In this episode of On The Podcast, Jacob and Tyler talk things like James Franco liking 17/18 year old girls, Miley Cyrus, people not being special, bullying, and of course games. There are probably other things too but you get the idea.
Visit the video game blog, On The Gamely: http://onthegamely.blogspot.com
Follow Tyler on Twitter @ArtBathednCrime
Gabe made the theme song and you can check him out at www.soundcloud.com/gabriel-vinylz, www.facebook.com/thedungeonstudio or on Twitter @DungeonStudioNY
Youtube Link: http://youtu.be/19D0x3528nY
Listen Here:
Download MP3: https://archive.org/details/onthepodcast8
Showing posts with label Rust. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rust. Show all posts
Friday, 4 April 2014
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Naked Bald Men And KOSers -- My (Long-Ass) Rust Alpha Impressions
Written By: Tyler
Important Info: http://www.rustmap.net (it's the map, duh)
Rust is in Early Access Alpha, like seemingly every game that comes out on Steam these days, but I didn't start playing it until recently. Up until a month ago, my computer couldn't actually run it, but I didn't get Rust right away even when I got a new computer because I'm not an Alpha guy. I appreciate the idea of it in the sense it can help fine-tune a game, at least according to what the gamers want, but I don't really have that much of an interest in playing an unfinished game.
But Rust -- and DayZ, though I haven't gotten that -- was a special case for me. I love and hate the idea of it. Since I've never played a game like this before, meaning a survival game with a lot of emphasis on PvP, Rust is intriguing to me. Take Minecraft and DayZ and throw them together, get rid of zombies and ta-da, you got a game that sounds awesome.
Yet also kind of, potentially terrible. This could be a game that's destined to either "Best Game Ever" or "Rage Quit On The Daily" status. What do I mean by this? Glad I asked.
The building is simple. You gather resources and build a house. Games like Minecraft have been doing this for years, and I spent a fair amount of time playing Terraria. I like this gameplay innovation and enjoy that more games do it. These resources also add to the survival aspects because you have to kill animals and cook your food, while keeping yourself warm and safe from the elements. You can craft various weapons to protect yourself. It's still in basic stages but it's fun, though I don't know for how long because there isn't a whole lot you can do right now.
Oh yeah, there's also perma-death so if you die, you lose everything you have on you.
The selling point for Rust was the PvP, at least for me. The idea of meeting randoms in a post-apocalyptic world, not knowing if they will be friendly or hostile, is a turn-on. Seeing how a social infrastructure would form is fascinating. Will you meet someone who will be part of building a village in order to survive? Will a giant group of people just walk around slaughtering everyone?
I was going to piece together a highlight video of me playing Rust, but this hasn't happened yet (keeping it open for the future though) for a couple reasons.
Day 1 - Play For Maybe 5 And A Half Hours... Enjoyed Maybe 30 Minutes
My brother and I buy Rust because it's about teaming up more than going alone, at least in theory. Pumped to play, even if it is Alpha, we fire it up. We spawn in an area we obviously aren't familiar with as a bald man with a rock, and we wonder how to invite each other so we can play together.
Only you can't. So we walk, walk, walk and walk. We occasionally die from either animals, because we think that our rock can kill some of these, or humans that are better equipped than us. Hell, sometimes other noobs with rocks attack us too.
When we die we respawn in an area we still don't know. We wonder if there's a map... nope. No compass, nothing. We are out in this brand new area, completely unaware of the environment. Lost, confused, but not yet angry, we both travel, trying desperately to find one another. We notice that there's a road, so we walk the road because we figure that's out best chance.
Bad idea. That's a perfect area for people to kill us.
So we walk around some more. Even though there are buildings populating the area, they're mostly all just wood with metal doors. Sure, they're different sizes, but everything looks the same in this game. I understand going for realism, but it's very hard to navigate in this game, especially for someone like me who is apparently terrible at navigation. Since it's a game and not real-life, it would be nice to have a compass or something. Though later I learn that you can follow the sun and moon, but I can't be bothered to do that because I suck.
If people aren't killing us, they're asking us if we're friendly. Sometimes people kill you regardless of what you say.
Eventually I find someone nice who gives me some stuff, like a gun. This is almost two hours in, and while I'm aware that meeting friendly people is basically dependent on when you're playing, it's nice to see someone who isn't trying to kill me.
I still haven't found my friend, and this guy says I can stay there but I tell him that I'm looking for my friend, I say "Thanks for the stuff" and I go on my way. Luckily I eventually find my brother and the game is fun for probably half an hour. We manage to craft a single sleeping bag that I use because my brother knows that I always get lost, and we go out to get more cloth (which is needed to make sleeping bags). For those who don't know, the sleeping bag is a god-send. It is what you use to set up camp, meaning when you have a sleeping bag, you can now respawn at that sleeping bag.
We also build a small shack with a wooden door and a box to put our stuff in. We have no materials to make a metal door.
The best encounter of the night is when we're walking by some houses (who are our neighbours), and it gets tense. There is someone on top of the roof, and we hear them talking. The basic conversation goes like this:
Them: There are people there.
Us: We're friendly. [We keep running, but they keep talking about us]
Them: Is that a gun? [I still have a gun at this point]
My Brother: Yes, this is a gun. [He admits later to me that he figured that would either make them back off or make them come get us... it was badass how he said it to them though]
It's a small moment, but it's where Rust shines.
Eventually my brother dies and we're separated once again. We continue looking for one another, repeating the process from before, and at one point he's in an area that has absolutely nothing there. Eventually we quit for the night and we don't even think we like the game.
Day 2 - First Ever Raid, But We Enjoy The Game
I get a few texts while I'm at work from my brother who says that there is a map online, and that some servers allow you to teleport to people. There are also starter kits in some servers. We apparently hadn't chosen one of them, but we choose not to start over again because we do already have one sleeping bag laid down. Surely it can't be too hard to find each other and make another?
We turn on the game and we've gotten raided. It was our fault -- we created a wooden door which is pretty easy to knock down. Everything we managed to get is gone, and it's frustrating, but we knew something like this could happen.
But this is where a big complain of mine comes into play. The idea of raiding houses is fine and probably necessary, because this kind of thing would happen in the real world. But I wish there were some sort of system set-up that you could be notified, at least if you're sleeping in your house, when someone is raiding you. Think about it: in the real world if you're sleeping in a house and people are banging down your door, you'll probably hear it. I'm not a game developer, and I'm not sure how you'd implement anything to help, but I wish it existed. Though it's not realistic, it'd be nice to be told who raided your house.
We start over again, and eventually find one another. I think this is the point that we put down another sleeping bag, and I could be wrong here, but I think I enjoyed playing the game the rest of the night. Sure you had people who kill on sight (KOSer), but I believe I started meeting people. I'm not that social in real-life, but I seem to like mingling in this game. We have some neighbours and sometimes the area they're in is a death trap, but mostly it's pretty cool.
We get resources, build up the house, and I believe this is where we put in metal doors.
One encounter I remember is when I walk up to a house and there's a guy standing there. This is the basic conversation.
Me: Yo. What's up?
[Someone else walks out of the building, I think I'm going to die]
Guy 2: Woo we have a party!
Me: Yeah!
[Another guy arrives, with clothes on. I think I'm going to die]
Guy 3 (With Clothes): Hey, what's up?
Me: My gay life mate is back at the house so I'm out here looking for a good time.
Guy 3: Oh daaaaaamn. Want to come back to my place? I have lots of animal fat to show you.
Me: Oh that's tempting. I have a giant rock.
Time passes, having gay talk.
Me: Well I have to go now guys, I'll be back later for the orgy.
I laugh and tell this story to a friend when I see him. Rust makes you want to act gay if you're a guy because you're a half-naked (though you can choose not to censor your giant wang as far as I know) bald man. I don't know. Just seems right.
Day 3 - The Most Fun I've Had In Rust
It's not a day unlike the others. We mine resources, my brother gets really into building a house, and I'm apparently a social butterfly because fuck survival, I want to party. #YOLO
I have a lot of fun on Day 3. I make a friend, who I won't call out here because I learn some things about him later on. We keep running into each other, and he could easily kill me but doesn't. The first time I meet him he asks me what's up and I say I'm trying to figure out who raided my house. He laughs, and I tell him I'm a detective on a case. He could have very well have been the one who raided me.
While we're talking someone shoots at him. But not me. Later on I wonder if the guy shooting was protecting me. We try to find the guy, I say I'll try to draw him out because I don't have anything anyway, but me and my friend end up getting separated when he says he's going to go around the mountain.
So now Detective Tyler has two goals:
My brother has an idea of who it was that raided us. Whether it's true or not, he hatched a plan to infiltrate them. It was going to be the biggest betrayal of all time. We would have done it too.
What I noticed on Day 3 is that the chat is helpful. People often expose KOSers and people who are raiding. It's very helpful. I see my friend calling out a guy called cjmason, who I'm assuming is a KOSer. Since I'm supportive of my friend, I tell him that I will also help kill cjmason. My brother agrees to as well. Now we're out for blood.
Then we make up our minds that if we see the guy we should help him. So I do actually find him again and we give him a place to stay. We give him a metal door and a sleeping bag. We're amassing an army.
The last memorable encounter I've had with someone is when I went to see one of my neighbours. He tells me he got raided before, and I feel bad because I was totally there before, man. He tells me who did it.
It was my friend.
I tell him that that guy was friendly to me, but he is clearly not a fan of my friend. The plot thickens. I add "Ask my friend about his secretive past" to my To-Do list but I haven't done it yet.
So the rest of the night is basically just normal stuff. Getting wood, bashing rocks with a rock, killing animals, getting lost at night, building a house. As the night goes on it becomes less fun, with different people online, but I end the night having enjoyed Day 3 immensely.
Day 4 - I Don't Really Like Rust Anymore (Again)
Someone tried to raid us but because of the build of our house and metal doors, they didn't succeed. We had a pretty good tactic that seemed to work. Awesome.
