Buyouts and Monopolies
By iamaredmage on 02.28.08 at 05:27 AM CST [permalink] |
So, maybe you guys have heard the news. The word is that Electronic Arts is attempting or considering takeovers of Take Two and Ubisoft for their own, alongside Bioware, Criterion, and others. Now while Take Two has declined and Ubisoft is taking measures to prevent these rather hostile takeovers, I believe that it is only a matter of time before EA acquires both.
My thoughts on this? Well, what I'm about to say will definitely anger some. If you're the type that angers easily, do not continue on. Otherwise, be prepared.
So, maybe you guys have heard the news. The word is that Electronic Arts is attempting or considering takeovers of Take Two and Ubisoft for their own, alongside Bioware, Criterion, and others. Now while Take Two has declined and Ubisoft is taking measures to prevent these rather hostile takeovers, I believe that it is only a matter of time before EA acquires both.
My thoughts on this? Well, what I'm about to say will definitely anger some. If you're the type that angers easily, do not continue on. Otherwise, be prepared.
Read more... |
Price of entertainment
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.27.08 at 04:50 AM CST [permalink] |
With Sony's announcement of the Dual Shock 3 (finally) dated for the US, I noticed a lot of complaints about the price. The honest truth is that I agree that the cost ($55) is a bit much for just a controller, but then I actually looked around and realized what a bargain we were getting. The non-rumble equivalent is $50, as is the wireless 360 controller without the rechargeable battery pack. And lest we forget the wii-remote and nunchuck combo, which clocks in at $60 for us by the time is all said and done. Add this on to $50 or $60 for a game, more if you live overseas. And while it does of course get expensive, it also brings up a magic number. So, how is paying for the most expensive controller on the market, a controller which by itself is more expensive than 99% of all game titles released last generation, totally justified? Just some quick math.
With Sony's announcement of the Dual Shock 3 (finally) dated for the US, I noticed a lot of complaints about the price. The honest truth is that I agree that the cost ($55) is a bit much for just a controller, but then I actually looked around and realized what a bargain we were getting. The non-rumble equivalent is $50, as is the wireless 360 controller without the rechargeable battery pack. And lest we forget the wii-remote and nunchuck combo, which clocks in at $60 for us by the time is all said and done. Add this on to $50 or $60 for a game, more if you live overseas. And while it does of course get expensive, it also brings up a magic number. So, how is paying for the most expensive controller on the market, a controller which by itself is more expensive than 99% of all game titles released last generation, totally justified? Just some quick math.
Read more... |
Game called on account of injury
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.26.08 at 03:52 AM CST [permalink] |
Post tomorrow due to the massive headache I'm sporting. Sorry about flaking again.
-T.T. |
Spatial Problems
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.23.08 at 08:58 AM CST [permalink] |
So as was covered in 8-Bits, Nintendo is finally enabling DLC for the Wii. The first, and most obvious, title to benefit will likely be Guitar Hero, and it does speak wonders for the eventual Rock Band release. According to Nintendo, DLC will be purchased in game, rather than on the Wii Shop, but that may have been specific to things like WiiWare titles. But, as any smart person will realize, Nintendo doesn't have a ton of space to put all of this wonderful new content. So where's it going to go?
There are 4 possible solutions. First would be to use the internal system memory. Next, they could require the use of the SD cards. They could release their own proprietary hard drive, or they could allow you to use any external USB compatible hard drive.
So as was covered in 8-Bits, Nintendo is finally enabling DLC for the Wii. The first, and most obvious, title to benefit will likely be Guitar Hero, and it does speak wonders for the eventual Rock Band release. According to Nintendo, DLC will be purchased in game, rather than on the Wii Shop, but that may have been specific to things like WiiWare titles. But, as any smart person will realize, Nintendo doesn't have a ton of space to put all of this wonderful new content. So where's it going to go?
There are 4 possible solutions. First would be to use the internal system memory. Next, they could require the use of the SD cards. They could release their own proprietary hard drive, or they could allow you to use any external USB compatible hard drive.
Read more... |
Those Same Ol' Politics
By iamaredmage on 02.22.08 at 03:43 AM CST [permalink] |
So, first off, big ups for Josh getting this site back up so fast. What I thought would be a mini-vacation only ended up being a day off.
Now, for myself, I've really been under quite some stress as of late, with school, home, and work issues. I do have something planned for next month, at Josh's approval, of course, but I can't disclose anything right now. I'll let you guys know more as the date approaches.
Now, my original topic was going to be about the GDC, but, so far, the conference has been deader than Lindsay Lohan's career. So, I'll go to my backup plan.
So, first off, big ups for Josh getting this site back up so fast. What I thought would be a mini-vacation only ended up being a day off.
Now, for myself, I've really been under quite some stress as of late, with school, home, and work issues. I do have something planned for next month, at Josh's approval, of course, but I can't disclose anything right now. I'll let you guys know more as the date approaches.
Now, my original topic was going to be about the GDC, but, so far, the conference has been deader than Lindsay Lohan's career. So, I'll go to my backup plan.
Read more... |
Evolving the game
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.21.08 at 04:57 AM CST [permalink] |
This post was originally going to be put up on Monday, but I held off due to the uncertainty regarding the site as a whole. As for why there was no post this past Friday, there is a good reason for that. As some of you know, I recently suffered a loss in my family, and I wanted to thank those of you who have offered words of comfort to me. It was a close relative, and I'm ok, but obviously, family comes first in these things.
