Oh please let them just close down. I'm sorry if I sound bitter but if award winning producers of SUCESSFUL games like Mythos can be taken out then Ion Storm Dallas really does not deserve to continue.

I feel bad about those working on and fans waiting for Anachronox. However if they didn't design spec games that take 4 freakin years to make they wouldn't be in this mess now would they?

Don't hold back there, Rob -- tell us how you really feel!!

"Don't hold back there, Rob -- tell us how you really feel!!"

Heh -- he does have a point. It should rain on the wicked as well as the just.

Sure, I don't disagree. I just admired his blatant honesty!

While I totally agree that the entire Ion Storm story is basically one big fiasco, I do feel that it should be pointed out that they have released, what, three games (that Dominion debacle, Dai-whateveritsuckedsobad, and Deus Ex), one of which is pretty much "game of the year" according to the press (save one Tom Chick). If Anachronox is half as good as the previews say it is, then Ion Storm's track record actually won't be that bad game development-wise, if you think about it (two out of five). I mean how many studios can boast even ONE classic game, not to mention possibly two?

Now for the people that invested money in the Ion Storm pit, well, they may have a differnet opinion...

Actually, Ion's track record is probably better than Digital Anvil's record. That just shows you how in your face marketing can create a backlash.

I have seen advertisements of Anachronox and I'm not to impressed. I just don't think it's going to do well. I think dues ex is Ion Storms saving grace. The game is incredible, even though there are crates everywhere. Just a question, what's up with FPS and crates? If I see one crate in doom 3, Unreal 2 or dues ex2 I will take the game back and demand a refund! No crates!! Didn't mean to get side tracked, but I hate developers that take the easy way out.

Based on feedback from friends working at game companies, there are game companies out there who just don't 'get it.' Having worked in the mainstream business software industry, I don't even understand how some of these game studios stay in business at all. I mean, they treat their employees like dirt (leading to rapid turn-over), ignore user feedback, and then wonder why their games don't sell well.

Asher: It should rain on the wicked as well as the just.

Yeah, if life were fair. Then again, I don't mind as long as it's unfair in my advantage.

- Alan

Two words for you:

Wal Mart... or K Mart... or any other store that sells all of those bargain basement card & mahjong games while simultaneously telling game publishers that they won't stock a game w/ a mature rating (thereby cutting a good chunk of the distribution, at least in some parts of the world).

I do understand that those bargain games (ie. the current 2001 Sierra lineup of Hoyles, etc. or Deer Hunter MCXII) CAN possible lead to a non-gamer getting comfortable on the PC and then trying a real game, but I don't know how common this really is. And again, these titles are the bread and butter that sell millions of copies (just look at the PC Data sales figures) and probably generate the revenue that helps fuel the more esoteric hard-core games.

But it still drives me nuts to see all of the crap games. And when they sell like hotcakes, why should the companies listen to the people who play real games? Again, look to Sierra. They used to be the pinnacle of game design. Now they have turned into an unrecognizable... thing... that just cranks out card games. Well, maybe one or two REAL games per year, but I don't count slapping a retail sticker on CounterStrike actually developing a new game.

It's late.. forgive my rambling!

I know that Kmart and Walmart are taking a strong stance against M rated games, but when broad band really takes off do you see more developers realesing there games over the net? Maybe a consumer can download Unreal 2 or Doom over the net, then pay with a credit card. I think it could be great for game companies, cause 1. You don't have to worry about shelve space (screw Kmart and Walmart). 2. The game company can save money on paper (cardboard boxes, guides, etc). I know that there wouldn't be the impulse buying that the companies depend on, but the gaming companies need to take a strong stance againt the stores that won't stock M rated material! Did you ever see the people that shop at Walmart or K mart? The consumers are usually low income with nothing more than a high school education. To put it bluntly, there trailor trash!! Real gamers don't buy there gaming products at Walmart or K mart, so I don't think it would matter to the gaming companies that cater to the Mature crowd.

