There are a lot of reasons why someone might want to check out a guide like T Dub Sanders'. One might be interested in the underside of the game testing field. Others might just want to know what they can gain from a guide that is written to help people understand their role in the gaming industry. Others still are just pining for that ultimate career working alongside game developers and designers.

Whatever the reason, T Dub Sanders has put together one of the biggest and best game testing guides on the market – one that shows the underpinnings of the career in their raw, real format. There are no false promises of automatic testing or sitting at home and playing the newest games for hundreds of dollars a day.

That stuff is all pretty much a pipe dream and most people know it – yet many guide writers try to tell everyone that they can become the biggest and best new game testers in a field that doesn't really exist every day and too many fall for it. On the other hand, what T Dub has put together is a much more realistic, much more comprehensive look at what game testing is really about – the hard work and dedication that goes into becoming someone in charge of all that code each day.

By showing what it really takes to be a game tester, T Dub opens up an actual, realistic path to getting into the industry. He showcases skills needed to get started as a tester, the classes or college majors that people better be willing to invest in if they want to be a professional in this field and much more to help them figure out not only if the career path is right for them but if they are going to be cut out for it. That means a great deal for someone who may or may not know exactly what a game tester does and how it operates.

For anyone that is thinking about taking the path toward becoming a game tester, one of the first things that needs to be done is to learn more about what the career entails. Those people should pick up T Dub's newest guide and get a real insider's look at the job and how it really works. If you're serious about doing what T Dub shows you, you'll be on the fast track toward game testing in no time flat.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Fuse Review: You fuse, you lose

You are here: Home » Reviews » Fuse » Fuse Review: You fuse, you lose

Posted June 8th, 2013 at 22:44 EDT by Ernest Lin4 CommentsReview Score

Fuse

PSU Review Score5.5Avg. user review score:0.0

Add your rating

You must be logged in to rate a game

Summary

Fuse is an exercise in mediocrity, pure and simple.

We like

Mildly enjoyable 4-player co-opSplitscreen capableFun fuse-powered weapons

We dislike

Confusing, poorly-told storyHorrible ally and enemy AIAnnoying glitches

Insomniac Games has a history of creating some wonderful games and franchises, including Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet & Clank. However, with its work on Resistance and now especially Fuse, I can’t help but wonder if the developer trying too hard to appeal to mainstream audiences, and in the process losing sight of what made its earlier games special. When Fuse was first unveiled, it was known as Overstrike and gave us a glimpse of an interesting cooperative third-person action game. Sadly, the final product is mostly uninspired, from its aesthetic redesign and game mechanics to the story and writing. 

Fuse follows Overstrike, a team of four special agents from different ethnicities and an equal number of men and women, who come across an alien substance called fuse and unique guns that use it. Together they must stop an evil man who wants to use fuse in weapons of mass destruction. Sure there are a number of subplots and details, but none of it matters or is conveyed in a way to makes players care. The first level of the game feels more like one you’d find a quarter the way in since it throws you right into the middle of the action. Throughout the entire game, there’s little to no explanation and any exposition is done quickly with so much nonsense jargon that most players will be lost or confused about what exactly is going on with the plot. In-game dialogue is downright awful with generic lines borrowed from other works and groan-inducing attempts at humor. For example, it’s revealed early on that the leader of Overstrike, Dalton Brooks, is afraid of cats. His fellow members proceed to make dumb cat quips which become the equivalent to those Skyrim “arrow to the knee” jokes. With poor writing and storytelling comes a severe lack of characterization or empathy for any of Fuse’s cast. In fact, I sat emotionless while watching one of the Overstrike members hold someone he used to love while she was dying.

By no means is Fuse an ugly game, however its visuals and art design are nothing special. Environments are filled with various flora or architecture, yet at times I spotted the seams keeping the illusion together. During an early level taking place in a jungle forest setting, I tilted my camera upward to find that any of the grass, flowers, and shrubs was merely standing, 2D images that looked like paper flowing in the wind from that angle. Insomniac tried to provide variety by having the Overstrike team traverse the globe to locations with different environments and weather. I found the shift in scenery well-needed in Fuse, but it boiled down to typical archetypes such as a “jungle” level and a “snow mountain” level. After Uncharted 2 brought me to similar locales, Fuse’s international trip ends up feeling very much “been there, done that.”

Speaking of Uncharted, that’s a particular series Fuse appears to imitate in its gameplay, only with lackluster results. You will find yourself climbing and platforming, though unlike Uncharted, it’s almost mindless and doesn’t evoke any sense of thrill. The rest of the game comprises of shooting your way from point A to point ... (continued on next page)

This will permanently ban this user and delete all associated comments. This action is irreversible, are you SURE you want to do this?!

The Facebook Platform Connect to PSU's social reader to share articles and see what your friends are reading. [ More info ]

PSU has some of the best PlayStation content on the internet, and we want you to take part in sharing it with the world! This app will share your news reading activity with your Facebook friends, and allow you to see what they are reading. You can remove the app at anytime, and continue to read the news you love. We won't bug you!

Facebook social sharing is - Toggle
View Your Recent Activity

My Recent Activity No Recent Activity

Connect to facebook, so you can not only help share the best PlayStation content on the internet, but to see what your friends are reading too. The PSU staff thank you kindly for allowing the app permissions, and completely undersand (and won't bug you again) if you don't.

The Facebook Platform

More

5,991,309 Posts | 281,114 members


View the original article here

Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)