My god! I just spent the last few hours playing in multi-player death matches in MW2 on the PS3 and I gotta tell ya... I had to turn my sound off! I mean its one thing to get pissed if you get ambushed or killed repeatedly by the same dude, but to flame and bitch talk while waiting for the loading screens? Really? I tell ya, With the new episode of Burn Notice on tonight I think I have to quote Bruce Campbell's character "Sam" and say those teenage pre-pubescent squeaky voice foul mouthed little kids are like a "Bunch of bitchy little girls".
F this and your momma that... I don't wanna listen to that shit while I'm fleshing out my class, or waiting for the screen to load. It's just bull shit. I love a good rant or tyrade just like everyone else, but the trash talk I hear pumping though my system is neither a good rant, or worth my attention. Well, maybe worth enough of my attention for me to post on here.
I really wish future releases give you an option to mute out the chatter from the other players allowing you to remove their squeaky trailer/sailor voices from your game unless you want to hear what they might have to say. As an interface designer for the last 12+ years one of the first rules of thumb is to give the user options to mute sound. It's a no brainer! Lemme mute "Punk-AZ-Beatch69" when his candy ass starts talking about raping Stenvenson420's momma and sister. It's just ridiculous
The gaming community is working hard to bring their image up to a new level saying that violence in games are not a bad thing... however, I think perhaps the focus should be more on the MATURITY of the individuals on the networks. Dial it back man.. be understanding that not everyone in the world thinks your pansy ass dick jokes are fun to listen to. Sure... in game is a WHOLE OTHER STORY. Bring it.. trash talk is the shit DURING game play.... But, dial it back while in our holding patter Captain silver-tongue!The last thing I want is to come off like a prude, or old, or just lame, but there is a time and a place... and that is neither the time, nor the place. Save it for the battlefield you goons. I don't want to hear a Micky Mouse voice squawking away at 122 db about how his cock would look awesome in your momma's throat...simply because he got fragged one too many times by you during game play. Hey Mickey - Shut the FUCK up!
-C
Chad is an Adjunct Faculty member teaching video game design in Boston, MA. His school web site is http://www.phlume.com/EDU. He can be reached for comment there.
I was feeling a touch nostalgic last night. I did a search and made an astonishing discovery. Bear with me while I set the mood and build your "reader experience" ...
For some reason I was thinking about the "good old days" of the arcade. Perhaps it was from the many recent trips to Chuck E Cheeses with the kids and feeling a bit sad about what is was like then, compared to what it is like now. Back when I was 8, 9, 10, 11... it was all about the "high score". Now, however, it's all about the "ticket count". Sure, we had tickets back in the day, but it really was only for the Whack-A-Munch or Skee Ball games. Back when i was young, it was all about the cabinets.
I remember going to CeC in Newington NH. It was an amazing playground of fun. There was the cheese wall--a huge three tiered crawl through maze that was painted like swiss cheese. The holes in the cheese were actual holes in the wall for you to poke your head out through and say hi to mom as she yelled at you to be careful and not get stuck. What fun! The entrance had 3-4 framed areas with animatronic figures stuck into the wall. That was always a treat to arrive to... the song and dance of the figures as you walked up to pay for your pizza (which wasn't half bad.) The animatronics didn't stop there though. In Newington we had three animatronic rooms. There was the Cabaret with all of Chucke's friends, a room with "The King"... an Elvis themed Lion figure singing Elvis Presley tunes, and the "Beach Bowsers" 4 hounds dressed up in Hawaiian gear singing the bounce tunes of the Beach Boys. Then there was the Forest of Games--a themed rain forest area with several cabinets, driving games, and table games. "Hundreds of games" as I remember it.
At 9 years old "hundreds of games" is really about 25-30, but you get the point... it felt huge. I could go to Dream Machine in the old Newington mall, or even in the new Fox Run mall. I could travel to Dover and go to Funspot (thankfully it was walking distance from my Grandmother's so we got to go there a lot)... But Chuck E Cheese's always had more... so it seemed. As time rolled on I remember Funspot moving, the Dream Machine in the Newington mall closing down and eventually there were no more arcades. One day when we went there my cousin and I wished we had $500 bucks (like two 12 year olds have 1/2 a G kicking around) so we could buy a couple of the stand ups. They were selling them all. $200 for Elevator Action... $400 for Pack Man... $350 for Pole position? Man I STILL wish I had a cool grand on that summer day... but I digress.
Fast forward 20+ years, I am now 36, I have two young kids, 4 and 5, and they LOVE Chuck E Cheese. But it's hard for me to go there and not feel a bit like they are missing out on the bigger picture. I see my 4 year old run around like a crazy person from one station to another and pause at every stand up. He wants to play them... but they are all boring. Or they are shooters and I don't think a 4 year old needs to play a shooter...yet.
(Mood set... here are the goods)
So with all of that nostalgia, I decided to see if any of it was "preserved for posterity" anywhere in the US. I made two amazing discoveries:
First...the answer of preserving games is YES! Video games WILL be preserved. Not just in any museum folks... The Smithsonian! That's right. in March of 2012 through September of 2012, The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC will be showcasing video games, and the history and art of them. How cool is THAT! More on that later... here is the link if you can't wait.Second...The worlds LARGEST (Guinness says so) video game arcade is right in my back yard! And guess what... It's FUNSPOT! That's right. The same arcade (company at least) that I used to walk to from Grammy Fillion's house. Weir's Beach NH is home to the World's largest video game arcade. No more wishing the kids could see the classics in their beautiful cabinets. No more playing Gallaga, Ms Pac Man and Xevious on the same cabinet. Right in our backyard is the MECCA of all arcades. Funspot IS the arcade I remember.
