Tag Archives | Gaming

The Obligatory E3 Wish List

Posted by Jared Newman on May 29, 2009 at 7:17 pm

The run up to the Electronic Entertainment Expo is always full of predictions, rumors and promises, but I’m tired of peering into the crystal ball. Instead of guesswork, here are my wants and needs for the games industry’s biggest trade show:

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From Microsoft: Word on the street is that the Xbox 360 will get a motion-sensing camera to compete with Nintendo’s Wii. No thanks. I’m pretty happy with the Xbox 360’s thumbstick gaming, and I’d rather see Microsoft wait on motion control until the next console cycle, when the company can gather a full stable of game developers behind it. Instead, lets see Hulu support over Xbox Live. A robust gaming handheld, as rumored, would be cool, too.

From Nintendo: This is a tough one. Conventional wisdom holds that The Big N will focus on games instead of hardware this year, maybe with a Zelda or Mario-related announcement to please the fanboys. I’d like to see something that uses the Wii MotionPlus in a mind-blowing way. If such a game involves any Nintendo icons, so be it.

From Sony: Cut the price of the Playstation 3 already, jeez. Seriously though, the most likely rumor — that of a UMD-less PSP — is the one that I like. I desperately want to see what happens when a game console ditches physical media, and Sony has the chance to be ahead of the curve.

From Game Publishers: It’d be nice to hear that the old way of piling up game releases around the holidays is being phased out. Ars Technica’s Ben Kuchera has a story today on why this may not happen — basically, there’s still a market for all those games, so no reason to hold back — but as a gamer it’s frustrating. This spring was fruitful for good games, but I think we’re headed for a dull summer before the usual fall/winter pounding.

I’ll be covering the show here in Los Angeles, starting with Microsoft’s Monday morning press conference. In the meantime, feel free to offer up your own hopes and dreams for the future of gaming.

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Big Hair’s a No-Go In Video Games

Posted by Jared Newman on May 28, 2009 at 5:30 pm

ufc-guidaEver notice how your favorite video game characters wear close-cropped ‘dos, shave their heads, tie their locks back in a ponytail or just wear head dressings? They may be doing it for style, but they’re also conveniently hiding the difficulties of rendering lifelike video game hair.

This isn’t a new revelation, but the issue came to light again this week when Fight! Magazine learned about the exclusion of big hair in an Ultimate Fighting Championship video game. Fighter Clay “The Carpenter” Guida’s hairdo is so massive that the developers of THQ’s UFC Undisputed 2009 had to exclude him due to clipping and collision detection issues. Reportedly, THQ even offered Guida money to cut his hair, and he refused.

Earlier this week, I wrote about photorealism in games, and how one developer thinks video games could accurately depict thousands of facial bones in 10 to 15 years. But what about the tens of thousands of hair strands that adorn human heads? Apparently, gaming is pretty far off from nailing the art of beautiful, flowing locks.

For fun, here are a few other facts about video game hair:

  • Mario, famously, sports a cap because designer Shigeru Miyamoto didn’t like creating hairstyles and wanted to save his programmers the trouble of animating the hair during jumps.
  • Electronic Arts’ chief visual officer, Glenn Entis, said in 2005 that hair and facial expressions would be a focus of graphics in the HD gaming era, calling hair “such a communicator of style” and referring to past efforts as “laughable.”
  • Even the latest graphical advances simulate less than a couple hundred strands of hair. A real human could shed that amount in a day.
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GTAIV Expansion Dubbed “The Ballad of Gay Tony”

Posted by Jared Newman on May 26, 2009 at 2:44 pm

gtaivApparently not satisfied with the level of controversy in video games lately, Rockstar has announced the next downloadable expansion for Grand Theft Auto IV, and it will be subtitled “The Ballad of Gay Tony.”

The add-on will focus on an assistant to the eponymous nightclub owner Tony Prince. Players will “struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price,” according to the press release.

So it’s only a matter of time before someone appears on cable news channels to complain and we start hearing appeals to bar the game from release — all for naught, of course.

Normally, I’d say “let’s not jump to conclusions,” but I’m willing to bet that this expansion pack will offend people because Grand Theft Auto has always relied on stereotypes for its characters. Like Comedy Central’s South Park, GTA is an equal opportunity offender, but instead of relying on satire, it mixes horribly offensive jokes with a thin layer of compassion that gently tugs at the player’s sense of decency.

For that reason, you won’t get a condemnation from me. I’m actually pleased to see Rockstar Games state its intentions so blatantly, especially in an industry whose fear of homophobia (no, that’s not a typo) has repeatedly caused problems. Besides, this is a game for mature audiences. Those who worry for our precious children might first want to check on seemingly innocuous games, like Punch-Out.

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Who Needs Photorealism in Games, Anyway?

Posted by Jared Newman on May 26, 2009 at 12:16 pm

uncanny_valleyJust in case the haunting wastelands of Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2 aren’t realistic enough for you, one game engine programmer suspects that true photorealism in video games is 10 to 15 years away.

I say, who cares?

To understand why, read the rest of Unreal Engine programmer Tim Sweeney’s comments to Gamasutra: “But there’s another problem in graphics that’s not as easily solvable,” he said. “It’s anything that requires simulating human intelligence or behavior: animation, character movement, interaction with characters, and conversations with characters. They’re really cheesy in games now.”

To put it another way, we may someday have video game people that look a lot like the real thing in pictures, but making them seem lifelike in practice is another story entirely.

That’s why video games are better off experimenting with other methods of representation besides mimicking reality. (Sports games should get a pass, however, because they are inherently in pursuit of realism. Plus, they tend to avoid issues of interaction and conversation that other games must deal with.)

When I think of the most powerful examples of human emotion in video games, they’re almost always abstract. The pixelated characters in Daniel Benmergui’s Storyteller are excellent examples: The eyes struck a deeper chord with me than any attempt at bone modeling.

Another method is cel-shading, as in the cartoon style seen in games like Team Fortress 2 and No More Heroes. Just like pixelation, cel-shading symbolizes human gestures without dipping into the uncanny valley (that is, the negative response that occurs when a human facsimile looks too much, but not exactly, like the real thing).

I’m certainly not the first one to make this argument, but it’s worth repeating if game developers plan to chase photorealism. I fear that the mountain is so steep to climb, we may have to endure a lot of freaky fake people before getting to the good stuff. As Sweeney suggests, the real problems may take a lot longer than a decade to solve, and10 years is already a long time.

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In iPhone Gaming, Capcom’s An Unlikely Contender

Posted by Jared Newman on May 22, 2009 at 2:30 pm

re_degenerationAfter wading carefully into the waters of the iPhone and iPod Touch with a mobile take on Resident Evil, Capcom plans to go full bore with 10 more iPhone games between now and next March, Reuters reports.

The publisher only released Resident Evil: Degeneration earlier this month, but presumably it likes what it’s seeing so far.

Still, 10 games is a tall order, and as major game publishers go, only Electronic Arts has greater ambitions, planning 14 titles for the future. Even so, Capcom is distinct from EA and other heavyweights like Namco because of the kind of games it produces.

Aside from Resident Evil, Capcom is best known for the Street Fighter and Mega Man franchises. New hits include the futuristic shoot-em-up Lost Planet and the zombie game Dead Rising. These are neither casual games such as EA’s Tiger Woods and The Sims franchises nor popular rehashes such as Namco’s Pac-Man and Pole Position. Capcom’s games have always been geared towards the devoted gamer set, and unless a big change is coming, the company’s commitment to the iPhone could be significant.

It means that the kind of games you can play on the iPhone are changing. I haven’t tried Resident Evil: Degeneration, but I understand that it’s a bite-sized version the franchise’s hallmark zombie thrills. It may be “diversionary,” as Sony marketing executive Peter Dille once called iPhone gaming, but it could also signal the beginning of a shift away from Solitaire clones and bowling simulators.

