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• Print Isn't Dead, It's Just Resting

  I've always been a regular reader of video game publications, especially in my younger days; when you're living in the late 1980s and stuck in school for 8 hours a day, there's no sweeter escape than cracking open a fresh issue of Nintendo Power and poring over the pages.  But the state of print is much different than it was during my analog-based childhood.  Magazines are folding, newspaper sales are plummeting, and, frankly, the Internet is to blame--although it hasn't really done much aside from making our lives easier.  Print is now competing with the impossible task of remaining relevant in an age where waiting weeks for information is a laughable prospect.  And since the Internet has essentially stolen print's fire, it's going to have to do something drastic to stay afloat. GameSpite: Year One may be the perfect example of where video game publications should be headed.  For those of you not familiar with GameSpite, it's a web site--run by 1UP scribe Jeremy Parish--that features digital "issues" of content written by a staff of hungry writers.  What appeals most to me is that GameSpite's content is stuff you're not going to find in print, or even on major web sites; most articles are in-depth discussions of games well outside of their 2-week release window.  And GameSpite: Year One is a compilation of this content in book form--split into two volumes, what with how many danged words there are. Read More... Posted Dec 02 2008, 05:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with no comments Filed under: jeremy parish, journalism, bob mackey, magazines, gamespite, print

• China Trigger

  Most of you out there are probably playing Chrono Trigger DS--or at least you should be. I have to admit that I'm a total hypocrite, though; if I do play through Chrono Trigger again, it's not going to be for a while.  Listen, when you suffer through hours upon hours of Chrono's abysmal PSX port to unlock some pretty pedestrian bonus content, you need to take a little break.  I'll be at the five year mark around springtime, so please look forward to my coverage of Chrono Trigger DS in April 2009. Believe it or not, there are versions of Chrono far worse than the PSX port, which was like playing a beloved RPG while immersed in quicksand. Our industrious friends in China actually produced their own pirate Famicom version of the game, as they've done in the past with many other games that have no business being on an 8-bit platform.  Maybe this video will show you why: Diagnosis: adorable--in a "broken toy on a thrift store shelf" sort of way. Read More... Posted Dec 02 2008, 02:45 PM by Bob Mackey with | with no comments Filed under: chrono trigger, square-enix, piracy, bob mackey, chrono trigger ds, bootleg

• Black Mesa: Source: Oh Right, That Still Exists

  In honor of the first Half-Life's 10th anniversary, I've been thinking of replaying the original over my long-awaited Christmas break.  But now, I may hold off a bit longer after seeing the trailer for the Black Mesa: Source mod and nearly pooping myself.  I just gave you fair warning. If you've been anticipating this mod as much as I have, then you'll know that seeing this much content is pretty big news. I'm no programming genius, but I imagine it takes quite a bit of work to remake an entire game--and a pretty big one, at that--in an entirely new and more powerful engine.  The Source engine may be beginning to show its age a bit, but there's no denying this is a major step up from Valve's previous attempt to give Half-Life a minor graphical upgrade with their own Half-Life: Source.  For now, this entire production is fan-made and free, but it wouldn't be too strange for Valve to pull another Willy Wonka (as they did with the Portal team) and invite the Black Mesa: Source folks onto their team.  As of now, this thing legitimately looks like it's worth money. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go chug a bottle of NyQuil. When I wake up months from now, I should be greeted by both Black Mesa: Source and the Policenauts fan translation. Cheers!  (Tell my friends and family it was an accident.) Related Links: Now At Your Local Dollar Store: Half-Life Entitled PC Gamers Whine about Rights GOG is Great Read More... Posted Dec 01 2008, 08:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: valve, half-life, fps, bob mackey, pc games, mods, black mesa: source

• Sonic: Nope, Still Not Into You

  A while back, I blogged about how my personal problems with Sonic the Hedgehog were keeping me from enjoying his supposedly "good" games.  I didn't have time to play much over my admittedly short and action-packed Thanksgiving break, but I was able to test out my Sonic Hatred Hypothesis on what's supposed to be one of the best installments the series has seen in years: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.  This game held quite a bit of promise for the simple reason that it was an RPG that Sonic Team didn't touch with their dirty, dirty hands.  And 1UP.com's review even gave it an A! But still, that fundamental hatred for Sonic and His Shitty Friends goes a long, looong way. Read More... Posted Dec 01 2008, 07:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: ds, sonic the hedgehog, bioware, bob mackey, sonic chronicles

