Stage Zero

Red Dead Redemption's Gameplay is Boring

2012-01-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

Originally this was going to be a thorough review of Red Dead Redemption, but after doing some googling and realizing that there were already (And this number is incredible!) seven billion reviews of the game, I decided that all I wanted to do was stop playing boring, overrated, singleplayer games, leave my bedroom, and see another human.But then I came to my senses, "I need to review this! Why?!

What Makes Good Gameplay?d

2012-01-27T13:24:00.000-08:00

Last night a friend mentioned a gameplay design philosophy. He said, "Simple, but deep = good gameplay." Or something like that. I immediately responded to him with something like, "Why does my underwear smell like poo?!" Or something like that. Then I told him that that design philosophy was genius.And now it is today! And now I believe that that philosophy is (often) wrong. Or at least the "

Limbo (AKA Fun isn't Interesting)

2012-01-26T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well, after thinking over my options for three milliseconds, I've decided not to review Limbo. And not simply because I don't want to review it. Oh wait. That is the reason.And now that I've gotten the "this is not a review" bit out of the way, I want to say that I do though have something to say about Limbo, and here is what it is: Limbo isn't fun; but it is interesting. That it is interesting

I was Wrong! Super Meat Boy is Good!

2012-01-22T13:44:00.001-08:00

Oh, how good it feels to admit I was wrong! That my former mind was weaker! That I am now smarter than my dumberer self! Back when I was young and stupid (2010) I wrote that Super Meat Boy was a "monotonous" "penis-crusher" of a game. Well, this year (2012) I've been playing bits of that superb indie platformer, and I have found a play-style that prevents it from feeling monotonous. And about the

Portal 2 is better than Portal

2012-01-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

My original idea for this post was for it to be 240 pages long and composed entirely of sonnets (with every sonnet ending in "I took an arrow to the knee"). But I decided against it. I do like writing sonnets, but 240 pages is 239 pages longer than 1 page. And all I really want to do today is -- tell you that Portal 2's singleplayer is better than Portal's, and then play more Red Dead Redemption

Why Skyrim is Boring

2012-01-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

Need proof that there are problems in the world? How about me playing Skyrim for 120 hours and being bored for 119 of them?........tear :(But the game press said it was the Game Of The Year! In the same year as Portal 2! So I figured that it would be worth it![And I knew I wasn't having a good time during pretty much the whole playthrough, but I kept playing, anyway...] And after finishing Skyrim

Chocolate Milk

2011-04-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a much different blog entry then what I normally write about. TL;DR: my friend Morgan wanted to make a post on their blog, but didn't know what to write about. I suggested they write 500 words on Hot Pockets, which Morgan then proceeded to do. So to return the favor, I shall now write 500 words about chocolate milk (which is inspired by a true story): I would love for you to add ideas in the comments section again.Here are the criteria I have so far:1. Variety.

Some questions, some updates, and some announcements.

2009-06-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Those of you who made your spot checks before you read the blog might have noticed the new layout. I've been playing around with the various Blogspot aesthetic layouts, looking for one that was a bit lighter and more cheerful looking than the one we were previously using. I like this new one out of most of the options available, but I hope it's only a temporary fix. What I'd really like to do

Gears of War 2 (XBOX 360): Review

2009-06-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

Gears of War 2 takes itself too seriously. Even though the game features dinosaurs that wear machine guns and missile launchers, even though one of the game's Non-Playable Character teammates talks about everything in terms of basketball, says bitch a lot, and is black, even though it has assault rifles that have chainsaws (because grenade launchers aren't bad-ass enough), this game manages to be

Mini Review: Ninja Gaiden Black (XBLA)

2009-06-13T13:07:00.001-07:00

Today (three months ago), I beat Ninja Gaiden Black, an improved version of the XBOX game Ninja Gaiden by Japanese developer Playboy Mag-I mean Team Ninja. Ninja Gaiden Black is a 3rd person action game in which you play as Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja. For most of the game, you wear a black jump suit and kill everything except for an old man and two hot-sex ninja women who help you by giving you tips,

Dammit Paul.

2009-06-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

STOP SPAMMING THE BLOG WITH ONE SENTENCE POSTS OR YOU'RE GETTING A BLOG TIME OUT! >:(

BAD-ASS E3 ANNOUNCEMENT

2009-06-02T14:15:00.001-07:00

XBOX LIVE IS GOING TO HAVE TWITTER!!! HELL YEAH!!!

