So the New Xbox Experience, or NXE, has arrived... and I have to say I'm not exactly overwhelmed by it.
I wasn't expecting much out of it, so I can't really say I'm underwhelmed by it. I'm just not really whelmed at all.
The biggest feature is the avatars. First of all, why do these things not have names? Maybe I'll call them "Personal Avatars for the New Xbox Experience" or PANXEs (pansies). I guess that's my name for them since Microsoft didn't seem to bother naming them. How did they pass up a chance to trademark a new word? Someone's getting fired when Bill Gates eventually learns of this.
My biggest gripe with the Panxes is the limited options. No rearranging of features, no custom color options, and everybody stands in the exact same just-got-off-a-horse pose.
Microsoft, please let the Panxes have a chance to stand out; in the very least, take a page from Rock Band and let us select an "attitude."
I'm not sure letting a British company design the virtual likeness of American gamers was the best choice to begin with, but my experience has been that not a great deal of the gaming population is cutesy and adorably shy. We need some over-the-top moods to choose from, something not unheard of in this land of internet. Let me be nervous, angry, cheery, tipsy, confused, dopey, achy, or even rude.
Apart from that, the clothes could use much more of a selection. As my friend Ric inquired as he was dressing his Panxe, "Where are the grown up pants?" Not every gamer is a minor; we could use a lot more adult options. And that goes for the look of the panxes as well. Not only does everybody stand the same way, they all look the same age. Apparently they're preparing us for a euthanasia society.
And how about some layering options? Maybe I have seven moles on my face, why can't I speckle on more than one? Why can't I wear my xbox t-shirt over my long sleeve shirt? It is cold outside you know. But perhaps the long sleeve shirt would been fine... if I could change the color and add a logo!
Customization technology has been around quite a while, I don't know why they choose to ignore most of it. Perhaps Microsoft should have kept their Panxes to themselves until they were ready to give us an entire sandwich as opposed to just crumbs.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Return of the Thing
Weird thing about creating art as a continuous project... it can so easily be derailed.
Our house was robbed a few months back. They took my computer and my video game consoles, among other things. It's difficult to produce a comic strip about video games when you can't play games, nor can I digitize my artwork. Plus, all of the strips would have ended bitterly, either with violent bludgeoning of villains or sad depression of heroes. That doesn't exactly fit the mold of what my comic is about.
But, weeks have passed. Paranoia and resentment for the world have died down. Computing and gaming set-ups have been re-established. Scores of games await to be played. I just lack the motivation.
I still need to overcome the frustration of a steeper drive to creation. Over 500 hours of games saves are gone, so those games I never got around to finishing... yup, I'll have to trudge through the same levels once again. My scanner is not compatible with my new computer, so until I can afford a new one I will be dealing with an all-in-one printer-scanner with far less quality. And I am soooooo far behind on my comic I may just scrap old story plans and pick up where I would should have been today.
This blog post stands as a reminder to myself, a commitment to get back to work on something I love to do. I'll try not to delete it and pretend it didn't happen.
Our house was robbed a few months back. They took my computer and my video game consoles, among other things. It's difficult to produce a comic strip about video games when you can't play games, nor can I digitize my artwork. Plus, all of the strips would have ended bitterly, either with violent bludgeoning of villains or sad depression of heroes. That doesn't exactly fit the mold of what my comic is about.
But, weeks have passed. Paranoia and resentment for the world have died down. Computing and gaming set-ups have been re-established. Scores of games await to be played. I just lack the motivation.
I still need to overcome the frustration of a steeper drive to creation. Over 500 hours of games saves are gone, so those games I never got around to finishing... yup, I'll have to trudge through the same levels once again. My scanner is not compatible with my new computer, so until I can afford a new one I will be dealing with an all-in-one printer-scanner with far less quality. And I am soooooo far behind on my comic I may just scrap old story plans and pick up where I would should have been today.
This blog post stands as a reminder to myself, a commitment to get back to work on something I love to do. I'll try not to delete it and pretend it didn't happen.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Save the Sluggy!
Sometimes I forget that this blog is about Games AND Comics. I usually have more to say about video games I'm playing than comics I'm reading. I don't really care to debate the gimmickiness of killing Batman. It'd be repetitive to continuously post about how Joe Quesada's running Marvel into the creative crapper. Should I make a weekly feature about how I should stop buying the massively disappointing Countdown series (and yet never do)?
I guess it wouldn't hurt to make some effort to discuss things. It will keep me writing...
So, I've figured out where Sluggy Freelance often goes wrong.
Sluggy has long been one of my favorite webcomics. It's been around for more than a decade, and I've been reading it for most of that time.
Sluggy is known for it's gigantic storylines, usually woven with threads from various previous story arcs. Occasionally, artist Pete Abrams will make a storyline that leads to fan outcry over its tediousness or loss of focus. While I'm more into the silent majority of quietly reading my free entertainment (though Unmoving Oceans made me zone out more than once), I do see the problems with some of the stories. And the problems are always the same.
The major characters become isolated from each other.
Unmoving Oceans, The Torg Potter Saga, Muffin the Vampire Baker (to name a few)... all these focused on one of the comic's main(ish) characters, and a bunch of glorified extras. Even if it is my favorite character in the strip, I still want them to see them interact with the other main characters. Because I like the main characters: that's why I read the strip.
It's basically the same problem with the Ferengi Episodes on Star Trek Deep Space Nine (anyone remember that show?). Star Trek is aways about culturally different people interacting. It's not interesting to see Quark go back to his homeworld, because he's aware of all the rules and culture. Even if he isn't as ruthless as the rest of his society, he still understands them and tries to fall in line. It would have made interesting viewing to send someone else... a Klingon, a human... with Quark when he visited home. Let's see a benevolent Federation doctor clash with the Ferengi's greedy health care system. But they never did. So those episodes were always unremarkable.
In Sluggy Freelance, it's the same way. If Pete's going to warp somebody away, they really need to go in pairs. And the more interesting the pairing, the better. How about Gwynn and Alyee? Let's see the two of them dimension hopping together.
I'd say the occasional solo-mission is acceptable, if it collides with the main cast later. Sluggy Freelance's history is rich with twisting old storylines into new directions.
Let's look at the current storyline: Torg Potter and the Giblets With Fiber. This is the fourth Harry Potter parody, with Torg being hijacked into their universe each time. Four times and he's always gone alone, with the exception of Kiki the Ferret tagging along in the previous chapter, but not really contributing much.
Why do we never see Riff trying to find Torg to rescue him? Does anyone ever notice he's gone? When he's (often) trapped in another dimension, his story is usually intercut with some rescue attempts back home. During the Torg Potter episodes... nada.
I personally really enjoy the Torg Potters. I'm a fan of Harry Potter, and think the parodies are great fun. But the way they continue to be written are in conflict with the core of Sluggy Freelance and should probably be changed up. Torg is comfortable in his place by now, so it is time to unhinge things. How about next time, instead of Torg, Zoe gets shanghaied by accident? Then there could be a rescue sequence (though not necessarily a successful one) with the rest of the cast.
I just hope there are things like this that can be done to keep The Sluggy train on the track for another decade.
I think that's enough blogging for now. I'm actually feeling a bit lightheaded. I just got back from Game Xchange on West Street, so obviously I'm high. I had to leave my purchase on the back porch to air out, so as not to stink up the house. Now I'm going to find something to eat.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to make some effort to discuss things. It will keep me writing...
So, I've figured out where Sluggy Freelance often goes wrong.
Sluggy has long been one of my favorite webcomics. It's been around for more than a decade, and I've been reading it for most of that time.
Sluggy is known for it's gigantic storylines, usually woven with threads from various previous story arcs. Occasionally, artist Pete Abrams will make a storyline that leads to fan outcry over its tediousness or loss of focus. While I'm more into the silent majority of quietly reading my free entertainment (though Unmoving Oceans made me zone out more than once), I do see the problems with some of the stories. And the problems are always the same.
The major characters become isolated from each other.
Unmoving Oceans, The Torg Potter Saga, Muffin the Vampire Baker (to name a few)... all these focused on one of the comic's main(ish) characters, and a bunch of glorified extras. Even if it is my favorite character in the strip, I still want them to see them interact with the other main characters. Because I like the main characters: that's why I read the strip.
It's basically the same problem with the Ferengi Episodes on Star Trek Deep Space Nine (anyone remember that show?). Star Trek is aways about culturally different people interacting. It's not interesting to see Quark go back to his homeworld, because he's aware of all the rules and culture. Even if he isn't as ruthless as the rest of his society, he still understands them and tries to fall in line. It would have made interesting viewing to send someone else... a Klingon, a human... with Quark when he visited home. Let's see a benevolent Federation doctor clash with the Ferengi's greedy health care system. But they never did. So those episodes were always unremarkable.
In Sluggy Freelance, it's the same way. If Pete's going to warp somebody away, they really need to go in pairs. And the more interesting the pairing, the better. How about Gwynn and Alyee? Let's see the two of them dimension hopping together.
I'd say the occasional solo-mission is acceptable, if it collides with the main cast later. Sluggy Freelance's history is rich with twisting old storylines into new directions.
Let's look at the current storyline: Torg Potter and the Giblets With Fiber. This is the fourth Harry Potter parody, with Torg being hijacked into their universe each time. Four times and he's always gone alone, with the exception of Kiki the Ferret tagging along in the previous chapter, but not really contributing much.
Why do we never see Riff trying to find Torg to rescue him? Does anyone ever notice he's gone? When he's (often) trapped in another dimension, his story is usually intercut with some rescue attempts back home. During the Torg Potter episodes... nada.
I personally really enjoy the Torg Potters. I'm a fan of Harry Potter, and think the parodies are great fun. But the way they continue to be written are in conflict with the core of Sluggy Freelance and should probably be changed up. Torg is comfortable in his place by now, so it is time to unhinge things. How about next time, instead of Torg, Zoe gets shanghaied by accident? Then there could be a rescue sequence (though not necessarily a successful one) with the rest of the cast.
I just hope there are things like this that can be done to keep The Sluggy train on the track for another decade.
I think that's enough blogging for now. I'm actually feeling a bit lightheaded. I just got back from Game Xchange on West Street, so obviously I'm high. I had to leave my purchase on the back porch to air out, so as not to stink up the house. Now I'm going to find something to eat.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Red Light Spectacle, Part 2: The Conclusion?
As anti-climatic as it may seem, I received my Xbox 360 today.
Less than an hour after my last post, the UPS delivery guy rang the bell and pounded on the door (at the same time, too... is that protocol?). I signed for it and that was that.
It was not my original unit, but an identical replacement. Too bad, I was hoping for a version with a HDMI port.
I hooked it up... discovering the rechargeable batteries in my controllers had died while they laid in wait. I had to dig out the original AA battery cartridge and sync the controller to the new console. Then I had to reinput all my wireless internet connection information.
And then...
That was is it. It worked.
I was prepared for a big hassle with my downloadable content not working on the new system... but it did. My Puzzle Fighter theme was intact. Looking over my Arcade games, they seemed right. I plugged in Rock Band and tried one of the downloaded songs and it still worked (although I only got four stars, so maybe something was amiss...).
What else is there to do but shrug and start the stopwatch on the life of this new console? I never thought everything working would be so disappointing.
Less than an hour after my last post, the UPS delivery guy rang the bell and pounded on the door (at the same time, too... is that protocol?). I signed for it and that was that.
It was not my original unit, but an identical replacement. Too bad, I was hoping for a version with a HDMI port.
I hooked it up... discovering the rechargeable batteries in my controllers had died while they laid in wait. I had to dig out the original AA battery cartridge and sync the controller to the new console. Then I had to reinput all my wireless internet connection information.
And then...
That was is it. It worked.
