A huge exclamation point appears on the very last page of the latest issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine UK. The image bears a striking resemblance to the iconic symbol from Konami's popular stealth series, Metal Gear Solid.
It's been a long time since we've last heard a peep out of Kojima or Konami about the next game in the franchise. And some suggest that this is in fact hinting at some sort of big announcement about Metal Gear: Rising.
Or it could just be, you know, a big exclamation mark. What do you think?
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
Win a Free Tribes: Ascend Beta Key
If you're not familiar with Tribes: Ascend, then watch the trailer above to get a feel for the multiplayer, sci-fi, FPS action. But you know what's better than just watching? Getting to try it out yourself.
The development team's been accepting limited beta invites through their homepage for some time now, but we're going to help you jump right to the front of the line. If you want to snag a code, just leave a comment on this story with a short message explaining why you want to play. It's just that easy.
But what if you want to enter, but don't want to leave a comment? We have you covered with two other options!
Follow us on Twitter and write a post using the hashtag: #GameProTribesBeta
Comment on this story's Facebook post saying you want a code! (And make sure your settings allow non-friends to message you. You'll receive the code from GamePro Contest).
The development team's been accepting limited beta invites through their homepage for some time now, but we're going to help you jump right to the front of the line. If you want to snag a code, just leave a comment on this story with a short message explaining why you want to play. It's just that easy.
But what if you want to enter, but don't want to leave a comment? We have you covered with two other options!
Follow us on Twitter and write a post using the hashtag: #GameProTribesBeta
Comment on this story's Facebook post saying you want a code! (And make sure your settings allow non-friends to message you. You'll receive the code from GamePro Contest).
Saints Row: The Third's Initiation Station Lets Us Put Hitler in Bondage Gear
THQ recently debuted the Saint's Row: The Third character creation tool - dubbed Initiation Station - prior to the game's scheduled release to give fans a chance to create and upload custom characters that will be available to all players on day one. For fans, it's a great opportunity to play with the creation tools, which have the kind of fine granularity it takes to make a character that looks exactly how they want. For people with more twisted minds, it affords the opportunity to make avatars that look like famous people, and put them in weird costumes.
Saints Row: The Third's Initiation Station
For instance, you can do a pretty decent looking Hulk, thanks to the extended options for skin color in Initiation Station. You can do natural flesh tones as well as less expected colors like green or silver, opening up the possibility of doing a lot of different comic book-inspired characters.
You can always take a crack at doing real-life people as well. Here is my attempt at creating an avatar the looks like Sarah Palin:
Saints Row: The Third's Initiation Station
Not bad if I say so myself, though the hair and the glasses aren't quite right. You are still somewhat constrained by the items developer Volition has given you. Also, I think Hulk looks better in that outfit:
Saints Row: The Third's Initiation Station
For instance, you can do a pretty decent looking Hulk, thanks to the extended options for skin color in Initiation Station. You can do natural flesh tones as well as less expected colors like green or silver, opening up the possibility of doing a lot of different comic book-inspired characters.
You can always take a crack at doing real-life people as well. Here is my attempt at creating an avatar the looks like Sarah Palin:
Saints Row: The Third's Initiation Station
Not bad if I say so myself, though the hair and the glasses aren't quite right. You are still somewhat constrained by the items developer Volition has given you. Also, I think Hulk looks better in that outfit:
RolePlayers' Realm XXII: Another Mail Call (and Pandas)!
A few hours before Blizzard announced Mists of Pandaria, our fearless leader Julian Rignall made it clear that he thought adding the Pandarens as a playable race would be a "jump the shark" moment for the entire franchise. Then Blizzard went and did just that, and Julian said that he was excited for WoW all over again. He explains his change of heart along with WoW veteran Karen Chu in the first segment, while I explain why even I'm a little excited for the expansion (hint: Pokemon).
In the second segment, Bob returns to save the podcast once again with another mail call. You, dear listeners, helped as well, of course. You answered the Bat Signal when I put out the call for contributions, this week's topic being, "How did you get into RPGs." The lesson I learned? Our listeners are pretty darn hardcore.
Next time: Lord of the Rings: War in the North!
Full recap below!
Subscribe on iTunes!
Or add us on your RSS Feed!
Episode Breakdown: Download it now!
0:00 | Theme & Introduction
0:30 | World of Warcraft Expansion w/ Karen and Julian
27:45 | Mail Call II w/ Bob Mackey
01:12:35 | Musical Interlude: Track 09 (Dragon Quest)
01:37:30 | Outtro & Next Episode
In the second segment, Bob returns to save the podcast once again with another mail call. You, dear listeners, helped as well, of course. You answered the Bat Signal when I put out the call for contributions, this week's topic being, "How did you get into RPGs." The lesson I learned? Our listeners are pretty darn hardcore.
Next time: Lord of the Rings: War in the North!
Full recap below!
Subscribe on iTunes!
Or add us on your RSS Feed!
Episode Breakdown: Download it now!
0:00 | Theme & Introduction
0:30 | World of Warcraft Expansion w/ Karen and Julian
27:45 | Mail Call II w/ Bob Mackey
01:12:35 | Musical Interlude: Track 09 (Dragon Quest)
01:37:30 | Outtro & Next Episode
Mario Kart Gets Gritty in New Indie Film
One of the cooler video-game-themed movies part of G4's Film Festival is Kart Driver, which features a much darker take on Nintendo's Mario Kart series.
Written and directed by Drew Daywalt, Kart Driver follows Mario as he attempts to save his girlfriend Pauline and defeat what's probably the ugliest interpretation of Donkey Kong we've seen.
Written and directed by Drew Daywalt, Kart Driver follows Mario as he attempts to save his girlfriend Pauline and defeat what's probably the ugliest interpretation of Donkey Kong we've seen.
Postal 3 is Not Dead, Coming to Steam on December 10
After years without any kind of an update on Running With Scissors' Postal III, the company has officially announced that the game will finally be coming to PC through Steam on December 10th.
Postal III sees the return of the "Postal Dude" as he wreaks havoc in the town Catharsis, as well as some special celebrity guests including none other than Ron Jeremy.
While only the PC release date has been announced so far, the developer says that they are still planning on eventually releasing the game on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, too.
Postal III sees the return of the "Postal Dude" as he wreaks havoc in the town Catharsis, as well as some special celebrity guests including none other than Ron Jeremy.
While only the PC release date has been announced so far, the developer says that they are still planning on eventually releasing the game on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, too.
Monday, October 24, 2011
PixelJunk Sidescroller Scrolls Into Being On October 25
Via its twitter account, Q Games has announced that the next game in its stellar PixelJunk series, PixelJunk SideScroller, is set for release October 25 on the PlayStation Network. That’s a US date – but we rarely have delays on the PSN, so we can expect an Australian release will be forthcoming.
Ever since PixelJunk Monsters, I swore a solemn vow to buy and play every single game Q Games releases, and I see no reason to stop with PixelJunk Sidescroller. Essentially a revamped, hyper HD version of R-Type, Sidescroller appears to take some of the raw mechanics of PixelJunk Shooter and places them into a ‘hard as all balls’ sidescroller that will make your knuckles bleed.
Sounds (painfully) good to me.
Ever since PixelJunk Monsters, I swore a solemn vow to buy and play every single game Q Games releases, and I see no reason to stop with PixelJunk Sidescroller. Essentially a revamped, hyper HD version of R-Type, Sidescroller appears to take some of the raw mechanics of PixelJunk Shooter and places them into a ‘hard as all balls’ sidescroller that will make your knuckles bleed.
Sounds (painfully) good to me.
It’s Canon: Alistair Became King In Dragon Age: Origins
At NYCC last weekend, BioWare was in attendance talking about the upcoming Dragon Age comic series, which will follow Alistair, Isabella, and Varric as they perform some sleuthing into Alistair’s past. Well then, that’s three of my favourite characters doing stuff that certainly sounds fun. I’d love to see how virginal Alistair and worldly Isabella get on in particular.
This comes courtesy of BiowareFans.com, who also shared that according to BioWare’s Mike Laidlaw, the “canon” version of the events from Dragon Age: Origins resulted with Alistair becoming king and, presumably, the grey warden from the first game sacrificing him or herself to kill the Archdemon. Though actually, perhaps there was another way? I’ve lost track of the possible endings.
A comic is fine, but I’m hoping that Alistair makes his way into Dragon Age 3. I missed that guy, and stupid Anders was no substitute.
This comes courtesy of BiowareFans.com, who also shared that according to BioWare’s Mike Laidlaw, the “canon” version of the events from Dragon Age: Origins resulted with Alistair becoming king and, presumably, the grey warden from the first game sacrificing him or herself to kill the Archdemon. Though actually, perhaps there was another way? I’ve lost track of the possible endings.
A comic is fine, but I’m hoping that Alistair makes his way into Dragon Age 3. I missed that guy, and stupid Anders was no substitute.
The Wonderful Distractions, Sentient Glitches Of Skyrim’s Massive World
The fact that my play session in a New York hotel room started nearly an hour into the game, may contribute to my lack of plot-harming details. But the real reason I don’t have to worry about that embargoed information is that Skyrim is so immersive and deep an experience that a person could play for a third of a work day and never even brush by the main storyline.
In fact, that’s exactly what I did.
My dip into the world started in a cave high on a mountain top. I don’t know how I got there or what I was supposed to do. I did have a chance to quickly create a character. I decided on an Argonian, a sort of lizardman that can breath underwater, and even if unarmed can attack with his claws.
After a brief look around in the cave I walked my character outside, a bloom of light giving way to an amazing wooded scene.
Where the pale blue, cloud-dotted skies of Rage as a fixed beauty, more painting that animation, Skyrim’s sky is filled with slowly drifting clouds.
The idea, I decided as I picked my way down the mountain side, is to find a nearby town and maybe someone who can send me off to collect something for them, hopefully getting into a fight in the process. A roadside near the foot of the mountain pointed me to three options. After deciding I’d head to Riverwood, I noticed the nearby river and decide to check out my character’s underwater breathing. The current pulls me along the bed, past Salmon. On a whim I target one and press a button, grabbing the fish as I drift by and adding it to my inventory.
Preoccupied with the underwater fishing, I don’t notice the rapids until I’m in them, getting pushed up above the waterline and then over an edge and down a short fall. I push my character out of the water and back to land.
Alright, I think, now to the village. Only then I notice another path going up into the mountains and figure, why not follow it. It leads me to a mine. A mine guarded by a mo-hawked woman with an ax in her hand. We fight, I win. I like how Skyrim lets you use the triggers to control your hands separately. I can dual-wield weapons, using the trigger pulls to attack left, right, left, right. Or I can place a shield in one hand, using that trigger to block. After some tinkering, I settle on a system that allows me to spew flames from my left hand and swing an ax with my right. It’s very effective.
After clearing out the mine of bandits, I finally make my way to Riverwood. Once there I wander around for a bit, chatting with the locals and getting my bearings. Eventually I head to the Sleeping Giant Inn where I catch the tail end of an argument between the couple who own the place. It’s a weird awkward moment that does nothing to propel the still absent over-arching story along, but adds a lot to the depth of the characters and this world.
I rent a room for the day, but then I can’t find it. I decide to wander around a bit more and discover the town’s merchant. He hands me my first quest, the hunt for a necklace. It’s dusk when I finally get out of town, heading for my first, story-driven mission. The sun is nearly down, little lights blink on and off, floating in the air around me. I hunt around for one, until I get close enough to identify. It’s a tiny “torchbug”, this world’s version of a firefly, I suppose.
I break free of the distraction of hunting around for more bugs and take after my quest on earnest this time. Making my way up into the mountains the night darkens as clouds roll in, obscuring the moon and stars. Snow begins to drift in the wind, then begins to churn as the wind howls, soon I’m picking my way through a blizzard. The weather breaks as I approach a tower.
“This is the place,” I think.
There are a couple of guards standing near the base, by a fire. I kill one by hot-swapping to a bow using my D-pad. And then switch spells to reanimate her corpse. She rises, shivering and stiff, her body floating for a second at an angle too sharp for her to be standing. Then she flops to the ground on her feet and begins to attack her once-allies. She fights until she is rekilled, her body turning suddenly to ash and drifting to the ground.
I clear the tower of bandits but discover that this had nothing to do with my quest. Distracted again.
I run back through the storm, chasing the swirling snow that seems to almost take shape just ahead of me. A momentary break in the clouds casts pale light on the ground in front of me, through it a shadow drifts. I stop and look around.
Was that a dragon? Something is up there in the sky, but then the snow fills the cap and it’s impossible to see again.
Finally, I find the temple entrance to my quest. I’ve been playing for nearly an hour now without real purpose. That hasn’t stopped me from enjoying myself immensely.
The quest is no less exciting, but not much more either.
I have a pack of grave robbers to deal with first. Once dispatching them and dealing with the one who left them in the lurch, I find myself facing the temple’s denizens. I die, a lot. I remember to save often. I tweak my character with new abilities and level upgrades. I swap out weapons to find the best combination both for my playstyle and the enemies I happen to be facing at the moment.
Eventually I succeed and am able to quick travel back to town.
I appear in the middle of Riverwood it’s not quiet here. I hear someone shout something. An arrow flies by, not particularly close, but I can’t see who shot it, nor its intended target.
Then four of the townspeople round a corner. There’s three men and a woman. They’re dressed not for adventuring or dungeon crawling, but for their daily tasks. Maybe one’s a butcher, another could be a tavern owner. I’m not sure, but they’re running right at me and they seem angry.
They are angry. I’m not sure why, but suddenly this angry mob is out to kill me. I run from them, trying to lose them in the town’s few roads. Eventually, I get enough distance to make my way to the merchant, to turn in my quest.
Seconds after starting my conversation with him, the room fills with the angry townspeople. They start attacking me, I can’t run or defend myself because I’m in the middle of a conversation.
I manage to break free and run away. They keep chasing me. I ask one of the real PR people sitting in a real nearby chair, of our real hotel room, to come have a look. Is this normal, I ask?
He seems surprised. Try running away, he suggests.
I run. They follow. We run up the mountain side, the angry mob chasing me. Eventually I turn around and use a bit of magic to get them to attack one another. Then I run away.
Solved, I say.
Only it isn’t. The survivors appear back in town a minute or two later, they’re still after me.
Did you kill someone, or attack someone? Maybe you stole something, the PR guy asks?
No. They just attacked me. Is it because I’m a lizard man, I ask half seriously? Maybe the game just doesn’t like me, I suggest?
I ditch the posse this time by jumping in the river. I can breath underwater, it seems they can’t even swim.
I travel to another town. But when I arrive a guard attacks me. Word has gotten round it seems.
I manage to pay off the guard and clear my surprise, apparently unwarranted warrant just in time for the play session to end.
It’s pre-alpha code, I’m reminded by the attending PR folks.
It doesn’t bother me. Even if it was a bug, it was an exhilarating one; one that created the illusion that no one knows what to expect from this game, not even the people who made it.
In fact, that’s exactly what I did.
My dip into the world started in a cave high on a mountain top. I don’t know how I got there or what I was supposed to do. I did have a chance to quickly create a character. I decided on an Argonian, a sort of lizardman that can breath underwater, and even if unarmed can attack with his claws.
