Posted 06/05/09 at 11:57:41 PM by Nathan Grayson

While PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers bickered over whether or not Metal Gear Solid: Rising would be exclusive to Microsoft’s neither X nor box-shaped console, another version attempted to sneak right under the radar. Fortunately, we’re not letting it, so sound the alarms, because Metal Gear Solid: Rising is also coming to the PC.   

This entry in the traditionally stealthy series stars pretty boy cyborg-ninja Raiden instead of gruff, mullet-rocking Solid Snake, and will launch at the same time as its console brethren. However, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima won ‘t be cracking the directorial whip this time around, as he’ll be lending his talents to a new PSP Metal Gear.
 
So, are PC gamers being left in the dust while Kojima moves onto bigger smaller and better things? Tough to say at this point. Very little of the game has been shown, so it’s impossible to assess its quality. We’re going to take a cautiously optimistic stance on this one, though, simply because Kojima Productions is developing the game – even though Kojima himself is only “issuing complaints,” as he puts it.

As for a release date, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. Metal Gear launch dates are elusive creatures, prone to skulking in the shadows until foamy mouthed fans are long past the point of patience. But hey, at least now you have plenty of time to become best buds with someone who owns a PS3, so that you can squeeze every last ounce of Metal Gear plotline out of the machine. Trust us, you’re going to need it if actually understanding Rising’s story sounds appealing to you. And even then, we're not making any guarantees.

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Posted 04/29/09 at 02:08:44 AM by Nathan Grayson

One step forward, two steps back. After talking up reality-based shooter Six Days in Fallujah as its next big thing – not to mention potentially opening the door for other games to actually sneak behind the lines of wars that aren’t WWII – publisher Konami came down with a case of cold feet. The publisher’s reason for the startlingly snappy about-face? Controversy.

“After seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and email, we decided several days ago not to sell it,” said a Konami rep.
 
Surprised? So was the game’s developer, Atomic Games.

“We were informed on Thursday night that Konami had decided to pull out of Six Days in Fallujah,” Atomic Games president Peter Tamte said in an official statement. “This caught us by surprise. Development of the game had been progressing very well and on schedule.”

Six Days in Fallujah has not, however, bitten the big one. As of now, it’s merely without a publisher, though finding one with the stones to take a jog through the PR minefield that this game presents probably won’t be an easy task.
 
Our guess: Six Days in Fallujah will end up spending a smidge more than six days in publishing purgatory. Maybe that’ll give Atomic Games some time to think about giving Fallujah a slight revamp. We can only hope.

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Posted 04/21/09 at 05:03:31 AM by Nathan Grayson

In an understandably controversial move, Konami and Atomic Games recently demonstrated their upcoming “realistic” shooter, Six Days in Fallujah. The game – apparently supervised by the hardened eyes of soldiers who actually fought the debatably good fight – will focus primarily on the Second Battle of Fallujah. And as much as I enjoy the beautifully orchestrated, occasionally tear-jerking fictional plots of games like Call of Duty 4 and Brothers in Arms, I think Konami’s bold leap is a necessary one.

There’s just one problem, though: They’re doing it wrong.
 
Many publications were recently invited into the trenches of the still deep-in-development title, and – as many dejected “first impressions” articles can attest – Fallujah’s gameplay’s paradoxical lack of realism stands out like, well, Rambo in a shootout. Take this bit, for instance:
 
“In another clip, the player broke off from his squad, crouched up behind two insurgents who were firing on US soldiers, and took them out from a few feet away like some kind of renegade commando. I may be ignorant of this particular battle, but I've certainly never heard of any Army ninjas breaking off from their squads and capping insurgents solo. Maybe something like that has happened once or twice; either way, the videogamey nature of the moment seemed entirely out of place,” said Shacknews reporter Nick Breckon.
 
Continue reading to find out why Six Days in Fallujah is in such a schizophrenic state, and how we can salvage it. 

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Posted 09/10/08 at 09:27:00 PM by Nathan Grayson

Did you know that, on average, gamers find themselves embroiled in 43% more shouting-matches than non-gamers?

Neither did I, because it's a statistic I just made up. However, enshrouded by the many licks of flame that are now consuming my pants, there's a spark of truth. When we throw down across the 'net, the Lord Almighty actually plugs his ears -- not even He can damn people that hard.

Really, if I were to base my opinion of the gaming community on my harrowing online excursions, I probably would've slipped a full suit of armor under my Green Linen T-Shirt at QuakeCon.

But I don't, and I didn't.

