Editorials
Sasquatch Soapbox: Unleashing the Banhammer? Xbox Live, cheaters, and bans
Jan 12th
Ducking bullets and returning fire in Modern Warfare 2 has become big business online — but with tons of online players, bugs inevitably crop up.
For all the positives that your yearly Xbox Live gold subscription buys, it comes with one major downfall: the generic Xbox Live asshole. This is not a new phenomenon — Penny Arcade codified the “G.I.F.T.” system more than five years ago — but on two recent major Xbox 360 titles, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Forza Motorsport 3, it appears that the Live team is finally taking a strong stance on cheaters.
But is what’s happening in these titles really cheating, and is the tough-guy stance really the appropriate response?
Double Take: another look at Modern Warfare 2
Dec 16th
Editor’s note: Frequent Silicon Sasquatch podcast guest (and PC enthusiast) Spencer Tordoff has more than a few things to say about his experiences with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. With our review now live, we felt his commentary would be the perfectly compressed chaser to our long-winded critique.
I’d like to preface this by saying I have no interest in Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer component. The betrayals of Activision and Infinity Ward have come and gone; the damage is done, and for once I feel like I have nothing to say on the topic.
However, the single player portion continued to intrigue me. I loved the campaign in Call of Duty 4, as well as the previous Infinity Ward-crafted stories of Call of Duty 1 and 2. Procuring a copy of the latest game to continue the Modern Warfare storyline felt like a good idea, like an olive branch offered to a quarrelsome friend.
Why I canceled my GameFly membership
Dec 12th
It’s happened to the best of us. Even the most cautious consumer has acted in a moment of passion and purchased a game that wasn’t a sure-fire hit. Oh sure, it boasts of a lengthy single-player campaign and robust online features, but who can say for sure? Emboldened by an opportunity to discover a potential diamond in the rough, you purchase the game and head home without a shadow of a doubt that you’re in for anything but a great time.
But just ten minutes after tearing off the shrinkwrap and unceremoniously tossing the manual aside (“seriously, who reads things?”), it dawns on you: This single-player campaign certainly is lengthy, but only in the why-won’t-this-horrible-game-just-be-over sense of the word. Those robust online features amount to a half-dozen variations on deathmatch that, between the crippling lag issues and a total dearth of players with whom to compete, add up to zero enjoyment.
Sixty hard-earned American dollars, gone in the blink of an eye. Poof. And all you’ve got to show for it is your shiny new copy of Bionic Commando and a room stacked to the ceiling with your metaphysical shame.
But what else could you do? While it’s dying a slow death at the blood-red hands of Netflix, Blockbuster is only stocking a few of the biggest new releases — meaning sleeper hits and lesser-known titles are impossible to try before buying. Hollywood Video is closing its doors in rapid succession. The last option is GameFly, a Netflix-like subscription service for renting games.
I spent six months with GameFly across a variety of plans, and I ultimately ended up canceling the service with no intention of ever restarting my account. While it may be a fantastic concept on paper, its execution leaves plenty to be desired.
Sasquatch Soapbox: Gamers need to take a firmer stand
Nov 14th
Via Rock-Paper-Shotgun: Why game companies don't take boycotters seriously…
Core gamers have taken up a new pastime as of late: Whining. Early and often.
Starcraft II won’t allow LAN play? Lord almighty! Modern Warfare 2 on PC moves away from dedicated servers and costs $10 more as well? Goodness gracious! Left 4 Dead 2 is coming out sooner than Valve fans want it to? Heavens no! Forza Motorsport 3 has content locked away behind a VIP-only velvet curtain? Oh, the humanity!
These complaints are rather justified. Game publishers and developers are making moves motivated by the bottom line, and as a result they begin to strip content and features away from gamers grown accustomed to these luxuries. Getting consumers to pay more for less is smart business, but bad for public relations. The complaints are fully warranted.
But the problem I see is that it is nothing but complaints as of right now.
The advancement of the art of storytelling in video games
Oct 7th
Shadow of the Colossus' simple, spare storyline has been repeatedly acclaimed as a high-water mark in video game storytelling.
Even before Mario trekked through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue the Princess and Pac-Man was pursued by a quartet of ghosts, video games have been a storytelling medium. As games matured from simple sprites to a multi-billion dollar industry, so the scope of video games increased —in terms of graphical fidelity, size and scope of game worlds, and the potential for storytelling.
The problem, though, is that only two of those three aspects have seen real growth to this point. While our favored medium is still maturing, it’s encountered some growing pains in finding the right way to tell a story — and the right kind of stories to tell.
Warning: Spoilers for Grand Theft Auto IV, Bioshock, Metal Gear Solid, Fallout 3, Fable II, and Shadow of the Colossus follow.
Regarding Too Human
Oct 5th
When I originally set out to tackle Too Human, I figured I’d discuss the game within the framework of a traditional review. But it didn’t take long before I realized there wasn’t a whole lot that could be said in Too Human’s defense; instead, I ended up with a litany of grievances that painted the game as a catastrophe.
But that’s not how I think of Too Human. After all, would a game so ostensibly terrible be fun enough to warrant a subsequent replay immediately after I reached the end?
So I began to piece together what it was that made the game so compelling to me. Was it the frantic combat? The uninspired weapon customization and almost fetishistic loot-acquiring? The broken, haphazard script with half-baked characters? No. Everything Too Human tried to accomplish had been done much better by many games before it.
