Why Ultima Online-Style MMOs Don't Exist

Recently on slashdot, I noticed a post regarding Ultima Online, which basically waxed nostalgic and pondered why there are no other Massive Multiplayer Online experiences (that are not World of Warcraft) that contain the same gameplay mechanics as UO -- divined in the post as housing, thieving and looting. While the post mentions smaller MMOs like European developed Darkfall and Mortal Online, it leaves the question open to potential comments.

So why has Ultima-stylized games gone somewhat downhill? It isn't that Richard Garriott is a bad designer. Far from it. Ultima and even Tabula Rasa were both thought out and well-crafted experiences for what they had ultimately (pun intended) set out to do.

It's because as games evolve along with the tastes of the gaming community.

When Perfect Dark first appeared on the Nintendo 64, it was lauded as a huge success. Not because Rare had struck upon some perfect formula for creating video games, otherwise they would have made more Perfect Dark titles beyond the sequel that didn't completely suck, unlike Perfect Dark Zero. It was lauded so highly because it was essentially Goldeneye, a previous Rare title, except set in the future and you played a chick instead of Mr. Bond. Seemingly, this seems like a complete lack of evolving gameplay, but all the single player similarities aside, the game truly shined in multiplayer. Sadly, time may not have been kind to Perfect Dark, but we'll see how that goes when the game hits Xbox Live this month.

Back in the realm of MMO games, designers, publishers, developers and subscribers constantly have to continue to shape, and at times police, a world that is inherently designed to change. The best online games have the capacity to shift by taking their players and environment into account and altering the gameplay mechanics slightly enough that the drastic change won't push players away while continuing to invite new players in.

For every major patch that Blizzard has released, there have been droves of subscribers that have complained about one or more classes becoming overpowered, underpowered or basically broken. The same could be said about City of Heroes/Villains, Star Trek Online, or Hellgate: London or just about any other MMO you can recall that I can't mid-rant.

These games changed overtime to continue to be a draw to players new and veteran. But given enough time, the game will change enough that players will be pushed away. This was the case for me when it came to WoW and subsequently regarded UO when it came to the writer of the cited article. After so many patches and doing the same grind over and over, it came to the point that I was finding myself bored more often than not. For people who are unemployed or go to school, this may not seem like the case when it comes to MMOs, but for those of us who work 40+ hours a week and come home to familial obligations, you notice pretty damn quickly when a game feels like work.

Ultimately, Blizzard is altering World of Warcraft again to draw players back or introduce them to the world of Azeroth in the form of improved Battle.net integration and Cataclysm slated for release sometime this year (hopefully). This is the natural course of evolution that must occur for an MMO to remain viable. If Blizzard had simply released the game day one and merely updated the game server with rudimentary patches that never addressed major issues, people would have stopped playing years ago as the gameplay became a stagnated mess.

It's perfectly okay to wax nostalgic and want a game to feel the same way as it did the first time you played it. I still wish games like Super Mario Brothers, Metal Gear Solid, Goldeneye, Halo, Final Fantasy and even World of Warcraft still felt the same way as when I booted them up for the first time and relished in the styles of each title, lost in the worlds each one had offered up for me to explore. Additionally, it's okay to wish new games would carry over the same mechanics from a previously title in a franchise or from a separate series altogether. It's a natural desire for any gamer, let alone any human to want to experience more of what they enjoyed somewhere. But if something doesn't necessarily garner a following, even a minor one, then suffice to say it's doomed and was never meant to be. Just ask everyone who played Tabula Rasa or Hellgate.

On the other hand, the post makes mention the Bartle Test and the desire for an MMO appealing to Killer-oriented players, such as those who would crave a decidedly player versus player (PvP) experience as opposed to player versus environment (PvE). While there is a massive following amongst gamers who religiously subscribe to playing multiplayer, even to the point of ignoring a single-player campaign, the MMO is built around a pillar of basic social interactivity. After all, what the hell is the point of subscribing to a game where you're online if there is zero interactions with other players? Sure, you can play games via PSN, Xbox Live or even on the Wii, but an MMO is the shining testament to a community of gamers playing and existing together in a game-space.

While I can't point the poster in the direction of a UO appropriate MMO with the requirements they're seeking (If anyone can, please please do), this is for a good reason. WoW has essentially shaped a generational progression of MMOs from previous games making anything prior to it seem foreign and anything after it come off as a clone. World of Warcraft set the bar. Hating to admit that, it is nonetheless a simple fact of life. In the meantime, there are always going to be more games for people to play online. Star Trek Online is relatively up and coming with a large enough initial base of fans to carry it well moving forward. Conversely, Star Wars will have it's own, new MMO focusing on the Knights of the Old Republic universe, which will also doubtlessly garner a distinct following all it's own.

Suffice to say, Ultima Online isn't the beast it once was and is slowly falling to the wayside as far as developers are concerned, if the current release outlook of games is taken into consideration. The site is still active and I'm sure people still play, but it is nothing that could topple the empire Blizzard has established around WoW. It's an MMO juggernaut that sucks the damn life out of people. But despite this, UO still has a small, dedicated following and that in and of itself is laudable. Seemingly, what it comes down to is a games ability to continue offering new and exciting content while keeping the things that made it viably great. Perhaps, UO is just that kind of one-trick pony, but then again so is WoW.

Now hit alt-tab, your tank is dying I'm sure.

Sonic 4 Leaked -- Is It Really Him?

So, Sonic 4 was leaked a while back and my only question really boils down to this.

Is this old Sonic that I grew up with or post Sonic Adventure 2 Sonic who really had no clue who he really was and had to suffer the idiocy of friend after friend?

I'm not saying I hate Sonic, but like an abusive parent -- he has a long way to go to earn my affection again.

So, here's to Episode I of Sonic 4 and the hope that it isn't complete garbage.

Greed Corp Available on Xbox Live Today

Yet another friendly reminder. It'll out you 800 MS points and we have a video to pique your interest after the jump.

Activision vs. Potential Patent Trolls

In a story reported on Slashdot, it seems Activision may finally have to shell out for all those different versions of Guitar Hero, Band Hero and DJ Hero -- or another patent troll is just coming out of the woodwork to try and claim an easily earned dime.

Patent Compliance Group, inc. (PCG) is asserting a claim that Activision labeled several of it's titles as 'patented' or 'patent pending' when in fact they had no right to do so. In particular, PCG is citing 35 U.S.C. 292(a) which effectively states according to Patent Arcade:

Whoever marks upon, or affixes to, or uses in advertising in connection with any unpatented article the word "patent" or any word or number importing the same is patented, for the purpose of deceiving the public; or Whoever marks upon, or affixes to, or uses in advertising in connection with any article the words "patent applied for," "patent pending," or any word importing that an application for patent has been made, when no application for patent has been made, or if made, is not pending, for the purpose of deceiving the public - Shall be fined not more than $500 for every such offense.

Also included is a list -- courtesy of Patent Arcade -- entailing what patents Activision has falsely claimed according to PCG, which at first glance is considerable, given that each offense is $500 per unit sold:

• Activision's Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 5,739,457 ("'457 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 6,018,121 ("'121 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 6,252,153 ("'153 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 6,268,557 ("'557 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 6,369,313 ("'313 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 6,379,244 ("'244 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 6,429,863 ("'863 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 6,758,753 ("'753 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Patent No. 6,769,689 ("'689 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked with U.S. Design Patent No. D441,403 ("'403 Patent").

• Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, Band Hero and Guitar Hero Smash Hits video games are falsely marked as "patent pending" or "patent applied for."

So while success will heavily depend on whether or not PCG can show a judge just how much these specific patents don't cover the described products, Activision will be doing everything imaginably possible to prove that their products deserved the patents they received.

Opinion-wise, this strikes me as yet another case of patent trolling. While I'm not saying that Activision have exactly been Capitalistic Saints, I feel that bringing these charges against them in the manner that PCG has chosen to do so is asinine at most and a waste of time at the very least, especially given the clandestine nature of PCG and how information on them has been very limited to even the more notable press outlets. In the meantime, this should be interesting to keep track of given the sheer amount of money at stake for Activision.

How Future-Proof is the Xbox 360?

As the Xbox 360 gets further along into its lifespan as a gaming console, many in the gaming industry and community at large begin to question when exactly a replacement will be on the horizon. However, in the years since it was released, Microsoft has notably proven that the console is capable of evolving, being adapted to the needs and wants of gamers as well as developers. For instance, Project Natal will allow the Xbox 360 to compete in the realm of motion controlled titles. This, on top of already consistently strong content offered by Microsoft, continues to perpetuate gamers to purchase 360 titles as well as utilize the hell out of everything Xbox Live has to offer. But, as the 360 continues to be produced, it receives strong utilization as a gaming platform and media center, if for no other reason than people keep buying them in staggering numbers. Thus, it draws on the question of whether or not the system is actually future-proof until such time as Microsoft, in their infinite corporate wisdom, decides to replace the console with a significant technological jump.

Project Natal, being announced at E3, has since been scheduled to be released to the consuming masses come the Holiday season of 2010. While this invariable means that the 360 could be susceptible to suffering through vast collections of mini-games designed to make gamers flail their arms around like idiots, there is admittedly some real potential to expand the content and experiences already being offered on the system. Primarily, as more and more designers develop an understanding of the mechanics driving Natal, there will be a leap in the games that are being created for it. Additionally, while the Wii has an entire library based around motion controls first and standard controls second (i.e. Punch-Out!!), Microsoft stands to keep the two, motion and standard controls, either distinctly separate or mature a synergy between the two. Since this could, in theory, add a sententious amount of time to the lifespan of the Xbox 360, it is truly in Microsoft’s best interest to cultivate a library of meaningful motion controlled titles instead of just mini-game libraries at best or kicking open the door to a modicum of mediocre titles at worst. Fascinatingly enough, developers plan to modernize older titles, allowing them to be used with Natal. Seemingly complicated at first, it would merely be amending the titles through a series of mandatory system and title updates thereby breathing new life into games that may have been collecting dust on the shelf for a bit of time. Thus, Natal stands to definitely add at least another year to the lifespan of the 360.

Consequently, from the time Microsoft began development of Xbox Live and now, the service has shifted into high gear, virtually taking on a life of its own. For Gold and Silver members alike, Live really does offer something for everyone and I can say that without a single hint of sarcasm or facetiousness. Gamers can get just about any sort of fix they want from the arcade section. There are shoot’em-ups, tabletop, puzzle, platformers and even sports titles to choose from. Really, if you’re bored and got find something interesting to try out at least once in the Arcade, it’s probably because you lack a central nervous system. Moreover, the Indie section is finally coming up from its humble beginnings and the expanded offerings are bringing the content of once humble creators into the spotlight, ushering in a golden age of content availability. Conversely, 1 vs. 100 is essentially rewriting the book on how a game show works. In all seriousness, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is how all game shows worked in some capacity within the next decade or so. After all, if you wake up at 3am and have nothing to at least check out on Live, then there isn’t enough content. Furthermore, Games on Demand has brought the simplicity of Steam to purchasing Xbox titles, old and new. Eventually, one could argue that instead of waiting in line at a GameStop for a midnight launch, they’ll just queue up and wait for midnight before their download starts. On the other hand, Live isn’t all about games. The diversity offered to 360 users in the form of Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm has proven that the 360 doesn’t so much want to be a media center or gaming platform, as it wants to be the center of your attention. If you don’t need to leave the 360 to check out what everyone else is doing, then why the hell would you?

While serving as a gaming platform and portal to Xbox Live, the 360 has proved itself on several occasions as an extremely capable media center. Sure, playing games is awesome, but when your girlfriend is going to actually want to sit back, you can easily bear in mind that the system plays DVDs too. Not that it’s easy to forget or anything like that, but remember when the original Xbox premiered and the only way to use it as a DVD player was by purchasing a special add-on for the console? If there is one thing I’m glad Microsoft didn’t carry over in their mentality towards the 360, trust me, it’s that. On the other hand, if you have a connection that is fast enough for Live, you can stream Netflix to your system. While I lament that you have to be a gold member to do so in concert with having a Netflix account, I would be lying if I said that the two didn’t work fantastically together and were worth the price in my opinion. But perhaps the coolest ‘media feature’ of the 360 in my book, which will keep it on my shelf for years to come is the ability to stream content from a media server. In fact, by simply having a computer equipped with PlayOn software, the 360 can be enable through a home network to stream video from Hulu, Youtube, CBS, and just about any other video content provider you can think of. Personally, that is sometimes cooler than being able to play games if not for the ability to crash on the couch and watch a bad movie on a Saturday afternoon.

Finally, it will doubtlessly be the substantial library of video games as well as noteworthy franchises that continue to keep the console in the top tier of hardware. While I’m not prone to wild speculation, Gears of War 3 will without a doubt see itself coming to the Xbox 360 before 2011. Additionally, 360 owners who care about the Halo franchise, and if Halo Waypoint is any indication there are a lot of you, will definitely stick around when Halo: Reach falls into our laps before the end of the year. Moreover, I feel it necessary to remind everyone of franchises like Mass Effect, which is just now releasing the sequel to the original, essentially leaving room for a third either on the 360 or the next Microsoft console. Finally, there is Fable III, which has unequivocally secured its place as a Microsoft franchise and will seeming appear this year with support for Natal upon release. This also doesn’t take into account the plethora of multiplatform games that Microsoft consistently pursues exclusive DLC to, if not ensuring they see whatever additional content released for a title is seen on the 360 before the Playstation 3. Overall though, the 360 consistently proves that it’s library of games is what adapts the most to continually appease loyal fanbases, while conversely attempting to show them consistently fresh content.

Therefore, it can easily be seen that as the 360 offers an almost innumerable amount of contents and ways to be utilized, it becomes clear that for the time being, the system may very well be future-proof. While it is always best to continue changing and adapting to overcome the presented competition and give gamers the best experiences possible, this doesn’t necessarily mean a new console is necessary at this time. Microsoft has seamlessly made it easy enough for gamers to turn on their consoles or put a game into the system and painlessly receive an update to bring the game up to its most modern incarnation. Sure a few fixes are needed every so often to cure the ills of a glitch or two, but overall, by using system and title updates, it presents Microsoft with the divine flexibility to choose when they are going to release a new console if for no other reason than they are not in a rush to push the 360 out of the limelight quite yet.

The Future of 'The Download'

When many gamers were little, there was always a decided excitement from running into a store and beholding wall upon wall of video game boxes. There were always different reasons for this, be it the exquisite cover art that stood out, causing many youths to beg for the latest and greatest titles or perhaps it was the potential of what lie in the box. It simply could have been the possibility of the fun we as young gamers could be having should we be able to get our hands on that box and the video game goodness inside. However, over time, things have slowly begun to change for those boxes containing small potential worlds for players to enjoy. The ability to download content digitally presents significant growth potential for both gamers and the gaming industry. While Xbox Live wasn’t the first service to encapsulate on the idea of ‘Games on Demand’ the service is certainly taking off by leaps and bounds. By making provisions for integration between the service, marketplace and consoles, Xbox Live offers the ability for gamers to have the content they want, when they want it. Regardless of how this competes with retail sources like Gamestop, who market heavily in used games, it should be interesting to see how retailers continue to function in a world where digital content is steadily becoming a reality. Therefore, the technological potential for gamers to download all of their content directly from publishers and developers as opposed to buying from retails could revolutionize the video game industry from the ground up.

