The Geek Spot

Games and Academics - The Controller

2012-03-05T18:21:00.000-06:00

Professor William Provancher of the University of Utah along with three of his students have designed a controller that would better respond to players thumbs, and push back for more interaction. The idea was to make games more immersive, thus allowing users to become more involved in the games themselves.

The feedback isn't a new design. Vibrating controllers is basically what I'm referring to. They prompt a response from the gamer to let them know that something has happened in the game that requires their attention.

The difference with this controller is that it requires the user to respond. If you're being pushed back by an enemy, the thumbsticks will resist your motions until you push and break away from that digital object.

I'm all about immersion so it's a nifty little toy I'd like to try out. But the design could use a facelift. The controls are very, very, very basic and mimics a really bad XBox controller. There are 2 thumbsticks with your primary buttons on the top and to the side. Not feasable for 99.99% of us that game. It has potential, sure, but in it's current format no way.

Since this is for educational purposes, don't expect it to be on the market anytime soon. But the ideas behind it and the fact that they accomplished it are pretty nifty.

Sh*t My Dad Doesn't Say

2012-03-03T08:58:00.000-06:00

It's been well over a year since I posted about my dad playing an MMO game. Guess what? He's still going. He's learned what a guild is, what it means to raid, and that tea-bagging corpses is no longer funny. He has climbed the highest mountain in Rift and continues to explore the game at his own pace. He even became social and started talking to others, where before he was more focused on being a solo player. Currently he is a temporary leader for his guild during those times when the guild-heads are MIA or AFK.

He has become one of us and I'm still weird-ed out by it.

Let me break that down, because I'm not offended, appalled, or confused by the fact that he plays video games. He has been a gamer since Pong and brought the magic to our little, fragile minds from the moment we could hold an Atari controller in our hands. He's very much about first person shooters, war games, and flight simulators. As soon as computer gaming became affordable he jumped to it. I'm amazed that we didn't destroy our copy of Star Wars X-Wing. We abused that game.

And as the gaming world grew he stuck to what he knew best. My brother and I have tried to get him to play Halo and Call of Duty on the Xbricks, but he never could get into it. He's a very one-mind-set man. Likes the things as they are. He is more about playing games as a solo activity, not as a group. Doesn't want too much change because it alters his routine. Which is fine. We're happy to see that he still games when most people his age call us kids and losers for doing it.

One year later and I still don't know how he got into Rift. I know the big reason that he tried it out in the first place is because of my brother, who worked as a QA on the game and continues to work at Trion Worlds. But he still plays. No longer the solo player, he likes to play with others.

Again I asked him about this and he still can't provide me with an answer. He just likes to play.

My brother and I got him a copy of Star Wars The Old Republic. I am an agent of the Empire. My brother a Jedi for the Republic. Pops decided to try out Bounty Hunter first. Now I know where I got my personality from. He has been enjoying it. Didn't pick our server of course, but that's ok. I'm going to make a character on his server so I can experience this first hand and try to figure out what made him decide to go against his normal play-style. Ever since Rift he hasn't picked up an FPS. We got him a copy of CoDMW3 (not by choice) as a gift last year and he has yet to touch it. Cold turkey on the shooters! It's all about MMO's now.

So what causes a person to change their taste in games? How do they look at a product they once deemed silly and now see it as apart of their gaming habits?

I'm going to keep watching and waiting to see what happens. It caught my curiosity. He's a creature of habit and to stop playing FPS is odd. And now he likes to play with others...so weird for him. I need to start recording this stuff and make it into a paper.

Still Have A 360 Launch Console

2012-03-01T18:46:00.000-06:00

It's really not that big of a deal Kotaku.

I think they posted it just to drum up some conversation considering how light gaming info/news has been lately. They found 5 readers who still have launch 360 systems that work. They either never red ringer or never went to Microsoft for repairs. Considering that the fail rate was 52%ish, that's pretty good. Imagine buying a system with only 48% chance that it won't crash in the first 2 years of use. What a lovely thought and great waste of $299.99; excluding tax of course.

Well guess what. We have a launch system here. And it still works. Never red ringed. We take pretty good care of our electronics. They get dusted daily, they're in open well ventilated areas, and they aren't over-used by spending 40 hours straight on Skyrim. We still have a working Atari 2600 and CalicoVision bought way back in the 80's during their initial releases.

Though I will say that of all the systems we've ever owned, we bought a 360 slim console and that one did RROD about 2 years in. Not a launch system, but it's the only one that officially crashed on us out of the dozens that we own.

I'm sure there are easily thousands of other people with launch 360 systems that are still working. I guess someone on staff was bored and came up with this "story".

Progressive or Just BioWare?

2012-02-28T18:55:00.000-06:00

People are apparently freaking out that you can be gay with man-Sheppard in Mass Effect 3. I.E. It's not limited to being fem-shep getting it on with another lady. It is man on man action!

I'm with BioWare on this one. Why is this such a big deal? They're not making a political statement. They're not choosing a side. They are giving their gamers more choices, because that is what they want.

Sex and games is still fairly new so anytime there is something "scandalous" it's brought to the forefront. Hot Coffee anyone? And BW is no stranger to it. Take half a second to think about it's games and one of the first things you'll probably think of is all of the same-sex opportunities that are available. Rockstar isn't far behind on the content.

In fact when BW chose (maybe not the best word since this doesn't exist in the Lucas universe) to not have same-sex relationships in Star Wars The Old Republic, a lot of people got upset, boycotted the beta, and didn't buy the game at release. I'll bet 5 bucks half of those people are playing the game now. I'd love to link to those forums posts but they've all been removed since BW started with a clean slate at release. And some of the things people were typing really didn't make sense. You're going to not buy the game because it doesn't have same-sex content in it? You must not play any video games at all then, but oh wait. I see you have your latest high score in Mortal Kombat in your signature. Yeah. That's how you'll stick it to the man. No pun intended.

While I'm all for the progressive aspects that gaming is aiming to take us, is it really that big of a deal in the end? We're all people, playing a game and living out a fantasy. Not everything has to be focused on politics and a game's interpretation of the real world. Sometimes yes. But when a company is being adamant about not playing, let's take their word for it and move on. They have more important things to worry about. Like fixing PvP in TOR.

It’s the player’s choice. It’s a role-playing game. ~Ray Muzyka

Oh Sweet Irony. Bieber sued by Beaver

2012-02-27T18:32:00.000-06:00

About two weeks ago, Justin Bieber's attorneys sent a cease and desist letter to the makers of an Android game called Joustin' Beaver. It's a Beaver that is made up to look like Bieber as you fight your way down the steam to get Otter-graphs and knock out Phot-Hogs. I'm not making that up even if I tried.

Beiber's reps claim the game is defaming his image. The company that made the game is suing back at Beiber saying that it's infringing on their first amendment rights. They aren't shy to admitting that Beibermania inspired the game and that it acts as a parody of his real life. Because they are not directly using his name or image, they feel that they have the right to distribute the game as they please. If it were a literal copy/paste of his name and image, then it would be a different story.

RC3 (the company that made the game) is looking for protection from the first amendment in a court ruling. They make a sound claim. It has already been ruled in the past that video games be treated with the same artistic freedom as movies, paintings, television, etc. Even with one as lame of a concept as Beiber being a Beaver. More then likely, the courts will side with the game. If they don't, expect a huge backlash from "celebrities". Beiber could easily claim that RC3 is making a profit off his image and could go after them for more money.

Worse comes to worse, I bet the game got a ton more downloads after the lawsuit came to light.

Today Seems To Be Gamer Job Scam Day

2012-02-26T09:26:00.000-06:00

While scanning the news for stories, the first two that appeared on my screen were about the high demand for video game testing jobs. I was curious seeing as last month people were blasting the web about low sales for January compared to 2011's numbers. So let's see what this is about!

Website #1 is about the Game Testers Academy, and reads more like a really bad press release then a "story". Also it you hover over the links, they lead to lord knows where. Really. The links look like a cat sat on the keyboard and made the website links.

Ok next website. The Australian Eye. This looks good so far...oh wait. There it is. Video game testers can work anywhere in the world and can work any time because everything is handled over the internet. Yeah that's not really true 99% of paid game testing requires you to show up at their offices so they can monitor you, get immediate feedback, and such.

If you go to the websites, the real links not the cat dancing on the keyboard links, it's pretty obvious that these are scams. They follow the same pattern of websites that many work at home job seekers see when looking online. Even the web design. They make promises about how easy it is to sign up, get started, make money, and be a guaranteed success! Just make a payment to sign up for their services. What. You didn't expect this to be free did you?

You pay to receive their books, their mailing lists, their "products" on how to be a game tester. Which is sometimes true. Sometimes false. But out of that mess you're suppose to be taught how to get the job to be a tester. Which is also sometimes true. And you have to pay for it. That "ease" of getting the job is followed by $49.99+ being thrown around. They don't actually set you up with interviews, lead you to game designers door steps, or prep you on how to get your foot into the door. They sell you crap off of the gullible.

Think of this as a service announcement to all of my geeks. Don't fall for this junk. People do every day because it guarantees them simplicity. You don't have to leave your couch to get a job as a game tester! The reality is, you do. Just like anything with life, you have to work for it. And if a website is promising you a job for a fee, don't bite. Paying for a job means you are the sucker. The idea of a job is to have them pay you; it doesn't work the other way around.

If you want a job as a game tester, which really isn't the lap of luxury that The Tester makes it out to be (because eating bull testicles is totally what a real game tester does, everyday!), go to the company's website, look for job openings, and apply. If you know someone at the company, that helps out a lot, because so much of that business is who you know to get you in. But being a tester itself? It's not all that great. You are expected to play games for hours on end, provide detailed notes for bugs and suggestions on improvement, and most of the time it's an unpaid internship. Oh, and it's usually not a game that you'll like. Into CoD? Great! Here's a Barbie game to test. You don't get to PICK the game you want to play. You're handed whatever is available that needs testing. Try 8 hours of Barbie's Horse Adventure. That might make you reconsider a few things.

And yes, there are companies out there that focus on testing games for consoles, phones, and computers. You have to do your research and find them. And yes, there are legit websites such as GameTester.com that give you a listing of gaming gigs, both entry and high end, for free. It's important to keep your options open. Many testers are short-term gigs. Depending upon the company's needs, it can turn into a long term job. Companies that work on mobile apps are more likely in need of permanent testers versus video games.

Really, just be aware of what you're clicking. It's sad to see that our domain is being smacked by these scammers, but if people weren't falling for it, then it wouldn't be a problem. If you see a website that uses the format of the others, promising results for money, and even the same web design (simple background, a frame in the center, with lots of large, bolded text, and endless scrolling), close the window and move on.

RedBox Wants You To Buy Their Service!

2012-02-24T18:37:00.000-06:00

Starting Sunday the 26th until March 1st, you can rent a game from RedBox for free. It is typically $2.00 a day (I know, pricy right?) to rent a game from their services. But as a trial offer for new peeps, you can rent one game for free during this time frame. The games are for the current gen primary consoles, 360, PS3, and Wii, and range from CODMW3 and Just Dance 3.

What's the catch? Because there always is one.

You only get that first day for free. So if you keep that game longer then a day, you will be charged for the $2.00 each subsequent day you have the game. Good way to screw people over if they're not paying attention to the fine print. I guess the convenience of trying one game for one day that you were unsure of buying would be reason enough to give it a shot. But if you forget to return it within 24 hours, you will get hosed. Always that fine print...

If You Are In The D.C. Area March 17th...

2012-02-22T18:05:00.000-06:00

Kojima-san will be at the Smithsonian for a special lecture for it's series The Art of Video Games.

Oh how I wish I could drop everything and go. I would give up going to the convention I have planned that weekend to see Mr. Kojima.

So if you are in the area, GO! Don't even think about it. Don't question it. Go buy your ticket, which began sales today, and go. And it's free. You just have to get a ticket to get in because it's going to be packed.

The Smithsonian will host other panels throughout it's exhibit with game designers, such as RJ Mical (God of War, and LBP2) and Ken Levine (Bioshock). There will also be screenings of the original TRON movie and King Kong. I'm not entirely sure why, but ok. It's their shindig. Ok well I can argue for TRON. It's a movie about being sucked into a computer game. King Kong is a lost cause to attempt a tie-in.

World Wide Game Rating Is On The Way

2012-02-21T20:19:00.000-06:00

The ESRB is pulling together all of it's international resources to come up with a rating system that can be applied to all countries. The ratings themselves won't change in whatever part of the world that you're from, but the system on how the rating is obtained will. It will become more automated with less need to watch game footage or play the games themselves.

Patricia Vance, one of the head honchos, said that the need to grow is because of the boom in phone apps.

"None of us are used to having to rate hundreds of thousands of products. We're used to the typical flow of boxed CDs or movies or games."

Hundreds of new games are released on Apple and Android marketplace and most of them ignore the rules and standards set in place by the ESRB. While they continue to work on a mobile app to make rating phone games more streamlined, they want to apply the same settings to boxed video games. Here is the downside to the new system that will make some child advocates a little leary.

Game developers have to use the honor system when answering the questionnaire about their games.

As Vance points out in the article, devs don't have a reason to lie about the content of their games and there will be spot checks. But I know that someone is going to throw a tissy and start an uproar. Queue Fox News.

Girls Who Are Boys Who Are Girls

2012-02-20T19:21:00.001-06:00

I only bring this article up because the comments are infuriating. Even after thousands of years of existence, people still have to separate men and women into arbitrary stereotypes. Woman and girls have to like pink and Barbie. Men and boys have to like blue and trucks.

If you want to be lazy and not read, the article is about the importance of nurturing children if they decide to not do the gender stereotype thing, and to help them in situations where they are being bullied. Most of the comments are trolls; funny that CNN of all places has trolls. But some are people being serious and typing "girls are girls. boys are boys. if your girl doesn't want to wear a dress, get her to a doctor." Is that really necessary? What's wrong with a girl not wanting to wear a dress? That doesn't make her any less of a girl or a human. She has just as much of a right to not wear a dress just as a little boy has the right to play with a Cabbage Patch Kid.

Gender stereotypes have eaten at me for years. I've been fortunate to have the parents that I do. They have always been supportive of me and my choices in life. And while I may be more womanly now then I was a decade ago, I still hate dresses and skirts. I like pants. I don't like the color pink, or red, or yellow, or anything considered "girly." My favorite color is blue. Not that blue, but this blue. I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and Legos. And I like the American Girl dolls too, back when they were cool and told stories of strong, independent girls, not the crap they have going on today with facials. What is the value in having a facial with your doll? >.>

I've been made fun of for not being girly. I never let it get to me as much as others may have. My parents were there and allowed me to be me. Thanks mom and dad!

But the comments on that article...such ignorance. The real comments, not the fake ones. This is why our society is going down the toilet. And why girls and woman can't break into the gaming industry as equals. We will always be seen as "outsiders" until we are thought of as the same. Which will probably never happen. /sigh

I'm ranting. I know. It would be nice to see in my lifetime a moment where girls are considered equal to their male peers in gaming.

TMNT Reborn!

2012-02-18T08:50:00.000-06:00

Something has happened in the past few years that has made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles popular again.In 2007 there was that animated version of the turtles, with Patrick Stewart. Always a win-win. They've been cropping up on television here and there, and the arcade version was on WiiWare for a while, until Konami's license expired.

Nickelodeon is currently rebooting the show for CGI. Playmates, a toy company, will launch a line of action figures to accompany it. IDW comics is also refreshing the franchise with a monthly series. So of course, there has to be a game coming out, right?

Activision has the rights to any gaming license now, and this image from the International Toy Fair shows that something is in the works. You don't cross-promote with Acti unless you know you are getting a product out of it.

For many of us in our generation, TMNT was the sh*t. We each had our favorite turtle, because we couldn't like them all. We respected Splinter and wanted Shredder, aka chrome dome, to finally get his butt kicked. And I'm sure some guys out there discovered puberty due to April. Turtle mania in the late 80's/early 90's created movies (with Corey Feldman) and it's own section of Universal Studio's theme park in Orlando. I remember getting so excited to get Donatello's autograph when I was a kid, even though it turned out to be a stamp in my book, but that was ok! What kicked everything off for most of us was the Arcade Game. We would spend hours upon hours at the arcades playing this, and then jumping to The Simpsons. And then we would go home to our Nintendo's and play it some more! You were not cool in the arcades unless you could beat TMNT in 5 hours without loosing a life.

I'm curious and excited to see what Activision brings to the franchise. Still dislike them for their repetitive nature with CoD, but maybe this will give them a chance to grow where they need to.

You're Missing The Point of the ESRB!

2012-02-17T18:54:00.000-06:00

The Family Practice News (I know; it sounds like a trustworthy publication) is telling parents to disregard the ESRB. Throw it's ratings out the window! You don't need them! Why? Because they are a part of the gaming industry, employed by people with no training in child psychology, and do not play the games before making their decisions. Instead you should use Commonsense Media, because they come from parents. Parents that care. Because the ESRB is evil and doesn't care about your kids!

I took a look at the Commonsense website. Apparently they list Beauty & The Beast, the Academy Award winning DISNEY movie as too sexy for kids to watch. Take that as you wish.

Now, I'll agree with the fact that the ESRB's age system in regards to ratings is a bit arbitrary and does mimic the MPAA's version. And the reason the ESRB was created was so that video games didn't become regulated by the government, as with what happened with the movies and the MPAA. The gaming industry knew it needed to create a system, and took it upon themselves.

And yes it's true, the ESRB doesn't get a chance to play the games. However, their sample is more then a few minutes of game footage. In most cases, they will receive upwards of 10 hours of both cut-scenes and game-play. Gaming developers are required to list every possible aspect of the game that would determine their rating in writing. If they miss out on something, they can get a pretty big hefty fine from the ESRB.

