Recent content by Alex Karls

WildTangent software has never contained spyware. I used to work in WT's customer support department, and I had to field this issue on a regular basis. The claim started back when WT's old webdriver software was included as the engine driving AIM Games in one of the updates of the AIM client...

Really fun game. Some story flaws, not much replay value in the single player. Fun fun fun multiplayer, and the level up system is great. Still, I hope there's a real balance feature in play so that newbies aren't getting thrown into games with people that have all the perks and all the...

That doesn't stop both of you from being right. Well, except for you, Russ. Everyone knows unicorns don't poop. They just emit a faint odor of sliced lemon on a regular basis.

Sorry to jump back to this, but I feel I owe Jacques 2 and answer. I think, for the time being, the gravity gun is more revolutionary. It proved that it could work as a stand alone gameplay mechanic, and was easily integrated into the entire game structure. As soon as they iron out their...

So, I'm guessing you haven't actually played with any of the three aforementioned control devices? Because you certainly talk like you haven't. Doom 3 on the PC? Halo 3 on the Xbox 360? Metroid Prime 3 on the Wii? Because...wow, yeah, I'm hearing hypothesis, but no experimentation to...

Actually, that's perfectly valid in SAE as well. Also, their proof of concept was Narbacular Drop [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narbacular_drop], but I'll accept Portal for that answer too. Still, it sounds like you're discounting what Half-Life 2 did for the FPS genre. Here's my list of...

What exactly do you mean, though? If you're saying that words, as in dialogue or story exposition, aren't as good as just having the player act through a scene, then I'd say your idea, while neat, isn't practical. Games aren't about choice and freedom in your actions. They're about...

FatRabitRamboCow....uh, can I just call you RamboCow? I agree with you, and I think that's why shorter media for cheaper is a better idea. Condemned was fun, but the only thing that made it reasonable for the price was that it was a launch title.

I couldn't agree more. Also, I think that one of the strongest elements driving real character development are the characters that you get to interact with. I love Episode 1 and Episode 2 because you have an interesting NPC along with you the entire time, and they just won't shut up. I...

I think that each of those three games didn't have the story or writing to go further. Heavenly Sword could've had the gameplay if it was tweaked better. Halo 3 and Bioshock could've been pushed out because they did have the gameplay, but I can't see how their material was cut down from a...

I don't think that's the case either. As I said before, I agree with what you were saying before. To be clear, I was just pointing out that I don't believe it was a practical point (cutting a game down doesn't = better gaming, some games need room to breathe like movie) because no games...

In essence, I agree with you. Taking something and then artifically shortening it doesn't mean you'll get a better experience out of it. That said, on a practical level, I think comparing video games with films is bad. Not because they lack similarity, but because of the fundamental...

For those of us not quite willing to watch 1.5 hours of IDGA presentation, could you skip to the chase and tell us what you want us to glean from that video?

About Halo 3, I felt much the same, until I started my 2nd play through. The skulls, the campaign scoring, and the difficulty changes really made it work for me. I forgot how much effort Bungie puts into the design of the different difficulty levels. In terms of gameplay, playing any Halo...

I do hold that belief, yes. And if you can't see the logic, let me elaborate... 1) Company comes up with interesting gameplay experience. 2) Company puts game into production, planning on releasing in 3 years for $59.99. 3) Company banks on a single player only experience satisfying the...