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The Game Boy: How Hardcore Gamers Wrecked My E3

Nathan Grayson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:30:57 -0500

There was something different about this year’s E3. Ok, aside from the 30,000 or so extra people and the occasional, chuckle-inducing swine flu masks strapped to the faces of germophobic show-goers. It was something subtle – invisible, even – but it happened with a great deal of frequency.

It was cheering.

Clapping, laughter, excitement. By and large, at this year’s show, people really, really liked what they saw. This should be a good thing, but in my cranky, cantankerous opinion, it’s not. Why? Because every last cheer, whistle, and imitation air horn blast sounded in raucous approval of the status quo. Another FPS. Another God of War clone. “Our game is a lot like Half-Life, but mixed with Halo,” developers would cheerily exclaim, bathing in the glow of audience members’ beaming smiles.

From me, however, E3’s flood of samey shooters and risk-free sequels elicited only one reaction: a quiet cry of “Down with the hardcore.” Allow me to explain.

As I mentioned earlier, most every big ticket title at this year’s E3 was some sort of rehash, sequel, or clone. Here’s a quick list of particularly obvious offenders: Modern Warfare 2, BioShock 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Halo: ODST, Halo: Reach, Dante’s Inferno, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, Assassin’s Creed 2, Crysis 2, Mass Effect 2, Alpha Protocol, etc, etc, etc. That’s not to say that my fanboy froth isn’t overflowing for many of those games; it is. I came away from E3 jumpy (though that might’ve been the fault of LA’s less-than-friendly neighborhoods) and excited as could be. However, I’m excited for me. Right now. I’m not, however, excited for the future of the gaming industry.

E3 showed me that the industry has finally solved the puzzle that is the hardcore gamer. And now, like the savvy players it serves, the industry intends to exploit the crap out of its newly acquired knowledge. See, as it turns out, the solution to said puzzle isn’t all that difficult. Just stop giving hardcore gamers what you think is best and instead hand them everything they ask for on a silver platter. Oh, and use the word “hardcore” a lot. Every other sentence, if you can.

And what do hardcore gamers appear to want, as evidenced by sales numbers and – of course – cheers? More of the same. But bigger. Like, with more dudes and cooler guns. Oh, and graphics! Don’t forget those. Never forget those. Don’t worry, though; E3 delivered in spades.

My favorite bit occurred when Sony announced its new ~~worst kept secret ever~~ motion controller, and immediately proceeded to shy away from innovative, interesting uses for the bleeding-edge tech, instead opting to show us how it could be used for a – you guessed it – first-person shooter.

But what else would Sony have demoed its take on the waggle wand with, you ask? Surely not casual games, you probably wince, as the words dance through your Mountain Dew-hardened hardcore body like some kind of foreign virus. Well, to be perfectly honest, yeah – I’d have been much happier if most companies hadn’t treated their casual titles like attic-dwelling high school dropouts who don’t even get a place on the family Christmas card.

At least casual gamers haven’t been “solved” yet. Hardcore gamers are two parts FPS, one part RTS, one part Action, with sequels scattered liberally throughout, but casual gamers aren’t so easy. So long as non-gamers and casual gamers still exist, developers and publishers will have to try. Creativity and new ideas are the only way to lure in potential buyers who, thus far, have proved impervious to the industry’s advances. And for now, I’m thinking tiny timewasters and other games typically dismissed as casual fare will provide the best – and maybe only -- glimpses of novel gameplay ideas we’ll get from big, triple-A publishers. Which is a huge shame, because whether you like their games or not, those big-name studios are bursting with talent, a resource that – unlike the bland tastes of the hardcore gamer – isn’t being adequately mined.

Maybe when (if?) the economy is resuscitated back into stable condition, big-budget games might get a new infusion of creativity, but even then, companies like money. So long as we keep spending, they’ll keep dishing out the same stale goods. But beyond that unlikely avenue, is there hope? Perhaps. Maybe, due to increasing development costs, major publishers will eventually scale back development anyway, hopefully leading to more innovation. Or maybe this is the beginning of the fabled Indie Revolution, where indie games become our only source of innovative nourishment while multimillion dollar corporations, well, do exactly as I outlined in this article. Who knows?

All I can say for sure is this: Hardcore gaming as it is now – at least, in the eyes of big-name publishers – is caught in a big, uninteresting loop. Companies have solved the hardcore gamer puzzle, and now they’re receiving their monetary prize. Hardcore gamers, from what I can tell, couldn’t be happier.