Many parents like the system as it is. In fact, the ESRB talks about it on their website and it got an approval from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

One thing the article overlooks is the amount of detail that is given for each rating, and tag on the back of the game box. It lists exactly what is in the game. Sex, drugs, alcohol, violence, nudity, swearing, guns, girls, ammo, adult situations...you name it! With the MPAA you get a very generic idea of what type of content is in the film. With the ESRB, they list it all out for you! That's the difference and that's why the system is still working. And a good crutch for retailers. "Well I didn't know what content was in the game." "Ma'am, it's on the box. Right there. Where it says 'Contains this, this, this, and that.' "

I don't understand this need to constantly bash media for the world's problems. It's your fault for being a bad parent. Admit to it, fix it, and stop blaming others for your mistakes.

First Wii. Then Jungle. Now, Durango!

2012-02-16T18:34:00.000-06:00

I seriously would like to know who comes up with the names for gaming systems and their codenames. I'd also love to know how much they are getting paid, because that has to be the easiest job known to man.

We all know that Microsoft is working on a new gaming console. We've been aware of it for a while. But now we've got a codename. Durango~

It sounds like a sports utility vehicle that is way too big for a mom to be driving. And it's probably endorsed by a clown, or a spider monkey. Everyone loves monkeys, and the rarer they are, the more we love them. We'll buy anything from you crazy clown and spider monkey.

Is this the final name of the product? God I hope not. It is a codename after-all. Wii called theirs the Revolution first before it became Wii. So there's some possibility that it will be better then that. Probably Xbox 720 like everyone expects.

Gaming Movies.. Still Suck If This Is Real.

2012-02-15T19:47:00.000-06:00

I don't know if this is really, real or another story made up by the interwebs.

Sony Pictures has signed Brian Taylor, the co-director for the upcoming Ghost Rider movie, to write and direct a Twisted Metal pic. Jaffe made fun of it in a tweet on Twitter. "This just in. Twisted Metal movie will contain no story." You know about that stuff all too well, don't you Jaffe?

There's really no other info, which makes me wonder if it's a legitimate story. Because what would be the point of a TM movie? You drive a car and blow shit up. I know that's not very far from most action movies these days, but at least they have some framework to go around. So yeah. There you go.

For the Love of Relationship...and Games.

2012-02-14T18:59:00.000-06:00

Well February started out great with news. And then it feels into the eventual pitfall of suck. Every day I see the same story about “January’s sale numbers the worse in history!” Today it’s all about video game “couples” and “relationships”. I already know that the couple that games together stays together. I didn’t need to see a study about it: Oh wait. There it is!

February 14^th. What a sad, obligatory “holiday.” Does anyone even know why we celebrate Valentine’s day? It’s supposed to be a day to remember a Christian martyr, Saint Valentinus. Somehow it morphed into a day of romance and sending cards in the 19^th century to the capitalistic endeavor that it is today. There are a lot of legends about it too; that Saint Valentinus last words were “Be Mine” or “From Your Valentine” and that’s why we see it on those chalk-heart candies. Or that February 14^th is the day when birds start mating. I’m not sure why or how they came up with that conclusion, but apparently if the birds are mating then so should humans?

I don’t understand this holiday. It’s basically an excuse for people to not show that they care about another person until this one day out of the entire year. And that seems silly to me. I’d much rather be surprised at random with affection. Having a pre-determined time and day seems…pointless. Isn’t a part of being in love supposed to be about the unexpected moments of passion?

I’m just saying.

To me, it’s obvious that gaming keeps a couple together because that’s what I do. I’m a gamer. The b/f is a gamer. We spend more time when we game as a unit; in doing so we share our interests and get more involved in one another’s lives. It just makes sense to me.

Got a boy/girlfriend that isn’t into gaming? Start out on something simple that’s multiplayer. Take up a simulation game, use Facebook, Words with Friends, or if you’re gutsy go for an FPS (get Resident Evil at least-that has women-folk in it). If you want your significant other to be in your life, get them involved in your hobbies. Even if they don’t like it and stop, at least they’ll have an understanding on why you do the things you do and are more likely to try new things with you in the future. That’s how you can keep a relationship going if you’re invested in it.

There. Now where’s my $100,000 check. I just saved some school some pointless research money. >.>

The "One Part Lazy. One Part Busy." Post

2012-02-13T19:07:00.000-06:00

I've been MIA this weekend to attend a convention where I was a guest judge for a cosplay contest. It was fun. But I am tired and so freekin' busy/behind on...everything. >.> This is completely killing my FF13-2 game time!!!

So here's a story about NASA and their interest in video games. Apparently they have a few Facebook games to get the public to understand what their current and future projects will be about. We may no longer be sending man to the moon, but they have a lot more stuff in the works. Like Mars. And like most of the LeapFrog games, they focus on eduction first, game design later. It's a short, quick, interesting read to see how programs outside of the norm are using gaming to develop.

The Hell Jaffe?!

2012-02-10T19:22:00.000-06:00

There goes David Jaffe running his mouth again. He's good at it. Not good in the sense of he's right. But good that he has a knack for doing it.

He recently gave a keynote regarding the state of video games and that games and movies don't go together. Which I'll agree with. Games based on movies and vice-versa just don't work. They are two different mediums of entertainment that don't transpose to one another so easily. The most successful is Resident Evil and that has been pulled so far away from the games that it doesn't resemble even 1% of the original content.

That's not what I wanted to talk about. It's the rest of his speech.

On telling stories in games: I think it's a waste of time and resources, and it has stunted the medium of video games.

Wait. Backup here. I know you're not known for great story telling but come on. Really? The telling of stories is stunting the growth of the industry

I know you've been busy with Twisted Metal. I get that it's a game about driving zany vehicles and blowing up your friends. But I'm not going to spend $59.99 on a game that doesn't have a story. I <3 Twisted Metal but that will not be a day one purchase for me just for that reason. I'll wait until it drops to $29.99 and then I'll think about it.

It seems...moronic to say the least to proclaim that stories and interjecting philosophy into games is a waste of time. To say that we shouldn't be would stunt the growth of the industry. You CAN have fun playing a game that is focused on story. Limbo is a great example of this. Very simple graphics and game-play but it is a powerful story that drives people to play. And you know what? It's a lot of fun to play as the character and go along his journey.

I don't know. I think David got smacked by the clown or something. This just seems like crazy talk. Sure I enjoy the occasional mindless slaying of aliens, but all the time? No thanks. I enjoy playing games that challenge my brain to think outside of the box.

Japan's Arcade Gamers

2012-02-08T18:42:00.000-06:00

This is a great example of games being for all ages. Japan's legendary Akihabara is home to everything electronic, with gaming being no exception. This district of Tokyo is always busy, and as of late there has been an increase in the age of customers at the parlors.

With birth rates continuing to decline and life expectancies increasing, gaming companies are taking the opportunity to branch out to new potential gamers, those over the age of 60. The aging population is a great resource to tap, in more ways then one. Sega and other companies are exploring everything from Pachinko type of games to what we as American's think of as arcade games, like old school Street Fighter and The Simpsons. (crappy tie-in, I know)

Arcades are now offering senior discount days, and instead of tokens and mobile tickets (for the youngins' with cell phones) points are calculated on simple sheets of paper and handed in for prizes. Ah prizes...I remember those days. I wonder if my 1,000+ Putt-Putt tickets are still good. Probably not.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this as a growing trend over the next decade or so. Our age group is about to turn 30 and for many of us, we've been around since the birth of gaming. I don't think we'll be letting go of it anytime soon. So kids, don't be mean to us old peeps.

Simpsons Arcade Game Now On Consoles

2012-02-06T19:06:00.000-06:00

Talk about nostalgia. I remember spending hours with my brother in the Putt-Putt Arcade room playing this game. Since 1991, it has been a favorite amongst my age-group. It was a simple premise. Taking the characters of Springfield and you as one of the Simpson family members must make your way across the city to get Maggie back, who's been kidnapped by Mr. Burns. I don't remember why, but there was a reason behind it. It was like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but with the Simpsons and the loveable characters.

After a few failed attempts at getting this to homes, it has come to fruition. Backbone Entertainment working with Konami, who still holds the rights to the game, will have a downloadable version ready on the PSN starting tomorrow and it's currently available on Xbox 360 to mark the show's 500th episode. From what I've read, it sounds like the classic just with a minor visual update. That's fine with me. The Simpsons could use a face lift.

There Were Game Companies That Supported SOPA

2012-02-05T08:39:00.000-06:00

Or at least went the route of neutral. It was a big deal last month when Wikipedia did a 24 hour blackout, along with thousands of other sites. Google didn't, but they blacked out their logo. It was enough for people to freak out and caused the bill to become delayed while they re-work it.

And we know that a lot of the silicon valley companies and gaming groups were against SOPA because it infringed on a lot of freedom of expression that comes with the internet. But you know that there had to be a few in the group that were supporting it. They just weren't as vocal, and some of these I'm not surprised about. I know. My cynicism is showing again.

The biggest companies/groups against SOPA were Epic Games, ala Gears of War fame, and the Major League of Gaming. The latter got so upset at GoDaddy for their support of SOPA that they removed all 100+ of their website domains from GoDaddy's service. I did not know this and major ouch to them. That's their bread and butter. Because of the backlash, GoDaddy did a quick about-face and changed their stance; though I don't know if MLG returned to their service.

The obvious support for SOPA came from the largest or the largest gaming developers. EA (who's not surprised about that), Sony Computer Entertainment, Capcom, SEGA, and the ESA. The ones that have the money and probably have most of their content pirated. Sony I can understand since they are linked to their parent company that also produces films, television shows, and music where most of the support came from. EA was playing the neutral card; which when you think about it is kind of funny considering how much crap they're in for a recent lawsuit about content in games. SEGA also did the neutral route. But neutral is just as annoying in this particular situation. You're not saying you're for or against the bill so you really don't care about the right to free artistic voice, something the game community promotes. Good call. And Capcom...well Capcom has been an ahole as of late so I'm not surprised at all that they would side with SOPA.

Not that any of this will affect your point of view about SOPA, but it was interesting to read that not even one of the big publishers/developers could stand up and say No.

Angry KISS Birds

2012-02-03T19:14:00.000-06:00

From the team that brought you Angry Birds, Roxio is in negotiations with super metal group KISS, yes that KISS, to make a video game.

KISS hasn't been that into games in the past, says Gene Simmons, because they weren't exciting or original enough. KISS Pinball clearly wasn't the way to go. But now that there are new games and concepts coming out, they want in.

They're also talking to Sony for other projects.

When you think about it, KISS has been on everything. Shirts. Bedspreads. Mugs. Condoms. Guitars. May as well give them more video games. The KISS phenom is still a pretty powerful force. Maybe their own Rock Band game? That would be appropriate. Easy million sales there.

Explosion of Stories!

2012-02-01T18:35:00.000-06:00

February is starting out with massive amounts of gaming and social networking news. Already this one day makes up for the lack of stories last month.

First up, Facebook. Because if you're living under a rock, you know that today Facebook went public, and people are buying it up like mad. It was originally estimated to be worth 100 billion, and some people are still claiming that to be true. With it's stock going up for sale, it'll be interesting to see what happens. Facebook is still as ever popular and continues to grow in numbers. Not even Google + is able to catch up, for now. So of course if you have money BUY STOCK. XD

Next, the government, mostly the one's inside the shiny white building, are spearheading a project to study the benefits of video games over an 18 month period. It's something they hope to implement into museum tours and the like to get kids more interested in history. It's nice to see a project where it isn't about the negative side of gaming. There are lots of great stuff to that gets overlooked!

Kazuo of Sony is being entrusted to become the next president and CEO of Sony. The man has turned the face of the company and really pushed to market the PS3 properly, when before it was just kind of there and getting an asswhooping by Microsoft in the U.S. His task is to get the focus onto the Vita and help boost profits after a few years of economic woes.

And in stupid news, an Oklahoma representative wants to instate a tax on violent video games to help curb the rise in bullying and obesity in children.

I'll let that sink in for a moment.

His logic is that too many kids are being picked on and getting fat for playing games. He wants to propose a 1% tax increase on games rated by the ESRB as T, M, or AO and use those funds to help with kids programs to prevent bullying and obesity. Reading the bill, it's some interesting language. Apparently it's needed "immediately" to help with public safety. Ok then. Good luck with that bill.

Oh Look. More Game Blaming

2012-01-31T18:45:00.000-06:00

A justified facepalm alert.

A lawyer for a man in New Jersey who was charged with firebombing several synagogues is saying video games made him do it. In particular the XBox 360. Not just one particular game, but the entire system. That's ballsy.

This is someone who may be, with their own problems they have within their own head, been taken over by these games that young people play now.

He could have went with the insanity plea, but started laying into video games being the problem. Not the person.

Take it as you will. It's another dumbass trying to not accept that they are at fault. *shrugs* If anything, they're going after the wrong system. I'd imagine more harm came out of the Nintendo Wii then any others. Think about all of those broken televisions, fans, and fingers from hitting said fans. And Mario is one to promote setting things on fire, even helpless turtles! >.>

FF13-2 and Van Halen

2012-01-30T19:00:00.000-06:00

I'm still trying to figure out how the writer managed to tie those two together. Drew Millard of Kill Screen (how retro) is trying to convey to the world what to expect out of 13-2, something he hasn't played or has little knowledge or, and decides to discuss why Skyrim is better. Again, I'm still working out the specifics. The article title made me go "huh?" and I had to look it over.

His argument goes something like this: FF is out of touch with it's fan base, much like Van Halen is and even when you try to dress it up in a new wrapper, it's still the same old thing. And apparently trying to review the same old thing is pointless.

But is it really?

I made a long post about it over a year ago with FF13 and Dragon Quest. Anyone who knows anything about gaming, even if you don't play RPG's knows about Dragon Quest. It's the same general premise, art, concept, and set-up with every game. And it still sells millions of copies within it's first week of release. And you know what Mr. Millard? People have been buying that new Van Halen album. It's allowing us to reminisce to a time when they were the kings of rock. We remember the days of late night parties, concerts, and waiting to see them on MTV before it became a network about Jersey and teenage mom's. Having the same style, the same tone, the same attitude isn't a bad thing. Consistency can work in the gaming world.

I don't think FF13 or 13-2 is trying to directly pander to American audiences. Because it doesn't need to. They seem to be doing just fine on their own. It doesn't need to be Skyrim nor a BioWare game. It needs to be the game that they wanted to develop, and if that means reusing some of the same stuff from their past projects, then so be it. Your precious Mass Effect 2 still undersold by a few hundred thousand copies when FF13 was released in the same month. Sticking to your guns isn't a bad thing.

Minecraft Slurs

2012-01-29T09:59:00.000-06:00

In a snapshot of an upcoming build for Minecraft, one of the translators took it upon themselves to throw in the N-word when you swap to the Namibia language setting. Whoops.

For those that don't know Minecraft outsources their development to dedicated users/fans/etc. Mojang was quick to fix that issue and apologized for it; that it was the work of a prankster. A lot of the content in the game is user driven and because they are still a small company, they rely on others to help them with coding. Sometimes stuff like this slips through the cracks, but the fan base is pretty fast at fixing it.

Since this was just a snapshot build, only a handful of people saw this and not the entire Minecraft populace.

Why am I posting this seemingly fixable issue that didn't harm anyone? This quote from the writer:

But unfortunately, this incident proves that the quality assurance structures of larger developers are even more vital when dealing with this kind of development.

That's right Forbes. Because the big companies don't lack quality assurance.

Growth of Anime and Manga in Europe

2012-01-28T08:47:00.001-06:00

If you ignore all of the racist, bigot, epeen comments, this is a nice little piece on CNN about how manga is gaining popularity in Europe. A story just can't be a story online anymore. Not without people being buttheads about every little thing. /sigh

Moving on.

It's not about manga never existing in Europe before. It's been around for a long ass time else we wouldn't have the large convention culture that it has spawned. Rather that it has become more commonplace in the way that we see it in several Asian countries. People of all ages are reading the books, watching the animes, and buying the gear. You can pick up the latest stuff at a number of stores without having to special order it. It's just like buying a newspaper; that kind of access which has grown. And it's kind of cool to see.

In many ways I would attribute it to the economy. In times of money woes, people look to popular culture and entertainment to ease their worries, if only a moment. Take the Great Depression as an example. That's when movies became the "it" thing. It gave people a break from reality, a chance to see and live another life while putting their troubles away. Manga works in many ways as another form of escapism. Even here in America where we may be seeing a decline in movie ticket sales, we are seeing a steady rise in e-book and online streams of movies. Pick any moment in time where there was an economic concern and you'll see entertainment take a boost in sales.

For me, it's good to see manga more integrated into life. It's not on a shelf in the back of the book store to make you feel like you're buying porn, and they have to stick it into a brown bag so no one can see what it is. It's open access to everyone. That's what all literature should be.

Netflix and Cali

2012-01-26T19:35:00.000-06:00

A double dose of "ouch" news.

First, Netflix is canning it's plans to add video games to it's rental system. After the outcry to the changes and fees last quarter, the company is re-evaluation it's services. We knew that they killed Quickster, which would be part of the gaming program, but the idea of gaming rentals was still on the table. Well now it's official. No games from Netflix.

Sad face. Not that I would use it all that much, but the option of having it there and being a Netflix subscriber was enticing. I would have put some effort into using it once or twice.

Second bit of news, you know that whole mess with California trying to pass that law to ban the sales of Mature games to kids and the Supreme Court calling them dumb asses? Well lucky, lucky California tax payers, they get to foot the bill. Over $1.3 million went into the creation of the law and legal fees and payment to the ESA. They are going to use that money to fund educational projects in low income areas. How nice of them. But man...that's a pretty large bill. I'm a little surprised it isn't more for how much they were talking about the case. Leeland Yee still doesn't get it.

The Dummy That Said No To GearBox

2012-01-24T19:48:00.000-06:00

That's me.

As some of my close friends know, I've been looking for work for a while and saw that GearBox had a position open for a PlayTest Intern, but a paying gig for 2-4 weeks. Usually they'll have testing sessions that give you a chance to play a game early, but you're not being paid for it. You're in an MMO beta basically.

I submitted the application well over a month ago and answered a few questions about how I felt about certain games, genres, and the like. I still have the answers to my questions. I don't think there's anything wrong with me posting them. Nothing in the material that I submitted or applied to indicated that I couldn't release this information.

