Curmudgeon Gamer
12 September 2007
The future of violent videogames
The future. Not the future (and probably NSFW for some people). Just so you know.
The longer version is that we've reached the point where more graphic gore doesn't actually make games more appealing. You can have more blood. You can have more fluid-like blood. You can have severed heads and limbs that bump around the environment with amazingly realistic physics. You can even have those severed heads and limbs give off appropriately heavy or squishy sound effects in Dolby Digital 5.1.
But it's all for naught. I think Valve has put their finger on what matters: a visually appealing game that is (hopefully) fun to play. It will be more broadly appreciated. It's not that terribly far removed from Looney Toons that we've all watched as kids.
I don't know what a game like Ninja Gaiden really thinks it will accomplish with gore like that, but the one thing it won't achieve is mainstream acceptance.
The longer version is that we've reached the point where more graphic gore doesn't actually make games more appealing. You can have more blood. You can have more fluid-like blood. You can have severed heads and limbs that bump around the environment with amazingly realistic physics. You can even have those severed heads and limbs give off appropriately heavy or squishy sound effects in Dolby Digital 5.1.
But it's all for naught. I think Valve has put their finger on what matters: a visually appealing game that is (hopefully) fun to play. It will be more broadly appreciated. It's not that terribly far removed from Looney Toons that we've all watched as kids.
I don't know what a game like Ninja Gaiden really thinks it will accomplish with gore like that, but the one thing it won't achieve is mainstream acceptance.
--jvm at 01:07
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[ 11 ]
17 March 2007
Tomb Raider: Anniversary on Steam
According to GameDaily, Eidos has announced several of its games will appear on Steam. While that's interesting enough, I am fascinated that they're announcing that Tomb Raider: Anniversary will also be on Steam.
While it is in some sense just a remake of the original game, it is still a fairly high-profile product. I could see announcing that it would be on Steam maybe a year after it had been published, but to announce it will be on Steam at this time probably means you will be able to buy it on Steam the same day it's available in brick-and-mortar stores. That's big news.
It is also interesting that Eidos has previous cut a deal with Steam's biggest competitor, GameTap. Tomb Raiders 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all available through that service and Lara has been featured in GameTap advertisements. Here's one that they're currently running on their website:
It would appear that Eidos is testing the waters with more than one online game delivery service. I wonder which will look more attractive to them in a year: the ongoing residuals from GameTap or the outright sales* of Valve.
* Yes, I know it's not an outright sale: you still have to have yourself plugged into the Steam network. I still dislike both services intensely.
While it is in some sense just a remake of the original game, it is still a fairly high-profile product. I could see announcing that it would be on Steam maybe a year after it had been published, but to announce it will be on Steam at this time probably means you will be able to buy it on Steam the same day it's available in brick-and-mortar stores. That's big news.
It is also interesting that Eidos has previous cut a deal with Steam's biggest competitor, GameTap. Tomb Raiders 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all available through that service and Lara has been featured in GameTap advertisements. Here's one that they're currently running on their website:
It would appear that Eidos is testing the waters with more than one online game delivery service. I wonder which will look more attractive to them in a year: the ongoing residuals from GameTap or the outright sales* of Valve.* Yes, I know it's not an outright sale: you still have to have yourself plugged into the Steam network. I still dislike both services intensely.
Labels: gametap, online distribution, tomb raider, valve
--jvm at 10:37
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[ 3 ]
22 February 2007
Ritual irony: Do Not Play With Valve
Years ago I wrote a review of SiN for LinuxGames. (I haven't read it in years, so no snickering if it's awful.) One of my favorite screenshots was this one in which Ritual, developer of SiN, sniped at Valve, developer of Half-life:
The story is that both SiN and Half-life were releasing almost simultaneously at the end of 1998. To beat Half-life to market Activision shipped an unfinished, buggy version of SiN. This naturally explains the 20Mb patch that I had to download over dialup in January 1999 and it gives context to the sign in the screenshot:
So it is amusing to note the irony that all these many years later the original SiN and an episodic sequel utilizing Valve's Source engine were both released on Valve's online delivery system, Steam. How'd that work out for Ritual? They're now going to make casual games and the SiN episodic game experiment appears to be shelved, if not outright dead.
One wonders if Ritual ought to have taken its own advice.
The story is that both SiN and Half-life were releasing almost simultaneously at the end of 1998. To beat Half-life to market Activision shipped an unfinished, buggy version of SiN. This naturally explains the 20Mb patch that I had to download over dialup in January 1999 and it gives context to the sign in the screenshot:DANGER: DO NOT PLAY WITH VALVE.
So it is amusing to note the irony that all these many years later the original SiN and an episodic sequel utilizing Valve's Source engine were both released on Valve's online delivery system, Steam. How'd that work out for Ritual? They're now going to make casual games and the SiN episodic game experiment appears to be shelved, if not outright dead.
One wonders if Ritual ought to have taken its own advice.
--jvm at 15:25
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08 February 2007
Valve's console trojan horse
I'm very pleased to see official word on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Half-life 2. The package will include the original Half-life 2, Episodes 1 & 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The real question now becomes how will networking be handled, and will all platforms be able to play against each other.
I'd like to put two quotes together that I think indicate that we'll see the Steam service on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 relatively soon. First, GameSpot's report from yesterday:
But it's more than just downloadable extras, it's the entire Steam platform. I think that's the implication of the above report and the "no comment" in a recent CVG interview (found via Steam Review):
I wouldn't be surprised to see Valve try it. Like the rest of us, they like money, and actually have the means to make this kind of thing happen.
I'd like to put two quotes together that I think indicate that we'll see the Steam service on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 relatively soon. First, GameSpot's report from yesterday:
The Orange Box will be released for the PC, 360, and PS3, but EA confirmed to GameSpot that it will be the only Half-Life 2 product offered for the two consoles at retail.That's my emphasis. Maybe it's just extra verbiage from the GameSpot writer, but I bet that means what it implies: there will be other offerings through network downloads.
But it's more than just downloadable extras, it's the entire Steam platform. I think that's the implication of the above report and the "no comment" in a recent CVG interview (found via Steam Review):
CVG: One question on our mind is whether your forthcoming Half-Life 2 releases on Xbox 360 and PS3 will be tied in with Steam - what's the score here?Together I think those indicate the real news behind the Half-life 2 packages: they're Valve's trojan horse to get Steam's storefront out on the big consoles.Lombardi: Nothing to report today.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Valve try it. Like the rest of us, they like money, and actually have the means to make this kind of thing happen.
--jvm at 10:05
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