tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39780758474068792282012-02-16T04:27:15.639-08:00A look at games that are now considered "classic" (read: old, also read: over a year ago) from a critical perspective.John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.comBlogger441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-25117355444565881702011-02-14T14:28:00.001-08:002011-02-14T14:47:26.626-08:00

First and foremost, Vampire: The Masquerade is a horror game, and “Bloodlines” excels at this.  “Bloodlines” barely rises above its many bugs (even after the latest fan patch) to deliver a compelling new vision of an RPG. Layered throughout run-of-the-mill quest lines (fetch this, kill this guy) are truly unique scenarios.  A fetch quest at a haunted house becomes a battle to free a trapped

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-48920131032598225822011-02-14T08:20:00.000-08:002011-02-14T08:20:13.221-08:00

Starcraft 2 comes out today and God have mercy on our souls. The game is arguably the most ubiquitous and longest lasting since, well, chess. Competitive Starcraft has become something close to the national sport of South Korea and has endured for ten years past its release. It’s quite popular over here in the West, as well, and is poised to become even more popular with Starcraft 2’s improved

Roland Zaratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808563195755354255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-68842050760931680282011-02-04T10:00:00.001-08:002011-02-04T10:00:43.403-08:00

Video Game writing has become legitimate (although it really always was), as evidenced by their inclusion in the Writer's Guild Awards.  VIDEOGAME WRITING Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Story by Patrice Desilets, Jeffrey Yohalem, Corey May; Lead Script Writer: Jeffrey Yohalem; Script Writers: Ethan Petty, Nicholas Grimwood, Matt Turner; UbisoftFallout: New Vegas, Creative Design Lead/Lead Writer:

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-11041235738788757482011-02-02T08:24:00.000-08:002011-02-02T08:24:05.449-08:00

Press D-Pad to Junp and the world was changed forever.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-16677644467791019162011-02-02T07:53:00.001-08:002011-02-02T07:53:26.965-08:00

When you get to the quests themselves… well, this brings us back to what I said at the start about MMOs. DC Universe disappoints me most because it does so well at being different, only to end up shrugging and shovelling out stuff we all know is crap, simply because it can. Seriously. In a game with so much great content, so much imagination, so many options and so many things to do… why in the

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-47400361187794942422011-02-01T13:53:00.000-08:002011-02-01T13:53:37.885-08:00

Michael Sermyn, one half of Tale of Tales has already sparked a lively discussion on the Escapist. I find the entire piece interesting - not specifically "anti-game" and certainly NOT "pro-game", but a call to look at the potential of the interactive experience. This link isn't an endorsement, but a discussion I simply found interesting.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-32203006953026808172011-02-01T13:09:00.001-08:002011-02-01T13:09:45.383-08:00

DIY Gamer has a nice profile on Global Agenda.  It's on sale for $7.50.  Thanks to the "Friends with Benefits" promotion, I joined the game for $15 myself, after the generous free (up to level 12) trial.I write the following as a genuine fan, and not a journalist or promoter.Hi-rez studios is a small MMO that's has no subscriptions.  They offer some standard freemium offers such as booster packs

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-4506951242424802182011-01-13T09:55:00.001-08:002011-01-13T09:55:51.051-08:00

Why must games only be about combat?

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-57906911773218607842011-01-10T09:50:00.000-08:002011-01-10T09:50:58.296-08:00

phosfiend» Blog Archive » Knives and Type: Pathways to Better Game DesignAn interesting manifesto on creative Game Design.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-55773063331293131192011-01-04T12:15:00.001-08:002011-01-04T12:15:53.854-08:00

I haven't finished covering Mass Effect 2 and its Moral Choice system. For the most part, it falls short of what I would personally want, but Floyd and Co. below illustrate a place where it (mostly) works:

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-17479163768960314152010-12-16T13:42:00.001-08:002010-12-16T13:42:30.096-08:00

Extra Credits did a great piece on Missile Command using pure game mechanics to tell a story. The comments are interesting, as some don't seem to see pixilized images as "cities". Apparently people these days need the kind of graphics to "properly" interpret it.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-52590973304854475352010-09-27T09:53:00.000-07:002010-09-27T09:53:02.804-07:00

From Brainy Gamer "Could I have chosen a game to stand by itself, with no accompanying text assignment? Maybe. I thought about Bioshock. I thought about Planescape: Torment. In the end, I chose Portal because I thought it would make a good start. A good first impression. A lead-off hitter, if you will." "Deploying a game for an entire cohort to play at the same time requires more

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-11183471963146648992010-08-16T07:27:00.000-07:002010-08-16T07:27:07.691-07:00

