Fwd: 'Rare' departure could signal dramatic shift in Microsoft's attitude towards hardcore gaming on next gen.

This week, it was revealed that George Andreas has jumped ship on Microsoft for the safer gaming shores of Sony CE.

It will come as hardly a surprise to anyone that Microsoft, of late, is not exactly focused on the hardcore gamer.  In amongst the dull roar of casual games, WIndows 8 propoganda (did you know 'Xbox' no longer refers to console gaming??), dozens of apps that no one wants and a downright unhealthy re-prioritisation on motion control....well, one could be forgiven for losing interest in Microsoft's brand of gaming.

However, it's all good, right?  The '720' is due for imminent announcement.  Going by rumours, it's to be quite the machine with 8 cores of CPU grunt, an only 'slightly-out-of-date' AMD chipset with DirectX 11 on-board and of all things: a dreaded Blu-Ray drive!  There's just one tiny, itsy-witsy problem I have: who's going to write the games?  Obviously a throng of Microsoft fanboys will throw out brand staples such as 'Halo', and 'Gears of War' (or god-forbid - another 'Crackdown') but who cares?  Neither franchise has ever been of great interest to me and while no one can deny that these franchises have impressed on occasion, they are hardly alone in that competency; there simply is a lot to choose from these days.

Sony, on the other hand, is desparately trying to kickstart the glory-days of the Playstation brand and they are still heavily investing in 1st Party BUT also working much harder with 3rd-party studios to make the PS4 a more savvy, more attractive destination.  Microsoft doesn't care about this at all - they are focused on residuals and these days, the sense behind those residuals is based on (what I perceive to be) extremely pigeon-holed, limited R&D that probably uses the families of its own staff over the traditional, wide-reaching world-class R&D centres that Microsoft used to champion years ago (before Ballmer).

While no one is really going to care about who or what George Andreas is or does, the fact that he's left one cushy job for another suggests that Microsoft is simply not talking the talk that serious studio gamers want to listen to.  Who can blame him.  The last interesting thing I read on Major Nelson's blog was something about Crackle coming to Xbox apps...

Really.  That's nice.

Good luck to George and his new life at Sony.

Facebook goes public - end of the beginning or beginning of the end?

This article sums my feelings up nicely.  Facebook has proven it's longevity and no one can deny it's still very popular.

However...

If Zynga, Facebooks largest game provider, is losing $150 per paying user, the question does raise: Who pays for it all?  Advertising is Facebook's largest asset. It has a captive audience of billions and when it comes to advertising, companies may or may not assume that their success is attributed (if only partially) to their exposure on Facebook.

I'm not so convinced.  The ads on Facebook, for me at least, seem to disappear into the background as a dull 'roar' of floaty ads that no-one reads.  On the odd occasion I do pay attention, I seem to be beckoned by a car manufacturer or lipstick specialist to try out their products or 'join a contest and WIN WIN WIN'

Surely Google has already blasted this approach into the pits of mediocrity?  Sure, maybe it doesn't matter what I think as long as manufacturers and service providers pay their advertising bills to Mr. Zuckerberg but I do wonder if they may one day feel the same as me: Facebook, as good as it is in certain respects, just isn't worth the time any more.

Bubble about to burst?  I think so - unless they come up with something different.  (and 'no' I'm not talking about Timeline)

Is there enough room for Kingdoms of Amalur?

I've been watching the progress and press of Kingdoms of Amalur (from here-on referred to as KoA) with increasing interest and excitement as details of this new IP from Electronic Arts are released.  Impression-wise, I do get the feeling that KoA is under the radar for a lot of people and not least because of who its publisher is.

Before we get into KoA, I would like to dispense my own views on Electronic Arts and the recent hate that this long-serving publisher has drawn of late (some deserved, some not).  Much of the groans seem to stem from the recently released and buggy 'Battlefield 3' as well as the implementation of online pass and series 'subscriptions.' While E.A. is far from alone in these new strategies, it can at least be complimented for continuing to support development of new IPs unlike others (*cough* Activision *cough*) such as Dead Space or Mirror's Edge.  Regardless of what you think of such titles, both IPs were heavy risks at the time they were released and have certainly influenced, if not enriched, the gaming world.  E.A. can also be credited with saving 'Brutal Legend' from the clutches of vaporware after being dumped by Activision and having more legal money than Kotick to scare them off blocking it.  You see? E.A. - it's not ALL bad.

So on to KoA...is it another 'me too' title or does it deserve the attention of something better?  This recent video on gamespot would say that KoA is well-placed to earn the trust of the gaming public and like all great things: before you judge a game, look at who's behind it.


Writing - R.A. Salvatore

Before one concept drawing or one line of code was dropped, R.A. Salvatore created a 10,000 year world synopsis through which the studio could anchor its entire game.  Every race, every building, every book (yes, lots of those in KoA as well) and every quest is firmly rooted on a rich base of epic storytelling at its best.  Salvatore does not need to reach far to find such inspiration and his track record speaks for itself starting with the most noted of his career: Dungeons and Dragons - 'Forgotten Realms'.

Even if you haven't played a campaign (tabletop style) or read one of Salvatore's books, the title must ring a bell and why not as it has been credited with inspiring Pool of Radiance, Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights.  Salvatore's singularly recognized storytelling through Forgotten Realms resides on the right throne of all that is modern fantasy rpg.  He has single-handedly created more worlds and characters in the fantasy genre within one franchise than most will in their entire careers...and Salvatore did much more than Forgotten Realms.

His New York best-selling fantasy novels (many dozen across multiple franchises) have been gracing shelves over the span of three decades.  He has even ventured into science-fiction and holds credit for Star Wars: Vector Prime.  It is quite conceivable that, knowingly or unknowingly, all modern fantasy writers and designers have at some point been inspired by Salvatores' works.  He is a god amongst fantasy authors; the 'Steven Spielberg' of the fantasy rpg universe and now he, once inspired by the great J.R.R. Tolkien himself, has extended his legendary talent to KoA.


Art Direction - Todd McFarlane

It's unlikely that most people nowadays will know who he is but I was personally surprised and delighted to learn that Todd McFarlane is firmly seated in the 'Art Director' chair for KoA.   Recognized for his award-winning work as key artist for Marvel on the legendary 'Spiderman' comic series, while with Marvel, McFarlane exploited the opportunity to create the first incarnation of 'Eddie Brock' a.k.a. 'Venom.'  He then went on to create McFarlane Entertainment and through M.E. created the enormously successful 'Spawn' franchise.  M.E. also changed the action figure landscape in the late-nineties by introducing a new line of highly-detailed toys that continues to delight collectors to this day.

McFarlane's pedigree in art direction is undeniable.  If you've ever seen him in interview, you will immediately sense his eccentric 'schoolboy' persona in discussing anything to do with fun and fantasy.  His borderline-insane enthusiasm is both comical and infectious.  It has made him a multi-millionaire in his own right and his portfolio of creative characters and worlds bring a powerhouse of potential to KoA.  In his own words, his only concern is that you find KoA 'cool.'


Design - Ken Rolston

When 38 Studios pitched KoA to E.A., there's no doubt that Ken Rolston was an immediate boost to KoA's talent roster.  Rolston's best credit is the critically-acclaimed 'Morrowind' of the Elder Scrolls series and it is Rolston that Elder Scrolls owes its rich tapestry of rpg existence.  Seeking a change to found a new story on a new, fresh engine, Rolston has been firmly focused on refining all that has made Elder Scrolls great while tuning out those limitations and inflexibilities that rpg games can often introduce by forcing gamers to make too many choices, too early on in a game.   As rich as Elder Scrolls has been, KoA will prove to rival it in many ways because both games originate from the same source: Ken Rolson.


More than that, however, KoA does not begin and end at Elder Scrolls.  In many ways (subject to both praise and criticism) KoA unmistakeably resembles a darker, deeper 'Fable' and shares a lot of similar traits as its Lionhead Studios' rival.  It should come as no surprise that many critics of KoA feel as though E.A. is simply trying to capitalise on the popularity of Fable and possess it for itself.  That may be a fair comment but I do not feel this will be at the expense of gaming.  Even if the direction of 'adapting a proven model' appeals to some of E.A.'s corporate-minded executives, where KoA could be a godsend to us gamers is by finally bringing forward the 'Fable' game we always wanted but would never receive from Peter Molyneux.

The opportunity to play a rich and dark rpg adventure that 'borrows' the best from Fable but leaves out much of the clichéd cheese is something that deeply appeals to me and I suspect many others.  I loved and adored Fable II which seemed to show its character without losing balance but lost my appeal for the series with Fable III that I found to be an overly-contrived and linear title seemingly more focused on Molyneux's obsession with uninteresting moral dilemma rather than engaging gameplay.  Knowing that Fable IV is to be some sort of half-baked Kinect title, there is plenty of opportunity for 38 Studios and E.A. to seize the gap that Lionhead has left and enhance it back towards a pure rpg vein rife with choice, world and most notably: blood.

If all is to be taken at face value (and many have already said 'It IS!') then KoA represents a hybrid of the accessible gameplay and style of the 'Fable' series intermeshed with the darker, richer storytelling and rpg purity of 'Morrowind'; all this and careful tweaking to achieve the best of rpg gameplay by those who love (and can take credit for) the best rpg games.  E.A. seems to have an occasional knack for recognising when the right people are behind the right project.  Glen Schofield, a self-professed lover of sci-fi horror, proved himself as the key man for 'Dead Space'; no less can be side, in my opinion, about the team behind 'Kingdom of Amalur.'

CERN scientists catch-up to Gene Roddenberry

Who would have thought that an ex-cop from Los Angeles could have started, arguably, the most influential sci-fi franchise of all time.  So much so that much of the 'fiction' of Star Trek has inspired scientists and gone on to create science fact. Examples: handheld communication devices, tiny cards holding the entire contents of an encyclopaedia, hand-held 'pads' that you can write on and carry about like a book...the list goes on and on.  Most recently, Nasa has pretty much conceived 'Impulse' drive by activating hydrogen fuel with fission reactors which has already improved fuel burn by 200%.

But the big daddy of them all (no, not transporters) has moved one step closer - at least, in theory.  You may or may not have heard something about neutrinos emitted from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) arriving at a sensor placed over 450 miles away a bit earlier than expected.  In essence, the world has long believed that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light as per Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.

E=MC² is one of the unbreakable rules of our universe.  It is Mother Nature's recipe for existence and the physical nature of our galaxy and all those beyond.  This was thought to be the rule for everything and scientists were happy with that because the theory works without fail.

Except...it's failed.
...and this time, beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to this article, a second test has concluded that neutrinos have indeed travelled  While this has scientists worldwide scratching their collective heads, it means that it's looking quite likely that E=MC² ain't all it's cracked up to be...or at least, only to a point.  Read further here and you will learn that those pesky neutrinos beat the speed of light by about 6 metres/second.  That might not sound like a big deal but in the world of physics, it's the equivalent of busting into the final episode of 'America's Top Model' and ripping off Tyra Bank's outfit to reveal secret male genitalia.

This new science is both baffling and exciting because it indicates that the entire concept of Warp speed is actually possible and is now scientifically proven.  While this does not mean that there's any danger of a physicist launching your Granny to Alpha Centauri  at 'Warp Factor 5' any time soon, it has unlocked a crucial door to understanding how we might achieve it some day.  (With someone else's Granny, of course.)

Max Payne reboot setting incredible technology bar

A new video from rockstar is showing the world that the upcoming Max Payne reboot is far beyond a simple recapitalization of the series.  Not for a while have I ever been so wowed by game technology; so take a look and prepare to be amazed.

No focus on creepy actor-to-character face mapping this time.  Instead, an unprecedented attention to detail has been applied to create the most authentic and believable combat physics seen. (and possibly the most bloody)    Characters flinch and react to gun hits in realistic ways appropriate to the type of weapon, the angle and position of the bullet hit and the respective position of the character itself.

Huge focus on AI also demonstrates incredibly varied combat ability according to the expected training/experience of the character in question.  Street thugs blaze out in the wide open, gangsters fight with more zeal and special ops apply suitably tactical thinking and positioning.

Max Payne wasn't a game I necessarily had high expectations for.  All changed now.  Can't wait to see how it pans out.

Upcoming Feature - Minecraft: What it can teach us about the Future of Gaming

Hello readers!  It's time for another in-depth feature article as my creative juices flux to a solar maximum as 2012 approaches.   My next feature will discuss the emergence and paradigm impact of Minecraft.  Are you a Minecraft lover? Hater?  Write in and tell me about your experiences, good or bad.  Your quotes may be included in my feature (I shall try to include as many as sensible) so please do go into detail about what you loved, liked, got tired of or just purely hated.

I'm looking forward to reading all of your comments!  Please email me directly or post here in the blog comments depending on how much you want to say.
For longer comments, please direct via email to rabbitcancer@googlemail.com

Video Killed my X-3-6-0 Star

This week's thoughts: I am done with Xbox.

There has been a lot of late that has irked me about Microsoft and it's reversal of good times on the console side of things.  Gold fees went up (I have since cancelled), exclusives had dwindled to nothing but core titles only die-hards care about and Kinect support has been wholly and indisputably awful.

With the dawn of a new Dashboard update looming, I had hoped that my enjoyment would return but this weekend, I discovered something that affected my family and has ultimately poisoned my soul towards the Xbox console beyond anything other than an absolute necessity as my sole gaming machine: Video Kinect isn't available to Silver members.

This became personal yesterday when  I arranged a teleconference with my Father who lives overseas; he enjoys speaking with my daughter who knows his face well through our family television.  It's definitely a positive aspect of Kinect ownership, if nothing else.  Imagine my horror when I launched Video Kinect and received a message that the service was reserved for Gold subscribers only!

I completely understand that Microsoft needs to value-add their services, but it is for pure, unadulterated, bone-headed greed like this that we in Britain can get the BBC iPlayer on every console and device imaginable apart from the Xbox 360.  The iPlayer is a video replay service that MUST be free to all U.K. residents as we are taxed for the cost of the BBC.  We could have had iPlayer on the 360 years ago but Microsoft refused because (wait for it) they wanted to reserve the iPlayer function for paid subscribers only.  That's right - Microsoft wanted to charge for access to something that is supposed to be free under law.  The BBC Trust, the agency that oversees BBC activities, was forced into a corner and was obligated to refuse so not to violate the BBC charter.  Since then, the iPlayer has appeared on Playstation 3, Wii, Android, iPhone, PC, Mac, television-equipped bananas, etc.  (ok...maybe that last one was a lie)

This time, Microsoft owns the service so I suppose they should call the shots as they see fit, however, the service in question is already offered to millions of Windows users worldwide under a different incarnation vis-a-vis 'Live' Messenger Video Calling.  In fact, this is what my Father uses on his end via his laptop and webcam.  He pays no monthly fee for that.  Why should I?   Surely, as a console owner and not merely a Windows 7 owner (I have two licenses, in fact) I have invested far more into Microsoft's holdings through my purchases of the Xbox 360 console and the Kinect device.

No.  Apparently not.  Microsoft has made it clear that none of my investment matters.  What they consider a free product for all of their Windows users is subject to their annual pound of flesh from Xbox owners.  No Gold membership?  No luck, pal.

Unfortunately for them, this is the straw that broke the camel's back.  As such, I can speak objectively about Microsoft's contributions to the gaming world but I cannot, in good faith, recommend their console products or services any longer as I feel that there is simply much better and customer-centric offerings available on the market without the need for subscription fees.

Apart from the U.S. which seems to get all of the online 'goodies', in this day in age when there is far more available on competing consoles and PC-based services (including from Microsoft itself, I might add) Xbox 360 ownership becomes a Martyr's venture.  Only the most pure of fanboyism could possibly justify staying loyal the Xbox cause.  Well, they are welcome to it.

My Elite is approaching 4 years and is getting louder as the days go on.  I suspect there's not much left in the old girl (although she has served me well) and had always assumed that should she conk before this gen is over, I would likely replace her with a shiny new 'S' model.  That position has now, regrettably, changed.

Should my 360 die, I will not hesitate to scrap up as many pennies as possible with my remaining Kinect and small library of games towards the purchase of a Playstation 3 system.  As an owner of the Original Playstation system, I have nothing but fond memories and looking back, I feel that my hard-thought decision to go with Xbox was the wrong one taking all into consideration.  So with that, farewell Xbox.  My customer loyalty just RROD'd.