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Review: Torchlight

pixelsocks — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:45:54 +0000

Torchlight looks so much like Diablo II that you might worry it will feel derivative, but only if you have no idea who designed it. Developer Runic Games is populated by veterans of the Diablo series, Fate, and the nearly released Mythos. So instead of a knockoff, Torchlight turns out to be more of a successor. It's a refined example of the Roguelike action RPG. Related posts:

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Torchlight Gets Mod Tools

pixelsocks — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:17:37 +0000

Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that I have Torchlight on the brain because I plan to release a review Monday. However, Runic’s little roguelike seems to be the flavor of the month, it seems newsworthy to note that the developer has posted an early version of the mod tools. So, I know it’s [...] Related posts:

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Blizzard Misunderstands the Micro in Microtransactions

pixelsocks — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:11:05 +0000

Blizzard is apparently trying to change the acronym MMORPG to mean Massively Monetized Online Role Playing Game. Gamasutra reports that the developer has opened a new pet store as a branch of the greater Blizzard store. The first virtual offerings available will be a Pandaren Monk and an impossibly cute miniature Kel’Thuzad. The [...] Related posts:

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The Apologist: Numerical Scoring and Review Aggregators

pixelsocks — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:29:38 +0000

It's easy to pick on numerical review scores. In fact, the internet is positively stuffed with examples. Reviewers call them irrelevant, and developers call them arbitrary and meaningless. Both scoff at Metacritic, and developers in particular have damn good reasons to undermine numerical scoring. Even I take the odd potshot and insist on using my own scoring system. You've probably already spotted the disconnect. Everyone seems to hate numerical scores, but nobody stops using them (well, I did, but you can bet that my principles end where a publisher's paycheck begins). So one of two things must be true: either everyone in the world is now and always has been stupid, or there is some legitimate merit to numerical review scores that nobody bothers to talk about. This looks like a job for sophistry. Related posts:

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Gamer Checks Into Rehab

pixelsocks — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:20:40 +0000

Gaming addiction made the news again today. This time it was at The Daily Iowan, the local rag at the University of Iowa, and Fark.com. The news itself isn’t terribly interesting, a gaming junkie ends up at an addiction retreat, but the tone is. It’s hidden behind overwrought prose about the toll of addiction [...] Related posts:

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2D Boy’s Big Pricing Adventure

pixelsocks — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:04:32 +0000

I miss the coolest news while I’m busy giving PAX its due. You may recall World of Goo, a beverage-driven tower building game. We thought it was pretty spiffy when it came out, and so did about 80% pirates by volume. Despite that, developer 2D Boy gave us all a present for [...] Related posts:

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Assassin’s Creed 2 Preview

pixelsocks — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:14:21 +0000

We'll be wrapping up our PAX coverage with preview impressions of the Assassin's Creed 2 demo from Ubisoft. Creative director Patrice Desilets took on the role Ezio to kill his way through the streets of Venice so we could see some of the game's upcoming features in action. Read on for some of the interesting new tweaks you'll be able to expect from next month's sequel. Related posts:

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Interview with Andy Hull of What is Bothering Carl?

pixelsocks — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:55:19 +0000

I was just chatting with Andy Hull after this interview, and he said, "Every design decision matters more when there aren't many to be made." He's in a position to know, because his game, What is Bothering Carl? targets young children. It makes his game the odd duck in a pool of ten odd ducks, but Andy's insight is all the more interesting for being on the outside looking in. Read the full interview for how complicated it is to keep things simple, what it's like to be stuck outside the mainstream, and a few ins and outs of running a one-man operation. Related posts:

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Interview with Nick Lee of Trino

pixelsocks — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:50:45 +0000

Nick Lee is one of the artists who worked on Trino, but he perks up like a designer when he chats about mechanics. This comes in handy when you want to talk about a shooter that undermines its most fundamental genre convention. Check the full interview for what makes a a shooter a puzzle game, Trino's history, and some hints about the team's future plans. Related posts:

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Interview with Tejeev Kohli of Tag: The Power of Paint

pixelsocks — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:21:26 +0000

Tag made a big splash at the Independent Games Festival by taking home the best student game award, so it might come as no surprise that it was included in the PAX 10. We had a chance to speak to Tejeev Kohli, who had his fingers in programming, input, logic, and just about everything else in the game. Read on for the team's future plans and their insight into the differences into PAX and the Independent Games Festival. Related posts:

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