I thought my answers were unique. Especially this one, which I was sure would cause a few heads to turn:

Have you played a game in the last year that you didn’t really care for? What made the game not fun or unentertaining? Want did you not like about it? Did you stop playing it? If so, why?

My answer might be controversial, but I have to be honest and say Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The issue I have with the product is that it didn’t provide me with anything new in terms of game play and story telling. It was everything that I have come to expect from a Call of Duty game, and that disappointed me. By this point in time I would have hoped that Activision would have done something to bring new life to the series. For me the game felt like an iteration and not an innovation.

I’m not against sequels, prequels, and the like. Final Fantasy, for example, uses a lot of the same tropes in all of their games, but they introduce new elements of game play with each product. You don’t get the same game with each purchase. Series games such as BioShock also did this quite well, and I’m highly anticipating BioShock Infinite because of this.

For me, I had to stop playing Modern Warfare 3. It didn’t bring anything new to the series and became a let down. I wanted to expect more from it. Sadly, it gave me everything that I had already known about Call of Duty.

Over a month and 2 weeks passed since I applied. I have myself a job now for a good company. It pays the bills and not something I plan to spend my life in, but it's a guaranteed position and it's money in the bank.

Guess who calls and leaves me a voicemail yesterday? GearBox. They opened up a few more positions and were looking to hire me. And while their answering system is the most awesome thing ever, ClapTrap, I had to tell them no unless they could guarantee me that the position would open up to long-term employment.

That hurt my geek soul.

So sorry kids. I'm not going to be testing Borderlands 2. I had to say no to GearBox in order to keep food on the table. Following your dreams can be a bitch sometimes when you're flat ass poor.

20 Years of Civilization and a CNN Interview

2012-01-23T19:09:00.000-06:00

Did anyone else feel their back buckle a little bit at the thought of that? Mario is 20+. So is Sonic. And the first red mage in Final Fantasy. It's kind of nice to see that they're still hanging in as best as they can to impact the lives of today's children.

Sid Meier chatted with CNN about this anniversary and his prophecies of the future he made way back in the day.

I've always said that games will someday take over the world and that seems to be happening.

It's a relatively simple interview. The usual congrats on the game's success and history, what will be new in the future, how's the social media/Facebook version going? Things like that.

I would have liked to have seen him discuss more about social gaming. The question was has social media changed the way gamers are thinking and Sid's response was about the growth of diversity. He didn't really answer the question but raised more questions. Is it good that gaming is growing into these new avenues? Are we seeing positive changes in the culture? Has this growth of social media gaming hampered or bringing creativity out? Things like that.

Again not a bad interview, but if I were given 20 minutes with Sid I would have come up with better questions. Just saying.

Now if you'll excuse me. It's time to pull out Civ 3.

Sundance + Video Game Documentary

2012-01-21T11:27:00.000-06:00

Indie Game: The Movie will be appearing at this years Sundance Festival in Utah. The directors/producers/creators spoke with the Salt Lake Tribune about the project. It focuses on two independent developers as they work through the gaming system to produce products for consumption. It also became a parallel between the directors of the film and the developers themselves; working through financial constraints, their artistic vision, etc.

[Filming them] was like filming ourselves six months into the making of our feature. ~ Lisanne Pajot

For fans of Super Meat Boy, they are one of the developers focused in this film. The other is a solo Canadian act.

But it's a traditional story about the struggles of being the little fish in the big pond and it reflects on the lives of the directors of the film. I'd be interested in seeing it, but we already know the outcome of stories like these. As our hobby ages, we'll see more movies about them. It's inevitable.

Ultimate Geek

2012-01-19T19:33:00.000-06:00

Guinness has released a special World Records book dedicated to Gamers and their accomplishments over the past year, and lifetimes in some cases.

Along with the absurd such as the world's largest game controller (and NES one of course, which would take 2-3 people to use properly), are winners of most tournaments for certain games, fastest Mario Kart lap, a Pokémon gaming family, and Just Dance champions.

Gamers all over the world can finally get their hands on the result of our hard labour, and this year's book packed with all the amazing records, facts, and feats that they have a right to expect from Guinness World Records. - Gaz Deavas, Editor

The controller and some of the stats aren't new, but they're still amusing to look at.

Lights Going Out On January 18th

2012-01-17T21:59:00.000-06:00

Whether you agree with the premise of the SOPA bill or not, tomorrow thousands of websites, including some popular ones in the geek realm like Wikipedia, Newgrounds, and MineCraft (yes, even MineCraft is protesting) will be "offline".

In general, I support freedom of speech and no censorship. I know a lot of people abuse those rights and a number of people complain about what's being said. It goes both ways. I have the right to speak freely just as you have the right to not listen. I think people tend to forget about the latter while they complain about the former. lol

While I think the concept of the bill isn't bad, the language being used would push away a lot of the creativity that exists on the internet. It's not about Hollywood having all the money, because they don't (there are a NUMBER of people that make just enough to get by) and it's not about the psuedo geeks wanting to stand up to corporations. It's about the freedom to be creative. That's why I'm supporting tomorrows protest and won't be posting. I wish you all a good day and see you on Thursday.

The Joke Is On CNN

2012-01-17T18:20:00.003-06:00

Not even CNN is impervious to wild stories and bypassing journalistic research that should accompany such a position.

Earlier today they posted a story about a gamer having his arm lobbed off after playing a game. Because, you know, that’s the sensible thing to do when you are done playing.

The game is Katawa Shoujo. It’s a dating sim involving people with disabilities, such as missing limbs. It is a real game. The Global Daily posted the story, and it spread to Reddit and 4chan, which apparently caught the attention of CNN’s iReport.

Guess what? It’s fake. The Global Daily doesn’t exactly have the most “honest” system. When you see stories about how celebrities buying pools filled with cocaine, you can’t really believe them on first take.

Since Kotaku Australia posted the article, the one on CNN has been taken down. But it was a good laugh for a few brief moments that they thought it was a real story.

Edit: Wow. I don't know how that happened but the font completely changed on me. Sorry about that.

Lessons Through Gaming

2012-01-16T18:47:00.000-06:00

And you know this has to be legit because it's coming from an online business magazine. Kendrick Chua states that an IPad game taught him some of the greatest lessons of his life.

What can I possibly learn from a game whose title is “Blood and Glory”? Surprisingly, a lot!

He proclaims this with such vigor that you have to wonder what was so great about that game. More then my silly lists of things learned from video games. Though I still maintain that my comment about BioWare is very true to reality.

But Chua's lessons were very practical, especially in the business world. When resources are limited, go to the one that will provide you the most in the long run; Don't always play defense; The journey is more fun then the end result.

The last one sounds a bit too cheesy for my tastes. "It's not about winning but how you play the game!" Right. I'm sure every sports team agrees with that statement. Heck, if you don't apply that to a game then why are you playing it in the first place?

But I digress. It's nice to see more positive articles about gaming as of late.

Cross-Promotion

2012-01-15T11:08:00.000-06:00

I've started a new project for my cosplaying hobby. We call it CosPod.

It's a Cosplay Podcast that will provide tutorials, reviews, interviews, discussion groups, convention coverage, and anything else cosplay related that I didn't mention.

Our first episode is up and running. It'll be a bi-weekly (or twice a month) video podcast. We're pretty detailed about our tutorials so you don't need to watch the video if you download it to your IPod, but we will upload individual segments onto our YouTube page after episodes are released.

If you like it or want to leave constructive feedback, please visit our Facebook Fan Page.

We also have a DeviantArt account and hope to feature a cosplayer of the month when we get more members. Hopefully starting next month. ^^ And yes, we has a Twitter.

So much social media! Dah!

I'm still debating on having a Facebook page for The Geek Spot. I already manage enough as is. I think my ramblings are just fine right here. >.>

Ambigious Statement of the Week: "Is MMO Falling?"

2012-01-14T08:43:00.000-06:00

I'm not entirely sure where they came up with this idea for a "story" but it's been a pretty slow week for gaming news. If you are not seeing "the best games of 2012" or "the best games of 2011" lists you're probably reading about how game sales over the holiday were not so good.

So someone at MMOSite.com decided to link the falling of MMO's to the Interactive Achievement Awards. If you don't know what it is, and not many people do, it's an annual look back at games over the past year and judged by a panel of peers, held by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. This year GameSpot will be hosting a live stream of the awards. It's not the flashy flash of award shows. In fact, I don't think they have any official ceremonies and it's more of a summit to discuss games, their future, and the like. Which is kind of nice. As gamers we tend to be a relaxed crowd. We don't need Spike. We can do it ourselves.

Because it's a peer to peer "award" discussion, MMO's don't typically have the best of followings. Something I remember hearing from the gang at Trion Studios, the guys that made Rift, MMO's are not really high on the totem pole. Even with games like World of Warcraft, they are still considered something too casual. They're not at the bottom of the list, nor at the top, but somewhere in between. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I don't think that the Interactive Achievement Awards are a good comparison on current consumer trends. It's a group of people in the industry that have a more dominant position on certain genres. Also! It bases it's decisions on games released in the past year. DC Online and Star Wars The Old Republic were really the only 2 MMO's from top companies that made arrived. We didn't have 20 new MMO titles. So to claim that MMO's are falling is a lame duck response to the awards. At least the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences recognizes the fact that gamers need a REAL look at our hobby, and not celebrity endorsements.

Looking for an opinion

2012-01-11T19:01:00.000-06:00

Or the NY Times just ran of stories. They ran one asking for students to speak up in their Education section. "What Game Would You Like to Redesign?"

I'm still trying to figure out what that has to do with education, but ok.

It's actually a good question. We're at the point in our gaming history that remakes are inevitable and are happening. Even madam Lara Croft is getting a spanking new image thanks to SE and Crystal Dynamics. It looks spiffy. Back to good ol' dungeon crawling Lara with a more reasonable cup size.

The article focuses on Dungeon's and Dragons and answers range all the way to Duck-Duck-Goose.

Of course my response is a video game. But I like spinning the wheel. My vote? Call of Duty.

Is the franchise just as popular as it's ever been? Yep. Doesn't mean I like it.

In fact I hate it. It's a copy/paste of the same game for years. Anything "new" or "cool" about the game is long gone. It needs to be re imagined. New life and ideas need to be introduced into the series. I don't know how doing the same thing over and over again could be entertaining. Maybe that's why these games do so well..no one realizes just how bad they are.

What would you remake?

EA Claims Using Brand Names In Games Is Protected Under First Amendement

2012-01-09T20:28:00.001-06:00

Um...what?

From the company that is very sue-happy when it comes to using their name/image/likeness in any context, they are claiming that in their release of Battlefield 3, it is artistic freedom to use some names/objects/content.

You hear that noise? That's not an angel getting it's wings.

Textron Inc. makes a few helicopters in the real world, and they also appear in Battlefield 3 without their permission. They stated they would be taking legal action if it wasn't resolved, so EA beat them to the punch and is suing Textron for freedom of speech rights.

Why are they doing this? Well apparently they won a case over the Godfather video game when an Indiana based company attempted to sue them for using the word "Derringer" in the game to describe Tommy Guns. Derringer, which is misspelled and is actually Deringer, was a pistol maker and his name lives on through a company that produces hand guns. It's a silly thing to sue over, but hey. That's what people like to do sometimes.

EA is hoping that case will help them win the Battlefield 3 issue. Their claim is that a company such as Textron would still be making helicopters in 2014. Therefore, their trademark name and image would be on those products. It was their attempt to make the game more "real" and to skirt around not paying Textron a cent in licensing. I'd be interested in seeing what the result of this one is. It's pretty clear to me that EA is using the name and likeness without permission. This isn't at all like the Godfather game issue. You're taking a product that already exists in today's world and implementing it into a game without the knowledge of the owner. They're trying to hide behind "art" as an excuse. Very lame EA. Then again, should I expect anything else?

Cool People Do Exist

2012-01-07T12:42:00.000-06:00

And they sometimes go to or work at a GameStop.

Not all of them. Just a few.

I stumbled upon this Tumbler from a female GameStop employee. I may know her from my time at the corporate office, but I can't say for certain. It's the story of an older brother buying something for his younger brother, and his dad being a prick. Sorry but I don't know what else to call him.

They were recommended a game Mirror's Edge and the younger brother wanted a purple controller. Sure. Why not? Nothing wrong with that. But dad didn't like it. Dad threatened to beat the younger son if they bought that controller. Older brother stepped in. It was his money, he could do what he wanted with it, and dad would have to hit him instead of younger brother. Dad left. Younger brother cried. Female GS employee said she liked playing shooting games and blue controllers; it's ok the like what you like even if others don't agree with you.

The story turns up with a happy ending, but it's kind of sad to see this amount of gender segregation that goes so far as "my son can't use the pink controller because he's a boy." Really? Why? Who was the highest authority that said pink is only for girls and blue is only for boys? I'd like to meet this person and see if there was a law made that enforced this rule. What's wrong with a boy liking pink, purple, and red? And why can't a girl enjoy blue, black, and brown? Yeah this all ties in with my past posts about gender equality in gaming and tournaments. When we finally get society to stop labeling us by colors, we might be able to grow.

Geeky Marriage Proposals

2012-01-06T19:55:00.000-06:00

I'm not a wedding person and don't get very sentimental, but even these geeky marriage proposals make me go dawh!

I'd like for something like that to happen to me. The Borderlands one is still my favorite, even though GearBox thinks I'm too smart to work for their QA department. That's ok.

What better way to say "I love you. Will you marry me?" then with a back talking robot.

Japan's Game Market Down For 5th Straight Year

2012-01-05T19:08:00.000-06:00

That's based on a recent overview pulled by Famitsu. Based on sales in Japan alone, there has been an 8% difference in the market. The market has generated over $5.9 billion in sales with $2.3 billion in hardware sales due to the 3DS with a 2.4% increase in the hardware share. But overall, it's been slipping with software revenue dropping over 13%.

One thing that the article fails to look at is why. Because the earthquake and follow-up tsunami did take a pretty big chunk out of business for a good month. I remember SE having to turn off the FF11 FF14 servers to comply with Japan's power conservation rules, for well over a week. It was a pretty rough time and many are still recovering from it. That alone would put a dent into any economy. Low production, few people spending money on luxuries, it makes sense. The fact that sales overall were almost 6 billion is something I would be happy about considering the kind of year that it's been. If anything, next year may be even better.

Voice Acting 101.

2012-01-04T20:01:00.001-06:00

Gary Oldman is not just a fine actor of over 70 films, he has also lent his voice to video games. As seen in this clip from Conan last night, Gary went over briefly his role as Viktor Reznov in Call of Duty (World at War and Black Ops). It's hard work:

Voice actor's aren't just reading a few lines of dialogue. They also have to enact random sounds, battle crys, laughter, crying, pain, anger, and a myriad of other emotions. Think about all of the times your character got punched. Someone has to make those noises, as odd and weird as that may be.

If there is any one thing that I remember from all of the conventions I've attended and hearing voice actors speak it's this: you have to make yourself look really stupid in that tiny little sound booth to get the best emotion out of you. And it's true!

Personally I like his work as Ignitus in Spyro. That's some quality acting right there if I do say so:

Response Blog - Can Hollywood Win Back Young Men?

2012-01-03T19:18:00.000-06:00

Lured by the evil that is video games, what ever shall Hollywood do?

To be clear, the article focuses on young men not going to movies like they use to. What happened to the woman? We make up a pretty large chunk of the movie and gaming population. We're always at the bottom the food chain.

It's no surprise that we'll be seeing more articles and blogs like this. 2011 was a pretty slow year for movies in terms of ticket sales. Taking into consideration the rise in ticket prices (just checking at a local theater, it would cost $25 for 2 people to go in the evening; holy crap), 2011 saw a drop of up to 13 percent, a 10 year low for movies. More and more people are moving towards other mediums to get their content. Even I, a die-hard purist of going to the theater and being a film student, have found myself just waiting for a film to come out on Netflix. I'd rather wait and pay $9.99 for unlimited movies a month then to spend $25 going to a theater with crappy popcorn (remember when that use to be good?), screaming children, and people talking on their cell phones. No thanks. I'll pass.

Are video games to blame? No, but they are a contributing factor as to where people are spending their free time. While the original blog post goes with the idea that story gets in the way of blowing things up, I would, of course, argue otherwise. If you can't sit through the story of LA Noire or Catherine then you don't deserve to play a video game. I'd argue that it's the exact opposite. We're leaning more towards video games because Hollywood hasn't brought us anything new where as video games have been evolving and changing. Sure we have a slew of Call of Duty, Halo, and squeals to make our eyes bleed, but for every one sequel we have dozens of new games. Limbo for example. Where as the movies this year have been nothing but rehashing the same content. Even the "new" movies such as Thor are just reusing source material from somewhere else. Again not saying that video games aren't doing this, but there are more unique pieces out there that are easy to find in comparison to movies.

I don't think Hollywood needs to "win" anyone back. Rather, they need to update themselves to the times. No, not 3D. 3D has been around since the 1950's. No one wants to admit to it. It's a fad that always comes and goes. Hollywood is in dire desperation of new blood. We're all getting tired of the sequels. Even the sequels are tired of them. They also need to find a way to better integrate themselves with the technology made available today. I'd be willing to pay a monthly subscription to Fox or WB to download their latest movie to my computer/tablet/gaming system. And not 6 months after theater release. Same day. Great way to get back to Netflix too.

There are a lot of options out there that Hollywood studios need to explore. It's slowly turning into a dying business.

The Ace Attorney Movie Will Rock Your Socks Off

2012-01-01T16:50:00.000-06:00

Just look at the screencaps! Even if the acting is terrible, the story is over the top, and the movie just doesn't work, you have to admit that they really are going all out for it. I like the fact that they didn't try to dumb down the character's looks. They gave Phoenix his spiky hair. Gumshoe has that band-aid that is always on his face. Manfred von Karma looks like a pompous asshat. Larry Butz looks like Larry Butz. Thumbs up for this movie.

The only complaint I've been reading from people is that they chose a Japanese cast instead of an American one.

