Gamature

Is Resale Really Killing The Industry?

2008-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

The subject has come up on several websites, a few podcasts, and most likely your head a few times. Is the resale market killing the game industry as we know it? See, when you buy second hand the developers don’t make any money on the game as if you had bought it brand new.

When you look at that alone, then yes it can be said that resale is probably taking a toll on a developers profits. But here’s my first argument. Would you buy the game if it WASN’T second hand? Games are extremely expensive when they first come out, often around the $70-80 range. If your second-guessing your purchase do you really want to spend that much? Games become much more appealing under the $30 range. Often so many games are being released, that we can afford to wait for a game to lower in price because its quite possible your still playing your last purchase. This could be greatly influenced by how long games are in the first place.

My second argument is this: If its in resale, is the game any good? Often you take a game back if it sucks or it’s time is up whether from age or completion. Now, if the games time is over or the game is bad, it’s not going to get bought again anyways unless a niche gamer comes along looking specifically for it. So even with this, the company wouldn’t be making money ANYWAYS. A game that is bad deserves to lose the company money, maybe they had some great idea’s but rushed the game, this will (harshly) teach the developer to take their time and add some tender care to the game itself.

So what do you guys think? How do you figure this is affecting the industry? I don’t think it has any effects we should be worried about!

Going Back To Hell

2008-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

In a recent turn of events I have been looking into older games that I can play, preferably over LAN with a few friends. Someone threw out the idea of Diablo, and so I got the game and installed it, after some fighting with Vista I got the game working right, in all its glory!

I missed the whole Diablo thing back in the day, along with Starcraft and Warcraft. I tried to get into Diablo 2 but I was bored, it didn’t draw me in. There’s something about playing Diablo 1 that just draws me in. Maybe its the simplicity? I haven’t even completed one quest, I just rushed into the cathedral and started growing my body count. Not many games have made me want to play them more, I can probably count them on one hand, and they have all had simple basic premises.

I think modern games need to stop hyping over graphics and audio, and start focusing on the basics. Once you have the foundation, THEN build on the extras. I hear Titan Quest is similar to Diablo but I think I would rather wait for Diablo 3. If your looking for something to hold you over, I would recommend installing this old gem and playing through if you can, not only is it available for cheap but it can bring you back to when games were known for their gameplay.

Dawn of War 2

2008-12-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

There's some new Dawn Of War 2 footage showing some Tyranid buildings in action, a little bit of customization, and a whole lot of gameplay. I like how the game is focused on smaller squad battles instead of massive armies, and I also love the customization. I really can't wait for this game to get released. Between this and Diablo 3 I may just come back to PC gaming.

Heres the trailer!

Monday! Monday!

2008-12-08T18:18:00.001-08:00

There is two more weeks before school goes into Christmas break and quite honestly, I haven't been working or gaming as I usually do. In school debates and conversations often leave me thinking late at night, and my gaming time has been spent with mostly casual games.

If you haven't heard of Kongregate, you should really try it. Simply create an account, and start playing. Most games have badges and achievements that help you keep on playing, and I found all the games very entertaining. One of my favorite games is Tactical Assassin. It requires some thiking, but the end result is satisfying. So hit up Kongregate and add me as your friend!

username: musichawc
link: Kongregate.com

Quality Vs Content, New Vs Old As It Relates To Gaming

2008-12-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

With the general world in an economic recession, gaming could become a costly hobby. Would you rather pay $60 for a game that is mediocre but lasts twenty hours, or would you rather pay the same amount for a game that is very well done but only lasts ten hours or so.

I think I would rather pay the price for quality, and hope the game has a good replay value. My life is getting busier by the day and a fairly short game can turn into weeks of playability. Along comes games such as The Orange Box that packs FIVE games onto one disc, and for a cheap price of $30 it is impossible to turn down. Mind you two of them are episodes related to Half Life 2, the value is amazing.

Do you mind waiting a few months for a game to drop in price or are you one to line up and buy a game on launch day? With the price of games these day I cannot justify buying a game on day one anymore. I'm sure you all have a pile of games that are half finished, I know I do! Out of all the games I've owned I've only completed something like two for my Xbox 360. Although you can trade a game in at anytime, the value of games is greatly lowered and for trading in four or five games I only got $27. Mind you, thats half a brand new game right there.

What are your thoughts? Would you rather a long game, or a short game with quality. Do you mind waiting for a price drop or would you rather buy it day one?

