General Discussion [ Page 96 ]

Next Gen Console Rumors Are Depressing. Seriously, they

Next Gen Console Rumors Are Depressing.

Seriously, they are.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/04/02/codename-orbis-sony-playstation-4-gets-working-title-and-other-rumors/

"The bad news is that the PS4 will not be able to play PS3 games, so users might want to consider selling their games, or trading them in."

and this gem:

"Rumors are circulating that the next generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles will also block people from being able to play used games.

Some news isn't too bad, like the Playstation 4 releasing before the "NextBox 720":

http://m.ign.com/articles/1222124

Nintendo has mentioned what the Wii U will be backwards compatible with Wii games and Wii... Read All

Tungsten wrote on 04/03/2012 at 10:50am

I'm sorry, I can't get on board with the Wii-U. The touch screen controller looks like it was designed in 1998, and the graphics don't look all that "next-gen". Oh, and it's reportedly spendy too. We'll see I guess.

You know how you combat used games? Cheap games. Arcade and PSN games are the future. $5 here and there, and you're set. No one is trading in a $5 game. These games are impulse buys. I've bought probably 15 games on a whim.

I've spent as much or more money on Humble Bundles over the last year than I have AAA titles.

Look at TF2. It's free to play, but it costs $10 to buy a hat for your character. It's not even functional in game. You know what? People pay it, because it's an impulse level purchase. I would love to see more of this stuff, because its fun.

You just have to convince the major pubs not to abuse this. Can you imagine spending $60 on COD6, and then you have to spend another $5 each level? EA would do it.

I'm on record as loving Steam, so I'm not going to complain about a similar setup for XBOX and PS4, as long as it's free. LIVE: dump your subscription fees and I'll let you stop me from playing used games. Or at least bundle the subscription with a free game. I let my LIVE account lapse last month because I've been on Steam for the last year.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/03/2012 at 09:48pm

Wii U: Well see. I have no plans to get one.

I agree one way to combat used is to sell games more cheaply. Digital allows for this. Problem is, if you lock in the purchase to the hardware you bought it on ONLY you have a problem. Steam allows your games to move to your new hardware, this is nice.

And for the record, I was initially hostile to Steam and have warmed up to it a lot lately. I think the service it offers is really really great. I compare console digital offerings to it because I consider Steam to be best of breed alongside GoG.

Tungsten wrote on 04/03/2012 at 10:02pm

You're right about the hardware thing. If I have to buy symphony of the night again for the xbox 720 I'm going to
revolt.

With mobile gaming, I'm becoming less and less invested in consoles. I was hoping that kinect might be the hook to draw me back on, but it's starting to look half baked and under utilized.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/03/2012 at 10:25pm

Mobile has the potential to change the way I play games but it hasn't really arrived for me yet.

It has some great games, but nothing has come close to sitting down to play Borderlands on my console VS nearly anything on my phone. Then again, Sword and Sworcery got close.

Tungsten wrote on 04/04/2012 at 12:00am

I like a good puzzle game, and those are pretty doable. Action games, you're right, I can't quite see those really working on mobile. What do I know though: I thought the iPhone was a fad that would die after a year or two and everyone would go back to hardware keyboards.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/04/2012 at 02:40am

I don't think smartphones are a fad at anymore. What I do think is that right now I can't really play a game as immersive as a PC or console game on mobile. Two games have come really damn close though:

Sword and Sworcery & Plants VS Zombies. I guess with Plants VS Zombies it was better than the PC experience I had, so yeah perhaps that game transcended the mobile experiences ive had thus far.

Tungsten wrote on 04/04/2012 at 10:32am

I played Canabalt for about an hour on my phone yesterday. All you do is jump. No, it's not the immersion you get from a big title, but it still drew me in.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 04/04/2012 at 06:24pm

No used games? Forget that. I will not buy a new system that won't play used games. The PS1, PS2, and Xbox I all bought because they had an expansive used game selection. Instead of buying 1 50 dollar game for my new system I was able to buy 4-5 used games. And of course from that point on I purchased many new and used games for all those systems. :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 04/05/2012 at 01:16am

I agree. If a console has a feature where you can buy a PHYSICAL product to place in, because of the closed nature of consoles they shouldn't be bound to the hardware. If consoles want to avoid used games, make older games cheaper. Already you can download full games on the PS3 but the price is a little steep for a game thats been out as long as they have been.

Like Civilization Revolution, that should only be like $10 digital.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 04/05/2012 at 04:41pm

I think part of the problem is publishers feel they need to combat used game sales and they view someone who buys a used game as a pirate instead of a customer. Really they need to compete with used games and reward customers who buy new, but realize that people who buy used are still valuable customers. This is where DLC can shine, because companies can package fun rewards, like vanity items, in game rewards, or even additional playable characters to reward people who buy the game new. Instead companies are using DLC to lock out used games from playing on-line, or using "day one" DLC to charge people extra for something that should have shipped with the game.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 04/05/2012 at 04:45pm

And making older games cheaper is a great idea. There are several PS1 games on PSN I would like to buy, but not for what they're charging. :\

Tungsten wrote on 04/05/2012 at 09:28pm

@notch I think said it best: people who pirate or buy used are fans, not criminals. The publishers need to find a way to profit from that fandom, not punish it.

Tungsten wrote on 04/05/2012 at 09:31pm

http://www.gamezone.com/products/street-fighter-x-tekken/news/capcom-defends-on-disc-dlc-for-street-fighter-x-tekken

Great example of lazy dlc.

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Google Maps 8-Bit! This is both hilarious and rad. (Blow

Google Maps 8-Bit! This is both hilarious and rad. (Blow on the cartridge!)

Even though I have never played this game, I am waiting for

Even though I have never played this game, I am waiting for my mom to let me get it. I have heard a little from my brother, friends, and other family. I am looking forward to playing this game. I am not so sure that I know what it is all about, will you help me discover what happens in the game? all I know is that you have to dig a hole and cover your self by the first night or these creeper guys come and kill you, is that true?

Wondered a bit how everyones game habits have changed over

Wondered a bit how everyone's game habits have changed over time. Lately ive noticed that time is harder to come by so my game habits have migrated quite a bit to mobile games.

Just a few years ago I could spend a few hours here and there playing any ol game. Weekends were pretty lean, so I easily delved into Fallout 3, Halflife 2 and every expansion. I played through many other games as well and some weekends I could knock out 6 hours or more. Finding that lately having that kind of game time has evaporated due to being busy with this or that.

I told myself that I wouldn't sink money into iPhone games. I just don't generally find them more fun than console or PC games.... Read All

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/27/2012 at 05:42pm

Off topic: Cool, I see the general discussion thing is up now! Awesome :D

Back to topic: My gaming habits have changed pretty drastically. Back in high school it was pretty common that my friends and I would spend entire weekends playing games. Now with work, school, and kids I don't really get to play games as much as I would like. Plus I can't really play a game like Fallout in front of my 3 year old, so I have to wait until they go to bed before I can play a lot of games.

Because my time is pretty limited I've noticed I mostly play games I can pick up and put down very easily. Anything on my PSP (especially now that I hacked it to play PS1 games :) ) is great because I can suspend my game anytime.

The types of games I play also has shifted. As far as any new games go, I find I get more enjoyment out of smaller games that won't take me several months to complete. I love Fallout 3, but I have been working on that game for almost a year now. Smaller games (in terms of hours of play) like Portal or Ben There Dan That are great for me because I know I'll actually be able to finish them.

I've also noticed that I play a lot of older games I'm already familiar with. I use my hacked Wii more as a NES/Gameboy/SNES emulator than I do for actual Wii games. When I only have an hour to play I have no idea if I can even really do anything in a new game, but I know how far I can get in Earthbound or FF7.

And you can forget MMO's. There's no way I can justify paying a monthly sub for a game I won't get to play enough to accomplish anything. :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/28/2012 at 01:36am

Off topic: Yeah it is cool, I realized its way better than "Cheerful Ghost." I think people understand "General Discussion."

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/28/2012 at 01:39am

I hear you on MMO's. I recently tried Star Trek online. Besides not being very fun and hard to play... Well I guess thats where my mini review of that games ends. :) Cool its free to play.

Been wanting to go through an old game and sort of journal/blog it for quite sometime now. Secret of Mana comes to mind as a game to do that with. Damn that would be fun.

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The State of the Ghost 1.0

The State of the Ghost 1.0

If people like these kinds of posts, ill keep them semi-regular and to the point about Cheerful Ghost and what direction the site is headed.

