Intelligent conversation about games… and stuff
You know what happens after hours and hours of writing, follow-up, and more than a month after a big conference or expo? You forget things. Well, YOU might not, but I sure did.
Almost 2 months ago we hosted our first ever staff E3 predictions game, with the winner receiving a prize. Here’s how we did, and who won.
Category : Featured, SideQuesting
Like several of the people on my buddy list, I’ve been playing XBLA gem Limbo. The game, with its eerie settings, story, and gameplay is trumped only by its striking visual style: black and white silhouettes amidst a silent film’s grainy design. The experience is borderline beautiful, and will probably still be beautiful when the eventual next gen and next next gen consoles debut.
It got me thinking about what other games will be just as good to look at in 10-15 years’ time. What makes a game’s visual style stand the test, and truly be “timeless”?
Category : SideQuesting
I don’t always agree with what I read on gaming websites. In fact, I’ve been known to rant (often) about the quality of the posts that appear on them. Do I care about your review of the gaming-branded potato chips you’re eating? Do I worry about the influence of David Hasselhoff on video games? Is it worth my while to read about what your top ten pre-rendered gamerboobs are? In most cases, NO — gamerboobs aside.
I’ve railed on Kotaku, IGN, Joystiq, Gamespot, Giant Bomb, Facebook groups, and podcasts. In some of those instances, the people I’ve been critical of were friends. In others, the hatemail was directed towards those I’ve had issue with.
Recently, I came to the conclusion (and realization) that I’ve been wasting my time.
Category : Featured, SideQuesting
We know: it’s 2010. And yes, we’re still fans of the occasional spin on Rock Band or Guitar Hero, though the series have become repetitive in recent years and milking is undoubtedly in full swing. The music rhythm game genre has slowly (but surely) become this generation’s DDR.
But, there’s still opportunity in there, somewhere: Rock Band is becoming more simulation-based (real strings!). Guitar Hero is getting more “gamey”, with pseudo power ups and a more fantasy-based story. Now may be the optimal time to experiment with the genre. That’s why we are offering up a sidequest for the band games, one that may be different enough to spur a whole new niche of a game genre.
We present to you: Guitar Hero RPG.
Now, why the hell hasn’t it been made yet?
“How cool would it be if..?”
Those are the words at the top of the homepage of Boston (Maynard)- based game developer 38 Studios. That’s the kind of question that all of us have asked at one time or another after finishing a game, usually one that we love. “How cool would it be if… there were no weapons in this game? How cool would it be if… instead of cars there were skateboards to travel around the game world? How cool would it be if… Mario slow down time?”
We had some time during E3 to spend with Founder/Chairman of 38 Studios, Curt Schilling, to find out why that question is so important to him and his company, and how it will shape their vision of the future of MMO games.
Category : SideQuesting
The SideQuesting team has arrived in LA for all the E3 madness!
Technically we arrived yesterday afternoon and spent the entire first day drinking strange “whiskey” beverages and eating sushi, but we PROMISE that we’ll be doing work today. PROMISE!
Stay tuned for all the news, hands-on, and mayhem as we bring it to you each and every day this week!
Category : Etc, SideQuesting
Retro-influenced gaming is in style again, with re-releases, re-makes, and retro sequels of classic games being pumped out on an almost daily basis. But I remember when retro was still new. The 8-bit games, the midi audio, and the tile-based design was considered the norm. Gamers didn’t worry about technological setbacks or missed chances, they just played games and loved them.
I remember several aspects of gaming that seem to have disappeared with modern game design; aspects that were trivial back then, but drew me into a game and kept me coming back. So I put together this list of my gaming memories that, while I don’t necessarily always miss, I do look back on fondly now.
I’m sure you may have as many memories as I do, so feel free to add them in to the comments.
It was a story about love, life, and death. It was about happiness, good and evil. It was moving, it was frustrating, and it often left us feeling disenchanted.
But it was also beautiful. And, its finale was perhaps a perfect ending to a show that enraptured us for six years.
Lost is done with, but its residue will gladly remain.
This final day of predictions sees the triplets with the highest Gamerscores amongst SideQuesting face off. Aaron loves force feedback, Ryan is yearning for Mirror’s Edge 2, and Mike is dropping the biggest bombshell of the show.
Read their “intelligent” insights below.
Day 3 of our E3 predictions! This time, Dali Dimovski and Mike McGarrigle show off their insights into gaming’s biggest possible secrets. In love with Mass Effect, Dali is hoping for the best in 2011. Mike sees less of a push for 3D technology as we may have all originally thought. Their thoughts below.
