by Matt | Jun 8, 2005 | Games
The major upside to all this talk about Apple switching to Intel chips is that finally you poor Mac bastards will be able to enjoy video games with the rest of us. “But Matt, there’s plenty of great games for the Mac, like Halo and… umm… Halo”. Riiight. And the fact that something like Battlefield 1942 was just published for the Mac this past spring, a mere 5 years after the PC version, means that Mac has a thriving game community too right?
Seriously though, What Jobs did was brilliant in that respect. By having x86 compiled software (for the better part of 4 years) and the development kits to make the executables universal with litteraly 1 check box, you’ve now made a stable, fast, PC-based gaming platform availble to Mac users.
Game development time for the different versions will shift to the development of 1 version with universal application. As it is, PC, XBox and PS2 versions of video games are often written at the same time, because the platforms are similar and not much has to be converted/changed. Those seperate versions are often released weeks/months from each other due to final tweaking, but that seems acceptable to me. Now, you’re practically making the Mac version at the same time you’re making the PC version. Maybe a few tweaks here and there for things like graphics card compatabilites, but now we’re talking weeks and months rather than 5 years. Add to that the fact that Xbox 360 and PS3 games will be even more PC in design, and you’ve got a sweet out look for cross platform, universal game releases.
I’m not nieve enough to think that a Mac version of future PC games won’t take a bit of work. Look at the Linux vs Windows gaming situation. Just because something is x86 doesn’t mean it’s going to magically work. I do think however that if this is addressed in the development phase rather than the “porting” stage, this can save a lot of time and grief. If game designers are already making multiple versions of their games based on console and PC hardware, similar PC hardware shouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
Now, what that will do to game design is another matter. Creativity will be completely hosed. Game will be more “generic” to be available to the widest spectrum of hardware, software and user bases. But that’s a whole other argument that I don’t have the time or energy to get into at the moment. All I can say is that I hope developers keep pushing their designs into new and exciting games hile making them available to a broad audience. I hope all this good hardware doesn’t go to waste.
Matt out.
by Matt | May 14, 2005 | Games
There’s been plenty of preview and screenshots, but not too many this big and in depth. Most are “we played it, it was nifty”. This is a 3 page breakdown of a hands on preview IGN got at the EA Games offices. Man I hate IGN… but the article isn’t too shabby. Enjoy.
Linkage
by Matt | May 14, 2005 | Games
Hot on the heals of the hardware comes the software. Now that the rest of the world knows what the Xbox 360 will look like, the list of games to be launched with the console have begun to congeal. Obviously, not all of these will make launch, some might be cut, pushed back, delayed because they’re simply not finished or moved further in the calendar for better holiday sales (I hate when they do that) but at least some of these are going to make it. You can find the complete list HERE at EuroGamer, but here are a few I’m interested in….
Alan Wake (Remedy) – Alan Wake, which is set to be unveiled in more detail at E3 in a cinematic presentation, is Remedy’s first game since Max Payne 2 and is a psychological action thriller according to the developer. It’s also coming to the PC.
Call of Duty 2 (Infinity Ward/Activision) – While current-gen consoles are getting a squad-based game focused on the American 1st Infantry – subtitled Big Red One – the Xbox 360 looks forward to the same content PC owners can expect. Infinity Ward is at the controls, and the expectation is that CoD2 could be the World War II game to end them all. Actually, that’s just hype. But it’s also a hope.
Dead or Alive 4 (Tecmo/Microsoft) – We’re not sure it’s been officially announced yet, but screenshots have been online since 12th May and nobody’s bothered to deny their authenticity. It basically looks like Dead or Alive 3 with a stupendous leap in detail levels. Which is either a good or a bad thing. We have a feeling the truth of its worth may be in the animation system; but, given Tecmo’s wonderful work on DOA Ultimate, the combat should be solid enough to carry it
Dimitri (Lionhead) – Again, this one hasn’t been officially confirmed for X360, but figured in a GameReactor magazine article created in collaboration with Microsoft. It’s another brainchild of Peter Molyneux. “It’s a game about… You,” he said recently. “It allows anyone who plays the game to relive their life, their entire individual life. That’s a pretty ambitious concept.” Moon On The Stick doesn’t currently have a release date.
Full Auto (SEGA) – This sounds ingenious. Rather like Prince of Persia, it has a rewind feature that allows players to turn back time on events that don’t go their way. Except it’s a racing game. So you’ll get Burnout-style spectacular crashes followed by the chance to undo them again. It looks mightily impressive, and word is it was the basis of the gorgeous XNA “Crash Test” demo shown off at the Game Developers Conference in 2003.
Ninety-Nine Nights (Q Entertainment) – Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s Xbox 360 title, featuring lots of very, very shiny men. It’s full of jaw-dropping vast battles and sees the developer angling away from his usual musical influences in a game that looks more like Dynasty Warriors than anything else.
RalliSport Challenge 3 (DICE/Microsoft) – Unconfirmed, but mentioned in the print press. Will it be unveiled shortly? We shall see. Seems like a good bet though; the last two (especially the first) were warmly received by most.
Possession (Blitz Games) – Imagine a strategy game in which you order zombies around. Imagine it’s on Xbox 360. Imagine UK-based Blitz Games is developing it. Oh, well, there we go. Blitz hasn’t been heard from much since Fuzion Frenzy (which, er, wasn’t brilliant anyway, except for the Sumo mini-game), but if you want to announce your arrival on a new platform there are few better ways to do it than making a game about unleashing armies of zombies on innocent human crowds.
Unreal Tournament 2007 (Epic Games/Midway) – Epic Games brings its multiplayer series to Xbox 360. It uses Unreal Engine 3, utterly unsurprisingly, and will involve killing people and guns and vehicles and such. Yes, really.
Looks like a good bunch of games. I was worried it would be all about Halo and Sports titles.
by Matt | May 12, 2005 | Games
For once that doesn’t mean “violence in video games”. No, this years E3 expo is being taughted by experts are being a “turning point” for the industry. The debate this year centers around consoles, their achitecture and what that will mean for you and I, the gamers.
All of this is completely opinion based mind you, but from what I can see, the battle is really over the living room as a whole. Both the XBox360 and the PS3 are supposed to be “hubs” for digital entertainment in the living room. I won’t mention Nintendo since they’re sticking to their “we just do games” routine and won’t be unveiling a console this year. Both Sony and Microsoft have increased the power of their machines, made DVD playback standard, increased the online capabilities, improved visual proformance, added hard drives (to the PS3), have voice/video and data capabilities and both see themselves as a weird DVD-VCR-Game-Phone-Computer-Radio hybrid thingy. There’s a quote I’d like to share from a video game journalist and game developer guru Chris Hecker:
“I worry that the game industry is constantly grabbing at the lowest-hanging fruit, and that turns out to almost always be ‘make the graphics look better. Multiple-core processors like Cell are excellent for graphics code, which is “fairly simplistic in its flow. It’s relatively easy to make that code run on multiple processors. Gameplay code, on the other hand, is usually a mess of interacting systems. That feedback and interdependency” does not lend itself well to parallel processing. In short, we’ll see even more derivative, simplistic crap. We certainly make plenty of money right now as an industry, but we don’t have anywhere near the level of creative control or understanding of the tools of our form to thrive and experiment, as opposed to just doing sequels and licensed properties from those other art forms.”
Now, contrast this with a quote from Peer Schneider, senior editor at IGN, who, quite possible, might be in league with Satan… or a marketing department from either camp. Either way.
Gamers expect more realistic visuals, but also more star power in games and more licensed everything. New gamers, especially, will have to be “lured in by a movielike experience”, big name licenses and recognizable talent from both the music scene and Hollywood.
Please tell me no one honestly thinks like that. If they do I’m not buying a new console ever. Yes, what I, the hard core gamer wants is more licensed products! I CRAVE more bad movie tie-in video games (matrix video games anyone), more shitty plot-less games based on old tv-shows (oooooh, starsky and hutch 4, the hunt for the plot device!). What I really want though is every video game I’ve ever loved, remade into something borring and unplayable. No, strike that, I want it remade twice… no, three times. Yes, I want Resident Evil 14: More Zombies From Somewhere. Then, when we get sick of playing those, remake the originals, only with new graphics. Turn Mario into a FPS. Yes!
I mention all this because it makes me mad. I play video games to have fun and enjoy the actual act of playing them, like a sport. I like “to be entertained” as much as the next person but what I don’t need are video games pretending to be movies. I don’t want a “movie like experience” because in a movie, I try to let everything go and enjoy wants being presented to me. There’s no interaction there. In a video game, I like to think. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person and every so often I like to put it to the test. That could mean solving a puzzle, commanding my troops in battle or building a civilization from the ground up. I can’t do that if all I’m doing is “enjoying the experience” because thats all it is. Basic interaction to advance the plot to get to the next cut scene is not my idea of a video game. Maybe I’m alone in this, you tell me.
