The Kickstart We Need (Want)

Until a couple of years ago I was never into the social media scene. Hell, anyone who's met me knows I'm as social as a brick but despite this I'm stoked about the news from Kickstarter and Double Fine.

Tim Schafer, an innovator behind such projects as The Secret of Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango and Brutal Legend, reached out to the crowdfunding site to get his next game off the ground.

Publishers weren't keen on his idea to revive the point and click genre for which Schafer is best known however fans had a different opinion. He was looking for $400,000 to start Double Fine Adventure but managed to pull in a whopping $3.3 million.

The success of his campaign has captured the attention of fellow developers and now teams looking to revitalize such franchises as Leisure Suit Larry, Wasteland and Shadowrun have hit the site in hopes of making their next project a reality.

If you are unfamiliar with Kickstarter it is a website where someone with an idea posts and if you like it, you can back it financially. More than just games, the site reaches out for movies, documentaries, inventions and more. Those who are successful might even opt to put a percentage of the finished projects profits back into crowdfunding while others roll around in a Scrooge McDuck style money pit.

Personally, I think Kickstarter is a cool concept because it allows you to become more than just a gaming consumer; now you are a part of the game (literally in some cases, see the $2,500 pledge here http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/355932838/crowdsourced-hardcore-tactical-shooter).

Despite some truly horrible sounding ideas and the obvious flaws of potentially overfunding or not delivering/performing, what do you think about Kickstarter? Do you see its potential as a viable way to keep new games on the horizon in a shrinking market of developers?

Note: original story was found here http://mashable.com/2012/04/15/retro-games-kickstarter/. Check it out.

Finally, I am a number

Pardon the self indulgence, but this past week I achieved a life goal: I had a review listed on Metacritic.

Since its inception, Metacritic has seemed like a mysterious arbiter for the videogame industry. It doesn't have as great an effect on me now, but I won't lie to you: the website has resolved a great many purchase decisions in my lifetime. Now, maybe I can contribute to someone else's. Not that people don't read my reviews here, it's just that thousands -- who am I kidding: millions -- more people inarguably consult metacritic than my humble blog or Bitmob. Perhaps even more to the point: I wasn't able to achieve this goal through my blog or Bitmob (although my experience with both surely helped land the unpaid writing gig).

Now I'm sure that there are plenty who see my now-acheived goal as naive, even destructive to my passion. I've read stories of developers being denied royalties on account of lower than expected Metacritic scores or sales diminishing due to middling review scores, but I refuse to accept that this is the fault of Metacrtic alone. To all of the nay-sayers -- particularly those who contribute to games journalism in any form which has a score attached -- I say we're all to blame. We (or perhaps, more appropriately and less self-aggrandising: you) contribute to those numbers in a lot of cases. If you're not comfortable with franchises ending on account of your words and scores, I have a simple message for you:

Give every game a perfect score, a zero score or better yet, no score at all.

Metacritic: The future

That may sound a bit cynical, but ultimately, the Quantitative Cultural Zeitgeist will be rendered impotent if there are no numbers feeding into it. I've read some games journalists argue that their reviews (and the scores that are a part of them) are nothing more than opinion. Like it or not, collectively, your opinions determine the fate of developers, new and existing intellectual properties and the industry at large.

For now though, seeing a strategically-selected piece of my work on Metacritic marks a teenage dream realised. That awkward excerpt from my Street Fighter X Tekken review may be the first and last time I see my opinion in the same arena as Game Informer and IGN, but I'll take it.

That night in Vegas, I felt your breath upon my neck

This past long weekend, my brother and I engaged in a ritual that I fear had been lost in a sea of AAA releases and the pressures of modern life. We went hunting.

Before you get any crazy ideas, I've never been one for the outdoors, so this wasn't your average trawl through the woods. We weren't interested in traditional game: rabbits, deer and bears would be saved from the wrath of our customizable arsenal. We were hunting the scum of the earth, dear friends. We were baggin' us some terrorists.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2's Terrorist Hunt mode is quite simply, the most terrifying cooperative multiplayer experience available on current generation hardware. No matter what difficulty you play it on or how dense you set the enemy population, these bad guys are ruthless. They will swarm around you, they will find you, and they will kill you.

Rubes and I thought we had a winning strategy: find a corner and create a cacophony of noise to stir the proverbial hornet's nest. This works on the smaller maps; but in some that span multiple floors and have a wealth of open spaces, the call of your hand cannons will yield few takers. We got lucky sometimes, but when we had to leave our sanctuary, my heart leapt into my throat and my bowels loosened (sadly, the latter observation is not hyperbole).

Those moments when you're leaning against a source of cover only to see your customizable avatar turkey-slapped by a shotgun barrel are equal parts hilarious and startling; particularly on the higher difficulties when ammo and respawns are scarce. If you love tactical shooters and splitscreen multiplayer, you simply must play this game. Hell, if love survival horror, you have to play Vegas 2's Terrorist Hunt mode.

Street Fighter X Tekken Review (PS3): Peanut Butter X Chocolate

Note: For my review of the Xbox 360 version, check out AusGamers!

I can't imagine how my fifteen-year-old self would have greeted the promise of Street Fighter X Tekken. Back in the days when fighting games were my religion and Tekken 3 and Street Fighter Alpha 3 were my daily prayers, the logistics of how Namco's quasi-3D brand of pugilism was to meld with Capcom's projectile flinging madness would have tormented me until its eventual release. Thankfully, I only had to know of its existence for two years before I could experience dream match-ups like King versus Zangief, or Rolento versus anyone with a pulse.

For the most part, Street Fighter X Tekken handles just like a beautiful, unrestrained dream. The visuals smack of colour and are styled in a fashion similar to Street Fighter IV. The action is scored with emphatic riffs and hyper-kinetic beats that match the intensity of the on screen action. There's also a bevy of move lists and mechanics to master: not so many as to make it inaccessible to genre veterans, but enough that you'll want to access the tutorial system before you encounter live opposition.

The greatest strength of this package is its roster, which offers the best of both worlds. There are few notable omissions (Blanka, anyone?), and those that made the initial cut offer a satisfying mix of old and new. It's worth noting that the PlayStation 3 and (the yet to be released) Vita versions have an additional five fighters at your disposal. These fighters don't add too much to the product, but I concede that I'd prefer to have the likes of Megaman and Cole (of inFamous fame) to be available for use as opposed to being locked away on the disc (source: Kotaku). The fighting system may employ more of the quarter and half circle maneuvers that are synonymous with the Street Fighter brand, however, feel assured that the Tekken characters can hold their own in a solely two dimensional playing field. The first to fall tag mechanics (similar to Tekken Tag Tournament) allow for encounters where speed is critical and momentum swings often.

Street Fighter X Tekken is best enjoyed like the fighters of old: with company in tow or on your lonesome. The story mode can be enjoyed solo and also supports co-operative play. There's a comprehensive training suite -- with Trials that allow you to master each character's move set and a Mission mode that tasks you with winning under certain conditions -- that's a step in the right direction, albeit far from able to teach newcomers effectively. Most importantly, the versus mode allows you to smite family and friends and bask in their collective shame. The controls also seem to hold up better in local play; maybe I'm a bit rusty, but I swear the block button wasn't working for the majority of the time that I fought online. It also goes without saying that the PlayStation controller (be it Sixaxis or DualShock 3) is far better suited to fighters than the standard Xbox 360 controller.

