Actually my point was just that the real value of the entertainment at hand lies in the individuals experience. I think all generations of games are equal on multiple levels. The only thing that's really changed drastically are the visuals, as you can find just as much depth in 8 and 16 bit games, that you can in any of todays titles depending on personal experience. Plus, I knew many older individuals who loved their 8-bit games just as much as today, but the level of exposure to games has to be taken into consideration when compared to todays market.
I received the shock of my life a few months ago. I've been out of the emulation scene for a few years, so I popped onto IRC one day to get back into things for a bit, and I asked the channel what the best, current NES emulator was (since new ones always seem to be popping up). Man... the replies I received! I could tell they must have all been ~13 or younger. "I'd shoot myself if all I had to play were 8-bit games!" (Dunno where that came from).
I wisely chose to say nothing, but filed it under the effects of being an aging gamer.
I get a kick in a similar fashion out of hearing different ages reminisce. People a few years ahead of me, who were brought up with a coleco or intellivision in their hands, never stop talking about the golden age of games. Back when "graphics didn't matter and the gameplay was the core attraction". Amusingly enough, all my friends from my generation (who were raised primarily with the C64, 8-bit NES, SNES, Atari, and Sega generation hardware), seem to think the golden age of gaming began and ended with these systems. Someone recently on slashdot cracked me up when they posted something about how the Nintendo and Sega 8 & 16-bit ages of gaming were the height of gaming history because "that's when graphics didn't matter, and the gameplay was pure".
I think another friend of mind summed it up best when he said "games are just as magical today as they were when we were kids". I hate a lot of titles that come out today, and I really miss my SNES, but I could see that if I were 16 years old again with nothing to do on a Saturday but play all day, I would probably feel the same way again. You only have that feeling of discovery once in your life. So I feel a little justified knowing that today's gaming generation will sit down with their younger brothers and sisters 10 years from now to bitch and moan about how games have just lost that "magic", and when they were younger the PS1 was the shit.;)
"The reason that FF:CC requires a GBA for each player is that due to the four-person cooperative play, each player needs his or her own screen to view the map, use items, equip armor, etc. without disrupting the entire game."
I'm sorry, but a good designer can effectively design around the limitation of a single screen GUI for a four player game. You can easily represent all spells, armor and weapons using very little of the gaming screen, and still without interrupting gameplay. There's also something to be said for forcing the player to look away from the main screen to modify items and inventory. A poor strategic choice along the lines of viewing a map while driving your car at the same time.
As much as I'm looking forward to Crystal Chronicles, it's a really poor choice for Nintendo to require such a thing. It IS innovative, sure, whatever, but it's an *unnecesary* innovation. True innovation is something that benefits the player. Myself, and most of my friends, are inhibited by this requirement.
Thanks for pointing out that site. I've been looking for more active community sites lately. Generally I find with any particular gaming scene the users of that particular game will flock to one site or another. However I have yet to find a location that's really heavy in UnrealEd modders traffic. I could use a good forum where I can talk to other designers and get my questions answered (and hopefully help out other people as well). If you have any such forum I would greatly appreciate a heads up. I used to read PlanetUnreal's Editing forum but that place is a total joke for activity.
Also, if Wiki doesn't whett your appetite for UnrealEd Documentation, check out the Unreal Developers Network. There's no community activity, but I find it's the most technical assistance for using the editor around. If you know of any better, by all means share!
Virtools Dev is a fantastic development toolset. They have an additional package in the form of their multiplayer package that is specifically geared towards MMO style games. Unfortunately I know of no current MMO titles that use the software, but I work with Dev daily and can't recommend the toolset enough. Fantastic piece of software, so you may want to look into it.
The bug-ridden demos only represent the bug-ridden final products that suddenly populate 90% of the industries releases.
People have come to accept that games are buggy, which scares me, because they whine and complain about it but continue giving away their money to the same publishers that poop on them time and again. So the only thing that will change in this scenario is the publics acceptance of poor craftsmanship.
The post mentions Baldurs Gate seeing lots of "unofficial mods".
