Written by Andrew Allen Friday, 03 September 2010 20:02

Valve was kind enough to fire me off some co-op photos of "Portal 2" from PAX. As per my conversations with Valve at E3, "Portal 2" will incorporate a co-op mode where two players assume the roles of robots armed with portal guns. This will be a completely separate campaign from the single player mode, and they promise it will be much more challenging in order to correct for the increase in portal potential. Sounds awesome, as always. I don't mean to give Valve free press or anything, but these kids are unstoppable.

 

Written by Andrew Allen Wednesday, 01 September 2010 13:27

Someone had to think of it eventually. Someone had to look at demos—one of the purest, most noble inventions of the past console generation—and figure out a way to milk for some extra change. Along comes "Dead Rising: Subject Zero," the first, I'm sure, in a radical new wave of demos you actually pay for. I hope you enjoyed your free demos, because I don't know how much longer they'll be around.

They call it a "prequel," but about the only thing that separates this thing from a large-form demo (which do exist) is the ability to earn Achievements. Yipee. I seriously hope you are neck and neck with your arch rival's Gamerscore, because that's about the only circumstance in which you should get excited for, and then pay to acquire, a few dozen gamer points.

Honestly, it's not even the thing itself I mind, it's the precedent. This is clearly their replacement for the demo, but that formula didn't need replacing. You play the game, you like the game, you buy the game. In theory, if even half of the press release crap these folks put out is true, they should be thrilled to let you get your hands on their product. Unless, of course, your game is no good and you know that people playing it will not do you any favors. Now I'm not saying "Dead Rising" is a bad series, far from it, but I do think Capcom has some really terrible software coming out down the road, and they're looking to pave themselves a road over rocky terrain. Studies show that people value things they pay for more than things they get for free, and it could be argued that dropping some coin for a demo will actually make people more inclined to approve of it. They're testing the waters, Dear Reader, and I don't like it one bit.

I'm also sensitive about the issue because I'm such a devout fan of the demo process, no matter what anyone says. A well-engineered demo has led me to purchase many games I otherwise would have completely ignored, including but not limited to: "Saint's Row," "Halo Wars," "Prey," "Limbo," "Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light," "Grid," "Split/Second," and many others. Tell me you don't know people who bought games because of the demo, games they never would have gotten otherwise. It just works, Dear Reader. It's one of those crazy anomalies that's actually good for people on both sides of the game cycle: gamers love to try stuff out before they buy, and developers win a whole hoard of new fans that their ad campaign missed. It's a win-win, no matter what Cliffy B says.

So I'm watching you, Capcom. I'm watching this "prequel" shenanigans you're trying out on us. I better not see "400 MS Points" start popping up next to the download option, or I'm coming to find you in Japan. You can't hide from me.

Written by Mecha Tuesday, 31 August 2010 23:32

Written by Mecha Friday, 27 August 2010 17:32

Join Break, Jen, Dustin, and Zukin as they discuss the week's latest news and events.

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Written by Andrew Allen Friday, 27 August 2010 15:16

The first reviews are coming in for "Metroid: Other M," and so far they're looking a bit more modest than the franchise is accustomed to. I have to admit, I saw this coming. I played the game at E3 for a good twenty minutes, and my experience left me with some very serious questions about the finished product. Here's a few of the reasons I was worried from that initial playthrough, all of which you can find listed in the "Versus" piece I did on Tuesday:

-First Person Perspective. Pointing at the screen to go to FPS mode was not only buggy, it didn't even feel good when it actually worked. Control mapping is about satisfaction, every button press needs to feel satisfying, and wagging the nunchuck at the sensor bar has a hollowness that causes real problems.

-Story. An emphasis on story from Team Ninja is like Sylvester Stallone writing a book on linguistics.

-Gameplay. I distinctly remember being disappointed by the combat, especially outside of the boss fights. Auto-aim is a necessity for this title (at least as it is), but at the same time, it completely robs "Other M" of any satisfaction in winning a battle. You point and shoot, but it doesn't really feel like your victory. You know the great combat systems from the mediocre ones within two seconds, and "Other M" is mediocre. I can't believe that's true, given that this is Team Ninja at the helm, but that's the way it felt to me.

Still, I'd like to give the game a try. I am hearing surprisingly positive things about the story, which is a nice change of pace, and some of the gameplay footage leads me to believe that there's still potential for this to be a solid entry in the series. What can't be disputed, I'm afraid, is that "Other M" is the end of the "Metroid" hot streak. It's the first one that isn't a stunning success. Probably far from a disappointment, true, but it sounds like Team Ninja needs to sequel this thing, rethink their strategy, and attack it again.

Written by Mecha Wednesday, 25 August 2010 11:43

Game Savers 4? I think so! Break visits his home town of Lawrence. Zukin returns from the original game savers to discuss the week's gaming news and share his opinions with the staff.

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