Indie Game Spotlight: The Cat Lady (p.s. I’m not dead…)

Hiya folks! Hammy here, after a whirlwind month or two, with some words on one of my favorite subjects…INDIE GAMES!!!

Now, as some may know, I love me some Indie Games. And I REALLY love free indie games. But once in a while, when I’m not broke, I’ll gladly drop a few bucks for a game I think will be a good time. And in this instance, the game I chose to support was The Cat Lady.

poster art for The Cat Lady

poster art for The Cat Lady

The first thing that caught my attention was that it was a “point and click” adventure game. My fondest memories of PC gaming in my youth was playing story and puzzle driven titles like Myst, The 7th Guest, The Journeyman Project Series, and Bad Mojo. So this was right up my alley, to say the least. But when I watched the trailer, I quickly realized that this was NOT a subtle game for children. The art style and creepy atmosphere and haunting soundtrack and terrific voice acting made my heart race…and this was just the TRAILER. I knew I had to play it, and found the price of $11.99 far too reasonable to pass up. So, allow me to walk you through my impressions of the game, SPOILER FREE, and tell you why this game reminds me why I love adventure games.

 

Story:

Harvester Games, the Indie Game Studio behind this game, is all about pointing out their love of mature story telling. And The Cat Lady is certainly mature, what with it’s adult language, nudity, mature themes, and…oh yeah…THE GORE. Cat Lady pulls ZERO PUNCHES in the blood category. But it’s not gory for shock value, as some titles choose to do. The blood and killing and violence is essential for this gritty, emotional tale of human nature and the limits one must reach and even surpass when given no other choice.

At the start of the game, you meet Susan Ashworth, voiced by Lynsey Frost. Susan is a bit troubled, and this is made obvious as we learn that she is committing suicide by prescription drug overdose. Cheery, Ain’t it? And as her life fades to black her final words – according to her suicide note – are simply, “Thanks for nothing…Goodbye.”

The End…

NOPE…We find Susan in a field of barley…No, really. You can only assume this is “the afterlife” and there is zero information given about your surroundings. So you walk along, discovering a locked house and more field. Must be Heaven, right?

Again…NOPE. Things quickly get creepy as Susan keeps finding dead bodies around certain locations…what’s worse is that those dead bodies are her. So needless to say, Hell seems a more accurate description of where Susan is. And what’s Hell without a creep-tastic figure found deeper in the the level who loves being called “The Queen of Maggots?”

cl-fp2__big

“Hi, I’m The Queen of Maggots, and I want to offer you one messed up job…”

Now, things get weirder and weirder for Susan as The Queen discusses her plans for her. In order to keep this spoiler free, I’ll just say that the overall goal Susan is stuck with is dealing with 5 people, known as “Parasites.” These people will hurt Susan…and they really REALLY love hurting Susan. Now at this point, we discover a very interesting game mechanic. The dialogue options have different consequences for the story. But they’ve done a terrific job at making those consequences unknown until they explode right in your face much later in the game. You’re left, more often than not, asking yourself, “OH GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!” when you choose a dialogue option that opens a world of WTF. But the game just keeps rolling, leaving you with a feeling of dread and worry in your stomach for what is to come. And that in itself made this game so hard to put down for me. You NEED closure, you NEED answers, and you WANT to fix things for Susan…but you don’t always get what you want, now do you? And this game reminds you of that constantly.

 

STORY SCORE: 9.5/10

+ Deep story with gut wrenching intensity and immense tension

+ Voice Acting is wonderful and often times spine-shivering

+ Susan Ashworth is one of the most complex characters I’ve had the pleasure of playing as

– Some of the dialogue can run a little long and slow the pace

Gameplay:

Now, at the start of this review I said this was a “Point and Click” adventure game. Well, that’s not entirely accurate in this case, though it does have that old school adventure game setup. This entire game is played using the arrow keys and the enter button. Really…that’s it. Now some may say that isn’t a very in-depth control scheme for an adventure game…and those people would be the ones who never played the oldies-but-goldies that used a menu with icons like “LOOK” “TALK” “USE” etc. Susan walks with the Left and Right arrows, interacts with the environment with the Up arrow, and the Down arrow let’s you into your inventory. Which, after playing the game for a long time, became easy to do without a second thought. And there are some moments in the game where you need to be quick on the draw with inventory and environment cues.

