The following is reprinted with permission from PCWorld.com. For more laptop coverage, please visit PC World's lab section.
Review: MSI GT683R
MSI's latest gaming notebook, the MSI GT683R, will catch your eye with its flashy LEDs, but it'll keep you interested with its speedy performance. This gaming powerhouse is one of the first laptops to ship with Nvidia's GeForce GTX 560M graphics card, and it features all sorts of boosts such as MSI's Turbo Drive Engine technology (for overclocking) and Cooler Boost technology (for controlling the fans with a single touch).
Our review model, priced at $1450, came packed with a second-generation Intel Core i7-2630QM processor, a whopping 12GB of RAM (upgradable to 32GB), an Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M graphics card, and 1TB of hard-drive space spread over two drives. The GT683R also features a built-in 720p HD webcam, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a DVD-RW drive, and 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium.
The GT683R performs quite well, even for the desktop replacement category. This should come as no surprise, considering the GT683R is designed for gamers. In PCWorld's WorldBench 6 benchmark tests, the GT683R scored an impressive 146. This is one of the fastest desktop replacement laptops we’ve tested, though not the fastest (that distinction goes to the Origin EON 17-S). It is perhaps best compared to the Dell XPS 17 3D.
The Nvidia GeForce 560M graphics card gave the GT683R a boost in our graphics tests. In our Far Cry 2 test (high-quality settings, 1920 by 1080 resolution), the GT683R managed a frame rate of 47 frames per second. By comparison, the Dell XPS 17 3D managed only 30.8 frames per second with the same settings.
The GT683R is housed in an average-looking black chassis. The notebook's cover is made of shiny black plastic and features some aerodynamic-looking molding with an MSI logo in the middle. It looks a bit cheap, but it does grow on you. The machine isn't exactly svelte: The system weighs around 7.5 pounds and is 2.16 inches thick.
The inside of the notebook is more attractive. The keyboard is full-size, with a number pad and island-style keys. The deck is shiny and gray, and features a honeycomb texture. Above the keyboard is a shield-shaped power button, along with several touch buttons: Turbo, extra cooling, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi toggles, Eco mode, and LED controls.
Review: MSI GT683R
That’s a pretty typical chassis, right? Until you turn the machine on, that is. The GT683R adds pizzazz with funky orange LED lightstrips--one is on the cover, plus two on either side of the screen and two on the front (below the keyboard) of the machine. The lights are bright, but are thankfully situated out of the way, so they won't bother you while you're working or gaming (though they will look pretty awesome to people sitting around you). MSI includes software for tweaking the lights (choosing different performance modes, say), but when I tried to use it, all I managed to get was an error message stating, "LED light manager not supported."
Port-wise, the GT863R is set up like the gaming machine/desktop-replacement that it is. Several of the key ports, such as ethernet, VGA, eSATA, and HDMI are located on the back of the machine, while the sides are dedicated to USB ports, card slots, and audio jacks. It has only four USB ports, though two are USB3.0, which is nice. There's a multi-in-one card reader (SD/MMC/MS/XD) on the left side, and microphone/headphone/line-in/line-out jacks on the right side.
The GT683R's keyboard is, as mentioned earlier, full-size with a number pad and island-style keys. The keyboard is mostly comfortable to type on--the keys are widely spaced and feature a nice amount of tactile feedback. Still, it's a little flimsier than I usually like, and therefore not ideal for lengthy typing sessions.
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
Darkstalkers May Soon Be Available on PS3
Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom have gotten plenty of love, but at least one Capcom fighting game series has remained conspicuously absent--Darkstalkers.
Based on a recent ESRB rating though, the PSOne version of Darkstalkers: The Night Warrior may soon be available on PlayStation Network.
Darkstalkers May Soon Be Available on PS3
Obviously, an ESRB rating is no guarantee that it will be out immediately, but it seems a good bet that it will be out by the end of the year.
Maybe it's not the revival Darkstalkers fans have been hoping for. But hey, buy it and Capcom may just come around...
Based on a recent ESRB rating though, the PSOne version of Darkstalkers: The Night Warrior may soon be available on PlayStation Network.
Darkstalkers May Soon Be Available on PS3
Obviously, an ESRB rating is no guarantee that it will be out immediately, but it seems a good bet that it will be out by the end of the year.
Maybe it's not the revival Darkstalkers fans have been hoping for. But hey, buy it and Capcom may just come around...
Review: The War of the Worlds (360)
While film and comic books often find themselves adapted into video games, to see that treatment given to classic literature is far more rare. In large part that disparity stems from the difficulty of adapting a novel into an immersive interactive experience. The War of the Worlds approaches that issue in an interesting way. True, there have been a few The War of the World movies, but the game's contemplative tone is far more reminiscent of the H.G. Wells classic than a Hollywood blockbuster.
War of the Worlds is primarily a platformer of the Prince of Persia variety. No, I'm not talking about the time-altering, acrobatic prince -- what Other Ocean Interactive has created is more along the lines of the 2D original. In fact, the developers went all out and used the same rotoscope technology for character animations as its inspiration. Sadly, this leads to many of the same control issues that plagued Prince of Persia back in 1989. Simple actions like climbing over a crate can become an overcomplicated affair, requiring standing still and pressing jump precisely next to the object. While frustrating, these slow, methodical controls could have still been manageable. However, when coupled with obstacles and chase sequences that require split-second timing, they quickly shift from cumbersome to unforgivable.
Review: The War of the Worlds (360)
Not even Patrick Stewart's fantastic narration can save the experience. The narration is spoken in Stewart's heavenly voice, but dying in the middle of a line causes all narration to cease until you reach the next arbitrary, unmarked checkpoint. Death is a constant occurrence thanks to the archaic controls, resulting in large portions of the game's story and atmosphere going completely missed.
The result is the videogame equivalent of a period piece. It perfectly channels a bygone era, both in its literal representation of H.G. Wells' classic story and its design as a videogame. Unfortunately, such strict adherence to those design philosophies is also the game's downfall. War of the Worlds is filled with puzzles that could have been interesting had they been paired with just a hint of responsive controls; levels involving toxic smoke and creeping red vines stand out as particularly novel. But even the best laid levels fall bare when I find myself dying seven, twelve, or sixteen times because the traps seemed to be designed with a more agile character in mind.
Other Ocean Interactive made its mark with last year's superb Dark Void Zero. That game too was a love letter to videogames past. One thing that can not be denied is the studio's skill and passion for the origins of the medium. However, the danger with diving head-first into the past is that there are sometimes very good reasons why those techniques are no longer in practice. For someone interested in videogame design or history, The War of the Worlds is an interesting case study. But is it fun? Dear god, no. Just, no.
War of the Worlds is primarily a platformer of the Prince of Persia variety. No, I'm not talking about the time-altering, acrobatic prince -- what Other Ocean Interactive has created is more along the lines of the 2D original. In fact, the developers went all out and used the same rotoscope technology for character animations as its inspiration. Sadly, this leads to many of the same control issues that plagued Prince of Persia back in 1989. Simple actions like climbing over a crate can become an overcomplicated affair, requiring standing still and pressing jump precisely next to the object. While frustrating, these slow, methodical controls could have still been manageable. However, when coupled with obstacles and chase sequences that require split-second timing, they quickly shift from cumbersome to unforgivable.
Review: The War of the Worlds (360)
Not even Patrick Stewart's fantastic narration can save the experience. The narration is spoken in Stewart's heavenly voice, but dying in the middle of a line causes all narration to cease until you reach the next arbitrary, unmarked checkpoint. Death is a constant occurrence thanks to the archaic controls, resulting in large portions of the game's story and atmosphere going completely missed.
The result is the videogame equivalent of a period piece. It perfectly channels a bygone era, both in its literal representation of H.G. Wells' classic story and its design as a videogame. Unfortunately, such strict adherence to those design philosophies is also the game's downfall. War of the Worlds is filled with puzzles that could have been interesting had they been paired with just a hint of responsive controls; levels involving toxic smoke and creeping red vines stand out as particularly novel. But even the best laid levels fall bare when I find myself dying seven, twelve, or sixteen times because the traps seemed to be designed with a more agile character in mind.
Other Ocean Interactive made its mark with last year's superb Dark Void Zero. That game too was a love letter to videogames past. One thing that can not be denied is the studio's skill and passion for the origins of the medium. However, the danger with diving head-first into the past is that there are sometimes very good reasons why those techniques are no longer in practice. For someone interested in videogame design or history, The War of the Worlds is an interesting case study. But is it fun? Dear god, no. Just, no.
Future Publishing CEO and CFO Step Down
On Friday, Future Publishing, the British media company behind some of the best gaming magazines in both Europe and the US (Edge, PC Gamer, Max PC and the Official Xbox and Playstation mags), announced that its CEO Stevie Spring and CFO John Bowman have stepped down. The move was not unexpected -- rumors of corporate restructuring have been doing the rounds since July, and the company's stock has taken a serious beating over the last few months. Reuters reported that the media company's board has named Mark Wood as the new CEO and Graham Harding as the finance chief.
"The recent restructuring which positions the company for its digital future has allowed the Board this opportunity to achieve substantial savings by eliminating an entire tier of corporate overhead," Future said in a statement. According to a Reuter's report, the company's stock has dropped sixty percent on the year.
What this means for the American publications under Future umbrella remains to be seen. Video game magazines like The Official Xbox Magazine, Playstation: The Magazine, Nintendo Power, and PC Gamer have been industry icons for years, but Future's July statement revealed the company is heading to a "primarily digital model" for its U.S. businesses. Additionally, a reorganization of Future's UK business will likely lead to layoffs and cash cutting measures.
"The recent restructuring which positions the company for its digital future has allowed the Board this opportunity to achieve substantial savings by eliminating an entire tier of corporate overhead," Future said in a statement. According to a Reuter's report, the company's stock has dropped sixty percent on the year.
What this means for the American publications under Future umbrella remains to be seen. Video game magazines like The Official Xbox Magazine, Playstation: The Magazine, Nintendo Power, and PC Gamer have been industry icons for years, but Future's July statement revealed the company is heading to a "primarily digital model" for its U.S. businesses. Additionally, a reorganization of Future's UK business will likely lead to layoffs and cash cutting measures.
10 Creepy Mobile Games
Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to gear up for the holiday by playing creepy games on your phone or tablet? Admittedly there aren't a ton of legitimately scary horror-themed iOS and Android games, but here are 10 (in no particular order) that will at least make you think twice about turning off the lights.
UPDATE: Want to Win a Copy of Fruit Ninja Kinect? (Winners Announced!)
UPDATE: Enough talk -- let's hand out some sweet, sweet prizes. Courtesy of random-number-selector-gadget-thingy Random.org, our winners are:
Facebook winners:
Bill Putman
Lisa Sassone
Kellen Casey
GamePro.com winners:
heatherspeaks493
The12P
Bipple
Htial
Twitter winners:
@SirKhalid
@8bitPOPE
@BritishBryn
Thanks to everyone for entering, and congrats to our winners! Sit tight -- codes will be sent out shortly!
Original text: The fine folks at Halfbrick have hooked us up with a set of ten download codes for copies of their awesome motion-controlled hack-'n-slash arcade game, Fruit Ninja Kinect, as well as redeem codes for all three DLC packs that've been released for it so far. That means the Storm Season, Space Capsule, and Art Box packs, and a copy of the complete game. Want to get in on the frenzied fruit-felling action? Here's how!
Via GamePro: Leave one comment on this article, and you'll be entered into the drawing.
Via Twitter: Make sure you're following @GamePro, then shoot us a tweet mentioning @GamePro and #FruitNinja.
Via Facebook: "Like" the GamePro Facebook page, then comment on our following contest post on Facebook.
Facebook winners:
Bill Putman
Lisa Sassone
Kellen Casey
GamePro.com winners:
heatherspeaks493
The12P
Bipple
Htial
Twitter winners:
@SirKhalid
@8bitPOPE
@BritishBryn
Thanks to everyone for entering, and congrats to our winners! Sit tight -- codes will be sent out shortly!
Original text: The fine folks at Halfbrick have hooked us up with a set of ten download codes for copies of their awesome motion-controlled hack-'n-slash arcade game, Fruit Ninja Kinect, as well as redeem codes for all three DLC packs that've been released for it so far. That means the Storm Season, Space Capsule, and Art Box packs, and a copy of the complete game. Want to get in on the frenzied fruit-felling action? Here's how!
Via GamePro: Leave one comment on this article, and you'll be entered into the drawing.
Via Twitter: Make sure you're following @GamePro, then shoot us a tweet mentioning @GamePro and #FruitNinja.
Via Facebook: "Like" the GamePro Facebook page, then comment on our following contest post on Facebook.
Monday, October 24, 2011
While You Were Sleeping
While you were sleeping, face squished into a dog’s fluffy, soft body, drooling all over yourself, stuff happen. Video game stuff. Thankfully we’ve rounded up some of the highlights from last night while you were deep in slumber, so here it is!
I mostly skipped Oblivion. And by skipped I mean I spent seven hours without feeling a single shred of reward or progress, and then quit playing. Morrowind, on the other hand, as a student with too much time on his hands, was the elephant graveyard where my grades went to die. At this point, I’m unsure about Skyrim, mainly because I wonder if I have the time to invest in such a game. Long story short – we have an awesome hands on that may help you/me decide. Head here and read it.
Yesterday we found out that Europe is getting The Old Republic on time, while we’re still in the stone ages with the staggered release date. Want to know what we’re missing out on? Head here!
I don’t normally get excited about cosplay – but this is boss. There’s a Devil May Cry HD collection in the works, and here is the Uncharted 3 TV spot.
I mostly skipped Oblivion. And by skipped I mean I spent seven hours without feeling a single shred of reward or progress, and then quit playing. Morrowind, on the other hand, as a student with too much time on his hands, was the elephant graveyard where my grades went to die. At this point, I’m unsure about Skyrim, mainly because I wonder if I have the time to invest in such a game. Long story short – we have an awesome hands on that may help you/me decide. Head here and read it.
Yesterday we found out that Europe is getting The Old Republic on time, while we’re still in the stone ages with the staggered release date. Want to know what we’re missing out on? Head here!
I don’t normally get excited about cosplay – but this is boss. There’s a Devil May Cry HD collection in the works, and here is the Uncharted 3 TV spot.
Zombie In A Penguin Suit Isn’t What You’re Expecting
Yes, zombies are sometimes overplayed. There are zombie books, zombie snacks, zombie plushies, games and movies.
But that doesn’t mean that in the right hands zombies can’t still be interesting… and terrible.
But that doesn’t mean that in the right hands zombies can’t still be interesting… and terrible.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Japan’s Most Iconic Heroes… Crawling Through Dungeons
Nintendo
Japan’s Most Iconic Heroes… Crawling Through Dungeons
By Brian Ashcraft on October 22, 2011 at 1:40 AM
Ultraman. Kamen Rider. Gundam. These three heroes are going forces in the upcoming role-playing game Lost Heroes for the 3DS. It’s a dungeon crawler. With dungeons. And crawling.
This is a new series for the Compatible Hero games.