• Your JRPG Narrative is Bad and You Should Feel Bad

  I recently gave up on Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World a scant four hours into my experience for one reason alone: the game was literally stabbing me in the brain with its narrative.  It's not that DotNW's story was exceptionally bad; actually, it was delightfully mediocre, which is really all I can ask for from a JRPG these days.  The biggest problem, you see, is that DotNW's stopped to show me its accursed story about every 5 seconds, like an attention-starved child waving a macaroni art project in my face. "Yes, I see. Very nice. Daddy's trying to play his game now." Listen up, JRPG developers: the stories you're trying to tell?  They aren't necessarily worth telling.  In fact, I can really only name two RPGs in the past decade that've had stories which ranked far above "serviceable:"  Final Fantasy XII, and Mother 3--note that the latter of these two was written by an actual writer.  I may come off as kind of snobbish with this post, though I think that just comes with age; there was a point in my life when I thought RPG plots were totally tubular, but that was back when I was in high school.  Turning into a cranky old man has given me the benefit of perspective; through experiencing a number of excellent narratives (across various media), I've obtained standards that I can't quite drop.  (Also, I need some way to justify my expensive BA.) The problem of lousy narrative is a pretty big hurdle for JRPG developers, but I've taken the liberty of coming up with some easy-to-follow and unsolicited solutions. Read More... Posted Nov 26 2008, 04:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: chrono trigger, mother 3, namco bandai, jrpg, bob mackey, story, tales of, tales of symponia: dawn of the new world, narrative

• True Tales of Thanksgiving Gaming

  Okay, okay; I know I just wrote a 1500-word feature on this subject, but I wouldn't be an unscrupulous freelance writer if I didn't milk an idea until it was crying, chapped, and swollen.  Please see my 9000 posts about Mother 3 for more on this. So now that my credibility has safely been disposed of, it's time to move onto more important topics: namely, Thanksgiving. For nearly all of us, this holiday signifies a wanted or unwanted family reunion; and with this gathering comes sitting around for extended periods of time while stuffed full of food. Obviously, this situation is perfect for the playing of video games. We are fortunate that the industry is kind enough to schedule their most important releases of the year around this period of maximum immobility. Since the purpose of this post is to share our Thanksgiving-related gaming memories (as if you couldn't tell), I'm going to go ahead and start with my own.  Thanksgiving of 2004 marked two memorable events: the recent release of Metal Gear Solid 3, and also one of my brief flirtations with food poisoning--in this case, it was a post-Thanksgiving Taco Bell menu item.  Yes, I was young and stupid. Read More... Posted Nov 26 2008, 02:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: metal gear solid, bob mackey, holiday, thanksgiving, metal gear solid 3, gaming memories

• Sonic Unleashed's Silver Lining

  The reviews for Sonic Unleashed are out, and they ain't pretty.  It seems that the enthusiast press is showing a lot more skepticism about all of the recent hedgehog reboots, too; Sega's claim of "This time we did it, guys!" has been used so many times that I honestly can't see what angle they're going to approach the next Sonic game from.  Really, the only way that they could save face would be to include a formal apology signed by every member of Sonic Team and a crisp, new one-hundred dollar bill inside every copy of Sonic 2: Unleashed Further. But recently, a magical thing happened: something of moderate to good quality related to Sonic the Hedgehog has been released to the public.  Obviously, this is big news.  The item in question, Night of the Werehog, is an animated short which I assume was made to promote Unleashed.  This CGI cartoon may star a character I've grown to hate and a new character I hated immediately, but it's also cute, clever, and, most importantly, tells an interesting story without a single line of dialogue.  We can only hope Sonic Team can learn from this: Read More... Posted Nov 25 2008, 02:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: sega, sonic the hedgehog, sonic team, sonic unleashed, bob mackey

• Devildom String Orchestra: Music, Masks, and Madness

  The hardcore American video game fan has been known embark on some pretty wild and awesome projects, even if some of them do happen to be complete fakes.  But there's just something about the industriousness of the Japanese hardcore that puts all of us to shame; just take a look at any Japanese-created levels of LittleBigPlanet, and you'll realize their devotion eclipses ours by a pretty large margin.  So what, exactly, am I getting at here?  Well, in researching Friday's post about the music of Mother, I stumbled upon a collection of YouTube videos that were too cool to keep to myself. The Devildom String Orchestra (at least, that's what I think the entire group calls itself) is a collection of Japanese musicians that arrange video game and anime music into real, live instrumentations. And they do all of this while wearing extremely creepy masks.  The most disturbing thing about this group, though, is that their videos really aren't getting the attention that they should.  You can access all of them by going to Tuengxx's YouTube page, but I've highlighted a few of the better ones below for your convenience. A very nice Chrono Trigger medley. More tunes after the cut. Read More... Posted Nov 24 2008, 11:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: fan project, music, chrono trigger, fan projects, bob mackey, final fantasy v, fan art, dragon quest iv

• WTFriday: Mario Versus Air Man

  Note to readers: WTFriday is a weekly feature where I find something stupid about video games and get you to laugh until it goes away. Please try to forget this is what I normally do every day of the week. Today's WTFriday is more strange than stupid, but it's worth looking at nonetheless. Listen, I'm only human and sometimes I reach my capacity for hate.  That being said, ROM hacks usually are stupid; they either make your playable character naked/demonic/into feces, or they're "remixes" which are unplayably hard for everyone except the hacker himself.  The ROM hack I'm about to show you is unplayably hard, but it's also undeniably cool; and you also have the benefit of watching a YouTube video of said hack instead of having to suffer through it yourself.  Believe it or not, this is an extremely modified hack of the original Super Mario Brothers: Going to the page for this video will give you a ROM download link, but I urge you to not take advantage of this kind offer, lest you rob this hack of its magic.  Plus, I'm pretty sure it was made with voodoo, or one of the dark arts.  You don't want that stuff in your computer. Related Links: WTFriday: Atlus Takes on Third Wave Feminism WTFriday: The Star Fox 64 Promo Video WTFriday: Mega Man A Cappella Read More... Posted Nov 21 2008, 01:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: mega man 2, mega man, bob mackey, wtfriday, super mario, rom hacks

• OST: Mother

  Everyone knows that Earthbound has some godly music, and we've all recently come to discover that Mother 3 is no slouch in this department, either. But what about the first Mother, AKA Earthbound Zero? Sadly, this is the one game in the trilogy that's almost always overlooked; it may be the least fun to play out of all three Mothers, but the soundtrack by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka helped lay the foundation for some of Earthbound's best tracks. American gamers had no idea back in 1995, but the sleepy, heartwarming music of Ness' house is a direct callback to one of the overworld themes of the first Mother; makes sense, given the connection with childhood homes and nostalgia. The greatest--and at the same time, strangest--thing about the first Mother is without a doubt its Japan-only (duh) soundtrack.  Instead of putting out the simple NES tunes on a CD, the producers went one step further by creating "complete" versions of Suzuki and Tanaka's songs with full instrumentation and lyrics.  I'm not going to lie; most of these lyrics are pure Velveeta straight out of the late 80s--but at least a native English speaker is singing them.  Embarrassing or not, these songs give us a peek into an alternate universe where Mother was a Disney musical instead of a Japanese 8-bit video game. And notably, two of the OST's songs are far more sweeping and epic than any Celine Dion Titanic single could ever be. Read More... Posted Nov 21 2008, 11:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: ost, earthbound, mother 3, mother 2, bob mackey, mother

• Whatcha Playing: Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World

  I've probably blathered about this before on 61FPS, but the original Tales of Symphonia marks the most time I spent with a game during the last generation of consoles. I spent over 100 hours milking that game for all it was worth, and I don't regret it at all--though, to be fair, at the time I was living at home and only marginally employed.  So when a semi-sequel to one of my favorite games snuck up on me, I had to check it out; and while common sense told me the my disappointment in Tales of Legendia and The Abyss may indicate Dawn of the New World's quality, I decided to pick it up anyway.  (I'm a weak, weak man.) As a sequel to Symphonia, Dawn of the New World is a pretty shameless cash-in full of recycled assets with a decidedly last-gen look. But, in coping with its shamelessness, New World has some interesting qualities; namely, its status as a direct successor to a previous RPG. Outside of stuff like FFX-2, you don't find games like this too often--most RPG sequels usually end up taking place 100 or 1000 years before/after their previously-released games.  Not so with New World; the events of Symphonia are in the not-too-distant past, which actually explains the state of the in-game world.  Turns out that 100-hour quest from Symphonia actually made things worse, and managed to turn Symphonia-protagonist Lloyd into a ruthless killer. Go fig. Read More... Posted Nov 20 2008, 12:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: whatcha playing, namco bandai, jrpg, bob mackey, tales of, tales of symponia: dawn of the new world

• Now At Your Local Dollar Store: Half-Life

  It may be hard to believe, but Half-Life, the FPS that redefined its "shoot your way out of hell while grabbing card keys" genre, is already ten years old.  Actually, since 1998 was such a monumental year of our little hobby, a hell of a lot of games turned 10 this year: Metal Gear Solid, Starcraft, Ocarina of Time, Gran Turismo, and quite a few I'm probably forgetting.  But out of all of these titles, only Half-Life can be had in these frightening modern times for the low, low price of 98 cents.  That's right; if you have a dollar in the bank and a Steam account, you can experience one of the best games ever made for less than the cost of most McDonald's menu items. There's one catch, though; this deal is only good until this Friday at noon PST--after that, Half-Life reverts to its original Steam price of $9.99 (still a good price). I'm not the biggest PC gamer of all time, but I have a gigantic man-crush on Steam.  I didn't think much of the service until it allowed me to get the entire Orange Box plus a Half-Life version of Peggle for only 40 bucks last Fall.  It also warmed my heart when I typed in the registration code on my 10 year-old Half-Life CD and found that Steam let me download it, and also every single product tangentially related to the first Half-Life for free.  Now, if only there was a way to pry those old Bullfrog titles from the sticky hands of EA... Read More... Posted Nov 20 2008, 11:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: half-life, fps, bob mackey, pc games, steam, 1990s, 1998, deals

