Comments for Elf Needs Food

Comment on Majestic: Requiem for a Failed Videogaming Experiment by ryfe

ryfe — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:06:08 +0000

Just checking in

Comment on Final Fantasy VII Remake Confirmed (for NES) by Final Fantasy 7

Final Fantasy 7 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:13:05 +0000

No WAY! Is this true? I need to get an NES!!!!

Comment on Majestic: Requiem for a Failed Videogaming Experiment by ryfe

ryfe — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:45:50 +0000

That would totally rock

Comment on Majestic: Requiem for a Failed Videogaming Experiment by Gregor

Gregor — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:19:20 +0000

Thanks so much for the kind words, ryfe. I’ll see if I can find anything out for you about the ending. I know EA sent out an email that summarized what was going to happen over the remainder of the game. I’m still friends with Majestic’s lead writer, so I’ll see if she has a copy of said email.

Comment on Majestic: Requiem for a Failed Videogaming Experiment by ryfe

ryfe — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:45:41 +0000

I have to admit, I *loved* Majestic when it came out. I appreciated the work that went into the ancillary websites, the programming, the plot lines… my girlfriend just about wet herself when she answered the phone in my apartment and got a warning to keep her nose out of things that didn’t concern her. I was greatly disappointed with the game went down in the aftermath of 9/11, although I understand the reasons why. My BIGGEST disappointment is that while I’ve searched for years, I’ve never been able to find a summary/walkthrough of what I WOULD have found out had the game continued. It’s like reading the first chapter of a GREAT book and then finding nothing but blank pages after it. Is there anyplace where I could find a summary of the entire plot?

Comment on You Bought That Game, But You Don’t Own It by Demo

Demo — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:31:11 +0000

Incidentally I think Rock Band has a practice mode which supports this toy feature.

Comment on You Bought That Game, But You Don’t Own It by Demo

Demo — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:16:24 +0000

I think that the difference in definition between a game and a toy is that the game has the chance for winning and losing. If there is no opportunity to lose or if there is nothing to win, then it is not technically a game. Defining the role of the win loss condition is the onus of the game designer.

Since the mechanics of a toy and a game can be so similar, there are means for toy players to derive enjoyment out of games, this is a happy coincidence.

Call it a sandbox, toy or Second Life. This is not to criticize these types of things. They are certainly needed and enjoyed.

However the correct targets for this article (and that of the general consensus in the comments) is that software developers are not making enough software toys, and that they are too focused on making games.

For example, I would LOVE if Rock Band had a Toy mode, wherein the player cannot be eliminated, and may strike any drum or key. My son whom is 4 could then play Rock Band with me, instead of being frustrated that he cannot really participate in the spectacle.

Comment on You Bought That Game, But You Don’t Own It by Gregor

Gregor — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:27:41 +0000

That’s a perfect example, Catherwood. If I bought a Harry Potter game, I would just want free rein to do whatever I wanted at Hogwarts. And I think such an experience would be a huge seller with the books’ core audience. What fan wouldn’t love to take a virtual vacation to that world?

Comment on You Bought That Game, But You Don’t Own It by catherwood

catherwood — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:50:25 +0000

edit to my post above, I DO want to ride the broom, flying around the Hogwarts’ grounds is thrilling; what i meant to say was that i hated the difficulty level of the Quidditch matches and other sorts of challenges that stand in my way. And pps, I’m a female in my late 40’s, if that makes a difference, so maybe it’s my slow reaction time or aversion to stress that makes me hand the controller over to my kid to bypass levels for me.

Comment on You Bought That Game, But You Don’t Own It by catherwood

catherwood — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:43:56 +0000

“Players need a sense of accomplishment to elicit value from a game. ” — can i just say, “whoa!” Your enjoyment of a purchase differs from mine, obviously, and what I value in my purchase differs from yours. My case in point is the various Harry Potter console games: all I want to do is EXPLORE the fantasy world, I want to immerse myself in the atmosphere and walk around the scenes I imagined from reading the book. I do NOT want to struggle with riding a broom. I don’t want to “beat” the game at all, I just want to access the virtual environment. If the publishers would issue a version of the game that was just 3-D avatar exploration, I would buy that over anything that forces a “sense of accomplishment” on me — I get enough of that at the office. Let me vote with my dollars, but let it be a fair election.