lost in games

It appears that SWOS was released today on XBLA for a while but the game was broken and was subsequently pulled back. There has been no official release from the developers on what went wrong but it is a shame if they don’t manage to release it prior to the Christmas holidays.

This is what has been announced on Major Nelson’s site.

“This game has been pulled. I’ll post an update when it is available again. In the meantime, if you downloaded this busted version, please delete it and when the new one is available you’ll be able to downloaded it again (at no charge if you purchased it.) While you do that, I’ll go yell at some folks for letting this happen. Apologies and the moment the proper version is available I’ll update this post.”

Update: Codemasters have released an official statement regarding the issue, Eurogamer link

Once i was a pc gamer. Once i was fully committed to turn based strategy games. But it was a long time ago. We drifted apart. Windows and consoles came between us. But there is nothing like your first love.

I have been looking for some time now a way to return to turn based strategy games and unforrtunately this can only be done using a PC. I wanted something simple without requiring a high end PC. Armageddon Empires is an idie developed game. It is basically a board game but on a computer. I have been reading a lot of positive comments about this game and finally decided to go for it. No better time than the christmas holidays.

If you want more info on the game visit www.crypticcomet.com where you can download a demo for the game.

Expect more from me on this one soon.

Realistic graphics? Ever evolving AI? Online gaming? Is this what this generation of games will be known for?

No. The Wii, 360 and PS3 will be remembered for bringing gaming to the masses in the form of social gaming. Not with the FPS’s, the RPGs, the Sports games but with party games. Games which are very easy to get into and allow people of all ages and genders to play, even together.

The Wii already has an abundance of mini-game kind of titles like Wii Sports, Wario Ware, Raving Rabbids and now Mario & Sonic at the Olympics. I had some friends over on Saturday and we were all hooked on Mario & Sonic. Mindless, simple and pure fun. We had a blast and got a good exercise as well. That 4×100 swimming relay event was a killer!

On the other 2 consoles the complexity of regular controllers make it harder for non-gamers to get into a game. That is why Scene it?, Guitar Hero and Rock Band are so brilliant. They are using peripherals which everybody can feel comfortable with. And people are also familiar with both themes, music and movies.

You can expect more board games getting the videogame treatment. Imagine a turn based pictionary on the Wii. A trivial pursuit with buzzers on the PS3. They can be even better than the original games.

I believe this generation of consoles’ greatest contribution will be establishing social gaming as a true, mainstream entertainment.

I came late to work…..nuff said.

Ok. First let me explain the miracle called internet and the small miracle called “play.com”. I have been looking for a copy of GH3 here in Cyprus but to no avail. I spoke with Micromania and Public and both stores said.

“We only received two 360 copies, sold them both and we don’t expect to get any more this year”.

Fine! I ordered from play on Monday and got my shipment on Friday. Who needs you local retailers anymore. The only thing standing in the way of complete domination of online shopping for games is the Cyprus post office.

Anyway enough of that. Now about GH3!

(more…)

Last week i posted about one of the most original games coming out on the PSP, Patapon. Stephen Tottilo had a hands on experience with the game. These are the creators behind Locoroco and like Stephen says, it shows.

After reading his comments you will get a better idea of what the game is all about. Click here.

The weekend is almost upon us and i am already thinking of the possibilities. In fact i am arranging a session of strategy board game along with my fellow wannabee nerd friends.

Unfortunately i am not as experienced in board games as i would have liked to be. However with a few loyal buddies this can change.

Ok, what are the options. There is always Risk. Everybody knows Risk and it is a game that is easy to pick up but still has some depth to it. There is also Diplomacy which i love but it is too hardcore for most people. Then there is Acquire which i am always trying to find people to play with. A simple game with great depth but it’s only “flaw” is that nobody knows about it and people are not willing to give it a go. Fingers crossed.

Lastly there is Settlers of Catan. Had not heard about it until the XBLA game. Magnificent. Simple, great depth, great interaction between players. I think this can be the one. On Saturday we are going to buy one and see what happens.

Do you have any other recommendations guys?

NPD has released the figures for the month of November in the US. My first reaction is that i expected the Wii sales to be much higher (519K in October). Nintendo still seems unable to raise to production for the console and it is hurting it. The 360 has more than doubles its sales (366K in October) but this is in line with analysts’ expectations. The PS3 on the other hand has managed to almost quadruple its sales (121K in October) and looks like it is starting to gain some ground.

But the hands down winner is the DS. 1.53million units sold just in November??? In October it was 458K….

As for the software side, my game of the year so far topped the charts. Good one Infinity Ward.

Hardware Stats

Nintendo DS – 1.53 million
Wii – 981K
Xbox 360 – 770K
PSP – 567K
PlayStation 2 – 496K
PlayStation 3 – 466K

Software Stats

1. CALL OF DUTY 4 (Xbox 360, Activision) 1.57 million
2. SUPER MARIO GALAXY (Wii, Nintendo) 1.12 million
3. ASSASSIN’S CREED (Xbox 360, Ubisoft) 980K
4. GUITAR HERO III (PS2, Activision) 967K
5. WII PLAY w/remote (Nintendo) 564K
6. MASS EFFECT (Xbox 360, Microsoft) 473K
7. CALL OF DUTY 4 (PS3, Activision) 444K
8. GUITAR HERO III (Wii, Activision) 426K
9. HALO 3 (Xbox 360, Microsoft) 387K
10 ASSASSIN’S CREED (PS3, Ubisoft) 377K

The overall industry numbers:
Category: YTD 06 / YTD 07

Video Games: $8.76 billion / $13.12 billion (up 50%)
Video Games Hardware: $3.01 billion / $5.21 billion (73%)
Console Hardware: $1.88 billion / $3.82 billion (103%)
Portable Game Hardware: $1.13 billion / $1.4 billion (24%)
Video Games Software: $4.72 billion / $6.27 billion (33%)
Console Software: $3.55 billion / $4.84 billion (36%)
Portable Game Software: $1.17 billion / $1.43 billion (22%)
Video Game Accessories: $1.03 billion / $1.64 billion (59%)

Sony has confirmed that the game will be released in N. America in February while the European version will also be around that time.

What? You have never heard of Patapon?

Basically the Patapon is “a legendary warrior tribe exiled to the edge of the world and forced to combat giant creatures, traverse through hostile lands and overcome the evil powers that have gained control of the world”.

Or as Eurogamer puts it:

“Patapon is a 2D game where you use musical beats to march an army of tiny warriors against their opponents.Various drumbeats are used to march, retreat, attack and defend across 30 missions, and there are all sorts of upgrades to pick up as you dance your way to victory.”

I like how that sounds and looks. It has a Locoroco feel to it and also i love the combination of strategy and music. Patapon together with God of War: Chains of Olympus should keep a lot of PSP owners pretty excited.

Burnout Paradise new demo - Joystiq
Big PSP firmware update in Japan - Kotaku
Top 10 Game Design Innovations - Next-Gen
Manhunt 2 Appeal successful - Shacknews