Bethesda Blog � Blog Archive � Behind the Scenes: The Many Voices of New VegasFallout: New Vegas has an impressive voice cast, a lot won over by the immensity of Fallout 3, which has very little in the way of excellent voice acting (Liam Neesen notwithstanding).Matthew Perry's story is one of the most fun.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-20522328675838609692010-08-04T15:16:00.001-07:002010-08-04T15:17:45.538-07:00

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-88822069224724407212010-08-02T11:40:00.000-07:002010-08-02T11:43:36.601-07:00

Take a look at the following great, old games out now as freeware.  I didn't post the original, that would be Ravenlock at Colony of Gamers: Free and Worth Every Penny - Issue 53: Nostalgia Wave - Colony of GamersLet me get this out of the way up front: this is not a post about abandonware. This will not be a thread about abandonware, either. I know that there are umpteen sites where you can go

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-47058415575261833182010-07-29T09:17:00.000-07:002010-07-29T09:17:32.745-07:00

An experiment in Sims 3 in which the player added the homeless neighbors, Alice and Kev

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-75962129276101613362010-07-28T12:30:00.000-07:002010-07-28T12:30:25.868-07:00

An interesting Alternative to death as a fail-state.Quest Ideas, by Tom Francis

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-48215783203592233962010-07-28T11:38:00.000-07:002010-07-28T11:38:09.221-07:00

So PC Gamers, with a mouse and a keyboard, are better than X-Box players. Or just more hardcore.Were PC Gamers Too Good For Microsoft's Cross-Platform Gaming Project?

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-48275691413001257372010-07-27T10:34:00.000-07:002010-07-27T10:36:58.868-07:00

Disclaimer: I spoil 7th Guest pretty hard in this article.Trilobyte's The 7th Guest is a game that routinely makes top ten lists for 'Scariest Games of All Time'. I wonder, though, if they've played through the game recently or just place it on these lists out of a sense of respect and history. Certainly, it is a PC gaming's milestone. It's clear that Trilobyte made 7th Guest with the very goal

Roland Zaratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808563195755354255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-71977928841845561232010-07-22T09:46:00.000-07:002010-07-22T09:48:01.579-07:00

Horror is a genre that shines on the format of video games. Nothing will immerse you in the awful goings-on of a story more than being in control of whether your character lives or dies. It works so well that you can find horror elements in many of the major franchises. Games like Halo, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead and Half-Life are a major force in the video game world and I'd argue that that's due, in

Roland Zaratehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808563195755354255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-91010098874207266092010-07-22T09:22:00.000-07:002010-07-22T09:22:14.323-07:00

Cerebral Pop: Catching Up to the Industry Part 1Cerebral Pop takes the time to look at what he's been missing, which fits right in line with this blog here.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-32321283401219265672010-07-21T15:14:00.000-07:002010-07-21T15:14:41.756-07:00

An interesting look at death in video games by making death final.SLRC - Subterranean Loner Rendered Comatose: Permanent Death - The Complete Saga

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-72737749312138311282010-07-20T12:27:00.000-07:002010-07-20T12:27:22.447-07:00

Detective Mode was apparently a mistake. A mistake to make it so helpful.Arkham Asylum art director talks mistakes - News at GameSpot

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-26808345009214410512010-07-18T10:20:00.000-07:002010-07-18T10:20:53.012-07:00

As reviewed at Ascii Dreams.  The game has had its share of bad reviews, mainly due to its design and story being constantly at odds.  It is also the only game Roger Ebert feels he can watch as he finds the screenshots pretty.  Enjoy.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-40139535667207557672010-07-15T15:54:00.000-07:002010-07-15T15:54:27.965-07:00

An interesting social analysis of the world of Mass Effect, and how much attention Bioware pays toward world building.Cultural Hegemony Within the World of Mass Effect, part 1 � Video Game Theory & Language

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-30756212732964092302010-07-15T08:46:00.000-07:002010-07-15T08:46:37.986-07:00

Hellmode on Permadeath in gaming. It brings up some moments from Mass Effect, but also some old school games.The Inconsequential Game Over: Dying for a Change | Hellmode

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-15579309436930589512010-07-14T10:49:00.000-07:002010-07-14T10:49:54.988-07:00

While not an old school game, DeathSpank is a send-up of gaming in general.Gamasutra - Features - Ron Gilbert On The Synthesis Of DeathSpank

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-1172728426007882762010-07-14T10:43:00.000-07:002010-07-14T10:43:16.585-07:00

Gamasutra - Features - Postmortem: Ion Storm's Deus Ex

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-46150257238020625092010-07-14T10:36:00.000-07:002010-07-14T10:36:58.810-07:00

