Mashing buttons since 1984
I receive numerous hits a day looking for translations for the Spanish phrases in Resident Evil 4. Over time, people have commented on phrases I miss, so I’ve been updating that page as they come across.
I think it’s great that eight months after it was released, this game is still getting heavy play. I’ve said it before, I think RE 4 is the Game of the Year for 2005.
It’s that time again — Carnival time. The Carnival of Gamers #6 will be setting up camp over at AFK Gamer. This month’s ringleader is the illustrious Foton, one of my favorite bloggers. You can hit up the Carnival link up above if you’ve got questions about the Carnival. If you’ve got something you want to submit, you can do so by sending an email to carniegrue@gmail.com. I look forward to what Foton has in store for this Carnival.
I’ve updated the Carnival HQ page, but if you’re interested in more information about blog Carnivals, this is a good place to start.
This interview with J Allard of the Microsoft 360 Hype Machine is making its rounds through the gaming sites and blogs (yeah, there’s quite a few comments on Major Nelson’s site). I read it with a big cube of salt, so not much really surprised me, except this little nugget:
J Allard (Expert):
Q: Why even offer the core package, its seems quite useless
A: great question! the thing to remember that while we designed a no compromises game system, a huge percentage of our customers are not like the folks in this chat room. recognize that more than 75% of the folks on xbox have not played halo. by introducing the core system we are sending a signal to the market that we are committed to this part of the market just like with the xbox 360 premium bundle that we are committed to you.
I call Bull-oney on that one. 75% have not played Halo? That just does not sound right. Perhaps that’s not including Halo 2. If Halo and Halo 2 are considered, it has to be close to 50% — Bungie has sold over 11 million copies of Halo and Halo 2. With 20 million Xboxes, you do the math. So it may be semantics, but a lot of people have played Halo. 25% my foot.
There’s more marketing double-speak and the the like, but I’ll let you read the poorly formatted chat. Still, like I said, it’s making it’s rounds in the gaming blogsphere. Here’s a smattering:
Major Ynos’ Mark Creig lived blogged it, cutting through the crap. He gives it to ya straight. (I’d avoid the comments there, they may cause spontaneous combustion)
Joystiq as usual provides great coverage, also highlighting the fact that Allard answered a lot of the questions with “We want to hear what the gamers think”. This could be call for input that will be given thoughtful consideration of it could be desperation. Maybe they don’t know what the heck they’re doing and they need some help.
Kotaku mentions the interview in passing (thinking the same I did – why did they hold this on Sunday?) along with the results from his poll.
Evil Avatar, often accused of Xbox bias (which I no longer agree with) had a pretty lively conversation about the chat as well.
The life of a Nintendo fan is rough. I didn’t mention the recent news that The Twilight Princess had been delayed until next year mostly because I was saddened by it and I grow tired of being set up by Nintendo, only to be let down. I love the big N as much as anyone, but like Tom says, it is going to be a long winter. There are still games to be played but, to be honest, all I was really looking forward to was getting down with some Zelda. It isn’t easy being a Nintendo Fanboy.
Looks like Resident Evil 4 will be the Game of the Year for 2005.
Behold, the soothing power of video games.
If you’re ever feeling a bit spread thin, remember: Playing Nintendo may be just what you need.
There was a lot of hub-bub over at Evil Avatar today when word of Xbox 360 pricing hit the net. Over four hundred comments that span 3 different topics was pretty impressive. A lot of people were proclaiming the downfall of the 360 and bemoaning the fact that there were two different Xbox 360 setups. 300 bucks for the barebones system and 400 for the deluxe model. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
I personally didn’t think much of the announcement. My next generation plans are to wait for the price drop of the 360 (rumored to occur when the PS3 hits the market). I’ll probably pick up a Revolution at launch but I definitely will be waiting on the 360. Especially if there will be another model that sports a HD DVD drive.
I agree with most of the EA posters. I really do think Microsoft is fracturing their audience and playing fast and loose with people’s expectations. Not being straightforward about their plans for a HD DVD drive (or Blu-Ray, as if that were gonna happen) is another big mistake. And the prices on the peripherals? Sheesh, if the Revolution sports wi-fi out of the box and Microsoft wants to charge me 100$ for a wi-fi adapter? Goodnight! It will definitely be Revolution and PS3 for teh win.
