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"Ask yourself, if you will; what is a game?
I suppose you could see the question from any number of angles, any number of interpretations. You could view it mechanically – a typical game involves an actor, maybe several, multiple mechanics, parameters. You could take each individual aspect of a game and put a magnifying glass to it. Or you could take it at its most literal definition; something to be played."
"I began playing a game yesterday, a game lauded by many, so I decided that I should have a go at it as well: LA Noire. Now, truth be told, open world games have stopped captivating my interest these last few years (yes, I’m counting Skyrim as well). The problem is that this kind of game tends to sacrifice storytelling for freedom. After playing New Vegas a while back, I said to myself that I’d rather play a completely linear story that at least has more depth than 50 square miles that are as ..."
Ryan Johnson | GoozerNation
This article is a follow up to two separate articles: Can I Really Be a Social Gamer? and Help! My Wife Stole My Xbox! As the family meets in the middle of their hobbies over the medium of video games, Ryan Johnson of GoozerNation starts to see not only how his family is evolving, but how society sees gaming as a whole.
Ryan Johnson | GoozerNation
Ryan recently had situations fall as to where his traditionally non-gamer wife jumped at trying Batman: Arkham City and is now hooked on L.A. Noire. What is it about these games that draws a non-gamer who traditionally avoids the controller like the plague to get so in-depth as to have a desire to complete a game? Better yet, what should Ryan have in store for her once she's done so he doesn't lose a gamer partner? Read in to see his opinions, and please drop s...
In the final entry in Gaming Irresponsibly's storytelling in games series, Matt Beaudette takes a look at the quality of writing present in most games, and speculates about where storytelling can go in the future of games.
"We here at the Department of Electronic Entertainment possess vast pools of intel about the gaming industry. We deal with situations every day that would leave most Americans cowering in terror. But some secrets don’t require a team of espionage specialists; some secrets about the gaming industry are widely understood by long-time gamers yet unknown by most of the population. While the following revelations may seem obvious to most gamers, the financial security of the industry is based ..."
"PSS: "You just watched the Spike TV Game of the Year Awards, and might be watching the re-runs right now. However we are glad to have you here and want to share our own game of the year awards. We have browsed the internet, talked with one another, and made several tough decisions, but this is what we believe the winners should be! Either way, this was an absolutely fantastic year to be a gamer.""
"Are you looking to buy a new Xbox at one of the big sales this weekend? What about a recent AAA game at half price, or maybe an old hit that you never got around to. We looked through all of the retailers and online sales to find the best Xbox deals for Black Friday and are here with our recommendations on how you should spend your Xbucks this week."
The Spike Video Game Awards are always good for a certain level of hilarity, only not the kind you want. Disney's Epic Mickey? Need for Speed: The Run? L.A. Noire being up for best graphics over Battlefield 3?
What were they thinking?
With fall releases in full swing the crew at Goozernation looks back to their ever growing backlog which includes games such as Red Dead Redemption, Fallout New Vegas, Goldeneye 007, Enslaved, Borderlands, Bulletstorm, LA Noire, and Metal Gear Solid 4. The bigger question here is how can a gamer find anytime to play this stuff and how did these games end up in the backlog?
Year after year some publishers produce the same games. Sometimes if gamers are lucky they seen a new IP. Sometimes the new IPs sell well for example Bulletstorm, Dead Island, and LA Noire. But other games like Majin and Blur don't sell well at all. Is it because the gaming industry only wants the new Call of Duty, Gears of War, and Madden?
"Before we begin there are two things worthy of note that happened last week. Steve Jobs passed away and Team Bondi have closed their doors for good. Steve Jobs leaves behind him the sort of legacy that most of us will only ever dream about and the rest of us will spend time complaining about. The fact of the matter is, whether you love or hate Apple, his work has had an undeniable influence on the modern world and, on topic, mobile gaming, a fact that seems undeniable when Angry Birds, availa..."
Daav from NoobFeed.com rounds up another batch of game ideas after a 'very productive period of film watching'. At least there's a justification for eating chips and sitting on your ass. Five more films get transitioned and compared with games like Zelda, L.A. Noire, Brink, Assassin's Creed and even Leisure Suit Larry.
LA Noire is a character study that focuses on Cole Phelps' history and the complexities of his personality. There is something intrinsic to the video game medium which makes LA Noire a ridiculous examination of an unhinged, possibly psychopathic, police officer looking to rehabilitate himself. It's also an exposé of how strict realism can't yet be achieved in video games.
Writing a good review or holistic critique of a video game is easy, because that analysis feeds off interesting subject matter. Writing an interesting video game product review, on the other hand, is extremely difficult.
