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Six New Stars on the Walk of Game

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the gaming-finest dept.

eToyChest has an article on last week's introduction of six new stars to the Walk of Game, at the Metreon in San Francisco. With Adam Sessler MCing, the following individuals and games were inducted into the group: Everquest, Lara Croft, John Carmack, Sid Meier, and StarCraft. From the piece: "The newest additions to the attraction are now open to the public, in time for the Game Developers Conference, an annual gathering of the global game development community, and a Walk of Game partner for the second year. New to Metreon's attraction in 2006, gaming fans can come experience why these games are the voters' choice at the Walk of Game Station - unique stations featuring inducted games."

48 comments

  1. Wheres Gordon Freeman? by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 2, Funny

    No really, he has earnt his place.

    *grabs a crowbar*

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
    1. Re:Wheres Gordon Freeman? by homerj79 · · Score: 1

      He's not old enough yet. Everyone on the list has been around 10+ years at least. Give him a few more years and I'm sure we'll see him on the Walk.

      --
      SYSOP ('sih-sop) n.: the guy laughing at your typing.
    2. Re:Wheres Gordon Freeman? by 0racle · · Score: 1

      Why? For being in two games?

      --
      "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
    3. Re:Wheres Gordon Freeman? by montyzooooma · · Score: 1

      Three - you're forgetting the platformer he's in - available via Steam and elsewhere I'm sure.

  2. Numbers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Uh, six?

    Isn't that only five in the summary?

    1. Re:Numbers. by homerj79 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Final Fantasy was left out of the summary. :p

      --
      SYSOP ('sih-sop) n.: the guy laughing at your typing.
    2. Re:Numbers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a feeling Zonk left that one out on purpose.

    3. Re:Numbers. by Z0mb1eman · · Score: 2, Funny

      Lara Croft counts as two. :p

      --
      ClutterMe.com - easiest site creation on the Net. Just click and type.
    4. Re:Numbers. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can you blame him? A long series of cutscenes strung together with repetative sequences where you spam the "Fight" menu option hardly counts as a video game. Why someone thought it deserves a star is beyond me.

  3. StarCraft, oh, man, all the hours... by Jim+in+Buffalo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Oh, all the hours, the countless hours spent playing StarCraft, until I was seeing Zergling rushes in my sleep... yeah, it deserves to be on the Walk of Game, it defined the genre.

    --
    This sig, aah-ah, is comin' like a ghost-sig...
    1. Re:StarCraft, oh, man, all the hours... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah.

      That and having nightmares about 4500kt mass packets flung at warp 17 at my undefended planets in STARS! .

  4. Starcraft? Everquest? by Hubbell · · Score: 0

    Why would they put two very subpar games for their genres on this?
    Total Annihilation outright owns starcraft in all respects.
    And Everquest began the beginning of the demise of the MMORPG market by causing mostly carebears to join the scene as well as causing most subsequent games, except for Shadowbane and now Darkfall, to be PVE centered grindfests.

    1. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Lewisham · · Score: 2, Informative

      Because Starcraft is still absolutely huge in the Eastern markets. In terms of RTS power, nothing comes close to Starcraft, including the C&C series.

      As for Everquest, I can't say I'm sure why this made the cut. Ultima Online was there first, WoW has done it best and opened it up to huge markets, EQ was just a stepping stone.

    2. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Hubbell · · Score: 1, Insightful

      WoW is like pet rocks. Some jackass came up with a retarded idea and it took off like wildfire. The game is a HORRIBLE example of what MMORPG's are/should be.

    3. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Rapter09 · · Score: 1

      Nice opinion, but how many *millions* is it now that would tend to disagree with you?

    4. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Hubbell · · Score: 0

      How many *millions* bought pet rocks?

    5. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you hate America?

    6. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by murdocj · · Score: 1

      EQ may have been a "stepping stone" but it was a pretty huge step. For about 5 years it was the unchallenged leader in online gaming. It really created the mass MMO market. I would be VERY surprised if any game, including WoW, has the staying power of EQ now that so many games are following in EQs footsteps.

    7. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by AHumbleOpinion · · Score: 1

      How many *millions* bought pet rocks?

      About the same number that bought Total Annihilation, a noticable amount but far far fewer than bought Starcraft.

    8. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Hubbell · · Score: 1

      #1 Pet rocks were a rediculously popular craze
      #2 TA didn't have the marketing or brand name behind it. Everyone I know who has played TA and SC all say TA was better by a LONG shot.

    9. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by AHumbleOpinion · · Score: 1

      #1 Pet rocks were a rediculously popular craze

      Sorry, but no. I remember the 70's, I was too young to be stoned. ;-) Pet rocks were a marketing gimmick, lots of PR, lots of TV time, etc. It was a fake manufactured fad that only existed on TV. I saw some on a stores helf once. I never saw one anywhere else except TV, and the pile on the store shelf never seemed to grow smaller. You are confusing those goofy nostalgia shows on VH1 with reality.

      #2 TA didn't have the marketing or brand name behind it. Everyone I know who has played TA and SC all say TA was better by a LONG shot.

      Yet it made it to the store shelves, was critically acclaimed, many tried it, and it faded away. It was a fine game, made better use of the day's higher end hardware, but lost out in the long run to a game that was far more playable. Marketing and branding get you to the shelf, they do not get you eight years and still being played every days by tens of thousands.

      Face, you picked a piss poor analogy, the analogy actually worked better for the other product TA, get over it and try to come up with a better analogy rather than fight a losing battle. You can't resurrect dead jokes.

    10. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by C0rinthian · · Score: 1
      The game is a HORRIBLE example of what MMORPG's are/should be.
      Care to back up this statement with a bit of reasoning?
    11. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Hubbell · · Score: 1

      It introduced massive grinding to the genre. I don't really need to go any further than that, like it's pitiful lack of real PVP, item drop on death, non-skillbased (player skill) fighting via collision detection ala Asheron's Call. It created a template that was cloned so many times and just ruined the entire genre.

    12. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by C0rinthian · · Score: 1
      It introduced massive grinding to the genre.
      Umm, Everquest? WoW has very little grind compared to a lot of games that came before. Try Lineage II for a bit then tell me WoW is a grind.
      it's pitiful lack of real PVP, item drop on death, non-skillbased (player skill) fighting via collision detection ala Asheron's Call.
      It's not a PvP game. It's like bitching about how Doom3 is a crappy racing sim. If you want PvP, play a game that is designed for it. Also, collision detection in an MMO is usually a bad thing. Makes it easy to grief by just blocking off doors, etc.
      It created a template that was cloned so many times and just ruined the entire genre.
      You really just have no idea what you're talking about. If anything fits the above statement, it's EverQuest. WoW is just a clone of EQ's basic game design.
    13. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Hubbell · · Score: 1

      MMORPG's should have as few restrictions on the players as possible, ala UO and soon (hopefully soon atleast) to be with Darkfall. Collision Detection does not cause griefing if you can kill the fucktard who's blocking that doorway.

    14. Re:Starcraft? Everquest? by Hubbell · · Score: 1

      "Umm, Everquest? WoW has very little grind compared to a lot of games that came before. Try Lineage II for a bit then tell me WoW is a grind." WOW is most certainly a heavy grind game. You dare tell me epics are not equivalent to grinding? It's more farming yes, but it's much worse than grinding in fact. [17:07] its a different kind of grind [17:07] rewardless for a majority of the timespent [17:07] unlike most "grind" games where the gain is slow [17:07] steady [17:07] but present. [17:08] wow grind is more farming [17:08] wow's grind is timesinks like MC while you wait for the loot you "Can" use to drop, then depending on your guildsetup, you are able to either bid/roll/buy using whatever system you've got. [17:08] just constant killin hoping for low % loot [17:08] precisely wow is elongated farming [17:08] compared to grinding. [17:09] the pvp rewards are more akin to a grind [17:09] but rather then a straight number value grind [17:09] Its dependant on how much other members of your faction grinds also [17:09] two ways to enjoy wow. . . slow leveling, taking time and enjoying the pretty graphics or hitting it hard and farming instances at high levels with big groups [17:09] pitting players grinding against eachother [17:09] ultimately, a failure.

  5. It's in a Sony building by Lewisham · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I like the *idea* of the Walk Of Game, it recognises some of the best the industry has, and has ever had. It's a great thing.

    But...

    It's in a Sony owned building. Which is both a little shady, the inclusion of Everquest (against Ultima Online or Meridian 59 for being the first real MMORPG, or WoW for being the best and one with the most players) is only going to help calls of favouritism. The fact these stones are laid inside a building means that they have a real non-permanency about them: they could easily be picked up and removed at any time. And anyway, do we really want to honour games, rather than their creators? Films are just as collaborative as games, but the Walk of Fame only honours the actors and directors.

    San Francisco has long been proud to be the technical centre of the Western world: why doesn't it install a Walk Of Tech? We could be celebrating Gates, Jobs, Wright and Carmack all in one go, permanently and emphatically.

    1. Re:It's in a Sony building by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And what do you know, half the entries are Sony games. (Lara Croft, EverQuest, and Final Fantasy.) No one can argue that the other three entries haven't been iconic (ignoring the comment arguing that StarCraft wasn't iconic, of course). But those three? I suppose I can see EverQuest being the iconic MMORPG, as it essentially went UO, EverQuest, World of WarCraft.

