Something Old, Something New

Well, let me start by saying that I'm having fun typing this with basically one hand. I'm having some issues with one of the fingers on my left hand, so I taped two of them together. But then, G4 is running a marathon of Ninja Warrior, so I'm still happy.

Anyway, I just wanted to throw a few things out. I'm sure we're all aware of the PSN problems by now. Sony is at last trying to make good. Too little too late? We will see. At least the Department of Homeland Security is looking into the breach now. Phew! I feel a lot better now.

On to brass tacks...

The biggest reason I'm writing this is a little game called Mortal Kombat. Long story short, if you have any fond memories of Mortal Kombat from your childhood, you should play this game. This iteration of the series, or reboot as they've called it, is basically the model of how a game series gets back to it's roots while still updating to make itself modern.

MK was hugely successful when it was on a 2D plane. When the N64 debuted, nearly every 2D game franchise was trying to move to the 3D space. MK had some success there, but it never really appealed to me so I got out of it. Moving to 3D fighting took away from the core frenetic gameplay that I had come to enjoy at that point. However, the new reboot brings that back in all of its glory and it is beautiful.

Because of my typing handicap, I will keep this brief. As I stated, the new Mortal Kombat is what a franchise reboot should be. It returns to the core of what made Mortal Kombat a sensation in the 90's while cutting out a lot of the crap (or Krap, in this case). The graphics are gorgeous (until you get really close), and the new X-Ray attacks are so satisfying. The story mode is fun and epic, though some of the writing and voice acting is a bit questionable. I haven't played online just yet, but I'm sure it's a blast. Ultimately, Mortal Kombat returns to what made it popular but still kept a lot of modern conventions like online play, 3D models and tag teams.

If you love fighting games, Mortal Kombat in particular, or just like to see people beat the living Krap out of each other, then go out and at the VERY least rent this game. You won't be disappointed.

The official Atomic Gnome score: 8.75/10


And for the record, Johnny Cage may be a "weapons-grade retard" but for some reason I can play him pretty well. So, he may be my go-to guy. Just saying.

It's Been A While, But Here's Some Great Stuff

First of all, this video is pretty damn awesome. It answers the question that no one has asked, even though they should: "What if a Legend of Zelda movie was made in the vein of a teenage romantic comedy?" On top of the great gaming and 80's Teen movie references, they did a FANTASTIC job making this look like a home movie straight out of the 80's or early 90's. Great job!

Apparently a bunch of trolls started a flame war with psychiatrist Carole Lieberman on Amazon by rating her book with really low scores and leaving abusive messages. These responses blasted her for linking, without a doubt, that sexually-themed violence in video games is a major cause of sexual violence. Yet another entry into the "video games are a terrible influence" crusade. And guess what: Her comment was actually quoted by Fox News. Before reading more here, you might want to check out the official story. I found out about it here, but Wired did a real interview with her here. This is also her official press release.

First of all, these trolls need to find a better way of getting their point across. Seriously. These are the same people who yell, "FIRST!" and will state that they "don't care about this post." Get a life.

Second, Dr. Lieberman has stated that Fox News' quote was taken out of context. I'll give her that much. Well played. By the way, do you happen to be related to Joe?

Third, I would not be the least bit surprised that Fox News purposefully posted a quote from Dr. Lieberman out of context to claim another expert opinion against violent video games.

However, Dr. Lieberman has still made comments regarding gamers being violent. Yet, she still has not provided any hard evidence. I will also admit that there is yet to be any conclusive evidence that violent video games do or do not make people more or less violent.

Now, Jane McGonigal interests me, despite her wild mane. She fronts an organization named gameful.org which proposes that video games can actually be beneficial. To me, this is different than saying that video games do not affect people or affect them in specifically negative way. Gameful.org's focus is increasing gaming as a common activity and promoting it's possibly beneficial effects. The organization even goes as far as to challenge developers to design games with this in mind: Your games affect people, so make games while trying to increase the amount of positive influences your games have on people. You know what I say, Dr. McGonigal?

Challenge Accepted.

For more information about Gameful.org please visit their secret HQ at, er....gameful.org. Yeah.

Speaking of great gaming related organizations, check out Child's Play. They could always use more help!

That's it for now. I'll be back soon with some less political stuff soon.

Gnome Out.

