aGameBag

Have you Ever Seen aPortal? aPortal 2 Review

2011-05-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

The ARG that lead up to the release of Portal 2 was one of the most complex and exciting promotional campaigns for a video game ever created. It had Valve enthusiasts and Portal nerds salivating at the very thought of a sequel to what many consider the best puzzle game ever made.

Portal shook the foundations of what we accept as standard FPS fair when it released in 2007 by handing us not bullets, but the ability to bend space-time- and while they were at it, the creators gave us a minimalist setting laced with humor, intrigue, and action-driven story. The Valve crowd lapped up this little gem when it came bundled in The Orange Box and it was declared a classic nearly instantly.

I should note, however, that I was not one of those people. I found Portal to be a fun diversion from the true prizes of The Orange Box (Half-Life 2 and its episodes). Its referential nature to the world of Gordon Freeman was cute and the plotline was fun. I also cannot say I did not feel quite proud of myself after deciphering the brain-bending puzzles of Aperture Science- but I'm more of a Half-Life guy at heart. I need aliens to shoot!

And yet, I found myself anticipating the release of Portal 2 along with every other gamer, constantly hitting reload on the infamous ARG countdown pages and eagerly grabbing whatever advance tidbits about the game I could find. A pre-order for the PS3/PC/Mac version was inevitable.

When Portal 2 arrived on the day of release, I frantically popped it into the ol’ PS3 and was prepared to experience the nostalgic feelings of amusement and frustration elicited by the first installment. And on this front, Portal 2 delivered.

GLaDOS, voiced by the inimitable Ellen McLain, is back again to make your life suck. Her wit, sarcasm, and punchy monotone are just as awesome as you remember. Wheatley, a new character in the Portal universe voiced by Stephan Merchant, also has an excellent showing. As a huge UK Office and Extras fan, I was ecstatic to find out that half of the Merchant/Gervais team would be lending a voice to a little personality sphere. And of course, J.K. Simmons gives a funny and at times moving performance as Cave Johnson, CEO of Aperture Laboratories.

I cannot elaborate too much on the story, but I can say that if you have played Portal, you are not going to be overly surprised by the narrative that plays out. The story arc starts off very reminiscent of the first game, leading you from chamber to chamber while it introduces you to the newer elements of Portal 2. There is of course nothing wrong with keeping what works, and it is quite fun for the most part.

The second act, however, begins to sag as you are suddenly thrust into a totally different part of Aperture and meet Cave Johnson. The storyline does not feel like it is going anywhere for a good portion of this section of the game, and it can feel a bit pointless solving puzzles for no discernible end-goal.

That all turns around in the third act, though, which is simultaneously funny, difficult, and bizarre- emphasis on the bizarre. The last 5 minutes of this game are absolutely the weirdest thing you’ll likely see in a mainstream game until Catherine hits the US.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Portal 2’s campaign, and that isn’t even where the game ends. The co-op component adds an entirely new element into the mix, as well- via offline or online multiplayer, you and a friend can work together with two portal guns and four separate portals to figure out some of the most challenging puzzles in the game. There are some interesting story elements here, too, but I won’t spoil them- all I can say is that I would play the single player campaign before tackling this mode.

Graphically, Portal 2 is homey. The game is still running on the proprietary Source platform. Valve has yet to update their engine introduced in 2004 to modern standards, but for the purposes of their games, it is perfectly serviceable. You’ll see a large jump in detail over the first game, but compared to other modern titles, it won’t be taking home the blue ribbon anytime soon. Gameplay remains largely unchanged from Portal 1, though- and that’s a good thing. Controls are perfectly mapped to the controller/mouse and keyboard. No twitch shooting is required in the game, either, and auto-surface targeting is integrated very well, so playing on console or computer, your experience will be fantastic.

In the end, Portal 2 is a great follow-up to Portal- perhaps a bit unnecessary, but solid anyway. The story may meander mid-game, but it’s not a game-breaking issue; too much goes right for something like that to bring it down. Is Portal 2 the next Half-Life? Perhaps not- but it’ll satisfy your taste buds at least temporarily until Episode 3 or Half-Life 3 are released, especially with the just-announced free DLC challenge maps and test chambers coming this summer.

You can see my review over on 1up.com and give it a like if you dig it!

aPost of Upcoming Reviews

2010-02-24T18:36:00.001-08:00

I recently completed Assassin's Creed II- a game whose ending has hurt me almost as much as the Blades of Hades pillars in the original God of War and The Twins in Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. I plan to do aReview of this strange, strange mixed bag soon- and for the record, until the climax of the story, I loved the game.

I also completed a day after the campaign of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. This game had a guy drinking from a fountain of life and becoming an invincible monster- and still managed to be more believable than the story of AC II. Read my review of the game in full soon!

I am currently finishing Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time so that I can do a combined review of both this game and its

predecessor soon.

I hope you'll hit me up with a barrage of comments once I have posted up my reviews. Once I'm

done with all that, I can finally finish Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Burnout:

Paradise, and possibly Mirror's Edge (although that game has been giving me a headache with it's poorly planned levels, etc.) I hope to review them all in the near future.

I may review Unreal Tournament III at some point, too, but we'll have to see.

aRain. aHeavy Rain.

2010-02-24T18:19:00.001-08:00

I have officially played through the demo of Heavy Rain- a game that is trying to change the very face of gaming as we know it.

Now, having said that, I did find that the extreme lengths Quantic Dream has gone to to secure its place as one of the weirdest developers has almost left them in the position that

many independent film makers find themselves in. When a game or film or book is attempting to be artsy, quirky, or just plain strange just to be different, you end up with something that may not exactly be on par with the current market. Feel free to try and change the current formula, but make sure your new approach meets the level of polish that games following the formula meet. Some games can really do that and strike a balance.

I'm not saying Heavy Rain doesn't make it, but it might be little off from what I can tell and have read. Thousands of pages of scripting to allow for hundreds of possible storyline outcomes were made- meaning lots of manhours put into the production of the game. And yet,

apparently, all the characters pronounce origami differently. You'd think they'd make sure they got that part right before being so ambitious?

I don't know. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't intrigued by the different characters and abilities, interested in the unique gameplay, blown away by the graphics, or impressed with most of the dialogue. I'm just saying.

Don't look at me like that, Madison.

aGod of War Comic

2010-02-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

Check it out- apparently D.C. Comics, the well-known comic book company famous for such icons as Batman and Superman (though my nerd friends already know that all to well), has decided to pick up the furious God Of War license and run with it. The new God of War comic series chronicles different periods of the fallen heroes' life. If you ever wanted to know what a child with a goatee looked like, this is the comic for you!

In all seriousness, these comics seem pretty interesting, and as a major fan, I'd like to check them out. If Firefly has taught us anything, it's that canonical comics can be very, very awesome.

Issue number 2 is supposedly going to delve into Kratos' life as a Spartan captain, while the first issue is interested in his childhood.

Head over to D.C. Comics to learn more.

aPoster Deal

2010-02-12T21:45:00.001-08:00

Okay, not to give Gamestop any more business or anything (they kind of get on my nerves, but have a monopoly on the game market and hence are a necessary evil), but everyone should know...
Anyone who pre-ordered God of War III or who was planning on pre-ordering it from GS has just been given an additional prize- a concept art poster signed by the concept artist for the GOW series.