Japan’s Most Iconic Heroes… Crawling Through Dungeons
By Brian Ashcraft on October 22, 2011 at 1:40 AM
Ultraman. Kamen Rider. Gundam. These three heroes are going forces in the upcoming role-playing game Lost Heroes for the 3DS. It’s a dungeon crawler. With dungeons. And crawling.
This is a new series for the Compatible Hero games.
Nintendo 3DS Getting A New Way To Send Messages
Starting this December, the 3DS is getting a new messaging system called “Nintendo Letterbox” that will allow 3DS owners to send notes and photos as well as sounds to friends.
Are Online Passes Actually A Good Thing?
So I want to play devil’s advocate here. Or you know I would be playing devil’s advocate if I didn’t actually agree with the position I’m taking.
I want to talk about something that has been brought up a lot, but often only to criticise or condemn. That’s right; I’m talking about online passes. There’s been a lot on the subject of why they’re bad, but very little on why they can be justified. It’s important to note I’m not writing this to defend the practice; this primarily goes out to those who act like there’s absolutely no justification for this system. I also want to address the incorrect assumption that this is just about used games sales.
Firstly, you have to understand that what you buy a game, it is a product. You can then resell it, loan it, or do whatever you want with it (maybe even play it). But when you play a multiplayer game you’re not only using the product you own but you’re also using a service provided by another party. That’s the key thing to remember, multiplayer (at least that which uses centralised servers) is a service.
One thing we’ve taken for granted for many years is that the right to access that service is transferable in the same way that our product is. While it may annoy us that it’s now being taken away from us it’s important to note that it’s not something we’re entitled to. We own the product and access to the service is included when we buy the product new. But we don’t own that service.
Unlike the product it costs the publishers/developers money to maintain multiplayer service. Servers cost money, and as long as they’re running they don’t stop costing money. This means that companies can only afford to run these servers for a limited time before they stop being profitable. It’s why you see multiplayer servers for older games just wink out of existence. The servers can only be maintained as long as there’s revenue coming in, and the ones maintaining them only get revenue from new sales of a game.
But wait, I hear you say, surely when one person sells their game they’re no longer using the multiplayer service so the net amount of players remains the same. While this is true, it assumes that server load is the issue. It’s key to remember that while the maintenance cost doesn’t increase, it does stay the same while the publisher’s revenue (for that particular title) decreases over time. As such it’s not entirely unreasonable to limit access to the service to those that have directly contributed to maintaining those servers.
What many people fail to consider properly is how this affects us, the consumers. A lot of used-game purchases just see that an online pass costs $US10 and complain because they’re going to have to pay extra for their used games. Yet it’s the used-game customer who’s probably affected the least in all this, in fact it’s most detrimental to retailers and those who buy their games new and trade them in.
Online passes will actually bring down the cost of used games because retailers will now have to take into account the cost of an online pass when pricing them. Retailers have to price their used games at a price that’s attractive to the customer. Which means for online pass games they have to include the cost of an online pass when considering what that attractive price might be.
For example, they couldn’t price an online pass game at $US45 when it retails new for $US60, because with the cost of the online pass factored in most gamers would just choose to spend the $US5 extra to buy the new copy. Retailers are far more likely to bear the bulk of the cost of the online pass than the used game purchaser is. However, this will also mean retailers will also probably decrease what they offer for trade ins on games using the online pass to maintain their profit margins.
And another thing people don’t consider what the benefits of an online pass could be. With an additional stream of revenue publishers could afford to maintain servers for games for longer than it’d normally be profitable for. After all, it’s in the publisher’s best interest to keep the servers running so that people will continue to purchase online passes. This is beneficial to both new and used gamers alike. After all given the option would you rather pay $US10 to access the multiplayer or never get to experience it because the servers had been shut down?
I guess the TL;DR of it all is that online passes, while not great, are by no means the devil everyone is making them out to be. However, stunts like the Catwoman DLC, something that should be part of the product and doesn’t cost them anything to maintain? That’s just a greedy, completely arbitrary tax on used games
I want to talk about something that has been brought up a lot, but often only to criticise or condemn. That’s right; I’m talking about online passes. There’s been a lot on the subject of why they’re bad, but very little on why they can be justified. It’s important to note I’m not writing this to defend the practice; this primarily goes out to those who act like there’s absolutely no justification for this system. I also want to address the incorrect assumption that this is just about used games sales.
Firstly, you have to understand that what you buy a game, it is a product. You can then resell it, loan it, or do whatever you want with it (maybe even play it). But when you play a multiplayer game you’re not only using the product you own but you’re also using a service provided by another party. That’s the key thing to remember, multiplayer (at least that which uses centralised servers) is a service.
One thing we’ve taken for granted for many years is that the right to access that service is transferable in the same way that our product is. While it may annoy us that it’s now being taken away from us it’s important to note that it’s not something we’re entitled to. We own the product and access to the service is included when we buy the product new. But we don’t own that service.
Unlike the product it costs the publishers/developers money to maintain multiplayer service. Servers cost money, and as long as they’re running they don’t stop costing money. This means that companies can only afford to run these servers for a limited time before they stop being profitable. It’s why you see multiplayer servers for older games just wink out of existence. The servers can only be maintained as long as there’s revenue coming in, and the ones maintaining them only get revenue from new sales of a game.
But wait, I hear you say, surely when one person sells their game they’re no longer using the multiplayer service so the net amount of players remains the same. While this is true, it assumes that server load is the issue. It’s key to remember that while the maintenance cost doesn’t increase, it does stay the same while the publisher’s revenue (for that particular title) decreases over time. As such it’s not entirely unreasonable to limit access to the service to those that have directly contributed to maintaining those servers.
What many people fail to consider properly is how this affects us, the consumers. A lot of used-game purchases just see that an online pass costs $US10 and complain because they’re going to have to pay extra for their used games. Yet it’s the used-game customer who’s probably affected the least in all this, in fact it’s most detrimental to retailers and those who buy their games new and trade them in.
Online passes will actually bring down the cost of used games because retailers will now have to take into account the cost of an online pass when pricing them. Retailers have to price their used games at a price that’s attractive to the customer. Which means for online pass games they have to include the cost of an online pass when considering what that attractive price might be.
For example, they couldn’t price an online pass game at $US45 when it retails new for $US60, because with the cost of the online pass factored in most gamers would just choose to spend the $US5 extra to buy the new copy. Retailers are far more likely to bear the bulk of the cost of the online pass than the used game purchaser is. However, this will also mean retailers will also probably decrease what they offer for trade ins on games using the online pass to maintain their profit margins.
And another thing people don’t consider what the benefits of an online pass could be. With an additional stream of revenue publishers could afford to maintain servers for games for longer than it’d normally be profitable for. After all, it’s in the publisher’s best interest to keep the servers running so that people will continue to purchase online passes. This is beneficial to both new and used gamers alike. After all given the option would you rather pay $US10 to access the multiplayer or never get to experience it because the servers had been shut down?
I guess the TL;DR of it all is that online passes, while not great, are by no means the devil everyone is making them out to be. However, stunts like the Catwoman DLC, something that should be part of the product and doesn’t cost them anything to maintain? That’s just a greedy, completely arbitrary tax on used games
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Top 10 Most anticipated games of 2011
2011 is looking to be one of the best years for gaming,
so I decided to spend a few hours on finding the top
10 most anticipated games of that year.
10: SOCOM 4 US. NAVY SEALS
Another SOCOM game might not sound very good after
the release of SOCOM:Confrontation but I think Zipper
could give it another shot, additionly its full move support
and online, thats why this should be a no brainer in the top
10 most anticipated games of 2011.
9: HOMEFRONT
This could be a wild card given THQ's reputation but
it looks like its shaping up to be a great game
hopefully this won't be a flop.
8: GEARS OF WAR 3
Gears of war is one of the greatest game franchises
this generation, so its stupid not to include this in
my top 10 list.
7: RAGE
What we saw of Rage looks stunning,its made by ID the daddy of all "FPS" games,and theres a promised
multi-player, this is a first person shooter you
would be stupid to miss.
6: INFAMOUS 2
The first game was a masterpiece I can't wait to
see what SUKERPUNCH changes to one of the best games
of 09, cole has changed, hopefully the game has not.
5: PORTAL 2
Portal 2 looks like a great puzzle game, and the fact that its
also going multi-plat makes it even more anticipating, the portal
franchise gets better and better with every new trailer.
4: KILLZONE 3
Killzone 2 was obivious to be set as one of the best games of 09
but with added 3D support, MOVE, and new online features
will it stay above the competition?
3: BATMAN ARKHAM CITY
We all new this game was coming since the trailer at VGA last
year, I get more and more hyped for this game everyday.
2: THE LAST GUARDIAN
Everyone loves Team ICO and all their games,
I would be in the "Stupid" Zone if I did not
add this into the top 10 list, it ranks number 2.
1: PROJECT DARK
From Software are the makers of DEMON'S SOULS
that ALONE is to rank as number 1, but the fact that
this game is titled Project dark is leaving us out in the
cold, and that makes it even more exiting this game
is my most anticipated game of 2011.
so I decided to spend a few hours on finding the top
10 most anticipated games of that year.
10: SOCOM 4 US. NAVY SEALS
Another SOCOM game might not sound very good after
the release of SOCOM:Confrontation but I think Zipper
could give it another shot, additionly its full move support
and online, thats why this should be a no brainer in the top
10 most anticipated games of 2011.
9: HOMEFRONT
This could be a wild card given THQ's reputation but
it looks like its shaping up to be a great game
hopefully this won't be a flop.
8: GEARS OF WAR 3
Gears of war is one of the greatest game franchises
this generation, so its stupid not to include this in
my top 10 list.
7: RAGE
What we saw of Rage looks stunning,its made by ID the daddy of all "FPS" games,and theres a promised
multi-player, this is a first person shooter you
would be stupid to miss.
6: INFAMOUS 2
The first game was a masterpiece I can't wait to
see what SUKERPUNCH changes to one of the best games
of 09, cole has changed, hopefully the game has not.
5: PORTAL 2
Portal 2 looks like a great puzzle game, and the fact that its
also going multi-plat makes it even more anticipating, the portal
franchise gets better and better with every new trailer.
4: KILLZONE 3
Killzone 2 was obivious to be set as one of the best games of 09
but with added 3D support, MOVE, and new online features
will it stay above the competition?
3: BATMAN ARKHAM CITY
We all new this game was coming since the trailer at VGA last
year, I get more and more hyped for this game everyday.
2: THE LAST GUARDIAN
Everyone loves Team ICO and all their games,
I would be in the "Stupid" Zone if I did not
add this into the top 10 list, it ranks number 2.
1: PROJECT DARK
From Software are the makers of DEMON'S SOULS
that ALONE is to rank as number 1, but the fact that
this game is titled Project dark is leaving us out in the
cold, and that makes it even more exiting this game
is my most anticipated game of 2011.
The 10 must play games of this generation
Alright this is a pretty simple list, in my opinion these are the top 10 games, you really 'must' play before the end of this generation. Well - if you can at least, not suggesting you buy hardware specifically to play individual titles. I'm going to be avoiding games that I feel hit there stide, within the last generation and focus on innovative, and unique experiences - so I hope you'll understand why some of your favourites may not be on here.
This list is comprised of the games that have made genuine advances, in there respective context (genres) and games which I feel will be the influential titles that other developers will be looking to, to produce there own games. They're not the best in every aspect, but each of these has at least one definitive trait which I think anyone can say has been unparalleled within it's context, within the industry, this generation. This is just my list though of course, based on my own opinion - let me know what you think of it, and what your own 'must play' games have been this generation.
Note: Listed in no particular order, and the bracketed games under each list item, are just 'honourable mentions' who offer similar to the game that was mentioned, so came close to being mentioned in that games place.
Batman Arkham Asylum
Batman Arkham Asylum, is undoutably the very best superhero game ever created. Hell, it's within the top 5 action adventure games I've ever played. This game shows how stealth-action should be done, whilst engaging you with a great story, and believable world. I felt their was very little that Arkham Asylum could have done better - but I'm sure Arkham City will prove me wrong.
Braid
Braid is kind of hot topic, specifically as generally used as the 'video games as art' example, on top of that some people consider the game pretencious, or perhaps a little too hard. However, underneath of the 'pretencious' artsy side of Braid, there's an amazing Puzzle platformer. However 'deep' you want to go into Braid, it should be an undoubtably enjoyable experience, the best of it's kind even. (Flower, Limbo)
Geometry Wars 2
Geometry Wars 2 shows how retro should evolve (another good example would be the more recent Space Invaders Infinity gene). Geometry Wars 2 abides by the typical mechanics of a dual analogue shooter, whilst amping up the intensity with absolutely beautiful, ever changing gameplay. Geometry Wars 2 is probably the most addictive, downloadable game I've played this gen. It's stunning how something so amazin can be built on mechanics so simple. Thank you Bizzare Creations. (Rif Everyday Shooter)
Demon's Souls
Demon's Souls, shows gamers how risk = reward. The harder the challenge is, the more rewarding it is to succeed. It's not neccesarily for everyone, true! If you don't have the patience, you'll only get to expeince the risk, and then in turn frustration... but if you can stick at it, there's very few games that offer a sense of forfillment like Demons Souls. Not that difficulty is all this game has on offer though, the atmosphere of this game is thick, it's definitely a 'believable' and in turn, immersive experience. (Mega Man 9, 10)
Little Big Planet
Hell, anything that let's you experess your own imagination, through a new medium is cool, but when that medium just happens to be an awesome, physics based platformer. You have a great game coupled with ridiculous amounts of depth. Creation mode itself however is kind of similar to Demon's Souls however... except less probable to result in frustration. The feeling when you create a 'good' level is really great. (Halo Reach, Modnation Racers, Garrys Mod)
Red Faction Guerilla
If you've played the game, you know what I'm talking about here. It has never been more satisfying to drive a vehicle into a house. The destruction mechanics are amazing! A great game for messing around, on top of that - the multiplayer just so happens to be one of the best this generation. (Battlefield: Bad Company)
Mass Effect
Mass Effect, the first game where I've really felt that my choices had consequence. Kill entire races, change the entire galaxy, it's amazing what you're actions can do, and how much depth the selections lend to the game. Of course, on top of that Mass Effects depth is multiplied endlessly, with it's diverse character development mechanics. Perhaps most importantly, the game manages to break away from the cookie cutter sub-real time battle systems with its real time Third person shooter mechanics, making it an absolutely amazing blend of two genres, and a truly inovative series. (Dragon Age Origins)
This list is comprised of the games that have made genuine advances, in there respective context (genres) and games which I feel will be the influential titles that other developers will be looking to, to produce there own games. They're not the best in every aspect, but each of these has at least one definitive trait which I think anyone can say has been unparalleled within it's context, within the industry, this generation. This is just my list though of course, based on my own opinion - let me know what you think of it, and what your own 'must play' games have been this generation.
Note: Listed in no particular order, and the bracketed games under each list item, are just 'honourable mentions' who offer similar to the game that was mentioned, so came close to being mentioned in that games place.
Batman Arkham Asylum
Batman Arkham Asylum, is undoutably the very best superhero game ever created. Hell, it's within the top 5 action adventure games I've ever played. This game shows how stealth-action should be done, whilst engaging you with a great story, and believable world. I felt their was very little that Arkham Asylum could have done better - but I'm sure Arkham City will prove me wrong.
Braid
Braid is kind of hot topic, specifically as generally used as the 'video games as art' example, on top of that some people consider the game pretencious, or perhaps a little too hard. However, underneath of the 'pretencious' artsy side of Braid, there's an amazing Puzzle platformer. However 'deep' you want to go into Braid, it should be an undoubtably enjoyable experience, the best of it's kind even. (Flower, Limbo)
Geometry Wars 2
Geometry Wars 2 shows how retro should evolve (another good example would be the more recent Space Invaders Infinity gene). Geometry Wars 2 abides by the typical mechanics of a dual analogue shooter, whilst amping up the intensity with absolutely beautiful, ever changing gameplay. Geometry Wars 2 is probably the most addictive, downloadable game I've played this gen. It's stunning how something so amazin can be built on mechanics so simple. Thank you Bizzare Creations. (Rif Everyday Shooter)
Demon's Souls
Demon's Souls, shows gamers how risk = reward. The harder the challenge is, the more rewarding it is to succeed. It's not neccesarily for everyone, true! If you don't have the patience, you'll only get to expeince the risk, and then in turn frustration... but if you can stick at it, there's very few games that offer a sense of forfillment like Demons Souls. Not that difficulty is all this game has on offer though, the atmosphere of this game is thick, it's definitely a 'believable' and in turn, immersive experience. (Mega Man 9, 10)
Little Big Planet
Hell, anything that let's you experess your own imagination, through a new medium is cool, but when that medium just happens to be an awesome, physics based platformer. You have a great game coupled with ridiculous amounts of depth. Creation mode itself however is kind of similar to Demon's Souls however... except less probable to result in frustration. The feeling when you create a 'good' level is really great. (Halo Reach, Modnation Racers, Garrys Mod)
Red Faction Guerilla
If you've played the game, you know what I'm talking about here. It has never been more satisfying to drive a vehicle into a house. The destruction mechanics are amazing! A great game for messing around, on top of that - the multiplayer just so happens to be one of the best this generation. (Battlefield: Bad Company)
Mass Effect
Mass Effect, the first game where I've really felt that my choices had consequence. Kill entire races, change the entire galaxy, it's amazing what you're actions can do, and how much depth the selections lend to the game. Of course, on top of that Mass Effects depth is multiplied endlessly, with it's diverse character development mechanics. Perhaps most importantly, the game manages to break away from the cookie cutter sub-real time battle systems with its real time Third person shooter mechanics, making it an absolutely amazing blend of two genres, and a truly inovative series. (Dragon Age Origins)
Friday, October 21, 2011
Shipped vs Sold
It amazes me how many people around here don't use these terms correctly, or don't fully understand them. It also does not surprise me that so many companies like Sony and Microsoft intermix these terms to make the sales of a product look better... knowing full well that most people just look at the number without thinking about it.
As such, I will break down the meaning of both terms, and give some words of warning in their interpretation when you read/watch that next press release boasting product sales.
"Units Shipped"(aka: shipped to vendors): This represents units of a product that are SOLD from the parent company (example Sony or Microsoft) to retailers (example - your local gaming store).
When MS says that it *shipped* 8 million Kinect units in 2010, it means that it SOLD 8 million kinect units to retailers. However, this number does NOT represent product bought by end-using customers (me and you), even if some ambitious fanboys or PR types would like you to think it does. But remember, as far as a companies financial statements are concerned... these are units sold, and the company has its money.
"Units Sold" (aka: sold to consumers): "Sold to consumers" means that a product has been sold from a vendor to a customer like you or I for personal use. The vendor makes it money off of the sale, but the producing company does not (it got its money when it sold the unit to the vendor). This number is important because it is a better representation of the true popularity of a product than units "shipped" since it represents actual product in actual end-consumer hands.
It should be noted that "sold" could have the same intended meaning as "shipped" as above, depending on the context, or what sales data was based on, thus it is a term that is often misused/abused (especially in PR events when a company is trying to give numbers that sound the most impressive).
*A word of warning*
In the wold of PR, companies want everyone to think that their product is the next best thing, and will often use whatever number looks the best (i.e. the largest number). A good example is of the reported "sales" of Kinect and Move. MS said that it sold 8 million Kinect by the end of December. This was later clarified to be units "shipped". Thus we still don't really know how many Kinect units are in the living rooms of consumers (a better representation of popularity). Still, this number can be useful, because if we know how many units were shipped say 3 months prior... you get an idea of how quickly vendors are selling their product.
A very confusing number was the 4.1 million units shipped (to vendors) that Sony used for Move earlier this Fall. At the same time, Microsoft reported 2.5 million Kinect units Sold (to end users). The Microsoft numbers were easy to understand, but the Move numbers were not. First, as we now know, shipped does not mean units in your living room, just units in stores. Second, Kinect is one component making one unit. Easy. Move has 3 components to make one unit. Was the 4.1 million that Sony reported based on numbers of components sold, or based on number of units (of 3) sold? Was a combo pack of all three units reported as one sale, or three sales? Was a single pack counted as an entire unit sale, or 1/3 of a unit? Sony did not say. Tricky. So depending on how Sony plays with the numbers, they could have sold as few as 1.37 moves (one unit being three components), or as many as 12.3 million units (1 unit representing 1/3 of the move controllers).
Also remember that units sold does not take into account for people who get a unit, but don't like it and stop using it/trade it in/sell it/etc. That is where the number of units software sold per console becomes valuable. And as PS3 fanboys will be quick to point out... units sold does not take into account for units that need to be replaced due to hardware failure.
As such, I will break down the meaning of both terms, and give some words of warning in their interpretation when you read/watch that next press release boasting product sales.
"Units Shipped"(aka: shipped to vendors): This represents units of a product that are SOLD from the parent company (example Sony or Microsoft) to retailers (example - your local gaming store).
When MS says that it *shipped* 8 million Kinect units in 2010, it means that it SOLD 8 million kinect units to retailers. However, this number does NOT represent product bought by end-using customers (me and you), even if some ambitious fanboys or PR types would like you to think it does. But remember, as far as a companies financial statements are concerned... these are units sold, and the company has its money.
"Units Sold" (aka: sold to consumers): "Sold to consumers" means that a product has been sold from a vendor to a customer like you or I for personal use. The vendor makes it money off of the sale, but the producing company does not (it got its money when it sold the unit to the vendor). This number is important because it is a better representation of the true popularity of a product than units "shipped" since it represents actual product in actual end-consumer hands.
It should be noted that "sold" could have the same intended meaning as "shipped" as above, depending on the context, or what sales data was based on, thus it is a term that is often misused/abused (especially in PR events when a company is trying to give numbers that sound the most impressive).
*A word of warning*
In the wold of PR, companies want everyone to think that their product is the next best thing, and will often use whatever number looks the best (i.e. the largest number). A good example is of the reported "sales" of Kinect and Move. MS said that it sold 8 million Kinect by the end of December. This was later clarified to be units "shipped". Thus we still don't really know how many Kinect units are in the living rooms of consumers (a better representation of popularity). Still, this number can be useful, because if we know how many units were shipped say 3 months prior... you get an idea of how quickly vendors are selling their product.
A very confusing number was the 4.1 million units shipped (to vendors) that Sony used for Move earlier this Fall. At the same time, Microsoft reported 2.5 million Kinect units Sold (to end users). The Microsoft numbers were easy to understand, but the Move numbers were not. First, as we now know, shipped does not mean units in your living room, just units in stores. Second, Kinect is one component making one unit. Easy. Move has 3 components to make one unit. Was the 4.1 million that Sony reported based on numbers of components sold, or based on number of units (of 3) sold? Was a combo pack of all three units reported as one sale, or three sales? Was a single pack counted as an entire unit sale, or 1/3 of a unit? Sony did not say. Tricky. So depending on how Sony plays with the numbers, they could have sold as few as 1.37 moves (one unit being three components), or as many as 12.3 million units (1 unit representing 1/3 of the move controllers).
Also remember that units sold does not take into account for people who get a unit, but don't like it and stop using it/trade it in/sell it/etc. That is where the number of units software sold per console becomes valuable. And as PS3 fanboys will be quick to point out... units sold does not take into account for units that need to be replaced due to hardware failure.
Why you should play Morriwind if you have only played Oblivion.
If you have only played Oblivion in the ES series I would strongly advise you to try Morrowind, the GOTY edition can be found cheaply and many fans feel it is as good/better than oblivion and here is why.
Firstly the environments are much more varied: Swamps, Deserts with towns made out of giant shells, mountain ranges, caves, a snow island (in GOTY) and robot fortresses to name a few, the game is very alien compared to Oblivion which has forest, Oblivion realm, caves and Mountains.
The main quest is different with you being the main focus instead of a helper to the heir. You character is viewed differently by various NPCs as the quest goes on and you fulfill the prophecy.
One point that can be good/bad depending on how you view it is that there is no voice acting for conversations (there is some in game though) so there is much much more dialogue and exposition than you would get with Oblivion.
The leveling system is better as enemies don't scale to your power. In Oblvion you are always on a level playing field and by the end of the game common bandits have the best weapons/armor just to match you which is very unlikely. In Oblvion most bandits would be equipped with glass armor while there is only 1/2 sets in the whole game in MW and are very hard to get hold of. In Morrowind the start of the game is a real challenge with even small enemies posing a challenge but after a few hours you can cut your way through much more enemies and that gives you a much better feeling of getting stronger.
For side-quests I would argue Morrowind is better due to the fact it doesn't hold your hand, Oblivion has some great quests (going into the painting) but most are follow the quest marker and kill enemy, Morrowind has no quest marker which means you have to follow directions to reach your target and searching for hidden objects actually takes a lot of effort, this makes quest much less boring as you are more involved.
Weapons, magic and armor in MW are much better, there are far more kind of each in both type and material. You can use crossbows, spears, throwing knives/stars to name a few. There are also more weapon skills. The same applied for armor as you get light, medium and heavy. This all allows for a much greater degree of customization than in Oblivion. There are more spells that make the mage class more fun such as flight and blinding.
The guilds in MW are better by a wide margin than Oblivion, firstly there are far more of them and you need to be good in their class to advance, no longer can a swordsman become the grand mage. You can join the imperial legion, various churches and cults, an assassins guild who are the Dark Brotherhood's mortal enemy, vampire clans, elven houses and trading companies to name a few.
Some negatives to MW are that the combat is pretty bad, your chance to hit with a weapon is limited by your weapon skill so at the start you will freqently miss with any weapon, even an arrow will miss at point blank.
The game is also harder to get into as you are dumped into the world, given some cash and a place to go and then you are on your own from there on and this can be quite confusing.
Firstly the environments are much more varied: Swamps, Deserts with towns made out of giant shells, mountain ranges, caves, a snow island (in GOTY) and robot fortresses to name a few, the game is very alien compared to Oblivion which has forest, Oblivion realm, caves and Mountains.
The main quest is different with you being the main focus instead of a helper to the heir. You character is viewed differently by various NPCs as the quest goes on and you fulfill the prophecy.
One point that can be good/bad depending on how you view it is that there is no voice acting for conversations (there is some in game though) so there is much much more dialogue and exposition than you would get with Oblivion.
The leveling system is better as enemies don't scale to your power. In Oblvion you are always on a level playing field and by the end of the game common bandits have the best weapons/armor just to match you which is very unlikely. In Oblvion most bandits would be equipped with glass armor while there is only 1/2 sets in the whole game in MW and are very hard to get hold of. In Morrowind the start of the game is a real challenge with even small enemies posing a challenge but after a few hours you can cut your way through much more enemies and that gives you a much better feeling of getting stronger.
For side-quests I would argue Morrowind is better due to the fact it doesn't hold your hand, Oblivion has some great quests (going into the painting) but most are follow the quest marker and kill enemy, Morrowind has no quest marker which means you have to follow directions to reach your target and searching for hidden objects actually takes a lot of effort, this makes quest much less boring as you are more involved.
Weapons, magic and armor in MW are much better, there are far more kind of each in both type and material. You can use crossbows, spears, throwing knives/stars to name a few. There are also more weapon skills. The same applied for armor as you get light, medium and heavy. This all allows for a much greater degree of customization than in Oblivion. There are more spells that make the mage class more fun such as flight and blinding.
The guilds in MW are better by a wide margin than Oblivion, firstly there are far more of them and you need to be good in their class to advance, no longer can a swordsman become the grand mage. You can join the imperial legion, various churches and cults, an assassins guild who are the Dark Brotherhood's mortal enemy, vampire clans, elven houses and trading companies to name a few.
Some negatives to MW are that the combat is pretty bad, your chance to hit with a weapon is limited by your weapon skill so at the start you will freqently miss with any weapon, even an arrow will miss at point blank.
The game is also harder to get into as you are dumped into the world, given some cash and a place to go and then you are on your own from there on and this can be quite confusing.
My favorite (overlooked) videogame music
Some of my favorite music from games. I feel like these games were overlooked, in some cases they're of a niche genre, limited release, overlooked and just plain old. Hopefully some of you will enjoy the music as much as I do and search a few of these games out.
Resonance of Fate (PS3/360)
Ebel City Night - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Albert Odyssey: The Legend of Eldean (Sega Saturn)
Compilation - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Skyroads (PC)
Road 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Tyrian (PC)
Return Me to Savara - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Radiant Silvergun (Sega Saturn)
Return - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (NDS)
Ship - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Resonance of Fate (PS3/360)
Ebel City Night - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Albert Odyssey: The Legend of Eldean (Sega Saturn)
Compilation - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Skyroads (PC)
Road 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Tyrian (PC)
Return Me to Savara - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Radiant Silvergun (Sega Saturn)
Return - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (NDS)
Ship - http://www.youtube.com/watc...
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Console Disappointments: The PS3 Web Browser
Welcome to the first in a possible series of submissions – if not articles depending on actual approval – about my opinion about certain aspects of this console generation. Perceived disappoints to be exact. I’ll try to keep them short, sweet and hopefully thoughtful.
First up: the PS3 browser. Something that I’ve defended on more than one occasion, given suggestion for sites to visit, but can only admit has problems. And while its far from being as good as the worst browser on a PC you can think of, as a casual use application I’ve found it good enough for an evening of Youtube rather than a few minutes in a chair and a monitor smaller than my TV. Accepted the reality it crashing for no real reason because as system updates came, the browser became more stable.
It also, at least on a site which is in assumed partnership with Sony, has allowed for direct video downloading from the console, become less accessible. Videos cannot be voted or comment on, searches can be run but anything other options also call up a search, direct management of personal accounts is impossible, and really oddly, videos in channel pages wont run. There also seems to have been a drop in picture quality which becomes obviously noticeable when an ad run at a higher resolution.
There is the alternative of YoutubeXL which was supposedly made specifically for the PS3, but its exactly as worthless as the main site has become. Useable but non-interactive. A problem that Youtube proper started to have soon after XL was introduced, and really strangely, one that kept recurring after a PS3 system update seemingly fixed the issue. In other words, the site went from working as it would in any other browser, to having function become inactive, to working properly once more after an update before turning semi-inactive again. To within literal days with updates eventually having no effect.
