5 Ways for FPSes to Melt My Cold, Cold Heart
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/31/11 at 11:55 AM CT
It is no secret that I dislike the first-person shooter genre. It’s not just because modern FPSes are invariably pointless multi-player frag-a-thons, and it’s not just because most of them are ‘rated M for juvenile’ with paper-thin plots and settings featuring some combination of Space Marines, World War II, and/or Zombies (all things I hate in my entertainment media, be it games, movies, books, or anything else). There are a handful of FPSes that defy these genre conventions, and actually make themselves into games that I would be interested in playing… if it weren’t for the fact that the genre is mired in poor gameplay conventions that I find intolerable. So here’s a short list of gameplay mechanics that FPS developers need to put into their games in order to make me dislike them less.
5. Regenerating Health
Wow, this one has been done already! I always hated the so-called ‘classics’ of the FPS genre – things like “DOOM” and “Quake” – because it …
Second-Hand Greed
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/24/11 at 07:08 PM CT
The fact that game publishers are becoming more and more like movie studios is difficult to ignore. Both games and movies have always relied on the old boogeyman of ‘piracy’ to explain lack of sales, even though studies have shown that each infringing copy does not equal a lost sale. Even Electronic Arts, one of the biggest and most vile game publishers in the world, admits to this fact.
So, if piracy is not to blame for lost sales, then what could possibly explain why game publishers aren’t raking in the hojillions of dollars required to gold-plate the CEO’s yacht while still providing a dented can of Pork & Beans for the development team to fight over? Obviously it’s the second-hand market!
Used games have been around for as long as videogaming has existed. While GameStop may have only been around since 1984 (in some form or another), I’m sure that real oldsters can remember buying used Colecovision or Atari games at garage sales and thrift shops. While Big Media …
Xbox, Why are You a Thing?
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/17/11 at 11:32 PM CT
As I mentioned in my discussion of Sega’s viability in the 8th Generation console market, a strategic alliance with Microsoft would be key. However, when it comes to Microsoft itself, I have never understood or supported their entry into the console race.
When one thinks of Microsoft, one thinks of operating systems, specifically Windows (and maybe MS-DOS for those older than 25). Windows is the dominant computer operating system primarily because of compatibility with the widest range of commercial, open source, freeware, and homebrewed software. Much of this software takes the form of videogames. In 2001, when Microsoft launched the original Xbox console, they had also just launched their operating system magnum opus in the form of Windows XP. So why would Microsoft waste resources breaking into a console market dominated by Sony, Nintendo, and Sega when it was already sitting on the most universal, easy-to-develop-for gaming platform in the world?
Maybe Microsoft was …
Should Sega Make a Comeback? Part 2
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/10/11 at 05:43 PM CT
Previously, I discussed the viability of Sega making a return to the console arms race during the imminent Generation 8. I concluded that Sega has no hopes of competing in the already-over-crowded hardware market outside of a novelty/budget/nostalgia box that has their entire first party library built-in. Unless, that is, Sega were to seek a strategic alliance with one of the three companies that already control the entire console pie.
Now, let us think: Who would make a perfect match for Sega?
Which console maker has, like Sega, seen significantly more success in the Western world than in Japan?
Which console maker would greatly benefit from Sega’s stable of first party titles to provide some desperately-needed genre diversity?
Which console maker could benefit from Sega’s long Japanese pedigree?
Which console maker has already worked with Sega in the past, and plastered a nice, big (but ultimately meaningless) ‘Compatible with Windows CE’ sticker on the …
Wii Want RPGs: Join Operation Rainfall
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/03/11 at 10:10 PM CT
As I briefly mentioned in my E3 Impressions, Nintendo of America has failed, yet again, to confirm localization of three high-quality, first party exclusives, all of which are new intellectual properties: “Xenoblade Chronicles,” “The Last Story,” and “Pandora’s Tower.” Despite the gaming media and fans alike clamoring for these games, Nintendo has stonewalled everyone with such insightful comments as, “We never say 'never,' but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time.” Comments like these are meaningless, as game companies – especially Nintendo and Sony – love to take one official position, only to completely reverse that decision a few months later. However, taken at face value, Nintendo of America is being flat-out idiotic by ignoring fan demand for these three RPGs.
Back in the Golden Age, Nintendo ruled the world, one foot astride their first party titles (Mario/Zelda/Metroid), the other foot astride …
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