Anyway, the next big battle will be over the living room. Mark my words. Each console will try and become a “family” device. Sure, we’ll be able to share pictures, talk over the internet, record TV, watch movies, play audio CDs that have been properly encoded so we can’t steal from them AND play video games… but will those extra features be worth the marginal improvement in video gaming as a whole. We’ll have to see.
Actually, consoles only slightly interest me. What I’m really down for this year are the computer games. It’s going to be a fantastic 3rd and 4th quarters this year. Obviously, after mentioning it so many damn times, I’m incredibly excited about Battlefield 2. That goes without saying. Whats great is that it’s not the only title thats going to completely own my free time. Civlization IV, FEAR, Elder Scrolls IV, Age of Empires III, Guild Wars (already out), Call of Duty 2, SNOW, Unreal Tournament 2007, Quake 4, and Rise of Legends to name a few.
I can’t wait for post E3 movies, demos and screenshots. It should be a good season. Game on.
by Matt | May 2, 2005 | Games, Movies, Personal
Well, the weekend (my weekend) has just flown by. In that good way that makes you realize you enjoyed it, but flown none-the-less. As my super quick previous post let on, I enjoyed Hitchhickers Guide very much. I wouldn’t say that it was accurate, but it was fun to watch. Kind of like a a movie from a TV series. You’ve seen so much of the characters, you know the storys, so the movies become just another “episode”. If you look at HHGttG like that, it works. If you go into it thinking you’re going to see, and deserve to see, a complete tale about Arthur and friends you’ll be disappointed. This isn’t a Lord of the Rings epic. This is more of a synapsys of the HH universe. A brief overview of the uninittiated. I will agree with most critics however, that the movie was quite “jumpy” and didn’t really like to stay on track at all. It was really all over the place. Some of that was disappointing. Other parts I was almost glad they happened to jump by it as it was funny reading and I’m glad they included it (whale falling anyone?). I was right about the ending. I didn’t expect any less (more) from Hollywood. I would like to mention the opening song (and credits song for that matter). A rousing ragtime rendition of “So Long and Thanks for all the fish” had me rolling. The only really sad part is that after all is said and done, the BBC will have done a better job of being acurate with the series and with a small percentage of the budget. Makes me want to find the old BBC series on DVD. Oh wait, here it is in my download que… silly me.
That was Friday.
Saturday I worked for about half the day and then came home early. Lauren and I got some Casa Ole’ and then headed over to where we’ll be having a church picnic sometime soon. After that we visited with her grandparents and stayed for dinner before heading home.
Sunday I stopped off at EB and picked up a copy of Capcom vs. SNK… which I quickly returned since its complete crap. What I really wanted was Capcom Fighting Evolution (even though I now read that it sucks) but it’s not coming out until July. DOA Ultimate however, had a major price drop (from $49 to $19) so I picked that up for an even trade when I brought back the first game. That, I feel, was a good purchase. Sherzan and I played it for a few hours Sunday afternoon and managed to unlock about half the stuff. Robin and Laurie came over to join the party and I fired up some hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill.
Sunday night I had a match so the girls were playing Scene-It (the DVD game) in the other room while I was helping my crew to another stalemate. We’ve been locked in combat with another clan for 2 weeks now and no one has been able to get the upper hand. After 5 rounds of overtime, by league rules increasing the spawn times with each round, we’re up to 1-minute spawns. We’ll play again next week and someone should come out on top. With spawn times that long, one well placed missle, scud, artillery barrage, etc, can wipe out half a team for over a minute. That gives the other team plenty of time to get you where they want you and go for your flag. Defense is the key. I did an ok job, I wasn’t really getting the shots I wanted to and the other team would find my hiding spot right off. I was stationed to watch a long stretch of road from an elevated pirch. Infantry couldn’t see me but tanks and APCs could. I was toast after a few well placed shells and I never fully got back into my groove.
We’ll see how we do this week. I feel confident that we’ll be able to take’em.
by Matt | Apr 11, 2005 | Aggravation, Games, Movies, Personal
Now theres a combo.
We’ll take these one at a time since they each deserve equal bantering.
