2 rating(s)
Video Gamers
 | See More Groups...
Loading...
This isn’t funny at all
Posted by: High Water at 4:55PM MT on December 20, 2009

The Divine Comedy  demo is available on the Playstation Network.  I’ll cut to this short by... having the only pun in the blog title and... directing those who failed sophomore English to this Wiki page. (If I am referring to the class, is the “E” capitalized?)

The Divine Comedya 14th Century poem, is often and imprecisely referred to by this first of three parts, “Dante’s Inferno.” Starting Feb. 9, it is a PS3 video game – go fig’.  As Dante, former crusader, you battle 9 Circles of Hell for your one true love. Yes, it is the same plot as “What Dreams May Come.”  

In well-rendered medieval garb, you fight the damned, carry a huge scythe and earn upgrades. This game’s action-adventure combat scenes are smooth at 60 frames per second.  Battling through Hell earns you new button-mashing combos, magic powers and, for kicks, the right to absolve sins.

The demo tries to be true to the poem as you reach the first doorway.  It’s worth downloading for the beautiful backgrounds, great animation and digital breasts -lots of it.

http://www.dantesinferno.com/

Facebook your PS3 account
Posted by: High Water at 3:49PM MT on December 6, 2009

In a recent update to PS3 consoles, your Account Management for the PlayStation Network can update your Facebook status. This is another great way for gamers to connect. Some of you might have used the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves’' Twitter update option.

You can turn on and off automatic updates to your FB with trophy accomplishments, PS Store purchases (I don't know if it works for free add-ons), game events (for FB supported games) and everyone's favorite "Delete Account Information."

Receiving the Netflix PS3 disk and adding FB this month defiantly enhanced the Playstation into a true multimedia center.

PS. I'm still pissed about the Hulu ban.

HOW TO:

  • Turn on your PS3
  • Go to "Account Management" under the Playstation Network icon.
  • Click "x"
  • Facebook is the last item in the list
  • Click "x" and go to town.

 (I wanted to post photos, but my computer hates my SD card.)

Black Friday: Wal-Mart will hook you up
Posted by: High Water at 12:30PM MT on November 26, 2009

Not a doubt in my mind. Wal-Mart is the Black Friday headquarters for gamers.  Did you pick up Thursday’s Gazette and look at Wally’s ad? It is ridiculous.

I pulled some highlights you might be interested in knowing, but first a disclaimer. I did not compare high definition televisions.  I did not look for Blu-Ray players because you should have a PS3. If you don’t have one, you will buy it on Friday. Look at this thing!

 

120GB PS3, “Dark Knight”on Blu-ray, Game of Year contender “Batman: Arkham Asylum” and Sony developed “Infamous” for $299! Come on! This is one of the most amazing bundles I have ever seen. 

If you want a 360 and you LOVE Madagascar, there is a deal for an X-box. (FYI: You can buy “Left for Dead 2” for $35 at Best Buy Friday.)
If didn’t want to invest into a Rock Band or Guitar Hero band set when they dropped to $99 this year, here is your chance.

 

For those PS3 Blu-Ray loving fans, Wal-Mart is your hook up. (FYI: Netflixs streaming video for PS3 is available.)


It wouldn’t be Black Friday without some cheap games. Some titles you have owned for 2 years, some you never have heard of.


PS3 Exclusive Demon's Souls Revolutionizes RPG Conventions
Posted by: The Perfect Consumer at 12:43PM MT on October 14, 2009

The Japanese version's cover says it all.  See that dead guy?  That's going to be you.

This October, while Sony enthusiasts are vibrating with anticipation for the sequel to the PS3's critical darling Uncharted, another must-own Playstation exclusive has silently arrived in US stores... one with the potential to revitalize the role-playing genre forever.  That game is called Demon's Souls, and if you've never heard of it before, you aren't alone.  Nevertheless, RPG fans should take note: Demon's Souls is an outstanding edition to any hardcore gamer's library, and it could end up having more of an impact on the industry than many of the higher profile titles releasing this year.  Gamers in the US have been importing Asian versions of Demon's Souls for several months, but the fully localized version just hit American stores on October 6th. 

Demon's Souls contains a wide variety huge bosses who are as awesome looking as they are intimidating. 

