Under the Radar

So we all know that the big name titles are coming to us all very soon. I figured I'd post about some of the lesser known titles that will have a warm place in our consoles and our hearts.

First up is Beyond Good and Evil 2. Words can't explain how excited I am about this game. The first BG&E was perfect. Let's hope the sequel keeps up.






Next is Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. Pure Bad-Assery. New heroes, villains, moves, and great co-op button mashing fever. I got next.



Wolfenstein. To quote Dr. Dre, " I started this gangsta s#!t, and this the mf'ing thanks I get?" The original first person shooter is back. What's not to like about this game. Throwback WWII guns, beefy graphics, and most importantly a little Nazi gut stomping.


Little Big Planet. Those cute little bastards. With their great graphics and happy music. Standing over there looking all purdy and stuff. Son of a b!$#h..

Damnation. This game looks awesome. A futuristic Americana type co-op shooter. There's nothing about that phrase that doesn't kick ass.










Left For Dead. Zombies, Zombies, and more Zombies. Why the hell do we love these creatures so much. I mean they have virtually no social skills, they always ruin weddings, and you can't trust them alone with your girlfriend. Seriously, the game looks cool.


Dead Rising 2. Yes, even more zombies. Only this time you can smash their heads in with flat
screens, smack em in the mouth with a skateboard, or play pin the bullet on the zombie from 100 yards away. Sweet!!

Shark Week

This column is not game related, but still quite humorous.

This week is Discovery Channel's famous "Shark Week." We are graced with hours upon hours of footage that display the fearsome predators in all of their might. It has always reminded me that Labor Day is right around the corner and summer is fast coming to a close.

Discovery Channel has recently used "Shark Week" as a mechanism to educate people regarding sharks. Specifically, they are teaching us that sharks aren't that bad and are not out to get us. They teach us that sharks mistake us for seals. Survivorman Les Stroud, an obvious experts on sharks, told me last year that I have nothing to fear when it comes to sharks.

Tonight, I watched three hours of sharks tearing the ever living crap out of people in the must vicious of ways. I watched a dramatization of a woman getting her leg bit off, some poor sap having his arteries severed while protecting a fish he just caught, and an idiot standing in a pool of sharks get bit. Discovery sure does one hell of a sell job on sharks being harmless.

Time to get my harpoon gun.

Serious Fanboys Only

So I was scrolling through the web, bored as all get up. Xbox Live was only doing so much at the time and I was tired of watching cruddy television. Alas, the internet sufficed my boredom when I came across this...http://www.trueswords.com/covenant-energy-sword-video-game-sword-replica-type1-p-4030.html

That's right folks. For only 49.99, one can own a true part of Halo-ness with their very own Covenant Sword. This little beauty actually has the two tone blade that matches the game. At a whopping 27 inches long, don't expect to get past any airport security with this carry on.

Take that Halo Kid.

Who are the winners at this years E3?

Alright, so Nintendo showed us amazing games like......Wii music, er Animal Crossing: city Folk, uh, Wii Sports Resorts...could be fun right? Boo, this is crap.

Sony showed us amazing games like Resistance: Retribution, Little Big Planet, and God of War 3.....Sounds like another tough year for Sony. Thank god they have Metal Gear Solid. Where is awesome Home they've been talking about since launch? Sony ruled the video game world after Nintendo droped the ball in the mid 90's, now it looks like the tourch has been passed again.

Let's see what Microsoft is bringing to the table.

I really tried to give each console a fair chance, but it's so obvious who ruled this event. With games like Gears of War 2, Too Human, Fable 2, and Final Fantasy XIII will be available on the 360 as well.

It looks like this is the age of Microsoft. Long live the king.

The wii may be moving systems by being innovative, and user friendly, but it's only cool if you're 10, drunk, or both.

Playstation should have flooded the market with awesome games at this point, and have all the big games being released on their system, but they don't...so screw them.

Top 5 WTF Moments of 2008 E3

You will have to forgive the lateness of this post. I just came back from sweating my tail off while camping. Never, and I mean NEVER, camp in the middle of the freaking summer. Not the greatest of ideas.

Well, E3 is over and from what I have heard it was rather disappointed. I watched a good deal of E3 on G4 and various gaming sites. I have to agree with some of my journalist friends, this years E3 features a lot of WTF moments. Everybody has their opinions, here are my Top 5 WTF moments (in no particular order).

1. Duffy singing with Lips – Microsoft

Sorry, this was just inexcusable. How is this supposed to appeal to a gamer like myself? Putting a Miley Cyrus clone on stage who can’t even sing her own song right is a loser marketing strategy in my book.



2. At the Movies Demonstration – Microsoft

What do you get when you put four suits together to advertise an extremely dull game? It’s, AT THE MOVIES! I am going to give this an R rating for the pure amount of bullshit I saw on stage.

3. Jack Tretton on stage – Sony

Sony had a mediocre press conference made worse by the fact that Mr. Tretton has the people skills of Oscar the Grouch and excitement of Snuffleupagus regarding the product he is trying to sell.

4. WiiMusic Demonstration – Nintendo

Just watch the video. It is damn funny watching the suits act like they are really playing the instruments. What has come of Nintendo?

Ravi Drums was great.

5. Reggie Files-Aime on stage – Nintendo

“My name is Reggie. I'm about kickin' ass, I'm about takin' names, and we're about makin' games.” Yeah, right.

2006 E3 Sony Press Conference

I found this gem of a video on the internet. The best part was Gengi 2 "an action game based on actual history...famous battles that actually took place in ancient Japan...no here is a giant enemy crab." Classic.

The Dark Knight: Review

Anyone who has watched TV or been on the Internet in the last 6 months has been bombarded with images of the new Batman movie; and for good reason.. this movie is actually good..no GREAT!! It's dark overtone tragically connects the film on a more personal level to one of it's lead stars (Ledger). Who gives THE performance of his short career. Make no mistake about it, this movie may be called The Dark Knight but this was The Joker's show all the way.

I was a bit skeptical at first about how good Ledger would actually be. I mean anyone in their right mind knows that Jack Nicholson was the best Joker right??? Not anymore. Ledger conveys the fiend in a way that makes you almost understand the reason for The Joker's insanity. He conveys the image of a completely detached and deeply psychotic man who for some reason feels completely in control and remarkably sensible, preferring the thrill of the confrontation over the financial benefits that may result. To quote Alfred in reference to the Joker, "Some men just want to see the world burn." Returning for his second appearance, Christian Bale again plays the Batman and gives a solid and functional performance.

This movie is jam packed with action and slick and humorous dialogue. The villains are well thought out and the story leads me to believe that the next film will follow the rise of Two-Face. (see the pic for the only reason a person should need to quit smoking). For the sake of not spoiling the movie let's just say there are a few doors that will close and a few that will open for the next installment.

Movie goers do yourself a favor and SEE THIS MOVIE!!! You won't be disappointed.
The Dark Knight earns 9.0 straight jackets out of 10.

Too Human...too hyped??

With all the hype and games around E3, only one is playable by us at home. This one took ten years to make. Ten years in the making...ten years. As of July 14, we are finally able to play Silicon Knight's(Metal Gear Solid) Too Human on the Xbox 360, at least a few levels. At 1.4MB of space required, the game took a solid 45 minutes to download. The opening scene puts us in a room with many corridors and a giant tree in the center. A woman's voice speaks, greeting you as Baldur. The voice continues describing the 3000 year war that has been going on in an ice age of sorts. In this war, cybernetics have taken way of characters, both good and evil.

