Blog update

For the 1.63 people that occasionally browse the gaming links in the sidebar, you'll notice two things: (1) gamesindustry.biz is gone from the news list, because they went registration-only, and (2) there's a new site on the miscellaneous list.

And that site is 2old2play, "a website for the older gamer." I just discovered it today, so I don't know if it's any good.  But, since IT( )E is chock full of grumpy old bastards, our members might want to check it out after they've had their daily shot of geritol.

ArsTechnica on the AvP demo

Looks like Aliens vs. Predator is getting off to a rough start:

Despite the limitations and frustrations of the demo, it looks like there is definitely a solid game underneath. AVP nails the look and feel of the franchise, and features a good deal of variety between the three races. And the PC version is even expected to support dedicated servers. Really, you almost have to look past the demo's flaws to see that AVP has some strong potential to be a great game, both single-player and multi-player. That is, if you can find a game to play in.

Unfortunately, the PC demo doesn't inspire the same level of confidence. It took a while to get into the game, and the mouse control is sluggish and unresponsive. Turning off V-sync helped the issue, but it didn't help the lackluster graphics or attacks that just don't feel satisfying. Not to mention the marine is not that much fun to play, while the Alien feels confusing. Running along the walls and ceiling is fun, but often the game seems to arbitrarily decide you can't go somewhere, and sometimes the transitions from floor to wall get twitchy when you need to get away quickly.

If we had to make a snap decision based only on the demo, we'd probably be skipping this one.

Dead Space 2: no love for the PC

Blue's News reports:

Those EA Financials from earlier had one last surprise, as the listing for Dead Space 2 in their Fiscal Q4 2011 has the entries for consoles and handhelds ticked off, but there is no mark under PC. We inquired if this meant the PC edition was coming at a later date not reflected on that schedule, and were told by EA public relations that: "As of right now a PC sku is not in the plan." Our requests for an explanation went unanswered, so we don't know the reasons for the change

BF:BC2 dev interview

It's on Worthplaying.com.  Let's hope this is a true money quote:

WP: Looking at console versus PC, since the advent of digital distribution with Steam and broadband becoming more common, it's almost like we're seeing a resurgence in PC gaming. As a developer, is console versus PC really an either-or question, or has it gotten back to the point where you need to develop for all of them?

PB: At DICE, we never really let go of the PC. Bad Company 1 was an exception because we initially designed it to be a console-only game. We got a lot of negative comments about that when we released the game because people asked, "Hey, this is a real Battlefield game. Why aren't you releasing it for PC?" This time around, we decided, yes, let's make Bad Company 2 for the PC so that the audience can enjoy the game as well. We're not taking it lightly and just making a port. We actually have a big PC-focused team just working on the PC version of the game. I think the PC gamers will be amazed with the quality that we get out of the PC. We have DirectX 11 support, we support all the latest sound and graphics, and we even have support for nVidia's 3-D screens, so there's a lot of cool stuff going on when it comes to the PC version.

This is MW2

This about sums it up:

And in case your brain doesn't shut down automatically every time a new glitch/exploit/hack/cheat/horrendous design decision makes the rounds, this site has a list (with video evidence) of over 300 glitches featured in MW2.

BioShock 2 released

The game hit retail today.  If you're looking for a review, take your pick: Ars Technica, Big Shiny Robot, Computer and Video Games, The Escapist, Eurogamer, Games On Net, GameSpy, GameTrailers, GameZone, IncGamers, IncGamers TV, Kotaku, PC Gamer, Sydney Morning Herald, TeamXbox, Wired, and ZergWatch.

The BS boom box, at full volume

Over on the IW forums, the subject of connectivity problems associated with IWnet is still all the rage. One user asked:

AND REALLY WOULDN'T THIS GAME BE CONSIDERED FAULTY AT THIS POINT - I mean seriously this game has some issues that IW doesn't seem to want to correct. Does IW feel the game is doing what was held out to do?

To which 402 responded:

No. I don't believe it would be considered faulty. Given your system meets the minimum requirements posted on the box, you can fully enjoy the game's singleplayer campaign and special ops mode without any problems.

As for multiplayer, the same can be expected given that "Gameplay Experience May Change Online" message required by ESRB on all multiplayer games indicates that due to the reliance on network conditions and connections outside of the game's code, the gameplay experience my differ.

Let's just take a half a step back here. The ESRB primarily assigns content ratings for video games (it also provides advertising and privacy guidelines for the same). Is 402 really claiming that the Board's stock notice - that the "game experience may change during online play" - constitutes a warning that a game's matchmaking system might be kinda shitty?

Perhaps the relevant question is whether Mr. Bowling actually thinks MW2's players are really that monumentally stupid.

Another user responded:

So, "Caveat Emptor," huh? Thanks for clarifying your company's stand on this. Now we know what to expect from your company in the future.

You just basically said that as long as one single component works, you have no obligation to fix the rest no matter how bad it is.

You knew IWnet was inferior from the beginning and still tried to sell it as a working product. Activision's customer support response even says that listen servers on residential internet connections are known to have problems.

And 04U replied:

Not exactly. I said, the game works as designed when it comes to the game code. However, game code has no control over the quality of connections outside of it. Meaning, there is no way for a game can ensure game experience won't change when playing over connections all over the world. Network conditions heavily impact game play experience in multiplayer. That's the way multiplayer has always been.

We include a lot of stuff in our netcode to help improve that and make it as smooth as possible, which works great. Although there will always be times when a connection is lost or interrupted simply due to network conditions which cannot be avoided 100%. That's just a byproduct of playing online in any game.

First paragraph: completely true. Second paragraph: complete and utter bullshit. It's not enough that IW has delivered an obviously inferior matchmaking service at a $10 premium. They have to lie about it, too.

Bowling's next post came four pages later, when he locked the thread. 

Caveat emptor, indeed.

IGN reviews BioShock 2

Too many videos on this page already, so watch it here.

Asian Remmy plays Mario Land

"One coin? F**K you!"

Zero Punctuation on Dark Void

Yahtzee is still the best reviewer out there.