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Last time I can remember Microsoft mentioning handheld gaming, it was 2004 when Microsoft announced that it wouldn't be entering that market with an "Xboy" because handheld gaming was too solitary . . .

That's never stopped vibrators from selling.

Last time I can remember Microsoft mentioning handheld gaming, it was 2004 when Microsoft announced that it wouldn't be entering that market with an "Xboy" because handheld gaming was too solitary, and Microsoft was into social experiences. One thing that's changed since then is an expectation of a cellular Internet subscription.

Nowhere on earth has the latency or the bandwidth for this.

Particularly in the handheld market.

Notice that the headline says "Xbox and PlayStation", not "Nintendo". Sony isn't making games for the PlayStation Vita anymore, and Microsoft never made a handheld in the first place because it's not social enough. Let's say Google did make a handheld to replace the PlayStation Vita, perhaps an Android phone with buttons like the Xperia Play, and it operated by streaming. Which cellular ISP in Google's home country (the United States of America) would offer an affordable plan that competes with handheld use of the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch systems?

Oh, I don't know. Some "lets play" gaming is just raw solid entertainment, where the narrative derived from or commenting on the game is greater than the game alone.

e.g. emergent narrative:
http://lparchive.org/Dwarf-For...

Or the discussion about the game being infinitely more entertaining than the game can ever promise to be:
http://www.quartertothree.com/...

Ok, they're not the video "lets plays" that you mock, but I just ignore video ones anyway.

I had less time to game as I was now an adult and I just wanted things to work.

Now that you're an adult, do you have kids? Or do you watch other adults' kids? If so, do you game with them?

Laptops make my gaming platform portable and self contained.

Consoles have had this since 1989 when Nintendo introduced the Game Boy. Microsoft, on the other hand, isn't sold on handheld gaming.

Running up-to-date software would probably be a good start. The rest isn't rocket science either. Creating secure networks is not some esoteric art. I mean, plenty companies out there run their servers for years without having issues like that. Some even do it on *gasp* Windows servers! Maybe Sony needs to hire some of people who manage that?

There are good evidences that their servers were up to date:

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1549251&postcount=491
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showpost.php?p=2673715&postcount=961

Noboby has fully assessed what happened. Nobody but the usual mythomaniac guys that crowd the big net.

...if they chose a platform that is more reliable than an Xbox 360.

That's right bitches, 54.2% failure rate.

that would mean and all of my xbox360 buddies must be in the other percentile... say for silent majority? I can pull %s out of my ass too but it won't be pretty.

...if they chose a platform that is more reliable than an Xbox 360.

That's right bitches, 54.2% failure rate.

Titan Quest and its expansion come to mind most immediately. Anything else I know I can't tell you because of NDA.

I did a bit of googling on that. The game seems linked to piracy mainly on account of this post from Micheal Fitch following the close of Iron Lore Entertainment.

Now it's a terrible thing that he company went under, but I'm not sure how objective he was being. I mean he not only estimates piracy rates at 90% (which seems a little high to me) but he also goes on to also blame the architecture of the PC, hardware manufactures, device drivers, biased reviewers and an ungrateful public for Iron Lore's failure. It's an interesting perspective on the problem, but on its own, it falls short of a compelling argument.

And if Fitch's figures are right, how come games like Assassin's Creed and Bioshock manage to turn a profit?

CLOSE THE PORTS

You might find this thread interesting: http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=42952 Brad Wardell specifically mentions Valve as a company that he thinks is doing things right.

Oh, right... It was just the guy that started swearing in a support ticket that had his account inactivated entirely. Though I can't seem to find the original post anymore, just references to it.

At the time of the shooting, we were already in development of the "murder simulator" Far Cry at our old studio in Coburg. We were just across the state border from Erfurt in northern Bavaria. Tensions in the region were high. While the people of Coburg continued to treat us like mini-superstars, because we were the biggest thing ever to happen to this small German town, it was a different matter for the rest of the state.

In 2004 the Bavarian authorities sent in the state troopers. Ostensibly it was as a response to a claim made by a former employee that we had illegal software installed on our machines. Their remit, however, appeared to be a lot wider. When the small tech team appeared to inspect our computers, they were accompanied by over one hundred flak-jacketed riot police, all armed with Heckler and Koch sub-machine guns.

It was a total overreaction. It was like they expected to find us hunkered down behind our desks, pulling out our shotguns and semi-automatics and shouting "you'll never take me alive, polizei!" They arrived first thing in the morning, and kicked down our doors. They even raided the nearby private residences, with one of our programmers forced to lay down naked on the floor with a gun to his head after he discovered armed police in his room after finishing his shower.

You're one of the few to mention paper RPG's, so I feel compelled to reply:

The experience between playing paper RPGs & CRPGs is about as different as two experiences can be; I'm amazed to this day that people consider the CRPG to be an "evolution" of the paper RPG. The fact that "level grind" exists is probably the best illustration of this.

In paper RPGs, the level grind simply doesn't exist. Why? Consider the hours you spend playing a typical paper RPG, compared to the hours in a computer RPG. How many combat encounters could you fit into a typical 4 or 5 hour session? With paper ones, 10 would probably be the max, and it wouldn't be surprising to have only 1 per hour typically. With CRPGs, it's more like one every 5 minutes (in a Baldur's Gate type game) or one every 10 seconds (for Diablo).

Yet the number of hours you spend playing both games might be the same (you could make a case that the paper game might take 2 or 3 times longer to go from zero to hero, but maybe not if you're talking about a one hundred hour game like Oblivion).

This difference is the foundation of the level grind. In the paper world, most monsters you'll probably only fight once, with a few "filler species" (like orcs, etc.) that you may have a dozen encounters with. It's not really possible for it to become boring. In a CRPG, you're going to face the same foe many, many times, with each encounter pretty much being a dupe of the last one. To add insult to injury, going up in levels usually means that the monster just gets tougher as you do, with no real tactical differences to the fight (but possible new graphics for the same damage spells).

I think the big reason why paper RPGs are more fun when you're a noob is the fact that you have more freedom of options in them. In a CRPG, you're pretty much stuck with "attack with weapon" "attack with spell" "heal with spell or potion" mechanic. Want to light the roof on fire to drive the orcs out of the farmhouse? Maybe you'll set up an ambush with deadfall in order to accomodate for the inherent weakness of your characters relative to the ogre. These are all non-starters in the CRPG world, and because this, low level combat (and ultimately all combat) becomes either boring, or a Sudoku-like exercise of managing stats & power-ups (like you find in the tactical RPGs).

It's ultimately a question of fun. Is it fun to do the same thing over & over? For some it is. Maybe in the paper RPGs you played, this was also the case, and you view the CRPGs as an improvement because they eliminated all the boring "bookkeeping." For me, the CRPGs are invariably a disappointment, because I'm always feeling like "why can't I solve this problem a different way," which was always the fun part of the paper games. Sure, you level up & get more damaging spells, etc., but you also get more options: maybe I can use a watchdog spell, or a rope trick, or create a clever illusion to trick the monsters. Maybe I can hide in shadows & silently follow the guard back to guardhouse & steal his keys, or learn of an alternate entrance. Maybe I can cure a disease that is plaguing a village and enlist their aid in a plan that requires many folks ("Sew old woman, sew like the wind!").

But CRPGs try to superficially copy the "level up" mechanic, without giving you these options, and the result is just a mechanical tedium. It's like Eric Wolpaw said in his brilliant defense of Majesty: "If you don't get a thrill from watching stat bars rise, then it might be time to start considering a new hobby altogether."