I hope we get one, even though we already pre-ordered. It shouldn't go to the benefit of those who wait- if you're going to promote purchase ahead of time, earliest adopters should get the same if not better than late adopters.

Anyway, here's a picture of the poster- looks pretty sick!

anUnofficial List of Best Console Game Graphics

2010-02-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

Note: This is a list of the best console game graphics. Not PC. I see Crysis in any comments, until Crysis 2 comes out for the consoles, I'm deleting it. We get it- PC's have the best graphics.

Now, for the list:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Killzone 2

Gears of War 2

Metal Gear Solid 4

Assassin's Creed I/II

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Possible Candidates:

Heavy Rain- Looking strong with some great motion capture, animation, and detailed environments. Here's an early video that is understandably not up to the bar set by the final game, but was great for when it came out and still hits a note with me emotionally. Love it. Check out more recent clips of the game for a look at what the final product actually looks like (it's much better, but I don't want to ruin the plot).

God of War 3- A character model alone that could not fit by itself on the PS2. Sound good to me.

Gran Turismo 5- Screens of this game look like video from NASCAR or something. Amazing.

Final Fantasy XIII- Supposedly, those who have played it can find no noticeable difference between the CG cutscenes and the gameplay. The creators claimed to have reached pre-rendered quality, and it looks like that might be the case.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII- If FF XIII is any indication, these graphics will also dazzle. Also going for it are its PS3 exclusivity (better graphics, more time spent optimizing and using full BD capacity) and its trailers, all of which are a million times cooler than FF XIII's trailers.

Mafia 2- Screenshots look amazing, and when the original came out, it totally beasted GTA graphically, the contemporary open world game.

Alan Wake- Supposedly the tour-de-force of the 360. We'll see- 5+ years in development is certainly enough time to get it right.

So? Disagree? Have any to add? Let me know... Various games were left out for good reason- I did not include artistic games like Mirror's Edge (much to the dismay of my close friend Tyler) because that's more a matter of opinion. It doesn't mean they're not valid, but it's difficult to compare, say, Borderlands to Far Cry 2. And speaking of FC 2, the graphics engines not only had to function beautifully in these games, but they had to add to the gameplay experience and not run into slowdown and other problems, etc. AC I and II only made it on despite pop-in because the pop-in is understandable in an open world console game.

aPrediction: Could the price of Xbox Live skyrocket?

2009-10-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

According to Michael Pachter, a well-known gaming analyst, Xbox Live prices could double in the coming year. He projects this increase because Microsoft's profits have mostly been due to Live fees. This news comes from GameInformer.com, and the comments have been very negative. The article, linked below, has received a one-star rating from disgruntled Xbox users.
http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2009/10/19/news-Xbox-Live-Subscriptions-Could-Rise-To-_2400_100_2C00_-Says-Analyst.aspx

Thank you, Microsoft, for generating so much support for Sony!

Remember, though- Pachter has been wrong many times before. He also claimed the Mass Effect series was headed to the PS3. Of course, much to my dismay, it has not as of the writing of this post.

aClassic Review: Final Fantasy VII

2009-10-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Final Fantasy VII

In The Realm of Half-Life 2, God of War, and Fable, This One Shines

Simply put, I have not played a better game... ever. In my entire life. And that's saying something- I've played so many games, and despite the newest and best graphics, the algorithmic physics engines and resolution upscalers, there simply is not a game on the planet that measures up to this game in any way.

In fact, the only game I have played that verges on this perfection is Half-Life 2- a game brimming with originality and brilliant level design. Barring that, though- and I know I'm

comparing apples and oranges with an FPS vs. an RPG,- there has never been a game to match the caliber of this epic.

On to the game itself. The storyline has been criticized as banal and cliché- but in actual fact, it does a solid job of progressing the game along (I actually think HL2 might be superior to that of FFVII). The characters are cool, and it's more than exciting enough when you encounter a character as famous as Tifa, Vincent, and Sephiroth.

The graphics- yeah, they fail a bit. There is no reason to write them off, though. FFVII is perfectly passable if you have seen images of what Cloud's model looks like with modern graphics. If you've played Crisis Core (which is an okay game but gives a great backstory with kickass cutscenes), you'll see what they would have done with a PS3. The character portraits suffice for your imagination, and the battle models are more than adequate.
The gameplay in this game is out of this world. From the deep Mako combination system to the incredibly easy to master combat, the game shines like no other. There are chocobos to catch and ride, countless items and mako to find, and a healthy dose of weapon upgrading, too. There are also minigames to play, as well;

I only picked up this game about a year ago- so with a background in the best new games, FFVII was bound to disappoint. Except it didn't. Do yourself a favor, and find a friend who has the game. That, or go on the PSN if you have a PS3 and download the game for your system (and your PSP if you'd like). For a sixth of the price of a current-gen game that is likely to piss you off, you can have literally the best game ever made. Do it, bruh.

This is part of an upcoming Best Games of All Time list. Look out for further installments!

aReview: inFamous

2009-10-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

So, thanks to my friend, I was finally able to catch up on some excellent titles from the PS3 catalog. Most recently, I have finished inFamous, the open world sandbox game that came out a few years ago. The verdict? Not bad.

It didn't blow me away- I'll say that much. There were some "wow" moments, I suppose. The biggest problem with a game that is trying to "wow" so much is that they often skimp on story. inFamous is a perfect example. The storyline is alright, but nothing special. In fact, I found it pretty cheesy until the final few missions where the twists started showing up- but that took a good two-thirds of a very, very long game to get to. Some people might not have the patience, and for good reason.

Mission variety is very exciting... for the first few hours. At a certain point, you begin to realize that missions are recycled with very little variation. In addition, difficulty is often erratic and the same type of mission on the third island might end up much easier than a previous iteration.

The gameplay is where this game shines. There is very little wrong in this department. Virtually everything is scalable and running around the city is very fun- the biggest problem is that after playing inFamous, you will probably try doing the same in another game and end up dissapointed. My experience with the Uncharted 2 demo was hindered a bit by the lack of grabbable objects (but it was still incredibly fun). Unlocking new abilities in inFamous is very rewarding, and the progression is timed well to upgrade just in time for the final boss fight. Bosses are pretty cool, but seem inspired by very old school boss fights (particularly the second fight) up until the end.

The graphics are good in certain parts. The character models are decent body-wise and animations are very, very smooth. However, face models are terrible and cut scenes suffer for it. Also, as you run around the city, understandable but noticeable pop-up is very common.

Longevity is no problem and impressive for an action game, with lots of collectibles. If you're into that sort of thing. I didn't care for the karma actions, mostly because citizens are always in the way and don't know when to run for cover when a battle is clearly ensuing. Also, the "Karma Moments" often seem contrived and cheesy, and almost always with punishment for the "good" choice. I was good, and did not replay with the bad path... but I didn't really care. The same main events will happen, with a presumably different ending.

Conclusion

All in all, it was pretty alright. Not in the upper echelon, but I would like to see where they go from here. And on that note, I would like to say for my part, I couldn't care less if they change the voice actor for Cole. His voice was painfully generic and Dark Knight Batman-like.

aGamesCom 09

2009-08-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

At GamesCom 09, lots of information has come to light. Most notably, a major overhaul PS3 has been announced, Fable 3 is announced and looks to be featuring some very weird features, and The Old Republic is suddenly coming out on only one system. Can you guess which one?

PS3

Apparently, Sony has decided that they needed to keep with previous iterations of the Playstation and release a slim PS3. It uses a stand to prop itself up, and features a $100 price drop from previous Playstation 3's. However, this PS3 will only come in 120 GB versions. Personally, I think this new PS3 looks absolutely ugly as sin- like a third party electronic device. It has lost all style points in my book. Even the logo looks uncool as compared with the old one. The Slim also will not support backwards compatibility.

In fact, backwards compatibility is, according to John Koller from Sony, is not a marketable feature and will not be appearing in the foreseeable future of the PS3. I don't know if that's true, the marketability, that is, but I know that I made sure I bought a backwards compatible PS3. That's a lot of games they are completely leaving in the dust! It is true that more buyers buy for Blu-Ray, and did especially when it was the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market. But now? People want a library of games. That's why they're buying the 360. I have been to many, many sites where the edge is given to the Xbox for the incredible volume of games.

Also worth noting, the standard PS3 has also seen a price drop to $299.

Fable 3

Not far in the wake of Fable 2, the sequel is promising to surpass its predecessor as the self-proclaimed premiere Xbox RPG. Peter Molyneux has announced a few features, including the ability to judge people (ooh!). The most important feature, though, is the integration of motion controls in character-NPC interaction and gestures. I think it's a positively atrocious idea, but whatever. How do you claim that Natal is a casual gamer experience, and then say that Fable is supposed to be a supreme RPG (implicating hardcore gamers). Make up your mind! There better be an option to use regular controls, too.

I haven't liked Fable since the first one, where they had one of the best games of all time (albeit was a bit short), so I don't care. But Molyneux is really pushing this Natal nonsense.

The Old Republic

A game I was looking forward to (until I learned about the inevitable monthly charge) for a long, long time is Star Wars: The Old Republic. Reportedly an MMO coming to the PS3, 360, and PC, this was supposed to be a spiritual successor to the Knights of the Old Republic series.

Apparently, console gamers can keep dreaming. Though KOTOR was originally a console game, later ported to the PC, SWTOR is officially only coming to the PC. Fun stuff! Sure, it's better suited to a PC, but the point was it was going to finally bring MMO gameplay to the consoles.

Fun stuff!

Is "Halo" Just Geek for "Generic"?

2009-07-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

I think I need to preface this post with a quick note, to avoid all the angry hate-mail I'm bound to get for this article. This article is not intended to slam or stick-it to Halo (no pun intended). I do in fact play Halo at multiple friends' houses, and I do find that Halo 3 online multiplayer is far superior to much of the current first-person shooter game market. I also appreciate the fact that Halo 3 is not completely broken, unlike Halo 2 (BXR should not work as an intsta-kill, and mastering glitches should not be the reason someone is better than me at the game- but I digress). Halo 3 is very, very fun to play, especially with friends and online. I was never much of a fan of the campaign at all, actually. I don't think Halo is a bad game, by any means, but I do find it to be a very typical shooter that maybe excelled in its time, but like Goldeneye 007, has been surpassed many times by myriad other games (Call of Duty, Bioshock, Half-Life 2 [Ep. 1 + 2]). With that said, let's dive in.

It seems that Halo has gotten quite the crowd since its inception- for better or for worse. When Halo: Combat Evolved was first announced, the prospect of a gorgeous mainstream first-person shooter coming to Macintosh computers was out-of-this world cool. Naturally, Microsoft followed up the announcement by buying Bungie and leaving Mac users out to dry until much, much later.

The game met with excellent critical appeal and quickly became known as the first functioning first person shooter on a console, the Xbox. Up until Halo's release, games like Half-Life (1), Doom, and Duke Nukem were the more popular games. The issue is, of course, debated- some people think that Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark 64, and Deus Ex, were the true landmarks, despite their imperfections by today's standards.

First ever screenshot of Halo
from the original keynote presentation

Popular belief is that Halo popularized online play. This is, in fact, untrue- it was not until Halo 2 that Xbox Live was incorporated. Halo: Combat Evolved had only LAN and offline multiplayer. Brilliant HUDs and split-screen action were the key in making this game so fun when playing with other people.

anAside: A year after Halo came out, a "true" successor to Goldeneye 007 came out for the Xbox, Ps2, and Gamecube- Nightfire. For me, this game had exactly what Halo lacked: bots. Halo has no bots. It still doesn't, in its third iteration, either. Word is ODST might have it, but who knows?

The franchise then took off with Halo 2 and it's online component, Halo 3, and Halo Wars. Hype is quite high for the coming Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach (the latter maybe incorporating Natal motion control).

Negative criticism (from myself, included) for the series has been mostly around the very poor in-game plot (which was rectified, to some extent, through the book series that elaborates on the story), lack of variety in weaponry, and hardly any use of the [Havoc] physics engine.

Other slammers claim the Halo series is being "milked" for its brand-name, and there will never be an "end" as promised with the announcement of Halo 3 and Reach. Where there's money to be made, Microsoft is there. For that point, I am inclined to agree.

In a quiet revelation, recently, I noticed something on from Game Informer magazine. Just after Halo: Recon was announced, Game Informer did their cover story on it- giving much of the world a first look. Then, in the next issue of GI, after Recon was re-named ODST, an article clipping stated something along the lines of "An Already Generic-sounding Game Gets Even More Generic".

And this all brings me to my point- is Halo the very definition of "generic gaming"? I have always though first-person shooters are incredibly similar and are the embodiment of what non-gamers think of when they think video games. Point, shoot. Move on. Point, shoot.

Halo, of course, takes this to the extreme. I have found it to be a bored, lackadaisical attempt at revolutionizing the gaming industry. I heard one commenter call the sequels the "Madden-update of the FPS genre". The story can't hold a candle to the very worst Star Trek, Babylon 5, Firefly, or Star Wars episodes- and I don't consider the books to be official cannon (I shouldn't have to buy/read a supplement to get my standard storytelling). Weapons are variations on Quake at best, with the only gun they came up with being the Needler until Halo 3. Plasma versions of regular guns do not constitute originality, and gun balancing was pretty much absent in Halo: CE. One could argue that point in Halo 2/3.

Bear in mind that Halo 3 did incorporate some things I liked, that varied up the gameplay (i.e. the bubble shield and gravity hammer). And I did appreciate the three factions in Halo 1 (story-wise) with the Sentinels vs. Flood. Vs. Covenant. But they lost me with all that prophet stuff.

There are instances when FPS games hit a sweet spot, as in Half-Life 2- definitely one of the best games of all time.

Nevertheless, without Halo, we wouldn't have Caboose, Donut, and the whole Red vs. Blue gang. So thank you, Bungie!

