Game. Dirt.

We've moved!

2010-02-05T07:48:00.001-05:00

We have moved to a fancier new location on Wordpress, because I have grown fond of the platform and can do more there. You can find me at nilbid.wordpress.com.

Assassin's Creed II PC Specs

2010-01-25T13:57:00.002-05:00

Ubisoft has released details on just what kind of PC you'll need to have in order to run Assassin's Creed II. The Windows version of Ubisoft's third-person action game set in Renaissance–era Venice ships on March 16, 2010.

Minimum Configuration:
SUPPORTED OS: Windows XP (32-64 bits) /Windows Vista (32-64 bits)/Windows 7 (32-64 bits)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHZ or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHZ
RAM: 1.5 GB Windows XP / 2 GB Windows Vista - Windows 7
Video Card: 256 MB DirectX 9.0–compliant card with Shader Model 3.0 or higher (see supported list)
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0 –compliant sound card
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0
DVD-ROM: DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
Hard Drive Space: 8 GB
Peripherals Supported: Keyboard, mouse, optional controller

Recommended Configuration:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ or better
Video Card: GeForce 8800 GT or ATI Radeon HD 4700 or better
Sound: 5.1 sound card
Peripherals: Keyboard, mouse, joystick optional (Xbox 360 Controller for Windows recommended)

Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:
ATI RADEON X1950, HD 2000/3000/4000/5000 series
NVIDIA GeForce 7/8/9/100/200 series

Older OSes like ME/98/etc. not supported - sorry to dash your hopes.

Random thoughts on Modern Warfare 2

2009-12-06T17:37:00.002-05:00

As action games go, Modern Warfare 2 is a wonderful experience both in single-player and multiplayer. But that said, there are a lot of little things about it that bother me. The first is this whole fluff-up over the "No Russian" mission. It feels like Infinity Ward created this mission just to be controversial. The whole mission feels contrived and the outcome is the same no matter what you do, so it's hard to agree with the camp that says it lets you play as a terrorists. Everything about the mission is deliberately paced so that you feel more like a spectator than a participant.

But my biggest gripe with the mission is that the storyline leading into it and leading out of it is so flimsy. Are we supposed to believe that one day this operative is in Afghanistan and the next he's supplanted into a Russian born terrorist group? The conclusion to the mission makes sense in that context - I mean, how couldn’t they know that he was some sort of spy or government agent?

While the story is weak in places there are other parts of the game that are equally agitating. I hate platformers, and there's way too much bullshit going on in this game; I didn't like it in the first game and I despise it even more in this one; the snowmobile race, the ice climbing, the jumping from rooftop to rooftop, etc., just doesn't belong in this game; Somehow Infinity Ward got the impression that fans loved this in the first game and wanted it dialed up times ten in the sequel. As someone that named Modern Warfare Game of the Year, I can tell you that those kinds of mission mechanics were not why I enjoyed the first game at all. If I wanted to ride some powder I’d play Shaun White and if I want to traverse a cityscape I’ll play mirror's Edge or Uncharted 2.

There are some great things about this game that are downright scary. The whole "Red Dawn" series of missions where you are walking through middle class suburbs is eerie and a little bit scary. For me, these missions aren't exciting, but scary. What if a powerful nation like Russia or China did finally invade American soil? How would people act? How many innocent people would die? What parts of our heritage and history would be destroyed by war? Seeing those suburbs on fire, fighting out of a fast food joint that looks like Burger King and seeing tanks roll through the streets of an American neighborhood is scary stuff no matter what your political or religious beliefs are.

Love For $ale: Modern Warfare 2

2009-11-24T08:14:00.006-05:00

No doubt you have probably read the Ars Technica piece on early access to Modern Warfare 2. The best way to describe this situation is absolutely disgusting. How can readers trust outlets that gleefully participate in such activities? If a company pays for your airfare, puts you up in a resort in Santa Barbara and then shapes the conditions of your play sessions to be what they are not (I.E. controls the network you are on to make it speedy and a smooth), then how do you then claim that there was no influence when you write up that review?

See, journalists that engage in this activity put themselves in an awkward position. Now they are beholden to the publisher for all their generosity - and should they disclose it to the reader - they have to prove that their influence hasn't somehow been purchased. As a reader, you're going to have a hard time proving that to me. And then there are those who just don't give a shit about the readers; these are the guys and girls who disclose nothing and file their review like nothing ever happened. You can tell me that you haven't been influenced by airfare or a hotel stay but I won't believe you even if it might be true - if you're dumb enough to put yourself in that position then your dumb enough to be influenced by such trivial things.

The review for these folks will be mostly positive, because if it isn't the publisher could simply drop the dime on them to some other outlet or threaten them with "no access next time." Since their writing isn't really about being honest maybe they'll cave in a little bit, adjust their scores enough to make the publisher happy and secure that access for next time.

Date Night: L4D2, Borderlands

2009-11-20T05:13:00.006-05:00

I finally spent some quality time with the single player campaign in Left 4 Dead 2, and so far I am enjoying it. L4D2 is a lot more frantic than the first game right out of the gate. There are more Infected to deal with, the settings are a lot more harrowing and the weapon choices change the dynamics of the game ever so slightly. I know that the action is in multiplayer, but I want to learn the ropes before joining a team and performing badly. No amount of practice is going to change that, sadly enough. But despite my horrible multiplayer skills I really enjoy playing these games online with friends. After all, that is whole point of these games, isn’t it?

I've also had a chance to sample Borderlands. Despite the fact that it feels like a goofy lite version of Fallout 3 in spots, I really dig this game a lot. I like how the role-playing elements enhance, rather than get in the way of the action in the game. I do not like that every outing into the wasteland seems like an opportunity for the bad guys to gang rape me. I am only 2 hours into the game at this point, but so far it is a lot of fun.

Facebook and Twitter - Old Hat?

2009-11-20T04:55:00.005-05:00

Are the popularity of Facebook and Twitter about to take a major decline? I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but it feels like both social networks are becoming passé. Now that both are connected to Xbox Live -- and soon to PlayStation Network, it feels like we are all a little too well connected to these services.

But there's other anecdotal evidence that leads me to believe that both of these services are going to be in our rearview mirror soon-ish; when the local news station and churches are using twitter and Facebook to give us updates and every company on the planet is in there spamming the ever-loving crap out of us because we were stupid enough to sign up for their feeds, then we start to see that the once shiny apple has lost its luster. Just like MySpace.

RPS: Morrowind Playthrough - Day Four

2009-06-26T19:37:00.005-04:00

When I drink a Blue Moon my feet tingle. I'm getting so very old. But don't let my old age and declining health deter you from checking out this fabulous series of articles on Morrowind over at Rock, Paper Shotgun.

In the latest installemnt Alec Meer talks about various misdeeds and his adventures in Balmora. It's fun stuff. You really can't beat the classics.

A Fool In Morrowind, Day 4 – Existential Crisis

Killed by Friendly Fire: Game Critics Rant - Audio

2009-04-06T10:24:00.001-04:00

Instead of hearing about this crazy GDC panel, why not listen to it instead? Hear Jason Della Rocca pretend to say he's sorry, listen as Crhis Hecker compains about the media, and marvel as N'GAI talks about gamer labels.

read more | digg story

Geneforge 5: Overthrow released

2009-02-26T07:22:00.001-05:00

The conclusion to the Geneforge role-playing game series has been released and is available for Mac and windows, according to a note from Spiderweb Software. Geneforge 5: Overthrow, the final game in the long-running series from Spiderweb and creator Jeff Vogel, wraps up the story arc of the Shaper, a world where a secret sect of wizards use the ability to create new life to serve themselves.