-BbT

I feel for Germany. As the country that was host to probably the greatest villain in the twentieth century there is going to be a lot of pressure to condemn things that could ever be even remotely like the horrible things that happened there during WWII. I say this is an overreaction, but it still makes sense in some way. After reading about this http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread .php?t=31767 story on slashdot earlier, and forcing myself to remember that Europe has its nudity/violence tolerance levels switched compared to America, I see this as a misguided, but inevitable event.

Lots of games shown in this new video. Kitsune has translated the game names and posted this list on Quarter To Three:

1. Wii Sports - the little guys look so cute and the way they move is so adorable! ^_^

2. Forever Blue (Nintendo) - as it's an underwater game, or at least appears to be, I wonder if Nintendo is working with Arika or some developer there at to another Everblue game...

3. Mario Strikers Charged - I haven't gotten a chance to play the first, but it's more soccer with Mario, which can't be awful.

4. Excite Truck - well of course.

5. Fail to Shave with the Controller - looks dangerous.

6. Dragon Quest: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors - inevitably, it will be the best game on the Wii by virtue of just being Dragon Quest! :P

7. Sengoku Musou Wave (Koei) - Otherwise known as the Samurai Warriors, at least thus far, but in 1st person? Reminds me of that one Neo Geo game, what was it called?

8. Red Steel (You Be Eye Soft) - why do all the yakuza lack shirts in this game?

9. Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn - Hells yes! Bring it on! It's something goddess for the subtitle, but a bit blurry to tell.

10. Swing Golf Pangya (Tecmo) - Was this the online PC game? I don't follow these types of games...

11. Occupational Therapy with My Supportive Boyfriend - Hm.

12. WiiSports - More cute! Yeah for cute!

13. Super Mario Galaxy - Whoa! That part with the lava flows? Trippy!

14. Necronesia (Spike) - It's Necronesia, by Spike.

15. Trauma Center (or Caduceus as its known over here) (Atlus) - Yeah! More Trauma Center!

16. Sonic and the Secret Rings (Sega) - Intriguing, let's hope it doesn't feel too limited!

17. Boy Giving Enema to Farting Imaginary Friend - Will probably only interest sex fiends.

18. Wing Island (Hudson) - Wow! Is this like a Pilotwings revival? That would be sweet, Pilotwings rocked!

19. Pokemon Battle Revolution (Pokemon) - Technically you have to say it's made by the Pokemon company, since legal-wise, they're separate. But we all know it's Nintendo.

20. Bleach Wii (Sega) - Licensed games will be more creative with the Wiimote! *snicker*

21. One Piece Unlimited Adventure (Bandai Namco) - Though this does look cool and there are quite a few good One Piece games and the manga is turbocool. Still, I'd be more reassured if it were made by the Namco side.

22. Dragon Ball Z Sparking NEO (Bandai Namco) - Sequel to Dragon Ball Z Sparking Trinity.

23. SD Gundam Revolution (Bandai Namco) - Too bad this game looks like Poy Poy crossed with Gundam, because it's going to suck and you know it.

24. Crayon Shin Chan (Banpresto) - from the ultrapopular manga/anime. Didn't this series come to America recently? I wonder how it's being received in the land of South Park.

25. Tamagotchi no Pika Pika Daitoryou (Tamagotchi the Sparkling President) (Bandai Namco) - Tamagotchi for president? Elected by board game? That can't be good, what if you forgot to feed the president and he dies?

26. Change the Channel...If You Can - Looks challenging!

27. The First Wii (or My First Wii) - Aha ha ha ha ha haa haaa. I can't resist. aha ha ha ha

28. Elebits (Konami) - This game is so mysterious. It's like voyeur vandal Pokemon.

29. Rayman (You Bee I Soft) - Those bunny commercials are fantastic. "But they can dance!"

30. Super Monkey Ball Cheerful Party (Sega) - Is there any other kind of Monkey Ball party? Do people play it at funerals? Is that why we needed the clarification?