Ill try to keep this as brief as I am able :)

A month++ ago I launched Cheerful Ghost to my friends. People seemed to think it had potential and as I listened to your feedback I made improvements to make the site awesome. Based on our small but absolutely dedicated following I can now say that this is the most fun Ive had in gaming in years. Seeing what you guys play and having meaningful dialogs on those games is magical. I wasn't sure it was possible to be part of a community that can rise above the... Read All

Play this now. Itll take you about 20 min. to beat, and oh

http://www.whatisnous.com/thumbnails/tn_Nous2.png

Play this now. It'll take you about 20 min. to beat, and oh boy is it worth it:

http://www.whatisnous.com/

Tungsten Post Author wrote on 03/11/2012 at 09:04pm

And hurry up because I want to talk about it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/12/2012 at 12:50am

Gonna download it now. Let you know when I finish with it either way :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/12/2012 at 01:20am

Ok so I just stopped playing it. I stopped at the part where I am trying to hit the box and it keeps counting down cores.

Interesting game. Seems like its going for something Portalish. I am not sure I got how to play the game totally. I liked that the game pulled screenshots from my desktop and tried to crash and then come back.

I didn't like the dialog between me and the computer very much, it seemed.... For lack of a better word, annoying. My reactions to the text were way different than the options presented. It was like "Choose A" or "Choose B" and I didn't think either were what I was thinking. I also didn't like the test, like I don't know, just didn't like it.

In the end the game was fun even though I didn't know much of what I was doing most of the time. I liked collecting points but then I said something about wanting a lot of points and it gave me unlimited points and I was no happy with that and then they gave me negative full points. I didn't like that either. I think when a game is so whimsical with its score I don't know, that really lost me.

I get it, score doesn't matter or something? But I wasn't sure what the point was and the game didn't really go anywhere so I wasn't really sure why I should keep playing the "I need to catch you level" when its not clear me doing that meant anything cool would happen.

The game is unique, and if you want surprises and not to know what to expect next, check it out. I guess I would say it frustrated me but then again, thats most likely part of the design.

Tungsten Post Author wrote on 03/12/2012 at 02:08am

SPOILERS*******************************

That was the end, and really the pay off. It's fine though if you didn't really buy into it, and I could see how it would be frustrating.

My own personal take was that it was a bit of an anti game: the points don't matter, there are no real levels, and in the end (after you beat that box) it basically just admits that it was a game.

It resonated with me, maybe because I'm kind of sick of games being what they have traditionally been. The game kind of mocks the idea of a score, the "crazy" AI, bosses, stories, even good guys vs. bad guys. I love a good God of War or COD as much as the next guy, but here and there the old formula just feels stale, and its nice to see another game that pokes at that.

And you have to admit that the whole Crash to Desktop thing was clever.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/12/2012 at 03:06am

It had a ton of unique moments that made me really think about what a game really is. It built up something and then tore it back down. Which I find interesting generally.

Cool project though and these sorts of experiments are cool.

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Hey all. Trying out Google Ads on the site, let me know

Hey all.

Trying out Google Ads on the site, let me know what you think.

I want them to be available yet not annoying. I hope Google can provide them such that they are beneficial to you.

Love to hear your thoughts.

Ive been seeing reports that Valve may release a Steam Box

http://asset0.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/03/03/steam_box_610x454.gif

Ive been seeing reports that Valve may release a "Steam Box" to compete with Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft in the console market.

The picture above is from a patent application filed by Valve last year for a "game controller having user swappable control components."

"Apparently meetings were held during CES to demo a hand-built version of the device to potential partners. We're told that the basic specs of the Steam Box include a Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU. The devices will be able to run any standard PC titles, and will also allow for rival gaming services (like EA's Origin) to be loaded up."

Some more interesting bits from The Verge:

"Part of the goal of... Read All

Tungsten wrote on 03/03/2012 at 10:03pm

I think it would be pretty cool. I'm loving Steam over Live with all the indie titles, but I'm already wondering about my hardware. A steam box would be the near of both worlds.

That said, have you seen the RAZOR gaming tablet? Throw steam on that and I think you'd be set.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/03/2012 at 10:06pm

Ive got a pretty decent gaming rig but its fairly new. A Steam Box seems like it would be as beefy as a PC and have something devs can target that is more open than a PS3 or XBOX. Then again, the price might be very very high.