After a brief look around in the cave I walked my character outside, a bloom of light giving way to an amazing wooded scene.
Where the pale blue, cloud-dotted skies of Rage as a fixed beauty, more painting that animation, Skyrim’s sky is filled with slowly drifting clouds.
The idea, I decided as I picked my way down the mountain side, is to find a nearby town and maybe someone who can send me off to collect something for them, hopefully getting into a fight in the process. A roadside near the foot of the mountain pointed me to three options. After deciding I’d head to Riverwood, I noticed the nearby river and decide to check out my character’s underwater breathing. The current pulls me along the bed, past Salmon. On a whim I target one and press a button, grabbing the fish as I drift by and adding it to my inventory.
Preoccupied with the underwater fishing, I don’t notice the rapids until I’m in them, getting pushed up above the waterline and then over an edge and down a short fall. I push my character out of the water and back to land.
Alright, I think, now to the village. Only then I notice another path going up into the mountains and figure, why not follow it. It leads me to a mine. A mine guarded by a mo-hawked woman with an ax in her hand. We fight, I win. I like how Skyrim lets you use the triggers to control your hands separately. I can dual-wield weapons, using the trigger pulls to attack left, right, left, right. Or I can place a shield in one hand, using that trigger to block. After some tinkering, I settle on a system that allows me to spew flames from my left hand and swing an ax with my right. It’s very effective.
After clearing out the mine of bandits, I finally make my way to Riverwood. Once there I wander around for a bit, chatting with the locals and getting my bearings. Eventually I head to the Sleeping Giant Inn where I catch the tail end of an argument between the couple who own the place. It’s a weird awkward moment that does nothing to propel the still absent over-arching story along, but adds a lot to the depth of the characters and this world.
I rent a room for the day, but then I can’t find it. I decide to wander around a bit more and discover the town’s merchant. He hands me my first quest, the hunt for a necklace. It’s dusk when I finally get out of town, heading for my first, story-driven mission. The sun is nearly down, little lights blink on and off, floating in the air around me. I hunt around for one, until I get close enough to identify. It’s a tiny “torchbug”, this world’s version of a firefly, I suppose.
I break free of the distraction of hunting around for more bugs and take after my quest on earnest this time. Making my way up into the mountains the night darkens as clouds roll in, obscuring the moon and stars. Snow begins to drift in the wind, then begins to churn as the wind howls, soon I’m picking my way through a blizzard. The weather breaks as I approach a tower.
“This is the place,” I think.
There are a couple of guards standing near the base, by a fire. I kill one by hot-swapping to a bow using my D-pad. And then switch spells to reanimate her corpse. She rises, shivering and stiff, her body floating for a second at an angle too sharp for her to be standing. Then she flops to the ground on her feet and begins to attack her once-allies. She fights until she is rekilled, her body turning suddenly to ash and drifting to the ground.
I clear the tower of bandits but discover that this had nothing to do with my quest. Distracted again.
I run back through the storm, chasing the swirling snow that seems to almost take shape just ahead of me. A momentary break in the clouds casts pale light on the ground in front of me, through it a shadow drifts. I stop and look around.
Was that a dragon? Something is up there in the sky, but then the snow fills the cap and it’s impossible to see again.
Finally, I find the temple entrance to my quest. I’ve been playing for nearly an hour now without real purpose. That hasn’t stopped me from enjoying myself immensely.
The quest is no less exciting, but not much more either.
I have a pack of grave robbers to deal with first. Once dispatching them and dealing with the one who left them in the lurch, I find myself facing the temple’s denizens. I die, a lot. I remember to save often. I tweak my character with new abilities and level upgrades. I swap out weapons to find the best combination both for my playstyle and the enemies I happen to be facing at the moment.
Eventually I succeed and am able to quick travel back to town.
I appear in the middle of Riverwood it’s not quiet here. I hear someone shout something. An arrow flies by, not particularly close, but I can’t see who shot it, nor its intended target.
Then four of the townspeople round a corner. There’s three men and a woman. They’re dressed not for adventuring or dungeon crawling, but for their daily tasks. Maybe one’s a butcher, another could be a tavern owner. I’m not sure, but they’re running right at me and they seem angry.
They are angry. I’m not sure why, but suddenly this angry mob is out to kill me. I run from them, trying to lose them in the town’s few roads. Eventually, I get enough distance to make my way to the merchant, to turn in my quest.
Seconds after starting my conversation with him, the room fills with the angry townspeople. They start attacking me, I can’t run or defend myself because I’m in the middle of a conversation.
I manage to break free and run away. They keep chasing me. I ask one of the real PR people sitting in a real nearby chair, of our real hotel room, to come have a look. Is this normal, I ask?
He seems surprised. Try running away, he suggests.
I run. They follow. We run up the mountain side, the angry mob chasing me. Eventually I turn around and use a bit of magic to get them to attack one another. Then I run away.
Solved, I say.
Only it isn’t. The survivors appear back in town a minute or two later, they’re still after me.
Did you kill someone, or attack someone? Maybe you stole something, the PR guy asks?
No. They just attacked me. Is it because I’m a lizard man, I ask half seriously? Maybe the game just doesn’t like me, I suggest?
I ditch the posse this time by jumping in the river. I can breath underwater, it seems they can’t even swim.
I travel to another town. But when I arrive a guard attacks me. Word has gotten round it seems.
I manage to pay off the guard and clear my surprise, apparently unwarranted warrant just in time for the play session to end.
It’s pre-alpha code, I’m reminded by the attending PR folks.
It doesn’t bother me. Even if it was a bug, it was an exhilarating one; one that created the illusion that no one knows what to expect from this game, not even the people who made it.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
If You Watch One Video About The PS Vita, Watch This One
Playstation
If You Watch One Video About The PS Vita, Watch This One
By Brian Crecente on October 22, 2011 at 2:40 AM
The PS Vita, this video says, wasn’t made by hardware folks, it was the result of what the people who would one day make games for this portable wanted.
That seems like the right way to do things. Sure, you’re hardware folks need to take those suggestions and turn them into something that works and is affordable, but shouldn’t software be driving that design bus?
The video also makes some really strong arguments for why you’d want to get a portable device that isn’t… well, a phone. Its big screen is more immersive, its visual fidelity and, lets face it, those twin sticks are the holy grail of portable gaming.
Even if you don’t want to be won over, or already have been, you should watch this video to see some of the graphics you’ll find on the system. It’s pretty incredible.
If You Watch One Video About The PS Vita, Watch This One
By Brian Crecente on October 22, 2011 at 2:40 AM
The PS Vita, this video says, wasn’t made by hardware folks, it was the result of what the people who would one day make games for this portable wanted.
That seems like the right way to do things. Sure, you’re hardware folks need to take those suggestions and turn them into something that works and is affordable, but shouldn’t software be driving that design bus?
The video also makes some really strong arguments for why you’d want to get a portable device that isn’t… well, a phone. Its big screen is more immersive, its visual fidelity and, lets face it, those twin sticks are the holy grail of portable gaming.
Even if you don’t want to be won over, or already have been, you should watch this video to see some of the graphics you’ll find on the system. It’s pretty incredible.
Fund Bhaloidam To Tell Your Own Story
Bhaloidam is an indie tabletop game revolving around the concept of unique storytelling. This very creative game seeks to let the players tell a story they find compelling, rather than the designer defining your story for you.
This is done through the use of player attributes and dice rolls, using “source tokens” that represent your ego and will to determine your very own story. Check out the video and explanation on the game’s page for more information on how it’s played.
Goal: $US27,900
Notable Reward: $US18 – one printed copy of the 72-page, full-color, comic-format Bhaloidam handbook.
Chances: Not good, with a pretty high goal and the deadline approaching, this Kickstarter may have aimed too high and is only slightly more than halfway there.
This is done through the use of player attributes and dice rolls, using “source tokens” that represent your ego and will to determine your very own story. Check out the video and explanation on the game’s page for more information on how it’s played.
Goal: $US27,900
Notable Reward: $US18 – one printed copy of the 72-page, full-color, comic-format Bhaloidam handbook.
Chances: Not good, with a pretty high goal and the deadline approaching, this Kickstarter may have aimed too high and is only slightly more than halfway there.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Top 10 reasons why video games are better then your girlfriend in a tough relationship
Video games will always be there for you after a girl breaks your heart. Whether, they get some dust after prolong periods of depreciation and absence of play, they will always be there, unless you return them back to the store where you got them.
9.
When your girlfriend is nagging you to do the dishes, wash your clothes, or stop “relaxing” in front of the television, (because she wants you to take her shopping), and you simply aren't in the mood you can't turn them off. With video games, you can simply flick a switch on the console and turn them off when they start to frustrate you, annoy you, and piss you off to the point where you start throwing your precious controller at the wall.
8.
Video games never get old, because there is always a new one coming out. Your girlfriend can only be new for so long; so what do you do when she gets old or when she gets over you because you’re not "fresh" anymore?
7.
There are levels to video games. There are issues with your girlfriend.
6.
You can read up and test out video games before you buy them. Girlfriends make you earn it, before you get it.
5.
If a video game is dirty take it out and clean the disk, if your girlfriend smells like fish, suck it up and eat the dish.
4.
Video games cost $60 or less, depending if you want a used game or a new game. With girlfriends, they can cost you your life, and your savings account.
3.
You can play video games whenever you feel like it. Sometimes your girlfriend is having that time of the month and she wants you to play with her with dire consequences and some bloodstains after your argument on whether to go out for dinner, or to stay home and cook something.
2.
A video game wont judge you, it will love you for who you are , your girlfriend has standards that you have to meet.
1.
Video games have cheat codes and it makes the game even better. If you cheat on your girlfriend, she might slap, kick, punch and bite; or worse move out and take half of your shit, including the video games.
9.
When your girlfriend is nagging you to do the dishes, wash your clothes, or stop “relaxing” in front of the television, (because she wants you to take her shopping), and you simply aren't in the mood you can't turn them off. With video games, you can simply flick a switch on the console and turn them off when they start to frustrate you, annoy you, and piss you off to the point where you start throwing your precious controller at the wall.
8.
Video games never get old, because there is always a new one coming out. Your girlfriend can only be new for so long; so what do you do when she gets old or when she gets over you because you’re not "fresh" anymore?
7.
There are levels to video games. There are issues with your girlfriend.
6.
You can read up and test out video games before you buy them. Girlfriends make you earn it, before you get it.
5.
If a video game is dirty take it out and clean the disk, if your girlfriend smells like fish, suck it up and eat the dish.
4.
Video games cost $60 or less, depending if you want a used game or a new game. With girlfriends, they can cost you your life, and your savings account.
3.
You can play video games whenever you feel like it. Sometimes your girlfriend is having that time of the month and she wants you to play with her with dire consequences and some bloodstains after your argument on whether to go out for dinner, or to stay home and cook something.
2.
A video game wont judge you, it will love you for who you are , your girlfriend has standards that you have to meet.
1.
Video games have cheat codes and it makes the game even better. If you cheat on your girlfriend, she might slap, kick, punch and bite; or worse move out and take half of your shit, including the video games.
Pokemon listings(black and white)
this is a list of the Pokemon in black and white i was up last night just looking for pics to get something of what they look like
http://www.pokecharms.com/g...
my opinion is that the games have pretty much ran out of ideas apart form look at new Pokemon they make Pokemon out of deity and the use of more human forms but thay have made most of the dragons super cool like look at the roster for dragons is big.
http://www.pokecharms.com/g...
my opinion is that the games have pretty much ran out of ideas apart form look at new Pokemon they make Pokemon out of deity and the use of more human forms but thay have made most of the dragons super cool like look at the roster for dragons is big.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Is Homefront being over-looked?
I've heard and seen articles of Homefront here and there, but only really recently saw a whole lot with it which was sparked by the commercial. Is this game being over-looked? I know 2011 has a lot of crazy games coming out, but for some reason this game has me very interested and recently took my most anticipated list.
Ever since I saw the commercial I've been digging up videos, previews, and dev diaries. I'm simply in awe. I mean c'mon, helicopters, tanks, and the coolest thing I think--recon drones! The game looks beautiful, smooth, and guess what COD whiners...DEDICATED SERVERS!
I think if this game is executed well it could be the most under-rated game of 2011 and could possibly be an unlikely COD or Battlefield rival or even, might I say, killer. (I know I'll be hated and get disagree hell for that one)
I could be falsely hyped up, I could be mistaken and wrong but the game has an awesome story that hits close to home if you live in the US. The story could very well happen, which could make for an immersive and scary campaign.
I may have been out of the loop and this game is being hyped up, but not sure how it got under my radar. So far 2011 is rockin' with the first 3 months each having an FPS that I will be purchasing:
January - Modern Combat (Another game floating under peoples radars that may be decent, especially for the price)
February - Killzone 3
March - Homefront
What are your guys thoughts on Homefront? Do you think it will be the most under-rated, under-looked, under-hyped game of 2011? A sleeper hit? Or do you think it'll fail miserably, and not live up to the small expectations it has? Let me know!
Ever since I saw the commercial I've been digging up videos, previews, and dev diaries. I'm simply in awe. I mean c'mon, helicopters, tanks, and the coolest thing I think--recon drones! The game looks beautiful, smooth, and guess what COD whiners...DEDICATED SERVERS!
I think if this game is executed well it could be the most under-rated game of 2011 and could possibly be an unlikely COD or Battlefield rival or even, might I say, killer. (I know I'll be hated and get disagree hell for that one)
I could be falsely hyped up, I could be mistaken and wrong but the game has an awesome story that hits close to home if you live in the US. The story could very well happen, which could make for an immersive and scary campaign.
I may have been out of the loop and this game is being hyped up, but not sure how it got under my radar. So far 2011 is rockin' with the first 3 months each having an FPS that I will be purchasing:
January - Modern Combat (Another game floating under peoples radars that may be decent, especially for the price)
February - Killzone 3
March - Homefront
What are your guys thoughts on Homefront? Do you think it will be the most under-rated, under-looked, under-hyped game of 2011? A sleeper hit? Or do you think it'll fail miserably, and not live up to the small expectations it has? Let me know!
Top 10 games for ps3 that may surprise you!
This list consist of my personal collection. Some of you will like them, some of you will not. What do you think of this list and what do you consider to be your own top ten?
What is the JRPG genre? A basic guide for the uninformed.
Ok this is more of a soap box rant driven by Hyperdimension Neptunia not given an Australian release date but it also sparked an inspiration, write an informative guide on the JRPG genre so those who only reference it to Square-Enix and Final Fantasy or don't know about it can finally learn what the genre really is and all the different styles of gameplay in each.
First I'll start with the basic info that most should know and then I'll go in depth a little later. A JRPG is a video game genre made in Japan where you take the role of a predetermine character or characters in a heavily story driven experience. The JRPG genre is also known for it's similarity to the tabletop board game "Dungeons and Dragons" in terms of it's RPG influence through character development(leveling up), basic structure of narrative flow and occasionally combat.