Most of the time I spend playing Day 4 sucks. People are annoying in chat, everyone is a KOSer, I call someone a dick and he tells me he hates me... it's hard to get anything going. The people I enjoyed talking to aren't on when I get on.
I quickly stop wanting to play but I keep going anyway, running out into the wilderness to see what I can find.
It was always entirely possible that the people would ruin the experience for me. I think my main problem is that there aren't any real consequences. Since it's a game, you can't fully nail that feeling of "surviving in a post-apocalyptic world," so people kill without remorse or consequences.
It's hard to know how people would react if they were thrust into this position, but I'm going to wager that people don't go on murderous rampages because a) most people haven't reached that level of dickdom and b) because it's beneficial not to be a dick all the time. There are consequences in the real-world.
In my experience if you see a guy with a gun, most of the time you're going to die. They kill people who only have rocks seemingly just because. It's not that I'm angry, it's that I get a little frustrated because it's hard to enjoy this game I paid for. Ultimately it's just a game though, and I realize this, which is why trolling and griefing don't really work on me. It does get really old constantly getting killed though.
It's not that I don't want people to kill other people. That's part of why the game is tense, but everyone on Day 4 seemed to think it was the only way to play.
Rust could be so much. In my mind I imagine people resurrecting a walled village where people take turns protecting the fort, while other people go out for resources. I don't know if Rust will ever get to this level or not, but I'm still fascinated by the potential.
There isn't anything remotely good to report about Day 4 until the end. My brother meets a neighbour who is apparently a "squatter" (haha, awesome). I eventually come back and also meet the guy. He gives us a gun! He's super friendly and we show him where we live. He compliments the work that my brother has done on building the house because my brother put his heart and soul into that.
We add him to our Steam friends list, we chat a bit. He tells us he has to go shower and then he'll be back, but we had to go shortly after.
The End Of Rust (For Now)?
This is the end of Rust for me right now. I don't know if I'll go back while it's still in Alpha or not. Like I said earlier, I got Elder Scrolls Online and Diablo 3 to play through. Other games will pop up as well.
There are other small encounters with people that I didn't mention, but I think I mentioned the best ones.
I'll definitely check out Rust once it hits its official launch because I want to see how the world grows and develops, and I'll admit that the relationships that I started to cultivate are urging me to go back, but when I look at it objectively... I enjoyed maybe half my time with Rust.
I'm not giving it a score because this isn't that kind of article, but if you're like me and watched funny videos with The Chief and expected it to be like that... you'll be disappointed. Outside of the KOSers and hackers -- which I forgot to mention until right now -- there is a lot of doing the same old, same old. Right now I don't think there's enough content, outside of the social interactions, to warrant playing a long time.
Rust has a lot of potential to be awesome, and despite my frustration towards some of it, I truly believe that it will be.
Important Info: http://www.rustmap.net (it's the map, duh)
Rust is in Early Access Alpha, like seemingly every game that comes out on Steam these days, but I didn't start playing it until recently. Up until a month ago, my computer couldn't actually run it, but I didn't get Rust right away even when I got a new computer because I'm not an Alpha guy. I appreciate the idea of it in the sense it can help fine-tune a game, at least according to what the gamers want, but I don't really have that much of an interest in playing an unfinished game.
But Rust -- and DayZ, though I haven't gotten that -- was a special case for me. I love and hate the idea of it. Since I've never played a game like this before, meaning a survival game with a lot of emphasis on PvP, Rust is intriguing to me. Take Minecraft and DayZ and throw them together, get rid of zombies and ta-da, you got a game that sounds awesome.
Yet also kind of, potentially terrible. This could be a game that's destined to either "Best Game Ever" or "Rage Quit On The Daily" status. What do I mean by this? Glad I asked.
The building is simple. You gather resources and build a house. Games like Minecraft have been doing this for years, and I spent a fair amount of time playing Terraria. I like this gameplay innovation and enjoy that more games do it. These resources also add to the survival aspects because you have to kill animals and cook your food, while keeping yourself warm and safe from the elements. You can craft various weapons to protect yourself. It's still in basic stages but it's fun, though I don't know for how long because there isn't a whole lot you can do right now.
Oh yeah, there's also perma-death so if you die, you lose everything you have on you.
The selling point for Rust was the PvP, at least for me. The idea of meeting randoms in a post-apocalyptic world, not knowing if they will be friendly or hostile, is a turn-on. Seeing how a social infrastructure would form is fascinating. Will you meet someone who will be part of building a village in order to survive? Will a giant group of people just walk around slaughtering everyone?
I was going to piece together a highlight video of me playing Rust, but this hasn't happened yet (keeping it open for the future though) for a couple reasons.
- Elder Scrolls Online is now out so I have to put time into that, while still trudging through Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls.
- There aren't enough highlights to even warrant a video at this point.
Day 1 - Play For Maybe 5 And A Half Hours... Enjoyed Maybe 30 Minutes
My brother and I buy Rust because it's about teaming up more than going alone, at least in theory. Pumped to play, even if it is Alpha, we fire it up. We spawn in an area we obviously aren't familiar with as a bald man with a rock, and we wonder how to invite each other so we can play together.
Only you can't. So we walk, walk, walk and walk. We occasionally die from either animals, because we think that our rock can kill some of these, or humans that are better equipped than us. Hell, sometimes other noobs with rocks attack us too.
When we die we respawn in an area we still don't know. We wonder if there's a map... nope. No compass, nothing. We are out in this brand new area, completely unaware of the environment. Lost, confused, but not yet angry, we both travel, trying desperately to find one another. We notice that there's a road, so we walk the road because we figure that's out best chance.
Bad idea. That's a perfect area for people to kill us.
So we walk around some more. Even though there are buildings populating the area, they're mostly all just wood with metal doors. Sure, they're different sizes, but everything looks the same in this game. I understand going for realism, but it's very hard to navigate in this game, especially for someone like me who is apparently terrible at navigation. Since it's a game and not real-life, it would be nice to have a compass or something. Though later I learn that you can follow the sun and moon, but I can't be bothered to do that because I suck.
If people aren't killing us, they're asking us if we're friendly. Sometimes people kill you regardless of what you say.
Eventually I find someone nice who gives me some stuff, like a gun. This is almost two hours in, and while I'm aware that meeting friendly people is basically dependent on when you're playing, it's nice to see someone who isn't trying to kill me.
I still haven't found my friend, and this guy says I can stay there but I tell him that I'm looking for my friend, I say "Thanks for the stuff" and I go on my way. Luckily I eventually find my brother and the game is fun for probably half an hour. We manage to craft a single sleeping bag that I use because my brother knows that I always get lost, and we go out to get more cloth (which is needed to make sleeping bags). For those who don't know, the sleeping bag is a god-send. It is what you use to set up camp, meaning when you have a sleeping bag, you can now respawn at that sleeping bag.
We also build a small shack with a wooden door and a box to put our stuff in. We have no materials to make a metal door.
The best encounter of the night is when we're walking by some houses (who are our neighbours), and it gets tense. There is someone on top of the roof, and we hear them talking. The basic conversation goes like this:
Them: There are people there.
Us: We're friendly. [We keep running, but they keep talking about us]
Them: Is that a gun? [I still have a gun at this point]
My Brother: Yes, this is a gun. [He admits later to me that he figured that would either make them back off or make them come get us... it was badass how he said it to them though]
It's a small moment, but it's where Rust shines.
Eventually my brother dies and we're separated once again. We continue looking for one another, repeating the process from before, and at one point he's in an area that has absolutely nothing there. Eventually we quit for the night and we don't even think we like the game.
 |
| "Make friends." That's... arguable. |
Day 2 - First Ever Raid, But We Enjoy The Game
I get a few texts while I'm at work from my brother who says that there is a map online, and that some servers allow you to teleport to people. There are also starter kits in some servers. We apparently hadn't chosen one of them, but we choose not to start over again because we do already have one sleeping bag laid down. Surely it can't be too hard to find each other and make another?
We turn on the game and we've gotten raided. It was our fault -- we created a wooden door which is pretty easy to knock down. Everything we managed to get is gone, and it's frustrating, but we knew something like this could happen.
But this is where a big complain of mine comes into play. The idea of raiding houses is fine and probably necessary, because this kind of thing would happen in the real world. But I wish there were some sort of system set-up that you could be notified, at least if you're sleeping in your house, when someone is raiding you. Think about it: in the real world if you're sleeping in a house and people are banging down your door, you'll probably hear it. I'm not a game developer, and I'm not sure how you'd implement anything to help, but I wish it existed. Though it's not realistic, it'd be nice to be told who raided your house.
We start over again, and eventually find one another. I think this is the point that we put down another sleeping bag, and I could be wrong here, but I think I enjoyed playing the game the rest of the night. Sure you had people who kill on sight (KOSer), but I believe I started meeting people. I'm not that social in real-life, but I seem to like mingling in this game. We have some neighbours and sometimes the area they're in is a death trap, but mostly it's pretty cool.
We get resources, build up the house, and I believe this is where we put in metal doors.
One encounter I remember is when I walk up to a house and there's a guy standing there. This is the basic conversation.
Me: Yo. What's up?
[Someone else walks out of the building, I think I'm going to die]
Guy 2: Woo we have a party!
Me: Yeah!
[Another guy arrives, with clothes on. I think I'm going to die]
Guy 3 (With Clothes): Hey, what's up?
Me: My gay life mate is back at the house so I'm out here looking for a good time.
Guy 3: Oh daaaaaamn. Want to come back to my place? I have lots of animal fat to show you.
Me: Oh that's tempting. I have a giant rock.
Time passes, having gay talk.
Me: Well I have to go now guys, I'll be back later for the orgy.
I laugh and tell this story to a friend when I see him. Rust makes you want to act gay if you're a guy because you're a half-naked (though you can choose not to censor your giant wang as far as I know) bald man. I don't know. Just seems right.