Man, getting exactly what you purportedly want really sucks.

Freeware Gaming: The Award-Winning Roundup (from that other convention)

David Murphy — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0500

E3! E3! E3! There is seemingly nothing more important right now than checking out the latest iteration of some made-for-14-year-old-girls title at that big LA convention. Feh. You know what the worst thing about E3 is? It's not the lack of awkward-looking hot actors to stare at, nor is it the barrage of press meetings, demonstrations, and pomp and circumstance for less-than-stellar titles. The worst thing about E3 is that all the games you see there cost money. That's right. Cash. For every neat title you're seeing, there's a price tag attached at the end of the day. Want new graphics in a hot sequel? You'll pay for it. Want to blow up 255 of your closest console friends? Ask for your allowance early. Feel like waving your hand around to simulate an activity you can do in real life? Get a real-life job.

This week, I'm strolling down memory lane and profiling some of the best games from that other gaming conference in California. You know the one--good ol' GDC, or the Game Developers Conference. Each year, the Independent Games Festival takes up shop amidst the chaos of this convention and awards a host of independent (and often free) titles awards of various persuasions. There's a long list of contenders that come to the IGF every year: here's a list of five of the most interesting, enjoyable, and free titles I've found.

Between

What it is: Just because this game is so esoteric, here's a quote from designer Jason Rohrer as to what... exactly... Between is. "You know exactly what you need to do -- you can see it shimmering right there in front of you. You can see it while dreaming, too, and the difference has become subtle. Dreams wake into dreams, and people blend in and out: real characters and dream characters, all woven into the same script."

The unique element of Between is that there is no single-player mode for the game. You have to play it either networked with a friend on a local computer or with some random stranger on a server. If you choose the former route, don't look at your buddy's screen -- it'll ruin the breakthrough concepts you'll find in Between.

Download it here!

Mightier

What it is: It's a puzzle game. Easy, right? You run around as a little engineer guy and solve the various brain-benders that the developers have thrown your way. Finish the puzzles, save the day, feel better about yourself: It's a puzzle game. All that is true in this title, minus the crazy twist that Mightier is actually a pen-and-paper puzzle game. Say what? Yep. You print out the puzzles the game provides for you, solve them, then "scan" them into the game's world by taking a shot of them with a webcam. You can design your own characters the same way too -- draw them out, scan them in, and voila! Your creation comes to life, and Disney comes knocking at your door for "uploading" Mickey Mouse into your game world. Hey, don't say I didn't warn you...

Download it here!

Dyson

What it is: Were this only a game based on the popular line of vacuum cleaners--now that would be truly awesome. Alas, Dyson uses an ambient, almost minimalistic theme in presenting you with your sole task: mining an asteroid belt for resources. To do so, you remotely command autonomous machines that, as the adjective implies, do your work for you. As you go to leech more and more resources, you have to contend with competing robots seeking to do the exact same thing. It's a giant, minimalistic battleground, fought with circles and lines where you might otherwise find missiles, lasers, and all that 3D graphics stuff. Dyson doesn't need fancy graphics for its fun gameplay. If anything, the "look" of this title is its big selling point.

Download it here!

Osmos

What it is: I swear I don't plan these things in advance. Osmos is another minimalist game that trades in complicated graphics and particle-based explosions for a nod to artistic, beautiful gameplay. You play as a mote. Your task is to grow your size by absorbing smaller motes and avoid a similar fate by running like the dickens from motes bigger than yourself. The catch is that you have to propel yourself to move around. What happens when you propel yourself? You use up some of your internal mote-juice and shrink. For comparison, Osmos is like a trickier version of that introductory Spore level where you just ran around eating things until you grew. Yep. That one.

Download it here!

Zombpocalypse

What it is: You're a survivor. Zombies are coming your way. You have to kill them. While Zombpocalypse's plot isn't exactly unique in the field of zombie shoot-em 'ups, that's not to say that you'll take any less delight in blasting zombies back to wherever it is the undead come from in the first place. This game has it all: guns, gore, explosions, zombies. I mean, is there something else you expected? Perhaps a pretty song about cake or something?

Download it here!

Alienware Defies Recession With a Monster Gaming Laptop

Justin Kerr — Sat, 30 May 2009 11:18:19 -0500

Alienware is set to debut it’s new “allpowerful” gaming notebook at E3 next week, but conveniently enough, the detailed specs have been broken early by Gizmodo and I forced myself to read this twice just to make sure I wasn’t mistakenly looking at a desktop. The m17x crams in two 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 280m graphics cards, along with the new Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad.

