As I play Forza, I wonder about disc read speed. Forza loads forever. If complicated and detailed games will be common--and I'm all for it--some optimization needs to be done. Also, in the realm of PS2 downward compatability, will the improved speed enhance load times of XBox games?
Let's face it. This is a revenue grabbing law. If a minor wants porn or alcohol, they can get it. If a minor wants an M-rated game, they can. The law merely attempts to capitalize on this by charging the adult who supplies the game with a fine, and all in the "best interests of the child." The law is intended to take the voluntary ratings system, the voluntary store policies, and the parental responsibility away. I think thats a pretty good reason to oppose the law.
I live in Maryland and I'm sure we're not far behind on this disguised "sin tax."
If you are going to use logic that Intelligent Design is likely because it looks that way, you'd have to admit, by the same logic, that is almost infinitely more likely to have be created by a non-entity species than to believe some sort of God did it. Just because it looks like God doesn't make it so. Using science, they draw the wrong conclusion, because of the millions of products humans manufacture. They also all look to be designed, but nobody jumps to the conclusion that God made my stapler.
It's not only not-science, but an extremely flawed Philosphy.
On the topic of Chance is addicition. They mention lottery and slot machines. People clearly get addiction to gambling games. But "games aren't gambling" was always my mantra; however, games with an element of chance operate on a principal of "random reinforcement." Random reinforcement is when performing an action has no bearing on the reward and/or punishment, except that the action must be done to receive any reward.
I asked this question to a licensed therapist and that's how I learned the principle. The game in question was Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge. The game has no depth whatsoever, and the battles are determined randomly. Yet, you can skew the odds by using higher-powered chips and exploiting the designed higher-odds spaces. Still, if the opponent is packed with specific counters, you lose. Basically, I was enjoying the game on the gambling principle, plus I wasn't going to lose any real money.
Other examples are: the items the monsters drop in Zelda, the One-up slots in the Mario games, the graveyards in the last two Mortal Kombats, the side-games in most RPGs, the Pokemon you can capture as they attack you, and the cardplay in Baten Kaitos. In simulations (like golf), replicating the elements require a certain amount of randomization, not just pure physics. The principle also applies to having odd things randomly happen to the character and game environment, like having an interesting characters only show up one out of ten times when you enter an area at night or getting a costume accessory or palette swap.
So if you're making a game that feels like its missing a little something, check on your random reinforcement principles. If the player has some control, but not total control on the odds, it may have a slightly addictive element that makes the whole thing more enjoyable.
Pirates of the Caribbean is $29.99 (USD). It's often only $13 on DVD at Best Buy, and you get all of the DVD extras. Let me see, just the movie in a reduced resolution, or a widescreen, high resolution treatment of the same movie with better sound and compatibility with almost every DVD player, TV, Video Game, and PC?
The rest are $19.99 and up. Instead, DVD movies should pack a water-marked file on the DVD that can be downloaded to your PDA or PSP.
UMD movies have to hit $12.99 before I consider them. I'll admit I'm overly picky, but all they did was reformat the digital content. They could get away with the higher prices if they were pre-DVD release, I suppose.
Pretty Graphics? Check. CD quality sound? Check. Recognizable license? Check. DVD quality video? Check. Celebrity Endorsements? Check. Hype parties? Check. Consumer product tie-ins? Check. Good programming?... GOOD PROGRAMMING?... Oh, God! What have we done?
"Real-time 3D projection." The label "Real-time" doesn't mean a lot to me here. As for 3D projection, is that "into" the TV, or "out from" the TV, or something else? I mean, all video games systems generate 3D these days. That's hardly revolutionary and fits the mathematical definition of "projection."
So let me take a stab. How about a thin transparent mylar that changes the angle of half of the image to the left eye, and the other half to the right (at a documented distance for 90 percentile humans)? If the left view and right view are interlaced and separated?
There is a Bust-A-Move games for PS2 called Super Bust-a-move. It's a first-generation game, so you'll probably have to get it used. Good news, though! It's cheap.
