Author Archives: Mr Wolfe

Blizzard is now soulless: confirmed

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Listen.  I’ll admit when I’m wrong.  Why, I can remember a day when I was positive that StarCraft 2 would be a legendary example of great game design, and even tried to follow the online Korean tournament scene, GomTV’s “GSL”, you may remember.  I wrote an article about the design principles I believed were behind the choices for the three races’ units and features, then watched as Blizzard fumbled patching and balance until it was clear: they’re clueless.

Well the days have gotten darker for ActivisionBlizzard, as they’ve revealed their greedy little plans to control and monetize everything.  Surely this is Activision’s part in milking Blizzard dry, but that doesn’t pardon anything.  What’s the big sin?  There’s actually 3, as reported by PC Gamer, and summed up by RockPaperShotgun…

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Kojima’s Three Stages of Twitter Response

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Kojima TwitterI’ve always been fascinated by the way Hideo Kojima responds to his critics.  Unlike Western artists, he openly cares what people think about him, and even allows it to dictate what he does.  Having used Twitter to voice his random thoughts for a year or two, it’s interesting to see his reflection on what he calls “a pattern of twitter”:

A pattern of twitter. I tweet a certain announcement. First, I get warm applauses and feedbacks from my followers. [1] After the heroic stage, the feedbacks become questions and opinions. Once they are almost done, demands pour in this time. [2] After the “spreading” of these tweets, there are upcoming libelous waves from non-followers. [3]

I’d say he’s right.  Announcements are exciting, so it’s natural for “followers” to applaud it immediately, but soon enough people want to know more, and question things being said; and as people assume more and more, they eventually become convinced of a problem and make demands.  And certainly, once the word spreads to other sites and blogs, the “non-followers” are going to criticize it without restraint.

I thought this was news-worthy, if for no other reason than to reinforce what I’ve said for a long time about Kojima’s sensitivity.

Exposed: Comic-Con winner hired ninja to kill competitors

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It has been revealed that the ‘2011 Konami SanDiego Comic-Com Cosplay Contest’ winner, pictured below, was using a deadly accomplice to weed out the competition — permanently.

Yes, while the disturbing crimes have yet to catch the attention of the media or the authorities, the exclusive SnakeSoup reports that this year’s “best in show” winner hired a fellow ninja to assassinate the competition with a single goal in mind: to capture the coveted Ga-Ko.

Here, the ninja is seen posing for the camera as his partner laughs maniacally in the background. Notice the imitation Ga-Ko statue on the floor to the right.

So while we know about the heinous plot, the identity of the “winner” remains illusive, hidden behind impenetrable face paint.

Could it possibly be the brokenhearted 2010 Comic-Com Cosplay Contest loser that I discovered last year?  The original news piece is archived here, but I have re-produced it for your consideration…

July 24, 2010: Kojima likes these costumes

In an apparent bid to stifle the neverending parade of Naked Snake/Big Boss cosplayers who’ve been clogging up the psychotic Metal Gear cosplaying scene for years, Kojima has given both 1st and 2nd place prizes to these folks:

 See that broken-hearted Naked Snake in the background? Hmm, why don’t I remember Raiden having bare legs before? In any case, it was good enough to catch Kojima’s eye, so there you have it. [Source]

Is it possible that the ninja involved in this murder plot is somehow one of these two winners from last year as well?  How long have these people been in secret cooperation?  Just how deep does this mystery go?  As the bodies continue to pile up, I fear that we will see them again next year…

[SnakeSoup] [MetaGearSolid.org]

Murdoch

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In case you read my article Video Games in the Master Plan and didn’t have a good idea of who Rupert Murdoch was, he’s in the news nowadays:

…. In recent days, Murdoch has drawn comparisons to a cruel monarch, Richard Nixon, even the devil.

The scandal centers on revelations that journalists at his top-selling British tabloid, News of the World, gathered information through a variety of possibly illegal endeavors that included phone hacking and bribery of police officers. Last week, he closed the 168-year-old tabloid and withdrew a hard-fought bid for 100 percent ownership of prized satellite TV carrier British Sky Broadcasting. He even met with and apologized to the family of a missing, murdered girl whose phone was hacked by News Corp. journalists. [source]

The owner of Fox News and IGN, ladies and gentlemen.

 

Kojima on needing lots of money, knowing how to market

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Hideo KojimaIn a new interview with PlayStation Blog, Hideo Kojima compares being a game designer to producing a movie, saying:

Kojima: Right now, it’s very similar to movies: You need a lot of money. So rather than doing what you want, doing what you like, you must have a clear idea of marketing and sales. That’s what’s happening to us with FOX Engine; you do not need be an expert in programming to develop a game, but if you have a question, you still need an expert on-hand to provide an answer.

As for expression, that has reached a high level. Video games are trying to reach the peak of entertainment, so game makers should be clear that things like emotion and sound are among the many things that have to be involved. [source] [emphasis mine]

It doesn’t seem as if Kojima is complaining here, but he certainly has no illusions about being able to simply do “what he likes” and “what he wants”.  It’s all about marketing and sales.  It’s interesting that he would bring up the new FOX Engine as an example of this; does this mean he couldn’t do what he wanted with it, or is it just an example of requiring marketing savvy to get what you want?

Video Games in the Master Plan

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Updated March 6, 2014: Added new section and improved some parts

This article deals with the controlled nature of the entertainment industry, pop culture, and the possibility of a conspiracy to turn gaming culture into a shallow, unhealthy and narrow-minded wasteland.

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Video game article update

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You know what’s surprisingly more difficult than analyzing specific areas of a particular video game franchise?

Writing a short article about real-world economics, politics and the cultural state of affairs in a way that’s accurate, balanced, interesting to read, and yet totally devoid of research and sources for factual information.

Magicka!

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I cannot stress enough that you should open up the Steam Store and purchase everything there is related to the game Magicka — the only video game where you can play as a mage with a hand gun and shades.  But that’s the least of all reasons why you should buy it:

  • It’s bright, playful and gorgeous visually
  • It’s cheap to buy (especially right now)
  • It’s got delightfully chaotic and challenging multiplayer, but it plays well solo
  • Best usage of combining elemental spells ever
  • It’s actually got a sense of humor
  • Magicka: Vietnam?

There’s more reasons, but long lists get annoying after a while.  Go see if it interests you right now!

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