New Year and New Gaming Resolutions!

image credit: daykarobinsondesignsblog.com

Well folks, with January already half over (!!) 2013 is well on its way.  The past couple of weeks I have thought back over my gaming habits from the past year and ended up coming to a few conclusions about where I would like to see myself and L'Épée Magique this year.  They are as follows:

I will place ME2 and Meriel's Story on hold.

I have enjoyed Meriel, but at the moment she has gone on too long. I enjoyed Mass Effect tremendously, and I even enjoy Mass Effect 2 when I can convince myself to play it.  The operative key words here though are "convince myself to play it".  For me, gaming is meant to be an enjoyable adventure of both the mind and imagination.  Why then, should I have to feel like it is work just to place the CD in the drive and launch a title?  I'm not sure where along the line playing ME2 began to feel like drudgery, but it's likely tied to the obligatory install of Origin alongside ME3 that will prevent me from ever completing the series and experiencing the final chapter of this trilogy first hand.  That alone is enough to dispirit anyone.  I'm not done with the title, and I would really like to see Meriel finish her current mission, but I think we both need space before that can happen.  It's okay. The galaxy will wait.

I will make a dent in my GOG shelf.

I have a weakness for 90s/early '00 style adventure games, and GOG is more than willing to feed this fascination of mine.  As the result of weekend and holiday sales across the past couple of years, shelf upon shelf of these titles now fill my GOG gamecase (as opposed to bookcase).  I really want to sit down and spend some quality time with Gabriel Knight, Sanitarium, or my beloved Microïd titles.  I have, after all, recently acquired the rest of the Still Life trilogy.  It's been hard the past year or so to play this kind of game without feeling guilty about Meriel.  With her on hold, I finally have a chance to both play and blog musings about these titles.

I will start another lengthy title.

I have so many epic length cRPGs on my shelf  of both the virtual and physical varieties.  It is time to make a series dent in that list.  While I have not decided which of these titles I will plug in next, a decision will be made within the next week. I still want to story-tell whichever title I choose, but am not sure how exactly it will be approached. Look for posts regarding all of this around the beginning of  February.

The Insane Marketing of GOG

I would like to take a moment to applaud GOG.com.  Yes everyone is aware that I'm extremely in love with their company, but consider for a moment the legion of fans from around the world that flock to this retailer’s website every day to congregate on its boards.  You have to wonder what a retailer like that is doing differently.  In GOG's case the answer is easy.  They are clearly completely off their rocker.  As they build up to tomorrow's highly anticipated announcement of a new developer (Lucas Arts, EA,  Microsoft Games Studios, Square Enix or 2K), the GOG marketing team has been releasing an online comic series about the Evil Dr. M. (Think about it for a second).  The Evil Dr. M infiltrated GOG's offices in a YouTube video last September, and apparently his devious actions have not stopped.  He is currently on the run (but where?) and has been leaving casualties in his wake. The most notable casualty was that of the beloved French Monk.  (Thankfully the French Monk's demise has not stopped him from communicating with GOG-ers from the afterlife, as he dropped in on his own memorial post not too long ago to say hello.)  Every comic page holds cryptic textual and visual clues about the next developer and games to soon be available via GOG, and speculation is running rampant as fans pick every little detail apart.  GOG-ers can also track Dr. M's movements via his twitter feed (@TheEvilDrM) for clues regarding the evil mastermind's location and dastardly plans.

On one hand, this is a lot of trouble for one company to go to just to make a single announcement.  On the other hand, it is pure genius.  GOG, like its sister company CD Projekt RED, has always taken a very strong anti-DRM stance.  They stay extremely connected with their customers, they have the most responsive customer service around, they utilize media that their customers connect with, and they embrace the absurdity of gaming and geekdom whole heartedly.  Their transparency as a company is unparalleled.  They are not afraid to admit to their mistakes and when they seriously mess up, GOG goes above and beyond to make amends.  Above all they have a wacky, infectious humor that makes you wonder what the heck they were thinking.  More often than not GOG's staff seems to be having more fun with the company's marketing games then their fan base does.  All things considered, that is saying something.

The Dr. M comic series is just one piece in a puzzle of increasingly unique and inventive marketing schemes.  Sure the site has done the "post [message] on twitter and enter a drawing" type events, but it is the more imaginative ones which make site visitors pay attention.