31. Fishing Master (Hudson) - Yeah.

32. The Religious Festival Master (Namco Bandai) - I will be the number one ranked player on this, just you watch.

33. Furi Furi (Taito) - An

I could be handy, slip you a disk, when your drive has gone.
You can bunny-hop with the rocket tube, then go back to Quake and some DOOM.
Slower reflexes, arthritic grips, who could ask for more?
Will you still need me,
Duke Nukem 3D?,
AMD-six-four?

Send me an Inter-net through the tubes, stating point of view.
The night of the LAN party we'll take Geritol,
By Sunday morning, we'll pwn 'em all!
Well past my half-life, emulate STEAM, Duke Forever IV.
Will ya still phone me,
Will ya still pwn me,
When I'm 64?

http://www.quartertothree.com/reviews/moo3/moo3-1. shtml

Well, I'd say that Microsoft is working to address that problem (the one of annoying player matching).

Unlike what Cliffy says, it's not about the hard work and the kicking and screaming to get to the top. It's really all about the bunny suit!

(Backup link incase the one above doesn't work)

A Rape in Cyberspace

Possessing Barbie

Dreaming in an empty room: a defense of Metal Gear Solid 2

Shoot Club: Saving Private Donny

ZangbandTK: Confessions of a Dungeon Hack

The Great Scam

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Going Planetside

Red Eye #114

I always thought "puerile" meant childish or juvenile. It seems the dictionary thinks the same thing, so I wonder: What exactly is childish about a review that covers the graphics, sound, control, gameplay, and difficulty of a game and tells you how it measures up? Yes, "new games journalism" can provide an interesting story to read (this Doom 3 review or IGN's Seaman review, for example), but what if I just want to know about the game itself? Maybe it's just me, but personally it's concievable that the reason the current review formula exists is because it works.

You'll like this review. Mentioned most of the issues I had with the game. And it's actually more like an editorial on hype than a review of the game, I guess.

(I'm going to ignore this article's request specifically for games that would objectively look better now than they did back then, believing that this is irrelevant to their enjoyment today. Rather, these look better subjectively, due to the fact that there have been few if any attempts to replicate them, or perhaps none sufficient to surpass them.)

Master of Orion 2.
In fact, now that there's a lousy sequel (http://www.quartertothree.com/reviews/moo3/moo3-1 .shtml gives an amusing overview), it looks even better.

Star Control 2
Nothing quite like it has been even attempted since. (Save a lousy, almost irrelevant sequel.) There's a sourceforge project to port it to modern systems(http://sc2.sourceforge.net/

System Shock 2.
It beat Half Life to the stores, yet actually did a lot of things better (well, besides sales). Still considered by many to be one of the scariest games ever made. There's a graphics patch out there called Rebirth. (http://perso.wanadoo.fr/etienne.aubert/sshock/ssh ock_rebirth.htm)

Wizardry 8
These days, virtually all commercial computer RPGs are either D20 games (AD&D or otherwise), or Diablo clones. Both good and bad ones are starting to feel like generic clones of each other. Even after three years, Wizardry 8 was just about the last decent stat-heavy dungeon crawler. For something different.

And of course since I'm trying to recommend games that not everyone has played, I'll throw Planescape Torment in there. There's even a completely unknown unofficial patch for it that makes it seem better today:
http://www.accesswave.ca/~cthorpe/

(Personally, I'd like to see a sample review or two before signing up. After all, if I pay it's because of the content and not the design.)

There's some disturbing parallels in the structure and order of Waldo's text to that of Clay Shirky's "AN OPEN LETTER TO JAKOB NIELSEN". The Shirky article is old, but the link to it was on the front page of his site recently...

Clay's pretty well known, too. This isn't as blatant as seeing Erik Wolpaw's game reviews reappear on other websites under different bylines, but it certainly calls into question Mr. Waldo's integrity...

