The Freedom of the Internet is Disappearing as we Know it!

SOMETHING THAT WILL CHANGE THE INTERNET FOREVER IS COMING!

What am I talking about? The Six Strike System, is set to come out this fall. appeals are going to cost you $35 and you will only be refunded if you win, that's not even the worst of it. 

If they suspect you of Illegally downloaded something, they will notify whoever has the Copyright, then the Copyright holders can choose to press charges. Goodbye internet freedom, youtube downloaders, file-sharing sites, sharing music with friends, etc.

This is something I want STOPPED dead in it's tracks, how else are you going to get gamesaves, Nostalgic games from your childhood without spending hundreds of dollars? I'm actually scared about this system, I'm sure everyone else will agree. It even says "we will be going after Joe Consumer, not sophisticated pirates" That doesn't sound right. Go after the people who aren't complete geniouses. The only way around it that I can see, is exchanging flash drives with each other, or will they invent a system to track those too? Where will it stop? Are we going to let them control us like this?

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Video Game Marketing

I'm cutting it close this week!

So, here it is 10 AM on a wednesday, no post in mind whatsoever. This week flew by, but as I was writing a post for another blog I post to I started thinking about the Marketing of games.

Some games I've played were INCREDIBLE but there wasn't much marketing, so not a lot of people knew about it. Just Cause 2 is a great example of this, It's like GTA in a way but with the missing gameplay elements fixed. 

GTA 4 failed to include planes, and only had about 3 or 4 different helicopters, however Just Cause 2 has about 4 or 5 different planes, not as many car variations, 4 different helicopters, and what I think is the best of all: Dual Hook Grappling Hook and The 24/7 Parachute. 

The rag doll physics aren't anywhere near GTA 4's, The driving isn't even close to realistic, but that's not what this game is about, it's all about fun and destruction, kind of like Saints Row in a way.

Another one is SSX, I personally haven't played it but have played the demo a number of times. I thought it was great with bringing back the series in a new way, however even with following it closely, It was released before I know it, I found out it was released when I went into GameStop to look around. 

Alright, enough of that. Some Marketing techniques I've seen lately are really impressive. You've got GTA 5 with one trailer over a year ago, A fictitious Twitter Account being reactivated, and "Leaks" from RockStar Employees. Hawken has it's own Mini-Series to promote the game, it's like a Live-Action Mech Mini-Movie all for one game. Far Cry 3 has been releasing bits and pieces of the game through different themed videos called "The Island Survival Guide", not to mention being EXTREMELY secretive of the Map Editor.

What Strategies have you seen among different games/companies?

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Could replaying games relax you more then playing a new one?

Is it true?

I saw an article last week about a study involving TV reruns, Group A watched a bunch of reruns of TV shows they were familiar with, while Group B watched shows that they were unfamiliar with.

THE RESULTS

Group A reported having LESS stress then Group B, they say because Group A already knew what was going to happen, their mind didn't have to work as hard as Group B.  That lead me to ask the question, 

Can the same be applied to certain games?

Obviously this will only work with a very small amount of games, ones that have a linear story with only one path to go on throughout the game. Will two different groups have varied stress levels like in the TV experiment? The game for group A would have to be a game that has no plot changes, no gameplay changes, every play through has the same result every time. While Group B could play any game they want, such as a Sandbox or an FPS. I'm interested in what the results would be.

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So long gamer mags :(

Old News

      This is old news, but in case you haven't heard: Nintendo Power is no longer being published! This saddened Nintendo Power fans across the world, which got me thinking............

Are ALL Gamer Mags Going to Disappear?

      I don't mean disappear as in completely be nonexistent, but disappear as in no more hardcopies, no more magazines. Game Informer is definitely pushing that way, every time I go to renew my Powerup Rewards card at GameStop, they try their hardest to persuade me toward the digitalized version. I know the digital version is better; instantly delivered, updated throughout the month, clickable links, etc. Only one problem, there is nothing physical to look back on. Ever since I got a GameStop card, I've kept every issue and every now and then it's fun to look back at all the years, all the issues that I have acquired. Even the covers are incredible!

Are Gamer Mags a Part of YOUR life?

      Should EVERYTHING be digital? I don't think so, like I said before I love having the physical merchandise after, it's like actually getting something for the subscription vs. a bunch of webpages. 

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Video Games are HEALTHIER than watching TV!

WHY?

How many times have you sat down to watch a movie or TV show and suddenly got all of these cravings for chips, soda, popcorn, candy all within 10 minutes of watching? I can say that I'm guilty, it's just so much easier to sit back and chow down. 

The Gaming Difference

Gaming on the other hand is a little different. Sure those cravings will come up every now and then, but what's the difference? 

ACTIVITY

That's the difference, you are constantly gliding your fingers over the face buttons, twirling those thumbsticks, and mashing those triggers/shoulder buttons. Your eyes are constantly scanning the screen, looking out for any danger that may present itself at any moment in time. Your mind is actively analyzing the situations, planning for the next move, deciding which weapon to use, which path to take, which character to sacrifice, etc. 

