On October 7, 2011, Flemington, New Jersey’s Richie Knucklez catapulted himself into the video game record books by racking up 110,510 points in the original 1978 arcade hit Space Invaders, more than doubling the previously held record. How did he do it? Owning his own arcade certainly didn’t hurt.
Richie Knucklez Arcade Games isn’t just a New Jersey institution; it’s a place where video game legends go to make their names. It’s where veteran professional gamer Steve Sanders set the tandem record for Joust with his son last year. Where some of the most famous arcade gamers converged this year for the Donkey Kong Kong-Off.
Now it’s home to the highest score Space Invaders has ever seen.
Knucklez generated the 110,510 points on October 7, the score verified by the record keepers of Twin Galaxies, the accepted authority on all things video game record-related. The previous record, set back in 2003 by classic gaming champ Donald Hayes, was only 55,160.
It also didn’t hurt that Knucklez learned some moves from Hayes himself.
“He and I played together a few times and he showed me some good techniques that I tweaked,” Knucklez said of Hayes. “He taught me the basics with carrying the ships for 300 points and I tweaked it in a way that I could score at a faster rate.”
Already a record score holder for several games (Phoenix and Space Fury) the Space Invaders crown is Knucklez’s biggest achievement yet, but he’s not planning on stopping there. Richie’s next stop is the Twin Galaxies Video Game Festival in Ottumwa, Iowa, where he’ll be taking Space Invaders into the Iron-Man endurance contest, despite the game’s well-documented kill screen bug. That’s a ballsy move, but I’d expect nothing less from Richie Knucklez, defender of the Earth.
Great Site to Earn Money Online
Monday, October 24, 2011
What You Need To Know About Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3’s Heroes And Heralds Mode
This past New York Comic-Con weekend apparently got picked as Mode Reveal Weekend in the Capcom corporate offices. We saw Gem Mode revealed in Street Fighter x Tekken on Friday and then got word of the Heroes and Heralds Mode in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3.
As divulged by producer Ryoji Niitsuma , it’ll be a free mode, out after the game launches, which builds in a CCG element to the fighting action. With each fight you win, you’ll get cards that let you use powers you wouldn’t normally have, like projectile invincibility. When the crowd went crazy watching Ryu use a Parry ability in the trailer, it was later revealed that Parry will be only available in Heroes & Heralds mode as a card move. In Heroes and Heralds, players can form clans and battle with others and Capcom’s Seth Killian hinted that characters from Power Stone or Breath of Fire games might show up as art on collectible cards in H&H mode. There’ll be over 100 cards used in combinations of three — which opponents will be allowed to see-that will total out to 1.2 million configuration combinations.
While the basic premise of the card tweaks in H&H Mode aren’t all that different from SFxT‘s Gem Mode, the former got a much warmer reception during its unveiling. When I asked Killian why he thought that might be he said that one’s being seen as serious strategic business whereas the other’s being thought of as a way to propagate cheesiness. We’ll see how differently they get used when Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 comes out in November and Street Fighter x Tekken hits next March.
As divulged by producer Ryoji Niitsuma , it’ll be a free mode, out after the game launches, which builds in a CCG element to the fighting action. With each fight you win, you’ll get cards that let you use powers you wouldn’t normally have, like projectile invincibility. When the crowd went crazy watching Ryu use a Parry ability in the trailer, it was later revealed that Parry will be only available in Heroes & Heralds mode as a card move. In Heroes and Heralds, players can form clans and battle with others and Capcom’s Seth Killian hinted that characters from Power Stone or Breath of Fire games might show up as art on collectible cards in H&H mode. There’ll be over 100 cards used in combinations of three — which opponents will be allowed to see-that will total out to 1.2 million configuration combinations.
While the basic premise of the card tweaks in H&H Mode aren’t all that different from SFxT‘s Gem Mode, the former got a much warmer reception during its unveiling. When I asked Killian why he thought that might be he said that one’s being seen as serious strategic business whereas the other’s being thought of as a way to propagate cheesiness. We’ll see how differently they get used when Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 comes out in November and Street Fighter x Tekken hits next March.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Man Completes Super Mario 64 Using His Feet!
Getting all 120 stars on Mario 64 is one of my proudest gaming achievements, so watching this guy do the exact same thing – WITH HIS FEET – is completely outrageous. The above video doesn’t show the full 120 stars, but it does feature ‘footage’ of him getting every single star on Tick Tock Clock — one of the most difficult levels in the game.
It’s worth watching — especially since the commentary has some of the best ‘feet’ puns around. You might say they’re toe-tally heel-arious.
Alright, I’ll just leave now.
It’s worth watching — especially since the commentary has some of the best ‘feet’ puns around. You might say they’re toe-tally heel-arious.
Alright, I’ll just leave now.
Has The PlayStation 3 Been Hacked Again?
The last time somebody got past the PS3′s copy-protection defences, it ended in lawsuits and a massive security breach that brought down the entire PlayStation Network. Here’s hoping the next time somebody manages, things are a little more peaceful.
That next time may already be upon us, with videos and reports surfacing showing a USB “dongle” similar to that used by the infamous PS Jailbreak being plugged into a PS3 and seemingly allowing the user to access a disc-free version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2012.
So, yeah, it looks to be exactly the same kind of device used last time, only this time it gets around the copy protection routines put in place by Sony after the last time.
Which is how these battles always go down! And always will!
PlayStation 3 hacked again? [DigitalFoundry]
You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
That next time may already be upon us, with videos and reports surfacing showing a USB “dongle” similar to that used by the infamous PS Jailbreak being plugged into a PS3 and seemingly allowing the user to access a disc-free version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2012.
So, yeah, it looks to be exactly the same kind of device used last time, only this time it gets around the copy protection routines put in place by Sony after the last time.
Which is how these battles always go down! And always will!
PlayStation 3 hacked again? [DigitalFoundry]
You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
EscapeVektor Haiku Competition: Winners Inside!
“Do a Haiku competition,” said Tracey.
“You’ve never had to judge a Haiku competition have you?” I said. “It’s hard!”
Bloody hell — counting all those syllables, reading hundreds of entries, and then selecting the best out of dozens of amazing entries. Complete nightmare. But thankfully we’ve come together and picked our favourites, argued, called each other a ‘big stupid face’ and come to a final conclusion — these are our five favourite Haikus of the bunch.
GentlemanJ
This game looks awesome.
But haiku’s are really hard.
Refrigerator.
Hermes and Thoth
69 comments
This is the seventieth
Don’t bother counting
Sleeping Wolf
White line of pure snow,
Your gentle caress moves me,
Why do I poop dots?
Batguy
Our paired overlords
Should let me win by default.
But Nnooo. Stupid jerks.
Chuloopa
Like a drug addict
I spend all day on white lines
but can’t overdose
As always, there were an absolute power of awesome entries in the comp, including this awesome little thread which totally transforms into a Haiku conversation.
Congratulations to all the winners. We’ll be in touch!
“You’ve never had to judge a Haiku competition have you?” I said. “It’s hard!”
Bloody hell — counting all those syllables, reading hundreds of entries, and then selecting the best out of dozens of amazing entries. Complete nightmare. But thankfully we’ve come together and picked our favourites, argued, called each other a ‘big stupid face’ and come to a final conclusion — these are our five favourite Haikus of the bunch.
GentlemanJ
This game looks awesome.
But haiku’s are really hard.
Refrigerator.
Hermes and Thoth
69 comments
This is the seventieth
Don’t bother counting
Sleeping Wolf
White line of pure snow,
Your gentle caress moves me,
Why do I poop dots?
Batguy
Our paired overlords
Should let me win by default.
But Nnooo. Stupid jerks.
Chuloopa
Like a drug addict
I spend all day on white lines
but can’t overdose
As always, there were an absolute power of awesome entries in the comp, including this awesome little thread which totally transforms into a Haiku conversation.
Congratulations to all the winners. We’ll be in touch!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
News BlizzCon 2011: Diablo III Cinematic Trailer, Blizzard Talks Items
Want more info about Blizzard's upcoming isometric hack 'n slash RPG Diablo III? Like how will the game's difficulty modes operate? Or how many different item combinations will there be? Well, Blizzard have been talking all things Diablo III at this year's BlizzCon... and the company has even released a beautiful new cinematic video to keep the Diablo hype-train moving in full steam. Click through for details.
First, to the nitty gritty Diablo III details. As PC Gamer reports, the Diablo III development team took to the stage at BlizzCon to reveal that most of the game's items - 70% in fact - will not be included in the game's "normal" difficulty setting. Players wanting to get their hands on the better items will need to man-up and brave the game's more menacing difficulty levels: "nightmare", "hell" or "inferno".
Blizzard's Jay Wilson also gave the crowd some insight into why the Diablo III beta was so super easy to complete. He says the unchallenging nature of the beta was entirely intentional, as the first act is designed to be a tutorial for new players:
"Hardcore games for everyone is what Blizzard does. We're making the early game for casual players so we can turn them into hardcore players."
Jay Wilson also mentioned that there will be "something like 2.8 trillion" different player characters available to create in Diablo III. However, this doesn't mean there are almost three trillion varying lengths of wizard beards to choose from. Rather, the figure takes into account the huge variety of different skill and item combinations available to each hero.
If you're still in need of more Diablo III news, then I guess you should probably check out this high-quality BlizzCon trailer:
First, to the nitty gritty Diablo III details. As PC Gamer reports, the Diablo III development team took to the stage at BlizzCon to reveal that most of the game's items - 70% in fact - will not be included in the game's "normal" difficulty setting. Players wanting to get their hands on the better items will need to man-up and brave the game's more menacing difficulty levels: "nightmare", "hell" or "inferno".
Blizzard's Jay Wilson also gave the crowd some insight into why the Diablo III beta was so super easy to complete. He says the unchallenging nature of the beta was entirely intentional, as the first act is designed to be a tutorial for new players:
"Hardcore games for everyone is what Blizzard does. We're making the early game for casual players so we can turn them into hardcore players."
Jay Wilson also mentioned that there will be "something like 2.8 trillion" different player characters available to create in Diablo III. However, this doesn't mean there are almost three trillion varying lengths of wizard beards to choose from. Rather, the figure takes into account the huge variety of different skill and item combinations available to each hero.
If you're still in need of more Diablo III news, then I guess you should probably check out this high-quality BlizzCon trailer:
News BlizzCon 2011: Buy WoW Subscription, Get Diablo III Free
Here's a sweet deal that many Blizzard fans will unquestionably snap up. Blizzard has used its annual convention in California to announce that anyone who signs up to World of Warcraft for a 12-month subscription will get a free digital version of Diablo III "as soon as it's available".
Of course, nobody except Blizzard knows exactly when Diablo III will be released. Hopefully early next year. But for any WoW player that was already considering renewing his or her subscription for 2012, this deal should secure their WoW patronage for at least another 12 months. Blizzard are certainly a smart bunch. And generous, too.
Of course, nobody except Blizzard knows exactly when Diablo III will be released. Hopefully early next year. But for any WoW player that was already considering renewing his or her subscription for 2012, this deal should secure their WoW patronage for at least another 12 months. Blizzard are certainly a smart bunch. And generous, too.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Cashing In On Big Names of Games
The Elder Scrolls, Dead Space, God of War, Gears of War, Metal Gear Solid, Uncharted, Halo, and Call of Duty; these are some of the biggest names of video games. These are also some of the easiest games to sell...whether they're good or not. Don't get me wrong, for the most part these games are good, but occasionally terrible games are released with big names on them. Let's take a look at some games that did just that:
Call of Duty World at War
While this game did have arguable the best story of all the games the problems arose in multiplayer. Only a handful of decent maps, tanks that took way to many rockets to kill, and Mp40s plagued the multiplayer. Tryarch made no effort to fix these obvious problems because they were too busy enjoying the wealth that WaW made them from following hot on the heals of MW.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
We all remember the problems with the MW2 multiplayer; Unbalanced weapons, unbalanced kill-streaks, quick scoping, commando pro knifing, noobtubes, camping, ect. Following the failure of WaW people figured that Infinity Ward would be sure to make another cult classic stroke of genius. Unfortunately IW figured people would be expecting that and knew that they wouldn't have to make a decent game for it to sell based on their last success.
Call Of Duty Black Ops
While Tryarch hionestly seems to be attempting to fix this games problems, such as; lag, disconnecting parties, disconnecting game, inability to join parties, inability to join games, unsuccessful host migrations, ect. the fact that they released a broken game just proves my point. They didn't need to make the game perfect, like they should have, all Tryarch really had to do for this game was promise to fix the problems with MW2 and put the name Call of Duty on it and it hit record sales.
Halo 3 ODST
ODST was an interesting take on a Halo game. With it's open world style, less colorful and bright art design, and focus on story ODST was looking interesting. However it seemed like they didn't really polish what could have been a great game. With the lack of drivable vehicles (even though cars lined the street) the open world map just became a long trek from one end to the other. The story was ok, but ultimately felt lacking, and overall seemed to do absolutely nothing to further the Halo storyline. While it added some new weapons it left us to wonder why these weapons weren't in Halo 3. The main thing this game offered was firefight, which while extremely fun, seemed more like it should be a 10-15 dollar add on than the main reason to buy ODST. Including all the Halo 3 multiplayer maps was a nice idea, but most people who bought ODST already had all the map packs. So basically you were paying $60 for firefight and the chance to get Recon armor for Halo 3. There are few games I can say I was happy to finally be finished playing like ODST. It was interesting that Bungie took a new approach to Halo but the single player was just plain out bad. However it had the name Halo on it so it sold tons.
Deadspace Ignition
I'm honestly curious what Visceral was thinking making this game, and hope it doesn't reflect the quality of what Deadspace 2 would be. It was a comic book style story which I enjoyed however the gameplay was terrible. The controls were stiff and unresponsive and the puzzles just weren't fun. When your entire game is only puzzles that's bad. Fortunately I preordered with Gamestop so I received the game free instead of spending $4.99 on it.