Finish the fight. (Not really, though.)

PLEASE reply if you have anything to say on this! Keep it clean and don't just say things to say them. Think it out before you post. I know this is bound to incite some angry sentiments, but read the whole article. Thanks for reading!

aGod of War- News

2009-07-26T11:05:00.001-07:00

Since any and all things God of War are important, I ran across a bit of news I wanted to mention. According to Game Informer,

"Sony Computer Entertainment announced that God of War fans have something to look forward to, just in time for Comic-Con. Most appropriately, DC Comics will be publishing a new six-issue series based on the misadventures of Kratos and his God pals. The series is being written by New Teen Titans alum Marv Wolfman, and it will be published by DC’s WildStorm Imprint starting this October."

I particular like the "misadventures of Kratos and his God pals" comment.So DC is making a God of War comic? Cool! Go DC. Now all we need is Kratos to star in the DC Universe game as one of the Heroes. I hope that the comic looks as good as all the God of War Concept Art.

aGame To Look Out For- Borderlands

2009-07-23T16:07:00.001-07:00

It hasn't gotten all the press attention it deserves, but be on the lookout for Borderlands this coming Fall. I know there are supposed to be a ridiculous number of games coming out this holiday season, but keep an eye out for Borderlands, coming out for PC, 360, and PS3.

Borderlands Trailer

It features awesome art design in cel shaded graphics (almost Crackdown style, but cooler in my opinion) and an absolutely stunning RPG/FPS mix of gameplay that looks to revolutionize the genre(s). The most impressive part, though, is the incredible amount of loot in the game.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of weapons in the game. There are also different weapon companies where the guns will come from, and each of the gun companies will have materials they use and styles they specialize in. Algorithms in the games code will create new guns all the time using available resources, sometimes surprising the game creators themselves. It's like Crysis, but for variety algorithms to generate items instead of graphics algorithms to scale up resolution.

Enemy types also have this algorithm, albeit more limited (more aggressive enemies that claw at you vs. more passive enemies that roll at you).

There are four classes of character to pick from. The game is built for co-op, so presumably the game will find three other people of different classes when you play online. Your character, most importantly, will be your character in single player, online, and everywhere else. Your loot, money, levels, experience, etc. will follow you through Borderlands. It's your character.

What if everyone picks the same class, though?

Anyway, I'm super excited about this game. Feel free to comment with anything I missed!

aFacebook Group

2009-07-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

Check out our Facebook group- join if you haven't already! Use it as a resource to spread the word, and to have discussions about current gaming news or topics from the blog.
It's up to you!

aSmattering of Gaming News

2009-07-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Mergers, Mergers, Everywhere...

Apparently Criterion (the Burnout people) have taken over the Need for Speed game slated for 2010 (after Shift and Nitro) to make a "revolutionary" NFS title.

"Revolutionary", aka "Good"- basically saying "You guys lost it years ago, now we're stepping in to fix your broken a**."

I think it's because the NFS people haven't made a good game since Most Wanted, maybe even Hot Pursuit 2.

Tyler Gabriel, a good friend of mine who knows quite a bit about graphical prowess and other technical video game things, had an idea that the new game might have the excellent Burnout gameplay with the Need for Speed story and car customization. In my opinion, NFS never really had good storylines... just cheesy live action-action scenes à la Command and Conquer. But as for customization, sure. And maybe, just maybe, Burnout fans prayers will be answered and cops will enter the Burnout arena. Paradise City with cops chasing? Sounds sick.

I find it hilarious Need for Speed has thrown in the towel, though, to the winner of the arcade racer. Now we need to see who wins the racing sim wars (Gran Turismo, Forza, etc.). Forza 3, by the way, looks amazing graphics-wise, and Split/Second looks interesting, too.

No new Burnout game is on their radar right now, however. All attention is being devoted to Paradise (DLC) and NFS 2010.

Also of note- Diablo creator and ex-Blizzard North head David Brevik will be lending his talents to Marvel Universe Online.

Another recent merge has occurred in the MMO world. Bioware and the creators of Warhammer have been combined through EA. We know Bioware can produce quality games, and is a very strong developer. Warhammer, on the other hand, has had somewhat of a rocky start. The question is, can Bioware rectify Warhammer? Warhammer games have always had a special place in the hearts of RTS fans, and their ideas have been ambitious. The execution, however, has not been the best. Leave a comment if you have any ideas on this!

Mass Effect 2 on PS3? Maybe.

So it looks like the PS3 will not be seeing ports of both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, to my chagrin and the chagrin of every RPG-loving Playstation-owner. Or does it?

As Microsoft is no longer on the scene, and EA has taken the reins on the project, I was very hopeful that it would become a multiplatform title. Naturally, there have been myriad speculations on the web and amongst gamers, but I would love to see the excellent RPG head over Sony's way. Even on the Bioware site, in the Mass Effect FAQs, the question "Will there be a PS3 version of Mass Effect 1 and 2?" is answered with "Mass Effect 2 is planned for the PC and Xbox 360." If the answer was no, why wouldn't they just say so?

My guess is either a Bioshock-style transition, where the PS3 gets the title(s) later, or EA is fighting with Microsoft over rights. Either way, I desperately want Mass Effect on my PS3- I have absolutely loved all of the Bioware RPGs- Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2, and Jade Empire. It's obviously not a development issue from Bioware, as Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to be a PS3 release along with Dragon Age: Origins. So what's going on?

Derrick Comedy

Alright, this has nothing to do with video games, I wanted to just pitch everyone on this movie coming out in the fall. I don't know if you have seen or heard of DERRICK, but they're an NYU graduate sketch comedy group. They are absolutely hilarious (I saw them live in New York), and they have a series of very funny sketches on youtube.com (search Derrick Comedy, and you'll find them). Their hit Sundance Film, Mystery Team, looked absolutely hilarious, and it has finally been picked up by a distributor (Roadside Attractions). Everybody who saw it thought it was funny. It hits theaters near you this fall. Can't wait!

For more information, go to http://www.mysteryteam-movie.com/ and http://www.derrickcomedy.com/.

Make sure to comment below!

aReturn After aMonth- Recent Mobile Gaming News

2009-07-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

Apple and Sony

Hey everyone- I'm back after a month's hiatus. Matthew Townsend's blog post concluding his greatest RPG list should be along with in the next few days (fingers are crossed). We have some major news in the portable gaming world to talk about. First up, we have the acclaimed Resident Evil series from Kojima making its way over to the iPhone (and iPod Touch) App stores. This We'll get back to Apple later when we talk about the PSP and its supposed war with the PSP. PSP2 may end up looking like the PSP 4000 concepts floating around online. Apparently, Eurogamer in Spain claims to have seen a prototype of the PSP2. It is claimed to feature a quad-core processor similar to the original Xbox in graphic potential. It also supposedly runs DX 10 (riiight) and OpenGL 2.0 (maybe?). We can only hope they're right, but we still have no clue about analog sticks.

Unfortunately, we can assume that Sony won’t be releasing a dual-analog PSP any time soon (much to my chagrin), mostly in part because they do not want people going out and by the "Lite" or "portable version" of the PS3 for 200 or so instead of 400. That sucks. That means Remote Play will forever be handicapped.