TV

However, with TV you are sitting there, watching the images be projected. There are very little things that go on with your mind while sitting there, I can only think of 2. Which show/movie to watch next and what to record.  Sure, your mind may wander into things you have to do in your life, but for the most part you are sucked into that realm doing nothing. At least with gaming there's more activity.

Where's the Proof?

As far as I know there is very little or no proof. It'd be interesting to see a study for the results though. 

What results will you be expecting?

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Why I converted from COD to BF3

Level Playing Field (to an extent)

      When I was playing Black Ops and MW2 (can't speak for any of the others) I noticed there were a TON of people that would either camp or appeared to have a mod such as Dropshot or many others. I'm not saying that BF3 doesn't have any campers, but I have noticed campers don't survive as long as in the CODs I've played. I've noticed BF3 campers often get flanked by the opposing team rather quickly.

Virtually NO mics, but WAY more organization

      Even though there are far less people with Mics on BF3, every team seems a lot more organized, friendly, and strategic. Occasionally you'll run into a terrible team, or an overpowering one. That doesn't ever mean you will never get at least one kill though. Through my COD rounds, I never had a chance, I think it's because of all the campers on EVERY single map. I'm very big against campers (unless you have  a sniper), it just ruins the game.

Just more fun!

I don't play the big rounds that much at all, I mostly play Gunmaster but the big rounds provide a nice break for when the game starts to get boring. There are players who are way advanced, or have bought the instant kit unlocks, but it's just so much more fun. I've found that BF3 isn't extremely heavy on being the best player, it feels like what COD was intended to be. Each class has a role, from healing to ammo supply to vehicle repair. COD does have Killstreaks, which sounds cool when you hear about the possibilities. What happens when someone camps and repeatedly gets Chopper Gunners, Care Packages, and tons of others. I mean sure they have to die to reset the killstreak count, but how many kills will he get with those streaks compared to how many times he dies? It just doesn't add up nor does it keep me coming back to play again. 

Multiplayer FPS Player

The first war FPS I got was MW2, and I loved it. I managed to get extremely well at sniping on Afghan and a few other levels. Then Black Ops announced Splitscreen online play for the PS3, which turned me toward that purchase. After playing it for awhile I figured I was just doing bad because I didn't know the maps very well or was just rusty. I figured out that wasn't the case, after playing for year I noticed the amount of campers I was getting killed by and the killstreaks that would annhilate me. I never had fun playing that, but kept playing because it was the only one I had. After a long time of debating whether to download BF3 or not (I was worried about not being able to find any games) I finally downloaded it. That was one of the best purchases I've ever made. I wasn't completely annihilated, but I wasn't the best either. It just felt balanced, it felt right. Now, I'm never going back to another COD again, I'm completely satisfied with no killstreaks and the level designs. Not to mention the lack of reflection on the Acog scopes, that threw me off way to much in black ops. Knifing is alot more satisfying to perform also, and the destructible environments are a HUGE plus. 

NO CONTROVERSY!

I'm not trying to start a big giant war, or saying that you're wrong if you like COD more. I'm just giving my opinion and insight. As always feel free to comment if you feel so inclined to.

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Are you ready for a new console?

I'm sure not! 

It just doesn't feel time to even think about new consoles yet. I love my PS3, 360, and Wii, I mean sure there will probably be better visuals, more functions, and more innovation. However, if you take a closer look, games that are currently being released are looking better all the time. 

So why get excited for a new system?

If we haven't reached the capacity of the current systems why rush so fast for another one? I think it may be because people get bored with the same system over a period of time, despite the fact that the 360/PS3 haven't reached the graphics capacity yet. I'm not 100% positive on the 360, but I know that's the fact for the PS3. I just didn't want to sound biased toward one system.

One of the cons of having an official system announcement 

With all the GTA V (GTA 5) news overriding the web, if a new system gets announced, what if Rockstar suddenly decided to make the game toward the new system, in order to increase launch sales for the system? I know that's highly unlikely, but if it ever happened what would you do? Would you save money for the new system or would you play on the current system until the new price came down? Speaking of that, there is still talk of annihilating used games.

Used games are what keep gamers coming back 

Sure the publisher doesn't get any money for the sale of the game, but what about all the new copies that the used game companies acquire? What will happen to all the gamers who don't have/have a terrible internet connection? Not to mention the DLC that people are going to download, such as the all the map packs to stay up-to-date, or even the online pass. 

Online passes may not be as bad as you think

Some are worse then others for sure, but most are completely optional. For example; if you buy a shooter and know the online part is mostly dead, why buy the online pass? You can just get DLC additions if you want, or just stick with the game's core elements. 

SPLIT-SCREEN NEEDS TO BE REQUIRED

I miss the days where games weren't focused around an online community, where the community was in a forum or on a website, the days were split-screen was in practically EVERY game, where the back of case said players 1-4, instead of players 1: Online 2-16. I know I don't have the cash to buy 3 additional TVs, 3 additional systems, and 3 additional copies of the game. I also know my friends won't have every game I have. Why are they taking us away from the true social interaction of defeating your friend side-by-side? 

Comment to sign the Split-Screen Petition/ Share your ideas, input, thoughts.

There's probably some stuff I left out, so leave any questions as well.

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