"Did you ever see the people that shop at Walmart or K mart?"

"To put it bluntly, there trailor trash!!"

Hey, now, that's just a tad close to home...I'm definitely NOT trailer trash, but I shop at Wal-Mart a lot! Occasionally, I even get my PC games there. I live in a rather small town, and Wal-Mart is the only place I can get PC games without driving for twenty or thirty minutes. If Wal-Mart doesn't have a game I'm looking for, then I'll drive into town, but still...I shop at Wal-Mart a lot.

And, BTW, it should be "they're trailer trash," not "there trailor trash." I think if I were making such a blazing accusation against someone else's level of education, I would try and do so in an educated manner...

Yeah, Wal*Mart actually is a good place to go if you want certain things--they sell a mean bag of pistachios, for instance, and you can get underware there cheap, too. Admittedly, I've seen some interesting examples of Homo Sapiens Sapiens in the local Wal*Mart (and even more remarkable examples in the Knoxville, Tennessee store), but then I could say the same thing about the local Mall, too....

My point exactly! Sure, you'll find an unusual breed of humans there, but then go to Quiktrip, or your local mall, or -- heck, if you can find me one place that doesn't have that brand of people, then I'll move there!

I'm very fond of Wal-Mart. Sure, there are some things I wouldn't buy there. But, still, to say that everyone who shops there is white trash...Well, that's just wrong.

Okay, Okay I'm sorry for generalizing people the way that I did. In my personal opinion I don't think that Walmart and Kmart really has much to offer, especially when it comes to gaming. I admit when I need work clothes or the occasional house hold item, I will shop at Kmart but that isn't really my scene. I usually do my shopping at the Mall (Gap, J-Crew, EB, Macy's etc..) so I guess that I'm a little spoiled when it comes to my shopping preferences.

I also live in a city that seems to be cut off from just about everything. The Mall is about an hour of traveling distance and my local Kmart is about 10 minutes. But you know what? I'll travel the hour to purchase my PC games from EB or Best Buy because K-mart has an awful selection. Unless you like deer hunter, it's hard to find quality Pc games at K-mart. I did see diablo there, but besides that there wasn't much of a selection.

I owe K-mart for helping with my single best software deal ever. They put Jedi Knight on sale for like $13.99, and I was able to pricematch it at Office Depot with the 155% difference guarantee, and got it for less than $5. At that price, I bought two.

Target seems to have pretty good selection and decent prices, though I don't buy from there very often. I tend to buy online, from my local independent software store (Interact CD in Pasadena - I can't say enough good about them. They cater to the hardcore gaming crowd, are kind to newbies, and they also buy & sell used games, which certainly keeps me coming back.), or I abuse the MDF-supported prices at Best Buy & CompUSA.

Yeah, I agree with you guys. I don't spend much of my game allowance at Wal-Mart, either. But I don't discount it. Occasionally they have soemthing good on the ten dollar rack, and when anything starts selling really big, Wal-Mart usually carries it. Since I usually run just a little behind the crowd when it comes to buying games anyway, they often have the ones I'm looking for. I often go there first, because it's closer than anything else, but I certainly buy the vast majority of my games elsewhere.

Wal*Mart is truly surreal sometimes. I go there just for the bizarre vibes. I mean, you walk in (if you can survive the jaunt across the usually mobbed parking lot), and are greated by an octagenarian with a huge smiley face button and a terribly earnest expression. You make your way by the cooler of economy-size cheese, the racks of discount breakfast cereal, and the shelves of "special purchase" hair products, all the while dodging kinship clusters consisting of entire extended familiesm, who apparently view trips to the Mart as bonding rituals.


Having penetrated the outer ramparts of this citadel of consumerism, you wind your way through the overstuffed aisles, dodging shopping carts filled equally with piles of generic stuff and screaming children. You cruise by the book racks, stuffed with religious tracts and cheap novels, breeze by the magazine section overflowing with wrestling and hot rod publications, and zip through the very well stocked cleaning supply section, trying to avoid the even better stocked hunting and fishing area (too scary, with large numbers of bearded mountain men buying shotguns).

