The publication of this episode is a little late thanks to uncontrollable circumstances, but while Paul discusses the ending of Slicing Fractions, this week’s episode includes both a Gaming Flashback, Scramble, and a Gaming History which focuses on the Zelda series.
Titan cancellation may have cost Blizzard more than $50 million
Wasteland 2 earns $1.5 million revenue in four days
Microsoft mistakenly affirms that Windows 9 will be revealed next week (from Ars Technica)
This week’s Gaming History discusses rumors that raged about Zelda games – Paul is not amused.
0 thoughts on “Episode 363: Mammoths With Hats”
@Iphone: I’m with Paul, I got and have had a Iphone 4 for about 2 years now, I don’t like the idea of rushing to get things when they are first released, I take a while getting new consoles and phones.
@Wasteland 2: I am surprised Jonah didn’t mention more of the Kickstarter games that have been successfully released when Paul said he knew of only one (Wasteland 2). There is also FTL, Broken Age, Shadowgate, & Shadowrun Returns. Pillar’s of Eternity is coming out and I’m sure can be added to this list soon as well. If you only focus on the ones that fail you’re going to miss the ones that are succeeding.
Wasteland 2 has been fun so far, I like being able to create a party unlike in Fallout where it’s just you and some NPC’s. I also suggest trying to use energy weapons, they seem to be very powerful to me.
@Zelda rumors: I don’t recall or remember any of these but I do agree with Paul on the whole feeling something is there if you could just jump one more block or open a locked door. You want to know what’s there, humans love mysteries.
I do remember the stories about trying to find the lost level of Super Mario, which was actually true.
There are a slew of crazy Harry Potter theories and I do remember the “Weasley is our King”
@QotW: As for falling for any game Rumors I don’t think I really did, most of the time I had sources to validate if it was true or not. If I couldn’t do it or seemed astronomicaly impossible I figured it was fake. However the closest would be when Areis died in FF7 (I’d say spoiler warning but if you haven’t played it yet your’re probably never going to). I wanted there to be a way to save her since you could actually save Gremio in Suikoden, you can’t fault the logic of a angsty teenager.
The more I thought about it though the more I realized she had to die for the story, it was her death that brings about the Holy spell to save the world from Sephiroths Meteo. So yes listen to Paul if it doesn’t make sense in the story narrative, it probably isn’t true and if it is the game isn’t worth your time.
It seems that someone did not pay attention during their physics lessons on the property of metals. I am sticking to my iPhone 4S. Last thing I need is my phone going all Beyoncé on me. But I am sure Apple will fix it. When they had problems with cracking screens, someone released a screen protector which was used for attack helicopter wind shields. You know, just in case you want to check your Facebook in a middle of a war zone.
@Windows NEIN!
Oh Lord, another Windows edition. When will Microsoft understand that the best way to fix a mistake is to never make it in the first place. I just hope that they were reading their feedback and will make a definitive windows experience. Considering that there is no alternative on the market, a good new windows is a necessity.
@QOTW
I don’t browse the net that much, so I avoid most of the rumours. If I do hear something, I triple check it for confirmation. I think my favourite rumour was the Halo 2 Scarab Gun. It was a plasma rifle that shot massive blasts of energy akin to the gigantic Scarab walking tank. It sounded like a hoax, until people proved that it actually exists. This set of a chain of rumours of other hidden weapons all across the game. Countless hours were spent in chasing ghosts in that game. A good marketing ploy if I ever saw one. My second favourite Bungie rumour is that Destiny has a storyline. Apparently it’s hidden somewhere deep deep within the game’s code and only the most dedicated players can find it.
This week we’re looking at some crazy news articles, looking back at Jungle Hunt and covering our review of the casual game, Bejeweled Twist from Popcap. This weeks news includes:
This weeks soapbox tackles the question, “would gamers be interested in non-violent cooperative games?” This weeks podcast ends with a new contest to give away two copies of Bejeweled Twist on the gaming podcast and another two copies in our gaming podcast forums.
This article was published on January 19th, 2009 by me, about an MMO that never came to be.
With Ultima Online heading into its 12th year, and Richard Garriott declaring he wants to make a new fantasy MMORPG, its time to examine the MMO that never was: Ultima X: Odyssey.
