In Gaming Economics, PSP, Sony on
31 January 2007 with 1 comment
There’s a post on Evil Avatar that got me thinking about Sony’s recent entry into the portable game market, the PSP. Apparently, shipments for the PSP have dropped around 70% since this time last year. Could this spell doom for Sony’s freshman effort? Probably not. However, it does erase all doubt as to what is flying off the shelves, and it’s not the shiny, black system with the “awesome screen, dude”.
It raises an interesting question, which was asked at Evil Avatar: What can Sony do to increase sales?
Well, in a sense of civic duty and due to what little bit of brand loyalty I may have left, I offer to Sony my services as to what can be done.
I present you part one in a two part public proposal for Sony Computer Entertainment.
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In Company of Heroes, PC Gaming, playback on
28 January 2007 with no comments
Ordered chaos.
I don’t know of any other way to describe it. I picked this game up last year based on a recommendation of a friend, and I was immediately hooked. The attention to detail in this romp is amazing. Almost every single item on the battlefiled can be used, blown up, garrisoned, or shoved out of the way. Every time I play the game I realize something new or use a different tactic and get unexpected results. Company of Heroes, I believe, is the fist sandbox RTS game.
Squads upon squads as well as armor add to the complexity of this game. There are many objectives to cover and you catch yourself trying to win on numerous fronts. For example, in the third or fourth mission, you have to defend four entry-point roads as well as heavily defend three bridges from German Panzer tanks. As you can see, the game can get hectic rather quickly. However, can I let you in on a little secret?
You cannot win it all. That’s it. It’s just like war. Very rarely will you cover all your objectives and do it well. You’ve got to pick and choose. What makes it all that much more important it that your squads travel with you from mission to mission and gain experience. Many times, I’ve made a foolish mistake and lost a veteran squad. I have not had this much connection to virtual characters since Microprose was able to hook me with X-Com (I have three characters over ten years old.)
Company of Heroes: real time strategy game of the year for 2006.
In Microsoft, Xbox 360 on
28 January 2007 with no comments
After three long weeks, I finally received my 360 back from Microsoft. Everything seems to be ok. However, I’ve read all over the ‘net that people are getting different results with their “replacements”. Here were mine:
- I received my original system
- The unit runs much quieter and much cooler. It actually has cool air blowing out of it. (No more heating the living room. Darn.)
- The drive rattles when I eject a game disk. It’s almost like the game is overspinning. Another drive caveat I noticed it that the tray won’t open when I use the button while the unit is standing. Well, about 2/3 of the time. It always opens when I open the tray from the dashboard.
- I lost my movie rental but a phone call later I was credited back the points.
In general, I thought this whole process took too long, but it was probably just the weekends getting in the way when it came to shipping.
UPDATE: The drive has seems to have stopped rattling. Who knows?
In Hulk, Xbox, playback on
16 January 2007 with Comments Off
No Xbox 360 (Yeah, it’s still out of commission. Who knows when I’ll get that back?), a work project that is a month and a half overdue, a sick wheezing kid, and crappy winter weather and one feels pretty much like this guy.
Yes, I want to go on a rampage, and that’s exactly what I did. I got out the good ol’ Xbox 180 and gave Ultimate Destruction a thirty minute romp. I forgot how much fun it was in this game to do absolutely nothing. Smacking cops, old ladies, and just about anything else in this game has it’s privileges.
I feel like it’s early 2006 all over again as I pick up buses, make gloves out of cars, and just go crazy insane. Open-ended games with no structure is what I need right now. Ultimate Destruction is full of numerous mini games that can keep me entertained five minutes at a time.
Still, it’s probably a good idea I don’t play it with the kids still up. I don’t need my oldest going around trying to climb the walls and yelling, “Hulk smash!”
In Microsoft, Xbox 360 on
6 January 2007 with 1 comment
I didn’t believe it. I didn’t think it was possible.
I’m now a member of the “Three Red Light Club”.
I came home tonight and the wife says the Xbox is flashing with three red lights. Ruh-roh. I go online and perform the steps from the Xbox knowledgebase and still no luck. I call Microsoft and go through the same crap again with an automated attendant.
I then get an agent who is going through ESL (but reading his phonetically based script well…kinda). Looks like I get a repair box via UPS on Monday and everything is covered by Microsoft.
I’m glad Microsoft extended their warranty for the system. Now I know why. I get the feeling this is a preventative measure for a class action lawsuit. My system was made in April of ‘06. I thought it might have been in a good batch. I guess not.
I rented V for Vendetta last night and haven’t played it yet. I’d better get it back in 14 days from yesterday.
In PC Gaming, craziness on
3 January 2007 with 1 comment
I’ve been nailed, so now I’ve got to deliver. (That entire sentence does not sound right). Here are five things about me you probably don’t know:
- I read all the time. Histories, biographies, sci-fi, internet, tech, Neil Gaiman, magazines, comics. If it has words, I’m probably reading it. Teddy Roosevelt read 3-4 books a day while in office and still ran a country effectively. I wish I could do just one a day.