These are just some of the games that had big names on them that were bad. Another thing that these big games do is that they will include Beta access or demos for their Triple A titles with games that would otherwise never get a second glance. Heres some examples:
Crackdown Including Halo 3 Beta
Crackdown is one of those games that no one thought would be good, but everyone bought for the Halo 3 beta. Ironically I actually enjoyed crackdown, but I know it was either Hit or miss with most people.
ODST including Halo Reach Beta
Most people who played ODST disliked it. They played it and than decided to sell it, or put it on the shelf and did not pick it back up. But one it was announced that everyone with ODST could get into the Halo Reach Beta the game began to sell again.
inFamous including the Uncharted 2 Beta
I speak of this one with personal experience. I was on the border line of getting inFamous, but once I heard that I could get an Uncharted 2 beta key I preordered inFamous
Medal of Honor including the Battlefield 3 beta
I don't need to say anything about how bad MOH was. To be honest I preordered the special edition but after playing the MOH beta I decided to cancel.
Finally we come to the newest company to do this. Epic games with Bulletstorm and Gears of War 3.
If you preorder Bulletstorm you get Early Access to Gears 3 Beta. This seems like a cheap cash in on the Gears name to sell an unimpressive game. I'm sure Bulletstorm will be fun but from watching the demos it looks extremely repetitive. Pull, kick, shoot. That's all they do in the demos. Yet with the Gears 3 beta tacked on Bulletstorm will probably double in sales.
Call of Duty World at War
While this game did have arguable the best story of all the games the problems arose in multiplayer. Only a handful of decent maps, tanks that took way to many rockets to kill, and Mp40s plagued the multiplayer. Tryarch made no effort to fix these obvious problems because they were too busy enjoying the wealth that WaW made them from following hot on the heals of MW.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
We all remember the problems with the MW2 multiplayer; Unbalanced weapons, unbalanced kill-streaks, quick scoping, commando pro knifing, noobtubes, camping, ect. Following the failure of WaW people figured that Infinity Ward would be sure to make another cult classic stroke of genius. Unfortunately IW figured people would be expecting that and knew that they wouldn't have to make a decent game for it to sell based on their last success.
Call Of Duty Black Ops
While Tryarch hionestly seems to be attempting to fix this games problems, such as; lag, disconnecting parties, disconnecting game, inability to join parties, inability to join games, unsuccessful host migrations, ect. the fact that they released a broken game just proves my point. They didn't need to make the game perfect, like they should have, all Tryarch really had to do for this game was promise to fix the problems with MW2 and put the name Call of Duty on it and it hit record sales.
Halo 3 ODST
ODST was an interesting take on a Halo game. With it's open world style, less colorful and bright art design, and focus on story ODST was looking interesting. However it seemed like they didn't really polish what could have been a great game. With the lack of drivable vehicles (even though cars lined the street) the open world map just became a long trek from one end to the other. The story was ok, but ultimately felt lacking, and overall seemed to do absolutely nothing to further the Halo storyline. While it added some new weapons it left us to wonder why these weapons weren't in Halo 3. The main thing this game offered was firefight, which while extremely fun, seemed more like it should be a 10-15 dollar add on than the main reason to buy ODST. Including all the Halo 3 multiplayer maps was a nice idea, but most people who bought ODST already had all the map packs. So basically you were paying $60 for firefight and the chance to get Recon armor for Halo 3. There are few games I can say I was happy to finally be finished playing like ODST. It was interesting that Bungie took a new approach to Halo but the single player was just plain out bad. However it had the name Halo on it so it sold tons.
Deadspace Ignition
I'm honestly curious what Visceral was thinking making this game, and hope it doesn't reflect the quality of what Deadspace 2 would be. It was a comic book style story which I enjoyed however the gameplay was terrible. The controls were stiff and unresponsive and the puzzles just weren't fun. When your entire game is only puzzles that's bad. Fortunately I preordered with Gamestop so I received the game free instead of spending $4.99 on it.
These are just some of the games that had big names on them that were bad. Another thing that these big games do is that they will include Beta access or demos for their Triple A titles with games that would otherwise never get a second glance. Heres some examples:
Crackdown Including Halo 3 Beta
Crackdown is one of those games that no one thought would be good, but everyone bought for the Halo 3 beta. Ironically I actually enjoyed crackdown, but I know it was either Hit or miss with most people.
ODST including Halo Reach Beta
Most people who played ODST disliked it. They played it and than decided to sell it, or put it on the shelf and did not pick it back up. But one it was announced that everyone with ODST could get into the Halo Reach Beta the game began to sell again.
inFamous including the Uncharted 2 Beta
I speak of this one with personal experience. I was on the border line of getting inFamous, but once I heard that I could get an Uncharted 2 beta key I preordered inFamous
Medal of Honor including the Battlefield 3 beta
I don't need to say anything about how bad MOH was. To be honest I preordered the special edition but after playing the MOH beta I decided to cancel.
Finally we come to the newest company to do this. Epic games with Bulletstorm and Gears of War 3.
If you preorder Bulletstorm you get Early Access to Gears 3 Beta. This seems like a cheap cash in on the Gears name to sell an unimpressive game. I'm sure Bulletstorm will be fun but from watching the demos it looks extremely repetitive. Pull, kick, shoot. That's all they do in the demos. Yet with the Gears 3 beta tacked on Bulletstorm will probably double in sales.
Uncharted 3 and a general rant about declining creativity/imagination in video games.
As a reminder, the cutoff date for submission entry is right around the corner. For those that were initially turned off by the requirements, I would recommend reviewing the updated prerequisites.
They go as the following:
1. N4G Membership.
2. A minimum forum post count of 10. Check the thread with helpful links to bring up your count.
3. A valid e-mail address to provide residential information for physical prize(s) via PM. This applies for winning contestants.
The last day to submit is December 31st, 2010 (11:59PM PST); no exceptions. More details along with prize information can be found in the link provided.
They go as the following:
1. N4G Membership.
2. A minimum forum post count of 10. Check the thread with helpful links to bring up your count.
3. A valid e-mail address to provide residential information for physical prize(s) via PM. This applies for winning contestants.
The last day to submit is December 31st, 2010 (11:59PM PST); no exceptions. More details along with prize information can be found in the link provided.
Reminder: N4G Art Contest Deadline Approaching
As a reminder, the cutoff date for submission entry is right around the corner. For those that were initially turned off by the requirements, I would recommend reviewing the updated prerequisites.
They go as the following:
1. N4G Membership.
2. A minimum forum post count of 10. Check the thread with helpful links to bring up your count.
3. A valid e-mail address to provide residential information for physical prize(s) via PM. This applies for winning contestants.
The last day to submit is December 31st, 2010 (11:59PM PST); no exceptions. More details along with prize information can be found in the link provided.
They go as the following:
1. N4G Membership.
2. A minimum forum post count of 10. Check the thread with helpful links to bring up your count.
3. A valid e-mail address to provide residential information for physical prize(s) via PM. This applies for winning contestants.
The last day to submit is December 31st, 2010 (11:59PM PST); no exceptions. More details along with prize information can be found in the link provided.
Morality in videogames, and why it's awful (Most of the time)
Ah, moral choices. We all know them. Usually, in videogames, they're represented as "Good" and "Evil" choices, which fill up one of the two meters for said representations of your choices, and affects the ending/game itself.
However, in the first paragraph of this blog post, I already mentioned a FATAL flaw on these choices- the representation of "Good" and "Evil".
I personally don't consider everything to be "Good" and "Bad". In life, everything is just right in the middle spot. We do certain things because we have to- we don't follow such simple idealisms as being a bad or a good guy. Which is why games absolutely fail at presenting moral choices for you to pick- and why said choices lack emotion -almost- all the time.
Let's grab inFamous for example- without a doubt, a marvelous game. But my only problem with it is how the choices were so transparent- so obvious and so heartless, I just did a "Good" and a "Bad" playthrough of the game. I just couldn't help how shallow these choices felt; how everything lacked a certain human spark, you could say. At the end of the day, the moral system encompassed itself into "hurr i evil" and "hurr i gud".
Another example could be done- now with Mass Effect. It's the same shit. There's two completly two-dimensional choices throughout the whole goddamn game. It makes said choices feel shallow, lack emotion, and overall kill a great deal of immersion the game could have had. Hell, even two choices that seem completly deep and emotional, as well as hopeless overall, are reduced to "Paragon" and "Renegade" points. I won't spoil these for you, but goddamn, it's pathetic.
Honestly, it feels like our society is based on these thoughts; there are "Good" and "Bad" people, even when the world in front of ourselves says otherwise.
Gentlemen, we're all assholes in our lives, even when we don't like to think about ourselves as ones. We also make good descicions and do a few great deeds just to feel better about ourselves. There's no "Good". There's no "Evil". There's just a gray morality that becomes more and more apparent in our daily lives, and that, precisely, is what's lacking in alot of videogames.
Oh- but there's a few great videogames that do so otherwise.
As an example, I could showcase the "Shin Megami Tensei" series.
Y'see, these games usually revolve towards the bases of the end of the world itself, about religions, Gods and Demons. But no, the Gods and Angels aren't "Good" and the Demons aren't "Evil". Yes, you DO pick a side (Although the best path for ANY SMT game is Neutral), but it doesn't makes you seem like you're the best guy ever if you pick the "Law" (Angels and Gods) path or a complete senseless asshole if you pick the "Chaos" (Demons) path.
No- in fact, both paths are awful. Both Angels and Demons are complete selfish assholes, religious groups are usually crazy as fuck; self-lying/convincing circlejerks, and the endings involve either complete madness to the root of nature itself or brainwashed people that lose their freedoms for eternity.
And, see, this is how it should be. Another great example would be The Witcher, for reasons I won't spoil.
We're humans. We're not completly good, we're not completly bad.
There's no evil- there's no good- there's just something in the middle for all of us.
And that is how videogames should present moral choices to us- no good and no evil- just something in between. Some already do; but there's an astonishing majority that doesn't, sadly. And I would like to ask them to stop doing that shallow bullshit.
However, in the first paragraph of this blog post, I already mentioned a FATAL flaw on these choices- the representation of "Good" and "Evil".
I personally don't consider everything to be "Good" and "Bad". In life, everything is just right in the middle spot. We do certain things because we have to- we don't follow such simple idealisms as being a bad or a good guy. Which is why games absolutely fail at presenting moral choices for you to pick- and why said choices lack emotion -almost- all the time.
Let's grab inFamous for example- without a doubt, a marvelous game. But my only problem with it is how the choices were so transparent- so obvious and so heartless, I just did a "Good" and a "Bad" playthrough of the game. I just couldn't help how shallow these choices felt; how everything lacked a certain human spark, you could say. At the end of the day, the moral system encompassed itself into "hurr i evil" and "hurr i gud".
Another example could be done- now with Mass Effect. It's the same shit. There's two completly two-dimensional choices throughout the whole goddamn game. It makes said choices feel shallow, lack emotion, and overall kill a great deal of immersion the game could have had. Hell, even two choices that seem completly deep and emotional, as well as hopeless overall, are reduced to "Paragon" and "Renegade" points. I won't spoil these for you, but goddamn, it's pathetic.
Honestly, it feels like our society is based on these thoughts; there are "Good" and "Bad" people, even when the world in front of ourselves says otherwise.
Gentlemen, we're all assholes in our lives, even when we don't like to think about ourselves as ones. We also make good descicions and do a few great deeds just to feel better about ourselves. There's no "Good". There's no "Evil". There's just a gray morality that becomes more and more apparent in our daily lives, and that, precisely, is what's lacking in alot of videogames.
Oh- but there's a few great videogames that do so otherwise.
As an example, I could showcase the "Shin Megami Tensei" series.
Y'see, these games usually revolve towards the bases of the end of the world itself, about religions, Gods and Demons. But no, the Gods and Angels aren't "Good" and the Demons aren't "Evil". Yes, you DO pick a side (Although the best path for ANY SMT game is Neutral), but it doesn't makes you seem like you're the best guy ever if you pick the "Law" (Angels and Gods) path or a complete senseless asshole if you pick the "Chaos" (Demons) path.
No- in fact, both paths are awful. Both Angels and Demons are complete selfish assholes, religious groups are usually crazy as fuck; self-lying/convincing circlejerks, and the endings involve either complete madness to the root of nature itself or brainwashed people that lose their freedoms for eternity.
And, see, this is how it should be. Another great example would be The Witcher, for reasons I won't spoil.
We're humans. We're not completly good, we're not completly bad.
There's no evil- there's no good- there's just something in the middle for all of us.
And that is how videogames should present moral choices to us- no good and no evil- just something in between. Some already do; but there's an astonishing majority that doesn't, sadly. And I would like to ask them to stop doing that shallow bullshit.
Exclusives?
Oh, the arguments of fanboys. For nearly two years, the 360 loyalists shouted over to the PS3 side "we bought our system for games, not watching movies!", and then the PS3 loyalists shouted back "where's MGS4 on YOUR console?". For a while, Metacritic score reigned supreme, but then fanboys sorta gave up on that one once both HD consoles' games began to even out. Then it was all about sales, but that's starting to lose steam, too (thankfully).
Now, it's all about exclusives.
We're back to copypasta-ing our list of exclusives. "How many exclusives do YOU have, 360?" yell the PS3 loyalists. "Plenty. How many crappy multiplats do YOU have, PS3?" yell back the 360 crowd.
And this is just insane. First of all, exclusives matter! This argument I constantly hear of "I can play multiplatform games just fine. Who needs exclusives?" is one of the dumbest I've heard in my life. It's like saying "I don't want to play great video games. I'm proud of being able to play fewer games than the other guys!" What? This is pure fanboyism. Who WOULDN'T want to play more games?
Another thing, quit with this ridiculous "console exclusive" nonsense, fanboys. X-COM isn't an exclusive, 360 kids. DC Universe and FF14 aren't exclusive to the PS3, either, Sony kids. Exclusive means AVAILABLE ON ONLY ONE PLATFORM. It's really that simple. Exclusive has never ever ever ever in any previous gaming generation meant "playable on 360 and PC, but not on Wii and PS3" (or an equivalent). Stop making up terms like "console exclusive". It's pointless, because anyone can make up these terms. Did you know that Black Ops is a Sixaxis exclusive? That's RIGHT! Ps3 is the ONLY console with SIxaxis that can play Black Ops!!! OMG! And Mass Effect 2? It's a non-DLC console exclusive on the 360, because 360 is the ONLY CONSOLE where the DLC doesn't come bundled with the game. Exclusive! Exclusive! Sheesh, it reminds me of Turn 10 shouting "definitive!" into our ears over and over again until we all passed out (or bought into it).