Before any discussion of Ultima X can be made, one must examine Ultima IX: Ascension, a 1999 disaster that basically doomed the Ultima franchise, and ultimately, Origin Systems, Garriott’s development company that was purchased by Electronic Arts in 1992. Ultima IX was an ambitious, completely 3D game that promised to be revolutionary. For instance, when you shot an enemy with an arrow, the arrow would persistantly remain in the enemy; it didn’t help that enemies could withstand a ton of damage, so they often resembled chia pets with dozens of arrows sticking out of them. The attempt came at a price, however. The graphics engine was so demanding, large cities were villages. There were numerous bugs and glitches. Worse yet, the game was so divorced from the previous Ultima titles in terms of story and characterization that devoted fans were annoyed and turned off from it.
Ultima Online was released in 1997, and when it began to be overshadowed by graphically superior games that utilized 3D engines like Everquest, they began develop of a 3D Ultima MMO called Ultima Worlds Online: Origin. Aside from the new engine, UWOO promised to have parties of 20-30, presaging the online raids that World of Warcraft would perfect. However, the sequel to Ultima Online was doomed by its predecessor – Electronic Arts feared UWOO would steal subscribers from the still profitable UO and canned the development group, sending Garriott packing. Sony, on the other hand, had no such qualms about a sequel and released Everquest 2 in 2004, which was successful in eventually transitioning fans from the first to the second game.
By the time 2003 rolled around, an host of new 3D MMOs had been released, including Dark Age of Camelot in 2001, and Ultima Online‘s subscribership was dwindling quickly. It was clear Ultima Online was now a dinosaur in the MMO world, and it needed to be updated. At E3 2003, Electronic Arts announced their second attempt at an MMO, Ultima X: Odyssey. The reaction to it was immediately positive, as you can tell from the above video.
One of the deliberate challenges by the designers of the announced MMO was the name itself. Unlike Ultima Online and the aborted Ultima Online Worlds: Origin, Ultima X was putting itself in the canon of the series as a numbered Ultima; when rumors of Ultima X began, people initially thought it was to be the first of a new trilogy. The use of the “X” was seen as a bold declaration in another way: it was following the disastrous Ultima IX, putting the game in the same position that Star Trek VI did, having to follow the footsteps of a franchise-killer. Furthermore, this was being done without Garriott, the lifeblood of the Ultima franchise, for the first time.
In being the “next Ultima RPG”, the developers stressed that it would be more like Ultima than Ultima Online was. Lead designer Jonathan Hanna explained in an interview at E3:
UXO is also more heavily based on the previous Ultima single-player games than UO is or Origin (UWOO) was going to be. The Ultima RPG series is considered by many to be one of the best RPG series ever. Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar™ and Ultima 7: The Black Gate™ are often listed in best games of all time lists in gaming polls. It is no accident that the franchise has continued for over 20 years now. UXO will hearken back to the legendary world first brought to life in those classic games as well as creating new twists that will appeal to both old time fans and those who have never played an Ultima game. (GameZone)
Even more appealing was the way characters would develop. The player would pick from six races – elf, orc, pixie, phoda, gargoyle and human – and use one of four Paths, each of which would allow players to buy skills from four different subclasses – a system later adopted by Tabula Rasa.
For example, the Path of the Blade includes Fighters, Knights, and Barbarians. Players who choose the Path of the Blade can select abilities (skills) from any of these Disciplines. In most class-based games you have to choose either a Fighter (a primary class) or a Barbarian (a hybrid class). UXO’s character advancement allows you to either focus on one Discipline or create your own hybrid class.
Player characters would further be affected by the eight Virtues that were found in every Ultima game since IV. Every mission would increase a player’s rating in one of eight Virtue, and gaining in Virtues would allow you to buy Virtue-specific equipment. Even more off the beaten path, a player would create additional characters, and if each of their PCs achieved the maximum in a Virtue, the original PC would become an Avatar.
Another interesting aspect in trying to create a more player-centric experience was that rather than players seeking out missions, the missions would come to the player.
The people of Alucinor will need your help and they aren’t shy about asking for it. Once you accept a quest, you’ll have the opportunity to make choices that will change the direction of the quest, the reactions of the NPCs and monsters, and the reward you get. So you don’t have to follow a predetermined story in order to succeed; you can actually role-play the various situations and create your own unique adventure. The choices you get to make are based on the Ultima Virtues, so there are no wrong choices. Just decide how your character would react.
