Right, so here's how it is, nerds- This is my first contribution to the blog, so I'll go ahead and get introductions out of the way first. The name's Ryan, and I've been a friend of Frankie's for quite some time now, next meeting his brother Dillon and eventually the rest of the bunch in this collective of people that he has put together. Interests are video games, cartoons, and sometimes music. I'm currently working on a comic that I'll be posting when I get the whole thing finished, since it seems all the kids are doing it these days, among a myriad of other things, but those are not what I'm here typing this shit out for on this brisk January morning of the year two-thousand eleven. I'll be writing my own columns for the site on various things I take interest in, but don't expect the weekly revue like you'll get from Darris, or anything. And with that, I suppose I'll segue into the main article:
DLC and the role it's playing in the destruction of the video game industry.
-Or-
Goddamnit, they're releasing ANOTHER map pack?!
With the advent of the internet and the current rise of the digital marketplace, more and more video game companies are starting to realize the potential of digitally distributing add-ons, updates, and expansions to their products, released as downloadable content, or DLC. And why wouldn't they? Players get more content for their favorite titles, support for the game can continue even years after first release, and most of all, they can make money doing it. It's easy to see why developers and publishers are pushing towards releasing more and more DLC these days. But, is this big move towards DLC really a good thing for the industry?
The problem is, developers have gotten so eager to release DLC, that some games are severely gimped and designed around selling DLC. Capcom, for example, with its recent releases of Megaman 9 and 10 are particularly bad about this- selling the basic game and then releasing DLC "packs" later, which are actually just unlockers to content that's already IN the game. The content provides many extra features such as whole new game modes, playable characters, and even the extra difficulties. What should be a fun ten dollar game turns into a ten dollar demo with the rest of the game being held for ransom. There are even some companies that are allowing you to PRE-ORDER downloadable content, before the game is even released.
In a lot of ways, downloadable content has become something of a subscription fee for multiple games. In particular, the Halo series, (the Battlefield series has been doing this for quite a while), MAG, and the
Call of Duty franchise. Subscription fees meaning the seemingly rapid-fire release of map-packs and other content packs that are used solely for multiplayer. In a scant 3 months after the release of Halo: Reach, Bungie has already released a ten dollar map pack, which itself only contains three extra maps (or an infinite amount if you count forge maps, but honestly, why wouldn't you just use forge world instead? Maybe the space map or something might be neat, but, eh). To the individual that eats, sleeps, and breathes Halo, it'd be easy to justify such a purchase, but for those who just enjoy playing the game with their friends now and then, they're suddenly struck with two choices: Either they bite the bullet and purchase the pack because everyone else is doing it, or they don't buy it and then get to be the odd man out when everyone wants to play the new maps.
But, just because a few companies will take advantage of the system, doesn't mean that the system itself is bad. Some examples of how to not be greedy assholes with downloadable content would be games like Rock Band, and LittleBigPlanet. With those two games, it's entirely unnecessary to purchase the extra content available, being that all players are going to have the same experience with the game, anyway. With Rock Band, the reasoning for purchasing songs is obvious, however it's important to note that (aside from the Beatles edition of Rock Band) ALL dlc is backwards AND forwards compatible with all editions of the game. (Guitar Hero, the competitor, doesn't come with that option.) It also helps that the songs aren't completely unreasonably priced, with free songs and discounts to songs being offered frequently. LittleBigPlanet also offers a favorable method of releasing downloadable content, being what amounts to a cash shop, selling only extra costume pieces and stickers. They also sell maps/levels, much like some other games might sell maps, but the difference with this is that you don't NEED to buy the maps in order to play on them. You can play on other user made levels created with the extra maps just fine without spending a single dime. The only reason one would buy a map would be if they wanted to make their own levels to submit. Also, much like Rock Band, dlc is forwards compatible with LBP2, so you can still use the stuff you buy from LBP1.
I'd also like to talk about single-player DLC that gets released, like with Rockstar's Undead Nightmare for Red Dead Redemption, and Bioware's Lair of the Shadow Broker for Mass Effect 2, but I don't particularly want to drag this article out more than I already have. I'm not directly opposed to DLC for single-player games, but sometimes have issue with the pricing for said content, but often, companies will offer discounts and bundles (Game of the Year editions that include a lot of the DLC as well) that kind of helps with that issue. Putting a price on purely extra digital content such as that will often come down to the consumer and is difficult to make a stand on. I kinda wish some companies would wait a while before releasing that kind of dlc, but often, one can just wait and get a discount anyway, so /shrug.
So, in closing, DLC isn't necessarily destroying the industry, but some companies will abuse the system simply to take more of your money, and the real problem is in the way that many consumers are just peachy about that. But, that's just business, I guess, and it'll continue to be that way until it gets completely out of hand. I just wish that day would come sooner, rather than later. In any case, that'll wrap up my first article for the site (and it only took me about a month!), so in my next article, I'll talk about... Well, I don't know what I'll talk about, but I'll talk about it, damnit! Maybe it'll be out before ANOTHER month passes. I guess we'll see, won't we?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Comic - Clowns Vs. Mimes : By the Pricking Of My Thumb... by Frankie Sanabria
Yeah it sucks but it's good for this week. Piss off, you!
*On a side note, I have colored this comic. I'm not too proud of it but it will do.
**Background can fuck off.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
SHIRTS!
Monday, December 20, 2010
System Stasis #1 - Super Nintendo
November 21, 1990. The Super Famicom is released in Japan. Less than one year prior, I was born.
I was three months from turning two when it got released in America as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on August 23, 1991.
I would not receive a SNES until 1993, but up until that point I was anticipating it. When I was three I started playing my old Game Boy and my older sister Heathers NES. But when I did get the system, I knew I wanted to be a gamer from that point on.
Its hard to talk about one of your favorite systems and NOT gush over every single thing about it. From the fantastic library of games, to the easy-to-use controller, even down to the mentality of just having the thing. If you had a friend who didn't own one, that's what you would do that day, play some SNES.
Lets start with what I remember, what I liked, loved, and hated, and also what I think of the system now, in greater depth. This console, born into the fourth-generation of game systems, kindling to the 16-bit era Console Wars, is here to stay.
The Super Nintendo launched in North America with one game included, Super Mario World, and what a game. I can attest to many sleepless nights, just staying up playing this amazing platformer. Not only did it have an amazing soundtrack and awesome level design (one of the best over-worlds ever), but it was Mario, and at this point in gaming, Mario was king.
From that point on, it was an endless blur of either one of two things:
1. Amazing, top-notch original titles.
2. Crappy, crappy games.
I'll give you just a small teaser of some of the worst I've owned. Ever hear of the game 'Mario is Missing'? It was a game that starred Luigi, trying to save Mario. I was excited at first, I though "A game where you play as Luigi? Cool!' But I soon found out the horrible truth. It was an educational game. Ugh. Another shit-stain in the pants of my childhood would have to be Wayne's World. I don't wanna talk about that one...
Well, No more, I can't think about those shitty shitty games anymore, even though there were a few more (Bebe's Kids, Shaq Fu) NO, NONONO DARRIS. No more!
Well, lets talk about amazing Snes games. Its not, in any way, a hard list to come up with. Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario RPG, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Gradius III, F-Zero, Mega Man 7, Mega Man X, Super Castlevania IV, Super Star Wars, Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Pilotwings, Super Mario Kart, Killer Instinct, Super Metroid, Super Punch-Out, Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, & 3, Final Fantasy III (aka VI), Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound and The Legend of Zelda: Link to the past, just to name a few.
Any one of these titles were a sure-fire hit, and would assure you months and months of gaming glory.
