John Marston needs to stay away from the liquor. I’m still laughing at how funny this is…

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with No comments on 05/19/2010.
Posted in: Uncategorized Tags: Red Dead Redemption

I was thinking about RMT and cash shops in games. Then a few weeks ago I read a blog about MMO pricing over at GameMonkey. So I’d like to take a min and discuss what Global Agendas pricing plan is and future that may or may-not have a cash shop in it.

When I go to a purchase a game or MMO, there are a few things that play out in my head.

1. Can I afford this? Is there a monthly sub and will I enjoy it enough to subscribe.
2. What’s the gaming community response to the game/publisher or IP
3. If it’s a box in the store, I mull over the box reading and examining the pictures and how it was packaged and ‘prepared’ for ME.  If it’s in a digital form IE: Steam or DDL, I will read blogs, review the website, and search for videos and general information on the game.
4. I’ll pray about it and make a decision the next day or when I feel I have the information to make a choice weather to ‘buy’ or ‘not to buy.’

I am very frugal at heart, so spending money is very hard for me. Gaming has come and swept in the back door of all this frugalness. World of Warcraft has taken a crap load of money from me. With 4 years of subscription fees and SIX transfers at 25$ bucks a pop. Something had to be done.

I’ve really had to control my gaming expenses.  I’m still a work in progress and ‘STEAM’ isn’t helping any, but nevertheless I’m getting better.

On to the Global Agenda of this post!

Pricing

In the current state of MMO’s and games in general; the methods used of pricing your product are:

1. Box Standard.
   1. This would include 49.99 and 59.99 standard box from a local retail store.
   2. One time purchase with free ‘one’ month play time, but all expansions will cost the “Standard” retail price.

1. Digital Download.
   1. Includes your ‘Steam’, file-planet or any source of a digital download where you don’t have to physically travel to a retail shop.
   2. They also include the usual one time purchase with a free month and subscription after that, but also come with a greater potential to be discounted because the actual product takes no physical form. Thus lowering your initial cost to distribute the game.

What I’d like to point out about Global Agenda is what they did in their ‘Pre-order’ phase and now that they are in full swing. What their monthly subscription plan is.

Global Agenda bought and paid for.

Pre-order

When I purchased GA, I paid a whopping price of 44.99$, just under what most would consider the retail norm.  Along with the purchase you received two in-game vanity items. The “NO ELFS” mask and the “COMMON WEALTH” helmet,which looks cooler IMO

The Pricing

I made the purchase knowing that the game much like TF2 would come in small but intense bursts of fun. The subscription option for GA is one where they would seemingly allow you to play in the “Conquest” mode of the game. AVA (Alliance vs. Alliance) which is just a fancy name for ‘guilds’. In AVA you battle it out for control of said land and resources thus providing your Alliance with superior gear and upgrades. This is supposed to take place in an “Open World” type environment where your actions, alliances, strategies, and quick decisions will determine the outcome of your “Conquest” to take over or your failure to defend your territory.

After learning about this option I was really surprised, especially when hearing it was 2 dollars lower than the average MMO subscription. At a reasonable 12.99 monthly sub – you can participate in AVA and gain yourself some nice upgrades.  Weather the upgrades will be worth it, I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see until more info and hardcore Alliances come out.

Will Global Agenda have a “cash” shop?

I have been looking around the forums, and HI-REZ‘s website and haven’t found anything that would confirm or deny that we may see a form of cash shop in GA.

Let me say this though, any player roaming around “The Dome” in game would have seen a few stores not opened yet, but having signs outside them. One a vanity store called “CYBER CUTS” allowing you to change your hair style and color. The other called the “GENOLAB” allowing facial and DNA
re-sequencing and lastly the “CYBRUS” shop, a cybernetic implants and augmentation kiosk.

So will we see ‘Micro-transactions in Global Agenda?? Time will tell, but all the signs point to, YES.

© Posted by Kaldeem for Im Talkin Games with One comment on 02/05/2010.
Posted in: Uncategorized Tags:

Are you a fan or a fanboy?

In most dictionaries, a fan is defined as “an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.”  A fanboy as defined by the Urban dictionary, is “a passionate fan of various elements of geek culture (e.g. sci-fi, comics, Star Wars, video games, anime, hobbits, etc.), but who lets his passion override social graces.”

How does this affect the MMO world?  People can become very passionate about their game.  Those that play MMO’s, for instance, tend to spend a lot of time in their virtual world, developing a passion for it that can become addictive.  But that doesn’t make them a fanboy, does it?  They are enjoying their pastime and just happen to be devoted to it.  They aren’t necessarily so passionate for their game that they might disregard or override social graces.

So why do people lash out at others who choose to play a different game than them?  What is the reasoning behind the whole my game is better than your game attitude?

Are fans predestined to become fanboys?

Do people that play ” game A” have to hate people that play “game B?”  For instance, do people that play EVE automatically have an animosity towards people that play WoW or EQ2?  Can they curb their feelings and be civil to each other without all the mud-slinging and name-calling?  Do we really need to choose sides in this so called MMO vs MMO conflict, or can we just say that both games win because both companies get our hard earn money every month?