There are few things more exhilarating than those first few moments of tearing the plastic wrapping off the box of a sealed, brand-new game. It’s still one of my favorite moments, before putting the game into the system and booting it up for the first time. Furthermore, when I do go that extra mile and purchase a special edition of some kind, I just can’t wait to open the box and behold the goodies that lie inside. Perhaps it is a holdover from my childhood, but speaking as an older gamer; if offered a box I usually will take a box. After all, a box allows me to choose which retailer I ultimately want to take my money to, so I can choose which facet of capitalism I wish to support. If Gamestop doesn’t have what I want, I can go to Amazon and so on until one way or another, I have the game I want. But, with Xbox Live, if I want to start playing a game piecemeal to see if I like it, I can do that. The same goes for downloadable content in the form of expansions or add-ons to keep me playing the title forever. Conversely though, if I want to see what the arcade or independent sections have to offer, I’m just as able, at any time day or night that I happen to have a 360 controller nestled in my hands. Succinctly, it becomes a question of access to a particular title at a specific time and that is where digital downloads of content make the most sense.

As a huge supporter of Steam, Playstation Network and Xbox Live, I love the idea that if I want to sit down in the middle of the night and download a game, it isn’t any more difficult than a few deft motions. Seriously, I think the most complicated factor in the entire process is actually turning the television on. And while it has become the norm for smaller titles from the arcade and indie sections to be easily and quickly downloaded, the ‘Games on Demand’ section has seen a great deal of interest as well since it’s premier on Live. It’s feeding the gamers insatiable thirst for consistently fresh and new content that makes a service stand out and remain head and shoulders above its contemporaries. Needless to say, if a new title didn’t premier to Xbox Live every Wednesday, it would seem a bit arduous for Microsoft in the way of keeping gamers interested. However, by allowing gamers to have a small experience with a title, as is the case with Fable II available episodically on Xbox Live, this allows for a greater degree of people to try the title as opposed to retail where you have to pay for the entire experience upfront, absent of the knowledge as to whether or not there is enough there to keep you interested. Suffice to say, nothing says, “buyer’s remorse” more than opening a package and discovering that your only recourse is store credit or trading it in. But that is the only option retailers like Gamestop make allowances for.

Going into a retailer used to be a somewhat enjoyable experience for gamers, overtime though it has slowly become a test of will in the ways of not getting completely screwed. Not to say that all retailers are out to screw you, but it certainly feels that way sometimes. From the moment you walk in the door, you’re hounded upon by so-called ‘experts’ who have a quota to meet for trade-ins, sales, reserves and magazine subscriptions. To quite appropriately add insult to injury, it then essentially reduces your shopping experience to a wholehearted struggle as you attempt to not be price-gouged by people who couldn’t be more enthusiastic to do so. This is especially the case when it comes to games. Sure, you can purchase them, but when the return policy is better on a product that is used, which could be missing instructions, packed in DLC or is scratched to the point of being unplayable, it makes buying new difficult since the price point has become so high. This is why digital download has grown so exponentially in the past several years as to provide users with a simple, easy experience to purchase games directly from those who make them, ripping the middle man out of the equation.

Ultimately, it is a situation I can happily deal with in just about any case. A future where I can have my content anywhere, anytime, simply by logging into my gamertag makes me excited for what the next few years hold in the video game industry. True enough, a box is nice to hold and the sexy metal cases to be had in a few select collector’s editions is nice, but lugging them around can become a bit burdensome and the worry about damaging a case or disc can just become too much. Furthermore, digital content allows for just about any content to become episodic allowing for gamers to get a drastically better feel for the prospective game they wish to purchase. Additionally, removing any sort of constraints placed upon gamers by retailers is really the greatest plausible reason for the video game industry to go completely digital in their offerings given the capabilities of the currently available systems. Conclusively, as long as there are large enough hard drives to accommodate the content gamers want to play, none of us will eventually have to walk further than our living room couches to play the games we want to ever again.

Heavy Rain Released Today!

Just a friendly reminder.

Why Microsoft Needed Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm

On November 17^th, Microsoft released a new update on Xbox Live that allowed all of us to have a new amount of latitude from the convenience of our Xbox 360's. After bringing us the convenience of Netflix with a previous update, the new update gave users the ability to Tweet, access Facebook and listen to music from Last.fm all through Live. I bet you don't realize just what sort of stroke of genius this is on the part of Microsoft. Well, let me tell you. Twitter, for those who use it, is an exceptional micro-blogging service that allows for increased information and the spread of news at exponential speeds previously unheard of, even on the internet. To put the importance of tweeting into perspective, several game developers and news sites frequently post via the site to their vast slew of followers. Facebook, for those three people reading this that don’t know about Resident Evil either, is a site that allows for a massive amount of social networking. Enabling people to communicate, find old friends and stalk that one ex that got away; Facebook has emerged as the premier social website, while slaughtering Myspace in the process. Last.fm but not least, if you've never tried it, you're definitely missing out. Imagine listening to a song at home while the last.fm client is open on your machine, after a few seconds the program will add the song to your online collection essentially allowing you to stream the song from your collection to anywhere you have an internet connection. I'll allow you to think about that for a second. Essentially, with this latest update, Xbox Live gives users more reasons to remain constantly on the service, much like people who hang out on World of Warcraft, by tying together several functions that were previously accessible via computer or smartphone. Therefore, by continuously providing services that were once only available outside Xbox Live will maintain a constant player base on the service by removing the need to log off Live.

I remember when Twitter came out because I was one of the first people to tell everyone who would listen how absolutely stupid I believed the service was. I'm not kidding, I gave it six months before it would totally fail and go the way of Myspace, which has for all intents and purposes become the trailer park of the internet. After creating an account on the service, I fell in love with it. Not because the interface has done nothing but become slicker and better stabilized over time, but because in the time I've been on the service I've followed some really awesome people. At first, I brought friends into the tweeting Illuminati for solely selfish purposes, wanting people to follow me so I wasn't just tweeting to the bots and creepy people who have nothing better to do. Eventually, I would stumble on game developers who would have contests and give out codes for free games. As a result of being on Twitter, I became the proud owner of multiple demos, map packs, as well as a full-on digital copy of Spore and it's expansion pack, all for free. Additionally, the sheer amount of news and interesting tidbits that get offered up to the followers of game developers is so much easy than checking a website or waiting with baited breath while pressing F5 over and over again. Perhaps the greatest feature about Twitter, which put it on the map was it's utilization as a communication tool for people all across the world. During the tumultuous elections in Iran this year, does everyone remember how people still found out what was going on despite the internet blackout on the part of the Iranian Government? That's right, Twitter. So, why is this important to live? Because it's certainly easier than having to check a phone incessantly or keeping a laptop nearby with TweetDeck sitting open. Sure, not everyone is going to be using the service while connected to Xbox Live, but for those of us who have the option, odds are, we'll use it. Possibly it'll be used just because it's there, but to have such a flow of information at a moment's notice in between a match of Gears of War 2, Modern Warfare 2, or while watching a movie off Netflix creates a synergy of technology that makes it undeniably necessary to have access to our Twitter feeds on Xbox Live.

