General gaming

General gaming

Yakuza: Dead Souls Review: An Undercooked Zombie Casserole

Posted: 19 Mar 2012 04:58 PM PDT

A great number of Japanese games rest on the time-tested foundation of plagiarism; heck, who knows where Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima would be without the combined works of Ridley Scott, John Carpenter, and James Cameron? But there comes a point when imitation is more of an act of desperation than flattery; and in the case of Yakuza: Dead Souls, the flagrant borrowing seen throughout doesn't come from a place of sincere affection, but rather, a desire to graft an undead angle onto a series desperately in need of a reboot.

Granted, it's tough to innovate within the overplayed zombie game genre, but it's equally difficult to forgive a game that offers up not one, but four distinct ripoffs of the iconic special infected from Valve's Left 4 Dead within their own game. The Yakuza series is known for featuring an abundance of ideas borrowed from many different sources -- which is why many refer to it as "the Japanese Grand Theft Auto" -- but in the case of Dead Souls, Sega chose to pilfer concepts from a multitude of zombie games without thinking much about what these individual elements added to their respective packages. The result is an experience that provides the basic thrills of zombie-killing within the strangely addictive lite-RPG Yakuza framework, but one that never forges its own identity amid a sea of clunky combat.

The Witness is One of 2012's Greatest Mysteries

Posted: 19 Mar 2012 02:52 PM PDT

witness

It's hard not to marvel at Jonathan Blow's chutzpah. Braid, his 2008 XBLA puzzler, played with the concepts and consequences of time travel through its mechanics as well as narrative. After high sales and quite a bit of accolade, Blow used most of the money he made off of Braid to help finance his next project, a first person exploration game called The Witness. While a decision like this would seems cripplingly frightening, you have to applaud the confidence that Blow has in his art. This confidence is part of the reason why The Witness is my most anticipated game of 2012, and after sitting down with Blow during GDC, it remains at the top of my list. Although the game still has a ways to go, Blow is confident that the final portion of the game is the single best thing that he's ever designed. Coming from the man who created one of my favorite video games of this generation, it's safe to say that my anticipation for The Witness grows with every new look. In preparation for its release, I've compiled a list of five ways to ready yourself for the title, some of which Blow himself alluded to while others contain connections that I've made from what we learned about the game.

Dear Esther

Upon first viewing the screenshots for The Witness, the immediate comparison to Myst sprang forward. They're both environmental puzzle games played through a first person view and set on an enigmatic island. Blow even admits to drawing inspiration from the PC classic. But instead of replaying Myst for the dozenth time, try something a little more modern. I suggest Dear Esther, a Half-Life 2 mod created by British developers thechineseroom. The mod was first released 2008, but just last month received a full-fledged remake that improves on the original in every way possible. The game places you in the role of a nameless wanderer who explores the expanses of a dreary island. Narration in the game is delivered via snippets of letters sent to a woman named Esther. There are no puzzles or combat scenarios whatsoever, so the game ends up becoming equal parts ghost story and walkabout. From what we've seen from The Witness, both games share a similarly lonesome tone that emanates from a mysterious island lost in time.

Dictionary of the Khazars

OP-ED: Online Passes Should Change How and When Online Servers Are Shut Down

Posted: 19 Mar 2012 01:30 PM PDT

EA Sports MMA

Electronic Arts shutting down the online servers for some of its less recent titles is nothing unusual; it's happened numerous times, just as it has with other publishers' titles. Games like Burnout Revenge and Need for Speed: ProStreet will no longer feature online play come April 13, and in light of how old the games are (Revenge has been available for six years on Xbox 360), it's hard to be surprised. Not all of the games getting the shutdown treatment are quite so old, however, and age is not even the only problem with what's going on here.

EA was the company that spearheaded the online pass movement. Although the motivation behind it is often said to be something else, online passes help publishers to make money off of used game sales. Certain features -- typically online multiplayer, though that's not always the case -- are not accessible merely by popping in the game. Those who purchase a new copy of such a game are given a code that can be redeemed for access to these features, while used game buyers are forced to purchase the online pass (usually for $10 or $15) in order to gain their hands on the content.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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