Linkout (15/11/09)
November 15th, 2009
Link Out: My attempt at a monthly collection of recommended readings from around the interwebs
Thank you for your patience over this past week as I’ve been rounding out my last major university assignment (ever!). Fortunately, I’ve got no exams so I’m basically free for a week until I start my 4 week long TESOL course which’ll likely continue the disrupted flow of new posts leading into Christmas. *sigh* I have plenty to write, but little time to apply myself, so we’ll see how this next week fairs.
As tradition would have it, it’s been a long time between links (ZING!), so I’d like fix that for now:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Movie Trailer
Finally we get to see how the Prince of Persia movie is shaping up, and as the trailer clearly showcases it looks fairly promising. As another Hollywood blockbuster, that is, but for the same reasons I criticized the Sands of Time game, it looks like the movie will be another western parade though a superficial interpretation of the Middle East. Yay!
Otherwise, the film appears to draw most of its influence from The Two Thrones, things could be worse I suppose.
Forums – To Read, or Not To Read – Too Much Imagination
In keeping with the Prince of Persia theme, the following post is taken from the blog of Ben Mattes who you might know from his role as a producer on the later Prince of Persia games. His post, primarily regarding community forums, shares some interesting insight into the mindset of developers towards the enthusiast community.
I really wish there was greater interaction between the two parties as the analysis here and elsewhere around the interwebs is basically the type of well thought out feedback from concentrated play testing that most companies would pay money for. They can get it for free from us! Furthermore, considering the effort that some of us put into our writing, I think that most enthusiast writers (along this vein) would be profoundly motivated by any engagement with developers. I know that some of the people from Sony Bend have read my articles on Syphon Filter, which makes my heart skip a beat. Although, I’ll admit, I was considerably less enthusiastic about PopCap’s response. Still, any interaction is likely to have a positive effect.
I’m guilty of throwing Eurogamer a few too many links in this segment, but with such well articulated analysis and opinions (Simon Parkin’s powerful review of Modern Warfare 2 is one of the best pieces of writing I’ve read all year) it’s difficult not to be enthused. The above video chronicles the rise of the website from humble beginnings to it’s current state. The multiplatform, Australian equivalents such as PALGN will have to grow some serious editorial balls before they can attempt to contend with the likes of Eurogamer.
COLUMN: Battle Klaxon: The People Power of Valkyria Chronicles – GSW
Battle Klaxon is my favourite new column over at GameSetWatch. Quintin Smith, who incidentally also works for Eurogamer, covers niche gems neglected by the mainstream games press, describing what made them so special for the people who played them. Valkyria Chronicles is an ideal choice for the column, I’ve played a bit of this Fire-Emblem-meets-Final-Fantasy-Tactics-SRPG-hybrid, but am yet to make enough headway to make any qualitative observations. What I can say though is that I’m an ardent, SRPG purist who adores both of the two previously mentioned titles, so Valkyria Chronicles will probably come to sit in the middle of those two titles. Almost every blog in my feed reader is now centred around retro and/or niche titles, so Battle Klaxon is a welcomed addition to the diet…
Metal Gear – MSX and NES Comparison – Hardcore Gaming101
…as is Hardcore Gaming 101. Yes, this site is not new to me, I’ve been reading them for years, and yes I’ve known about their new blog since it had launched. For some unfathomable reason though I forgot to subscribe to the site the first time round back in July/August and it flew off my radar. Thankfully I spent a few hours whoring out the backlog recently and have left suitably impressed. I chose the above, Metal Gear article as my favourite post on the site so far as it reflects the exhaustive dedication that Kurt Kulata and his crew of contributors put into their work. Mega effort, well done folks. Kurt was also recently interviewed on the first episode of the Racketboy podcast, props to those guys too.
I’ve kind of strayed off the path myself when it comes to reading the Brainy Gamer blog, simply because my tastes have adjusted to more analysis/criticism-heavy reading, rather than Michael’s handful of general commentaries (great stuff, naturally, but very general, lacks explanation and example). With that said though, Michael is very good at summarising community consensus. His article reflects on his personal response to the mainstream rollercoaster of game release. Rather than playing the latest AAA blockbuster on the scene, Michael is finding that he prefers the smaller, older and perhaps even neglected titles of the industry. I can definitely sympathize with his feelings here. I stopped trying to chase the mainstream rat race years ago and it’s been wonderful because I save money and get to blaze my own path of writing, rather than bucking to popular trends. This is a superbly written post which intersects with the ethos of the site, so do take a read.
