The Ranting Gamer

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

2009-07-02T20:51:00.003-04:00

Well here it is kids and kiddies, my review of Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
For those not in the know, the game storyline was Ackroyd's original idea for a third movie if he was to ever make one. So now we get to play through the "movie" as the new recruit. The story takes place approximately 2 years after the 2nd movie. You have a cut scene at the beginning that sets up the plot nicely. There are lots of nods to the movies for the watchful eye and listening ear. For those who haven't played it yet I won't divulge too much here, as a matter of fact I won't give away anything really because it would truly ruin your experience.
The story and play in all versions of the game are basically the same. For the PS2, DS and Wii versions it was simplified (both in graphics and playable storyline) from the PC, XBox360, and PS3 versions, however it was not backwards engineered for those platforms. They were intelligent and created the game specifically for those platforms so you have a totally different experience from the nextgen consoles and PC versions. That being said we managed to get both the Wii and PC versions to play (seeing as we do not own an XBox or PS3).
The Wii version has really cute caricature graphics of the characters, very stylized. Because the Wii does not have the graphics engine of the nextgen consoles there is not as much roaming space for you to look around and explore. Your stats are displayed in a HUD on the screen. The levels are shorter but have reasonable replay value as you try to collect every scan and art page on the level. Fortunately you can replay a single level after you have played through it and catch the stuff that you missed the first time. All of the items that you got on the first time show as though you had already collected them so you can spend your time doing more damage or looking for those things you missed. You are given the option to play as either a male or female character. Cut scenes are cute and entertaining and not too long. They give you just enough information and then get you back to the game. With all of the original actors back to do voices it is worthwhile to not skip these at least the first time through, even though it does give you the option. Besides you would miss the funniest parts of the game dialogue if you did. The controls are easy to learn and make wise use of the motion sensors in the Wii-mote and nunchuk. Of course one of the best things in this version of the game is mutliplayer. It does it in a top/bottom split-screen. Once you get used to looking at only one screen and that it is yours it is real easy. It makes for scanning the ghosts easier plus you do not have to wait for the AI to recognize when you need help to revive you. It works as co-op and a little bit of competition as at the end of each level your total damage is accumulated and rankings are given out as to how you did in that level. All in all .... fun!
The PC version is just like the nextgen consoles in looks and gameplay. Beware that you will need a videocard with at least 512mb memory to play this on your PC. Yeah, it was upgrade time for me. The graphics are more realistic in this version, the levels larger, and the cutscenes more indepth. There are enough variations between these versions of the game to make it worthwhile to own both or at least find a friend who will let you borrow a copy to play. Again in the PC version the controls are easy to learn. You do have a shorter training level in this version though. Your stats here are displayed on your character as part of the pack. So you do need to pay particular attention to your character while playing. Your character is also male no matter what, no option here for that. What was disappointing for many gamers was the lack of multiplayer capability in the PC version and only online for the XBox360. So for many people GB will be a single player only game. Now aside from that the graphics are very pretty and the levels do become challenging. I would recommend for the experienced gamer to go ahead and set it on the hardest (or Gozerean) setting. Any lower and you will breeze through this game in no time flat. Playing it straight through would take only about 5-7 hours max. What expands the playability of this game are the unlockables and (for those playing on the XBox360) the achievements.
Most of all though this game is just pure fun with a great script and a chance to be the Ghostbuster that you always wanted to be ever since you saw your first spook, specter, or ghost. So, strap on your own unlicensed nuclear accelerator and go out and bust some ghosts!

2009-06-03T10:06:00.002-04:00

Well with only 13 days left to go, at the time of this writing, geek fans everywhere are excited about the new Ghostbusters video game that is coming out on multiple platforms. I can't even think of the last time a game was so anxiously anticipated by so many. Well Gary and I are on the bandwagon too. We got invited to go to a Gamestop in Asheville, NC for their midnight release party in our full Ghostbuster gear for pictures and to add to the already palatable excitement of the game release. Well until I get the game and post a review here is a nifty widget to help you countdown until the release.