WHAT?!!

2009-05-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Supreme Commander 2 is being developed by Gas Powered Games and...SQUARE-ENIX?!!http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-09-supreme-commander/49800

Rock, Paper, Shotgun

2009-05-28T13:43:00.001-07:00

Seriously, you owe it to yourselves to read: www.rockpapershotgun.comThe first person who finds a better-written PC-gaming website gets a coockie from me.meheheheh

How my First Two Years in College Convinced Me To Be a Computer Games Journalist

2009-05-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is a speech.(Speaker first explains to audience what he’s going to tell them: the first two years at UCSD and a defense of his career choice)I love computer gaming.We have been together for sixteen years, and for the last sixteen years, only once did I try to leave computer gaming, when I decided it was a time-consuming, childish, distraction. A week before my first year at Sixth College

FPS on a Gamepad Vs. a Mouse and Keyboard Revisited

2009-05-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

There is one thing that makes the mouse and keyboard possibly always better than the gamepad in all First-Person Shooters:Immersion.I'll ponder this for a month and say something savvy.

Left 4 Dead XBOX 360 Vs. L4D PC Conclusions

2009-05-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Assuming that all the 3rd-party L4D mods will blow, there is only one reason why the XBOX 360 version of Left 4 Dead is worse than the PC one:On XBOX Live, you have to play with the gamers of XBOX Live. It is so, soooooooooo difficult to get a non-retarded team on XBOX Live. It's easier to beat a tank special-infected single-handedly than it is to get your teammates not to shoot you or run in

Sometimes it's the simple things that matter

2009-05-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

I picked up a copy of Silent Hill: Homecoming a few weeks ago during a used game sale at Gamestop. I had heard mixed things about the game, but being a big Silent Hill fan I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. Sadly, within the first three minutes of playing the game, I ran into a problem that almost made me return the game.The problem? There were no options to invert the camera.When playing

I'm Going to Try to Write about Games for My Classes, and Post Them Here

2009-04-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

Being a writing major, I get a lot of writing practice. I am going to spend this quarter testing GTA4's and GRAW2's multiplayer and seeing if getting most of the achievements in COD4 has a strong positive effect on my XBOX 360 multiplayer shooting skills; COD4's XBLA achievements are all singleplayer, unless you count the role-playing game unlocking-of-stuff that makes COD4's multiplayer special.

FPS - The MOUSE vs. the XBOX 360 Gamepad

2009-04-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Question- What makes mice better than XBOX 360 controllers for first-person shooters? First the obvious reasons: 1. Mice allow for more accurate shots per-minute in situations when there are more than zero enemies on screen. 2. Mice allow for quicker looking around, which increases the amount of information the player gets about his or her environment

Oh yeah, I'm supposed to update this occasionally

2009-03-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since I posted anything. Thankfully, Paul has had time to pick up some of the slack (I love you Paul!). Back in the Fall, I didn't have class on Fridays, so I actually had time to write something when I felt like it. This quarter, however, I didn't have Fridays off, and you'd be surprised how often you don't feel like writing after finishing classes that day. Regardless,

Critique: The Darkness (XBOX 360)

2009-03-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

The Darkness is a first-person shooter by Swedish developer Starbreeze Studios, developer of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, a game made special by being a thousand times better than the movie that stars the same protagonist, Vin Diesal. But enough about that.In The Darkness, you play as Jackie Estacado, a New York City, Italian hit man who wears black clothes and long, black,

Winter Gamefest '09 or Why UCSD's Sixth College is the Happy College

2009-02-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

On Jan. 17 and 18, the Sixth College Technology Committee hosted UCSD’s 4th annual Winter Gamefest where over 1,453 gamers, minus those who signed in twice, showed up at Price Center ballrooms A & B to play computer games. The gamefest was mostly a series of tournaments where hardcore gamers competed for glory and prizes. 28 Madden NFL 09 players competed, with their last

A Farewell to My Inspiration.

