Gaming by GlossGreen

Flash Of The Moment

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:16:00 +0000

30 December 09

Current events are often immortalized in the public eye by numerous methods. On TV, events and individuals are parodied or ridiculed by comedy shows, such as SNL and late night talk shows, and by "news" shows in the vein of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. In newspapers you often see people and events lambasted via the political cartoon medium and the op-ed section. The internet is a great place to find commentary on what's happening today. You have a myriad of choices available from sites like The Onion and Jib Jab to see commentary and have a little fun. And that's not all.

A fairly new and popular form of expression these days is a little more interactive than past efforts. Flash games aren't just for entertainment anymore. Just do a Google search on a celebrity that's been in the news for any embarrassing reason and I'm pretty sure you'll find a flash game for the offending incident. I found a site with a pretty good variety of games, a lot of them directed at misbehaving celebs.

Celebrity misadventures aren't the only fodder for flash games. Taking a look at the list of games on addictinggames.com's celebrity listings I see a few election games, celebrity smack downs, various movie related games and even a couple of the dress up type. Most of these games were relatively easy to make and are simple to play. The point of making a game like this is not to make a great game, but to bring awareness to a situation or to a specific idiot. Most flash games are made simply to have a bit of fun, often times at someone else's expense. Occasionally these games upset the subject, but they just need to remember one thing, it's just a game. These games do not mean much in the overall scheme of life, but they are a sign of the times. Flash games today are just one more step in the evolution of social commentary, and they certainly won't be the last.

Hit And Miss DLC

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:38:00 +0000

Downloadable content is an interesting proposition for games these days. Having additional game content available for download after a game has been released is a proven way for publishers and developers to add more revenue and value to their products. It is not uncommon these days to get new character skins, expanded or new single player levels, multiplayer maps or new weapons and vehicles for games that you have already played. This is usually good for the game publishers and developers, but it's not always good for you.

Take a look at the game add-on content available for Live or PSN and you will see the good, the bad and the ugly of the gaming world. The good, as I see it, are the additions of content that extend the playtime of a game. Adding a new area, level or multiplayer map is an excellent way to keep gamers playing long after the in box content has been exhausted. There are several good examples of this in action, such as Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and (of course) Halo 3. Both Mass Effect and Fallout 3 added new side quests for the player to complete. What makes these quests interesting and attractive for purchase is that even though these additions were not necessary for completion of the game, was for the simple fact that the content added more of what the core game was about. Contrasting this was Halo 3's content additions, no big story updates or single player enhancements were released. Simply put, more multiplayer maps were added, and for Halo 3 fans, that was all that was needed. Single player content for Halo? That's the unnecessary add-on.

There are plenty of examples of bad out there too. Music games are all the rage these days, and that means no shortage of new music downloads to accompany them. Downloading music tracks are a hit or miss affair, after all, it all depends on your taste in music. A definite miss seems to be the case for the tracks available for Rock Revolution. Compared to the other titles in this genre, Rock Revolution's track set is just plain anemic. All that is available for download from Live is a few covers of a very small group of old Pantera songs. Now, I like Pantera as much as the next man, but covers of the songs? If I'm going to pay for a track I would hope that it was from the original artist.

And now for the ugly. Looking through the add-on list I came across the 2K series of games. What caught my eye about these particular games was the very small size for the add-on content offer for them, chiefly, a "powerful replay editor". Seeing a 108 KB download for something described as powerful suggests only one thing to me-the content was already on the disc and you are paying an additional cost to be able to access it. My opinion on this type of tactic is simple. Since I paid the publisher in good faith for the game disc, all content on that disc should be available for play out of the box. Having to pay more for something that I, technically and physically, already own is pretty foul.

No Color, Just Human

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:06:00 +0000

Dealing with race relations has been a touchy subject in America for a very long time, and has no signs of becoming a non-issue anytime soon. Anywhere you look now you will see the remnants of ancient prejudices and outdated ideologies. I know that many ideas or programs in use today are based on race or ethnicity are supposed to help a large number of our population. I know that Black History Month was established, just as all the other designated months, to educate all people and cultures about the history of Americans with ancestry of African origins. I know that the NAACP was created to champion minorities that couldn't defend themselves and to better their lives. I know that affirmative action was designed to diversify the workforce and create a better representation of our country in job hirings. But in the end, what these groups or ideas do is to perpetuate the notion that people of different colors should be treated differently, but not what they should be teaching: That no group is either superior or inferior to anyone else.

Black history, while important, is no more vital than any other group's history and should deserve no more than equal recognition. How many people know that Italian Heritage Month is in October? The NAACP working to make lives better for people is a noble cause, but not if that mission promotes "reverse racism", meaning preferential treatment is awarded to minorities based on no more than ethnicity. My view: Racism is racism, reverse or otherwise. Affirmative action is one of those outdated policies that promotes reverse racism by specifically regulating hiring based solely on race. Again, racism is racism. That's how I feel when I see a game like BCFx on the shelves.

BCFx stands for Black College Football: The Experience. I know that the developers and publisher mean well with this game and have no negative intentions. I know that the game was created to celebrate the traditions and culture of HBCU (Historically Black College and University) teams. I also understand that the traditions in some of these institutions go back for over 150 years. What I don't understand is why in this day and age are we still touting our superficial differences instead of looking past them. I prefer to see the character and actions of an individual and form an opinion based on that. I don't find this game offensive, just unnecessary and unenlightened. I think it's time to stop identifying people based on race and focus on what really makes up an individual. And all of what makes us who we are is more than skin deep.

A Perishable Skill

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:17:00 +0000

I've been away from my PS3 for far too long. Want to know how I came to that astute observation? Because an 8 year old kid had a better kill ration than me playing a multiplayer match of COD 5. I have been hanging my head in shame since that day. Well, at least since it happened yesterday. OK, so here's what happened. I was at a friend's house celebrating the birthday of one of his kids. The plan for the party was to show up late, give the boy (a kid I've never met before) his give, make the rounds saying hello and that it was nice to meet everyone, then leave -except that's when the PS3 controllers came out. It went something like this:

Buddy: "Have you played Nazi Zombies yet?"
Me: "No, I've heard of it, but I haven't played that yet."
Buddy: "You want to try it?"
Me: "We should be going, I've got to get ready for work tomorrow."
Buddy, handing me a controller: "Come on, it'll be a quick game."
Me, willpower caving: "Maybe just one round. It's been a while since I've played though. I'll probably suck."
Buddy: "We'll play a warm up match then."

At this point I have a controller in my hand as does the buddy. You just can't have a good multiplayer match with just two, so my 14 year old daughter grabs the remaining controller. We start the game and I pretty much am instantly lost on the asylum level. This had the effect of keeping me out of harms way for the first couple of minutes while I get used to the controls. Unfortunately, that first few minutes of practice did me absolutely no good. I spent the next 5 minutes getting killed 11 times and taking out exactly no one else. I even fragged myself once (or twice). The next couple of games went no better. Even the 8 year old jumped in there and kicked my butt.

