So I've done a little rewriting and a little expanding on the last entry I posted here. I hope all zero people who read this don't mind.
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So, I've talked about Star Wars: the Old Republic before (back when it was but a twinkle in Bioware's eye). In the time since the earliest rumors, the game has been officially announced, which is kind of an important detail. Not only that, but some early screenshots have even been released, and if that’s not enough for you, there is even some recent behind-the-scenes video, though it primarily features the same several screenshots and video clips repeatedly in lieu of a wealth of content. Amidst all this commotion, as the hype train slowly ramps up toward full-speed, I’ve noticed one thing:

My enthusiasm for this game is gradually trickling away.

I’m not sure if it’s just because I’m burned out on MMOs or if it’s genuinely because of what little I’ve seen or heard of this game in particular. Whatever it is, I'm beginning to assume that it was a bad idea, and will only lead to inevitable disappointment. I hope I'm wrong. I hope this is the MMO that can topple the WoW giant, with innovative gameplay, engaging plots, georgeous scenery, and a lively social element. I hope it is fun, exciting, and a new experience in both online gaming and the Star Wars universe. Most of all, I hope this doesn’t ruin Star Wars for me.

The move from a self-contained single-player experience to a massively multiplayer online one is a long and arduous journey. Bioware has proven that they can meld Star Wars and gaming with impressive results. They’ve proven that they can craft an immersive game setting with a complex, cohesive mythology. What they haven’t proven, however, is talent in marrying those qualities into an environment that allows many people to interact with each other and become a part of the continuity. Frankly, I’m not quite ready to expand the list of memorably Star Wars heroes to include “xXForceDudeXx” and “BanthaBanger69.”

Now, obviously any MMO has these issues. In fact, there’s already been a Star Wars-themed MMO (in fact, I’m sure there are still a few people playing Star Wars Galaxies. It’s possible!), so there’s a precedent here. It’s hard to say where this game will end up. Bioware’s presence is always encouraging, but few MMOs have stood up to WoW and lived to tell the tale.

The main thing WoW has going for it, though, is accessibility. It runs on low-end computers, is available for both PC and Mac, and is relatively easy to jump into (and far easier to get hooked on, if some of my friends and acquaintances are any indication). I played the game for a little while, years ago, but never got into it (lucky for me, and lucky for my wallet and my free time). To its credit, its simple design and intricate details make for some very nice low-end visuals.

What Bioware has to contend with is this accessibility. Star Wars is a global franchise, so they’ll have no trouble being recognized. However, they’ve always had grand aspirations for this game, which brings up several questions. To what degree are they willing to sacrifice accessibility to make the game they’re dreaming of? Will people flock to it? Will character customization be more extensive than KotoR? As extensive as Mass Effect? Can my buddies and I take a break and explore a planet? Can I waste all my credits at the local cantina wishing I was more than a washed-up scoundrel? Will this rash ever truly go away?

Star Wars: The Old Republic is still a long time from being released. However, with news that Activision-Blizzard is hard at work building a new, non-WoW MMO, what fate awaits Bioware? Will they have two mega-hit MMOs to contend with, or need they worry more about their own game being too ambitious? By the time the game comes out, will people still care? In my own experience over the past couple years, I’ve started several MMOs with great enthusiasm only to soon dig through to the same boring core experience. Wash, rinse, ding, repeat.

Maybe this will be the game to change all that, but if wishes were fishes, I’d have a pretty kick-ass aquarium by now.

See what I did there?

Ok, so I've talked about Star Wars: the Old Republic before (back when it was but a twinkle in Bioware's eye), and some time has passed and sparse details have come to light.

First and foremost, the game was officially announced, which is a big detail.

Some screens were even released, and on top of that, there is even some recent video, though primarily it simply shows the same screenshots and video clips several times over in lieu of a bulk of content.

My enthusiasm for this game is slowly trickling away. I'm beginning to assume that it was a bad idea, and will only lead to inevitable disappointment. I hope I'm wrong. I hope this is the MMO that can topple the WoW giant, with great gameplay mixed with a georgeous setting, and a fun social element. I hope it's fun, exciting, and a new experience in both online gaming and the Star Wars universe. Will character customization be more extensive than KotoR? As extensive Mass Effect? Can my buddies and I take a break and explore a planet? Are there diversions? Can I waste all my credits at the local cantina wishing I was more than a washed-up scoundrel? Wish this rash ever truly go away?

Hopefully we will get answers to these questions soon.

Welcome back! Did you miss me?

Oh? Oh... I see...

Well, nevermind the fact that I actually neglected this blog, barely remembering it existed, as I have returned!
I'll actually be posting specifically game-related posts at a new site soon, and I'll remember to update you all when that happens. For now, though, you shall be subjected to my ramblings right here, right now!

I've seen a lot of movies and played a lot of games since my last post, which was forever ago, and it's also pretty damn late here where I am on the East Coast. So until I get back up and running fully, I'm going to post a quick rant.

So, Mass Effect. There's been a ton of controversy surrounding this game lately, eh? A few so-called journalists and bloggers in what I shall call the "Adult community," or alternatively, "Those people who are painfully out of the loop," have latched onto supposed news that Mass Effect contains raw, graphic, explicit nudey-sex-with-girls. Of course, those of us in-the-know, aka those of us who have actually played the game, know that this is grossly exaggerated. Some have tried apologizing for their mis-statements, or rather, trying to pass off a statement of "I wasn't wrong, I just wasn't exactly right" as an apology. It's even been on televised news segments, with so-called experts. It's turned into a great big hullabaloo, which is a fun word to say. Hullabaloo.

My question is this: Didn't Mass Effect come out back in November? What have all these people been doing between the week and the end of November? Because, as we know, they certainly weren't playing Mass Effect.

This just further goes to prove that Real Journalism is all about buzz-words and sensationalism.

And now I go back to worrying about how to animate a flag waving in the wind. You know, important stuff.

Rumors are circulating the cosmos due to a bit of hearsay on behalf of the rumors section of a recent issue of EGM, claiming that Bioware is currently developing an MMO based around the Knights of the Old Republic series of Star Wars games. Could this be the Star Wars MMO that everyone is truly looking for, or is it doomed to die a fiery licensed-game doom at the hands of its cruel, unyielding masters?

On the one hand, Bioware is well known for delivering some high quality games. On the other, MMOs are a dime a dozen, and it's already been proven that handling a property as huge as Star Wars in an MMO setting and under certain circumstances (SOE) can lead to disastrous ends. Does Bioware have the ability to pull off an MMO, even, given that all of their games are traditionally focused on single-player content? Or is this a formula for success?

Personally, I just got a chance to go back to KOTOR 1 and 2 recently, and I got hooked. I can't wait for a hopeful third entry, and I never ended up playing Star Wars Galaxies. If handled properly, I could lose myself to a Kotor MMO.

What do you folks think?

[Rumour: KOTOR MMO? - Kotaku]

I'm home from school, and I've got a working computer while I'm here! In any case, let me recount what has occupied me as of late.

Like many a fool before me, I camped out last Sunday for a Wii. Rather, it would be better to say I camped out almost all of Saturday until the early hours of Sunday. This wasn't actually my idea, but someone else's on campus, and since I figured having company from school to pass the time would be a good thing, I carpooled with three other guys. We had no idea how many people would be there, or when they would get in line, so we went ridiculously early. It would turn out that camping out was a good idea, though we really didn't need to get to this Target as early as we did. Nonetheless, we got our Wiis, and when I got home, I was way too tired to play. So, I napped, and set that bad boy up. My roommate was in, so we concocted some Miis and fired up WiiSports, which turned out to be an insane amount of fun. We progressed through all of the sports, and by then it was time to get back to working on finals. In case anyone missed the memo, I am a college student, and the Wii's launch date coincided with the last weekend before Final Exams/Projects.

Later that day, I did manage to get some Red Steel action in. Let's get something straight. WiiSports is a terrific introduction to the Wii control scheme, and the decision to add it to the Wii bundle was a smart one. However, Red Steel is not as easy to pick up. Now, maybe this was because my sensor bar was not well-fastened and thus kept slipping on the top of my TV, but maintaining control in the game was damn difficult. Of course, I did eventually get the hang of things, and don't get me wrong, the game is fun. I just really understand what reviewers were talking about when they said the controls just didn't work so well. As long as the cursor remains in plain view, aiming isn't so bad, especially with the zoom function when targeting. Without the targeting feature, though, the game would be broken shit, and I can't see anyone wanting to play it. I still haven't tried the multiplayer, so hopefully that convinces me to keep the game, but so far I'm running out of reasons to like the game. It is fun, but is it fun enough? Time will tell.

Now that I'm home on vacation, there are two Wii consoles in my home: My brother's and mine. I only bought Red Steel, as I am a poor, poor college student. My brother, while not exactly rich himself, bought more than I did. We also invited a bunch of people over tonight for a gaming party, featuring the Wii. A couple of our friends have their own, so we all pooled our games together. We started the evening off with WiiSports, obviously, for those unaccustomed to the Wiimote. Then there was some Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz. Well, it's pretty much the same thing as before, but there are a ton of minigames now, many of which are pretty cool.