It took the rumored announcement of Youtube looking into the creation of an app similar to Netflix and Hulu for all consoles to suggest the obvious: that it was Youtube itself which was limiting the PS3’s browser to their site. From a business standpoint, especially if they decide to go with some pay-based model or limited exclusivity with this app they may eventually make, having one of the three gaming systems already having free and decent access would put them in a weak bargaining position. And blocking it overnight, suddenly reducing access to its actual current state, would just piss people off while telling them exactly why they were doing it. Better to lower the bar early.
BlipTV and Dailtymotion are other little mysteries that come to me. Don’t know if they both use the same streaming player, just that were once I could watch videos from them and associated sites directly, I haven’t been able to do so for close to two years. MP3 file content can be directly downloaded, but anything else has to be streamed from PC. Old phased out web code is likely to blame, but like the issues with Youtube there was a period where an update fixed the issue. Then another happened which brought it up again.
So where I’m sort of pointing a conspiratorial finger at Youtube for pulling a semi-Hulu, I’m outright stabbing it at Sony. Given that both sites host pirated content along with tons of legitimate web-shows – Spoony, That Guy With the Glasses – its not to far a stretch that such was done to control what content gets onto the PS3. And again, both these sites are about as well known as Youtube.
Now, I’m only offering my own opinion and conjecture, but if what I’m suggesting is true then this has more validity then OtherOS. Is something Sony has offered as open, yet for whatever reason – changes in management and policy – have covertly scaled back and are controlling. It also occurs to me that if Geohot and Anonon were even a fraction of the everyman hero they think they are, they’d look into the PS3;s browser code to see why it is what it is.
Oh well, so much for short...
EDIT:
Please note I'm not talking about the overall quality of the PS3's browser, but that it can and has been manipulated. Certainly by Hulu and Youtube, but possibly Sony as well. That it is at the quality that it is because its manipulatable. That if at all possible this should be shown and Sony made to answer for it because - in spirit at the very least - it was offered as an open platform.
First up: the PS3 browser. Something that I’ve defended on more than one occasion, given suggestion for sites to visit, but can only admit has problems. And while its far from being as good as the worst browser on a PC you can think of, as a casual use application I’ve found it good enough for an evening of Youtube rather than a few minutes in a chair and a monitor smaller than my TV. Accepted the reality it crashing for no real reason because as system updates came, the browser became more stable.
It also, at least on a site which is in assumed partnership with Sony, has allowed for direct video downloading from the console, become less accessible. Videos cannot be voted or comment on, searches can be run but anything other options also call up a search, direct management of personal accounts is impossible, and really oddly, videos in channel pages wont run. There also seems to have been a drop in picture quality which becomes obviously noticeable when an ad run at a higher resolution.
There is the alternative of YoutubeXL which was supposedly made specifically for the PS3, but its exactly as worthless as the main site has become. Useable but non-interactive. A problem that Youtube proper started to have soon after XL was introduced, and really strangely, one that kept recurring after a PS3 system update seemingly fixed the issue. In other words, the site went from working as it would in any other browser, to having function become inactive, to working properly once more after an update before turning semi-inactive again. To within literal days with updates eventually having no effect.
It took the rumored announcement of Youtube looking into the creation of an app similar to Netflix and Hulu for all consoles to suggest the obvious: that it was Youtube itself which was limiting the PS3’s browser to their site. From a business standpoint, especially if they decide to go with some pay-based model or limited exclusivity with this app they may eventually make, having one of the three gaming systems already having free and decent access would put them in a weak bargaining position. And blocking it overnight, suddenly reducing access to its actual current state, would just piss people off while telling them exactly why they were doing it. Better to lower the bar early.
BlipTV and Dailtymotion are other little mysteries that come to me. Don’t know if they both use the same streaming player, just that were once I could watch videos from them and associated sites directly, I haven’t been able to do so for close to two years. MP3 file content can be directly downloaded, but anything else has to be streamed from PC. Old phased out web code is likely to blame, but like the issues with Youtube there was a period where an update fixed the issue. Then another happened which brought it up again.
So where I’m sort of pointing a conspiratorial finger at Youtube for pulling a semi-Hulu, I’m outright stabbing it at Sony. Given that both sites host pirated content along with tons of legitimate web-shows – Spoony, That Guy With the Glasses – its not to far a stretch that such was done to control what content gets onto the PS3. And again, both these sites are about as well known as Youtube.
Now, I’m only offering my own opinion and conjecture, but if what I’m suggesting is true then this has more validity then OtherOS. Is something Sony has offered as open, yet for whatever reason – changes in management and policy – have covertly scaled back and are controlling. It also occurs to me that if Geohot and Anonon were even a fraction of the everyman hero they think they are, they’d look into the PS3;s browser code to see why it is what it is.
Oh well, so much for short...
EDIT:
Please note I'm not talking about the overall quality of the PS3's browser, but that it can and has been manipulated. Certainly by Hulu and Youtube, but possibly Sony as well. That it is at the quality that it is because its manipulatable. That if at all possible this should be shown and Sony made to answer for it because - in spirit at the very least - it was offered as an open platform.
Improving PSN: Brand Name and the Three Factors Behind XBL's Success
While these days XBL has done less and less to justify its price and while Sony has caught up significantly with PSN, it's still a service that falls behind the brand name of Microsoft's product. All throughout this generation Microsoft has established itself as the dominant online service and Sony has lived in its shadow, playing catch up to XBL.
The most recent release of Cloud storage has helped Sony begin to take a more independent road towards the future of its network, and while this is something I'm hopeful Sony continues to do, there are a few suggestions I'd like to make that are either borrowed in part from XBL or are things I think that can help improve PSN
I think XBL mastered three factors that are important for online services on consoles: Community, Investment, and Accessibility. PSN has either had to catch up to XBL or needs to improve in these areas
What exactly are these three factors and what do they mean?
Community-- the sense of identifying yourself as an established online player within the network of the service as a member of a larger community. You have a name, a career of tracked accomplishments, and are involved within the network's universe in some shape.
Investment-- the features in the network that keep gamers coming back and showing loyalty to the service. These include the need to accumulate trophies/achievements, partake in events, etc.
Accessibility-- the ability of the service to make things as simple to use and effortless for the consumer. This includes features such as cross chat or ease of navigating the service's interface
All these help establish a Brand Name, which is crucial in establishing popularity. The online service is just as important as the name behind the hardware itself these days. By establishing a good brand name for your service you help identify it with consumers, and in order to do this, those three factors need to be worked on
I have a list of things I think PSN can improve to help master these three factors. And here they are:
Unlockable Avatars (Investment)
Xbox LIVE does this with their avatars via unlocking clothing to a system similar to achievements. And Sony should too. They could even tie this in with Trophies: if I get a platinum I should unlock exclusive clothing for my Home avatar and get a free avatar to use on my PSN Card.
A Revamped, Unique Trophy System (Investment)
While the Trophy System has a nice 4-split system to rank trophy unlocks, it's still a copy of Achievements in practice. And, like Achievements, it's not exactly a definition of skill but more a definition of hording. I think Sony can improve this in this way:
Though drastic, Sony should have a dynamic system that pushes gamers to improve a Trophy challenge. In other words, all trophies in a game do not have a locked rank of bronze, silver, or gold. Instead, all trophies have a 3-set requirement: say your challenge is to reach the end of the Corinth Highway level in Killzone. There are three ways you can do this:
a) Complete Corinth Highway with under 10 deaths on Hard difficulty (bronze)
b) Complete Corinth Highway with 5 deaths on Hard difficulty (silver)
c) Complete Corinth Highway with no deaths on Elite difficulty (gold)
Getting a bronze means you can improve that trophy to a gold, which is a better indicator of skill than the typical system
Focusing on Marketing PSN as a Brand Name (Community)
When you think “Xbox LIVE” you know what it contains. But PSN? It's hardly associated the same way XBL is. When you think XBL you think Achievements, Gamercards, Gamertags, Gamerscore, etc. Notice the focus on the word GAMER. This is what made Xbox Live so successful-- it was the focus of making online a community for gamers. There was an association with the terms, and it helped define the brand name of Xbox LIVE. Sony doesn't do that. We have a generic “PSN ID”, “PSN Card”, etc. A simple fix:
Why not focus the PLAY in PLAYStation? Instead of “PSN ID” call it “PlayerTag”, instead of “PSN Card/Profule” name it “PlayerCard”. I know it sounds a bit silly, but I think it makes the network more presentable and marketable, something Microsoft does much better than Sony
A Focus on Presentation (Community)
Speaking of which, why does Sony have such a terrible Facebook app compared to XBL? Why does it have a frankly helpless “What's New” section compared to MS's “Spotlight” that seems to showcase not just their games but a community of content associated with games (IGN's video plug in for example). It's what I feel Sony needs to do. The XMB just feels disconnected from the PSN in various ways. What's New, the News Ticker, and the ways Sony stuffs the PSN Store under certain tabs are ways in which they've tried to push the PlayStation network's content into the XMB, but it just doesn't work as effectively. For one, the news ticker lacks any descriptive information. It's largely ignored because of this. If Sony bothered spotlighting it a bit more and adding useful information, it'd be very useful. Then there's the Friends List. How about more character space? More backgrounds for PlayerCards? Such as, game themes instead of just solid colours? I like the trophy level that is included, but how about giving gamers a worthwhile profile? When clicking on their name I want to open up a wealth of information associated with that person: their name, a page that displays their trophies, their bio, their favourite game, their most recently played, their favourite genre, etc.
All we have is a profile page depicting a very brief “about me” bar with a list of our spoken languages... how is this useful to anyone, especially when tucked away in an obscure section of the network?
How about a way to organize friends into groups?
A Focus on Networking/Social Media (Community)
Adding Trophy levels on PlayerCards made them something we show off to our friends. Before this. Trophies were largely personal achievements that only we cared about. Sony attempted to glorify Trophies via Home's Trophy Room, but I don't know what became of that.
Why not give us a Twitter-like feed that updates our friend's latest collected trophies? Or how about a trophy leaderboard? OnLive has a great “Brag Clip” feature that allows gamers to actually record their game moments. How cool is that?
Such a system adds to the idea of establishing a profile for Players as well as giving incentive to play on the PSN. This is what Achievements did for Xbox; by establishing a community and building online profiles gamers get attached to the brand and this makes it harder for people to switch over. I know when I got my PS3 I swore to get all my multiplats for my PS3 solely because I had a Trophy collection I wanted to keep growing.
How about giving us an actual Facebook app? The one on XBL rocks. The service is actually streamlined right into the Xbox UI. On Sony, all you can do is upload Trophy Notifications. It's pretty weak. Why not give us a Youtube app? Allow us to log in to Youtube via an app, leave comments, favorite videos, rate, etc. Give us a Youtube app that is streamlined with the XMB interface, allowing us to search for videos and watch them in proper quality.
Simplifying and Enhancing the Small Things (Accessibility)
Cross Chat: It's a natural evolution of sending text messages, and supporting one without the other seems to make Sony look like they are stuck behind Microsoft. This is simply out of convenience, and that is something else Sony needs to work on. Give us the ability to instantly open messages when they appear, give us a different in-game XMB that is faster and easier to use, have a database for networking errors that helps users identify/troubleshoot problems instead of giving us some long list of numbers and letters that only leaves users in frustration, etc. There are so many things that seem small, yet can go a long way in making PSN a better service.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, Xbox Live has managed to become a brand name that associates with itself a sense of communal identity for gamers. PSN on the other hand has either played catch up or has done things in a manner that hasn't been as effective. I like that we are seeing Sony include their own unique features like Cloud storage. While Home was something Sony put all their eggs in, it's not exactly a feature that is as accessible as the features we find on the UI that all gamers use. I'd like to see Sony push more things for PSN. I think these things are steps in the right direction and can help establish the PSN as a brand name
The most recent release of Cloud storage has helped Sony begin to take a more independent road towards the future of its network, and while this is something I'm hopeful Sony continues to do, there are a few suggestions I'd like to make that are either borrowed in part from XBL or are things I think that can help improve PSN
I think XBL mastered three factors that are important for online services on consoles: Community, Investment, and Accessibility. PSN has either had to catch up to XBL or needs to improve in these areas
What exactly are these three factors and what do they mean?
Community-- the sense of identifying yourself as an established online player within the network of the service as a member of a larger community. You have a name, a career of tracked accomplishments, and are involved within the network's universe in some shape.
Investment-- the features in the network that keep gamers coming back and showing loyalty to the service. These include the need to accumulate trophies/achievements, partake in events, etc.
Accessibility-- the ability of the service to make things as simple to use and effortless for the consumer. This includes features such as cross chat or ease of navigating the service's interface
All these help establish a Brand Name, which is crucial in establishing popularity. The online service is just as important as the name behind the hardware itself these days. By establishing a good brand name for your service you help identify it with consumers, and in order to do this, those three factors need to be worked on
I have a list of things I think PSN can improve to help master these three factors. And here they are:
Unlockable Avatars (Investment)
Xbox LIVE does this with their avatars via unlocking clothing to a system similar to achievements. And Sony should too. They could even tie this in with Trophies: if I get a platinum I should unlock exclusive clothing for my Home avatar and get a free avatar to use on my PSN Card.
A Revamped, Unique Trophy System (Investment)
While the Trophy System has a nice 4-split system to rank trophy unlocks, it's still a copy of Achievements in practice. And, like Achievements, it's not exactly a definition of skill but more a definition of hording. I think Sony can improve this in this way:
Though drastic, Sony should have a dynamic system that pushes gamers to improve a Trophy challenge. In other words, all trophies in a game do not have a locked rank of bronze, silver, or gold. Instead, all trophies have a 3-set requirement: say your challenge is to reach the end of the Corinth Highway level in Killzone. There are three ways you can do this:
a) Complete Corinth Highway with under 10 deaths on Hard difficulty (bronze)
b) Complete Corinth Highway with 5 deaths on Hard difficulty (silver)
c) Complete Corinth Highway with no deaths on Elite difficulty (gold)
Getting a bronze means you can improve that trophy to a gold, which is a better indicator of skill than the typical system
Focusing on Marketing PSN as a Brand Name (Community)
When you think “Xbox LIVE” you know what it contains. But PSN? It's hardly associated the same way XBL is. When you think XBL you think Achievements, Gamercards, Gamertags, Gamerscore, etc. Notice the focus on the word GAMER. This is what made Xbox Live so successful-- it was the focus of making online a community for gamers. There was an association with the terms, and it helped define the brand name of Xbox LIVE. Sony doesn't do that. We have a generic “PSN ID”, “PSN Card”, etc. A simple fix:
Why not focus the PLAY in PLAYStation? Instead of “PSN ID” call it “PlayerTag”, instead of “PSN Card/Profule” name it “PlayerCard”. I know it sounds a bit silly, but I think it makes the network more presentable and marketable, something Microsoft does much better than Sony
A Focus on Presentation (Community)
Speaking of which, why does Sony have such a terrible Facebook app compared to XBL? Why does it have a frankly helpless “What's New” section compared to MS's “Spotlight” that seems to showcase not just their games but a community of content associated with games (IGN's video plug in for example). It's what I feel Sony needs to do. The XMB just feels disconnected from the PSN in various ways. What's New, the News Ticker, and the ways Sony stuffs the PSN Store under certain tabs are ways in which they've tried to push the PlayStation network's content into the XMB, but it just doesn't work as effectively. For one, the news ticker lacks any descriptive information. It's largely ignored because of this. If Sony bothered spotlighting it a bit more and adding useful information, it'd be very useful. Then there's the Friends List. How about more character space? More backgrounds for PlayerCards? Such as, game themes instead of just solid colours? I like the trophy level that is included, but how about giving gamers a worthwhile profile? When clicking on their name I want to open up a wealth of information associated with that person: their name, a page that displays their trophies, their bio, their favourite game, their most recently played, their favourite genre, etc.