• The New XBox Experience: A Brief Reaction

  The New XBox Experience is finally available to all XBox 360 users today, and I couldn't be happier.  Microsoft's old "blade" format had quite a few problems, most of which involved finding stuff on the marketplace; to use the old GUI effectively, you pretty much had to train yourself to think bass-ackwardsly.  And when you got to the right place, sometimes you couldn't even find what you were looking for; I remember a certain summer adventure when a friend and I wanted to play the newly released Commando 3, only to find it minutes later listed under WOTB--which caused me to forever think of the game as Woe Tub. The best idea out of all of the new changes has to be the Netflix streaming movie integration. As a loyal NetFlix customer, I was aware of their streaming service before the NXE announcement, but never really used it because I sit in front of my computer too damn much as-is. But now when I'm alone or entertaining (and most importantly, far from my computer desk), I can choose from a good selection of quality (and not-so quality) programming that further justifies me not having cable TV. My own cheapness can only excuse so much. Read More... Posted Nov 19 2008, 04:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: xbox 360, xbox live, bob mackey, xbox live arcade, hardware

• Meme of the Moment: Bike Hero

  The "Most Creative Use of Free Time" award goes to YouTube user madflux for the following video--and perhaps, for all time. Combining biking, Guitar Hero, an extraordinary amount of planning, and what must have been dozens of takes (he ain't telling), madflux shows us that he takes his fake instrument playing very seriously. And we all benefit from it: The most astounding part about all of this--to me, anyway--is how the bike rider is able to keep up a consistent tempo (in this case, speed) for all of this to work out.  I'll also be astounded if, by the end of the week, Bike Hero isn't turned into a t-shirt, referenced in 1000 lame webcomics, or made the focus of a new reality show on VH-1.  Ah, the time before a meme becomes obnoxious.  Savor it. Related Links: A++ Parents Let Their Teen Quit School To Become a Guitar Hero Praise His Name With Guitar Praise--Or Go to Hell Everyone Will be Able to Rock Read More... Posted Nov 19 2008, 03:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: music, guitar hero, bob mackey, fan art, meme, biking

• Explanation: Why Developers Don't Care About SDTV

  I may be breaking some sort of blogging code of ethics and/or laziness with this post, but if the way I hang my toilet paper (in front of the roll) has taught the world anything, it's that I'm a maverick who doesn't play by the rules. That being said, back during the Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts unreadable text debacle, where Rare clearly didn't have SDTV users in mind when developing their game, a certain 61FPS reader made an enlightened and very long reply that really cleared this issue up for me; unfortunately, said reply was made when the post was more than a week old, so I doubt anyone but me saw it. So, in honor of our 61FPS chum Roy G. Biv, I'm going to do the honor of reposting his comments about the issue on the front page of our fine blog. Unorthodox, I know; but this dude put more work into a single reply than I do in most of my writing. Roy, should I ever die, you can take up my freelancing sword. I got it from the Home Shopping Network. So, without further ado, here's Roy's well-researched take on why SDTV readability issues aren't an issue for developers: 1) At some point in the past few years Dell & Co. started putting HDMI & Component inputs on the backs of LCD computer monitors, alongside the DVI & VGA ports. Game programmers 7 designers already tend to have (at least) one of these on their desks and swapping inputs on a single device turns out to be a lot easier and (perhaps more importantly) cheaper than having a separate CRT on hand for reference. 2) "But that's just the programmers and designers!" you might say. "Surely the QA Testers must be looking at these games on a variety of rigs?!" Well, you'd think so, but in many cases the operational expense of keeping a bunch of heavy-ass, old vacuum tubes in working order is slashed in favor of tiny, reliable LCD monitors which take up less space and allow for testers to be placed closer together. Even when SD sets *are* employed, testers aren't playing the games the same way an end user would. They're sitting in a cube (if they're lucky) with their eyeballs 12-18 inches from the screen. Read More... Posted Nov 18 2008, 01:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: banjo kazooie 3, rare, bob mackey, hdtv, tech, sdtv

• God Help Me, I Am Looking Forward to Banjo-Kazooie XBLA

  Back in the Summer of 1998, my friend lent me his N64 when he left for a week-long Florida vacation--I didn't end up getting the system for myself until the combination of bargain-basement prices and Paper Mario forced my hand three years later.  With my judgmental friend out of sight, I took this as a prime opportunity to rent some N64 games that were skewed for a demographic much younger than the average, mumbling 16 year-old male.  My first stop was Yoshi's Story, a game I was excited to play after the world-changing Yoshi's Island.  As with many other gamers out there, I gathered I was being punished for some great evil I had done. An equally unexpected happening happened when I disposed of Yoshi's Story in a local fire and picked up Rare's then-new Banjo-Kazooie. Unexpectedly, I loved the game; and even though I'm much smarter and have a solid 8 years of Rare grudge resting on my shoulders, I can't help but anticipate the release of BK on XBox Live Arcade in a few weeks. See if this trailer will fill you in on my mental state: Let's get some things out of the way: all of these characters are absolutely insipid. Read More... Posted Nov 18 2008, 11:30 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: banjo kazooie 3, rare, bob mackey, xbox live arcade, banjo kazooie, banjo tooie, donkey kong 64

