Three Moves Ahead - Empire: Total War

I like Troy S. Goodfellow a lot - and not just because I respect him as a writer or because I think he’s a nice guy. He is one smart cookie when it comes to strategy games - and with the help of fellow Game Trust member Tom Chick and former Computer Games Magazine alum Bruce Geryk - his Three Moves Ahead podcast is the only game in town to dissect the genre to infinity. Beyond that, it is informative and interesting; you can actually learn things entertain yourself for an hour.

This week’s podcast almost exclusively deals with Empire: Total War and what the trio thinks about it as a game, what might work better from a design perspective and a bunch of posturing on other topics and games. You can check out the latest podcast at Flash of Steel. Even if strategy is not your favored genre, this podcast is entertaining.

Top 8 Rejected PS3 Games

Crispy Gamer’s resident cynic and part-time code ninja Chris Buecheler seems to have way too much time on his hands, if this Top 8 Rejected PS3 Games list is any indication.

Chris gives us a unique inside look at 8 games that never saw the light of day for one reason or another, despite the marketability of all. I won’t to spoil it for you (hit the link and read it for yourselves) but any game that allows you to scale old people and stab them in their gray spots is a major win in my opinion.

Crispy Knowledge Quiz: 1/24-2/4

Here at Crispy HQ, we want to make sure you’re paying attention and we’ve decided to make it worth your while, again!. The first person to answer all (or most) of the following questions drawn from last week’s articles correctly will win a copy of  Skate 2. Excited? Get Started right now:

Send Us Your Answers Now

The Word: Some Thoughts on EGM

Electronic Gaming Monthly is the latest casualty in an industry that is learning how to reposition itself to be more valuable in an environment where ad revenues are shifting online (television is facing a similar challenge in that arena) and the rate of information is exchanged at faster than light speeds. The days of wide eyed gamers getting their information on the latest events like the Tokyo Game Show and E3 from print magazines have been killed by sites like Kotaku, Joystiq, and yes — even Crispy Gamer and 1up.com.

While these challenges seem impossible to overcome, print magazines can and will survive. Better management, a more refined focus on content that cannot be found on the internet, interesting personalities and credibility are all important keys to future success. So yeah, it’s a real downer to see EGM go away, just like it was when TheGlobe.com put the knife in the back of Computer Games Magazine and Ziff Davis killed the excellent Computer Gaming World.

I could lament about this to infinity, but a better way to celebrate the magazine and to analyze the state of the print magazine business would be to ask some people that have actually written for print magazines. For such sage advice we turn to former EGM veteran Dan Hsu, freelancer Troy S. Goodfellow (a regular in the pages of Computer Games Magazine), Dave Long (also a CGM contributor) and Crispy Gamer’s Scott Jones (a contributor to countless magazines and newspapers prior to joining CG).

Read the rest of this entry »

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The Top 21 News Stories of 2008

(Contributors:  Victor Lucas - Electric Playground, Adam Oldakowski - Managing Director GOG.com, Hal Halpin - ECA President, Tom Ohle - CD Projekt RED, Rich Carlson - Digital Eel, Eric Holmes - Radical Entertainment, and Game Trust members Evan Narcisse, Gus Mastrapa, David Chapman and James Fudge)

On the eve of 2009, Crispy Gamer is proud to present to you the Top 21 News Stories of 2008. We have chosen what we believe are the top news stories of year, though deciding on which were the very best proved to be an exercise in compromise, because there were so many interesting and powerful choices this year.

We watched the interactive entertainment industry grow - and then later - retract as the global economy wreaked havoc on every kind of business you can imagine; players got their first taste of WiiWare, Home and the New Xbox Experience; we watched as the big three slugged it out for North American supremacy in the latest round of console wars and we saw Blizzard dust off its classic franchises and move million of copies of its Lich King expansion. To quote that Dickens’ classic: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

2008 was not without its fair share of triumphs, disappointments, joys and sorrow. Here are the stories that moved us, made us angry, scared us and made us think about the industry we cover.

We begin at the very bottom of the pile until we climb to the glorious #1 news story of the year. So it opens with Top News Story #21.

The Top 21 News Stories of 2008: 7 - 1

(Contributors: Adam Oldakowski - Managing Director GOG.com, Hal Halpin - ECA President, Tom Ohle - CD Projekt RED, Rich Carlson - Digital Eel, Eric Holmes - Radical Entertainment, and Game Trust members Evan Narcisse, Gus Mastrapa, David Chapman and James Fudge)

Crispy Gamer wraps up its Top 21 News Stories of 2008 with our top 7 news stories. See what stories were the most interesting and had the most impact on the game industry and gamers in 2008. We start with #7 right now.  Also be sure to check out #8 - 14 and #15 - 21, if you haven’t already.

Next: #7 –>

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The People’s Choice: Game of the Year 2008

In the last couple of weeks the Game Trust has been arguing about what game deserves to be called the 2008 Game of the Year. The arguments are nearly over for us and we are coming closer to a clear winner, but we want to hear from you. Tired of feeling left out and want to have your voices heard on your favorite game? Here’s your chance.

Crispy Gamer has launched the official 2008 Game of the Year Group and it’s all for you. Choose which games you think deserve to be called the Game of the Year and slam those games you think do not.

You can join the group and start discussing the best and worst of 2008 by visiting the  Game of the Year 2008 Group. I’m personally looking forward to all your comments, good or bad.