Monday, October 24, 2011
Remember This? [Update]
I never know if I’m going too far with these things, or if I’m taking it too easy. But regardless – can you guess this game from one portion of a screenshot? Let us know in the comments below, and if you’re struggling I’ll post an update later in the afternoon. The second part of the pic is…
How Will Battlefield 3 Be Remembered?
In a perfect storm of hype, timing and technology, the momentum behind Battlefield 3 has been staggering. As it accelerates towards its release October 27, we caught up with the game’s Creative Director Lars Gustavsson to discuss the game’s development, his influences, and what history will make of Battlefield 3.
While there are, of course, hordes of gamers lining up to pre-order Modern Warfare 3, it appears as though there is a sea change in our midst – almost as if the culmination of smart brand protection, combined with a series of dazzling trailers has set fans of core shooters alight with hype. Amongst core shooter fans, Battlefield 3 is arguably the most anticipated game of the year.
Gustavsson thinks the quality of the game itself may have something to do with it!
“We’re bringing something fresh to a market which, to be honest, has gone a bit stale recently,” says Gustavsson. “There are so many shooters out there and they all come from the same recipe.
“I play all shooters out there to stay up to date, but I really like Battlefield, because I can of the sheer variety. I often get this religious feeling when I look at some of the larger scale levels, just feeling amazed that we somehow managed to accomplish this!
Years of development experience, with the same core team, has enabled DICE to focus their efforts on creating the best Battlefield product possible. In that respect, Gustavsson believes that the force sweeping gamers towards the Battlefield 3 juggernaut is more than hype – it’s a gut response to what he believes is a quality product across the board.
“Where does our optimism come from?” He asks. “I would say it’s simply our experience in making the Battlefield games. We have an amazing engine. To look at the package of Battlefield, there’s so much to it.
“You have everything to small team deathmatch, to the full journey through a single player, to squad deathmatch – there’s a full, wide palette of possibilities. This time it feels like we’ve really stretched ourselves, and listened to feedback from the community.
“Our optimism is similar to how we felt about Battlefield 1942 when that was in development,” he continues. “When we’re playing in the office, we know it’s a really rock solid game. This time round we’ve done so much and improved so much. We’ve put so much into it.”
The FPS genre is, in a sense, a continual exchange of ideas – where innovations are constantly being shared, implemented and improved upon with subsequent releases. Battlefield has innovated within this space before, but it has also borrowed from the best – we wondered in Lars could think of any specific influences that affected the development of Battlefield 3.
“I’m not sure if I should pin point one,” he begins, reluctantly. “Well, Conquest was a game I was definitely inspired by – Day of Defeat, with its flag system is another. And the medic in Battlefield 2 was definitely inspired by Enemy Territory: Quake Wars’ medic system.
“That’s the beauty of the games industry. You might hear rumours of developers going after each other but for the most part it’s a friendly environment. And you borrow freely – it’s the team that executes the feature best that will be remembered.”
That word: ‘remembered’. In the world of PC gaming in particular, it’s one thing to shift millions of units, it’s another create and maintain the kind of community that Counter Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2 and Call of Duty 4 currently have. You get the impression that’s precisely what DICE are shooting for with Battlefield 3.
“Really I want our game to be remembered for giving gamers a fresh take on the shooter,” claims Gustavsson. “Hopefully Battlefield 3 feels like it took the first person shooter to the next level and made the competition look a bit old and stale.”
While there are, of course, hordes of gamers lining up to pre-order Modern Warfare 3, it appears as though there is a sea change in our midst – almost as if the culmination of smart brand protection, combined with a series of dazzling trailers has set fans of core shooters alight with hype. Amongst core shooter fans, Battlefield 3 is arguably the most anticipated game of the year.
Gustavsson thinks the quality of the game itself may have something to do with it!
“We’re bringing something fresh to a market which, to be honest, has gone a bit stale recently,” says Gustavsson. “There are so many shooters out there and they all come from the same recipe.
“I play all shooters out there to stay up to date, but I really like Battlefield, because I can of the sheer variety. I often get this religious feeling when I look at some of the larger scale levels, just feeling amazed that we somehow managed to accomplish this!
Years of development experience, with the same core team, has enabled DICE to focus their efforts on creating the best Battlefield product possible. In that respect, Gustavsson believes that the force sweeping gamers towards the Battlefield 3 juggernaut is more than hype – it’s a gut response to what he believes is a quality product across the board.
“Where does our optimism come from?” He asks. “I would say it’s simply our experience in making the Battlefield games. We have an amazing engine. To look at the package of Battlefield, there’s so much to it.
“You have everything to small team deathmatch, to the full journey through a single player, to squad deathmatch – there’s a full, wide palette of possibilities. This time it feels like we’ve really stretched ourselves, and listened to feedback from the community.
“Our optimism is similar to how we felt about Battlefield 1942 when that was in development,” he continues. “When we’re playing in the office, we know it’s a really rock solid game. This time round we’ve done so much and improved so much. We’ve put so much into it.”
The FPS genre is, in a sense, a continual exchange of ideas – where innovations are constantly being shared, implemented and improved upon with subsequent releases. Battlefield has innovated within this space before, but it has also borrowed from the best – we wondered in Lars could think of any specific influences that affected the development of Battlefield 3.
“I’m not sure if I should pin point one,” he begins, reluctantly. “Well, Conquest was a game I was definitely inspired by – Day of Defeat, with its flag system is another. And the medic in Battlefield 2 was definitely inspired by Enemy Territory: Quake Wars’ medic system.
“That’s the beauty of the games industry. You might hear rumours of developers going after each other but for the most part it’s a friendly environment. And you borrow freely – it’s the team that executes the feature best that will be remembered.”
That word: ‘remembered’. In the world of PC gaming in particular, it’s one thing to shift millions of units, it’s another create and maintain the kind of community that Counter Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2 and Call of Duty 4 currently have. You get the impression that’s precisely what DICE are shooting for with Battlefield 3.
“Really I want our game to be remembered for giving gamers a fresh take on the shooter,” claims Gustavsson. “Hopefully Battlefield 3 feels like it took the first person shooter to the next level and made the competition look a bit old and stale.”
How To Find A Classic American Arcade
Forget many of the more modern “arcades”, full of skill-testers and UFO catchers. Sometimes you just want to play something old, vintage, with wood-panelling and a faded marquee. An arcade game with history.
Sadly, classic arcades are hard to come by these days. So here’s how to find one.
This detailed map seeks to include as many truly classic arcades as it can. While the emphasis is on dedicated, vintage arcades, there’s also scope to include something more contemporary, or a venue that’s not just an arcade, if it at least has a “significant number of classic arcade machines”.
The map probably doesn’t include everything, nor does it include private arcades, so if you see something’s missing, there’s contact info here to get something added.
Complementing the map is this website, which attempts to catalogue which games are available at each arcade. The Scandia Family Fun centre in Fairfield, California, for example, has Joust, Asteroids, Afterburner and even the badass Thunder Blade with the sit-in cockpit.
Sadly, classic arcades are hard to come by these days. So here’s how to find one.
This detailed map seeks to include as many truly classic arcades as it can. While the emphasis is on dedicated, vintage arcades, there’s also scope to include something more contemporary, or a venue that’s not just an arcade, if it at least has a “significant number of classic arcade machines”.
The map probably doesn’t include everything, nor does it include private arcades, so if you see something’s missing, there’s contact info here to get something added.
Complementing the map is this website, which attempts to catalogue which games are available at each arcade. The Scandia Family Fun centre in Fairfield, California, for example, has Joust, Asteroids, Afterburner and even the badass Thunder Blade with the sit-in cockpit.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
What Are You Playing This Weekend
This weekend folks, this weekend. Finally I will break the seal on my copy of Batman: Arkham City and see what all the fuss is about. But what will you guys be playing this weekend?
I’ve had a copy of Batman lying about for a while now, but I’ve been busy trying to finish off Gears of War 3. I’ve started to get it into my head that I can only play one game at a time. I don’t know how happened, but it’s ruining me!
I’m literally close to tapping out. Next month’s line-up is literally terrifying to me – Battlefield 3, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Zelda, Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3. I’m starting to resign myself to the fact that I simply won’t be able to play all of them, so it’s time to prioritise.
But, yeah, Batman is fairly high in that list of priorities. As is Zelda, Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Uncharted 3. The rest are just going to have to hold off until the post Christmas lull.
I’ve had a copy of Batman lying about for a while now, but I’ve been busy trying to finish off Gears of War 3. I’ve started to get it into my head that I can only play one game at a time. I don’t know how happened, but it’s ruining me!
I’m literally close to tapping out. Next month’s line-up is literally terrifying to me – Battlefield 3, Assassin’s Creed Revelations, Zelda, Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3. I’m starting to resign myself to the fact that I simply won’t be able to play all of them, so it’s time to prioritise.
But, yeah, Batman is fairly high in that list of priorities. As is Zelda, Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Uncharted 3. The rest are just going to have to hold off until the post Christmas lull.
News Rumour: Is A Next Generation Xbox Set For A 2013 Release?
Develop is reporting that Microsoft’s successor to the Xbox 360, is set for a 2013 release, as suggested by a number of different sources – from “chip manufacturers to middleware firms”. In addition, Lionhead is apparently working on a project titled ‘Fable Next’.
According to the report, sources expect the console to be unveiled at E3 2013 and released in the holiday period that same year.
It’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that Microsoft is looking to release a new console over the next couple of years, and 2013 is as good a year as any. It would be naive to believe that both Microsoft and Sony aren’t currently working on new tech for release in the next two or three years, and if that’s the case, then surely a handful of studios are currently hard at work creating launch titles.
Personally, I think 2013 is a good year. I’ve loved the extended period of this generation of consoles, and it’s arguably been the best generation for games ever, but console tech is starting to show its age, and I’m about ready for something new.
According to the report, sources expect the console to be unveiled at E3 2013 and released in the holiday period that same year.
It’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that Microsoft is looking to release a new console over the next couple of years, and 2013 is as good a year as any. It would be naive to believe that both Microsoft and Sony aren’t currently working on new tech for release in the next two or three years, and if that’s the case, then surely a handful of studios are currently hard at work creating launch titles.
Personally, I think 2013 is a good year. I’ve loved the extended period of this generation of consoles, and it’s arguably been the best generation for games ever, but console tech is starting to show its age, and I’m about ready for something new.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
News Arkham City PC Requirements Silently Arrive
Arkham City System Requirements
OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz or AMD Athlon X2 4800
Memory: 2GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 17 GB free hard drive space
Video CarD: ATI 3850HD 512 MB or NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
Direct X: 9.0c
Other Requirements: Online play requires log-in to Games for Windows - LIVE
Now if we were to take a step back through time and see what was needed to run Batman: Arkham Asylum, we'll see a few comparisons such as the RAM as well as the Games for Windows LIVE requirements. However, City is going to need 17 GB worth of hard drive space as compared to Asylum's manageable 8 GB.
Arkham Asylum System Requirements
OS: Vista/XP
Processor: 3hz Intel or AMD or any Dual Core
Memory: 1GB RAM (XP)/2GB RAM
Graphics: PCI Express SM3 NVIDIA 6600/ATI 1300
Direct X: 9
Hard Drive: 8GB free space
Sound: Any onboard sound card
Other Requirements: Online play requires log-in to Games for Windows - LIVE
OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz or AMD Athlon X2 4800
Memory: 2GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 17 GB free hard drive space
Video CarD: ATI 3850HD 512 MB or NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB
Direct X: 9.0c
Other Requirements: Online play requires log-in to Games for Windows - LIVE
Now if we were to take a step back through time and see what was needed to run Batman: Arkham Asylum, we'll see a few comparisons such as the RAM as well as the Games for Windows LIVE requirements. However, City is going to need 17 GB worth of hard drive space as compared to Asylum's manageable 8 GB.
Arkham Asylum System Requirements
OS: Vista/XP
Processor: 3hz Intel or AMD or any Dual Core
Memory: 1GB RAM (XP)/2GB RAM
Graphics: PCI Express SM3 NVIDIA 6600/ATI 1300
Direct X: 9
Hard Drive: 8GB free space
Sound: Any onboard sound card
Other Requirements: Online play requires log-in to Games for Windows - LIVE
News BlizzCon 2011 Set to Kick Off Tomorrow
Since 2005, BlizzCon has been the place to celebrate all things Blizzard, with various World of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo events and announcements. And with Diablo III and StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm on the way, an eSports prize pool of more than $300,000 to be won, and a close-out Foo Fighters concert, BlizzCon 2011, set to kick off tomorrow, is looking to be the biggest yet.
Will World of Warcraft's rumored next expansion, Mists of Pandaria, be unveiled? Will Blizzard give us a release date for Heart of the Swarm? How is Blizzard DOTA coming together? What's the latest on the recently delayed Diablo III? And will codename Titan, Blizzard's next MMO, finally be unveiled? These are some of the questions that could be addressed tomorrow, starting at 11 a.m. PST when the BlizzCon 2011 opening ceremony begins.
Will World of Warcraft's rumored next expansion, Mists of Pandaria, be unveiled? Will Blizzard give us a release date for Heart of the Swarm? How is Blizzard DOTA coming together? What's the latest on the recently delayed Diablo III? And will codename Titan, Blizzard's next MMO, finally be unveiled? These are some of the questions that could be addressed tomorrow, starting at 11 a.m. PST when the BlizzCon 2011 opening ceremony begins.
Friday, October 21, 2011
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Trophies - How It Affected the Industry and the Gamers
Trophies, a greatly debated world of the gaming world. Does it increase the re-play value of the game or is it a mean corporate trick to fool the trophy-whores?
I definately believe that a part of the original reason for trophies was re-play value, but there's no doubt in my mind that a other part of it was to increase the sales of the games and their additions that came with trophies. Microsoft had Achievements and they were alright popular among the gamers so of course SONY decided to adapt it to the PlayStation.
Now, a lot of producers use this system to their advantage. They reward the player for trying everything there is to try and collect everything that is to collect. I like how Assassin's Creed, Uncharted and other alike games use the trophies to ensure that the player has the ultimate gaming experience. The player finds him self in a massive, incredibly beautiful environment and receives trophies for exploring it and collecting and trying out everything the gamer can find. I value that.
Then we have producers that use it to get the trophy-whores' attention. Terminator is a good excample of this, a terrible game that an average player could easily beat over a weekend, and get a gold trophy for every beaten level.
The trophies have set their mark on the gaming community. There are trophy-whores, anti-trophy-whores and then the golden middle. So most people define a trophy-whore as someone who likes to collect trophies, but it's so much more than that. The trophy-whore sells his opinion. The games that the trophy-whore is looking for is not the games he enjoys playing the most or the game that he can enjoy with his friends, it's the number of trophies and wether they are bronze, silver or gold that makes the final decision for him. The trophy-whore finds nothing wrong with blowing up an ally if he gets a trophy for it.
Everybody has seen an anti-trophy-whore pop up whenever the discussion comes to trophies. The ATW (let's just call them that) will probably have posted something related to "I don't force myself to collect trophies." or "Trophies mean nothing, proove it in a 1-on-1 quickscope match and we'll see who's 1337!" The ATW will also believe he is quite better than those who seem to enjoy receiving a hard earned platinum. You see, the ATW didn't fall for the trap that was planted by "the rich corporations of capitalism".
The golden middle is a gamer who has a casual attitude towards trophies. I know they are there, if the gamer truly enjoy a game or the platinum is quite challening and the gamer enjoys a challenge (challenging games are getting rather rare) the gamer may just try to get it (if he's bored and he's not to busy with his newest game). Generally a nice person.
