Lets talk about that 3DS unveiling. After months and months of speculation we finally got to see it and hear about it. Lets get this out of the way. It looks good. There is going to be a ton of potential here. The hardware, for the most part, looks great. The level detail and uh bump maps (do they still use those? for that matter what are they?). The point is that from what I saw the graphical output was as good as lets be honest, most of the Wii titles out there. There was a huge list of games (Kid Icarus announced), franchises (Metal Gear) and developers lined up wanting to make games for this system which is clearly a good sign. Also an analog stick, I'll wait and see how that works out.
Now onto the 3D part of the 3DS. If you haven't seen yet there is a little slider to turn up or down the depth of the 3D. You can also turn it off. You can turn it off. This is an important feature. I'm not a huge 3D fan and if I'm able to toggle it on and off for every game and still have the game functional that is a selling point. I've yet to actually play so who knows maybe I wont want to turn it off? Now, another important feature: no glasses needed. This seems to be a plus and a minus from what I've heard about it so far. So none of those goddamn glasses that make you feel and look like an idiot. I for one have never looked at someone wearing those glasses and thought anything but that. Now for the negative, initial reports say that you need to hold the system at a certain angle and so far away from your face to have the 3D look good. I say that is a very tiny trade off for not being forced to wear glasses.
One thing that Nintendo didn't touch on was price (or an expected release). I think in this case they learned a bit from Sony with their PS3 announcement by not announcing the price at the end of the presentation; thereby dowsing our lusty fire for this new tech. This system will be expensive, especially for a hand held. I would not be surprised if this ends up being $250 at launch. Prove me wrong Nintendo. More importantly a high entry price will serve as a barrier for getting even more of that sought after casual market, which is Nintendo's base right now. Of course DS and DSi sales will fall and with it the price so maybe they're trying to move some extra hardware that way.
Lets just hope that this thing lives up to the hype its generated after only a day of being revealed. Lets get some more details and judge when it comes out. Don't let us down.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Holy Shit - E3 Thoughts
Alright, it's been a while, a long while but whatever. I'm sitting here and watching some of the E3 coverage and listening to music. I guess EA is doing their big press conference thing or whatever right now. They just demoed (that's a stupid fucking word by the way) their gritty new Medal of Honor reboot. God damn it looks shitty and derivative.
Quick aside: I think I can only take 3 or 4 more gritty reboots of storied franchised before I go insane. But hey, its gonna make money. The kids who played these games/watched those movies/tv shows they're all grown up now. They want darker and cooler everything... Oh they also want it in 3D for some god-forsaken reason I wont under stand.
Alright back to that Medal of Honor thing. If they didn't tell me before hand that I was watching the MoH trailer I would have been pretty sure I was watching the a CoD game or something (Not saying I like CoD better, I haven't even played this new gritty MoH). What I'm trying to get at, albeit slowly is that there really seems to be a lack of originality among these FPS that are supposedly grounded in reality. It seems like any real innovation lies outside of that genre. Even then finding something different or new doesn't seem to be the goal. Which is fine. The goal is to make money. I mean 99% of the time the goal is to make a shit ton of money, .5% of the time the goal is to create something resembling art or at least creating something original. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these games aren't fun. A lot of them are and a lot of them really met their goals of making a shit ton of cash. The last innovation that penetrated (dick jokes aside) FPS games was the addition of RPG-like elements. But that will only take you so far. Something new needs to be done for this genre not to stagnate.
I hope someone is listening.
Quick aside: I think I can only take 3 or 4 more gritty reboots of storied franchised before I go insane. But hey, its gonna make money. The kids who played these games/watched those movies/tv shows they're all grown up now. They want darker and cooler everything... Oh they also want it in 3D for some god-forsaken reason I wont under stand.
Alright back to that Medal of Honor thing. If they didn't tell me before hand that I was watching the MoH trailer I would have been pretty sure I was watching the a CoD game or something (Not saying I like CoD better, I haven't even played this new gritty MoH). What I'm trying to get at, albeit slowly is that there really seems to be a lack of originality among these FPS that are supposedly grounded in reality. It seems like any real innovation lies outside of that genre. Even then finding something different or new doesn't seem to be the goal. Which is fine. The goal is to make money. I mean 99% of the time the goal is to make a shit ton of money, .5% of the time the goal is to create something resembling art or at least creating something original. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these games aren't fun. A lot of them are and a lot of them really met their goals of making a shit ton of cash. The last innovation that penetrated (dick jokes aside) FPS games was the addition of RPG-like elements. But that will only take you so far. Something new needs to be done for this genre not to stagnate.
