The Tank Commander | Kat
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
In the coming weeks, there will be about a million Battlefield 3 vs. Modern Warfare 3 comparisons on the Internet. But I only need one reason to keep playing Battlefield 3--tanks. Once I get to know these maps, the world will be mine. Mine.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Not shown: his arms ripping off his torso.
How Does Nathan Drake Still Have Arms?!| Chris
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I've been playing the Uncharted series back to back to back these past few weeks. And this has been a really humbling experience in regards to my own rock climbing prowess. When I see Nathan Drake perform mantels and double dynos whilst being shot at, I wonder why the heck I'm struggling with a 5.11 C in the comfort of my own gym. Maybe it's because I don't have a theme song, I don't know.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
What I Was Digging…Until My Xbox Stopped Generating Color | Patrick
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I’ve never been a particularly huge fan of Batman aside from Rocksteady’s gritty Batman video games, which are among some of my favorite action games of the last few years. But about two hours into the new game, Arkham City, the color was mysteriously sapped out of my Xbox 360 (yeah, I already tried switching out the video cables), leaving me with an entirely monochromatic display. Guess it’s time to upgrade to the Xbox 360 S.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Screw Your Nintendo 3DS, I've Got Mage Gauntlet | McKinley
An awesome storyline, slick animation, cheap price tag, spunky female protagonist -- man, Mage Gauntlet has it all. Honestly, I don't even care about what I could be playing on the Nintendo 3DS or my broken PlayStation Portable right now. With apps like this, I could go all night on $3. BOOSH.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
I Prefer the Prone Position | Tom
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
This could probably be my "what I'm playing" entry for the next nine months or so, considering how much time I spent online with the last Battlefield. But BF3 is superior, and the only question for me right now is how much will I level up my support class character before bothering with the others? I may get a few rounds in playing engineer in vehicle-heavy maps, but I just cant stop racking up those support assist points from the prone position.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
100 Car Club Members. 100 Floors. 10,000 Zombies. | Julian
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
My Forza 4 Car Club hit the max 100 members this week -- a nice surprise, which has the added benefit of ensuring Rivals mode presents me with a whole bunch of new times to beat every day thanks to the competitive nature of my Car Club chums. Speaking of 100, I also hit the century mark in Tiny Tower -- I've been plugging away for weeks, and was happy to finally reach that milestone 100th floor. The other thing I've been playing is Dead Nation. I've had it for ages, but didn't play it properly until earlier this week, whereupon I went all-out. Brilliant fun, especially in co-op mode which my girlfriend also loves.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
God Dammit | Will
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
Because Chris Holt is apparently an inherently awful person, I'm playing Shall We Date?: Heian Love for my OMFG review. Who would've thought that a dating sim based around honor-bound imperial folks in kimonos would be really, really boring? Oh wait, everyone would've thought that.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
More Spiky Death Over Here! | Pete
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
I loved the concept of Dungeon Defenders when it launched on iOS -- tower defense plus action RPG sounded like a whole lot of win to me -- but the clunky touchscreen controls marred the experience a little. Now I can play it on my big TV with mouse and keyboard, my suspicions are confirmed: this is, without doubt, one of the most fun co-op multiplayer games I've ever played. Grab some friends and jump in -- you won't be disappointed, especially not for $15.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Finally | Justin
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
Now that Battlefield 3 is out and Modern Warfare and Skyrim are so close, Arkham City almost feels like yesterday's news. No one on my friend's list is playing it anymore, but I'm excited to finally get to try it myself. The game already reminds me (in a good way) of Assassin's Creed 2, but I have no idea how I'll find time to finish the main quest when so many side missions keep calling out to me.
What We're Playing This Week: October 24 - 31
Missile! | Olivia
What GamePro Is Playing This Week
With a quirky, overzealous cast of detectives, innocents, and ghosts, and an adventure story wrought with clever mystery and puzzle mechanics, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a DS game that comes highly recommended. The game's stand-out character, a spunky, dedicated Pomeranian named Missile, is another highlight. Only the coldest of souls could play Ghost Trick and not be charmed by that little firecracker.
Simple Earning -Good Site to join
Saturday, October 29, 2011
BioShock Infinite: How Occupy Wallstreet Has Actually Influenced it
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Irrational Games Creative Director and Co-Founder Ken Levine reveals that ongoing series of demonstrations have helped him craft certain parts of BioShock: Infinite's story. Levine notes that by observing the real-life demonstrations unfold on the news, he's been able to figure out how to develop the Vox Populi in the upcoming BioShock game.
Here's an excerpt from the interview:
"Ive been spending a lot of time watching Occupy Wall Street..." Levine says. "Leftist groups tend not to like authority; nobody in them tends to listen to it. So Occupy Wall Street has been helping me because I've been struggling to figure out how the Vox Populi get to the point in the demo. Throughout the game, you're actually watching them -- you see in the beginning of the game that they're a dead movement and a movement that really fails, and it picks up steam based upon your actions."
"Hopefully, Occupy Wall Street won't get to the point that the Vox Populi does," Levine continues, "but seeing it spread and taken more seriously, that's been interesting and really helpful."
Of course, this isn't the first time the BioShock series has been impacted by things going on in the real world; the original BioShock's story was also influenced by Russian philosopher Ayn Rand and objectivism.
Here's an excerpt from the interview:
"Ive been spending a lot of time watching Occupy Wall Street..." Levine says. "Leftist groups tend not to like authority; nobody in them tends to listen to it. So Occupy Wall Street has been helping me because I've been struggling to figure out how the Vox Populi get to the point in the demo. Throughout the game, you're actually watching them -- you see in the beginning of the game that they're a dead movement and a movement that really fails, and it picks up steam based upon your actions."
"Hopefully, Occupy Wall Street won't get to the point that the Vox Populi does," Levine continues, "but seeing it spread and taken more seriously, that's been interesting and really helpful."
Of course, this isn't the first time the BioShock series has been impacted by things going on in the real world; the original BioShock's story was also influenced by Russian philosopher Ayn Rand and objectivism.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
The iTunes App Store is, in many ways, one of the Information Age's many ghettos -- a rickety wooden flophouse looming over the street corner where "YouTube Comments Section Boulevard" and "Abandoned Social Network Avenue" meet. Despite its diverse variety of mixed media and time-eating apps, there's still a disparate divide in the quality and the promotion of its many, many titles. A good chunk of its releases are rarely given even a passing glance because of this, and they end up doomed to an unknown existence alongside the umpteenth Angry Birds rip-off and its microtransaction-based brethren.
For me, Shall We Date?: Heian Love was one of those apps -- a feudal Japanese dating sim that surreptitiously snuck under my radar, because, quite frankly, I never would've looked for it otherwise. The apps that pepper my iPhone's home screen are generally of the one-touch variety, and easy to pick up and play while trapped on public transit. The Shall We Date? series, which is a very real thing from Japanese iOS and e-book developer NTT Solmare, consistently follows a nameless, faceless heroine as she swoons over a series of wispy pretty-boys, and blah blah blah romance. It's not the kind of thing you usually see on my iTunes receipt, but hey, it was assigned to me as my OMFG review, and I'm all about venturing outside of my comfort zone. Hell, I was even thinking of wearing flip-flops next week, but one adventure at a time.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
OR DO I?
Shall We Date?: Heian Love is a very traditional visual novel game, meaning that it's primarily text-based with the occasional dialogue option thrown in for good measure. Cast as a meek maiden of some imperial Japanese court in the country's feudal era, you're asked to pursue one of five kimono-clad dudes to make kimono-clad babies with, including the court's emperor, your childhood friend, and, naturally, your uncle, because incest. As the app costs $4.99 -- already an admittedly high price-point for the App Store -- you're essentially paying a dollar per love interest, with an additional three introduced to you in the game's prologue, but then dangled over you as in-app purchases at the surprisingly nonsensical cost of another $6.99. You're essentially paying $12 to unlock every arguably interesting arc in this period piece, but can you really put a price-tag on love?
(Answer: Yes, especially if it's fake love that you're buying with an iTunes gift card that you could've spent on twelve other, better apps. S'matter with you?)
Because the option's just sitting there like an incestuous samurai elephant in the room (didn't think I'd type that this week), my first playthrough chronicled the romantic conquering of my uncle. Now, the game makes an interesting decision from the get-go in that it makes you select your potential love interest in its prologue, meaning you're stuck with your preferred bachelor until the story's completion, leaving no room for genre staples like love triangles and, god forbid, harems. That, matched with a maximum of two dialogue options per chapter, makes for a game with very little actual interactivity, even for a dating sim. After you choose your mate you're more or less waiting it out until the story's conclusion, and hoping you make the right decision when the next choice menu appears, which is always a 50/50 split. After choosing my uncle, it was more or less a waiting game of "Oh my, how far will this go?" proportions.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
Your love interest send you an e-mail after every chapter. You know, via fuedal Japanese wi-fi.
Spoiler alert: All the way, but -- shock, awe, etc. -- they're not blood related, so it's all A-okay. But, you know, still pretty darn creepy.
Honestly, Heian Love isn't a bad game -- it's just an overpriced and boring one. You know where the story's headed the moment you choose your partner in its preliminary chapter, and the characters, bless their melodramatic little hearts, are hardly interesting enough to warrant more than one or two total playthroughs. There's no music, voice acting, or sound effects to speak of, and the text is littered with tiny, but annoying, translation errors that lower the game's overall production values.
It's tough to recommend Heian Love, even as a Shall We Date? game (hell, a cursory glance at the developer's other games reveals Ninja Love, which sounds infinitely more interesting), but hey, if it's your cup of tea, I'm not one to stand in the way of romance. In fact, I prefer to stand pretty far out of romance's line of sight, where I can play Jetpack Joyride in peace, and not have to worry about that cute girl on the bus wondering what the hell I'm doing romancing some Heian era emperor on my goddamn iPhone.
For me, Shall We Date?: Heian Love was one of those apps -- a feudal Japanese dating sim that surreptitiously snuck under my radar, because, quite frankly, I never would've looked for it otherwise. The apps that pepper my iPhone's home screen are generally of the one-touch variety, and easy to pick up and play while trapped on public transit. The Shall We Date? series, which is a very real thing from Japanese iOS and e-book developer NTT Solmare, consistently follows a nameless, faceless heroine as she swoons over a series of wispy pretty-boys, and blah blah blah romance. It's not the kind of thing you usually see on my iTunes receipt, but hey, it was assigned to me as my OMFG review, and I'm all about venturing outside of my comfort zone. Hell, I was even thinking of wearing flip-flops next week, but one adventure at a time.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
OR DO I?
Shall We Date?: Heian Love is a very traditional visual novel game, meaning that it's primarily text-based with the occasional dialogue option thrown in for good measure. Cast as a meek maiden of some imperial Japanese court in the country's feudal era, you're asked to pursue one of five kimono-clad dudes to make kimono-clad babies with, including the court's emperor, your childhood friend, and, naturally, your uncle, because incest. As the app costs $4.99 -- already an admittedly high price-point for the App Store -- you're essentially paying a dollar per love interest, with an additional three introduced to you in the game's prologue, but then dangled over you as in-app purchases at the surprisingly nonsensical cost of another $6.99. You're essentially paying $12 to unlock every arguably interesting arc in this period piece, but can you really put a price-tag on love?
(Answer: Yes, especially if it's fake love that you're buying with an iTunes gift card that you could've spent on twelve other, better apps. S'matter with you?)
Because the option's just sitting there like an incestuous samurai elephant in the room (didn't think I'd type that this week), my first playthrough chronicled the romantic conquering of my uncle. Now, the game makes an interesting decision from the get-go in that it makes you select your potential love interest in its prologue, meaning you're stuck with your preferred bachelor until the story's completion, leaving no room for genre staples like love triangles and, god forbid, harems. That, matched with a maximum of two dialogue options per chapter, makes for a game with very little actual interactivity, even for a dating sim. After you choose your mate you're more or less waiting it out until the story's conclusion, and hoping you make the right decision when the next choice menu appears, which is always a 50/50 split. After choosing my uncle, it was more or less a waiting game of "Oh my, how far will this go?" proportions.
OMFG You're Making Me Review: Shall We Date?： Heian Love
Your love interest send you an e-mail after every chapter. You know, via fuedal Japanese wi-fi.
Spoiler alert: All the way, but -- shock, awe, etc. -- they're not blood related, so it's all A-okay. But, you know, still pretty darn creepy.
Honestly, Heian Love isn't a bad game -- it's just an overpriced and boring one. You know where the story's headed the moment you choose your partner in its preliminary chapter, and the characters, bless their melodramatic little hearts, are hardly interesting enough to warrant more than one or two total playthroughs. There's no music, voice acting, or sound effects to speak of, and the text is littered with tiny, but annoying, translation errors that lower the game's overall production values.
It's tough to recommend Heian Love, even as a Shall We Date? game (hell, a cursory glance at the developer's other games reveals Ninja Love, which sounds infinitely more interesting), but hey, if it's your cup of tea, I'm not one to stand in the way of romance. In fact, I prefer to stand pretty far out of romance's line of sight, where I can play Jetpack Joyride in peace, and not have to worry about that cute girl on the bus wondering what the hell I'm doing romancing some Heian era emperor on my goddamn iPhone.
Minecraft Convention MineCon is Sold Out
On his personal blog today and on the the MineCon home page, the event is now completely sold out:
MineCon is now sold out. Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket. We are now working hard to make the best event possible for all Minecraft fans.
The event's a little less than a month away now, so it's an impressive feat but sad news for procrastinators. Mojang hasn't revealed yet exactly how many people it took to sell out the show, but since tickets started at $100, we're guessing they garnered a large group of very faithful fans. Hopefully, if you wanted to go, you've already got your tickets squared away.
MineCon is now sold out. Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket. We are now working hard to make the best event possible for all Minecraft fans.
The event's a little less than a month away now, so it's an impressive feat but sad news for procrastinators. Mojang hasn't revealed yet exactly how many people it took to sell out the show, but since tickets started at $100, we're guessing they garnered a large group of very faithful fans. Hopefully, if you wanted to go, you've already got your tickets squared away.
Apple Passed Up By Samsung as World's Top Smartphone Manufacturer
A report on Reuters reveals that Apple has now been passed up by Samsung as the world's leading manufacturer of smartphones. The article notes during the period of July of this year to September, Samsung's mobile phones have experienced tremendous growth with a 44 percent increase in shipments.
"Samsung's rise has been driven by a blend of elegant hardware designs, popular Android services, memorable sub-brands and extensive global distribution," Strategy Analytics' Alex Spektor says. "Samsung has demonstrated that it is possible, at least in the short term, to differentiate and grow by using the Android ecosystem."
"Samsung's rise has been driven by a blend of elegant hardware designs, popular Android services, memorable sub-brands and extensive global distribution," Strategy Analytics' Alex Spektor says. "Samsung has demonstrated that it is possible, at least in the short term, to differentiate and grow by using the Android ecosystem."