Background: I’ve owned a Slim PS2, 2 PSPs (1000 and 2000, screw the 3000 and its messed up screen) and 1 PS3.

Releasing the PSPgo was possibly the most ridiculous marketing idea ever, up there with the Macbook Air. Who wants that? There are no advantages to the system sans digital download. It costs more and you get a smaller screen, and sliding screens break all the time…

If they in fact want to compete with Apple, then they simply do not understand Apple’s marketing technique. Any tech geek knows Apple is releasing new iPods every fall, and rumors are that the new iPod touch is going to be way different than the old one. Sony is therefore competing with past products in about two months time, and not staying ahead of the curve- just like you mentioned.

So much potential, but Sony’s too greedy.

No comment on the PSPhone, because it's too stupid for word. How could a company brand new to the iPhone competitors market compete with the iPhone if not even big names in the industry couldn't do it? Verizon failed, Google failed, etc. I'm not defending the greatness of the iPhone,

I'm just saying that a PSPhone wouldn't stand a chance. NGage, anyone?

And on the iPod Touch, apparently the general consensus about the iPod Touch and its successor to be revealed this fall is that the new Touch will be quite large, more like a small tablet PC than anything else. Whether or not any of that is true remains to be seen, but it would be cool... and maybe someday, we'll have a full sized touch to play this:

R.U.S.E. Trailer

For future reference, always check out (this site, of course) your favorite game review site (IGN, agamebag, etc.), and then cross-reference the score a game got with either metacritic.com or gamerankings.com. For game media, check out gametrailers.com. And for game information (i.e. release dates and the like), usually best to check out gamefaqs.com.

aMotion Control War

2009-06-27T09:02:00.001-07:00

This year's E3 was possibly the greatest in many years. With an absolutely stunning lineup of games and slick presentations from each of the major platforms, it appears that E3 has been returned to its former glory. Perhaps the most interesting announcement, however, was the motion control offerings from every platform.

In the gaming world, there is an assortment of feelings on motion controls. The opinion of many gamers is that motion controls are fine and well, but hardcore gamers would never use them seriously and that they are more of a gimmick than anything else. Others (mostly developers of the technology itself) believe that motion controls are not just for the casual gamer. They believe that what has made the Wii so successful can be brought to the mainstream gaming community and that some major titles, if not all, will incorporate this new method of control. Having said that, let's get on with the contenders!

Nintendo- Wii MotionPlus

Nintendo managed to come out of E3 with mixed overall reviews in terms of its press conference. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that their software lineup and new hardware is very solid and will easily compete with both Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo announced a fully functional and ready-to-market version of Wii MotionPlus, improving the accuracy of the Wiimote and giving players the full control they need over their games.

MotionPlus will be incorporated into many highly anticipated games, including Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus, and Tiger Woods 10 (which is available for purchase now). Tiger Woods 10 has received favorable reviews as the first of the MotionPlus games, and can be purchased in a package with the MotionPlus peripheral.

Essentially, MotionPlus gives the Wii control system a much needed makeover, finally giving players the 1 to 1 experience they were looking for. For the here and now, Nintendo takes the cake because its system is the only one available currently.

Microsoft- Project Natal

First up was Microsoft with its announcement of Project Natal. Natal had an incredibly sick n' slick series of pre-recorded demos. These videos, all available on gametrailers.com, show a family all taking part in the fun (Wii-copy, anyone?).

And on that subject- Microsoft Avatars vs. Miis, and Natal's target audience vs. the Wii target audience. Is Microsoft trying to break in on Nintendo's casual gamer demographic?

The real test, though, came with their live demonstrations. Apparently, a lot of "smoke and mirrors" (quoted from epicbattleaxe.com) were used in the fancy video they showed to announce Natal. In fact, Milo, the Peter Molyneux creation that looked so promising in concept of a virtual, intelligent boy with which you can interact with (insert joke here), has since been attacked by various people in the business. Test results show it has very specific in what the interactions are, and the thought now is that Milo is not as advanced and organic as he was portrayed, but rather fairly straightforward and simple script AI.

Despite all this, their live demos showed some promise. Their breakout demo (or whatever that dancing thing was) seemed to work... but honestly, I couldn't see myself doing that in front of my TV. I was not aware someone could look more ridiculous than they do playing Wii games, but I was wrong. The demo with the Microsoft Avatars ended quite hilariously when a glitch contorted the live demo avatar into a pretzel knot.

Since E3, games such as Burnout Paradise have been tested with their new controls and appear to work alright. Take a look, though, at the live Jimmy Fallon presentation, wherein the gamers were all wearing weird orange jumpsuits. The folks at GameTrailers suspect maybe these suits are needed for the camera to read your movements, and that their excuse that they were "trying to look like a team" was pretty much B.S. If that is in fact the case, they can kiss their campaign goodbye.

In all honestly, this looks a lot like the original EyeToy which was FAIL. At least Sony realized Nintendo had it right with their controller idea. People are not controllers- hand held devices like the 360 controller are and have been honed over the decades to get better and better. They've lasted for a reason, and now Microsoft is getting rid of it (albeit not entirely). Is that the right choice? Do you want to have to tell your Xbox to "Select Movie", "Play Movie", and "Turn off"? Not for me, thanks. I'll hit a button if it's alright with you.

Microsoft does have a leg up on Sony because they have managed to get out developer packages with Natal software already, but they remain behind Nintendo (obviously) and may stand to lose this fight. Their noticeable lack of a controller has left many to feel that this really can never break into hardcore gaming circles- a trigger, a controller, a something are almost always needed for a "true" gaming experience. I, for one, agree; this leads me to my next and final contender.

Sony- Sony Motion Control

Sony presented as well- as representatives took the stage, the crowd laughed a bit as they revealed their strange-looking wand-with-a-glowing-orb device. Of course, this wand is merely a prototype and will be undoubtedly redesigned with sleekness in mind (as per other Sony products) and priced ridiculously (also per usual). Keep in mind that this is speculation.

Described by some press as a Wii 2.0 controller, this wand really stole the show. It showed deadly 1 to 1 accuracy and excellent response times to motion. The controller works with the EyeToy to create a virtual world wherein the wand is replaced by objects (a gun, a sign, a baseball bat, etc.). The initial demos were standard fair, including drawing and painting. Block building also showed its head, and I wonder if they are planning on incorporating this new technology for LittleBigPlanet 2- this accuracy may be very useful in level creation. The demos ended with a sample of how an RTS might work with the controller and how the first person action works. The remote was so accurate, the demo-ers were able to actually tickle the skeleton warrior in the demo with their swords. The final demo showed the remote being used to fire arrows out of a bow at an army of skeleton warriors in an arena. It worked great- exactly what we wanted in Twilight Princess and other Wii games. Then again, Sony's motion controller is slated for next year, and MotionPlus on the Wii is out now and working.