Gaming By Numbers and The Boss' Annoying Kid Ruins Diablo 3

Over the past six months, I've had two co-workers looking into a getting a console for the first time this generation. One of them was new to gaming in general. For both of them, the decision came down to Xbox 360 and PS3. I did what I could to figure out which console would be a better fit for the each of them by asking what they wanted to get out of a console and comparing that to my opinion of what each console does better. I generally recommended the 360 for online gaming despite the Xbox Live subscription fees and the PS3 for someone who wants to do more than game with their console.

Everyone has their own opinion about each console, but that was my recommendation. As much as a gamer as I am, I tend to game almost exclusively on my Xbox; my PS3 is mostly a Blu-ray player. My wife and I still game on it, but mostly just PS3 exclusives like Uncharted and Little Big Planet. It seems that I'm not alone here, either.

Some Nielson ratings were recently released about usage on the Big 3. It's a pretty interesting chart to look at. The Wii gets the largest percentage of offline play because people are generally playing with people in the same room. (Most of those party games don't have an online option, and when these games are about 60% of the total gaming options on the Wii the math adds up.) I'm guessing that 20% that is streaming video are Netflix users. It's the only explanation that makes sense.

When we compare the 360 and PS3, the numbers are closer, but they reveal some interesting trends. Gaming in general, offline and online combined, makes up of a little bit more than 60% of activity on the 360 but less than 50% on the PS3. Besides gaming on the PS3, the most popular thing to do on a PS3 was watching DVDs and Blu-ray movies. Not too surprising though, considering that the 360 doesn't actually play any HD format discs without the now antiquated HDDVD peripheral (I know someone who has one and a decently sized collection of these elusive creatures). I must say, though, that all of these numbers are only recording the proportional percentage of usage and not numbers of hours compared to the other consoles. So, where there is a higher percentage gaming done on the 360, these numbers are not actually saying that there are more people using the console over the others. Just keep that in mind.

Some other interesting numbers came out this week regarding digital downloads. As a proponent of digital distribution and a harbinger of the digital revolution, I find these numbers fascinating. According to NPD, digital downloads are nearing 1/3 of total game sales. Of these digital purchases, services like Steam make up of almost half. App stores for smartphones almost match the numbers for Steam and Steam-like services. What amazes me most is that digital downloads on the Big 3 consoles make up less than 1/3 of these digital sales combined. Granted, since this all includes cell and smart phones, you have a lot of casual gamers downloading free game apps or $0.99 games like Cut The Rope and Angry Birds and purists may argue the "validity" of including such stats. However, these are real games and should be included. Curious to see what these numbers may look like in the next couple of years.

And, one more thing!

Diablo 3, the tease that she is, creeps ever closer. Now that the last of the first 5 classes has been revealed, it seems that Blizzard had to work pretty hard to keep the list short and sweet. With ideas like these, I wonder what the game could have been...

Gnome, out.

How I Suck At Predictions and The Worse Game Ever (of 2010)?!

So, yeah. My predictions for the Spike VGAs were waaaaay off. Whatever. I'll eat my crow, but I just want to go on record as saying that the awards show was awkward and pitiful at best. The on-stage projection effects were pretty awesome, but NPH was not himself; he was trying too hard to appeal to the gamer crowd. I also came to the conclusion, along with the rest of the gaming community, that Olivia Munn needs to stop talking. I love Attack of the Show, but she is really taking this diva persona a bit too far.

So, let's recap. Spike's Video Game Awards were:

1. Mostly boring

2. Hosted by a sub-par Neil Patrick Harris

3. Pretty much ruined by Olivia Munn

4. Showed off some cool presentation tech with on-stage projections

5. Revealed a lot of cool new games

Oh, yeah...I wasn't totally wrong about BioWare's new game. As I said a few posts ago, I figured it was Mass Effect 3, but I was hoping for something else. While, this reveal filled me elation about ME3 but a bit of apprehension that it may be too soon, the trailer was more epic than I imagined a teaser could be. Full trailer - plzkthksbai!

Now for some other fun things I found this past week.

I'm super pumped for L.A. Noire. Granted, I have no idea how this game will play, but the tech itself is blowing...my...mind. If the teaser that released about a month ago didn't show you enough of what this game and development team are capable of, perhaps this tidbit will give you more of an idea. *swoon*

Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? Here's a video game one from GameSpy. You're welcome.

