Now Nintendo is not usually a name that conjures up thoughts of rage, frustration and disappointment. No, Nintendo (or Ninty if you're feeling all sentimental) is a name that is synonymous with cute, colourful, back to the halcyon days of childhood, type thoughts – fun for all the family and all that sort of thing. Plus they have a blindly loyal fanbase, which is something to be proud of, I guess, slavering and fawning aside. Fed up of playing catch-up with Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo are having a change of tack lately by trying to give themselves a more adult … Continue reading Ninty Growing Up?→
Over the past few years I have never been shy of my preference to playing games on a console in comparison to a PC. Originally my beef about PC gaming was the extensive cost of maintaining equipment. After all, look at both nVidia and ATI forcing gamers to pay upwards of $400 for their top-of-the-line video cards designed mostly for games that won’t be released until two years from now. And that is not to mention the fact that these upgrades result in many gamers thinking that budget cards are total crap. But still this notion does not compare to … Continue reading Consoles Beat PCs→
(But it did arrive!) In the United States we often get justice in the end, but sometimes it just takes a little while. A good example of this is the St. Louis law that prevented violent video games from being sold to minors. It provided fines for any vendor who sold computer games deemed violent to minors, much the same way cigarettes and alcohol are regulated. It was enacted in 2000 and caused our then-extreme columnist Ken Urben to call the politicians involved Nazis. I'll stop short of calling anyone names, but surely the politicians who thought this genius of … Continue reading Justice Comes Slowly→
It's something that haunts us all, preying on the mind like a disease. On the outside, the world sees a happy, accomplished gamer, whilst inside fear, doubt and bitterness takes hold. Like a modern day Dorian Gray, only the portrait in the attic reveals the true torment we gamers feel over the unfinished game. We've all got them lurking under the telly, silently taunting us. Unfinished games are not necessarily a poor reflection of your gaming prowess, just a fact of life. There are many reasons why a game slips from the "currently being played" list to the "unfinished games" … Continue reading The Unfinished Game Curse→
Usually I write my E3 wrap up on the last day. However I decided it would be better for me to take some time off, collect all my thoughts (as well as all my press kits and movie downloads) and decide on what I felt were the strengths and weaknesses of this year's E3. I should probably start with all the meetings I had at the start of Day 3. My key meeting that day was with Sony. I was only interested in half of the lineup they had (because I swore I would not touch Final Fantasy XI based … Continue reading E3 Wrapup→
The first full day for this year's E3 was quite a momentous one for me. Right off the bat I had the opportunity to check out the exclusive footage of Half Life 2. As the sequel to one of the greatest first person titles of all time, it had a lot to follow up to, and I was not disappointed. Based on Valve's new SOURCE engine, I witnessed an amazing display of HL2's vivid character expressions and wide open environments that could only be dreamt of back when HL1 was released. Team AI, both involving human and even alien allies … Continue reading E3 Rolling Along→
My first account into this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo leads me all the way to Mann's Chinese Theater, where I am currently freezing my sorry butt off waiting to be picked up. Why am I at Mann's, you may ask? Well it's not to see the premiere of The Matrix: Reloaded (I can only wish), but rather to wait to be picked up after attending a party hosted by nVidia which showcased their new GeForce FX 5900 card. The night was very enjoyable, but having to wait over an hour to be picked up almost ruined the whole experience. I … Continue reading Opening Day→
Every year the editors of Game Industry News head to LA (it used to be Atlanta) to parlay with just about everyone in the industry. And while news organizations and instant communications have made E3 less of a necessity, it's still the largest tribal gathering for our industry. Just about everyone in the industry attends the show in some form or another. Many companies hold back important news leading up to the show so they can shine more during the big event. This year GiN has four editors at the show, having arrived early in the morning. We raced over … Continue reading E3 Keeps Getting Bigger→
Whilst the rest of the industry gets itself into a flap over E3, I'll be holding the fort over here in London. Once again it falls on me to ask the bigger questions and ponder the deeper riddles facing the gaming community today. Like, is there going to be an Ico 2? Rumors have been circulating and I have to say my interest has been piqued. Word on the street (well, okay, the forums, so not quite street, more like bedrooms, but they're on streets right!?) is that movements in Japan could signal the development of Ico 2. It all … Continue reading Holding The Fort→
My original plan was to carry out this preview next week (right before E3), but my commentary schedule requires me to write it now. Over the last few weeks I have been trying to think up some shocking events that might turn out at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. However, it appears that some of the predictions I have made have already come true. As everyone may recall, I was the one who mentioned the possibility of a GameCube remake of the original Metal Gear Solid, thanks to a very credible source (thanks, Snake!). Earlier this week, Konami has come … Continue reading E3 Preview 2003→
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