Counter-argument time. The game was made and released in Japan first and then ported to the U.S. with alterations to some locations. In the original AA games, the locations were all centralized in Japan. When ported to the U.S. they changed to allow gamers to be more connected to the content (we're more likely to care about the characters if they lived in some random city in the U.S. rather then overseas). The only time this wasn't the case was with AA: Investigations where the characters from Zheng-Fa, China were still from China.

Not to mention that a lot of characters are drawn in an ambiguous art-style that could infer that they are of multiple nationalities (i.e. Asian, American, European, etc.). Because of the art, it is very easy to allow a wide variety of people to be connected to the characters without feeling restricted to race, religion, creed, etc.

The fact that this movie takes place in Japan and is casted by Japanese actors doesn't bug me. I never really took the games seriously enough to think that it was happening in America. Japan, I could see it as a plausible nighttime legal drama. Here? It could use way more Law and Order.

I mean come on. They even have Polly the parrot that you cross-examine in the first game. Are we really going to question what nationality the actors should be? >.> In all of it's over-the-top sillyness, this does give me a lot of hope that this will be the start of something wonderful for gaming movies.

Incoming 2012

2011-12-31T09:23:00.000-06:00

Favorite image of the year.
I think we're all waiting on Jack Black
to advertise for the WoW Pandoria release.

Another year has passed. Like many of you, I can't believe that it's going to be January 1st starting tomorrow. And as April 4th, 2012 I will have had this blog up for 2 years. A new record for me and for the posting world. According to Blogger stats, the average blog will last for about 6 months before the "author" stops posting updates, creates a new blog, or moves on to other internet projects. Yea me for sticking with it.

But it's been a good amount of fun for me. Sure I ramble and I rant a lot, but who doesn't these days? This has been a great outlet to collect my thoughts about a topic that I have loved since the day I could hold an Atarti controller in my hands.

So a thank you to all for continuing to support and read. I know the comments are few and far between, and that's ok. Looking as stats, I know there are readers.

No this isn't a good-bye post. I don't plan on giving this up anytime soon.

Instead, it's a flashback to some of my favorite/amusing/depressing posts of the past year. Enjoy!

January - Yoji Shinkawa at a live art show drawing Metal Gear Solid.
February - Video Games Are A Business.
March - Only 5% of the games on the market are rated M.
April - Tough month to narrow down. I wrote a lot of good topics. But we'll go with the Compelling Argument for "useless" games.
May - How I would run a study about violent video games.
June - A Really Crappy E3.
July - I nearly lost my mind without my computer.
August - 5 Controller Destroying Momenets, and a sad attempt to get Kotaku to hire me.
September - My 10 Favorite Games...Ever!
October - Men are not men because of games. Wha?
November - ESRB for mobile games.
December - Blaming the gamer, not the games through a backwards blog title.

Have a wonderful and safe New Years Eve to all that are going out tonight. Me? I'll probably be playing TOR or Skyward Sword.

You Know It's The End of a Year...

2011-12-29T18:42:00.000-06:00

When Top 10, Top 20, Top 100 lists are spamming the internet. Seriously. Try to google a video game news story right now. I bet you the first 3 pages are filled with "Top Something-Something" lists.

Instead I bring to you a developers point of view that is rarely seen. The struggles of being a dev and adjusting to the trends of the gaming world.

Spicy Horse, the insane studio behind America McGee's Alice, is attempting to transition into social media gaming with a title called BigHead Bash for Facebook.

"In terms of the business model, it's been a struggle [to shift our development focus], that's for sure."

And it really is a big shift when you think about it. Console games can take anywhere from 2-10 years to develop (depending upon the studio). Social gaming is a fast-paced system. If you don't release your game once it's been buzzed you won't ever see the return on your investment. People expect social games to be here and now. They don't want to wait.

That's why Farmville has lasted as long as it has. They responded to issues as they happened in the game. They gave people a direct link to developers to make changes as soon as possible instead of a patch a year down the road through XBox Live. It's not an easy transition and it's nice to see some people openly admit to that; not as a means of sympathy but rather as a fact of the business.

Spicy Horse is still working out the logistics, such as how this game is going to make money, but hopes to have it release in the early quarter of 2012. Gaming still be a business.

Harmonix Getting Paid

2011-12-28T19:12:00.000-06:00

After a long-term dispute, Viacom is expected to pay $383 million to Harmonix, the guys that made Rock Band, for failing to provide bonus payments based on sales of their products. As to be expected, Viacom is attempting to overturn the ruling made by court-appointed arbiters, which if you read my post about Sony's new Online TOS, trying to overrule an arbiter is pretty damn impossible.

As part of their deal for buying the studio, Viacom gave Harmonix $175 million up front and agreed to make bonus payments later based on sales. Viacom has paid over $150 in bonus payments, but claims that Rock Band never brought in revenue due to it's high production costs, so they stopped sending money. It's a lot of he said, she said, and fine print reading. The bottom line is that it's good for Harmonix in the sense that the money will supposedly be redistributed to create new titles. How likely that is? Who knows.

Reality TV Wants Geeks!

2011-12-26T08:56:00.000-06:00

A new show is in the works called Fandom Rising. The header of the website states "From the Masterminds behind 'Jersey Shore' comes a New Vision for the future of television."

Oh lord.

This can't be good.

Popular Productions is looking to cast 8 people for what they call "The Big Bang Theory Meets Jersey Shore." Did anyone else just throw up a little bit in their mouth? Making sure it's not just me.

This is legit, for anyone who may be wondering. This is a casting agency that has worked with MTV on multiple projects in the past as well as other reality television shows, such as Auction Hunters. Yep. Even the shows that "appear real" really aren't.

Here's the thing about reality television, there are a lot of editors and production people who help create the stories on those shows. You can be the most sane, normal person in the world, but they will find a way to craft a story. Take The Real World for example. Scroll about a third of the way down, past the "cast" list and you'll find the crew which more then doubles the number of people who have appeared on the show.

And with the popularity of being over the top crazy, if you're normal you won't be picked. As indicated by Fandom Rising's PDF on how to make a tape, "Have lots of ENERGY." They want you to be loud, proud, and crazy because that's what people want to watch. They don't want to see normal geeks. They want the over the top insane ones that make up less then 1% of our fandom. I made a long post about it previously when another company attempted America's Greatest Otaku. I'm glad that one didn't pan out. But this one with the type of monetary backing that it has? Be prepared to have more people laugh and misjudge us. No matter how much you try to resist it, if you are one of those chosen, you will give all geeks a bad name.

Gaming Music Another Perspective

2011-12-25T08:57:00.000-06:00

I know I discuss gaming music a lot in my blog, but I feel it can make or break a video game just as it would with a movie. To me, the best songs are the ones where you will remember them long after you turn off your system. You can imagine yourself playing the game all over again at that specific area where the song first appears, and remember exactly what you were doing. Music is a very powerful tool that can help drive a story.

With that, here is a good piece from another blogger/writer about the ups and downs with contemporary video game music and what made the old MIDI stuff so awesome.

Happy Holidays!

You Got Flash In My Apple

2011-12-24T08:10:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that Apple products and Adobe Flash have had an odd relationship, in that there hasn't been one. Amusing considering that Apple loves Adobe products when it comes to artistic and video editing programs.

There have been numerous attempts in the past to get Flash onto the iPhone, iPad, and other iProducts after the multitude of complaints by customers. There are tons of apps out there, and even Adobe had made an attempt, but they've all been missing components. Some won't play web based games, others won't allow you to access videos or music. They are able to do one thing, but not everything flash related.

But now there is an app that actually works with Flash just like your PC with Windows. Browse2Go Flash does video web browsing and gaming. I had the chance to fiddle with it yesterday and it's pretty nifty. I know my mom isn't into gaming, but just the prospect that her phone can now do all the things that it's meant to do is nice. So there you go you crazy iPhone users. You have Flash that actually works. I'm going to go back to my Android phone now that never had this problem in the first place. >.>

What's New?

2011-12-21T18:19:00.000-06:00

So if you're a normal reader of this blog, you probably noticed that my postings are coming much later in the day then usual. For anyone that cares, it's because I have a new job. Full-time. During the normal working hours of 80% of the U.S. Which is nice. Horrible drive home though. My god. If there's even one accident or if it rains/storms/sleets/snows/or looks super bright outside, it takes up to 2 hours. -_- People can't drive around here.

I'll do my best to stay up to date with the news and happenings in the gaming world. I want to thank everyone for their continued support and for reading.

And now! stupid thief stories. This one is so bad that it didn't need any embellishment. Two men were arrested for attempting to sell stolen video games to a store that buys and sells games. In fact, the police were at the store ready to greet them and were fully aware of their plan. How, you may ask? Well one of the men had unintentionally butt-dialed 911 and the operator recorded the entire conversation for over an hour. They went into full detail on how they were planning to do it, and where they would sell their loot. /clap Darwinism at it's best.

How Gamers Are Buying

2011-12-20T18:40:00.000-06:00

The digital frontier is finally kicking in with video games. In the last quarter, more money was spent by gamers through means other then traditional retail stores. This would include digital purchases, used games, rentals, subscriptions, and the like. Overall profit is down about 11% in comparison to the 2010 numbers, but this is a shift a lot of us have been waiting to see.

With so much of our world focused on getting things NOW and not later, digital distribution has been expanding. Even EA Origin, as much as I hate the service, is becoming a power house for gamers as a means of getting their products. Though I believe Steam is still the top seller with Amazon right behind it.

Even with this transition to digital, I'm sticking to my boxes. Though I'm still disappointed at the lack of a manual in SW:TOR, there's just something about having that physical copy to hold in your hands. A new game smell, if you will. It's something that is mine, not locked away on a cold server somewhere that I can access. If you smell a Sunday musing about this topic, you might be right.

Gaming Motion Sickness - A Real Concern

2011-12-19T20:06:00.000-06:00

And not just with 3D gaming.

Andrew Emery of the UK Guardian talks about his own issues with motion sickness when it comes to playing video games, something that 10-50% of the population experiences in varying degrees (the most extreme being in that 10%). Emery can't last more then 30 minutes without getting the full wave of motion sickness; as such gaming is something he really can't be a part of.

While the U.S. Army and some medical facilities have been researching it, the only results they have found is that short bursts of playtime can help lessen the symptoms of motion sickness.

But it's interesting to see what research Emery has dug up. Even testing some drugs to help ease motion sickness, like many people do before going on a boat. I'd be interested in seeing more research about this. I have to wonder if the immersion into the gaming worlds is causing this sort of reaction to happen, or if there are other elements of game play. Such as Call of Duty or other FPS where the camera doges, bumps, and jolts you across the screen, vs an RPG where this rarely happens.

To Counteract With The Awesome of SW:TOR.

2011-12-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

We'll just add some dancing into the Kinect Star Wars game.

Enjoy the video. Yes people really did put Star Wars to just about everything they could get their hands on.

Also if you're spazzing about the grace period info posted on Kotaku, it's not correct.

Initially there was not going to be a grace period offered by BioWare. They would turn the servers off Monday night and turn them back on Tuesday when the game officially went on sale. If you don't have your physical or digital copy in hand to enter your code, you won't get to play until it arrived.

But now there's a 2 day grace period for those of us that chose the slow shipping, excluding Amazon customers since that arrived early. Basically you can keep on playing for 2 more days until your game comes in the mail. They won't extend it beyond that, which is cool. Your first 30 day freebe trial will not be counted towards these first 2 days of the game's release.

Kotaku is reporting that people who don't enter their game code during this time will lose all of their character data and have to start from scratch. This is INCORRECT. So please don't believe it. Not everything on the internet is correct. You can see in the SWTOR post linked above that there is no mention of character deletion at all. Because that's silly. The whole point of a head start is to give a bonus of early game play before everyone else and work on your character(s). Nothing in BioWares or EA's clauses says a thing about characters being deleted if you don't get your product key in at release.

So don't freak out.

Amazon TOR Shipments Early...But There's A Problem

2011-12-16T20:25:00.000-06:00

I got mine today. I was expecting a manual the size of the bible considering how much more I was paying compared to most MMO's. Nope. Just a box with 3 CD's and the product key. Wow. Thanks BioWare/EA.

Amazon shipped the game early after getting an ok with BioWare and to help ease up their X-Mas shipping.

But if you got the Collector's Edition, you might run into a problem. Some people are stating that their boxes arrived without the game and product key. You know. The thing you NEED to keep playing after Early Release. One person noted on the forums that their box only contained the game case. All of those bonus goodies they paid $100+ for are MIA.

BioWare has posted to contact their Customer Service center. Their wait times are UNGODLY right now so good luck with that. No reports on the other editions of the game being "damaged." Mine is in one piece. But a pity manual would have been nice.

Damn. A Politicaion That Gets It!

2011-12-15T19:53:00.000-06:00

The Oklahoma Attorney General, Scott Pruitt joined up with the ESRB to provide safe holiday shopping advice to the citizens of his state. Why? I'm not really sure, but he's one of the few people that gives the facts and doesn't dump on games.

He made his statement clear and simple. The ESRB ratings are there to help, not to hurt. They tell you exactly what kind of content is on the box before you purchase and play the game and they have an easy Letter coding system on the front.

I still dislike all of those people who say "well I didn't know what was in the game!" It's on the box lady. Please learn to read. You're setting a bad example for your children.

The president of the ESRB said it best that gaming has evolved and publishers produce content for all ages. That's why it's important for people to check the label, and they're grateful to have the attorney general's support.

George Takei - Ambassador of Star Peace!

2011-12-13T09:09:00.000-06:00

So if you didn't know, there's been a silly web battle fight between Carrie Fisher and Bill Shatner over who's Star franchise is better. There has always been this ubiquitous who is the best among the fans but the actors and production crews tend to keep themselves quiet on the subject. They crossed over the neutral zone.

George Takei says enough. We need to unite the Star groups to fight against a more powerful evil that exists in the universe: Twilight.

Gate, Battle, and Dust are welcome to join in. Star Peace must unite to keep good science fiction alive!

If anything, the video is worth watching to hear Mr. Takei say "sparkle."

Oh, the VGA was on last night?

2011-12-11T09:40:00.000-06:00

I still stand by my initial blog posting I made about the Spike VGA over a year ago. I will not watch that show ever again. Even with it's odd, fancy light-up table set and having more of a Golden Globe atmosphere for game devs and celebrities.

I can just review the recaps! The only things I'm interested in are Miyamoto accepting a Hall of Fame award for 25 years of Zelda (what the f is up with that trophy? o_O) and Kojima and MGS Rising. The other 2 hours are a waste of my time and sanity. Oh and it's being taken over by Platinum games. You know. The guys that did Bayonetta, MadWorld, and Infinite Rising. Lots of violence and blood and action! MGS Rising could probably do ok in their hands.

That's it. No more VGA talk. If you'll excuse me, I have to finish my morning coffee.

Phase 5: Where do I go and what do I do?

2011-12-10T11:08:00.000-06:00

Note: This article may contain spoilers for the upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you don't wish to have anything ruined, I suggest you keep scrolling to the next article.

The Sarlac Pit! Just outside of a Republic base. Convenient, no?

An excellent question for any new MMOer. Or even us old ones. It’s a Star Wars universe. You know the first thing you want to do after getting your lightsaber or blaster is to jump on a ship and head to Tatooine and visit the Sarlac Pit. Yes. There is a Sarlac Pit. Sadly no you will not get digested for 1,000 years if you jump in, however you do die and you kind of have to go back to a medcenter. But other then, it’s kind of amusing to see.

While you can leave your starting planet at level 1 if you really want to, odds are you are going to get pummeled to death either by the opposing faction or enemy NPC’s.

There is a system in place that is similar to other MMO’s that allow you to progress gradually and see new planets as you go. You start out on your “home” planet. Well it’s not really a home planet to most of the jobs, but it’s where you got to go to begin your journey. Tython – Ancient Jedi Temple, Ord Mantell – Warzone for Trooper and Smuggler, Korriban – Sith Homeworld, Hutta – Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent operations.

You learn all of your basics on those planets. What to do, how to aim, how to trade, how to buy things, and learn how your personal class story works into the SW saga. To progress through leveling just follow your story. You’ll have a quest tracker on your top right hand corner telling you where to go and what to do and you can pick up more quests along the way to help you level. If you want a WoW comparison it’s like starting as a Night Elf and you’re in Teldrassil. You do the starter quests to get a feel for a game before you move on to the next town and more quests. Eventually you’ll reach the sea and can explore other aspects of the world…of warcraft. FFXI: Start as a Tarutaru in Windurst, do your fetch quests, and move on to explore the rest of the realm. You have to learn the basics before you’re allowed to move forward. Not like Galaxies but not all that unheard of for MMO’s these days.

Coruscant just outside the Senate Hall.

Simply put, if you don’t want to be bantha fodder just follow your class mission log, pick up quests along the way, and you’ll be fine. At level 10 you can unlock your advance classes to progress with leveling further and do Warzone PvP (special areas where players can combat with one another using different rulesets-I personally like Huttball).

All fine and good there, but what is there to see in TOR? Lots of stuff!

Most of us SW nerds will probably want to check out the basics. Tatooine, Hoth, and Coruscant (Republic only, sorry folks) to make sure everything is the way that it should look. (While we’re on the topic, there are some planets that are for Empire only and some that are Republic only. It’s a nice break if you’re into PvP and takes advantage of the story, so it’s not all bad. I mean really if there is a war and you’re a Sith the chances of you getting to Coruscant are non-existent.) Yes Tatooine has two suns. It didn’t during the very first beta build and we all got on the art teams cases about that one. That’s Star Wars 101. But a lot of the tropes from the movies can be found on these planets. Before you ask No. Luke’s home on Tat is not there. Why? Because the game is set 3,000+ years BEFORE the movies so please don’t do the nub thing and ask about it in chat. But you can see giant Jawa Crawlers, sandpeople, and lots of other cool stuff you’d expect to see.

Hoth...it's really freekin' white.

