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Categories: Commentary
Tags: ausam-con, dodd alley, ds, gamers and gorehounds

I’ve been reading Gamers and Gorehounds by Dodd Alley to prepare for the horror panel I’ll be sitting on. I’ll write more about Alley’s book later, but one thing which struck me was this quote he pulled from Video Games: A Popular Culture Phenomenon.

What makes it immersive is a world where no territory is off-limits, anything you see is fair game, and all your actions have consequences.

J.C. Herz

Herz is talking about what makes a video game immersive, but this is really criteria for what makes a game great.

Modern games with the open-world aesthetic are defined by having no territory which is off-limits and where anything you see is fair game. For all its underworld thrills, one of the greatest joys of Grand Theft Auto IV is simply exploring Liberty City. Pulling off heists, winning races, and completing missions are rewarding, but there’s a special sense of satisfaction in discovering how to make your way inside the Statue of Happiness (GTA’s stand-in for the Statue of Liberty).

However, this aspect of immersion extends beyond modern games. Tomb Raider made its bones by throwing gamers into underground ruins and letting them jump to ledges, climb up walls, and swing on vines in search of relics. I’ll go beyond this and say that anyone who clicked their way through Myst found themselves on an island limited only by the waters which surrounded it. Even the 2D Mario games featured secret areas and hidden blocks for players willing to test the boundaries.

Herz’ point about all your actions having consequences is harder to pin down. It’s difficult to imagine a game where a player’s actions don’t have consequences be it making it to the next stage of Donkey Kong or defending Mass Effect’s Citadel against the Geth invasion. I can think of a few ways to interpret this, but I think a two-fold approach is best. For your actions to have consequences, you need to have an understanding of your character’s role in their environment and — as your character — you need to be able to affect your environment.

I’m currently playing a horror adventure game for the DS (more research) where I’m a character who’s lost her memory, keeps adding strange objects to her inventory, and has inscrutable flashbacks brought on by seeing scraps of paper. In other words, I don’t know who I am, what I’m doing, or why I’m doing it. You could kindly say that I’m not immersed.

On the other hand, here’s a portion of Exodist’s walkthrough for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: REMOVE GOWN, PUT GOWN ON HOOK, PUT TOWEL OVER DRAIN, GET SATCHEL, PUT SATCHEL IN FRONT OF PANEL, PUT JUNK MAIL ON SATCHEL, PRESS DISPENSER BUTTON. The stage of the game where this needs to take place occurs when Englishman Arthur Dent finds himself on a alien spaceship moments after Earth has been destroyed. More than anything, Arthur Dent needs to have a small fish placed in his ear — the end result of this series of actions.

On the surface, it’s equally as labyrinthine as the DS game, but within the context of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy these actions have consequences. At this point in the DS game, I’m not sure that anything my character does really matters.

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Categories: Commentary
Tags: ausam-con, horror

If you’re going to be in Auburn, Alabama the weekend of January 10-11, 2009 come by AUSAM-Con and listen to me talk about horror games.

I’m on the appropriately named Always Take the Metal Pipe panel which is described thusly:

A discussion in horror games from Haunted House to Alan Wake (hopefully), including every tentacle, zombie, and scissor-wielding maniac in-between. A history, discourse of techniques, and tips and tricks to survive gaming’s most horrific titles. Warning: This panel may contain discussion of adult nature, not for the faint of heart. Viewer discretion advised.

While I have absolutely no info on Alan Wake and I’m weak on tentacles, I’m gold when it comes to zombies. I’m hoping to get some love in for Anchorhead and Eternal Darkness. And I should probably put a handout together.

But for now, I’m in research mode. Which looks a lot like playing games.

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Categories: Internets
Tags:

Happy Holidays!

and it’s not too late to buy something for your favorite blogger:

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Categories: Site News
Tags:

The most popular posts in 2008

Interview with Cheryl Olson
My interview with the co-author of Grand Theft Childhood was far and away the most popular story on Game Couch this year. Game Politics, Kotaku, Joystiq, and Slashdot all picked it up and now, months after the book’s release, it continues to be a big draw.

Interview with Paul Preece
The man behind Desktop Tower Defense, the game that led to the current global economic crisis.

Behind the Halo-like Anti-Smoking Ad
I saw the anti-smoking ad for about a month before one of the major sites picked it up and mocked it. After I was done kicking myself, I interviewed the people behind it.

