Dead Space 3 or Enough with that Micro Transaction Bullshit!

First of all, Rabidgames has played the Dead Space 3 demo. From the looks of it, it’s a pretty solid rather linear third person shooter, garnished with some horror elements. The weapon crafting part is the only outstanding part of Dead Space 3 – and it will most likely be the most controversial …

Why? Well, EA is all to keen in bringing that annoying micro transaction bullshit into games people have already paid for … wait a minute! Mass Effect 3 has done it, correct. Assassin’s Creed 3 has done it, yes. Even Rabidgames beloved Dragon’s Dogma has done it, that’s true. In all those instances, it was a cuntthieverish move onto our money, it was all for the multiplayer. Practically, it was utterly useless and meant for the feeble-minded and short-sighted idiots out there who want to be the best in no time, sacrificing money to prove their superiority in a game. Well, to all of you who have ever spent money there: FUCK YOU!!!

It is you who are to blame for EA’s next move: If you want to be able to craft weapons earlier, easier and faster, you can do so in Dead Space 3! That’s right, micro transactions in a single player campaign! In fact, dev Visceral Games even had to praise their micro transaction bullshit in this interview (as expected, it is not exactly critical of EA’s decision and excuses). Some highlights:

There’s a lot of players out there, especially players coming from mobile games, who are accustomed to micro-transactions. They’re like “I need this now, I want this now”. They need instant gratification. So we included that option in order to attract those players, so that if they’re 5000 Tungsten short of this upgrade, they can have it.

As Rabidgames has said before, a big fuck you to those new-breed gaming retards. How can anyone in his sane fucking mind actually ask for this travesty? That said, we don’t know if this claim is the truth or just another EA lie …

We’re gamers, we wouldn’t allow ourselves to do that. Before you guys showed up I was reading the Eurogamer article, that argued that it’s a slippery slope, that if you put micro-transactions in Dead Space, aren’t you just saying you can pay to win? We would never make a game you have to pay to win.

And still, you put micro transactions in there, and people will pay to beat the game easier. How is that not “pay to win”?

But we need to make sure we’re expanding our audience as well. There are action game fans, and survival horror game fans, who are 19 and 20, and they’ve only played games on their smartphones, and micro-transactions are to them a standard part of gaming. It’s a different generation. So if we’re going to bring those people into our world, let’s speak their language, but let’s not alienate our fans at the same time.

If it wasn’t so sad and it might have been funny. First, let’s forget that incredibly insane generalisation of a whole generation who has been playing games on consoles for years. According to that logic we’ve just adapted, letting them use only a fraction of the screen would be “speaking their language” then’? And why exactly would people who “have only played games on their smartphones” be interested in Dead Space 3 all of a sudden … if they’re no interested in the likes of FIFA, Mass Effect, Call of Duty, GTA or any other console game, why the fuck should they be interested in Dead Space 3 of all games? Why?

And “alienating your fans”? You’ve done exactly that, thank you very much. Mind you, that poor Mr. John Calhoun is not even to blame (actually, he points out that their very own micro transactions are useless), he’s just another EA tool used to feed us with tons of bollocks so we buy Dead Space 3 (and hopefully we spend hundreds of dollars for useless micro transactions). But still, dear sir, don’t you come out and insult our intelligence by justifying bullshit with bullshit reasons which are nothing but bullshit surrounded by bullshit.

Rabdigames has had enough: Enough with EA, enough with forced multiplayer, enough with PR disguised as interviews, enough with this micro transaction bullshit! Rabidgames will boycott Dead Space 3, and asks everyone else to vote with their wallets, too. If there comes a time where we’ll have to pay real money in GTA to get across a toll bridge, if we have to pay some quid for being allowed to play one match in FIFA, we are to blame. We are to blame for we were stupid and daft enough not to stand up to greedy cunts and their dev whores.

R.I.P. – Rest In Pieces, THQ

Look at them vultures, hacking out the tastiest chunks of meat from THQ’s fresh corpse. Well, that might be a bleak view, but let’s face it: Hundreds of people are going to join the dole queue soon – including those working for Darksiders dev Vigil Games. Yep, it’s a shame, especially because most people affected by THQ’s bust are not even remotely to blame for it … thanks to our share holder driven free markets, it’s always the poor who get to bite the dust while the fat cats responsible for the mess keep drinking their finest wines in their châteaus …

Alright, alright, let’s slowly walk away from Rabidgames’ socialist agenda … back to THQ and the repercussions of the official funeral party; first, there is a silver lining beyonf the tombstone – neither Activision nor EA will probably get their greedy fingers on promising series!