Monday, October 24, 2011
From Blank Wall To Guts Tank Epic In 7.5 Minutes
A building in Dallas, Texas gets a Mega Man-flavoured makeover courtesy of graffiti artist Kid NES and the fine folks at Oink, the official distributor of Sabotaz brand paint products.
With a little help from timelapse and the music of the Minibosses, the Guts Tank from Mega Man 2 comes to life before our very eyes, as a pair of precision wall painters fill in every last bit of colour, pixel-by-pixel.
As an advertisement for Sabotaz it works quite well, seeing as I had no idea they made spray paint marketed specifically to graffiti artists before watching.
And as a tribute to the blue bomber and friends? It’s absolutely priceless.
With a little help from timelapse and the music of the Minibosses, the Guts Tank from Mega Man 2 comes to life before our very eyes, as a pair of precision wall painters fill in every last bit of colour, pixel-by-pixel.
As an advertisement for Sabotaz it works quite well, seeing as I had no idea they made spray paint marketed specifically to graffiti artists before watching.
And as a tribute to the blue bomber and friends? It’s absolutely priceless.
The New Zelda Won’t Have A Lefty Mode After All
I had some trouble playing the game, which seemed tailored for righties, but I got used to it. Some readers, however, wondered if there was a lefty mode. Some even pointed to an IGN report that stated that there is one. I was surprised that none of the Nintendo reps who sat with me while I talked about the game’s compatibility for left-handed people had mentioned a lefty mode. None of them was a developer on the game, but they were knowledgeable folks nonetheless.
I e-mailed Nintendo public relations to be sure and even linked them the IGN video, which makes verbal mention of it but doesn’t show it, to make sure we were talking about the same thing. Now I’ve got an official response: Nintendo confirms there’s no left-handed mode in the game. Go figure.
This is no tragedy. What it means, I guess, is that Link will hold his sword in his right hand as he did in the Wii version of his previous Zelda console game. Prior to that, he’d been a lefty in all of his most famous games.
This lefty/righty thing is an issue because Skyward Sword requires players to use a Wii Remote with Motion Plus to swing hero Link’s sword with finesse, the kind of finesse a left-hander like me might not feel when wielding the Remote in one’s right hand. This wasn’t an issue with the previous Wii Zelda, Twilight Princess. That game tolerated cruder, less careful gestures and had a more limited and less interesting move-set as a result. A lefty like me could easily just put the Wii Remote in their left hand to play Skyward Sword, but that forces the Wii’s Nunchuk to go in the right hand, and makes you move the character with your right thumb on the Nunchuk’s thumbstick. That configuration had felt unnatural when I tried it. I didn’t like it, but some Kotaku readers said that they might want to play Skyward Sword with the Remote in their left hand… as long as the game would put Link’s sword in his left hand. That’s what this lefty mode would have been, but it’s not in there.
Without the lefty mode, Link will keep his sword in his right and the player will simply have to decide which hand to put the Remote in and which will wield the Nunchuk. I’m putting the Remote in my wight.
I e-mailed Nintendo public relations to be sure and even linked them the IGN video, which makes verbal mention of it but doesn’t show it, to make sure we were talking about the same thing. Now I’ve got an official response: Nintendo confirms there’s no left-handed mode in the game. Go figure.
This is no tragedy. What it means, I guess, is that Link will hold his sword in his right hand as he did in the Wii version of his previous Zelda console game. Prior to that, he’d been a lefty in all of his most famous games.
This lefty/righty thing is an issue because Skyward Sword requires players to use a Wii Remote with Motion Plus to swing hero Link’s sword with finesse, the kind of finesse a left-hander like me might not feel when wielding the Remote in one’s right hand. This wasn’t an issue with the previous Wii Zelda, Twilight Princess. That game tolerated cruder, less careful gestures and had a more limited and less interesting move-set as a result. A lefty like me could easily just put the Wii Remote in their left hand to play Skyward Sword, but that forces the Wii’s Nunchuk to go in the right hand, and makes you move the character with your right thumb on the Nunchuk’s thumbstick. That configuration had felt unnatural when I tried it. I didn’t like it, but some Kotaku readers said that they might want to play Skyward Sword with the Remote in their left hand… as long as the game would put Link’s sword in his left hand. That’s what this lefty mode would have been, but it’s not in there.
Without the lefty mode, Link will keep his sword in his right and the player will simply have to decide which hand to put the Remote in and which will wield the Nunchuk. I’m putting the Remote in my wight.
Should You Buy Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure? Yes.
Mixing together video games and collectible toys, Activision? How very Captain Power of you. As many will no doubt remember, the good captain and his soldiers of the future wound up defending clearance aisles from evil until fading into obscurity. Should a simillar fate befall Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure? It’s time for a Gut Check.
Evan Narcisse, relatively new father: Skylanders smacks too much of an attempt to grab cash from two markets at once. The cross-platform portable save technology might be great, and the game may even be fun but I feel like this is one instance where voting with your wallet is super-important. The calculus behind this mash-up of collectible toys and video games just seems to be nakedly concerned with setting up another franchise, one that will engender a COD-style, rabidly loyal audience in young kids. The tech’s the main story here and you can get the kind of gaming experience offered in Skylanders from other games that don’t ask you to buy a bunch of plastic. No.
Michael Fahey, even newer father twice over: I was right there with Evan as I begun playing Skylanders this weekend, smirking at the obvious attempt to transform one revenue stream into two. As I played the game I discovered doors that couldn’t be opened without a certain type of Skylander. There were special collectible powers for characters I did not own, complete with a dynamic video commercial aimed at showing kids how amazing this figure they did not own was. These are moments manufactured specifically to get children to beg their parents for more toys. How diabolically evil. Well it won’t work on me, Activision.
Yesterday I went to Toys”R”Us and purchased $US40 worth of additional Skylanders stuff. Damn it. Yes.
Tristan, 10-year-old gamer, fan of Age of Empires Online (which he can play) and Call of Duty (which he can’t): It’s a fun game. I like that you get to run around with characters that are also toys. I also liked that there were a lot of guys to choose from. I like how when they go up in levels they get new sorts of attacks. Yes.
Brian, father of Tristan: I sort of didn’t like the game initially because it felt a bit light, a bit repetitive and had unimpressive graphics, but those physical representations of your characters sure do make a difference. After playing the game for several hours with my son, I was enjoying the expanding gameplay and abilities. Later he walked the rest of the family through one of our adventures using one of the toys, a dinner plate, napkin, fork and salt shaker. This is a video game that can ignite your child’s imagination. Yes.
I was almost positive this Gut Check would have ended up a no before I started gathering opinions, but I underestimated the power of fatherhood and (in my case) rabid toy collector mentality. I am a weak man. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure game bundles and toys are available now for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC and 3DS.
Evan Narcisse, relatively new father: Skylanders smacks too much of an attempt to grab cash from two markets at once. The cross-platform portable save technology might be great, and the game may even be fun but I feel like this is one instance where voting with your wallet is super-important. The calculus behind this mash-up of collectible toys and video games just seems to be nakedly concerned with setting up another franchise, one that will engender a COD-style, rabidly loyal audience in young kids. The tech’s the main story here and you can get the kind of gaming experience offered in Skylanders from other games that don’t ask you to buy a bunch of plastic. No.
Michael Fahey, even newer father twice over: I was right there with Evan as I begun playing Skylanders this weekend, smirking at the obvious attempt to transform one revenue stream into two. As I played the game I discovered doors that couldn’t be opened without a certain type of Skylander. There were special collectible powers for characters I did not own, complete with a dynamic video commercial aimed at showing kids how amazing this figure they did not own was. These are moments manufactured specifically to get children to beg their parents for more toys. How diabolically evil. Well it won’t work on me, Activision.
Yesterday I went to Toys”R”Us and purchased $US40 worth of additional Skylanders stuff. Damn it. Yes.
Tristan, 10-year-old gamer, fan of Age of Empires Online (which he can play) and Call of Duty (which he can’t): It’s a fun game. I like that you get to run around with characters that are also toys. I also liked that there were a lot of guys to choose from. I like how when they go up in levels they get new sorts of attacks. Yes.
Brian, father of Tristan: I sort of didn’t like the game initially because it felt a bit light, a bit repetitive and had unimpressive graphics, but those physical representations of your characters sure do make a difference. After playing the game for several hours with my son, I was enjoying the expanding gameplay and abilities. Later he walked the rest of the family through one of our adventures using one of the toys, a dinner plate, napkin, fork and salt shaker. This is a video game that can ignite your child’s imagination. Yes.
I was almost positive this Gut Check would have ended up a no before I started gathering opinions, but I underestimated the power of fatherhood and (in my case) rabid toy collector mentality. I am a weak man. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure game bundles and toys are available now for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC and 3DS.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Three Incredibly Cool And Rare Nintendo 3DS Consoles
Nintendo did reveal new Nintendo 3DS hardware today. But Nintendo isn’t selling these 3DS consoles. No, Nintendo is giving them away.
Club Nintendo winners have an opportunity to win special Nintendo 3DS units that feture Princess Peach, Mario, and Toad motifs. There are only three thousand of these 3DS units–one thousand of each.
And the units are only available to Japan’s Club Nintendo members to win. Club Nintendo members can enter two Club Nintendo codes that come packaged with games to get a chance at winning one of the consoles.
Nintendo should really sell these designs. They’re fantastic.
Club Nintendo winners have an opportunity to win special Nintendo 3DS units that feture Princess Peach, Mario, and Toad motifs. There are only three thousand of these 3DS units–one thousand of each.
And the units are only available to Japan’s Club Nintendo members to win. Club Nintendo members can enter two Club Nintendo codes that come packaged with games to get a chance at winning one of the consoles.
Nintendo should really sell these designs. They’re fantastic.
Mario Kart 7 Is A Place For Like-Minded Racers To Meet
Like chucking turtle shells while carting? Have I got a group of gamers for you. Today, Nintendo announced that Mario Kart 7 would be bringing community features to the long-running Mario Kart series.
The centre piece is a “Mario Kart Channel”, which will serve the same function that the Wii Channel does, namely providing players with new info. Here, players can find stuff they collect during Street Pass mode on the 3DS or the Street Pass races.
It’s also possible to play friends or folks you’ve passed in Street Mode online. What’s more, Mario Kart players can make groups to meet with their friends.
Online, up to eight players can race at once. Races are a smooth 60fps. Mario Kart players will be happy to know that Nintendo is taking steps to combat unfair play or cheating. Nintendo did not go into great detail about what these steps will be exactly.
Community features are now standard on many racing games and are a welcomed addition to Mario Kart.
The centre piece is a “Mario Kart Channel”, which will serve the same function that the Wii Channel does, namely providing players with new info. Here, players can find stuff they collect during Street Pass mode on the 3DS or the Street Pass races.
It’s also possible to play friends or folks you’ve passed in Street Mode online. What’s more, Mario Kart players can make groups to meet with their friends.
Online, up to eight players can race at once. Races are a smooth 60fps. Mario Kart players will be happy to know that Nintendo is taking steps to combat unfair play or cheating. Nintendo did not go into great detail about what these steps will be exactly.
Community features are now standard on many racing games and are a welcomed addition to Mario Kart.
Nintendo Dishes On November 3DS Update
Next month, Nintendo will be releasing a big update for the 3DS. Today, the Kyoto-based game maker discussed what is in store. With the update, it will become possible to transfer batches of data from one 3DS to another.
The Nintendo 3DS will also be getting a 3D camera, something that has already been mentioned. It will be possible to shoot up to 10 minutes of 3D footage with the camera.
What’s more, the 3DS is getting stop-motion photography, so 3DS owners to make their own stop-motion masterpieces. This is a very cool addition, indeed.
StreetPass is also getting an update that includes a map for those Miis you meet via StreetPass. “Find Mii”, the Mii mini-game, is getting a sequel, too.
The Nintendo 3DS will also be getting a 3D camera, something that has already been mentioned. It will be possible to shoot up to 10 minutes of 3D footage with the camera.
What’s more, the 3DS is getting stop-motion photography, so 3DS owners to make their own stop-motion masterpieces. This is a very cool addition, indeed.
StreetPass is also getting an update that includes a map for those Miis you meet via StreetPass. “Find Mii”, the Mii mini-game, is getting a sequel, too.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
My journey to PC gaming so far (and little PS3 talk)
In my last blog post I talked about being new to the true PC gaming scene and what difficulties I had faced. So far I have bought a couple of new games to PC one of them being Bioshock 2. This games installation was a complete disaster. When I first installed it the release date checking program didn't work and I had to do it manually. I finally got to play the game and it was fun and awesome until I pressed ESC and all went to hell. The game crashed and wouldn't start anymore. I installed it again two times but no, it wouldn't work. So I went to the source of all knowledge (and porn). The internet. It became clear there had been a lot of problems during the launch and it seemed that the game didn't work properly with Windows Live and that you had to delete the saved data containing the Windows Live information. So I did this and installed the game once again and now it worked. This is weird as I signed into the Windows Live again but now it worked without an apparent reason. So not exactly a good experience.
Second thing I want to voice aloud is the Mass Effect 2 on PS3. As I have never played the first one but I have played the second one now trough twice. I was never confused about the characters or the story because it isn't that much linked to the first one. I just took the story as any game with amnesia even though Shepard remembered everything but it made sense to think the story this way. So I see no problem with that only Mass Effect 2 is being made for the PS3.
Third thing is the PSN+ subscription. I bought it the day it was possible and got my digital LBP copy and I was truly happy. Now there has been many people saying the PSN+ isn't worth it but I disagree. There has been two awesome PS games everyone should play this far. Oddworld Abe's Oddysee and MediEvil. Both awesome and fun games. Now I realize that they are only two games but there is more. If you like good humor then the Sam & Max episodes are for you. All five episodes of Devil's playhouse are free. So far I have gotten content I actually play worth about 60 euros. that is as much as I payed for the year subscription and it has been only three months. So I'm really looking forward to see what next months content will be.
Now I realize I have talked more about PS3 than PC but there hasn't been a lot going on with PC game releases. Waiting for Two Worlds II to come out and few other titles. Next time my journey trough ME2, UC2 and AC2 as I'm about to platinium UC2 and AC2. I will think about if I'm going to write that post or will I just continue with my PC gaming journey.
Second thing I want to voice aloud is the Mass Effect 2 on PS3. As I have never played the first one but I have played the second one now trough twice. I was never confused about the characters or the story because it isn't that much linked to the first one. I just took the story as any game with amnesia even though Shepard remembered everything but it made sense to think the story this way. So I see no problem with that only Mass Effect 2 is being made for the PS3.