Sitar Hero
Game Couch did it! This 2007 Friday Funny got a healthy bump when ad campaign behind The Simpsons Game made Sitar Hero a reality.

Gamefly Hacks
Sometimes I like to shock my readers with useful content. I see that I still need to write an anti-Gamefly piece for balance though.

Interview with Jamie Sanders
Somewhere in the Midwest Jamie Sanders, the boy-genius who brought us VNES, is sitting in a room full of NES cartridges and servers assembling his 8bit Army.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village
No clue about why this is the most popular review for the year.

Xbox 420
Another classic Friday Funny. You people should be ashamed.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
And my second most popular review is a re-post of something I wrote for MobyGames back in 2006. Game Couch definitely fills a niche.

Play-Doh Star Wars
Back in 2006, when this Friday Funny premiered, it was so popular that it accounted for most of our traffic that year. 2 years later and it’s still in the top ten.

and 5 posts which I thought would be more popular

Barack-Baraka 08
I really expected to see an election year spike for this.

Cool jobs: Strategy Guide Writer
Dan Birlew lifted the curtain on how strategy guides come together.

I wanna be your NPC
This idea is gold. I’m blaming the story’s lack of success on being ahead of my time.

Interview with Uwe Boll
I contacted Uwe Boll seeking a review copy of Postal. I ended up buying my own copy (Postal review), but the infamous director was able to answer some of my questions. The part that I thought would get some play was Boll’s claim that only 20,000 people really hate him.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (+20 Renegade Points)
I passed a Charisma check, won a speech challenge, made my saving throw and confirmed my suspicions about the sanctity of preorders.

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Categories: Internets
Tags: twitter

Want news about games? Want to complain about the state of the industry? Want to eavesdrop on geek conversations? Twitter’s the place for you. Here are 10 people I follow on Twitter for their interesting perspectives on video games.

Think I’m missing out on someone? Tell me in the comments.

brainygamer
Michael Abbott writes at The Brainy Gamer and he teaches a college course on the history of RPGs.

Typical game-related tweet:
Starting to hit my stride with Persona 4 now. There’s something to be said for waiting to start a new game until you’re alert and focused. 3:54 PM Dec 13th

Glimpse into psyche:
Got an invite to the Spike Awards…but no ticket. I think they screwed up, figured it out, and disinvited me. So I’m watching football! 9:49 PM Dec 14th

gamesareevil
Tweets from the staff at Games are Evil who are dedicated to “honest, professional, and fun videogame journalism.”

Typical game-related tweet:
Some games are timeless, and the written words associated with them should be timeless. Do review scores illicit “throwaway” content? Dec 18th

Glimpse into psyche:
1pm - I suppose some breakfast is in order…sheesh…down periscope 4:11 PM Nov 14th

gamingangel
Trina from Gaming Angels, a community of female gamers.

Typical game-related tweet:
so far the hottest thing at CES for gamers seems to be headphones. I have a billion emails about different headsets for your 360 gaming 1:36 PM Dec 17th

Glimpse into psyche:
ugh Diet Coke Lime is horrific. I don’t know if i can finish this can. 4:35 PM Dec 16th

leighalexander
Leigh Alexander blogs at Sexy Videogameland and can also be found over at Kotaku, Gamasutra, and other sites.

Typical game-related tweet:
cost take-two 11.1 million to fight off EA. now they’re both in rough shape. don’t you guys think you coulda made it work? Dec 19th

Glimpse into psyche:
carefully picking through gmail “sent” box to make sure she didn’t drunkenly mail something inappropriate last night. Dec 19th

majornelson
Larry Hryb, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, is the public face for Microsoft’s Xbox division.

Typical game-related tweet:
Hint: Want easy Gamerscore? Download today’s Arcade title (it’s free) and you’ll get 200 points in about 20-minutes. 1:34 PM Dec 17th

Glimpse into psyche:
Back to family stuff I go. I have to go ‘help’ in the kitchen which, no doubt, will be disastrous. 5:56 PM Nov 27th

ncroal
N’Gai Croal writes Level Up for Newsweek.com.

Typical game-related tweet:
Protip for developers, courtesy of Ubisoft: when you set your game in a swamp, you reduce ad opportunities. Consider big cities instead. 3:56 PM Dec 3rd

Glimpse into psyche:
New reading material: “Jude the Obscure,” by Thomas Hardy. Most likely the new Toni Morrison novel after this. 10:56 PM Nov 17th

pomeranian99
Clive Thompson is a Wired writer best known for Collison Detection.

Typical game-related tweet:
Anyone with good video+audio of the “Art of Persuasion” quest in Lich King? I’m doing a Wired piece & want to include video. I’ll credit ya! 6:03 PM Dec 11th

Glimpse into psyche:
Weird sensory moment: I feel vibration on the cafe table, reach for my phone, but it’s the phone of someone else further on down the table. 1:50 PM Dec 14th

savetherobot
Chris Dahlen is a freelance writer who’s written for The Onion AV Club, GameSetWatch and other sites.

Typical game-related tweet:
Rise of the Argonauts: Thank Zeus that’s almost over. God of War + KOTOR - Budget. Dec 18th

Glimpse into psyche:
At home in dark and cold. Line crew should be on its way to connect line to pole. Laptop dead. Last beer in house drunk. 10:53 PM Dec 16th

ulotrichous
Eli Neiburger, Librarian/Gamer and author of Gamers…in the Library?!

Typical game-related tweet:
New player says to me, “My dad said this morning, get up and get dressed guys, we’re going to the LIBRARY for some MARIO.” 3:53 PM Nov 29th

Glimpse into psyche:
my office door squeaks, and it sounds very very much like a Sackboy getting electrocuted. I do not like it when a Sackboy gets electrocuted. 1:54 PM Nov 17th

videogamedieter
The Video Game Diet offers tips on how gamers can exercise and what they should snack on.

Typical game-related tweet:
Bought Res. Evil 4 as I think that killing zombies will help get my heart rate up! Xbox still bricked 9:18 AM Sep 2nd

Glimpse into psyche:
struggling between self-reliance and the serious need for holiday snuggles…well at least the holiday weight loss is coming along 11:41 AM Dec 16th

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Categories: Commentary
Tags: blog banter

Welcome, welcome to Blog Banter, the monthly blogging extravaganza headed by bs angel! Blog Banter involves our cozy community of enthusiastic gaming bloggers, a common topic, and a week to post articles pertaining to said topic. The results are quite entertaining and can range from deeply insightful to ROFLMAO. Any questions about joining Blog Banter should be directed here. Check out other Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

I’m late to the party, but I don’t care.

This month bs angel posed “If you could ask for one thing this year from the gaming industry as a whole, what would it be and why?”

I was stumped. I stared at a blank document for an hour and then stayed up late playing games on Kongregate. I didn’t know what to say.

Or I knew what to say, but not how to say it.

Here’s what I want: I want the industry to give me a reason to play video games for another year.

So far nothing has me fired up — especially not the trailers from Spike’s video game themed celeb-fest.

Want to keep me interested? Here’s how:

1. If you can’t come up with a new IP, justify your old one with new innovations.
I’ve asked this before, but do we really need three Tomb Raider games for the 360? Fallout 3, however, changed up perspectives and rethought their combat system.

2. Revisit IPs you haven’t raped into the ground.
It’s appalling that we haven’t had a new Syndicate game since 1996. How about unearthing Eternal Darkness?

3. Stop using World War II.
I would be all over Call of Duty: Crimean War or Medal of Honor: The Battle of Hastings.

4. Not every game needs to be a AAA title.
Why do you think I spend so much time on Kongregate?

5. Figure out how to add player-created content to consoles.
My ill-informed opinion tells me that this will be the hallmark of the next generation of consoles, but why can’t I have mods and maps now?

And this is what everone else said last week!
What I want in 2009, The “Roxanne” Edition, Dear Gaming Industry, if the industry gave us all presents this Christmas, Demands for the industry, Santa, Don’t Bring Me Toys I Have To Share, All I Want for Christmas Is…, My Wish for the Year, Crossing Over, Checkpoint Unobtained. errr., Loading Requests, LISTEN BITCH!!!, One Wish, Dear Video Game Industry
More games like Portal and Braid, Imagine, Dear Video Game Industry, A Wish for 2009!

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Categories: Commentary
Tags: diy, rrod

Today’s article is written by guest author Anthony Uccello. Anthony is the editor of Xbox360repair.ca and can be reached here.

Microsoft’s “Red Ring of Death”

The red ring of death is the most devastating error that your Xbox 360 can encounter. The red ring of death error can also be called the 3 red light error. The 1 red light error is also a very common problem with the 360s.

