A Bit Conspicuous

If your store needs a 5 page long confession including tips on how to properly shop there, something is wrong.  I’d rather just waltz into Best Buy and get what I want, or if it isn’t an impulse buy, get it online.

In reality though, I don’t trust other people to take care of their discs, so used copies don’t hold much interest for me. I’m certainly not willing to buy a used copy to save a meager $5 off of the new price.

Tips 21 and 22 are pretty good, but I would change them to “Don’t buy third-party peripherals ever.” I worked at an independent used game store through high school. The third-party stuff always feels cheap and breaks quickly.

I’ve always had a soft spot for good Machinima.  It is very interesting how expressive these can be, given the limitations of available animations.  Even something as simple as position and orientation can convey emotion.

Also I like the music.

Lily ran across this video, which I rather like.  It has a good surreal feel to it, but it does run a bit long.

It can be very difficult trying to express what those of us who play games get out of them.  Sometimes a game is only a challenge, a test of reflexes.  Sometimes they are more. 

I once got into a discussion with an older couple, over dinner, that started out with “No offense, but why do you play these when you could be out developing a SKILL”.  My friends and I then tried to describe what the attraction to a game like Guitar Hero is.

I think I’ve settled on posing a simple question to people, when faced with this kind of debate.

Have you ever read a book or gone to a movie?  It’s a lot like that. 

I hate to say it, but either you’re open to the idea or you aren’t.  It’s difficult to change someone’s outlook.

Portal is a lot of fun, even though it is short. Total time it took around three hours to finish, but it is an extremely polished experience. The difficulty curve is just right. The first few puzzles are very simple, but that seems to fit with the setting. You are a lab rat. They can make no assumptions as to your prior experience or intelligence.

The ending topped it off well. Bioshock was an amazing game, but the ending felt very abrupt. 30 second movie and then BAM, title screen. Having a good credit sequence is a great way to let someone fall slowly down, reflecting on what they have just experienced.

In that regard Portal gets my vote for one of the best game endings ever.

My only complaint is that the level picker supplied with every Source game stops at test chamber 19, (slight spoiler)which is not anywhere near the end of the game. I went through it so quickly that I don’t even have a save game near the end, so I can’t jump in and enjoy the ending easily.

Hopefully we’ll start to see some challenging user created maps. This game screams for them, and that will increase its longevity.

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I’m not sold on the idea of RTS games on the consoles in the first place, at least not in their current form. Selection is just too cumbersome, even with the BFME control style. From what we’ve seen of Halo Wars so far it doesn’t look like I will be changing my outlook any time soon.

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This video is hilarious. Great marketing. In less than a minute and a half they portray the character of Heavy Weapons Guy flawlessly. Team Fortress 2 looks like it will be a lot of fun, I will definitely try it out.

If you’d like to see a higher rez video it is available here. Check out their other trailers as well.

Gametrailers has a video that talks briefly about their approach to the visuals.

“It costs $400,000 to fire this weapon… for 12 seconds.”

Here is more evidence to show that if your fans go to great lengths to do something, it should be a feature in your next game.

Apparently people have figured out how to create custom songs for the PS2 version of Guitar Hero 2.

My favorite one so far is the Dueling Banjos: