TF2's April Fools Day Joke

I wasn't planning on posting about April Fool's Day again, mostly because as video game related things go, I think that the joke is done and that we should be moving on from it now.  I would like to think that it wouldn't be so celebrated but the gaming community has always had a ferver and developers, publishers, and journos alike like to play on that ferver.

There were some really dubious  pranks yesterday, including IGN's mature-rated Smash Bros. Scoop.  That's an example where I think the April Fool's Day tradition can get quite annoying and childish.

Which brings me to the Team Fortress 2 Team's blog update.  Apparently the Sniper will have a new weapon coming soon.  Check out the graphic below (Click to enlarge).

I know I just lamented IGN's prank for its childishness, and I know that this one involves the sniper throwing a jar of pee (even going so far as to include a bubble of the spy covered in said pee), but hear me out.  The fact that the TF2 Team was literally taking the piss out of all who were pranked is pretty funny (although I don't think this got past many people).

I think that the real humor of April Fool's Day pranks is that they are completely nonsensical, so the difference here is how IGN presented their prank.  The video [view here] is made too look like some sort of bootleg of a private Nintendo showing.  The camera is shaky and the feed cuts out abruptly after the culminating decapitation.  Who are they trying to fool really?

I think April Fools only works in the video game industry when its done in the tongue in cheek manner TF2 pulled it off in.

That said, I don't know if I'll be able to post over the weekend, but I do know that Monday represents the first day of my "Post-every-day-of-the-week" benchmark.  Monday also happens to be my Birthday, so I'll most likely be posting something related to what I do that day.  After that, I'll have additional output of GDC 09 write-ups, as well as the short-sort-of-cop-out posts as school continues to ramp up.

If I don't see you over the weekend, have a good one.

April Fool's Day

It seems that it becomes inescapable. April 1st is upon us and the internet is alive with all sorts of debauchery. When Google gets in on it, you know its gone mainstream:

How did this happen? I used to think that April Fool's day was just a day that you could be disturbingly obnoxious or annoying to your family, friends, and (especially in elementary school) your teachers. Now I think its just a bit childish. Admittedly, when I went to log on to Gmail, I almost fell for this one.

Kotaku has a running post that they're updating with all of the foolery going on in the games industry, so instead of rehashing something like that I'll just post a link to it.

Kotaku's April Fools Day Round-up

Gamestop's Street Fighter IV Round 3 tournament

Gamestop has been holding a national tournament for Street Fighter IV players and Jenna and I went to check out the action a few weeks ago.

We managed to catch the third round of the tournament with the final round gathering the top players from all over the country in San Francisco. The grand prize of that tournament is entrance to EVO 2009. The winner of the tournament we attended won a Tournament Edition Fight Stick, a very desirable prize on its own.

The action was fierce between the players and there were plenty of onlookers as well. You could sort of sense a community growing in the building. As I watched later rounds of the tournament, I overheard conversations between the fighters. Phone numbers and gamertags were being exchanged. It seemed SF IV was fulfilling some unsaid promise to rebuild the fighting game community that reigned in the days of Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. I half expected quarters to take up space on the controller decks.

How does a game go from "Ken Fighter IV" to a real, tried and true iteration of a great fighting game franchise? The skilled players remain, while the mob that buys the game the day its released and moves on to the next Halo.

I think that phenomenon is really problematic. With the rise of online play there's a grab-bag of benefits and costs. Now people will always have someone else to play with, but is that other person someone you really want to spend your gaming time with?

I know that the answer for me is frequently "No." How do we build a network of people to play against that consists of people we actually want to be around and interact with and match our skills and wits with?

There were a few things I noticed about the competition. A lot of people mained Balrog and Byson. As the tournament eliminated more and more competitors, we kept seeing more of those two fighters. Ironically enough, the only Zangief we saw lasted until the very last round, where he was (to our dissappointment) bested by a Balrog. The only Ken at the tournament lasted about half way through. As I watched the competitors exiting the stage, I wondered what their opinion was of the lone Ken. It was a much younger competitor.

My hypothesis is that, the only Zangief at the tournament had probably been playing SF competitvely since SF II, while the only Ken we saw was making his first foray into competition.

I'm hoping to make my way up to San Francisco for the Final Round. I wonder what kind of mix we'll see at that tournament.

Late to the Party: Mirror's Edge

Lately I haven't been able to buy games as frequently as I'd like to.  New titles come out all the time and there's always something that appeals to me as a gamer.  But lately I haven't been able to swing the cash to buy games all the time so I've been able to go back and finish older titles or to replay games I really liked.

Over spring break I took the opportunity to play through Mirror's Edge again and it reminded me of how much I liked the game.  Thinking about it, I had never written a review.  So in a new column entitled "Late to the Party" I'll be reviewing or writing about anything I'm playing a little later than the general community.

Mirror's Edge caught my eye from the first I had heard about its development.  DICE does first person shooters very well, as evidenced by their work on the Battlefield series.  I was really interested to see something different being done with the first person perspective in games.  Plus I've always had this sort of passing interest in Parkour and free-running so a game based on that style of movement was especially attractive to me.

The campaign is really short.  Maybe too short for some people.  But one of my favorite games of all time is Starfox 64, a game you have to play through in one sitting for lack of a save file, so I didn't mind being able to blast through the story missions in about 4 hours.  I think that the first person perspective does a good job of conveying drama and action, but DICE implemented extra cutscenes, animated in a 2D style to play out what happens in the interim of the running and fighting you do as Faith.

The first person perspective works really well.  I remember when Halo 2 came out and it was this really big deal that you could see your own feet.  When playing Mirror's Edge you can tell that there was a lot of running around the halls of the office for the development team.  When running and jumping and vaulting over objects, where do your arms and feet come into vision?  It works.  It works so well in fact that you might experience motion sickness.

I really like the design of the game as well.  The aesthetic of the unnaturally clean city makes your struggle against it seem overwhelming.  The level design also plays into this, despite the clean city, there are plenty of construction sites for you to scale, and you'll be utilizing it a lot, vaulting and wall running over and off of paneling.

I will say that Mirror's Edge isn't for everyone.  There isn't a lot to the campaign, so the real value proposition is whether or not you'll get sucked into the time trials.  I know I have a tendency to restart everything as soon as a I make a mistake, so the time trials keep me coming back for more and more.

The last thing I'll say is that the music is great.  It maintains itself through out the entire game, it fits to every situation, and it rises and falls with your character and the progression through the level.  Are people shooting at you?  The music is intense and driving, pushing you to run as fast as you can.  Is the player trying to figure there way up several floors?  The music encourages you but doesn't stress you out.

Mirror's Edge is available on XBOX 360, PS3, and PC.

That's the Name of the Game - 2

I've posted my second column over at bookspotcentral.com. This week I wrote about OnLive and what it would mean to gaming:

Why is this important? Why should I care? The biggest value proposition that OnLive presents to gamers is that upgrading your computer is no longer necessary. As is, presumably, buying a new console every 5 years. Now all you need to do is maintain your broadband connection, as well as your subscription to the OnLive service. How is this revolutionary? Console manufacturers generally lose money on their newest consoles. Their bottom line is always helped out by the sale of games with those new consoles. Now, with internet speeds reaching higher and higher, the hardware market can be cut out and games can be streamed into the player’s household, a lot like Youtube, or Netflix’s streaming services.

You can check out the rest of my column this week at : "http://www.bookspotcentral.com/2009/03/thats-the-name-of-the-game-onlives-impact-on-gaming/"

I'll be writing more on my visit to GDC 09 later this week.

That's the Name of the Game

This blog represents are large push on my behalf to really start working on my career path. I'm still headed into gaming journalism, but I'm trying to get a foot in the door with some work while still practicing my writing and working at school.

In an effort to get my name further out there and to have more people reading my writing, I've started a weekly column called "That's the Name of the Game" at bookspotcentral.com. The weekly column will drop on the site every Friday. Is there a good time to list it at? I was thinking 3:00 p.m. so that anyone looking on the site in the afternoon and evening will see it on the main page.

I certainly hope that any readers here will check it out, and starting next week I'll be linking back to this blog within the body of my column.

This weeks column centers on the Nintendo Wii and how it has affected the greater gaming demographic. I also write a bit on how the industry is trying desperately to get all those new gamers to buy their products:

Where does that leave the general public? It opens the door for all the countless ways the publishers and developers will try to sell games. It also allows the video game industry to redefine "gamer," and you can bet they’re going to cast a wide net.

You can check out the rest of my column this week at : "http://www.bookspotcentral.com/2009/03/thats-the-name-of-the-game-the-industry-wants-you-bad/"

IGF Awards and "Dyson"

GDC '09 is next week (my spring break) and I might actually be able to go this year. I'm really excited at the prospect of walking around and feeling like a more legitimate reporter. I'll be on the look out for famous faces, but I'm not really sure I'll see too many. All this is besides the point though because I wanted to write a little something about one of the Independent Games Festival's finalists: "Dyson."


"Dyson" is a cool little title I tried out at the recommendation of (shit, I forgot where I saw it...).

It is an IGF finalist and a small one at that. It was a short download and I've already gotten a handful of hours of play out of it.

The game reminds me a lot of Galcon for the iPhone but with a little more depth and a lot slower pacing.

In the game, you take control of seedlings and attempt to terraform several planets. You can trade the seedlings in for structures on these small gray planets, including trees to grow more seedlings and defensive structures. The pace of the game is very slow. You'll methodically build up your forces, try to mutlitask, capturing multiple planets at the same time, as well as managing where your seedlings are located because they act as both offense and defense for your planets most of the time.

The game has great colors with a very minimalistic approach to a lot of the concepts presented in the game play and the backdrop, but what I enjoyed most about the title is the music spaced in between bouts of action.

The music will rise and fall, landing small plinks on the electronic soundscape, while also rising in with a strong beat. You might not even notice it, but it certainly plays a large part in the game.



As I said, the pacing of the game is slow, even as you progress through the levels, you could probably do other things while you're waiting for your seedling force to build up. I found the game to be really relaxing while still allowing me to multitask outside of the game world. I probably played for about an hour during class tonight, but don't tell my professor.

I suggest checking out "Dyson" as well as the other IGF finalists. You can find them over at the Independent Games Festival's webpage.

A Response

Mr. N'Gai Croal responded to me the other week. He's a busy guy, understandably, but he did send me a few links which led to interesting reads.

It's going to take some time for me to respond to these questions, and right now, time is a commodity that I don't have very much of. If you reach out to me again in mid-April, I may have more time then. In the interim, you may want to check out the interview I did here...

http://www.gamecritics.com/interview-with-ngai-croal

...as well as my most recent Vs. Mode exchange with Stephen Totilo, here...

Part I
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/03/04/totilo-vs-ngai-regarding-his-newsweek-departure/

Part II
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/03/05/ngai-vs-stephen-rd-2-finale/

The gamecritics interview was especially interesting in its summation of N'Gai's feelings on the "games as art" arguements made. The Vs. Mode exchanges are interesting in their own right, and you can certainly tell that N'Gai and Stephen know eachother well.

Hopefully, all of you Wellspring readers out there will enjoy the good read too.

Discovering a Gamestop

The other day, my girlfriend Jenna and I were milling about town before seeing "Wendy and Lucy" (a great, but short movie). We went over to the Barnes and Noble on Stevens Creek Boulevard near Campbell.

Next to B&N was a Gamestop I had never been in before. It was massive.

I had heard about Gamestop's redesigning some stores to encourage tournaments from EDGE, via Kotaku.

Trouble is, I didn't remember that the first tournament facility was in San Jose. Lucky me!

Of note:

• Its really big. I wish I had more pictures, but there was a rush for time. The picture above is a raised platform with four small screens and four large screens mirroring the action on the former. Jenna and I sat down at a station and came to blows in Street Fighter IV. There was another station with a soccer game playing (I had no clue which soccer game....)
• It's hot in there. With what seemed to be over 20 stations set up to play games throughout the store, there's a lot of fans running. Plenty of Xbox 360 machines were cranking their engines, several of which were equipped to play music games.

As far as games go, I played a few rounds of Street Fighter IV with Jenna. While rounds were very competitive, neither of us are very skillful yet. After a slight handicap adjustment, fights were very even. It seems like we've found something we could play together. If only I could afford the game (and maybe a couple of sticks to compete with). (ED NOTE: Jenna beat me several times).


As a bonus, the Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars preview-van (picture source) was in town as well. That added an extra 6 Nintendo DS to the hardware sampling the store had in it. I've been extremely wary about any excitement for GTA: Chinatown Wars, largely due to the top down view. My first experience with GTA being in 3D, I could never get a grip on the top down view. With a rotating camera, the DS title fixes this problem for me. As you turn your speeding vehicle, the city turns with it, so that the camera follows you down the street.

As far as combat goes, my time with the title was fleeting, but it seems like it will be easy to pull off after a tutorial mission or something like that. I didn't have a chance to check out a touch-screen mini game.

I think I'll be paying a return visit to the Tournament-focused Gamestop. I'm hoping to find time to actually show up for a tourney, or at least go to watch.

A letter to Mr. N'Gai Croal

I feel like N'Gai takes a very critical slant to his reporting of video games, opening up new ways to explore games through writing.  I admire his extremely developed and in-depth style of reporting and analysis, a style I hope to adapt within my own.
Here's the letter I've written to him, hopefully I'll hear back (I hope he's not too busy exploring his new career!)

Hello!

I was just writing to let you know that you have allowed me to look much more seriously at the games industry as a legitimate field to make a journalistic pursuit into.  As a young writer I was always confused by the difference between sites that focused on the "Top 7 Hottest Girls in Gaming" and your Level Up blog which looked at gaming in a more critical manner, trying to make serious out of something that everyone has and continues to considered a child's pursuit. In my mind, we are not children anymore, and I'm tired of looking at games from that perspective.

In that regard I just wanted to thank you for making something out of games journalism.  You and your peers (Stephen Totilo, Brian Crecente, of note) have helped me understand the intricacies of working as a member of a burgeoning enthusiast press.  But I still have a few questions....

I write a blog, mostly for practice, and I have questions for my favorite writers (one of which is you).

Having seen where games journalism has been, where do you think it will go?  How will writers balance the way we and our readers react to the industry?  How does our relationship with the creative side of the industry affect how readers see us?  I've long thought that games journalism are a double-edged sword to developers.  We build up their projects and then when they fail to meet expectations we don't mince words in our reviews.

How do you think the fractioning of the gaming audience has affected the industry?  For better or for worse?  How does the massive "casual" audience affect the way the "hardcore" plays games?  Why does the core player feel so alienated?  I think that it might have to do with the idea that gaming has always been something that people were alienated about, a nerd-subculture, and now that its is becoming more accepted, the core gamer is quick to jump to conclusions about their industry.

While in college, what did you learn that has helped you most in your career as a games journalist?

When you started writing, was there anyone significant who helped you, or gave you a key tip?

I hope I haven't taken too much of your time.  I also want to thank you in advance for any answer or consideration you give to me.  I've been trying pretty hard to balance school with my writing and gaming at the same time.  I'm just looking to get my feet wet in the enthusiast press and I thought that asking for advice would be the best way to get some.

Thanks again,
Daniel Bischoff
danielrbischoff@gmail.com
wellspringgames.blogspot.com

P.S.  I'd also like to ask you for two more things.  If you're so inclined, could you stop by my blog?  Maybe critique what writing you see fit to?  I'd also like to ask you if its OK that I publish any answers you give me?  A large part that the blog plays in my writing is that its documenting what I do while I'm studying for my B.A.  I've made several goals for myself this semester and asking for advice was one of those goals, so I'd really like to document that advice.

Thank you again for your time, hope to see you wherever you're working next!

What should I write about while I wait for a reply?

"Not everything is made for you"

That's John Davison, former 1up editor, currently writing at whattheyplay.com. John was on Rebel FM podcast episode 6. The group which also included MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek.

John was talking about how gaming now has to cater to two separate audiences. The argument was that the two main groups in gaming, casuals and the hardcore, have to understand that not all games are going to be made for them. John likened his idea to how not all movies are made for one group, books and music as well. I think this is a natural progression of video gaming as a real, viable, mainstream media. Why is it so difficult to accept? Gaming has been such a niche area of social media that when something is developed that isn't hardcore, it's a little hard to swallow.

Suddenly the oft-alienated core-gamer crowd are struggling with the fact that gaming is no longer only theirs. I should hope that gaming and the projects developers work on become more and more varied, filling more niche interests. Let's not stop at fitness games. What other areas can be used to reach an even larger audience? Wouldn't the hardcore accept a publisher putting out a few titles that were easy (and cheap) to develop in order to finance their large "hardcore" masterpiece? Not only do those more casual oriented titles help to budget the "hardcore" games, but they also keep developers employed.

I know I would much rather that business model, but I don't want those hardcore games so few and far between.

Changing the game...

Certainly video games have gone through many different forms. The rise and fall of gaming platforms and gaming's many cultural milestones have been documented countless times coinciding with the ever-present nostalgia in many a gamer's heart.

In fact, I believe nostalgia and history play a huge part in the love gaming receives from it's many fans. Without the memories that make up the collective gaming culture, there is really no basis for staples of the gaming community, like fanboyism.

As such, all of these new gamers, or "casuals" as they've been labeled in marketing, press release, and the inner hardcore circle of gaming, have created a paradigm shift.

Suddenly, developers are throwing more effort into much simpler outings than the more nuianced hardcore fair video games used to be about. But are they putting more "effort" into these new-gamer oriented projects, or are they simply reallocating resources to crank out more Wii games?

What is the crossing point? When are video games: platform holders, developers, publishers, the entire creative community surrounding video games, going to find the bridge? When are games going to fulfill both the needs of the hardcore and the casual?

Developers are already trying new things, although maybe not all at once. In example, Atari's Alone In the Dark allowed players to continue through the game, even if they could not clear a challenge. This option made many liken the game to an interactive DVD, although the game was still very much present to those who wanted to play.The real problem in this situation is the pressure being applied to the game makers.

The hardcore are the most vocal of all consumers in the industry. And the current state of things does not really lend itself to a quieted crowd. Unfortunately, the core gamer is prone to feeling alienated and cast aside (as society is often wont to do). Thus, when core gamers see truckloads of shovelware being put out, none of it clearly of any interest to them, they cry out. Unfortunately, it'll be a vicious cycle, at least until the two largest groups can sort out their differences and understand that gaming is now about catering to more than one audience....

Keeping up with promises...

This is first of my e-mails to preeminent members of the enthusiast press. This first message is to Mr. Michael McWhertor of Kotaku

Mr. McWhertor does great work at Kotaku, consistently bringing great writing and reporting to the table. He also makes cool shirts.

The text of the message is as follows...

Hello Mr. McWhertor,
I'm currently a college student in San Jose, CA and I'm hoping to become a member of the enthusiast press, much like yourself. I read Kotaku on a daily basis, as well as other blogs and publications, but I still feel a little lost. I've read about how Mr. Crecente was a writer at his newspaper, but how did you find yourself in the position you have now? I'd love to hear more about exactly what road you followed to becoming a staffed member of Kotaku.
What made you want to get into games press specifically, as opposed to something more on the creative side of the industry?

Did you go to college? If so, where and what did you graduate with?

What was your first paying games-journo gig?

Do you have any sage experience to pass on to someone who's just starting out?

Obviously I'm still very green in the writing department, mostly because this is my first time reaching out to a professional for advice. If you're wondering why I could possibly be asking you as opposed to Mr. Crecente, it is primarily due to Luke Smith's glowing comment on the final 1Up Yours podcast:
"Michael McWhertor is a damn fine gentleman."
Hopefully this proves true and I'll hear back from you, but if I don't I understand, you're a busy guy. I hope the Meatbun business is going well, and thanks in advance for you time!

-Daniel Bischoff
danielrbischoff@gmail.com
http://wellspringgames.blogspot.com/

P.S. If you could also find the time to hop on over to my blog (http://wellspringgames.blogspot.com) I would love to hear anyfeedback on anything I've written there. Like I said, I'm pretty green at this so there isn't much. Hopefully there will be more soon. Thanks in advance again!

Oh no! I have typos in my message! Frankly, my thought right now is that I hope I kissed enough ass that those will be overlooked. Do you think Mr. McWhertor will reply to my message? Could he even possibly make a comment on this post?

The times...

This winter break has been hectic to say the least. There have been a lot of changes in my life and well as with the world at large.

One thing that has been causing its own brand of chaos has been the economy. Of course with a new president the American people should be getting a new outlook on the financial front, as well as the rest of the world, but we'll be feeling the economic downturn for quite a while still.

The layoffs have hit industries big and small, with even Microsoft making large cuts to their work force in anticipation of losses.

Listening to the "Final" 1UP Yours podcast today while I was at work, I realized just how deep the downturn can reach. Of course, I've already written about the loss of EGM and a lot of the writers over at 1UP in brief, but even I couldn't help but mourn.

I've been listening to the 1UP Yours podcast for approximately 2 months. Every weekend, I would download the latest episode on Friday night, have it loaded onto my phone, and listen to it while I was working on Saturday or Sunday. Unfortunately, that's gone now. Luckily the Joystiq podcast and Rebel FM from some of the guys from 1UP FM are still there.

What I'm coming around to is that, I can't wait for a job to come find me.

If I'm serious about becoming part of the enthusiast press, and I am, I have to write. While this semester will see a renewed focus on my academics, that focus should be just as easily attainable in my writing and on this blog.

Here are a couple of things I would like will to accomplish on this blog and personally in my own practice by May of this year:

• One post a week in the first two full months (February, March).
• One post a day Monday through Friday after that until Finals week (April, first two weeks of May).
• One comment (even if I have to get it from a friend of mine, I would just like one comment).
• Get advice or at least ask about experience from three editors of blogs I read on a regular basis (one editor February, March, and April).
• [This space is reserved for anything I think of.]

To be clear, these are not limits. These points are benchmarks.

Wish me luck!

The end of 1up

I've been up all night and morning reading about the horridly
ignorant layoffs being made at 1up in the transition to newer (read:
even crappier) management and ownership. Starting over at Kotaku and
reading the list of names and the letter to employees, then following
links to Kelpeks post over at the Multiplayer blog, and 1up's own
announcement and finally some of the comments on that post (naturally
all of which lamenting the event).

Good luck to everyone. More later.