It can also optionally be configured with up to 8GB of DDR3-1333, a 1TB hard drive (or optional 512GB SSD), as well as blue ray. Another amazing feature is the crystal clear 1920x1200 17” display, a resolution that is still somewhat rare in the notebook category. Additionally, since we all know this type of graphics horsepower can be somewhat power hungry, if your looking to do non-gaming tasks, it also has a build in Nvidia 9400M to help with battery life if all you need is aero glass. As for input/outputs, it comes with an impressive load out of options which includes 4USB, eSATA, as well as Display Port & HDMI.

The pricing is expected to start at around $1,800, but don’t expect to get all the features listed above at that price point.

id CEO: Doom Creator No Longer “PC First” Developer

Nathan Grayson — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:31:05 -0500

Oh no! The sky is falling; PC gaming is doomed; they cancelled Firefly again, etc. After essentially tasting, feeling, and smelling like a multiplatform developer for a couple years, id Software – this time through the mouthpiece of CEO Todd Hollenshead – has finally come out and stated the obvious.

"There's no question that our roots are in PC gaming. And when I play a first-person shooter, keyboard and mouse is the configuration that I want to play on," Hollenshead noted. "But we feel like, in terms of your triple-A, big-budget, big-market title, that you really have to be cross-platform to be successful, unless you're a first party."

"As an independent developer, we feel like we have to be on all the relevant platforms. So we don't really view ourselves as PC first."

Is PC gaming The Future? Who knows – but multiplatform development is now, so excuse us while we don’t spit our cola onto the face of the nearest onlooker.

In other news, Hollenshead said that id will announce “some new stuff” at E3, and that Doom 4 will be like other Doom titles, but not – meaning that guns and demons are probably in, but that those of you who wanted conversation trees and complex interpersonal communication will probably be disappointed.

Read the full interview here, if you want. A word of warning, though: It’s long – and there aren’t many pictures.

E3 2009: Bigger, Better, More Badass

Nathan Grayson — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 23:31:28 -0500

It's official. E3 as you know it is no more. Again. E3 version 3.0 will return to the glitz and glamour of the gaming trade show's 2006 iteration, but with a few tweaks to put an end to those pesky money leaks.

"[E3 2009] will be smaller than E3 2006 because it will be a much smarter show than E3 2006," ESA President Mike Gallagher said, boasting the new format's cost-effectiveness.

Compared to its 2007 and 2008 counterparts, E3 2009 intends to stop sucking it in and let its girth flow freely. With a target attendance of 40,000 industry professionals, 2008's 5,000 will have plenty of company. However, 2006 and 2005 remain "king of the hill" and "hill," respectively, with totals of 60,000 and 70,000.

So, the question you probably skipped all of the other stuff to answer: Can you get into E3? Well, not really.

Strolling into E3's hallowed halls is as simple as being a "qualified" industry or media member -- though defining that position is much less simple.

"We have criteria set up to define what is an analyst, what is a media attendee," Gallagher said. "We want to make sure bloggers and others in the online space have the right path to admission, as long as they're legitimate."

"This is not a consumer show," he emphasized.

Unless, of course, you're a booth babe.

"Here's the thing," Gallagher said of the sisterhood of the traveling pants-less. "Our publishers will have the maximum ability to drive energy and excitement around their titles and their products. I would expect that you're going to see models there, but there will be controlled guildelines, just like we've had previous years."

E3 2009 will run from June 2-4. We'll be there, reporting with oodles of "energy and excitement." Oh, and booth babes -- look out. We've been known to get a little feisty while on show floors.

Gaming Roundup 9/3/08: Sex, Drugs, and Heroism

Nathan Grayson — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:24:52 -0500

Man, advertising sucks.

We've all been there: you're softly striding through a craggy cavern, imperceptibly thin rays of light squeezing their way through cracks in the ceiling. Your eyes pierce through the black just in time for you to notice a vaguely cylindrical enemy galloping your way. Steel clangs against claws and fangs, and your foe slumps to the ground. A thick liquid oozes from the beast's mangled form, but the scent of blood is curiously absent. You decide to take a closer look, and dab your fingers in the liquid. One tentative lick later, you realize what the cave-dweller was dispensing -- the smooth taste of Coca-Cola! Visibly excited, you bottle up a sample. And with that, it's quest complete. Time to head back to Doct R. Peppyre's place for your brand new, Sunkist-orange tabard. Awesome!