When their servants rebelled against them and fought the wizards the world suffered for it, ravaged by the battle and the struggle for power. The story of Overthrow plays out the final chapter in the series with one lone warrior (you) having the power to tip the balance of power to one side or the other

Mousechief Interview

2009-02-23T12:27:00.005-05:00

Crispy Gamer News has an interesting interview with Mousechief CEO Keith Nemitz talking about his indie game Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble being pulled from casual games portal Big Fish Games.

It's interesting because a little bit of false information can go a long way in really hurting an indie as evidenced in the aftermath of this event. Big Fish, is, as its name implies, a big fish in the casual games scene, so losing exposure has the potential to make or break an indie developer. Read the interview and decide for yourselves if what happened to Mousechief was justified or a witch hunt..

The Return of The Indies

2009-02-23T12:15:00.003-05:00

After almost two years, i'm happy to say that The Indies has returned, with a new lease on life over at Crispy Gamer. The frequency for now will be monthly but this will give me more time to focus on a select few games that, I think, warrant some extra attention.

So much has changed since I wrote the last column; Xbox Live Community Games has gone Live, WiiWare games are in full swing and big time publishers are starting to realize that there are some great games out there that aren't made by million dollar studios. It's an exciting time for indies and I want to be a part of what's going on. You can check out the reboot of the column at the link above.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Interview

2008-12-11T12:01:00.001-05:00

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin lead Craig Hubbard sits down with Crispy Gamer to discuss the second game in the series and direct sequel to the original F.E.A.R.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Interview: Capcom's Ben Judd

2008-11-05T21:03:00.001-05:00

The next-gen remake of Bionic Commando is about to extend the series' powerful, cybernetically enhanced reach to a new generation of gamers. Scott Jones traded words with Producer Ben Judd in a Tokyo high-rise

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer Feature: The 12 Things That Truly Scare Us

2008-10-31T00:06:00.001-04:00

Ghosts? Goblins? The IRS? Those frights have nothing on these 12 horrific examples. Scary LEGO games, Adam Sessler, Big Daddy, Sid Meier, Dennis Dyack and Game Informer are the subject of some truly hair raising scenarios.

read more | digg story

Crispy Cash. 22 Winners. 9000 USD

2008-10-28T07:51:00.001-04:00

Crispy Gamer is giving away $9,000 USD in cash prizes to 22 winners to celebrate the launch of its community site. Upload an original video, encourage users to join or just spark a conversation to join in on the fun. For details, follow the link.

read more | digg story

Rez Pls: Sorry, Conan, It's Hammer Time!

2008-10-22T20:40:00.001-04:00

Two games, both alike in dignity in the massively-multiplayer online realm, is where we lay our scene. Warhammer Online and Age of Conan are MMOs engaged in a Shakespearean drama as they battle for your hearts and wallets. Read the very first edition of Mark Asher's excellent column.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer Community Launch

2008-10-15T01:50:00.001-04:00

Crispygamer.com has launched an all new community site this morning, giving visitors the ability to upload videos, form discussion groups and invite friends to join in on the fun. I encourage you to check it out. This is just the beginning but what a great way to get the ball rolling!

read more | digg story

PSN Pundit: What should Sony do next with PSN?

2008-10-11T00:41:00.001-04:00

What should Sony do next with the PlayStation Network? Harold Goldberg offers up some fresh ideas that might help sony take the fight to Xbox Live and Microsoft in his latest column.

read more | digg story

Ask Uncle Crispy

2008-10-04T16:59:00.001-04:00

Old Uncle Crispy climbs out of the root cellar to answer your questions about everything from the best hand-held to whether the rumor of a new Wii are true or not.. Check it!

read more | digg story

I Survived 4 Hours of Fallout 3, Part 3

2008-10-04T16:48:00.001-04:00

Crispy Gamer's four-hour preview of Fallout 3 winds down in this final installment. After exploring the wasteland outside the Vault and raiding the Jury Street subway tunnels, Gus make my way to the city Megaton, and Peter Hines from Bethesda Softworks, details the journey.

read more | digg story

Feature: I Survived Four Hours of Fallout 3

2008-10-01T20:54:00.001-04:00

Part 1 of a 3 part series of features on a four hour hands-on marathon with Fallout 3 by Gus Mastrapa featuring extra commentary from Bethesda's Peter Hines. If you are even slight interested in Fallout 3 you need to read this!

read more | digg story

Report: Console DLC Market to Explode by 2013

2008-09-24T14:23:00.001-04:00

According to a new report from Park Associates, online digital content and services for internet-connected game consoles will generate around $8.7 billion in global revenue for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo by 2013.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Review: Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (PS3)

2008-09-19T19:47:00.001-04:00

Those of you hoping for a true next-generation Disgaea game from Nippon Ichi Software, keep dreaming. The truth is that Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice should not be on the PlayStation 3 at all.. yet, even without a next-generation veneer, Disgaea 3 stays true to the series.

read more | digg story

A Michael Phelps Game?

2008-08-28T11:44:00.001-04:00

Is Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time, about to work with Electronic Arts on a game? Yesterday, the gold medalist breezed into Strata, the lavish downtown Manhattan locale chosen by EA for the debut of Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour 09.

read more | digg story

Too Human Gets Fried

2008-08-21T02:53:00.001-04:00

Perhaps some people don't know innovation when they see it, or perhaps Too Human is an Xbox 360 exclusive train wreck. Find out what it means when one man's hopes and dreams evaporate in the fiery furnace that is Crispy Gamer.

read more | digg story

The Return of "The King"

2008-08-15T23:55:00.001-04:00

If you haven't picked up "The King of Kong" on DVD, you have brought shame on your house. When it comes to videogame documentaries, "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" (on DVD; Picturehouse) has no peer. Find out why by reading the rest of this feature.

read more | digg story

The Crispy Gourmand: Rickey's World

2008-08-15T23:51:00.001-04:00

Billy Mitchell, aka the U.S. flag-tie-wearing, hirsute co-star of "The King of Kong," owns a chain of restaurants called Rickey's World Famous. Our in-house gourmands recently stopped by the flagship in Hollywood, Florida, to sample the gaming king's culinary delights. Does Billy's cuisine achieve the high score? Read on.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Feature: The Five: Quantum of Solace

2008-08-15T23:47:00.001-04:00

After several disappointing turns at EA, the Bond license moves over to Activision. Can the Big "A" give Bond his huevos back? Scott Jones peered at the game through his dust-coated monocle at a recent press event in NYC...

read more | digg story

The EverQuest Universe Expands This Fall

2008-08-15T23:28:00.001-04:00

As thousands of EverQuest fans invaded Las Vegas for the annual Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire, the company revealed how it plans to keep the momentum going on its popular MMOs: EverQuest and EverQuest. At the annual event SOE announced the EverQuest Seeds of Destruction and EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey expansions.

read more | digg story

Games for Lunch: Braid

2008-08-12T21:21:00.001-04:00

Kyle Orland puts Jonathan Blow's Braid through a 60 minute marathon to ascertain if its worth the price of admission or not. One thing he figures out very quickly: It was not the hair-braiding simulator he was expecting..

read more | digg story

Games for Lunch: GRID

2008-08-11T23:33:00.001-04:00

Games For Lunch is one of our most underrated but awesome columns. Author Kyle Orland takes his lunch hour to play a game that he usually rents from Gamefly and figures out in 60 minutes whether or not it is worth playing beyond the time he has put into it. This week he tackles GRID. Check it out and and see why this daily column is so cool.

