"When the Dark Lord of the Sith offers you five, you take it!" Ken Levine.

  In recent weeks I've been noticing the steady decline of ye olde Gamespot.  I've noticed with their revamp, it's made their site harder to load and made some their features a little harder to navigate.  I cancelled my subscription when they fired Jeff Gerstmann so I'm not exactly complaining, just observing.  But I will say one thing, they know what to video and what not to.  This Ken Levine Keynote at PAX was the highlight of the show.

   If your not a member of the site at all, you might have to join or at the very least sit through some advertising to see the keynote but it is worth it.  Also I didn't want to embed it here; because while I love the content, I don't much care for the content provider. So follow the blue linky and enjoy.

    As far as Gamespot; well if they completely ever fall apart it will be both a sad time and a just end to all they have wrought.  It will just be too bad for all the people who still like Gamespot or feel loyalty to them.   So that's my post.  But don't worry a review of Too Human should be coming soon.  So keep an eye out.

Technorati Tags: Gamespot,Ken Levine,Bioshock,PC,XBOX360,PS3,PAX,Pennyarcade

Star Wars Force Unleashed Demo: Wow I allmost don't miss multiplayer.

 

   When this game was originally announced there was going to be online multiplayer lightsaber and force dueling.  This game was going to be just like the Wii version except with online rather than just offline.

   The game has taken a LONG TIME to get here and still needs all most one more month.  For what I don't know, considering when doing an Interview with X-PLAY the lead guy on the project said that the game is done.

   But this is all a digression because this demo blew me away.  You are allowed to use Force Lightning, Force push, Force grip, and probably some other stuff I didn't get to play with.  This is going to be the BEST STAR WARS game EVER!  I think it has handily blown away KOTOR and KOTOR 2 as the undisputed king of the franchise.

   The demo allows the player to run through most of the first level of the game after you actually become the Apprentice.  The controls are great and with the exception of a few instances where you run out of Force Juice(which you have to wait a second or two to recharge), you feel like a god.  The only thing I couldn't do that I wanted to was snatching a TIE FIGHTER out of the sky and crashing it.

   I can't wait to play the final version on September 16th.  I only wish the game was coming sooner.  I'm just hoping there is some replayability here.

Technorati tags: starwars, starwarsforcedunleashed, lucasarts, xbox360, sony, PS3, playstation3, microsoft, Wii

Here's YOUR FREAKING DEMO, now shut UP! TOO Human's demo and related stuff.

   I didn't go to E3 this year.  Which I am not alone in, neither did lots of big companies.  But I did stay home and work and download stuff from XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE.  Including to my absolute delight the TOO HUMAN demo.  Now if you have not done this yet; stop reading this and go start downloading.  It's a 1.09 GB download so unless you have a 3 MB connection or better like I do, then it's going to take you a while.  So just go do that now....

    Done?  Good...  Now, I was pleased to also see a couple of wonderful little videos about TOO HUMAN as well.  Which took significantly less time to download.  So I watched these before the demo was done downloading.  So they certainly occupied my time and I was interested in them, even if it felt slightly academic.

     Come to find out however, that these videos were actually training films for the demo.  The films were about the Champion class and about leveling skills.  So when presented with these in the demo, I was well aware of what to do, and what to expect.  How fortuitous...

    So what was the demo like?  Was it a mind blowing experience?  Did this change the way I thought about games?  Well, sort of....

    The cool thing about Too Human is that it is really framed like a movie.  With a real story arc and a nice way of telling that story.  It felt very much like an action movie.  Maybe, Aliens or Starship Troopers.

     But more than that.  The combat was interesting and fun.  I really got the impression that I could bang on those guys all day and night and never get bored of it.

   Also there was gear in the demo.  Lots of gear.  Some I could use right away, some I had to wait to level 6 to play.  Level 6 is the built in level cap for the demo.

    But all of this really wouldn't have made me psyched about the game.  Considering the Champion Class was the only one you could play in the demo, or so I thought.  Just want to say that although the Champion Class is fun, it is by no means the best class in the game.

    I happened to head over to the Too Human website.   There was a little cheat that allowed the player to play ANY of the 5 classes available in the final game.  Apparently you just have to unplug your ethernet cable, turn off your XBOX 360, then turn it back on and change to the date to one that is in 2009.  Then the rest of the classes will be unlocked until you plug the cable back in again.

    Awesome right?  Well, it is.  Playing as the Defender or the Berserker completely changes the way you play the game and certainly teaches you about combat in ways that the Champion cannot.