Scientists claim that women are more of "right-brain" thinkers. That's the imaginative and holistic side of the brain. Perhaps the key to add male and female interest is to provide a game experience with artistic and color flair, easy controls, and an overall goal that requires holistic thinking. Getting a "Tetris" requires that kind of thinking, for example. Orisinal games are artistic and colorful.
Not Subject to Gadgetitis
on
10 Gateway Games
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
One thing you to which you have to give women credit is that they are not easily swayed by video images and the "kill! kill! kill!" mentality. Most, but not all, women tend to like a game that gives them their money's worth. That means a lot of depth with a simple concept, usually.
Although I disagree with Centipede and Suikoden, I think I can sum up with a brief history of games that accidentally or on purpose were of general interest to women:
1) Pong. It's just not fun anymore, though. 2) Breakout, Super Breakout, Arkanoid, and all those other block busting games (many currently released). Very little actual violence. 3) Pac Man/Ms Pac Man. The first one was a hit with women because it was the first game with a personality and a lot of soft colors. The second one was just an all around better game and it had Pac Man in drag! 4) Dig Dug/Mr. Do! I'm not sure why. I saw more women playing Mr. Do! than Dig Dug back in the day. Dig Dug should replace Centipede on the list IMHO. 5) Galaga and Moon Cresta. Colorful and varied was the key here, I think. 6) The Legend of Zelda. Only the first one had the simplicity and depth ratio right. 7) The Adventures of Lolo. The graphics were particularly hard on the eyes, but the trilogy of Lolo was some of the hardest ever. The key to this puzzle game was in failure--it gave you a clue as to what went wrong. 8) Puzzle games. Bust-a-move/Puzzle Bobble, Tetris, and even Lolo counts. The appeal is a simple concept/difficult play combination and the "pick up game" quality. 9) Solitaire. After all, PC solitaire is the most popular PC game. I suggest Solitaire Antics Ultimate and Hardwood Solitaire (PC and Xbox Arcade). 10) Pitfall/Jungle Hunt/Safari Hunt. Something about vine-swinging. I don't know why, except they're all about survival in a jungle. 11) Megatouch/touchscreen games. These are popular with the ladies. 12) Multi-game arcade cabinets. Probably the smartest move if you have to sate your Soul Calibur urge while on a date.
I should end my list by saying it is not scientific in the slightest. My qualifications to these observations is playing Pong when it was first released.
Oh the horror when my Pac Man for Atari 2600 came home and was a piece of flickering crap. It was totally different from the arcade.
Oh the pleasure when Bionic Commando on NES was totally different from the arcade and was much deeper and more fun.
Unfortunately, both of these opened the floodgates to semi-sequel hell, when the games couldn't technically handle the game, they just threw something together. Also, Nintendo had that odd rule that the home game must have something more added, which often backfired.
The rumors expressed in the article really seem to indicate that non-HD system could easily be smaller, portable, and run on battery (for a short time). It wouldn't make a lot of sense to offer two of the same systems unless MS could get us to buy both of them. It would certainly make sense to have the deluxe system be the HD and legacy components along with the XBox 360, which is essentially the Core system for the new hardware.
That way, the "lite" system could play all of the new software for people who don't want to pay the extra $150 or more.
The PSP is such a powerful little system, that the logical progression in consoles suggests a mobile/console configuration (w/docking port). Such a configuration would allow you to enjoy the system away from home, and get the home-theater experience when home.
You're right. I know of an EB/Game Stop pair where the Game Stop will be closed down because it just doesn't have customers. I'm sure that part of increasing the profits is by decreasing the employees and decreasing the amount of locations. It is inevitible that their combined sales will be less, but the profit margin should still increase.
I guess this is their chance to remove "Boutique" from their name once and for all.
One of the points in the article was "losing the tired concept of the Avatar." Since this concept is akin to roleplaying a god, it depends whether that's appropriate for the game in question. If you think of every RPG as a story being written, death is really a point where you erase what you did back to your last major mistake and rewrite. Since most RPGs are pre-written, the story has many mandatory "waypoints."
