A fan remade a portion of Mega Man 9 in HD, and while it’s identical to the original game (which was a retro throwback anyway) but with HD graphics, fans have not been kind to it. Critics say it removed the soul of the game. Are 8-bit graphics really that charming and expressive?

What is the appeal?

What is the appeal of the 8-bit graphics? Some of the criticism leveled at the HD remix is that ‘it looks worse despite being in HD,’ ‘the running animation looks really weird to me’ and ‘they sucked all the life and character from it.’

Let’s take these one at a time. The first is that it looks worse despite being in HD. What, exactly, does this mean? I guess what they’re trying to say is that they appreciated the blocky, jerky appearance of the original. Critics also mention the fact that colors were better in the bright and cartoony 8-bit days. Is it truly the pixellated sprites that make the difference vs. the HD version? Are they more expressive than their sharper counterparts?

The second criticism of the HD Remix is that the running looks strange. Take a look at the original mega man running animation. Yeah, that’s not strange at all.

Oh yeah - it's almost photorealistic. My mistake

Finally, critics claim the higher definition graphics suck the life from the game. What does this mean? The game has the same gameplay, and the same enemies, and the same everything except appearance. I thought graphics weren’t supposed to make a game and what really differentiated the Mega Man series was the great gameplay?

The source of all these points is that the HD version doesn’t tap into gamer nostalgia. Mega Man 9 and the recent Mega Man 10 were so well received because they were the first modern Mega Man games that just copied the style of the classic ones back when the franchise was successful. It harnessed that nostalgia that players had for the originals, and reminded them of the fun they had in the past with Mega Man.

The reason that the HD remix is disappointing to them is because this shares none of the nostalgia, and in the current context, Mega Man is simply a terrible game. Platforming games have gone in a different direction (think Ratchet & Clank or Super Mario Galaxy) because it’s far more fun. Without the nostalgia, this Mega Man offers very little.

The reason Mega Man 9 HD Remix failed is because this is how everybody thinks of HD Mega Man. Get it right!

Where is the 8-bit love?

Another reason 8-bit could be appealing is because it allows players to fill in the gaps in the graphics with their imationation. Mega Man used to run ‘properly’ to them because it was such a loose an unrealistic animation that they could interpret it any way they wanted. It was merely a signal that said ‘running.’

In the HD version, on the other hand, Mega Man is actually running in a fluid enough way that there is little room for interpretation. If your imagination of the manner in which Mega Man runs lines up with that version perfectly, great, but if not it’s going to look strange. It would be like a muscular Unreal Engine 3 version of Mario in new games; it just wouldn’t look right.

Artist renditions of 8-bit graphics are accepted because we understand it's merely one person's interpretation of the characters; once they're official, however, watch out. Fanboy backlash

The same thing can be said of the character portraits. In the old game, they were clearly vague and cartoony and I’m sure players imagined some of the bosses to be complicated robots. When you smooth out the graphics and put everything into HD, however, and they’re still just simple and bizarre foes, things get a little strange. The limitations on Galaxy Man in HD could previously be attributed to simplified graphics when to Mega Man he was a sophisticated foe; in HD he merely looks like an idiot.

There are many things to like about 8-bit graphics, but chief among them is nostalgia and room for imagination.

Is the flaw with the HD remix of Mega Man 9 really in the game, or is it in ourselves? Something to ponder. Until next time, be good to yourselves, and each other.*

* Not a serious conclusion to the article (for the inevitable flame responses)

PSN likes to push that it offers greater value because there’s no subscription fee. Is $5/month really that crippling? Is the worse functionality offered by PSN worth the savings? Hardly.

Missing the forest for the trees

Xbox charges a $5/month fee, or various packages if you sign up for longer periods of time such as $40/year, and there are also tiered subscription packages. Sony has long held that their PSN offering is much more valuable because it’s free.

Are you really going to care about paying the equivalent of 2/3 of a game for a better online experience for the year? Most gamers purchase 6-7 games per year for their console, so you’re talking about a required 10% increase in game experience quality on Xbox Live vs. PSN to repay that difference.

The real reason Xbox is better? Ground FX

PSN has come a long way from its early years. The store front is about comparable to Xbox Live. The internet functionality is about the same (although who really cares or uses a console for that?). The friends list is comparable.

PSN falls short in two specific areas: voice chat and developer support.

Nobody has a mic?

Cooperative has come into its own in the past 5 years with the expansion of online console functionality. While it’s possible to execute well in free for all deathmatch without voice chat, and even to do some team deathmatch without voice chat, it’s very difficult to coordinate with other players online without being able to speak to them.

