On this week’s episode of EpicBatleCry, the hosts talked quite a bit about game delays. As you know this is a favorite topic of mine and, therefore, you might be expecting me to write about it this week. Well, I will not. Although – I will say that I still...]]>
By Lorin Baumgarten

On this week’s episode of EpicBatleCry, the hosts talked quite a bit about game delays. As you know this is a favorite topic of mine and, therefore, you might be expecting me to write about it this week. Well, I will not. Although – I will say that I still can’t figure out why an industry that makes more money than the music industry and is creeping up on film still cannot seem to manage what the other two forms of entertainment mastered long ago: schedules. I mean, didn’t we all learn about schedules and managing expectations and fulfilling commitments in some intro class in high school? I mean seriously, gaming industry, get your sh*# together when it comes to…wait a minute, wait a minute. I said that I am not going to write about this topic this week, didn’t I?. Sorry. I got a little caught up there. What I dowant to discuss this week is a topic DK brought up on the show in the context of Mass Effect 2, but is an even more interesting question when extrapolated out to the industry in general. That question is: are games being dumbed down and/or diluted in order to appeal to the masses and , if so, are they losing quality and merit because of it?

So when Mr. Daniel Kayser brought this topic up on EBC, he got a bit of flack from a few people. The thoughts I saw expressed, thought they were not the majority, were simply that DK was just upset that Mass Effect 2 was going to appear on the PS3 early next year. Though I do not speak for him, I think that I managed to ascertain from what he said on the show (you know, the part where he said he was glad the game would be released for the PS3?) that he was, in point of fact, glad that the game would be released on the PS3. I think the point he was trying to make by bringing it up was one of whether or not diluting the production team by having them build the game for another platform would hurt the game’s content in the long run, as the same number of people would be forced to do more work. I think that point got a bit twisted up during the course of the conversation with another assertion, brought up by one Brent “ThunderSmash” Adams.

Brent’s suggested that if one was concerned about franchise or property dilution, perhaps one should look to the Dragon Age example. A good point, indeed. BioWare has said, in no uncertain terms, That Dragon Age 2 would play more like Mass Effect 2 and less like a traditional RPG. They have also stated that they are doing this to make the game more accessible to a wider audience. So when you put those two things together, expanding platforms for ME2 and changing the gameplay of Dragon Age 2, it does beg the question as to whether or not BioWare is trying so hard to widen its audience that it is doing so at the expense of game quality. Which in turn leads to the question: is this happening throughout the gaming industry?

Let’s start with BioWare specifically. The answer is no. At least, so far as we know. There is no reason, from what we have seen in BioWare’s past, to think that they will give us anything other than a top-quality product. Until they give a reason to believe otherwise, specifically by putting out a poor quality game, BioWare deserves the benefit of the doubt as much as any game company out there. Personally I thought that their decision to curb the RPG elements of Mass Effect and focus on enhancing the shooting aspects for Mass Effect 2 to be a very solid one. As a matter of fact, I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who thinks the original Mass Effect is a better game than the sequel. Well, aside from Brent. As for Dragon Age? I have enjoyed the six or so hours I have played of it so far. However, I am really looking forward to playing Dragon Age 2 with it’s new feel. Not being one of those people who comes from an old-school RPG background, I am much more excited to play the game in its new format than I would have been to stick with the previous one (I played it on the PC, by the way). Of course, I could be wrong. It could hurt the game. But as I said earlier, until I see that game, I will give BioWare the benefit of the doubt.

Enough about BioWare though. What a bout the gaming industry as a whole? Peter Molyneux has said, on many occasions, that Fable III is being tweaked to become less of an RPG and more of an adventure game in order to make it more accessible to a broader fan base. So, is the industry intentionally diluting game content? Are they making it easier or more low-brow in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience? Before I answer that question, I feel a need to remind you (and myself) of something. Video games are a business. Not only are video games a business, they are BIG BUSINESS! Hundreds of millions of dollars can be made by one game alone and billions of dollars changes hands each year in the gaming industry. And, fundamentally, it is the job of the CEO’s of publishing companies to make more money. And, as you might suspect, one of the primary ways you can make more money, in business, is to get more people to buy your product. That being said, we would all like to think of the developers as people whose job it is to be creative and come up with rich and rewarding games for us to play. That is true – that is one part of their jobs. But it is also part of their job to create games that will sell. Their games must sell. In order to obtain the funding necessary to pay a staff to create a game, frequently to the tune of millions of dollars, companies must sell games. So I want to be clear that it is my opinion that trying to appeal to a larger audience is never something for which a design or publishing company should ever have to apologize. It is the nature of business and, frankly, the more people that play games the better it is for all of us. The more consoles in homes, the more money games make, the more people who associate themselves with games – these things all serve to bring more attention and money into the industry which will, in turn, mean more games.

