Welcome back, stay awhile and listen. This week we’ll be taking a look at the future of tablet gaming and potentially console gaming as technology becomes smaller and more powerful. Next there is the notoriously frustrating Spelunky game that has recently been beaten in less than two minutes. In the same vein of niche gaming experiences Evo 2014 ended last week with a champion crowned. Did you miss it? And finally we’ll be discussing one man’s love of Dungeons and Dragons, and how he’s aged with the game.
Click on the headings to be taken to the relevant articles. And as always, here’s to another week. Cheers.
What if every PC game could run on your tablet?
Say what you will about Windows 8 and tablets, but with two years and several patches of upgrades under the operating systems belt the design vision is slowly coming to life. More specifically things have started to look up for tablet gaming as recent advances have given the miniature portable computers enough power to run the likes of Crysis 3 and Battlefield 4. This is merely a glimpse at the potential of tablets as it is entirely possible that the future of console gaming might not look much different.
Future hardware devices are projected to become much smaller and focus more on streaming multi-media - this includes games, music, and television. Sound familiar? Well it should as these features were essentially the tent pole features of the Xbox One, but were panned by critics and fans alike as unnecessary and unwanted. Much like Windows 8 had been panned by users, and this last week Microsoft has backed away from many of these planned design features.
However, on both accounts Microsoft wasn’t entirely wrong - rather, their timing and messaging were. Of course, by timing we mean that they jumped the gun and tried to push these features several years before the tech and public were ready for them. But more importantly the messaging was horrendous from Microsoft, and their terrible job at explaining their vision has most likely set the industry back a few years.
Users of Steam have to regularly deal with many of the features the Xbox One was touting, but it has always been handed with class by Valve. Also Sony will by rolling out in limited numbers their PlayStation Now, their online only streaming game service, later this year, but the verdict is still out on whether or not the technology is able to support the service yet.
Check out Richard Leadbetter’s piece on the power of tablet gaming over at Eurogamer. It’s a good read on the potential of tablet gaming.
Someone’s Beaten Spelunky in Under Two Minutes
Giant Bomb’s Patrick Klepek has had a very public love hate relationship with Spelunky and he’s spent countless hours streaming his many attempts to conquer the game. For those of you who are unaware, Spelunky is a roguelike platformer with a brutal learning curve that can take dozens of hours to overcome. Deaths come quick and usually are the fault of your decisions, execution, or part of the games randomness.
However, all of his long hours pale in comparison to a Pibonacci, an online speed runner, who has recently beat the game in an amazing time 1:55 by cleverly using the jet pack, teleporter, and compass. With the rise of streaming services Twitch and YouTube speedrunning that the runners have gained popularity over the last few years, and have in turned started to cross over into gaming main stream. They’re a blast to watch and the runners often provide some amazing insight and commentary into the games they’re running, and the history of their exploration.
If you’ve not yet checked out speedrunning online then we recommend that you pick your favorite game and find it on Speed Demos Archive or YouTube. Undoubtedly someone has mastered a game that took hours and days of your life to complete in a fraction of the time, and usually through obvious reasons.
Patrick Klepek is passionate about Spelunky and it’s a great read, plus the video is really short and the joy Pibonacci exhibits as he beats the record is worth every second.
Last weekend’s Evo tournament was even wilder than expected
Much like speedrunning, Esports have started to gain traction in online communities to help move from a niche hobby to a massive gaming movement. Last week was the annual EVO Championship Series fighting tournament, in which the world’s best players meet in person, many for the first time, to fight in front of a life crowd. These players are the best of the best and they feed of the audience with every combo and fatality, and the energy is heavy in the air.
Some players crumble under the pressure of such a massive audience and the fact that their opponent is sitting less than two feet away from them. But others rise to the challenge in some dominating performances of skill and execution, and the announcers will pick up on both.
Matt Gerardi of AV Club has compiled some of the best championship matches into one article and he knows what he is talking about when he describes the fights. They’re all worth a watch, if only to see Bat Girl soundly defeat General Zodd in the Injustice: Gods Among Us championship match.
Dungeons & Dragons Saved My Life
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the classic tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons, and over the last 4 decades it has grown in popularity to cross over into the cultural mainstream. The game itself was at its height during the late 80s and early 90s but it is still regularly enjoyed around the world as its mechanics are constantly updated with new features. But there was a time when the game was a secret hobby for many of its fans, and panned by parents and critics for destroying youth – much like videogames and comic books.
However, D&D has endured and its influences have been felt across a wide range of media with even Game of Thrones being the most popular show on television right now. For one Jon Michaud of the Atlantic, the game has meant more to him as he is old enough to have grown up with the original versions of the game, and it’s aged with him. Michaud now has kids who are entering their adolescent years and what better way to bond than by pulling out the old pen, paper, and 20 sided dice?
Michaud’s piece on his personal history with Dungeons and Dragons is fantastic and the parallels to videogames are apparent. Check it out.
Visual Stimulation
VSauce - Is Watch Dogs Possible?
Skyrim - Lindsey Stirling & Peter Hollens
Useless Box Kit
When Will Robots Take Over the World?
Extra Study Material
Every day you are getting older, but just how old are you? What has happened during these few years that you have graced the Earth with your presence? Well “You’re Getting Old!” is a great site that will tell you how old you really are.
In case you missed it: Microsoft is Laying Off 18,000 Employees. Included is the cold and arguably dehumanizing memo they released to their employees.
Brian Kale
@brianwkale
Latest posts by Brian Kale (see all)
- Dustforce Review - 22 July 2024
- Well, That Was Interesting 7/20/2014 - 20 July 2024
- The Walking Dead: Amid The Ruins launch trailer - 17 July 2024
