Category: Videogames

BioWare Just Says No to Vampires

BioWare has developed several outstanding games that use traditional fantasy and sci-fi settings. It even took gamers on a mystical adventure in ancient China (Jade Empire). The company has considered other backgrounds, but one you won’t be seeing any time soon is horror (or as it’s known these days, vampiric romantic teen angst). BioWare’s Dr. Greg Zeschuk recently told me:

Years ago we talked about horror as a genre setting. We just didn’t feel like it really worked for us. It’s funny how crazy that’s going — the vampire stuff.

I’m mostly relieved, but a little disappointed. I was never into vampires and the Twilight phenomenon currently has me hating the bloodsuckers. If there’s one company that could get me interested in vampires, it’s BioWare. So while I’m glad it appears to be sticking to its bread and butter, I’m curious about what BioWare could do with a vampire game.

Are you happy or disappointed that BioWare isn’t going all Twilight?

Coffee Talk #94: Playing Heavy Rain “Only” Once is Stupid

Yesterday GamePro’s Tae Kim posted an editorial on why you shouldn’t play Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain more than once. It’s an interesting argument that’s supported well. Check out what Tae had to say:

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Alex (not Adam) Lambert’s awesome dancing on American Idol, where Zydrunas Ilgauskas will end up, or the return of Fraggle Rock, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday GamePro’s Tae Kim posted an editorial on why you shouldn’t play Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain more than once. It’s an interesting argument that’s supported well. Check out what Tae had to say:

By choosing to let your actions stand, and by refusing to go back in an attempt to change things, you can better appreciate the turmoil felt by the characters in the game. You are also able to buy into the spirit of the overall game design more fully. It’s the fact that no matter how hard they try, they cannot change their pasts that makes the characters’ plight so much more meaningful; by applying the same sense of inevitability and immutability to your own decisions, you can impart more meaning to your time with Heavy Rain.

Before I get into things, I need you to understand that I like and respect Tae. If he wants it, he could have a long and successful career writing about games. He’s really good. Having said that, I think his entire premise is stupid and slightly pretentious. It’s easy to say that you should only play the game once when you got to do it for free several weeks ago. I spent $65.84 on my copy and I sure as hell want to get more than nine hours of entertainment out of the deal.

Fiscal responsibility aside, Heavy Rain is a great game and it should be enjoyed more than once. Would you listen to The Beatles’ Rubber Soul just once? Would you watch American Ninja just once (and deprive your life of the brilliance of Michael Dudikoff on a regular basis)? Of course not. Sure, those two examples are forms of linear entertainment and Tae is saying that the interactivity of Heavy Rain is more meaningful if you experience it just once (James Ingram?), so let’s try another example.

For some reason, Tae’s editorial made me think of my friend Karen, who is the queen of Las Vegas buffets. Playing Heavy Rain once would be like her paying $50 at The Bellagio buffet and only getting one plate of food. (That analogy was awesome if you know Karen or me.)

Yeah, I understand what Tae is saying and it’s an interesting point, but I vehemently disagree. What about you guys and gals? Do you subscribe to Tae’s dreamer stance on Heavy Rain? Or do you have a more pragmatic view?

Go to Work with Gas Powered Games’ Chris Taylor

The second entry in Gas Powered Games’ Kings and Castles video blog shows you a day in the life of creative director Chris Taylor. Join him on his morning commute and for a tour of the office. Chris Taylor is funny and awesome (even if he did miss our DICE 2010 meeting), so you should watch this video. It’s good, clean fun that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at Gas Powered Games.

Today’s Poll: Heavy Rain vs. Chocolate Rain vs. Mark Rein

In honor of the release of Heavy Rain for PlayStation 3, I wanted to see what your favorite type of rain is (in the context of gaming and nerd culture). In addition to Quantic Dream’s excellent game, you can choose from “Chocolate Rain” by Tay Zonday, Epic Games vice president Mark Rein, and Prince’s outstanding “Purple Rain” (the song, not the movie). Make your choice and leave your explanation in the comments section if you have a moment!