Is it just me, or is the entirety of gaming's future based on a gigantic contradiction? We all know exactly what we want from the future of games; Something that is totally new and different from anything we've ever seen while simultaneously being the exact same thing we've been playing for years. Wait, no, we want something with totally realistic graphics that are totally stylized into a fantasy world setting. How about having a game that contains an epic involving quest that also happens to be perfect for casual play? You see the problem. Aside from the fact that I can't come up with a good definition of a contradiction, there is a sharp contrast between what people say they want and what people actually want. We all make fun of EA for repacking sports titles and generic looking FPS games year after year with moderate updates like rosters, but then we go out and buy those same titles when we're bored and need something to entertain us. Even the seeming giants of innovation, Nintendo, who shook up the industry with their radical controller design, have done what with their flagship titles; give them totally new revolutionary makeovers? Nope, released the same old stuff with a bit of a new "innovative" twist. Samus aims with a pointer, you swing to make Link swing and Mario can spin because you flick your wrist. So much for the 'revolution' we were all promised. If that doesn't express some kind of an issue, I don't know what does.
This post was originally going to be put up on Monday, but I held off due to the uncertainty regarding the site as a whole. As for why there was no post this past Friday, there is a good reason for that. As some of you know, I recently suffered a loss in my family, and I wanted to thank those of you who have offered words of comfort to me. It was a close relative, and I'm ok, but obviously, family comes first in these things.
Is it just me, or is the entirety of gaming's future based on a gigantic contradiction? We all know exactly what we want from the future of games; Something that is totally new and different from anything we've ever seen while simultaneously being the exact same thing we've been playing for years. Wait, no, we want something with totally realistic graphics that are totally stylized into a fantasy world setting. How about having a game that contains an epic involving quest that also happens to be perfect for casual play? You see the problem. Aside from the fact that I can't come up with a good definition of a contradiction, there is a sharp contrast between what people say they want and what people actually want. We all make fun of EA for repacking sports titles and generic looking FPS games year after year with moderate updates like rosters, but then we go out and buy those same titles when we're bored and need something to entertain us. Even the seeming giants of innovation, Nintendo, who shook up the industry with their radical controller design, have done what with their flagship titles; give them totally new revolutionary makeovers? Nope, released the same old stuff with a bit of a new "innovative" twist. Samus aims with a pointer, you swing to make Link swing and Mario can spin because you flick your wrist. So much for the 'revolution' we were all promised. If that doesn't express some kind of an issue, I don't know what does.
Read more... |
EA makes alot of noise, but it's the same noise over and over again
By iamaredmage on 02.20.08 at 09:51 PM CST [permalink] |
So, yeah. No new blog at all last week. Yeah, I should know better, but it's been crazy for me. Projects and labs and tests and...well, you get the idea.
With tonight being the eve of Valentine's Day, I normally have a rant against such a holiday, but this is a gaming blog. Not an emo blog. That kind of stuff's reserved for MySpace, Facebook, and the like. I CAN, however, rant about EA and their mindless thought processes.
So, yeah. No new blog at all last week. Yeah, I should know better, but it's been crazy for me. Projects and labs and tests and...well, you get the idea.
With tonight being the eve of Valentine's Day, I normally have a rant against such a holiday, but this is a gaming blog. Not an emo blog. That kind of stuff's reserved for MySpace, Facebook, and the like. I CAN, however, rant about EA and their mindless thought processes.
Read more... |
When is a Dragon not a Dragon?
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:49 PM CST [permalink] |
Once again I have to apologize for this being late. I was stuck in Boston this weekend with no internet, which makes doing things like updating a bit hard. I was told the place I'd be staying would have internet. Apparently, 'stealing neighbor's wireless' is what 'internet' meant. Which becomes a problem when they decided to password their router.
And the answer to my title is "When it controls like a sluggish tank." Just ask the people who played Lair. Or more accurately "didn't understand the controls" according to Factor 5. Now, personally, I'm not sure how many ways you can misunderstand unresponsive controls, but Factor 5 seems convinced you can. They even sent out that little info packet on how you were supposed to enjoy the game. Now granted, not everyone HATED the controls, but the fact of the matter is, the game got some pretty bad reviews, and were it not for the stunning visuals, it may have been even worse. Now, like every good company with a reputation to uphold, Factor 5 took the high road of insisting it wasn't their fault there were issues with the game.
So when I heard about this I was in shock. This is about as close to a company coming out and admitting that they're wrong that you can really expect from anyone that didn't make a product that lights people on fire. But in reality, I think what they did was brilliant.
Once again I have to apologize for this being late. I was stuck in Boston this weekend with no internet, which makes doing things like updating a bit hard. I was told the place I'd be staying would have internet. Apparently, 'stealing neighbor's wireless' is what 'internet' meant. Which becomes a problem when they decided to password their router.
And the answer to my title is "When it controls like a sluggish tank." Just ask the people who played Lair. Or more accurately "didn't understand the controls" according to Factor 5. Now, personally, I'm not sure how many ways you can misunderstand unresponsive controls, but Factor 5 seems convinced you can. They even sent out that little info packet on how you were supposed to enjoy the game. Now granted, not everyone HATED the controls, but the fact of the matter is, the game got some pretty bad reviews, and were it not for the stunning visuals, it may have been even worse. Now, like every good company with a reputation to uphold, Factor 5 took the high road of insisting it wasn't their fault there were issues with the game.
So when I heard about this I was in shock. This is about as close to a company coming out and admitting that they're wrong that you can really expect from anyone that didn't make a product that lights people on fire. But in reality, I think what they did was brilliant.