But don't get carried away. We all love to twist the labels in our favor. Anyone hear how the 360 had no exclusives in 2010? Well, beside Halo: Reach, Fable III, Alan Wake, all the Kinect titles, what did 360 gamers have to play? Uh, PLENTY! Are exclusives the only video games people are allowed to play? Now, don't get me wrong: each console should have a healthy dose of exclusives, but why can't people mostly play multiplat games? I just don't get it. I mainly play on PS3 but there are plenty of PS3 exclusives that I do not enjoy (Motorstorm, GT5, The Show, Valkyria Chronicles, and more). The reality is that there are just as many highly rated mutliplats as there are exclusives on all the consoles combined. So, doesn't it make sense that a person is allowed to enjoy multiplats on their console?
Now, it's all about exclusives.
We're back to copypasta-ing our list of exclusives. "How many exclusives do YOU have, 360?" yell the PS3 loyalists. "Plenty. How many crappy multiplats do YOU have, PS3?" yell back the 360 crowd.
And this is just insane. First of all, exclusives matter! This argument I constantly hear of "I can play multiplatform games just fine. Who needs exclusives?" is one of the dumbest I've heard in my life. It's like saying "I don't want to play great video games. I'm proud of being able to play fewer games than the other guys!" What? This is pure fanboyism. Who WOULDN'T want to play more games?
Another thing, quit with this ridiculous "console exclusive" nonsense, fanboys. X-COM isn't an exclusive, 360 kids. DC Universe and FF14 aren't exclusive to the PS3, either, Sony kids. Exclusive means AVAILABLE ON ONLY ONE PLATFORM. It's really that simple. Exclusive has never ever ever ever in any previous gaming generation meant "playable on 360 and PC, but not on Wii and PS3" (or an equivalent). Stop making up terms like "console exclusive". It's pointless, because anyone can make up these terms. Did you know that Black Ops is a Sixaxis exclusive? That's RIGHT! Ps3 is the ONLY console with SIxaxis that can play Black Ops!!! OMG! And Mass Effect 2? It's a non-DLC console exclusive on the 360, because 360 is the ONLY CONSOLE where the DLC doesn't come bundled with the game. Exclusive! Exclusive! Sheesh, it reminds me of Turn 10 shouting "definitive!" into our ears over and over again until we all passed out (or bought into it).
But don't get carried away. We all love to twist the labels in our favor. Anyone hear how the 360 had no exclusives in 2010? Well, beside Halo: Reach, Fable III, Alan Wake, all the Kinect titles, what did 360 gamers have to play? Uh, PLENTY! Are exclusives the only video games people are allowed to play? Now, don't get me wrong: each console should have a healthy dose of exclusives, but why can't people mostly play multiplat games? I just don't get it. I mainly play on PS3 but there are plenty of PS3 exclusives that I do not enjoy (Motorstorm, GT5, The Show, Valkyria Chronicles, and more). The reality is that there are just as many highly rated mutliplats as there are exclusives on all the consoles combined. So, doesn't it make sense that a person is allowed to enjoy multiplats on their console?
Saaking's Blog 11: Kinect Impressions
I've been heavily criticizing Kinect ever since it was announced; however, over the holidays I had the opportunity to actually purchase one from a friend of mine for the low price of $50. So far I only have Kinect Adventures, but I have tried various demos. I decided to do this blog post to give my impressions on the Kinect so far. Now, please remember that this is entirely my own personal opinion on Kinect adventures and some of the demos:
Kinect Adventures-
The games are simple. If you play by yourself they will be dull and boring; however, they are incredibly fun party games. I had a family gathering over Christmas and it certainly was one of the highlights. The lag is noticeable, however, I found that it really didn't matter for this particular type of game. It was responsive, fluid, and it did impress me (since I thought it'd be complete crap).
Dance Central Demo-
The demo only had two songs so I can't really talk a whole lot. The camera is responsive and detects you're moves accurately. Only of my smaller cousins (who's 7) tried it and it worked perfectly so there's no doubt that Kinect works with both children and adults (and everything in between). It's a fun rhythm game that will probably keep you entertained even if you play by yourself. Of course, playing with a crowd is always better for these types of games.
Kinect Sports Demo-
I found this game to be a lot more responsive than Adventures. What can I say? It's a simple sports game that focuses on gestures. Sure, it nowhere near Sports Champions, but it's a fun game that will keep casuals entertained.
Kinect Adventures-
The games are simple. If you play by yourself they will be dull and boring; however, they are incredibly fun party games. I had a family gathering over Christmas and it certainly was one of the highlights. The lag is noticeable, however, I found that it really didn't matter for this particular type of game. It was responsive, fluid, and it did impress me (since I thought it'd be complete crap).
Dance Central Demo-
The demo only had two songs so I can't really talk a whole lot. The camera is responsive and detects you're moves accurately. Only of my smaller cousins (who's 7) tried it and it worked perfectly so there's no doubt that Kinect works with both children and adults (and everything in between). It's a fun rhythm game that will probably keep you entertained even if you play by yourself. Of course, playing with a crowd is always better for these types of games.
Kinect Sports Demo-
I found this game to be a lot more responsive than Adventures. What can I say? It's a simple sports game that focuses on gestures. Sure, it nowhere near Sports Champions, but it's a fun game that will keep casuals entertained.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Treyarch is bad not COD
Cod is getting such a kicking on this site and it's Treyarch that should be getting the flack. I loved call of duty 1 and 2, hated 3, loved 4, hated World at War, loved MW2 and I hate Black Ops. Do you see a pattern emerging here. All the one's I hate were developed by Treyarch and the one's I love were developed by Infinity Ward. There is still hope for COD but I think Activision needs to switch to a game every two years and put Treyarch on something else because its obvious they have no clue how to get a game to run online. I feel like a hypocrite because I bought Black Ops so Activision have my money in the bank and they have provided me with a sub par game. Cod4 is still the best Cod ever made but MW2 wasn't far behind it, it fell into the over hyped trap many great games fall into. I'm not going to compare Cod to any other shooter because each game should be given a chance on there own merits, not on what other games have achieved.
Everyone talks about sales when they mention Cod and its all down to modern warfare's brilliance. Iv'e been gaming about 20 years and no multi player game ever sucked me in like that one did. Since then Cod has grown in popularity but nothing else, with every new cod game, come's even more new gamer's and I think that is good for the industry. I myself no at least 10 people who have an Xbox just for cod and nothing else. I can hear you screaming, but what about all the other great games out there. Well these gamers don't care, they just want to creep around cod maps shooting guns and they are happy with that
Which brings me to my next point, are hardcore gamers becoming the minority. Microsoft have Kinect, Sony have move and Nintendo have been casual since the beginning of this gen. Look at the games on Facebook for instance, they are simple at best and yet they have more users than any console game in the world. I hope i'm wrong but look at Sony, they must be pumping millions into there exclusives and are they selling well, apart from GT5 NO. How long before Sony start chasing the easy money. I see the gaming industry going down that root sometime in the future, unless a game sells 50 million copies in its first 5 minutes its classed as a flop. Look at how many big companies have gone bust, Blizzard, pandemic and countless others have hit rock bottom due to the fact that people want what everybody else is playing.
Everyone talks about sales when they mention Cod and its all down to modern warfare's brilliance. Iv'e been gaming about 20 years and no multi player game ever sucked me in like that one did. Since then Cod has grown in popularity but nothing else, with every new cod game, come's even more new gamer's and I think that is good for the industry. I myself no at least 10 people who have an Xbox just for cod and nothing else. I can hear you screaming, but what about all the other great games out there. Well these gamers don't care, they just want to creep around cod maps shooting guns and they are happy with that
Which brings me to my next point, are hardcore gamers becoming the minority. Microsoft have Kinect, Sony have move and Nintendo have been casual since the beginning of this gen. Look at the games on Facebook for instance, they are simple at best and yet they have more users than any console game in the world. I hope i'm wrong but look at Sony, they must be pumping millions into there exclusives and are they selling well, apart from GT5 NO. How long before Sony start chasing the easy money. I see the gaming industry going down that root sometime in the future, unless a game sells 50 million copies in its first 5 minutes its classed as a flop. Look at how many big companies have gone bust, Blizzard, pandemic and countless others have hit rock bottom due to the fact that people want what everybody else is playing.
State of The Shooter Address
My Rant about the Current State of Shooters
For the record I wrote this after trying to play a few games of Halo: Reach
So here it is 2011 when more people play games than ever before and the shooter community is growing. So why are the games being watered down to a state of over-rewarding, gimped feature sets? This is something that I truly don’t understand because, well people play games to have fun and some because they like to sort of break down mental puzzles of gameplay or patterns within the games system. Now I started out in online shooters back in the days of Socom II with no pointless reward system but a valuable ranking system. I wasn’t the greatest player ever but when I finally traded in my cookie for a pair of wings and then lost them only to get them back, I valued that more than anything. As I am sure that most people from the Socom II era enjoyed and valued as well. The same with Halo 2, you could actually lose rank, which made people appreciate their rank and try to maintain a certain level of skill not to lose it.
Online Ruined
The problem with games today, they reward you for actually being terrible at the game. I almost puked in my own mouth while playing in the Socom 4 beta when I was the first one to die and it said weakest link with a +15 xp on the screen…. What? I get points for getting killed, when is that something that you should reward in a shooter!?!? Now I know, this is the COD formula, but if you look back to the year Modern Warfare was introduced, the masses didn’t flock to it because of the reward system. It was because the gameplay mechanics where right and the game looked photorealistic. It has nothing at all to do with the reward system that seems to infect every shooter now. I don’t mind the unreal tournament presentation style of rewards; I just mind the rewards themselves. There are too many, which makes each one less valuable than the last ten you just got. So guess what this does to the people that play the game, they start to care less about it and they take the game less seriously because it is always constantly giving them something for next to nothing. I’m not against all of it as this does fit the COD series because of the checks and balances that the game structure has to compensate for it.
I’ll talk about it briefly since I also have other points to make. Ask yourself these questions while taking into consideration what happens when these events occur. Now think about Halo and COD and think about how one of these games takes itself a bit more seriously over the other in the way they are set up for online play. Now they both have an overly generous reward system right? Xp, credits, armor unlocks, daily challenges, etc. Okay no problem there right? Okay what about the ranking system; do you lose rank in COD? How about Halo? I have yet to lose rank in either game. Even when I do terribly I get so many points and I never see a minus xp ever. Now think about this, what happens when someone quits in Halo? Does their rank go down? I have yet to see this as well. What about COD? Oh, when people leave a game in COD they are replaced so that the ones who stay, don’t suffer, that’s cool. But what about Halo when you are constantly playing with half a team or less? Oh and don’t forget if you quit too many times you have to wait 15 minutes before you can get in your next game. Well no one loses rank, you are just there to get murdered because well, you have just quit a few matches already because people on your previous teams quit on you so you obviously would quit too rather than spend 5 minutes listening to the countdown tone that occurs when you get killed because the game keeps spawning you right near the enemy to get destroyed.
This is my gripe with Halo: Reach, although it is a good game gameplay wise, the matchmaking structure does not support that COD model of over- rewarding. Now if Rank were important like in Halo 2 people would be less likely to quit unless they really didn’t care about the game at all. Now Modding aside in Halo 2, how many level 30’s do you remember quitting a game two minutes into a match? Not a whole lot because anybody with a 30+ in Halo 2 was a good player and wasn’t going to just lose it because of quitting a game that just started. Now modding was another story, but the point I’m making is people play Halo because they like halo and Halo’s reward and ranking system. The COD ranking system does NOT fit the structure of what Halo: Reach is trying to do because there is no incentive to try to make a miraculous comeback if you are getting owned in the beginning of the game. Give me a rank that matters and I will care more to play the game out. If I leave penalize me by taking my rank in the same manner that Halo 2 did, same goes for Socom but like how Socom 2 operated. It will breed better play and fewer shenanigans.
Community
This is the second thing that I want to address because it seems that as the industry grows, it wants to kill the community aspect of its games. I, for the life of me don’t understand why games don’t have fully functional clan or group features that Socom II and Halo 2 (until Bungie axed it) had. This really baffles the mind. I mean are we going backwards or did we lose sight of the important things solely for the sake of Graphical fidelity. I’m not saying that I want crappy looking games, but we are better served with good games that expand on features better than they did in the last iteration of the franchise. Halo 2 had ranked matches and Ranked Clan matches, were did that go? I mean do devs want people to play their games less? I used to play both regular ranked and Clan ranked matches. We used to have meetings trying to come up with different strategies on each map trying to be the best clan we could be. This was a lot of fun because it encouraged teamwork and emergent gameplay from a group of people with different ideas on how to win as a team. Why isn’t this something that devs want anymore?
Socom is a totally different beast, since Socom 4 will only have quick matches and no lobbies for ranked and clan matches. I don’t understand this. Without Lobbies, what happens to giving players control to set and agree on rule sets before playing. All of this makes no sense when all other Socoms had quick match options along with lobbies. Honestly me or anybody else should not have to ask these questions when we support these games for reasons that these devs seem to want to take away. I understand the need for growth, but devs are taking away elements that made them great and then turn around and tell the consumer, “Well you have to learn to like new things.” Well guess what, we do like new things, on top of what makes a game franchise popular. The consumer doesn’t really see the goods till they buy the game so people that bought Halo 3 were expecting a better Halo 2. The people who will buy Socom 4 are looking for a better Socom 2 or 3. When you take out the appreciative elements of the game you essentially make it something else. This is why people are voting for a Socom II HD version because they have actually lost faith that the Zipper can actually make a new Socom because they have this need to innovate with new ideas without implementing and iterating on the old ones first.
With everything said, I feel that the companies that make shooters lost what was important in shooters and left game players out to dry for the ones who will only play their games for 2 to 3 weeks out of the year. Yes I know, untrue statement to a degree, but I believe there is some relevance in that statement.
