The Pokemon Company is set to bring an official Pokemon Online game to smartphone devices, marking the first time that an official Nintendo-copyrighted app will be available on the iOS and Android.
Called Pokemon Iie Tap (rougly Pokemon: Say Tap?), the app appears to be a rhythm game where players “tap on Pokemon indigo trading cards to the beat of a song from the anime,” according to a translation by consumer video game site GamesRadar.
According to the game’s official announcement, it will be available for most iOS devices, as well as Android devices running version 2.1 of the platform.
Though this is the first iOS or Android application to carry an official Nintendo copyright, it is not the first mobile app of any kind: a Pokemon mobile phone game called Pokemate was released in Japan in 2006.
Though it is a rarity, Nintendo does have a history of releasing official games on platforms that are not its own, including a promotional Flash game to promote its Tingle character.
A release outside of Japan has not been announced.
Thứ Bảy, 22 tháng 10, 2011
Killzone 3 Interview with Steven ter Heide
While at PAX I got a chance to talk with Steven about Killzone 3, if they're borrowing snow from Naughty Dog, and what it's like designing a control scheme with Move.
CS: What have you guys learned from or since Killzone 2?
StH: Where to start? [laughs] There’s a lot of things becuase, as I’ve mentioned, we’ve got a very vocal fanbase so they’ve thrown suggestions our way of things we need to improve. Obviously, one of the key things that we wanted to improve is controller lag. A lot of people were commenting on the fact that you press a button and there’s no instant action on the screen, that’s something that we wanted to fix. So this game, Killzone 3, that’s exactly what we’re fixing.
At the same time they’re talking about variety. Killzone 2, most of the variety was in the latter half of the game, not so much in the beginning. It all felt like urban settings, there wasn’t that much variety, so in terms of environments we’re adding a lot more variety to the environments this time around. Most of the stuff that you do from minute to minute that’s going to be changing. The level that we’re showing here today has got you flying on an Intruder firing down, it’s got regular on-foot combat, it’s got you fighting against jet pack troopers, you get to put on a jet pack yourself, there’s a big rocket launcher, there’s all these things in the span of one level and we’ll be doing that throughout the game. So variety is one of the key words, we wanted to make sure we get a lot of variety in the game this time around.
Multiplayer, I mean, there’s a very hardcore fanbase playing our multiplayer and we want to cater to those guys as well. So we’ve got multiplayer right now on the stand which apparently is quite popular, and that’s a very good sign. We’re going to introduce new game modes. One of the game modes people have been asking for is Team Deathmatch, because if you look at Killzone 2 the amount of rooms that were created for just Body Count, which is our Team Deathmatch mode, is phenomenal. Everybody wanted to play Body Count, Team Deathmatch, so that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re giving them a new game mode called Guerrilla Warfare which is Team Deathmatch every day, all day.
That’s one of the key points, another one is adding to the scope of the game. A lot of people have commented on the games that have come after us. As soon as you finish a game, we’re always saying, “We got the most out of the PlayStation 3, we’re firing on all cylinders, all the SPUs are being used, we’re maxing out the memory”, all that kind of stuff - and then as soon as you ship it you’re going, "Well I think there’s still a little bit of room left". Then games come out after you, Uncharted 2, or God of War 3, and they raise the bar yet again, and you’re kind of like “Okay”.
We really like those guys, and we’re good friends with them, and we talk a lot with the other studios but at the same time there’s a bit of friendly competition going on where we really want to outdo them. We take a couple of cues from those guys, where Uncharted 2 really upped the level in terms of storytelling, that was one of the weaker points for Killzone 2, so we said, “Well let’s see what they did really well and see if we can use a couple of those things in Killzone as well."
God of War, obviously scope - bosses on top of bosses on top of bosses on top of bosses, that kind of thing. Let’s try and see if we can get that kind of feeling of scope into Killzone as well. So the levels you’ll see are much more spatious, there will be big vistas, you’ll be able to explore different routes, there will be bigger boss fights, all those kinds of things.
CS: So with that kind of competition between studios, any closely guarded secrets?
StH: I mean everybody’s got their own tricks up their sleeve, obviously, but the thing is they’re all different games. We’re in the first person world, so the tricks that Uncharted does they can do because they’re third person. So some of the things just don’t translate well. At the same time their engine was built for different things, our engine was built for different things, so it’s more about sharing design ideas or inspiration or those kinds of things, or how did they solve this specific problem. I noticed all the fans have been saying, “Oh, they’ve got snow! I’ve seen the snow level from Killzone! They must be using the Uncharted snow!” That’s not exactly how it works. We do not go over to Naughty Dog and say, “Okay, we’d like a barrel of snow please!”, it doesn’t work that way.
CS: Lend me a cup of snow?
StH: Exactly. [gesturing to screen] This is an example of the bigger vistas that we wanted to do.
CS: The water is really nice, you get that snow from Uncharted?
StH: [laughs] Yeah, we borrowed this from Uncharted. The next Uncharted will have that water.
