Link Out (19/3/10)

March 19th, 2010

Link-new-zelda-wii

There’s been a few articles circling around in regards to the hopelessness of earning money in the enthusiast press. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs. Information yearns to be free, painting a rather bleak outlook for those professionals. Although the topic has very little to do with me personally, it has made me consider why I put such an effort into a production which offers no monetary rewards.

What I realised after thinking through this question was that money is entirely irrelevant. I’ve become addicted to writing about games, because it’s a form of education. An education that if left absent I’d never feel satisfied with putting a completed game on the shelf. Understanding, or at least an attempt at understanding, has become a pivotal point of my game playing process, and considering that I don’t wish to give up my favourite hobby anytime soon, I feel that the writing will therefore continue.

I guess this is what they call “writing for the passion”. I don’t think of it as a passion though, I write for purely selfish reasons and the fact that you might consider reading this is uhh…cool, so thanks for that! Talking about people who write for the love of it and those who write to survive, I have a killer collection of links to share with you this time. And hey, if they have ads on their website, toss ‘em a bone and click through, I’m sure that it’ll help.

The Death of JRPGs – But Not Really

Kurt makes a strong argument against a contentious Gamasutra post which discussed the now clichéd topic of the death of the JRPG. Kurt lays it straight which is bloody good to hear, considering the number of haters fueling the largely unfounded cynicism. Specifically, his point on the current state of transition in the genre (I would love to read some game-specific case studies explicating on examples of the transition) and the decline of anime in western countries are very interesting and well substantiated.

Racketboy Podcasts

The first time I landed upon Racketboy’s blog I was awestruck at the material on display, loved it. However, this kinda died out in my mind as the articles became a little too formulaic. The 8 or so podcasts that have recently been produced have rekindled my enthusiasm for the website. I’m just so floored by not just the selection of guests, but their appropriacy and the thoughtfulness of the entire production. Some great grassroots retro coverage right here.

An Excitebike World Rally Developer Q&A – Retronauts

There’s been hardly any coverage on the new Excitebike: World Rally title for WiiWare which is quite sad. Thankfully, Jeremy Parish showed the initiative and interviewed some of the key members behind the production. Typically of Parish, there’s some thoughtful questions thrown in and the interview as a whole does a good job at introducing the title. Well worth a read.

The Peak of the ‘Mario’ Franchise – Popmatters

In this post, L.B. Jeffries discusses why Super Mario World is his favourite Mario platformer, referring to the game’s experimental nature, flexibility and devious exploration elements which individualise it from other Mario platformers. Quite a good read.

Bonus Round Episode 402 – The State of the Industry

Jason Rubin freaking gets it. I’ve always enjoyed what Jason has had to say about the games industry and was very pleased to see him back on Bonus Round. This time though there was a bit of confusion regarding his comments made in the second part of the show and he later elaborated on his thoughts via Geoff Keighly’s blog based on angry responses from commenters. I don’t think that Jason needed to supplement what he said on the show with an explanation, it’s quite clear that his comments were washed around with the generalities which the show sometimes takes as given fact (eg. hardcore/casual gaming dichotomy, Wii 3^rd party games not selling). It’s not all bad though, as Jason has started his own blog which is awesome, check it out.

Iwata Asks – Zelda Handheld History

The Iwata Asks interviews is like being given a golden ticket into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. I’m really digging this stuff! You can find a directory of articles here and the initial Wii interviews here. The interviews have a Japanese feel in that there is an undercurrent emphasis on relationship-natured subjects and the unity of the group. The translation of the interviews are fantastic, accompanied by video and picture footnotes. I encourage that you read them all. The Zelda handheld interviews, which I’ve linked to, are quite interesting. I’m very happy that Iwata addressed the individualism of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and the relationship with Flagship and Capcom with the later titles. Above all else though are included images of design docs for the original Zelda and Super Mario Bros. I guess I’ll leave it at that!

