Backhand of Justice

Mass Effect 2 is a sprawling experience. An entire world awaits your exploration, and your task of assembling a motley crew to battle the evil Collector race and save humanity is pulpy Saturday afternoon fun. read more

Self-described videogame connoisseurs have long claimed that graphics don’t matter. ‘It’s all about the gameplay, obsession with graphics is for immature plebeians who can’t recognize real quality!’

This is a ridiculous notion. Videogames aren’t merely about the story or the gameplay; they’re about the total experience. A big budget film like Avatar can offer a different and equally valuable experience as a small art house film, and a graphically stunning videogame can offer the same.  read more

This week’s link of the week is one of the most interesting videos I’ve seen in a while. It demonstrates the multiple uses of green screen in regular situations. It’s amazing how the most trivial things are replaced. I suppose that just shows how far computer graphics technology has come; it’s cheaper to fill in backgrounds with CGI even when it’s just a regular city street.

Keep reading for economic gangster raps, the Cubestormer, and the fall of the mighty Count Chocula (as was foretold in legend). read more

The closed Starcraft 2 beta launched yesterday, which was only 6 months beyond when the beta was supposed to launch.

While Blizzard is almost as notorious as id or 3D Realms for taking their own sweet time to complete a game, this still raises the question: do we find out about games too early? read more

Developers have sold the idea to gamers that if they continually support a game long after release, it offers greater value. As long as a CoD: World at War map pack comes out every few months, that $5 charge to access it is more than justified.

This is a fallacy that takes advantage of consumer inability to judge value at the very low end of the price scale. Relative to the price of a game, DLC offers terrible value, and gamers who want more from a franchise would be better served by encouraging developers to start on a sequel rather than by paying for subpar DLC.  read more

Gamers expect a constant progression of technology. In just 3 decades, games have evolved from primitive black and white graphics to the extremely lifelike presentation seen in Uncharted 2 and Heavy Rain.

Developers can’t possibly keep pace with the acceleration of technology given its current trend. What can be done to help them out? read more

Anybody who knows me would know that I love old school action films. We’re talking about the Terminator / Commando / Robocop generation of action films. I didn’t really think the films themselves could be improved upon. But then they get their Rap tributes. Some sort of Rap Opera, or Rapsploitation. I approve.

Keep reading for the 25 worst videogame stock photos, epic ski signs and the Toronto Raptor going crazy. read more

Dragon Age had many skeptics pre-release. It was seen as a throwback niche product, attuned to hardcore RPG fanatics that were hidden in some dungeon somewhere, rolling dice for the last decade. An antiquated, hardcore RPG couldn’t really be successful in today’s sophisticated and streamlined market, could it?

Now that we know Dragon Age sold 3.2mm copies since its release date, putting it on pace for over 5 million, we have to ask whether there are any niche products anymore. I believe there’s no good product that won’t find an audience. If your game doesn’t sell well, it’s probably because it was crap, not because there’s some missing audience for your phenomenal game.     read more

Bioware has announced that only Mass Effect 2 saves in which Shepard survives the ending can be imported into Mass Effect 3. Considering the trilogy is Shepard’s story, this is understandable. 

Will restrictions like these eventually cripple the breadth of choice available in a game like Mass Effect 2? Choose your own adventure novels are frequently crap because it’s hard to develop a compelling multi-thread storyline, after all. read more

Game consoles have historically had representative mascots: Nintendo has Mario, Sega had Sonic and Sony has uh … Crash Bandicoot? Ok, forget Sony.

Game designers have tried to manufacture mascots, and forgotten mascots are continually brought back to life, such as the recently announced Sonic 4 in a desperate attempt to take advantage of a preexisting fan base. This is foolish; game mascots don’t become or remain popular because of some easily identifiable character design, that’s a thing of the past. All it takes today is a high quality game. read more