Sony also forwent eliminating the controller like Natal, which, for me, is very important. As the demo-ers said, "This just wouldn't feel right without a trigger in my hand."- an obvious swipe at Microsoft. On that subject, I noticed a seeming slap-dash appearance of the Sony motion control presentation. While the actual device worked amazingly well and the physics employed in the tech demos were absolutely stunning, it did seem like someone at Sony had heard from Microsoft a month before E3 that they were cooking up something big and that they needed something quick to keep up (hence the lack of polish employed in Microsoft's conference).

aWinner

Having said all that, I believe Sony had the most practical and promising motion control presentation there. Sure, I have a PS3 and may be a little biased- but check out other sites and reviews. They tend to agree. They have the physical controller, the graphics, the physics- all they need is the polish and shine to put them over the top. Come next Spring, the Wii will have some serious competition. Let's all be glad they have moved away from the EyeToy concept...

In Conclusion

It should be noted that the mysterious competitor OnLive that appears to be bent on crushing the console market this holiday season does not, at this time, support motion controls. While this may change in the future once the systems have been established (if they take hold at all), for now, it gives the Wii, Xbox, and Playstation consoles a bit of an edge. Naturally, this all depends on how you feel about motion control.

E3 '09: aReview

2009-06-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of press coverage of E3 09, and so I will not bore everyone with every single detail. However, there are some big things happening in the gaming industry, and I think it is important to point out the upcoming titles and technology announced at this years biggest gaming expo. E3 09 has been called the best E3 in a long time, and rightfully so.

First of all, everyone, including Nintendo (although their presentation was still lackluster), presented very impressive stuff in their respective press conferences. Here is aBreakdown of the cool crap coming from the three big companies, and then some independent news.

Nintendo:

The (not-so-secret) announcement of Wii MotionPlus, revised after last year's reveal.

Wii Vitality Sensor

New Super Mario Bros.- on the Wii

Super Mario Galaxy 2- with Yoshi, admittedly really a Super Mario Galaxy 1.5 (kind of an expansion)

Wii Speak- finally incorporate a microphone in online play. Way to get on board with the rest of the gaming world, finally...

Wii Fit Plus- Wii Fit with MotionPlus...?
Wii Sports Resort- looks to showcase Wii MotionPlus with the old games plus Ping Pong and others

Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles

The Conduit- nice graphics, looks to finally compete with the only other good FPS on the Wii, Metroid

Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers

Metroid: Other M- a mix of 3D and 2D third-person gameplay, developed in part by the guys behind Ninja Gaiden. It was a big hit at E3.

Scribblenauts- DS, very cool game where you write a word and your character will interact with obsticles according to your input

Microsoft:

Project Natal (pronounced Nah-TAHL, apparently)- including Milo and all the rest

Last.fm- free for Xbox Live Gold users this year

Facebook- new download to integrate Xbox Live and Facebook, as well as post challenges, etc.
from within games

Mass Effect 2- made everyone giddy, and I wish it was coming to the PS3

Alan Wake- finally made a gameplay appearance, but didn't wow more than any other game

Shadow Complex- XBLA Unreal Engine-based side scroller arcade game that looks very cool, although it glitched during their demo

Joy Ride

Splinter Cell: Conviction- officially a 360 exclusive, for now...

Crackdown 2

Left 4 Dead 2- now with melee weapons!

Forza 3- an amazing continuation of the excellent driver simulation, Forza Motorsport

Halo ODST/Reach- if you care, you already know

Sony:

Sony Motion Control- winner, in my opinion, for its deadly accuracy

PSP Go- a smaller screen, eliminated UMD's, and a 16 GB storage capacity all for a sizable $250

Heavy Rain- crazy game, you have to look it up to understand it. Check out some gameplay footage on GameTrailers.com.

The Last Guardian- very moving trailer, all in-game rendering

God of War 3- actual gameplay footage. It's looking amazing, naturally.

MAG - 256 player online first-person shooter with squads and rewards/perks

Probably-Not-Exclusive Final Fantasy XIV Online- many sites have said that this game is likely to come to the 360

Gran Turismo 5

Agent- published by Rockstar

ModNation- same vein as LittleBigPlanet, with user-created levels and character designs

LittleBigPlanet- PSP

Gran Turismo- PSP, with something crazy like 800 or 900 cars available

Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny- PSP, guest character: Kratos from God of War

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker- PSP

Resident Evil Portable- PSP

Independent:
Assassin's Creed 2- 360, PS3, PSP. It is very nice to look at, the attention to detail isastounding, and hang glider (and other Da Vinci devices) gameplay looks fun (let's hope it isn't so repetitive as the original).
Tony Hawk Skate Board Controller for Tony Hawk Ride- supposedly very realistic and immersive, appears to be a direct response to Skate 1 and 2's realistic approach. New Direction for the Tony Hawk franchise.

OnLive- not the first time we've seen it, but it was present handing out merchandise and keeping mum on its prices, etc.

The Beatles Rock Band- finally we get some Beatles songs! Take a look at the trailer if you haven't seen it... it's awesome!

The Old Republic- Bioware MMO for the consoles and PC. It had the SICKEST trailer at E3, definitely worth watching.

DJ Hero- I had my doubts, but it looks pretty sick! Scratch: The Ultimate DJ is its competitor, and there have been quite the legal proceeding surrounding these two titles... check it out here!

Check back soon for a new post on aMotion Control War!

aList of the Top 10 RPG's You Should Buy, Part 1 by Matthew Townsend

2009-06-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

This "Best of" list is going to be very refreshing for people who have read lists like these before. I can guarantee you will not find another greatest RPG list with the games in this order, and I would be surprised if you know some of these games at all. The fact is, the RPG genre is one of the best the gaming world has to offer. Few games immerse you in worlds so detailed and memorable with characters that can almost seem real. When playing an RPG, you feel as if you are doing far more than just pushing buttons. You’re manipulating an environment. Playing a good RPG is akin to reading an excellent book or watching a great movie, except you are the main character and you control the outcome.

When games have sequels that are played out on the same singular storyline, I will rate the series, not the individual game.

10. The Legend of Dragoon

Both the fact that this game received so little attention and the fact that I’m sure many RPG fans have never even heard of it is a crime. This is an oldie, made for the original Playstation. This game is the stereotypical RPG, sure, but it's done right. It starts out pretty bland, but turns into one of the most interesting story lines in the genre. The battle system is a simple turn based, but with a timing element added for special attacks. Players also have the option of wielding more powerful versions of their characters by transforming into a Dragoon, granting them greater stats and new special abilities. This game also boasts an impressive length, spanning 4 disks. After beating this one, you have a true sense of accomplishment. This is definitely one to pick up.

9. Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time

This game is simply amazing. It has all the typical elements of a Legend of Zelda game; however they are put into a beautiful 3D world on a scale that hadn’t been seen. This game is fun, has a great pace all the way through, and features a great story line. There isn’t really much to say except go buy it. Even people who aren’t a fan of Zelda games will love this one.