I could complain about not knowing the maps and being unfamiliar with the controls, but what good would that do? I used to be good at first person shooters, not great, but still pretty good. I used to be able to hold my own, but that was last year. Lesson learned and humbleness restored. Now I have to get back to gaming and have a rematch. That 8 year old won't stand a chance next time.

Too Disappointing

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:06:00 +0000

I just finished Too Human (literally, I just put down the controller and picked up my computer just this minute) and I am not impressed. Good ole Dennis has a lot of hype to answer for. This game is in very sharp contrast to another game I recently played, Fallout 3. Whereas Fallout had interesting characters that are well rounded and have decent dialog, Too Human's Aesir are just a bunch of jerks. Balder was, for lack of a better term, an ass. He was modeled poorly, voiced stiffly and just not an engaging character. What I really want to know is why the development team thought that making their main character as acerbic as possible was good for the game?

For me, story and character are the two main ingredients to make a great game, and this one falls short on both counts. The characters I've already covered, and the story? The story doesn't make a lick of sense. To be honest, I don't know what the point of the whole game was. I know that the Aesir are in charge (self appointed and reviled by the look of things) of protecting the humans, from seemingly rogue elements of themselves. Who, or what, exactly are the Aesir? We find out early on in one of the many lengthy cut scenes that they are actually the Aesir Corporation. So, are they human or not? We have no idea whatsoever. These Aesir do have the annoying habit of refering to themselves as gods? Really? A little high on themselves, aren't they?

Controlling balder is a bit of pain in itself. The left stick controls movement and the right controls attack direction. Did I mention that there is no way to control the camera? No? Well, there isn't, and it allows a lot of cheap shots that will kill you. When I say a lot, I don't mean 5, 10 or even 50 times. In fact, if you put any time into this game at all, you will receive the coveted Valkyrie's Folly achievement (which I got) for dying 100 times during the game. Sounds like an unobtainable number, right? Not when you can't see what you are doing with a character that moves slower than molasses, and even slower when using a weapon. Speaking of the Valkyries, I'm not going to complain about how long it takes to restart after one of my numerous deaths, I actually liked that. It gave me time to write e-mails, check out news on other, better games and update my Twitter feed. Good stuff there. Attacking is a chore made worse by having a sloppy control scheme for attacks mapped to the right stick. I only managed to throw out one or two different types of attacks. What I did do most of the time was pull my guns and stay out of the enemy's range while circling and firing at them. Hey, that strategy works well most of the time. What I also hate is the fact that everyone making games today must have attended the Bungie School of Wave Enemy Design. I swear in one protracted and escruciating level I was fighting the Flood. I hate the Flood.

Graphically, the game looks last gen, and from what I understand, Too Human was conceived as an original Xbox game. Well, it really shows. I can't even say that it's close to the graphical quality of recent PS3 or 360 games, it's just not good. See the pic over there? That's from a cut-scene. Most of the levels are uninspired, plus you've already seen them in a hundred other games. What you'll see are standard hallways and bland corridors for the most part, maybe just a bit taller, but not any more interesting. Speaking about what you've seen before, I swear the Aesir headquarters looks a damn sight like the Gardens from Final Fantasy VIII. No joke, they just have less jagged edges here. One of the attempts the designers made at changing things up was the addition of a cyberspace element in the game. Basically what it ends up being is a bland outdoor environment with a horrible draw distance and a ton of fog. Fog, was that really necessary? The cyberspace element itself is not very interesting. The goal in this computer realm is to interact with it's environment to affect objects in the real world. What this entails is simply pushing the right button to, say, open a gate. Flash to a scene where a door is opened in the real world. And that's about it. Sure, there are things to find in cyberspace, like a ton of rediculously named items and weapons, but you get the point. My question is this. How would pushing a tree over in cyberspace cause a bridge to rise in the real world?

Anyway, the bottom line for this game is simple. The game itself is not horrible, it's just that there are no compelling reasons to play it. The characters are annoying, the visuals are last gen and the play mechanics are frustrating. This game is most definitely a pass.

Halo: The Redo

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:58:00 +0000

OK, I've had a chance to replay a significant portion of the game again, and guess what? I realized that I absolutely hate this game. I hate that level design (boring corridor after boring corridor). I hate that none of the characters (save Cortana) have any personalities. But, most of all, I hate the flood (nothing else needed to explain that here).

Let me tell you first that I really did try to like the game. I started out feeling pretty good about it, not great, but good. Then I started to realize a couple of things. First off, the story never pulled me in. Usually I just fall into a good game because the story grabs me and stimulates my imagination, this game just didn't do that. I felt like that each chapter was disjointed from the last. Instead of traveling to a new area you are just kind of dumped off there. Let me explain. First, you start out on the ship. From there you jump into a lifepod and crash land on Halo. OK, can't really do anything about that. Master Chief isn't going to just jump out of the ship and free fall to the planet, right? Next you travel around the Halo (not too bad here) and end up getting picked up in a Pelican. Here's where the problem starts. From now on you are just picked up and dropped off, no actual progression from one area to another is involved. You are just taken from one place to another without any kind of a decent transition. Because of this the story feels kind of pieced together and just doesn't coalesce.

My second problem, the level designs are some of the most boring ones I've ever seen in a game. The ship is incredibly boring and sterile. I know, it's a military space ship, it's supposed to be neat and clean; but the damn thing is in a battle and severely damaged. So why aren't there more scorched walls, objects on fire, caved in walls or even bodies lying around. What, are there like 15 people on this giant ship? Things don't really get better on the ground. The Halo itself is not bad, not great though either. Then there's the buildings. Endless rooms that look like the room I was just in a couple of minutes ago is unforgivable and here's the reason why. This game has no mapping function for the levels, which isn't a bad thing in itself. Here is the bad thing: When every room or corridor or outdoor environment looks identical to what you've seen a couple of minutes ago, that is unforgivable. Frequently, in the buildings, you are attacked from enemies from all different directions. It's easy to get turned around an lose sight of which way you entered the room. You then look around and see a door; that must be where you need to go right? Wrong. Because of the fact that several of the rooms look identical, the only way I was able to tell if I was going the right way was if there were bodies on the ground, the rooms themselves are no help. Very frustrating, and it gets old seeing the same thing again, and again, and again.

I really do understand why this game was successful though. It wasn't about Master Chief. It wasn't about defeating the Covenant. It wasn't anything remotely tied to the (mostly nonexistent) story. It's all about the multiplayer. Nothing beats getting the buds together and having a little battle to see who's best, and there is nothing wrong with that. I just think that the rest of the experience (the campaign mode) isn't up to par.

I think that's enough about this game, I am starting on Halo 2 as soon as I finish this. Buy first one last question: Why don't any of the characters (especially the Covenant) have an ounce of personality in this game?