I like Entertainment Weekly. They seem to be fairly on par with my thoughts about TV shows and movies. They also seem to be on top of the most recent scuttlebutt and reveals. They broke the story on the design of Captain America from the upcoming movie, as well as Green Lantern. EW makes me happy...mostly. I say "mostly" because when they do have video game reviews, they generally have no idea what they are talking about. Their reviewer(s) listed Kirby's Epic Yarn as the Worst Game of 2010.

Seriously?

Kirby?

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Are they serious when they say that Kirby's Epic Yarn was a bigger train wreck than something like Clash of the Titans or Kung Fu Rider? Granted, I haven't played any of those three. However, Kriby got great reviews from almost everyone but EW. Come on, Entertainment Weekly. Kirby may not have been the greatest game of 2010, but I can't imagine that it was that bad. Get some perspective.

Well, that's all for now. I'll be back later this week with a discussion about consoles and digital game sales and distribution. Same Gnome-Time, same Gnome-Channel; so stay tuned!

Gnome, out.

Old People Talking About Video Games and Upcoming Events

The Governator is at it again. California state legislature is trying its hand at regulating video games. The state recently passed a law prohibiting sale of "violent video games" to anyone under the age 18. Furthermore, such games are required to sport a 2" square "18" sticker. There a lot of things about this issue that just burn me, but then I do see a little sense here.

First of all, as this law goes under the Supreme Court for a decision, the attorney for EMA is quoting the First Amendment to show the unconstitutionality of Ahnold's law. Really, that is what this boils down to on a legal scale. Our nation was founded on the idea that people are free to express themselves and make a buck. Granted, this has been modified to ensure that making a buck doesn't involve enslaving entire cultures, but you get the idea. Prohibiting the sale of violent video games spits on the spirit of the First Amendment. For one person to say, "You can't sell this to certain people," when no hard evidence of detrimental effects exists is totally against the Constitution however you look at it.

Now you might say, "What about the age limits on alcohol and driver's licenses?" Alcohol is scientifically proven to alter and damage brain cells. And putting 12-year olds behind the wheel of 1.5 tons of metal and rubber which zoom along at 55 mph is just a disaster waiting to happen. A recent study was released (unfortunately I don't have a link to it at this time) in Australia that states that there is simply no conclusive evidence that people (adults and kids alike) are any more likely to be violent than other forms of media. Keep in mind, this is coming from Australia, a country infamous for banning violent games like Left 4 Dead 2. Also notice that this study doesn't dismiss media as a whole as a non-factor in violent influences; it states that video games are no more or less likely to foster violent tendencies.

At this point, I want to say that I do see some value in restricting the sale of graphic media. We already have that to some degree: pr0n. Really, this is just video and print media deemed too graphic for the public. So, we have age limits on it. Fine. I'm all for keeping kids away from some of the crazy things people consider to be "fun" behind closed doors. I don't think anyone will argue with that. Why not apply this to other forms of media just in new ways? I don't really see anything wrong with having to ID people for R-rated movies, explicit music, and Mature-rated video games. I used to scoff at the local EB Games manager at the mall when I was 16, but I understood the reason at least. All in all, I see no problem in trying to protect the youngin's. However, I think California's going about it the wrong way.

I remember my parents sitting down with me when I was about 12 or 13 when I was going over to a friend's house to watch some movies. Some of these movies were rated "R" and they knew it. They were not going with me and they knew there would not be any adults around. They sat me down and said, "You realize that whatever you see in these movies is all fake and you should never do them, right? Do you also know better than to use the bad language in those movies, too?" I did. And honestly, coming from a family that never really hammered these sorts of things home, this one moment really stuck with me.

Ultimately, while I see the pros of limiting sale of and attendance to questionable media, I uphold the First Amendment more. This means that such limitations, while noble, are unconstitutional. It really comes down to parents. Parents need to understand what their kids are in to and what that means. That goes for video games, music, movies, fashions, etc. I, as a parent, do not plan to let my daughter play M-rated games when she's 14 unless I know she realizes the difference between them and reality. Nor will I let her go to R-rated movies for the same reason. And, really, the bigger idea here is that media is largely rated already so people know what they are getting into. If parents have a problem with what their kids are playing or watching, take some accountability as the child's guardian and don't just blame the people who are making such things. Laws should not have to be made about this.

Speaking of violent video games, watch the episode of Penn & Teller: Bulls**t about video games. Here's Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 on youtube. It's cynical, but I think you'll find it eye-opening.

