There comes a time in the life of every gaming girl and boy when we just hit a wall within a video game. It may be an individual game or an entire franchise, and it may even be something we’ve enjoyed playing immensely for several weeks, months or years. It might not even happen within every game we play, nor is it necessarily restricted to typically “bad” games. Make no mistake however that once that …
JRPGs were one of my key food groups growing up. As a console lad, RPGs (they hadn’t sprouted the J prefix yet) were my favorite play format, chiefly during the sunlit days of my SEGA Genesis-owning period. The first three Phantasy Stars, Sword of Vermilion, Shining Force, and, later, Lunar: The Silver Star, Vay, and others I can’t remember. Menu-driven, predictable, hours of fun. I knew, vaguely, that the SNES – a console I did …
Info is slowly trickling out about the recent bang-up between Activision/Blizzard and Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward. Terminated studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella have filed suit against their former corporate masters, alleging wrongful termination, meanness, and stealing of royalties, and asserting that they own the rights to the Modern Warfare IP. My buddy Bill Harris over at Dubious Quality has his usual insightful analysis of key portions of the lawsuit, so rather than …
Mat and I took part in yet another lengthy email exchange today, discussing a Japanese gaming industry that has struggled to make a global impact in recent years, while undergoing something of an identity crisis. What follows are our collaborative thoughts on the matter…
Review by Mat C Heavy Rain Developer Quantic Dream Publisher SCEE Released February 23, 2010 Available for PS3 Time Played Finished Verdict: 5/5 Gold Star “Anticipated as much for its storytelling narrative as it has been criticised for offering little but a string of elaborate Quick Time Events (QTEs), the arrival of Heavy Rain has not been a quiet one. Sony have even gone so far as to actually market it with an advertising campaign; …
I’ve been reading a lot recently about the nominated finalists and Student Showcase winners for this year’s Independent Games Festival and there looks to be some cracking titles on the way. It’s worth noting that there’s been loads of features across the web on the IGF and this article is by no means an extensive look at the event; just a quick glance at the titles that have piqued my interest. The full listing of …
Picking out Steerpike’s sentiments of freedom within a videogame, it took me back to when I first started playing online video games. Ultima Online was my first, and a game which at the time gave the impression of unparalleled freedom…
You’ve doubtless heard of Ubisoft’s appalling new DRM solution: that PC games from Ubi require a constant internet connection, and will in fact kick you out of the game if your connection drops during play. People who’ve gone hands-on with it describe it as worse than originally expected.
Will be be cracked? Sooner or later, though the cleverness inherent in this solution is considerable. This is one of the very few DRM solutions that might actually work – and by “work,” I don’t mean it might prevent pirates. I mean “work” the way Ubi means it.
So check this out. It would seem some large and scary dudes showed up at Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward’s Encino offices and… lurked. Apparently they’re a gift to the studio from owner and industry goliath Activision/Blizzard. Meanwhile two of the company’s top dogs, Vince Zampella and Jason West, weren’t in the office – they were at Activision. In a meeting. Now we hear that CTO/CCO West, at least, has been fired. Activision recently made …
Review by Lewis B Peggle Developer: PopCap Games Publisher: PopCap Games/Apple Released: 27th February 2007, May 2009 (App Store) Available for: iPhone/iPod Touch (version reviewed) PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo DS, Java ME, Windows Mobile and MAC OS Time Played: N/A Verdict:5/5 Gold Star As one of the most addictive puzzle games I have ever played, Peggle deserves and justifies the praise it has received since its launch. A quirky, vibrant game with great visuals, …
I was talking about Heavy Rain with MrLipid the other day and he asked me how I thought it’d wind up performing. It’s kind of a tricky question for this game, because general consensus seemed to be it’d either do quite well or go down in flames. I hedged my bets and said it would probably move a million units in the United States, which is very good – not blockbuster, but no one at …
I love Dragon Age Origins. I really do. And Mass Effect too. They are slick, engaging games that hold my attention, more or less through to the ending sequence. BioWare has delivered the goods recently, ladling out Mass Effect 2 and threatening to release a followup expansion to Dragon Age. What is there not to like? Well, a lot of things. The silly dialogue with its stilted choice system. And the story. Snort. Right. But …
My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and are searching for me. I’m not actually sure where this specific fear comes from, but so far Penumbra: Overture is ticking two out of three…
It’s a QTE game. Anyone who sez otherwise is incorrect.
Review by Lewis B Beneath A Steel Sky: Remastered Developer: Revolution Software Publisher: Revolution Software/Apple Released: 23rd September 2009 (App Store) Available for: iPhone and iPod Touch Time Played: Finished Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up Revolution Software really have set a precedent on the iPhone for adventures games. Beneath A Steel Sky: Remastered has a wonderful control scheme, fantastic dialogue, challenging puzzles and all for a fabulous price tag. Anyone who owns an iPhone who …