Celebrate 20 Years of Neo Geo
Nostalgia (no, not the DS game) is tons of fun. Learning more about products or popular culture that you can only marginally remember from your childhood is sometimes addicting, which is why I am so fond of the Angry Video Game Nerd and his retro showcases on old gaming systems that I never got to experience.
Well, SNK Playmore is having a retro console celebration of its own at the moment because it is the 20th anniversary of the Neo Geo home gaming system. Does anyone remember that thing? No, probably not.
Neo Geo was a rather ingenious arcade cabinet system that allowed owners to swap out multiple game cartridges within the same cabinet – an unusual but highly space-saving feature at the time. Whereas most arcades were “dedicated,” meaning they could only play one game, Neo Geo arcades could play up to six different games. Anyone who visited an amusement center or bowling alley during the early ’90s will likely recall the Neo Geo cabinets that allowed you to select different titles such as World Heroes or Metal Slug, all from the same arcade cabinet.
The arcade system was known as the MVS, or Multiple Video System, but there was also an AES, or Advanced Entertainment System, which was the home console. The AES was prohibitively expensive as it cost more than twice what a new Super NES would drain from your wallet, and the cartridges themselves could run over $100.
Despite being around video games my entire life, I have never seen an AES or heard of any person who owns one.
But if, like me, you’d like to take a trip down memory lane (granted, memories that not many of us have) and tour a digital Neo Geo museum, check out SNK’s 20th anniversary celebration going on right now on their website. You’ll find old Neo Geo ads, a history of the platform, and even a blog sharing some memories of the system.
Sony Admits the Obvious: PSPgo Launch Sucked
The PSPgo was a completely misguided project from Sony to revive their all-but-dead handheld. It failed to address key issues, like adding a second analog pad, and just didn’t have any compelling reason to exist. Seeing their handheld lose a ton of market share to Apple’s iPhone had to hurt and the PSPgo offered nothing in the way of competition. Hell, even the paltry amount of games available for the PSPgo suck.
While most of us have been very aware of Sony’s portable shortcoming, it appears their upper-management has finally removed their rose-colored glasses and are viewing reality for the first time:
“We wanted to find a way to give the consumers what they want, so if they didn’t want to go to a retailer they could stay at home and download [games and content]. And we were hoping really to eliminate the piracy issue. Did the PSPgo confuse [consumers]? Yeah, I think the higher price point didn’t help matters any either,” he admitted. “So we’re going back and re-communicating, and I’m sitting here looking at multiple decks on what we’re going to do this year. You’ll see a lot of things coming out from us to better educate and inform the consumer. All I can say is watch this space, because we’ll have answers to those questions.”
One thing hasn’t changed and that’s Sony’s ability to blame piracy as the cause of all of their problems instead of an inventory of compelling games on a well-designed portable, priced at a competitive level. Want my advice? Can the PSP altogether and create a device that blows the iPhone away…or will Sony sit around and let Microsoft do that instead?
Jason Vandenberghe Lays Down the Law
As I eagerly/anxiously await next month’s upcoming release of Red Steel 2, I can’t help but become entranced not simply by the game’s amazing graphic style and promising Motion Plus utilization, but by the charisma and character of the game’s creative director, Jason Vandenberghe.
Every time I catch an interview of Vandenberghe, especially on video, I feel compelled to read it/watch it. Good – no, really great – game designers have a lot in common with great teachers. They intrigue you, they have personality, they are quite humorous, and they never quite answer questions they way you expect them to. I do not know yet if Vandenberghe is a great game designer or not, but like Miyamoto, he has a certain charm to his personality that leads me to believe he may possess such talent.
Though Vandenberghe was not involved in the creation of Red Steel 1, he did play it extensively, and he has openly stated that the game didn’t quite live up to gamers’ expectations. To me, making such an acknowledging remark is commendable as these days we are constantly being told that if a game didn’t sell well it was because the consumer “didn’t get it” or some other lame pass-the-buck excuse. It never seems to be the developer’s fault that a game doesn’t sell well.
