The design and business of gaming from the perspective of an experienced developer
Kotaku reports that this is the day of Madden for the past two years. This year, they’re waiting until the 22nd of August, but it may be that yesterday, August the 8th, ends up being an even more significant day for Madden.
Cut back about a decade. Continue reading
My officemate recommends The Ship, a simple game built using the Source engine. It’s effectively K.A.O.S (Killing As an Organized Sport) in a computer game, with a 1920’s cruise liner feel to it.
I haven’t played it yet, but I’ll try to sometime this week.
A Friend of Zen sent me this little timewaster: Dice Wars.
Not too long after the announcement that Shadowbane will survive in a new form comes word that another Ubi.com title, Uru Live, will be making a comeback, finally seeing the light of day as a GameTap downloadable product. (Another link). Continue reading
I get press releases from time to time. Normally, I don’t put them up, as I’m not really in the news business, but this one struck me as a particularly bad idea. Here’s the link from Roma Victor. Continue reading
Here are two examples of videogames that carry a message, and use the interactivity of the games to make their points.
The first is the McDonald’s game (all you need to know is that I’m shocked that McDonalds the Hamburger Guys haven’t shut it down yet). Brian helpfully reminded me of this link.
The second is September the 12th (which I’ve posted before), a profound statement about the ultimate futility of waging the war on terror with scud missiles.
Whether or not you agree with the points the makers of these games are trying to make, there’s little doubt that the game makers are trying to say something here, and that message is aided a great deal by the lens of interactivity.
The fiancee pointed this out to me, although I’ve been sitting on this one for a while…
Naughty America the Game is, pretty much exactly what you’d expect – an online, sexually charged virtual world that the designers hope will become a meat market for real-life dating. But how to deal with the fact that the guy that you’re talking to might be a serial killer? Continue reading
They sure don’t make games like they used to: Slashdot links to a site that has found a long lost Penn and Teller game. (Something Awful also has info, including screenshots)
“The most infamous part was ‘Desert Bus,’ a ‘VeriSimulator’ in which you drive a bus across the straight Nevada desert for eight hours in real-time. Then you drive it home. Also, I’d read the bus veers to the right, so you can’t just leave the joypad propped up. The rumor was that if you won the game, you got one point. I’d assumed for years that the entire thing was a hoax, but last September, Frank Cifaldi (founder of Lost Levels) received a backup CD-ROM made by a fellow videogame writer of a review copy he’d received a decade earlier.
And you thought grinding for exp was bad!
Intelligent Artifice points out the best Breakout clone ever – due to the game’s heavy use of physics to create a Breakout experience like you’ve never seen. The movie is well worth watching, just for a notion of how a simple twist can completely transform a 20 year old idea.
The fiancee insisted that I point out that the powers that be at E3 have decided to cut down on the rampant nudity and other assorted naughtiness on the show floor.
I’m of two minds on this. I’m not adverse to a little skin and a little showmanship to hawk games. To be honest, I’m glad when Lara Croft signs photos – those 400 chuckleheads waiting in line are 400 idiots I don’t have to compete with in the line for something with, say, gameplay. And yes, ladies, I favor equal time in the form of Duke Nukem and the Prince of Persia in whatever state of undress works for you. Continue reading
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