Kotaku, a question [ December 10th, 2008 ] Posted in » PC

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Is it me, or has anyone else noticed that the number of posts on Kotaku’s pages seem to be decreasing at an alarming rate.  I’ve noticed this pattern over the last couple of weeks.  But before I said anything, and potentially looked like an idiot (or is that more of an idiot?) I wanted to make sure.  And now I am. 

Kotaku, as with all Gawker Network, sites use “more” button you have to click to read the rest of the article.  Can we all just agree this is a stupid idea?  The main reason for having a design like that is to track what articles are “viewed”.  It certainly doesn’t help the reader any by having to click a link 1 paragraph into a story.  Especially when Kotaku stories are very short to begin with. 

Gawker Network recently announced it was cutting back staff, despite making a profit.  They sited “troubling economic times” as the reason.  So who did they cut?  They cut employees from The Consummerist - a website devoted to helping people with financial issues.  So their most (socially) important website they cut when it’s “needed” most.

And that’s exactly what worries me - Kotaku, and the rest of the Gawker Network, are making a lot of “bottom line” decisions instead of thinking of the consumer.  I think companies should be allowed to do whatever they want in order to make money.  But as a consumer, and as one of their customers, I don’t like the direction they are going.  I’ve left websites (Eurogamer) and stores (I’m looking at you Circuit City) because of poor value/customer experience.  Kotaku is no different.  I find myself going there less and less, and I don’t even bother to check out Gizmodo anymore (for the same reasons as listed above).

Kotaku, while a little heavy on the nerd snark at times has always had valuable news.  But if I have to click additional links to read something, and sift through more advertisements with less content, then I’ll just find another place to read about games. 

I suspect any day now they’ll just have one post, and it will be a link to an advertiser. 

   

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One more for the backlist

 

 

 

The RPG, a favorite gaming genre, is stacking up recently as the bane of this busy gamer.  I haven’t had time to play through Oblivion, GTA IV, or Final Fantasy XII but I can’t stop myself from picking up each latest and greatest offering to the role playing gods.  These great games sit on my shelf and mock me with their dozens of hours of gameplay, sidequests, unlockable characters and gaming escape. 

The most recent game to insult me so is Final Fantasy IV DS, the latest in a long series of remakes of the game first released in the US as Final Fantasy II for the SNES.  I spent some time with the game yesterday, to get a feel for the remake and torture myself with guilt and frustration that I won’t be able to give this little gem the hours it deserves.  Here are some initial observations:

1)  The opening cinematics are excellent and well-matched with the Uematsu soundtrack.  Characters retain the look of the cinematics in the Playstation releases, and Cecil and Kain both look imposing in their armor.

2)  There are in-game cutscenes which do a nicer job of presenting the story than just dialog boxes did.  I really like an early scene where Cecil in a contemplative mood is shown with the moon framed through his tower window. 

3)  The 3D models look pretty good, almost PS1 quality, but obviously don’t compare favorably to non-portable final fantasy titles released in the last five years.  The effort at the armor for Cecil and Kain ends up looking cartoon-y, in contrast to the cutscenes where it looks intimidating.  Still, the game pulls a lot of horsepower out of the DS and it’s fun to see familiar sprite-based locations, characters, and enemies get the 3D treatment.

4)   It would be nice if battles moved more quickly.  You’ll want to go into the menus and turn up the battle speed dial as far as it will go.  They should have made it go to 11. 

I haven’t played far enough to get a feel for the difficulty or the amount of grinding that will be necessary to experience this re-telling of a great story.   I’d give even odds that I never will (or at least will have to push off the time when I can get to it until something like “retirement”) but if you’re a lucky gamer with more time than I, I’d certainly recommend giving this game a try.

 

 

 

 

 

August 22nd, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Finding Time for Games

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As a busy gamer who also has a full time job, a wife, and lots of responsibilities, finding time for playing games can be a challenge.  Carving out several hours to get together with friends on Xbox Live, or to work through the new RPG is one kind of problem (and one that I’ll deal with in a different post).  But what if you’re looking for a mid-week gaming fix, a mid-day pick-me-up?   With a little planning and ingenuity you’ll find there are opportunities to fit gaming into the little spaces in life as well.  Here are some of my top strategies for getting in some gaming time during the week.  

  1. Going Nowhere Fast: If your idea of exercise is preparing for an Iron Man triathalon (no, I’m not talking about your plan to attend three showings of Iron Man on May 2nd) then this one won’t work for you.  If you’re more my speed, get yourself a comfortable exercise bike or other stable, stationary workout equipment.  Haul that old CRT TV out of the garage, and hook up one of your current gen or older gaming systems and sit yourself down for 30-60 minutes of exergaming!  I find my workouts tend to be less intense when gaming (I’m distracted?) but also longer (I’m distracted!)  My favorite genres for exergaming are strategy games, which are especially good at taking your mind off of the job at hand.  Recommended game: Age of Empires: Age of Kings, DS.
  2.  I’m not tired yet:  If you’re a married gamer you’re probably already familiar with this one, in which you stay up late after your wife goes to bed in order to game for a little while.  Pitfalls to watch out for include:  a.  You’ll need to keep it down (Rock Band may be out.)   b.  You still need to get some sleep (WoW is probably out, as are those favorite “just one more turn” games.  I’m looking at you Civilization. )   c.  You probably can’t do this every day or you’ll risk an unhappy spouse.
  3. Going Nowhere Fast (Redux):  Yeah, I’m going there.  Grab your DS, PSP, or GBA and head to the bathroom (the Virtual Boy is not recommended, for more than one reason).  You’re going to be in there for a while anyways, so why waste your time with Sports Illustrated?  Just don’t let your legs fall asleep (your grandpa’s padded toilet seat isn’t sounding so silly now, is it?) and stay away from portable games with poor save spot distributions.

So, these are some of my top ways to get a mid-week gaming fix - what are yours?

 

 

April 21st, 2008 | 2 Comments

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