N4G May Contest Details

15d ago ... Here are the contests we are running for May! April winners TBA! For those of you that have not yet received your prizes for the March, I'm so sorry. We are switching who at HAVA handles the prize payouts, and it hasn't been a smooth transition. You WILL get your prize (if you haven't already). COMMENT LOTTERY: Each comment you make on N4G during May = 1 entry. Comment 25 times? 25 en...

The Drawing Board: The Legend of Zelda

16d ago ... Oh boy. I'm treading dangerous waters here. The Legend Of Zelda is one of the most beloved franchises in the history of video games. No one can refute how important this video game series is to the development of almost every action-adventure game to date. Its colossal. Game-play is solid, the world is lush and beautiful, and there's a lot of secrets to discover. If you haven't picked up...

Pick And Choose Used Or New

16d ago ... The industry is in financial straits right now. The industry took a 22% drop in profits in the year 2012 and publishers keep looking for reasons why their games are making less money. Some like EA, took initiative against piracy. Others like Quantic Dream's David Cage believes that the used game market can potentially hurt profits. Knowing full well between the difference of the new and used...

Illumiroom: More Smoke and Mirrors

16d ago ... When I first saw the proof of concept video for Illumiroom I thought to myself “neat”. It’s the kind of thing that someone who invests heavily in entertainment technology to ever increase that feeling of immersion would enjoy, someone like me. If I thought for one second that it would ever translate into any kind of affordable consumer device this blog would be praising it instead of trying t...

I'm sorry. We've fallen so far.

17d ago ... I remember a time when it was okay for a videogame character to have big boobs. For that matter, I remember a time when it was okay for characters to be manly. Apparently, it isn't anymore. Apparently, despite the game industry's desperate plea to be considered "art", we shoot down art whenever it pops up beyond the confines of the Unreal 3 Engine. Apparently, in our desire for videogames to be...

Enough with the spam already

17d ago ... This is just going to be a short blog about a growing problem I have noticed occurring in N4G's articles, over the last 6 months or so I have seen an increase in false advertisements being posted by fake user accounts attempting to either gain hits or scam legitimate users. I wont post any examples with links for fear of encouraging the practice, but here's a message I received from a fake a...

I want to use my imagination again!

17d ago ... We have lost appreciation for good art design and graphical fidelity along with the ability to enjoy a great story time and time again. I sat at home today and played through another round of Final Fantasy XIII-2 and realized at that instant we have reached a point where graphics are no longer the determining factor in games. As I sit in awe at “Academia -500 AF”, which is one of the final loca...

Can Hacking/Piracy Be Considered Acceptable?

17d ago ... So with the recent news of the Wii U's supposed hacking, I thought I would ask the question presented in the headline while providing my own thoughts on the matter. Piracy is something I think almost any big gamer is guilty of at one point or another and whether they know it or not. Downloading a free game or perhaps playing a copy that friend made for you, for instance. The use of ROMs, ISO...

Joining the Dark Side

17d ago ... Well, it's come to this. Me, an avid and voracious supporter of all things Xbox, has decided to go the way of so many before me, and purchase the Playstation 4 on release. There's been a lot of supposition on what the new Xbox will bring to the table, and though nothing so far is concrete, the overall outlook from the standpoint of a hardcore gamer is that the PS4 is going to be the machi...

The Mods of N4G

17d ago ... A few years ago I was one of these users that thought the mods of this site were either grossly negligent/incompetent, or randomly prone to bouts of fanboyism depending on what mod I "dealt" with. Like many on this site, I had moments where I felt there was a huge injustice being done to me, or just as big an imbalance of who could speak out the most and who couldn't. Thanks to many encounters...

My PC (Steam) experience

18d ago ... Gaming have always been a huge part of my life. I started gaming on the Atari 2600 as a kid, then moved to the NES and I had countless hours on Contra and Super Mario Bros. I was blown away when I first played Sonic on my SEGA Genesis. The time I got my Playstation one I realized that gaming was no longer a kids hobby, I was blown away by the immersive worlds, deep stories and mature themes and...

Beyond: Two Souls And How It Shows Evolution

19d ago ... With talks on the internet of where the industry is currently headed, it's hard to imagine where exactly we're heading. A year ago I was convinced virtual reality would be the next step, but it seems this new generation is more about social interaction and media expansion. From Wii U's Miiverse to Sony's online interaction innovations, console gaming seems to be stepping into territory more so...

Nintendo Direct and E3

20d ago ... If there's one thing Nintendo defenders have been stating for the past couple of months more than anything from what I've seen (myself included at times), it's for those clamoring for more Wii U software to hold their tongues until after E3. And in one way or another, we have been right about that. Nintendo has opted to wait until E3 to give us true reveals on several games that were merely ann...

It's Nintendo's fault we think the WiiU is underpowered

20d ago ... I think we hurt Nintendo's feelings, guys. I remember when the DS and Wii were both enjoying the limelight. Sales were high. Review scores were high. Popularity was high. The number of games being released each month was high. And yet, I do recall several industry big-wigs (as well as gamers on our forums) saying - to the effect - "Nintendo is not a technology company". That must've stuck wi...

Opinion: We Run the Risk of Visual Stagnation

21d ago ... So far, the most we've seen from next generation graphics is primarily from Sony's Playstation 4 reveal event. We've seen the machine supposedly running game engines that look pretty close to CGI visuals that you would sometimes see in an animated movie. Technologically speaking, it's pretty cool. It certainly has many Sony fans excited, with many wondering where that leaves the upcoming new Xb...

Microsoft's TV Ambitions are a Cop Out

21d ago ... So, Microsoft have finally stopped pretending there isn’t a third Xbox on the way and has found it in their hearts to give us a date for the big unveiling. Like the good consumers they take us for we’re supposed to watch the countdown timer patiently with baited breath. Then, when the time is upon us, Microsoft will bestow its new master plan for gaming on the world. It is said that this pla...

Four things I learned from a casual gamer

22d ago ... My gaming experience stretches back into my early childhood. Propped on the trophy-wall of my memory are countless consoles I've owned, countless online lobbies I've conquered, countless adventures I've embarked upon, and all the years of experience that goes along with those. I am a hardcore gamer. I pre-order and I Kickstart. I argue and discuss on message forums. I own more games and game sy...

The Drawing Board: Halo

22d ago ... I don't usually do stuff like this, but I think I need an outlet so let's give it a shot. These days, I cant help but notice that there are some big names in the video game industry that are too afraid to stray away from previous entries. Long lasting franchises like Pokemon,Starcraft, Resident Evil, The Legend of Zelda, and many others seem uninterested in adding new elements or perspective...

January to March In Scope, Part 2

22d ago ... Saying goodbye to January and February, we welcome March. It's rather useless to say that March wasn't a busy month for the industry. I had to make Part 2 completely dedicated to the month for that very reason. There were a lot of cheers and a lot of jeers, but the one thing that remained constant was debate. There was a lot of debate among reviewers, gamers, developers, and publishers over som...

The state of the industry as I see it...

23d ago ... I always wanted to be involved in the gaming industry in some way when I was younger. Whether that be a programmer, a level designer, a tester, or just a journalist of some sort for gaming related news. When I was growing up through the PS1/N64 days gaming was a magical thing to me. I'd go to the store with my family, see an awesome new game on the shelves and beg my parents to get it. Ever...