I definately believe that a part of the original reason for trophies was re-play value, but there's no doubt in my mind that a other part of it was to increase the sales of the games and their additions that came with trophies. Microsoft had Achievements and they were alright popular among the gamers so of course SONY decided to adapt it to the PlayStation.
Now, a lot of producers use this system to their advantage. They reward the player for trying everything there is to try and collect everything that is to collect. I like how Assassin's Creed, Uncharted and other alike games use the trophies to ensure that the player has the ultimate gaming experience. The player finds him self in a massive, incredibly beautiful environment and receives trophies for exploring it and collecting and trying out everything the gamer can find. I value that.
Then we have producers that use it to get the trophy-whores' attention. Terminator is a good excample of this, a terrible game that an average player could easily beat over a weekend, and get a gold trophy for every beaten level.
The trophies have set their mark on the gaming community. There are trophy-whores, anti-trophy-whores and then the golden middle. So most people define a trophy-whore as someone who likes to collect trophies, but it's so much more than that. The trophy-whore sells his opinion. The games that the trophy-whore is looking for is not the games he enjoys playing the most or the game that he can enjoy with his friends, it's the number of trophies and wether they are bronze, silver or gold that makes the final decision for him. The trophy-whore finds nothing wrong with blowing up an ally if he gets a trophy for it.
Everybody has seen an anti-trophy-whore pop up whenever the discussion comes to trophies. The ATW (let's just call them that) will probably have posted something related to "I don't force myself to collect trophies." or "Trophies mean nothing, proove it in a 1-on-1 quickscope match and we'll see who's 1337!" The ATW will also believe he is quite better than those who seem to enjoy receiving a hard earned platinum. You see, the ATW didn't fall for the trap that was planted by "the rich corporations of capitalism".
The golden middle is a gamer who has a casual attitude towards trophies. I know they are there, if the gamer truly enjoy a game or the platinum is quite challening and the gamer enjoys a challenge (challenging games are getting rather rare) the gamer may just try to get it (if he's bored and he's not to busy with his newest game). Generally a nice person.
Why you should play: NieR.
Ah, NieR. An (apparently) low-budget game that saw unfaborable reviews, and that wasn't a success. Yet, it is one of the best games I've played this generation- a heart-wrenching story about a father, going through incredible ordeals, the only reason of doing so being his daughter's life.
A game where characterization is incredible- one of the best-written, most charismatic characters in the history of videogames being right there, in that game. Oh, he's also a book.
Your companions will laugh, will cry- will yell, will curse, will feel.
Incredible voice acting and writing would be two common praises- whereas gameplay may fall short, but boss battles are incredible. Graphics are rather bad, however.
It is a game that accomplishes something incredible: Making you feel. Feel sorry for the characters, feel sad because of the story- even shed tears in certain moments, it's there; the emotion.
An incredibly well thought-out world accompanies the amazing story presented in this game, as well. And, by last, the music. I'll embed a video of my favorite track in the game, just for the sake of it.
NieR is a criminally underrated and overlooked videogame I couldn't recommend more, I kid not. What is one of the best games this generation of videogames, stagnant with shallow experiences and flash over substance- a game that does things right, that gets to stand out, and gets to pull the strings of your heart. Mellow beats will accompany a certain character cursing you- and cursing god, for the death of her lifelong companion. A game where evil is not necessarily evil, when good is not good- when there's no such silly morality, instead opting for different points of view. A game that makes you feel horrible, for once. "Nothing is at it seems" is written on the box- and my friend, take those words to heart.
"No sympathy for your enemies, nothing shall stop your path" is a common theme; "Do you want me to feel SORRY for you?!" the main character yells in the saddening finale- ignorant to what he just did. He will push foward, not to be stopped by dreams, hopes, or the righteousness of what he's doing.
It feels all like a sick, twisted play- Misunderstandings, bloodshed, sadness- dancing with laughs, smiles, and jokes. It's a game I can't help but love because of that- because it avoids being dull, morally correct, and plain silly. Because it shows the grand best and worst of the human condition, questioning states of mind, philosophy, society and even humanity itself; all written masterfully like few videogames have done, to boot.
Sadly, however- the game is not without flaws. What many would argue are HORRIBLE side-quests plague the game- though the keyword is "side", as they obligatory are not. Push foward with the actual story, and you shouldn't see any issues.
The combat feels rather archaic for some, as well- lack of a lock-on button being a main criticism.
However, for a game that touched be so much- that I remember, even after months of beating it, I must say I overlooked those flaws easily.
The game may start off slow, and may not appeal to some- In fact, it has some questionable design choices; yet I just loved it, and I'm not afraid of recommending it to everyone I know.
Did I mention there's BOAR DRIFTING? Yes, you heard that right. Boar Drifting.
Go ahead, give it a try. The game's quite cheap nowadays, and it's an experience I feel not many should miss on; a really unique game that tells an incredible, shockingly well written tale unlike any other; accompanied by some awe-inspiring music, and that gets to be original; unique, and rather quirky, depending of your tastes. One of the most memorable games of 2010- scrap that, of this generation, NieR was for me.
That is why I wrote this blog post, recommending it to you, folks. If you appreciate a truly mature, deep, well-written and engrossing story, strengthened by incredible characters and great audio, NieR may be one of the best experiences you can have in this current generation of videogames.
A game where characterization is incredible- one of the best-written, most charismatic characters in the history of videogames being right there, in that game. Oh, he's also a book.
Your companions will laugh, will cry- will yell, will curse, will feel.
Incredible voice acting and writing would be two common praises- whereas gameplay may fall short, but boss battles are incredible. Graphics are rather bad, however.
It is a game that accomplishes something incredible: Making you feel. Feel sorry for the characters, feel sad because of the story- even shed tears in certain moments, it's there; the emotion.
An incredibly well thought-out world accompanies the amazing story presented in this game, as well. And, by last, the music. I'll embed a video of my favorite track in the game, just for the sake of it.
NieR is a criminally underrated and overlooked videogame I couldn't recommend more, I kid not. What is one of the best games this generation of videogames, stagnant with shallow experiences and flash over substance- a game that does things right, that gets to stand out, and gets to pull the strings of your heart. Mellow beats will accompany a certain character cursing you- and cursing god, for the death of her lifelong companion. A game where evil is not necessarily evil, when good is not good- when there's no such silly morality, instead opting for different points of view. A game that makes you feel horrible, for once. "Nothing is at it seems" is written on the box- and my friend, take those words to heart.
"No sympathy for your enemies, nothing shall stop your path" is a common theme; "Do you want me to feel SORRY for you?!" the main character yells in the saddening finale- ignorant to what he just did. He will push foward, not to be stopped by dreams, hopes, or the righteousness of what he's doing.
It feels all like a sick, twisted play- Misunderstandings, bloodshed, sadness- dancing with laughs, smiles, and jokes. It's a game I can't help but love because of that- because it avoids being dull, morally correct, and plain silly. Because it shows the grand best and worst of the human condition, questioning states of mind, philosophy, society and even humanity itself; all written masterfully like few videogames have done, to boot.
Sadly, however- the game is not without flaws. What many would argue are HORRIBLE side-quests plague the game- though the keyword is "side", as they obligatory are not. Push foward with the actual story, and you shouldn't see any issues.
The combat feels rather archaic for some, as well- lack of a lock-on button being a main criticism.
However, for a game that touched be so much- that I remember, even after months of beating it, I must say I overlooked those flaws easily.
The game may start off slow, and may not appeal to some- In fact, it has some questionable design choices; yet I just loved it, and I'm not afraid of recommending it to everyone I know.
Did I mention there's BOAR DRIFTING? Yes, you heard that right. Boar Drifting.
Go ahead, give it a try. The game's quite cheap nowadays, and it's an experience I feel not many should miss on; a really unique game that tells an incredible, shockingly well written tale unlike any other; accompanied by some awe-inspiring music, and that gets to be original; unique, and rather quirky, depending of your tastes. One of the most memorable games of 2010- scrap that, of this generation, NieR was for me.
That is why I wrote this blog post, recommending it to you, folks. If you appreciate a truly mature, deep, well-written and engrossing story, strengthened by incredible characters and great audio, NieR may be one of the best experiences you can have in this current generation of videogames.
Things that need improving in gt5
1. The force feedback
lets be honest here its rubbish, its just heavy. Theres no sense of feel, don't get me wrong I like the weight. Its just sometimes like when your over steering or under steering you want the wheel to go light to mimic loosing grip. I would also like more options, most driving sims come with a wealth of options like dead zone, force feedback strength and sensitivity. GT5 calls itself the real driving simulator and yet I don't think it takes itself seriously enough.
2. The graphics
From inside the car no other game can touch GT5, but switch to the exterior view and your greeted with backgrounds that wouldn't look out of place on the wii. The shadows are still broken except on Tsabuka where they are perfect. There's still an effect when spray or dust is being kicked up by the car. Surely Polyphony Digital can patch these things because one of my favorite things to do in GT since number 3 is to watch the replays, they used to look stunning. Now they are full of jaggies, the shadows are either jagged or flickering and it ruins the experience for me.
3. The online experience
There's not enough options for me, take Forza 3. It has a load of playlists to try, my favorite being the production hoppers. The new PP system is a good idea but what i'm finding is people are setting up rooms with PP settings that are perfect for them and the car they have chosen but for you not so much, there are alot of cars in gt5 so the chances of you having the same or something similar is nil. I'd like to see some playlists designed to get people racing in in similar cars instead of 900bhp monsters, because that's what GT5 is all about, the racing and there isn't enough of it.
4. The price of cars
I wasn't lucky enough to know people who could send me the jaguar, ferrari, ford or alfa romeo 20,000,000 cr cars and I have finished A-spec mode. I have about 3,000,000 cr. Thats along way from the 80,000,000 I need to purchase these cars. Why put them at such a steep price, i'm sure some people have the time to make that amount of cr but i'm not one of them. I earned myself an X1 by completing the vettel challenge but that car is useless. Why not put some new championships in where you have the chance too win them cars, I see know other way I'm going to be able to own them.
5. Standard cars
I understand that the amount of detail in the premium cars meant that not all 1000 cars could achieve that amount of detail. But the cars don't even look as good as gt4s cars. I hope that this can be updated because again alot of the cars I like, including the m3csl and the e55 amg are standard cars and they look horrid. The patches keep coming but these issues are being ignored.
I take part in a weekly series called SSCS (Saturday stock car series) and the organizer is looking for more racers, head over to gt planet to see if your interested. search virtualbornracer or SSCS. The image was taken from one of my first races and as you can see its a close race. What would you like to see improved or added to gt5.
lets be honest here its rubbish, its just heavy. Theres no sense of feel, don't get me wrong I like the weight. Its just sometimes like when your over steering or under steering you want the wheel to go light to mimic loosing grip. I would also like more options, most driving sims come with a wealth of options like dead zone, force feedback strength and sensitivity. GT5 calls itself the real driving simulator and yet I don't think it takes itself seriously enough.
2. The graphics
From inside the car no other game can touch GT5, but switch to the exterior view and your greeted with backgrounds that wouldn't look out of place on the wii. The shadows are still broken except on Tsabuka where they are perfect. There's still an effect when spray or dust is being kicked up by the car. Surely Polyphony Digital can patch these things because one of my favorite things to do in GT since number 3 is to watch the replays, they used to look stunning. Now they are full of jaggies, the shadows are either jagged or flickering and it ruins the experience for me.
3. The online experience
There's not enough options for me, take Forza 3. It has a load of playlists to try, my favorite being the production hoppers. The new PP system is a good idea but what i'm finding is people are setting up rooms with PP settings that are perfect for them and the car they have chosen but for you not so much, there are alot of cars in gt5 so the chances of you having the same or something similar is nil. I'd like to see some playlists designed to get people racing in in similar cars instead of 900bhp monsters, because that's what GT5 is all about, the racing and there isn't enough of it.
4. The price of cars
I wasn't lucky enough to know people who could send me the jaguar, ferrari, ford or alfa romeo 20,000,000 cr cars and I have finished A-spec mode. I have about 3,000,000 cr. Thats along way from the 80,000,000 I need to purchase these cars. Why put them at such a steep price, i'm sure some people have the time to make that amount of cr but i'm not one of them. I earned myself an X1 by completing the vettel challenge but that car is useless. Why not put some new championships in where you have the chance too win them cars, I see know other way I'm going to be able to own them.
5. Standard cars
I understand that the amount of detail in the premium cars meant that not all 1000 cars could achieve that amount of detail. But the cars don't even look as good as gt4s cars. I hope that this can be updated because again alot of the cars I like, including the m3csl and the e55 amg are standard cars and they look horrid. The patches keep coming but these issues are being ignored.
I take part in a weekly series called SSCS (Saturday stock car series) and the organizer is looking for more racers, head over to gt planet to see if your interested. search virtualbornracer or SSCS. The image was taken from one of my first races and as you can see its a close race. What would you like to see improved or added to gt5.
The Witcher 2: An RPG, Not a Story-Driven Action Game
I did it, I asked the number one most obnoxious question you can possibly ask someone associated with the Witcher titles. I did it shamelessly, with reckless abandon, with reference to their website's job listings and interviews where they've mentioned it as an in-house project, I did it with the sort of desperation born of true longing: I asked about The Witcher 2 on consoles. With Tom Ohle stubbornly mute on the topic and no timeline for a console release, we'll have to content ourselves with the much more finite - and very beautiful - PC version.
What Ohle, who moved GDC mountains to meet with me, *is* talking about are the game's (new) engine, areas, quest structures, and sexy time with a succubus. Visiting an area of the game, one that Ohle describes as "a town that, depending on the choices you made before this, you might actually not see at all", we pick up a quest to follow up on some missing young men. Definitely suspicious, and as the Witcher we mostly suspect monsters. While traveling to the destination, we come across guards fighting demons and have the option to sort of skirt the battle and let them continue to fight it out, or dive in. Since the games enemies do not scale there will be times to embrace the flight response, instead of fight.
The combat system of the first game has received a total overhaul. It's all real time with full control over combat moves allowing you to parry, dodge and mix in fast attacks with heavier ones for combos. Intriguingly scaleable, the easiest setting makes combat more of an afterthought. The idea is that the combat will be easy to learn for story-focused players. Those inclined to war achieve greater combat depth as they get better with moves and spells. "You can get into fights that last a long time", Ohle says, and on higher difficulties the combat is more rewarding. Equipped with two swords, one steel and the other silver, the intention is to use the former against humans, who are weak to steel, while reserving the silver sword for spirits or similar beasties. Supplementing this is your arsenal of magic including a fireball, an electric shield and a push move. When you first acquire the shield it deflects attacks, the second level damages enemies and at the level shown in the demo it creates a chain reaction among enemies (I was reminded of the Tesla Barrier from Ratchet and Clank!).
Upon arriving at a some catacombs chock full of angry spirits in the walls, I discover that striking a wall with magic is a good way to make angry spirits angrier. After defeating the spirits we discover a young man, already dead, and are able to use Witcher-CSI skills to examine the body and conclude that a succubus is at fault. Geralt sees that the boy is clutching some love poems, which sends him straight back to pal Dandelion, bard, poet and licentious in his own right. A little persuasion gets Dandelion to go along with your scheme to catch the succubus, and lands him in her lair while Geralt waits outside - I guess to give Dandelion a little privacy? For anyone spoiling to nail a succubus - er, for crimes committed or more intimately - bad news: turns out one of her bespelled gents is in a jealous snit and killing all her lovers. Of course, you could kill first, ask no questions later, bringing the search to rather abrupt halt in one of the many choices the game affords. Then, no matter what you choose, the curtain falls on the demo lest we learn too much!