Wait, what am I saying, this is the internet, that article is some engineer's blog, journalistic integrity is dead anyway. Carry on.

The Rebuttal

Sadly this game sucked real bad. For the gory details read the Greyk Analysis

Yorda (the princess) ends up saving Ico from the crumbling castle in the end by taking him up in her arms and walking him to the boat. That's a strong female character right there, but since she starts out as a drugged (or whatever, we don't really know) girl trapped in a cage, its somehow sexist in a very contrived way.

You know what? Its FUN to play a boy with horns trying to save a glow-in-the-dark princess from a haunted castle! That's a great game and the basic idea is classic "Hero and princess" fantasy. Injecting that politically correct crap into the game would have ruined it. There are 2 strong female characters in the game: The evil queen sorceress and the beautifull fragile princess. These work, and if girls need a butch lesbo fighter chubby girl with glasses and acne in order to appreciate a game, well let THEM make it and let the people who make good games with classic characters keep making 'em.

I think you got trolled; quartertothree.com doesn't seem to have a review of Moo3...

You mean, except for this one?

There is definitely an element of truth to that: The net has lost a lot of its joy. Between watching hilarious ads on AdCritic (sidenote: I submitted an article today mentioning http://www.ads.com, which almost fills in for AdCritic, but the story was rejected in a record 10 seconds), reading hilarious articles on http://www.suck.com (which had absolutely brilliant writing, and defined the earlier Internet), laughing to Mirsky's Worst of the Web (this was back when I had a little ecommerce sites on Turnpike Emporium, a host I chose because it was Mirsky's host. My little computer configurator was, some 7 years ago, more advanced than most computer store configuration utilities today), hell even reading sites like Old Man Murray. Other great sites like Quarter to Three simply stopped updating (though if you read the Shoot Club archives, you'll see that it was some great stuff).

I still believe that the ideas I presented in this article (which was linked by a Slashdot story some time over a year ago) still hold true now more than ever.

There is definitely an element of truth to that: The net has lost a lot of its joy. Between watching hilarious ads on AdCritic (sidenote: I submitted an article today mentioning http://www.ads.com, which almost fills in for AdCritic, but the story was rejected in a record 10 seconds), reading hilarious articles on http://www.suck.com (which had absolutely brilliant writing, and defined the earlier Internet), laughing to Mirsky's Worst of the Web (this was back when I had a little ecommerce sites on Turnpike Emporium, a host I chose because it was Mirsky's host. My little computer configurator was, some 7 years ago, more advanced than most computer store configuration utilities today), hell even reading sites like Old Man Murray. Other great sites like Quarter to Three simply stopped updating (though if you read the Shoot Club archives, you'll see that it was some great stuff).

I still believe that the ideas I presented in this article (which was linked by a Slashdot story some time over a year ago) still hold true now more than ever.

"I can't cover each chapter because I want John and Gary to write more books , so they need to sell a few copies!

Why do they do this? Isn't this giving the bad guys what they need? The bad guys have the information already. There is belief in the security community of full disclosure. This means not keeping things security and calling it secure. "Full disclosure means that hackers publicly disseminate information about your security problem, usually including a program that can be used to exploit it (sometimes even remotely)." (page 81)"

The first line here starts with a ridiculous comment about why the review is so short. Thanks for telling me you're lazy. Then, the review jumps to the middle of some paragraph that apparently only partially made it on the page. Why do they do what? Could someone please explain to me what "This means not keeping things security and calling it secure." means? I could go on to the rest of the paragraphs which are two line summaries rather than any analysis of quality, but the point is made.

We are a technical audience, and could have had a much more in-depth review without the nuances being lost on us. Even more so, PLEASE get an editor to at least LOOK at the reviews. Now I have to go elsewhere to find a review so that I can figure out whether or not this book is worth buying. The author's positive review sounds like it came right out of:

http://www.quartertothree.com/features/editorials/ lackey/game_reviews_gone_bad.shtml