Later on, we popped in Rayman: Raving Rabbids, another minigame collection. This game, however, is a complete blast. The art direction is about as solid as granite, and that's pretty damn solid. The game is chock full of imagination and creative uses for the wiimote and nunchuck, not to mention I can't get enough of those little Rabbid bastards. Crazy little buggers. Interestingly enough, even though this is a relatively loose collection of minigames, there is a semblance of plot, however subtle. Rayman actually starts accruing some esteem amongst his captors, and when he gets farther along, his gladiatorial prison room gets decked out with nicer equipment. Completing all the games from a day allows you to unlock s special extra, such as a new costume for Rayman or a new song. Overall, this is actually the game I'd recommend the most to someone looking to get a Wii. This is, of course, since I haven't played the new Zelda game yet, and won't be able to for quite a while. And what gaming party is complete without Guitar Hero? We played quite a lot of the second game in this awesome series, mostly in Coop mode which is a welcome addition to face-off mode in multiplayer.

That's enough Wii-raving for now. I'll see what I can do next time. If there is a next time!

Sorry I haven't been posting anything lately, I've just been overwhelmed with work at school what with finals coming up. But starting next week I get 6-7 weeks of sweet, sweet vacation.

It hasn't all been work, as procrastination is a tool reserved for kings, and I come from a long line of lazy nobles (Ok, maybe not. I'm really the only lazy one). I've been gaming during my down-time, and I've got a lot of games left to play.

First up, I've been trying to finish Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, which I've been playing on my 360. I started it in January, and promptly fell out of play even though I loved it. It's been good, clean, spy-infused fun.

This brings me to the next game: Splinter Cell: Double Agent. It came out recently, and since I loved Chaos Theory so much, I figured I had little to lose. Well, I've played through a couple missions now. I'm going to clue you into something right now: I'm not a really good gamer. I suck hardcore at a lot of games. Anyway, so I picked up this game, and when I started playing, I immediately felt like I was trapped in an alien world; an environment that was not entirely unfamiliar, yet not familiar enough to call home. The controls are different, and there are some different features. The AI has been significantly beefed up, and I'm only playing it on Normal difficulty. I had some trouble figuring things out at first since I skipped the tutorials, which I admit would have been rather helpful. I eventually picked up the hang of things, got in some satisfying kills and knockouts, and promptly got killed. A lot. I don't know if it's just me, but Normal difficulty seemed hard. I've heard stories of people trading the game in at retailers not long after the release because they finished the game so fast. That means only one of two things: A) These people are inhuman super-gamers, replacing normal gamers with their doppleganger offspring in order to overthrow us, or B) I just suck that bad. Whatever the case, it's still a fun game, though I hope I start enjoying it more the further I get in.

Next, I picked up Neverwinter Nights 2, on accounts of my brother and father purchasing it. I hoped to make use of the much-discussed online collaborative play, and that I did. That was, of course, after quite a few hours of being unable to connect to the game server my brother was hosting, since I grabbed the game update and he had not. So, the next day we figured things out, got things up and running, and we were playing together. Well, more like lagging together. I've read on some forums that Xfire is what is causing the lag the people are experiencing in multiplayer mode, but we've yet to play without it (we've only played that once, so far). I've been enjoying the singleplayer, as I haven't played this kind of turn-based PC RPG since Baldur's Gate, and have missed it so. It's quite different, and the camera can be annoying at first, but I've still been having fun. The meat of the game is the campaign creation tools, so some day I may tinker with those, and maybe download some other player-created games.

Finally, we've got the game on everyone's mind that isn't Guitar Hero II (since it doesn't come out for the 360 until next year!), and that game is Gears of War. There's not much I can say about this game that hasn't been said on a thousand blogs and game sites already. It's fun, it's pretty, and Dom dies a lot. Rather, he doesn't die, he just gets exhausted from being such a freaking pansy. If anyone dies, then the game ends. Why's that? What if I want Dom to die? Maybe he slept with my girlfriend, or gave me a pack of gum laced with Locust pheromones. Whatever the case, sometimes I'd just like to get through the level on my own if one of my friends isn't around for co-op play, without the dead weight holding me down. Again, I haven't played much, since I have so many other games to play, but I definitely look forward to sitting down to some Co-Op soon.

