A New Home

FYI: We've officially moved our blog to Sheet10.com. So we won't be posting any further articles, reviews, podcasts or anything here. So head on over and tell us what you think of our new site!

State of Games Part III: The Great Beyond

Last Sunday I explored the evolution of games and society throughout the modern era. In that exploration I came to a few conclusions about the current state of games. These conclusions namely being that society's views of games have less to do with games and gamers and more to do with growing changes in society brought about by the end of an era and entrance of the information age. These changes in society are thoroughly linked to the technological developments endemic to the modern era. The rise of the computer and internet along with wireless telecommunications and globalized media have resulted in the disjointedness of a new society struggling to reconcile the traditions of a century past with the new realities of the present. The state of games is thus hinged upon the loss and need for self identity. And it is this search that will ultimately decide the fate of games as the medium wholly representative of this brave new era.

6,038 Hours... And Counting

Connor R. is a die-hard World of Warcraft player, and after logging over six thousand and thirty-eight hours in Azeroth there are not many people with more experience than him.  I decided to interview him this week for Sheet 10 in order to give those who have never played WOW insight into why it has twelve million subscribers, and to those that have, a different player’s insight into the current issues of the game.

Sheet 10 Podcast Episode 2: GDC Wrap-up & DLC

Another week, another Friday.  And with it another Sheet 10 podcast!  This time around Sean, Sergio, Connor, and Alex gather round the Sheet 10 war room to discuss the latest and greatest from the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco as well as delve deep into the ever boggling world of downloadable content.  So sit back, relax and enjoy our wordthinks as you sip your favorite game brand beverage.




Also don't forget to check out the links talked about in Sheet 10 Podcast Episode 2 after the break!

Sheet 10 Quickcast 2: Dawn of War II Retribution Impressions

Since the release of the much anticipated Dawn of War II standalone expansion Retribution hit our desks earlier in the week, Sheet 10 editors Sean, Alex, and Maximilian have taken some time to share their early impressions on the game. So check out Sheet 10 Quickcast Episode 2 down below.

*Editor's Note* After some trouble with our podcast hosting we have managed to solve the issue and you may now listen at your leisure! *End Note*

Crysis 2 Demo Impressions

As many of you know, the Crysis 2 multiplayer demo for PC finally went live early this morning. Having had some time to play through the two maps and game modes available as well as grab all the unlocks, here are my thoughts.

To preface, the Crysis 2 multiplayer is nothing like the original's. While not a lot of folks played the original Crysis' multiplayer it was nonetheless highly innovative and somewhat ahead of its time with an unprecedented level of weapon customization and a rather unique control point system called Power Struggle involving capturing resource points to fuel development of super weapons and vehicles for use in taking more points on the extraordinarily large maps.

Crysis 2 is nothing like this. Crysis 2 takes the nanosuit system of the first as well as a more refined and stripped down version of the weapon loadouts, adds the new nano modules (think of them like perks), adds character persistence (with an XP based unlock system), downsizes the maps quite a bit, caps matches at 6v6, and brings back more traditional modes of play such as team death match (called Team Instant Action) and a slightly modified king of the hill (called Crash Site where each hill is a crashed alien pod that only lasts for a short period time before it explodes before a new one is dropped in a random cycle of preset locations). From what we've learned thus far, these two modes seem to be the only ones announced. I would hope for there to be more, or more specifically for there to be a refined version of Power Struggle, but I won't be holding my breath.

On the Nature of Emergence

Today is March 1st and the start of a new month for Sheet 10!  As such we are pleased to bring you the first (of what we hope to be many!) themed months.  The themed topic for the month of March is to be the ever intriguing idea of "emergence" in games.  Now among our editorial staff we've had many discussions on this matter and have yet to come to a properly clear definition of the term but we have managed to come to several agreed upon conclusions (or at least Sean and Sergio have).  They are as follows:

Is More Realistic More Fun?

As the video games we play creep ever so slowly towards emulating reality, we must stop and ask: is this really a good thing? While yes, a realistic video game draws the player in more, making them feel like they're actually shooting, stabbing or kicking enemies, the increased realism doesn't necessarily make the game more fun.

State of Games Part II: The Modern Era

My name is Sergio Ortiz and I play video games.

Last week I took some time to examine the origins of video games and more importantly the origins of their relationship with society at large. Now while games have advanced leaps and bounds since the early arcade and home console era of the 1980s, much of society's view towards them have not. Here in the modern era of gaming, beginning in the 1990s and continuing through to the present, understanding the continued relationship between gaming culture, video games themselves, and the public at large will require a more in depth examination of the modern era as a whole.

Are Free-to-Play Games Just a Myth?

We have all heard the expression, "There's no such thing as a free lunch", but does this apply to so-called "Free-to-play" games? A new market has begun to emerge for games that lack the hefty upfront price tag that most gamers dread. The marketing strategy behind these games attempts to attract more people to try the game in the first place, seeing as today's gamer is weary of dropping large amounts of cash into a game they don't have experience with.

Once they have gamers roped into trying the game, they introduce options to improve the enjoyability through the spending of money. These add-ons can be character skins, experience boosts, new gear, or a variety of other things.

Sheet 10 Quickcast Episode 1: Dragon Age 2 Demo

Given this week's two big name demo releases (Shogun 2 which you can read about below, and Dragon Age 2), we at Sheet 10 decided to try mixing things up a bit by covering our impressions of the Dragon Age 2 demo with our first ever Quickcast.  Our aim with Quickcasts is to provide more malleable bite size chunks of audio (and hopefully one day visual) content for those of our readers who don't have the time to listen to our more long form podcasts.  As such we've cut down the number of speakers in any given Quickcast to two and will focus on a single topic in depth.  And since Dragon Age 2 is a quickly arriving new release, we figured covering the demo was as good a topic as any.  So without further ado, Sheet 10 Quickcast Episode 1:




You can grab the demo here: http://dragonage.bioware.com/info/demo/

Or on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/47900/

Shogun 2: Total War Preview

Shogun 2 is to be an improved remake of the very first game in the Total War series, Shogun: Total War. The game is not only a test to see how well The Creative Assembly could remake its oldest game, but also if it could improve the series as a whole after the lackluster Empire and Napoleon: Total War. While Napoleon was an improvement to Empire both games lacked the fun and gameplay quality of Medieval 2 and Rome: Total War. Shogun 2: Total War has a lot of expectations riding on its shoulders, but the new demo for the game certainly proved that many of those expectations could be matched.

Through the Interwebs Comes….

Alex Williamson.
Hello, fellow gamers. My name is Alex Williamson and I have been actively pursuing my passion for video games since I was just a little kid. My humble career started with games like Empire Earth and Codename Panzers, and has stretched across Call of Duty and Company of Heroes, to League of Legends and many other great games.
To me, video games represent an amazing opportunity to connect with friends around the country and share a common experience that forms a lasting bond. When the time came to go off to college, I really wasn't all that concerned about separating from my friends because I always knew that they were just a click away thanks to IMs and Skype. Though we might be busy pursuing college degrees, we always have time to pull all-nighters playing video games.

DC Universe Online: A New Take on the MMO Experience

DC Universe Online, produced by Sony Online Entertainment, is one of the newest kids on the MMO block. Thankfully, it isn’t just a rehash of of all the same mechanics we already have. SOE, known for creating unique MMO systems, has once again taken a step onto the shaky ledge of unique MMOs. They have mixed conventional systems with heart stopping and engaging action adventure features. However, this is not all good news. The introduction of these new systems detracts from some aspects of the multiplayer online experience, and a clunky user interface severely bogs down player interaction.

First of all, the character creation gives the player a vast array of options to customize their character. Not only do they get to pick whether they’ll be a hero or a villain, they can also choose their super power from choices such as fire, wind, telekinesis and tech. The player also chooses a weapon and a “mentor”. The mentors for the heroes are Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman and the villain mentors are the Joker, Circe and Lex Luthor. Choosing a mentor decides where the player will start, either in Gotham or Metropolis, and what beginning quests they receive. Players are also allowed to fully customize their character’s face, body type and costume.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Review

I purchased Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 on the Xbox Live arcade when it was first released and still consider it is some of the best fifteen dollars I have ever spent. I played countless hours beating others (and getting beaten) into a technicolor pulp with my friends and loved every seizure inducing second of it. That being said, I think the game was appropriately priced at fifteen dollars because it only really had an arcade (vs. CPU) and a versus mode. It was just like the coin-op arcade game.

Upon buying Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 for sixty dollars, I was expecting much more content than its ten year old predecessor, but I was disappointed. There are actually fewer characters in this installment and no new game modes besides online multiplayer. Even with the addition of a few new faces, the creators took out more than they added. A black costume for Spiderman and a gray costume for Iron Man are not replacements for the characters Venom and War Machine, and I can't imagine anyone would be happier with the addition of characters like She-Hulk and Viewtiful Joe over them. Even though there are thirty-six characters, it falls flat next to the fifty-six in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. They have already announced the DLC of Jill Valentine and Shuma Gorath, (my two favorite characters) but I don't want to spend the five to ten extra dollars to get what should have been released with the game!