Day 3 - The Most Fun I've Had In Rust
It's not a day unlike the others. We mine resources, my brother gets really into building a house, and I'm apparently a social butterfly because fuck survival, I want to party. #YOLO
I have a lot of fun on Day 3. I make a friend, who I won't call out here because I learn some things about him later on. We keep running into each other, and he could easily kill me but doesn't. The first time I meet him he asks me what's up and I say I'm trying to figure out who raided my house. He laughs, and I tell him I'm a detective on a case. He could have very well have been the one who raided me.
While we're talking someone shoots at him. But not me. Later on I wonder if the guy shooting was protecting me. We try to find the guy, I say I'll try to draw him out because I don't have anything anyway, but me and my friend end up getting separated when he says he's going to go around the mountain.
So now Detective Tyler has two goals:
- Find out who raided my house.
- Find out who shot my friend.
- Find out who raided my house.
- Find out who shot my friend. [cold case]
My brother has an idea of who it was that raided us. Whether it's true or not, he hatched a plan to infiltrate them. It was going to be the biggest betrayal of all time. We would have done it too.
What I noticed on Day 3 is that the chat is helpful. People often expose KOSers and people who are raiding. It's very helpful. I see my friend calling out a guy called cjmason, who I'm assuming is a KOSer. Since I'm supportive of my friend, I tell him that I will also help kill cjmason. My brother agrees to as well. Now we're out for blood.
- Find out who raided my house.
- Find out who shot my friend [cold case] -- Though now I think it's cjmason.
- Find and terminate cjmason.
Then we make up our minds that if we see the guy we should help him. So I do actually find him again and we give him a place to stay. We give him a metal door and a sleeping bag. We're amassing an army.
The last memorable encounter I've had with someone is when I went to see one of my neighbours. He tells me he got raided before, and I feel bad because I was totally there before, man. He tells me who did it.
It was my friend.
I tell him that that guy was friendly to me, but he is clearly not a fan of my friend. The plot thickens. I add "Ask my friend about his secretive past" to my To-Do list but I haven't done it yet.
So the rest of the night is basically just normal stuff. Getting wood, bashing rocks with a rock, killing animals, getting lost at night, building a house. As the night goes on it becomes less fun, with different people online, but I end the night having enjoyed Day 3 immensely.
Day 4 - I Don't Really Like Rust Anymore (Again)
Someone tried to raid us but because of the build of our house and metal doors, they didn't succeed. We had a pretty good tactic that seemed to work. Awesome.
Most of the time I spend playing Day 4 sucks. People are annoying in chat, everyone is a KOSer, I call someone a dick and he tells me he hates me... it's hard to get anything going. The people I enjoyed talking to aren't on when I get on.
I quickly stop wanting to play but I keep going anyway, running out into the wilderness to see what I can find.
It was always entirely possible that the people would ruin the experience for me. I think my main problem is that there aren't any real consequences. Since it's a game, you can't fully nail that feeling of "surviving in a post-apocalyptic world," so people kill without remorse or consequences.
It's hard to know how people would react if they were thrust into this position, but I'm going to wager that people don't go on murderous rampages because a) most people haven't reached that level of dickdom and b) because it's beneficial not to be a dick all the time. There are consequences in the real-world.
In my experience if you see a guy with a gun, most of the time you're going to die. They kill people who only have rocks seemingly just because. It's not that I'm angry, it's that I get a little frustrated because it's hard to enjoy this game I paid for. Ultimately it's just a game though, and I realize this, which is why trolling and griefing don't really work on me. It does get really old constantly getting killed though.
It's not that I don't want people to kill other people. That's part of why the game is tense, but everyone on Day 4 seemed to think it was the only way to play.
Rust could be so much. In my mind I imagine people resurrecting a walled village where people take turns protecting the fort, while other people go out for resources. I don't know if Rust will ever get to this level or not, but I'm still fascinated by the potential.
There isn't anything remotely good to report about Day 4 until the end. My brother meets a neighbour who is apparently a "squatter" (haha, awesome). I eventually come back and also meet the guy. He gives us a gun! He's super friendly and we show him where we live. He compliments the work that my brother has done on building the house because my brother put his heart and soul into that.
We add him to our Steam friends list, we chat a bit. He tells us he has to go shower and then he'll be back, but we had to go shortly after.
The End Of Rust (For Now)?
This is the end of Rust for me right now. I don't know if I'll go back while it's still in Alpha or not. Like I said earlier, I got Elder Scrolls Online and Diablo 3 to play through. Other games will pop up as well.
There are other small encounters with people that I didn't mention, but I think I mentioned the best ones.
I'll definitely check out Rust once it hits its official launch because I want to see how the world grows and develops, and I'll admit that the relationships that I started to cultivate are urging me to go back, but when I look at it objectively... I enjoyed maybe half my time with Rust.
I'm not giving it a score because this isn't that kind of article, but if you're like me and watched funny videos with The Chief and expected it to be like that... you'll be disappointed. Outside of the KOSers and hackers -- which I forgot to mention until right now -- there is a lot of doing the same old, same old. Right now I don't think there's enough content, outside of the social interactions, to warrant playing a long time.
Rust has a lot of potential to be awesome, and despite my frustration towards some of it, I truly believe that it will be.
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Weekly News Round-Up -- February 16 - 22: More TITANFALL, I Make A Comic, MGS5 Is Complex, Microsoft Sad Over Rime, And There Is Some Good News For the Wii U For Once
Well, another week is over, and you know what that means? Yes, you have to go pick up your kid you deadbeat dad. To anyone who hasn't gone through a messy divorce, it is time to read my weekly video game news-round up!
I know you're sitting there wondering what this entails, but I think it's pretty obvious by the title. However, if that's too complex... basically I go through video game news that I deem important or at the very least easy to make fun of (hey, I have to make it simple for myself), and I comment on it/bore you to death.
In Titanfall The Titans Are Fueled by... Sandwiches?
http://onthegamely.blogspot.com
Good news people! Since every game site is just flooding their website with Titanfall in an effort to get more views, I am also doing it by making shit up!
In news that everybody already knew, sandwiches are awesome. To further this point, the titans in the game Titanrise will fuel themselves on those delicious little morsels we call sandwiches. Yum yum.
Peter Molyneux Says Godus Isn't Free-To-Play... It's Invest-To-Play
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/peter-molyneux-says-godus-is-invest-to-play-not-free-to-play/1100-6417794/
Apparently Molyneux says his new, admittedly neat, game Godus isn't going to be free-to-play, but he says it'll make you want to invest money to play. So be honest, just between me and you Pete... are you saying that I HAVE TO BUY THE GAME? What a novel idea!
We don't know exactly what he means, but I don't even know if he knows what he means at this point. The guy is known for this kind of thing after all.
But just to give his statement more attention than it deserves, let me show you what the exchange at the game store (no real store names here because I don't get paid for this!) would be like for Godus, if it weren't a download only title:
Sorry, You Have To Click This Link To See It
Apple and Google Reject Any App With "Flappy" In The Name
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/beyond-two-souls-david-cage-first-game-developer-to-receive-france-s-highest-honor/1100-6417793/
The news is in the title, and it's pretty self-explanatory. But damn, there goes my idea for the first ever bird RPG that really examines the plight of our fine feathered friends. I was going to call it Flappy Bird because I don't think that is taken.
Mutant Mudds Sold More On Wii U... Hold On...
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/2d-platformer-mutant-mudds-sold-more-on-wii-u-than-steam-ps3-ps-vita-combined/1100-6417790/
Something sold on the Wii U? It beat Steam, PS3 and Vita? Combined?
Wow. I don't... I don't even know what to say. This hasn't ever happened before.
Twitch Plays... Pokemon?
http://www.digitalspy.ca/gaming/news/a551502/pokemon-crowd-sourced-playthrough-being-played-live-on-twitch-watch.html
So, a crowd-sourced playthrough of Pokemon is happening. It's gotten popular this week, or at the very least is being reported on. It's going to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it's strangely alluring. Depending on who you ask, it's either the coolest thing ever or the dumbest shit to ever hit the net. But it doesn't matter who you ask because I'm right and I say it's awesome.
So if you want to watch people bang into walls, make battles more difficult than they have to be, and generally just accomplish nothing for hours on end, go here to join in the madness:
http://www.twitch.tv/twitchplayspokemon
Final Fantasy 7 HD Remake... Still Not Coming
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/17/final-fantasy-7-hd-remake-discussed-by-director
Yoshinori Kitase admitted that he'd love to do the remake, but not really because he'd have to be extremely motivated to do it since it'd be huge. What this means is that the FF7 remake will never come.
To be honest I don't even care anymore. Unless they added a whole bunch of content to it it doesn't even matter because the classic, original version still exists and is extremely easy to get to. It'd be nice to see it all look pretty, but the block hands remain strong with this one.
However, we (I say this like there are lots of people writing for this blog) here at On The Gamely are expert detectives and I got to the bottom of this. I know the real reason why they won't remake Final Fantasy 7 -- while making sequels to Final Fantasy 13 -- and I know why they keep talking about it despite that fact. Square Enix is run by the tears of fans. If they satisfy the consumers than they will cease to exist. If you look at it that way it's understandable.
MGS5 To Run At 1080p On PS4 And 720p On Xbone
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-5-ground-zeroes-is-1080p-on-ps4-guess-what-it-is-on-xbox-one/1100-6417797/
Poor Xbox One, can't buy a break. Listen while the PS4 fanboys scoff you.
 |
| Yes Nelson is a PS4 fan. |
Also In Metal Gear Solid News...
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/17/limited-edition-metal-gear-solid-5-ps4-console-teased
If you can't tell by now I'm a Metal Gear fanatic so any time there's anything ever about the game or Metal Gear in general (SNAKE TAKES A POO), then I put it in here... but this news has me a little scared.
It's not that having a Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes bundle with the PS4 is bad news on the surface, but what if it's actually a Metal Gear posing as a PS4? You think that's weird but Metal Gear Solid.
