Category: Videogames

Epic Games Cliff Bleszinski Thinks OnLive is the “Real Deal”

OnLive

OnLive’s streaming games service has been getting a lot of buzz since it debuted at Game Developers Conference 2009. While millions of gamers love the idea of games-on-demand, many are skeptical about cloud-based gaming. This is new, uncharted territory for gaming. With that in mind, I decided to ask the most dashing game designer east of the Mississippi a prominent game developer what he thought of OnLive. Here’s what Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski (Unreal, Gears of War) had to say:

I was skeptical about OnLive until I had a chance to be hands on with it at GDC, and it does appear to be the “real deal.” I think the PC space will benefit the most initially from this technology, however, I doubt Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are ready to yield to an on-demand cloud console quite yet.

What do you make of his comments? Does getting praise from a respected game designer like Cliffy B change your opinion of OnLive? I want to know what you’re thinking (pure energy)!

Nintendo of Japan Announces DSi LL With 4.2-inch Screens

Remember that rumored revamp of the Nintendo DSi I mentioned on Tuesday? The one with the larger screens, aimed towards old people? In the immortal words of Kurt Angle, “It’s true. It’s damn true.” Nintendo of Japan has announced the DSi LL, an update of its hugely popular DSi, coming on November 21. The big features this time around are dual 4.2-inch screens and a large, pen-like stylus.

The DSi LL will be available in natural white, wine red, and poo dark brown colors. I’m guessing the more “mature” colors combined with the easier-on-the-eyes screens and a stylus that’s so large that you can’t drop it make this a winning combination for old people. I kid, I kid. I love old people!

DSi LL

Seriously though, I was on the fence about the DSi because I wanted more of an upgrade from the DS Lite. The DSi LL is totally it. Hopefully it will be coming to America some time in early 2010.

What do you think od the DSi LL? Are you going to pick one up? What do you think LL stands for?

Coffee Talk #14: Professional Gaming and You

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 Yankees totally sucking last night, Hulk Hogan signing with TNA Wrestling, or the joys of Burmese food, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday, a bunch of friends were telling me how they think professional gaming is set for a huge spike in North America. I was surprised by their position. While pro gaming has a following, I think it’s niche and I don’t see how it can achieve rapid growth in this economic climate.

Like any self-absorbed person, I started thinking about my issues with pro gaming. I just don’t find it very interesting. Watching a few people play a first-person shooter on a big screen bores me. In most cases, I rather be playing games than watching people play them.

Street Fighter IV

That said, there are a few exceptions. I love watching two highly skilled Street Fighter IV players go at it. I love watching Korean fans watch professional StarCraft players. At Korean StarCraft tournaments, the crowd is totally tuned into the game, gasps at sudden turnarounds, and goes nuts when their man wins. There are DVD box sets of tournaments and professional players have their own baseball cards. It’s a cool and unique thing.

Anyway, I want to know what you think about professional gaming. Does it interest you? Do you think it has a bright future in America? What kind of games do you like to watch in tournaments? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Coffee Talk #13: Should Price Be a Factor in Review Scores?

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, your pick for the World Series, D&D nerds using Google Wave, or electric scooters, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

So many of my friends in the gaming business are raving about DJ Hero. During several casual chats this week, I heard superlative after superlative thrown at the game. Most of the time, I just nodded and grinned (or in some cases did the IM equivalent of nodding and grinning). To the friends I was comfortable with — the ones close enough to engage in a healthy debate with, that is — I responded with one simple question, “Yeah, but is it worth $120?”

DJ Hero Renegade Edition

Price is a factor when you’re buying a game, but for some reviewers it’s a non-issue. Some outlets take the stance of “we judge each game on its own merits”. I don’t really buy that. I have different expectations from a full-budget $60 game than a $20 value title or a $10 download. Although some reviewers are taking DJ Hero’s price into consideration, I don’t think they’re weighing it into the equation as heavily as they ought to.

Part of the problem is that some longtime reviewers get too used to being able to play every game that’s released for free. They forget about being a kid that desperately wanted three games, but had to deliberate for days because they could only afford one. To me, a game like DJ Hero or Rock Band or Guitar Hero should be looked at differently than a $60 game because they’re frickin’ expensive.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. I want to know what you think America. Should a game’s price be considered in its review score?

PhD Candidate Uses Biometrics for Guitarless Guitar Hero

T. Scott Saponas has devised a system that uses biometric sensors that pick up your arm’s electrical signals to…(get this) play Guitar Hero. I love the use of awesome technology for trivial pursuits. So does Procrastineering, which reported:

One of my favorite projects this year was a muscle sensing system that (among other things) allows you to play Guitar Hero without a guitar. It directly senses the electrical signals in your arms and maps those to the appropriate button presses. This was done by Scott Saponas, a Phd student at the University of Washington exploring a variety of biometric sensing techniques for input.

Be sure to check out the video of Saponas’s system and let me know what you think (please)!

