Does 2011 Suck for Gamers? We Debate!

Posted on May 25, 2011 by SweetMattyTreats

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*A forward, by Nelly.

So here we are almost half way through 2011. As per usual, the gaming industry has been hitting us with tons of new titles, even news of new consoles on the horizon. If you remember back to 2010, there was big talk of just how great *this* year would be for gamers. The hype machine was working overtime and we were walking around with bibs, as to not drool on ourselves every time we thought about all the fantastic games in the pipeline. But has this year lived up to the hype so far? Two of our resident Rioters, Ben and Matt, duke it out. Enjoy.

Matt: My eyes were bright and I was optimistic for the future. Gas was under $3 and my brother had just found the warps to take him to level 8 in Super Mario Bros. Papa Cheeks was full of cheesecake and owning Super Meat Boy. We were knee deep in a discussion about video game when we were over taken with glee because of the promising titles on the horizon. We concluded that 2011 was going to be the greatest year for games ever! Man times were much more simple back at the Christmas of 2010. 2011 was going to be the year that justified our undeniable love for games. Now I sit here, almost at the half way point on 2011, and I am left with a table of underwhelming games, (thank Marvel V. Capcom 3, Homefront, Crysis 2, Brink), a stolen credit card (thanks PSN), and herpes (thanks whore).

Merry Christmas Bitches

Not to say that there has not been some bright moments this year. January got things off to a kick ass start. Little Big Planet 2 delivered what it promised, a fun platformer for the arty hipster kid in all of us. Bulletstorm also came out of nowhere. That game seemed to throw so much freshness up the industry’s ass that I think Epic Games and People Can Fly earned 500 skill points for its release. Now before you start flaming on me, I understand that it's another shooter and the online doesn't have the best experience or many various modes. But did anyone expect anything from Bulletstorm to begin with? Who could forget about how Dead Space 2 made my mother disgusted and horrified at the same time? It seemed that January had more hits then a hooker who partied with Charlie Sheen.

But then February came and it was like someone let out a fart at the party. Not to say that Killzone 3 (KZ3) and MVC3 were bad games but did either really live up to the hype that surrounded them? (Yes, I said it.) KZ3 has sold 1.49 million copies worldwide. It is loved by many people out there. But sorry to break the news to you fanboys, it couldn't live up to the hype. All we heard before it's release was how KZ3 was the COD killer. The stage was set KZ3 vs. COD:BO, Kevin Butler was ready for action. We were told that after KZ3 other FPS will have a new standard to live up to. Then it was released and it just didn't connect with the casual fan. This past week (in it's 11th week of release) KZ3 sold an impressive 30,000 units. Now compared to COD:BO which (in it's 26th week of released) sold 33,000. So much for the "killer hype". It was supposed to be the game that changed the FPS genre until the next game that changed the FPS genre. Instead it went unnoticed by most.

Kevin Butler Ready for War

Then MVC3 was supposed to take us back to the days when a button smashing war was better fought with a balanced team that juggled their opponents. Instead the gameplay and cheapness of the game voids any skill and fun that the player may have.

Ah but March will get us back on track. “It will be better, it has to be better.” This was one of the lies I kept telling myself over and over again. We had the new IP Homefront coming out and it will be a breath of fresh air that brings the war home. It sounds and looks like balls to the walls fun. Instead we were treated to a 4 hour enema. With its lack of innovation and single player campaign, Homefront turned out to be another clone. However Crysis 2 was going to be the better game of the two all along. I mean when the first one came out it looked amazing and the environment was destructible. We were also able to go anywhere we wanted within the world [but Crysis 2 was filled with invisible walls.]

As gamers, we kept playing and it seemed that April would become our savior. We had 3 huge releases coming out on the 19th and there was a title for any fan. When that came we all rejoiced and walked away with some great games. Well maybe Xbox fans did because Sony would soon piss on our legs and tell us it was raining. As every gamer knows, the PSN was hacked and the situation will go down in gaming history. So the true experience of two games that were released on that day will forever be tainted. Socom 4 (which relies heavily on its multiplayer) has given gamers no reason to buy it at no fault of its own. For about a month, Portal 2's co-op (which adds valuable campaign time) could only be enjoyed by half of the gaming landscape.

