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Penny Arcade to cover the game industry with help from veteran game journo Ben Kuchera
We're just gonna go ahead and call 2012 "the year that a million new game sites launched," as this morning Penny Arcade announced its intentions to get into the world of video game news delivery. Hiring on at least one seasoned vet in Ars Technica's Ben Kuchera (whose position of "senior gaming editor" at Ars will be taken over by notorious freelancer and ex-Joystiqer Kyle Orland), the site will deliver game industry coverage. If Kuchera's past work at Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog is any indication, he'll be producing a variety of news, previews, features and reviews with plenty of the flair we've come to expect from him. The site will be "starting in the next few weeks," and we'll likely hear more details as today progresses. Update: Kuchera has taken to Penny Arcade's forums to answer some questions about his coverage. "To start you can expect great, in-depth stories every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. After that we'll think about what else we can do while keeping the standards high," he said. Additionally, it looks like it'll just be him working on coverage, at least for a bit, as was the case with Ars. "For now it will just be me. I think it's going to stay that way for a good while until we get a better idea of how we want things to work. I did the majority of gaming writing at Ars by myself, so it won't be a huge change for me. Expect fewer, longer stories," he added. [Image credit: Penny Arcade]
DC Universe Online's 'classes' and combat explored
While DC Universe Online was being shown at CES 2009, there hasn't been too much new information coming out of the show. Whether that's a product of a videogame being at a tech and gadget show, or simply because SOE doesn't have anything new to show yet, is hard to say. Still, Opposable Thumbs got a chance to spend time with the game at the show and came out with some new information.There are no classes in DC Universe Online, instead players spend talents on individual powers. Anyone can switch between three combat stances: offensive, defensive and support. Offense stance gives more damage but takes more, while defense gives less and takes less and support boosts healing and buffing powers. And each stance offers access to certain powers, as well. It is important to remember, however, that a tank-spec character will always do better with a defense spec than, say a hybrid-spec. The goal of this system seems aimed at designing a flexible partying system, where certain people can fill a role in a pinch. Did you enjoy this? We've donned our capes and tights to explore SOE's DC Universe Online in-depth. Come explore more of Metropolis and Gotham with your friends at Massively!
Uncharted a franchise; sequel all but confirmed
The first title in the Uncharted series and a sequel is already being discussed in an interview with Opposable Thumbs. Christophe Balestra, co-president of Naughty Dog, has no qualms in saying that Naughty Dog is a franchise studio - all their previous big games have been parts of a series. Uncharted is no exception and Balestra says that it would be "a waste" to leave the game without a sequel - and we agree! Uncharted fills 91% of a Blu-Ray disc and uses streaming from the disc to the hard drive in order to minimize load times. Naughty Dog seem infatuated with the technology of the PS3 and see it as some sort of challenge to get even more out of it in the future. We look forward to seeing what they come up with as well as finally get our hands on the first title next month.
Alcohol and micropayments mix all too well
Micropayments are already flowing freely on Xbox Live and are becoming increasingly popular in MMO circles. However, Opposable Thumbs points out an unfortunate problem with any micropayment-based system that stores your payment details--it's all too easy to buy things when intoxicated.Of course, this problem extends beyond the realm of gaming, to websites and even real-world transactions. However, the nature of gaming as an entertainment activity means that perhaps enforced self-controls may help those of us whose wallets get looser with liquid.
Gamer pride: a special kind of fashion
Your eyes meet across a crowded room: she's drawn to your "Frag the weak" t-shirt, and you smile appreciatively at her "WTB [Epic Wang]" babydoll. Like it or loathe it, gamer apparel enjoys a particularly cosy niche in the clothing market, but it's reaching the stage where you don't need to explain the mysterious slogans to everyone you meet.Opposable Thumbs asks where you get your apparel from; there are several suppliers out there. Perhaps it's even time for gamer glitz to get mainstream--trade-show swag and imported rarities may hold weight at your local LAN, but gaming's surely trendy enough to make it into local fashion stores sooner or later. Gamer pride in the form of clothing expansion packs (patches) isn't a bad idea, either.
