Mom's Minute

L. A. Noire From Ms. H

Source of News:  Gamespot, Al McCarthy, Juy 26, 2011

The author wrote a brief article entitled, "Are Single Player Games Too Expensive?"  His take is that you may be willing to pay more for multi-player games than games  designed for single players.   His words-- "...I can definitely see how players who pay 60 or 70 bucks for a game can be quite sensitive to the lack of additional features that can justify their investment."

However, another viewpoint  mentioned in the article is  there are lots of single player games that give you a bang for your bucks.  Mentioned were  single player games such as the new "Batman" series, "The Elder Scrolls" franchise, and "Mass Effect", just to name a few.

And we cannot leave out L.A. Noire (pictured).  I have not  played this game, but had the opportunity to watch it being played recently.

On another note -- Remember how  I made  changes to Mom's Minute  throughout my show?  As a "preview" for you, I'm about to make a change now for Ms. H. video game news.

Instead of asking you what you think about my video game news articles, I'll leave it up to you to comment, if you like.    As the saying goes,  "You know the drill."  (Smile)

If you have any suggestions about my video gaming news, or my website,  please comment here or on my  Ms. H. forum.

My minute is up!  I've enjoyed sharing gaming news  with you!  Thanks for visiting and come back soon! 

Until next time,

Ms. H

"Ms. H = Win!"

​

From Ms. H.

Source:  Associated Press, Barbara Ortutay and Derrik J. Lang, July 4, 2011

In an effort to "jump start"  its massive money-making empire, looks like the video game industry is giving up more control to the players.  In other words, you, the video game player, will be able to direct the course of the game based on the choices you make during the game play. 

According to the authors, these story telling games could not come at a better time, since so far the sales of video games are being described as flat compared to last year, after having reached a peak in 2008 at $21.4 billion dollars.

Some of the new, upcoming games mentioned were Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite and Star Wars:  The Old Republic. 

Ms. H's take:  Having played and reviewed Mass Effect 2 on Mom's Minute, I was impressed with the choices, including those that were moral in nature.  Giving the video game player more choices, which can in turn change the course of the game itself, can only, in my honest opinion, have positive results, making for an exciting and non-boring game!

What do you think?  First, do you see this is really video game news, when there are  games already following this course.  For me, in addition to Mass Effect 2, Heavy Rain, comes to mind.  Are there other games?  

Do you have an opinion, one way or the other  on having more control of the outcome of the story based on how you play, and the choices you make while playing a video game?  Let me know what you think by commenting below or visiting my forum!  I would like to hear from you!

Thanks for visiting my website!  My minute is up!

Bye now.

Ms. H.

Ms. H = Win!

​

From Ms. H

Source of News:  Scott Steinberg, Special to CNN, July 25, 2011

According to Scott Steinberg's article "Why 3-D Gaming Hasn't Caught On", the 3-D gaming hype that was at its highest a few months ago, has dwindled.  At that time, all the talk was about 3-D gaming.  The PS3 had software updates introducing three-dimensional special effects to popular titles such as "Pain" and "Super Stardust HD."  There were promises of 3-D in other big name games such as "Crysis 2" and "Mortal Kombat."

I would be at a loss not to mention the buzz behind the portable Nintendo 3DS, due in part to its  glasses-free approach to making visuals seem to leap off the screen.  In fact, I can attest to this experience, having played a  Nintendo 3-D game at a Game Stop demo a while back. I recall having to hold the console a special way in order to see the 3-D effect.

I also played and reviewed Tomb Raider (pictured), which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Could this game be coming to us in 3-D soon?

So what happened and what is the future of 3-D gaming?

The author states that now you can barely hear the "crickets chirp."

Looks like the less promising sales of 3-D televisions may be the blame as well as the need to wear special glasses for some games, and a myriad of other reasons.

But not to worry!  Hope may be on the horizon!  Some video gaming companies are betting on raising interest in the 3-D gaming format with the introduction of  3-D for such games  as "The Legend of Zelda: Oscarina of Time 3D" for Nintendo 3DS, and the upcoming PS3 flagship titled "Unchartered 3."

What about you? Have you played any 3-D video games lately?  If so, I would like to hear what you think.  Are there problems or rewards in playing games in a 3-D format?  Could these games be the wave of the future or a gimmick that has already had its day in the sun? 

Comment to me by posting here or at my Ms. H. forum. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

My minute is up!  Thanks for visiting my website!  Come back soon!

Bye now.

Ms. H

"Ms. H = Win!"

Marvel vs. Capcom 

News Source:  Forbes, John Gaudiosi, July 17, 2011

This week, over 126,000 people are expected to attend Comic-Con,  a comic book pop culture mecca in San Diego, CA.

 Since the big hollywood studios are "sitting this one out", there is plenty of room for the video game companies to attend and show off their new video game offerings!

Some of the video game companies/publishers in attendance are Sega, Capcom, BioWare, Konami, Microsoft, and many others.  For those "fan boys' and "fan girls" who could not get tickets to the comic book event, the video game companies plan to have lots of off-site demonstrations and displays away from the convention center.

Of the many new games offered, can you guess the game I played that was demonstrated at the convention?  Please read  the quote from the news article below to find out.

 "Capcom is using Comic-Con to unveil a brand new game, rumored to be Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The Japanese game giant will have developers on hand for media interviews, panels and fan signings. The new stand-alone game is expected to add a dozen new fighters to the mix, including Marvel’s Doctor Octopus and Capcom’s Frank West and Strider Hiryu. Traditionally, a game like this would be unveiled at E3 or Capcom’s own press event, Captivate. But Comic-Con has become such a huge press event that it allows game companies to unveil new games to both the media (both mainstream and core gaming) and public at the same time."

Go Capcom!  I enjoyed  playing Marvel vs Capcom during my Mom's Minute Video Game Reviews.  Fun game play,  and lots of choices!

Ms. H take:  If the hollywood studios had attended this comic book event en masse, I think the video game companies would have participated anyway.  Why wouldn't they -- especially with so many people (video game players ) expected to attend?

What do you think?  Should video games be included along with movies, comics, or other media type events, or should they maintain some type of exclusitivity?-- maybe  have new games shown only at E3 or similar type video game conventions?  I would like to hear from you!  You may comment here or visit my  Ms. H forum!

My minute is up!

Thanks for visiting my website!   Come back soon!

Bye now.

Ms. H.

"Ms H = Win!"

​