Monday, October 31, 2011

Halo Reach Tournament this Friday!

The Computer & Video Game Archive is working with the Ann Arbor District Library to hold a Halo Reach tournament, where Ann Arborites can battle each other to win some great library swag and bragging rights.

We're also working with AADL as they continue their Arcade Master Series, so come ready to play some classic games and prove your skill with them as well!

The event will take place this Friday at North Quad in Room 2435 (entrance off State St.) from 6-9pm.


Clarifications: Pre-registration is not required. This event is available to the general public, and affiliation to UM or AADL is not required either. Just come and enjoy!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Ridding the World of the Undead Threat

The zombie horde.

They've invaded our movies, corrupted our books, swept through our apocalypse dramas, and plagued our video games. One day, they may invade our homes. Will you be ready?

Help the archive develop weapons to quell their numbers before they wreak havoc on everyone. Our special Anti-Zombie Development Authority, or AZDA, has developed several prototypes and strategies to use against them, including conventional guns, loud music, harsh typed words, and our personal favorite, flamethrowers.



Which weapon will be the nemesis of these pesky undead? The truth is out there, and you'll only find out by participating in our AZDA tournament over the course of next week. Help us determine the best anti-zombie weapon, and win gift cards to Amazon for taking out the most undead.

The zombies will be waiting.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Zombie Game Tournament!

Looking for a way to celebrate Halloween in style? Join us for our Zombie Game Tournament, taking place during the week leading up to Halloween, and earn Amazon gift cards! Sign up now.

See details below.

About the tournament:

          In recognition of Halloween, this tournament will consist of 5 zombie-themed games from several consoles. It will be a silent tournament, taking place over the course of an entire week rather than all at once. There will be four winners, which will receive gift cards to Amazon. 1st place will receive a $40 card, 2nd place will receive a $30, 3rd place will receive a $20 card, and 4th place will receive a $10 card.
·        
      Registration will begin immediately and continue throughout the tournament, and the tournament will be limited to the first 50 people who sign up.  Participation is limited to those affiliated with the university, and excludes tournament officials. To register, you must provide a valid Umich ID, name, uniqname and email, and you may sign up in person at the archive desk, via email at video.games@umich.edu , or by phone at 763-6533. All requested information must be provided in order to sign up.
·        
      The week of the actual tournament will be October 24-29th. Participants may compete during the hours that the archive is open.
·        
         During the week of the tournament, participants will be allowed to play practice runs before they must make a real run. The real run must be declared beforehand and observed by a tournament official.  After the first official run, they may also elect to do a second run. If they choose this option, the score from the second run will be the official score, regardless of whether it is higher or lower than the first. Note: the decisions of the tournament officials are final.
·       
          The top 10 scorers of each of the 5 games will get points that accumulate for their final score, which will determine the winners. Points are awarded for each round as follows:
1st place
10 points
2nd place
9 points
3rd place
8 points
4th place
7 points
5th place
6 points
6th place
5 points
7th place
4 points
8th place
3 points
9th place
2 points
10th place
1 point

·        There will be a 6th game set aside for tie-breakers, which will be a sudden death match. The competitor left standing will win the tournament.  Competitors may compete for any of the tournament games during any of the days of the tournament week. If any of the competitors do not complete all 5 games by 5pm at the end of the week on Saturday, October 29, they will be disqualified from the tournament.
·       
          During the week of the tournament the archive will be open to everyone as usual, but stations with tournament-related consoles must be forfeited immediately in favor of those who wish to compete.

Games (subject to change as needed):
1.       Rock of the Dead (Xbox 360)
a.       Equipment
                                                               i.      Xbox 360, guitar controller
                                                             ii.      Available on Station 1
b.      Instructions
                                                               i.      Press start > Story > 2nd Chapter > Normal Difficulty
c.       Controls
                                                               i.      Press buttons and strum as per Rock Band
                                                             ii.      Blast: Hold Green+Red+Yellow+Blue and strum
                                                            iii.      Shield: Tilt guitar or press Back
d.      General Rules:
                                                               i.      No points given on Game Over, so try not to die!
                                                             ii.      2nd chapter only
e.      Tips
                                                               i.      No rhythm is needed except against larger creatures, so just go through the notes as quickly as possible