In some MMORPGs, the modules are prewritten, but the basic overworld is just a framework where social interaction rules. Now, without permadeath, you have a series of smalls stories about characters--all of which are ultimately successful--that often intertwine. It's very much like that section in the SciFi/Fantasy where the books are numbered. Books of that type are usually a good read if you like the framework universe. Generally speaking, they're not considered great literature because these are "working for a living" authors, some of which really don't feel passionately about the universe itself.
Bring permadeath into play, and the story is never re-written. It is very much like regular life, and you're no longer "god" nor "author" of the story. The "author" is actually a collective. Most of it is boring and ordinary, but that 10% that excell are the "literature" or RPGs. This leads me to believe that permadeath is actually a balance of low-depth-high-fun on one side and high-depth-low-fun on the other. "Low-fun" doesn't mean it isn't rewarding, it just takes a grand effort to achieve the "fun." "Low-depth" doesn't mean it's not grand in scale, but the odds of it being "literature" are low. It would take a great effort to achieve "literature" level in such a universe.
So I will make my contribution to the debate.
--If money is the goal of the MMORPG, permadeath is a bad idea to apply universally to the players. --If this is a freeware application aiming at high standards, aka a "labor of love," than permadeath is a great idea to apply universally. It will filter out casual and reckless players very quickly.
Whenever I'm surfing the web, I find the annoying commercial that break the social contract of being a bona fide attempt to sell me a product or service. Making images shake, flash, and run around is an attempt to harrass, not to sell in good faith. The social contract I've always perceived is:
Services cost money. If you pay for it, there should be no further interference. If you didn't, the funds are from advertisers. A web page with an ad is fine, but nowhere in the social contract does it allow harrassment. Google and Slashdot has it right. Unobtrusive, yet noticeable. Context-sensitive. Even IGN.com has it correctly, because it mimics the television model of commercial interruption.
I paid for my computer. I paid for my connection and Internet Service. Harrassing ads use unauthorized access to both of these paid-in-full things. I think the advertisers believe they own a lot more than they actually have.
I'm inclined to agree. I've never heard of someone bootlegging Duck Hunt one cartridge at-a-time. I'm guessing that the games mentioned in the article are present on most Nintenclone 100-in-1's. That way, the Fed raid would have a high probability of success.
Nintendo did an open call to consumers last Christmas season to NOT buy these unofficial products. This was a HUGE hint to the pirates that they would be targeted. At that time, though, the FBI was more interested in pirated software on the XBox. Lookout PS1/2/P cloners! You're next!
Let's compare to other image statements: hairstyles, clothing, and cars. All of those have a good run, sometimes up to 3 years, but when they're out, they're really out. It's called backlash. I'm afraid if the trendiness of games continues, game quality will diminish. Then the majority of development funds will be in PR bills to the point that when the blacklash hits, no company will touch games with a 10-foot pole. I liked it much better when everybody did it, and not because of some celebrity.
PS3 and XBox 2 (I refuse to use '360') are having events separate from the E3 so that they can have the big news out of the way when it comes time to show off the new software at the show. How will 3 hours before or after make a difference? It would make a difference if the system was released 3 hours before the other, but that's not the case here. We will hear one. We will hear the other. We will wait 7-19 months for the systems to be released. The news items are different, therefore there is no "scooping" going on.
If they wanted to take a risk, they could announce they are revealing them at exactly the same date and time, but then it'd be exactly like the E3. Remember, in a list of items, you're most likely to remember the last item.
I agree on the BS. If the source isn't Microsoft, then its not much of a source, is it? Microsoft would take the free advertising and allow them to print their source. Also, why would you bother with OurColony if you were just going to hand out the major information freely?
I don't like the "Xbox 360." There is nothing wrong with "Xbox 2," and that's what my "source" confirms the name to be. My source? Pure guesswork.