• Animal Crossing: City Folk: Nintendo at Their Worst

  Like many of you out there, I played the first Animal Crossing pretty obsessively when it first came out for the GameCube in the Fall of 2002.  While it did resemble The Sims in many ways, AC was still a remarkably fresh and relaxing console game--and at that point, there wasn't much else like it.  Back in those days, talk of an online Animal Crossing sequel was the stuff of dreams; until, of course, a glorified 2005 DS port which featured limited online functionality.  But there was always the feeling that Animal Crossing had a limitless potential that was being held back by technology. So now that a relatively next-gen Animal Crossing is on the verge of release, will Nintendo finally give this series the scope it's always deserved? I'll let a single sentence from 1UP's Giancarlo Varanini field this one: City Folk seems like a missed opportunity to improve and enhance the series in almost every possible way. If you've been following the development of City Folk, this should really come as no surprise.  The N64-era graphics made it clear from the very beginning: we've got another glorified port on our hands, here. Read More... Posted Nov 17 2008, 08:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, wii, gamecube, animal crossing, bob mackey, ripoff

• GWI: Gaming While Intoxicated

  Like any sensible young man, I am a fan of good beer. And obviously, a fan of video games as well. For certain reasons, these two interests don't usually intertwine.  I usually unwind with an adult-style beverage (or two) along with some quality gaming at the end of the day, but I get hopelessly distracted when operating on anything more than a solid buzz.  However, a recent purchase of mine proved to me that some games actually get better as your BAC rises. Folks, Rock Band 2 has driven me to drink.  More. Of course, this really should have come as no surprise; I've done karaoke before, and I can say that if you aren't sick the following morning (and not from shame), you're doing it wrong.  So I decided to test out the Karaoke Principle by inviting a few friends over who had never played Rock Band before.  Here's some dialogue that was exchanged as we were sober and holding plastic instruments: Friend 1: I'm not gonna lie. I feel like a pretty big nerd right now. Me: Don't worry; this is the first step of our suicide pact. Read More... Posted Nov 17 2008, 11:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: whatcha playing, guitar hero, bob mackey, rock band 2, drinking, alcohol

• WTFriday: Atlus Takes on Third Wave Feminism

  Note to readers: WTFriday is a weekly feature where I find something stupid about video games and get you to laugh until it goes away. Please try to forget this is what I normally do every day of the week. Remember Super Princess Peach?  It was a lighthearted little platformer for the DS that featured some equally lighthearted sexism.  I'm not about to write a thesis on the game--though in my self-serving academic life, that'd be just the thing to propel me to the top--but there's something to be said about the choice to make irrational mood swings Peach's weapon of choice.  I like to think that the game contained little, collectable bottles of Pamprin until someone with some sense intervened. RPG factory Atlus looks like they're ready to tread this same ground with their upcoming DS RPG titled My World, My Way.  Known as The World Revolves Around Me in Japan (title translated, of course), My World, My Way confirms that Japan can only identify two kind of women: the kindly anemic lass, and the unbridled bitch.  From what the official web site is telling me (Warning: it will make your mouse pointer all sparkly and stuff), MWMW is about a spoiled princess--obviously, hypersexualized and preteen--turned adventurer who uses something called "Pout Points" to control the world around her.  Methinks someone on the development team had a nasty breakup. Read More... Posted Nov 14 2008, 06:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: ds, feminism, sexism, bob mackey, wtfriday, my world my way, rpg atlus

• Gaming Impulse Buys

  Gaming is an expensive hobby, and freelance writing is not exactly a lucrative career (no offense to my kind, handsome bosses). So, when it comes to buckling down and buying a game, I tend to split my time between fretting and doing online research for hours on end.  But with certain games, something just snaps and shuts down the reason center of my brain--which tends to operate even when I'm drunk.  I've fallen victim to the siren song of music games so much that I really should have started to notice a pattern in my life by now.  Let me break it down for you: - 2000: I walk into my nearest Funcoland (coincidentally, the worst name for a business ever), see a new copy of Samba de Amigo and the maracas, and promptly hand over $120 + tax. I had no idea why I was even in the store in the first place. - 2001: I see an official Konami Dance Dance Revolution bundle featuring the game plus a dance pad. Inexplicably, I find myself buying it. Seemed like a good idea at the time. - 2005: What's this? Taiko Drum Master? At this point, it had been marked down to twenty bucks, so it's probably my least impulsive impulse buy. - Today: I get a fat freelancing check in the mail, and my paycheck was just depositedin my bank account last night.  I immediately drive to target and purchase Rock Band 2 against my will.  IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN Read More... Posted Nov 14 2008, 06:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: music, gaming culture, bob mackey, rock band 2, gaming habits, capitalism

