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27 August, 2015

Rare Replay's Harsh Lesson for Other Remakes

With so many remakes and remasters flooding the market, Rare Replay offers a refreshingly respectful and bountiful timeline of one of gaming's most talented developers.

Nostalgia is big business. Everywhere you look these days, another relic from the past is resurrected, the rust buffed off and the gameplay rolled out for a second or third attack on our wallets. Quality and integrity vary dramatically, from impressive updates to classics like The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, to slapdash encores of immature franchises like the Prototype Collection. The overture of the latest console generation has been lambasted for an excess of HD remakes and Definitive Editions of games barely two years old. With Gears of War Ultimate Edition, Dishonoured Definitive Edition and Risen 3: Enhanced Edition hitting shelves just this month, it can often seem like publishers are more interested in selling us the same games over and over again than trying anything new.

And why not? If we're prepared to pay multiple times for a virtually identical experience, is it any wonder publishers are so eager to exploit their catalogue? These games are already developed; their most significant costs already outlaid. A fan base exists, and the figures are immediately quantifiable. From a financial standpoint, it's a pretty safe bet, free of the risks of bankrolling an entirely new property. Marketing and critical reception are grounded in precedent, offering the kind of money-back guarantee that gets investors' motors running. In short, it's easy money, and better yet it can be pitched as a tribute to a much-loved franchise and a show of dedication to long-time fans, boosting public image in parallel with profits.

Also Read: 133 Xbox 360 Games Now Scheduled for Backwards Compatibility

21 August, 2015

Should Gamers Boycott Konami and Metal Gear Solid V?

To buy or not to buy, that is the question? In the wake of reports on the disturbing work conditions inside Konami, what responsibility falls on the gamers to voice their dissent through their purchasing behaviour?

The Metal Gear Solid series has long been a source of debate. Hideo Kojima, the mind behind the eccentric stealth games, has never shied away from loaded issues like child soldiers, racial discrimination and torturous slavery. Nor has he hesitated in using deceit and misdirection to mess with the expectations and emotions of players, placing them in uncomfortable situations and forcing them to question their values and beliefs - if you're the squeamish sort, the franchise is probably not for you.

Even beyond the tumultuous topics his games tackle, Kojima himself has been the focus of hot discussion. The number of times he has vowed that the latest MGS game would be his last is only equaled by the frequency of the absurd stunts he has pulled to generate publicity for an upcoming release. Who else would have been crazy enough to talk reporter Geoff Keighley into interviewing a CG character as if it were a real person to kick-start the elaborate marketing campaign for MGS V?

Not all of the controversy surrounding Kojima and his seminal series has been intentional, though. His recent departure from Konami, his parent company of thirty years, might finally allow him to move beyond the confines of the Metal Gear universe, but the circumstances of the divorce have been worryingly murky. From Konami removing the Kojima name from the MGS V promotional art and official website, to the rumours of internal strife and draconian work conditions within the company's games division, the conversation concerning what will almost surely be the final Kojima-made MGS title is focused more on the politics of the game's development than the zaniness of the content itself.

21 August, 2015

Are We About To Experience The Biggest Revolution In The History Of Gaming?

The gaming industry is the on the verge of a radical revolution. Are we prepared?

If I were to ask what Crackdown 3, No Man’s Sky and the Oculus Rift have in common, I can perfectly imagine the blank stare you would give me in return. Indeed, these seemingly disparate projects have nothing in common. Yet, they also have everything in common: hope. What these exciting projects represent is a leap forward in gaming, the likes of which we have never seen before. After waiting patiently for so long, our hopes and dreams are crystallising into what will be a truly revolutionary era in the gaming industry. What lies ahead is the stuff of what was once fantasy, yet it will become reality.

18 August, 2015

An Ode to the King of the Couch - RIP Halo

Splitscreen gaming has been hanging on for dear life as the industry has become focused on pretty visuals and online play, but the good times are over.

Halo 5 has no splitscreen multiplayer. It took me several seconds to fully parse that statement when I first heard it. Halo. The herald of console first-person shooters. The king of couch co-op. The source of countless late-night LAN parties all through the 2000's. In my mind, at least, it stands next to N64 classic GoldenEye as the pinnacle of local multiplayer.