Okay, I admit if you like sims and FPS, you probably salivate at the list so far. I'm not seeing much on that list that will WOW me, because I'm not big on sims of any kind or FPS. DDR Mario is out there on a limb, because it's all by itself in terms of different types of games. I would expect some unusual games to debut at E3, but I think they hold the big surprises for the show.
Still, no "WOW" games for me. Looks like "more of the same" given all the sequels.
Last March, Forbes acknowledged the multimedia aspects of the PSP, but failed to recognize those aspects as significance, saying it did "little else" than play video games. Also, the article was dated April 8, 2005, a full 2 weeks in the future from when it was published.
Now, just because I don't think they know anything about video games other than historic sales figures and stocks, that doesn't mean they aren't reliable for business news. They're just a little sloppy in the games department.
Since a game is fantasy no matter what genre, an out-of-context ad will detract from the overall game experience by spoiling the fantasy. If the Ads show up on the loading screens, people will start wonder why they're paying for Product X advertising. In the article, the Axe ad is great! It's not just a simple addition to the game, but an environment feature that works well.
Namco has been in-game advertising since Pole Position. The billboards are all Namco-related. This isn't a new concept. Futuristic games that feature futuristic in-context ads are a lot of fun. Games of the past that provide appropriate period ads on billboards and flyers are fun and historical. Best yet is when the product is out-of-context slightly, but is adjusted to fit a comedic theme.
There are so many right ways to do it, the wrong ways will stick out like a sore thumb. Revenues will be impacted when done wrong, because the reviews will reflect a negative reaction, and people will actually return games on the basis that the product was misrepresented. The first time I have to select "skip this ad" in a video game is the first game I take back for bad advertising.
I noticed that several theatrical elements from Harry Potter and mainly The Lord of the Rings are adopted to Zelda. Link=Frodo. Ghost city. Giant spider. Large razorbacks. It all seems so familiar. But cat herding? That's new for a video game. The only thing I don't like about the trailer is the reduced color palatte.
Slashdot Mirror
As I play Forza, I wonder about disc read speed. Forza loads forever. If complicated and detailed games will be common--and I'm all for it--some optimization needs to be done. Also, in the realm of PS2 downward compatability, will the improved speed enhance load times of XBox games?
Let's face it. This is a revenue grabbing law. If a minor wants porn or alcohol, they can get it. If a minor wants an M-rated game, they can. The law merely attempts to capitalize on this by charging the adult who supplies the game with a fine, and all in the "best interests of the child." The law is intended to take the voluntary ratings system, the voluntary store policies, and the parental responsibility away. I think thats a pretty good reason to oppose the law.
I live in Maryland and I'm sure we're not far behind on this disguised "sin tax."
If you are going to use logic that Intelligent Design is likely because it looks that way, you'd have to admit, by the same logic, that is almost infinitely more likely to have be created by a non-entity species than to believe some sort of God did it. Just because it looks like God doesn't make it so. Using science, they draw the wrong conclusion, because of the millions of products humans manufacture. They also all look to be designed, but nobody jumps to the conclusion that God made my stapler.
It's not only not-science, but an extremely flawed Philosphy.
On the topic of Chance is addicition. They mention lottery and slot machines. People clearly get addiction to gambling games. But "games aren't gambling" was always my mantra; however, games with an element of chance operate on a principal of "random reinforcement." Random reinforcement is when performing an action has no bearing on the reward and/or punishment, except that the action must be done to receive any reward.
I asked this question to a licensed therapist and that's how I learned the principle. The game in question was Mega Man Battle Chip Challenge. The game has no depth whatsoever, and the battles are determined randomly. Yet, you can skew the odds by using higher-powered chips and exploiting the designed higher-odds spaces. Still, if the opponent is packed with specific counters, you lose. Basically, I was enjoying the game on the gambling principle, plus I wasn't going to lose any real money.
Other examples are: the items the monsters drop in Zelda, the One-up slots in the Mario games, the graveyards in the last two Mortal Kombats, the side-games in most RPGs, the Pokemon you can capture as they attack you, and the cardplay in Baten Kaitos. In simulations (like golf), replicating the elements require a certain amount of randomization, not just pure physics. The principle also applies to having odd things randomly happen to the character and game environment, like having an interesting characters only show up one out of ten times when you enter an area at night or getting a costume accessory or palette swap.