Fixing The Problem
The reason that people get upset, especially with the shooter genre is because well, games are expensive and the development team seems to either listen too much to the community or not at all. On some level, the statement that gamers don’t know what they want is true, however, this does not apply to a hardcore gamer. So I think the first thing to do is weed out the hardcore from the person that wants to complain for the sake of complaining. This will go a long way in satisfying both the casual crowd and the hardcore. Most games are not anomalies like COD, which in my eyes is an arcade shooter. So there needs to be some sort element that your hardcore fans can find that resonates with them to keep them playing even when the next shooter comes out. With that said, separate and analyze the feedback, create different modes for each party if need be, this would help level the playing field and keep the game fun for those who want to pick up and play and fun for those hardcore master strategist who will still play your game even when COD 25 comes out.
Get the communities back together, not everybody wants to turn on the game and rush into a battle, give the options to players that will help the growth of community in your game. I don’t understand how multiplayer has become an important aspect in almost every shooter, yet it fails to create a real community setting that games set the bar for years ago. I mean it should be more players, more community features. We should not be going backwards. I’d rather stay in the game and tweak certain things versus getting on my PC or Mac and editing profiles on an extremely large forum where my post don’t really mean anything.
The reward systems are okay for arcade style shooters, but games like Socom do not support this style of play, at least not in the classic mode. So bring back the ranking systems that actually mean something. Anything that you can lose is much more valuable than what you can’t. There are ways of curving the reward system, how about not tying the reward system to rank at all. Just have it as a stand alone feature or list of accomplishments of the player and let them decide if falling 20 feet off a building is more important than keeping their current rank. Allow rank to be lost if players fall below the standard that they set for themselves. It will definitely make the games more fun and more strategic. Good players will end up teaching bad players through experience and gameplay between players will become diversified, making the game stand the test of time.
Tell me what you think. Send me a message.
My next Blog will be about Lag Compensation and Netcode.
For the record I wrote this after trying to play a few games of Halo: Reach
So here it is 2011 when more people play games than ever before and the shooter community is growing. So why are the games being watered down to a state of over-rewarding, gimped feature sets? This is something that I truly don’t understand because, well people play games to have fun and some because they like to sort of break down mental puzzles of gameplay or patterns within the games system. Now I started out in online shooters back in the days of Socom II with no pointless reward system but a valuable ranking system. I wasn’t the greatest player ever but when I finally traded in my cookie for a pair of wings and then lost them only to get them back, I valued that more than anything. As I am sure that most people from the Socom II era enjoyed and valued as well. The same with Halo 2, you could actually lose rank, which made people appreciate their rank and try to maintain a certain level of skill not to lose it.
Online Ruined
The problem with games today, they reward you for actually being terrible at the game. I almost puked in my own mouth while playing in the Socom 4 beta when I was the first one to die and it said weakest link with a +15 xp on the screen…. What? I get points for getting killed, when is that something that you should reward in a shooter!?!? Now I know, this is the COD formula, but if you look back to the year Modern Warfare was introduced, the masses didn’t flock to it because of the reward system. It was because the gameplay mechanics where right and the game looked photorealistic. It has nothing at all to do with the reward system that seems to infect every shooter now. I don’t mind the unreal tournament presentation style of rewards; I just mind the rewards themselves. There are too many, which makes each one less valuable than the last ten you just got. So guess what this does to the people that play the game, they start to care less about it and they take the game less seriously because it is always constantly giving them something for next to nothing. I’m not against all of it as this does fit the COD series because of the checks and balances that the game structure has to compensate for it.
I’ll talk about it briefly since I also have other points to make. Ask yourself these questions while taking into consideration what happens when these events occur. Now think about Halo and COD and think about how one of these games takes itself a bit more seriously over the other in the way they are set up for online play. Now they both have an overly generous reward system right? Xp, credits, armor unlocks, daily challenges, etc. Okay no problem there right? Okay what about the ranking system; do you lose rank in COD? How about Halo? I have yet to lose rank in either game. Even when I do terribly I get so many points and I never see a minus xp ever. Now think about this, what happens when someone quits in Halo? Does their rank go down? I have yet to see this as well. What about COD? Oh, when people leave a game in COD they are replaced so that the ones who stay, don’t suffer, that’s cool. But what about Halo when you are constantly playing with half a team or less? Oh and don’t forget if you quit too many times you have to wait 15 minutes before you can get in your next game. Well no one loses rank, you are just there to get murdered because well, you have just quit a few matches already because people on your previous teams quit on you so you obviously would quit too rather than spend 5 minutes listening to the countdown tone that occurs when you get killed because the game keeps spawning you right near the enemy to get destroyed.
This is my gripe with Halo: Reach, although it is a good game gameplay wise, the matchmaking structure does not support that COD model of over- rewarding. Now if Rank were important like in Halo 2 people would be less likely to quit unless they really didn’t care about the game at all. Now Modding aside in Halo 2, how many level 30’s do you remember quitting a game two minutes into a match? Not a whole lot because anybody with a 30+ in Halo 2 was a good player and wasn’t going to just lose it because of quitting a game that just started. Now modding was another story, but the point I’m making is people play Halo because they like halo and Halo’s reward and ranking system. The COD ranking system does NOT fit the structure of what Halo: Reach is trying to do because there is no incentive to try to make a miraculous comeback if you are getting owned in the beginning of the game. Give me a rank that matters and I will care more to play the game out. If I leave penalize me by taking my rank in the same manner that Halo 2 did, same goes for Socom but like how Socom 2 operated. It will breed better play and fewer shenanigans.
Community
This is the second thing that I want to address because it seems that as the industry grows, it wants to kill the community aspect of its games. I, for the life of me don’t understand why games don’t have fully functional clan or group features that Socom II and Halo 2 (until Bungie axed it) had. This really baffles the mind. I mean are we going backwards or did we lose sight of the important things solely for the sake of Graphical fidelity. I’m not saying that I want crappy looking games, but we are better served with good games that expand on features better than they did in the last iteration of the franchise. Halo 2 had ranked matches and Ranked Clan matches, were did that go? I mean do devs want people to play their games less? I used to play both regular ranked and Clan ranked matches. We used to have meetings trying to come up with different strategies on each map trying to be the best clan we could be. This was a lot of fun because it encouraged teamwork and emergent gameplay from a group of people with different ideas on how to win as a team. Why isn’t this something that devs want anymore?
Socom is a totally different beast, since Socom 4 will only have quick matches and no lobbies for ranked and clan matches. I don’t understand this. Without Lobbies, what happens to giving players control to set and agree on rule sets before playing. All of this makes no sense when all other Socoms had quick match options along with lobbies. Honestly me or anybody else should not have to ask these questions when we support these games for reasons that these devs seem to want to take away. I understand the need for growth, but devs are taking away elements that made them great and then turn around and tell the consumer, “Well you have to learn to like new things.” Well guess what, we do like new things, on top of what makes a game franchise popular. The consumer doesn’t really see the goods till they buy the game so people that bought Halo 3 were expecting a better Halo 2. The people who will buy Socom 4 are looking for a better Socom 2 or 3. When you take out the appreciative elements of the game you essentially make it something else. This is why people are voting for a Socom II HD version because they have actually lost faith that the Zipper can actually make a new Socom because they have this need to innovate with new ideas without implementing and iterating on the old ones first.
With everything said, I feel that the companies that make shooters lost what was important in shooters and left game players out to dry for the ones who will only play their games for 2 to 3 weeks out of the year. Yes I know, untrue statement to a degree, but I believe there is some relevance in that statement.
Fixing The Problem
The reason that people get upset, especially with the shooter genre is because well, games are expensive and the development team seems to either listen too much to the community or not at all. On some level, the statement that gamers don’t know what they want is true, however, this does not apply to a hardcore gamer. So I think the first thing to do is weed out the hardcore from the person that wants to complain for the sake of complaining. This will go a long way in satisfying both the casual crowd and the hardcore. Most games are not anomalies like COD, which in my eyes is an arcade shooter. So there needs to be some sort element that your hardcore fans can find that resonates with them to keep them playing even when the next shooter comes out. With that said, separate and analyze the feedback, create different modes for each party if need be, this would help level the playing field and keep the game fun for those who want to pick up and play and fun for those hardcore master strategist who will still play your game even when COD 25 comes out.
Get the communities back together, not everybody wants to turn on the game and rush into a battle, give the options to players that will help the growth of community in your game. I don’t understand how multiplayer has become an important aspect in almost every shooter, yet it fails to create a real community setting that games set the bar for years ago. I mean it should be more players, more community features. We should not be going backwards. I’d rather stay in the game and tweak certain things versus getting on my PC or Mac and editing profiles on an extremely large forum where my post don’t really mean anything.
The reward systems are okay for arcade style shooters, but games like Socom do not support this style of play, at least not in the classic mode. So bring back the ranking systems that actually mean something. Anything that you can lose is much more valuable than what you can’t. There are ways of curving the reward system, how about not tying the reward system to rank at all. Just have it as a stand alone feature or list of accomplishments of the player and let them decide if falling 20 feet off a building is more important than keeping their current rank. Allow rank to be lost if players fall below the standard that they set for themselves. It will definitely make the games more fun and more strategic. Good players will end up teaching bad players through experience and gameplay between players will become diversified, making the game stand the test of time.
Tell me what you think. Send me a message.
My next Blog will be about Lag Compensation and Netcode.
Rochard Hands-On
Should you ever try to determine how your time is best spent at a conference with the deciding factor fixed at nationality, I'm going to have to put in a good word for the Finns. They like to eat and drink, they give me Finnish chocolate and offer wine, and they bring along Jon St. John, voice of The Duke and more recently: John Rochard.
Rochard relies on two simple truths: gravity manipulation is awesome, and Southern people are funnier than everyone else. That Recoil Games understands these truths is obvious, that they wrapped them up in a side-scrolling 2D puzzle platformer means they are a company comprised of a more advanced sort of human.
Mr. Rochard, John Rochard, is an astro-miner and the core of a very misfit toys sort of mining crew that trawls asteroids for turbinium, a resource we have to assume is worth the effort. Unfortunately SkyRig, astro-mining corporation and Rochard's occupational overlord, is none too pleased with the fruits of the Rochard team's efforts and unless they have a truly all-star mining week they're all fired. With that burden heavy on their shoulders the crew discovers that the truth isn't so much out there as *in* there - in the asteroid, which holds absolute proof of extra-terrestrial life. Upon making a rather important communication to that effect, space bandits attack. Yeah, it's a make it or break it sort of day for Rochard.
Things are definitely not going well on the mining station, and it's up to Rochard and his G-Lifter to set things right. The G-Lifter, standard-issue mining equipment, is capable of grabbing crates and throwing them in elegant arcs, across gaps and onto the heads of space bandits. Its gravitational prowess makes an ungainly action rather, well, graceful. At some point Rochard picks up a rock blaster, but what I played at GDC were puzzles based on gravity, hatches, power cores, and forcefields that either allow organic matter or crates. Controls - right stick aims, left stick moves, R2 activates the G-Lifter beam - are a breeze, and the low-gravity floating is really fun. Recoil jumps are cooler than being cool: use your G-Lifter to snag a crate, swap to low gravity then jump, firing the crate away from Rochard to extend the leap. As you puzzle it out, the occasional space pirate will need to be fought with your melee attack, rock blaster, or thunked on the head with a crate - that would be gravity FTW.
Rochard is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle game with its own set of companion cubes and balls of steel. Those steely balls come courtesy of Jon St. John, whose Southern twang voice work as John Rochard makes for a perfect match and brings tons of personality to the title. With retro stylings, the chunky characters and environments fit the brash and playful script. There are great things in this unassuming package, like solid environmental puzzling action and real-time shadowing. Yes, the passion is evidenced in Rochard - the consideration given to each character in both appearance and backstory alone speaks to this - and the only thing I might love more than indie games is talking to indie developers *about* their games.
With dialog dripping with bizarre, backwoodsy Southern American-ness I had to ask Creative Director Burt Kane, who wrote this masterpiece of sharp-tongued wit, how on earth a Finn comes by so much American. "I'm a hillbilly from Finland, my Dad is a farmer. I'm from the area of Finland where people talk funny, and everybody is a farmer. So I relate to the Southern lifestyle," Kane explained, "I did a lot of research. I watched a lot of movies." Probably not Deliverance?*
Set to last about 8 hours, the G-lifter's uses will change across the game, keeping things astro-fresh. One critical upgrade is the ability to swap the gravity between the station's Earth-like pull and that of the asteroid, allowing Rochard to soar to greater heights and longer distances. A game of wits and platforming skill, Rochard possesses both brains and brawn; titular everyman John Rochard is equipped with just enough resourcefulness and sharp-tongued repartee to battle any foe.
Developed by Recoil Games and published by SOE, Rochard will hit PSN this Spring.
*Kane has watched Deliverance, "It's one of my favorite movies"!
Rochard relies on two simple truths: gravity manipulation is awesome, and Southern people are funnier than everyone else. That Recoil Games understands these truths is obvious, that they wrapped them up in a side-scrolling 2D puzzle platformer means they are a company comprised of a more advanced sort of human.
Mr. Rochard, John Rochard, is an astro-miner and the core of a very misfit toys sort of mining crew that trawls asteroids for turbinium, a resource we have to assume is worth the effort. Unfortunately SkyRig, astro-mining corporation and Rochard's occupational overlord, is none too pleased with the fruits of the Rochard team's efforts and unless they have a truly all-star mining week they're all fired. With that burden heavy on their shoulders the crew discovers that the truth isn't so much out there as *in* there - in the asteroid, which holds absolute proof of extra-terrestrial life. Upon making a rather important communication to that effect, space bandits attack. Yeah, it's a make it or break it sort of day for Rochard.
