By Scott Steinberg on May 3, 2012 in
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Today’s best-known game industry consulting firm, TechSavvy offers video games mock reviews for a variety of platforms, PCs and console systems, including both retail consumer products and software sold online or through digital distribution systems.
Looking to improve press review score performance and create titles that better resonate with both the media and players alike? Our acclaimed product testing labs provide more than just a preview of where your...
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By Rusel DeMaria on Mar 30, 2012 in Business, Marketing, Video Games
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When I started my Kickstarter project I was aware of the incredible success story of Tim Schaefer, whose Double Fine game development studio asked for $400,000 and ended up making more than $3.3 million for its latest project. I figured that if he could make that much, I could make a little without too much trouble. After all, I had a good project, a fine book and lots of friends. It should go smoothly, right?
Part 1: Getting Started
I did some research, looked at...
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By Nadia Oxford on Feb 4, 2012 in Digital Distribution, PC
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When groups of people gather to chatter about video games, a lot of untrue statements get thrown back and forth. It’s nothing new: in the days of the 16-bit console wars, there was always that person who would swear by everything holy that Nintendo and Sega were working on a console together (his uncle, who worked at Nintendo, told him so).
One of the most popular modern misconceptions is, “PC gaming is dead.” That statement isn’t simply...
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By Nadia Oxford on Feb 4, 2012 in Game Design, Game Development, Publishing
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The past two decades have initiated a remarkable transformation over humankind. Once so very far apart, now we think as one, act as one, breathe as one. Okay, we haven’t advanced that far yet, but it’s hard not to get melodramatic about about how thoroughly the internet has changed our lives. With communications flying at the speed of light, what was once impossible is now typical.
Take, for instance, video game development. Before the advent of the...
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By Nadia Oxford on Feb 4, 2012 in iPhone and iPad, Video Games
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Video games pull kids towards them as automatically as a magnet pulls iron shavings, and the low price and easy availability of iPhone games makes them especially accessible. Not every child has an iPhone; they’re costly, and, being multi-function devices, they are typically on temporary loan from parents. Nevertheless, there are a multitude of games for the iPhone that rank beyond simple toys and distractions. Many are also fun, engaging, and even...
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By Nadia Oxford on Feb 4, 2012 in
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Tablet devices like Apple’s iPad series aren’t as small and easily-handled as the iPhone, iPod Touch, or the Nintendo 3DS or PlayStation Vita. Nevertheless, the iPad’s large touchscreen makes for an interactive experience that’s not possible with the iOS family’s smaller displays. Creative and educational games and Apps particularly thrive on the iPad for this reason, which makes it easy to recommend ten must-plays for kids.
Cut the...
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By Nadia Oxford on Feb 4, 2012 in Indie Games
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It takes a lot of dedicated work to put together any kind of video game, but independent games are labors of absolute love. Indie games are typically developed without financial assistance from a publisher, so the projects are often money-starved and hanging by a thread.
On the flipside, there’s no guy in a suit poking at the developers and saying, “Hey. Hey. This game needs more birds. Kids these days like birds. Put in lots and lots of birds.”...
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By Nadia Oxford on Feb 4, 2012 in Game Design, Game Development
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Should you attend a video game school? Meditate carefully on your answer. A better question would be, “When you plunge that knife into your mother’s dreams and ambitions for your future, should you twist the knife once, or twice?”
Oh, but we jest. Even so, the decision to school yourself in game design is a serious one. Though many successful developers break into the industry with little or no schooling at all, it’s never a bad idea to have...
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By Nadia Oxford on Feb 4, 2012 in Apple, Digital Distribution, iPhone and iPad
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The iPhone developed into a legitimate gaming platform at a remarkable speed. It’s as if we turned around to look at something behind us, and when we faced forward again, Apple’s iOS series of handhelds was suddenly making a serious grab for a market that had been dominated by Nintendo for ages.
While nobody can predict the future, we can comfortably assume that the iPhone will continue to evolve and mature as a handheld gaming system. Here are a...
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By Nadia Oxford on Feb 4, 2012 in PlayStation Vita, Sony
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The PlayStation Vita (also known as the “PS Vita” and in a few instances, the “PSV”) is Sony’s next portable gaming system, and the follow-up to the PlayStation Portable/PSP.
The portable gaming market is more crowded than ever thanks to the launch of the Nintendo 3DS and the runaway success of iOS devices as game platforms. That said, the PS Vita still boasts unique characteristics that make for specialized play sessions. Here’s...
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