HD Botched

Y'know while I love the games of yestergen (ps2, xbox, game cube), but I just don't know how I feel about HD ports. Sure, I love the games, but are they really worth making and playing? Well no matter how I feel about their creation I still buy them and enjoy them. However, when you can't port a game correctly there's definitely a problem.

The Silent Hill HD collection was something I was looking forward to, but oh god the problems is has. I won't mince words on this, it's bad. Not only did they change the voice talent for the games, they also messed up the transparency levels of fog and draw distance. The result is basically how the games don't shine as much as the originals, and that's a serious shame.

I think the point here is how HD ports are supposed to be just that, PORTS. They shouldn't be re worked or messed with any more than they HAVE to be, otherwise you end up with something like Silent Hill HD.

---Strife Out---

On-Line Trash Talk

I'm absolutely astonished by this.
In a recent news report from a local ABC channel covered the language that you hear when playing games on Xbox live. Now I know that kids as young as five know how to use four letter words and then some; and you know how racists, sexist, and discriminating an online gamers’ vocabulary can be. By all means this is not news to me in any way. However, it is news to me that some parents are actually 100% oblivious and unaware to these truths.



I am sorely disappointed that any parent thinks that being online with a console means that you aren't exposed to and influenced by the sorry putrid sludge which is part of any online experience. In fact since there's voice chat by default on the Xbox, it's even more likely that you'll be exposed the nasty side of online users.

The ignorance in irresponsibility of some people never ceases to amaze me. I am thankful that this report wasn't anti-gamer though.

---Strife Out---

Sim City

I spent a lot of time as a kid playing the Sim City games, to bad this bit of news places the new one in my DO NOT PLAY category.

As I've stated before I have my convictions with EA and their digital distribution program Origin. However, my mind is just blown by the DRM involved with the new Sim City that EA subsidiary Maxis is making. Always on DRM, or in other words, If you're not connected you can't play. I thought this lesson was learned with the horrible debacle of the Spore DRM, and furthermore the Assassins Creed 2 DRM. Just goes to show that some companies will always cling to bad ideas, no matter how harmful they are.



---Stife Out---

Deus Ex Human Revolution

I know that I'm a bit late to say anything on this game, but I finally got around to playing and completing Deus Ex Human Revolution. With a total of forty hours logged on the game, it turned out to be much longer and more immersive than I expected it to be. While the boss fights were a drag like everyone said they were, the rest of the game was great. I especially liked the game's aesthetic and how it was dripping in the cyberpunk atmosphere.



Deus Ex Human Revolution was defiantly worth both the time and money I spent on it. However, all I want to do now is sit on my couch and play games instead of sit in front of my computer and play games. I'm getting kinda sick of the chair I've been glued to for last two weeks.

----Strive Out----

EoP Extra Content?

New Episode up! With this season one ends, and now it's just a matter of waiting for season two!



---Strife Out---

Block-Lapse

I've spent more time playing minecraft than I think is healthy, but that's not about to stop me from playing it even more.

As a fellow mincrafter I can assuredly say that the video below is absolutely stunning!



Now I only I had made something this impressive on my own!

---Strife Out---

Horribly High Def

The horror game genre is one that I'm well acquainted with. I've spent countless hours solving puzzles, and dodging all manner of evil creatures at the same time. Of all the horror games I’ve played though by far my favourite is Silent Hill. There's one specific reason too, the games rely on creating an unsettling atmosphere to scare you rather than simply going "BOO".
Silent Hill hasn't been the same ever since it left the hands of the original Japanese developers though, thus I've lost my love for the series as it continues today. However, I'm quite happy the original games are getting an HD collection that will be released tomorrow. I guess I'm going to end up scaring myself all over again.



----Strife Out----

EoP - HUDs

Brand new episode of Elements Of Play!
This week's subject is the Head Up Display or HUD. Watch and enjoy!



----Strife Out----

Slayers Style Thrice

Assassin's Creed has been a game series that I've enjoyed from it's first instalment. I've wasted countless hours on each instalment and don't regret a single minute I spent doing it.
One of the greatest things I enjoyed about the series though was it's amazingly high quality cinematic trailers used to announce each new game. Unfortunately though that's not quite the case with the AC3 trailer. I'll be frank, it looks ugly to me. You can see the seams more than ever, and it's clearly a CG render. It just lacks the fidelity that made me go "wow!" when I saw the trailers for the previous games.