Mortal Kombat has been the truly shining moment that this spring delivered. After years of disappointing the family, the father of brutal fighters was home on Easter. The revitalized franchise is selling a ton of copies and everyone seems to be satisfied. Many also believe that Portal 2 is one of the greatest games of all time. Singlehandedly with the release of these two games things were starting to look up. May even has a slate of promising new IPs which has us gamers excited.

Brink is finally here and well it seems like it showed up a little too early to the party. From all reports the game is average. The release of Brink best sums up 2011 as a whole right now. There has been a lot of hype and a lot of excitement in the gaming community but someone has let the air out of our balloons. This year was supposed to be amazing, with the best slate of games we had ever seen but instead its been just an average year. The best shooter to be released this year has been the Gears of War 3 beta.

It’s not that the games that have been released this year have been bad, the industry as a whole has just been blah. The games are suffering from being average and the lack of innovation has killed some of the new releases. Remember when everyone got a Kinect and a Move? Where are the games for them? Let’s not start the PSN debate either. When my brother, cousin and I talked last Christmas we were expecting to be blown away. Instead I feel like King Hippo after Little Mac punched him in the stomach. But I’m still hopeful. LA Noire has me wet in the panties. Infamous 2, Gears of War 3, and Uncharted 3 all look amazing. Of course, I have gotten this far without mentioning the 3DS launch for a reason. Even that was a let down. Maybe I’m just a disillusioned gamer or victim of the hype machine but 2011 just hasn't lived up to the hype.

Ben: There's so many problems here.

We have just been handed one amazing game (Portal 2) and one is landing on our doorstep (LA Noire). We are staring down at an incredible looking E3. We are about to see a new platform from Nintendo that rivals our our current gen consoles. Infamous 2 is two weeks away.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 "voids any skill and fun that the player may have..."

Wait. What? MVC3 is being played and talked about by every fighting game aficionado around. I follow a few on twitter and everyone is playing it. New tournaments are popping up around the country every week and guess what game is part of their showcase.... MVC3 (and MK) hold the most talked about games position on many websites.

From the message board based site Gamefaqs, most talked as of today:

XB
01 L.A. Noire
02 Call of Duty: Black Ops
03 Mortal Kombat
04 Fallout: New Vegas
05 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
06 Modern Warfare 3
07 Marvel vs. Capcom 3
08 Brink
09 Mass Effect 3
10 Gears of War 3

PS3
01 Mortal Kombat
02 L.A. Noire
03 Call of Duty: Black Ops
04 Marvel vs. Capcom 3
05 BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
06 Demon's Souls
07 inFamous 2
08 Super Street Fighter IV
09 Gran Turismo 5
10 Final Fantasy XIII

Now, I know one website doesn't speak for all of us but it does have many vocal users and a hefty percentage of that base are playing and talking about Marvel Vs. Capcom.

The other "underwhelming" games you mention are fine games. But, you speak as though you actually believed Killzone was going to be a "CoD killer" and no one with any sense ever called it that. No one actually believed that it was going to "change the FPS genre." Who even says that? SONY Marketing Department, I'd guess. If you ever hear that a game is a supposed "*insert popular game* killer," then you are being sold to.

And, what's the big disappointment with it being what it was? Was it average? Above average? Oh no! Same goes for Brink. It's average! Oh no! Crysis is average!? Oh no! Homefront didn't magically transport us to our hometown thats been taken over by Korea like all that marketing said it would! That's shocking!

Plenty of people like those games, by the way. Killzone and Homefront especially. Just because each game doesn't speak to every person, or make it into Game of the Year talks, it doesn't make them a failure in any way. It is a shame that most people have that mentality. There are people out there playing these and enjoying them. I have had no problems finding games to enjoy, have you?

What year are you comparing it to? When was the last time that a new Elder Scrolls, Killzone, Capcom fighter, MK reboot, Infamous, Valve game, Uncharted, Diablo, Star Wars MMO, Nintendo Handheld launch, Nintendo new console (I could really go on here) approached all in the same year. There's a slew of new properties and amazing new concepts. What is your basis for comparison? When did all that happen before?

