This will probably be my only post about Grand Theft Auto IV, a game which has been dubbed not only “great”, but “important” by a number of very savvy critics. Seth Schiesel’s review in the New York Times epitomizes the form, being (as usual) well written enough to persuade my wife that GTA4 is something […]
Entries Tagged as 'Industry'
A Matter of Literacy?
May 6th, 2008 · 13 Comments
Developers On Notice
May 1st, 2008 · 10 Comments
There are 26 letters in the alphabet and ten numerals. So can you please stop using Os and zeroes in your registration codes? Or at least make it clear to me which is which? Use a font that puts a strike mark through the zero or makes the letter O really fat.
Tags: Industry
Sins of a Solar Empire Post Mortem
April 28th, 2008 · No Comments
I love post mortems on game design. You can learn a lot about the business and about developers as individuals. It’s always astonishing how close some games come to failure before they even hit the marketplace, where most of them will fail anyway.
Sins of a Solar Empire was not a failure. Read about how success […]
Tags: Industry · Ironclad · Sci Fi
Best News of the Year
April 23rd, 2008 · 6 Comments
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is coming back to the PC this July.
You may now dance.
Tags: Industry
Let the Ghosts Lie
April 15th, 2008 · 1 Comment
Every time someone tries to make something of the Atari name, it just tarnishes what was once a truly important brand. Does “Atari” even mean anything any more?
Besides, if Infrogrames changes their name they will lose their awesome anthem.
Tags: Industry
Mad Doc Swallowed
April 7th, 2008 · 1 Comment
Rockstar Games has just acquired Massachussetts developer Mad Doc Software for an undisclosed amount of money. Given how poorly most of the gaming world responded to Mad Doc’s most recent efforts, Empire Earth III and Star Trek: Legacy, the nasty side of me snidely wonders if this is a poison pill to deter EA’s buyout.
Tags: Industry
Annoying Headline of the Day
April 2nd, 2008 · 4 Comments
Neverwinter Nights developer shuts
If that headline popped up in your news reader, you could be a little confused since you would have heard the wailing of a million voices if Bioware disappeared. After all, almost no one remembers or thinks about the 1980s Neverwinter Nights game (a proto-MMO) that the now closed Stormfront co-developed with […]
EA Cool With Meier
March 3rd, 2008 · 1 Comment
At a lunch meeting I was not invited to, Firaxis designer-in-chief Sid Meier told Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal that he’s fine with EA buying Take Two.
We worked with Electronic Arts ten years ago. We respect them highly as a company. They’re a great company. We enjoy working with Take-Two. We’ll let them sort that out.
If an […]
Tags: Electronic Arts · Industry
GDC 2008 and other Con news
February 17th, 2008 · No Comments
I’m skipping the Game Developer’s Conference this year, even though more people I know will be there and there are lots of parties. After a lean 2007, I simply couldn’t justify the hotel cost (even as a business expense) so I didn’t bother trying to angle press credentials.
I love the conference myself, even in spite […]
Damn You EA.
January 29th, 2008 · 3 Comments
Spore may be delayed.
Damn you to hell.
Tags: Electronic Arts · Industry · Maxis