Unfortunately, I won't have my current computer available when I go home for the break, so I'll have to wait until January to play NWN2 after next week. I will, however, have my Xbox 360, and I may be able to procure a Wii, so I don't think I'll be bored anytime soon.

Oh, and maybe I'll be able to post here once in a while. Maybe.

In my last post I mentioned waiting for new Super Smash Bros. Brawl information from Nintendo World, the gaming event being held in Japan as I type. Well, no convulsions from me (unless I really, really want to). GameTrailers has release a video from the show featuring new in-game footage, including new moves from the playable characters (Here's a hint: Snake is kind of sneaky) and features such as breakable platforms and new levels. That is exciting, though the secrets I was anticipating, demanding even, were new characters. Well, Nintendo answered that with a gimped whisper, announcing Fox McCloud of StarFox game as playable. Color me Cerulean Blue, or maybe Brick Red. No, Firetruck Red! Yeah.... Seriously, though, I'm unsurprised, as would anyone be, as Fox has been in both of the other Smash Bros. incarnations. This isn't exactly a huge secret, Nintendo. You better be prepared to release unexpected characters, or at least some that are of moderate-surprise level quality. Or else I'm gonna cry a bit. Well, I may shed a tear. OK, I'll just whine a lot, but seriously, where's the 480p beef?

Article:
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - New Footage (GameTrailers)

Good day, Internet! It is Thursday, and that means it's the weekend. Well, for me anyway. You suckers get stuck with another day of the week. You know, I think I'm just going to squander the day, just to rub it in. Of course, I'll have to be visited by the ghost of a dead celebrity or something, who will take me on an inspirational and spiritual journey detailing the wrongs of goofing off. Ooh, or maybe it's a talking Dinosaur! No, Denver! Denver the Last Dinosaur. Yeah, that'd be rad.

Oh, 80s!

Anyway, there's a little news on the wire. You know the one I'm talking about.

• Unfortunately, reports that the Wii would output at 720p, putting it on par with many 360 and PS3 games, are untrue, according to a story at EuroGamer. The output resolution will apparently max at 480p.
• Nintendo World is upon us, which sounds like the eve of destruction in some bizarre acid-trip movie (Beware the Ives of Nintendo! The Nintendonians are invading! Ohno, Nintendo is coming for us! We better hide, or we'll be destroyed in a most excruciating manner!) This event, loosely resembling the late Space World Expo, is actually a series of shows touring the Japanese nation in different cities, showcasing the latest in Nintendo gaming products. With the highly anticipated launch of the Wii just weeks away, this will be one of the last instances where someone gets to touch the wild, undomesticated Forbidden Fruit before it becomes standard, everday household fruit (My analogies are flawless. Do not attempt to delude yourself into thinking otherwise). As you may guess, what I'm looking most forward to are the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl characters reported to be unveiled at the show. One (me) can only hope that this announcement occurs at the first show, as opposed to one of the later shows, causing me to spasm uncontrollably until the secret is revealed.
• In order to fully grasp the reality of the demand for the Wii, you could imagine a family of bears who are craving sweet, sweet honey at the end of their winter slumber. These creatures have not eaten for months, and their level of hunger causes a state of delirium in which they confuse human-people for their tasty snack- effectively mistaking little Suzy for a bottle of SueBee. What we have on our hands here is a bloodbath. The lesson, you ask? Bears are dangerous, and can attack at any time. Seriously, though, anytime a retailer opens up pre-orders for the Wii, they sell out lightning-quick, much like my super-human reflexes. The latest example is Wal-Mart, whose online store experienced just such a phenomenon, selling out in just a few short hours.
• Wii rhymes with 'pee.' We get it.
• Bioware has announced a new PC-exclusive RPG titled "Dragon Age." Games For Windows, the magazine previously known as Computer Gaming World, featured the game on the cover to their latest issue, which means you can go to your bookstore, newsstand, or literary haven of choice and read more about it there. For an idea of what the games all about, imagine, if you will, the developer of Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, and the upcoming Mass Effect (it's a stretch, I know). Now, imagine that this developer is creating a new game called "Dragon Age" and that's all you really wanted to know anyway. There. Are we clear? Good. Seriously, though, from what little I've read about it so far, it sounds pretty damn cool. We're mixing Baldur's Gate style pause-game, issue commands style combat, Mass Effect style almost-real-time conversation, D&D style role playing (think classes and game rules. Momma didn't raise no Barbarian! Well, unless of course you roll up a Barbarian, in which case I hate you forever!). Oh, and you can do cool stuff like run between the legs of the humongous creatures, climb up on their backs, and more. From the looks of it, the game will feature multiple stories to allow, nay, encourage repeating the game.