Facebook however offers a bit of a different boat to the weary sea travelers of news feeds the world over and it's social networking at it's finest. Now, I know that some of you couldn't possibly care less about Facebook and maybe only check it about once a month, if ever. If you just agreed with me, go grab a sandwich while I talk about this. Facebook has come along way from just a portal for people at different scholastic locations to connect. I've kept in touch with more people from school, work and various social events better via Facebook than Myspace ever could have done it, and I did it completely without crappy glittery, sparkling gif images posted on my wall. Access to our network and the news feed of our friends will definitely enhance the Xbox Live experience and is completely viable in answering the question of how we ever got along without it. For instance, if while waiting on a match or party to load and you check Facebook, you see there is a friend staying home or going out to a party via the news feed, then you've just been posed with a few options. If they're staying home and have the ability to hop on to Live, it would be incredibly cool to be able to write on their wall telling them to come join your party before the next round of Horde mode or Firefight begins. If not, at least you know they're at home and won't mind too much when you call them telling them the exact same thing. But what if you have a event invite or now that there's a party somewhere that you could, in theory, be attending at this very moment? Will you be so bold as to log off Live now that you've been provided with this information? I don't know about you, but I would. After all, we can't stay on Xbox Life forever, can we? I'm certain that Microsoft has made it easier than ever and will continue to do so as long as players are certainly afforded the opportunities that these new Xbox Live additions will offer with the new update.

The most important addendum to the service as far as I see it though is the ability to stream my music to the 360 via Last.fm. Simply said, say you don't want to rip all the music you own to your 360, which would be a relatively timely task despite the ease the new 250gb hard drives would make as far as storage is concerned. But really, who wants to pay for an overpriced hard drive? On the other hand, you could stream music from a Zune, iPod (ironic, I know) or even a remote storage device like a usb enabled external hard drive. But again, what if all your music is on your computer and you really don't want to go through the hassle of rigging this up to your 360 or you've been playing Rock Band and all of the usb ports are currently being used? Short of having a home network via a program like PlayOn, Last.fm via Xbox Live is the next best thing. Essentially, by using a plug-in via a program like WinAmp, Last.fm listens to what you're listening to and upon creating an account on their website will build an online library and database of the music you've listened to on your computer, which will then become accessible at any given time and streamed to just about anything with an internet connection. Honestly, with a Last.fm application on my G1, it was only a matter of time before it finally came to Xbox Live and the ability to stream my music through my 360 makes this latest update come together in a neat little package that few Xbox owners should really be without.

Since Microsoft has effectively tied together three of the most popular online sites currently accessible on the internet, it's a huge win for Xbox Live members. Twitter, being the API service that has been faster in some cases that certain news sites will definitely appeal to those information-philes who always need to know the latest development in whatever may be of interest to them at the time or the latest headlines to remind them that there is in fact a world outside of Xbox Live that has little to do with Nazi Zombies. Conversely, Facebook integration will allow players to remind themselves that they have more friends than those players in the last round of Modern Warfare 2 while at the same time allowing for an exceptional enhanced user experience for both of the services creating a new social dynamic. While previously unheard of, it will be a combination of two of the greatest social tools currently available via the internet. Ultimately though, Last.fm will give users the ability to listen to their music from the convenience of their Xbox 360. I don't know how exciting this sounds to everyone else, but the ability to listen to my tunes without having to rip them to my 360 or have the disc tray being taken up by a music CD just inches us closer to a complete social experience all contained in that little game system tucked under or next to our televisions. Thus, I can't wait to see where Xbox Live goes from here, but if this is any indication whatsoever, I'm extremely excited to find out and will be hanging on to my 360 and utilizing Live for many years to come.

Special Edition Sedition

There have always been editions of games released that are a bit rarer than others, which easily sets them apart from the others on the shelf at Gamestop or the webpages at Amazon, but what is so great about these special editions, setting them apart from the regular editions and why should we as gamers invest our hard earned money in them? In the past, there have been definitive special editions that have equated to must-haves. However, the interesting thing about the limited run of a certain game edition is that there is no reason or rhyme necessarily to why it gets purchased. Some are purchased because of love for the franchise or out of desire for a pre-order or packed in bonus that comes with the edition. Alternately, there are those who purchase collector's editions of first run, untested intellectual properties, which may very well not warrant a limited edition. But what compels people to buy items that may not really be collector's items? Additionally, in an age where many titles are critically-acclaimed even before their release date, who determines exactly what about a collector's edition is collectible? Overall, it becomes questionable as to whether this practice of various editions of video games presents a positive or negative branch on the tree of the game industry. Therefore, due to relative values of video game titles, it becomes a matter of what exactly is considered a collectible to members of the gaming community.

Special editions give gamers a positive outlook for a title they may have been waiting a significant amount of time for or have a deep rooted love of the franchise. I'll be the first to admit it, I am the proud owner of a few collectors’ editions and regardless of their relative value or not, I wouldn't have it any other way. I played the first Halo on the day the original Xbox came out, loved it and knew that Bungie and Microsoft had their claws in me relatively deep. So it was only natural when Halo 2 came out, being the first time I can recall really seeing an edition that differed from the regular version in a way that I actually wanted to own it. The sleek metal case and the offer of a behind-the-scenes footage was more than enough to make me lay down the money for a pre-order and subsequently wait in the cold for its midnight release at a backwater EB Games in Dekalb, Illinois. I still have it to this day and it sits nestled among my other Xbox titles right next to Halo where it belongs. But interestingly enough, it is the only unique case out of the games I own for that system.

Move one shelf up however and that number grows significantly. Gears of War and its sequel, Modern Warfare 2 and its predecessor, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Bioshock as well as my legendary edition of Halo 3 with the special edition controller from ODST leaning against it. Seriously, sometimes I wonder what drove me to buy them all. The short answer really is, they each were able to offer a quality item of some kind that was unique to the package and were capable of peaking my interest prior to or at the time of purchase. The long answer is that the games gave me something innate that I wouldn’t have otherwise found sealed in the plastic of the same old regular green box. Bioshock came with an awesome Big Daddy that still sits comfortably on my desk to this day, watching me as I write. Additionally, Mass Effect, Gears of War 1 and 2, Modern Warfare 2 and Lost Planet all arrived in gorgeous metal cases that I can still happily drool over to this day and my legendary edition for Halo 3 still sits dominating my shelf of video games. Point being, I love those special editions and I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. However, there are some special editions I could easily pass up and for a multitude of reasons.

The biggest qualm I currently have with special editions is that some of them offer an outrageous bunch of garbage that no one would ever really need. I’m not saying night vision goggles aren’t cool, so everyone who purchased the Prestige Edition of Modern Warfare 2 just sit right back down. But, really, when are you going to use them? I picked up the Hardened Edition because the case is extremely sexy and I got the original Call of Duty, downloadable off Xbox Live, tossed in for good measure. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a pretty solid deal if you ask me and on top of it, the art book didn’t hurt either. But, let’s face it; night vision goggles just aren’t a worthwhile purchase as they do nothing to advance the gameplay in my opinion and are thusly superfluous. But then again, is the Renegade Edition of DJ Hero, Tony Hawk’s Ride or yet another set of plastic instruments any different? It seems to me that when a special edition offers such a superfluous amount of stuff, it starts to not only eclipse the game in the box, but ruins it a little. Take for instance the collector’s edition of Brother’s in Arms: Hell’s Highway. Inside the box, besides the game was a Sergeant Baker action figure along with a comic book. Realistically, I don’t need either of those and paying for it was a kick in my wallets proverbial junk causing me to become somewhat weary of ‘special editions’ in the overall regard of video game purchases.

What you get in a special edition is supposedly designed to set it apart from the regular versions, but without an objective means of valuing the various editions, we’re presented with arbitrary means of paying $20 or $90 more, just because the publisher or designer tells us that is what the extras are worth. Breaking it down, the Hardened edition of Modern Warfare 2 cost me $80 on Amazon, which isn’t a bad price for a game that costs $60, the download code for the original Call of Duty now available on Xbox Live for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), leaving the art book sitting at about $5 in value. That seems accurate and fair to me, which is the true underlying reason behind my purchase of that edition as opposed to the regular or prestige editions. So in terms of value, it seems that a ‘collector’s edition’ is only a meaningful item to someone willing to collect it.

