Some screens:
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
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!
Dracula Origin: Screens and info
Frogware, which had made the critically exclaimed Sherlock Holmes are making this horror adventure, Dracula Origin. Where you play Van Helsing. The game looks amazing, as the screenshots show. But the if Dracula is anything like Sherlock Holmes title it will be a virtual unknown at retail and a critical darling.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Mark Rein upset about SO MANY PEOPLE Playing FPS on Consoles!
Mark Rein was recently interviewed by Guardian Unlimited. The interview was basically an update about the progress of Unreal Tournament 3 across PC and consoles. There was also a discussion of the new version coming to XBOX 360 and the fact they are still having problems getting user content on there.
The big thing Mark said, or implied actually was that consoles games are getting really hardcore and this is taking away emphasis from the PC. The problem with this philosophy is that most PC games now need a PC that costs around $1,000 to play. I know, I need an upgrade myself.
I don't mean play as in, get the game running and be able to tell what's going on. I mean to run smoothly with descent settings. So don't start telling me about running Crysis on $600 machines.
I have a PS3, XBOX 360, and a Wii. I suppose if I didn't buy ANY of those consoles and then waited until now to buy a PC. I would have had plenty of money to upgrade. But I didn't and I certainly never thought PC games would just this far this fast.
I love Unreal Tournament 3 on the PS3 and while it's playable on my PC. It certainly isn't as cool as the PS3 version. So I know Mark and a bunch of other PC developers are bummed out by bad PC games sales. It's definitely a temporary matter and is more linked to hardware than anything else.
I predict by the time Spore and World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King come out there will be plenty of high spec cheap PCs. But right now, the drought will continue.
Technorati tags: pcgaming, pc, PS3. XBOX360, videogames, ut3, unrealtournament, epicgames, epic, midway
King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters Review
For those of you who don't live in New York or California you probably got your chance to see this movie this week when it came out on DVD. Just like I did.
This is BY FAR. the best movie of any kind that has come out about video games. But just as SO many other movies about sports this movie really isn't about video games. It's about people. Billy Mitchell one of the most self promoted video game champions in history against Steve Weibe, one of biggest underdogs in history.
The movie portrays these classic video game champions as a club of guys. A kind of clique in it's own right. In this clique Billy Mitchell is King. Which I think is side effect of his charisma and his self promotion. Steve is just an ordinary guy trying to break a record. He doesn't understand the politics going on here or anything; which seems weird to me. This is the way things are played out in the movie and Billy Mitchell seemed to think it was an unfair portrayal of him in the situation so maybe some creative editing turned this into a much more dramatic story than it was in reality.
Believe whatever you want, the movie is excellent and while I was raiding in World of Warcraft last night it made a wonderful distraction. I say buy it, rent it, just watch it.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Devil May Cry 4: Demo Impressions for the XBOX 360
I just want to say right off the bat, that this is an awesome game and even though this is a timed demo, it is still wonderful.
The game is coming out for both the XBOX360 and for the PS3. According to developers the game was made for the PS3 first and then developed for the PS3. With the ability to install the game on the PS3 it may seem like the better choice. In fact, it is the better choice. What?
Believe it or not, it all comes down to controls. If you are interested or are good at Devil May Cry; and when I say good I mean you get an A or S ranking most of the time on any difficulty other than Easy. You will hate the controls for the XBOX 360 controller. I guess you might be able to change the controls in the final game. But constantly hitting the right button is annoying and virtually having to hold it down constantly is just annoying. The Ps3 shoulder buttons are bigger and are easier to keep held down. I haven't played the Japanese PS3 demo yet, but I will. In past Devil May Crys the games controlled perfectly. I never felt like I was fighting the controller to pull off moves.
If you can change the controls in the game, I think the you could play either version of the game equally well. But having constantly hold down any button on the XBOX 360 controller, I think would be annoying. I will probably rent the 360 version to get achievements and buy the PS3 version. I love the XBOX 360 but this time I just don't think the games will match up. But it is only a demo...
The demo allowed me to get a feel for the XBOX 360 controls and see the wonderful graphics in the game. The graphics are beautiful and the enemies, while pretty much like a lot of the old enemies from the other games look very good in HD. I especially liked the detail Nero and his cool sword.
The CGI is top rate and I would love to see a DMC movie someday with that same tech driving it.
So in the end the game is AWESOME, I can't wait to play the final versions and this demo just made me that much more excited for it.