But then, while emerging from the cave, you spot a poster on a nearby tree. Turns out, it's a blatant ad for McDonald's. "What the hell?" You wonder aloud. Then, sense of immersion annihilated, you rage-quit the game.

Obviously, the above situation is completely ludicrous. In-game advertising is never so out-of-place or in-your-face. And, in a fairly roundabout way, that's the point I'm trying to make: in-game advertising isn't as bad as gamers seem to think. Given a decent context, true-to-life ads can even make a game more immersive, while also putting extra cash into publishers' pockets.

But what's your take? Are in-game ads a detriment to your experience, or is Human Billboard your favorite race/class combination?

Well, today's Roundup is loyal only to you, fair reader, ~~but could use some extra money~~ and aims its commentary straight at the pleasure center of your brain. Inside, you'll find the latest news on a public E3, the oft-delayed Firefly MMO, EA's secret plans, and more.

It's all after the break.

EA Wants To Sign More Japanese Developers, Teases Board Covered In Secret Plans

“On that board are deals that we’ve contemplated, deals that we would like to make in the future, deals that we have in progress," said EA's David DeMartini. "It’s one big, kind of covered-in-cloth status board. We just keep track of what’s going on in various places in the world. Who’s signed with who. When such-and-such company might be available or free from an encumbrance that they might have with another publisher.”

While DeMartini wouldn't allow a soul to strip search his beautiful board, he wasn't afraid to throw out a few hints -- mostly concerning Japanese developers.

"If EA was to work with some of the best designers in Japan in a limited way, with a limited number of these partners, we would be creating a unique situation where some of the best developers in Japan are actually partnering with one of the largest publishers that are not Japanese. That would represent something that is slightly uncomfortable for both parties, but also represents something that is very unique and very special.”

Since Japan's taste in gaming is currently stuck in the mid-to-late 90's -- with nary a DeLorean in sight -- EA's Partners program is probably starting to look mighty appetizing to many floundering publishers. But do they have the scratch to hang with EA? And, more importantly, will their stubborn pride allow them to slip into bed with a non-Japanese company?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Goes Virtual

Remember Multiverse?

Ok then, Firefly MMO.

Remember them now? Well, they're back -- without actually having gone anywhere -- with another MMO yanked from Joss Whedon's archives.

"The ground-breaking MMOG will offer a new experience for gamers, allowing them to play it either as a fully immersive 3D environment or as a Flash-based 2D game, where both types of players can interact. The game will be launched within 'Multiverse Places,' a new social virtual world from Multiverse. Currently under development, Buffy will go into beta testing later this year."

Are you sure it's going to be a beta? Are you sure it won't be a "nothing"?

Grand Theft Auto Blamed for Saving Family

"She just knew, from playing 'Grand Theft Auto.' She saw on there that when a car rolls over, it can blow up. She knew that could happen to us," said Karen Norris, Plique's mother.

Plique then assisted her family in escaping through a shattered window. So, take that, alarmist groups and Lassie!

E3 Board In Talks About Making Show Public

Of course, it's all "rumor and speculation" right now, but if this happens, we'll definitely need to arrange an MPC meet-up of some sort.

Spore expected to sell 2 million in US in September

Will you turn your nose up at the game's middling review scores and join the club?

Don't be bear naked in Warhammer Online; preorder Red Alert 3!

It speaks for itself.

Xbox Community App Store – All in One Entertainment Devices Emerge

Justin Kerr — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:47:55 -0500

Microsoft made headlines recently by proudly proclaiming it would support Netflix streaming video to Gold members starting this fall at no additional cost. They have also announced plans to open a community application store whose concept very much mirrors the approach taken by Apple with the iPhone app store. Anyone can apply to join the XNA Creators Club, as long as you have the $99 application fee and a unique idea to work with. Microsoft will distribute content at prices ranging from $2.50 to $10.00 taking a mere 30% cut of the profits. Most readers know this approach is about as creative as the mii2 avatar’s but is still a step in the right direction. With community application support and streaming video now coming to the Xbox, it speaks to a larger trend. Consumers are increasingly looking for a one box solution to their entertainment needs. And the battle for the living room is just starting to heat up.