When you get to the electronic's department, you're in for a treat. Lots of clueless people milling about trying to decide which clock radio to buy, a handful of savvy kids scoping out the CDs or the video games, and usually one or two harried and overworked sales people trying to keep track of incoming product and attempted shopliftings. The prices there are often truly whacked--some games will be bargain priced, while others, usually terrible or at best mediocre titles, are five to ten bucks more expensive than at EB. If you want to see a video game, you have to locate a clerk to open the case, and then if you decide you don't want it, you have to have them lock it back up again.


I love the sign that says "PlayStation 2 One per customer," with the hand-written codecil "when we have any." I love the toy section where hordes of unsupervised children roam aimlessly, pulling stuff from the shelves and leaving it on the floor. I love waiting in line to watch people buy whole cart loads of beef jerky, hair spray, and cheap shirts.

It's like a vacation, and it's so close to home!

"It's like a vacation, and it's so close to home!"

Ha ha! Great writeup. Yeah, Wal-Mart has its own special ambience.

Wow... my Wal-Mart is positively boring compared to yours Bob. The place is clean and tidy and the people are generally a reasonable sort. Where in stickland is yours? (No leaves up there yet, I presume?) I think this has something to do with location or something... =)

BTW, I picked up both Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition and Civ II Test of Time for $5 each this week at the Mart. This is not the first time I've found full boxed copies of very good products for ridiculously low prices. This was a rack jobber thing so it probably applies at all stores if someone is so inclined to pick these up.

--Dave

I might look into the test of time -- I don't have it yet, but it's surely worth five bucks.

My Wal-Mart seems more in line with yours, Dave. We have pretty decent people there -- although I was there late last night and it was a little on the scary side -- and generally good buys. I love that place!

Civ II Gold is better than Test of Time, though Test of Time does have a nice fantasy variant.

I'm just going to wait for Civ 3.

I see. Perhaps I should skip Test of Time then. On the other hand -- if it's five bucks, how can it not be worth it?

I'm looking forward to Civ 3, as well. I've loved the Civ series since the original, and am looking forward to 3.

If you can get either, they're both worth 5 bucks as far as I can see. CivII:TOT has some good scenarios. If I recall correctly, one Tom Chick reviewed this game and noted that the scenarios by Mick Uhl (Midgard I think...) were worth the price alone.

CivII: Multiplayer Gold Edition is the better package though. It's CivII as you know it in appearance with some new music (which is pretty decent) and of course it has the multiplayer option. It also includes all the Expansion packs for CivII. That would be Fantastic Worlds and "Scenarios". The X-Com scenario is in here and that was worth more than 5 bucks to me. :)

Finally, consider that these are both boxed originals. Big ass manuals and tech charts rule!

--Dave

The problem with Test of Time is that the fan mods don't work with it. But it's worth the $5 just for the one good fantasy mod included, I suppose. Gold is by far the better value, however.

I already have CIVII: MGE. It definitely rocks, and would be hard to top. I'd like to pick up the test of time just so that I can say I have it -- especially if I can get it for five bucks. Hard to find a game that's not worth five bucks.

Hey, I think the price on Alpha Centauri has come down recently as well. In some ways, it's superior to CivII:MGE and the ilk. Did anyone bother with "Call to Power?"

- Alan

I played Call to Power and I think Mark and Tom both did also based on my rememberence of USENET postings back then. I think Tom even reviewed it for one of the mags.

Personally, I liked a few of the innovations like the Public Works, but the overall design was a real dud otherwise. It looked good for a Civ-style game, but looks mean next to nothing in empire building. See Starships Unlimited for a great example of function over form there. Call to Power was really a mess when it was released. I won't touch the sequel with a ten foot pole even though a few reviews have been favorable.

Now Alpha Centauri on the other hand...that's one fine game. I think it tops CivII in my book. But the sci-fi setting it has certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea.

--Dave