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Outside the White Box

More evidently now than ever before, games are more than just entertainment. Outside the White Box takes a look at the things affecting Xbox gamers on a day to day basis. Every week will feature stories revolving around a selected theme; from advances in technology to political perspective and the study of games as an art form, you’ll find it all right here.

Got something to say to me? You can always comment on my articles or send me an email at DickWard@XboxFocus.com. Your thoughts may be featured in future columns to come.

Column Days: Tuesday and Friday

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Columns List

• Your Influence on Developers

  by Dick Ward August 18th 2008 3:34 PM CDT2 Comments

  To hardcore players, this question may sound ridiculous, but do game developers have too much fan feedback? Obviously, there are many that don’t, and won’t, take any of it seriously. For others, it’s their main source of feedback. While some may consider this new trend to be a perfect example of exactly what the industry should be, maybe in some cases the fans have just a bit too much influence.
  
  With the release of Too Human, a lot of the attention that should be going to the game is instead going to the very outspoken president of Silicon Knights, Denis Dyack. He’s got views on everything and he’s not afraid to share them, but there’s much speculation that Dyack’s rants and social experiments may have done more harm than good.
  
  Dyack seems to find the time to respond to any and all criticism that his game receives. He not only speaks out about the state of review and preview coverage of games, but against the way fans judge games as well. For those that aren’t familiar, Dyack’s diatribes, while often a bit convoluted, are really interesting reads, and I highly recommend finding them. If he were a journalist or just a message board dweller, he certainly wouldn’t get the kind of press he does for his posts, but he wouldn’t get in the same problematic situations either.
  
  
  
• HD Elitism

  by Dick Ward August 13th 2008 1:26 AM CDT2 Comments

  If anything was revealed at Microsoft’s E3 press conference, it’s that no market is going left untapped. From the casual to hardcore, and with the coming price drops, every economic level is being tapped as customers for the Xbox 360. But are developers shooting themselves in the foot by excluding those that haven’t made the HD jump yet?
• Fighting Evolution

  by Dick Ward August 5th 2008 6:20 PM CDT1 Comments

  Videogames are easily the most rapidly evolving form of entertainment available today. Movies from 2003 are pretty much the same as movies from 2008, but with staggering generational leaps in all aspects, games from five years ago just don’t hold up. Not only is the graphical difference staggering, but gameplay, online capability, customization and even storytelling have changed drastically. Why is it then that fighting games have failed to evolve?
  
  Don’t get me wrong, I love playing fighting games. I remember in high school I’d invite my friends over and get into a sort of mini tournament. We’d get some Cokes and a few pizzas and have a ton of fun, especially if I managed to squeeze out a victory. I’m not in high school anymore though, and though I can toast my friends in Team Fortress 2 without any problems, and we can still play Starcraft, there’s not a fighting game available with satisfactory online play.
  
  
  
• Five Wanted Xbox Originals

  by Dick Ward August 1st 2008 2:23 PM CDT3 Comments

  Say what you will about Xbox Originals, but I absolutely love them. Getting to play the greatest games of the console’s last generation without having to jump on eBay or give my money to Gamestop is fantastic. There’s something missing though. Well, five things, and big ones too.
• Debunking Anti-Game Propaganda

  by Dick Ward July 29th 2008 11:30 AM CDT1 Comments

  Recently a news station, Local 6 out of Orlando, posted a story on their website that they claimed linked games and pedophilia. In fact, it claims that there are games in which children earn points through sending naked pictures of themselves to adults. The article has been written without evidence or actual fact, merely strung together quotes to prove a point, and is clearly without merit. Regardless, I'm going to go ahead, take it and break down piece by piece.
• Xbox Focus Best of E3 Awards

  by Dick Ward July 22nd 2008 12:37 AM CDT2 Comments

  

