tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51676212024-02-20T16:40:16.857-08:00RobotstreetgangVideo Game Culture.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1099641059767063122004-11-04T23:43:00.000-08:002004-11-27T12:47:41.206-08:00<h4>A Letter to <span style="font-style:italic;">The Los Angeles Times</span></h4>
<br />Sir and Madame,
<br />
<br />I've made a habit of avoiding the <span style="font-style:italic;">Los Angeles Times</span>' video game reviews since Aaron Curtis' tenure as critic. I found the Senior Technology Editor to be a tad out of touch. His Andy Rooney-like diatribe against Sega's inline-skate-propelled graffiti crew simulator <span style="font-style:italic;">Jet Grind Radio</span> (which I'd link to if your website didn't require registration) was enough to turn me off for good.
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<br />Many years later, I ran across across a copy Mr. Metzger's column. I was relieved to find that Pete genuine enthusiasm, but was a tad disappointed at the exceedingly breezy tone of his writings. When his reviews weren't wasting time being flippant they provided shallow and usually ungrounded generalizations about controls and graphics. I wrote the column off again. This time, because your paper was taking the low road – a sight better than shrill Curtis' high moral ground, but by not much.
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<br />Then today, my neighbor Mike hands me the Tuesday, November 4th Calendar Weekend. He thought I'd be interested in reading Metzger's review of <span style="font-style:italic;">Katamari Damacy. </span>He directed my eyes toward the trite headline, "Game Gets Lost in Translation" (and I say trite because most conscientious editors should have called a moratorium on headlines evoking Sophia Coppola's movie for Japan-related articles a year ago). Mike, who is also an avid gamer, knew the piece would infuriate me and it did.
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<br />Metzger's closed-minded dismissal of the game for its strangeness was more than disappointing. In a time when the regularly off-beat subject matter of Japanese cinema (<span style="font-style:italic;">Kill Bill, </span><span style="font-style:italic;">The Grudge</span>), anime (<span style="font-style:italic;">Pokemon</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Cowboy Bebop) </span>and even manga (<span style="font-style:italic;">Chobits</span>) is now stirring up the waters of the often-tedious mainstream it's shortsighted and downright stupid to allow analysis of such a unique game to boil down to "Huh?" and "What?" But then again, this is coming from a critic who wonders "who comes up with" stuff like <span style="font-style:italic;">Bloodrayne 2 </span>– a tedious hack-and-slash game starring (now here's a new one) a scantily clad, ass-kicking heroine.
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<br />Now, I may be a geek, but I'm not the kind of geek that fires off an angry letter every time he reads a negative review of something he likes. If I did, I'd never have the time to play games, watch movies and not pay enough attention to my wife. No, I'm perfectly capable of giving critics a pass. In fact, I love to read well-reasoned criticisms of films and games that I love. I often disagree with David Denby's taste, but I'm always engaged (as well as amused) by what <span style="font-style:italic;">The New Yorker</span>'s film critic has to say when he tears a movie apart.
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<br />Sadly, Pete Metzger's review of <span style="font-style:italic;">Katamari Damacy </span>wasn't well-reasoned at all. It was mostly ignorant. If he doesn't enjoy the vaguely nihilistic pleasure of rolling up cats, dogs, people, cars and houses and firing them into space that's his loss. But to spend the entire review recoiling is mock-horror from the game's loopy setting is a waste of space. Near the end of the paragraph Metzger finally mentions that the game made him feel sick after ninety minutes of play. A better criticism of the game's apparent nausea-inducing point-of-view would have been a much better reason for his pan.
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<br />In my mind <span style="font-style:italic;">Katamari Damacy</span> is one of the better games released in 2004. Both its subject matter and game play are wholly original. In a time when the market is flooded with sequels and stale rehashes of tried-and-true genres (first-person-shooters, I'm talking to you). <span style="font-style:italic;">Katamari Damacy</span>'s quirky sensibility and clever game mechanic come as a breath of fresh, faintly wasabi-scented, air. That's not to mention the game outstanding original soundtrack – an infectious mix of glitchy electronica and J-pop that serves as a much needed antidote to the awful major label fodder like <span style="font-style:italic;">Hoobastank</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Breaking Benjamin</span> that taint most games.
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<br />Still, my opinion is neither here nor there. It's Metzger's opinion that's in question. And it's absolutely valid. It's just poorly argued and completely out of pace with a the high critical standards of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Los Angeles Times</span>.
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<br />And so I write this email, not just because I like <span style="font-style:italic;">Katamari Damacy</span> and Peter Metzger doesn't, but because of your paper's historically poor track record when it comes to game reviews.
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<br />I fully realize that, despite the boat-loads of money being made by the video game industry, most of their output is nowhere near the level of critical and cultural relevancy of film. We still await our <span style="font-style:italic;">Cahiers Du cin?ema</span> and we've yet to find our Pauline Kael (though Peter Olafson formerly of <span style="font-style:italic;">The New York Times </span>came really damn close). But with critics the level of Kenneth Turan and (until this June) Manohla Dargis penning thoughtful, informed and entertaining film reviews in the same paper, it's my opinion that you ought to try raising the bar a little when it comes to video game criticism.
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<br />So in the spirit of full disclosure and self-promotion, I'll finish by letting you know that part of my frustration with Metzger's column is that he's the competition. I'm a freelance writer working in (among other things) the video game press. For the past couple of years I've been writing a monthly game column for <span style="font-style:italic;">Hustler</span> (laugh, see if I care) and I just recently landed a regular gig with <span style="font-style:italic;">Men's Edge</span>. I also occasionally write for the enthusiast press (<span style="font-style:italic;">Gamespy</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Game Over</span>) when I can afford their miserably low rates.
