This week we’re bringing the energy, talking about General Computer Corporation, Ms. Pac-Man and reading off some good listener questions (including our facebook questions). We’re hitting up the news with the following stories:
- Microsoft Working on new motion control
- EA shutting down game servers
- Activision making DJ hero 2
- Sega not making hard core titles for the Wii
- EA cutting game prices?
This week’s question of the week, are we going to spend more money on episodic content than a single-boxed game?
In this episode we’ve got a lot of MMO-style content and news. Although we’re not reviewing Wrath of the Lich King yet, we’ve got other subscription based news. This weeks gaming flashback is Defender and this weeks news includes:
Oh, Derrick…
1. Of all the improvements you mention about Ms. Pac-Man, you never one mentioned the fact that the levels themselves CHANGE SHAPE.
2. You’re making the assumption Microsoft made the patent with the Xbox 360 in mind.
3. You’re saying that DJ Hero II is a bad idea? Well, do you know that critics have raved about it? Check out the review summaries at Metacritic:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/djhero?q=dj%20hero
A sampler: “When you’re interacting with music in a way you never have before, you’ll want to slap yourself for even giving the idea of emptying your wallet a second thought. ”
The game has gotten incredible word of mouth among friends. Keep in mind, few people bought the first Guitar Hero – it was Guitar Hero II that exploded.
It doesn’t hurt that the controller is small and portable, unlike the guitars and drums.
4. Games getting cheaper? I remember Ultima IV costing $75 in the mid-80’s. Use inflation and games today cost half as much – and that’s not including Steam deals.
Oh, Derrick…
1. Of all the improvements you mention about Ms. Pac-Man, you never one mentioned the fact that the levels themselves CHANGE SHAPE.
2. You’re making the assumption Microsoft made the patent with the Xbox 360 in mind.
3. You’re saying that DJ Hero II is a bad idea? Well, do you know that critics have raved about it? Check out the review summaries at Metacritic:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/djhero?q=dj%20hero
A sampler: “When you’re interacting with music in a way you never have before, you’ll want to slap yourself for even giving the idea of emptying your wallet a second thought. ”
The game has gotten incredible word of mouth among friends. Keep in mind, few people bought the first Guitar Hero – it was Guitar Hero II that exploded.
It doesn’t hurt that the controller is small and portable, unlike the guitars and drums.
4. Games getting cheaper? I remember Ultima IV costing $75 in the mid-80’s. Use inflation and games today cost half as much – and that’s not including Steam deals.
Oh, Derrick…
1. Of all the improvements you mention about Ms. Pac-Man, you never one mentioned the fact that the levels themselves CHANGE SHAPE.
2. You’re making the assumption Microsoft made the patent with the Xbox 360 in mind.
3. You’re saying that DJ Hero II is a bad idea? Well, do you know that critics have raved about it? Check out the review summaries at Metacritic:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/djhero?q=dj%20hero
A sampler: “When you’re interacting with music in a way you never have before, you’ll want to slap yourself for even giving the idea of emptying your wallet a second thought. ”
The game has gotten incredible word of mouth among friends. Keep in mind, few people bought the first Guitar Hero – it was Guitar Hero II that exploded.
It doesn’t hurt that the controller is small and portable, unlike the guitars and drums.
4. Games getting cheaper? I remember Ultima IV costing $75 in the mid-80’s. Use inflation and games today cost half as much – and that’s not including Steam deals.
Oh, Derrick…
1. Of all the improvements you mention about Ms. Pac-Man, you never one mentioned the fact that the levels themselves CHANGE SHAPE.
2. You’re making the assumption Microsoft made the patent with the Xbox 360 in mind.
3. You’re saying that DJ Hero II is a bad idea? Well, do you know that critics have raved about it? Check out the review summaries at Metacritic:
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/djhero?q=dj%20hero
A sampler: “When you’re interacting with music in a way you never have before, you’ll want to slap yourself for even giving the idea of emptying your wallet a second thought. ”
The game has gotten incredible word of mouth among friends. Keep in mind, few people bought the first Guitar Hero – it was Guitar Hero II that exploded.
It doesn’t hurt that the controller is small and portable, unlike the guitars and drums.
4. Games getting cheaper? I remember Ultima IV costing $75 in the mid-80’s. Use inflation and games today cost half as much – and that’s not including Steam deals.
