I am a firm believer that the Japanese are resistant to change. At least in the gaming industry, the Japanese have proven to be several steps back from current industry trends and standards. Lack of truly innovative titles and lack of multiplayer functionality in most Japanese-developed titles are just two examples. My fear is that [...]
[audio http://m.podshow.com/media/19222/episodes/140928/existentialgamerpodcast-140928-01-25-2009.mp3] This week, we talk about games that should have gotten more attention and/or better reviews and/or more commercial success (i.e., underrated games). Games we’ve been playing: Persona 4, Chrono Trigger, L4D, Stranglehold Underrated Games: Okami, Beyond Good and Evil, Prince of Persia. Assassin’s Creed, Psychonauts, Shadow of the Colossus, Sly Cooper series, Onimusha [...]
Creating sequels has some interesting challenges. You can go the easy route and rehash old assets to produce a sequel that would please those who would say, “If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.” However, if you stick to the same formula too much, you will garner criticisms from those who demand creativity and [...]
JJ’s Choice: When I think about GOTY, I think about about one thing and one thing only: what blew me away. As I mentioned in a previous entry, I wasn’t really blown away by anything released this year. As a result, I look to my second qualification for GOTY: what I had the most fun [...]
Today, the gaming community has suffered an immense loss. Today, UGO has acquired the gaming division of Ziff Davis Media. As a result, massive layoffs occurred and many good people lost their jobs. Furthermore, important and very influential programs have now been axed as well. EGM, Electronic Gaming Magazine, one of the last and arguably [...]
It seems like every year there is a call from the community to decide whether or not the current year deserves the elusive title of “Best Year in Gaming.” The reality is that this cannot be decided unanimously; there are too many variables and too many games for every one or even a majority to [...]