Mess around and push the wrong button, and this broad will make you regret it...

Mess around and push the wrong button, and this broad will make you regret it…

There’s not much else to be said about the controls, other than that Harvester Games knows how to give you the simplest control scheme for a game, so all your attention can be focused on the epic story and terrifying imagery this game has to offer.

 

Gameplay Score: 10/10

+ Easy controls

+ Environment Cues are easy to locate (even in the dark!)

- If you don’t have a keyboard…well you’re screwed…but how do you use your PC if that’s the case?!

Graphics:

If you’re looking for a Next-Gen, 3-d title with lens flare and hair tessellation…then you are S.O.L. for this game. Cat Lady is a 2-d side scrolling adventure with some really great artwork. The character models are rich in detail and subtle animations such as wind swept hair that changes when you face either direction. The color pallet, while mostly grey-scale, throws in some great use of color when it’s needed and never becomes an eye-sore. But the best part of the game for me was the visceral imagery that would flash and twist before my eyes. Cat Lady doesn’t ease you into graphic depictions of horrific events at all, which adds to the punch of terror this game does so well. Even things like a spot of opening credits at the start of the game caused me to shriek like a little girl, just as much as later in the game when I’m greeted by a horrific piece of “art” using a dead body and wires.

If this image makes you say, “WTF?!” then be ready to be saying that for imagery 100% more f-ed up than you can imagine.

You can understand just why this game took 3 years to develop from the amount of love and care that went into every single character model, backdrop, visual effect, and everything else poured into your eyeballs by this game. Not one single area in this game feels safe or normal, and it really puts you into the mind of Susan and just how fragile her mental state is. The worlds bends and warps when she’s at her absolute lowest point, and you can identify with her fear as the game thrusts you into locations that are frightening beyond imagination.

 

Graphics Score: 10/10

+ Level design and attention to detail perfect

+ Amazing use of color never get’s boring

+ Characters are wonderfully detailed and can invoke such empathy and/or fear

- If you are colorblind, you may miss out on the other colors…but I assure you, Blood is red…REALLY red…

Sound:

As I said before, the voice acting is fantastic in this game. Most of the dialogue is completely voiced, and some of the characters can be terrifying to listen to. For example, David Firth makes an impressive addition to the cast as a very creepy exterminator in a gas mask. David Firth is no stranger to creepy dialouge and eerie subject matter, as he is the mastermind of such Flash series like Salad Fingers. http://www.fat-pie.com/

This guy, voiced by David Firth, will leave you just as scared as if you were actually being held captive in his basement...

This guy, voiced by David Firth, will leave you just as scared as if you were actually being held captive in his basement…

But the voice acting isn’t the only thing this game does well. The sound effects, while some are quite familiar for those who frequent stock sound effects websites, are used in the perfect way in regards to timing and effectiveness. The sounds of a knife plunging into someone’s stomach, or the ambient screams of torment from a horribly familiar nightmare, or the god-awful screech of violins doing that horror movie jump scare effect as the game quick cuts to a wall of maggots with disgusting noises to add to the scene works on every level. The sound effects give life to the scene that just works so well. And the music is really great as well, with a score by micAmic that drives the tension and horror through your skull. The game even features some great songs by Warmer and 5iah that play during key moments of the game that match perfectly to the mood at that scene. I’ve found myself humming certain tunes from the game lately…which is kinda sad considering the song I usually go to is a song that plays during a surprising and depressing moment of the game…

 

SOUND SCORE: 9.5/10

+ Amazing Soundtrack

+ The ambiance can be soothing or terrifying in a heartbeat

- Some sound effects are pretty overused in other popular games and takes away from the experience

Final Verdict:

Not too many games as of late have been able to get me emotionally, but The Cat Lady has done so with gusto. The puzzles are easy to wrap your brain around and never out of place, the characters are interesting and complex and wonderfully brought to life by great voice acting, the game worlds are hauntingly beautiful in their simplicity and art direction, the story is well-written and brilliantly crafted into an adventure game that reminds me why adventure games were so great in the first place. All in all, I can’t see anyone who loves a great story and/or a thrilling adventure game that wouldn’t love this game. Harvester Games proves once again that a small band of developers who take their time and effort and put forth a work of art on their terms can be such a greater experience for the player. The cons are few and far between in this game, and honestly after playing the game and writing this review, it’s hard to even come up with them.

That’s why I gladly give this game a much deserved 10/10 from someone who is truly a fan of adventure games, and urge any one who loves them to support these wonderful people at Harvester Games and buy their game.

You can get all the info you need at their website: http://www.thecatlady.co.uk/

This is Hammy, signing off.

3/23/13 – Revising Classes

Plotting and scheming ways to revise a majority of the classes in Sword Land RPG. I know for sure that the Barbarian, Cleric, Knight, Paladin, Ranger, and Rogue classes will receive a major update.

Mainly the thing is to make these classes very unique from one another – Fighters, Wizards, and Rogues get a bonus feat every level so they can be easily customized to a player’s taste. In comparison, the Cleric class and others will receive improved traditional abilities (A Paladin’s Smite, for example) and new features I’ve been brewing up.

The Bard, Druid, Scout, Shaman, and Sorcerer classes are still being heavily revised, as I’m still tweaking the Sorcerer’s mechanics and drafting up the others.

Finally, I’m working on a new class as well – Captains, who are able to command their party members in normal combat and entire battalions during mass combat. Should be a really fun one to play, hopefully.

Addendum: The big challenge drafting classes is to fit a feature in for each Level in a 10 Level progression cap – there should be no “dead” Level at all, where a character receives nothing for reaching the level other than a HP roll. SLRPG will have characters receive either a new feat or a new ability per level, depending on their class.

How I Play Skyrim

I have yet to do a single thing in Skyrim in the proper order. I’m constantly showing up to some dude’s castle that I’ve never seen before, only to hand over a mystical item that I’d mentally scratched off as garbage hours ago, and then sit and listen to the story be retroactively explained to me:

 

King: Wanderer! Thank the gods you’ve come! The prophecy told us that a mighty warrior would arise, worthy of wielding Fjalnir, the God-axe, and slaying the evil Demon Prince Synraith. We believe you to be that warrior. What say you, traveler? Will you accept this task?

 

Me: Yea, verily I shall accept thine task and vanq- wait, Synraith? Fiery dude in a floating city? Cape made out of screeching souls? Ahhh, shit. I already killed that guy.

 

King: You … already slew the Demon Prince, the Knife in the Dark, the Void at the Heart of All Men, whose identity you did not learn until just now?

 

Me: Yup. I saw that castle floating up in the sky, and I wanted to know if I could jump up the rocks to get in the back way. It took a lot of reloads, but I finally managed to hop on up in there.

 

King: You “hopped on up” into the Abyssal Palace?

 

Me: Yeeeep, yep yep yep. Just squat-jumped on in there and looted the place. Then I killed that Sydney guy-

 

King: Synraith, Demon Prince of the Abyss.

 

Me: -yeah him. I ganked that guy. Mostly just to see if I could. Plus he looked like kind of a dick.

 

King: Indeed, the Foulest of the Foul was “kind of a dick.” But you vanquished him without the aid of sacred Fjalnir, the God-axe?

 

Me: Totally. It wasn’t even a thing. I just hid on top of a bookshelf where he couldn’t reach me and shot him with arrows. Then I waited until he forgot I was shooting him, and did it all again to get the sneak damage bonus. Took a while, but he died all the same.

 

King: Forsooth! Thine heroic deeds are … well, that sounds kind of fucked up, actually. Never thought I’d feel bad for He Who Devours. So you have no need of our sacred totem weapon?

 

Me: What, the gold dealy, with the shiny bits? Nah, I already stole that out of the display case four hours ago, before I knew who you were. I gave it to Sven, but he Quantum Leaped out of the game with that shit.

 

King: Huh. So. I guess … the bards will … sing of your tale now?

 

Me: Oh yeah? Sweet, let’s hear it.

 

Bard: The hero came with eyes aflame / his tasks already done / the land was rescued all the same / but ’tis kind of a shitty song.

 

Me: Word.

3/18/2013 – SLRPG Saving Throws and Magic Items

Working on fine-tuning more details of the main combat system for Sword Land RPG. Along the lines of that I’ve been messing around with a simplified Vehicle/Mounted combat system to match the simple Mass Combat system – however, this post will just be detailing the mechanics of combat when PCs go up against monsters and the like.

One of the main issues being worked on is how Saving Throws will handled in Sword Land. The approach is a bit retro, so to say – There are four specific Values for Saving Throws.
1. Save Vs Poison or Death/Wounds
2. Save Vs Elements or Dragon Breath
3. Save Vs Paralysis or Turn To Stone
4. Save Vs Spell or Magic Effect

In comparison to older game systems, this approach focuses on four overarching Saves. Of course Save Vs Poison or Death Ray effects matters when a character is poisoned or subjected to some kind of death-inducing effect, such as ongoing damage from an opponent’s weapon. Save Vs Elements or Dragon Breath effects saves regarding to natural weather effects (Trying to avoid being hit by flying magma in a volcano passage, for example), or other natural elemental effects (A dragon’s breath weapon being a prime example). Save Vs Paralysis or Turn to Stone effects matters when a character would become petrified (staring at a Medusa, for example) and paralyzed (after being bitten by a venomous snake, ect). Save Vs Spells or Magic Effect will effect saves for all kinds of spells, of course.

All classes receive an initial saving throw value (Melee combatants tend to have a score of 3, spellcasters receive a 2). These values then take into effect a character’s race, which may provide bonuses (such as a Dwarf’s +2 bonus against poison effects). Finally, for most saving throws the character’s modifier for certain ability scores will be included (Save Vs Death being the perfect example, after a character has been reduced to 0 HP. Their Constitution Bonus/Penalty will be added to the result of the roll). Characters will need to roll equal to or under their Saving Throw Value, so these bonuses will give characters a wider margin of error to work with. Of course, no Saving Throw Value can exceed 11 in order to maintain a chance of failing a saving throw, but for the most part it seems that characters should have a decent chance of surviving.

Another issue being worked with are Magic Weapons. The biggest overall change is the fact that Magic Weapons play into the overall lethality of the system – for every + on a weapon, it rolls an addition d12 of damage. (For example, a +2 Longsword will be rolling it’s original weapon damage, and then roll 2 more d12s for it’s total damage on a successful hit.)

This highlights the overall quality and important status that Magic Weapons have in the system – They will be decently hard to come by in most modules, and those that are lucky enough to find one will be the talk of the town for sure. Villains that have magic weapons are going to be difficult opponents to win against, though the same is true if Player Characters have their own.

Another thing I’ll cover in a later post is possibly the biggest change to standard combat in regards to Sword Land RPG – Reaction Attacks, or “The Wizard’s Best Friend” mechanic.

- Erik

3/15/13 – SLRPG Feats Discussion

Speaking of Sword Land RPG, revising several of the Classes tonight while I have the time.

The Rogue has a nice new addition, as the class now recieves an extra “General” feat on odd Levels (Where most other classes do not receive feats at all at those levels). It puts them on par with the Fighter (which receive an extra combat feat on odd levels), and Wizards (which receive an extra magic feat on odd levels).

“General” Feats in Sword Land RPG replace the “Skills” system found in most RPGs these days, as Sword Land relies heavily on standard ability rolls for most challenges that characters can face. This is intended to ensure that all characters can accomplish most things they come across or at the very least try, rather than leaving the character (and player) hopeless when they have invested so much in one skill when a check for another comes up.

For example, most conversational challenges will just rely on the “Charisma” ability score, jumping and acrobatic stunts rely on the “Dexterity” score, so on and so forth.

However, in the event Feats are used, General Feats replace Skills in the fact that most will bump up a particular roll with a permanent +3. (Which is a huge boon on a d12 roll.) This is meant to reflect a character’s training and experience with particular situations.

For example, a Fighter finds himself lost in the snowy mountains, and the GM calls for a Constitution Ability Roll to see if the Fighter is losing Hit Points while he’s out in the elements due to the cold. Since the character has the “Cold Climate Survival” Feat, the player gets to add +3 to whatever he rolls for his character, on top of his character’s Constitution modifier. With a potential +7 to his roll (depending on his Constitution modifier), this Fighter has a pretty good chance of staying nice and dry!

In theory, this system seems very smooth – there are no individual “Skills” that a player must invest limited resources in and potentially cause their character to become proficient in one thing and one thing only. However, the customization factor is still there as the General Feats will vary from character to character as they are rolled up and level up in the game. Indeed, it’s also recommended for GMs to allow players to embark on quests to receive new Feats when they suit the campaign – representative of character growth and triumphs. In that way, characters will reflect the story of a ongoing campaign due to how they are statted out in game mechanics – something that is a perfect balance between storytelling and gaming.

Maybe I rant on a bit too much about this, but I find it fascinating to work on. Definitely have to say I’m proud how this system has been turning out.

Can’t wait to get some folks to run it for them.

- Erik

Just a little update

Why hello everyone! It’s been a while since anything has been updated, so I thought that I would give a little update.

Everyone has been really busy doing things, whether it be for the page or for their own lives, so we haven’t had much time to work on major projects. I myself have started to get back into all of my content here, specifically with the Mass Effect Table Top project. Everything is getting updated and in some cases redesigned to better fit into a system. Things are full steam ahead as I get everything together in order to run a playtest of a more updated version at the Great Falls Gaming Rendezvous in October. As things come together, I’ll be posting it here to the 23rd stage. First thing to come will be the current revision of the Character Sheet for the system, which just happens to be the fourth version. Things are coming along at a steady pace, so be on the lookout for new content.

Also, I am continuing work on the Halo: Insurrection fan story that I’ve been writing for a few friends and will be posting up as chapters become complete. While this was an important creation of mine over the past several years, I have slowly been stepping away from it due to disinterest by the very people I was writing it for. I will continue writing, but not at such an enthusiastic pace. Once again, if anybody wants a small cameo appearance in the book you should get in contact with me as soon as possible.

All in all, I’m excited for what is coming and I hope you all are as well.

-Jon Woods

3/10/13 – Simple Mass Combat and the Tavern Drinking Game

And back to work on Sword Land RPG.

I’ve been coming up with all sorts of little treats while I’ve been preparing Feats and Equipment lists and revising the current documents.

The first big update is that I’ve drafted the basics of a simple Mass Combat system, where units fight on a scale of 1 square/half mile and fight not unlike a PC vs Monster encounter. The Damage Rolls indicate the amount of casualties a Unit takes rather than actual HP damage, however. PCs would be able to interact in these combats by occupying the same squares as either allied or enemy units – Giving a +1 for Attack Rolls to allied units and a -1 to enemy units, reflecting the fact that PCs are performing actions in combat that boost the morale of their allies and demoralize enemies (with certain classes like the Bard, Knight, and Cleric boosting up those AR bonuses even further with their Class Abilities). Still working on the specifics, but should have a rough draft with the next packet. I’m planning on including a more fleshed out and specific Mass Combat system, but this simplified version is for those that want large-scale battles done quickly.

(The actual combat system for typical Players vs Monsters will come at a later point, as I’m somewhat still tweaking and perfecting that portion of the system.)