Now to get into the in depth part. Like I said a lot of people think Final Fantasy and Square-Enix when they hear JRPG and stereo type it on that alone. This isn't true though. There have been various things done to the JRPG combat system over they years and the classic Dungeons and Dragons style was used when the genre started due to data limitations on the Famicom/NES cartridges. Sure there are a fair few JRPGs that use the classic turn based combat but that is due to what is easier to develop and appeasing fans but there are a lot of examples of JRPGs that have various tweaks to the system or are different.
I'll start with examples of the turn based combat being tweek and then go into the ones that are different. Some examples of variations/tweaks to the norm are Fire Emblem where the combat is strategic turn based where the teams take turns to fight and Valkyria Chronicles takes that up a notch by having stuff happen while moving your characters and using the environment to you advantage a lot better then other games in this sub genre. Shadow Hearts also tweaks the turn based combat system by using a thing called the judgement ring which has you performing a quick time event essentially to perform attacks and skills. The Judgement ring has multiple segments that you have to hit in order to perform the command and it has to sections in each segment, a orange section which will make the command work and a red section with is small and will improve the effectiveness of the command. You need to hit all the segments to get the command to work. Baten Kaitos tweaks the system with cards for your commands with varying values to shake up combat. Resonance Of Fate which made some serious changes to the system like using a special gauge to perform a running attack that you can attack as many times as you like until the time gauge runs out and giving you 2 different types of attacks depending on the weapon used and a variety of weapon types to use. Eternal Sonata is a hybrid turn based combat game that incorporates action combat during the turn of each character. There are tons more but these are just some great examples of variations of the turn based combat system.
Now on to the different type of combat system, the action combat system. There are a whole bunch of these that have come out in years and most of you can probably name more of these then turn based combat JRPGs. Kingdom Hearts is one a lot of people will know straight away but there are others. Star Ocean and the 'Tales of' series are 2 other examples of action JRPGs that have a cult following. The combat in these games is relatively the same but the thing is that some of the people who worked on Star Ocean worked on Tales of Phantasia. The combat systems of 'Tales of' games are arena based and you uses skills by pressing the skills button and a direction and Star Oceans combat system started the same but changed to using 2 different attack button and the skills with 1 button but a different one depending on distance with Star Ocean: Til The End Of Time and in Star Ocean: The Last Hope the skills with 2 different buttons. Secret of Mana had an action combat system that was similar to the Legend Of Zelda series. Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadows uses a touch screen interface for using spells in a action combat setting and works well on the DS. Key of Heaven aka Kingdom of Paradise had an action combat system that was heavily customisable.
Now the final part the stories. Some of you have it in your head that all JRPGs follow the same cliche story of angsty teens saving the world from evil but that's not true of all JRPGs. None of the 'Tales Of' series is like that and none of the Atelier series is either. I could name a boat load of them that don't have angsty teen saving the world but I've already got 2 walls of text and don't really want another. Believe it or not it's easier to name the ones that do contain the angsty teens saving the world. Also in JRPGs there is this thing called character development where the characters overcome their flaws for the greater good but this isn't always emo angst like in Final Fantasy VII and XIII.
Some people will argue that JRPGs aren't RPGs at all and they are half right. The role playing experience of true role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons or Fallout isn't their but it's mechanics of leveling up, magic and large worlds are there. You can also argue that all video games are RPGs because your always taking on the role of a character but that's a whole other thing altogether.
Well this is as much as I'll give you since I could spend forever and a day talking about it but I have to stop at some point. Don't label the genre on Final Fantasy alone and give some JRPGs a go. I recommend Resonance Of Fate, Tales Of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Eternal Sonata, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, Chrono Trigger, Kingdom Hearts, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and Persona 4 as must play JRPGs that you should be able to buy still but there are tons of classics if your willing to hunt them down. The JRPG genre isn't as bad as you think, I hate FPS and shooters period but there are some that have stood out that I'm glad I tried. If I'm willing to play some games in the genre I hate, then you should at least give half these recommended games a go.
First I'll start with the basic info that most should know and then I'll go in depth a little later. A JRPG is a video game genre made in Japan where you take the role of a predetermine character or characters in a heavily story driven experience. The JRPG genre is also known for it's similarity to the tabletop board game "Dungeons and Dragons" in terms of it's RPG influence through character development(leveling up), basic structure of narrative flow and occasionally combat.
Now to get into the in depth part. Like I said a lot of people think Final Fantasy and Square-Enix when they hear JRPG and stereo type it on that alone. This isn't true though. There have been various things done to the JRPG combat system over they years and the classic Dungeons and Dragons style was used when the genre started due to data limitations on the Famicom/NES cartridges. Sure there are a fair few JRPGs that use the classic turn based combat but that is due to what is easier to develop and appeasing fans but there are a lot of examples of JRPGs that have various tweaks to the system or are different.
I'll start with examples of the turn based combat being tweek and then go into the ones that are different. Some examples of variations/tweaks to the norm are Fire Emblem where the combat is strategic turn based where the teams take turns to fight and Valkyria Chronicles takes that up a notch by having stuff happen while moving your characters and using the environment to you advantage a lot better then other games in this sub genre. Shadow Hearts also tweaks the turn based combat system by using a thing called the judgement ring which has you performing a quick time event essentially to perform attacks and skills. The Judgement ring has multiple segments that you have to hit in order to perform the command and it has to sections in each segment, a orange section which will make the command work and a red section with is small and will improve the effectiveness of the command. You need to hit all the segments to get the command to work. Baten Kaitos tweaks the system with cards for your commands with varying values to shake up combat. Resonance Of Fate which made some serious changes to the system like using a special gauge to perform a running attack that you can attack as many times as you like until the time gauge runs out and giving you 2 different types of attacks depending on the weapon used and a variety of weapon types to use. Eternal Sonata is a hybrid turn based combat game that incorporates action combat during the turn of each character. There are tons more but these are just some great examples of variations of the turn based combat system.
Now on to the different type of combat system, the action combat system. There are a whole bunch of these that have come out in years and most of you can probably name more of these then turn based combat JRPGs. Kingdom Hearts is one a lot of people will know straight away but there are others. Star Ocean and the 'Tales of' series are 2 other examples of action JRPGs that have a cult following. The combat in these games is relatively the same but the thing is that some of the people who worked on Star Ocean worked on Tales of Phantasia. The combat systems of 'Tales of' games are arena based and you uses skills by pressing the skills button and a direction and Star Oceans combat system started the same but changed to using 2 different attack button and the skills with 1 button but a different one depending on distance with Star Ocean: Til The End Of Time and in Star Ocean: The Last Hope the skills with 2 different buttons. Secret of Mana had an action combat system that was similar to the Legend Of Zelda series. Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadows uses a touch screen interface for using spells in a action combat setting and works well on the DS. Key of Heaven aka Kingdom of Paradise had an action combat system that was heavily customisable.
Now the final part the stories. Some of you have it in your head that all JRPGs follow the same cliche story of angsty teens saving the world from evil but that's not true of all JRPGs. None of the 'Tales Of' series is like that and none of the Atelier series is either. I could name a boat load of them that don't have angsty teen saving the world but I've already got 2 walls of text and don't really want another. Believe it or not it's easier to name the ones that do contain the angsty teens saving the world. Also in JRPGs there is this thing called character development where the characters overcome their flaws for the greater good but this isn't always emo angst like in Final Fantasy VII and XIII.
Some people will argue that JRPGs aren't RPGs at all and they are half right. The role playing experience of true role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons or Fallout isn't their but it's mechanics of leveling up, magic and large worlds are there. You can also argue that all video games are RPGs because your always taking on the role of a character but that's a whole other thing altogether.
Well this is as much as I'll give you since I could spend forever and a day talking about it but I have to stop at some point. Don't label the genre on Final Fantasy alone and give some JRPGs a go. I recommend Resonance Of Fate, Tales Of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Eternal Sonata, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, Chrono Trigger, Kingdom Hearts, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and Persona 4 as must play JRPGs that you should be able to buy still but there are tons of classics if your willing to hunt them down. The JRPG genre isn't as bad as you think, I hate FPS and shooters period but there are some that have stood out that I'm glad I tried. If I'm willing to play some games in the genre I hate, then you should at least give half these recommended games a go.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Crysis 2 and my boat load of fail with it...
So I eagerly bought Crysis 2 along with countless others as it looked like it played well.. the demo seemed ok but with the issues raised from the beta they would be fixed..
I played through the Single player campaign for a few hours and in fairness I loved it.. the suit ability's along with balancing them out and having a tactical option was fun and brought something new to the FPS genre for me ..
GFX seemed stable enough and there was an amazing amount of detail in there as well which I found stunning but also started to notice some very dodgy AI routines but put it down to bugs and would be patched in time... 2 patches came and then the problems started ..at this point I had NOT ventured online
After a few hours I noticed a nasty looking grainy look came over the game and starting to make the game look a little poor and after a look on the official mycrysis forums was a EPIC problem that Crytek had failed to fix.
At this point I ventured online.. I plump for Instant action (Free For All) and immediately get dropped into a lagfest of epic proportions.. I think this does not bode well..
And indeed it doesn't .. let me explain
Hit detection is nigh on non existent and more of a Lag lottery and Host advantage is a nigh on game killer for everyone in the lobby bar the host ofc.. constant host migrations along with getting booted back to the main screen.. Being in FULL Armour doesn't mean shit as most one on one fights tend to turn into a lag lottery and the kill-cam wasn't a true representation of what actually happened.. and this is after 2 patches and begin to think its my connection but other shooters such as MW2 and MW1 play fine ..
Many a time I would chase someone down empty a full clip into them and they would turn around and kill me with 3 bullets or so.. it just seemed to get worse the more I played as there was that many bugs the online just seemed to deteriorate into a mess but in fairness the game had potential to be something good but with the amount of bugs present I felt cheated of my money and in fairness I shouldn't be surprised as many games now ship half made so to speak...
So today I caved and traded it in ..
A quick scan over the official forums shows the amount of frustration many a gamer such as myself are feeling with the game and the Devs themselves are not very forthcoming with information in regards to when a patch is due ... so in turn Crytek are killing the game off in a way as they don't part with information to keep gamers in the loop which imo is the worst possible thing a Game dev can do..
Any further releases wont be top of to buy list thanks to that... but should a patch be released that fixes the game I may buy the game again but time will tell...
In fairness the game has so much potential but let down by so many frustrating bugs it kills any sort of competitiveness in the Multi-player which it should thrive on and to think the amount of people are complaining about the same things over and over and no info given etc beggars belief sometimes ..
I played through the Single player campaign for a few hours and in fairness I loved it.. the suit ability's along with balancing them out and having a tactical option was fun and brought something new to the FPS genre for me ..
GFX seemed stable enough and there was an amazing amount of detail in there as well which I found stunning but also started to notice some very dodgy AI routines but put it down to bugs and would be patched in time... 2 patches came and then the problems started ..at this point I had NOT ventured online
After a few hours I noticed a nasty looking grainy look came over the game and starting to make the game look a little poor and after a look on the official mycrysis forums was a EPIC problem that Crytek had failed to fix.
At this point I ventured online.. I plump for Instant action (Free For All) and immediately get dropped into a lagfest of epic proportions.. I think this does not bode well..
And indeed it doesn't .. let me explain
Hit detection is nigh on non existent and more of a Lag lottery and Host advantage is a nigh on game killer for everyone in the lobby bar the host ofc.. constant host migrations along with getting booted back to the main screen.. Being in FULL Armour doesn't mean shit as most one on one fights tend to turn into a lag lottery and the kill-cam wasn't a true representation of what actually happened.. and this is after 2 patches and begin to think its my connection but other shooters such as MW2 and MW1 play fine ..
Many a time I would chase someone down empty a full clip into them and they would turn around and kill me with 3 bullets or so.. it just seemed to get worse the more I played as there was that many bugs the online just seemed to deteriorate into a mess but in fairness the game had potential to be something good but with the amount of bugs present I felt cheated of my money and in fairness I shouldn't be surprised as many games now ship half made so to speak...
So today I caved and traded it in ..
A quick scan over the official forums shows the amount of frustration many a gamer such as myself are feeling with the game and the Devs themselves are not very forthcoming with information in regards to when a patch is due ... so in turn Crytek are killing the game off in a way as they don't part with information to keep gamers in the loop which imo is the worst possible thing a Game dev can do..
Any further releases wont be top of to buy list thanks to that... but should a patch be released that fixes the game I may buy the game again but time will tell...
In fairness the game has so much potential but let down by so many frustrating bugs it kills any sort of competitiveness in the Multi-player which it should thrive on and to think the amount of people are complaining about the same things over and over and no info given etc beggars belief sometimes ..
6 tips for adapting to any online multiplayer game.
I'm sure you guys are familiar with the online learning curve. This is when you buy a game either months or even a year at the most after the game releases and you find yourself getting hammered online. You know the maps, you know how to use each weapon, but you just can't seem to get the hang of what the hell is going on. Having played most FPS titles such as Killzone, Battlefield, Halo, Black ops, and Crysis, I understand this frustration so I am here to present some tips for when you enter any online community looking to dominate.
1) Avoid crowded areas: All too many times I come across a moment when there are at least 5 guys on each side of the team crowding in a hallway, doorways, or even in a open field. When in these types of situations, someone is bound to throw a grenade, shoot a rocket launcher, or ambush you with a vehicle. If you can't resist at least hang in the back and stop and pop guys so your team can move forward. Otherwise, go around and flank the opposing players.
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Killzone 2, Killzone 3, Battlefield Bad Company 2
2) Get vertical: Alot of players like to start off really cautious to get used to the map, understand choke points, etc. Players like myself are generally patient. When I say get vertical I mean find a building or hillside or whatever and find your way to the top to oversee what is going on in the battlefield. By doing this you get a sense of player preferences, where the enemies are coming from, and it is much easier to get a kill when you are over top of them. In games like Battlefield Bad Company 2 you can simply spot enemies from above thus helping your teammates.
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Battlefield Bad Company 2, Killzone 2, Killzone 3, Medal of Honor, MAG, Socom 4,
3) DON'T Camp: One of my biggest pet peeves are campers. Personally, I believe camping requires no skill and is just a scrub tactic. When coming into a game for the first time it is very tempting to camp. However, as games improve, measures are being taken to prevent campers from succeeding. Games like Crysis 2 has an energy meter and requires for you to pick up dog tags to get credit for the kill. So much for cloaking. Some games like Homefront, Call of Duty, and Crysis 2 have a killcam. Uncharted 2 has perks such as situal awareness to see through walls. Killzone 3 Tactnician has the spot and mark which enables him to mark any enemy on the map. Yes, this includes the ability to see you through walls and the floors. In any team based shooter you are only hurting your team during objectives. So don't even think about chilling in the back of your spawn point in hopes to rack up kills. This is no way to adapt. In a game like free for all in COD or Socom 4 suppression ( Classic Mode ) you may be able to get away with it.
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Every online shooter
4) Use your common sense: Seriously, these days as some shooters get casualized more idiots seem to come along into the game. Generally, most games don't require that much skill to get used to. With that said, have some common sense. If you get sniped in any area don't run back to the same spot in hopes of finding the guy who sniped you. Definately don't take the exact same route to the spot where you got sniped. Better yet, if your friend gets sniped, lets say near a doorway, don't stand at the doorway in hopes of doing anything game changing. You will die too. If your friend gets sniped next to you..get the hell outta dodge. Don't reload too much especially if you have a gun that takes a while to reload. Always reload when spotting an enemy that hasn't seen you yet. That way you won't go empty when in a firefight. Also, have some awareness and pay attention to where mines and claymores are set. When in a firefight, if your opponent throws a grenade... then MOVE!! Also, don't stand around like a sitting duck in an open area. And please don't charge across an open area when vehicles and mounted guns are present
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Any call of duty game, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Socom 4, Killzone 3
5)Party up with some veterans: When I bought Battlefield Bad Company 2 it was December 2010. This game came out March 2010. You can imagine how many level 30's I had cross my paths. Luckily I joined a clan with my closest PSN friends. It was 3 of them. They had the game since released and showed me the ropes along the way. When you have really good players by your side communicating with you, they take alot of pressure off of you when coming into contact with the enemy especially during objectives. They can keep the opposing team busy while you comfortably find your way around and sneak in a couple kills.
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Socom 4, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Uncharted 2, Crysis 2
6) Don't hesitate to use vehicles: For some strange reason, some people don't like using vehicles that much. Some people just want to grab their assault rifles and spread out in the field. I don't understand why people take vehicles for granted. They are there to change the flow of the battle. Vehicles give you advantages over anyone not using them. Whether it maybe using jeeps them to flank enemies or get from point A to point B much faster, using a jetpack to ambush enemies from above, or leading an assualt of a base in a tank. In some games you even get points for just being in the vehicle. Also, if your teammates are inside of a vehicle, then hop on in along with them. I don't see why you shouldn't
1) Avoid crowded areas: All too many times I come across a moment when there are at least 5 guys on each side of the team crowding in a hallway, doorways, or even in a open field. When in these types of situations, someone is bound to throw a grenade, shoot a rocket launcher, or ambush you with a vehicle. If you can't resist at least hang in the back and stop and pop guys so your team can move forward. Otherwise, go around and flank the opposing players.
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Killzone 2, Killzone 3, Battlefield Bad Company 2
2) Get vertical: Alot of players like to start off really cautious to get used to the map, understand choke points, etc. Players like myself are generally patient. When I say get vertical I mean find a building or hillside or whatever and find your way to the top to oversee what is going on in the battlefield. By doing this you get a sense of player preferences, where the enemies are coming from, and it is much easier to get a kill when you are over top of them. In games like Battlefield Bad Company 2 you can simply spot enemies from above thus helping your teammates.
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Battlefield Bad Company 2, Killzone 2, Killzone 3, Medal of Honor, MAG, Socom 4,
3) DON'T Camp: One of my biggest pet peeves are campers. Personally, I believe camping requires no skill and is just a scrub tactic. When coming into a game for the first time it is very tempting to camp. However, as games improve, measures are being taken to prevent campers from succeeding. Games like Crysis 2 has an energy meter and requires for you to pick up dog tags to get credit for the kill. So much for cloaking. Some games like Homefront, Call of Duty, and Crysis 2 have a killcam. Uncharted 2 has perks such as situal awareness to see through walls. Killzone 3 Tactnician has the spot and mark which enables him to mark any enemy on the map. Yes, this includes the ability to see you through walls and the floors. In any team based shooter you are only hurting your team during objectives. So don't even think about chilling in the back of your spawn point in hopes to rack up kills. This is no way to adapt. In a game like free for all in COD or Socom 4 suppression ( Classic Mode ) you may be able to get away with it.
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Every online shooter
4) Use your common sense: Seriously, these days as some shooters get casualized more idiots seem to come along into the game. Generally, most games don't require that much skill to get used to. With that said, have some common sense. If you get sniped in any area don't run back to the same spot in hopes of finding the guy who sniped you. Definately don't take the exact same route to the spot where you got sniped. Better yet, if your friend gets sniped, lets say near a doorway, don't stand at the doorway in hopes of doing anything game changing. You will die too. If your friend gets sniped next to you..get the hell outta dodge. Don't reload too much especially if you have a gun that takes a while to reload. Always reload when spotting an enemy that hasn't seen you yet. That way you won't go empty when in a firefight. Also, have some awareness and pay attention to where mines and claymores are set. When in a firefight, if your opponent throws a grenade... then MOVE!! Also, don't stand around like a sitting duck in an open area. And please don't charge across an open area when vehicles and mounted guns are present
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Any call of duty game, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Socom 4, Killzone 3
5)Party up with some veterans: When I bought Battlefield Bad Company 2 it was December 2010. This game came out March 2010. You can imagine how many level 30's I had cross my paths. Luckily I joined a clan with my closest PSN friends. It was 3 of them. They had the game since released and showed me the ropes along the way. When you have really good players by your side communicating with you, they take alot of pressure off of you when coming into contact with the enemy especially during objectives. They can keep the opposing team busy while you comfortably find your way around and sneak in a couple kills.
Games you'll need this tip the most in --> Socom 4, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Uncharted 2, Crysis 2
6) Don't hesitate to use vehicles: For some strange reason, some people don't like using vehicles that much. Some people just want to grab their assault rifles and spread out in the field. I don't understand why people take vehicles for granted. They are there to change the flow of the battle. Vehicles give you advantages over anyone not using them. Whether it maybe using jeeps them to flank enemies or get from point A to point B much faster, using a jetpack to ambush enemies from above, or leading an assualt of a base in a tank. In some games you even get points for just being in the vehicle. Also, if your teammates are inside of a vehicle, then hop on in along with them. I don't see why you shouldn't
Saturday, October 15, 2011
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!
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!
Is COD a console thing?
GAME.co.uk shows MW3 as the most pre ordered game for ps3 and xbox 360 however on PC it is the 7th most pre ordered game, Falling behind titles such as Sims, Battlefield, Deus ex and oblivion. This got me thinking, When I used to play on consoles I used to always play Call of Duty and so did all my friends and when I switched over to PC and finally purchased black ops a while later after release I did'nt find it gripping and played it for 20 hours while I have played BFBC 2 for 100 hours and Terraria for 60 and witcher 2 for 60.
My first reaction to this discovery was that the average age of console gamers is lower than the average age of pc gamers and we all know that younger kids prefer Call of Duty's mindless arcade type of shooter to that offered by battlefield. All of us who have played cod have confronted countless lobbies of trash talking, screaming kids shouting to their mum to bring them breakfast or their K/D will drop or something else just as bad.
While Battlefield gamers especially on PC seem to talk about tactics and other relevant topics. I have yet to run into a PC Game of Battlefield Bad Company 2 with a single screaming kid (Which may be due to the problems of VOIP in the game).
My next thought was the price, Black ops is priced as a console game on PC. It also features DLC at the price of £11.50 making the cost of all three £34 which is around the price of most AAA titles. Most other PC games provide this content for free such as valve games and BFBC 2(excluding the expansion). Call of Duty games also rarely drop in price and still cost the full price years after release for the game and DLC's a thing rarely seen with most PC games.
Pc games are often less "casual" than its console counterparts and PC gamers complain a lot when one of their exclusives is brought to consoles and dumbed down. Call of Duty is as casual as it gets and with more hardcore titles such as Red Orchestra 2 and Battlefield coming out PC gamers don't feel the need for Modern Warfare 3. I'm not saying all console gamers are casual and all PC gamers are hardcore but I am saying that casual gamers have found the consoles as their home and see the PC as something for work and browsing the internet.
The final thing I considered was the advertising of Call of Duty games, The games are aggressively advertised on Xbox live around the time of release of the game or any map packs. The game is also advertised heavily by Microsoft and some retailers on TV mainly showing the Xbox version of the game and sometimes the PS3 version of the game. However PC Gamers have no one front for pc games and advertising and so we go to news sites such as N4G and PC Gamer for our news and so see a lot less Call of Duty advertising and Call of Duty love. The bad points of Call of Duty is also shown more on sites like these.
So what do you think, Why is Call of Duty seventh on pc preorder charts and first on both consoles? Does call of duty even have a home on the PC?
My first reaction to this discovery was that the average age of console gamers is lower than the average age of pc gamers and we all know that younger kids prefer Call of Duty's mindless arcade type of shooter to that offered by battlefield. All of us who have played cod have confronted countless lobbies of trash talking, screaming kids shouting to their mum to bring them breakfast or their K/D will drop or something else just as bad.
While Battlefield gamers especially on PC seem to talk about tactics and other relevant topics. I have yet to run into a PC Game of Battlefield Bad Company 2 with a single screaming kid (Which may be due to the problems of VOIP in the game).
My next thought was the price, Black ops is priced as a console game on PC. It also features DLC at the price of £11.50 making the cost of all three £34 which is around the price of most AAA titles. Most other PC games provide this content for free such as valve games and BFBC 2(excluding the expansion). Call of Duty games also rarely drop in price and still cost the full price years after release for the game and DLC's a thing rarely seen with most PC games.
Pc games are often less "casual" than its console counterparts and PC gamers complain a lot when one of their exclusives is brought to consoles and dumbed down. Call of Duty is as casual as it gets and with more hardcore titles such as Red Orchestra 2 and Battlefield coming out PC gamers don't feel the need for Modern Warfare 3. I'm not saying all console gamers are casual and all PC gamers are hardcore but I am saying that casual gamers have found the consoles as their home and see the PC as something for work and browsing the internet.
The final thing I considered was the advertising of Call of Duty games, The games are aggressively advertised on Xbox live around the time of release of the game or any map packs. The game is also advertised heavily by Microsoft and some retailers on TV mainly showing the Xbox version of the game and sometimes the PS3 version of the game. However PC Gamers have no one front for pc games and advertising and so we go to news sites such as N4G and PC Gamer for our news and so see a lot less Call of Duty advertising and Call of Duty love. The bad points of Call of Duty is also shown more on sites like these.
So what do you think, Why is Call of Duty seventh on pc preorder charts and first on both consoles? Does call of duty even have a home on the PC?
N4PS3G? Debunking the Myth... With 'Science'
There’s a ‘popular’ opinion that crops up in comments sections around the Internet; its familiar inflection repeating, like an annoying ringtone in a cinema. It’s the sound of one set of fanboys making ridiculous claims against another set. While there are many examples of this in the gaming world, this one stands head and shoulders above them as a shining example of how a biased mind perceives the world differently. I am of course talking about the incredibly ‘witty’ (on par with “IGNorant” lol) term... “N4PS3G”.
Before I go any further I’d like to point out that I’m not singling any one set of fanboys out over another, they’re both equally moronic, thanks.
“N4PS3G”, what does it mean? Let’s break it down. Basically, it’s the crude squashing-together of two abbreviations, N4G (News for gamers) and PS3 (Playstation 3). Its purpose is to suggest that N4G is so oversaturated with PS3 fanboys that it is somehow affiliated with them and should be re-named accordingly. So, in essence, what we are dealing with is a conspiracy theory and, like all theories, it needs to be put to the test. In which case, what better way to get to the truth than with ‘science’ (since it worked so well in my last blogs ^_^)?
So here are the terms of the test:
I will pick two positive and two negative articles aimed at both PS3 and 360, so a total of 8 articles will be scienced.
The comments section will be scoured with a fine, scientific, troll catching comb and trolls from both sides will be tallied. Only the first page will be used and only comments marked for trolling.
After all trolls are tallied from both positive and negative articles we should get a small picture of the culture here at N4G.
Here are the articles:
Positive PS3
http://n4g.com/news/787231/... 1 xbox troll
http://n4g.com/news/762850/... 1 xbox troll
Negative PS3
http://n4g.com/news/761938/... 1 xbox troll
http://n4g.com/news/760207/... 2 xbox trolls
Positive X360
http://n4g.com/news/806512/... 3 PS3 trolls, 2 xbox trolls
http://n4g.com/news/805911/... 3 PS3 trolls, 5 xbox trolls
Negative X360
http://n4g.com/news/806058/... 1 xbox troll
http://n4g.com/news/805962/... 1 PS3 troll, 1 xbox troll, 1 guy raging at both consoles lol
Total
14 xbox trolls, 7 PS3 trolls
So there you have it, if it really is “N4PS3G” then why would there seem to be twice as many xbox trolls?
OK, OK, so that whole test is fundamentally flawed and I’ve probably just wasted your time (and my own) on a bad joke but, in all seriousness, there is an underlining point to what I just did. You see, because I went through and ‘cherry-picked’ the articles, I’m demonstrating the very same behaviour I’m trying to dispel. When a person ‘likes’ something it becomes a part of their identity, what size a part is up to the individual but my point is that you recognise, more prominently, negative opinions towards things you ‘are’. It’s a natural evolutionary tactic used to predict attacks based on peers attitude toward you personally. Trolls are trolls because they have taken their system of choice as a part of themselves and, naturally, they highlight negative aspects in the opinions of others as possible personal threats. This means that they tend to go through comments sections and ‘cherry-pick’ all the opinions that they disagree with, which means they never get an accurate picture of both sides of the story. When you take something like a console as part of your personal identity all you will see is negativity and so it would appear the world is against you, which breeds paranoia, which leads to comments like “now watch all the xxxx fanboys come in here and tear this apart”.
Right, I think I gotten my message out there, remember...
When you say that one set of fanboys are worse or outnumber another set, what you are really saying is that because you have taken your console of choice as a part of yourself, you are afraid that the negativity you have perceived will result in a personal attack... in other words you are scared and paranoid.
Before I go any further I’d like to point out that I’m not singling any one set of fanboys out over another, they’re both equally moronic, thanks.
“N4PS3G”, what does it mean? Let’s break it down. Basically, it’s the crude squashing-together of two abbreviations, N4G (News for gamers) and PS3 (Playstation 3). Its purpose is to suggest that N4G is so oversaturated with PS3 fanboys that it is somehow affiliated with them and should be re-named accordingly. So, in essence, what we are dealing with is a conspiracy theory and, like all theories, it needs to be put to the test. In which case, what better way to get to the truth than with ‘science’ (since it worked so well in my last blogs ^_^)?
So here are the terms of the test:
I will pick two positive and two negative articles aimed at both PS3 and 360, so a total of 8 articles will be scienced.
The comments section will be scoured with a fine, scientific, troll catching comb and trolls from both sides will be tallied. Only the first page will be used and only comments marked for trolling.
After all trolls are tallied from both positive and negative articles we should get a small picture of the culture here at N4G.
Here are the articles:
Positive PS3
http://n4g.com/news/787231/... 1 xbox troll
http://n4g.com/news/762850/... 1 xbox troll
Negative PS3
http://n4g.com/news/761938/... 1 xbox troll
http://n4g.com/news/760207/... 2 xbox trolls
Positive X360
http://n4g.com/news/806512/... 3 PS3 trolls, 2 xbox trolls
http://n4g.com/news/805911/... 3 PS3 trolls, 5 xbox trolls
Negative X360
http://n4g.com/news/806058/... 1 xbox troll
http://n4g.com/news/805962/... 1 PS3 troll, 1 xbox troll, 1 guy raging at both consoles lol
Total
14 xbox trolls, 7 PS3 trolls
So there you have it, if it really is “N4PS3G” then why would there seem to be twice as many xbox trolls?
