Putting on a backseat designer hat, If I wanted to use Shodan again, I'd just make a general Future System Shock-esque game and simply not tell anyone it's based in the Shock Universe. And then drop SHODAN in 1/2 way in or something. That'd be a surprise. Also clearly not that commercial, but it'll be so much fun. (Randomly, if you think of how many old fantasy/sci-fi IPs EA own the rights to, they could do this sort of thing a lot. Revisionist Origin-based Shodan versus The Guardian, anyone?)
But... well, that little video was so incredibly out of tone with the rest of the game to be laughable. From a creative point of view, the point that was argued that a spiritual sequel is actually better than a real sequel. Sequelitis, for *good* narrative lead games like Shock, is generally diminishing returns, especially for the villains.
Just tweaked the feature to stress that's "Increased Speculation that Shock 3 is in development" rather than "SHOCK 3! 2006!". When I wrote it there was no serious rumblings about Shock 3. I'd argue that, at least for SHODAN, a third sequel would be a shitty idea.
EDGE in the UK, which has been doing it for over a Decade and shows no sign of dying.
(EDGE being the magazine the US Next Generation was based off. But considerably more up-market)
"a 12 page feature on a guy like Ralph Baer in order to satiate subscribers or selling 12 pages worth of ads"
Worth noting that magazines, the more ads are sold, the bigger the magazine is. Sections are added if the Ads justify it, and removed if they're not. The healthier the Ad market, the more pages of editorial are possible. The fallacy of complaining that "this mag has so many ads" is based on the idea if the ads disappeared, they'll be pages of editorial instead. Generally speaking, no: if the ads disappear, the pages just disappear, probably taking editorial pages with them too.
"Just to be clear about this, when he said it it looked like there were two sets of two hands on the screen and they moved forwards and backwards in response (presumably) to what he was doing with the controller."
That's what it looked like to me too.
Didn't mention it in the article as (er) I dunno why. Maybe my Brother walked in the room with a tasty pasta dish when I was writing that bit up or something.
Don't believe I've ever name-dropped Lacan. Don't even remember anyone me recommending name-dropping Lacan either. Care to point to it? If it's the other chap in this thread, note that he's from gaming Academia, which is another kettle of gaming writing altogether.
It's also worth noting that, as the chaps and their PDF mag do, they're nothing to do with the concept of New Games Journalism. That was *specifically* about use of the subjective experience when relating games. It wasn't really meant to be used as a catch-all phrase for any "intelligent" games journalism.
(Christ - there's lots of room for some comedy NGJ. Most of the subjective experiences we relate about games are pretty funny, and I'd like to see someone try and capture them too)
But, as far as I'm aware, none of the NGJ people you're so determined in your attack of actually are Liberal Studies grads. AB, specifically, has no training. The gent's a trained programmer, talking about his experiences in games in his own language. Me neither, for that matter - I'm a science graduate. There's only as much influence of post-modernist studies as there is indirectly in anything in the cultural groundswell.
That's why your attacks are coming across as slightly hysteric: your prejudices (which are reasonably justified) are entirely unrelated to the thing you're attacking.
"yes, i really am comparing New Games Journalism to communism."
Oh my.
Quick question: Why do you keep on bringing up postmodernism with reference to all the NGJ stuff? Looking at - say - Bow Nigger or Possessing Barbie could you tell me where either is actually postmodernist or attempts to hide its message behind obscurist terminology? Both are written in common language, and are probably less obscurist than the average videogame review due to their lack of any gaming slang and explanations of everything they *do* use.
To stress AB's anonymous coward post, both stories linked were sold to magazines.
The manifesto wasn't, because it was a blog post. If I knew it would have been read by as many people as it had, perhaps I'd have - oh, I don't know - proofread it.
" truly give you a different perspective on the game that one cannot find in any game magazine."
Er... both articles were both printed in British magazine PC GAMER.
KG
"Here I'll point to some legendary game review writers such as Jonathan Nash [theweekly.co.uk] and Zy Nicholson. These guys had it spot on -- punchy, funny copy, asides aplenty, but incredible detail, depth and ability to make you 'feel' the game (as this article suggests)."
As writer of the Manifesto, I consider Nash and Nicholson dear comrades in arms. Brilliant games writers and it's a genuine sin that they aren't writing about the form currently.
As writer of the manifesto, I also clearly stated that this was in addition to pre-existing forms of games journalism instead of as replacement of.
Bow Nigger and its followers are great pieces of writing on Games. But they're not really reviews. And that's okay. Not all pieces of worthwhile writing on games have to be reviews.
