The Birds and the Bears: A Brief History of Banjo-Kazooie
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Posted on November 24th, 2008 by
This Week in Games: November 23 – 29
Posted on November 23rd, 2008 by
Apparently the tide has turned from the flood of releases to taking time to make sure to sell everything. This is evidenced by the fact that all three of Sony’s platforms combine for three new games this week, with one a leftover from last week and the PS3 getting no new games at all. The biggest release this week comes from the DS – the hotly anticipated remake of Chrono Trigger. The DS also gets a new Age of Empires game to follow the well recieved original release from 2005. Other than that … well, not much in terms of major releases. Well, maybe Gothic 3 Collector’s Edition will actually come out this week and deliver me the expansion supposedly released last week (but apparently not despite a press release to the contrary). Check out the rest of the list! more…
NeoPets Puzzle Adventure Interview
Posted on November 22nd, 2008 by
Neopets Puzzle Adventure is an upcoming puzzler for the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC. It features characters from the popular NeoPets Web site mixed with gameplay similar to Othello/Reversi. I recently got a chance to ask a few questions to Sean Epperson of Griptonite Games, developers of Neopets Puzzle Adventure (DS). Read on for some great insight about the new game!
GamerDad’s Week in Games 11/21/08
Posted on November 22nd, 2008 by
Original Half-Life $0.98 Today Only
Posted on November 21st, 2008 by
OK, it started Wednesday, but I only heard about it late last night … anyway, this milestone first-person shooter is celebrating its’ 10th birthday, and as a treat, Valve is giving it away for the low price of 98 cents (get it, released in 1998, sell for 98 cents!). I had been working on a Retrospective, but let me just be clear – it was a great game in 1998, and it is still great now. The graphics have been improved through the Source engine, but it still looks like a 1998 game. The gameplay and excellent narrative style haven’t lost their edge a bit in the last decade. If you don’t own it – or even if you do but don’t have it on Steam, go here and buy it. NOW!!! EDITOR: Mike meant to warn parents that this game is rated M. It’s tame by today’s standards, I could see 15+ myself, but parent be warned. Half-Life is a horror game.
Good. Old. Games.
Posted on November 20th, 2008 by
I love truth in advertising, and the guys from CD Projekt (responsible for bringing us The Witcher) were certainly upfront when creating their new site. The European publisher wanted to make a site that would charge a reasonable amount and give gamers older games that were out of circulation in a convenient, DRM-free package that you can download forever. I *know* … so why are you still here!?!? more…
Mississippi Library Association Keynote
Posted on November 19th, 2008 by
Tomorrow morning I jet off to Jackson Mississippi to address a few hundred librarians while they eat dinner. I’ll probably be helping them with their game night too. To be honest? I can’t wait. It’s fun and fine to chat with gamers and gamerparents, especially at a place like PAX, but I can’t move people there. I can’t defend gaming and I can’t explain why I think it’s crucial that libraries be involved and make games available to everyone who can afford a console – not just the rich. If I can change a few minds, I can really help a lot of parents and kids. Thank you MLA for this opportunity.
Beyond the ESRB
Posted on November 18th, 2008 by
Recently, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (the body that rates the games) announced that they would – finally – add more detail about why games get the ratings they do. This is something I’ve been advocating for my entire career and it took them 5 years, but they finally did it. So why didn’t I post about it? Sour grapes isn’t the right word and I don’t feel slighted or wounded really – I’m just disappointed. Here’s why…
Mirror’s Edge
Posted on November 18th, 2008 by
Mirror’s Edge is the kind of game I hate because of how much I love it. (Portal is another great example.) These are games that thrill me with their style or uniqueness while making me want to break the record for how fast you can throw a controlleragainst a wall. I’m about halfway through and stuck in Mirror’s Edge, stuck in a way that makes me want to NEVER start the game again … but I know that’s not true. I’ll break eventually. Mirror’s Edge is too interesting and cool for me to be able to ignore it completely.
Left4Dead – PC, 360
Posted on November 18th, 2008 by
Valve makes great games – only, they don’t make them often enough. After loving Half-Life, Half-Life 2 and then the embarrassment of riches that was the Team Fortress 2 and Portal in the Orange Box (all but one of those are rated M). Today Left4Dead was released and it’s, frankly, an amazing step forward in terms of multiplayer, co-op, and politeness. Valve once again has knocked the industry down a peg and created a game that will lead, hopefully, to a lot of copy-cats.
