Raj Agrawal

Learnings from software and technology

Connect

You are here: Home / Archives for Raj Agrawal

Is ‘Resident Evil 6’ The End Of The Series?

by Leave a Comment

Games are like time bombs. Not with respect to sales, but with respect to the scrutiny they go through. This is especially an aggravated scenario for a series where one game sets phenomenal standards for its successors to follow. And if the follow ups do not live up to the hype, they get bashed to hell. The Resident Evil series is at the Apex of such scrutiny.

When Resident Evil 4 was released, it changed the way people looked at the horror genre. Lots of horror games had come before, many of them achieving great successes both critically and commercially, but none of them combined horror, tension and action to this degree. The game was the absolute pinnacle of survival horror and was a pivotal game in the Game Cube life cycle. It eventually made its way onto the PS2, garnering critical acclaim and commercial success. And as expected, the bar was set too high.

resident evil 4 pose
A poster for Resident Evil 4

This bar, this hypothetical tower that builds itself whenever something good is created, this is the thing developers must be really getting scared and pissed of. This bar changes everything. It creates expectations, of monumental proportions. And this is what affected the Resident Evil franchise. The fifth game in the series was not a bad game. I actually enjoyed it a lot. The gun play was really improved over the previous games and the enemy AI was better. But what it gained in the action perspective, is what is lost when it came to providing the chills. The game simply did not have the eerie feel of its legendary predecessor, and did not give that feeling of hopelessness. The last feeling a horror game needs to impart a player is that of actually being able to survive, or worse still, of being a badass with great chances of making it out with your head and limbs intact. And this is what most horror developers don’t seem to get these days. And Capcom are no exception to this.

I think what the industry needs is different directions for different genres. These days, action is integrated into almost every game, at the cost of originality, at the cost of the elements which actually made the game good. There is a huge market for the casual gamers out there, and every company is trying to attract that market by making their games more accessible. And accessibility means including elements that people on a large scale will like. But that will not necessarily make a game better or even good compared to what it was. The focus should be on providing a better experience, and not on making one which should cater to many. If what you have created is great, it will garner an audience. This was what Resident Evil 4 did so well, and look how well it sold. With what i’ve been hearing about Resident Evil 6, that does not seem to be the case. And if the future releases follow the same path, then I believe the series as we know it is dead.

SLR vs DSLR vs SLT Cameras – A Buying Guide

by 2 Comments

Finding the right camera nowadays can be daunting, unless you have someone well versed to guide you or unless you are experienced enough. With so many types of cameras available, it’s easy to be lost. Barry Schwartz once rightly mentioned in his presentation at TED Talks – The more options there are, the easier it is to regret anything at all that is disappointing about the option that you chose. This article is intended to be a quick guide to help you understand the purposes of each of the said camera types and what are they well suited for.

Image credit: images.kuruvila.net

What is an SLR?

SLR (Single-lens Reflex) cameras are defined by the way in which the viewfinder works. Unlike standard compact digital cameras, whose viewfinders can sometimes suffer from parallax issues when taking close-up shots, SLRs use a system of mirrors and prisms to allow the photographer to use the viewfinder to see exactly what will be captured through the lens. This allows the user to gauge the focus on close-up shots far more precisely.

SLRs also feature interchangeable lenses – and while this may not be a definite selling point for the hobbyist, it’s invaluable for professional photographers.

What is a DSLR?

Whilst SLRs still use traditional 35mm film to capture images, DSLRs combine the features of an SLR camera with a digital camera system. This type of camera typically features an LCD display and higher-quality image sensors, as well as a range of customisable settings and modes to tailor the camera to the scene. DSLRs have largely replaced SLRs as the preferred camera type for professionals, due to the level of versatility they offer, while still maintaining the defining features of a conventional SLR.

What is an SLT?

A new competitor on the photography scene is the SLT (Single-Lens Translucent) camera, produced by Sony. These cameras have similar lenses to DSLRs, but they also feature an electronic viewfinder (EVF), which allows for a more accurate preview of images taken with a high-zoom lens, and the ability to display information, such as camera settings or a histogram, on top of the image. These viewfinders can, however, sometimes suffer from a higher level of lag, and it can be difficult to manually focus images with lower-resolution EVFs.

On the other hand, SLTs are also generally less bulky, lacking the complex moving mirror system that SLRs use, which also allows for more frames to be captured per second – ideal for the rapid-fire bursts of shots typically needed for sports and action photography.

Which of these camera should you buy?

Overall, SLRs, DSLRs and SLTs are all likely to appeal to professional photographers and hobbyists, offering a high level of versatility. When it comes to choosing the right camera for your needs, it’s important to know exactly how you will be using it. For high-action sports or nature photography, you’ll get the best results using an SLT, whilst low light and night-time photos will look best when taken on a traditional SLR or DSLR.

While purchasing any of these cameras – an SLR, DSLR or an SLT,  always consider the following.

  • Sensor size – Cameras with larger sensors take better shots.
  • Megapixels – Ensure that the camera has at least 8MP, as – whilst this won’t necessarily improve the quality of your images – it will enable you to print out larger photos without distortions.
  • Features – Your camera need not necessarily have plenty of features. You might end up paying more money for the extra features you might never use. As a beginner or an amateur, think about the convenient features you would like your camera to have. Features like image stabilisation can be particularly useful if you want to avoid taking blurry photos, particularly in low-light indoor environments.

Darksiders 2 – Can Death Bring New Life To A Dying Genre?

by Leave a Comment

As ironical as the title might sound, it’s true. The Fantasy Action/Adventure genre is dying. While games like God of War might still be going strong, they’re really the last beacons of hope in an industry primarily dominated by shooters. Prince of Persia is a series which has been done to death and is now stagnant with monotony. So with Darksiders 2, there comes a plethora of expectations that it will perform, and perform outstandingly well. But can it?

darksider 2 still
A still from Darksiders 2

Darksiders 2 is the sequel to Darksiders, which tells a deep and intriguing tale about how the fight between heaven and hell came full circle to earth and destroyed the planet, and how War – one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse was caught in the middle of it. While the first game established the story and the setting, the second game expands upon it to a great degree. Care has been taken to ensure that handling Death feels different compared to handling War. The environments are more expansive, and have much more packed into them to make the game a complete package.

Having played the game to “Death”, I think one should really appreciate what Vigil games have created here. Gone are the days where action games would have long campaigns. Under the pretext of making a focused experience, developers these days get away with making 7 hour campaigns that feel severely underdone. So when a game almost 40 hour long graces us, it’s difficult not be thankful to the developers for it. While the main storyline can be completed in 20 hours, the many side-quests in the game can easily eat out another 20 hours of your life, giving you that satisfied feeling of having played a long game, something which is becoming increasingly rare.

In the end, the success of the game really depends on how popular it can become. Word of mouth does help, but these days people are only concerned about specific franchises, and are generally reluctant to give a chance to something new and unique. Even though the first game sold over a million copies, these days a million copies just doesn’t cut it. Production costs are on the rise, which makes game development a less lucrative proposition than what it was before. Hence, a single game can be a make or break affair for many companies, which is the reason why we’ve see many studios closing down in the recent past. In such times, it is necessary for games like Darksiders 2 to succeed. The game is great; no doubt about that. All it requires is the fan-base to appreciate it, and the sales that it deserves.