On a computer you can type messages if you’re fast enough. On a console you merely have to sit silently. I was playing Borderlands for the first time online with a friend and we were using Skype to chat back and forth because neither of us had a PS3 mic. It was a revelation. I had given up on Borderlands other than in solo play because it was simply too hard to play with everybody when we were all silent. Being able to speak changed all that.

I know PS3 has their own proprietary mic although functionality is spotty at best and it’s horrifically uncomfortable. In addition, it’s ridiculous to have to listen to either a mic or the game sound. Turtle Beach is a hugely influential gaming headset manufacturer, and until recently they didn’t even offer a unified PS3 voice chat and sound headset. The demand simply wasn’t there, because voice chat functionality on the PS3 is laughable.

I'm jealous of all these Trials HD players. Sure, I can play it on the PC via Steam, but the controls are horse balls

PS3 simply falls short compared to Xbox in the voice chat department, and all the PSN store front changes or improvements in PS1 offerings online aren’t going to close the gap with Xbox Live. This is one of the few areas where I’m jealous of Xbox owners.

Developer support

The other difference where Xbox Live really wins vs. PSN is in developer support. Think back as recently as this past summer where the Summer of Arcade was happening on Xbox Live. Not only were there some great offerings like Trials HD, Splosion Man and even Shadow Complex, one of the most highly regarded games of the year.

I chose a PS3 over an Xbox because  I prefer the exclusives. I like Ratchet & Clank, God of War, Uncharted and InFamous over Gears of War and Halo. That being said, had I known the online functionality gap pre-purchase, I might have changed my mind.

Shadow Complex: Not just online game of the year, but contender for overall game of the year. Sadly Xbox only ...

PSN is making vast improvements, they’re just not in the areas that count. They need to step up their voice support and create some incentives to go into the store beyond Critter Crunch to really close the gap. They claim they have a value offering. Sure, it’s cheaper, but is cheap necessarily representative of value?

You know what’s also cheaper than PS3? Not buying a PS3.

Keep reading for Ghostbusters vs. Love Game, Matchstick Minas Tirith and the most epic Quarantine Rap in the world.  

Videogame Links

Interesting

While this remix of Poker Face with Sonic & Knuckles Lava Reef theme may be decent, the real champ is Ghostbusters remixed with Love Game, the greatest remix of all time.

Artist carving a Big Daddy out of a giant tree stump with a chainsaw. This is pretty impressive, but not nearly up to ice sculpture quality.

Motion tracking 3D using the DSi camera … this is phenomenal and something that every game should have, along with every TV. If only they could do it for more than one person at a time.

While I maintain that Supreme Commander 2 is going to be a debacle in terms of being a game – it does have a fairly interesting new pathfinding system.

This is a full account of the Steam / Portal new developments – Portal 2 announcement at GDC coming up clearly.

Dude makes a 1-Up mushroom quilt. Epic. Home ec is good for something I suppose.

While the 1Up quilt is cool, nothing tops the Link to the Past map quilt. I need one of these things ...

Activision shuts down fan made King’s Quest game, proving once and for all that they’re epic douches.

Jack Tretton says the PS3 is still in the first 25-30% of its lifespan. Looking forward to 2050 when we’re all enslaved by the PS3 overlord.

Case mods are always pretty cool, and I like Borderlands … therefore, logically …

Woo 85% of online gaming is on the PC. It lives! Although to be fair it’s going to be a lot of casual stuff probably.

Funny

Mega64 says Sonic really sucks. In an interesting way. These guys just keep getting better and better.

Just die with some dignity, Sonic. Jesus

I have brought great shame to my family

Donkey Kong vs. Yoshi t-shirt. The epic battle continues. Tokyo is completely destroyed.

Russian guy throws a cat in protest. Many cats.

You know your life has collapsed in upon itself when you buy this thing.

Non-Videogame Links

Interesting

Business advice from Van  Halen. Surprise – we’re not total douche bags, we’re just super careful and innovative. Or a little of column A …

Is this a man you'd really want to take business advice from? Yeah ... me too

Pretty cool making of videos (as well as the music video itself) of OK Go’s new song. Very intricate I suppose for a music video.

Interesting film made up entirely of logos. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here but it’s pretty cool visually.

Matchstick replica of Minas Tirith. This thing is pretty incredible – especially because he’s going to light it up after showing it off for a little.

At least the costume design in Alice in Wonderland looks interesting. Can’t really say the same for my outlook of the film.

Interesting concept for new film clip search database. I guess this could solve some arguments.

Social media breakdown by gender. Women the most dominant on Myspace. Seriously, women? Myspace? Embarrassing.

Funny

Epic quarantine rap. This guy should be the next American Idol by default.