Japanese game industry icons like Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear) and Keiji Inafune (Dead Rising, Mega Man) have been heard bemoaning the recent decline of Japanese game design on a fairly regular basis these days.  Perhaps that's why Japanese developer From Software chose a decidely un-Japanese approach when crafting Demon's Souls, a game that embraces many Western RPG (WRPG) conventions (real-time combat, Tolkein-esque mythology, and swords and sorcery aesthetics).  But there's one aspect of Japanese design philosophy that wasn't abandoned in Demon's Souls... the one thing that makes it truly special: the unforgiving difficulty. 

Yes, Demon's Souls is hard.  Harder than finishing Halo on 'Legendary' difficulty with nothing but melee attacks.  Harder than the motor bike level in Battletoads.  It's even harder than beating the famously difficult Ninja Gaiden on the 'Ninja Master' settings.  But what makes Demon's Souls so special isn't simply the fact that it's so damned challenging, but rather the way that the game forces players to contend with their character's mortality. 

In most games - even tough ones -  if you fail to complete a given challenge, you'll find an abundance of hand-holding, second chances and do-overs (e.g. Bioshock's 'Vita Chambers'), where losing a life is generally as inconsequential as stubbing your toe.  To the majority of game designers, minimizing the consequences of failure makes a lot of sense: you don't want people to give up and stop playing out of frustration, so why not just poop them right back into the game world with another shot at glory after they die? 

Not so in Demon's Souls, where death actually feels, well... bad.  Terrible, in fact.  For starters, when you die you lose all of your experience, which doubles as currency, preventing you from buying or repairing gear or increasing your character's level.  Making matters worse, when you return to the level again, all of the enemies have respanwned, and you find yourself in a weakened spiritual form which reduces your health meter's capacity.  Considering you will be facing a variety of powerful boss monsters that tower over your cowering avatar, this penalty can be a bitter pill to swallow.

 It's not uncommon for a player to die 20 times in a row before learning the correct method for defeating a tough boss. 

While Demon's Souls does let you reclaim your experience/money if you can make it back to the point that you last died, you only get one last chance, and anything that killed you is still there, fresh as a daisy, waiting to kill you all over again.  And by the way, you can't save your game whenever you want, nor can you pause.  All sales are final in the world of Demon's Souls.  It's about as hardcore as games get.  

Sound sadistic?  It is, but the end result of this unforgiving game is an unparalelled emotional investment in your character's wellbeing.  When playing Demon's Souls,  if you come accross a really tough looking enemy - and you will - it inpires a genuine sense of dread that can only exist in the absensce of frequent checkpoints or easy respawns.   Hell, I get scared when facing mobs of weak enemies in Demon's Souls.  This fear makes players navigate environments with an incredible amount of trepidation and caution, making the game feel far more realistic than the vast majority of 'save anywhere' games in the genre.  But when you do eventually succeed, the thrill of victory is unmatched.  This is the game's brilliance: it's hard, but since nothing ever comes easy, your victories are sweeter than a glass of Manischewitz..

Some players will complain about the unforgiving nature of Demon's Souls.

Though persistance is your greatest weapon in Demon's Souls, the game does throw you a few bones here and there.  One of the best features, and where Demon's Souls truly innovates, is how the game approaches online play.  While there's no voice-chat, there's a basic emote system, and you'll see faint, white ghosts of other players running around as they play the same level you're on.  At later stages of the game, you can recruit up to two of them to join you in the fight, or choose to invade their game and kill them, thereby regaining your corporeal form.  It's a great twist on the cooperative and player-versus-player mechanics that keeps Demons Soul' feeling a bit less daunting. 

 

You can invade other players' games, and they can invade yours. 

Even better, when a player dies, they leave a blood stain that you can activate in order to replay their demise.  It helps you spot traps, anticipate ambushes, and is good for a few laughs here and there.  There's also a cool hint system, allowing others to forewarn you of what lies ahead by leaving a glowing marker on the ground.  You can leave hints of your own, and if another player reads recommends it, you get a small amount of health restored.  It's a fresh new online model that numerous games will surely emulate in the coming years. 

So if you own a PS3, and are up for a good challenge, I can't recommend Demon's Souls enough.  Sure, it's not for the easily discouraged, but if you spend about 10 hours with the game, odds are you'll be hooked, and hungry for more.  I hate assigning a numeric value to anything artistic, but Demon's Souls is an easy 9/10.  As much as I love Fallout 3, so far, this game is my pick for the RPG of 2009.

 

Free Arkam Asylum content
Posted by: High Water at 10:33PM MT on September 24, 2009

Downloadable content is great. When it is free, it is even better.