This console was not only a revolution in what video gaming was, but what it could be. It turned video gaming into a proper business, and gave tons of developers a start in the industry. It was not only one of the greatest gaming consoles of all time, but it made so many people today into gamers, and gave them that gaming mentality. I'm slightly worried about today's 'gamers'. I wanna say to them, "just because you got an Xbox and a copy of Halo, that doesn't make you a gamer", but that's the wrong thing to think.
We all start somewhere. When a kid sees the Star Wars movies as their coming out, 70's, 80's, learning that Darth Vader was Luke's father was an amazing an unbelievable twist, but a child watching the movies today for the first time might not have the same experience. Would you let them watch the prequel trilogy before the older ones, or make them watch the originals first? If we, as gaming adults, want our kids to be exposed to video gaming, what should we do? Let them play with their friends on Xbox Live, or hand them a SNES controller? It's very hard to say, as part of being a gamer is playing with friends, and sharing those experiences.
As some of you in our group know, I've moved closer into my local town, now being just a short walk to get on High-Street. Located there is a vintage video game store, filled with games and game systems of all kinds.
I can assure each and every one of you that as soon as money allows, I shall rebuild my glorious gaming collection, and own this fantastic system once again.
I was three months from turning two when it got released in America as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on August 23, 1991.
I would not receive a SNES until 1993, but up until that point I was anticipating it. When I was three I started playing my old Game Boy and my older sister Heathers NES. But when I did get the system, I knew I wanted to be a gamer from that point on.
Its hard to talk about one of your favorite systems and NOT gush over every single thing about it. From the fantastic library of games, to the easy-to-use controller, even down to the mentality of just having the thing. If you had a friend who didn't own one, that's what you would do that day, play some SNES.
Lets start with what I remember, what I liked, loved, and hated, and also what I think of the system now, in greater depth. This console, born into the fourth-generation of game systems, kindling to the 16-bit era Console Wars, is here to stay.
The Super Nintendo launched in North America with one game included, Super Mario World, and what a game. I can attest to many sleepless nights, just staying up playing this amazing platformer. Not only did it have an amazing soundtrack and awesome level design (one of the best over-worlds ever), but it was Mario, and at this point in gaming, Mario was king.
From that point on, it was an endless blur of either one of two things:
1. Amazing, top-notch original titles.
2. Crappy, crappy games.
I'll give you just a small teaser of some of the worst I've owned. Ever hear of the game 'Mario is Missing'? It was a game that starred Luigi, trying to save Mario. I was excited at first, I though "A game where you play as Luigi? Cool!' But I soon found out the horrible truth. It was an educational game. Ugh. Another shit-stain in the pants of my childhood would have to be Wayne's World. I don't wanna talk about that one...
Well, No more, I can't think about those shitty shitty games anymore, even though there were a few more (Bebe's Kids, Shaq Fu) NO, NONONO DARRIS. No more!
Well, lets talk about amazing Snes games. Its not, in any way, a hard list to come up with. Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario RPG, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Gradius III, F-Zero, Mega Man 7, Mega Man X, Super Castlevania IV, Super Star Wars, Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Pilotwings, Super Mario Kart, Killer Instinct, Super Metroid, Super Punch-Out, Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, & 3, Final Fantasy III (aka VI), Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound and The Legend of Zelda: Link to the past, just to name a few.
Any one of these titles were a sure-fire hit, and would assure you months and months of gaming glory.
This console was not only a revolution in what video gaming was, but what it could be. It turned video gaming into a proper business, and gave tons of developers a start in the industry. It was not only one of the greatest gaming consoles of all time, but it made so many people today into gamers, and gave them that gaming mentality. I'm slightly worried about today's 'gamers'. I wanna say to them, "just because you got an Xbox and a copy of Halo, that doesn't make you a gamer", but that's the wrong thing to think.
