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• Explanation: Why Developers Don't Care About SDTV

  I may be breaking some sort of blogging code of ethics and/or laziness with this post, but if the way I hang my toilet paper (in front of the roll) has taught the world anything, it's that I'm a maverick who doesn't play by the rules. That being said, back during the Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts unreadable text debacle, where Rare clearly didn't have SDTV users in mind when developing their game, a certain 61FPS reader made an enlightened and very long reply that really cleared this issue up for me; unfortunately, said reply was made when the post was more than a week old, so I doubt anyone but me saw it. So, in honor of our 61FPS chum Roy G. Biv, I'm going to do the honor of reposting his comments about the issue on the front page of our fine blog. Unorthodox, I know; but this dude put more work into a single reply than I do in most of my writing. Roy, should I ever die, you can take up my freelancing sword. I got it from the Home Shopping Network. So, without further ado, here's Roy's well-researched take on why SDTV readability issues aren't an issue for developers: 1) At some point in the past few years Dell & Co. started putting HDMI & Component inputs on the backs of LCD computer monitors, alongside the DVI & VGA ports. Game programmers 7 designers already tend to have (at least) one of these on their desks and swapping inputs on a single device turns out to be a lot easier and (perhaps more importantly) cheaper than having a separate CRT on hand for reference. 2) "But that's just the programmers and designers!" you might say. "Surely the QA Testers must be looking at these games on a variety of rigs?!" Well, you'd think so, but in many cases the operational expense of keeping a bunch of heavy-ass, old vacuum tubes in working order is slashed in favor of tiny, reliable LCD monitors which take up less space and allow for testers to be placed closer together. Even when SD sets *are* employed, testers aren't playing the games the same way an end user would. They're sitting in a cube (if they're lucky) with their eyeballs 12-18 inches from the screen. Read More... Posted Nov 18 2008, 01:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: banjo kazooie 3, rare, bob mackey, hdtv, tech, sdtv

• God Help Me, I Am Looking Forward to Banjo-Kazooie XBLA

  Back in the Summer of 1998, my friend lent me his N64 when he left for a week-long Florida vacation--I didn't end up getting the system for myself until the combination of bargain-basement prices and Paper Mario forced my hand three years later.  With my judgmental friend out of sight, I took this as a prime opportunity to rent some N64 games that were skewed for a demographic much younger than the average, mumbling 16 year-old male.  My first stop was Yoshi's Story, a game I was excited to play after the world-changing Yoshi's Island.  As with many other gamers out there, I gathered I was being punished for some great evil I had done. An equally unexpected happening happened when I disposed of Yoshi's Story in a local fire and picked up Rare's then-new Banjo-Kazooie. Unexpectedly, I loved the game; and even though I'm much smarter and have a solid 8 years of Rare grudge resting on my shoulders, I can't help but anticipate the release of BK on XBox Live Arcade in a few weeks. See if this trailer will fill you in on my mental state: Let's get some things out of the way: all of these characters are absolutely insipid. Read More... Posted Nov 18 2008, 11:30 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: banjo kazooie 3, rare, bob mackey, xbox live arcade, banjo kazooie, banjo tooie, donkey kong 64

• Rare to SDTV Owners: "F--- You."

  A while back, I reported on the general illegibility of the text in the Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts demo for SDTV owners.  Well, it looks like the rest of the world has caught on, because Rare has finally been forced to give an answer.  Joystiq reports: Rare has confirmed that Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts' unclear text on standard definition televisions will not be fixed. The issue came to light following the release of the demo last week and now Rare states that the issue is "too expensive in terms of time, resources and money to alter." The news story also adds that Microsoft requires developers of XBox Live games to make their text readable on 14" SDTVs. So why the double standard? From playing the BK demo, I can tell you that the text is far from superfluous; it's completely necessary to read in order to know just what the hell to do in any given situation--and it's not like there's actual spoken dialogue to fall back on if the text is unreadable on your set. This brings me to another question: why, in a game ostensibly made for kids, would you make it necessary to read tons of tiny dialogue? There seem to be some fundamental flaws at work, here. Read More... Posted Nov 06 2008, 11:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 14 comment(s) Filed under: banjo kazooie 3, rare, xbox 360, bob mackey, hdtv, banjo kazooie, sdtv

• Attention Game Developers: I Don't Have an HDTV

  I bought my last TV, a 27" SD Sony Wega, in the summer of 2000; and back then, it was top-of-the-line in the realm of standard definition sets.  Even though technology soon outpaced my flat-tubed buddy, I've carried this 200+ pound monstrosity with me from apartment to apartment as I skip the globe in search of an education and a way to escape my creditors.  Now, if I had the chance to trade in ol' tubey for an HDTV, I would definitely go for it in a heartbeat; but the combination of our awful economy and my place in the lowest tax bracket means that my Wega's HDTV "mode"--a cute little trick to boost resolution past standard SD levels--will have to suffice until I make a living wage. Estimated date: 2020. I'm not insecure about my top-of-the-line 20th Century gear, and because I have access to food, shelter, and video games, it'd be pretty silly of me to whine about an inferior resolution. And I'm sure there are many people like me who don't consider a better TV to be top priority on their "how to survive in a society built on crippling economic inequality" list. So why is it we humble SDTV owners have to be punished by game developers who'd rather not admit we exist? Read More... Posted Oct 30 2008, 01:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: banjo kazooie 3, bob mackey, hdtv, tech, sdtv, tv, resolution, hd gaming

• Common: Rare Makes Bad Games

  Jetpac is not good. Neither is Killer Instinct, Kameo, or Captain Skyhawk. While we’re on the subject, you should also know that Perfect Dark is bad. Battletoads sucks. There. I said it. Rare makes bad games. They have always made bad games. Playing Rare’s games reminds me of having to sit next to the kid who always crapped his pants in kindergarten. You feel bad for them, you may even think they’re pretty funny, but that doesn’t mean you want to play with them. Banjo Kazooie 3 and Viva Piñata 2 will most likely also be bad. Read More... Posted May 13 2008, 10:00 AM by John Constantine with | with no comments Filed under: john constantine, battletoads, perfect dark, viva pinata, captain skyhawk, microsoft, killer instinct, jetpac, banjo kazooie 3, jet force gemini, rare, goldeneye