The new Batman game has been called "game of the year" and I say in hushed tones, "yes."

I love its in-game/real world link with the site http://www.arkhamcare.com/ and http://www.gothamcitymunicipal.com/. By the way, did you find the Employee Login ID? (Frank Boles will smile when you figure this riddle out.)

I pre-ordered the game at GameStop and was given the code for the downloadable "Scarecrow Nightmare" challenge room.  Also for PS3 you download the Joker challenges. To my surprise, on September 17, a silent predator and a combat challenges became available for free download.

Doesn't $5 for mercenary mode seem a bit expensive? Thanks anyway Umbrella Corp. It should have been in the game.

For you Arkham fans, I have 75% in the games trophy collection.

 

Beatles and my wife
Posted by: High Water at 9:37PM MT on September 13, 2009

My wife and I rented “The Beatles: Rockband” on Tuesday.  We have the first RB on Wii and wasn’t up for spending $60 for another track list.

If you did not know, all 45-some songs are instantly unlocked.  I loved this new feature. In story mode you unlock photos and video vignettes. 

Since we just rented it, I wanted to cherry pick some tracks. We played “I am the Walrus” the first night.

Here are some comments my wife made while she was playing the guitar:

  • "WHAT IS GOING ON!!!"
  • "I don't get it. Is he a walrus or the eggman."
  • "Why are they dressed like Donnie Darko? Seriously!"

My wife wanted to know more about The Beatles (and I was tired of answering her many questions.) I walked into our poorly lit garage to emerge a few minutes later holding a dusty U-Haul box full of VHS tapes. Starting with Saturday night, we started viewing "The Beatles Anthology" documentary, one tape per night – there are eight.

Here are some comments she made while watching the series:

  • "He's funny looking." (Ringo)
  • "I remember his name. Paul, right? He's the cute one."
  • “John and Ringo look English. Well, they all look English.”
  • (While George Harrison plays “Roll Over Beethoven”) “So are they talking about the music guy or the dog?” Then I asked her, “Are they talking about the Ludwig van Beethoven or the 1992 family comedy staring Charles Grodin?”

Deals for Batman: Arkham Asylum
Posted by: High Water at 5:59PM MT on August 23, 2009

There's quite a bit of buzz flapping its wings around the release of Rocksteady's "Batman: Arkham Asylum."

If you planning on staying in your own batcave this week playing one of the most highly rated games of the year, here are some purchasing tips.

You have more day to pre-order…

Pre-order at GameStop and receive a Scarecrow challenge map.

Pre-order at Amazon.com and receive an exclusive comic book. (It’s not the Arkham Asylum graphic novel from the 80’s.)

If your buy on Tuesday:

  • Best Buy: Batman cartoon DVD double pack with “Masked of the Phantasm," “Sub Zero" and a $10 gift card.
  • Toys ‘R Us: $20 gift card. If you are a rewards member, a $30 gift card.
  • Walmart: Armored Batsuit for challenge maps.

If you buy the…

Collector’s Edition:

  • Waynetech Batarang Storage Box. 14" In-Game Design Batarang (stand attached).
  • Dr. Young’s Journal (50 page full color character encyclopedia).
  • 2 Sleeve DIGI-Pack Including: Behind the scenes 5 chapter series DVD, including: interviews with Mark Hammil and Kevin Conroy.
  • Exclusive Collector’s Edition Challenge Map DLC.

Playstation 3:

Download Joker as a playable character for challenge maps.  These are the same maps as Batman plays, but the Joker has a unique playing style. Plus the A.I. makes every play different anyway.

PS3 drops to $299 and Redbox video games
Posted by: krickhoff at 12:25PM MT on August 18, 2009

PS3's slim version was officially announced in Germany. Sony is also dropping the price to $299. Details on USB ports and storage are unknown at first release.

Update from High Water: "Touting the same features and functionality of the current console, the Slim is true to its name, coming in at 33% smaller and 36% lighter. It's also greener, using 34% less power. But while its chassis has shrunk, its trunk space has grown with a new 120 GB hard drive." - games.yahoo.com/pluggedin

 

RedBox is also throwing $2 video game rentals in some markets. This would be worth it for party games. Otherwise pay $6 at Hastings for a week long rental.

The Beatles are the dung!
Posted by: High Water at 3:25PM MT on August 14, 2009

Beatles Rock Band comes out 9/9/09. Amazon.com lists the bundle for $250.  I was a big Help!Rubber Soul fan back in '96 when the anthology came out.  Later on I became a fan of the white album and Abby Road.

A complete official set list has not been released so here two lists.

Songs listed on the official Web site:

I Saw Her Standing There
Twist And Shout
Do You Want To Know A Secret
I Want to Hold Your Hand
Can’t Buy Me Love
I Wanna Be Your Man
I Feel Fine
Eight Days A Week
Day Tripper
Paperback Writer
Taxman
And Your Bird Can Sing
Yellow Submarine
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help from My Friends
Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows
I Am The Walrus
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Octopus’s Garden
Birthday
Revolution
Here Comes The Sun
Dig A Pony
Get Back
I’ve Got A Feeling

Songs listed on the other Web sites and blogs:

I Want To Hold Your Hand
I Feel Fine
Day Tripper
Paperback Writer
Revolution
Don't Let Me Down
I Saw Her Standing There
Boys
Do You Want To Know A Secret
Twist and Shout
I Wanna Be Your Man
A Hard Day's Night
Can't Buy Me Love
Eight Days a Week
Ticket To Ride
Drive My Car
I'm Looking Through You
If I Needed Someone
Taxman
Yellow Submarine
And Your Bird Can Sing
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help From My Friends
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Getting Better
Good Morning Good Morning
I Am The Walrus
Hello Goodbye
Dear Prudence
Back In the U.S.S.R.
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Birthday
Helter Skelter
Hey Bulldog
Come Together
Something
Octopus's Garden
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Here Comes the Sun
Dig a Pony
I Me Mine
I Got a Feeling
Get Back
Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows

Download Batman: Arkham Asylum demo Friday
Posted by: High Water at 2:41PM MT on August 6, 2009

The delayed Batman game goes live with a demo on August 7.  It come down from the PS Netowrk as I finish up the final in-game Ghostbusters achievements. (By the way, I finished Wii BG.)  Now knowing that Batman is so close, Sports Resort will have to wait.

Here is a link to several videos on the official site: http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/media

Here is the info about the demo from the official Web site:

The Batman: Arkham Asylum™ demo opens as the DARK KNIGHT and COMMISSIONER GORDON return The Joker back into confinement at ARKHAM ASYLUM. But things soon fall apart as THE JOKER gains the upper hand and springs a trap, setting Arkham Asylum’s occupants upon Batman. The demo offers gamers a taste of the fierce FreeFlow™ combat system, the cunning stealth of the Invisible Predator™ mechanic, and the feeling of becoming the WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE as they navigate Arkham Asylum’s imposing Intensive Treatment facility. Players can unlock character bios, as well as get a sneak peak at some of the infamous foes that BATMAN will encounter within the cavernous and macabre confines of Arkham Asylum.

 

Video game with night vision
Posted by: High Water at 1:17PM MT on July 17, 2009
Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition comes with real night vision goggles?! I rather have the goggles than the game. So ya know, it runs at $150 for the Prestige Edition.
'Ghostbusters: The Video Game' Release Party Highlights
Posted by: The Perfect Consumer at 9:25AM MT on June 18, 2009

Typically, when a store hosts a midnight game release, there's generally little fanfare as a few dozen Mathletes and unemployed adults form socially awkward queues in the shadows of their local game store.  That's why I was totally blown away by the midnight launch of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which ran from about 7 pm till midnight this past Monday at a GameStop in Lewisville Texas.  The launch event featured the game's Lewisville-based developers Terminal Reality, several costumed members of the Ghostbusters Fan Club (based in nearby Dallas), the Ecto-1 from the movies, and catering from Pizza Hut.  It was really something for the modest Texas strip-mall... the security for Casual Male must have been completely dumbfounded upon arriving to work.

I've attended dozens of midnight game releases, but in all my days I have never seen more people line up to purchase a video game, much less one that received the relatively ho-hum score of 78 on Metacritic.com.  While the turnout of several hundred enthusiastic fans could partially be attributed to the eye-catching glow of the Ecto-1's blue emergency lights and the abundance of costumed attendees, the popularity of the Ghostbuster's brand was surprising  to me considering how long it's been since the original film saw release in 1984.

My friends and I have been excited about this game since we heard about it, since we loved Ghostbusters as children, and would love nothing more than to fill the virtual shoes of some of the most memorable characters of our childhoods together online.  As the release date approached, we all decided which Ghostbuster we were going to be, and made arrangements to get together to play the campaign together on launch day.  (I even took the day off of work for this reason.)  That's why we were incredibly disappointed to learn that the game's multi-player portion didn't include in co-op in the main campaign. 

As mentioned earlier, Terminal Reality was on hand to sign copies of the game, and while in line, I took the opportunity to ask one of them about why they hadn't opted for Gears of War-style story-based cooperative play.  According to Terminal's James W., the reason the campaign only allows one player is simply because that's the way Dan Akroyd wanted it.  It seems the comedy legend was intent on making players feel like they had joined the original crew, rather than allowing them 'become' one of them.  While I respect Dan Akroyd immensely, and am glad he and Harold Ramis had total creative freedom when creating the game, I wonder if he's ever played through Halo 3 with some friends.  I'm guessing the answer is a resounding, "No".  Oh well, you can't win them all.  (In hindsight, I wish I had asked them why the PS3 version turned out looking so much worse that the PC and Xbox versions.)   

I later learned that Xbox LIVE went down for maintenance at the exact moment that I was able to obtain a copy of the game, suggesting that dark forces were somehow conspiring against me and my desire to play Ghostbusters: The Video Game with my pals.  Oh well, after completing the bulk of the single-player portion, I can say that even without any multi-player whatsoever, the solo part of the game is sure to please fans of the films with it's hilarious dialogue and admirable graphics and gameplay, and definately consider Ghostbusters to be the best movie-licensed game since The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher's Bay.   

RE: Kojima's next project
Posted by: The Perfect Consumer at 8:36AM MT on May 28, 2009

So word on the street is that Kojima is going to announce a new Metal Gear title at E3.  In the teaser ad on the legendary developer's viral website, we see both Big Boss and Raiden, (now featuring a makeshift eye-patch) suggesting that Raiden will be the protagonist this go-round.  (Some believe Kojima is actually working on two games, one with Raiden, and one with Big Boss in the spirit of 'Snake Eater'.) 

I couldn't be more excited to play as Raiden.  Unlike many who praise MGS2's introduction of the silver-haired hero, I absolutely hated filling Raiden's shoes for the bulk of that critically acclaimed MGS sequel.  In MGS4, however, I was thrilled at Raiden's new Ninja-like grace and acrobatic fighting style, and I applaud Kojima for being able to turn public perception around for his once hated up-in-coming soldier.

However, I have to wonder if Raiden is going to behave as he did in the MGS4 cutscenes in any sort of playable form.  Is the series going to abandon stealth in favor of swordplay and acrobatics, and if so, would this be wide?  What do you think?  I love stealth above all other genres, but I must admit, I'm intrigued by the prospect of playing the Metal Gear series in an entirely new way.... assuming Kojima doesn't play it safe, as was the case in MGS2.

The Assumption of $50.00
Posted by: HarryMason at 12:01AM MT on May 28, 2009

Before I begin one word of warning about this article.  It is based on the main home gaming consoles released over the last 20 years.  This article will not address the handheld or PC gaming market.  This article will also ignore outlier systems like the 3DO or Sega 32X; even though these consoles were released in the same time frame they did not move enough units to be deemed a commercial success.

 

For a time growing up as a child video games were not always expensive.  Through 1978 - 1990 The Atari theNES and the Sega Master System released which games retailed from anywhere between $20 - $40 on average.  Than in 1991 the SNES was released to compete with the Sega Mega Drive (better known as the Genesis which debuted two years earlier in 1989).  The price of video games increased at this time  to $30 - $50.  Games maintained these prices for about a year when certain developers (SquareSoft, Midway) raised the cost of their games.

 

In 1992 video games made another jump now you could buy bad games like "Lester the Unlikely" (SNES) or "AreoBiz" (GEN) for $40 while top tier games like "Chrono Trigger" (SNES) or "Vector Man" (GEN) could cost $70 - $80.  Now most of this cost is blamed on the newly developed technology, and the fact that cartridges are expensive to produce.  So in the mid 90's Sony releases the first truly successful disc based game system the Playstation with most games retailing around $40 - $50

 

Game Costs began to stabilize and $50 became the magic number. So, when Nintendo tried to still charge a premium price for "GoldenEye" & "Mario 64"  (N64 1996-97) $60 - $70 just didn't seem to fly anymore.  So this brings us to about three years ago 2006.  Video game prices had maintained a fairly constant $50 for new releases; this price would drop quickly after about five months.


Than came Electronic Arts Madden 2007 special edition game.  For an extra $20 gamers could get bonus disc with extra features when they bought Madden for their PS2 or X-Box.  What most gamers didn't know is that Madden was being used as a tool to justify raising the cost for the next generation of games.  Electronic Arts and the gaming industry concluded from the sucess of Madden people were more than willing to spend $70 on a game stuffed full of extra content. Luckily slow sales, a slight recession, and an abysimal PS3 launch stifle the $70 to $60 in most cases.

 

 Now in 2009 the average cost of a new game on your home console breaks down like this.

Wii- $30 - $50

PS3 & X-Box 360 - $40 - $70

which means if you want a new game on day one be prepared to shell out a mean price of  $48.57

 

Now here's the question why $50?  Most of these games rehash the same core gaming engine.  (Fallout3 uses Oblivion's engine while Left 4 Dead uses Half-Life2 engine, GTA San Andreas uses GTAIII).  Is there really that much more stuff in games to justify this level regurgitation?  Is $50 bucks really what it costs or is $50 bucks simply what we find acceptable to pay?

10 reasons to play "Uncharted"
Posted by: High Water at 1:50PM MT on May 20, 2009

The sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, will be released this year.  I wanted to play it (the Uncharted series) forward - unlike my "sequel first" attack on Resistance... which ended up with me not playing Fall of Man.)

Here are my 10 reason why you should still play this 2007 title.

  1. Great Story and dialogue.   As I was reading the back of my rental choices, I realized how old I am. I am really old. I was looking for a game with a story. I felt like a house wife in a porn shop.  I'm not looking for recognizable titles, just videos that take me where I can't go - on an exotic, not erotic adventure.
  2. Voice acting. Not once did I have to took over to my good friend Tanner and say, "You Jill, the master of unlocking." FYI - The protagonist is modeled after (or just looks alot like) the voice actor
  3. Graphics and sound. Stunning jungle enviroments of the Yucatan Peninsula / Caribbean... somewhere south of Texas.  It was very Congo-ish. And that's not a bad thing.
  4. Atari Pitfall meets the Indiana Jones game we wish they made. A mixture of amazing (but not unrealistic) platforming and 3rd person shooter made this everything Crystal Skulls should have been.
  5. No puzzles.
  6. It's short. As solid renter, this game took 4 days. I bet I finished in 10-12 hours.
  7. Award winning. This 2 year old title won several industry awards for graphic design.
  8. My 2nd grade sister in-law loved it.  I explained that we were looking for the City of Gold. She told me she's seen that movie (National Treasure 2.) She also is a crack at identifying sharp shooters.
  9. -
  10. Play it before the second one comes out.

I had to omit 9. I couldn't give it all away. What would be the fun it that?

Coming soon: My friend, the "Earley Reader" bought Punch Out for Wii. Let's hope I can give you the low down on that next week. (Is it cool to say "low down" or do I sound like a hipster house wife?

Goodbye right, down, circle. Hello twisted ankle.
Posted by: Lloyd Blunk at 8:10PM MT on May 19, 2009

When Activision’s Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 came out on the original Playstation, I began to understand why many of my friends would play endless hours of sports games like Madden. I spent hours practicing my combos, unlocking hidden videos, and essentially I was blissfully unproductive. Unfortunately, like many sports games, the franchise got stale. The annual iterations offered a couple of new superficial features, but the basics of the game remained essentially the same. Activision’s dominance of the market, gave them no reason to innovate. While, I never got into the EA’s Skate series, I would like to thank them for motivating Activision to get off of their laurels.

The latest incarnation, Tony Hawk: Ride, will be the first of the series to incorporate a skateboard-like peripheral. Gamers can now explore their inner Mike McGill by performing a McTwist on their feet rather than a on a couch. Hopefully, this ends up being the real deal, and not a another R.O.B.


In Defense of the Summer Gaming Drought
Posted by: The Perfect Consumer at 7:38AM MT on May 19, 2009
While many gamers bemoan the paucity of game releases that typify the warmer months of the year, this time I'm actually appreciative of the lull.  Last November, as game publishers attempted to capitalize on holiday spending by releasing their products at the end of the year, it seemed that a noteworthy game came out every single day.  As a result, most gamers were unable to buy each and every title that interested them.  That's why this Summer, I am going appreciate the trickle of interactive entertainment options, allowing me to go back and buy the games I initially missed, (for significantly less than their original $50-$60 asking price) while also enjoying old favorites from my collection.  So while most publishers still haven't figured out how to stagger their offerings, I will be taking advantage of great deals, and finally taking the time to complete numerous unfinished gems I've been meaning to revisit.  And while there are a few games that I'm really looking forward to this season, (Ghostbusters, anyone?) I will enjoy the reduced strain on my pocketbook, and take the time to enjoy that which I have.  See, bored Summer gamers?  Sometimes the memory card is half full! 
Red Dead trailer
Posted by: High Water at 12:20PM MT on May 11, 2009
Check out the trailer for the new Red Dead. They were promoting it on Hulu.

Gamer Archetypes
Posted by: HarryMason at 1:09AM MT on April 24, 2009
Often times when people talk about video games there is a stereotype or limitation placed on who these people are and what they do.  Stereotypes (though generally negative) serve a purpose in the learning process and help us understand different concepts or social groups we are trying to understand.  With that said, here are some of the definable archetypes in video game culture.

 *Note*  Treat groups as broad generalities with semi-permeable membranes to allow flow if the player so chooses.

 Ol' School -  This type of person considers newer games inferior to old games and places tremendous importance on challenges based on rote memorization.  Iconic figures: Mario, Sonic, Bionic Commando, are better than anything introduced in recent years.

 Sporto - These gamers are simple.  They play sports games, and don't really care about content as long as it's a sport.  This group has created an entire industry of disposable video games heavily market to by Electronic Arts.  If you know someone who buys the new Madden or NCAA Football every year, then they would fall safely into this group.

Fanboy -  They only play games from one company often from the big three (Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo).  PC's have Fanboy's but they are rare and usually claim allegiance to Blizzard or Sierra.

Casual - This type of gamer doesn't want complex controls or necessarily care about complex graphics.  Often times they play simply to try something new, or to appease their boyfriend.

Hardcore - Create unnecessarily difficult challenges within video games.  These people have turned video games into work; whether by stream lining their skills to complete speed runs on exceedingly long games, setting level limitations in RPGS, or achievment hunting to boost there status on X-Box Live.  True hardcore gamers are rare, and absolutely no fun to play games against.

Graphics Junkie - They buy whatever looks best regardless of content.  The best way to determine if you know someone like this (depending on their age) if they own a: 3DO, NEO-GEO, or Sega 32X then they have way too much money and only care about shiny pixels.

Adventurer - Likes to live vicariously through video games.  Fairly concerned about story, but are drawn mainly by core gameplay.  You'll catch an adventurer playing most anything as long as the experience is enjoyable.

Red Sprayer - People who like playing violent video games simply for the violence.

 MMORPGer - The game is more about the community than the game.  Basically if you have played & payed for W.O.W. for more than three months, this is you.

from this point the archetypes begin to break down and people fall into subset categories:  Survival Horror, Music, Light Gun Shooters, J-RPG's, First Person Shooters, Point & Click Adventures, Puzzle, Strategy, Romance, Racing, Obscure, Artistic, and poorly made (just to name a few).  After reading this hopefully you can take a look at your gaming habits and see where you are spending your time and money

Review: Resistance 2
Posted by: High Water at 1:59PM MT on April 14, 2009

I just finished Resistance 2 for PS3. Another solid rental with story completion in 10 hours and 22 minutes.

I rented R2 after reading about the success (and story twists) of the 2006's award winning Resistance: Fall of Man. I loved the concept of Resistance - it takes place in post-WWII and you kill aliens! It's Metal of Honor and Halo in one game! (but does it work?... please read on....)

There were no big surprises in this game. I knew what was going to happen in the story because several chapter objectives mirrored Vivica A. Fox's 1996 action/adventure movie "Independence Day" and Will Smith's "I am Legend"... (The I-am-legend-like levels were fun.... ID4 plot devises were lame....)

It is a first person shooter, there are online features and you can win trophies. It's like most of the games out there. If you have a PS3, it's a must because Sony is pushing the franchise into your face.

Like cookie jars, I give this one a "B-"

Here is a gameplay clip from my favorite chapter in this game. In Chicago, you battle I-am-legend former-humans-now-aliens in an abandoned metropolitan landscape. At one point, you walk through a dark building with a flashlight and enough clips to take down Kaiser Wilhelm!

A Pitch Black Vacation...
Posted by: Phil Sites at 2:10PM MT on April 12, 2009
Greetings from vacation, where in between enjoying myself and enjoying myself, I'm enjoying a few games here and there as well!

If you haven't checked out the new Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, I couldn't recommend it more. As a gamer who usually doesn't go for those FPS/3PS games that rely more on puzzle/strategy, I found myself immersed in the rather simplistic, yet fun, structure of AoDA. It's not an FPS, it's not a Metal Gear Solid/Tom Clancy-style tactical shooter and it's not an open world game. Yet, it's a little bit of all those and doesn't sell out to one of them while keeping each element rather basic and simple (yet retaining a fun, compelling challenge).

That, and the game contains a the original Xbox classic (refurbished with shiny new graphics) Escape from Butcher Bay. Those who complained about the lack of multiplayer in the last entry can complain no longer. AoDA contains a good fill of online multiplayer modes. The only drawback is it probably won't be burning up Live like Call of Duty or Halo. Of course, it's always a welcoming addition - as long as the same players who complained last time are still playing a few months down the road. I had a little trouble getting into full games, and that is worrisome considering it's a new release.

Check out a couple videos of me playing the Pitch Black multiplayer mode. In this game mode, one player is Riddick (who can utilize his eyeshine to see the entire game world) while the rest of the players must hunt him down. The more powerful the gun, the less powerful the flashlight. It's definitely a clever idea.

 

 

 

Ad Shopper: Resident Evil 5 Versus Mode
Posted by: krickhoff at 9:38AM MT on April 12, 2009

Sorry kids. Easter Sunday is not a big Ad Shopper day. In result, this week's post is about Resident Evil® 5 Versus Mode.

When I purchased my PS3, Tanner has been bugging me about buying my own copy of RE5. (This is due to me convincing him to buy it for PS3 and not Xbox.) Then yesterday as I was searching the PS store for a demo to download while we play Resistance 2. RE5's Versus Mode was on the newly released listing at $5. I loved RE4's Mercenary mini-game. So this online feature might get me that much closer to finally buying RE5.... or should I wait to get a headset?

Here is Capcom's official description:

Versus allows up to four players to match wits in online battles across two very different game types. Slayer’s Rule is a point-based game that challenges players to kill Majinis. In Survivor’s Rule, players hunt the most dangerous game, each other! Players can begin the hunt as Chris, Sheva or other secret characters, and choose from either one-on-one or two-versus-two team matches for either of the two gameplay styles.

Editor's note: It is 400 MS Points on XBL, and $4.99 on the PSN.
Who ya' gonna call?
Posted by: High Water at 1:39PM MT on April 10, 2009
In part 9,076 of my 9,125 day series on Ghostbusters: The Video Game, I am offering yet another IGN.COM link to the latest Ghostbusters preview.

This video includes: new game screenshots, Dan Aykroyd, tour of the real New York, Blu-ray and the 3rd movie!


(The movie was first released 9,125 days before the 360/PS3/Wii video game.)
Arkham Asylum - Gameplay
Posted by: High Water at 1:03PM MT on April 9, 2009

I wanted a Dark Knight game. Then after viewing the movie, it was too good to have a sequel or a video game. A playable Dark Knight would suffer from ET syndrome if they tried. 

When I watched a trailer on the Knight's DVD for the PS3/Xbox Arkham Asylum, I was not too impressed.  I rather play LEGO Batman....

Then I watched this... now it looks like a great game - With Batman or no..

Introducing the Troll...
Posted by: Phil Sites at 7:51PM MT on March 27, 2009
Say what you want about the troll, but the guy is a beast.

Tucked away in the deepest corners of the WWE canon is Trollific (a.k.a. "The Troll" or "Sweetie Pie"). He rarely shows his ugly mug, but is the nightmare of every jabroni - if only because of his (or should I say its) hideous stench.

So I took my WWE Wrestlemania Legends creation online for a tag team match recently and we wound up getting DQ'd. I'm sure my parter wasn't thrilled...

 


Ad Shopper: Week of March 22
Posted by: krickhoff at 1:06PM MT on March 22, 2009

WWF (WWE) Legends of Wrestlemania will run wild on March 24. This PS3 and 360 game takes the grappers from PS2's Legends of Wrestling and gives them them decent THQ controls. So now it is playable. Whooooo!

It is 1-4 players, 2-4 online players and yes... voice. Now you can yell "Wooooo!" to opponents around the world.

Toys R Us will throw in the DVD "The Greatest Stars of Wrestlemania" when you purchase the game.

A complete roster can be found here. 

Note to readers: Even though I typed "Whoooo!" several times in this post, I will never play as Rick Flair.

About This Blog
Gaming news and reviews from local gamers.