I was prepared for a big hassle with my downloadable content not working on the new system... but it did. My Puzzle Fighter theme was intact. Looking over my Arcade games, they seemed right. I plugged in Rock Band and tried one of the downloaded songs and it still worked (although I only got four stars, so maybe something was amiss...).
What else is there to do but shrug and start the stopwatch on the life of this new console? I never thought everything working would be so disappointing.
Spending Time On Gaming News Sites...
IGN has posted pictures of the peripheral to be used with the upcoming Guitar Hero game for the Nintendo DS. Seems workable, if you can get your other hand in a comfortable position to strum the touch screen. And as long as bumping the shoulder buttons with your gripping hand won't disturb the game.
But I wonder...
There's no mention of whether this will only work with the DS Lite or not. Do they presume everyone has moved on from the DS Fat which is why they just say "the DS"? Maybe it will work on the old models. But will it work on the future ones? Rumors have been flying for months about another redesign of the DS, one to be removing the GBA port, which is precicely where this Guitar Hero peripheral plug in. Sales figures for this game may well determine the future of the DS. And if sales are really strong, Nintendo may make their redesign in a whole new direction... using their work as a jumping-off point to creating a new system. I'm still waiting for an analog stick.
There's no reason this portable Guitar Hero version shouldn't be great. Perhaps a bit easier than it's big brother, due to the fact that there's only four fret buttons. Sound quality may be a bit compressed, sure. And there probably won't be any downloadable content. Oh, and with just the four buttons, it may actually feel like you're playing a trumpet. Which might not be a bad thing. It's not too late to change direction on this game. I could go for rocking out to some Herb Alpert's Lonely Bull on my portable Brass Hero DS.
During my websurfing, I made my way over to the gameblog on UGO.com, which is more of a compilation of news from other sites than one of its own. But that's what blogs are, I suppose. It's what I do, to a lesser extent. And Wombat is more entertaining than I.
***
Before I go on, I've been wondering about website names. UGO? IGN? Sure, it's convenient, but those initials don't really explain their content to me. UGO stands for UnderGroundOnline... which still doesn't explain anything to me.
UGO's "about us" page says their a site for people with "gamer DNA"... and I think GamerDNA.com would have been a better choice. But it would have been shortened to GDNA eventually, and that would have defeated the purpose.
IGN... I'm not sure what those letters stand for. I presume it's something along the lines of "Internet Gaming Network," although that sounds like a MMO hosting site or something. Whatever it means, they've moved past initial meaning and are now just IGN, and part of a big corporation. So IGN is just nonsense now, but at least it's short. Which I suppose is everything.
***
Anyhoo, Wombat's blog post links to a post on Destructoid about a fancy new storefront for Rock Band's downloadable content. It looks nice. I especially look forward to the "preview" feature so I can hear how bad the Monkee's cover singer is before I waste my money.
I hope they left room in their new store for things other than songs. The song selection from the last couple weeks has left me unimpressed, even if I had my 360, I probably wouldn't be getting any of those songs. With this new store layout, they're in prime position to toss some additional content our way. I'm talking new outfits, new faces/body options, new venues, new guitars and perhaps something totally new... like some sort of feature to make your own videos? Be able to go through a replay and choose all your camera angles and visual effects and then save it all! You can even do that on Boogie. There's no reason that Rock Band should be upstaged by Boogie. It's Boogie, after all.
But I wonder...
There's no mention of whether this will only work with the DS Lite or not. Do they presume everyone has moved on from the DS Fat which is why they just say "the DS"? Maybe it will work on the old models. But will it work on the future ones? Rumors have been flying for months about another redesign of the DS, one to be removing the GBA port, which is precicely where this Guitar Hero peripheral plug in. Sales figures for this game may well determine the future of the DS. And if sales are really strong, Nintendo may make their redesign in a whole new direction... using their work as a jumping-off point to creating a new system. I'm still waiting for an analog stick.
