Archive for September, 2010
Review: Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (XBLA)
Sep 10th
Developers have come a long way since the abysmal, early dark ages of downloadable content. What started with overpriced horse armor has evolved into a product that can defy typical classification.
Is Case Zero a demo for Dead Rising 2? Yes. Is it a prelude DLC package that adds to the full game with character development and carry-over bonuses for the final retail product? Certainly. To the great chagrin of forum-goers and blog posters, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is but the tip of the iceberg for the industry, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the idea.
Welcome to the future of videogame demos. I hope the critics have developed adequate coping mechanisms.
PAX 2010 Debriefed: No, that’s not a Duke Nukem joke
Sep 9th
Sex Bob-Omb (with special guest Roxanne Richter) performing on-stage in Rock Band 3 at PAX 2010. And if that wasn't cool enough, The Clash at Demonhead took the stage immediately afterward.
There were only a few thousand dedicated folks who made the trip to Bellevue, Washington for the first-ever Penny Arcade Expo back in 2004. Maybe it’s because it was the first time I ever took a road trip with some friends since coming of age, or maybe it’s because we planned to go about ten hours before the expo began, but something about that trip was life-changing.
Here were a bunch of gamers congregating in a public space to play some Tetris, take in the handful of new games on display, debate menial details like which Final Fantasy game is best (trust me, they still get off on that argument), listen to some nerdy music and hang out at one crazy, 24-hour party. I think it’s safe to say that there had never been anything like it in the history of time, and so yeah – I take a little pride in knowing I was one of a few thousand people who were there when it all started.
In fact, I’m one of what has to be a pretty small number of people who have attended all seven PAXes in Seattle. I keep coming back because, simply, I think it’s a fantastic event. I love what it stands for, I love how it brings together new and old friends, and I especially love having the opportunity to hang out with people who create, write about, produce, promote, and just generally love games.
But something was wrong this year. Despite its strongest turnout yet, I felt there were some significant problems that surfaced at this year’s PAX.
Retrospective: Sega Dreamcast
Sep 9th
Here at Silicon Sasquatch, we feel that old games deserve some love too. From time to time, we want to look back at games and, in this case, consoles that have made a big impact. It is in that spirit — fond memories combined with analysis of legacy — that we present a Retrospective. This time: the Sega Dreamcast.
It’s very difficult for me to be objective about the Sega Dreamcast. Excuse me if this retrospective skirts into personal narrative; to me, the Dreamcast and my experience with it are one and the same. The system was announced and launched at the time I was transitioning from being a kid who played video games a lot to a “hardcore gamer,” one who follows video game news in magazines and on the then-nascent online scene. The Dreamcast’s September 9, 1999 launch was the first time I paid attention to such an event — and, in fairness, was one of the first times a console launch truly became an event.
The Dreamcast lived an all-too-brief life; despite promising software and innovative hardware, Sega’s last console gamble had less than three years of official support.
The Backlog: Conventiontime Blues edition
Sep 3rd
This is basically what PAX looks like, except with more neckbeards, less politics, and a sea of iPhones
I couldn’t go to PAX 10. Neither could Doug. But Nick’s there! He’s also Internet famous now, thanks to his picture being taken at a Rock Band 3 event last night and then posted to Twitter. I can only hope that in his new-found celebrity, Nick Cummings won’t forget the little guy. And by “forget the little guy” I mean I hope he invites us to really rad pool parties in Hollywood.
OK. I won’t feel so bad about jumping right into the backlog now that my introduction is complete.
Let’s do this.
On the disappointment of Crackdown 2 (or how technological isolation will lead to poor monetary decisions)
Sep 3rd
More than likely, you’ve been asked by a friend or acquaintance the following get-to-know-you question: “What would you bring if you were stranded on a deserted island?”
Be it books, films or music, people will predictably take their favorite forms of media with them to solitary sands. That’s obvious, because no one is going to voluntarily listen to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch on cassette for 10 years while waiting for a Carnival cruise ship to pass by. Have we already forgotten what technological isolation did to Tom Hanks?