The Time of Regret

Regret is a funny thing; the internet has thousands of quotes from famous people about how they deal with regret. Presumably fame is something most people want, even if it’s just a small amount. Thus famous people would be the ones least likely to have regrets you’d think; they have achieved what they set out to achieve. And yet even for those that life has gifted with their greatest desires still regret lingers.

The Path of the Dragon

In eastern literature there is no mightier creature than the Dragon, I remember watching a martial arts movie where the teacher is trying to explain the concept to his student. He says the difference between the tiger and the dragon is that the tiger only reacts to pain while the dragon considers and thinks, only then acting or reacting. Dragon’s Dogma is Capcom’s first foray into the unforgiving world of RPGs. Best known for their Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Street Fighter series; Capcom has made its mission to expand their stable of games in the last five years or so. From Lost Planet to Dead Rising, Capcom has had a few well deserved successes, but they’ve also faltered when they left their comfort zone of Japanese games. The reboot of Bionic Commando was a well-publicized disaster that some took to mean that Capcom wouldn’t take any more chances, but here we are just a few years later with Dragon’s Dogma; Capcom’s biggest roll of the dice yet and boy is it impressive.

The Big Bad Review

It’s hard sometimes as a gamer when you see a game that you love or are very interested getting sunk by a shoddy or lazy review. It happens, reviews are for the most part subjective, ‘one man’s treasure is another man’s trash’ so to speak. Reviews have the power to make or break a company in the case of Obsidian and Fallout New Vegas. Obsidian missed out on profit sharing by a few points in its aggregate review score. It happens; sometimes reviewers let personal issues cloud their professional judgment, as we like to say ‘they’re only human’. You never like to see a shoddy review even when it bumps the metacritic score up. It always feels so un-American; you know the whole equality for all.

Reviews are necessary, they put things in perspective, and they give a measuring stick on the quality of the game. A good review and a bad review can oftentimes have the same language but vastly different scores. On the other hand gamer reaction to a popular game being reviewed harshly or vice versa is often vitriolic; not that writers are not without fault. I cannot count the number of times when a review has been positive or negative and yet the score in no way shape reflects it, combine that with the various times I’ve read a review where the author clearly did not finish or understand the game and you have problems.

Where Has All the Science Fiction Gone?

As I was perusing the internet today looking to see when a favorite show of mine, Doctor Who, would be back for a seventh series, I was struck by an odd thought. With the end of Fringe in sight and a second season Falling Skies next month, I realized that was the full extent of the US science fiction I would be watching for the rest of the year. I was sadden to find that out, science fiction on US television has had some great runs; Quantum Leap, Stargate, Star Trek, and a number of smaller less well known shows.

The Closed Beta Blues

I love The Secret World closed beta. I always love to pick and choose different classes in betas, to see what skills are the most fun to play, but this beta is pretty awesome. I test out theories and see what falls and what rises to the top, I throw something out or jot it down for later. The thing is though; I kinda hate Closed Beta’s. I know, I know, closed beta’s are bug searches and server testing; and I always try to drop suggestions and the like when I’m in a closed beta but the fact of the matter is I can’t standing getting my character wiped at the end of closed betas.

Return of the King

Blizzards’ Diablo III dropped yesterday, I bought it and I’m enjoying it. After the snafu in the early hours of launch everything seems to be running smoothly. A few people beat the game in the ridiculously short time that some people will always try to achieve. Diablo IIIs' strength is its simplicity. No customization other than a few choices here and there, it is simple and unadulterated action role playing at its best. I made a couple characters and then I was off to the races. It’s a fun game, with a predictable but interesting storyline. Add to that a solid combat, though it makes me itch for a controller, and its one for the ages. And unsurprisingly, beyond the expectations of the vocal minority, it hasn’t brought on the end of the world.

The Fall of the Champ

I remember someone once said that ‘it was better to be thought a Tyrant and for it to be a lie than to be thought a fool and for it to be true’. Once upon a time Blizzard was the champion, the unstoppable force, the invincible juggernaut; those days are gone and they are unlikely to return. In this though they are not alone, Bioware, Sony, Nintendo, Square Enix, and a few others were considered the very elite of their respective game makers. Some companies rewrite themselves, while others become something else entirely, rising from the ruins of former studios almost as if they were the mythical phoenix. And if these companies aren’t what they used to be it’s because of one thing and one thing only, gamers.