So there you are, minding your own business, when the CEO of Giant Game Publisher approaches you with an offer: he wants you to lead the development of a brand new entry in That First Person Shooter that he makes, and he wants you to make sure it’s fun to play. How do you make sure it’s fun to play?
It’s no secret that Duke Nukem Forever was not particularly well received. As a self-described snob of first person shooters, I’m certainly not wild about the game. Broken encounters, weak level design, and an inconsistent sense of humor held Duke Nukem Forever back from being a great game. Duke deserves better. Duke Nukem 3D is one of the most important games ever made. So how does someone go about fixing Duke?
Downloadable-only games have exploded in popularity in the last few years. Gone are the days when retail was the be-all, end-all of video games. Now, some of the coolest, most inventive games are just a few clicks away from being able to play. Still, I can’t help but feel like the grass is greener on the other side of the generational fence. I miss last generation’s digital games something fierce.
Downloadable-only games have exploded in popularity in the last few years. Gone are the days when retail was the be-all, end-all of video games. Now, some of the coolest, most inventive games are just a few clicks away from being able to play. Still, I can’t help but feel like the grass is greener on the other side of the generational fence. I miss last generation’s digital games something fierce.
Most discussion about superhero video games revolves around the same few boring superheroes. People want to be Superman. They want to be Wolverine. They want to be Batman. Everyone wants to be the most popular and least interesting superheroes in comic books. Enough, I say! There’s only one superhero we absolutely need to play, and she’s Rogue.
If there is one simple, undeniable fact about anything, it’s this: every game idea is improved by putting it in first person. Don’t believe me? Cool, that’s the point I’m here to prove, and I will do that simply by listing all the times the first person perspective made other, lesser games better.
Mike Fahey is my role model, and he wrote this review of Digimon Cyber Sleuth
, and it’s great, and you should read it, but in case you wanted someone else’s take on an excellent Digimon game, here’s mine: “Finally! A JRPG worth playing!”
I have an overactive imagination. When I read books, I imagine myself as being in the book’s world, as sharing the experience with the characters themselves. Video games are cool because they actually bring that experience to life; with The Witcher, for instance, fans of the books finally got to be the witcher Geralt, hunting down monsters and saving kingdoms. Recently, I’ve been thinking about what other books might make great video game adaptations, and I have a few ideas.
I have horrible news. Everyone at Kotaku is presumably either celebrating Labor Day or died in a tragic fight over who would review Frog Fractions 2, which means that I’m in charge. I’ve been sitting at my computer trying to come up with a great way to explain who I am to those who might not know me and reassure those who do. I’m Doc Burford.