TITANFALL Could Possibly Have 15 Maps
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/17/titanfall-maps-modes-more-revealed-in-data-dig
A hex editor was used and they dug up some data, like a possible 15 maps in the multiplayer only shooter TITANFALL (which will now only be written in the News Round-Up in all capital letters).
Mentioning TITANFALL to try to get more hits? Check.
I mean, I would never do that.
The plot twist is that I don't get more hits anyway.
Terraria Gives You More Reason To Wish That Your Life Was A Cute 2D Game
http://www.destructoid.com/well-that-s-a-crap-ton-of-stuff-added-to-terraria-270647.phtml
I was under the impression that Terraria support was dead, but then we got an update a while back that was huge. Now we got another big update.
 |
| That seems to happen a lot in Hard Mode. |
IT LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVES!
But yeah, click that link above to go to Destructoid and see all these new, fancy updates.
Playstation 4's Power Level Is Over 5 Million
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-4-breezes-past-5m-sales-milestone/1100-6417806/
People love PS4. So much so that 5.3 million people have forked out $400 dollars to invest in Sony's next-gen console.
Meanwhile the Wii U is heading towards 5 million sales and should be there in 3 more years.
Killer Is Dead Is About To Mack Girls On The PC
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/suda-51-s-barmy-action-title-killer-is-dead-coming-to-pc/1100-6417802/
The Suda51 jam, Killer is Dead, is an underrated game in my eyes, as are most of Suda's games. Yes, I'm an apologist for him and quite enjoyed Killer is Dead for the most part. Well, to anybody who wants to experience his brand of weird, confusing and kind-of fucked on the PC then you're in luck because it will be coming.
If A Game Sucks, Then Experiment With Competitive Pricing
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-conducting-xbox-one-digital-pricing-experiment-with-ryse-sale/1100-6417801/
I feel bad (not really) that I always seem to pick on Microsoft or just ignore them but here I'm throwing them a bone. The digital version of Ryse is going to be 40 dollars, so if you haven't played it and enjoy boring yourself, then get this game.
In a serious note, it's nice that the price is reduced as it may help sell some copies.
Editor's Note: I haven't played the game. Plot twist!
Chroma Was Announced And MUSIC AS A WEAPON!
http://www.gamespot.com/videos/chroma-announcement-trailer/2300-6417285/
 | |
| Yes, I made a Chris Brown joke when talking about violence... and he also makes crappy music so it's a joke within a joke. Either I'm horrendously outdated or this was a.... JOKECEPTION! It's probably just the first thing. |
In the trailer above, Harmonix announced their free-to-play shooter Chroma. In my humble opinion it's actually a pretty solid looking game, but I can't shake the feeling due to the song choice in the trailer that they played with the dubstep gun in Saints Row and decided to make a full game of it.
Listen, I know that there will be other genres represented and I'm not hating because Saints Row is the bomb. I'm just giving my first impression of the trailer.
But you aren't paying attention anyway because I lost you at "free-to-play" so I can say just about anything I want here. I won't though because I have integrity. And pride. And I'm not clever enough to say something funny here.
Cliff B. Wanted Band of Brothers, Got Predator?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/cliff-bleszinski-i-d-like-to-think-there-s-more-to-my-creativity-than-gears-of-war/1100-6417807/
Ol' Cliff Bleszinski is coming through the door blasting on various game related matters this week. He said that gamers don't need explanations like "press A to jump" and instead gamers will release videos and teach each other. He also said that he doesn't like disc-based games and won't make another.
But the most shocking? Okay, it isn't really shocking but I'm trying to get you excited. He had this to say about Gears of War:
"At the end of the day, [Gears of War is] known
for being a fun, fantastic franchise. But I'd like to think there's more
to my creativity than that. At the end of the day,
you're shooting fucking lizard-men in the fucking face with a fucking
chainsaw gun. It didn't wind up what I'd
hoped; I'd pitched it as 'Band of Brothers with monsters'--you know Band
of Brothers is well-done and emotional, telling the story of the
Greatest Generation and what they did in the war. Yet somehow we landed
on 'Predator'... the characters being all 'buff and manly', I'd never
planned on that."
Didn't plan on it, just made it. I believe you Cliff.
Don't Worry Persona Fans, Atlus Is Good
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/persona-developer-atlus-secured-in-sega-restructuring/1100-6417808/
It's cool, don't worry, Sega restructured but Atlas has a place. So you can still expect Persona 5. High school has never been more fun!
After The New Xbox One Update, Some Users Experience The Dark Abyss
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-black-screen-issue-pops-up-after-latest-update/1100-6417809/
 |
| No, not that Abyss. |
Some users are experiencing a black screen issue, but there's an easy fix for it. Just power cycle your Xbox One by holding down the power button for 10 seconds and ta-da, it's like Microsoft didn't even fuck up.
"This Chief" Is The Greatest Rust Player... Ever
http://www.destructoid.com/rust-needs-more-players-like-this-guy-270711.phtml
The Order: 1886 Gets A New Trailer
http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-order-1886-new-era-trailer/2300-6417286/
Great movie, can't wait to watch. Hope it wins an Oscar. I wonder what it'll do at the box office. I hope my theatre gets it. I can keep going with these movie jokes... why they think releasing a cinematic trailer for games is a good idea opposed to actual gameplay is beyond me.
Killzone: Mercenary Gets NEW OLD MAPS
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/19/killzone-mercenary-receives-two-free-multiplayer-maps
Tharsis Depot and Blood Gracht, each from Killzone 2, are the free maps that are coming for people who own the Vita FPS. Lucky. Not like I ever owned Killzone 2 or anything. I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. It's old news.
...Okay so I'm just trying to come off like I don't care, but deep down I care more than you'll ever know. /emo
Square Interested In Bringing Final Fantasy to PC
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/19/future-final-fantasy-games-may-come-to-pc
It turns out that the FFXIII games were all working on PC, and Square is interested in bringing future Final Fantasy games to the PC. However, they stated that marketing and security issues made them decide against bringing FFXIII to the master race.
You know what this means? Final Fantasy didn't come to PC... PC gaming is dead.
 |
| R.I.P. PC Gaming |
Then I consider how few people pay attention to me and it's probably more along the lines of this:
Kevin Levine Is Shutting Irrational Games DOOOOOOWN...
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioshock-creator-irrational-games-is-shutting-down/1100-6417821/
...And taking 15 of the developers with him. The others will be looked after, if you are to believe this article. Levine wants to go on to make something that is unlike anything he's done before, and now Bioshock is owned by 2K. He states he hopes he can make something half as good as Bioshock.
I have no faith in him, he's only made System Shock 2, Thief and Bioshock. Noob.
Fallout 4 Shouldn't Be Expected Anytime Soon, People Are Killing Themselves As I Type This
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-4-don-t-expect-an-announcement-anytime-soon/1100-6417842/
Honestly I would make a joke here, but I feel bad for Fallout fans. They've been teased and teased and just when they think they're going to get to stick it in, or have something stuck in, it's ripped away from them.
I'm sorry.
(Haha, no new Fallout anytime soon)
Now Luigi Can Go Back To Being Ignored
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/miyamoto-puts-an-official-end-to-the-year-of-luigi/1100-6417820/
That's right. The year of Luigi is over on March 18. What comes next? Nobody knows. Knowing Nintendo right now, my guess is nothing.
NO, PC GAMING IS DEAD, I SAID IT ABOVE
http://www.destructoid.com/gdc-poll-devs-focused-on-pc-not-so-much-the-wii-u-270743.phtml
GDC surveyed developers and 20 percent of them intend on releasing their next game on the PS4. 17 percent are going the way of Xbox OneThree, while a whopping 4 percent are supporting the Wii U. The popularity seems to be on PC and mobile gaming, the latter being a disgrace. We got 53 percent for PC and 52 percent for mobile/tablets.
I can't wait to torture myself trying to handle bullshit touch screen controls.
Crysis Bundle Coming To Origin For $50*
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/all-three-crysis-games-available-for-50-on-origin/1100-6417858/
It's actually a pretty great deal if you haven't played the games. I haven't played the first one and had to do the console peasant thing and play 2 and 3 on Xbox, but if you're looking to catch up, then here you go.
*You only need to spend 80000 dollars to get a computer that can run the first one. Hell, my computer couldn't even turn on the third, I think it said something like, "Your computer sucks, destruction imminent" and then my computer combusted.
Microsoft Passed On Rime, Now Gets "Dem Feels" Over The Decision
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/20/microsoft-passed-on-ps4-exclusive-rime
Well, no shit Microsoft. You should have known that this is a game you should be getting. It looks beautiful, promises some fun gameplay elements and it has one of those trailers that make the internet lose their minds because it's so pretty and the song reaches into your cold dead heart and brings it back to life again (coincidentally bringing you back to life again and scaring the shit out of your family).
At least Phil Spencer admits it was a mistake. That's a plus. I should be hired for Microsoft because On The Gamely credentials obviously means I'd be a good fit.
So to those who are looking to frolic through the wilderness, you'll have to pick up a PS4.
Sacred 3 Coming This Year To PC, PS3 And 360
http://www.destructoid.com/sacred-3-is-coming-to-the-pc-ps3-and-xbox-360-this-year-270856.phtml
 |
| My brother and I once we found this out. |
Nemesis System Will Be Lesser On PS3 and 360
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/one-of-shadow-of-mordor-s-most-ambitious-features-scaled-back-for-xbox-360-ps3/1100-6417861/
It was announced this week that the nemesis system won't have as much depth if you're playing Shadow of Modor on the older systems.
Whaaaaaaat? A next-gen game not being as good on an old system? I won't stand for this!
 |
| Ahhhh, current and relevant references. |
Xbox One Media Remote Exists! Yes!
http://www.destructoid.com/the-xbox-one-media-remote-is-now-official-270874.phtml
So in March apparently you can buy this bad boy. Kinect will still be around to
PS4 Is Like "Where's Waldo?" Up In Dis Bitch
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-will-remain-hard-to-find-until-april-says-sony/1100-6417876/
 |
| You ever notice that I have this weird fascination with replacing the heads of things with consoles? |
Yes, another video game console shortage until Spring. It's not really news because it happens all the time unless... you're... WII U! But yeah, seriously, you'll just have to steal a PS4 from your friend until then.
