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Thaniel's Thoughts

A good friend of mine has this blog that I frequent. He enjoys sharing his thoughts on movies, video games, pop culture, and movies! I realize that I said 'movies' twice, but he loves movies! Unfortunately, he has such a busy schedule and enough blank moments that he doesn't get to share his thoughts with us too often. But when he does post, it's clever, blunt, and son of a bitch... it's goddamned funny. So, subscribe to his page and read his stuff. Also, send him messages and comment on his posts so he'll be pressured to write more and give you what you paid for! And if you like what you've read here and you want to do it, Get Tuitt!

Dead Space 3???

We began 2011 with Dead Space 2. It literally scared players (and their moms) out of their seats and made us whole (if you don’t get that joke, you don’t know Dead Space). Of course, Visceral Games has to hit us again with Dead Space 3, but is it more rumor than fact? It hasn’t officially been announced, and yet there is information on the web about where the story takes places and what characters will make an appearance.

If you remember, Issac Clarke survived the horrors aboard the USS Ishimura. Then, he managed to battle Necromorphs and hallucinations of his dead girlfriend while trying to decipher the meaning of the codes in his mind. He did this all while navigating the Sprawl, a huge space station that houses thousands of civilians who become victims to the spreading infection. He manages to escape with his gal-pal, Ellie, and it cuts to black as we hear a conversation that pretty much solidifies the makings of a sequel.

But is EA waiting until E3 to announce Issac’s return? Rumors state that it will take place on an ice planet and that there will be co-op. Does co-op mean that two people can play the story together? And will there be multiplayer? Honestly, multiplayer is so unnecessary in a game like this that no one would miss it if Visceral decided to take it out. It was too dark, and if you played as the humans you had an unfair advantage before of your weapons. It doesn’t work to have one team be the monsters and the other team be the soldiers. If Visceral does multiplayer for Dead Space 3, they would be wise to add a type of horde-mode, which would be a lot more fun to fend off a horde of AI Necromorphs.

In all fairness, Dead Space is a great horror series, and Visceral would be wise to keep it going as long as they stick to the conventions that make it great. Again, it looks like we’ll have to watch E3 to see if there is announcement for Dead Space 3. As for details, we’ll know more as E3 2012 kicks off with the press conferences on Monday, June 4- we’ll see you there!

Dishonored on Tumblr

The people who brought you Skyrim have created a Tumblr page specifically for their first person, stealth game, Dishonored. You can see pictures, gifs, as well as get links to the Twitter and Facebook counterparts. Enjoy!

http://dishonored.tumblr.com/

Also, if you want to catch a little synopsis of what the game is all about, check out my blurb about in on Romesblog.

Skyrim Mounted Combat and Bugs

So, the days of being helpless on your horse are over! Another free patch is comin to Skyrim! If you're an honorary equestrian in Skyrim, you will now be able to fight off attackers or continue to terrorize townspeople on horseback. It is unknown whether characters may use shouts while riding a horse, but fans will find out as they gallop along. Also, there are no specifics as to what weapons characters will be able to use (single-handed AND two-handed). Below is a list of problems that Bethesda has fixed with this patch, though!

List of bug repairs

General stability and memory optimizations
General AI pathfinding optimizations and bug fixes
Optimizations and crash fixes for data leaks
Fixed rare crash with lighting
Fixed crashes related to loading and saving games
Fixed crash with summoned creatures/NPCs
Fixed rare issue where saves would be corrupted
Improved logic for when ranged kill cams are played
Fixed issue with ranged kill cams while killing a dragon
Fixed rare issue with certain ranged kill cams not playing properly
Fixed issue with nirnroot lighting not properly cleaning up
Fixed issue where bow damage was being calculated incorrectly
Fixed rare problem with werewolf kill moves would not finish animating properly
In ‘The Break of Dawn’ fixed rare issue where Meridia’s Beacon would disappear from player’s inventory
Fixed occasional issue where followers would disappear after player pays off a county after committing a crime
Fixed issue where certain creatures and NPCs would fail to respawn properly
Fixed rare issue with dialogue subtitles not displaying properly
Fixed issue with water appearing blurry when loading a saved game after creating a save underwater

OPINION 2: Motion and Handheld Gaming

When you think about it, people aren’t buying games like they used to. While the industry is growing and they are building toward future innovations, sales have been declining. It’s a fact that with the economy the way that it is, gamers have to tighten their purse strings. Nintendo recently reported a 40% loss in revenue, and I’m sure Sony and Microsoft aren’t far behind. The problem is between the high prices and the fact that mobile gaming has taken off. People are playing games on their phones and tablets now, proving that you don’t need a home console or even a handheld to enjoy gaming. Why spend $60 when you can spend $3 and take it with you everywhere?

