Exclusives

Following the cancellation of Mass Effect 3’s Collector’s Edition merely a week before release, I’ve been feeling apprehensive about pre-ordering a title with GAME again. Unfortunately I’ve discovered that the Ultimate Songbird Edition of Bioshock is a GAME exclusive. Despite my interest in this particular special edition release, my past experience with GAME leaves me reluctant to purchase. The above got me thinking about companies that allocate exclusive releases and content to specific retailers. Is separating content across an array of retailers to entice people to pre-order really the most sensible move?

I think it’s safe to say everyone has a preferred retailer when pre-ordering titles. This favouritism may boil down to attractive pricing or swift deliveries of products in the past. When a company announces that their special editions or exclusive content will be allocated to a specific retailer, I can’t help but feel cheated. An individual will lose out on content that probably should have been implemented within the game anyway, simply owing to their choice of retailer. Does this seem like insanity to anyone else?

I understand that the majority of this is business related, but what about loyalty and fairness to the customers? Why should an individual utilise another retailer to make a purchase because two major companies have struck up a ‘deal.’ Many of you may dispute that people should simply take a chance on another retailer if they want the content that badly. My argument is, many people have experienced delays and disappointment with particular retailers regarding game releases. Some of the exclusives released are specific to one retailer. If someone has a troublesome experience with that specific store, why on earth would they trust them to deliver?

I’d love to hear your opinions regarding this topic. It’s something I passionately feel needs to be resolved, not just for the sake of the consumer, but for the sake of other retailers. Do any of you feel the same way regarding exclusives? Feel free to get in touch and express your opinions on this potentially controversial topic!

And So Our Story Begins...

Following the renowned discussion regarding the Mass Effect 3 ending, the events got me thinking about the very structure of a story and how fundamental it can be within gaming. Many individuals expressed their sheer disappointment and criticisms of the ending they experienced within Mass Effect 3. The volume of complaints received reflects the abundant importance of a sufficient ending, despite the quality of the game throughout. Is this the way stories within video games should be perceived? I’ll be challenging and discussing this observation and expressing my own opinion on the matter. 

People often forget that stories utilised within video games are creative concepts conjured by individuals who adore storytelling. They are quick to forget that these individuals are masters in their field, thus being appointed to deliver the story. No matter how talented these individuals are, it is simply an impossible task to create a conclusion to a series which is going to satisfy each and every person who embarks on that journey.

That being said, people often neglect the journey they take whilst delving into a story. This is especially apparent in the gaming industry. People are impatient and often plough through a game without observing everything and allowing time to absorb the storyline. For me personally, a game that includes an immersive storyline and powerful character development is something I thoroughly enjoy and feel is often overlooked. I feel that the journey and events throughout the game are a necessity and can often make up for an ending that is deemed as poor.

People are also quick to forget that some titles possess alternate endings. These endings can be altered and activated depending on decisions you make throughout the game. This again raises the problem where people merely rush through the storyline. They will miss fundamental segments in the game which could drastically alter the ending they receive.

One thing I will stress is that people are entitled to express their opinion, which is completely acceptable. What I feel should not be deemed as acceptable is that people are posing death threats to developers because they aren’t happy with a product. No level of disappointment excuses any sort of threat when people are merely doing their job. 

Although this has been a swift glance at this topic, it is already abundantly clear that it can provide a heated debate amongst gamers. The key concept to keep in mind is that games are of course sources of entertainment for us budding gamers, but their very creation counts for the livelihood of those individuals involved in the development. A product cannot be altered constantly owing to this dissatisfaction of a group of people. If you are dissatisfied with a product, simply boycott future titles instead of complaining and continuing to invest in their creations.

Something else to consider is the gaming industry is populated by an astronomical amount of individuals, each with their unique interests and hobbies. This alone will determine how an individual will perceive a game and what titles will interest them. 

I’m extremely interested in how people received this article and your opinions regarding the content included. Feedback would be appreciated immensely; I encourage people to challenge and comment on my articles. Individual opinions are extremely important in helping me determine what to write about next.

Thanks for reading,

Hannah

The Cinema: An Oscar Winning Experience?