You'll need to have a firm grasp of gems, launchers, the do-or-die Pandora system and the plethora of fundamentals in order to be competitive in the online arena. Fights over the PlayStation Network ran at an acceptable speed, but the controls often felt unresponsive. Whether this had anything to do with the calibre of my opponents, I can't say. When compared to the Xbox 360 version, I'd say the PlayStation 3 held up slightly better when I was pitted against live opposition. To make matters worse, online bouts are plagued by a glitch that has the audio completely out of sync with the action on screen. It's not unplayable, but it's unfortunate that the online offering isn't as satisfying as offline play.

There are some annoying quirks that I discovered after sustained play on both versions. Firstly, the Xbox 360 versions appeared to run faster than the PlayStation 3 version. I had the PS3 version installed on my hard drive and fights still seemed to take longer to load when compared to the uninstalled 360 version. There's also no way to create gem sets that you can apply to all characters: you need to make these on an individual basis. Finally the DLC pricing model employed for this game is akin to extortion. It costs an additional forty dollars to purchase additional outfits for every character. Worse still, an additional twelve characters are locked away on the disc for players to buy at a later date.

Ultimately, the marks against this joyous union are few and -- in most cases -- have the potential to be remedied. Street Fighter X Tekken manages what I had previously thought unthinkable: merging the personalities, rosters and history of two stalwart franchises into one enjoyable package. If you have love for either brand of fisticuffs and you've got some friends to fight within close proximity, I can't recommend this highly enough.

The Seasonal Gift That Keeps On Giving

Easter eggs aren't always made of chocolate and in my opinion, the best are those found as hidden bonuses in games, DVDs and music.

There are thousands of Easter eggs available on hundreds of games and add a little something extra. Some are interesting artwork (GTA) while others are hidden characters (Mortal Kombat) and game options (COD: Black Ops).

Mortal Kombat
In some renditions of the original game, if you see a shadowy figure fly across the moon on The Pit stage then beat your opponent untouched and without blocking, you'll get the chance to fight Reptile. If you win, you earn a cool 10,000,000 points. If you lose, you've wasted a rare opportunity.

Grand Theft Auto IV
If you fly a helicopter to the Statue of Liberty and jump down to the highest platform with four doors on it, walk through the door with blood stains and the sign 'No hidden content through here'. Climb the ladder and you'll find the beating heart of the city (and if you shoot it, it bleeds).

Call Of Duty: Black Ops
From the main menu when you are held captive in the chair, look around. To break free of your bonds press the left and right triggers in quick succession. This will release Mason as he struggles and earn you an achievement/trophy. Furthermore, move to the computer and if you type DOA or ZORK into the terminal you'll unlock playable mini games and another achievement/trophy.

uTorrent
Hardly a game but if you open this popular bit torrent program, select About in the Help menu and press T you'll be able to play Tetris.

There are heaps of little treasures scattered in games and www.eeggs.com has many listed. Have you come across any? What's your favourite, be it found or heard of?

Shameless advertising (because I love you)

EDIT: Just Cause 2 is no longer on promotion and is now being sold for the regular retail price of $29.79 on GMG. Hope you were able to act fast enough to take advantage. If not, the Blur and ozgameshop deal are still active. 

There are three deals that I've happened across in the last few hours that I have to share with you. Why? Because I love you all, that's why.

You have until April 6 to pick up the criminally-underrated racer, Blur for a fiver. One of the last releases from the shuttered studio, Bizarre Creations; Blur is essentially a kart racer with licensed cars. Be prepared for an abundance of colour, crashes and chaos in the rich man's version of Mario Kart. Much like Nintendo's signature racing game, you'll lose quite a few races cheaply. Unlike Mario Kart, you'll get seamless multiplayer and action that is perfectly set to Fucked Up's 2008 opus: Chemistry of Modern Life (note: album not included, but I highly recommend this aural accompaniment).

Next up is 2010's "Most Surprisingly Good Game" and also powerfully-underrated open world actioner, Just Cause 2. In retrospect, this is easily one of the best games released since I started writing and unlike Halo: Reach and Red Dead Redemption, I still play this game. Green Man Gaming are selling this gem for slightly more than a song ($7.49 USD to be exact). If you have a capable PC, I can't recommend this game highly enough. Take the plunge -- from a soaring fighter jet, from a helicopter, from a truck you've just driven off a cliff -- you won't regret it.