I'd love to go meet that Quarantine Rap guy. He seems pretty cool. Just need the right gear for the trip

I’m not sure exactly what’s going on here, but I like it. Asian dramatization of Gordon Brown going crazy and punching people.

What was this student thinking, seriously? I mean talk about not having enough to do.

Teen Wolf pug dog. I have one of these costumes myself. Works for all occasions.

A muppet version of the Wicker Man. This remains the greatest film of all time for pure hilarity.

I have brought great shame to my family

Aliens vs. Predator info graphic by the same guy that did that epic Giant Shark vs. Mega Octopus info graphic. I could read these things all day.

The new Prince of Persia behind the scenes video is a showcase for Jake Gyllenhall … it’s clear that Jerry Bruckheimer has figured out what is going to sell this film …

Oh my god – they’re bombing Disney World! Somebody save Mickey.

Now I know why they're bombing Disney World. What's your job? Oh, me? I'm a broomstick

Goodnight Forest Moon … a bedtime book for nerds / losers. My kind of thing.

That’s all for this week. Did I miss anything? Hit up the comments!

[Today's Heavy Rain review comes from John Humphrey Johanas, Esquire, through the teletape from Japan. He freelances for popular gaming blog Backhand of Justice, and also runs a webcam website

This game came with a lot of hype that I chose not to get involved in. All I knew before getting in was that this is supposed to be a ball-busting emotional thriller with more of an emphasis on story and choices than gameplay. The great Luke Stillman even controversially debated with himself over whether or not this is a “game” despite having not played the final retail version! All in all, this looks to be something that is destined to get fucked up.

I’ll give you the bottom line right away: I’d recommend it. Overall, the game kept me entertained to the point where I got all the endings and the story intrigued me enough to even go that far (Let’s forget that trophies are involved). HOWEVER, I’m going to go there and say that this is nowhere near as revolutionary as it was hyped up to be. It does have lots of polish to cover that up, though.

The good

The main draw of Heavy Rain is the plot. In a nutshell, it’s The Bone Collector meets Saw. Nothing incredibly new. We have four characters searching for the elusive Origami Killer (or are they?). There are adult themes (or are they?) and this is supposed to be pretty realistic (I’ll leave that up to you to decide). The whole thing starts solidly and builds from there. I have some gripes about the ending, but the four characters are well developed and the situations can sometimes be very complicated and harsh. The option to have players die and still let the story continue adds another interesting aspect to the gameplay.

Despite this being a good point, I’ll say that the whole thing isn’t as deep as it is being made out to be. I personally never got too attached to the characters and supposedly tear-jerking scenes fell flat to me. I guess I’m the one to blame though, for not being married with children.

Yep ... there's the rain, as advertised. 10/10

The alright

Graphics: Now, it’s hard to argue that the environments are not amazingly detailed. However, it is very plausible to argue that the character models are creepy as hell. While excellently modeled, they sometimes feel like wax figures. And, I think there is something wrong with their eyes. They all look blind or something, based on the way they move. I was surprised that with all the emphasis on the effort made to the faces and expressions, that they could miss the mark so significantly. Final Fantasy XIII accomplished this so much better, even in the case of lip-synching. It’s impressive, no doubt, but downright strange at times.

Voices: Sure they grow on you, but just like the faces there is something a little off about all of them sometimes. Try other languages for more fun!

Choices: The game has a solid mix of excellent, serious choices where one’s moral conscience gets riled up. Those are the good ones. Some of the others are not so interesting. I know that something is better than nothing, and it’s impossible to have EVERY option available to you, but sometimes I felt I was pigeonholed.

Music: It’s great, but a little over the top. When it starts getting epic in a nice fight scene or a critical story moment, it’s fine, but when a hypnotic piano melody breaks out every time I sit in a chair or open a door, it gets kind of ridiculous.

What's that? Why is my face so shiny? I'll tell you, but I have to press square, triangle and waggle the analog stick first

What were they thinking?

The controls: I have no idea who thought the R2 trigger walk mode was a good idea. Not only that, but why can’t any character run? If Ethan were so desperate to save his son, you’d think he would pick up the pace a little. As far as the QTE, what can I say? Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. The scene in the demo when Shelby has to push a three button combination to slide past a dumpster will remain in my mind as one of the silliest moment in gaming.

I would say this is as close as you come to the game/not game line, although sitting somewhere towards the former. It basically is a gimmick game, if you don’t mind me calling it that. Gameplay wise, this isn’t much of a step up from Parappa the Rappa, but not many people will notice that anyway.

Like I said before, I’d recommend this. I enjoyed it, I just can’t help thinking how I enjoyed it so much more 10 years ago when it was called Shenmue.