Read more... |
This is either brilliance or madness
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:48 PM CST [permalink] |
So today, I went ahead with a decision I'd been on the fence about for some time. I went ahead and bought a PS3. Now, I know, I've done nothing but bash Sony for months, why the sudden turnaround? Well, lets just say the situation that presented itself made too much sense to ignore.
So today, I went ahead with a decision I'd been on the fence about for some time. I went ahead and bought a PS3. Now, I know, I've done nothing but bash Sony for months, why the sudden turnaround? Well, lets just say the situation that presented itself made too much sense to ignore.
Read more... |
Confusion and Mass Hysteria? Maybe just confusion
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:48 PM CST [permalink] |
Sorry this post is coming up so late. We've having construction done on the house, which means at any point, anything in the house is subject to be moved to the other side of the house. We have rooms that make it look like no one lives here, and rooms that redefine the term 'overstuffed'. We have a couch covered in chairs and another couch, and we have a piano stuck in a hallway that is only about 8" wider than the piano itself; the hallway in question connects to 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. But, you didn't come here to read me bitching, you came here to read me ranting, and rant I shall.
So you know how its just kinda looked like Sony doesn't have any clue what they're doing with the PS3 SKUs? Thats probably because Sony doesn't have any idea of what its doing with the new PS3 SKUs. Which, last time I checked, is a bad position to be in for your flagship product. If you, the company, don't know what you're doing with the product, it drives down consumer confidence. When people see your product, you want them to think "Oh man, I HAVE to get that.", not "Oh man, did they release ANOTHER model?".
Sorry this post is coming up so late. We've having construction done on the house, which means at any point, anything in the house is subject to be moved to the other side of the house. We have rooms that make it look like no one lives here, and rooms that redefine the term 'overstuffed'. We have a couch covered in chairs and another couch, and we have a piano stuck in a hallway that is only about 8" wider than the piano itself; the hallway in question connects to 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. But, you didn't come here to read me bitching, you came here to read me ranting, and rant I shall.
So you know how its just kinda looked like Sony doesn't have any clue what they're doing with the PS3 SKUs? Thats probably because Sony doesn't have any idea of what its doing with the new PS3 SKUs. Which, last time I checked, is a bad position to be in for your flagship product. If you, the company, don't know what you're doing with the product, it drives down consumer confidence. When people see your product, you want them to think "Oh man, I HAVE to get that.", not "Oh man, did they release ANOTHER model?".
Read more... |
Yep, more Jack Thompson
By iamaredmage on 02.20.08 at 09:47 PM CST [permalink] |
What a day we had yesterday, huh? All the Brawl info is out there thanks to leaked copies. Now, I did have some thoughts on the lineup, but since TestuoTrunks beat me to it (and advised that no one speak or write of it to preserve the innocent), I decided upon a different topic; my Monday finding of Jack Thompson defending Mass Effect.
What a day we had yesterday, huh? All the Brawl info is out there thanks to leaked copies. Now, I did have some thoughts on the lineup, but since TestuoTrunks beat me to it (and advised that no one speak or write of it to preserve the innocent), I decided upon a different topic; my Monday finding of Jack Thompson defending Mass Effect.
Read more... |
Just a bit of fun
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:45 PM CST [permalink] |
Just fair warning. No one take offense to this. Its meant to be humorous. Think Dr. Cox from NBC's Scrubs if you need a reference on how this should be taken.
So, this internet thing has seen one or 2 truly significant days over its little existence. There was day 1, when the internet was actually used for transfer of helpful information and no one screamed 'TEH INTERNETZ FTW!" without getting their teeth kicked in. Then there was the day the internet removed all the porn. Well, day is kind of generous, as it was kind of more like a half hour; at that point every remaining web site online melded into one giant one called www.bringbacktheporn.com/oryoudie.xml and while it was touching to see that kind of display of camaraderie around the internet, there was probably a lot more 'touching' going on once we got all that porn back. But today marks at least the third significant day in the history of the internet. For today, the internet lived through an event that I am christening the official "Brawlsplosion'. The term is trademarked, by the way, so if you see anyone else using it, sue the hell out of them for me.
Just fair warning. No one take offense to this. Its meant to be humorous. Think Dr. Cox from NBC's Scrubs if you need a reference on how this should be taken.
So, this internet thing has seen one or 2 truly significant days over its little existence. There was day 1, when the internet was actually used for transfer of helpful information and no one screamed 'TEH INTERNETZ FTW!" without getting their teeth kicked in. Then there was the day the internet removed all the porn. Well, day is kind of generous, as it was kind of more like a half hour; at that point every remaining web site online melded into one giant one called www.bringbacktheporn.com/oryoudie.xml and while it was touching to see that kind of display of camaraderie around the internet, there was probably a lot more 'touching' going on once we got all that porn back. But today marks at least the third significant day in the history of the internet. For today, the internet lived through an event that I am christening the official "Brawlsplosion'. The term is trademarked, by the way, so if you see anyone else using it, sue the hell out of them for me.
Read more... |
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but....aww, forget it
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:45 PM CST [permalink] |
So it seems Sony is once again changing the SKU setup for the PS3. My honest question is why on EARTH can't Sony leave this alone? Suddenly, they're pickier than a stuck up prom queen deciding which lucky guy gets to...well, you see where I'm going with this. First we have 60 and 20. Then we kill those and swap them out to 40 and 80. Now, we ditch 80 and we'll come up with....120? 160? 1TB? Where will it end Sony? And the best part of coming up with a new system structure is coming up with a new set of features.