CS: Why were you comparing yourselves to God of War, to Uncharted, since they are such different games?
StH: Well, obviously, they’re games that raise the bar in terms of what is possible on PlayStation. With us being a first party studio also that’s kind of our mission, to say “Okay, we want to show off what the hardware is capable of.”, so we always look to other titles that are leaders in their genre and God of War obviously is a leader in their genre, Uncharted is a leader in their genre but at the same time we’re looking at other games as well. Red Dead Redemption is doing fantastic things as well, so there’s all these games and we look at what we can learn from those games and try and see if we can adopt/adapt some of these things from them.
Of course we’re taking advantage of new technology, Move, 3D. We announced at E3 that we’ll be supporting Move, but the thing is we want to make sure that as soon as we launch and we put it in people’s hands that it feels good. It’s a new controller, whereas with the DualShock there’s kind of a set of rules out there, X is jump in every game, because that’s been established over the course of years. This being a new controller you have to kind of redefine how things work, and that takes a lot of play testing, because I was born and raised on a DualShock and now all of a sudden I have to make a transition, have to figure out where the buttons are, and what works and what doesn’t work. So we have had to do a lot of experimentation before we finally settled on the right control scheme, and the experimentation is still ongoing. We’re still doing a lot of play testing, tweaking all the variables, because there’s so many things we find that people just play it differently.
CS: And vehicles in the game, we’ve got the jet pack, we saw the Intruder -
StH: Yes, you’ll be flying on an Intruder at the very beginning of this level, it’s a fan request basically because a lot of time in Killzone 2 you would be flying in on those Intruders and you get off and then the gameplay started. Everybody was like, “Well, when I’m on these things, I can see the enemies down there, can I take pot shots at them? Can I start the war right there?” and in Killzone 3 you can. We give you a big weapon, and you get to take out rigs as you fly past them, it’s a lot of fun.
CS: Can you talk about any other vehicles, drivable vehicles, that are going to be in the game?
StH: Unfortunately I can only talk about what we’ve got on show here, but I can talk about the vehicles we’ve got in multiplayer as well. We’ve got the Exoskeleton that we had in Killzone 2, the big mech that you could walk around with, that’s going to be a playable vehicle in multiplayer. We’ll have the jet packs also, in multiplayer, and that’s a game changer when all of a sudden death comes from above.
CS: We have an N4G member that wants to know if he can play the whole game with a jet pack?
StH: [laughs] No, that’s not going to be possible. We’re going to introduce a lot of different gameplay experiences, and the jet pack works in certain environments. So in this environment where there’s oil rigs and you can jump on the different levels and those kind of things, it’s contained. A jet pack in the desert with flat terrain wouldn’t make a lot of sense because you would just be hopping along, why would you do that?
CS:What about multiplayer co-op?
StH: No co-op yet.
CS: Can't talk about co-op yet? Got it. There’s a lot of story to catch up on by the third installment, how do you tackle that?
StH: Obviously, we’ve always had these kinds of intros where we explain what has happened before, where you are, we want to make it as accessible as possible. So for people that haven’t played the original Killzone on PlayStation 2, most people have gotten a PlayStation 3 now, my PlayStation 2 is gathering dust. Same with Killzone Liberation on the PSP, we can’t expect people to have played every single installment so at the beginning of Killzone 3 there will be a little bit of catch up, where are we in the story, what are we doing. The setup, the premise of Killzone 3, is really simple. You’re on this hostile planet, your invasion has failed, basically. The Helghast, the enemy, have come in and they’ve wiped out your invasion fleet. You’re now stranded on the planet, you have to get out. Simple story, I’m on a hostile planet, I want to get out.
CS: What have you guys learned from or since Killzone 2?
StH: Where to start? [laughs] There’s a lot of things becuase, as I’ve mentioned, we’ve got a very vocal fanbase so they’ve thrown suggestions our way of things we need to improve. Obviously, one of the key things that we wanted to improve is controller lag. A lot of people were commenting on the fact that you press a button and there’s no instant action on the screen, that’s something that we wanted to fix. So this game, Killzone 3, that’s exactly what we’re fixing.
At the same time they’re talking about variety. Killzone 2, most of the variety was in the latter half of the game, not so much in the beginning. It all felt like urban settings, there wasn’t that much variety, so in terms of environments we’re adding a lot more variety to the environments this time around. Most of the stuff that you do from minute to minute that’s going to be changing. The level that we’re showing here today has got you flying on an Intruder firing down, it’s got regular on-foot combat, it’s got you fighting against jet pack troopers, you get to put on a jet pack yourself, there’s a big rocket launcher, there’s all these things in the span of one level and we’ll be doing that throughout the game. So variety is one of the key words, we wanted to make sure we get a lot of variety in the game this time around.
