xandaca • Comments

• Ubisoft "working hard" on ZombiU sequel prototype

• xandaca 14/05/2013

  ZombiU was a strong game, but for me defined by a lot of unfulfilled potential. Unfortunately, to become the game it deserves to be, it'd need to go bigger in all respects, with more melée items, environment interaction and a broader, more open world to explore (side-quests wouldn't go amiss either), and I'd imagine that kind of expansion requires a fairly large budget increase. After all, there was a fair amount of corner cutting in the original, with repeating environments and so forth.
  
  As much as I enjoy the Wii U, its sales (and that of the first game) mean Ubisoft would have to be nuts to give the game the money it needs. Whether there's a market for it as a multiplatform title (Xbox and PlayStation are inundated with zombie games already) remains to be seen, but a multiplatform release seems the only plausible option for a worthwhile sequel. Reply +2

• The quest for Shadow of the Colossus' last big secret

• xandaca 02/05/2013

  I love games which have bits and pieces left in from older, pre-release versions of the final product. The younger me was very much caught up in a similarly fanboyish fascination with the many secrets of GoldenEye 007 (still my favourite game) - the island on the other side of the Dam, the secret missile door and Ourumov's key in Silo, the fabled Citadel multiplayer map - and while I was far too young to pull off any hacking or advanced playing techniques which might have led to discoveries of my own, I voraciously waited on any news of another secret uncovered. It was a goldmine too, especially once it was discovered there were button combinations hiding extra cheats (Line mode, multiplayer characters) and Action Replay opened up the possibility of finding the 'hidden Bonds' in multiplayer. Finding that hidden dam in Colossus must have been an incredible feeling, it's a shame this aspect of gaming has more or less disappeared now: no more Triforce temple hunting in Ocarina Of Time, Luigi seeking in Mario 64, peeking under forklift trucks for Mew in Pokemon... those little relics, while serving no tangible purpose, made the game worlds feel so much richer, even if a lot of it turned out to be in the minds of the players. In the unlikely event my creative work is ever successful enough to move into game design, I'm going to insist on leaving bits of former quests and levels from beta versions behind and packing every near-impossible-to-reach corner with secrets in the hope of people hunting them for years. Never going to happen, mind, but a man can dream. A man can dream. Reply +5

• Report: Microsoft in talks to revive Heroes TV show on Xbox

• xandaca 18/04/2013

  Heroes would be a hell of a lot more expensive to produce than Veronica Mars or Arrested Development and comes with a pretty bad reputation (and ratings which declined rapidly) after four terrible seasons and one okay-ish one. If Microsoft are looking to splash the cash and draw in a geek audience, Firefly would seem an obvious choice. I'm sure Whedon, assuming he's got a moment of Avengers-free time, would be pretty good at getting it made on the relative cheap as well. Reply +2

• EA announces FIFA 14 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

• xandaca 17/04/2013

  I'm pretty sure every batch of screenshots released for a 'new' FIFA game for the past five years or so has been identical, and not one of them has looked anything like the shipped game.
  
  Interesting to see if the Wii U gets a port. EA have been fairly spiteful towards the console so far, with no ports for any of its other sports games, and by most accounts FIFA 13 sold pretty dismally. Contractual obligations are the only reason I can imagine the game reaching the U at this point (and yes, I'm a Wii U owner). Reply +3

• After children rack up huge bills, UK government announces investigation into "aggressive" in-app purchases

• xandaca 12/04/2013

  I haven't got an iPad or Smartphone, but isn't there some way of deactivating in-app purchases? Would seem remarkably negligent if not. Reply 0

• Eurogamer meets Luigi

• xandaca 02/04/2013

  Charles Martinet is a lovely man. I met him at a signing at the GAME on Oxford Street a couple of years ago, never has a man been so enthusiastic about his job, tossing out 'Woo hoo!'s and 'Let's a-go!' with joyous abandon. He also signed my oyster card and drew a Wario moustache on it. Reply +2

• Tomb Raider has sold 3.4 million copies, failed to hit expectations

• xandaca 26/03/2013

  I dread to think what Bioshock's sales expectations are. Probably more than there are people on the planet. Reply +6

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut for Wii U confirmed, and yes, they've fixed the boss battles

• xandaca 20/03/2013

  Better upgrade than expected, but I'd still be amazed if many people bought it. As for me, it'd be very faintly tempting at a heavily discounted price if there were Wii remote aiming, but approximately zero interest without. Reply +3

