QTE Blog: Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ow.ly/16vVfT
360: Microsoft have announced that the 120GB HDD will be discounted in the USA to $129.99 whilst stocks last. http://ow.ly/14zv3
PS3: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the PS3 is loosing 6 cents for every dollar, $18 loss for a $300 console. http://ow.ly/14zwu
QTE Blog: Audio Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ow.ly/16vXdT
QTE Blog: EA Have Released A New Trailer For Command & Conquer 4 http://ow.ly/16vXdS
The9 has reportedly invested around $15M into Red 5 Studios. http://ow.ly/14zxp
360: Left 4 Dead 2 is getting a update. various Gameplay and Map fixes have been detailed in the link. http://ow.ly/14zC3
N.Y Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo is investigating several retails for deceptive advertising. GameStop is one of them http://ow.ly/14zCD
360: Peter Molyneux says Fable III is 'almost at its final edit' stage, polishing the game about all that's left http://ow.ly/14zE5
QTE Blog: THQ Have Released A New Promo Trailer For MX vs ATV Reflex http://ow.ly/16vY9B
QTE Blog: Sega Have Released A New Mini Game Trailer For Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll http://ow.ly/16vY9A
PS3: Atlus are letting Demon Souls players pick the games World Tendency for Valentines day. http://ow.ly/14zSq
Xbox: Bungie are calling fans to come together on 14th April to give Halo 2 a big send-off before Xbox Live support ends http://ow.ly/14zTp
Concept art has emerged from 3 EA games that were in development, Road Rash, Oliver Twist, and Arthurian http://ow.ly/14zUw
PC: its reported Championship Manager Online has been canned, apparently without prior notice to players http://ow.ly/14zVj
QTE Blog: This Weeks UK WiiWare, DSiWare, And Virtual Console Releases http://ow.ly/16vZ2J
QTE Blog: Sega Have Released A Launch Trailer For Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll http://ow.ly/16vZ2K
Wii: its rumoured that Sonic will be a playable character in Mario Galaxy 2. http://ow.ly/14zWa
Its reported that Wii development is in decline. iPhone development increasing. http://ow.ly/14A0F
Facebook: EA say they will introduce Madden NFL on Facebook, make it more accessible, simpler experience. http://ow.ly/14A1x
Gran Turismo PSP sold 1.8M units, GT5 Prologue sold 4.650M units. Gran Turismo Series has sold 55.450.000 Units http://ow.ly/14A2Z
QTE Blog: Sony Online Entertainment Announce Vengeful Gods, The 9th Expansion For Legends Of Norrath http://ow.ly/16w0td
PSP: Kojima Productions say that Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker still has surprises in store. http://ow.ly/14A3W
PC: Diablo III Artwork has revealed a Female version of the Monk Class. http://ow.ly/14A4X
Ubisoft and THQ reportedly hint that they know about Nintendo's new platform. possible Ubisoft announcement next week http://ow.ly/14A80
GC: Nintendo Reveal the GameCube was designed with 3D in Mind. it had the ability to play 3D games. http://ow.ly/14A93
The back of the Final Fantasy XIII 360 box confirms that there will be DLC for the game. http://ow.ly/14CA4
PC: Following Championship Manager Online's closure, co-Devs Jadestone have blamed Eidos for shutting it down http://ow.ly/14CNs
QTE Blog: Our 1 Year (+5 Days) Anniversary!!! http://ow.ly/16wk4C
QTE Blog: About QTE Gamers http://ow.ly/16wl1W
QTE Blog: Why I Decided To Create QTE Gamers http://ow.ly/16wl1V
QTE Blog: What A Year Its Been – The Evolution Of The Site http://ow.ly/16wlRa
QTE Blog: What A Year Its Been – QTE Gamers And PR http://ow.ly/16wnlp
QTE Blog: Tips For Future Videogame Bloggers http://ow.ly/16wpdV
QTE Blog: What Have You Played This Week? http://ow.ly/16wqjA
QTE Blog: QTE Tweets Of The Week http://ow.ly/14ZcO
Monday, February 8, 2010
Re-Cap of The Weekends News (oldest to newest)
QTE Tweets Of The Week
10 QTE Blog: Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ow.ly/16uSl0
9 QTE Blog: Audio Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ow.ly/16uTQ0
8 QTE Blog: Sony Announce That Temco's Fret Nice Is Coming To The PSN This Week http://ow.ly/16uA5g
7 QTE Blog: Cryptic Announce Klingon And Ferengi Playable Characters Are Available For Purchase http://ow.ly/16uA5f
6 360: Ubisoft have announced that Splinter Cell Conviction is coming out on the 13th April. http://ow.ly/13OoP
5 Nokia: Ovi Maps Racing has been released as a free download.its a top down racer that makes tracks based on your location http://ow.ly/13OqA