That's it. That's all I've got right now.

Articles:
Nintendo reconfirms Wii 480p (EuroGamer)
Nintendo World 06 - The Wii Lineup (Kotaku)
Nintendo World 06 - The DS Lineup (Kotaku)
Wal-Mart Wii preorders sell out (Gamespot)
Games For Windows featuring new Bioware RPG - Dragon Age (1up)
And just for kicks... (YouTube)

Obviously none of you are going to read this today, since it is Halloween and there's no way any of you are over the age of twelve (Then again, this is the internet, so it's kind of hard to tell sometimes) and must thusly be trick or treating. Still, it is my duty to maintain this blog, and so I shall.

Most of today's news in my favorite categories (gaming, movies, and tech) comes from the realm of video games.

• Viva Pinata has gone gold, which means soon you can finally purchase and play it in your own home (unless of course you're a real or pseudo-real gaming journalist, and have had the chance to review it ahead of time.) This game's looking like it's got a lot of potential.
  
• Nintendo released the finalized list of Wii launch-window titles, as well as the list of titles coming to the Virtual Console by year's end.
• Speaking of the Wii, GamesIndustry.biz reported that Nintendo will release a DVD-enabled version of the console. Just to make sure people are confused, after saying the Wii would have DVD functionality and then not, they mentioned that this version would only be coming out in Japan according to current plans. That doesn't mean it won't come out in Europe or the US, but no one's talking right now. We'll just have to make them talk. (I'd make a threatening gesture, but it just won't come across well in text)
• In regards to my last post, 8bit_generation pointed out that stories are circulating that Microsoft's latest update for the Xbox 360 Dashboard software might be screwing with gamers' systems. I installed the update myself with no problems so far, so we'll just have to see to what extent this is true.
  

I couldn't afford to buy candy at pre-Halloween prices, so if anyone reads this, please send me candy. CANDY GOOOOOOOD! RAAAARGH!

If anyone needs me, I'll be rampaging.

Articles:

Viva Piñata goes Gold (Gamespot)

Well, it seems that I won't be lazing-about today, as there is news! Well, by now, it's probably not news to a lot of you, but it's news, and I'm going to report on it, dammit! I'll have none of your sass, Internet, and I know how you love sass.

In any case, Xbox.com released information on the newest update to their Dashboard software for the Xbox 360. The list of additions and changes is fairly lengthy, but that's because a lot of them are meager improvements to existing features or tiny extras with little use to Americans. Gamers from beyond McDonaldland, however, are now lucky to have improved language features. Overall, though, the gist of the updates follows:

• 360 HD-DVD player add-on support
• 1080p support
• Support for streaming Windows Media Video file format from a Windows-based PC (via WMP 11, Zune software, or Windows Media Connect)
• Support for video files stored on data CDs, DVDs, USB flash drives, Xbox memory cards, or other, unlisted devices.
• Automatic downloads of Live Arcade games
• Support for the XNA Game Development software.
• Miscellaneous improvements and extras that you can read about in the link at the bottom of the post, because I'm too lazy to list them myself!

And when is this update coming? Next week, you say? Next month? Next year? No, that's all wrong! This update is coming tomorrow, October 31, so you don't have to lose sleep worrying about when you'll be able to use the wireless Xbox 360 headset to send crude messages to your friends. The update will come some time in the morning. For more information on the changes, you can check out these two pages on the Xbox website. Hit the full list at the end of the post.

Before I end, there is one more powerfully important news item- something that will change the world forever!

Cooking Mama is coming to the Nintendo Wii. I know, you probably just wet yourself a little. I'm sorry, I should be more careful with the information I wave around. Seriously, though, this isn't very surprising, given the fact that everyone knew a cooking game was both possible and inevitable given the introductory video shown when we finally found out what the Wii was. Not to mention, Cooking Mama is apparently quite a hit on the DS. I don't know the sales figures, but the budget title has gotten some pretty positive reviews and I've heard about it almost everywhere. A friend of mine who barely plays video games finally picked up a DS and Cooking Mama, and he is enthralled with it. The DS is a powerful tool; it can bring grown men to their feet and crush entire empires! Feel the awesome fury of the Nintendo DS, or you shall face infinite nothingness!

I admit, that was a bit overboard.

Articles:
Xbox 360 Dashboard - November 2006 Update (Xbox.com)
Cooking Mama: Cook Off coming to Wii (Kotaku)