New Year

2009-01-06T12:28:00.003-05:00

Well it is a new year and with every new year there is always a plethora of lists made. Top 10 games of the year, top 10 things to look forward to this year, top 15 this, top 5 that, they are all over the place. This top list though shines to me like a ray of hope that someone with just a tad bit of sense and marketing know-how for the companies out there will listen to it. It is a list of 15 reasons PC gaming beats all.
I love my console games. Mostly because many of these games you cannot get for a PC, not because of capability but mostly because of rights and creative decision making. However my PC will always be my gaming home. There is nothing that has come out that can't be made to work on a PC. As Matt Peckham says a console is a pc basically. So despite all that Microsoft and Sony do, in the end, the PC will always be here and will always play games.

GRID

2008-06-02T11:05:00.002-04:00

Now I am not a big racing game fan but the hubby is and this is his new toy. We recently watched Speed Racer at the movies and this has gotten him back in the kick of wanting to play these types of games. Gary (hubby's name) used to play alot of the old school games like Wipeout and moved on to PC based games like Need For Speed, but hasn't played a racing game in a long time. And then GRID came out. He first noticed it from a YouTube video that he found here which is actually quite entertaining. It compares GRID with GT5.
Well back to the game. It looks beautiful. The graphics are well done and clean for the most part. The AI is pretty good too. Instead of the noraml static figures that make up the spectator crowd these guys will actually have reactions to what is happening For instance, when you run into the wall the specatators behind the wall will actually turn away and try to shield themselves from the collision. Pretty cool.
You have a pit crew that will talk to you during the race to let you know what is happening. They give you info like who the leader is, how far away from him you are, how close you are to at least making a podium stand, how badly you have damaged your car during wrecks and collisions, etc.
One of the bad things that Gary is having trouble with though is the controls. they seem to be quite touchy. We are unsure at this time if it is the game or just the controller he has but he is unable to control his speed. It seems to be go or no go with the gas pedal. The realistic yet annoying thing with the controls is that as you damage your car it will translate into how well your car handles. If you bend that wheel axle at all while driving then you will have a hell of time trying to finish the race and place.
GRID does have a pretty good physics engine though. Gary at one point when playing around with the game was doing donuts on the sandy part of the track and kicked a regular dust storm! Fun times. Also part of the physics engine would be the damage caused by crashes and collisions. There is no bouncing off and getting back into the game. Crashes and collisions cause real damage to your car, the track around you and the other cars that you are racing against. It makes the replay of the race look like you are almost watching the real thing.
Overall it is a real nice game. Like previous racing games you get a garage with cars to choose from for each race. With placing on the podium at each race that you participate in you earn access to upgrades to your vehicles. You will not find cutesy cars here either. These are real muscle machine type cars that have serious racing in mind. Gary is enjoying it and a happy husband makes me happy too! :)

Memory Mayhem

2008-06-02T02:46:00.003-04:00

Okay here’s the deal. I finished GTA IV last weekend and a friend wanted to borrow it. So reluctantly I handed it over and moved on to my next cellophane wrapped game Lost Odyssey. I know I’m a little behind on this one but I’m a busy man goddammit and Niko needed me.

So I start playing and I absolutely love it. It’s an RPG much in the same vein as Final Fantasy and while I am not an uber otaku fuck fanboy of the series I do enjoy the games. The presentation reminds me a lot of FFX and the story is passable. The graphics are pretty good but slowdown is evident at some points. The dialogue is at times laughable; although, Jansen is the greatest comedic relief character to come out of an RPG since Morte in Planescape Torment.

And then I got my first memory and promptly started jabbing needles into my leg to make sure I wasn’t delusional. Let me explain.

You get a memory at certain points in the story when the amnesia ridden main character (because that’s fucking original) sees something that triggers his memory. Okay fair enough. Then you get the option to skip the memory or to look at it. I made the mistake of looking at the memory.

And I do mean look. I shit you not, music plays and pictures occasionally change in the background, but you “experience” the memory by reading the goddamn thing on the TV. READING!!! What the fuck? And to top it off the writing is melodramatic shit that was written by a 12 year old emo woe is me suicidal kid. ARGGH. And the fucking things thus far have absolutely nothing to do with the game’s story.

And then on top of that my screen is smallish in size and not high def so I find myself sitting two feet away from the damn thing squinting to make out letters and getting cancer of the eye. Bullshit.