• A "modified" version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is on the way, possibly for Wii U

• xandaca 04/03/2013

  This game is, what, two years old? What is the point of porting it now? Even if the Wii U weren't struggling, no-one would buy it at (presumably) full price when it's easy to find for under £10 elsewhere. Even Wiimote controls wouldn't make it worthwhile, and the 'Missing Link' DLC is a dreadful addition to a pretty good game - no incentive there. Insert 'never asked for this' joke here, SqEnix would do better to get to work on a sequel and release it multiplatform. Reply 0

• Durango Kinect 2.0 specs leak

• xandaca 20/02/2013

  It'll be worth it if that IR sensor can be used for a new, Wiimote/Move-esque pointer for FPS games. Otherwise, while it has potential for Microsoft to harvest data (number of people using the console and so forth), still can't really see the point as far as gaming goes. Reply 0

• Wii U's Most Wanted: Criterion returns to Nintendo hardware with enhanced Need for Speed

• xandaca 14/02/2013

  I don't buy many - any, in fact - driving games, but may put down my cash for this. It sounds like Criterion have put in a reasonable amount of effort and another online multiplayer game for my Wii U wouldn't go amiss. Reply +3

• Sega UK denies that Aliens: Colonial Marines has been cancelled on Wii U

• xandaca 14/02/2013

  I suspect this is one third party game Nintendo are secretly praying to lose. Reply +2

• UK chart: Wii U games miss top 10 as Call of Duty retains crown

• xandaca 03/12/2012

  If initial Wii U shipments really were as low as 43k, those chart positions seem pretty decent to me. That said, I haven't seen a single Wii U ad on TV or around London, so Nintendo don't seem to be giving it much of a marketing push yet (ever?). I hope the console does well, as I'm getting one for Christmas. Reply 0

• Face-Off: Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition on Wii U

• xandaca 27/11/2012

  I don't see the point of comparisons so early. No developer will have had access to the Wii U's final specs until very late, whereas they will have over half a decade to optimise for the other consoles. Of course ports are going to be inconsistent: by most accounts, the Wii U is a very different beast to the existing HD consoles, supposedly designed so its GPGPU can take on tasks assigned to the CPU elsewhere. I'm obviously not saying the Wii U will suddenly start producing next-gen graphics once developers have had a little more time to get used to it, but considering it's already producing slightly inferior versions of games for the other consoles with almost no time for optimisation, I'd be amazed if the next wave of games doesn't produce parity at least. Of course, the only way to truly gauge the system's power is once Nintendo starts producing visually intensive games like a 3D Mario, Metroid or Zelda. Reply +9

• ZombiU review

• xandaca 18/11/2012

  For everyone complaining about the divergent review scores: maybe read the actual text and decide whether the game and its features sound like an experience YOU might enjoy, rather than basing your decision on largely meaningless numbers or an average which, in the case of a game this obviously divisive, is clearly the least reliable metric? Reply +13

• Saturday Soapbox: Stop Motion

• xandaca 20/10/2012

  Motion control, in terms of 'perform this action to make it happen on-screen' (or, more often, 'waggle aimlessly for five seconds!') isn't a great loss, even though I enjoyed Red Steel 2, Wii Sports and its meaty implementation in Metroid Prime 3. Developers just weren't willing to put in the time to use it properly, and the tech needed to be better from the outset.
  
  However, the loss of pointer aiming cannot be overstated. IMO this was the biggest advance in home gaming control since Nintendo put an analogue stick onto the N64 controller. A thousand times faster and more accurate than dual analogues (which I can barely use for FPS' anymore), it came such a long way since the shambolic Red Steel 1 that's it only more of a pity it now won't get the time to develop to its maximum potential and iron out the few little niggles remaining. It's a relief to hear the pointer can still be used in BlOpsII for Wii U, but I suspect it's going to be a secondary consideration for any game it's now included in, rather than the main attraction it deserves to be. It could have taken over from mouse and keyboard, now it's going to be yet another forgotten innovation which deserved to change the way we play. Reply +4

• 007 Legends review

• xandaca 20/10/2012

  @iggypopbarker The best, and most subtle, joke for Bond nerds in that scene is that Alan himself gets Bond wrong. He suggests Fiona Fullerton is in The Spy Who Loved Me, when she's actually in A View To A Kill.
  