8. Final Fantasy XII

Square Enix is known for chugging out great RPGs. This is by far no exception. This game features the usual for a Final Fantasy game, great graphics for the time, great plot, memorable characters, and great character and monster designs. What puts this one on the map is that it features customization at its finest. The use of the license board enables you to control your character down to their very core- literally. This customization is far more that just choosing what type of magic to use or what types of weapons can be equipped. You choose the individual spells and weapons you want them to use. Not white magic and spears, but rather Cura and a specific lightning attribute spear, for example. This leaves you with the room to make character the way you want them and not the way Square packages them. The only reason this game isn’t higher is the battle system. While some people find it interesting and different, many still find it to be complete garbage. I identify with the second group. The use of target lines and spell preparation is more annoying than functional in battle.

7. Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria

You will not find another game on the market that plays like this sequel to an old classic. You move through the world in a linear manner, but nothing about the game feels linear, and the interaction you are allowed and expected to use on the environment outside of battle is done phenomenally. Aside from that, battles in this game are simply fun to watch. Seeing all the different characters you can collect engage in the truly cinematic special attack sequences is nothing short of art. You’ll have a hard time putting this one down.

6. Radiata Stories

Here is a game that defines the term "addictive". Besides offering two separate story lines that you can choose from (both carried out excellently), the game allows you to recruit 177 different characters. Not impressed yet? How about this, every character has their own daily schedule, completely independent of you. You will see a character preaching at a church with people attending sermons every day. All the characters travel around living out their lives without any interaction form you needed. They wake up, go to school, go to get food, go to church and a variety of other places by themselves. It’s fun just to keep track of where everyone is and what they are doing for the sake of trying to recruit them. One character, for example, might be uninterested in you at all times in the day, but you may be able to convince her to join you while she’s working on her magic at the Vareth Institue. It’s all completely fascinating. Battle mechanics are average, but still sufficient to keep your interest long enough for you to get into the game. The story line is hilarious as well.

5. Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope

This game is mediocre in many respects: story, character development, comedy factor. However, it trumps every other RPG right now by one factor alone: the battle system. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it here: this is the only RPG I’ve played where I can be in a dungeon for two hours straight and still hope to run into enemies, just so I can have a chance to battle. The game is just pure fun. I don’t see how anyone can play this game and not enjoy it. The battle system alone can get you through everything else. The game’s plot, while not great, suffices. It also seems to lack any parts that "lag" noticeably. This is a game you won't put down until you beat it.

These are the first six games in a two part series. Stay tuned next week for the last four games on my list!

-Matthew Townsend

Xbox 360 vs. PlayStation 3: aBattle Royale!

2009-06-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

So- my friend Matthew Townsend and I have been going back and forth on the 360 vs PS3 argument, and I felt I would make a clear argument, all written out, on what the advantages/pros and disadvantages/cons are for both systems.

Let's start with the 360:

Now, there are absolutely myriad things that are good on the 360. No doubt.

Let's take a look at the first of the two biggest pros on the 360: Xbox Live

The Xbox Live system has been in place for many, many years now. I has had time since the original Xbox to grow and expand, allowing Microsoft to perfect an already impeccable system. The voice overs (although they make everyone sound like the most annoying seven-year-old kid in existence) work absolutely brilliantly mid-gameplay- something that has been duplicated almost exactly only through X-Fire on the computer.

No only that, but the format of Xbox Live (i.e. managing your achievements, friends, etc.) is well-done and very user-friendly (not so typical of Microsoft).

Of course, there is the negative side of the Xbox Live system. Live costs around $50 a year for a Gold membership, the highest version available. This is, in all truth, not such a crazy price for a full year. However, when compared with FREE, it still hits that barrier of costing at least a quarter of the price of the console.

Another supposed plus to the Live system is cross-platform gaming with Windows computers. I have yet to see it placed into any games worth noting, and it is unfair to pit Halo players on a console against PC users. First-person shooters, the inevitably popular choice for the Windows Live supporters, are simply unbalanced. Console users cannot move with the twitch-accuracy of the mouse. There is auto-aim to correct for that, but it still doesn't really match up. Plus, we all know RTS games would just be stupid cross-platform, with the PC automatically having the upper-hand. Pretty much, that only leaves some third-person action/shooters and MMO's.

The PS3 has recently incorporated the new concept of Home, a Second Life-esque (minus the naked people flying around and morons who have no lives) world where one can design a very realistic avatar and walk around a beautiful 1080p world. There, one can play mini-games, participate in current, live events, and watch trailers and other videos (like a live stream of E3 09). Granted, there are many features promised and not yet delivered, such as having the ability to invite friends to your house in-game and sitting around the tv to watch any videos on your hard drive or listen to the cd player with all of your music coming through live.

I suppose it's worth noting, the Microsoft avatars are available for creation and use, but they are essentially more detailed Mii's that don't do anything or go anywhere. Kind of pointless, if you ask me...

All in all, Live is not bad. It costs yearly, however, a major downer for me. Also, PS3 Home is absolutely brimming with potential and, as it has finally gone live for the public, it is going to quickly realize its full capabilities (hopefully). When that comes through, it will blast the 360's sad Wii-imitating avatars out of the water in my opinion.

Now we'll take a look at the other major Xbox draw- its lineup of exclusives and other games...

Note: This is not a list of ALL of the games, but the big players.

Beautiful Katamari
Blue Dragon 1 and 2
Crackdown 1 and 2
Fable (one and) II- The first one was was great, but I still have an old Xbox
Fallout Extra DL Content
Forza Motorsport 1, 2, 3
Gears of War 1 and 2
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, XBL Exclusive Content
Halo 3, ODST, Reach, Wars
Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 (Too bad they are exclusive- good games!)
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise/Party Animals

List of PS3 Exclusives:

Afrika
Agent
The Agency (PC and PS3 exclusives)
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
Fat Princess
Final Fantasy Versus XIII, maybe Final Fantasy XIV
Flower
God of War III
Gran Turismo 5
Heavenly Sword
Heavy Rain
Infamous
Katamari Forever (Which looks awesome)
Killzone 2 (Best LOOKING game on the consoles thus far)
The Last Guardian
LittleBigPlanet
MAG
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Online
PixelJunk Eden, Racers, Shooters, Monsters
Quantum (Looks like a Gears clone, but is that really so bad?)
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Quest for Booty, Tools of Destruction
Resistance: Fall of Man, Resistance 2
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Unreal Tournament 3
Valkyria Chronicles
White Knight Chronicles

Here, it appears that PS3 has the edge. However, it really is in the opinion of the gamer, because certain games appeal to some more than others. As a PS3 fan myself, not all of those PS3 games are high on my list. Likewise, some of the 360 games are very strong pulls for me in the direction of the 360.

Now we turn to practicality and functionality of the systems. The PS3 has a bunch of inputs- USB (USB 2.0) slots, 1 SD card slot, and 1 CompactFlash (Type I, II) slot. It also has bluetooth, helpful for wireless connectivity to external peripherals, an HDMI port, and built-in wi-fi. It also supports Blu-Ray discs, a feature absent in the 360- HD movies are only part of it. Blu-Ray discs allow PS3 games to cram around five times the amount of data than DVDs. The PS3 also will upscale any DVD or video played on the system to at least 720p resolution, a noticeable difference on my television.