Now, I have yet to go to the location, but the web site boasts not only the 
largest selection/collection of coin operated video games, but it also has the American Classic Arcade Museum. A not for Profit organization determined to preserve the arcade for all future generations. So not only can I play the games and enjoy them once more... The location will continue to entertain enthusiasts for years to come... as long as the parts hold out.
I can't wait to make our sojourn up to Weirs NH (1 hour away) this summer. Sure, we'll do the water slides, eat ice cream, play mini golf, e
njoy the water, shop in the shops and eat fried dough. But for Daddy, the real treat will be opening my children's eyes (an my own) to a world of video game arcades.
-C
Chad is an Adjunct Faculty member teaching video game design in Boston, MA. His school web site is http://www.phlume.com/EDU. He can be reached for comment there.
ENOUGH ALREADY!
With the anticipated release of Skyward Sword this fall, and a sneak peek at the game itself at E3 2011, it begs the question... is Nintendo doing all it can to keep the Zelda franchise fresh for it's horde of fans? I say NO!
I remember staying up for hours on end in the 80's playing the original NES Zelda (yes, the gold cartridge) with my cousin. Perhaps I am biased, but in my humble opinion there has only been a handful of "worthy" Zelda titles that come close to being as good as the '86 smash hit. I feel that Skyward sword, though not even released, will not be one of them.
When "Adventures of Link" was announced as a sequel to
LoZ I was stoked. I could only imagine a whole new world to adventure in as Link with better graphics and game play. Then the push back. "Sorry. Japan has it, but America isn't ready yet." Christmas came and went. It was disappointing, but life moved on. It wasn't until a full year later that we got to see the actual release of the game. I went to Toys R Us, pulled the ticket off of the massive NES wall, and waited patiently in line to purchase Zelda 2. I Got it home... Pushed the cartridge (another gold one) into the slot. Powered the NES on and, UGH! Now this was REALLY disappointing.
As Nintendo rolled on with Link to the past, Ocarina of time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and a handful of hand-held titles, very few of them caught my attention as "show stoppers". With that said, however, I will say, I was a fan of Link to the Past and the more stylish graphics that came with it thanks to the SNES's 16-bit capabilities. The story was fun, the game play was enjoyable, but most importantly I got to see the top down perspective that was worthy of my attention...something I had missed so much in Adventures of link. The game wasn't the original, but it was closer than the previous release so that was a step in the right direction.
As new titles came out, I was reluctant to buy them. They all looked like rehashes of the game I had already played. Get hearts. defeat bad guys, find the slingshot, hook shot and boomerang (fishing was a cool addition though) ...It wasn't until Wind Waker arrived, with it's beautiful cell shading and the ability to sail, that I deceided to purchase into th
e franchise again. I played Majora's Mask and Ocarina at friends, but I didn't buy any of them as they didn't "wow" me; Although, Wind Waker did. I loved sailing the open sea, talking to fish and traveling the vast world late into the night. The new tools, weapons, and npc's made for a delightful journey. With side quests abound, this title had a lot of fun wrapped up into it's little Game Cube disk.
As time went on, with every new console Nintendo released, it seemed to be paired with an eventual Zelda title. As the dawn of motion controls arrived, the Wii brought us Twilight Princess. The graphics seemed a touch more mature (especially compared to the fan fare of the cell shaded Wind Waker), and the motion controls definately added a new level of player experience. But even though I loved playing the game, the game itself, and the franchise as a whole, had started to fall flat for me. The games have a sense of adventure that varies with each release, and the tasks and enemies certainly change a bit, but all in all it is just another revamp of the same old to do list. The weapons and overall treasures have become predictable. I ride a horse. I get a sword, use a boomerang, find a hook shot, increase my heart containers, chase fairies, and sing a song. Where is the originality? Where are the new items? Features? Are we at the end of the "list" is this the last page of the notebook? I hope not.
As I look ahead at Skyward sword I anticipate; riding a bird,
finding fairies, getting heart containers, using a sword, chucking a boomerang and gathering the same various colored rupies, hearts and magic bottles from shredded grass blades as I do a spin strike on an open field. It's getting old. I want the allure of '86 and the gold cartridge. I want the yearning of enjoyable game play (not grinding) through a level to find a wand or red candle. I want to hold a tri-force piece high above links head and feel as though I have accomplished a feat, not simply completed an item off of my to do list. I want to feel proud to own the new Zelda title.
Perhaps it's my age showing, or the nostalgic side (the "kid" in me) coming out for a peek at the new century of gaming. I want the exhilaration of opening a case, tossing the game into the system, grabbing a rack of Dews, a 3 lb bag of skittles, and settling into hours of game play that sucks me in. I don't want hours of cut scenes and reading... I'll play La Noire for that. I want adventure at the truest sense of the word...Discovery. Finding new hidden treasures.
My plea to Nintendo... Release a Zelda title with an "M" rating. Get that tunic stained, torn and bloody. Beef up that graphics engine. Come up with some new weapons, traps, puzzles and creatures. Put me in some snow. Show me some gore. Rough up Link. Add some fear. Take away the cartoon and inject some stealth. Give me a reboot that makes me go "Awww yeah... lets go pick up some fairies... we're gonna need them for this shit!"
-C
Chad is an Adjunct Faculty member teaching video game design in Boston, MA. His school web site is http://www.phlume.com/EDU. He can be reached for comment there.
