Recently by Victor Godinez

August 4, 2008

  Electronic Arts, NCAA 09, Madden 09 and gamer unrest

Posted by Victor Godinez 
11:43 AM, August 4, 2008

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In my Saturday column, I wrote about the growing number of complaints with EA's just-released NCAA 09 football game and the soon-to-be-released Madden 09.

In the column, I referenced a forum posting from a Madden developer who -- to me, anyway -- seemed to be acknowledging that the new Madden title was missing some key elements that a lot of Madden fans had come to expect.

Over the weekend, I received an e-mail from that developer who said that I had misinterpreted some of his comments, and he noted that he had posted a follow-up to his original comments.

Definitely go read the follow up if you're a hard core Madden fan, because it does seem to address some of the gripes gamers had with missing gameplay settings.

I never did hear from anyone at EA about NCAA, though.

I'll admit right here that I'm not a big football gamer, so I don't really have the expertise to say how critical these problems are (although the videos I've seen of NCAA's problems would be obvious to a catatonic chimp -- here's one, with plenty of profanity), but the unrest among the hardcore fans is undeniable.

  What you missed at QuakeCon

Posted by Victor Godinez 
11:24 AM, August 4, 2008

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Okay, I've been sort of the invisible man around here for a few weeks (iPhone launch, vacation, stomach virus), but I do return bearing gifts, or blog posts, anyway.

First up, QuakeCon!

One of the DMN's interns, Ian Hamilton, went out write a story on all the QuakeCon tournament and expo shenanigans, and you can read it here, and see a video of the event shot by one of our photo staff.

Second, I had a chance to do a one-on-one interview with id Software head honcho John Carmack, and he talked about why he's so excited about developing games for the iPhone (he says it's basically as powerful as a PS2 or Xbox), id's growth as a company (get your resumes in now), and his side project: building spaceships.

By the way, I didn't have space to address this in my article, but you may have read some of the headlines that Carmack said during his QuakeCon keynote speech that the Xbox 360 version of id's upcoming title Rage will look worse than the PS3 version.

I asked Carmack about this, and here's what he said:

Continue reading What you missed at QuakeCon.

July 10, 2008

  Flood of games hitting iPhone app store

Posted by Victor Godinez 
12:17 PM, July 10, 2008

Here are the announcements I've received today about games available on Apple's new App Store for the iPhone and (starting tomorrow) 3G iPhone:

Electronic Arts: -- SCRABBLE, Sudoku, Tetris (all available now)

Plus, EA reiterated that an iPhone version of Spore will be available in September.

PopCap Games -- Bejeweled 2 (available now)

Glu Mobile -- Space Monkey (available now)

I-play -- Numba (available now)

Namco Networks -- Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man (available now)

And the list goes on. If you want to see all the new iPhone games that are available, you'll need to install iTunes and head over to the App Store.

But while there is a deep selection of titles, these are mostly the sorts of casual games that cell phone owners have been playing for years.

I suspect the more complex, Nintendo DS-style games won't arrive for a few months (case in point, Spore in September).

For now, though, at least we know that game makers are paying attention to Apple.

UPDATE: Now this is what I'm interested in.

Pangea Software just announced that its racing game, Cro-Mag Rally, is available now (along with a puzzle title, Enigmo), and it's exactly the kind of high-end gaming experience that could redefine mobile games.

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June 18, 2008

  Review: Metal Gear Solid 4

Posted by Victor Godinez 
5:38 PM, June 18, 2008

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Verdict: good game.


  Column: Companies starting to cater to disabled gamers

Posted by Victor Godinez 
5:24 PM, June 18, 2008

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I was surprised to discover just how many disabled gamers are out there.

Most of them are playing casual games, and I suspect that's because complex console titles are difficult if not impossible to play when you have almost any kind of serious disability (physical or otherwise).

One product that could help change that, though, is the one-handed Access Controller from modder extraordinaire Ben Heckendorn.

I'm actually interested in doing a larger follow-up story on disabled gamers at some point, so if any of you Punchbutton readers know a disabled gamer (ideally in the Dallas area) who would be willing to be interviewed and perhaps even photographed for an article in the newspaper, let me know.


June 10, 2008

  Metal Gear Solid 4 is here, and Snake wants to kick my butt

Posted by Victor Godinez 
11:35 AM, June 10, 2008

See? Look how mad he is at me!

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| Comments (2)
Add your comments

Comments

I hope PS3 game is not as easy as the rest, or as short for that matter. Don't get me wrong, but GTA 4 was really easy and short. The other GTA's were really long games, and you almost needed the cheat codes to beat them. Call of Duty 4...loved it but beat it in 4 days, and I work a 40 hour a week job. Drake's was awsome looking and fun to play, but again easy and short. I hope this will not be a trend with other franchise PS3 games. Do you agree with that? The only one that was a real challenge was Oblivion. Please let me know your thoughts, buy the way I read your colum every week in the Quik.

Posted by: JMAD | June 12, 2008 5:11 PM

FROM VICTOR: Actually, I don't have a problem with games getting shorter IF the developers and publishers charge less money for those games.

Want to sell me a five hour game? Great! As long as the game only costs 20 bucks (and still has great production values).

If a game falls into the 10- to 20-hour range, then I don't mind paying full price.

Posted by: Victor Godinez | June 12, 2008 5:32 PM

June 9, 2008

  The video that will make you want to play Age of Conan (or at least laugh like an idiot)

Posted by Victor Godinez 
6:34 AM, June 9, 2008

See? Your Monday just got a little brighter.

June 8, 2008

  Column: What the iPhone 2 will mean for gamers

Posted by Victor Godinez 
5:38 PM, June 8, 2008

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While I'm as excited as anyone to see what neat technology Steve Jobs has packed into the new iPhone being unveiled tomorrow, I'm particularly curious to see how Apple nurtures the machine's gaming capabilities.

Will the iPhone 2 be a Nintendo DS killer, or just another dumping ground for crummy cell phone games?

Even in a best case scenario, I don't think the iPhone kills the DS. But I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo's next portable game machine after the DS looks a lot like the iPhone.


June 5, 2008

  Review: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

Posted by Victor Godinez 
10:36 AM, June 5, 2008

I tested the Xbox 360 version of Quake Wars (developed by Nerve Software up in Richardson). The team-based FPS stuff is cool IF you have teammates that know what they're doing and stick to their chosen classes.

Medics should be healing, not rushing the enemy stronghold.

Ironically, if you play offline with AI-controlled bots, you don't have to worry about this problem, because the computer plays much smarter than the average random human comrade.

Graphically, Quake Wars doesn't stand out, but it's solid and fast and fun.


May 27, 2008

  Review: Myst on the DS is an epic fail

Posted by Victor Godinez 
2:30 PM, May 27, 2008

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I don't often write negative reviews, since I prefer to play and review fun games.

But I consider my Myst review something of a public service announcement. The title and its various sequels has sold about 12 million copies, making it one of the best-selling franchises of all time.

So Myst fans and intrigued newbies might be tempted to check out this new version on the DS.

Don't.



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