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Time for another Ask Me Stuff post. Here’s where you can fill up the comments with questions for me. And I fill up the comments by answering them. If there’s something you really want to know about video games, this is where you ask.
[Far Cry 2 screenshot courtesy of Ben Abraham]
I’d like to know why we aren’t going for a drink this evening?
Why Bexta isn’t going for a drink?
And why you won’t let go of your Far Cry 2 obsession?
From, A Complete Stranger
How come games in Australia are so expensive. Not only do we pay alot for games but we also get games later. When the AUD was stronger I would import games from the US because they were cheaper. Now i’ve resorted to getting games from the UK since our prices are so high. I wanna buy games in Australia but their prices are way too high.
Is puzzle quest galactrix on ds released yet? It seems that it has been released to the rest of the world(meaning US) I thought the game was developed in Australia so shouldn’t we at least get it first or even closer to the US release date?
Over the next year until April 2010, what are the games you are most anticipating, and also what do you think will be the biggest suprise of E3??
Thanks
Why does it take you so long to answer questions?
@Patch – have fun tonight! Luck to you. I’ll be at home.
Hi David.
In the past two years i’ve noticed a big increase in games being released with bugs, some game braking. I have found that i might buy a title on release day and shelve it for a month till the inevitable patch comes out.Have games always been released this buggy or has it become the norm to expect games not to be perfect out the box?
Also what right do we have as consumers in terms of refunds or returns?
I bought far cry 2 seven months ago and still haven’t finished it because i cant complete a mission because of a known bug. It seems in any other business the consumer has more rights to the quality of a product.
@bluzone
Our game prices haven’t changed since last year, so I’m not sure why you think they’re suddenly so high. The exchange rate with the US or UK may have changed, but you can’t expect retailers and publishers to adjust their prices to account for every shift in exchange rates.
As for getting our games late, the situation has improved markedly in the last few years. It’s really now only niche titles that don’t see simultaneous worldwide releases. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the publisher of a small or niche title (e.g. Tales of Vesperia) to not want the extra financial strain of localising and releasing in every market at the same time.
@bluzone
if you want import niche titles there are places like dungeon crawl in melbourne that cater to people who want these titles, you could pick up White Knight Chronicles or MLB 09: The Show for instance from here just after release
David – it has come to my attention that are in fact a gander rather than a goose. Can you confirm or deny?
When will the PS3 follow the path of PSP and be cracked, allowing homebrew? How close do you think we are?
I like EDGE magazine, a lot, but my local newsagents has had February on the shelf for weeks Im really after May’s issue (i heard it had hands on ffXIII details) on american websites its apparently “out now” why are we so behind with that huh? and why bother with magazines at all with the net covering every detail of every game as it comes out with live blogging and such? (thanks kotaku) do you still buy magazines?
David, is it just me or is the final boss in RE5 a cheap bastard whore? Why is it that Capcom cant program a final boss to save their lives (looking at you Seth – straight in the eye mofo!)?
How do you think this new shadow of the colossus remake for the big screen will be? I hope whoever is acting only says 1 word throughout the whole film…AGRO!! (I think that was his name..)
@bluzone
It’ll be out in two weeks. Puzzle Quest may be developed in Australia, but its publisher is based in the US.
What did you think of the way Resident Evil 5 dealt with the issue of race? I’m not asking whether you thought it was “racist” or not, but rather whether you thought the developers gave enough consideration to the implications of their setting.
As a comparison, our favorite game (Far Cry 2, like obv.) is also set in Africa but managed to not tread on anyone’s toes come release. What’s the difference there? Does it come down to RE5’s enemies being mindless “Zombies” that makes it a bit troubling for some players?
Thanks David, keep it up!
@brendan camilleri
Betraying my personal preferences, Mass Effect 2, Brutal Legend, Alpha Protocol, Heavy Rain and Alan Wake top my most anticipated list.
E3 surprises? I think Microsoft will have something considering how little we know of their 2009 lineup. I’m also hopeful of seeing what STALKER developer GSC has been up to… if it’s ready to show off.
I’m most likely going to be spending my Rudd bonus on a PS3. Any good reasons you can give me to persuade me to not to get a 60gb PS3 from a reputable ebay seller?
