Nov 9, 2012

Rab Florence: A Table of Doritos

Monte Cristo Editorial 0 Comment

Rab Florence: A Table of Doritos

Rab Florence wrote something about the conduct of game journalists.

Some game journalist took offense and asked Eurogamer.net to take some text out of Rab’s column.

To avoid legal complications, Eurogamer.net complied with the request.

Another flap and tidal wave of disgust swept the exclusive island of game journalists.

What’s new?

Not much.

What’s the cause of the problem?

Gamers are not interest in quality journalism.
Gamers are avid consumers who cannot wait 2 weeks for unbiased reviews to be produced.
Gamers want reviews before games are released.
Gamers do not want to read long essays on the flaws and merits of games.
Gamers want to know if games are worth their money and time, before they commit their money and time.

The viability of review sites is driven by gamers.

What’s the gist of this situation?

Quality critic cannot be a for-profit business.

Apr 17, 2012

Dishonored

Monte Cristo Cool Games, Most Anticipated, Previews 1 Comment

Dishonored

Bethesda Softworks can do no wrong.
Hot on the heels of Skyrim, the most successful entry in the highly acclaimed Elder Scrolls series, Bethesda is currently developing Dishonored, a new intellectual property destined to put players in the predicament of a supernatural assassin motivated by revenge.
The just-released launch trailer is nothing short of phenomenal:

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Obviously, this trailer is nothing but a beautifully pre-rendered, cinematic introduction, which tells us remarkably little about actual gameplay. Yet, it’s a debut trailer, for a game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.
For now, it is enough to pique our interest and to make us wonder how many intrigues will await us after we lose our honor and abandon our soul to darkness.

Apr 13, 2012

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – Multiplayer update

SolidSlug Cool Games, Latest News, Most Anticipated, Previews 0 Comment

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – Multiplayer update

As the release date of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier draws nearer (May 22, 2012), Ubisoft reveals more and more information on the game and all of its features.

Last week was a particularly exciting week when we learned that Ghost Recon Network would launch simultaneously with Future Soldier. Based on what we know at this time, Ghost Recon Network appears to be a service similar to Call of Duty ELITE, with, hopefully, a less troublesome launch execution. In line with current trends, you will be able to access Ghost Recon Network using your smartphone, tablet or Web browser.

Ubisoft highlighted several features of Ghost Recon Network:

  1. Using GunSmith Mobile, customize weapons anytime, anywhere, and share your best builds with the Ghost Recon community.
  2. Browse the GunSmith Gallery and discover other weapons customized and published by other network members.
  3. Review leaderboards and player statistics.
  4. Receive and send challenges from your mobile devices.
  5. Download the Ghost Recon Network app at launch and unlock attachment credits for Future Soldier.
  6. Earn additional weapons and other customizations by using Ghost Recon Network as the hub of your Ghost Recon experience.
  7. Review game details and heat maps to prepare your next online battle.
  8. Manage your squad, recruits and identify opponents.

All of this is extremely exciting, of course, but we shall wait and see if delivery follows the promise of a fully integrated experience. There is no doubt many gamers are still upset with the way Call of Duty ELITE was released...well, DOA. Some of these features are still a little vague, but we have to assume more information will be released in the next few weeks.

Following last week's announcement, this week, Ubisoft revealed more details about Future Soldier's competitive multiplayer modes:

  • Up to 12 players in online matches ; 6 vs. 6 players
  • 4 game modes: Conflict, Saboteur, Decoy and Siege
  • 3 character classes: Rifleman, Engineer, Scout
  • 10 maps
  • A leveling system based on experience points

Game modes are said to promote teamwork using an objective-based approach. In particular, sharing intel and using suppression fire will be key to ensuring the success of your squad. We still consider 16 maps to be the bare minimum to keep online play entertaining past the first 3 months, but more maps could come as DLC. Leveling systems based on XP have become the norm at this point ; we cannot be surprised to see Ghost Recon adopt the idea. Hopefully, unlockables will not give an unsurmountable advantage to early adopters and hardcore players.

With this latest bit of news, the following video was also released. Alas, it doesn't do a good job at explaining anything about the multiplayer modes and certainly does not cover any of the questions listed in our Multiplayer Strength Assessment:

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Ghost Recon: Future Soldier still looks highly promising and we eagerly await its release on May 22nd.

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