General gaming

General gaming

An Oral History of Mario

Posted: 17 Aug 2012 06:53 PM PDT

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1UP COVER STORY

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1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF AUGUST 13 | THE SUPER MARIO BROS. LEGACY

An Oral History of Mario

Cover Story: A definitive take on the Mario series in the words of gamers, journalists, and Mario's own creators.

Super Mario Bros. (1985)

John Learned, 1UP member

OnLive's Reported Layoffs No Reflection of Cloud Gaming's Future

Posted: 17 Aug 2012 04:24 PM PDT

OnLive

A whirlwind of rumors have emerged today regarding online gaming company OnLive. It was initially reported by Mashable that the company's entire staff had been laid off, a notion supported by an OnLive staffer-penned email received by inXile's Brian Fargo. This sparked speculation that the company could be shut down. OnLive has since denied that is the case; despite this, subsequent reports suggest layoffs have taken place in what has been a confusing day for fans of the service.

OnLive launched its game streaming service in 2010 that allowed users to play full retail games without downloading anything by streaming them to their computers. The service has since expanded to other platforms including tablets, Internet-connected TVs and media players, and a dedicated OnLive game console, with users being able to sample games for a short period of time or purchase them outright. It's appeared to be a likely acquisition target for quite some time; when Sony was rumored to be purchasing a streaming games service ahead of E3, it was presumed to be either OnLive or Gaikai. Ultimately it turned out that Gaikai had been acquired for $380 million. OnLive has meanwhile continued to establish partnerships to bring its service to new devices; in a tweet that came just after word of layoffs began to circulate, the official OnLive account noted that the first Vizio Co-Stars with OnLive built-in arrived in homes today.

Ubisoft Does Its Best EA Impression, Launches the Origin-Like Uplay PC

Posted: 17 Aug 2012 01:53 PM PDT

Uplay PC

Steam does a tremendous amount of business for Valve, and while it's had a number of competitors over the years -- Direct2Drive, Amazon, Desura, Impulse, GamersGate and so on -- game publishers have come to realize there is nothing stopping them from offering up similar types of services of their own. Electronic Arts started this out by relaunching its online store as the client-based Origin last year, and now Ubisoft has followed suit with the launch of Uplay PC. Unfortunately, it's not just the basic idea the service currently shares with the initial launch of Origin.

Uplay PC operates through a client, just like Steam or Origin. You can purchase and download games, maintain a friends list, chat with other users, and view your Uplay game achievements. Beyond that, it offers nothing new or unique, something that has been a consistent criticism of Origin, particularly following its launch. Among PC gamers who have amassed a collection of games on Steam and appreciate what it has to offer, it's hard to see any reason to begin buying games from a competing service when it doesn't do anything better or offer cheaper prices. While Uplay PC may be less of a direct competitor to Steam than Origin is due to it offering only Ubisoft-published titles (at least for the time being), it is still a digital distribution platform where you can purchase computer games and chat with friends.

Assassin Creed III Gets Wet

Posted: 17 Aug 2012 11:06 AM PDT

aciii

A few months back at E3, Ubisoft touted that Assassin's Creed III would feature numerous sea-based missions that allowed players to helm a massive ship and partake in some well-mannered nautical frivolity. While these scenes looked amazing in the sizzle reel, the question remained as to just how gracefully they would play. Well, it turns out that any fears of how controlling a large vessel would feel are immediately squashed as soon as Connor grips the worn wood of a ship's wheel.

I have to admit that I was initially shocked at how smoothly the ship controls while still looking realistic and natural. Weaving through narrow passages with rock walls on both sides proved to be exciting without any hint of frustration. While your attention might be set on the path in front of you, moving your gaze down to your ship unveils a bustling community of seamen each performing their specific nautical duties. It's always a treat to see a developer like Ubisoft put such attention to detail on a feature that many gamers might simply gloss over.

Super Mario Bros.: The 8-bit GTA III

Posted: 17 Aug 2012 08:37 AM PDT

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1UP COVER STORY

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1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF AUGUST 13 | THE SUPER MARIO BROS. LEGACY

Super Mario Bros.: The 8-bit GTA III

Cover Story: Mario's first "super" outing made as big an impact on an entire generation as Rockstar Games' open-world game-changer.

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rand Theft Auto III's 2001 release marked an unquestionable watershed moment for home video game consoles. The GTA series, which had previously spun gangster tales via a top-down 2D perspective, entered a cocoon of brilliance and emerged as a 3D sandbox title that let gamers execute dastardly actions in an open world that felt very much like a city teeming with life. Pedestrians walked the streets, cars motored down roads, and a radio dial tapped you into Liberty City's pop culture. GTA III was many gamers' first taste of video game immersion, but for me that revelation came 16 years earlier: Super Mario Bros. was my GTA III.

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Posted by Shri Krishna

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