  I've played through the demo around 6 times now.  It is very fun just to play through for the different experiences and the sheer joy of combat.

   Too Human will definitely be a must play game this year.  I think it may even be the Bioshock for this year.

   But why was my title so dreary?  Well, it's because Microsoft doesn't seem too interested in Too Human.  Not when they have their XBOX LIVE EXPERIENCE AND GEARS OF WAR 2!  Well, that's all fine and dandy, I'm sure Gears of War 2 will sell lots of games.  In NOVEMBER!  And the XBOX LIVE EXPERIENCE doesn't come out til LATE FALL?  Whatever that means,  is that code of December or November?

   Too Human comes out August 19th!  Less than a MONTH FROM THIS WEEK!  This game should have been the headliner!  It looks AWESOME, it has some incredible cut scenes and it plays amazingly.

   Where are all the developer interviews, the behind the scenes footage, and the viral ad campaign?  I know what your saying.... Wasn't that all about 2 months ago?  Exactly, they had all this crazy stuff come out before anyone could even get their hands on it.  It is like Microsoft said to the fans:

   "Here is your FREAKING DEMO, now SHUT UP!"

   As Microsoft, circles deeper and deeper into the incredibly crappy world of casual games it is good to see that there are still some descent hardcore titles coming out.  Even if at the core they just want to be fat and happy like Nintendo.

    Back to TOO HUMAN though; I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when Microsoft ignores this title, given the four star treatment they gave Bioshock.  I think all told Bioshock had two or three trailers and a demo before it launched and everyone gave it GAME OF THE YEAR that year.  Perhaps it's just Microsoft's commitment to their own particular product that keeps them from.... Wait, Microsoft it producing Too Human... Oh well... Who knows why they are ignoring it.

   This game is an incredible time sink and people will be playing this game when Gears of War 3 comes out.  Silicon Knights has all ready promised LOTS of DLC.  Which even taken with a grain of salt translates into at least a few more things coming out.  An arena style fighting mode where you have to survive wave after wave of steadily harder enemies would be nice.  Just a suggestion, no charge...

   Finally I have one question for Microsoft, who in BLOODY HELL likes Kung Fu Panda SO FREAKING MUCH?  I have never seen so much content come out for a kids game SEQUEL in my life.  The Furious Five is so far the best promoted game of E3.  What is up with that????

Technorati tags: TOOHUMAN, microsoft, XBOX360, siliconKnights, gearsofwar2, kungfupanda, xboxliveexperience, xboxlive, xbox

Sony's Online Rental and Purchase service. Wow was this a MISTAKE!

   Upon hearing that Sony had decided to make an online service available allowing people to download movies and television shows for both purchase and rental and then those movies could be shared on your PSP as well.  I was thrilled.

    Well, I was unfortunately unable to view this service when it was SUPPOSED to be launched last night.  Rather I booted it up today to take a look.

    Upon my first entrance into the service I was hit with one of the most poorly planned interfaces I've ever seen.  I'm sorry XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE for all the bad things I've EVER said about your organization.

   I entered New Releases thinking that since this service hasn't even been active for 24 hours that I would get all the available movies.  However this was not the case, it was simply a random grouping of movies based, I guess, on when they were posted to the site.

    I then entered the view all movies area.  Which simply gave me a bunch of letters and a couple of numbers.  I supposed this is better than showing all the movies available but then they should have a heading saying, Movies by Alpha Order or something.  Not View ALL MOVIES.

    OK, now let's get into the inexcusable part of this service.  The rental part is pretty standard except that some movies that are made by Sony and available in BLU-RAY are not available in HD like: Resident Evil 1, 2, or 3; for instance.  They are $2.99 for Standard Definition and $5.99 for High Definition.  Now this would be fine except that the movies to purchase are $9.99-$14.99 for STANDARD DEFINITION ONLY!

    So you can buy a BLU RAY FOR $30 or a DVD for $6-15.  But they want you to get a digital version with no box or media for $10-16?  Excuse me?

    Why?  These downloads come with nothing!  No director commentary, no deleted scenes, nothing.  And I'm sorry but I don't own a PSP so I can't avail myself of the sharing service.  Nor would I want to.  Watching a movie on that little screen is pointless.

     There is absolutely no point to have this service except for the rentals.  Which with Netflix having Blu-Ray and if you have PS3 you have a BLU-Ray player; it's pointless to not spend the same amount as 2 movie rentals on the PSN service and get a month of rentals from Netflix.

    Sony should have allowed people to download the HD versions of their movies for between $15-$20 and made a fortune.  Rather than STILL TRYING TO PUSH BLU-RAY and making no money at all.

  Oh and by the way Sony, Microsoft has been showing SD and HD movies on their Rental service for about  a year now, so keep trying to upgrade and maybe one day you'll at least reach the same level as Microsoft.  Oh but wait, you can watch Netflix instant downloads for free this fall as long as you have a Netflix account.  Oh, well I guess Sony has some MORE catching up to do.  It must be hard to be Sony.  The PS2 era seems SO LONG ago, doesn't it....

Technorati tags: Sony, microsoft, PS3, PS2, playstation, PSN, videogames, movies, rentals, DVD, BLURAY, HD, SD, downloads

The Death of the Hardcore?

    According to IGN we are all just kidding ourselves when we call ourselves Hardcore Gamers.  I'm not sure exactly what IGN thinks a hardcore gamer is; but apparently they no longer exist.

    I know lots of people who have all ready finished both Metal Gear Solid 4 and  Ninja Gaiden 2 and they don't work in the press.  I think that's pretty hardcore.  I know a bunch of folks that have taken their characters in World of Warcraft from 0-70 in about 2 weeks; that's pretty hardcore as well.

   I've been playing World of Warcraft, Grid, Ninja Gaiden 2, and just starting Metal Gear Solid 4.  So much that I haven't had time to write this blog or my World of Warcraft blog.  I think that's pretty hardcore.

    The fact that Gametrailers, X-PLAY, Gamepot, IGN, and 1UP seem obsessed with

the Wii and Nintendo DS are not signs that the Hardcore Gamer is dead just that they are no longer being represented by the Gaming Press as a whole.

     The fact that people play PC games and make mods for years and years after a game comes out is another sign of the Hardcore being alive and well.  But there is only one PC gaming magazine on the market now to represent those people.

     Rather it is  Gaming Journalism in the mainstream that has decided to pull up their plots and go home.  It seems that there can be 25 magazines about which dog, house, car, or kind of clothes to buy but when it comes to gaming magazine there are FAR TOO MANY.  Even though gaming as a whole far outsells even the movie industry as far as yearly revenue.

     So IGN should look to yourselves for the death of the Hardcore Gamer not the world of gaming.  Because there are plenty of Hardcore gamers out there and most the folks playing World of Warcraft that have multiple level 70 characters should be all the evidence anyone needs of that.

Technorati tags: gaming, gamers, PC, pcgaming, XBOX360, PS3, blogs, gamingpress, Sony, Microsoft, NintendoDS, Nintendo, hardcoregamer, hardcoregaming

Playing to Win in the video game industry but failing miserably.

      The journalist of the mainstream seems sincerely convinced that people in general want to learn about the video game industry of between 1-30 years ago.  The latest edition of the this is the CNBC show, "Playing to win in the video game industry."

     With an opening that makes everyone interested.  An economic breakdown of what is currently going on in the industry.  They then quickly move into the FULL history of Electronic Arts.  Which is about as interesting as it was when it was on Techtv about 7 years ago.  This is not to say it's interesting, it's more to say it's the same freaking thing.

     This show, much like all the others in recent history is so caught in the past that it is pointless to show to a modern audience.

    The video game industry that has taken blogs and on demand video websites as  home.  Imagining that something like a TV show that is based around things that happened 10 years ago could be even the slightest bit popular or interesting.

     People who make these shows like: Game On, Rise of Videogames, etc...  Are pandering to the lowest common denominator like tabloid TV, while pretending to be providing information to the general public.  The fact that these shows appear on News or documentary type cable/satellite networks makes it even worse.

    As someone who has become more interested in the PC end of video games can attest.  Most people who play video games are adults who are in technical fields or professional fields these people use video games as a stress releasing outlet or a social activity. 

   Perhaps that's why there is so much money in it.  The other people who play, kids.  Generally do so, because if they weren't they would be watching television and movies which wouldn't be any better than video games.  No matter what anyone says.

    Anyone who doesn't understand this by now is either stupid or isn't paying attention.  I don't think either should be listened to.

   So don't bother listening to people who haven't been in or done anything with video games in ten years.  Or journalists that simply want to be sensationalist and try not to add in too much real information.  After all, what fun would that be.

Technorati tags: console, xbox360, ps3, ps2, Sony, Microsoft, news, media, nintendo, journalism

Killzone 2 from Sony Gamers Day

Rise of the Argonauts HD interview

Interview for Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise.

Zero Punctuation Reviews GTA IV!

The Creative Abyss

Considering how much I've been around the digital water cooler these days I'm kind of the equivalent of the guy who shows up and says,

"What's Lost?"

Well maybe not, that bad. You get the idea, though. Who knew that working on a whole new blog and trying to keep up on games would be so much work.

Taking my red eyes and looking over some of the recent occurrences in up coming games and some that have been announced aren't looking too good. Something that could be all most as bad as the glut of movie adaptations we get every year.

The retro revival trend. I'm not talking about Pac-Man Championship edition here(don't say anything bad about that game, YOU!). No, instead what I'm referring to are the growing number of modernized ancient licensed IPs that no one in their right mind could still care about and most modern gamers have never even heard of.

I'm somewhat into this sort of thing on XBOX LIVE ARCADE. Although I would really prefer to see original IPs on the platform rather than some big company's rehash of an old game. But at least that is an appropriate enviornment for such games. Rather than the AAA game arena that so many of these games are aspiring to in the recent announcements by some companies. Games like:

Alone in the Dark

Splatterhouse

Street Fighter IV

Bionic Commando

Sonic Unleashed

Street Fighter IV probably isn't a fair addition to this list considering it never really left the public conscience. Much like Pac-Man... Sonic however, has had SO MANY rehashes that this series is SO DEAD that someone should be digging it a very deep grave as we speak.

The other games are really not the spiritual successors of their former counterparts as much as concepts perhaps originally created in those games but when recreated they bare little no resemblance to their name sakes. Why not make up new games with new IPs using similar mechanics.

Some of this is the inability for the gaming industry as the film industry to take risks. It is better from a business stand point to use something familiar to people than it is to make something totally new. It's also easier to rehash comic book characters in a movie than it is to create a whole new world with new characters. So while this is just another illustration of the point. It seems like the industry has sequelidous even after the vast success of Bioshock.

Perhaps it takes a visionary like Ken Levine (Bioshock) or Denis Dyack(Too Human) to create a totally new IP. While there are certainly more examples of new and different in the game industry than in the movie industry. As the budgets grow closer together the worse this situation becomes. So remember when you buy the next episode of Grand Theft Auto or that copy of 50 cent bulletproof. that you aren't just helping those companies to continue doing business but also contributing to the total lack of creativity of the industry. Now, how about we all play some Okami or Bioshock and think about all this some more?

Technorati tags: movies, videogames, adapatations, bioniccommando, marvel, DC, Too Human, Bioshock, KenLevine, XBOXLIVE, XBOXLIVEARCADE, XBOX360

Come visit our new sister site PATH OF ARTHAS

Follow this link. Here you will find everything World of Warcraft you could possibly desire. Head over and make it your source for all your World of Warcraft news, tips, guides, etc...

Brett the Cover man for Madden

According to XBOX 360 Fanboy

"Confirming an earlier report that appeared on GameDaily, Brett Favre announced he would be honored as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 09; the 20th Anniversary of the series.

The announcement was made during an interview by Late Show host David Letterman. While news may come as a surprise considering Favre recently retired from the sport, his accomplishments alone warrant the appointment.

In his career Brett Favre was awarded one Super Bowl championship, 3 AP NFL MVP awards, was a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection 9 and 7 times respectively and holds over 7 NFL records, including most career passing yards (61,655 all-time yards).

Finally, a cover athlete that can end that silly Madden curse. Unless Favre falls off his fishing boat this summer or something.

Madden NFL 09 is set to release on August 12"

This comes as little surprise considering the amount of press that Favre has all ready received this year.

WoW is Coming......

 

WOW is Coming.

    Check back

       for More....

                 Soon..

Technorati tags: worldofwarcraft, blizzard, pc, pcgaming, blog, journalism, warcraft, wow, mmorpg

Star Wars Unleashed Console Differences Video

I HEART Jeff Gerstman 4

I HEART Jeff Gerstman 3

I HEART Jeff Gerstman 2

I HEART Jeff Gerstman

Nintendo Disconnected?

 

MTV's Multiplayer blog has a great article about Wii 24 Connect.  Hit the link  for the full article.  It basically asks the question, "Nintendo has built the 24 Connect service but they aren't using it, are they?"

Currently it doesn't do anything.  When my Wii was connected using Wifi it would NEVER work; at least since the 3rd or 4th patch after launch.  It would just notify me that there was an update available but it never actually updated the Wii.