But the question still remains as to whether or not quality is suffering because of this need to expand the gaming audience. I say no – it is not. How can I say that so quickly? Well, with games like Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain, Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption, Borderlands, Assassin’s Creed 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet, and Batman: Arkham Asylum sitting on my shelf (just to name a few), it’s hard to complain that games these days lack quality and depth. Sure, it is possible that some games or franchises are getting watered down, but I would say that those are the exception and not the rule.

Gaming has been growing steadily for years now and looks to continue to do so. Growth is good for gaming. It is good for developers, publishers and gamers alike. Making a game “more accessible” does not inherently mean making it “less”. As a matter of fact, it means making it more. It means that developers are really looking hard at gameplay and streamlining it to the best of their abilities. Mass Effect 2 is a brilliant game and Fable III looks to be fantastic. So let’s not put the cart before the horse and worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. Enjoy the incredible games we have been getting over the last two years and that we will be getting over the next one. And if game companies are putting out games that can bring your non-gamer friends into the fold, then thank them, don’t revile them. Not all games will be perfect. But trying to widen the gaming audience is not a crime. So don’t worry.

Of course, if Dragon Age 2 sucks, we are storming BioWare!

Along with the announcement of the official name and target release window comes an...]]>
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman: Arkham City as the title for its highly-anticipated follow-up to the award-winning, critically acclaimed hit Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is apparently slated for a multi-platform release in Autumn 2011.

Along with the announcement of the official name and target release window comes an updated description of the game:

Developed by Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, aospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.

Nice!

That’s about all for now, but those of you going batty over Rocksteady’s latest title can check out the game’s official website for the very latest. We’ll of course keep you posted on all the big details as they emerge. Who amongst you is pumped for this one? Let us know below!

So it’s time to put a cap on E3 2010. I have written all of my hands-on articles and life can return to normal. But before it does, in deference to the main topic on Episode 79 of EpicBattleCry, I thought I would do a round up of some of...]]>
By Lorin Baumgarten

So it’s time to put a cap on E3 2010. I have written all of my hands-on articles and life can return to normal. But before it does, in deference to the main topic on Episode 79 of EpicBattleCry, I thought I would do a round up of some of the things that stood out for me at the show. Not everything that was interesting got written up by me, or written up at all. There was just too much. So here a summary of the highlights of the show, as told by one man who suffered through it with the likes of Brent Adams, Tony Grice, Daniel Kayser, Reuben Moretz, and Aaron Hines.

There was plenty of stuff I didn’t get to see at E3 this year because of the sheer size of the show. There was Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, inFAMOUS 2, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, and Call Of Duty: Black Ops, all of which are games I didn’t even hear a whisper about during the show. But there was plenty I did see. I will start with with a simple list of all of the E3 Impressions I wrote this year so you can quickly jump to any of the games you are interested in, but haven’t yet had the chance to read about:

Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Spec Ops: The Line
Super Meat Boy
Rock Band 3

These five games actually represent the cream of the crop for me (color me lucky for getting to write about things I am excited about). I am not going to go into too much detail about these games because you can read a whole article dedicated to each by clicking above. That being said, Deus Ex was my most anticipated game going in to E3, and it didn’t disappoint. The game looks deep and rich and beautiful, and I couldn’t be more excited for every morsel of info that will be trickling out over the next several months about the game. Assassin’s Creed : Brotherhood was not high on my anticipation list entering E3, and it was absolutely the biggest surprise for me and remained my number one playable game of E3 2010. I was a big Assassin’s Creed II fan prior to the show, but I was very nervous about what they would do with the multiplayer. Frankly, I was sure it wouldn’t be that good. I was wrong. The multiplayer far exceeded my expectations and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Spec Ops: The Line is a game that I have sort of had my eye on over the last few months. After seeing the demo, I am quite intrigued by its very dark tone and brutal sensibilities. I don’t mean brutal like Mortal Kombat, I mean brutal like watching someone get executed in front of you. It’s a very gritty, very adult story and it has some real potential to create a unique experience. On a lighter note, Rock Band 3 was a very pleasant surprise. I went there intrigued by the new keyboard peripheral and left blown away by the Pro Mode, the ability to use a midi controller to play with your own keyboard, and the myriad of little tweaks that will let you navigate and use your music more easily and effectively. Harmonix really focused a lot of energy on bringing Rock Band closer to real instruments, and the game is far more than just another Rock Band game. Another pleasant surprise for me was Super Meat Boy, the game where you play as a boy with no skin trying to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl. This is a 2D platformer with a great sense of humor and very fun, if not squishy, gameplay. I am not a big 2D platformer kind-o-guy, but this is one I will definitely be checking out.

Then there was 3D! (imagine that in giant letters coming out of your screen). I knew there would be 3D at E3, what I didn’t know was how much. I do have something of an update on the 3D front, however. I wrote about my 3D experiences at E3 when I got back from the show. And while I wasn’t blown away by what I saw, it was still pretty cool. I am sure that part of the reason for my relatively blasé attitude toward what I saw at E3 was due to my high expectations. I love good 3D and my expectations were very high when I saw how much 3D was on the floor at the convention. However, the update I have for you is this: Check out the Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition if you are interested in 3D. I bought it for the PS3 just two days ago and it is pretty damn good. It is not perfect – it can occasionally hurt the crispness of some lines in the game and the colors get muted just a tad – but considering it works on any TV without shelling out one red cent for special equipment, it rocks! The stuff we saw at E3 all required a 3D ready TV ($2500) and active matrix glasses ($100). Batman requires paper glasses that come inside the game box and nothing else.

