I'm assuming that The Tester is over forever, but I make the same assumption every year, and it keeps coming back. That show is more resilient than Jason Voorhees.
05 April 2012
The Final Chapter
Pour some out for your bros. We've lost two video game shows in the last week.
I'm assuming that The Tester is over forever, but I make the same assumption every year, and it keeps coming back. That show is more resilient than Jason Voorhees.
I'm assuming that The Tester is over forever, but I make the same assumption every year, and it keeps coming back. That show is more resilient than Jason Voorhees.
04 April 2012
Suffer for Fashion
It's all very confusing, but at least talking about fashion affords me opportunities to reference both The Kinks and Of Montreal.
Also, big thanks to GoNintendo for linking to yesterday's article!
03 April 2012
Worthless Piece of Scrap Metal
Fun fact: Back in the nineties, I bought the original DOS Mega Man. This one:
I bought that. With real money. I paid $10 for that at Target. It was probably the only game I got that entire year.
A few years later, I bought the DOS port of Mega Man X. And I loved it!
As today's article illustrates, the music had some flaws. It's easy to complain now, but at the time, the mere fact that there was music qualified this game as a great success in my mind.
I bought that. With real money. I paid $10 for that at Target. It was probably the only game I got that entire year.
A few years later, I bought the DOS port of Mega Man X. And I loved it!
As today's article illustrates, the music had some flaws. It's easy to complain now, but at the time, the mere fact that there was music qualified this game as a great success in my mind.
02 April 2012
Take This Job
I once had a friend who would frequently question the purpose of critics. I think most of us just accept that it's a viable role without giving it any thought, but try defending the need for professional reviews. It's harder than you'd expect.
That friend thought critics were useless, and I understand and respect the perspective. Ultimately, though, I support the people who write about games. Obviously. A good critic can be as insightful as the work's creator, and I've certainly read reviews that were more entertaining than the game, itself.
In my ongoing job hunt, I've applied for positions making games, writing about games, and doing completely unrelated to the field, and I've found reasons to get excited about all three. There are developer jobs that are way better than video game site editor jobs, and vice versa. I don't see either as the clear winner.
That friend thought critics were useless, and I understand and respect the perspective. Ultimately, though, I support the people who write about games. Obviously. A good critic can be as insightful as the work's creator, and I've certainly read reviews that were more entertaining than the game, itself.
In my ongoing job hunt, I've applied for positions making games, writing about games, and doing completely unrelated to the field, and I've found reasons to get excited about all three. There are developer jobs that are way better than video game site editor jobs, and vice versa. I don't see either as the clear winner.
01 April 2012
Sunday Free Game - Be Good
Here's a video game you can play for free. It was made by some idiot.
And while we're on the subject of that Jake Spencer dork, here's an interview/podcast/ramble-thon I did recently:
In other news, I'm 24 now. Please update your records.
And while we're on the subject of that Jake Spencer dork, here's an interview/podcast/ramble-thon I did recently:
In other news, I'm 24 now. Please update your records.
31 March 2012
Saturday Supplemental - Subsistence
Anna Anthropy turns a personal struggle into a heartfelt game
Hey, weren't we just talking about that lady?
Kojima gets yelled at for pushing boundaries, but enjoys it
I may not care much for Metal Gear (Metal Gear!?), but I absolutely respect Hideo Kojima being a crazy person. Rock on, you movie-loving madman!
Videogames Politely Invade Smithsonian Art Museum
Some people say video games aren't art. (Wrong.) Some people say video games don't need recognition from the establishment. (Right, but maybe missing the point.) Now, here's Chris Kohler with the correct perspective.
Sticking the Landing
What? A discussion about Lost and Mass Effect 3, and I'm interested? It's not April Fool's Day yet, is it?
How Grand Theft Auto Jacked the House of Lords
One of several excerpts from a new book about Grand Theft Auto published on Wired this week.
Jimquisition: Konami
Konami was in my top five publishers for ages. What happened? I don't think I've played a good Konami game since Elebits (which was incredible, to be fair).
NightSky dev on Japanese game critics, ditching the term 'indie'
More Konami bashing! With two paragraphs dedicated to Kojima! I first read this article on Wednesday, and I honestly about that part until skimming it again just now. It's thematically fitting, though.
Australian capital receives R18+ classification for video games
What a grown-up move from the Australian government! Australia deserves two smiley stickers for this. (And a third if it can use the big-boy potty all by itself.)
Ubisoft - Don't buy companies for brands
Smart!