read more | digg story

Feature: American McGee's Grimm, Episode 2

2008-08-11T23:08:00.001-04:00

Erin Bell's take on the second episode in American McGee's Grimm is live on Crispy Gamer - this time tackling the classic Little Red Riding Hood. I wonder what will happen when Grimm meets Red? Will the authorities finally take this wolf in for stalking a little girl? Let's hope so.

read more | digg story

Intern for a Day, Vol. 1: Harmonix Music Systems

2008-08-09T01:55:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder what it might be like to be an intern at Harmonix? We dispatched Game Trust member Scott Jones to Boston to spend a day with the creators of Rock Band. Meetings, QA testing and perhaps even a piggyback ride are all in a day's work.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer E3 Awards and More

2008-07-26T01:36:00.001-04:00

All of this week’s post-E3 at Crispygamer.com has been leading up to today’s coup de grâce, a final and mighty blow against the atrocity that was the 2008 E3 Media and Business Summit. We end our coverage with the first annual Crispies - awards of a cynical nature that put a spotlight on some of the not-so-glorious events, people and games that let us down hard..

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer's E3 2008 Predictions

2008-07-13T17:06:00.001-04:00

With E3 2008 mere hours away from kicking off, the seasoned CG staff is already making its annual pilgrimage to our crappy Los Angeles hotels. We've all attended so many previous E3s that before the wheels of our American Airlines jet even touch the tarmac at LAX, we've already got a pretty good idea of what to expect.

read more | digg story

My First Hometown Column

2008-07-10T01:21:00.007-04:00

I'm pretty proud of this first article at a local e-zine called iBerkshires.com about the ESRB. No, I'm not trying to be Gamer Dad, but I think it's an important opening issue that needs to be at least put forth and digested.

What I like about this place is that it allows me to write about gaming in my home town, which I plan to look at with a lot of scrutiny and enthusiasm. I want to see what average Jane and Joe Gamer is playing and to see what new areas gaming has broken into in my home town.

I bet that a lot of iBerkshire's readers don't even know that two of last year's biggest games were made in the Bay State: Bioshock and Rock Band. It's my job to point all that out and to highlight companies in our state like Turbine.

But the most important goal is to spread the Crispy Message to the citizens of this great state. I'm very excited and I hope you'll check it out:

GameTalk

The 10 Commandments of E3

2008-07-09T23:42:00.002-04:00

With E3 less than a week away we figure the best way we can help our colleagues is with a few rules to live by. So with that in mind, here's our Ten Commandments of E3. There's some funny stuff in there, though the funniest thing I saw was that dude decked out in Brain Age 2 swag. Wild, just wild. Oh, and I plan to break all ten, schedule permitting.

Now where the hell is that Naruto shirt?

read more | digg story

Dream Until Your Dream Comes True..

2008-07-03T00:11:00.002-04:00

Today at Crispy Gamer, Scott Jones takes the torturous journey that is Guitar Hero Aerosmith, and Steve Steinberg hits the courts to review Top Spin 3.

Guitar Hero Aerosmith Reviews:

- Xbox 360
- PS3

Top Spin 3 Reviews:

- Wii version
- PS3
- Xbox 360

We also have a new Games For Lunch featuring Blast Works:

- Games For Lunch: Blast Works

Enjoy the ride!

Cliff Bleszinski Interview

2008-06-27T19:37:00.001-04:00

The man behind Gears of War talks about the upcoming sequel ,Gears of War 2, revealing some of the changes that fans can expect when this game is unleashed later this year.

read more | digg story

Indie Chat: John Cutter

2008-06-27T12:16:00.002-04:00

As a fan of all things indie, I have to say that I love Jesse Leimkuehler's Indie Chats. This week's is a rather exceptional one featuring Big Fish Games' John Cutter, a grisled old vbet of the industry that most recently was connected to an excellent little indie game called Fairway Solitaire.And if that doesn't get your attention, the fact that he's worked on such classics as Betrayal at Kondor and the original Defender of the Crown might do the trick.

read more digg story

Dungeon Lords Gets A Sequel

2008-06-25T16:57:00.001-04:00

Really? Really?!? Proving that some companies have balls bigger than church bells, DreamCatcher Games, JoWood Productions and D.W. Bradley's Heuristic Park announced today that a sequel is in the works for Dungeon Lords. Yes, you read that lead-in correctly.

read more | digg story

Counter-Punch: Metal Gear Solid 4 Review

2008-06-22T00:54:00.004-04:00

In my previous post, I gave you a link to Tom Chick's excellent Metal Gear Solid 4 review on Crispy Gamer. To say it went against the mainstream game media's critique of the game would be an understatement, so it is only fitting that Crispy Gamer gave one of the Game Trust an opportunity to step up to the plate and offer an alternate opinion. We call these articles "Dissenting Opinions" and they give anyone that strongly disagrees with a review to jump in and explain why the original misses the mark.

You can check out the Dissenting Opinion on MGS 4 right here.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Review

2008-06-16T19:31:00.001-04:00

Tom Chick is one of my favorite writers. He is fearless in his opinions and stands by what he says. You may not always agree with the result but the ride is always entertaining and honest. If you need an excellent example of this, read on:

read more | digg story

5 Things You Need To Know About Bionic Commando

2008-06-16T19:22:00.001-04:00

As a fan of the original I want to know everything there is to know about Capcom's new game and Scott Jones has the answers I need. Hit the link and get enlightened.

read more | digg story

Scott Jones Invades CNN

2008-06-14T02:25:00.001-04:00

Crispy Gamer's own Scott Jones invaded CNN today, as a guest on the segment "Get Your Game On." Scott shared his knowledge on several upcoming games that use New York City as a backdrop.

read more | digg story

Blazing Prattles Podcast, Volume #13

2008-06-13T23:26:00.001-04:00

This episode, we start off from the halls of the famous Louvre museum in Paris with an extensive interview about the all-new Prince of Persia game with producer Ben Mattes.

read more | digg story

Dungeons and Dragons Offline For Consoles

2008-06-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

Is Dungeons and Dragons Online being developed for consoles? If you believe the rumors being spread around the internet, sure. But a phone conversation with Turbine Communications Director Adam Mersky gave me the distinct impression that the rumor is not true - at least concerning DDO.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Interview: Highway to Hell

2008-06-09T21:40:00.001-04:00

Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software and executive producer on Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway, spillls the beans on this multiplatform WWII shooter.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Preview: Silent Hill: Homecoming

2008-06-06T21:18:00.001-04:00

Silent Hill fans, get ready for a haunting homecoming. Find out what's so shady about Shepherd's Glen in Billy Berghammer's early look.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Feature: Into Africa With Resident Evil 5

2008-06-06T20:31:00.001-04:00

Discussions of race and game design intermingle when Jun Takeuchi gives Crispy Gamer an early look at RE5. Find out what's in the works for the game and more in Gus Mastrapa's feature.

read more | digg story

Crispy Review: LEGO Indiana Jones

2008-06-05T08:25:00.004-04:00

How good is LEGO Indiana Jones? Do you really need to ask? TT Games takes the tried-and-true formula from the LEGO Star Wars games and injects it with everything you ever loved about the Indiana Jones films. I think you already know the answer but Crispy Gamer makes it crystal clear:

Yankee Doodle

2008-06-04T06:54:00.003-04:00

My son is taking time out of making new Pokemon characters to take part in his very first school performance. Tonight he'll be singing Yankee Doodle and a song from the Sound of Music - he didn't pick the songs, folks.

