The reason they state is to give the developers, A4 Games a little more time to polish the game. THQ have also said they expect to spend double the marketing budget of the original in marketing the sequel.

Metro 2033: Last Light delayed until 2013 originally appeared on GamingOgre on February 3, 2012.

So maybe more isn’t always better and sometimes the next thing isn’t always the obvious thing.

“Where do games even go from here?” is a question I’ve heard on countless websites, enthusiast press outlets and message boards. This question, I think, is an inchoate way of making the salient, underlying economic point:

If your standard AAA title cost tens of millions of dollars to make, tens of millions of dollars to produce, and tens of millions of dollars to market over a production cycle that typically lasts several years and sometimes longer (Duke Nuke’em Forever anyone?) what is a next generation console going to mean to a studio and publisher in the future? Do the games for the next-gen mean that we just take all of those numbers multiply them by three and calibrate our standards, wait times and expectations accordingly?

Proof that games, unlike wine, do not get better with age.

(Parenthetically: It will be five years between Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite. If the Xbox 720 had come out could we then expect to wait 10 years between a company’s titles? Or 15?)

Do you see what I’m getting at here?

Game companies and hardware manufacturers won’t release the 8th generation of consoles anytime soon because of precisely the problem I’ve set out to try to describe here. I think Nintendo is only releasing the Wii U because of how far behind the Wii is graphically. Besides, at all press events Nintendo spokespeople have been careful not to call the Wii U the next platform – “It’s the new controller, it’s got HDMI out – that’s all.” Game developers are continuing to improve their ability to create better looking character models, environments and effects on what is essentially the same 6-year-old hardware, which is why games (like Battlefield 3, Gears of War 3, Uncharted 3 – do we see a theme of reiteration and reissue again?) continue to look better and better. Now that’s not to say that the hardware on the PS3 and 360 hasn’t had some improvements over the years, but nothing significant.

"It's the new controller, it's got HDMI out – that's all."

It’s not in Microsoft’s or Sony’s best interest to release new consoles anytime soon, because no one, other than the hardcore gamer, is shouting for a new one. Considering the state of the global economy, who really wants to or CAN shell out another 400 to 600 bucks on another console? For what, in the end? There’s only a handful of companies that know how to design games that fully utilize the consoles on the market right now.

Now, of course it’s a mistake to think that games have reached the summit of their abilities and game designers have coaxed the medium into its fullest possible expression and there is absolutely nowhere to go from here other than bigger, slicker, longer, faster, etc. – and trust me that is not what I am saying at all.

There is always room for improvement at least in terms of hardware: I mean the Xbox 360 is running a 3.2GHz triple-core processor and 512 MB of RAM and the PS3 has a far better processor suite even if it only has 256MB of RAM which, when compared with any system utilizing the Intel Core i7 995X @ 3.60GHz (6 cores – hyperthreading up to 12 logical cores), means there is plenty of ceiling above our heads. But that is going to cost about $1000 just for the CPU and that is way more than any console needs right now. But PC’s have always been at least a generation ahead in terms of hardware.

Might as well get this picture out of the way.

So again the question isn’t “Is there anywhere else to go?” but “Where do we go?”

Tim Sweeney, technical head of Epic Games, a studio that knows how to make a mighty pretty game, has said as much in a recent interview with VentureBeat. “We have been able to ship three Gears of War games on the same generation of hardware, each one with dramatic improvements over the last and a two to three-year development cycle but even with these remarkable improvements using the current gen technology, the next generation of consoles will need to be “huge and fundamentally new.”

Maybe another “Revolution” is going to have to be the approach that game companies, publishers, designers and hardware manufacturers will have to attempt when they sit down to the drawing board for the next round of consoles.

So while we beat on like boats against the current, looking forward to the next round to hit the market I think that it might behoove us to take a lesson from recent history before we are borne ceaselessly back into the past of “re-hash, reiteration and remake with a hardware update”.

Summary:

In my opinion what drives the generational gaps in gaming are two different, but not mutually exclusive phenomena: technology and/or innovation. Prima facie they might look like flip-sides of the same coin but I think I can make a distinction here if you will allow me to stipulate two definitions.  A Technological division can be made between the NES and the SNES i.e. the 8 bit to 16 bit. The game play was still essentially the same: platforming and shooting with prettier graphics in a 2D space – for the most part, I know I’m generalizing.

The other way to look at the driving force in the generational gap is innovation: how the games are played and the mechanics within the virtual environment. This can lead to mass trends in what consumers think about what a video game is and what is possible within the medium.

Innovations can change our definitions, but, this is much harder to do and it is unrepeatable.

I can make a console with a bigger hard drive and more RAM and better graphics but I would need to sit and think really hard for a really long time to come up with the next innovation, and there’s no guarantee that I even will. We need the equivalent of what Z-targeting did in the Ocarina of Time, or what dual analog sticks accomplished or the introduction of polygonal geometry into virtual spaces. We can’t just add more processing power for this approach; we have to come up with it. If we are going to see truly next generation consoles this is the approach that needs to be taken.

Editors Note: The opinions expressed below are solely of the writer and do not represent the opinions of GamingOgre as an entity.

Designing The Future originally appeared on GamingOgre on February 3, 2012.

“We’ve done our best to do justice to the PC version and do things the way they should be done for PC. The PC version looks absolutely beautiful. We’re bringing the game to life in a whole new way,” says Markus Mäki, CTO at Remedy.

The PC version of Alan Wake will also include  The Signal and The Writer DLC and can be yours for $29.99 from Steam or $34.99 for the Limited Collectors Edition. It’s also been announced that a retail boxed version of Alan Wake will also be available at a later date as well as the option to purchase from EA’s Origin.

Alan Wake gets PC release and price originally appeared on GamingOgre on February 2, 2012.

Warlock really does visually resemble Civilization V, and initially it feels a lot like it as well. It uses the same turn-based hex gameplay of starting a city, stuffing a population full of foodstuffs to expand said city’s borders, constructing various dens of troop production and harassing innocent neighbors with obviously fake peace agreements. It’s all there. Start to play a bit though and you’ll find a very different kind of game.

Whereas Civilization casts you in the role of a historical figure working their people through the ages, Warlock makes you a goddamn jerk of a mage. Pick your standard library dweller, a spirit or even a doesn’t-share-toys-in-the-sandbox dragon and proceed to sissy-slap everything in sight. Instead of researching silly things like the wheel, bronze working or even basic manners, you’ll hit the crafting table and cook up fireballs, lightning, and freakin’ wolf summoning. And workers? Who needs workers? I don’t. I’ll build my roads out of the bones of- oh hey neighbor; no, I wasn’t talking about you. What’s that? No, I haven’t seen your invincible army of skeleton warriors. Perhaps you should check with that nice looking fire elemental over yonder.

In essence, Warlock trades the micromanagement of Civilization for an increased amount of combat. You won’t have to focus on what workers you have fumbling over what part of your city, as the focus is on just flat out controlling prized locations and guarding them vigorously. Sure, you can trade with other mages, but it might just be more productive to build a defensive tower on your borders and give them the ol’ “what now?” face.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy to progress slowly. Spells are cast using a very limited pool of mana and take time to recharge, and there are a lot of nasty critters patrolling the hills. Leave an area alone for too long and a pack of bears may decide to take of residence. Isn’t that going to surprise an unguarded group of settlers looking to found a new city.

Because resource management is a fairly high level game, it’s crucial to control as many cities as possible. There’s no social or political reason not to aggressively build cities, so those used to turtling their way to victory are going to find things rather difficult in this world of spellslingers.

My playtime was sadly kept short due to an unfortunately crashing bug that prevented me from progressing out of the early stages of the game, but there’s a lot of potential here. I do have concerns about balance, namely the fortress-like elementals that patrolled close to every starting town I had and the AI’s inability to come up with a better plan than to occasionally send a lone warrior to its death, but again, that could just be a case of being too early in my characters career. It remains to be seen how city expansion is handled later in the game, because I quickly ran out of space to put up new buildings, and taking over enemy cities did not give me access to their troops like I thought it would.

But the build I played was very much in beta. The version I played these past few days is very different from the build I played just a few weeks ago. Progress is definitely happening, and if it continues, this could be a surprisingly competent war game. I just have one question: do you like it with the lights on or off?

Preview: Warlock: Master of the Arcane originally appeared on GamingOgre on February 1, 2012.

The demo features:

• Eight vehicles, all with their own unique special weapons
• Two multiplayer modes:  The Classic free-for-all Death Match and team-based Nuke—a twisted version of Capture the Flag that’s brand new mode to the series
• Challenge mode, where you can practice with each vehicle to hone your destructive skills

And as an extra bonus to TM fans, a code to download Twisted Metal: Black will also be included in all first-printed copies of the game.  “[Its] a thank you note to all our hardcore fans,” says David Jaffe, creator of the Twisted Metal series.

Twisted Metal will be available exclusively for the PS3 on February 14^th in North America and February 17^th in Europe.

Get Twisted: New Twisted Metal Demo originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 31, 2012.

Nintendo has announced that ‘The Pink Pearl’ – originally bundled with Nintendogs + Cats, will hit the shelves February 10th. (just in time for Valentine’s Day!)

“With the system’s built-in camera, sweethearts can use their systems to capture and share 3D photos and videos of romantic outings this Valentine’s Day—and always.”

AND ALWAYS?! Clearly, this is the key to having a long-lasting relationship. Because nothing says “I love you” like pastel colored electronics.

The Pink Pearl will be available February 10th for $169.99

Nintendo Gets Romantic originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 30, 2012.

But this time around, I wanted to try something new. Deciding to forgo on the brutal badassery of the orcs, and passing over the macabre might of the dark elves (Dunmer), I settled on a Nord. Given that the Nords and I share more than a handful of Scandinavian traits, the character creation was as simple as avoiding getting a projectile weapon lodged in the patella.

When Hadvar, a Nord with Imperial leanings, looked upon my character with pity and called her kinsman, even when she was only feet from the chopping block, I realized that Bethesda had unconsciously written the Nine Noble Virtues into the culture and society of Skyrim. The Nine Noble Virtues are a set of morals that stem from Norse paganism, and are as follows: courage, truth, honor, fidelity, discipline, hospitality, self-reliance, industriousness and perseverance.

Courage

The line for the chopping block wasn’t long. One poor bastard decided he didn’t want to take his chances with the executioner; he made a run for it. Before he had gone fifty yards arrows felled him from behind; shot down like a dog.

I remembered the scene from previous characters, but my disappointment in one NPC’s behavior had not changed. The impending death felt nothing short of immediate and real. There was no escape. Why run now? Then the poor sod that was next in line for the chopping block spoke, and what he said still rings in my ears:

“My ancestors are smiling upon me, can you say the same?”

With that one line, that NPC summarized a beautiful point: even when death comes calling, meet it with a strong heart and a quiet pride. Know that you have lived a good life, and that you have more than likely done your family proud.

Truth

When the dragon dropped out of the sky like a ton of angry, winged bricks, I found my character being led away by the blond Nord from the wagon, Ralof. The relief of escape was far too short-lived, however, as we soon came toe-to-toe with Hadvar. Both Nords, but they could not have been more alien to one another.

Even as harsh words were exchanged, I witnessed an undercurrent that connected them beyond any political leanings: they were just two men with the universally unifying goal of survival. This truth becomes evident as I have chosen to stay with Ralof, and Hadvar does nothing to prevent the two of us from escaping.

No matter how the tides of politics and religion may change, your fellow man is more kin than you may realize at first glance. It is simple truths like these that connect mankind as kin.

Honor

When I had finally arrived in Riverwood with Ralof safely in tow, I felt the inn calling my name. I was going to sit down, have a flagon of ale, and listen to the bard sing, and there wasn’t a damn thing anyone could do about it.

Instead of being regaled with heroic songs that could do a heart good, I was accosted by Sven, the bard, instead. He told me he had seen me speak with Faendal, that sneaky elf who was trying to steal his girl, Camilla Valerius. Before I could explain that, in this context, ‘speak with’ translated quite literally into ‘run into while trying to get somewhere else’, Sven gave me a letter full of vulgarities. He instructed me to give it to Camilla, and to tell her that it was from Faendal.