I have the strange feeling though that this game will not stand the test of time. A plot completely relying on the twist will no doubt diminish in value once everyone knows it. I would strongly suggest getting out there and playing it immediately if you even consider yourself interested. I was thick enough not to see the twist coming my first play through so maybe you won’t either.

And on the subject of the ideal but implausible remakes: Silent Hill 2 on this engine would be unbelievable.

Activision has tasked Sledgehammer games (run by the former developers of Dead Space) with making the Call of Duty game for 2011 which will potentially be in the action-adventure genre. Activision believes they have created a self-sustaining franchise separate from the individual game quality, the same mistake Electronic Arts made with their sports franchises. Call of Duty, meet Madden, the ghost of Christmas future. 

Call of Duty vs. Medal of Honor

The top Infinity Ward brass got their chops in the FPS realm with Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. This was an Electronic Arts franchise which had seen a ton of success and which EA believed was well established with consumers.

While Allied Assault scored in the low 90’s on Metacritic, subsequent games by different developers have scored in the 70s and even 60s, and sales have fallen off a cliff. This is to be expected; gamers will only give a loved franchise benefit of the doubt for a single flop or if lucky, two. After a sustained trend of crap games, FPS fans looked elsewhere for their fix.

MoH: Allied Assault is still regarded as one of the finest WW2 games ever made. Infinity Ward strikes again! Coincidence? Doubtful

Fortunately for them, the Infinity Ward guys were at Activision working feverishly on CoD4: Modern Warfare. This was the first modern Call of Duty game (a decision that Activision management believed to be a mistake). Call of Duty was a successful if not ground breaking franchise for Activision at the time. Modern Warfare changed all that.

It became the fastest selling FPS game of all time and went on to sell nearly 15 million copies worldwide. Call of Duty joined some of the largest game franchises in the world like Final Fantasy and Mario. Infinity Ward became the toast of Activision.

So what went wrong?

Call of Duty is an annual franchise, and yet a game takes more than a year to develop. Activision therefore has two teams making Call of Duty games and they alternate release years, allowing for a 2 year development schedule. The other team is Treyarch, and they are sadly known as the shit team. The ‘Treyarch years’ (2010 for example) is a terrible time and gamers everywhere lament their misfortune that these hacks are allowed to touch the Call of Duty franchise.

World at War's big hook was Nazi Zombies. Treyarch strikes again! Goddamn Treyarch is shit

CoD5: World at War sold well, although not as well as Modern Warfare. That being said, it was still a success because gamers identified the franchise with quality. This was solidified with CoD6: Modern Warfare 2 which came out in November and became the fastest selling videogame of all time and yet another smash hit. It was developed by Infinity Ward.

There was a huge jump in sales from the previous Call of Duty games to Modern Warfare, and that new tier has held up reasonably well. That’s because Modern Warfare was revolutionary and its success flowed through to the subsequent games in the franchise. This isn’t sustainable if the game quality goes from great to shit. Treyarch can’t properly execute a Call of Duty game.

The original Modern Warfare was a groundbreaking title for its multiplayer perks. Infinity Ward strikes again! Coincidence? Doubtful

There’s no reason to believe Sledgehammer games can bring something new to the table. Sure, Dead Space was great, but the shooting mechanics in that weren’t exactly the highlight, and Call of Duty isn’t known for its moody atmosphere. Infinity Ward was the keeper of the flame, and Activision just fired them for what appears to be a disagreement over money.

Infinity Ward is going to go to a new studio and develop what will undoubtedly be a great FPS game. Sure, it won’t have the sales of Call of Duty, at least initially, but eventually it will get that traction. Quality shines through.

Publishers don’t get it

Publishers believe they know how to sell a game. They give gamers CGI trailers and ridiculous promotions. They believe ‘brand management’ is what sells a good game. Gameplay, and real gameplay footage specifically, is what sells a game. Quality and innovation sells a game. Gamers don’t care about the latest CGI commercial, they want to see Quick Looks and behind the scenes videos.

No Ken Levine, no problem? Actually, no Ken Levine = big problem as Bioshock 2 rides the coattails of its predecessor

Publishers believe that because new AAA games have teams of hundreds working on them that no one person can be that important. Why, then, do the same people come out with great games time and again? Why value Sid Meier, or John Carmack, or the team at Rockstar? Why value Ken Levine, or the Blizzard team? Because they’re the best, that’s why. Bioshock 2 didn’t have Ken Levine working on it, and its Metacritic scores dropped 8 points (and will likely drop more) compared to the original. Sales will no doubt follow suit.