First, we had full backwards compatibility and a few differences like USB port numbers and card reader slots. Then Europe got shafted with no Hardware BC before it got pulled altogether. We're done to NO Hardware Backwards Compatibility anywhere, Software in one of the 2 units on the market (despite Sony's claims that BC was very important to them) and now, we're about to have a setup where the only machines available to purchase that will play PS2 games are PS2s. It seems clearer and clearer to me as time goes on that Sony hasn't got a clue what its doing with its hardware. But in all fairness, its not entirely their fault. They've never had problems selling hardware before.
So it seems Sony is once again changing the SKU setup for the PS3. My honest question is why on EARTH can't Sony leave this alone? Suddenly, they're pickier than a stuck up prom queen deciding which lucky guy gets to...well, you see where I'm going with this. First we have 60 and 20. Then we kill those and swap them out to 40 and 80. Now, we ditch 80 and we'll come up with....120? 160? 1TB? Where will it end Sony? And the best part of coming up with a new system structure is coming up with a new set of features.
First, we had full backwards compatibility and a few differences like USB port numbers and card reader slots. Then Europe got shafted with no Hardware BC before it got pulled altogether. We're done to NO Hardware Backwards Compatibility anywhere, Software in one of the 2 units on the market (despite Sony's claims that BC was very important to them) and now, we're about to have a setup where the only machines available to purchase that will play PS2 games are PS2s. It seems clearer and clearer to me as time goes on that Sony hasn't got a clue what its doing with its hardware. But in all fairness, its not entirely their fault. They've never had problems selling hardware before.
Read more... |
And the Geek Shall Inherit the Net
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:44 PM CST [permalink] |
So today's follow up worked out even better than I hoped. I promised yesterday that I'd get into the 'flaming Cooper Lawrence's book on amazon" incident, and here we are, with an actual result from the entire ordeal. I'll get into the morality issue in one second, but first I do want to say that I respect Ms. Lawrence for coming forward and admitting she was wrong. Its not an easy thing to do, but it was the right thing. While I still respect her less than I would have if she had done the research in the first place, I will admit that coming out like this does restore her a little bit in my eyes.
So today's follow up worked out even better than I hoped. I promised yesterday that I'd get into the 'flaming Cooper Lawrence's book on amazon" incident, and here we are, with an actual result from the entire ordeal. I'll get into the morality issue in one second, but first I do want to say that I respect Ms. Lawrence for coming forward and admitting she was wrong. Its not an easy thing to do, but it was the right thing. While I still respect her less than I would have if she had done the research in the first place, I will admit that coming out like this does restore her a little bit in my eyes.
Read more... |
You're watching Fox: Your home for Evil
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:43 PM CST [permalink] |
So I'm sure by now, most of you have heard about Fox's recent "SeXbox" piece, wherein a number of Fox panelists and an alleged "expert" discuss the sexual content in Mass Effect. For those of you who missed it, take a look as Gametrailers.com's own Geoff Keighley tries, unsuccessfully, to open the eyes of the rather narrow minded Fox panel. I'm not going to dispute some of the points they make; exposure to violence does desensitize to violence to some extent (*) and the same can be reasonably assumed about sexual content. Here is where my problem comes in; Fox's roundtable takes about the most closed minded, conservative, anti-gaming view they can. Ok, you wanna start there to try and identify with the most conservative of critics, go for it. But why have a 'discussion' where no one actually listens to each other? They all just espouse their views and ignore everyone else at the table.
(*) According to some studies, but the truth of the matter is that the overall upbringing of a child is going to have a lot more of an influence in their behavior than will a 30 second or even 30 hour gaming session.
So I'm sure by now, most of you have heard about Fox's recent "SeXbox" piece, wherein a number of Fox panelists and an alleged "expert" discuss the sexual content in Mass Effect. For those of you who missed it, take a look as Gametrailers.com's own Geoff Keighley tries, unsuccessfully, to open the eyes of the rather narrow minded Fox panel. I'm not going to dispute some of the points they make; exposure to violence does desensitize to violence to some extent (*) and the same can be reasonably assumed about sexual content. Here is where my problem comes in; Fox's roundtable takes about the most closed minded, conservative, anti-gaming view they can. Ok, you wanna start there to try and identify with the most conservative of critics, go for it. But why have a 'discussion' where no one actually listens to each other? They all just espouse their views and ignore everyone else at the table.
(*) According to some studies, but the truth of the matter is that the overall upbringing of a child is going to have a lot more of an influence in their behavior than will a 30 second or even 30 hour gaming session.
Read more... |
Just a heads up
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:42 PM CST [permalink] |
As Red Mage mentioned, I'm working on something. But it ended up being longer than I expected. I was trying to separate things into 2 blog posts, which I'm doing, but I think it'll have to be a Friday and Saturday 2 post day. Maybe Friday and Monday, we'll see. Anyway, sorry, nothing else tonight, but check back tomorrow.
-T.T. |
Making something out of nothing
By iamaredmage on 02.20.08 at 09:40 PM CST [permalink] |
It's funny that it's currently Wensday and I've got nothing in the gaming news for a blog update. Some may argue the Mass Effect ordeal would be something to write about, but I feel that C&T and I have kinda run that into the ground enough.
So, after asking TestuoTrunks on what I should write, he recommended giving my gaming predictions for 2008, except without the suck that T.T. put in in his update. So, here we go, a full-fledged gaming prediction for each console in 2008.
It's funny that it's currently Wensday and I've got nothing in the gaming news for a blog update. Some may argue the Mass Effect ordeal would be something to write about, but I feel that C&T and I have kinda run that into the ground enough.
