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Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO, to Resign

We often lament when athletes retire at the top of their game but what about when corporate executives step back at the height of their powers?

Jack Tretton, the current President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, has announced that he is resigning from his post effective March 31st. Shawn Layden, Executive Vice President and COO of Sony Network Entertainment International, will take over Tretton’s job on April 1st.

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Tags: Business of Gaming, Jack Tretton, PlayStation 4, SCEA, Shawn Layden, Sony Computer Entertainment

The Elder Scrolls Online Beta Impressions: Prison Break

Mar 7

Posted by Steve Murray

I think I’ve mentioned it a couple of times before that I’m not a fan of MMOs. If the subscription model (that requires you to pay the equivalent of four games to play for that first year) and microtransactions aren’t enough to scare me off, the grinding and fetch quests seal the deal.

I’m not unwilling to put my previous experiences aside to give MMOs another try. For example, I got into last weekend’s beta session for The Elder Scrolls Online and was willing to give that a try to see if I’d like it.

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Tags: Bethesda, Impressions, MMO, The Elder Scrolls Online, ZeniMax

This House of Cards / Walking Dead Intro Mashup is Appropriate and Awesome

While politics interests me, I often find it painful to follow and discuss with people. Any optimism I once had about politics has long since been washed away by cynicism. That’s convenient because I’m getting cynical about The Walking Dead since I just assume that it’ll be dreadfully dull to watch and discuss.

Okay, that segue is a pretty poor introduction to this mashup of House of Cards and The Walking Dead but it can’t be any worst than the obligatory “This is awesome!” that this intro by District 7 Media deserves.

Posted on March 6, 2014 | Video

Lara Croft and the Knight in Shining Armor

Mar 6

Posted by Steve Murray

I’m a little behind the rest of the world but I finally finished the reboot of Tomb Raider this weekend. The delay in completing it wasn’t because it was a bad game. If I was to give it a rating, I would probably give it an 8.0 or an 8.5. There was just something about the game that meant I put it down after a few hours last year.

Playing it through over the last couple of weeks made me conscious of what I disliked about Tomb Raider. It wasn’t the gameplay or the plot but the portrayal of Lara Croft throughout the game that I found odd and off-putting.

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Posted in Games, Long Read

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Tags: Crystal Dynamics, Lara Croft, Sexism in Gaming, Square Enix, Tomb Raider, WPLongForm

Uncharted Director and Writer Amy Hennig Leaves Naughty Dog

Mar 6

Posted by Steve Murray

The driving force behind Naughty Dog’s smash hit Uncharted series has left the developer. It was announced yesterday that Uncharted franchise writer and creative director, Amy Hennig, has left Naughty Dog.

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Tags: Amy Hennig, Naughty Dog, Sony Computer Entertainment, Uncharted

Rocksteady Studios is Back with Batman: Arkham Knight

Mar 5

Posted by Steve Murray

Just when you thought that WB Games Montreal’s buggy and derivative Batman: Arkham Origins destroyed the Batman: Arkham franchise, the developer you need, rather than the developer you deserve, returns.

It hasn’t been a secret that Rocksteady was still working on projects for WB Games. It turns out that their next game is another entry into the Arkham franchise with Batman: Arkham Knight.

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Tags: Batman, Batman: Arkham Knight, DC Comics, Rocksteady, Warner Bros

Critics Corner: South Park: The Stick of Truth

Mar 5

Posted by Steve Murray

Break out the Ron Paul GIFs because IT’S HAPPENING! After delays that added up to 15 months, South Park: The Stick of Truth is finally out. The game, written and voiced by South Park creators/writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone, has gone through a little turmoil as Obsidian’s development of the game was hampered by THQ’s bankruptcy and the sale of the South Park licence to Ubisoft.

Usually delays mean trouble for a game in development but most of the critics love this game. If you’re a South Park fan, The Stick of Truth is what you’ve been looking for from a South Park game for years. It’s not just another generic licensed piece of garbage. Obsidian is a developer who is used to working with other people’s IP and thriving. Just ask anyone who’s played KOTOR 2 and Fallout: New Vegas. It shouldn’t be a surprise that it lived up to my personal hype as my most anticipated game of 2013 and 2014.

Anyway, enough of the history lesson and hype. Here’s what the critics think of South Park: The Stick of Truth.

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Tags: Obsidian, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Ubisoft

Comic Book Pull List for March 5, 2014

Mar 4

Posted by Steve Murray

A new villainous series begins as another one sets up for the conclusion on this week’s pull list. Marvel has a new series about one of the X-Men’s nemeses with Magneto #1. Over on the DC side of things, the fate of Nightwing is revealed in the second-to-last Forever Evil comic, Forever Evil #6.

And I know that Quantum & Woody from Valiant has been running for a few issues now but why has no one told me that Woody was a goat. I would have read every issue if you told me that. I only found out because this week’s Woody origin comic included the words “The Goat” in the title. Anyway, the final comic that I’m looking forward to is, obviously, Quantum and Woody The Goat #0.

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Tags: Pull List, Release List

Instead of Rambo: The Video Game, You Should Play Rambo: Last Blood

Mar 4

Posted by Steve Murray

I didn’t have to do a Critics Corner post for the recently released Rambo: The Video Game to tell you that it’s a terrible game. The critics universally panned it. The best score it got was a 50% from both Edge and Eurogamer. Sort of ironic because it’s hard to get the really high scores out of those two publications.

Fortunately, there’s a better Rambo game out there for you to play and you don’t even have to drop $40 for it. Naughty Dog game designer Peter Javidpour has his own browser-based Rambo game for you to play called Rambo: Last Blood. If you have five or ten minutes and want to play a Rambo game, you really should try it.

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Tags: Peter Javidpour, Rambo

Coming Soon to Spain – Star Trek: The Theme Park

Mar 4

Posted by Steve Murray

Just because the whole country of Spain is pretty much broke doesn’t mean that Paramount isn’t spending money there and expecting to receive people’s money in return. They recently announced the creation of what is effectively a resort in the municipality of Alhama de Murcia called Paramount Park Murcia which will include a really cool looking Star Trek theme park.