4 THQ Have said that there will be another De Blob game sometime between April 2010 and March 2011. http://ow.ly/13OwQ
3 360: A picture of a Natal Prototype has been released. its made in the same factory as the iPhone http://ow.ly/13SWX
2 PC: Atari have announced that there are over 1 Million registered accounts for Star Trek Online. http://ow.ly/13OD0
1 Game Crazy Parent company, Movie Gallery, has filled for chapter 11 bankruptcy. only 250 stores will remain. http://ow.ly/13OtL
9 QTE Blog: Audio Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ow.ly/16uTQ0
8 QTE Blog: Sony Announce That Temco's Fret Nice Is Coming To The PSN This Week http://ow.ly/16uA5g
7 QTE Blog: Cryptic Announce Klingon And Ferengi Playable Characters Are Available For Purchase http://ow.ly/16uA5f
6 360: Ubisoft have announced that Splinter Cell Conviction is coming out on the 13th April. http://ow.ly/13OoP
5 Nokia: Ovi Maps Racing has been released as a free download.its a top down racer that makes tracks based on your location http://ow.ly/13OqA
4 THQ Have said that there will be another De Blob game sometime between April 2010 and March 2011. http://ow.ly/13OwQ
3 360: A picture of a Natal Prototype has been released. its made in the same factory as the iPhone http://ow.ly/13SWX
2 PC: Atari have announced that there are over 1 Million registered accounts for Star Trek Online. http://ow.ly/13OD0
1 Game Crazy Parent company, Movie Gallery, has filled for chapter 11 bankruptcy. only 250 stores will remain. http://ow.ly/13OtL
Sunday, February 7, 2010
What Have You Played This Week?
Not too much played this week. There generally was a lot of news to deal with meaning I only played a little here and there. Also we had the plumber in to fix radiators which took up Monday-Tuesday. Wednesday was very busy catching up on the week.
Football Manager 10 – PC – Still playing through with FC Bayern. Also i'm now manager of Ireland. Only through the second season so far.
Okami – Wii – only played a little which is a shame, wish I had more time to play it.
Uncharted 2 – PS3 – Only played a little of the game, not really progressed much further.
Fl0w – PS3 – decided to play to get a couple more trophies. I also spent time just relaxing to the game.
Half Minute Hero – Demo – PSP – a lot of people have been talking good things about this game so I was eager to have a go. The demo is very short, even though it offers 2 stages, but this is more a result from the game itself. It took a little while to get used to the very different style of gameplay, but it's quick, exciting, and fun. The graphics are charming and so is the music in their retro styles. I recommend people try the demo as it may surprise them.
What have you been playing this week? feel free to add your weeks gaming selection in the comments, or comment on my selection for this week
Football Manager 10 – PC – Still playing through with FC Bayern. Also i'm now manager of Ireland. Only through the second season so far.
Okami – Wii – only played a little which is a shame, wish I had more time to play it.
Uncharted 2 – PS3 – Only played a little of the game, not really progressed much further.
Fl0w – PS3 – decided to play to get a couple more trophies. I also spent time just relaxing to the game.
Half Minute Hero – Demo – PSP – a lot of people have been talking good things about this game so I was eager to have a go. The demo is very short, even though it offers 2 stages, but this is more a result from the game itself. It took a little while to get used to the very different style of gameplay, but it's quick, exciting, and fun. The graphics are charming and so is the music in their retro styles. I recommend people try the demo as it may surprise them.
What have you been playing this week? feel free to add your weeks gaming selection in the comments, or comment on my selection for this week
Tips For Future Videogame Bloggers
After doing this for a year, I feel I could offer some advice for people who are thinking of starting their own videogame blog.
1.Don't be afraid to have a grand vision. It is something to aim for. But start small, slowly introduce sections and the amount of work you do. Don't worry if it takes a few months for your site to grow into your grand vision, or even if you don't reach your vision. Try to get the main parts in, see what your audience reads and make sure they are catered for.
2.Try to be different from the other sites. Its easy to copy what others do, but it's harder to make your site unique. Have a good look around the web and see if you can find a niche that's not being catered for. If you want to do something that's similar/same as other sites, spend some time getting posts down on your site, then try contacting those sites either offering news tips, or show them your work.
3.It would be handy to have some money put aside to spend on your site. Its ok to use Blogger/Wordpress, but there comes a point where owning your own domain name would make your site look more professional.
4.Don't be afraid to experiment with new technology, many websites were slow to use Twitter, and try to keep on top of social trends. All this will give you a leg up on the big sites and will help build a audience.
5.When talking to PR, understand that you may not get a response. Remain calm and polite and ask again. Some companies will refuse to talk to you because of the size of your site. Understand and move on to others who will.
6.Have a go at doing a podcast, either solo or with mates. Try experimenting with other things like video's on youtube. If your looking at moving to a bigger site, understand that they use audio/video reporting heavily and any experience is essential.
7.Don't expect to get a job at a big site because you have a small site. Having your own site is a good way to earn experience in writing and the videogame industry, but it doesn't mean your guaranteed a job a major site. It will be a let down, but you should be enjoying working on your site, if you haven't been enjoying it...perhaps working in the industry isn't for you.
8.Always check your work. Read what you have written and check for mistakes. It may sound simple but all the sites suffer from this time to time.
1.Don't be afraid to have a grand vision. It is something to aim for. But start small, slowly introduce sections and the amount of work you do. Don't worry if it takes a few months for your site to grow into your grand vision, or even if you don't reach your vision. Try to get the main parts in, see what your audience reads and make sure they are catered for.
2.Try to be different from the other sites. Its easy to copy what others do, but it's harder to make your site unique. Have a good look around the web and see if you can find a niche that's not being catered for. If you want to do something that's similar/same as other sites, spend some time getting posts down on your site, then try contacting those sites either offering news tips, or show them your work.
3.It would be handy to have some money put aside to spend on your site. Its ok to use Blogger/Wordpress, but there comes a point where owning your own domain name would make your site look more professional.
4.Don't be afraid to experiment with new technology, many websites were slow to use Twitter, and try to keep on top of social trends. All this will give you a leg up on the big sites and will help build a audience.
5.When talking to PR, understand that you may not get a response. Remain calm and polite and ask again. Some companies will refuse to talk to you because of the size of your site. Understand and move on to others who will.
6.Have a go at doing a podcast, either solo or with mates. Try experimenting with other things like video's on youtube. If your looking at moving to a bigger site, understand that they use audio/video reporting heavily and any experience is essential.
7.Don't expect to get a job at a big site because you have a small site. Having your own site is a good way to earn experience in writing and the videogame industry, but it doesn't mean your guaranteed a job a major site. It will be a let down, but you should be enjoying working on your site, if you haven't been enjoying it...perhaps working in the industry isn't for you.
8.Always check your work. Read what you have written and check for mistakes. It may sound simple but all the sites suffer from this time to time.
What A Year Its Been – QTE Gamers And PR
One of the biggest experiences I've had is dealing with PR. For the most part, I've had good experiences in dealing with PR. But I went in knowing that I wouldn't get a reply to every email I sent, and knowing that I was a small blog and I wouldn't be given a lot of attention from the big sites.
In the beginning, I talked a lot to PR from various different companies. I was trying to get access to press sites to increase the amount of news I was reporting on myself, and not news from other sites. But it took time to get access to many of these press sites, so instead I would send of email questions to various companies to create some news. More often than not I wouldn't get a reply, but companies like Zen Studios were great and answered questions I posed them. Unfortunately, as I got access to more press sites, I didn't have the time to ask other companies questions like I did In the beginning. For me that is a disappointment, I would like to ask lots of questions, but now i've signed up to many press sites, I rarely get the free time.
Out of the main 3 console makers, I have to say that Sony have been by far the most helpful because neither Microsoft or Nintendo have gotten back to me when i've asked questions. As I said before, not every question I ask gets a response, but Sony have been great in providing answers. Some times I ask questions that they don't have answers for or can't provide a answer for, for example i've asked many questions about the Motion Controller but as its still in development, Sony can't answer my questions.
Out Of The Big Publishers/Developers, i'd say that EA, Majesco, And THQ have been very helpful. Unfortunately companies like Capcom won't work with small sites, and others like Codemasters use a press site i've not been granted access to.