Diddy Kong is Back For Blood In New Super Smash Bros
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/21/diddy-kong-joining-super-smash-bros-wii-u-3ds
That's right, Diddy Kong is returning to lay the smack down Rock style in the newest Super Smash Bros.
Almost Got Through The Week...
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-pc-bug-causing-game-to-freeze-enter-sound-loop/1100-6417893/
...Without hearing about Battlefield 4 having issues. There's a bug that is causing the game to freeze. Hallelujah, the world is normal again.
Star Citizen Makes Dat Money
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pc-space-sim-star-citizen-funding-reaches-an-astonishing-39-million/1100-6417890/
Star Citizen has made 40... oh who cares, let's talk Titanfall!
Just kidding. It's nice to see that Star Citizen funding has reached 40 million, which is just pocket change when you have a successful video game blog.
Why Is The Metal Gear Solid Story So Confusing Hideo?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/kojima-explains-why-metal-gear-solid-story-is-so-complicated/1100-6417895/
Because nanomachines.
(It's because he didn't have the entire story fleshed out so there are going to be some inconsistencies.)
Good News, World of Warcraft Won't Be Pay-To-Win Because It Breaks the Players Trust And Blizzard Wouldn't Do That
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-world-of-warcraft-is-not-going-to-become-pay-to-win/1100-6417898/
 |
| I'll just leave this here. Thanks to diablo3fever for not knowing I stole it. |
I hope you enjoyed this weeks installment of the News Round-Up. We had some good times, we had some bad, but they are all times we will be glad we had. Let me know what you think in the comments below (nobody ever really has) or on Twitter @ArtBathednCrime.
P.S. TITANFALL
Friday, 21 February 2014
On The Podcast - Episod3: TITANFALL is EVERYWHERE... Just like Bill Nye
Oh yeah, it's time, it's time, it's Podcast time (time time time). We got Episode 3 up in here and it's better than the Star Wars one. We talk such issues as Titanfall, GTA 5, Bravely Default, Bill Nye blastin' on Climate Change... we talk the internet, a/s/l, other games, Guardians of the Galaxy... all kinds of stuff.
And we have multiple ways to listen to do all three! Or just one is fine.
Youtube: http://youtu.be/SwlR9CjhQ34
Mp3:
Download Mp3: https://archive.org/details/onthepodcastepisod3
And we have multiple ways to listen to do all three! Or just one is fine.
Youtube: http://youtu.be/SwlR9CjhQ34
Mp3:
Download Mp3: https://archive.org/details/onthepodcastepisod3
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
It's A Novel Concept But The Number One Priority of Games Should Be "Being A Game"
Written By: Tyler
We live in an outstanding time, technologically speaking. If you go back 25 years ago when I started gaming as a wee little Tyler, it would be hard to imagine what is now possible. We had great games that still stand the test of time because of fantastic game design, but the industry has been revolutionized so many times that little me would probably have a heart attack had these ideas been presented to me at that point. The internet and online gaming changed everything, games like Minecraft have come along and added a whole new element to games that people are picking up on and expanding upon in games like Rust. Speaking of Rust, or DayZ, these are games that scream "next-gen" to me (yes I'm aware they're on PC and next-gen tends to be a console term) because of the PvP social/survival concepts presented in them. Game mechanics and genres have been created or made more complex, visuals have come a hell of a long way since the old days. Games like Grand Theft Auto 3 offered us the "sandbox" genre and a series like The Elder Scrolls took open-world to a whole new level and gave us games with hundreds upon hundreds of hours. We have real talent writing the stories for games, we have action set pieces that weren't possible back in the day. Though AI will always be one of the more difficult things to program believably, it has come a long way and we've progressed past difficulty in games meaning, more often than not, that the "computer is cheating." We've seen indie culture rise to the point it gets mainstream coverage. The industry has even gone through controversy after controversy over the years in its attempt to be seen as a legitimate form of entertainment and/or art.
A person could go and on about how kick-ass video games are, but you get the point. We've come a long way and we will go even further. But don't mistake my admiration for video games as a weakness... no, I'm a cranky old bastard too just like the rest of the internet. We have to rage, I have to rage, let us rage for just a couple more seconds. I want to rage about the state of video games, which is flabbergasting (possibly the first time I've used the word) when you consider that long-ass wall of text above.
Let's just throw it out there: video games, as entertainment or an art form -- whichever you want, baby -- should have the number one priority of being fun to play. This is a blanket statement, of course, because I'm not really trying to put video games in the corner, and there are games that are able to break that mold, but we'll get into that more in a bit.
Every art form is something at their core. In their most pure sense, movies are visuals and moving pictures, books are written word and story, music is audio and so on and so forth. Games are a melting pot of these -- visuals may not be as realistic as movies but there's a dependance on them, games are long enough to tell captivating stories, while music has always been good for the tone and atmosphere. They have the added luxury of being interactive as a core idea, not just as a novelty like Choose Your Own Adventure books (which are fun).
But I think we're getting too caught up in making our games more like movies. That's my point in a nutshell. I have to reiterate that I'm speaking in general terms. I'm examining the state of games in a broad sense, but I stand firmly behind it.
When I pick up a game, I want it to be fun. A game can have shitty graphics, serviceable music, but as long as its fun then that's great. Earth Defense Force is a perfect example of this. If you look at the graphics compared to other games today, they look like crap. Outside of the main menu music for Insect Armageddon, I've never been involved in the music. But damn that game is silly, simple and a hell of a lot of fun. I play the games for hours and hours, because the game was designed thrill you. It succeeds.
A game like Earth Defense Force -- or a series in that case -- doesn't get bogged down with meaningless, boring cutscenes. The fascination with cinematics in gaming blows my mind because we've gotten to the point where companies will release trailers that only show the cinematic aspects of the game. This is fine if it's a teaser trailer, but if someone waits months for more information and all you get is a trailer showcasing how much of a movie it is... that's not okay. That's not how it works. Wow me with your gameplay, make me want to pick up the controller, grab the mouse or play with my joystick.
I don't even need complex gameplay. I'm still okay with some games being button mashers. I love Suda51 games and they are known for being stylish yet not complicated in the least. I love when games go out of their way to offer new gameplay experiences, too. I just want to play.
There is where I backtrack a little bit and become more understanding, however. I'm not saying that games can't put love and care into the other elements of their games. You can impress me with your eye candy, whether it's brilliant visual design or high definition graphics. Let me see how beautiful you've made that grass I'm stepping on. Take me to other worlds with great artistic ideas.
Give me a soundtrack that I sit here and listen to when I'm doing other stuff, because I want that too. Believe me, I listen to a lot of video game OSTs.
But give me something I want to play.
A good cutscene can definitely add to the experience but I'm just going to throw it out there and say that a lot of games don't have interesting cutscenes. They're generic (but generic doesn't mean terrible), and the focus isn't on staging good shots because they're not movie directors. It's not their job. The Metal Gear series can get away with that these days because Kojima wishes he was a movie director and actually puts a lot of emphasis on making memorable cutscenes. If you have to watch a game, which you will in most games these days at some point, then give us something exciting. Don't give us what a game like Haze did with people standing in a helicopter talking over and over.
Still, there are so many games where I think, "It would be sweet if we could have played this instead of watch it." It's why games like Bayonetta should be more credit because while there are certainly cutscenes, it also allows you to play these excellent moments quite often. I'm harping on about Metal Gear so much because Metal Gear Solid 4 was especially contentious regarding how long the cutscenes are, but remember at the end (um, spoilers?) where you basically crawl through a furnace? Would that scene have been great had you just watched it? Yes, it was a big moment for Solid Snake and his heroism. Was it better because you were able to play it? Definitely, because even though it was only button mashing (to the point of pain I might add), it put you in the moment.
Journey was an artistic masterpiece on all fronts, but like Metal Gear, it never forgets that it's ultimately a game. It was a perfect example of how a game can get visuals and music right to the point that it actually compliments the gameplay. Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, two games that are widely considered "art," have compelling gameplay, even if Shadow of the Colossus does consist a lot of riding a horse through barren areas before you get to the epic boss battles.
Admittedly, indie games tend to be more guilty of this than big budget titles. I've played a ton of freeware games that have minimalist gameplay, to put it lightly. However, most of the time they get away with this because they are 5 minutes long and do other things right, so even if you just walk from left to right a little bit, it's fine. I'm not against expanding video games into new and interesting territories, but a lot of these games would overstay their welcome if they weren't so short (a good design choice to keep them short). There are exceptions, of course, with a game like To The Moon being emotional and memorable while being relatively light on "real" gameplay.
Some games and developers get away with this kind of thing because their talent in other areas is impressive. Jake King-Spooner, a guy I have mentioned numerous times on this blog, releases some games that you really only walk around... but he's so good at what he does that it's okay. However, you'll notice that I reviewed Sluggish Morss: Ad Infinitum and gushed about it, but still only gave it a 9.5 because I wish it had more gameplay.
I feel like I'm coming across as too close-minded in this matter and I think I may be forgetting points that I wanted to make (I'm old, forgive me), but I play a lot of games that go against my sentiment that I'm expressing in this post. In fact, I greatly enjoy a lot of them. If you asked me to prioritize what's important in video games, however, I'd have to pick gameplay first and foremost. Games can buck that trend, but in general, that's where I stand.