This is the 21^st century and you couldn’t do voice? My goddamn computer speaks fluent Japanese and you can’t take the time to put this shitty writing to sound? (If anyone knows the setting in my control panel to make my computer stop talking to me in Japanese let me know.) This game is on the X-Box 360 and they couldn’t pull some guy out of the fucking mail room to V.O. these things? Your game is on 4 DVD’s for fucks sake. So it couldn’t be a space issue.

The only good fact about this shit is that they do let you skip the memories. And I use that feature frequently. Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying the game. But this memory shit has got to improve or go.

So you Want to be a Model?

2008-06-02T02:06:00.002-04:00

Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios are looking for art models. All you have to do is head out and take a picture of yourself and send it in. Just follow this link here and check it out.

Spore Creature Creator Going Live

2008-06-02T01:45:00.004-04:00

EA has announced that the Spore Creature Creator will be released to the public on June 17th. This tool is of course not the full game but is designed to help hype the game as it nears it's September 7th release date. The game itself is in it's final testing and polishing phases.

The best part about the creature creator? It isn't useless. You can begin creating and sharing your creatures with friends in anticipation of the games arrival. Unfortunately it seems as though there will be two flavors of the creature creator. A free version which will contain about a quarter of the full capability of the game, and a pay version which will have the full capability of the game.

My only fear is that it will end up like Black and White did... great concept but boring execution.

GTA IV First Impressions

2008-05-03T02:56:00.002-04:00

I picked up my copy of GTA IV when it released last Tuesday morning. I've sat down with it for about 9 hours now and I'll give you my first impressions, with a full review to follow.

It feels a bit odd, but in a good way. The first thing that I noticed was the characters. They are actually dynamic. Niko himself is fantastic. His history and his personality shape the way you will view Niko. Mission after mission you will learn more about him. This has even impacted the way I play the game. Unlike other GTA's I did not go running into the street with Niko killing everyone I saw. I cared about Niko's character.

Other memorable characters include Niko's cousin Roman, the stoner Little Jon, and Niko's "comrade" Dimitri. All of them are interesting and all of them will surprise you. I even found myself feeling bad about a throwaway character that I was forced to kill. There aren't bad guys in this game. Only people.

The other striking feature of GTA IV is the story. The cutscenes provided at the start of missions and sometimes in missions are longer than in previous games but they provide a more in depth story. Story is also given to you by characters who are riding in your car.

The graphics themselves are beautiful and I expected nothing less. Although I was surprised how good the weather effects were.

The last thing I will say before I go back to playing this game for review is that make no mistake, this is GTA. It's just GTA evolved to the next level, and maybe then some. It feels good to be back in Liberty City.

My favorite horrormeister speaks out on video game violence legislation

2008-04-15T17:39:00.005-04:00

While we don't see much from author Stephen King much in the video game world, he has enlightened the imaginations and nightmares of many of us. Especially if we have been fortunate enough to read the books and not just see the screen adaptations, but that is another story altogether. Turns out his writing expertise is not spent solely on his novels and short stories, he also writes for Entertainment Weekly online regarding items of current pop culture. This week his article is about the legislation currently in the Mass. house (HB 1423) to restrict or outright ban the sale of "violent" video games to those under the age of 18. It is a very good article to read and if anyone reading this is from the state of Massachussettes I would strongly encourage you to contact your local state representative about this bill.
There have been several atempts to do this in other states and they have all failed to pass stating as protected under 1st Amendment rights. Currently there is an attempt going on in the Arizona state senate. As stated on the Video Game Voters Network MySPace blog - "HB 2660 aims to circumvent the Constitution by penalizing video game developers and blaming them for society’s ills. This bill punishes individuals who produce or distribute so called "dangerous" materials. The bill defines these materials as anything an accused individual might claim "drove" them to commit a felony or act of terrorism. "
So if you are in the state of Arizona or know someone who is please have them contact their representative and let them know your feelings on this matter.

Unreal Tournament 3

2008-04-14T15:39:00.003-04:00

OK, this game has been out for a while now so I feel that it is a truly fair game to rant against. They have had plenty of time for updates and patches.

