First, off let me say that i have not played Duke Nukem Forever (nor do i plan to). In fact the only exposure i have to the series is playing some of the early adventure (shareware) games and a little Duke Nukem 3D (my roommate used this for LAN parties a lot). So, to me, Duke Nukem seems to have played a big part in what was eventually to become online gaming (like XBL). In fact that was one of the reasons i was not interested in this title - i view it more as a multiplayer game (i have problems in general with shooters too). This is more of a reaction to what i have seen in the video game press.
The review scores i have seen in the press for Duke Nukem Forever are largely indefensible. What i am really getting at here is that the video game reviewers are showing a distinct lack of professionalism with their reviews for this game (unjustifiably harsh scoring). They are showing a distinct lack of any objectivity. Actually that is a major problems with reviews themselves - they are too subjective - they give some games 9.0s that don't deserve it and are way to harsh on other games. The way i see it, if a game works technically (not a lot of game crashing/killing bugs, playable) it deserves a 5.0 base score. Some points can be taken off for specific problems. Load screens are annoying, but not a real technical problem.
Sure, i never expected this game to be a work of art, but i'm sure it is better than some games which scored much higher. One of the problems is that Gearbox stayed remarkably close to the original intent of the game (which finally got off the vaporware list). The long/troubled development cycle is another strike against it. However, the complaint i find most egregious is the editorializing about the character and morality of the game. It is not a real game journalist's place to use a review as a bully pulpit. This game is getting slammed for offending some feminist sentimentalities (i'm not going to get into how intellectually dishonest feminism actually is here). Who cares is Duke comes off as sexist or misogynistic. That can actually be seen as some of the charm of a game (in this non-offensive vanilla climate).
Now, if Gearbox wanted to do something interesting... release all of the Duke Nukem games on XBL and PSN as downloadable content that launches from the full commercial game. i could go for some of the really early Duke Nukem games. So use the catalog as a value added proposition for the retail game.
Friday, June 17, 2011
i Do Not Like the New Xbox.com Forums
So, i was looking at the Official Xbox forums (xbox.com).
They really did a hatchet job on the site. Basically, every time they change it they seem to make things worse. Whehter it is game pages disappearing or something else. Basically, existing forums disappeared and they actually made it more difficult to find the forum you wanted. For some reason they like the mouse hover over method of loading a list interface. i would prefer launching it from its own page.
Maybe they will be rolling out more forums for individual games. However, it doesn't look good. It seems if you actually find a forum for a game you are interested in that they increased the font size and listed fewer threads per page. The next button will be clicked a lot with this format. i guess i don't like the green link text either.
i'm sure they have a reason for changing things around (that make sense to someone else). However, i'm not a fan.
Now for some bonus: Things i don't like about the Xbox 360 S
* Touch sensitive buttons - these are annoyingly easy to hit when you don't want to (especially if you are doing anything with the rear USB ports. i also hate the annoying chime they make when you hit them. i play a lot at late night (when i don't want to hear the sounds)
* The USB seem to be a little loose. i bought a 4GB slim (i have since added a hard drive). However, when i was using a 16GB USB flash drive, i had to kind of pin it in the front two slots or the console wouldn't read it. Why can't they put USB ports on the sides where they are easier to access?
They really did a hatchet job on the site. Basically, every time they change it they seem to make things worse. Whehter it is game pages disappearing or something else. Basically, existing forums disappeared and they actually made it more difficult to find the forum you wanted. For some reason they like the mouse hover over method of loading a list interface. i would prefer launching it from its own page.
Maybe they will be rolling out more forums for individual games. However, it doesn't look good. It seems if you actually find a forum for a game you are interested in that they increased the font size and listed fewer threads per page. The next button will be clicked a lot with this format. i guess i don't like the green link text either.
i'm sure they have a reason for changing things around (that make sense to someone else). However, i'm not a fan.
Now for some bonus: Things i don't like about the Xbox 360 S
* Touch sensitive buttons - these are annoyingly easy to hit when you don't want to (especially if you are doing anything with the rear USB ports. i also hate the annoying chime they make when you hit them. i play a lot at late night (when i don't want to hear the sounds)
* The USB seem to be a little loose. i bought a 4GB slim (i have since added a hard drive). However, when i was using a 16GB USB flash drive, i had to kind of pin it in the front two slots or the console wouldn't read it. Why can't they put USB ports on the sides where they are easier to access?