1) Last fall GOG suddenly went off line without notice and left a coyly written note in its stead.  Users were rightly outraged, especially when they realized that it was a poorly advised marketing stunt, and for any other company that fallout could have been detrimental.  Thankfully, realizing their mistake, GOG took great strides to make amends.  They returned with fanfare, a free game, and videos.  Oh the videos.  Remember The French Monk earlier that Dr. M killed off?  That "monk" was the company's Managing Director Guillaume Rambourg dressed as a stereotypical RPG monk.  In a very peculiar, and embarrassingly cheesy (yet amusing) YouTube video he and another employee confessed and atoned for the website's sins (i.e. the ill-advised shut down).  Considering the amount of love that people have for Rambourg's character, killing him off in the latest comic was pure genius.  Now everyone is waiting around on pins and needles to find out when he will come back ... and how.  If you miss him in the meantime though, the website released a PaperCraft in his memory.


2) A couple of months ago, the website initiated a four part Quest wherein they asked GOG-ers to be Heroes and spread the word about their website.  In this month long campaign they asked the fans, among other things, to pick an RP  class, design a Neverwinter's Night module entitled "The DRM Monster and the Treasure of GOG", and write reviews.  The grand prize?  An actual, full-sized sword and shield.  The shield, of course, came emblazoned with "gog.com" upon its surface.

In the end we all know that the goal of advertising is to convince customers to buy things they didn't know they needed.  While this is certainly the root of GOG's creative marketing campaigns, the end result is something even bigger and less temporary.  As a company they aren't just convincing gamers to buy their product, they are convincing gamers to buy into an experience.  Instead of just the customer's money, GOG also earns the customer's affection.  Instead of just a  faceless group of individuals, GOG is a group of people with names and faces that their fans recognize and associate with.  With all the cold, impersonal companies out there on the web GOG is an absolute gem.  Everyone knows that the bottom line is important to the company's continued existence, but GOG realizes that an intense focus on this bottom line is not enough to make them stand out.  It's nice to see someone remember what customer loyalty is all about.

We could, of course, also just go with my first theory that Good Old Games is simply insane. They would have to be crazy to come up with some of the things they have. In the words of Australian GOG-er Virama, "Stop using drugs boys and get back to work...."

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Catch up on the Evil Dr.M saga here and look for clues.

Don't forget that the GOG/CDPRed Spring conference will be streaming live tomorrow at 3pm EDT. There has been no mention of the conference's language so it's pretty safe to wager that it will be in English and not Polish.

Image: GOG 

Soundtrack - Witcher 2: The Assassins of Kings

Despite the fact that it can't be played yet due to my inferior graphics card, I picked up TW2 via GOG before it went on sale to the masses and downloaded the soundtrack as soon as it came available early this morning. Folks, this soundtrack is a winner.  TW1's music was pretty phenomenal and I listened to it for months before I bought a computer that would be able to handle the game.  This time around it looks like I'm in the same boat, but honestly I can't complain too much.  If you loved TW1's music then the sountrack for TW2 will bowl you over.  A number of the key musical themes have returned from the first game as has its overall feel.  This soundtrack, however, takes it up a notch with the addition of a few new instruments, more vocalizations (yes!), and a grander, more epic feel.  Unlike many game soundtracks, this one stands well enough on its own and could easily be enjoyed by both gamers familiar with TW2 and the casual listener as well.  Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz and Adam Skorupa are truly in top form once again.  This is one album that will be on serious rotation in the coming months.

Edited to Add:  Here are a couple of tracks that particularly caught my attention.

The first "video" is rather bombastic in nature and acts as the game's theme song. The second  video, "A Nearly Peaceful Place," is beautiful but much more subdued.  In it you can clearly hear how The Witcher 1's main theme has been woven in with that from The Witcher 2. Those who pre-ordered TW2 from GOG and received the bonus tracks will notice that Bonus Track 3 was a slightly different version of this second video. Just for comparison sake, the third video is TW1's "Dusk of a Northern Kingdom" which prominently features the first game's main theme.

       

Image: Available as a wallpaper from GOG.com with purchase of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Now Available - The Witcher Enhanced Edition: Director's Cut

I wouldn't normally do this, but I have had a ton of people hitting my blog lately in search of Witcher news.  As a result, I'd like to remind everyone that The Witcher Enhanced Edition: Director's Cut is now available for purchase at GOG for $4.99.  It will revert to its standard price of $9.99 after May 14th.  I already have a hard copy of it that I purchased a couple of years ago, but I went ahead and purchased it again for the art book.  With so many paintings and pieces of conceptual art it is pretty spectacular and makes you wish that you had an actual book in your hand.