This is actually one of the more innocuous activities in Just Cause 2.

Finally, for Xbox 360 owners, a deal that is simply too good to be true. Online retailer of choice,  ozgameshop is selling a download code that gifts Gears of War 2, Halo: Reach and Fable III for $22.99 AUD. That's less than eight bucks a game; two of which are nothing short of essential, the other is a reasonably inoffensive Action RPG which may just be your cup of tea.

If you're on a small budget, there's three bargains that include three of the best games released in the last two years. If you've got a little bit more disposable income, stop reading and take advantage of these deals already!

Unbearable Dutch Annual - Issue 2

I'm a little late to the party, but Unbearable Dutch enjoyed its second birthday two weeks ago. Our first year was good, but Dawson and I are now writing for about eight times as many people as we were this time last year. I'm proud that we're picking up more readers with our different approach to games writing. We may not have publishers on the line itching to gift us with review code, but we're better for it (read: will drop pants for free games).

The space between brown and grey
It is with great sadness that I acknowledge the passing of Zipper Interactive. I'm not going to lie: I wasn't the biggest the fan of everything they've developed, but they have some genuine classics under their belt.

Unit 13 will surely rank as my favourite from their extensive catalogue of brown and grey shooters.

It's not brimming with personality, nor is the control scheme without its quirks; it is, however, as close as I'll get to a portable version of underrated score attack shooter, The Club. Now Bizarre Creations' (also sadly shuttered) third person fragfest was also lacking a distinct sense of identity and featured somewhat awkward controls, but it had some thoroughly addictive mechanics that I've desperately wanted to re-engage with.

Save for the hilarious intro video (skip to 1:40 for stylish lols), Unit 13 feels like a spiritual successor to The Club. The gladiatorial gameshow theme has been eschewed in favour of an arguably more popular "modern warfare" look. It's not the most original or appealing approach, but if you're playing score attack games for the story: you're doing it wrong.

Different characters and weapon loadouts keep the action fresh across a small selection of maps that are rearranged and truncated to make up a chunky single player offering. The stealth mechanics are somewhat busted, but the shooting and cover controls are solid. The scoring and combo system is less reliant on speed when compared to Bizarre Creations' effort, and this ultimately works in Unit 13's favour as it's somewhat more forgiving and responds to a variety of approaches. It also features a Ron Perlman look alike, which remains a topic of fevered discussion amongst a good friend and I.

Stop haunting my dreams, Hellboy!

A lack of competitive multiplayer and forced implementation of touch controls are the only real warts on this package. Zipper may have also set the bar too high in terms of the amount of effort required to unlock all of the High Value Target missions. Nothing less than perfect scores in the majority of the game's thirty plus missions will grant you a shot at all of the terrorist masterminds that prevent the titular group of soldiers from attaining... erm... I'm not actually sure what Unit 13 wants, now that I think about it. As per the above though, story isn't really a priority when you're trying to line up consecutive headshots and achieve the highest score possible.

I'll prepare a more conventional review in the coming weeks, but if you have a Vita and like military or score attack shooters, you should pick this up.

Change of focus
You know that job I was talking about a few weeks ago? I got an offer and eventually accepted. I'm able to work at a venue that's closer to home for a few days each week, so I'm satisfied that I'll be able to progress my career and have time with my beloved family. I'll still be travelling a bit though, so I'll spend more time playing games on my portables; I might even dabble in some iOS games if nothing else of note is released on the 3DS or Vita (not bloody likely, but I remain open to the possibility).

Wherever possible, I'll sneak some time in with some of the bigger home console releases; but more often than not, you'll be reading about me and my handhelds.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you all stick around.