The Monthly Grind: Final Thoughts on Demon’s Souls – The Grind
Considering it’s niche appeal, Demon’s Souls has been receiving a great deal of coverage from blogs and the enthusiast outlets. I’ve been following the conversations myself and I think Kat Bailey is the furthest ahead of the curve on her analysis of the title. In concluding on her one month play through of Demon’s Souls she draws on her analysis and discussions with others to explicate on the different viewpoints regarding the title—the split being that players find it either unrelenting in difficulty or a supremely rewarding experience—she backs the latter and uses her deconstruction of both perspectives to persuasively argue in favour of the title. It’s clear that much consideration has been put into dissecting the different interpretations and to this end I’m very impressed. The Mt. Fuji anecdote and bad Thai food metaphor (gosh, so true) are expertly handled and make the article personal and therefore meaningful. This is a good article to highlight the strengths of the medium.
Extra Links
A First Look At Two of The PS3′s Newer, Funnier Ads
Proof that Sony have some of the best marketers in the world. ^_^
The last few months of delicious links
Link Out (26/1/09)
January 26th, 2009
Not only am I back in the writer’s chair, I’m back home in Australia with the better half of my summer holidays layed out in front of me. In fact this whole year is shaping up to be significantly lighter on the workload which I am hoping will result in great things for the blog in 2009.
While my posting frequency has been on a downhill slump for the past few months, everyday away from home I’ve been thinking of new blog ideas and different ways to apply those ideas to my understanding of games. Now, with the time and energy to kill I want to start processing those ideas into what I hope to be a solid representation of what I have in mind for future writing. I feel that my experience abroad should prove to be a pivotal asset to the future of this blog too.
While I might have not been writing everyday, I’ve certainly been staying glued to my favourite publications and writers for the past stretch. So it’s time again to share my personal picks.
IndieGames.com Best-Of 2009 Feature
Indie games have the been the meat of my gaming diet over the past couple of months. Leaving most full production, paid for games sitting on the wayside. I’ve fallen in love with the fresh, passionate approach that drives the development of these games. You probably don’t know it, but about 4 years ago I co-developed a game with my twin brother, sold a few copies etc etc. Having done a little of this, I get great satisfaction out of seeing the work of others. If you’ve ever been interested in trying indie games for the first time, the 2009 list is an invaluable starting resource and where I started early last year (it goes back to 2006 too). No doubt I’ll be writing about these games as I continue to play them.
Faith From Mirror’s Edge Fan-Designed For Asian Tastes
Woah, this one has been sitting on the back burner for a few months! Basically the article features a Photoshoped version of Faith, re-designed for the tastes of Asian consumers. Between the two versions the only differences are that the eyes and breasts which are both largened. I’m a little confused though, as far as my understanding goes, wider, open eyes are considered beautiful in Asian culture but breasts are fine no matter what size the bust. It couldn’t be the other way round either, since it is still a mix match between the two nuances. Maybe the breast thing is a Japanese quirk that got blanketed as Asian, I dunno, sorry for bringing it up. >_<
To All The Scouts I’ve Loved – The New Gamer
I hate the thought of plonking down $AUD100 (convert that into American dollars why don’t you?) for a shiny, new release title, especially when I can download an enjoyable indie rhomp for free. Still, back around the Christmas period, Valkyria Chronicles was the only new release that piqued my attention. In fact, I am dying to play this game, what seems to be a hybrid of my dearly lovely SRPG favourites (Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics) with it’s own adhering qualities as mentioned in this brilliant critique.
I haven’t read all of these articles yet, I’ll admit that (it’ll happen in due time) but this conglomerate of well written articles is easy to recommend. There’s a whole bunch of articles swimming around regarding the recent internal changes with the 1UP Network, but I feel this one is the only one that does them all justice.
Eurogamer’s Top 50 Games of 2008
A slightly different take on the game of the year awards, churned out by all publications come the end of the year. More like an open forum for the staff to discuss their experiences with each title. It’s pretty refreshing due to the actual discussion and contrast of opinions taking place, a lot of clever, non-snarky humour too.
Retronauts 61, and why 4 means death in Japanese
An interesting rant of sorts by Jeremy Parish over anti-hollywoodisation of the games industry, our graphical ceiling and the opposing polarity of “casual” and “hardcore”, all referenced appropriately with the Dragon Quest series. Lots of interesting points made. Korey over at You Are Lose also ponders the significance of high end graphics for games built on far simpler ground.
Little Big Planet Play Through – Brainy Gamer
Michael Abbott from the Brainy Gamer wrote a pleasing three part series covering the experiences of him and his family members playing Little Big Planet together. Unlike the dump of dismay that fell upon this title near a few months back, Michael’s experience is much more colourful and captures what I interpret the essence of the game to be very well.
This link was forwarded to me from the nice guys over at Video Games Blogger and good on them for doing that. While perhaps not as organized or interesting as it could have been, this video managed to make me chuckle a few times and is essential viewing for crazy MGS fans like me. There are obvious spoilers for the series here.
Other Links
‘New’ Gray Nintendo Logo Is For U.S. Too
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