Gaming Roundup 8/13/08: Marathon Session

Posted 08/13/2008 at 5:32pm | by Nathan Grayson

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I haven't played a game in days.

When I was a youngster, in between seven hour sessions of the latest 60 hour role-playing behemoth, I always told myself that I wouldn't be like those other adults when I grew up -- those adults who whiled away their days in front of a cramped desk, wishing they still had room in their busy schedules to work through their ever-expanding pile of shame. But here I sit, leg sandwiched between a desk and my chest, foot resting on my chair. Yeah, the prognosis isn't looking so hot.

These days, I'm happy to fit in some game time every couple of days, so it's only natural that my tastes have changed. While many vocal gamers whipped up sternly-worded message board posts after beating Portal in a single afternoon, I only grinned. I'd taken the tour, seen the sights, and gotten the ubiquitous tune stuck in my head -- in and out, no filler. If the credits roll within a mere couple of hours, so be it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time; I see no reason to be dissatisfied. In the end, short games fit snuggly into the hustle and bustle of my life, while encouraging their creators to craft tightly-paced experiences. Win-win.

But what's your take? Do you prefer long journeys whose plot threads tangle you up and never let go? Do you gripe when a game doesn't include any sort of multiplayer? Or do you currently have Braid penciled in for this weekend, with all times subject to change?   

Well, for those of you who fall into the former camp, today's your lucky day. This particular Roundup is all about lengthier titles -- from a day-long boss battle to BioWare (Need I say more?), and maybe a quick smoke in between. Jump past the break for the whole shebang.

Final Fantasy XI Boss Takes At Least 18 Hours To Beat?

Suddenly, my "I beat the eight Robot Masters" shirt doesn't seem so cool anymore.

Apparently, FFXI guild "Beyond the Limitation" found itself embroiled in an 18 hour war with the game's toughest boss, Pandemonium Warden. On one hand, this shows that Square Enix definitely knows its audience, but on the other, well, this:

"People were passing out and getting physically ill. We decided to end it before we risked turning into a horrible new story about how video games ruin people’s lives."

How exactly did Square Enix playtest this thing? Surely they must have crunched some numbers or something and figured out how utterly overwhelming this boss fight would be. Or maybe a playtester just slumped over on the "Release this patch" button after 18 hours. I actually find my second hypothesis to be the more likely of the two after hearing about this little fiasco.

NCsoft Lays Off 21

It's a far cry from the rumored 140 to 160, but 21 people are still jobless, and that's a shame.  

"Primarily this is related to products which we have not previously announced and were in prototype phases. We are also cutting some positions on the Dungeon Runners team after deciding not to port the client to other platforms at this time," an NCsoft spokesperson said.

Looks like Tabula Rasa is escaping unscathed, for the time being.

Even so, with this and Midway's recent rash of job-cuts, it hasn't been a good week for Austin. Maybe the gaming industry isn't so recession-proof after all.

Levine on System Shock 3: “Would I turn my nose up at another round with Shodan? No”

I frequently champion EA's pending purchase of Take-Two, and now here's one more (incredibly selfish) reason to support it.

“Life is long. Who knows. But right now, certainly, I’m engaged with my employer, Take-Two, who doesn’t have ownership of that franchise,” Levine replied when asked if he'd like to take another crack at the System Shock franchise. “I love Shodan, I love the world.”

My fingers are crossed.

Blizzcon 2008 officially sold out

There goes your chance at a $100 Starcraft II beta key. At least you can see the faces of those you'll be attempting to hate to death (or at least into a mild stroke) on DirectTV pay-per-view.

BioWare taking Dragon Age: Origins on tour

Looks like Dragon Age really will take flight at the beginning of '09. After all, BioWare is giving the game a big ol' promotional shove, so things are looking up.

If you're attending Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana, the GC Developers Conference in Leipzig, Germany or PAX, you'll have a chance to see Dragon Age live. No touching though; that's behind closed doors only.

The Surprising Reason Asian MMOs Are Mouse-Based

Aaaaand breathe. Did you just hack and/or cough? Congrats! You might be an Asian MMO player! How's that going for you?