Fidgit Atom Feed tag:,2009:/19 2009-11-06T20:55:18Z All video games, all the time. Movable Type 4.24-en Dragon Age: the biggest buts tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29169 2009-11-06T20:50:28Z 2009-11-06T20:55:18Z "Dragon Age is great but..." There are a few of these, many having to do with this being an old-school RPG in some ways. Whether the game works for you has a lot to do with whether you can see... Tom Chick ]]>"Dragon Age is great but..."

There are a few of these, many having to do with this being an old-school RPG in some ways. Whether the game works for you has a lot to do with whether you can see past these "buts".

After the jump are Dragon Age's biggest buts.

]]> Want a new computer? Make an Operation Flashpoint mission. tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29173 2009-11-06T17:44:02Z 2009-11-06T13:05:51Z In case you were underwhelmed by the two new missions offered up for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising as yesterday's official downloadable content, keep your eye out here*. The site should be filling up quickly with missions, because Codemasters and Intel... Tom Chick ]]>In case you were underwhelmed by the two new missions offered up for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising as yesterday's official downloadable content, keep your eye out here*. The site should be filling up quickly with missions, because Codemasters and Intel are sponsoring a mission design contest with a fancy new PC as the prize.
Players have until November 29th to submit the mission using the Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising mission editor. The community will then rate each submission, with the 12 top rated submissions sent to a panel of judges for final review. These judges, composed of staff from Codemasters, Intel, Games Fed and Turtle Entertainment, will then test and rate the missions to determine the contest winners by January 4, 2010.
The real winners, of course, will be those of us who get all these new missions. Which is to say those of us who play Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising on a PC. The console versions -- which are actually quite nice -- will probably just get more paid DLC instead.

* Ooh, look, a zombie mission (pictured)!

]]> Does Nathan Drake drink Pepsi and drive a Toyota? tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29170 2009-11-06T16:12:40Z 2009-11-06T12:37:02Z Remember all that Pepsi product placement in Uncharted 2? Me neither. But it looks like we barely dodged a bullet. Nathan Drake has thrown his lot in with Pepsi. Sony is "partnering" with Pepsi to promote Uncharted 2. Also check... Tom Chick ]]>Remember all that Pepsi product placement in Uncharted 2? Me neither. But it looks like we barely dodged a bullet. Nathan Drake has thrown his lot in with Pepsi. Sony is "partnering" with Pepsi to promote Uncharted 2. Also check out the Toyota 4-Runner ads plastered on the Uncharted 2 page on the Playstation Network.

It's interesting to note from the details of the Pepsi contest that this clearly isn't aimed at folks like you and me who've already played the game. The 20 first-prize winners get a PS3 along with copies of both Uncharteds. The 200 runners-up just get a copy of the game. We've already got those things.

Instead, this is a way for Sony to advertise the game in supermarkets to people who might not know about the game. Because it's so cinematic, and because it has such vividly presented characters, this is the kind of game I'm happy to see muscling into places you don't normally see games. Uncharted 2 and the soft drink aisle of my local supermarket are a fine fit.

The contest is also promoting the Uncharted "motion comic", Eye of Indra. A motion comic is like an animated short but without actual animation. Instead, the camera pans around still artwork while actors do voiceover. Sometimes someone's arm moves or something. The first episode is available on the Playstation Network for free, although you get to sit through advertising. You get a Toyota ad, in which Elena drives up in a bright red 4-Runner to rescue Nate. They drive off in a scene with a big Toyota logo at the bottom of the screen. "You in?" the tagline asks.

But it seems like Sony intends to charge for the later episodes. Either that, or the 100,000 second place runners-up in the Pepsi contest who win episodes one and two aren't getting much of a prize.

]]> USA is number one in videogaming! Take that, world! tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29163 2009-11-06T15:07:08Z 2009-11-05T23:25:00Z According to the 2009 International Survey conducted by Today's Gamers, the percentage of Americans who play videogames is higher than any other nationality. Not only that, but we spend way more time playing videogames than other countries. Of all the... Tom Chick ]]>According to the 2009 International Survey conducted by Today's Gamers, the percentage of Americans who play videogames is higher than any other nationality. Not only that, but we spend way more time playing videogames than other countries. Of all the respondents to the online survey of dudes over 8-years-old, 87% said they "played computer games*", spending an average of 11.5 hours a week. Second place in terms of population percentage was Britain, where only 74% of dudes said the played computer games. Second place in terms of time spent was France, where the dudes who said they played computer games spent an average of 7.1 hours a week.

