One More Level

Suprise! Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead is a Smash Hit

HeinreichS — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:52:30 +0000

By Heinreich T. Sioson

If you’re a fan of Robert Kirkman‘s The Walking Dead franchise then you should be both happy and unsurprised that Telltale Games’ first episode of their episodic The Walking Dead series has sold well over one million copies across the PC, Mac, PlayStation Network, and Xbox LIVE Arcade. According to a recent press release, this is the fastest-selling game series to have ever come out of Telltale Games’ talented studio.

The very first episode, entitled A New Day, was at the top of the sales charts for both the PlayStation Network and Steam’s digital distribution service. It was also the #1 best-selling title for Xbox LIVE Arcade for two weeks straight. The second entry into the series, called Starved for Help, is set to come out on all the aforementioned platforms some time in June. Not figured into the one million sales count is the iOS version which will be coming out in the summer.

More zombies!

Dan Connors, CEO of Telltale Games, had something to say regarding the series’ popularity:

Premiering The Walking Dead game series to record numbers across so many diverse platforms is a tremendous achievement that shows the value of bringing strong storytelling and game play together. The tailored narrative design puts gamers in control of their own story within the universe of The Walking Dead in a way that appeals equally to hardcore gamers and to more casual gamers who are fans of the franchise. The most exciting aspect of getting off to such a great start is that this is just the beginning of the five episode series. The Walking Dead fans are going to experience some really great moments in the months ahead that are uniquely influenced by the choices they make throughout the season.

Like you guys, we are chomping at the bit for the next episode to come out. Until then, check out this accolades video released for the first episode.

Considering the quality of the game we aren’t surprised that this guy has sold well. Our own Christine Melgarejo wrote a stellar review for the first episode of The Walking Dead (link here). Be sure to stay tuned here for more gaming news with bite!

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Battle-Freud: The Link Between Personality and Gameplay

AngeloB — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:03:38 +0000

By Angelo Baute

If you ever wondered if who you are as a person reflects how you play a game, you might be interested in what you’re about to read. A research project called “PsyOps: Battlefield 3 CLASSIFIED” is trying to find if there’s a link between personality and play style. Check out the video outlining the study’s premise.

Aside from the intense music and dramatic readings of The Art of War, I was really intrigued about this study. I think Battlefield 3 is a great choice to a conduct research project based on gameplay. First, it is a very popular game, meaning there’s a great pool of subjects from a variety of geographical locations on whom to conduct research. While I assume most of the people playing Battlefield 3 are your typical 18-34 male demographic, it is possible to get a sizable group to represent the female gamer from 6 million active gamers (right…?).

Second, there are tons of tracked statistics for the game, like weapon statistics, k/d ratios, and SPM, that provide a great foundation for baseline data. Personally for me, this has been one of the most appealing aspect of the Battlefield series. I love statistics, turning those stats into charts and graphs, noticing trends and comparing myself to other players. I often visit bf3stats.com, which is basically a stat-obsessed BF3 player’s wet dream, and it was actually from their website that I heard about this research project. In fact, they’re collaborating with PsyOps by providing the gameplay data for the study.

Lastly, among the numerous military FPS’s out there, Battlefield 3 is the one game where one’s personality could shine through. It’s a fast-paced game of rock-paper-scissors and a very thoughtful game of chess in really competitive matches. There are different classes, vehicles, and weapons with many different possible loadouts and it is this level of customization that can allow for people to find their own play style.

The test, which was basically the Meyer-Briggs Personality Test, consists of 100 questions and scored you on the strengths of five categories: Intellect/Imagination, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Emotional Stability. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to contribute to science so I took the test and here were my results:

No huge surprises really, especially regarding my introversion (I am a nerd so….). The report also gave a more detailed description of each trait, as well as what the researchers hope to find. For example, they predict snipers tend to posses less intellect/imagination (true) and people who play the objective more tend to be more conscientious (debatable).

The researchers will start analyzing the date next month, and will publicly announce the results (which means the “CLASSIFIED” part of their research name means nothing). If you would like to learn more about the project, the details of each trait, or even participate by taking the test, visit the website at psyopsresearch.com.

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Retro Revisits: Bushido Blade

HeinreichS — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:02:57 +0000

By Heinreich T. Sioson

Anyone remember this realistic fighting game from Square? Bushido Blade puts you in the shoes of a bunch of hand-to-hand combatants that can arm themselves with a number of swords, spears, and even a sledgehammer. What made this fighting game much different than pretty much every other fighting game at the time it came out for the original PS1 in 1997 was its unique and innovative Body Damage System. For example, severely wounding an opponents arm(s) would slow their swing or disable it altogether. The same goes with hitting an opponent’s leg or legs. Hell, you can even one-shot a person within the first 5-10 seconds of the first round by a well-aimed blow to their head.

I remember having a blast playing this game with my cousins. Matches usually consisted of us running around like idiots trying to recreate various samurai/ninja movies where we’d charge one another and see who could unleash the killing slash first. We’d have a ton of laughs and my favorite moments where when we’d both kill each other in the process. Sometimes one of us would be “dishonorable” and toss a throwing knife at the other as we ran headlong into each other.

God I loved this game! Two sequels were released for Bushido Blade – one for the PS1 and the other for the PS2 called Kengo: Master of Bushido – but my fond memories were of this classic PS1 title.

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Diablo III Login Error 37 Killing Gameplay Time

MattC — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:04:03 +0000

By Matt Conlin

Okay, so everyone knows with an online multiplayer you’re going to have some issues logging in when the server is busy. On launch day it’s going to be even more exaggerated a frustration. Hence we get one more bit of game news: Diablo III’s launch left trouble for many trying to access the game. Being immensely popular (its predecessors triumphed as fan favorites by Blizzard), it makes sense the servers would overload.

What fans got was a login screen error claiming, “Error. The servers are busy at this time. Please try again later. (Error 37),” at which point you were supposed to clock the ginormous “OK” button and wait patiently. The armies of international and domestic gamers waiting to play this game then turned focus on tweeting @BlizzardCS and @Diablo to see if the problem would be resolved. They were met with simply these messages:

According to Blizzard, the 200,000 UK players trying to login within the first 30 minutes was still less than the beta opening. Regardless, the servers did not bode well and with the US servers opening, the problem only persisted. In the end, Blizzard took down all websites and forums in an effort to allow users to access the online video game through the free resources. There is yet no plan of action should you be having login trouble, but the customer support lines are willing to here out any gripes 24/7 as well as on their members site, Battle.net. Lesson to be learned: patience is a virtue, fellow gamers.

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Behold Screens & Info for The Last Story

HeinreichS — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:41:45 +0000

By Heinreich T. Sioson

Many hardcore RPG fans have been looking for something to play on their Wii that will satiate their cravings. Well, this summer you are in for a real treat with the Wii-exclusive The Last Story. From the mind of Hironobu Sakaguchi – the creator of the Final Fantasy series – and legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu comes a Japanese RPG that Wii owners have been waiting for.

Set in the war torn Empire, you step into the shoes of fortune-seeker Zael, an orphaned man whose parents were killed during one of the many conflicts that have destroyed the land. Zael steps onto Lazulis Island in hopes of finding fame and fortune for him and his band. It is during this time that Zael catches the eye of the island’s ruler, Count Arganan. If Zael and his crew can successfully complete all the tasks given to him by the Count, they may find themselves knighted for their service. It is during one of these missions that he discovers a power that will change his life forever.

The Last Story will use a real-time battle system involving team-based tactics that include destroying the environments, taking cover, using skills and spells, and more. 2-6 players can connect online for both cooperative and competitive play. The game boasts a large world with over 30 sidequests to complete and the “Seek” ability to find hidden items in the world. You may be able to find well over 40 coloring dyes to customize your armor as you see fit.

Interested in The Last Story yet? You should be. Be sure to stay tuned for more info before its release in Summer 2012 for the Wii.

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Retro Revisits: Final Fantasy VIII

MattC — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:59:37 +0000

By Matt Conlin

When Final Fantasy VIII came out I was in fifth grade. I had happily expected this release having already played VII and loved it. I remember liking it but not as much as its predecessor so I decided to give it another play this past week. It’s much better than I remember it being.

VIII follows the story of Squall Leonhart, a military student in training as he tries to discover his past and stop a war between nations. Pretty epic, huh? What makes this game story more intriguing than VII and VI is that it doesn’t really have one planetary destroyer villain throughout the majority of the game. It’s a war between people that creates most of the tension. Yes, there are some nasty leaders– Edea being the first you meet.

What also makes this Final Fantasy more interesting than the previous video games in the series is that it cuts back and forth between two protagonists– you get a side story with a guy named Laguna Loire that eventually ties into the main plot toward the end.

In terms of the graphics, they don’t hold up too fantastically in comparison to the 2D sprites, but it was a landmark decision by Square (now SquareEnix, or as it is more commonly called, “Squeenix”) to make accurately proportionate characters. Also, it had a bangin’ soundtrack– it was dancey and fun to fight to. Thank You, Mr. Nobuo Uematsu for another beautiful score.

It also switched around the battle experience system again; they use the Junction system, where you assign magic and Guardian Forces (essentially summons). You get paid based on your military rank, not by the monsters you kill. And you can customize weapons. That’s cool. Basically it was the first game to introduce things that followed into later video games.

If you get a chance pick this one up, it’s one of the better ones.

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New Xbox 360 For $99

MattC — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:43:49 +0000

By Matt Conlin

Microsoft has confirmed that they will be selling a $99 version of the Xbox 360, thus proving last week’s video game console rumors to be true. The system bundle will contain 4GB of memory and Kinect motion sensor bar. For a two-year subscription to Xbox Live Gold, the owner can pay the additional $14.99 a month.