That depends on whether other major publishers follow suit. A recent report by CNBC notes that Activision and Take Two have shied away from the iPhone because it isn’t a major profit generator for such large businesses — not yet, at least. Those two publishers are more akin to Capcom than EA, lacking a stable of casual games (with the exception of Activision’s Guitar Hero).

Capcom must see something in the iPhone that these other publishers don’t.  The company’s success or failure will factor greatly into how the iPhone evolves as a gaming platform.

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Sony May Cut More PSP Middlemen

Posted by Jared Newman on May 21, 2009 at 2:24 pm

pspslimAt this point, everyone but Sony is talking about a redesigned PSP that ditches physical media in favor of digital downloads. Whether you believe that or not, several reports suggest the PSP will eventually focus more on Web transactions with a download-to-rent service.

The evidence came from Joystiq, which reported on a survey gauging interest in a rental service. The questionnaire says this kind of offering “could be developed” and sought feedback on price points, subscription packages, desire for new releases and the number of titles added per month. From the nature of these questions, it seems like Sony is considering paid subscriptions rather than a la carte rentals.

Today, Develop magazine writes that game developers were briefed on the nature of this service at the Game Developers Conference last March. Several studios were reportedly given information and documents on the service.

Download-to-rent video games are an interesting proposition because they alleviate some of the uncertainty downloaders face, knowing they can’t sell the game back to GameStop once they complete the game. The trade-off, obviously, is no ownership of the real gems. If Sony does implement subscription rentals for the PSP, I hope the company figures out a way to bridge this gap.

I’m thinking some sort of incentive plan for purchasing games would work nicely. Gamefly, for example, lets renters keep the games they really like at used game prices, and adds discounts that get better the longer you’re a member. This is what keeps me subscribing through boring spots on the release calendar.

Sony would be wise to implement something similar. Even better, the company could make like Napster or ZunePass and let subscribers permanently hang on to a game every few months. That would keep customers happily forking their money over to Sony, not the middleman.

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Calif. Game Sales Law Goes to the Supreme Court

Posted by Jared Newman on May 20, 2009 at 4:19 pm

gavelNot content with a state appeals court decision and a trail of failed legislation in other states, California state Sen. Leland Yee is getting his wish: His fight for government regulation of violent video game sales to minors will go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The irony is beautiful when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he’s heard the “loud and clear” message to reduce deficits through budget cuts and on the same day endorses a legal pursuit that will waste taxpayer money. But here we are once more, chasing the spectre of evil, killer video games, trying to hide them with censorship so they don’t corrupt California’s precious children.

To recap, the law would ban the sale of violent video games to anyone under the age of 18. Any game that contains “especially heinous, cruel, or depraved” violence would include a 2-inch by 2-inch sticker with the number “18” on it. If a store owner is caught selling these games to minors, the retailer is fined $1,000.  Upon hearing a complaint from the games industry, a judge blocked the law, and an appeals judge agreed with the decision. Yee still isn’t giving up.

Because the state would essentially be throwing the Entertainment Software Ratings Board out the window — it’s a voluntary system by the video game industry, after all — a new, government-run system would need to be put into place. I doubt the costs of running such a system would be covered entirely by fines, especially if store owners start taking drastic measures to keep violent games out of the wrong hands, such as putting certain games behind closed doors or not selling them entirely.

So now we get to the point I’ve argued previously: Game fans of a mature age may find their favorite games behind the glass, so to speak, regardless of the games’ artistic or cultural merits. Why don’t movies and music receive the same scrutiny, even though minors are having more success buying them? Because, Yee and the state of California argue, they’re not interactive. This issue of how games affect players will likely be the focus of the debate if the Supreme moves the case forward.

