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Showing posts from August, 2011

Indie Cred: Me, Myself, and An East Coast Hurricane

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It's monday again, and once again we're desperately searching for ways to cling to those lost hours of days gone by. As we lament the loss of our weekends and our free time to soul-sucking immerso-gaming, looking disdainfully and regretfully on those 5 hours spent watching 2 1-hour cutscenes and completing 2% of a game, we wonder to ourselves, "what accursed devil-man would be so cruel as to create something so engrossing that would deign to infringe on my time so surreptitiously? What manner of beast does such a thing, what mind of malevolence and spite would wish such abyssal weights upon common beings such as we? Curse the gods. CURSE WHAT GODS HAVE MADE SUCH MEN." Well, I don't think these titles will do you any better, addict.

No More Swaddling - Deus Ex: Human Revolution Impressions

So while everyone else is basking the glory of this game via their wretched digital distribution outlets which is making me feel like an increasingly large idiot for presuming to feel fantastic about getting this title for slightly fewer bucks than those wretched cyberpunks via an online-only brick-n-mortar retailer, I sit here now free of my dissatisfaction and reaffirmed in my acquisitory wisdom: I have received two copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the price of one.

super.hype: Dog Day DRM

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DRM is a sensitive topic for most gamers. It’s also one that’s relatively unique to the medium. Aside from the obligatory hubbub that music moguls and film buffs have made in order to obviate the claims of audio-visual pirates, the only place where DRM has adversely affected the consumer moreso than the creators and publishers is in the realm of video games. It’s restrictive, intrusive, and often downright tyrannical, forcing many unnecessary and difficult hurdles that must be overcome in order to enjoy a legitimately purchased product. But it’s practically a necessary evil; in order to overcome the amoralistic ingenuity of the giant anonymous blob that is the internet, DRM seems to be the only method to obtain at least a modicum of proven sales for distributors and publishers. The controversy yet rages…

Indie Cred: Ludum's Daring Escapes

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The world moves so slowly sometimes. It's during those times when I get all mopey and melancholic about life and its plodding pace, but it's also time for me to be contemplative and reflective about my purpose in life and its meaning. This weekend was an all balls-out no-nonsense time-flies exploding-pants kind of weekend though, so none of that stuff happened.

-REVIEW- TRAUMA
life makes pushers of us all

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Title: TRAUMA Developer: Krystian Majewski Release: $6.99 on Steam , $5 Direct from Developer A tragedy in more ways than one

The Hammerfight Diaries

In the fall of 2009 , archaeologists uncovered the ruins of an ancient civilization. Study of these artifacts revealed that this civilization was unlike any of those previously uncovered. It was as if this people had diverged from the known timeline and developed their own language, culture, and technology far beyond that of any people of that time. 

super.hype: Paved with Good Intentions

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Technology changes the way we do things. Aside from its effects on the retail model or its ability to provide user-generated content back to the community, it also means more avenues by which a creator can push content/advertising to her audience. But technology, as an ephemeral maiden, also maintains a strange anonymity which can be taken advantage of, basically short-circuiting our ability to decipher what is genuine and what is not. Those most able to utilize this strangeness thereby advance their ideas, products, and services without stirring up the latent distaste for manipulation our culture has acquired over the years. In other words, he who hides his intentions best, wins.

Indie Cred: When All Else Fails, Flash Somebody

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Lean in close, I have something to tell you:

Art Games: The False Contradiction

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I’ve been playing Hammerfight like crazy lately. Most of the game is mediocre, but the combat is ah…well, it’s transcendental. One of the guys over at Wolfire Games did a little analysis of it that captures the whole mechanic perfectly.  It’s innovative, effective, and above all fun. But, that’s not what really got me thinking today.

-REVIEW: Alpha Protocol-
because we all need some dating advice, sometimes

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Title: Alpha Protocol Developer: Obsidian Publisher: SEGA of America Price: $19.99 on Steam I’m looking for missiles, have you seen any? No? Okay, thanks. I’m looking for missiles, have you seen any? Shut up, you’re stupid. Wow, rude. I’m looking for missiles, you’re going to tell me or die. No? Okay, sorry. I’m looking for missiles, where is your leader? Wait, don’t shoot, I’m sexy! I’m looking for missiles…

super.hype: Part of a Balanced Breakfast

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Ever think that maybe you’re missing out on something great while doing something else that’s also great? I mean, there’s only so much time in the day. How does one get about doing all those cool things that everyone seems to talk about all the time and that you’ve never heard of? Why is everyone so cool, except for you?

