre or define gaming. Then it could also be considered a classic. For example: Super Mario World - It's a Classic due to what it is, but also how playable it is now. Its quality is no different and its style is timeless. Doom - Dated in gameplay mechanics, this ages it a lot. But it's impact on gaming cannot be denied. It was and is still, massive.

Nice Blue Hat

1 - Insert Guilty Gear 2 - Select Sol Badguy 3 - QCF + Punch

That's odd, I always find that programmers are the least expendable because of the short supply. And good ones are really hard to get a hold of. That's been the case with the companies that I have worked at. Designers, Artists and Producers - if good - are usually kept, but there are contracting options and for artist, freelancers are everywhere. It's strange that you would say that... I appreciate the answer. You pretty much covered most of what I was interested in. I often interview people who have gone through school, and then they find it a little disheartening to find how monotonous and mundane development can actually be. This is especially the case for designers. They seem to get deflated when the find out that their creative input us limited, and it's more or less a balancing kind of job. Tweaks and changes that follow the grand design. I also believe that a lot of people overlook aspects too. Like you mentioned. Everything in a game has to be made or designed. Take an RPG for instance, the experience, gold and damage formulas have to be designed, and then all of the item and weapon ratings need to be configured. And that is very trial and error. Even something like the pathing of NPC's, if they use AI, then that's lucky. A junior designer's first job may be to balance the attack and defense ratings on the equipment statistics for example.

I see. Does your school offer information on the lecturers, were any of them familiar to you?

I'm curious to find out what those taking part in College/University Game Development courses actually think of them. Obviously it's a little tough to answer on some aspects because there will be scenarios where you don't know how useful something will be, because you don't have first hand development experience. But, there are somethings you may be able to answer: - With the knowledge you build outside of your schooling, are you finding that some aspects of your course seem to contradict, sugar-coat or over-exaggerate aspects of development? - Do you think that the courses are focused enough? - Are the professors knowledgeable and how do they expose their background to it? - Are the legal and business aspects revealed to you? This is mainly out of curiosity. But I know some lecturers and I have interviewed some candidates who seem to have 'odd' levels of knowledge. But a percentage of this would be due to the transparency and speed of the industry's growth.

PlayStation 2> SNES Yeah, I said it.

<--- That's me...seriously... I'm in the process of suing Sunrise for use of my likeness without permission.

3/5 I do enjoy Chaos. So that justifies the rating. Which is above average. 2.5 being average...and obvious. I never give 5. Or go full retard.

I've played a bunch in my time, from bullet hell stuff like DoDonPachi and Pink Sweets, to the more mainstream stuff like Gradius and R-Type. From the 16-Bit generation of gaming, my favourites are likely: - Parodius - Elemental Master - Thunder Force IV - Super Strike Gunner But these ones are more scrolling shooter traditional than bullet hell. But beyond that, I do like DoDonPachi even though I find it a little too hard at times. Cyvern is okay, and the Raiden series too. Trigger Heart Excelica is good as well. A bit more casual. I kinda had a dip in playtime for the genre until I got my iPhone. Once I got a chance, I downloaded a bunch of Cave's games onto it and all I can say is - best controls ever. Seriously, touch controls are the way forward to scrolling shooters. Touhou is available too, which is a bonus. But anyone looking to get into the genre a little, and has access to an iPhone (I'm not sure if they are on Android yet), download a Lite version (Demo) of one of Cave's games. I would especially recommend Espgaluda II; it's probably the easiest so it's an even better introduction into the genre. I'm hoping to see more games come to the touch platform, and I'm also looking to see if they can for it on the Vita. It's well suited, especially if held vertical. The Wii U is a whole new area of potential in this, but I have high hopes for the genre's mainstream appeal and growth, now that it seems to have found a very natural method of play.

Dex mentioned, so I thought I'd take a look... I see many familiar names around - which is nice...