The other planets are a little out there that you may or may not have heard of, or even remember but they’re pretty nifty. Alderaan for example is an independent planet that both Republic and Empire can visit. You know Alderaan right? That planet that got blown to bits in Episode 4 by the Death Star? It’s a really pretty place with some finely-tuned music. You might end up chuckling at some of the bad foreshadowing by NPC’s regarding Alderaan’s future demise. “Oh if they only knew what happened 3,000 years from now~”

It had been a few years since the orbital assault,
so the environment took over.

There’s Taris, a planet trying to rebuild after an orbital bombardment. Think Datoine with less marshes and random smells. There are moments where you’ll look up at the former skyline and think how awesome of a job the design team did at making this planet come alive.

Voss-Ka, capital of Voss.

My favorite is Voss, an independent planet with two indigenous groups trying to ensure control over the planet and its beings. But they aren’t apart of the greater galactic war. Nope. They insist that the Empire and Republic play nice together. XD So your job ends up being prove why the Republic and or Empire is bad news and the Voss should join your side. But it’s a really, really pretty planet. It makes me wish that the Voss were a playable race; they have some interesting facial features and textures not seen on other aliens, but that would kill the entire story-line so that won’t happen.

Nar Shaddaa, Central Promenade

What’s there to do on these planets? Well that’s still a work in progress. You can visit the locals, talk to random NPC’s and take lots of pictures. Interaction with the worlds is still limited but something that dev’s have mentioned they are incorporating over the next few months after release. What I’m looking forward to are the casino’s on Nar Shaddaa. NS is a neutral planet but controlled by the Hutt family. You might hear from past testers that they dislike the planet. I actually enjoy it. The way that it was designed works quite nicely to keep Empire and Republic separate from leveling areas but still allows them to meet in the middle. I remember when it was a pretty flat design. It was just another planet along the way. Then bam! One update later the planet became alive. So much light and color! There is a floating casino that everyone has access to but right now it’s a little stale. We’ve been asking for months to get something going in there. It’d be a great place for people to meet up, do some harmless gambling, and make it a social hub that the dev’s were looking for. In due time I suppose.

You can't deny that this looks like a fun place.

As you progress in the game jumping from one planet to another, your final destination will be Ilum, a 50 only zone that you can not unlock until you have finished certain pre-reqs. It’s a free for all death zone for both factions. Kind of a nifty looking planet if you don’t mind the massive amounts of death surrounding you.

One thing you’ll probably notice when you first start playing is that the worlds don’t feel as crowded as they should. Ok well not for the first planet. That’s going to be ass crazy busy the first week of release, but the rest will seem tolerable. TOR works on a series of instances. You can have 1,000 people on one planet but its split until multiple instances so you may only see a few hundred at a time. However, you can communicate with everyone on that planet so there’s no loss of human interaction. You can also use your main map and change instances to meet new people or to join your other group members.

For those who haven’t been in testing just a few general rules to planet hopping:

~Get to level 10 on your first planet (it’ll save you headaches in the long run).

~Try to pick up every quest marker you see as you travel.

~Don’t get ahead of yourself. If you see a planet is listed as level 40 and you’re 25 don’t go there. You will get annihilated the moment you leave the spaceport.

~Be prepared to have your camera ready.

~Don’t be afraid to explore! There are lots of hidden goodies and SW jokes laying around that most people will probably overlook. And there are xp bonuses for exploring all areas for a map.

Touch My Katamari?

2011-12-09T14:54:00.000-06:00

Oh Namco. You and your game titles. Touch My Katamari has a new trailer out for it's incoming PSVita release in February 2011. With an odd billiards tie-in. We knew it was coming ever since this years TGS and now we have more footage available, even if it's just 30 seconds after the end of a 2 minute billiard session.

So what's different? Well from the game play it looks like the same worlds that were in the Xbox 360 Beautiful Katamari. Seeing the Disney-esque ferris wheel theme park and Eiffel tower combo it matches exactly with the 360 levels once you reach global mode. And that scene with the large tv cameras and knocking into the green fence? Yeah that happens in the 360 game too. :/ I'm disappointed. I was hoping for some new content. I know, I know. There's only so much new stuff they can do with a Katamari game, but rehashing some okay Xbox 360 levels wasn't the way to go.

The only thing that I am interested in seeing are prices and trying the game for myself. The new aspect is that since the Vita offers touchscreen, you can physically stretch your Katamari out to pick up multiple things at once. Or! you can squeeze it to fit in-between tight spaces without losing your speed to get those pesky little objects you may have missed. It's a new element of game play that's kind of cool. But some new levels would be appreciated.

Miyamoto Wants To Work On Smaller Projects?

2011-12-08T10:16:00.002-06:00

Busy week for me. I've been in overdrive mode looking for a full-time job, even if it's just temporary. In the current job climate having one degree, let alone two, is not a good thing. :/ At this point I'll work at just about anywhere, even at a McDonalds. Ok, maybe not that far. Just someone hire me please! :(

On that note, yesterday's story on Wired caused a big hoopla. Miyamoto retiring? No official conformation or denial as he and Nintendo are issuing conflicting reports.

The titles of the articles didn't help ease the calm. It's not as bad as people are making it out to be. Miyamoto has been saying around the Nintendo offices that he wants to retire from his current position, BUT still WORK for the company on smaller projects and with newer game designers. He's not quitting the business, but just wants to do something else. He's already stated in a past interview that he'll die before he completely retires from games. So don't go crazy on us Nintendo fanboys and girls.

The man is nearly 60. He's had a pretty awesome career by any practical business standards. If he wants to step down from his current position and work on other things, who are we to say he shouldn't? He'll still be making games and I'm cool with that.

Of course Nintendo is now countering the Wired article saying it's not true. Let's make it even more confusing for everyone!

Blame the Games Not the Gamer

2011-12-06T12:01:00.001-06:00

This is one of those thinking articles. Though I did chuckle when I saw the title "Blame video games for everything?" and then a picture of the EA Headquarters logo.

In summary for those who don't want to read, it asks people why some games such as GTA and Manhunt have been getting the blame for violence in people and others like Dante's Inferno slide under the radar. Basically if there is an issue with violence content shouldn't it be universal and not to one particular game? The writer states a study was made that video gaming was just as common as wearing sneakers, and trying to correlate one to another in the terms of committing a crime is silly. Now where that study is, I'm not sure, but the principles still apply to the point he was trying to make: just because you're wearing sneakers doesn't mean you are a criminal. Substitute sneakers for video games and there you go.

The question I wanted to discuss was this:

why are the other people who bought and played the game not mentioned?

Aka, why is the focus on the people who have been caught breaking the law and not the other 99% of the gaming populace that is totally normal?

Simple. The media likes violence. If it bleeds it leads and all that junk. As much as the news stations try to make themselves out to be better then "we are looking for the bad stories", the reality is that's what they show because that's what people want to see. In the last decade media reports on crime and violence have increased by 160%. Which is funny when you look at the national crime rate in the U.S. it's been pretty steadily declining, even in today's world of no jobs, no money, no food. The proportion of what's said on the news doesn't match with reality.

Some might argue that it's because we are a society influenced by violence, but if you look at just about every country in the world they all have a pretty bloody past. We had the Wild West, Cowboys and Indians, but I'm sure the Europeans would beg to differ that their feuds were more violent. But our news here in the U.S. is slanted to instill fear in us. And it works. It keeps us watching and buying all of the stupid crap that's out there to make us feel safe from everyone else.

That's why violent video games get a bad rep. Circumstantial evidence and fear created by the media. By all accounts, I should be the most violent human being alive. But I'm not. I get freaked out by a number of bugs and can't harm them. I can't even scoop them up into a cup to take them outside. Yeah, I'm a scary person. >.> Don't give me a game to play!

But media doesn't care about me. I'm too "normal" by their standards. They want to go after the criminals and want to know why. Their target is always against themselves, and video games are the newest iteration.

For further examples, check out news stories involving violent games, television, and movies as the key factor of blame, only to be found false later (and never reported any retractions!).

Edit: It just got hilarious. I never knew of this but apparently Final Fantasy 7 was claimed by some in the media to have influenced the Columbine High School shootings in 1999 after the scene with the bombing of the first reactor in Midgar. I shit you not. This takes desperation to a whole new level.

Please note I am not mocking the victims of that day or the incident itself. Rather the news and media are being made fun of here for their lack of sanity.

Birmingham Students Earn Game Time In School

2011-12-05T12:22:00.000-06:00

A program called Kid's College, a national program created by Learning Through Sports, is starting a new trend in Alabama state schools. Kids can early up to 30 seconds of video game play time on a computer after answering 5 questions. And then it's back to 5 more questions, followed by more game time!

Confused? I am a bit too because I don't know what to make of this.

The program is focused on kindergarten through 8th grade in low performing schools. It's meant as an incentive to get kids to perform better on answering questions, such as the ones that mimic the state's standard math and reading exams. I see the pattern already, it's to get better scores on the state tests to get more money for the school. Anyway, after a set number of questions, which teachers can program, the student is sent to a sports game and can play up to 30 seconds. After which they are scored, can see their rank amongst their class, earn certificates, and the like.

The tools allow teachers to research and see what their students know or need to work on. And they allow them to tailor to each child's needs. So if a 5th grader has a 3rd grade reading level, they can select questions for their level. They can also be used at school or at home; the program is web based.

According to the article they have seen improvement in children's test scores as most recently as 2010, and hope to apply for more grant money to expand it out to other schools.

It's instant gratification for doing a good job on your math work. The games themselves don't have hidden problems to solve, or ask you to read complex sentences to determine the verb. They are easy to use flash games for entertainment purposes only.

I'm torn. It's nice to see results when a program works to help improve education in this country, something desperately needed. And I know one aspect I wish I could have received more as a child is someone telling me instantly if I was doing a good job or if I needed to correct my mistakes. Typically you don't know if you got a question right until one to two weeks later when the content is no longer needed.

On the other hand, it's helping reinforce short attention spans. Take a minute to answer a question, flip to a game for 30 seconds, back to a question, and then a game, and then a question again. If anything that is the exact opposite type of behavior we need to be teaching our children. No harm now, but 5 years down the road when they're in high school and taking the SAT's they won't be able to sit through the 2 hour session. Wait is it 2 hours? *looks it up* Oh sorry. It's 3 hours and 45 minutes. No breaks else people are concerned about cheating. Is it still no breaks? *looks up again* Well apparently it's a break after each section. Wow. Times have changed. No wonder it's a nearly 4 hour test.

Anyway, promoting this type of answer/game rhetoric surely can't improve a child's study skills. It might work as a temporary solution to answering questions and getting better test scores but I have to wonder about the results in the long run.

Do Want!

2011-12-04T10:47:00.000-06:00

Even though I can't use my Mii as a character, I so want this game. Oregon Trail for the Wii. Oh the nostalgia!

If you are in your mid 20's, you played this as a kid in the schools computer lab with their one crappy computer. Probably a Mac. Not saying that Mac's are bad, but that's all we had back then.

But this version is a little different from what you remember as a child. It's a full 3D realm experience that allows you to drive the wagon. Yep. You get to drive the wagon. The game doesn't do it for you, though there might be an option to do that. Not entirely sure since information about it is extremely limited.

You can also customize your wagon with multiple colors, styles, shapes, etc. and your riding crew. Again, no Mii. I think that would be kind of funny to have my Mii get dysentery. XD

You have an option to go through 3 different story lines over a series of time periods. You can fish and hunt apparently. It sounds like a well-made upgrade from the original. So much so that I want to play it. >.> And at $19.99 this might keep me preoccupied until TOR releases. lol

More The Old Republic Stuff

2011-12-03T09:47:00.001-06:00

I know you all will probably be sick of me by the end of the month, but I'll do my best to keep the notes limited.

Two pieces of "news" today. First, BioWare is releasing tracks throughout the month up until the game's release through their Facebook page and their YouTube channel. For direct links:

Korriban Home World - Starting planet for Sith Warrior and Inquisitor
Mandalorian Blockade - Galaxy Map

The music in this game will make you feel as though you are in a Star Wars movie. You do have some of the traditional songs like the fanfare and bits of music from the movie. What I love is that as you run through a city, the music will queue up as you move. Sometimes it has meaning and other times it's random. Or in important boss battles or fighting against Elite mobs you'll get a different battle music. Certain sectors will have their own tune. Even talking to your companions will produce a song that is unique to their character. It really feels like you are playing the movie. So cool. Anyway, enjoy the music throughout the month!

Secondly, GamePro. Yes it is sad that a magazine with such a long history in the gaming community is being shut down on December 5th, with their website going to their sister PCWorld. For so many of us in the 80's and early 90's, GamePro was all that we had! There was no internet; no G4 or E3. If we wanted to know about video games, we had a magazine. Once it got knocked down to a quarterly earlier this year I knew it would be going under soon. There will be an odd amalgamation of it via PCWorld as a gaming channel, but it won't be the magazine we have known.

Amidst that sadness, they released their review of Star Wars The Old Republic. I have to thank my friend for showing this to me, because even I have to give a big WTF. Not because I'm a Star Wars fan girl but this was just poor tastes even for them. A 1/10? Really? Did you even play the beta? Oh you did? For how long? You only got to level 13 girl 1? And you sir, only a couple of hours? And you other lady, just a few levels? And man number 2 you played 3 jobs in a few hours? Wow. Extensive reviewing there!

It is just a horrible, miserable attempt at a "review". I almost want to wager that they're doing this as a means of getting noticed. A last ditch effort to get more views and subscriptions before they are gone. But really, it just made me question their legitimacy, something I've never done in their 22 years of existence.

Go ahead. Spend weeks farming these guys.
They're like the WoW Boars. Except they can
poison and kill you within minutes. >.>

Basic rules of reviewing:

1.) Don't base a review off of a beta. Yes their are glitches. Yes things are not polished. (everyone say it with me!) It Is A Beta. This isn't the retail version that will be given to the public. Wait for that version before you start tearing into it. I know it's an MMO that's always changing, but some of the content really isn't seen until release. Some of those bugs aren't fixed, until release. When it's out and ready for the general public, have at it.

2.) Not every MMO wants to be like WoW. TOR is no different. Are there some aspects similar to WoW, sure. WoW is still on the top and people want that kind of success. But it is not a WoW clone. In fact, it does a lot of things differently from WoW and the other thousands of MMO's that exist. By trying to make that 1-2 comparison is shoddy.

3.) Know the company that made the game. This is the one area that made me wonder if they have ever played a game before. About 1:26-1:35 in the YouTube video one of the reviewers makes a remark about the cut-scenes, that WoW people will hate them, and you can't bypass them. Clearly he didn't read the pop-up tutorial in game and has NEVER played a BioWare game. You can always skip cutscenes in BioWare games. Always. So I am calling your bluff. You people really are not reviewers, else you would have known this already.

4.) Story is a bad thing? Yeah this one confused me too. Apparently none of the GamePro reviewers want a story with their game. >.> They just want to skip all the conversations and get to farming Rakghouls. Sure. Feel free to hit space bar all you want. But you just defeated the entire purpose of the game. If you want a Star Wars game without a story go pick up that Kinect Lightsaber game that hasn't release yet.

GamePro, while I am sad to see you go you all are leaving on a pretty terrible note. Again it's not because I have enjoyed my time in the TOR beta for the past year, rather your means of reviewing are just terrible. It is so bad that it is beyond words. And that is why we're talking about it and your website is getting unnecessary hits. If that was the plan, then it worked.

Character Day and A Crappy Game Movie List

2011-12-02T17:02:00.000-06:00

Ok. Why wasn't I made aware that today was video game character day? I would have totally dressed up when I went to the bank this afternoon. That would have been great!

Apparently it's in note of the 17th anniversary of the Playstation. Why people are dressed as Sonic and Mario, who knows, but it's a nice thought.

And then there is this horrible, horrible list. 8 video game movies "we" want to see. And by "we" we mean the writer who isn't aware of any gaming movies prior to 1998. Metroid Prime I'll let slide. It has potential, but we've also seen with the latest Metroid game that if anyone other then the original team touches the series it turns to crap.

Then you scroll down and see things like StarFox. >.> Slippy is annoying enough in a game. I don't want to see a big screen version of it.

Virtua Cop, PacMan, Sonic the Hedgehog? What are you smoking mister because you need to pass it around. And Mario? You want a Mario movie? I think you have forgotten that we got one already. We really don't need another. It's awesomely bad just the way it is. Just stick to what you know in your future entries; games are not it.

Richard Garriott Believes Consoles are Dying

2011-11-30T10:26:00.000-06:00

Ignore the fact that nearly 1 million Xbox systems sold during the holiday rush last week. Mr Garriott feels that systems will be gone soon. If the name sounds familiar, it should be. He's the creator of Ultima and Tabula Rasa. Yeah those PC games of yours are doing quite well Mr. Garriott, wouldn't you agree? Ignore Ultima, but really the man has done little else other then make Ultima games.

Anyway, he feels that the convergence of multiple devices to computers, such as smartphones, I-Pads, and the like will make consoles obsolete. There might be one more generation, but after that it'll be done.

A number of people are arguing against him, though not named or quoted in the article. I'll be one of those people.

True the power of our phones and tablets has been getting stronger, but they have a long way to go before they can play a video game like Skyrim or Gears of War 3. Try playing those on a tablet. It'll cause it to fry. And Panasonic already ditched their portable MMO device. We're just not there yet technology or design-wise. It's going to take longer then another generation of consoles. I'd bet at least 3-4 at the least. Not to mention gaming is a group activity to many. The Wii for example is a very family friendly oriented system. By limiting the experience to just your phone or your personal tablet you remove yourself from that type of game play. It's not an appealing prospect. Even myself as a solo gamer I still like knowing that if I have friends over we can plug in a few more controllers and play Rock Band or co-op mode on something. You can't expect to do that on a tablet.

ESRB and Mobile Games

2011-11-29T14:09:00.000-06:00

I knew it was going to happen. Just a matter of time.

But think of it this way, better the ESRB then the government.

With the wide number of games available for phones these days, it can be difficult to tell what content is in each program. There are some guidelines on the Apple and Android store-fronts, but really, it's an open field to anyone who wants to download stuff.