The Manifesto has a few revivals online since I wrote it (in fact, isn't this the second or third time it's appeared on Slashdot Games? Not that I don't appreciate the hits. It was written to be read) but still the idea that it's a YEAR ZERO!!! thing seems oddly persistent.
Just a different approach. Anyone writing about games should consider trying it.
"Here I'll point to some legendary game review writers such as Jonathan Nash [theweekly.co.uk] and Zy Nicholson. These guys had it spot on -- punchy, funny copy, asides aplenty, but incredible detail, depth and ability to make you 'feel' the game (as this article suggests)."
As writer of the Manifesto, I consider Nash and Nicholson dear comrades in arms. Brilliant games writers and it's a genuine sin that they aren't writing about the form currently.
As writer of the manifesto, I also clearly stated that this was in addition to pre-existing forms of games journalism instead of as replacement of.
Bow Nigger and its followers are great pieces of writing on Games. But they're not really reviews. And that's okay. Not all pieces of worthwhile writing on games have to be reviews.
The Manifesto has a few revivals online since I wrote it (in fact, isn't this the second or third time it's appeared on Slashdot Games? Not that I don't appreciate the hits. It was written to be read) but still the idea that it's a YEAR ZERO!!! thing seems oddly persistent.
Just a different approach. Anyone writing about games should consider trying it.
KG
"Hate to break it to you, but I'm getting the feeling adult content refers to the use of one's brain cells and going through drama, or something like that."
Yeah. I'm afraid you're right.
Oh - that and the nob gags and gratuitous, juvenile politics.
KG
Ah - the ever popular bitchiness in the DX community.
Hotel Carone is a fine choice for people who wish to extend their Deus Ex experience, and I heartily recommend people try it if they want to do that.
However, the bitchiness must be briefly countered: The first episode of Cassandra features three maps and a couple of cutscenes. One of those maps is a denser play experience than anything in DX, if you're of a suitably pretentious bent. It's also the only released DX mod which features such extensive amounts of additional content - from weapons, to skins, to script it's got more than anything else that's available. A tad depressing, I know, but true nevertheless.
Cheers for the Slashdot guys for posting this. Hopefully some people will enjoy what the team's managed to create so far.
Slashdot Mirror
However, no, I get no money for anything on the workblog.
KG
Putting on a backseat designer hat, If I wanted to use Shodan again, I'd just make a general Future System Shock-esque game and simply not tell anyone it's based in the Shock Universe. And then drop SHODAN in 1/2 way in or something. That'd be a surprise. Also clearly not that commercial, but it'll be so much fun. (Randomly, if you think of how many old fantasy/sci-fi IPs EA own the rights to, they could do this sort of thing a lot. Revisionist Origin-based Shodan versus The Guardian, anyone?)
But... well, that little video was so incredibly out of tone with the rest of the game to be laughable. From a creative point of view, the point that was argued that a spiritual sequel is actually better than a real sequel. Sequelitis, for *good* narrative lead games like Shock, is generally diminishing returns, especially for the villains.
KG
"There's no equivalent to this in gaming."
EDGE in the UK, which has been doing it for over a Decade and shows no sign of dying.
(EDGE being the magazine the US Next Generation was based off. But considerably more up-market)
"a 12 page feature on a guy like Ralph Baer in order to satiate subscribers or selling 12 pages worth of ads"
Worth noting that magazines, the more ads are sold, the bigger the magazine is. Sections are added if the Ads justify it, and removed if they're not. The healthier the Ad market, the more pages of editorial are possible. The fallacy of complaining that "this mag has so many ads" is based on the idea if the ads disappeared, they'll be pages of editorial instead. Generally speaking, no: if the ads disappear, the pages just disappear, probably taking editorial pages with them too.
KG
"Just to be clear about this, when he said it it looked like there were two sets of two hands on the screen and they moved forwards and backwards in response (presumably) to what he was doing with the controller."
That's what it looked like to me too.
Didn't mention it in the article as (er) I dunno why. Maybe my Brother walked in the room with a tasty pasta dish when I was writing that bit up or something.
KG
Don't believe I've ever name-dropped Lacan. Don't even remember anyone me recommending name-dropping Lacan either. Care to point to it? If it's the other chap in this thread, note that he's from gaming Academia, which is another kettle of gaming writing altogether.
It's also worth noting that, as the chaps and their PDF mag do, they're nothing to do with the concept of New Games Journalism. That was *specifically* about use of the subjective experience when relating games. It wasn't really meant to be used as a catch-all phrase for any "intelligent" games journalism.