Third Party Puzzle – Eurogamer

I’m just going to quote what I said about this article from Twitter:

Basically good games with strong marketing sell, Nintendo’s presence seems to be an excuse to pass blame for under performing in these areas. Even Nintendo have weak sellers like Battalion Wars 2, Walk with Me, Excitebots, Chibi Robo and Custom Robo – same reasons.

The Carrot On A Stick Approach To Game Design – Siliconera

I’ve been quite fortunate in being able to discuss Zelda and Okami with Ishaan from Siliconera. Ishaan is very astute and has a great knowledge about games. I’m pleased then that our discussion evolved into a post which he wrote for Siliconera. There are a few points that he didn’t mention which I might churn out into an article myself.

Link Out (2/4/09)

April 2nd, 2009

sheeva-chris-re5

Finally within the monthly time frame, your dose of recommended readings for March. Many of the links here reflect subjects that I’ve discussed previously on this blog, and are hence natural extensions of the things I’d have to say, written by more talented writers, of course. Resident Evil 5′s racism issue for instance, is a topic I’m keen to explore but honestly probably won’t look at for at least another year. As too are topics about the specialized language systems in games and some poking at the high production portable mentality. Essentially, if you like what you read here, then you’ll probably thoroughly enjoy these:

Resident Evil 5 – Opinions, Further Readings and an Odd Competition

Plenty of interesting discussion on Resident Evil 5 to share. Just to get them out the way, I found the Eurogamer and Crispy Gamer reviews particularly hard-hitting and well thought out. Tom Chick continued the discussion seen in the Crispy Gamer review with some interesting second opinions and the site concluded all this with Gus Mastrapa’s mini history into the use of black people in the horror genre. It rounds off what I consider to be very thorough coverage of a particularly important issue which needs suitably mature discussion.

N’gai Croal also made some very interesting commentaries on 1UP’s Listen Up podcast (I can’t find the link!), regarding the research behind the game and the justification behind the infamous swamp section. The latter in which the player stumbles upon an African tribe, wearing traditional garbs, and carrying spears and wooden shields. His playing partner Stephen Totilo mentions the difference between the player and observer in this situation. In that the player views the game in a completely different light: they are eliminating threats rather than (the observation that) you play the role of a whitey par-taking in mass murder of another ethnicity.

Lastly, Capcom held a treasuring hunting competition in Trafalgar Square recently to promote Resident Evil 5. The contestants had to hunt down pieces of zombie flesh, take them to a set location and yell the word “Kijuju!” (RE5′s fictional location), each body part is worth X number of points, and the contestant with the highest number of points wins. Kinda weird, don’t you think? Particularly when you consider that the prize is an African holiday – ya know, the country which the game in question grossly mis-portrayed the citizens of. Supposively the competition was a success though.

Join the club (again) – Screen Play

As pointed out by Screen Play, Nintendo of Australia has re-opened its Club Nintendo program that was announced to hit Australia over a year ago. While particularly slim at the moment, the rewards on offer are pretty sweet, including Game & Watch Collection for the Nintendo DS, which can only be acquired through the rewards system either in Japan or Australia. Still, very little in comparison to what’s on offer in the UK though.

Analysis: Secret Languages In Game Playing – GSW

An interesting survey (of 300 people) regarding specialized language used in video games. Unfortunately I don’t think that James Portnow fleshed out his results well enough. Only a handful of sentences based on responses from 300 people seems odd, but overall it’s not a bad piece. I also found this video on Zath to be an interesting example of that specialized language in use.

Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime Talks DSi-Enhanced Games, ‘Zelda: Spirit Tracks’ And More – MTV Multiplayer

The thing I really wish to point out about this article is Stephen’s question regarding high profile games on the DS. He questions how Nintendo are facilitating this option for developers, (brilliantly) recognizing Vicarious Visions in the process too, good man Stephen.

Katamari was comment on consumerism – Eurogamer

I found this post particularly moving, as it shades the whole context of this game in a very different light. My previous interpretation of Katamari was unrelated to consumerism, but reading Keita Takahashi intentions, and then his personal reflection of how the game made him feel (and subsequently the development of the minimalist Noby Noby Boy countered) is really powerful stuff. Changes the way I ever considered looking at these games, much in the same way good critique would.