So, after asking TestuoTrunks on what I should write, he recommended giving my gaming predictions for 2008, except without the suck that T.T. put in in his update. So, here we go, a full-fledged gaming prediction for each console in 2008.
Read more... |
Downloading...please wait...
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:39 PM CST [permalink] |
I saw an article today about EA and some of their future ideas for Downloadable Content. The plans they have used thus far have ranged from the good ideas (new songs for Rock Band) to the not quite as good (paying to unlock all cheat codes in games like Tiger Woods), and sadly, I'm not sure where exactly this one falls. Basically, the idea they presented was that you could theoretically buy a game, lets say Madden, and then 6 months down the road, EA could release a new soundtrack for the title, and allow you to purchase it. This idea got me thinking about how far they would (or wouldn't) take new Downloadable content.
Lets suppose EA came to you with the following options. You can pay, if you so choose, $10 for a new soundtrack, $10 for updated rosters and stats, another $10 for the next year's schedule and a few new stadiums...look at that, you've paid $30 and you're essentially getting a brand new game. Would they ever do it? I'm honestly not sure.
I saw an article today about EA and some of their future ideas for Downloadable Content. The plans they have used thus far have ranged from the good ideas (new songs for Rock Band) to the not quite as good (paying to unlock all cheat codes in games like Tiger Woods), and sadly, I'm not sure where exactly this one falls. Basically, the idea they presented was that you could theoretically buy a game, lets say Madden, and then 6 months down the road, EA could release a new soundtrack for the title, and allow you to purchase it. This idea got me thinking about how far they would (or wouldn't) take new Downloadable content.
Lets suppose EA came to you with the following options. You can pay, if you so choose, $10 for a new soundtrack, $10 for updated rosters and stats, another $10 for the next year's schedule and a few new stadiums...look at that, you've paid $30 and you're essentially getting a brand new game. Would they ever do it? I'm honestly not sure.
Read more... |
Developments for 2008
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:39 PM CST [permalink] |
First off, sorry this is a bit late. I had a close friend drop by and as it was someone I haven't seen in a while, we spent the evening gaming and then..well....things got a little crazy....and there may be a few states I'm no longer allowed to be near a sheep in....cough...
So for this entry, I wanted to discuss a few things I'd like to see and a few things I expect to see in 2008...or at least I was going to until I realized IGN just posted this exact same article before leaving for the weekend. Bastards....Ok, so thus far this year, not much exciting has actually happened. But there is a lot to look forward to. There are a lot of games coming out, and I think the market will balance out a bit. I'm PRETTY sure the Wii won't still be sold out constantly by the end of 2008, and the PS3 can't POSSIBLY sell as poorly as it has thus far. But all in all, I'm really not sure what else to expect from 2008. It'll be essentially the middle year of the current platform generation, so everyone should really be in their strides, full swing, fully devoted to the platforms that exist now. Hopefully, we'll have some amazing surprise announcements and I'd be very surprised if we didn't see some old school franchise(s) go through a revival. Cheers to a great year! |
Time to make use of this...
By iamaredmage on 02.20.08 at 09:36 PM CST [permalink] |
One of my flaws in life is that I never use everything that I have access to. This Button Masher's Blog is one of them. After my rant that I gave to T.T., C&T was kind enough to give me access to the BM Blog, and I've yet to use it until now.
After seeing T.T. actually have a regular schedule, I feel compelled now to try pathetically hard to match a regular update schedule along with my every-other-day 8-Bits post. So, since T.T.'s updating every Monday and Friday every week, I felt that Wensday each week would be a good place for me to put in my deeper thoughts on a particular subject. So, without further ado, let's get rolling like a wheel of cheddar cheese.
One of my flaws in life is that I never use everything that I have access to. This Button Masher's Blog is one of them. After my rant that I gave to T.T., C&T was kind enough to give me access to the BM Blog, and I've yet to use it until now.
After seeing T.T. actually have a regular schedule, I feel compelled now to try pathetically hard to match a regular update schedule along with my every-other-day 8-Bits post. So, since T.T.'s updating every Monday and Friday every week, I felt that Wensday each week would be a good place for me to put in my deeper thoughts on a particular subject. So, without further ado, let's get rolling like a wheel of cheddar cheese.
Read more... |
Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:30 PM CST [permalink] |
I'm sure Nick won't miss the opportunity to post this little beauty, but I'm glad I get to give my 2 cents before he does. I had a long winded rant prepared, but then aside from the obvious problem of me never knowing when to END a rant, it occurred to me that it was ironic and stupid to give a lot of attention to something that really amounts to pretty much nothing. Yes, we had a political blogger taking a story, fudging some facts, blowing the whole thing out of proportion and using it as a launch pad for their personal crusade to 'save the nation.' I'd ask the blogger in question exactly HOW he expects God to reign down fire and brimstone to wipe out all us sinners, but he's still waiting on the fire and brimstone he promised people for Television, Rock and Roll and...well, you get the idea.
This isn't any different than when sensationalist news programs try to sell their own airtime. Someone finds an issue, fudges some facts and uses it to stand on their soap box, bash the people in charge, and say how much better they'd do if they were in charge. With that in mind, remember that this is only an issue that looks silly to us because we know better. Its the same for people who work in the meatpacking industry when someone complains of a viral outbreak. Sure, the conditions in one particular place may not have been totally pristine, but it doesn't mean everyone in the industry is a dirty slob who smokes while they're working. Its just sensationalism trying to sell advertising space. I mean, there's really nothing more to say on the issue. So I won't. However, for a quick note on a different topic, read past the page break.