      But Lara Croft and Final Fantasy? Lara Croft was popular because of her boobs. (As the actress playing her proves.) And Final Fantasy? It's hardly an RPG, most of the game is spent fighting random battles. I shudder to think anyone would call it an "iconic RPG" over true greats like Ultima or Baldur's Gate.

    2. Re:It's in a Sony building by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      why doesn't it install a Walk Of Tech? We could be celebrating Gates, Jobs, Wright and Carmack all in one go, permanently and emphatically.

      You mean "the walk of late 20th century tech" by your choices. Okay, we don't know who came up with the wheel but there's still got to be a billion better candidates for tech recognition than those three.

    3. Re:It's in a Sony building by nEoN+nOoDlE · · Score: 1

      You give these "walk of ____" things too much credit. They're always about favoritism and buying in, instead of celebrating the people of the industry. Movie stars often get their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to advertise their latest releases, such as Keanu Reeves getting his star right before Constantine came out. There are also stars for the Muppets and Lassie and other fictitious characters, so it's not just stars and directors.

      --
      Don't trust a bull's horn, a doberman's tooth, a runaway horse or me.
    4. Re:It's in a Sony building by yroJJory · · Score: 2, Informative

      The Hollywood Walk of Fame, of which you referred to, is run by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, so of course it's about advertising. It's about advertising Hollywood as a place to come visit. And the person (or entity) who sponsors the nomination for a Star is responsible for coming up with the $15,000 cost of installing a new star, too!

      And as for who can get one, there are a five categories:

      • Motion Pictures
      • Live Theatre
      • Television
      • Recording
      • Radio
      --
      Jory
    5. Re:It's in a Sony building by StingRay02 · · Score: 3, Informative
      I couldn't decide if it was worth replying to this. I'm still not sure. I haven't been able to decide if you're an AC troll or if you're really this moronic.

      And what do you know, half the entries are Sony games. (Lara Croft, EverQuest, and Final Fantasy.)

      Tomb Raider is an Eidos game, and, while it started as a Playstation exclusive IIRC, it's since turned into a multiplatform flop, proving that boobs do not popularity make. Final Fantasy was originally a Squaresoft game (now Square-Enix). While I realize that Square and Sony start with the same letter, they are not the same company.

      Also, just as D&D is the first thing people think of when they think of tabletop RPGs, despite the fact that White Wolf or Palladium may have a better rules system, I'd be willing to bet that Final Fantasy is the first name most people think of when asked to name a video game RPG. That's pretty damn iconic.

    6. Re:It's in a Sony building by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We could be celebrating Gates

      You realise this is Slashdot, don't you?

    7. Re:It's in a Sony building by wh173b0y · · Score: 1, Interesting

      It's in a Sony owned building. Which is both a little shady, the inclusion of Everquest (against Ultima Online or Meridian 59 for being the first real MMORPG, or WoW for being the best and one with the most players) is only going to help calls of favouritism.
      Hey, I'm no sony lover either, but I really think that sony made the right choice here. But thats just my opinion. ;)
    8. Re:It's in a Sony building by AHumbleOpinion · · Score: 1

      The fact these stones are laid inside a building means that they have a real non-permanency about them: they could easily be picked up and removed at any time.

      The stars outside in Hollywood aren't exactly permanent either. Every once in a while one is stolen and gets replaced.

    9. Re:It's in a Sony building by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd be willing to bet that Final Fantasy is the first name most people think of when asked to name a video game RPG.

      If that's true, I feel sorry for this generation of gamers. I'd hope that most people would answer "Ultima" or maybe Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter Nights. The thought that the general public would be that misinformed about what makes an RPG an RPG is honestly depressing.

      I'd even be happier if most people answered "the rocket launcher from Half-Life" than if most people would call Final Fantasy a roleplaying game. It's not roleplaying. It's a carbon-copy of thousands of similar console games. Calling it "iconic" of anything is a seriously depressing thought.

    10. Re:It's in a Sony building by StingRay02 · · Score: 1
      It's a carbon-copy of thousands of similar console games.

      It was the first successful console RPG in the U.S., or close to it. Final Fantasy released long before Baldur's Gate, and considering it was much easier in the late 80s to have an NES in the house than a computer, it's not surprising at all that Final Fantasy is more recognizable. Final Fantasy is the original DNA strand from which the thousands of clones were spawned.

      Do yourself a favor and remove your head from your PC-only hole. Video gaming encompasses far more than just the past decade or so of PC releases.

    11. Re:It's in a Sony building by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everquest was more successful for a lot longer then either UO or Meridian, Everquest
      is marking its 7th anniversary and still has more subscribers then many newer MMOs and
      way more then UO/59 combined.

