In the past year and a half I've had the honour and privilege to get to know some of the most talented people here at Destructoid. These are people who have given us art, videos, songs, insight, witty banter out the ass, and shoops to die for. Friday Night Fights? Thanks to everybody who turns up to meet the regulars and making it what it is. So everybody has contributed hugly to destructoid and although there is no way to show everybody, here are just a few:
Other awesome wallpapers can be found here for the hardcore fans.
Imagine Destructoid without these people. No don't. It's too awful. Take all the new people for example. Can you imagine Destructoid without regular new people?? Or the older regulars for that matter??
Half of you wouldn't have anything to read if it wasn't for the newer people. Like all of the new people, they comment in all the posts, have all sorts of cool avatars, and bring with them so much awesome. But that's just a typical new Dtoider, I could have mentioned somebody in specific. So here's my appreciation post to EVERYBODY. A pat on the back you guys.
INNERNETS!
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Friday Night Fights are back again, safe in my hands like a peanut butter flavoured cookie. I value it's worth, but I'm not going to eat it.
If you fancy joining the all-star cast of dtoid gamers for some (NOT)Halo or GTA this evening, then listen up! Be you European and settling in for an eventing of controller mashing mayhem, American and fancy some afternoon antics or Australian and... don't want to have a BBQ, all are welcome!
Just send a message to whoever is hosting the game of your choice (if that choice is GTA) and hop in. We will send out invites wherever we can, so be patient! All games will kick of around 10pm GMT (5pm-ish America-time).
Game: Grant Theft Auto 4
GamerTag: bunnyrabbit2
UPDATE: Halo. Seriously, who would play halo when GTA is around?
See you there!
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As you are surly aware by now, the greatest gaming experience to come out of last year, BioShock, is to be made into a movie to be directed by the same guy who directed Pirates of the Caribbean. Most people seem to think this is a terrible idea and are gathering their best donotwant.jpg to use wherever they can.
I think BioShock would make a great movie, and a could easily lead the way in showing how a successful videogame can be used as source material for a movie. Let me explain why, in non tl;dr form.
Many games have been turned into movies. Nearly all of these have fucking sucked. To take Doom for example. One of only a few films I have ever rented and not watched all the way through. The people who made that movie failed to translate the strength of the game (which in doom is the gameplay). Instead they replaced these aspects with generic Hollywood crap.
This is where BioShock differs. Unlike most highly successful games, the strengths of BioShock do not come from gameplay mechanics. BioShock uses the techniques typically found in the medium of film; story, cinematics, sound and strong, deep characters all to pull you in. The fact it is a videogame adds the first person perspective and solid gameplay to fully emerse you into the world, but these are not the parts you will remember most vividly and are not the parts which make the game as good as it is.
It is because of the strengths of the game coming from film that mean that BioShock could move successfully to the big screen. The major strengths come from parts which can be used in both.
With this showing that the game is different from others in it's potential for success in film, the director, Gore Verbinski, has said a lot of things you should take note of:
Ken and I speak on a regular basis in terms of what characters we feel are working well and where he feels things should be different in a movie
We want to take all the strengths from the property. Of all the games I’ve played, this is the one that I felt has a really strong narrative.
I think we’ll go right up to the edge with the Little Sisters. I don’t want to soften it to the point where the core audience feels betrayed.
We’re prepared to make it an R-rated movie. I don’t intuitively see it as PG-13. The content and the graphic nature of the story itself is smarter than that. It’s not for young kids
This isn't me saying it will definitely not suck, there is no way anyone can tell at this early stage. This is me simply pointing out that there is a high chance that the movie will be a success.
(image totally not stolen from Ripten)
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Oh Haze, here I was downloading you, all 1.5 gigs of you. I was expecting great things. What did I get? Ass, and not the good kind.
Not wanting to totally rip on it, it has a few nice points. The demo can support up to 4 co-op players over the PSN, providing your friends list for invites. It is also instant loading, the first PS3 game I have played which does this and it's very cool. The story is apparently very good too. From memory, eventually I get to kill all the jerks I'm currently fighting along side.
Control wise it's solid, no big problems (appart from not being able to adjust the sensitivity in the demo). Using nectar is fun, going insane after taking too much is more fun.
Now, the problem comes with the fact it is fugly. No getting around it. That game is easily surpassed by Halo. Putting it next to a game like CoD4 and it looks even worse. The demo is also about 10 to 15 minuets long. A1.5 gig install for 10 mins? Good job.
Still, download it, play it, and then forget about it. It's probably worth the time spent downloading to hear the one funny line of dialogue. It contains the word penis.
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Today I have mostly been playing my sexy copy of GTA IV. I have been enjoying myself. I went bowling, watched TV, listened to the radio and went on a date. Then I tried playing the game and it all went a bit, well, average.
Please, please don't just think I am insulting the game. I know I usually sound like I don't like anything, but I do. I just also seem to notice the negative things more. I'm a passionate gamer and I expect a lot from the games I pay my money for. I will try to keep this brief.
The hand to hand combat is terrible. It feels slow and awkward. Guns are fine, not up to the standard of a game like Crackdown, but alight. Why I need 3 buttons when 1 will do, I still don't understand.
Corners. As it happens, I would like to go around them sometimes. Don't give me any bullshit about me not being a good driver. If you have played as many driving games as me, you can not help but notice that GTA's cars are “different”.
Why can't I have a start menu? Why, when I want to play multiplayer, do I have to go through so many loading screens. Besides the fact it's about 2 inches wide, it is totally pointless. At least give me an option to have a proper start menu.
Apart from those specifics, I can't help but feel I'm just travelling through cut scenes. Very very good cut scenes I must say, but the in-between bits just feel, dull. I keep finding myself just getting bored. Which is a shame.
I do love the game as a whole. All of the extra stuff is awesome, I just really hope the core of the game becomes what I hope it will and what I know it can be.
Hope, I still has it.
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I'm just taking a break from what seems to be my endless work as it has occurred to me that the next 24 hours are going to either kill me, make me go insane, or just leave me comatose for a week.
Firstly, there is the issue of my third year university project deadline. Tomorrow. Technically today actually, as it's currently somewhere between 1am and 2am. I have no intention of sleeping. I have my crisps, coffee and quiche all at the ready to fuel my final sprint to the finish line; to hand in this 50 page report on a project which has taken me the better part of 9 months to complete (if you really want to know, I'm implementing an 8080 processor on an FPGA... no, I don't understand it either)
There is also this little game out call Grand Theft something something. Jim likes it, but sadly due to my epic work (see previous paragraph) I haven't got myself a copy. So after handing in the mother of all reports, I will be running into Manchester city centre to get me some hookers to run over.
But that's not all, as you are all aware, The Podcastle is recording tomorrow and we have a rather special guest. The debate between Mr T and Sterling should go on mid afternoon if all goes to plan. Following that the proper show will be recorded in the evening.
Oh, and I'm editing it all on Thursday, as well as going to a lecture by Richard Stallman (I bet he likes space giraffe).
I think I will be kept busy.
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Apparently I have this thing where I write stuff for some website. Occasionally I write very nice things, like when I gave my very positive hands on with "World of Warcraft meets X-Wing vs Tie Fighter", Jumpgate Evolution.
I'll be honest, it's the first and only MMO I want to play. Which makes it more awesome that I have been given the opportunity to interview a guy called Hermann Peterscheck, who is the producer of the game.
Now, I was composing all of my questions, as one does, and I thought I would ask you guys if you had anything you wanted me to add to the questions. Feel free to leave a comment/PM me. I really would suggest checking the game out, it looks and feels hot, like a muffin... which has been heated.
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Yes, it's that time again for us. The time when a massive game comes out which we have been anticipating for months. Sadly it's also the time when fucking rejects think it's funny or cool to prove they are better than me by ruining the game.
Spoilers, I'm bitching about them.
When I play a game, most of the enjoyment from the first play through is not knowing what is going to happen. I can only ever play the game like this once and I want to savour every single second. This is very very important to me and when it gets taken away, it really fucking sucks.
I have managed to not have Lost Odyssey ruined (much), BioShock wasn't revealed to me but some other games, like Halo, had the massive twist taken away. Knowing what happens at the end of the game doesn't effect most people, but it does effect me.
If I wanted to, right now, I could see every FMV, every set of graphics, every model, listen to every sound and learn every mission before GTA IV even comes out. I don't want to. I want the graphics to be unexpected, mission to be fresh and above all I DEFINITLY do not want to know how it ends.
As such, I am going to say now:
If you try, even jokingly, to spoil this game for me, I will punch you in the face. As funny as it would be to cunningly make me watch some spoilers, or some leaked footage, if you try then you should be ashamed. We here are gamers, we enjoy playing games. If you think it's ok to reduce somebody else's enjoyment to make yourself feel good, then GTFO.
Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back into my WW2 bunker.
(Also, if you want to have anything in your cblogs about GTA, please add a spoilers tag in the title and don't write it in the first few sentences so the info doesn't appear on the cblog main page. Tnx)
(Also, also, I read Jayeugene's cblog, but started writing before his went live. FYI, that makes two of us who will punch you in the face if you ruin it)
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Please note the use of the term “I will” not “you should”.
As I know this is going to be a rather contentious issue, I would like people to know that this is my preference. You will be able to tell from the fact most of these reasons are that I simply don't care about some aspects which make the 360 “better”. I own both the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3. I also plan to get me some of those tasty GTA IVs. What will surprise most people is that my current plan is to buy the game for my hungry PS3. Why? I hear you ask, pitchfork at the ready, well, let me explain myself and this traitorous deed.
Sorry, but I don't care if there is a better frame rate on the 360.
From what i have read and heard, the game runs at a slightly higher frame rate on the 360. Sadly, I don't care. If half the textures were low-rez and it ran at 3 fps on the PS3, then we would have an issue, but if I can only tell which version is which by looking at them side by side, I really don't care.
Live is better
Yep, Live is better than what the PS3 has at the moment, but in 6 months time, Home will be out. Hopefully matching Live in it's features and usability. I also don't actually mind too much as I'm not expecting to spend too much time playing the game on Live, appart from the odd FNF. Even with it's last-gen online service, pre-home PSN is still usable (just look at the games out there using it!).
There is also the fact Live will mostly likely break for a week when the game launches, just sayin'.
I don't mind the PS3 controller
Yeah, the rear triggers feel like ass. Small, hard asses to be precise, but it doesn't bother me half as much as I expected. As such, unless there are extra buttons on the 360 controller I don't know about, of if the controls in-game are actually different, the PS3 controller is fine. It might also (totally un-confirmed) use the -axis, which, if you haven't played a game where it's used well, is sexy.
DLC
Hmm, this doesn't kinda suck. But, if the content is good, and designed to be in the game, I kinda hate Rockstar for not putting it in the game to start with. People alawys complain when DLC is used an an excuse to sell you bits of the game they already made, so why is it different to now? Ok, not the best defence here, but it's something that does bother me a little bit.
Also, if the DLC is really good, I can always play it on a mates copy and/or swap my PS3 version. Either way, I don't need to decide for another 6 months on the DLC issue.
Achievements
Gamerscore lol. Lol Gamerscore.
My biggest reason: Xbox reliability
I think I am going to love GTA IV. I also think I would like to ply it all without my Xbox crapping out on me. My playing of Lost Odyssey has been ruined. Or at least my appreciation and passion dampened by my 360's relentless audio issues and disc read errors. Not to mention the ever present thread of a rrod. I know I can re-set the caches each morning as I have my breakfast, and I do, but it still breaks. You may think it's acceptable, but sadly, I'm a whiney bitch who for some reason comes to expect reliability as standard. I do not want this to happen to my play through of GTA IV. This is a major issue for me, and the main reason I am looking for the PS3 to serve me up my GTA IV pie.
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I know, I know, you can't stand the waiting. But you're going to have to wait just a bit longer.
I personally would love to blame Ron Workman entirely, but the truth is, it's all Jim's fault. From memory, the conversation went like this:
Wardrox:
Hey Jim, you know how I'm normal and I like girls and I need to edit the podcastle?
Jim:
Raaaa, I hate everybody and I just eated a baby!
Wardrox:
I know, but I need you to send me your file so I can edit, I really want to edit for our beautiful listeners and I have all the time to get it done on time
Jim:
OM NOM I EAT YOUR MILKSHAKE
Wardrox:
...but Jim, we can't just leave our dear listeners out in the cold! Think of the Children!!!
Jim:
I am thinking of the children. I hate all the listeners, I only appear on the Podcastle to tell people not to read your blog because you are better than me.
So, I put on my cape, flew down there and after an epic battle in which the entire of London Town was destroyed, I have the files, but it's going to take until tomorrow until it goes up.
(Some of this may not have happened.)
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