If you have and XBOX 360, you couldn't do anything better than download the free demo today. Even if you have Burnout Paradise all ready take some time off and download the game. You can play offline, while it downloads.
Team ICO looking for help, here's a screenshot for supposedly ICO 3...(Rumor)
Team ICO Gamers are the ones who have circulated the rumor that this screen is a CG of the new ICO 3. Synthesis is the one who started all this hubbub by looking for help for a new project. So far Sony has made no official comment on the title of the new game or whether it actually exists or not. There is definitely something going on, but there is no word on exactly what it is.
I Don't Want to join this CLUB: Demo Impressions...((XBOX360)
I really didn't think this was going to be a AAA title going into the demo. But it was truly hard to tell if it was the level selected or the fact the demo only lets you play one character that screws this game to the wall. The game has a horrible story about being made to play in some kind of bloodsport much like movies like, "Most Dangerous Game," "Best of the Best 4," and many other terrible B flicks.
This part of the game isn't important, but come on guys lets not pretend there is a story. The game is pretty much one step up from a light gun shooter. In fact, considering the element of the game that makes you run around like an idiot, the game might have been better served as a light gun game.
The multiplayer, which is probably going to be the best part of this game; was locked in the demo. I can't wait to get a final copy and see how the multiplayer stands up to other titles in the shooter genre. I understand there is the ability to switch from first to third person perspectives, but considering the amount of dodging and running in this game you will probably find yourself in third person most of the time.
The guns have no kick and shooting seems too arcadey. I would have preferred a less arcade-like atmosphere and more devastating effects from weapons. Most of the machine guns take too many shots to kill enemies and the shotgun is good but you have to be on top of the guy for it to work.
But before I rant about this title anymore, I want to wait to play the final version. Here's hoping it will get better.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Apocalypse is near Gamespot and X-Play agree on the Review score for No More Heroes!
Here are all the links your going to need:
OK, I know somebody out there is going to say that Gamespot works on a 10 point scale and they gave it a 9. And X-Play works on a 5 point scale and they gave it a 5. However, when compared to IGN's review that gives it a 7.8 I think we can agree that for all intents and purposes Gamespot and X-Play agree that No More Heroes is an Excellent game.
As more reviews come in I will update you folks but that's all for now...
World of Warcraft Tops 10 Million Subscribers!
"Blizzard Entertainment has announced that its hugely popular MMO World of Warcraft (WoW) has reached yet another milestone. Since its debut in 2004, the game has gained 10 million subscribers across the globe. More than 2.5 million people have signed up to play the game in North America and two million have subscribed in Europe. "Interest in the game has remained high in all regions, with thousands of new and returning players signing up through the holiday season," Blizzard stated.
WoW's momentum incredibly just doesn't seem to slow down. The MMO was the bestselling PC game of both 2005 and 2006 worldwide, and finished second only to its own expansion pack The Burning Crusade in 2007.
"It's very gratifying to see gamers around the world continuing to show such enthusiasm and support for World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're always pleased to welcome new players to the game, and we're looking forward to sharing the next major content update with the entire community in the months ahead."
Available in seven languages, with a Russian version in development (scheduled for release later this year), WoW's appeal is truly global. In addition to North America and Europe, the game is widely played in mainland China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. It's this dominant online presence in Asia, of course, that made the Activision Blizzard merger such an important deal for Activision.
Blizzard is currently working on the game's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, which is expected to hit the market later this year."Gamedaily..
This is some pretty crazy stuff. I've been flip flopping on and off World of Warcraft for a couple of years. I've quit a couple times and vowed not to go back. But I'm back again. I know it's insane, but I think being in World of Warcraft is actually a mark of progress on MMORPGs in general. So if you play WOW, you understand better the way things should or could be run smoothly. I find it helpful in comparing beta builds and working with developers on other MMOs.
I can't wait to see Age of Conan and The Agency. I also REALLY can't wait for Warhammer Online. All of these are coming at a minimum in May. So this year should be a good one for MMOs. Will it effect WoW? No, will Lich King increase subscribers? No, because Lich King is going to be ALL HIGH LEVEL CONTENT. If and when Blizzard does another expansion like Burning Crusade then there will be another subscriber boost.
I love WOW, but it's a love/hate relationship and even though sometimes those relationships are long lasting. Unfortunately they usually end in separation.
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