In the video above, Vandenberghe offers some rather wise comments on gaming these days and the strange viewpoints people come up. As we all know, there is a large, noticeable debate occurring that Vandenberghe calls the “Is there a hardcore audience on the Wii” topic. Now, I have already offered my thoughts on this topic once before, but rather than repeatedly beat readers over the head with my opinion on the subject, I’ll just let Vandenberghe speak on the topic.
Vandenberghe astutely describes the entire debate as a religious war and says that he doesn’t take part in religious wars – it’s not really his thing. I couldn’t agree more. Vandenberghe states that games can sell on the Wii if they are good and offer experiences not available elsewhere. Of course, he also acknowledges that he may end up eating his own words a month from now if Red Steel 2 doesn’t sell well. But at least such a statement concedes that the success/failure of the game will be based largely on the developer – not the consumer.
You can catch the first part of this two-part interview here. I’ll be keeping my eye on all the Red Steel 2/Vandenberghe info I can get during the next month before the game’s release.
Wrath of the Impromptu Book Critic
Hot on the heels of his previous gaming philosophy book, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy (you can read our review here), editor Luke Cuddy has followed suit by assembling various members of academia and all-around gaming junkies for his next book in the gaming philosophy series, World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King.
It would seem that WoW would be a perfect fit for philosophical discussion, what with the constant accusations of the game’s addictive properties as well as its real-world defying economy, and for the most part, this is true.
Like Zelda and Philosophy, WoW and Philosophy organizes itself into individually written chapters that attempt to tackle a specific topic relating to WoW using philosophical tools. For instance, WoW’s economy is studied to determine whether it is the perfect or ideal form of capitalism, and if so, whether it can be reproduced in the real world.
Though each chapter is written by a different author, often causing the quality and consistency of the book to vary, the chapters are broken down into sections to help facilitate out-of-order reading based on specific topics. The book even prefaces each section with humorous quest-based introductions, complete with aged-looking paper laying out your objectives, that claim to give you +5 Intellect! and other rewards after reading. It’s a nice little touch that’s meant to reinforce the authors’ hands-on understanding and experience with WoW and help them connect with the reader beyond an academic-based approach.
Getting down to the actual content of the chapters though, I find that the book is a bit haphazard. At times it feels like each author is attempting to appeal to a specific WoW player at the point of being boring or going over the top for other readers. For instance, Chapter 5, “A Mage in Motion,” is written from the viewpoint of a mage in game – not the player behind the keyboard. The author then unfolds a philosophical discourse between the mage and the higher power controlling said mage – the player behind the keyboard.
While the chapter’s style can at least be noted for its novel approach to discussing philosophy, the conversation between the mage and the player regarding the laws of physics just isn’t as interesting as the more straightforward chapters.
Chapter 20, “Future Pasts of Magic and Deceit,” is simply all over the place. The authors jump from one topic to another without warning or transition and at the end of the 8-page ordeal, you’re left wondering what the hell you just read.
Jason Vandenberghe Lays Down the Law
As I eagerly/anxiously await next month’s upcoming release of Red Steel 2, I can’t help but become entranced not simply by the game’s amazing graphic style and promising Motion Plus utilization, but by the charisma and character of the game’s creative director, Jason Vandenberghe.
Every time I catch an interview of Vandenberghe, especially on video, I feel compelled to read it/watch it. Good – no, really great – game designers have a lot in common with great teachers. They intrigue you, they have personality, they are quite humorous, and they never quite answer questions they way you expect them to. I do not know yet if Vandenberghe is a great game designer or not, but like Miyamoto, he has a certain charm to his personality that leads me to believe he may possess such talent.
Though Vandenberghe was not involved in the creation of Red Steel 1, he did play it extensively, and he has openly stated that the game didn’t quite live up to gamers’ expectations. To me, making such an acknowledging remark is commendable as these days we are constantly being told that if a game didn’t sell well it was because the consumer “didn’t get it” or some other lame pass-the-buck excuse. It never seems to be the developer’s fault that a game doesn’t sell well.