Multiplayer, I mean, there’s a very hardcore fanbase playing our multiplayer and we want to cater to those guys as well. So we’ve got multiplayer right now on the stand which apparently is quite popular, and that’s a very good sign. We’re going to introduce new game modes. One of the game modes people have been asking for is Team Deathmatch, because if you look at Killzone 2 the amount of rooms that were created for just Body Count, which is our Team Deathmatch mode, is phenomenal. Everybody wanted to play Body Count, Team Deathmatch, so that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re giving them a new game mode called Guerrilla Warfare which is Team Deathmatch every day, all day.
That’s one of the key points, another one is adding to the scope of the game. A lot of people have commented on the games that have come after us. As soon as you finish a game, we’re always saying, “We got the most out of the PlayStation 3, we’re firing on all cylinders, all the SPUs are being used, we’re maxing out the memory”, all that kind of stuff - and then as soon as you ship it you’re going, "Well I think there’s still a little bit of room left". Then games come out after you, Uncharted 2, or God of War 3, and they raise the bar yet again, and you’re kind of like “Okay”.
We really like those guys, and we’re good friends with them, and we talk a lot with the other studios but at the same time there’s a bit of friendly competition going on where we really want to outdo them. We take a couple of cues from those guys, where Uncharted 2 really upped the level in terms of storytelling, that was one of the weaker points for Killzone 2, so we said, “Well let’s see what they did really well and see if we can use a couple of those things in Killzone as well."
God of War, obviously scope - bosses on top of bosses on top of bosses on top of bosses, that kind of thing. Let’s try and see if we can get that kind of feeling of scope into Killzone as well. So the levels you’ll see are much more spatious, there will be big vistas, you’ll be able to explore different routes, there will be bigger boss fights, all those kinds of things.
CS: So with that kind of competition between studios, any closely guarded secrets?
StH: I mean everybody’s got their own tricks up their sleeve, obviously, but the thing is they’re all different games. We’re in the first person world, so the tricks that Uncharted does they can do because they’re third person. So some of the things just don’t translate well. At the same time their engine was built for different things, our engine was built for different things, so it’s more about sharing design ideas or inspiration or those kinds of things, or how did they solve this specific problem. I noticed all the fans have been saying, “Oh, they’ve got snow! I’ve seen the snow level from Killzone! They must be using the Uncharted snow!” That’s not exactly how it works. We do not go over to Naughty Dog and say, “Okay, we’d like a barrel of snow please!”, it doesn’t work that way.
CS: Lend me a cup of snow?
StH: Exactly. [gesturing to screen] This is an example of the bigger vistas that we wanted to do.
CS: The water is really nice, you get that snow from Uncharted?
StH: [laughs] Yeah, we borrowed this from Uncharted. The next Uncharted will have that water.
CS: Why were you comparing yourselves to God of War, to Uncharted, since they are such different games?
StH: Well, obviously, they’re games that raise the bar in terms of what is possible on PlayStation. With us being a first party studio also that’s kind of our mission, to say “Okay, we want to show off what the hardware is capable of.”, so we always look to other titles that are leaders in their genre and God of War obviously is a leader in their genre, Uncharted is a leader in their genre but at the same time we’re looking at other games as well. Red Dead Redemption is doing fantastic things as well, so there’s all these games and we look at what we can learn from those games and try and see if we can adopt/adapt some of these things from them.
Of course we’re taking advantage of new technology, Move, 3D. We announced at E3 that we’ll be supporting Move, but the thing is we want to make sure that as soon as we launch and we put it in people’s hands that it feels good. It’s a new controller, whereas with the DualShock there’s kind of a set of rules out there, X is jump in every game, because that’s been established over the course of years. This being a new controller you have to kind of redefine how things work, and that takes a lot of play testing, because I was born and raised on a DualShock and now all of a sudden I have to make a transition, have to figure out where the buttons are, and what works and what doesn’t work. So we have had to do a lot of experimentation before we finally settled on the right control scheme, and the experimentation is still ongoing. We’re still doing a lot of play testing, tweaking all the variables, because there’s so many things we find that people just play it differently.
CS: And vehicles in the game, we’ve got the jet pack, we saw the Intruder -
StH: Yes, you’ll be flying on an Intruder at the very beginning of this level, it’s a fan request basically because a lot of time in Killzone 2 you would be flying in on those Intruders and you get off and then the gameplay started. Everybody was like, “Well, when I’m on these things, I can see the enemies down there, can I take pot shots at them? Can I start the war right there?” and in Killzone 3 you can. We give you a big weapon, and you get to take out rigs as you fly past them, it’s a lot of fun.
CS: Can you talk about any other vehicles, drivable vehicles, that are going to be in the game?
StH: Unfortunately I can only talk about what we’ve got on show here, but I can talk about the vehicles we’ve got in multiplayer as well. We’ve got the Exoskeleton that we had in Killzone 2, the big mech that you could walk around with, that’s going to be a playable vehicle in multiplayer. We’ll have the jet packs also, in multiplayer, and that’s a game changer when all of a sudden death comes from above.
CS: We have an N4G member that wants to know if he can play the whole game with a jet pack?