I haven't seen the RAZOR yet, ill check it out.

Tungsten wrote on 03/03/2012 at 10:18pm

It's not something that I thought would be cool, but a few people I (kind of) trust have said they like it.

vdogmr25 wrote on 03/04/2012 at 03:40am

It seems like a cool idea. It would really open up the PC market in a way by allowing a cheap way to get a solid gaming machine and games. If it allowed for mouse and keyboard, I might bag one down the road.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/04/2012 at 06:18am

I kind of hope it supports mice, keyboards and standard controllers. Be cool to put a Steam machine in the living room.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/05/2012 at 07:50pm

I'm very interested in seeing what this will look like. At the moment it sounds like you're basically buying a gaming PC. So, uh, why not just buy a gaming PC instead? However Valve seems to know what they're doing and Steam has been a huge success, so I'm looking forward to hearing more about what will make the Steam Box stand out over the other consoles and regular PC gaming.

The controller looks cool, but I can just see all the pointless add-on's third parties are going to make for this thing. Just look what they did with the Wii-mote to get an idea.

Tungsten wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:03am

I'm all for a relatively cheap standard box. It's kind of like phones now: older models are slowly just losing the capability to play new things. You could buy one years steam box, use it for 2-3 years, then it will just stop being able to play some games until you upgrade to the next steam box.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:32am

I think the reason why people still use PC's is because of games else you could just have a Mac or Linux laptop. Ill admit, owning a console is simpler to play some games because I don't have to track down extra RAM or an upgraded video card. If the Steam Box offers an advantage I won't mind upgrading. Wonder if it will be able to run non steam games?

Tungsten wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:35am

They said EA Origin would be a possibility, so it'll have to run some sort of stripped down windows. I don't see EA playing nice with a linux box. No technical reason, just a feeling.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:37am

Plus it would be hard for publishers to support Linux when its hard enough for them to support a Mac. Its not technically impossible its prob just more work than they want to do. Id say, for Valve, start with the platform on Windows and get users and developers to adopt. In a later iteration worry about the API changing to something better.

Tungsten wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:40am

Shoot, if sony can get people to develop for the cell, then anything is possible.

What about OnLive though? Wouldn't that put a big fat nix on the way we play games now?

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:45am

I'm not sure people are ready for OnLive. I am not sure the market is ready for OnLive yet. When I see people chatting about OnLive it seems lag is a major issue. People don't seem to trust that if they pay for a game in OnLive it will last them as long as they would like.

I think two things need to happen before OnLive is the next thing:

1) Internet Speeds get wicked fast so streaming a game lags out as much as a modern game that can run at like... 30-60FPS or equivalent. Right now, my Netflix is pretty flakey and Netflix is a huge company with a ton of smart people. I imagine its a harder problem with game streaming.

2) People want to move to a rental model for games. Lets face it, I don't own anything with Netflix and OnLive is no different.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 03/08/2012 at 10:41pm

Looks like valve has said they're not working on a steam box at this time.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/08/valve-debunks-rumors-of-steam-box-console-pc/

Tungsten wrote on 03/09/2012 at 03:57am

No Moar Hats :(

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 03/09/2012 at 04:01am

Ok, what they said is they are working on having Steam work in the living room. I think, it's possible they are first making it so Steam can work in the living room and then later a Steam Box?

I don't know but it wasn't great, I really wish we had a new "open" take on consoles.

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Here are a few game soundtracks I have wanted to talk

Here are a few game soundtracks I have wanted to talk about:

Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty: Got this soundtrack from the collectors edition bundle of Starcraft 2. I am not sure I love all the ways they mesh typical orchestral faire that moves to guitar that then moves to synth though. They do this in a few songs and I think they should just pick on motif and stick with it. Moving around that much in one song is jarring.

That said, its a great score and a few times I can hear people breathing in the orchestra so the mics at Skywalker Sound really hot that day.

The Binding of Issac: The score came with the steam game if I gave them like $2 extra. The score is really... Read All

I just found out that Ground Kontrol Arcade now serves

I just found out that Ground Kontrol Arcade now serves booze. This is not bad news, but if you are under 21 you can't enter after 5 PM. Maybe someday they will have a separate yet adjacent bar like so many restaurants do, but until then, if you are a teen, plan accordingly.