5 Ways The PSP2 Could Overtake The DSi/DS2

2008-12-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

With the news that the PSP2's processor is in production its time we took a look at the little guy. The current PSP has seen two revisions since its release and while it is certainly viable in Japan, the DS overall killed the PSP. Mind you there's still a place in my heart for Sony's handheld and here's my thoughts on how they could improve and take over the DS in the next handheld race.

1. More Games The PSP had some good games, but they can be counted on one hand. Monster Hunter, Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, etc. Maybe if Sony could pull off some original IP's they could improve the game variety. Otherwise, a Little Big Portable and another Monster Hunter released as a handheld seller, maybe in a combo and this little system could shine from day one.

2. Better Controls/Design The original PSP2 was really uncomfortable after extended play. My hands were cramped numerous times trying to reach the dpad. Maybe a more ergonomic design could help coupled with another nub so we can control the camera in half the games.

3. Online The thing had a web browser, but how come not every game if any could be played online? Why did we need a third party hardware like Wi Fi Max to play online? Why doesnt Sony tie it to your PSN account from your PS3 so you have all your friends right there.

4. Simplify Most games I saw for PSP were games trying to use the PSP like a console. It;s a handheld, so wheres my casual handheld games. Mind you the sleep function worked great. Not everyone wants a library full of casual, but throw a few in there so we can complete a few goals while sitting at the bus stop.

5. Keep XMB If theres one thing I miss about my PSP its the XMB. The hub really fit the system and allowed access to everything a person needed. keep the same simple design, maybe change it up a bit or allow for customization through themes, but keep the general system!

If Sony followed these I know I'd be buying a PSP2 day one, whats your input? What would it take to sell you on the PSP2?

The Future of PC Gaming 2

2008-11-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

Online Distribution.

People are saying that the life of buying games in stores is nearing the end. With services like Gametap and STEAM this is almost believable. Both offer online distribution but in two different ways. STEAM is exactly like a store, you pay the price and you can download a game which is then tied to your account and can be downloaded anywhere else. Gametap is more like a rental store, where you pay a flat fee and in turn you can download any games you want and store them on your hard drive while playing them through the Gametap application.

I have experience with both systems and I would say they are both equal, but the extra features of STEAM win overall. Steam also has community and mods for all the games you buy. Gametap does have a larger selection of games, especially older ones. The one thing I do not like about Steam is the need for a credit card. I wish you could buy some sort of Steam card in stores like HMV or EB Games and add these to your account as this would widen their audience largely by including all of us that do not have our own credit card.

Online distribution is a perfectly workable situation as long as you have a high speed connection and is going to be instrumental in to brining PC gaming back. With places like Gametap allowing anyone to play older games like Fallout, theres so many titles to play regardless of the computer your playing them on.

Future Of PC Gaming Part 1

2008-11-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

I used to be an avid PC gamer. I never owned a console until about partway through the PS2's life and some of my best gaming memories are playing Battlefield 1942 and Black And White. But whatever happened to PC gaming? Where is it now? To put it simply, its dying slowly getting eaten alive by the console crowd. Over the next few articles I will be writing about the possibility of reviving this fallen culture.

Today I'm going to talk about the possibility of having a hub or a gaming OS even. I am in full support of Steam. Steam is a great application I wish it came with every game. It cuts out piracy(mostly), has great distribution, and I can take my games wherever I go, the games are all tied to one account. So what if we took Steam and say, transferred it into a whole operating system of its own. Boot up your computer, see all the friends that are online, see the games you have, whats new in the store, and jump in the game. No discs to worry about, no multiple applications such as Xfire, or Teamspeak. Just simple boot and run.

This would simplify the whole world of PC Gaming, as it is every game has its own game browser built in, and on top of that the user is most likely running a few programs of his own in the background just to play ONE game. This new system would also allow things like online tournaments much easier. People could even spectate. We could bring back PC gaming and gaming as a sport.

This system would also tie into other things I would like to talk about, but I'll save those for part 2.

The Future

2008-11-17T22:25:00.001-08:00

Today was hectic at work, people got fired, and I gave my two weeks notice. It is scary. I know not where i'm going at the moment. I will however be keeping this blog up with video game goodness and hopefully with more spare time I can focus on writing some quality content to keep you all satisfied. I'm trying to think of ideas, maybe some sort of weekly feature or whatnot?