Saturday night Lauren and I hung out with Ashley and went to see Fever Pitch, the new movie about a guy who loves the RedSox. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The story was mediocre and I really dislike Drew Barrymore as an actress, but the subject matter was there and it was good to feel a little Boston pride. The reviews are split right down the middle. Most are calling it a mildly interesting movie about baseball and fanaticism and the rest are calling it the date movie of the year. I thought it was probably about a 70%. Like I said, the subject matter is there, Jimmy Fallon doesn’t completely suck and there are quite a few moment where I laughed out loud. The rest was your average date movie. I can’t see it doing well at the box office though. It’s a movie about Boston, Boston Fans and the RedSox. People actually IN Boston will think it’s cheesy and people outside of Boston won’t get it. It was pretty much made for people like me, a fan, who wasn’t actually in Boston when they won. It brings that feel good hometown thing to the big screen for everybody that didn’t get to experience it first hand. Unfortunately for the box office numbers, that not a lot of people. We were 3 of about 30 people in the theater… and the movie just opened on Friday. Not a bad flick. Folks like me and Nagle should drag their girls to it so they can begin to understand about RedSox fans… everybody else can wait for DVD.
Taxes. Why me? After doing our taxes last night with the help of Turbo Tax, it appears that we owe the government $850. Wonderful. Just wonderful. It seems that Lauren and I both put “Married 2” on our W4’s, which means the government takes less each paycheck but you get less back, if anything, at the end of the year. Well, the places Lauren worked for last year took that to an extreme and took out next to nothing. Out of $5000 she made at one place, they only took out $120. That’s just not right. Although, maybe it is. Our W2s match our pay stubs, so, it could be right. If it is, we’re really getting the short of end the stick this year. It also doesn’t help that we’re into the next tax bracket by about $1000. Huzah. So, instead of a few hundred back, we’ve got to shell out $850 in the next few days. Isn’t that just awesome. I’m so happy the government is working for us and doing so many wonderful things, aren’t you?
Sigh.
Ok, we’ll end this on an up note of sorts. Video Games. I’ve got 3 to drop on you and only one of them was playable. That’s right. One. Last week I took a look at Prince of Persia 2, Star Wars Battlefront and Acts of War.
Prince of Persia 2 wasn’t even remotely playable. It didn’t pass my 15 minute test, mostly due to technical issues. When I loaded it up, the Bink movies that are the intro kept crashing the game. I wrote to UbiSoft tech support about it and got the canned “update your video drivers” answer. Well, considering Brothers in Arms as well as BF (something I play everyday) use Bink movies, I hardly think video card drivers are the issue. So, I found a save game and loaded past the intro movies to actual game play. It was canned, repetitive and completely uninteresting. They seriously toned down the one thing that made PoP good, the jumping/puzzle solving. Instead they focused on a combat system, which while interesting could be found in every run of the mill fighting game. Nothing innovative about being able to make a hit combo, sorry guys. Final Grade: D+ / C- (if you can get it to work).
Acts of War was at least playable. The concept was different: a RTS based (loosely) on current world events. I think the real problem here is that whoever was developing this had never made a RTS before. Reinventing the wheel didn’t really work out of them. Also, they really stripped down the standard RTS model and tried to replace it with “nifty” things. Resource gathering doesn’t really exist, neither does building anything more than troops. It’s a lot like C&C. You have a base, the base creates an army, you go blow stuff up. End of story. It also doesn’t help that the story itself is super weak. US soldiers protecting Paris during a UN converence? Come on. There are so many better RTS games out there, this one just isn’t worth the time. Passed the 15 minute test, but only for about a half-hour. Final Grade: C+
StarWars Battlefront was both playable and enjoyable. It’s actually fun AND interesting AND capable of being played for more than 15 minutes without wanting to rip out your eyes. The premise is simple: a FPS based on the StarWars universe and played in a Battlefield model. You have conquest spawn points that need capturing, you can hop in vehicles, be different classes and recreate any of the major battles from any of the 6 movies. The geek level from being able to grab a Tom-Tom on Hoth and go after Imperial walkers is unreal. The game also looks nice graphically. The interface is easy, it’s got some pretty decent bots if you’re playing Single player (campaign or instant battle) and of course the real meat is the multiplayer. Servers are a little sparse but once you find a couple that are actually populated the game becomes very enjoyable. I’ll stick with Battlefield but it I ever need a StarWars fix, this will do the trick. My only real complaint is some of the mechanics and weapon issues, but if the game were to get any sort of a following, those would be things that could be fixable in patches. Final Grade: B+/A-
Matt out.
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