Hot on the heels of his previous gaming philosophy book, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy (you can read our review here), editor Luke Cuddy has followed suit by assembling various members of academia and all-around gaming junkies for his next book in the gaming philosophy series, World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King.
It would seem that WoW would be a perfect fit for philosophical discussion, what with the constant accusations of the game’s addictive properties as well as its real-world defying economy, and for the most part, this is true.
Like Zelda and Philosophy, WoW and Philosophy organizes itself into individually written chapters that attempt to tackle a specific topic relating to WoW using philosophical tools. For instance, WoW’s economy is studied to determine whether it is the perfect or ideal form of capitalism, and if so, whether it can be reproduced in the real world.
Though each chapter is written by a different author, often causing the quality and consistency of the book to vary, the chapters are broken down into sections to help facilitate out-of-order reading based on specific topics. The book even prefaces each section with humorous quest-based introductions, complete with aged-looking paper laying out your objectives, that claim to give you +5 Intellect! and other rewards after reading. It’s a nice little touch that’s meant to reinforce the authors’ hands-on understanding and experience with WoW and help them connect with the reader beyond an academic-based approach.
Darwinia+ is finally available on Xbox Live Arcade after an extended development cycle of over four years. Darwinia+ was created by Introversion, one of the best independent game developers on the planet with several classic (and award-winning) PC games under their belt, including Darwinia+, Multiwinia, Defcon and Uplink.
Darwinia+ gets nearly everything right on the Xbox, albeit with a few caveats. First off, the price is simply too high. I personally think 1200 points is a great value considering how much gameplay is on offer, but I’m in the position of being a self-professed Darwinia+-freak and as such, have a complete understanding of the game and its concepts. This places me in the minority. Most Xbox 360 players will have never heard of Darwinia+ and will be quick to disregard it based on nothing more than its retro-graphics. Too bad, their loss.
A lower price-point of 800 would have made impulsive and/or exploratory purchases far more likely. At 1200, Darwinia+ is pricing itself away from experimentation and distancing itself from gamers who may not be able to perceive the game’s value based on the trial version. Additionally, Microsoft has been discounting a considerable number of games lately and players are well aware that a discount will hit Darwinia+ at some future date, so fence-sitters are prone to remain on their asses until the price comes down.
My second problem with Darwinia+ is the camera-scheme that kicks in when controlling a Squad. It does its best to position itself correctly, based on the elevation of nearby terrain, but it’s not what I would call perfect or some semblance of perfection. Fortunately, you can work with it and bend it towards your will by releasing control of your squad and repositioning the camera at a better angle, though it doesn’t completely resolve the problem.
True resolution of the Squad Tracking Camera issue will only be found in a patch and I see it working as such: Darwinia+ currently has two ways of selecting available squads/engineers, via bumper-buttons or directional-pad (left-right). You only need one scheme, so drop the bumpers for squad selection and use it for rotating the camera while the directional pad cycles through units. Problem solved. I waive my consultation fee.
While the camera is a minor problem at best and one that can be dealt with, the price is less surmountable. What you need are valid reason to buy Darwinia+, reasons that may not be entirely obvious in the limited trial version. Without further ado…
One of our writers posted a critique of the latest wildly-popular BioWare RPG, Mass Effect 2, on our sister site, InfoAddict, and it’s seriously stirred up the emotions of quite a few fanboys so we thought we’d reprint it here for you to enjoy (or hate) too. (If you’d like to read some of the encouraging comments and fiery criticisms left on the original post, you can find it here.)
With an average score of 96 on Metacritic, one would be justified in believing Mass Effect 2 has little room for improvement. An overwhelming majority of so-called game critics have weighed-in, predictably showering Bioware’s latest RPG with roses and garlands.
Bioware is one of a select number of game companies that receives a +3 modifier in review scores. So take an average game that would normally receive a 7, add Bioware’s name to the box, and oila! Instant 10. While this may be great for Bioware’s bottom-line, it’s actually a grave disservice to the company and gamers, not to mention a glowing example of everything that is wrong in game journalism; criticism specifically.
Having played and finished Mass Effect 2, I can safely say, without reservation or hesitation, that Bioware’s latest RPG is a complete mess, from top-to-bottom and not a product worthy of Bioware’s heritage.
A wonderful surprise awaits Xbox 360 owners today, as the long-awaited multiplayer demo for Battlefield Bad Company 2 has finally arrived.
Bad Company 2 represents the biggest challenger to Modern Warfare 2’s supremacy. Though it is unlikely Bad Company 2 will remove Modern Warfare from its perch, it will hopefully make a large dent in its popularity. My dislike of Modern Warfare 2 is well-documented. I consider it nothing more than Halo in disguise with dopey gameplay, poor balance, sloppy design and worst of all, completely broken multiplayer (on every platform!).
Modern Warfare 2 was a major disappointment.
Bad Company 2 looks like a completely different beast. Grit, carnage, tactics, teamplay, vehicles, aircraft, objectives….and a completely destructible environment. In my humble opinion, Battlefield Bad Company 2 will mop the floor with Modern Warfare 2, offering far more gameplay and variety, graphics every bit as good (if not better, considering the environmental destruction), and best of all: dedicated servers, so multiplayer will actually be smooth for everyone, not some illusion of balance that Modern Warfare 2 foolishly believes is acceptable.
The Wii has not exactly been lacking in aerial combat games since its launch, but you could say that it has been lacking in good, or perhaps great aviator sims. Blazing Angels, Heatseaker and WWII Aces have all been released (among other titles) over the past few years to rather lackluster receptions. This, of course, has left aerial combat fans with something more to be desired.
Well, the good news is that if you’ve been patiently waiting for the right flight sim to fill your needs as a Wii owner, or if you’re just looking for more content after getting hooked on Wii Sports Resort’s Island Flyover mini-game, then look no further than XSEED’s The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces.
The Sky Crawlers is the latest aerial combat game from Project Aces, the team behind the critically acclaimed Ace Combat series. The game’s story is based upon the anime film by the same name, taking place in an alternate history where corporations go to war against each other using “kildren,” special children who supposedly can only die in battle.
As ace rookie pilot “Lynx,” you’ll set out on 18 various missions for the Rostock Corporation, helping to war against Rostock’s arch rival, Lautern. Along the way you’ll encounter various friends, foes, superiors and certain surprises as the game’s plot unfolds both through gameplay and beautifully presented anime cutscenes.
Final Fantasy XIII may be getting glowing reviews in Japan where it is selling millions of copies in record time, but a gaming magazine based in Hong Kong has unleashed a brutal review of the Square-Enix game that is irritating fans of the franchise.
Translated:
Scenario:2.0 — “An epic tear jerker”
System:1.0 — “Such a crude system barely warrants being called an RPG at all.”
Graphics: 9.0 — “Full marks here.”
Sound:7.0 — “Mostly quality.”
Enthusiasm:1.0 “As if you could play this for 100 hours! I could put up with 8.”
Total:4.0 — “To think it got this bad…”
“The game is complete linearity until the open areas near the end. You can’t even backtrack.”
“Of all the RPGs I’ve played in recent years, this is the first which has been so linear that it’s little more than riding an amusement park ride.”
“I had heard the opinion that “It’s amazing once you get to Chapter 11,” but why should you spend 20 or 30 hours on a game to get to the only enjoyable part? Just how do they intend to make me play this? Do they think I’m some kind of masochist?”
“A button mashing puzzle game with no real strategy or RPG elements and a plethora of annoying features, game as a whole is little more than a digital novel of sorts.”
“For such a game to approach 2 million copies sold must be due solely to the strength of the Final Fantasy brand”
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