I appreciate their guardedness with the story, I don't want any spoilers, and I don't like any of you enough to beg for them! Importing your save from the first game does affect the story in Assassins of Kings, but if you didn't play you won't be lost, just perhaps a little less likely to pick up lore nuance. Major decisions will carry over, and the sequel's story picks up where the first left off, with Geralt going to investigate assassinations. Very early on in the story there is a significant twist, and where the first game was in one kingdom the events of Witcher 2 are a bit more broad: there are whole nations to visit - or not - based on the choices made. Progressing in chapters you travel to different locations that, once the chapter is complete, you can't return. This is an interesting story-telling technique that will have the player feeling like they are moving through a tale woven with smaller stories within each chapter. Lending emphasis and structure is Dandelion, Geralt's BFF who, having a way with words, has written the journal in the game.
Absent from Witcher 2 are volumes of tiny side quests, opting instead for a smattering of those among meatier questing options. "In the first game there were a lot of quests where you ended up having to run back and forth between areas and you spent a lot of time like that, and then you say 'Oh, yeah it was 80 hours of gameplay'. Well, a lot of that was spent kind of running around the same areas", Ohle comments. "There's a lot more focus on trying to get to the point and spend more time exploring the world or actually being in gameplay." Behaving in a way that is more real, more human, is evidenced in little touches like the ability to interrupt dialogue if you prefer - rather than nodding along and giving an abrupt, albeit polite, "Goodbye" at obligatory conversation end.
Also on show during the demo was a Dwarven pub, where you can pick up info and both make and spend money on games like arm wrestling and poker dice - games that actually require a bit of skill, as Ohle pointed out by promptly losing at a round of poker dice. The arm wrestling has you keeping mouse and cursor within a slider on the screen, and was a close match as the difficulty does increase as you progress. The fighting game, a QTE, was a fun bout of mini game melee, very different from the more visceral combat outside the pub.
As the succubus quest might indicate, the sexiness of the series is still in play, just a little more tastefully done than collectible cards. As Ohle says, "the sexuality is really more a part of the story and it's presented a lot more cinematically." The morality is more than good or evil, instead creating choices that aren't purely binary, quests that will mold the story for the player around the decisions they make. The desire to use a more realistic, shades-of-grey choice system is part of what pushed the team to abandon Bioware's Aurora engine and create their own. Called the RED Engine and built from the ground up for RPGs, citing problems of the Aurora game engine like binary choice options and load screens, Ohle comments that "It's very rare that you find loading screens" in the Witcher 2. And when asked if the engine would work for console development? "Yeah, basically it has been built so that it'll utilize, it'll work with consoles."
Choices, those decisions made between evil and the lesser of, these are what I increasingly crave from my RPG experience. "Non-linearity, and being able to define how you play the game I think is probably one of the biggest things in Western RPGs. With a lot of Japanese RPGs, they really tend to be kind of 'here's your path', it's very linear, and you're kind of, I wouldn't even call it role-playing within that you're just kind of, I mean they're story driven action games for the large part, right?," Ohle explained, "[…]in Final Fantasy, you're not really role-playing per se. I dunno, I used to call them RPGs, too, I played them, it's just…I think it's quite a bit different now where in this case you're actually really deciding how you want to play the game, and being able to develop your character a certain way." With sixteen different end states for the game, that's not just boasting. In Witcher 2 it seems that choices will matter for more than just a hollow second playthrough as the counter to your first character.
Witcher 2 looks beautiful, it just does. It's identifiably The Witcher, compellingly so - after all, smack in the middle of my demo and interview with Ohle, a guy interrupts to ask how we got the game! From that point forward he lurks in the periphery, staring hungrily at the screen, because once you see it you can't deny its draw. "One of the things the team wanted to do with the environments was really make sure that each place that you go to really had a distinct feel to it", Ohle commented, an effort with success evidenced in the architecture and the forest canopy, the colors and detail. It's more than appreciation for the mountain they've tackled in creating their own engine coloring my thoughts, The Witcher 2 is hand-crafted, made with love.
For RPG fans, 2007's The Witcher seems an achingly long age ago, and May 17th's Witcher 2 release can't come soon enough.
What Ohle, who moved GDC mountains to meet with me, *is* talking about are the game's (new) engine, areas, quest structures, and sexy time with a succubus. Visiting an area of the game, one that Ohle describes as "a town that, depending on the choices you made before this, you might actually not see at all", we pick up a quest to follow up on some missing young men. Definitely suspicious, and as the Witcher we mostly suspect monsters. While traveling to the destination, we come across guards fighting demons and have the option to sort of skirt the battle and let them continue to fight it out, or dive in. Since the games enemies do not scale there will be times to embrace the flight response, instead of fight.
The combat system of the first game has received a total overhaul. It's all real time with full control over combat moves allowing you to parry, dodge and mix in fast attacks with heavier ones for combos. Intriguingly scaleable, the easiest setting makes combat more of an afterthought. The idea is that the combat will be easy to learn for story-focused players. Those inclined to war achieve greater combat depth as they get better with moves and spells. "You can get into fights that last a long time", Ohle says, and on higher difficulties the combat is more rewarding. Equipped with two swords, one steel and the other silver, the intention is to use the former against humans, who are weak to steel, while reserving the silver sword for spirits or similar beasties. Supplementing this is your arsenal of magic including a fireball, an electric shield and a push move. When you first acquire the shield it deflects attacks, the second level damages enemies and at the level shown in the demo it creates a chain reaction among enemies (I was reminded of the Tesla Barrier from Ratchet and Clank!).
Upon arriving at a some catacombs chock full of angry spirits in the walls, I discover that striking a wall with magic is a good way to make angry spirits angrier. After defeating the spirits we discover a young man, already dead, and are able to use Witcher-CSI skills to examine the body and conclude that a succubus is at fault. Geralt sees that the boy is clutching some love poems, which sends him straight back to pal Dandelion, bard, poet and licentious in his own right. A little persuasion gets Dandelion to go along with your scheme to catch the succubus, and lands him in her lair while Geralt waits outside - I guess to give Dandelion a little privacy? For anyone spoiling to nail a succubus - er, for crimes committed or more intimately - bad news: turns out one of her bespelled gents is in a jealous snit and killing all her lovers. Of course, you could kill first, ask no questions later, bringing the search to rather abrupt halt in one of the many choices the game affords. Then, no matter what you choose, the curtain falls on the demo lest we learn too much!
I appreciate their guardedness with the story, I don't want any spoilers, and I don't like any of you enough to beg for them! Importing your save from the first game does affect the story in Assassins of Kings, but if you didn't play you won't be lost, just perhaps a little less likely to pick up lore nuance. Major decisions will carry over, and the sequel's story picks up where the first left off, with Geralt going to investigate assassinations. Very early on in the story there is a significant twist, and where the first game was in one kingdom the events of Witcher 2 are a bit more broad: there are whole nations to visit - or not - based on the choices made. Progressing in chapters you travel to different locations that, once the chapter is complete, you can't return. This is an interesting story-telling technique that will have the player feeling like they are moving through a tale woven with smaller stories within each chapter. Lending emphasis and structure is Dandelion, Geralt's BFF who, having a way with words, has written the journal in the game.
Absent from Witcher 2 are volumes of tiny side quests, opting instead for a smattering of those among meatier questing options. "In the first game there were a lot of quests where you ended up having to run back and forth between areas and you spent a lot of time like that, and then you say 'Oh, yeah it was 80 hours of gameplay'. Well, a lot of that was spent kind of running around the same areas", Ohle comments. "There's a lot more focus on trying to get to the point and spend more time exploring the world or actually being in gameplay." Behaving in a way that is more real, more human, is evidenced in little touches like the ability to interrupt dialogue if you prefer - rather than nodding along and giving an abrupt, albeit polite, "Goodbye" at obligatory conversation end.
Also on show during the demo was a Dwarven pub, where you can pick up info and both make and spend money on games like arm wrestling and poker dice - games that actually require a bit of skill, as Ohle pointed out by promptly losing at a round of poker dice. The arm wrestling has you keeping mouse and cursor within a slider on the screen, and was a close match as the difficulty does increase as you progress. The fighting game, a QTE, was a fun bout of mini game melee, very different from the more visceral combat outside the pub.
As the succubus quest might indicate, the sexiness of the series is still in play, just a little more tastefully done than collectible cards. As Ohle says, "the sexuality is really more a part of the story and it's presented a lot more cinematically." The morality is more than good or evil, instead creating choices that aren't purely binary, quests that will mold the story for the player around the decisions they make. The desire to use a more realistic, shades-of-grey choice system is part of what pushed the team to abandon Bioware's Aurora engine and create their own. Called the RED Engine and built from the ground up for RPGs, citing problems of the Aurora game engine like binary choice options and load screens, Ohle comments that "It's very rare that you find loading screens" in the Witcher 2. And when asked if the engine would work for console development? "Yeah, basically it has been built so that it'll utilize, it'll work with consoles."
Choices, those decisions made between evil and the lesser of, these are what I increasingly crave from my RPG experience. "Non-linearity, and being able to define how you play the game I think is probably one of the biggest things in Western RPGs. With a lot of Japanese RPGs, they really tend to be kind of 'here's your path', it's very linear, and you're kind of, I wouldn't even call it role-playing within that you're just kind of, I mean they're story driven action games for the large part, right?," Ohle explained, "[…]in Final Fantasy, you're not really role-playing per se. I dunno, I used to call them RPGs, too, I played them, it's just…I think it's quite a bit different now where in this case you're actually really deciding how you want to play the game, and being able to develop your character a certain way." With sixteen different end states for the game, that's not just boasting. In Witcher 2 it seems that choices will matter for more than just a hollow second playthrough as the counter to your first character.
Witcher 2 looks beautiful, it just does. It's identifiably The Witcher, compellingly so - after all, smack in the middle of my demo and interview with Ohle, a guy interrupts to ask how we got the game! From that point forward he lurks in the periphery, staring hungrily at the screen, because once you see it you can't deny its draw. "One of the things the team wanted to do with the environments was really make sure that each place that you go to really had a distinct feel to it", Ohle commented, an effort with success evidenced in the architecture and the forest canopy, the colors and detail. It's more than appreciation for the mountain they've tackled in creating their own engine coloring my thoughts, The Witcher 2 is hand-crafted, made with love.
For RPG fans, 2007's The Witcher seems an achingly long age ago, and May 17th's Witcher 2 release can't come soon enough.
No one wins the Console War
Everywhere, on the internet, on the streets, with your friends, people argue about gaming consoles, and frequently the argument PS3 vs. 360 comes to mind. People can argue about it all they want and will typically never get anywhere.
With a true competition a winner is determined in the end; the same goes for everything, even Politics, where once a winner was determined these arguments died off, becoming very rare, and in most cases pointless.
However it is different gaming, in this so called “console war” no winner is ever determined, no console will be the one at the top, no console will be the “champion of consoles.” So what are we really fighting for?
That is a question that comes to mind frequently, are we fighting for sales? Are we trying to prove that the system we use is better? Is there a reason we should fight and argue which one is better?
In contests we are fighting over that vote, we are fighting to show that our side is better so that side can win and be the ones with the trophie, be the one in command. But when it comes to consoles people fight, just to fight.
Commonly people say that Xbox 360 is winning, but what is the criteria to determine that? Who said Xbox live has better features, and who’s to say Playstation exclusives are better than 360 exclusives, this is all opinion, and there are no hard facts.
In this generation you either like the PS3 and hate the 360 or visa-versa. I personally love all three consoles and think they are all great systems, but the second I say I prefer Gran Turismo 5 over Forza 3 I get called a PS3 fanboy. A while ago I wrote three articles on the cons of each system, and in both the PS3 and Xbox 360 articles, I got called a PS3 or Xbox fanboy. It seems being neutral in this generation just isn’t allowed.
I could go on about this all day but seeing people didn't come here to read a 1000 word write up ill stop at this; No matter how much you fight, no matter how many people you cuss at online, there will never be a winner, because in my opinion, all consoles this generation have successfully funded their company's, making them all winners.
With a true competition a winner is determined in the end; the same goes for everything, even Politics, where once a winner was determined these arguments died off, becoming very rare, and in most cases pointless.
However it is different gaming, in this so called “console war” no winner is ever determined, no console will be the one at the top, no console will be the “champion of consoles.” So what are we really fighting for?
That is a question that comes to mind frequently, are we fighting for sales? Are we trying to prove that the system we use is better? Is there a reason we should fight and argue which one is better?
In contests we are fighting over that vote, we are fighting to show that our side is better so that side can win and be the ones with the trophie, be the one in command. But when it comes to consoles people fight, just to fight.
Commonly people say that Xbox 360 is winning, but what is the criteria to determine that? Who said Xbox live has better features, and who’s to say Playstation exclusives are better than 360 exclusives, this is all opinion, and there are no hard facts.
In this generation you either like the PS3 and hate the 360 or visa-versa. I personally love all three consoles and think they are all great systems, but the second I say I prefer Gran Turismo 5 over Forza 3 I get called a PS3 fanboy. A while ago I wrote three articles on the cons of each system, and in both the PS3 and Xbox 360 articles, I got called a PS3 or Xbox fanboy. It seems being neutral in this generation just isn’t allowed.
I could go on about this all day but seeing people didn't come here to read a 1000 word write up ill stop at this; No matter how much you fight, no matter how many people you cuss at online, there will never be a winner, because in my opinion, all consoles this generation have successfully funded their company's, making them all winners.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Why Metal Gear Solid: Rising will be awesome
I am a huge fan of the Metal Gear Solid series. I love all the characters. The only character that got on my nerves was Raiden. He was a whiny wimpy kid in Metal Gear Solid 2. However in MGS4 he was seen as a cyborg. A bad ass cyborg too! I now have much more respect for the character.
Konami has announced that Metal Gear Solid: Rising will be coming out next year. I really think that this game will be just as good as the previous games. Read on to hear my reasons:
1. The game will have improved stealth elements. According to the creative producer Shigenobu Matsuyuma, Raiden will have robotic augmentations that will enhance its speed and flexibility. So your playing like a ninja instead of a normal person. Matsuyuma stated that players will use "Hunting stealth" instead of the "Waiting stealth" of previous games.
2. The game is an interquel, meaining that it takes place between two previous installments. Rising takes place in between MGS2 and MGS4. You will find out what happened to Raiden after the events of MGS2.
3. You can cut virtually ANYTHING you see. You can even cut enemies or cyborgs open in order to obtain things such as batteries that Raiden can use to restore his health.
4. Solid Snake was exclusive to Playstation, but not Raiden. You will be able to enjoy this game on Xbox 360, PC, and PS3.
5. The PS3 version will be in 3D. Awesome.
I just really hope that Konami doesn't screw this up. I really want this game to work!
Konami has announced that Metal Gear Solid: Rising will be coming out next year. I really think that this game will be just as good as the previous games. Read on to hear my reasons:
1. The game will have improved stealth elements. According to the creative producer Shigenobu Matsuyuma, Raiden will have robotic augmentations that will enhance its speed and flexibility. So your playing like a ninja instead of a normal person. Matsuyuma stated that players will use "Hunting stealth" instead of the "Waiting stealth" of previous games.
2. The game is an interquel, meaining that it takes place between two previous installments. Rising takes place in between MGS2 and MGS4. You will find out what happened to Raiden after the events of MGS2.
3. You can cut virtually ANYTHING you see. You can even cut enemies or cyborgs open in order to obtain things such as batteries that Raiden can use to restore his health.
4. Solid Snake was exclusive to Playstation, but not Raiden. You will be able to enjoy this game on Xbox 360, PC, and PS3.
5. The PS3 version will be in 3D. Awesome.
I just really hope that Konami doesn't screw this up. I really want this game to work!