You hear people say that kids grow up so fast, and it is so true - it seems like just yesterday that he was learning to walk and talk. Now he's a little man explaining things to his father, singing songs and telling me about some strange species of frog in Australia.

But i'm not sad about that - i'm just enjoying the journey and doing my best to make sure that he doesn't have too much to complain about if he's ever in therapy. Here's the words for Yankee Doodle (and an explanation on the whole Macaroni thing here):

Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony

Stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy.

Father and I went down to camp
Along with Captain Gooding
And there we saw the men and boys
As thick as hasty pudding.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy

There was Captain Washington
Upon a slapping stallion
A-giving orders to his men
I guess there was a million.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy.

Crispy Gamer - News: EA Buys Napster Maker's New Company

2008-06-04T06:53:00.001-04:00

It seems as though Napster creator Shawn Fanning truly has a golden touch. EA announced yesterday that they've purchased Fanning's game-oriented social networking company ThreeSF for an undisclosed sum.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Review: Ninja Gaiden II

2008-06-04T00:29:00.002-04:00

Scott Jones does a fabulous job of explaining, despite the game's lack of a coherent plot, why it's still pretty freaking awesome. Check out the full review..

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Feature: Paris Ubisoft Diary

2008-06-04T00:26:00.001-04:00

Ubisoft had the foresight to hold its event in the Louvre, the former fortress of Philip II that now holds 35,000-plus fab historic treasures like the "Mona Lisa" and "Death of the Virgin." Though the analogy was obvious, it was nonetheless brilliant, if overblown. A proud Ubisoft sees its games as art -- no more, no less. (read on)

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Review: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

2008-06-02T19:10:00.001-04:00

Marc Saltzman takes Funcom's new MMO title through the paces and finds that it is worth the price of admission. The end result is a "Buy It" recommendation. Find out why by checking out our review.

read more | digg story

City of Heroes.. Again

2008-05-29T19:06:00.002-04:00

I can not believe that I am back playing City of Heroes, but here I am ... playing City of Heroes once again on a 14 day trial. Don't get me wrong - I love the game, but I also hate a lot of things about it too. I am still on the fence about subscribing but I am enjoying my time in Paragon City.

On another front I am going to give some of K2 Network's free-to-play games, just for fun and reload NCsoft's Dungeon Runners. I also have a boxed copy of Conan but I don't have the time to try it despite the positive hype it is getting...

On the work front, Crispy Gamer is evolving every day and I am having a great time writing for them. I hope if you are reading this you'll click on the many links to the site here and check out some of the great writing that's over there. Scott's Ubidays report is my pick of the day. Check it!

Going Casual: What Does Casual Really Mean?

2008-05-29T19:05:00.001-04:00

Just what defines a game as being 'casual' anyway? In our latest column we ask the people that make their living promoting and selling these titles including PlayFirst, Last Day or Work and Rebel Monkey.

read more | digg story

The Incredible Hulk Preview

2008-05-29T18:59:00.001-04:00

Sega has the unenviable job of creating a Hulk game better than Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. In our preview we tell you the straight dope on this game based on the new film.

read more | digg story

The Jones Report: Ubidays

2008-05-29T18:55:00.001-04:00

Scott Jones got to go to Paris. I'm kind of jealous - I want to get that out of the way right now. At least he had to do some work while he was there, covering Ubisoft's press event. You can get a rundown of all the fun Scott had by clicking the link...

read more | digg story

The Portable Whipmaster: The Koji Igarashi Interview

2008-05-29T18:04:00.001-04:00

Billy Berghammer sits down with the man behind Konami's Castlevania series to get the dirty little details on the latest adventure, future plans on the Wii, and his wishlist for a new DS. If you like Castlevania, you'll want to read this.

read more | digg story

Dark Horizons: New Horizons For Wing Commander Fans?

2008-05-29T09:17:00.001-04:00

Paradox Interactive is going to try its hand at the arcade-style space simulation game with Dark Horizons. Sounds interesting at least..

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer - Review: R-Type Command

2008-05-28T19:00:00.001-04:00

Kyle Orland takes this side scrolling arcade shooter turned turn-based strategy game for a spin and finds it lacking. Check out our review.

read more | digg story

Crispy Gamer Column: Rush, Boom, Turtle

2008-05-28T18:53:00.001-04:00

Or Step Away From the Xbox 360 (and That Sony Thing, Too)! Tom Chick talks about RTS games on consoles and why they don't always work.

read more | digg story

Three To Get Ready

2008-04-07T23:21:00.004-04:00

Recently I bought three role-playing games that i'd been meaning to pick up.. well since forever!

I bought Neverwinter Nights 2 and Gothic II Gold from Gamers Gate and I picked up Arx Fatalis from Steam.

Right now I feel a bit ripped off by NWN 2. I mean, I understand the appeal, but I wanted Neverwinter Nights, not Baldur's Gate III. And that's what it feels like to me. I hate the fact that It is not optional to have companions - and even in Baldur's Gate you could get rid of them most of the time. I understand fans wanted this, but I am not one of those fans.. It's like I order pie and got cake. Also it feels like they barekly put any polish on this game - is this using the same engine as before? Probably a hybrid tech based on it, but give me a break. Why doesn't this game look at least as good as The Witcher?

Gothic II is an awesome game but the Gamer's Gate version crashes every time I get into any kind of dialogue tree. I am hoping that tech support can help me out with this because it's a decent game.

But the biggest shock of this trio is Arx Fatalis. This addmittedly unpolish RPG from Arkane is nonetheless a lot of fun - and at right around 10.00 it's worth buying on Steam.

These are all early impressions - and i'm sure that NWN 2 gets better down the road, so...

Disgaea DS Quickie Q&A

2008-03-18T13:56:00.003-04:00

I've slapped up a quick interview with NIS america about Disgaea for the DS, which offers some new info on the game. Suspect NIS will soon reveal more ino about the game in the weeks ahead. check it:

Crispy Gamer

Advice for Indies: Getting Noticed

2008-03-07T05:22:00.003-05:00

I've seen a lot articles promising solid advice for independent and amateur developers but most of that information doesn't address a fundamental prolem: how do you get news editors to pay attention to your game? With that question in mind I want to give some practical advice to indies out there on how to do a better job of getting your games noticed.

Fuck Press Releases

If you're a small indie developer, press release services that charge little money promise to get you noticed and on the big sites. Most of the time this stuff gets ignored because it doesn't stand out. As a news editor I get a lot of mail about games but most PR people that handle small game properties don't do a good job of explaining in plain English why the products they are promoting deserve some attention. Try to be personable, direct and show metered level of enthusiasm.

Forget about the buzz words, the feature lists and all the other hyperbolic nonsense associated with that format, first and foremost. Tell me about the game. Tell me what the hook is. Tell me something interesting that is going to make me stop and take a look.

Bottom to Top

Another way to get noticed is to think small first. Build some momentum by using blogs and sites that cater to indie developers. Show your target a forum thread where fans are talking about your game. Send me links to other sites that have put your game in a good light. It's called peer pressure, and while it won't work for everyone it works for a lot of web sites because they don't like to miss out. Building buzz this way has the potential to get you coverage in places you might not otherwise reach.

Target your Audience

Know your audience and target them. If you make RPG's or strategy games try to get your games noticed on sites that specifically cater to these kinds of gamers. If you can establish some coverage you can use that to your advantage to build even more coverage on other sites.

Try, Try Again

Don't give up. Until someone says "leave me the fuck alone" keep telling them about your games. No, I don't mean spam them to death, but it doesn't hurt to keep trying and to occasionally follow-up on some information you may have already sent them that they haven't posted.

WIP..

Finally, do your best to test your game and make sure it is ready for public consumption. There are plenty of places that you can get some decent feedback on your game. Make sure it is ready for prime time and -- if it isn't -- make sure you listen to reasonable constructive criticism on your game. At the end of the day your work has to speak for itself, so make sure it is ready to stand up to the many challenges it is about to face.

Finito

I'll continue this conversation on an ongoing basis in this space, but I hope some of this advice is useful. Mileage may vary, some news editors are jerks and some people are just plain mean, but con't let that deter you from attaining your dreams.

Indies Rule!

Sleepless Nights

2008-03-03T09:26:00.002-05:00

There is nothing that causes more inner turmoil than having a sick child. My little guy came down with a nasty bug over the weekend and I played watchman as his fever rose and declined all night long. Fevers are tricky because they are both good and bad, and knowing what to do is paramount. But being a parent, it's hard to watch your child be uncomfortable.

I ended up staying all night which means a bleary day at work, but if that's what it takes then a thousand sleepness nights I will endure. I mean it. My son's health and well being means more to me than anything, which is why it causes so much anxiety.

Thankfully the little J is resting so I can get some work done. Round 2 forthcoming..

First Impressions: Mpire 2008

2008-03-02T10:33:00.004-05:00

I finally plunked down some money on the full version of Wrestling Mpire 2008. You just cannot get a feel for what's going on with this game through three separate play sessions (the limits of the trial version), so a full purchase is in order.

I had wanted to buy the boxed version but apparently, it is temporarily not available on cafepress.com.

The 2008 edition adds a lot of decent new features, new match types and new gameplay elements lifted from some of Mat's other games. The game does look better and there are new story elements that make the game more interesting. for example if you take steroids in the game there's a chance that everyone will find out and you'll be called out by the other wrestlers for it.

The ability to hire your own manager, find a tag team partner and make your own matches are in there, as well as a ton of new match types.

Some old problems from previous games persist too: picking up big objects is still awkward, changing focus is problematic, and the occasional clipping problems and collision detection are still an irritation.

If anything Mpire 2008 is the best wrestling game Mat has made, but it also shows that the technology he's using is getting long in the tooth. In the last interview I had with Mat, I mentioned the technology he is using and whether or not he planned to find tools that were more robust. Months later he mentioned using a new version of Blitz...

No offense to the makers of Blitz, but it just cannot handle what Mat wants to do anymore IMO.

Anyway, this is just some early thoughts on the full game. More to come, but i'm happy I spent the money on the game.

Freedom Force Still Rules

2008-03-02T10:19:00.005-05:00

Freedom Force Vs. The Third Reich is still as awesome today as it was when I purchased it directly from Irrational back in 2005. Last night I decided to install it and play through it again just for fun.

Sure, the game is cheesier than a three cheese pizza, but the gameplay and character creation system are deep and fun.

And the game really plays out like a golden age comic book. Like Captain America and plenty of other comic heroes, the Freedom Force takes on the Nazis - the most evil movement on the planet in that time.

The game captures that magical time perfectly, but Irrational does it in a way that is pretty inoffensive to everyone.

The game also makes good use of stereotypes without being too insulting (an obvious side effect of creating hokey ethnic personalities in a game).

Playing this game makes me long for something new in this series from Irrational - maybe something on consoles that is a little more refined.

If there is one thing I can say about the game it is that it needs to be more orderly. Navigating through the powers is still awkward and having the ability to create a generic mesh within the game would have been nice.

Still this Freedom Force game still proves to be awesome. If you haven't played it I encourage you to find a demo or the full version of this wonderful game.

Wrestling Mpire 2008 Trial Run

2008-02-27T01:44:00.003-05:00

I've been fiddling around with the trial version of Mat Dickie's latest wrestling game Wrestling Mpire 2008, and while I'm enjoying the game most of this year's changes don't seem all that dramatic. Sure, there are few noticeable things like the ability to recruit a manager or partner from the menu and the option of setting up a match, and the ability to block (borrowed from Mat's box title Reach), but it's really hard to put your finger on any major changes.

Admittedly I am missing a few things like better graphics because this is the demo and it probably wouldn't hurt to dig through the documentation a little more and play the trial as much as I can before it expires.

Don't get me wrong, I’m not disappointed with the latest game - I'm just trying to figure out if there are any earth shattering changes in here.

The game is still as brutal as ever. In one match, I beat a guy so badly that he lost his arm. Unfortunately the AI didn’t seem to mind all that much and continued to be aggressive towards me even though he kept falling down from the pain..

It also seemed like the character playing the referee was always out to get me no matter what. I need to look into whether this new game includes a reputation system that works and whether or not wronged opponents remember you misdeeds..

More to come.. in the interim, download the demo at www.mdickie.com

Game Criticism vs. Game Reviews

2008-02-24T01:50:00.004-05:00

Greg Costikyan, founder of Manifesto Games, and resident cynic at PlayThisThing! offers an interesting and thought provoking post on the topic of "game criticism." If I had to pull a headline out of this story to get your attention it would be that Greg draws a distinction between game reviews and game criticism by saying that game reviews aren't criticism in the traditional sense. You'll have to go and read the whole thing to get the crux of his argument on the subject.

My short answer on this story is that I agree with him on much of what he says but I disagree that there are no writers out there that are real "critics." If you want an example of this, check out Tom Chick's review of No More Heroes, which is more than just a "buy this or don't buy it for reason X." Sure, there’s a score at the top of the page, but simply ignore that and read the article. You will see Tom doesn’t just jaw about mechanics and gameplay.

There are plenty of writers out there like Tom (though I'll freely admit I have Tom Chick trading cards) that don't just gloss over the feature set and give you a rating. I do get what Greg is saying, and he's mostly right - but there are a few exceptions.

And while we are on the subject, if you want to see game criticism in practice you owe it to yourself to go visit Playthisthing.com. These fine writers aren't pumping out product reviews, they are putting a critical eye on the products they highlight. For an excellent example of this, check out Greg's critique of ICED.

Game Criticism, Why We Need It, and Why Reviews Aren't It

Put up your Iron Dukes

2008-02-23T22:12:00.006-05:00

After playing the demo of Iron Dukes, it is easy to see why One Ton Ghost' fabulous flash game won the Best Web Browser Game award at this year's IGF Awards. What at first glance seems like an action role-playing game is actually a cleverly disguised shooting game that focuses on item collection using a highly disposable crew.

The crew, comprised of three underwear clad men, is high generic and easily replaced. The idea behind the game is to collect treasure and items to aid your crew. But your crew members don't really matter; it's all about the items and treasure you collect that serve as the growth of your characters and not the characters themselves. If you kill off one or all of them, don't worry: you can buy more.

Besides the slight cosplay with these items that you'll find, the game focuses on twitch-based combat that you'll encounter on the high seas. Combat consist of first-person gunplay where the player tries to hit weak spots as they flash red on the screen, while avoiding having your hit points peeled away by the enemies. The action is goods, quick and occasionally bloody and the animation is simple, crisp and very funny.

When you're not fighting, you'll be diving into the deep blue sea for treasures. The dive mechanic is also twitch based. As you descend into the depths you'll click your button in arcade fashion to avoid enemies and collect treasure. Making it all the way to the bottom will net you some phat loot or a special treasure. There's also a silly little mini-game where you navigate your boat through the sea while avoiding icebergs for small bits of treasure or an item to slap on your highly disposable crew.