There’s a sentiment among readers of GamePolitics, where I first read this story, that the Supreme Court needs to hear this case. Presumably, our top justices have nothing to gain politically from these laws, and will therefore put them to bed for good because they’re unconstitutional.

I agree with that notion. We may never be able to save the children — there are far too many other factors playing into that — but at least no more tax dollars will go to waste.

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Wal-Mart Wants Your Used Games

Posted by Jared Newman on May 18, 2009 at 2:06 pm

eplaykioskIf you need to unload some old video games and don’t care to interact with GameStop employees, consider machines as an alternative.

Wal-Mart is testing standalone buy back kiosks at 77 stores in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, Video Business reports. The kiosks will scan the bar codes of used games and separately swallow the disc and casing in exchange for money transferred to a credit card.

The kiosks will also rent video games and DVDs, but the DVD rental function will be switched off in stores that already have a Redbox kiosk. Games and DVDs will cost $1 per night, and Blu-ray rentals will costs $2 for the first night and $1 per night after that.

As with GameStop and, more recently Amazon, the buy back price is a point of discontent. Wal-Mart’s kiosks will spit out the usual range of offers, from $25 for high-demand games to 50 cents for undesirables. Generally, you can expect used games at those trade-in prices to sell back for double. I’m surprised none of the competition wants to tinker with that formula and see how it affects market share.

It’s not clear what will happen to the used games. Instead of operating the kiosks directly, Wal-Mart is leasing space in the vestibule area, just outside the stores themselves, to a company called E-Play. That company has a “couple different methods” for resale, marketing VP and business development executive Kristen Fox told Gamasutra, but declined to be more specific.

Meanwhile, a writer for Neocrisis has already spotted one of the kiosks (seen above). It lacks Wal-Mart branding, except for the slogan “Save Money. Live Better.” Notably, Neocrisis reported some serious bugs in these early boxes. Most of the games offered didn’t scan, and the only one that did — the fairly high profile Mirror’s Edge — wasn’t in the kiosk’s database. The writer walked away without trading anything.

Maybe humans have some merit after all.

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Sony Hints of PS3 Price Cuts

Posted by Jared Newman on May 15, 2009 at 8:27 am

playstation3The last time everyone got excited for a Playstation 3 price cut, only to be disappointed, I swore off reporting on the matter, but only on the word of analysts, retailers, game publishers or other blogs. Here’s my loophole:

The whispers are now coming directly from Sony. In a conference call with overseas investors, the company said it plans to sell 30 percent more consoles this year than in 2008, CNBC reports. Asked specifically by an analyst about price cuts, corporate executive officer Nobuyuki Oneda said Sony had nothing to announce at the moment, indicating that he couldn’t discuss pricing strategies because it would affect inventory.

But then, another analyst asked how, exactly, Sony planned to reach 13 million PS3 sales this year. “Well, I think you have to guess what will be our pricing strategy,” Oneda said.

I would have liked to hear the tone of Oneda’s voice. It was probably straightforward, but I’m imagining a “that’s for me to know and you to find out” kind of coyness. Anyhow, there’s more reason than ever to speculate when, rather than if, the PS3’s price will come down.

E3 would be the obvious time to make grand announcement, but there’s also a feeling Sony will wait until August to squeeze out some more higher-priced sales before entering the holiday season. As CNBC points out, though, even a little sign like this is a warning to consumers. That’s why Sony has been so adamant in denying every previous rumor. Now it’s creating one, so why wait to seal the deal?

It’s worth mentioning that Nintendo projects flat sales figures for the current fiscal year, meaning it’ll sell roughly the same 26 million Wiis and 30 million Nintendo DSs this year as it did last year. Granted, Sony and Nintendo are in different boats, but we’ve had two months in a row of US sales declines for the PS3 compared to 2008, and two months of overall losses for the industry. The recession may finally be taking its toll.

For Sony to battle declining sales, it’ll have to do something drastic. I think we’ll have to guess what that will be.

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