Gaming Signal: February 2006 Archives

Saturday February 25, 2006

In-game ads?

Midway Games announced that not only did it continue to lose money in its most recent quarter (to the tune of $38M) but that it has signed a deal with Double Fusion to offer in-game advertising for its games for next generation consoles, the Playstation 3 and XBOX 360. Stranglehold was the first game announced to include the technology. Double Fusion will sell space on game billboards, videos, and on models (such as a can of soda) similar to traditional television advertising sales. The agency hopes to reach the young male audience TV has recently lost.

I like in-game advertising when it increases the immersion - billboards and buildings in Need for Speed, for example. However I don't like the idea that there might be in-game commercials I'm forced to watch either as part of the game intro or part of videos. I'm not buying a game to be advertised to. I think Midway and Double Fusion need to be careful - the audience they seek is pretty savvy and will be quick to avoid titles that go over the line.

Friday February 24, 2006

CGW Magazine Drops the F-Bomb

I was reading through the new issue of CGW, minding my own business, when I saw a Penny Arcade comic that usess the 'F' word. It also happens to lampoon Christianity, but that's another story. It's not a huge deal to me, since our 10-year old doesn't read the magazine, but I can imagine some parent's flipping their proverbial wigs over this one.

It's A Road Rage Weekend!

Auto Assault is quickly nearing its launch. In anticipation of that, NC Soft is opening the beta this weekend to anyone who wants to participate in a litle road rage. You can get your beta key from Fileplanet. You will have to register if you don't have an account, but it's free!

I'm really going to try and play this one. It looks like Car Wars mixed with an RPG, with rocket launchers. Sweet.

Update: From the Biomek MasterMind class description "Perhaps most dangerous of all, MasterMinds have the ability to create (from scrap) a robot army of various size and composure". A robot army? I'm in.

Thursday February 23, 2006

Piano Covers Of Video Game Music

The Video Game Pianist (for John) plays cover versions of video game music on, oddly enough, a piano. Quite entertaining, as is the Improvisation on the Intel Theme.

For more cool video game cover music, see this weeks Coverville podcast (show 181). Link via Joystiq, I think.

Ticket To Ride On The PC

You loved Ticket To Ride the boardgame, now you can play Ticket to Ride on the PC! Yes, that's right. On the PC. Against other people over the internets. Sadly, LAN play is not included, so we can't kick Kevin's butt at work. However, after hours is ok!

Unless you only have a Mac, then you are SOL....

Everything I need to know I learned in WOW???

This is probably not a true statement, and is echoed by this Gamasutra post. The author makes a number of very good points about excellence has very little to do with actual skill and more about mass numbers and grind times. One thing to note is that Guild Wars does not suffer from these, but it is also not played on the same level as WOW. I know I have uttered simlilar frustrations about these games in that they reward the players who are on constantly and not rewarding the longer term customers who play every day and ultimately invest more into the company and the game.

Wednesday February 22, 2006

UPDATED: Review of World of Warcraft

This is a repost, edit/update of my original review for World of Warcraft posted on SFSignal before GamingSignal came into being. This review has been remastered from the original and have been edited for content.

REVIEW SUMMARY: The "short version" is that "I still like it," for now. Feel free to read my updated extended comments.

Introduction:
Not sure if you know, or care, but my journey to WoW had been one fraught with many indecisions; I must've bought and returned the game at least five times since its release. As you, my friends, all know, I'm often fickle and emotional, so I guess that's why it had taken me so long to get here.

About a month ago, I played WoW on a friend's guest pass for 10 days. I quickly worked my human warlock character to level 10. But stopped after about the 5th day because I couldn't login anymore.

Note on the Guest Passes:While they're good for trying out WoW, expect to only play it during off-peak hours because you WILL sit in the login queue for a good amount of time while their regular paying customers cut in front of you in line.

WoW has many of the features that are ubiquitous in MMO games. In my review, I'll only discuss those that stood out for me.

Disclamer: Like I had mentioned, I play a Human (because that's the best looking toon) Warlock (because they get a free mount). I make no assumptions about its overpowered-ness or playability. But do bear in mind that my opinions may be biased because of playing that race and class combination. Basically, your mileage may vary.

Update: I just made level 47 on that Warlock last night. I've been making a strong push to 60 to join my guild brethren on the "end-game" raids.

*Deep breath*On to the review...

Gameplay:

Compare to other MMOs (EQ, EQ2, CoH, DAoC, etc.), WoW is very newbie friendly. Face it, we're all newbies in the beginning. A friendly interface will hold our hands during those tender early levels long enough to get us hooked.