My first argument is that Epic had a great game with UT2004. The load screens and times were fair. It was user friendly in many ways and all in all a nice game to play and look at. With the new engine I can understand some changes coming but did you really need to frell up the basics of the game?! What the frak!? Just to get past the basic menu selections are a chore. How many times do I need to say that I want to play a frelling game?
Your server history also only holds so many servers before it just quits showing any more. So if you have met your limit and you get on the great server that you actually love to play on, you are unable to save it to favorites because you can only do that from the server history! You can only access your friends list from the community area which you have to go all the way back to the main menu to get to. The in order to add your friends you have to not only know exactly what their name is and how to spell it correctly but then you have to ask them and they then have to respond and then they have to ask you and then you have to respond top them! WTF?! I miss the simplicity of "right click-add to favorites" and "right click-add to buddies" . Why couldn't that have stayed?
I mean, the game is beautiful and has lots of potential (when you can get pass the frakkin' crashes and .dll errors). When I first put it on my system (which significantly exceeded it min. req's) I had to clean boot my system in order to run the game. No support was given to help me figure out why after multiple posts to forums. There are huge long threads in the Unreal Forums about others having problems with this and no solutions given. Not a single patch has helped and some even made it worse! A change in my OS ended up fixing whatever was wrong before.
This leads also to another issue I have (this is a rant, duh), after spending $50 on this game and finding out that I couldn't get it to run normally on my system I had no choice but to keep it anyway because you cannot return opened computer software to retailers! ARRGGHHH!!! If I am responsible and know my system specs and have run the demo with no problem and decide to buy the full version of the game to take it home , install, and try to run and find out at that time that it doesn't work - I should be able to return said merchandise without grief from the frelling store! I get the whole copying and getting money back thing and whatnot but why should those of us with legitimate issues have to pay the price when the cost of games are so excessively high? I mean if I really wanted to get a game without paying the full price for it I wouldn't bother with buying and returning the game I would get it from one of my many friends around the world who will generously let me have for no cost what so ever. Games I really want I buy and if I am unsatisfied with a product I should be able to return it, period.
Well I think I am tired out now. We can only hope that UT games run the gambit like Star Trek films with every other one being great. I am just pissed that I had to find out the hard way that this is just not what we expected from the pre-release hoopla.

More Final Fantasy Goodness coming to the DS

2008-04-14T09:45:00.003-04:00

Like Shawn I also picked up a DS for the classic RPG and strategy game goodness on the system. In addition to Final Fantasy 4 we are gonna be blessed with the US release of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 in June according to www.ign.com. Square Enix is rewarding their fans in this game by allowing you to plug your old GBA game into your DS to unlock bonus items on the sequel, which I happen to think is really cool.

Also if you are into to RPG/Strategy on the DS make sure you check out Atlus games. They tend to do the US versions of lots of interesting games from japan.

Hunter

P.S. Uwe Boll has another box office bomb coming out. The trailer for postal has launched on www.ign.com and I have to say it looks like he was trying to offend the maximum possible number of people with that movie.

----------------
Now playing: Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
via FoxyTunes

Mildly Amusing

2008-04-11T03:16:00.000-04:00

I found this mildly amusing. Some gamers who love their IP's have started a petition to stop Uwe Boll from making movies anymore. Apparently the publicity hungry perpetrator caught wind of this and Uwe now promises to retire if the petition garners one million signatures. Yeah right.

You realize you can just not watch these movies right? If you stop watching he goes away.

Stop Dr. Uwe Boll Petition

(Note to self... Dr? What the fuck is the little prick a doctor of? Answer: Literature Maybe he could write for me when he retires.)

Bully Banned in Brazil (Now repeat 5 times fast)

2008-04-11T02:53:00.005-04:00

Bully:Scholarship Edition has been banned in Brazil due to a ruling by a local Judge. Apparently a youth group brought the suite against the game.

The reason Bully was banned? Because it is set in the school.

How the hell could this ruling come out of a county like Brazil. Does Portuguese not have a word for Irony?

from Joystiq

FF IV coming for DS

2008-04-11T02:41:00.002-04:00

According to Joystiq Final Fantasy IV will be coming out on the DS on July 22. Not only will it bring with the gameplay we love of old but will also feature new content, some voiced cutscenes (the word "some" there makes me a little leery), and of course 3d graphics

I must say I enjoyed the release of FF III on the DS. I bought the system primarily for the old style RPG's and now it seems Nintendo is finally starting to catch up.