Third thing is the PSN+ subscription. I bought it the day it was possible and got my digital LBP copy and I was truly happy. Now there has been many people saying the PSN+ isn't worth it but I disagree. There has been two awesome PS games everyone should play this far. Oddworld Abe's Oddysee and MediEvil. Both awesome and fun games. Now I realize that they are only two games but there is more. If you like good humor then the Sam & Max episodes are for you. All five episodes of Devil's playhouse are free. So far I have gotten content I actually play worth about 60 euros. that is as much as I payed for the year subscription and it has been only three months. So I'm really looking forward to see what next months content will be.
Now I realize I have talked more about PS3 than PC but there hasn't been a lot going on with PC game releases. Waiting for Two Worlds II to come out and few other titles. Next time my journey trough ME2, UC2 and AC2 as I'm about to platinium UC2 and AC2. I will think about if I'm going to write that post or will I just continue with my PC gaming journey.
Second Day Move Impressions: R.U.S.E.
I’m going to just detail how Move (and navigation controller) works within the game, this is in no way a review of the game itself, just how functional the application of motion control is.
Upon glancing at the control scheme I had a sense this was going to be a complicated experience but then again what good RTS doesn’t give that initial impression? My first few moments of game-play mostly consisted of ‘wtf?’ moments and wild camera swinging. One by one I eased into each control feature starting with camera zoom, which worked more by tilting the controller as opposed to using the depth sensing capabilities.
Then onto troop selection, which works best in a couple of ways. First individual troop selection is as simple as pointing at the unit and hitting the Move button. You can also hit square to select all similar units in view and there are handy D-pad shortcuts for aviation units i.e. bombers and recon. The navigation controller trigger can be used to create a circle of various sizes, depending on trigger pressure, which can ‘paint’ troops. I found this most useful under pressure when quick selection of various units is needed to meet a growing threat.
I found some of the pop-up menus a little confusing at first as my mind had trouble deciding where the motion to swipe open a menu and the navigation sticks ability to browse began and ended. Also I kept selecting unwanted units when trying to move another or accidently moving ones I didn’t want to. This was basically due to my inexperience with the controllers more than anything and a bit practice went a long way.
The cursor moves swiftly and accurately and has a handy ‘snap-to’ feature when hovering over important locations or enemy troops. After a while and with a bit of mental adjustment I was able to jump from troop to troop, adjust view accordingly and lay out orders at a speed I could only dream of with a DualShock.
To wrap up I’d like to say that the controls worked well, even though the game was not originally developed with Move in mind. It left me quietly optimistic that the RTS genre can become relevant on consoles and, when a game built from the ground up with Move in mind comes along, I have the feeling it will be as intuitive and speedy as it’s PC cousins, if a little less versatile. It’s just a shame that the first RTS to utilise the Move was a pretty average game, don’t let it put you off future releases though as the quality of the game is not a true reflection of the new control method.
Upon glancing at the control scheme I had a sense this was going to be a complicated experience but then again what good RTS doesn’t give that initial impression? My first few moments of game-play mostly consisted of ‘wtf?’ moments and wild camera swinging. One by one I eased into each control feature starting with camera zoom, which worked more by tilting the controller as opposed to using the depth sensing capabilities.
Then onto troop selection, which works best in a couple of ways. First individual troop selection is as simple as pointing at the unit and hitting the Move button. You can also hit square to select all similar units in view and there are handy D-pad shortcuts for aviation units i.e. bombers and recon. The navigation controller trigger can be used to create a circle of various sizes, depending on trigger pressure, which can ‘paint’ troops. I found this most useful under pressure when quick selection of various units is needed to meet a growing threat.
I found some of the pop-up menus a little confusing at first as my mind had trouble deciding where the motion to swipe open a menu and the navigation sticks ability to browse began and ended. Also I kept selecting unwanted units when trying to move another or accidently moving ones I didn’t want to. This was basically due to my inexperience with the controllers more than anything and a bit practice went a long way.
The cursor moves swiftly and accurately and has a handy ‘snap-to’ feature when hovering over important locations or enemy troops. After a while and with a bit of mental adjustment I was able to jump from troop to troop, adjust view accordingly and lay out orders at a speed I could only dream of with a DualShock.
To wrap up I’d like to say that the controls worked well, even though the game was not originally developed with Move in mind. It left me quietly optimistic that the RTS genre can become relevant on consoles and, when a game built from the ground up with Move in mind comes along, I have the feeling it will be as intuitive and speedy as it’s PC cousins, if a little less versatile. It’s just a shame that the first RTS to utilise the Move was a pretty average game, don’t let it put you off future releases though as the quality of the game is not a true reflection of the new control method.
Friday, October 21, 2011
2010: The year of crap endings
Is it just me, or did a lot of game endings suck this year? (last year, whatever) I don't expect incredible endings from every game, but usually the AAA titles should be decent. Yeah, we got Red Dead's very meaningful and arguably taboo-breaking finale, and the epic suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. Hell, in Bayonetta you get to punch God into the sun. I'm freaking catholic and I thought that was awesome. But nearly every other major game I played just, ugh. Here are the worst (in games that were pretty good up until that point)
Heavy Rain: consequences? what are those?
I'm not even going to touch that plot twist here (if you haven't played it, just imagine if like 3 other people talked to Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense. It's like that) and the endings are good when they make sense. But chances are they don't. Really, the endings all depend on two or three conditions, and all the other ones don't have impact when they should. Examples:
Ethan: gets to walk free even if he killed a guy to save his son.
Madison: Someone congratulates her on catching the killer, regardless of whether she actually caught him, or even if he was caught. (just so long as she reaches Shaun's location at the end)
Jayden: All the parts when you choose to resist or give into his addiction have no impact on whether he quits or OD's at the end.
Shelby:... actually, these are all pretty awesome.
God of War III: Kratos loses all FOUR of his testicles
What's your favorite God of War weapon? The classic chained blades? The hammer that summons ghosts? The boxing gloves shaped like lions? How about the power of hope? Yes, after killing the last titan and god in a single blow, God of War takes a turn that freaking yu-gi-oh would call "kind of corny" and Kratos fights Zeus with hope. As much as I'd like to see Kratos redeem himself, this turn is FAR too sudden. And to top it all off, Athena, the LAST likable character in the series, decides to betray you and try to take the power for herself. So Kratos offs himself and somehow this restores hope to the world or something. As the credits rolled I thought "well, I lost all emotional investment near the end there, but at least it had the balls to end Kratos's story and not do some stupid, lazy set-up for a seq- MOTHERFU
Blazblue: Continuum Shift: the plot has taken two freaking steps
At the end of Calamity Trigger, our hero fights a robot lolli in the city's power reactor, the true villain reveals himself and sets up the sequel. Continuum Shift ends with our hero fighting a robot lolli in the city's power reactor and the true villain reveals HERself and sets up the sequel. Yeah. Okay, a lot of stuff happened in between but still, holy crap. There really isn't any more closure than there was in the first game, and most events just further complicated the universe. Heck, We still don't know exactly what the hell was going on in the VERY FIRST cutscene of Calamity Trigger. If anything, it feels like the whole series is still setting up, and I'm not getting my hopes up for the next game's ending.
Mafia II: This year's Modern Warfare 2
Remember in Uncharted 2 when it looks like Elena is dying after the last boss fight? Okay, now imagine the game just cut off there. I'm serious, that's Mafia II's ending. It's heavily implied that your friend is about to be killed, and Vito's just like "eh" even though they just fought for each others' lives against their own boss. Asshole. Any reasonable story would have had him kill the driver of the car he's in (still got your guns) turn around and save him. What was Mafia II too "sophisticated" for a gratifying ending? The current holder of the world record for most cursing in a video game? Go f*** your f***ing self, you f***ing snooty motherf***er.
Metroid: Other M: Aren't we forgetting someting? like half the plot?
Other M's story actually gets pretty decent near the end, as opposed to the rest of it. What would have made it great was the Metroid Queen tearing out Samus's voice box, but it's still alright. Some legitimately good plot twists and revelations about the experiments that were taking place on the ship. The only question left is who started killing the other marines. And the game just drops it. And I don't mean it was dropped halfway through. This was definitely brought up during the last hour or so of the game. But the feds show up on the ship and everything's okay. Yay! Worse yet, there are only two people it could have been, and Samus actually drives one of them home. Does that make her an accomplice?
Also, that first-person bit at the end where all you had to do was look at a certain part of the screen. I spent like ten lives trying to actually kill things. Hate it.
(For the record, the post-endgame after the credits was pretty awesome)
9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors: Sudoku
Let me be clear, this game's story is terrific, and the "true" ending is no exception, with one of the most mind-blowing plot twists in anything ever. But after all the traps and puzzles, which were often symbolic in nature, what is Zero's final challenge of the Nonary game?... Sudoku. The final boss is freaking Sudoku. I can't make this up. What's next? A Silent Hill game that ends with a crossword? (Though if you do what I did and crank up some Blind Guardian during it, it is pretty epic)
Fable III: Screw you
Now this might just be the worst endgame of this generation. Your life as king starts out alright. Your brother reveals he was a giant douche because these shadow things were going to come and invade the kingdom in precisely one year, and he needed money to stop them. Now it's your responsibility. You're going to fail. There are just so many things wrong with what happens next:
-Why can I plunge the kingdom into debt for everything BUT hiring an army?
-Why does the game try to invoke sympathy for my brother, and then turn around and call me a bastard when I do the same thing?
-Why can I "not explain" what the shadow creatures are like? They're gonna kill everyone! It's not difficult to understand!
-What am I doing the 350 days of the year I don't actually play?
And those are just the little problems: The big ones? The game has the nerve to label you good or evil. "Good" essentially means being naive and short-sighted, and building a brothel instead of a school is "evil" even when it saves 1.5 MILLION LIVES. And then, AND THEN the game jumps from "120 days to the invasion" to ZERO! NO WARNING! No little pop-up that says "the invasion will begin when you finish today. You're screwed." Now I kind of like it when a game throws a lose-lose situation at the player. But it has to be reasonable, don't say I have so much warning, and then spring it on me. Worse yet, nearly everyone in my kingdom died, and Theresa is freaking CONGRATULATING me for being a good person as king. But the final insult is that people hate you no matter what. If this were Fable II, I could just dance and fart my way into their hearts. But this one makes me do a mini-quest for EVERYONE. If I play this game again, I'm just gonna kill everyone. I decided.
Heavy Rain: consequences? what are those?
I'm not even going to touch that plot twist here (if you haven't played it, just imagine if like 3 other people talked to Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense. It's like that) and the endings are good when they make sense. But chances are they don't. Really, the endings all depend on two or three conditions, and all the other ones don't have impact when they should. Examples:
Ethan: gets to walk free even if he killed a guy to save his son.
Madison: Someone congratulates her on catching the killer, regardless of whether she actually caught him, or even if he was caught. (just so long as she reaches Shaun's location at the end)
Jayden: All the parts when you choose to resist or give into his addiction have no impact on whether he quits or OD's at the end.
Shelby:... actually, these are all pretty awesome.
God of War III: Kratos loses all FOUR of his testicles
What's your favorite God of War weapon? The classic chained blades? The hammer that summons ghosts? The boxing gloves shaped like lions? How about the power of hope? Yes, after killing the last titan and god in a single blow, God of War takes a turn that freaking yu-gi-oh would call "kind of corny" and Kratos fights Zeus with hope. As much as I'd like to see Kratos redeem himself, this turn is FAR too sudden. And to top it all off, Athena, the LAST likable character in the series, decides to betray you and try to take the power for herself. So Kratos offs himself and somehow this restores hope to the world or something. As the credits rolled I thought "well, I lost all emotional investment near the end there, but at least it had the balls to end Kratos's story and not do some stupid, lazy set-up for a seq- MOTHERFU
Blazblue: Continuum Shift: the plot has taken two freaking steps
At the end of Calamity Trigger, our hero fights a robot lolli in the city's power reactor, the true villain reveals himself and sets up the sequel. Continuum Shift ends with our hero fighting a robot lolli in the city's power reactor and the true villain reveals HERself and sets up the sequel. Yeah. Okay, a lot of stuff happened in between but still, holy crap. There really isn't any more closure than there was in the first game, and most events just further complicated the universe. Heck, We still don't know exactly what the hell was going on in the VERY FIRST cutscene of Calamity Trigger. If anything, it feels like the whole series is still setting up, and I'm not getting my hopes up for the next game's ending.
Mafia II: This year's Modern Warfare 2
Remember in Uncharted 2 when it looks like Elena is dying after the last boss fight? Okay, now imagine the game just cut off there. I'm serious, that's Mafia II's ending. It's heavily implied that your friend is about to be killed, and Vito's just like "eh" even though they just fought for each others' lives against their own boss. Asshole. Any reasonable story would have had him kill the driver of the car he's in (still got your guns) turn around and save him. What was Mafia II too "sophisticated" for a gratifying ending? The current holder of the world record for most cursing in a video game? Go f*** your f***ing self, you f***ing snooty motherf***er.
Metroid: Other M: Aren't we forgetting someting? like half the plot?
Other M's story actually gets pretty decent near the end, as opposed to the rest of it. What would have made it great was the Metroid Queen tearing out Samus's voice box, but it's still alright. Some legitimately good plot twists and revelations about the experiments that were taking place on the ship. The only question left is who started killing the other marines. And the game just drops it. And I don't mean it was dropped halfway through. This was definitely brought up during the last hour or so of the game. But the feds show up on the ship and everything's okay. Yay! Worse yet, there are only two people it could have been, and Samus actually drives one of them home. Does that make her an accomplice?
Also, that first-person bit at the end where all you had to do was look at a certain part of the screen. I spent like ten lives trying to actually kill things. Hate it.
(For the record, the post-endgame after the credits was pretty awesome)
9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors: Sudoku
Let me be clear, this game's story is terrific, and the "true" ending is no exception, with one of the most mind-blowing plot twists in anything ever. But after all the traps and puzzles, which were often symbolic in nature, what is Zero's final challenge of the Nonary game?... Sudoku. The final boss is freaking Sudoku. I can't make this up. What's next? A Silent Hill game that ends with a crossword? (Though if you do what I did and crank up some Blind Guardian during it, it is pretty epic)
Fable III: Screw you
Now this might just be the worst endgame of this generation. Your life as king starts out alright. Your brother reveals he was a giant douche because these shadow things were going to come and invade the kingdom in precisely one year, and he needed money to stop them. Now it's your responsibility. You're going to fail. There are just so many things wrong with what happens next:
-Why can I plunge the kingdom into debt for everything BUT hiring an army?
-Why does the game try to invoke sympathy for my brother, and then turn around and call me a bastard when I do the same thing?
-Why can I "not explain" what the shadow creatures are like? They're gonna kill everyone! It's not difficult to understand!
-What am I doing the 350 days of the year I don't actually play?
