Back again and no one notices

Wow how long has it been. I'm guessing almost nine straight months of no posting. This blog is looking like the Capital Wasteland from Fallout 3. I admit I pretty much abandoned by beloved personal blog, but the ironic thing is that this blog got me my first writing gig. Sure I've been writing for a number of sites since I started this blog, but it all started here. I think I felt like no one was reading this and so I was basically talking to a virtual brick wall. If I learned one thing over the past several months it's that networking is king in this business. It's almost if not more important than the quality of writing itself. That being said, I'm going to try to keep this space updated. I know an earlier post said the same thing, but I'm seriously serious this time. The fun starts again in 3...2....1...

Sex and Video Games: A Brilliant Presentation

This is a video I found while reading Leigh Alexander's blog called Sexy Videogameland. This site is not what you may think it is. She's a really good videogame journalist that can actually cause many of us to think. And that's what we need in the world of game journalism if we want to be taken seriously by mainstream culture. So kudos to her.

This video talks about sex and videogames. It's really entertaining and well thought out. So if you have someone around that thinks most games are mindless, society poisoning spawns of Satan, sit them down and have them watch this video. No way a pointless medium of entertainment can create such a well thought out presentation. Enjoy!

Reaching Out

I wanted to take time out to share my thoughts on what it would take to bring a certain game up a few notches. A while ago I downloaded the demo for Folklore on PSN. I thought it was interesting how you absorb enemies and then use them against others. I really liked the art direction and the use of the sixaxis controls. They were only used to yank up the characters IDs (or their essences so to speak) or to beat them down a bit if they struggled. I knew it was a title I was interested in picking up, but I couldn't go out and buy it right away. Me being the type of gamer I am, kept buying other games because they were a cheaper than $60 and got good reviews. That logic goes out the window after you buy a couple titles, but that's beside the point.

When I finally got around to picking up Folklore, I ended up paying about $21 for it. Thanks GameStop coupon! I popped it in and prepared myself for an epic adventure unlike any I've played in a while. It's been almost 3 months later, and I haven't beat it yet. Granted GTA consumed my life like it did many others, but even after finishing GTA's main story, Folklore was next on my list of games to beat. Sad as it is saying this, I just can't find the motivation to finish it. I think I'm in the final realm, but it feels like it's lacking.

The first problem is lack of voice work. There are a few cut scenes in the game where the actors did a decent job of portraying the characters. The rest of the time we have to read through a comic strip like dialog tree. I play a lot of RPG's so reading is not a deal breaker for me. But with a story that's so full of dread and mystery like this one is, I feel that constant voice work is essential to convey emotion. This is even more important given the fact that Folklore lacks action outside the realms themselves. In the real world, you're reduced to running and talking. Sure there are quests available in game as well as on PSN, but that does little to save it.

The items you collect are only used to upgrade the creatures you capture. There are a lot of them mind you. Unless you're fully dedicated to upgrading each one, you may find yourself sticking to the same ones over and over again.

I'm not sure how it ends, so I don't know if a sequel has been set up or not. If there is though, I think a more open experience dealing with different towns and situations would be beneficial to this game. That and voice work all the time. With this generation of consoles, there's no excuse to not have this. So in conclusion, I like Folklore despite my complaints. It's highly original and has potential to make future titles. I hope for the best for both the game, and its Netherworld inhabitants.

Stop the Rock?

There's no question Konami got the ball rolling with rhythm based games. GuitarFreaks was very well received and the Dance Dance Revolution titles soaked up more quarters than anyone can imagine. We were all graced with the presence of Guitar Hero on our home consoles, which ultimately became the "it" game for social gatherings. Nintendo has its claws embedded deep into the casual games market, but there is something about playing music on fake instruments that everyone seems to love. With each new Guitar Hero sequel, the songs got better, the gameplay options increased, and the fun factor was pushed to eleven. Somewhere along the lines, the companies responsible for Guitar Hero had a falling out. As a result, Harmonix went off to form Rock Band, and RedOctane continued with the Guitar Hero franchise. Thus the rivalry began that may claim the consumers as victims.

With each leap in technology, older things become obsolete. We no longer play Guitar Hero with wired controllers. Wireless is now, and the games will support that no matter what. The issue here is the number of plastic instruments we have to buy in order to enjoy the game. When Rock Band was released, everyone was excited about being able to play drums. The drums is what really made Rock Band a formidable opponent. Guitar Hero has the best guitar gameplay, and the best feeling guitar controller. Therefore to get the different highs each game has to offer, you must purchase both. The drums were not sold separately from the beginning, but the real tragedy is the lack of cross compatibility with the guitars. If you own both games, you would have shelled out $100 for Guitar Hero 3 and $170 for Rock Band. On top of that comes the possibility of extra controllers and downloadable content. For a one time deal, one could probably overlook this, but it doesn't stop here.