At some point, I hope to have a post about old school Sierra adventure games. Lucasarts had a good hold on the market, Sierra was its biggest competitor. These were the first tht I had had to play.Wot I Think: The Silver Lining | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-17247541482204406502010-07-14T10:16:00.000-07:002010-07-14T10:16:19.482-07:00

Bioware's strategy.Develop 10: Zeschuk On How Bioware “Do It” | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-45915790459846065182010-07-13T14:03:00.000-07:002010-07-13T14:03:54.437-07:00

On the emotion of love.Experience Points: The Sensationalist: On Love

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-67617888343120002492010-07-13T13:30:00.000-07:002010-07-13T13:30:01.058-07:00

While this is about Dragon Age, there are elements here I will likely be repeating in my summary of Mass Effect 1 and 2.Gamer Melodico: Dragon Age 2 Can Only Be An Improvement

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-24251004185367200852010-07-09T12:49:00.000-07:002010-07-09T12:49:03.312-07:00

Who Cheers For War?

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-61327018809510794972010-07-08T15:04:00.000-07:002010-07-08T15:04:41.085-07:00

Critical Damage: Frayed Narratives, Closed Games: Understanding My Allergy To BioWare GamesCritical Damage takes a close look at the closed game that gives the player the illusion of agency, something I will be covering in the upcoming review of Mass Effect.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-19120563060334911652010-07-08T12:10:00.000-07:002010-07-08T12:10:22.408-07:00

The top 10 video games of the past decade - CNN.com and 10 more games to add to my list.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-27840237306711175202010-07-08T09:52:00.000-07:002010-07-08T09:52:39.045-07:00

Fallout’s Forgotten Revolution | Hellmode - A look at old school gaming, and relating Dragon Age and The Witcher's lauded innovation.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-67849117520776878722010-07-07T09:34:00.000-07:002010-07-07T09:34:54.118-07:00

Thanks to Steam, I have a handy barometer of my game enjoyment to reference - hours played. As of this writing, I've played it a total of 33.6 hours of Mass Effect and bought and downloaded the sequel, logging 30.7 hours to beat that. During the same sale in which I bought Mass Effect, I downloaded Batman: Arkham Asylum. I’ve logged a mere 4.2 hours so far. In addition, I've logged 2 hours

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-12197050157800945192010-06-27T16:28:00.001-07:002010-06-27T16:28:06.663-07:00

Vidgama compares Mass Effect and Star Control 2. This was going to be an angle I took, but it appears this has been done already.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-42590651731879729722010-06-27T07:14:00.000-07:002010-06-27T07:41:48.008-07:00

In true Late to the Game fashion, I'm downloading games that have been out awhile, and reviewing them only after finishing. What to expect in the near future:Mass Effect I recently downloaded and finished this game. At the moment, I'm replaying the game in two different classes and paths, so I can provide a well-rounded review of it.Star Control 2 There were plenty of similarities between Mass

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-39951384215131355972010-06-10T10:08:00.000-07:002010-06-23T09:55:02.093-07:00

I hope to get a more formal post, soon, but this would be a good sample of what it is this blog is taking aim at. I'm playing Mass Effect 1 at the moment, yes, late to the game, and I hit the "Sophie's Choice" scenario. What I find interesting is that a) I made my decision, rather quickly, based solely on gameplay mechanics, and b) I had an emotional reaction to the outcome.SPOILERAt a certain

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-37942915516216133962010-06-09T08:44:00.000-07:002010-06-09T08:44:40.253-07:00

"It appears that Violent Video Games only adversely affect some individual and those who are affected have a preexisting disposition (i.e., high neuroticism, low agreeableness, and low conscientiousness) which make them susceptible to such violent media."Vulnerability to Violent Video Games: A Review and Integration of Personality Research - Powered by Google Docs

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-84377813980151846552010-06-08T06:43:00.000-07:002010-06-08T06:43:19.026-07:00

RPGs: Has Mass Effect 2 Ruined Them All?

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-13734800444106100762010-06-04T15:28:00.000-07:002010-06-04T15:28:08.576-07:00

BioWare on RPG Success, Old Republic, Natal and More - IndustryGamers

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3978075847406879228.post-71198999071864608532010-06-04T13:10:00.001-07:002010-06-04T13:12:13.974-07:00

Hello World, again.I have a PC, and it sucks. It turns out this limits me to games made within certain periods, which I'm fine with since they tend to be cheaper. So, here, will be reviews and discussions of a bygone era (read 2 years ago). Stay tuned for more.

John M Osbornehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714266421105137865noreply@blogger.com0