Game Business – Page 15

1UP is on THEIR side!

You must have been under the rock of ignorance, if you missed the Gerstmann conspiracy/controversy that’s doing the rounds the last half week. To summarize, the ever-popular Jeff Gerstmann got fired abruptly from GameSpot, and no official statement can be given as to why. But strong rumours are pointing that GameSpot was under advertising pressure, and fired good man Jeff for his low review of the actually abysmal Kane & Lynch.

While most of the internet world appears to be opposing GameSpot (several boycotts, subscription cancellations, spamming and stuff), it is nice to know that someone is fighting for GameSpot’s cause. Ziff Davis, the guys who own 1UP and FileFront, sent a bunch of their staffers to console the GameSpot staff. Constructing a friendly banner, they marched two blocks up, yelled their support for game reviewers (leaving most passers-by saying “WTF?”) and bummed around a bit.

Disconsider this not, reader. GameSpot is one of the biggest game reviewing and general information sites on the net, and if something serious is happening to GameSpot, something serious will happen to the gaming industry, especially game reviewers and their credibility. Considering our motley crew at StuffWeLike are part-time reviewers (except the charming Ted, who’s full-time), I have sympathy to what GameSpot must be going through. But I shall continue to neglect them just because they fired Jeff, good reason or not.

What do you think of this whole controversy? Are the rumours worth believing? Is GameSpot innocent? Was this all really Eidos’ plan? Is this a shadow of more sinister events to come? Involving aliens, dinosaurs, robots and cowboys (wow)? Discuss in the comments below!

GameSpot Loses a Champion, GameSpot Loses Me

Jeff Gerstmann

After 10 years of loyal service GameSpot editor Jeff Gerstmann has been fired. Currently there are only rumors circulating around as to why GameSpot let him off. I’ve watched Jeff for years and he is the guy that I think of when I think of GameSpot.

On November 16, Jeff gave Kane & Lynch a 6 out of 10. GameSpot’s review system calls this “fair.” Apparently Eidos didn’t want to advertise on Gamespot’s website because of this review. The website Rock Paper Shotgun said that this was the last reason to fire him.

If this is the reason alone, I will ditch GameSpot until they publically appoligize for firing a truthful employee. Kane & Lynch deserves a 6/10, I’ve played it, it’s a crappy game. There’s no reason to support a company that lies to its consumers to appease it’s advertisers.

StuffWeLike wishes Jeff Gerstmann the best. Maybe he’ll start his own video game review website. We can only wish.

Save Atari ?

Atari

Atari is a company that pisses me off sometimes. It’s pathetic that they can’t get themselves straightened up and solve their financial issues.

When I began writing this post, I originally wrote it as if Atari should be saved. Go buy their games, buy their stock – we need Atari. But honestly, do we Atari? What has Atari recently contributed to the video game industry other than its brand name?

Sure Atari was THE game development studio back in the 70s/80s but they’ve lost their monopoly on the industry years ago for the same reason that they’re losing it today: they simply don’t understand what gamers want anymore.

Looking at Atari’s future lineup, there’s only one game that I want and the release date is still listed as To Be Determined! If you can’t guess the game I’m talking about it’s Alone in the Dark 4. It is possible that this single title could save Atari from its doomsday, but the likelihood of that is slim. If Alone in the Dark 4 isn’t scary enough and isn’t entertaining enough (aka PERFECT AAA TITLE) Atari will die. What is even more said is that Atari’s actually more likely to go bankrupt before the game is ever released.

Atari is a company that grew into a brand which will always live on in the game world. It’s an example of why you should never put all your eggs in one basket – I’m looking at you Dragon Ball Z. It’s probably better to let Atari become a figment of gamer’s imaginations than a on-going embarrassment to the video game industry.

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How hypocritical Nintendo ruined Maniac Mansion

Ah, classic LucasArts adventure games. They’re a memory I cherish, and they’re something you ought to play if you were under the belief that games cannot be funny or have decent storylines. While the adventure gaming scene was dominated by giants like the Monkey Island games, the Indiana Jones games and the later released masterpiece, Grim Fandango, one of the forefathers of the LucasArts adventure games brand was Maniac Mansion.

The satirical game was one example of how games back then were art, not some stupid high-graphics shooting trash. Apparently, Nintendo didn’t like free, liberal art a lot, and opted for more nerfed games. This article from Douglas Crawford exposes Nintendo’s hypocrisy quite well. Nintendo wanted LA’s masterpiece on their NES, but they didn’t want any of the bad words and suggestive things. Of course, they’d rather that you kill creatures and people, but it’s bad to say the word kill or suck.

Some of the edits Nintendo required included the ones like the line
“getting your brains sucked out” being cut, or “For a good time EDNA 3444” replaced by “Call Edna 3444”. Their anti-nudity clause involved cutting out a humorous poster of a mummy, wrapped head-to-toe in bandages striking a Playboy pose.

The most ridiculous one is the removal of the term “NES SCUMM system”, which the engine on which the game ran. Nintendo’s reaction? “Yeah, but it says NES SCUMM. What will people think?” Grow up, Nintendo.

One of the most interesting points in the rather well-written article is this:

The standards go on to prohibit

depictions of excessive and gratuitous violence,

which would seem to ban any game in which your character met people, killed them, took their money, and then bought more weapons. But in fact most Nintendo games are still faithful to that theme, so we were unclear as to how to interpret Nintendo’s policy. In the Super Mario Bros games, which are considered clean and wholesome, kids routinely kill creatures, and the only motivation is that they are there.

At least most other games give you a reason to kill enemies. Nintendo screwed up Maniac Mansion on several reasons, and will probably not admit it, since screwed up is a sexually suggestive term and against Nintendo policy. If you, for any reason at all, played the NES port of Maniac Mansion, you’ve played a stunted, nerfed version of it and I ask of you to play the PC version ASAP.

Atari is Dead (Again)

One of Atari’s most profitable franchises, Dragon Ball Z (of all series) might be moving away from the crippled video game studio. The licensor holder FUNimation claims that Atari has breached its licensing agreement.

Of course Atari says otherwise. If Atari was to lose Dragon Ball Z it could spell the end for this company. Atari has had issues in recent years because they can’t figure out how to develop good games. Hopefully Alone in the Dark 4 will relaunch that series and bring Atari back from this near death experience.

Nothing has been finalized and Atari is in talks with FUNimation to keep Dragon Ball Z.

Dragon Ball Z

The Wii is for Everyone

Manhunt 2

Capcom’s touting that Resident Evil 4 for the Nintendo Wii has surpassed the 1 million unit mark. This milestone is proof that the Wii is a system for all ages. This is the first time in a many years that Nintendo is not having any issues reaching out to gamers and now previously non-gamers.

But there is another issue that Nintendo has been dealing with for along time and it still lingers today: where are the hardcore gamer games? While news about Resident Evil 4 breaking 1 million units is great, the game was released on the Gamecube and PS2 back in 2005. For the hardcore gamers out there, this game has been played and loved to death again and again.

Sure there’s the upcoming Manhunt 2 to look out for, but if reviews have any correlation to revealing the quality of a game – you might want to avoid this title. Not for its violence, but for its bland gameplay.

While Nintendo might say they’ve got hardcore gamers covered with games like Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy, I say we look to third parties to answer our prayers. It’s not like either of these Nintendo games are bad titles, but seriously can you compare either game to the awesome power that you get when you cut off an enemy’s head? You won’t ever see that in a Nintendo game.

Hopefully there will be a positive side effect that today’s news causes. Maybe, just maybe third parties will wake up and make more great hardcore titles for the system. I for one I’m tired of mini-games.