Regretably Rationalizing Remakes
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
***************************** **********************
The launch of new gaming hardware exposes a distinct dichotomy in terms of industry response. In one corner we have the gamer and the gaming media who receive the temporally Olympic event with great excitement and joy. In the other corner, we have the developers, console makers and publisher, who put on a brave face while accountants and shareholders assume the fetal position.
Mo hardware, mo problems
************************
For the latter group, new hardware represents significant expenditure. It also represents a chicken and egg scenario. In order to sell games, hardware must be sold. However, to get that hardware sold, games must be available. It is to this end, that many launch titles assume to role of the sacrificial lamb. They are put out and slowly assimilated in an effort to move that initial hardware. In short, huge losses can sometimes be incurred. Worse case scenario- platform death
A Brave New World
*****************
Over the years, the various players in the console game have devised various coping mechanisms to deal with this. We have the "walk the plank" approach, where the old hardware is abruptly abandoned and the desire for new games and hardware nudges you forward. We now have the extended life cycle/future-proofing approach where the life cycle is set to be extended beyond the usual 5 years. We're only now getting to the point at which we see how that turns out.
Reincarnation Tiem
*******************
During this console generation, we saw the rise of the re-make. Nintendo realized that they had a brand new audience that were never exposed to their classics. Sony realized that many gamers wanted to re-live certain titles in glorious HD. For different reasons, remakes were undertaken and proven successful.
Re-cycling the imagination
**************************
This success, gave birth to a new launch approach by nintendo. Rather than create new games/IPs for launch, an old title could be re-tooled at low cost for a new platform, thus bolstering the launch library. This seems to have been the thinking during the build-up to the 3DS launch. It has received a mixed response.
When Sony began to reveal the library to the vita, a few familiar faces were seen. Titles like mod-nation racers and LBP were teased, and given the poor sales on the psp, i fully expected these to be re-makes. This has not been the case. Why then, did they not take the nintendo path?
One answer, no doubt, lies in the response that the strategy had already received. But, for the sake of argument, there may be other factors that they took into consideration.
The build up to the launch of a console represents an apogee in terms of consumer interest and attention. All eyes are on the new baby. The eyes of fans and detractors alike. It is a time to amaze and dazzle. It also represents an opportunity to define your console and the experience to be had. So while the re-make sounds good on paper, it can be detrimental to your console in the court of public opinion. Face it, when any new title is announced by nintendo with the "3DS" tag, the first instinct now is to find out if its a remake or not. That is not a good image to have.
Two psychological elements contribute to lure of gaming to the human mind. New environments and reward systems. It contributes to much of the addictiveness of games. By taking one of these out of the equation, the allure of what you do is greatly diminished.
Hindsight - Not available in 3D
*****************************
Nintendo launched a console where the main feature could not be shown readily to the masses via traditional means. They compounded this problem by promising titles that have already seen. They combined what could not be seen with what has already been seen, and the reaction in many corners has been "meh."
While remakes and re-releases are no doubt going to be a staple of the Vita experience, Sony chose to side-step these words thus far.Sony has focused on what is new to their device (inputs, controls) and gave little indication that they will be looking back (sideways yes, back no).Unlike Nintendo, they remembered the value of making a good first impression.
I can't help but think that nintendo need to distance themselves from their remake mantra. I would very much like them to shift gears and focus on the new and exciting for the 3DS. They are no doubt capable of this.
***************************** **********************
The launch of new gaming hardware exposes a distinct dichotomy in terms of industry response. In one corner we have the gamer and the gaming media who receive the temporally Olympic event with great excitement and joy. In the other corner, we have the developers, console makers and publisher, who put on a brave face while accountants and shareholders assume the fetal position.
Mo hardware, mo problems
************************
For the latter group, new hardware represents significant expenditure. It also represents a chicken and egg scenario. In order to sell games, hardware must be sold. However, to get that hardware sold, games must be available. It is to this end, that many launch titles assume to role of the sacrificial lamb. They are put out and slowly assimilated in an effort to move that initial hardware. In short, huge losses can sometimes be incurred. Worse case scenario- platform death
A Brave New World
*****************
Over the years, the various players in the console game have devised various coping mechanisms to deal with this. We have the "walk the plank" approach, where the old hardware is abruptly abandoned and the desire for new games and hardware nudges you forward. We now have the extended life cycle/future-proofing approach where the life cycle is set to be extended beyond the usual 5 years. We're only now getting to the point at which we see how that turns out.
Reincarnation Tiem
*******************
During this console generation, we saw the rise of the re-make. Nintendo realized that they had a brand new audience that were never exposed to their classics. Sony realized that many gamers wanted to re-live certain titles in glorious HD. For different reasons, remakes were undertaken and proven successful.
Re-cycling the imagination
**************************
This success, gave birth to a new launch approach by nintendo. Rather than create new games/IPs for launch, an old title could be re-tooled at low cost for a new platform, thus bolstering the launch library. This seems to have been the thinking during the build-up to the 3DS launch. It has received a mixed response.
When Sony began to reveal the library to the vita, a few familiar faces were seen. Titles like mod-nation racers and LBP were teased, and given the poor sales on the psp, i fully expected these to be re-makes. This has not been the case. Why then, did they not take the nintendo path?
One answer, no doubt, lies in the response that the strategy had already received. But, for the sake of argument, there may be other factors that they took into consideration.
The build up to the launch of a console represents an apogee in terms of consumer interest and attention. All eyes are on the new baby. The eyes of fans and detractors alike. It is a time to amaze and dazzle. It also represents an opportunity to define your console and the experience to be had. So while the re-make sounds good on paper, it can be detrimental to your console in the court of public opinion. Face it, when any new title is announced by nintendo with the "3DS" tag, the first instinct now is to find out if its a remake or not. That is not a good image to have.
Two psychological elements contribute to lure of gaming to the human mind. New environments and reward systems. It contributes to much of the addictiveness of games. By taking one of these out of the equation, the allure of what you do is greatly diminished.
Hindsight - Not available in 3D
*****************************
Nintendo launched a console where the main feature could not be shown readily to the masses via traditional means. They compounded this problem by promising titles that have already seen. They combined what could not be seen with what has already been seen, and the reaction in many corners has been "meh."
While remakes and re-releases are no doubt going to be a staple of the Vita experience, Sony chose to side-step these words thus far.Sony has focused on what is new to their device (inputs, controls) and gave little indication that they will be looking back (sideways yes, back no).Unlike Nintendo, they remembered the value of making a good first impression.
I can't help but think that nintendo need to distance themselves from their remake mantra. I would very much like them to shift gears and focus on the new and exciting for the 3DS. They are no doubt capable of this.
PS Vita's OLED Screen Not Just for Display
Lol on the people that think the Vita's O.L.E.D. touch screen is just for show and bragging rights.
The OLED screen is one very important & vital component of the PlayStation Vita that makes the PSVita ... the Vita.
Let me explain the five very important reasons why the PS Vita was designed to have the OLED screen.
1) Graphical & Technical Excellence.
Anyone in his right mind knows that OLED is the golden standard by which screens will be measured. Because of its natural characteristics, it displays images with natural colors that are easy on the naked eyes to behold. Its looking at nature itself or natural light that won't hurt your eyes or give you head aches.
2) Battery Life & Power Saving.
Because OLEDs are the source of the screen colors themselves, they don't need a separate layer of LEDs to back light them up like the 3DS have. When it comes to portable devices how long the battery lasts between charging is very crucial and the OLED answers that issue very well.
The PSVita will be the greenest gaming machine ever built.
3) Very Thin & Light Weight Build.
Another crucial criteria for making the ultimate pocket machine. Ever wondered why the Samsung Galaxy S2 is thinner & lighter than the iPhone 4? the answer is ........... OLED :)
4) Multi-Angular Viewing.
OLED just makes sense. If you have a portable gaming machine with six axis, accelerometer & gyroscope game play control mechanics you need a screen that displays the same colors in whatever angle you look at it during game play. The OLED does exactly this! No other current LCD screen technology can do this.
5) Future Proofing.
Anyone in his right mind knows that OLED is the wave of the future for 2D & 3D displays alike. And if you design your portable gaming device to have a 10 year life span, then you need a screen that will stay relevant in 2021. Wow!
Ladies and gentlemen the OLED screen is there for a lot of practical, logical & sensible reasons. Its not just for display.
Oh by the way you can touch it too. :)
OLED ties up many of the features that make the PS Vita one of the most S.E.E. (Safe, Efficient & Economical) piece of gaming hardware I have ever known & seen.
On the software side it has the potential to be the most balanced gaming platform of all time!!!
The OLED screen is one very important & vital component of the PlayStation Vita that makes the PSVita ... the Vita.
Let me explain the five very important reasons why the PS Vita was designed to have the OLED screen.
1) Graphical & Technical Excellence.
Anyone in his right mind knows that OLED is the golden standard by which screens will be measured. Because of its natural characteristics, it displays images with natural colors that are easy on the naked eyes to behold. Its looking at nature itself or natural light that won't hurt your eyes or give you head aches.
2) Battery Life & Power Saving.
Because OLEDs are the source of the screen colors themselves, they don't need a separate layer of LEDs to back light them up like the 3DS have. When it comes to portable devices how long the battery lasts between charging is very crucial and the OLED answers that issue very well.
The PSVita will be the greenest gaming machine ever built.
3) Very Thin & Light Weight Build.
Another crucial criteria for making the ultimate pocket machine. Ever wondered why the Samsung Galaxy S2 is thinner & lighter than the iPhone 4? the answer is ........... OLED :)
4) Multi-Angular Viewing.
OLED just makes sense. If you have a portable gaming machine with six axis, accelerometer & gyroscope game play control mechanics you need a screen that displays the same colors in whatever angle you look at it during game play. The OLED does exactly this! No other current LCD screen technology can do this.
5) Future Proofing.
Anyone in his right mind knows that OLED is the wave of the future for 2D & 3D displays alike. And if you design your portable gaming device to have a 10 year life span, then you need a screen that will stay relevant in 2021. Wow!
Ladies and gentlemen the OLED screen is there for a lot of practical, logical & sensible reasons. Its not just for display.
Oh by the way you can touch it too. :)
OLED ties up many of the features that make the PS Vita one of the most S.E.E. (Safe, Efficient & Economical) piece of gaming hardware I have ever known & seen.
On the software side it has the potential to be the most balanced gaming platform of all time!!!
Uncharted 3 Multiplayer- Thoughts and Concerns
I think it's safe to say that one of the largest concerns anytime a Multiplayer game is made these days is if developers want to “broaden the game to new audiences” This usually implies two things, a) that the game is being casualized, and in doing so, b) it is abandoning fundamental roots that made previous instalments so good.
Thus is the concern I have with UC3 multiplayer. Like Killzone 3 and SOCOM 4, Uncharted 3 is looking to branch out its title to a bigger audience in an attempt to “play with the big dogs”. Naughty Dog has openly stated that it wants to be the go-to multiplayer game and such announcements have never boded well with fans.
My main concern with Uncharted 3 is that some of the boosters and kickback system are potentially horrendous in design. Turning into a swarm of "creepy crawlers", disappearing into a puff of smoke, seeing enemies for simply killing you, and spawning with power weapons for dying by one are some of the rather questionable choices Naughty Dog has included in their Multiplayer.
They are both bizarre and unnecessarily anti-competitive in nature. I don't want to have to have my player show up on an enemy screen for simply killing them. That to me is a rather annoying crutch. Kickbacks like insta-spawning an RPG seem to annoy fans who cry out that it ruins the need for skill. I personally don't mind the idea of kickbacks or boosters, but Naughty Dog seems to have rather odd choices in terms of designing them. So long as there is a classic playlist, I don't see Uncharted 3 being completely lost for older fans.
There is also the major concern about "booster upgrading" as it raises the concern for balancing and keeping boosters properly powered.
I only hope that they can constantly tune their game if the need arises. Perhaps ironic, but I feel that Black Ops did a rather good job at pleasing a multitude of player styles: supporting many subset types of barebones and hardcore playlists, Treyarch is able to keep a large percent of their audience happy. Naughty Dog doesn't have as large a community, and too many playlists may thin out the herd, but here's hoping to a constantly supported multiplayer experience.
I really hope that Naughty Dog can avoid the issue they had with having to change their game almost on its head when they lowered health as it was a rather foolish move when you consider the fact that they could have simply added a crushing playlist (their equivalent of a hardcore mode) One other quiff I have about kickbacks is how any medals seem to contribute to your kickback. It seems rather counter-intuitive to reward medals like “Unlucky” (which I believe is going on a losing streak) towards your kickback.
There is also the issue of power plays. Once again, Naughty Dog mixes some nice sounding objectives (Kill the VIP) with some rather silly ones (everybody turns into skeletons and are indistinguishable for a limited time). I like the idea of Power Plays but I really hope they keep it as an optional play, or at least severely limit the amount of times it gets activated. From what I've seen, power plays are activated automatically. Annoyingly, they seem to happen when teams have a simple 5 point lead. Hopefully this was for demonstration purposes at E3. I'd hate for games to constantly crutch the losing team in this manner.
The Good:
One thing I immediately realized upon seeing UC3 footage was that guns have recoil. A lot of recoil. Not since Killzone 2 have I seen a noticable amount of recoil in many titles, and it is pleasant to see. It seems that you really have to control your fire in order to get a kill.
Kickbacks seem to be well paced. They aren't spammed every 2 seconds like they are in Call of Duty, and they seem to be something that do not get in the way of objective modes as any real achievement is rewarded towards your enhancement. It doesn't seem as over the top, but I'm still rather not looking forward to seeing an enemy instantly turn into pests or disappear into a puff of smoke. I do hope that Naughty Dog has a good variety of kickbacks that aren't over the top.
Split-screen, Uncharted TV, theater mode, customization, private matches, and variety modes like Triple Team Deathmatch are excellent things to spice up the game. All I hope for now is custom in-game music and a deep stat tracking system. They said they want to be competitive, and in my opinion, this is how its done: adding a bevy of content beefs up the core gameplay and really enriches the experience. Gambling money adds to the carrot-on-a-stick mechanic so popular in today's multiplayer games and I'm hopeful to see the other multiplayer modes that are yet to be revealed
The old health seems to have returned. Couple this with the recoil and the core gameplay is looking solid in terms of requiring a decent amount of skill. More importantly, you can escape firefights and actually traverse the environment without dying in 2-3 shots. After all, traversing the environment is what makes Uncharted multiplayer so unique.
There is also the neat little addition of adding a precision dot to the crosshairs. A very small but important addition.
While I'm not a fan of Naughty Dog introducing customizing loadouts, it seems that everybody equally has a restricted choice for their loadout. Best of all is that power weapons are still scattered around the map, meaning that active movement and map control are still key to a good victory. I only hope that they don't go too overboard with weapon attachments and that they keep snipers as power weapons and not a loadout option. As far as I know, loadouts are limited to assault rifles, SMGs, and pistols.
Uncharted 3 multiplayer may be a little too clean-cut to be a major multiplayer player. It's a bit cutesy and friendly, and almost silly, but that is what makes it enjoyable to me. When comparing it to a heavy hitter like Gears 3 and Modern Warfare 3, I doubt Uncharted will manage to stick out as a huge multiplayer game. It's simply not a title associated with multiplayer, perhaps a fault of the title's incredible single player (something a majority of multiplayer games lack these days). It seems then that Uncharted may be its own enemy for multiplayer. However, a lot of people enjoyed Naughty Dog's valiant first effort and Uncharted 3 has been taking a lot of great steps. While there is some concern, I expect Uncharted 3's multiplayer beta to show why the game is a friendly, social, and simply fun experience to have with friends.