Having ventured to the cinema this week, I swiftly uncovered the alarming expense and annoyances involved in the cinema experience. For the most part, attending the cinema is a pleasant experience. The vast array of films on display means that there’s a choice of film for everyone. A bountiful selection of confectioneries and refreshments ensures that your hunger and thirst is quenched as you enjoy the latest blockbuster. With such a picture perfect image presented, people often neglect the extreme expense and annoyances that are associated with the cinema. This article will be focusing on observations I’ve made whilst partaking in public film viewing.

Upon selecting a film to view, you are prompted to pay a fee for your ticket. I fully appreciate that profit must be accumulated in some form, but requesting seven pounds for a film that’s being displayed for merely an hour and a half seems preposterous.  It seems increasingly ludicrous when you consider that said film will become available on DVD within a matter of months for a similar price.

Having received your ticket, you find yourself craving some of the sweet confectionaries and refreshments on display. You scuttle over fixated with the multitude of sweet treats available to you. Once you’ve selected which mouth-watering sweets you wish to purchase, you find yourself having to part with over ten pounds to enjoy them. Ten pounds may seem like an exaggerated figure, but if you examine the prices of these products meticulously, it becomes abundantly clear that ten pounds doesn’t purchase much in the cinema.

The extravagant price tags placed within the cinema would be problematic for any individual. This financial burden would double for those who have large/extended families. With film trailers constantly being displayed on the television and online, it’s extremely difficult to escape the advertisement ploys that are transmitted.

With your tickets in hand and an array of treats and snacks to devour, you make your way to your selected film. As you enter the designated screening venue, you glance at the seating area only to discover that it is full to capacity. To make matters worse, the majority of the audience are teenagers. You traverse the area, squinting in the darkness searching for a seat. As you discover one, you proceed to make yourself comfortable in preparation for the film.

To your disgust, an onslaught of popcorn and confectionaries is heading your way, followed by sniggers and mild chatter by those aforementioned teenagers. The film begins and you find it difficult to concentrate with the running commentary and comments from the individuals around you. Testing your patience further, the deafening ringing of a mobile phone interrupts the film. Not to mention the people who insist on purchasing refreshments or taking bathroom breaks religiously throughout the whole film. As you vacate the building, you find yourself agitated and confused as to the actual plotline behind the film you watched.

As I mentioned previously, for the most part, attending the cinema is an enjoyable experience. What I merely wished to point out during this article is something that we come across within everyday life. I believe that partaking in public film watching involves a level of respect. You may agree or disagree with this statement, I’m not quite sure. I feel the acts mentioned above such as the conversing during a film demonstrate a lack of respect for the people around them. If individuals merely thought about how their actions affected others or how they’d feel if the situation were reversed, I think this disruptive attitude would become redundant.

Regarding the financial burden of the cinema, I feel that prices are ridiculously inflated and major companies do not consider how this affects their audience. If prices were decreased, it would extend their audience thus generating similar if not healthier revenue. 

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this article. I must express my eagerness in hearing your feedback regarding this article and any article I’ve included here. 

Once again, thanks for reading.

Hannah

Fabulous Physique: Achievement Unlocked?

I’m pretty confident in saying that the majority of individuals find partaking in exercise is something they often have to force themselves to do. People primarily associate the word exercise with gruelling fitness regimes, possibly within a gym or fitness focused environment.  People often find it arduous to partake in exercise for various reasons.  Occasionally, individuals find it difficult to designate time in their scrupulous schedules to engage in exercise. For some it may be a financial issue that hinders their opportunity to exercise. So the question is, is there a method to resolve these issues and to grant people with more opportunity to exercise? I wouldn’t call it a solution, but it comes pretty darn close…

With a goal to get myself fit in 2012, I’ve started taking exercise seriously. Constantly being engulfed by college work and lacking the funds to invest in gym membership, I rattled my brain for a method of exercise I could partake in. The fitness games that have emerged for consoles swiftly triggered my interest. People often criticise these games and state that they are unsuccessful in encouraging fitness and weight loss. I for one disagree with this statement and I’ll be explaining why in this article.

Kinect:

I purchased both titles in the Your Shape series thus far and have found them extremely useful in my quest to improve my fitness. Your Shape provides you with an array of diverse exercise to complete. The exercises have been separated into categories dependant on which part of the body you wish to improve. It also states the recommended level of fitness, duration and difficulty of the exercise regime for the individual.  Your Shape also provides exercise regimes in categories such as; yoga and boxing. The intensity of the categories varies immensely, which makes the title an extremely accessible one regardless of your fitness. The game also displays the amount of calories you’ve burned for completing an exercise. There is an option available which allows you to highlight what you are hoping to achieve through using Your Shape. Examples of this are building muscle mass or slimming down. Upon selecting your goal, Your Shape suggests which exercises will aid you in successfully completing this task.

