Towards Mecca

There’s something really confusing about how some companies decide what games to make. Every true Street Fighter fan out there was hoping for Street Fighter 4 to be a gorgeous 2D fighter with controls similar to Street Fighter 3. What does Capcom do? They make a 3D Street Fighter 2 remake with scaled-back controls and crappy new characters and they try their best to convince us it’ll be as good as a 2D fighter. Why not oblige us in the first place? Why not call it Street Fighter EX 4 instead? No one would complain, everyone expects mediocrity from the EX fighters.Why must they drag our formerly beloved franchise through the mud?

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People often ask me what it is that a Game Designer does. I tried to explain it but in some people’s minds there are only artists and programmers. If you’re one of those people that just don’t understand what game design is, you need to see this video. It’ll explain just exactly what I do on a day to day basis!

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Another Game Designer here in the studio happened to look outside and spot a falcon eating a pigeon! I wonder if this could be used as inspiration for a game! What am I saying, of course it can! I’d play it

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If you haven’t already done so, pick up the new SPORE Creature Creature now! My wife and I did yesterday and we’ve been having fun making cute cuddly creatures since! Not impressed you say? You don’t know what the big deal is all about? Well you’ve come to the right place! Read on and you’ll see why this Creature Creator is unlike and character creator you’ve ever seen in a game before!

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Haven’t you always wanted to be on the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records? Well here’s your chance! Download the latest version of the Firefox internet browser and you’ll not only get the best internet browser out there (screw IE), but you’ll also possibly make it on the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records! And did I mention it’s free? Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Unreal Engine, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

- Juthan via Kotaku

Move over William Hung, there’s a new King of Idol in town! Yesterday’s Canadian Idol had one of the most memorable performances in my humble opinion! Khuram Sher won everyone’s hearts with his heart-felt singing and well-practiced dancing as he performed April (sic) Lavigne’s song Complicated! He made the judges explode in laughter more than once as well!

Did I mention that he’s a personal friend of mine? Yup … well stop reading and start watching already!

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Its MGS4 week, for many fans (yours truly included) we have been waiting with great anticipation what could be the greatest game in the series that created the stealth genre. Yet with metacritics already reviewing it at 95% with 10 early reviews, people have been going around now complaining about the mandatory installs that may take up to 15 minutes in games like Devil May Cry 4, GT4 and now MGS4. Its become such an issue in fact, that Konami went as far as as listing the mandatory install as forbidden to be spoken about in the press’ reviews. In all fairness to Konami, they have taken back that ridiuculous restriction, but what I want to know is why on earth is this an issue?!!?

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When first I heard that Yoda and Darth Vader were going to be in Soul Calibur IV, I was more peeved that I was going to have to decide which version to get since Yoda was to be on the 360 version, and Vader on the PS3. Although the choice was easy (Vader > Yoda), I was still peeved that I wouldn’t get both. That’s how I felt when Soul Calibur 2 came out and I had to play with Link when Spawn was the character I really wanted (forget Heihachi, he was useless anyway).

I loved Link and, although I agree he didn’t fully fit-in because his bomb move and other similar moves, I still had fun playing with him. And Spawn has had many incarnations, one of which was Medieval Spawn. Having those two in the Soul Calibur world was a bit of a stretch, but not NEARLY as big of one as having Star Wars characters.

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With the announcements that the PS3 versions of Alone in the Dark and Red Alert both being delayed (or possibly canceled), I can’t help but wonder if this is going to be a sign of things to come. Are we often going to be given an early X-Box 360 version of a game and then a PS3 version around the horizon? Or are both versions going to take the GTA IV route and be delayed simultaneously while devs try to figure out how to code for the PS3 version?

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