The Grind:
First question everyone asks about an MMO is "What's the grind like?" At least, that's the question I always ask. and that's why WoW sat on my shelf for so long. I'm wonderfully surprised that the grind can be characterized as "enjoyable" to "endurable," mostly due to their quest system.

Update: Since the original post, I've played more of my Hunter and created a Druid. Still the Warlock is the most fun. The druid doesn't seem to get nearly enjoyable until level 20 -- which is a long time if you're playing alts. The Hunter is enjoyable as soon as you can tame your first pet.

Questing:
In their friendly interface, quest-giving NPCs are highlighted with a big yellow
exclamation point (!). Quest-completing NPCs are highlighted with a big question mark (?); they also show up, as a yellow dot, on my mini-map as you approach them. I've completed several quests while doing other things at the time because the dot popped up on my screen.

You know those other games where the word "quest" is in their name and they want to give you the impression that they offer a lot of them by using the word "ever" also? Well, WoW doesn't need a gimmick like that; but come to think of it, maybe "WoW" is short for "Wow, there are a lot of quests here!" I have to admit, probably 45-50% of my XP is gained from completing quests. Another ~45% are from working toward the quests themselves. That leaves about 5-10% actualy "grinding" and most of this time was spent just getting enough XP to finish out a level.

Update: I still spend a large part of my gameplay questing. The quests are getting harder and harder to complete as the level of the mobs go up. Some I can't even do solo because they have "elite" mobs -- for those, either I get a group or wait until I'm 4 - 5 level above the elite mob level to complete it solo. I just did one the other day where part of the quest was to use a "zapper" that takes away the mob's elite status -- gosh, I wish I have a zapper of every elite mob in the game!!

Quest Sharing: This is a very nice feature. Someone in your group can share a quest with you that you don't have so you can complete the same quest alongside with them. Wow, what a concept! Of course, some quests cannot be shared because they are the middle steps in a long series of quests.
Another nice feature is that quest mobs seems to have very short timers. There had been occassions where I was able to kill a quest mob before I got the quest and then a short time later, kill it for my quest. Very friendly indeed.
Update: Higher level mobs have longer timers, which is to be expected. But not once-a-day like that other game.

As an aside, one item that's worth mentioning is that many of the quests are little mini-arcs in the story. It is a lot of fun following the quest steps as the mini-story unfolds.

Grouping/Soloing
This is one of those areas where I think my class selection really helped me out. Warlocks are very solo-able with their pets. With that said, I've also grouped several times to complete quests.

To say that WoW is "group-friendly" is an understatement. Basically, there is no level limitation between the group members. I was in my low 20s when I grouped with a level 60 (max level) guildmate for a quest because noone else was around to help me and I was able to get XP (not very much, but still) and quest loot. Sure, people say that this will give way to twinking, but you can choose not to group like that.

Programmability:
Surely, this is not something that is to be expected in an MMO game but yes, WoW adopted an existing scripting language (LUA) into its interface to make modding possible. I'm using several mods that range from helping me to get a good auction price to finding new abilities for my hunter pet (an alt of mine). There are tons of mods out there. It's great that Blizzard lets players have that capability.

Tech Spec:
Probably due to its cartoony graphics, the hardware requirement is not as high as in other MMO games, which is fortunate for me. As it turns out, my personal laptop (with 1GB RAM), was able to play it very nicely (even with the integrated Intel video adapter although it's been crashing it intermittenly lately since the last patch).

Overall:
For now, I'm really enjoying the game. Long time readers know that I'm fickle and proned to quick judgement. I've, often, given glowing reviews about something only to come back dissatisfied later on. So be sure to check back whether I'll be unhappy with WoW later... ROFL.

Update: Well, it's later, and I still like the game. But eagle-eyed readers might noticed that I've dropped the overall rating by a whole star since the original post. This is because of a most annoying and seemingly under-addressed (is that word?) problem with WoW -- LAG!! Blizzard swears up and down in their forum posts that they're working the issue, but the lag just seems to get worse.

Tuesday February 21, 2006

Be the Zombie

OK, I know this Xbox game has been out since October 2005, but you gotta check out the trailer for Stubbs the Zombie which has some cool (but very graphic) visuals. Unfortunately, the site requires cookies. (A stupid practice.)

They even sell the soundtrack, which appropriately features The Flaming Lips singing "If I Only Had a Brain".

