Is the DLC Backlash A Permanent Thing, Or Just More Whining From The Back Seat?

I’m getting a chuckle from all these complaints about paid DLC on day one of a game release as well as other bile-packed grumblings from folks who don’t like the “deal” that’s been forced on gamers during this console cycle in regards to digital content. I’ve been saying for years that even though the concept of additional content for a console game is a fantastic idea, you can’t MAKE people buy that content if they don’t have access to a broadband connection and you refuse to get it to them ON a disc (even in a re-release down the road). Sure, the amount of gamers with high speed connections has increased greatly over the past decade, but not everyone is able to make the move thanks to numerous factors. Game companies have been rushing too fast into digital without making sure they’re taking as many of the less fortunate consumers along with them.

Even worse, day one DLC hits this crowd the hardest, as even if they wanted to PAY for it (which would be good for both the publisher and developer bottom lines), they’re needlessly shut out unless someone decides to put out a Game of the Year or other retail version (way after the game’s release window has shut) that allows access to all that content they’ve missed out on. As for the whys of day one DLC, some of you complainers aren’t paying much attention to industry news, so let me defend the practice a little bit before poking a few holes in the ego balloon I’ve blown up…

Continue reading

Belated Valentine’s Day Game Greetings (Because I’m Lazy Like That)

 

Well, OK. I’m not really THAT lazy, but I do have an overactive spam filter that occasionally eats stuff it shouldn’t. Hmm…. maybe I’ll start a trend here by publishing late holiday cards at random just for fun. Besides, if you’re happy and in loooove with whomever, every day should be Valentines Day is some way, shape or form. So I guess you can consider these cards a friendly reminder you need to remember every now and then. Er, except if you actually kiss like Grimlock. Then, you’d probably end up putting your sweetie in the hospital because you keep chomping his or her face off (ouch!)

SSX Gallery Mini-Update: The Only Snow Some Of You Will See All Year. Yikes.

So far, “winter” here and in a few other places has been a complete bust, but thankfully, EA is on the case with way TOO much snow and a bunch of fearless boarders you’ll soon get to play around with. Inside, where it’s warm, at that. I’ve played a few chunks of the game at press events since last year and at the Spotlight EA event earlier this month, this slick reboot was looking amazing and is definitely headed to fans as a fantastic addition to the hugely popular franchise.  Run out and grab it, I say, but If there’s still no snow on the ground by the time the game reaches a retailer near you (it’ll be in stores on February 28 for the PS3 and Xbox 360), just keep a few windows open in the house so you can at least catch an ice cold breeze while you’re playing.

Note: Diving face first into a big plastic bucket of ice cubes to simulate falling in the digital snow isn’t at all recommended. But, hey… it’s your living room (and your face).

DAF Branch Office Report…

Yes, I’ll get to posting some more Toy Fair 2012 impressions later today and the rest of the week. I met some really cool folks there and saw some really super stuff, however.. I’m about to keel over from not enough sleep. Anyway,  here’s a quickie MS Paint tree sketch while you’re waiting. Stare at it and maybe it will grow a bit while you’re waiting. If it DOES grow, you just let me know, OK? I’ll be the one sleeping like a log over in the corner. If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, it’ll probably snore loudly… Zzzzzzzzz…

Toy Fair 2012 Update: He Who Has The Most FUN Stuff, Wins…

So, day one of the really big show is down for the count (and so am I after all that walking, oof). I saw a LOT of really cool stuff today that I’ll get around to writing about later this week. Here are some fun facts for you in the meantime to pore over (all of which and more will be covered in detail in the days to come):

. Star Wars FINALLY gets its own Scene-it game! Enough said – get your money ready.

. Little Bits. Remember that name, particularly if you’re into making stuff with assorted electronic components. Just passing by the booth made me think of a few dozen things I wanted to attempt to make…

. Also, remember  Mungi Bands. They’re not out just yet, but expect every pre-teen and teen to be hooked on these fun magnetic bracelets from a new North Carolina company. ..

. Board games, card and dice games are NOT dead. Sure they’re coming to iOS and Android platforms, but if you’re looking for a good old box full of excitement that you can play with people sitting around a table, there are an amazing number of options. That said, some of the popular board games getting a tech boost are pretty awesome…

. Speaking of board and card games, I got my biggest laugh of the day playing stuff at the Techno Source booth. Let’s just say that only a dog can beat a dragon in the Where’s Waldo universe…

. Don’t spend too much money on an iPad for your kid, as there’s another device coming that allows far better parental controls for MULTIPLE kids if your have them…

. If you’re in a state where toy guns are still legal (and you don’t have cops trained to go ballistic when they see kids having FUN), you can still buy some of the best quality six-shooters, rifles and other gear you’ll ever see and touch from a 76-year old company based out of Savannah, Tennessee…