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<br />Additionally, I'll be posting this letter on www.robotstreetgang.com a website where I post culture-minded game writings with the frequency of a true dilettante.
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<br />I mention my credentials out of a genuine concern for Peter. I know he has a weak stomach. And I know he has his hands full with his reviewing duties. The next time a strange-looking Japanese game comes across his desk send the reviewing duties my way. I'd hate for him to get a stomach ache over <span style="font-style:italic;">Katamari Damacy 2</span>.
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<br />You've got my e-mail address.
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<br />Yours,
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<br />Gus MastrapaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1080207338455659302004-03-25T01:35:00.000-08:002004-03-25T02:01:30.496-08:00<h4>ROTKing in the Free World</h4>
<br /><em>Game Developer’s Conference: Panel Report</em>
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<br />I’m ashamed to admit that today marked the first time I’ve attended this event. Today I checked out a handful of lectures; the first came from a fairly mainstream position.
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<br />Neil Young, vice president and executive in charge of production for Electronic Arts (particularly <a href="http://www.maxis.com/" target="_blank">Maxis</a> Studios) shared his development philosophy in the a game design keynote address entitled, <a href="http://www.cmpevents.com/GDx/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=2224" target="_blank">“Entertainment Experience First, Videogame Second: The Making of <em>Return of the King</em>.”</a> He positioned <em>Return of the King</em> as a “mass appeal entertainment experience.” To highlight the difference between a game and an entertainment experience, he screened a game play clip of <em>Super Mario Brothers 3</em>. He contrasted it with a flash animation set to the soundtrack of Return of the King that depicts Bowser (like Saruman) planning an attack on the world of man. The clip garnered some chuckles and cheers. Only afterwards did one audience member point out that the clip had inherent entertainment power not because of it’s form (basically a cut scene) but because it merged two popular and well-known properties in a novel way.
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<br />Young defined the central organizing concept of his philosophy to be the service of the user fantasy. As such, he readily admitted that user fantasy of <em>The Return of the King</em> was to experience the vision of Peter Jackson, <a href="http://www.wetadigital.com/workshop/" target="_blank">
<br />WETA</a> and Howard Shore, the vision of Neil Young.
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<br />Most interesting was Young’s insistence that developers should be obsessive about the first 30 minutes of game play. “You only have once opportunity to impress a player,” he stated. He then showed the first thing a player saw when he powered up <em>The Return of the King</em> – The <a href="http://www.thx.com/" target="_blank">THX</a> logo. He explained that this set the tone for the game, informing the player that they were going to experience game with cinema quality sound.
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<br />Regarding levels, Young made the assertion that levels of a game are like paragraphs. Long sentences with periods feel slow he said. Shorter sentences ending with explanation points (though a bit too <em>Tales From the Crypt</em> for good prose) makes for a more rewarding gaming experience. He spoke of dividing the gaming experience into milliseconds, moments and missions. “Developers,” he said should focus disproportionately on the milliseconds” (the meat and potatoes of the basic game mechanic).
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<br />There’s a good chance that Neil Young’s expression of his philosophies in this keynote will serve as further fuel in the growing bonfire of disdain against Electronic Art’s and it’s wildly successful efforts to mainstream and further commercialize the video game. I respected his honesty and the clarity of his game (or mass market entertainment experience) making goals.
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<br />For the haters, though, I'll include this interesting exchange during the Q&A regarding game difficulty. During the lecture, Young underlined the importance of making sure that the his studio's <em>Lord of the Rings</em> games weren't too difficult. An audience member took him to task, asking why EA's <em>The Return of the King</em> was much harder than their game adaptation of <em>The Two Towers</em>.
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<br />Neil Young's Mea Culpa? "My bad."
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<br />Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about a fantastic lecture that countered Young’s lessons on audience service with the idea of the game developer as the auteur.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1078398156846141722004-03-04T03:02:00.000-08:002004-03-04T03:07:16.763-08:00<h4>Merv Blogger</h4>
<br />Mitch may change his tune about Blogger when he sees <a href="http://www.egoant.com/Ransom/" target="_blank">this</a><em> River City Ransom</em> template crafted by <a href="http://www.egoant.com" target="_blank">Egoant</a>. The skin also comes in <a href="http://www.egoant.com/blacktiger/" target="_blank">Black Tiger</a> and <a href="http://www.egoant.com/bubble/" target="_blank">Bubble Bobble</a> flavors. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1078195673594487962004-03-01T18:47:00.000-08:002004-03-01T22:07:12.793-08:00<h4>Video Games Remixed</h4>
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<br /><img src="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/diremario.jpg" align="right">In <a href="http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=854180" target="_blank">this</a> Photoshop thread Fark's crafty graphical parodists take on our favorite pastime. The round's theme imagines the crossing of games with rock music. The results, as usual, are hilarious. Highlights include, cnelson's Activision's Moshpitfall, sofarked insertion of Courtney Love into GTA and TheBrownCouch's inspired merging of Buckethead and Frogger.
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1073524814379315332004-01-07T17:27:00.000-08:002004-01-07T20:33:28.866-08:00<h4>Classic RSG Gaiden</h4>
<br /><em>The reposting of old Robotstreetgang stories continues.</em>
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<br /> This batch contains <a href="http://www.robotstreetgang.com/2002_08_07_robotstreetgang_archive.html"><em>Recurring Intelligent Cube</em></a>, a harrowing account of video game mania by <a href="http://vgombud.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Video Game Ombudsman</a> Kyle Orland. Special contributor Ara Shirinian makes the bold statement, <a href="http://www.robotstreetgang.com/2002_07_19_robotstreetgang_archive.html" target="_blank"><em>Dracula X is the Greatest Game Ever Made</em></a>. <a href="http://www.robotstreetgang.com/2002_05_12_robotstreetgang_archive.html" target="_blank">Apologia Pro Vita Sua Voldo</a> finds Bryan Younce communing with a kindred <em>Soul Calibur</em> character. Robotstreetgang Editor Mitch Borgeson examines the ongoing death throes of the arcade via a trip to Pakk Mann and an interview with coin-up entrepreneur Ryan Cravens in <a href="http://www.robotstreetgang.com/2002_04_22_robotstreetgang_archive.html" target="_blank"></><em>The Smell That Surrounds You</em></a>.