  Also, loving this reviewer's passion for the Bond series (I liked the game marginally more, giving it a 4/10), but does Mr. Porter really like The Man With The Golden Gun and Denise Richards? What's next, wanting the chance to QTE-battle the drag queen Blofeld in his limo in Diamonds Are Forever? Reply +1

• Paper Mario: Sticker Star release set for early December

• xandaca 05/10/2012

  NYARGLEBARGLE!
  
  No-one can do endearingly childish quite like Nintendo. Love it. Reply +2

• Every Wii U UK launch game listed

• xandaca 14/09/2012

  This is a pointless article. Many of those 'launch window' titles will eventually become 'launch day', it just hasn't been finalised yet. Darksiders 2, for one, is confirmed as a launch day title as well, while Batman and 007 almost certainly will be too. Reply +1

• Saturday Soapbox: The Feelbad Factor

• xandaca 27/08/2012

  No mention of Ice Pick Lodge's games Pathologic and The Void, which deliberately present oppressive, alienating and unfriendly environments, leading to some of gaming's most emotionally draining but powerful experiences? Reply +1

• Saturday Soapbox: Guilt By Association

• xandaca 07/07/2012

  'Granny behind the bin' is pretty much how I play every game, usually laughing all the way. This habit started off after discovering the joy of sending scientists flying through the air with remote mines in GoldenEye, and has only become more bloodthirsty in direct correlation with visuals becoming more realistic. I can't so much as look at a Nintendog with wondering how I can set it on fire, twice. Thus gaming proves its worth as a cultural artefact. Reply 0

• 007 Legends to feature On Her Majesty's Secret Service mission

• xandaca 28/06/2012

  @el_pollo_diablo It also has Drax's sensational line "James Bond, you appear with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season." Rubbish movie, but Drax owns it. Reply +5

• Nintendo: Wii U could become "preferred" Call of Duty platform

• xandaca 26/06/2012

  Oh, Nintendo. Anyone who plays COD on 360/PS3 wouldn't stray from their treasured dual analogues for the world, while anyone who played COD with the Wii's pointer aiming would be a fool to revert to the vastly inferior dual analogue controls. I wish I were more excited for Wii U, because I've been a Nintendo gamer all my life, but they pitched for the middle ground, leaving behind the Wii's strongest innovations (rather than keeping them and ditching the stuff that didn't work) in a populist bid, and ended up with a confusing mess of ideas and control schemes that doesn't look ideal for anyone. The only reason I'd get a Wii U is if its FPS' allow the use of the pointer, the tablet is an interesting idea but looks pretty inconvenient in practice. Reply 0

• Nintendo hits back at Wii U power concern

• xandaca 14/06/2012

  Thing is, I'm not sure Microsoft and Sony will go for massive power in their next-gen consoles, but try to expand on Kinect and Move/EyeToy, or whatever direction Sony are looking in. The 'next gen' engine videos presented over E3 were undeniably impressive, but the improvements were in the details - texturing, lighting, particle effects - rather than a major jump forward overall. The difference between those videos and what the best of the current gen is capable of isn't especially enormous (although it will likely grow as developers get used to UE4 etc), certainly nothing like the gulf between the SD and HD consoles. Given the cost of using top shelf parts, it might not be the wisest decision for Sony or Microsoft to go for maximum graphical oomph in their next consoles when the average consumer wouldn't see a huge difference between them and a version downported to current standards: multiplatform games on Nintendo's console almost certainly won't look drastically different to those on the other consoles, certainly nowhere near as obvious as, say, COD Wii compare to COD HD. After all, most people thought Watch Dogs was 'next gen', whereas it will be coming to 360/PS3 and I'd wager will only look noticeably weaker in the background details. Reply +5

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 coming to Wii U - report

• xandaca 11/06/2012

  The Wii CODs sold reasonably well for being downports on an unloved system (most of them broke 1m), with Treyarch charged with porting the Modern Warfare games over, so it's no surprise to read this. Treyarch even very strongly hinted at Wii U port previously, although I can't find the article now. The only real mystery is why Nintendo didn't have it in their reel, or even as a logo, much as how FIFA/Madden are on the way, yet Mass Effect 3 was the only EA game at the E3 presentation. Weird.
  
  EDIT: Also, this had better use the pointer. If I'm to buy a Wii U, and it's very much up in the air right now, the option for pointer control has to be in every FPS. Going back to the stiff, imprecise dual analogue system is simply unacceptable - since the Wiimote and nunchuck allow players to move their hands independently, there's no reason the gamepad's touchscreen couldn't be used simultaneously, from the player's lap, even if it would be more than a little cumbersome. Reply +7