July 2010 – Page 2 – Obsolete Gamer

Giant baby that runs 40mph? Yes.

Jacob A Stevens: Riverman Media

Zelda II had a dark and enigmatic spirit that captured my attention as a child and continues to inspire me to this day. I love the warbling, disconcerting soundtrack that sets the stage for falling into graves, fighting severed heads, and even confronting your own shadow.

Interviews

J.A. Laraque

Aion Assault on Balaurea – Q&A

Every MMO that I’ve ever played or worked on has always pursed balance, and I don’t think any of them ever achieved it. You tweak one thing here, and another thing breaks as a result. It’s a constant battle, but I think it’s one that we do well. When we see areas that need more balancing or bugs that need fixing, we respond to it as quickly as we can, and if needed report it directly to the development team if it’s something we can’t fix in house.

Blog

J.A. Laraque

The Obsolete Gamer Show 3

You ever watch a tv pilot and the set, the lighting and everything else just doesn’t seem network ready? Then next week comes and the show looks completely finished as if polished and shined to look better. Well that is what we are doing with The Obsolete Gamer Show.

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

John Graham: Wolfire Games

Intense, but well-balanced action, ridiculously fun variety of weapons, innovative gameplay modes and modability, gorgeous graphics for its time (which got high frame rates even on my modest computer), headshots, taunts, the booming voice of the announcer, great soundtrack.

Interviews

J.A. Laraque

Zack Weddington – Viva Amiga

We think the film will be interesting to people who have never even heard of the Amiga, because it is the stories of the people involved with the Amiga which really drive the film. It’s also gonna have a hell of a lot of eye candy and awesome animation done by me and my other partner, David Kessler, a fellow video artist.

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

Fabian Santiesteban: Velocity Micro

There is something strange but enticing about fatalities that I loved. I can hear the words now. FINISH HIM! FLAWLESS VICTORY

Game Reviews

J.A. Laraque

Obscure Gamer – False Start

The race to the next generation of consoles may have already started, but how certain are the predictions? First it was David Reeves of Capcom with his suggestion of two to three years. Now Murray Pannel, head of marketing for Ubisoft has predicted a similar time scale.

Editorials

Merman

False Start

Sony confidently predicted a ten-year lifespan for the PS2, and that has come to pass. They are now suggesting a similar tenure for the PS3, and it could be to their advantage. This year has been a strong one for Sony with exclusives and good sales on the back of the PS3 Slim, and another good Christmas with interest in Move could push it further. Meanwhile, Kinect is going after the Wii’s audience to a large extent. Microsoft still has the edge in online gaming for many with Live, but the gap has narrowed. Moving on from the 360 may not suit Microsoft either, now that is making good profit and building its user base.

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

Rob Jagnow: Lazy 8 Studios

Dark Castle was really ahead of its time. It had wonderful animations, incredible diversity in its gameplay mechanics and well-tuned difficulty. It told a great story with very little narration.

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

Corey Dangel: Detonator Games

It’s hard to choose just a single favorite classic game, but M.U.L.E. stands out because it remains excellent multiplayer entertainment, even today. Who would imagine that a game of exploration and economic development could be so much fun, but the game is brilliantly balanced…a hallmark of coopetition and a total blast!

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

Chris Skaggs: Soma Games

“The pacing in Tempest is just brilliant. You put your quarter in and are instantly drilling flippers. Plus, something about early vector graphics always lights me up. Battlezone is a very close second.”

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

Weston Tracy: Black Jacket Studios

Favorite classic game would have to be the original Metroid! I love it for the sense of bizarre isolation it creates with the music and endless underground caverns.

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

Jason Shankel: Stupid Fun Club

What impresses me most about Elite is the exceptional quality both of the innovative elements (3d and the huge, expansive algorithmically generated universe that fits neatly into 64k) the gameplay.

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque

Michael Jorgensen: Zombie Studios

In a world, filled with “easy-mode” games, where the player is rewarded for every action, XCOM is the counter. Even the EASY mode for XCOM would make Patton or McArthur sweat. Time is almost always working against you. You are constantly fighting, scrambling to get things done, hurrying to unlock secrets, acquire more & better weapons, acquire more & better personnel, build more bases, etc. And the consequence of failure, is the END OF THE HUMAN RACE!

Company Representatives

J.A. Laraque