I'm sure Nick won't miss the opportunity to post this little beauty, but I'm glad I get to give my 2 cents before he does. I had a long winded rant prepared, but then aside from the obvious problem of me never knowing when to END a rant, it occurred to me that it was ironic and stupid to give a lot of attention to something that really amounts to pretty much nothing. Yes, we had a political blogger taking a story, fudging some facts, blowing the whole thing out of proportion and using it as a launch pad for their personal crusade to 'save the nation.' I'd ask the blogger in question exactly HOW he expects God to reign down fire and brimstone to wipe out all us sinners, but he's still waiting on the fire and brimstone he promised people for Television, Rock and Roll and...well, you get the idea.
This isn't any different than when sensationalist news programs try to sell their own airtime. Someone finds an issue, fudges some facts and uses it to stand on their soap box, bash the people in charge, and say how much better they'd do if they were in charge. With that in mind, remember that this is only an issue that looks silly to us because we know better. Its the same for people who work in the meatpacking industry when someone complains of a viral outbreak. Sure, the conditions in one particular place may not have been totally pristine, but it doesn't mean everyone in the industry is a dirty slob who smokes while they're working. Its just sensationalism trying to sell advertising space. I mean, there's really nothing more to say on the issue. So I won't. However, for a quick note on a different topic, read past the page break.
Read more... |
Wii would like to play.....for now only?
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:28 PM CST [permalink] |
So there has been some talk that the Wii may not be something thats profitable for much longer. Now, as this is primarily my blog, I feel that I get to do the 'executive producer' bit, and decide if the tone should be serious, or more lax. Tempting as it may be to do things like point to the list of games Codemasters has released and to say "really? YOU guys think you know games better than Nintendo? So how IS 'Big Nose Freaks Out' working out for you?", I feel that would be beneath me, and it would harm the overall integrity of this blog. Therefore, I have decided to take the high road and discuss what I feel are the real issues at work here.
So there has been some talk that the Wii may not be something thats profitable for much longer. Now, as this is primarily my blog, I feel that I get to do the 'executive producer' bit, and decide if the tone should be serious, or more lax. Tempting as it may be to do things like point to the list of games Codemasters has released and to say "really? YOU guys think you know games better than Nintendo? So how IS 'Big Nose Freaks Out' working out for you?", I feel that would be beneath me, and it would harm the overall integrity of this blog. Therefore, I have decided to take the high road and discuss what I feel are the real issues at work here.
Read more... |
MMOore of a game?
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:27 PM CST [permalink] |
First off, I have good news. I will now be updating regularly on a bi-weekly Monday and Friday schedule. So, every Monday and Friday evening (or Tuesday and Saturday morning for some of you), check back for a new Button Mashers post from yours truly. On one more housekeeping note, everyone make sure you participate in S. Roth's character battle. Its too late to sign up, but everyone make sure you vote on the battles! Without voters, its silly for him to go through all that effort, and then have no one vote. So VOTE! Its not even hard, its right there on the main page.
So I've had this urge lately to get involved in a very social type gaming experience. This presents a problem for me. The electronic platforms that I own are a Mac and a Wii. Aside from a bizarre white fetish that some people think I have, it leaves me rather limited. About the only well known Mac games are Blizzard titles (WoW, Diablo) and as for the Wii, once Brawl comes out, there will be that, but it still doesn't satisfy the craving I've had. It basically comes down to me wanted to get a full MMO experience. Now, I've ranted against MMOs before and my complaints stand and I still feel they are justified. That having been said, I want to try the entire ordeal from a different angle; I want to play an MMO with friends where we all start together at the beginning and advance together, at least until we're at the point where the game actually gets fun. Whether or not this will work may also depend on me purchasing a PC(as any other console would require my friends to buy the same), but its something I'm looking into. So basically what I'm asking is, what do you all think, not of the gameplay, but of the social aspects? Should we actually pursue this, or am I better off getting together a weekly poker game if I want social interaction?
First off, I have good news. I will now be updating regularly on a bi-weekly Monday and Friday schedule. So, every Monday and Friday evening (or Tuesday and Saturday morning for some of you), check back for a new Button Mashers post from yours truly. On one more housekeeping note, everyone make sure you participate in S. Roth's character battle. Its too late to sign up, but everyone make sure you vote on the battles! Without voters, its silly for him to go through all that effort, and then have no one vote. So VOTE! Its not even hard, its right there on the main page.
So I've had this urge lately to get involved in a very social type gaming experience. This presents a problem for me. The electronic platforms that I own are a Mac and a Wii. Aside from a bizarre white fetish that some people think I have, it leaves me rather limited. About the only well known Mac games are Blizzard titles (WoW, Diablo) and as for the Wii, once Brawl comes out, there will be that, but it still doesn't satisfy the craving I've had. It basically comes down to me wanted to get a full MMO experience. Now, I've ranted against MMOs before and my complaints stand and I still feel they are justified. That having been said, I want to try the entire ordeal from a different angle; I want to play an MMO with friends where we all start together at the beginning and advance together, at least until we're at the point where the game actually gets fun. Whether or not this will work may also depend on me purchasing a PC(as any other console would require my friends to buy the same), but its something I'm looking into. So basically what I'm asking is, what do you all think, not of the gameplay, but of the social aspects? Should we actually pursue this, or am I better off getting together a weekly poker game if I want social interaction?
Read more... |
Punctuality isn't my thing, I suppose...
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:26 PM CST [permalink] |
Its been a while, but I wanted to come on and wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year. I hope that this year is full of happy moments, complete with health, wealth, and that any and all goals we set for ourselves should come true. And above all, remember to be safe. There would be nothing sadder than to report a problem for a forum member because of carelessness on their part or on the part of another. Cheers all!