Ha, not even close. USA! USA! USA!

There are more charts from the survey here.

* Note this terminology flings the door wide-open for people who play Minesweeper, Wii Fit, and that farming thing on Facebook.

]]> Dragon Age: read all about it tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29167 2009-11-06T02:30:03Z 2009-11-06T02:38:47Z There's a lot of text in Dragon Age. As with previous Bioware games, as you play, you fill a codex with entries, divided into categories. There are sections for politics, history, characters, special items, and so forth. I'm like a... Tom Chick ]]>There's a lot of text in Dragon Age. As with previous Bioware games, as you play, you fill a codex with entries, divided into categories. There are sections for politics, history, characters, special items, and so forth. I'm like a lot of gamers in that I tend to skip this stuff. But that wasn't quite how it worked out in Dragon Age.

Read about the reading after the jump.

]]> Birthday suits available for Little Big Planet tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29162 2009-11-05T22:54:22Z 2009-11-05T23:01:59Z No, not those kind of birthday suits. Those are already in the game. Unlike Dragon Age, your little naked sackboy doesn't have silly underwear on under his or her clothes. Little Big Planet is one of the few games to... Tom Chick ]]>No, not those kind of birthday suits. Those are already in the game. Unlike Dragon Age, your little naked sackboy doesn't have silly underwear on under his or her clothes. Little Big Planet is one of the few games to sneak full nudity past the ESRB. Subversive!

Anyway, it's Little Big Planet's one-year birthday, so for a limited time you can download a free birthday cake suit and a free limited edition astronaut suit that was only available for a limited time when the game came out. So it's still limited, just not as limited.

]]> Does Fragile Dreams have the best videogame name ever? tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29161 2009-11-05T22:22:51Z 2009-11-05T22:44:30Z The game formerly known as Fragile has a new name, perhaps to avoid confusion with Nine Inch Nails albums. It now has what I think is my favorite videogame name: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. When you read... Tom Chick ]]>The game formerly known as Fragile has a new name, perhaps to avoid confusion with Nine Inch Nails albums. It now has what I think is my favorite videogame name: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. When you read it you progress from "huh?" to "hmm" to "well..." to "okay, that's totally weird and cool and it makes me want to know more about the game". For instance, what happens if you don't handle the dreams with care? Why are there ruins on the moon? Are you saying farewell to the ruins, in which case where are you going? Where is there to go once you've gone to the moon? Or are these some sort of special farewell ruins?

All that aside, this is a Japanese adventure/RPG based on using the Wiimote as a flashlight to explore a haunted world. Not Ju-On haunted, but Miyazaki haunted. Dig this bullet point from the feature list.

Emotional Story about Abandonment, Loneliness and Redemption - The game's focus is on human drama as a boy wanders a post-apocalyptic world in search of answers and companionship.
Except for the post-apocalyptic bit, sounds like a typical Friday night to me!

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon was created by tri-Crescendo, the studio that did Baten Kaitos on the Gamecube, a sadly overlooked RPG with an effective card collecting gimmick. More recently, they made Eternal Sonata which was about -- no joke -- Frederic Chopin on his deathbed. Fragile Dreams was released earlier this year in Japan and will be published in North America next spring by Xseed. And just because I love the name so, let me type it again: Fragile Dream: Farewell Ruins of the Moon.

]]> Operation Flashpoint's "Skirmish" download isn't what you think tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29117 2009-11-05T20:50:55Z 2009-11-05T22:19:05Z One of the things missing in Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, a pretty decent tactical shooter, is some way to play other than the canned campaign missions. For instance, its more ambitious and considerably messier cousin, ArmA II, gives you all... Tom Chick ]]>One of the things missing in Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, a pretty decent tactical shooter, is some way to play other than the canned campaign missions. For instance, its more ambitious and considerably messier cousin, ArmA II, gives you all sorts of options to jump into dynamically generated scenarios to just kill randomly spawned guys. It's a great way to flex these kinds of shooters. Kind of like skirmish modes in real time strategy games. Just let me get in there and fight without all this scripted storyline guff!

So I was elated to discover the new "Skirmish" downloadable content for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. It's available today for free on the PC, for a handful of space bucks on the Xbox 360, and for some indeterminate future date on the Playstation 3. Finally, a skirmish mode!

Let's check the press release for details:

The 'Skirmish' DLC features four new multiplayer maps and two new Fire Team Engagement (FTE) missions...
Oh. That's all? Multiplayer maps and two new scripted missions like the ones I had to play in the campaign? Well, that was misleading. They might as well named the next DLC "Free Beer".

]]> Halo offers new ways to hide the shame of your Xbox Live avatar tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29154 2009-11-05T20:18:53Z 2009-11-05T20:34:30Z Halo Waypoint is a new part of Xbox Live featuring all sorts of Halo-oriented trailers, videos, and stat tracking. Think of it as Microsoft's publicly displayed love letter to Halo. It also provides the option to earn a full set... Tom Chick ]]>Halo Waypoint is a new part of Xbox Live featuring all sorts of Halo-oriented trailers, videos, and stat tracking. Think of it as Microsoft's publicly displayed love letter to Halo. It also provides the option to earn a full set of Orbital Drop Shock Trooper armor in which to encase your Xbox Live avatar so you no longer have to look at the creepy little guy.
In addition, Halo Waypoint includes an innovative career system that tracks players' accomplishments across multiple "Halo" games and gives them new ways to show off their heroic gameplay feats. By downloading and "enlisting" in Halo Waypoint, players will be rewarded with a variety of Bungie-created "Halo 3: ODST" Avatar Awardables for attaining specific Achievements in the game.
You get a helmet to hide your avatar's face if you complete the campaign in Halo 3: ODST at normal difficulty level. However, to hide away his entire body, you have to get the achievement for not killing any of the engineers. Oops. Looks like I won't be retroactively eligible for that one.

]]> Dragon Age: Do I have something in my teeth? tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29106 2009-11-05T01:12:39Z 2009-11-06T02:40:31Z If you're ever out and about with one of the characters from Dragon Age, maybe going shopping or to a party or meeting some friends for a drink, don't trust him to tell you if you have food in your... Tom Chick ]]>If you're ever out and about with one of the characters from Dragon Age, maybe going shopping or to a party or meeting some friends for a drink, don't trust him to tell you if you have food in your teeth or if your fly is open or if the tag on the back of your shirt is sticking out. Because after a battle, these people carry on with each other with nary a word about the spots of blood on their faces.

I'd be all, like, "You know what, Alistair, I want to hear what you think about Logain, I really do, but you have something there, on your face. Right there. No, lower. Also, there. To the left. You know what? Here. Let me get you a towel." In Bioware's fantasy world, personal grooming does not require wiping fluids off your face when you interact with people. So these people certainly aren't going to say anything if you have a piece of spinach in your teeth from the salad you had at lunch.

Although maybe that sort of social propriety doesn't kick in until a character likes you enough. Maybe you have to get that "how much I like you" bar really high before someone tells you that you have a spot of blood on your cheek. But it's hard to make close friends in Dragon Age. Yeah, sure, teaming up to save the world from darkspawn brings you close, but not as close as exchanging gifts. Every day is Christmas in Dragon Age.

So, here, Alistair, have this veal bone. I was going to give it to the dog, but his "how much I like you bar" is already maxed out, so you can have it since you've been whining a lot lately.

By the way, I shelled out nearly eight gold sovereigns for some doo-dad I figured Leliana would like. What thanks do I get? +1. Spoiled little hussy. She can just carry on with flecks of blood all around her mouth, nose, and eyes for all I care.

Tomorrow: Is this going to be on the final?

(Click here for the previous Dragon Age game diary.)

]]> How to play Left 4 Dead 2's special infected before Valve wants you to tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29126 2009-11-04T19:11:07Z 2009-11-04T18:57:48Z Ideally, you should just wait until Left 4 Dead 2 comes out on November 17th. But if you can't do that -- and I know how tough it is -- then you can use Saul's plug-in/hack to unlock the special... Tom Chick ]]>Ideally, you should just wait until Left 4 Dead 2 comes out on November 17th. But if you can't do that -- and I know how tough it is -- then you can use Saul's plug-in/hack to unlock the special infected in the Left 4 Dead 2 demo. This will give you an early taste of the jockey, charger, and spitter (pictured, ewww!). Of course, no guarantees that you won't break everything entirely. Just have a look through the comments section to get a sense of what you're in for.