Dview: Karaoke Revolution (Xbox 360) US Version
The Bottom Line:
Karaoke Revolution is a singing game. i know that may be a real shocker. i really liked Lips, but i decided to try this when it got cheaper. The experience is a little different than something like Lips or SingStar (if they released it for the 360 i would get it) in that the main part of the game is the career mode - consisting of a series of "gigs". Yes, you can fail gigs (though Easy mode really, really is forgiving). Karaoke Revolution has the videos for the songs, but i have to ask myself why? Couldn't they have just added another 10 songs instead? i further question their decision to include Spanish language tracks in the US release (5 of them). Unfortunately, Konami decided to stop supporting this game fairly soon after launch (very limited DLC). This is a nice compliment / a little something different than other singing games. This is for the US version of the game.
Grade: C+
Karaoke Revolution is a singing game. i know that may be a real shocker. i really liked Lips, but i decided to try this when it got cheaper. The experience is a little different than something like Lips or SingStar (if they released it for the 360 i would get it) in that the main part of the game is the career mode - consisting of a series of "gigs". Yes, you can fail gigs (though Easy mode really, really is forgiving). Karaoke Revolution has the videos for the songs, but i have to ask myself why? Couldn't they have just added another 10 songs instead? i further question their decision to include Spanish language tracks in the US release (5 of them). Unfortunately, Konami decided to stop supporting this game fairly soon after launch (very limited DLC). This is a nice compliment / a little something different than other singing games. This is for the US version of the game.
Grade: C+
Dview: Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Xbox 360)
The Bottom Line:
Marvel Ultimate Alliance is sort of an action RPG. In the game you play as a team of 4 super heroes ranging from Spider-Man to Ms. Marvel. Yes, some are more obscure than others. There originally was a Heroes and Villians pack available as DLC, but has supposedly been pulled. If you want the complete experience go with the Gold Edition. The game really seems to be middling in every way.
Grade: C
What to Expect:
* Beating up a stream of enemies (mostly robots of some type)
* Leveling up - can set to auto
* Collectibles to find: Comic Discs (unlock missions for hero skins), Action Figures (unlock Daredevil or Black Panther) and Sketch Books (concept art)
* QTE (Quick Time Events) - basically button pressing at specific times. The most annoying of these are the comic book missions for Storm and Spider-Man.
* A bunch of heros to play as. Some seem eerily similar to others though (especially the DLC ones). i think it is 33 with the DLC.
* Defeating enemies can unlock additional skins for the characters
* Combat system - light attack, heavy attack, x is grab (for throws), the triggers can be used to launch a power (it and the corresponding face button) and select tactic.
* Some boss fights
My Play:
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20-30 hours (with almost everything)
Achievements: 46/58 (1030/1,)250
Achievments:
Achievements in this game are for things like unlocking all available character skins (especially DLC), Throwing X people off ledges, defeating X enemies, story events, unlocking playable characters, answering trivia questions, etc. Unfortunately, there are also some for playing co-op. Some are more of a chore than others.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance is sort of an action RPG. In the game you play as a team of 4 super heroes ranging from Spider-Man to Ms. Marvel. Yes, some are more obscure than others. There originally was a Heroes and Villians pack available as DLC, but has supposedly been pulled. If you want the complete experience go with the Gold Edition. The game really seems to be middling in every way.
Grade: C
What to Expect:
* Beating up a stream of enemies (mostly robots of some type)
* Leveling up - can set to auto
* Collectibles to find: Comic Discs (unlock missions for hero skins), Action Figures (unlock Daredevil or Black Panther) and Sketch Books (concept art)
* QTE (Quick Time Events) - basically button pressing at specific times. The most annoying of these are the comic book missions for Storm and Spider-Man.
* A bunch of heros to play as. Some seem eerily similar to others though (especially the DLC ones). i think it is 33 with the DLC.