At the end of the day, value in the eye of the gamer, it seems, is what most strongly dictates the existence of a limited edition or not. Virtually unheard of prior to this generation of games, they’ve since grown by leaps and bounds. It’s become difficult to walk into a store or cruise the internet without having to acknowledge that most titles will, one way or another, receive a limited edition incarnation in this day and age. As a gamer first and foremost, I feel the need to point out that it should be about the overall game experience first and what is in the box second. If Bioshock hadn’t been a promising title, I never would’ve invested in a box containing a statuette of a Big Daddy and to this day, it is still one of my all time favorite games. On the flipside, not every single gamer will necessarily want a Master Chief helmet staring at them or a set of night vision goggles. Worth, even in the game industry, will always be a relative term and it is up to the community to manage how best those collector’s editions are valued. If a limited edition isn’t all that limited or merely contains an amalgamation of rubbish, then it is best to sit on the shelf next to special editions of Clive Barker’s Jericho. But, when we as gamers purchase outlandish editions of games that end up as squandered money, it tells the industry that they can sell us that and we’ll eat it up. I’m not saying don’t take a chance on something new and I’m not saying that special editions aren’t the worst thing to happen in the game industry. Ultimately, it boils down to having the ability to make a tempered, responsible decision. But, the next time you pre-order or outright purchase one on a whim, just ask yourself if what you’re purchasing is garbage or not because simply said, not all special editions are created equal.

Sequel Sickness

Almost ever piece of media, if it sells well enough, will warrant a sequel in some way, shape or form despite the very real underlying need for consistently new content. When Halo was originally designed, it was created as an RTS, for the Macintosh. Well, jump ahead a decade later and Halo has become a monstrous franchise that has brought gamers the world over to their knees and the RTS elements it was build on have gone into Halo Wars. But, when a publisher or developer decides that it is best to ignore new content in the form of original intellectual property, instead focusing on easily marketable titles that a decidedly large market within the gaming community is receptive, the content runs the risk of stagnating. Personally, it is always interesting seeing new titles that push the boundaries of the game experience, illustrating something that players may not have necessarily seen before. While it is fiscally understandable why publishers cling to the cash cow franchises in their respective development houses, however it is the companies that grant life to the untested IPs that seem to acquire a laudable place in the industry and greater player community. Therefore, while it may be enjoyable to have familiar experiences expanded on over time across several iterations, new content is what decidedly develops the medium as a whole.

Halo is understandably an outrageously popular franchise when compared to other intellectual properties in the video game industry. From the initial release, Bungie was bought by Microsoft and the game was developed for the company essentially to sell the original Xbox. Well, it succeeded beyond the wildest expectations of anyone at Microsoft or Bungie, since then giving birth to one of the greatest mammoth games in the history of the industry. Subsequently spawning a media empire that has since been comprised of books, comics, toys, a series of anime shorts, a location on Xbox Live and one of the utmost marketing campaigns known to man, it is without a doubt that Halo is a juggernaut when it comes to games. However, Bungie has clung to the IP so as to prevent the property from becoming stale and disenchanting to the gamers who have come to love the experience granted by Halo. By not releasing a new title every single year and keeping the lore of the universe rich, the potential for the series continuing to be successful remains assured. Thus, for all the media released under a Halo label, the series is yet to become sufficiently decayed to the point of shelving it until the Xbox 720 is released.

There are several franchises that have become devoid of any truly pioneering content that offers a groundbreaking game capable of reinventing anything in the industry. As incredible as the first three titles in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series were, the series has since gone downhill significantly since coming down with a near fatal case of constant release schedule syndrome. What set the first trilogy of the Pro Skater titles apart from other iterations of the series is that they encapsulates on what made skating fun. They allowed for free flowing movement between objects in some of the most memorable locales I can think of in a game. Prior to picking up a Tony Hawk title, there were few people who were fans of skating titles as a genre. It was these that have drawn players in and eventually subjected them to the disappointments of the Tony Hawk Underground, Project 8 and ultimately Tony Hawk: Ride. Without truly bringing anything new to the table in regards to design and an ever consistent reliance on sales that Tony Hawk branding can hopefully bring to a publisher’s bottom line, it isn’t surprising that the latest iteration currently has a metacritic score below 50. It doesn’t matter who puts their name on a title, if ultimately the game offers little unique content that compels gamers to want to play the game. This factor is further proven with Clive Barker’s Jericho. A title that was supposedly worked on by one of the masters of horror, suffered from such terrible game design that there will, without a doubt, not be a Jericho 2. Guitar Hero is beginning to push into the same territory as it is on its fifth installment, not including the version created to compete with Harmonix’s Rock Band series. Keeping in mind that downloadable content is just as easy to produce and make available to the gaming population; there is little recourse then for repackaging new bundles of songs every twelve months with yet another plastic instrument. Thus, while there are some in the industry who believe that only series that can be exploited on a yearly basis are those that should be nurtured the most, there are publishers who stand apart in harboring fresh, new games.

Narrative Retrospective: Bioshock

After surviving the plane crash and swimming towards a lighthouse jutting out of the ocean, it seemed natural sliding off the couch and settling on the floor, closer to the television. Gripping the controller slightly as you descend the steps inside the lighthouse, a banner stands out amongst the Art Deco architecture, “No Gods or Kings. Only Men.”

You enter a solitary bathysphere. How long has it been there? You couldn’t really say. However, seeing no alternative but to proceed forward, you animate the lever. As the vehicle submerges beneath the waves, you are treated to an introduction by a man who could easily claim Henry Ford or John Rockefeller as his peers.

As he begins to speak, he introduces himself as Andrew Ryan and projecting an air of defiant ambition ask, “Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?” He proceeds to answer the question,

“No,' says the man in Washington, 'it belongs to the poor.'
'No,' says the man in the Vatican, 'it belongs to God.'
'No,' says the man in Moscow, 'it belongs to everyone.'

In the resplendence of the dive from the surface, he concedes that in his rejection of these conventions, he created Rapture, “A city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, where the great will not be constrained by the small.” Essentially a place where perpetuations of unrestrained intellectualism encapsulate the ideas of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism, however the abandoned sensibilities of the layman wouldn't become apparent until the bathyscaphe docked.

From the looks of it, all is not right in Rapture and hasn’t been for a while. The damage and debris scattered throughout the city only serves to accentuate the immediate dilapidation visible in the bathysphere station. Despite the deterioration to the city, you still discover a Plasmid for Electro Bolt, powers triggered by ADAM, a raw form of the unstable stem cells.

Injecting yourself with the Plasmid causes your character to lose consciousness for a moment. While in the twilight state, you’re happened upon by two scavenging Splicers, grotesque citizens of the decaying Rapture, looking to scavenge ADAM from your perceived corpse. However, this is interrupted by heavy footfalls and a baritone moan, causing the Splicers to flee.

Coming to once more, your eyes drift between a little girl and a oversized monstrosity, causing you to wonder what a child would be doing inspecting bodies and remaining in the care of such a thing. True enough, it has two legs and arms, but the vision is more surreal than reality. A drill on the right arm of the creature implies that it is charged with safe guarding this child. At least, you believe what you’re looking at is a child. Unable to move thanks to the discretion of the game, you watch in an minute state of disbelief as the girl trots away with the thudding movement of ‘Mr. Bubbles’ not far behind.

As your ability to move returns to the controller once more, you glance around the area, unsure if you’re alone or not. Satisfied of your relative safety, you move into another set of chambers until you encounter the pair again.