Press releases can be very frustrating. Rarely provided, when a new game is announced for example, is a screenshot or the games logo. I always try to have a picture of the game/company mentioned in the news, but some companies make that difficult. Other issues are that most press releases are full of filler. Sometimes the news is only 1 paragraph, yet the press release will have an additional 4+ paragraphs of filler/fluff. Some of the better Press Releases come from smaller companies, they tend to me more to the point, come with a screenshots/video/game logo, which all together makes my job easier and makes it easier to get the news across.
I have tired to get review copies of games before but as i'm a small new site, i've always been denied. There has been the rare couple of times when a PR contact has said they will send me review code, but they have never come through with it. My main issue is time. I would like to do some reviews, but some days I spend soo many hours working that I don't get a chance to play games whether they are review or for fun.
In the beginning, I talked a lot to PR from various different companies. I was trying to get access to press sites to increase the amount of news I was reporting on myself, and not news from other sites. But it took time to get access to many of these press sites, so instead I would send of email questions to various companies to create some news. More often than not I wouldn't get a reply, but companies like Zen Studios were great and answered questions I posed them. Unfortunately, as I got access to more press sites, I didn't have the time to ask other companies questions like I did In the beginning. For me that is a disappointment, I would like to ask lots of questions, but now i've signed up to many press sites, I rarely get the free time.
Out of the main 3 console makers, I have to say that Sony have been by far the most helpful because neither Microsoft or Nintendo have gotten back to me when i've asked questions. As I said before, not every question I ask gets a response, but Sony have been great in providing answers. Some times I ask questions that they don't have answers for or can't provide a answer for, for example i've asked many questions about the Motion Controller but as its still in development, Sony can't answer my questions.
Out Of The Big Publishers/Developers, i'd say that EA, Majesco, And THQ have been very helpful. Unfortunately companies like Capcom won't work with small sites, and others like Codemasters use a press site i've not been granted access to.
Press releases can be very frustrating. Rarely provided, when a new game is announced for example, is a screenshot or the games logo. I always try to have a picture of the game/company mentioned in the news, but some companies make that difficult. Other issues are that most press releases are full of filler. Sometimes the news is only 1 paragraph, yet the press release will have an additional 4+ paragraphs of filler/fluff. Some of the better Press Releases come from smaller companies, they tend to me more to the point, come with a screenshots/video/game logo, which all together makes my job easier and makes it easier to get the news across.
I have tired to get review copies of games before but as i'm a small new site, i've always been denied. There has been the rare couple of times when a PR contact has said they will send me review code, but they have never come through with it. My main issue is time. I would like to do some reviews, but some days I spend soo many hours working that I don't get a chance to play games whether they are review or for fun.
What A Year Its Been – The Evolution Of The Site
When I started QTE Gamers, I had no idea that I would be where I am now. As i've mentioned before in other posts today, I had no experience in reporting videogame news and no experience in dealing with PR, so I really didn't know what to expect. Looking back on the year its fun to see how things have changed.
One of the main changed is what happened to the QTE Gamers Blog. In the beginning it was never to be used to report news. The main idea was to use it to discuss my experience in the videogame industry. What eventually happened was I found that I was being given screenshots, artwork, videos, and various press releases. I had only expected to be given press releases, not the rest, and I soon came to the conclusion that I could do something with them. After hunting round the net and experimenting with ways of displaying the additional material, I decided that I should adapt the blog for news.
As the blog was never really designed to be used for news, it is a bit clear that it's not the best designed blog for reporting on screenshots and stuff. But that doesn't mean I haven't made changes to the site. One of the biggest changes was making it so I could have a Read More/Comment section. Before, when I had press releases, they would go below the article I had just written, but they would take up a lot of space on the front page of the site. Some people had made comments and suggested that I should look into it. I, myself, had thought about doing something to make this situation better. After a long hunt and trying a few things, I ended up with the solution I have now. Now the front page of the site is focused on the news, with press releases/fact sheets accessible by clicking on the Read More/Comment.
Other changes to the site have come mostly from me. I've tried to always make the news accessible. The QTE Quick Links came about as I wanted it to become easier to search for news stories for a specific console. I was personally having issues with using the search box that Blogger supplies, so set about looking at ways I could make changes to the blog to make searching easier. The tags under each post are useful, but the Blogger search doesn't search for them specifically. The quick links search specifically for the tags and have become a welcome addition, not only for me but the readers.
