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Play Value podcast one of the best available

Everybody loves free stuff.

When I bought an iPod, the first thing I gravitated toward was the podcasts. They're all free, and some of them are truly extraordinary.

Among those I'd call the best of the best is a gem from ON Networks. It's called Play Value and gives a deep insight into the history of video games. I especially enjoyed Atari vs. Nintendo.

Here's the website. I'd highly recommend you either watch them on the web, or download them to your iPod, Zune or whatever you young people own these days.

Replay: This article brought to you by...

... In case you missed it on Toronto Thumbs.

Picture this: You pop Metal Gear Solid 4 into your PS3. The cinematic introducing the game begins with a close up shot of Solid Snake’s boots, then the camera pans up his dark jeans to the waist where you see the Levi’s logo. The shot begins to pull back and you see Snake pull a cigarette from his pack of Marlboros. He puts the pack away and takes a big swig of his Budweiser before using a Bic lighter to spark his smoke.

That may well be the future of gaming, and that horizon was brought closer by Sony’s recent announcement that the company will be introducing “dynamic in-game advertising.”

Mind you, such ads likely (hopefully) won’t be quite as obvious as the above scenario. In fact, Sony Computer Entertainment’s senior vice-president, Phil Rosenberg, went so far as to say in the company’s news release that the ads will benefit gamers.

“Ads that are organic to the environment not only benefit developers and advertisers, but also create a richer experience for gamers,” he says.

I may be in the minority when I say that I actually like the idea, if it’s done intelligently; that means no “This game brought to you by” messages, no interruption to the game play for embedded ads and no Coke ads in alien universes. The ads need to lend realism and credibility to the gaming experience, real products in likely places that don’t have big look-at-me signs above them.

It’s not a new concept. Movie makers have been doing product placements for decades. And they do it well, without taking anything away from the film. I’d imagine game developers should be able to incorporate the idea with flair.

So what do gamers get in return? I’m sad to say we probably won’t see cheaper games. But we may well see more game developers hop into the fray as a new source of revenue opens up the playing field a bit. We’ll see tougher competition as game developers fight for your attention. That will mean better games in the long run, hopefully.

* Image courtesy of Toronto Thumbs

Finally, a song pack to look forward to

It was music to my ears when I heard Coldplay will be coming to Guitar Hero 3, via the online music store.

Seems that Rockband and Guitar Hero's music stores are filled with garbage (or maybe I'm simply deprived of good, recent rock and alternative music). I've been sorely disappointed with the music EA and Activision have been adding to the song lists post-release.

According to Team Xbox:

Included in the song pack is the hit single "Violet Hill," from the band's highly anticipated new album, Viva la Vida, which is set for release on June 17, 2008. The pack also features Coldplay's first smash hit "Yellow" that earned them a legion of fans worldwide, as well as the upbeat and melodic tune "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" from the Grammy® Award-winning album, A Rush of Blood to the Head.

This is great news. I can't wait until June 19.

After this announcement by Activision, EA's Rockband best get "in the game."

Survey says: Games are good for the disabled

It seems video games are the prescription for what ails ya.

A new survey done by Information Solutions Group has found casual video games, especially simple puzzle games, help people who are suffering from physical or mental disabilities. The study was done on behalf of pop cap games, makers of casual games such as Bejeweled and Peggle. So take it with a grain of salt.

Games are said to have helped people cope with depression and ADD. It also helped distract those with physical disabilities from their pain.

For me playing games can be depressing, especially when some 12-year-old keeps killing me and tea-bagging my dead body.

The survey is nicely summed up here.

Ninja Gaiden 2 demo review: cut short

If you like hacking people's extremities off with really cool weapons and sweet looking acrobatics, you won't be disappointed by Ninja Gaiden 2. However, if you like the camera to react properly, you may want to steer clear of this much anticipated offering.

But by all means, download the free demo off Xbox Live.

The demo for Ninja Gaiden 2 is a beautiful and fun intro to the game. And for the record, this looks like a great game and, most of the time, plays like one too. I just plain hate the camera. Hated it with Ninja Gaiden Black. Hate it with this game too.

The demo is an hour of hack and slash button mashing. It gives you access to three main weapons from the start: your trusty blade, a massive scythe and claws that make you feel like Wolverine. You also get a moon staff near the end of the demo.

One thing I loved was that once you take an enemy's limbs off, he will continue to crawl after you. If he grabs you, he'll unleash a devastating suicide attack.

The game play is fast-paced. And it's challenging. So go download it and have fun.

Replay: It's not easy beating games

In case you missed this when it was posted on Toronto Thumbs.

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I was surfing the Internet on the weekend when I spotted a columnist arguing video games have become too easy. The article featured a picture of someone's grandma, with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth in concentration. She’s holding a Wii controller.

It was then that I thought to myself in desperation, “Perhaps I have fallen prey to game developers morphing me into a (gasp) ‘casual gamer.’” After all, I did buy Viva Pinata last week. And I did finish Halo 3 on normal. And I did buy NHL 07 for the easy achievements. And I do play Guitar Hero on medium.

Still, I can confidently answer the question posed by the Blend Games columnist — “Do gamers have it too easy these days.” No, gamers are not being catered to as drooling buffoons who can’t find the ‘start’ button without a tutor.

Sure I beat Halo 3 on normal. Then I beat it on legendary, with a little help from my friends. And it was hard. And if that’s too easy, try doing it on Legendary with the iron skull activated, a setting that forces you to start from the beginning of a level if you die. I also beat Gears of War on casual because insane is too, well, insane for me. But I've recently started playing it on hardcore. I started playing Rock Band on medium to get the hang of the drums, now I play it on hard. I can only beat a handful of songs on expert.

You see, game developers are allowing gamers to play at their comfort level — in some cases, to ease into the game. That’s not making it too easy. It’s simply a sign of the times.

Back in the olden days of gaming, before Nintendo, before Atari, waaayyyyy back to the arcade days, when there was Donkey Kong and Pac Man, games were designed for one purpose: to eat as many of your quarters as possible in as little time as possible. That’s when games were hard . . . because hard was profitable. Then along came Atari, then the Nintendo Entertainment System, and games became much easier because the game developers wanted you to take your time. They wanted you to become immersed. There was no longer a burning need to part you penniless from the arcade so some other chump could plunk money into the machine.

That’s the natural direction games have evolved; developers want you to spend time in front of the television living in their game world because then you’ll buy the downloadable content, not to mention the sequels. If you frustrate the gamer by making the tasks too difficult, repetitive or meaningless, you lose him.

And that’s why games have become, in some ways, even more challenging. You can now play online against other people who play as much as you do — maybe even more. There’s challenge in not getting your bum handed to you by a 12-year-old whose thumbs have become one with the analog sticks on his Xbox controller.

Thankfully, when I’ve been humbled by my online foes, I can turn on Guitar Hero and rock away to my favourite tunes on medium. And oh yeah, where is that start button again?