March 2012
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Empty Wallet Gamer: Viewtiful Joe (Gamecube)... →
emptywalletgamer:
-Shawn Trautman
Viewtiful Joe is a side-scrolling, beat-em-up action game with cell-shaded visuals and a distinctly Japanese worldview. It is fast, frenetic, and balls-hard, even on the lower difficulty setting.
EWG picked up my Viewtiful Joe review. Let us know what you think.
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Sega wants your Graffiti
galaxynextdoor:
Sega, in an awesome move has a contest where your graffiti could land in the upcoming HD remake of the much love Jet Set Radio. Now that’s some seriously cool marketing; graffiti for a game with graffiti. Seems legit.
Via: Sega
February 2012
98 posts
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“It’s easy to hide behind that old journalistic convention of objectivity, but...”
– Boys Will Hire Boys and The Media is Male and Getting Maler by Amanda Hess (via ladylikegame)
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PAUSE: A quote from Albert Einstein says...
killscreendaily:
Our friends over at Mr. Gif devised this simple illustration from a quote from the great Dr. Einstein. As a writer about games, I worry that we value encyclopedic knowledge about what games are what rather than what games are.
-Jamin Warren
[via Mr. Gif]
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Empty Wallet Gamer: Limbo Review →
emptywalletgamer:
-Calvin Tomlinson
Limbo is one of the most intriguing games I’ve played in the past few years. The description on Limbo’s steam page simply says “Uncertain of his sister’s fate, a boy enters LIMBO” and honestly, I think that helps to make the game as fantastic as it is.
This is near the top of my to-play list. Check out Calvin’s review and let him know how you feel.
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kaebia asked: Could I request a review for one of the Jet Set Radio series? I'd be interested to see your view on the game in depth.
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Game Journalism has no Place for Criticism →
This piece by Douglas Stewart talks about the difference between games journalism and criticism, and the uses for both. I tend to lean heavily in favor of criticism with what I do, although I also do traditional reviews, which fall under the purview of journalism. My favorite quote from the article:
Videogames, like film and media, deserve to be studied, discussed and explored in the same...
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Empty Wallet Gamer: Killzone 3 Review →
emptywalletgamer:
-Keith Michael
Killzone 3 is a sequel to a sequel of a game that was originally on the Playstation 2; I’m talking about Killzone. I tried playing Killzone when it had first come out for the Playstation 2 and I hated it. For starters, the gameplay was completely different than the shooter…
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Welcome new followers!
Wow, there have been a bunch of new folks following me over the past week or so. I won’t call everyone out by name (in case you wouldn’t want that), but I just wanted to say hello! Feel free to drop me a line anytime.
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Vagina Envy: Misogyny and the Gaming Community →
This short piece by Alex Layne briefly recounts the Jennifer Hepler/BioWare situation and discusses how it fits into a larger pattern of misogyny and abuse of women within the gaming community.
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Academic Scholarship for Women in Gaming →
teal-deer:
I wish that this had been around when I was an undergraduate, because I would have been far more likely to have stuck to my original plan (get a dual major in mathematics and computer science with a minor in art; go on to a graduate program in game design of some sort) than what I actually did do.
This being the case, I’m here to spread the word. Check it, ladies.
This is...
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Watchdropouthangoutspaceout:
Mathew Kumar on the sad state of the videogame enthusiast press. “We Are All Trapped In The Belly Of This Horrible Machine And The Machine Is Bleeding To Death.”
Why had I not heard about this already? This is worth a listen even if you care very little about videogames - as it deals indirectly with the problems associated with journalism as a whole. What Kumar teases...
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Empty Wallet Gamer: Wet Review →
emptywalletgamer:
Wet/ Publisher: Bethesda Softworks/ Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360/ Release Date: 9-15-09/ Genre: Action-3rd Person Shooter/ Single Player/ Rating: Mature
-Geoff Barry
That 70’s Game
Wet Work: A messy job or task that involves one’s hands becoming wet with blood. Meet Rubi…
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Tools for the Job: Asserting Femininity in Super... →
This very cool piece for Pop Matters discusses the various feminine imagery present in Super Metroid, as well as its methods of de-emphasizing “masculine” forms of violent gameplay in favor of exploration and improvement.