A lot of things still have to happen before any of this is set in stone, but the path Microsoft has chosen definitely looks iffy at the moment. Things just got a lot more interesting.
I want to stop posting about this guy, I do. I just can’t help myself. This will bring a smile to your face.
Newsflash – Jack Thompson wants to ban AIM Icons!
You see, this AIM buddy icon was posted over at BadassBuddy, a Bolt.com affiliate site. Jack decided this was a death threat and freaked out. That’s correct – an AIM buddy icon. Jack is apparently terrified of buddies.
MattG at Press the Buttons talks about the emotional responses that video games can evoke. In particular, can a game make you cry? It’s a great piece that is a great read. Check it out.
Myself, I’ve never experienced such a response. I’ve been caught up before in the beauty of games (Wind Waker and Metroid Prime come to mind) but never had the cry response.
Maybe I’m too calloused.
Update: Troy also referred to this question. His story reminded me a game of Age of Kings I was playing back in the day. I was playing as The Turks and was playing against a host of computer enemies. I had fortified my position with a host of bombard towers supported by a bunch of Janissary. One of the remaining enemies was The Vikings. He sent a steady stream of Berserkers into my “Gauntlet of Bombard Tower Death.” I laughed as unit after unit was trashed by 8 inch iron cannon balls. My wife came in to see what was so funny and I explained it to her. She said I was “mean” and that she “felt sorry” for the poor, helpless Vikings. I felt nothing and she felt bad that berserker after berserker lost his life. “Maybe that one had a wife and kids. You’re a heartless killer,” she told me.
Yeah, but I’m racking up the kills, babe!
So again, I guess I’m too calloused to have those reactins.
This NY Times article is the latest in a long line of both EA bashing and bemoaning of sequelitis that is rampant among major video game publishers. This passage is getting the most attention:
By year’s end, Electronic Arts plans to release 26 new games, all but one of them a sequel, including the 16th version of N.H.L. Hockey, the 11th of the racing game Need for Speed and the 13th of the P.G.A. Tour golf game. The company also relies heavily on creating games based on movies like the James Bond and Lord of the Rings series, rather than developing original brands.
The article focuses on the cash cows that are EA sports games. The father of a gamer planning to buy Madden 2006 had it right when he said, “If it wasn’t for free agency, Electronic Arts wouldn’t be doing so well.” Very astute. Sports games do lend themselves to sequels but it’s easy to complain about sequels to other games. But why are we picking on EA for doing exactly what Japanese developers do just as blatantly. We have like, what, 83 different Final Fantasy games? Aren’t there like 27 Dragon Warriors? No one seems to care when those games get a “roster update.” But that’s not my point.
The article got me thinking about sequels. What would happen if sequels weren’t so successful? What would we have missed out on? The first game that came to mind was Super Mario Brothers. The first one is undoubtedly the quintessential video game. A million Marios followed. Super Mario Brothers 2, on the otherhand, wasn’t as great as its predecessor. So what if Nintendo decided it didn’t want to continue with sequels of SMB? We’d never had the pleasure of playing my favorite Super Mario game, Super Mario Brothers 3. And let’s not forget Super Mario World, Mario 64 and a host of other excellent Mario games.
There have been plenty of other sequels that were heads and shoulders above the games to which they are sequels – Diablo 2, Warcraft 2 (did anyone even play the first WC? I did for about ten minutes), Age of Kings (Age of Empires 2), Halo 2 (which I’m sure some would disagree with), and many others. Sequels can be a good thing! A very good thing!
Of course, as gamers, we’d like to see developers augment their library with sequels, not depend on them. New franchises like Pikmin, Viewtiful Joe, and Katamari Damacy would never have seen the light of day if sequels really ruled the roost. While it is apparent that sequels are where the “sure” money is, games like Viewtiful Joe can be a pleasant (and profitable) surprise.
So let’s not be quick to dismiss a sequel. They are an integral part of the video game spectrum. Don’t forget, too, that sequals can tank. There’s probably just as many bad sequels as there are good ones. But that’s another topic for another day.
As an exercise for the reader, what other games would have made you sad if there never was a “2” or “II” after their name?
Update: There’s a rather lively discussion over at Slashdot about this exact topic. I didn’t read all the comments, but this one caught my eye:
