Ludogistics & The Irrational Thought Patterns Of A Great Many Things

Let us remember an important tenet, taught to us by one of the wisest Jedi who ever lived. "You focus determines your reality." In the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn, I attempted to analyse The Rise of Skywalker as best I could, reminding myself that anger would never result in anything constructive, and focusing on the more important aspects of the Star Wars universe might give me some respite. On Rey's lineage, and the continuation of Rian Johnson's idea of self-determination. Rey's parents were nobody, so says a misguided, corrupted Ben Solo. Rey is from nowhere. But nobody's from nowhere.  And surely, everyone is somebody. Rey's parents are no different. Rian Johnson made Rey this symbol of self-reliance. An orphan, with no particular link to any particular family, having no connection to some mythic Force user. And yet, the most powerful Force user in generations. Because the Force does not belong to anyone. It is everywhere. It is everyone. Now, o...

Hello blog, We haven't spoken for a while now.  I've been busy.  With life and things, and games and stuff.  How have you been?  You haven't aged one bit.  Seriously, you haven't.  I have been keeping all those rants to myself, and it's clogging my head.  All that mess is screwing with my thinking, and I need to call a maid service...or perhaps a crime scene clean-up crew would be best in this case.   So anyway, there are so many subjects and themes and ideas that could be worth exploring here, now, at this moment.  Sitting here, in less than favorable conditions, I'm getting back to writing to you, blog-o-mine, and I'm wondering how this can even end well.  Like I said, too many freaking things to say, too much clutter and it's bringing me down.  Well, not really.  I'm just being melodramatic, since HEY it's the internet, right?  Let's make a big deal out of the little things, and bullshit out of mice farts. I ...

Star Trek Online screenshot Originally uploaded by lower72 Been playing Star Trek Online for a few days now. And even though it clearly needs debugging and balancing, I enjoy it immensely. The more time spend on MMORPGs, the more you understand the intricatcies of game play. And I certainly plan on spending time on this one. Not splurging whole days on end, mind you; just the occcasionnal late night or lazy week-end afternoon. Which is perfect, really : Star Trek was a show best watched on late nights and relaxing Sundays. I fondly remember sitting in the living room with my father and listening to McCoy's ranting, Kirk's boasting, Scotty's nay-saying and Spock's quantifying. It seemed the perfect show for nothing-to-do moments. Now, STO could be the perfect game for those exact moments. I'll keep playing. For how long? Who knows. Perhaps until it gets fixed...Or perhaps until The Old Republic comes out. Until then, I'm sticking with my Phas...

Video Game Addiction: the long road to recovery Originally uploaded by Now and Here Well, once again summer is about to start and there are games out there that need playing. Too many games, would be the proper turn of phrase here. So, a Must-Have or Must-Play list is building up right now, and it includes such titles as : -Resonance of Fate -Infinite Space -Final Fantasy XIII -Heavy Rain -God of War 3 But, I still have other games i am currently playing, like Torchlight, Dragon Age, Borderlands DLC, and more. And eventually, when the stars are aligned, and august comes rolling on by, Star Trek Online will make it's debut on my computer...and shall be played with friends. But until I can afford the newest games, time-wise and money-wise, I shall concentrate on the ones I do have. After all, I have all the Extra Lives I need...

Torchlight Character - Vanquisher II , originally uploaded by Raquel´ . Well, it seems we do not have long to wait before the next Diablo game : it's actually already out. It's called Torchlight, and it's developed by Runic Games, lead in part by Max and Erich Schaefer, both co-founders of Blizzard North. Looks like they couldn't wait for Diablo 3 either and decided to just give us a great Rogue-like RPG before the cobwebs and the dustbunnies invaded the part of our brains relishing click-click-click action. Perhaps a little unbalanced, and perhaps a little easy for some, Torchlight still ignites the fires of grinding within all PC RPG nerds. It's art style is endearing and soft on the eyes...a veritable World of Warcraft in Single Player format. Loot is aplenty and dungeons are filled with the nastiest, sometimes funniest, beasties this side of Tristram. PC gamers needed this. After all, Blizzard is not promising a release date on their next dungeon-romp opus,...

Everybody is doing it... A Year in Review. This Year's Ten Best. A "Must Play" list. I must admit, I deeply enjoy lists and countdowns to "Best this", and "Worst that". Lists are very satisfying, especially when you can look at one and exclaim "done this!", or "got that!". Someone once said that lists are fun because you get to cross out stuff from them. I find myself in agreement with that statement, although it all depends on how much stuff is on the list vis-a-vis what you did, or can, cross out. Like a jar of pickles that you empty out over a certain period : you can't really eat all the pickles in one sitting, and you can't let it sit there for a whole year. So you better not pick up a jar that's too big, or you won't be able to finish it before it goes to waste; and you can't get a jar that's too small because you'll quickly end up with nothing in it, and no snack. I guess what I'm trying to say...

A curious little chart made it's way from GameSpy to the larger intertubes of the Net this morning : To " Jump the Shark ", for those who may not know, is the precise moment within the lifespan of an entertainment franchise when it just becomes so ridiculous, it loses its value and starts its decline. Well, here it is, brilliantly illustrated by GameSpy with the help of GameRankings of every title in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series. Tony Hawk jumped the shark riiiiiight between Underground 2 and it's first step into the current-generation market, American Wasteland, where it dipped below the 80% marker. Why is this important, and why would I mention it? First, it's funny. No, trust me my friends, it is. The expression has been used appropriately so little in these past years that it had almost lost its meaning. We receive now, as the Holy Bread, a promise of renewal for this precious meme from 60s Television. Jumping the shark has again a sense of purpose. It'...

Months ago, Warren Spector spoke of a Disney Game he was working on within Junction Point Studios. There was talk of something grand, something unique; perhaps even dipping into the fantasy realm of Steam-punk. On the second week of October, Epic Mickey was revealed...on the Nintendo Wii. And now this . Truly, I feel troubled that something epic may find its way exclusively on this console. Especially in light that the original plan was to make it, as it is said in circles dark and deep withing the industry, "Current Gen". Already, Vanillaware's Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom have found a home solely on the Big N's platform, and this seems to be happening for financial reasons. The Wii has been the number one console on the market for a while now (besides Nintendo's other cashcow, the DS), and it is a sound business plan on the part of developpers and Nintendo to keep some titles exclusive. Yeah, I can roll with that. But why go from one v...

I've just realized Heroes don't really wish to win. They are not in it for the glory or for the First place prize. I'm talking about real heroes here. Superman and Batman type stuff. The guys and girls that don't take a bow after saving a kid, and the kind of people that feel even villains should have their little piece of paradise. That rather small epiphany comes as I am trying to write next week's radio show. We already did one about villains, in which Jim , Schmoo and I discussed how great bad guys make games worth playing; and how they have evolved over the years, becoming more complex and allowing game narrative to grow into Novel-league size. The natural thing was to proceed to the other end of the spectrum. Although don't take this literally...villains and heroes are RARELY at the ultimate opposing end of one simple spectrum: the grey zone is where awesomeness in "Good Guys Vs. Bad Guys" relationship really lives. All of this has very l...

Hiya folks, Welcome to this deserted landscape, where blog posts are like tumbleweeds: rare and pretty much without fanfare. It may very soon change however, seeing I'm spending more time writing now than I ever did in the last 6 months. Changes are good, and so is the end of the Summer Game Crunch (well, for me and my team anyway...). More time can be devoted to chatter of this kind right here. Of course, I also have to help keep other things running , so there might not be a slew of new logs coming in every week, but at least there will be some. Most of my close friends know that I am a big fan of Penny-Arcade, and especially of Jerry Holkins. His writings have been at some point instrumental, if not orchestral, in the evolution of my jive. And everybody knows that there is no jive without the much needed horn section! Say that I mimic, say that I am unoriginal. I don't really care, for I am within the part of the blogosphere that is furthest from the Sun and closest to the V...

The last stretch before rocking the Holiday season is upon us, and the game industry is feeling the rush. To make sure all those pretty and expensive games come out on time to make money, and benefit from the American Thanksgiving sales boost, production and support are being run to the ground with overtime, fatty foods and soda. Very soon, we'll be able to taste all that semi-servitude by playing the latest and bested ludo-softwares of the year. The cream of the crop. The top of heap. The multi-million dollar projects. The big companies are all lining up their sled with the most precious jewels of the interactive entertainment world. And they're all for you...for the right price, of course. What will you be playing come November? Modern Warfare 2, perhaps? Forza 3? Borderlands? Assassins 2? But this holiday season, think of ther little guys too, won't you? Think about Double Fine Studio and Brutal Legend; make some place in your heart for Alpha Protocol and Tropico 3. Ok s...

It has once again started : the dreaded production rush of the summer. We need to get these games out for October and November. A late release in the video games industry often means 50% less sales. It's imperative. Overtime and lots of pressure on the horizon. And so here we are (and here I am), with very little time to play, and very little time to blog. There has been a drought here at the Ludogistic page, and its about to get worst. First off, I have very little to talk about, and I usually save all my stuff for the Multi-Joueurs Radio show. It's just like that, you know? Then again, there's World of Warcraft. Yes it's good. Yes, it's accessible. Yes, it's addictive. Just getting started, by the way, and already I'm feeling it's heavy pull. Like back when we were kids and we would say ''Yeah, just one more hour of gaming...I'll go to bed right after, promise.'' Personnaly, the game has the same attractiveness all my ol...

There is literally too much going on this week to even mention the gems among the abject, turbulent noise of the E3 circus. If you want to know what's cool, and what's not, go check out the conferences, the Info-blogs like Joystiq and Kotaku, and watch the next episode of CO-OP . I just don't have the time to give you an account of things to come. It still is an awesome week. There are things showing up on radar now that just make gaming so much worth the time we put in it. Although the Console maker's keynotes were more often than not weak and embarrassing, this year's E3 has created memorable memes and great expectations. Alright...I have games to play now. You know? Current games that are actually OUT, like InFamous. So, stop waiting and stop reading. Go play something, will ya?

Yeah, it's that time of the year again. E3. The gaming giants are about to reveal their big steaming pile of marketing fecal matter onto the unsuspecting gaming community. Let the bullshit begin! The trumpets are a-flaring and the standards are in the wind. Can you smell what Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are cooking? Well, it certainly ain't ratatouille. Am I being too harsh and virulent without justifiable reason? Perhaps. After many years as gamer, this writer has become somewhat jaded, and very much cynical in his expectations. Why hope when you can despair and spread negativity within the community? It's just fun and games after all. Nothing serious. Right? I know this kind of post would actually look at its place amongst the lowest of the dirtiest forum pits, where flame wars are started because of more trivial matters, but this is just me venting of some of the rancid steam that's been filling up the pipes outo an unsuspecting populace; like Smilex on ...

We've heard of MAG , of course, long before any game play was shown. Discussions have flared up and subsided, as anything does on this Internet of ours. The flavor of the month and whatnot, you know? Well, Zipper Interactive and SONY have brought it back to the forefront this week, and have made damn sure that we remember about the 256 players engaged in modern warfare simultaneously. An impressive number, as far as multiplayer shooter numbers go. Two hundred and fifty-six feels well rounded, especially in the savvy tech world of computing. A number we have, in days of old, associated with the number of kilobytes or megabytes found in gaming machines, such as the Tandy 1000, with its 256 KB of RAM; or the 256 color modes able to display with VGA hardware. Now, this number comes back to bite us in the ass (a pun, if such a thing is permitted, was absolutely intended here). But outside the technical marvel of such a value lie questions, and mysteries that may only find answers...

So it was decided that we would do a radio show on advertisement and publicity within the world of video games. We were aware that using such a limited media to talk about a very visual subject was a bit of a problem, and so it was decided to create a sort of "Companion Sheet" with what we thought were some of the more interesting ads for games. Interesting for us because they are either funny, stupid, make no sense, or are total failures. Of course, we are not the first to explore the relationship between publicity and games. A few years ago, 1UP.com started doing a series on the Best Worst Ads that ever came out in print back in the days of the Electronic Gaming Monthly. You'll find a link to those very articles (written by Scott Sharkey) somewhere below, amongst the cornucopia of videos embedded. The radio show itself will not be exclusively centered on commercials and print ads, but it will also feature a discussion about the current and future presence of publici...

T he folks from the 1UP Show (now part of a group called Area5) are back for keeps now, thanks to Revision3 Internet Television and various other sponsors. The weekly program, COOP , features the same brand of humor and the same level of relevance as the old one , and the conversations remain fresh and eye-opening. A couple of friends and I have a radio show called Multi-Joueurs , which kind of feels very symmetric to what COOP is : a show by friends who have everyday conversations about games and the industry in general. I do not believe we own the same degree of insightfullness as the guys from Area5, but this would be normal since we do not have the same level of entry within the game industry. We work FOR this industry, while they work at REPORTING about it. Hence, their field of vision is much wider, and their minds opened to the woes and wows of all developpers, all game genres and news. I try to keep in touch with this technology-savvy world, but I find it harder each day to...

Chris Redfield is back to fight the good fight. He's going to kick ass. T-Virus, G-Virus, or Las Plagas : it doesn't matter. Chris will burn 'em out, and make the world a better. ...that is if he and his partner Sheva could manage their inventory correctly. You see? These two can't unstack shit. They can't, for the life of them, pick individual items out of a pile. Let's use an everyday example : Chris has a pack of gum, because he ate lots of garlic, and Sheva really likes gum. Sheva wants some gum, so Chris will throw her the whole package instead of giving her one or two pieces. Now Chris doesn't have any gum, since Sheva has the entirety of his stocks. Chris could request gum and get the package back, but Sheva might still need the gum, because she ate tons of garlic too. Now, let's imagine the gum is "bullets", and the garlic is zombies, or Las Plagas. Do you see the problem therein? Other than me possibly having analogy issues, ...

W hile making myself supper, I estimated, for the sake of argument, how many people the Punisher would have killed since he started his "business". First, let's forgo any North Vietnamese he killed on his three Vietnam tours. That's a big number we can ignore. He started in 1976 after his family's death, but really got into it only around 1978-79. So up to today, that will be 30 years of activity. Let's give him a yearly average of one (1) low-life every other day (a drug dealer, a pimp, whatever). That's one-hundred and eighty-two (182). But, take a few days off to make it a big round number, and to take into account droughts that may occur (the Rudolph Juliani years in NYC, for example, or just seasonal droughts provoked after a good "spring cleanup"). So within a year, he's got a batting average of one-hundred and fifty ( 150 ) scumbags and creeps. The guy's job really doesn't call for week-ends, but a few days off are sure to ...

You might have heard about this . Mass Effect 2 will be mostly developed in Montreal. Oh joy. When can I start? Whoa! Grab hold of th'reigns, partner, and slow them horses of yours. The team comes from the other studio, and EA Montreal already have staff aplenty, so they probably won't need anybody else. Not to mention that my chops ain't fit for work on something like this... But this sudden proximity to the project probably means the Montreal Game Community will be privy to some juicy details. Not to mention that the city's IGDA chapter will most likely get the chance for meetings and talks with the members of the team. A very exiting time indeed, my friends. I know I'm just reporting news that you are going to see most everywhere, and it doesn't make for great blog blah blah. But this is an opportunity for me to display my Mass Effect-tattooed heart. I loved that game, with all its flaws and weaknesses. However, this ain't some lamer with a crush...