In these sandbox times established by the likes of GTA, Carmageddon and Sim City, it seems to me like linearity has become a sin when it comes to game development. Unless you’re making a certain type of game, a linear style of gameplay and story progression seems to have certain fans screaming for blood.

Final Fantasy XIII in particular has had to endure a lot of flack for keeping the first 25 hours of the game strictly linear, while other games that used to be linear like the Prince of Persia series are going for something more akin to a sandbox title.

I’ve always upheld that linearity is far from a bad thing. I grew up playing linear games and some of my favourite games of all time are completely linear. So I ask you

- Why is linearity considered such a pet peeve of certain gamers?

- Is a sandbox title inherently better than a level based, linear game?

The other day I watched a video review of Dante’s Inferno on GameTrailers. Things didn’t go too well. It’s final score came to 6.8 out of 10, and the commentary section exploded with what I like to call Fanboy Rage. While the reviewer in question appeared to have several valid points in his review (repetitive grinding, poorly implemented button mashing and QTEs and a sloppy treatment of The Divine Coomedy), fans of the game would not have it.

Now, we’ve all probably acted like a fanboy, or girl, from time to time. Even I have, though I eventually smartened up and realised all consoles had their strengths and weaknesses. We at TGV have just had our second flame war, this time concerning Heavy Rain, and whenever something is being critiqued it seems the fans will come out of the woodworks to defend their product or console of choice.

- Can fanboyism be a good thing?

- What makes certain gamers fall to fanboyism when others don’t?

- Are fanboys (girls) simply ignorant?

I’ve been playing a lot of Bayonetta lately, a game that’s freaking  awesome by the way, and the ridiculously overpriced items available in the game store got me thinking about cheating in video games.

I think cheating is the kind of thing we’ve all done at least once in our gaming careers, but are a bit embarassed to talk about. It could be anything from a quick level skip, enganing noclip, pulling amazing weapons out of your ass to just plain old invulnerability.

So our topic for tonight is good old fashioned cheating.

- Do cheat codes, or cheating in general, make a game more or less fun?

- Have you ever cheated in a game? In what way?

- Is it cheating to exploit something within the game to, say, net you extra gold or lives?

October to December, also known as the holiday season is well known for being the time frame in which there is a considerable boost in computer game sales.

Bloggers and game experts alike have suggested that titles like the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2 have pushed back the release of several (expected to be) top quality games to next year in fear of low sales numbers. Despite this, newcomers such as Boarderlands and Brutal Legend still take the risk to be released in this time frame.

Speculation on how many games can be released within this time frame before one title will suffer over another inevitably becomes a challenge for PR and marketing working for computer game publishers.

How much of this do you believe is the case, and why/why not?

Will this change in the forseeable future?

With the recent release of the Brütal Legend demo (which is awesome, by the way, you have to check it out) it got me thinking about demos, and their value in today’s gaming society.

When I was a younger man, during the PS1 days, my new console came packed with a demo disc, usually featuring one or two levels from released or upcoming games. And it was great, because it allowed me and my friends to experience a game before begging our parents to buy it for us. Demo discs seemed to be released frequently, through magazines or promo campaigns. Once the PS2, Xbox and GC generation of consoles rolled in, it seemed (to me at least) that demos suddenly stopped being released.

Now, however, it seems demos are coming back to their former glory, allowing players to experience a game before shelling out the $50 or $60 the game stores are asking for.

- Are demos valid again?

- Where they ever not valid?

- Do you download demos?

Authors note: Yes, I’m aware of the fact that PC demos have been released through Steam and what have you since the dawn of time, but article is from a mostly console centered viewpoint.

Currently, MMORPGs give away free mounts or virtual goods as part of a promotion. Some game publishers give pre-ordered games extra goods (virtual and/or real) or as part of a special edition.

This is done to get gamers interest to purchase a slightly more expensive version of the game, or to be able to give retailers an indication on how many copies of the game they should order.

In the end, the game is what’s important, however in most cases; surely extra goods cannot be a bad thing?

- What makes a good value game? Playtime involved, or actual time enjoyed playing? With this in mind, is a short well-polished game better than a much longer, but average-fun game?

- How important are extra goods to you when you buy a game?

- When can extra goods be a bad thing? Do you have any bad experiences?

