MetaFilter posts tagged with gaming

The virtual dice rolling has got to go.

lazaruslong — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:27:35 -0800

The Microsoft Surface was the subject of much ridicule. When Gabe and Tycho from Penny Arcade had the chance to sit down with one at Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, known colloquially as the ETC, they saw potential for the Surface to become an amazing tool for Dungeons and Dragons tabletop gaming. They offered some suggestions to the team, and months later, SurfaceScapes is the result. Video. Wired Article with some more info on the ETC. The project is the work of a team of designers from the ETC. Currently, they only have a basic Game Master tool set programmed, but the researchers are working to enhance the player experience.

Hey, you taffers!

dunkadunc — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:19:21 -0800

The Dark Mod, a total conversion for Doom 3 in the spirit of Looking Glass Technology's Thief series, has finally been released after years (and more years) of development and is now available to download.

Oblivion - The Cat Came Back

fearthehat — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:53:09 -0800

"...call your custom class 'Loser'." IT-HE Software has posted its latest anti-walkthrough, this time for The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. By far the best picture in the article.

Pay me now, my Lord

mippy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:12:03 -0800

We've covered web-based game Evony's peculiar advertising previously. Now intrepid gamers are playing/observing the thing, and finding a lack of both freeness and heaving bosoms.

Journey to the Center of the Earth, indie game edition

BlackLeotardFront — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:43:04 -0800

Journey to the Center of the Earth - or DonDon (?) is an excellent exploration-based platformer game with fabulous little pixel graphics and a solid 45 minutes or so of gameplay. Think Diet Spelunky, or La Mulana Lite. A little more info and hints at Indie Games Blog.

Sorry, Windows only (direct link). F4 for fullscreen (but it's better in 1x windowed mode)

Cobra Mk 3

Artw — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:51:39 -0800

This month marks the 25th aniversary of Elite, the groundbreaking 3D space trading game. The making of Elite. More on the making of Elite from The Backroom Boys. Emulate the original BBC Micro version. The Dark Wheel.

Edmund

Foci for Analysis — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:27:35 -0800

To jump straight into it, what made you decide to make a game involving rape? Inspiration was mostly personal, I’ve known a few girls who have been through similar situations, which sparked the concept. As far as the experience, I wanted to inspire emotion in the player, even if its vile and disgusting.

Edmund is game designer Paul Greasley's contribution to indie PC gaming web site TIGSource's competition's adult section. Gamers react. In 2006 RapeLay became notorious as it simulated the rape of a mother and her two daughters.

Oh. Em. Gee.

TheTorns — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:26:53 -0800

OMGpop is potentially all your Flash Fun Fridays come at once. Clones of addictive classic multiplayer games like Bomberman, Pictionary, Tetris, even Mario Kart and Guitar Hero - plus a whole lot more, all wrapped up in an extremely slick interface with an added dash of chat and social networking features. Not yet out of beta, the hype is certainly extensive, but is the business model sound? My first FPP! 8-D

Fat, Depressed & 35 y.o.

ericb — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:11:52 -0800

"The average video gamer is not the stereotypical adolescent locked to a computer screen 24/7."* According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University and Andrews University: "A new study [PDF] says the average age of video-game players in the United States is 35 [PDF], and oh, by the way: They're overweight and tend to be depressed."

"'Health-risk factors, specifically, a higher BMI and a greater number of poor mental-health days differentiated adult video-game players from non-players,' said Dr. James B. Weaver III of the CDC in Atlanta. 'Video-game players also reported lower extroversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental-health concerns.'"*

Videogames: Play or "Playlike Activiy?" [PDF]

Save vs. Obscurity

Scattercat — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:08:25 -0800

The Play-Generated Map and Document Archive: finally providing a place to put all those odd doodles, detailed maps, and character sketches that come out of your weekly gaming sessions. Complete with artistic interpretations of characters named "Stedfast," meticulously organized campaign notes, and anonymous stains, the archive takes the approach that gaming ephemera is a kind of folk art, and thus seeks to preserve it while some of it is still available in its original form. The site is almost completely user-generated, with materials scanned in and organized by donor. Click the "random image" link a few times, get nostalgic, and then come share gaming stories.

WHY HULK-MARG MAD (AND THEREFORE SMASH)

filthy light thief — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:35:17 -0800

Hulk-Margaret smash stupid Sony. Girls not stupid lilac people. Girls strong and awesome! AAAAARRRRR! Hulk-Marg like gems. Hulk-Marg like gem sweaters (previously). But Hulk-Marg no like pandering only to gem interests. Hulk-Marg well-rounded, has many interests and layers. Hulk-Marg give example: SMASHING. Let Hulk-Marg find PowerPoint and laser pointer. Hulk-Marg has PowerPoint here somewhere. Ahem. Hulk-Marg found PowerPoint. Made slides. [via mefi projects] Sony's PSP product marketing joins more than Miss Bimbo in the ranks of shallow portrayals of the interests of women. Dell created the "female focused" sub-site "Della" with softer colors, and Even LEGO has their girl-centric sets, focusing on pinks, purples, and ponies. While the number of female gamers increases, Sony is limiting the games they push with the OMG Lilac PSP marketing scheme to Patapon 2, Locoroco 2, Hannah Montana, Petz, Pangya Fantasy Golf, and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, to the concern of some female gamers ("I can't help but feel as if young female gamers are being smothered into a niche where they have little chance to be open to trying different types of video games"). On the GameGirl blog, a top 7 list for upcoming PSP games is a much different world from golf and ponies, as suggested by Sony.