  
  E3’s over and what was only days ago a manic rush of activity here at Xbox Focus has returned to work as usual.  Still fairly manic of course, but with a hint of sadness that the largest event in gaming has past by and been so, well, uneventful.  Surely there will be reflections later this week about the state of E3, where it is and where it should be, but let us not mourn for fire breathing booth babes, let us instead celebrate what E3’s really all about.   I’d like to present the Xbox Focus “Best of E3 Awards”.
• Live Blog from E3: Day 2

  by Dick Ward July 15th 2008 12:42 AM CDT2 Comments

  
  Well, semi live anyway, since Nintendo decided not to give us any wifi for the show. Honestly though, you didn't miss much. They announced a lot of stuff that everyone knew was coming and while they really seemed to impress some of the people in the audience, I'd call the press conference a dud. The only thing interesting is that the Wii is finally emerging into the online age with Animal Crossing. Live online chat? Welcome to 2005. Keep checking back for hands on reports of the latest from Sega and THQ as well as summaries from press conferences and the show floor throughout the day!
  
  Met with Warner Bros first thing in the morning and was really impressed by what they had to offer. Lego Batman improves greatly over the earlier games by offering not only a new and exciting IP to work off of, but by introducing a wide range of heroes and villains each with their own unique special moves. The Joker has a joy buzzer and twin pistols, Mr. Freeze has his freeze gun, and The Riddler can hypnotize enemies. Batman may have the coolest of all with the addition of the Batarang.
  
  Using a simple targeting system, players can select multiple enemies and objects to map out its path. I was given the opportunity to go hands on with this one, so I’ll have much more later on.
• The Finer Points

  by Dick Ward July 14th 2008 8:09 PM CDT1 Comments

  
  
  
  So by now you've read/watched/heard all the coverage of the Microsoft press conference. You know about Final Fantasy XIII, and you've seen the Fallout and Gears videos. I'm going to go ahead and break down some of the more overlooked points of the conference to try and offer a bit of insight as to why they matter..
  
  The overall theme of the conference was one of "Something for Everyone", and Microsoft was quick to state that just because the casual audience is getting bigger doesn't mean that the hardcore crowd won't be satisfied too. The whole affair was constructed very well, and made sure not to alienate anyone. It's this kind of forethought that shows how much Microsoft's core demographic means to them. They started with the long awaited sequel Fallout 3, showing a lot of respect for gaming's traditional successes.
• Live Blogging from E3

  by Dick Ward July 13th 2008 3:01 PM CDT55 Comments

  
  July 14th 2008 will either go down as a great day for Microsoft, or as a major dissapointment. At 10:30 AM PT, the official Microsoft E3 Press Conference begins. Though there have been many information leaks running wild, Microsoft promises surprises for the Xbox community. Could we see some new Halo game, or will Microsoft unveil the long rumored motion? Dick Ward will be there at Los Angeles, LIVE, and blogging from the show. Stay tuned!
  
  
  Schedule
  
  -10:00 AM Pacific Time: Live blogging begins
  
  -10:15 AM Pacific Time: Pre-conference predictions.
  
  -10:30 AM: Press Conference Begins
  
  -Stay tuned for Dick's blog, right here!
• Developers

  by Dick Ward July 8th 2008 7:34 PM CDT0 Comments

  The recent photograph of what appeared to be a 360 dev kit on the desk of Hideo Kojima got the Xbox fanbase extremely excited about possibilities of seeing Metal Gear on the 360. Recent reports indicate that this was in fact a normal 360, but the subject of having a formerly exclusive (sans remakes) developer work on a 360 game is just too exciting to leave without some thought. What formerly exclusive, or nearly exclusive, developers could make a huge impact on the Xbox 360?
  
  Hideo Kojima
  
  Of course, the recent speculation has all been surrounding Hideo Kojima, creator of the acclaimed Metal Gear series. As unlikely as it is that Kojima would jump ship given some of the things he’s said regarding the 360 and of course, the implied insult in MGS 4, one cannot help but wonder what he could bring to the system and what the 360 could do for him.

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