What would you guys like to see?

Gaming on iTouch

2008-11-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

Really loving my iTouch right now, and playing some really cool games on it. Tap tap is a really fun timewaster. Doesnt look like I'm going to get alot of time to game this week so rentals probably wont happen, as school towers of all. I'll probably be playing old N64 games if I do get the chance.

Original fallout is going well,
still stuck in Ninja Town on DS

Thursday Rundown

2008-11-13T16:04:00.000-08:00

So, just a quick update to keep you all aware of the situation, this week I've been working on completing GTA IV and will have an article on that up probably around Monday or Tuesday, as well as the original Fallout, and a little love for Ninja Town on my DS Lite.

Been working my time around that but its been busy with a few midterms at school and whatnot. After a little hiatus there hopefully I can get back into the routine of blogging. Payday is tomorrow which means I will be renting a few games, and hopefully investing in an iPod touch. I'm thinking Gears Of War 2 and the new Call of Duty for my games of the next two weeks. If anyone has any suggestions of games to play, new or old, drop me a line on twitter, leave a comment, or send an e-mail to vidas.revolution@gmail.com

Ninja Town

2008-11-12T14:22:00.000-08:00

Down with the sickness today, some sort of flu going around, its nasty!

Due to the fact I've been laying in bed quite a bit lately, I've gotten a lot of time in with my DS. I'd been playing Final Fantasy IV but I decided to pick up Ninja Town from HMV the other day. This game has sucked up my time like none other. The last time I spent this much time on a portable was Monster Hunter 2 for PSP.

The game is basically tower defense with a sort of quirky ninja theme based off the shawnimals toy line. There are melee ninjas (anti-ninja, wee ninja, and business ninja) and ranged ninjas (Wusabi, Snow, and forest ninjas) as well as modifier buildings like a dojo to increase attack power. Enemy ninjas from Mr Demon come from one, two, or three entrances and its your job to stop them before they reach the exit. The game is really fun, easy to pick up and play, and the difficulty is just right.

If you like tower defense and you want a game for your DS I would seriously suggest picking up this game, especially because its on the cheap, coming in at only $25.

Pros
+ Easy to pick up and play
+ Perfect difficulty level
+ Cool art style

Cons
- Not terribly long

Verdict: Buy!

Fallout 3 and Why I Won't Be Buying it

2008-11-11T00:37:00.000-08:00

Pre-post: Sorry for the lack of updates guys, work and school have got me really busy.

Now, on to the real post! I had rented Fallout 3 for a week and a half and I have to say, the game is good but I really can't see myself buying it. While the general game is alright, it has a few bugs that make the game plain annoying.

One such bug actually made me restart the game because I killed a guy in a town, which made the whole town come after me and it became impossible for me to exit the city and continue my quest.

The second bug had me falling continuously in place and had me restart the game, and the lack of a decent auto-save system(it only saves when you exit/enter a building) means I again, had to restart the system.

Heres a quick rundown:

Pros
+ Storyline is really great
+ Graphically, the game is beautifully
+ The levelling system is just right
+ V.A.T.S is really cool

Cons
- A few game stopping bugs
- V.A.T.S animations are over-used and can get boring

Theres my quick rundown, I also purched Ninja Town for my DS lately and tomorrow I will try and write a full review.

Portable Gaming

2008-10-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of blog post last night, I had left my laptop at work and the lack of sleep from the last few days took over me and I ended up falling asleep rather quickly.

Today I went to the mall and looked for some DS games for when i'm on the go and finally decided on Final Fantasy IV won my vote. Tomorrow I should have some impressions. Five more days until Fallout 3 and my friends are saying Fable II is really great!

Timewaster Tuesday

2008-10-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

So I think I will will be starting a new weekly thing, Timewaster Tuesday. Basically I'll post flash games or other freeware that can be picked up and played to take up some time.

My first pick is Hunted Forever found via Kotaku.

Simple to play, using only your arrow keys. Your running from a giant machine that is attempting to kill you, very simple! However the game has really great animation and style and is worth the play. Find it here.