Not an April Fool's Gag

2008-04-04T12:56:00.006-04:00

Jumping in today for my 'hello world.' I'm Josh, I've known Shawn since back in our high school days, and I've been asked to throw my two cents into the blog. (I also did the English degree too...but mine's a BS. That's right. And yes, I have heard that joke already, don't go thinking you're all creative.) I'll be more than happy to do so, though I'm still waiting to see just what kind of role I'll be able to take here. Should I be the token 'guy in Japan?' The gaijin otaku (foreign geek, just in case anybody here was unaware...it's been 2 years since I've been around people who DIDN'T know what those words mean)? Just another voice weighing in?

Bah, I'll do it as I've always done, wing it and see what goes over best.

But I'll be dropping in on occasion with a little of the 'slice-of-life-in-Japan' that I can offer, especially since my time here ties very closely in to my love of games anyway. My 'expertise' industry-wise begins and ends with the systems I own, and I always seem to be a generation behind. Still, I can talk a little about importing, and a lot about life in Nintendo's (and Sony's and Sega's and SquareEnix's and and and...) homeland.

Anyway, looking forward to sharing what I can. For tonight, I leave you with the following homework (especially those of you who've been wasting the past few weeks/months/years on Rock Band or Guitar Hero): Bemani. Look it up. Learn it. Love it.

Welcome

2008-04-01T22:12:00.003-04:00

First I'd like to say I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I was on a business trip for most of the week and then changed shifts at my job (because running the website pays so well. Just ask any of the other authors).

I'm sure all of you have noticed the influx of other authors into this blog. I would like you to welcome them all. I currently have three of my old college buddies (all with English or computer degrees) Robbie, David, and Hunter.

Also Marci, a friend and co-worker of mine has joined. I feel that she will be able to add a lot to the website.

And finally Josh will be joining us. He's an old friend of mine who's currently living in Japan.

All of these people and more in the future will be working and volunteering to make this site the one stop gaming source on the web.

Thanks all.

Yet another Introduction

2008-04-01T00:13:00.004-04:00

Well I have been asked if I can occasionally share my point of view on games and the industry, like an idiot I said "Sure!". JK.
Well to start things off I am viewing games from the perspective of a girl gamer. Yeah, I'm a chick! All that aside, I love the first person shooter gametype, along with rpg's, adventure, and trivia/puzzle solving (i.e. Myst, etc.). I started console gaming with the Atari 2600 in my early days and fortunately was able to move onward and upward. Currently I have 5 different consoles in the house (not a single 360 or ps3 though), including the Wii. A large majority of my gaming does happen on my computer though. I have 2 of those, one with XP and one with Vista. Don't ask me why I have Vista it was the hubby's idea. Fortunately it is only on one machine! Well I think that is me in a nutshell (Shawn will testify that a nutshell is fairly accurate too). If you can deal with me rambling as well as ranting you just might actually get something from my posts. Now I just have to think of something decent to write about :)

Amazon and Rockstar are teaming up

2008-03-30T13:49:00.004-04:00

Rockstar and Amazon are teaming up for something completely new. Now during gameplay you can que up a list of songs to download on your computer through Amazon.com's MP3 store.

It's not a bad idea. As the line between games and the real world becomes skewed by increasingly complex technology these types of crossovers are simply the next evolution in games.

Some people will say that this degrades the immersing experience but it is executed nicely. When you hear a song you like in the game you just dial a number and it will text the artist and song name to you, or if you sign up for it, e-mail a direct link at amazon's store.

I would probably be more leery about this if it weren't for the fact that this deal was with Amazon's store. I have found their prices and quality to be far better than other services of the like. And the fact that the music is DRM free is all the better.

Introductions and Mount and Blade

2008-03-23T23:08:00.005-04:00

I'm also a new contributor. And following suit with some others an introduction of sorts is a good way to start. First off, I'm not going to be the one to come to ask about hardware problems. I can install some things here and there, but I am by no means a savant when it comes to fixing/building computers and such. I'm a gamer. I enjoy the story. I enjoy how much fun it is to play. Graphics are important, but I'm not willing to sacrifice story and playability for fun screen candy. I'm from the original NES days, and the "no-mom/dad-Mortal-Kombat-isn't-violent-at-all" persuasive routine. I like sports games, racing, and, as stated earlier, games with a good story.