- I was one word away from going to the national spelling bee. I now know how to spell g-i-m-m-i-c-k. Gimmick.
- Of all the PC games I’ve ever played I’ve only completely beaten eleven. One is listed below, Half-Life, Half-Life 2 (plus Episode 1), Dune, Blade Runner, Command and Conquer, Red Alert, Dig, Full Throttle, Sam & Max, and Duke Nukem 3D. (Guild Wars has an end game but I don’t think it should count.) There are just too many games that always distract me.
- I’ve broken four joysticks playing Tie Fighter. Once was during an eight hour gaming session. I’m glad I worked at a 24-hour Wal-Mart at the time.
- I once had nine games still sealed that I almost never played. There was a period of time while in high school where I would buy a computer game with every paycheck while I worked at Wal-Mart. I started to get a backlog. I have one Xbox game still sealed to this day: Prince of Persia: Two Thrones.
Bonus: I’ve seen the same movie at the theater three times in one day: Star Trek First Contact. Now I’ve got to pass this sucker on so I pick Andrew and Seth.
In Gaming Economics, Microsoft, Nintendo DS, Sony, Wii, Xbox Live, casual gaming, current trends on
23 December 2006 with 1 comment
I figured I’d be like everyone else and post what I want for Christmas. (Yes, it is Christmas…the birth of Christ). Aside from the obvious that everyone else wants (a Wii) I hope to be a little different. Here’s what I want in the way of games:
- Viva Pinata - I currently have this game through Gamefly. To my wife, that means I already have it. We’ve been playing the tar out of it. At any rate, I’d like to own it.
- Final Fantasy III - I don’t have time to play RPGs but that doesn’t mean I’d like to give it a whirl.
- TIME - I would like more time to play games. However, with a family and a full-time job, that’s not going to happen. At any rate, the game of life has been pretty good.
And in keeping with the spirit of the season, this is what I really want:
- I want Sony to get their act together. I want them to respect their customers. I want them to listen to their customers. I want them to get back to their former glory. They’re not that far removed, but each new day of PS3 madness is hurting them more and more.
- I want microtransactions to fail. I love Lumines. I love Xbox Live Arcade. I am not going to piecemeal a game. I’m not going to be nagged with a “buy more levels” screen. I simply won’t buy it.
- I want cheaper, simpler games. Defcon is my sleeper hit of the year for me. I had a lot of fun playing it and it doesn’t break the bank. Developers should look to people like the creator of Warning Forever and Ray-Hound. (FREE is as cheap as you can get.) In all, I bought seven games that were $10 or less this year. They were the ones I played the most. These were games that a family man with a full-time job can pick up and play and not have to invest hours of game time for enjoyment.
- I want games on demand. The days of buying media for me are almost over. Look to my previous point. I bought eight computer games this year. Only one was on a media of some type.
- I want DRM to die a painful, horrible death. I think that Microsoft’s Zune is a great hardware product. I think the software and DRM killed it. 3 days or 3 plays? Forget it. This is one of those cases where combating piracy has actually killed a product more than the pirates did. Oh, and just in case you’re wondering the DRM on the iPod can die too. It’s just as bad.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
In Nintendo DS, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 on
22 November 2006 with 2 comments
I think I’ll pass on all the new console craze. The PS3 is just a consentual rape if you buy it and there really is nothing on the Wii that impresses me right now. I also have some other reasons:
- Elite Beat Agents (DS)
- Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS)
- Contact (DS)
- Lumines (PSP)
- Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (PSP)
- LocoRoco (PSP)
- Gears of War (360)
- Car repair (my wallet)
In casual gaming, current trends, old school on
9 July 2006 with 2 comments
I was able to participate in a roundtable at Evil Avatar Radio about online gaming communities and Garnett Lee, managing editor at 1up.com said something that really got me thinking:
I just can’t play games that frustrate me anymore.
In this day of fast paced lifestyles and fast pace gaming do gamers really have the time to sit down and hammer out through a gaming problem?
Typically, most gamers will try and deal with a problem for a limited amount of time. After that, the game is eventually dropped in favor of the next peice of virtual candy that comes along. As this industry becomes more mainstream one has to wonder if there will be a great divide among gamers: the hardcore crowd and the mainstream crowd.
In the past month a particular game has fit this criteria of frustration. So much so, that I’ve given up on it. However, it has a top notch presentation and is made by one of the most popular developers in the industry: Rockstar Table Tennis. This a game of ping pong. Two people with little woden paddles hit a small plastic ball on a table. Sound simple? It is.
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In Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, old school on
28 June 2006 with no comments
We’ve reached that age where there is really nothing new under the sun in terms of games. Not necessarily in how we play the games but moreso in their content. What do these games offer? How easy are they to pick up and play?
Over the last twenty years games have gotten more and more complex–to the point where we do see the publishers reusing their content. This familiarity makes it easy for a gamer to play the game. Look at how Mario has progressed from two buttons to six.
We’re starting to see a huge trend where gamers want to play the games of their youth. This is probably due to the fact that as a youngster, gamers associated happier memories with those games. Behold the influence that nostalgia has over someone.
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