General gaming

General gaming

Skyrim Workshop Could Bring Mods to the Masses Like Never Before

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 05:32 PM PST

For all of its bugs, glitches, and issues, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is still a remarkable game. As I'm sure was the case for many other gamers, the promise of eventual mod support was in and of itself enough reason for me to purchase the game on PC. Expansive mods are no longer all that far off as support is in place for the Skyrim Workshop now that the 1.4 update is available through Steam.

As demonstrated in the video above, Bethesda will soon be releasing the Creation Kit (mod-making software comprised of the same tools used to make the game) to the masses, enabling those who are so inclined to begin creating new content for what is already a content-rich game. Mods do exist for Skyrim but they are largely limited to things like UI refinements, improved world maps, enhanced textures, and so on. The Creation Kit should allow for a great deal more than that.

Why You Should Ignore Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning's Constant Namedropping

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 05:00 PM PST

Before the demo from two weeks ago, all most people knew about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was that it's the first product of a studio that boasts a roster containing baseball legend Curt Schilling, comics and action figures guru Todd McFarlane, Dungeons & Dragons scribe R.A. Salvatore, and Internationally Celebrated Game Designer Ken Rolston. That, along with the basic boast of how Reckoning mashes up the combat of God of War with the expansive world of an Elder Scrolls title, dominated public awareness of the game.

We've seen the game a few times, but even those demos were either a brief and out-of-context presentation or, in Jeremy's case, a long yet woefully out-of-context hands-on session. Jeremy had the unenviable task of jumping into a late-game area completely cold, dealing with a combat system and boss encounter designed for people who have been playing the game for 30-plus hours and a story moment that, while cool-looking, was dense with Salvatore's Amalurian jargon. In contrast, I've been playing a final copy of the game for a good 40 hours (and have only recently reached the area that Jeremy was thrust into), and while my final thoughts will have to wait until next week's review, I find that once I played the game at my own pace, it managed to grab and hold onto me more than any other time I'd seen it.

The Free-to-Play Shift Continues: Rift Now Free Up to Level 20

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 03:29 PM PST

Rift

As if EverQuest dropping subscriptions wasn't enough of a sign that the subscription-based MMO business model will eventually be replaced by free-to-play, Trion Worlds has announced it will begin allowing players to experience a good chunk of Rift's early game content for free.

It's an identical move to the one Blizzard made last summer in the face of declining World of Warcraft subscription numbers. Coinciding with the release of the 1.7 update, a version of Rift known as Rift Lite is debuting today. By signing up for a free Trion account, you will be able to play up to level 20 without any restrictions on how long you can play for. Previously the trial available would only allow for seven days of play time before requiring the game be purchased in order to continue. That was a more significant free period than WoW's (which allowed you to play for only 48 hours), though removing the time limit altogether is a smarter approach.

Review: Mutant Mudds Proves to be Worth the Asking Price

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 02:30 PM PST

As a rule, I like to avoid to discussing price and value when reviewing games. Who am I to say how anyone else should spend their money? Finances are a tricky enough topic on their own, and I'd never presume to know the first thing about anyone else's money matters, how they determine their gaming budget, or what they find valuable in a game. However, the matter of pricing has largely dominated online discussion of Mutant Mudds for 3DS, up to and including the game's developer, Renegade Kidd, throwing their own hat into the ring.

The developers have been very up-front about the game's somewhat premium price (at least as far as eShop games go) and the thinking behind that decision -- namely, the fact that Renegade Kidd hopes to stay in business. This in turn has sparked debate over Nintendo's handling of the eShop versus Apple's approach to the iOS App Store, the pricing of non-retail games, and ultimately may have played a part in the game's price coming in "slightly lower than expected" at $8.99.

Zynga's Alleged Copycat Seems to be Lacking the Innovation it Preaches

Posted: 01 Feb 2012 02:17 PM PST

Zynga, Buffalo Games

Although it was hardly the first time it had been accused of copying an existing game, accusations that Zynga had cribbed the design of Tiny Tower struck a more sensitive nerve than usual. Maybe that's because Tiny Tower is more beloved and well-known than, say, a game like Farm Town, which seems to have had a pretty clear influence on FarmVille. As expected Zynga has denied the allegations and even suggested those complaining about their games being copied are not as innocent as they would have you believe, though it still remains to be seen where Zynga has innovated on the Tiny Tower formula.

Following in the footsteps of Tiny Tower developer NimbleBit, Buffalo Studios released an infographic contrasting the recently-revealed Zynga Bingo with its own Bingo Blitz game. There are certainly similarities, though Zynga posits the reason its game resembles Buffalo's is not because Zynga copied the competition.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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