]]> Gratuitous Space Battles officially blows up thousands of space ships tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29125 2009-11-04T17:53:49Z 2009-11-04T18:34:05Z If I'd known Gratuitous Space Battles was going live this week, I would have adjusted the wallet threat level upwards. You know how the space combat scenes in Battlestar Galactica were terrible and epic and oddly serene, all at once?... Tom Chick ]]>If I'd known Gratuitous Space Battles was going live this week, I would have adjusted the wallet threat level upwards. You know how the space combat scenes in Battlestar Galactica were terrible and epic and oddly serene, all at once? This game is like that. It has lovely graphics, a lot of depth, an alarming amount of replayability, and a great sense of humor, to boot. Plus, it's universal. Who wouldn't want to build spaceships and then throw them into massive battles so you can sit back and watch them pound the snot out of other spaceships? Isn't that the point of all science fiction? Isn't that why Wrath of Khan is the only good Star Trek movie?

After a lengthy beta period that incorporated lots of user feedback and lots of gratuitous improvements, Gratuitous Space Battles is now officially released. Not to say it's final. Developer Cliff Harris clarifies the announcement of the "release version":

Does this mean the game is finished?
It means the game is in a finished state, playable and is properly for sale, yes. It means people can review the game without thinking it's still in beta. It means that Positech (Me!) consider this to be a finished game, rather than an on-going beta test.

Is this the end of new features?
No. Definitely not. I already have stuff (like the converging lasers thing) in the pipeline to add in later updates. There is a ton of stuff I'd love to add (if the game sells!). It *does* mean that updates will be less frequent, but probably be more feature-related rather than focusing on bug fixing, and possibly bigger in scope.

You can get Gratuitous Space Battles here for the odd, odd price of $22.99.

]]> Will Miyamoto's upcoming cat game be too little too late? tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29123 2009-11-04T17:31:23Z 2009-11-04T17:46:13Z While addressing investors in Japan at a briefing on Nintendo's financials, Shigeru Miyamoto was asked what he's been doing lately. Since he has a way of translating his hobbies into videogames, the question was intended as some insight into... Tom Chick

While addressing investors in Japan at a briefing on Nintendo's financials, Shigeru Miyamoto was asked what he's been doing lately. Since he has a way of translating his hobbies into videogames, the question was intended as some insight into his next project. After some corporate "no comment" style comments, Miyamoto joked (?) that he's been into cats lately. At which point Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata joked (?) that's a hint as to their next game.

If they are indeed working on a cat game (ha ha!), Nintendo has their work cut out for them. The above video is footage of what must be the ultimate cat game. You do foolish things while your cat looks on and silently judges you. I can think of no more accurate cat simulator than that. Also, I don't read Japanese, but I'm pretty sure the words "Toonces, no!" appear during the driving segments.

(Thanks 1up, Andriasang, and Mr. Rex DX.)

]]> Dragon Age: seven things I wish I'd known earlier tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29105 2009-11-04T00:36:10Z 2009-11-05T01:36:42Z Dragon Age is out as of today. Since you're just starting to play, maybe I can help you out with a few tips I wish someone had shared with me when I was where you are now. After the jump... Tom Chick ]]>Dragon Age is out as of today. Since you're just starting to play, maybe I can help you out with a few tips I wish someone had shared with me when I was where you are now.

After the jump are seven things -- spoiler free! -- I wish I'd known earlier.

]]> Tim Schafer on the finer points of nudity, heavy metal, and Brutal Legend tag:fidgit.com,2009://19.29102 2009-11-03T22:16:37Z 2009-11-04T16:15:24Z I got to sit down and talk to Tim Schafer, one of the creators of Brutal Legend. He reveals why there's no nudity in the game (it's not the reason you think), the songs you should have heard but didn't,... Tom Chick ]]>I got to sit down and talk to Tim Schafer, one of the creators of Brutal Legend. He reveals why there's no nudity in the game (it's not the reason you think), the songs you should have heard but didn't, what Lemmy from Motorhead refused to say during his voiceover session, and how I've got it all backwards when I wonder how they managed to stealth a real time strategy game - that isn't even a real time strategy game! - into their open world.

All that and more in the interview after the jump.

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