Having Another Go

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:13:00 +0000

I said a while back that in commemoration of the release of Halo Wars I was going to go back and play the previous three games in the series. Well, I finally have that damn power transformer so I started this not un-momentous task last night. I'm not going to rush. I'm not going to prejudge (again). I'm going to go through and just try to enjoy the games. After all, millions of people couldn't be wrong, could they? Don't answer that. Moving on.

First impressions (the second time) are good for the first Halo. I'm only a couple of hours in, but I have realized it's a pretty fun game. Kinda ugly looking in parts, but fun none the less. Now before you get all angry at me for calling it ugly, go back and play the ship level. OK, done yet? I don't agree with the level design, it is a bit on the sterile side, and tell me why all the corridors are two rights, two lefts, then repeat? I shouldn't get all fixated on the ship levels anyway. It was only one big tutorial level after all. But, once the action hits the ground on the Halo, things start looking much, much better. Anyway, I am not trying to hate on the game, I still like it and I'm having fun playing it. Again. Now, I have to get back to the game or I'll never finish all four. More useless impressions to come.

Aaaaaaand, I'm done

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Yes, I know I've said this before, but I really mean it this time (for now). Anyway, this is just too much damn work to do every couple of months. Plus, I think the blog looks damn cool this way. I really like the color scheme. What am I talking about? Of course I like the colors, I chose them after all. Anyway, let me know if I did a decent job or if I should stick to my day job. I think I know the answer, but I'll ask anyway. Alright, it's 12:20 am and it's time for bed, but I think I'll stay up for a bit longer. I'm actually ending this post due to a complete lack of witty things to say, kinda like normal. Tchuss.

Edit: OK, I just noticed how many times I used the work damn in there. Now I sound like a damn idiot.

Change Again

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:25:00 +0000

I know, I just changed this blog a little while ago. Well guess what? I got tired of it, it was just way too cluttered for my tastes. Plus, I didn't have the time it takes to update the video and slider features that were there. I really didn't like the layout of the posts either. Now I have a normal looking blog, although I'm trying to eliminate the rest of the brown on it. I don't know if I can be successful with it, the posts are on JPGs, meaning, I'd have to Photoshop the 3 different ones that make up the post background. I don't know if it's worth the trouble. That and my Photoshop skills are pretty lacking. Alright, it's 2:30 in the morning and I have to be up at 8 am. Time to rest my weary head. 'Night all.

So Close Yet So Far Away

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:05:00 +0000

OK, so I just got back from vacation and decided to set up my gaming space. I have my 360 (I've actually had it sitting in my locker for the past couple of months) and I have a new 19" HDTV. I even have a dedicated internet connection in my room, ready for Live. But, there is one little problem. The power in my room is 22o volts, not the 110 that my good ole Xbox needs. That was almost a huge d'oh moment. Luckily, I did check the power supply before I plugged everything in. Now I find that all I need is a power transformer.

Has Hell Frozen Over?

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:50:00 +0000

Because there are some pretty strange things happening with the Wii. OK, we all know the type of games that you can typically find on the Wii. There are plenty of kinda sports type games (no, bowling isn't really a sport). There are plenty of movie and TV tie in games. There are quite a few games that even try to make you smarter. And yes, there are even a couple of violent games there, too. Now here's something I never would have thought I would see. The Wii being decried for having violent games on it.

So, the number one family console in the history of video games is being criticized for having violent games on it, and it's all because of MadWorld. The National Institute on Media and the Family has issued a statement commemorating the game's release.

In the past, the Wii has successfully sold itself as being the gaming console for the entire family and a way to bring family-game nights back into people's living rooms. Unfortunately, Nintendo opened its doors to the violent video game genre. The National Institute on Media and the Family hopes that Nintendo does not lose sight of its initial audience and continues to offer quality, family-friendly games.

I don't know what's going through the minds of these people, but one violent game isn't going to destroy Nintendo's family friendly reputation. Relax people, there are plenty of cutesy casual games on the way still. By the way, about time you throw us real gamers a bone Nintendo. I may just pick up a Wii sooner than I planned.

And One More Time...

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:12:00 +0000

With Feeling

Way back in August of last year, I wrote about my experiences with the first game in the Halo series. Since then I have played all 3 games, well, 3 of 4 if you count Halo Wars. Speaking of Halo Wars, I do have a copy of it sitting here in my house waiting to be played. And why don't I? I'm playing through F.E.A.R 2 right now and want to hold off on a new game until I get through that one.

Since I'm turning a new leaf (read my last post) in my gaming habits, I think I have a plan with Halo Wars. See, here's the thing. I'm heading back downrange in a few days, and lucky me, I have an Xbox 360 (brand new in the box) waiting for me. I plan to pick up a TV when I get there, something big enough that I can actually see the figures on the screen with, meaning no 13 incher for me. When I get the set-up completed I'll have to have something to play, so I'm going to pull out Halo Wars, right? Nope. I'm going to pull out (pretend that you are hearing a big announcer type voice when you read this, I'm thinking of the scene with Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness when he has to say the magic words as he takes the Necronomicon) Halo: Combat Evolved. Why the first game? Well, as the title of this post may suggest, I may not have been completely...open with the game the first time I played it. Meaning, I may get more out of it the second time I play it. I was pretty harsh with my assessment last time. I blame a lack of caffeine at the time.

Now, after that game, Halo Wars, right? No, next is Halo 2, then Halo 3. See, I'm trying to go back through the story so I have it all fresh in my mind for Halo Wars. But, Halo Wars is a prequel. Why would I need to review the first three games if they happen after the events of the fourth? From what I understand about the game (I haven't read a lot about it yet, wouldn't want to spoil the fun) it does show the evolution of events and actually ties into the other games. This game is considered "canon". Basically, what that means is that Halo Wars is the historic set-up for the other three games. I think it will be interesting to see how the events in Halo Wars tie into the events of the other games and expanded universe (the books and such, and yes, I've read most of the books). I think it will be much more interesting to experience the events of Halo Wars if I have a better working knowledge of what has happened to date, and that will lead to the "oh, so that's why that happened in Halo X" ruminations.

Now after that is all over, and this course of action will take a long investment in time to follow through, I may have another plan for another series. Right now though, I've bitten off a huge gaming bite and hope I don't choke on it.

Going The Slow Route

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:30:00 +0000

One thing I've noticed lately is that I really don't spend a lot of time playing through individual games. I spend a number of hours going through them seemingly just working to get to the end. Working. That word should never be used in the same sentence as video games, but that's what I've been thinking lately. I don't have a reason for needing to rush through them, I'm not on a deadline. I don't do reviews here, at least I haven't yet, so what's the hurry? I see two reasons for that. One, today's games seem much too linear for my tastes. Most of the games I've seen these days tend to be of the "complete this mission then go directly to the next one" type. That gets very old very quickly, especially with a game that's just a little short on story. Whatever happened to that great gaming convention of optional side quests? And two, there are just so many good games coming out that I don't want to miss any of them. I feel that I need to get through one so I can get to the four others that I have waiting. And then the next month starts the cycle over again. Oh how I hate having a day job.

