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23 Sept 05
I lied. I'm just going to say that I'm blogging our Rita experiences over at myspace. I'll update as long as it's reasonable to do so (and I have something somewhat interesting to say). You can check it out Here.
Jason
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22 Sept 05
I've been busy with hurricane preparations all day. I probably won't have an update tomorrow. Who knows if I'll have power (or an undamaged house) after that? Kind thoughts and prayers are appreciated.
While I'm hunkered down, I'd suggest you enjoy some of my favorite links. Here's Gamasutra's news section, always something interesting going on. You could do much worse than reading The Escapist. Or if that fails, you can always go with a Random Link. See you on the flip side. Cheers.
Jason
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21 Sept 05
I'm already behind this week and now Hurricane Rita is bearing down on us. We're on the north side of Houston so we're over 80 miles from the coast. We might get smacked around a bit, but hopefully not flattened. We have a lot to do to get ready just in case, so I can't guarantee updates. I'll do what I can.
Penny Arcade (and the rest of the world it seems) linked to this Lost Garden article on the Nintendo Revolution. I don't agree with all of the author's points, but it is a strong and consistent analysis. I'm going to stew over it for a while.
For now, I'll just give you some thoughts:
Interesting quote: "Nintendo’s fixation on new genres and their unwillingness to pander completely and utterly to the existing hardcore audiences has made their name mud with many of the most vocal elite in the game industry." That statement explains about ninety percent of the Nintendo bashing I've read online.
Using his definition, I'm not a hardcore gamer. I don't demand rigid compliance to genre standards. In fact, I love looking for innovation. As a side note, I also loved the Ground Control series.
I love that fact that he gives a solid strategic reason for Nintendo to act the way they have. I'm not sure many people could have come up with that analysis. You'd need to understand the financial numbers behind development and link them to game design innovation. Neither of which are readily apparent to the average gamer. That's probably why everyone seemed so confused by the big N.
Another interesting quote: "As a side note, folks who argue Nintendo should just make games for other platforms are completely missing the point. Nintendo needs to control their hardware platform in order to force innovation to occur in the control mechanisms."
I'd definitely love to spend some time talking gaming with the author.
Jason
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20 Sept 05
Sorry about the lack of update yesterday. It wasn't that interesting anyway. I was having connection difficulties. Then I was having staying awake difficulties. Then I was doing actual hard work difficulties. So now I'm trying to catch up. Thank you for your patience.
I've been rethinking my position on the Revolution's controller. It started by looking at the Nintendo controller function concept video. Then I read some gamer thoughts on controller. Finally, I read this article on developer takes on the controller.
I've moved from pessimistic to cautiously hopeful. I knew there was potential, but I was sure anyone would be excited enough to use that potential. I sincerely hope that creative developers will take a chance on a unique platform that hinders multiplatform releases.
Seeing the concept in action, I started to understand the really cool game ideas that could spring from such a device. I just hope the user interfaces can keep up. If not, you'll either have very frustrated gamers or you'll be stuck with games that have limited interaction. Still, I can't help but applaud anyone who's willing to rock the entire industry.
In honor of their bold move, this week's game is another offering from Nintendo. It's Battalion Wars (official site) from Kuju Entertainment. Battalion wars is an action/tactical game where you lead your armies into battle. You can control units directly, or you can break your army into smaller squads and give them orders. Your army is made up of infantry, vehicles (ranging from recon jeeps to heavy battlestations) and aircraft (fixed and rotary wing). Can you handle the role of grunt and commander simultaneously? The only downside is the lack of multiplayer options (perhaps on the Revolution based sequel?). Battalion Wars is available right now exclusively for the Gamecube.
Jason
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19 Sept 05
I think I'm going to put off the game of the week until tomorrow. It was a surprisingly busy day today. I've also been working on a side project. I thought it would be interesting to see if I could use one of personal interest websites to both draw interest here and give me an outlet for blog thoughts and updates that don't belong here.
So I've started a myspace account. Check it out. If you're on there, feel free to add me as a friend. I'll try to post pictures (mostly of David), and personal thoughts (mostly about David) there. It should be interesting to see where it goes.
Jason
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