So what exactly is the red ring of death? What is the 1 red light error? Is there a red ring of death fix? Will my Xbox ever work properly again?

Understanding the Red Ring of Death

So what happened to cause such a large error? Microsoft was in a huge rush to put out the Xbox 360, so proper research and development requirements were not met. This resulted in the problems that are appearing today.

Microsoft categorizes the red ring light error as a “general hardware failure.” This code usually represents one very large problem, but can also signify some small ones.

To be able to tell if you have the red ring of death error, you need to check a few things. The first indication will be your ring of light. After you have powered on your console the lights in quadrants 1, 3, and 4 will turn from green to angry red. You will not be able to go any farther after this happens and will only have the ability to turn off your console. Below are some troubleshooting tips to help you determine if another error is the cause.
Continued…

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Categories: Commentary
Tags: nostalgia

TJ from GoCollege.com just pointed me to Classic Retro Games You Can Still Learn From Today!. Judging by the number of comments, GoCollege should focus more on old games and less on finding interships, paying student loans, and perfecting your resume.

Like most lists, this includes obvious choices (Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?), some surprises (Dope Wars), and curious omissions (really, no Oregon Trail?). However, the games mentioned did contribute to my education — except for Minesweeper.

What interested me about the list, other than the nostalgia factor, was that many of the games are part of my generation’s shared experience. I assume that even non-gamers have played Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? and have, at least, a passing familiarity with some version of SimCity.

October’s Blog Banter asked about timeless classics and many of these games would fit, but I wonder what games kids are playing now will be remembered in 20 years and credited for improving their education.

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Categories: Commentary
Tags: ds, homebrew, interactive fiction

Seeking to be everything to everyone, Nintendo is set to launch the 100 Classic Book Collection for the Nintendo DS. Since it’s UK-specific, the cartridge with cost £20 (US$30) and will headline dead British authors William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and more. Presumably, if British consumers are willing to shell out £20 for a collection of public domain works, Nintendo will release similar collections around the globe.

This isn’t a stretch for the Nintendo DS. As I’ve written before, the DS has become a reliable source for edutainment and instructional software. It’s a handheld gaming system equally at home with Cooking Mama or Personal Trainer: Cooking. Games like Hotel Dusk have turned the DS into a book before and the popularity of games like the Phoenix Wright series shows that gamers are comfortable with text on the DS.

Still, I’m not quite sure this is anything to get excited about – especially since homebrewers have been putting books on the DS for years. The first two Lone Wolf gamebooks have made their way to the DS (courtesy of Project Aon). Malinche madman Howard Sherman’s interactive fiction output can be played on the DS. Finally, DSReader coverts .txt files into eBooks for the DS, so enterprising gamers can head over to Project Gutenberg and copy and paste all the Charlotte Brontë they can stomach.

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Categories: Review
Tags: dlc, expansion, star wars, the force unleashed, xbox 360

Darth Vader’s secret apprentice scours the Jedi Temple for information about his true father in this expansion for The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360). While the action takes place sometime after the in-game events on Kashyyk, the new mission is a standalone level accessed by starting a new game. Once launched, players will take on the role of a nearly full-powered Starkiller as he leaps from the Rogue Shadow to engage a landing platform full of stormtroopers.

The Force Unleashed hit shelves in September and came up short in many aspects including playtime. Fans of the game will no doubt welcome a new mission and there’s certainly more of the Starkiller’s life to see, but it’s chafing that LucasArts is hitting up players for an additional $10 (800 MS points) for a download which only expands gameplay by thirty minutes.

The Jedi Temple is not only shorter than previous levels, its level design is more simplistic. Post-Order 66, the temple is in ruins which means players have a whole lot of “nothing to see here” to expect. Of course that doesn’t mean legions of Imperial troopers aren’t lying in wait. You hack, slash and Force power your way through a volume of stormies outnumbering those that fought in the Battle of Hoth in an effort to open up a pathway to the second half of the level where you participate in an extended Force Grab tutorial before the obligatory boss battle.

While the mission is overpriced and underwhelming, achievement hunters can pick up 220 points and the mission comes bundled with nine new skins (including Mace Windu, Darth Maul, and Qui-Gon Jinn). These really are just skins, don’t expect a double-bladed lightsaber or new animations.