Jul 29
Isn't this the best generation yet? No, really!
All that stuff Sony and MS were blathering about a few years back at E3 and CES, about this generation being all about connectivity? It's pretty damn true. I mean, without connectivity, the PS3 would never have become blessed with in-game XMB, the 360 would never have received the ability to have downloads happen in he background or even resume. Hell, even the Wii has benefited from the networked nature of this generation with updates for its interface. That's pretty impressive already, and that's just a few things off the top of my head that firmware updates have added. When you did in deeper there's the wonder of DLC and online multiplayer gaming. Truly, we no longer need to buy a new edition of Guitar Hero each year thanks to Harmonix moving on to Rock Band and releasing new songs for it weekly- and we can customise the experience to our liking, too! We also have Xbox Live Arcade, the Playstation Store, WiiWare and Virtual console libraries continuously expanding with great new games.
I know I'm really just rambling, but I can't help being exciting about the times we're living in. It really is a fantastic time to be a gamer, and I can't wait to see what else the industry has in store...
Jul 19
Gamers hate everything, and so do I
Go on to any gaming messageboard on the internet and you will see criticism for almost every game out there (I reckon 99% of them). For people who spend the majority of their waking hours (and some that cut into their sleeping hours), playing games, we sure do seem to hate them a lot. Why is that?
I personally think it comes across that way because we care so much. We love games so much that we always notice the flaws/problems a game has and want to talk about them because we hope they won't be repeated again. I also think this happens because we're too busy enjoying the parts we truly love about the games.
What got me thinking about this was the demo for Too Human which came out the Monday just passed. I enjoyed the demo immensely, but the first thing I did when I went to write my comments on the game was list the problems I had with it. It was a pretty long list, but I still enjoyed the demo a lot.
So why didn't I list the things I loved about the game to counter the negativity in the post? The reason is pretty simple: there were just too many damn things to list that I liked about the game. It was easier for me to say "I don't like this, this and this" and then assume the reader would know I liked everything else. I changed my mind before the post to basically say "I liked the demo, there were a few things I didn't like, but I liked the rest".
So the point I'm getting across here is, I think we gamers should assume that someone who seems to be overly critical about a game probably doesn't hate it. In fact, they probably love a great many things about the game, and we should assume that's the case. I rage because I care
Jul 13
Downloadable games
Am I the only one that's worried we'll get screwed when the next generation rolls around? I mean, we have access to a whole bunch of games that are tied to our console, rather than a physical object. Your content is linked to your account and console right now for the PS3 and 360. If you change your hardware, you must be online to play your games. Now Microsoft has solved this issue, offering a tool to transfer your game rights to a new console, but I haven't heard of Sony fixing this problem. Meanwhile the Wii, well... it's the worst situation of the bunch. You don't even have an account your content is linked to. If your Wii loses its shop data, you lose everything.
This is what worries me most, I think. When the Wii's replacement comes along, will Nintendo be nice and let us transfer our licenses to the new console, or will we have to keep our Wii's plugged in until we break down and buy all the games all over again? With how backward Nintendo have been handling online functionality, I wouldn't put it past them.
Jun 12
Calling all fanboys
Nintendo does not love you. Sony is not your pal. Microsoft isn't going to care if you tell that one guy on a message board that no, Xbox really isn't for homos. They're multinational, billion dollar corporations that distance themselves from your kind as much as possible.
All three are just as bad as the other, they want your money and they don't really care how they get it, so long as it's the most efficient way. Stop defending them mindlessly. Everyone else? Uh... continue as you were?
Jun 04
Hard core gaming is here to stay
With the constantly rising sales of games targeted at a mainstream audience and rising budgets of console games across the board, it's easy to see why many "hard core" gamers are becoming worried about the future of their favourite pass time. I argue, however, that a quick glance at music, movies and other forms of entertainment helps push those worries away. I don't have any figures to back myself up, but I'm sure indie music and art house films thriving just as well as they have been all along, and I believe the same thing will happen for games in the form of digitally delivered content.
Although Microsoft started off its Live Arcade service as an attempt to grab casuals, the biggest selling games (Rez, Ikaruga, Penny Arcade) have been some of the most niche games released in the past few years. Sony's PSN service has been selling some of the most unique and likely difficult to market games as well (Flow, Everyday Shooter, the upcoming Pixel Junk Eden) as well as digital versions of their big title games (Warhawk, Gran Turismo). Though I think the developers and publishers are still trying to get a feel for what they think they can and should sell, digital distribution will be a fine refuge for "hard core" games should selling them in stores ever become cost prohibitive.
There's also the matter of in game advertising and other business models that allow for larger budgets without having to increase game prices. Games with contemporary settings actually benefit from realistic advertising, and we're starting to see games like Battlefield Heroes that offer free online play but minor incentives to those who want to pay money for entirely optional extras. Combined with digital distribution, I honestly don't think hardcore games are going anywhere.
May 29
The problem with gaming celebrities
You know what one of the biggest problems with the game industry is? Gamers worshipping the wrong damn people. Because of gamers like you and I, we rarely hear from people that are truly interesting or actually care about the industry.
Reggie Fils Aime? A random PR jack ass that worked for Pizza Hut and VH1. I'd hazard a guess that he knows little about games beyond sales statistics and market demographics.
Peter Moore? Another random PR jack ass that initially worked for Reebok before he was brought on board at Sega. He seems to be a bit more in touch with the average gamer, but he still doesn't say much beyond the usual company line for whatever company he belongs to at the time.
Most recently Activision's CEO (Bobby Kotick) was the face brought out for the unveiling of Guitar Hero World Tour at All Things D, with Tony Hawk as his little gimp to play the game for him and Paula Abdul to tell him how awesome his shitty playing of the game was. The God damned CEO, Tony Hawk and the washed up tart from Idol. No developers, no designers, no one involved with the creation of the product what so ever. Just a PR monkey, his spokes person for a skate boarding game and a trollop from a God damned reality TV show that has no relation to the product what-so-ever. Ridiculous, much?
Sure, once in a blue moon we'll see someone involved in the creative process come out on stage and actually have something insightful to say, but it's only in cases where they're people that have already made a big name for themselves (like Will Wright for instance). Beyond that all we get are little snippets of them saying heavily scripted lines, having their strings pulled by their PR puppet masters. Yet no one questions it. Messageboards are filled with adoration of the PR goons I mentioned above (well, maybe not Kotick), but I've never ever seen a post from someone saying how much they love Dan Houser's writing in GTA or enjoyed Harry Gregson-William's soundtrack for a Metal Gear game, and it sickens me.
So yeah, if you ever find yourself disgusted by the amount of PR bullshit the industry seems to be drowning in, blame your fellow gamers. They're the ones glorifying it.
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 4:49 PM Dec 4
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