Things are definitely not going well on the mining station, and it's up to Rochard and his G-Lifter to set things right. The G-Lifter, standard-issue mining equipment, is capable of grabbing crates and throwing them in elegant arcs, across gaps and onto the heads of space bandits. Its gravitational prowess makes an ungainly action rather, well, graceful. At some point Rochard picks up a rock blaster, but what I played at GDC were puzzles based on gravity, hatches, power cores, and forcefields that either allow organic matter or crates. Controls - right stick aims, left stick moves, R2 activates the G-Lifter beam - are a breeze, and the low-gravity floating is really fun. Recoil jumps are cooler than being cool: use your G-Lifter to snag a crate, swap to low gravity then jump, firing the crate away from Rochard to extend the leap. As you puzzle it out, the occasional space pirate will need to be fought with your melee attack, rock blaster, or thunked on the head with a crate - that would be gravity FTW.
Rochard is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle game with its own set of companion cubes and balls of steel. Those steely balls come courtesy of Jon St. John, whose Southern twang voice work as John Rochard makes for a perfect match and brings tons of personality to the title. With retro stylings, the chunky characters and environments fit the brash and playful script. There are great things in this unassuming package, like solid environmental puzzling action and real-time shadowing. Yes, the passion is evidenced in Rochard - the consideration given to each character in both appearance and backstory alone speaks to this - and the only thing I might love more than indie games is talking to indie developers *about* their games.
With dialog dripping with bizarre, backwoodsy Southern American-ness I had to ask Creative Director Burt Kane, who wrote this masterpiece of sharp-tongued wit, how on earth a Finn comes by so much American. "I'm a hillbilly from Finland, my Dad is a farmer. I'm from the area of Finland where people talk funny, and everybody is a farmer. So I relate to the Southern lifestyle," Kane explained, "I did a lot of research. I watched a lot of movies." Probably not Deliverance?*
Set to last about 8 hours, the G-lifter's uses will change across the game, keeping things astro-fresh. One critical upgrade is the ability to swap the gravity between the station's Earth-like pull and that of the asteroid, allowing Rochard to soar to greater heights and longer distances. A game of wits and platforming skill, Rochard possesses both brains and brawn; titular everyman John Rochard is equipped with just enough resourcefulness and sharp-tongued repartee to battle any foe.
Developed by Recoil Games and published by SOE, Rochard will hit PSN this Spring.
*Kane has watched Deliverance, "It's one of my favorite movies"!
Saturday, October 15, 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.
Why more gamers are more against DLC`s nowadays than in the past ?
If you look at my previous entries, you could get the impression that I am totally against DLC's. Actually I am more against them than favoring them but not totally against them. Anyway, comparing the situation to a year ago I think many more are against the DLCs than before. Why ? Here are my reasons.
1- Consciousness. Right now there is a solid consciousness over DLCs, in the past, when they were emerging and not that popular most people did not know what to think or how to react to DLCs. Tons of articles and discussion influenced people and now they totally know how to feel on DLCs.
2- Too many DLCs. DLCs kept coming and coming, even when there were only a few DLCs back in the day, people did not really care about them since they were featuring only extra content. Nowadays some DLCs are vital for the full experience.
3- Games with regular DLCs vs Games with no DLCs. Call of Duty genre vs BF Bad Company. While you pay 15 $ for 4 maps, you get all free for BF BC2. This is just one example. There are more like that. When that happens usually the light bulb in people's head is turned on.
4- No change of plans. They still introduce same amount of DLCs for their new titles and seems like they never listen to what gamers say about DLCs. Game companies are totally ignorant in that matter.
5- Weak content. Imagine you pay some amount of money for that extra content and it doesn't justify the price tag... Frustrating really.
6-Lack of trust. When you see already introduced add-ons before a game is released - dragon age II exiled prince , couldn't they include it in the full game ? - trust issues begin. People think that specific content is extracted from the game to make extra money when It could have been included in the full game where you pay almost 60 $.
Well, those are my reasons basically. Game studios should be very careful with those DLCs, it's quite dangerous as it could hurt that company's image easily and turn their fans into enemies.
If I were them, I would only introduce DLCs after some time that the game is released. And ideally the content would justify the price tag and not upset the gamers who tend not to buy those add-ons.
1- Consciousness. Right now there is a solid consciousness over DLCs, in the past, when they were emerging and not that popular most people did not know what to think or how to react to DLCs. Tons of articles and discussion influenced people and now they totally know how to feel on DLCs.
2- Too many DLCs. DLCs kept coming and coming, even when there were only a few DLCs back in the day, people did not really care about them since they were featuring only extra content. Nowadays some DLCs are vital for the full experience.
3- Games with regular DLCs vs Games with no DLCs. Call of Duty genre vs BF Bad Company. While you pay 15 $ for 4 maps, you get all free for BF BC2. This is just one example. There are more like that. When that happens usually the light bulb in people's head is turned on.
4- No change of plans. They still introduce same amount of DLCs for their new titles and seems like they never listen to what gamers say about DLCs. Game companies are totally ignorant in that matter.
5- Weak content. Imagine you pay some amount of money for that extra content and it doesn't justify the price tag... Frustrating really.
6-Lack of trust. When you see already introduced add-ons before a game is released - dragon age II exiled prince , couldn't they include it in the full game ? - trust issues begin. People think that specific content is extracted from the game to make extra money when It could have been included in the full game where you pay almost 60 $.
Well, those are my reasons basically. Game studios should be very careful with those DLCs, it's quite dangerous as it could hurt that company's image easily and turn their fans into enemies.
If I were them, I would only introduce DLCs after some time that the game is released. And ideally the content would justify the price tag and not upset the gamers who tend not to buy those add-ons.
What's with Uncharted 3's Co-op?
I'm sure most of you reading this have already downloaded and played a fair amount of Uncharted 3 multiplayer. Now, as someone who has spent more time in UC2's co-op than in the competitive modes, I think I can say that I won't be playing it or developing an addiction as I did with its predecessor.
You may ask why I say that, and here it is: it's too hard...
but it's too easy.
"What?"
The problem with UC3's co-op, I feel, is that Naughty Dog obviously want to encourage team play, which is understandable. To do this, there have been some noticeable changes. For one, it seems you take more damage from enemies, making the act of taking on mulitple foes Rambo-style (i.e. Uncharted 2) nearly impossisble. That already disappoints me, but let me continue.
Now, I might have just accepted this if it were not for another thing. If you do the very thing that ND is trying to encourage, that is sticking with your team, the game becomes a bit of a snore. It really isn't challenging when you stay by your buddy (presumably competent) and mow down any adversary. The game becomes slow-paced and with the addition of the auto-heal kickback, which any player can stack up and use (provided he has the required number of medals), it all becomes quite effortless and dull.
So, when I begin playing, it boils down to two things for me:
1) Run around and take on guys Rambo-style (with help from nearby teammates in latter rounds) in a fast-paced game of survival, but ultimately die
2) Stick tightly together and destroy all in an uneventful massacre of the enemy AI
This isn't to say that I don't like working as a team. It was necessary to do so in UC2, but now, it is nearly impossible to survive more than a minute on your own without two or three enemies sapping your health down. Therefore, you go and glue yourself to the team and suddenly, what was once impossible, is now a drawn out and mindless chore.
The fact you must cling to your mates is only empahasized by the fact that your character is not as responsive as he was in UC2. I'm fine with that in competitive multiplayer, but in cooperative, I go through the process outlined above.
Needless to say, I haven't played much co-op in the beta, and have been sticking to the other modes. It's sad to think that my most played game type in UC2 might not get nearly as much attention in UC3, but the way things stand right now, it bores me. Hopefully, the Adventure Co-op (as seen in UC2, which was excellent) will change my mind, I really like cooperative play as a whole.
You may ask why I say that, and here it is: it's too hard...
but it's too easy.
"What?"
The problem with UC3's co-op, I feel, is that Naughty Dog obviously want to encourage team play, which is understandable. To do this, there have been some noticeable changes. For one, it seems you take more damage from enemies, making the act of taking on mulitple foes Rambo-style (i.e. Uncharted 2) nearly impossisble. That already disappoints me, but let me continue.
Now, I might have just accepted this if it were not for another thing. If you do the very thing that ND is trying to encourage, that is sticking with your team, the game becomes a bit of a snore. It really isn't challenging when you stay by your buddy (presumably competent) and mow down any adversary. The game becomes slow-paced and with the addition of the auto-heal kickback, which any player can stack up and use (provided he has the required number of medals), it all becomes quite effortless and dull.
So, when I begin playing, it boils down to two things for me:
1) Run around and take on guys Rambo-style (with help from nearby teammates in latter rounds) in a fast-paced game of survival, but ultimately die
2) Stick tightly together and destroy all in an uneventful massacre of the enemy AI
This isn't to say that I don't like working as a team. It was necessary to do so in UC2, but now, it is nearly impossible to survive more than a minute on your own without two or three enemies sapping your health down. Therefore, you go and glue yourself to the team and suddenly, what was once impossible, is now a drawn out and mindless chore.
The fact you must cling to your mates is only empahasized by the fact that your character is not as responsive as he was in UC2. I'm fine with that in competitive multiplayer, but in cooperative, I go through the process outlined above.
Needless to say, I haven't played much co-op in the beta, and have been sticking to the other modes. It's sad to think that my most played game type in UC2 might not get nearly as much attention in UC3, but the way things stand right now, it bores me. Hopefully, the Adventure Co-op (as seen in UC2, which was excellent) will change my mind, I really like cooperative play as a whole.
My thoughts on how the next gen consoles should be done.
This time I'm going to talk about what I'd like to see and would do with the next console iterations. I think I'll start with Microsoft and then Sony.
Ok first off don't release a new console until 2014 the earliest, why? Because you got some serious work to do.
-First of either use a 1GB graphics card or use 2 graphics cards.
-Use a multi core processor, preferable quad or sextuple and have at least 4 GB ram but I'd say go with 8GB.
-HD is a no brainer. Here's the part that will help you in terms of fighting piracy, use proprietary HD DVDs for the games and use 16GB discs. Keep the reverse compatibility for all Xbox 360 games and even have the ability to transfer the save data and DLC from 360 to the new console.
-Give it a minimum HDD of 120GB but go with 250GB, that's a nice size, heck why not just do a HDD that's exactly the same as the 360 and be able to just plug your 360 HDD in and download an update for the new interface and what not.
-Now for the reason you should wait, allow cloud save data for XBL Gold subscribers and even allow an option for XBLA games to be played via the cloud. We all know the cloud is inevitable but it need to be experimented with and implemented in small abouts like in my examples.
-Use all the accessories from the 360 so you don't need to redesign or make peoples lives more miserable and bundle it with 2 controllers and a Kinect.
-Keep the disc draw drive design. I like having the draw and it's your advantage against both the Wii U, Wii and PS3. I bet I'm not the only one who agrees.
-I can't stress this enough and it will reduce piracy as well. MAKE IT REGION FREE! All region locking does it piss people of and gives them an excuse to pirate a game if it isn't released in there region. This is why console modding is popular in Australia and Europe.
-Make the XBL marketplace region free. This is a great idea, trust me!
-Sell actual disc games via XBL Marketplace that get mailed to the customer and give bonus MS Points to people who preorder via my idea of the XBL Retail Marketplace.
-Be able to buy stuff via PayPal! Seriously this should actually be done now!
-Put in a proper Windows Live messenger that uses Kinect! This will make a lot of people happy! Also proper Facebook and Twitter integration you can update while playing games. Again this will make a lot of people happy!
As for Sony with your inevitable PlayStation 4 again wait until 2014 to release it at the earliest and most of what I recommend for Microsoft should be taken but I'll repeat it anyway.
- Multi core processor, 4 core minimum, 6 core preference
- 1GB graphics card or 2 graphics cards
- 4GB ram minimum, 8GB recommended
- Reverse compatibility for all PlayStation 1,2 and 3 games... and I mean all not some!
- Minimum HDD 120GB, 250GB preferred
- Keep the Blurays as they are but offer developers the 50GB, especially JRPG developers like Square-Enix, Mistwalker, NIS, IF, Compile Heart, Gust, etc
- Keep the region free, I love that about you guys and it's was your ace in the hole with this console generation and make the PlayStation Store region free too. I hate how the US gets games I want and can't get like Parasite Eve for example!
- Offer cloud storage for PSN users but have unlimited cloud saves for PSN plus subscribers
- Use all the PlayStation 3's accessories and bundle the console with a controller and a full PS Move kit, you know PS wand/remote, camera and navigation controller.
- Remove the PSN Pass! I know you're scared of second hand sales but here's what you, Nintendo and Microsoft can do to battle it... DON'T SUPPLY SHOPS THAT SELL SECOND HAND GAMES RELEASED WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF IT'S RELEASE! Seriously if they don't have new games to sell, they will think twice about screwing you over with second hand games. Still allow them to sell used games but not games release within a 12 month period for example if they sell Resistance 3 used before a year has passed, stop sending them stock for 60 days the first offence 90 days for the second and never again for a third offence. It's time you fought back against there pockets!
- Allow people to buy retail games that get mailed to the customer via the PS Store.
- Allow people to pay for stuff via PayPal! This should have been done by now!
- Proper Facebook and Twitter integration that can be updated while playing games.
- CROSS GAME CHAT! THIS IS A MUST!
So yeah... will the companies take my advice... probably not but if they do the next generation of console my actually be a great one... maybe...
Ok first off don't release a new console until 2014 the earliest, why? Because you got some serious work to do.
-First of either use a 1GB graphics card or use 2 graphics cards.
-Use a multi core processor, preferable quad or sextuple and have at least 4 GB ram but I'd say go with 8GB.
-HD is a no brainer. Here's the part that will help you in terms of fighting piracy, use proprietary HD DVDs for the games and use 16GB discs. Keep the reverse compatibility for all Xbox 360 games and even have the ability to transfer the save data and DLC from 360 to the new console.
-Give it a minimum HDD of 120GB but go with 250GB, that's a nice size, heck why not just do a HDD that's exactly the same as the 360 and be able to just plug your 360 HDD in and download an update for the new interface and what not.
-Now for the reason you should wait, allow cloud save data for XBL Gold subscribers and even allow an option for XBLA games to be played via the cloud. We all know the cloud is inevitable but it need to be experimented with and implemented in small abouts like in my examples.
-Use all the accessories from the 360 so you don't need to redesign or make peoples lives more miserable and bundle it with 2 controllers and a Kinect.