Also, Nintendo has thrived on their iconic characters (Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, etc.) without relying too much on third-party help. Microsoft and Sony are becoming too much alike in that their consoles are being carried by either first or third-person shooters. Xbox 360 and PS3 share a lot of games with a few console exclusives here and there (Halo, Gears, Uncharted, God of War, etc.), and it’s getting to the point where it doesn’t matter which one you buy besides the Blu-Ray factor for PS3. There are only a few games I care about for the PS3 and I didn’t have to have one for long to play them, beat them, and return the console. I already owned an Xbox 360, so there was no reason for me to keep the PS3.

Sometimes, I think that if the two companies joined to make a super console that was the best of both worlds, I’d be a lot happier. Since that will never happen, I can’t see how they will pull themselves out of this rut they’ve encountered.

Both Sony and Microsoft have failed at motion gaming. I realize that it’s a bold statement considering the Kinect is selling a lot better than the PS Move, but neither of them appeal to core gamers like they should. Families and children are the core audiences, and while it’s nice, the technology is nowhere near where our imaginations wanted it to go.

For me, I want to actually be inside the game and do all sorts of cool things I only ever dreamed of. Perhaps something like the Grid in Tron? Instead, the coolness of the Kinect is marred in advertising that shows parents and their kids jumping around in their overly styled living rooms. There was even one where Grandpa Oldtimer was playing with them like he’s in the know. I know that some grandparents are up and active, but you’ll only relate to that if your grandparents are like that. Kinect has so much potential, and I hope Microsoft changes directions a bit within the next year.

It’s great to market it to families, but the core gamers went completely ignored. Now, games are beginning to add Kinect compatibility, but isn’t it too late for that? I have played games like Mass Effect 3 with when I had a Kinect only to find that I felt like an idiot shouting power commands at my television. Sure, it was empowering for a little while, but I feel that such a feature is meant to impress a group. You know, like when you host a gaming event or movie party?

Handhelds are failing, as well; because it’s too expensive and mobile gaming is taking its place. There isn’t a big difference between the PS Vita and an I-Phone, minus the calling. And there isn’t much difference between the 3DS and any the previous one besides the fact that it has an analog stick, axis gyroscope, and 3D. There were a lot of games marketed along with the 3DS, yet none of them were released with the handheld.

This left a gigantic gap between the system and the games that potential customers didn’t appreciate. Not only was it not marketed correctly/enough (how many of you honestly knew about the 3DS before it came out?), but there were no 3D games to play when it dropped. Keep in mind that there are a plethora of DS games available, but the point of the 3DS is… the 3D. None of the original DS games were compatible with the 3D, for starters. What’s the point of releasing something that plays games in 3D if you can only play Pokemon Heart Gold until Ocarina of Time comes out?

The 3DS was $250 when it came out last year; a year after they released the DSi XL. Because I worked at Gamestop around that time, I dealt with the rage that most parents felt first hand. I have to say that I was surprised at Nintendo’s bold move because the XL didn’t have a lot of time to grow before the 3DS release. One year isn’t enough time even if it’s a bigger version of the DSi. I would rather the DSi stood on its own for a little while longer and the idea for the XL was just trashed. This way, the market won’t be saturated with different sizes of the same product.

Then, because consumers weren’t buying what Nintendo wanted them to buy, they lowered the price to rival that of the DSi XL. So, if you purchased a DSi XL for $170, you’d be upset to learn that you can have an even further upgraded version for the same price almost a year later. The only reason I can provide for why it played out the way it did was that Nintendo got greedy in the interim between the DSi and the 3DS. That’s it; feel free to provide your theories to expand on that!

This, of course, brings me to the PS Vita. The decked out Playstation Portable was said to blow the 3DS out of the water. Two touch-screens, two analog sticks, enhanced visuals, and 3G capability make it seem beyond cool in theory. One of my gripes about the Vita is that while it’s got all these features and a handful of decent games, it seems like overkill. Pricewise, Sony can take some lessons from Nintendo and lower the price a bit. The Vita didn’t sell well in Japan for a few reasons, and the price was close to the top of the list. No one wants to pay the price of a home console for something their phone can do for less.

I realize that I’m ranting, so I will bring it back to the original topic. Not being able to play used games may be what the industry needs, or it may be what brings it into crisis. As I said, people are getting more careful with their money, but not careful enough to drop $60 on a game, trade it in for $25, and buy a new game at full price. This is a rumor, however, but I would like to debate with some people. That is my socratic exercise for now, so comment on what you think about both parts! 

OPINION Part 1: Console rumors

The rumor that’s been on my mind for a while is whether or not gamers will be able to play used games on the new Microsoft/Sony consoles currently in development. I’ve had plenty of debates with people about it, but I wanted to throw this out there to you dudes and dudettes to see where you stand on this. I want to start by saying that I’m completely undecided on how I will side if the rumor is true. But keeping in mind that it’s just a rumor right now, I’ll try to be objective in my opinions.