The 360 does have support for up to four wireless game controllers, 3 USB 2.0 ports, and 2 memory unit slots. It has significantly less hard drive space, as well as no automatic wireless- that will cost an additional 100 dollars for the add-on. No HDMI output forces the use of component cables, producing HD but not as easily (more set-up).

I am also refraining from mentioning the incredible burnout rate of the 360 and its poor manufacturing problems, because that's a whole other story. And the PS3 did have a line of poorly made blu-ray lenses on one or two lines of PS3's, so it wasn't unique (although much more widespread in the former).

The edge once again goes to the PS3.

Well, that's that for now. Weigh in with your opinions! I'm sure I left stuff out, please comment and I will either reply or add to the original note.

A few additions from Noah Siegal are below:

"Hey, the card readers on the PS3 were phased out after the first generation release. With the current 80GB models, there are no readers, and only 2 USB slots. Additionally, there is no backwards compatibility (in the currently produced models)."

"And don't refrain from commenting on the outrageous failure rate of the 360. I bought one about about 2 months ago, and 2 weeks ago it got the E74 error. I'm getting it back tomorrow and MS fixed it for free, but consider that."

Another pro is that "you can upgrade the [PS3] hard drive with almost any 2.5" laptop hard drive, as opposed to the small, proprietary HDDs that the 360 uses."- It is very easy to swap out your HDD for larger one, and without voiding warranty, as well.

"That's not to say that the PS3 doesn't fail, but not nearly as much as the 360..."

"Also consider that the newer 360s with the Falcon and Jasper chipset do have HDMI ports."

"All in all, I have both systems, and I love them both."

Note: All pictures are the property of their respective publishers and creators, not this author. This goes for all blog posts. All images are hyper-linked to their original host sites.

aReview: Half-Life 2

2009-02-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone-

This blog will have quite a few reviews of both new games and old. With that preface, I want to talk about probably the best first-person shooter ever made- Half-Life 2.

aList of the top FPS games on splegends.com ranks Half-Life 2 as the best shooter ever.

I couldn't agree more. I have been playing this game religiously for a few weeks- and I have to say, this game is amazing. For starters, let's get two things out of the way: Halo and multiplayer, because that's what everyone always uses to slam HL2. Halo 2, for a contemporary comparison to HL2, was considered by many people to be the be-all end-all of shooters. The issue with this is that Halo has so many issues and flaws, especially when compared with Half-Life 2. Whereas Halo has no physics engine of note, Half-Life 2 creator Valve spent a lot of time on making the physics impeccable. When enemies die, they don't spin around and crumple to the floor- they react to where you shoot them. Barrels explode realisticly. Water is actually fully rendered with its own set of interactions with the environment. Materials have different weights, densities.

Half-Life 2 also has copious different weapons, many of which are very, very original. Halo, on the other hand, does not. From the crappy Needler to the set of exactly-the-same-as-human plasma guns, there were no unique weaponry in that game. A better story with elements actually warranting an M rating, Half-Life 2 blows Halo 2 out of the water (which it can't even render).

Now- multiplayer. Many people slam HL 2's lack of online play. But what they need to understand is that a game is only as good as the fun you get out of it, the entertainment. For some, multiplayer makes a game endlessly entertaining. However, a game like HL2 has something lost in a game like Halo 2- a long, involving storyline with characters you actually care about. In my opinion, I would rather play through this single-player experience than Halo multiplayer any day. The point of multiplayer is to increase longevity from a decent campaign- play this campaign, and you won't have a need to increase its lifespan. A single player experience that crushes opposing campaigns puts this game at the top of my list for FPS games. Plus, the newly released Orange Box gives you the acclaimed Team Fortress 2, a great multiplayer experience (although not my personal preference).

These points aside, Half-Life 2 is really spectacular for a few reasons. The story, physics, and gameplay are impressive, but better than that is the variation in the game. I started Half-Life 2 with naught but my hands, and then a crowbar. No machine gun, no nothing- I was a prisoner, a captive. And from there, you become the best, the hero of the resistance- The Freeman.

The game is, honestly, a puzzle FPS, crazy mad dashes with limited ammo/health FPS, frantic firefight FPS, zombie FPS, vehicle FPS, environment altering FPS (Gravity Gun anyone?), squad-based FPS- and I'm not even done with the game. I also have the power to summon creatures called antlions to help me fight, I will be getting a gun that can toss organic objects (i.e. enemies).

When you then compare this craziness to a game like Halo or Far Cry, you see a distinct difference. Games like those remain frantic FPS-types and don't deviate at all.

The biggest push for this game, I think, is that as a hyper-critical person, I have yet to find a single fault in this game. Say again? No faults. Not a one.

Anyone who has ever played an FPS needs to play this game to see what all games should be measured against.

Amazing.

aRating: 11/10

Carmageddon- aClassic Review

2009-01-18T13:24:00.000-08:00

I don't know if anyone remembers this game. It was probably the most violent, inappropriate game to ever come out. Even Grand Theft Auto has a hard time matching the sheer gore and unapologetic raunchiness of Carmageddon. Note the fact that I am referring to Carmageddon one, not two. Carmageddon was a racing game that came out in 1997, and has remained one of my favorite racing games of all time. It paved the way so that games like Burnout, Twisted Metal, and Grand Theft Auto as it encouraged vehicular combat and manslaughter. It's sly-but-dirty sense of humor is still fresh today, and a highly recommended couple of hours of fun if you want to go download it. The game suffers only from a lack of vehicle variation and slight repetitiveness as you progress.

aGame of morals and values, it is not. aGame of fun, fun, fun... definitely!

aWelcome and aRebuttal to MSN

2009-01-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog, where we'll review video games, have console wars, and do whatever anyone wants- remaining appropriate and pertinent, of course.

First order of business: My rebuttal to MSN's Top 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2009 (click here to read the article)

I cannot BELIEVE God of War 3 didn't make the list, but I was also astounded about Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. They make a point of saying the Escape from Buther Bay was an award winning title, but they don't even mention AoDA, and instead focus on yet another racing game. Prototype also deserved mention, as well as Infamous (although I'm not really that interested). Call of Duty will likely see another iteration, as it saw two in 2008.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think that this is such a cop-out list. Final Fantasy XIII is way to easy- at least pick Final Fantasy Versus XIII. And Resident Evil 5, as well; it should have been in a note, "Resident Evil 5 has been left out, as well as Final Fantasy XIII, as these games are already highly anticipated." And I understand the need to include a Wii game, but Super Punch Out? Really? Over Muramasa: Demon Blade? Or Madworld? Madworld would be the PERFECT game to relieve sadness or anger- just ask people play Grand Theft Auto, it's a great way to let your rage run free. Heavy Rain is also a game which people should keep an eye on, as well as the Burnout: Paradise expansion set.

See, there are so many other games... I didn't even mention Darksiders: Wrath of War, Killzone 2, Brütal Legend, Bioshock 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Unnamed Crysis Game for Consoles, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Ninja Blade, (I really hate Halo but) Halo: ODST, Halo Wars, Team ICO's Unnamed Playstation 3 Project, Bayonetta, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Unnamed BigHugeGames RPG, Singularity, Battlefront 3, and many others. You really need to re-evaluate; this list is absolutely pathetic.