I spent part of the evening chatting with a fellow classmate about tonight’s launch of Modern Warfare 2. His wife is the GM of a local GameStop, so he had his pulse on all things MW2. She’d arranged a pre-launch tournament complete with big screens and a local band in the parking lot. I’m getting too old to stay out all night waiting for a video game (much as I’d love to!) so I came home and hit up Google instead.
I came across an Ars article outlining a few… changes in the Modern Warfare universe, most of which don’t seem to be making the fan base very happy. The article specifically focuses on the PC version of MW2, but outlines a few doosies:
- Total number of players = 18 (weak sauce)
- No tweakability
- No booting the bad guys out of the room
- Game-selected hosting with a five second delay should the Chosen One drop out
I’m not sure what I think about this. Superficially it sounds like a lot of people griping for no good reason. The more I think about it though, the more I can relate. Even though I’ve been primarily a console player for the last decade, part of the appeal in PC gaming is the ability to do pretty much whatever the hell you want to with a game.
Ars pointed out that it’s only a matter of time before the hacker community comes up with some workarounds, but should they have to? I’m sure the game will be great but does the studio really need to take away features that their customers and fans want?
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Goodness gracious, where does the time go? I was catching up on my Joystiq reading when I came across this little gem: A new MechWarrior game is on the way. I hope beyond hope that whatever is in the development pipeline is better than the half-baked MechAssault attempt on the original Xbox platform. MechAssault = Weak Sauce. I hearken to the days of FASA Studio and the stellar PC based MechWarrior games they produced. In ultimate geek mode, I even participated in a MechWarrior LARP for as long as our meager group was banded together. New MechWarrior teaser video embedded after the break.
Continue reading ‘New MechWarrior Game: I’m living under a rock’
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It’s 4:00-something in the morning. My twin boys just decided that I could have a few minutes to myself and I figured what better way to pass the time than crank out a blog post? I’m at the stage of stupid tired and didn’t want to think a whole lot about what to write… Then it hit me: What’s your favorite gaming quickie?
I haven’t yet mastered the art of playing while “on duty” and my on duty time is essentially nights and weekends. While I’d love to sit down and blow through some Mass Effect I have to understand that in all likelihood I’ll be called away (cried away?) from my console for extended periods.
I think some of the arcade titles are best suited for my prescribed scenario. Games like Uno and Turtles in Time seem to fit the bill pretty well. That being said, I’m interested in your take so sound off in the forums: What’s your 10 minute gamer craving fix?
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I’m still trying to wrap my brain around some of the synergy mashups in the wild. When it comes to social networking and portable devices I can admit that I’m well behind the times. I’m the dude who sat around for days pondering why in the hell anyone would want a camera built in to their cell phone. The first efforts were laughable. Horrid quality pictures, noticeable drain on battery life, and a much thicker, heavier device made me think that a camera in a celly would never, ever work.
Fast forward to today and we’re talking about the Zune HD: Microsoft’s latest toy, delving deeper into the Apple (Ahem) pie crust of a sales chart. Microsoft is planting the hopes of the Zune – both as an idea and a product – squarely on the shoulders of Zune HD. As of today Zune HD is generally available. Today is also the day that Microsoft kills dead any Zune which isn’t branded “Zune HD”.
Continue reading ‘Another Gaming Console Hit the Marketplace’
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D Eye brought a change in artistic direction to my attention. I’m not sure how I missed this, but Borderlands has apparently been converted into a cel-shaded adventure. He pointed out that while he doesn’t dislike cel-shading, he isn’t convinced that Borderlands will benefit from it. Particularly, he’s upset with certain game critics citing the new art style as the sole reason this game is now worthy of mention in their blog or magazine. More thoughts and embedded video after the break.
Continue reading ‘Does Artistic Style Really Matter?’
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So I’m a few days late in bringing this tidbit to the attention of my fellow Nimrods, but I only find it fair that I share my obscure fascination with this game.
I’m an old school Resident Evil fan… I hearken for the olden days of Umbrella Corporation when creepy ass dogs would jump through windows in the creepy ass mansion you’re inexplicably exploring. I have to admit that I’d fallen off the bandwagon after RE:2. Haven’t played any iteration since. Several versions looked cheesy, but only now has my interest been re-piqued.
I’ll be checking out this demo just as soon as I don’t have a paper to write or a test to take. For those who’ve already downloaded it, please share your impressions! This demo just might be enough to suck me back into wicked cool fold of Umbrella Corp.
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Chalk up another unashamed victory for money grubbing lawyers and stupid teenagers. In 2007, 17-year old Daniel Petric shot both of his parents – killing his father – after they took away his copy of Halo 3. The good news is that the judge dismantled his insanity defense. The bad news is that the judge ruled there to be a serious mental defect of another nature:
And I firmly believe that Daniel Petric had no idea, at the time he hatched this plot, that if he killed his parents, they would be dead forever.
This author would like to make note that Microsoft has sold well over 8 Million copies of Halo 3. There’s no way to accurately measure the number of trade-ins and subsequent re-sales. Bottom line is that tens-of-millions of people have played (and continue to play) this game, myself included. A teenager acting out of gross negligence isn’t anything new, either.
While this story has a tragic ending, I’m dismayed to see our judicial system conclude its findings the way it has.
[Image courtesy of Joystiq]
[Full story on GamePolitics]
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I wanted to take a moment to toot Team Nimrod’s horn. I know that Forza Motorsport doesn’t fit the bill for every Nimrod, but we do have one heck of a contingent. There’s a bit of buzz in our forums about resurrecting a weekly “Forza Night”, and I’m all for it – despite my complete lack of virtual driving competency. You’ll find a calendar entry (to the right) detailing this week’s race info, with a link to the forum thread for more information.
Back in July several of our drivers had the opportunity to take on Turn 10 (the game developer) head-to-head. Please continue reading for the excerpt direct from forzamotorsport.net’s weekly Pitpass Report.
Continue reading ‘Saturday Night Forza’
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