For a while there have been many attempts, many failed attempts at that, to create a good super hero game. Most of those games have been movie tie ins, so suckiness was pretty much expected.

Along game a relatively unknown studio named Rocksteady who wanted to create the super hero game to end all super heroes; Batman: Arkham Asylum. They set out to recreate the look, feel and experience of being the dark knight. Along with Batman writer Paul Dini it so far seems they have succeeded, garnering rave reviews of preview builds and generating a huge buzz around gamer and comic book communities alike.

Today the demo launched for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, so naturally tonight’s Evening Topic is Batman: Arkham Asylum.

- Did you download the demo?

- From your impressions of the demo, does the game deliver what it set out to do?

- Could Batman: Arkham Asylum be the best super hero game ever?

Ah, the GameBoy, quite possibly Nintendo’s finest gaming platform to date. Why are we celebrating the GameBoy, you ask? Because the grey brick is 20 years old today!

Created by Gunpei Yokoi, the GameBoy set out to conquer a virtually untapped market by letting gamers everywhere game on-the-go. With the immense popularity of Tetris and Pokémon, the GameBoy was dubbed the best handheld gaming system on the market.

Since then, we’ve been given a colour version as well as an Advanced model, with hardware sales for all models coming to a whopping 200 million units sold. No other handhelds, not even the DS has come close to matching this number.

The GameBoy was my introduction to gaming. My parents, my brother, and I were in Spain on vacation and both me and him were given a GameBoy to keep us entertained whenever we were bored. This was in 1992 and I was 4 years old.

Bundled with the GameBoys were special cartridges that contained 8 games on a single cartridge. Among those games was Tetris and Alleyway, titles my brother and I fell head over heels in love with. Since then I’ve been a big fan of Nintendo’s handhelds, owning at least one version of every model.

But as they say; you’ll always remember your first, and my first was the grey brick. Join The Gaming Vault in celebrating the GameBoy, an oldie, but a goodie.

- What are your fondest memories of the GameBoy?

- What was your favourite GameBoy title?

Most game companies today provide content for games after they have been shipped. These downloadable patches can fix game bugs or add new content to games. Some companies provide solely free additional content, others partially free, and finally, some also require users to purchase everything if they want the full game experience.

The amount of content per download can range from a new skin on your avatar in a game to whole new levels: micro-transactions allow users to pay for individual items they desire in a game, however large content packs are also available.

- What justifies DLC content that users should pay for?

- Should game developers plan for expansion packs or DLC during original game development, or should the DLC be based on user feedback?

- Are expansion packs (that we have to purchase) for subscription-based MMOs reasonable on the user’s part?

After this year’s E3, the big three console manufacturers brought out new hardware in the form of motion control. Microsoft revealed Project Natal, a camera peripheral for the Xbox 360 with face and voice recognition and full body motion controls, while Nintendo updated everyone on what their Wii MotionPlus peripheral can do.

Sony didn’t want to be left out of the bandwagon and showed off yet another camera based motion controller, with two wand like objects. Much like a Wiimote with the MotionPlus attachment, the PS3Wands feature 1:1 movement in a 3D plane and seems tailor made for rail-shooters and sword fighting.

While all three kinds of motion controls were lauded by most fans and critics alike, it does raise one question: are montion controls really a good thing? Sure it can help with immersion in certain types of games, I for one felt Twilight Princess was even more fun to play with a Wiimote, but what about games that actually require buttons and analogue sticks?

Can you imagine playing Gears of War with the Natal, or Uncharted with the PS3Wands? Sure it helps the casual crowd experience gaming without the controller being a barrier, but most of us play games to unwind. I can’t imagine playing Ricochet on the Xbox 360 to unwind, seeing as most hands-on features have all said the same thing: that it’s a tiring and sweaty experience.

- Are motion controls the future of gaming?

- Will you be getting Project Natal, a PS3Wands or a Wii MotionPlus?

- Do we really care what the bottom of an Avatar’s shoe looks like?

It seems to me lately that video game developer are doing their best to bring us back to what man consider the golden days of gaming; the 80’s.

Now that the video game children of the 70’s and 80’s have grown up, they too are making games for current-gen consoles, which leads to a slew of titles that reference or follow up on older titles.