* Defeating enemies can unlock additional skins for the characters
* Combat system - light attack, heavy attack, x is grab (for throws), the triggers can be used to launch a power (it and the corresponding face button) and select tactic.
* Some boss fights
My Play:
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20-30 hours (with almost everything)
Achievements: 46/58 (1030/1,)250
Achievments:
Achievements in this game are for things like unlocking all available character skins (especially DLC), Throwing X people off ledges, defeating X enemies, story events, unlocking playable characters, answering trivia questions, etc. Unfortunately, there are also some for playing co-op. Some are more of a chore than others.
Game Room - Predictions Through July 15, 2011
Here i am back again with another prediction thread about Game Room's leaderboards. Hold your excitement, really hold it. i know it won't be easy. This will be my predictions through July 15th (give or take a few/several days). So here we go again with my odd predictions...
My estimated leaderboard total for today (when i used the irr method) are a cumulative total of estimated leaderboards at 505,752. That is quite possibly a little high (if i was +/- 10% i would be sort of ok with it). So, if you follow through and estimate sales of ranked games based off of a bad estimate of leaderboard numbers, you would get 442,533 game sales (obviously ranked only). Remember these are based off of the numbers i have "estimated" only.
Predicted Increases:
* Beamrider: to 700
* Circus Atari: to 900
* Cosmic Commuter: to 500
* Demons to Diamonds: to 900
* Jungler: to 10,000
* Millipede (2600): to 9,000
* Missile Command: to 6,000
* Rack 'Em Up: to 5,000
* River Raid: to 6,000
* Scramble: to 10,000
* Space Armada: to 9,000 (doubtful)
* Star Strike: to 100
* Submarine Commander: to 100
* Super Breakout: to 10,000
* Time Pilot: to 7,000
* Tower of Doom: to 900
* Tutankham: to 9,000 (doubtful)
* Vectron: to 70
Possible Other Increases:
* Battlezone: to 6,000 (not likely)
* Dodge 'Em; to 600
* Keystone Kapers: to 4,000
* Millipede: to 4,000
* Road Fighter: to 30,000
* Shao-lin's Road: to 30,000
My estimated leaderboard total for today (when i used the irr method) are a cumulative total of estimated leaderboards at 505,752. That is quite possibly a little high (if i was +/- 10% i would be sort of ok with it). So, if you follow through and estimate sales of ranked games based off of a bad estimate of leaderboard numbers, you would get 442,533 game sales (obviously ranked only). Remember these are based off of the numbers i have "estimated" only.
Predicted Increases:
* Beamrider: to 700
* Circus Atari: to 900
* Cosmic Commuter: to 500
* Demons to Diamonds: to 900
* Jungler: to 10,000
* Millipede (2600): to 9,000
* Missile Command: to 6,000
* Rack 'Em Up: to 5,000
* River Raid: to 6,000
* Scramble: to 10,000
* Space Armada: to 9,000 (doubtful)
* Star Strike: to 100
* Submarine Commander: to 100
* Super Breakout: to 10,000
* Time Pilot: to 7,000
* Tower of Doom: to 900
* Tutankham: to 9,000 (doubtful)
* Vectron: to 70
Possible Other Increases:
* Battlezone: to 6,000 (not likely)
* Dodge 'Em; to 600
* Keystone Kapers: to 4,000
* Millipede: to 4,000
* Road Fighter: to 30,000
* Shao-lin's Road: to 30,000
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Game Room - The June 2011 Report
i decided to do my first monthly installment of Game Room's leaderboard check. i tried unsuccessfully on my Xbox 360 four times (once leaderboards were down, 3 hard freezes). i would strongly recommend using the PC version if you can (as the Xbox version is highly unstable). The PC version will still crash on exit 100% of the time. Well i guess it is June, so here is my report
The data is from leaderboard checks on June 11th and 13th (i think). My last check before then was May 9th. i will try to do another check sometime in (early or mid) July. i'm not sure if i'll put up a prediction post for July.