@Microsoft’s new input system: and Natal? What about Natal? And who the heck would spend 45 minutes to gear ip for a game only to be beaten up in the next 5 minutes?
Derrick, I like the shirt idea. It’s also faster to gear up, and it should be possible.
@EA shutting down game servers: besides sports games, they shut down also servers for Medal of Honor (Paciffic Assault), NFS Underground 2 …
What puzzles me is that the resources taken by a master server (for a game with a small community) are not that big, so keeping it online should not be that expensive. Most likely they’re shutting them down because they don’t want to be bothered with providing support for them at all.
@DJ Hero 2: well … it reminds me of L4D and L4D2. A sequel being thrown in so soon usually means the first game was not so hot and the producer tries to do things right the second time.
Or trying to get more money.
@Wii and hardcore games: that was not me giving you that list. But I agree, Wii was advertised as a casual game console. Hardcore gamers usually have PCs or X-Boxes.
@Question of the week: episodic, single-boxed, as long as they provide a lot of hours of gameplay people will buy stuff regardless.
Still, I am more interested in single-boxed stuff.
Now, microtransactions, that’s a different story. You’d usually get a playable game (for a fixed price, sometimes for free) and pay only for extra features/actions. The main criteria here for me is what does the fixed price brings me? If it does bring a playable game (like it should) then I’m in.
But if it brings a severely chopped off version (like I belive most do), with the visible intent of getting you to pay more, then I’m out.
@Microsoft’s new input system: and Natal? What about Natal? And who the heck would spend 45 minutes to gear ip for a game only to be beaten up in the next 5 minutes?
Derrick, I like the shirt idea. It’s also faster to gear up, and it should be possible.
@EA shutting down game servers: besides sports games, they shut down also servers for Medal of Honor (Paciffic Assault), NFS Underground 2 …
What puzzles me is that the resources taken by a master server (for a game with a small community) are not that big, so keeping it online should not be that expensive. Most likely they’re shutting them down because they don’t want to be bothered with providing support for them at all.
@DJ Hero 2: well … it reminds me of L4D and L4D2. A sequel being thrown in so soon usually means the first game was not so hot and the producer tries to do things right the second time.
Or trying to get more money.
@Wii and hardcore games: that was not me giving you that list. But I agree, Wii was advertised as a casual game console. Hardcore gamers usually have PCs or X-Boxes.
@Question of the week: episodic, single-boxed, as long as they provide a lot of hours of gameplay people will buy stuff regardless.
Still, I am more interested in single-boxed stuff.
Now, microtransactions, that’s a different story. You’d usually get a playable game (for a fixed price, sometimes for free) and pay only for extra features/actions. The main criteria here for me is what does the fixed price brings me? If it does bring a playable game (like it should) then I’m in.
But if it brings a severely chopped off version (like I belive most do), with the visible intent of getting you to pay more, then I’m out.
natal could do great things, its not holograms but its pretty interesting getting a graphic representaion of your body movements. I could see a heap of sport games compatible with natal.
natal could do great things, its not holograms but its pretty interesting getting a graphic representaion of your body movements. I could see a heap of sport games compatible with natal.
i regret paying $12 month to play runescape for 2 years, then to be hacked , to get all my stuff deleted and no support to get that stuff back from the developer. Was just a waste of time & money. so i got a 360 =p
i regret paying $12 month to play runescape for 2 years, then to be hacked , to get all my stuff deleted and no support to get that stuff back from the developer. Was just a waste of time & money. so i got a 360 =p
not to destroy microsoft’s hopes and dreams, but the whole thing using neural impulses from muscles to control games has already been done, by OCZ Technology with their NIA (neural impule actuator), it even has a function that just uses brain power, no muscles, but is slightly too slow. It is also a lot easier to use and set up, and if U ask me, this is just another stop on the microsoft money train.
not to destroy microsoft’s hopes and dreams, but the whole thing using neural impulses from muscles to control games has already been done, by OCZ Technology with their NIA (neural impule actuator), it even has a function that just uses brain power, no muscles, but is slightly too slow. It is also a lot easier to use and set up, and if U ask me, this is just another stop on the microsoft money train.
I *have* to point this out (related to one of my last comments):
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/3D-Porn-Bad-Girls-AEE,news-5522.html
I *have* to point this out (related to one of my last comments):
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/3D-Porn-Bad-Girls-AEE,news-5522.html