StH: [laughs] No, that’s not going to be possible. We’re going to introduce a lot of different gameplay experiences, and the jet pack works in certain environments. So in this environment where there’s oil rigs and you can jump on the different levels and those kind of things, it’s contained. A jet pack in the desert with flat terrain wouldn’t make a lot of sense because you would just be hopping along, why would you do that?
CS:What about multiplayer co-op?
StH: No co-op yet.
CS: Can't talk about co-op yet? Got it. There’s a lot of story to catch up on by the third installment, how do you tackle that?
StH: Obviously, we’ve always had these kinds of intros where we explain what has happened before, where you are, we want to make it as accessible as possible. So for people that haven’t played the original Killzone on PlayStation 2, most people have gotten a PlayStation 3 now, my PlayStation 2 is gathering dust. Same with Killzone Liberation on the PSP, we can’t expect people to have played every single installment so at the beginning of Killzone 3 there will be a little bit of catch up, where are we in the story, what are we doing. The setup, the premise of Killzone 3, is really simple. You’re on this hostile planet, your invasion has failed, basically. The Helghast, the enemy, have come in and they’ve wiped out your invasion fleet. You’re now stranded on the planet, you have to get out. Simple story, I’m on a hostile planet, I want to get out.
Disney XD News
DISNEY XD TO PREMIERE “FORT BOYARD – ULTIMATE CHALLENGE,” A REALITY ADVENTURE SERIES ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 17
Geno Segers (Disney XD’s “Pair of Kings”) and popular British television presenter Laura Hamilton (“Dancing On Ice”) host an exciting competition requiring brainpower, courage and teamwork, “Fort Boyard – Ultimate Challenge,” a 10-part series premiering MONDAY, OCTOBER 17 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET/PT), with a thrilling finale MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. Based on the international game show phenomenon “Fort Boyard,” the series is set in a 19th century sea fort off the coast of France. It introduces six teams — 24 teens from the United States and the United Kingdom — who team up for a tournament where only one team will ultimately get the key to unlock the historic fort’s hidden treasures and win the honor of calling themselves “the conquerors of Fort Boyard.”
The reality adventure series marks the first kids’ version of the popular game show which premiered more than 20 years ago and has since been produced in over 38 countries worldwide.
In the premiere episode, team members from the Red Vipers and Yellow Scorpions compete in the first round of challenges to find out which team has what it takes to move on to become the conquerors of the fort.
“Fort Boyard – Ultimate Challenge” is produced by Zodiak Media Group’s production companies The Foundation and Adventure Line Productions, who created the concept for the original “Fort Boyard” and have been producing the series for 22 years.
The executive producers are Nigel Pickard and Ged Allen for The Foundation, Pierre Godde for Adventure Line Productions and Jamila Metran for CiTV. The producer is Steve Pinhay.
The series will be televised on Disney XD cable and satellite channels around the world (excluding France and the Nordics) and CiTV in the UK.
About “Fort Boyard”
“Fort Boyard” is the most successful adventure game show in the world, having sold to over 30 territories, while dominating France 2′s primetime summer schedule every year since 1990. The action takes place in an imposing fortress built in the middle of the ocean. This provides the perfect backdrop for strenuous, against-the-clock physical challenges and mind-boggling riddles, featuring strange characters and fearsome animals. All this and more awaits those attempting to reach the Treasure Room! Only the fittest and most intelligent contestants can hope to conquer Fort Boyard.
About Disney XD:
Disney XD is a basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for Kids age 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor. Disney XD branded content spans television, online, mobile and VOD platforms. The programming includes series, movies and short-form, as well as sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour, advertiser supported network that reaches over 78 million households via its basic cable and satellite affiliates. There are 22 other Disney XD Games channels around the world.
Geno Segers (Disney XD’s “Pair of Kings”) and popular British television presenter Laura Hamilton (“Dancing On Ice”) host an exciting competition requiring brainpower, courage and teamwork, “Fort Boyard – Ultimate Challenge,” a 10-part series premiering MONDAY, OCTOBER 17 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET/PT), with a thrilling finale MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD. Based on the international game show phenomenon “Fort Boyard,” the series is set in a 19th century sea fort off the coast of France. It introduces six teams — 24 teens from the United States and the United Kingdom — who team up for a tournament where only one team will ultimately get the key to unlock the historic fort’s hidden treasures and win the honor of calling themselves “the conquerors of Fort Boyard.”
The reality adventure series marks the first kids’ version of the popular game show which premiered more than 20 years ago and has since been produced in over 38 countries worldwide.
In the premiere episode, team members from the Red Vipers and Yellow Scorpions compete in the first round of challenges to find out which team has what it takes to move on to become the conquerors of the fort.
“Fort Boyard – Ultimate Challenge” is produced by Zodiak Media Group’s production companies The Foundation and Adventure Line Productions, who created the concept for the original “Fort Boyard” and have been producing the series for 22 years.
The executive producers are Nigel Pickard and Ged Allen for The Foundation, Pierre Godde for Adventure Line Productions and Jamila Metran for CiTV. The producer is Steve Pinhay.