OK, OK, so that whole test is fundamentally flawed and I’ve probably just wasted your time (and my own) on a bad joke but, in all seriousness, there is an underlining point to what I just did. You see, because I went through and ‘cherry-picked’ the articles, I’m demonstrating the very same behaviour I’m trying to dispel. When a person ‘likes’ something it becomes a part of their identity, what size a part is up to the individual but my point is that you recognise, more prominently, negative opinions towards things you ‘are’. It’s a natural evolutionary tactic used to predict attacks based on peers attitude toward you personally. Trolls are trolls because they have taken their system of choice as a part of themselves and, naturally, they highlight negative aspects in the opinions of others as possible personal threats. This means that they tend to go through comments sections and ‘cherry-pick’ all the opinions that they disagree with, which means they never get an accurate picture of both sides of the story. When you take something like a console as part of your personal identity all you will see is negativity and so it would appear the world is against you, which breeds paranoia, which leads to comments like “now watch all the xxxx fanboys come in here and tear this apart”.
Right, I think I gotten my message out there, remember...
When you say that one set of fanboys are worse or outnumber another set, what you are really saying is that because you have taken your console of choice as a part of yourself, you are afraid that the negativity you have perceived will result in a personal attack... in other words you are scared and paranoid.
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:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- 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.
Incoming search terms:
* angry birds for pc
* activate free angry birds for pc
* angry birds FLASH SCAM
* angry-birds-online scam
* free angry birds games full version for window xp
*
- 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.
Go Home Dinosaurs! Interview, Part One
Interviewing Eitan Glinert, Fire Hose Games’ Fire Chief, isn’t really about asking questions so much as it is staying out of the way of his train of thought. He’s just cool like that. In part one of our interview at PAX he talks to me about their upcoming tower defense title Go Home Dinosaurs!, how the game began as Slam Bolt Scrappers mobile, and 40 to 50 to 60-person multiplayer features.
Cat: It’s a Fire Hose game!
Eitan: Yeah, and because we’re us, every game has to have fitting-together Tetris-style puzzle pieces. It’s tower defense, or BBQ defense, with Dinosaurs. As the game goes you get bigger and differently shaped pieces, and figuring out how you’re going to put them together gets really crazy.
Cat: Can all the different weapon types hit every enemy type?
EG: Currently, yes. Down the road, I’m not sure. We have, for instance, two other weapons that aren’t here and they do hit all the enemies types. For instance, pTerry, our Pterodactyl, they have names but we haven’t been showing them off -
Cat: - you really do want us to empathise with the cute, pink dinosaurs?
EG: Well the animals have names, too! Apparently we’ve gotten lots of requests for Rodney the Rodent, which is weird. We have two other weapons, but right now we’re not showing them off just because it’s too much and we wanted to keep the demo shorter. One of them, Ghostbusters inspired, shoots out this crazy beam that basically slows down the dinos and does damage.
Cat: Gotta have a slow tower.
EG: We even have something in there about how you can’t cross the streams and if they get too close to one another they just stop and make this snarky comment, “You can’t cross the streams!” We’ll see if that stays in or not! Also, It seems to be doing really well with kids.
Cat: Dinosaurs!
EG: Dinosaurs, and super accessible gameplay. We had kids here yesterday that were playing for twenty-five minutes, I said, “I’m sorry!”, I had to ask the parents if they could move on because they were going to stay here all day. It was awesome and I felt really bad about it!
Also, we have this dialog text that comes up, it’s basically fun stuff for people watching the game. It might not even make it into the game, to be honest, but it’s fun stuff for people watching at PAX. One of the lines is basically the main character flirting with you, and it’s, “You’re really good at this game...and you look good, too! (wink)”, and so we had this five year old kid come and play and sit with his mom. The first thing, immediately it pops up, and the mom is like, “Oh...” and I’m thinking, “Haha! I’m just not going to say anything and hope she doesn’t notice.”
[Eitan breaks to fire up the demo for another kid!]
EG: So you remember how SlamBoltScrappers was super complicated for people to pick up and learn? This is basically us trying to fix that. This game actually started off, when we were beginning it, we called it “Slam Bolt Scrappers mobile”, that was the thing we started talking about, and then we ended up changing around stuff. We’ve actually managed already to iterate on it twice, and so it’s already very far from it, but this is basically us fixing stuff that we wanted to change about SBS.
Cat: You guys and your iterations, are there going to be, like, ten or so more?
EG: Yeah, OK, you really wanna know? This is a different game than was here yesterday because we’re getting nightly builds because everyone back in Boston is still working on this.
Cat: So if I come back tomorrow there won’t even be dinosaurs?
EG: What I can tell you is the gameplay is more or less set at this point. This is what the game is going to be like. What’s changing around a lot right now is the metagame and stuff like that. So, for instance, there’s going to be lots beyond what you see right now. You have the leveling up with the cards, that stuff is just placeholder, you’ll be collecting and trading with other players, friends, and we also have a huge multiplayer thing we’re going to be adding in and that’s also in the works.
Cat: Multiplayer...
EG: OK, don’t hold me to this, but we’re trying to see if we can make a version of this that works for 40 or 50 or 60, like a small-scale MMO type thing where the idea is that people can drop-in/drop-out. It’s not persistent, it’s not that you have your, you know, your guild or anything like that, but it’s supposed to be something you can go and you can play for a little while and hop out and other people hop in and it’s supposed to be a giant battle. We’re playing around with it, we’ll see if we can actually pull this off.
That bombshell concludes Part One, check back tomorrow for Part Two! Thanks, Eitan and the rest of the team at Fire Hose Games!
For more reading, our Preview of the game: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Cat: It’s a Fire Hose game!
Eitan: Yeah, and because we’re us, every game has to have fitting-together Tetris-style puzzle pieces. It’s tower defense, or BBQ defense, with Dinosaurs. As the game goes you get bigger and differently shaped pieces, and figuring out how you’re going to put them together gets really crazy.
Cat: Can all the different weapon types hit every enemy type?
EG: Currently, yes. Down the road, I’m not sure. We have, for instance, two other weapons that aren’t here and they do hit all the enemies types. For instance, pTerry, our Pterodactyl, they have names but we haven’t been showing them off -
Cat: - you really do want us to empathise with the cute, pink dinosaurs?
EG: Well the animals have names, too! Apparently we’ve gotten lots of requests for Rodney the Rodent, which is weird. We have two other weapons, but right now we’re not showing them off just because it’s too much and we wanted to keep the demo shorter. One of them, Ghostbusters inspired, shoots out this crazy beam that basically slows down the dinos and does damage.
Cat: Gotta have a slow tower.
EG: We even have something in there about how you can’t cross the streams and if they get too close to one another they just stop and make this snarky comment, “You can’t cross the streams!” We’ll see if that stays in or not! Also, It seems to be doing really well with kids.
Cat: Dinosaurs!
EG: Dinosaurs, and super accessible gameplay. We had kids here yesterday that were playing for twenty-five minutes, I said, “I’m sorry!”, I had to ask the parents if they could move on because they were going to stay here all day. It was awesome and I felt really bad about it!
Also, we have this dialog text that comes up, it’s basically fun stuff for people watching the game. It might not even make it into the game, to be honest, but it’s fun stuff for people watching at PAX. One of the lines is basically the main character flirting with you, and it’s, “You’re really good at this game...and you look good, too! (wink)”, and so we had this five year old kid come and play and sit with his mom. The first thing, immediately it pops up, and the mom is like, “Oh...” and I’m thinking, “Haha! I’m just not going to say anything and hope she doesn’t notice.”
[Eitan breaks to fire up the demo for another kid!]
EG: So you remember how SlamBoltScrappers was super complicated for people to pick up and learn? This is basically us trying to fix that. This game actually started off, when we were beginning it, we called it “Slam Bolt Scrappers mobile”, that was the thing we started talking about, and then we ended up changing around stuff. We’ve actually managed already to iterate on it twice, and so it’s already very far from it, but this is basically us fixing stuff that we wanted to change about SBS.
Cat: You guys and your iterations, are there going to be, like, ten or so more?
EG: Yeah, OK, you really wanna know? This is a different game than was here yesterday because we’re getting nightly builds because everyone back in Boston is still working on this.
Cat: So if I come back tomorrow there won’t even be dinosaurs?
EG: What I can tell you is the gameplay is more or less set at this point. This is what the game is going to be like. What’s changing around a lot right now is the metagame and stuff like that. So, for instance, there’s going to be lots beyond what you see right now. You have the leveling up with the cards, that stuff is just placeholder, you’ll be collecting and trading with other players, friends, and we also have a huge multiplayer thing we’re going to be adding in and that’s also in the works.
Cat: Multiplayer...
EG: OK, don’t hold me to this, but we’re trying to see if we can make a version of this that works for 40 or 50 or 60, like a small-scale MMO type thing where the idea is that people can drop-in/drop-out. It’s not persistent, it’s not that you have your, you know, your guild or anything like that, but it’s supposed to be something you can go and you can play for a little while and hop out and other people hop in and it’s supposed to be a giant battle. We’re playing around with it, we’ll see if we can actually pull this off.
That bombshell concludes Part One, check back tomorrow for Part Two! Thanks, Eitan and the rest of the team at Fire Hose Games!
For more reading, our Preview of the game: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
A Tribute to "Shadow of the Colossus"
It wasn't Mario or Sonic or any of the classics that got me serious about gaming.
No, it was particularly two titles in the past decade for PlayStation 2 that made me realize that video games are as legit and weighty as any other medium of expression.
Sure, the percentage of games that hold up as "art" or have the ability to change someone, their outlook on things or how they question or view the world are few and far between, given that the market is flooded with FPS after FPS in the vein of Call of Duty and its legion of ripoffs.
But in particular, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, to this day, stand up to the test of time.
They are two examples that make me proud to be a gamer.
They are two of the many games that confirm my views on why the PS2 is my all-time favorite system. I mean hell, the console holds 5 of the 7 favorite games I can think of:
-Persona 4
-Resident Evil 4 (originally released on GameCube)
-Final Fantasy X
-Shadow of the Colossus
-Ico
As you can tell, I'm huge on Japanese games, and with good reason. With the exception of a few games and companies like BioWare and Valve, Western game companies often follow the mantra, "Shoot first, ask questions later."
In regards to the games listed above, all of which have come within only the last generation of consoles, I will of course, always hold SNES games like Tetris Attack and Super Mario World dear to my heart, or Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or Mortal Kombat II for the Genesis. But there's a difference between fun factor and nostalgia to the likes of games that impacted me long after I set down my controller.
In honor of the recent release of the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus HD re-release on PlayStation 3, I've decided to reexplore my love for Shadow of the Colossus in particular.
When I played SotC for the first time, I was immediately struck by its beauty. The far reaching landscapes, the desolate ruins, the sparse scenery. The light rays that shined through the temple.
It all built up to an otherworldly atmosphere that left me in awe and wonder.
It's funny because Fumito Ueda, creator of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, really knew how to work the system's limitations into his favor.
Coming out of the gate the earliest, the PS2 was by far the weakest in terms of power of the three consoles (fellow rivals, Xbox and GameCube) of last generation.
So Ueda couldn't afford to build a world dense in details that he probably wanted to employ to immerse the player in terms of realism.
Thus, he went the opposite route.
Let's make a sparse and desolate world. Not sparse in terms of laziness and inattention to detail.
No, it was quite the opposite.
Ueda and his team took to apply the use of space in their games, to strategically place vegetation, building structures, ruins, and a camera perspective that would not only keep the player immersed in the world, but to engender feelings of loneliness, even a sense of helplessness, to a protagonist that is no super hero by any means - but is nevertheless on a journey to save the woman he loves.
But the enemy and the tasks necessary for him to accomplish this aren't so clear cut - he is to slay giant, mythical beasts known as Colossi in order to fulfill the temple spirits' wishes, but at the same time, he doesn't know the purpose or reasons as to why these Colossi are to be killed. What is the end goal of all of this?
The protagonist is so desperate to find a way to save the woman that he has no other choice.
The game opens up with shots of him riding his horse through far off regions. The intro then ends with him traversing a bridge that stretches far into the distance, as if never-ending, but ultimately leading to the temple.
I've actually traversed this entire bridge in the game and you can bet, it's long as fuck. I can't remember exactly but it literally took me 10 or more minutes to ride across the damn thing on my horse.
But these design choices were made on purpose.
The entire game's design was made for certain purposes.
When I traversed these long stretches of scenery and the world, uninterrupted, I felt a greater sense of wonder and amazement; at the same time, I started questioning myself and the protagonist's journey. I was in doubt of myself. Would I be able to conquer the next Colossus? Would killing another one bring me that much closer to saving the woman? Where would the next task take me?
The fact that there are absolutely no lesser enemies or minions to deal with in between each Colossus battle only elevates the gravitas of each struggle's outcome.
Or the fact that there are no towns or dungeons to explore, absolutely no other characters to interact with.
To say that the game is just a series of 16 boss battles would do it a great disservice.
Every Colossus battle is unique in itself. Each holds its own personality, and some are completely harmless and docile. Which only comes back to reinforce the question of the morality of killing them.
They simply aren't the black-and-white painted enemies of other games or stories. They aren't belligerent, imbecilic creatures out to hinder or try to murder you out of orders from a greater evil entity. This isn't a simple rescue-the-princess tale like The Legend of Zelda or Super Mario.
The Colossi mainly fight to defend themselves and their territory. Your invasion and encroachment of this is what brings out their animalistic qualities. I could feel the weight of the very first arrow that I would fire to provoke them to battle.
My character, the very person I was playing, was the insinuator. I felt like a hunter of sorts, killing not out of necessity for my survival, but for the sake of my selfish goals and means.
After the defeat of each Colossus, a scene plays where it collapses to the ground, turning into a black, murky presence that gets absorbed into the surrounding environment. The scenes serve the dual purpose in my mind to both add guilt to the player in what they've done, and to instill a sense that the Colossi are part of the natural world around them. They're simply returning back to Mother Earth.
But they no longer hold the purity and essence that they once did alive. The black spirit that is leftover is very much like the events that transpired in Princess Mononoke and the death of the Forest Spirit. You are a destroyer of nature, a selfish human being disrupting the order and beauty of the world.
Before I move on further about the game's presentation and other elements, on the note of the actual gameplay of the Colossus battles, at their very core is the quintessential mechanic used in almost all games - find a way to defeat the enemy.
To avoid confusion and add a common gameplay goal and familiarity to the fights, the sum of your actions is to basically find the Colossus's weak points and stab it into oblivion. These weak points are often cleverly concealed and hidden somewhere on the Colossus's body, or are simply in plain sight but are difficult as fuck to get to, such as the head.
And in thinking about it, stabbing a Colossus's head multiple times just makes killing them even more brutal and everlasting.
The very animations in the game reinforce this. When stabbing the head for the final blow that will take down the Colossus, the camera zooms in on your character as he reels back with his sword. He then plunges it in with all of his might in a sickening, yet gratifying manner. It's interesting to feel equal amounts accomplishment in finally defeating a single enemy you've been working at for a good half hour, and also a sort of disgust at what you've done.
As a gamer, it's rare to ever feel any emotion or remorse to the hordes and hordes of enemies you hack to pieces.
In Shadow of the Colossus, you will feel and remember each battle and death.
What makes each battle memorable, is that traversing each Colossus to find their weak points are levels and puzzles in themselves. The Colossi are so large and awe-inspiring that you're initially taken aback and approach them with hesitation and a great "WHAT THE FUCK, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEFEAT THAT 50-STORY MONSTROSITY WITH MY PUNY ASS ARROWS AND SWORD?"
With every pounding step of the Colossus, the ground shakes. If you stand close enough to one, your character actually stumbles and falls over. There's an attention to detail about the character animations in the game that is so sorely overlooked in other games.
You can feel the frailty of the protagonist. His jumps employ every bit of energy in his lanky arms and legs that he can muster, and he stumbles imperfectly upon landing. It looks pretty sad/puny to the likes of the robotic, horrendously unrealistic ups that send your character skyward in other games. Whenever he grips a ledge or holds onto his dear life on a Colossus, he swings and rocks violently back and forth; you feel a greater sense of danger when the animation gives the appearance that he could fall to his death at any second.
Throughout the course of the entire game, you never actually progress in a new skill set or gain any sort of new ability. You simply never feel a sense of confidence or overwhelming empowerment to safely say that you can easily overpower the next Colossus. You always feel vulnerable, as each can simply dispatch you in 1-3 hits.
All that you have in the face of your physical deficiencies are your wits, unlimited arrows, and trusty steed, Agro.
Slowly, with great observation and inquisition, you notice the movements and patterns of each Colossus. This once again, isn't a kill-first-ask-questions later game. Often the best strategy to figure them out is to simply stop. And stare. (Not the OneRepublic song.)
And when you do manage to man up and have the balls to tackle them, climbing onto their bodies and moving to the areas/spots you want present themselves to be more like fully-designed levels. The armor that they wear are in the shape of platforms and ledges, and the brilliance of the game lies in the fact that rather than being a simple, static platformer of sorts, these levels are more dynamic. They move just as the Colossus moves, which presents as a challenge/factor to consider. Toss in elements like some of them having the ability to fly, or shoot electricity, or go underwater, or smash you with a giant sword, and you've got the makings of some of the most memorable boss battles, or in my eyes, the most memorable collection/set, in the history of games.
All of these qualities combined are what makes the game so enduring in my mind. The sense of achievement as a gamer is heightened when it is derived from your patience in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
On a final note, I want to briefly mention the narrative structure of the game, and how effective I found it to be. The game only briefly dispatches a few cutscenes throughout its entirety, typically to showcase a new land or portion of the world that you've discovered. The story's mystery and open-ended nature as a result is maintained. To many, this might seem like a cop out and can annoy those looking to be spoon fed abundant details of the world and backstory. The story all seems a bit too light/lacking when all you know is that you have to kill these Colossi to save a woman. But the purposeful slow pace and lack of clarity puts you in a position where you never see an overlying picture of the events transpiring/transpired. In that regard, you never feel removed from the journey - you feel as lost and in doubt and ever so determined as the protagonist.
The tiny snippets of dialogue and cinematics after each Colossus's death are just enough to maintain this mystery but also propel you forward to the next battle. It's a crazy addictive and rewarding mechanic. You're constantly left to try to figure out what's going on, to imagine and build a history around the lands you spend so much time traversing.
This subjective participation to the story's unraveling makes it that much more involving.
The ending, which I won't spoil, is also spectacular - it's a twist of sorts that gives you chills; this whole time you're killing these beasts and there's that uncertainty, that feeling of dread and guilt as to why you're really killing them, that the purpose of the quest is tainted in some way.
It looms in your mind throughout the game's running 10-12 hour experience. And thus, it fully manifests and comes to light all at the end.
I have yet to even discuss the game's excellent, haunting, ethereal-like score by Koh Ohtani. Listen to either "Prologue - To The Ancient Land" or "Epilogue - Those Who Remain" and tell me that these songs did not have any impact on you as you were playing the game. I dare you.
Okay maybe they didn't have any effect on you, but I'd deduce that said person is just a cold-hearted frozen ice queen then.
The game is a lesson on less is more. Show don't tell. Give the player control of not just the game's mechanics, but control over how he/she views the world and the journey and the story that they are undertaking.
It may seem manipulative to set things up this way, but every good affecting piece, whether in cinema or literature, employs atmosphere, subtle details, and a myriad of devices to engender a desired response out of the audience.
And the response I got out of Shadow of the Colossus was a sense of wonder, inspiration, inquisition, contemplation, doubt, and ultimately, one of the greatest gaming experiences of my life.
No, it was particularly two titles in the past decade for PlayStation 2 that made me realize that video games are as legit and weighty as any other medium of expression.
Sure, the percentage of games that hold up as "art" or have the ability to change someone, their outlook on things or how they question or view the world are few and far between, given that the market is flooded with FPS after FPS in the vein of Call of Duty and its legion of ripoffs.
But in particular, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, to this day, stand up to the test of time.
They are two examples that make me proud to be a gamer.
They are two of the many games that confirm my views on why the PS2 is my all-time favorite system. I mean hell, the console holds 5 of the 7 favorite games I can think of:
-Persona 4
-Resident Evil 4 (originally released on GameCube)
-Final Fantasy X
-Shadow of the Colossus
-Ico
As you can tell, I'm huge on Japanese games, and with good reason. With the exception of a few games and companies like BioWare and Valve, Western game companies often follow the mantra, "Shoot first, ask questions later."
In regards to the games listed above, all of which have come within only the last generation of consoles, I will of course, always hold SNES games like Tetris Attack and Super Mario World dear to my heart, or Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or Mortal Kombat II for the Genesis. But there's a difference between fun factor and nostalgia to the likes of games that impacted me long after I set down my controller.
In honor of the recent release of the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus HD re-release on PlayStation 3, I've decided to reexplore my love for Shadow of the Colossus in particular.
When I played SotC for the first time, I was immediately struck by its beauty. The far reaching landscapes, the desolate ruins, the sparse scenery. The light rays that shined through the temple.
It all built up to an otherworldly atmosphere that left me in awe and wonder.
It's funny because Fumito Ueda, creator of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, really knew how to work the system's limitations into his favor.
Coming out of the gate the earliest, the PS2 was by far the weakest in terms of power of the three consoles (fellow rivals, Xbox and GameCube) of last generation.
So Ueda couldn't afford to build a world dense in details that he probably wanted to employ to immerse the player in terms of realism.
Thus, he went the opposite route.
Let's make a sparse and desolate world. Not sparse in terms of laziness and inattention to detail.
No, it was quite the opposite.
Ueda and his team took to apply the use of space in their games, to strategically place vegetation, building structures, ruins, and a camera perspective that would not only keep the player immersed in the world, but to engender feelings of loneliness, even a sense of helplessness, to a protagonist that is no super hero by any means - but is nevertheless on a journey to save the woman he loves.
But the enemy and the tasks necessary for him to accomplish this aren't so clear cut - he is to slay giant, mythical beasts known as Colossi in order to fulfill the temple spirits' wishes, but at the same time, he doesn't know the purpose or reasons as to why these Colossi are to be killed. What is the end goal of all of this?
The protagonist is so desperate to find a way to save the woman that he has no other choice.
The game opens up with shots of him riding his horse through far off regions. The intro then ends with him traversing a bridge that stretches far into the distance, as if never-ending, but ultimately leading to the temple.
I've actually traversed this entire bridge in the game and you can bet, it's long as fuck. I can't remember exactly but it literally took me 10 or more minutes to ride across the damn thing on my horse.
But these design choices were made on purpose.
The entire game's design was made for certain purposes.
When I traversed these long stretches of scenery and the world, uninterrupted, I felt a greater sense of wonder and amazement; at the same time, I started questioning myself and the protagonist's journey. I was in doubt of myself. Would I be able to conquer the next Colossus? Would killing another one bring me that much closer to saving the woman? Where would the next task take me?
The fact that there are absolutely no lesser enemies or minions to deal with in between each Colossus battle only elevates the gravitas of each struggle's outcome.
Or the fact that there are no towns or dungeons to explore, absolutely no other characters to interact with.
To say that the game is just a series of 16 boss battles would do it a great disservice.
Every Colossus battle is unique in itself. Each holds its own personality, and some are completely harmless and docile. Which only comes back to reinforce the question of the morality of killing them.
They simply aren't the black-and-white painted enemies of other games or stories. They aren't belligerent, imbecilic creatures out to hinder or try to murder you out of orders from a greater evil entity. This isn't a simple rescue-the-princess tale like The Legend of Zelda or Super Mario.
The Colossi mainly fight to defend themselves and their territory. Your invasion and encroachment of this is what brings out their animalistic qualities. I could feel the weight of the very first arrow that I would fire to provoke them to battle.
My character, the very person I was playing, was the insinuator. I felt like a hunter of sorts, killing not out of necessity for my survival, but for the sake of my selfish goals and means.
After the defeat of each Colossus, a scene plays where it collapses to the ground, turning into a black, murky presence that gets absorbed into the surrounding environment. The scenes serve the dual purpose in my mind to both add guilt to the player in what they've done, and to instill a sense that the Colossi are part of the natural world around them. They're simply returning back to Mother Earth.
But they no longer hold the purity and essence that they once did alive. The black spirit that is leftover is very much like the events that transpired in Princess Mononoke and the death of the Forest Spirit. You are a destroyer of nature, a selfish human being disrupting the order and beauty of the world.
Before I move on further about the game's presentation and other elements, on the note of the actual gameplay of the Colossus battles, at their very core is the quintessential mechanic used in almost all games - find a way to defeat the enemy.
To avoid confusion and add a common gameplay goal and familiarity to the fights, the sum of your actions is to basically find the Colossus's weak points and stab it into oblivion. These weak points are often cleverly concealed and hidden somewhere on the Colossus's body, or are simply in plain sight but are difficult as fuck to get to, such as the head.
And in thinking about it, stabbing a Colossus's head multiple times just makes killing them even more brutal and everlasting.
The very animations in the game reinforce this. When stabbing the head for the final blow that will take down the Colossus, the camera zooms in on your character as he reels back with his sword. He then plunges it in with all of his might in a sickening, yet gratifying manner. It's interesting to feel equal amounts accomplishment in finally defeating a single enemy you've been working at for a good half hour, and also a sort of disgust at what you've done.
As a gamer, it's rare to ever feel any emotion or remorse to the hordes and hordes of enemies you hack to pieces.
In Shadow of the Colossus, you will feel and remember each battle and death.
What makes each battle memorable, is that traversing each Colossus to find their weak points are levels and puzzles in themselves. The Colossi are so large and awe-inspiring that you're initially taken aback and approach them with hesitation and a great "WHAT THE FUCK, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEFEAT THAT 50-STORY MONSTROSITY WITH MY PUNY ASS ARROWS AND SWORD?"
With every pounding step of the Colossus, the ground shakes. If you stand close enough to one, your character actually stumbles and falls over. There's an attention to detail about the character animations in the game that is so sorely overlooked in other games.
You can feel the frailty of the protagonist. His jumps employ every bit of energy in his lanky arms and legs that he can muster, and he stumbles imperfectly upon landing. It looks pretty sad/puny to the likes of the robotic, horrendously unrealistic ups that send your character skyward in other games. Whenever he grips a ledge or holds onto his dear life on a Colossus, he swings and rocks violently back and forth; you feel a greater sense of danger when the animation gives the appearance that he could fall to his death at any second.
Throughout the course of the entire game, you never actually progress in a new skill set or gain any sort of new ability. You simply never feel a sense of confidence or overwhelming empowerment to safely say that you can easily overpower the next Colossus. You always feel vulnerable, as each can simply dispatch you in 1-3 hits.
All that you have in the face of your physical deficiencies are your wits, unlimited arrows, and trusty steed, Agro.
Slowly, with great observation and inquisition, you notice the movements and patterns of each Colossus. This once again, isn't a kill-first-ask-questions later game. Often the best strategy to figure them out is to simply stop. And stare. (Not the OneRepublic song.)
And when you do manage to man up and have the balls to tackle them, climbing onto their bodies and moving to the areas/spots you want present themselves to be more like fully-designed levels. The armor that they wear are in the shape of platforms and ledges, and the brilliance of the game lies in the fact that rather than being a simple, static platformer of sorts, these levels are more dynamic. They move just as the Colossus moves, which presents as a challenge/factor to consider. Toss in elements like some of them having the ability to fly, or shoot electricity, or go underwater, or smash you with a giant sword, and you've got the makings of some of the most memorable boss battles, or in my eyes, the most memorable collection/set, in the history of games.
All of these qualities combined are what makes the game so enduring in my mind. The sense of achievement as a gamer is heightened when it is derived from your patience in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
On a final note, I want to briefly mention the narrative structure of the game, and how effective I found it to be. The game only briefly dispatches a few cutscenes throughout its entirety, typically to showcase a new land or portion of the world that you've discovered. The story's mystery and open-ended nature as a result is maintained. To many, this might seem like a cop out and can annoy those looking to be spoon fed abundant details of the world and backstory. The story all seems a bit too light/lacking when all you know is that you have to kill these Colossi to save a woman. But the purposeful slow pace and lack of clarity puts you in a position where you never see an overlying picture of the events transpiring/transpired. In that regard, you never feel removed from the journey - you feel as lost and in doubt and ever so determined as the protagonist.
The tiny snippets of dialogue and cinematics after each Colossus's death are just enough to maintain this mystery but also propel you forward to the next battle. It's a crazy addictive and rewarding mechanic. You're constantly left to try to figure out what's going on, to imagine and build a history around the lands you spend so much time traversing.
This subjective participation to the story's unraveling makes it that much more involving.
The ending, which I won't spoil, is also spectacular - it's a twist of sorts that gives you chills; this whole time you're killing these beasts and there's that uncertainty, that feeling of dread and guilt as to why you're really killing them, that the purpose of the quest is tainted in some way.
It looms in your mind throughout the game's running 10-12 hour experience. And thus, it fully manifests and comes to light all at the end.
I have yet to even discuss the game's excellent, haunting, ethereal-like score by Koh Ohtani. Listen to either "Prologue - To The Ancient Land" or "Epilogue - Those Who Remain" and tell me that these songs did not have any impact on you as you were playing the game. I dare you.
Okay maybe they didn't have any effect on you, but I'd deduce that said person is just a cold-hearted frozen ice queen then.
The game is a lesson on less is more. Show don't tell. Give the player control of not just the game's mechanics, but control over how he/she views the world and the journey and the story that they are undertaking.
It may seem manipulative to set things up this way, but every good affecting piece, whether in cinema or literature, employs atmosphere, subtle details, and a myriad of devices to engender a desired response out of the audience.
And the response I got out of Shadow of the Colossus was a sense of wonder, inspiration, inquisition, contemplation, doubt, and ultimately, one of the greatest gaming experiences of my life.
Go Home Dinosaurs! Interview, Part Two
Interviewing Eitan Glinert, Fire Hose Games’ Fire Chief, isn’t really about asking questions so much as it is staying out of the way of his train of thought. He’s just cool like that.