Infinity Ward reportedly wanted to go in a different direction from just making Modern Warfare 3, and Activision management balked. They resisted the vision of Infinity Ward during the development of Modern Warfare, but eventually gave in, and look how that turned out? I’m sure the new ideas IW had were the next leap forward in FPS, and fortunately for us gamers we will still see it, just not under the Activision banner.

Their loss.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Borderlands. It was the surprise hit of 2009 and the constant trickle of DLC doesn’t hurt in sustaining that trend. While Gearbox’s first two DLC offerings: the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned (incredible) and Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot (terrible) were small in scope, the third is a more significant experience.

What went right

Characters

The story in Borderlands was never more than wafer thin. That being said, the characters were hilarious and well presented. This continues in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (hereafter referred to as Armory).

Fan favorites such as Scooter the mechanic, Marcus the weaponsmith and Moxxi the, uh, harlot?  – return and are more hilarious than ever.

The real prize here might go to General Knoxx, however, who is a cynical and jaded officer sent in to clean up the mess from the first game. His commanding officer is a 5-year old (damn nepotism) and the radio transmissions from Knoxx to command are beyond hilarious.

In addition, some of the new bosses like Mr. Shank are pure gold, and even the drab Athena (your new ally) transmits messages hidden in advertising streams for a male enhancement product called Engorge.

New guns

Borderlands is all about the guns, and with the level cap increasing to 61, the gun algorithm becomes more powerful. That being said, if you farmed New Haven as extensively as I did, then your level 50 guns are going to hold up through the entire expansion, and if you had some real gems you might not even find a replacement during a single playthrough.

Gearbox has added an additional tier of rarity above ‘legendary’ and while they could have chosen heroic or godlike or something, they went with ‘pearlescent.’ I have not yet seen one of these mammoths but I can only assume when one drops it won’t disappoint.

Moxxi's back with her entourage of ex-husbands. You even get to meet one and Mr. Shank is one of the best characters yet

New enemies

The original Borderlands and even the expansions suffered from a lack of variety in enemies. By the end of the game you were tired of seeing the same skags and bandits over and over again. While Armory suffers from this a little bit, there are several new and interesting foes.

There are the mighty Devastator mechs of the Crimson Lance that look like those stupid mechs from the Matrix sequels. There are skag riders where you can kill the skag but the midget rider hops off to continue the attack. There are the towering strider-esque War of the Worlds enemies.

There are also a substantial number of new Crimson Lance foes such as the pyro, the engineer, the medic and the chemical soldier. There are also Crimson Lance ninja assassins, pesky floating drones and jetpack soldiers.

What really make the new enemies more interesting than the offerings from the original game are that they are more strategic. In Borderlands, I used my ‘best’ gun in pretty much all situations. It was a jack of all trades, and worked equally well against everything. This is not the case in Armory.

I now switch between 3 situational guns, the aforementioned standby, a corrosive weapon for pyro units and machinery and a fire weapon for everything else. Without a balanced arsenal, some enemies are simply too difficult to bring down.

What were they thinking?

Vehicle focus

Armory centers around a massive highway in the desert, and much of the game will be spent in vehicles. While they’re still primarily for fast travel and not so much for combat, it’s curious that Gearbox would take one of the weakest elements of Borderlands and focus in on it. While it’s great that there are now 3 interesting vehicles to choose from instead of the one boring offering from the original, it’s still not ideal.

This is not a driving game, it’s a shooting game, and that should always be the focus. In addition, the fast travel system is gone from the expansion area so you have to drive everywhere, a frequently time consuming process. That being said, the new monster truck with home missiles removes much of the aiming weaknesses from the first game’s vehicle combat, and some of the stunts you can pull off with the racer are incredible.

Beware the Jabberwocky. And the giant Crimson Lance mech suit. The original poem was cut off

Group focus

I realize Borderlands is a group game, and Gearbox wants to encourage group play, but it was nice that you could solo the entire first game. While the standard campaign is still possible to do alone in Armory, there is a new end-game boss called Crawmerax the Invincible who is a level 64 elite. The only way to do this solo is either to play a certain class and spend an hour shooting it, or use a well documented glitch.

Because this boss has the highest % chance by far of dropping the new and highest tier of weapons, players will want to farm it like they did New Haven. Unfortunately, it looks like getting in a group will be required and given the lack of widespread voice chat on the PS3 this is a painful thought.

Difficulty

I farmed New Haven, a town from the original Borderlands, for hours finding the best guns. Because of this, the random weapon generator eventually came up in my favor and I have guns that are hugely overpowered. As a result, I could breeze through the campaign in Armory, tearing through the Crimson Lance in mere seconds.