There have been small changes over the year, like widening columns and changing colours, which I have done to make the site more presentable. There have been some changes suggested by readers. On the big ones was for iPhone users. As the phone doesn't have flash, people were unable to view the screenshots. So I simply added a link to the album and now iPhone users can click the link and view all the screenshots in that particular album.
There is a lot more I want to do to the site. Unfortunately, I have no training in HTML which means I have to look up solutions on the internet that other people have come up with and use trial and error to make any change to the site. This does mean that some things I have tried haven't become a part of the site because I couldn't get them to work right. It is annoying as I have many ideas that i'm just not able to bring to the site.
Who knows how the site will evolve. I'm open to suggestions from the readers and i'm always on the lookout for ways to make the site better
One of the main changed is what happened to the QTE Gamers Blog. In the beginning it was never to be used to report news. The main idea was to use it to discuss my experience in the videogame industry. What eventually happened was I found that I was being given screenshots, artwork, videos, and various press releases. I had only expected to be given press releases, not the rest, and I soon came to the conclusion that I could do something with them. After hunting round the net and experimenting with ways of displaying the additional material, I decided that I should adapt the blog for news.
As the blog was never really designed to be used for news, it is a bit clear that it's not the best designed blog for reporting on screenshots and stuff. But that doesn't mean I haven't made changes to the site. One of the biggest changes was making it so I could have a Read More/Comment section. Before, when I had press releases, they would go below the article I had just written, but they would take up a lot of space on the front page of the site. Some people had made comments and suggested that I should look into it. I, myself, had thought about doing something to make this situation better. After a long hunt and trying a few things, I ended up with the solution I have now. Now the front page of the site is focused on the news, with press releases/fact sheets accessible by clicking on the Read More/Comment.
Other changes to the site have come mostly from me. I've tried to always make the news accessible. The QTE Quick Links came about as I wanted it to become easier to search for news stories for a specific console. I was personally having issues with using the search box that Blogger supplies, so set about looking at ways I could make changes to the blog to make searching easier. The tags under each post are useful, but the Blogger search doesn't search for them specifically. The quick links search specifically for the tags and have become a welcome addition, not only for me but the readers.
There have been small changes over the year, like widening columns and changing colours, which I have done to make the site more presentable. There have been some changes suggested by readers. On the big ones was for iPhone users. As the phone doesn't have flash, people were unable to view the screenshots. So I simply added a link to the album and now iPhone users can click the link and view all the screenshots in that particular album.
There is a lot more I want to do to the site. Unfortunately, I have no training in HTML which means I have to look up solutions on the internet that other people have come up with and use trial and error to make any change to the site. This does mean that some things I have tried haven't become a part of the site because I couldn't get them to work right. It is annoying as I have many ideas that i'm just not able to bring to the site.
Who knows how the site will evolve. I'm open to suggestions from the readers and i'm always on the lookout for ways to make the site better
Why I Decided To Create QTE Gamers
As a fan of videogames, I regularly checked the web for all the news I could find. But, I was beginning to get annoyed with sites who focused more on jokes than the stories. It was becoming common to find a short news story being filled with jokes and opinions, making it hard to get to the story. It got to a point where I was reading stories and not knowing what game they were referring to. There were also stories where the jokes and comments were very American centred and I just didn't understand it, being a Brit an all.
I had been exposed to twitter in late 2008 and could see its potential and how big it could become. At the start of 2009 I was laid off from WoolWorths when the company went under. I decided that I should do something to keep me busy whilst I look job. I decided to use this new Twitter thing for reporting videogame news.
To report on Videogames news, to become different from the rest of the site, I knew I had to come up with something new so I decided to focus on Twitter. Also, after becoming frustrated with other news sites, I decided that I should focus on brining just the news, keep the jokes out of it. And that's how QTE Gamers was born, it all started with the desire to keep myself busy whilst I was unemployed, and the want to bring news back to being reported as news and not personal comment/joke.
I had been exposed to twitter in late 2008 and could see its potential and how big it could become. At the start of 2009 I was laid off from WoolWorths when the company went under. I decided that I should do something to keep me busy whilst I look job. I decided to use this new Twitter thing for reporting videogame news.
To report on Videogames news, to become different from the rest of the site, I knew I had to come up with something new so I decided to focus on Twitter. Also, after becoming frustrated with other news sites, I decided that I should focus on brining just the news, keep the jokes out of it. And that's how QTE Gamers was born, it all started with the desire to keep myself busy whilst I was unemployed, and the want to bring news back to being reported as news and not personal comment/joke.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)