Iron Dukes really is something special and I hope the IGF award will motivate One Ton Ghost to finish would they started.

Leave Will Wright Alone.

2008-02-17T10:26:00.002-05:00

I think i'm in a bad mood today, because everything I read is really pissing me off.
I read the stories about what developers and publishers gave to presidential candidates and then I read the corresponding comments from readers chiding these people for who they supported.

You know, it's nobody's business who Will Wright supports. Forgive me if I use colorful language here but who the fuck are we to judge them? The last time I checked we lived in America where we have the right to be free.

So what if some execs supported Mitt Romney? Good for them - at least they are getting involved in the process. Are we going to find out what religion these developers are next and criticize them for that as well? I think it's just ridiculous that people have nothing better to do than bash people for their political leanings.

There are a lot of big issues in this year's election and anyone engaged in the process deserves a pat on the back for getting involved.

Tired of Thompson

2008-02-17T09:49:00.002-05:00

Here's some other bullshit statistics to go along with Jack Thompson's bogus "theories" on why the recent Illinois shootings happened. All the shooters in all these school shootings were exposed to the following things, which mean they were factors:

Advertising

Movies

Text Books

Television

Artificial Preservatives and Sweeteners

Clothing

I'm sure if I looked long enough I could find a study that backs up each one of these stimuli as being the cause of some sort of violent behavior, but that's not the point. The point is that it is easy to point the finger and say games are the cause, when in fact the shooter had what seems to be some serious mental health issues.

But while Jack and others like him get out there and do their dance before the big old candy cane colored hook yanks them off the stage, they do damage to our own sensibilities. People that have mental problems sometimes do very horrific things, after all, and it is very difficult at the end of it all to figure out the "how" and the "why" of the matter.

And journalists have a few problems on their end. It may be fun to highlight the stupidity of people and the bending of the truth to the point of almost breaking it, but when are we going to do the right thing and tune these people out? Yeah we are just as guilty because we post stories about this stuff and many in the industry do it for the sake of post counts and rabblerousing. It's time to do the responsible thing and put an end to the vicious cycle.

Culdcept Saga

2008-02-16T23:46:00.005-05:00

Wiiliam Abner's review of Culdcept Saga is spot on, though I disagree that the game is difficult to pick up and play. I sincerely believe that the Xbox 360 needs more games like this. One thing I will say is that you can not just jump in and have a quick game. If you want to start playing this game you'd better put aside some time. That is my biggest problem with the game. I don't know the pacing for multiplayer because I haven't played yet but I'll get around to it at some point..

I've also played a tiny bit of Kingdom Under Fire: Circle.. The jury is still out on this one. I like what the game does but the inventory management is a pain in the ass. We'll see, we'll see...

Crispy Gamer Lives

2008-02-16T23:36:00.005-05:00

Work is progressing on Crispy Gamer, though I’m not at liberty to say too much at this point. Behind the scenes I’m having a grand old time and I’m really enjoying reading all the great articles and features that are already available. I've been plugging away at the news for almost a month and Soon it will all be plugged in and available for your reading pleasure. You'll note that that the "BETA" tag is still on the site, but don't let that keep you from stopping by and kicking the tires.
And while the features and reviews are excellent, the best reason to stop by is the comics. Ding and Backwards Compatible are awesome!
More when I can talk about it, but stop by daily for updates!

www.crispygamer.com

Oh, and for penning I Call Bullshit, Scott Jones is a golden god.

GameShark Still Kicking

2008-02-16T23:31:00.004-05:00

Well it's been a few weeks since I stepped away from GameShark as the EID and things look like they are chugging along fine without me. I'm very glad of that to be honest. I'm glad William Abner and Jeff McAllister are proving me right. Maybe I’ll break my own arm patting myself on the back for this one, but I'm am very happy that I picked the right guys for the job.

Here's an interesting note about Mr. Abner - I’ve been working on and off with him for close to ten years. The guy's as smart as a whip and has an excellent skillset that makes him quite capable of handling any game related web site. I see great things for GS this year with him steering the ship.

Gridrunner++ on Facebook

2008-02-02T04:04:00.000-05:00

gimme5games' first facebook game is now alive and kicking. The game is a conversion of the classic Jeff Minter shoot em up game Gridrunner, called Gridrunner++. You can check it out at the link below:

Gridrunner++

GameShark's New EIC

2008-01-31T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well it's official: as of midnight tonight, I am no longer the Editor in Chief at GameShark.com. I had some great times there and though I saw a lot of good friends go onto to bigger, brighter futures I cast my lot and stuck it out, despite the difficulties of trying to run an editorial site that was once thought of "just a cheat site" -- and at one time in its cycle - just a part of the IGN nation. I can safely say that I left GameShark.com better than I found it and I had a lot of help in doing it.

But there is good news all around in my leaving. Long-time contributor Jeff McAllister will be tackling the news now and William Abner will be taking over as the Editor in Chief. Gameshark couldn't be left in better hands and I am very optimistic that, given the chance, GameShark can grow by leaps and bounds.

I could say a lot more nice things about these two fine fellows, but i'll just go quietly now. Good luck to the team over there - I wish you much success in 2008 and beyond!

Read William's Blog to see what he has planned.

Wrestling MPire 2008 Update

2008-01-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

Indie developer Mat Dickie's latest game, Wrestling MPire 2008 is almost complete. I've been watching the development of his latest game since it was announced and it certainly looks like a lot of improvements have been made. I just wish he'd switch to a different game engine because he's capable of a lot more with the right set of tools..

I'm a sucker for his wrestling games, so please indulge me as I share his thoughts on the final leg of this game's development:

"After 6 long months of solid work, I'm pleased to announce that the game is practically complete! I say "practically" because having a finished game in your hands is just the beginning. I've still got to re-write the instruction manuals and finalize some other presentational details. Plus I'll need the few remaining days of January for some intensive testing to make sure everything pans out properly. The single biggest development that has brought us to this point is that all 200 characters are present and correct. If you're curious to know who made the cut, where they ended up, and what they look like, look no further than this huge cast list montage. Imagine making all of those on your own in just 2 weeks! The standard is pretty high this time too - with much more thought going into who's there and what their role is. Head over to the site for more info about that, and shots of a few other things. All of which you'll be able to experience yourself - in addition to your own stories - when the game is released a couple of weeks from now... "

Can't wait to try this one out. The last game was pretty cool.
Link: http://www.mdickie.com/

Crispy Gamers Unite.

2008-01-26T12:07:00.000-05:00

I can finally announce that I am leaving GameShark to join the ranks of an exciting new site called CrispyGamer.com as its News Editor. I have talked about the state of news here in the past, and you can expect that there will be even more talk going forward, but right now you need to know that CrispyGamer.com is a battle against the status quo.

Look for CrispyGamer.com to launch very soon - you can visit the site now and sign up to be notified when it goes live.

We are Newsies...

2008-01-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

In an old job for a company I won't mention my old boss used to call the people in the news department "newsies." Back then It seemed like a derogatory term. Newsies is the title of a 1992 Disney film - a musical no less - but it was also an underclass of society at the turn of th twentieth century. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

"Newspaper boys, also called newsboys or newsies, were the main distributors of newspapers to the general public from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s in the United States of America. Standing on street corners, walking through neighborhoods and hawking their papers throughout every city, they first appeared with the rise of mass circulation newspapers. Newsboys tended to be among the poorest classes of society, often seen sleeping on the streets."

