farewell

Maggie Has Left the Tower

This weekend, I finished grading final exams, toted up final grades, went out to celebrate. And, as of this post, I also penned my last words as a Kotaku writer. [Kotaku]

12/14/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Jim Reilly: :( 17 Responses | Other threads

Predictions

The Ghost of Gaming Future

The topic for this month's Blogs of the Roundtable has led to some fantastically diverse answers: "What role will gaming play in your familial relationships in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?". [Kotaku]

12/14/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Coxswain: Well-oiled team just makes me think of a band of musclemen, oiled up and playing gears of war 2. It's a... 4 Responses | Other threads

Game Design

Puzzling Over Adventure Game Puzzles

There's a really nice (lengthy) article over at Adventure Classic Gaming that takes a look at puzzles in (as you can probably guess) adventure games, and how those forms have seeped into other genres. [Kotaku]

12/14/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Funk McSnuff: I've always hated the puzzles in old Sierra Adventure games, because they rarely made any sense at all. I think... 7 Responses | Other threads

Lists

The Top 5 Indie Games of '08

Gamasutra's been rounding up the top titles of the year in a variety of categories; up recently were the top five 'indie' games (plus ten honorable mentions). [Kotaku]

12/14/08

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Comment by reality.exe.torrent: .... Oh god, where do I start. This is abysmal. First, all of the games are free - So they should... 10 Responses | Other threads

hot flashes

Weird Artistic Timewaster: The Majesty of Colors

The Majesty of Colors is weird, lovely little game by Gregory Weir that's been making the rounds as of late. There are five different endings, and your (in)action throughout determines the outcome. [Kotaku]

12/14/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by dizzywulf: I couldn't stretch my tentacle far enough to get the kid to the helicopter. I thought I could drop... 5 Responses | Other threads

Controversy

Recession, Used Games, Prices, and Choices

Gamasutra's Paul Hyman has a gloom and doom look at the used games market and why publishers are very unhappy with the situation; the comments section is surprisingly lively, and it's worth a look. [Kotaku]

12/14/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by potatojenkins: You know, if they just sold games at lower starting prices, it'd solve most of the problems they're whining about.... 23 Responses | Other threads

Criticism

Final Fantasy: The Battleship Yamato of Gaming?

When I saw this comparison between the Final Fantasy and the battleship Yamato (the largest battleship ever made), I was wondering how the comparison would be drawn: the spectacular demise, perhaps? Not quite. [Kotaku]

12/13/08

22,514

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by silverat7: Ray Huling is stupid. FF7 got good reviews and sold well, FF8i got good reviews and sold well, FF9 got... 57 Responses | Other threads

Culture

Journalism Versus Criticism

L.B. Jeffries over at Banana Pepper Martinis has apparently had it up to here with the 'how to write reviews' debate, and it sounds like the upcoming roundtable was maybe kinda the last straw. [Kotaku]

12/13/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Guy Snead: He makes a very solid point... makes me want to point out how EDGE write reviews with the score being... 7 Responses | Other threads

Flashbang

Minotaur China Shop Diary

Played Minotaur China Shop yet? No? Missed the trailer we posted? Well, go look at that, then read the brilliantly funny Minotaur Diary at RPS, then try and resist the lure of the game. [Kotaku]

12/13/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by ZinkO: high-performance lubrication: How irritating. The game is so broken I can't even move. 3 Responses | Other threads

Culture

'A Game Has Never Made You Cry'

Chris Bateman (of Only a Game) has a thought provoking article on his new, games only blog on whether or not a game has ever made you cry. [Kotaku]

12/13/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by tehflyingwombat: *The following post contains MGS4 massive spoilers* I seriously teared up during that part where you had to guide Snake through... 30 Responses | Other threads

Business

Jamie Cheng on Indie Free to Play [Kotaku]

12/13/08

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call for papers

Games+Learning+Society 5.0 CFP [Kotaku]

12/13/08

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Esa

Peering Inside Game Piracy: Measures and Countermeasures

I sometimes feel like discussions on game piracy ought to be shelved alongside scintillating 1960s publications from the Rand Corporation like Counterinsurgency in Manchuria, except the piracy discussions are considerably more engaging. [Kotaku]

12/07/08

8,100

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by mhlaxp: I'm fine with putting locks on doors and cars, but what they've done is set up 137 hidden cameras in... 17 Responses | Other threads

Multiplayer

The Megatrends of Gaming: Multiplayer Gaming

We mentioned Pascal Luben's series on the 'megatrends of gaming' back when it kicked off with part one; since then, he's done a second part and is now back with part three. [Kotaku]

12/07/08

7,670

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Shteve: Of course, multiplayer is being more and more prensent in video games from different genres. But, I've got the feeling... 12 Responses | Other threads

Fallout 3

What Our Games Need More Of: Dissonance?

Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer has a post up on the issue of dissonance in games; like a lot of these things, it's more interesting if you take it alongside the comments. [Kotaku]

12/07/08

8,925

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Marooner: I would probably be able to suspend my disbelief a bit better if the brainy gamer if he understood the... 8 Responses | Other threads

Journalism

Considering the BusinessWeek Arcade [Kotaku]

12/07/08

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Parody

'CliffyB' on How to Save Game Journalism [Kotaku]

12/07/08

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Hybrid

Puzzle Quest and the 'Best of Both Worlds'

GameSetWatch has a nice essay up from Gregory Weir, who takes a look at why Puzzle Quest was so damn successful at creating a satisfying hybrid. [Kotaku]

12/06/08

4,594

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by yanipheonu: Ok so... Tetris... and... pudding. ZOMG A Tetris that dispences Pudding when you win. THIS WILL MAKE MILLIONS. 3 Responses | Other threads

Free

Rounding Up (Free) Indie Gems

If you've got some time this afternoon, the Escapist has a nice answer to holiday excess — several pages of free indie gems you probably haven't heard of. [Kotaku]

12/06/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by grimdeath9740: Hmm, its upsetting when people mistake "indie" as being free games, or worst yet only flash games! Probably the biggest... 2 Responses | Other threads

Lists

Count Down the '12 Games of Christmas' with RPS

Can you ever get enough Rock, Paper, Shotgun? The answer is no, especially not during the holidays — last year saw the gaming advent calendar, and this year has two new features. [Kotaku]

12/06/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Babelfish: Is Kotaku's article text showing up as bigger and bold-faced for anyone else? Everything but the article text is... 6 Responses | Other threads

Disney

NetDragon Announces "Disney Fantasy Online"

It's been one hell of a week for Chinese company NetDragon, who announced (along with EA) the development of a Dungeon Keeper MMO. In addition, they've announced the development of Disney Fantasy Online. [Kotaku]

12/06/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by ChaosAbyss: it this is FREE and for consoles... i might mind you MIGHT consider taking a peek inside.. other wise... 3 Responses | Other threads

Hiroyuki kotani

Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon: Hiroyuki Kotani on Patapon [Kotaku]

12/06/08

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mirror's edge

More on the Reviewer-Innovation Conundrum

Last week, we mentioned Keith Stuart's meditation on whether or not reviewers really get innovation; since then, several people have picked up the discourse, with N'Gai Croal weighing in on the debate. [Kotaku]

11/30/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Kobun: I agree. Innovation doesn't excuse poor gameplay and bad execution. Not to say Mirrors Edge is terribly short on those... 29 Responses | Other threads

Abandonware

Preserving Abandoned Treasures

Along with 'legitimate' means of preservation, there's the whole specter of abandonware, which Les Chapelle takes a look at over at the Escapist. [Kotaku]

11/30/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Kobun: I really loathe how these piracy sites use the label "abandonware" to generate ad revenue buy giving away other people's... 3 Responses | Other threads

Game Design

Do Games Really Qualify As 'Escapist'?

Ian Bogost and his students have a new project underway looking at the intersection of journalism and games; their new blog is full of interesting stuff. [Kotaku]

11/30/08

6,709

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by e-friend kkkkkkocaine: Is anything ever not "worth reading?" You include that in LOTS of articles. Saying games are escapist or not is... 6 Responses | Other threads

Game Design

Outgrowing Games: The Rebuttal and Challenge

A few weeks ago, designer Brice Morrison talked about how a game designer outgrew games; since kicking off a flurry of discussion, he's returned to GameSetWatch with some in-depth answers to common questions and a challenge. [Kotaku]

11/29/08

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By Maggie Greene

Comment by Altersparck: Games can be outgrown if games don't grow up with its audience. The problem I see with games is that storytelling... 8 Responses | Other threads

Competition