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<br />Enjoy.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1073042336601176772004-01-02T08:18:00.000-08:002011-01-18T14:59:25.022-08:00<h4>Mom Plays <em>Manhunt</em></h4><em>The following is a transcript of an exchange between Robotstreetgang editor Gus Mastrapa and his mother. To preserve the integrity and gritty realism of the dialogue, no edits have been made.</em><br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Mom, we need to talk.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Is it about your father again? I told you, I thought you two were wrestling all those years. Honest I did.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> No. Jesus, Mom. It’s not about that. I just want you to play a video game.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Oh, that’s a relief. <br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> So, you’ll play?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> You know I don’t like playing your games. <br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> I know, Mom. That’s why I need you to play it.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Oh. I don’t know.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> I need your help. I’m going to write a story about it.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Can’t you get someone else to do it?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> No, Mom. It has to be you. <br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> I don’t think so, Honey. How about I just watch?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Okay, Mom. Maybe this will make you change your mind.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Oh my! Is that real?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Yes, Mom. It’s a real Glock, 9-millimeter pistol and its loaded.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Why are you pointing it at me?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Because I need you to play this game. It’s called <em>Manhunt</em> and it’s by Rockstar, the same people who made <em>Grand Theft Auto: Vice City</em>.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> (silence)<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> You’ve heard of <em>Grand Theft Auto</em>, right?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> You know me. I don’t keep up with all the things on the T.V.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Perfect.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> I thought I raised you better than this. <br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> You did, Mom. But in order to write a story about what may be one of the most gritty, realistic and violent video games ever made, I have to do something that will grab people's attention.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> I see… <br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Mom?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> How about I make you a nice costume or something?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> That’s not good enough.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> You looked so cute as Ms. Pac Man that Halloween.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Mom. No. Please just play along and nobody will get hurt. Okay?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> All right.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Here’s the controller.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> What are all these buttons for.<br /><br /><strong>RSG: </strong>Don’t worry about that yet. Just watch the game.<br /><br /><strong>Mom: </strong>Watch? Aren’t I supposed to be doing something?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Not, yet. Just watch.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Am I that lady?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> She’s a newscaster. You’re the guy being executed.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Oh. Is the game over already?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> No, you’re not dead. A secret organization has faked your death. They’re going to film you fighting for your life and sell the footage as snuff films.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Okay….What’s snuff?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> It’s tape or film of people being murdered.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> You see! I would have rather lived my entire life not knowing that snuffies existed.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Snuff.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Yeah. That’s why I don’t go to see movies anymore. They should make more movies about nice things. Like that <em>Secondhand Tigers</em> movie. Now, that was nice.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Yes, Mom. Are you finished?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Yes. What now?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> You missed the whole explanation. There was a guy talking to you. He’s the ringmaster of this whole thing. Run forward by pushing the R1. This button right here.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Okay. I’m running.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Go pick up that plastic bag.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> I’m supposed to clean up litter?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> No, the bag is going to be a weapon.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> <em>Tsk</em>. What’s that circle at the bottom for?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> That’s your radar. It tells you where your enemies are and which way they’re facing.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> The little man has a radar?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Well, sort of. <br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Couldn’t I just hit the bad guys over the head with my radar machine?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> You don’t have a radar machine. Your guy just knows where the enemies are and which way they’re facing. <br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Oh. So my man is psychic or something?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> No, mom! He’s not psychic! He just knows. It’s the game designer's way of making up for the fact that you’re not really in the game.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Hmm. It’s not really very realistic then. Is it? <br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> I guess not, Mom. Let’s just move on. <br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Honey?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Yeah?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Your gun is pointing towards the ground. <br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Oh. Thanks.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> If you sat up straight the gun wouldn’t drift down like that.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> I know, Mom. Jeez. Can you just focus on the game?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Don’t get snippy with me, young man. I’ve been co-operative, haven’t I? I mean, I do my best to do things for you and your sister and sometimes I get the idea that you two take me for granted. Things haven’t been easy for me, you know. Sometimes a little respect is all…..Honey! Don’t point that thing at your head! Point it back towards me. That’s better. I’m sorry, Gus. Don’t cry.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Mom…(sniff) can we please just play the game so (sniff) so I can write my article.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Sure, honey. What do you want me to do?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Walk towards that man.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Okay. Did he just say the “S” word?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Yeah, he did.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> You know how I feel about that kind of language.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> I know, Mom. That’s why I want you to kill him with your plastic bag.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> You want me to kill the foul-mouthed man?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Would you do it for me, Mom?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Sure, Honey. You know I’d do anything for you. Oh. It says the “F” word on the wall next to him.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Yeah, Mom. It’s written in blood. Gross, huh?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Yeah. Did I ever tell you the story about how your father almost passed out at the hospital when he saw you getting stitches?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> About a million times.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Oh. He said “prick” this time.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> The only way for you to stop the cursing is to kill him.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Okay, I’m going to do it.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Hit the button!<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Oh, he’s hitting me.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Fight back, Mom. Hit the “X” button.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Okay. I hit it.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> No. You have to hit it a bunch of times.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> It says scene failed.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Yeah, he killed you. Let’s try it again. Give me the controller. <br /><br />(extended silence)<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Okay. Take the controller. Sneak up on him and hit the “X” button.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> I’m killing him!<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Yeah, Mom. You sure are.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Who’s filming me?<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> Hidden cameras.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> But how about that close-up? That camera was really close to me and at knee level.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> So?<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> You expect me to believe that there's a camera hidden in the air right in front of me? You keep saying that this game is so realistic, but who was shooting that footage? It had static and those numbers on it like it was real video, but there’s no camera men around to shoot the footage.<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> I give up. This isn’t working. You’re supposed to be shocked and outraged, not so…so…critical.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Come back, Honey!<br /><br /><strong>RSG:</strong> No, Mom. You always do this.<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> You forgot your gun! <br /><br />(footsteps and a door slamming)<br /><br /><strong>Mom:</strong> Well…shit.<br /><br /><em>This writing is a work of fiction. No similarities to mothers living or otherwise is intended. All imaginary gunplay was executed by professionals. Do not attempt this scenario at home. No mothers were hurt during the writing of this post. Please do not sue me.</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1067691036613565722003-10-31T23:59:00.000-08:002003-11-01T04:52:21.313-08:00<h4>Happy Halloween</h4>
<br /><img src="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/halloween.jpg">Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1067596808633789772003-10-31T02:40:00.000-08:002003-10-31T02:42:35.923-08:00<h4>Classic RSG</h4>
<br />Thanks to Blogger's nifty post dating feature and the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine the long process of republishing old Robotstreetgang stories has begun.
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<br />I've reposted three of my old stories to start the ball rolling. <a href="http://www.robotstreetgang.com/2001_08_07_robotstreetgang_archive.html">Jill Played Atari</a> is a rememberance of an ex-girlfriend as filtered through video games. I highly recommend picking up <em>1-Up</em> #3 where the story is beautifully illustrated and hand-lettered by Souther Salazar. In <a href="http://www.robotstreetgang.com/2002_06_13_robotstreetgang_archive.html">Pixelized Seduction</a> I draw parallels between the decline of the comic book and what its fate may bode for the video game. Finally, <a href="http://www.robotstreetgang.com/2002_03_26_robotstreetgang_archive.html">Game Over, Man</a> is a tribute to a long, lost friend who, were he alive, would have loved the hell out of Rockstar's <em>State of Emergency</em>.
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<br />Look for more vintage writings soon. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1067424853423778822003-10-29T02:54:00.000-08:002003-10-29T02:54:14.313-08:00<h4>Gaming in Iraq</h4>
<br />Zeyad is a 24-year-old blogger who's website <a href="http://www.healingiraq.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Healing Iraq</a> is one of many Internet voices to surface from the war-torn nation in recent months. In a rare diversion from news of attacks and street-level reports on the mindset of the Iraq's citizenry Zayad recently took the time to describe the state of gaming in his homeland. <a href="http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/archives/2003_10_01_healingiraq_archive.html#106733657806114184" target="_blank">The post</a> is a brief, but interesting look at how and what Iraqis play. When the nightly news makes Iraq seem like such a far off and foreign place, it's reassuring to read that we're all not that different.
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1067333825488512552003-10-28T01:37:00.000-08:002003-10-28T01:38:05.196-08:00<h4>Kindred Spirits</h4>
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<br /><a href="http://www.wayoftherodent.com"><em>Way of the Rodent</em></a> is an outstanding UK website that's chock-full of personal video game writings. This excerpt from Sickboy's tale of underage drinking and arcade hacking <a href="http://www.wayoftherodent.com/sb7.htm">"Clicks, Tricks and Cider-Sicks"</a> is a perfect example:
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<br /><em>One of the back-seat crew, Michael Howell, had recently been suspended from school for two months and so bristled with the charisma of Alpha Idiot-Male. Out of a scraggy little ADIDAS bag (with the standard All Day I Dream About Sex scrawled over the logo), he pulled out an odd, vaguely dildo-ish device. It was a small plastic tube with a tiny button at one end and a metal prong at the other. When he pressed the button, a thrilling blue spark flashed at the end of the prong. Technically, the piezo ignition section of a pilot-lighter. “What’s that?” I asked.
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<br />“Fucking clicker, innit?”
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<br />We leaned in close, as, through a fug of meths-breath, he explained how to stick the prong into a coin slot, press the button and marvel at the free credits.</em>
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<br />Discovering <em>Way of the Rodent</em> is like being introduced to a long lost brother. Thanks to Raina of <a href="http://www.1up-zine.com/">1-Up</a> for making the introduction.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1066213308537018292003-10-15T03:21:00.000-07:002003-10-27T19:26:18.216-08:00<h4>Video Hits</h4>
<br />Two clips have been in the gamer rotation lately.
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<br />The first is part of Nintendo's new <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/whoareyou/" target="_blank">"Who Are You?"</a> campaign. The print portion of Nintendo's winter advertising push revolves around "tape ups" of famous photos or moments with the heads of Nintendo characters pasted over the heads of the band KISS or onto the Mona Lisa. <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/whoareyou/school_out_60_qt.mov" target="_blank">This fantastical trailer</a> (which is thought to be a movie trailer for international audinences) takes the "tape up" idea and literally runs with it.
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<br />The second clip is a parody of Yu Suzuki's <a href="http://www.shenmue.com/" target="_blank">Shenmue</a> games. Both games revolved around Japanese teen Ryo Hazuki's quest to avenge the death of his father. The games immerse the player in highly detailed Japanese and Chinese cities. In order to make his way though these places Ryo, more often than not, is forced to rely upon the help and advice and strangers. This clever video by the gents at <a href="http://www.mega64.com" target="_blank">Mega64</a> pokes fun at the process.