We live in an outstanding time, technologically speaking. If you go back 25 years ago when I started gaming as a wee little Tyler, it would be hard to imagine what is now possible. We had great games that still stand the test of time because of fantastic game design, but the industry has been revolutionized so many times that little me would probably have a heart attack had these ideas been presented to me at that point. The internet and online gaming changed everything, games like Minecraft have come along and added a whole new element to games that people are picking up on and expanding upon in games like Rust. Speaking of Rust, or DayZ, these are games that scream "next-gen" to me (yes I'm aware they're on PC and next-gen tends to be a console term) because of the PvP social/survival concepts presented in them. Game mechanics and genres have been created or made more complex, visuals have come a hell of a long way since the old days. Games like Grand Theft Auto 3 offered us the "sandbox" genre and a series like The Elder Scrolls took open-world to a whole new level and gave us games with hundreds upon hundreds of hours. We have real talent writing the stories for games, we have action set pieces that weren't possible back in the day. Though AI will always be one of the more difficult things to program believably, it has come a long way and we've progressed past difficulty in games meaning, more often than not, that the "computer is cheating." We've seen indie culture rise to the point it gets mainstream coverage. The industry has even gone through controversy after controversy over the years in its attempt to be seen as a legitimate form of entertainment and/or art.
A person could go and on about how kick-ass video games are, but you get the point. We've come a long way and we will go even further. But don't mistake my admiration for video games as a weakness... no, I'm a cranky old bastard too just like the rest of the internet. We have to rage, I have to rage, let us rage for just a couple more seconds. I want to rage about the state of video games, which is flabbergasting (possibly the first time I've used the word) when you consider that long-ass wall of text above.
Let's just throw it out there: video games, as entertainment or an art form -- whichever you want, baby -- should have the number one priority of being fun to play. This is a blanket statement, of course, because I'm not really trying to put video games in the corner, and there are games that are able to break that mold, but we'll get into that more in a bit.
Every art form is something at their core. In their most pure sense, movies are visuals and moving pictures, books are written word and story, music is audio and so on and so forth. Games are a melting pot of these -- visuals may not be as realistic as movies but there's a dependance on them, games are long enough to tell captivating stories, while music has always been good for the tone and atmosphere. They have the added luxury of being interactive as a core idea, not just as a novelty like Choose Your Own Adventure books (which are fun).
But I think we're getting too caught up in making our games more like movies. That's my point in a nutshell. I have to reiterate that I'm speaking in general terms. I'm examining the state of games in a broad sense, but I stand firmly behind it.
When I pick up a game, I want it to be fun. A game can have shitty graphics, serviceable music, but as long as its fun then that's great. Earth Defense Force is a perfect example of this. If you look at the graphics compared to other games today, they look like crap. Outside of the main menu music for Insect Armageddon, I've never been involved in the music. But damn that game is silly, simple and a hell of a lot of fun. I play the games for hours and hours, because the game was designed thrill you. It succeeds.
A game like Earth Defense Force -- or a series in that case -- doesn't get bogged down with meaningless, boring cutscenes. The fascination with cinematics in gaming blows my mind because we've gotten to the point where companies will release trailers that only show the cinematic aspects of the game. This is fine if it's a teaser trailer, but if someone waits months for more information and all you get is a trailer showcasing how much of a movie it is... that's not okay. That's not how it works. Wow me with your gameplay, make me want to pick up the controller, grab the mouse or play with my joystick.
I don't even need complex gameplay. I'm still okay with some games being button mashers. I love Suda51 games and they are known for being stylish yet not complicated in the least. I love when games go out of their way to offer new gameplay experiences, too. I just want to play.
There is where I backtrack a little bit and become more understanding, however. I'm not saying that games can't put love and care into the other elements of their games. You can impress me with your eye candy, whether it's brilliant visual design or high definition graphics. Let me see how beautiful you've made that grass I'm stepping on. Take me to other worlds with great artistic ideas.
Give me a soundtrack that I sit here and listen to when I'm doing other stuff, because I want that too. Believe me, I listen to a lot of video game OSTs.
But give me something I want to play.
A good cutscene can definitely add to the experience but I'm just going to throw it out there and say that a lot of games don't have interesting cutscenes. They're generic (but generic doesn't mean terrible), and the focus isn't on staging good shots because they're not movie directors. It's not their job. The Metal Gear series can get away with that these days because Kojima wishes he was a movie director and actually puts a lot of emphasis on making memorable cutscenes. If you have to watch a game, which you will in most games these days at some point, then give us something exciting. Don't give us what a game like Haze did with people standing in a helicopter talking over and over.
Still, there are so many games where I think, "It would be sweet if we could have played this instead of watch it." It's why games like Bayonetta should be more credit because while there are certainly cutscenes, it also allows you to play these excellent moments quite often. I'm harping on about Metal Gear so much because Metal Gear Solid 4 was especially contentious regarding how long the cutscenes are, but remember at the end (um, spoilers?) where you basically crawl through a furnace? Would that scene have been great had you just watched it? Yes, it was a big moment for Solid Snake and his heroism. Was it better because you were able to play it? Definitely, because even though it was only button mashing (to the point of pain I might add), it put you in the moment.
Journey was an artistic masterpiece on all fronts, but like Metal Gear, it never forgets that it's ultimately a game. It was a perfect example of how a game can get visuals and music right to the point that it actually compliments the gameplay. Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, two games that are widely considered "art," have compelling gameplay, even if Shadow of the Colossus does consist a lot of riding a horse through barren areas before you get to the epic boss battles.
Admittedly, indie games tend to be more guilty of this than big budget titles. I've played a ton of freeware games that have minimalist gameplay, to put it lightly. However, most of the time they get away with this because they are 5 minutes long and do other things right, so even if you just walk from left to right a little bit, it's fine. I'm not against expanding video games into new and interesting territories, but a lot of these games would overstay their welcome if they weren't so short (a good design choice to keep them short). There are exceptions, of course, with a game like To The Moon being emotional and memorable while being relatively light on "real" gameplay.
Some games and developers get away with this kind of thing because their talent in other areas is impressive. Jake King-Spooner, a guy I have mentioned numerous times on this blog, releases some games that you really only walk around... but he's so good at what he does that it's okay. However, you'll notice that I reviewed Sluggish Morss: Ad Infinitum and gushed about it, but still only gave it a 9.5 because I wish it had more gameplay.
I feel like I'm coming across as too close-minded in this matter and I think I may be forgetting points that I wanted to make (I'm old, forgive me), but I play a lot of games that go against my sentiment that I'm expressing in this post. In fact, I greatly enjoy a lot of them. If you asked me to prioritize what's important in video games, however, I'd have to pick gameplay first and foremost. Games can buck that trend, but in general, that's where I stand.
Saturday, 8 February 2014
News Round-Up For February 2 - 8: Shit Gets Delayed, Microsoft Says The Net Sometimes Lies
Written By: Tyler
Hello people, I am back for yet another News Round-Up. Every week I do a run through of some of the most important news of the week... or at least the news that is a) important to me or b) easy to make fun of. Let's see what this week had for us.
It Turns Out That People Like Minecraft
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/minecraft-sells-14-million-on-pc-series-total-over-35-million
Notch confirmed that the PC version of Minecraft has sold 14 million, with the total sales on all platforms figured to be over 35 million. Despite the fact that Notch thinks Mario Kart isn't a real game (GRRR), I have to give praise to the game for how innovative it is. It's hard to deny that Minecraft is a cash magnet, with how many copies it has sold and how much attention it gets on Youtube just by making a video about it.
I mean, I'm only reporting the news to get more views for my blog. Did I mention Minecraft?
Is Duke Returning In A Game That Isn't A First-Person Shooter?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-duke-nukem-game-teased-for-playstation-and-pc/1100-6417484/
According to this article he is. The game was teased for Playstation and PC, and won't be a first-person shooter. The game is going to be called Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction and it will have experience points and tech trees. To be honest I don't like the idea of Duke leaving the FPS genre but I do welcome evolving with RPG elements thrown in.
I guess it doesn't matter though, since I'm 28 now and by the time it releases I'll be dead.
Titanfall Developer Has Fears of the Upcoming Launch For The Greatest FPS To Ever Exist
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-dev-has-a-bit-of-fear-over-game-s-release/1100-6417483/
The Titanfall developer is excited for the release next month of their wildly hyped FPS but they are also a little scared because they want the launch to be smooth.
I won't even make an EA joke here because I feel for Respawn.
But EA sucks.
Microsoft Is Going To Release News on Xbone Free Games Soon
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-free-game-promotion-news-coming-soon/1100-6417482/
So news that isn't really news. Or is it news within news? News within news within news? Yes Internet, you know where I'm going with this:
New Lord of the Rings Game Is Only Single Player, Also Not On Wii U
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-won-t-have-multiplayer-not-coming-to-wii-u/1100-6417481/
Promising LotR game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor isn't going to have multiplayer and it's not going to be on Wii U. I don't know why I wrote that out again. I guess I just feel obligated to say something about it. Hey, I did say it was promising at least.
Microsoft Says That They Aren't Planning On Making Xbones $399
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exec-responds-to-399-xbox-one-rumor/1100-6417473/
They also said you can't believe everything on the internet.
Somebody Leaked The Games That Are Available In the Playstation Now Beta
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-games-include-killzone-3-shadow-of-the-colossus-few-more/1100-6417469/
In another shocking turn of events, someone on the internet couldn't be trusted to keep a secret and leaked the list of games that you can play if you're involved in the Playstation Now beta.
I'm not going to support foolishness like leaks so I won't be posting a list of the games. I'll just post a link to a site that does. You're welcome Sony.
Bungie Says They Won't Have Mounts in Destiny, Also Kinda Blasts PETA
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-s-destiny-won-t-feature-animal-mounts/1100-6417485/
Bungie said that Destiny wouldn't have mounts because the heavy-armor of the Titans kept breaking their backs and PETA would go berserk, which I can't imagine being the case. I mean really now, the people who made Mario Kills Tanooki (IT WAS JUST A JOKE, NOT DAMAGE CONTROL) would never ever kick up a fuss.
Ubisoft Abandons A Watch Dogs Trademark, Game Is Cancelled
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-abandons-watch-dogs-trademark-what-does-that-mean/1100-6417495/
But don't worry they have five more! The game is still coming! It'll be okay, just take a moment to curse me for the title.
