grognard66's blog

Caveat Emptor

It's not the weekend, but I thought I would take a stab at a blog entry after Indrema's strong example this past weekend inspired me!

One of my pet peeves regarding gaming media is their tendency to rely on caveats so often. How many times have we read "this game looks really good - for a Wii game", or "this actually controls pretty well - for a Wii game"?

June 22, 2009

Today's News

ELSPA renamed UK Interactive Entertainment Association

Members attending Extraordinary General Meeting vote for re-branding and to develop a new mission statement.
Switzerland Moves To Ban Violent Games

Legislation passes that may ultimately lead to ban on mature games.
Ubisoft Denies Steam DRM Conflict

Titles unavailable via Steam; Ubisoft issues statement denying conflict.

Recent Features

The Friday Game: Keeping It Brief

Chris Donlan looks at Backbreaker Football, along with some of the other iPhone games that are slicing up sports.
GDC: Play As Excavation

IGF Nuovo finalist Ian Bogost on crafting games with meanings that players can interpret through play.
GDC: Mass Effect 2’s Subjective Story

Mass Effect 2's lead cinematic designer discusses his successes and failures in creating an interactive narrative.

Keynotes

Where Did You Go?

The shopping mall scene in Heavy Rain fails, for a simple reason: it’s no fun, argues Chris Dahlen.
3D-ing Is Believing

N'Gai Croal opens Pandora's box and thinks that the depths of 3D really do have something special to bring to videogames.
Words Are Cheap

Chris Dahlen meets the director of interactive fiction documentary Get Lamp and remembers how rich a world that only costs the time it takes to write it can be.

From Edge Magazine

Time Extend: Space Channel 5: Part 2

How hot rhythm and high camp came together to perfectly express Sega’s magical difference.
Review: Dante's Inferno

Dante would only be delighted that his hellish visions should be inflicted on a new generation of sinners.
What Economic Crisis?

Despite an overall year-on-year drop for UK game industry revenues, individual retailers recorded growth in 2009.
Time Extend: Robotron 2084

Why do you love a game that refuses to love you back? Meet Robotron: 2084 – gaming’s earliest abusive relationship.
The Making Of: Gauntlet

How the rise of the home console led to the creation of an arcade gaming legend and the grandfather of Left 4 Dead.