      Plus everquest really grew the market at the time, coined the name "evercrack", and was the first reall MMO that you could actually make a living off of selling the items.

      WoW hasnt been around as long, usually new things are never added to any walk's of fame or game for that matter. If your going to do that Linage was WAY bigger then WoW(although they might catch up).

      They picked Carmack and thats doesnt have anything to do with Sony, and not long after Carmack praised the Xbox and slammed the PS3 too! favoritism my ass.

      Cant always award the creators as too many of these games represent hundreds of people creating them, so your left to award the game, as most of use creators are never known anyway :)

    12. Re:It's in a Sony building by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tomb Raider didnt start as a sony exclusive it was released on the Saturn and PC. I belive the saturn version was the first one released.

  6. ahem... by Triv · · Score: 1
    look familiar?

    oooh, I see. That one was the announcement of the awards, this is coverage of the actual awards. So...it's the original story with pictures of hot semi-naked women.

    Wait. Why am I complaining, again?

    1. Re:ahem... by TubeSteak · · Score: 1
      So...it's the original story with pictures of hot semi-naked women.
      I know it's shallow of me, but your post is the onyl reason I clicked on the link for TFA.

      Boobies usually deserve to be modded up.
      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
  7. It's a matter of time... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    Have these new stars been hacked yet? Inquiring minds want to know!

  8. Sony sold it. by Zadaz · · Score: 3, Informative
    Sony recently gave up the building to a local mall developer. Thank god, it needed it.[link]

    But everyone still realizes that the Walk of Game is still just floor tiles on a disused hallway of a mall, right? If I hadn't been in the place a hundred times I wouldn't even know where it is.

    1. Re:Sony sold it. by smchris · · Score: 1

      Sony recently gave up the building to a local mall developer. Thank god, it needed it.[link] [sfgate.com]

      Whatever. Another pit stop along the conventioneer's trail. The Discovery Store in one mall is about as unique as the Discovery Store in another mall. But, hey, from what I understand the Hollywood walk isn't exactly the garden of eden, right?

  9. Oh, EQ deserves to be there... by Garwulf · · Score: 1

    I'm not surprised EverQuest is there at all. In all honesty, it deserves it in spades. The thing is, we're now talking in the light of games like WoW, which is a new generation of MMORPG. You have to look at the game from a historical perspective now to see its impact.

    So, why EQ deserves its place...

    1. While Diablo was the proof that lots of people will play games on the Internet, and Ultima Online proved that an MMORPG format can work on the 'net, it's EverQuest that nailed it all down and made the biggest splash in North America. And, just about every MMORPG since has been influenced by design decisions in EQ one way or another (including "we're avoiding doing this"), while the same cannot really be said about Ultima Online, as far as I know.

    (For the record, the first non-MUD MMORPG was Islands of Kesmai, launched in 1985 on CompuServe.)

    2. EverQuest has had a huge cultural impact, particularly in the area of addiction studies. While there was work being done on video game addiction, nothing brought it to the fore quite like EverQuest did. Also, as far as I know, the first serious online game addiction survey was done on EverQuest players.

    3. EverQuest became a cultural phenomenon. There have been EQ comic books, tabletop RPGs, and even conventions. Words like "w00t" became popularized by the game (the word existed before, but EQ turned it into a household word on the 'net). When a game is able to have a linguistic impact on a culture, it is worthy of note.

    Now, in the here and now, the original EverQuest isn't as relevant as it was back in 1998 or 2002. But, it was a giant, and there are many games, World of Warcraft included, that are today standing on its shoulders.

    --
    Robert B. Marks
    Author, Demonsbane in Diablo Archive
    1. Re:Oh, EQ deserves to be there... by AHumbleOpinion · · Score: 1

      Now, in the here and now, the original EverQuest isn't as relevant as it was back in 1998 or 2002. But, it was a giant, and there are many games, World of Warcraft included, that are today standing on its shoulders.

      Well, sort of, EQ collapsed under the weight of WoW and WoW is now standing on a greasy stain on the floor. ;-) Sorry, this was not an attack on EQ, it was really an attack on a very tired analogy. EQ was a great game for it's day, it deserved to be also known as EverCrack.

  10. Q: Starcraft? Everquest? A: Gamers Voted by AHumbleOpinion · · Score: 1

    Why would they put two very subpar games for their genres on this? Total Annihilation outright owns starcraft in all respects.

    That's not what gamers says. These stars are not awarded by some comittee, gamers vote, the top whatever get stars.

  11. BT by Forrest+Kyle · · Score: 1

    This story will be hacked and available via bittorrent in like 2 days. I'll wait until then to read it, in case I don't like it.