-Keep the disc draw drive design. I like having the draw and it's your advantage against both the Wii U, Wii and PS3. I bet I'm not the only one who agrees.
-I can't stress this enough and it will reduce piracy as well. MAKE IT REGION FREE! All region locking does it piss people of and gives them an excuse to pirate a game if it isn't released in there region. This is why console modding is popular in Australia and Europe.
-Make the XBL marketplace region free. This is a great idea, trust me!
-Sell actual disc games via XBL Marketplace that get mailed to the customer and give bonus MS Points to people who preorder via my idea of the XBL Retail Marketplace.
-Be able to buy stuff via PayPal! Seriously this should actually be done now!
-Put in a proper Windows Live messenger that uses Kinect! This will make a lot of people happy! Also proper Facebook and Twitter integration you can update while playing games. Again this will make a lot of people happy!
As for Sony with your inevitable PlayStation 4 again wait until 2014 to release it at the earliest and most of what I recommend for Microsoft should be taken but I'll repeat it anyway.
- Multi core processor, 4 core minimum, 6 core preference
- 1GB graphics card or 2 graphics cards
- 4GB ram minimum, 8GB recommended
- Reverse compatibility for all PlayStation 1,2 and 3 games... and I mean all not some!
- Minimum HDD 120GB, 250GB preferred
- Keep the Blurays as they are but offer developers the 50GB, especially JRPG developers like Square-Enix, Mistwalker, NIS, IF, Compile Heart, Gust, etc
- Keep the region free, I love that about you guys and it's was your ace in the hole with this console generation and make the PlayStation Store region free too. I hate how the US gets games I want and can't get like Parasite Eve for example!
- Offer cloud storage for PSN users but have unlimited cloud saves for PSN plus subscribers
- Use all the PlayStation 3's accessories and bundle the console with a controller and a full PS Move kit, you know PS wand/remote, camera and navigation controller.
- Remove the PSN Pass! I know you're scared of second hand sales but here's what you, Nintendo and Microsoft can do to battle it... DON'T SUPPLY SHOPS THAT SELL SECOND HAND GAMES RELEASED WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF IT'S RELEASE! Seriously if they don't have new games to sell, they will think twice about screwing you over with second hand games. Still allow them to sell used games but not games release within a 12 month period for example if they sell Resistance 3 used before a year has passed, stop sending them stock for 60 days the first offence 90 days for the second and never again for a third offence. It's time you fought back against there pockets!
- Allow people to buy retail games that get mailed to the customer via the PS Store.
- Allow people to pay for stuff via PayPal! This should have been done by now!
- Proper Facebook and Twitter integration that can be updated while playing games.
- CROSS GAME CHAT! THIS IS A MUST!
So yeah... will the companies take my advice... probably not but if they do the next generation of console my actually be a great one... maybe...
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.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Game Developers Choice Online Awards Audience Award: Vote for your fave Facebook game
We know, you're miffed that your favorite Facebook game didn't make the cut in the second annual Game Developers Choice Online Awards nominations. Luckily for you, the Audience Award category has finally opened up for voting from the public starting today, Sept. 8, through Sept. 22. All you need to do is head on over to the Audience Award voting page, type in what game--any online game--you think should win, and provide an email address to confirm your vote.
The second annual GDC Online, an Austin, Texas-based online game-centric offshoot of the annual GDC event that takes place annually in San Francisco, is little more than a month away, running Oct. 10-13. The GDC Online Awards will be held on the evening of Oct. 12 in the Austin Convention Center. Now that you know all of the logistics regarding the GDC Online Awards, let's talk a bit about that Audience Award.
Frankly, it can be a little daunting, that blank white box, just waiting for your answer. If you need some help framing your answer deciding on a sound candidate, take a look at the nominees that were already decided upon. If that doesn't help, take a look at this month's Top 25 Facebook Games to see what's hot.
Or, you know, just vote for what game you enjoy best--just make sure it's a Facebook game, kay? League of Legends won the Audience Award last year, and while it's a blast, we can't have that this year ... or we'll miss out on the Facebook royalty checks again. (Before the flaming starts: Jokes, people, just jokes.)
Do you plan on casting a vote for the GDC Online Awards Audience Award? Which game do you think should win the honor? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
The second annual GDC Online, an Austin, Texas-based online game-centric offshoot of the annual GDC event that takes place annually in San Francisco, is little more than a month away, running Oct. 10-13. The GDC Online Awards will be held on the evening of Oct. 12 in the Austin Convention Center. Now that you know all of the logistics regarding the GDC Online Awards, let's talk a bit about that Audience Award.
Frankly, it can be a little daunting, that blank white box, just waiting for your answer. If you need some help framing your answer deciding on a sound candidate, take a look at the nominees that were already decided upon. If that doesn't help, take a look at this month's Top 25 Facebook Games to see what's hot.
Or, you know, just vote for what game you enjoy best--just make sure it's a Facebook game, kay? League of Legends won the Audience Award last year, and while it's a blast, we can't have that this year ... or we'll miss out on the Facebook royalty checks again. (Before the flaming starts: Jokes, people, just jokes.)
Do you plan on casting a vote for the GDC Online Awards Audience Award? Which game do you think should win the honor? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
It's time to explore Adventure World, Zynga's largest Facebook game yet
Seriously, do you have a few hours to kill? Then good, because you might need it (and some Facebook Credits, in that case). Zynga has set Adventure World loose on Facebook--all 30 maps, 200 quests, over 1,000 art assets and 20,000 objects included. In this game that just so happens to be 40 times larger than previous Zynga games like FarmVille, players assume the role of an adventurer in search of the golden city of El Dorado.
You'll trek across jungles, mountains, caverns, volcanoes and finally venture into El Dorado itself, overcoming a myriad of wild beasts, lethal traps and various puzzles using your wits in search of the ultimate treasure. Developed by Zynga Boston (formerly known as Conduit Labs), Adventure World makes use of pseudo-3D, cel-shaded visuals to achieve an art style reminiscent of comic books from the '40s revolving around the golden age of exploration.
"When we joined the Zynga family a year ago, our goal was to not only create a game unlike any other in the social gaming space today, but to create a completely new genre," Zynga Boston GM Nabeel Hyatt said in a release. "We call this genre social adventure, one where players can explore, discover and team up with friends on an adventure of a lifetime."
Gallery: Adventure World on Facebook
Player navigate the world using unique tools like whips, grappling hooks and more that level individually as your character progresses. Speaking of which, there are over 10,000 different avatar variations at launch through its customization system. Based on an early look at the game, Adventure World looks to be Zynga's most ambitious project yet, with game mechanics that teach players rather than tell them how to navigate the game world.
But players will have the help of their friends to navigate Adventure World, too. Players can enlist up to 12 friends along the way to help them overcome obstacles like puzzles and traps more easily. And as players use the same friends more often, the stronger those friends become, fostering tight-knit groups of asynchronous adventurers.
Adventure World is already available in eight languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish and Norwegian. Zynga also points out that this is the first game to feature a pygmy princess, so if that doesn't get you to click the link below, we don't know what will.
Click here to play Adventure World on Facebook Now >
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you tried Adventure World on Facebook yet? What do you think so far of this massive Zynga game? Sound off in the comments. 4 Comments
You'll trek across jungles, mountains, caverns, volcanoes and finally venture into El Dorado itself, overcoming a myriad of wild beasts, lethal traps and various puzzles using your wits in search of the ultimate treasure. Developed by Zynga Boston (formerly known as Conduit Labs), Adventure World makes use of pseudo-3D, cel-shaded visuals to achieve an art style reminiscent of comic books from the '40s revolving around the golden age of exploration.
"When we joined the Zynga family a year ago, our goal was to not only create a game unlike any other in the social gaming space today, but to create a completely new genre," Zynga Boston GM Nabeel Hyatt said in a release. "We call this genre social adventure, one where players can explore, discover and team up with friends on an adventure of a lifetime."
Gallery: Adventure World on Facebook
Player navigate the world using unique tools like whips, grappling hooks and more that level individually as your character progresses. Speaking of which, there are over 10,000 different avatar variations at launch through its customization system. Based on an early look at the game, Adventure World looks to be Zynga's most ambitious project yet, with game mechanics that teach players rather than tell them how to navigate the game world.
But players will have the help of their friends to navigate Adventure World, too. Players can enlist up to 12 friends along the way to help them overcome obstacles like puzzles and traps more easily. And as players use the same friends more often, the stronger those friends become, fostering tight-knit groups of asynchronous adventurers.
Adventure World is already available in eight languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish and Norwegian. Zynga also points out that this is the first game to feature a pygmy princess, so if that doesn't get you to click the link below, we don't know what will.
Click here to play Adventure World on Facebook Now >
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you tried Adventure World on Facebook yet? What do you think so far of this massive Zynga game? Sound off in the comments. 4 Comments
CloudForest Expedition Sneak Peek: You're gonna have a rough landing
When we last heard word of Cloudforest Expedition, it was but a glint in legendary designer John Romero's eye. Well, that and a Facebook page chock full of little tidbits detailing the game, which is still in development at Romero's new social game studio, Loot Drop. Now, we've been granted access to some high resolution images of the game in action, and frankly, it's looking downright stunning.
In Cloudforest Expedition, players are on a search for their missing grandfather, which for whatever reason leads them to a jungle teeming with wildlife, ancient artifacts and strange tribes of natives. The images we have here seem to imply that you'll crash land in Cloudforest, left to your own devices to figure just what happened to your grandfather.
It seems that you'll encounter a normal (enough) looking jungle landscape in which either you or your grandfather landed in Cloudforest. From there, you will meet some colorful tribesman that appear to worship fire and dwell on a volcanic landscape. During your travels, you'll also come across other travelers or teammates, it seems, that we imagine will help you somehow navigate Cloudforest (and we assume will help you set up camp in various locations).
Gallery: Cloudforest Expedition on Facebook
We also know that players will get to choose between two avatars: a red-headed woman who seems to be channeling Lara Croft (and has a certain affinity for lemurs), and a roguish-looking man that's a cross between Rambo and Bear Grylls. To find out more about Cloudforest Expedition ahead of its Fall release, "Like" its Facebook page right here, and check out the rest of these images in the gallery.
Are you psyched for Cloudforest Expedition's upcoming release? What do you think/hope we're to expect from the game once it launches? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
In Cloudforest Expedition, players are on a search for their missing grandfather, which for whatever reason leads them to a jungle teeming with wildlife, ancient artifacts and strange tribes of natives. The images we have here seem to imply that you'll crash land in Cloudforest, left to your own devices to figure just what happened to your grandfather.
It seems that you'll encounter a normal (enough) looking jungle landscape in which either you or your grandfather landed in Cloudforest. From there, you will meet some colorful tribesman that appear to worship fire and dwell on a volcanic landscape. During your travels, you'll also come across other travelers or teammates, it seems, that we imagine will help you somehow navigate Cloudforest (and we assume will help you set up camp in various locations).
Gallery: Cloudforest Expedition on Facebook
We also know that players will get to choose between two avatars: a red-headed woman who seems to be channeling Lara Croft (and has a certain affinity for lemurs), and a roguish-looking man that's a cross between Rambo and Bear Grylls. To find out more about Cloudforest Expedition ahead of its Fall release, "Like" its Facebook page right here, and check out the rest of these images in the gallery.
Are you psyched for Cloudforest Expedition's upcoming release? What do you think/hope we're to expect from the game once it launches? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Nordeus's CEO on how Top Eleven became number one [Interview]
Being number one feels good, doesn't it? EA has been the most recognized name in sports games, even on Facebook--until a little game called Top Eleven came around the bend. Created by a small Serbian studio known as Nordeus, Top Eleven has quickly become the number one football (or soccer for you American folk) game on Facebook with over 4 million monthly players, according to AppData.
The game, which overtook EA Sports and Playfish's FIFA Superstars this summer, takes a far heavier simulator approach to the sports genre on Facebook. Oddly enough, this take has done quite well for Nordeus thus far. We sat down with Nordeus CEO Branko Milutinović recently to find out why the company took this approach to sports games on Facebook, how it has made it this far, and what it plans to do to stay on top. (Here's one: Top Eleven is available in about 27 languages, and it's all thanks to player contributions--now that's dedication.)
Noredus' motto seems to be, "Bringing desktop gaming experiences to social networks." Was this always the company slogan, and why did you decide to take this approach to social games?
It's probably my fault we still haven't changed it. Now, times have changed. When we got into social games at the moment, we though social games weren't complex or engaging enough, and someone who could translate the complexity of desktop games to social networks is going to be a huge success.
It has proven to be correct, because nowadays you see The Sims Social and Zynga is becoming less and less casual. Back then we thought we could differentiate ourselves from the competition by creating games that aren't completely casual or shallow, but complex and addictive. That's what we've done rather successfully with Top Eleven.
Our mission statement is a bit different--in a few words it would be something like 'Unifying gaming experiences throughout devices and platforms.' That's what Noredeus [has been] ever since we published Top Eleven.
How exactly will Nordeus connect the gaming experience between devices?
The idea is to provide users unique gaming experiences in that they can simply pick up where they left off. This would mean if you're, say, in the office and playing a game on Facebook during your break and you have to commute back home, we'll provide a way users can still interact, which is very important to them. You're going to be able to play the same game, with the same account, on different devices and platforms.
Top Eleven in action
Of course, football is huge in Europe, South America and some of Asia, but why did you go with a far heavier simulator approach to a Facebook game surrounding it?
There's a long and complex answer to that, which equals a lot of research we did. It comes down to the idea of providing users with a social game that's a bit more challenging than simply the relaxing, action-packed casual type. In short, people are managers at birth--everyone always thinks they would be able to run the country better, the team better.
And they simply don't get the chance to show how good they would have been doing the job that the other idiot is doing. That's the case in Europe, and I have a lot of American friends, so I think it's very similar back there as well. So, it's a characteristic of mankind [laughs]. In Europe, we're always having long and detailed discussions regarding football tactics or whether the manager chose the right lineup.