I'm interested in other mods for Baldurs or the other Infinity Engine RPGs. Can anyone point out a site with more info on these? I checked planetbaldursgate.com and a couple other sites but found no info on any other Mods. Would really like to find out more.
The real issue at the core of this matter (for me) is that gamers can not get their hands on a game conveniently enough to find out if it's a worthy purchase or not. I live in Downtown San Jose California, a very technically oriented and gamer friendly environment. However it is so nearly *impossible* for me to conveniently get my hands on a game before buying that I have nearly axed my game purchasing all together.
I used to have the wonderful habit of running to Software Etc to check out a new game. Their return policy of "return within 7 days opened or not" was perfect for checking out a new title I wasn't sure about. The only requirement was that you had to keep the game in mint condition. More often than not (due to the large amount of crap games of late), I would return the title to the store, no questions asked, and no money lost. Once in a while i would find a true gem, and I would keep my purchase (or if I found the employees of a particular store to be outright rude, return it and go buy it at the local EB instead). Regardless, those days recently ended. Software Etc. ceased allowing gamers to return their purchases citing a lawsuit from someone unpleased about being sold an opened game (which information is nearly never made available to the buyer, but most likely because of the "mint condition returns" policy in the first place). From what I understand, EB has ceased to allow open returns as well.
For a gamer on a shoestring budget, this was indeed the beginning of dark times.
For my PC games I turned to downloaded demos. As many have said before me this is hardly ever a reflection of the final product, and is unreliable at best, but still convenient considering I can sit at my desk and pull the game offline right there. However, not all games receive a demo. For those select few I am out of luck, many of which I would die to try out as well, so it breaks my heart to see them pass me buy with no way of getting my hands on them.
For my console fix I turned to rentals; a highly overpriced way of sampling entertainment. Thought it could be said that I am allowed to complete the rented title and rid myself of it with no strings attached, I like to collect games that I find worth keeping, so this route isn't for everyone. Namely people who want to own the titles and play them more than once. But, despite the insane pricetag my local Blockbuster charges, at least I have access to the console games I desire before I lay down a larger chunk of change to own one or two. But this is not always the case. A staggeringly 9 times out of 10 the video store doesn't get the title in at all! This causes me no end of frustration, especially being someone who enjoys more obscure, less popular titles. So there goes that solution.
Recently Gamefly.com was brought to my attention, the description of which immediately brought me great hope! However the same problems with Blockbuster plague this new service on a larger level. Call me cheap, but I am not about to lay down $20 a month to rent games, despite being able to have 2 at a time, as well as keep them as long as I want. This is mainly a time issue, since I work full time and attend night classes on the side. The entertainment-to-money ratio is simply not worth either my time or money. I can't play 2 games at once, and I'm lucky if I get halfway through one per month at all. Recently it's been even less (roughly 5 or less hours of gaming a week). Despite this, I was still considering it due to their sweet deal allowing me to keep a rented game by simply paying it's used price. Digging more into this I uncovered another shock that ended my interest in this service. I looked up a recently favorite, semi-obscure title that can be currently picked up at the store for about $10 used. $30. No-Thank-You. I checked another $12 title. $35. That ruled out that option.
Now, one of my final answers, which is probably most peoples first solution: Online Reviews. I don't know how others fare in this regard
Not only that, but I seem to recall that being the only NES game with actual curse words in it. When you first meet hitler at the end of the game, he says something along the lines of: "You're a damn fool to think you can stop me!"
This article seems to be trying to stem the flow of complaints concerning online fees with fluffed up examples. For instance, when I was working at Sony (Electonics) in 2000, it was a widely discussed phenomenon concerning the $3.5 million in pure *profit* that Sony raked in per *month* from Everquest. This was after server fees, support fees, and everyone involved had gotten thier paychecks, and if you recall in 2000 EQ cost $9.95 a month. I knew Sony had a lot of balls several months later when they raised their monthly fee citing extended expenses. And then they did it again, and again...