Spying the child again, she uses a pseudo-syringe device to drain the ADAM from a corpse as Atlas, the only comforting voice you’ve encountered so far, chimes in, "You think that's a child down there? Don't be fooled. She's a Little Sister now. Somebody went and turned a sweet baby girl into a monster. Whatever you thought about right and wrong on the surface, well that don't count for much down in Rapture. Those Little Sisters, they carry ADAM- the genetic material that keeps the wheels of Rapture turning. Everybody wants it. Everybody needs it."

You begin to understand, the game wants you to want getting your hands on as much ADAM as possible. If you want to use the Electro Bolt along with any other Plasmids you hold out hope to encounter, you best keep a whet appetite for it. However, it being the case that discarding basic morality becoming a necessary means for survival is still questionable if the ends justify the means.

This time though a Splicer is threatening the Little Sister, advancing on her with ill intentions. The same baritone moan you heard earlier erupts again from somewhere off –screen as it becomes a deafening roar, laden with anger. A Big Daddy erupts through the far wall of the amphitheatre, intent on destroying the threat to the girl.

The Big Daddy charges with inhuman speed that makes you question how much of the creature is man merged with machination inside the deep sea diving suit. Slamming the hapless Splicer into the wall before repeatedly skewering him with a giant drill is enough to give you pause as you witness the grim horror.

Continuing to explore the leaking, broken corridors of Rapture you realize that this game is like nothing you’ve played before. This isn’t like Doom where every moment of running and gunning is interrupted by simply reloading. The decaying Art Deco illustrates a city that once was populated by artists and scientists free to create without the restraints of moral choice. Now Little Sisters and Big Daddies roam the corridors battling Splicers over the ADAM in dead bodies reminiscent of the husk that Rapture has become. Water leaks into the superstructure of the beleaguered city as nature waits to reclaim what science believed it could defy.

A multitude of airlocks later, you happen upon a battle already in progress between a Big Daddy protecting his Little Sister and a plethora of Splicers. A tumultuous explosion tears through the hall causing the little girl to rush towards her guardian who was killed as a result. As she sobs over ‘Mr. Bubbles’ begging him in vain to move or get up, a lone Splicer advances on her. Through the intervention of a woman introducing herself a Dr. Tenenbaum, the Splicer is killed.

She relays her part in the creation of the Little Sisters and that while they do possess ADAM in significant qualities; they are still just little girls. Compelled by her guilt for what she’s done, genetically manipulating and psychologically conditioning children, Dr. Tenenbaum pleads with you to take pity on them. To free the Little Sisters from their torment, you are given a Plasmid that allows you to do so.

However, Atlas contacts you, chiding you to harvest the Little Sister. After all, she’s just a monster now. Harvesting the ADAM from her would free the little girl from this torment and enable you to grow stronger. Survival is an advantage of the fittest specimen and in Rapture; strength is proportionally aligned to the ability. So who are you to argue with the status quo?

You subtly impress your finger on the start button, pausing the game for a few minutes because you genuinely need time to think. You knew what the plan was up until this moment: shoot or beat every single thing to death that you encountered. That was what games for years had conditioned you to do in other games. If it didn’t exist to help you, it was there to hurt you and therefore had to be destroyed. This was a status quo you never questioned before.

Somewhat disturbed, you weigh in your mind the options present to you. You can harvest the little girl, feeling barbarically pedophiliac for a grim instance or you can save the girl and hope that this pays off somehow down the line. Seconds pass as you wonder what you should do.

In a moment of desperate contemplation, you debate checking an online strategy guide, hoping the cold statistics of numbers can offer you salvation. Surely, one way over the other will make you more powerful, allowing you to destroy anything that would eventually be foolish enough to stand between you and escaping this watery mausoleum. On the other hand, not wishing to spoil the narrative of the game, you stay put, finally resolving what to do.

Resuming the game, you approach the Little Sister. A simple press of a button on the controller creates a very complicated situation. Grabbing her in your hand emphasizes how small and fragile the child is. She squirms in your hands haphazardly like a rag doll calling out, “No, no, no!” as she bats at your hand. However, a simple swipe of your hand over her forehead casts a flash across your vision and this ‘monster’ is as normal a little girl as any.

She looks up at you with large eyes, wide as saucers and thanks you with all the sincerity she can muster. A heartwarming moment, but the as Dr. Tenenbaum reminds you of a testament old as humanity, “The path of the righteous is not always easy” and goes on to say, “The reward will become clear in time” as she asks you to simple demonstrate patience. You feel good about yourself for saving something that realistically is nothing more than digital smoke and mirrors. But nonetheless, you can’t help but smile for doing something laudable as inherently good as saving a child.

Atlas goads you on though, telling you, “Tenenbaum is playing you for a sap”, but in the back of your mind, you can’t help but disagree. For the first time, you realize that as kind as Atlas strikes you and as good as his intentions may have seemed as he goes on to say, “Those things may seem like wee little girls, but looks don’t make it so.”

True, looks aren’t everything, you think to yourself. But, as you stop once again, you contemplate just how bad could Little Sisters be? After all, they’re not zombies, ghosts, ghouls, demons or random henchmen, they’re little girls. They are nothing like anything you have ever faced in a game before. Nevertheless, if you choose to free them or harvest them, getting through a Big Daddy becomes an investment of time, health, and ammunition, which can all at times be exceptionally scarce amongst the senescent hallways. But what better way to justify the cost than saving little girls?

Ultimately though, you determine that you relish the fact that the game gives you a choice at all, despite being unprepared for it. Having little previous experience of having a decision in a game besides what object to take cover behind and when to reload, a smile spreads across your face. You can be the White Knight and while you may not save the city from drowning beneath the waves, you can choose to free the Little Sisters of a slave-like existence of living harvesters of ADAM. Conversely though, you’re free to be as evil as you wish, doing whatever you deem necessary to get your hands on the means for more power.

It is the simple breakdown of the relative question of choice that stands out as intriguingly disturbing as you press on in the game. Remembering that morality is a factor now not only changes the game, but your mindset. Every step behind cover, every discharged plasmid and every round fired hunting a Big Daddy leads you closer to not just answering the question for the game, but discovering a little bit about yourself through the choices you make, regardless of whether you like it or not.

PC and the 360: A Twisted Relationship

Back when Atari was king of the gaming industry, PC games were roughly the equal of the titles you would see on the 8-bit consoles of the era. From the simple pixels to the musical bleeps and bloops, gamers would find a nearly identical experience regardless of the platform they chose. However, as time went on, a divergence began to exist between PC and console games.

When gamers were just seeing Sonic for the first time, Wolfenstein 3D has been available to PC gamers in the form of shareware for sometime. Ironically enough, shareware was a concept that most console gamers wouldn’t even be able to experience still to this day lavishing in the closest possible equivalents available in the form of demos. But what makes a decidedly good PC game great on a console?

While the RTS genre has been able to begin bridging the gap between the Xbox 360 and the personal computer, there are still quite a few steps left in the journey. Command and Conquer as well as Supreme Commander have done well on the console, but this is only relatively so. Even the console gamers who knew what they were getting into commented that either would have still been better with a keyboard and mouse. Additionally, having seen and played both on high-end computers, I can say honestly that it still feels like 360 owners are getting a bit shafted.

True, there is a defined difference between a personal computer that I choose to build and a console that rolls off the assembly line and that is where there are several decided strengths and weaknesses between the two.

For instance, when you put a copy of Halo Wars into your 360 and hit the power button on the front of the system, you know that when you ultimately start that game it’s going to boot. That is, of course, pending your system isn’t struck down by the unjust hammer of the Red Ring of Death. But pending that, you know that the system will work. There isn’t any doubt in your mind whatsoever and that gives you a warm and decidedly fuzzy feeling.

