The Games News

Bungie Studios is releasing a Windows Vista version of its first person shooter, Halo 2, still wildly popular after two years on the market. The game is slated to ship after the December release of the new Microsoft operating system. With the Xbox 360 release of Halo 3 slated for Fall 2007, you have to ask yourself, what’s the point? Why release the dated game on the PC platform around the same time the new version is being released? There are plenty of reasons to get this enhanced port. Halo 2 Vista supports a 16 multiplayer mode like the Xbox (although interplay between PC and Xbox is not possible) and overall gameplay is expected to be similar to the Xbox version. However, Bungie points to massive improvements in visuals. Halo 2 Vista will support DirectX 10, which brings with it nearly photorealistic enhancements. And the game will take advantage of next generation video cards and computer hardware. (more…)

Warren Spector, a game industry veteran and the President of Junction Point Studios, had said “You have a zero percent chance of success.” when he was taking about the independent developers. He also added that “You can’t go make Bejeweled-a puzzle game and then tell EA you want to make Madden”. These quotes of Mr. Spector simply lighten the present scenario of indie or small scale gamers. Today’s gaming industry is preaching its pawns on newer era of big budget games and graphics. Industry has big production houses like Electronic Arts, Sony and Activision which give no space for indies.

In this era of gaming evolution indie companies may find it difficult to compete with big bosses of gaming, but still they have opportunity with online market places like Xbox LIVE and Nintendo’s Virtual Console for smaller games. But the reality is quite different, the era of geniuses like Richard Garriott and John Carmark of Ultima and Id Software respectively are over. (more…)

With the release of a compatible driver for the Xbox 360 controller onto PC-based systems, someone decided they would make the bulky 360 controller dual-compatible with both PCs and Macs. As an ongoing project at tattiebogle.net, the initial release has been slowly revamped twice in the past 5 months to allow for directional pad controls and the ability to recognize extra vendor/product ids.

One of the most interesting parts of this story is that Microsoft didn’t develop this first. With everyone pushing to develop anything and everything for the 360 and its accessories, one company that has seen the short end of the development has been Microsoft. Even though Microsoft didn’t develop the Mac compatible driver for the 360 controller, they still have many secrets up their proverbial sleeve that they will unleash when the time is right.

The driver can be located here

In the year 2006, handheld system owners are used to playing games that may include great graphics, excellent audio & video capabilities, and sometimes even the touch-screen feature. However, 15 years ago, the mainstay of handheld video games came with the release of the Game Gear from, then a video game powerhouse, Sega. I, for one, was a proud owner of the Sega Game Gear, a system that drained the life of hundreds of dollars of AA batteries, a system. Its horizontal approach made most gamers feel less “cramped” and allowed them to have longer, more extended periods of play.

When it was released in 1991, games started flying onto shelves from developers that were trying to get some small cut of the profit. With the usual Sega games, such as Golden Axe, all of the Sonic series, Road Rash, Shinobi, Mortal Kombat, and many more. The Game Gear later added add-ons for the system, which included the famous “TV Tuner.” For most handheld owners at the time, the Game Gear was a shining example of Sega’s bright future. Now, though, as we look back, we see that the Game Gear was maybe a dying attempt by Sega’s to try to slowly get back into the console market. Only a brief decade later, Sega would end their console production and try to solely focus on software manufacturing.

From its inception back in the early 50’s and 60’s, video games have always been a means of entertainment and enjoyment for all the users and consumers who purchase them. However, over the past 20 years, video games have become all about graphics and sound, not about fun. With the new “7th” Generation of video games and systems already underway, developers are trying to get back to the basics of fun and enjoyment for all players.

Even with the flashy graphics and almost-realistic sound quality we will be receiving in this next generation of video games, companies are trying to draw back their fans from previous eras with games and concepts developed for the entire family. With all the excitement around the Blu-Ray technology and online multiplayer action, some consoles have forgotten about their older and original fans and are trying to focus on current generations. If you forget about the original fans, then you forget about the legacy of video games. This is something that some companies are currently trying to salvage.