The Legend of Zelda series has been going quite strong for the past 20 years, ever since The Legend of Zelda first debuted on the NES in 1986. Yet for all the enjoyment I’ve gotten over the series, I have to admit one thing: there’s not a lot of innovation. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto even admitted that the new Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword wouldn’t be a radical departure for the series.
As a gamer in my early twenties, I’ve suddenly entered a time of nostalgia. A lot of my favorite franchises are being made into both good and bad films, and a lot of the games and films I grew up with are being remade. I’ve also started to track down some of the old shows I used to watch on TV.
And as I look back, it makes me marvel at how far we’ve come, especially with video games. The technological development has been amazing, and innovation is still being made to this day. Though all this technology is making me wonder if gamers are being pushed away from each other.
When I was a kid, me and my friends would play video games for hours on end, on our butts, staring at the TV screen. I remember bouts of Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, Need for Speed, Donkey Kong and Pokémon. These days, if I play games with others, it’s always online. It’s been a long time since I actually sat down with people, physically, to play games. I also keep hearing the words: “Oh, I play games with my friends ONLINE all the time,” from other gamers, both online and off. Technological advancement is never a bad thing, and I’m all for online gaming, but I feel I’m seeing more and more games that forgo offline multiplayer in order to prioritize online multiplayer.
- Are game developers more focused on online multiplayer in their games?
- Do you still play offline multiplayer with other gamers?
- Will offline multiplayer be, for lack of a better word, obliterated from gaming?
We love games. We love playing them, reading about them, talking about them and writing about them. Yet there’s always something about our beloved hobby that we just can’t stand. It could be anything from encountering obnixious players online, to undergoing fetch quests and experiencing an unexpected change of genre. This article is to honor those things
- What are some of the things about gaming you just can’t stand?
- What about these things annoy you?
- Have there ever been moments when your gaming pet peeve hasn’t annoyed you?
Final Fantasy XIII has been out for about two weeks now and has become a mixed bag among gamers all over the world. Some can’t seem to stop praising it enough while others find it a boring and linear mess that doesn’t live up to the hype or the reputation of the series in general.
Highest on the list of critique is the game’s slow pacing, forcing players through lengthy corridors for the first 20 or so hours of the game. Forum posts and general fan reviews I’ve read seems to point to Final Fantasy XIII as the “end of the JRPG”.
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?