Europa Universalis III: Divine Winds Review

Europa Universalis III: Divine Wind is the fourth expansion to Paradox Interactive’s historical, nation building simulator Europa Universalis III. The expansion addresses its earlier Eurocentrism by focusing on East Asia, specifically the Ming Empire in China and the different Shogunates of Japan, as well as adding a series of other graphical and gameplay updates.

Divine Wind develops new gameplay for the Ming Empire and Japan. Ming China’s government is divided into several factions which each provide different bonuses depending on the faction in power, while Japan is now divided into several different Shogunates that vie for power and influence. These changes add a new level of micromanagement and difficulty while playing as these states and certainly makes them more interesting to play. However, while playing as any other faction these changes make almost no noticeable difference to the game.

And Now, By Popular Demand....

Jamie Hogan.

Like everyone else on the Sheet 10 staff, I have been playing video games for my entire life, and I intend on continuing for the rest of it. From the earliest days of playing games like “Lemmings” on the computer, I have been obsessed.

To me, games are more than a form of entertainment; they are a part of me. They mean more to me than any other art form. (Yes, I said art form) A book has never given you an adrenaline rush, and you have never yelled at a painting. You have never watched a movie for fourteen hours straight; yet, these are all things I do regularly with video games.

All We Know is, He’s Called...

Maximilian.

Part reviewer, part editor and complete shut-in. I’ve been playing video games since I could hold a controller and use a keyboard and mouse. I grew up on the N64, the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn, but I live on the PC. I’m primarily an RPG and FPS player, but I’ll play anything if it looks interesting. I am a huge Paradox Interactive fan, I love the Total War franchise and I have a soft spot for GSC Game World.

Selling the Hype: A Look at Marketing Video Games

Almost anyone who has been on the internet in the past month is at least aware of the existence of the MMORPG Rift. Their massive internet marketing campaign spans comics of all kinds, videos on Youtube, Facebook ads and other sites with massive traffic. However, for all of its outreach, I haven’t met anyone that is that excited about this game. I’m sure Rift has its merits as a solid MMO, but I just can’t get worked up about it. On the other hand, free-running shooter Brink has hardly any self-generated hype, but I keep wanting to find out more about it. This led me to ponder the question: what exactly creates the hype around video games that makes them sell?

Advertising video games is nothing new. Even in the early 1990s, video games held TV spots on national television, but these were mostly campy Nintendo ads. Don’t get me wrong, I love these ads for their over-the-top characteristics, but they were directed at an audience that gets distracted by flashing lights and cartoony characters. It was brilliant marketing, but could not last as these gamers eventually grew up.

State of Games Introduction and Part I: A Brief History

My name is Sergio Ortiz and I play video games.

A simple enough statement. As a statement, it tells people two things about me, my name and something I do. Now when people read that or hear that, instead of envisioning me playing video games, they tend to imagine something else entirely. They tend to see in their mind's eye a guy who whiles away his time mindlessly staring into a dark glowing abyss of bleeps and bloops and pixilated images of fantasy violence and nothing more. Or at least that was the case when I was a youth.

Nowadays, with games being a far more omnipresent medium, people tend to conjure up images of annoying teenagers or men-children talking loudly at virtual worlds that, to onlookers, appear entirely devoid of purpose or meaning. While video games have indeed become a generally more potent figure in the public conscious, as far social norms go, the stigma experienced in its earliest days still exists and often thrives, especially in light of such inflammatory situations as the now well talked about Fox News/Bulletstorm incident.

As such, I am here to talk about the state of games, and specifically why is it that in an age where progressiveness and tolerance are taught first, such a rich and promising artistic medium as video games is still treated like the dirty, childish step-cousin of cinema, television and literature. As a gamer, I have spent much time thinking about the state of games and I wish to share with you some of my thoughts on the matter.

Dawn of War II: Retribution Preview

Dawn of War II: Retribution is a standalone expansion to the real time strategy (RTS) game Dawn of War II. It is on open Beta for anyone who owns a Dawn of War game on Steam or visits http://www.thq.com/us.

Retribution is scheduled to feature the addition of the Imperial Guard race, new units for all existing races, a new hero and map for the alternate game mode Last Stand and a campaign for all six races. However, the beta only allows access to multiplayer matches.

Signals are mixed from what I’ve tested so far. On the one hand Imperial Guard is a great addition to the game. On the other hand, the new units added, including some of the Imperial Guard, are causing balance issues for more intense play. Those that play the multiplayer less competitively may not run into the same issues.