Games 'would've died as a fad' if it weren't for 80s crash
If history is any guide, I'd say we're due for another mini-crash fairly soon. A few years, tops.
The '90s Revisited
Finally, in a week of downer links, here's a feel-good feature. The awesome dudes and dudettes at 1UP have produced twelve articles and charticles about video games of the 90s. Even if characters like Radical Rex and Socket the Duck make you wanna blow chunks, this retrospective is da bomb. But don't take my word for it!
Hey, weren't we just talking about that lady?
Kojima gets yelled at for pushing boundaries, but enjoys it
I may not care much for Metal Gear (Metal Gear!?), but I absolutely respect Hideo Kojima being a crazy person. Rock on, you movie-loving madman!
Videogames Politely Invade Smithsonian Art Museum
Some people say video games aren't art. (Wrong.) Some people say video games don't need recognition from the establishment. (Right, but maybe missing the point.) Now, here's Chris Kohler with the correct perspective.
Sticking the Landing
What? A discussion about Lost and Mass Effect 3, and I'm interested? It's not April Fool's Day yet, is it?
How Grand Theft Auto Jacked the House of Lords
One of several excerpts from a new book about Grand Theft Auto published on Wired this week.
Jimquisition: KonamiKonami was in my top five publishers for ages. What happened? I don't think I've played a good Konami game since Elebits (which was incredible, to be fair).
NightSky dev on Japanese game critics, ditching the term 'indie'
More Konami bashing! With two paragraphs dedicated to Kojima! I first read this article on Wednesday, and I honestly about that part until skimming it again just now. It's thematically fitting, though.
Australian capital receives R18+ classification for video games
What a grown-up move from the Australian government! Australia deserves two smiley stickers for this. (And a third if it can use the big-boy potty all by itself.)
Ubisoft - Don't buy companies for brands
Smart!
Games 'would've died as a fad' if it weren't for 80s crash
If history is any guide, I'd say we're due for another mini-crash fairly soon. A few years, tops.
The '90s Revisited
Finally, in a week of downer links, here's a feel-good feature. The awesome dudes and dudettes at 1UP have produced twelve articles and charticles about video games of the 90s. Even if characters like Radical Rex and Socket the Duck make you wanna blow chunks, this retrospective is da bomb. But don't take my word for it!
Snake? Snaaaaaaaaaake!
30 March 2012
...These Are the Days of OnLive
And so, as quickly as it arrived, OnLive Week is coming to a close, but I expect that some day there will be more OnLive coverage here on Hot Lavy. One week wasn't nearly enough to discuss everything, and more games are being added all the time.
If I could pick just one game to add to the OnLive catalogue, it would probably be Oni or something, because, dude, I friggin' love Oni, but if I were to pick one game that would help OnLive as a business, I think it would be Madden.
Personally, there's nothing that bores me like football, and football video games aren't much better, but this isn't about me. There are thousands, maybe millions of people who buy video game consoles solely so they can play the latest Madden each year. Combine that audience with the theoretical future version of OnLive I envisioned yesterday, and you have the biggest thing to happen to video games since a little green pig gave a bird the finger.
A console-perfect version of Madden that you can post on your friend's Facebook Wall, or pull up on the company computer in your cubicle during your lunch break? That changes everything. Just like on TV, they could put in commercial breaks after every few plays and make it free-to-play. Roster tweaks and other upgrades could be integrated without players having to download anything. You could save and send replays (complete with interactive camera controls) that could be played on anything with an Internet connection and a screen.
This... this needs to happen.
(And then they should add Oni.)
If I could pick just one game to add to the OnLive catalogue, it would probably be Oni or something, because, dude, I friggin' love Oni, but if I were to pick one game that would help OnLive as a business, I think it would be Madden.
Personally, there's nothing that bores me like football, and football video games aren't much better, but this isn't about me. There are thousands, maybe millions of people who buy video game consoles solely so they can play the latest Madden each year. Combine that audience with the theoretical future version of OnLive I envisioned yesterday, and you have the biggest thing to happen to video games since a little green pig gave a bird the finger.
A console-perfect version of Madden that you can post on your friend's Facebook Wall, or pull up on the company computer in your cubicle during your lunch break? That changes everything. Just like on TV, they could put in commercial breaks after every few plays and make it free-to-play. Roster tweaks and other upgrades could be integrated without players having to download anything. You could save and send replays (complete with interactive camera controls) that could be played on anything with an Internet connection and a screen.
This... this needs to happen.
(And then they should add Oni.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)