There's no reason this portable Guitar Hero version shouldn't be great. Perhaps a bit easier than it's big brother, due to the fact that there's only four fret buttons. Sound quality may be a bit compressed, sure. And there probably won't be any downloadable content. Oh, and with just the four buttons, it may actually feel like you're playing a trumpet. Which might not be a bad thing. It's not too late to change direction on this game. I could go for rocking out to some Herb Alpert's Lonely Bull on my portable Brass Hero DS.
During my websurfing, I made my way over to the gameblog on UGO.com, which is more of a compilation of news from other sites than one of its own. But that's what blogs are, I suppose. It's what I do, to a lesser extent. And Wombat is more entertaining than I.
***
Before I go on, I've been wondering about website names. UGO? IGN? Sure, it's convenient, but those initials don't really explain their content to me. UGO stands for UnderGroundOnline... which still doesn't explain anything to me.
UGO's "about us" page says their a site for people with "gamer DNA"... and I think GamerDNA.com would have been a better choice. But it would have been shortened to GDNA eventually, and that would have defeated the purpose.
IGN... I'm not sure what those letters stand for. I presume it's something along the lines of "Internet Gaming Network," although that sounds like a MMO hosting site or something. Whatever it means, they've moved past initial meaning and are now just IGN, and part of a big corporation. So IGN is just nonsense now, but at least it's short. Which I suppose is everything.
***
Anyhoo, Wombat's blog post links to a post on Destructoid about a fancy new storefront for Rock Band's downloadable content. It looks nice. I especially look forward to the "preview" feature so I can hear how bad the Monkee's cover singer is before I waste my money.
I hope they left room in their new store for things other than songs. The song selection from the last couple weeks has left me unimpressed, even if I had my 360, I probably wouldn't be getting any of those songs. With this new store layout, they're in prime position to toss some additional content our way. I'm talking new outfits, new faces/body options, new venues, new guitars and perhaps something totally new... like some sort of feature to make your own videos? Be able to go through a replay and choose all your camera angles and visual effects and then save it all! You can even do that on Boogie. There's no reason that Rock Band should be upstaged by Boogie. It's Boogie, after all.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Smash Bros Bobble
I've been playing a lot of Super Smash Bros Brawl the last two weeks. A lot of people have. And I enjoy it a lot, I just wish I could get more variety of enjoyment out of it.
I have to say I'm about 50% disappointed with the game. The best parts of the game are the parts that haven't changed. The new stuff, for the most part, fall flat. The new characters are great, the more the merrier, but the new Adventure mode... ugh.
There's no real story to The Subspace Emissary. No dialogue. Just running through short stages to get to short battles. There's just enough substance to it to make me really yearn for a full-on Kingdom Hearts-esque game with these characters (perhaps it's because the generic enemies resemble the Heartless). It could really be great. This game, however, is bland and repetitious. With some of the worst platforming ever. With speedy characters that were never meant to be platforming.
The horrible two-player co-op version of this mode is even worse because it is obviously tacked on. The second player can only ever choose on character (you'll usually have about 4 per stage), and that's the limit to their control. The camera will never follow them (and they'll be injured just by being offscreen); they can't open doors; and if player 1 dies it's game over, regardless of player 2's wellbeing.
And one of the biggest crimes of this sorry mode: all of the characters can be unlocked just by completing it. Sure, they can also be unlocked by playing hundreds of round of standard brawls, but this way is quicker and it takes the challenge away. Why fight for the same reward if you can just walk up and take it? They should have divided the rewards so you'd want to play both. Maybe unlock secondary costumes in one mode and characters in the other? Nintendo really dropped the ball here.
I only lash out about this, because I am truly disappointed in face of the awesome potential sitting here. There is a spectacular game waiting to break away from this great little fighting game. They both can co-exist, I just know it.
I have to say I'm about 50% disappointed with the game. The best parts of the game are the parts that haven't changed. The new stuff, for the most part, fall flat. The new characters are great, the more the merrier, but the new Adventure mode... ugh.