Intriguing as it is that games created for both the 360 and PC are essentially created utilizing the same code, with only a few minor tweaks in between, it still feels that neither are ever created equal.

Dragon Age: Origins, The Orange Box, and Supreme Commander are three decidedly exceptional titles that exist currently on both platforms. While I have been told that there is no real difference between the first two and their console counterparts, I believe the still lingering argument of the keyboard/mouse combination against the controller persists. But when a title runs adequately and offers a fun gaming experience, the argument flies out the window as far as many are concerned. The third though, having played it on the 360 and a PC setup I feel begs some preface.

I booted Supreme Commander up on my 360 when it came out expecting a sufficient doppelganger to the PC experience my laptop couldn’t possibly offer me. In the first few moments, the struggle began. Trying to play it off, it only seemed to strengthen my resolve to enjoy the game. After all, I had no other option and would see it through to the end. However, the controls became increasingly clunky and managing the base proved too much, eventually forcing me to concede defeat. As I ejected the game from the console, I felt frustrated. It wouldn’t be until months later that I would see the game run on a PC. Suffice to say, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was running with a dual-monitor setup at maximum settings. I couldn't look away and had to sit down, lest I paint the far wall with viscera as my mind stood the real chance of being blown. This was how this game was meant to be played.

While this is an isolated example, I thoroughly believe that PC and console gaming purchases boil down to a few factors. There are those who would rather keep everything on their computer or readily available to them via digital downloads while some would be so inclined to line their shelves with game boxes and the discs inside them. On the other hand, personal computers offer a flexibility that a console necessarily doesn’t, being one mass produced product amongst millions. Most importantly, it boils down to the comfort of the person holding the means to control the game.

Admittedly, digital downloads revolutionized just about everything as far as purchasing games via the internet. Prior to this, gamers would have to walk to their local computer store and buy the latest title or worse yet, risking it not even being there. However, as time went on, content began to become available in the form of entire games easily downloaded to their system. Direct2Drive being one of the first services to do so, this would eventually see the rise of publisher specific services such as EA download manager. Most prevalently though would be Steam. Steam changed how every gamer got their PC games and they did it so smoothly that barely anyone noticed, the most notable exception though being their panicking competition. Just recently, Steam ran their annual Christmas sale and sold a ridiculous amount of content. More importantly though, with every purchase, download and gifted title, the Steam client spreads in a way that console specific download services only dream of.

This doesn’t go to say that Xbox Live isn’t performing well or is overshadowed by Steam. Windows for Live does exist as a download service, but Xbox Live is where you can find just about anything to cure that 3am boredom. Recent numbers placing over 39 million (yes, you read that right) consoles in the hands of gamers, there is always going to be at least one person on Xbox Live debating buying something new. As the accessibility for certain demos of more popular titles being timed gold-member exclusives, this only serves to push the amount of gold members on Live. Additional content in the form of Indie and Arcade games serve to keep Live fresh with new content in the same way Steam is. But most crucial though is the Games on Demand services, which allows players to snatch up a title directly to their system. Still a few months, if not years, from queuing up and downloading a game as a release at midnight, it may not have all the pizzazz of a Collector’s Edition, but for those who just want the game, this is exactly what Microsoft should be focusing on. But while gamers lack the flexibility to delineate whether or not they purchase content from Microsoft via Live, PC gamers have a bit more latitude when it comes to their system.

A console is a basic setup of a television, controller, and the system itself. Add power and you’re in business. Personal Computers couldn’t be farther in the opposite direction. PC’s are usually built from the ground up with a processor, hard drive(s), media drive(s), memory in the form of RAM, sound card, and most importantly a video card. This doesn’t additionally take into account the one, two or three monitors the gamer in question may decide to purchase on top of the gaming keyboards, mice and even chairs that are on the market to achieve maximum comfort levels for those long gaming sessions. It’s a flexibility and choice that gamers who stick completely to consoles relinquish in exchange for the knowledge that when they put a game in their system, odds are, it’ll turn on and run. This isn’t always the case with a PC. In all those customized setups, there is bound to be at least one that the developers didn’t see coming and will ultimately end up crashing repeatedly until those monitors start looking very accommodating to your fist. But as with any choice, there is the responsibility to make sure that your system meets the minimum requirements. Otherwise, you’re up the creek without a paddle.

As stated previously, a console is a rather elementary setup. I’m not kidding. There are no system requirements on the back of the box. You buy the game, place it in the disc tray and you play it. That’s how it works. Negating a lot of the flexibility that PC owners are used to, console gamers probably don’t take so much of an issue with this. At the end of the day, playing is probably the most important factor when it comes to a game, not how gorgeous the graphics may be.

Lastly though, comfort is a huge issue when it comes to gamers and the titles they love. Never one to force a belief or two, it seems to me that there is a happy medium to be obtained between the PC and the 360. Loving Halo on the Xbox and still on the 360 is just a testament to how comfortable the controls feel in my hand. I’m aware that it exists on the PC and I’ve played it several times, only to go back to the 360 for another round. On the other hand, I have discovered I have a virulent distain for playing RTS titles on the 360, unless said game is expressly designed with that system in mind (i.e Halo Wars). There are certain titles that will always feel like they were meant to be played on the system they were either initially created for, or you as a gamer first discovered them on. Writing about video games, I’m well aware Doom plays awesome on the PC and predates it XBLA equivalent by more than a decade, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy playing it on my 360.

Really, one side or the other can constantly remind you of the pros and cons of the system you love. Under all of the criticisms and opinions though, it boils down to the opinion of you, the gamer when you actually make the effort to take the controller in hand and find out if a game really sucks or not when played with a mouse and keyboard or a controller as opposed to just spouting off after reading the latest forum post. But then again, that is why you became a gamer in the first place, isn’t it?

Casual is the new 'Hardcore'

Gamers born in the 1980s have, for most of their lives, been playing electronic games as they’ve evolved into what we have today. While many abhor the use of labels to players such as ‘casual’ or ‘hardcore’, they still persist regardless. A hardcore gamer is easily defined as someone who plays games above all else. While the term may have changed slightly over the years, its definition is still succinctly accurate. On the other hand, there are the casual gamers. These are people who may merely dabble in gaming, enjoy games that may not demand the attention that deeper games do or more to the point merely don’t have the time to devote to gameplay other titles do. As time goes on though, there are casual gamers who play the informal titles they enjoy at the pace of hardcore gamers. Therefore, it becomes arguable that casual gamers are becoming the new hardcore class of the gaming community.

PopCap games are most notably being recognized as the prime purveyor of games that many in the industry have labeled as ‘casual’. Many see these merely as simple mechanics mashed together and shipped out.

However, there is truly a satisfactory amount of depth present. Peggle being one of the simplistic selections currently available in PopCap’s library, it at first seems to lack the profundity to keep any devoted gamer interested. But, the present mechanics combine a casual concept of dropping a ball with puzzle elements to make an astonishingly fun game.

Conversely, games like Bookworm additionally seem to possess elementary qualities, but on further inspection reveal far engrossing fundamentals. Progressing through levels by completing words, it becomes a single-player Scrabble that keeps players constantly playing, learning and expanding there vocabulary to remain plausibly able of obtaining a high score.

Most notably though is Plants vs. Zombies. For everything encompassed in a game where you defend your home from zombies using giant plants that are raised and purchased utilizing sunshine as your currency. A simple mechanic such as tower defense translated to the stellar creation that was PvZ is remarkable in that many of the people asked about the game hardly realize that they are even playing tower defense. Consequently, while it seems these games are at their heart very straightforward, the layering of multifaceted workings continually keeps them fascinating to players.