The series will be televised on Disney XD cable and satellite channels around the world (excluding France and the Nordics) and CiTV in the UK.
About “Fort Boyard”
“Fort Boyard” is the most successful adventure game show in the world, having sold to over 30 territories, while dominating France 2′s primetime summer schedule every year since 1990. The action takes place in an imposing fortress built in the middle of the ocean. This provides the perfect backdrop for strenuous, against-the-clock physical challenges and mind-boggling riddles, featuring strange characters and fearsome animals. All this and more awaits those attempting to reach the Treasure Room! Only the fittest and most intelligent contestants can hope to conquer Fort Boyard.
About Disney XD:
Disney XD is a basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a compelling mix of live-action and animated programming for Kids age 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor. Disney XD branded content spans television, online, mobile and VOD platforms. The programming includes series, movies and short-form, as well as sports-themed programming developed with ESPN. In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour, advertiser supported network that reaches over 78 million households via its basic cable and satellite affiliates. There are 22 other Disney XD Games channels around the world.
When did we throw ourselves away?
I joined this site a year ago, a youngling fresh on the gaming scene, intrigued by the growing world of social online gaming. What I failed to realize is that I had walked onto a battlefield in which a war is being fought, a war without sense or purpose. but a war that will continue for the foreseeable future. So I have a simple question to pose to you, the denizens of N4G.
When did you throw yourselves away?
When I was 14, my best friend got a new PS2 and gave me his old one, which was in great condition. I was ecstatic because I'd grown up playing great games like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, SOCOM, Sly Cooper, and others with my friend on the PS1 and 2 and now he was giving me my very own. Also, because my parents never saw the worth in buying me a console, so I was left to drool after the neighbors.
Prior to my emergence on the online gaming scene, I was unaware that people fought over things like games. Was it too much to assume that people had different tastes and that they'd play that which pleased them?
But boy, have I come to several revelations while on N4G. Never before have I seen people go after each other so aggressively for preferring a specific thing on the internet. On this site particularly, there's been a vicious brawl for the past few years between rival "factions" over which console is the "best" which game is the "best". Things like Graphics are now in some people's eyes what decides if they'll buy a title or not.
What bothers me the most is the fact that these disturbing mindsets aren't just influencing the rank and file gamers that frequent this site and others, but also the journalists that we go to for news. Things have now gotten to the point where Reviewers and so called Journalists will mark down games simply because they are popular or well loved on a particular console.
Why is this happening? Are we not all brethren, united under one banner, which is gaming? Don't we all find pleasure in this our hobby? Why have we fallen to disparaging one another based on inevitably varying tastes?
This site seems to be the seat of corruption, but this can only be expected as it's the largest if not the only gaming news aggregation on the web. Fanboys spoiling games for other people, trolls spewing useless caustic remarks about a game that they don't care for, and possibly can't even play, and Moderators doing absolutely NOTHING about keeping the peace.
It seems this issue has come to an especially fierce boiling point in the advent of the long awaited Gran Turismo 5. And it has finally hit close to home to some people that their actions are like a never ending cycle.
360 Fanboys approving ridiculous reviews, PS3 Fanboys denouncing those who would comment on a game which they do not own and vowing revenge for Gears of War 3, and on, and on, and on.
Is it that you all are devoid of common sense? Why is it that before this, PS3 trolls were content to troll games they didn't own, yet they didn't anticipate that the same thing might be done to a game in the future? Has this not happened in the past?
I've heard things from members I won't name akin to "They hit us first! So we're going to hit back!"
Are you three year olds? Are you not aware that an eye for an eye means everybody loses? Where's the mature leadership that says, "Looks guys f*ck what anyone says, this is what we want to play, and we'll be damned if we let what anybody thinks about it affect us".
Instead, what I see is a tit-for-tat attitude. I hear folk all the time salivating for the day when the PS3 will surpass the Xbox 360 in worldwide sales. They say, that then the 360 fans will be put in their places and will finally shut up.
HA! Fat chance. You think for a moment that this constant fighting is going to let up just because of a small change in sales leadership? Hell no. They'll keep on trolling, and you'll keep on feeding them, and you'll keep on trolling and they'll keep on feeding you, and so a never-ending cycle will continue.
Do you throw gasoline on a fire?
When did you throw yourselves away?
When I was 14, my best friend got a new PS2 and gave me his old one, which was in great condition. I was ecstatic because I'd grown up playing great games like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, SOCOM, Sly Cooper, and others with my friend on the PS1 and 2 and now he was giving me my very own. Also, because my parents never saw the worth in buying me a console, so I was left to drool after the neighbors.
Prior to my emergence on the online gaming scene, I was unaware that people fought over things like games. Was it too much to assume that people had different tastes and that they'd play that which pleased them?
But boy, have I come to several revelations while on N4G. Never before have I seen people go after each other so aggressively for preferring a specific thing on the internet. On this site particularly, there's been a vicious brawl for the past few years between rival "factions" over which console is the "best" which game is the "best". Things like Graphics are now in some people's eyes what decides if they'll buy a title or not.
