I would definitely buy Alundra first. I loved that game. It was definitely THE Zelda game for Playstation. I also own the Arc the Lad colletion from Working Designs, but I have never played it. If you get it, let me know how it is. I might pick it up online if it is good, or wait for it to be free for Playstation Plus members.
I was riding my bike home from Tsutaya, the local video rental store, and I realized that Americans and Japanese people really aren't that different. We each do many of the same things. I used to work at Blockbuster video and I noticed that being in the rental shop in Japan feels so much like Blockbuster back home.
I could see the disdain in the counter jockey's eyes, after I walked into the store 20 minutes before time closing time. I remember the same look in my eyes when somebody would walk into the store right before closing. The people in the store are many times the same type of people that come to a video rental store in America. The couples that are wearing sweats after a relaxing day of laying about, pizza and sex. The film nerds that hang around the drama section looking at old films they love, while their left eye wanders towards the erotic covers of the 'skin-emax' releases.
Other than the outside differences, the obvious things, we really are very similar in most ways. It is good to remind myself of this every now and again.
I downloaded the Tomb Raider: Underworld demo the other day. I started it up and after the demo part in Lara's burning house, I earned a Trophy. For all of the Trophy hunters out there, like me, this is a really great incentive to buy the game after the demo time ends. This is just another reason why I am happy with my Playstation Plus purchase.
I don't buy blu-rays, but I have been renting them a lot. I just realized that Japanese blu-rays will play on my American system. I have rented 10 blu-rays in the last 2 weeks, can't beat a dollar a piece.
I just downloaded the game. Just to confirm you can download the game in Japan. I think it is because it costs points instead of real cash like the rest of the Games On Demand. Thanks. I guess I saved 5 Bucks, maybe...who knows with space bucks.
Are the add-ons downloadable or are they already on the disc? I just bought this game and I don't want to be screwed out of being able to download them because I am in a different country.
" Reading videogame magazines and websites leads one to believe that they are made for people with too many holes in their heads. Recently we have started to get some very quality work out of our videogame enthusiast press. I think that Gamepro under John Davison was really starting to head in the right direction. Bitmob.com from Dan Hsu and crew also has a really great format to it. Giantbomb.com, we all know, is also doing so many new and creative things. I think that traditional review need something new. I don't believe that traditional reviews should go away. Many people read these reviews and use them for great purpose, but they can also be used for nefarious reasons as well. (see: metacritic.com and how game companies use meta scores to make buisness decisions) I think that we need a new way of reviewing games, and not only from private bloggers, but from large websites and from the few magazines who are struggling for life support. I have just the thing. It isn't revolutionary, but it is new. It will make you think about games in different ways. It will make me think about games in different ways. Thinking about games differently will help change how we all approach games. I hope that you will do what you can to help change how we think about games too. "
How is using metascores to make business decisions nefarious? Using critical reviews to help make business decisions is now considered evil? "
When those scores are linked to bonuses, when companies put lofty expectations on review scores and don't give a development team the resources and time to make a game that quality, and because reputable sites are combined with unreputable sites to aggregate those scores it becomes neferious. When scores instead of sales become important it gets muddy. From the interviews that I have heard, the scores are too big of a factor in the "success" of a game. I am sure that a mix of review scores and sales should be more of a resonable decision making tool.
"how about credibility and integrity? we don't see that often enough. "
Looking for those types of things is subjective. Usually, you must follow a reviewer for a while to see if you like the same things. I usually agree with Jeff Gerstmann, but I don't usually agree with Brad. I like Jeremy Parish's reviews, but never agreed with Greg Ford.
I think you have to follow a person to see if s/he is credible. Many people say Game Informer isn't credible because it is owned by Gamestop. But, I read a years subscription of the magazine and I never found any reason not to trust their writing. Their scores are a whole other story.
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