As for Assassin's Creed 3 as a game, I'm choosing to remain very sceptical about it after how well AC2 worked out and they milked it for all it was worth. I'm just finding it hard to believe AC3 being capable of topping AC2.

----Strife Out----

The Kill Cam

this looks pretty nice!
If you've been missing the oh so awesome kill cam that Bethesda introduced in Fallout 3, then miss it no more they're bring it to Skyrim in patch 1.5!
Not only can you watch epic kills as a bowmen or spell caster, but they've also added finishing moves for mages, and bar brawlers.
Finally those of us who prefer ranged combat can feel bad ass too!



----Strife Out----

KARA

Just this past week at GDC the video below titled "Kara" was shown. Even though it's far from an impressive demo from a technical stand point; It's story, direction, and animations are quite another story. I'm not surprised it's by it's high level of emotional appeal though, after all it was directed by David Cage the same man behind the game Heavy Rain.



When I first saw this, I couldn't help but leave the following comment.
"This is what we fear the most, when our own creations begin to feel and question our authority."

----Strife Out----

EoP - Menus

Kinda a double post of content, but this is the last recycled video. Everything from here on out is brand new!



---Strife Out---

This Game is AMAZING!

I won't say anything other than follow the link and be amazed.

The Amazing Grid!

---Strife out---

Quad Console Comp

FROM THE RUMOUR MILL

Not to long ago some intriguing information surfaced that suggests STEAM (the highly successful digital distribution platform for PC games) may be getting into the console race. This is a surprising thing to hear, and makes me wonder how the game market will change if this happens. For a significant part of console gaming history, there's been a balance of three. The last time that balance was lost was when Sega dropped out. Microsoft eventually came to plug the gap, but it became clear that the equilibrium is three consoles in competition.

IF The STEAM box does happen (though it probably wont) I'll probably get behind it. However, I’m worried that the introduction of a new console will throw off the market balance. Possibly throwing one of the already established console developers out of the race.
What do you guys think?

----Strife Out----

Kepler Tech

Within the next month or two the new line of Nvidia graphics cards will be released. I'm quite interested in the new technology that's slated to be released, and have full intentions of adopting fairly early. Of course how early will depend on just how big the improvements the new Kepler generation will have over the current Fermi hardware. Here's to hoping Nvidia's Kepler tech will smooth out the frame rates of some of the higher end games I run.

---CP Out---

Zelda Time Line

The Legend of Zelda, is a game series that I became a fanatic of when I was young. I played all the games, and even tried to make sense of all the instalments chronologically at one point.
Until just recently though, the series has had no official order of events, or chronological organization. With the release of a special 25th anniversary art book though, an official Zelda time line has come to light.
There's a lot of controversy surrounding what Nintendo has published, but this is What I want to say.

I'm surprised, discouraged, and not surprised at the same time. I'm discouraged that Eiji Aonuma seemed to pull this nonsensical time line out of thin air. I'm surprised they would do this with one of their two biggest franchises. Yet I'm not surprised because this is Nintendo, who seems to like going against what fans think and logic in general. Unfortunately no amount of complaining is going to change what's been done.
Personally, I still prefer the split time line theory covered by Game Trailers in their Zelda Retrospective.

Zelda Conviction

Y'know of all the game's I've played in my life The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has to be the one that has annoyed me the most. I don't get what it is with Nintendo and turning a very tinny nuisance into an enormous game killing frustration. I'm talking about how every time you pick up an object in the game you have to get an explanation that you can't skip. This is a great example of "yeah, I get it", and for some reason I just feel like Nintendo will never get that I get it.

Does anyone here think they can offer up a plausible explanation?

---CP Out---

Origin Effect

Several months ago EA released their own digital distribution platform for the PC called Origin. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this if it weren't for the fact that they chose to do so only after having a fight with steam. Knowing EA they no doubt wanted more money for their game sales. Officially though it was because Steam wouldn't allow EA to force users to get DLC from EA websites instead of just selling it on steam. The bottom line is I don't like EA, and I don't want to use Origin for that reason. However, with Mass Effect 3 right around the corner I feel that I'm going to have to give just this once and feed the beast. Espically after seeing the trailer below.
It doesn't feel good, but as the French say "such is life".



---CP Out---