One thing that drives me crazy is the insistence that many people have to refer to mobile games as iOS versions of a game. They’ll be talking about Assassin’s Creed or Call of Duty and say, “there’s an iOS companion app for the game as well.” Yeah, there is, but it’s not limited to iOS. Many times the app is available for Android and Windows Phone 7/8 as well. Heck, most times it’s available for at least one other platform than iOS.

The people doing this are being irresponsible. It would be no different than a reporter mentioning that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was now available…for Xbox 360. Yes, it is, but it’s also available for PC, PS3, and Wii U. Multiconsole development became a standard quite a while ago. Only when we have an exclusive app do we mention the platform, and mobile development should be no different.

So why is this an issue, exactly? Well, I’m very well informed when it comes to the gaming industry, but often news sources can fail us. It’s impossible to get news from the original source every time, so I rely on podcasters, editors, and even word of mouth from peers. When these people are saying, “out for iOS” by default simply because they own an iPhone, they’re being misleading, even if it is unintentional. As a specific example, I saw many prominent gaming media members discuss the availability of Xbox Smartglass for iOS, and I figured that the Android version must be coming lately. Finally, a few days later I decided to just search for it on the Google Play Store, and there it was.

Call them whatever you want, “mobile apps/games” or “apps for phones and tablets” or whatever you want; but please, use a term that is inclusive, not exclusive. We’ll all be better informed, and we’ll all be doing our job better.

I’m kind of pissed off. The early reviews for Assassin’s Creed 3 did not talk enough about how buggy this game is. There passing mentions of a little rough edge here and there, but by in large, not enough was said about how flat out buggy and glitched up the game would be. As of right now, there are five perfect scores for the game. Well you know what? That perfect score went right out the window for me within the first two hours when the following things happened:

• A weapon that an enemy dropped got “stuck” about 15 feet in the air and I couldn’t pick it up (I needed it badly)
• A mission critical enemy fell through the ground and I couldn’t reach him
• I got stuck on the environment and had to quit/reload
• My horse got stuck in the environment and I had to dismount and walk to my destination
• And what you see below happened a few times…

Sony has a long history of horrible ad campaigns, especially in Europe. Yes, they do make some good ones, most notably the Michael ad, but far too often they leave their fanbase blushing in embarrassment and their target audience scratching their heads in confusion. The latest ad is definitely a case where blushing and confusion are running rampant.

Earlier today, a thread popped up over on NeoGAF with an image that shows Sony’s latest print ad for the Vita. The ad is currently running in France, and when translated reads: “Two touch surfaces, twice the sensation.” The quote is accompanied by a woman with four breasts. Seriously. You can see the ad below (click to enlarge).

Not only is the ad stupid and lacking in content that would compel anybody to pick up a Vita based on its available software, it’s also highly demeaning and gross. Not only are you alienating women with the approach, you’re also implying that breasts are nothing more than a plaything for horny men. It’s subtle, but by cutting the head of the woman out of the ad, they’re not even hiding the fact that a gamer would have no interest in the woman as a person, it’s just important that she has a nice pair (of pairs) of breasts.

And really, it’s also undermining the Vita too. Hey, who cares about software and the personality of the library, it feels good to rub! That’s all you guys want, a good rub, right?

You can do better Sony. Your fans and the industry deserve better than this.

Geoff Keighley appeared in an interview with PixelPerfectMag on YouTube and talked a little bit about some upcoming games…especially Halo 4 and its partner programs with Mountain Dew and Doritos. And boy did Mountain Dew and Doritos get some play. Now, there’s nothing wrong with sponsorship in gaming, but that should be between the video game publisher and the product maker. When gaming journalists step in and decide to take part in that relationship, everybody is going to cry foul.

I don’t have any doubts about Geoff Keighley’s ability to do his job well. I don’t think he’s been dishonest in the past, but when you see him, or anybody else for that matter, sitting in a room surrounded by promotional material, it’s not a stretch to start thinking that their viewpoint might begin to skew in favor of those sponsors just a little bit. Take a look at the video below, and I’ll give my reaction and explain why this could have been approached in a much better way.

Geoff is seated around a bunch of promotional material. That’s the first and last thing you’ll notice when watching this clip. It looks bad. The thing is, if Geoff agreed to talk about the Dew/Doritos XP program, that’s fine, but they shouldn’t have disguised it as a simple interview. They should have presented it as a sponsored segment. Secondly, it could have been presented in a more detached manner. Remove the marketing materials. All they’re doing is evoking thoughts of Wayne’s World’s sellout bit. They look cheap and forced. Talk about the program, be upfront that a deal has been made to promote it, and don’t try and act like you’re just interested in talking about Mountain Dew and Doritos because they’re such fine products.

When talking about Halo 4 or the Dew XP program, all Geoff would have said to make this go down easier would have been, “and I want to talk about this DewXP and Halo 4 stuff. I’ve been lucky enough to be asked by Mountain Dew and 343 Industries to discuss it with you.” Doing that, it would have been received so much better. By disguising it as a journalistic segment between an online magazine and a journalist, this whole segment comes across as gross, insulting, and kind of sad.

Let’s not move this direction, people. Let’s learn from this misstep and separate coverage from promotion with clear, bold lines. When we neglect to do so, especially with a respected member of the games journalism community, the reactions that arise are damaging to our industry and to our attempts to be taken seriously by the gamer community.

First, let me say thanks to Sony for providing a review code for Papo & Yo. The game is great, and it’s something I’ve been highly anticipating since E3 2011, when I first saw the game. Ok, now that I’ve said that, let me whine for a bit.

The PSN is terrible. It’s absolutely awful. I’d rather get nut punched by a kangaroo than have to sit and wait for a game to download from Sony’s slow-as-molasses network. I have a 20Mbs Internet connection that works great for watching movies, playing games, streaming media, downloading files, and even for uploading poorly edited YouTube videos. It’s awesome for everything, aside from one thing. Downloading games from the PSN Store.

The 1.3GB file for Papo & Yo took over 11 hours to download. I started it around 7:00pm, and when I went to bed at 1:30am, it was not even 2/3 of the way done yet. I got up the next morning just after 6:00am and checked the status. It had 12 minutes to go. I’m not alone on this, either. Most of my friends who have PS3s complain about the same thing.

If Sony fixes only ONE thing going into the next generation, it has to be the ability to deliver content digitally to their console. My Vita downloads faster, though it’s still a fraction of the speed of what my Xbox 360 or even Wii can do. Sony is the company that is working the hardest to push digitally delivered content on their consoles, but the experience is terrible.

Get it together Sony. Please. For the children.

Fez was a game that took years to develop and it enjoyed a strong amount of hype leading up to its release. For those waiting on the game, the wait felt long and painful, but finally the game hit on April 13, 2012. Gamers purchased Fez in droves, and although neither Microsoft nor Polytron released sales numbers, we do know that it sold over 100,000 copies in the early going. All seemed well, but it didn’t take long for people to start finding bugs, glitches, and hiccups in the Fez experience.

And then Polytron patched Fez.

With the patch that Polytron released for Fez, many of the bugs, crashes, and performance issues were resolved, but for a small number of gamers out there, the patch corrupted save files. The only fix was to completely abandon progress and start over, which has proven to be a tough pill to swallow by those affected.

When it became clear that the patch was problematic, Polytron pulled the patch and promised a better fix. The promise, however, would never be fulfilled. After going the rounds of negotiation with Microsoft, Phil Fish, owner/founder of Polytron decided that he’d rather not pony up the cash it costs to issue a second patch (first patch is free, second patch costs money) and just tell those who were affected by the bug, myself included, that they’d have to dump their progress and start the game over.

Well, I don’t want to start over. I don’t feel like I should have to start over. I feel like if you’re going to publish a game on a major platform that you owe it to your supporters to make sure that they get a bug free experience. Phil ranted about how it was expensive to issue a patch. So what, Phil? Fix the game and put out that patch. Eat the money.

What irks me almost as much as my flawed save file is that Phil complained about Microsoft and how it was so terrible that he would be faced with this fee. Cry me a river, Phil. YOU CHOSE TO SIGN AN EXCLUSIVE DEAL WITH MICROSOFT, DON’T TURN AROUND AND WHINE ABOUT IT LATER. Phil has gone on record saying that the exclusivity deal has been a nightmare. Yeah, I bet it sucked having Microsoft market your game aggressively for you, right Phil? I bet it sucked having prime real estate on the Xbox dashboard.

Phil likes to paint himself as a victim, but he knew what he was getting into when he signed the exclusivity agreement. He put out a game that was bugged and then issued a patch that had even worse bugs. If Phil says he was unaware of any potential problems when signing an exclusivity agreement, it was because he was blinded by dollar signs.

And Phil has a history of being a total douchebag. He’s put down PC gamers, media outlets, Microsoft (who offered to work with him on the patch issue and he kicked dust and cried instead), Japanese developers, and his former business partner who was by all accounts horribly misrepresented in Indie Game: The Movie on the account of Phil’s one-sided account of things. All these things could be swallowed until he burned his consumers to save a few bucks, which is often an unforgivable sin in retail.

Well, that’s it. I’m not ever giving Polytron another penny. If they want to make things right, I’ll reconsider, but I have a habit of not dealing with companies that wrong me and then make no attempt to make it right even though it’s fully within their means to do so. Maybe I’m alone, I don’t know, but I just think that Phil Fish’s stance is childish, disrespectful, and greedy.

Seriously. I mean, I love when a person has an opinion on something. I also like when that person shares their opinion, even if I don’t agree, because it makes for good discussion. But when you’re in a position of authority, I think it’s entirely irresponsible to pick a target and just needle it incessantly. And this needling is exactly what Ben Kuchera has done over Ouya.

For those not familiar, Ouya is a Kickstarter-funded (still in funding as of now) gaming console that runs on Android. Ouya is aiming to create their own marketplace while creating a console that is easy to customize (hack), easy to set up, and cheap to purchase. Several developers have shown interest, and the team involved in the project includes some impressive names. For $99 you can get in on the Kickstarter and get a console with a wireless controller. It sounds nice if it all pans out, but nobody is sure quite yet how it’s all going to come together. What is clear, however, is that there’s a large group of interested people who are willing to put their money down and gamble on the device. Right now, the project has over 40,000 backers and has raised over $5.1 million dollars. Seems like there’s some good excitement out there.

But don’t look towards Ben Kuchera if you are seeking nods of approval.

Over the past week, Ben has gone on a personal crusade against the little upstart. He seems to have a daily tweet quota where he whines about the number of people backing it, how much money is going into the project, what questions are left unanswered, and even goes as far as to whine about “what if” scenarios the he creates himself. It’s crazy.

Now, Ben is fine to be cautious. Anybody who puts money into Kickstarter should always be cautious to some degree, but he’s crossed a line with his fervor. Ben has used his standing at the PA Report to write up reasons why you should pull your money or keep from pitching in. He’s tweeted out all kinds of reasons why you’re foolish to hope for anything good to come from Ouya. And the worst part of it all, it seems to be rooted in his disdain for Android. For evidence of that, look at his earliest criticisms where he basically asks, “who would want an Android device?”

Ben, nobody is asking you to support Ouya, but I am asking you to find a lower horse to sit on with this one. It’s not your place to single out a Kickstarter project and rain all over it. There are literally hundreds of destined to fail projects on Kickstarter right now, so why pick just this one? Why choose the fastest growing Kickstarter of all time? Sure, Ouya may fail, but people who are pitching in aren’t too concerned about that. They’re backing the concept. People are proclaiming that they want an open console and they want something affordable and customized. While Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and Apple release devices that are extremely locked down (or even lose features over time), people are ready to embrace something affordable and open.

Ben is a smart guy. Ben is a great reporter. But in this case, Ben needs to chill out and stop acting like he’s exposed the Illuminati and it’s his mission in life to warn everybody else away. Ouya may fail, and Ben might be right, but for many backers, they won’t care. Ouya might be a huge success, and that would be a great thing, so why can’t we just let them keep climbing the ladder without stomping on their fingers?

If you’re interested in Ouya, you can find the Kickstarter project page here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console

Do you ever get advice from someone who is qualified to give it, but you’re not capable of acting those suggestions? If so, you know it can be frustrating, if not, you can probably imagine how it might be. With an increased amount of scrunity on games journalists lately, there’s been a big focus on improving the content being produced by major video game news and reviews outlets. Some prominent writers often hand out freebie bits of advice through Twitter, blogs, and podcast, all with the hope of helping less experienced or skilled writers to raise their quality of writing.

The problem is, many of these tips are impossible to achieve for your average newcomer.

Last week, an editor that works with quite a few freelance writers began to vent a bit. Other writers and editors chimed in and either echoed statements or added to the list of dos or do nots. Some of the tips were quite helpful, such as common cliches to avoid or how to abandon old standards that make you look dated. Some tips focused on things that seem clever, but are actually annoying or disingenuous. But then some gems got dropped that left me shaking my head a bit.

One editor told writers the differentiate themselves by picking up the phone and talking to sources to get their own quotes rather than reporting on existing quotes from reports posted on sites. It’s good information, but few writers who are just getting started have the talking heads at Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and the big publishers on speed dial. In fact, getting that information can be a bit difficult, and some companies dislike being contacted by site owners or writers that have no established history of communication. It’s a solid tip, but it’s not that helpful for a writer that lacks the resources or clout to act on it.

Another tip, well intentioned but misguided, was that small site owners need to do their own independent fact checking. Much like the previous tip, this is simply a near impossible task for small outlets. Over at Gamer Theory, we’re at the point where we can contact a publisher and get a timely response, but it wasn’t always like that. It used to be that we’d contact a company to verify something and we’d not hear anything back. If we did get a response, it would be a quick note that someone might get back to us if they get time. By the time we’d hear anything, the news cycle had turned over and the story no longer mattered.

I love that certain writers are engaging their audience and providing tips for hungry writers. It’s great that they do this, but there needs to be some recongnition as to what a helpful tip would be for someone with limited resources. At times I think we forget what it’s like to be a startup or a newcomer on the scene. We expect everybody to have the power of a major network behind them, when that’s simply not the case.

And really, those tips are still worth putting out there, but they should be accompanied with some understanding. Too often these tips are followed up with a remark that includes criticism of those not practicing them. That criticism is only fair if the writer is capable of acting on the advice, but then chooses not to. When a writer’s hands are shackled, it’s really quite rude to offer them an ice cream cone before the key.

Until we get better access to PR and industry influencers for smaller outlets, it’s time to stop expecting more from the lesser established writers out there. Yes, feed them with “tips from the pros”, but reserve the criticism for them until they’re ready to act on it. All you do is sow discouragement and make the writer question whether or not they’re fit continue writing for this industry.

Update: With a furious last push, Republique was successfully funded. Congratulations to Camouflaj and Logan Games. Now, make us a game worthy of all the attention the project has been receiving.

Republique is a game being developed by Camouflaj and Logan Games for iOS, PC, and Mac. It aims to be a higher quality gaming experience on the mobile scene. I’m a backer, but I have to admit that I’m not terribly excited by the project as it looks a bit hokey to me. I’m just supporting the project because I like to see developers try something a little different, and for me, $10 is a pretty small price to pay to support new ideas. I am getting a little bothered, however, by the constant evangelizing of the project from the gaming press.

Ryan Payton is the founder of Camouflaj studios. For those unfamiliar with Ryan’s background, he’s gone from games journalist to working in the game industry as a developer. After his time with 1up and Famitsu, Ryan had the chance to work on some high profile projects, including Metal Gear Solid 3 & 4 and Halo 4. Last year Ryan left 343 Industries to found Camouflaj, where he could start up mobile game development on iOS. Due to his roots as a journalist, Ryan has a lot of friends spread around the games journalism scene, and the overwhelming support from the press for his Kickstarter is a direct result of those relationships.

I don’t have a problem with anybody giving a quick shout out to a friend’s project or even a little encouragement to check out what a colleague is doing. But this whole Republique banner waving is getting a little gross. I feel as if we, the readers of these video game sites and blogs, are being held captive to their evangelizing. We don’t even know if the game is going to be any good, and every time you turn around, another major media outlet is reiterating how you should be donating or increasing your current donation to the Republique Kickstarter fund. Shacknews, Giant Bomb, Joystiq, etc. are all over this pitch, and barely a day goes by without a mention hitting the podcast or news feeds.

I don’t think that reporters are totally conscious of how heavy handed they’re being. I don’t think they realize how biased they appear. Many of the people constantly reminding us about Camouflaj through their stories, Twitter updates, Facebook statuses, and podcast mentions are some of my favorite journalists and editors in the industry. I just think that the nepotism that we show for fellow games journalist brothers (or former members of the media) is getting to the point where lines are being crossed.

I think an editor, podcast host, or reporter should be able to give a mention to the stuff that they love, but I don’t think they should act as bannermen, pledging loyalty to a product. If Camouflaj wants the exposure, they should buy it through marketing efforts. Not everybody with a good idea is lucky enough to have come from the ranks of games journalism, and it’s unfair to them (and to readers of the site) that certain projects get constant attention ahead of their own for no significant reason.

There are only three days left on the Republique Kickstarter, and it’s pretty obvious that the project won’t be funded. Everybody who pitched in will get their money back, but the profile on the project has been raised so much that when the game eventually makes its way to release via alternative funding, most of its marketing push will already have been established and “paid for” through free mentions and articles on many of gaming’s largest news and opinion outlets.

I hope Camouflaj puts out a good game. I hope that they find themselves successful as a studio, but I don’t think it’s our burden to ensure that they are.

Jessica Nigri was asked to leave the PAX East show floor on day 2. The reason for her dismissal from the show had to do with her choice of outfit as she portrayed Juliet Starling, the protagonist from the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw game. Jessica Nigri has been portraying Juliet Starling for a while now after she won an online contest to see who could make the best Juliet. She’s attended events dressed up as Juliet, but at PAX East she really came out in something meant to turn heads. But there’s a problem, PAX often has kids running around, and no doubt their heads were among those turning and fixating on her attire.

Initially Jessica was asked to change her outfit, which she did, and she put back on the same outfit that Juliet Starling wears in Lollipop Chainsaw by default. This outfit is basically your standard sexy cheerleader suit, with the short skit and the low cut top. Even this change, however, was not enough for the PAX East crew, and they asked her if she could wear a more conservative top. In the end, Jessica left the show floor on day 2. Below is the image of the outfits worn by Jessica at the show.

Jessica Nigri as Juliet Starling from Lollipop Chainsaw at PAX East 2012

Personally, I don’t have a problem with PAX East asking Jessica to either change her outfit or leave. I know that many cosplayers are roaming the show floor in somewhat revealing outfits at times, but it’s different when you’re dealing with an exhibitor. PAX East is different from E3, where the show is locked down and no children under 18 are allowed into the show, even under adult supervision. And while Jessica’s outfit isn’t going to harm anybody or turn them into any sort of deviant, I have to respect Penny Arcade for working hard to create a family friendly atmosphere, even if it’s not the most popular stance to take.