Articles

PS3 Needs a Little Support

by

Next-Gen.biz has an interview with Capcom USA’s Charles Bellfield, where he asks for more positive coverage of the PS3 in the media. This actually got me thinkin’ for a bit. Is their too much negative publicity for the PS3, and is it justified? Sure, some may spit at the $600 price tag, but has anyone thought of the positive things that the PS3 will bring to the table? Well, I guess I’ll be the one to bite that bullet.

First, you have all those exclusive games that are coming out for it. Level 5’s White Knight, Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4, and Capcom’s Devil May Cry 4 are just a few of the games that will probably blow our socks off, and they’re only for PS3.

Second, you have the next-generation of video game graphics. The PS3’s Cell and RSX hardware configuration is the most powerful in terms of raw computing power. 2nd and 3rd generation PS3 games will probably be the best looking games ever created. →  The review for ‘Shark Sandwich’ was merely a two word review which simply read ‘Read Sandwich.’

Weekly News We Care About Wrap Up – 10.13.06

by

Japanese consumers want the PS3
Famitsu surveyed people at the Tokyo Games Show and got some interesting if odd results. Although we are talking about Japan so odd is a relative term. About 56% of those surveyed felt the low end PS3 was pricey. Even considering that the TGS would be full of hardcore gamers, this number seems low. Compare this to the 13% who think the Wii costs too much and 25% who think the 360 is expensive.

When asked what system they most looked forward to, 58% said the PS3 and 34% said the Wii. Contrast this, though, to what people said about which system they plan to buy on launch. 11% said they’d get a PS3 at launch while 18% said they’d get a Wii. Further. 36% said they have no current plan for getting a PS3 and 33% said the same of the Wii. The two consoles seem pretty neck and neck in Japan, at least amongst the more serious gamers. →  Sid Meier’s Alpha Centarticle

The Wii’s “horsepower”

by

While rummaging through the ol’ Interweb tonight, I somehow got onto Wii’s official site and came across a whole slew of new videos that were posted yesterday. Most of them show people trying out the Wii for the first time, and they actually look like they’re having fun. Never mind the fact that they get paid to play with something we’re all dying for.

But what really interested me were some new videos for the Wii Channels. I’ll detail a few of them here:

The Internet Channel was finally unveiled, and I have to say it’s looking pretty snazzy. They pulled up Google and searched in a couple shots, and the browser, which is based on Opera by the way, ran fairly smoothly. They were using a widescreen TV, but the browser was formatted to a 4:3 ratio. Either it’s not formatted at all for widescreen TV’s, or they just forgot about that part. Either way, it still looked good enough to actually read the text. →  WELCOMETOTHENEXTARTICLE

Life as a Game Tester: Episode 3

by

As of this writing, my time in the video game industry is dwindling. When I took this job, I was only guaranteed work until the end of October, which is rapidly approaching. That’s the life of a QA tester, I guess. If your company doesn’t have anything playable for you to test, there’s not much reason to go to work everyday. Already, my day consists of me playing my own games more than the game we’re making, which isn’t necessarily bad. I call it “research.”

Right now, we have the second game I’ve worked on being tested by NOA and NOE. You can check out what that entails by reading Episode 2.

Nintendo’s quality control is not infallible.

It’s great to get a game to submission, but in my experience, it’s been the worst thing that can happen to a game in development. If you submit, you’re basically telling Nintendo the game is done. If you get approved, you can’t touch your code. →  How many games must a gamer play before you call him a gamer?

Final Fantasy XII: First Impressions

by

Wow, Square|Enix really pulled a fast one on their fans. They released a Final Fantasy game for people who hate Final Fantasy. Or at least that’s what I thought after my three hours with the game.

Let’s start with the pros. The combat system just feels right. It is intuitive, well organized, and customizable to suit all tastes. If you are a control freak like yours truly, you can turn off the controversial Gambits (Character AI, look them up), and if you need time to carefully decide where to move your characters, and how to attack, then you can set the battles to pause whenever you are on a menu. The CG’s, as we have come to expect from Square|Enix, are top notch. I was skeptical after the first CG – I thought it seemed a bit… off — but every CG sequence after that blew me away. They are still long, which some people might not like, but at least they are not boring. →  The Adventures of Cookie and Read

The Electronic Arts I remember

by

A long, long time ago, back when Electronic Arts went by the abbreviation ECA, the company was not clearly evil. It turns out that they screwed Chris Crawford in the 80’s and undoubtedly weren’t the pinnacle of business ethics, but they also published good games. Every now and then, usually after reading a review of some terrible EA published game or news that they bought and destroyed a small developer, I reminisce about the good old days when the ECA logo didn’t make me cringe, but was actually a sign of quality. What’s that, you ask? You’re a snobby gamer who dislikes EA, too, but you wonder why they were once a respectable publisher? Like all good questions, this one can be answered with a list.

