[GameRatty] tag: comments

Making readers uncomfortable

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:54:00 +0000

It has been made abundantly clear to me by a significant number of comment over the years that it makes a lot of my readers uncomfortable when I talk about myself. They much prefer me in "sage mode": Dispensing wisdom, writing analysis, giving advice, reviewing facts, reporting news, and telling funny stories. But when I show too much enthusiasm, write about what worries me, react with emotions to some negativity, or show interests outside the narrow world of MMORPGs, it is making people flinch and wince. Bad news is that I'm not going to stop to write at a more personal level. Because being totally impersonal is an impossible task, and because this blog wouldn't even exist if it weren't about my feelings.

I totally understand why it makes people uncomfortable. After all MMORPGs are basically fantasy worlds into which we escape to avoid having to deal with the real world and real emotions. Dealing with people online, in games or blogs, allows us to reduce them to specific roles: The tank, the healer, the blogger. There are less dimensions to "my guild's main tank", or "Tobold the blogger", than there are to real persons. If these characters suddenly start showing more depth, the tank skips raids because of personal problems, or Tobold whining about his angst that his warrior is becoming obsolete, it quickly becomes inconvenient to have to deal with that.

But as much as someone might prefer me as being impersonal, in reality that just isn't possible. Just like there is a real person with real feelings behind that tank avatar, there is a real person behind Tobold the blogger. Sometimes I just have a bad day, or I rant, or whine, or go off on a tangent, or worry, or am happy. And people telling me I shouldn't let my feelings show usually just cause me to rant or whine even more, because such comments touch me on a personal level, and thus provoke a personal response. This is a one-man operation, there is no editor who could edit out unseemly content that isn't perfectly neutral or politically correct. The only way you *do* have to "edit" me, is to simply not read the posts that make you uncomfortable.

And as I mentioned, the personal stuff is a necessary condition for the existence of this blog. Because I am not a robot, but a real person, there has to be something in it for me that causes me to write this blog, people don't do things without any motivation. And there is obviously no financial incentive. You might think that this blog is about MMORPGs, but in reality this blog is about me. I blog because I feel a need to express myself. This is my place, my retreat, my Cheers where everybody knows my name, the place I hang out, where I can talk about the stuff that interests me, or bitch about my problems. To get me to leave my personality at the door, I would need to be motivated otherwise, for example by being paid for my work. I guess you could get a magazine with a similar amount of game content for about $50 per year, so how about you all send me $50 per year? Thought not. I think that getting ample content for free in exchange for having to put up with the occasional personal post is the better deal.

And yes, I'm perfectly aware that this post made you feel uncomfortable again. "Tobold's Blog: Making readers uncomfortable since 2003" :)

Forbes: Nintendo making $6 profit on every Wii sold

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Business

While Sony and Microsoft dream of turning a profit on their consoles, Nintendo is doing just that. According to a new article from Forbes, the Big N makes $6 in operating profit from every Wii unit sold. Nearly 19 million units have been sold worldwide so far during 2008, earning Nintendo a tidy $114M in profit, taking that $6-per-system figure into account. That's not the extent of the interesting numbers in the article, though.

Forbes points out that, while Nintendo is turning a profit on hardware, the fact that its top-selling software is all first party means it is losing out on serious revenue normally brought in via licensing fees. Still, according to its figures, the magazine claims that there will be in the neighborhood of 100 million more pieces of Wii software sold in 2008 (220M) than the nearest competitor, Xbox 360, at 125M (PS3 is on track for 120M). One has to wonder, though, how many of those Wii games will be snagged from a bargain bin, given recent analyst data.

Forbes: Nintendo making $6 profit on every Wii sold originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ken Moore goes where no man has gone before, turns Wiimote into theremin

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:11:00 +0000

Filed under: Video, Homebrew

Ken Moore likes to fiddle around with things. His latest project turns the Wiimote into a theremin, which is one of the earliest electronic instruments and the first that is actually played without touching. Above, you'll see a video of Ken providing a tech demo and brief history lesson on the instrument. Past the break, you'll see Ken attempt to do the theme for the original Star Trek show.

[Via Engadget]

The homebrew community is doing nifty things with the Wii. Have you learned how to play DVDs on your console yet? Or read about the app that lets you play games from other regions? What about getting Goldeneye to run on Wii? Alternatively, you could just use homebrew to get your cheat on.

Ken Moore goes where no man has gone before, turns Wiimote into theremin originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Media Monday: Prince of Persia edition

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:50:37 +0000

[Editor's note: Hoygeit has a weekly feature on the C Blogs called Media Monday. Each week, he draws something videogame related in under an hour and invites the community to do the same. Show us your art skills Dtoiders! -- CTZ]

Media Monday is intended to be a creative community activity where participants use ANY media of their preference. It can be traditional media (pencil, paper clips, pen on post-it), digital (Photoshop, painter, MS-Paint, etc), a photograph, 3D modeling program, or more esoteric items that fits the theme.

There is a time limit of 60 minutes (an hour) when you start your image. This can be done any time before the next Monday (you choose the hour that works best for you). After 60 minutes (or sooner if you prefer), please share the piece even if it isn't complete. Afterwards, post your piece in the comments.

This isn't a contest - it's meant to be a friendly collaboration for members of the community to take part it. Don't worry about the results, its intended to be fun!

Please try using the upcoming releases as the theme. Use anything coming out that you'd like to try a creative spin on.

This week I'm putting in an head shot image for Elika from the upcoming Prince of Persia game. This piece took me 40 minutes to make in Photoshop. Check out my past Community Blogs to see some more examples of Media Monday artwork.

Behold Japan's Resident Evil 5 LE, with console-specific extras

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

Capcom Japan's online store has put up a pre-sale page for the limited edition of Biohazard 5, a.k.a. Resident Evil 5 to us gaijin. It's a handsome LE treatment for the game, and is interesting in that PS3 and 360 will each receive their own variation with unique bonuses.

Set to go on sale March 3, 2009 at ¥12,800 ($137), both LE sets include a 2GB Tricell USB drive, 32-page art book, and BSAA "Waist Pocket" like the characters in the game wear. On the PS3 side, the game's Blu-ray Disc will include a making-of documentary; the 360 edition will actually come in two flavors: a Deluxe Edition, which includes a Biohazard 5 Selection Track soundtrack CD, and the Limited Edition which ... doesn't. The 360 "DE" will apparently be even more limited than the LE.

Capcom hasn't revealed plans for a US limited edition for either version of RE5, but, given the increase in volume of premium bundles in the last two years alone, we'd be surprised if its marketing folk don't come up with something special for Western gamers.

[Via CVG]

Behold Japan's Resident Evil 5 LE, with console-specific extras originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Echoes of Time gets spring release in North America

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:16:00 +0000

Filed under: News, Nintendo Wi-Fi

Square Enix has announced plans to release Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time in North America next spring. The cross-platform ARPG will let players of the DS and Wii editions fight, level up, and build junk together, regardless of which console they're playing on. Both versions will come out on the same day, because that's kind of the point. Worryingly, GameStop has the Wii game priced at $10 more than its DS cousin -- in Japan, both cost the same.

Lumping DS and Wii players together means both games are identical (minus some on-screen furniture), but also allows us to pass the DS gallery off as a Wii gallery. Handy!

[Via press release]

Echoes of Time gets spring release in North America originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DC Universe probably coming early 2010/late 2009, says comics writer

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Super-hero, Interviews, New titles, DC Universe Online

Stephen Totilo managed to get a few questions in edgewise for us gamer-types when MTV newsie Jennifer Vineyard recently spoke with comics writer Geoff Johns. Johns, as we've previously discussed, is one of the writers on-staff working to develop DC Universe Online. Vineyard spoke with Johns about the concept of 'secret identities', and his comments hint at some unique gameplay options ... without giving away too many details. "I like the idea that your secret identity is really outside the computer. You're a normal guy, and then when you log on to the game, you become the superhero." They...

DC Universe probably coming early 2010/late 2009, says comics writer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carrion Reanimating! (Ouch)

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:55:56 +0000

You know what there aren’t enough of? Black and white games. A few exist, but it’s a format I’d love to see someone do with a big budget. However, in the meantime, this little splodge of oddness will do. Carrion Reanimating (oof) is a small arcade game in which you must reanimate corpses of locals you have murdered in order that their visiting friends and relatives won’t be concerned. Of course.

(...)
Read the rest of Carrion Reanimating! (Ouch) (326 words)

Posted by botherer. | No comments | Donate or subscribe to RPS | Post tags: carrion reanimating, free, indie, Lemmy and Binky, zombie cow
This article is from Rock, Paper, Shotgun. If you're reading it on any other website, they're stealing it from us without permission.

This Wednesday: Bird, bear, backpack join forces on XBLA

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:30:00 +0000

Filed under: Retro, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

This Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade update will finally deliver the spruced-up N64 classic, Banjo-Kazooie. After experiencing a brief delay, fans of the backpack-packing bear from Rare will be able dive headfirst into nostalgia, once again transforming into compulsive note-collecting maniacs. It happens to the best of us.

Aside from notes, tokens and jiggies, this version also requires one other collectible: Microsoft Points. You'll need 1,200 of them to proceed beyond the trial version.

This Wednesday: Bird, bear, backpack join forces on XBLA originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VC Monday Madness: Metal Slug 2

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:21:00 +0000

Filed under: VC Monday Madness

Metal Slug 2 (NEOGEO, 1 - 2 players, 900 Wii Points)
Wii Fanboy says: do not download

This week, we've only got one new Virtual Console game to check out. But, thankfully, it's a pretty good one. It might not be recommended to download (9 bucks, ouch), but you all should find a way to play it, because Metal Slug 2 is good. How about Metal Slug Anthology, which is under $20 at most places, including Amazon? Yeah, we suggest that.

Each week, we here at Wii Fanboy like to check out the latest Virtual Console releases in our VC Monday Madness feature, in the hopes that you can make the most sound decision possible regarding purchasing retro titles from the Wii Shop Channel. If you're looking for more retro goodness, check out Virtually Overlooked, which talks about games that should be on the Virtual Console.

VC Monday Madness: Metal Slug 2 originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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