-T.T. |
A little late but I'm putting it out there
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:25 PM CST [permalink] |
Sorry I've been dead the past 2 weeks. I actually had typed up this major update about Game of the Year and all that silliness, but then it got accidentally deleted and I didn't have the heart to do it again. Its like when you make major progress in a game and then die, only to remember you haven't saved in forever. But, we get back on the horse and persist.
So Game of the Year. Those of you who remember the thing called the Internet have figured out by now that every single venue in existence crowns its own 'Game of the Year', and that of course, lots of times these are the predictable choices (whatever version of Halo or Grand Theft Auto has come out that year is usually the easy favorite) that usually win, but because of the recent increase in mass market appeal of games, titles like Wii Sports have actually gotten some recognition from some big name places. BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), for example, gave the title 7 awards at its show, more than any other game. Of course, Game of the Year was not one of these (Bioshock), but its at least a start. It seemed to me like there might be a move in the right direction. Until this year's Spike TV VGAs.
Sorry I've been dead the past 2 weeks. I actually had typed up this major update about Game of the Year and all that silliness, but then it got accidentally deleted and I didn't have the heart to do it again. Its like when you make major progress in a game and then die, only to remember you haven't saved in forever. But, we get back on the horse and persist.
So Game of the Year. Those of you who remember the thing called the Internet have figured out by now that every single venue in existence crowns its own 'Game of the Year', and that of course, lots of times these are the predictable choices (whatever version of Halo or Grand Theft Auto has come out that year is usually the easy favorite) that usually win, but because of the recent increase in mass market appeal of games, titles like Wii Sports have actually gotten some recognition from some big name places. BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), for example, gave the title 7 awards at its show, more than any other game. Of course, Game of the Year was not one of these (Bioshock), but its at least a start. It seemed to me like there might be a move in the right direction. Until this year's Spike TV VGAs.
Read more... |
Viva la Jeff.
By CloudANDTidus on 02.20.08 at 09:22 PM CST [permalink] |
It's probably fair to say the that the Internet at large practically imploded over the news that Jeff Gerstmann had been fired from his position at Gamespot as Editorial Director. Many on lookers, including the higher ups at GameSpot itself, will view this "reaction of a minority" to be the belated whining of a few, however in reality this event (should the reasons for his termination turn out to be true) could have some industry-wide ramifications.
Large corporate sites such as IGN and GameSpot rely on two streams of revenue to fill their vaults with gold; advertisements and paid for total access accounts. While both business models clearly work, the conflicting issue here is that they rely on readers and membership to work. Claims are now spreading across the Internet that once loyal GameSpot members are cancelling in masses, which will hurt the site incredibly hard if true. It is generally viewed that only "hardcore gamers" really care about industry news enough to check blogs daily, or even hourly, so surely none of this will matter? Unfortunately for GameSpot, these are the exact same people that would use their hard earned pocket money to pay a subscription fee to a video game website. The Soccer mums and Nintendog players that won't give a shit about Gerstmann's sacking are also the people who don't give a shit about you CNET. Remember that.
Over his ten-year stint at GameSpot, Jeff Gerstmann became an incredibly well know figure, appearing and hosting such shows as the HotSpot and On the Spot regularly. Whether his tone really was "out of line" when reviewing Kane and Linch, Gerstmann's firing was never going to go un-noticed and once he's gone, the loyal fans are going to leave with him.
Credibility is a hard thing to come by, and if gamers even suspect just a little that advertisers may be affecting review scores, then they will simply go elsewhere. The days where you brought one magazine and you believed every word on its glossy pages because you paid cash for this thing are long gone. On the Internet it doesn't take two seconds to find another website's views and opinions, so the fact that Edios believed it could sell its game better if it blackmailed CNET with the removal of its lucrative ad campaign is insane.
It's understandable that Edios was more than unhappy with Gerstmann's video review. Considering how difficult it can be to launch a new IP and getting it to sell, getting slapped with derograty remarks like "the game is ugly" must hurt, however if this industry is ever going to work, it is not within the developers power to control scores.
And even if it did, what difference would it make? This very incident has proven word of mouth and the people cannot be silenced and the very fact that Gerstmann's review survives on YouTube after GameSpot pulled it makes this whole thing laughable.
CNET and the people in power at GameSpot need to seriously re-evaluate their business decisions and strategy's, because if this is the path they are choosing to follow, then the user backlash is going to be incredible. I eagerly await the next episode of the Hot Spot to see if the remaining staffers have been ordered to keep quite on Gerstmann's absence, or if they do the only thing that will get them any respect back, which is to admit they were wrong and tell us the truth.
Viva la Jeff. |
Gaming partners
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:21 PM CST [permalink] |
MTV ran an article today on gamer couples. The article in question can be found by following this link.
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/mtv-muses-on-gaming-with-girlfriends-boyfriends/
As someone who's been in a serious, long term relationship with a fellow hardcore gamer, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.
MTV ran an article today on gamer couples. The article in question can be found by following this link.
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/mtv-muses-on-gaming-with-girlfriends-boyfriends/
As someone who's been in a serious, long term relationship with a fellow hardcore gamer, I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.
Read more... |
Just a quickie ma'am
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:21 PM CST [permalink] |
Hey all. Ate too much turkey. But on the plus side, managed to entertain a female that by all rights should be substantially smarter than me (MIT student, one of the smartest schools in our country) during dinner. Hope those of you that celebrate this, the day where we slaughtered the Native Americans with diseases and then begged them to show us how to make food so our puritan ancestors wouldn't die, had fun too!