Enter the ESRB and CTIA The Wireless Association teaming up with 6 major wireless providers to create a rating system application for mobile games. The ratings will be a copy/paste of what's currently available for video games in the U.S.

It'll work like this: when a developer wants to submit their mobile game, they will have to fill out a questionnaire from the storefront and their apps will be immediately given a rating. They'll also be issued a code to apply to multiple store-fronts so that the rating of the game is uniform on all platforms (since Apple's TOS are different then Android, for example).

So it's a quick, easy to use system. I'm sure there will be a few developers complaining that it's too simplified and will wrongly mark some games. That's bound to happen. But when you think about the hundreds of thousands of products released on phones each year in comparison to the disc games sold in retail outlets, you need something much more efficient and fast to rate products. Good thing? Maybe. We'll have to see how it plays out. I'm sure the major wireless carriers will forbid AO games and a number of M's.

Toilets and Games

2011-11-28T15:19:00.001-06:00

Apologies for the lack of postings. No I didn't forget. I got caught up by the TOR Weekend beta since everyone I knew was going to be on at the same time. Now I really can't wait until the launch.

I could talk about the Cyber Monday gaming deals, but you all already know about Cheap Ass Gamer. So let's talk about something different.

Toilets and video games.

Two wonderful inventions have now been spliced together thanks to a bar in London, England.

Currently it's for men only, but the bar owner hopes it'll attract new customers and keep the old ones returning. It works like this: You go to the bathroom and depending on how long you go and your aim helps you rack up more points. >.> I think this was designed to make sure men stopped urinating all over the place.

Do we really need something like this when we go to the bathroom? Sure gaming in the bathroom might be fun once in a blue moon, but I'd imagine talking to a woman at the bar would be more fruitful for your future existence instead of how well you can aim. Just a thought...

Phase 4: Oh right. I need to make credits.

2011-11-24T12:16:00.000-06:00

Note: This article may contain spoilers for the upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you don't wish to have anything ruined, I suggest you keep scrolling to the next article.

Note #2: The information posted below is based on the most recent Beta Build. There is a possibility that the crew skills and their intended use may change at release. Please take the following notes as advisory, and not the hard-fast rule.

They craft. You watch. Hands off approach!

Crafting is either a ton of fun or the bane of MMO’s. It’s a necessary evil if you expect to have any money in your pocket by the end of the day. In TOR they are called Crew Skills. I mentioned them in my post about companions, but now we’ll go into detail.

Crew Skills allow you to have more freedom in customizing your character and crew. And credits. Lots and lots of credits. Because as with any game, you need money to move forward.

Crew Skills can be obtained at level 10. They are broken down into 3 categories: Crafting Skill, Gathering Skill, and Mission Skill.

Crafting Skill – The things you make.

Gathering Skill – The primary method of obtaining materials to make the stuff in your crafting skill.

Mission Skill – Rare materials to help you make rare items. (TOR uses a color coding system for rarity: Grey-Green-Blue-Purple are the most commonly seen. Green is the most common among crafts, with Blue and Purple being rare).

Your crew can only learn a maximum of 3 skills total. That is, you and your team will have access to the same 3 skills. No, your new Wookie buddy won’t have his own set of crew skills giving you infinite resources. There needs to be some element of effort put into crafting.

From there, there are another subset of rules. You can only have one Crafting Skill learned at a time. So choose wisely. However you can have as many Gathering and Mission skills as you’d like. So you could, potentially, start out with nothing but Gathering skills and come back later on to learn a Crafting skill. Now the plus is that you can drop and learn new skills as you wish. Simply open your Crew Skill window, click the X box and Accept on the prompt to unlearn your skill, then go to a trainer and learn a new one. Now, something to keep in mind.

You can unlearn what you have learned, but you can not recapture what you have unlearned (hopefully you saw that I did there).

Current Crew Skills Window with Craft.

Example: Let’s say you chose to pick up Armstech and leveled it to 100. You decided this isn’t the right crafting job for you so you drop it. But a few days later you want to pick it back up. That’s fine. However you will not retain those initial 100 levels. You start right back at level 1. So while crafting is a simple system, there are penalties for dropping and learning new things on the fly.

To make the most use out of your crew skill, you’ll need one from each category (a craft, a gathering, and a mission skill). This will allow you to take full advantage of that particular craft you have selected. The current breakdown is as follows in the order of crafting, gathering, mission:

armormech - scavenging, underworld trading

armstech - scavenging, investigation

artifice - archaeology, treasure hunting

biochem - bioanalysis, diplomacy

cybertech - scavenging, underworld trading

synthweaving - archaeology, underworld trading

If you read the TOR website, you’ll notice that I missed Slicing. Well slicing is fast, easy credits for the early levels. It’s a nice pick me up if you are low on funds and provides schematics for crafts that aren’t available at the NPC trainers. It currently has no use in crafts.

If you are looking for a self-sufficient route, here are the jobs that work best for each craft:

Jedi/Sith – Artifice (weapons), Synthweaving (light, armor)

All non-force users – Armstech (weapons), Armormech (medium, heavy armor for aim/cunning)

And for those wanting miscellaneous stuff:

Mounts, Droid Parts, High Tech Armor (for strength based) – Cybertech (Jobs that could use: Jedi Knight, Republic Trooper, Bounty Hunter)

Stims, Implants – Biochem (Jobs that could use – Smuggler, Imperial Agent primary, but open to all jobs).

Crew crafting on the Bounty Hunter ship.

Next, Reverse Engineering. This is a process that allows you to break down an object to obtain its resources and potentially earn you a new schematic for your craft. The process is simple. Open your inventory, change to RE mode, and click on the item you wish to take apart. This doesn’t work on all objects such as implants and medical supplies, and best used on armor and weapons. Even the gear that drops from enemies can potentially be RE’d. But if you’re wondering how you learn those Blue/Purple schematics, this is how. Make a few green items, RE them, and you’ll eventually learn the Blue version. You can also find schematics through Mission Skills and Slicing Nodes.

There are a few ways to go about the crew skills trade depending upon your play style.

1.) The Gathering Hoarde. You gather. And you gather some more. And you keep gathering because everyone needs materials. Well now you’ve got plenty of them to sell off.

2.) Mission Hunter. You have enough credits to spam Missions, which yield the Blue and Purple materials for the higher end products people want to make/buy/sell. It’s a pricy way to go, but the reward could pay off big in the end.

3.) Craft for the Credits. Based on the stats of forum polls and even official BioWare polls on what people are going to play at launch, there will be a LOT of Jedi’s and Sith’s running around. So two ways to go about this: Either cater your craft to the majority OR focus on helping out the minority.

If you center on Force crafting you’re likely to make credits fast, but the market will be flooded. Expect price fluctuations and to undersell others just to get your stuff moving.

If you go with the minority, sales will be slow but you’re more likely to guarantee yourself a sale and at a higher price point then the item’s value. Why? Because less will be on the market and you’ll find people in dire need to gear. They want the best and few others are crafting what they need. Larger credits can head your way, but it does take more time/patience.

4.) Managing Yourself. You pick a craft, gather, and mission based on your needs. It’s a money saver in the long-run because you won’t have to rely as heavily on the Galactic Trade Network for your purchases. Granted you can only pick one craft so you’ll have to forage for the rest, but if you take Armor or Weapons that’ll cut half of your costs right there. Don’t forget, you can make stuff for your companions too!

5.) Slicing, slice, slice. You’ll probably read this on the TOR forums during your initial run-though. A lot of people will praise slicing as fast, easy money. Because it is. It’s been toned down over the builds and probably will be again before the game’s release. The benefit is that it’s quick, simple, and requires little attention. You will also, on the rare occasion, receive crafting schematics and lockboxes for items to sell on the GTN. Not profitable as a craft over the long run, but good for starting out.

So there you go. A crash course in Crew Skills. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section (open to all!). I wanted to give a general overview rather then a detailed play by play. You should be able to pick it up and figure out the rest quite easily.

Kevin Butler King of Toasting?

2011-11-23T21:05:00.000-06:00

Sony, please don't ever let Kevin Butler go or decide to try another marketing stunt. Stuff like this keeps games selling. Even if this one isn't on the PS3, he makes you all look good.

Phase 3: There’s This Magical, Butthead NPC Standing Next to Me

2011-11-22T09:00:00.001-06:00

Note: This article may contain spoilers for the upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you don't wish to have anything ruined, I suggest you keep scrolling to the next article.

Mako better heal my ass, or no digital dinner tonight!

The Companion Character.

Part of the BioWare trademark at this point. An NPC buddy to follow you on your journey of kicking ass, and providing mild entertainment.

A unique aspect to TOR in comparison to other MMO’s is that companions take on a vital role in the game. They offer you assistance when your soloing, bonus missions and special gear, and in-dept relationships. Most games it’s just you and your pet kitty, or magical fairy that does nothing but flys around and looks pretty. FFXI is the only game that I can think of where you can quest for an NPC companion to fight with you in battle, focus their tactics into one of three areas, and level them up. Even that has it’s limitations and it’s not exactly someone you’d want to bring with you to boss battles.

In TOR, you need your companion. In many cases, they are the difference between life and death in a situation.

BioWare was smart about companion characters. Over the past year the little bugs have been weeded out, and now I can’t imagine playing solo without having a companion with me. Unlike other games where you might have an xp decrease for having a buddy, with a companion you don’t. You also don’t have to do the song and dance of swapping companions to ensure they all have the same general levels. They level with you. So if you hit level 30, so do all of your companions.

Here is what the Wookie Bowdaar looks like in the TOR
Offical screen shot.

Slowly they have been adding customization kits so that your companion can have one of 9 looks (1 primary upon first receiving him/her/it, and 8 that can be purchased at NPC Companion Kit Vendors) that can adjust the skin color, hair, and facial markings. So we don’t have a world of 500 Corso Riggs’ running around looking the exact same.

Each player can receive a maximum of 6 companions; 1 is your ship’s droid which really can’t be used for much other then cannon fodder and crafting and 5 odd assortments of characters that can be used for battle. Each companion will come with a unique set of stats, armor, weapons, and crafting bonuses (they apply to your skill with an increased probability in making Exceptional Items or bringing more stuff back from gathering missions).

This is where things can get a little bit more complicated. You, the player, don’t actually get to craft stuff or go out on gathering missions. Your companions do that. Starting at level 10 you can learn 3 Crew Skills-1 craft, 2 gathering. At level 10 you can send out one companion at a time for missions and crafting. At level 20, 2 companions, and so on. It’s a good progression because most people won’t have their first 2 fighting companions until around the level 20 area (unless you’re a Jedi Knight -_-).

Here's what Bowdaar really looks like-skinny Wookie alert!

Now you have the power to harvest nodes sitting out in the world for your gathering skill, but even your companion can do that for you. If he/she/it is out, it’ll pick at the node if you right-click on it. So really, you’re completely removed from the crafting experience. That’s one part I’m still not completely on board with, because I enjoy crafting. I like the technical aspects of it. But this is a very hands-off approach to let your companions deal with it while you explore the world and get xp.

Next issue, gear and weapons. While your companions come pre-geared when they enter your group, you’ll need to update their crap eventually. Most people will probably only have one companion that they want to play with, and that’s fine. I know some Jedi Knights who are in love with the second companion and will only use that one person for their entire experience. For me, I like to swap out my companions depending on the situation I’m up against. Especially as a squishy healer. So I can’t have my level 40 companion running around in level 20 gear. He’ll get slaughtered. Instead of having 2 people to gear, myself and 1 companion, I now have 6. I don’t use the droid for fighting. He’s really that bad. On the plus, there are enough drops through your general questing that work quite well for companion gear if you don’t want to use the pieces on yourself. But you still have to manage 5-6 NPC’s. It can take a lot of time and effort to get them the way that you want.

It looks like crappy gear, but at
the time, it was pretty good stat-wise.

I don’t mean giving them crappy gear. Your companions, aside from the ship droid, are pretty powerful. They’re not throw-away NPC’s. They actually take a beating, dish out damage, or heal you quite effectively. So now it’s not just about equipping them properly, but what you’re able to afford.

And then there is companion affection. Much like with KOTOR, ME, and DA, what you say will affect how your companions feel about you. Now for every job and every gender, there is at least one companion that you can form an intimate relationship with. Not that you can see anything because it is a Star Wars game and it is still rated T for teens. Depending on your class and your choices, companions will either be all for your decisions or against them. The grey area jobs, aka the non-Force users, are the ones where you will get companions that will hate your responses. How do you mitigate those? Companion gifts! Your new companion hated that you chose a Light Side option? Shove a gift in their face and things will be better.

For class quest conversations, all companions are involved (particularly on your ship). If it’s a normal quest, only the companion in your group will be affected by your choices. Why should you care about affection? It can grant you A TON of bonus XP. When you reach certain milestones in companion affection, you can talk to you companion for a cut scene in a cantina or on your personal ship. In turn, you get xp. And with up to 10,000 companion affection points available, it’s a lot of cut scenes and a lot of xp. In the case of your very first companion, it’ll grant you additional quests and items. And the stories range from mildly amusing to pretty in-depth.

Now you don’t “HAVE” to use your companion. You can totally solo the game all by yourself if you wanted to. I don’t know why you wouldn’t. It’s not like they take away your xp or anything. They are there to help you and to enhance your general gaming experience. Part of what we love about the Star Wars movies is having this odd grouping of people coming together to save the galaxy.

Ahh Blizz. You are my favorite companion.

In terms of the types of companions, well they’re all over the board. Yes, you can get a Wookie companion and yes, you can get a Mon Calamari. If you play Smuggler. If you want a bad ass fighting droid, play Jedi Knight or Republic Trooper. Want your own Twi’lik slave? Sith Warrior. Shock collar and all. No. I’m not kidding. You have options to shock her (just don’t expect any love in return). If you want a Jawa, play Bounty Hunter (who is by far my favorite companion of them all; he tanks like a beast!). They seem quite random, but from a story stand-point, they make a lot of sense. Smuggler’s is probably the craziest, and yet fits the best. You have a former peace-brigade member with an unhealthy obsession with guns, a Hutt-enslaved Wookie, a lost pirate princess, a vengeful Zabrak Mandalorian, and a scum-sucking, conniving Mon Calamari. It makes so much sense, but there are times when I would board the ship and think “what the hell did I get into letting these people on board?”

Who'd want to shoot you?

By the way, you don’t have an option to say no. They’re boarding your ship whether you like it or not. And with the most recent update, they now talk a lot during battle and have been given more lines of dialogue if you click them. They get pretty chatty when they fight. Sometimes you want to smack them. But isn’t that what real friends do? Some days you like them. Some days you hate them. Some days you want to whack them on the head with the butt of your Blaster Pistol, but they are still your friends at the end of the day.

Those are the aspects that stand out to me at the moment. I may add to this later on, but this is the Companion Characters. Enjoy the insanity as you try to equip them!

The People vs George Lucas

2011-11-21T11:45:00.000-06:00

Unintentionally I found the time to watch The People vsGeorge Lucas the day before the NDA on TOR released. It’s a Star Wars kind of week.

It’s a documentary that dates back to 2009, released in 2010, but did not get onto DVD until late September this year. It only just recently became available on Netflix. I don’t remember where I read about it, but the idea sounded amusing. It’s not about the history of Star Wars or how it became popular, but the love/hate relationship fans have with George Lucas told though fan films and interviews. Wikipedia notes it as a courtroom style documentary; looking at both sides of the case and attempting to resolve the debate. Is George Lucas the most brilliant man in film or the bane of all fans?

Positives:

It talks about the good and bad of George Lucas. No man is perfect, and as much as we love to idol worship, he is still human. He knows that he has flaws and accepts them. While he doesn’t admit to all of his mistakes (Star Wars Christmas Special anyone?), the film shows him as a mortal. It’s nice to see him casted as such.

In the things we love about George is that he has allowed people to openly praise and mock his work. He told the community “have at it.” He’s given the tools to everyone to allow for them to make their own versions of Star Wars, in full force (no pun intended). Star Wars fan films outnumber all others. Someone mentioned in the documentary that Dr Who fan films are second to Star Wars, and for every one Dr Who fan film, there are 100 for Star Wars. And Lucas supports it! Every year they have a fan film contest. I got to see this year’s selections and helped to vote on a winner for the fan vote-one at WonderCon and one at ComicCon. What I appreciate about this particular documentary is that it splices in multiple fan films to help progress the story. They’re not just randomly inserted, but integral pieces to the documentary. And it’s through George Lucas that such fan films were possible.

It also talks about life imitating art. George Lucas began his career doing avant garde film. He was good at it. Personally, I got into films because of what he was trying to achieve at such a young age. The problem was getting Hollywood on board with his vision. His early work such as THX1138 and American Graffiti were edited by the studios and never really captured his vision. Papa George vowed to never allow anyone in the industry to have control over his work again, and Star Wars was a rebellion (see what I did there? >.>). And because of it, movies, merchandising, marketing, none of it has been the same. For example (not in the documentary) you know that before Star Wars films had all of the credits at the beginning? They felt that people wouldn’t remember names and faces if you didn’t put the credits up front. Star Wars made the movie about the experience, and guess what? We still remember the names and faces.

But in his quest to be independent, George Lucas became a corporation, a commodity, the thing he hated. He’s even quoted himself as saying that he has become Darth Vader. And as much as a fan may hate Papa George, you have to feel some sympathy towards him in the way we do with Darth Vader. We dislike Vader, sure, but we also feel sorry for the guy. Vader wanted to fight against evil, but in turn became the thing that he despised the most. This is what the documentary does well, it makes George Lucas human.

While it sounds heavy-handed, there is quite a bit of humor thrown into the mix. With interviews from geek aficionados within the business, and everyday fans, there is a lot of love and hate thrown around at Papa George, but done in a slightly comical tone. I don’t think anyone truly hates George Lucas, but dislike some of his recent creative choices (such as re-editing the original trilogy, and Jar-Jar Binks).

