General Discussion [ Page 59 ]

CG Roundtable Ep 2. The Internet Hate Factory

With the recent news of Phil Fish closing down development of Fez 2 and quitting gaming we focus our Roundtable on "The Internet Hate Factory." Is it ok for people to actively act against others online or should cooler heads prevail? Do people need to develop a thicker skin or should be all be more nice?

We discuss that and the games we are playing as well as a few fun bits, like Travis building an Internet Hate Site focused directly at me, jdodson.

show notes:

Phil Fish closes down Fez 2 Development:

http://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/1498

Phil Fish and Jonathan Blow talk about Japanese Video Games:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD9P2uyx6fQ

Jon Carmack Responds to a... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 08/12/2013 at 03:57am

Coming soon: jondodsonisapoopyhead.tumblr.com

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/12/2013 at 04:06am

Damn you Travis!!!!

*Shakes Fist*

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2014 at 07:43am

Wow, Travis, you mentioned Duke Nukem Forever! I agree with you, it's not all that great. I did play through it, but it didn't appeal to me as greatly as Duke Nukem 3D did. I've thought about trading in Forever, but I know I won't get much back on it.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2014 at 07:55am

LOLing @ Travis!!!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2014 at 07:58am

Thanks, guys for quoting Will Wheaton. If only the rest of the Internet could follow that one simple piece of advice.

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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

Travis Admin wrote on 08/11/2013 at 02:36am

I love that post from Cliffy B. He really hits the nail on the head.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/11/2013 at 09:05pm

Yep, he does. I even agree with him about the media part, really no one owes anyone anything. I mean, yeah id love all access to everyone but that's just not how it should work.

beansmyname Supporter wrote on 08/14/2013 at 03:39pm

Cliff's letter to Phil was a most amazing thing to read. Cliff Bleszinski is a true legend, a journeyman and extremely outspoken.

When I first read that Cliffy B had left the industry, I experienced a moment of bittersweet elation. Talented, creative geniuses like that don't do well when in corporate environments where profit is king, perception is reality and the game is just marketable product. It was much like hearing the news that Oddworld Inhabitants was closing shop and there would be no end to the Quintology right after the release of Stranger's Wrath.

Cliff's right that the designers and developers of games don't owe us anything but a quality game built with a love for the game and the gamers that will play it.

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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

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 08/08/2013 at 08:14pm

Unless you're buying a console to put up on ebay at Christmas!

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/08/2013 at 08:15pm

Hahaha, thats a great point. By the time I picked up my Wii that wasn't happening as much because if you tried a bit you could pick it up at the store.

AutoCat1000 wrote on 08/09/2013 at 11:31pm

Cute, and true!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2014 at 09:00am

I got my Wii at launch and was not at all disappointed. That said, my Wii doesn't function as perfectly now. I've come into some issues where it's had trouble reading a few games (notably Smash Bros. Brawl and the Metroid Prime series). Still, I thought it was and is a cool system, I don't regret getting it at launch. That is the only console that I can say that I got at launch. I was interested in the Wii U when I saw the E3 Nintendo Press Conference, but I haven't gotten one yet, though I expect that's the next console I'll get (and probably not until that new Zelda game comes out).

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 01/25/2014 at 04:07pm

Thee Wii at launch would have been a good buy. It was t buggy and it shipped with some great games plus the wiimote was really innovative for the time.

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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!