Sunday February 19, 2006

PS3, Lynched (Merrill That Is)

Yet another in a long list of posts and whatnot covering the upcoming Sony PS3. This on is from Merrill Lynch and they conclude that a slippage (warning, PDF ahoy) is likely to occur. In addition, the PS3 will cost Sony about $800 a console at launch, dropping to about $320 in three years.

I'm sure the fine folks at MS love to see this analysis, but just how accurate is it? Did Sony screw the pooch so much that they willl give MS over a year's head start in the console wars? Will they really lose money on the console to start with? I've heard Gaming Steve say that Sony has never lost money selling their console, but will that have to change for the PS3?

Now, I'm looking to buy a PS3 right at launch, but is is interesting to see Sony possibly attempting to pull a Nintendo and lose its leadership position. Of course, it may be too early to tell, but it's always fun to try and tweak Tim, only this time, I don't think you can call Merrill Lynch a 360 fanboy...

Tuesday February 14, 2006

Review: Crimsonland

My Rating:

Pros: Interesting gameplay that compels you to play one more level. In the best spirit of Berzerker and Robotron where its all about the killing!
Cons: There isn't much depth, but that isn't always required.
Bottom Line : Fun, inexpensive, compelling game.

Crimsonland is a fun, independently developed game that is getting good reviews all over so I gave it a try. And in the hour I played it, I thought it was fun and enjoyable. It's pretty mindless, but so are most arcade games and yet they still had me shoveling in quarters. I'd definately give this one a try if you're at all interested in a fun diversion.

You can download the Crimsonland trial (1 hour of gameplay) free from the web site.

Monday February 13, 2006

Halo 2 PC: Windows Vista Only

So Microsoft announced that Halo 2 for the PC will be an exclusive to Windows Vista. What I want to know is what do the rest of you folks think about this? I've bought a console system just to play a specific game and I've upgraded my PC hardware just to play a specific game. However, I don't think I've ever upgraded my OS just for a game.

Friday February 10, 2006

A Little World or Warcraft Musical Number

A little piece called "The Internet is for Porn". It's funny, and not TOO work unsafe.

Thursday February 09, 2006

First Impression: The Movies

From guest reviewer Doug (and long over due!):

My Rating:

Pros: Eye popping attential to detail; relatively simple controls allow user to pick up and go reasonably quickly; addictive subtasks or markers to unlock more and cooler toys, er, sets and buildings

Cons: No real intuitive feel for what new props/backdrops or ornaments actually �do� for your lot or movie; finding appropriate scenes from drop down menus is very time consuming and a little unsatisfying;inability to fling annoying, crying, temper tantrum throwing actors across the studio lot ala Black and White (ok, so that might be more of a pet peeve of mine alone, still�.)

Bottom Line : An incredibly fun game that at four in the morning will make you realize that you have neither eaten dinner, gone to the bathroom or seen your wife or kids since lunchtime while you try and perfect your �masterpiece� and in the process unlock that one last set you�ve been dying to try out�.And that�s just in the simulation piece!

My son and I had awaited THE MOVIES from Lionhead Studios for some time and I have to say that we weren�t disappointed in our purchase. The in game tutorials are pretty good at explaining what the controls do, and how to move around, entertain your budding stars and in general what the basic premise of the game is. The game also offers constant reminders like �a director is urgently needed in casting� in case you forget to assign one of your employees as needed. The �basic� phase of the game lasts for several years in game terms, and that�s a good thing.

You�re constantly having to update your lot, spend a lot of time training and pampering your actors/directors (whiny lot that they are) and typically spend a lot of time in the micromangagement of your lot. But hey, that�s why you pick a sim like this right? That�s part of why I gave it a four instead of a five. A five should be �THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER YOU SHOULD PLAY NOW NOW NOW!� and while this game may be that for some folks (and hey, getting to unleash your own version of movies like � Dracula� or Brokeback Mountain (evil grin) is a big enticement) not everyone is going to be as enamored of the amount of detail that this game requires. You can choose everything from props, backdrops and costumes to the music that plays and realistically you�re going to have to make some choices while playing the game�not the least of which is, when do I finally drag myself off to bed! A truly fun game that for some folks really will be all that and a bag of chips.

Design a Science Fiction Game

A post about science fiction AND gaming? What a perfect candidate for a cross-post!