Games scattered across the internet have additionally changed the way many players examine how they play. Playing a ninja collecting simple squares, N+ is doubtlessly one of the best examples of a game built on Flash that illustrates the uncomplicated gameplay which exponentially adds on new mechanics that keeps gamers absorbed. As the first few levels entice you to fly across the game-space, bouncing off the walls to scale ledges and obstacles, it at first plays very easily. However, as the player progresses, they encounter elements that make the game significantly more difficult. As this can become frustrating to many gamers, it then becomes a balance between the challenge curve and fun factor. Ultimately though, the balance remains proportional enough to keep people playing well past their bedtimes.

Music is another genre that has gone from being a hardcore exclusive space, becoming increasingly accessible to just about anyone. Auditorium is an online only game that utilizes different instruments and generated tones to give gamers an audiophile experience like no other. Starting with a piano melody, the game uses streams of energy that move across the level unobstructed. Utilizing spheres with arrows in them, you can alter the course of the musical energy as well as affect the influence of the sphere itself by expanding or contracting the size of the sphere. Overall an intriguing concept that remains particularly effortless in the first few levels, it develops into a more demanding experience as the player advances.

The up and coming outlet for casual games on the internet though is the social networking website Facebook. Games like Farmville, Mafia Wars and Bejeweled Blitz all demonstrate easy amusement that is capable of existing inside a social networking site viewed through a browser. While the prospect of browser-based games, especially those made accessible by navigating to a site primarily based on the prospect of social interacting is an interesting diversion.

While you may not necessarily go to Facebook with the intent of playing these ‘games’, they stand the real possibility of pulling you in and keeping you busy for an infinite amount of time. Adding insult to injury, friends on the site are capable of, rather easily, inviting you to play the game with you and in most cases are rewarded for doing so. While these are debatable as far as the industry and community are concerned in regards to worthwhile experiences, the ability to reach out to such a massive audience will ultimately see these games created, released and supported for an indeterminate amount of time.

Interestingly enough though, online services provided by the big three game publishers have additionally grown in appeal amongst the casual crowd as time has gone on and remain continuously popular. Titles on Xbox Live such as Geometry Wars and Hexic have opened the door in a very significant way for casual gamers to get their foot in the door towards what could be considered more ‘hardcore’ titles.

But what is consistently fascinating is that gamers, regardless of their walk of life consistently continue to play regardless of difficulty. If the game interests them and has a genuinely interesting quality about it, odds are the person in question will keep playing. For my part, my mom is currently playing Farmville relentlessly and constantly tries to recruit just about anyone she can get her hands on to play the game with her. My sister-in-law recently got hooked on Brain Age and it’s sequel with her interest constantly expanding. Finally, my girlfriend is playing through Might & Magic on her Nintendo DS and is expanding her repertoire as I keep offering her new titles to keep her interest constantly piqued.

What it essentially boils down to is that casual gamers keep purchasing and playing the casual games made by independent developers or ‘side-projects’ of big name creators that enable to continue making the big name games that the ‘hardcore’ continue to know and love as the days go on. So, it could be arguably a symbiotic relationship between the casual and hardcore titles and gamers in the community. Thus, as long as people keep playing, the ability to maintain the industry as a whole via easier or difficult titles ensures that there will always be a steady stream of new games with content that players, regardless of how much time they put into their gaming lives, may have never seen before. Thus, casual titles serve as a means to an end in regards to hardcore or triple AAA games constantly creating circumstance where casual gamers have the potential to always become hardcore.

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond Lacking Humor; Disappoints

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond

Developer: Vicious Cycle Software

Released: January 6, 2010

MSRP: 1200 MS Points / $15.00

Gamers growing up in the mid-eighties have finally aged to the point of being well positioned to receive the Monty Python of video games and Matt Hazard has done just that. In Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard players were introduced to out-of-shape, over the hill video game hero Matt Hazard. While the game wasn’t the most spectacular title the video game had ever seen, it was in its lack of taking itself seriously that made the title stand out and overall enjoyable to play without standing to be overly memorable. Thus, it came as a bit of a surprise when D3 Publisher set out to bring Vicious Cycle Software’s Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond to gamers on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Discarding the 3D elements in favor of 2D side-scrolling with slight 3D portions is the first and most obvious divider between the 2 games. Once the first level loads, it feels almost like a knock-off version of Shadow Complex; however this is merely where its faults begin. Eat Lead offered gamers something they had never seen before in the form of being a self-aware video, Blood Bath and Beyond seems to struggle with this as a lot of humor fades in the first few levels. Spoofs are all well and good, but from the first level on, it seems to taper off and feel a lot like Contra. For a game that utilizes so much humor, it seems to drop off from having an interesting narrative early on. You don’t really care about Matt Hazard anymore than you did in his previous title. Eventually the game merely breaks down to what the designers decided to parody.

Despite the downfall of a forgettable story, there are a few pluses to the game. The controls are relatively smooth, feeling clunky very rarely. I only garnered genuine frustration from the controls about one in ten times, but when that one time does happen, you’ll notice it and hate the game a little bit more for it. One should also take into account that there being only 3 difficulty settings (Wussy, Damn This is Hard and Fuck This Shit) makes the game accessible for just about anyone looking for a quick shooter fix. Additionally, a co-op component opens up the possibility of going through this with a friend and that is never a bad thing.

Overall, I wish I could convey more about what I saw playing through Blood Bath and Beyond, however I felt the game really didn’t do its 3D equivalent any justice. If this game had released as a regular shooter, independent of the Matt Hazard name, I would tout it as competently designed. But it feels like something is lacking and I still can’t put my finger on it. My largest complaint comes from the fact that more often than not, it felt like the designers spent more time trying to come up with things being funny and left the important things like level and enemy design fall by the wayside. With a decidedly lacking replay value ever-present, running through a level, slaughtering just about everything in your path and picking up the occasional power-up are all the game really does in an acceptably satisfactory manner.

The underlying problem remains that the game, in an attempt to be funny and not take itself seriously suffers from a lack of quality, which it tries to play off as being funny. But this ends up only being frustrating for gamers when better shooters have been out for a significantly longer span of time like Shadow Complex and Pixeljunk: Shooter. The game is fun without being memorable or coming off as unique since Eat Lead already did it conceptually and despite lacking production values, did it far better. It doesn’t seem like a really worthwhile buy at about 1200 MS points and for now seems like a game that is comfortable not taking itself seriously to the point of being okay with being mediocre.

Here’s hoping the next Matt Hazard title ups the ante a bit.

Final Score: 6 / 10 (D-)

Impromptu Hiatus

Faithful and unfaithful readers alike; If you hadn't noticed, I took a bit of an impromptu hiatus when it came to my relatively regular posts, articles and other pieces of garbage that when jumbled together happened to resemble the written word.

The best excuse I can offer in the interim is that I was subject to personal reasons. One could call it a reevaluation of life. You see, once my grandfather passed away, I needed to take a bit of time and figure out what exactly I was suppose to be doing with my life. As with any death, it casts a bit of a shadow on one's chosen path because let's face it, you only live once and you don't want to spend every single day walking towards a Wally World that's closed for Maintenance, know what I mean?

I usually try my best to avoid speaking in a way that removes all journalistic integrity from my posts, but in this case it is unavoidable. Spending some time exploring things outside of video games and realized that there are certain things people are meant to do. It would be like attaching a cart to a giraffe and expecting a beast of burden to magically shine through. This wasn't the case and I'm no giraffe. In the interim, I do plan to mix it up and continue to write some genuinely appreciable works.

Over the next few weeks, there may be a few more changes, big and small so be sure to keep a lookout. But as ever, just keep playing.