Alone with Bad Dialogue

I seriously considered titling this post: Alone with the F'Bomb. Seriously, what up "Alone in the Dark"? Why does your dialogue sound so bad? I agree with Shane Bettenhausen, of 1UP and EGM fame, that I really want to love this game. And not because the protagonist on the box looks just like former EGM'er Mark MacDonald, and not because the lead female looks a lot like X-Play's Morgan Webb, either.


Although, I do believe this star-powered videogame duo could very well thwart the paranormal invasion of NYC, I want to love "Alone in the Dark" because its tries to involve players in their world, and its this emphasis on so much tedium where it fails miserably. Interactions with the vast devices feels clunky. I could only imagine what gestural controls could do for this game, but I'm not looking to find out.

I know I'll see this one through to the end, if only for the achievements. But I hope I'll have more reasons to remember "Alone in the Dark" besides a way to boost my gamerscore.

More MGS4

Spoilers a plenty. You've been warned.

Game Diary - June 26, 2008

I just finished GTA IV and even at this late hour (its 3:36 am) I can't help but admire its brilliance. This is only the second Rockstar product I have ever finished (Bully was my first despite playing all the GTA games - even the PSP ones), and I'm very satisfied with the end product. Choices are so important in this GTA, they permeate so many pieces of this game. I'm still amazed how the moral consequences behind some of the choices affected my decision making. Ironically, even though I struggled with the game for a while, I'm glad I saw this GTA through to the end.

I just started Alone in the Dark and I'm still not sure what to think. I'm very impressed by all the cinematic moments in the opening episode of the game (the graphics aren't half bad either), but so far I get the feeling that although I love the concept, there will be a lot of things I don't like about this game. I can tell there is a heavy aspect of trial and error to it, and I don't know how that makes me feel. On one hand I can respect it and on the other I despise the concept entirely.

Even though I just started the game, it seems like something is missing already. Metal Gear Solid 4 made me realize the importance of good sound effects editing (and foley work) in games and how help immerse the player in a game. Yet as the protagonist, Edward Carnby, walks around I can barely hear his footsteps. This might sound like a small complaint (and rightly so, it might be), but little things like that detract from the overall experience, plus it makes the game seem half-baked or rushed.

Spoiler warning, press start as soon as you can because the opening trailer is absolutely spoilerific.

Self Refferencial Humor in MGS4

Real News

I wish we saw more news like this from gaming outlets. Kudos to Yahoo News for giving us something to shoot for (not that they were ever the first, but I applaud them just the same).

Click Here

Much Needed Time Off: Fun in the Sun in Monterey, CA

Lately, balancing three jobs has been hard and adding school to the mix wasn't helping anything, so it made sense that I needed time off to re-energize myself. Last week, I was in NYC and it was great to see family and friends that I miss dearly. This week, I'm in Monterey, CA (and Santa Cruz on Tuesday) taking in some beautiful sunshine. Monterey is great, but this series of vacations all comes to an end on Thursday and then it's back to work.

In the meantime, I've got some great ideas that will be showing up on Gamehelper soon (I know, we're working on a lot of things right now), so stay tuned. For now just try to sit back, relax, and catch up to the NBA Finals. Go Celtics!

A Fun Way to Start Your Trip

This safety film made me smile.  Especially the avid gamer nun that makes a brief appearance.