Time-Exclusive Patches Suck!

Do you play Call of Duty 4 on the PC? Earlier this week, Nvidia was granted a 24 hour exclusive on the recent 1.6 patch for CoD4, which includes 4 new maps that the console players had to cough up money for. The reason conjured up was that Nvidia was sponsoring the new maps. Well, normally it wouldn't matter all that much because this being the age of the Internet and all, once something appears on the net everyone else will just grab it and distribute it on their site as well - nothing is truly exclusive.

So this is all well and good for your Call of Duty 4 players, right? Well, no. If you purchased the game digitally, you're fucked. Steam and Direct2Drive customers have to wait for their vendors to be allowed to release their versions of the patch. As of this writing, Steam still does not have the patch released.

Now, doesn't this really defeat the purpose of releasing the patch in the first place? Isn't the basic function of a patch to make a player's experience of the game better, not worse? Instead of playing a couple rounds of multiplayer with my buddies, all of whom have version 1.6, I'm stuck waiting around watching the time pass by while I'm not shooting virtual people in the face.

If sponsored patches are the way of the future, then I'd be very worried as a digital distribution customer. Why should I be forced to wait for something that everyone else gets immediately? Didn't I also pay hard earned money for the same game that retail buyers enjoy? I think I should be entitled to the same rights to a patch as they are.

Echochrome and a little Metal Gear Online

I tried out the Echochrome demo that is available for download on PSN today. Needless to say, I am impressed with the concept of the game, but not so much with how the controls are set up. For those who don't know, Echochrome is a puzzle game based on the physics of impossible objects where the goal of each level is to guide a walking figure through the impossible object to collect its shadows. In a similar fashion to Super Monkey Ball, you don't control the figure but instead you rotate the stage (though it can be argued that you directly control the camera and not the stage).



As I said earlier, the concept for the game is quite original and intriguing. However I have to complain about the controls. You're given two ways to move the stage/camera - you can either just use the left analog stick for slow precise movements or hold the L1 button and use the Sixaxis/DualShock 3's motion sensing controls. To put it plainly, the motion based controls don't work at all and using the analog to move is painfully slow causing the player to continually pause the figure's movement so you can rotate the camera to where you want it to be. It would have been nice if they gave you an option to turn off motion based controls and map L1 to speed up the analog controls.

In any case, the Echochrome demo is worth checking out. I'm glad there are still developers out there trying something new.



I've been playing a lot of the Metal Gear Online beta since it's release on Friday. It basically feels the same as the MGS3 Subsistence release of MGO and there's not too much to say about it other than that the MGS4 engine looks gorgeous and I'm really enjoying playing MGO again. My only complaint would be that I've only been able to play Team Deathmatch. Once people start losing in TDM they leave the server before the other game types rotate in. I would really like to try out the Capture Missions and Base Missions before the beta ends. Most likely, though, I'll have to wait until MGS4 comes out.

Also, Mario Kart Wii comes out tomorrow. I've played a bit of the Japanese release and was quite impressed by how well the Wii Wheel felt with the game. Battle Mode online is gonna rock. I can't wait!

Quick Time Events In Games

I don't know about you, but I have never liked the notion of the quick time event in video games.

For those of you that do not know, a quick time event in a video game is a sequence in the game where you have to press a specific button, of which is normally displayed on screen, within a given amount of time. Press the correct button in time and you are allowed to advance; failure results in something bad.

To my knowledge, the quick time event (QTE) first appeared in the game Dragon's Lair, a widely popular title even to this day. I never understood the appeal to that game. It's QTEs had you guessing every step of the game since it didn't have any onscreen display of what button to press. More recent games like Shenmue, God of War, Drake's Fortune, and Heavenly Sword make use of the QTE in a less stricter fashion than Dragon's Lair - namely you don't instantly die when you press the wrong button.

Now, QTEs have never bothered me this much before but thanks to the efforts of the huge success that God of War was, QTEs are finding their way into more and more games. God of War itself had pretty relaxed QTEs, giving you enough time to understand that a QTE is happening and plenty of time to react accordingly. God of War also has the benefit of giving the player a reward of some sort for successful completion. Heavenly Sword, however, is a different story and the reason why I'm writing this post.

