February 3rd, 2010 § 0
I’ll certainly be posting a far more extensive collection of screenshots and programming tales as I move along in the process of creating my first game solo, but for now I’ll take a nod from Activision/Blizzard and release one screenshot which displays absolutely nothing important. This is the Time Wizard and he still needs some shading:
January 25th, 2010 § 2
It’s no stretch to say Electronic Arts struggled with marketing last year. No, not financially, don’t be silly, they threw away millions. But creatively they made some rather odd choices. I’m not in marketing, and I’m not a press relations guru, so I don’t mean to judge necessarily, but rather gather together a few of the stranger ones. I’m not particularly for or against any of these ads, with the exception perhaps of the Dante’s Inferno goofiness, I’m against that, but mostly because I think the game looks stupid and gross. I’m also a bit offended by the Mass Effect trailer, but that’s just because I think the game looks better than the ad reveals. Oh, I’m against the Battlefield quote too now that I think about, because I think it’s a stupid response. Never mind, I am against most of these. Anyway, what do you think?
The Sims series has always inexplicably weirded me out and after watching this rather odd trailer nothing has changed. Maybe it’s too heady for me. Maybe I just don’t get this new emergent narrative thing.
Okay, this one’s not really as big of a deal as it might seem on the surface, but when EA Europe boss Jens Uwe stated: “In March we will launch Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which is our first strong attack on Call Of Duty,” it feels to me like the game is being formulated as a response to Call of Duty. Maybe the problem in my head stems from the fact EAs other shooter series, Medal of Honor is being updated to modern times too. Or maybe a game that’s a response to another game is just silly to me, it’s like saying MADTV is a response to SNL. In the end the influences are so transparent they push everything backwards instead of forwards.
I have no idea what planet EA or Bioware or whoever is responsible for this remarkably stupid preview is from, but I don’t ever want to go there. Who the fuck thinks introducing faux-metal and some Tank Girl looking “bitch” into a science fiction game is a good idea? And why do they think fans of the series will be into this incredibly stupid promo? I feel dumber just watching it. At least it ends with the eponymous line, “Now who’s the badass biotic, bitch?” Or rather, “Now who’s the badass biotic bitch?” Actually, I’m not really sure how to transcribe that one.
Marilyn Manson was just one of the “metal” songs used in a Dragon Age trailer, furthering the conclusion that I came too long ago: People who are into cheesy dark metal/goth are also into cheesy high-fantasy and probably never get laid (although what comes first, the metal or the lack of sex is still a mystery). I have no idea what connection I’m supposed to make here, other than there isn’t one, and this was just supposed to be a badass soundtrack to get me into the game. Weirdly, it had the opposite effect. Also, it fails to demonstrate the type of game this is, a tactical RPG. New shit? I think not.
Okay, Dante’s Inferno: the Game. Where to start with this one? Perhaps the “official” novelization of the game which is based on the book and pictured above (yeah that’s the book cover, not the game cover)? Or maybe the embarrassingly stupid Christmas themed trailer? How about I let you judge those on you’re own, and continue on to showcase some highlights from the PR trail:
Chances are I missed some strange and usual advertising and PR techniques utilized for some of the handheld games or even some of the sports games (those sell themselves though right?), but other than selling Madden 2010 anywhere with a cash register I couldn’t remember anything. To be fair, I hold nothing against the developers on these, and hell, chances are Electronic Arts probably outsourced half these anyway, but I’m not going to lie, the Mass Effect 2 trailer made me less excited about the game, the Dragon Age: Origins trailer made me uninterested, the Battlefield comment made me sad and the Dante’s Inferno collection of missteps is still making me chuckle.
December 22nd, 2009 § 0
So, it’s the end of the year, which happens to also be the end of the decade. We all know what that means, barrels and barrels of lists and best of’s and everything else with a number at the beginning. It’s just what we media nerds do at this time of year. So, due to the easy to use internet phenomenon of hyperlinking I’ve compiled a list of the lists I’ve done so far, with a couple more coming up here on this blog in the near future. Anyway, enjoy, complain about what’s missing, or complain about how list-making is stupid (but be forewarned, your complaints won’t stop it from happening again and again and again).
1. Top Ten Songs from the ’00s That Will Puzzle Future Generations
2. Ten of the Best Soundtracks of the Decade
3. Ten of the Best Reissues of the Decade.
4. Ten Best Video Game Soundtracks of the Decade
5. Top Ten CD/LP Packaging of the Decade
6. Top Ten Cover Songs of the Decade
My favorite albums have been written up and sent off to the printing press as well, so those are only available on that ancient and strange medium of paper (I think anyway, maybe they’ll be online? They don’t tell me these things).