And those are just the little problems: The big ones? The game has the nerve to label you good or evil. "Good" essentially means being naive and short-sighted, and building a brothel instead of a school is "evil" even when it saves 1.5 MILLION LIVES. And then, AND THEN the game jumps from "120 days to the invasion" to ZERO! NO WARNING! No little pop-up that says "the invasion will begin when you finish today. You're screwed." Now I kind of like it when a game throws a lose-lose situation at the player. But it has to be reasonable, don't say I have so much warning, and then spring it on me. Worse yet, nearly everyone in my kingdom died, and Theresa is freaking CONGRATULATING me for being a good person as king. But the final insult is that people hate you no matter what. If this were Fable II, I could just dance and fart my way into their hearts. But this one makes me do a mini-quest for EVERYONE. If I play this game again, I'm just gonna kill everyone. I decided.
My DCUO beta experience (PS3)
When DCUO was announced I was interested. An MMO where you can create your own hero/villain, fly around and do quest given by DC legends such as Superman or The Joker. Sounds nice. The things that kept me from liking the game even more was that I wasn't really into superheroes, and out of all the DC characters I only know a hand full. Now what got me remotely interested was the fact that it is going to be released on the PS3. An MMO on the PS3 sounds great! I basically had mixed feelings about the game so my expectations weren't that high, and I wouldn't be surprised if the game failed. So I download the beta (it took a few hours to download), and start playing it. The beta left a great impression.
The first thing you do in you do in the beta is select what world (server) you want to create your character in. After that you get you're very own super hero/villain. Since my favorite super hero is Marvels Spider-man I created my hero based off him. I couldn't achieve exactly what I wanted to wear, but I was still happy on the way he looked. He looked like a combination of Spider-man, and Mr. Freeze. I made my mentor Batman, I choose acrobatics for the way I travel, my fighting style was martial arts, and I would use gadgets. Then POOF the game begins.
The beta starts you out on Brainiac ship as one of his escaped experiments so your goal is basically to get out. Through the tutorial I was surprised at how natural the beta felt. It felt like a true PS3 game, not some PC ported MMO. Press square to do a regular attack, triangle to perform a long ranged attack, R1 to block, move the left analog while blocking to roll. It really felt like an action-adventure game. Anyways I go through the tutorial,and fight the boss. Superman gets teleported on the ship to destroy the ship fights along side with you. I didn't really care that I was by his side fighting someone, but I imagine that a DC fan would be satisfied. Once I beat the Boss I get teleported to a police station.
I talk to a police men, and I get my next mission. Its to beat up some of Scarecrows' goons. So I walk outside to the dreary, terrorized Gotham City. I traveled around a bit. The acrobatic way of traveling around is basic. Nothing real special. the few things acrobatic has on flying and super-speed is that you can double jump, climb on walls, and glide (glide can basically be like flying if you get to level 9).
I beat them goons good. The gadgets I used were basic. I had a skill "Taser Whip" which basically brings the enemy near you, adn stuns them for about 3 seconds. So I do the quest get some EXP, and level up. I guess I will skip to when I pass level 10.
I noticed the beta got much more laggy. I started to Easily notice the frame rate dipping. Eventually it froze on me. I said "whatever" turned it of, and back on. Wasn't the first time a beta froze on me. Im playing, and eventually it hits 8:00 pm est. Thats when the beta broke loose on my PS3
I could not play the beta for 20 minutes without it freezing. It REALLY pissed me off. The server I was in was highly populated. I also found it very funny how when I tried to sign back in, and use my character, there was basically a line to log in. I've never seen this in a game so I laughed (Maybe some PC games have it I don't know). It would say I was like number 286. Luckily a person gets signed in every few seconds so about 3-4 minutes later I was back in. Sadly the beta froze in the middle of a fight before so when I spawn, there are like 4 enemies thrashing me. Instead of thinking "Please don't die" I'm thinking "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF IT FREEZES AGAIN I'M PUNCHING A BABY!!" I died. I didn't know what happened when I died..whatever. Soooo I try to finish the quest I was on. I go beat some baddies then go back to the police station. Talk to whoever gave me the quest, and get my reward. Then I go back out to Gotham to find my next quest, but I'm a bit hungry, and need to go to the bathroom. So I leave my PS3 on, and get me some munchies. I come back and guess what....it froze. I stared at the beta thinking "STOP PLAYING DEAD." I've had it turn off my PS3 for the day. I then go to bed (Before I go to bed I go to my neighbors house, and punch his toilet. He did't have a baby so I hit the next best thing).
I will now fast forward to when I hit level 20. The beta has been patched a few times. The beta definitely froze on me a lot less (froze maybe once every 2 hours, and about once every hour during 8:00 pm est). So I hit level 20 which is the level cap in the beta, and I did basically all the main quests in the beta. Since I was in a good mood I went around asking people if they wanted help. Typing can be a pain if you don't have a keypad or if you aren't used to the PS3 on-screen keyboard I noticed that interactions between people in the beta was pretty low. So I keep asking. While asking I'm running around using a skill that turns me into a present. So if you were in the PS3 beta, world/server 1, and saw a guy in a police station turning into a present every minute then chances are that was me ^(^-^)^.
A few people asked me to help, and I did. Doing missions can be fun with a group, but I bet the people I were helping were low levels so I was demolishing the bosses so it was to easy. Some had microphones so we talked. The mics in the beta worked nicely. I also added 2 people on the DC beta friends list, but the next day they were not on my friends list (maybe they deleted me D:).
So I check out other things you can do in the beta besides just do quests. I queued for a legend match thing. The one I choose was a capture and hold match. It took an incredibly long time to join (maybe an hour and 30 minutes) so I was helping people do quest while I wait. Eventually it asks me if I want to join, and I start playing. It was a 3v3 I think, and both teams have the same skill because we are all the same character. Batman. So I join capture a place, hold it, kill some bats, die a couple of times, and match ends. Personally I didn't really mind the match it was alright. I wanted to play other legend matches with using different super hero/villains, and modes, but I never did because the beta just wouldn't put me in one. So next I tried out the arena missions.
Arena missions are basically longer regular quests, and it groups you with 3 other people. The interaction here was nice. Anytime I was going to die or I was in need of help, one of my group members came to help me out. The bosses are tough, and there is no way 1 person can take them on by themselves. I liked the arena missions. Now for my favorite moment in the beta.
The beta also have bounty missions were all you do is go out find the enemy, beat the person down and collect your bounty. The bounty isn't easy to get though. From the beta the bounties were the hardest thing to do. They were basically bosses that you can go directly go to. So I go, and do a bounty mission. It was to beat Arkillo. He was in the beautifully destroyed city of Metropolis. So I go. When I find him only 1 person is fighting him. I'm guessing he just started fight Arkillo because he basically had full health, and so did Arkillo. So I go, and join the fight. Me, and him die a few times, and spawn not far away from Arkillo. SO we keep going at it. At like our 3rd deaths some other guy joins in, and then in the chat log some guy is asking to join a group to go fight Arkillo. He comes with 2 other people,and now its 6 people vs Arkillo. Arkillo was no joke. Even with 6 people his health went down at a moderate rare. Eventually some weird bug (maybe not a bug) kicked in.
Arkillo would fly slowly away, disappear, and then reappear where he was before he flew away with full health. We thought it was a 1 time thing so we just kept fighting him. Then he did it again. By the 3rd time a few people are shouting "help fight Arkillo" and things similar to that. Eventually it was like 13 people vs Arkillo. It was great. People are flying shooting beams at him. Some are running around him. There were 2 wolfs, and me and some 4 other people were just right up on Arkillo. Arkillo died fast. It was really awesome to say that many people teaming up on 1 person. I don't play MMOs that much so this was basically the first time me and over ten people who all don't know each other fighting 1 enemy. It was really cool. Everyone is doing victory gestures, and cheering.
I created another character (a villain) in a PvE world because I wanted to try it out. It was alright. The first quest I did tho was being ravaged by 1 or 2 level 20 heroes just trying to piss people off (since it was the first quest I did with the newly created character so everyone around me was about level 5). Eventually like 6 or 7 villains (including me) ganged up on 1 of the heroes. It felt good that I was a level 5 villain, and I bat I level 20 hero (with help of course). The PvE world was kind of what I expected to be. Same thing as the PvP world except from time to time you might get beat by an player.
Also I decided to play the game 1 last time on the last day on the beta. So I log into 1 of my other my characters (it was the villain). I go in and find out there servers will be shutdown in 3 minutes. I'm guessing this time it will be for good (for the beta). So I travel around Metropolis 1 last time, and I decide to go to a club (villains version of a police station). Right when I go to the club I see that there is 40 seconds left, but right when I land to go into the safe house, some crazy AI comes out of nowhere, and is killing all the villains. I join in the fight.The villain hit me twice, and I died. Then while I'm dead I still see the other villains trying to fight back. They all dropped in about 20 seconds. The AI was ridiculously strong.
The first thing you do in you do in the beta is select what world (server) you want to create your character in. After that you get you're very own super hero/villain. Since my favorite super hero is Marvels Spider-man I created my hero based off him. I couldn't achieve exactly what I wanted to wear, but I was still happy on the way he looked. He looked like a combination of Spider-man, and Mr. Freeze. I made my mentor Batman, I choose acrobatics for the way I travel, my fighting style was martial arts, and I would use gadgets. Then POOF the game begins.
The beta starts you out on Brainiac ship as one of his escaped experiments so your goal is basically to get out. Through the tutorial I was surprised at how natural the beta felt. It felt like a true PS3 game, not some PC ported MMO. Press square to do a regular attack, triangle to perform a long ranged attack, R1 to block, move the left analog while blocking to roll. It really felt like an action-adventure game. Anyways I go through the tutorial,and fight the boss. Superman gets teleported on the ship to destroy the ship fights along side with you. I didn't really care that I was by his side fighting someone, but I imagine that a DC fan would be satisfied. Once I beat the Boss I get teleported to a police station.
I talk to a police men, and I get my next mission. Its to beat up some of Scarecrows' goons. So I walk outside to the dreary, terrorized Gotham City. I traveled around a bit. The acrobatic way of traveling around is basic. Nothing real special. the few things acrobatic has on flying and super-speed is that you can double jump, climb on walls, and glide (glide can basically be like flying if you get to level 9).
I beat them goons good. The gadgets I used were basic. I had a skill "Taser Whip" which basically brings the enemy near you, adn stuns them for about 3 seconds. So I do the quest get some EXP, and level up. I guess I will skip to when I pass level 10.
I noticed the beta got much more laggy. I started to Easily notice the frame rate dipping. Eventually it froze on me. I said "whatever" turned it of, and back on. Wasn't the first time a beta froze on me. Im playing, and eventually it hits 8:00 pm est. Thats when the beta broke loose on my PS3
I could not play the beta for 20 minutes without it freezing. It REALLY pissed me off. The server I was in was highly populated. I also found it very funny how when I tried to sign back in, and use my character, there was basically a line to log in. I've never seen this in a game so I laughed (Maybe some PC games have it I don't know). It would say I was like number 286. Luckily a person gets signed in every few seconds so about 3-4 minutes later I was back in. Sadly the beta froze in the middle of a fight before so when I spawn, there are like 4 enemies thrashing me. Instead of thinking "Please don't die" I'm thinking "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD IF IT FREEZES AGAIN I'M PUNCHING A BABY!!" I died. I didn't know what happened when I died..whatever. Soooo I try to finish the quest I was on. I go beat some baddies then go back to the police station. Talk to whoever gave me the quest, and get my reward. Then I go back out to Gotham to find my next quest, but I'm a bit hungry, and need to go to the bathroom. So I leave my PS3 on, and get me some munchies. I come back and guess what....it froze. I stared at the beta thinking "STOP PLAYING DEAD." I've had it turn off my PS3 for the day. I then go to bed (Before I go to bed I go to my neighbors house, and punch his toilet. He did't have a baby so I hit the next best thing).
I will now fast forward to when I hit level 20. The beta has been patched a few times. The beta definitely froze on me a lot less (froze maybe once every 2 hours, and about once every hour during 8:00 pm est). So I hit level 20 which is the level cap in the beta, and I did basically all the main quests in the beta. Since I was in a good mood I went around asking people if they wanted help. Typing can be a pain if you don't have a keypad or if you aren't used to the PS3 on-screen keyboard I noticed that interactions between people in the beta was pretty low. So I keep asking. While asking I'm running around using a skill that turns me into a present. So if you were in the PS3 beta, world/server 1, and saw a guy in a police station turning into a present every minute then chances are that was me ^(^-^)^.
A few people asked me to help, and I did. Doing missions can be fun with a group, but I bet the people I were helping were low levels so I was demolishing the bosses so it was to easy. Some had microphones so we talked. The mics in the beta worked nicely. I also added 2 people on the DC beta friends list, but the next day they were not on my friends list (maybe they deleted me D:).
So I check out other things you can do in the beta besides just do quests. I queued for a legend match thing. The one I choose was a capture and hold match. It took an incredibly long time to join (maybe an hour and 30 minutes) so I was helping people do quest while I wait. Eventually it asks me if I want to join, and I start playing. It was a 3v3 I think, and both teams have the same skill because we are all the same character. Batman. So I join capture a place, hold it, kill some bats, die a couple of times, and match ends. Personally I didn't really mind the match it was alright. I wanted to play other legend matches with using different super hero/villains, and modes, but I never did because the beta just wouldn't put me in one. So next I tried out the arena missions.
Arena missions are basically longer regular quests, and it groups you with 3 other people. The interaction here was nice. Anytime I was going to die or I was in need of help, one of my group members came to help me out. The bosses are tough, and there is no way 1 person can take them on by themselves. I liked the arena missions. Now for my favorite moment in the beta.
The beta also have bounty missions were all you do is go out find the enemy, beat the person down and collect your bounty. The bounty isn't easy to get though. From the beta the bounties were the hardest thing to do. They were basically bosses that you can go directly go to. So I go, and do a bounty mission. It was to beat Arkillo. He was in the beautifully destroyed city of Metropolis. So I go. When I find him only 1 person is fighting him. I'm guessing he just started fight Arkillo because he basically had full health, and so did Arkillo. So I go, and join the fight. Me, and him die a few times, and spawn not far away from Arkillo. SO we keep going at it. At like our 3rd deaths some other guy joins in, and then in the chat log some guy is asking to join a group to go fight Arkillo. He comes with 2 other people,and now its 6 people vs Arkillo. Arkillo was no joke. Even with 6 people his health went down at a moderate rare. Eventually some weird bug (maybe not a bug) kicked in.
Arkillo would fly slowly away, disappear, and then reappear where he was before he flew away with full health. We thought it was a 1 time thing so we just kept fighting him. Then he did it again. By the 3rd time a few people are shouting "help fight Arkillo" and things similar to that. Eventually it was like 13 people vs Arkillo. It was great. People are flying shooting beams at him. Some are running around him. There were 2 wolfs, and me and some 4 other people were just right up on Arkillo. Arkillo died fast. It was really awesome to say that many people teaming up on 1 person. I don't play MMOs that much so this was basically the first time me and over ten people who all don't know each other fighting 1 enemy. It was really cool. Everyone is doing victory gestures, and cheering.
I created another character (a villain) in a PvE world because I wanted to try it out. It was alright. The first quest I did tho was being ravaged by 1 or 2 level 20 heroes just trying to piss people off (since it was the first quest I did with the newly created character so everyone around me was about level 5). Eventually like 6 or 7 villains (including me) ganged up on 1 of the heroes. It felt good that I was a level 5 villain, and I bat I level 20 hero (with help of course). The PvE world was kind of what I expected to be. Same thing as the PvP world except from time to time you might get beat by an player.
Also I decided to play the game 1 last time on the last day on the beta. So I log into 1 of my other my characters (it was the villain). I go in and find out there servers will be shutdown in 3 minutes. I'm guessing this time it will be for good (for the beta). So I travel around Metropolis 1 last time, and I decide to go to a club (villains version of a police station). Right when I go to the club I see that there is 40 seconds left, but right when I land to go into the safe house, some crazy AI comes out of nowhere, and is killing all the villains. I join in the fight.The villain hit me twice, and I died. Then while I'm dead I still see the other villains trying to fight back. They all dropped in about 20 seconds. The AI was ridiculously strong.
Gaming and the direction it's going..
Hey guys, this is my first blog post, so don't be mad if I make a few mistakes =D
I've noticed that gaming appears to be going in the direction a lot of things have been going in lately, the way of Copying..
In the beginning gaming was about ideas and innovation, well.. Not anymore, gaming is becoming more about quantity and less about quality, Money is all that appeals to people these days (Sure, we need money to do everything, but where has the creativity gone!?), game after game after game of the same thing, over and over again, especially in the FPS Genre.
Gaming is a lot of fun, but it tends to get sour when everyone is making something exactly the same to others, sure there are some games that have massive amounts of innovation, but a lot of those games tend to go unnoticed due to the people that just enjoy the same thing, cause they don't want to try something new.
But in the end, some games do prevail such as LittleBigPlanet or Battlefield, but eventually they get forgotten unless they are extremely well made and enjoyable.
All I'm saying is, gaming needs to be more about entertainment, innovation and ideas, otherwise, the games we are going to get from now on, are going to be one's we've already played but slightly re-made with new maps, engine upgrades and new items/weapons.
I've noticed that gaming appears to be going in the direction a lot of things have been going in lately, the way of Copying..
In the beginning gaming was about ideas and innovation, well.. Not anymore, gaming is becoming more about quantity and less about quality, Money is all that appeals to people these days (Sure, we need money to do everything, but where has the creativity gone!?), game after game after game of the same thing, over and over again, especially in the FPS Genre.
Gaming is a lot of fun, but it tends to get sour when everyone is making something exactly the same to others, sure there are some games that have massive amounts of innovation, but a lot of those games tend to go unnoticed due to the people that just enjoy the same thing, cause they don't want to try something new.
But in the end, some games do prevail such as LittleBigPlanet or Battlefield, but eventually they get forgotten unless they are extremely well made and enjoyable.
All I'm saying is, gaming needs to be more about entertainment, innovation and ideas, otherwise, the games we are going to get from now on, are going to be one's we've already played but slightly re-made with new maps, engine upgrades and new items/weapons.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Hay guise, what's trending?
N4G article trends. Love them, hate them, you're rear end is still being stuck up in the air. If you're wondering who the beautiful gent is accompanying this blog, it's Gucci Mane, and Gucci being trendy (or not, I'm not a woman or metrosexual) is a sort of reference to the motif. I digress, I'm here to offer my 2 cents on what's trending and the idea of trending articles.
Let's start with the Anonymous-themed articles. We're nearing the (hopefully) end of the avalanche, and I for one am extremely glad. How many good articles are dwarfed by the subject of Anonymous' recourse, of which my opinion is held at neutral. This is a damn gaming site, can we all stop giving a flying duckface? Come on guys, in all seriousness, major sad face. I'm getting "blah blah, wah Geohot, blah blah, Sony, blah blah blah" shoved in my face every day. The sleuthy skills of generally great contributors are trying to eat up what you guys click on. That's a problem.
Now, let us not be confused with my hatred of articles that very loosely pertain to gaming, and articles that directly pertain to all facets of a game (I'm looking at you Halo, Uncharted, Killzone). I don't mind when people count every polygon and touch themselves to the lighting of a particular videojuego, that's great, go for it. Sometimes I really want to know details. However, when the same story is reiterated over and over in different words, or I'm given every little update that I could really care less about, that means, you shouldn't either. But wait, you're probably thinking, hey generic gas mask guy, why would you want to hear every stupid thing about a game, and not something more important, isn't that a contradiction? Well, yes, it is, but it's a game. When I go here, I expect to see something of the sort. Hell, I don't even mind one or maybe two Anon update articles. But when it's a the same old dead horse every day, that really gets in the way of what I love, and that's a problem. Follow me and be a leader, because if you don't that's a problem.
Let's start with the Anonymous-themed articles. We're nearing the (hopefully) end of the avalanche, and I for one am extremely glad. How many good articles are dwarfed by the subject of Anonymous' recourse, of which my opinion is held at neutral. This is a damn gaming site, can we all stop giving a flying duckface? Come on guys, in all seriousness, major sad face. I'm getting "blah blah, wah Geohot, blah blah, Sony, blah blah blah" shoved in my face every day. The sleuthy skills of generally great contributors are trying to eat up what you guys click on. That's a problem.
Now, let us not be confused with my hatred of articles that very loosely pertain to gaming, and articles that directly pertain to all facets of a game (I'm looking at you Halo, Uncharted, Killzone). I don't mind when people count every polygon and touch themselves to the lighting of a particular videojuego, that's great, go for it. Sometimes I really want to know details. However, when the same story is reiterated over and over in different words, or I'm given every little update that I could really care less about, that means, you shouldn't either. But wait, you're probably thinking, hey generic gas mask guy, why would you want to hear every stupid thing about a game, and not something more important, isn't that a contradiction? Well, yes, it is, but it's a game. When I go here, I expect to see something of the sort. Hell, I don't even mind one or maybe two Anon update articles. But when it's a the same old dead horse every day, that really gets in the way of what I love, and that's a problem. Follow me and be a leader, because if you don't that's a problem.
vaistrat To Anon & Sony
My name is Dan, pleased to meet you.
We are not Anonymous.We are The Gamers.
Our core goals aren't political nor aesthetic.
We did not ask to be pushed into GNU vs Proprietary wars.
We just want to own the hardware and buy the software at lower, reasonable prices, preferably paid directly and/or mostly to the developers.
We don't feel the need to hide.
We won't put up anymore with greedy companies(Activision, CAPCOM, Squeenix) nor invisible unpredictable lamers who further compromise our already tight freedoms.
You won't have to expect us, we were here long before Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft or Anonymous, yet we grew together and fed each other.
We core gamers -as any specific group of human beings- have ONE weapon, amongst many (Loyalty, easeness to work as a group, critical thinking, passion, reflexes and imagination), that identify and bind us all.
We Never Give Up.
Cease and desist on this charade soon, or start losing money and time on both fronts.
We are not Anonymous.We are The Gamers.
Our core goals aren't political nor aesthetic.
We did not ask to be pushed into GNU vs Proprietary wars.
We just want to own the hardware and buy the software at lower, reasonable prices, preferably paid directly and/or mostly to the developers.
We don't feel the need to hide.
We won't put up anymore with greedy companies(Activision, CAPCOM, Squeenix) nor invisible unpredictable lamers who further compromise our already tight freedoms.
You won't have to expect us, we were here long before Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft or Anonymous, yet we grew together and fed each other.
We core gamers -as any specific group of human beings- have ONE weapon, amongst many (Loyalty, easeness to work as a group, critical thinking, passion, reflexes and imagination), that identify and bind us all.
We Never Give Up.
Cease and desist on this charade soon, or start losing money and time on both fronts.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Moderation confusion
If you take a look at the guidelines of this site and then take a look at news stories and comments here, I bet you'll be confused as to how the moderation is on this site. According to the guidelines, blog posts will not be posted as news, flamebait is not allowed, trolling is not allowed, etc...
But what is seen everyday? Every single type of infraction gets passed until someone with the power to change it is bored and decides to enforce the rules.
Now, I was recently "restricted" from posting comments for indirectly implying someone I was replying to was dumb after they directly stated that I was. You can take a look at the story and my comments here...
http://n4g.com/news/804825/...
I was replying to dantesparda which is the post right above mine.
Now, I was restricted from commenting because of that post and lost a bubble and there's nothing I can do to change that, but the point here is that the moderation is completely random and seems to rarely be about the guidelines and more about what a mod or admin is doing at the time.
How many of you can say that you've seen, time after time, a person has received many debubble votes after trolling and yet nothing happened. The troll continues to troll without consequence. How many times have the worst infractions been committed unchallenged? And then there's the flamebait news articles and the incessant repetition as was seen during the Anon/Lulzsec/PSN hack moments.
It's as though the mods spend all their time in the Forums and forget the main aspect of this site until it dawns on them to check it out, and then random debubbling and comment hiding/restrictions ensue.
Now I'm sure I'm going to get the standard apologist "if you don't like it leave" comments here, but I really don't care. I'm here because I want to be, and when you say nothing about inaccuracies and inequities and a generally poor standard of moderation then nothing is going to change. It's kind of like a cop who has a traffic ticket quota to fill. If he doesn't fill it before the end of the month, you can bet your behind that your chances of getting a ticket for going 1 mile over the speed limit are drastically increased.
But what is seen everyday? Every single type of infraction gets passed until someone with the power to change it is bored and decides to enforce the rules.
Now, I was recently "restricted" from posting comments for indirectly implying someone I was replying to was dumb after they directly stated that I was. You can take a look at the story and my comments here...
http://n4g.com/news/804825/...
I was replying to dantesparda which is the post right above mine.
Now, I was restricted from commenting because of that post and lost a bubble and there's nothing I can do to change that, but the point here is that the moderation is completely random and seems to rarely be about the guidelines and more about what a mod or admin is doing at the time.
How many of you can say that you've seen, time after time, a person has received many debubble votes after trolling and yet nothing happened. The troll continues to troll without consequence. How many times have the worst infractions been committed unchallenged? And then there's the flamebait news articles and the incessant repetition as was seen during the Anon/Lulzsec/PSN hack moments.
It's as though the mods spend all their time in the Forums and forget the main aspect of this site until it dawns on them to check it out, and then random debubbling and comment hiding/restrictions ensue.
Now I'm sure I'm going to get the standard apologist "if you don't like it leave" comments here, but I really don't care. I'm here because I want to be, and when you say nothing about inaccuracies and inequities and a generally poor standard of moderation then nothing is going to change. It's kind of like a cop who has a traffic ticket quota to fill. If he doesn't fill it before the end of the month, you can bet your behind that your chances of getting a ticket for going 1 mile over the speed limit are drastically increased.
Game A Vs. Game B, or Game X Compared To Game Y.
Well, if you've ever been on the front page, then you've seen some of these type articles. They can range from comparing the Grand theft auto series to Saints Row, or Battlefield 3 to Modern Warfare 3, and of course the Xbox 360 Exclusive to the PS3 Exclusive type of articles.
I am not comparing any game to another game, no that's not what I wanted to address in this blog, rather I wanted to address the comparisons themselves.
Well, the Grand Theft Auto series is Twelve years this year, and the first Saints Row came out in 2006. Saints Row's third entry is coming out this year, and the last entry in the main Grand Theft Auto series came out in 2008, and was GTAIV. Saints Row started out on the 360, and then the second one came out on the PS3, PC, and 360. GTA Started out on the PC, and then made its way on the PSone.
Saints Row was developed by Volition, and published by THQ. Rockstar subsidiaries have developed all the GTA games, and Rockstar Games has published them all.(Sidenote Rockstar North was DMA design before changing their name.) Ok, so that's the history of both the games, and their respective publishers/developers.
Now, for Gameplay. Both Saints Row, and GTA are both third-person games, and sandbox games. However the Grand Theft Auto series has evolved it's Gameplay, because you can no longer parachute(Save for The Ballad of Gay Tony). Rockstar wanted GTA IV to have a more realistic approach to the gameplay. GTAIV is fun, but it's not as much fun as say San Andreas.
Saints Row is fun, but it's fun in a completely different way, I mean sure it'd be fun as hell to go streaking in GTA, but I've put a fair amount of time in both, and I like them for different reasons.
Also it's not fair to compare GTA's humor to Saints Row's, because again they both take a different approach to it. Grand Theft Auto is a satire of the American life, and Saints Row is a parody, and the difference is in the Color scheme, GTA is more brown, and muddy, while Saints Row is Colorful.
It's harder to say things like this about the Battlefield 3, and the Modern Warfare comparisons, because they're both FPS set in Modern times. The only thing I can tell you is that if you enjoy Battlefield more than Modern Warfare, or vice versa then, the solution is simple buy the game that YOU like more, and this goes for all game comparisons. This actually goes for all media.
I am not comparing any game to another game, no that's not what I wanted to address in this blog, rather I wanted to address the comparisons themselves.
Well, the Grand Theft Auto series is Twelve years this year, and the first Saints Row came out in 2006. Saints Row's third entry is coming out this year, and the last entry in the main Grand Theft Auto series came out in 2008, and was GTAIV. Saints Row started out on the 360, and then the second one came out on the PS3, PC, and 360. GTA Started out on the PC, and then made its way on the PSone.
Saints Row was developed by Volition, and published by THQ. Rockstar subsidiaries have developed all the GTA games, and Rockstar Games has published them all.(Sidenote Rockstar North was DMA design before changing their name.) Ok, so that's the history of both the games, and their respective publishers/developers.
Now, for Gameplay. Both Saints Row, and GTA are both third-person games, and sandbox games. However the Grand Theft Auto series has evolved it's Gameplay, because you can no longer parachute(Save for The Ballad of Gay Tony). Rockstar wanted GTA IV to have a more realistic approach to the gameplay. GTAIV is fun, but it's not as much fun as say San Andreas.
Saints Row is fun, but it's fun in a completely different way, I mean sure it'd be fun as hell to go streaking in GTA, but I've put a fair amount of time in both, and I like them for different reasons.
Also it's not fair to compare GTA's humor to Saints Row's, because again they both take a different approach to it. Grand Theft Auto is a satire of the American life, and Saints Row is a parody, and the difference is in the Color scheme, GTA is more brown, and muddy, while Saints Row is Colorful.
It's harder to say things like this about the Battlefield 3, and the Modern Warfare comparisons, because they're both FPS set in Modern times. The only thing I can tell you is that if you enjoy Battlefield more than Modern Warfare, or vice versa then, the solution is simple buy the game that YOU like more, and this goes for all game comparisons. This actually goes for all media.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Angry Birds for PC
Finally, those birds that everybody likes has arrived on PC. After iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile versions, also iPhone cases and toys, Angry Birds has finally arrived on the PC thanks to the Intel App Up store. It’ll work fine and dandy on laptops and netbooks and will cost you only $4.99 to download. Nice price for this lovely game.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Incoming search terms:
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* angry birds FLASH SCAM
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- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
Angry Birds for PC
Larger screen means more visibility in the game. On many levels you can see the target that can’t be seen on the iPhone. The previous shot trail is more easily seen, allowing fine tuning of your next shot. Overall the animations and physics seem to have more fluidity.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the RovioMobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds pc is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
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- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!
As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Have Fun!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Borderlands 2 Preview
One thing is clear, Gearbox Software is really enthusiastic about their fans. Really, really enthusiastic. Oozing gratitude and humility for the success of Borderlands, the team presenting at PAX was eager to show their love and affection for fans - from free copies of the new game to live demonstrations geared towards showing players of the original all the changes made in response to fan feedback, as well as all the good stuff that’s staying the same.
Like guns, lots and lots of guns. Outdoing the sheer quantity of firepower from the first game comes down to dual wield (in any combination) and unique manufacturers. Emphasis was on the Tediore brand, which are highly disposable. It’s encouraged to toss them away (preferably at an enemy, since they’ll explode) after ammo is depleted. Of course, the explosion is bigger if there’s some ammo in the gun, and the more ammo, the bigger the bang! A replacement Tediore gun? Oh that’s just instantly delivered in its place. Vladof guns warm-up slow then fire in a steady stream, AK-style, and Bandit guns have huge - really huge - ammo clips and seem to be pieced together from pub detritus.
This early it’s difficult to judge the success of their efforts in areas like storytelling, but that Gearbox so clearly recognizes the shortcomings in the first game inspires confidence. For Borderlands 2, writer Anthony Burch and creative director Paul Hellquist worked together so that the story and gameplay would complement one another, instead of having the former relegated to lengthy cut scenes wedged between gameplay (and miserable fetch quests). Still, they want story to be something that players can scale to their experience, so whether the player is following closely along or largely ignoring it in favor mission focus, story will be there in a more palatable way.
Characters (you know the crew - Mordecai, Lilith, Brick and Roland) from the first game will be appearing as NPCs with tie-ins to the sequel storyline, and Salvador the Gunzerker and Maya the Siren were shown off in the demo. Beardy Salvador is a fan of dual wield and can easily be a more brawn than brains type of dwarf, but the presenters are quick to point out that he still has a deep skill tree including Overheat, which grants a faster fire rate the longer you hold the trigger. Showing off his skills in the tundra (where Handsome Jack left him, maybe there’s some revenge on the horizon?) the Gunzerker rescues a buddy and sets about disposing of a giant robot.
AI movements are improved, and enemies can (and will) go anywhere in the environment that you can, as well as make use of environment features. The enemy AI improvements amount to squad-based behaviors with commanding units, those that wait for reinforcements after taking too much damage, and units that can repair/heal others. While the AI is a bit savvier it can also be stunned and injured in addition to just plain blown to pieces. Bullymongs, monsters of many arms that like to chuck ice at you, were encountered. There’s still Psychos, and a Nomad Torturer enemy made memorable use of a Psycho midget bandit as a meat shield. By freeing the midget you create a bit of a distraction: the midget picks a fight with the Nomad Torturer (granted, with no great success).
Environments are larger, and make use of a newly discovered color: green. The characteristic wastelands of Borderlands could, after all, get a little monotonous. Now with an arctic icescape and use of that aforementioned “green” color, the team took inspiration from areas like Iceland and the Scottish Highlands in their level design. Perched atop a level’s vantage point, the team was eager to point out that the green you can view in the distance (and everything in between) is someplace that you can walk to - or maybe drive to, as there is a new driving system (including a four-person party wagon) with new wheel physics. Getting where you’re may not be such a struggle, either, with the new mini-map in the upper right and new user interface. The menu screen has been redesigned with the player and split-screen MP in mind, and the quest system revamped so it’s easier to co-op.
Borderlands was a refreshing addition to the shooter genre - the weapon generation, unique art style, RPG elements and solid shooter mechanics are a winning combination. Borderlands 2 is an iterative take, with expanded environments, improved storytelling, and redesigned interface. It follows that if you like Borderlands, you’ll like Borderlands 2 - and if you were on the fence about the series this may well be enough to sell you.
Want more? Check out my interview with Borderlands 2 Art Director Jeramy Cooke! http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Photo credit: Adam Sentz
Like guns, lots and lots of guns. Outdoing the sheer quantity of firepower from the first game comes down to dual wield (in any combination) and unique manufacturers. Emphasis was on the Tediore brand, which are highly disposable. It’s encouraged to toss them away (preferably at an enemy, since they’ll explode) after ammo is depleted. Of course, the explosion is bigger if there’s some ammo in the gun, and the more ammo, the bigger the bang! A replacement Tediore gun? Oh that’s just instantly delivered in its place. Vladof guns warm-up slow then fire in a steady stream, AK-style, and Bandit guns have huge - really huge - ammo clips and seem to be pieced together from pub detritus.
This early it’s difficult to judge the success of their efforts in areas like storytelling, but that Gearbox so clearly recognizes the shortcomings in the first game inspires confidence. For Borderlands 2, writer Anthony Burch and creative director Paul Hellquist worked together so that the story and gameplay would complement one another, instead of having the former relegated to lengthy cut scenes wedged between gameplay (and miserable fetch quests). Still, they want story to be something that players can scale to their experience, so whether the player is following closely along or largely ignoring it in favor mission focus, story will be there in a more palatable way.
Characters (you know the crew - Mordecai, Lilith, Brick and Roland) from the first game will be appearing as NPCs with tie-ins to the sequel storyline, and Salvador the Gunzerker and Maya the Siren were shown off in the demo. Beardy Salvador is a fan of dual wield and can easily be a more brawn than brains type of dwarf, but the presenters are quick to point out that he still has a deep skill tree including Overheat, which grants a faster fire rate the longer you hold the trigger. Showing off his skills in the tundra (where Handsome Jack left him, maybe there’s some revenge on the horizon?) the Gunzerker rescues a buddy and sets about disposing of a giant robot.
AI movements are improved, and enemies can (and will) go anywhere in the environment that you can, as well as make use of environment features. The enemy AI improvements amount to squad-based behaviors with commanding units, those that wait for reinforcements after taking too much damage, and units that can repair/heal others. While the AI is a bit savvier it can also be stunned and injured in addition to just plain blown to pieces. Bullymongs, monsters of many arms that like to chuck ice at you, were encountered. There’s still Psychos, and a Nomad Torturer enemy made memorable use of a Psycho midget bandit as a meat shield. By freeing the midget you create a bit of a distraction: the midget picks a fight with the Nomad Torturer (granted, with no great success).
Environments are larger, and make use of a newly discovered color: green. The characteristic wastelands of Borderlands could, after all, get a little monotonous. Now with an arctic icescape and use of that aforementioned “green” color, the team took inspiration from areas like Iceland and the Scottish Highlands in their level design. Perched atop a level’s vantage point, the team was eager to point out that the green you can view in the distance (and everything in between) is someplace that you can walk to - or maybe drive to, as there is a new driving system (including a four-person party wagon) with new wheel physics. Getting where you’re may not be such a struggle, either, with the new mini-map in the upper right and new user interface. The menu screen has been redesigned with the player and split-screen MP in mind, and the quest system revamped so it’s easier to co-op.
Borderlands was a refreshing addition to the shooter genre - the weapon generation, unique art style, RPG elements and solid shooter mechanics are a winning combination. Borderlands 2 is an iterative take, with expanded environments, improved storytelling, and redesigned interface. It follows that if you like Borderlands, you’ll like Borderlands 2 - and if you were on the fence about the series this may well be enough to sell you.
Want more? Check out my interview with Borderlands 2 Art Director Jeramy Cooke! http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Photo credit: Adam Sentz
I have been to the Clouds and back
I would like to talk about Onlive, the cloud based internet video game streaming service. Let me start by saying Onlive is the future, but the future is not the present. IGN has posted several articles bashing Onlive, however theses articles were full of misinformation and overall trolling. I'm going to an unbiased article about Onlive based on my personal opinions after playing over 200 hours of games on Onlive. I have watched Onlive grow from the beginning, (I was an Alpha tester), and have to say I am very pleased with the progress they have made in just a year. However it isn't without it's faults.
What is Onlive?
Onlive is a cloud based internet streaming service.
What does that mean?
Think of Onlive like Netflix for video games. You start the service click on the game you want and start playing in seconds.
What are the Pros of Onlive
1. Gaming in seconds. You just click on the game you want to play and within seconds your playing the game. No downloads, no installs, no waiting till 10am for your local game store to open, no waiting on shipping. Just click and play.
2. Prices. Everyone likes to say that they have good prices, but Onlive really does. Onlive is primarily a PC gaming service so your paying PC prices for the game ($50). But if you subscribe to their playpack ($10 a month) you get 30% off everything. Making full games like Deus Ex HR and Batman AC only $35.
3. Playpack. Onlive has a Playpack bundle featuring over 80 games, with weekly updates adding about 3 or 4 games. The best thing about the Playpack Bundle is the 30% off everything.
4. Online save files. This is one of the coolest features of Onlive. I can start playing a game on my Microconsole and resume on my laptop, than go over to a friends and resume there. The games are saved to Onlive's servers allowing you to resume from anywhere.
5. $5 Fridays. This is relatively new, but still very cool. Onlive sells one game for $5 each friday ($3.50 with the playpack). The games so far have been: Batman AA, Splinter cell conviction, Hawx 2, Borderlands GOTY, Just Cause 2, and AVP.
6. Game Spectating. Onlive has a revolutionary new feature called the Arena. In the Arena you can watch anyone play any game that is on the service. Say you wanted to see what Red Faction Guerrilla was like. You could hop onto the Arena and watch me play it. Than decide to give me a thumbs up or down depending on how well I play.
7. 30 Min trials. You can play the real game for 30 mins. Not a demo but the real game.
As good as Onlive is, it's not without it's fault. And it has them.
1. Needing Wired Internet. When Onlive first came around a wired internet was required to play. It's still largely the case. While you can "play" on a wireless connection is it splotchy and unreliable at best. Over a Wireless connection the game "shudders" often.
2. Needing Internet. No internet No games. But I'm also going to include in here other people. I live in a house with 5 other computers. When all the computers are doing something on the internet my Onlive get's exceptionally blurry and unresponsive. Onlive works best when no one else is on the internet.
3. Updates. Onlive claims that it updates the games automatically, but a closer inspection reviles that almost every game on Onlive is running at it's base version, (no updates). This is a problem, as games like Deus Ex HR would greatly benefit from the update the cuts load times. But more than this no updates prevents the inclusions of DLC in many games. On Onlive if the game doesn't have the DLC included in the base game it won't be on Onlive.
4. Graphics. I'm not a graphics whore by any means I prefer gameplay to graphics, but I do realize this is a BIG deal to some people so I figured I should include it here. The graphics are running somewhere around Low-Medium quality with few games running on High or Ultra.
5. Games. Onlive doesn't have many new games. While they are getting a better selection of games currently it's not good. They have over 200 games on their service but very few actually "core" games. Their selection is limited to Deus Ex HR, Splintercell Conviction, Hawx 1&2, Borderlands, Just Cause 1&2, Batman AA & AC, Red faction G&A, and Assassins Creed 2&B.
In Conclusion: When Onlive is working it's working well. Please watch the video I recorded below (forgive my terrible playing.) If you prefer cheap prices and convenience to functionality and quality than Onlive might be right for you. It's fun and addicting but the selection of games may not hold you over for long. However I highly recommend that everyone at least check into the service. The service is free, the games are not.
What is Onlive?
Onlive is a cloud based internet streaming service.
What does that mean?
Think of Onlive like Netflix for video games. You start the service click on the game you want and start playing in seconds.
What are the Pros of Onlive
1. Gaming in seconds. You just click on the game you want to play and within seconds your playing the game. No downloads, no installs, no waiting till 10am for your local game store to open, no waiting on shipping. Just click and play.
2. Prices. Everyone likes to say that they have good prices, but Onlive really does. Onlive is primarily a PC gaming service so your paying PC prices for the game ($50). But if you subscribe to their playpack ($10 a month) you get 30% off everything. Making full games like Deus Ex HR and Batman AC only $35.
3. Playpack. Onlive has a Playpack bundle featuring over 80 games, with weekly updates adding about 3 or 4 games. The best thing about the Playpack Bundle is the 30% off everything.
4. Online save files. This is one of the coolest features of Onlive. I can start playing a game on my Microconsole and resume on my laptop, than go over to a friends and resume there. The games are saved to Onlive's servers allowing you to resume from anywhere.
5. $5 Fridays. This is relatively new, but still very cool. Onlive sells one game for $5 each friday ($3.50 with the playpack). The games so far have been: Batman AA, Splinter cell conviction, Hawx 2, Borderlands GOTY, Just Cause 2, and AVP.
6. Game Spectating. Onlive has a revolutionary new feature called the Arena. In the Arena you can watch anyone play any game that is on the service. Say you wanted to see what Red Faction Guerrilla was like. You could hop onto the Arena and watch me play it. Than decide to give me a thumbs up or down depending on how well I play.
7. 30 Min trials. You can play the real game for 30 mins. Not a demo but the real game.
As good as Onlive is, it's not without it's fault. And it has them.
1. Needing Wired Internet. When Onlive first came around a wired internet was required to play. It's still largely the case. While you can "play" on a wireless connection is it splotchy and unreliable at best. Over a Wireless connection the game "shudders" often.
2. Needing Internet. No internet No games. But I'm also going to include in here other people. I live in a house with 5 other computers. When all the computers are doing something on the internet my Onlive get's exceptionally blurry and unresponsive. Onlive works best when no one else is on the internet.
3. Updates. Onlive claims that it updates the games automatically, but a closer inspection reviles that almost every game on Onlive is running at it's base version, (no updates). This is a problem, as games like Deus Ex HR would greatly benefit from the update the cuts load times. But more than this no updates prevents the inclusions of DLC in many games. On Onlive if the game doesn't have the DLC included in the base game it won't be on Onlive.
4. Graphics. I'm not a graphics whore by any means I prefer gameplay to graphics, but I do realize this is a BIG deal to some people so I figured I should include it here. The graphics are running somewhere around Low-Medium quality with few games running on High or Ultra.
5. Games. Onlive doesn't have many new games. While they are getting a better selection of games currently it's not good. They have over 200 games on their service but very few actually "core" games. Their selection is limited to Deus Ex HR, Splintercell Conviction, Hawx 1&2, Borderlands, Just Cause 1&2, Batman AA & AC, Red faction G&A, and Assassins Creed 2&B.