Now, when the service is connected through a LAN connection it still only notifies me via mail and doesn't actually update the system.  I certainly know the precise moment I get an in service mail.  But there is no service going on here.

This service was a groundbreaking step forward for online services in general.  But it's too bad that it doesn't ACTUALLY do anything but notify you of in game messages.  Which I think cellphones do now, don't they?

But never fear, supposedly there is a Everybody's Nintendo Channel that will be in the US sometime in the future that will ACTUALLY use the service.  I guess 2+ years after the box launches is a short enough time to make good on launch promises.  After all, Microsoft and Sony still have delivered on most of theirs.

Technorati tags: nintendo, internet, videogames, microsoft, sony, Wii, wifi

The Wii the Death Knell of high profile console gaming!

    Kris Graft recently wrote the article, "Wii the Death Knell of Bleeding Edge Console?" For Next Generation recently.  This certainly bears some further discussion considering some of the points brought up in the article were interesting but still strangely off the mark.  For instance, the assumption that Nintendo will even last out the 4 years of this generation's console cycle.  If they don't then are they going to be losing money on the next iteration of the Wii.  Most analysts believe that the Wii was only the test platform for the new control scheme and that the Wii 2 or whatever it will be called will be the actual front tier console for Nintendo.

This console will have a more fleshed out online service, HD, and perhaps even the capability to play DVDs.  This console will be slightly more expensive but it will also probably come out just as Microsoft and Sony are doing their final or near final price cuts.

More importantly, the question of price is all ways being thrown about.  Everything from console prices themselves to the profit/loss margin for the companies that make the consoles.  This is certainly an important aspect of the discussion but at this early date it doesn't really matter considering the whole razor/blades scheme that was explained in the Next Generation article has barely begun.

When the consoles were first made back in 2001 there was probably a similar apparent problem with the technology.  But it would be eventually resolved so that the companies had no problem coming out with the current consoles under the same scheme.  To praise Nintendo for basically recycling their old failed Gamecubes into a system with a new control scheme that sells wonderfully may be a good business strategy but it certainly is a blow to the industry's progress as a whole.

Most developers were unaware of the exclusive concentration of Nintendo on the causal and kids markets.  And were ready to port over their titles only to find that the Wii's hardware couldn't handle it and the control scheme hard to horse shoe into all ready existing titles.

Every time a journalist interviews a developer about their new PS3 game they ask them what the Sixxaxis controls will be or will they be included at all.  Most times this is simply a gimmick and rarely even functions as planned.  Unfortunately with most Wii games the same applies.  The game maybe able to be controlled with the Wiimote but it is usually unnecessary.  The hype of Wiisports, Raving Rabbits, and a small number of other titles might be moving consoles but once the owners get them, they quickly find that very few titles actually USE the motion sensitivity in the Wiimote to any real purpose.

The deep impact on the industry fiscally certainly shows that Nintendo is a master of hype but considering Nintendo's own games are really the only worthwhile titles on the console certainly speaks volumes for their commitment to the industry as a whole.

Since the industry seems to still be on track to make multimillion dollar games and the consequences be damned my guess would be that this trend would continue and the console makers simply focus on more cost effective solutions to old problems like:

     Solid state consoles with no disc drive of any kind and solid state memory.

    Digital distribution of movies, trailers, content, and games for direct sales which cut out the expensive middle men. (product packaging, game stores, shipping, printing)

    More shorter games with episodic content taking the place of long expensive projects.

    Indie games that are made by hobbyists that will fill the void between game projects allowing developers to take more time with fewer projects.

     All of these items will help to make games cheaper to make and allow console makers to get more bang for their buck.  Extending console cycles.  This too maybe an effect.  Rather than a 4 year cycle it will be more like an 8 year cycle.  Not the pie in the sky 8 year cycle that Sony is trying to sell with the PS2 or PS3.  But an actually supported cycle that lasts the full 8 years.

  Some of the above certainly begins to suppose some things that might not be known yet and certainly maybe assuming some things not yet known.  But the whole argument of this kind is based on such things; at least one or two years into a products minimum 4 year life cycle it is anyway.

Technorati tags: videogames, consolewars, consolegaming, videogame, sony, microsoft, nintendo, Wii, xbox360, PS3

Zero Punctuation Reviews Call of Duty 4

Technorati tags: callofduty4, cod, xbox360, microsoft, sony, PS3, videogames, pc

Zero Punctuation Reviews Crysis

Technorati tags: crysis, crytech, videogames, videogame, pcgaming, pc, shooter, fps

Zero Punctuation Reviews Tabula Rasa

Technorati tags: Tabularasa, pcgaming, pc, escapist, zeropunctuation

Persona 4 trailers and some commentary

   In these days of sequels and AAA productions that fall flat when they are trying desperately to innovate; very little gets me excited right from jump street.  Jessica Alba, Battlestar Galactica, and Persona are a few of these things.  Since Jessica and folks at Battlestar aren't making any new games (at least not that have been announced). This is about Persona.  Persona 4 in fact.

    Persona 3 had to be one of the greatest games ever made and certainly the best RPG of last year.  With the new edition Persona 3 FES coming shortly, the all ready awesome game will only get better.  But Persona 4 will be set in a totally new environment with all new characters.

  Unfortunately the game doesn't appear to be moving forward at a very good clip.  The game is due out next year, when the PS2 will probably be completely irrelevant, even if it isn't all ready.  The game is coming out for the PS2 and will feature just about the same graphics as the Persona 3.  With the possible exception of a few better textures in the non combat area of the game.

    Also unfortunately the wonderful system of shooting yourself to initiate your Persona will also vanish in favor of yet unconfirmed way.  The rumor is that it will involve tapping on the ground or something else more socially acceptable.  This seems to be kind of a step back.

What we know so far is:

"In keeping with the general weirdness the series is known for, this installment is framed around a mystery/suspense premise that features a party of teenagers who must solve a series of murders taking place in the Japanese countryside. The game will feature a new weather forecasting system in which evil fog randomly rolls in over the land leading to NPC deaths. Also planned for inclusion is the requisite snappy combat and obsessive-compulsive Persona collecting gameplay."1up

I certainly cannot wait for this title to make it's way to the States.  But I REALLY did hope that this Persona would be on the PS3 with updated graphics.  But considering the genius of Persona 3.  If it cannot be done with equal genius on the PS3 I guess they made the right decision.  Here's hoping Persona 5, if there is one; will be on the PS3.

Technorati tags: Persona3, Persona, Atlus, PS3. PS2, Sony.videogame, videogames

Escapist Magazine's Zero Punctuation Reveiws Zack and Wiki

Battlefield Bad Company Video and some info.

 

    This game looks to be a premiere title.  I was pretty surprised at the raw playability of this game.  I hope everyone out there was able to secure a beta spot in the XBOX LIVE version of the multiplayer.  If you didn't don't worry you will certainly enjoy the title when it comes out.

    Electronic Arts is charging for unlockable guns and such in the game, but these aren't uber powerful weapons or kit.  If the players choose not to pay for the unlocks it certainly won't effect their ability to compete online.  The normal unlocks are done by ranking and achievements in the game.  Which is like Call of Duty 4.  But it is much easier to get stuff in this title.  I would say that with addition of a few more scopes and such you could have a better game than Call of Duty 4 in the making.

I would like to see a standard Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch mode included as the current objective mode is great but it can get old after a while. Just like the Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes can.  Really have as many modes as possible is the best solution which currently Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 accomplish handily.

All in all however, blowing up the side of a building to kill one guy hiding inside is probably one of the most satisfying experiences in any shooter out there right now.

Technorati tags: Battlefield, Badcompany, XBOX360, microsoft, XBOXLIVE, EA, electronicarts, war, shooter, videogame, FPS

RE 5 feature from Gamevideos and Capcom

News Escaping from the Darkness: Penny Arcade Game News!

"Hothead Games today punched its rambling epic, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One (phew!), with a $19.95 price tag. That's just over 30 cents a letter (colons not included), assuming cost is derived, as it is for all episodic games, by the title's length. Currently, that price applies to all versions of the game, which include PC, Mac, Linux and Xbox Live Arcade editions. 1600 Microsoft Points ($20) would be new territory for digital distribution on Xbox 360, but clearly, Hothead and its two stars have made it a point to be living on the edge."Joystiq...

But the most important question wasn't answered.  WHEN IS THIS GAME COMING OUT?  Also, I really love the look and philosophy of this game but if every episode is $20 this game could end up being a pretty hefty investment.  Forget Elder Scrolls microtransaction woes, at $20 a pop this game could easily hit $100 in no time.

Technorati tags: XBLA, xbox360, microsoft, xboxlive, pennyarcade, PAX, Hothead, videogames

World of Warcraft Sunwell Trailer

Where I have been and What I've seen....