• Game Length Versus Quality: The Debate Continues

  When it comes to game length, how long is too long?  This is a question I've personally pondered for quite some time; thankfully, GameSetWatch's Mister Raroo has done an excellent job of detailing this dilemma in a recent article.  So, what exactly is wrong with the bloated, modern game? Nobody wants to pay $60 for an experience that is over in an evening. Thus, games are usually stuffed with enough content keep players busy for weeks or even months. That said, too often the length of games is artificially lengthened in order to provide players with the perception of a longer experience. I’ve done enough backtracking and fetch quests in games to know filler when I see it. It's true; there's a certain dollar-to-content ratio that we've all come to expect over the years.  But just how much of that content are we actually going to play?  Personally, I tend to check out of a game when it's stopped giving me anything new to care about.  As much as I liked Odin Sphere, the mechanics--essentially unchanged throughout the game's entirety--were so repetitive that I didn't feel bad checking out shortly after finishing the first chapter.  In my eyes, I had "finished" the game.  The "seen about enough of you" defense has been a huge help in getting me to stop playing through games I'm no longer enjoying; though this new healthy lifestyle has only developed recently in my adult life. Read More... Posted Nov 13 2008, 07:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: gaming culture, jrpg, bob mackey, game design, gaming habits, game length, filler

• Gamers: Let's Slow Things Down

  There's been a certain problem with gaming that's only gotten worse over time: it's what I like to call Late to the Party Syndrome.  It happens whenever people on the Internet venture to talk about a game more than two weeks after its release date; daring to excuse their transgression, they proclaim themselves "late to the party" and sheepishly try to revive a lost conversation. Of course, the problem isn't these "latecomers."  We, as gamers, are becoming--or may have already become--a culture that absorbs new products as fast as possible in order to move onto the newest and next biggest thing.  There's something to be said about the only acceptable window of conversation for a game being the two week period around its release, and when said game becomes retro rougly a decade later. This is why I'm thankful for podcasts like 1UPFM, which has a "Backlog" section that features editors' thoughts on playing games from as far back as the mythical age of 2005.  And, to be completely fair, the consume-and-forget lifestyle doesn't exist in the world of video games alone.  I remember back when the last Harry Potter book came out, everyone on the Internet practically had a race to see who could finish it first.  Whatever happened to savoring something you enjoy, and taking time out to reflect instead of binge? Read More... Posted Nov 13 2008, 01:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: fable 2, gaming culture, bob mackey, gamestop, gaming habits

• Too Soon? No Nukes for Japanese Fallout 3

  In a move that's somehow less surprising than Fallout 3 actually coming out in Japan, some sensitive content has been removed from Bethesda's FPS/RPG hybrid for the sake of our Eastern friends. Kotaku reports: Developer Bethesda has made changes to the Japanese Fallout 3. The side-quest The Power of the Atom has been changed. Non-playable-character Mr. Burke has been taken out of this side-quest, removing the option of detonating the nuclear bomb. That's not all, the name of a weapon was changed as it was deemed "inappropriate" for Japan. Smart money says the weapon is mini-nuke launcher "Fat Man" for obvious reasons. The online reaction from the Japanese users seems to be largely disappointment to these edits. Fallout 3 goes on sale in Japan this December. It's easy to get up in arms about censorship, but there's some significant historical baggage that's a good justification for this cut content. While it's a bit odd that the very premise of the game--a nuclear war-torn future--would fly in light of certain events in Japanese history, people generally find it easier to get hung up on the more specific, immediate things.  The overall reduction of violence in the Japanese version of Fallout 3 (mentioned in this news story) also makes me believe that Japan's days as a haven for fucked-up media have long since passed.  There was once a time, in a decade not long before our own, when you could stumble into a dorm room, see something completely wicked on TV, and ask your marijuana-addled peer "What the hell are you watching?" One answer would suffice: "It's from Japan." Read More... Posted Nov 12 2008, 08:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: xbox 360, fallout 3, japan, bethesda, censorship, bob mackey, nuclear war

• Super Obama World. Nothing More Needs to Be Said.