Source via Engadget

Xbox 360 Games Not Even Good Enough to Steal (in Japan)

Xbox 360 theft

A recent robbery of a videogame store in Moriyama, Japan revealed that Japanese thieves don’t care about the Xbox 360. Out of the 460 games stolen, only 20 were for the Microsoft console. Andriasang listed the complete breakdown:

  • PSP: 200 games
  • PS3: 140 games
  • Wii: 100 games
  • Xbox 360: 20 games

That’s just frickin’ hilarious. I know the Xbox 360 isn’t popular in Japan, but you know things are bad when thieves can’t be bothered to steal games for the system. Somewhere in Japan, a Microsoft executive is thinking, “Crap. We can’t even give these things away.”

Source

Insomniac Says it’s 2 to 3 Years Until PS3 is Maxed Out

Ratchet and Clank Future

While some people believe that we’re already past the midpoint of this console generation, others think that we still have a ways to go. Developer Insomniac Games (Resistance, Ratchet & Clank) is part of the latter group. The company believes that it will be two to three years until the power of the PlayStation 3 is fully realized. In a recent interview with CVG community manager James Stevenson said:

The first couple of years are all about developers getting games up and working. You see what Naughty Dog has had the chance to do in the past two years. You’ve seen what we’ve been able to do in that time. This is where it gets exciting.

I still think you’re not going to see the PS3 really maxed out for another two to three years. We’re using all of the PS3 right now, but you can always be more efficient in the way you use it.

While I do think there are still ways for developers to exploit the power of the PS3, three years seems too long. With games like Uncharted 2, God of War III, and Heavy Rain, it seems like developers are pretty close to maxing out the PS3. While I like and respect Stevenson, his words would have been more powerful coming from someone on the development team.

Still, I could be wrong. What do you guys and dolls think? Will it be three years until the PS3 is pushed to the limits? Or are developers close to that point now?

Source

Gamers Buying Digital Add-ons, Full Games…Not so Much

Digital Distribution study

A recent study on digital distribution by Today’s Gamers produced some interesting numbers on gamers’ purchasing habits. While around 40 percent of American gamers buy levels or add-ons, only 22 percent buy full games. Here are some other tidibits found by Gamasutra:

58 percent of the U.S. population plays games on consoles, and 41 percent plays PC games; 43 percent of those console players download either levels or complete games.

But for Xbox and PlayStation 3 alone, the figures jump to 73 percent and 68 percent, respectively. The download figure for Wii users is 46 percent.

While I expected the number of people that buy full games via digital distribution to be lower, I didn’t think it would half the number of people that buy levels. A lot of you have mentioned that you still prefer having a box and physical copy, while a few of you have stated that you don’t like that you can’t resell a digital copy. I wonder what’s stopping most people.

Either way, if similar studies produce these kinds of results, it might make publishers think twice about digital distribution. Even publishers that equate it to probable death.

Source

New Nintendo DSi with Larger Screens on the Way

According to Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Nintendo is readying a new DSi model with larger screens. The company is targeting the new model towards older consumers that have problems reading text on the DS and DSi, as well as people looking for a portable console that’s suited for watching movies and reading digital books. Andriasang reported:

The Tuesday morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports that Nintendo will be attempting to spur sales of its DS line of portable systems. Domestically, the company will be releasing a DSi hardware revision within the calendar year. By the end of the fiscal year, it aims to release the current DSi in Korean and Chinese markets.

The new domestic DSi, which goes unnamed in the paper, is the current DSi with a larger screen. The new screen size is over four inches, well above the current model’s 3.25 inch size.

Nintendo DSi

I’m curious to see if the upcoming model will be snatched up as quickly as its predecessors. With the DS and DSi doing way better than I expected, I’m not going to question Nintendo on this. Still, I have to wonder if older consumers are clamoring for a larger screen and if people want to use a handheld gaming system to read books. Perhaps that’s the case in Japan, but in North America and Europe? I’m doubting Nintendo on the need for this model, but the company has made me eat crow too many times in the past so….

Continue reading “New Nintendo DSi with Larger Screens on the Way”

Coffee Talk #11: Achievements vs. Trophies — Fight!!!

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, if Lyoto Machida deserved that decision over Shogun Rua, T-Mobile’s new pricing plans, or how awesome it is to have the Yankees in the World Series, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

First off, kindly vote in the Saved by the Bell poll. It’s important…like very. Now getting back to the topic at hand….

RPad TV Achievement

Achievements and trophies. Trophies and achievements. They’re essentially the same thing — a little pat on the back for doing something in a game. In some cases, the reward is for something you would have done anyway. In others, you’re coerced to play more of a game and/or play it in a different way just to get some meaningless points or symbols. Don’t get me wrong, I love these things. I want them. (Even if I don’t know why.) What I find curious is that some gamers greatly prefer one over the other.

Familiarity might have something to do with it. Microsoft wisely incorporated achievements during the early planning stages of the Xbox 360. By introducing the system on day one, it was able to establish achievements as the norm and get gamers hooked on the whole idea. Sony’s trophies came much later and support hasn’t been consistent. This has changed, but there are some early releases that don’t support trophies. All that aside, some people prefer trophies because they rather have a symbol than a number. Personally, I don’t care either way — I want them all!!! (Unfortunately, I’ve played so many games on debug units and/or under shared accounts that my personal scores suck *sniff*)

On this fine Monday Monday (so good to me), I want to know which system you prefer and why. Are trophies your bag? Or do you dig achievements?

Continue reading “Coffee Talk #11: Achievements vs. Trophies — Fight!!!”