2.       House of the Dead Overkill (Wii)
a.       Equipment
                                                               i.      Wii, Wii remote, Pistol peripheral
                                                             ii.      Available on Station 6
b.      Instructions
                                                               i.      Select Profile: AAEL > Story mode > Fetid Waters Chapter
                                                             ii.      Choose default AMS Magnum as weapon > Hit Player 1 Play
c.       Controls
                                                               i.      Menu selection with A button, shoot with pistol trigger (B button)
d.      General Rules
                                                               i.      Reports score at end of level or upon death
                                                             ii.      If you die, DON’T continue – final score is reported from death screen

3.       Burn Zombie Burn (PS3 Download)
a.       Equipment
                                                               i.      PS3, PSN access, controller
                                                             ii.      Available on Station 1
b.      Instructions
                                                               i.      Press Start > Single Player > Arcade Mode
                                                             ii.      Level=Graveyard, Mode=Free Play, Difficulty=Normal (Ranked)
c.       Controls
                                                               i.      X=Fire, Triangle=TNT, Square=kick (TNT, exploding zombie heads, etc.)
                                                             ii.      L1=hold down to auto-target, R2=hold down to strafe
                                                            iii.      R1=fire main weapon, R2=hold down to use fire weapon (flamethrower, etc.)
d.      General Rules
                                                               i.      Read more here:  http://faqs.ign.com/articles/108/1081706p1.html
                                                             ii.      Get the highest score you can before game over or 10 minutes passes
e.      Tips
                                                               i.      Set zombies on fire to gain multipliers, and use main weapon to kill zombies and rack up points.
                                                             ii.      Letting zombies gather into a horde and then taking them out all at once will get you more points than by taking them out individually.
                                                            iii.      Best way to gain points: gather TNT & upgrade it, raise fire multiplier to x30-45, blow up fiery zombie horde.

4.       Typing of the Dead (Dreamcast)
a.       Equipment
                                                               i.      Dreamcast, keyboard
                                                             ii.      Available on Station 9
b.      Instructions
                                                               i.      Arcade mode > Story mode > Chapter 3
                                                             ii.      When you play through Chapter 3, report score and continue on to Chapter 4
c.       Controls
                                                               i.      Use keyboard to type out words as they appear on screen to kill zombies
d.      General Rules
                                                               i.      Each chapter will give you a score when you reach the end of it
                                                             ii.      Add scores from chapters 3 and 4 to get your final tournament score
e.      Tips
                                                               i.      Final score is based on typing accuracy, speed, and completing missions

5.       Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)
a.       Equipment
                                                               i.      Super Nintendo, controller
                                                             ii.      Available on Station 17
b.      Instructions
                                                               i.      Play the game for 10 minutes or until Game Over, and report final score
                                                             ii.      Scores accumulate over levels, so don’t report each level’s score
c.       Controls
                                                               i.      + Pad: Movement, Y button: Fire weapon, X button: Use special item
                                                             ii.      B Button: Switch weapon, A button: Switch special items/Check key inventory
                                                            iii.      L & R buttons: Toggle victim radar on/off
d.      General Rules
                                                               i.      Get highest score you can by racking up points and going through levels
                                                             ii.      At end of 10 minutes, pause game and report final score

6.       Ghosts and Goblins (NES) - Tie-breaker Game
a.       Equipment
                                                               i.      Nintendo, controller
                                                             ii.      Available on Stations 14 & 16
b.      Instructions
                                                               i.      Start game normally
                                                             ii.      You automatically start with 2 hits per life, and 3 lives
c.       Controls
                                                               i.      A button: Jump, B button: Attack, + pad: Movement
d.      General Rules
                                                               i.      Sudden death match: whoever can accumulate the most points before dying

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Libraries in Minecraft

Old Dominion University has taken the time to painstakingly recreate their library in the popular indie game Minecraft, and is currently seeking out ideas for connecting with current and potential users who play the game.

According to their website, they're planning a zombie invasion on their virtual library to celebrate Halloween, and who knows what might invade them next.

Check out the project here.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

In Search of Gaming's Worst

Jon Irwin of the blog Kill Screen has done an interview with our own Dave Carter that accentuates the archive. In the interview, they discuss the importance of studying not only great and popular games, but learning the history of and learning lessons from the worst games out there as well.

You can read the interview here.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Top Games - Month of September 2011

Here are our top games for the month of September. Smash continues to dominate the scoreboard, but Melee has fallen slightly below Brawl. Deus Ex rises quickly in popularity, and the 3DS makes an appearance.

1. FIFA Soccer 11 (Xbox 360)
2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube)
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox 360)
5. (tie) Deus Ex (Xbox 360)
5. (tie) Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)
7. Starcraft II (PC)
8. (tie) Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo 64)
8. (tie) Legend of Zelda (3DS)
10. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Xbox 360)