I found Your Shape to be a remarkably accessible title to begin with, taking into account that I had not exercised in quite some time. It provided sufficient challenges for me but allowed me to test my limitations if I wished.

 Another title I found myself purchasing is the UFC Personal Trainer game. It triggered my curiosity but also made me quite apprehensive. I wanted to improve my fitness, not resemble an MMA fighter but I gave it a chance. Upon starting the game, you are required to complete a test which allows the game to evaluate your fitness. Once completed, you have access to an array of different exercises. These activities include tire flipping and a punch bag regime. You also have the opportunity to participate in regimes with actual UFC fighters. These regimes will present various exercises depending on their fighting class. UFC Personal Trainer grants you access to your own personalised workout. You can select any fitness techniques/methods available within the game and conjure your very own workout. This game also provides you with a calorie counter which is extremely useful to evaluate how successful your workout has been.

The UFC Personal Trainer title took me by surprise regarding how useful it was to me. I thought it would merely be useful for people wanting to build muscle mass and carve a muscular physique. Surprisingly, UFC Personal Trainer provides an array of cardio exercises which has aided me in improving my fitness.

Pros and Cons:

Pros: The extremely diverse selection of exercises the Kinect titles provide allows people of various fitness levels the opportunity to enjoy this title. I found both titles extremely responsive in terms of the Kinect devise tracking my movements. This level of response allowed for a productive workout.

Cons: With any product, there is always a negative. The Kinect requires a significant amount of space especially when using the fitness titles. 

Wii Fit:

Of all the fitness products released for video game consoles, the Wii Fit received the most amount of criticism that I know of. Despite the criticisms, I decided to invest in it and test it out for myself. I believe the Wii Fit to be an extremely effective product regarding exercise because the design and animations of the game itself take away the stereotypical view of a gruelling workout. An example of this is the jogging activity. As you traverse the island in the form of a Mii, you find yourself becoming distracted by the picturesque views and the actions of the Miis around you. These minor distractions throughout the game provide an enjoyable experience which takes the focus away from the exercising itself.

The Wii fit allows you to weigh yourself and provides your BMI along with your weight. It also provides the opportunity for you to set a weight loss goal for yourself, along with a period of time in which you wish to achieve this goal. A calorie counter is also present within this game but possesses a unique twist. Upon burning a set amount of calories, the Wii Fit will provide an example of food with equivalent calories to which you have burned. The exercises available to you are divided into categories such as balance and aerobics.

The effectiveness of the Wii Fit truly did take me by surprise. I approached this product with an open mind which I think is essential when there is such a divide in opinion regarding it. I swiftly noticed that I’d spend a prolonged amount of time on the Wii Fit because of the level of enjoyment it provides.

Pros and Cons:

Pros: The simple yet effective exercises included provide for an enjoyable experience. As the activities are entertaining, it encourages you to play for a prolonged amount of time thus providing a lengthy workout. The Wii Fit doesn’t require as much space to play as the Kinect which makes it ideal for working out in the home.

Cons: I found that although the exercises were split into various categories, there could have been more of a diverse selection of exercise provided. The exercises were similar within each category which could potentially lead to it becoming repetitive. 

Conclusion:

After utilising both the Wii Fit and Kinect avidly for the past month, I have honestly seen a massive difference in my fitness levels. I believe that with effort and determination, you will witness a difference regarding your fitness and appearance using these products. For those who may have tried these methods and failed, can you honestly say you placed a healthy level of effort and determination in your fitness venture? People are often quick to boycott a method that they feel ‘isn’t working’ when in actual fact, they merely lack patience. I know this from first-hand experience; it’s a difficult process but determination is vital. This goes for any fitness method you undertake. I hope people who may have been seeking an alternate method to the gym or other activities have found this article useful. Despite the effectiveness of these products, the main component is self-belief and discipline. A combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise regime will help you reach your goals! You will witness explosive results if you are patient. ;)

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy article, I hope you’ve enjoyed and possibly found it useful. Many thanks!

Hannah