As though GameTap subscribers did not already have a queue of "need to play" games a cubit long, the service has leaked that it has aquired a license for the Sega Saturn to add to its lengthy roster of supported consoles. The game Bug! will be the first release, available on Easter (or now if you do a search for "Insect?") and further games have yet to be confirmed. All first-party Sega games are likely candidates, though, as GameSetWatch points out. I’m still all wrapped up in the cozy warmth of Alpha Centauri.
Via GamePolitics, here’s a link to the Easter Egg Archive, which is an excellent place to waste the rest of your Holy Week. Inside, you can find thousands of examples of those hidden bonuses, secrets, and broken fourth walls that developers occasionally plant in their games like watermelon seeds in your ear.
Also from GamePolitics comes this story of the latest progress in Take Two’s ongoing legal troubles. Since the old management was ousted, changes within the company have been proceeding at a good clip. The latest news is that the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating the company’s alleged stock fuckery. The new management team have announced that they are cooperating fully with the SEC to resolve the investigation "correctly and quickly."
By way of convergent linking (from places such as Joystiq, Evil Avatar, and everywhere else under the sun) comes this editorial on unlockable content in games from Game Stooge. The editorial lays out a series of logical questions about why unlockable content even exists in the game in the first place. Is it a system of rewards, or an unnecessary, artificial block in the progress of a given game? Tycho at Penny Arcade has a typically irreverent and thoughtful take on the matter, also, which is certainly worth reading as well.
What isn’t worth reading is the story from Joystiq, if I may take the time to point out their needless sensationalism once again. Joystiq’s story misconstrues the original article and somehow brings in a question of whether unlockable content is illegal. Come on, guys. Seriously?
That’s about it for this Friday. It’s Good.