In the video above, Vandenberghe offers some rather wise comments on gaming these days and the strange viewpoints people come up. As we all know, there is a large, noticeable debate occurring that Vandenberghe calls the “Is there a hardcore audience on the Wii” topic. Now, I have already offered my thoughts on this topic once before, but rather than repeatedly beat readers over the head with my opinion on the subject, I’ll just let Vandenberghe speak on the topic.
Vandenberghe astutely describes the entire debate as a religious war and says that he doesn’t take part in religious wars – it’s not really his thing. I couldn’t agree more. Vandenberghe states that games can sell on the Wii if they are good and offer experiences not available elsewhere. Of course, he also acknowledges that he may end up eating his own words a month from now if Red Steel 2 doesn’t sell well. But at least such a statement concedes that the success/failure of the game will be based largely on the developer – not the consumer.
You can catch the first part of this two-part interview here. I’ll be keeping my eye on all the Red Steel 2/Vandenberghe info I can get during the next month before the game’s release.
Wrath of the Impromptu Book Critic
Hot on the heels of his previous gaming philosophy book, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy (you can read our review here), editor Luke Cuddy has followed suit by assembling various members of academia and all-around gaming junkies for his next book in the gaming philosophy series, World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King.
It would seem that WoW would be a perfect fit for philosophical discussion, what with the constant accusations of the game’s addictive properties as well as its real-world defying economy, and for the most part, this is true.
Like Zelda and Philosophy, WoW and Philosophy organizes itself into individually written chapters that attempt to tackle a specific topic relating to WoW using philosophical tools. For instance, WoW’s economy is studied to determine whether it is the perfect or ideal form of capitalism, and if so, whether it can be reproduced in the real world.
Though each chapter is written by a different author, often causing the quality and consistency of the book to vary, the chapters are broken down into sections to help facilitate out-of-order reading based on specific topics. The book even prefaces each section with humorous quest-based introductions, complete with aged-looking paper laying out your objectives, that claim to give you +5 Intellect! and other rewards after reading. It’s a nice little touch that’s meant to reinforce the authors’ hands-on understanding and experience with WoW and help them connect with the reader beyond an academic-based approach.
Getting down to the actual content of the chapters though, I find that the book is a bit haphazard. At times it feels like each author is attempting to appeal to a specific WoW player at the point of being boring or going over the top for other readers. For instance, Chapter 5, “A Mage in Motion,” is written from the viewpoint of a mage in game – not the player behind the keyboard. The author then unfolds a philosophical discourse between the mage and the higher power controlling said mage – the player behind the keyboard.
While the chapter’s style can at least be noted for its novel approach to discussing philosophy, the conversation between the mage and the player regarding the laws of physics just isn’t as interesting as the more straightforward chapters.
Chapter 20, “Future Pasts of Magic and Deceit,” is simply all over the place. The authors jump from one topic to another without warning or transition and at the end of the 8-page ordeal, you’re left wondering what the hell you just read.
Cryptic Makes Next Champions Online Expansion Free to Appease Angry Subscribers
Things aren’t going well for Champions Online, Cryptic’s half-baked MMO that I tried to warn you about before the game even released. In an attempt to appease angry subscribers, Cryptic has decided to make the next planned expansion, Vibora Bay (now called Revelation), available for free. I guess Cryptic saw the light and thought it may not be in their best interests to rip-off the same people they screw on a daily basis, especially those poor bastards who purchased lifetime subscriptions.
Revelation will be available on March 10, 2010.
Cryptic State of the Game, Wherein They Act Humble and Apologetic:
We have a lot going on right now both at Cryptic, and with Champions Online in particular. There are huge changes afoot, and rather than spend a lot of time with the preamble, let’s sink our collective teeth into the meat of the matter.