. 3D as a fad isn’t dead jut yet. In fact, pretty much every one of those cardboard glasses you’ll find at public events all over the globe at everything from movies, to concerts to fireworks shows and even packed into DVD’s and games, all come from one company (which just so happens to also be from Tennessee)…

. There are Edible Bubbles that you can blow and eat. Like the soap bubbles you played with as a kid. But edible. And rum flavored, too. Yikes (but they ARE tasty!)…

More to come later – off to catch The Walking Dead

Double Fine Breaks Kickstarter Record, Gamers Get Even More Wild Ideas…

Wow. I figured Tim Schafer and the team at Double Fine Studios would come out ahead in the end with their awesome Kickstarter project, but this is ridiculous (in the best possible way). With 32 still days left toward what was initially a $400,000 goal, they’ve broken $1 MILLION DOLLARS (actually, they’re getting close to 1.2 million as I write this) with no end in sight to the love (and money) being offered up by the gamers out there. Of course, this wild success has led to a ton of message board activity about getting game publishers large and small such as Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Capcom, Xseed, Akysys and many (many) others to start using Kickstarter to fund all sorts of canceled projects from Shenmue 3 to Starcraft: Ghost to collections of out of production RPGs to new IP that was never released anywhere but Japan.

Unfortunately, for those folks rubbing their hands together over the thought of playing that unreleased game of their dreams, all that wishful thinking isn’t going to do much good. The process of getting a game made, particularly something out of production or a new IP that involves a lot more than a small to  medium-sized dev team isn’t exactly as simple matter of setting up a Kickstarter page, getting the word out and raking in the cash.  Check out this really interesting post on Wired that goes into some nice detail on just what things need to be aligned in order for the process to happen. Hey, even I thought it would be a simple thing too, but a nice reality check helps in slapping the delusions away…

Hey, Kill Screen? Shouldn’t Your NYC-Themed Game Party Actually BE In NYC?

I’m just sayin’…

OK, OK… I’m sure it’ll be a total blast at this year’s GDC, but really, now. Anyway, I’ll be nice and post the rest of the invite below the jump so people won’t think I’m being a jerk. Have a great event, but don’t have more fun that you would here in NYC. That would be rude.

Continue reading

Torchlight II Website Relaunched (Diablo III Feels A Slight Chill)…

Nice new look? Check! Awesome new screens and wallpapers? Check! Updates about some pretty cool happenings in the busy community? Check! All I need now is a copy of the game and I’m all set to not be heard from for a while as I delve into those dungeons. Hopefully, we’ll see a console release at some point as well, as a ton of gamers got to play the first game when it appeared on consoles and got hooked in. I still go back to the first game from time to time, but I need to set an alarm so I can be jolted into getting away from those dungeons. After an hour or so, it’s impossible to stop playing!

Why is I Am Alive NOT On A Retail Disc?*

*Or: Hey, Ubisoft, Here’s How To Market A Game To EVERYONE Who Wants To Play It…

Sure, I Am Alive looks amazing and yes, the idea of a realistic survival adventure set in a destroyed city has garnered tons of praise everywhere anyone has seen or played it. But Ubisoft is doing themselves no favors by only releasing this on Xbox Live Arcade in March and perhaps later on PSN,… oops SEN (sorry, Sony! Give me another week or so to get used to that change). Memo from the front: despite your current successful digital business model, there are STILL a large amount of gamers who can’t get that content dying for something different that’s NOT another FPS, zombie game, franchise update or yes, I’ll say it, ANOTHER damn digital-ONLY release that should have been disc-based.

Continue reading

Battleship Super Bowl TV Ad: What. The. Hell?

Yeah, it’s real (with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and official movie site pages up and running) and yes, I couldn’t stop laughing despite the dead serious action vibe in the trailer posted above. Yikes. Is Hollywood REALLY that short on ideas that they’re going BACK to making movies based on board games? Can I get a Clue, anyone? OK, Clue was kind of amusing in a way, but still… yeesh. If this film makes money, well then dear reader, Milton Bradley/Hasbro has a ton of dusty old games on the top shelf of the hall closer to pick through for “new” film projects. Personally, I’d love to see Operation or Hungry Hungry Hippos turned into modern horror flicks a la SAW or some other icky torture porn, if we’re going to go all the way with the baffling ideas taken to illogical extremes.

Feh, I guess anyone under 25 was all psyched that this slick new action flick is shooting into theaters this May. As for yours truly and probably anyone else of a certain vintage that remembers the game and those goofy commercials (“You sunk my battleship!” )… we’ll pass on spending money for a ticket, but we WILL be sure to get a little drunk one night and catch this when it hits cable sometime early next year (if not sooner)…