In Conclusion: When Onlive is working it's working well. Please watch the video I recorded below (forgive my terrible playing.) If you prefer cheap prices and convenience to functionality and quality than Onlive might be right for you. It's fun and addicting but the selection of games may not hold you over for long. However I highly recommend that everyone at least check into the service. The service is free, the games are not.
HaloFest Review
My trip to PAX Prime 2011 was instantly made more complete with the announcement that they were also going to celebrate 10 years of Halo at PAX. I remember the days of playing countless hours of Halo in college and still can't believe it has been 10 years since the launch of Combat Evolved. Getting the opportunity to experience all that is Halo at HaloFest was a dream come true and a great bit of nostalgia.
As I ascend the 2 escalators up to HaloFest, I am greeted by a life-size Warthog replica and the familiar music from Halo: CE. The music sends chills down my body, and I could feel the energy from all of the other Halo enthusiasts in the exhibit. They had tons of LAN setups for everyone to try out the new multiplayer and firefight maps. Within 2 seconds of starting up a free-for-all match on the remake of Prisoner from CE, which is my favorite multiplayer map, I felt at home and quickly recalled the positioning of the catwalks and where the rocket spawn point is. I also played a round of Firefight on a remake of the “Halo” level from the CE campaign. I had never seen or played this re-made map before, but immediately I knew the layout of the map and where the enemies are dropped off because it is exactly like the original. From the brief glimpse of the multiplayer that I experienced, I can only imagine what sort of memories everyone will have the first time they jump into the game.
I attended a panel about celebrating 10 years of Halo with the actors who did the voices of Master Chief, Cortana, 343 Guilty Spark, and Captain Keyes. The panel starts off slowly with Marty O'Donnell talking about each actor and how they worked on old projects like Myth and Oni. He finally discusses Halo, and eventually the huge news came out that Steve Downes (Master Chief) and Jen Taylor (Cortana) had never actually met and been together in the same room before this weekend at HaloFest. The rest of the panel focused on each actor’s feelings about the job, and how surprised they were at how things turned out. Another tidbit that was revealed was that Pete Stacker (Captain Keyes) is also the voice in the Bud Light "Real Men of Genius" commercials, and prepared a special "Real Men of Halo" song about terrible Warthog drivers to perform for everyone (It can be viewed at the 47 minute mark: http://www.ign.com/videos/2... ). It was a funny treat for the audience and shows how the actors are extremely huge fans of the series. After the panel, Marty O'Donnell and the voice actors for Master Chief, Cortana, Captain Keyes, and 343 Guilty Spark signed my copy of Halo: Combat Evolved. This was a one of a kind moment and now I have a rare collector's item to always remember this.
Another panel was about the re-imaging of the campaign for Halo: Anniversary where they discussed how they were working hard to maintain the campaign that everyone knows from their childhood, with glitches, easter eggs, and all. ‘343 Guilty Spark’ is demoed for those in attendance and they began the level in "classic" mode, which looks exactly like the Halo from 10 years ago. After a few minutes, at the push of the "back" button, the dreary gray fog and bland brown trees transform into a bright, florescent purple and green jungle exploding with life. It was amazing to see the huge difference between the exact same game in a split second. You can switch back and forth any time you want, even in the middle of a grenade toss or while reloading. Hitting the "back" button changes the priority of the different graphics engines, which makes for the ease of switching back and forth on the fly. Later, I viewed a short behind closed doors demo of the same level with the newly announced 3D feature that can be enabled anytime from the options menu. Although obviously not viewable in classic mode, it takes a few seconds for the full effect to kick in, and you can still switch back and forth to classic mode on the fly. I've never seen a game in 3D before, but the effect was pretty impressive. Reloading the Needler causes the spikes on the gun to jump off the screen and everyone watching the demo ducked during the first reload, and all of the leaves from the lush jungle create a great depth of field. The 3D graphics seem a little shimmery and I'm not sure if that is normal for 3D tech, nevertheless the game looks to be way more than a simple up-res'd HD remake.
Sunday morning brought the penultimate panel for a Halo fan as 343 Industries hosted a 1 hour on Halo 4. They were coy on obvious story details, but revealed that the next Halo trilogy will be called “The Reclaimer Trilogy,” and showed lots of concept art detailing Forerunner architecture. It also sounds like the Flood will no longer be an enemy since they seem to want to tell a new story in this trilogy. Sotaro Tojima, the audio director at 343, then showed an interesting video about how his team went to dangerous lengths to capture unique sounds. Halo has always been synonymous with great music and sound, and I hope Sotaro can live up to the big shoes Marty O’Donnell has left behind. Next up was a question and answer session, and everyone seemed to focus on story related questions, which obviously 343 were not going to answer, so it was a somewhat wasted Q&A. Someone did get a good nugget of information out of the team when they said that there will be destructible environments, but they didn’t want to make them fully destructible because that strays too far from the Halo gameplay that everyone knows. If I had a chance to ask a question, it would have been about whether they were building an engine from scratch, or modifying the Halo: Reach one. The panel ended with the team showing a new animated video of the different concept art that seems to focus on large, grandiose structures and environments to try and capture the epic feel of Halo. Overall, it sounds like 343 Industries is trying extremely hard to capture the feel and magic that Bungie had when making Halo, and between 200 employees and 3 years of work so far, I think they are well on their way to making a masterpiece.
As I ascend the 2 escalators up to HaloFest, I am greeted by a life-size Warthog replica and the familiar music from Halo: CE. The music sends chills down my body, and I could feel the energy from all of the other Halo enthusiasts in the exhibit. They had tons of LAN setups for everyone to try out the new multiplayer and firefight maps. Within 2 seconds of starting up a free-for-all match on the remake of Prisoner from CE, which is my favorite multiplayer map, I felt at home and quickly recalled the positioning of the catwalks and where the rocket spawn point is. I also played a round of Firefight on a remake of the “Halo” level from the CE campaign. I had never seen or played this re-made map before, but immediately I knew the layout of the map and where the enemies are dropped off because it is exactly like the original. From the brief glimpse of the multiplayer that I experienced, I can only imagine what sort of memories everyone will have the first time they jump into the game.
I attended a panel about celebrating 10 years of Halo with the actors who did the voices of Master Chief, Cortana, 343 Guilty Spark, and Captain Keyes. The panel starts off slowly with Marty O'Donnell talking about each actor and how they worked on old projects like Myth and Oni. He finally discusses Halo, and eventually the huge news came out that Steve Downes (Master Chief) and Jen Taylor (Cortana) had never actually met and been together in the same room before this weekend at HaloFest. The rest of the panel focused on each actor’s feelings about the job, and how surprised they were at how things turned out. Another tidbit that was revealed was that Pete Stacker (Captain Keyes) is also the voice in the Bud Light "Real Men of Genius" commercials, and prepared a special "Real Men of Halo" song about terrible Warthog drivers to perform for everyone (It can be viewed at the 47 minute mark: http://www.ign.com/videos/2... ). It was a funny treat for the audience and shows how the actors are extremely huge fans of the series. After the panel, Marty O'Donnell and the voice actors for Master Chief, Cortana, Captain Keyes, and 343 Guilty Spark signed my copy of Halo: Combat Evolved. This was a one of a kind moment and now I have a rare collector's item to always remember this.
Another panel was about the re-imaging of the campaign for Halo: Anniversary where they discussed how they were working hard to maintain the campaign that everyone knows from their childhood, with glitches, easter eggs, and all. ‘343 Guilty Spark’ is demoed for those in attendance and they began the level in "classic" mode, which looks exactly like the Halo from 10 years ago. After a few minutes, at the push of the "back" button, the dreary gray fog and bland brown trees transform into a bright, florescent purple and green jungle exploding with life. It was amazing to see the huge difference between the exact same game in a split second. You can switch back and forth any time you want, even in the middle of a grenade toss or while reloading. Hitting the "back" button changes the priority of the different graphics engines, which makes for the ease of switching back and forth on the fly. Later, I viewed a short behind closed doors demo of the same level with the newly announced 3D feature that can be enabled anytime from the options menu. Although obviously not viewable in classic mode, it takes a few seconds for the full effect to kick in, and you can still switch back and forth to classic mode on the fly. I've never seen a game in 3D before, but the effect was pretty impressive. Reloading the Needler causes the spikes on the gun to jump off the screen and everyone watching the demo ducked during the first reload, and all of the leaves from the lush jungle create a great depth of field. The 3D graphics seem a little shimmery and I'm not sure if that is normal for 3D tech, nevertheless the game looks to be way more than a simple up-res'd HD remake.
Sunday morning brought the penultimate panel for a Halo fan as 343 Industries hosted a 1 hour on Halo 4. They were coy on obvious story details, but revealed that the next Halo trilogy will be called “The Reclaimer Trilogy,” and showed lots of concept art detailing Forerunner architecture. It also sounds like the Flood will no longer be an enemy since they seem to want to tell a new story in this trilogy. Sotaro Tojima, the audio director at 343, then showed an interesting video about how his team went to dangerous lengths to capture unique sounds. Halo has always been synonymous with great music and sound, and I hope Sotaro can live up to the big shoes Marty O’Donnell has left behind. Next up was a question and answer session, and everyone seemed to focus on story related questions, which obviously 343 were not going to answer, so it was a somewhat wasted Q&A. Someone did get a good nugget of information out of the team when they said that there will be destructible environments, but they didn’t want to make them fully destructible because that strays too far from the Halo gameplay that everyone knows. If I had a chance to ask a question, it would have been about whether they were building an engine from scratch, or modifying the Halo: Reach one. The panel ended with the team showing a new animated video of the different concept art that seems to focus on large, grandiose structures and environments to try and capture the epic feel of Halo. Overall, it sounds like 343 Industries is trying extremely hard to capture the feel and magic that Bungie had when making Halo, and between 200 employees and 3 years of work so far, I think they are well on their way to making a masterpiece.
Request: A new addition to the User Review section
N4G.com is touted by its staff as being a gaming and tech news aggregation site whose content is controlled by the very members that are seeking the news posted (again, but its own members) on the site.
If this is true, then I say we should be able to entertain the following suggestion I will make.
I suggest that members be able to do User reviews, or Member reviews if the name isn't contextually accurate, on the websites where all this gaming related news comes from. That way, members on N4G can see that a certain website either provides excellent, unbiased journalism; or flamebait troll articles designed solely to gain hits for sensationalism. They then can go into an article, see the source, and avoid at all costs.
Or maybe, in addition to this review, a kind of "Ignore" function for the sites could be implemented where you place the URL of the site into the Ignore list, and no news from that source will show up.
Granted, the idea needs refinement, but I think it has the potential to really turn the site around, as we would avoid articles with flamebait titles, or ridiculous troll opinions about which console will outsell which other console in the holiday season.
I just think that if we truly control the content, we should have a way to circumvent those people who give their own submissions 3 approvals and get their friends in to approve their flamebait articles as well. Also, the requirements for approving and disapproving submissions needs to be adjusted or changed because many here have no interest in spending hours scouring the internet looking for 3 stories to submit just for the privilege of approving or disapproving articles. Yes, some would abuse that privilege, but that's what true moderation is for. Ban their rights to approve or disapprove if they show they are abusing those rights.
If this is true, then I say we should be able to entertain the following suggestion I will make.
I suggest that members be able to do User reviews, or Member reviews if the name isn't contextually accurate, on the websites where all this gaming related news comes from. That way, members on N4G can see that a certain website either provides excellent, unbiased journalism; or flamebait troll articles designed solely to gain hits for sensationalism. They then can go into an article, see the source, and avoid at all costs.
Or maybe, in addition to this review, a kind of "Ignore" function for the sites could be implemented where you place the URL of the site into the Ignore list, and no news from that source will show up.
Granted, the idea needs refinement, but I think it has the potential to really turn the site around, as we would avoid articles with flamebait titles, or ridiculous troll opinions about which console will outsell which other console in the holiday season.
I just think that if we truly control the content, we should have a way to circumvent those people who give their own submissions 3 approvals and get their friends in to approve their flamebait articles as well. Also, the requirements for approving and disapproving submissions needs to be adjusted or changed because many here have no interest in spending hours scouring the internet looking for 3 stories to submit just for the privilege of approving or disapproving articles. Yes, some would abuse that privilege, but that's what true moderation is for. Ban their rights to approve or disapprove if they show they are abusing those rights.
Should gaming journalism have a major shake up?
We all know anybody can become a gaming journalist with a computer and money for a website. But is this really the problem. Look at the film world. They have random movie fan sites appearing left, right and centre but why do these sites get less focused and the profession, qualified sites gets attention.
The main difference is qualification and experience. Some may say that experience is a form of qualification but this is fundamental reason why gaming journalism is not regarded so highly. Reading reviews from the film critic industry it is easy to see that a random guy hasn't worked his/her way up. These people have worked to get a journalism degree from respectable universities. The higher the university rating the more respected the degree is and the chance of getting internship’s from respected publications goes up. This system seems to work well. Reviews are not just opinions. They are criticising the films, the look at how the public will like a film and go with that direction. For example you know that a 4 star from The Week is more than a good film. They seem to avoid there own personal clouded opinion and look at good effects in the film and how the story plays/doesn't play out that well
Should the industry look at gaming journalism and give them the critical spot light for once. So what are the criteria to get into game journalism? On the Eurogamer website (just an example and does no way reflect on their writing abilities) there is a video of how they became gaming journalist. On senior writer who said he was employed because he knew the founder of Eurogamer. He then learnt on the job (didn't start writing). This brings up an interesting point. Is it easy for new respected websites to start up like this without experienced staff in the film world. No. Is non qualified writes able to get into the film critic world. No. So why does this happen in the gaming world. Is it websites are too easily respected. The best of an unqualified bunch. They may have the experience but experience is nothing without qualified training. Eurogamer is less so but magazines like Edge which have an awful history of reviewing games and are able to write and publish not only rubbish but are respected).
It is not only the websites fault. Metacritic has a play in this. Their average review score is so respected it is the first thing quoted. The fact that the gaming websites are rarely reviewed on quality. Should Metacritic have a qualification quota to combat the growing poor articles? Rotten tomatoes have the best and has a list of criteria based on views counts and approved critic societies only make it onto the website (check is out it will surprise you). A recent blog on N4G highlighted a method of review sites and having a quality control on N4G. Could N4G be the first step in the right direction?
You may see this as a rant but it is more of a concern. Does gaming journalists need a journalism qualification? The answer is no. They seem to want work experience and you learn how to right on the job. This is the fundamental reason why gaming journalist will never been seen as real journalism and there needs to be a sake up. Lets hope, as this form of "journalism" becomes more mainstream, the degree qualification (among) others is more sought after to increase quality in the industry as a whole.