What bothers me the most is the fact that these disturbing mindsets aren't just influencing the rank and file gamers that frequent this site and others, but also the journalists that we go to for news. Things have now gotten to the point where Reviewers and so called Journalists will mark down games simply because they are popular or well loved on a particular console.
Why is this happening? Are we not all brethren, united under one banner, which is gaming? Don't we all find pleasure in this our hobby? Why have we fallen to disparaging one another based on inevitably varying tastes?
This site seems to be the seat of corruption, but this can only be expected as it's the largest if not the only gaming news aggregation on the web. Fanboys spoiling games for other people, trolls spewing useless caustic remarks about a game that they don't care for, and possibly can't even play, and Moderators doing absolutely NOTHING about keeping the peace.
It seems this issue has come to an especially fierce boiling point in the advent of the long awaited Gran Turismo 5. And it has finally hit close to home to some people that their actions are like a never ending cycle.
360 Fanboys approving ridiculous reviews, PS3 Fanboys denouncing those who would comment on a game which they do not own and vowing revenge for Gears of War 3, and on, and on, and on.
Is it that you all are devoid of common sense? Why is it that before this, PS3 trolls were content to troll games they didn't own, yet they didn't anticipate that the same thing might be done to a game in the future? Has this not happened in the past?
I've heard things from members I won't name akin to "They hit us first! So we're going to hit back!"
Are you three year olds? Are you not aware that an eye for an eye means everybody loses? Where's the mature leadership that says, "Looks guys f*ck what anyone says, this is what we want to play, and we'll be damned if we let what anybody thinks about it affect us".
Instead, what I see is a tit-for-tat attitude. I hear folk all the time salivating for the day when the PS3 will surpass the Xbox 360 in worldwide sales. They say, that then the 360 fans will be put in their places and will finally shut up.
HA! Fat chance. You think for a moment that this constant fighting is going to let up just because of a small change in sales leadership? Hell no. They'll keep on trolling, and you'll keep on feeding them, and you'll keep on trolling and they'll keep on feeding you, and so a never-ending cycle will continue.
Do you throw gasoline on a fire?
Do review scores determine which games are good, and which are not?
As an avid gamer, I'm also an avid reader of gaming media. I regularly check N4G for material to satisfy my insatiable hunger for gaming media. I also regularly visit sites like IGN, Gamespot, Kotaku and more.
This lends itself to being a game review junkie. I love reading game reviews and finding out which games are worth my money, and which games aren't. I regularly base purchasing decisions on reading reviews. Some people might say 'how retarded- game reviews don't mean squat'. Believe me, I know. I often purchase games only to find out this point. I've been slowly learning this lesson too. For example, some major gripes a reviewer has won't annoy me too much or some elements they consider a weakness I consider a strength, and so on.
So naturally with the release of GT5 recently, I was a little perturbed at the scores it was getting. This was one of the most hyped games of the decade, with one of the longest production schedules and it got mostly 8's. In context, that seems like a let down. I have to admit here, that I have what I consider to be a fair sized PS3 library at 23 games (most of my friends don't have close to 10 games), and most of them I've purchased based on reading reviews.
Gran Turismo 5 I purchased without reading its review, as I pre-oredered it- not something I do often. A pre-order locks in your decision to purchase a game, and once it arrives at your door there's no turning back. So a game I figured I'd hold out on, I ended up getting. Reviews I read the night previous had me believing I'd be more than a little disappointed with GT5. But how wrong I've been.
I personally am loving GT5 right now. I'm really into just about every aspect of the game. The standard/premium car divide isn't bothering me that much at all (one of my favourite cars to drive right now is a 'standard' Mugen/Motul Honda Civic), I think the graphics are stunning and the driving experience is just unrivalled. I personally like the course editor and the way it creates tracks, I really dig photo mode and I think the way online is set out is actually a good thing. I can see where a lot of the criticisms lie, but the point is- I really don't care about them. I'm not bothered by loading screens, jagged shadows. In a day and age where every big release game seems centered around killing or maiming people, aliens or monsters in some way or another, GT5 has been a breath of fresh air for me.
Then it got me thinking. Those review scores. Did they matter? Not in the slightest. What matters is how much I like the game. Not how much some guy does, who is paid to play games and write good and bad things about it.
Then how about all the other games I own? Well many that have had great review scores didn't turn out so good. Heavy Rain for example. The reviews I read labeled it as revolutionary and a great game. I played it and found it was just poorly executed and I never finished it. I just didn't like it. One day I might try at it again- but that's just my opinion of it.
Another game I previously owned, NBA2K10, was reviewed very highly at the time. But I found it to be horrible, and wished I had not traded NBA2K9 for it (sports games are the only ones I trade). It was full of glitches and issues and really pissed me off. Luckily 2K11 saved the franchise.
