SUDI Episode 9 E3 Spectacular

After all of the exciting announcements at E3, we couldn't wait to do this show. We hit some of the highlights of the show, including the Dashboard, Avatars, and new Gears of War 2 announcements.


Straight Up Dorkin It Podcast Episode 9-E3 Spectacular

Episode Links
Xbox.com E3 2008
Gears 2 Campaign footage
Microsoft Press Conference material

I think I pissed myself a little...

Exactly 24 hours ago I started watching the press conference for Microsoft at the E3 event and yet I can't stop thinking about it.
Every time I watch that single player Gears of War 2 campaign, Resident Evil 5 footage, think about the possibilities of the group chat, Fallout 3, etc. etc. I wet myself a little. And I'm ok with that.
In case you missed it, here's the link. http://e3.g4tv.com/e32008/press_conf_detail.aspx?pressconference_key=1

Collecting is not fun.

"Evil will always triumph because good is dumb."

Those are the timeless words of wisdom spoken by Darth Helmet. They ring true in some cases more than others, and this is one of those times.

We've let the evil of ingame collecting taint our good gaming experience. Why do game developers think we are in love with hunting down items in games to unlock cheap cheats/costumes/weapons or achievements? Seriously. When I buy a game, it is generally to kill things, not play "Where's Waldo" with orbs/canisters/comic book art/etc.

The best that I can come up with is that somewhere there is an executive who feels that according to his research that we gamers love hunting for the mundane and that it is more fun than playing the game. That's the only reason I can think of why a great game like Assassin's Creed would force you to spend more time hunting flags than it takes to beat the game... twice.

Nobody that I know bought Ninja Gaiden II saying "Dude, you have to find 30 skulls! Isn't that sweet?" I know not every feature in a game is a selling point, but this is lame. In most games, it's nothing more than an afterthought.

That's not to say that some games don't get it right, so here are my rules on how to do it the right way:

1. Keep the collecting to things relevant to the story (see BioShock). The audio diaries were a pain, but at least you got to hear more of the story and felt rewarded for finding them.

2. Keep the number down (I'm looking at you Hulk and Assassin's Creed). Nobody wants to have to collect over 200 items (over 500 in AC's case) when they really don't benefit or change the gameplay at all.

The above map is only 1 section of flags. Sheesh.

3. Have the collecting benefit your character (Crackdown's agility orbs). I don't mind collecting if it will make my character better and if it's not necessary for me to find every last one. Those agility orbs were plentiful enough that I got my character maxed out without finding them all. Works for me.

There are my 3 simple rules to take back gaming for the good of the gamer and not the ease of simpler programing. "All it takes for the evil of collecting to win is for good gamers to do nothing." I think that was from Churchill after trying to find that last "flying rat" in GTA 4.

SUDI Summer Game Preview Special

This super-sized podcast will give you all you need to know about the hot (and less than hot) games of summer for the XBOX 360. This is your perfect 4th of July audio distraction, so download it now and learn about games, the difference between Gummi and Care Bears, and enjoy being reminded of what it was like as teen with braces!

Straight Up Dorkin It Podcast Episode 8-Summer Game Preview Special

Episode Links
Fallout 3
NCAA 09
Madden 09
NHL 09
Tiger Woods 09
Too Human
Soul Calibur IV
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Unreal Tournament 3