Thus is the concern I have with UC3 multiplayer. Like Killzone 3 and SOCOM 4, Uncharted 3 is looking to branch out its title to a bigger audience in an attempt to “play with the big dogs”. Naughty Dog has openly stated that it wants to be the go-to multiplayer game and such announcements have never boded well with fans.
My main concern with Uncharted 3 is that some of the boosters and kickback system are potentially horrendous in design. Turning into a swarm of "creepy crawlers", disappearing into a puff of smoke, seeing enemies for simply killing you, and spawning with power weapons for dying by one are some of the rather questionable choices Naughty Dog has included in their Multiplayer.
They are both bizarre and unnecessarily anti-competitive in nature. I don't want to have to have my player show up on an enemy screen for simply killing them. That to me is a rather annoying crutch. Kickbacks like insta-spawning an RPG seem to annoy fans who cry out that it ruins the need for skill. I personally don't mind the idea of kickbacks or boosters, but Naughty Dog seems to have rather odd choices in terms of designing them. So long as there is a classic playlist, I don't see Uncharted 3 being completely lost for older fans.
There is also the major concern about "booster upgrading" as it raises the concern for balancing and keeping boosters properly powered.
I only hope that they can constantly tune their game if the need arises. Perhaps ironic, but I feel that Black Ops did a rather good job at pleasing a multitude of player styles: supporting many subset types of barebones and hardcore playlists, Treyarch is able to keep a large percent of their audience happy. Naughty Dog doesn't have as large a community, and too many playlists may thin out the herd, but here's hoping to a constantly supported multiplayer experience.
I really hope that Naughty Dog can avoid the issue they had with having to change their game almost on its head when they lowered health as it was a rather foolish move when you consider the fact that they could have simply added a crushing playlist (their equivalent of a hardcore mode) One other quiff I have about kickbacks is how any medals seem to contribute to your kickback. It seems rather counter-intuitive to reward medals like “Unlucky” (which I believe is going on a losing streak) towards your kickback.
There is also the issue of power plays. Once again, Naughty Dog mixes some nice sounding objectives (Kill the VIP) with some rather silly ones (everybody turns into skeletons and are indistinguishable for a limited time). I like the idea of Power Plays but I really hope they keep it as an optional play, or at least severely limit the amount of times it gets activated. From what I've seen, power plays are activated automatically. Annoyingly, they seem to happen when teams have a simple 5 point lead. Hopefully this was for demonstration purposes at E3. I'd hate for games to constantly crutch the losing team in this manner.
The Good:
One thing I immediately realized upon seeing UC3 footage was that guns have recoil. A lot of recoil. Not since Killzone 2 have I seen a noticable amount of recoil in many titles, and it is pleasant to see. It seems that you really have to control your fire in order to get a kill.
Kickbacks seem to be well paced. They aren't spammed every 2 seconds like they are in Call of Duty, and they seem to be something that do not get in the way of objective modes as any real achievement is rewarded towards your enhancement. It doesn't seem as over the top, but I'm still rather not looking forward to seeing an enemy instantly turn into pests or disappear into a puff of smoke. I do hope that Naughty Dog has a good variety of kickbacks that aren't over the top.
Split-screen, Uncharted TV, theater mode, customization, private matches, and variety modes like Triple Team Deathmatch are excellent things to spice up the game. All I hope for now is custom in-game music and a deep stat tracking system. They said they want to be competitive, and in my opinion, this is how its done: adding a bevy of content beefs up the core gameplay and really enriches the experience. Gambling money adds to the carrot-on-a-stick mechanic so popular in today's multiplayer games and I'm hopeful to see the other multiplayer modes that are yet to be revealed
The old health seems to have returned. Couple this with the recoil and the core gameplay is looking solid in terms of requiring a decent amount of skill. More importantly, you can escape firefights and actually traverse the environment without dying in 2-3 shots. After all, traversing the environment is what makes Uncharted multiplayer so unique.
There is also the neat little addition of adding a precision dot to the crosshairs. A very small but important addition.
While I'm not a fan of Naughty Dog introducing customizing loadouts, it seems that everybody equally has a restricted choice for their loadout. Best of all is that power weapons are still scattered around the map, meaning that active movement and map control are still key to a good victory. I only hope that they don't go too overboard with weapon attachments and that they keep snipers as power weapons and not a loadout option. As far as I know, loadouts are limited to assault rifles, SMGs, and pistols.
Uncharted 3 multiplayer may be a little too clean-cut to be a major multiplayer player. It's a bit cutesy and friendly, and almost silly, but that is what makes it enjoyable to me. When comparing it to a heavy hitter like Gears 3 and Modern Warfare 3, I doubt Uncharted will manage to stick out as a huge multiplayer game. It's simply not a title associated with multiplayer, perhaps a fault of the title's incredible single player (something a majority of multiplayer games lack these days). It seems then that Uncharted may be its own enemy for multiplayer. However, a lot of people enjoyed Naughty Dog's valiant first effort and Uncharted 3 has been taking a lot of great steps. While there is some concern, I expect Uncharted 3's multiplayer beta to show why the game is a friendly, social, and simply fun experience to have with friends.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Play the Scary Maze Game With Your Friends!
Have you ever played the Scary Maze Game 8 now? If not, brotha you haven’t lived!!! This maze game is the most awesome game on earth! But in order to play it you MUST have a partner in the room with you. So go find a friend, co-hort, or even an enemy – it doesn’t matter! Then match your wits and your mouse skills with the game and see if you’re awesome enough to win the BIG prize at the end!
Chinese Couple Sells All Three Kids to Play Online Games
A young Chinese couple has sold all three of their children in exchange for money to play online Nick jr games at Internet cafes, reports a southern Chinese newspaper.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
According to Sanxiang City News, the couple met in an Internet cafe back in 2007 and bonded over their obsession with online video games. A year later, the parents — who are both under 21 — welcomed their first child, a son. Days after his birth, they left him home alone while they went to play online agame at an Internet cafe 30 km away.
In 2009, Li Lin and Li Juan welcomed their second child, a baby girl, and came up with the idea to sell her for money to fund their online game obsession. They did so, receiving RMB 3,000 (less than $500), which they spent entirely shortly after. The couple then proceeded to sell their first child and got 10 times as much for him — RMB 30,000, or about $4600.
Upon having their third child — another boy — the parents followed in their previous footsteps and also got RMB 30,000 for him.
They were finally turned into authorities when Li Lin’s mother found out what her son and his girlfriend had done.
When asked if they missed their children, the parents answered, “We don’t want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money.”
Sanxiang City Newsreports the couple didn’t know they were breaking the law.
Official Pokemon Game Coming To Smartphones
The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Nick Jr., MTVN expand in Asia
Rugrats and music fans in Singapore and Malaysia will be able to tune in to “Dora the Explorer” and 24-hour music videos, docus and concerts with the launch of Viacom’s Nick Jr. and MTVN HD in the territories in coming weeks.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Nick Jr Games. will bow on Singapore’s Starhub from May 18, while MTVN HD will air on Telekom Malaysia Berhad’s HyppTV in Malaysia from June 1.
Nick Jr. will be available on the StarHub TV’s Kids Basic Upsize Group, while MTVNHD will be available to existing StarHub TV’s Entertainment Basic Group customers who are subscribed to the Basic HD Upsize group.
TM will offer the two channels a la carte to its subscribers on HyppTV, Malaysia’s newest pay TV service.
The services will roll out to the rest of the region at a date to be announced.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Zoo World 2 grazes into Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa
Well, zoos are an international pastime. RockYou, creator of hit zookeeping Facebook game Zoo World (and its sequel) has announced that it will provide Turkish, Middle Eastern and North African fans localized version of Zoo World 2. With the help of Peak Games, the leading social gaming company in the MENA region, these newly localized versions of the game will enjoy local marketing, user acquisition, customer support, and community management.
"We realize that the best global approach is made up of a series of local approaches," RockYou SVP and GM of Studio Partners Josh Grant said in a statement. "So we've chosen the strongest partner for these regions in Peak Games: experts who can ensure that our games cater to their culture and audience through proper localization."
The Middle Eastern developer based in Istanbul will translate the game into both Modern Arabic and Turkish, as well as incorporate culturally appropriate enhancements to the games. The move marks RockYou's goal to become one of the top social games publishers around, and expanding to one of the most active Facebook communities today is a brilliant start.
Gallery: Zoo World 2 on Facebook
Just as the company expands into new territory, it also looks to new sources of hit games. Recently, the company opened an indie games partnerships firm called Studio Partners to provide indie social games with publishing support. Perhaps we'll see more RockYou games come from this region than not, thanks to Studio Partners. Now that would be an interesting way to expand.
Do you think RockYou might be looking to beat other countries like Zynga and EA to the punch by localizing in these territories? Could RockYou soon compete directly with Facebook, using this strategy? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
"We realize that the best global approach is made up of a series of local approaches," RockYou SVP and GM of Studio Partners Josh Grant said in a statement. "So we've chosen the strongest partner for these regions in Peak Games: experts who can ensure that our games cater to their culture and audience through proper localization."
The Middle Eastern developer based in Istanbul will translate the game into both Modern Arabic and Turkish, as well as incorporate culturally appropriate enhancements to the games. The move marks RockYou's goal to become one of the top social games publishers around, and expanding to one of the most active Facebook communities today is a brilliant start.
Gallery: Zoo World 2 on Facebook
Just as the company expands into new territory, it also looks to new sources of hit games. Recently, the company opened an indie games partnerships firm called Studio Partners to provide indie social games with publishing support. Perhaps we'll see more RockYou games come from this region than not, thanks to Studio Partners. Now that would be an interesting way to expand.
Do you think RockYou might be looking to beat other countries like Zynga and EA to the punch by localizing in these territories? Could RockYou soon compete directly with Facebook, using this strategy? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Zynga calls game over on 'Wars' game and two others
Before it was known for Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies, and even before FarmVille and Mafia Wars, Zynga had a large stable of Facebook games in vein of the company's old "Just add 'Wars'" strategy.
One of those games, Fashion Wars, was officially shut down last week, along with Pirates: Rule the Caribbean! and Special Forces.
If this seems a bit last minute to you, it's not. Players were given 90 days to wrap up their affairs in these games. The original announcement of the shutdown occurred on May 23. The games weren't turned off until August 22.
Players who log into Fashion Wars after the shutdown are greeted with the following message:
Dear Fashion Wars player,
Our goal at Zynga is to bring players the most fun and engaging social games on the web. Despite a strong community, the popularity of Fashion Wars has declined significantly.
As of today, Fashion Wars is no longer available to players.
Zynga is committed to helping Fashion Wars players find a new game to enjoy.
Thank you for playing Fashion Wars.
Sincerely,
Zynga Game Network
Moreover, Zynga put out three official goodbye threads in the forums for each of the games as seen below. These were kept open to posts until August 23, and are available to the public:
* Pirates: Rule The Caribbean
* Fashion Wars
* Special Forces
Zynga Fashion Wars
Pirates: Rule the Caribbean!, according to AppData, once possessed an all-time high of 1.8 million monthly average users. This is followed in size by Fashion Wars with 1.5 million MAU, then Special Forces with 800K MAU.
[Hat-tip: Social Games Lounge]
[Bottom image credit: Fashion Wars wiki]
Have you ever played or even heard of these three Zynga games before? Which Zynga game do you think will be next to get axed? Add Comment
One of those games, Fashion Wars, was officially shut down last week, along with Pirates: Rule the Caribbean! and Special Forces.
If this seems a bit last minute to you, it's not. Players were given 90 days to wrap up their affairs in these games. The original announcement of the shutdown occurred on May 23. The games weren't turned off until August 22.
Players who log into Fashion Wars after the shutdown are greeted with the following message:
Dear Fashion Wars player,
Our goal at Zynga is to bring players the most fun and engaging social games on the web. Despite a strong community, the popularity of Fashion Wars has declined significantly.
As of today, Fashion Wars is no longer available to players.
Zynga is committed to helping Fashion Wars players find a new game to enjoy.
Thank you for playing Fashion Wars.
Sincerely,
Zynga Game Network
Moreover, Zynga put out three official goodbye threads in the forums for each of the games as seen below. These were kept open to posts until August 23, and are available to the public:
* Pirates: Rule The Caribbean
* Fashion Wars
* Special Forces
Zynga Fashion Wars
Pirates: Rule the Caribbean!, according to AppData, once possessed an all-time high of 1.8 million monthly average users. This is followed in size by Fashion Wars with 1.5 million MAU, then Special Forces with 800K MAU.
[Hat-tip: Social Games Lounge]
[Bottom image credit: Fashion Wars wiki]
Have you ever played or even heard of these three Zynga games before? Which Zynga game do you think will be next to get axed? Add Comment
Zynga's Adventure World gives Facebook the Indiana Jones treatment
Going on a trek with your buddies down the Pioneer Trail is a hoot and all, but how about something more ... adventurous? Adventure World, Zynga's next big Facebook game, will give you just that. This brand new Zynga game will launch soon with what appears to be a slightly new take on what Facebook games are all about.
We already know, based on the action-packed trailer below, that players will journey through multiple tropical, volcanic and even ancient environments with their friends. Wild beasts, traps and puzzles will be thrown at eager adventurers as they traverse what looks to be a litany of detailed, animated locales.
Speaking of animation, look at what these explorers are doing: climbing ropes, triggering traps and leaping around levels. This game already looks more action-packed than possibly even Empires & Allies--and I didn't see one tank in that trailer. (And is that the voice of Duke Nukem, John St. John, narrating?)
More questions completely different from these will be answered in the coming weeks on Adventure World's Facebook page. Until then, sit back and enjoy the cel-shaded, '30s comic style characters run and jump around what looks to be Indie Jones's stomping grounds. Soon enough, we'll have more than just a trailer to show you about Adventure World.
[Video Credit: Zynga]
Are you excited to dive into the mystery and intrigue of Adventure World? How do you think this game will do compared to its existing Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
We already know, based on the action-packed trailer below, that players will journey through multiple tropical, volcanic and even ancient environments with their friends. Wild beasts, traps and puzzles will be thrown at eager adventurers as they traverse what looks to be a litany of detailed, animated locales.
Speaking of animation, look at what these explorers are doing: climbing ropes, triggering traps and leaping around levels. This game already looks more action-packed than possibly even Empires & Allies--and I didn't see one tank in that trailer. (And is that the voice of Duke Nukem, John St. John, narrating?)
More questions completely different from these will be answered in the coming weeks on Adventure World's Facebook page. Until then, sit back and enjoy the cel-shaded, '30s comic style characters run and jump around what looks to be Indie Jones's stomping grounds. Soon enough, we'll have more than just a trailer to show you about Adventure World.
[Video Credit: Zynga]
Are you excited to dive into the mystery and intrigue of Adventure World? How do you think this game will do compared to its existing Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
A Twix bar, Facebook and Breakout combined makes FeedBreaker
You know, at least advergames have become more entertaining as of late on Facebook. Keeping the much-preferred tradition alive is Twix and Matmi's FeedBreaker, a Breakout-inspired game in which players control a Twix bar to continually bounce a white ball into blocks. Yeah, it sounds entirely too familiar, but what advergame hasn't?
And, if it's fun ... meh. Matmi, a Manchester, UK-based design firm, has experience creating branded social and online games for everyone from Nokia to Iron Maiden. (You know, the hair metal band?)
Designed by Matmi both to get you to buy a Twix bar and to mildly entertain you with familiar but branded gameplay, FeedBreaker has players essentially playing Breakout (Arkanoid ring a bell for anyone?) to delicious candy bars and thumping techno beats.
The brick-breaking, which can be controlled through either your mouse or keyboard, hasn't changed one bit. What has changed is the inclusion of "Social Bricks," which will be adorned with your Facebook friends' faces at random.