Okay, ready? Now move on.
UPDATE: Then it turns out that whoever abandoned the trademark did it without the knowledge of Ubisoft.
UPDATE VERSION 2.0: They reinstated the trademark. Quit playing with my heart.
Hyper Light Drifter Delayed
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/hyper-light-drifter-delayed-until-holiday-season
Alex Preston stated that "[the money received from the Kickstarter exceeded expectations so now the game has to go from Awesome to Awesomer]" and he cited health issues. So on a serious note, I hope all is well with him because you don't fuck around with your health.
ReRoll Looks To Generate (Most) Of the World, Might Catch You Doing Dirty Things
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/ex-ubisoft-ea-devs-reveal-ambitious-rpg-reroll
So... I'm just going to pull down the blinds on my window now...
In all seriousness, ReRoll is extremely ambitious, with them sending drones up in the air to generate the environments of the world, all within reason of course. If this succeeds, it could be pretty awesome, or at the very least memorable for that reason alone.
It isn't really going to catch you doing dirty things, by the way.
Or is it?
Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes Isn't Going To Be A Very Long Game
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mgs-5-ground-zeroes-campaign-may-only-take-you-two-hours/1100-6417524/
AND I DON'T EVEN CARE, JUST GIVE ME MGS5: GZ RIGHT NOW. Take me as you wish, Metal Gear.
Jordan Amaro basically stated that length has nothing to do with quality, and brought attention to Dear Esther and Journey, which I definitely agree with, but those are also cheaper... oh who am I kidding? See my comment above the picture.
UPDATE: It seems that lots of people have commented on this. Kojima himself said he believes people will be satisfied and that Phantom Pain will be hundreds of times larger, while the Shadows of the Damned director said that creators having to justify the length of their games is a problem with the industry.
Again, I actually agree with these people to a certain extent. I think people complain way too much about length in games, even if they offer 10 hours of gameplay. Games got more expensive because our technology is better. If people want these triple-A titles with amazing graphics and whatnot, they have to be prepared to pay for that.
However! A possible $40 dollars for two hours is a little much, even if it is Metal Gear. Drop the price and the controversy goes away, especially considering we still have the actual full game coming too. 100 buckaroos for one game? Unfortunately I'll still get it because I fiend for MGS like a junkie.
Kinect Based Tech Is Protecting Borders
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/kinect-based-tech-being-used-to-protect-korean-border/1100-6417491/
So apparently Kinect is being used for something, um, useful? It's protecting the border between North and South Korea. You can do your fantasy football league, talk to the Kinect and now you can use it for security!
Yasumi Matsuno Talks About His New Game, Unsung Story
http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-tactics-director-talks-new-game-269947.phtml
Unsung Story is a biographical game about this very blog!
No, it is actually a turn-based RPG with a job system and no main character. Given his expertise in such things, it's very easy to be excited for this.
The Uncharted Movie Is Still Going To Happen
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-movie-still-happening/1100-6417526/
While the Uncharted movie is still going to happen, the director of Identity Thief and Horrible Bosses is the most recent name attached to the project.
But I think we've forgotten one man:
Super Mario Is In Happy Meals
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/help-nintendo-post-a-profit-by-eating-these-super-mario-happy-meals/1100-6417539/
In the UK they're going to have a Super Mario Happy Meal for a limited time, and this is the only time ever I've been jealous of the UK. Give me Happy Meals, I live in North America!
Warface, Crytek's New Free-To-Play Shooter Came To Xbox 360 This Week...
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/04/star-wars-the-old-republic-getting-two-expansions-in-2014
...But it's not really free. You need Xbox Live Gold in order to play it.
I'm going to save you some time. Don't play this game. The stupidity doesn't stop at the name, so you're better off playing something else.
Microsoft Planning Two Updates -- One in February And One In March
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/05/upcoming-xbox-one-updates-to-fix-party-chat-add-features
The first update, which comes Feb. 11, will fix party chat and some other issues. The update in March is going to get the Xbox One ready for Titanfall.
EA Talks About Their Free-To-Play Remake of Dungeon Keeper
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-responds-to-dungeon-keeper-free-to-play-criticisms/1100-6417571/
EA has responded to the hate that players have thrown at their remake of the classic PC game Dungeon Keeper. But I won't quote it here, and instead I will just say... EA, please just...
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain May Not Be Released Until December, 2015
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-might-not-come-out-until-december-2015/1100-6417568/
Konami has stated that depending on the development stage, the release date for the game I'm most anticipating may be pushed back until next year, at least.
To which I reply down on my knees, face in my hands, crying enough manboy tears for twenty people. I could deal with a Watch Dogs delay, but Metal Gear is just going too far. Something must be done. Sign my petition.
Editor's Note: Petition doesn't exist. Well not mine, maybe someone made one.
Editor's Note: I'm actually the editor too. Which is why there's no editing done in any articles.
Speaking Of Delays, Titanfall For the 360 Is Delayed And Will Now Be Released Two Weeks Later
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/titanfall-delayed-on-xbox-360
Sorry guys.
Rust Removes Zombies In Latest Patch
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/rust-update-removes-zombies
Because there are too many ways to die already, the developers of Rust have removed zombies with their latest patch. Since they were the only game to have zombies, this leaves a large hole for all you zombie fanatics, but don't worry, I got your back.
Naughty Dog Are Considering A Sequel To The Last of Us... Or New IP
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/07/naughty-dog-contemplating-the-last-of-us-2
I pretty much sum it up in the title, but after developing the DLC for The Last of Us, they are taking a breather. However, they are brainstorming ideas... some of which include a sequel to the hit The Last of Us.
Take-Two Talks About Development For Various Platforms
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/07/take-two-ceo-tablet-gaming-not-quite-there-yet
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick (cool name!) has talked about a variety of platforms over the past week. In a nutshell he said mobile gaming isn't quite there yet but knows there's a future, the Oculus Rift is interesting and he is hesitant about developing for the Wii U.
Developers not wanting to make games for the Wii U, in 2014? Man... join the club.
Sledgehammer Games Developing The 2014 Call of Duty
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/sledgehammer-games-developing-2014s-call-of-duty-release
It was reported this week that now the Call of Duty games will be on a three year cycle, so three different CoDs, three different developers. I full expect innovation. The influences that I expect to seep through in the future CoDs are; Minecraft, River City Ransom, Bubble Bobble, Final Fantasy and Shadow of the Colossus. Or or or, let's just have it take place in Silent Hill. Yes, let's do that one.
BREAKING NEWS -- THERE ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE TERRORIZING EVERYONE ON RUST
http://www.destructoid.com/rust-if-you-see-the-penis-brothers-take-off-your-pants-270096.phtml
Proof of why video games are superior to everything.
Flappy Bird Is Going Away (Thank God!)
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/flappy-bird-creator-taking-game-down-but-not-because-of-legal-issues/1100-6417612/
Or it may already be gone. Kurt Vonnegut once said that if God exists than music is the best proof of him/her. I disagree, Kurt, you wonderful bastard... Flappy Bird going away is proof of God.
Anyway, the developer said he just can't take it anymore and the game is going to disappear. He won't be selling it anymore, so it'll almost be like Flappy Bird never existed. Only it did... and people kept talking about it, over and over and over and over and over and over and over.
Bye Flappy Bird!
Don't Worry, The Division Is Not In Trouble
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-xbox-one-game-the-division-not-in-trouble-dev-insists/1100-6417600/
I didn't even know it was suggested that the game was in trouble. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have been alive to write the News Round-Up for this week. I guess most people would say that'd be a good thing, but I digress.
So don't worry, The Division is still going to come out, and it's still going to be awesome. The two studio approach doesn't mean shit, and it's just "classic team size management." So rejoice, because you will still get to see the light shine through the bullet holes in the signs you shoot. Yay next gen!
Well that's it for this week. Geez these things are long. Can you believe that I edit this post every day? Yes, I put real work into being this crappy.
If there is any news I missed, feel free to write this thing your damn self. Or just reply in the comments below or on my Twitter @ArtBathednCrime. Thank you for reading!
Hello people, I am back for yet another News Round-Up. Every week I do a run through of some of the most important news of the week... or at least the news that is a) important to me or b) easy to make fun of. Let's see what this week had for us.
It Turns Out That People Like Minecraft
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/minecraft-sells-14-million-on-pc-series-total-over-35-million
Notch confirmed that the PC version of Minecraft has sold 14 million, with the total sales on all platforms figured to be over 35 million. Despite the fact that Notch thinks Mario Kart isn't a real game (GRRR), I have to give praise to the game for how innovative it is. It's hard to deny that Minecraft is a cash magnet, with how many copies it has sold and how much attention it gets on Youtube just by making a video about it.
I mean, I'm only reporting the news to get more views for my blog. Did I mention Minecraft?
Is Duke Returning In A Game That Isn't A First-Person Shooter?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-duke-nukem-game-teased-for-playstation-and-pc/1100-6417484/
According to this article he is. The game was teased for Playstation and PC, and won't be a first-person shooter. The game is going to be called Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction and it will have experience points and tech trees. To be honest I don't like the idea of Duke leaving the FPS genre but I do welcome evolving with RPG elements thrown in.
I guess it doesn't matter though, since I'm 28 now and by the time it releases I'll be dead.
Titanfall Developer Has Fears of the Upcoming Launch For The Greatest FPS To Ever Exist
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-dev-has-a-bit-of-fear-over-game-s-release/1100-6417483/
The Titanfall developer is excited for the release next month of their wildly hyped FPS but they are also a little scared because they want the launch to be smooth.
I won't even make an EA joke here because I feel for Respawn.
But EA sucks.