So if you're making a game that feels like its missing a little something, check on your random reinforcement principles. If the player has some control, but not total control on the odds, it may have a slightly addictive element that makes the whole thing more enjoyable.
Pirates of the Caribbean is $29.99 (USD). It's often only $13 on DVD at Best Buy, and you get all of the DVD extras. Let me see, just the movie in a reduced resolution, or a widescreen, high resolution treatment of the same movie with better sound and compatibility with almost every DVD player, TV, Video Game, and PC?
The rest are $19.99 and up. Instead, DVD movies should pack a water-marked file on the DVD that can be downloaded to your PDA or PSP.
UMD movies have to hit $12.99 before I consider them. I'll admit I'm overly picky, but all they did was reformat the digital content. They could get away with the higher prices if they were pre-DVD release, I suppose.
The raft he was using was somehow punctured this morning, and Jon had to abondon his trek
I think it was a really teeny tiny iceberg. I hope the movie is better than Open Water.
Pretty Graphics? Check. ... ...
CD quality sound? Check.
Recognizable license? Check.
DVD quality video? Check.
Celebrity Endorsements? Check.
Hype parties? Check.
Consumer product tie-ins? Check.
Good programming?
GOOD PROGRAMMING?
Oh, God! What have we done?
"Real-time 3D projection." The label "Real-time" doesn't mean a lot to me here. As for 3D projection, is that "into" the TV, or "out from" the TV, or something else? I mean, all video games systems generate 3D these days. That's hardly revolutionary and fits the mathematical definition of "projection."
So let me take a stab. How about a thin transparent mylar that changes the angle of half of the image to the left eye, and the other half to the right (at a documented distance for 90 percentile humans)? If the left view and right view are interlaced and separated?
There is a Bust-A-Move games for PS2 called Super Bust-a-move. It's a first-generation game, so you'll probably have to get it used. Good news, though! It's cheap.
Scientists claim that women are more of "right-brain" thinkers. That's the imaginative and holistic side of the brain. Perhaps the key to add male and female interest is to provide a game experience with artistic and color flair, easy controls, and an overall goal that requires holistic thinking. Getting a "Tetris" requires that kind of thinking, for example. Orisinal games are artistic and colorful.
One thing you to which you have to give women credit is that they are not easily swayed by video images and the "kill! kill! kill!" mentality. Most, but not all, women tend to like a game that gives them their money's worth. That means a lot of depth with a simple concept, usually.
Although I disagree with Centipede and Suikoden, I think I can sum up with a brief history of games that accidentally or on purpose were of general interest to women:
1) Pong. It's just not fun anymore, though.
2) Breakout, Super Breakout, Arkanoid, and all those other block busting games (many currently released). Very little actual violence.
3) Pac Man/Ms Pac Man. The first one was a hit with women because it was the first game with a personality and a lot of soft colors. The second one was just an all around better game and it had Pac Man in drag!
4) Dig Dug/Mr. Do! I'm not sure why. I saw more women playing Mr. Do! than Dig Dug back in the day. Dig Dug should replace Centipede on the list IMHO.
5) Galaga and Moon Cresta. Colorful and varied was the key here, I think.
6) The Legend of Zelda. Only the first one had the simplicity and depth ratio right.
7) The Adventures of Lolo. The graphics were particularly hard on the eyes, but the trilogy of Lolo was some of the hardest ever. The key to this puzzle game was in failure--it gave you a clue as to what went wrong.
8) Puzzle games. Bust-a-move/Puzzle Bobble, Tetris, and even Lolo counts. The appeal is a simple concept/difficult play combination and the "pick up game" quality.
9) Solitaire. After all, PC solitaire is the most popular PC game. I suggest Solitaire Antics Ultimate and Hardwood Solitaire (PC and Xbox Arcade).