(Christ - there's lots of room for some comedy NGJ. Most of the subjective experiences we relate about games are pretty funny, and I'd like to see someone try and capture them too)
KG
But, as far as I'm aware, none of the NGJ people you're so determined in your attack of actually are Liberal Studies grads. AB, specifically, has no training. The gent's a trained programmer, talking about his experiences in games in his own language. Me neither, for that matter - I'm a science graduate. There's only as much influence of post-modernist studies as there is indirectly in anything in the cultural groundswell.
That's why your attacks are coming across as slightly hysteric: your prejudices (which are reasonably justified) are entirely unrelated to the thing you're attacking.
KG
Oh my.
Quick question: Why do you keep on bringing up postmodernism with reference to all the NGJ stuff? Looking at - say - Bow Nigger or Possessing Barbie could you tell me where either is actually postmodernist or attempts to hide its message behind obscurist terminology? Both are written in common language, and are probably less obscurist than the average videogame review due to their lack of any gaming slang and explanations of everything they *do* use.
KG
Of course I'm kidding. He's a mate. I can call him whatever the fuck I like.
KG
To stress AB's anonymous coward post, both stories linked were sold to magazines.
The manifesto wasn't, because it was a blog post. If I knew it would have been read by as many people as it had, perhaps I'd have - oh, I don't know - proofread it.
KG
" truly give you a different perspective on the game that one cannot find in any game magazine." Er... both articles were both printed in British magazine PC GAMER. KG
I should probably have previewed that, yeah?
****
"Here I'll point to some legendary game review writers such as Jonathan Nash [theweekly.co.uk] and Zy Nicholson. These guys had it spot on -- punchy, funny copy, asides aplenty, but incredible detail, depth and ability to make you 'feel' the game (as this article suggests)."
As writer of the Manifesto, I consider Nash and Nicholson dear comrades in arms. Brilliant games writers and it's a genuine sin that they aren't writing about the form currently.
As writer of the manifesto, I also clearly stated that this was in addition to pre-existing forms of games journalism instead of as replacement of.
Bow Nigger and its followers are great pieces of writing on Games. But they're not really reviews. And that's okay. Not all pieces of worthwhile writing on games have to be reviews.
The Manifesto has a few revivals online since I wrote it (in fact, isn't this the second or third time it's appeared on Slashdot Games? Not that I don't appreciate the hits. It was written to be read) but still the idea that it's a YEAR ZERO!!! thing seems oddly persistent.
Just a different approach. Anyone writing about games should consider trying it.
KG
"Here I'll point to some legendary game review writers such as Jonathan Nash [theweekly.co.uk] and Zy Nicholson. These guys had it spot on -- punchy, funny copy, asides aplenty, but incredible detail, depth and ability to make you 'feel' the game (as this article suggests)." As writer of the Manifesto, I consider Nash and Nicholson dear comrades in arms. Brilliant games writers and it's a genuine sin that they aren't writing about the form currently. As writer of the manifesto, I also clearly stated that this was in addition to pre-existing forms of games journalism instead of as replacement of. Bow Nigger and its followers are great pieces of writing on Games. But they're not really reviews. And that's okay. Not all pieces of worthwhile writing on games have to be reviews. The Manifesto has a few revivals online since I wrote it (in fact, isn't this the second or third time it's appeared on Slashdot Games? Not that I don't appreciate the hits. It was written to be read) but still the idea that it's a YEAR ZERO!!! thing seems oddly persistent. Just a different approach. Anyone writing about games should consider trying it. KG
"Hate to break it to you, but I'm getting the feeling adult content refers to the use of one's brain cells and going through drama, or something like that." Yeah. I'm afraid you're right. Oh - that and the nob gags and gratuitous, juvenile politics. KG
Ah - the ever popular bitchiness in the DX community.
Hotel Carone is a fine choice for people who wish to extend their Deus Ex experience, and I heartily recommend people try it if they want to do that.
However, the bitchiness must be briefly countered: The first episode of Cassandra features three maps and a couple of cutscenes. One of those maps is a denser play experience than anything in DX, if you're of a suitably pretentious bent. It's also the only released DX mod which features such extensive amounts of additional content - from weapons, to skins, to script it's got more than anything else that's available. A tad depressing, I know, but true nevertheless.
Cheers for the Slashdot guys for posting this. Hopefully some people will enjoy what the team's managed to create so far.
KG