Recently Guitar Hero World Tour was announced to the public. In order to keep up with Rock Band, Guitar Hero has implemented a mic, drums, and new state of the art guitars. As of right now, I'm not sure if the new guitars will be so different they won't be compatible with Guitar Hero 3. If not, then where will those poor plastic peripherals go? It's hard to believe anyone will go back to the previous iteration when the new one has so much more to offer. The drums are different from Rock Band's kit as well. World Tour features two cymbals that float overhead. It's also completely wireless. It goes without saying you can't use these drums with Rock Band or vice versa. What about DLC? Can we still play the songs we payed for on Guitar Hero 3 on World Tour?

Rock Band hasn't released information regarding a sequel yet. Chances are they are watching the competition closely in order 1up them. If their instruments are entirely different this time, it means more money for more plastic, with the old ones finding a new home in the closet. I fear the market could become oversaturated with fake instruments and high prices. It's rumored that Guitar Hero World Tour will cost $199 for the complete bundle. The Rock Band sequel can't be too much more than that. How much is enough? The fun factor of these games in unquestionably high, but someone needs to make sure the public won't have to spend close to $300 every year just to play these games. This is where third party peripheral makers can really shine. If not, the tour may come to an end.

Quite a Haze Indeed

I like to fancy myself as being a hardcore gamer. Anyone who knows me also knows I love the PlayStation. Ever since the PS1, I've been on the Sony bandwagon. That's not to say all other systems suck. I'm not a fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. I guess it's more of a sentimental thing that I've come to have with the Sony brand. Whenever there's a new game coming over the horizon for the PS3, I usually know a little something about it. We've gotten so much information about Littlebigplanet, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, Motorstorm 2, and MGS 4 it's hard to ignore. The one thing I've always been puzzled about, is the supposed hype for the newly release FPS game Haze.

Haze apparently was supposed to be this monumental PS3 title that was going to blow everyone away. It was delayed more than once because it had to be absolutely perfect before release. Oddly enough, I really didn't hear too much about the game unless it was being delayed. I read a lot of gaming blogs, sites, and press releases several times day, and no one was talking about Haze in detail. If they were, it was one of those stories that was pushed to the bottom of the page so fast, you didn't get chance to read about it. Even so, there are other ways to get the hype machine moving.

To me it seemed like the guys who were in charge in getting the word out about Haze were sitting in a room going,"Man this game is going to be great. It's going to be one of the break out titles for us in the Spring. Let's see what are we forgetting about... Oh crap, promotions!" I never saw a single commercial for this game. Now I understand that not every game gets a tv spot, but this is a PS3 exclusive title. One that was supposed to be great. I saw that TimeShift commercial dozens of times, and that game was just kind of mediocre (yeah I bought it on sale).

What happened? Now it's getting not so hot scores from every major outlet. I just don't know. If there was a case of someone dropping the ball, this is it. Ok, that was a rant I know. I'll try not to do that anymore in the future. I'll stick to a more professional line of delivery from now on. But hey, we all have to vent some way right?

Long Time Coming

Okay, so I know I haven't been writing on this blog like I should have. I kind of stopped once I was offered the chance to write for thatvideogameblog.com which ironically I found on the Videogames Journos site I wrote about in the last post. That being said, I will be more timely in updating my own personal blog. There are many things I want to say about the world of videogames that are more appropriate for my site since it's more opinionated than straight up game journalism. This of course can range from those people who make people wait before they signal their readiness in GTA 4 multiplayer, to the fact that I want a Wii so darn bad, I've dreamt about it. So from now on I strive to write at least one post a day. Even if it's not the five page equivalent to a MS Word document. Enough with the apologies and self reassurance of the relevence of my blog. Lets get right down to it.

Want A Job in Video Game Journalism?

It's not easy getting your foot into the door that leads to the realm of video game journalism. If you're like me, you are looking for a way into the business. I wish I could give pages of helpful advice, but all I can say is that networking is very important. I want to share a site that I recently stumbled upon that allows gamers that are in the business, or aspiring to be, to let their voices be heard. It's called Videogames Journos Network. It's a social networking site where intellectual people meet to discuss gaming. So if you're tired of reading potentially insightful forum topics that get derailed by childish banter, check out this site. A lot of people from the business are members, and I'm sure a dedicated writer will be a very welcome addition to the site.