Scrubbing the Kitchen Sink
As we all know, the Kitchen Sink patch had numerous issues that made it onto Live. The reasons for this boil down to two key areas:
Things That Used to Work Stopped Working:
Basically, there were changes to the core code that automatically merged with our older code and we didn’t see all of the effects of these before they went Live. Token changes, for example, caused a lot of things to stop working properly in Champions. We use tokens for a lot of things in Champions and when the token system was recently optimized, it caused any token-based missions to stop working properly – namely UNITY and Patrol missions. There was also the AI fixes which were made which affected the attack rates of every enemy in the game that slipped past us all.
Lack of Comprehensive Testing
There were only a few players on during the time the Kitchen Sink Patch was on the Public Test Shard, and we simply didn’t allocate enough QA testers. There were so many issues we were anxious to address, that our desire to get fixes out to the players as soon as possible completely backfired. There are truly an astonishing amount of changes in this patch, and we simply should have spent more time testing them before pushing the build Live.
Moving forward, our updates will spend more time in internal test before going to the Public Test Shard. We’ve already increased the size of our Champions QA group, and the designers have been playing much more on the internal servers. We are also much more aware of the changes coming into the core game engine through other projects and have taken steps to increase communication internally to avoid being surprised by those changes.
Currently, we’re putting new builds up on the Public Test Shard, addressing the current reported issues with the Kitchen Sink patch. If you’d like to help us make sure we’re getting it all, play on the PTS and provide us your feedback in this thread.
Improving Communications
We’ve had a real failure with communicating to our community over the past couple of months. You’ve been vocal about it, and we hear you. In fact, we’ve taken some pretty big steps to fixing this, and I wanted to share our goals with you to address this. There are a lot of things we used to do that fell by the wayside, and now that we have StormShade back on the team full-time, we’re going to be bringing back a lot of the things you have always told us you look forward to seeing and hearing:
Ask Cryptic
Bi-weekly posting by the developers answering your questions as compiled by StormShade.
GM Blog
A general support-oriented Blog where our Game Masters discuss what’s being done to address your concerns, talk about bug status, and so on.
Developer Chat
A monthly live IRC chat with developers from the Champions Online team.
State of the Game
Bi-weekly posting by me (Chronomancer) to provide insight into the high-level vision for the Champions Online universe and address hot-button issues.
Game with Cryptic
We’re putting together a new all-company supergroup so you can find us in the game and share adventures. We’re also going to do more PVP events so you can pit your skills in The Hero Games against the devs!
First iPad Game Screenshot & Announcement Has Us Scratching Our Heads
We get a lot of press releases sent to us. Myself, it’s not unusual to see near a hundred of them hit my inbox in a day. With that much competition, its hard to capture our attention. But when I glimpsed an email saying that development studio “Bloober Team” is announcing the first title being developed exclusively for the iPad, and their calling it “Gender Wars: The Battle”, I couldn’t help but sit up and take notice. When I then read that the lead designer described the game like this,
“In a way, and I understand that it’s bit bold to say, we would like to create something similar to Metal Gear Solid for iPad.”
I start to scratch my head and a confused look passes over my face. Gender Wars? Solid Snake?
But it doesn’t end there so I am posting the original press release in full (minus legally sensitive info, of course) after the break so you can read it for yourself. It’s one of the stranger ones we have ever come across and was either written by some kind of genius, or someone on acid. We’ve also posted the game’s sole screenshot to be released so far. (For those not sure about clicking through, the screenshot does not contain any images of Gender-specific anatomical parts battling it out.)
Here are both the screenshot and the press release:
Epic saga of the future
Krakow, Poland – 5 February 2010 – Games developer and publisher Bloober Team, most famous for its WiiWare super production Last Flight, presents his newest IP – Gender Wars.
About the game
The game is turn based tactic game that will redefine whole tactic games genre with its casual, story-driven approach and easy click&shoot interface. “We wanted to make tactic game that will be easy to pick and play by anyone, in a short burst of 2-3 minutes per game, while offering enough in-depth complexity to play for hours” says Peter Bielatowicz, lead designer of the game.“In a way, and I understand that it’s bit bold to say, we would like to create something similar to Metal Gear Solid for iPad” Bielatowicz continues. “MGS was a stealth game, and stealth games before, like Tenchu, were considered to be more for hardcore players. But MGS was extremely easy to pick and play and so strongly story driven that many casual people were playing it just to follow the storyline and learning more advanced gameplay strategies as they played” he explains. “We want to implement the same flow in our game so a player can choose to focus on the story or the gameplay – according to what he prefers” Bielatowicz adds.
“Most of current tactic or strategy games on the market have very long learning curves and overwhelm player with too many information at once.
It throws off most of casual players. We will show completely different, minimalistic approach in our game” Bielatowicz continues. “We are testing our interface on gamers, and look how they approach the game and what are the first things that come to their mind when trying to perform some command” says Piotr Babieno, one of the game producers. “Then we simply implement our user interface to work this way” Bielatowicz adds.
The game takes place in the post-apocalyptic SF universe, and its storyline involves themes such as time travels, tragic love and epic military operations. “Everyone will find something for himself in the game, from space operas fans to hard military SF geeks” says Paweł Kobyłecki, one of game main screenwriters. “But this is too soon to speak about details at the moment” says Bielatowicz. “We will reveal everything in proper time, starting with series of feature films” he adds.
Comments on iPad
The game is being prepared iPad. “We believe that tactic games will be one of best and most successful games on iPad platform” predicts Babieno. “This kind of touch device with big screen helps you to command your units in most natural and intuitive way” he adds. “You have to also remember that the people will play iPad in longer sessions and with more concentration than they did on iPhone” comments Bielatowicz. “iPad is perfect device for people playing in train or airplane or at home rather than on the move like it was with iPhone. All designers shall keep this in mind when thinking about designing an iPad game” he ends.Teaser for the whole series
One of the most surprising things about the “Gender Wars: The Battle” is that the game alone is a teaser for other upcoming games from the series. It contains only the battle game mode and will focus on gameplay challenges. “It may sound weird, but after first tests of the battle module it turned out to play so well and entertaining on its own that we decided to release it as separate title” Piotr Babieno. “We want to tease players a bit and prepare them for the final game” Babieno explains. “The Battle will be released at very low price, so players can taste our quality without spending much” he adds. “Of course we will listen very closely to all the reactions and use players feedback to improve final game” Bielatowicz ends.“Gender Wars: The Battle” will hit the Apple Store with iPad release in late march. The details of the main game and its schedule are still kept secret.
###
About Bloober Team
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Krakow, Poland, Bloober Team is an independent videogame developer focused on creating the highest quality digitally-distributed content.All trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
That was it. Are you interested? Confused? Both? Will you give the game a wide berth, or do they already have you excited to pick a gender and start going at it? Leave a comment and let us know.
The Scurge of MMO Account Hacking
As MMOs increase in popularity, an alarming number of people are having their accounts hacked on a daily basis. The problem has become so epidemic that its overall weight is dragging down respective customer support centers as they attempt to placate irate and confused customers. In some cases, it can take weeks to retrieve your character and if you’re lucky, you may get your items back.
Now, the vast majority of these problems could be avoided if gamers used their heads, but with the increased casual appeal of your typical MMO, we’re finding more players who simply don’t know better until it’s too late. It’s a hell of a way to learn. How are hackers getting account information? A variety of ways:
1. You get an email that looks like it’s from the Customer Service department of the MMO in question, asking you to update account information. You click the supplied link and are taken to a site that looks legit. Unfortunately, it isn’t…and you have just supplied all relevant account information to a hacker.