The resounding question is that with the Xbox 720 on the horizon, why is Microsoft making this move now? Unlike Sony’s move to release the slim PlayStation 2 models, Microsoft’s timing suggests a different intention. PlayStation 2 had a cult following even after the release of PlayStation 3, especially because they cut the backwards compatibility on the newer system to lower the cost for consumers. Those who did not jump on the Xbox 360 bandwagon (casual gamers and competitor loyalists) will have an opportunity to try out the system with a minimal financial commitment. The bundle with subscription model may be considered a jumpstart to getting this particular audience involved and actively interested prior to the new system’s launch, and a way to boost the slightly decreasing sales of the 360 in the last half-year.

With six years comfortably under its belt, the 360 still has two more to go before the 720 is expected to drop in 2014. It will be interesting to see how this affects video game and console sales numbers in the following year.

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Why I’m Playing Skyrim…Some More

ChristineM — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:30:36 +0000

By Christine Melgarejo

I’m in a bit of a middle of the year gaming slump. I finished Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, finally. I beat Mass Effect 3 as a paragon, but have not yet tackled it as my renegade Fem-Shep due to a problem with the latest patch, which finally fixed the face import bug but breaks online connectivity for many 360 copies, causing the game to get stuck in a loading loop (yeah, I’m not going there until I know that’s fixed). And Diablo 3, the next release I’m salivating for, isn’t due out for another 8 days.

So I’ve gone back to Skyrim, even after beating the main story and putting 137 hours into it, thus far. Yes, 137 hours. That’s the equivalent of just shy of 6 days. You’d think 6 days worth of playing a game would be beating a dead horse, but nope. As soon as I turned the game on last night and was greeted by one of the most epic theme songs ever, I was sucked right back in. It was a little disorienting at first, figuring out what quest I was in the middle of and what my plans were. But I got my level 50 archer/thief back into the swing of things by shooting a few Draugr in the head. It was like I never left.

I realized that Skyrim is one of those few games where a DLC is not needed to draw me back to it (though there is one coming). It’s not just that the game already has an enormous amount of content, which it does. I’m about 2-3 achievements away from “completing” it, but I still have so much to do, so much side story to explore. But the appeal to me is the world itself. If it was just about all the little miscellaneous quests that get you into caves and dungeons you haven’t been to yet, I’d probably find it a little monotonous. But I still have so many major quests to finish, and more I’m sure to discover. And these quests have legitimate stories behind them, with interesting characters.

The fact that I can open my map and still see marks for places I haven’t been to yet, after so much game play, astounds me. And I want to find these places, not for leveling up and not just to complete the map, but because I want to experience whatever it is that lies in store in these locations.

Skyrim has its flaws, absolutely. I won’t ignore that. But it is rare that a game compels me to spend so much time within the same world. And yet, here I am, ready to put in even more of my time. Will I get sick of it? Maybe. But I have a feeling if Bethesda keeps great content coming (much like they did with Oblivion) it may be another 6+ days of gaming before I do.

Also, I think I’m in big trouble with the Elder Scrolls Online is released. Big. Trouble.

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Retro Revisits: ToeJam & Earl

MattC — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:19:07 +0000

By Matt Conlin

One of my absolute favorite games growing up probably explains why I’m so weird. This video game is the cult classic ToeJam & Earl. It is probably one of the more original I’ve ever played. It stars two alien rappers who find themselves stranded on Earth after their low-budget spaceship fails. The goal of the game is collect pieces of the ship and return to their home, Funkotron.

First off, this game is awesome because it’s downright funny. The game manages to successfully satire humanity without letting the jokes bog down the gameplay. The NPCs and enemies in the game are Earthlings– you get a wide mix of nerds, tourists, ice cream trucks, etc.The game is predominantly non-violent and the goal is really to avoid contact with Earthlings, though you can throw tomatoes at them to ward them off or distract them. While some might say that lessens the fun, I find that it actually makes the game a bit more challenging.

Secondly, the soundtrack uses hip hop and funk music and the levels integrate 90s urban culture. That alone is pretty awesome. You get to play some classic cartridge release and jam to groovy beats– sounds like the perfect weekend veg-out.

If you can pick up a copy of this video game and take time to play it. It shouldn’t take too long to complete it.

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Skyrim Dawnguard DLC Announced for Xbox 360 This Summer

ChristineM — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:56:51 +0000

By Christine Melgarejo

A few weeks ago, people were speculating on what the first DLC for Skyrim would be, based on files that appeared in the latest update which caused people to wonder what was next for the game (including the ideas of crossbows and snow elves based on file names). Well, wonder no more, because the Dawnguard DLC has been officially announced by Bethesda today and is slated to be released this summer for Xbox 360. According to Bethesda’s latest tweet, more details will come at E3, which is just over a month away.

Yes, only 360 was mentioned which means it’s probably a timed exclusive. Sorry, PC and PS3 players, seems you guys may have to wait for your chance to play it, but you know how Bethesda does it.

I’m hoping we’ll get just a bit more detail before hand, but if not, I’m sure we’ll get a trailer and maybe even some gameplay, come E3.

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