Posted in Link Out | Comments (0)
Tags: Culture, katamari, Link Out, resident evil

Link Out (8/3/09)

March 8th, 2009

patapon-header

You’ve probably noticed the sudden increase in video streams included in the most recent posts. Well at least I hope you have, but more importantly I hope you’ve gain a sense of why I’ve adopted this approach. It’s not a trend that I wish to continue for every post thereafter, rather the last few topics all benefited from some video contextualization.

Same old deal: I’m battling to keep this segment running just within a monthy basis – I always seem a week or two out of the month. As always I’ve tried to seek out the most interesting links from a wide variety of sources. The latter I consider to be pretty important. It’s surprising how many bloggers simply link to the same 3-5 people in their friends group and leave it at that. Tsk, shame on them. I also need to update that blogroll sometime.

A Progress Worth Saving – Critical Gaming

I’m a sucker for personal anecdotes, and Richard does a beautiful job at drawing me in with his description of the power of print, the strength of physicality and how the importance of these things don’t quite equate into the virtual space. I’ve probably spruiked Critical Gaming in the past, but if you haven’t caught on, go ahead and start reading this goldmine of information. I’m currently backlogging myself, seriously, great work at hand.

Legacy of Ys: Books I & II Review – GameCritics.com

I went on silent revolt once I read the changes that GameCritics adopted on their review structure some months ago. I returned though and I’m pleased that I did. I got a lot out of this review of the latest revival of the Ys series. The way Mike ties together rose tinted nostalgia and modern day realities is handled with great respect.

Edge Killzone 2 Review: A Disservice To Game Consumers PSX Extreme

I bet someone over at this site is probably kicking themselves for letting this blind-sighted moron post something so shallow. How did this ever get through editorial? This site deserves all the ridicule that’s been layed upon it. Silly, silly people.

New Games Journalism is Dead. Long live New New Games Journalism.

Chris’ discussion here is an interesting one, I personally disagree with some of the direction, but – as taken up via email – I think we feel pretty mutual on the topic at large. An interesting dissection of the evolution of progressive games writing and a suggestion that we are perhaps running off the rails.

Lunchtime Video – The Importance of ‘Mario Kart’ Sales – MTV Multplayer

There’s been a small dip in quality since Patrick Klepek left late last month, but Stephen and Tracy are still doing a good job at holding the fort. Stephens insightful musing are perhaps the real hook for me which is why I wanted to point this one out.

JetSetRadio Future – GameSpite Issue 12.4

Not so many people are aware of the Xbox JetSetRadio iteration. Fortunately this article puts the nuances between the Dreamcast original and Xbox sequel in good light. The article’s also got me pondering the relationship between Sega’s bolstered Xbox support and the relation that had to do with Windows CE being featured the Dreamcast.

They Call it the Grind for a Reason – Versus CluClu Land

The past couple of days I’ve restarted my backlog through the (numbered) Final Fantasy games, with FF Origins on the PSone. I’ll discuss the game and my venture through the series in due time, for now let’s just say this piece is a suitable introduction.

Draughts Game Complete – Nexfinity.net

I also forgot to plug the latest indie hit sensation Draughts as developed by my twin brother. While the concept of draughts/checkers may appear daft, this is no ordinary iteration of the classic board game. Well actually it is, but Chris had been sure to develop the game on pretty low end code from the ground up. You won’t notice this much in play as the game was intended to be a used for crunching code rather than design. It’s neat though, so I recommend you check it out, the code is all open source too, so take a squiz and see if you can help him flatten any strange anomalies that might surface.

Good Times Spent With Friends – Press the Buttons

Cuties! I love these cute characterizations of the consoles and PC.

Other equally great stuff that I can’t put words to:

Through The Tubes – Raptured Reality

Child’s Play – Eurogamer

Behind The Charts: The Portable Rhythm Game Jam – GameSetWatch

Disney Capcom NES Games – HardcoreGaming101

Iwata: ‘Essence Of Fun’ Can Overcome Gap Between Japanese, Western Culture

Only in Japan – Japanmanship