Casual games, still part of gaming
Casual games are on the rise, that’s no secret, with games like Bejeweled being so addictive it makes sense. PopCap is one of the biggest casual game company with its name known to both casual and hardcore gamers, Zynga is up there too thanks to FaceBook.
EA is trying to get some of that sweet casual cash as well, they’ve bought casual game developers in the past, even Nintendo set the Wii up for the casual crowd.
With both big and small game companies making games for casual players the question is begged to be ask, do gamers really care? Seriously ask yourself “Do I really care about casual games?”, you should be able to answer that quickly.
The Walking Dead Game Episode 1 Review
I’m going to do something a little different in this week’s Michael’s Gaming Corner; I’m going to do a small review like I did with Journey, why?
Mainly because reviews are just somebody’s opinion, so I felt that game reviews would fit nicely in my editorials, it’s nice to change things up every now and then don’t you think? So here’s The Walking Dead game review.
Walking Dead on arrival?
Telltale Games have done plenty of point and click games based off of popular IPs, from Sam and Max to Jurassic Park, so it was no surprise when TT Games announced they were making a Walking Dead game.
The big question was how well can TT Games transfer the world of zombies to a point and click adventure without losing out on the action or pressure of being pursued by the living dead?
For those who are not familiar with point and click games, characters are usually set in in one spot until told to move by a cruiser which the player controls.
I’m happy to say the Telltale Games handle the thrill of a zombie apocalypse very well, nearly everything works.
Indie:Beyond Journey’s pretty picture
I know a lot of gamers are going to be pretty upset with what I’m about to say but I must say it; Indie games aren’t that great where they get a free pass.
For now I’m referring to ThatGameCompany’s latest PSN game Journey, for those of you whom have not played nor purchased Journey I will tell you now, it’s not as great as everyone claims.
Indie Begins
Yes, Journey is a gorgeous game that is a feast to the eyes but, that’s about it.
The claims of it being an “emotional adventure” and an “experience that gamers shouldn’t miss” were bogus.
I felt little emotions except for when the camera pulled back to show a beautiful shot of the world, but it was nothing that I haven’t seen before in other games.
The music is great and it’s played at the perfect time, every time, the soundtrack is defiantly worth listening to.
Next Gen/Touchscreen games-quick opinion
Unnecessary next gen consoles
I’m in love with my Xbox 360, I care about my 360 so much it gets more playtime than my PS3, Wii, DS, 3DS and PS Vita combined.
I say that to ask you this, do we really need a “next gen” console right now? I’m asking as honestly as I can make that sound, why do we need a newer Xbox or PlayStation system?
Both Sony and Microsoft knows that this is the console gen that we should be focusing on, Sony is the biggest supporter for ten plus years of the same console, they still push out more exclusive games than Microsoft and Nintendo.
Third party games are the reason why a newer generation of consoles shouldn’t be in the limelight just yet.
Rage Against The….Ending? Does BioWare Deserve All the Hate?
By now everyone should know about the infamous Mass Effect 3 ending problem, even if you don’t play Mass Effect 3, and the fact that many fans are very upset about how Bioware handled Shepard and company’s final push against the Reapers.
For those who are not following along with the story allow me to give you the short version, fans of Mass Effect felt unsatisfied and cheated about the ending of Mass Effect 3.
Now, you may be wondering why this is such a big deal, you might be asking “People are left unsatisfied and unhappy about endings to plenty of their favorite game, why is this game so special?”
In all honesty it’s not the game that’s truly special but the promise made years ago from Bioware, saying that every decision the player makes will be a factor in the game’s universe.
Announcement: Michael’s Gaming Corner going on hiatus
If you’re wondering where the latest post for Michael’s Gaming Corner is don’t worry, Michael’s Gaming Corner will be going on a hiatus until April.
This is due to schedule conflicts that will keep the writer busy throughout March.
Articles will continue its regular schedule; every Saturday, again on April 14th, but a new announcement will be made before then.
I would like to personally thank everyone for understanding and for reading my past articles, even for those whom responded very poorly in the comments.
See you in April!
Japanese Gaming: Land of the Setting Sun?
Japan is a weird place, although that could be said about any place, but Japan is probably the definition of weird to many people especially when it comes to their video games.
There are some Japanese game developers trying to break away from the negative representation that a lot of other Japanese developers have set onto the world.
Like the mass amount of eroge games that comes out more often than a Capcom re-release “updated version” game. For those whom do not know, eroge is a genre of erotic or pornographic videos or computer games.
While many gamers may not know about these games, mainly casual gamers, the many others whom do know about them also know they are a problem for Japanese game developers trying to appeal towards Western audiences.
That is the reason a lot of gamers are very uncomfortable about Japanese games, while most are quirky and silly looking, some gamers can’t get past the point that Japanese games follows different rules.
You can’t really blame them for not wanting to pay attention to Japanese games, for every Katamari game that’s weird but fun there’s twenty games like Gun Gal that ruins people perception on Japanese games in general.
It’s very closed minded to allow games like Gun Gal destroy what games like Mario and Metal Gear worked hard to show the world, Japanese games can be played and understood without needing to understand Japanese cultures.
That’s the problem with the Japanese gaming industry, it’s destroying itself because it’s afraid to leave the comfort zone and explore the world.
Publishers are very selective when it comes to bringing a foreign game from over shores and into a new country, you have to get past language and culture barriers after all.
How can Japanese developers get past the negative representation they have gained from their fellow peers?
For one, stop putting tiny children in revealing clothing and saying they’re of age; that’s not even weird, that’s just flat out creepy.
They're called "pants" try them sometimes
A Gaming House Divided
Casual games are on the rise, that’s no secret, with games like Bejeweled being so addictive it makes sense, PopCap is the biggest casual game company with its name known to both casual and hardcore gamers, Zynga is up there too thanks to FaceBook.
Even EA is getting involved with casual games, they bought casual game developer PopCap last year and Nintendo built the Wii to attract and encourage the casual crowd to play games other than Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog.
With both big and small game companies making games for casual players the question is begged to be ask, do gamers really care? Seriously ask yourself “Do I really care about casual games?”, you should be able to answer that quickly.
Holy Cheescakes, Batman! It’s our ally DLC, and it’s Awesome!
We live in the digital age where we can send a mass amount of information to someone on the other side of the world in just seconds. It’s much too easy to abuse the technology we’ve created over the last decade or so, people can steal movies; music and games with ease and never get caught. How can you fight back against a beast like piracy without even knowing where to hit? If you’re a game developer, you create extra content and charge for it.
DLC has become a very big thing in the video game industry, publishers and developers are seeing a rise in digital downloads and they’re taking advantages of that statistic. While the revenue in digital goods is great for game designers they face a bittersweet challenge, disgruntled gamers. There are a lot of gamers who despise the very idea of DLC in video games, but are their angers misplaced?
The Issue With Gamers PT. 2: Consoles
In my last post, The issues with gamers part 1:PC , I talked about the problems with PC gamers.
For the second part I’m going to focus on a side that has been getting a lot of attention from developers and publishers this generation, the console gamers.
When it comes down to DLC and other online content console gamers are a little more understanding than the PC crowd, I think it’s mostly because we’re use to it and have learned to embrace the idea of extra content for a price.
Some would say it started with the original Xbox and Xbox LIVE but that would be only partly correct.Sony sold demos to gamers for a small price in retail store, I myself bought a few mostly for my little brother, and there were no outcries by gamers. Now I’m not saying console gamers will sit by and let companies charge for everything and not say anything.
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