Videogames Archives - Page 76 of 178

Check Out My Review of De Blob 2 (Please)

If you have a moment, please head on over to Machinima.com and check out my review of De Blob 2. The original was cool and full of potential. The sequel made some improvements, but also took several steps back. I’m going to guess that the publisher didn’t give the developer enough time and/or money to make the game great. There are just too many design flaws that detract from the lovely music and sound. Now it’s time to quote myself:

I wanted to love De Blob 2. I’m a huge fan of the game’s art and setting. Sadly, its targeting and save point distribution make it tough to recommend for all gamers. If you’re a highly skilled player that loves a challenge then you might be able to look past the game’s artificial difficulty. If you play like most mere mortals then the moments of joy you experience will be negated by moments of frustration. With a few more months in the oven, this game could have turned out great. Instead, it’s just conditionally good. It’s such a shame because the highs are really good. It’s just that the lows will probably cause most gamers to break things.

If you have time, head on over and leave a comment (please)!

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Coffee Talk #314: What’s the Hardest Game You’ve Played?

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, crying with the Miami Heat, Lady Gaga dropping her Target deal because of LGBT issues, or Yemen, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Imagine a verbal entertainer, some game designers, and some marketing guys drunkenly talking about games during GDC 2011. The topic of the most difficult game of all time comes up. Some guys bring up Ninja Gaiden, others mention Battletoads, and a few swear that nothing tops Mega Man 9.

Pretend you were hanging out in the group. What was the most difficult game you’ve every played? Did you enjoy the brutal difficulty? Or was it just pissing you off to the point that you had to win? Any of you ever hurt your hand because of a difficult videogame?

Sony Spring Fever 2011 Sale Kicks Off with Kratos

Sony’s annual Spring Fever sale starts with some nice discounts on some great games. PlayStation Plus subscribers get 50% off, while regular PSN customers get 30% off. Here are some of the initial deals…

Sony’s annual Spring Fever sale starts off with some nice discounts on some great games. PlayStation Plus subscribers get 50% off, while regular PSN customers get 30% off. The sale runs until April 12, 2011. Here are some of the initial deals:

Castle Crashers – Best PS3 Downloadable Game (Sale price $10.49, Plus price $7.50, Regular price $14.99)
God of War: Ghost of Sparta – Best PSP Downloadable Game (Sale price $27.99, Plus price $20.00, Regular price $39.99)
Age of Zombies – Best PS3/PSP mini (Sale price $3.49, Plus price $2.50, Regular price $4.99)
Dead Nation – Best PlayStation Network Exclusive Game (Sale price $10.49, Plus price $7.50, Regular price $14.99)

Ghost of Sparta is a fantastic game. I highly recommend it. Future sale titles include:

Eat Them!
Savage Moon: Hera Campaign
Tetris (PS3)
Top Darts
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Worm’s Battle Island

Let’s all pounce on the Tetris sale and get an RPad.tv Invitational Tournament going! Also, please let me know if you’re interested in any of the Spring Fever 2011 sale games.

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

So many great games out this week!!! Leading the way are Pokemon Black/White and Dragon Age II. But wait! There’s more!!! Baseball fans have Major League Baseball 2K11 and MLB 11 The Show to keep them happy until opening day. Whether it’s catching imaginary animals and giving them the Michael Vick treatment, swords and sorcery, or America’s pastime, there’s a hot game for you.

Any of you guys and gals picking up new games this week?

Coffee Talk #313: The Decision 2011

Two of my most wanted games of 2011 are out and I’m not sure which one I want to play first. I’m going to start one and give it my full attention…but which one?!? It’s time to make a LeBron James “The Decision”…

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, bi-winning, Charlie Sheen conquering new media, or discovering your Nexus S is actually a limited edition model, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

What a wonderful week for being a gamer. It’s so wonderful that I don’t know what to do. Two of my most wanted games of 2011 are out and I’m not sure which one I want to play first. In the red corner there’s Dragon Age II — the sequel to one of my favorite games this console generation and the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate (which I beat 18 times). In the blue corner there’s Pokemon White — the latest in a series of incredibly addictive RPGs with a ridiculously deep layer that most people don’t know about (so deep that I played Pokemon Pearl for more than 650 hours). I’m going to start one and give it my full attention…but which one?!? It’s time to make a LeBron James “The Decision” decision.

Big videogame releases overlap all the time, but I don’t remember the last time two games that I wanted this much were released in the same week. Has anything like that happened to you? Have you ever had to make a “The Decision” (I love using this term) about two of your most anticipated games? What were they? Which game won out? I can’t wait to hear your “The Decision” stories!

Coffee Talk #312: Giving Up on Android Gaming (Almost)

As an avid Android user and a gamer, I’ve been greatly interested in learning more about Android game developer issues. While I expect the quality of quantity of games in the Android Market to improve…

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 body conveniently holding up until the last day of a conference, Sam Kennedy’s immediate plans for 1Up.com, or being unable to say no to tequila shots with legendary Japanese game designers, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As an avid Android user and a gamer, I’ve been greatly interested in learning more about Android game developer issues. As mosts of you know, Apple iOS is way, way ahead of Google Android in the games department. While I expect the quality of quantity of games in the Android Market to improve, I don’t think it will ever come close to iOS gaming. What I’ve learned from various Google panels and conversations with people that create games for Android and/or iOS has me ready to give up on Android gaming.

On the iOS platform, developers have to worry two screen sizes, three resolutions, and a relatively homogeneous CPU/GPU family. On Android, developers have to worry numerous screens sizes, numerous (and sometimes non-standard) resolutions, CPUs from different manufacturers, GPUs from different manufacturers, differences in accelerometer speeds, and more. From what I’ve learned in the last year, Android game developers just have a lot more to worry about than iOS game developers when it comes to crafting code. What often ends up happening is that Android games are coded for the lowest common denominator and the results aren’t as impressive as they could be.

Developers would love to take advantage of Android’s rapid growth and the open experience of the Android Market, but some feel that the coding challenges aren’t worth it. Google has done a great job at reaching out and trying to support game developers, but I’m not sure it’s enough. Some of the developers I spoke with said that it’s just too difficult.

Game Developers Conference 2011 left me down on the state of Android gaming. I’m almost ready to give up my dream of a robust Android gaming market that rivals iOS gaming, but one hope remains. That, however, is another story.

Coffee Talk #311: Apple Aggressively Invading Gaming?

There’s an interesting Apple vs. Nintendo buzz at GDC 2011. A lot of people in the business thought it was brazen or dickish for Apple to hold its iPad 2 presser around the same time as Nintendo’s GDC keynote…

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, dinner/drinks with your favorite developers, hand numbered tequila, or Charlie Sheen’s ridiculousness, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

There’s an interesting Apple vs. Nintendo buzz at GDC 2011. A lot of people in the business thought it was brazen (at best) or dickish (at worst) for Apple to hold its iPad 2 presser around the same time as Nintendo’s GDC keynote. It’s really bigger than that though. Apple has become a major player in games through the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad…and it looks like the company is being even more aggressive about staking its claim in the business. But is it going too far?

In addition to Apple’s last-minute iPad 2 scheduling, the company is holding its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) during the same time as E3 2011. Apple has used the event to announce new iPhone models and everyone expects the iPhone 5 (or whatever it’ll be called) to make its debut at WWDC 2011.

Apple stole a lot of Nintendo’s spotlight with its iPad 2 announcement. The Nintendo keynote has been scheduled for months, while the iPad 2 event was announced last week. There were a lot of mainstream television crews covering the iPad event. You figure some of those crews would have been covering the Nintendo keynote — full of 3DS wonder — if they didn’t have to choose. Similarly, I expect the iPhone 5 announcement to take some of E3 2011’s thunder away. Gaming and tech enthusiasts will follow both shows, but the mainstream consumer will likely hear more about the iPhone 5 than any E3 2011 announcements.

What do you think of the matter? Is Apple being “dickish” with its scheduling? Is it being too aggressive with its expansion into the gaming world? Or is it being smart? Maybe Apple doesn’t even care and is just doing things on its own schedule while living in the reality distortion field. I’ve heard GDC attendees call Apple’s presser “underhanded”, “shifty”, and “dickish”. I agree with those assessments, but I’m completely biased since I love the gaming business and GDC. I’d love to hear your opinion on the matter. Please let me know!

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

Unless I’m missing something, the only interesting game being released this week is Fight Night Champion. Normally, I would be amped for a new installment in this excellent boxing franchise, but (1) I’m off to GDC 2011, (2) I’m more than a little afraid of the new control scheme, and (3) there are two mega-hits I’m looking forward to next week. I definitely want to play this game…but it’ll have to wait.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Coffee Talk #310: Do You Care to Understand Game Development?

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, Intelligentsia’s Kenya Gichathaini, a special visit from BB, or the NY Knicks’ overrated win over the Miami Heat, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m off to San Francisco in a few hours for Game Developers Conference 2011. In addition to mingling with some amazing talent and old friends, I’ll be hitting up some preview events and meeting with a really cool company I can’t wait to tell you more about. Before I left for GDC 2010, I asked if you understood game development. This year I’d like to hear if you care about understanding game development.

A lot of game journalists (and verbal entertainers) would love for gamers to have a rudimentary understanding of what goes into creating a game. For my part, I want to highlight the incredible people that work so hard at making incredible games. I also think that understanding a bit about the development process helps you appreciate this excellent form of entertainment on a different level. It also helps you understand why some games don’t live up to their potential.

Having said that, I totally understand if you don’t care to learn more about the process. Most people that enjoy music have no idea how many people it takes to record an album. Most moviegoers have no idea what the director of photography does or why the technical lighting director is so important. You don’t need a behind-the-scenes understanding of something to have fun with it. These are, after all, forms of entertainment. Sometimes you just want to sit back and enjoy the ride.

So fire away (please)! Let me know if you’re interested in learning more about how games are made or not.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I have a ton to do before I head up to San Francisco for GDC 2011 on Monday. I’ve been missing DC Universe Online, but I don’t think I’ll be heading back to Gotham or Metropolis this weekend. My copy of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together finally arrived yesterday. This would have come in handy during my crazy Orlando trip. I shouldn’t play too much of it over the weekend…but I know that I won’t be able to resist. It’s my favorite genre and made by one of my favorite developers (Yasumi Matsuno).

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?