I felt that Heavenly Sword's QTEs were brutal and felt like they were tacked on to add some kind of depth to the gameplay. First, they didn't allow enough time for me to react after first popping up onscreen. Secondly, when you failed the QTE the punishment usually screwed me out of the time I just spent getting up to that QTE section. Namely, when you failed during a boss fight, the boss would regain their entire health bar. The whole damn bar! Now that's just wrong and needlessly frustrating. If this is the way that QTEs are gonna be in games, I'm just going to avoid any game that has them.

So to any developer out there that is thinking about putting quick time events in their game, please do it right. Don't make it so frustrating and punishing to the player. Make them fun and rewarding - not just to be there as a means to an end.

Finally, True HD

Things do look better in 1080p. Mass Effect looks gorgeous.

My Games of the Year 2007

2007 was an awesome year for gamers. Nearly every genre, save the fighting genre, had a title that could have made my Overall Game of the Year winner. Also, only the PS3 had no exclusive game worth playing this year - maybe 2008's Metal Gear Solid 4 can save the already dying platform.

Nintendo Wii Game of the Year:
Nintendo usually doesn't make it easy for its fans. Every year they release a handful of titles that are must haves. This year, however, was different. Metroid Prime 3 was good, but still remains in the shadow of the first Metroid Prime. And had Super Smash Bros. Brawl been released this year, it would have been a really tough choice. But ultimately, Nintendo EAD never disappoints, giving us a new way to think about how platformers can be played. Never has a platformer been this much fun since Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy is clearly the Wii's game of the year.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Game of the Year:
Unlike the Wii where months went by without a release worth buying, the Xbox 360 had maybe only 2-3 months out of the year where I could make that claim. Of course, most of these titles were multiplatform and don't count, in my opinion, leaving me with only two choices that really stand out: Halo 3 and Mass Effect. If you know me very well, you'd know that I'm not a big fan of the Halo series. I've always felt that it was just another shooter. I'm sure it did great things on teaching other developers on how the FPS genre should be played with a controller, but other than that it just didn't do it for me. Halo 3, however, gave us one thing I really enjoyed: 4-player campaign online co-op via Xbox LIVE. I don't care much for FPS multiplayer, as online gaming is just full of assholes. Giving them voice chat just makes it that much more unbearable. Anyway, my choice of Xbox 360 game of the year obviously goes to Mass Effect for its solid delivery of an epic that just oozes amazing attention to detail as well as a rich history to build a franchise on. Mass Effect, while short for an RPG (roughly 24 hours minimum), still manages to tell a great story that leaves you wanting more. I can guarantee that you won't be playing any other game at the same time you play Mass Effect.

Sony PlayStation 3 Game of the Year:
Sony's behemoth console has had yet another disappointing year. Still overpriced, even after they castrated the console of its PS2 backwards compatibility, and without a title worth mentioning in the same breath as Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, or even Halo 3, the PS3 is just not worth it. It doesn't help when exclusives like Lair and Heavenly Sword were overhyped and, especially in Lair's case, wound up hurting the console's image. But hey, at least we got some laughs out of them when Sony's executives attempted to cover up with their hilarious comments. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune looks to be its best game, but still strikes me as a fancied up Tomb Raider: Legend clone (which is ultimately a fancied up Prince of Persia: Sands of Time clone). I wouldn't spend $60 on it though.

Nintendo DS Game of the Year:
If there's any clear winner in terms of console sales, it's the Nintendo DS. No one is laughing at this console now as it has already outsold the PS2's total sales in Japan. Simply amazing. I don't even think Nintendo thought the NDS would be selling this well. In a way, I feel that the Nintendo DS is all about taking risks in design. The only title this year that really does that is The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Many question whether it was the right thing to take the proven game play style of A Link to the Past and Minish Cap and turn it into an entirely touch-screen based style of game play. I think Phantom Hourglass turned out very well given the radical game play style. I especially enjoy being able to write on maps. However, I wish Nintendo had opted to give us the option to choose the tried and true dpad control scheme mixed with touch-screen controls.

Sony PlayStation Portable Game of the Year:
You have to give Sony credit as they totally refuse to admit defeat in the portable market. The PSP continues to try to be a thorn in the Nintendo DS's stylus but will always fall short. The notable titles this year are Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. MGS:PO and Castlevania were solid efforts by Konami as they both gave PSP owners to dust off their PSPs. Though I never felt the need to finish either title. It is however, very hard to resist not returning to Ivalice in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. FFT tells an awesome story of political and religious deceit and how Ivalice was saved by Ramza. It is one of the best strategy RPG games in the genre and its now available in portable form. If you don't have a PSP, go and find Final Fantasy Tactics on the PS1 and play it on your PS2 or PS3. You won't be disappointed.

PC Game of the Year:
The PC also had a great year, much like the XBox 360. Well, it doesn't hurt that many of the great Xbox 360 titles, like BioShock, also appeared on the PC at the same time. Some like Gears of War took a while longer to appear, but eventually showed up with minor improvements. But in terms of enjoyability that can only be found on the PC, I would have to say that World in Conflict is the clear winner. Yes, World in Conflict is/may eventually find its way onto the Xbox 360, but I still have doubts on whether the RTS genre can be done right on the console and played with the controller. World in Conflict's game play was built for action. Gone are the tried and true RTS methods of resource gathering and tech trees. Instead, World in Conflict focuses on teamwork. It's really hard, if not impossible, to win a multiplayer game in World in Conflict by yourself. I haven't enjoyed an RTS game this much since StarCraft: Brood War.

Overall Game of the Year:
2007, as I have mentioned, was filled with awesome games. Many are fun to play alone and some are only fun when played with friends. It's really hard to choose one game that defines 2007's level of quality. BioShock should win solely on its story and its ability to draw the player into the creepiness of Rapture. It doesn't hurt that it also had solid game play. Guitar Hero 3 should win because of its ability to draw gamers into thinking they're an actual guitarist (and well, because it's freaking fun!). Rock Band should win because its just fun to pretend you're in a rock band, singer and all. And who doesn't like rocking out to good music with friends? (If you ask me, Guitar Hero 3's music selection is better overall.) Super Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect should win, well, because they're just that much fun to play.

In the end, I have to choose Mass Effect as my Overall Game of the Year 2007. These days it's hard for me to actually find the time to get to sit down and enjoy playing games. Mass Effect made me make the time to do this. Mass Effect tells an epic story that's just as grand, if not more so, than that of Star Wars and does all of this with fully spoken dialogue. It lets the player choose what kind of savior they want to be, allowing the player to really care about their actions in the Mass Effect universe. I can only hope that the sequels build upon this, as well as continue Commander Shepard's quest. If you only play one game from 2007, please let it be Mass Effect.

The Grass is Always Greener

I've had a Macbook Pro for just about a month now and I'm willing to admit that yes, all those Apple freaks I've been making fun of all these years were right. Apple makes one damn fine computer. Mac OS X is truly an amazing piece of software engineering, as every little detail that you'd think they'd glance over was taken care of with care. Many times I've been doing something I'd normally do on Windows and it was made so much easier to do on Mac OS X.

Maybe I what I really want to say is that Mac OS X is a more efficient OS to use. I can see many aspects of Mac OS X that Microsoft has tried to copy in Windows XP and Windows Vista, but ultimately screwed up in some way or another. For example, Mac OS X has something similar to UAC on Vista. Yet somehow it doesn't seem as intrusive or annoying as it does on Vista. I don't really understand why that is, but it just is.

I never really thought I'd be recommending buying a Mac to anyone, but here I am telling everyone I know how great these machines are. My only real issue with the Mac platform is the continuing lack of options for gaming. Hopefully this will change with time. But if not, well, there's always the work machines or my Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, etc.

Probably the final question to answer is: would I buy another Mac in 5 years or so? Well, right now I'd say definitely but as we've all seen with me, anything can change.

That time of the year

Roughly around the same time every year, I get into this mood where I must listen to The Beatles. I don't know why, but I just do. Maybe because their music helps to soothe my nerves and lighten my mood.

Hey Jude, in particular, is lifting my spirits at the moment.

Hey Jude written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better.

And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that its a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey, Jude! Don't let her down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember, to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.

So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,
You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better