When destroyed, the game will take that friend's most recent status update and feed it through a marquee below the moving Twix bar. It's an interesting social twist on a tired genre (both advergames and Breakout), at least.
Twix FeedBreaker in action
Oh, and the game has nifty power-ups like stretching paddles, double balls, and multiple paddles to play with. (Though, the game also has power-downs, so watch out.) As players progress in the game, they can gift power-ups or power-downs to their friends. Throw in some achievements and you got yourself a fine way to waste a few minutes ... and get really hungry. If you'll excuse me.
[Via All Facebook]
Click here to play Twix FeedBreaker on Facebook Now >
Do you think advergames on Facebook have evolved at all since they appeared on the platform? What do you think of this caramelized take on Breakout? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
And, if it's fun ... meh. Matmi, a Manchester, UK-based design firm, has experience creating branded social and online games for everyone from Nokia to Iron Maiden. (You know, the hair metal band?)
Designed by Matmi both to get you to buy a Twix bar and to mildly entertain you with familiar but branded gameplay, FeedBreaker has players essentially playing Breakout (Arkanoid ring a bell for anyone?) to delicious candy bars and thumping techno beats.
The brick-breaking, which can be controlled through either your mouse or keyboard, hasn't changed one bit. What has changed is the inclusion of "Social Bricks," which will be adorned with your Facebook friends' faces at random.
When destroyed, the game will take that friend's most recent status update and feed it through a marquee below the moving Twix bar. It's an interesting social twist on a tired genre (both advergames and Breakout), at least.
Twix FeedBreaker in action
Oh, and the game has nifty power-ups like stretching paddles, double balls, and multiple paddles to play with. (Though, the game also has power-downs, so watch out.) As players progress in the game, they can gift power-ups or power-downs to their friends. Throw in some achievements and you got yourself a fine way to waste a few minutes ... and get really hungry. If you'll excuse me.
[Via All Facebook]
Click here to play Twix FeedBreaker on Facebook Now >
Do you think advergames on Facebook have evolved at all since they appeared on the platform? What do you think of this caramelized take on Breakout? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The Secret World MMO plots mysterious Facebook advergame
Unleashing one incredible trailer after another, EA and Funcom's The Secret World is an MMO (massive multiplayer online) set for Windows-based PCs and (possibly) Xbox 360. Standing outside your typical MMO, the game seeks to do away with levels and classes, focusing instead on skills and abilities. There's an overarching storyline and side quests among three ancient, rival organizations banding together to save the world from evil. It's all very modern, urban, and full of super dramatic secret stuff.
Gallery: Secret War: Personality test for beta registration
While it isn't clear if the game will be launching on Facebook, beta registrations for a "Phase One" Facebook social game called "Secret War" have opened up online. Prospective applicants just need to sign up on the official website after taking a personality test to decide which of the three factions you'll play -- the Dragons, Templars, or Illuminati.
Trailers for each group were released, represented by the following characters, "The Firestarter" (her milkshake brings all the demons to the yard), "The Puritan" (holy shotgun, Batman!), and "Alex McCall" (who doesn't care if he's a John Constantine knockoff, because at least he's not being played by Keanu Reeves).
The Secret War on Facebook
You'll also have the option to register for the beta without Facebook, but Facebook is the one that promises to deliver "the full experience". The Secret World MMO itself is set for release on April 2012. To keep track of this game and interact with other excited fans, follow its official fan page here. A direct link to the Secret War app is here.
[Hat-tip: GameShard]
Are you excited for The Secret World yet? What do you think of this intersection between MMO and Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Gallery: Secret War: Personality test for beta registration
While it isn't clear if the game will be launching on Facebook, beta registrations for a "Phase One" Facebook social game called "Secret War" have opened up online. Prospective applicants just need to sign up on the official website after taking a personality test to decide which of the three factions you'll play -- the Dragons, Templars, or Illuminati.
Trailers for each group were released, represented by the following characters, "The Firestarter" (her milkshake brings all the demons to the yard), "The Puritan" (holy shotgun, Batman!), and "Alex McCall" (who doesn't care if he's a John Constantine knockoff, because at least he's not being played by Keanu Reeves).
The Secret War on Facebook
You'll also have the option to register for the beta without Facebook, but Facebook is the one that promises to deliver "the full experience". The Secret World MMO itself is set for release on April 2012. To keep track of this game and interact with other excited fans, follow its official fan page here. A direct link to the Secret War app is here.
[Hat-tip: GameShard]
Are you excited for The Secret World yet? What do you think of this intersection between MMO and Facebook game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Zynga publishes Mafia Wars 2 comic, sets the stage for Las Vegas intrigue
Mafia Wars 2 has remained a mystery since the word leaked in January. The only follow-up the public has gotten from Zynga is last week's 'badass' trailer. But the game's official fan page announced a Mafia Wars 2 digital comic last night, titled with the game's much bandied about tagline, "Being Bad Never Felt So Good". The comic presents the glamorous yet dangerous world of the game, which is set in Las Vegas, and drops just enough exposition for the reader to meet the cast -- including whose shoes players will be stepping into once the game launches.
This eight-page comic was created by UDON Entertainment, a Canadian comics studio that specializes in Asian-inspired art, lending the story a manga flair in the character designs and paneling layout. UDON (named after the Japanese noodle) isn't a new entrant in games comics either. They're best known for their work with major Japanese games maker Capcom, drawing and publishing comics and artbooks for the Street Fighter series.
Mafia Wars 2 characters
So far, Zynga seems intent on keeping quiet about Mafia Wars 2's gameplay (except for the fact that it'll be a "vast 3-D world"), but they've been very big on establishing the game's world and its characters, the latter of which actually have detailed backstories available on the official website. A focus on characters and narratives is a rare thing in Facebook games. The last time this was done, and to a much greater extent, was Qunify's CLASH: Rise of the Heroes, which is heavily based on superhero comics. One of Zynga's developers, Mike Humphrey, has said that "I'm really looking forward to finally seeing how Mafia Wars 2 is received; it's unlike most games on Facebook right now, and I think it pushes the envelope of what people can expect from games on the platform." Let's hope they keep pushing until the day of the launch.
To check out the comic yourself, click here and follow the directions to 'Like' the game's official Facebook fan page.
How do you like the comic so far? Are you enjoying what appears to be Zynga's move towards more in-depth, story-driven Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. 4 Comments
This eight-page comic was created by UDON Entertainment, a Canadian comics studio that specializes in Asian-inspired art, lending the story a manga flair in the character designs and paneling layout. UDON (named after the Japanese noodle) isn't a new entrant in games comics either. They're best known for their work with major Japanese games maker Capcom, drawing and publishing comics and artbooks for the Street Fighter series.
Mafia Wars 2 characters
So far, Zynga seems intent on keeping quiet about Mafia Wars 2's gameplay (except for the fact that it'll be a "vast 3-D world"), but they've been very big on establishing the game's world and its characters, the latter of which actually have detailed backstories available on the official website. A focus on characters and narratives is a rare thing in Facebook games. The last time this was done, and to a much greater extent, was Qunify's CLASH: Rise of the Heroes, which is heavily based on superhero comics. One of Zynga's developers, Mike Humphrey, has said that "I'm really looking forward to finally seeing how Mafia Wars 2 is received; it's unlike most games on Facebook right now, and I think it pushes the envelope of what people can expect from games on the platform." Let's hope they keep pushing until the day of the launch.
To check out the comic yourself, click here and follow the directions to 'Like' the game's official Facebook fan page.
How do you like the comic so far? Are you enjoying what appears to be Zynga's move towards more in-depth, story-driven Facebook games? Sound off in the comments. 4 Comments
RockYou partner Peak Games raises $11.5M for social game projects
For those of you (like myself) who are kind of tired of seeing the western world dominate Facebook games, this news should come as breath of fresh air. VentureBeat reports that Istanbul-based company Peak Games has raised $11.5 million and purchased two companies in efforts to become a power player in Facebook games. The developers in question, Umaykut and Erlikhan, were bought in what Peak Games calls "talent acquisitions." Sound familiar?
This move speaks to the rapid growth of Facebook games in regions like Turkey, the Middle East, North Africa, Mexico and South America. As we already know, Peak Games will work with growing publisher RockYou to distribute and localize its games in those regions. At the moment, Peak Games is the 18th most popular developer on Facebook, according to AppData, beating out notables like CrowdStar and Digital Chocolate in daily players.
Its most popular internally-created game is Okey, a social puzzle board game. And if you count its fans across all social networks including Facebook, Peak Games welcome 4 million daily players and 16 million monthly players, according to VentureBeat. Peak Games has made a name for itself in localizing social games from national companies for its audience, which is the the fourth largest on Facebook.
"Our goal is to be the dominant provider of games for emerging markets," Peak Games CSO Rina Onur, told VentureBeat. "The growth has been huge in the last six months. These regions are growing super fast and they are very hungry for games."
Facebook gaming is huge in regions other than the U.S.--companies like DeNA and Gree in Japan, Tencent in China and wooga in Europe are testament to that. But what we're more interested in is seeing creators like Peak Games create successful games for a global audience. Perhaps an injection of cash (from Hummingbird Ventures, Earlybird Venture Capital and an anonymous strategic investor) and talent will make that happen--Peak Games has an office in San Francisco, after all.
Would you like to see more Facebook games from these regions? Do you think Peak Games has a good chance at climbing up the ladder? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
This move speaks to the rapid growth of Facebook games in regions like Turkey, the Middle East, North Africa, Mexico and South America. As we already know, Peak Games will work with growing publisher RockYou to distribute and localize its games in those regions. At the moment, Peak Games is the 18th most popular developer on Facebook, according to AppData, beating out notables like CrowdStar and Digital Chocolate in daily players.
Its most popular internally-created game is Okey, a social puzzle board game. And if you count its fans across all social networks including Facebook, Peak Games welcome 4 million daily players and 16 million monthly players, according to VentureBeat. Peak Games has made a name for itself in localizing social games from national companies for its audience, which is the the fourth largest on Facebook.
"Our goal is to be the dominant provider of games for emerging markets," Peak Games CSO Rina Onur, told VentureBeat. "The growth has been huge in the last six months. These regions are growing super fast and they are very hungry for games."
Facebook gaming is huge in regions other than the U.S.--companies like DeNA and Gree in Japan, Tencent in China and wooga in Europe are testament to that. But what we're more interested in is seeing creators like Peak Games create successful games for a global audience. Perhaps an injection of cash (from Hummingbird Ventures, Earlybird Venture Capital and an anonymous strategic investor) and talent will make that happen--Peak Games has an office in San Francisco, after all.
Would you like to see more Facebook games from these regions? Do you think Peak Games has a good chance at climbing up the ladder? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Makiziki's lush desert oasis
Howdy folks. Today's featured farm is a handsome design by Makiziki, a player who spends time over at the FarmVille Forums. Makiziki's farm caught my eye because it does something rather novel: paths. Paths may be common in other games such as CityVille, Empires & Allies, and FrontierVille, but in FarmVille, there is no easy way to make paths. All the dirt trails you see are actually created by hand placing the Lush Grass decoration all over the farm.
So not only is this farm a beautiful estate full of crops, animals, and items; but it also serves as a great design guide for other FarmVille artists. Using Lush Grass to cover a farmville tall grass makizikifarm hasn't been done too much, especially considering how nice it looks. Unfortunately, Lush Grass was a limited time English Countryside item that is no longer available. However, a different item, Tall Grass, can be bought in the decorations tab of the market for 1,500 coins apiece. The only difference is that Tall Grass is a little taller, so it will give farms a more wild, natural look.
In addition to the unique use of grass and desert background in order to make paths, the farm has a lot more going on. In an age where FarmVille players have absurd amounts of stuff, Makiziki's farm remains rather organized. Here's what they had to say about their farm:
Well, first of all, I love to design with paths. FarmVille doesn't actually have them yet. And I love a lot of green, so my design looks like a real farm. I worked about 3-4 hours to finsih this farm, and I was so tired when I was done :) But I love my new farm :)
-Makiziki
What do you guys think of Makizki's Lush Grass-filled farm? Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
So not only is this farm a beautiful estate full of crops, animals, and items; but it also serves as a great design guide for other FarmVille artists. Using Lush Grass to cover a farmville tall grass makizikifarm hasn't been done too much, especially considering how nice it looks. Unfortunately, Lush Grass was a limited time English Countryside item that is no longer available. However, a different item, Tall Grass, can be bought in the decorations tab of the market for 1,500 coins apiece. The only difference is that Tall Grass is a little taller, so it will give farms a more wild, natural look.
In addition to the unique use of grass and desert background in order to make paths, the farm has a lot more going on. In an age where FarmVille players have absurd amounts of stuff, Makiziki's farm remains rather organized. Here's what they had to say about their farm:
Well, first of all, I love to design with paths. FarmVille doesn't actually have them yet. And I love a lot of green, so my design looks like a real farm. I worked about 3-4 hours to finsih this farm, and I was so tired when I was done :) But I love my new farm :)
-Makiziki
What do you guys think of Makizki's Lush Grass-filled farm? Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
Entertainment Games looks to revive soap operas in Facebook games
FarmVille may have killed the daytime soap opera, but it seems like soaps might have their heyday after all. Langhorne, Penn.-based Entertainment Games announced that it hired Michael Fairman (pictured below), a leading expert on daytime soaps (bet you didn't know such a job existed, eh?) to help the company develop a soap opera game with Heyday Games.
Working toward this announcement, the company has been surprisingly busy. Entertainment Games bought social games maker Heyday Games in late June. Then in August, the company changed the name it's had since 1992. Two weeks ago, the company struck a licensing deal with intellectual rights management firm CMG Worldwide to use pictures of celebrities for some "retro-based social game for Facebook, Google+, mobile devices and the open web."
Aside from admittedly banking on nostalgia, there are a few clues as to what type of game the company looks to make. Entertainment Games wants to harness Fairman's two decades of experience in the industry. The company wants his help to create a game that Entertainment Games's CCO F.J. Lennon says will "deliver a ground-breaking social gaming experience that both the gaming and soap opera industries will take note of."
Michael Fairman soap opera expertSince Facebook games came along, games and daytime soaps had been inadvertently at war over the same audience, namely, 25 to 54-year-old women. Unfortunately for soaps fans, Zynga's "television audience destruction machine" won the battle over All My Children and One Life to Live. But Entertainment Games isn't the only company looking to capitalize on this obvious demographic.
In an effort to generate more revenue, UK soap opera Coronation Street was turned into a Facebook social game called "Corrie Nation". Unfortunately, the game didn't last a year before it was taken down for a complete rehaul, with ATV network looking for a new game developer to take on the job. With soap operas dying and the first (and only) Facebook soap opera game ever made, out of commission, you'd think that no one would bother with another attempt, right? Well, here comes Entertainment Games, Inc. to prove us wrong.
From the sound of things, soap operas can find new life after television as Facebook games. On top of that, they're going to return vying for the same demographic as they once did against Zynga, but this time, they'll be on the same playing field.
Do you think soap opera social games have a chance at being the next big hit? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Working toward this announcement, the company has been surprisingly busy. Entertainment Games bought social games maker Heyday Games in late June. Then in August, the company changed the name it's had since 1992. Two weeks ago, the company struck a licensing deal with intellectual rights management firm CMG Worldwide to use pictures of celebrities for some "retro-based social game for Facebook, Google+, mobile devices and the open web."
Aside from admittedly banking on nostalgia, there are a few clues as to what type of game the company looks to make. Entertainment Games wants to harness Fairman's two decades of experience in the industry. The company wants his help to create a game that Entertainment Games's CCO F.J. Lennon says will "deliver a ground-breaking social gaming experience that both the gaming and soap opera industries will take note of."