Microsoft Is Going To Release News on Xbone Free Games Soon
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-free-game-promotion-news-coming-soon/1100-6417482/
So news that isn't really news. Or is it news within news? News within news within news? Yes Internet, you know where I'm going with this:
 | ||
| Wait, I think I screwed that up. I mean Newsception! That's what I mean! Whew that was close, almost looked like an idiot. |
New Lord of the Rings Game Is Only Single Player, Also Not On Wii U
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-lord-of-the-rings-prequel-won-t-have-multiplayer-not-coming-to-wii-u/1100-6417481/
Promising LotR game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor isn't going to have multiplayer and it's not going to be on Wii U. I don't know why I wrote that out again. I guess I just feel obligated to say something about it. Hey, I did say it was promising at least.
Microsoft Says That They Aren't Planning On Making Xbones $399
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exec-responds-to-399-xbox-one-rumor/1100-6417473/
They also said you can't believe everything on the internet.
Somebody Leaked The Games That Are Available In the Playstation Now Beta
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-games-include-killzone-3-shadow-of-the-colossus-few-more/1100-6417469/
In another shocking turn of events, someone on the internet couldn't be trusted to keep a secret and leaked the list of games that you can play if you're involved in the Playstation Now beta.
I'm not going to support foolishness like leaks so I won't be posting a list of the games. I'll just post a link to a site that does. You're welcome Sony.
Bungie Says They Won't Have Mounts in Destiny, Also Kinda Blasts PETA
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-s-destiny-won-t-feature-animal-mounts/1100-6417485/
Bungie said that Destiny wouldn't have mounts because the heavy-armor of the Titans kept breaking their backs and PETA would go berserk, which I can't imagine being the case. I mean really now, the people who made Mario Kills Tanooki (IT WAS JUST A JOKE, NOT DAMAGE CONTROL) would never ever kick up a fuss.
Ubisoft Abandons A Watch Dogs Trademark, Game Is Cancelled
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-abandons-watch-dogs-trademark-what-does-that-mean/1100-6417495/
But don't worry they have five more! The game is still coming! It'll be okay, just take a moment to curse me for the title.
Okay, ready? Now move on.
UPDATE: Then it turns out that whoever abandoned the trademark did it without the knowledge of Ubisoft.
UPDATE VERSION 2.0: They reinstated the trademark. Quit playing with my heart.
Hyper Light Drifter Delayed
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/hyper-light-drifter-delayed-until-holiday-season
Alex Preston stated that "[the money received from the Kickstarter exceeded expectations so now the game has to go from Awesome to Awesomer]" and he cited health issues. So on a serious note, I hope all is well with him because you don't fuck around with your health.
ReRoll Looks To Generate (Most) Of the World, Might Catch You Doing Dirty Things
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/03/ex-ubisoft-ea-devs-reveal-ambitious-rpg-reroll
So... I'm just going to pull down the blinds on my window now...
In all seriousness, ReRoll is extremely ambitious, with them sending drones up in the air to generate the environments of the world, all within reason of course. If this succeeds, it could be pretty awesome, or at the very least memorable for that reason alone.
It isn't really going to catch you doing dirty things, by the way.
Or is it?
Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes Isn't Going To Be A Very Long Game
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mgs-5-ground-zeroes-campaign-may-only-take-you-two-hours/1100-6417524/
AND I DON'T EVEN CARE, JUST GIVE ME MGS5: GZ RIGHT NOW. Take me as you wish, Metal Gear.
 |
| Even the rain is full of nanomachines! |
UPDATE: It seems that lots of people have commented on this. Kojima himself said he believes people will be satisfied and that Phantom Pain will be hundreds of times larger, while the Shadows of the Damned director said that creators having to justify the length of their games is a problem with the industry.
Again, I actually agree with these people to a certain extent. I think people complain way too much about length in games, even if they offer 10 hours of gameplay. Games got more expensive because our technology is better. If people want these triple-A titles with amazing graphics and whatnot, they have to be prepared to pay for that.
However! A possible $40 dollars for two hours is a little much, even if it is Metal Gear. Drop the price and the controversy goes away, especially considering we still have the actual full game coming too. 100 buckaroos for one game? Unfortunately I'll still get it because I fiend for MGS like a junkie.
Kinect Based Tech Is Protecting Borders
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/kinect-based-tech-being-used-to-protect-korean-border/1100-6417491/
So apparently Kinect is being used for something, um, useful? It's protecting the border between North and South Korea. You can do your fantasy football league, talk to the Kinect and now you can use it for security!
 |
| Finally found its use. Dem feels. |
Yasumi Matsuno Talks About His New Game, Unsung Story
http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-tactics-director-talks-new-game-269947.phtml
Unsung Story is a biographical game about this very blog!
No, it is actually a turn-based RPG with a job system and no main character. Given his expertise in such things, it's very easy to be excited for this.
The Uncharted Movie Is Still Going To Happen
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-movie-still-happening/1100-6417526/
While the Uncharted movie is still going to happen, the director of Identity Thief and Horrible Bosses is the most recent name attached to the project.
But I think we've forgotten one man:
 |
| Uwe Boll, our savior. |
Super Mario Is In Happy Meals
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/help-nintendo-post-a-profit-by-eating-these-super-mario-happy-meals/1100-6417539/
In the UK they're going to have a Super Mario Happy Meal for a limited time, and this is the only time ever I've been jealous of the UK. Give me Happy Meals, I live in North America!
Warface, Crytek's New Free-To-Play Shooter Came To Xbox 360 This Week...
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/04/star-wars-the-old-republic-getting-two-expansions-in-2014
...But it's not really free. You need Xbox Live Gold in order to play it.
I'm going to save you some time. Don't play this game. The stupidity doesn't stop at the name, so you're better off playing something else.
Microsoft Planning Two Updates -- One in February And One In March
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/05/upcoming-xbox-one-updates-to-fix-party-chat-add-features
The first update, which comes Feb. 11, will fix party chat and some other issues. The update in March is going to get the Xbox One ready for Titanfall.
EA Talks About Their Free-To-Play Remake of Dungeon Keeper
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-responds-to-dungeon-keeper-free-to-play-criticisms/1100-6417571/
EA has responded to the hate that players have thrown at their remake of the classic PC game Dungeon Keeper. But I won't quote it here, and instead I will just say... EA, please just...
 | ||
| Stop while you're, um, ahead? |
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain May Not Be Released Until December, 2015
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-might-not-come-out-until-december-2015/1100-6417568/
Konami has stated that depending on the development stage, the release date for the game I'm most anticipating may be pushed back until next year, at least.
To which I reply down on my knees, face in my hands, crying enough manboy tears for twenty people. I could deal with a Watch Dogs delay, but Metal Gear is just going too far. Something must be done. Sign my petition.
Editor's Note: Petition doesn't exist. Well not mine, maybe someone made one.
Editor's Note: I'm actually the editor too. Which is why there's no editing done in any articles.
Speaking Of Delays, Titanfall For the 360 Is Delayed And Will Now Be Released Two Weeks Later
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/titanfall-delayed-on-xbox-360
Sorry guys.
Rust Removes Zombies In Latest Patch
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/rust-update-removes-zombies
Because there are too many ways to die already, the developers of Rust have removed zombies with their latest patch. Since they were the only game to have zombies, this leaves a large hole for all you zombie fanatics, but don't worry, I got your back.
Naughty Dog Are Considering A Sequel To The Last of Us... Or New IP
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/07/naughty-dog-contemplating-the-last-of-us-2
I pretty much sum it up in the title, but after developing the DLC for The Last of Us, they are taking a breather. However, they are brainstorming ideas... some of which include a sequel to the hit The Last of Us.
 |
| I'll give this one to you. You're welcome. |
Take-Two Talks About Development For Various Platforms
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/07/take-two-ceo-tablet-gaming-not-quite-there-yet
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick (cool name!) has talked about a variety of platforms over the past week. In a nutshell he said mobile gaming isn't quite there yet but knows there's a future, the Oculus Rift is interesting and he is hesitant about developing for the Wii U.
Developers not wanting to make games for the Wii U, in 2014? Man... join the club.
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| You can go where the red arrow is Take-Two... wait your turn. |
Sledgehammer Games Developing The 2014 Call of Duty
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/02/06/sledgehammer-games-developing-2014s-call-of-duty-release
It was reported this week that now the Call of Duty games will be on a three year cycle, so three different CoDs, three different developers. I full expect innovation. The influences that I expect to seep through in the future CoDs are; Minecraft, River City Ransom, Bubble Bobble, Final Fantasy and Shadow of the Colossus. Or or or, let's just have it take place in Silent Hill. Yes, let's do that one.
BREAKING NEWS -- THERE ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE TERRORIZING EVERYONE ON RUST
http://www.destructoid.com/rust-if-you-see-the-penis-brothers-take-off-your-pants-270096.phtml
Proof of why video games are superior to everything.
Flappy Bird Is Going Away (Thank God!)
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/flappy-bird-creator-taking-game-down-but-not-because-of-legal-issues/1100-6417612/
Or it may already be gone. Kurt Vonnegut once said that if God exists than music is the best proof of him/her. I disagree, Kurt, you wonderful bastard... Flappy Bird going away is proof of God.
Anyway, the developer said he just can't take it anymore and the game is going to disappear. He won't be selling it anymore, so it'll almost be like Flappy Bird never existed. Only it did... and people kept talking about it, over and over and over and over and over and over and over.
Bye Flappy Bird!
Don't Worry, The Division Is Not In Trouble
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-xbox-one-game-the-division-not-in-trouble-dev-insists/1100-6417600/
I didn't even know it was suggested that the game was in trouble. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have been alive to write the News Round-Up for this week. I guess most people would say that'd be a good thing, but I digress.
So don't worry, The Division is still going to come out, and it's still going to be awesome. The two studio approach doesn't mean shit, and it's just "classic team size management." So rejoice, because you will still get to see the light shine through the bullet holes in the signs you shoot. Yay next gen!
Well that's it for this week. Geez these things are long. Can you believe that I edit this post every day? Yes, I put real work into being this crappy.
If there is any news I missed, feel free to write this thing your damn self. Or just reply in the comments below or on my Twitter @ArtBathednCrime. Thank you for reading!
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