Here is a game that has been getting a bit of buzz around the internet, but I figure all the publicity it can get the better.

MOUNT & BLADE:

This game is all about the fun part of playing. It has elements of FPS, RTS, and RPG. It was made independently by a married Turkish couple. Two words are what grabbed me from the start--mounted combat. This game has the best mounted combat system I have seen in any game, not that it is hard considering the massive amounts of games that actually offer it; however, it is fluid and there is just something to say about being able to ride in on a horse full speed and impale someone with a lance. You can't call yourself a medieval enthusiast if that doesn't create some saliva for your destructive taste buds.

You travel around a semi-large map where you will come across cities, towns, and roaming war parties and bandits. You will be able to level up your character in various skills that fall under a few basic groups: archery/ranged weapons; melee weapons; riding horses/fighting on horses; monetary use; leadership; and healing/advancement. Another big aspect of this game is choice. You can build the heavy armored knight on the best steed you can find, or the almost naked berserker with the huge axe running on the ground.

This game has been in beta for awhile and Pardox Interactive has recently picked this game up for production. The graphics are not the highest end, but I do believe the actual fun of the game more than makes up for it. Mount and Blade is still not in it's final form, but is still finished enough to have an enjoyable gaming experience. Another good option is that the makers allow for a free trial (always a good thing for a game to have) so you can see if the game is for you. You can play up through level 6. I've played the game with a character now at level 30 and have enjoyed every minute of it. If you like the type of game that leads to believe, "just one more battle and I'll be done for the night" then check it out.

Even more about in game ads

2008-03-23T21:30:00.003-04:00

Hi there yet another contributor has arrived.

I am not much of a word smith so I am just gonna give you the straight skinny on advertising in games.

Short Version - It don't work, so it will stop on its own soon enough.

Long Version - It has been shown in published scientific studies[1] that no one can remember anything they see in games. If the game is at all fun/engaging around 13% of random players can remember ads they looked at in the game. If you just look at experienced players the recall numbers drop even more. That means as the companies figure out that advertising isn't worth it they will stop using it. And hey if the game isn't fun(which does help with remembering ads) then why are you bothering to play it and seeing the ads?

Now that we have that we have that out of the way its time to talk up two wonderful games.

1. Sins of a Solar Empire - This is a great strategy game with excellent support from its independent dev team. It has one of the best conquer the galaxy mechanics I have ever seen. It looks great and plays great on reasonable hardware. Defiantly a must buy if you like RTS games.

2. Super Smash Brothers Brawl - This one was a surprise for me. We picked up a copy for the lab with a throw in a few dollars pool and ever since it arrived it has been played several times each day. Its probably the best looking Wii game I have seen(not that high a bar to jump admittedly). This game basically doesn't have a plot, you just pick your favorite classic game character(Link, Zelda, Pit, Snake, Sonic, Marth, Shock Rat, Lucas, Samus[with and without suit], and a ton of others) and then stomp the stuffing out of each other. Last one left standing on the platform wins. The trick is you don't have health per-say instead you have a damage percentage which the higher it goes the easier it is to knock you out of the world. Single player is very lackluster just beating on computers, this game shines in its multiplayer. You get 3-4 people around it and it just grabs ya and you don't let go. If you have people to play with this is a must buy wii game, if not you can probably pass on it.

1 - Google "Dixit Youngblood" and you will find the study I obliquely referred to earlier.

Fake Leaked GTA IV Starting Cinematic on the interwebs

2008-03-23T13:23:00.003-04:00

1up released an alleged GTA IV startup cinematic today. It's very deep throaty (the informant not the porn) with a grainy disembodied hand putting a "GTA IV" disc into a PS3. The video runs about two and a half minutes but only a few seconds are actually given to the opening cinematic.

This one's more than likely a fake, and 1up has the trailer as well as some really good reasons why it is a fake here 1UP.

While I agree that it is an obvious fake, it's still pretty cool to watch. Coming from the standpoint of someone eagerly awaiting this title it's fun to see this type of thing done. It helps build up the hype even more.

The games official website has also been updated with even more goodies.
GTA IV Official Site

On the topic of in-game advertisements

2008-03-20T18:16:00.002-04:00

Hi everybody. New contributor.