Furthermore: "...and all people interviewed for this article feel you have nothing to lose by trying it out." I have to disagree with this, as there is a lot to lose out on when trying out these games. It costs $50 to pick up a game at the store, and everytime I've checked they are non-returnable due to their online-game status. I think it's an excelent move when developers started to release demos for their new MMOs online, because I am not about to plop down $50 for a game that may be utter crap that I can't return. However, when I can download the full version of this game online to try it out, I then question why I would need to drive to the store and pay an extra $50 for a box and manual in the first place.
I think it needs to be said that the industry has identified a new rush of revenue. MMOs are hot right now, and with the insane amount of profit abailable it's like a new gold rush, or a second.com era. I really wish gamers would step back and take a look at the real facts however, because developers could still make plenty of money by releasing these games online or in retail for (very) minimal prices, and still only charge $10 a month. The last MMO I was tempted to play appeared recently a $16/mo, and that's the last time I even thought about checking one out.
Fanboys were created by brainwashing the mass-market. It was the first Final Fantasy to have large amounts of advertising outside of Nintendo Power, and drew large amounts of non-gaming, Role-Playing-newbies to the genre. If you were to pump a few million in US advertising for any of the other Final Fantasty titles you would suddenly find them to be the most classic between gamers and non-gamers alike.
I can't remember the exact issue, but in a Nintendo Power magazine I recall seeing scratch-n-sniff stickers for Earthbound. It was Nintendo's original marketing strategy for the game. "The first game to interact with different human senses" or somesuch. You were directed to keep the stickers handy while playing, and at key moments in the game smell them to have a more interactive experience. Very strange.
Actually, if Final Fantasy fans could make a (wise) choice in the matter we would have chosen that NONE of the games received a sequel. The majority of the time sequels are a tired way of recycling existing properties for profit. The only reason that Final Fantasy X received a sequel is because Square had already put so much production into the existing characters and groundwork that it was simple for them to lay down an extension of the pre-existing world. That is to say, it took the least amount of effort for this particular game. Final Fantasy 7 may get a sequel in the future depending on how well Final Fantasy X does, but as soon as Square starts cranking out direct sequels then they will have truly lost their experimental edge. The Final Fantasy games have always been built on a single, self-structured story that begins and completes it's particular arc within the given title. Generally by the time you are complete with these games there should really be nothing left to see in it's universe, which is why it's so great that we continue to receive unique properties year-after-year in this series. I agree that Final Fantasy X-2 is for the media-brainwashed masses who crave their pop-culture, but frankly I don't want to see a sequel to Final Fantasy 7 either because, as much as it brought to the genre in the first place, it change too much that was good about the series to begin with.
Yes you have a good point with Kingdom Hearts. I didn't even bother to pick that game up because I had that exact impression of it. I don't know if it's entirely formulaic because I hear they did try to innovate in some departments (like the gummy ship and what-not), but the Token(tm) Game(R) Characters(tm) every five seconds kept me away.
Probably Final Fantasy 6 as well. I have great memories of all three 16-bit Final Fantasies and have had a hard time chosing a favorite. FF4 had a great story and characters (albeit cliche in many areas), FF5 had some incredible gameplay with the job system and there was a fantastic amount of exploration in the later parts. Final Fantasy 6 is the one that jumps to mind when I think of my favorite though. I guess I'd have to go with 6. So long, so much backstory for all the characters, so many sidequests and discoveries, so much exploration, and such groundbreaking plot for a 16-bit RPG (suicide?! The OPERA!? World destruction?!). While the prior two carry great nostalgia for several overall advancements, the latter has so many individually significant memories of enjoyment that I can't not call it my favorite.
Slashdot Mirror
This is a 30 year olds Tyco slot racer fantasy!
Japanese Dating Sims have been helping adolescent men combat their fear of approaching the opposite sex for years now!
No, Secret of Mana is one of my favorite games ever. Great times with friends.
There are plenty of other ways to handle an onscreen inventory without interrupting action.
Actually my point was just that the real value of the entertainment at hand lies in the individuals experience. I think all generations of games are equal on multiple levels. The only thing that's really changed drastically are the visuals, as you can find just as much depth in 8 and 16 bit games, that you can in any of todays titles depending on personal experience.
Plus, I knew many older individuals who loved their 8-bit games just as much as today, but the level of exposure to games has to be taken into consideration when compared to todays market.