You never know the argument "Its a review of X game and his own opinion and doesn't represent what other feel" might change. We could get some proper analytical reviews if the journalism world is shaken up
The main difference is qualification and experience. Some may say that experience is a form of qualification but this is fundamental reason why gaming journalism is not regarded so highly. Reading reviews from the film critic industry it is easy to see that a random guy hasn't worked his/her way up. These people have worked to get a journalism degree from respectable universities. The higher the university rating the more respected the degree is and the chance of getting internship’s from respected publications goes up. This system seems to work well. Reviews are not just opinions. They are criticising the films, the look at how the public will like a film and go with that direction. For example you know that a 4 star from The Week is more than a good film. They seem to avoid there own personal clouded opinion and look at good effects in the film and how the story plays/doesn't play out that well
Should the industry look at gaming journalism and give them the critical spot light for once. So what are the criteria to get into game journalism? On the Eurogamer website (just an example and does no way reflect on their writing abilities) there is a video of how they became gaming journalist. On senior writer who said he was employed because he knew the founder of Eurogamer. He then learnt on the job (didn't start writing). This brings up an interesting point. Is it easy for new respected websites to start up like this without experienced staff in the film world. No. Is non qualified writes able to get into the film critic world. No. So why does this happen in the gaming world. Is it websites are too easily respected. The best of an unqualified bunch. They may have the experience but experience is nothing without qualified training. Eurogamer is less so but magazines like Edge which have an awful history of reviewing games and are able to write and publish not only rubbish but are respected).
It is not only the websites fault. Metacritic has a play in this. Their average review score is so respected it is the first thing quoted. The fact that the gaming websites are rarely reviewed on quality. Should Metacritic have a qualification quota to combat the growing poor articles? Rotten tomatoes have the best and has a list of criteria based on views counts and approved critic societies only make it onto the website (check is out it will surprise you). A recent blog on N4G highlighted a method of review sites and having a quality control on N4G. Could N4G be the first step in the right direction?
You may see this as a rant but it is more of a concern. Does gaming journalists need a journalism qualification? The answer is no. They seem to want work experience and you learn how to right on the job. This is the fundamental reason why gaming journalist will never been seen as real journalism and there needs to be a sake up. Lets hope, as this form of "journalism" becomes more mainstream, the degree qualification (among) others is more sought after to increase quality in the industry as a whole.
You never know the argument "Its a review of X game and his own opinion and doesn't represent what other feel" might change. We could get some proper analytical reviews if the journalism world is shaken up
Monday, October 10, 2011
A sad 75 percent of (expensive) MapleStory marriages end in divorce
And you thought the 50 percent divorce rate of real marriages in the U.S. was bad. Nexon reports that, of the 26,982 in-game MapleStory marriages, 20,344 (or 75 percent) end in annulment. And those in-game betrothals aren't cheap--each union in the free-to-play MMO (massively multiplayer online game) costs $25 in Nexon Cash, the South Korean developer's paid currency.
After seeing the massive (and kind of depressing) divorce rate, the Nexon community team turned to its players to find out just what was up. And while the company didn't find out much, it did uncover some hilarious somber stories. Take Seth, a 19-year-old MapleStory player from Colorado Springs, Colo:
My former Maple spouse and I started off great; going on party quests together, boss runs, training, helping each other become better Maplers. Then I realized after a while that she was only out there to get free things off of me and we got in this conversation where she admitted to this accusation, so I decided I would have to annul our Maple marriage.
MapleStory matrimony
Here's a pro tip, kids: Think hard before marrying someone online whom you've yet to meet in person. Sure, it's all in good fun ... right until you start to share account information and lose all your goodies. (Another major no-no.)
"Getting married in MapleStory can be quite a fun event for the happy couple and their friends," MapleStory producer Crystin Cox said in a release. "While it looks like our players break up at a much higher rate than people do in real life, at least our players are not on the hook for alimony."
Fair enough, we guess. I think it's safe to assume this feature won't make it into MapleStory Adventures, which debuted on Facebook just over the summer, a version of the game I enjoyed immensely (and so do over 3 million monthly players). But with stats like this, consider it good news that this feature won't see the light of day elsewhere.
[Image Credits: Ylwong, Phame]
Have you ever married someone in MapleStory? What do you think of marriages in games like MapleStory, and would you like to see this feature come to the Facebook version of the game knowing the risks? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
After seeing the massive (and kind of depressing) divorce rate, the Nexon community team turned to its players to find out just what was up. And while the company didn't find out much, it did uncover some hilarious somber stories. Take Seth, a 19-year-old MapleStory player from Colorado Springs, Colo:
My former Maple spouse and I started off great; going on party quests together, boss runs, training, helping each other become better Maplers. Then I realized after a while that she was only out there to get free things off of me and we got in this conversation where she admitted to this accusation, so I decided I would have to annul our Maple marriage.
MapleStory matrimony
Here's a pro tip, kids: Think hard before marrying someone online whom you've yet to meet in person. Sure, it's all in good fun ... right until you start to share account information and lose all your goodies. (Another major no-no.)
"Getting married in MapleStory can be quite a fun event for the happy couple and their friends," MapleStory producer Crystin Cox said in a release. "While it looks like our players break up at a much higher rate than people do in real life, at least our players are not on the hook for alimony."
Fair enough, we guess. I think it's safe to assume this feature won't make it into MapleStory Adventures, which debuted on Facebook just over the summer, a version of the game I enjoyed immensely (and so do over 3 million monthly players). But with stats like this, consider it good news that this feature won't see the light of day elsewhere.
[Image Credits: Ylwong, Phame]
Have you ever married someone in MapleStory? What do you think of marriages in games like MapleStory, and would you like to see this feature come to the Facebook version of the game knowing the risks? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Will Zynga finally promote Adventure World in FarmVille and elsewhere?
According to the numbers, it just might have to. FarmVille Freak has found an unreleased piece of Adventure World in Zynga's first big time Facebook game, FarmVille. The website discovered that soon (if not already), Zynga might cross promote the first Facebook game by its Boston studio through the familiar billboard method that players are used to seeing.
This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga's largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn't doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.
The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What's worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.
Adventure World doesn't seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game's defense, Adventure World hasn't enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga's existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let's just focus on the adventures, hm?).
Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it's Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it's also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here's to hoping Zynga Boston's debut finds its second wind--and fast.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think the game deserves the millions of players that the company's more traditional games cater to? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga's largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn't doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.
The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What's worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.
Adventure World doesn't seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game's defense, Adventure World hasn't enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga's existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let's just focus on the adventures, hm?).
Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it's Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it's also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here's to hoping Zynga Boston's debut finds its second wind--and fast.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think the game deserves the millions of players that the company's more traditional games cater to? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Bossa Studios's Facebook debut, Monstermind, will crush your dreams
But in a good way, we promise. Like the U.S., folks in the UK are super cereal (isn't that what kids are saying these days?) about the social games movement. The Guardian reports that Shine TV has acquired London-based social game startup Bossa Studios for an undisclosed amount.
Elisabeth Murdoch's TV production company (recently bought out by daddy's News Corp) has reportedly been eying social gaming for a long time. And what do you know--her timing could not have been better.
According to The Guardian, 11-month-old Bossa Studios looks to unveil its first project, Monstermind (pictured), next week on Facebook. However, it looks like the game is available now on Facebook, though in an "open beta." (For all intents and purposes, the game is live and available for all to play.)
"We have long identified social gaming as a critical component to this strategy, and in Bossa Studios we discovered an entrepreneurial, creative team that shared our passion for creative excellence," Miss Murdoch told The Guardian. "They have bold ideas for this space which we naturally welcome and will be a significant addition to the Shine Group."
Monstermind looks to be a fresh take on the city-building genre that CityVille has done so well to popularize. Well, fresh in the sense that, in addition to building cities, you can sic giant monsters to crush your friends' towns. The game features nearly full 3D visuals and an art style that screams "The Blob meets Sim City." Check out the game's trailer below to see what we mean.
Click here to play Monstermind on Facebook Now >
Were you waiting for a new approach to city-builders on Facebook? What do you think so far of this new studio's first contribution to Facebook gaming? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Elisabeth Murdoch's TV production company (recently bought out by daddy's News Corp) has reportedly been eying social gaming for a long time. And what do you know--her timing could not have been better.
According to The Guardian, 11-month-old Bossa Studios looks to unveil its first project, Monstermind (pictured), next week on Facebook. However, it looks like the game is available now on Facebook, though in an "open beta." (For all intents and purposes, the game is live and available for all to play.)
"We have long identified social gaming as a critical component to this strategy, and in Bossa Studios we discovered an entrepreneurial, creative team that shared our passion for creative excellence," Miss Murdoch told The Guardian. "They have bold ideas for this space which we naturally welcome and will be a significant addition to the Shine Group."
Monstermind looks to be a fresh take on the city-building genre that CityVille has done so well to popularize. Well, fresh in the sense that, in addition to building cities, you can sic giant monsters to crush your friends' towns. The game features nearly full 3D visuals and an art style that screams "The Blob meets Sim City." Check out the game's trailer below to see what we mean.
Click here to play Monstermind on Facebook Now >
Were you waiting for a new approach to city-builders on Facebook? What do you think so far of this new studio's first contribution to Facebook gaming? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
FarmVille meets Indiana Jones for real in Adventure World soon
Since Adventure World's release last week, many media outlets dubbed it "FarmVille meets Indiana Jones." It seems that Zynga took those allusions to heart, as the company has teamed up with Lucasfilm to make good on those hit-generating remarks. Zynga just announced that Indiana Jones will soon make his way into Adventure World this October.
In fact, it appears that the game will be completely rebranded with the Indiana Jones name, according to the above image. The teaser depicts the familiar Adventure World logo, but now reads, "Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game." To us at least, this implies that Zynga Boston's debut game will incorporate the Indiana Jones brand throughout (and perhaps permanently). The wording of Zynga's announcement certainly steers us toward this conclusion:
Zynga is proud to announce that we're teaming up with Lucasfilm to bring Indiana Jones - the KING of lost idol hunting, bull whipping, holy grail-ing and flying (but not landing) - to your favorite adventure game. Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game will be coming soon to a browser near you.
If this is, in fact, the case, Adventure World would be the first Zynga game built entirely around a single brand, rather than the one-off promotions we see from brands like McDonald's in FarmVille and recently Best Buy in CityVille. Considering the massively ambitious game hasn't been doing so hot its first week out of the gate, this could be second wind it needs.
Is the Indy Jones fan in you excited by this announcement? What do you think of Adventure World so far? Sound off in the comments. 6 Comments
In fact, it appears that the game will be completely rebranded with the Indiana Jones name, according to the above image. The teaser depicts the familiar Adventure World logo, but now reads, "Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game." To us at least, this implies that Zynga Boston's debut game will incorporate the Indiana Jones brand throughout (and perhaps permanently). The wording of Zynga's announcement certainly steers us toward this conclusion:
Zynga is proud to announce that we're teaming up with Lucasfilm to bring Indiana Jones - the KING of lost idol hunting, bull whipping, holy grail-ing and flying (but not landing) - to your favorite adventure game. Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game will be coming soon to a browser near you.
If this is, in fact, the case, Adventure World would be the first Zynga game built entirely around a single brand, rather than the one-off promotions we see from brands like McDonald's in FarmVille and recently Best Buy in CityVille. Considering the massively ambitious game hasn't been doing so hot its first week out of the gate, this could be second wind it needs.
Is the Indy Jones fan in you excited by this announcement? What do you think of Adventure World so far? Sound off in the comments. 6 Comments
Diamond Dash maker: Social games 'will evolve again in the next years'
Frankly, they kind of have no choice. That's general idea Wooga studio head Henric Suuronen (pictured) seems to have put forward in an in-depth interview with Gamasutra. And it would be wise to listen--the Berlin, Germany-based Facebook game creator is third behind Zynga and EA (now that PopCap's numbers have been integrated), according to AppData.
During the interview, Suuronen gave Gamasutra a detailed explanation of where Facebook games have been, what it takes to create them from a design perspective and, most importantly, where they're going. Specifically speaking to social mechanics in Facebook games, Suuronen said to Gamasutra:
"Now moving four years forward, you have games like CityVille, Pioneer Trail from Zynga, Kabam games, Digital Chocolate games, and Zombie Lane -- great game -- and now Magic Land," Suuronen told Gamasutra. "So it has really evolved. So why would the progression stop here? So I think it will evolve, as it has done from four years ago with Jetman and Scrabulous and Tower Bloxx. So it will evolve again in the next years."
The hit maker behind Diamond Dash recently released its seventh game on Facebook, Magic Land, which enjoys a healthy 3.4 million monthly players and over 330,000 daily players. According to Suuronen, Wooga's latest game had the most man hours thrown into it, a trend he seems to believe will continue. "The whole myth of the minimum viable product -- it's gone," Suuronen told Gamasutra. "It's something that you say to investors to sound cool."
Sure, Suuronen believes that players will eventually get tired of the standard social gaming mechanics of sharing gifts and helping asynchronously. However, the Wooga studio head also points out that the harsh reality of designing Facebook games to get players to pay up isn't going anywhere, and some traditional designers have trouble coming to grips with that.
Considering social games are expected to make $1 billion this year alone (and cash in even more from there), traditional designers and companies better wise up quick if they want to fit in the next big money machine. Read Suuronen's full interview with Gamasutra here, in which he predicts how you might be enticed to pay up in the future.
Do you agree that Facebook games can only grow into more robust entertainment options from here? Where would you like to see the industry go from today's CityVille's and other life simulators? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
During the interview, Suuronen gave Gamasutra a detailed explanation of where Facebook games have been, what it takes to create them from a design perspective and, most importantly, where they're going. Specifically speaking to social mechanics in Facebook games, Suuronen said to Gamasutra:
"Now moving four years forward, you have games like CityVille, Pioneer Trail from Zynga, Kabam games, Digital Chocolate games, and Zombie Lane -- great game -- and now Magic Land," Suuronen told Gamasutra. "So it has really evolved. So why would the progression stop here? So I think it will evolve, as it has done from four years ago with Jetman and Scrabulous and Tower Bloxx. So it will evolve again in the next years."
The hit maker behind Diamond Dash recently released its seventh game on Facebook, Magic Land, which enjoys a healthy 3.4 million monthly players and over 330,000 daily players. According to Suuronen, Wooga's latest game had the most man hours thrown into it, a trend he seems to believe will continue. "The whole myth of the minimum viable product -- it's gone," Suuronen told Gamasutra. "It's something that you say to investors to sound cool."
Sure, Suuronen believes that players will eventually get tired of the standard social gaming mechanics of sharing gifts and helping asynchronously. However, the Wooga studio head also points out that the harsh reality of designing Facebook games to get players to pay up isn't going anywhere, and some traditional designers have trouble coming to grips with that.
Considering social games are expected to make $1 billion this year alone (and cash in even more from there), traditional designers and companies better wise up quick if they want to fit in the next big money machine. Read Suuronen's full interview with Gamasutra here, in which he predicts how you might be enticed to pay up in the future.
Do you agree that Facebook games can only grow into more robust entertainment options from here? Where would you like to see the industry go from today's CityVille's and other life simulators? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
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