Gaming 2.0

2008-10-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

This post was inspired by a post on GameSlurp that asked what we would like to see in next gen gaming, so here is my outlook and opinion on the subject. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

We are now at a time where we can call the 360, PS3, and Wii current gen systems which begs the question, what will next gen systems bring? Will the Wii have HD graphics? Will the 360 switch to Blue-Ray? How about feature wise. I think that the next evolution gaming should be interaction with the gaming community. Xbox LIVE has started this with achievements, and a system that encompasses all games on the system. Games like LittleBigPlanet and Farcry 2 are starting to develop interactivity as well. LittleBigPlanet allows you to create levels and really create within the game instead of just playing through it. Farcry 2 has a map editor but I would like to see more.

Think of a system where any game can be modified through a full featured, semi-user-friendly enviroment that works across all games. Think open source gaming! I say semi-user friendly because I would want a learning curve that would weed out potential griefers that would otherwise ruin the game. A rating and moderating system that would further filter out the garbage. This system would need to use the capablities of the console to the fullest, including a necessary hard drive to store these modifications.

Honestly I can't see this happening on the scale that I am imagining (I also dream of a one console future) but I would like to see interaction with the consumer more in games. The downsides are that there WILL be garbage, and it would require a hard drive, something that not all people want according to Xbox Arcade sales. As for now, I guess we'll just have to wait to see what next gen brings us!

First Fable 2 Video Review

2008-10-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

TheDayday has posted his video review of Fable 2, which is released later this week. On the plus side, the game looks really fun. On the bad side, it sounds like the loading times could be pretty bad. Fallout 3 is also releasing in a week so it will be interesting as to which I pick up, if not both.

Heres a link to the review so you can see for yourself !

Saints Row 2 First Impressions

2008-10-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates guys, between work and school I've been slammed this week! Anyways, I did manage to rent SR2 and I've played maybe 4 or 5 missions and a few activities. This game could be very accurately described as GTA's wacky cousin. Everything is over the top and arcadey but yet the game still manages to be a lot of fun.

The storyline seems to be pretty run of the mill at the moment with your character attempting to rebuild his gang, and the controls for driving are a bit awkward. Who decided to make A the gas button? Why not the triggers?

Other than that, I think the game is fun and definitely worth the play. Depending on how my next play sessions go will help me decide whether I'd like to buy it new, used, or just rent it/

Thanksgiving

2008-10-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates guys I've been working hard all weekend so I can afford to pick up a game or two this paycheque.

Bought xbox live today and rented Unreal Tournament 3. Some great games landing in the next week or two, including Saints Row 2 and Fallout 3. I'll be renting Saints Row 2 hopefully tomorrow and pre-ordering or picking up Fallout 3 on Friday/Saturday.

If anyone wants to play, my gamertag is SATIR3

Fallout 2

2008-10-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

The new fallout game is looking great, catering to all those who love RPG's and shooters. Gamespot has a 5 part video showing off some new features all in HD and SD.

The first part can be found here

Closer Look Into Public Quests

2008-10-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

So here's another post about Warhammer Online and its public quest system. Over the course of my play time last night I encountered a few more public quests that I found interesting. It should be noted that, at the moment, the public quests are not quite balanced and some are quite a bit easier than others.

The first one I would like to talk about is located in the Komar gap. Its a small town center that's split in half, Greenskins and Dwarves. So basically theres about ten feet between the two warring factions and either side has to kill a hundred of the other factions NPC's to move to the next stage of the quest. Being a Greenskin, me and a few other players dispatched the hundred enemies in about ten or fifteen minutes. At this point three hero NPC's come out from the opposing side and now your point is to kill these. These enemies are basically buffed up versions of characters from that level. Two of the units heals the third, and the fight lasts for ten minutes even with five or six friendlies helping you.

I think that this quest is just great, for XP and influence as well as story. I think the setting is just really great and gives you the feel that these two factions are REALLY at war.

Free Games!

2008-10-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Just to let you all know FileFront is offering 3 full games for download, all from Midway.
The games are: Full Spectrum Warrior, Rise And Fall: Civilizations At War, and Area 51! You can pick them all up over at FileFront.

Just a quick update as well, I've picked up a Warhammer Online account and some time for it, so I'll be updating with my progress in the future. If anyone wants to play, I play on Brettonia server on the Chaos side. I'll post my character name later after he is created either on here or in my Twitter.

Warhammer Online + Ninja Gaiden 2

2008-10-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

Alright, so basically due to my cheque not working out I've rented Ninja Gaiden 2 as well as secured myself a Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning account for the night, which is drawing to a close.