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<br />Right click these links to download:
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<br /><a href="http://www.nintendo.com/whoareyou/school_out_60_qt.mov">Nintendo Clip - Best Quality</a> (4.78 MB Quicktime)
<br /><a href="http://www.nintendo.com/whoareyou/school_out_60_256k.wmv">Nintendo Clip</a> (1.77 MB Windows Media Player)
<br /><a href="http://www.mega64.com/shenmue.mpg">Mega 64 Shenmue Parody</a> (24.6MB MPG)
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1063843378460913092003-09-17T17:02:00.000-07:002003-09-17T17:17:08.010-07:00<h4>Sophia Coppola Finds Bemani</h4>
<br /><img src="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/lit.bmp" align="right">The new film <a href="http://www.lost-in-translation.com/" target="_blank"><em>Lost in Translation</em></a>, aside from being a very accomplished and entertaining exploration of character, also effectively communicates the filmmaker's love of Tokyo. Director Sophia Coppola has apparently spent a lot of time in Japan (her clothes line <a href="http://city.superfuture.com/city/reviews/review.cfm?ID=473" target="_blank">Milk Fed</a> has been quite successful there) and gained appreciation of the country's unique people and places. Most germane to readers of this site would be the scene in which Scarlet Johanssen soaks up the atmosphere of a Tokyo video game arcade. The camera lingers on a gamer pounding away on <a href="http://www.ddrfreak.com/library/faqs-otherbemani.php?game=taiko" target="_blank"><em>Takio no Tatsujin</em></a> and another dexterously slapping away on another, fairly generic, bemani game. Finally, Johannsen watches a punky-looking young man (with the requisite cigarette dangling from his mouth) jam on <a href="http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=G&game_id=8026" target="_blank"><em>Guitar Freaks</em></a>. Most American films show brief instances of Japanese arcades or pachinko parlors to simply take advantage of the cacophonous sounds or busy environments. In <em>Lost in Translation</em> the character practically communes with the culture. I can't remember a single instance (besides <a href="http://www.tron-sector.com/" target="_blank"><em>Tron</em></a> and <a href="http://www.calarts.edu/~nstrum/macmame/reviews/joyrev/joyvhs.html" target="_blank"><em>Joysticks</em></a>) in which a film has so lovingly portrayed an arcade.
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1062755806568700122003-09-05T02:56:00.000-07:002003-09-05T03:00:28.943-07:00<h4>Welcome to My World</h4>
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<br />Earlier this week Tycho of <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/" target="_blank">Penny Arcade</a> posted an <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/news.php3?date=2003-08-29" target="_blank">extended rant</a> when he wasn't able to buy <a href="http://www.capcom.com/xpml/game.xpml?gameid=750051" target="_blank"><em>Bombastic</em></a> and <a href="http://www.republictherevolution.com/" target="_blank"><em>Republic: The Revolution</em></a> at his local Software, Etc. He went on to decry the chain for suggesting he should have pre-ordered the copy of <a href="http://www.sega.com/games/post_gamegame.jhtml?PRODID=10551" target="_blank"><em>Otogi</em></a> he also wanted to purchase. "I had every intention of purchasing it," Tycho said. "Software, Etc. had no intention of holding up their end of the bargain, the Selling Videogames end."
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<br />The time has finally come to welcome Tycho and all discerning gamers to the world of the alternative. Anyone who reads underground comics or listens to independently produced music or watches obscure films already know the drill. <i>The mall doesn't have shit.</i> Chain stores carry nothing but stuff that will sell -- which usually equates to crap. Admittedly, it's not too tough to point out thousands of examples of best-selling popular culture that don't make the serious whatever-file cringe. But, c'mon. We all know that you have to go to the mom and pop stores to get the good stuff. Before the Internet, it used to be that you had to resort to snail mail order (that's six to eight weeks to you young 'uns) to snag that <em>Jesus Lizard</em> split 7" or bootleg VHS copy of <em>Meet the Feebles</em>. Thankfully, those days are now but a bitter memory.
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<br />I know it must be frightening to the core gamer (who's been fed nothing but the "video games are more popular than Jesus" line for the past several years) to consider that <em>Ico </em>and <em>Rez</em> are somehow related to indie-label math rock and Spanish horror films. But it's true. You're not going to find any of them in that fluorescent-lit, cinderblock box they just built in your local suburban strip mall. Like the modern hip-hop DJ, who spends his life kneeling before dusty record crates, if you want quality video games, you're going to have to dig.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1062667449071314422003-09-04T02:24:00.000-07:002003-09-04T02:30:29.533-07:00<h4>It Came From Japan</h4>
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<br /><img src="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/smog.bmp" align="right">Those curious about import gaming should find Ara Shirinian's Gamespy column fascinating. <a href="http://www.gamespy.com/icfj/">"It Came From Japan"</a> provides thorough previews of titles that aren't likely to make it to our shores such as <em>Mr. Driller: Drill Land</em> and sneak peeks of games, like <em>Viewtiful Joe</em>, that are poised to rock our proverbial worlds. Each column also offers helpful advice on diverse subjects such as console modding, import bargain shopping and reading video game-related Japanese.
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<br />We'll keep RSG readers informed when new columns are posted.
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1062583903314646632003-09-03T03:11:00.000-07:002003-09-03T03:15:34.553-07:00<h4>Squashing a Bug in <i>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</i></h4>
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<br />With all the talk of bug-riddled games of late (eg <a href="http://games.slashdot.org/games/03/05/18/0151214.shtml?tid=206" target="_blank"><i>Enter the Matrix</i></a> and <i>Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness</i>) I was pretty discouraged when I encountered an Xbox-freezing glitch in <a href="http://www.lucasarts.com/products/swkotor/" target="_blank">Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</a>. It occurred on Korriban, during a load-screen just prior to the final portion of my adventures on the planet. The loading progress bar slowly made its way to the right then stopped just before reaching the far end. My stomach sank, dreading the thought of losing 20 hours of gaming. I methodically pressed every button on the Controller S, secretly hoping that Microsoft had endowed the Xbox with its own version of Ctrl+Alt+Del. I had no such luck. I rebooted my Xbox, loaded my save game and duplicated the error. Next, I loaded an older save game. I worked my way back to the point where my character tells the head of the Sith academy that she's ready to take her final test. The game froze again.
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<br />I turned my Xbox off and walked away from the game for a couple of days. When my jones for the game would no longer let me rest, I went to the KOTOR website to see if anyone else had encountered a similar problem. I learned of a <a href="http://www.bioware.com/games/knights_old_republic/support/known_issues/">well-documented</a> "Stealth" bug that occurs on the Sith starship Leviathan. The error occurs when players are still under the effects of their stealth field-generating belt when they enter a cut-scene. Sadly, this problem was nothing like mine.
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<br />Luckily, a kind gentleman at the LucasArts Tech Support hotline was able to solve my problem. He told me that several people had encountered the same problem that I had and told me how to rectify the situation. Apparently the Xbox has an onboard cache memory that retains information about the last three games that you've played. It seemed that my cache memory had somehow become corrupted. He suggested that I play three other games, effectively kicking KOTOR's data out of the memory. The trick worked like a charm and I'm pleased as punch to be playing the game again.
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<br />Lucas Arts Tech Support earns major Light Side points for this one.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1061945632031573412003-08-26T17:53:00.000-07:002003-08-26T21:52:02.880-07:00<h4>Who Watches the Writers?</h4>
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<br />Onetime Robotstreetgang contributor Kyle Orland has been hard at work on his own weblog, <a href="http://vgombud.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Video Game Obudsman</a>. Orland's goal is to observe and analyze "the often sloppy, lazy, biased, and unethical world of video game reporting." Recent posts include a blow-by-blow dismantling of <i>EGM</i>'s recent redesign, a critique of <i>Gamers.com</i>'s news-itorializing and a call for the resurrection of <i>Next Generation</i> magazine. This blog is required reading for the discerning consumer of video game writing.
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<br />Hopefully we'll be able to recover our archives soon and make Orland's piece available again.
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1061856805869726942003-08-25T17:13:00.000-07:002003-08-25T17:20:35.960-07:00<h4>Hookers, Pornstars and Mobsters Invade The Sims Online</h4>
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<br />Steven Ochs, a friend of Robotstreetgang, has penned a <a href="http://www.avnonline.com/issues/200308/features/feat_0803_006.shtml" target="blank_">story</a> for AVN Online about the red light districts and criminal underworlds that have popped up in Maxis' massively multiplayer online game <a href="http://www.eagames.com/official/thesimsonline/home/index.jsp" target="_blank">The Sims Online</a>. While the news that there are gangsters roaming the streets of Alphaville isn't new, the thought of bored housewives taking on the role of pornstar Sunset Thomas or a 21-year-old college student creating her own virtual smut studio is fascinating, especially considering that the game is rated "T." Most interesting is the claim that players are cooking up these adult scenarios because there simply isn't much to do in Alphaville.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1061601686419011032003-08-22T18:21:00.000-07:002003-08-22T18:21:40.110-07:00<h4>How D&D Birthed Gaming</h4>
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<br /><img src="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/dandd.bmp" target="_blank" align="right"><i>Dungeons & Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic,</i> a new book by Brad King and John Borland, expores the roots of video gaming with full awareness that said roots are inextricably intertwined with other geek interests such as computer programming, math, science and fantasy role-play. An <a href="http://www.dungeonsanddreamers.com/chapter1-1.html" target="_blank">excerpt</a> of the book from the pair's website details the origins of Richard Garriott, who would later become known to legions of <a href="http://www.uo.com/" target="_blank">Ultima</a> fans as Lord British. This solid first chapter seems like an excellent starting point in the historical and cultural mapping of the wide-spread geek phenomenon of video games. I'll be reading more.
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<br /><a href="http://www.dungeonsanddreamers.com/" target="_blank">Official site</a>.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1061463998630797532003-08-21T04:06:00.000-07:002003-08-21T16:09:11.856-07:00<h4>KOTOR Kicks AOTC's Ass</h4>
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<br /><img src="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/kotor.bmp" align="right" width="100">I hope someone at Lucasfilm is paying attention. <a href="http://www.lucasarts.com/products/swkotor/" target="_blank">Knights of the Old Republic</a>, the game it seems like everybody is playing, is <a href="http://www.lucasarts.com/press/releases/80.html" target="_blank">setting sales records</a>, racking up killer <a href="http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/556553.asp" target="_blank">reviews</a> and reminding people why they liked Star Wars in the first place. I, for one, am completely hooked. Considering the fact that I'm not really a huge fan of RPGs, that's saying something. Lucas should take a long hard look at Bioware's game and take some notes.
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<br />Here's what I've learned from playing <i>Knights of the Old Republic</i>:
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<br /><b>Star Wars prequels work better without the old characters:</b> I love the fact that my character can visit places alluded to in the original films like Anchorhead on Tatooine and Dantooine. I'm doubly happy that I haven't run into Hammerhead's great-grandfather or Snaggletooth's second uncle on his mother's side.
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<br /><b>Master Yoda must have some kind of speech impediment:</b> I've spoken to my Jedi masters quite a bit and the one that looks like he's from the same species as Yoda hasn't uttered a single ass-backwards sentence. With Yoda's brain something is wrong there is.
