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29 Sept 06
I got an email today that Dominions 3 is shipping. I've thought that the Dominions series was one that I'd enjoy. I just haven't had the time or interest to fight through the entry barrier. Perhaps if someone enjoys the new version, they can write up a story, AAR or just some reasons why the like it. Perhaps that will inspire me once I find some time again.
I played around with Defcon this afternoon. Apparently if you don't like going through Steam, you can download the client from the website and use your Steam authentication. I haven't tried that yet to confirm, but it makes sense.
First of all, Defcon must be selling surprisingly well. The authentication servers nearly died under the load. It was so bad that Introversion pulled down almost all the dynamic content on their website to help with load or bandwidth or something. I'm guessing that's a good problem to have.
Like I said, I just messed around today. Initial impressions are positive once you get authenticated. The core of the game is simple and well designed. It was easy to learn the interface and it was easy to find the information I wanted.
I'm not sure whether single player only would be a good game. Defcon kind of reminds me of Diplomacy. Most of the game is figuring out who your real enemies are. The actual execution of combat isn't that hard. Many of your options are already decided by your initial placement strategy and movement strategies. Those are determined at least in part by who you think you'll be fighting.
I'll let you know further whether the AI is interesting in the confusion and double crossing game. I'm sure they're not as good as human players. Even if they're not great, they can throw a wrench into your plans if you use them to fill up a couple of open spots. I think I can see right away that Defcon really has this paranoia thing going for it.
I should have more on Defcon and Paraworld for you next week.
Jason
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28 Sept 06
We had some more comment spam attacks today. I spent time cleaning up the mess. I'm working on some new security measures. If the site is down or acting weird, don't panic. If a problem persists more than a couple hours, please drop me an email.
Please check out the poll in the news section. I'm starting to get more high resolution screenshots and widescreen shots. I had been shrinking everything down to save bandwidth, but that's just a habit from before the site upgrade. I try to keep you guys happy so let me know what size you prefer.
I came up with a wacky theory about Sony. Try this. They know they have to respond to the Xbox 360 so their launch timeframe was predetermined. However, they look at the line up expected for this year and next for the PS2. They want to keep the spotlight there since that's where the money will be. They also haven't been able to get costs down to where they want for Blu Ray and hence the PS3.
What do they do? Instead of confronting these problems, they implement delaying tactics. They slow roll the launch with limited units. They go with the boutique price to match the limited units and cover for the higher expense. Then they can slow roll the online service. That means they can work out production and design problems on limited runs. They keep the air of excitement by limited availability. Then they can do price drops, big game releases and full online implementation next year for what will effectively be the 'real' launch of the PS3.
Yeah, it's crazy. It's just looking at some of the cool games coming for the PS3. I know I'll eventually break down and get one, but I haven't seen anything that screams to hurry and buy right away. With all the bad PR Microsoft has absorbed with the 360 defects, waiting for improvements and price drops sounds better and better. That got me thinking that that might be what Sony wants. They're not ready to give up on the Playstation 2 yet.
Of course, the Xbox 360 has turned out to have a pretty good first year of games. If the PS3 does the same, my theory is shot. We'll see. There are still some PS2 games I'm interested in. In short, despite rising console costs, I still think it's a great time to be a gamer.
Jason
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27 Sept 06
Well, now we know why Microsoft killed off that Halo RTS mod. They've announced a Halo RTS collaboration between Bungie and Ensemble Studios called Halo Wars. Some have expressed concern that Ensemble games don't fit too well with the high speed action associated with Halo. That's understandable considering the whole Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds effort. It wasn't a bad game, but it felt more like Age of Empires than Star Wars.
I'm not too worried about that. Age of Mythology and the changes in Age of Empires III showed Ensemble isn't afraid to take chances. Both those games continued to show the expected polish from the studio. Then Bungie has plenty of RTS experience and knows their IP. Halo Wars is being developed with the Xbox 360 as the primary platform. That should keep the action quotient high.
The game is only announced for the Xbox 360, but with Microsoft's push for XNA adoption and its claim of easy porting to PC, combined with their Games for Windows campaign, I'd expect a PC announcement eventually. PC gamers might end up hoping the game isn't a huge hit on the console. If it becomes a system seller, well, we remember what happened with Halo itself. Still, overall I like the trend of going for more strategy gaming on consoles especially for Microsoft.
I saw that Gamespot has the news that the Wii web browser will be free until June of next year. That's probably a good move since with an entry barrier, browsing on your Wii might not come naturally. After all, when was the last time you browsed the web in 480p? Even that assumes you have a component connection and a TV that supports it. 480i without a keyboard might not be usable. They might want to announce a deal with a site like del.icio.us that make it easy to hit up your favorite links and group them by subject.
I was pleased to see that some of the early Paraworld reviews have been positive. I was afraid it might have a little of the Sword of the Stars syndrome. So far so good. I also noticed, they have released a SDK and map editor to coincide with release. I could see it being a fun game to tinker with.