  There have been surprisingly few crossovers between video games and politics during this year's Presidential Election, and that kinda bites--especially if you're a news-hungry blogger.  But if you don't mind your hard-hitting political satire coming just a week too late, Super Obama World, a new web game by ZenSoft, is the perfect way to unwind after what may be the most drama-filled election in recent American history.  Warning: you probably want to be a Democrat before playing Super Obama World, or at least have a sense of humor--I'm told the two usually go together like arugula and pesto. In case the provided screenshot hasn't provided you with enough information, Super Obama World is basically a collection of 2008 Presidential Election memes in video game form. The first world is Alaska--there are plans for expansions featuring Arizona, Illinois, and D.C.--and features our young President Elect grabbing lapel pins, stomping lipstick-wearing pigs, and defeating clothing-rack wheeling fashion consultants that are worth 150,000 points (Get it?). It's all very adorable--including the little sprite of Obama, which may just make me buy a t-shirt--which is why it's a shame that Obama World is a far cry from Mario World in terms of controls.  I know I may be asking a lot from a free game, but when our President Elect is so prone to dying, it kind of makes me worry about the future. Still, Obama World is an interesting diversion, and a nice reminder that the last terrible six-months-or-so is finally over. I'm calling it now: the Arizona level will feature at least eight different McCain dungeons (Get it?). Read More... Posted Nov 12 2008, 07:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with no comments Filed under: super mario world, bob mackey, web games, politics, election, obama

• Quality? Not For You, America

  Yesterday, i gave pure evil the benefit of the doubt and claimed that Sonic Unleashed might not be completely disappointing. Soon after making that post, I found out some disturbing news: we (meaning all of you proud, patriotic Americans out there) are getting an inferior version of a game that promises to at least be better than airborne, infectious cancer. According to Wired's Game|Life: Sega has announced that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Sonic Unleashed in Japan -- where it's known as Sonic World Adventure -- are getting pushed back from their original December 18 release date to the nebulous "spring 2009." The move doesn't affect the Wii version -- still set for December 18 -- and the only reasons stated for the delay are to "further enhance the content" and "improve the quality" of the title. The North American Xbox 360 version of Unleashed is set to come out November 24, and Sega's US site for the game has no mention of any delays. The transparency of quotes like "further enhance the content" and "improve the quality" are pretty astounding.  Where was Sega's PR department, whose job is to turn blunt statements like these into easy-to-swallow lies?  You know, stuff like "Our computers ran out of blue" and "We need to stock up on more RAMs."  Right now, Sega's statements are implicitly stating that there will be a lack of both content and quality in the American version of Unleashed, and that ain't good.  It's not uncommon to see a refined edition of a game come out later in Japan and never make it to the States--like Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System--but this is just some straight-up Sega dumbness. Sega, we all want to like Sonic again. Why won't you let us? Read More... Posted Nov 11 2008, 09:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: sega, sonic the hedgehog, sonic unleashed, stupid, bob mackey, delays

• A Peek Into Tim Schafer's Brain

  Grim Fandango, the swan song of the LucasArts PC adventure genre, was released a little over a decade ago. Yes, I know Escape From Monkey Island came out afterwards; and all I have to say about that game is that when a bug stopped me about halfway through, I was grateful.  That being said, we really don't get many games like Fandango anymore.  Sure, creativity in the industry still exists, but there's just something so damned idiosyncratic about a mix of film noir and the Mexican Day of the Dead (the holiday, not the Spanish-dubbed Romero movie) that outshines even Fandango creator Tim Schafer's later projects. When talking about old LucasArts games, it's pretty easy to get down in the dumps upon realizing what a Star Wars factory the company's become. But Tim Schafer has the cure for what ails you; in honor of the 10th anniversary of Grim Fandango, he's made the official 72-page design document for the game available to the public.  Since I found out about this through The International House of Mojo, I'll let them explain a little more through the wonders of quoting: Written in 1996, this mostly-complete document details the cut-scenes and puzzles in the game. What makes this particularly fascinating is that it's packed with concept art and descriptions of scenes/puzzles that were cut from the game, giving us an insight into a slightly different Grim Fandango. Apparently, Tim doesn't exactly own this document, so there is some question as to how long it'll stay online. So grab it now before you end up living a life of inconsolable regret. Read More... Posted Nov 11 2008, 08:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: lucasarts, bob mackey, point and click adventure games, tim schafer, design document

• New Sonic Game Looking Strangely Tolerable

  I know, I know; Sega's been using the marketing ploy of "This time we didn't fuck up!" for over half a decade now. But there's something strangely compelling about this new footage of Sonic Unleashed I recently scrounged up from YouTube. Many of the franchise's problems still exist in Unleashed, but the game play looks refreshingly traditional. Check it out: The clip starts out with a less-than-promising addition: a new shitty friend for Sonic who goes by the name of Chip. There's also about two minutes of cutscenes, when all we really need are two sentences: "You are Sonic. Go fast."  But the game play--which resembles the best parts of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2--looks okay, even if it does feature the same sort of cruise control action that's been attached to Sonic since the Dreamcast days.  I've always been under the impression that Sonic needs a complete overhaul; his simple transition from 2D to 3D produced a rather empty series of games that don't require much input from the player.  But still, we takes what we can gets, and Sonic Unleashed could be much worse. Of course, I'm going to hold my tongue until the game actually comes out--I won't exactly be surprised if Unleashed needlessly includes multiple game genres and interminable stories about inter-species love. But at least we know that they've gotten one level right! That's all the congratulation my healthy sense of skepticism will allow. Related Links: Sonic Bound: After Three Botched Reboots, Sonic the Hedgehog May Finally Get His 3D Due The Aberration of Sonic Sonic's Lost Innocence...Sort Of. Read More... Posted Nov 10 2008, 09:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: sega, sonic the hedgehog, sonic unleashed, bob mackey