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<br /><b>Droids can be evil:</b> The surly assassin robot HK-47 is pure genius. Six years from now, when George Lucas sits down to fiddle, enhance, re-edit, and re-think Episodes I, II and III he needs to morph C3-PO and R2-D2 into evil robots who serve Count Dooku. That, at least would explain why R2-D2 can fly - his primary function is to rain droid death from the sky!
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<br /><b>Everybody loves a scoundrel:</b> Of all the characters Lucas carbon-copied for his new trilogy, he forgot Han Solo. I started my character, Tura Satana, in the character class Scoundrel. She's currently taking walking the path of the Jedi, much like the samurai that inspired Lucas, Mushashi Miyamoto. Shame on Lucas for forgetting to include a loveable rapscallion in his the prequels..
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<br /><b>Bounty hunters are bad-ass:</b> Ever notice that every bounty hunter in the new trilogy dies? In the original trilogy only a few of them croaked. Sure Calo Nord, the bounty hunter baddie in KOTOR was a bit of a pushover, but he sure as heck outlasted Zam Wessel.
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<br /><b>The old soundtracks remain the best soundtracks:</b> It may not be time for John Williams to put down his baton just yet, but after reliving some of the original score's best moments in <i>Knights of the Old Republic</i>, it's fairly obvious that his newer work doesn't even come close.
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1060301353726915172003-08-07T17:13:00.000-07:002003-08-07T17:13:33.750-07:00<h4>Clueless News</h4>
<br />Lazy journalists just love to drag out the tired, "not just for kids anymore" line when hacking out articles about comic books. When assigned a porn expose, they usualy dust off a mystical, and highly doubtful sales figure. <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/12/16/60II/main533243.shtml" target="_blank">This</a>, uncredited (natch) piece of journalism from Sixty Minutes II uses both tacts, then namedrops several old, poorly-reviewed, unpopular games such as <a href="http://www.bmxxxx.com/" target="_blank">BMX XXX</a>, <a href="http://thesims.ea.com/" target="blank">The Sims</a> and "Bill Gates' favorite game" Fusion Frenzy to bolster their cred.
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<br />Talk about having their finger on the pulse. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1058953948761387222003-07-23T02:52:00.000-07:002003-07-23T03:07:05.880-07:00<h4>A Must-Read Video Game Zine</h4>
<br /><img src="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/1up3.gif" align="right">Editor Raina Lee and Art Director John Pham have been slaving over hot Powerbooks for the past several months to deliver the biggest and best looking edition of <a href="http://1up-zine.com/" target="_blank">1-Up</a> yet. Those who aren't familiar with the publication are in for a big surprise. 1-Up #3 features over 100 pages of reviews, comics, essays and news about classic and contemporary gaming. The issue's contents include an interview with Pac Man expert Billy Mitchell, a profile of Mac lan maniacs c-trl and a 21-page Street Fighter II super-section. Each issue comes with one of a series of silk-screened "Imaginary Street Fighter II Character" trading cards.
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<br />The issue also contains two stories by Robotsteetgang editors Mike Benson ("Army Of None" on his experience playing America's Army with art by <a href="http://www.kozyndan.com/" target="_blank">Kozyndan</a>) and Gus Mastrapa ("Jill Played Atari" which is beautifully illustrated by <a href="http://www.southersalazar.net/" target="_blank">Souther Salazar</a> and "This Animal Life" -- a meditation on Animal Crossing).
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<br />1-Up #3 is available for $13 ppd. Contact <a href="mailto:orders@1up-zine.com">orders@1up-zine.com</a> to make a purchase via Pay Pal.
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<br />Lovers of old-school gaming and the new-school D.I.Y. ethic will also want to snag the first two issues of 1-Up since this will probably be their last silk-screened print run.
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<br />Those who live in the Los Angeles area are invited to attend the 1-Up #3 release party on Saturday, July 26 at 6PM. The festivities will be held at Meltdown Comics with live performances by The Minibosses and DJ Dolphinforce.
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<br /><a href="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/1UP3releaseparty.gif" target="_blank">Take a gander</a> at the limited edition silkscreen commemorating the party.
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1058166936752167822003-07-14T12:44:00.000-07:002003-07-14T12:46:06.230-07:00<h4>Guest Rant</h4>
<br /><i><b>Veteran video game journalist Ara Shirinian gets a taste of his own medicine in this meditaion on measuring creative product with a yardstick.</b></i>
<br /><h5>The Futility of Ratings</h5>Having written about games in various capacities for over a third of my life, I recently got my first taste of what it was like to be on the opposite side of the fence from where I usually stand. In the first four months of 2003 I planned, designed and implemented a <a href="http://www.shirinian.net/leveldesign/" target="_blank">map design</a> for play in <i>Unreal Tournament 2003</i>.
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<br />Now, I am no stranger to software development, but this little project of mine was quite different. First, because I convinced myself that my future career would depend on the quality of the resulting product. Second, because it was my only substantial and committed attempt I had ever made in my life at tackling actual game development. Third, because upon completion of the project, I would receive <a href="http://www.mapraider.com/maps/?fileid=1036" target="_blank">ratings</a> and <a href="http://nalicity.beyondunreal.com/map_hub.php?mid=6221" target="_blank">reviews</a> from actual players whom I had never met before.
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<br />My plan was to complete a map with a few novel features within the space of about three to six months. The beauty of the tools that I was working with was that they were all completely accessible to end users. If you buy a new copy of <i>Unreal</i> (whatever is the latest version), you automatically get the complete suite of tools in order to build levels and modify the game to your liking. This activity is tremendously more difficult than say, creating a custom park in your favorite extreme sports game, but it's also infinitely easier than writing your own engine and starting from scratch.
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<br />Game development, regardless of scale, is a far more discombobulated process than most people imagine. If you are a mortal like I am, you have to resign yourself to continuously modifying your implementation when the result does not fit your intended design. Mind you, the result never, ever exactly fits your intended design. If you are to make any progress within a limited amount of time, your plans must be malleable. You have to keep throwing out things that don't work, and you have to keep bending the ones that sort-of-work in order for gameplay to remain sensible.
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<br />After four months and somewhere between 350-400 hours of work, I finally completed a map that I was satisfied with. The great thing about <i>Unreal</i> is that there is a huge community of fans online. There are also several web sites that are designed for the primary purpose of advertising, distributing, and evaluating user-created maps and modifications. So I submitted my map to all the sites that I could find, and then I braced myself for elite hax0r rapeage.
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<br />So far, I've gotten ratings that varied all the way from a 5/10 to an 8/10. But my emotional experience in reading these reviews and the subsequent ratings was surprisingly enlightening. I felt like I could understand why some developers would want to call up the punk-ass reviewer and chew them out about the abysmally low score that their game received. Plus, after being subjected to this huge range of commentary, I began to think a little more deeply about the purpose and function of ratings.
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<br />The point of a rating is to somehow compress, summarize and encapsulate everything about the game into one metric that represents its level of quality. Everybody loves ratings. There is something naturally pleasing about knowing that product A is better than product B, by exactly 137 units. You are lulled into a sense of comfort. You feel satisfied by the authority and finality of a cold, precise number.
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<br />You can rate anything without too much trouble, so long as your metric is well defined. The futility in rating something like a game comes from the fact that not only is the metric completely undefined, but everybody is using a different metric! The situation is even worse than that, because giving a game one rating is like averaging, in some arbitrary fashion, an arbitrarily-sized collection of arbitrary ratings.
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<br />The video game is such a hopelessly complex amalgam of media. You have 2D art, you have 3D art, you have animation, you have interface design, you have gameplay design, you have enemy behavior, you have a system of feedback and rewards, you have sound effects, you have music, you have sound and music coordinated in special ways with gameplay. Each subcategory of a game can be broken down into several more subcategories, and each one of those can be rated in some way or another. How are you really supposed to rate a game, anyway?
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<br />Just because I play a game, and it feels like an "8," is that meaningful to anyone except myself? The only point in my life when I really felt like ratings were useful was when I was in high school and I read <i>EGM</i> all the time. They had the same four people rate all the same games each month. Over time, it was possible to gain an understanding of what each person valued in a video game by comparing their reactions. Only after knowing that did the ratings mean anything. Unfortunately, <i>EGM</i> does not do this anymore, as they seem to have a random collection of reviewers tackle each game. None of the other American magazines have ever had any rating system that came close.
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<br />Gamers' preferences are too varied, and games are too varied these days. It seems the best way to rate games is either in the aggregate, a la old school <i>EGM</i> and <i>Famitsu</i>, or to resort to actual reading / writing. Gamers should be less trustworthy of numerical ratings, and reviewers should be more sensitive to the fact that just because you don't like a particular feature, it doesn't mean that Johnny Gamer won't or shouldn't like it either.<p>-Ara ShirinianAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-105655605185003312003-06-25T08:47:00.000-07:002003-06-25T08:51:03.510-07:00<h4>Sphincter Cell</h4>
<br />It's a well known (and often joked about) fact that porn companies are fond of <a href="http://personal.pitnet.net/micah/porno.html" target="_blank">tweaking film titles</a> to add an extra bit of recognition to their otherwise interchangeable videos. Now, smutmongers are beginning to give video games the cultural thumbs up with titles like <a href="http://www.3xcellence.com/en-us/pg_18.html" target="_blank">Jewel Raider</a>, Space Invaderz and <a href="http://www.ainews.com/Archives/Story4791.phtml" target="_blank">Grand Theft Anal</a>. It's a good thing Namco <a href="http://www.geocities.com/arcadeclassics.geo/PACMAN.html" target="_blank">changed Pac Man's name</a> before bringing him to the states.
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<br />All links (except for Pac Man) are probably not safe for work.
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1056242028957991982003-06-21T17:33:00.000-07:002003-06-22T14:51:36.106-07:00<h4>Pong PS</h4>
<br /><img src="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/pong.bmp" width="250" align="right"><a href="http://www.fark.com" target="_blank">Fark's</a> world-famous army of Photoshop enthusiasts have turned out a minor masterpiece of modern-day video game commentary and meta-humor. The <a href="http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=561408" target="_blank">thread</a> pits the Farkers against a <a href="http://www.azillionthings.com/images/pongoriginal.bmp" target="_blank">pic</a> of a babe showing off an old-school Pong cabinet. I particularly liked this hand-crafted shot by JohnnyC with it's caption, <i>"1913 - The first Pong Machines roll off the line in Detroit, Michigan."</i> Kudos to all involved.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5167621.post-1056158821312029372003-06-20T18:27:00.000-07:002003-06-20T19:54:49.810-07:00<h4>Another Friday Fan Page</h4>
<br />BelPowerslave of <a href="http://users2.ev1.net/~belpowerslave/index.html" target="_blank">Whipass Gaming</a> has created a T&A-heavy homage to female video game characters called <a href="http://users2.ev1.net/~belpowerslave/Tribute/tributecanvas.htm" target="_blank">"A Tribute to the Women of Gaming."</a> The image is impressive, but a little misleading since BelPowerslave has chosen to focus on only their asthetic contributions. The inclusion of the not-so-slender Ms. Pac Man seems the only nod toward other body types.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07596738392616233487noreply@blogger.com