Michael Fairman soap opera expertSince Facebook games came along, games and daytime soaps had been inadvertently at war over the same audience, namely, 25 to 54-year-old women. Unfortunately for soaps fans, Zynga's "television audience destruction machine" won the battle over All My Children and One Life to Live. But Entertainment Games isn't the only company looking to capitalize on this obvious demographic.
In an effort to generate more revenue, UK soap opera Coronation Street was turned into a Facebook social game called "Corrie Nation". Unfortunately, the game didn't last a year before it was taken down for a complete rehaul, with ATV network looking for a new game developer to take on the job. With soap operas dying and the first (and only) Facebook soap opera game ever made, out of commission, you'd think that no one would bother with another attempt, right? Well, here comes Entertainment Games, Inc. to prove us wrong.
From the sound of things, soap operas can find new life after television as Facebook games. On top of that, they're going to return vying for the same demographic as they once did against Zynga, but this time, they'll be on the same playing field.
Do you think soap opera social games have a chance at being the next big hit? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
News 2 Comments Bubble Saga maker King.com hires Microsoft exec as marketing head
Can none resist the dollar signs allure of Facebook games? King.com, maker of Facebook game ports like Bubble Saga, announced that it has hired ex-Microsoft exec Alex Dale as its chief marketing officer. Dale joins King.com after overseeing Microsoft's marketing efforts on products including Bing, Internet Explorer and Windows Phone.
"We have made several strategic hires recently in an effort continue this growth and even take it one step further, becoming a clear leader in the space," King.com co-fonder and CEO Riccardo Zacconi said in a release. "We are confident that Alex will be instrumental in helping us further grow our global user- and partnership-base and are thrilled to have him on board."
Dale joins a list of executives that have found themselves in the social games space. Sean Ryan, director of Facebook games partnerships, was at one time the CEO of now-defunct social network LiveJournal. Zynga head of mobile games David Ko comes from Yahoo, and most recently Flickr founder Stewart Butterfield moved on to make his own social game, Glitch.
King.com, which most recently launched Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook, now joins the ranks of companies like Zynga in its willingness to source talent from other industries. And King.com says in the announcement that Dale will be at helm of the companies global expansion. It seems that the company is looking abroad to reach the top five game makers on AppData--it sits pretty at number seven with just over 17 million monthly players.
Do you think King.com, making hires like this, can become an even bigger competitor in Facebook games? What do you think of games like Bubble Witch Saga? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
"We have made several strategic hires recently in an effort continue this growth and even take it one step further, becoming a clear leader in the space," King.com co-fonder and CEO Riccardo Zacconi said in a release. "We are confident that Alex will be instrumental in helping us further grow our global user- and partnership-base and are thrilled to have him on board."
Dale joins a list of executives that have found themselves in the social games space. Sean Ryan, director of Facebook games partnerships, was at one time the CEO of now-defunct social network LiveJournal. Zynga head of mobile games David Ko comes from Yahoo, and most recently Flickr founder Stewart Butterfield moved on to make his own social game, Glitch.
King.com, which most recently launched Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook, now joins the ranks of companies like Zynga in its willingness to source talent from other industries. And King.com says in the announcement that Dale will be at helm of the companies global expansion. It seems that the company is looking abroad to reach the top five game makers on AppData--it sits pretty at number seven with just over 17 million monthly players.
Do you think King.com, making hires like this, can become an even bigger competitor in Facebook games? What do you think of games like Bubble Witch Saga? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
CityVille Baseball and Soccer Stadiums: Everything you need to know
Just in time for the upcoming MLB playoff season, Zynga has released Baseball Stadiums to CityVille to honor America's favorite pastime. Oh, and the developer added Soccer Stadiums, too. (Though, Zynga might have been better off naming them "Football" Stadiums, if it was going for the international nod.)
At any rate, these two new community buildings will give a huge boost to your allowed population and earn you some major coin. When you reach Level 11, the new stadiums will become available to you. So, here's everything you need to know about the Baseball ... and Soccer Stadium Goals:
Alive and Kicking
* Place the Soccer Stadium
* Compete the Soccer Stadium
Both Goals for these new buildings are painfully simple. Once you reach Level 11 (or log into the game at a level above that), a Goal icon will appear. Click on it to open a window that will allow you to place the foundation for the Soccer Stadium. Once that's done, whack the building eight times, costing you an equal amount of Energy. Click on the unfinished Soccer Stadium to reveal what's needed to complete the building.
Finish your Soccer Stadium
Unfortunately, that amounts to asking your friends for a lot of items. You must ask your friends for nine of each of the above items. That amounts to a total of 45 items you will have to collect. Luckily, it seems as if you can add those items to your Wish List once you acquire one of each. Your reward for completing the Soccer Stadium is a massive 20,000 Coins. The Soccer Stadium will boost your allowed Population by 5,000.
Root for the Home Team
* Place the Baseball Stadium
* Complete the Baseball Stadium
Again, these are some pretty simple Goals, but the challenge comes in actually completing the buildings. Just like before, a Goal icon will appear if you're above Level 11. Click on the icon to open a Goal window that will allow you to place the foundation for your Baseball Stadium. After placing the foundation and clicking it eight times at the cost of 8 Energy, click it once more to reveal what you'll need to complete the Baseball Stadium.
Staff your Baseball Stadium
This time, things are slightly different from the Soccer Stadium. Rather than requesting items, you will need to ask friends to staff your new community building. You will have to get a whopping 12 friends to fill positions in your Baseball Stadium. Sure, that's far less than the Soccer Stadium requires in items, but these positions need to be filled by 12 individual friends. Once that's through, you will be rewarded with another heaping 20,000 Coins for your effort. The Baseball Stadium boosts your allowed Population by 3,000.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started on your new sports stadiums yet? What tips or tricks do you have to complete these new buildings? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
At any rate, these two new community buildings will give a huge boost to your allowed population and earn you some major coin. When you reach Level 11, the new stadiums will become available to you. So, here's everything you need to know about the Baseball ... and Soccer Stadium Goals:
Alive and Kicking
* Place the Soccer Stadium
* Compete the Soccer Stadium
Both Goals for these new buildings are painfully simple. Once you reach Level 11 (or log into the game at a level above that), a Goal icon will appear. Click on it to open a window that will allow you to place the foundation for the Soccer Stadium. Once that's done, whack the building eight times, costing you an equal amount of Energy. Click on the unfinished Soccer Stadium to reveal what's needed to complete the building.
Finish your Soccer Stadium
Unfortunately, that amounts to asking your friends for a lot of items. You must ask your friends for nine of each of the above items. That amounts to a total of 45 items you will have to collect. Luckily, it seems as if you can add those items to your Wish List once you acquire one of each. Your reward for completing the Soccer Stadium is a massive 20,000 Coins. The Soccer Stadium will boost your allowed Population by 5,000.
Root for the Home Team
* Place the Baseball Stadium
* Complete the Baseball Stadium
Again, these are some pretty simple Goals, but the challenge comes in actually completing the buildings. Just like before, a Goal icon will appear if you're above Level 11. Click on the icon to open a Goal window that will allow you to place the foundation for your Baseball Stadium. After placing the foundation and clicking it eight times at the cost of 8 Energy, click it once more to reveal what you'll need to complete the Baseball Stadium.
Staff your Baseball Stadium
This time, things are slightly different from the Soccer Stadium. Rather than requesting items, you will need to ask friends to staff your new community building. You will have to get a whopping 12 friends to fill positions in your Baseball Stadium. Sure, that's far less than the Soccer Stadium requires in items, but these positions need to be filled by 12 individual friends. Once that's through, you will be rewarded with another heaping 20,000 Coins for your effort. The Baseball Stadium boosts your allowed Population by 3,000.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started on your new sports stadiums yet? What tips or tricks do you have to complete these new buildings? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Is EA's PopCap working on casino-style Facebook games? [Rumor]
Is PopCap looking to go toe to toe with Zynga and DoubleDown Interactive's casino Facebook games? According to GeekWire, a bunch of rather specific domain purchases by the recently-acquired company certainly suggest that's the case. Well, that and a recent trademark application ... and a Facebook page created with that very same trademark. Alright, PopCap has been terrible at keeping this whole thing a secret.
Lucky Gem CasinoThe game in question might be titled "Lucky Gem Casino," as Fusible points out that the Bejeweled creator recently changed a Facebook page it owns to reflect the new title. The Info tab on the page reads, "Thanks for visiting! PopCap Casino is the future home of some amazing, casino-style social games from PopCap, the worldwide leader in casual gaming."
With wording like that, it sounds as if Lucky Gem Casino will be a suite of casino games from the developer, much like DoubleDown Casino. And if you take a peak at the page's Wall, a message can be found there, presumably from the company, that reads, "Keep an eye out to experience casino-style gaming from PopCap Games!" A week later, a poll was posted asking fans about their favorite type of casino games--unsurprisingly, the "Slot Machines" category won by a landslide.
GeekWire points out that this might be because PopCap is now owned by EA, which likely has a vested interested in directly competing with Facebook game champ Zynga at every turn. However, it's also important to keep in mind that a majority of PopCap's games (not including Plants vs Zombies) are visibly influenced by a casino approach to gameplay albeit with a far heavier focus on skill rather than luck.
[Via Financial Times]
[Image Credit: Destructoid]
What do you think PopCap might be up to with this trademark, Facebook page and domain registries? Would you play a stable of casino games from the creator of Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments.
Lucky Gem CasinoThe game in question might be titled "Lucky Gem Casino," as Fusible points out that the Bejeweled creator recently changed a Facebook page it owns to reflect the new title. The Info tab on the page reads, "Thanks for visiting! PopCap Casino is the future home of some amazing, casino-style social games from PopCap, the worldwide leader in casual gaming."
With wording like that, it sounds as if Lucky Gem Casino will be a suite of casino games from the developer, much like DoubleDown Casino. And if you take a peak at the page's Wall, a message can be found there, presumably from the company, that reads, "Keep an eye out to experience casino-style gaming from PopCap Games!" A week later, a poll was posted asking fans about their favorite type of casino games--unsurprisingly, the "Slot Machines" category won by a landslide.
GeekWire points out that this might be because PopCap is now owned by EA, which likely has a vested interested in directly competing with Facebook game champ Zynga at every turn. However, it's also important to keep in mind that a majority of PopCap's games (not including Plants vs Zombies) are visibly influenced by a casino approach to gameplay albeit with a far heavier focus on skill rather than luck.
[Via Financial Times]
[Image Credit: Destructoid]
What do you think PopCap might be up to with this trademark, Facebook page and domain registries? Would you play a stable of casino games from the creator of Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments.
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Hop on a train to Onisuka057's fall oasis
Even though we're in the end of September, the leaves are still green in New York City. But Onisuka057's FarmVille farm is clearly headed for autumn with the yellows and reds of what appears to be the Autumn Ginkgo Tree, Maple Tree, Red Maple Tree, Sugar Maple Tree, and Rowan Tree. On top of that, there's also a Maple orchard below, though that seems to have been thrown in at the last minute. Maybe he can build up the bottom of his farm once Halloween comes around. But he has already dipped into the recently released Lighthouse Cove decor with several Tree Arches, Autumn Creeks, and Outdoor Picnics. So yeah, there's a lot of premium Farm Cash goods going on in this one.
Beyond the colors, the next most striking aspect of Onisuka057's farm are the train tracks bordering it, which are actually two-dimensional, but some massive fence-stacking and blue hay bales have fooled your eyes into seeing an elevated "bridge" hanging over "water." That's the sort of low-cost ingenuity farm designers love to see. But while building a bridge out of fences was a bit of improvisation on the creator's part, limited edition railroad decor did come out in FarmVille last fall as part of the Wild West package, so those are real tracks you're looking at there.
Onisuka057 FarmVille farm closeup
Finally, hidden in the top corner is a plume of smoke that's actually another limited edition special--an Old Faithful geyser eruption from the Yellowstone collection.
Have the trees changed colors in your town yet? Does the use of lots of Farm Cash items in a farm bug you? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Beyond the colors, the next most striking aspect of Onisuka057's farm are the train tracks bordering it, which are actually two-dimensional, but some massive fence-stacking and blue hay bales have fooled your eyes into seeing an elevated "bridge" hanging over "water." That's the sort of low-cost ingenuity farm designers love to see. But while building a bridge out of fences was a bit of improvisation on the creator's part, limited edition railroad decor did come out in FarmVille last fall as part of the Wild West package, so those are real tracks you're looking at there.
Onisuka057 FarmVille farm closeup
Finally, hidden in the top corner is a plume of smoke that's actually another limited edition special--an Old Faithful geyser eruption from the Yellowstone collection.
Have the trees changed colors in your town yet? Does the use of lots of Farm Cash items in a farm bug you? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Microsoft Research releases Facebook game for 'research'
Sure you are, guys--we're onto you. The Research division at Microsoft has released its first Facebook games, Project Waterloo, in order to find out how people interact and negotiate with one another across social networks. The game is a turn-based combat simulator in which players allocate 100 generic troops across five locations. In a way, Project Waterloo works a lot like Zynga's Words With Friends.
Of course, we're referring to the one-on-one, turn-based gameplay, not the words. Players challenge friends with allocations of 100 troops either using a slider or directly entering a number in each location on the battlefield. Said friends can then respond with their own strategic positioning using 100 troops, and if they don't currently play the game, they will be invited prior to responding.
So, it might help to think of Project Waterloo as a cross between games like Words With Friends and the classic board game Battleship. Players can also start games with random players, regardless of whether they're Facebook friends. Project Waterloo, according to a post on the Microsoft Research website, is the start of the "Facebook Game Theory Lab." This will serve as a platform through which Microsoft Research explores concepts of strategic human interaction within "resource allocation and negotiation games." The team of four researchers wrote:
The goal of the project is to test the behaviour of real people in game theoretic interactions, and especially those that take place in social networks. Some example questions are: how do people negotiate with one another? How does such negotiation take place in social networks? How can we aggregate opinions of individuals to arrive at high quality decisions? In what ways do people reciprocate other people's actions?
Project Waterloo in action
While it doesn't appear that Project Waterloo will be a source of revenue for Microsoft Research's parent company, the team does use words like "viral marketing" to explain how it will reach new players. Ultimately, we don't see a game like this taking off commercially, but it is another step in that direction, as Microsoft has already expressed interest in entering the space. Just recently, the company began to offer support to developers through its Windows Azure service. Perhaps Project Waterloo and the Facebook Game Theory Lab represent Microsoft further testing the waters.
Click here to play Project Waterloo on Facebook Now >
[Via ZDNet]
What do you think of Microsoft's very scientific foray into Facebook games? Do you think the company would ever dive into the industry like Google or Facebook has? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Of course, we're referring to the one-on-one, turn-based gameplay, not the words. Players challenge friends with allocations of 100 troops either using a slider or directly entering a number in each location on the battlefield. Said friends can then respond with their own strategic positioning using 100 troops, and if they don't currently play the game, they will be invited prior to responding.
So, it might help to think of Project Waterloo as a cross between games like Words With Friends and the classic board game Battleship. Players can also start games with random players, regardless of whether they're Facebook friends. Project Waterloo, according to a post on the Microsoft Research website, is the start of the "Facebook Game Theory Lab." This will serve as a platform through which Microsoft Research explores concepts of strategic human interaction within "resource allocation and negotiation games." The team of four researchers wrote:
The goal of the project is to test the behaviour of real people in game theoretic interactions, and especially those that take place in social networks. Some example questions are: how do people negotiate with one another? How does such negotiation take place in social networks? How can we aggregate opinions of individuals to arrive at high quality decisions? In what ways do people reciprocate other people's actions?
