http://www.binarycreativity.com Matt Gilgenbach's blog on game development and creativity through this nascent medium of self expression. Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:15:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This post started as a response to some comments posted on my rather long post on Super Mario Galaxy. It seems like despite my large quantities of words, some people misunderstood what I was trying to say. Perhaps I approach writing like programming. I want to solve a problem – ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2008/01/22/more-on-mario-galaxy-and-some-thoughts-on-portal-as-well/ Super Mario Galaxy currently has a score of 97.3% on gamerankings, which is an average of all the reviews. For a while it was even higher and the number one rated game of all time. Currently, it's 0.3% lower than the Ocarina of Time, which has reclaimed its gold medal. ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/12/24/super-mario-galaxy-good-but-needs-improvement/ I think the ESRB has come under fire from all sides recently. Some people argue that it is too lenient whereas other people decry it as too restrictive. It's my opinion that all this criticism is not the fault of the ESRB, but rather a misunderstanding on what the ESRB ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/10/22/a-defense-of-the-esrb/ Digital distribution seems to have a lot of buzz in the industry today. Many people including myself have purchased quite a few awesome games on Live Arcade. I am among the 13 million people with Steam accounts. Certainly, digital distribution has a lot of momentum behind it, but is REALLY ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/07/26/the-case-for-and-against-digital-distribution/ It's interesting that several people are spelling the death of the console because consoles are becoming more and more like PCs. Recently, John Romero said, “My prediction is that the game console in the vein of the PS3 and Xbox 360 is going to either undergo a massive rethink or ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/04/20/the-pc-is-dead-long-live-the-console/ Although the Wii has been getting a crap ton of positive feedback, many people seem disillusioned with the system. Chris Hecker had a head-turning rant at Game Developer Conference about how “the Wii is a piece of shit.” His main complaints being that the console isn't powerful in terms of ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/04/06/more-wii-actions-and-some-p-wii-dictions/ Now, many people may not be aware, but Rare has continued to make games for Nintendo handhelds after their purchase by Microsoft. Since the Microsoft purchase, Rare has published through THQ Banjo Pilot (GBA), Sabur Wulf (GBA), It's Mr. Pants (GBA) and Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge (GBA). Nintendo has also published ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/03/22/why-microsoft-should-make-ds-games/ Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters came out today or comes out tomorrow depending on who you ask. The press reactions so far have been pretty favorable, which has been really great to hear. Here are some links: IGN - 90% GamePro - 85% Yahoo! Games - 100% Games Radar - 80% GameZone - 90% Game Helper - ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/02/13/developer-reactions-to-press-reactions/ Gamezone conducted interviews with several members of the Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters development team including myself. Check it out. http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/02/06/interview-about-size-matters/ I'm not quite sure if this is my number two choice, but Silence of the Lambs definitely up there. The reason I chose to write about this next is because my previous post was very game-y (because it already was a game). I could be wrong, but I don't think ... http://www.binarycreativity.com/2007/01/22/licensed-games-id-want-to-work-on-%e2%80%93-part-2-silence-of-the-lambs/