You can't just name off what you feel are disappointments of the past few months and call the year a bust. Games and consoles are getting cheaper than ever. Stores (and Steam) have sales every day and free games are on the rise. Esports are bigger than ever. This brings so much exposure and money into our hobby. And, you can rest assured that any night of the week you can watch your favorite competitive game from some amazing teams and players live. Downloadable games are all over the place and provide cheap entertainment and provide massive innovations. Played Minecraft yet? On the retail side, you'd have to unplug your TV and internet in order to make a bad purchase these days.

Gaming Utopia? Maybe not but 2011 will not go down in the books as a letdown.

So what do you think? Make sure to comment and let us know. Just be polite or have your post horribly mangled

Play with Matt on PSN: TeamHellion

Play with Ben on Xbox and Steam: Oaklore

Friend us on Raptr: SweetMattyTreats & Beneviolent

Episode 59: Rioter’s Return, Homefront Reviewed, and More!

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Papacheeks

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:30:24 — 82.8MB) | Embed

Rioter's Assemble!

Hey guys, it's us again back from Pax and well rested. Today on the show the gang goes over their last day at Pax East. We review the disappointment that is Homefront. Plus we talk about Dragon Age 2 and whole bunch of other games here on Gamer's Riot!

Intro is from a game I'v never heard of or played but I do know the awesome guy who remixed and composed it. Daniel Baranowsky, who also scored Super Meat Boy, which you should know.

Subscribe to the show.

Check out the piece here!

Daniel's Super Meaty Soundtrack!

More Shooters! An hour with “Homefront”

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Nelly

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Why is it that every new FPS title released to market is hyped to be a "Call of Duty killer?" If your game has guns in it, you better get the PR people to whip up a press release about how it's going to totally "pwn" Black Ops and reduce it to a community full of "No0bs."

I remember reading up a bit on "Homefront" before it released. Expectedly, there were a number of stories written about how THQ's new shooter would be *the* nail in the coffin for C.O.D. Hindsight being 20/20, that is a hilarious assertion. "Homefront" is nothing like C.O.D. And it's a good thing.

Papa Cheeks and I have spent some time with the multiplayer portion of the game. So consider this a "first impressions" piece. There will be no opinions offered about the single player campaign. We'll probably publish a second article on that a little later.

To get you up to speed on the plot, "Homefront" is about North Koreans invading the United States. That's really all you need to know. The multiplayer maps, therefore, are designed to make you feel like you're fighting in your own backyard. Suburban neighborhoods, farms, and more urban areas provide backdrops for your multiplayer games.

Usual guns aside, "Homefront" is packed with cool secondary weapons and vehicles. Tired of running around the field looking for dudes to shoot? Why not take a load off and deploy a remote controlled flying death bot? Or just jump in a tank and do tanky things...more to the point... blow crap up.

Oh, but you don't just *get* up-armored Humvees and flying robot death machines at the start of the match. You've gots to work for em', baby. The game utilizes an interesting "battle points" system. Every time you do something in game (kill an opponent, provide support, etc...) you get points. You can spend them immediately for a small perk, like extra armor. Or, you can save up and splurge on that tank or helicopter. It's up to you.

Killstreaks are set up differently as well. In most games, killing a number of players simply rewards you with cool stuff. That's true here, but when you find yourself on a hot streak, your oppenents are alerted to it. A "red alert" is issued to the other team, along with a high point "bounty" for your head. It makes killstreaks a rewarding, yet anxiety - riddled experience. The better you do, the more your enemies are gunning for you.

Sound a lot like Black Ops? Hell no. The maps are much bigger and thanks to dedicated servers, THQ's new shooter runs really... really smooth.

After playing some TDM and Ground Control (basically... Domination for you C.O.D. fans) it's clear this game deserves attention. "Homefront" is not frantic like some shooters out there. Taking your time and planning your next move is preferred. And as people start clanning up with friends, the game's strategic value will surely shine.

"Homefront." Lots of customization. Pretty much lag free. Robot flying death machines!!! Plus, the hour or so Papa and I put in felt like ten minutes. Time will tell if "Homefront's" online community will thrive. Personally, I fear it will be swallowed alive by the likes of Battlefield 3. But for now, at least, this is an easy recommendation for FPS fans.

The Homefront Dilemma

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Nelly

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THQ execs are talking about their highly anticipated shooter, “Homefront.” Some are heralding it as a true C.O.D. killer and the latest news may back up that prediction. When Homefront is released in March, gamers will be treated to dedicated servers for multiplayer matches. That means no Black Ops-esqe ”host migration” or “host advantage.” It’s terrific news, at face value. Dig deeper, and you’ll notice a grim trend that’s sure to become a norm in the industry.

The old saying is true. Ain’t nothing for free, baby. Dedicated Homefront servers will provide tremendous gameplay, but they will come at a price. THQ is implementing what’s called a “THQ Pass.” If you buy a new copy of Homefront, the pass comes with the game, allowing you full access to the title’s some 70 multiplayer character levels.

You have to pay to play, baby

Buy Homefront used, and you’ll have to purchase the online pass separately, which reports are saying will run you about $10. If you decide not to cough up the extra cash, you won’t be able to fully level up your character. The level cap is set at a pathetically low level 5.

Paying for dedicated servers is nothing new. There are myriad sun-deprived, mountain dew guzzling PC gamers rocking older games on dedicated servers right now. They have all paid a few bucks to keep those servers running. It’s standard operating proceedure.

But don’t get it twisted. THQ pass isn’t really about servers. It’s about the used and rental industry. Every time you buy a used title at Gamestop, the developer gets cut out of the deal. The people who made that game see no money at all. It’s in THQ’s interest to sell as many new games as possible.

I’m with that line of thinking. I rarely buy used. I prefer to reward the developer for its hard work.

That said, I don’t buy a ton of games. I, like most people, am not made of money. It’s problematic because I write for this website and need to play a whole bunch of games. That’s where renting comes in.

Companies like Gamefly are perfect for a guy like me. Play a bunch of stuff, write reviews and impressions, then pick up the ones I really like later down the line. It’s a plan that has worked well so far. But if more companies start thinking like THQ, that will change.

If I rent Homefront to review for this site, I won’t be able to tell you guys about the guns and perks you unlock after an hour or so of gameplay. My lack of a THQ pass will prevent me from experiencing the full multiplayer portion of the game.

If I want that pass, I’ll most likely have to buy the game from Gamefly, or just head to the store and grab a new copy. In short, my “rental” will be something like a glorified demo. Sure, I can play the entire single player campaign, but the meat and potatoes, the multiplayer, will be partially locked away until I pay.

Expect games with vast multiplayer experiences to follow in suit. Your rental will only allow you to play so deep into the game. It’s ironic, because Gamefly’s mantra is “Play as long as you want, and return the game to us with no late fees.” If I can only level up to 5 on Homefront’s multiplayer, how long will I actually keep that game? If online passes become a norm for developers, you may ask yourself why you’re renting at all.

"I remember the old days. We could rent *full* games, even during snowstorms..."

You have to feel bad for casual gamers. Just one month into 2011, relentless news of awesome releases to come have produced an internet cacophony difficult to decifer if you don’t really follow the games industry. Everyday, it’s, “Killzone this,” “Crysis 2 that,” “Bulletstorm the other.” The quality games are coming in large numbers, particularly shooters. And for plenty of gamers, renting helps determine which offerings will be a purchase and which ones get passed by.

If developers lock out gamers who don’t give up the $60 right away, will there be a backlash? Will it hurt sales in the end? I’m not sure.

I’ve been very excited about Homefront. It may be one of the best shooters of the year. Will the THQ pass problem keep my from getting the title? Yeah, probably. I’ll most likely wait until the price drops to pick it up. The online pass concept may be necessary, but it just doesn’t *feel* right. Why blackmail gamers? How about developers at large figure out some way to get paid off used purchases?

I don’t like a developer holding back portions of a game just because I want to rent before I buy. Awesome servers or not, my gut tells me it’s bad business. But it’s also the way the business is headed. Welcome to next gen gaming. Give us all your money, or you don’t get all the game.