I received the shock of my life a few months ago. I've been out of the emulation scene for a few years, so I popped onto IRC one day to get back into things for a bit, and I asked the channel what the best, current NES emulator was (since new ones always seem to be popping up).
;)
Man... the replies I received! I could tell they must have all been ~13 or younger. "I'd shoot myself if all I had to play were 8-bit games!" (Dunno where that came from).
I wisely chose to say nothing, but filed it under the effects of being an aging gamer.
I get a kick in a similar fashion out of hearing different ages reminisce. People a few years ahead of me, who were brought up with a coleco or intellivision in their hands, never stop talking about the golden age of games. Back when "graphics didn't matter and the gameplay was the core attraction".
Amusingly enough, all my friends from my generation (who were raised primarily with the C64, 8-bit NES, SNES, Atari, and Sega generation hardware), seem to think the golden age of gaming began and ended with these systems. Someone recently on slashdot cracked me up when they posted something about how the Nintendo and Sega 8 & 16-bit ages of gaming were the height of gaming history because "that's when graphics didn't matter, and the gameplay was pure".
I think another friend of mind summed it up best when he said "games are just as magical today as they were when we were kids".
I hate a lot of titles that come out today, and I really miss my SNES, but I could see that if I were 16 years old again with nothing to do on a Saturday but play all day, I would probably feel the same way again.
You only have that feeling of discovery once in your life. So I feel a little justified knowing that today's gaming generation will sit down with their younger brothers and sisters 10 years from now to bitch and moan about how games have just lost that "magic", and when they were younger the PS1 was the shit.
"The reason that FF:CC requires a GBA for each player is that due to the four-person cooperative play, each player needs his or her own screen to view the map, use items, equip armor, etc. without disrupting the entire game."
I'm sorry, but a good designer can effectively design around the limitation of a single screen GUI for a four player game. You can easily represent all spells, armor and weapons using very little of the gaming screen, and still without interrupting gameplay.
There's also something to be said for forcing the player to look away from the main screen to modify items and inventory. A poor strategic choice along the lines of viewing a map while driving your car at the same time.
As much as I'm looking forward to Crystal Chronicles, it's a really poor choice for Nintendo to require such a thing. It IS innovative, sure, whatever, but it's an *unnecesary* innovation. True innovation is something that benefits the player. Myself, and most of my friends, are inhibited by this requirement.
"Also, if Wiki doesn't whett your appetite for UnrealEd Documentation, check out the Unreal Developers Network...."
Sorry, obviously I don't read all that carefully!
Thanks for pointing out that site. I've been looking for more active community sites lately. Generally I find with any particular gaming scene the users of that particular game will flock to one site or another. However I have yet to find a location that's really heavy in UnrealEd modders traffic. I could use a good forum where I can talk to other designers and get my questions answered (and hopefully help out other people as well).
If you have any such forum I would greatly appreciate a heads up. I used to read PlanetUnreal's Editing forum but that place is a total joke for activity.
Also, if Wiki doesn't whett your appetite for UnrealEd Documentation, check out the Unreal Developers Network. There's no community activity, but I find it's the most technical assistance for using the editor around.
If you know of any better, by all means share!
Happy modding!
Get three friends and play it together. This is THE best multiplayer, co-op experience I've had with my LAN buddies. Good fucking times!
Virtools Dev is a fantastic development toolset. They have an additional package in the form of their multiplayer package that is specifically geared towards MMO style games.
Unfortunately I know of no current MMO titles that use the software, but I work with Dev daily and can't recommend the toolset enough. Fantastic piece of software, so you may want to look into it.
The bug-ridden demos only represent the bug-ridden final products that suddenly populate 90% of the industries releases.
People have come to accept that games are buggy, which scares me, because they whine and complain about it but continue giving away their money to the same publishers that poop on them time and again. So the only thing that will change in this scenario is the publics acceptance of poor craftsmanship.
For a well organized and widely recognized/publicized competition $100 is not much at all.
FYI, the Student Showcase which runs along side the IGF is free to enter for student participants.
The post mentions Baldurs Gate seeing lots of "unofficial mods".
I'm interested in other mods for Baldurs or the other Infinity Engine RPGs. Can anyone point out a site with more info on these? I checked planetbaldursgate.com and a couple other sites but found no info on any other Mods.
Would really like to find out more.
I'm using firebird and I don't have any of those issues.
Running Win2k FB 0.6.1
The real issue at the core of this matter (for me) is that gamers can not get their hands on a game conveniently enough to find out if it's a worthy purchase or not. I live in Downtown San Jose California, a very technically oriented and gamer friendly environment. However it is so nearly *impossible* for me to conveniently get my hands on a game before buying that I have nearly axed my game purchasing all together.
I used to have the wonderful habit of running to Software Etc to check out a new game. Their return policy of "return within 7 days opened or not" was perfect for checking out a new title I wasn't sure about. The only requirement was that you had to keep the game in mint condition. More often than not (due to the large amount of crap games of late), I would return the title to the store, no questions asked, and no money lost. Once in a while i would find a true gem, and I would keep my purchase (or if I found the employees of a particular store to be outright rude, return it and go buy it at the local EB instead).
Regardless, those days recently ended. Software Etc. ceased allowing gamers to return their purchases citing a lawsuit from someone unpleased about being sold an opened game (which information is nearly never made available to the buyer, but most likely because of the "mint condition returns" policy in the first place). From what I understand, EB has ceased to allow open returns as well.
For a gamer on a shoestring budget, this was indeed the beginning of dark times.
For my PC games I turned to downloaded demos. As many have said before me this is hardly ever a reflection of the final product, and is unreliable at best, but still convenient considering I can sit at my desk and pull the game offline right there. However, not all games receive a demo. For those select few I am out of luck, many of which I would die to try out as well, so it breaks my heart to see them pass me buy with no way of getting my hands on them.
For my console fix I turned to rentals; a highly overpriced way of sampling entertainment. Thought it could be said that I am allowed to complete the rented title and rid myself of it with no strings attached, I like to collect games that I find worth keeping, so this route isn't for everyone. Namely people who want to own the titles and play them more than once.
But, despite the insane pricetag my local Blockbuster charges, at least I have access to the console games I desire before I lay down a larger chunk of change to own one or two. But this is not always the case. A staggeringly 9 times out of 10 the video store doesn't get the title in at all! This causes me no end of frustration, especially being someone who enjoys more obscure, less popular titles.
So there goes that solution.
Recently Gamefly.com was brought to my attention, the description of which immediately brought me great hope! However the same problems with Blockbuster plague this new service on a larger level. Call me cheap, but I am not about to lay down $20 a month to rent games, despite being able to have 2 at a time, as well as keep them as long as I want. This is mainly a time issue, since I work full time and attend night classes on the side. The entertainment-to-money ratio is simply not worth either my time or money. I can't play 2 games at once, and I'm lucky if I get halfway through one per month at all. Recently it's been even less (roughly 5 or less hours of gaming a week). Despite this, I was still considering it due to their sweet deal allowing me to keep a rented game by simply paying it's used price. Digging more into this I uncovered another shock that ended my interest in this service. I looked up a recently favorite, semi-obscure title that can be currently picked up at the store for about $10 used. $30. No-Thank-You. I checked another $12 title. $35. That ruled out that option.
Now, one of my final answers, which is probably most peoples first solution: Online Reviews. I don't know how others fare in this regard
I have to second that. That was an amazing boss fight. I thought that bastard would never die, and it felt *really* good to send him to his death.
Good memories.
Not only that, but I seem to recall that being the only NES game with actual curse words in it.
When you first meet hitler at the end of the game, he says something along the lines of: "You're a damn fool to think you can stop me!"
Major bonus points for 10 year olds at the time.
"Do these Capcom franchises still grip gamers like they used to?"
Yes! Evertime I hear they're making *another* Resident Evil game I nearly wet myself!
This article seems to be trying to stem the flow of complaints concerning online fees with fluffed up examples. For instance, when I was working at Sony (Electonics) in 2000, it was a widely discussed phenomenon concerning the $3.5 million in pure *profit* that Sony raked in per *month* from Everquest. This was after server fees, support fees, and everyone involved had gotten thier paychecks, and if you recall in 2000 EQ cost $9.95 a month.
