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April 18, 2005

VirTra out of ideas: seek inspiration from bad film

Whether you accept or reject "Never Say Never Again" as a true Bond film is beside the point. The Sun Herald has recently reported that VirTra Systems designers clearly watched the shock-inducing-world-domination-game scene too many times.

"If a player fails to kill an enemy in time and the enemy is able to shoot back, the simulator delivers a powerful electric shock through the player's hips. You definitely know you have been hit," Mr Haag said. "It has the same power as a stun gun. It knocks you down."

Err.. right, I really want my jimmy hooked up to a car battery while I play against a 12 year old with a wall hack and an aimbot. There are other areas of game development that I would like to see explored before entering the realm of, "How can I play a video game, and abuse myself at the same time?".

Mr Haag said it was only a matter of time and demand before the system could be sold to the public as a computer game.

Mr. Haag said, off the record, that by "matter of time" he meant decades from now when we're all so desensitized by mass media that an electrical charge is the only thing we can feel.

"Those who play on PCs would love a game that shot back", said David Wildgoose, editor of the game magazine PC Powerplay.

Thank you for speaking up for the game comunity David. Can we hook you up to a shock generator triggered by large 3rd party deposits to your bank account?

Posted by bradley at 01:26 PM

You Got Stale

There has been an influx of nothing to write about lately.

If you didn't know, jb and I have a hardcore Battlefield Vietnam problem. Since it's inception, the, "Battlefield" series has been like a secret candy-land where we spend the weekends with nothing else to do. Doom 3, Half-Life 2, CS: Source... all peasants by comparison in regards to gameplay. We had great hopes to find a new sweet taste in our mouths this last year, but nothing came to replace the sickening tart lemon-lime goodness that EA/Dice has provided.

But these last weeks, even our precious BFV has failed to deliver the way it once did. Perhaps it's the fact that the XM148 will kill everyone within a 50 yard radius. Maybe it's due to the inconsistencies of splash damage. Perhaps it's because everyone knows which direction you'll be facing when you spawn. Or even because EA/Dice hasn't patched the game in 5 months.

Like any form of media, a lack of new content equals a slow and painful death. Some of us extend this process by refusing to admit that the game is stale, laughing while the exploits fly, the suspect cheaters win, and we who simply like the game can only faintly taste what we once enjoyed so much. I'm sorry to say it.. I've written this article trying to avoid it.. but I'm afraid it's true.

BFV has jumped the shark.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to charity in the name of "BFV Addicts Annonymous".

Posted by bradley at 11:35 AM