GDC 13: Study Finds Less Games Featuring Multiplayer Than Ever This Generation
Take note, game publishers! Maybe you already have?
Wow, I guess I never did notice it until now, but EEDAR says that since 2005, games featuring multiplayer modes, online or off, has been on the decline. As someone who rarely plays multiplayer, that seems to make a lot of sense: publishers are starting to notice when multiplayer makes sense.
Despite Selling Millions, ‘Tomb Raider’ And ‘Hitman: Absolution’ Sales Considered ‘Weak’
Lara’s mad about it, too.
Square-Enix isn’t on the verge of collapse – yet – but its investments in North American game developers, namely, the purchase of Eidos, may seem like a regrettable move. Despite selling over three million copies of both Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider, games with long and expensive development cycles, Square-Enix suffered a $105 million loss this year.
Study Claims Video Game Industry Leads Retail Enforcement Of Age Restrictions
Who do they think is going to believe this hogwash?
So, yeah. The Federal Trade Commission conducted a study under which they claim to have come to the conclusion that retailers of video games are not only the strictest, but are also the most effective “among entertainment retailers” in enforcing age rating policies.
Hmmm… that part may be true. I mean, I’m sure it’s harder for a twelve-year old to get an M-rated game at a proper video game store than it is at a large, national chain department store but, once we get past that point, the whole story goes pear-shaped. I’m going to have to call shenanigans.
Drox Operative (PC) Hands-On: A Pretty Hardcore Romp Through Space
Drox In Spaaaaaaaaaaccceeeee…
As I mention in our FEZ PLAY below, I’d received the opportunity to check out Drox Operative, a space adventure-slash-RPG, toward the end of last year because developer Soldak Entertainment. To be frank, the web site, dressed in Times New Roman, did not impress, but I’m more than willing to give most any space-based game a chance. So I gave it a few hours to win me over.
‘Super Metroid’ Re-envisioned In High Definition Via… Photoshop?
The level of detail is far beyond insane.
Super Metroid is good, Super Metroid is great, rah rah rah. I enjoyed Metroid Prime when I owned a Gamecube, but my only experience from the Super variety came from when our very own Kelly wanted to show me a game he could beat really quick. He did, I watched it all, then never wanted to play Super Metroid, ever. Really, this is just an excuse to post this timelapse of Element79 from deviantART putting together a crazy super-high fidelity reproduction of the climactic fight of that game.
‘XCOM: Enemy Unknown’ To Land On iPhone, iPad Later This Year, No Android Love Found
Thankfully, it doesn’t seem forced onto these smaller devices.
2K’s going to put last year’s Game of the Year favorite XCOM: Enemy Unknown on iOS devices. Yep. They’ll even do it without sacrificing the gameplay and, as the video will have it, not much of its Unreal-powered visuals.
‘Banished’ Is A Survival City-Builder I Want To Get My Hands On
Only you can ensure the survival of your townfolk.
Everything about this sounds cool: you lead a group of exiles to build a settlement in the wilderness using only what the land came with. Then, as you gather each resource, they must be crafted further to create more and more distinct tools. It sounds a little bit like The Settlers or Caesar, but as demonstrated below, Banished sheds much of what was added to that game for a purer experience. One that I must devour.
‘Skryim’ DLC Rundown: From ‘Dawnguard’ To ‘Dragonborn’
The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim release in November of 2011 was unprecedented, resulting in ten million copies sold within its first month and reaching a nice, round $650 million dollars in revenue, making it Game of the Year material quickly. It gave fans a much-needed return to the world of Tamriel, their first since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion debuted in 2006. Though it surely gave Bethesda a bit of a reprieve to watch the fans glorify it as the best Elder Scrolls game to date, if not of all time, their work on the series wasn’t quite finished. After taking some time to charge through the game with a bow, dagger and a skill at lurking in the shadows, I’m finally ready to give a round-up on the downloadable content released for Skyrim so far.
PAX East Started Today, Are You There?
Hey now, that’s a couple of computers you got there. Photo credit: Nvidia
PAX East has been serving Boston since 2009, which seems so long ago, with no doubt record-breaking crowds with over 70,000 gamers converging on the Boston Convention and Expo Center for three days to play games, interact with other gamers, and experience a stress-free game environment that’s the opposite of, say, E3. Sadly, our year is PAX-free, despite my best intentions, but it’s nice to know a great event in gaming is happening right at this very moment.
‘Minecraft’ With A Point: ‘PixelJunk Inc.’ Allows You To Be Soup Emperor
Galactic Domination! With soup!
Love or hate Minecraft, have you ever wondered what would happen if you were given a task or the things you built ever amounted to much beyond moved and reconstituted earth? Maybe something beyond redstone switches and hidden doors? Enter PixelJunk, Inc., the latest from Q-Games that seeks out a Terraria-style perspective to let you dig super deep into the landscape, fight feral monsters, and, well, make soup.
