General Discussion [ Page 59 ]

The Firehose: Wolfenstein, BioShock, Fez 2 & More

Wolfenstein The New Order has been delayed till 2014. A few reasons they cite are porting it to the PS4 and XBox One and making sure everything is well polished.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/08/01/wolfenstein-the-new-order-delayed-until-2014/

BioShock Infinite sales pass 4 million. The name was seemingly revenue prophetic.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/30/bioshock-infinite-sales-pass-4-million/

Cliff Bleszinski, game designer extrodonaire recently posted on his blog to Phil Fish about cancelling Fez 2. Good to see rational arguments surface in this debate.

http://dudehugespeaks.tumblr.com/post/56805389679/dynamite-fishing-an-open-letter-to-phil-fish

PixelJunk Monsters... Read All

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

I know this has nothing to do with gaming so this will be in the back channel.

I have heard VERY mixed reviews about the new Superman reboot: The Man of Steel. I want to watch it when it comes out on video but before that wanted to revisit the old Christopher Reeve Superman films. This write up isn't about the new Man of Steel film, its about the ol' Superman films and specifically the Richard Donner cut of Superman II.

I love the old Superman films. That said, some things I once loved as a wee lad don't hold up well over time. My fear was a bit displaced as, for me, the Superman I and II held up well. The original 1978 Superman film is just as good as I remember and I... Read All I know this has nothing to do with gaming so this will be in the back channel.

I have heard VERY mixed reviews about the new Superman reboot: The Man of Steel. I want to watch it when it comes out on video but before that wanted to revisit the old Christopher Reeve Superman films. This write up isn't about the new Man of Steel film, its about the ol' Superman films and specifically the Richard Donner cut of Superman II.

I love the old Superman films. That said, some things I once loved as a wee lad don't hold up well over time. My fear was a bit displaced as, for me, the Superman I and II held up well. The original 1978 Superman film is just as good as I remember and I think I appreciate it more now. Marlon Brando as Jor-El is superb and he really creates an emotional core to the film. Christopher Reeve as Superman is a great choice as he can both pull off the nerdy Clark Kent and don the Superman outfit with ease. Reeves Superman stands on the dorky edge of Superman while retaining the dignity the character holds. Superman has awesome power but is never intimidating or threatening, he is just an unstoppable force for good and Reeve really embodies that.

I could go into detail about all the other characters, but I want to focus more on Superman II and especially a version of the film I was only recently aware of: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut. Originally, Superman and Superman II were filmed back to back by Richard Donner. Donner stopped filming about 75% of the way through Superman II to finish up Superman and get it into theaters. The original 1978 Superman was a critical success but due to Marlon Brando securing a hefty amount of the box office gross due to his contract, the studio wanted to cut him out of Superman II to save money. Richard Donner, the director of Superman was upset about this and due to this and other differences with the studio didn't return to finish Superman II. Richard Lester was brought on to finish Superman II, but due to Hollywood rules for directors, he had to shoot 51% of Superman II to be considered the films director. So Lester reshot much of the movie and what we all saw was Lesters Superman II with some Donner footage inserted. That said, the Lester Superman II was very different from what Donner originally intended.

As time moved on fans took to the internet to ask for a Donner cut of Superman II. The cut was eventually made and is a very different take on Superman II. All the campy slapstic that Lester added was removed and many scenes that Lester removed that Donner shot were added back in. After watching both films side by side I can tell you the Donner cut of Superman II is a superior film in nearly every way that matters to me.

Donner worked with Marlon Brando and intended for him to be present in both Superman films. His character was meant to help Superman along a character arc in both films and since the studio removed Brando out of Lesters Superman II, this finishing arc is missing entirely. All scenes in Lesters Superman feature other Kryptonians or Supermans Mother in place of Brando. As a child I never really thought much about it, but having Brando back in Donner's cut really solidifies both films. In fact, Brando and Reeve have a scene in Donner's Superman II that is so amazing and emotional its a shame it wasn't in the theatrical release. I don't want to spoil it, but it changes how Superman gets his powers back and is a very awesome explanation of something Lester does nothing with in his version of the film.

Donner's cut changes the entire opening to Superman II and overall the film is more foreboding and dark. A few scenes in the Donner cut were screen tests and whereas they are somewhat noticeable I prefer them to the Lester scenes. In the end Donner gave the original Superman films a sense of weight and emotion that Lester trades for humor or camp. Donner's Cut of Superman II is an entirely different film and if you are a fan of the original Reeve Superman you need to check it out.