Because, by and large, even the more obnoxious gamers are typically rational, socially acceptable creatures. However, given a headset and a broadband hook-up, everything changes. Outside, you're a walking, talking, glaring, physically imposing person; but on the Internet, you're a whisper bumbling through the static -- at best, a throaty voice who knows its way around a shotgun. In short, you're nothing. Your lack of presence, then, is a bright red target for someone's insecurities. If they're feeling small, they can make you even smaller with minimal effort.

Now let's turn this thing around. When you hop online, do anonymity's rays transform you into, well, a jerk? Or are you immune to Mr. Hyde's advances?

Well, today's Roundup should at least add some flavor to your jerkery. Inside, you'll find stories about GameStop sealing its own fate, NCSoft deciding that size does matter, and Hideo Kojima rallying against in-game advertising.

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Posted 08/26/08 at 08:42:00 PM by Nathan Grayson

"Gordon Freeman is a menace to society. When he's not bludgeoning our men with cars and annihilating our demolition teams with their own ordinances, he's white-washing their corpses with paint and treating wild, endangered headcrabs like lowly mammalian bulls. Sure, we enslaved his species and all, but does he have to be such a jerk about it? He toys with us as though this were some sort of game, and we won't stand for it."

--An excerpt from The Combine Times, the final Combine paper to include anything other than obituaries.

"..."

--Gordon Freeman's reply

Yeah, Gordon Freeman isn't the most loquacious guy around. He speaks through his actions -- or rather, your actions. But that's what makes him great. He's a videogame character under your direct control. He fights like you, so why shouldn't he think like you?

As you've probably noticed, my particular Gordon Freeman is, well, have you ever imagined what it'd be like if one of the loud-mouthed, rap-prone kids on Xbox Live was tasked with saving all of humanity (and managing a classy goatee)? Am I like that in real life? No, but slipping into the hazard suit of a silent protagonist like Gordon Freeman allows me to project a side of myself into the game that hardly even exists in reality. I'm not constrained by any pre-set personality the man might have, so my imagination washes over the game, and it becomes a whole new experience.

Sure, I enjoy having the tightly braided engagement-lasso of a compelling, whip-smart lead wrapped around my neck as much as anyone, but I also think that such a lead doesn't lend him/herself well to gaming's main strength: interactivity.

So, how do you like your protagonist: strong and silent with a side of whatever you want, or glib -- fried up and delivered just as the developers ordered?

Today's Roundup features heroes of both varieties, along with a smattering of other stories about your favorite industry. From details about WoW's colossal (and free!) pre-WotLK update, to exclusive titles' death knells, there's no way you'll leave this Roundup without something to talk about. Jump past the break for more.

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Posted 08/25/08 at 07:35:28 PM by Nathan Grayson

Life is full of shortcuts. Whether it's using connections to briskly bound up the corporate ladder, pumping out a term paper with the help of a less-than-legit online service, or simply cutting through the gas station instead of waiting for the stop light, there's always an easy way out. But no matter how much weight walking the path of least resistance may lift from your wearied shoulders, a nagging voice -- whether in your mind or from the mouth of an onlooker -- will tell you that you're cheating. "Everyone else worked to get where they are. Why can't you?" the voice asks. "You're doing it wrong, and you're only hurting yourself."

Videogames are, of course, loaded with such shortcuts, cheats, and "teh haxxors." And when a gamer admits to kicking their feet up and punching in the ol' Konami code, they're met with derision. "Wimp, wuss, lame" and the ever so fashionable "The developer didn't intend you to experience the game that way" readily come to mind.

Really though, is cheating that bad?

One of the most fascinating aspects of gaming is discovery. Games allow us to traverse fantastical worlds totally unlike our own, yet arguably with more tangible obstacles to keep us from seeing the sights. (Is "living for 21 years" a tangible obstacle?) For someone who can't play a game without hurriedly glancing at their watch every few minutes, cheats seem like the solution -- not the problem. Why drop two hours against a single foe when you can see more of the game world instead?

Frankly, I don't think a game's developers will begrudge you for it, either. You put money in their pockets and you're deriving enjoyment from the world they crafted. It may not be the straightforward, A-to-B path they wanted you to stroll down, but it's still an experience. And isn't that what games are about -- creating "stories" through our unique experiences?

So, do you approve of cheating? Have you been known to crack open the dev console and enter a few choice phrases, or will you sooner rage-quit a game than enter a code for a pithy 20 extra hit points?

Today's Roundup features the only variety of cheating about which I'll really hoot and holler, but that doesn't seem to hinder its unbridled success. Additionally, you'll find a couple of big-name game delays, and a discussion about how games compel us to keep playing. It's all after the break.

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