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Hey, Brazilian gamers from Tumblr...
myownmagickingdom:
Take a look here. There is a law in voting that will put our games in a very unpleasant situation.
This law say that videogames are “offensive to the customs, traditions, worship, creeds, religions and symbols of our country”.
Unfortunally, this bullshit seems to be serious.
More information here:
Jovem Nerd
Game Vicio
Nintendo Blast
Garotas Geek
I don’t read...
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The Invisible Hand of Super Metroid
summerof11:
Gamasutra’s Hugo Bille comes with an exceptional analysis of just why “Super Metroid”, and the Metroidvania genre generally, is so satisfying and addictive. An absolute must read for any fan of the series or genre.
The Invisible Hand of Super Metroid [Gamasutra]
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Empty Wallet Gamer: The Legend of Dragoon Review →
emptywalletgamer:
-Samer Farag
Welcome to the retro review of the Legend of Dragoon. I will be your host this evening. If you haven’t heard of the Legend of Dragoon, I can’t really blame you: The game is little known, minus a cult-following the likes of Homestuck’s zealots. Is it any good?
Before I…
Anonymous asked: Me, you, naked. Let's do this.
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“This is the kind of behavior that justifies the FOX News stereotype of the...”
– Jim Sterling - On the horrific abuse hurled at BioWare writer Jennifer Hepler
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Empty Wallet Gamer: Asura's Wrath Review →
emptywalletgamer:
-Marcus Lawrence
Let me just start out by saying that this game blew away all of my previous expectations and replaced them with things I have only dreamed of. To quote it best “This game was grown on a tree in heaven”. Asura’s Wrath may very well be one of the best game I’ve ever put…
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The Narrative vs. Mechanics Circus →
Wow. This incredibly long and detailed piece takes all of the recent discussions (such as this and this) regarding what is or is not a game mechanic and what “narrative” means in games, and tries to make sense of it all, and in the process gives us a pretty good snapshot of the current state of the arguments. Nicely done.
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Metroid Prime's Magic Moments →
Here, the writer describes three moments from Metroid Prime that blew him away. I love this game so desperately, and welcome any opportunity to talk about it.
Don’t worry, though, just because he is describing three specific moments in the game, there are no real spoilers - they are more about the environments themselves.
museshake asked: Just read that you're going to start playing JSRF, It's in the top 3 of my all time favourite games, so aturally anyone playing it makes me so happy I have tiny orgasms all through my body and feel like the world truly is becoming a better place. Was wondering how you're going to play it, on 360 or original xbox or through some other means? I found it to lag on the 360 a bit due...
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Empty Wallet Gamer: Favorite Guilty Pleasure Game? →
emptywalletgamer:
Welcome to another installment of our feature on Empty Wallet Gamer where we ask a question, get some responses from the EWG crew, and get some of your answers too! This week’s question: What is your favorite “guilty pleasure” game? Let us know in the comments and we’ll feature our favorite…
Please check out the latest question post I put together for EWG. I...
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Empty Wallet Gamer: [Prototype] Review →
emptywalletgamer:
-Eric Lee Lewis
What a great and cohesive story! Wait, that isn’t right. What a mucky, boring, and hard to understand story; That’s better. Prototype or [Prototype] was released in America in June of 2009, just weeks after inFamous. No, this isn’t a review to compare the two games that…
Eric from EWG reviews [Prototype]. Spoiler alert: he doesn’t love it.
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Time Extend: Jet Set Radio Future →
In this Edge Online piece, the writers talk about the successes of the Xbox cult hit Jet Set Radio Future, and spefically how the cel-shaded graphics somehow managed to make the city of Tokyo both more cartoonish and more real at the same time.
I am currently playing through this game, so look for a review in the near future.