This game is made by a man who hates videogames

filthy light thief — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:34:33 -0800

Takeshi no Chōsenjō: it came before the endurance test that is Desert Bus, and served as an inspiration for Janey Thompson's Marathon. In English it is known as Takeshi's Challenge. Released in December 1986 for the Famicom system, the game mechanisms include use of the Famicom microphone to sing karaoke for an hour. And that's after you drink to the point of blacking out, divorce your wife, quit your job, and learn to hang glide AND learn the Hintoba language, amongst other things. All of this takes place in lands populated with nothing but people that want to beat you to death. Of course, you can skip that all and complete the game in a mere 4 minutes by simply walking off the edge of existence, and magically ending at the final treasure room. Not sure about finding a rom or buying the game online, and you don't have access to the Japanese Wii store? Sit back and watch the game, with an on-screen timer to remind you that this was 27 minutes of your life. Bonus: playable glitch room. The Japanese video game show Game Center CX researched the game and strategy guide production history, and then tried to play the game with limited success. (Bonus: these videos are subtitled, including translations of the game dialogue.)

Battletech and Red Planet: classic immersive gaming

Imhotep is Invisible — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:26:32 -0800

In 1990, the first BattleTech center opened in Chicago in the US. The centers were based around networked play of the BattleTech (related to the Battletech RPG) and Red Planet combat and racing games via immerse pods. BattleTech enthusiasts have gone so far as to purchase new and decommissioned pods to set up their own centers. Occasionally, pods go on tour.

Outside has the best graphics

EatTheWeak — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:58:47 -0800

This summer, do your gaming in the backyard! Kotaku editor Brian Crecente adapts your favorite videogames for play outdoors! Get your friends together for a game of Katamari Stick-With-Me, Super Hopscotch Brothers, Metal Gear Sneak-and-Hide, and more!

Janey Thomson's Marathon.

mathowie — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:33:20 -0800

Janey Thomson's Marathon Any longtime fan of 80s arcade game Track & Field and fan of old gaming lore around Desert Bus will no doubt fall in love with this new classic game written in the perfect style of early 80s Konami combined with brutally long punishment games. I gave up after a few minutes but damn did I want to keep going and see the finish. [via mefi projects]

Darkfall NERDRAGE

The Devil Tesla — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:52:14 -0800

The gaming website Eurogamer posted a scathing review of the MMO Darkfall, yet the developers claim that the reviewer only played the game for two hours. Eurogamer refused to take down the review and became hated by the Darkfall community. This lead to what might be the most sublime nerdrage in the history of mankind. To Eurogamer's credit, they commissioned a second review of the game by Kieron Gillen. Kieron Gillen is one of the writers of Rock Paper Shotgun and inventor of the term new games journalism. As you might expect his Darkfall review is a little navel-gazey and includes a section discussing the difficulty in reviewing MMOs. The original reviewer, Ed Zitron, is somewhat notorious for posting negative reviews, though I totally agree with his Guitar Hero 2 review. Oh, and if you thought the guy who raged about Eurogamer was kind of adorably funny, he has more videos on his YouTube channel.

"Magic missile!"

Artw — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:05:54 -0800

The New York Times profiles Jack Vance (but fails to mention Vancian Magic. (Curse you Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition!)

Halp your Queen's boobs, My Lord!

Foci for Analysis — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 21:29:14 -0800

The downward spiral that is Evony, a web based multi-player game, advertising. Also: The Best Worst Ads by 1UP and fake in-game ads by Something Awful.

Crocodiles don't talk.

NoraReed — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:26:41 -0800

I Went Left Instead Of Right In Pitfall And Kept On Tickin' And Now I Believe In Miracles: An absurdist play.

Kodename: Wolfenstein

Artw — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:17:54 -0800

Wolfenstein 3D, the animated graphic novel.

Bonus Level

boo_radley — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:26:14 -0800

bonus level is a new flash gaming portal. Games include Captain Dan V Zombie Plan, reminiscent of Berzerk, Push, an unusual platformer that combines level manipulation with quick-reflex timing and jumping, Jump Gear, an acrobatic timed racer and a ton more I haven't even tried yet. What sets bonus level apart from other gaming portals is that it's headed by three great names in game development, Wouter Visser (Wouter), Tõnu Paldra (tonypa) and Jean-Philippe Sarda (JP). Part of their philosophy is allowing anyone who registers to make and share levels for their games, as well as giving budding designers access to the flash APIs used to create all of bonus level's games.

It's-a-them!

EatTheWeak — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:47:35 -0800

45 pictures of Mario & Luigi!

Resi Racey Redux

Artw — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:28:53 -0800

In the wake of the Resident 5 racism flap (previously), and with the final game released, one of it's chief detractors, N'Gai Croal, talks to its producer, Jun Takeuchi (Part 1, Part 2). Meanwhile industry magazine MVC takes a look at Africa as a games market.

This is Not a Game

lonefrontranger — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:22:58 -0800

No reset button here, kiddo. What happens when you decide to drop a novice into the middle of the 24-hour race in your Nissan 350Z race car...? Gran Turismo game designer Kazunori Yamauchi decided to find out.

The Sinister End-of-the-World Homerun

Miko — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:50:03 -0800

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved" .... and mad enough to play fantasy baseball. In the new book Kerouac at Bat: Fantasy Sports and the King of the Beats, a NY Public Library archivist considers documents revealing the author's detailed obsession with the imaginary exploits of players like Pictorial Review Jackson and teams like the "Pontiacs, Nashes, and cellar-dwelling LaSalles" in his finely grained, fictional Summer League.