I enjoy playing World of Warcraft, but I don’t spend my days trolling Everquest 2 forum sites telling people how they should dump their loser of a game for something as exciting and rich as World of Warcraft or spend my free time pointing out how superior WoW is over their game.  I respect that people have different tastes and some people favor Everquest 2 just as I would expect them to respect my enjoyment of WoW.

Will I defend my decision to play WoW?  Of course, because I enjoy the game, but that passion for WoW doesn’t make me a fanboy, it makes me a fan – someone who will enjoy the game for what it is a simple mmo game.  Sure I’ll be cheering its accomplishments, but I’ll also be telling people when developers screw up and do something stupid to break the game, because being a fan means being able to criticize as well as praise something you enjoy.

The truth is you can be a fan without being a fanboy.   The trick is to not become so passionate that you forget your social graces or common sense.  You can have a difference of opinion, but you can also be civil to each other and understand that there is no us against them mentality when it comes to gaming.  We are all MMO players no matter what game we play.

- Oakstout

© Posted by Oakstout for Im Talkin Games with No comments on 01/25/2010.
Posted in: Commentary, Featured, Opinion, Uncategorized Tags: World of Warcraft

As Santa’s elves load up his sleigh in preparation for tonight’s Christmas present deliveries, gamers the world around the world are wishing that BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Repbulic could be something they’d get under their tree. Too bad that isn’t going to happen this Christmas, but we all remain hopeful for next year.

While the game may not be coming just yet, we wondered how the Sith might celebrate the holidays, and Rackham delivered the imagery to help us understand the dark side of the holidays. May 2010 be as fun for you all as it was for us.

From all the staff at ITG, have a happy holiday season!

- br3ntbr0

© Posted by Rackham for Im Talkin Games with 6 comments on 12/24/2009.
Posted in: Comics, Featured, Misc, Uncategorized Tags:

Its 3:30 in the morning and I’m in ITG’s dashboard drafting up Torchlight: Ready the Torches!, when I get a tell from a Steam friend. He reminds me that I first told him about Killing Floor about 6 months ago when it was first released by Tripwire Interactive in May of 2009.  Now he is at a friends house who has the game, watched them play it for a bit, and then right when he got home he logged into steam and purchased it. Its comparable to Left 4 Dead with the whole survivalist, multiplayer co-op and solo playable features, along with achievements and a interesting level up ability I will discuss in a bit. I’d like take a min and say that L4D and Killing Floor are very similar…but not identical. Overall they serve the same function, which is to lay waste to a seemingly insurmountable horde of zombies and demonic creatures, and live to tell about it.

The graphics are quite good, with repeatable and enjoyable play time, and a pocket friendly price of only $19.99 via the Steam network. If you haven’t gotten L4D due to any number of reasons (price being the only one I can think of right now) then you should give a look at Killing Floor. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Take a look at the  HD Trailer below to see if you think this could be a viable L4D alternative:

Lets talk about some of the features now. We know the basics: Co-op Survival Horror FPS, setting takes place in ravished country sides and some cities in  England. Check.  Let’s talk perks:

• 6 player C0-op
• Persistent Perks System (PPS):  Allows the players to convert their in-game achievements into permanent character improvements, increasing stats and abilities
• Over 40 steam achievements and 2 Character expansion packs (priced at a meager $1.99 each)
• Slow-motion “ZEDtime” Killing blow factor, (this feature is so sick, I’ve become addicted to just watching heads exploded in Zedtime)
• Nine different creature types with aggressive behavior problems
• Weapons: 12 weapons to choose from, knives, flamethrowers, axes (a few different types), shotguns, rifles and a cross bow!
• There are many features in this game that are pushing it above others in its genre, like being able to weld doors shut to better direct the onslaught of undead
• Open, non-linear play areas.  You can run about or play defensively, what ever your play style is.
• Fully adjustable difficulty and creature waves  function
• Steam support and functionality
• SDK for creation of new levels and mods

That’s a lot in-game bang for your buck right there!!

The perks system is a bit hard to describe, when you first log in and chose either multiplayer co-op or single player you will be able to select your basic character and specialty.  You can choose rifleman, melee, etc. When you pick a specialty you get a bonus to your core ability.  For example, I normally go rifleman, and with that I get 10% increased damage with rifles, and faster reload with rifles and hand guns. Say you were to choose a melee core play style, then you would get 10% bonus to melee attacks and damage taken reduction, increased swing speed (I believe) and so on.

What do you think?  Have you played both Left 4 Dead and Killing Floor?  Is KF a viable alternative to L4D?  Holla back!

- Kaldeem

© Posted by Kaldeem for Im Talkin Games with 3 comments on 10/27/2009.
Posted in: Commentary, Featured, Impressions, Uncategorized Tags: Killing Floor, L4D, Steam, Tripwire Interactive

This site will serve as a video log as well as a home for my wall-of-texty game ramblings, news and other commentary.  I also intend to build a community around this site if possible, so all who want to contribute share in building the site should contact me.  Anyway, glad you found the new site.  Pardon my progress, things might be a little wonky as I tweak the site by installing plugins and template tweaks.  Please let me know what you think of the new virtual hangout here.

© Posted by br3ntbr0 for Im Talkin Games with 2 comments on 10/14/2009.
Posted in: Uncategorized Tags: