The mailbag got backed up over the last few weeks while we were talking about… whatever those shows were about. So now we’re finally getting caught up.
Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #261: The Great Mailbag Purge”
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “#32 The Warmest of Welcomes”
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “#31 Bringing Home the Bacon”
I know last time I promised that I would wrap up E3 in a single post, but once again I have underestimated my capacity to overanalyze things. It’s probably going to take me a few entries to process all this content. Today I’m just going to cover the Bethesda show.
This show should more properly be called the “Zenimax Press Event”. Zenimax is the parent company and the true owner of these various properties. I suspect this is a good cop / bad cop type deal. The name Zenimax is used when the company needs to launch another one of its obnoxious bullshit lawsuits where the company is technically in the right legally but deeply in the wrong morally. The Zenimax identity absorbs all the consumer hate, allowing the Bethesda name to sustain the pretense that they’re just a bunch of nice folks who love video games.
It’s hard to criticize the strategy, given how well it’s working so far.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “E3 2019: Bethesda’s Press Conference”
It’s that time again. Every couple of years I put on a crash helmet and dive into the menu-based labyrinth at the heart of Microsoft’s latest games service / griefing engine. This week I tried the new “Xbox Game Pass for PC Games”, which like saying “Coca-Cola’s cola pass for Pepsi”. The name is so oxymoronic that it could only come from the minds at Microsoft.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but it doesn’t really work all that well. The Escapist article is really just the highlights. You should read the article first for context, but if you want the full list of gripes and mysteries, then below are a bunch of additional things that I cut for time / pacing: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Experienced Points: Microsoft’s Game Pass Is a Kafkaesque Nightmare on PC”
I’m not in a position to do full E3 coverage this year with videos and streaming. Instead I’m just going to do a rapid-fire analysis of what I’ve seen so far and what I think is interesting. The Xbox briefing was full of stuff to talk about, so I’m giving it a post of its own.
I am getting really tired of the standard briefing patter. It’s played out, we’ve heard it all before, and it’s not what we’re here for.
“Video games enable us to realize our greatest dreams by using next gen hardware to allow developers to unleash their creative vision for a shared experience that shows us the true possibilities of what our video game technology has to offer to millions of players around the world that play together and have new experiences where they can express themselves through video games by enabling them to connect with a growing world of video game adventure through the power of interactive shared experiences that show the true creative vision of some of the most passionate developers working in the industry today as they work to bring their creations to life through…”
Ugh. Over time, the information density approaches zero. Eventually you wake from your trance and realize you’ve just watched some dude talk for three minutes to express the idea that “video games are great”.
By all means, share with us why you think your new gizmo is a good idea or what your current focus is, but don’t spend time explaining to the audience of hardcore gamers that video games are good. Stop wasting my time.
All of the press events suffer from a little of this, but I think Microsoft’s show was the worst.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “E3 2019: Xbox Briefing”
Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #260: Islanders, E3 2019, Kingdom: New Lands”
Why make millions on your video game when you could be making HUNDREDS on frivolous copyright claims?
Crysis 2 has basically the same plot as Half-Life 2. So why is one a classic and the other simply obnoxious and tiresome?
My picks for what was important, awesome, or worth talking about in 2014.
This is a horrible narrative that undermines the hobby through crass stereotypes. The hobby is vast, gamers come from all walks of life, and you shouldn't judge ANY group by its worst members.
How did this game avoid all the usual stupidity that ruins remakes of classic titles?
Crunch-mode game development isn't good, but sometimes it happens for good reasons.
How do you know the rules of the game are what the game claims? More importantly, how do the DEVELOPERS know?
Let's count up the ways in which Bethesda has misunderstood and misused the Fallout property.
A long-form analysis on one of the greatest horror games ever made.
Why spend millions on visuals that are just a distraction from the REAL game of hotbar-watching?
T w e n t y S i d e d