That being said, if you played the original game once and didn’t spend hours at level 50 beefing up your character, your arsenal is probably insufficient to get through the first couple missions at level 50. At the very least, there will be much dying and respawning involved. Once again, Gearbox has failed to adequately balance the game for the intended levels.

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is the biggest and best DLC thus far released for Borderlands. I had a blast, and laughed out loud at least a dozen times. If you liked Borderlands, you’re going to love Armory. General Knoxx definitely needs a spinoff game.

Why are so many upset, then, when Ubisoft introduces DRM that requires you be online for game saves? Why are so many upset when there are delays to updates, or the Playstation Network goes down, or World of Warcraft server maintenance takes slightly longer than expected? Sure it’s inconvenient, but there are as many if not more benefits to having game services move online than there are drawbacks. Why fight it conceptually?

The outrage of being online

The reason so many are upset about the new Ubisoft DRM that requires online for game saves and authentication is two fold: what if your internet connection fails and you lose some progress in a game, and what happens in the future when they take down those servers and you can’t play a single player game?

My response: seriously? Some gamers were quoting power outages as their fear for their internet connection. I think you have bigger problems than your internet connection losing their servers when the power goes down such as your computer shutting down. I only know from my experience, but my internet fails maybe once every couple months, and if I lose 5-10 minutes of gaming since the last autosave I’m not going to be permanently traumatized.

In addition, there are very few games that couldn’t be played because the authentication or multiplayer servers were offline when people wanted to play them simply because years after a game’s release there is a very small community remaining. The only one that comes to mind is Halo 2 and that was because it was so stunningly popular. This is not going to be a common problem, but even if it is I’m sure there will be a patch to allow you to play without authentication servers. Very little revenue is generated by games years or decades after release so this wouldn’t be a huge profit hit for Ubisoft.

Want to know why your Xbox Live friends list can only go to 100 people? You now know who to blame

In addition, the reason these changes are being made on the PC is because there is so much piracy. I’m sure it will be a huge imposition on the user to download an authentication server crack when you want to play a decade after initial release.

The benefits of being online?

Removing the obvious benefits such as online multiplayer, game fixing updates and digital distribution, there are subtler updates to being online all the time. Services like Steam can be developed, which add massive convenience to the consumer.

I just switched to a new computer and wanted to continue to play Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2. I didn’t have to find my discs again, or find those authentication CD Key stickers on the DVD jewel cases. I just downloaded the free Steam client, logged into my account and went to a movie. When I returned, they were all downloaded and installed and ready to go.

The convenience Steam offers is incredible. Goodbye DVDs, we hardly knew ye

In addition, the prevalence of cross game chat has made finding games and discussing them with friends even easier. You can chat to any Steam user while in any Steam game without leaving. The same thing is being done for the new Battle.net for Starcraft. You can plan a game or chat with a friend extremely easily even while playing another game. This is incredible convenience that wasn’t available in the past.

Finally, being always online allows for out of game experiences such as World of Warcraft’s armory and auction house. You can now see your character when you’re not even at your computer. Not only that, but you can trade through the auction house from your mobile device. This is incredible functionality and the slight drawback from the occasional lost connection is more than worth it.

I understand being annoyed that a game is DX10 only and therefore doesn’t support Windows XP despite that being the OS of choice for over 40% of the gaming community. Don’t fight an obvious and well established trend though. Pretty soon it will be unusual for a developer to assume you might be playing without an internet connection. All computers capable of playing games have a constant connection. Mobile devices now primarily have wireless connections and soon that will be absolute.

DX10 only? Outrageous

A developer can improve the gaming experience with the information and easy access that online gives them in regard to their player community. It’s ok to complain about internet lapses much as it is ok to complain about flight delays. But don’t say that you’re never going to fly again because you sat on the runway for a couple hours. If Ubisoft makes good games, you’re going to play them, because this online only policy is merely them getting ahead of the curve.

Keep reading for Tom Green’s rap battle, skiing down Mt. Everest and the legendary blobfish. Fear the blobfish.

Videogame Links

Interesting

Video that is not well liked by videogamers about how they are ruining lives and a terrible influence – and it’s not entirely wrong. That being said, it’s funny that even in a video game criticism video, the Penny Arcade guys get positive commentary.

Top 10 most expensive videogames ever made. Although to be fair the producers of Metal Gear Solid 4 have come out and said it didn’t cost quite that much. It was only the GDP of Haiti, not Germany.

Here’s an interesting little senior project that details what life might be like as a Sim. I have never played the Sims so I’ll have to take his word for it. It sure beats my baking powder volcano that I used as a senior project.

Randy Pitchford, the head of Gearbox Software, discusses his massive success and how everybody who doubted him is an idiot.

The new Spike TV episode featuring God of War 3 … looks like it’s going to take the graphics crown from Uncharted 2.

Kratos seems like a well adjusted fellow

Some great facts about the development of Dragon Age Origins and the way developers maintained focus.

Nintendo with another incredible little easter egg. Like how if you wait for 30 minutes on the starting screen of Super Mario World Yoshi will do a striptease.

Just Cause 2 isn’t going to support Windows XP as it’s DirectX 10 only! This effectively excludes half the PC audience, suggesting that the PC is completeyl unprofitable and a waste for the developers.

Great story on the guy who composed the Mario music.

The killer whale from the Sea World incident was also involved in one of the weirdest video game related deaths ever. Odd.

Raaargh! FEAR ME for I am the face of your death!

Incredible custom made D&D room. Never really got into this but you have to respect that kind of effort.

Funny

Jay Mohr actually had some pretty funny jokes during his speech this time at GDC. Although I hear in some cases it went to that awkward / uncomfortable place.

I have brought great shame to my family

Video of the now infamous Xbox Live banning. First off, if you’re the hacker, when Penny Arcade went against you that was the death knell. You just lost the argument. The evidence here doesn’t really help, though.

Here is a fun little flash game: Cream Wolf. Why do I link to it? Mostly because it’s called Cream Wolf. Also, you’re a werewolf who sells ice cream to kids. A++ would buy again!

Should Japanese arcades worry about people getting the eye herp from sharing 3D goggles? Finally somebody is bringing awareness to this greatest of all modern scourges.

The entire first episode of the Pokemon cartoon reenacted in the Garry’s Mod program. Too much effort went into this thing.

Those Christian alarmists are at it again. Darling.

A replay video of the Duck Tales game. This game was incredible.

I imagine if we went back and watched some Duck Tales it would be total crap

This guy’s selling his incredible Halo collection for charity. I have to say this is only really interesting for the pictures of the Halo collection and not so much because of the charity angle. That’s a lot of collectibles.

Non-Videogame Links

Interesting

Here we go – Tom Green rap battle with Xzibit. Many people like to ridicule Tom Green. Those people will be rapped to death.

Xzibit needs to pimp his rap skills unless he wants to be continuously served by Tom Green

Swarms of micro-helicopters could create massive LED displays. This is pretty epic. It could also lead to some epic disasters.

Skiing down Mt. Everest. I have to respect this guy’s courage and planning. Almost made it too.

Incredible Shaolin monk 2 finger handstand. ‘The main risk is breaking your fingers.’ Oh really?

Olympic venues seen from space. Looks like … random google earth images. Funny story – you really *can’t* see the Great Wall of China from orbit because IT’S TINY!

Ballsy. Stupid, but ballsy.

Funny

Roosevelt on his mighty steed the Alaskan Moose. Bolsheviks feared him on the battlefield and his mighty antler charge. I recommend we change the stars and stripes on the flag to the moose silhouette.

Ole Miss is voting on a new mascot. Admiral Ackbar is currently leading the standings … I am pretty confident this is going to be an International Space Station esque moment where they back out. Weak.

IT'S A TRAP!

Pudding arbitrage. You have to respect that ingenuity.

This bird has a high quality problem.

Guess that package is going to be slightly delayed.

Cute little monster head coasters. We have circuit board coasters at the moment but these put forward a strong case.

This commercial for Nolan’s Cheedar Cheese is pretty funny.

I have brought great shame to my family

Fear the blobfish. Fear him.

Mini-truck sushi. Hopefully they can operate on the standard sushi conveyor belts, creating the greatest mobile food in the world.

I don’t know why I post these things. I’m the most immature person in the world.

Crayola rockets. Not bad.

I don’t even know what the shit that other thing is. But I like it.

The American Association of Pediatrics suggests that hot dog death is the greatest threat to your children. There are literally dozens of hot dogs on the loose in the U.S. today who aren’t yet on the sex offender registry.

Ok this one might be cause for concern. Normal hot dogs though? Totally fine

That’s all for this week. Did I miss any thing? Hit up the comments!

Heavy Rain is a unique product that pushes games in a direction that few have attempted in the past decade. Where does ‘experience’ end, however, and ‘game’ begin?

What counts as interactivity?

If you’re not familiar with Heavy Rain, take a quick look at this video. The game is essentially a series of conversations and gestural inputs that mimic what the character is doing on-screen.

If your character is brushing their teeth, you have to shake the controller back and forth to mimic the teeth-brushing motion. If you’re punching somebody in the face, you might move the analog stick to match a punching motion. You also choose what dialogue options you take with various characters.

