The Stupid Gamer

Note: Best Game Ever is a series of posts I’ll be doing dedicated to the best games ever made. Each game I profile will be a game I’d accept as someone’s answer to the question, “what do you think the best game ever is?” So please, do not email me and tell me I’m stupid for posting about game X when game Y is clearly superior. And you never know, game Y might be the next game profiled. For more in the series, check out the “best game ever” category in the side bar.

Star Control II.

Originally on the PC but also ported to the 3DO with enhanced sound and added speech, this game was easily the best open world game of its time. You can now download it FOR FREE (link at the bottom of the post) as it’s been made open source. It’s really rare, even today, to find a game that offers the same level of freedom, non-linear progression, and sense of scale. Here’s the lowdown.

Game is set way in the future after a big galactic war in which the Earth and its alliance lost. Earth is trapped under a slave shield and a race called the Ur-Quan rules the galaxy along with anybody else that chose to join up with them and avoid being annihilated or enslaved.

You’re a descendant from science team that left earth way in the past that had colonized a new planet where you’ve found alien tech. You go out to find out what happened with earth. After finding out that the alliance basically got curb stomped you decide to take it upon yourself to fly around the galaxy recruiting races to start the fight back up again against the Ur-Quan. Depending on the alliances you make the game changes and the storyline can get altered quite a bit.

The game is split into three main styles of gameplay. First there’s exploration where you’re looking for resources (money), new races to ally with, and alien technology to augment your ship. Secondly there’s the political aspect where you need to convince races to join your fight and keep them at peace with one another. Finally, there’s combat that plays out as a 2D top down battle. It’s all great stuff.

Here’s the intro video:

Here’s a battle sequence:

A conversation with the Spathi, a coward race that you still want to recruit as allies because they make awesome starships.

You can get the game for free here: http://sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.php

Versions of the game are available on Windows, OS X, Linux, and a few other devices (including PSP).

I know it’s a busy time for gaming, but honestly, I doubt any game coming out in the next few months will be as good.

It didn’t take long after launch before retail outlets, both online and offline, began offering the PSPgo at reduced pricing. The earliest price cuts we saw were in the UK where several stores cut the price by about $10 (after currency translation). This week Fry’s Electronics was cutting the price of the Go by $50. Obviously there’s no competitive advantage to getting people to buy a Go from you, because they sure aren’t going to be picking up any software to go along with it. So why are retailers already willing to cut prices? They can’t already be impatient to move the things, can they?

My best guess is to appease retailers Sony allowed for a ton of markup to be had on the Go. Typically retailers don’t make more than a few bucks per console sold. The retailers hope that if you buy your console at that store that you’re also going to walk out with a few accessories and a couple of games. In the case of the Go, all the sales are done online (except for a handful of redemption cards, but it’s negligible), so retailers have no real reason to push the hardware unless they get a good cut of the sale price. With Fry’s offering the system at $50 off, it probably means that Sony set aside about that much for retailer markup. Since you’re not going to be buying games in the store, it’s highly doubtful that Fry’s is taking a loss on the system, so they’re probably selling it at near cost in hopes that you’ll put that “saved” $50 into other items in the store before leaving or that you’ll grow to like the place a bit more when you visit.

This is all just speculation on my part, but if retailers are getting a $50 cut of that price, then Sony must be counting on retailers to dig into that cut themselves to create de facto price drops on the system. $50 markup is incredibly high, and retailers know that if these things don’t move very quickly that they can have lots of freedom with sales or clearance prices. What will be interesting to see, however, is after the holiday season what sort of demand retailers show for stocking the systems.

The Go is great from a theoretical standpoint, but the fact that you can’t buy used games or play your current library of UMDs is still keeping me from jumping in. My guess is that ultimately the Go is a bit of a test to see how ready gamers are to accept the move to 100% digitally delivered content. Should gamers show a high tolerance for digital delivery, it will probably allow Sony to launch the real PSP successor (PSP 2, if you will) sooner than later. If people resist this transition, Sony will probably sit on this dual market philosophy for the PSP until it’s clear that people are more ready.

Back at E3, after some early leaks, Sony officially unveiled the PSPgo to the public and announced all the details about the machine. At first glance, the handheld looks amazing with its pretty screen, compact design, and slider capability. It’s even been reported recently that the Go has a faster guts, though the validity on that remains fuzzy. On paper, this handheld looks like it could be a solid competitor in the handheld space and further muscle in on Nintendo’s share of the pie. Well, there are a few things that are starting to stack up against the PSPgo that range from complaints of form factor, to pricing, to software distribution. Let’s break down the major complaints consumers and retailers have with the PSPgo and see just how big of a deal they could be.

Hardware Price Point
With the removal of the UMD drive and a smaller screen, most everybody figured that the PSPgo would be pretty close to the same price as the current PSP model; with some people even expecting it to be a little cheaper. While I didn’t think the machine would necessarily cost less than the current PSP, I didn’t think that Sony would be essentially resetting the price point back to where the PSP launched at. Yeah, all new products carry a premium price tag, but it’s a pretty big jump over the PSP’s current going rate. While there might be a lot people interested in the PSPgo right now, I feel that many will wait until the price comes down on these things.

So why is the price so high? One word: Retail. This brings us to the next issue facing the PSPgo.

Retailers Don’t Like It
Right now if you want a PSP game you’re most likely heading over to Gamestop, Target, Best Buy, or hitting an online store like Amazon.com. Yes, there are a few games only available online, but they’re few and far between. What happens is that retailers are urged by Sony to sell the PSPgo, but once the handheld is sold, that customer is never coming back in to buy software for that device. All PSPgo games will be available online, so the retailer gets cut out. Basically there’s no incentive for retailers to push the PSPgo, because they lose out on future revenue from software sales while the original PSP and the DS keep bringing people back in the door. To offset this a little, Sony is keeping the price of the PSPgo at a premium so that retailers can take a bigger cut of the sale price. Without that inflated cost, retailers would probably just flat out refuse to carry the handheld.

One posed solution to this issue is to allow retailers to sell download codes for the games. This might work to some degree, but the retailer is still losing out compared to the markup that they get for disc-based games. On top of that, there’s not going to be any such thing as a used game market for the PSPgo. How is that going to be received by Gamestop?! In the end, Sony has the muscle to basically force retailers to carry the handheld (either they carry it or they lose out on deals for PS3 games, for instance), but I can’t see many retailers too happy about being cut out of the majority of the software sales market.

Only 50% of Americans Have Broadband
Many of the games offered for the PSPgo are going to be over a gig in size. For people with high-speed connections it’s not going to be an issue, but effectively half of the population in Sony’s most important market is still connecting through dial-up. Downloading games, which is the only way to get them, is just not feasible for dial-up users yet. Broadband penetration is going to be a big obstacle for Sony.

The iPhone Effect
Everybody is probably tired of hearing about how the iPhone is going to be such a big deal in handheld gaming. Well yeah, people should stop talking about how big it’s going to be, because it’s a big deal right now. The iPhone is selling tons of software, and there’s actually quite a few solid gaming experiences to be had on the device. Sure, you don’t have the ability for complex control schemes on the iPhone, but when games are available for $.99 to $9.99, the iPhone is going to steal a lot of gaming time away from the PSPgo (and from the DS as well). That $.99 impulse buy from the iTunes app store might keep you occupied just long enough to pass up on the middle of the road release on the PSPgo store.

Sony isn’t going to want to drop the pricing of their games all the way down to the iPhone levels of pricing; and that’s actually understandable given the development budgets. The problem is that Sony is going to have to prove to buyers that their games are worth the premium. Many people keep their iPhone on them at all times; can the PSPgo become a staple in a gamer’s pocket as well? If it comes down to packing around a cell phone or a handheld, the vast majority of people are going to take the phone with them.

Backwards Compatibility Issues With it’s Own Library
The UMD slot is gone. Any games you currently have for your PSP are essentially coasters if you sell your current handheld to upgrade to the Go. Sony is saying that they’ll be supporting the entire–er, most of the–library via downloads, but does that mean that you’ll have to re-purchase your entire library in digital form? If Sony is offering some way to get them discounted if you’ve already purchased the game, how do they prevent people from scamming that service? The only way I could see this working is if Sony will allow you to mail your discs in for a free download code. That solution is unrealistic, however, as Sony doesn’t want to be handing used discs by the millions only to dish out codes that will net them nothing in regards to profit. That sort of program would be disastrous financially. However, for those of us with sizable collections, I think we’re going to be very reluctant to upgrade to the PSPgo and leave our collections behind. Also, will smaller run games, like Gradius Collection, be available from the get go?

It’s Not All Doom and Gloom
One thing that needs to be said is that Sony is pushing the market forward. Maybe the PSPgo is a little ahead of its time, but it’s pretty awesome to see a way for gamers to bypass the retail market and get their games without the hassles of preorders or worrying whether or not an item will be in stock when they show up. Ship dates and release dates will never be confused again, and no longer will you need to pack around a carrying case for extra games. The whole idea of the PSPgo is awesome, but really it’s quite the uphill fight for Sony. I hope the machine does well. I really want one, but ultimately getting one will depend on how soon the price drops, how easy it is to replace my library with digital versions, and just how simple buying and installing games can be.

I have to respect Sony for pushing the digital download services. This really is a step forward for game distribution. I’m just hoping it’s not a case of being a little too early to the party.

Below you’ll find a slideshow of some of the pics I took at E3. I might be adding more as time goes on, so if you care, check back and watch the slide show again to see anything new. After that, I have links to some of my hands-on articles that I wrote for Kombo.com. I’m still going to do that E3 wrapup podcast and will also reveal my top picks for the show soon. I imagine your hype for said things must be through the roof. You can view a full screen version of the photo slideshow by hitting that little button with the four arrows on the bottom of the image window.

Links to hands-on articles (I will be adding to this as more stories go live):

E3 2009: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Multiplayer
E3 2009: Mafia II Impressions
E3 2009: A Boy and His Blob
E3 2009: New Super Mario Bros.
E3 2009: The Beatles: Rock Band
E3 2009: Sin and Punishment 2
E3 2009: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
E3 2009: Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time
E3 2009: Real Heroes: Firefighter

Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP is getting a bit of attention lately in the press, and today Harmonix chose to announce the full track listing for the game as well as the first 10 DLC tracks that will be made available. Straight from the Harmonix PR, here’s the track listing.

And, here are the first 10 tracks that will be made available for DLC on the Rock Band Store:

• 30 Seconds to Mars      “The Kill” 
• Belly                              “Feed the Tree” 
• Disturbed                       “Inside the Fire” 
• Lynyrd Skynyrd             “Gimme Three Steps” 
• Muse                             “Hysteria” 
• Mute Math                     “Typical” 
• No Doubt                       “Just a Girl” 
• Oasis                              “Wonderwall” 
• Paramore                        “Crushcrushcrush” 
• Red Hot Chili Peppers    “Under the Bridge”  

While these are pretty much re-hashes from the console games, it is still  a pretty strong track listing all the same. I’m just not sure that I am really interested in playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero without a guitar peripheral. Even the DS has the little attachment that fakes it pretty well, but you never know, this game could turn out quite well.

Joystiq has some new details on Madden 10, straight from EA Tiburon themselves. Below is a quote from their article, and there’s a video you can view over at the site as well (link at the end of the post):

One of the biggest improvements to the game is the Pro-Tak feature, which provides more dynamic tackling on the defense, better evasion maneuvers for the Quarterback, and allows players to fight for fumbles at the bottom of the pile. Defenders can even gang up on an offensive player, allowing up to 9-man gang tackles. 

There will also be a new way for you to decrease the length of a game through the Madden NFL Your Way feature. This is a customizable version of the game that will support a new, revamped play calling system, along with faster clocks, and streamlined presentation.

New features are good and all, but upping the cheese factor of quarterbacks sounds dangerous to me. If anything, quarterbacks need to go down easier in NFL games, because too many people abuse the rollout plays with mobile quarterbacks. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to running anywhere with Pennington no matter how many jukes they give him. I hope that fumble fighting deal is super transparent as well. I don’t want to see issues where like six players from one team jump on a fumble only to have the opposing team’s kicker hop on top of the pile only to emerge with the ball. I never realized that there were issues with the fumble recovery system, but whatever.

I really hope that EA Sports isn’t going to sweat out the stuff that nobody really ever has cared about. I’d be very happy if we just got a fun to play game that isn’t plagued by glaring issues in the  passing or running games. But wait, if our fumble scrums are accurate I guess it would be all dandy, right?!

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/29/madden-nfl-10-to-feature-new-pro-tak-mode-faster-ways-to-play/

In response to the release of the DSi, Sony’s PR wonder (or is that blunder?) team sent out releases to a variety of gaming outlets that attempted to sway journalists to see the DSi in a particular light. Here is how the release reads:

If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the “kids” market that they’ve always engaged, there isn’t much new with the DSi to support that. Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored, and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi. Compare that with the PSP platform, where we have many blockbuster franchises from our publishing partners launching this year, representing a wide variety of genres and targeting diverse demographics. Games such as Rock Band Unplugged from MTV Games, Assassin’s Creed from Ubisoft, Dissidia Final Fantasy from Square Enix, and Hannah Montana from Disney demonstrate the commitment that publishers have to the PSP. From our own first-party studios, we’re launching unique versions of LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm, and we’re also planning a steady stream of downloadable games — both new titles and PSone classics — to add to the content that PSP owners can already purchase wirelessly through PlayStation Store.

There’s a lot of things wrong with what Sony has said there, but the act itself is more concerning than the actual message. Why send this out to journalists? Is it going to be received in any other manner than just outright mockery? Is anybody actually going to create their own stories supporting this sort of nonsense? Well, if you’re not a Sony dedicated fan site, then the answer is no. The DS is by far recognized as much more of a hardcore platform than the PSP, and that’s not something that Sony can change with a silly little press release. To their dismay, it’s also known as a far better platform for mainstream releases. It’s a shame, because I really try and like my PSP, but honestly I pull it out and play it once every 6 months for maybe an hour or two. There are good games on the PSP, but they are buried under generic and watered down console ports or remakes. The PSP has no unique flavor to its library, and until it gets one, software sales are going to continue to be terrible.

I think it’s time that Sony makes an appointment with a shrink or two, they’ve clearly got a severe inferiority complex that they’re dealing with right now. I guess this can happen when for the first time ever you find yourself behind in all aspects of the gaming hardware and software wars.

Ok, so I think we can officially stop making fun of Nintendo for their hardware revisions (GameBoy Advance –> GBA SP –> GB Micro, DS –> DS Lite) and crown Sony as the new kings of the revisionary step forward. Coming next year Sony is going to release the fourth revision of the PSP hardware, according to an article that appeared on Eurogamer. The article also statest that a PSP successor is in the works and that software development is already in progress. Here’s a quote from the article itself:

Publishing sources, speaking to Eurogamer, were unable to provide any further detail on next year’s update, which will presumably follow this year’s PSP-3000 in taking an iterative approach. The PSP-3000 launched this October and followed a 2000-series model, the first Slim & Lite, in September 2007.

Even fewer details were available on the PSP successor, but we’re told that developers are already working on games.

I think the PSP needs to start getting some good games, and it needs to happen quickly. I know that piracy is a big issue on the system and developers are shying away from allocating a lot of resources there, but Sony can go a long way toward proving the handheld’s worth by increasing their software output. I really, really, want to love my PSP, but the truth of the matter is that I don’t play it very much because there isn’t a whole lot to experience on the handheld these days. The PSP does sell well, so it’s got a future, but the software issue needs to get fixed immediately. I would think that that would be a bigger priority than another hardware revision at this point.

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=343940

Sony will be releasing a new model of PSP this year, which will incorporate a better LCD screen, a built-in microphone, and a PS button, much like the one found on the PS3 controller. The handheld will also have more rounded and smooth edges than previous models. Reports are coming that the new LCD screen is vastly superior to older models, boasting a response time that’s twice as fast, brighter and more colorful images, a better contrast ratio, a wider color range, and an anti-reflective coating. The new model has been announced for Europe, but surely announcements for Japan and the US will shortly follow. The new model is going to cost roughly $50 more than the current PSP model.

For the price, I don’t know if it’s worth upgrading a current model PSP, but if you don’t have a PSP yet, it’s definitely worth waiting for these new ones to come out before getting one. Let’s see if Nintendo counters any time soon with their rumored DS upgrade/follow up system.

I know how you like ‘em…sloppy!

-Sony show starts off with a crazy montage of video and noise
-some games are out, some are yet to be released
-In the first 30 seconds, they’ve already shown more than Nintendo did
-PS3, PSP, and PSN all represented in opening video

Jack Tretton (man, this guy is unbearable)
-He always seems nice, but he’s got the personality of tin foil
-PlayStation brand hitting its stride
-Seeds for PlayStation brand laid 15 years ago this week
-Sony took a longer look ahead when making their consoles, wanted 10 year life spans for consoles
-2 years into PSOne life cyclce, biggest hits still a year or more away
-Saying PS3 is primed to hit its stride
-PS3 drove Blu-ray format to victory
-Cell processor used to power supercomputers
-Folding at Home set a Guiness World Record
-More about how powerful the PS3 is
-The PS3 is most complete Blu-ray player
-I’m getting antsy, we know you have the games, Sony. We get it, the PS3 is powerful
-PlayStation in 2008 “all about software”
-Exclusive games make up the consumer’s mind

Resistance 2
-As expected,it looks stunning graphically
-Enemy is a massive monster…size of Godzilla
-The player is ducking into a building for cover and taking shots when possible at the monster
-It’s hard to describe this, it just looks fantastic and intense
-Set in 1953, America
-Chicago is a setting, border states under attack
-8 player online co-op
-60 player online competitive modes
-Game going for huge scale
-Twin Falls, Idaho level shown in a new trailer

Little Big Planet
-Sackboy dressed in Celtics gear
-LBP used to show charts off…much better than Powerpoint
-The game just looks so awesome
-The audience is definitely digging this manner of presentation
-In 2008, Sony will distribute official in Latin America
-10 million PS3s and 15 million PSPs are the sales goals for the year
-PS3 Greatest Hits starting this year at $29.99 (Resistance, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Call of Duty 3, Fight Night, Need for Speed Carbon, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Assassin’s Creed, Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden Sigma)
-LBP set to appeal to all demographics

PlayStation 2
-Success of PS2 allowed Sony to be more agressive with PS3
-More than 130 titles for PS2 in 2008
-Video montage showing upcoming games
-EA Sports stuff, Star Wars, Warriors orochi 2, Singstar, Yakuza 2, Mercenaries 2
-Buzz hits PS2, PS3, and PSP this year
-PS2 is perfect entry level system, new bundle to support that. Comes with Lego Batman (game) and Justice League: New Frontiers on DVD (film)

PlayStation Network
-All PlayStation users will have a unified id
-PSN to drive online social interaction between platforms
-Over 180 million downloads so far on PSN

Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty
-Shorter game, lower price
-Continuation of Ratchet and Clank Future storyline
-Looks very much like Tools of Destruction, but with some neat new abilities
-Ratchet’s wrench has new functionality
-$14.99 price
-Out “this summer”

PSN video montage being shown
-R&C: Quest for Booty, Crash Commando, Fat Princess, Pixel Junk Eden, Pain: Amusement Park, Flower, Siren: Blood Curse (scary as all get out), Ragdoll Kung Fu
-The games looked pretty good, overall