With regards to the recent news about the future of in-game ads, I feel the need to offer a dissenting opinion. EA's recent deal to allow downloaded advertisements in sports titles may not seem to be that big a deal, and even might lend towards a sense of authenticity: How often do you see a halftime report that isn't "Sprint's Super Awesome Half Time Report"? Even stadiums are named after the corporation that donates the most money; see the Carolina Panthers' "Bank of America Stadium".

However, I don't think ads can infiltrate games without breaking immersion to an extent. Sports games allow a lot more in that regard, but it isn't just sports titles. I purchased Crackdown a few months ago. It's a near-future game in which you play a supercop that can jump 50 feet and throw cars, among other talents such as shooting people. The game is fun, but one thing that always drove me nuts is that despite the nanotechnology in my character, despite the fictional "Pacific City" having underwater tunnels leading to a hundreds-of-stories-tall private police force fortress in the central sea of the city, and despite all the stupidity and high-technology around, there were billboards for the 2007 Dodge Nitro.

As an informed consumer, you will likely be aware that your new game downloads ads. This knowledge alone will ruin any sense of immersion immediately upon seeing a real-life product in the game. Why? Because you know you are being sold to. You know that some corporate suit is getting a dime every time you score a touchdown, because it's not a touchdown; It's a "McDonald's i'm lovin it Touchdown, courtesy of Starbucks".

I know people like making money, but there is no way for real-life advertisements to exist in games without ruining the escapism. I'd like to call for a moratorium on this practice. Making money should come second to keeping games fun and immersive, and I'd love to be able to convince EA and Microsoft of that.

Sadly, I don't have the money.

EA Cuts Deal with Microsofts Massive Inc. Emperor Palpatine Pleased

2008-03-18T22:45:00.004-04:00

The disturbing trend of in game advertising continues today when EA and Microsoft's Massive inc. signed a deal to put dynamic ads in several of EA sports and racing franchises. To be affected are such titles as Madden, Need for Speed, NBA Live, and Nascar.

I stick by my convictions that as long as it does not detract from the immersing experience of a game I have no problem with it. However, give EA's empire-like tendencies recently how long do we have before we have cheerleader pushing products during halftime?

I Feel Dirty Now

2008-03-18T22:36:00.003-04:00

Comcast is offering a free Rainbow 6 Vegas map here. All you have to do is glance at their propaganda and type in cheery advertisement slogans into you console of choice.

It's nice to have Downloadable content for free, but at what price? As long as they keep it away from the immersing experience of the game then they can do whatever the fuck they want.

Bad Month for Geeks

2008-03-18T22:20:00.003-04:00

On yet another sad note Arthur C. Clarke, author and visionary, died today from respiratory complications and heart failure.

Clarke was an author ahead of his time who took his love for science and space out of his novels and into real life where he helped fuel the drive to the stars.

Clarke was the last of the three fathers of modern science fiction, surviving both Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein.

On a personal note, I grew up reading his fiction among others. They helped to shape the ideas and dreams I have today. As a student of the literary arts and a proponent of scientific reason, I can say that Arthur C. Clarke and his contributions will be missed but never forgotten.

I can only hope to live to see half of the goals that Clarke envisioned for humanity.

Green Lantern to have a Cameo in Upcoming GTA IV

2008-03-13T14:34:00.004-04:00

Okay, so it's not the guy with the ring. Rockstar, however; has announced that
DJ Green Lantern will have his very own station in the upcoming GTA IV game.

Lantern will be creating all new tracks exclusive for the game.

Considering the free form nature of the game I see no problem with this. The more radio stations in the game the better. I personally haven't heard any of his works but if you don't like it another station is just a click away.

Mortal Kombat 17ish...

2008-03-13T14:27:00.003-04:00

Midway has announced that they are working on a next gen iteration of Mortal Kombat

It was entertaining when I was 12... nuff said.

Windows 7 Release date Confirmed (Kinda)

2008-03-13T14:19:00.006-04:00

In information released accidentally by the Redmund Company Windows 7 is marked for a 2010 release or possibly a late 2009 release.

If widows keeps up its pattern of alternating good OS's we might not have long to wait.

Mass Effect Franchise in for Changes

2008-03-13T14:06:00.003-04:00

Greg Zeschuk is talking to MTV (of all places) about the future of the Mass Effect franchise.

Mass Effect, one of my personal favorite games of all time, suffered from some problems that kept it from becoming the greatest game ever made. One of which being the repetitive and often unnecessary side quests that drew the player away from the immersion of the main storyline and into the realm of monotony.

Zeschuk, in talking with MTV said

"Side quests can sometimes be left on the side, so to speak. Pardon the pun. But a lot of times it's even just getting that whole game done, that whole first shot [that is important]. We look at Mass Effect 2 as incredibly exciting. Just the amount of effort and knowledge and know-how that went into building the technology for the first one is huge, and [we now have] the chance to actually make things a little bit richer."

Given Bioware's track record of improving their titles in sequels I look forward to this next installment.

Atari Tries to Gather Steam

2008-03-13T13:45:00.005-04:00

Atari has announced that many of their their games are now or will be shortly available on Valve's Steam service. Games like Act of War and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Platinum are supposed to be available now while other big titles like Neverwinter Nights 2 and it's expansion will be released early in the future.

With Atari's ongoing business crisis could this be the boost it needs to stay in business? I doubt it, but it might just generate enough buzz for a possible buy out. A la...Infogrames

Oops

2008-03-13T12:38:00.002-04:00

Just days after numerous reports that Microsoft was in talks with Sony about the possibility of a Blu-Ray drive for the x-box, Aaron Greenberg, the group product manager for Xbox 360 told Reuters that..

"Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience."

Oops.

EA needs to work out hostility issues

2008-03-13T12:20:00.003-04:00

According to joystiq and substantiated by other news sites, EA today has begun their hostile take over of Take 2 Interactive

They have put a public offer for 26 dollars per share, above the current value of the company.

Whether this newest move by EA will be successful or not will be decided by April 11th, the closing date of this offer, unless they extend it.

One thing can be certain, if EA succeeds in this, 2k games will be no more. Who knows, maybe they'll keep the people from 2k games and madden might actually be playable.

How much is enough? Really EA, you already have a bad rep from your previous business practices and now you come out of the games with this. This may be good business but it's shitty PR and gamers hold grudges.

As for the fate of GTA, that remains to be seen.

Interlude part I

2008-03-06T11:35:00.003-05:00

Sadly, this Tuesday March 4th Gary Gygax died at his home in Wisconsin. He was a great creative mind and co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons. D&D has entertained thousands if not millions of people over it's 34 year and counting history and will continue to provide adventures to those who play it for years to come.
Despite the rise of video games and other electronic forms of entertainment D&D and other roleplaying games will always have a place in the market.

I have been apalled by what I have read on the internet. Jokes all over the place about D20's, and elves, and dwarves.

Seriously, what the fuck people? Now is not the time to make jokes at the expense of geeks and especially at the expense of Gygax's legacy or his family. Remember the man as the creative visionary he was, and as the caring man who treated his fans as his friends.

Who the Fuck are you?

2008-03-02T09:20:00.004-05:00

I am assuming you have stumbled across this site on accident and for that I am very sorry.

This blog will cover games and gaming in all aspects of the industry. It is a place for reviews, previews and private thoughts on games. There will rants and raves about the industry and all of it will be unfiltered. Conversation topics and controversy will surely abound.

I will start by introducing myself. I am a gamer, a very cynical, skeptical, ranting, pissed off gamer. I have been playing games since the days before Atari fucked themselves and became a minor game studio praying that their next game will save them from going bankrupt. I'm sorry guys it won't...deal. I also have a degree in English which isn't good for much other than writing and playing Jeopardy. Since Alex Trebek hasn't returned my phone calls I figured I'd start this blog.

I will make you some promises with this blog

1. I will post at least once a week minimum: no exceptions, no excuses.

2. I will post the raw unadulterated truth as best as I know it and will not knowingly lead you astray.

3. In keeping with rule two I will make all attempts possible to research the accuracy of the topics that I will cover.

4. I will cite my sources and never take their work as my own.

5. I will listen to my community.

6. My reviews will be my own. I will never write a review based on a review or hearsay.

These are my promises to you. Stick with me, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

Shawn out.