I get these emails on a daily basis. Here’s what one looks like (DO NOT CLICK THE LINKS!):
Blizzard Entertainment -> Legal -> Terms of Use
A 3-hour probationary suspension is pending on this account, awaiting confirmation from a specialist. A final warning has been issued. The investigation will be continued by the Account Administration team to determine the any further suspensions. If the account in question is found in violation of the EULA and Terms of Use, further action will be taken. Be aware that any additional inappropriate actions may result in the permanent closure of the account.
Thank you for respecting our position on this matter.
================================================
** We request that you verify your legitimate ownership of the account here:http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/login/login/
Blizzard staff will verify your account information submitted in two days, please do not modify your account information during this time . It will not affect your game uptime.1.) WHY DID THIS HAPPEN AND HOW CAN I STOP IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN?
which state that your Password is to be kept confidential at all times and you are solely responsible for the security of your Password. You may not disclose your Password to anyone, or allow your Password to be used by anyone other than yourself and/or your one (1) minor child. This includes, but is not limited to, compensated third parties accessing the account to advance characters in any way.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your Password, and you will be responsible for all uses of your Password, whether or not authorized by you. Also, note that the security of the Account is your responsibility. Furthermore, Blizzard Entertainment does not recognize the transfer of Accounts, and any authorized transfer of the World of Warcraft software (as set forth on the worldofwarcraft.com website) will result in the permanent deletion of the Account attached to that software. You may not offer any Account for sale or trade, and any such offer is a violation of this Agreement and may result in suspension or termination of the Account.
To help ensure that no viruses are present that may threaten your account, please regularly scan all computer systems that you use to remove all viruses, including Trojan files, spy-ware and key loggers. You can find links to scanners in our article about computer and Internet security tips at http://www.blizzard.com/support/?id=msi0504p. Also be sure to change your account password regularly at
https://www.worldofwarcraft.com/account.
2.) I SENT MY SUBMISSION, NOW WHAT?
We will contact you again once your submission is received and processed. If you do not receive a reply within 48 hours of sending your submission, please resend it and notify us at http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowaa/?id=eSupport000. If you send your submission by postal mail, please allow time for delivery. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience.
Only Account Administration is able to assist with account retrieval issues. To learn more about how Account Administration is able to assist you, please visit us at http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowaa/.com
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter, and your continued interest in World of Warcraft.
Sincerely,
AmandaWhen you receive an email with a link, hover your mouse over the link and analyze the URL that appears in your browser. Chances are extremely high the URL points to a shady site, a site that is named in such a way that it fools you into thinking it’s legitimate.
Zipper Interactive Calls Xbox Live Players “Immature”
Ben Jones, designer at Zipper Interactive currently working on MAG, must not be receiving enough hate mail in his Inbox. This situation will be changing rapidly, as Mr. Jones claims that compared to Playstation Network players, Xbox Live players are immature.
“I actually consider Xbox Live the more immature of the two,” Jones said. “As we saw in the beta we’ve got an audience that’s willing to communicate and willing to organize and structure, and help other people how to play the game. That’s the most remarkable thing that I saw in the beta – random people helping other players along two try and familiarize themselves with this really cool experience.”
There are a lot of problems with Ben Jones’ statement. Let’s take a look:
First of all, MAG isn’t coming to the Xbox 360 so he has no idea if players would organize and help others. If he is basing his judgment off a few rounds of Modern Warfare 2, perhaps he has a point, but having played Modern Warfare 2 on both consoles, I can say there is no difference in maturity.
Secondly, a small percentage of players on the PS3 actually have headsets because the PS3 does not ship with one. As such, far fewer players communicate on the PS3 than the Xbox 360.
As an owner of both consoles, I have seen little difference in the maturity levels of players. Plenty of idiots to go around for everyone.
Ben Jones should be more concerned about his game, as having spent the past week with the beta has left me bored and bemused about its imminent failure. MAG has no future and no selling point beyond its 256 player count. Everything else is lackluster, derivative and clunky…like every other game Zipper has made.
Top 10 Best Selling Games
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