The other little Easter egg is the simple “Tavern Drinking Game”, where players who wish to have their characters consume alcohol roll a d12 to figure out how many drinks their character partakes in (provided they can afford it, of course). This system doesn’t really model the effects of intoxication realistically other than what the players provide in roleplay – though this little system in particular has had a long standing tradition in the games I’ve ran as a GM and I wanted to put it into Sword Land somewhere. (Though, with a d20…more than a few characters have decided that drinking 19-20 drinks was in their best interest…always interesting results, those ones.)

Finally, I’ve started working on a number of selected Spells to include for the Spellcaster Classes, along with finishing up the draft work of the unfinished base classes (Druid, Bard, Scout).

Overall, work on the Swordland Project is moving ahead slowly but steadily, and I’m quite excited to get the next packet of material out to you all.

Cheers!

- Erik

Our Past, and Our Future…

First of all, I would like to thank all of the fans we got in the last year or so. You guys are awesome. Also, the staff writers, Erik, Hammy, and Jon, you guys have written some great articles. We put out a good amount of diverse info, and I think it all went rather well. Now, to look to our future.

First of all, my plan for 2013. I will be doing a lot of articles about a game convention that we are doing in my home town of Great Falls, MT, called the Great Falls Gaming Rendezvous, or GFGR for short. I will be the co-head of the committee that will be in charge of the Video Game related events at GFGR. This will include, video game tournaments, demos, and discussion panels.

Through out the year, leading up to the event itself (mid October), I will be bringing all of the up-to-date news about the event. This will include interviews with the staff and attendees of the event, photos, and possibly videos as well.

 

Also this year, I will be continue to promote my original fantasy setting that is used in the AGE Tabletop RPG System.

More video game stuff from Hammy and the gang.

Biggest news; We will be doing a weekly youtube show on gaming. Both video gaming and tabletop gaming, and as Hammy perfectly puts it, “All of the things we did, that didn’t get us laid when we were younger.”

 

There is also a lot more that I cannot say quite yet, but please stay a fan, and invite your friends to join in our antics!

 

Thank you kindly,

~Austin Kazda

President of The 23rd Stage

Arimiroth Campaign Preview #3: Iconic Characters Pt. 2

Throughout history there are those famous people that helped develop the way the world was, and what it eventually will become. These iconic people were sometimes revered, and other times feared. These are some of the Iconic Characters from the Darkheart Campaign Setting.

 

Tyrian Cain:

Tyrian is a Halfling Pirate captain of the ship “The Silver Sail”. He has traveled around most of En’Oerban by ship, and is a well known gambler. His role in saving Freeport in the year 1313, was not known to many people. He had helped a group of Scar Hunters get to Freeport and stop a Scar from being opened above Freeport. It is said this Scar would have rivaled The First Scar, both in size, and danger. He eventually sailed away to the far east, beyond Freeport, never to be heard from again. Some say he found paradise, others say he died at sea. It is still unknown.

 

The Inspiration:

This mysterious woman was responsible for the revolution in Freeport in the years 1311 through 1314. She is said to have had a hand in preventing the Scar from being opened in Freeport in 1313, but to what degree, it’s not known. She later went on to lead the revolution to take over Freeport. She became the Leader of the “Great Island Cities”, when Freeport divided itself into six smaller cities (many still refer to it as Freeport). She ruled the Great Island Cities until she died in 1359. She became a kind and generous ruler, and her rule, and the  fifty or so years that followed were referred to as the Freeport Glory Age. Her real name? Maybe someday I will tell you.

 

Sawyer Belan:

Sawyer Belan is a mage-priest who was born in Dirk. Raised by his father to be a priest, like his father and grandfather before him, Sawyer also developed mage abilities. He traveled with a group of Scar Hunters for a few years, before settling down and having a family. He later became the head master of the first Mage College of Dirk.

 

Trog Dur:

An young orc that loves olives. That’s about all I got.

 

The Trouble with Next-Gen

It goes without saying that we’ve had the same game systems for quite a while. Aside from the recent release of the WiiU, no new consoles have been released from Sony or Microsoft. Sony likes to think their new Vita is a “console”, but we know better right?