In part two of our interview at PAX he talks to me about their upcoming tower defense title Go Home Dinosaurs!, game plagiarism, dynamic wave generation, calls Zynga evil bastards - plus hot dogs, forties and homeless people.
Cat: What about leveling up towers?
EG: Well, we had that in an earlier version, and I suspect that’s out. I don’t know... I’m still on the fence. We don’t know yet, I’m guessing it’s out, 30% chance of being in the game. We had an early version that did exactly that and people liked it, but it’s really hard as a designer. You show something to people and they say they like it and you have to figure out , “OK, but do you like it more than this? Or would you like it more if we did something else?”, and I’ll tell you that between the two responses, and how people played, I’m kind of on the side that this is probably better without. We just got rid of upgrading altogether, no upgrading, and I think that might be better for this. If we just stick upgrading with the card trading, with the tech tree stuff, that might be a lot more fun.
Cat: There were definitely moments playing where I though, “Should I be upgrading something?”
EG: I think that this game feels better without it, and it’s a really standard thing in tower defense but that doesn’t mean it has to be there. I think that in this case it’s probably stronger without it. Don’t hold me to that, maybe in six months I’ll send you a build that’ll actually have it there, but I don’t think it’ll make it into the final build of the game.
You know what’s neat, we have dynamic wave generation in this game, where the waves aren’t set. There’s an algorithm running that’s guessing how well you’re doing, and giving you dinosaurs that will match your level. That’s why you can have these different skill levels playing the same thing and it works for them. That’s gonna be in the game and we’re gonna have a lot of fun with that because it makes the game really challenging sometimes - we’ve seen five year olds that can play this and hardcore gamers and they have roughly the same difficulty, which is really nice. That took us awhile to figure out. It’s cool, too, because it makes it fast for us to throw in levels without having to worry about balancing waves - we do have to check, of course, but it gets us 80% there!
Cat: Will you have enough testers, are you going to be bringing in homeless people from the streets of Boston to test the massive multiplayer out on?
EG: Homeless people aren’t the problem, they’re always trying to break into our office and steal our hot dogs and forties. We should probably not advertise that we have those.
Cat: Mouse controls?
EG: We’re trying to get this cross-platform, and, I think I mentioned to you, iPad we want to hit up -
Cat: - So iOS?
EG: iOS definitely, Android we think we want to do, too, and then console.
Cat: Can be pretty hard to make money on the Android, can’t it?
EG: Piracy is rampant, it’s a real mess. With iPhone it’s the early adopters with money to burn so they don’t mind spending money, but with Android it’s, “I want my free thing, if it’s not free I’m not buying it.” The biggest thing beyond that is that on the iPhone, buying an app is so easy and straightforward. You want to buy something on the Android you have to go hit your head against the wall.
I mean, something we’re actually very worried about is plagiarism. So we’re showing this off here, are we going to be screwed in three months when somebody else comes out with this? The iPhone and stuff like that, it’s all plagiarism, people just steal stuff all the time. The thing is, we have to take that risk, we can’t afford to be quiet about it because death by obscurity is much easier than death by plagiarism.
So, people see this, and we’re doing a lot of new stuff that has not been done before, that’s why we’re trying to keep a lot of our cards close to our chest. We’re showing off a lot of the core gameplay stuff, but even some of the multiplayer stuff - we have some stuff that’s half working that we could show and have it be really impressive, but I’m just too nervous about that.
Cat: So without showing it off here, is there anything that makes it really different that you could just talk about...
EG: Well, the multiplayer stuff, stuff like with the cards. Zynga is a bunch of evil bastards, right? But the truth of the matter is that they do a couple things that are smart and do make games better, and so we’re trying to lift elements of that and basically bring it so it’s not this tower defense that’s “Play level” and that’s it, where we could do more interesting, I’m calling it “metagame” stuff that could be a lot of fun and let friends play together - stuff that just doesn’t happen in tower defense. There’s a formula and everyone sticks to it, and we’re trying to go above and beyond that.
The other thing that I hope will be harder to copy, is the dinosaurs are awesome, cute, you know-
Cat: -and they turn into bacon-
EG: -and the T-Rexes explode into steak and the Pterodactyls, of course, explode into feathers.
Cat: If it was like PixelJunk Monsters you’d have to run around and collect the meat!
EG: And the steak thing brings up interesting ethical questions about what’s on the BBQ and how did it get there?
How, indeed. While we ponder the provenance of that beef, big thanks to Eitan and the rest of the team at Fire Hose Games!
For more reading, our Preview of the game: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
In part two of our interview at PAX he talks to me about their upcoming tower defense title Go Home Dinosaurs!, game plagiarism, dynamic wave generation, calls Zynga evil bastards - plus hot dogs, forties and homeless people.
Cat: What about leveling up towers?
EG: Well, we had that in an earlier version, and I suspect that’s out. I don’t know... I’m still on the fence. We don’t know yet, I’m guessing it’s out, 30% chance of being in the game. We had an early version that did exactly that and people liked it, but it’s really hard as a designer. You show something to people and they say they like it and you have to figure out , “OK, but do you like it more than this? Or would you like it more if we did something else?”, and I’ll tell you that between the two responses, and how people played, I’m kind of on the side that this is probably better without. We just got rid of upgrading altogether, no upgrading, and I think that might be better for this. If we just stick upgrading with the card trading, with the tech tree stuff, that might be a lot more fun.
Cat: There were definitely moments playing where I though, “Should I be upgrading something?”
EG: I think that this game feels better without it, and it’s a really standard thing in tower defense but that doesn’t mean it has to be there. I think that in this case it’s probably stronger without it. Don’t hold me to that, maybe in six months I’ll send you a build that’ll actually have it there, but I don’t think it’ll make it into the final build of the game.
You know what’s neat, we have dynamic wave generation in this game, where the waves aren’t set. There’s an algorithm running that’s guessing how well you’re doing, and giving you dinosaurs that will match your level. That’s why you can have these different skill levels playing the same thing and it works for them. That’s gonna be in the game and we’re gonna have a lot of fun with that because it makes the game really challenging sometimes - we’ve seen five year olds that can play this and hardcore gamers and they have roughly the same difficulty, which is really nice. That took us awhile to figure out. It’s cool, too, because it makes it fast for us to throw in levels without having to worry about balancing waves - we do have to check, of course, but it gets us 80% there!
Cat: Will you have enough testers, are you going to be bringing in homeless people from the streets of Boston to test the massive multiplayer out on?
EG: Homeless people aren’t the problem, they’re always trying to break into our office and steal our hot dogs and forties. We should probably not advertise that we have those.
Cat: Mouse controls?
EG: We’re trying to get this cross-platform, and, I think I mentioned to you, iPad we want to hit up -
Cat: - So iOS?
EG: iOS definitely, Android we think we want to do, too, and then console.
Cat: Can be pretty hard to make money on the Android, can’t it?
EG: Piracy is rampant, it’s a real mess. With iPhone it’s the early adopters with money to burn so they don’t mind spending money, but with Android it’s, “I want my free thing, if it’s not free I’m not buying it.” The biggest thing beyond that is that on the iPhone, buying an app is so easy and straightforward. You want to buy something on the Android you have to go hit your head against the wall.
I mean, something we’re actually very worried about is plagiarism. So we’re showing this off here, are we going to be screwed in three months when somebody else comes out with this? The iPhone and stuff like that, it’s all plagiarism, people just steal stuff all the time. The thing is, we have to take that risk, we can’t afford to be quiet about it because death by obscurity is much easier than death by plagiarism.
So, people see this, and we’re doing a lot of new stuff that has not been done before, that’s why we’re trying to keep a lot of our cards close to our chest. We’re showing off a lot of the core gameplay stuff, but even some of the multiplayer stuff - we have some stuff that’s half working that we could show and have it be really impressive, but I’m just too nervous about that.
Cat: So without showing it off here, is there anything that makes it really different that you could just talk about...
EG: Well, the multiplayer stuff, stuff like with the cards. Zynga is a bunch of evil bastards, right? But the truth of the matter is that they do a couple things that are smart and do make games better, and so we’re trying to lift elements of that and basically bring it so it’s not this tower defense that’s “Play level” and that’s it, where we could do more interesting, I’m calling it “metagame” stuff that could be a lot of fun and let friends play together - stuff that just doesn’t happen in tower defense. There’s a formula and everyone sticks to it, and we’re trying to go above and beyond that.
The other thing that I hope will be harder to copy, is the dinosaurs are awesome, cute, you know-
Cat: -and they turn into bacon-
EG: -and the T-Rexes explode into steak and the Pterodactyls, of course, explode into feathers.
Cat: If it was like PixelJunk Monsters you’d have to run around and collect the meat!
EG: And the steak thing brings up interesting ethical questions about what’s on the BBQ and how did it get there?
How, indeed. While we ponder the provenance of that beef, big thanks to Eitan and the rest of the team at Fire Hose Games!
For more reading, our Preview of the game: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
N4G's hypocritical fan base.
I recent submitted a news story from Eurogamer about an interview with Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream. The co-founder Guillaume de Fondaumiere mentioned how he had lost 1 million sales due to the used market. Some thing caught my eye in the comments. The was a lot of support for the used game market. That is fine but not many brought up the big question. They lost at least 1 million in sales. To put this into perspective on a $60 game (£40 for me) lets say around 15% goes to the developer. So this is around $9 (around £6)per game. So they have lost out by $9,000,000 (£6,000,000).
It seems I have gone on a bit of a tangent. Over the times I have spent going on N4G one thing has struck me. Everyone complains about how there are no new innovative IPs. The users complain how X game is another Call of Duty mould. I ask you do you blame the developers. If Heavy Rain (a new innovative ip) lost $9,000,000 on used game (including piracy, lending) sales why would any other developer take the risk and not go for the easier highly profitable option. At the moment there is always going to be an area where sales are lost (from pirating, used games, giving them to friends). The lack of new ips is a trend that has become more apparent this generation with sequel after sequel and other games using the same formula as the most popular game on the market
Well how do publishers and developers counter this trend. I will tell you. In other stories there seems to be a massive hatred for online pass. To be honest can you blame publishers for introducing online pass.If a developer is loosing $9 million it would be interesting to see how much publishers loose also. I agree some online passes are not implemented well but in an age of used game sales going on the up you must understand they are loosing a lot of money per game. The online pass has become more of a deterrent than a method for increase profits. I was in GAME the other day and I decided to get Medal of Honor. It was £20 new and £15 used. I thought to myself it is only £5. The online pass on top actually make the game more expensive.
I hope you can see why I am getting at when I call the N4G fan base hypocritical. On the one hand they complain about no new innovative IPS and how everyone is copying COD and then on the other the publishers come up with a solution to regain their money so that it can be pumped back into games but there is mass hatred for it. You can't have new ips with a used game market that is taken the money away from these new ips. Those same people who complain about no new ips also strongly disagree with online pass and often proclaim they have bought a game used. There is a reason for the lack of no new ips and it is down to you guys.
Does the N4G users have a better option to keep a used game market and keep sales going to the developer so they can take risks and develop new ideas?. Come on N4G. Stop being a hypocrite.
It seems I have gone on a bit of a tangent. Over the times I have spent going on N4G one thing has struck me. Everyone complains about how there are no new innovative IPs. The users complain how X game is another Call of Duty mould. I ask you do you blame the developers. If Heavy Rain (a new innovative ip) lost $9,000,000 on used game (including piracy, lending) sales why would any other developer take the risk and not go for the easier highly profitable option. At the moment there is always going to be an area where sales are lost (from pirating, used games, giving them to friends). The lack of new ips is a trend that has become more apparent this generation with sequel after sequel and other games using the same formula as the most popular game on the market
Well how do publishers and developers counter this trend. I will tell you. In other stories there seems to be a massive hatred for online pass. To be honest can you blame publishers for introducing online pass.If a developer is loosing $9 million it would be interesting to see how much publishers loose also. I agree some online passes are not implemented well but in an age of used game sales going on the up you must understand they are loosing a lot of money per game. The online pass has become more of a deterrent than a method for increase profits. I was in GAME the other day and I decided to get Medal of Honor. It was £20 new and £15 used. I thought to myself it is only £5. The online pass on top actually make the game more expensive.
I hope you can see why I am getting at when I call the N4G fan base hypocritical. On the one hand they complain about no new innovative IPS and how everyone is copying COD and then on the other the publishers come up with a solution to regain their money so that it can be pumped back into games but there is mass hatred for it. You can't have new ips with a used game market that is taken the money away from these new ips. Those same people who complain about no new ips also strongly disagree with online pass and often proclaim they have bought a game used. There is a reason for the lack of no new ips and it is down to you guys.
Does the N4G users have a better option to keep a used game market and keep sales going to the developer so they can take risks and develop new ideas?. Come on N4G. Stop being a hypocrite.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Zynga gives free rides to FarmVille Lighthouse Cove starting today
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove screen
Oh, you patient ones. Now is finally the time to see if waiting in the freebie line was worth it. For those FarmVille players that declined to fork up 55 Farm Cash ($10 USD, to be exact), the Lighthouse Cove expansion will be available to all starting today. We assume, as with all changes or major releases by Zynga, that this release will be a slow roll-out.
Just like players did early last week, they will hop on a sail boat to a New England-esque coastal farming village. Unfortunately, the area has been ravaged by a brutal storm, and Brenda--the town's resident widow--has enlisted you to help restore it. You'll slowly level up your Lighthouse by repairing the lighthouse, dock and more through quests.
However, free players will not receive the exclusive quests and items given to those who put up the dough. Regardless there looks to be a ton of content here with a larger focus on building a village than simply farming crops. For instance, you'll have fewer plots to farm on that unlock over time in Lighthouse Cove, though those crops yield far more coins, XP and Mastery.
In addition to farming, you can harvest the Cove once its restored for ingredients to use in Restaurant recipes like clams and lobster for dishes like New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. Another interesting change with FarmVille LC in comparison to its first expansion, English Countryside, is that all quests will be timed this time around.
Gallery: FarmVille Lighthouse Cove
And that includes the bonus quests, courtesy of Brenda. Because quests were persistent throughout FarmVille EC, it was easy for friends to speed ahead or slip behind one another in their progress. "It was harder for players to work on the same thing in English Countryside," FarmVille GM Nate Etter explains.
FarmVille Sailor CalfDuring an early look of the game, Etter told us that the team was going for "a FarmVille meets Martha's Vineyard style." "Players seem to love water, which was a major source of inspiration for Lighthouse Cove," Etter recalls. "I think we're constantly listening to players, [and] that will govern where FarmVille will go."
So, while you're enjoying the serene orange glow and brisk autumn breeze of Lighthouse Cove (imagination, people), try to think up where you would like to go next, and take it to the Facebook page or forums--they're all ears. As for why the second expansion was released early to players who paid Farm Cash, a Zynga representative told us, "We have so many passionate players, that we wanted to offer them a first look at the game."
Well, patience has its payoffs, my friends. Namely, it saves you money. So, enjoy that peace of mind, and increase that peace in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove. Good things come to those who (choose to) wait--that's especially because we have a bevy of content to get you through your first several hours in FarmVille LC. Enjoy.