And now it's to be no more? The notion seems unthinkable; for many, Halo is local multiplayer. Back in the days of the original Xbox, avid fans of the franchise - myself included - would lug that enormous black brick over to friends' houses, haul in a second monstrous CRT from some dusty corner, and settle down for some 4v4 Team Deathmatch. It may have involved a lot of effort for kids without cars, but it was always worth it. No matter how tight an online experience can get, it will never match the physical ecstasy of a match-winning high-five and the subsequent satisfaction of seeing the frustration in the face of your smack-talking friend.

Also Read: 43 More Added to Xbox One Backwards Compatibility List - Including Dark Souls II and The Witcher II

Also Read: Splitscreen Gaming is a Culture Not a Mode – How Halo 5: Guardians is Getting It Wrong

Also Read: Gears of War 4 Will Have Splitscreen Gaming

343 Industries, the developer behind Halo 5, has justified the omission as a tough decision made for the sake of scale and fidelity. The scope of the game's environments, the details of its graphics, and the dynamism of its AI are all too much to replicate in the confines of split-screen. Rather than spending precious development time optimising and potentially compromising the grand vision of Halo 5, 343 chose to scrap the mode entirely and turn its focus on single player and online.

From a technical standpoint, this is certainly a valid move. Implementing splitscreen multiplayer isn't as easy as chopping the screen in half and calling it a day; the strain on the system can be equivalent to running two versions of the game simultaneously in some cases. This is evident in games like Mario Kart 8, where the normally rock-solid framerate takes a noticeable dip when a couple of friends jump in. Back in earlier generations, games like GoldenEye even had to sacrifice texture quality and remove objects from the environment in order to ship functional multiplayer.

But, technical points aside, I'm not sure I support 343's decision. Focusing on fidelity over features seems foolish, especially for a game with as rich a multiplayer history as Halo. Halo 4 on the Xbox 360, for example, was a visual spectacle for the console, squeezing it for all it was worth, and it did not have to sacrifice splitscreen to do so. I raise that comparison not to suggest the technical challenge is equal between the two games - new consoles come with new quirks and hurdles, after all - but simply to point out that 343 is no stranger to accomplishing impressive feats in design and programming. If the studio set its mind to it, I'm certain it could overcome whatever obstacles splitscreen Halo 5 might pose.

Really, though, I'm just in mourning for a mode that I fear is not much longer for this world. Outside of games built for local multiplayer - the Towerfalls, Nidhoggs and the like - it is pretty clear that online play is the only way forward. When the undisputed champion of couch gaming decides to grab its bag and leave, you know the Grunt Birthday Party is nearing its end.

No more screen-cheating Banshee bombs for me.

Writer:
Matt Sayer

15 August, 2015

Splitscreen Gaming is a Culture Not a Mode – How Halo 5: Guardians is Getting It Wrong

The news that the blockbuster Halo series is doing away with splitscreen gaming is a savage blow to the fans, the brand and the future of our industry.

Until recently, Halo 5: Guardians was one of my most anticipated games of the year. Until I found out that you would be unable to play the campaign in splitscreen co-op. At first I thought it was a joke. I went around asking people on the E3 show floor, “did you know about this?” Some people did and sighed with resignation. Others didn’t, and were quick to join in my disillusionment.

Halo is splitscreen co-op - that’s what the brand represents. Yes, it has an amazing, rich sci-fi universe to immerse in and explore. Yes, it has a beloved cast of characters led by the iconic Master Chief, and a language that’s crossed into the grander gaming landscape. Yes, it has a fantastically executed and stunningly fun multiplayer component. But more than all those things combined - the thing that lifted the IP off shelves and dragged a whole console along with it - was being able to play it all, with a friend, on the couch.

Also Read: Gears of War 4 Will Have Splitscreen Gaming

Also Read: 43 More Added to Xbox One Backwards Compatibility List - Including Dark Souls II and The Witcher II

13 August, 2015

How Rising Thunder Will Revolutionise the Fighting Genre

It might be early days yet, but this robotic fighter could be the game that finally nails the balance between accessibility and depth.

I don't play fighting games. I've tried, but I've just never been able to master the digital manipulation necessary to pull off all those flashy fireballs and devastating dragon punches. I know I'm not alone in this, yet the popularity of fighting games would suggest that I am. Unlike most other genres, fighting games have maintained an assiduous focus on precision play and plenty of practice in the face of a greater industry shift towards broader appeal and accessibility.