It also talks about the one point of view we seem to forget, KIDS! One thing Lucas has argued with the newest films is that they were meant to be for the family; Episode 1 is the beginning and was to allow kids to grow up with Anakin and see what happens. That’s why you have the sillies that go on. And guess what? There are a lot of kids that love Jar-Jar. They see Star Wars as an all encompassing universe. They’re not aware of the differences that we, as jaded adults, are.

Another segment I appreciated is this question of who ownsStar Wars, the fans or Lucas? I won’t go into the details, but it’s a compelling argument for both sides of the case-one of Lucas as an auteur, and one of him destroying the preservation of film history.

Negatives:

It felt a little short.

Also the Lucas bashing was a little more then the Lucas love-fest. It’s a film coming from a generation who grew up with Episodes 4-6. Some of us are a little upset at what’s happened to the franchise. So I get it, but it felt a little heavy-handed about the nerd rage at times.

As a whole, it’s a great film for fans, haters, and newbies. It puts a new perspective on Star Wars that you probably never would have thought about. Worth the purchase, or at least a rental.

A special note to Papa George: Please go back to avant garde. Make the films that you love to make. I'm sure the corporate persona can take a break for a few years.

Phase 2: My job is my life!

2011-11-20T09:51:00.002-06:00

Note: This article may contain spoilers for the upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you don't wish to have anything ruined, I suggest you keep scrolling to the next article.

Imperial Agents always look good in yellow pants.

8 classes. 2 factions. 4 jobs on each side.

So how do you decide what you want to play?

The first thing you’ll probably read on the website or the official forums is that jobs are mirrored classes of one another. I.E. You have Jedi Knight tied with Sith Warrior. Jedi Consular/Sith Inquisitor. Republic Trooper/Bounty Hunter. Smuggler/Imperial Agent.

Smuggler got jipped on a two word job title.

On the surface, they’ll appear to match. You’ll have job ability differences, and ones that do match will have graphical changes to vary from one job to the next. But for the most part, if you pick a Jedi Knight, you're picking a Sith Warrior, and vice-versa.

Like WoW, there are class trees for advanced jobs that open up once you reach a certain level in the game (for TOR this is 10). The advance jobs allow you to specialize in certain aspects of the job that can enhance your character.

It also allows you to tailor your character your way. Each advance class has 2 unique tree branches, and one shared between both AC’s for that primary job. So really, you have 24 potential jobs. XD

Current Smuggler Tree

I’ll take the Smuggler that I’m currently leveling in testing as an example. Here’s my tree:

I chose the Scoundrel Advance Class because it gave me access to healing. If I went with the other option, Gunslinger, it would have provided duel weapons and incredibly strong DD abilities. But you’ll notice in the screenshot that the tree offers me more then just healing options. I have 2 DD sections I can fill up also-one focused on close quarter combat (aka Dirty Fighting-which is awesome and highly entertaining to kick a droid in the nards), and another one ranged abilities. So it’s very possible to be a successful DD while being a Smuggler Scoundrel AC. Is it the best idea? That’s for you to decide.

Here is the general rule for the classes based on what’s listed on the current character creator:

Jedi Knight: Guardian-Tank/DD Sentinel- DD
Jedi Consular: Sage-Heal/DD Shadow- Tank/DD
Trooper: Commando-Heal/DD Vanguard- Tank/DD
Smuggler: Scoundrel- Heal/DD Gunslinger- DD

Sith Warrior: Juggernaut- Tank/DD Marauder- DD
Sith Inquisitor: Sorcerer- Heal/DD Assassin- Tank/DD
Bounty Hunter: Mercenary- Heal/DD Powertech- Tank/DD
Imperial Agent: Operative- Heal/DD Sniper- DD
The one thing I hate about MMO’s are the endless debates about which job is better that degenerates into flame wars. Discussion is fine. But when it turns into “well you’re just stupid” then I start to hit the ignore key.

Bounty Hunter aboard their personal ship.

Here is my belief about jobs.

It’s not about the job, the abilities, the gear. It’s the player behind them.

*awaits the rage of half of the WoW community*

Hear me out. We have this issue brought up all the time in FFXI regarding Red Mages. A number of people see Red Mage as the job of all jobs. It can dd, it can heal, it can tank, it can do everything short of summoning magical creatures unless you make smn it’s sub job. As such, people try to focus on one aspect of being a Red Mage, and forget the rest. The best Red Mages that I have met are the ones that are able to be the jack of all trades in one sitting. To be even a half-way decent RDM takes a lot of effort. You can’t smack a few buttons and go to the bathroom. You have to put effort into it, and some people just don’t have that ability/stamina/drive to follow-through.

That’s how I see jobs working in TOR. Sure you can pick Sith Inquisitor and go the healing route. But you can also train yourself to be just as effective as a DD or a Tank if you take the time to learn your job. Hone your craft. Figure out what works and what doesn’t. In the previous build I leveled a BH Mercenary with focus on the Bodyguard tree that included tanking and healing abilities. Now BH is on the bottom of the totempole when it comes to healing according to many people. It has few heal abilities available and it eats up quite a bit of energy to use. But I trained myself. I found and made gear to help boost my heals. I figured out a way to play that made my BH a viable healing job. I asked to join a group as a healer and promised that if they didn’t like my style they could kick me, no questions asked. I didn’t get kicked. In fact, I was praised in General Chat for a few days and picked up groups constantly for not being “the norm”.

Smuggler DD and Healer.

Really, it comes down to how you want to play the game. Sure there are some jobs that are “obviously” more in line with a tank, or a healer, etc. But it’s possible to be whatever you wish if you research the trees and test the jobs as you go.

As an aside, you currently can not change your Advance Class once it’s picked. The dev’s have said via Twitter and at a gaming conference that it may be implemented in the future, but that it’ll have restrictions. Either a one time only change, or it’ll be so unbelievably expensive that you’ll only want to change it once because you certainly can’t afford to do it again. Mostly it’ll be a preventative measure from people cheating the system.

In terms of skill points, there are talent point trainers where you can reset those as you wish. The first time it’s free. After that, you pay a fee. Each time you change, the price increases. So at least you have the option to play with your abilities within your AC.

The Old Republic. Phase 1: Making Your Character

2011-11-19T12:04:00.002-06:00

Note: This article may contain spoilers for the upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. If you don't wish to have anything ruined, I suggest you keep scrolling to the next article.

I will probably have a series of these spread over the next few days. Because it’s a lot of information to cover over a highly anticipated MMO. And again, a year of testing.

The biggest concern for any new player is their character. Your avatar is what makes you in TOR. And choosing your race can affect the story-line (Sith Inquisitor for example; if you pick Twi’lik you will get called a slave. A lot. -_- Where as if you pick the Sith Pure-blood line, you will be worshipped.)

All Empire Characters are created under this background.

Like many MMO’s, there is a lot of pre-generated bodies, faces, and details that you can mix and match. It doesn’t boast the complexity of Star Wars Galaxies (which is still my favorite character design), there are a number of options.

You start out be picking your faction. Republic or Empire. And then it goes down to Job then Gender. Pretty standard stuff. You can review the job descriptions, advance classes, and their story lines before selection

In terms of what races you can play, well they’re all humanoid. Sorry folks. No wookies, or jawas, or calamaris here. You get Human, Cyborg (yes…that’s a race), Zabrak, Sith pure-blood (which is zabrak with tentacles instead of horns, Empire dominant), Twi’lik (Republic dominant), Rattataki (pale skin, facial tattoos), Miraluka (a race of humans without eyesight, but use the force to see), Chiss (blue skin) and Mirilan (green skin, facial tattoos). A lot of emphasis on the multi-colored humans with tattoos. But that’s about it.

And here's the Republic side.
Droids in the background move, and ships fly by.

There are variations in skin color and some facial tattoos depending on what faction you select. For example, the Empire Zabrak will be darker, more vibrant red tones. Where as the Republic Zabrak will have lighter reds, some almost looking close to normal Earth skin colors. It’s kind of nifty that the lore of Star Wars emanates even in character creator.

Some of the races and their allegiance may change at release, such as the Chiss and Rattataki. As of this moment and this build, if you want to be a Twi’lik but hate healing, go to the Republic side.

Which is also my biggest issue with the character generator. Race restrictions for certain classes/sides. While from a lore stand-point, I get it. Twi’liks are typically enslaved under the Empire’s rule. But it doesn’t help when you’re a Bounty Hunter and you go to get some training, and hey look! It’s a Twi’lik NPC as my trainer who is also a Bounty Hunter. -_- That doesn’t make sense and kind of annoys me. And since when is Cyborg a race? It’s a human with implants. Not it’s own entire set of people. So silly.

Yes. You can get a hat like Cad Bane as a Smuggler.
It's one of the end-game items.

My hope is that post launch they’ll add more races to play.

The other issue we’ve been complaining about are the lack of body choices. You get 4 options. 4 options that pre-determine your character’s weight, height, muscles, arms, legs, torso, etc. You don’t get to tweak those. Just the faces. Sucks, right? Now I have seen a lot of variety in the beta that it hasn’t been a big issue, but still, that’s it? I can’t go with a slider system and adjust my character to look how I want her too? Lame.

Faces are also pre-generated, but there are a multitude of options that do vary slightly from race to race. While I may see a hundred people with the same body type, I have yet to run into someone with the same face. There are also options for complexion (such as wind/sun burns from using goggles), scars, make-up, hairstyles. Yeah the hair options could use some work. Basically it’s the same 20-some-odd looks for everyone except the twi’lik and zabrak. Kind of annoying.

At this moment, there is no benefit to choosing one race over the other, like in WoW or FFXI. Other then a special “Social Ability”. Which is just an amusing, random ability to do. Twi’liks get a special dance (of course). Humans get a Rally Call that causes all in a party to do a /hurray motion. Things like that. There may be an addition before release to allow for stat-based enhancements based on certain races/jobs, so we’ll see.

Minus the limitations, you end up with a lot of
variety for the faces.

Final note: All voices are pre-generated. So everyone that makes a Male Jedi Knight will all sound the same, regardless of what race you chose. Since I can’t talk about what we’ve been discussing on the beta forums, I have to leave it at that. What I can say is that I wish they would have implemented a Sims 3 like voice change system. Where you have the base voice as option 1, and can slide it up or down to go up a few pitches, or down a few. It wouldn’t require re-recording all of the voices, allow for variety, and make the player feel like they have more control over their character.

By the way, the voice work for the character is stellar. I’m not a fan of the female Trooper voice, but even that is so well done, it’s insane.

So there you go. A little walk-through on what to expect for character creation come launch day. I’m hopeful that after launch, more races with more opportunities to cross job lines will be possible. I want a Twi’lik Imperial Agent dangit! :D

Force Spam

2011-11-19T11:20:00.001-06:00

The NDA on The Old Republic has been lifted! Which means you all are about to get blasted with TOR info. And a lot of it.

I’ve been in beta for this game for almost a year now. Full year on December 1st. I have seen all of the ups and downs. I have seen numerous graphic changes. And pretty much every image that you’ve seen of the character generator is from the first/second build. It totally doesn’t look like that anymore.

I also spent yesterday watching The People vs. George Lucas. A documentary that looks into the fans of Star Wars and their love/hate relationship with papa George. I’ll post up a review for this as well.

It’s as Star Wars Weekend on The Geek Spot!

Too Many Good Games Causing Low Sales?

2011-11-18T10:05:00.000-06:00

That's what GameStop's PR department is saying. I won't lie. I laughed. And while the overall profits have gone up, it's not what the company had anticipated. As such, shares went down a tad.

They also state that a lot of people are not paying off pre-orders; just plopping down the $5 minimum and never coming back.

Possibly financial reasons are preventing people from picking up their games. I won't deny that considering the current state of money in the U.S. But I'd also like to present the argument that GameStop pressures people into pre-ordering a lot of things.

Why?

Sales Associates are monitored on their stats, performance reviews, and potential "raises" based on how many pre-order reservations they're able to make for customers. Amusing considering how much GameStop is trying to push the market more towards Used/Pre-Owned sales and less on the new products. So they pressure people into pre-ordering a lot of things, and either those people forget about it, think it's too much of a hassle, or buy their product at another location that is cheaper and doesn't have staff that is pushy. It's an old, antiquated system best known for car salesman.

I'm not saying it's wrong for associates to want to make suggestions for future titles to customers; sometimes people aren't aware of the products that are out there, or will be out there. But to base a performance system on what you can sell is out of date. Sales /= how good of an employee you are. I'd wager that 70% of the employees at GameStop stores do a great job without the need to pressure people into pre-orders. But because the company has this system in place, their work suffers.

Anyway, my 2 cents. Having been there, I know that a number of people either forget they have pre-ordered (because it was so long ago, some cases years) or find a better deal at another store. On the plus, if you are one of those people that pre-ordered and never picked up the game, you CAN receive a refund on your deposit. Just visit the store. Hopefully you have the receipt, otherwise they'll have to play cat and mouse with customer service to figure out where you pre-order is.

What Just Happened?

2011-11-16T21:43:00.001-06:00

I think Spike's VGA show just went legit after hiring Mark Burnett. a real producer.

The nominations this year...they're pretty strong contenders. o_O Granted I question why Dragon Age 2 is even on there after reading the numerous issues people have with the game. And not the vocal minority like FFXIII. A number of people really didn't like the game. And of course it's a strong focus on the American gaming culture, and less of the rest of the world. But still, it's a marked improvement over last year. And there's no "hottest video game female" any longer. It's been replaced by best voice actor and voice actress. Thumbs up.

There may be hope. Though I'm still not watching.

The Brain and Gaming

2011-11-16T12:15:00.000-06:00

Post #400.

As a continuation of gaming and the brain, a group of researches in Belgium have found that excessive gaming can change a teenager's brain structure. But not necessarily in a bad way.

Already a thumbs up for this article for not going the "games make you violent/stupid" route.

The team plans on doing more research regarding this, but the results have some interesting merit. While those that played games excessively (more then 12 hours a week) showed some consistency with the brain development of addiction, it also showed growth in the frontal lobe; the area that improves brain function. The study did not establish whether these changes were predisposition based on the teen's current living conditions, or a direct effect from gaming, but they plan to expand the study to include adults who have never gamed before, to see if there are any differences.

I'd be interested in seeing this expand out to include gender differences and the length of study being increased to over several years, rather then a 1-2 months. A lot of the past research regarding video games tends to be short, in isolation, and errs towards provoking the subject to act out against their nature. To observe children and teens in their natural gaming habitat with as little intrusion as possible would provide the most accurate results.

Joining the Mass Collective

2011-11-15T10:26:00.002-06:00

I've signed up and posted on Destructoid.

And I now have a Kotaku account.

I also have the Twitter. Though to be fair, I've had Twitter for a while, but it was to get the free chocobo avatar item for the Xbox 360. >.> I have my priorities.

I'm branching out to try and embrace more social media. How often I'll use some of these, such as Twitter? Who knows. But hopefully you'll enjoy my imprint onto the gaming sites.

Edit: Slight update. Kotaku isn't allowing me to comment. >.> Before anyone asks, yes I read their FAQ and know all about how their system works. But it should still allow me to submit a comment. Instead I get an error. Thanks for keeping the system convoluted Kotaku. I'll try a few more times taking some filters off, but if it doesn't work, well then this was a wonderful exercise in failure.

Edit to the Edit: Got it working. Also decided to make a Fan Page on Facebook for my cosplay stuff. I may make one later for The Geek Spot (TGS!) depending upon the number of views I get per month.

Look at me. I'm going all viral. rofl

EA, the Fox News of PR.

2011-11-14T12:24:00.001-06:00

Shit like this is why I really dislike EA.

Never mind my own debacle with them in the past. In fact, I never made a post about it. The long and short of it. I'm a Sims fan and support the creative mind that is Will Wright. So when Sims 3 was released, of course I bought it. My computer exceeded the requirements, but the game would only last 5 minutes before freezing or causing a blue screen. A lot of going back and forth with EA's "support" led to no resolution. The last response I received from them still blamed me and my computer for being the reason for the game not working. Roughly 4 months later I'd say they finally caved in an offered me another of their products that was direct download from their website. I got a $19.99 game for a $79.99 product (collector's edition of course) that I can never play. Thanks EA. Glad you were worthless.

The game I picked was the Spore add-on. That was a mistake.

Let's see that was 2009, and my new computer with much better specs still can't play Sims 3. I'm not the only one. There are thousands who encounter the same issue as me. It seems to enjoy eating up every ounce of processing power on your computer. No rhyme or reason. It just does on certain computers and not on others. Last time I attempted to play, it blew out my heatsync, causing that whole no computer business. A big middle finger to EA all around.

Since the Sims 3, I haven't purchased an EA product. Go me. Though I am caving in for SW:TOR. And ONLY SW:TOR. I still see BioWare as the primary holder of the title. EA is just a means of publicity and distribution.

So back to the main topic EA is a bunch of dicks. I'm of the position that they really are a corporate money-making machine and have thrown all concerns about customers out the window a long time ago. So enjoy the continued hate bashing!

Starter Games For Newbies

2011-11-13T12:33:00.001-06:00

Credit for trying, but lacks originality and difficulty in obtaining copies. Vanessa Formato provides 5 games to help the new kids get into gaming. One of them being Golden Sun for the Gameboy Advance. Cheapest I could find was Amazon.com at 65.29. Most new gamers probably don't want to drop that kind of money.

The suggestions aren't bad, but not really the best for the newer gen, or even the older gen. How about things people can buy/afford on their limited budget?

For example, the holiday PS3, XBox 360 bundles they come out with every year. They will typically come with 2 games that have sold well within the past fiscal year. In this case, the PS3 bundle has Uncharted 2, GT5, and MAG, all great starter games, and an extra controller, and a movie, and some downloadable games from the PSN. That's a nice deal for the price.

Want something for your PC, Sims City 4 Deluxe edition. 5 games in one package for under $20, and all are great games. Or you wanted to get your hands on more of a sandbox game? Well GTA4 has the game plus the 2 add-ons for roughly $35. Or if you have a PS2 and/or a backwards compatible PS3, GTA:The Trilogy gives you GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas in one disc.

Straight up gore and action? God of War: Collection. The first 2 games in one. Like speed? The new Driver: San Francisco or Driver: Parallel Lines would be a great start into the genre.

