Once again, it’s that time. That time when Yours Truly (me) feels too lazy to post anything significant. Besides, today in the U.S. is a holiday, which gives me an excuse to goof off. So, open comments here. Just remember, game-related.
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and *BITS* Seen On This Website Are Made in the *USA* |
Subtle touches can add a lot to a game. I was playing Avernum 3 last weekend and, klepto hero that I am, broke into my 200th or so locked house to lewt it. This one proved to be inhabited by a grouchy man who aggroed despite being a wimpy civilian. After one-shotting him, my party lewted the corpse to find… a dress. I guess that explains why he didn’t appreciate the intrusion.
Runner-up moment: the Tower of Magi merchant Brantford’s description notes how his “hand rests lightly on his bulging sack.” Huh huh huh.
Howdy – Though a longtime daily reader, I’ve only recently got around to signing up… :)
Given the recent talk about how games used to be, graphics over gameplay, ballooning budgets and so on, I’m curious as to what your take is on the iTouch/iPhone gaming market.
There are dozens of independent and mainstream games being released on the iTunes app store every *day*. A lot of them are bad, some are very good, most are incredibly quirky. It’s entirely possible for a development team of one to quickly make a popular (if not necessarily very profitable) game.
There’s a new interface to be figured out – everyone’s a beginner. There are very low production costs. On the consumer side, trying out a game is very cheap. Most cost a dollar. Reviews are easily accessible. Demos abound. Perhaps most interestingly for me, in the app store, it’s become assumed that games are organic – that the developer WILL continue to update them in response to user feedback and input, and that these often substantial updates will be free to existing users.
It feels like the ‘wild west’ of late 80s/early 90s gaming again, at least for me. Am I the only one?
I’ve spoken to a lot of people who have been involved in iPhone development. IMO – the gold rush is over (or very nearly so). Until the next big thing. That will probably mean a consolidation, a reduction in number of titles, and an increase in their quality. And, unfortunately, a little bit of “evolution” towards the lowest common denominator.
it isn’t an official day off unless you barbeque something. no smoked grilled meat means you got to work!
Open topic? I’m game. Seriously, does anyone think Oblivion looks good? I just don’t see it. I’m thinking of the character models mostly, but ehaargh! really. The world is very nice but the people look like a bad wooden ventriloquists dummy.
Bargeral–I thought it looked very good, and I enjoyed the heck out of Oblivion, with the one caveat of HATING the scaling business. Almost ruined the whole game for me. But yeah, I was fine with the people–just south of the ‘uncanny valley’, as it were.
Sciuridae, not having an iphone, it’s hard for me to comment on the game scene there. However, just from what little I’ve read, seems to me the field is very crowded, very cheap, and due for a shakeout soon.
Barg, I wasn’t all that impressed with Oblivion’s graphics either.