Black Ops is another classic example. Gamespot's review in particular is that it's a tremendous game worth every accolade, and many sites gave this game a glowing endorsement. Yet to me its the most disappointing release of the year. It's buggy, it has worse graphics than its predecessors and its campaign is confusing and at times very boring. This isn't to mention its near unplayable (on PS3 at least) multiplayer, which is plagued with issues, glitches and bugs. I loved Modern Warfare 2 (online at least, I didn't touch the campaign), and in comparison Black Ops is just a let down to me.
The point is, reviews in many cases don't matter. For someone who bases a lot of decisions on reviews, I often come to a different conclusion to the reviewers. It's not to say I don't agree with all reviews either. Many encapsulate exactly how I feel about a game too. Yet what needs to be remembered is they're just opinions, and opinions will always differ.
So the lessons learned? Review scores don't determine what a good game is- you do. If you think GT5 sucks and was a major disappointment, then it is, because your the one that matters. If you love Black Ops to death, then it's the best game ever- to you at least. But just don't be too peeved to find out that someone thinks differently to you and writes it down in a review,. There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
This lends itself to being a game review junkie. I love reading game reviews and finding out which games are worth my money, and which games aren't. I regularly base purchasing decisions on reading reviews. Some people might say 'how retarded- game reviews don't mean squat'. Believe me, I know. I often purchase games only to find out this point. I've been slowly learning this lesson too. For example, some major gripes a reviewer has won't annoy me too much or some elements they consider a weakness I consider a strength, and so on.
So naturally with the release of GT5 recently, I was a little perturbed at the scores it was getting. This was one of the most hyped games of the decade, with one of the longest production schedules and it got mostly 8's. In context, that seems like a let down. I have to admit here, that I have what I consider to be a fair sized PS3 library at 23 games (most of my friends don't have close to 10 games), and most of them I've purchased based on reading reviews.
Gran Turismo 5 I purchased without reading its review, as I pre-oredered it- not something I do often. A pre-order locks in your decision to purchase a game, and once it arrives at your door there's no turning back. So a game I figured I'd hold out on, I ended up getting. Reviews I read the night previous had me believing I'd be more than a little disappointed with GT5. But how wrong I've been.
I personally am loving GT5 right now. I'm really into just about every aspect of the game. The standard/premium car divide isn't bothering me that much at all (one of my favourite cars to drive right now is a 'standard' Mugen/Motul Honda Civic), I think the graphics are stunning and the driving experience is just unrivalled. I personally like the course editor and the way it creates tracks, I really dig photo mode and I think the way online is set out is actually a good thing. I can see where a lot of the criticisms lie, but the point is- I really don't care about them. I'm not bothered by loading screens, jagged shadows. In a day and age where every big release game seems centered around killing or maiming people, aliens or monsters in some way or another, GT5 has been a breath of fresh air for me.
Then it got me thinking. Those review scores. Did they matter? Not in the slightest. What matters is how much I like the game. Not how much some guy does, who is paid to play games and write good and bad things about it.
Then how about all the other games I own? Well many that have had great review scores didn't turn out so good. Heavy Rain for example. The reviews I read labeled it as revolutionary and a great game. I played it and found it was just poorly executed and I never finished it. I just didn't like it. One day I might try at it again- but that's just my opinion of it.
Another game I previously owned, NBA2K10, was reviewed very highly at the time. But I found it to be horrible, and wished I had not traded NBA2K9 for it (sports games are the only ones I trade). It was full of glitches and issues and really pissed me off. Luckily 2K11 saved the franchise.
Black Ops is another classic example. Gamespot's review in particular is that it's a tremendous game worth every accolade, and many sites gave this game a glowing endorsement. Yet to me its the most disappointing release of the year. It's buggy, it has worse graphics than its predecessors and its campaign is confusing and at times very boring. This isn't to mention its near unplayable (on PS3 at least) multiplayer, which is plagued with issues, glitches and bugs. I loved Modern Warfare 2 (online at least, I didn't touch the campaign), and in comparison Black Ops is just a let down to me.
The point is, reviews in many cases don't matter. For someone who bases a lot of decisions on reviews, I often come to a different conclusion to the reviewers. It's not to say I don't agree with all reviews either. Many encapsulate exactly how I feel about a game too. Yet what needs to be remembered is they're just opinions, and opinions will always differ.
So the lessons learned? Review scores don't determine what a good game is- you do. If you think GT5 sucks and was a major disappointment, then it is, because your the one that matters. If you love Black Ops to death, then it's the best game ever- to you at least. But just don't be too peeved to find out that someone thinks differently to you and writes it down in a review,. There may not be another Zynga game in which Energy is more important than in Adventure World. Every switch thrown, every puzzle solved and beastie whacked costs you the Facebook game juice. Players often find themselves without Energy minutes into an Expedition. But this isn't the time for whining--it's time to show you the value of upgrading your Tools and how to do it.
Tools: The Game Changer
If you noticed, each piece of debris and monster has a life bar, and normally take multiple hits with your Whip or Machete to whittle down. This, of course, quickly becomes a waste in later Expeditions purely due to the amount of obstacles in your path. But increasing the amount of damage your various Tools inflict against said baddies could considerably reduce the Energy spend in-game.