We all start somewhere. When a kid sees the Star Wars movies as their coming out, 70's, 80's, learning that Darth Vader was Luke's father was an amazing an unbelievable twist, but a child watching the movies today for the first time might not have the same experience. Would you let them watch the prequel trilogy before the older ones, or make them watch the originals first? If we, as gaming adults, want our kids to be exposed to video gaming, what should we do? Let them play with their friends on Xbox Live, or hand them a SNES controller? It's very hard to say, as part of being a gamer is playing with friends, and sharing those experiences.
As some of you in our group know, I've moved closer into my local town, now being just a short walk to get on High-Street. Located there is a vintage video game store, filled with games and game systems of all kinds.
I can assure each and every one of you that as soon as money allows, I shall rebuild my glorious gaming collection, and own this fantastic system once again.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Rant - Dreamworks is a Fucking Slut
Shrek was a good movie. The second was good as well. The third? Not so much. Oh, are you shitting me? Another one? The final chapter my ass, I assure you that if they get the chance there will be another Shreak movie.
Dreamworks Animations has always been three steps behind their main threat, Pixar. Every once and a while, they will stumble across a good script (How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda) and get lucky as hell.
Well, now their going to fuck those series up as well.
Jeffery Katzenburg, the chief animation director at Dreamworks just hinted at the fact that 'How To Train Your Dragon' could get two more movies, and that 'Madagascar' might get two more as well. And that's not all. 'Kung Fu Panda' could be up to six movies long. SIX.
It seems like Dreamworks just wants to milk their franchises for all their worth before even attempting to try something original.
Lets remember some of the craptastic attempts at squeezing in on Pixars originality. First there was 'ANTZ'. This movie wasn't bad at all, but it was practical made to compete with Pixar's 'A Bugs Life', a movie that started development shortly after 'Toy Story' was finished. Next there were a few 2D animated movies that weren't too bad, and actually had some originality. Then came 'Chicken Run', a movie that actually had a lot of charm and great animation (thanks to the fantastic British studio Aardman Animations, who unfortunately went on to make CGI dump Flushed Away... ugh).
Then comes many more movie, ranging from 'meh' to just plain bad. How To Train You Dragon was actually a very well made movie, and Megamind was passable. But this is nothing compared to what Pixar's been up to.
Well, let them whore themselves out. I don't care anymore. If anything, Pixars has shown that animated sequels don't have to be phoned in shambles. Toy Story 3 was fantastic. A sequel is being made to Cars as we speak., and even though Cars wasn't my cup of tea, I'm sure it will be as top notch as the rest of their works. Hell, while they work on Cars 2, they also have Monster's Inc. 2 in the works (a movie that definitely deserved a sequel) as well as working on an all new original movie, 'Brave'.
So Dreamworks... six Kung Fu Pandas? How about you do five and make something original again.
Dreamworks Animations has always been three steps behind their main threat, Pixar. Every once and a while, they will stumble across a good script (How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda) and get lucky as hell.
Well, now their going to fuck those series up as well.
Jeffery Katzenburg, the chief animation director at Dreamworks just hinted at the fact that 'How To Train Your Dragon' could get two more movies, and that 'Madagascar' might get two more as well. And that's not all. 'Kung Fu Panda' could be up to six movies long. SIX.
It seems like Dreamworks just wants to milk their franchises for all their worth before even attempting to try something original.
Lets remember some of the craptastic attempts at squeezing in on Pixars originality. First there was 'ANTZ'. This movie wasn't bad at all, but it was practical made to compete with Pixar's 'A Bugs Life', a movie that started development shortly after 'Toy Story' was finished. Next there were a few 2D animated movies that weren't too bad, and actually had some originality. Then came 'Chicken Run', a movie that actually had a lot of charm and great animation (thanks to the fantastic British studio Aardman Animations, who unfortunately went on to make CGI dump Flushed Away... ugh).
Then comes many more movie, ranging from 'meh' to just plain bad. How To Train You Dragon was actually a very well made movie, and Megamind was passable. But this is nothing compared to what Pixar's been up to.