Lets start with Ninja Gaiden 2 for the Xbox 360. First off, this game is DIFFICULT. Not like, hard mode difficult, its more like OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS sort of hard mode. I have the game on the easiest setting, and I am quite usually low on health. I've completed the first level and am stuck on the boss of the second. Pushing past that, this game seems to be quite good. The combat system, while repetitive, looks great in action and once your into a groove it really looks like your doing a dance of death as you leap around the battlefield and slaughter your foes one by one, slicing off limbs as you go. Theres multiple weapons in the game from swords to tofu's to a scythe and there is literally tons of gore. After a battle you can look and be satisfied by the amount of blood and bodies splayed out in the area. Looking at all this, I would still say the game is a rent instead of a buy, I would not be able to justify myself buying this game for full price because there just isn't enough there. You'll notice I didn't mention a story and thats basically because it doesn't have one, you feel as though you've missed an important cutscene the whole time.

Now the next point would be Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning. For those of you still playing WoW, switch NOW. This game tops WoW in every conceviable way I can think of. Graphics are prettier, PvE is great, animations are better, the PvP is WAY better, and the game overall is just more FUN. The quests range from covering statues with mud, to taking unconscious dwarves and sticking them in barrels to push off a castle wall. The game is constantly switching things up for you in terms of things to do and where your doing it. Public quests are quests that can be done by all in the area and are a great way to get involved. The one I played involved killing squids to satisfy a giant, then bringing the giant beer so he would destroy the entrance into a dwarven keep. Once this happened waves and waves of dwarves were sent out and killed by us Greenskins which finally ended with us killing their Hero unit. These quests play out in 3 parts and the next one starts three minutes or so after the last one ends. Depending on how much you participated you are entered into the loot pool to receive new items and equipment. I could rave about this game all day to you, but to put it simple just buy the game and play it, see if you like it becuase I garuntee you will!

Thats it for my update, if you have any questions feel free to comment or send me an email. vidas[DOT]revolution[AT]gmail[DOT]com

All These Decisions

2008-10-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

If you follow my twitter you may have seen that today is payday, which means its time to buy a new game. The problem is that I haven't seen anything worth buying come out lately. Currently I own Guitar Hero 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, and SKATE for my 360, as well as Animal Crossing and Pokemon for my DS. I have't touched Animal Crossing in ages, and Pokemon is rarely played. So I'm either looking for a game for my DS which can hopefully help me play it more, perhaps Final Fantasy or some other RPG? As for 360 I think I will be going and renting a game seeing as I just traded in the other titles I previously owned. Army of Two was too quick a decision, and when I'm dropping sixty or seventy dollars on a game I deserve to know if I really wish to buy it or not.

Here what I was thinking of renting:
Saints Row
Unreal Tournament 3
Ninja Gaiden 2

Also, I'm debating purchasing Xbox LIVE and some Microsoft Points so that I can play Castle Crashers and Braid.

Anyone have some suggestions for a gamer in need? I have four days off next week, so I'll need something to keep me busy.

Saints Row 2

2008-10-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Saints Row 2 is looking great, only two weeks until release. I would say It's a straight competitor to GTA IV, but its positioned as a little more over the top, lets have some fun sort of game. Anyways, I'll be renting the original Saints Row in an attempt to get a feel for it before Saints Row 2 comes out.

Heres a really great trailer for the game!

How Do You Play?

2008-09-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

I was playing Grand Theft Auto 4 the other day and I had a big decision, kill X or kill Y. I had to make a decision, and for the first time in a game I didn't know which to do. I started to think what would be better for me, but not really for ME, but for Niko. This in turn made me think about how we play games. Do you simply let the game pass you by, or do you get in to the experience, letting yourself connect with the characters?

I had obviously became connected and had formed relationships with the different characters. Rockstar Games had talked about this previously, strengthened by the fact you can now take characters out drinking, play darts, or shoot some pool. Honestly though, this is the first time this had happened in a game. Gears of War didn't pull me in like this, Call of Duty, or even Final Fantasy. Maybe it is that I have grown and am able to make more connections than I could have before.

I think that I enjoyed the experience more when I felt that connection, I felt for the characters and I felt like I actually WANTED to play the game rather than, "Oh I'm bored i suppose I'll play a game." I'm hoping more games will be able to do this, with games like Fable 2 coming out I'm sure I'll be spending more time in another world than I will be in front of my TV.

Have you ever had such an experience? With what game, or what type of game?