I hope someone is listening.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving You Godless Americans
So I guess its Thanksgving in the south or whatever. Which would explain my lack of internet related entertainment today. Just cuz you have a day off doesn't mean that you have a day off entertaining me. But, its not all bad! It's really not, friday this christmas shit gets into full things. I don't say christmas shit because I'm bitter, I say it because it means that if I want to avoid crowds I have to stay away from the malls and the booze shops. I stocked up on egg nog and liquor yesterday so now all I need to do is pick up a game to play in between rounds of Dragon Age. Heard good things about Uncharted 2, Assasins Creed 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii... Or I could just go back and play some of my old games. How often do you do that?
Not counting the amazing Dragon Age I don't see a single game in my stack o' games that I've beat more than one. Of course not counting L4D, duh. There are some good games in that pile too, inFamous, Uncharted 1, Batman. Though I did complete AA 100%, first game in a long time that I've done that. On a side note, does anyone still regularly play their Wii anymore? I haven't touched in probably 10 months. Wow, that is just ripe for dong jokes isn't it? Go ahead, make em, no one is watching. I think now that we have all spent our life savings on the glut of fall games this year we go back and play our old games again. I need to do that evil run though of inFamous. I need to run through MGS4 again; the only game to really make me feel sad. Never even finished Ninja Gaiden 2, which is weird, having beat Black on very hard. No, thats not bragging. Maybe a bit, but I'm sure you've beat it on master ninja haven't you?
So this holiday season I'm going back and I'm going to re-play my old games and see how they stand up. At least until I break down and buy Modern Warefare.
Not counting the amazing Dragon Age I don't see a single game in my stack o' games that I've beat more than one. Of course not counting L4D, duh. There are some good games in that pile too, inFamous, Uncharted 1, Batman. Though I did complete AA 100%, first game in a long time that I've done that. On a side note, does anyone still regularly play their Wii anymore? I haven't touched in probably 10 months. Wow, that is just ripe for dong jokes isn't it? Go ahead, make em, no one is watching. I think now that we have all spent our life savings on the glut of fall games this year we go back and play our old games again. I need to do that evil run though of inFamous. I need to run through MGS4 again; the only game to really make me feel sad. Never even finished Ninja Gaiden 2, which is weird, having beat Black on very hard. No, thats not bragging. Maybe a bit, but I'm sure you've beat it on master ninja haven't you?
So this holiday season I'm going back and I'm going to re-play my old games and see how they stand up. At least until I break down and buy Modern Warefare.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Origin Of Dragon Ages
Lets rap about how fantastic Dragon Age: Origins is for a minute shall we? Yes, we shall. Did I just give away how the rest of this post is going to unfold? Yes, I did. If you're like me DA was pretty much the best birthday present you could wish for. Well that and a blow job (Birthday dreams do come true, well mine anyway. Kids, don't lose hope.). I grabbed the Deluxe edition which comes in a sexy case, oh my yes. After downloading all the extra content, like 3 fucking DLC packs which was a little confusing (hint: you need to type your code in caps). I was ready to go.
I'm gonna go right ahead and say that I'm a BioWare fan. Everything that they do just seems so great. Different endings, top notch voice acting and the game play, oh my how the game plays. On the release day I spent most of my day at work deciding which version to get; I went with the 360 version. For the record my choices were between the PS3 and 360 version, no way my laptop could run this. The PC version does play better, but not owning a PC is no excuse for missing this game.
I was worried because the general consensus seemed to be that the loading times were long and there were frame rate issues. So, being ahead of the curve I used that nice little "Install To Hard Drive" feature on the 360 and I am pleased to say that the game runs fine. Loading times are minimal, frame rate is pretty good(if I had to judge by eyesight alone I would say high 40's.). The graphics are NOT as good as they are on the PC; assuming you've got a decent rig. The ring system for the console versions works fine, but I do admit having an MMO style bar like the PC version would work even better.
What really pulls me in here though is the story, call it generic fantasy if you want. I enjoy it quite a bit. One of the best realized worlds in a game. Fully fleshed out history, tons of stuff to read if you're into that. I was disappointed that you never got to go off to other lands though. Hopefully in the sequel. Make it happen BioWare.
I really cannot stress how much I enjoy this game. I think it's the only game that I have ever completed 3 times in row while planning for my 4th run in advance. Fuck, I love this game. Go check out Dragon Age if you haven't already. If you enjoyed either of the KOTOR games, Mass Effect or enjoy high fantasy you need to play this game. Enjoy!
I'm gonna go right ahead and say that I'm a BioWare fan. Everything that they do just seems so great. Different endings, top notch voice acting and the game play, oh my how the game plays. On the release day I spent most of my day at work deciding which version to get; I went with the 360 version. For the record my choices were between the PS3 and 360 version, no way my laptop could run this. The PC version does play better, but not owning a PC is no excuse for missing this game.