Editor Lou Anders and sf author Mike Resnick are throwing down a challenge to gamers and game designers related to Mike Resnick's Starship: Pirate, the upcoming sequel to Starship: Mutiny. In Starship: Pirate, there is mention of a game called "bilsang" and Anders and Resnick are looking for someone to design a real bilsang game based on these rules described in the book:

Bilsang is " harder than it looks."

It's "simplicity" is what makes it so hard.

Bilsang does not require a board, cards, or a computer.

Anyone can play it, but not anyone can win.

Games last "Anywhere from five minutes to three months."

Learning the game takes "five minutes for the rules, a lifetime for the subtleties."

All that is required is "a flat surface, and twenty pieces. Coins will do. Or medals. Or anything that you can fit twenty of on a tabletop."

The winning game design (and designer) will be mentioned in one of the appendices of Starship: Pirate, get a credit in the book as being a co-created of bilsang alongside Mike Resnick and get a couple of signed copies of the first edition.

Wednesday February 08, 2006

Games Quarterly Publisher Announces Top Games of 2005

For Immediate Release
February 7, 2005

Top 100 Games of 2005 Announced
Today the publisher of Games Quarterly and coordinator of National Games Week announced the top hundred games for National Games Week 2005. The list is derived from surveys of members of National Games Week, most of whom host events. They told us their favorite games and the games played at their events. The members hosted 4,437 events for 118,912 participants during National Games Week 2005� the fourth week of November each year.

1 Heroclix, Wizkids Inc.
2 Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards of the Coast
3 Magic: The Gathering CCG (collectable card game), Wizards of the Coast
4 Settlers of Catan, Mayfair Games
5 Mechwarrior, Wizkids Inc.
6 Carcassonne, Rio Grande Games
7 Pirates of the Spanish Main, Wizkids Inc.
8 Puerto Rico, Rio Grande Games
9 Ticket to Ride, Days of Wonder
10 Star Wars Miniatures, Wizards of the Coast
11 Axis & Allies, Wizards of the Coast / Avalon Hill
12 Warhammer 40,000, Games Workshop
13 Memoir �44, Days of Wonder
14 Mage Knight, Wizkids Inc.
15 Risk, Parker Brothers
16 Pok�mon TCG, Pok�mon USA
17 Munchkin, Steve Jackson Games
18 Monopoly, Parker Brothers
19 Yu Gi Oh, Upper Deck Entertainment
20 Vs. System, Upper Deck Entertainment
21 Shadows Over Camelot, Days of Wonder
22 Apples to Apples, Out of the Box
23 Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures, Wizards of the Coast
24 Power Grid, Rio Grande Games
25 Vampire: The Masquerade, White Wolf Publishing
26 RoboRally, Wizards of the Coast / Avalon Hill
27 Scrabble, Milton Bradley Games
28 Heroscape, Hasbro
29 Warmachine, Privateer Press
30 Fluxx, Looney Labs
31 Battletech, FanPro
32 Tigris & Euphrates, Mayfair Games
33 Killer Bunnies, Playroom Entertainment
34 Chess
35 Blokus, Educational Insights
36 Tsuro, Wizkids Inc.
37 Warhammer Fantasy, Games Workshop
38 El Grande, Rio Grande Games
39 Princes of Florence, Rio Grande Games
40 Lord of the Rings TCG, Decipher Inc.
41 Shadowrun, FanPro
42 Ticket to Ride Europe, Days of Wonder
43 Bohnanza, Rio Grande Games
44 Rocketman: Axis of Evil, Wizkids Inc.
45 Trivial Pursuit, Milton Bradley Games
46 Alhambra, Uberplay Entertainment
47 Civilization, Eagle Games
48 Lost Cities, Rio Grande Games
49 Samuari, Rio Grande Games
50 Cranium, Cranium
51 Zombies!!!, Twilight Creations
52 Call of Cthulhu, Chaosium
53 Star Wars CCG, Wizards of the Coast
54 Twilight Imperium, Fantasy Flight Games
55 Through Desert, Fantasy Flight Games
56 Acquire, Wizards of the Coast
57 Age of Steam, Caf� Games Limited
58 Legend of the Five Rings CCG, Alderac Entertainment Group
59 San Juan, Rio Grande Games
60 Attika, Rio Grande Games
61 Bang!, Mayfair Games
62 Betrayal at House on the Hill, Wizards of the Coast / Avalon Hill
63 Duel Masters, Wizards of the Coast
64 Rifts, Palladium Books
65 Citadels, Fantasy Flight Games
66 Anachronism, Tri King Games
67 Ra, Uberplay Entertainment
68 Tikal, Rio Grande Games
69 Werewolf, White Wolf Publishing
70 Cosmic Encounters, Wizards of the Coast / Avalon Hill
71 Ingenious, Fantasy Flight Games
72 Axis & Allies Miniatures, Wizards of the Coast
73 Clue, Milton Bradley Games
74 For Sale, Uberplay Entertainment
75 Formula De�, Euro Games
76 Guillotine, Wizards of the Coast
77 Runebound, Fantasy Flight Games
78 Star Wars RPG, Wizards of the Coast
79 Arkham Horror, Fantasy Flight Games
80 Blood Bowl, Games Workshop
81 Goa, Rio Grande Games
82 GURPS, Steve Jackson Games
83 Talisman, Games Workshop
84 Amun Re, Rio Grande Games
85 Diplomacy, Wizards of the Coast / Avalon Hill
86 Time�s Up, R&R Games
87 City of Heroes CCG, Alderac Entertainment Group
88 SET, SET Enterprises
89 Titan, Avalon Hill
90 UNO, Mattel
91 Wizard Card Game, U.S. Game systems
92 Diamant, Schmidt Spiele
93 History of the World, Milton Bradley Games
94 Lord of the Rings Miniatures, Games Workshop
95 Modern Art, Mayfair Games
96 Pirate�s Cove, Days of Wonder
97 Risk 2010, Wizards of the Coast / Avalon Hill
98 TransAmerica, Rio Grande Games
99 Vegas Showdown, Wizards of the Coast / Avalon Hill
100 Warlord CCG, Alderac Entertainment Group

