Listing Restlessly: Graphical Ages of Gaming
Welcome to Listing Restlessly, a new and irregular feature where we look at geek concepts and try to put them into categories that make some amount of sense. There's so much vagueness in gaming ("role-playing games," "casual games," "retro games,") that we need some way to separate these ideas. Let's start with the ages of gaming, an amorphous yet steadfast concept that everyone knows but few can define beyond "today's consoles" and "yesterday's consoles."
We've used "current-gen" versus "next-gen" versus "last-gen." Well, generations change. We've used "8-bit" versus "16-bit" versus "32-bit" versus "64-bit." Well, the Atari 2600 was 8-bit, and the Atari Jaguar called itself 64-bit when it wasn't, and the 64-bit Nintendo 64 lost the battle against the same-generation 32-bit Sony PlayStation. Instead of looking at bits and vague generations, let's look at what really defined the generations: the graphics. Specifically, what they looked like, and not what drives them. Here are the new ages of gaming. Four clearly defined ages and one semi-clearly defined half-age that run from the beginning of home video game systems to today.
From the Game: Centipede Wall Decals
Centipedes? On my walls? It's more likely than you think. Mario graphics aren't the only reusable wall art you can get from Blik and ThinkGeek. Blik also produces a line of Atari-themed vinyl wall art, including Centipedes, Asteroids, and Pong. Along with the New Super Mario Bros. wall decals, ThinkGeek provided us with a set of Centipede decals.
Alt-history RPG Venetica headed to U.S.
A GameFly listing (via Siliconera) reveals that Atari is scheduled to bring German developer Deck 13's fantasy RPG Venetica to stateside consoles in January 2011. Originally developed in German for PC and Xbox 360 in 2009, Venetica was available only in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Fans elsewhere either brushed up on their Deutsch or went without.
Venetica takes place in a fictional sixteenth-century version of Venice, where heroine Scarlett discovers herself to be Death personified, finding herself in the middle of a struggle between the powers that control the natural - and unnatural - course of death. The stylish characters, cityscapes, customizable gear, morality system, and action-RPG mechanics are all reminiscent of the Fable series, but Venetica adds a twist with the use of the "Twilight world." It's a parallel dimension of departed souls where Scarlett winds up either by choice or when killed. It offers its own rules, abilities, characters, and quests, many of which have consequences in the world of the living. Deck 13 certainly talked a good game about the necessity of storytelling in RPGs and Venetica enjoyed both critical and commercial success in its native land, so this could be a post-holiday treat for early next year.
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