.com era. I really wish gamers would step back and take a look at the real facts however, because developers could still make plenty of money by releasing these games online or in retail for (very) minimal prices, and still only charge $10 a month. The last MMO I was tempted to play appeared recently a $16/mo, and that's the last time I even thought about checking one out.
I knew Sony had a lot of balls several months later when they raised their monthly fee citing extended expenses. And then they did it again, and again...
Furthermore: "...and all people interviewed for this article feel you have nothing to lose by trying it out."
I have to disagree with this, as there is a lot to lose out on when trying out these games. It costs $50 to pick up a game at the store, and everytime I've checked they are non-returnable due to their online-game status.
I think it's an excelent move when developers started to release demos for their new MMOs online, because I am not about to plop down $50 for a game that may be utter crap that I can't return. However, when I can download the full version of this game online to try it out, I then question why I would need to drive to the store and pay an extra $50 for a box and manual in the first place.
I think it needs to be said that the industry has identified a new rush of revenue. MMOs are hot right now, and with the insane amount of profit abailable it's like a new gold rush, or a second
What's the difference? I have a hard time staying connected to Yahoo's stupid IM service when I'm using their own client.
Maybe they should put a little more effort into building a more robust network in the first place.
Fanboys were created by brainwashing the mass-market. It was the first Final Fantasy to have large amounts of advertising outside of Nintendo Power, and drew large amounts of non-gaming, Role-Playing-newbies to the genre.
If you were to pump a few million in US advertising for any of the other Final Fantasty titles you would suddenly find them to be the most classic between gamers and non-gamers alike.
I can't remember the exact issue, but in a Nintendo Power magazine I recall seeing scratch-n-sniff stickers for Earthbound. It was Nintendo's original marketing strategy for the game. "The first game to interact with different human senses" or somesuch.
You were directed to keep the stickers handy while playing, and at key moments in the game smell them to have a more interactive experience.
Very strange.
Actually, if Final Fantasy fans could make a (wise) choice in the matter we would have chosen that NONE of the games received a sequel. The majority of the time sequels are a tired way of recycling existing properties for profit. The only reason that Final Fantasy X received a sequel is because Square had already put so much production into the existing characters and groundwork that it was simple for them to lay down an extension of the pre-existing world. That is to say, it took the least amount of effort for this particular game.
Final Fantasy 7 may get a sequel in the future depending on how well Final Fantasy X does, but as soon as Square starts cranking out direct sequels then they will have truly lost their experimental edge. The Final Fantasy games have always been built on a single, self-structured story that begins and completes it's particular arc within the given title. Generally by the time you are complete with these games there should really be nothing left to see in it's universe, which is why it's so great that we continue to receive unique properties year-after-year in this series.
I agree that Final Fantasy X-2 is for the media-brainwashed masses who crave their pop-culture, but frankly I don't want to see a sequel to Final Fantasy 7 either because, as much as it brought to the genre in the first place, it change too much that was good about the series to begin with.
Yes you have a good point with Kingdom Hearts. I didn't even bother to pick that game up because I had that exact impression of it. I don't know if it's entirely formulaic because I hear they did try to innovate in some departments (like the gummy ship and what-not), but the Token(tm) Game(R) Characters(tm) every five seconds kept me away.
Probably Final Fantasy 6 as well. I have great memories of all three 16-bit Final Fantasies and have had a hard time chosing a favorite.
FF4 had a great story and characters (albeit cliche in many areas), FF5 had some incredible gameplay with the job system and there was a fantastic amount of exploration in the later parts. Final Fantasy 6 is the one that jumps to mind when I think of my favorite though. I guess I'd have to go with 6. So long, so much backstory for all the characters, so many sidequests and discoveries, so much exploration, and such groundbreaking plot for a 16-bit RPG (suicide?! The OPERA!? World destruction?!).
While the prior two carry great nostalgia for several overall advancements, the latter has so many individually significant memories of enjoyment that I can't not call it my favorite.