So, the gamers who tried it out at E3 2003 loved it, and the developers had unique MMO experiences prepared, and a proven MMO license backing it. What went wrong?
On June 30, 2004, the following message appeared on the UXO website:
This isn’t an easy decision, but it’s the right move for the future of all things Ultima, including the community and the team. We look forward to sharing our plans for the future of Ultima Online very soon.
I would like to thank all of the Ultima X: Odyssey supporters who have been with us from the beginning. I hope you will continue to support the Ultima franchise and the development team as they transition to new projects.
Once again, Electronic Arts balked at starting a new Ultima MMO and chose to support the aged Ultima Online with new expansions. But why?
The chief reason was the sheer glut of MMOs being developed and released at the time – Ultima X: Odyssey would have to compete against fellow E3 2003 showcases World of Warcraft, Everquest II and City of Heroes. At the time, EA balked at losing their older property with a chancy new product that had different gameplay from its predecessor. An odd decision, as mentioned earlier, since Sony had no compunctions about replacing Everquest with a sequel – with more demanding graphics.
One must wonder what the MMO landscape might have been had UXO been released to compete with World of Warcraft and the other MMOs. What do you think?
This week we’re looking at some crazy news articles, looking back at Jungle Hunt and covering our review of the casual game, Bejeweled Twist from 
@Iphone: I’m with Paul, I got and have had a Iphone 4 for about 2 years now, I don’t like the idea of rushing to get things when they are first released, I take a while getting new consoles and phones.
@Wasteland 2: I am surprised Jonah didn’t mention more of the Kickstarter games that have been successfully released when Paul said he knew of only one (Wasteland 2). There is also FTL, Broken Age, Shadowgate, & Shadowrun Returns. Pillar’s of Eternity is coming out and I’m sure can be added to this list soon as well. If you only focus on the ones that fail you’re going to miss the ones that are succeeding.
Wasteland 2 has been fun so far, I like being able to create a party unlike in Fallout where it’s just you and some NPC’s. I also suggest trying to use energy weapons, they seem to be very powerful to me.
@Zelda rumors: I don’t recall or remember any of these but I do agree with Paul on the whole feeling something is there if you could just jump one more block or open a locked door. You want to know what’s there, humans love mysteries.
I do remember the stories about trying to find the lost level of Super Mario, which was actually true.
There are a slew of crazy Harry Potter theories and I do remember the “Weasley is our King”
@QotW: As for falling for any game Rumors I don’t think I really did, most of the time I had sources to validate if it was true or not. If I couldn’t do it or seemed astronomicaly impossible I figured it was fake. However the closest would be when Areis died in FF7 (I’d say spoiler warning but if you haven’t played it yet your’re probably never going to). I wanted there to be a way to save her since you could actually save Gremio in Suikoden, you can’t fault the logic of a angsty teenager.
The more I thought about it though the more I realized she had to die for the story, it was her death that brings about the Holy spell to save the world from Sephiroths Meteo. So yes listen to Paul if it doesn’t make sense in the story narrative, it probably isn’t true and if it is the game isn’t worth your time.
@iPhone yoga
It seems that someone did not pay attention during their physics lessons on the property of metals. I am sticking to my iPhone 4S. Last thing I need is my phone going all Beyoncé on me. But I am sure Apple will fix it. When they had problems with cracking screens, someone released a screen protector which was used for attack helicopter wind shields. You know, just in case you want to check your Facebook in a middle of a war zone.
@Windows NEIN!
Oh Lord, another Windows edition. When will Microsoft understand that the best way to fix a mistake is to never make it in the first place. I just hope that they were reading their feedback and will make a definitive windows experience. Considering that there is no alternative on the market, a good new windows is a necessity.
@QOTW
I don’t browse the net that much, so I avoid most of the rumours. If I do hear something, I triple check it for confirmation. I think my favourite rumour was the Halo 2 Scarab Gun. It was a plasma rifle that shot massive blasts of energy akin to the gigantic Scarab walking tank. It sounded like a hoax, until people proved that it actually exists. This set of a chain of rumours of other hidden weapons all across the game. Countless hours were spent in chasing ghosts in that game. A good marketing ploy if I ever saw one. My second favourite Bungie rumour is that Destiny has a storyline. Apparently it’s hidden somewhere deep deep within the game’s code and only the most dedicated players can find it.