Tuesday February 07, 2006

Gaming News Tidbits 02-07-2006

Terra Nova (a fine site that discusses all sorts of elements of MMOs) has a piece that discusses some data that was collected over 8 months of observing players in World of Warcraft. The results are extremely interesting in that WOW is played more by a collection of individuals versus groups. This is much different than what was seen in games like Everquest and Final Fantasy XI. Its a great read and I know that I find myself playing solo versus grouping just due to the lack of consistency of the individuals in the group, or due to the amount of time I have to play.

EA announced their earnings this last week, and the question Joystiq asks is this just the beginning of the pain that game manufacturers will be feeling in the coming year or so. I have been hearing about the downturn of gaming for sometime now, and I think the problem is a combination of repeated sequels (I mean how many versions of Madden does one family need???) and a simple cost factor. Personally, the problem is that many games are just too expensive - I just cannot spend 60 bucks on a single title when I can wait for 6 months or more (I have a large backlog) and get it for half that price.

Ronald Moore (Battlestar Galactica producer) will be doing a keynote at the Game Developer's Conference this year. He will be doing his presentation for the Vision track and maybe this will help some developers move away from repeated sequels (see how I tie back to the EA post above - thats a mark of quality literature

)

Carnival of Gamers for the month of February is being hosted over at Slashdot. It can best be described as a collection of video game blog articles. The articles are submitted by the authors, and I have taken it upon myself to submit a post for the March carnival - so keep your eyes open

Monday February 06, 2006

Gaming News Tidbits 2-06-2006

Here are a selection of new stories that I have found over the last couple days....

THQ announced thier earnings for this last quarter, and the exceeded expectations. This is all very good news, but the bad news is that two of the larger PC titles on thier roadmap (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Supreme Commander) have slipped out til 2007. It appears that THQ will focus more this year on the current and next generation consoles. This news is somewhat disconcerting in that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has been in development for some time now and was really expected this year. On the message boards for Supreme Commander, a link to Sins of a Solar Empire was given as a way to hold over those folks who really want to play a Sci Fi RTS game.

According Gaming Steve, Diablo III is in development, and has been for at least 4 years now. So prepare your clicking muscles and block out some time on your calendars

SourceForge has released a list of all the open source games that are currently available. So for those on a limited budget or refuse to pay "The Man", here are some alternatives for you.

Sunday February 05, 2006

The integrity of game journalists

Dan "Shoe" Hsu, the editor-in-chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly recently wrote an editorial commenting on the lack of integrity with a couple of unnamed game magazines and an unnamed game web site. He claims that publishers have told him that the cover and editorial coverage (previews, prominent placement, etc.) for these entities was for sale and that publishers could purchase this prominent placement through ad buys. He's certainly stirred up a hornets nest with this (just read some of the reader comments.)

I have some thoughts on this and on the overall state of the field of gaming journalism.

Being an avid reader and a person who enjoys magazines, especially game magazines, even when young it didn't take long to realize how some magazines loved every game - never giving any a bad score, and rarely finding anything wrong with the games they reviewed. I'm positive you've read such a magazine - they tend to be high on flash and low on substance and I feel they are pretty recognizable. Any magazine with more pictures than paragraphs of writing needs to be seriously questioned. I realized then that these magazines pandered to the publishers - taking ad revenue in exchange for coverage. And thus I knew that I would never read that magazine again.

Johnny Wilson, as editor-in-chief of Computer Gaming World, once wrote in an editorial that they refused to do this sort of thing and that there was a very definite 'Chinese wall' between the ad department and the editorial staff. Sure, there are times when the teams have to talk - making sure a game ad doesn't get printed in with the review, getting ads to match the themes of upcoming issues, and when working with a game company on a preview. But these instances had to be managed carefully - always keeping an eye on the integrity of the magazine.

Of course, there are more pressures on editors than just advertising revenue. Say you're out at a convention and a game publisher wants to take you out to dinner - you know he's going to try to push his products and if he picks up the tab, you're going to feel beholden to him, at least a little. Ethically the journalist shouldn't accept a free dinner or a free anything from a publisher. At the Xbox 360 launch Microsoft randomly gave away 1000 42" plasma TVs. What about those game journalists that won? Assuming they kept the TV, does this make them more appreciative of Microsoft? It has to! It won't automatically make them like the 360 or a Microsoft game, but the journalist is going to be pretty pleased while playing games on that TV and is at least going to give them some credit, even subconsciously.

Game companies also ply editors for coverage by hosting journalists for events - going so far as to pay for the flights and hotels. A former editor told me he sometimes bent the rules when not accepting a trip would put his magazine at a competitive disadvantage. If the game company was paying for lots of journalists to fly out, he sometimes saved his budget by allowing those trips even though it was against company policy. In a way this was good for the readers - it allowed the magazine to cover that game AND to potentially use the saved money to cover smaller titles (ones without huge PR budgets.) But the ethical question is still there - if Bioware just paid for your first class ticket, stay at a top hotel, and dinners at great restaurants, you're going to have a hard time not at least being kind to Jade Empire come review time.

For his writings, Dan has taken a lot of flak by people pointing out that by refusing to name the names, his integrity is questioned as well. Is he merely trying to deflect aspersions from his own publication? Does he even have evidence at all, or is this just made up to 'stir the pot'? Hasn't he just unfairly indicted everyone? And is this what passes for journalism - anonymous name calling? And in many ways he has invited more criticism by responding to blog posts and interviews stating who it isn't when presented with guesses.

Dan's overall response is - this was an editorial in EGM, not a hard-hitting news story in Newsweek. He points out that EGM isn't the place for such an article (and he's right) but that it needed to be said, to get the industry to seriously look at itself. You can read more about this by way of a round-table done by NintendoNow including Dan and some industry watchdog folks.

Personally, I disagree strongly with the way Dan has done this - he shouldn't have stated he had some proof but refused to present it. He definitely shouldn't now be in the 'it isn't this one or that one' mode. But I'm glad he has brought the issue to light. I prefer Johnny Wilson's approach better - just state that while others might, you won't ever promote a product to induce advertisement revenue. It doesn't point the finger at others, but it does let the reader know to beware; that all is not what it seems. As readers, we have to remember that game journalists aren't that much different from TV/movie reporters (i.e. Entertainment Tonight.) They get caught up in the hype just like we do.

Friday February 03, 2006

Sociology & Gaming

If you've played a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game before you've no doubt noticed lots of interesting things about how people behave and interact in these worlds. First, there are the men who play as women - friends of yours, say, who otherwise appear normal. Some of them have characters get married, to male characters also played by men. Second, there are the in-game social mechanics that play out quite differently than those in the real world - I have yet to have anybody say 'STFU N00B' in real life and mean it.

The site Play On by Xerox PARC studies these things and more by taking demographic data, surveys, and conducting interviews. It's a fascinating site with some interesting looks into the MMO phenomena.

Thursday February 02, 2006

Gaming Tidbits for 2/2/06

Bad Video game covers. (Popup killer recommended!) [via Digg]

Sci-Fi Brain offers the Top 10 SciFi Videogame Game Characters, Parts 1 and 2.

SF Revolution reviews Carcassonne: The Princess and the Dragon.

New Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess footage

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, a movie set in the universe of one of Square Enix's popular Final Fantasy video games, may be released on DVD before the end of the year.