Heavy Rain has ... yes ... rain

All of these inputs combine to tell a story. Although this sounds like most RPG games, there is a critical difference: you don’t have any input on what happens. Sure, you have to perform the teeth-brushing motion for your character to brush their teeth, but either you do it or they’re just going to sit there and wait for you to do it. The closest Heavy Rain comes to being interactive is when it allows you to control in which direction you’re walking.

The problem with all of this is 1) FMV games have been done before (Night Trap) and are largely terrible, and 2) There is no input on the outcome of the game. Sure, there are lots of linear games, but at least you’re allowed to fail. In Heavy Rain even if you are in a fight and you miss every QTE and get punched a billion times, you still succeed (you just end up with a few more bruises).

If you are given the facade of choice, but every time you choose what the game doesn’t want you to do it says ‘you didn’t really mean that right?’ is that really interactivity?

Night Trap: this looks high budget. So bad I didn't even care about horribly cropping the image

To be completely fair, the game hasn’t come out yet and there are situations where you can let a character die, changing the story. I’m sure there is more to it than some have suggested from previews and possibly I’m being unfair.

In addition, there are games like the Lego series that are for children where you’re not allowed to die; death merely slows down your progress, there is no actual failure. It’s difficult to choose what is encompassed in the ‘game’ definition.

Different demographic

I feel like the previous segment is me being hypocritical. I’m a big proponent of mixing genres in games, why not mix across genres? What’s wrong with adding a little interactivity to films?

Potentially there’s an entire audience out there that likes the slight interactive element in games but doesn’t really want to commit to learning a full control scheme. Maybe they just want to watch a fun story and feel like they’re a little bit involved.

This could easily be a situation where I’m not the target demographic. There’s a reason I don’t play Farmville (mostly because I have no Facebook friends) and it has 80 million users.

Farmville: This shit has 80 million users? Seriously? What's wrong with you people

I will be very interested to see the reception that Heavy Rain receives from the gaming public in terms of sales. Is this going to be a critical success (already looking that way) and a commercial flop, like most games from Quantic Dreams, or is this going to resurrect new FMV games?

Night Trap appeared to be the final nail in the coffin, but maybe everybody who played that is old enough now that they’ve died off.

While the home console changed the face of gaming forever in primarily positive ways, one negative side effect was the death of the arcade and the emergence of the fat loner slob videogame stereotype. Can new 3D games reinvigorate the arcade scene?

Too expensive for home consumption?

Films have had an issue for the past decade or so that home entertainment systems are replacing them as an event. Since the spread of large-size HD screens, consumers have increasingly decided that they can get the cinematic experience at home, and don’t bother with the theater.

Avatar changed all that in the mind of film producers. While you can replicate the standard experience at home, you can’t have the same 3D experience. It’s clear from the box office results of Avatar that consumers are willing to pay for this experience.

The next hot accessory from Calvin Klein

Gamers have embraced the home experience for far longer than film lovers. Console gaming is the norm in terms of gaming experiences, and with internet connectivity it’s no longer the isolated experience it was in the previous decade.

Gone are the days of 4 player split screen co-0p on the couch. It has been replaced by MW2 matches and even some epic MAG 256 player fights. With friend lists, gamers can even play with people they know. That being said, it’s not quite the same experience as the arcade.

If console gaming online with a couple friends is the equivalent to hanging out at your house with a couple friends, then going to an arcade is like going to a convention. You don’t know everybody there, but you have something in common.

In the past, that hasn’t been enough to keep gamers going out to the arcades. 3D film is working for theaters, might 3D games do it for arcades?

Hot: Split screen Goldeneye. Not: Sausage fest

3D gaming

Metal Gear Arcade is getting new 3D goggles and head tracking equipment. While you can get head tracking at home, there is still going to be a several year gap before the 3D technology is widespread in homes. Is this going to provide enough of an opening for arcades to flourish again?

The answer in the US is unfortunately no. There isn’t even the infrastructure available anymore and one of the big advantages that games have over other forms of entertainment is their cost advantage. Even if you’re going to only play MW2 and you don’t have a console, you can buy an Xbox and MW2 for $250 and play for thousands of hours.

Playing at an arcade on the other hand requires costly time based playing due to the need to repay the initial equipment investment. It’s just not feasible.

Next year's pro gamers or next year's pro KILLERS?!! CNN Reports on this shocking trend at nine ...

In Japan, on the other hand, where arcades are far more widespread, there might be a resurgence in popularity. As long as it’s just adding a few additional games that offer a completely unique experience, that might lure some traditional console gamers out of their homes and into the public.

It will be interesting to see if the old social gaming scene reemerges or if the ability to meet new players not through the internet is a lost art.