2 Cents Gaming

Well, it’s been a while, really. Been a while, I mean, since I’ve come across someone who says what I want to say all the better than I could possibly say it. This time in the guise of Richard Bartle, credited as “the creator of MUD, is a teaching fellow at the University of Essex” according to the Guardian newspaper from the UK. The piece can be found here.

Bartles Op-Ed piece in the paper is a lambasting of the old school, a taking to task of the old gray hairs who stand around blasting our favourite little pastime, all of the politicians, the muckrackers, the tabloids and the Jack Thompsons of the world - and he doesn’t do it with pointless rhetoric. He doesn’t fall back on the “you just don’t get it,” a completely true but all too easy fallback when we run out of logical arguments. Instead, he uses simple math.

According to the UK Statistics Authority, the median age of the UK population is 39. Half the people who live here were born in 1969 or later. The BBC microcomputer was released in 1981, when those 1969ers were 12. It was ubiquitous in schools; it introduced a generation to computers. It introduced a generation to computer games.

Half the UK population has grown up playing computer games. They aren’t addicted, they aren’t psychopathic killers, and they resent those boneheads – that’s you – who imply that they are addicted and are psychopathic killers.

Next year, that 1969 will be 1970; the year after, it’ll be 1971.

Sooner, rather than later, it will be our generations turn at the helm, and at that point, those left from the old school - those who railed against this new and misunderstood technology, this new and misunderstood way of having fun, they will have no choice. They’ll have to stand by and watch as we take over, and sweep all of their nonsense under the rug.

I add to Bartles piece only by saying this: To all of you who fight against us, and our new and developing artform, be aware of one thing. Where Ken Levine may stand amongst the masters of film and literature in the future, you will be nothing but a footnote in the pages of video game history.

Clinton, Thompson, Lieberman - your names will not be remembered, because you know what? We won’t want to remember them.

So, Bravo to Richard Bartle for saying it better than most of us have, and for giving me - and perhaps all of us - a little more hope at the end of the day.

It’s been quite a week for people who crave retro gaming. Splatterhouse is being re-made by the folks who did Mark of Kri (which means it will be excellent) And Interplay announced we will see an Earthworm Jim 4, with the creator back on board to oversee the development of the title, as well as an animated series and big screen project.

I will say it is nice to see a revisiting of these IP’s. Even though they wont be exactly what we remember from our childhood, more and more revisiting retro games is becoming a new fad. Hollywood started the trend, remaking classic (and sometimes, not so classic) films for a new audience. The results are mixed, as they will be for remaking classic games. If the right team develops it, it could be an amazing experience, enough to bring back memories of the original, but also new enough to get you excited. I do wonder however, where does it stop? What is the limit on remaking? Is there a certain time frame before you can go back to the well and restart on a project?

This is an interesting question. Some of these revisited IP’s are at least 10-15 years old, so a new spin with a fresh coat of paint can be nice. However, will that limit shrink? What will stop developers from “remaking” lets say, Mass Effect in less than 10 years? It’ll be like, “Ok, the last part of the Mass Effect Trilogy has been released, and now we’re hard at work on remaking the original Mass Effect!!” I’m not diluted enough to say “never” in that case, but again, is there a time frame on these things?

I know I’ll enjoy the Splatterhouse remake, as I loved the Mark of Kri games, and I look forward to the new Earthworm Jim and pray it will be good. However I also hope that “Nostalgia fever” doesn’t hit the game industry as hard as the movie industry, and allow suitable cooldown periods before beginning remakes on retro titles. And hey, here’s a newsflash, some of those retro titles don’t need remakes, they’re fine just as they are. Take that to heart, gaming industry.

Thanks to Massively.com for the information.

Looks pretty interesting, considering they’re adding a new zone, and now you can fish too!  After playing WoW, I can say fishing is a fun way to spend time while waiting for your mates, so I’m sure the LOTRO community will rather enjoy it.  Look for this to hit live by the end of the month.

Well its interesting, but as I feared, its nothing but a villain group changed a tad bit and given as Epic Archetypes. Of the features coming in Midnight Hour, this one just got way low on my list.

EDIT: The video uploaded at Vimeo is down at the moment, but should be back up any moment.

EDIT 2: Youtube ftw. - chief

I suggest everyone watch this video, its very informative and shows a study that wasn’t a fly by night pop-psychology study.

Soul Calibur, one of the better fighting games available on the DreamCast, will be coming to the XBox Live Arcade this summer. The game is being presented in high definition and will feature leaderboards covering every game mode from the original title. There are no announced plans for online multiplayer, although you will be able to duke it out with a friend on the same console.

So I heard back from Bungie about the community submitting Bungie Favorites content. Click read more to read Luke’s e-mail and to find out how to go about sending me the info on our content so I can send it to Bungie. Read More »

I must say, I happened upon this video on YouTube and knew quite a few of you would crack up watching it. I certainly did. Personally, there’s just something about this guy. I watched a couple of the other videos and they’re worth taking a look at.

Check out this video I found on YouTube.  It just screamed to be posted on here.  Watch for a chuckle.

Although, perhaps, not quite in his usual “you didn’t ask me but this video game is evil rargh garble blah” (note: Thompson may or may not go around going rargh garble blah, but I do so like to imagine that he does).

Read on if you wish to find out exactly what stupidity he’s perpetrated this time.

Read More »

In Japan only, for now, new DLC is available for Lost Odyssey for 400 MS Points. This will feature a new dungeon, a unique boss and a very rare item. In order for the DLC to “work” though, you must have a saved game before the end of the game, but after a certain part in the game. Six extra achievements also come with the DLC worth an extra 100 points.

This video will be available on XBLM tomorrow, or you can go to bungie.net and download it now.

Kotaku has a report coming from 8bitjoystick that MS is indeed developing a Wiimote-esque device codenamed “Newton”.   The buzz is we’ll officially hear about this by winter, and that it’ll be designed with the current play and charge kit in mind.  Now to let speculation begin.  We all know Rare is making a new Banjo-Kazooie game, and we also have heard the rumor that Rare is spearheading this project along with a “Mii-like” system of Avatars.  Personally, The last company I’d want heading this project is Rare.  Since their separation from the teet of Nintendo, they have produced rather lackluster results for Microsoft’s console.  I do not think Rare is ideal for this choice because they have the highest probability for screwing it up.  But we’ll see.

-Wayne

Saw this posted at IGN:

MTV News has gone to press with a pretty serious revelation that Microsoft has apparently been developing a Wiimote-like peripheral for the Xbox 360 since last August, and that a final product may see release this year. According to MTV’s source within MS, Microsoft-owned game developer Rare is leading the project and is responsible for defining an interface and look for the controller.

According to MTV’s source, prototypes of the controller are quite similar to the Wiimote, though Microsoft’s version will apparently have four Xbox-looking face buttons, an analog rather than digital D-pad, a built-in microphone, and no port for a linked peripheral ala the Wii’s Nunchuck.

Though ‘borrowing’ ideas from the Wiimote might seem like an easy task, MTV reports that the project has been troubled by conflicts between Rare, who’s designers are aiming to expand the interface concept beyond what the Wii is capable of, and Microsoft, which is accused of wanting nothing more than a bullet-point copy of Nintendo’s controller so game developers will have an easy time porting titles between the consoles. MTV’s source also suggests that Microsoft is developing a Mii-like avatar system for Xbox Live.