All we have is a profile page depicting a very brief “about me” bar with a list of our spoken languages... how is this useful to anyone, especially when tucked away in an obscure section of the network?
How about a way to organize friends into groups?
A Focus on Networking/Social Media (Community)
Adding Trophy levels on PlayerCards made them something we show off to our friends. Before this. Trophies were largely personal achievements that only we cared about. Sony attempted to glorify Trophies via Home's Trophy Room, but I don't know what became of that.
Why not give us a Twitter-like feed that updates our friend's latest collected trophies? Or how about a trophy leaderboard? OnLive has a great “Brag Clip” feature that allows gamers to actually record their game moments. How cool is that?
Such a system adds to the idea of establishing a profile for Players as well as giving incentive to play on the PSN. This is what Achievements did for Xbox; by establishing a community and building online profiles gamers get attached to the brand and this makes it harder for people to switch over. I know when I got my PS3 I swore to get all my multiplats for my PS3 solely because I had a Trophy collection I wanted to keep growing.
How about giving us an actual Facebook app? The one on XBL rocks. The service is actually streamlined right into the Xbox UI. On Sony, all you can do is upload Trophy Notifications. It's pretty weak. Why not give us a Youtube app? Allow us to log in to Youtube via an app, leave comments, favorite videos, rate, etc. Give us a Youtube app that is streamlined with the XMB interface, allowing us to search for videos and watch them in proper quality.
Simplifying and Enhancing the Small Things (Accessibility)
Cross Chat: It's a natural evolution of sending text messages, and supporting one without the other seems to make Sony look like they are stuck behind Microsoft. This is simply out of convenience, and that is something else Sony needs to work on. Give us the ability to instantly open messages when they appear, give us a different in-game XMB that is faster and easier to use, have a database for networking errors that helps users identify/troubleshoot problems instead of giving us some long list of numbers and letters that only leaves users in frustration, etc. There are so many things that seem small, yet can go a long way in making PSN a better service.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, Xbox Live has managed to become a brand name that associates with itself a sense of communal identity for gamers. PSN on the other hand has either played catch up or has done things in a manner that hasn't been as effective. I like that we are seeing Sony include their own unique features like Cloud storage. While Home was something Sony put all their eggs in, it's not exactly a feature that is as accessible as the features we find on the UI that all gamers use. I'd like to see Sony push more things for PSN. I think these things are steps in the right direction and can help establish the PSN as a brand name
Saturday, October 15, 2011
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.
Which is the best seventh generation gaming console?
"There are different gaming consoles from different brands which compete against each other.Playstation 3 is by Sony,Wii is by Nintendo and XBOX 360 is by Microsoft.They have certain competition but in my view Wii is the best Gaming console.
Wii
Wii:This video game console was developed by Nintendo and released on 19th November,2006.Wii has features slightly better than PlayStation 3 and xbox 360 like it has a wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions.
It also has WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.It is the most successful video game console compared to xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.Over 86 million units of wii has been sold worldwide. It also supports over hundreds of eyebrow raising games which makes it distinguishable gaming consoles than others.
GAMES: There are many games which are compatible in Wii. Some names are -
AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack,Academy Of Champions: Soccer,Action Girlz Racing,Active Life: Outdoor Challenge,Active Life: Extreme Challenge,Adventures of Pinocchio,AFL,Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None,Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun,Lawn Games,Legend of the Dragon,The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon,The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night,The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess,The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword,Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole,Lego Batman: The Videogame,Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4,Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures,Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues,Lego Rock Band,Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga,Let's Tap,Line Attack Heroes,Line Rider 2: Unbound,Link's Crossbow Training,Need for Speed: Carbon,Need for Speed Hot Pursuit,Need for Speed: ProStreet,Need for Speed: Undercovering's Story and over five hundred games.Though there are brands which give competition to wii ,no brand has passed its record of most selling units of a seventh generation gaming console this decade.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER LEADING BRANDS:
PlayStation 3:It is the third part of the PlayStation series.This gaming console was developed by Sony entertainment networks.After the huge success of PlayStation 1 and 2,it was succeeded by PlayStation 3.As of April 2011,over 50 million units were sold out from which almost 30 million were sold in Europe and America.
The PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan on November 11, 2006. According to sources within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan 81,639 PS3 systems were sold.It was the fastest spreading gaming console ever.In japan, Ridge Racer 7 was the top-selling game.During the first week of sales Resistance: Fall of Man from Insomniac Games was the top-selling game in North America.It was heavily praised from numerous game website.Game spot gave them the best game of the year award.As of September 30, 2010,over 350.6 million games sold for the PlayStation 3.There are various 3-D games as well which are compatible with PlayStation.
There are over 100 hundreds of games which are compatible in PlayStation 3.some of which are Auditorium HD,Call of Duty: Black Ops,Mortal Kombat,James Cameron's Avatar: The Game,Motor-Storm: 3D Rift,Prince of Persia Trilogy,Resistance 3,Ridge Racer 7: 3D License Version,Virtual Tennis 4,Top Darts,Gran Turismo 5 Prologue,The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, F.E.A.R ,Sonic the Hedgehog,Formula One Championship Edition, MotorStorm ,Virtual Fighter 5,Resistance: Fall of Man,MotorStorm.
XBOX 360:This gaming console is another created a major revolution in gaming history as it has some features like its integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online, download arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, music and movies and its Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities.The xbox 360 is a console manufactured by Microsoft.
It has been released in different dates in different regions like in united states it was released on November 22, 2005 as well as in Canada,in Europe December 2, 2005 and December 10, 2005, in Japan. xbox 360's best-selling game for 2005 was Call of Duty 2 which sold over a million copies.Games like Ghost Recon Advanced War fighter,The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,Dead or Alive 4,Saints Row,and Gears of War.The best selling game of xbox 360 was halo 3 which sold over 8 million copies.There are over 500 games that are compatible in xbox 360."
Wii
Wii:This video game console was developed by Nintendo and released on 19th November,2006.Wii has features slightly better than PlayStation 3 and xbox 360 like it has a wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions.
It also has WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.It is the most successful video game console compared to xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.Over 86 million units of wii has been sold worldwide. It also supports over hundreds of eyebrow raising games which makes it distinguishable gaming consoles than others.
GAMES: There are many games which are compatible in Wii. Some names are -
AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack,Academy Of Champions: Soccer,Action Girlz Racing,Active Life: Outdoor Challenge,Active Life: Extreme Challenge,Adventures of Pinocchio,AFL,Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None,Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun,Lawn Games,Legend of the Dragon,The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon,The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night,The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess,The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword,Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole,Lego Batman: The Videogame,Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4,Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures,Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues,Lego Rock Band,Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga,Let's Tap,Line Attack Heroes,Line Rider 2: Unbound,Link's Crossbow Training,Need for Speed: Carbon,Need for Speed Hot Pursuit,Need for Speed: ProStreet,Need for Speed: Undercovering's Story and over five hundred games.Though there are brands which give competition to wii ,no brand has passed its record of most selling units of a seventh generation gaming console this decade.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER LEADING BRANDS:
PlayStation 3:It is the third part of the PlayStation series.This gaming console was developed by Sony entertainment networks.After the huge success of PlayStation 1 and 2,it was succeeded by PlayStation 3.As of April 2011,over 50 million units were sold out from which almost 30 million were sold in Europe and America.
The PlayStation 3 was first released in Japan on November 11, 2006. According to sources within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan 81,639 PS3 systems were sold.It was the fastest spreading gaming console ever.In japan, Ridge Racer 7 was the top-selling game.During the first week of sales Resistance: Fall of Man from Insomniac Games was the top-selling game in North America.It was heavily praised from numerous game website.Game spot gave them the best game of the year award.As of September 30, 2010,over 350.6 million games sold for the PlayStation 3.There are various 3-D games as well which are compatible with PlayStation.
There are over 100 hundreds of games which are compatible in PlayStation 3.some of which are Auditorium HD,Call of Duty: Black Ops,Mortal Kombat,James Cameron's Avatar: The Game,Motor-Storm: 3D Rift,Prince of Persia Trilogy,Resistance 3,Ridge Racer 7: 3D License Version,Virtual Tennis 4,Top Darts,Gran Turismo 5 Prologue,The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, F.E.A.R ,Sonic the Hedgehog,Formula One Championship Edition, MotorStorm ,Virtual Fighter 5,Resistance: Fall of Man,MotorStorm.
XBOX 360:This gaming console is another created a major revolution in gaming history as it has some features like its integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online, download arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, music and movies and its Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities.The xbox 360 is a console manufactured by Microsoft.
It has been released in different dates in different regions like in united states it was released on November 22, 2005 as well as in Canada,in Europe December 2, 2005 and December 10, 2005, in Japan. xbox 360's best-selling game for 2005 was Call of Duty 2 which sold over a million copies.Games like Ghost Recon Advanced War fighter,The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,Dead or Alive 4,Saints Row,and Gears of War.The best selling game of xbox 360 was halo 3 which sold over 8 million copies.There are over 500 games that are compatible in xbox 360."
Why I think Modern Warfare 3 will Suck.
This blog post has alot of personal opinions that many will not like You've been Warned.
Call of Duty was one of my favorite shooters alongside Battlefield a few years back but their is something that is pulling me away from the next iteration.
I've use to always enjoy Call of Duty, working hard to get a 7 killstreak to get my Chopper/Dogs in cod 4 and Waw helping my team win and trying to not die to cost the game which by the way happened plenty of times.
Call of Duty does one thing right, throws you into a easy to play shooter and you will have fun in killing games like Tdm And Free for all but what does it do wrong?
Call of duty is not the best game to have objective gamemodes in, the only good ones are Sabatoge and Search and Destroy but the rest are really bad.
Why do i think that? It's not necessarily that they are bad ideas, they are very good infact and have alot of potential but they need some work. Specifically Domination and Demolition.
What are the problems you may ask? Well Call of Duty never had much of an empasis with teamwork which is a big problem if you want to win a game. The people that play Call of Duty never try to Capture Objectives and when then do want to they do nothing to defend these points, you may see one guy defending while alot of people are attacking and ultimatly you will lose that point in domination because of lack of communication that the community that call of duty has. But that's not even the worse part because if you play with friends you can do very good in all gamemodes if you all communicate very well which is very rewarding.
Another problem is the spawn system in call of duty. Generally the spawn system is decent in game modes like Tdm and Free for All but in game modes like Domination and Demolition they are plagued with spawn campers. This is really one of the worst parts about this game and is a reason that i say call of duty is for people that only want kills. In domination a good squad will generally take over 2 points and spawn kill everyone at the third point and they will all spawn in a certain area which people have locked down and ruins the hole game and i know from experience it's no fun getting spawn killed.
What can they do to fix this problem? Well having more spawn points will cause everyone to spread out more during spawns partially elimating spawn camping and by making people not spawn if someone spawn in a certain area if their is an enemy looking at that spot.
For people to have a bigger emphasis on teamwork i think what should be done is to reward people a much bigger amount of points when defending and less for attacking. Give people points when they're defending someone with a flag/Bomb even if they don't kill anyone just following the guy is enough and will help the team alot because if someone does try to kill him you will ultimatly help
A few other things i don't like that really should be removed is Chopper Gunner type killstreaks. To make it less cheap they should make it so when they are shooting at us they don't see a Red Square Box marking where we are at, i know they have a perk for this but you have to get it pro (in black ops/Mw2) which is a hassle if your a begginer starting off because it's almost impossible to attempt to blow up the gunner without dying.
Maybe the removal of controlled perks will be good as well.
Make maps that are less campable as well because we all know this is a problem in all Call of Dutys which is a reason i like Battlefield alot because in that game we can blow up their hiding spots.
Remember Call of Duty Mw3 has yet to be released and we have barley any details about the multiplayer until May 23 and i can't wait to take a peek at that and see if they fixed any of the issues adressed.
I am expecting an epic Campaign and Spec op in this game i want to add multiplayer to that list.
*Some of the things i say arn't really a big issue as i make it out to be but they do exist*
Hopefully you all liked my Blog and expect to see more like this at least once a week.
Let me know your opinions about everything i said, i am open to everything and love critisism.
Call of Duty was one of my favorite shooters alongside Battlefield a few years back but their is something that is pulling me away from the next iteration.
I've use to always enjoy Call of Duty, working hard to get a 7 killstreak to get my Chopper/Dogs in cod 4 and Waw helping my team win and trying to not die to cost the game which by the way happened plenty of times.
Call of Duty does one thing right, throws you into a easy to play shooter and you will have fun in killing games like Tdm And Free for all but what does it do wrong?
Call of duty is not the best game to have objective gamemodes in, the only good ones are Sabatoge and Search and Destroy but the rest are really bad.
Why do i think that? It's not necessarily that they are bad ideas, they are very good infact and have alot of potential but they need some work. Specifically Domination and Demolition.
What are the problems you may ask? Well Call of Duty never had much of an empasis with teamwork which is a big problem if you want to win a game. The people that play Call of Duty never try to Capture Objectives and when then do want to they do nothing to defend these points, you may see one guy defending while alot of people are attacking and ultimatly you will lose that point in domination because of lack of communication that the community that call of duty has. But that's not even the worse part because if you play with friends you can do very good in all gamemodes if you all communicate very well which is very rewarding.
Another problem is the spawn system in call of duty. Generally the spawn system is decent in game modes like Tdm and Free for All but in game modes like Domination and Demolition they are plagued with spawn campers. This is really one of the worst parts about this game and is a reason that i say call of duty is for people that only want kills. In domination a good squad will generally take over 2 points and spawn kill everyone at the third point and they will all spawn in a certain area which people have locked down and ruins the hole game and i know from experience it's no fun getting spawn killed.
What can they do to fix this problem? Well having more spawn points will cause everyone to spread out more during spawns partially elimating spawn camping and by making people not spawn if someone spawn in a certain area if their is an enemy looking at that spot.
For people to have a bigger emphasis on teamwork i think what should be done is to reward people a much bigger amount of points when defending and less for attacking. Give people points when they're defending someone with a flag/Bomb even if they don't kill anyone just following the guy is enough and will help the team alot because if someone does try to kill him you will ultimatly help
A few other things i don't like that really should be removed is Chopper Gunner type killstreaks. To make it less cheap they should make it so when they are shooting at us they don't see a Red Square Box marking where we are at, i know they have a perk for this but you have to get it pro (in black ops/Mw2) which is a hassle if your a begginer starting off because it's almost impossible to attempt to blow up the gunner without dying.