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Learning from the Masters: Level Design in The... →
In this Gamasutra article, writer Mike Stout examines the first dungeon of the first Legend of Zelda game, and the game design principles developers can learn from it.
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8 Myths About Video Games →
redsaw42:
8 common misconceptions about video games. A good article for everyone.
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Hey everyone!
I just changed the layout and appearance of my blog. Let me know what you think. Love it? Hate it? Think “love” and “hate” are way too strong terms to describe a Tumblr layout?
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Making Small Big (Or, the World is a Character... →
In this Gamasutra post, the author does a great job of explaining how focusing on smaller areas in games can actually make the world feel bigger, while actually creating huge worlds can lead to less interesting places and events, and a less engaging experience overall.
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Empty Wallet Gamer: Video games or videogames? →
emptywalletgamer:
-Shawn Trautman
I know, I know. The obvious, cheeky answer to this is “yes, please,” so let’s get that out of our system. Good? Let’s move on. Currently, there is no accepted norm regarding the term that describes our favorite medium, with both “video games” and “videogames” in common use….
Check out my latest editorial for Empty Wallet Gamer.
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PAUSE: This PlayStation Vita ad says everything...
killscreendaily:
Explaining to your friends exactly why you play games can be a tricky proposition, but Dutch agency 180 Amsterdam does so beautifully in this new spot for the PlayStation Vita. The ad is directed by Cary Fukunaga (who won the Sundance Dramatic Directing award for Sin Nombre), and I found the bit on exploration particularly stirring.
-Jamin
[via AdWeek]
Bravo!
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What do Bosses do? →
This piece examines the different modern uses for boss fights in games and argues, counter to prevailing opinion, that boss fights are not merely an anachronistic homage to gaming’s past, but rather are capable of greatly enhancing modern games.
Watch out for big Fable II spoilers, though.
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Empty Wallet Gamer: EWG Editorial: Let's Talk... →
emptywalletgamer:
-Calvin Tomlinson
As Empty Wallet Gamers, you should be enjoying the Indie Games that are around at the moment, there are so many great games that you can pick up for stupidly low prices. The market for Indie Games has absolutely exploded these past few years and there are some real gems popping…
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Empty Wallet Gamer: The Darkness II →
emptywalletgamer:
-Marcus Lawrence
It’s been 5 years in the making and darkness has finally descended upon us…well The Darkness that is. Jackie Estacado is back and he’s bringing the stuff of nightmares with him. I’m talking about The Darkness II, people and I couldn’t be any more pleased with this sequel….
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BioWare: Our statement supporting a valued... →
sanityscraps:
YAY!
This is in regards to the awful Jennifer Hepler thing happening right now. Look it up if you’re not familiar.
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“To say that any game that allows such surreally intense feelings of attachment...”
– Tom Bissell Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter (via James Davenport)
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The Problem with Games.... Is gamers.
jogosity:
There. I said it.
Gamers are the root of the problem. They’re my problem because I’m a game designer and I’m part of the problem because I’m a gamer myself.
It’s a terrible state of affairs.
Here’s why gamers are such a problem. It comes in the form of this quote, a tweet passed on by a friend of mine. The origin doesn’t matter.
“New Syndicate - now I’m excited. Syndicate FPS -...
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Empty Wallet Gamer: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus... →
emptywalletgamer:
-Nøél Villa
Shadow of the Colossus, known in Japan as Wanda to Kyozou (Wander and the Colossus), released 2005 for the PS2 and 2011 for the PS3 port, is considered to be both the spiritual successor and prequel to Team ICO’s debut game, Ico.
Though I begin this review by placing doubt…
This is a very nicely written review of Shadow of the Colossus HD by Nøél Villa.
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Games Journalism and the "No Cheering in the Press... →
This article compares the juvenile “enthusiast press” of games journalism with sports journalists, and suggests that videogame writers could learn a thing or two from the way sports writers separate their “fan” and “journalist” sides in a professional setting.
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