• The Banjo Kazooie Text Debacle Part 3: Text Hard With a Vengeance

  At the end of last month, I was more than a little miffed about Rare's use of super-tiny text in Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.  A few days later, the story caught on--in no way caused by me alone--and Rare was forced to reply: "No dice."  As much as I don't like to report on the same issue thrice, something miraculous has happened: Rare has decided to fix the problem.  A quote from this post on the official Banjo-Kazooie blog reveals their unexpected change of heart: It has come to our attention that people are experiencing subtitle readability issues with Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts on Standard Definition TVs. We would like to assure you that contrary to earlier reports, we are aware of the issue and currently working on a title update to be released within the next 30 days that will fix it for those with Standard Definition TVs. We’re committed to ensuring all fans of the franchise are able to have the best experience possible with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. It sure is nice to see legitimate Internet complaining pay off; and while I'm not necessarily interested in buying Nuts and Bolts, I really don't want to see another precedent set for screwing over SDTV owners. Listen, guys: my goal is to be economically comfortable enough to buy an HDTV by the next generation of consoles.  So please avoid making all of us SDTV owners sad until then.  Thanks in advance. Read More... Posted Nov 10 2008, 11:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: rare, xbox 360, bob mackey, hdtv, banjo kazooie, sdtv

• WTFriday: The Star Fox 64 Promo Video

  Note to readers: WTFriday is a weekly feature where I find something stupid about video games and get you to laugh until it goes away. Please try to forget this is what I normally do every day of the week. When you're advertising your game, you definitely want to buy some Internet ads. TV spots are a must if you've got a big budget. And if you really want to go all out, you should definitely create a narrative about two Brooklyn wiseguys/corporate representatives kidnapping a skydiver and a scientist. Makes sense, really.  Also, don't forget to steal the eyeball-popping torture scene from Martin Scorsese's Casino! This approach may seem insane, but back in 1997, the aforementioned madness is how Nintendo chose to promote one of the N64's best games, Star Fox 64. We've seen a few promo videos so far on WTFriday, but this may be the goofiest--even if its intentions are pure. I'm sure Nintendo would like to bury this infomercial along with the very idea of the Virtual Boy, but YouTube is a source of inescapable shame. Just watch: My favorite moment out of all this mess comes at 5:44, when the dollar store version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" kicks in. Did a lawsuit from the estate of Kurt Cobain prevent Nintendo from making further--possibly copyright infringing--promotional videos?  Of course not.  Jon Lovitz needed something to do after The Critic.  I like to think of a hung over, out of work Jay Sherman narrating that one. Read More... Posted Nov 07 2008, 12:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, star fox 64, n64, bob mackey, wtfriday, virtual boy, promo

• Kirite: The Secret Best Yasunori Mitsuda Soundtrack

  I spent a long time bitching and whining about composer Yasunori Mitsuda's (Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Xenogears) lack of presence in current-gen RPGs, only to find out that he's still putting out music, albeit on quite a few games that have yet to make it to the states.  But there's something about his work on the DS--a system he seems pretty comfortable with these days--that feels a bit watered down to me; I eagerly await the day when he pens his next soundtrack for a system that can support the stellar work he did on titles like Chrono Cross and Xenosaga. But until then, we'll always have Kirite, Mitsuda's absolutely beautiful orchestrated concept album from 2005.  Square Haven gives a nice description of this amazing album: Kirite is a combined effort between Yasunori Mitsuda and Chrono series producer/writer Masato Kato. It adds a musical illustration to the accompanying novel Kato wrote, "Five Seasons of Kirite", which tells the story of a boy named Kirite, and the girl Kotonoha. The music plays out like Mitsuda's other standalone non-game albums such as Sailing to the World, with a gentle introduction comprised mainly of explorations of the album's main theme, followed by an element of mystery and unveiling, then capped by dynamic battle-style pieces and closed off with what amounts to an ending theme. Indeed, the album progresses much like your average videogame soundtrack. But really, you don't need to understand Japanese to get the most from Kirite; the music speaks for itself. Here's "The Market In Volfinor," which is one of my favorite songs from the album. Listening to it makes an RPG happen in your brain. All in all, Kirite feels like a true successor to Mistuda's Chrono Cross soundtrack, and it's definitely a nice snapshot of what the composer can do.  I shouldn't be spiteful about all the work he's putting out on the DS, but damn it, just listen to Kirite!  This is something we need more of. Read More... Posted Nov 07 2008, 11:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: ost, chrono trigger, chrono cross, xenogears, yasunori mitsuda, bob mackey, kirite