Maybe the removal of controlled perks will be good as well.
Make maps that are less campable as well because we all know this is a problem in all Call of Dutys which is a reason i like Battlefield alot because in that game we can blow up their hiding spots.
Remember Call of Duty Mw3 has yet to be released and we have barley any details about the multiplayer until May 23 and i can't wait to take a peek at that and see if they fixed any of the issues adressed.
I am expecting an epic Campaign and Spec op in this game i want to add multiplayer to that list.
*Some of the things i say arn't really a big issue as i make it out to be but they do exist*
Hopefully you all liked my Blog and expect to see more like this at least once a week.
Let me know your opinions about everything i said, i am open to everything and love critisism.
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.
ICO & Shadow of the Colossus: Fairytale worlds built of careful attention
Ten years, two games: Team Ico knows how to leave you wanting more. While it has been fun to replay God of War and Sly Cooper, few series are more deserving of a re-release in HD than ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. Maybe you were never able to snag one of the relatively rare copies of ICO, maybe your PS2 struggled with framerate during SotC, whether this is your first experience with ICO and SotC or you're returning to well for more awesome you won't be disappointed. It's hard to believe the games were made a generation ago, they're just so stinking good - and good-looking.
The fairy-tale worlds of ICO and SotC suspend disbelief and are the two finest examples of gameplay centered storytelling. With relatively few cutscenes and even less dialog/voiceover, this is a story you play through, and the experience is richer for it. If you've already played Ico and SotC, this next time with Ico is that much more poignant. Ico is young boy with a pair of horns, and a sacrifice. Locked in a chamber by a group of men and left in the strange castle, he escapes his stone prison and in trying to leave finds and frees a young girl, Yorda, from a cage. They may not speak the same language, but they're the only living thing they've seen (aside from some wily pigeons) and that makes for a strong bond.
As you direct Ico and Yorda through the puzzle-riddled castle, you will notice something strange: Team Ico has made an entire game around everyone's least favorite mission type. Yes, a game - an exceptional game - that boils down to an escort mission stretched over a framework of really cool puzzles and platforming. Yorda needs help up ledges, across chasms, and most of all protection from shadow creatures. As Ico, you don't have much in your arsenal: jumping, pulling, pushing and whacking the shadows with a big stick (later, a sword) are your staple moves. The puzzles are very integrated, with ledges, ladders, doorways, and relatively few traditional Zelda-like moments of pressure plates and switches. Occasionally Yorda pulls her own weight by opening Idol Doors, and when you rest on a couch together you get to save your game. The rest of the time she tries to be as helpful as possible, sticking by your side and eschewing the traditional damsel role of wandering off with the words "kidnap me, shadow monsters" stamped on her forehead.
There isn't a lot of direct confrontation in ICO, it all comes down to those persistent shadows as they spill up out of swirling smoke-monster blackness at the most inopportune times. Some can walk, some can fly, and some can only scuttle across the ground, and they all want to drag Yorda into an inky black pit. Only able to knock Ico back, if they successfully pull Yorda down with them it's Game Over. There are no combos, special moves or advanced weaponry, you are a little boy with a stick and you wield it accordingly: in desperate, flailing motions. At some point you realize you're rescuing Yorda not as a mission-objective or game chore, but because your heart is beating in your throat while the shadow monsters try to take her away, your Yorda. At some point you realize that you care.
Similarly themed, in Shadow of the Colossus you play as a young man named Wander who must slay sixteen colossi to rescue a girl. A barren, open world, this is not a game for agoraphobes. Wander is alone with his horse (and some lizards and birds), as he seeks out the colossi which are, tautological as it may be, enormous. These are the bosses of all other bosses, and the experience of SotC is searching the world for epic boss battles - truly "epic": each colossi is so massive, so powerful, and each battle so challenging that they're the stuff poems are sung about, Homer style.
Wander must find ways to scale each colossus and seek out weaknesses in their hard skin (marked by sigils) that his sword can pierce. Oftentimes you will have to find a spot low on the body to stun the colossus, giving you time to scramble to a better spot - and scramble you will. Like Ico, Wander isn't really anything other than determined. He doesn't free-run up a colossus, he doesn't leap nimbly from point to point, he climbs slowly - sometimes painfully so - as the colossus shakes him loose. His grip depletes, he can't hang on forever, so latching on and scaling the monster forthwith is not an option. No, this is a measured attack of finding places to balance, regain stamina, and progress. The colossus isn't going to just let you climb up and start stabbing him, either, and it will try to dislodge you throughout your attempt; you are little more than a tiny buzzing bee with little jabs of your eensy sword. As frantic as a colossus battle can be, it's equal parts patience and puzzle solving as you navigate their unique architecture and the world below you gets further and further away.
Fortunately, Wander has his trusty steed that always comes when you whistle and is helpful in catching speedy colossi - and getting away from others. Then there's that pointy sword that's good for, well, swording and reflecting the sun's light to point you toward the next colossus, and their vulnerable point. Also, there's a bow, which is best for shooting lizards. OK, it has infinite ammo and can stun a colossus if you hit them on a raw patch, but otherwise it's like throwing feathers at a wall. When going up against things called "colossi" it's not much, and you will feel very, very, very small - and even more alone. With each majestic colossus you slay you'll wonder, "Why?".
But that's all pretty much the same, so what's new? Both games are re-mastered at HD resolution, with anti-aliased graphics, 30 frames per second, and the option of stereoscopic 3D. Updated visuals and 30 fps really mean just that, and the games are lovely. Textures are re-worked, particle effects are added, ICO runs in 16:9 - this is love in 7.1 surround sound. There will still be moments when the games show their age: save slots, or when scrambling through a window the game "loads". "Loads", because yes, there is a very 2001 load, but it loads so quickly you barely have time to think the words, "How quaint", and it's over. In both ICO and SotC the art design is brought into focus, the worlds become more impressively beautiful. Yes, these are PS2 games, with PS2 graphics, but their design is magnificent.
The Trophies are not of the shoe-horned in, easy to achieve variety, either, and add real value for the serious ICO & SotC fan looking to prolong their game experience (finish ICO in under two hours? Four, okay but TWO?). There are other little extras in the games best left unspoken - though like the first time around you will want to wait until after the credits roll, and if you finish ICO before firing up SotC Agro will have a blaze! Additionally, after completion there are English translations for Yorda and unlockable two-player mode.
Controls are as unique as ever - Triangle is jump, X is drop down, O is interact and R1 grabs. It's easier to see in practice, but this means that when running with Yorda or clutching a fistful of colossus your hand is effectively clawed into a hand-holding position. Just try telling me that isn't thoughtful game design. Then there are those small moments, like when having Ico turn a giant crank you notice he has an easier time pushing from the outer edge than the inner, or that when he swims he holds the sword up above the water. Games of scale, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are fairytale worlds built of careful attention.
ICO & Shadow of the Colossus collection is available Tuesday, September 27, 2011 for $40. Get it.
The fairy-tale worlds of ICO and SotC suspend disbelief and are the two finest examples of gameplay centered storytelling. With relatively few cutscenes and even less dialog/voiceover, this is a story you play through, and the experience is richer for it. If you've already played Ico and SotC, this next time with Ico is that much more poignant. Ico is young boy with a pair of horns, and a sacrifice. Locked in a chamber by a group of men and left in the strange castle, he escapes his stone prison and in trying to leave finds and frees a young girl, Yorda, from a cage. They may not speak the same language, but they're the only living thing they've seen (aside from some wily pigeons) and that makes for a strong bond.
As you direct Ico and Yorda through the puzzle-riddled castle, you will notice something strange: Team Ico has made an entire game around everyone's least favorite mission type. Yes, a game - an exceptional game - that boils down to an escort mission stretched over a framework of really cool puzzles and platforming. Yorda needs help up ledges, across chasms, and most of all protection from shadow creatures. As Ico, you don't have much in your arsenal: jumping, pulling, pushing and whacking the shadows with a big stick (later, a sword) are your staple moves. The puzzles are very integrated, with ledges, ladders, doorways, and relatively few traditional Zelda-like moments of pressure plates and switches. Occasionally Yorda pulls her own weight by opening Idol Doors, and when you rest on a couch together you get to save your game. The rest of the time she tries to be as helpful as possible, sticking by your side and eschewing the traditional damsel role of wandering off with the words "kidnap me, shadow monsters" stamped on her forehead.
There isn't a lot of direct confrontation in ICO, it all comes down to those persistent shadows as they spill up out of swirling smoke-monster blackness at the most inopportune times. Some can walk, some can fly, and some can only scuttle across the ground, and they all want to drag Yorda into an inky black pit. Only able to knock Ico back, if they successfully pull Yorda down with them it's Game Over. There are no combos, special moves or advanced weaponry, you are a little boy with a stick and you wield it accordingly: in desperate, flailing motions. At some point you realize you're rescuing Yorda not as a mission-objective or game chore, but because your heart is beating in your throat while the shadow monsters try to take her away, your Yorda. At some point you realize that you care.
Similarly themed, in Shadow of the Colossus you play as a young man named Wander who must slay sixteen colossi to rescue a girl. A barren, open world, this is not a game for agoraphobes. Wander is alone with his horse (and some lizards and birds), as he seeks out the colossi which are, tautological as it may be, enormous. These are the bosses of all other bosses, and the experience of SotC is searching the world for epic boss battles - truly "epic": each colossi is so massive, so powerful, and each battle so challenging that they're the stuff poems are sung about, Homer style.
Wander must find ways to scale each colossus and seek out weaknesses in their hard skin (marked by sigils) that his sword can pierce. Oftentimes you will have to find a spot low on the body to stun the colossus, giving you time to scramble to a better spot - and scramble you will. Like Ico, Wander isn't really anything other than determined. He doesn't free-run up a colossus, he doesn't leap nimbly from point to point, he climbs slowly - sometimes painfully so - as the colossus shakes him loose. His grip depletes, he can't hang on forever, so latching on and scaling the monster forthwith is not an option. No, this is a measured attack of finding places to balance, regain stamina, and progress. The colossus isn't going to just let you climb up and start stabbing him, either, and it will try to dislodge you throughout your attempt; you are little more than a tiny buzzing bee with little jabs of your eensy sword. As frantic as a colossus battle can be, it's equal parts patience and puzzle solving as you navigate their unique architecture and the world below you gets further and further away.
Fortunately, Wander has his trusty steed that always comes when you whistle and is helpful in catching speedy colossi - and getting away from others. Then there's that pointy sword that's good for, well, swording and reflecting the sun's light to point you toward the next colossus, and their vulnerable point. Also, there's a bow, which is best for shooting lizards. OK, it has infinite ammo and can stun a colossus if you hit them on a raw patch, but otherwise it's like throwing feathers at a wall. When going up against things called "colossi" it's not much, and you will feel very, very, very small - and even more alone. With each majestic colossus you slay you'll wonder, "Why?".
But that's all pretty much the same, so what's new? Both games are re-mastered at HD resolution, with anti-aliased graphics, 30 frames per second, and the option of stereoscopic 3D. Updated visuals and 30 fps really mean just that, and the games are lovely. Textures are re-worked, particle effects are added, ICO runs in 16:9 - this is love in 7.1 surround sound. There will still be moments when the games show their age: save slots, or when scrambling through a window the game "loads". "Loads", because yes, there is a very 2001 load, but it loads so quickly you barely have time to think the words, "How quaint", and it's over. In both ICO and SotC the art design is brought into focus, the worlds become more impressively beautiful. Yes, these are PS2 games, with PS2 graphics, but their design is magnificent.
The Trophies are not of the shoe-horned in, easy to achieve variety, either, and add real value for the serious ICO & SotC fan looking to prolong their game experience (finish ICO in under two hours? Four, okay but TWO?). There are other little extras in the games best left unspoken - though like the first time around you will want to wait until after the credits roll, and if you finish ICO before firing up SotC Agro will have a blaze! Additionally, after completion there are English translations for Yorda and unlockable two-player mode.
Controls are as unique as ever - Triangle is jump, X is drop down, O is interact and R1 grabs. It's easier to see in practice, but this means that when running with Yorda or clutching a fistful of colossus your hand is effectively clawed into a hand-holding position. Just try telling me that isn't thoughtful game design. Then there are those small moments, like when having Ico turn a giant crank you notice he has an easier time pushing from the outer edge than the inner, or that when he swims he holds the sword up above the water. Games of scale, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are fairytale worlds built of careful attention.
ICO & Shadow of the Colossus collection is available Tuesday, September 27, 2011 for $40. Get it.
May I Please Share My Grief With You?
Disclaimer: the following is not an opinion therefore, I shall state one right now in order to amend such regulations: the PS3 sucks. Take note that that was sarcasm, with a tinge of regret.
It all happened yesterday, when my friend and I were playing a serious level of Dead Nation, and suddenly, the PS3 froze and shut down; only to stare at us with a flashing red light. I quickly read online and discovered that it was an overheating issue, which was strange because we had only been playing the game for approximately 40 minutes (trust me, it was only one level and don't say I'm bad at this game because I already know that).
So, I decided to reboot it while holding down the power button in order to attain the reset option. The PS3 shut down and gave me the blinking red light. I attempted to start it in Safe Mode, but that too failed. It provided me with the screen; however, as soon as I began pressing the D-pad on my DS3, the system shut down. After a couple of hours of just leaving the system alone, I attempted again, and instead it gave me a yellow light for less than a second before going back to the flashing red light. Also, the fan doesn't seem to be working which perhaps is the biggest issue.
Oh, it's probably smart to say that this baby was a 60 GB launch model, right from day 1. It's a system I absolutely cherish, but now I'm afraid that if I send it in, they will give me a different model. Which is fine, but the real crunch pertains to all my save data, which I refuse to do all over again!
I contemplated on purchasing a newer, slim model, but the lady at Sony Customer Service told me that if I swap the HDD that is in my broken PS3 and insert it into the new PS3, the new PS3 would automatically reformat the Harddrive, literally effacing all that invested time.
In essence, I'm rather confused or hesitant about which course of action to take. Have any of you guys faced such situations and what did you do? From now on, I will regularly back-up my hard drive. Learning sucks!
It all happened yesterday, when my friend and I were playing a serious level of Dead Nation, and suddenly, the PS3 froze and shut down; only to stare at us with a flashing red light. I quickly read online and discovered that it was an overheating issue, which was strange because we had only been playing the game for approximately 40 minutes (trust me, it was only one level and don't say I'm bad at this game because I already know that).
So, I decided to reboot it while holding down the power button in order to attain the reset option. The PS3 shut down and gave me the blinking red light. I attempted to start it in Safe Mode, but that too failed. It provided me with the screen; however, as soon as I began pressing the D-pad on my DS3, the system shut down. After a couple of hours of just leaving the system alone, I attempted again, and instead it gave me a yellow light for less than a second before going back to the flashing red light. Also, the fan doesn't seem to be working which perhaps is the biggest issue.