First of all, I’d like to point out that a big part of why new games cost so much at release is because developers are trying to re-coup some of their costs up front. It’s a sort of preemptive strike against piracy and third-party retailers buying and selling their particular game used. When you buy a used game from Gamestop or Amazon as opposed to a new copy, Gamestop and Amazon pull a huge profit from the sale because it’s legally theirs to sell. The gamer purchased the game, played through it, and sold it off in exchange for however much third-party retailers offer up for the various games that are out there.

From an outside perspective, it seems to me that third-party retailers are making more off games than the people who make them. Sure, developers pull in a decent percentage from all the new copies being sold $60 a piece, but as more people finish the game, they sell it to Gamestop where others who don’t want to pay full price lie in wait for a used copy (which is usually $5 less than the new copy if you buy it from Gamestop). They’ll purchase the game from a customer at anywhere from $15-25, by the way.

Gamestop then sells that used copy for $55, but they take a big percentage of that sale since it’s ‘their game’. After that, the scraps are sent back to the developers. If you are the person that purchases that used game, you may think you’re in the clear, but you’re not. Whether or not you paid less doesn’t really matter since developers have taken measure to increase their revenue and protect themselves against the sale of used games since they don’t make much after it becomes used. A big thing that developers are doing is inserting an online pass or implementing season passes for downloadable content.

An online pass grants you the ability to play the games’ multiplayer content online. If you don’t have the online pass, you have to pay for it or you can’t play online even if you buy the DLC. Season passes are a way for the company to make money in advance for future DLC when the game releases. For example, Gears of War 3 was the first game (that I know of) to promise five DLC packs with the next year, but charging player $30 upfront. So, when a new pack comes out, all the player has to do is download it.

The only ways to get an online pass are to purchase it from your retailer or to purchase a new copy of the game. And that pass only works for that game leaving you to buy a new copy of any other games you want, as well. Developers have been doing this a lot within the past two years, and the ways that they think of to sap your pocket are immensely clever (I’ll get into that later). But the point is that developers feel they have to protect themselves and their earnings by practicing these methods.

What would happen if Microsoft and Sony implemented a way for their systems to recognize new versus used and reject the used copy? Let’s say you had your Xbox Next or PS4; you just got a used copy of the latest Call of Duty. There wouldn’t be a need for online passes because as soon as you popped it into your console of choice, it would spit out the disc and the words ‘don’t even think about it’ would appear on your screen.

As amusing as that sounds, I can image how upset someone would be. But how would the big power players make this work? I can immediately masses of angry gamers because their lifestyle would change. They would be forced to purchase new games because used games would be rendered obsolete. My problem with this is that the third-party retailers, especially Gamestop, would suffer because it’s clear that a big part of their income is from the sale of used games and systems.

As upset as people would be about this if it does happen, how is it any different than buying a computer game? Gamestop doesn’t deal in used computer games. The installation code is only good for one computer. If you delete the game and reinstall it, that code will still be valid if only on that specific computer. But it’s impossible for a friend to borrow it because each game comes with its own installation code. If home consoles did it, the concept wouldn’t be that different.

When I worked at Gamestop, I wondered why the PC version of a game is less than the console version. I figured that the PC version has the one installation code, which actually makes sense. But then piracy is a lot higher with a PC title as opposed to its console counterpart. I believe the answer to that is Steam, but people still figure out ways to pirate things if they really don’t want to pay for it.

It’s also clear that a big reason why games are so expensive is because they only make a small profit on games once the hype has died down. A large component to the $60 price tag is covering someone’s bottom line And let’s face it, not every game is worth that much. 2011 was a big year for gaming and part of my enjoyment came from one blockbuster after another. But who wants to pay full price for a game they can beat in four to six hours? Also, who wants to pay full price for a less-than-par game?

Come on, we’ve all done it at least once. A game like Batman: Arkham City is worth the price of admission to ride, but what about Dark Void? Or Naughty Bear? Or Lost Planet 2? Or either of the Kane and Lynch games? Sports games come out every year like clockwork and fans pay $60 a pop for the same thing with a different player on the cover. I am, in no way, judging anyone who buys sports games (I enjoy Fifa and NCAA myself), but when they release it every year, it can stand to be at least $30.

I digress; the rumor of consoles not playing used games is interesting because of a few things. It’ll be something that helps both developers and gamers. Developers will make more money from each copy sold, and in theory, they’ll be able to lower the price of their games. And gamers will eventually pay less for the games they want to play. Again, this is all theory until the respective companies say otherwise. Thoughts?