Outside of a few exceptions like Super Smash Bros. and Divekick, the majority of contenders favour complex combos and deeply-ingrained muscle memory over pick-up playability. For players happy to invest the hundreds of hours required to join the ranks of the genre's elite, there are plenty of options to sate their appetite. But for those seeking a more approachable experience, the choices are slim to none.

This hasn't bothered me in the past. There are always going to be certain types of experiences that I don't mesh with, for one reason or another. But recently, with the eSports scene growing enough to warrant mention on ESPN, and fighting game tournaments like EVO amassing prize pools of hundreds of thousands of dollars, I've started to feel like I'm missing out on something important.

12 August, 2015

The Video Games Industry is Failing its Most Creative Minds

How do we honour our heroes when we don't even know their names?

Satoru Iwata was a great man. It might not need saying, but his contributions to the video game industry, along with his perpetual cheer and endearing laugh, warmed the hearts of gamers the world over. If it wasn't for his pivotal role in the release of the Nintendo DS and the Wii, the entire industry would be a very different place. He will be sorely missed, not just as the smiling face of Nintendo, but as the gamer at heart that he never stopped acknowledging. A legend, with a legacy that will live on long into gaming's future.

Mr. Iwata, though, was an anomaly in his renown. Consider his contemporaries at Sony and Microsoft, or even his predecessor at Nintendo; Steve Ballmer, Kazuo Hirai or Hiroshi Yamauchi. These are not trivial names in the business of gaming, and to some they are regarded with the same respect as the late, great Mr. Iwata. But among the general gaming public, they might as well be nobodies. Microsoft is Microsoft, Sony is Sony; that's all that matters. Who cares what name is engraved into the door of the boss' office?

07 August, 2015

Beta: I don't think you think it means what I think it means

In light of the reaction to the Street Fighter V beta, it is worth examining what the term truly means.

Technical alpha. Proof of concept. Stress test. Early access. The sheer number of different states games can exist in these days is equaled only by the confusion which these esoteric terms generate. Worse, many of the labels often seem to mean different things depending on who applies them. Ostensibly, there are standards to which the bearers of these monikers should adhere, but in practice, conformity is all over the place.

The backlash following the recent Street Fighter V beta highlights the inconsistencies in what people expect these terms to mean. For those not familiar with the debacle, here's the skinny: Capcom encouraged fans of the seminal fighting franchise to pre-order the upcoming game by promising them three rounds of beta access prior to release as reward for their loyalty. The problem was, upon opening the floodgates to the first beta period last week, the servers supporting the game were promptly drowned, and many fans were left out in the cold.

03 August, 2015

Was Apple's Guilty Until Proven Innocent Confederate Flag Reaction the Right Move?

Apples to Oranges: We examine whether Apple's grip on the App Store is a tender embrace or a deadly chokehold.

Apple used to be a name synonymous with revolution. The iPod, iTunes, the iPhone; the company has changed the direction of entire industries with its novel thinking and emphasis on accessibility. But recently that focus on forward thinking seems to be notably absent. From iOS features cribbed from Microsoft and Google's offerings, to Apple Music being a near straight-up clone of years-old services Pandora and Spotify, the former frontrunner has traded risk for reaction, content to simply retain its dominant position rather than drive the market into uncharted territory. This reactionary approach extends beyond a mere lack of innovation, impacting the way the company responds to shifts in the social landscape.

29 July, 2015

Is Sprked the Solution to Valve's Paid Mods Scandal?

From the ashes of the paid mods inferno comes the spark of an idea, inspired by Patreon?


The recent controversy surrounding Valve's implementation of paid mods into its digital games service Steam has highlighted the passion of the modding community. The backlash concerning the division of revenue was particularly severe, and it's not hard to see why. With only 25% of the money going to the developers of the mods and the rest split between Valve and the original game's publisher, the scheme seemed designed to profit existing companies, rather than reward the individuals producing new content. For a modder to make a dollar for every mod they sell,they would need to charge gamers $4 as $3 of it they'd never see. The incentive is then for them to sell their mods at heavily inflated prices, just so their cut equates to more than a pittance. Not exactly a desirable outcome for modders or gamers.

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