Category
games
-
games
Fat Princess
I’m so proud of my buddy Chris, and his building a studio with friends to launch this game. It looks VERY fun, even if a bit un-PC (which is totally Chris). Check it out:
-
games
XBox’s Project Natal
This is KILLER stuff. My old boss, Kudo Tsunoda, has been working on games for the technology. Check it out:
-
games
GTA IV…not THAT impressed…
I’ve been playing GTA IV the past couple weeks and, as I’ve progressed through the game, I’ve found it to be not nearly as great as people say it is. Sure it’s a good game, and definitely fun, but does it really deserve 10 out of 10? No, it doesn’t, and here’s why:
- Gameplay – This is essentially the EXACT same game play we’ve experienced over and over again with the GTA series. There’s nothing new here, the same “steal a vehicle” or “bust a cap in some gangsta’s asses”. I really haven’t experienced ONE mission where I could say I’ve never played that before in a GTA game.
- Controls – We are STILL dealing with the same screwed up controls GTA has always had, with some additional problems. One specific issue, which I swear I want to kill whatever developer decided this was a good idea in the first place, is putting the “crouch” on the left stick press-in button. I don’t know about you, but when I push forward on the left stick, I WANT TO MOVE FORWARD, not go into a crouch. Usually, I want to move forward QUICKLY, but many times I accidentally press in when I’m rushed to react to something and end up doing exactly the opposite. I’m crouched, and then, screwed. WTF? I also for the life of me can’t understand why they have such a fast cycle on the controls menu setup. I somehow got myself into first person mode on my vehicle and I couldn’t find the control that took me out of it. I was stuck trying to read the exhausting number of controls for this game to try to locate the one that gets me out of first person mode. Even the “hailing cabs” feature is busted. Half the time I’m trying to hail a cab, I end up jacking it instead. Why do this??? Don’t get me started about the “action” button being both x AND the left button control. I could go on and on. I’m sure there were many logical reasons why they did what they did, but maybe it would have been nice spending all that time they saved making innovative gameplay to maybe implement a custom controller implementation, or perhaps rework the controls so they’re not so screwed up
- Tank-like movements – I swear to God, this drives me insane. I feel like I’m moving a tank around the world, having to control both movement AND camera, AND attacks. I have two hands….not three. Can Rockstar figure out after all these years to implement a better control scheme??
- Pop-Up, refresh issues, and various bugs that pull you out of “the game experience” – They’re everywhere…the game is littered with lots and lots of obvious problems. Every game has these issues, but for some reason GTA always gets a free pass?
- Environmental obstacles – There are SO many obstacles that get in the way of moving around. You’re essentially punished for doing the one thing you’d really like to do in a automobile-theft simulator….and that’s drive fast. I understand in the “real world” you’d experience many of these types of obstacles, but I don’t remember controlling a vehicle with a game controller in the real world either.
Those are my major issues with this game. They’re the same issues that arose during GTAIII, but because that game was so innovative at its time (the first real sandbox game), Rockstar got a pass. Now, the mindless, slave-like devotion of game journalists to major game brands such as GTA, Final Fantasy and the like, really annoy the hell out of me. There are plenty of games that go out on the market with innovative controls and actual gameplay that’s been polished and play-tested to perfection that get NO press or the kinds of accolades these game “journalists” (aka, fanboys) give to these popular brands.
That all being said, I’m still enjoying the game. I’m just not as impressed in the same way that everyone else seems to be.
-
games, professional
Inspiration and Gaming
I’ve mentioned previously that I’m reading the book “Masters of Doom,” and, after that, I plan on reading another title Inside Steve’s Brain
. In these books, and in the series airing on Science Channel, “Rise of the Video Games,” they all discuss the crazy, heady days of the late 1970s to early ’80s, when folks like Steve Jobs and John Romero were “hackers,” aka, people who lived and worked on the periphery of computing. These were people who aimed to revolutionize the experience of computers and gaming from the very beginning. They remind me so much of myself growing up, and the experiences I had with gaming and computers that influence many aspects of my life even today, from the things I choose to do with my free time, to my pursuit of “the dream job.”
Masters of Doom has proved to be an incredibly inspirational book so far. John Carmack and John Romero’s portrayals were so reminiscent of my childhood. I, like them, had a tendency to immerse myself in geek culture. From the comics and video games I played, to the Commodore 64 I would use to create my own little hacks.
Unfortunately, due to the combination of my inability to afford an Apple or IBM-PC, and just being about five years to young to really ride the crest of these emerging industries, I was pretty far behind the curve. And, honestly, I never even considered games as an employment opportunity in Junior High or High School. They seemed to be things that people “magically” created in their homes and delivered on big black floppies. Or games that were so hacked that you could only play for a certain amount of time before the game would crash. I remember playing titles like Ultima and Bard’s Tale for hours on end, then heading off to the arcade on base and spending waaay too much money on games like Super Mario, Dragon’s Lair, and Gauntlet.
For someone like myself, those games spoke to me. I was never the best player, or the smartest guy in the room, but I did have a passion for the subject matter. It wasn’t till college, when my roommates and I were discovering titles like DOOM and Quake, that I realized this could possibly be an industry I might be able to build a career in. Well, that one, and potentially this new industry, called the world wide web. But at the time, sites mainly consisted of an image on a screen with a bit of text. i couldn’t imagine anyone ever having the patience to sit and wait for a screen to load through a 900 baud modem.
Anyway, I think one of the reasons why I like these books and this series so much, is it reminds me of some of my happiest times…spending all night at my best friend Shawn’s house, playing video games and reading comics, and being able to have a shared experience with the various geek friends I had growing up.