Sheet 10 Podcast Episode 1: Metagames, How Do They Work?

After a week's worth of writing and preparation, we're finally ready for our official launch of Sheet 10. To celebrate we've recorded and uploaded our first episode in an ongoing series of podcasts (which you can expect to find every Friday). In this cast we discuss the week's news in gaming, touching on the recent Bulletstorm incident, the rising prices of PC games, the brilliant Dead Island trailer, Dragon Age's new live-action web series, and much more. Later in the podcast we shift gears into our focus discussion on the leveling metagame in recent competitive mutliplayer shooters. And we wrap it up with a quick brief on what you can expect from us in the following week (If you don't want to wait, read more after the break)! So start listening!

Sheet 10 Episode 1: Metagames, How Do They Work?:

A Tale of Two Games

Duncan S. Spore

A humble gamer from Manhattan Beach, I have always been partial to PC games. I grew out of Turn Based Strategy, starting with Civilization 2, turned to RTS and then shooters, with the Battlefield series, when I grew older. Now I am an all around gamer, from strategy games to shooters and beyond. To me being a gamer means spending your nights staying up late with your friends and playing round after round of Company of Heroes, Dawn of War II and other wonderful titles.

Episode V: The Editor Strikes Back

Good evening, my good sirs. And ladies. And people of lowly social stations.

I am Ari Hamilton, the editor of this endeavor, Sheet 10. However, just because my role is to ensure the linguistic and grammatical integrity of our articles and posts doesn’t mean that I won’t be taking an active role in the content as well. I’m an avid strategy gamer, both real-time and turn-based, but over the years my tastes have expanded. Shooters, RPGs and flight sims among others are all welcome in my games library. As does the occasional surprise, such as World of Zoo.

Lord of Games: Return of the King...

Brian Humbarger

It always bothers me when I tell people that I play videogames and am met with a response or facial expression to the tune of “Oh, you’re one of those people…” What the hell is that supposed to mean? Video games have this stigma of being a lesser medium, a way for the young and lazy to waste time. I actually take offense to that. Sure, there are bad video games, and there are video games whose main purpose is to entertain. But these two things can be said about any artistic medium. I think that, given the right catalyst, video games and other interactive media can attain popular, artistic, even academic legitimacy. I firmly believe that this catalyst is intelligent discourse about video games. If gamers discuss the development and ideas in a game as seriously as its developers, others will take notice. I am a gamer, and proud to admit it.

And In This Corner...

Connor Noda.

Oh, hello there. Welcome to my humble abode on our website. I built this home away from home with my own imaginary blood, sweat and tears. So, would you like to have a look around? I’ve been gaming pretty much all my life and tend to like most types of games, from complex RPGs, MMOs and RTSs, to your run of the mill stabby murdery games.

Introducing... Part Two: The Chamber of Secrets

Sean Yates,

He loves video games. He loves talking about them, thinking about them, and playing them. They have made him laugh, they’ve made him cry, they’ve made him rage so hard he broke his sound card and headset it one fell swoop (which resulted in more crying). He’s also tired of writing in the third person.

If you put a gun to my head and demanded the reason I decided to participate in this website, I would point to English class. Extracting complicated ideas from the texts fascinated me, but too often the medium failed to hold my attention. This means I may have a tendency to wax philosophical, which hopefully will show through in a positive way in my writing.If there was still time, I would also beg you to put down the gun, or at least point it at Ari.

Introducing...

Sergio Ortiz.

Video gamer, tabletopper, and writer. I started off gaming at a young age, beginning with platformers and racers at the age of two and slowly climbing the ladder up through shooters, adventure games, role-playing games and, ultimately, to strategy. I've played on PCs, Macs, nearly all the Nintendo consoles, Sega Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, PS3 and 360. As an enthusiast, I've found that games offer far more immersive experiences than other artistic mediums and, as a writer, I find the work that goes into the building of a game and its narrative utterly fascinating.

In the Beginning There Were Excel Sheets...

Good evening and welcome to Sheet 10 The newest, daring games publication dedicated to video games, tabletop games, and the many bits and pieces that go into them. Founded by Sean Yates and Sergio Ortiz, and co-opted by Connor Noda, Brian Humbarger, Duncan Spore and Ari Hamilton, Sheet 10 seeks to talk about the games and design elements that matter most. If you enjoy reading analyses of games, dissecting the game design decisions behind popular new releases, taking a tour of the evolution of your favorite genres, or simply listening to a group of gamers chat about the games they love and the games they hate, then Sheet 10 is for you.