Project Waterloo in action
While it doesn't appear that Project Waterloo will be a source of revenue for Microsoft Research's parent company, the team does use words like "viral marketing" to explain how it will reach new players. Ultimately, we don't see a game like this taking off commercially, but it is another step in that direction, as Microsoft has already expressed interest in entering the space. Just recently, the company began to offer support to developers through its Windows Azure service. Perhaps Project Waterloo and the Facebook Game Theory Lab represent Microsoft further testing the waters.
Click here to play Project Waterloo on Facebook Now >
[Via ZDNet]
What do you think of Microsoft's very scientific foray into Facebook games? Do you think the company would ever dive into the industry like Google or Facebook has? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
RockYou seeking skilled recruits ... to play Galactic Allies [Video]
Look, RockYou knows that you're not an architect by trade, and you're certainly no cook. So, why not stop pretending to do things real people do and pretend to be something completely fictional, like a galactic fleet commander? With developer 3 Blokes, the Facebook game publisher recently released Galactic Allies to Facebook, the studio's second strategy game.
The game enlists players as commanders of their very own fleet of star ships in a battle to protect their end of the galaxy from alien enemies. In a more casual approach to the growing sub genre of hardcore strategy games on Facebook, Galactic Allies lets players directly control their space-faring units to avoid enemy fire in real-time combat. (Of course, battles are exchanged between players asynchronously.)
While it's not marketed as such, the game looks a lot like the spiritual successor to 3 Blokes's first game on Facebook, Galactic Trader. But this time around, the developer has resources from a major publisher, which can only mean one thing: a goofy trailer displaying almost everything the game has to offer in a 60-second nutshell.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
Also, the game wasn't exactly live when we first revealed it to you, so check out the fun trailer down there. And when you're done with that, click on the link below to hop into Galactic Allies. That is, if you think you can answer the call--come on, even the narrator wants in.
Click here to play Galactic Allies on Facebook Now >
Have you tried Galactic Allies on Facebook yet? What do you think of where hardcore strategy games on Facebook are at right now? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
The game enlists players as commanders of their very own fleet of star ships in a battle to protect their end of the galaxy from alien enemies. In a more casual approach to the growing sub genre of hardcore strategy games on Facebook, Galactic Allies lets players directly control their space-faring units to avoid enemy fire in real-time combat. (Of course, battles are exchanged between players asynchronously.)
While it's not marketed as such, the game looks a lot like the spiritual successor to 3 Blokes's first game on Facebook, Galactic Trader. But this time around, the developer has resources from a major publisher, which can only mean one thing: a goofy trailer displaying almost everything the game has to offer in a 60-second nutshell.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
Also, the game wasn't exactly live when we first revealed it to you, so check out the fun trailer down there. And when you're done with that, click on the link below to hop into Galactic Allies. That is, if you think you can answer the call--come on, even the narrator wants in.
Click here to play Galactic Allies on Facebook Now >
Have you tried Galactic Allies on Facebook yet? What do you think of where hardcore strategy games on Facebook are at right now? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Pioneer Trail Shaman Lodge Goals: Everything you need to know
Finally, Halloween approaches. Zynga is already preparing its in-game festivities with the release of the Shaman Lodge to Pioneer Trail. Laughing Bear the Shaman has arrived on the Homestead, and he foresees a terrible spookiness on your land. It's up to you (if you're at least Level 17) to help Laughing Bear build his lodge to collect as many charms as possible in preparation for a seriously spooky event.
Once you complete the Lodge, you will be able to collect shiny charms from it daily. We assume these will come in handy in this year's Halloween event in Pioneer Trail, so it's in your best interest to get started on this new building right away. Since we know the suspense is killing you, here's everything you need to know to build the Shaman Lodge:
Clearin' the Ground
* Place the Shaman Lodge
* Clear 12 Skulls
* Harvest 30 Sunflowers
When the even appears in your game, it will present you with the option to place the Lodge in a pop-up. Select "Build Lodge" to get started. Then, simply search your Homestead for Skulls--they're also a reward for completing the Cow and Graveyard Collections. Harvesting 30 Sunflowers will cost a total of 9,300 Coins and take at least 18 hours to grow. Your reward for completing this Goal includes one Mystery Animal Crate, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Staffin' Up
* Chop 30 Oak Trees on a Neighbor's Homestead
* Collect Two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge
* Collect 15 Eerie Gems
By this point, the Goals assume you've already completed the Shaman Lodge, so give the foundation a few whacks (which we imagine will cost Energy and Wood). Once that's complete, a window will appear with what's needed to complete the building, pictured below. Based on previous Goals, we imagine the first three items are requested through News Feed posts, while the latter three are found by asking your friends directly.
Finish your Shaman Lodge
After that's through, visit at least six friends to chop 30 Oak Trees. Collecting two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge will take at least two days. The 15 Eerie Gems will, again, come from your friends. Your rewards for this Goal include a welcome nod to the popular Internet video, the Double Rainbow, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Final Preparations
* Clobber six Snakes
* Harvest 30 Peppermint
* Collect 15 Monsterbane Arrows
Snakes appear most frequently beneath Skulls and Rocks, so try to avoid clobbering any Snakes from collecting Skulls in the first Goal. Peppermint acts more like a fruit tree than a crop, so you can choose to buy all 30, but I wouldn't recommend that. Regardless, this portion of the Goal will take you at least four hours at the very least. The Monsterbane Arrows are sourced from your friends like the Eerie Gems before them. Enjoy a Mystical Charm Totem, 700 XP and 700 Coins for completing this Goal.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started your Shaman Lodge yet? What do you think these Charms will be used for this Halloween? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Once you complete the Lodge, you will be able to collect shiny charms from it daily. We assume these will come in handy in this year's Halloween event in Pioneer Trail, so it's in your best interest to get started on this new building right away. Since we know the suspense is killing you, here's everything you need to know to build the Shaman Lodge:
Clearin' the Ground
* Place the Shaman Lodge
* Clear 12 Skulls
* Harvest 30 Sunflowers
When the even appears in your game, it will present you with the option to place the Lodge in a pop-up. Select "Build Lodge" to get started. Then, simply search your Homestead for Skulls--they're also a reward for completing the Cow and Graveyard Collections. Harvesting 30 Sunflowers will cost a total of 9,300 Coins and take at least 18 hours to grow. Your reward for completing this Goal includes one Mystery Animal Crate, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Staffin' Up
* Chop 30 Oak Trees on a Neighbor's Homestead
* Collect Two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge
* Collect 15 Eerie Gems
By this point, the Goals assume you've already completed the Shaman Lodge, so give the foundation a few whacks (which we imagine will cost Energy and Wood). Once that's complete, a window will appear with what's needed to complete the building, pictured below. Based on previous Goals, we imagine the first three items are requested through News Feed posts, while the latter three are found by asking your friends directly.
Finish your Shaman Lodge
After that's through, visit at least six friends to chop 30 Oak Trees. Collecting two Daily Bonuses from the Shaman Lodge will take at least two days. The 15 Eerie Gems will, again, come from your friends. Your rewards for this Goal include a welcome nod to the popular Internet video, the Double Rainbow, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Final Preparations
* Clobber six Snakes
* Harvest 30 Peppermint
* Collect 15 Monsterbane Arrows
Snakes appear most frequently beneath Skulls and Rocks, so try to avoid clobbering any Snakes from collecting Skulls in the first Goal. Peppermint acts more like a fruit tree than a crop, so you can choose to buy all 30, but I wouldn't recommend that. Regardless, this portion of the Goal will take you at least four hours at the very least. The Monsterbane Arrows are sourced from your friends like the Eerie Gems before them. Enjoy a Mystical Charm Totem, 700 XP and 700 Coins for completing this Goal.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started your Shaman Lodge yet? What do you think these Charms will be used for this Halloween? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
FarmVille Pic(s) of the Day: Master farm artist Nicky Tran
Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're probably wondering why there are so many handsome farms all in one FarmVille Pic of the Day post. Well folks, today is a special day devoted to one very talented farm artist: Nicky Tran. As you can immediately tell, Nicky Tran is a farm artist of the highest caliber. There was no way I was going to be able to choose just one of Nicky's amazing farms to feature. So, I decided to feature them all!
farmville featured farm nicky tranFarmVille designer Nicky Tran is a master of item optical illusions, creating unbelievable 3D surfaces and structures. Not only that, but Nicky carefully selects item themes to prevent their farms from looking to disorderly. However, if I were to go into detail about what makes each one of these such a fantastic farm design, this post would be far too long. So I'm going to let you explore Nicky Tran's farms on your own. Look closely though, there's a lot to see and a lot to appreciate!
Click the images to make them larger!
farmville featured farm of the day nicky tran farmville pic nicky tran
Here's what Nicky Tran had to say about their farms:
First, I'd like to thank you for your compliments! My farms were all inspired by passion. It was that passion that gave me all these ideas for farm designs.
The advice I would give to other upcoming farm artists is to do what's in your mind courageously and boldly. Always do whatever it is you feel like! It was the passion and that understanding that helped me complete these very difficult designs. Once again, I thank you very much. - Nicky Tran
What do you like best about Nicky Tran's farms? Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
farmville featured farm nicky tranFarmVille designer Nicky Tran is a master of item optical illusions, creating unbelievable 3D surfaces and structures. Not only that, but Nicky carefully selects item themes to prevent their farms from looking to disorderly. However, if I were to go into detail about what makes each one of these such a fantastic farm design, this post would be far too long. So I'm going to let you explore Nicky Tran's farms on your own. Look closely though, there's a lot to see and a lot to appreciate!
Click the images to make them larger!
farmville featured farm of the day nicky tran farmville pic nicky tran
Here's what Nicky Tran had to say about their farms:
First, I'd like to thank you for your compliments! My farms were all inspired by passion. It was that passion that gave me all these ideas for farm designs.
The advice I would give to other upcoming farm artists is to do what's in your mind courageously and boldly. Always do whatever it is you feel like! It was the passion and that understanding that helped me complete these very difficult designs. Once again, I thank you very much. - Nicky Tran
What do you like best about Nicky Tran's farms? Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist.
Using the CityVille Eiffel Tower: Everything you need to know
So, you've finally completed all three CityVille Landmarks required to unlock the Eiffel Tower: The Sailboat Hotel, the Tonga Tower and the French Riviera Casino. Now that the game's first Wonder is yours, just what do you do with it? More importantly, how does it work? Luckily for you, we have the answers. Here's everything you need to know about the Eiffel Tower:
What's This Thing Do?
Once you unlock the Eiffel Tower, building it is as simple as placing it, and then clicking on its foundation to finish it. What the building does essentially is power-up the payouts of all Restaurants, Hotels and other Businesses in your city. More specifically, Wonders triple the payout of Hotels, double the payout of Restaurants and boost other Businesses by 25 percent. However, this effect only lasts for a limited time. In that respect, Wonders are similar to Attractions in the game.
Giving the Shine Treatment
There's no range on the Eiffel Tower--it's bonuses are city-wide. So, place the building wherever you please. Then, click on the building to get it started. Each time you use the Eiffel Tower, it costs you 3 Energy, and the effect lasts for three minutes. You can extend this time with City Cash, which at least grants you with bonus Energy. During that three minutes, any relevant buildings surrounding the Wonder will sparkle, and you must collect from those buildings while the bonuses are in effect.
Eiffel Tower Maitenance
Pushing the Restart Button
After the three minutes are up, your Eiffel Tower will shut down, so to speak. An icon with a key inside will hover above the building. Click it to open a new window in which displays two options. If you want to use the Wonder again immediately, you can ask your friends for six Keys to start it up again, but if you're willing to wait, the Eiffel Tower recharges in 72 hours. In essence, the Eiffel Tower is one massive Attraction, so push the power button and reap the rewards.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you unlocked the Eiffel Tower yet in CityVille? What do you think of Zynga's approach to Wonders? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
What's This Thing Do?
Once you unlock the Eiffel Tower, building it is as simple as placing it, and then clicking on its foundation to finish it. What the building does essentially is power-up the payouts of all Restaurants, Hotels and other Businesses in your city. More specifically, Wonders triple the payout of Hotels, double the payout of Restaurants and boost other Businesses by 25 percent. However, this effect only lasts for a limited time. In that respect, Wonders are similar to Attractions in the game.
Giving the Shine Treatment
There's no range on the Eiffel Tower--it's bonuses are city-wide. So, place the building wherever you please. Then, click on the building to get it started. Each time you use the Eiffel Tower, it costs you 3 Energy, and the effect lasts for three minutes. You can extend this time with City Cash, which at least grants you with bonus Energy. During that three minutes, any relevant buildings surrounding the Wonder will sparkle, and you must collect from those buildings while the bonuses are in effect.
Eiffel Tower Maitenance
Pushing the Restart Button
After the three minutes are up, your Eiffel Tower will shut down, so to speak. An icon with a key inside will hover above the building. Click it to open a new window in which displays two options. If you want to use the Wonder again immediately, you can ask your friends for six Keys to start it up again, but if you're willing to wait, the Eiffel Tower recharges in 72 hours. In essence, the Eiffel Tower is one massive Attraction, so push the power button and reap the rewards.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you unlocked the Eiffel Tower yet in CityVille? What do you think of Zynga's approach to Wonders? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The Sims Social: Celebrate the last days of summer with new Summer House theme
With the mass popularity of the Sims Social on Facebook, it's no surprise that Playfish / EA are continually adding new decorative items to the game's store, allowing you to personalize your home in new ways. Specifically, this week sees the launch of a "Summer House" theme of items, with items being available for your living room, bedroom and even outdoor areas. There are also plenty of decorative items here to take a look at, so we'll do our best to give you a complete guide to these new items. Check them out!
SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)
* Costs: 35 SimCash
* Value: $5,150
SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)
* Costs: 2,250 coins
* Value: $1,800
SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)
* Costs: 79 SimCash
* Value: $11,700
* Sleep Stat: 11
SolTrain Rays (Lamp)
* Costs: 3 SimCash
* Value: $450
BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $350
SolTrain UV Lite
* Costs: 12 SimCash
* Value: $1,750
BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $600
SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)
* Costs: 22 SimCash
* Value: $3,250
Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)
* Value: $750
Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)
* Value: $1,300
SolTrain BagelUp
* Costs: 5 SimCash
* Value: $750
Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)
* Costs: 49 Sim Cash
* Value: $7,250
SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $2,200
Palm Tree
* Costs: 1,750 coins
* Value: $1,650
* Happiness Stat: 3
* Social Stat: 3
SolTrain Parasol
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $4,850
* Sleep Stat: 3
UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
* Fun Stat: 5
In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.
As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.
SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)
* Costs: 35 SimCash
* Value: $5,150
SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)
* Costs: 2,250 coins
* Value: $1,800
SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)
* Costs: 79 SimCash
* Value: $11,700
* Sleep Stat: 11
SolTrain Rays (Lamp)
* Costs: 3 SimCash
* Value: $450
BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $350
SolTrain UV Lite
* Costs: 12 SimCash
* Value: $1,750
BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)
* Value: $600
SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)
* Costs: 22 SimCash
* Value: $3,250
Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)
* Value: $750
Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)
* Value: $1,300
SolTrain BagelUp
* Costs: 5 SimCash
* Value: $750
Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)
* Value: $1,650
SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)
* Costs: 49 Sim Cash
* Value: $7,250
SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $2,200
Palm Tree
* Costs: 1,750 coins
* Value: $1,650
* Happiness Stat: 3
* Social Stat: 3
SolTrain Parasol
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)
* Value: $4,850
* Sleep Stat: 3
UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)
* Costs: 59 SimCash
* Value: $8,700
* Fun Stat: 5
In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.
As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.
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