Just a short thing today. I was watching 'Chuck', a show on NBC about a major geek who gets involved in international espionage in a big way when he accidentally downloads an entire computer's worth of US Government secrets into his head. Silly concept I know, but the humor isn't bad, they feature lots of hot chicks in lots of skimpy outfits and since the main character works in a big box electronics retailer, they're usually pretty up on the tech. Which actually brings me to my point.
Hey all. Ate too much turkey. But on the plus side, managed to entertain a female that by all rights should be substantially smarter than me (MIT student, one of the smartest schools in our country) during dinner. Hope those of you that celebrate this, the day where we slaughtered the Native Americans with diseases and then begged them to show us how to make food so our puritan ancestors wouldn't die, had fun too!
Just a short thing today. I was watching 'Chuck', a show on NBC about a major geek who gets involved in international espionage in a big way when he accidentally downloads an entire computer's worth of US Government secrets into his head. Silly concept I know, but the humor isn't bad, they feature lots of hot chicks in lots of skimpy outfits and since the main character works in a big box electronics retailer, they're usually pretty up on the tech. Which actually brings me to my point.
Read more... |
Modest Controller Proposal
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 09:20 PM CST [permalink] |
I'm a huge fan of the Phoenix Wright series. Its not a perfect set of games of course, but I really only have 2 major issues. Number 1:The music. It isn't that the music doesn't fit or anything like that, because most of the time it works. Its just that the first game had PERFECT courtroom drama music, the second game kinda dropped the ball a bit (seriously people, I know we usually demand innovation in sequels, but changing the MUSIC? Uncool Capcom, uncool), and it got a LITTLE better in the third one, but the first one still has the best music. The second problem, one I aim to fix has to deal with how you play. Or more specifically, a problem with some data entry.
Its a problem we've all experienced at some point or another. You want Mario to longjump and instead he backflips. You want Sora to guard and instead he dodge rolls. You hit all the right buttons and in your mind you even got the timing down. But the game misreads your intentions. I'll bet you've even lost a few lives in Smash to problems like this. This problem also applies to point and click interfaces like Phoenix Wright. You have to be OVERLY specific at times, and at times you need to be able to jump a few logical steps to get where you need to go. If you were sitting in front of me, I could explain the flaw in your logic, but since I'm forced to talk through a number of pieces of evidence the game gives me, its substantially harder. As it stands right now, even innovations like the Wii Remote won't help us to solve this problem. Well, what if I told you I figured out a way to make this issue disappear? I'm not a programmer, but I think I can solve this issue. Interested?
I'm a huge fan of the Phoenix Wright series. Its not a perfect set of games of course, but I really only have 2 major issues. Number 1:The music. It isn't that the music doesn't fit or anything like that, because most of the time it works. Its just that the first game had PERFECT courtroom drama music, the second game kinda dropped the ball a bit (seriously people, I know we usually demand innovation in sequels, but changing the MUSIC? Uncool Capcom, uncool), and it got a LITTLE better in the third one, but the first one still has the best music. The second problem, one I aim to fix has to deal with how you play. Or more specifically, a problem with some data entry.
Its a problem we've all experienced at some point or another. You want Mario to longjump and instead he backflips. You want Sora to guard and instead he dodge rolls. You hit all the right buttons and in your mind you even got the timing down. But the game misreads your intentions. I'll bet you've even lost a few lives in Smash to problems like this. This problem also applies to point and click interfaces like Phoenix Wright. You have to be OVERLY specific at times, and at times you need to be able to jump a few logical steps to get where you need to go. If you were sitting in front of me, I could explain the flaw in your logic, but since I'm forced to talk through a number of pieces of evidence the game gives me, its substantially harder. As it stands right now, even innovations like the Wii Remote won't help us to solve this problem. Well, what if I told you I figured out a way to make this issue disappear? I'm not a programmer, but I think I can solve this issue. Interested?
Read more... |
Redmage Rant
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 06:45 PM CST [permalink] |
Iamaredmage sent this my way and I figured I'd post it. I'll go into my feelings at a later date, and look for a rant from me tomorrow about a well known, well documented and very frustrating inherent problem in gaming that sadly isn't likely to go away anytime soon, if ever. Anyway, here's his topic de jour.
Iamaredmage sent this my way and I figured I'd post it. I'll go into my feelings at a later date, and look for a rant from me tomorrow about a well known, well documented and very frustrating inherent problem in gaming that sadly isn't likely to go away anytime soon, if ever. Anyway, here's his topic de jour.
Read more... |
Episode 7 and New Formats
By TetsuoTrunks on 02.20.08 at 06:41 PM CST [permalink] |
Hi everyone, welcome back to Button Mashers. So you may have noticed a few changes around here, and there are a few new ones I'm gonna be telling you all about. First and foremost, here is Episode 7, which is all about the most racist little DS title I've ever seen. Download or stream it via the links bellow.
Download
Stream
Episode 7 clocks in at 15.1 megs and 16 and a half minutes. Now, those of you who've heard my show before will notice how paltry that is compared to what I usually produce. Well, the real world happened, and for a while it looked like the show was going to be mostly a digital soapbox of 10-15 minute sound bytes. But luckily, this blog came into existence (thank you Joshie) so I'll be able to use this mostly for quick shouts and as for the show? Well, let me know what you guys think of the shorter format, I'm not against keeping it and just using long shows for special occasions. But for now, it'll be myself, Nick and maybe occasionally a special guest. Hope you all like the new blog and leave feedback on what you think of the new shorter show format.
-T.T. |