      Seems like a long time since I last posted here.  Sorry folks, but as you can see there is plenty of crazy videos up for you to scan.  Some new and very cool, some just a taste of stuff that's coming out.

     But I'm back and concerned.  Because over my extended vacation(working/school/playing games).  I've discovered something a little disturbing.  There has been a shift in technology where it concerns some new releases that folks who aren't multi-console owners might not have noticed.

     The Club and Devil May Cry 4 play better on PS3.  I don't mean just a little better or have some kind of cosmetic improvement.  No, they ACTUALLY work better.  I can't play the Club on the XBOX 360 and my combos are all most impossible to achieve on the 360.  Why is this?  Well, according to Capcom, Devil May Cry 4 was developed first for the PS3.  But the CLUB?  Nothing has been mentioned about this being ported to the XBOX 360.  The problem with both is the XBOX 360 controller.  It's not that it's uncomfortable.  What is wrong is the fact that the buttons have been mapped in such a way that makes the game virtually unplayable.

    If this continues to be the trend and the horrible and continuing issues with XBOX LIVE.  Ps3 might actually hit it's projections for this year.  Although any launch units of the XBOX 360 are probably going to end their lives this year (sometime) mine is having some strange booting issue that has nothing to do with red rings of death.  So I will probably bite the bullet and pick up an Arcade unit for $280 at least it will have an HDMI port.  If there are other people like me out there, it's possible 360 could have another banner year.

 

      This is the screen I've been seeing alot lately.  Yes, perhaps this is the reason this blog isn't being updated more often.  If anyone would like to pay me to do this, I can promise it will be updated 7 days a week.  Anyway,

      World of Warcraft is probably getting their next expansion Wrath of the Lich King this year.  Many fans hope this is the case.  But I'm starting to wonder.  I truly believe that Starcraft 2 will hit around the holidays and Wrath of the Lich King will hit in January.  I don't think Blizzard wants the two products in the pipe at the same time.

   The total popularity of each franchise could certainly compensate for any potential problems with sales I suppose.  But honestly I don't think that Blizzard will take that chance in these days of abysmal PC game sales.  Just ask the guys at Crytek and Epic about how PC games are selling.

  Besides this, only people who have a Level 68-70 character will be able to take advantage of the expansion.  Which as far as I can see will leave at least half of the World of Warcraft population out.  Myself included.  So I guess sales could be affected on that front as well.  Although I will be buying a collectors edition of both games.  Just cause I'm a BIG Blizzard fan.  But this whole discussion is mote because with the Vivendi/Activision merger there is no shortage of cash to support a longer development cycle or marketing plan.

    Also, some crazy stuff has happened like the cancellation of the Marvel MMORPG which everyone was really looking forward to.  But Cryptic and Microsoft couldn't play nice which is nothing new.  Microsoft needs to put their house in order before they lose their lead over Sony.  Age of Conan should be out soon for the PC and as well as Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.  According to analysts in order to compete on World of Warcraft's level the competing company would have to invest 1 Billion dollars into it.   Which I don't think Funcom or any other developer or publisher is going to do.

   However, all is not lost.  The next frontier of MMORPGs seem to be on the consoles.  From the little I've seen of the Agency it looks top notch and heck Age of Conan could be fun on the console once they get all the kinks ironed out on the PC.  Also, I don't have a PC capable of running Age of Conan, Warhammer, or just about anything other than World of Warcraft and some RTSs.  So until I get a new PC, I won't be picking those titles up either.  Anybody wanna send me $1,000 for a new PC?  Aww come on, I'll be your best friend.

   I know I've all ready gone on too long.  So I will cut this off.  But just let me say, this is the year of XBOX LIVE ARCADE.  Just don't SCREW IT UP MICROSOFT, and make me a liar.

Technorati tags: microsoft, pc, pcgaming, ps3, sony, videogames, xbox360, xboxlive, XBLA

Starcraft 2 Battle Chaos

Starcraft 2: Zerg Intro

Stracraft 2 gameplay

Zero Punctuation does Halo 3 Review

Zero Punctation on Hades Times, it's true! Uncharted Drakes Fortune Review

Phil Harrison leaves Sony on Feb. 29

No good can come from this:

"Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. today announced that Phil Harrison, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios will be resigning from his post Feb. 29. President and SCEI group CEO Kazuo Hirai will be taking over Harrison’s duties at that time. Neither Harrison nor the company are commenting on the reason for his departure. The timing is seemingly strange, however, with the PlayStation 3 enjoying a renewed popularity in recent months." Gameinformer online...