For instance, say a Snake has three hit points and is Level 5. Since monsters can hit back in this game, it could take three to five Energy before an enemy goes down. Now, imagine if you had upgraded your Whip to Level 2. Offing that Snake would take just two to four Energy with a beefier Whip. The same situation applies to Tools like the Machete.
Adventure World Tool Shop inside
And Now For Your How-To
Adventure World Tool Shop outsideUpgrading your Tools in Adventure World is simple. All you need to do is head back to Base Camp from an Expedition, and look for a makeshift hut that should already be in place in your headquarters. When you click on the Tool Shop, a window will appear featuring all the Tools you've found thus far on your journeys. Click on the Tool you wish to upgrade.
Once you click on a Tool to upgrade, you'll notice that each Tool costs Coins to upgrade. That's it--no asking friends to help you out with materials or farming certain crops for special items. Just the goods you find during your travels in search of El Dorado. However, Coins are actually quite rare in this game, so you'll need to save and spend wisely.
When you have enough Coins for an upgrade, just click on the appropriate icon to pay up. Tool upgrades are also level-locked, meaning you must reach a certain level for most Tools before being able to upgrade them using Coins. If you're feeling impatient, you could always unlock access to those higher level Tools early using Adventure Cash.
Just One Small Catch...
However, some Tool upgrades do require an extra boost: your Tool Shop. Yes, the building itself can be upgraded, too. And this time, you will need items from your friends. (Just think of how things work in CityVille.) Luckily, you only have to do this about twice to unlock access to all of the game's Tools. Then, it's back onto leveling up to access new upgrades for Coins.
Adventure World Tool Shop Upgrade
Upgraded Tools are hands-down the way to go, if you want to save precious Energy for the good stuff, that is. You know, exploring ... uncovering the secrets of El Dorado? That kind of stuff. Your wallet might thank us later.
Click here to find all of our Adventure World Tips in one spot >
[Source: Zynga]
Have you upgraded your Tools in Adventure World yet? What other Energy-saving tips might you have for your fellow adventurers? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Thứ Năm, 20 tháng 10, 2011
Disney-branded Facebook games coming in 2012, Playdom head says
Can we all just say, “finally?” During a panel named “The Rise of Social Games” at the f8 Facebook Developers Conference in San Francisco, Disney Interactive and Playdom head John Pleasants revealed that two to four Facebook games surrounding Disney xd brands will hit Facebook in 2012. The general topic of the panel was the fact that branded social games are taking off.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Pleasants was joined on the panel by Kabam CEO Kevin Chou, EA Interactive head Barry Cottle and Zynga CBO Owen Van Natta. Facebook director of games partnerships Sean Ryan moderated the panel with the preface that branded games will take over the Facebook platform. And he might be right: EA just released The Sims Social, Zynga will soon re-brand its new Adventure World with Indiana Jones and Kabam recently announced The Godfather: Five Families.
Playdom, which Disney acquired in July 2010 for a whopping $740 million, is ahead of the pack with two branded games on Facebook: ESPNU College Town and ESPN Sports Bar & Grill. Both games performed well, thanks to advertising through the ESPN TV network. While Disney owns the ESPN brand, notice how neither of those actually involve the insanely popular Disney characters we’ve come to love.
Honestly, we’re surprised this didn’t happen sooner. Consider this: Disney has its own cable TV channel through which it could, in theory, advertise whatever it wants. Pleasants didn’t get into why it’s taken this long for disney channel games to throw its cast of characters into Facebook games, but did reveal the power of the Disney name.
Gnome Town, which Playdom launched in the summer–and we enjoyed quite a bit–peaked at 530,000 daily players. But just plopping the Disney logo on top of the existing one made users more likely to spend in the game just through trust of the company’s name, according to Pleasants. “We think it’s an advantage, if you put game play first,” Pleasants said.
It’s comforting to hear this emphasized by these developers. (Kabam’s Chou shared the same sentiment.) Branded games on Facebook are OK in my book, but the last thing anyone wants to see is the genre become a branding machine.
Phineas And Ferb 3D Game – Disney XD Games 63
New Disney Game – Phineas and Ferb
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
Disney released a new game. Phineas and Ferb 3D online game. Klick here to read the complete review.
The new game is available at the Disney XD discovery channel. Get ahead of the game before its officially released next week!
Disney is introducing the brand new DisneyXD game. Phineas and Ferb in: The Transport inators of Doooom!
Doofenschmitz is up to his old tricks again, and who has gone missing? Phineas! Help Ferb find his brother and try to help Agent P thwarth Doofenschmitz evil plans!
Check out this new exciting Disney XD online game before all others do at the Disney Cartoon network games website!
Check out Disney’s cartoon network to find a lot of amazing games and news. Disney offers a lot of cartoon games on their site. So head over to the Disney XD site and play the new Phineas and Ferb – The Transport-inators of Doooom! game!
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