10) Pitfall/Jungle Hunt/Safari Hunt. Something about vine-swinging. I don't know why, except they're all about survival in a jungle.
11) Megatouch/touchscreen games. These are popular with the ladies.
12) Multi-game arcade cabinets. Probably the smartest move if you have to sate your Soul Calibur urge while on a date.
I should end my list by saying it is not scientific in the slightest. My qualifications to these observations is playing Pong when it was first released.
Oh the horror when my Pac Man for Atari 2600 came home and was a piece of flickering crap. It was totally different from the arcade.
Oh the pleasure when Bionic Commando on NES was totally different from the arcade and was much deeper and more fun.
Unfortunately, both of these opened the floodgates to semi-sequel hell, when the games couldn't technically handle the game, they just threw something together. Also, Nintendo had that odd rule that the home game must have something more added, which often backfired.
The rumors expressed in the article really seem to indicate that non-HD system could easily be smaller, portable, and run on battery (for a short time). It wouldn't make a lot of sense to offer two of the same systems unless MS could get us to buy both of them. It would certainly make sense to have the deluxe system be the HD and legacy components along with the XBox 360, which is essentially the Core system for the new hardware.
That way, the "lite" system could play all of the new software for people who don't want to pay the extra $150 or more.
The PSP is such a powerful little system, that the logical progression in consoles suggests a mobile/console configuration (w/docking port). Such a configuration would allow you to enjoy the system away from home, and get the home-theater experience when home.
You're right. I know of an EB/Game Stop pair where the Game Stop will be closed down because it just doesn't have customers. I'm sure that part of increasing the profits is by decreasing the employees and decreasing the amount of locations. It is inevitible that their combined sales will be less, but the profit margin should still increase.
I guess this is their chance to remove "Boutique" from their name once and for all.
One of the points in the article was "losing the tired concept of the Avatar." Since this concept is akin to roleplaying a god, it depends whether that's appropriate for the game in question. If you think of every RPG as a story being written, death is really a point where you erase what you did back to your last major mistake and rewrite. Since most RPGs are pre-written, the story has many mandatory "waypoints."
In some MMORPGs, the modules are prewritten, but the basic overworld is just a framework where social interaction rules. Now, without permadeath, you have a series of smalls stories about characters--all of which are ultimately successful--that often intertwine. It's very much like that section in the SciFi/Fantasy where the books are numbered. Books of that type are usually a good read if you like the framework universe. Generally speaking, they're not considered great literature because these are "working for a living" authors, some of which really don't feel passionately about the universe itself.
Bring permadeath into play, and the story is never re-written. It is very much like regular life, and you're no longer "god" nor "author" of the story. The "author" is actually a collective. Most of it is boring and ordinary, but that 10% that excell are the "literature" or RPGs. This leads me to believe that permadeath is actually a balance of low-depth-high-fun on one side and high-depth-low-fun on the other. "Low-fun" doesn't mean it isn't rewarding, it just takes a grand effort to achieve the "fun." "Low-depth" doesn't mean it's not grand in scale, but the odds of it being "literature" are low. It would take a great effort to achieve "literature" level in such a universe.
So I will make my contribution to the debate.
--If money is the goal of the MMORPG, permadeath is a bad idea to apply universally to the players.
--If this is a freeware application aiming at high standards, aka a "labor of love," than permadeath is a great idea to apply universally. It will filter out casual and reckless players very quickly.
Whenever I'm surfing the web, I find the annoying commercial that break the social contract of being a bona fide attempt to sell me a product or service. Making images shake, flash, and run around is an attempt to harrass, not to sell in good faith. The social contract I've always perceived is:
Services cost money. If you pay for it, there should be no further interference. If you didn't, the funds are from advertisers. A web page with an ad is fine, but nowhere in the social contract does it allow harrassment. Google and Slashdot has it right. Unobtrusive, yet noticeable. Context-sensitive. Even IGN.com has it correctly, because it mimics the television model of commercial interruption.