Observed Increases:
* Asteroids: 6,000 (+1K)
* Asteroids Deluxe: 30,000 (+10K Windows Phone 7 impact?) P
* Battlezone: 5,000 (+1K) P
* Beamrider: 600 (+100) P
* Breakout (2600): 700 (+100)
* Foodfight: 2,000 (+1K)
* Galactic Warriors: 600 (+100)
* Missile Command (2600): 600 (+100)
* Off the Wall: 200 (+100)
* Plaque Attack: 600 (+100)
* Stampede: 2,000 (+1K)
* Submarine Commander: 90 (+10) P
* Thin Ice: 700 (+100)
* Tower of Doom; 800 (+100) P
* TwinBee: 2,000 (+1K)
* Yar's Revenge: 10,000 (+1K) P
* Gravitar: 3,000 (+1k) P
* Missile Command: 5,000 (+1K) P
* Space Armada: 8,000 (+1K) P
* Tutankham: 8,000 (+1K) P
The total observed increase (based off leaderboards displayed only) for the one month plus period was 20 games for 20,810. That doesn't strike me as overall very good, but it is if you consider the state Game Room is in. Maybe the Windows phone version is spurring sales on the Xbox/PC side (or maybe the games were close to increases anyway).
My predictions were at about the usual level. i missed half of the increases and 15 of my 25 predictions may have been premature (10 weren't, even though some of them were repeats). The bold "P" denotes a game that i said might increase in the period (see my prediction post).
The data is from leaderboard checks on June 11th and 13th (i think). My last check before then was May 9th. i will try to do another check sometime in (early or mid) July. i'm not sure if i'll put up a prediction post for July.
Observed Increases:
* Asteroids: 6,000 (+1K)
* Asteroids Deluxe: 30,000 (+10K Windows Phone 7 impact?) P
* Battlezone: 5,000 (+1K) P
* Beamrider: 600 (+100) P
* Breakout (2600): 700 (+100)
* Foodfight: 2,000 (+1K)
* Galactic Warriors: 600 (+100)
* Missile Command (2600): 600 (+100)
* Off the Wall: 200 (+100)
* Plaque Attack: 600 (+100)
* Stampede: 2,000 (+1K)
* Submarine Commander: 90 (+10) P
* Thin Ice: 700 (+100)
* Tower of Doom; 800 (+100) P
* TwinBee: 2,000 (+1K)
* Yar's Revenge: 10,000 (+1K) P
* Gravitar: 3,000 (+1k) P
* Missile Command: 5,000 (+1K) P
* Space Armada: 8,000 (+1K) P
* Tutankham: 8,000 (+1K) P
The total observed increase (based off leaderboards displayed only) for the one month plus period was 20 games for 20,810. That doesn't strike me as overall very good, but it is if you consider the state Game Room is in. Maybe the Windows phone version is spurring sales on the Xbox/PC side (or maybe the games were close to increases anyway).
My predictions were at about the usual level. i missed half of the increases and 15 of my 25 predictions may have been premature (10 weren't, even though some of them were repeats). The bold "P" denotes a game that i said might increase in the period (see my prediction post).
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Portable Gaming: My problems and $250, really?
i have been thinking about portable gaming recently. No, i have not decided to purchase a PSP, a Vita or a 3DS. i guess it is just that E3 put a spotlight on these devices.
i was kind of wondering about the prices (especially Vita and 3DS)... Basically a portable gaming system has pretty much always been the weaker sibling of the home console. The Game Boy was a weaker SNES, the Game Gear a weaker Genesis, etc. So now, how is it that portable systems are actually more expensive than their console counterparts (while offering less functionality)?
i know this is the age of the smart phone (another trend i don't get), but should portability cost extra - especially when you get less for your money? It is not like these portables are such super advanced multi-function devices. i get that these companies have R&D costs to recover. However, $250 seems kind of steep.
i was kind of wondering about the prices (especially Vita and 3DS)... Basically a portable gaming system has pretty much always been the weaker sibling of the home console. The Game Boy was a weaker SNES, the Game Gear a weaker Genesis, etc. So now, how is it that portable systems are actually more expensive than their console counterparts (while offering less functionality)?
i know this is the age of the smart phone (another trend i don't get), but should portability cost extra - especially when you get less for your money? It is not like these portables are such super advanced multi-function devices. i get that these companies have R&D costs to recover. However, $250 seems kind of steep.
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