Did you pay to get into the FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Early? What do you think of all the new content so far? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
Oh, you patient ones. Now is finally the time to see if waiting in the freebie line was worth it. For those FarmVille players that declined to fork up 55 Farm Cash ($10 USD, to be exact), the Lighthouse Cove expansion will be available to all starting today. We assume, as with all changes or major releases by Zynga, that this release will be a slow roll-out.
Just like players did early last week, they will hop on a sail boat to a New England-esque coastal farming village. Unfortunately, the area has been ravaged by a brutal storm, and Brenda--the town's resident widow--has enlisted you to help restore it. You'll slowly level up your Lighthouse by repairing the lighthouse, dock and more through quests.
However, free players will not receive the exclusive quests and items given to those who put up the dough. Regardless there looks to be a ton of content here with a larger focus on building a village than simply farming crops. For instance, you'll have fewer plots to farm on that unlock over time in Lighthouse Cove, though those crops yield far more coins, XP and Mastery.
In addition to farming, you can harvest the Cove once its restored for ingredients to use in Restaurant recipes like clams and lobster for dishes like New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. Another interesting change with FarmVille LC in comparison to its first expansion, English Countryside, is that all quests will be timed this time around.
Gallery: FarmVille Lighthouse Cove
And that includes the bonus quests, courtesy of Brenda. Because quests were persistent throughout FarmVille EC, it was easy for friends to speed ahead or slip behind one another in their progress. "It was harder for players to work on the same thing in English Countryside," FarmVille GM Nate Etter explains.
FarmVille Sailor CalfDuring an early look of the game, Etter told us that the team was going for "a FarmVille meets Martha's Vineyard style." "Players seem to love water, which was a major source of inspiration for Lighthouse Cove," Etter recalls. "I think we're constantly listening to players, [and] that will govern where FarmVille will go."
So, while you're enjoying the serene orange glow and brisk autumn breeze of Lighthouse Cove (imagination, people), try to think up where you would like to go next, and take it to the Facebook page or forums--they're all ears. As for why the second expansion was released early to players who paid Farm Cash, a Zynga representative told us, "We have so many passionate players, that we wanted to offer them a first look at the game."
Well, patience has its payoffs, my friends. Namely, it saves you money. So, enjoy that peace of mind, and increase that peace in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove. Good things come to those who (choose to) wait--that's especially because we have a bevy of content to get you through your first several hours in FarmVille LC. Enjoy.
Did you pay to get into the FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Early? What do you think of all the new content so far? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
Baseball Superstars: The League goes for a grand slam on Facebook
Just in time for the playoff season in the states (Philadelphia NL East Champs! ... sorry), Gamevil has released its very own baseball simulator on Facebook, Baseball Superstars: The League. The Korean and Los Angeles-based developer best known for the Zenonia series of RPGs (role-playing games) on the iPhone released this social version of its hit baseball sims on iOS.
Of course, EA Sports and Playfish have already staked their claim to the sub genre on Facebook with World Series Superstars, but already Gamevil has one thing going for it: global multiplayer. That's right, once you choose your team's name, logo and specialty between Power, Accuracy and Speed, you can jump into games immediately with anyone playing the game.
While you will certainly need Facebook friends to play in Exhibition games, those looking for a fast and easy Quick Play game, the world's digital baseball managers await you. There's also a Home Run Derby mode as well as full-blown tournaments, which are coming soon. And the gameplay is surprisingly interactive, having players actually swing at pitches with clicks.
Baseball Superstars Logo
Baseball Superstars features a full-blown pitching system as well, in which players select from a variety of pitches and choose exactly where they land in or around the strike zone. There are also a number of commands you can give to base runners to attempt to steal bases. All in all, this looks like an impressively full-featured baseball game on Facebook at launch.
While much of the game has players tweaking their stadiums like most sports games on Facebook, it's the actually Quick Plays and Exhibition games that are the meat and potatoes of Baseball Superstars, and what could make this game a competitor to existing social sports games. "It builds upon our years of strategic advances in the global games market, and shows that we can adapt and offer a unique yet competitive social games experience," VP and head of Gamevil USA Kyu Lee said in a release.
Baseball Superstars gameplay
Baseball Superstars is just Gamevil's second release on Facebook after Train City, which didn't do so hot, according to AppData. Considering the hype train that is US baseball in September and October, baseball fans (the closet Facebook game-loving ones, at least) are going to be on the hunt for a new experience on Facebook.
And it looks like Gamevil will be there to meet them with a Facebook game that actually focuses on, you know, the baseball? Hey, the second time can still be a charm, too, right?
Click here to play Baseball Superstars: The League on Facebook Now >
Have you tried this new baseball Facebook game yet? What do you think of Gamevil's second entry into the Facebook game space, and what about their existing iOS games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Of course, EA Sports and Playfish have already staked their claim to the sub genre on Facebook with World Series Superstars, but already Gamevil has one thing going for it: global multiplayer. That's right, once you choose your team's name, logo and specialty between Power, Accuracy and Speed, you can jump into games immediately with anyone playing the game.
While you will certainly need Facebook friends to play in Exhibition games, those looking for a fast and easy Quick Play game, the world's digital baseball managers await you. There's also a Home Run Derby mode as well as full-blown tournaments, which are coming soon. And the gameplay is surprisingly interactive, having players actually swing at pitches with clicks.
Baseball Superstars Logo
Baseball Superstars features a full-blown pitching system as well, in which players select from a variety of pitches and choose exactly where they land in or around the strike zone. There are also a number of commands you can give to base runners to attempt to steal bases. All in all, this looks like an impressively full-featured baseball game on Facebook at launch.
While much of the game has players tweaking their stadiums like most sports games on Facebook, it's the actually Quick Plays and Exhibition games that are the meat and potatoes of Baseball Superstars, and what could make this game a competitor to existing social sports games. "It builds upon our years of strategic advances in the global games market, and shows that we can adapt and offer a unique yet competitive social games experience," VP and head of Gamevil USA Kyu Lee said in a release.
Baseball Superstars gameplay
Baseball Superstars is just Gamevil's second release on Facebook after Train City, which didn't do so hot, according to AppData. Considering the hype train that is US baseball in September and October, baseball fans (the closet Facebook game-loving ones, at least) are going to be on the hunt for a new experience on Facebook.
And it looks like Gamevil will be there to meet them with a Facebook game that actually focuses on, you know, the baseball? Hey, the second time can still be a charm, too, right?
Click here to play Baseball Superstars: The League on Facebook Now >
Have you tried this new baseball Facebook game yet? What do you think of Gamevil's second entry into the Facebook game space, and what about their existing iOS games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
NHL Superstars coming to Facebook in October
Adding to its popular brand of "Superstars" titles on Facebook, Electronic Arts has announced the production of NHL Superstars for Facebook. This new game, as reported by ShackNews, comes on the heels of EA's NHL 12 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 breaking franchise records for the biggest launch week in the franchise's history.
As for the franchise's jump onto the Facebook ice, we're told this: "NHL Superstars will bring an all-new NHL experience to millions of hockey fans by enabling players to build and manage their ultimate team of professional hockey players. With dynamic and accessible gameplay, fans can compete head-to-head in games against their Facebook friends from around the world."
While specific details are still lacking as to what we can exactly expect from NHL Superstars, we can't imagine EA / Playfish breaking the mold. We'll likely be able to collect cards that contain professional hockey players, and then trade those cards out to create the best team possible. Each player will likely have stats, and we'll be able to use those players in virtual hockey games against others for supremacy.
We don't have a specific release date for NHL Superstars, although the game is set to take to the ice sometime in October. We'll make sure to give you a complete look at the game when we know more.
Are you excited to see NHL Superstars come to Facebook? Which players will you look for to create your perfect team? Sound off in the comments.
As for the franchise's jump onto the Facebook ice, we're told this: "NHL Superstars will bring an all-new NHL experience to millions of hockey fans by enabling players to build and manage their ultimate team of professional hockey players. With dynamic and accessible gameplay, fans can compete head-to-head in games against their Facebook friends from around the world."
While specific details are still lacking as to what we can exactly expect from NHL Superstars, we can't imagine EA / Playfish breaking the mold. We'll likely be able to collect cards that contain professional hockey players, and then trade those cards out to create the best team possible. Each player will likely have stats, and we'll be able to use those players in virtual hockey games against others for supremacy.
We don't have a specific release date for NHL Superstars, although the game is set to take to the ice sometime in October. We'll make sure to give you a complete look at the game when we know more.
Are you excited to see NHL Superstars come to Facebook? Which players will you look for to create your perfect team? Sound off in the comments.
Soon, you might score some Angry Birds with that Starbucks macchiato
"Hey, I'll take a grande caramel cappuccino ... with an Angry Bird on top? Yeah, that works." We doubt most Starbucks baristas would do this nonsense just for you, but you might at least be playing a lot more Angry Birds in Starbucks locations soon. In fact, according to Bloomberg, you may soon take trips to Starbucks specifically to play Rovio's wildly successful game.
During an interview with Bloomberg, Rovio SVP Wibe Wagemans said that his company is in talks with the Seattle-based coffee company to set up virtual goods offers and perhaps even digital scoreboards in Starbucks locations. Keep in mind, however, that this is the same guy who made lofty claims like, "We are now the fastest-growing consumer brand in history."
But what honestly leads us to believe that this isn't merely poppycock is that the Finnish game developer has conducted similar partnerships with national companies in the past. Take Barnes and Noble bookstores, for instance, which offered Nook e-reader owners a free Mighty Eagle download earlier this year--just for visiting with their device in tow.
And don't forget that you can already find a bunch of Angry Birds-themed retail items like plush dolls and t-shirts in the book seller's stores. More importantly, who runs the in-house Barnes and Noble cafes? Yup, Starbucks. So, despite Starbucks's refusal to comment on or acknowledge whether it's talking to Rovio, all signs are pointing at least to a dash of Mighty Eagle with your mocha macchiato.
And Starbucks would be kind of dumb not at least dip one toe into the Angry Birds nest. With toys, cook books and a feature film in the works, Rovio's flagship brand is huge. Not to mention that a Facebook version of the game is in the works, according to Wagemans, which would all but blow this franchise wide open. It's a good time for Angry Birds, and they're looking to share the wealth ... anywhere, really.
[Image Credit: Food Beast]
Would you go to Starbucks just to keep your high score above your fellow coffee snobs lovers'? What do you think of Rovio's immense push into the retail world with Angry Birds? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
During an interview with Bloomberg, Rovio SVP Wibe Wagemans said that his company is in talks with the Seattle-based coffee company to set up virtual goods offers and perhaps even digital scoreboards in Starbucks locations. Keep in mind, however, that this is the same guy who made lofty claims like, "We are now the fastest-growing consumer brand in history."
But what honestly leads us to believe that this isn't merely poppycock is that the Finnish game developer has conducted similar partnerships with national companies in the past. Take Barnes and Noble bookstores, for instance, which offered Nook e-reader owners a free Mighty Eagle download earlier this year--just for visiting with their device in tow.
And don't forget that you can already find a bunch of Angry Birds-themed retail items like plush dolls and t-shirts in the book seller's stores. More importantly, who runs the in-house Barnes and Noble cafes? Yup, Starbucks. So, despite Starbucks's refusal to comment on or acknowledge whether it's talking to Rovio, all signs are pointing at least to a dash of Mighty Eagle with your mocha macchiato.
And Starbucks would be kind of dumb not at least dip one toe into the Angry Birds nest. With toys, cook books and a feature film in the works, Rovio's flagship brand is huge. Not to mention that a Facebook version of the game is in the works, according to Wagemans, which would all but blow this franchise wide open. It's a good time for Angry Birds, and they're looking to share the wealth ... anywhere, really.
[Image Credit: Food Beast]
Would you go to Starbucks just to keep your high score above your fellow coffee snobs lovers'? What do you think of Rovio's immense push into the retail world with Angry Birds? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Social game network Hi5 suffers 'significant' layoffs, pushes onward
Hopefully not sounding too crass, but this is one of the unfortunate if efficient advantages of technology. TechCrunch reports that Hi5, a social game network looking to compete with Google+ Games and Facebook in 2012, has laid off 28 employees. The decision, confirmed by infamous pundit and Hi5 president and CTO Alex St. John, was made in response to new tech:
"We have also been building the next generation site in a new architecture, .NET framework, and have moved away from Open Source and Java technology," St. John told TechCrunch. "As we have recently turned the corner on our technology migration efforts we have been able to significantly reduce the number of positions required to support the older hi5 site and are in the process of re-organizing the company to focus entirely on the development and deployment of our next generation social play site."
Simply put, technological advances in how the future Hi5 website will work has led to automation in web support that was before handled by multiple employees. Since the new website can handle much of those tasks on its own, 28 of those full-time and contract workers were deemed no longer necessary. TechCrunch recalls this is far from the first time Hi5 has trimmed the fat, so to speak.
The company, originally a general-use social network, has since pivoted toward capitalizing on social gaming. Early next year, it will unveil its next generation social gaming network with 28 fewer people to celebrate, sadly. "The departing folks were very talented and we hated to let them go but our business is changing rapidly now," St. John said to TechCrunch. "We hope that other great companies in this area snap them up quickly."
Even with its automated enhancements, it will be interesting to see just whether Hi5 can hop into the ring with the big league players, Facebook and Google. Its strategy doesn't seem to be one of scale, so we're intrigued to see what's up St. John's sleeve. Regardless, best wishes to those 28 unfortunate folks--may you find super awesome gigs elsewhere.
What do you think of this news just as Hi5 prepares to enter its next phase of social gaming? Do you think the company could become a viable competitor to Facebook and Google in social games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
"We have also been building the next generation site in a new architecture, .NET framework, and have moved away from Open Source and Java technology," St. John told TechCrunch. "As we have recently turned the corner on our technology migration efforts we have been able to significantly reduce the number of positions required to support the older hi5 site and are in the process of re-organizing the company to focus entirely on the development and deployment of our next generation social play site."
Simply put, technological advances in how the future Hi5 website will work has led to automation in web support that was before handled by multiple employees. Since the new website can handle much of those tasks on its own, 28 of those full-time and contract workers were deemed no longer necessary. TechCrunch recalls this is far from the first time Hi5 has trimmed the fat, so to speak.
The company, originally a general-use social network, has since pivoted toward capitalizing on social gaming. Early next year, it will unveil its next generation social gaming network with 28 fewer people to celebrate, sadly. "The departing folks were very talented and we hated to let them go but our business is changing rapidly now," St. John said to TechCrunch. "We hope that other great companies in this area snap them up quickly."
Even with its automated enhancements, it will be interesting to see just whether Hi5 can hop into the ring with the big league players, Facebook and Google. Its strategy doesn't seem to be one of scale, so we're intrigued to see what's up St. John's sleeve. Regardless, best wishes to those 28 unfortunate folks--may you find super awesome gigs elsewhere.
What do you think of this news just as Hi5 prepares to enter its next phase of social gaming? Do you think the company could become a viable competitor to Facebook and Google in social games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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