Features
Retrospective: NBA Jam
Aug 30th
Here at Silicon Sasquatch, we feel that old games deserve some love too. From time to time, we want to look back at games that have made a big impact — especially when a new version of an old favorite is scheduled to be released. It is in that context that we present to you another Retrospective article, this time on arcade and 16-bit classic NBA Jam.
It’s no secret that I am a sports guy. Many times, though, sports games are commodities: The franchises develop a lineage (à la Madden NFL) while the details on individual entries from each year are often forgotten.
NBA Jam is different. It may not be the first arcade sports game, or even the first arcade basketball game, but it was one of the first blockbuster arcade games, and it’s one that still resounds in the gaming community to this day. It’s also one of the few sports games that holds just as much nostalgia for nerds as it does for jocks. Most importantly, it’s still fun — and a new one is on the way.
How EA Sports’ Online Pass Will Change the Used Game Marketplace
May 12th
Once the millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of labor hours have resulted in a finished, big-name console video game, how do publishers and developers earn their money back? From gamers like us buying titles at a store.
However, not all purchases are created equal. This is why Electronic Arts announced on Monday the continuation of its value-added online program, now called the EA Sports Online Pass. It appears to be much like programs in Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Mass Effect 2′s Cerberus Network, for instance, grants access to free add-on downloads, including weapons, armor, and short missions. This is a project that is reportedly referred to within EA as Project Ten Dollar. Gamers who purchase one of EA Sports’ catalog of games this summer receive a code in the package which, after being inputted into the game, allows you access to bonus features. Since the code is only good for one use (and one PSN or Xbox Live account), if you don’t buy the game new, you have to pay $10 for a pass of your own.
Adventures in Akihabara: Silicon Sasquatch Tackles Japan
May 10th
In March, Silicon Sasquatch senior contributor Doug Bonham spent four weeks traveling through Asia. Here is a first-hand report after seeing Japanese gaming culture, specifically in Tokyo, up close and personal. All photos by Doug Bonham, 2010.
Japan has had an undeniable influence on the video game industry. One of the main reasons why I began studying the Japanese language, why I continued studying that through to an undergraduate major, and why I am now in a graduate program with a focus on east Asia is because of my love of video games, and this historic influence. I can’t deny my nerdy roots. That curiosity has turned into a respect and academic desire to study other cultures, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say gaming sparked some of that. That is how I found myself spending a month in Asia in March, traveling through Japan, South Korea, and China, visiting factories and hearing business lectures.
Sasquatch PSA: Who wants a bonus when buying a new Xbox 360? You do.
Mar 22nd
BFFs
I just learned something about myself, not more than 15 minutes ago: It’s apparently easy to break down my willpower when there’s a lonely and Xbox-shaped dusty void in my entertainment cabinet. I just placed an order on Amazon.com for a new Xbox 360 Arcade to replace my red-ringed console. I’d been waiting for a potential price drop, and with additional rumors swirling about a “slim” Xbox I was even more hesitant toward the idea of purchasing a replacement system. Microsoft’s advertising slogan asked me to “jump in,” but I had cold feet. That is until today, when Amazon began a fantastic promotional deal for the entry and upper-level Xbox models.
Now, we’re not being paid by Amazon to mention this. Wish it were so, but it’s not the truth. Yet despite the lack of shady corporate handshakes, in which rolled up $100 bills are exchanged, we at Silicon Sasquatch feel it’s only right to let our fellow gamers who are in search of a new Xbox 360 know about this deal. It’s great.
From today until this Saturday, March 27th, Amazon is offering two tiers of gift cards when you purchase a particular Xbox console (sorry: refurbished consoles and the Final Fantasy XIII and Splinter Cell Conviction bundles are exempt). The Arcade will net you a $25 digital card to the online superstore, while the extra-beefy Elite (coming in Winter and Spring varieties) will come with a $50 code. The link for the offer is right here, but the deal specifics need to be repeated for clarity’s sake: You, of your own volition, must add the appropriate gift card to your shopping cart in addition to your preferred console. Amazon won’t give you a code if you just order the console by itself. Don’t worry: the $25 or $50 is discounted at checkout.
Hopefully this is of use to gamers out there who are replacing a broken console like I am, or those of you who have yet to purchase an Xbox console at all.
Now if we can get Amazon to do this kind of deal for the PlayStation 3 and Wii, I’ll be a happy camper — and not of the online multiplayer first-person shooter variety; no one likes them.
Silicon Sasquatch: Year one complete!
Dec 21st
Our seasonal/anniversary gift to you: a very tacky card.
It hardly feels like a year has passed since Nick and I made the audacious decision to produce our very own videogame blog. The seedling concept that would eventually become Silicon Sasquatch gestated for a long time over many nights of World of Warcraft (and post-college pity parties), to no immediate avail. But in December of last year we finally put our talents to the test, and gave it go. So here we are now: I’m extremely happy to report that the past year has been quite successful for our corner of the Internet.
Sasquatch PSA: Torchlight 50% off! (PC)
Dec 18th
The headline says it all, friends. Steam is running one of its beloved Weekend Deals on Torchlight, a game we at Silicon Sasquatch hold very dear to our hearts — even though we’ve only played the demo (a lot). But now everyone can have the clever action RPG from Runic Games for just $9.99 (normally $19.99) until Monday! It’s a steal, so go grab it right now. Don’t have Steam? Get it. Don’t have a PC? Buy one — or at least put Windows on your Mac. Linux…sorry?
And did I mention that you can have a dog or cat companion cart your loot back to town for you? I’ll let Penny Arcade explain.
Read after the break for more details.
Sasquatch PSA: Ch-ch-changes
Dec 1st
Maybe we’re ready to kick this website into overdrive, or we’re simply tricking ourselves into doing more work than ever before. Either way, astute readers will notice some changes around our corner of the Internet.
Most obvious is our change in a layout theme. As much as we enjoyed the old look and its simplicity, I think we can all agree that too much white space only quickens corneal cancer — a problem our new theme certainly doesn’t have. I’m no doctor though, so please don’t quote me on that. Our pretend lawyer would be upset I insinuated anything we do might have caused cancer.
In the next few weeks our design team (consisting of Nick and I) will be working together to introduce a much-needed banner image for the top of the site, and what can only be called a “sweet” background pattern. We’ll also work on developing a trademark color scheme to differentiate us from the millions of other gaming blogs out there. So while that’s going on, I sincerely apologize for any hiccups and delays this process will likely cause. Look for larger article images, too.
I also need to mention our latest page, which we’ve named “Squatchcast.” It might not be obvious from the word we made up, but this is where we’ll compile our podcasts. Please enjoy them, and marvel at my potentially trademark-infringing header image.
Lastly, thank you for all of your support and patience. We’re almost upon our first anniversary of this blogging venture, and we have a lot more ground to cover to be exactly where we want. We thank you for sticking with us this far, and into the uncertain future.
Check back over the next couple weeks for our latest podcast, reviews of Modern Warfare 2 and Beatles: Rock Band, and don’t miss Doug’s freshly minted review of Forza 3!
Demo Impressions: Brütal Legend
Sep 23rd
Tim Schafer (left) watches as Jack Black does something with a ridiculous expression on his face. Jack Black is a funny man.
What’s in a name? In the case of Brütal Legend, a whole hell of a lot.
- Jack Black stars as Eddie Riggs, the world’s best roadie who’s transported to a dimension of awesome metal-inspired brutality.
- Rob Halford, Lita Ford, Lemmy Kilmister, Ozzy Osbourne and…Tim Curry all have been tapped to lend their voice talents to the game. From what’s been shown so far, each looks to be perfectly at home in his or her element.
- Tim Schafer is the game’s creator; his previous credits include Full Throttle, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango and Psychonauts.
Schafer’s games all have an expected pedigree of quality when it comes to establishing setting, story and characters — in that regard, Brütal Legend won’t disappoint. But what about the game’s design? How well is it implemented?
After romping through the demo four times, there’s little doubt that the game itself does an admirable job of wrapping all this larger-than-life, metal-soaked goodness into a tasty little love burrito.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The 10th Anniversary of Final Fantasy VIII
Sep 9th
Editor’s Note: In recognition of the tenth anniversary of one of the most controversial — and possibly misunderstood — entries in one of the most significant video game series in history, Silicon Sasquatch will spend the next month examining Final Fantasy VIII and its legacy. Frequent podcast guest Tyler Martin starts us off with a foreword:
How do you produce a follow-up to the biggest RPG of the 20th century? Square had barely any time to answer this question. Development on the seventh sequel to a series that wasn’t expected to outlast its initial outing began shortly after the American localization of Final Fantasy VII, a game that radically altered the perception of the franchise as well as the entire genre.
Read the rest of this entry »
SquatchCast: Now on iTunes!
Jul 28th
We’re pleased to announce that the Silicon Sasquatch podcast (irksomely referred to around these parts as the SquatchCast) is now available for your downloading and subscribing pleasure through the iTunes Music Store. For a one-time price of nothing, every podcast we produce will download straight to your computer and mp3 player of choice.
In other podcast news: We’re set to record episode 2 tonight, and with any luck it’ll be posted sometime on Wednesday.
Please give it a listen and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from some of you; for all we know, nobody else besides us ever reads the site, so even just a “hello” would work wonders for our self-esteem.