The idea is to fulfill users' natural need to show everybody else how good they would actually be, given the opportunity, by providing them a virtual plot that is only theirs. They're running the show, competing with other people, and Top Eleven really forces people that are friends to play together. Rather than the crew dynamics movement since day one of social games, we've taken it to the next level in that you're competing with friends synchronously.
It's also something that the rest of the industry is moving toward, but I think I can be very proud of us for picking some key elements of where social gaming is going to get to in the beginning--becoming the pioneers of what the social gaming scene is today over a year ago. I think that's the reason why a really small company from Serbia, which doesn't really have any tradition in building successful games--so, a very small company with very young people, and without any funding, we managed to build something that's rocking the boat now.
Now, will Nordeus remain focused on sports simulators, or does the company have an interest in pursuing other desktop gaming experiences on Facebook?
Without revealing too much, I can definitely say that we're going to remain in the sports genre. But we also have some plans to enter some other areas as well. Not in the distant future, but it's something to [look forward to.]
Facebook games have been largely a genre dominated by large American publishers (aside from Wooga). But I'm ready to see more culturally diverse social games. How do you think that as internationally-based companies gain global notoriety, the culture of other countries will come through in their social games?
I guess it depends on the publisher. From our side, our vision is to build global products, so we really want to cover as many countries in the world with a specific product. Of course, you can't always have the full coverage, but like with Top Eleven we have users from 140 or so countries. From our side, I don't think our culture is going to [influence] what we develop. Our vision is definitely global.
The Nordeus Team
Generally speaking, how does Nordeus plan to capitalize on this success? What can Top Eleven fans look forward to in the developer's future?
First of all, in a few weeks you're going to be pleasantly surprised by what we have been doing for many months. The game is going to evolve a lot--at the moment I can't share many details. But there are many improvements on the way, and we think the game is going to become exactly what users are passionate about.
And we have been conducting a lot of research and interaction with our user base. Our users are also very passionate about [Top Eleven], as our daily to monthly player ratio is one of the highest in the world: between 22 and 24 percent. And we have been working with them in polishing the feature set and building a product that's going to be super.
Thanks for sharing some of Nordeus's secrets for success with us, Branko.
What do you think of Top Eleven on Facebook? Do you prefer sports games on Facebook with the simulator approach, or something with more action? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
The game, which overtook EA Sports and Playfish's FIFA Superstars this summer, takes a far heavier simulator approach to the sports genre on Facebook. Oddly enough, this take has done quite well for Nordeus thus far. We sat down with Nordeus CEO Branko Milutinović recently to find out why the company took this approach to sports games on Facebook, how it has made it this far, and what it plans to do to stay on top. (Here's one: Top Eleven is available in about 27 languages, and it's all thanks to player contributions--now that's dedication.)
Noredus' motto seems to be, "Bringing desktop gaming experiences to social networks." Was this always the company slogan, and why did you decide to take this approach to social games?
It's probably my fault we still haven't changed it. Now, times have changed. When we got into social games at the moment, we though social games weren't complex or engaging enough, and someone who could translate the complexity of desktop games to social networks is going to be a huge success.
It has proven to be correct, because nowadays you see The Sims Social and Zynga is becoming less and less casual. Back then we thought we could differentiate ourselves from the competition by creating games that aren't completely casual or shallow, but complex and addictive. That's what we've done rather successfully with Top Eleven.
Our mission statement is a bit different--in a few words it would be something like 'Unifying gaming experiences throughout devices and platforms.' That's what Noredeus [has been] ever since we published Top Eleven.
How exactly will Nordeus connect the gaming experience between devices?
The idea is to provide users unique gaming experiences in that they can simply pick up where they left off. This would mean if you're, say, in the office and playing a game on Facebook during your break and you have to commute back home, we'll provide a way users can still interact, which is very important to them. You're going to be able to play the same game, with the same account, on different devices and platforms.
Top Eleven in action
Of course, football is huge in Europe, South America and some of Asia, but why did you go with a far heavier simulator approach to a Facebook game surrounding it?
There's a long and complex answer to that, which equals a lot of research we did. It comes down to the idea of providing users with a social game that's a bit more challenging than simply the relaxing, action-packed casual type. In short, people are managers at birth--everyone always thinks they would be able to run the country better, the team better.
And they simply don't get the chance to show how good they would have been doing the job that the other idiot is doing. That's the case in Europe, and I have a lot of American friends, so I think it's very similar back there as well. So, it's a characteristic of mankind [laughs]. In Europe, we're always having long and detailed discussions regarding football tactics or whether the manager chose the right lineup.
The idea is to fulfill users' natural need to show everybody else how good they would actually be, given the opportunity, by providing them a virtual plot that is only theirs. They're running the show, competing with other people, and Top Eleven really forces people that are friends to play together. Rather than the crew dynamics movement since day one of social games, we've taken it to the next level in that you're competing with friends synchronously.
It's also something that the rest of the industry is moving toward, but I think I can be very proud of us for picking some key elements of where social gaming is going to get to in the beginning--becoming the pioneers of what the social gaming scene is today over a year ago. I think that's the reason why a really small company from Serbia, which doesn't really have any tradition in building successful games--so, a very small company with very young people, and without any funding, we managed to build something that's rocking the boat now.
Now, will Nordeus remain focused on sports simulators, or does the company have an interest in pursuing other desktop gaming experiences on Facebook?
Without revealing too much, I can definitely say that we're going to remain in the sports genre. But we also have some plans to enter some other areas as well. Not in the distant future, but it's something to [look forward to.]
Facebook games have been largely a genre dominated by large American publishers (aside from Wooga). But I'm ready to see more culturally diverse social games. How do you think that as internationally-based companies gain global notoriety, the culture of other countries will come through in their social games?
I guess it depends on the publisher. From our side, our vision is to build global products, so we really want to cover as many countries in the world with a specific product. Of course, you can't always have the full coverage, but like with Top Eleven we have users from 140 or so countries. From our side, I don't think our culture is going to [influence] what we develop. Our vision is definitely global.
The Nordeus Team
Generally speaking, how does Nordeus plan to capitalize on this success? What can Top Eleven fans look forward to in the developer's future?
First of all, in a few weeks you're going to be pleasantly surprised by what we have been doing for many months. The game is going to evolve a lot--at the moment I can't share many details. But there are many improvements on the way, and we think the game is going to become exactly what users are passionate about.
And we have been conducting a lot of research and interaction with our user base. Our users are also very passionate about [Top Eleven], as our daily to monthly player ratio is one of the highest in the world: between 22 and 24 percent. And we have been working with them in polishing the feature set and building a product that's going to be super.
Thanks for sharing some of Nordeus's secrets for success with us, Branko.
What do you think of Top Eleven on Facebook? Do you prefer sports games on Facebook with the simulator approach, or something with more action? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Jimmy Buffett will tie Margaritaville Online to the real deal
In likely the most obvious brilliant move into Facebook games yet, Jimmy Buffett is hard at work with publisher THQ and Vancouver, BC-based developer Exploding Barrel Games on Margaritaville Online. (Though, why the game isn't simply known as "MargaritaVille" is beyond us.) In an interview with CNN, the legendary performer, author and songwriter spilled the salt, so to speak, on when the game will release and what it will be like.
According to Buffett, Exploding Barrel Games and THQ are looking at an October release to coincide with the end of his Las Vegas tour. As we already know from its initial announcement, the game will feature full 3D visuals, but Buffett revealed to CNN that players will first arrive in Margaritaville on a boat (of course) at Captain Tony's Bar. This game follows Buffett's songs, but goes even further to explore the stories within the world he has created over nearly 40 years.
The songwriter revealed that he hopes to connect the Facebook and iPad game to his existing Margaritaville restaurants and hotels via virtual goods purchased in the game. However, he has even more ambitious ideas for Margaritaville Online. "I'm toying with ideas of taking it into the real world, where you could have a battle of the bands, or you could have people play in our band," Buffett told CNN. "That's the kind of involvement that I'm looking at in the future."
Gallery: MargaritaVille Online on Facebook
Buffett will directly involve himself in the game beyond his music, which players will be able to listen to in-game. Parrot Heads will be able to directly interact with Buffett in the game, though there's a catch. "But you won't see my real name," Buffett revealed to CNN. "I'll sneak in. I already have my pseudonyms picked out, because I know they'll track me quick." We might not be able track the virtual Jimmy Buffett just yet, but we'll be tracking the release of this game ... just after this margarita.
Are you excited for Jimmy Buffett's big break on Facebook? What else do you hope to see in this social rendition of his tasty liquor-soaked world? Sound off in the comments. 13 Comments
According to Buffett, Exploding Barrel Games and THQ are looking at an October release to coincide with the end of his Las Vegas tour. As we already know from its initial announcement, the game will feature full 3D visuals, but Buffett revealed to CNN that players will first arrive in Margaritaville on a boat (of course) at Captain Tony's Bar. This game follows Buffett's songs, but goes even further to explore the stories within the world he has created over nearly 40 years.
The songwriter revealed that he hopes to connect the Facebook and iPad game to his existing Margaritaville restaurants and hotels via virtual goods purchased in the game. However, he has even more ambitious ideas for Margaritaville Online. "I'm toying with ideas of taking it into the real world, where you could have a battle of the bands, or you could have people play in our band," Buffett told CNN. "That's the kind of involvement that I'm looking at in the future."
Gallery: MargaritaVille Online on Facebook
Buffett will directly involve himself in the game beyond his music, which players will be able to listen to in-game. Parrot Heads will be able to directly interact with Buffett in the game, though there's a catch. "But you won't see my real name," Buffett revealed to CNN. "I'll sneak in. I already have my pseudonyms picked out, because I know they'll track me quick." We might not be able track the virtual Jimmy Buffett just yet, but we'll be tracking the release of this game ... just after this margarita.
Are you excited for Jimmy Buffett's big break on Facebook? What else do you hope to see in this social rendition of his tasty liquor-soaked world? Sound off in the comments. 13 Comments
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter goes live on Facebook
Released previously only in a private beta, Dungeons & Dragons Heroes of Neverwinter has now officially gone live on Facebook. Developed by Atari and set in the Neverwinter realm, the game already has 166,000 monthly players from its time in beta, but if you'd like to join them, here's a taste of what you can expect.
When first starting Heroes of Neverwinter, you'll be allowed to create a character using either set templates of a Fighter, Wizard, Cleric or Rogue (each with their own stats and specialties), or can create a custom character to customize your gender, stats, class, race and more. In this, the game can immediately start out being as complex or as straightforward as you like.
Upon launching into the game proper, you're met with a story of amnesia and will be introduced to Edrick, a scout that was guiding you on your way to Neverwinter before a pack of Goblins knocked you unconscious. Through this introduction, you're told of Neverwinter, a place of hope and civilization that has survived the Ruining, and that you had originally wanted to travel there to purchase a home and earn your fortune. With this as a base, you're sent on your way.
Movement is achieved on a grid, with this turn-based game automatically allowing you to move at the beginning of each turn. When commanding a party, you'll be able to complete multiple actions, including attacking or opening your inventory with each character before needing to manually end their turn and start over with the next character. Once each "adventure" in the game is complete, you'll receive experience points for the battles you won and the tasks you completed in the process. For immediate prizes, you'll sometimes be able to loot your fallen enemies, selecting a prize from a list of ten. You can choose randomly from ten cards, or can use a potion to reveal items before you choose.
In terms of actual combat, you'll have a wide variety of options, depending on the classes of characters in your party. You might be able to attack an enemy from far away, eliminating them before they ever become a threat, or surround an enemy with multiple characters, giving everyone a combat advantage. There's enough strategy here to keep more hardcore players satisfied, but the initial sections of gameplay are incredibly simple and work well to help an unfamiliar player get up to speed.
Gallery: Dungeons & Dragons Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook
Back in Neverwinter proper, you can access a variety of buildings including the Adventure Board where you'll accept new Adventures (Adventures require energy and have multiple difficulty levels), the Tavern where you can purchase energy potions or Adventure boosts to your stats, the Trade house where you'll purchase similar potions or new equipment items, and even your own home, which you'll be able to fill with treasures as you complete different achievements or tasks within the game (collecting a certain amount of gold, for instance).
That being said, the main focus here (understandably) is in the Adventures themselves. There are plenty of them to undertake, each with an additional focus on bringing your friends in to help you (early on, it's entirely possible to fail even the most basic of Adventures by simply going it alone). The lore within the game is presented through text boxes at the beginning and end of most scenes and encounters, and will likely satisfy current D&D fans. Still, this isn't the first game of its kind of Facebook, so hopefully the D&D name alone will help draw more followers into the fray.
Will D&D Heroes of Neverwinter win over the "Zynga" crowd with its fairly in-depth, and somewhat slow-going gameplay? Likely not, but there's plenty of content here for fans who go out specifically in search for it.
Play Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook -->
Have you tried Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook? What did you think of it? Sound off in the comments.
When first starting Heroes of Neverwinter, you'll be allowed to create a character using either set templates of a Fighter, Wizard, Cleric or Rogue (each with their own stats and specialties), or can create a custom character to customize your gender, stats, class, race and more. In this, the game can immediately start out being as complex or as straightforward as you like.
Upon launching into the game proper, you're met with a story of amnesia and will be introduced to Edrick, a scout that was guiding you on your way to Neverwinter before a pack of Goblins knocked you unconscious. Through this introduction, you're told of Neverwinter, a place of hope and civilization that has survived the Ruining, and that you had originally wanted to travel there to purchase a home and earn your fortune. With this as a base, you're sent on your way.
Movement is achieved on a grid, with this turn-based game automatically allowing you to move at the beginning of each turn. When commanding a party, you'll be able to complete multiple actions, including attacking or opening your inventory with each character before needing to manually end their turn and start over with the next character. Once each "adventure" in the game is complete, you'll receive experience points for the battles you won and the tasks you completed in the process. For immediate prizes, you'll sometimes be able to loot your fallen enemies, selecting a prize from a list of ten. You can choose randomly from ten cards, or can use a potion to reveal items before you choose.
