The Armchair Game Designer

I recently purchased a book (nay, tome) on game design by David Perry (founder of Shiny Entertainment and creator of Earthworm Jim, among other things), which led me not only to the book’s website, but to something called the DP Challenge. The link contains the nitty-gritty rules, but in summary, the DP Challenge involves deconstructing 100 of the highest-reviewed games of all time by systematically playing through them (for as long as is needed to fairly analyze them) and answering questions related to the experience.

The ultimate goal of the Challenge is to a) prove your capability to fulfill a monumental task; b) open your eyes to great games/designs that you wouldn’t normally play; and c) become more knowledgeable about what works, and what doesn’t, in game design.

This challenge may have been issued two years ago, but I figure… better late than never.

So I’m going to do it. I am going to undertake the DP Challenge, henceforth known as the 100 Game Challenge, and broaden my gaming horizons. Yes, this will mean being forced to play Final Fantasy games, something I swore I would avoid like a Japanese plague. Yes, this will mean trying to figure out some of the esoteric rules of football that I had glossed over in my days of mere observation. And yes, it will mean running down access to 100 different games on a number of consoles, and struggling with stubborn backwards-compatibility issues for PC games. Of course, anyone can start the challenge. The real test- the one that only 5% apparently pass- lies in completing it. 

This is no small task, to be sure. With that said, I was forced for various logistical reasons to limit my selection of games to a certain personal selection standards.

Ryan’s Rules for the DP Challenge:

• I limited console games to the current-generation, or to one-generation-hence games that are compatible with current-gen systems (e.g., Gamecube games on the Wii).
• When given the choice of a multi-platform game, I’ll pick the version which I already personally own (e.g., GTA IV is more highly-reviewed for the PS3 than the 360, but I own the 360 version so I’ll be reviewing that). In the event that I do not own any version, I will attempt to play the one that is most highly rated.
• PC games will be limited to what my system can actually RUN, which is almost all games (with the possible exception of very OLD games, or very, very NEW ones).
• This list does not include handheld games, for the simple logistical reason that I don’t own a handheld system, and am not as interested in developing for a mobile platform.
• After-market bundles (such as Grand Theft Auto packages) aren’t listed, but their individual games may be. If a game was originally distributed as a bundle, i.e. The Orange Box, it is included in the list.
• Games that require special controllers have been omitted (Guitar Hero, for instance). I may modify the list if it is clear that a game is virtually unplayable without a special controller.
• Whenever sequels/franchises are in the mix, I will try to play the games in order of chronological release.
• When listing the games, I required at least ten reviews to be present.
• No expansion packs are listed unless I owned the original game, or the original game also appears on the list.
• No MMOs are listed unless I already have a subscription/account, or they offer a free trial period.
• I am saving the bottom 20 games for near the end of the challenge to make room for new games being slotted into the top 100.

At first blush, this list of restrictions may seem to deflate my efforts somewhat. I want to stress, though, that regardless of these rules:

• I will be playing, analyzing, and writing about a full 100 (one hundred!) games.
• Every single one of those games has an average review score on Gamerankings.com of over 90%.

Next comes the annoying part: figuring out the logistics of playing 100 games for various consoles. The first solution was, mercifully, a game rental service that operates in Canada. With the problem of acquiring games reduced to a paltry twenty bucks a month, the challenge became playing those games.

Let’s take stock of what I have available, shall we?

• One brand-new 17” unibody MacBook Pro, with Vista installed on Boot Camp. Hrm, that should be useable for older, or less graphically-intensive PC games. And World of Goo.
• One Alienware monster rig, circa… I don’t know, 2004? I think? Problem is, I installed a new graphics card to be able to play Bioshock, and recently said graphics card has decided to stop being recognized by the machine. With any luck it’s an easy fix, and this computer will tide over most of my PC-game-playing needs.
• One Nintendo Wii with Gamecube Controller. All of my Nintendo bases covered, right there.
• Xbox 360. Microsoft covered as well.

Seem a bit incomplete? The obvious missing link here is Sony. There are, at the time of this writing, all of two games on my list for the PS3 and a completely ludicrous number for the PS2. At first, I considered buying a used PS2 for $40 as the best option- I could play all of the PS2 games and borrow a friend’s machine for the handful of PS3 games. However, this year’s E3 lineup of Sony exclusive titles has made me seriously consider buying a new Sony console for the first time. Bravo, you magnificent sons of bitches… you have given me shiny envy. The Playstation issue will hopefully be resolved soon.

So that’s the systems. But what about the games? I give you, The List.

Quite the collection, eh? You can always find updates to the Challenge as they appear on the main page, or hit up the landing page.