Plus, its awesome to discover new things about movies you love.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_%28film%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_II:_The_Richard_Donner_Cut

Amazon reportedly entering the console market

http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/amazon-settop-box.png?w=640

It appears Amazon will be entering the console market, and the rumors are flying about what exactly it will be.

It looks like it will probably be powered by a Qualcomm chip that is normally used in set-top boxes and TV's. Rumors also came about recently about Amazon making its own set-top box to stream media, so this is probably all the same thing.

This, combined with rumors that Google is doing the same, the GamePop subscription-based Android console, and the already present but struggling Ouya... the market is getting a little crowded for this type of console.

Full story on TechCrunch: ... Read All

Papers.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/08/papers-please-review-paper-trail-of-tears/#p3

Played a beta of this back a couple months ago. Really entertaining low-bit aesthetic, and I dare you not to shift up and down in your chair along with the opening montage.

Give it a look.

Game Rock: Don't Buy a Console At Launch

"Back in the 90's when you bought a new system,
It was basically ready to go!
But those days are gone by, so buddy, don't be that guy
You wanna be the first in line, but I say no, no, no, no, no!
They won't have near enough games, no matter how great they seem,
It takes at least a year or two before they're runnin' full steam,
Yes it's a dirty little trick, so you gotta be staunch, kid:
Don't ever buy a console at launch,
I'm bein' serious!"

Heed the warning of this song and don't buy a console at launch! I waited to pick up my Wii and PS3 and by the time I got them most of the bugs had been ironed out and they had lots of games. I actually picked up a PS3 earlier, but they... Read All

John Carmack Joins Oculus VR As CTO

John Carmack has joined Oculus VR as its new CTO. Carmack explained on Twitter how his duties will be split from Oculus, iD and Armadillo Airspace:

"My time division is now Oculus over Id over Armadillo. Busy busy busy!"

This is great news for Oculus as they are getting an amazing CTO. As an iD fan I am not entirely sure what to make of this. On one hand, iD has a great set of tools and engines with iD tech 5 but many people have already left the company and as an iD fan, I am a bit concerned.

That said, Carmack mentioned Oculus in his recent QuakeCon Keynote and I imagine some of what he wanted to see the platform handle, they may now do. He also noted that the Oculus... Read All

Card Hunter: Beta Key Giveaway

I've been playing Card Hunter, to the exclusion of nearly all else, for about a month and a half now. It's a free-to-play, half-strategy, half-rpg kind of deal. It's a deck-and-card based game, but there's a really clever equipment-as-cards paradigm that prevents this from turning into a may-the-best-card-win kind of affair. The writing isn't exactly subtle, but if your childhood involved sitting around a table with your fellow nerdlings trying to figure out the practical difference between "ration, standard" and "ration, iron", then the game was written with you in mind.

Right now, there is a waiting list to get in on the beta, but I've got a single key to share with... Read All

John Carmack's Quakecon 2013 Keynote

Every year John Carmack gives a Quakecon keynote and I tune in. This year it streamed live over Twitch.tv and as luck would have it I watched the majority of it over 3G on my Phone. In this keynote Carmack gives no details about Doom 4(he was asked and said he couldn't say anything) and spartan details about any iD game specifics but does talk about game tech and the industry, graphics technology, the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft and Armadillo Airspace.

Damsel in Distress: Part 3 - Tropes vs Women in VG

"This is the third installment in our three part mini-series exploring the Damsel in Distress trope in video games. In this episode we examine the rare Dude in Distress role reversal and then take a look at the use of "ironic sexism" in retro inspired indie and mobile games. We conclude with an investigation of some titles that attempt to subvert or deconstruct the traditional damsel narrative."

The next installment from the Anita Sarkeesian "Tropes vs Women in Video Games" series has dropped and you can check it out embedded above. Let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

Bethesda releasing Elder Scrolls Anthology

http://zmi-cdnstatic.s3.amazonaws.com/bethblog/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/tes_anthology_compilation-1024x729.jpg

On September 10, Bethesda will get $80 from me. That's the day the Elder Scrolls Anthology releases.

This collection has all the Elder Scrolls games, from Arena to Skyrim. Sure, they released the first two for free, and I already have 3, 4, and 5 in Steam, but *look at it!*

It comes with some maps for all the various regions you'll be traveling through as well, and the packaging is begging to be on my shelf.

I'm a fanboy, yeah. :)

http://www.bethblog.com/2013/08/01/the-complete-elder-scrolls-collection-comes-to-pc-this-september/