I was worried because the general consensus seemed to be that the loading times were long and there were frame rate issues. So, being ahead of the curve I used that nice little "Install To Hard Drive" feature on the 360 and I am pleased to say that the game runs fine. Loading times are minimal, frame rate is pretty good(if I had to judge by eyesight alone I would say high 40's.). The graphics are NOT as good as they are on the PC; assuming you've got a decent rig. The ring system for the console versions works fine, but I do admit having an MMO style bar like the PC version would work even better.
What really pulls me in here though is the story, call it generic fantasy if you want. I enjoy it quite a bit. One of the best realized worlds in a game. Fully fleshed out history, tons of stuff to read if you're into that. I was disappointed that you never got to go off to other lands though. Hopefully in the sequel. Make it happen BioWare.
I really cannot stress how much I enjoy this game. I think it's the only game that I have ever completed 3 times in row while planning for my 4th run in advance. Fuck, I love this game. Go check out Dragon Age if you haven't already. If you enjoyed either of the KOTOR games, Mass Effect or enjoy high fantasy you need to play this game. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Today, lets talk about the difference in price between buying games here in the land of maple syrup, poutine and hockey we know as Canada and our friendly neighbors to the south.
So lets start out with some facts: most new games in the US for current generation consoles cost somewhere between $50 and $55 (maybe in rare occasions they get up to $60). In Canada new games cost anywhere from $65-$75 and thats before tax. As you can tell, this is completely retarded. So, why?
I know! It's because the Canadian dollar is so weak! Let me see... Nope, as it stands right now $1CDN=95 American Cents. The Canadian dollar used to be weak in the past. By in the past I mean fucking 1970-1980 or so. But for the past few years the dollar has been rising and generally sitting above or around .90USD. So I suppose that rules out the weak Canadian dollar.
What else could be causing this.... Shipping! Nah, that can't be it. Maybe a very small portion per game for independent retailers. But for big places like wal-mart who have their own massive distribution network it really doesn't make a dent.
I know what it is. It's greedy publishers. No really. Factoring in the Canadian dollar and the tiny amount one would expect to pay for shipping doesn't nearly make up for how much more expensive it is. So in a note to publishers or whoever decides these crazy prices:you can bring them down. I would personally buy more games if you brought the prices on new games down to say something reasonable like even $55. These are tough economic times but it could be worse. At least we don't live in Brazil. Thoughts?
So lets start out with some facts: most new games in the US for current generation consoles cost somewhere between $50 and $55 (maybe in rare occasions they get up to $60). In Canada new games cost anywhere from $65-$75 and thats before tax. As you can tell, this is completely retarded. So, why?
I know! It's because the Canadian dollar is so weak! Let me see... Nope, as it stands right now $1CDN=95 American Cents. The Canadian dollar used to be weak in the past. By in the past I mean fucking 1970-1980 or so. But for the past few years the dollar has been rising and generally sitting above or around .90USD. So I suppose that rules out the weak Canadian dollar.
What else could be causing this.... Shipping! Nah, that can't be it. Maybe a very small portion per game for independent retailers. But for big places like wal-mart who have their own massive distribution network it really doesn't make a dent.
I know what it is. It's greedy publishers. No really. Factoring in the Canadian dollar and the tiny amount one would expect to pay for shipping doesn't nearly make up for how much more expensive it is. So in a note to publishers or whoever decides these crazy prices:you can bring them down. I would personally buy more games if you brought the prices on new games down to say something reasonable like even $55. These are tough economic times but it could be worse. At least we don't live in Brazil. Thoughts?
Monday, November 23, 2009
Fuck you DICE/EA
Alright so a little bit of back story: I picked up Mirrors Edge for $10 brand-spankin'-new last week. 'Great deal - I'd be retarded if I missed this' I thought to myself. Well Goddamn it if I didn't wish I was retarded.
Ok, before I launch into why this thing is a giant pile crap let me start out by going over the one (maybe two? 1.5?) things that they did right with the game. If you know anything about this game (read:thing) you can probably postulate that what I'm going to say is that I like the graphics. It actually looks pretty good and has a nice clean style. Which is to be expected when you live in the future and everything is perfect, right? Nice use of colour and I can't say that I hate the music.
Moving on to what I hate about the game: every fucking other aspect of the game. So what should I start with... Controls? The controls are crap. The left bumper basically controls your upper body and the right bumper controls the lower part. I'm not even sure I can begin to explain how shitty and imprecise that feels. You're running around at fucking 900 miles and hour you need feel like if something happens and you miss-step you will at least have a chance to save yourself. So you're running around and running on walls and shit and it seems kind of cool for about 10 seconds until you start missing jumps because you can't fucking see your feet. There is a lot of jumping from building to building in this game, shit glows red to show you were to jump or climb. I've come up with a good comparison for this game: you know those levels in FPS' where they force you to do a bit of platforming, you know how it always sucks (Metriod Prime is an exception) well this game is like if they took that concept and made a whole shitty game out of it. Because of this I found myself dying, a lot, even when I knew exactly what to do and how to do it. Maybe (read:most assuredly) I suck at this game and video games in general but not even I should die that much and in such a frustrating fashion. You die a lot and unlike real life its not your fault. Also unlike real life its probably not alcohol and sex related. But you're saying "Dude did you know you can slow down time in this game?" Yeah you can slow down time, just like you can in pretty much every game ever. They even fucked up slowing down time, you press X and time basically stops (just like when you're at work!) shit just basically stops for 5 second, you can move a little bit maybe you'll get like two steps in. Slowing down time is pointless in this game. Fucking pointless.