[poll id=”28″]

Nintendo 2010 Release Dates: Mario Galaxy, Metroid, and More

Nintendo of America announced a slew of software release dates today. Here are the most notable titles. As always, let me know if you’re interesting in picking any of these games up.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii): May 23, 2010

Metroid: Other M (Wii): June 27, 2010

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (Wii): June 7, 2010

Picross 3D (DS): May 3, 2010

PadCast: BioWare’s Dr. Greg Zeschuk Talks Games, Social Media, Fitness Titles, and Being Awesome

BioWare’s Dr. Greg Zeschuk completely rules. He truly is one of my favorite people in the business (as is his partner in crime, Dr. Ray Muzyka). After the diabolical Chris Taylor missed our interview session at DICE 2010, Dr. Greg was there to save the day. Naturally I asked him about the crazy three months BioWare has had, with two giant games — Dragon Age: Origins Awakenings and Mass Effect 2 — released in short period of time. The good doctor revealed which characters he used in Dragon Age. I also asked him about BioWare’s efforts to extend its properties through web games, Facebook games, iPhone titles, books, and more.

Since he was a practicing physician before starting up one of the best development houses in the business, I wanted to get Dr. Greg’s view on games like Wii Fit and EA Sports Active. This led to a pretty cool tangent about performing remote operations with Wii-like controls. The interview ends a little abruptly because the press room was being shut down, but it was an absolute pleasure chatting with Dr. Greg and I think you’ll enjoy our chat.

(Yes, it sounds like I’m totally kissing his ass, but I’ve known Greg and Ray for several years. I assure you that my fondness is genuine.)

Coffee Talk #93: Heavy Rain’s Surprising Language Problem

Yes, that was me playing Heavy Rain until 5:00AM. It’s pretty much everything I was expecting and I’m having a wonderful time with it. There is one facet of the game that threw me for a loop: the voice acting. At times it’s so bad that it pulled me out of the experience. Let me explain as I rub the sleep out of my eyes (Monkees reference).

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the top 12 girls on American Idol, Bryan Danielson’s wicked suicide dive on NXT, or Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones, Jr, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yes, that was me playing Heavy Rain until 5:00AM. It’s pretty much everything I was expecting and I’m having a wonderful time with it. There is one facet of the game that threw me for a loop: the voice acting. At times it’s so bad that it pulled me out of the experience. Let me explain as I rub the sleep out of my eyes (Monkees reference).

Some of the voice actors are good, but a lot of them are inconsistent or poor. I’m not sure what happened in the VO sessions, but it sounds like the person directing a few of the actors doesn’t use English as his/her primary language. Some of the phrasing and pronunciation is off. Strange accents pop at times. It’s…not the best and I’m thinking of playing the second time around using French audio with English subtitles.

Having said that, this is still a phenomenal game. The storytelling, graphics, music, and characterization are amazing. I’m just surprised that a game with such polish and high production values dropped the ball in the voice-acting department.

Any thoughts on Heavy Rain so far? For old times sake I will say that Brian Leahy (now with Shacknews!) is the Origami Killer!!!

Echoshift for PSP Hitting PSN This Week

My favorite PlayStation Portable game at E3 2009, Echoshift is being released this week on Sony’s PlayStation Network. It’s a cool and clever puzzle game that’s tough to explain, so check out the video above to see what it’s all about.

With major releases in February and March, Echoshift will be overlooked by many gamers. It’s my job to bring neat games like this to your attention. It’s on the expensive side for a downloadable PSP game ($14.99), but I think it’ll be worth it. I’m going to download it for sure and if I can pry myself away from Heavy Rain, I’ll share my experience with you.

For now, let me know if you’re interested in Echoshift.

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Your Heavy Rain Install and Download Times

I just picked up my retail copy of Heavy Rain during lunch. It took me about 15 minutes to download the latest update and install the game on my PS3. I know some of you have been having issues with PSN download times, so I wanted to see what your experiences were like with this particular title. If you pick up the game today and have a moment, please list how long it took you get the game up and running.