AoC Servers Merging

Age of Conan’s servers are merging. Which indicates there was a massive exodus from the game, and suggests the MMO is beginning to fail. I personally feel the genre can sustain more than one title, but AoC apparently wasn’t the second big name.

Warhammer Spam Bot Destroyer Mega Ultimate Edition

It’s been a slow news day, so I thought I’d tell you about the most important plug-in you can get for Warhammer Online: Spam Me Not. It blocks gold sellers and reports them. Enjoy.

Developers on the Zune

I asked some of my local indie developers what they thought about the Zune as a game platform in an informal poll.

The Zune doesn’t seem like a big market, nor a particularly interesting device to write stuff for.  [I'm] more interested in iPhone or potentially Android which can be developed for using eclipse and Java.

I have a homemade “game” on my Zune, ask me at the next meeting.  Zune has a really nice touch-pad, and Zune games even support networking!  But, only if you can find another Zune owner.  For me (and many), that happened for the first time at the Zune-focused XNA meeting a few months back.

I was listening to The Tech Guy the other day and someone asked [which is better, an] iPod or Zune as a gift for their kid.  Leo said that iPod is 80% of the market, while the Zune is only 3%. [I] thought that was interesting.

So there you have it; people already into XNA are probably going to make ports, while everyone else is going to laugh at Microsoft’s 3% base. The people I think of as Apple developers were oddly silent; which is kind of interesting.

Google's Game Platform

There has been a lot of talk about PC gaming moving from bulky client side applications to server side games that you play in your web browser. EA’s Battlefield Heroes and iD’s Quake Live led the way, but they’re not likely to see the traction that mainstays like Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, can certainly WoW enjoy.

Well that might be changing as Google enters the market. Their Second Life clone, Lively, will launch an open API to allow developers to make oldschool arcade titles, to 3d games, and anything in between. I’ve mentioned before Google owns a huge chunk of my web experience, but remain skeptical that they can give gamers what they want.

From: GameIndustry.biz

Lego Batman Review

Here we are at the fourth Lego something game, and nothing has changed.

For me the charm of the franchise is wearing thin, and some of the tropes that were merely tolerable previously have become downright annoying. I’m looking at you, vehicle levels. I’d also like to call out levels that have off-screen entrances/exits in multiplayer. This series has been going long enough for the developers to know better.

The character selection doesn’t feel as rich as previous titles, but Batman has always been about Batman and Robin on the hero side, with a diverse cast of villains. The game tries to deliver, but it just feels short in terms of cast.

The only thing I can say that’s positive here is my wife still loves it. Your non-gaming family member might too; but I don’t think there’s enough here to hold your attention.

I really wish there was something substantive to say about this game, but it’s like Diet Coke. It’s nothing you’ll worry about your kids consuming, it doesn’t satisfy your cravings, it’s a pale imitation of something greater, and it’s probably bad for your health to consume in high doses.

Skip it: If you played any other title in the series and/or you will likely play alone.

Rent it: Fans of Batman will probably find something charming here; and if this is your first Lego game a rental is a solid option.

Buy it: It’s still good fodder for a family game night.

Max Payne Trailer

Well, they certainly are trying.

Left 4 Dead System Requirements

By the grace of god; I made it. I really did. I might even be able to play on medium settings. My PC’s almost two years old now, but I did sink a lot of money into it at the time. Will you be able to play? See for yourself:

• OS: Windows Vista, XP or 2000
• CPU: 3.0 GHz P4, Dual Core 2.0 or AMD64X2 (or higher)
• RAM: 1 GB for XP / 2GB for Vista
• DISC DRIVE: DVD-ROM Drive
• HARD DRIVE: At least 7.5 GB of free space
• VIDEO: Direct X 9 compatible video card (Video card must be 256 MB or more and should be a DirectX 9-compatible with support for pixel shader 2.0)
• SOUND: Direct X9.0c compatible sound card

Max Payne Movie Might Not Suck… On DVD

From an interview posted at Game Daily John Moore laid this tasty nugget before us:

There’s what I call the Gamer Dedicated Cut of the movie. It’s a little slower and a little more atmospheric. There are some rougher edges on it, but it’s not going to be a bloodfest. I want this to be the Max Payne that I set out to shoot. It’s not that I wanted to release one version in the theaters and make a cheap buck by following up with a blood-drenched DVD version. The movie you see in the theaters will be an intense experience and the movie you see on DVD will be as intense an experience with some extra sensibilities for people who really adore the game.

I like atmospheric, slow paced movies a whole bunch. I might even forget I’m watching Marky Mark (less the Funky Bunch). I once managed to forget Martin Seen spawned Charlie “Major League” Sheen during Apocalypse Now.

I just hope I don’t have to listen to a crying baby while Wahlberg falls off an invisible cliff over and over.

Well Wishers

Nearly two weeks after I sing my farewell song I’m getting “crazy” traffic. Of course this is all relative, but to put these numbers in perspective my daily hits seem to have quadrupled. I want to thank GameCritics.com and N’Gai Croal for the traffic, but it doesn’t end there.

Jack007, a contributor at n4g.com started taking an interest in my site. I don’t know who you are, but I appreciate it. Hopefully I can produce some hotter content for you in the future. That Mount and Blade review seemed to get your story on the front page right quick, eh?

This sudden interest doesn’t make sense to me, but if these numbers stay where they are I might keep going. My faith in the system has been somewhat restored.

I appreciate the inbounds guys, and I hope to pay you back in kind. It seems I’m on the radar of some important sites; the ball is in my court.

Thanks for reading this, and thanks to the big fish for the opportunity.

Jack Thompson is No Longer a Lawyer

I just wanted an excuse to use this image. That is all.

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