Is Gaming Too Easy Today?

Posted on 27 January, 2013 by Deus Exer

ARTICLE_difficulty

Is Gaming Too Easy Today?

Are games less challenging?

by Daniel Geikowski

©2013 Daniel Geikowski

I’m always after new experiences.

Therefore, I recently purchased a PS3 for Christmas, and one of the first games I bought was the highly-touted Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

I played through the original, and while I had an enjoyable experience, it was over rather quickly.

So therefore I decided that I better purchase Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I flew through that also, which led me to getting my hands on Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.

I soon realised, that even though I’ve had my PS3 for just under a month, I’ve blasted through the Uncharted Series, as well as Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and DOOM 3: BFG Edition.

It got me thinking: have my skills as a gamer increased over time, or are games not as challenging as they once were?

Aging man’s rant, or legitimate concern?

Filed under: Comparison, Console gaming, Opinion article, Oxcgn Special feature, Xbox 360 | Tagged: 360, Assassin's creed, Call Of Duty, Contra, Dark Souls, Dead Space 2, Demon Souls, difficult games, Doom, DOOM 3: BFG Edition, Fable, Fable 2, Fallout New Vegas, Game, games, ghost recon: future soldier, Google, Halo, Halo: Reach, hard games, inFamous, Konami Code, max payne 3, Medal of Honor Warfighter, Mega Man, OXCGN, Playstation 3, PS3, retro games, Sonic The Hedgehog, Splinter Cell, Super Meat Boy, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Trials HD, Uncharted, Uncharted 2 AMong Thieves, Uncharted Drakes Fortune, uncharted-3-drakes-deception, Video game, XBLA, Xbox, Xbox 360 | Leave a Comment »

Copycat Games: Is stealing gameplay ideas from others evolution?

Posted on 15 June, 2012 by dkpatriarch

Copycat Games

Is stealing gameplay ideas from others evolution?

by Daniel Geikowski

©2012 Daniel Geikowski

Evolution?

A little from Column A, and a little from Column B.

Originality in games has always been an important factor.

Originality allows a game to stand out from the crowd. Over time, games have tended to borrow elements or settings from other games, seemingly gaining inspiration from other titles.

This isn’t to say that games are blatantly copying elements or features from alternate titles, instead it can be argued that it is simply video games evolving. Elements and features are being reworked and refined over time, to suit the specific game’s style.

Is this game truly original?

Originality is far from dead.

New narratives and settings are being created all the time. However, almost anywhere you look nowadays, new games on the horizon contain some familiar features.

E3 this year demonstrated a lot of common elements , with few additions. Here are some strong examples of games ‘borrowing’ from others.

E3 games that ‘borrowed’ ideas here

Filed under: Blogbanter, Console gaming, E3 2012, Editorial, Game Impressions, GameBanter, Gamer's Debate, Industry News, New Xbox 360 Games, Oxcgn Special feature, PC News, PS3 News, Wii News, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 News | Tagged: Assassin's Creed 3, Assassin's Creed III, copycat games, Crysis 3, Dead Space, Dishonored, E3, e3 2012, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Far Cry 3, Hitman Absolution, I Am Alone, max payne 3, Red Dead: Redemption, Resident Evil 6, Sleeping Dogs, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, The Last Of Us, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Watch Dogs | 2 Comments »

OXCGN’s Max Payne 3 Review: A Rockstar Without Remedy?

Posted on 22 May, 2012 by exterminat

Max Payne 3

A Rockstar Without Remedy?

by Nicholas Laborde

©2012 Nicholas Laborde

If you’re a frequent reader of OXCGN and my work, you’ll already know that one of the most important aspects of any game to me is the writing.

I’ll start off with this: I love Remedy.

Max Payne is a franchise very near and dear to my heart, and I hold Alan Wake in similar regard.

Remedy knows how to combine multiple elements into a seamless package, while topping it off with some of the best writing in the industry.

The lack of their presence in Max Payne 3 is disturbing, and until I played the game, I was extremely apprehensive.

Rockstar somehow managed to do the impossible: carry the everlasting legacy of Max into the future, and at that, under the reigns of a completely different team.

It’s Paaaaaaayne!

Filed under: Xbox 360 | Tagged: alan wake, games, Max, Max Payne, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, max payne 3, Remedy, rockstar, Rockstar Game, São Paulo | Leave a Comment »

L.A. Noire Countdown: Investigating The Road To L.A. Noire: End of The Road

Posted on 17 May, 2011 by exterminat

L.A. Noire Countdown

Investigating The Road to L.A. Noire:

Journey’s End – End of The Road

by exterminat

In our two months of L.A. Noire preparation, we’ve accomplished quite a feat together.

We’ve taken down Al Capone, investigated the craziest of modern crimes, traveled through a city controlled by aliens, found out who shot JFK, showed off a ton of Noire’s media, and, of course, discovered the troubled life of Max Payne.

Needless to say, it’s been quite an enriching experience.

L.A. Noire is less than 48 hours away for gamers in the United States, and less than 5 days away for the rest of the world.

We’ve reached the end of the road, my friends. And it’s time to go out with a bang… Frank Miller style.

One of the most iconic film noires of all time.

Welcome to Sin City. (more…)

Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, Editorial, Gaming Videos, New Game Information, New Xbox 360 Games, Oxcgn Special feature, PS3 News, PS3 Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 3rd Party Games, Xbox 360 News | Tagged: Al Capone, Andrew Vachss, Black Dahlia & White Rose, Bruce Willis, Duane Swierczynski, Francine Prose, Hell Of An Affair, Joe R. Lansdale, Jonathan Santlofer, L.A. Noire reviews, L.A. Noire screenshots, L.A. Noire videos, LA Noire, la noire reviews, la nore reviews, Lawrence Block, Max Payne, Max Payne 2, max payne 3, Megan Abbott, Mickey Rourke, Naked Angle, oyce Carol Oates, Postwar Boom, Quentin Tarantino, School For Murder, See The Woman, Sin City, The Yellow Bastard, What's In A Name | Leave a Comment »

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