I did get a little Okami time in today. It is a strikingly beautiful game with a strong art style that makes The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker look amateurish. That says a lot since I really enjoyed the Waker's art style at the time. I do agree with most early impressions that the first hour is a bit too heavy on the dialogue. They are trying to explain a lot, and it remains pretty enjoyable, but the pacing seems a bit off. Things seem to be picking up now. It's a very Japanese game, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's another one of those games that even if you don't play it, you should make an effort to watch someone else play. The PS2 seems to have a bunch of those. Maybe that's why I'm not too worried about the PS3.
Jason
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26 Sept 06
Here's some good/bad news. Paraworld is about to be released. It had been preordering for $39.99. It now appears many stores are changing the price to $29.99. Even though I don't have official word, I'm guessing that's a publisher move. Given the competition, it would be easy for the game to get lost in the wash. The lower price point should help spur sales. On the negative side, if there had been strong preorders, this move probably wouldn't have come.
I worry about Paraworld. I was pretty impressed with the demo, but that was because I was willing to dig into it. If you just started it out and looked for it to wow you, you'd probably quit before you got to the meat of the game and the fun in there. Given the lower price point, I'll probably break down and grab a copy. I'll post impressions when I do.
I note sadly that the Talk Strategy store is behind the curve on this pricing move. However, you can find it through the EB Games link. You can also use the coupon code ASP2D to get free two day shipping. Hopefully, that makes up for our lapse.
I have to say congratulations to the Houston Astros. The rational part of my mind can't actually believe they'll pull this off and make the post season. Fortunately, the sports fan in me has never gotten within shouting distance of the rational part of my mind. It's the same part that believes the Texans are about to turn the corner.
Regardless of what happens, this last week and the sweep of the Cardinals has been as much fun as I've had watching baseball since the start of the World Series last year. Thanks guys.
Here's something odd I learned through this site. Konami has a new DDR game. It's called Supernova. However, it has nothing to do with the TV show Rock Star: Supernova nor the band Supernova itself.
Finally, I saw that Buy.com has the Logitech G7 Mouse and G15 Keyboard on sale (after rebates) for $80. You might have seen the glowing review I gave the G7. The G15 will soon get its positive review. It might get to glowing if I can find a killer app for the screen. There are some cool uses, but nothing has yet jumped out at me and made me thought that 'this is why you need the screen.' If anyone has any app suggestions, please let me know.
Jason
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25 Sept 06
Well, I'm back. I don't know if anyone missed me, but I'll soldier on. I wasn't quite as sick as you might imagine being gone so long. I was advised that part of my problem has been lack of sleep. So I made sure I rested up to get over this illness and build back up my defenses.
I'd feel bad about that, but as I've mentioned before September is just crazy with releases. I'm sure you're all busy playing one of those games.
I'd have to guess that Company of Heroes is the big playtime time sink for most of you. At least it's true for those of you that play the 'keeping up with the current releases' games. Those people might want to keep in mind that Caesar IV, Paraworld and Defcon all arrive this week. Good luck with that. We can tell it's the end of the quarter.
I did break down and get Okami. I think I mentioned that I grabbed the Steam preorder deal on Defcon. I'm really tempted with Paraworld. Actually, I've been tempted with Company of Heroes. That GoGamer sale almost pushed me over the edge. That's a game I really want to try on a worthy rig. Since it was sold under the Games for Windows banner, I'm pretty sure it won't have problems with Vista. I think I can hold out until March or April.
I might be setting Dwarf Fortress aside for a while. It's interesting and impressive, but I'm not sure I'm having fun. I keep playing during a session mainly due to the overwhelming complexity of everything. You're juggling so many balls that you're sure you'll lose it if you leave and come back. There's also no good place to stop short of the death of your colony.
I do like the neat moments. The best thing I can say about it is that it reminds me of my pen and paper Dungeons and Dragons days. Either me as a Dungeon Master or one of the DM's I played with would keep the world logical and consequential like that. Those efforts also generated some great stories. I wish I had written some of those down. Perhaps that's why this place exists. So we collectively have a place to keep our favorite gaming memories. Dwarf Fortress feels like it was crafted by a good DM.
There's certainly brilliance there. However, Black and White had a lot of brilliance. I stopped playing it when it ceased to be fun. I don't want to scare anyone else away. It's quite rewarding to pile up the accomplishments. It can be fascinating to watch things spiral out of control. It just that my fun to tedium/frustration time ratio is way off for someone with limited gaming time. That could just reflect my play style.
Anyway, I'll try to get things back to normal this week and get caught up. If you have any suggestions on the order I get things done or content you'd like to see, please comment or email me. I could use all the help I can get wading through everything. Also, if you have holiday games that you really want information/interviews/screenshots/movies for, let me know sooner rather than later. I'm here to help, but I'm not that good at last minute crunches.
Thanks again to everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers.
Jason
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