There used to be a time when I would only buy one game a month, or even every other month. I used to play games so I could explore every inch of their gaming world. I would try to get every weapon, every rare item, beat every boss, and just spend a lot of time wandering around. Final Fantasy VII was one of my favorite games to try and get everything in. I beat all the Weapons. I collected all the rare items. I even got every optional character in my game. I spent over 140 hours in that world, much longer than any other game I've had before or since, and I loved every minute of it. Later games in the Final Fantasy series (X is really notorious for this), made several of the side quests damn near impossible. How many people actually sat in the Thunder Plains long enough to dodge 200 lightning strikes in a row? Not me, I have a lot of patience, but I'm not a masochist.

The trend with newer games seems to be that if a developer adds an extra coat of graphics paint, they think they can skimp a bit on the content underneath. That trend troubles me. What we are getting is a superficial upgrade at the cost of the core elements of gameplay and enjoyment. I don't care if I can see a character's every hair move in the breeze, or that the water effects look hyper-realistic. That's not why I play games. I play because I want to experience a different reality than the one I'm in now. I know that I seem to be contradicting myself regarding graphics, but here's the thing. I have an imagination, and therefore, do not need graphics to show every detail of every little thing on the screen for me to enjoy a game. And no, I don't hate my life, nor do I want to hide from it, I just want to engage my mind in something other than the norm. To me, graphics are not a consideration on whether to buy a game or not. Don't get me wrong, I do like a good looking game just like the next guy, but I'd rather they skip an extra coat of paint and add a few more hours of side quests instead.

I am hopeful with some of these games coming out in the next few months (or longer in some cases). Of course Final Fantasy XIII and Versus have my attention, as does the latest Star Ocean game. Halo Wars is definitely in the queue, and so are a quite a few games from the recent past. I still haven't spent enough time with LittleBigPlanet, or the Gears of War series. And I cannot forget about Fallout 3 either, especially with the upcoming DLC on the horizon. So I plan to go the slow route, and take my time to really explore and experience a game. I'll eventually catch up on all the games I want to play, even if it takes me a few years to do it.

So what do you think? Are you happy with the way things are trending in the gaming world, or are you as nostalgic about the good old days as I am? Drop me a line, tell me what you believe.

To Wii Or Not To Wii?

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:03:00 +0000

Update-Well, it appears that my wish is granted. There is an excellent article on Wired's Game|Life blog about a hands-on playtime of the Japanese version of Metroid Prime for the Wii. A US release date has not been announced yet, although as the article states, it's "a shoo-in". 11 March 09

That, most assuredly, is the question. As you all know (all 3 of you that have read my blog, wife included), I own a PS3, a 360,a PSP and a DS. What you may not know is that I really do want to pick up a Wii. Why wait? Yes, I know that Wiis have been seen in the wild everywhere and there are a ton of new games announced all the time, shouldn't this be the right time? Maybe, maybe not. In my opinion, I honestly don't think that Nintendo had gamers like me in mind when they designed their latest offering and I've been waiting for something for me, the hardcore gamer. History shows that the Wii has never really been marketed to my demographic, and that's worked for Nintendo up to this point. I do think that Nintendo needs to embrace the core gaming community, which I don't consider the casual gamer to be. But to be fair I do think that Nintendo has been changing its focus lately. Well, they haven't done a 180 away from the casual market, but they are making progress.

Since the introduction of No More Heroes I've been seeing a shift by Nintendo of including more than just the standard kid friendly fare to the Wii line-up. I think it's good that the Wii has been including games that you typically wouldn't think to see on the Nintendo console. February saw the release of a couple of games geared toward more mature and hardcore gamers. Both The House Of The Dead: Overkill and Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop came out last month for the Nintendo Wii and show that mature games do have a place on this console. In the coming months there are several other popular games and series coming to the Wii. Starting with the very unique and interesting MadWorld later this month ,continuing to The Conduit in May and Dead Space: Extraction later this year. It doesn't sound like much in the line-up right now, but there are plenty of rumored or unannounced games coming out in addition to these.

Another announcement that has me excited about the Wii involved the re-releasing of Gamecube games to Nintendo's next gen system. That's cool, right? Yes and no. It's cool that the possibility exists that some of the better last gen games are coming to the Wii with possible graphical updates and motion controls added. Who wouldn't want to see the older Zelda games revamped for this generation? Or maybe have the Metroid Prime series ported over so you can play them all on the Wii? How about seeing (one of my personal favorites) the Rouge Squadron series updated and available today? The bad news is that only a couple of games have been announced for re-release so far and there has not been any news of new titles being added for quite a while, but I'm not concerned. Nintendo has always been slow to adopt changes, so I am going to be patient and hope for the best. At least for now.

The Consoles

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Aren't The Only Things That Have Changed

I've been thinking a bit lately on this favorite hobby of mine. I've been thinking about the past. I've been thinking about the present. And I definitely have been thinking about the future. I keep wondering where gaming will be in 5 years, 10 years, even 20 years. Looking back at what I played as a kid, and how I played, is very different from today. Gaming has changed in the past 20 plus years, and I don't know if I like it.

I remember a time when gaming was pure fun. I remember hooking up the Atari 2600 to our 13 inch dial color TV. I remember playing brightly colored games that looked ambiguous but played great. I remember the classics that had me hooked then, and those same games still do today. I still own an Atari 2600 with most of the same games that I had as a kid. I remember playing Zelda on the NES for the first time. I remember Sonic on the Game Gear. I remember Rogue Squadron on the N64. I remember Gran Tourismo on the PS1. I remember Final Fantasy X on the PS2. I also remember only having one console during each of those periods. Then I never had to worry about multiplatform releases, or which console has the best exclusives. I used to read gaming magazines for whichever system I had, Nintendo Power, Computer Gaming Monthly, The Official PlayStation Magazine. I never worried about what the other guy was playing and it was great. But time does change things.

The present we have is one of conflict, half truths (or outright lies) and stolen ideas, all presented with a fresh coat of millions of polygons. I don't know when it happened, but gaming has lost the heart it once had. Just look at the news. Company A states that they have x number of people on their network, although Company B contends that they have Y more people then that. Company C doesn't say anything, they just don't give a damn as long as their console keeps selling. And it keeps on going round and round. It's gotten so bad that I don't know who or what to believe anymore. I may sound a little jaded and cynical, and I am. I am tired of console wars. I am tired of companies pushing out games that are no where near complete and require several updates to be finished. I'm tired of all the hate for no reason. Can't we just be happy that there are three successful consoles on the market, each with many good games. What brought this train of thought on? I think I finally had my buttons pushed once too often with all these damn Killzone 2 VS. Halo Wars articles I've been seeing.

Give me a second to explain this. OK, Killzone has been in the news for many, many years as a potential Halo killer. We've all heard it before, even before the game was finished it was tauted as being the one game, the one FPS, to unseat the king. We all know that the first Killzone didn't exactly meet expectations, but it was far from a bad game. Now, onto today. We have the release of the biggest Real Time Strategy game for the Xbox 360. Coincidentally, it has the Halo name attached to it. This game is putting up good sales numbers, which is great considering the fact that most Halo players wouldn't be interested in a game of this genre. Now I am ready to state my point. In the whole KZ2 VS. Halo Wars thing, I say this. The games are in two completely different genres and have absolutely no basis for competition. Halo Wars is not a FPS and therefore, not a direct competitor to Killzone 2. So why all the comparisons in the press? Answer me that one.

My point is that gaming should be fun. The reason for getting a console or a game should not be based on which company puts out the most outrageous press release. I don't care which console has the bigger install base. I don't care that Game A sold 250,000 more copies then Game B. I only care that the games I buy are fun. I care that a developer fulfills their promise of delivering a completed game as close to perfect as they can. I care that my console will not break down shortly after buying it. I care that I can download demos to see if I like a game before I buy it. I care that I can get as much truthful information about a console or game as I want. Enough with the bullshit. Lets get back to having fun.

Finished At Last UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Edit: I lied. Here it is, going on three days now, and I'm still making changes. I don't think I'll ever be completely done. 4 Mar 09

It only took me two days to set this new template up. I know its not perfect, but I think it looks a bit better than the old one. I like the color scheme on this one more, and it has a few more interesting features to it. I like the sliding menu under the title where my links are listed. I also like the big glide bar right above the posts. Kinda looks like a real site now doesn't it? I also like the imbedded video on the side. Now all I have to do is keep up with updating on a more frequent basis. As you all know (all 3 of you that actually read my stuff) I am currently on R&R from a deployment in sunny Iraq. Keeping up with my blog, or playing any games for that matter, have been difficult at best. Things should be better when I get back after my 2 weeks are up. I have a 360 waiting for me, I just need the TV to go along with it. I'll also be able to get internet in my room, so hopefully, no more internet cafe. I'll try to keep with my old schedule of updating twice a week, workload permitting of course. I think that about covers it for now. Feel free to let me know what you think of the new look. Did I do a decent job, or do I really need to stick to my day job? Alright, time to play some games.

Changes Under Way

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:36:00 +0000

Since I'm on a little bit of R&R now, I've decided to do something that I've wanted to for quite a while. If you haven't noticed I've changed my blog around a bit. I was never really happy with the way the old template looked, with the exception of my header (thanks Andy). I never realized how much work it actually is to customize an HTML template. I've spent the last couple of hours alone trying to get the header just right, I do think it was worth it though. As it is 3:30 in the morning I'm just going to have to wait to put actual content (see that empty space above the my posts and the empty video box to the right?) until the morning. What the hell am I talking about? I know I won't get up before noon. I've on vacation after all.

GlossGreen Goes To War

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:03:00 +0000

OK, so I haven't written here for a very long time, November in fact. I just so happen to have a very good reason for disappointing all my loyal (don't laugh too hard at this) fans. So what if the only people that actually read my stuff happen to be related to me my blood or marriage? Anyway, on to the excuse. See, the title says it all. I am at war. No, it's not the Call Of Duty 4 type of war, but the real thing. I am currently station at FOB (forward operating base) Hammer in Iraq. I know, cool name isn't it? I hate to say though, that this is definitely one of the worst places for a avid gamer to be. Hell, I can't even get Internet here without going to an Internet cafe that the whole post stands in line for. Hopefully that will change soon. As far as gaming goes I'm hurting big time. No 360. No PS3. Not even a Wii. I do have my DS and PSP, but those little things can only get a hardcore gamer so far. Oh, the humanity of it all.

I'm not saying that buying a DS and PSP was a mistake. On the contrary, I'd be a lot worse off without them. I don't actually need an electronic device to keep me entertained, I do read frequently, but they do break the monotony of a place like this. Here's a little something you may not know, gaming is a very popular pastime for deployed military members. During my last deployment to the land of camels and dirt just about my entire team had a PS2 or a computer. We had set up a LAN between our CHUs (container housing units) and had some memorable hours of Counterstrike matches (no, that wasn't all I did during the deployment). I wasn't very good at those matches, after all I was an avid console gamer used to a pad and didn't even have a mouse to use, but we had a great time.

And that is the whole point of gaming. Some people pick up a controller and instantly forget the purpose of these games. Fun. Contrary to popular belief, gaming is not just about increasing your gamerscore or getting as many trophies as possible. And in a place like this, a little fun goes a long way.

I think that covers it for my long overdue update. I look forward to being able to get online soon with my Xbox and have some fun with other gamers. I may not be able to do it this month, but it will happen. 'Til next time.

Change Is Nigh

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Imagine my surprise when I checked the inbox of my humble e-mail to find a message from Microsoft. Well, I get messages about hotmail all the time (damn unblockable spam), but this was different, this was about the Xbox 360. So, what could Microsoft be telling me that I didn't already know? Then I saw the subject line. "Xbox 360 NXE- You have been selected." Me? Selected for the NXE preview? I know Major Nelson said that several thousand would be able to get in early, but since that logic didn't work for me with the LBP beta, I didn't expect it to work this time either. Well, on to the preview.

Downloading the update and installing it only takes 5 or 6 minutes. This is one advantage that Microsoft has over Sony, faster downloads and updates. It took 3 or 4 times as long to update LBP (which I also got yesterday, but that is for another post) to version 1.03 than it took to completely change my Xbox dashboard. Sony, you really need to fix that. Anyway, after the download and install is complete I was then required to select a virtual me. Yes, avatars are mandatory now. Is that a bad thing? No, I actually had a bit of fun selecting my avatar from the 8 standard choices, then customizing it to my liking. The change features tab has 9 choices in customizing your virtual dude (or dudette). You have the option to adjust your hair, eyes, eyebrows, ears, nose, face (facial features such as moles and freckles and facial hair are selected here), chin, mouth, and skin color and body (height and weight are adjusted here). Plenty of options for everyone.

Is that all you can do to your avatar? Nope, you can also select what clothes you want him or her to wear. There are 8 options for adjusting your avatars appearance here. You can choose what top, headwear, makeup (eye shadow and lip color), bottoms, head accessories (glasses and earrings), dress up (a white morning suit and a tan formal suit are here), shoes, and body accessories (wristwear, rings, gloves). The last option is the ability to save and name that special outfit that you just made. From here you get to take your gamer picture. You can zoom in or out, turn your avatar to the left or right, move his or her head around, and take whatever picture that you like. You want to take a picture of the top of your head? Feel free. How about the back? That's OK, too. You can preview the picture and then save if you like it. If you are done messing around with the digital you, you can either start over (if you are break mirrors ugly, you may want to take this option) or save and exit. After saving your avatar he does a little fist pump and a little jig. Now, onto the meat of the update, the dashboard itself.