So by definition newsies are simply the dispatchers of news. These were the stereotypical boys that hawked their wares by crying "extra! extra!" trying to get the passer by to purchase a paper.

Now the term came off as derogatory then but looking back at it now and seeing the dog-eat-dog nature of news, I can see that my old boss was right then and he'd be right now. "Journalists" at the big sites and bloggers covering the sector are nothing more than newsies, screaming "extra extra" on the Internet, trying to drive traffic to their version of the story that they now own. We are simply aggregating of news, throwing in our own spin or regurgitating what everyone else is saying.

The blogs have simply replaced the old newsies with the same kind of coverage. In this fast paced Cable News style cycle, it's really hard to find an acceptable level of quality when the order of the day is quantity.

Mind you I'm not complaining about blogs - many of them do a better job of gathering real news than places like GameSpot, 1up, or IGN do; what I'm saying is that it's old hat and nothing has changed since I started ten years ago.

My point is I don't want to be a newsie anymore, but to compete I am still going to have to act like one. My conundrum is finding that sweet spot in the middle between newsie and reporter. Many of my colleagues covering news have done just that and I hope to contribute something meaningful to the space.

Oh, and to my old boss I want to acknowledge that you are wise beyond your years.

Boo Boos

2008-01-25T01:26:00.000-05:00

There is nothing more jarring than an accident involving one of your kids and my son had one tonight that scared me a little despite the fact that it was a minor bump.

He had been "rockin' out" and fooling around in the living room, but he wasn't paying attemtion to how close his head was to the table and then it happened.

BAM!

He slammed his head into the table.

The first thing I thought was "he's gonna need stitches." He doesn't.

The second thing I thought as the blood trickled down his face was " he's gonna have a concussion." He didn't.

But it is at these moments, as a parent that sometimes I freeze like a deer caught in oncoming traffic.

At the end of it all he was okay, though he has a slight cut above his eye that doesn't look too good. But what a trooper is my son! After about 30 seconds of crying he was over it and some ice, a band-aid and some cartoons made him oblivious to the whole thing.

NOT MY JOB.

2008-01-23T08:23:00.000-05:00

Here's a discussion topic that "game journalists" covering the interactive entertainment industry need to discuss: is it really our job to defend the game companies, the special interest and trade groups that represent them?

Are we analysts or journalists?

Do we want to be cheerleaders instead of reporting both sides of the issue? We need to stop slanting our articles one way or the other and get to the truth of the matter.

My thoughts on the matter are simple: I do not want to be the game industry's cheerleader or advocate – that's not my job and it bothers me that we are all considered no more than "enthusiast press" because of the way we handle topics like government intervention, censorship, and activists against gaming.

And on the other side – I am tired of covering the Jack Thompsons, the Townhall.coms, government officials and other people too lazy to do the research. If these people can't be bothered to actually play the material they are attacking then why are we parroting everything they say? But journalist covering our field should stop trying to be "experts" or analysts too. Let someone from the ESA or the game companies being attacked defend themselves.

Just something to chew on...

Griefing: The Hot Button!

2008-01-23T06:53:00.000-05:00

To me, griefing is nothing new. It's been called by other names in the past that all boil down to the same concept: anarchy. Griefers remind me of teenagers breaking bottles on someone's front steps, drawing on a sign or standing outside the drug store making witty comments after their peers. Most of the time it's pretty harmless. And some griefing is simply civil disobedience (like the example cited in the link above about parading phallic symbols across a CNN stage) - a way of sticking it to the virtual "man" who is trying to keep them down.

Sure these folks are irritating and sometimes cause major disruptions in games but if MMO's want to be the virtual melting pots that real life is then you can expect that there are going to be some social groups that want to be anti-social.

But on the other side of the coin, if you've worked hard on something, spent good money on a subscription or paid real cash for virtual property and it is somehow compromised that can really suck.

I base my opinions on years of playing Dark Age of Camelot and Ultima Online. When Origins buttoned up the rules and made it harder to grief or be griefed it ruined everything for me. The game lost its wild frontier feel at that point and the worlds became too safe. And though I know what it is like to be harassed in this virtual world, it never bothered me. When somebody would PK me and res kill me i'd find it amusing. More harm was done to me by my own guildmates taking me to some god forsaken place beyond my skillset and then abandoning me... as a ghost .. to wander around until I found a healer. Now those people - they are the ones that really SUCK :)

Anyway read the article, get pissed off or get a life - either way it makes you take a look at the underbelly of the phenomenon that is trouble making.

Round 1: Shadowgrounds Survivor

2008-01-13T02:07:00.000-05:00

The first thing out of the gate: Steam is sometimes a real pain. I was downloading the game and the donload indicator just kept stopping. After a few hours of that I just shut it off and went to bed. I loaded it up again and it downloaded it quickly and I installed it. Thanks for making me lose precious play time, Steam.

Anyway, Survivor is a pretty interesting game - kind of reminds me of Take No Prisoners from Raven Software. It's a top down shooter that employs a dark setting and wave upon wave of alien attacks. Your goal is to stay alive playing as one of three characters through a number of episodes. It's an interesting game that doesn't bog itself down with much of a story, though there are moments here and there that try to explain what is going on and whatever each person's motivation is. I figure i'm almost through the single player campaign at this point.

You can catch some video and screenshots at the link above. I'll share some info on the game here and thereon this blog, but for the most part i'll save it for my review on GameShark, which I hope I will have ready by mid-to-late next week.

City of Heroes: Final Thoughts

2008-01-13T01:55:00.000-05:00

After 14 days of on-again off-again play I have to say that I enjoyed playing the game. Having 14 days to try out any MMO is a great idea and I think I learned enough about the game to come to a conclusion on whether or not it is worth a subscription.

And the final analysis on that is: a strong yes, but with caveats. For one I don't think this game has the staying power of other MMO's out there. This is the kind of game that you subscribe to for 3 - 6 months.

The worst thing about the game is traveling. Traveling is a real pain in the ass and requires players to figure out some form of transportation - whether it be buying a jet pack, gaining the power of flight or picking up a speed running power.

Other than that I like the game. City of Heroes is the kind of game you jump right into and play. It is very accessible to newbies and grouping up with other people isn't as much of a pain in the ass as it is in other games. That's a big deal for me as, i'm sure, it is for other players. COH is a great break from other MMO's that require a bit more dexerity as well - as i've already said it is a pick-up-and-play kind of game.

So fnal thought on the game: i'd reccomend it as an entry level MMO or as an alternative to those looking for something that doesn't involve elves, orcs or dragons..

The Lost Assignments

2008-01-12T01:12:00.001-05:00

Between Christmas shopping, shuffling my schedule, and trying to get things done before the end of 2007 I missed a couple of assignments that I have to do now. One of those is Shadowgrounds Survivor, a top down action game from Meridian4. I haven't played the demo, read any reviews or read up on the game at all (save the PR that was slung my way ), so i'm going in blind on this one. I did play the original and thought it was fun, so here's to hoping this one offers some more fun and some improvements to the formula.

After that I just know that there's others I have forgotten, buried somewhere in the disaster that is my office so I'll be busy for quite some time.

GameShark GOTY

2008-01-12T00:38:00.000-05:00

Well it finally got done and now GameShark's 2007 Game of the Year Awards are complete. Woo hoo! I think that a lot of our choices are in stark contrast to everyone else and that's fine with me.

It seems like people expect games to win based on silly things like brand. Just because the package says "Madden" doesn't mean it should automaticly be selected for game of the year, as an example. No offnse intended to Madden or any other game that people believe is an heir apparent to the GOTY thrown.