On other characters I had done this same quest, but I had sided with Faendal. Same story on both sides: boys slinging mud over a girl. This time, when I approached Camilla, I opted to tell her the truth. She took it as me ‘sticking up for Faendal’, when in all reality I couldn’t wish the curse of being with someone as underhanded as Sven (or Faendal), even in a video game.

Even when both parties in a situation are not listening to reason and want to throw temper tantrums, this should not deter you from acting with integrity and speaking honestly. The truth will come out eventually, regardless of people’s hissy fits.

Fidelity & Hospitality

Even though Ralof had warned me that Riverwood was not in Stormcloak territory, he took me to see his sister, regardless. Upon encountering Gerdur, I somewhat anticipated being turned away. Why should she care for a stranger, especially one with Imperials hot on her heels?

But Gerdur’s loyalty to her family soon became apparent. Even with the fact that she had not seen her brother for some time, she sent her son to watch for Imperials while she spoke to Ralof about what had happened in Helgen. Upon hearing that I had helped her brother escape from the dragon, an almost subconscious shift comes over Gerdur: Because you have helped my kin, you are now of my kin.

The Vikings did not just see hospitality as letting someone stay for a brief visit. To them, it meant extending to anyone that came to them a roof over their heads, food and drink. This carried with it the feeling of an extended family, even though guests were expected to be polite. One was never truly without family, no matter where one went.

Discipline

Did I feel a compulsion to steal, even when the Riverwood Trader had all those gold pieces lying about? No. Did I feel a compulsion to kill the chickens as soon as I came across them? Absolutely. There is nothing more satisfying than pummeling a chicken with a mace. Tenderize the meat before the thing’s even dead! Yum.

But I resisted. The quirky lesson I took away from not killing the chickens in Riverwood is that sticking to your guns now will almost always pay off later. (In this case, not having to pay off your bounty to the Whiterun guards.)

Self-Reliance

On the way into Riverwood, I was surprised to come across the Guardian Stones, as I had largely forgotten about them. Each offers its own separate blessing for rogues, mages and warriors alike. Although the augmentation the Stones offer feels like a slight thing at best, the implication of something of the supernatural lending its power to you is still vibrant and present. Yet if you do not take it upon yourself to use the benefit of the Stone you have activated, it does nothing for you.

While we may receive aid from other, unlooked for places, the work is still ultimately up to us. The help will prove useless if we do not take action ourselves.

Industriousness & Perseverance

Say the word ‘crafting’ to me, and I will most likely give you a blank stare. If left to run around on my own, I will avoid crafting like it’s the plague (or an elder dragon). But with this character, I made a promise to myself to at least invest some time in bettering my gear.

Hours of scavenging and forging later, I do not regret a single thing. The feeling of being able to craft gear that is much more effective and level appropriate than almost anything I would find lying around in a dungeon or in a bandit hole is fantastic.

Taking the time to create, even in a video game, is a rewarding experience. One can say ‘If I had not done this, things would be much harder than they are now.’ Even when things get hard or tedious, sticking with a task such as creating gear that will help you not become a crunchy snack later, will ultimately yield up results you can be proud of and lay claim to.

Everything I Needed to Know (About Life) I Learned from Skyrim originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 30, 2012.

tl;dr – BUY THAT SHIT.

PSA: Serious Sam 3: BFE is super cheap today only at GetGamesGo! originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 27, 2012.

Is it too late to dig “Project Revolution” out of the closet? Knowing Nintendo, this thing will probably be named Nintendo Horizon, with the controller being called “Viewfinder”. Let’s be honest though, if it’s got a version of Super Smash Bros on it, we’re all going to buy the damn thing anyway, regardless of how bad the name might be.

Could Nintendo drop the goofy Wii U name for something better? originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 27, 2012.

“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve.

“Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”

Don’t get too excited just yet as the app is now in closed beta but by downloading and logging into the app you’re added to a list for the closed beta which will eventually get invited.

Steam goes mobile with Android and iOS apps originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 26, 2012.