My first impression of the NXE? I like it. The old dashboard just didn't do it for me. It felt like a step backward on a machine trying to be a step ahead. I never had an original Xbox, but the blades felt like they would have been more appropriate on that machine, not a next gen console. This update changes that for me, it looks cleaner, is easier to navigate, and seems to be organized a lot better then it was. I know some people will disagree with me for saying this, but the NXE has a similar setup to the XMB. Turn the XMB 90 degrees clockwise, use phrases instead of icons on the up/down portion of the bar and use tiles with descriptions and picures on them instead of the option choices for the left/right bar and you have the NXE. Look, I will be honest here, I think the XMB succeeded where the blades failed because of simplicity. The XMB was uncluttered with too much unneeded information and advertisements that the blades were littered with. Having an NXE that takes a few cues from the XMB is not a bad thing, and I applaud Microsoft for realizing it.

Starting out on the new dashboard you have several choices that are called channels. It starts with the Spotlight channel and goes to the My Xbox channel, Game Marketplace channel, Video Marketplace channel, Friends channel, Inside Xbox channel, the Events channel, and finally, the Welcome channel (this channel can be set to hide if you don't want it). I can't stress enough how clean and uncluttered the new system is. Finding the channel I want is as easy as pushing the left stick up or down. When you hit the channel that you want, say the My Xbox channel, you will see additional tiles appear to the right of the main one. Again, using the left stick, you can move left or right to select which subchannel that you want. If you want to see your achievements for example (and who wouldn't?) select the My Xbox channel. From there you will see (if your profile is signed in) your avatar standing there in front of the second tile. Select that subchannel, then move to the right. From there you will see that each game you have played will have it's very own tile, and on these tiles, you will see all the acheivements for that game.

When I say every game I mean every game is shown. If you've played Spongebob just to pad your gamerscore, a tile will show up. Played a last gen Barbie game recently, yep, it'll be there too. On each tile you will see the title of the game, a couple of bars on the right side (signifying the gamerscore and the number of achievements unlocked from that title), date last played and all the achievements available for that game shown below. I love gaming, but I'm obviously not a gamerscore whore as my tiles show. I don't have any of the titles know for score padding and even have a pretty good amount of locked achievements from the games that I have played. Maybe I'll get to those in the future. The bottom line is that with this new system all your information for a specific title is available with just one glance. Instead of having to drill down into a couple of menu options, it's all in plain sight for everyone to see.

Now, the big question. How is the marketplace handled on the NXE? Is it still a pain to try and find that title that you want? Starting off, there are two ways to get to the Marketplace channel. The first is using the main channel options by scrolling up or down to get to the Game or Video Marketplace channels. The second way is to push the Y button while on the Spotlight channel to go directly to the Game Marketplace channel. From here you have the option of selecting All Games, Arcade, Game Add-ons, Community Games, Xbox Originals, Themes and Gamer Pictures, Game Demos, and Game Videos. All of the previous options have 3 main selection tiles asocciated with them. You can select from a New Arrivals, Most Popular, or Browse tiles. These options are pretty self explanatory and basic, no need to go into detail. Now, let me walk you through something that I found interesting. Say, you see that Xbox Originals has just added GTA: San Adreas. Hit the A button on that tile and it takes you to another section with 5 tiles in it. The first shows the price and purchase options, pretty much the same as the old dashboard did. The next title over is the featured downloads tile, not much interesting here. The next tile over is where the new stuff starts. Images and screenshots, about damn time. Now, you can finally see what you are getting before you buy it, granted, not such a big deal with the original titles, but very welcome with gamer pics and themes. The next tile shows some basic information and features that the game has. Finally, the last tile has a full description of the game. What I like about this tile that was fixed from the old dash is that you can scroll the description up and down instead of waiting for it to do it automatically. New features, I love it.

Here's something else new, Community Games. As the description on the NXE says "user-created indie games that are not reviewed by ratings boards." So, some fruit off of the XNA tree has arrived. These are independently developed games that are being sold for 200-400 Microsoft points. These games follow the same basic description format as all the other titles do on the Marketplace, to include a full description and screenshots. There is one difference though. Since these titles are not reviewed by the ESRB they do not have a rating attached to them, enter you and me. These titles are reviewed instead by the community. They are rated from a 0 to 3 scale (0 being none) on violence, sex and mature content. This way little Timmy's mom knows what he should and should not play, just as she would with traditional games. There are only 16 Community Games right now, but expect that number to grow in the next few months.

I think that covers all the basics, oh wait. I forgot about the new harddrive install option. How could I let that slip my mind. This is one feature that I have been really interested in. My main question is not about load times (I really couldn't care less about that) but whether or not the 360's loud disc drive will be silenced by this addition. Let's try it out, shall we? My choice of game to install first is Fallout 3. A decently sized game to start things out. After you insert the disc, go to the My Xbox channel and hit the Y button. This will bring you to a tile with a couple of options on it. One of these options is install to hard drive. After selecting that option the installation begins. Installing the game itself took about 10 minutes to do, not so bad, after all, it'll be worth it if I could actually hear the game while playing it. Now the verdict. The 360 is indeed quiet while playing the game after the install. I started up Fallout 3 to hear...nothing at all.

OK, now I'm completely sold on this NXE thing. There are some great additions to the old formula that make the 360 easier to use and better looking too. I haven't spent any real time with this yet, so I can't say that everything is perfect. I just haven't ran into any problems yet.

Nintendo Generations

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:09:00 +0000

So there I was, driving down the autobahn at 130 KPH, and then it hit me. No, nothing actually hit me, I probably wouldn't be here typing this if anything had. What I meant was that I had a thought. I just so happened to be thinking about the Nintendo Wii and I had a revelation. Well, maybe not a revelation per se, more like a breakthrough.

In the beginning there were a whole bunch of consoles that not many people alive today have ever actually played, so let's jump forward a little bit. In 1985 Nintendo was ready to launch its brand new console to a game deprived public (make that good game deprived public, there were plenty of bad ones around), but there was a problem. After the videogame crash of '83 retailers didn't want to trust a new console, so Nintendo got sneaky. Enter R.O.B., that little gray guy that came boxed with the brand new Nintendo Entertainment System. Notice that videogames console is nowhere in its name, and that was the point. It wasn't a videogame console, it was a toy, hence the addition of the plastic paperweight. And therein lies the problem.

Since the console was marketed as a toy and sold mostly to children, Nintendo got a reputation of being just for kids. This is a reputation that Nintendo has tried to change, but with little success. And now my thoughts on this. Who cares? One thing that you can always count on with Nintendo is great first party games. Sure, they are generally really cartoony, colorful kid games, but guess what? There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, adults still play them too. Mario since the NES days has always been about exploring bright, blocky worlds with lots of not too terribly dangerous bad guys to step on. Super Mario Bros. is most definitely a kids game, but we still love it no matter our age.

See, the problem isn't that Nintendo makes games for kids (once you admit that Nintendo has ALWAYS made games for kids), it's that we grew up and changed but Nintendo didn't. They've always been about the pure fun of the experience, not about the blood or blown apart bodies (one reason why the SNES Mortal Kombat game had gray blood instead of red). I was 12 when I first played the NES and it was very influential to me at that age. When I got older, I looked less and less to Nintendo for my games. My tastes were changing, but Nintendo was still doing the same types of games they did during the NES and SNES generations. Was there anything wrong with that? No, but I didn't think that way at the time. I kept wondering why Nintendo didn't mature with me. Why didn't they make games for the 18 year olds, for the 21 year olds, for the 25 year olds? Why were they still making games for the 12 year olds, like I was in 1986? The answer? Because that is what they are good at and what gamers, true gamers, still want from them.