For those of you interested in the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings why don't you check this new video with GOG's now infamous, and rather beloved, French Monk ... in the Witcher 2.

From Their Website -  No one expects the French Monk !

Huh. We just saw this in a playtest of The Witcher 2 from our sister company.
What do you think a repentant French monk is doing in the game?
I wonder if he has something for Geralt?

Check out the video of Geralt meeting the French Monk and tell us what you think is going on

Image: Wallpaper available with Witcher 1 purchase from GOG.

Let's Watch - GOG's Witcher 2 Q&A

If you, like me, are eagerly anticipating the release of CD Projekt RED's game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, then you really need to watch this video.  If you have already pre-ordered the game or don't plan on pre-ordering the game then you can skip the first four minutes which is all about GOG.com's DRM-free pre-order offer.  Everything else is about the game itself and proves very informative.  It discusses changes in Geralt's appearance (something that was changed in response to fan complaints), shows video of in-game play, and answers questions from fans.  The whole video is roughly an hour long.

Evil Genius - The Other Side Has Feelings Too

I've been eying this game for a long time so when it went on sale this weekend I had to snap it up.  Developed by the now defunct Elixir Studios, I honestly don't remember hearing anything about Evil Genius when it first came out in 2004.  Come to think about it, I don't remember hearing much about it since 2004 either.  Maybe I've been living under a rock?  That is a distinct possibility.

Classified by GOG as a RTS meets managerial gameplay, Evil Genius appears to center around building a mountain side lair, overtaking the world, foiling the plans of silly do-gooders, and constructing the ultimate doomsday device.  You know, all the stuff that any decent malevolent mastermind should be able to do in their sleep.  I haven't played it yet, but I'll probably blog about it when I do.  This summer is already looking pretty packed with RL and Mass Effect 1+2, so I'm putting this game on the "to-do if I miraculously find time" list.

Even though I have yet to play the game, I found a customer review by GOG user DMorrone to be quite intriguing.  Entitled Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to ruin their mission - if they accepted it - of course, his review reads thusly:

Good Day Mastermind,

Congratulations on your recent promotion and the newly gained ability to be able to build that secret mountainside lair that all of us in the upper echelons of crime own.

Just a few items to note - please be sure to examine the whole range of rooms available to you and your minions. Remember - you cannot control you personnel directly - but you can influence what they do out of subtle reminders and pure stark terror. You have an assortment of ways to improve them - whether it's in the training room, the archive library or by simple experience within the base itself. Be sure to wander about often, glaring and pointing indiscriminately.

You will also have the ability to work your crime finesse on the big board of the world - and although you don't get the finer details that you do as you oversee your base, there is a certain sense of accomplishment in raiding the world's coffers bare to pad your own.

Do be careful - the do-gooders of the world will eventually put the pieces together and find your lair. Fortunately, we've worked hand in hand with WayAm Enterprises to provide an assortment of traps and weaponry that you configure as you see fit to defend your base.

Oh, and always make sure you have enough freezer space for your vanquished foes.

Good luck, enjoy the intricacies of managing your base and don't forget to come up with at least three synergistic action items for EvilCon in August. We're going to be holding it on Dr. Amalgamation's submarine in the Artic Circle - so dress appropriately.

Regards,

Overlord Quantum

Now how could I say "no" to a game with marketing like that?

Image: one of the wallpapers available, with purchase, from GOG

Let's Talk About - GOG.com

Check out their interview with Adventure Classic Gaming here. 

Anyone who knows me even a little bit is well aware of my love for the Good Old Games website.  An extension of CDProjekt (another company that you will never hear me say a negative thing about), GOG.com shares its parent company's passion for DRM free games.  It is one of those rare companies that I actually believe when they say "we are gamers too."  With excellent customer service, an ever growing selection of quality classics, lovely bonus content for each game, a DRM-free business model, assured compatibility with Windows XP/Vista/7, low prices that stay constant world wide, and weekly sales to boot; Good Old Games provides a quality service you will rarely find anywhere else.  Like their parent company, GOG actually listens to their customers and actively uses their feedback to shape the site/service.  



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Image: GOG

Zork - The Old is Made New

The Zork Anthology is now available on GOG.com for $5.99! What a great way to finally have these text based classics on your modern computer while supporting a fantastic company.

It comes with the following:

- Zork I, Zork II, Zork III, Beyond Zork, Zork Zero, and Planetfall

- 2 manuals

- 7 additional documents

- 5 maps

The game is available for purchase here

Image: GOG.com