I paid for my computer. I paid for my connection and Internet Service. Harrassing ads use unauthorized access to both of these paid-in-full things. I think the advertisers believe they own a lot more than they actually have.
I'm inclined to agree. I've never heard of someone bootlegging Duck Hunt one cartridge at-a-time. I'm guessing that the games mentioned in the article are present on most Nintenclone 100-in-1's. That way, the Fed raid would have a high probability of success.
Nintendo did an open call to consumers last Christmas season to NOT buy these unofficial products. This was a HUGE hint to the pirates that they would be targeted. At that time, though, the FBI was more interested in pirated software on the XBox. Lookout PS1/2/P cloners! You're next!
Let's compare to other image statements: hairstyles, clothing, and cars. All of those have a good run, sometimes up to 3 years, but when they're out, they're really out. It's called backlash. I'm afraid if the trendiness of games continues, game quality will diminish. Then the majority of development funds will be in PR bills to the point that when the blacklash hits, no company will touch games with a 10-foot pole. I liked it much better when everybody did it, and not because of some celebrity.
PS3 and XBox 2 (I refuse to use '360') are having events separate from the E3 so that they can have the big news out of the way when it comes time to show off the new software at the show. How will 3 hours before or after make a difference? It would make a difference if the system was released 3 hours before the other, but that's not the case here. We will hear one. We will hear the other. We will wait 7-19 months for the systems to be released. The news items are different, therefore there is no "scooping" going on.
If they wanted to take a risk, they could announce they are revealing them at exactly the same date and time, but then it'd be exactly like the E3. Remember, in a list of items, you're most likely to remember the last item.
I agree on the BS. If the source isn't Microsoft, then its not much of a source, is it? Microsoft would take the free advertising and allow them to print their source. Also, why would you bother with OurColony if you were just going to hand out the major information freely?
I don't like the "Xbox 360." There is nothing wrong with "Xbox 2," and that's what my "source" confirms the name to be. My source? Pure guesswork.
Okay, I admit if you like sims and FPS, you probably salivate at the list so far. I'm not seeing much on that list that will WOW me, because I'm not big on sims of any kind or FPS. DDR Mario is out there on a limb, because it's all by itself in terms of different types of games. I would expect some unusual games to debut at E3, but I think they hold the big surprises for the show.
Still, no "WOW" games for me. Looks like "more of the same" given all the sequels.
Last March, Forbes acknowledged the multimedia aspects of the PSP, but failed to recognize those aspects as significance, saying it did "little else" than play video games. Also, the article was dated April 8, 2005, a full 2 weeks in the future from when it was published.
Now, just because I don't think they know anything about video games other than historic sales figures and stocks, that doesn't mean they aren't reliable for business news. They're just a little sloppy in the games department.
Since a game is fantasy no matter what genre, an out-of-context ad will detract from the overall game experience by spoiling the fantasy. If the Ads show up on the loading screens, people will start wonder why they're paying for Product X advertising. In the article, the Axe ad is great! It's not just a simple addition to the game, but an environment feature that works well.
Namco has been in-game advertising since Pole Position. The billboards are all Namco-related. This isn't a new concept. Futuristic games that feature futuristic in-context ads are a lot of fun. Games of the past that provide appropriate period ads on billboards and flyers are fun and historical. Best yet is when the product is out-of-context slightly, but is adjusted to fit a comedic theme.
There are so many right ways to do it, the wrong ways will stick out like a sore thumb. Revenues will be impacted when done wrong, because the reviews will reflect a negative reaction, and people will actually return games on the basis that the product was misrepresented. The first time I have to select "skip this ad" in a video game is the first game I take back for bad advertising.
Navteq, the one that supplies Google Maps, is the same service Mapquest used to license.
That truly was the best answer I've ever received on a post. Thank you, very much.
I noticed that several theatrical elements from Harry Potter and mainly The Lord of the Rings are adopted to Zelda. Link=Frodo. Ghost city. Giant spider. Large razorbacks. It all seems so familiar. But cat herding? That's new for a video game. The only thing I don't like about the trailer is the reduced color palatte.