• 26Mar 09

  Thoughts on GDC 2009 thus far....

  Most of the time, I don't give GDC much attention. There is usually not that much exciting news and thus nothing to really get excited about as far as changes in the videogame industry go. But this year was different, there were some pretty big announcements and changes that could change videogames as we know it. Here are some of my thoughts on it.

  On-Live: When I read the tagline on Ign that this "cloud server" technology could change videogames forever, I assumed it would be another company's failed attempt on getting a piece of the videogame pie, like the "Phantom" did years ago. But this one is compelling....a service where you can download games whenever and wherever through a browser plug in or microprocessor really reduces the price someone would pay for a high-end PC or videogame console. Every console is online in some shape or form now anyway, so why pay the extra money for a console when you can download any of the latest games by paying a monthly subscription? If this takes off and does really well, hardware developers for videogame consoles and high end PC's could be in trouble.

  I am still skeptical though. While it may be easy and possibly affordable, It still concerns me when all my saved games, acheivements (if they have it) and contact list are all stored on one server. If the server crashes, there goes all my data. Same thing goes for someone who figures out how to hack into the service.How many people's credit card numbers and info would be open if someone hacks the service. People have been able to hack into Xbox Live, what will stop them from hacking into this service?

  Wii Storage Solution- Finally! I updated my console to the update last night. It is so awesome to finally have a way to store data besides my rapidly shrinking internal memory.I have not tried an SD card yet, but I plan on utilizing this feature soon. My big question for Nintendo is: Why did it take so long for this update to come out?

  New Zelda on DS- Nintendo has always been known for doing things that throw their fans for a loop. If you need an example,remember back when Nintendo showed the world Wind Waker. It seems that Nintendo wants to keep it up by having Link ride a train around in this new game. The boat in Phantom Hourglass was awesome, It will be interesting to see how this transportation will change the game. I was surpised that the DS got the new Zelda before the Wii, but I was not surprised they kept with the cell shaded look. Ienjoyed Phantom Hourglass and thought it's look really fit what the DS can handle graphically. I just hope that this game can be as innovative and fun as it was.

  Oh, and the Crytek graphics engine looks incredible. Nuff said

  That handles all the major stuff I saw. Anything major I missed? What do you think about this stuff?

  • Posted Mar 26, 2009 6:12 am GMT
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• 5Jan 09

  Favorite forgotten gems: Wii Edition

  I have been thinking about writing this for some time, I just wanted to have some new games to put on the list for this generation. While there are titles out there that are automatically known because of their awesome predecessors (Halo, Gears, GTA, Zelda...you get the idea), there are so many games that slip through the cracks. I really started to notice these games in the last generation and now they are the ones I tend to track more than the popular ones. Here are some of the few, forgotten, and truly awesome gems I have enjoyed over the last two generations of consoles, I will begin with the most recent in this first blog....

  Wii

  Okami- Ok, so this is technically a port from the PS2, but I hadn't played until now, so it makes my list. This is definitely in my top five list for my favorite games on the Wii. When it came out for the PS2, I saw an adventure title that looked like Sony's equivalent of the Zelda franchise. I thought it was the beginning of another great rivalry between Sony and Nintendo. But what disheartened me(besides not having a PS2), was that it never caught on. Thanks to GTA and God of War, Okami was out of place at its release. When word came out that it was coming to the Wii, I was pumped. This was the chance the game needed to shine. The brush technique was made for it and the game would satiate the Nintendo gamers who wanted more action/adventure games like Zelda on the Wii. I got it and it delivered on most every level(nunchuck controls were off, but most moves were not used anyway). The artistic design of the game is breathtaking and the controls were solid. It was an amazing title that I invested several hours into. But here is the thing: it did not do well on the Wii either! Last I heard, the sales were slim for this one too. So, if you have a Wii and like Zelda...pick this one up. It is worth the time and the money.

  World of Goo: I heard some good things about this one, so I used some of my Christmas money to download it. It was worth every Wii point. This game touches one of the genres I have not played in some time: A puzzler. Not since Lemmings from years past have I played a game this addicting. The game idea is basic: Guide drops of goo from one side of the stage to a drain pipe on the other side. Simple? Not really when you realize physics is involved in the process. They start you out simple, but soon it gets pretty crazy. I am still going through it now. It is a blast. But what shocked me is the "Best game no one played" award it received from this site. Is it really that ignored?!?!? This is one of the most innovative uses of the Wii controls in some time and yet is not being played? People, if you want something that is unique on the Wii, this is the one to play.

  • Posted Jan 5, 2009 7:01 pm GMT
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• 3Oct 08

  Glad to see Nintendo cares about its hardcore crowd...

  Nintendo's E3 2008 conference was one of the most dissapointing conferences in the last couple of years. While wii motion plus gave hope for the future in Wii games, Wii music being the premier game of the conference left me and a lot of other gamers feeling lost and forgotten....

  Enter the Nintendo press conference in San Francisco. When I heard rumors of this conference, I hoped that Nintendo was taking the opportunity to show its fanbase that the Wii was not made for just grandmas and little kids.

  Did Nintendo redeem themselves? Yes, somewhat. I was glad to see Nintendo reps stop talking about how great the Wii and DS are and just show the games. It was also a relief to see Nintendo actually give The Conduit the recognition it deserves. It is truly one of the best efforts at a smooth FPS I have ever seen on the Wii. Not to mention that the guys at High Voltage are determined to set the bar on third party involvement as well as graphical prowess on Nintendo's shiny white system. Hopefully Nintendo will see through High Voltage that they actually need to give 3rd party devs what they need to make great games. Punch out was a good move, it will defintely appeal to the fans who played the game in the past. I also was glad to see a storage solution of some kind be announced, but it will be interesting to see if the SD cards actually become easier to use to save game data. As for the DSi...meh. It is another handheld trying to match every other handheld device. It will sell like crazy in Japan, but how well will it sell here admist all the stuff that is already out there?

  Some of the things that bothered me though is that there were still no announcements or footage for Pikimin. I am also wondering what happened to Kid Icarus...I am beginning to doubt if it will ever come to the surface. Animal Crossing has a big following, but it would have helped them so much more if some sort of big first party IP had been announced. Not to mention that Wii music still seems gimicky, even though I know that it is going to sell like hotcakes for the casual crowd.

  The conference was a much needed improvement and gives me hope that Nintendo does still know what they are doing, hopefully things will get better from here.

  • Posted Oct 3, 2008 6:34 pm GMT
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