Phil Harrison was a visionary at Sony and his loss will certainly effect the future of the company and the viability of the PS3 as a whole. It makes me wonder what the circumstances of his departure are.

Dead Space on Halloween

GDC Castle Crashers Walkthrough

PERSONA FES Trailer!

Age of Conan: Mounts part 3 GDC

Age of Conan: Mounts part 2 GDC

Age of Conan: Mounts Demo part 1 from GDC

Ninja Gaiden 2 Temple of Sacrifice Trailer from GDC

Little Gamers: First Impressions

   This is also a limited demo from the wonderful XNA Club game Launcher.  It is very fun.  The game reminds me of games like Metal Slug and Alien Hominid.    But the cute art work and the funny comments only add to playability.  Combine with that, the hysterically accurate weapon sound effects.  The game is awesome and I can't wait to play the full version.

   XNA games appear to FAR better than anything currently on XBOX LIVE ARCADE.  I'm starting to think that I will be spending the majority of my XBOX 360 time in the community games area when it opens.

Technorati tags: xna, xboxlive, xboxlivemarketplace, xbox360, microsoft, videogames, videogame, littlegamers

Dishwasher: Most Awesome Game on XBOX 360 Impressions!

     Having just played this game on XBOX 360 in it's limited demo form, I have to say that I am more excited about playing this than Gears of War 2.  The game has a hysterical storyline where you are a dishwasher who has been killed and you come back as a zombie samurai.

      The game's controls are awesome.  The graphics are cool and modern.  I think it's easily the greatest 2D action game out there.  The difficulty isn't insane but it keeps you moving and mashing.

      I cannot wait to play the FULL version of the game.  If you haven't all ready go over and download XNA game launcher so you can download this awesome demo.

Technorati tags: xna, xbox360, microsoft, videogames, dishwasher, zombie, xboxliveMARKETPLACE, xboxlive

Gears of War 2 Debut Trailer

Frag Dolls Guiness BK from Gametrailers!

American McGee's Grimm Debut Trailer

Deadly Creatures: A new Wii game? Play as a scorpion?

What does 10 Million Subscribers means in the MMORPG game...

    As you can see the difference between World of Warcraft and it's nearest competitor Lineage is all most too much to even call them competitors.  This is the market that the new MMORPGs are entering.  I wish them good luck and hope they have deep pockets for marketing and back end resources.

Technorati tags: worldofwarcraft, warcraft, blizzard, pcgaming, videogames, MMORPG, pc

Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 Video

Some screens:

WoW Sunwell Goodness...

New Aliens Game not vaporware: Says Gameinformers March cover!

Viking Battle for Asgard: Siege of Caldburg

Devil May Cry 4: the Problem with installation?

   The new Devil May Cry game on the PS3 installs the game to the hard drive.  Similarly to Resistance Fall of Man, Ridge Racer 5, Ratchet and Clank Future, Tools of Destruction, Burnout Paradise, Uncharted Drakes Fortune, and Folklore.  Every single one of these games allowed you to install the game if you so chose.  Why would you do this?  Well, to make the game run better.   How does this work?  Well, the Blu Ray disc spins significantly slower than the average DVD so installing the game allows the processor to access the hard drive rather than the disc when necessary.  Therefore making the game run more smoothly.  Devil May Cry takes this a step further by doing it automatically...

 

   ""It's true: the first time you drop your DMC4 Blu-ray disc into your PS3 tray, you're going to be treated to an exciting 22-25 minute load process as the disc spins a few gigs of data onto your hard drive," writes Chris Kramer, senior director of Communications and Community. "While the game is loading, you get to watch a really nifty series of screens that completely catch you up on the DMC4 backstory. Think of it as compressing the last three 'seasons' into a single info blast, accompanied by some fantastic DMC artwork."Capcom...

  The game runs much more smoothly and there are virtually no load times.  It is certainly worth the wait.  The better question is why does a multi-core processor take 22-25 minutes to install that amount of data.  Which is a question I have for the PS3 in general considering the fact the machine appears able to only do one thing at a time.  Except that a computer with the same number of processors can do multiple things at a time.

   But my point in bringing all this up is, "WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?"

   One of the best games to EVER be on the PS3 is getting more press for this installation thing than it is for being an absolutely incredible game.

Long story short, STOP WHINING and play the game!

Technorati tags: devilmaycry, PS3, sony, videogames, DMC4