Yantelope

This is such a delicate balance. No in-game tutorials can suck if you need to know certain things about the game but didn't read the book but long drawn out tutorials are very tiresome. FFXIII was probably the worst offender. You shouldn't have to play for 20 hours before all the game's features are open. I think the manual should be there for explaining the more complex aspects of a game. I can't tell you how many times I've played a game like Oblivion where I'm supposed to customize my character but I have no idea what the stat points are really going to do for me. You should never have to read an internet FAQ/walkthrough in order to make sense of the game's mechanics. Simcity comes to mind as well. There are many ways that the different zones and buildings effect each other in that game but there's no way to figure it out without reading about it in an FAQ. So, to summarize, teach me how to play the game but be quick about it and if it's complicated than write it up in the manual in detail. PS. Portal 2 actually strikes me as a bad example of in-game tutorials because the whole freaking game plays like a tutorial as they're always teaching you to use some new thing. It would have been better to introduce everything earlier and then utilize more of the gels and things in the rest of the puzzles.

I'm just so confused by these naming things. I don't know what Vita is supposed to convey.

I can only imagine that this looks something like the beginning of 2001. As soon as one of them learns how to use simple tools, we're in a lot of trouble.

So the Rockstar Pass is out. I bought it. I think it's a brilliant way of convincing customers to keep their copies of the game and not sell them back. I didn't even think about it until I read joystiq's quote "If this seemingly smart gambit works as planned, it would give players a reason to keep their copies off of the used game shelves until just before August -- after all, they've already paid for the DLC, right? -- so we'll be interested to see if it plays out that way." If you're going to fight used sales this seems like a better way to do it IMO.

Yeah, Vista was the first thing I thought of too. Why would anyone want to be associated with that marketing nightmare?

COD Elite was the sort of service that I used to say would go away if people just wouldn't buy it but it seems that just 15-20% of people have to buy something like this for it to be profitable. I know that there are tons of people who don't buy map packs but that small % of people who do buy them make them profitable. The strong arm tactics which lock you out of playlists when you don't buy map packs are what I find unconscionable and if that's the way COD goes I'll probably just move on to a shooter that doesn't do that. I finally, after all these games, am finding myself a little tired of the COD formula.

Heavenly Sword is about 8-10 hours long. It's okay. I hated the boss fights though.

I hope it's good. Also I realized the other day I didn't have a copy of Hot Shots! I was ashamed of myself. @Dean, I got my wife a netbook too. I am sad you can't play games across remote desktop onlive style on it.

Man, I think I need to see it again to overcome my childhood demons. That movie brings back bad feelings.

Yeah, and considering you can buy a 32GB SD card for $50 and a 16GB SD for around $20 I'm not to worried about having enough storage for downloadable content. I do however think that the loss of VRAM is a big deal. VRAM can be a big factor in limiting what developers can do with their games.

Yes, it was definitely sold as sci fi and not as much horror.

I kind of prefer using an SD card for storage but screw Sony if they try to go memory stick again.

Event Horizon scared the piss out of me when I saw it in the theater. I was 15 and kind of a wuss though. Movies are always scarier in the theater especially when the sound is up really loud.

I know I got AC2 on the console because of the DRM. I suppose the counter point to this is that they didn't really lose any sales from us because we bought it on the console anyway. I guess you'd kind of have to adjust for that and find out what % of PC only gamers chose not to buy the game at all.

The only numbers I can find is that it seems that most PC games sell 1/10 of their console counterparts according to VGChartz. Assassin's Creed 2 sold just 120,000 copies in europe vs. 2.13 million copies on the PS3. If anything you'd think AC2 would be an example of DRM not helping PC game sales.

Curse of Monkey Island is the only game I really remember laughing at. I still quote that game with my friends. "If I bleached chalk it wouldn't be as white as you!"

I still really wish we could produce some real numbers on whether or not DRM like this actually impacts sales.

Is the core game the same?

Yeah, I've heard it's awesome. I'm tempted.

I'm pretty excited to see how Gemini Wars turns out. Hopefully it'll scratch that space RTS/strategy game itch. http://www.destructoid.com/you-are-not-ready-for-gemini-wars-194255.phtml

Is the combat that much different from the first game or are they just saying that if you haven't played the first game you will be totally lost?