This game makes me sick to play - literally. After about 4 hours straight of playing I was starting to feel a little noxious. It might be a good joke to make someone who gets motion sick play it and bet on how long it takes them to throw up. Come to think of it, that could be a new underground sport. Move over cockfighting, here comes Mirrors Edge.
I forgot to mention the story. It sucks. Moving on.
Now I'm sure all one of you that are reading this are saying, "Well why don't you make a better game if you think this sucks so bad?". Fuck you, I'm a busy man thats why. But you know, all they needed to do with this game to make it better was include a third person mode. That fixes about 99% of the problems here. No more missing jumps because you can't tell where you. No more looking around in a dizzying first person mode looking for conveniently placed red tubes to climb, just swivel the camera and have a look around.
What it boils down to is that this game is just a big fuck you to everyone who plays it. It could have been good! All of the elements are there for a good game, it had a big budget. It's like they did it on purpose just because they knew it would sell a bajillion (may not be a real number or sales figure) copies. To this I say, fuck you EA. You're doing everything wrong you can possibly do wrong. Reopen Pandemic studios and have them make a third Battlefront game. Shitty PSP games don't count. Make it happen EA, you have the power.
Ok, before I launch into why this thing is a giant pile crap let me start out by going over the one (maybe two? 1.5?) things that they did right with the game. If you know anything about this game (read:thing) you can probably postulate that what I'm going to say is that I like the graphics. It actually looks pretty good and has a nice clean style. Which is to be expected when you live in the future and everything is perfect, right? Nice use of colour and I can't say that I hate the music.
Moving on to what I hate about the game: every fucking other aspect of the game. So what should I start with... Controls? The controls are crap. The left bumper basically controls your upper body and the right bumper controls the lower part. I'm not even sure I can begin to explain how shitty and imprecise that feels. You're running around at fucking 900 miles and hour you need feel like if something happens and you miss-step you will at least have a chance to save yourself. So you're running around and running on walls and shit and it seems kind of cool for about 10 seconds until you start missing jumps because you can't fucking see your feet. There is a lot of jumping from building to building in this game, shit glows red to show you were to jump or climb. I've come up with a good comparison for this game: you know those levels in FPS' where they force you to do a bit of platforming, you know how it always sucks (Metriod Prime is an exception) well this game is like if they took that concept and made a whole shitty game out of it. Because of this I found myself dying, a lot, even when I knew exactly what to do and how to do it. Maybe (read:most assuredly) I suck at this game and video games in general but not even I should die that much and in such a frustrating fashion. You die a lot and unlike real life its not your fault. Also unlike real life its probably not alcohol and sex related. But you're saying "Dude did you know you can slow down time in this game?" Yeah you can slow down time, just like you can in pretty much every game ever. They even fucked up slowing down time, you press X and time basically stops (just like when you're at work!) shit just basically stops for 5 second, you can move a little bit maybe you'll get like two steps in. Slowing down time is pointless in this game. Fucking pointless.
This game makes me sick to play - literally. After about 4 hours straight of playing I was starting to feel a little noxious. It might be a good joke to make someone who gets motion sick play it and bet on how long it takes them to throw up. Come to think of it, that could be a new underground sport. Move over cockfighting, here comes Mirrors Edge.
I forgot to mention the story. It sucks. Moving on.
Now I'm sure all one of you that are reading this are saying, "Well why don't you make a better game if you think this sucks so bad?". Fuck you, I'm a busy man thats why. But you know, all they needed to do with this game to make it better was include a third person mode. That fixes about 99% of the problems here. No more missing jumps because you can't tell where you. No more looking around in a dizzying first person mode looking for conveniently placed red tubes to climb, just swivel the camera and have a look around.
What it boils down to is that this game is just a big fuck you to everyone who plays it. It could have been good! All of the elements are there for a good game, it had a big budget. It's like they did it on purpose just because they knew it would sell a bajillion (may not be a real number or sales figure) copies. To this I say, fuck you EA. You're doing everything wrong you can possibly do wrong. Reopen Pandemic studios and have them make a third Battlefront game. Shitty PSP games don't count. Make it happen EA, you have the power.
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