I guess I just have a lot of gratitude for many guys whose egos were huge, but their ability matched those egos. Say what you will about a guy like Romero…not many of us have ever attained the level of success he had at his height. And I think that’s one of the main reasons why people trash his name so much these days, after the Ion Storm…and that is jealousy.
For me, I would gladly change places with Romero…for all his larger-than-life chest thumping, he at least had a moment of greatness in his life, a time when the work he did was enjoyed by many. And I think that’s what I want my career to boil down to…finding a way to reach people and inspire. Unfortunately, the opportunities feel as if they’re slipping by as I grow older more quickly with every passing year…so we’ll see.
-
games, literature
Masters of Doom/Rules of Play
I just downloaded Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
on my Kindle…I know buddies of mine at JAMDAT Mobile were reading it back in the day and I never got a chance to check it out. It’s a biography on the two Johns…Romero and Carmack.
Honestly, based on the info I’ve heard from people who know him, I really think Romero got a raw deal. I just started reading the book, but so far, i feel kinda sorry for the guy. He seems like a really decent guy, to tell the truth, and I think he has MORE than paid his dues. Anyway, i’ll let ya know what I think.
I’ve got another “real” book waiting on my shelf, called Rules of Play, that I want to check out, also based on my buddy Scott’s recommendation. But that’ll have to wait.
-
games, professional
Rise of the video games
The Science Channel has been airing this series over the next week. It’s about 6 episodes long and goes from the beginning, post-WWII and the movement of engineers vying to make interactive experiences along with the rise of powerful computing machines. It’s fairly thorough, and mentions some fairly obscure but technically relevant details such as the Uncanny Valley hypothesis and attempt to explain it to the common person. It also features many, many games industry legends and pioneers, such as Tripp Hawkins, founder of EA, and Ken and Roberta Williams, founders for Sierra and creators for games such as King’s Quest.
I’m absolutely enjoying this series and if you’re any fan of games at all, even at the most casual level, I urge you to check it out. It not only discusses games themselves but how they’ve been injected into our social consciousness and how our society has changed by the ways people have evolved in understanding and embracing the concepts of “play” and “fun.”
I myself am what you would call a hardcore, though lapsed, gamer. I’ve played many, many game titles, too numerous to count or even remember, and in every experience I always try to figure out in my mind what makes me keep coming back. The gamer experience has changed over the years, Miyamoto’s mario has gone from a tiny 8 bit sprite to a fully fleshed out 3D character in hugely interactive worlds.
My dream since college had always been to work in the industry, to be able to share my ideas and thoughts and to entertain people with my imagination. Somewhere along the way, those dreams were trampled a bit, and although I have a job I’m relatively stable at, I still can’t help but feel repeatedly like I’m not doing what I’d set out to achieve when I made the decision NOT to pursue a career in the industry I chose with my college degree.
My all-to-brief experience at EA Chicago really disappointed me and discouraged me from those dreams. I can’t help but wonder if there’s any room for someone with my ideas in that industry, or if it’s true and that the things I share, the things I imagine, can never come to be. I’d always been a fairly creative person, but for stability reasons have recently chosen to move into more stable career choices, but I just can’t help but wonder…is this it for me and my dream? Has the game industry gone from its golden era of imaginative technologists that had the sky as their limit when creating new experiences, to the same standard gameplay mechanics with yet another new coat of fresh paint on them?
I think that’s why I’ve recently found myself turning toward more “casual” gameplay fair….games that leave you with no real investment beyond the 10-20 mins at a time you’re able to spend away from real life, but still give you a sense of accomplishment. Games like Guitar Hero, Geometry Wars, Lumines…I enjoyed them all very much, and though they’re not the kinds of titles I and my college roommates engrossed ourselves with (like Doom and Hexen, Myst and others), they’re all just as satisfying.
So it’s going to be an interesting thing to see the games industry grow over the next 5-10 years. It’s changed…no longer do we have 5 guys in an office pounding out game designs…we have teams that can be as many as 100+, working long hours with no real job stability, trying to make a game that somehow rises above all the other noise in the market to become a multimillion dollar success that publishers need these days to survive. Somehow, I think the games industry, in trying to bottle “fun,” they forgot along the way that, in order to have a fun game, people need to HAVE FUN making it.
-
funny, games, music
Rock Band Stage Kit
I went shopping for some games yesterday at a nearby Gamestop, when I noticed the following being advertised:
I think Pü might have to make a comeback reunion show! But then I fear of brains simultaneously exploding at the sheer kickass-ness we will dish out at our shows. I don’t think you can handle the Pü…
In other news, I also picked up the new Gran Turismo for PS3, Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core (PSP), Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP) and Patapon (PSP). I haven’t had a chance to play anything yet as my PSP battery is dead and I can’t find the adapter. Durnit. I’ll let y’all know what I think when I find it.
-
games, tech
Yeah, yeah
We’ve all heard it before. More ammo for all you guys who like to make fun of WOW fans
-
games
World of Warcraft – First Wives Club Guild seeking new applicants
Hey folks,
Just an FYI. The First Wives Club, a guild consisting of primarily gay players, is moving into its next evolutionary phase. Chek out our new website.
We’re looking for new applicants interested in playing that have an interest in endgame Raid and PVP play. So if you have a level 70 lying around somewhere you want to transfer over to Uldum and join a group of gay players looking for more l33t l00t, then get off yer duff and join in!
adam schwenk
my personal site for all things geek, and, therefore, cool.
Most Recently Played
Flickr
Twitter: shpanky73
- I just downloaded the coolest email client ever! Get it while it's hot http://bit.ly/dwGjHv #inbox2
connect with me!