…right?

Anyway, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 has been around since 2005 and 2006, with only new slim variants to come out in recent years. Most critics have said this has been a horrible slump for the gaming industry, and has allowed PC gaming to reign as top dog in 2012. And with Valve hinting at affordable gaming pc setups to crush the console market, things look pretty grim for the ol console.

But…there is a new hope for consoles. The “secret, yet not so secret because the Internet is a thing” plans of Sony and Microsoft for their new consoles have been sweeping blogs and gaming sites for a while now, with some rumors saying new consoles could be unveiled by 2013′s E3, or sooner. Now, there is speculation on the power of these systems, with some saying the next-gen consoles may have as high high as an i7 processor and 4 gig graphics cards built in. But I’m not going to get into all that until I see some hard evidence. What I will discuss is the bumpy road that is new system growing pains.

I remember, what feels like an eternity ago, how badly I wanted a PS3. Being a fan of Sony’s last 2 systems and the great franchises to come from them. I never owned an Xbox simply because of the ordeals my friends would have to deal with.

DOES ANYONE ELSE REMEMBER TRYING TO GET AN XBOX ‘S DISK DRIVE TO OPEN ON THE FIRST TRY IF THE SYSTEM WAS MORE THAN A YEAR OLD?! CAUSE I DO! AND IT DIDN’T HAPPEN…

20121228-081854.jpg

So as I entered GameStop on that faithful PS3 release day, I was greeted by the associate with a humble, “Hello! We have no Playstation 3′s!” My heart sank, my soul crushed, my loins ached for some odd reason…

No…Playstation 3′s? But…but I want one…how else am I gonna play these awesome release titles? Which looking back, wasn’t that many. I remember when the 360 came out, there were TONS of games available out the start gate. Now, granted most of them blew and were quickly stacked up on the pre-owned section, but still! A lot of games!

A big issue with new consoles is how slowly it takes to really utilize the new hardware, in terms of game development. With new hardware come new options for game developers, which means a whole new learning curve in a way. Games really didn’t use the full potential of the PS3 until much later after release. But looking at games now, it’s amazing the graphical prowess of these machines. Halo 4 is leaps and bounds better looking than Halo Reach, which is really saying something when both games look beautiful on a console that doesn’t really have the graphics ability like its Blu-Ray playing counterpart.

Another issue that “might” come up is using the motion controller gimmicks these systems have thrown at us lately. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for breaking the norm with new ways to play. And I have found some of these “motion games” pretty fun once you learn the ways of gesture gaming. But the bottom line, especially with the crash and burn of the Kinect, is that when the bulk of hardcore gamers refuse to drop the controller, no game developer is going to put forth their time and effort to build a game around motion gaming. And only using the voice command feature in a lot of these new games is a waste of $150 to buy a Kinect when every console ships with a headset. When I played Rise of Nightmares for the Kinect, from start to finish I might add, the only “voice command” I had was cursing my way through 8 zombies as my axe weapon shattered. Thus forcing me to repeatedly punch zombies in the face until dead. And by punching zombies in the face, I mean flailing in the air and gasping as I quickly realized just how dehydrated and out of shape I was.

But with these “growing pains” of past console releases, I still have a glimmer of hope that companies have gotten huge wake up calls on how to do things right the first time. Perhaps game developers have had their hands on development tools and new hardware already, toiling away in secret on the next big IP using the impressive power of new consoles.

We can only hope.

But as a gamer, I know what comes with new systems and new issues that arise. But when it comes to the trials and tribulations of console gaming, my only hope for you gamers out there reading is that you do your research, plan for some hiccups, and pour your hard earned money into what YOU feel is a good buy, not what a company “hopes” is the greatest gaming system ever. As recent events suggest, these companies know full well that we consumers can make and break companies for not fulfilling their promises. Lets make 2013 not just a year of new hardware, but a year of smart, intelligent gamers that stand up for the thing they love most.