Lazaro Fraga

Mass Effect and Top Gun

Lazaro — Sat, 16 May 2009 05:54:14 +0000

I just started a new game of Mass Effect, and I can’t believe I missed the similarities between this game’s intro and the opening sequence of Top Gun:

Top Gun skip to :38

Mass Effect. Also 38 seconds in (I didn’t make these clips)

‘Game-amentary?’

Lazaro — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:31:32 +0000

Third Edit: Read Nick Breckon’s story about the Konami press event I’m holding back on forming an opinion since I wasn’t there. Breckon was there, and makes the WSJ story look like it was written by Konami’s PR firm.

Atomic Games’ latest project, Six Days in Fallujah, is based on the composite of stories from dozens of U.S. Marines who took part in the 2004 Battle of Fallujah in Iraq.

Their trying to set their third-person shooter apart from the dozens of other third-person shooters by making it more like a documentary. A “game-amentary” is what they called it.

The original story on the Wall Street Journal points out that dozens of games, such as Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, base their plots around real battles from World War II. But Atomic Games says their game will be as realistic as possible, even noting that parts of the game will be used to create training software for the military.

The story also mentions that the devs are talking to Iraqis, but hope it’s more than lip service. If they want it to be more than a pro-war puff piece, they should try to humanize both sides of the conflict.

“We’re not trying to make social commentary. We’re not pro-war. We’re not trying to make people feel uncomfortable. We just want to bring a compelling entertainment experience,” says Anthony Crouts, vice-president of marketing for Konami, the game’s publisher. “At the end of the day, it’s just a game.”

They want to compare the game to a documentary, but prepare us to receive “just a game.” I hope it’s more than just another war game.

I’m still looking forward to experiencing an accurate portrayal of what Marines went through in Fallujah, even if that’s all it is.

I picked this article up from Robert Ashley of a Life Well Wasted.

All Hail Stalinator

Lazaro — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:41:51 +0000

Stalin vs. Martians looks fun, but it’s not the game I’m interested in. The song in the trailer, All Hail Stalinator by Ilya Orange, is hilarious and embarrassingly catchy.

Miami Gardens bid whist tournament

Lazaro — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:38:06 +0000

I had a great time covering this aspect of African-American culture that I was completely unaware of, and I think it came through in the story.

Here’s a link to the story on The Miami Herald’s web site. Since links on the Herald’s site stop working after a few days, I also posted the text here:

First Miami Gardens bid whist tournament brings banter with bidding

By Lazaro Fraga

Hunched over a dainty brown card table, Sandra Williams took a deep breath while her teammate, LaTonya Harris, raised her eyebrows before dropping the winning card on the table.

They’re playing bid whist, a traditionally African-American card game that combines the rules of whist with the bidding of bridge.

“I’ve been playing bid whist since I was 5,” said Williams, known as “Whoopie” by other players. “I knew how to play before I knew my ABCs.”

Williams’ experience is similar to that of most of the more than 50 people from all over South Florida at the Miami Gardens inaugural bid whist tournament at A.J. King Park on Friday.

“I used to sit on my Dad’s lap and play every Friday and every Saturday,” said Williams, 42, of Miami.

A game of bid whist starts with the bids. The team with the highest bid must at least win the amount of rounds they bid on, while the opposing team must try to prevent them from reaching that number. To win a round, teams must have the best hand based on rules set at the beginning of the game.

Players also use trash-talking and boasting to intimidate the other players and get them to overbid, a tactic used before, during and after games.

“I’m the champ around here,” said Mason Brown, 66, of the Lake Park community in West Palm Beach as he watched other games between rounds. “I’m the best y’all ever seen.”

The idea for the tournament came from City Councilman Oliver G. Gilbert.

“When we incorporated Miami Gardens, we wanted to build a community,” Gilbert said.

The winning team received a $1,000 check from the city, second place won $500 and third won two tickets to Jazz in the Gardens.

Williams and Harris, who lives in Miami Shores, finished third. Miami Gardens resident Gene Simmons and his partner, Andy Watson, finished first.

“It’s not a game, it’s a contact sport,” said Gilbert, while watching a game whose banter intensified with the stakes. “When there’s money involved, they get very serious about it.”

Like Williams, Gilbert learned to play with his family.

“We set up with my grandmother’s husband and we played from 4 in the afternoon to noon the next day,” Gilbert said.

When Gilbert went to Florida A&M University, he said he met people with similar experiences.

But unlike Williams and Gilbert, Brown, whose father was a deacon at his church, was not allowed to play cards at home. It wasn’t until he went to FAMU that he learned to play.

“I play even when I’m hungry,” Brown said. “I love the Lord and I love bid.”

Soar with Flower on the Playstation 3

Lazaro — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:00:58 +0000

I’ve wanted to be a pilot since as far back as I can remember. When I was about 6, I had a toy that simulated the cockpit of a fighter plane. When I was 15, I joined the Civil Air Patrol. As cheesy as it is, Top Gun is still my favorite movie.

I’ve tried dozens of flying games–from the most intense action games like Ace Combat and H.A.W.X. to the realistic Microsoft Flight Simulator. But none of them have been able to transmit the sensation of flying like Flower.

Developed by That Game Company and published by Sony, Flower is only available on the PlayStation 3. It’s a tough experience to describe (I’m reluctant to call it a game), the official trailer does a better job:

Feeling like I’m flying made the game worth $10 to me, but it’s definitely not for everyone. I’m looking forward to showing this to people who don’t usually play games. I’ll let you know how it goes.

First Post

Lazaro — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 05:09:23 +0000

Welcome to my new blog. In the next few days I’ll add more about me and links to writing samples and the projects I’m working on.

Check out my resume, and feel free to leave a comment or use my contact form.