GamersGameplay: Controversy to praise, chaos to orderly conduct, Rockstar Games is one of the companies that have evolved into a renowned publisher in the video game industry. Over the past few years their presence in the industry has changed in a good way. Countless great titles lie under their belt, however one franchise by far is the most common one associated with their name.
In his weekly Joystick Division column, veteran game journalist Gus Mastrapa schools gamers in the remedial lesson of how to read a video game review. Surprise: reviews, by definition, are never objective.
Normally death in video games doesn't make an impact on Gus Mastrapa, but L.A. Noire's handling of mortality touches him in a surprising and transformative way.
"In the past, storytelling in video games was a minor thing, high scores were the target. This changed with the roleplaying game and with the invention of bigger hard drives to hold more game information. Now the role of storytelling is going through another renaissance, the actions of the character have dynamic consequences on the story and on future games in some cases."
L.A. Noire has come out and many have been blown away by the facial realism that it manages to display. Check out the article above for a second opinion by two prominent editors of theGamerBuzz.
Having to swap discs on video games never used to be a problem in past generations. Why is it that so many gamers complain today when games, such as L.A. Noire, are released on multiple discs?
"Looking over Rockstar’s back catalog, it’s interesting to note how far they’ve come since Grand Theft Auto III first became the poster child for violent video games. Rockstar’s detractors have often argued that the company’s titles lack real substance and are merely threadbare plots stitched together as an excuse to include wanton violence and sexual mischief. If you look hard enough, a bit of brilliance shines through the blood-spattered windshield. With each game they release, Rockstar evol..."
COD Black Ops DLC Escalation has hit the 360. But will it be enough to keep gamers interested in the series? This summer is shaping up to be a good year for games and Black Ops is going to have to compete with a lot of games this summer including Duke Nukem Forever, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Brink, as well as several AAA titles.
"A new month is upon us and we here at PlanetXbox are taking a look at some of the new releases in store for Xbox 360 players this month. From Driving games, to FPS', and open world sandbox games, May will have something for everyone. Let's start with the Disc based games you'll be spending time on:"
"Heavy Rain solves this dilemma by using button prompts (aka quick-time events, but don't let Cage find you saying that), creating highly dramatic, dynamic moments while still allowing for exploration (and more traditional point-and-click gameplay) in quieter moments. While Cage's system isn't flawless, the use of button prompts allows you to more seamlessly transfer the "point-and-click" experience to consoles (which often suffer due to the controller versus mouse setup), as well as creating ..."
"Great titles heading to release that are worthy of Game of the Year candidacy deserve a second look. Right now one of the games that has been recognized but not given the spotlight it should be is LA Noire. Once again Rockstar has a sleeper hit in the making and we should all be on the lookout for it."
Will human beings ever be able to take a galnce at a CG character and completely accept it as "real." Maybe one day, but as of right now, we explain why that won't happen anytime soon...
The winter season has become a crowded a competitive area for some of our most favorite titles. In this latest opinion piece, we discuss whether certain titles would benefit if released in the summer. Check it out.
The retail market has slowly been losing ground to the digital market. Is it an inevitable fate that the digital market will be the only way for us to get our favorite games? Check out the full story to see what we think. Cheers!
Probably one of the most miss-represented games by the gaming media. Not a shooter or a GTA clone as some seem to think, but a game of skill, intellect and deception.
OXCGN's doing a 9 week update on the game as it approaches release, and looking at the era and what brought the Noire style into the game through movies, books, small screen etc.
This week they unlock some great in-game info, as well as deal with the movie "The Untouchables' from 1987. Definitely worth the time to slip ove...
"L.A Noire is Rockstars next big offering and one of its major features is MotionScan. MotionScan replicates facial movements perfectly into facial animations which, aside from making the game prettier, adds to the gameplay in interesting ways. L.A Noire is a game based in 1947 and you play Cole Phelps who works for the LAPD which means you will spend your time solving crimes ranging from theft to murder. So how does MotionScan work and how does it make L.A Noire unique? Well read on as I try ..."
"With E3 2010 almost here gamers everywhere will be hoping to hear new titles announced, along with new details on already announced upcoming games.
But what of those games previously announced where we have seen very little, if any, real gameplay footage, have few details on final retail release dates, or even know if they are really still coming? E3 sees studios and publishers (sometimes even those not at E3) provide new details of their upcoming games.
Here is my Top 10 list of games..."
""As part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto, we've agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios," Shorrock wrote."
![Box shot of L.A. Noire [Europe]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvUGxheXN0YXRpb25fMy9BY3Rpb24vQWR2ZW50dXJl/la_noire_frontcover_small_DBow41HUThpy4D8.jpg)