Well, let them whore themselves out. I don't care anymore. If anything, Pixars has shown that animated sequels don't have to be phoned in shambles. Toy Story 3 was fantastic. A sequel is being made to Cars as we speak., and even though Cars wasn't my cup of tea, I'm sure it will be as top notch as the rest of their works. Hell, while they work on Cars 2, they also have Monster's Inc. 2 in the works (a movie that definitely deserved a sequel) as well as working on an all new original movie, 'Brave'.
So Dreamworks... six Kung Fu Pandas? How about you do five and make something original again.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Comic of Dillon
Frankie is working on some commissions he didn't do and he needs done soon, therefore, he had no time to work on a comic. SO! Instead, I shall be posting one. I have been working on sprites and just threw this together in about 15 minutes as a test, not proud. So here it is. Halo based.
On a side note, I am about done coloring the rest of the comics released, so I shall replace them with full color ones soon.
*Note, WEIRD BLURRINESS AHOY!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Column - DraconisTheory's Best Column Ever : McDonalds
I fucking hate McDonalds. Not like "oh man I hate it when I stub my toe in the doorway" but like "I WILL RIP YOUR FUCKING FACE OFF AND SHOVE MY COCK IN YOUR EYE SOCKET UNTIL YOU DIE" kind of hate McDonalds. What sparked such a fury that I had to post about this, you ask? I got a double quarter pounder meal today. On the soda it said: "refresh with JOY let the little bubbles tickle as they quench your thirst." On the bag the "food" came in it said this cheeky little phrase: "celebrate the JOY with a little crinkled crunch on your Angus Third Pounder." I know what you assholes are thinking, "what's so wrong about that?" Well I'm glad you fucking asked!
McDonald's head is far up their golden arches they don't even realise how much people hate their god damn food! To say that eating at McDonald's provides some sort of "joy" is to say that the Holocaust was kind of fun. I haven't been happy to eat at that hell hole since I was young enough to enjoy the cheap ass plastic shit toy thing they passed off as their latest marketing attempt to get people to buy their shit by getting their kids to say "I WANT THAT NEW GAY ASS SHIT TOY AT MCDONALDS 'CAUSE THERE IS A MOVIE OUT RELATED TO IT!" I hate kids but that's a rant for another time. Sorry about the caps lock, really that shit is retarded but it's the only way to properly convey my proportional rage other than this: FUCK.
To tell the truth I absolutely hate myself every time I eat at McDonalds for forcing my body to digest whatever shit they pass off as food. Ask anyone you know what their favorite fast food joint is. If they say McDonald's they're fucking insane and are lieing to themselves and should be forced to give up their first born son to Ronald McfuckingDonald's zombie corpse. Might as well! There needs to be a damn Krystal's in Hawaii...
McDonald's head is far up their golden arches they don't even realise how much people hate their god damn food! To say that eating at McDonald's provides some sort of "joy" is to say that the Holocaust was kind of fun. I haven't been happy to eat at that hell hole since I was young enough to enjoy the cheap ass plastic shit toy thing they passed off as their latest marketing attempt to get people to buy their shit by getting their kids to say "I WANT THAT NEW GAY ASS SHIT TOY AT MCDONALDS 'CAUSE THERE IS A MOVIE OUT RELATED TO IT!" I hate kids but that's a rant for another time. Sorry about the caps lock, really that shit is retarded but it's the only way to properly convey my proportional rage other than this: FUCK.
To tell the truth I absolutely hate myself every time I eat at McDonalds for forcing my body to digest whatever shit they pass off as food. Ask anyone you know what their favorite fast food joint is. If they say McDonald's they're fucking insane and are lieing to themselves and should be forced to give up their first born son to Ronald McfuckingDonald's zombie corpse. Might as well! There needs to be a damn Krystal's in Hawaii...
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