Nintendo consoles have never been about the same things that the PlayStation has. Or the Saturn has. Or the Xbox has. They are just about the enjoyment of the game, enjoyment for all ages, not just the gamer of average age. Whether we like it or not, Nintendo will always have children close to it's heart, kinda like a not so creepy Michael Jackson. And you know what? That's something I can live with.

"It Was The Best Of Times,

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:12:00 +0000

It was the worst of times..."

I both love and hate this time of year. The love part is easy to figure out. The holidays are nearly upon us, good cheer and merriment abounds. My favorite time of the year is winter, I tend to sleep better in the cold. My daughter's birthday is next month. One more year closer to college (and out of the house) for her. And of course, a couple more months until my annual pay increase, yeah for more money. But, this time of year is not all good. There is a foul and evil side of this time of the year. What is it? The end of year gaming push by every single damn publisher in existence.

It's the same every year, the fall time frame is crammed full of great games, just in time for the Christmas buying season. Sounds good doesn't it? Well it's not, for the simple fact that games cost money. Lots of money. Money that I don't have is what I'm getting at. Sure, I could get a couple of games each month, but which ones. I have a vague idea of what I want, but damn, they all look so good.

The pressure starts on October 14th for me. I know I'm getting Dead Space. This game has had me interested since I first heard about it. Come on, something inspired by Alien, The Thing, and Event Horizon has to be good. I know some of you are looking to get Rock Revolution that day as well. I don't think it's for me though, I'm not really into the whole rhythm game genre, so that's a pass for me. This week also marks the return of a classic series to console gaming, Golden Axe. This is another one I'm not so sure about, and being such, is a pass at the moment. There's just too many good games coming out that I am sure about. Which brings me to October 21.

This is a day that I am dreading. This day marks the release of one of the biggest hits of last year for the Xbox 360 to the PS3, BioShock. I know some of you are thinking twice about this one due to all the press about the graphics, but don't. In my opinion, nothing that I've read is a deal breaker to me. A few textures that are not quite perfect will not deter me from buying a game with great gameplay and a fantastic story. It's still a buy in my book. But, my book also has many, many other games in it that I want to pick up. Here's my short list of must buy games: Eternal Sonata (another 360 port), Fable II, Far Cry 2, Legendary, LittleBigPlanet and Star Ocean: First Departure. Yeah, I'm not getting all those games, I just don't have an extra $320 lying around. I'd love to get them, but it's not going to happen.

Now, the 28th I can handle. Fallout 3 is the only game I have any interest in on that week. That one is pretty much a no brainer. I wish I could say the same for November, but that is not the case. Starting on the 4th I would love to get Resistance 2 and EndWar. Follow that on the 7th with Gears of War 2 and it would be a great month right there. But the cruelty continues. The 10th sees the release of Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, followed by Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Call Of Duty: World At War, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, Eternal Poison and Mirrors Edge. ARGH.

Well, that covers the first month, and we're not even to December yet. With so many good games coming out the choices of what to get seem almost endless, and this happens every year. Oh, well. I'll just have to wait until spring to catch up, that being the start of the gaming drought of the year. What about you? What are your must have games for this holiday season?

LittleBigEverywhere

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:01:00 +0000

Now this it truly amazing. Beta keys have been around a quite a while now and are used to help drum up support for an upcoming title, I don't think I've ever seen a beta as in demand as this one is. Why is this particular beta so sought after? I have seen no fewer then 6 different sites giving betas out in the last week, and all have been swamped. It isn't that LittleBigPlanet is a completely original idea. Forge in Halo 3, Dungeon Creator and RPG Maker all had a similar idea, but those attempts pale in comparison to this one. LittleBigPlanet is a title where, in fact, you get to create the game itself. How? By providing you with robust tools and numberous customization options, you are able to design and build your own game levels. Of course, if you so choose, you could just play the levels designed by the developers. But, where is the fun in that?

Now I'm not a really creative person, and designing is not my forte, but damned if I don't want this game too. Why? I don't know really, it's just a little hard to explain. Gimme a second to collect my thoughts on this one. OK, here goes. This game is all about using the imagination that you have. You are not required to have advanced degrees in game design or computer graphics to succeed here. All you need is a vision and the perseverance to make it happen, and frankly, it all boils down to having fun. From what I understand, having fun is pretty easy to do. Just take a look this. Even Adam seemed surprised at what he saw.

Now, it's not all about using the textures and objects that are included in the game itself. You can add whatever you want to the game, and it's only limited by your imagination. Now here's a video that any Xbox owner can relate to. I just love the warthog.

Having the tools and an imagination is not enough in itself to guarantee a game is going to be successful. It has to control well, have a learning curve that isn't too difficult, be fun, and having a bit of personality helps too. That's why I like this next video. This is a short section at the beginning of the game, the tutorial level as it is.

Media Molecule could have made a boring start like many games have done previously, instead, what they do is make you instantly part of the experience. Even though you play through the opening credits, you are getting an opportunity to become familiar with the controls. Not that there is much in the way of controls to grasp. You have run and jump, at least in the beginning. This is very much a pick up and play game.

As we've seen, this game is a little different from the norm. There are no violent deaths with spurts of blood. There are no bullets. And no one is going to cut off an appendage. There may be very little violence in LittleBigPlanet, but, with a game like this, you won't miss it.

BC Talk, Again.

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I know I've touched on backwards compatibility just a couple of posts ago, but I think it's a subject worth going back to one more time.

It seems that every week I read a story on backwards compatibility and what it means for this and future generations of consoles. One of the latest articles I've read is from xboxoz360gamer.com. The article touches on the benefits and problems with making last gen games playable with this generation of hardware. Of the many reasons, price and technology are the biggest.

Price is the obvious one. First off, if a publisher isn't going to make any money off of an older game being emulated on new hardware what incentive do they have? Writing new software for an old program costs money, and there's no way anyone will spend money on a title that may not sell. Here's an example from the publisher's viewpoint. Of all last gen games on the market, say an Xbox title, are customers more or less likely to be able to buy a new game or a used one? The stores I frequent don't even sell new Xbox games anymore, so what recourse do I have? If I want an older title I have to buy a used copy from either a brick and mortar retailer or order it from somewhere online (Amazon marketplace is a favorite of mine). How much of that sale does the publisher get? Zero. So, why would they spend money making emulation software for a game sale that they probably won't get any money from, when instead, they could be selling you a current generation game for $60? I don't think I need to answer that one.

Hardware manufacturers see it a little differently. Sure, it still costs them money to make old games play on new hardware. And it's also true that they don't get any money from a used game sale, but there is still two ways profits can come in. Number one is having the option for games to be downloaded digitally. Emulation without a disc is a more profitable option for old games since all the software necessary to play the game is downloaded with the program itself, no need for a physical disc and separate software. The benefits for this method of delivery is that the cost of programming emulation software for an older game is offset by the fact that money will be collected and given to the companies that made the game instead of Joe Blow down the street. Also, there's no need to manufacture a physical disc and packaging, thereby saving substantially on distribution costs, but there's a catch. Only games that are projected to provide a profit will get this treatment. Here's the way I see digital downloads: This situation is a win for both sides. On the developer/console maker side, they get the profits that they need to stay in business without spending millions on developing, packaging and marketing a new game. On the gamer side, they get the last gen game that they might not have played otherwise that is guaranteed to work and at a reasonable price.

Now, number two. Having a console that is backwards compatible may possibly increase overall hardware sales. Don't underestimate the benefit of having the ability for core gamers to stick in their older favorites and play them. I know I wanted backwards compatibility when I bought a next gen console. That's why I decided to get the 80 gig PS3 instead of the 40 gig model. The 40 was cheaper, but I could play most of my library of PS1 and PS2 games on the 80. I would have been less likely to buy the 80 gig, the more expensive model, if that option didn't exist. As far as the PS4 goes, though, I don't expect support for PS1 games. It's even likely that PS2 games may not be supported (if any older generations are at all). I think that would be a mistake, as I thought dropping BC for the 40 gig was. But, that's just my opinion.

In this generation, I can see (if not agree with) why Sony didn't include support for older games in some of it's consoles. The PS2 is still selling strong and is still getting new games. With that kind of staying power and wide availability, if customers without BC really want to play a last gen game, they can pick up a new PS2 pretty cheaply. Microsoft is a different story, though. Support for the original Xbox has been abandoned and that makes the need for BC an important feature for the 360's survival. So, why is BC important for the 360? I'll use myself as an example. The 360 is my first Microsoft console. Having that be the case, since the 360 is backwards compatibility, I wanted to go back and get a few of the older games just to see what I missed. To date I have more older games then new. Now, how is this good for Microsoft? I'll tell you. Look at the install base on the old system versus the new. Knowing that current numbers for the 360 just short of it's third year are almost equal to the 5 year total of the original you have to agree that there is the potential for a huge audience out there that has not played any of the older games. Now combine that with the ability to put those old Xbox games on Live and what do you get? Instant, reliable, and possibly substantial, income.

For me, physical discs and backwards compatibility is where it's at. For the console makers, publishers, and developers, though, it's going to be digital downloads in the future. It's a cheaper, faster, and more reliable method of getting the games in the hands of gamers. Maybe I am a dinosaur. Maybe I'll come around in the future. Either way, the guys and gals that put out the games are going to tell me, whether I like it or not.

Gotta Try It First

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:14:00 +0000

There's nothing quite like getting a brand new game. The excitement of trying a new game for me is kinda like when I was a kid on Christmas Eve, and it all starts at the store. First is choosing the perfect game. Then I get to take the game home, that 20 minute drive can be excruciating. After arriving home I get to open the package, with (for whatever reason manufacturers find it necessary) about four layers of plastic. Next comes the power and slapping the disc down on the try or sliding it into the slot. Then comes the waiting, waiting, waiting, through endless loading screens. Finally, I get to push start and play the damn thing. What happens next? One of two things. One, it's a good game that I play for hours. Or two, it's garbage that I play for a few minutes.

Thankfully, the big 3 allow us to try the games before we buy them. I'm talking about downloadable demos people, the best thing to come around since...oh, yeah, disc demos. I love trying out games that haven't even been released yet. It kinda makes me feel like the publishers and developers actually care. Here they are, letting us test out their game before it even gets released. Unfortunately for the people in line to make the money, this can go either way for them.

How many times have you played a demo just to delete it a few minutes later? Sure, it could just be a really early build of the game, but, how likely is it that you would give it a second chance? For me, not really likely. My opinion is that if they can't get it right by the time they've released a demo, it probably won't ever be right. I won't waste my money giving a developer a second chance that they possibly don't deserve. Granted, sometimes the developer will pull through, but getting me to buy a game after that will take a lot of convincing.

And that convincing takes the form of gaming magazines and websites. Both are plentiful out there and all have a different opinion. My advise? Find a publication that you are happy with and stick with them. I have my favorites that I've read over the years. Nowadays, I tend to pick up all the magazines I see in the store and read quite a number of websites, but I still have my favorites.

The bottom line is to find the method you prefer to get gaming info from. Whether from the publisher/developer directly, a trusted magazine, or maybe even an upstart website or blog (hint hint), find something that matches your attitude and style. We all have our favorites, go out and find yours.

History First

noreply@blogger.com (GlossGreen) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:59:00 +0000

OK, so anyone that's read this blog here knows that I picked up my very own Xbox 360 a few months ago. Having said that I decided to select a newer game for the system when I made my purchase. I was lucky that day and I happily added Mass Effect to my Elite purchase. Why not Halo? The store I purchase my gaming goods from has a very limited selection of games, so I got the best of what they did have at the time. Several months have past now, so what's on the plate today? Like I have for every system I've purchased, I decided to bone up a little on the Xbox gaming history with a few original Xbox titles. Two problems. One, due to my location, I can't download any Xbox Originals from Live. Two, I can only connect to Live once or twice a week due to my internet situation. My solution? Amazon.com.

I love buying used games. Why? Because I can pick up great titles (if a little dated) for a usually low price. Does that make me a cheap bastard? I don't think so, because for the $60 cost of a new game I can get 3 or 4 older titles shipped to me instead. With my non-existent budget here at Gaming by GlossGreen (I'll have to talk to my CFO about that) I have to picky about what I get. Simply put, by purchasing older titles I get to buy more of them. Granted, everyone else has played the game before me, but it's still a great opportunity to play good games. I still get the occasional new game, but there are plenty of excellent older ones to try also.

A couple of days ago I received my first shipment of older titles, the first two being Panzer Dragoon Orta and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Both, I understand to be, excellent games. I don't plan to stop there with the original games either. I plan to pick up Fable (in preparation of the release of Fable II) and Conker (a game that was release for the N64 after I had already given up on the platform) in the near future. Unfortunately for me, with my hectic work schedule as of late, I haven't actually had much time to play games, not to say that I've had no time to play. I currently have one of last years 360 games in my tray, Crackdown. Again, as an older title I picked it up pretty inexpensively and still had money left over for another game. Now, when I finish playing through that one KOTOR is next on my list.

What I'm trying to say with this is not to forget about the older systems. Every console has had at least a few must own games with it. Don't be afraid to buy a last gen game. Both the 360 and PS3 (most of them at least) support backwards compatability for a reason. Play an Xbox original. Play a PS2, or even, a PS1 game. But, don't get stuck on a game's graphics quality. Just because a game looks last gen doesn't mean it's not worthy of playing. Get them for the gameplay.