The big winners aka the most saturated vultures seem to be two big players: Ubisoft managed to acquire South Park: The Stick of Truth, Obsidian’s upcoming dungeon ‘n jews RPG as well as the rights for rather unkown titles such as 1666 and Underdogs (formerly developed by THQ Montreal). Take Two bought the rights to a shooter nicknamed Evolve – and if the rumours are true, also the lucrative WWE games licence (WWE ’15 by 2K does not sound too shabby now, doesn’t it?). Another winner is Koch Media; the publisher most known for the Anno series and the critically underrated Dead Island managed to buy the franchises Metro and Saints Row!Yes, Saints Row went to a rather unknown publisher. That’s interesting, isn’t it? You would have thought the big guns would be more interested in THQ’s flagship …

Oh yeah, the internal record sum of $26.6 mio. was paid by Sega for the games from developer Relic, probably the coming Company of Heroes 2 was responsible for the steep price – but it could have been the Warhammer licence, too. Crytek bought Homefront 2, a game they are already developing. Sadly, Vigil Games and the Darksiders series did not find a buyer although Platinum Games seem to be interested to turn Darksiders into another Bayonetta clone.

Rabidgames wonders: Now, what does all of this mean? Fuck knows! Maybe some games will be late, maybe some series will be canned or heavily altered. Who knows. And one more question: What about hibernating franchises such as Destroy all Humans, Red Faction, and of course, Summoner? At the end of the day, it’s still a shame to see THQ torn to pieces. There are many fond memories of days spent with your games. Farewell, dear old friend.

Omerta – City of Gangsters or Too Literal?

Unbeknownst to the world and the underworld alike, a new crime simulation with a turn-based tactical combat system will see the light of day soon: Omerta – City of Gangsters will allow our ravenous dark mob hearts to ravish Atlantic City soon. Now wait a minute … the mafia, turn-based combat … yes, it sounds like a perfect mix of Godfather 2 (remember the Don’s View) and XCOM! Or rather Jagged Alliance? Anyway, Rabidgames is almost sold!

There is only one issue: We know virtually nothing about Omerta – City of Gangsters. Sure, there are a couple of trailers, and there is this handy feature list:

• Historically accurate representation of Atlantic City and its landmarks
• Strategic gameplay allows city overview, planning, expansion and gathering of intel
• Turn-based tactical combat with a cover system and stealth action
• 15 unique player controlled characters each with unique personalities and backgrounds
• A RPG system for development of player characters and managing their equipment
• Competitive and cooperative multiplayer mode with persistent gangs
• 15+ hours of gameplay in a single play-through
• 20 unique maps visualizing the various districts of Atlantic City

Sounds pretty good, eh? But then again, there seems to be no marketing for Omerta – City of Gangsters, and the question of quality is just an uneducated guess. We’ll see, we’ll see. After XCOM: Enemy Unknown proved tactical turn-based strategy games can work on consoles, too, there is some hope we might get to witness a fine gem in the making. Of course, Omerta – City of Gangsters could also end up dead pretty fast if it is just not good enough.

If you’re a bit courious what Omerta – City of Gangsters looks like, just watch this trailer full of gameplay, violence and prohibition time atmosphere:

Rabidgames schemes: Well, well, Omerta – City of Gangsters has tons of criminal potential. But the reviews will give evidence if the game is really going to make an offer we cannot refuse.

Dragon’s Dogma is Part of Rabidgames’ Exclusive 1000/1000 Club!

Finally! After 200 hours, completing the game two times, more than 10 millions of gold spent, almost 100 pawns rented, close to 400 different pieces of equipment collected and more than 150 enhanced, and last but definitely not least, all of those damn quests for “The Hero” finally done, Rabidgames has ‘completed’ Dragon’s Dogma: All 1000 GS points are his.

And yet, as you might well know, there is Hard Mode waiting, and Dark Arisen is on the horizon as well. So yeah, Rabidgames is not finished with Dragon’s Dogma yet.

Now Rabidgames can see some people asking “why?” – after unlocking all achievements, why continuing? After all, is there any thrill left after the last achievement has popped? It seems one concept has been abandoned by gamers this generation: a good game is still a good game when you play it again. And again. And again. And so on. Yes, in an age where games are 5 hours short, where they are bought, completed (sometimes just for achievements/trophies) and sold within weeks or maybe even days (Duke Nukem Forever comes to mind), in such an age, the concept of playing a game more than once seems to have become obsolete. Well, to be fair, most games are not that interesting, too …

Interestingly, there are only 3 games where Rabidgames has 1000/1000: Dragon’s Dogma, Bully and The Godfather 2. Dragon’s Dogma was the only game there which required two playthroughs to get all achievements – and neither any online achievements. Ironically, all those games are played again and again – not necessarily completed, just played. Why? Because they are damn fun to play! Actually, Rabidgames has just started a new vendetta in The Godfather 2 … but more on that later. Anyway, there are many more games, such as Just Cause 2, Red Dead Redemption or Saints Row 2, which receive playtime once a year at least. Or, back in the PS2 era … GTA Vice City, San Andreas, Freedom Fighters, Mercenaries, Summoner … the list goes on.

