General gaming

General gaming

Videogame Journalism Pioneer Bill "The Game Doctor" Kunkel Passes Away

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:55 PM PDT

Bill Kunkel

Bill Kunkel, also know as "the Game Doctor" and "the Grandfather of Videogame Journalism," passed away on Sunday, September 4. He was a pioneer in the field of videogame journalism, having been a co-founder of Electronic Games magazine in 1981 along with Arnold Katz.

Kunkel served as the Executive Editor for Electronic Games until it was shut down in 1985. (It would reemerge, for a time, in the early 1990s with him on board.) It was the first magazine of its kind to be found in the United States, and Kunkel made a name for himself with his "Game Doctor" columns that would later make it into a number of other publications, including Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer Gaming World.

Even if you aren't old enough to have read his original work, you've surely felt his influence. He and the others Electronic Games invented terms like "Easter egg" and "screenshot," and he was a proponent of the term "videogame." (Although he acknowledges that "video game" is the more search engine-friendly of the two.)

Slavery: The Game Seems Awfully Fake

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 01:48 PM PDT


A website and trailer recently appeared for a supposed real-time strategy game called Slavery: The Game. All signs point to it not being real, but one way or the other, the makers of Total War have nothing to do with it.

The trailer, seen above, talks about the "game" being set in the 17th century, when Europe still ruled the world. Players are able to buy slaves and then "discipline" and "exploit" them in an effort to "become the most powerful slave trader." An inventory screen shows that players can level up and equip different weapons such as a whip, rifle, and spiked club.

Now, it goes without saying how offensive something like this would be if real, but even as a joke (or a publicity stunt), it's going to cause a great deal of outrage.

Spectator Gaming: They Play, So You Don't Have To

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 11:41 AM PDT

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Spectator Gaming: They Play, So You Don't Have To

By: Bob Mackey September 5, 2011

Explain the concept of "Let's Play" to the uninformed, and you're bound to receive a few befuddled looks in return. After all, important news sources and politicians have made a habit of blaming video games for rampant idleness and wasted lives -- so proclaiming the joys of watching over playing can peg you as sort of a weirdo, at least until the judgmental check out this Internet phenomenon for themselves.

If the concept of Let's Play escapes you -- or, if you've simply never encountered it during your Internet adventures -- it's really not all that complicated; folks play through a game, continually document their progress via photos or video, and add their own commentary to complete the package. This content is typically posted in message board threads, which draw in an enthusiastic audience that's eager to discuss the game, contribute suggestions, and even concoct their own creative works directly related to the title in question. The result: a highly interactive community that's created hundreds upon hundreds of hours of entertainment, all for the love of gaming.

Dragon Quest X May Not be Free to Play Online

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 09:37 AM PDT

Dragon Quest X

The new Dragon Quest for Wii and Wii U will have an MMO-like style. To go along with that, it may also have an MMO-like usage fee.

The newly-launched Dragon Quest X website has a spec sheet that lists both "price" and "usage fee." According to Andriasang, they are both currently "TBA" (as in "to be announced"), so at least as of yet, Square Enix isn't saying if DQX will have some sort of subscription fee that's required to play online.

Of course, even if one had been announced, it wouldn't necessarily apply for North American or European gamers. Our news story earlier today mentions how Monster Hunter Tri influenced Dragon Quest IX and seems to be doing the same with DQX. Tri costs money (in the form of Wii Points) to play online in Japan; those in the United States and Europe, on the other hand, are able to play free of charge.

Interview: The Past and Future of Halo

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 09:33 AM PDT

Halo stewards 343 Industries revealed a small amount of new information on Halo 4 last weekend at PAX Prime ancillary Halofest event. Perhaps more illuminating was this lengthy, casual conversation Mike Nelson and I had with franchise director Frank O'Connor a few weeks ago, which touches on both the history of the series and where 343i hopes to take Halo now that Bungie has moved along to other concerns. (Special thanks to Jose Otero for help with this article.)

MGS: Peace Walker HD Supports Four-Player Online Co-Op

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 08:37 AM PDT

four player Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker HD Collection

All of the visual improvements to Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in the upcoming HD Collection won't result in the game's multiplayer being stripped out. In fact, you'll be able to play in games with up to four players online.

The news was confirmed by Hideo Kojima on Twitter earlier today (where he posted the picture above). He also mentioned that the game runs at 60 frames per second and displays various characters' dialogue on the loading screen, for those of you who judge the merit of a game on the content of its loading screens.

On PlayStation Portable, you could play much (but not all) of the game alongside three other players. Some of the extra missions were made much easier when played with other players; however, difficulty wasn't scaled to the number of people playing. This issue is touched upon further in 1UP's review.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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