 2 rating(s)
Current Members: 29
Bookmark URL: http://my.billingsgazette.com/Groups/Gazette_Arcade_Video_Gamers |
|
|
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.)
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.
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.
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:
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:
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:
If you buy the… Collector’s Edition:
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.
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.
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 Songs listed on the other Web sites and blogs: I Want To Hold Your Hand
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.
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.
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.
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.
Posted by: Phil Sites at 9:16PM MT on June 11, 2009
Whoa, what is this strange place?
Oh yeah. It's the Gazette Arcade. The best gaming blog in Billings, obviously. Sorry for being a bit scarce lately. Have a couple summer courses to take and I secured a new day job (if your counting, that's three jobs for me this summer!). So yeah, I've been a bit preoccupied. But things have settled a bit and I've got some gaming in finally. I also just got a PS3, so watch for more Sony content as well. Anyway, I rented Virtua Tennis 2009 yesterday (honestly, was looking for either Tiger Woods 10 or InFamous - both were out). Yeah, it wasn't my first choice, but I've been a faithful semi-regular of the series (does that really even make sense?). Well it's been 10 years since the original Sega arcade hit, so I felt nostalgic. I remember the Summer of 2000, I had just graduated high school and had owned a Dreamcast for a few months already. Virtua Tennis hit the console and I was hooked. So hooked that I quit my summer job three days into it because I was playing too much (yeah, the parents weren't too happy with that). The original VT port took over my summer. I conquered the game. I beat the uber-tough King character and that was it. I never really did get into the sequel (Tennis 2K2) and while I owned the World Tour version for PSP, I quickly steamrolled through the familiar gameplay and quit after I realized I had no shot to take down the King and Queen in the final doubles showdown. So here we are, with the second iteration of the VT series on the current gen. Virtua Tennis 2009 is the successor to Virtua Tennis 3, but might as well be the sequel to the original, or heck, just a title update or patch. The game play exactly like VT ten years ago. Heck, it even looks the same. I always though VT looked great, and to this day it's the only game that you can actually play from a true broadcast perspective (other than perhaps basketball). The gameplay is about as simple as you can imagine. While you can utilize lob and drop shots, most of the time you'll be jamming the groundstroke button. Serves are as simple as a kickoff meter in Madden. There, that's it. That's all you need to know. The gameplay is smooth, the controls are easy, and it doesn't take much to get the hang of this one. Arcade mode allows users to pick a pro and run through a few matches on their way to a tourney title. The meat of the game resides in the World Tour Mode and gives users a chance to create an amateur and start as the 100th ranked amateur player in the world. But a warning to the experienced and new, this game is WAY too easy from the get go. After putting in about six hours into the World Tour mode, my created guy was closing in on a 60-0 record, having not even lost a game and I didn't even surrender a point - a SINGLE POINT - in the first 45-50 matches I played. Yes, it does get a bit more challenging, but as you upgrade your stats and equipment, most capable players will be able to breeze through this game for awhile. It's just unfortunate that the game is a complete farce in the first 5-6 hours and is still unrealistically simple for a long time thereafter. I'm still ranked only 60th in the amateur circuit as well. You'd think a run of a hundred straight 40-0 games would get me a little higher, wouldn't you? I'm still holding out for some fun challenges, and some of those exist already in the varied mini-games scattered throughout the World Tour map. The game is bound to become more difficult once I hit the pro ranks, but do I really want to trudge through 3-4 years on my amateur career just to get to that? We'll; see. The game does support online play (even in World Tour mode) but I have yet to try it. I included a video of the game at a more challenging level (I took James Blake against Boris Becker in the final match of the arcade mode). Enjoy!
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?
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.
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!
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.
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
Posted by: High Water at 9:37AM MT on April 23, 2009
Here is publisher EA's statement: If you still don't believe me, here is the link to the site. Let's hope it is better than that Robin Williams movie.
Posted by: Phil Sites at 9:02PM MT on April 18, 2009
The OutRun racing series is about as arcade as Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo is sim. Full speed ahead and powerslide through the turns - and don't run into a wall or traffic too hard.
OutRun Online Arcade made it's debut this week as an 800-point downloadable title on the Xbox Live Arcade. For those that love straightforward arcade racing at it's most simplistic (well, I suppose Pole Position would be about as basic as it gets) then your in for a treat. OOA is a full fledged title on its own, and offers most of the same modes and tracks that OutRun 2 did on the Xbox (and OutRun 2006 on the PSP). The game includes a map of 15 courses and you traverse through five of them (if you can finish in the alotted time) in a sort of "pick-your-own-path" setup for each race. The big kicker in this version of the game is the solid HD graphics and the decent online racing modes. Check out a couple online race vids below:
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.
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.
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.)
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..
Posted by: Phil Sites at 7:15AM MT on March 31, 2009
I had a chance today to check out the map pack release for Call of Duty World at War on the Xbox 360.
The map pack adds three main multiplayer maps as well as an extra map for the online zombie mode (which is unlockable after playing through the single-player campaign). A bonus map, Makin day, is available for a free download and is an alternative to the night setting used in the original Makin map. I was able to try all the maps except for Veruckt, the new zombie co-op map. I wasn't able to record any highlights off Makin day, because I only ran into it once on the main playlist and, to be honest, I sucked so bad on my one playthrough I didn't really want to show it to the public. Let's just say, for some odd reason, that map caught me off guard I guess. The Station, Nightfire and Knee Deep maps all offer something new for the WaW gamer. I'd have to say, after a few playthroughs (you can choose to play games using only a rotation of the maps in this pack - this does not include Makin day though), these may be the three strongest maps in the game. No surprise, considering that developers have now had plenty of time to digest the community's reponse to the game.
Check out my homemade highlight video of the three maps to see for yourself!
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...
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.
Older Posts
|