And Now For Something Relatively Different:

Spike's VMA awards are Saturday night. Let's watch as God of War 3 and Mass Effect 2 steal all of the awards. There also seem to be a good handful of game/trailer reveals coming as well. Uncharted 3 was announced today with a trailer debuting during the awards. We'll also get to find out what that damn picture BioWare released was all about. So, stay tuned. We'll discuss afterward.

Gnome, out.

Predictions and Epic Cuteness (with a touch of badass)

For today's edition, I'm afraid I'm going to look like a bit of GameInformer fanboy. All of the links I'm providing to today go to their website. This is mostly because I like their layout better than IGN. But, whatever. On to the good stuff!

1) The nominees for SPIKE's VGAs have been released, and I found a list! And of course, I'm going to try giving my picks. I think it's going to be a tight year, though. I don't see one game running away with everything like Uncharted 2 did last year.

GOTY: Mass Effect 2 (went a long way to advance storytelling in video games - similarly to Uncharted 2 did last year. Geez, what is it about that game? Oh yeah...it's amazing.)

Best 360: Mass Effect 2

Best PS3: God of War 3 (How many near perfect scores did it get?)

Best Wii: Super Mario Galaxy 2, no question. I will punt anyone who says Other M.

Best PC: This one is tough for me, as I generally don't do much PC gaming anymore. However, my pick would be (don't hate me) Civ 5. I want to say Mass Effect 2 or Starcraft 2, but Civ 5 I think stole the show on PCs.

Best Handheld: I have a DS but don't game on it much just yet. However, based on what I've heard, I think my pick is going to be a PSP game - MGS: Peace Walker. Just a hunch.

Those are my predictions. We'll see how I fare the day after my birthday.

2) This image has been spreading around like wildfire. What is BioWare hiding behind their curtain? Everyone is hoping it is Mass Effect 3, myself included. However, I think it is a bit early for that announcement. I'm thinking this is a new IP. What it could be, I have absolutely no idea. That's why I'm excited!

3) It seems that a lot of previous games are getting rereleased in HD or given a second life as downloadable titles. It began with God of War, then they announced that ICO and Shadow of the Colossus (squee) are getting released on one disc in HD. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath and Beyond Good And Evil, two games that didn't too very well commercially, are being updated and released digitally. Now, the PS2 era Prince of Persia games have gotten the same treatment, and Splinter Cell is now joining the ranks. I have to say, I like this idea. As new gamers get interested in these long running series or games that just need easier access (excluding BGaE as it was retailed at $20...no one has any excuse for that one), rereleasing them is a great idea. I hate saying goodbye to my favorite of generations past as I upgrade a console. This concept makes me warm and tingly inside. I am a fan of digital distribution (sorry GameStop) and I think it is the main way games will be distributed in the future. Let's hope that this strategy gets developers and console makers excited about games they've made and that people might still enjoy. Who knows, if digital distribution does indeed take the forefront, consoles might allow backward compatibility if all they have to do is run older engines instead of reading out of date physical disks. Heck, the Wii already does it. Go, Nintendo! My only concern is that developers and distributors go overboard with this concept. If all of their time and energy is spent of redoing previous games, it would totally take away from making great new games. Only time will tell.

4) Enough of my blathering; here is the EpiCute of the day.

Recent Revelations

Gawd, it's been a while. For anyone reading this who isn't a close friend or acquaintance, I just recently started a new job. Between that, my wife's new job, a 2 year-old, and only one car between the 3 of us...life has been pretty hectic and fairly game/Facebook/blog-free. However, today I had some interesting thoughts that I just needed to share.

1) Nintendo 3DS

Goo. Just....goo. I came across an article on IGN the other day that compared screenshot from the upcoming 3DS remakes of some classic games to the originals and they BLEW ME AWAY. This little handheld gaming system not only does 3D, takes 3D PICTURES, and requires no glasses, but it has Wii level graphics -- or arguably even better in some cases.

The other day I was talking to someone who was looking at getting an iPod Touch (which is practically an iPhone 4 without the phone) instead of a DS for their son. I had to keep my mouth shut because they were badmouthing the DS in favor of the iPod Touch for games (don't get me wrong, the Touch is great for games...depending on what type of gaming you want to do). However, I had an overwhelming urge to just blurt out, "Just wait until your son finds out about the 3DS..." This thing is going to change the mobile gaming market in ways we can't even imagine. I myself want to get one simply for the 3D remake of Ocarina of Time, one of my favorite games of all time. Then, another chance to play MGS3: Snake Eater which I missed most of the first time around is also fantastic. Before the 3DS, the idea of 3D gaming at this point in time with the current technology and price point sounded prohibitively expensive and cumbersome -- although really cool. The 3DS is going to make 3D gaming not only easy and relatively inexpensive (official release date and price point in US has not been officially released), it would make it a cinch to take anywhere. Kudos, Nintendo. If nothing else, you sure as hell know how to innovate the game market.