Gran Turismo TV
-Added to GT5: Prologue
-Free and pay-per-view distribution of shows
-Some original programming produced by Polyphony Digital
-In-depth looks at industry-related locations
-Behind the scenes footage of races, business, etc.
-Seems like a huge undertaking for a single game release…crazy stuff
-Top Gear part of the distribution

-Trophies part of gameplay and community strategy

PlayStation Home
-Games, film, video, music, and branded content all in one place
-Game specific spaces from developers and publishers
-Video showing home functionality
-Still looks like Second Life + Xbox Live to me…
-Game-specific spaces are themed areas related to a certain game

-Full length movies and shows through PSN
-Available in both rental and buy, SD or HD
-$1.99 per TV episode, $9.99-$14.99 movie purchases
-Same price as a disc-based release? Stupid!
-If downloaded on PS3, can be played on PSP
-Live demo of store
-This is unbearably boring to watch, just tell us it works on move on!
-seriously, PAINFUL
-Cloverfield $14.99 for SD purchase. HAH! Good luck selling that.
-Service will be available tonight…actually pretty impressive
-New titles each week

PSP
-PSP Slim caused sales to jump a lot
-13 million sold in North America, 35 million worldwide
-New PSP pack coming along with Madden Pack. Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters pack, 1 Gig stick, PSN Voucher for Echochrome, National Treasure 2 on UMD for $199.99

Resistance Retribution
-Battle for Europe
-Looks very nice graphically
-Explores the mystery of the Chimera a bit deeper
-3rd person action title
-Looks like Gears of War a bit
-Out in Spring 2009

PSP video montage
-Loco Roco 2, Patapon 2 (eff off, Fever Mode), Star Wars Force Unleashed, Madden 2009, NBA 09: The Inside, Super Stardust Portable, Lego Batman, Buzz Quiz Master, Valkyria Chronicles

PlayStation 3
-Google a partner with PS3
-Dedicated PS3 channel on YouTube
-Life With Playstion…news, weather, etc.

DC Universe Online
-Jim Lee out to demo the game
-3 years in development
-Create a character, help heroes or villains in classic situations
-Woah, characters models look great for the heroes
-Looks good, but the combat looks a little jittery (typical of MMOs)
-MMOs aren’t my thing, but this could be big

-80GB PS3 will be launced with same functionality of 40GB (read: No BC support) for $399.99

-Video montage of developer/publisher testimonials about PS3 and Blu-ray
-Most of them sound like they’re finally happy the PS3 architecture
-Happy about built-in hard drive
-Happy about storage space with Blu-ray
-Yadda, yadda, yadda

PS3 video montage
-Little Big Planet, Motorstorm: Pacific Drift, MGS 4, QUantum of Solace, SOCOM: Confrontation, Ghostbusters, Soul Calibur IV, Resistance 2, the Agency, Naruto: Storm, Mirror’s Edge, Resident Evil 5, Singstar, Guitar Hero: World Tour, NBA 09: The Inside, Buzz: Quiz TV, Killzone 2, Fallout 3

God of War III
-PS3 release (duh)
-Trailer shows pre-rendered stuff, no gameplay

inFamous
-Save or destroy entire city
-Be a hero or anti-hero
-Looks like a much better Crackdown
-Spring 2009

MAG: Massive Action Game
-Huge online battles
-Supports battles of 256 players
-Only real players in the game
-Players will be broken into squads
-Character growth provide long-term goals
-Ongoing campaigns, even when you’re not playing (like Chromehounds)
-Despite the scale, it looks graphically strong
-Vehicles, soldiers are everywhere
-Tough to tell if this is all real-time footage seems to be a mix of real and pre-rendered
-Reinforcements air dropped as trailer closes out
-Squads are 8 players each

That’s the show! A better showing than we got from Nintendo, and arguably better than Microsoft as well. Check for reaction on the blog via our nightly podcasts.