For the sake of landing softly (it's over!)

Hi everybody! So I was trying to run a contest for TRAUMA. It's an interesting art game with an excellent execution. I would like people to experience it, I'd also like the developers to be rewarded for their hard work. So I'm GIVING COPIES AWAY! On Steam, at least. For those of you feeling spendy, you can buy it directly from the developer here . So this post is basically a place to run the contest. Rules: post a comment about yourself, a question for me (which I WILL attempt to answer), or a game you enjoy (and say why, perhaps). You may also choose to say something about games being art, or art being games, or games ARE art because they are culture, or being contained in culture makes EVERYTHING art, or how art is subjective and people are annoyingly promoting their own agendas through art rather than being objective and saying that everything everyone creates is simultaneously, equally crappy and awesome All commenters will be eligible to win one of 3 copies of T

Indie Cred: The kitty who became an axe murderer. The axe murderer who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor.

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Swords clang, men cry, and the sounds of battle resonate across the landscape. The cacophony of war and strife saturates the earth as the gods themselves weep at the destruction and death of their people. A lone warrior rises from the devastation to reconcile the destruction, pursuant to a quest and the collection of many mystical sacred items. And a big gun. Hey! It's A Game with a Kitty 3 ! So cute!

Troubling Trends: Signs of the Decline of Gaming
By James "Caffeine Rage" McKinley

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It's amazing just how much games have changed and evolved in my lifetime. I've seen the rise and fall of gaming empires, the progression of graphics from 2D to 3D, and the rise of online play, among many other things. But, for all the advancements that I have witnessed, I've recently noticed some rather disturbing trends in the modern gaming industry. Trends that we cannot allow to continue; that we must respond to before they grow out of control.

Pirates, Players, and Meat

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I just ran across this great interview and follow-up that IGN conducted with the guys from Team Meat (Super Meat Boy, Binding of Isaac). It brings up some really interesting perspectives and food for thought on the ever-controversial topic of Piracy.

Something, something: Paul Hubans

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I can’t say enough about independent development. This really applies to every kind of small business in any industry, but games developers tend to be much more accessible and amiable due to their tech-savvy. In this case, the separation via computers actually improves the communication and increases the strength of the connection versus other areas. It’s really a great dynamic that I’ve always been dying to take advantage of. Luckily for me, I did that very thing this past week. I braved the perilous caves of indie development to bring you a timely and insightful interview* with one of the eminent members of the indie enclave TIGSource : Paul Hubans !

A snag

Hi everybody, I've hit a serious block in terms of writing for the past few days. Granted, updating 3 or 4 times a week is a lot , but I guess I just don't LIKE IT when I feel like I can't write. So...not liking it right now. Though, I do have a review pending for Alpha Protocol. An unfortunate gem, I'd call it. The truth is is that I'm going through a really major period of transition right now and I really don't know what the future of this blog will be. So for the first time since I started posting 100% gaming-related material on this blog, prepare yourselves for: ADVENTURES IN PERSONAL NARRATIVE Starring "the me in team"

super.hype: On the Brink – A Case Study in Failed Expectation Management

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Please excuse me as I feebly attempt to distance myself from my usual super.hype format for this week. Instead, I’ll be discussing an aspect of AAA games that I believe goes a long way towards clarifying the reasons for the perceived stigmas, and hopefully goes further by questioning whether or not those stigmas are fair. At the same time, I feel like an analysis like this is well within the confines of a feature that deigns to be called super.hype, but since it is different , I’m playing it safe. At least for now. Commence! Brink – What You Know Can and Will Hurt You

Indie Cred: Outsourced!

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Hey everybody. I was a bit afraid about posting today because I was intending to have something prepared (like, PREPARED) and something interesting and insightful, but I wasn't able to get it completely ready for today. So then I was thinking: "NOOOOOOOOooooooooo"