Reviews by the Hour: Too Human Part 2

Alex’s game design tip #1: When making a game focused on narrative, be sure to add subtitles. Now, there may be subtitles hidden in the main menu, but I want an option to turn subtitles on when I pause the game. During this hour, I saw many cutscenes overcrowded with background effects and the sound of my brother listening to rap in the nearby room.
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The Bliss of Mundanity

It’s a wednesday morning. The early sun shines through the dorm room window. The schedule for the day features pop quizzes at school, going to swim practice, or student council. And, every night after class, demon slaying. This is the life of the main character in Persona 3, and this will be his schedule for the next ten months.

At face value, a game like this seems very boring. The game is about a day-to-day routine that takes about a hundred hours to complete. Persona 3 is a tedious dungeon crawler with little variety in both scenery and gameplay. In a world where games are played for varied beats in action, Persona should be set to fail, right? Wrong! The tedium is addictive as all else.
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Rosebud is to Chozo, as Apple is to Orange.

Comparing videogames to other narrative mediums is not a new occurrence. I seem to recall Braid being praised as a poem and Portal as a short story. These statements are as true as any metaphor. Braid is a very poetic experience and Portal is both short and satisfying. These comparisons show that games are maturing as classifications evolve beyond “Action” or “Adventure”. The downside to this, however, is that other mediums cannot be compared to video games.
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Rich's Rants: Dragon Age: Origins to have DLC on Day One… Fuck Me!

First of all, let me point out that I am very excited for Dragon Age and can’t wait to play it. Secondly, let me tell you that this is the most ridiculous news that I have heard in a while. BioWare has decided to have not one, not two, but three different DLC packs available on day one.

The first DLC is titled Warden’s Keep and will sell for 560 Microsoft Points ($7) which will add a new quest, several new abilities and items as well as a market area. The second DLC is titled The Stone Prisoner and will be free to players that purchase the game new but will cost 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) to anybody else. The Stone Prisoner is a character that will be unlocked at the beginning of the game as a party member. The last piece of DLC is also free and only available with new copies of the game which provides you with some really kick-ass Blood Dragon Armor in both Dragon Age as well as Mass Effect 2.
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Reviews By the Hour: Too Human part 1

After one hour of play I can state that Too Human could be a classic. The way it plays, the way it looks, even the way it presents itself makes it feel as ancient as the mythology it retells. As I hold the right joystick, sweeping me to the nearest goblin, an impish-like machine (imagine Peter Jackson’s Moria Goblins in the Fellowship of the Ring), I’m reminded of button mashing tactics of games like Final Fight, and Streets of Rage. The only problem with this mindset, however, is that Too Human is not a classic. It’s only a year old.
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New FTC Guidelines: A BIG Deal for the Video Game Industry

So, it was announce the other day that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has some new guidelines in regards to product reviews on the Web. You may have read a mention of this on a couple different websites but it is understandable that many of them wouldn’t want to go into the details. These new guidelines have major potential to turn the video game industry on its head. The first thing to understand with these new FTC guidelines is that they aren’t new laws but they are specific interpretations of existing laws that are applicable to blogs and the Web in general.

These regulations dictate that writers divulge any information that would be considered a “conflict of interest”. This includes anything from being payed to write a positive review of a game, to advertising that game on a website, being flown out to an event and supplying free food and drinks, or just sending a free copy of a game or general swag. There are already websites that don’t disclose any specific information but they completely admit to receiving things for free and enjoy going to event. There are some other sites though that insist they pay their own way to go to events like E3 and don’t receive handouts from any publishers or developers. I can guarantee that we are going to find out really quick if anybody has been lying through their teeth about positive incentive.
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EvilControllers Talks about Cheating and New Line of Controllers

It was a good show this past Tuesday for Chatterbox Video Game Radio. Greg and Jonah from Evil Controllers stopped by the radio station to show off and talk about their newest set of controllers. The dynamic duo explained all of the intimate details of the controllers themselves as well as the interesting packaging that the controllers will be shipped in.

You can listen to the show below by clicking on that nice little play button if you haven’t done so already. Otherwise you can download the mp3 right here (right click and save). Or else there is always the option to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes: