Game Developers, Half-Assed Releases & What To Do About the Issue

Okay. So, this is going to be a slight rant. It's directed solely at game developers, and content creators ...

We all know as gamers that everything from video games to patches/updates have been being botched, and released regardless of their unsatisfactory condition. This has got to stop. What it all boils down to is pure laziness, a lack of commitment to the product, and a lack of willingness to supply the funds needed to make things right. If you are going to make a game set in an online environment, or even an offline game it is imperative that you get things right from the start, and that you work out all the kinks before it hits shelves. There's no if's, and's, or butt's (I typed it that way on purpose) about it. If you are not willing to fund a team who can get such a job done then you do not need to be releasing the game, or patch in the first place. While I could point fingers, and call names all day I'm going to go a different route, and offer up a viable suggestion that will help get the development process back on the right track, and no it does not require more money to do ...

Battlefield 4 Open Beta (PS3) - "First Impressions"

I fully realize that this game is still in the "Open Beta" state, and that changes are likely coming in the days leading up to the game's release date. Even so what I have experienced while playing the Open Beta leads me to believe that many more patches will have to be put into place following the game's official release in order for it to even be a near flawless experience. As far as complaints go I'm finding a lot of glitches pertaining to the use of the knife as well as the sensitivity of the knifing effect. Other gripes include the poorly rendered map (Siege of Shanghai), and the less than current-gen look of the game as a whole. I know that some of you will disagree about the graphics, but in all honesty the game's visual points are basically glamorized current-gen lighting, and reflection applications. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Blog Update (Sept. 10, 2013) - "PR BS & Blog Progress"

What's up Inferno readers?

I've been quite the busy journalist as of late. I've been dealing with PR who want to see me fail, and other PR who are more than willing to work with me. It's just the way things go in the journalism biz. I'm glad I had the balls to email Kristiana Suess of EA a link to my article "Let's Talk - "Proper PR Etiquette" though. While it may not have helped EA's, or FortySeven's opinion of me it's something I feel they needed to read.

Too many PR agencies, and game developers have poor opinions of us journalists, and think that our jobs pale in comparison to theirs. The fact is that their job which they get paid handsomely for only requires the copying, pasting, and sending of emails along with some phone calls. In the end it is a paying job, and if done correctly it will not only help us journalists help the PRs succeed, but will also help all of us keep the gaming companies we are trying to support afloat in these uncertain economic times.

Shank 2 (XBLA): "Sequel To The Original Blood Filled Brawler"

I'm going to begin by saying that I have never actually played the first "Shank" game. I did notice during my playthrough of "Shank 2" that it looked like the continuation of another story. With that being said though I was able to understand everything that was going on without having played the previous game. What I discovered when I played "Shank 2" was a gory 2D brawler/platformer that seemed to have elements of the "Metal Slug" games, and an art style similar to the "Samurai Jack" series. It also featured an interesting, and deeply involved combo system with a wide variety of weapons. All of the characters in the game had their own unique personality that gave them a likable quality. Shank (the hero) was a lone wolf kind of guy that reminded me a lot of "Marcus Phoenix" from the "Gears of War" series. He had that same gritty voice, and attitude going on. As I played the game I really began to like Shank's style. As interesting as the characters were I found that the story to be even more entertaining. It featured a plot about organ harvesting, a dying dictator, a mad doctor, and even a female cult leader among other things. It was like a "Quentin Tarantino" grindhouse feature that was made into a video game!