My only regret is that I didn't have more time to honor indie games. There were a lot of great ones this year that deserved a moment in the sun, but that moment passed me by. Sorry indie games. Next year we'll treat you right, I promise.

Spamming the Ham

2008-01-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

I got this interesting piece of spam in the mail.

oh my goodness.. yourPenis is BELOW average size

SIGH.

Not. Cool.

Rapture is art..

2008-01-11T02:41:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share with you a few paragraphs from our GOTY Awards that weren't used for whatever reason. Enjoy!

The one thing that makes Bioshock stand out from all the other PC games that were released in 2007 is Rapture. Sure, all of the powers, characters, stories and plot twists ice the cake, but it is the environment alone that sets this game apart from any other game that has been released in 2007.

Bioshock introduces players to a truly unique setting, a technologically advanced civilization deep below the ocean. The first time you see it's glass domes, walkways and Las Vegas style neon lighting, you imagine a utopia. Oddly enough many of its first settlers felt the same way. But as soon as you try to enter the interior of this fantastic network of neon lit fishbowls built with the money of some lunatic millionaire, reality shakes you and you realize that this isn't paradise at all; this is hell 40,000 leagues under the sea.

Then you hit the ground running, listening to the radio chatter in your ear, trying to figure out just what the hell is going on here while avoiding whatever these things are trying to kill you. From this disturbing introduction to Rapture, Bioshock becomes a series of firsts for a little while; the first time you use a plasmid and your fingers light up with electricity; the first time you hack a machine by putting little pipes together before the fluid gets too far; the first time you hack a and watch it mow down a group of; your first battle with a big brother and a little sister; the first time you modify your weapon to lethal perfection; and the first time you listen to the haunting soundtrack echo through seemingly empty chambers and walkways filled with broken ceilings, dripping water, and the corpses of long dead inhabitants strewn everywhere like offal.

If any game could be called art, it's this one. Rapture is the canvas on which something beautiful has been made and the colors, the brush strokes and the texturing are all the other wonderful things that populate the world and bring it to life. - anon.

Cut you real bad, sucka!

2008-01-11T02:03:00.000-05:00

I mucked about with Switchblade and realized you need an adapter to use a wireless Xbox 360 controller. Oop! Should have read the instructions a little better! Anyway, I did learn something about the software - you can make it work with other games (it only supports World of Warcraft right now) if you take the time to customize the controls - well in theory because the controller needs an adapter or I need a wired controller.

Imagine that - in the old days i'd have 15 wired controllers for a system but nothing that was wireless. My how things change so quickly. Anyway, gamers that want to try this interesting software should hit the link above and give it a whirl. But be sure to RTFM.

Now is as good a time as any to try my new catchphrase:

OOPS That's my momma!

Oh Momma!

2008-01-10T02:37:00.000-05:00

Here's why I love Brandon Cackowski-Schnell's writing:

When cooking with Mama, each mini-game is judged separately and it’s impossible to fail as Mama will fix whatever you screw up. Seeing Mama’s eyes lit with fires of rage when you drop the pizza dough is an odd sight, especially given how supportive and cheery she is the rest of the time. These fierce mood swings lead you to believe that Mama is seriously unhinged and will have you checking your closets to make sure there are no more wire hangers. On the plus side, it’s fun to botch every part of a recipe just to see how far you can push Mama before she tries to jam a fish scaler in your eye.

The worst thing..

2008-01-09T17:58:00.001-05:00

I ever did:

It was 2000 and I was at the hospital waiting for my wife to give birth to my son. I hate hospitals.

I'm down in the cafeteria getting a cup of coffee, trying not to lose my mind.

I wanted to bolt right out of that place and never look back.

The cashier is an older woman who doesn't seem to like her job.

She doesn't like people.

She doesn't like me.

I hand her a twenty dollar bill. She starts complaining about it. How people never have small bills. How she's running out of change. She hands me a bunch of bills back.

I hand her a one dollar bill.

"here, buy yourself a better attitude," I say with a chill in my voice.

I walk away.

She goes ballistic.

I calmly fix my coffee.

"Who do you think you are treating me like that?!?"

It's a valid question but the answer is simple enough: a grown man trapped in a place he doesn't want to be.

The dollar is on the floor now. Another woman says “you dropped this sir”

“You keep it.”

I walk away like it never happened.

Whoever you are, sorry lady.

Want to know a secret?

2008-01-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

I had just given my son Jeremiah a shower and we were getting ready to get him off to school.

"Want to know a secret?" I said.

"What?" he said.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life, I said with more than a little pride.

"Want to know my secret?"

"Sure," I said

"On Friday we're going to take down the Christmas Tree and then we're going to have a paintball fight!"

I didn't see that one coming.

Looking Ahead

2008-01-09T08:17:00.000-05:00

Well with our Game of the Year Awards inching closer towards being done (please God, end this misery) it about time to start looking into the crystal ball to talk about the future of gaming. There are a few titles that I am really jazzed about.

The first one that comes to mind is Army of Two, a game that thinks about co-op play right out of the box. Hell, coop IS one of the key features on that box. Then we have Fallout. I know Fallout fanboys already have their collective panties in a twist about what Bethesda is doing with this franchise but I don't care - I still want to play it.

Then there's Warhammer Online. A few months go when I wouldn't have even thought about playing an MMO I was looking at Warhammer Online. It's dark and I like it!

Finally there's the new Marvel Super Hero MMO. After playing Cryptic's City of Heroes, I am imagining what they can do with this license and a universe chalked full of fiction, characters and more just waiting to be used. I'm a bit dissapointed that it may be Vista Only but there's an Xbox 360 version to fall back on.

There are a lot of other second choice games i am excited about but it's time to get to work so I'll leave you to think about those titles for the time being.

Your Vote Counts, Use It

2008-01-09T07:17:00.000-05:00

There are three things that are contentious topics with people that you should always avoid talking about:

1 - People's children
2 - Religion
3 - Politics

While i'm not going to talk about any of those things, I do want to talk about a couple of things I found interesting about last night's NH primary: the pundits were wrong. They backed the wrong horses and now they all look like morons. The question of whether exit polling is an accurate measure of actual voting data has always been questionable and its detractor have just one more piece of evidence.

So my advice to folks backing any campaigns at this point, take heart in the fact that the media can't predict what you can do. If you have a primary in your state go out there and vote for who you want to win - don't listen to me, your mom, the media, MTV's Rock The Vote, or anyone else - you decide who the next steward of our democracy is, not any of these talking heads.

Super Secret Happy Fun Mission

2008-01-09T07:15:00.001-05:00

I'm working on a super secret project that I am really excited about -- and when the time is right i'll drop it "like it's hot" right here on the dirt floor I call this blog. Our side of this industry needs a wake up call and I think that the phone is ringing right now!

City of Heroes: Fire By Trial

2008-01-09T07:10:00.000-05:00

I've enjoyed City of Heroes for over a week using the free 14 day trial, so what are my impressions of the game so far and would I subscribe to it? As many reviewers found six months after the game was originaly released, City of Heroes is probably not the kind of game you subscribe to forever, but I do think I could play it for another 3 - 6 months. I'm seriously considering a 3 month subscriptions so I can toy with other aspects of the game.

I think this particular game has gotten better by leaps and bounds since its release and that there is a ton of content to explore that makes it worth sticking with for a little while. Again -- to those that have yet to play this game, find a trial and try it. You'll be glad for the experience.