There's no real story to The Subspace Emissary. No dialogue. Just running through short stages to get to short battles. There's just enough substance to it to make me really yearn for a full-on Kingdom Hearts-esque game with these characters (perhaps it's because the generic enemies resemble the Heartless). It could really be great. This game, however, is bland and repetitious. With some of the worst platforming ever. With speedy characters that were never meant to be platforming.
The horrible two-player co-op version of this mode is even worse because it is obviously tacked on. The second player can only ever choose on character (you'll usually have about 4 per stage), and that's the limit to their control. The camera will never follow them (and they'll be injured just by being offscreen); they can't open doors; and if player 1 dies it's game over, regardless of player 2's wellbeing.
And one of the biggest crimes of this sorry mode: all of the characters can be unlocked just by completing it. Sure, they can also be unlocked by playing hundreds of round of standard brawls, but this way is quicker and it takes the challenge away. Why fight for the same reward if you can just walk up and take it? They should have divided the rewards so you'd want to play both. Maybe unlock secondary costumes in one mode and characters in the other? Nintendo really dropped the ball here.
I only lash out about this, because I am truly disappointed in face of the awesome potential sitting here. There is a spectacular game waiting to break away from this great little fighting game. They both can co-exist, I just know it.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Waiting for Mass Effect 3-D
While reading about Mass Effect 2 presumably being a Xbox-exclusive "at least for a while," it got me thinking about a couple things.
First, while usually being swallowed up by a giant corporation usually results in being creatively kneecapped, I have high hopes that EA's acquisition will actually fix the supposedly-great RPG maker. Bioware's strength is in the writing (although not so much in proofreading for typos), but their technical skills are asleep at the wheel. EA should have plenty of knowledgeable people to handle that side of Bioware's projects so the excruciating loading time and stutterific framerate will not mar the sequels as it did the first Mass Effect.
Secondly, Mass Effect is supposedly conceived as a trilogy. That causes my ears to bleed. Not that I don't wish to have a couple more games in the franchise (Now that they're past the generic exposition of the introduction to the universe, they can get on to more interesting things), I just dislike the notion that being a trilogy is something to strive for. It's just an overused buzzword. Whatever happened to creating something to stand on its own, or allowing this creation to make its own ongoing life to see where it leads. If you set out to make a trilogy, I believe you're either limited your project unnecessarily (what if a new character pops up in the 3rd act that could take the series farther?) or adding crappy filler in a desperate attempt to stretch it out. Either way, it becomes very obvious when you do such things. Games series should be given room to expand as they would naturally and end when they hit their apex. They don't need to be saddled with a Godfather 3 to taint the whole franchise. But I probably shouldn't worry about this. This is EA publishing the games now and they won't stop 'til the money runs out. Even if they have to change the title to Madden Effect.
First, while usually being swallowed up by a giant corporation usually results in being creatively kneecapped, I have high hopes that EA's acquisition will actually fix the supposedly-great RPG maker. Bioware's strength is in the writing (although not so much in proofreading for typos), but their technical skills are asleep at the wheel. EA should have plenty of knowledgeable people to handle that side of Bioware's projects so the excruciating loading time and stutterific framerate will not mar the sequels as it did the first Mass Effect.
Secondly, Mass Effect is supposedly conceived as a trilogy. That causes my ears to bleed. Not that I don't wish to have a couple more games in the franchise (Now that they're past the generic exposition of the introduction to the universe, they can get on to more interesting things), I just dislike the notion that being a trilogy is something to strive for. It's just an overused buzzword. Whatever happened to creating something to stand on its own, or allowing this creation to make its own ongoing life to see where it leads. If you set out to make a trilogy, I believe you're either limited your project unnecessarily (what if a new character pops up in the 3rd act that could take the series farther?) or adding crappy filler in a desperate attempt to stretch it out. Either way, it becomes very obvious when you do such things. Games series should be given room to expand as they would naturally and end when they hit their apex. They don't need to be saddled with a Godfather 3 to taint the whole franchise. But I probably shouldn't worry about this. This is EA publishing the games now and they won't stop 'til the money runs out. Even if they have to change the title to Madden Effect.
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