2009-01-06T23:41:00.000-08:00

If you don't like blatant declarations of love that border on the fanatical, then I suggest you skip this post and read one of Paul's articles or wait for the article I'm posting at the end of the week. Browsing the game blogs today I saw that Ugo Entertainment has acquired 1up.com. Along with this news came word that Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the best gaming magazines ever in my opinion

When Gameplay is Trumped by Presentation

2009-01-01T11:05:00.001-08:00

"The great thing about a single-player game is that an entire virtual world can be made to revolve around you, the player. In a single-player game you can become the king or the galactic emperor or the metropolis's undisputed gang leader or whatever other supreme figure suits the setting because there are no other players for the designer to balance the game for."Seth Schiesel, NYTimes Video Game

The Utility of Gaming for Fun Part 2: There are Four Reasons to Play

2008-12-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

"Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."-Henry Louis MenckenComputer games should never stress us into unhappiness. Here is where I believe games for fun place without violating my authoritarian mandate of love:1. Bonding. Computer games maximize fun; therefore, they provide terrific bonding experiences. The games industry is following this idea more than ever. The

The Problem with Fanboys

2008-11-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

First off, let me apologize for the lack of updates recently. It's been a busy month or so for me and Paul, especially with finals next week. Rest assured though, we plan on catching up on our writing over the winter break, so keep checking the site for updates. Now onward to the article!***With the advent of competing technologies comes groups of zealous fans that openly declare their

A brief birthday message.

2008-11-13T00:05:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, today is Paul's birthday, so congratulate him on being one year closer to death! :DI couldn't think of what to get you Paul, so here's a picture of a weighted companion cube birthday cake:Have a good one buddy! :DAlso, I totally knew it was your birthday and not because facebook told me through it's automated stalker tracking system....Honest.

Gamer Poetry

2008-11-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

Last year I wrote poems that focused on playing computer games. The best one is a sonnet. I didn't base this one directly off a video game experience, but I think you will see its connection to gaming."Play"I brought my water gun outside to playIn Thailand's ninety-degree humid heatNo other kids were in the field todayNo fun from victory, none to defeat.Some chickens crossed the road, play things

It's gonna be awhile...

2008-11-10T14:49:00.000-08:00

Argh! I have three hell-papers due within two weeks. I'm not going to have time to post anything super nice for sometime. But I promise to get this utility of gaming for fun series done by Winter Break.

The Utility of Gaming for Fun Part 1: Fun

2008-11-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

THE POLEMIC AGAINST FUN: Fun most often perpetuates misery.Fun, pleasure, the activity that fulfills your desire, has a bell curve effect on your happiness. It isn't a perfect curve, but it resembles it. From a state of happiness, fun will lift your happiness level and, once it is over, drop your happiness off the floor it started. How ironic a life of hedonistic utilitarianism is. It's ironic

Utility of Playing Games for Fun Introduction.

2008-11-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Hedonismnounthe pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.The ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction ofdesires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life."How is gaming no different from hedonism?" a special forces operator asked me. And I told him about The Sims and its time management lesson- how in The Sims, time, the game's non-cheat code-based resource,

Thoughts on Gaming Journalism

2008-11-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

Recently, Dan Hsu has been posting articles examining all of the behind-the-scenes details of game journalism on his blog. About a month ago, he asked for readers to submit their opinions on the subject. After the deadline, he selected a few to post on his blog. Since I'm interested in doing game journalism, I figured I'd submit an article. Unfortunately, my article was not one of the few

Jennifer Tsao Leaving 1up.com

2008-11-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Another good journalist is leaving 1up.com for another job in the game industry. Take a look at her send off; it says a lot about the history of gender in the business (the post is titled "Girl Talk"):http://www.generaltsao.com

2008-10-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

I love that whacky Red Alert series sense of humor:Check out this link :)http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/22213P.S. Pssst, Colin, how do we make avatars for Blogspot?

Future Article Everybody Will Love to Hate

2008-10-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

By this winter break, I am going to finish an article about the utility of playing computer games for fun. There is some reading I have to do and discussions I have to have before I write it though. Here are the current themes of the article:1. The importance of managing time well.2. The polemic against hedonism (we call it fun).3. The apology for fun.4. Conclusion: We must stop playing games by

Gaming as Art...Literally

2008-10-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

This summer, I had the opportunity to attend the opening night of the I Am 8-bit art gallery in LA. Being the gamer that I am, I was excited about attending. Here was an art show dedicated to exploring the cultural significance of video games. Sadly, the actual event was a complete intellectual disappointment.Let me just say, that I was in no way disappointed with the actual aesthetic nature

An Introduction of Sorts

2008-10-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the blog! What is this blog about you ask? Consider it a metaphorical proving grounds if you will. Proving grounds for two guys trying to perfect their writing skills in the hope that one day they will become full-fledged gaming journalists.Yes, this is indeed a gaming blog. However, we hope to do things a bit differently around here.Rather than focus only on gaming news