Another game that stood out for me at E3 was Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow. This game was no where even near my radar. I know Daniel is a bit of a Castlevaniaphile, but I have never played a Castlevania game and wouldn’t have even been able to tell you what genre Lords Of Shadow was in, prior to E3. But walking the show floor, the moody and rain-soaked graphics caught my eye and all but forced me to stop and check it out. And it looks good. God Of War clone or not (mechanics wise), the game looks freakin’ awesome and appears as if it will have a very rich narrative.

Epic Mickey was yet another title that caught me a bit off guard. I don’t own a Wii and I make no apologies for the fact that I have no intention of ever getting one, but this game made me think twice. Daniel wrote a brief story in which I typed some of my impressions into the comments section but, simply put, I wish they were making this for one of the other consoles. The game is deep and creative and has a very strong visual style that would look – well – epic in HD. I was really expecting a game for younger adults, but it is not. It has some real chops, gameplay wise, and anyone who owns a Wii would be remiss if they let Epic Micky sneak by.

How about some let-downs, you say? Well the biggest let down of all was the absence of The Last Guardian. After last year’s amazing trailer, I was sure we were in store for a mind-blowing experience with the boy and his Griffin (or whatever that thing is) from Team Ico. Alas, no such luck. Movement controls were another low point for me. While my expectations were not high for either the PlayStation Move or Kinect, I was silently hopeful I would be surprised by one device or the other. Not the case. The best word I can think of to describe my feelings toward both pieces of hardware is: underwhelming. I saw nothing of interest related to either peripheral and, in my personal experience, neither performed as advertised. For me, these are both a big ‘don’t bother’.

Finally, the best part of E3 was, unquestionably, trying to give you guys a glimpse into what it is like to be at E3. While our coverage was certainly not perfect, trying to figure out how to get you the goods, whether through Twitter or You Tube or the EBA E3 page, was a constant thought throughout the entire show. And truly it was a pleasure to try and give you access to the world’s biggest gaming convention and to do it with a group of people as solid as the staff of EBA. So thank you for experiencing some of E3 through us here at EBA. E3 2010 has now officially been put to rest. Time to start planning for 2011. Peace.

The Game Of The Year edition of the game features 4 extra challenge maps, which are available as DLC for owners of the original version of the...]]>
Through this Thursday, June 10th, the Game Of The Year Edition of Rocksteady’s instant Dark Knight classic Batman: Arkham Asylum is on sale for $19.99 on Steam.

The Game Of The Year edition of the game features 4 extra challenge maps, which are available as DLC for owners of the original version of the game. Also of some importance is that, unlike the console counterparts, the PC version does not come with 3D glasses. While there is a way to use 3D with the PC version, do your research ahead of time and make sure that you understand how it works before you buy the GOTY expecting it.

But all that aside, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a great game and is commonly regarded as the best Batman game ever made. It is definitely worth $19.99 as it offers way more than twenty bucks worth of enjoyment. If you haven’t played this game, this is a good deal for you!

Source

“Rocksteady demonstrated its professionalism...]]>
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced via press release today the acquisition of a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, developer of Batman: Arkham Asylum, one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2009 and one of the better selling ones too with over three million units shipped worldwide.

“Rocksteady demonstrated its professionalism and extraordinary development abilities with Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “This arrangement is a great strategic fit and we are very pleased to solidify our relationship with this talented development team.”

“We are proud to strengthen our association with WBIE, a world class publisher that we have enjoyed working with since we began developing Batman: Arkham Asylum,” said Jamie Walker, studio director at the London based Rocksteady Studios. Sefton Hill, games director, added, “The Rocksteady team is very much looking forward to creating more great games based on widely recognized Warner Bros. brands like Batman.”

“With the successful release of Batman: Arkham Asylum, a franchise that is a key focus for Warner Bros., Rocksteady has proven that they have the expertise to create hit games with mass appeal,” said Martin Tremblay, president, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “We are currently working with Rocksteady on the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum and look forward to bringing the continuation of the franchise to fans worldwide.”

“We are delighted to be deepening our relationship with London-based Rocksteady Studios, one of the UK’s most respected games developers and 2009 recipient of the VGA’s coveted ‘studio of the year’ award,” said Josh Berger, president and managing director, Warner Bros. UK. “Rocksteady clearly has the talent, expertise and technology to make great games and we are fortunate to continue working closely with them as we further expand our games portfolio.”

So, there ya go…Hopefully the deal will lend itself to making the next Batman game even better…Of course, only time will tell. We’ll keep you posted on any new details as they emerge.

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