Gentleman

Hey everyone, 
 
I'm currently working on an XBLIG title, and I was curious if there was anyone expecting any game on the platform at the moment? If it's not the case, was there any game that you were excited about before they were released? I know that some games had more thorough marketing campaign, such as Breath of Death VII / Cthulu Saves the World. There was also some hype surrounding the Winter and Summer Uprising, was there any of their games that caught your attention prior to release? I know that Xbox Live Indie Games is filled with utter crap and that it repulses most gamers from the service, but truth is, there are quite a few gems on that service worth your time.

@Gentleman said:

Before that I was a lead in one of Activision's QA departments.

Was working there as bad as the public is lead to believe?

I've worked in QA for three years and a half. It was a blast, although not what I wanted to do for a living. I would recommend anyone who wants to work in the video games industry to get a couple of years in QA if they can't get a job directly in their field. It helps put things in perspective to be at the end of the chain, and a talented tester has good chances of getting promoted to floor lead. Management experiences are relevant to ANY career. 
 
In the end, it didn't lead to where I was expected when I first joined. That doesn't mean that I didn't get the most I could of it, and that I have any regrets. I love where I am now, and I wouldn't be there without the very enriching experience in QA. 
 
On topic: I guess they want to know if a physical game such as Zumba Fitness or whatever is well balanced for female demographics. But from what I learned from this industry, they are probably in a rush to get a lot of people FAST, without much care for competence. It's a real shame that the industry can't attract enough female gamers to avoid such situations.

I started my own indie studio called Nine Dots Studio. We're 5 as of now, and I'm the manager and game designer. Before that I was a lead in one of Activision's QA departments.

Recently, I discovered Black Keys and Goldfish. Black Keys was a recommendation from my brother, who made me listen to "Tighten Up" and Goldfish was featured in a kotaku article because one of its video clip (We come together" is filled with videogame references. It has a similar vibe to Caravan palace, an electro swing band from France, which was what a friend was listening to while drawing on his computer. Also, I've been browsing through a lot of music on the Newgrounds Portal and there are some fine jewels hidden there. Troll Dance was one of my favorite song I found there yet, and it will be featured in my upcoming video game :-D
 
I think coming upon great music is a matter of always being alert, on the lookout, and never missing an opportunity to listen to something new. Just don't watch MTV or listen to the radio, these are the worst sources for music in the whole world.

I wonder if they are gathering their resources to make Dragon's Dogma. They did say that it was their most ambitious project ever. It sounds like a japanese take on an expensive game like Oblivion. But since japanese studios are excruciatingly unproductive, they'd need more staff than they'd have anticipated to produce the title. 
 
Anyhow, we'll never know the whole story, that's for sure.

More and more, games are being considered services rather than products, and I absolutely hate it. How would you react if you bought a DVD and a few years later, you can't watch half the movie? That makes no sense. I know that online gaming takes resources, but it's not as EA don't have the funds to support their community.

I found Limbo and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair to be cruelly lacking in content for their price tag. Seriously, these games are worth 5 bucks, not 15! Aside from that, I had bought Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting because I'm a huge fighting game enthusiast and wanted to give another try at SF. But nope, I still find this game excessively simplist and every match play the same. 
 
But I bought Fable 2 Pub Games... so yeah... I probably buy too many games. Then again... I don't buy enough games.

I am very satisfied with the game. The classes play very differently, and choosing which class to main felt like a meaningful decision. I've tried it solo, online and in couch coop, and I can say I definitely liked better playing in multiplayer, but the matchmaking is quite buggy, so I suggest having a gamer girlfriend =P 
 
I've had a lot of fun, but the thing is, the campaign is really too short. Luckily, they've added some content by offering a "remixed" version of every level, with different monsters to make it more challenging, and the three difficulty levels mean that there are in fact 6 versions to any of the 15 levels. Nonetheless, I wasn't exactly satisfied by the campaign's length and didn't have an impression of accomplishment when I reached the end. I hope the DLC, if any is released, will not be too pricy as I'd certainly like more content and in this case, more levels.  
 
I also want to add that the game had a good sense of humor. It didn't make me laugh out loud that often, but it kept the overall game feel lighthearted, as it should be. 
 
So in the end, my recommendation is that you should get it if you like mindless shooters once in a while, and especially if you liked 2017, but don't have ridiculous expectations. It was never meant to be a classic. It's unique and quirky, and to me, that's all that mattered.