Actually, the PS2 era list of replayable games is way longer. But why is that? Is it really just us gamers and our tendency to have to buy all 20 blockbuster games each months? Or are the publishers responsible as well? What do they do to guarantee longevity? They attach DLC (well, some of it can be excellent, see Bethesda type expansion DLCs) or MP (just look at the upcoming Tomb Raider) to get us hooked long-term – and then, there is MP DLC, the biggest travesty of all! But most games themselves have become shorter, more linear, more accessible (aka you know everything there is to know after 20 minutes) and short-lived. Why make one huge and refined Assassin’s Creed in two years when you can have make one smaller and buggy game each year?

Anyway, please forgive Rabidgames’ derailing thought process. As long as there are still huge games such as Dragon’s Dogma, it’s all fine. Achievements, tacked on multiplayer or DLC clobbering might enhance those games, true, but the core game should be sufficient as well. Whatever, back into the Everfall even without achievements, there are victories to achieve yet!

Dragon’s Dogma Lives: Dark Arisen Add-On in April?

If this rather mysterious image is to be believed, the release date for Dark Arisen, the Dragon’s Dogma add-on we have all been yearning for, is not too far away: 25 April 2013.
At least, this could be Japanese release date. If we are unlucky, it might take weeks or even months until Dark Arisen reaches the West.

However, there is a dark cloud at the silver lining: the pricing. That picture states the hefty amount of 4.990 yen … roughly 35 pounds. That’s damn expensive. But there’s hope that Dark Arisen might be a new game, basically Dragon’s Dogma 1.5. Please Capcom, don’t you dare to ruin this great new franchise by making us pay almost 40 quid for 10 hours of gameplay!

So far, not much is known about the plot and the additions of Dark Arisen; we know that “An epitaph speaks of another’s demise” but that’s about it. There’s even an old trailer if you’re curious:

Rabidgames hopes: The pricing is steep. Theoretically, it is way too steep for a DLC or an expansion. Let’s hope Capcom will be able to give us hundreds of hours of fun again, let’s hope they know what they’re doing. And one more thing; while Rabidgames really enjoyed Dragon’s Dogma, Dark Arisen could need some more polish. Thanks.

Is Django Unchained a Future Rockstar Title?

Mind you, this is pure speculation. Or telepathy, who knows …

But Tarantino and Rockstar would be a match made in heaven. Both share the satirical over-the-top humour, a soft spot for gore and tongue-in-cheek violence and they can tell great stories. Django Unchained would be perfect (admittedly, Rabidgames hasn’t watched the movie yet but what can go wrong with a Tarantino movie?); not only has Rockstar already told a great Western narrative with Red Dead Redemption, but the story about the revenge of a slave would perfectly suit Rockstar’s satirical socio-critical attitude!

Check out this Django Unchained trailer and see for yourself if this theme wouldn’t suit Rockstar:

Rabidgames hopes: After thousands of rather abysmal movies turned into games, it’s time for another good one. Come on Rockstar, you can pull it off!

Dragon’s Dogma’s Nemesis Slain or Fuck the Ur-Dragon

Boasting time.

Finally, Rabidgames has done it. He slayed the Ur-Dragon, the most powerful fiend in Dragon’s Dogma. After 150 hours. Well, technically, Rabidgames has only slain the second toughest boss: He killed the Ur-Dragon offline. So, yeah, it’s rather a meek boasting. A level 90 assassin (called Shadowbane), 2 ranger pawns and a mage main pawn did the trick (although the party was far from perfect and the rangers were more occupied with running around and dying than actually fighting and hitting the hearts).

It was also proof focussing on magick early on is not the way to go in Dragon’s Dogma; Shadowbane has terrible offensive stats other than magic and the same can be said for defense. That’s why slaying the Ur-Dragon took a whopping 150 minutes, almost the length of The Hobbit.

At least, Rabidgames found a neat trick to destroy the two hearts at the Ur-Dragon’s wings (climbing and Hundred Kisses won’t work there): Equipping yourself with Blast Arrows is the easiest and quickest way to make those damn hearts stop glowing.

Rabidgames sighs: Well, that was step one. Step two, the online Ur-Dragon. But first, a bit of levelling up seems like a good idea. Damn you Dragon’s Dogma, you adamant thief of time! It’s a good thing it’ll be a while until the next wave of new games hits home …

THQ or An Obituary

It’s official now. THQ as we know will die. Soon.

And it’s a shame. Yes, THQ was never known for releasing polished games, and yes, the DLC disease was rampant lately, but still, there are not many publishers left who dare to stray from the beaten path these days (Bethesda and 2K come to mind) … and THQ were good at that.

Be it the only series which succeeded in capturing the spirit of the old wacky GTA, Saints Row, the amazing and unique Summoner games, the destructible environments of the Red Faction games, killing things as riders of the apocalypse in Darksiders, blowing up the earth in Destroy all Humans or the claustrophobic feeling in Metro, it remains to be seen if other studios dare to allow unique concepts.

Ironically, part of the reason of THQ’s demise is the fact the publisher turned mainstream, away from experiments: Mind you, Rabidgames is not even talking about the main reason, the udraw disaster. No, Rabidgames is talking about a game such as Homefront, where even millions of units sold (for a mediocre Call of Duty clone) are not enough. Rabidgames is talking about Red Faction: Armageddon – come on guys, it’s not a surprise a game fails utterly if you take away everything people loved in Guerilla, is it? And then there are the little things THQ did to alienate their fan base: 40 weeks of DLC in Saints Row The Third or fixing the online servers for the WWE games years late. But yeah, the biggie still is the udraw crap which killed off THQ.

The fans are responsible, too. We are always talking about how sick we are of Call of Duty and the ever same stuff. But what do we do? We don’t buy Darksiders 2, no, we end up buying the same old shit once more. In fact, THQ announced not to do any more Darksiders games since part 2 sold terribly. If we complain about THQ’s demise, we have to take a look into the mirror as well and ask ourselves “what do we want?” before starting to cry.

What will happen next? THQ will be sold – and worse, some franchises will be sold individually. If rumours are to be believed, Saints Row, the WWE games, Metro, Company of Heroes and Dawn of War will be auctioned separately. If the vile rumours are true, EA is up for the grabs.

Rabidgames mourns: It’s sad. But there is hope – if neither Activision nor EA feast on the corpse of THQ, we might still get awesome Saints Row, WWE, Metro or even new Summoner games under new leadership.

FEZ or The Thinking Man’s Platformer

Rabidgames confesses: He likes FEZ. Yes, he actually likes a platformer, a jump ‘n’ run game! That’s surely the end of the world as we know it!

No, it isn’t. Calm down. FEZ is not an ordinary platformer, it’s far from it.

Imagine a 2D world where the myth of 3D becomes reality, and you are free to turn the world to your liking. That’s FEZ. It blasts dimensions, and occasionally minds. Plus, you actually have to think while playing it, and by thinking Rabidgames means more than just timing your plumber’s jumps. FEZ is rather a clever puzzle game, albeit a weird one; not only is it about finding cubes to prevent the end of the world (did the Mayans know about this one?), it also feels like a UFO abduction experiment with plenty of LSD.

Rabidgames has played FEZ for only a couple of hours, but its intriguing gameplay and puzzles will chain him to the 360 for quite a while, that’s for sure. If you’re still not interested, check out the first minutes of FEZ here:

Rabidgames puzzles: Such a small game, such outmoded graphics and sounds, and yet, FEZ pisses on many AAA titles and fucks with your mind. Guess the moral of the story is … sometimes, a game’s size doesn’t matter.

Dragon’s Dogma’s Theme Song Actually Means Something

Just in case you might have forgotten last year’s surprise (as in Capcom still knows what a great game plays like) Dragon’s Dogma, Rabidgames is hooked again in his New Game+. And while waiting for the game to start, listening to the theme song made Rabidgames suddenly realise the song actually describes the story spot on. Here you can listen to it:

Now, let’s have a look at the chorus:

“The wave is pushing me, into the current again
I feel the blood in my veins
Diving into free, can feel it letting go
Not gonna hit the ground
The sky is painted free, why can’t we understand
We kill ourselves in the end
It’s simple as one, two, three, it’s written in the sand
We are the Dangan”

If you have finished Dragon’s Dogma once, you’ll understand the meaning of “pushing into the current again”. And while that is an obvious one, the line “we kill ourselves in the end” makes perfect sense as well.

Rabidgames approves: Yes, it is just a nice little touch to the rather hidden story arc of Dragon’s Dogma, but it’s a good example of hiding the truth in plain sight. Well played, Capcom.

P.S. Sorry if this is old news to you.