But I couldn’t ignore the fact that I loved suspending my disbelief way up in the rafters, pretending I was some fugly man-god and mowing down thousands of enemies in a display of raw destruction. That simplistic joy shines through the mess to make Too Human an essential case study in gaming and — somewhat ironically — a perfect example of why games have value as a medium.
It’s stunning proof that, even when absolutely nothing comes together right, games can still be a joy to experience.
Enough Is Enough: How to sell (and cope with the loss of) your old, boring games
Jul 20th
Look at it. Isn’t it just lovely?
It’s mine, you know. I just ordered it off Amazon for less than a hundred bucks! And it’s listed for two hundred ninety-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents. But thanks to some astute deal-watching over at Cheap Ass Gamer, I got wind of an offer I couldn’t pass up: By trading in $50 worth of used games to Amazon.com’s Trade-In store, your next video game or video-game accessory (that part’s crucial) purchase will be 50% off. The ION Drum Rocker is probably the most expensive game accessory Amazon offers, and it’s one I’ve been dying to own ever since I first played one almost a year ago.
I didn’t waste any time. Within minutes I was tossing games into piles, not unlike how a monkey organizes its feces — “Must Keep,” “Should Probably Keep So Friends Will Admire Me” and “I’m Not Sure Why I’ve Got This but Maybe It’s Good.” A few quick price checks later and I knew I had more than enough games I could part with to make the deal.
It should have been a no-brainer. But I hesitated, and guilt washed over me.
I couldn’t help but feel that, by completing this heinous ritual, I was splitting my soul into several discrete fragments that forged horcruxes and ensured my immortality. But, well, come on — just look at this drum kit. Who cares about that preserving-one’s-humanity nonsense?
Rock Band Network: You say you want a revolution…
Jul 19th
Anyone who owns the rights to a song and has the master recordings in their possession can put a song up for sale in Rock Band.
Starting this year, musicians will be able to chart their own songs in Rock Band and sell them to other players. (Read Harmonix’s press release here.)
I’ll give you a second to process that.
In my opinion, this is the biggest gaming news story of the year.
There’s not much else that needs to be said, really, but I wanted to weigh in with this: With Rock Band Network, Rock Band has become the most significant gaming platform for user-generated creative content.
This glowing post might seem a little ironic, seeing as it follows my earlier (and final) pep talk I could muster for the Guitar Hero franchise. After all, GHTunes amounted to little more than a distraction with its frustrating sequencing mechanics and limited MIDI instrumentation.
What Harmonix is on the brink of creating is something as significant as Napster or iTunes were to music — and to the music industry. With tools available to anyone with a hundred bucks to cover the XNA Creators Club fee and the ability to chart notes in a MIDI application, Rock Band Network is truly an open marketplace. And thanks to the buffer of a required peer-review process before songs are greenlit, bands of all genres and sizes can stand to benefit from intimate exposure thanks to the engaging, hands-on nature of Rock Band.
With this step, Rock Band truly has come into its own as a legitimate platform – just as it aspired to be from the beginning – and not just a game with a mere six hundred downloadable songs.
Guitar Hero 5: Same As It Ever Was?
Jul 14th
Unassuming box art adorns the latest Guitar Hero reprisal. Are we due for some pleasant surprises, or is what we're seeing just what we'll get this September?
I always feel a little guilty for chastising Neversoft’s decisions in guiding the Guitar Hero franchise since it picked up the reins in 2007. It’s almost certain the studio has been under a lot of pressure for years from publisher Activision’s growing dependence on expanding and exploiting franchises at a fever pitch — just look at the decline in quality as the Tony Hawk franchise relentlessly iterated upon itself.
So try to imagine how Neversoft’s staff must have felt when Activision dumped what was arguably the biggest name in gaming fresh into its lap and demanded the biggest, best sequel to be built from scratch in less than a year. That’s probably more or less what happened when Harmonix and Activision/Red Octane parted ways in late 2006.
That’s no mean feat, especially when you consider that Neversoft also had to compete against the Guitar Hero series’ originator, Harmonix, and its debut of the genre-expanding Rock Band franchise. Yet despite better name recognition, higher sales numbers and a marketing campaign to rival MTV/Harmonix’s own, it all comes down to this: Neversoft’s Guitar Hero games just aren’t as good as the Guitar Heros and Rock Bands that Harmonix put out.
Will iPhone 3G S create a divide for mobile gamers?
Jun 10th
Don't let the identical exterior fool you. Apple's latest iPhone iteration is packing some significantly upgraded hardware.
Apple pulled no punches with its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote this year: Its flashy (and affordable) new operating system, Snow Leopard, was priced and dated, and a new line of more powerful and less expensive MacBook Pros was announced. But as usual, the iPhone swooped in at the last minute to steal the show — this time with a brand new model: iPhone 3G S.
Although Apple wasn’t eager to spout specifics at the WWDC keynote, various sources have disclosed the details on the iPhone’s first major performance bump (see AnandTech’s writeup here.) Simply put, the increases in processing power and graphics rendering capabilities mean Apple’s newest device will be capable of greater visual detail, faster rendering and more complex imagery than ever before. It also means that, theoretically speaking, games could be developed that will only run (or run effectively) on the iPhone 3G S.