General gaming

General gaming

Do Steam Sales and Indie Bundles Devalue Games?

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 03:35 PM PDT

Steam Humble Indie Bundle

There are certain guarantees in life. For me, one of them is that anytime a Humble Indie Bundle or a big Steam sale pops up, I'm going to spend some money. At this point it's become a reflex; I may not have time to play whatever it is I'm going to buy, but when you can get quality games for so cheap I find it hard to say no. These events may only come a few times a year, though at any given time you can head over to Steam (or GamersGate, Impulse, et al) and find any number of games heavily discounted. Roughly two dozen games are on sale on Steam right this very second, including Arcania: Gothic 4 for $4.99 (75% off), the Cities in Motion Collection for $13.99 (65% off), and Sniper Elite for $2.50 (75% off). This is great news for gamers, right? Games can be picked up for a fraction of their regular prices, developers make some money, and everyone is surely better off. Or are they?

I've picked up on some buying behavior of mine that's had me questioning that line of thinking in recent months. Having not played Braid in quite some time, I thought about buying the PC version and playing it when I'm stuck with only my laptop. A quick visit to Steam showed it costs $9.99, a price that it is more than fair for such a terrific game. Yet rather than go ahead and buy the game right away, as I ordinarily would be happy to with an indie game I already own on another platform, I decided to wait. "It might be on sale soon," I told myself. Next time I logged into Steam I found out I already owned Braid (no doubt as a result of some previous Steam sale), rendering the decision to wait a moot point. Yet it isn't the only time I've found myself interested in a game that I decided to wait on in the hopes of it eventually going on sale; since buying an iPad recently, I checked on the price of Civilization Revolution every day, only to be rewarded with a big price cut after a few days. A similar situation played out with Ticket to Ride where, after a week or two of waiting, it was made available free for a day.

Playing Saints Row and The Witcher on Facebook Works Surprisingly Well

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 12:56 PM PDT

Saints Row: The Third

Although OnLive is probably brought up the most when talking about cloud gaming, Gaikai is no less impressive. We've seen it bring streaming games to websites like Walmart.com before, but with the service being brought to Facebook this week, it's opening itself up to a huge user base that has -- as Zynga's success demonstrates -- shown an interest in playing games. No doubt part of the success of Facebook games has been due to their ease of access; you click on a link and you're playing right in your browser. That simplicity is one reason OnLive may have difficulty in garnering users through Facebook; for Gaikai, it's absolutely perfect.

The new Facebook app works just as it should. You're presented with a list of games you can sample: Pick one, allow Java to run, and it'll load right up. It's a seamless experience, and aside from what can be somewhat of a lengthy initial load, there's really no fuss in playing. It's no different than playing a typical game on Facebook, right down to the ability to continue chatting with Facebook friends (though you'll need to scroll down so the game window isn't blocking your view).

Spirit Camera Review: A Lack of Focus

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 10:48 AM PDT

During the early months of the DS, several shallow games existed solely to take advantage of the then-novel features of Nintendo's touchscreen system. Thankfully, these shaky releases soon gave way to more complex and thoughtful experiences, transforming the handheld from a dubious gamble to a mega-moneymaker and critical darling. The 3DS' first year has fared far better, offering up many quality games with completely optional gimmicks; if cranking up that 3D slider makes you feel like Arnold Schwarzenegger at the beginning of Total Recall, well, you can always enjoy games in a visual format that doesn't boil the brain. Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir marks the first time a retail 3DS release has required the system's special features, and unfortunately, it doesn't differ much from the Feel the Magic: XY/XXs and Ping Pals of the past; this camera-based adventure may keep you hypnotized by the technical tricks of Nintendo's latest handheld, but its three-hour main quest doesn't come close to exploring the possibilities lurking within such a unique concept.

If the premise of Spirit Camera seems familiar, that's because the game borrows the same conceit (and developer) as the Fatal Frame series; in true J-horror fashion, flash photography stands as your only means of defense against an army of vengeful ghosts. To fit the features of its platform, Spirit Camera swaps the haunted houses of survival horror past for your own surroundings, taking advantage of the 3DS camera to transform a boring bedroom or office into a hotbed of paranormal activity. In your role as the protagonist, you're tasked with using the powerful Camera Obscura (the 3DS) to help a friendly ghost named Maya solve the many mysteries of the diary of faces -- a 16-page booklet that ships with the game itself.

The Craziest Ports of the Classic-est Games

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 08:06 AM PDT

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The Craziest Ports of the Classic-est Games

Just because something can play video games, doesn't mean it should play all of them.

By: Ray Barnholt April 12, 2012

Today, most multi-platform games don't have huge gulfs in quality between them. Whether it's on Xbox 360, PS3, or PC, you can be somewhat confident that you'll get the same experience (unless it's Skyrim version 1.0). In the '80s and '90s, it wasn't so easy; consoles, computers and arcades all seemed to be evolving at different speeds. So what happens when a mega hit on one platform got converted for a lesser one? Oftentimes not a whole lot, but depending on the system, the results could be, let's say, less than desirable. Not all of the following classic ports are bad -- just nine out of 10, and that's if you like Dragon's Lair -- but their incredible disparity makes them almost as classic as their source material.

Resident Evil 2 Spot Art
Posted by Shri Krishna

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