Got little ones in the house? Mario Kart for the Wii is always great fun (one thing the original column did get right).

War Simulator? Ace Combat has a few bundles on it's series on the Xbox 360.

So see, lots of cheap, good options that give you multiple games for the price of one! Just keep your eyes open.

WTF Skyrim?

2011-11-11T10:40:00.000-06:00

All of the gaming blogs and forums were nice and quiet.

Then on Wednesday, BAM. Skyrim all over the place.

The heck is going on?

Skyrim, aka Elder Scrolls V, releases today. And it hasn't made a peep until this week. Just go search through Kotaku's archives. Most of the stories will have been posted within the last 72 hours about Skyrim. >.>

I can't even log into a testing forum for a certain game without seeing pages of topics about it. And no one gave a damn a month ago. "It's the most anticipated game of all time!" Really? I didn't realize it was coming out until Wednesday. And didn't MW3 try that already? Silly EA.

Anyway, I'm not against Elder Scrolls V. It's a good series and probably a good game. But my god, it just jumped up out of nowhere and has taken over all of the gaming sites that I can't find any OTHER news. -_- Some of us care about the other stuff please. Thank you!

10 Favorite Video Game Songs

2011-11-09T11:07:00.005-06:00

Why not? If the London Philharmonic Orchestra can do it, then I will too. Except I am musically challenged so I'll be linking to YouTube videos instead. Though I can still play a few rounds of Chopsticks on piano. With both hands!

Like some of my other lists, there isn't a ranking. All of the songs are equally capable of being someone's favorite. I did my best to provide variety and not solely focus on Nobuo Uematsu. He might just get his own list one day. But there is a lot of great stuff out there. Tons. Too many in fact. Whittling it down to 10 was difficult. But I hope some of you would agree that these would be a better selection in the "Greatest Video Game Music" catalog over Angry Birds.

~ Chrono Cross - Time's Scar

Upbeat. Catchy. And very Celtic. One of those songs that you will hum for days because it will not quit. And you don't want it too.

~ Donkey Kong Country - Aquatic Ambiance

How can you not love this? It's a serene, yet transient melody that guides you through your swimming adventures as the tie-wearing ape. One of those songs that you can get lost in, and forget that you have enemies coming at you. Also one of the few songs where I recommend the Wii Remake of DKC.

~ Ecco - St. Gabriel's Mask

Obscure enough? Ecco the Dolphin was a Sega Genesis game in 1992. I remember being a Dolphin, and swimming, and something having to do with a mystical storm and only you can bring peace back to the sea. It's an odd game. But some of the best old-school music you can find.

~ Final Fantasy X - Path of Repentance

This will be my only Final Fantasy entry. I can already hear the crys. "Why not Dancing Mad?" "What about Sephiroth's Theme?" "Did you forget about FFIV?" I chose this one because it is a personal favorite. I love it because it is simple, and yet complex. It tells a story of being trapped with no escape, but there is a glimmer of hope for freedom amongst the refrain. It's a haunting melody that always moves me.

~ Halo: Combat Evolved - Under the Cover of Night

I'd argue this is the most under-appreciated of all of the Halo songs. Most of you will probably listen to the song and wonder where it is in the game. We all know the main theme and the Covenant Dance. What I love about it is that it's subtle. It doesn't have the glaring boom of the opening theme nor the choir of vocals. It fits with the mood of the game. And it feels kind of jungly and spacy all at once.

~ Katamari Damacy - Katamari on the Rocks

Dare you to not bop your head or sing "na-na-na-na-na-na" after listening to this. Go on. Try.

~ Parasite Eve - Primal Eyes

By far one of my favorite opening songs for any video game. It has action, drama, romance, sorrow, anger, fear, hate, excitement all smashed into 2 minutes and 20 seconds. Basically a preview of what to expect with the game.

~ Shadow of the Colossus - The Farthest Land

Another game where all of the music is stunning. So it was difficult to narrow my selection to one. I decided on this piece because it best represented the journey the player takes through the game. It also combines multiple styles of music (traditional Eastern European sounds with Japanese instruments such as the shamisen)to weave itself into the story.

~ Sonic 3 - Ice Cap Zone (Act 1)

Don't get me wrong. I still love the Greenhill Zone music, but I've always been a sucker for the electronica of Sonic 3. What I enjoy about this song is it's archaic nature to stick with the theme of the Ice Zone while pushing forward in the field of gaming music. It's catchy. It's bouncy. And still pretty cool when you listen to it. Literally and figuratively.

Super Metroid - Prophecy / On Top of Jacob's Ladder

I'm still looking for the original version of this on YouTube, as I could only find the FSS Studio's Project Majestic Mix version. For me this song is everything that I love about Metroid. The intrigue, the aliens, the play-style. All of it. I remember as a kid playing this zone for days because of the music. Because you know, back then, we didn't have the internet. :p

Honorable Mentions:

Donkey Kong Country - Fear Factory Original SNES version. Wii Remake.

Mother 3 - Hard Rain

Chrono Trigger - Undersea Palace

Einhander - Dawn

And all of the Final Fantasy Chocobo themes (13 excluded from this particular video, but it's cool too!)

Gaming Music

2011-11-09T09:44:00.000-06:00

I don't know if this is a marketing stunt to try and get the young ones into classical music, but the London Philharmonic Orchestra will be releasing a cd entitled The Greatest Video Game Music.

Which doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'm a fan of gaming music. I would probably cry tears of joy if I ever met Nobuo Uematsu. Right in line with Kojima-san. And then I could die a very happy human.

So let's take a look at what's on the soundtrack:

Final Fantasy overworld theme and Liberi Fatali from FF8 (I bet that was really hard to translate into orchestrated music >.>).

We have one of the Tetris songs, the classic Mario theme, MGS: Sons of Liberty.

Angry Birds.

Wait. Did I read that correctly?

*runs through the list again*

Yep. It's there. With a sample. Next to Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield 2, and Advent Rising.

Yeah this just went into "marketing ploy" territory. Clearly trying to reel in the youth that play these games, because no way is Call of Duty 4's soundtrack better then Shadow of the Colossus. And the Sonic the Hedgehog Greenhill Zone theme will always win over Battlefield 2. Always. Donkey Kong Country's Aquatic theme would blast MW out of the running.

I support music as much as I can, but this is a little silly. Don't label it a "best of" or "greatest" CD when it's anything but.

Examples of better options:

Gaming Movies Continued~

2011-11-08T09:42:00.000-06:00

This time with Gyakuten Saiban. aka. Ace Attorney.

When images were released a few months ago, I'll admit that I giggled. The thought of the Ace Attorney series being turned into a movie, and the fact that the lead actor had a fantastic wig for Phoenix Wright, was amusing.

Turn to today and we have a movie trailer! The film is due to release on February 11th, 2012 in Japan.

From the tone it is quite clear that they are taking a darker route, with light humor thrown in. I saw the Blue Badger and I giggled again. XD Not that the content in the games wasn't already dark. The DL-6 case (which is also shown in the trailer) is pretty messed up. There's murder, and blood, and violence. Not something you should let the kids play on their DS systems. The movie appears to be adapting from the first game in the series, mostly the last case Turnabout Goodbyes (not the bonus 5th case) based on the trailer. It's difficult to tell what others will be involved.

But this does give me hope. Maybe, just maybe, we'll have a proper and well executed video game movie adaptation. It just took a newbie lawyer, a foreboding prosecutor, and a handful of spirit mediums to create courtroom drama. Oh, and Hollywood didn't have a hand in the film. That helps out A LOT.

Aside: A Happy 10 years to Ace Attorney. The very, very, very first game on Gameboy Advance was released on October 11th, 2001. The DS remake now known in Japan and the U.S. was in 2005.

Mass Effect 3 Mini-Leak

2011-11-06T09:25:00.000-06:00

I'm still not a fan, but I know a few people who have been salivating over this. So if you don't mind the spoilers, enjoy the video before it gets pulled from YouTube.

Beta content of Mass Effect 3 that was only meant to go to a few internal testers (and why it would be on Microsoft's servers is beyond me if it's just internal testing) was flagged incorrectly by the XBox corp, and it was uploaded to online testers. Who proceeded to download, take screenshots, and videos. Because who wouldn't? Microsoft has already taken the content down, but clearly the damage has been done. They may also go through and wipe away downloads/installs of the users who have the beta.

A few gamers have already complained about the content and how unpolished the work is. To which I will respond with the following, that I have been doing for oh-so-many months with TOR:

It's.

A.

BETA.

Of course it doesn't look nice and pretty and clean. -_- They're still working on it! And seeing how they have been working on other projects, they can fix a lot of stuff in a very short amount of time. So have a little confidence in your precious developer. Even with EA's hand on their shoulders, they seem to still have a lot of control over their work.

And the world keeps spinning...

2011-11-04T12:06:00.001-05:00

Two news stories that will probably make you sigh in exasperation.

~ Greg Smith, an Australian Attorney General, who originally was pushing for more harsher ratings on games, now wants to ban violent games outright.

For those who don't know, Australia is a pretty strict about the sales of video games. Having worked in the trenches at a large company that supplies games, I've had to deal with it on occasion. They have a rating system that is similar to ours (E, T, M, etc.) but with an age range attached to the "mature" content (E, G, PG, MA15, R18). And they're pretty strict about who sees what content. There have been several attempts in the pass to either heavily restrict or edit the content of games that rate above PG. It's actually illegal to sell anything above an M to those who are not legally adults (in age).

So instead of going through the song and dance of classifying R18+, Mr Smith wants to just ban all of those games outright. Based on his thoughts, anything above a G would be removed from the system, and under Australia's guidelines, that includes games like Mario and Zelda. Feel free to roll you eyes and slam your head against a wall/desk. I think it's silly too.

~ Whether this is a cry for help or desperation, the next Spike Video Game Awards will be produced by Mark Burnett. If you don't know who he is, he's basically a British reality show demi-god producer. You name it, and he probably had a hand in it.

“Mark’s bold producing style is a perfect fit for gamers, and his tremendous vision and unparalleled energy will take the show to a new level.” Casey Peterson, executive producer for the show.

Burnett mentions his sons being gamers in the article, but I'm not holding my breath. The show has basically went south years ago and never managed to pick itself back up. But maybe this is the glimmer of hope that the show needs. Burnett has a magic touch and can transform crap into gold. So maybe, just maybe...I'm not holding my breath and I'll catch the recap like a month down the road, but maybe...

Grand. Theft. Auto. V.

2011-11-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

Enjoy~

No release date info, but I wants. >.>

Women In Gaming, Continued!

2011-11-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

I think I went into super feminism mode these past few months. It's hard not to when you keep running into articles such as this from Leigh Alexander. I've read her work before on Sexy Videogameland Blog. While I enjoy her pieces more geared towards gender issues in gaming, I see her more as a video game writer who just happens to do a few social pieces from time to time. She has great insight as a gamer and a unique perspective on the gaming community as a person.

Not as a woman.

Which is the whole point of her article! (See the tie in I just did there? >.>)

The area I want to focus on is her suggestion to a solution to the issue. Basically it's to stop being an unemphatic dick.

I mean, to me the solution is simple. Why argue about it? Why seek validation either way? When you're not sure how you feel, just err on the side of respecting people.

Makes sense to me. It's a hit at the internet trolls who need to be knocked down a few pegs, though they probably won't listen and troll away. Oh look. There are already comments about that on the article. Who would have thought? -_-

In all seriousness, it's an easy solution to a difficult issue. Something I've done my entire life when a problem arises that never crossed my mind. Agree to disagree. Respect your fellow man and you in turn will receive respect back.

Now will we ever get to a point that men and women gamers will just be gamers without a sexual distinction? Probably not. It goes on everyday, everywhere, in every field outside of gaming. But just a little bit of respect for one another can go a long way.

Oh, and I like Bayonetta too. I might have feminist tendencies, but I'm not against games being overly sexualized, or having boob physics in fighting sims. I may not get it and question why it's there, but I'm not going to so uptight that I'd argue about it into my grave.

When Starcraft Meets The Office

2011-10-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

I'm just going to leave this here and get back to decorating. All I can say is wow.

Takes dressing up as a game character to a new level. I'm not sure what that is, but it was an amusing episode none-the-less.

NYTimes and BlizzCon?

2011-10-26T12:28:00.000-05:00

Putting the two into the same sentence seems odd, doesn't it? But it happened. The New York Times did a story about BlizzCon 2011. I was reading it this morning while having my coffee. But why I'm posting is not because it's a simple fact sheet about what happened at the event. Rather, it offers insight into the convention-going crowd that few people seem to understand.

At least a few people out there still think of video games as inherently antisocial. Certainly, a single-player game doesn’t involve interacting with another person, though neither does reading a book. But the most powerful and important games are the persistent online dimensions like World of Warcraft and Eve Online. That is because they’re not really about the games; they are about the relationships players form within them.

When you think about it, generic anime and gaming conventions are much like this. Sure the panels and the contests are fun. But when you get to the core of the scene, it's about relationships (friendship and others). After the previous statement, the article transforms into something more real. It's nice to see a writer take the time to actually dive into the subject and come up with something poignant (as this article shows what happens when people go the other route).

If you have the time, it's worth the read.

Obligatory Halloween Thread

2011-10-25T10:47:00.001-05:00

It's almost that time of year. And despite the fact that commercialism keeps attempting to destroy this holiday that I hold sacred, (seriously how is this NOT AN ADULT COSTUME?), I still believe in the spirit of Halloween. So some random things to get you into the mood.

Some gaming pumpkins:

This one is courtesy of a former co-worker and his girlfriend. Good work guys!

Ceemdee on deviantart does some amazing gaming pumpkin. The shading is insane. o_O

If you're looking for a way to create your own pumpkin gaming masterpieces, you can use this Photoshop (and GIMP friendly) tutorial to take any image and transform it into a pumpkin template. I'll be using it to make my own this coming weekend.

Costumes that make you cry at the sillyness that is America. One is a blow-up that you can not unsee. And gaming costumes this year. Angry Birds.../sigh. And I can assure you those Street Fighter costumes are NOT that nice in person. lol

Kotaku, who is Misti Dawn and why should I care?

2011-10-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Blooper from True Crime: Streets of LA

Apparently it's apart of a "Geek Girls" series about adult porno actresses that also play video games. Because clearly being a "geek girl" means you have to do porn also. It started as a digital series by BananaSyrupCompany, and has now taken over Kotaku. One of the actresses, Misti Dawn, in the series talked to Kotaku about her favorite game and who she thought was the sexiest female character.

Why is it that we can't talk about women and gaming without sex being brought into the mix? Even news articles about the number of women playing games these days still has to include "they prefer it over sex!" Really? Why did that even need to be introduced into the mix? You could have had a nice article discussing how and why women are playing games, and the changing culture. But no. You had to drop the sex bomb. Can't even Google "how many women play video games?" without the first page referring to sex.

This is why I get pissed off at gaming blogs/websites. They "try" to discuss sexism through outside resources to better inform the community and create the gaming atmosphere we all are striving for. And then the next day they talk about no bras and cute Japanese girls. Thanks for taking a progressive stance guys.

Let's face it. The female "role-models" for women that play video games in the entertainment industry is pretty non-existent. The women that do say "hey, I'm a gamer" are really pretty or work in porn. I made the point before with Olivia Munn that just because she's pretty, doesn't make her the role model for female gamers. How am I suppose to relate to these people if I'm nothing like them? How is a little girl expected to feel empowered and love herself for who she is when the world is saying "hey, if you want to play video games you need to be a slut"? How is that ok?

We really need to wipe the slate clean. Today there are more women and girls playing games out there then men. We outnumber their playtime. And yet we still force ourselves to try and fit their stereotypes in order to play on their level. Why? We never needed to in the first place. Gaming has always been, and always will be, for everyone. We should never fit into a stereotype. Such that "gamer girl" is what we are called. We are not all girls. Most of us are women. Join the Female Gamer revolution! It's time for us to find some REAL female gamers to call icons. Not pretty girls that enjoy taking their clothes off.

Blizzcon 2011 Cosplay

2011-10-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

I had a post going on about the developers of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 claiming it to be the "most anticipated game of all time". I know right. What the heck are they talking about? But after watching the video of the winners of the costume contest, they took precedent.

I have to applaud Blizzcon for having a good tradition of judging costumes. It's not about the hottest or the skimpiest. It's about the craft, accuracy, and innovation. And some kick ass prizes. Holy crap. 1 grand for third place? I might have to make a StarCraft costume now. o_O

MCing was Jay Mohr, who is now an official Blizzcon veteran. And because we know it'll get posted everywhere, the poor Minecraft cosplayer that fell on stage. Good for him for shrugging it off. Walking around in cardboard with all of those ramps on that stage is not easy.

BlizzCon 2011. Pandas and Pocket Monsters!

2011-10-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

This sounds like every 5 year old's best dream. Ever.

With BlizzCon being held this weekend, press releases and news about the company are flying all over the place. The most surprising has been the new World of Warcraft expansion pack and their in-game pets.

Mists of Pandaria.

Yep. That's the real name. It's been a known product for a while now, but I think we all assumed it would be a brand new title that had little to no affiliation with WoW. Well guess not. Now you get to be a panda! A monk panda at that! There's a little girl inside of me that squees at the idea of being a pande in a video game and kicking ass. But not in a Kung Fu Panda manner. Not so good of a game.

And while the Blizzard PR people keep screaming "it's not Pokémon", every WoW pet owner will see their little buddies transform into xp monster stompers.

If you want your full WoW news over the weekend, wowhead has the most comprehensive guide up and running, live-blogging during panels and such. When the new expansion pack is out, the pet battle system will kick into gear, allowing users to battle their pets against one another. You can also go out into the wild to collect and fight new pets. Random, rare pets will appear under certain conditions and only on certain maps. You will also encounter enemy trainers for your pets to fight. Defeating them will help you unlock special trainer powers.

Yeah. It doesn't sound AT ALL like Pokémon. Just keep telling yourself that guys. While you're making the grown men cry, you might just pick up a new crop of kids.