Bionic Commando and Street Fighter 4 are both sequels to classic games from the 80’s, Castle Crashers and MadWorld pay tribute to good old arcade style beat-em-ups, and Ghostbusters: The Video Game takes us back to a film franchise established in 1984.

- Are these blasts from the past a good thing?

- Wouldn’t original content be better than repeating older formulas and merely tread new skin over old games?

- Are you pining away for the golden days of gaming?

Tony Hawk Ride was announced a while ago and will be coming out with a brand new peripheral, in order to allow players to really immerse themselves in the skating gameplay. But in this age of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, do we really need more peripherals?

Guitar Hero 5 even allows 4 player multiplayer with any chosen instrument. That means you can play head-to-head with 4 drum kits! Does anybody want to buy 4 drum kits?

In the older days of gaming, a peripheral could sometimes be the proverbial touch of death for a game. Sure, it might not apply for Duck Hunt on the NES, but consider all the crap peripherals Nintendo came out with during the NES era: The Power Pad, the Miracle Piano, the Super Scope, R.O.B., and who could forget; The Power Glove… Then again, Nintendo did survive said onslaught of mediocrity.

Yet peripherals seem to lead to massive success these days. Wii Fit, Balance Board included, has sold over 17 million copies worldwide, and Guitar Hero and Rock Band are still massive audience pleasers. So I ask you:

- Do we need more game peripherals?

- Are developers too quick to jump on the peripheral bandwagon that Guitar Hero kicked off?

- What kind of game peripheral would you like to see in the near future?

- What kind of game peripheral do you NOT want to see in the near future?

Every year, around the same time, the entire gaming community huddles around together in a corner, to witness, experience and enjoy one single event… the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

This year, more than any year in the event’s recent history, looks to be an exceptionally large show, with all the major console manufacturers promising some huge bombshells and big stories. This will also be a week for the developers to shine, to show off their wares, and get us excited about the next 12 months in the gaming calendar.

So to you, good readers, we ask these questions:

How do you intend to enjoy this year’s E3? Any specific plans?

Which console manufacturer are you most interested in this year?

What games are you most excited about seeing at E3?

read this entry »

Delays certainly isn’t something new when it comes to production of a certain type of medium. Movies, books, comic books and video games have all had to be delayed at some point, usually due to a lack of funding, lack of focus, laziness or the need for some extra polish. It’s when these delays become massive, however, we begin to question the point.

Duke Nukem Forever was scheduled for a release in 1997, but was finally axed May 6 2009 when the developer ran out of money. Batman: Arkham Asylum was recently delayed by a few months, and Fable II’s DLC Knothole Island was pushed back from mid December to late January.

And who can forget Daikatana, the game by which John Romero was going to make you his bitch. Set to release in 1998, the game finally launched in 2000, only to bomb fantastically.

- Are delays a necessary evil that should just be accepted?

- Or is it an excuse for developers who clearly haven’t been doing their best?

With gaming becoming such a large part of the mainstream world in recent years, it seems more and more people are referring to themselves as “gamers”, whether they’re playing Madden, Halo 3 or Wii Sports.

Recently gaming was turned into a reality show, with the Sci-Fi channel’s WCG Ultimate Gamer pitting contestants against each other in both video games and their real life equivalent.

The games in question: Halo 3, Project Gotham Racing 4, Rock Band, Virtua Fighter 5, DDR3 and NBA Live 09.

Scot Ramsoomair, creator of famous webcomic VGCats has launched a tirade against the show through his webcomic, calling it, “[the show] where a group of twenty-something hipsters play the most casual games for the title, ULTIMATE GAMER”.

“Who’s a gamer? Who isn’t?! With the Wii and games like Rock Band, it’s opened what was once a reclusive hobby to the light of the teeming masses. Now it’s trendy to like games, we’re fucking marketable!”

“But with more people playing games doesn’t that mean WE get more games to play? No. Instead we’re getting bastardized versions of what were once classic games. A perpetual easy mode filled with QTEs and mini-games.”

Ramsoomair goes on to say that “we didn’t spend years as a social outcast to watch you assholes fuck this up. I know what we are, and you’re not gamers”

- Is it too easy for people to give themselves the title “gamer” these days?

- If so, what makes a person “a gamer”?

- Or should we simply continue separating them as “casual” and “core” audiences?