2) Top hats, cogs, and steam, oh my!

This week's episode of Castle revolved around Steampunk enthusiasts. Now, I've been a big fan of Steampunk for quite sometime, even though I lack the ingenuity and engineering prowess to design/make my own Steampunk gear. Nevertheless, I love the idea of it all...but Steampunk is still a fairly underrepresented subculture in media. Being video game enthusiast hoping to get into design and development...I had an idea.

The idea of Steampunk could lend to a really rich and interesting video game world. The original idea I had was an action RPG in which players could not only customize their appearance and playstyle with weapons and clothing/armor...they could design their own Steampunk-style weapons and outfits. In said episode of Castle, Nathan Fillion's character dons an sleeve covered in gears, cogs and pistons. In terms of game play, such an item could not only add some armor to a character, but increase strength and/or agility. Weapons could be melee, with added derringer-style one-shot gun barrels for added damage. The ideas are only limited by imagination.

The more I thought about this, the more I thought that and RPG style game of some sort would really fit the Steampunk culture. Why? A large part of Steampunk, from what I've seen, is the RP (role-playing) aspect. Thus, I imagine and open world game...very possibly an MMO. So, players could not only customize their characters with gear, but build vehicles for travel, and socialize with others. Of course, there are a still a lot of details to build upon yet, but the concept is still fairly attractive, if you ask me. I'd sure as hell give it a shot if one were made.

3) Speaking of MMOs...

A buddy of mine from high school recently posted on his Facebook wall how Final Fantasy XIV is getting really poor scores. Honestly, I'm not surprised -- but that's a another rant for another time. I currently don't play any MMOs, since I quit WoW back in April. I didn't quit because I disliked the game itself, I quit because I just couldn't stand the attitude of post players anymore. Before I launch into another rant, I'll leave that subject where it is for now. As of now, for me at least, I'm waiting for The Old Republic because my wife and I are big Star Wars geeks. But, seeing as how that isn't coming out until the "Spring of 2011," I'm remaining celibate. However, if I were to break that vow of celibacy there are only two games currently on the market that are attractive enough tempt me in to a new subscription: EVE Online and City of Heroes/Villains. Again...this is another rant for another time.

The point here is that the MMO market is beyond huge, thanks to WoW. And along with my Steampunk MMO idea, I've had a couple other ideas for some potentially huge MMOs. One I've had for quite some time, and one actually spawned in my head this morning from an online ad.

• Pokemon -- This universe is just begging for an MMO. I understand that the way the Pokemon games are released as of now is great marketing...but come on! With each new generation, the developers are leaving out some critters from previous generations, letting you only experience a fraction of the entire catalog. I, as a casual dabbler of Pokemon, would love to shell out the dough for the most current Pokemon game, but this fact is my biggest stumbling point. I hate feeling as if I have purposefully bought into something and knowing that I was being deprived of the FULL experience. A Pokemon MMO doesn't even need to be graphically impressive. Keep the gameplay the way it is, give players access to each region with its full Pokedex catalog, and wham-bam -- instant phenomenon. Walk up to another trainer for a duel, or party up and do a group battle. Have ranked tournaments to see who's the true Master. Don't tell me this doesn't sound fantastic. You know you want it.
• Harry Potter -- Yet another huge franchise with an excessively large fanbase. This could be a bit more of a traditional, class-based MMORPG. However, as I am still in the process of reading these books, I can't really think too much about how characters could customize their character's abilities/class or how the classes would be categorized/defined. However, there is a rich world here with plenty to explore and ways for players to interact, explore and make it their own. Start as a first year at Hogwarts as a legacy pureblood, Muggle-born, or with a mixed heritage, get sorted by the Sorting Hat, progress and age through your 7 years at Hogwarts in your respective House, then graduate and find your place in the wizarding world. Even fight off threats such as Deathspeakers attempting to bring back Voldemort or even larger threats. Again, it's a huge universe that Rowling has created and I think it could work really, really well. Heck, the more I think about it...they more I'm starting to like it.

Anyway, I better call it quits for now. Gotta get to work soon. Until then, Gnome out.