Posts in “Opinion”
We Don’t Work For Sarif – Syndicate
As previously discussed, evolution is a necessary thing. Both the original Syndicate and its sequel were objective-based point-and-click affairs managed from an isometric view. Such a game, unless handled very carefully, will not translate well to the console environment. Numerous RTS titles have failed in spectacular fashion to illustrate this point, so Starbreeze adapted the IP order to allow it to survive. It has been reinvented in order to not only meet the wants of the gaming masses, but also to approach a beloved IP from a new direction.
And boy, are people pissed about it. Read On »
CES – Life After Microsoft
After 20 years, Microsoft is walking away from the International Consumer Electronics Show…well, sort of.
The story, broken by major outlets yesterday reported that Microsoft would no longer be carrying the presence at the International CES like it has over the last two decades. With Bill Gates having delivered the annual keynote speech for 11 years; and his successor, Steve Ballmer, delivering the speech for the last four, thinking of a Consumer Electronics Show without Microsoft in the forefront is almost unimaginable. However, in a blog post yesterday, Microsoft had made some very valid points regarding their departure as the steward of the biggest consumer technology event of the year. Read On »
The Game Has(n’t) Changed – Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure
Insidious. Manipulative. Exploitative. Mercenary. Any or all of these words are likely to pop up in whatever review of Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure you so happen to read. Everyone feels the need to point out the inevitable additional cost gamers, or more likely their parents, are going to incur due to the core design behind Skylanders. Bait the hook with a competent multiplayer game utilizing cutely designed characters and an interactive gimmick. Now set the hook by allowing some areas of the game to only be accessed via use of certain characters, which must be purchased separately. Release just before the holidays; retire.
Microsoft Rolls Out Winter Update With New Look, Bing, and WP7 Companion
The fateful day finally arrived earlier this week and Microsoft’s new interface for the Xbox 360 has finally hit the wild. This new update features a design very reminiscent of the Windows Phone 7 interface which uses tile groups instead of the old NXE (New Xbox Experience) interface which was more of a series of rows divided by a menu. It also has a simplified and streamlined design where both the controller and Kinect device use the same interface instead of the separate, bland interface that was shoehorned in for Kinect to be used with the older version. But how does it really perform?
Quit Trying To Shove Your Gears Up My Mass Relay
Evolution is a natural part of life; it happens to almost everything. That which is ill-equipped to survive in its environment, dies – typically, as fodder for another organism who got the claws and sharp teeth behind door number three vs. the big beak, webbed feet and tiny wings which came with the bakeware set behind door number two. Evolution also tends to award organisms that specialize in a particular thing, and with good reason. Trying to do too many things at once is invariably a great way to make sure nothing is done well. Flying birds don’t get multiple legs, the ability to generate an electric current, or the ever-so-popular opposable thumbs (great at parties!), but evolution provided a great way to stay above the things partial to eating them. After all, the dodo had wings, too… Read On »
Why It’s Time To Release The Next-Gen Console
Rumors are once again swirling around concerning the next-gen Xbox unveiling. The media labeled Xbox 720 is speculated to be announced at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show this January. Of course, we’ve been hearing rumors of a new Xbox reveal preceding just about every major industry event for the last few years (and I actually think it’ll be unveiled at E3 2012); this year it might just happen. Quite frankly, the industry is pretty much ripe for a new console release, regardless if it’s Microsoft that announces theirs before Sony or vice versa, and here’s why: Read On »
Wanderson75.net’s Black Friday Picks and Tips
The inevitable is coming. Along with the celebration and cheer that goes with our annual feast with loved ones we seldom see throughout the year, there is also the excitement or dread to be felt with the aftermath that will be met the following day: Black Friday. So many stores offering door-crashing prices galore draw deal seekers young and old, far and wide to get up in the wee hours of the morning, and make their trek to every retailer they can to get the best deals possible.
So as a gamer, what’s the best place to go? And what deals are best to look at? Well, we here at Wanderson75.net might have a couple of recommendations! Read On »
The Gamer Parent’s Guide To Gaming
Last year I did a piece titled “A Parent’s Guide To Video Games For Your Kids”, to help parents determine what kinds of games are appropriate for their little gamers. But what about those parents who are gamers themselves? What kinds of games should they grab to play alongside their gaming progeny? How do you find balance between what Dad or Mom wants to play versus what your young ones should be exposed to? Well, with a little help from a panel of pros at FamilyFriendlyVideogames.com, we explore these questions, and have the answers for you! Read On »
Beating a Dead Zombie Horse
With Halloween and its accompanying trick-or-treaters on our door step, it seems the game industry has horror on its brain in the form of zombies. With more and more games being released each year either about or featuring our favourite undead, some people are starting to feel a little… overwhelmed by the horde, so to speak.
One Moment – A Brief Encounter With Steve Jobs
It was a brief meeting, in the early ‘90s, when I was living in the Silicon Valley and working for Apple Computer. A chance introduction to the man who had been deposed by the Apple Computer board, and replaced by John Scully, of Pepsi fame. Read On »