Oh, it's probably smart to say that this baby was a 60 GB launch model, right from day 1. It's a system I absolutely cherish, but now I'm afraid that if I send it in, they will give me a different model. Which is fine, but the real crunch pertains to all my save data, which I refuse to do all over again!
I contemplated on purchasing a newer, slim model, but the lady at Sony Customer Service told me that if I swap the HDD that is in my broken PS3 and insert it into the new PS3, the new PS3 would automatically reformat the Harddrive, literally effacing all that invested time.
In essence, I'm rather confused or hesitant about which course of action to take. Have any of you guys faced such situations and what did you do? From now on, I will regularly back-up my hard drive. Learning sucks!
Go Home Dinosaurs! Hands-On
It’s a Fire Hose Games’ title, so you know two things straight away: it’s going to be silly, and tetris-style puzzle pieces will have a role to play. In Go Home Dinosaurs!, a tower defense title about protecting your BBQ from dinos, the former is a given and the latter? Well those puzzle pieces are the tower footprints, which can make tower construction perfectly tricky.
Waves after wave of gauche dinosaurs are crashing a neighborhood BBQ hosted by the local mammalian populace. In most TD games you’re like the hand of god, but in GHD you have an avatar: you control the friendly neighborhood gopher. This industrious fellow can tunnel under the game board to pop up and harvest coconuts (currency) from trees, as well as function as a portable tower. He will attack from any place on the board, and is generally a very helpful guy.
I’m not sure which mammal is responsible for tower design, but they’re a little willy-nilly in their construction with no regard to uniformity! Early on in the game the towers are made of simple shapes, like the 1x2 basic guerrilla tower that you can squeeze in pretty much anywhere. Level 2 introduces the laser tower, and you begin to see the dastardly Fire Hose scheming: the laser tower is a large “L” that fires along only two directions, and is fixed at that stubborn 90 degree angle. Throw in Level 3’s bulky Meteor Magnet (because you need to wipe the dinosaurs out to extinction!) and you’ve got definite land resource management issues - and piecing the puzzle together gets even more fun.
It is a very early build, but Fire Chief Eitan Glinert assures me that the fundamental gameplay is there, and staying. Things that we didn’t get to see but are already in the works include a Tesla coil style lightning tower, and the bulk of the multiplayer scheming. If a Tesla coil seems like overkill, you either haven’t fought dinosaurs, or tasted good BBQ before. After one successful round you get to choose a new card for your next upgrade like slow, an amped-up laser, or trees that yield more coconuts. You want plenty of ripe coconuts to purchase your towers with, so let the coconuts grow before shaking them all down! These upgrade cards will be part of the multiplayer interaction as you trade them with other players for different upgrades.
The dinosaurs turn into bacon, steaks and explosions of feathers when they perish in the face of your mighty Tower Defense skills, and while this is an early build the graphics are bright, engaging and clear. There are funny messages that crop up along the bottom, though Glinert said that these are largely for those folks watching at PAX - which I think is for the best because during gameplay I didn’t get to read them, and their location competed with the bottom section of the level.
The mouse controls are very accessible, and while playing GHD I noticed something really cool: the crowd of people lining up and sitting down to play were equal parts grown-up and kid. Fire Hose Games could have set up lines for “Under 12” and “Over 12” at each of their stations! Playing next to a brother-sister duo while they went to town destroying dinos, I realized, “Wow, here is a tower defense game that my 7 year old nephew and i can fight over!” That is pretty awesome, especially since I need to work on my sharing.
With a tentative Spring 2012 release window, the hope is for the BBQ to come to PC, consoles and iOS. Look for my interview with Eitan Glinert tomorrow!
Waves after wave of gauche dinosaurs are crashing a neighborhood BBQ hosted by the local mammalian populace. In most TD games you’re like the hand of god, but in GHD you have an avatar: you control the friendly neighborhood gopher. This industrious fellow can tunnel under the game board to pop up and harvest coconuts (currency) from trees, as well as function as a portable tower. He will attack from any place on the board, and is generally a very helpful guy.
I’m not sure which mammal is responsible for tower design, but they’re a little willy-nilly in their construction with no regard to uniformity! Early on in the game the towers are made of simple shapes, like the 1x2 basic guerrilla tower that you can squeeze in pretty much anywhere. Level 2 introduces the laser tower, and you begin to see the dastardly Fire Hose scheming: the laser tower is a large “L” that fires along only two directions, and is fixed at that stubborn 90 degree angle. Throw in Level 3’s bulky Meteor Magnet (because you need to wipe the dinosaurs out to extinction!) and you’ve got definite land resource management issues - and piecing the puzzle together gets even more fun.
It is a very early build, but Fire Chief Eitan Glinert assures me that the fundamental gameplay is there, and staying. Things that we didn’t get to see but are already in the works include a Tesla coil style lightning tower, and the bulk of the multiplayer scheming. If a Tesla coil seems like overkill, you either haven’t fought dinosaurs, or tasted good BBQ before. After one successful round you get to choose a new card for your next upgrade like slow, an amped-up laser, or trees that yield more coconuts. You want plenty of ripe coconuts to purchase your towers with, so let the coconuts grow before shaking them all down! These upgrade cards will be part of the multiplayer interaction as you trade them with other players for different upgrades.
The dinosaurs turn into bacon, steaks and explosions of feathers when they perish in the face of your mighty Tower Defense skills, and while this is an early build the graphics are bright, engaging and clear. There are funny messages that crop up along the bottom, though Glinert said that these are largely for those folks watching at PAX - which I think is for the best because during gameplay I didn’t get to read them, and their location competed with the bottom section of the level.
The mouse controls are very accessible, and while playing GHD I noticed something really cool: the crowd of people lining up and sitting down to play were equal parts grown-up and kid. Fire Hose Games could have set up lines for “Under 12” and “Over 12” at each of their stations! Playing next to a brother-sister duo while they went to town destroying dinos, I realized, “Wow, here is a tower defense game that my 7 year old nephew and i can fight over!” That is pretty awesome, especially since I need to work on my sharing.
With a tentative Spring 2012 release window, the hope is for the BBQ to come to PC, consoles and iOS. Look for my interview with Eitan Glinert tomorrow!
Hands-On Miegakure
Miegakure is a game of the fourth dimension. Featured for an hour at Chris Hecker's Spy Party booth the Sunday of PAX, it only took a few moments of gameplay and speaking with creator Marc ten Bosch to see why Hecker would appreciate the game: both Hecker and ten Bosch are wildly smart and making wildly smart games.
Miegakure is about existing in a three-dimensional world while exploring a fourth physical dimension, and what that means. In many places the gameplay is conventional three-dimensional platforming, but in order to solve the puzzling levels you have to use that 3D platforming in conjunction with the fourth dimension. What amounts to a simple button press is a bit mind-boggling.
As ten Bosch explains, "I'm a programmer so I knew that I could make a game in more than three dimensions, but I didn't know what that would be. Then, I started reading about it, and there's a lot of books that talk about it. The most famous one is "Flatlands" and it talks about how if you were a two-dimensional character on a two-dimensional plane that runs inside three-dimensional space, what kinds of things could happen, and that it would feel like magic. I felt like that was the game I should make, but in one more dimension where you're stuck in a three-dimensional plane inside a four-dimensional one, and all the cool stuff that you could do if you could move in four dimensions, and have that be the levels in the game."
As three-dimensional creatures, we cannot see the fourth dimension, but ten Bosch can program it so that we can explore it in gameplay. Tackling the levels and puzzles I had to wonder, at some point is it better to just turn off part of your brain? Sort of, according to ten Bosch, "Sometimes I'll program something because I know what the math is about, but I have no idea what it's actually going to look like until I program it and then try it in game. I know how this works, it's just math - and then you see it and wow, I don't even understand what's going on. So I have the same discovery as the player, initially."
With the notion of making the mathematical concept of the fourth dimension something that players can come to understand through gameplay, Miegakure can sound a little intense. Fortunately, things unfold simply enough. Dropped into a three-dimensional hub world scattered with gates, each gate transports you to a level that needs solving. You can jump, interact with objects, rotate your view of a level and make use of the fourth dimension. That last one is kind of impressive, no? In practice, the best I can describe it is that each stage is comprised of multiple sub-levels that exist as three-dimensional platforming spaces. Within those levels are what you need to get to the gate, but you can only occupy one at a time. By using the fourth dimension each sub-level of a stage appears as slices of that stage, and moving between them and back into the third dimension allows you to manipulate the space and objects within it to solve the puzzles. Beginning, for example, on a level with a wall of mountain in the middle, you can see the exit gate on the other side. Swap into the fourth dimension to cross a space that the mountain occupies otherwise, then swap back, placing you on the other side of the obstacle. The gameplay is very addictive - you've no sooner solved one mind-bending puzzle as you're clambering to the next gate for another!
Within each level are characters that can offer advice, or sometimes just idle commentary, as well as maps that you can collect that make it easier to swap between the areas while using the fourth dimension. These maps are training wheels, you can avoid picking them up for a greater challenge, and ten Bosch says that, "After awhile, you should be able to hold all of the world in your head, right?" We'll do our best, Marc!
As the game progresses even the characters will fall away, because once you become a four dimensional object characters just don't really make sense. Where early on you interact with a wooden block as a three-dimensional object, eventually it can be aligned along the fourth dimension allowing you to see parts of it in each world. Later, there are objects the player can rotate around a fixed point in the fourth dimension, as well. Largely a solo project, ten Bosch works with a 3D artist and modeler. The visuals we see in game now aren't final, and as he points out the cubes morph but the trees do not - yet.
Reaching a stage's exit gate takes you back to the hub stage to travel through more gates, some of which transport you to 2D explorations of the dimensional idea just so you can see more of what ten Bosch is getting at with the Flatlands concept. While you may feel a bit brain dead thinking about it, there is no actual death in game: I leapt down a crevasse and was happily dropped right back into the level! Once all the gates in a world are cleared, you have to figure out how to manipulate the fourth dimension to get to the next hub world full of new levels. I had to laugh when I struggled initially, because it was clear that if I couldn't figure out how to get to the next area I probably wouldn't be able to solve those puzzles. Talk about scaling difficulty!
Playing Miegakure makes you want to talk about it intelligently, and even now I'm not sure I'm up to the task. Marc ten Bosch has made the fourth dimension something you can enjoy through gameplay, and that works for me - Edwin A. Abbott can have the rest!
Currently in its second year of development for PC/Mac/Linux and one unannounced console, look for Miegakure in 2012.
Miegakure is about existing in a three-dimensional world while exploring a fourth physical dimension, and what that means. In many places the gameplay is conventional three-dimensional platforming, but in order to solve the puzzling levels you have to use that 3D platforming in conjunction with the fourth dimension. What amounts to a simple button press is a bit mind-boggling.
As ten Bosch explains, "I'm a programmer so I knew that I could make a game in more than three dimensions, but I didn't know what that would be. Then, I started reading about it, and there's a lot of books that talk about it. The most famous one is "Flatlands" and it talks about how if you were a two-dimensional character on a two-dimensional plane that runs inside three-dimensional space, what kinds of things could happen, and that it would feel like magic. I felt like that was the game I should make, but in one more dimension where you're stuck in a three-dimensional plane inside a four-dimensional one, and all the cool stuff that you could do if you could move in four dimensions, and have that be the levels in the game."
As three-dimensional creatures, we cannot see the fourth dimension, but ten Bosch can program it so that we can explore it in gameplay. Tackling the levels and puzzles I had to wonder, at some point is it better to just turn off part of your brain? Sort of, according to ten Bosch, "Sometimes I'll program something because I know what the math is about, but I have no idea what it's actually going to look like until I program it and then try it in game. I know how this works, it's just math - and then you see it and wow, I don't even understand what's going on. So I have the same discovery as the player, initially."
With the notion of making the mathematical concept of the fourth dimension something that players can come to understand through gameplay, Miegakure can sound a little intense. Fortunately, things unfold simply enough. Dropped into a three-dimensional hub world scattered with gates, each gate transports you to a level that needs solving. You can jump, interact with objects, rotate your view of a level and make use of the fourth dimension. That last one is kind of impressive, no? In practice, the best I can describe it is that each stage is comprised of multiple sub-levels that exist as three-dimensional platforming spaces. Within those levels are what you need to get to the gate, but you can only occupy one at a time. By using the fourth dimension each sub-level of a stage appears as slices of that stage, and moving between them and back into the third dimension allows you to manipulate the space and objects within it to solve the puzzles. Beginning, for example, on a level with a wall of mountain in the middle, you can see the exit gate on the other side. Swap into the fourth dimension to cross a space that the mountain occupies otherwise, then swap back, placing you on the other side of the obstacle. The gameplay is very addictive - you've no sooner solved one mind-bending puzzle as you're clambering to the next gate for another!
Within each level are characters that can offer advice, or sometimes just idle commentary, as well as maps that you can collect that make it easier to swap between the areas while using the fourth dimension. These maps are training wheels, you can avoid picking them up for a greater challenge, and ten Bosch says that, "After awhile, you should be able to hold all of the world in your head, right?" We'll do our best, Marc!
As the game progresses even the characters will fall away, because once you become a four dimensional object characters just don't really make sense. Where early on you interact with a wooden block as a three-dimensional object, eventually it can be aligned along the fourth dimension allowing you to see parts of it in each world. Later, there are objects the player can rotate around a fixed point in the fourth dimension, as well. Largely a solo project, ten Bosch works with a 3D artist and modeler. The visuals we see in game now aren't final, and as he points out the cubes morph but the trees do not - yet.
Reaching a stage's exit gate takes you back to the hub stage to travel through more gates, some of which transport you to 2D explorations of the dimensional idea just so you can see more of what ten Bosch is getting at with the Flatlands concept. While you may feel a bit brain dead thinking about it, there is no actual death in game: I leapt down a crevasse and was happily dropped right back into the level! Once all the gates in a world are cleared, you have to figure out how to manipulate the fourth dimension to get to the next hub world full of new levels. I had to laugh when I struggled initially, because it was clear that if I couldn't figure out how to get to the next area I probably wouldn't be able to solve those puzzles. Talk about scaling difficulty!
Playing Miegakure makes you want to talk about it intelligently, and even now I'm not sure I'm up to the task. Marc ten Bosch has made the fourth dimension something you can enjoy through gameplay, and that works for me - Edwin A. Abbott can have the rest!
Currently in its second year of development for PC/Mac/Linux and one unannounced console, look for Miegakure in 2012.
The PS3 will remain in third place until late 2014
N4g has attracted gamers of all types and has become the preeminent home for gamers and fanboys of various allegiances.
One of the most pointless, albeit heavily debated, issues on the N4g comments section is the ongoing worldwide sales numbers of PS3 and Xbox360 hardware.
The thesis for this blog is not to instigate hateful retaliation or start a flame war.
Instead, this piece merely hopes to demonstrate, with official Sony and MS data that:
1. Subjective sales surveys such as VGchartz and 'active install base research' are flawed and meaningless
2. The PS3 has indeed outsold the 360 worldwide every year since its release in 2006 according to official data
3. The 360/ps3 gap is officially at 3.5 million
4. The PS3 will not catch the 360 until September 2014 according to official data.
Currently the PS3 is thought to be in third place, with the 360 holding a narrow lead over the ps3 in worldwide sales.
Despite launching a year later, PS3 fans maintain that the ps3 has outsold the 360 every year since launch and is rapidly closing the initial sales gap of almost 9 million consoles.
Curiously, repeated posts on N4g speculate that the ps3 may have even caught the 360 in worldwide sales, citing 'research' on active install bases that reports higher ps3 statistics.
However, in truth these reports are likely flawed in much the same way that VGchartz reports are flawed - both are based on limited samples and subjective inferences. As a consequence, these reports are, at best, merely rumours.
Unfortunately such subjective and meaningless rumours are oft favoured by fanboys, as they lend credence to their fanboy agenda.
Realistically, the only accurate guide to hardware sales come from the financial reports that both Microsoft and Sony make to their investors. In these reports, both companies are required by law to supply performance data to their investors.
Despite the fact that this information is readily available to the N4g community, it is rarely used or accessed.
Most likely, N4g users do not know where to look, or do not like the information as it does not fit their agenda.
In the interest of objectivity, I have provided the relevant links:
http://www.microsoft.com/in...
http://scei.co.jp/corporate...
What is particularly important to consider, is that the information in these links is required to be accurate by law.
Thus, we can be assured that this information represents the lawfully required best practice of quoting hardware sales. Indeed, it is infinitely preferable to any other 'research' or 'survey' that is mistakenly quoted by the community.
The only caveat to this official information is the 'lag' introduced by the retrospective nature of accounting in financial quarters. That is, as soon as the information is published it is effectively 'out-of-date' until the next financial report.
Nevertheless, it provides and effective measure that is second to none.
Using this official company data, we are readily able to see that the ps3 has marginally outsold the 360 worldwide since 2006.
Sorry, 360 fans, it is true.
The most recent official reports put the ps3 at 51.3 million sold, while the 360 is at 55.8 million sold.
As can be seen in the reports, in the 5 years that the ps3 has been available, it has closed the original gap of 9 million by only 5.5 million, to 3.5 million.
None too shabby!
PS3 fans are right to point this out - much to the chagrin of 360 fans that care about sales.
Astoundingly, however, this is where Ps3 fanboys get stuck.
They fail to consider the implication of the long term sales that have manifested to date.
On closer inspection, the average rate of growth is too low!
Over 5 years, the ps3 has gained 5.5 million in total sales on the 360, representing an average yearly gain of 1.1 million or less.
Using this long term sales rate, we can estimate at what date the PS3 will finally be even with the 360 in worldwide sales.
The official ps3/360 gap is 3.5 million today.
Thus, to close this gap, assuming the ps3 continues to outsell the 360 in the exact same way it has done for 5 years, will take until September 2014.
Proof:
Sept 2011 Gap = 3.5 million
Sept 2012 Gap = 2.4 million (This year ps3 outsells 360 by 1.1million)
Sept 2013 Gap = 1.3 million (Again, the ps3 outsells 360 by 1.1 million)
Sept 2014 Gap = 0.2 Million (Again, the ps3 outsells 360 by 1.1 million)
As can be seen, when we use the official data, and we make the assumption that the ps3 will continue to outsell the 360 at exactly the same rates as it has done for the last 5 years, we see the ps3 remain in third place until nearly 2015.
Of course, this news will likely anger or even infuriate ps3 fans on N4g.
Nevertheless, the numbers don't lie.
September 2014.
You heard it here first.
One of the most pointless, albeit heavily debated, issues on the N4g comments section is the ongoing worldwide sales numbers of PS3 and Xbox360 hardware.
The thesis for this blog is not to instigate hateful retaliation or start a flame war.
Instead, this piece merely hopes to demonstrate, with official Sony and MS data that:
1. Subjective sales surveys such as VGchartz and 'active install base research' are flawed and meaningless
2. The PS3 has indeed outsold the 360 worldwide every year since its release in 2006 according to official data
3. The 360/ps3 gap is officially at 3.5 million
4. The PS3 will not catch the 360 until September 2014 according to official data.
Currently the PS3 is thought to be in third place, with the 360 holding a narrow lead over the ps3 in worldwide sales.
Despite launching a year later, PS3 fans maintain that the ps3 has outsold the 360 every year since launch and is rapidly closing the initial sales gap of almost 9 million consoles.
Curiously, repeated posts on N4g speculate that the ps3 may have even caught the 360 in worldwide sales, citing 'research' on active install bases that reports higher ps3 statistics.
However, in truth these reports are likely flawed in much the same way that VGchartz reports are flawed - both are based on limited samples and subjective inferences. As a consequence, these reports are, at best, merely rumours.
Unfortunately such subjective and meaningless rumours are oft favoured by fanboys, as they lend credence to their fanboy agenda.
Realistically, the only accurate guide to hardware sales come from the financial reports that both Microsoft and Sony make to their investors. In these reports, both companies are required by law to supply performance data to their investors.
Despite the fact that this information is readily available to the N4g community, it is rarely used or accessed.
Most likely, N4g users do not know where to look, or do not like the information as it does not fit their agenda.
In the interest of objectivity, I have provided the relevant links:
http://www.microsoft.com/in...
http://scei.co.jp/corporate...
What is particularly important to consider, is that the information in these links is required to be accurate by law.
Thus, we can be assured that this information represents the lawfully required best practice of quoting hardware sales. Indeed, it is infinitely preferable to any other 'research' or 'survey' that is mistakenly quoted by the community.
The only caveat to this official information is the 'lag' introduced by the retrospective nature of accounting in financial quarters. That is, as soon as the information is published it is effectively 'out-of-date' until the next financial report.
Nevertheless, it provides and effective measure that is second to none.
Using this official company data, we are readily able to see that the ps3 has marginally outsold the 360 worldwide since 2006.
Sorry, 360 fans, it is true.
The most recent official reports put the ps3 at 51.3 million sold, while the 360 is at 55.8 million sold.
As can be seen in the reports, in the 5 years that the ps3 has been available, it has closed the original gap of 9 million by only 5.5 million, to 3.5 million.
None too shabby!
PS3 fans are right to point this out - much to the chagrin of 360 fans that care about sales.
Astoundingly, however, this is where Ps3 fanboys get stuck.
They fail to consider the implication of the long term sales that have manifested to date.
On closer inspection, the average rate of growth is too low!
Over 5 years, the ps3 has gained 5.5 million in total sales on the 360, representing an average yearly gain of 1.1 million or less.
Using this long term sales rate, we can estimate at what date the PS3 will finally be even with the 360 in worldwide sales.
The official ps3/360 gap is 3.5 million today.
Thus, to close this gap, assuming the ps3 continues to outsell the 360 in the exact same way it has done for 5 years, will take until September 2014.
Proof:
Sept 2011 Gap = 3.5 million
Sept 2012 Gap = 2.4 million (This year ps3 outsells 360 by 1.1million)
Sept 2013 Gap = 1.3 million (Again, the ps3 outsells 360 by 1.1 million)
Sept 2014 Gap = 0.2 Million (Again, the ps3 outsells 360 by 1.1 million)
As can be seen, when we use the official data, and we make the assumption that the ps3 will continue to outsell the 360 at exactly the same rates as it has done for the last 5 years, we see the ps3 remain in third place until nearly 2015.
Of course, this news will likely anger or even infuriate ps3 fans on N4g.
Nevertheless, the numbers don't lie.
September 2014.
You heard it here first.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Playfish founder: We have redefined social games with The Sims Social
The Sims Social is just an arm's reach from being the number one game on Facebook, so this kind of logic is expected. In an interview with MCV, Playfish founder and co-GM Kristian Segerstrale said, "In bringing one of EA's most popular game franchises to Facebook, Playfish and The Sims team have redefined the meaning of social in video games."
While The Sims Social certainly treads some new ground in how Facebook gamers interact, it's important to remember to chalk up much of the game's runaway success to the brand it's attached to. In just over a month since its release, The Sims Social has skyrocketed to become the second most popular Facebook game to date in both daily and monthly players, AppData reports.
Just last week, EA's (which owns Playfish) proverbial secret weapon ousted Zynga's iconic and ubiquitous FarmVille in daily players, but now the game has even more monthly players than the household name farming simulator with over 43.8 million and counting. The Sims Social has dipped a bit in daily players, but is just about 2.9 million fans away from beating out the might CityVille as the most played Facebook game daily.
"By combining Playfish's expertise and passion for social play with the deep creative heritage of The Sims franchise and the insights of its creators, we feel we've brought something very special to life – and tens of millions of players around the world have responded with extraordinary enthusiasm over the last few weeks," Segerstrale said to MCV.
The founder went on to say that new features to The Sims Social will land in the coming months. And we're sure that if EA wants to host the top Facebook game overall, that those features will have to be even more groundbreaking than before. How's about in-game marriages, eh? (Because we all know how well that's worked elsewhere.)
Have you been a part of The Sims Social craze on Facebook? Do you think it's incredible growth is due to its reportedly groundbreaking social features, or is more thanks to its name (it could always be both)? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
While The Sims Social certainly treads some new ground in how Facebook gamers interact, it's important to remember to chalk up much of the game's runaway success to the brand it's attached to. In just over a month since its release, The Sims Social has skyrocketed to become the second most popular Facebook game to date in both daily and monthly players, AppData reports.
Just last week, EA's (which owns Playfish) proverbial secret weapon ousted Zynga's iconic and ubiquitous FarmVille in daily players, but now the game has even more monthly players than the household name farming simulator with over 43.8 million and counting. The Sims Social has dipped a bit in daily players, but is just about 2.9 million fans away from beating out the might CityVille as the most played Facebook game daily.
"By combining Playfish's expertise and passion for social play with the deep creative heritage of The Sims franchise and the insights of its creators, we feel we've brought something very special to life – and tens of millions of players around the world have responded with extraordinary enthusiasm over the last few weeks," Segerstrale said to MCV.
The founder went on to say that new features to The Sims Social will land in the coming months. And we're sure that if EA wants to host the top Facebook game overall, that those features will have to be even more groundbreaking than before. How's about in-game marriages, eh? (Because we all know how well that's worked elsewhere.)
Have you been a part of The Sims Social craze on Facebook? Do you think it's incredible growth is due to its reportedly groundbreaking social features, or is more thanks to its name (it could always be both)? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Google+ releases API to developers, more social games incoming
Google+ Games is cool with its no-nonsense interface and all, but the sad fact is that it only has 16 games. Compare that to the thousands of Facebook games out there, and it's clear that Google has to do something to compete with that selection. Enter the Google+ API, which was just recently released to developers, and could lead to a plethora of more Google+ Games.
The acronym API is short for Application Programming Interface, meaning it contains the tools for developers to create new applications within a given framework--in this case being Google+. Wired reports that Google will steadily release its developer API, meaning that it will be some time before it's feature-complete. And the features not yet included are, well, kinda vital.
For instance, at the moment developers can only create apps that publish read-only public posts. For instance, if a developer like Zynga released a new social game today on Google+ Games, your friends would not be able to interact with the News Feed posts you create. You all already likely know that this is essentially the bread and butter of Facebook games. It's how things get done in-game aside from directly requesting help from friends.
The reasoning for the omission? According to PC World, Google's Eric Chabot explains that this is because the company would rather improve Google+ over time, rather open up a "vacuum" with too many features at once. I'm not sure adding simple post-sharing interactivity would create a vacuum for the platform, but it's a first step nonetheless. What Google+ Games has to deal with more in its competition with Facebook's wide offering of games is scale. The bell rings on Round 2.
[Source: Google+ Platform Blog]
Do you think developers will flock to Google+ Games, even with a limited API at launch? Does Google+ Games have a chance against Facebook's Canvas platform for games? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
The acronym API is short for Application Programming Interface, meaning it contains the tools for developers to create new applications within a given framework--in this case being Google+. Wired reports that Google will steadily release its developer API, meaning that it will be some time before it's feature-complete. And the features not yet included are, well, kinda vital.
For instance, at the moment developers can only create apps that publish read-only public posts. For instance, if a developer like Zynga released a new social game today on Google+ Games, your friends would not be able to interact with the News Feed posts you create. You all already likely know that this is essentially the bread and butter of Facebook games. It's how things get done in-game aside from directly requesting help from friends.
The reasoning for the omission? According to PC World, Google's Eric Chabot explains that this is because the company would rather improve Google+ over time, rather open up a "vacuum" with too many features at once. I'm not sure adding simple post-sharing interactivity would create a vacuum for the platform, but it's a first step nonetheless. What Google+ Games has to deal with more in its competition with Facebook's wide offering of games is scale. The bell rings on Round 2.
[Source: Google+ Platform Blog]
Do you think developers will flock to Google+ Games, even with a limited API at launch? Does Google+ Games have a chance against Facebook's Canvas platform for games? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
MapleStory Adventures hits over 3M players, new classes coming soon
You'd think an astronomical divorce rate would scare players away, but nay. Nexon announced today that its first crack at Facebook games, MapleStory Adventures, has touched the chibi-loving hearts of over 3.2 million monthly players. While this number pales in comparison to the 100 million players that have jumped into the original game, it's impressive considering.
But not necessarily surprising. First of all, have you ever met a MapleStory fan ... or should I say fanatic? Second, the "click things and cute things happen" approach could certainly keep players hooked. Now that the Facebook version has roped in a few million, we imagine the Korean studio looks to bring its 414,000 daily players, according to AppData, up closer to six digits.
And what do you know, the company just announced that new classes are coming to MapleStory Adventures to give players more variety to work with than merely "Magician" and "Warrior." (Admittedly, classes are a bit lean at the moment.) While Nexon didn't reveal any specifics, we hope the new classes somehow involve adorable dragons ... somehow.
In addition to the recently-introduced Sky Scraper area, Nexon plans to add multi-character slots, personal spaces that players can customize and to localize MapleStory Adventures in Spanish, French, German, Chinese and more. In short, this is Nexon's way of saying: Stay tuned, because there is plenty more to come. We guess some 400,000 of you have no issue with that.
Have you been playing MapleStory Adventures on Facebook? What do you think of the game so far, and what classes do you hope Nexon adds to the game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
But not necessarily surprising. First of all, have you ever met a MapleStory fan ... or should I say fanatic? Second, the "click things and cute things happen" approach could certainly keep players hooked. Now that the Facebook version has roped in a few million, we imagine the Korean studio looks to bring its 414,000 daily players, according to AppData, up closer to six digits.
And what do you know, the company just announced that new classes are coming to MapleStory Adventures to give players more variety to work with than merely "Magician" and "Warrior." (Admittedly, classes are a bit lean at the moment.) While Nexon didn't reveal any specifics, we hope the new classes somehow involve adorable dragons ... somehow.
In addition to the recently-introduced Sky Scraper area, Nexon plans to add multi-character slots, personal spaces that players can customize and to localize MapleStory Adventures in Spanish, French, German, Chinese and more. In short, this is Nexon's way of saying: Stay tuned, because there is plenty more to come. We guess some 400,000 of you have no issue with that.
Have you been playing MapleStory Adventures on Facebook? What do you think of the game so far, and what classes do you hope Nexon adds to the game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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