Since the Rapture didn’t happen on May 21st as it was supposed to, a lot of people’s plans got messed up. The decision to tell your mother in law what you really thought of her turns out now to have been ill-advised. All those porn sites you signed up for, thinking you wouldn’t have to pay, are now on your credit statement. And of course all the repenting you got on with. Total waste. The …
Ah, it’s that time of year again. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and those long barmy summer nights fill with the sounds of laughter and the aroma of someone else’s barbecue. And for three days at the beginning of June, you’ll be able to hide away from all of it. Secluded from the dangers of pollen or killer bees, gamers around the world will find forums, blogs and live streams beaming the …
There has been some grumbling going on within the MMOG community at the reveal of Guild Wars 2’s Engineer. Protests from fans that it’s a joke or a wind-up, mixed with moans of “Grenades?! Turrets?! Ugh…” are seemingly common place at the moment, as the prospect of a technologically advanced class slips into a fantasy heavy setting…
Today, earthlings, I give you Brandon Perdue: Carnegie-Mellon grad student in Entertainment Technology, nice person, and proto-celebrity. Why proto? Well, Brandon is still learning his craft. He is not a celebrity yet. But I have faith he’ll become one! Probably very soon! Maybe as early as next week!
I met Brandon when I was down in Pittsburgh speaking at CMU on behalf of another Celebrity Guest Editor, Drew Davidson. It was a cool day for me: CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center is awesome; I got to meet students, which I love, and none of them said (out loud) that they wished they hadn’t come to my little workshop. One did leave in the middle. ANYWAY
Brandon was there, and at the end I gave my pitch for Tap, which I always do, and he said he might be interested in contributing. Thereafter we exchanged some emails discussing a paper he was working on (he never said – out loud – that my comments were useless), and once that was done he asked if the offer was still open. And look!
What we have here is an eloquent reflection on a gone-away genre, one that’s dear to many hearts and sorely missed. I think you’ll agree that he has a gift for capturing why we loved them. Take it away, Brandon!
— S
In October of last year, Valve announced their second project of 2011 would not be Half Life 2: Episode 3 or Half Life 3 or Just Release Another Half Life Game Already, Goddammit, but DotA 2. Much of the gaming world’s response amounted to a collective, “Wha…who…why would…really?”
After my latest Guild Wars 2 article, “Vocal Coaching”, ArenaNet’s lead writer Bobby Stein got in touch, and put some time aside to discuss Guild Wars 2’s voice acting, its dialogue and the audition process. Here’s how we got on…
You know the problem with perfect things? They’re perfect. And the moment something exceeds expectations, everyone expects more. Shadow of the Colossus was – and is – transcendent; “perfect,” even. Except for one thing. And though that one thing wasn’t enough to seriously tarnish the game, after that encounter it was super hard for me to be objective. I found it difficult to forgive or forget a flaw that would have gone unnoticed in any other game. Because Shadow of the Colossus was perfect, imperfections stand out.
As you all by now surely know, PSN is down. It went and got itself hacked. And there’s no telling when it’s coming back up. Now Sony has admitted that as many as 70 million user accounts have been compromised, with personal information and encrypted credit card numbers in the paws of some script kiddie. A few analysts are speculating that this little fiasco could cost Sony upwards of $20 billion.
My schedule over at the IGDA has been a complete mystery. I used to stick very rigidly to a next-month’s-column-is-due-by-the-30th-of-the-previous-and-earlier-if-possible approach, but in the last year it’s been getting harder to do that. Responsibilities pile up and I’m not good at fulfilling them. So it’s nearly the end of April (and entirely my fault), that the April installment of the series is now online. As promised in the previous one, I skip morbid subjects and go for something a little more easy to stomach.
There’s something bothering me about Guild Wars 2 and it’s a stumbling block many game developers trip over, and one which is undoubtedly a very expensive problem to rectify…
From the Land of Ill-Advised comes a report that the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, the official games rating system in North America, has decided to stop doing its job. Because its job is hard. Thus in what I deeply hope is an elaborate and belated April Fool’s trick, the ESRB is switching to a computer-based system with little or no human intervention. Games will now be rated by algorithm and, apparently, a questionnaire that draws …
Yeah, it’s me with another post about zombies. Yawn, yawn bloody yawn. I just can’t get enough of the buggers, you see. Shambling about as they do, hunting for the next trace of human flesh to gnaw on.. aren’t they just adorable? Aww.. Fellow zombie enthusiasts can today feast their eyes on some new footage of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. First revealed last month alongside a slew of other new announcements, REORC (I know, …
I came away from my interview with Daniel Dociu enlightened and with a greater respect for the concept art he and his team produce at ArenaNet. Having discussed at length his opinions on the industry, the games he plays (or doesn’t play) and his role within Guild Wars 2, it’s apparent he has a unique approach to managing those around him. There’s an overriding sense that he’s a man of heart, feeling and gut instinct; …
Two divorces, a mid-life crisis, and only marginal educational skills? Check.
Getting involved in teenage dramas? Check.
Reading my class’s private emails and social networking messages? Check.
Nearly slept with a 16 year old student? Check.
I am the worst teacher ever.
I’ve come to the conclusion I hardly ever complete games. I’m not even sure why. I suppose some of it must stem from my years within online universes that have no ‘end’. That perhaps single player games just don’t grip me in the way they should, through one thing or another. Either way, looking through my Steam account it’s apparent I’ve a mountain to climb and there aren’t enough hours in the day to work …