@cs
Games have *always* been this buggy. The good thing about this generation of consoles is the ability to patch post-release, something you could never on older systems. It’s possible that publishers now view patching as a crutch and are less concerned about fixing every last bug than they were previously…
@Rei
Broken, crushed and ground into little pieces. I’ll have a drink for you!
@truncheon
Your newsagent gets EDGE shipped over, which takes ages. Call around and find a newsagent that gets the mag air freighted in. It’ll be more expensive, but you’ll get it sooner. Or you could always subscribe – I should be getting my issue #201 in the post any day now.
@DansDans
I still haven’t finished RE5. Co-op tends to drag things out as we can never find a suitable time to play. But I will say (almost) every single boss has so far been terrible. The first one (the executioner) was good; the chainsaw dude was ridiculously easy; all the bosses you fight with a turret are awful. I’m not surprised the final boss is bad as well.
@bob
This bizarre news seems exemplary of the incompatibility between games and films. How many games do you play where the protagonist barely says a word? How many films do you watch where the main character doesn’t talk to anyone?
Films need to add characters and dialogue to fill the spaces where in the game you’re just *playing*. And in doing so they dilute what made the game so special in the first place.
@Ben Abraham
Capcom handled the whole issue in a very clumsy way. The opening sequence is particularly poorly done. The villagers you first meet are not infected, yet they are designed to be threatening and make you feel unsettled. The character models are barely altered from the infected you encounter later.
Of course, neither the game nor its developers are “racist”. But RE5 presents troubling imagery and then refuses to engage with the issues it raises. Far Cry 2 is utterly aware of its setting and the politics at stake; the contrast could not be starker.
Hi there. I was just wondering, if Australian DLC for PS3 games compatible with European versions? I know that for US games this won’t work, but as both Aussie and EU games both have SLES xxxx for the game code, is it compatible? Cheers. 🙂
1) Am I too too late to ask a question? 2) Why do we have to wait two months after the US for Guitar Hero: Metallica to be released in Australia?
What do you think the system requirements for Diablo 3 will be? I’d like a guestimate so I can make sure it can run on my gf’s computer.
David,
As a games reviewer for a new 360 site, we’re looking for contacts in Australia in regards to games publishers/developers. How can we break through to these people for review material? Feel free to contact me via email to answer. Also, is there a resource that is useful to games journalists in Australia?
David,
As a games reviewer for a new 360 site, we’re looking for contacts in Australia in regards to games publishers/developers. How can we break through to these people for review material? Feel free to contact me via email to answer. Also, is there a resource that is useful to games journalists in Australia?
@Pesmare
First step: don’t ask publishers for review samples!
Games publishers have limited review samples and thus will prioritise outlets with a proven audience. As a website you need to demonstrate people are actually reading your reviews. You also need to build a relationship of trust with the publisher’s public relations team.
To begin with you’re going to be reviewing games you’ve purchased yourself. Send polite emails to the relevant games publishers linking them to some recent coverage of their titles on your site. You’ll hopefully show them that you’re doing this for the right reasons – i.e. not just to get free games! From there, some publishers may start sending you review samples.
Good luck.
@CyK
Blizzard’s success is in part founded upon developing games that don’t require high-end PCs. They’re not going to change that approach any time soon. I’d expect Diablo 3 to be perfectly playable on any PC that can run World of Warcraft.
@Gobbledegook88
Good question. I suspect they would be compatible. After all, it’s often the very same disc sold in both territories. But I’ve not verified it for myself.
Can anyone confirm?
Im looking forward to sony releasing a PSP that doesn’t have a UMD drive.
Do you think it’s likely that they will?
Also, if i start to download a lot of games from the PS Store, do you think there will be a way for me to backup my games collection on my PC?
what is your take on what videogames will be like in the future when, graphically speaking, they have reached their limit? What videogames will be made when they look and react as perfectly as real life. More art styles like cel-shading or more cartoony games? Or do you think people will still be craving the ultra(perfectly) realistic games?
Hey did you have a good time at lizzies? Did you catalog
everything you drank: two shots of yager, four bong hits man, beer, cheeseburger?
With the theme of unrequited love being greatly explored in media such as film and music, is there a need for unrequited love to be conveyed in the video game industry?
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