Archon II: Adept — 1984
The first Archon is a bonafide classic, but I still prefer the sequel. Both games play like Battle Chess (which came out after Archon), but the second has cooler creatures and more of an emphasis on building an army. →  Arc the Post: Twilight of the Spirits

Vista: Kodak Moment or Photoshopped?

by

Surprising me in the mail last week was the DVD Install Kit for Microsoft’s Windows Vista RC1 Client. I signed up for their beta releases a few months ago, but I wasn’t aware that they keep sending you the subsequent releases. Needless to say I’m not that upset about it.

After testing RC1 out for a few days, I can easily say it’s much better than the Beta 2 release. It has way better driver support, and has much more functionality. I was on the fence about upgrading to something that looked only marginally better than XP, but after messing around with Vista, I’m eager to cross over to the “next-generation” of Windows.

The real gem in Vista is its Aero functionality. DirectX is now continually running in the background. The main thing you will notice is that each window actually blurs the picture that’s behind it, be it the desktop background or an image you’re viewing. This cannot be done fluidly without graphics acceleration, and I have to say it looks really nice. →  Destroy All Articles! 2

Best Game Ever – Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

by

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is my favorite game of all time. With the many hours of enjoyment I have gained from this title, I owe it to you all to spread the good word.
Let me tell you why:

First of all, this intriguing subtitle brings to mind many important questions for the common gamer. Among these questions are:

1. What throne?
2. Why is it frozen?

But frozen seats of royalty aside, the storyline in an RTS is superfluous. What makes WCII: TFT great is the well-implemented and innovative hero system, the tight control over units that makes über micro possible, and the well-balanced, well-designed variety of races.

Warcraft is a popular game, with fan-created artwork, a lively multiplayer community, board games, hugely successful MMO adaptation, and mangas.

If my memory serves me, this book tells the tragic tale of the forbidden romance of Draakthazaar, the proud frost dragon from the north and the free-spirited young maiden, Ara, shunned by her people for daring to love the monster they so feared, yet she tamed with her tender touch. →  Do a barrel read!

Guitar Hero 2 Demo

by

Damn you Harmonix, damn you to hell. The Guitar Hero 2 demo is only four songs large, and I haven’t been able to play anything else all day. Curse you and your innate ability to create unbridled gaming fun!

Yes folks, if you haven’t heard already the new issue of OPM has nice little demo of GH2. Jay and I have it. Now let’s talk about it:

Songs: I’m hearing some recent dissent about the Guitar Hero 2 soundtrack. Whereas the original had a wide variety of rock, the sequel seems to have a heavy focus on classic metal and hair bands, as well as prog. rock. I understand that everyone has different musical tastes, but for a game called “Guitar Hero”, the tracks seem to be appropriate. The four included here are Strutter, Shout at the Devil, You Really Got Me, and the infamous YYZ of Rush fame.

All four of them are done incredibly well, and I find it hard not to pull out the moves and really get into the song (and this comes from someone who doesn’t even like Motley Crue). →  Shadow of the Article

Weekly News We Care About Wrap Up – 10.6.06

by

Uwe Boll in talks for a second BloodRayne movie
If you missed the first BloodRayne movie, you owe it to Ed Wood to go see it. It’s not as terribly good as House of the Dead, but its crappiness is better than the mostly just bad Alone in the Dark. I will also be going to see Dungeon Siege on opening knight (hahahahaha, get it?) if anyone wants to join me.

For some odd reason a lot of people hate Boll and want him to have a massive heart attack and die, or at least stop directing movies. I come from the Leprechaun school of horror films (Leprechaun in the Hood is overrated, I recommend Leprechaun in Space) so Boll’s schlock is something I really look forward to. Some argue that movies like BloodRayne keep games from being taken serious. It’s more like games like BloodRayne keep games from being taken seriously.

If you’ve got a moment, take a gander at this write up of the state of video game movies. →  It’s time to read and chew bubblegum… and I’m all outta gum.