When it comes to all in one entertainment solutions, game consoles and set top boxes are working hard to challenge the versatility of a home theater PC. While both Microsoft and Sony feverishly pound away at firmware updates to improve media delivery options, Apple and TiVo are likely looking for ways to optimize their hardware designs for gaming. Below we take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

Home Theater Personal Computer

When it comes to getting the most out of a home theater system, nothing brings it all together and offers the versatility of a well equipped HTPC. Until recently, consumers were a bit hesitant to move a clunky office style box into their living room. But recent offerings in this category such as the Sony VAIO VGX-TF25E promise to change this trend. HTPC’s allow users to access any web application or video source from a standard browser, store incredibly large amounts of content, and will scale well as internet media evolves. The biggest setback here is price. It’s easy to create an inexpensive HTPC, but they tend to be a bit of an eyesore compared to the new OEM offerings which are considerably more expensive. Until the price comes down, or we can find a creative ways to bury a Bache box under the carpet, HTPC's will remain a bit of a novelty.

Consoles

The current generation of consoles is currently the most affordable and elegant way to bring the power of internet media to the living room. Featuring a heavily subsidized hardware cost, and a massive install base, the console makers are in an excellent position to innovate and evolve content delivery. Consoles such as the Xbox 360 lead the pack in this department, but the Playstation 3 isn't far behind with its built in Wi-Fi and Blue Ray player. This arguably makes the PS3 the best deal on the market for HD. Both consoles are already capable of streaming media from your PC making them almost as versatile as an HTPC for a fraction of the price.

Set Top Boxes

Offerings such as the Apple TV and TiVo have focused on merging online content delivery, with a very comfortable living room look and feel. Their popularity has given them a large install base to work with, and just like their game console counterparts, the ability to add features through software rather than just hardware. If the success of the Wii has taught us anything, it’s that casual gaming is back in a big way. It turns out graphics aren’t as important as they used to be and it isn’t the only feature people look for when they sit down to play a game. Casual games on these platforms would likely do well even in current versions of the hardware but future iterations with more powerful graphics capabilities could see them competing for entertainment dollars from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.

Who do you think will win the war?

What do you use? Let us know!

Exclusive: High-Resolution Left4Dead Screenshots and Gritty Source Engine Upgrade Details

Norman Chan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:06:22 -0500

Read our interview with Zombie Master Michael Booth here!

You've read our in-depth interview with the designer of the game, but here's a chance to you to get a clear look at the awesome zombie slaughterfest in Left4Dead. Valve has given us four exclusive screenshots from its upcoming multiplayer shooter, along with a detailed briefing explaining the graphical enhancements they've made to the game engine since acquiring Turtle Rock Studios. The new post-processed filmic effects and advanced shadow rendering makes the game look like nothing you've seen before. It sure doesn't look like Half-Life 2!

Left4Dead Source Engine Details:

The infected hoard in Left4Dead are realistically animated so they anticipate and lean into turns based on the curvature of their AI navigation paths.
The physics are simulated with a blending of traditional animation and ragdoll physics. In addition to location-specific damage, shoves and gunshots are physics interactions, based on the location of impact and what the infected hits afterward.
Even if zombies are brain dead, the AI driving them is smart. The infected will climb and path-find over objects, not just around them. They'll even break down walls and doors to get to you.
Filmic effects: Color correction allows the developers to maintain a specific palette while controlling saturation and visual elements based on their importance to the player and the scene.
Film grain is enhanced in dark areas, and contrast is ramped up to sharpen areas with high visual detail. Subtle reduction of brightness at the top and sides of the screen draws your attention toward the action and increases the tension.
Self-shadowed Normal Mapping locally alters surface orientation to cause detailed lighting effects. This feature incorporates local self-shadowing information to add greater surface richness. Surfaces will react to lighting from radiosity as well as dynamic lights in the scene, like your flashlight (which cast dynamic soft-shadows in the level).

Maximum PC E3 RSS Feed

The Game Boy: How Hardcore Gamers Wrecked My E3

Freeware Gaming: The Award-Winning Roundup (from that *other* convention)

Alienware Defies Recession With a Monster Gaming Laptop

id CEO: Doom Creator No Longer “PC First” Developer

E3 2009: Bigger, Better, More Badass

Gaming Roundup 9/3/08: Sex, Drugs, and Heroism

Xbox Community App Store – All in One Entertainment Devices Emerge

Home Theater Personal Computer

Consoles

Set Top Boxes

Exclusive: High-Resolution Left4Dead Screenshots and Gritty Source Engine Upgrade Details

Left4Dead Source Engine Details:

Freeware Gaming: The Award-Winning Roundup (from that other convention)