In terms of actual combat, you'll have a wide variety of options, depending on the classes of characters in your party. You might be able to attack an enemy from far away, eliminating them before they ever become a threat, or surround an enemy with multiple characters, giving everyone a combat advantage. There's enough strategy here to keep more hardcore players satisfied, but the initial sections of gameplay are incredibly simple and work well to help an unfamiliar player get up to speed.
Gallery: Dungeons & Dragons Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook
Back in Neverwinter proper, you can access a variety of buildings including the Adventure Board where you'll accept new Adventures (Adventures require energy and have multiple difficulty levels), the Tavern where you can purchase energy potions or Adventure boosts to your stats, the Trade house where you'll purchase similar potions or new equipment items, and even your own home, which you'll be able to fill with treasures as you complete different achievements or tasks within the game (collecting a certain amount of gold, for instance).
That being said, the main focus here (understandably) is in the Adventures themselves. There are plenty of them to undertake, each with an additional focus on bringing your friends in to help you (early on, it's entirely possible to fail even the most basic of Adventures by simply going it alone). The lore within the game is presented through text boxes at the beginning and end of most scenes and encounters, and will likely satisfy current D&D fans. Still, this isn't the first game of its kind of Facebook, so hopefully the D&D name alone will help draw more followers into the fray.
Will D&D Heroes of Neverwinter win over the "Zynga" crowd with its fairly in-depth, and somewhat slow-going gameplay? Likely not, but there's plenty of content here for fans who go out specifically in search for it.
Play Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook -->
Have you tried Heroes of Neverwinter on Facebook? What did you think of it? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove: Coastal Patch expansion now available for coins
If only they had released it sooner! In a move that is sure to both infuriate and excite plenty of FarmVille players (trust me, it's possible to do both at once), Zynga has released a coin option to purchase the first land expansion in Lighthouse Cove, called the Coastal Patch. Why would this be a bad thing? If you recall, we needed to reach at least this expansion for the first set of Bonus Challenge goals in the Lighthouse Cove, but many people (myself included) decided to skip it (and all of the prizes available therein) due to the Farm Cash cost.
Either way, this new coin-option itself does come with a catch. As of this writing, it looks like the vast majority of users need to add more Neighbors to their game in order to unlock it. This isn't a case like in the English Countryside where you must simply ask your friends for help; this is a case where you legitimately need to add new farmers to your account (and whether or not the new FarmVille Friends feature neighbors count remains to be seen).
The amount of neighbors you'll need to add seems to vary across users, but I personally only had to add two (for your reference). Once you've fulfilled whatever the game asks of you, you can then purchase the Coastal Patch expansion for 750,000 coins. If we're starting out with that price, which I wouldn't consider to be inexpensive, I can only imagine how high the prices will soar for additional expansions in the future. In the meantime though, I suppose it's best not to argue and accept this land expansion for coins while we can.
Did you already expand to the Coastal Patch farm for Farm Cash? Will you add new neighbors just to expand for coins? Sound off in the comments.
Either way, this new coin-option itself does come with a catch. As of this writing, it looks like the vast majority of users need to add more Neighbors to their game in order to unlock it. This isn't a case like in the English Countryside where you must simply ask your friends for help; this is a case where you legitimately need to add new farmers to your account (and whether or not the new FarmVille Friends feature neighbors count remains to be seen).
The amount of neighbors you'll need to add seems to vary across users, but I personally only had to add two (for your reference). Once you've fulfilled whatever the game asks of you, you can then purchase the Coastal Patch expansion for 750,000 coins. If we're starting out with that price, which I wouldn't consider to be inexpensive, I can only imagine how high the prices will soar for additional expansions in the future. In the meantime though, I suppose it's best not to argue and accept this land expansion for coins while we can.
Did you already expand to the Coastal Patch farm for Farm Cash? Will you add new neighbors just to expand for coins? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Amelia's Admirer Goals: Everything you need to know
A new goal series has launched in Cafe World this week, which sees Chef Amelia having a bit of a secret admirer. Don't worry though - this doesn't come with a lengthy romance that you'll need to help evolve, as it turns out to be far more innocent than that. We'll get to the specifics of the story here later, but for now, let's get started on the guide for this eight part goal series.
Note: Zynga didn't confirm whether or not these goals will be different for each user (we expect that they will be) so if you are required to cook other dishes, that's completely normal.
Amelia's Admirer 1
* Serve 30 Vegetarian Chili
* Serve 10 Kung Pao Stir Fry
* Complete 5 Eat Missions
Eat Missions are those that see you trying the "daily special" in your friends' cafes. As for the Kung Pao Stir Fry, it takes four hours to prepare and the Vegetarian Chili takes two hours.
Amelia's Admirer 2
* Ask for 8 Chocolate Chips
* Serve 20 Belgian Waffles
* Ask for 8 Frosting Squeezers
Belgian Waffles take two hours to cook. By this point, Amelia will have been given a love letter in the shape of a heart, which explains this goal's prize: the Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake recipe.
Amelia's Admirer 3
* Ask for 10 Clue Notebooks
* Serve 25 Fish n Chips
* Serve Gem Cake 12 Times
Fish n Chips takes two hours to prepare, while Gem Cake takes 12 hours. There's still no official word as to who the secret admirer is by this point, so let's keep going.
Amelia's Admirer 4
* Ask for 8 Macaroni Noodles
* Serve Macaroni and Cheese 20 Times
* Ask for 6 Chipotles in Adobo
Macaroni and Cheese takes two hours to prepare. At this point, you'll get another clue: a heart made of macaroni on a note. It looks like the new recipe for this goal is 4-Alarm Chili Mac.
Amelia's Admirer 5
* Serve Angel Fruit Cake 16 Times
* Serve Jammin' Jelly Donuts 40 Times
* Master Heart-Shaped Cookie to Level 1
Jammin' Jelly Donuts take 20 minutes to prepare, while Angel Fruit Cake takes eight hours. As for the Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake, this new recipe takes just 30 minutes.
Amelia's Admirer 6
* Ask for 8 Multicolored Sprinkles
* Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 20 Times
* Ask for 10 Vanilla Extract
Another note arrives at this goal, this time with an animal drawn on it. Hmm, macaroni pictures and drawings of animals - are you starting to put two and two together about who this secret crush could be? While you're trying to piece together the puzzle, you'll need to serve Triple Berry Cheesecake, which is ready in 12 hours. For finishing this goal, you're given the Ice Animal Cookies recipe.
Amelia's Admirer 7
* Serve Iced Animal Cookies 20 Times
* Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 20 Times
* Spice 5 Neighbors' Stoves
We'll tell you outright - something seems a bit off about this goal. The in-game window says that you need to serve 40 Cheesecakes, while the text says 20, but the accompanying picture is of a chair, not the cheesecake itself. Whatever the official requirement may be, the story here becomes completely clear as we learn that Amelia's secret admirer is actually a young boy - a child by the name of Oscar in the local kindergarten class who has found his first crush! How cute! There's just one more thing left to do before finishing this goal series off completly.
Amelia's Admirer 8
* Serve Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake 1 Time
* Master Iced Animal Cookies to Level 1
* Ask for 10 Balloons
To make Oscar's day, you'll be able to bake him a few goodies, and in doing so, you'll also finish this goal series off for good. You won't receive any additional recipes for finishing the goal series entirely, but you will have made a (virtual) little boy's day. Isn't that reward enough?
What do you think of the Amelia's Admirer goals in Cafe World? Were you able to figure out who the admirer was early on in the series? Sound off in the comments.
Note: Zynga didn't confirm whether or not these goals will be different for each user (we expect that they will be) so if you are required to cook other dishes, that's completely normal.
Amelia's Admirer 1
* Serve 30 Vegetarian Chili
* Serve 10 Kung Pao Stir Fry
* Complete 5 Eat Missions
Eat Missions are those that see you trying the "daily special" in your friends' cafes. As for the Kung Pao Stir Fry, it takes four hours to prepare and the Vegetarian Chili takes two hours.
Amelia's Admirer 2
* Ask for 8 Chocolate Chips
* Serve 20 Belgian Waffles
* Ask for 8 Frosting Squeezers
Belgian Waffles take two hours to cook. By this point, Amelia will have been given a love letter in the shape of a heart, which explains this goal's prize: the Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake recipe.
Amelia's Admirer 3
* Ask for 10 Clue Notebooks
* Serve 25 Fish n Chips
* Serve Gem Cake 12 Times
Fish n Chips takes two hours to prepare, while Gem Cake takes 12 hours. There's still no official word as to who the secret admirer is by this point, so let's keep going.
Amelia's Admirer 4
* Ask for 8 Macaroni Noodles
* Serve Macaroni and Cheese 20 Times
* Ask for 6 Chipotles in Adobo
Macaroni and Cheese takes two hours to prepare. At this point, you'll get another clue: a heart made of macaroni on a note. It looks like the new recipe for this goal is 4-Alarm Chili Mac.
Amelia's Admirer 5
* Serve Angel Fruit Cake 16 Times
* Serve Jammin' Jelly Donuts 40 Times
* Master Heart-Shaped Cookie to Level 1
Jammin' Jelly Donuts take 20 minutes to prepare, while Angel Fruit Cake takes eight hours. As for the Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake, this new recipe takes just 30 minutes.
Amelia's Admirer 6
* Ask for 8 Multicolored Sprinkles
* Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 20 Times
* Ask for 10 Vanilla Extract
Another note arrives at this goal, this time with an animal drawn on it. Hmm, macaroni pictures and drawings of animals - are you starting to put two and two together about who this secret crush could be? While you're trying to piece together the puzzle, you'll need to serve Triple Berry Cheesecake, which is ready in 12 hours. For finishing this goal, you're given the Ice Animal Cookies recipe.
Amelia's Admirer 7
* Serve Iced Animal Cookies 20 Times
* Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 20 Times
* Spice 5 Neighbors' Stoves
We'll tell you outright - something seems a bit off about this goal. The in-game window says that you need to serve 40 Cheesecakes, while the text says 20, but the accompanying picture is of a chair, not the cheesecake itself. Whatever the official requirement may be, the story here becomes completely clear as we learn that Amelia's secret admirer is actually a young boy - a child by the name of Oscar in the local kindergarten class who has found his first crush! How cute! There's just one more thing left to do before finishing this goal series off completly.
Amelia's Admirer 8
* Serve Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake 1 Time
* Master Iced Animal Cookies to Level 1
* Ask for 10 Balloons
To make Oscar's day, you'll be able to bake him a few goodies, and in doing so, you'll also finish this goal series off for good. You won't receive any additional recipes for finishing the goal series entirely, but you will have made a (virtual) little boy's day. Isn't that reward enough?
What do you think of the Amelia's Admirer goals in Cafe World? Were you able to figure out who the admirer was early on in the series? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Soap Box Supper Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Here's an interesting one: a new Catering Order has launched in Cafe World asking you to help feed a group of racers after their Soap Box Derby race. You'll be there at the finish line waiting, and if you can help these racers out in time, you'll walk away with a free recipe for your efforts.
This particular catering order requires you to serve Tony's Classic Pizza (a five-hour dish) 100 Times, Basil Finger Sandwiches (a six-hour dish) 35 Times, Clubhouse Sandwiches (an 18 hour dish) 20 times and Bacon Cheeseburgers (a five-minute dish) 300 times. Luckily, the Bacon Cheeseburger happens to be the shortest cooking dish and is the one required in the highest quantity. This means that you'll be able to push out dozens of servings in a single sitting in the game, and when you bring up to 14 of your friends in on this order with you, the progress becomes even quicker.
In addition to these cooking tasks, you'll also need to collect 12 Axles and 12 Racing Flags to go along with the Soap Box Derby theme. Both of these sets of items are earned through individual gift requests sent to your friends.
If you can finish all six tasks within the first three days of starting, you'll earn the three-star rating, 15 Catering Points, 7,500 Cafe Points, 200,000 coins and a Fried Chicken Sandwich recipe. Unfortunately, you must complete this order with the three star rating in order to earn the recipe, so feel free to cancel the order and start over if you haven't finished it by that time. If you do decide to push on, however, and can finish before five full days have passed, you'll receive two stars, 10 Catering Points, 5,000 Cafe Points and 125,000 coins. Finally, finishing at any point after those first five days gives you a single star, 5 Catering Points, 3,000 Cafe Points and 75,000 coins.
All in all, this Catering Order doesn't have a time limit in terms of when it must be started, so if you have more time-sensitive tasks to complete in your cafe first, feel free to complete those entirely before coming back and helping these racers.
What do you think of the Soap Box Supper Catering Order? Do you appreciate "easier" orders like these, or do you prefer a true challenge? Sound off in the comments.
This particular catering order requires you to serve Tony's Classic Pizza (a five-hour dish) 100 Times, Basil Finger Sandwiches (a six-hour dish) 35 Times, Clubhouse Sandwiches (an 18 hour dish) 20 times and Bacon Cheeseburgers (a five-minute dish) 300 times. Luckily, the Bacon Cheeseburger happens to be the shortest cooking dish and is the one required in the highest quantity. This means that you'll be able to push out dozens of servings in a single sitting in the game, and when you bring up to 14 of your friends in on this order with you, the progress becomes even quicker.
In addition to these cooking tasks, you'll also need to collect 12 Axles and 12 Racing Flags to go along with the Soap Box Derby theme. Both of these sets of items are earned through individual gift requests sent to your friends.
If you can finish all six tasks within the first three days of starting, you'll earn the three-star rating, 15 Catering Points, 7,500 Cafe Points, 200,000 coins and a Fried Chicken Sandwich recipe. Unfortunately, you must complete this order with the three star rating in order to earn the recipe, so feel free to cancel the order and start over if you haven't finished it by that time. If you do decide to push on, however, and can finish before five full days have passed, you'll receive two stars, 10 Catering Points, 5,000 Cafe Points and 125,000 coins. Finally, finishing at any point after those first five days gives you a single star, 5 Catering Points, 3,000 Cafe Points and 75,000 coins.
All in all, this Catering Order doesn't have a time limit in terms of when it must be started, so if you have more time-sensitive tasks to complete in your cafe first, feel free to complete those entirely before coming back and helping these racers.
What do you think of the Soap Box Supper Catering Order? Do you appreciate "easier" orders like these, or do you prefer a true challenge? Sound off in the comments.
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