Upon beginning your campaign you get to choose your class of warrior. Your choices are Berserker, Defender, Champion, Commando, and Bio Engineer. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses which are described upon highlighting each. Unfortunately being a demo, we omly get to be a Champion, the most rounded of the bunch. The game begins with nice movie of course. The graphics seem a little grainy, but it is just a demo thus far. In a ship, you and your party is drop zoned into an area that is said no humans have returned from. Your character isn't exactly excited about this clarification.

The game is strictly third person. At the bottom left of your screen, you have the level of your character, life, ammo, weapon selection and experience percentage. All the things you need to win a war. Getting used to the controls is tricky. I immediately noticed that there is almost no control of the camera. Your d-pad allows different camera angles, but none are really too different from each other. Your left bumper centers the camera for you, but that's it for being in action. When you are not in combat, you can hold the left bumper and use the right analog stick to look around. Without the left bumper being held, your right analog stick activates your melee weapon. The direction you move the stick, the direction your melee button swings. At first you are armed with dual pistols, each controlled by your right(primary) and left(secondary) triggers. The a button jumps, the b button rolls, the x button is supposed to be a war cry and the y button is your spider skill and the right bumper activates your ruiner.

You run around for a while in these ruins, which don't look too bad. Seems like your enemies like statues. You run around a little more, break a few boxes which contain bounty(dollars) and other such goodies. Alas you'll witness your first enemy. It looks like a cross between a halogen lamp, a sunflower, a puma and Shredder of TMNT. As you fight, you'll use combination of your trigger attacks and your melee attacks depending where your enemies are. Each enemy is also labeled with a number for how much experience that kill is worth. Your first enemies die pretty easily.

As you go on throughout the game, kills award you with experience to level your character up, and skill points. From the pause menu, you can use your skill points to strengthen your character. Whether it be melee, gun, juggle or battle cry, a maximum of 10 points will can be used per class. As you level up each class, your character will be able to perform different moves. Also in the pause menu, you will be able to accessorize your character. Some enemies drop weapons and armor which you can upgrade in mid combat. Other times you can smitherize such items. Sometimes you will pick up weapons that you cannot use immediately because your character's skill level is too low.

So how is the game? It is labeled as an RPG of sorts, I find it more of an upgraded hack and slasher. Sure there are bosses with different weaknesses, but instead of mashing buttons, I'm mashing my analog stick. Some of the bigger enemies use the God of War technique, which requires you to press a button combination to finish them off. The duel pistols allow you to go at it Hard Boiled style, but it's nothing new that we haven't seen already. I actually prefer to use the rifle over the pistols. The graphics and sound are next gen, but nothing blows me away. There are some physics errors here and there. The plot seems to jump back in forth, almost confusing me at first, but leads into why your character can do certain techniques. The controls are probably the hardest thing to get used to, but once that happens, it becomes second nature.

All in all, this isn't the greatest game I have ever played. The action sequences are fun, but repetitive. It did entertain me and I do look forward to more of a story line than what we are provided. I can say this, it is not a game for all. If you are looking for the next best thing, I would keep looking. If you want something less realistic than GTA IV, and more action than a Dynasty Warriors game, this is your best bet. Would I buy it? Probably, would I play it again after I beat it? Probably not.

Look for Too Human to be on shelves August 19, 2008 at the usual Xbox 360 game price of $59.99.

Final Fantasy XCVIIIXXIIIIIIV Trailer

Not-So-Live E3 Microsoft Press Conference

Ok, so we aren’t exactly at E3…or in Los Angeles, but we do have representation at E3. Yes, indeed our apparel is at E3.

So, I had a chance to watch the Microsoft E3 Press Conference…fantastic.

I am going to do a very quick rundown on the presser with specific attention to things I thought were important.

Don Mattrick comes out on stage and says some positive things about the 360. And now, we move onto the games.

1. Fallout 3 from our local boys at Bethesda. For those of you who don’t know, Fallout is a post apocalyptic series. This game is set in D.C. and looks fantastic. I am really looking forward to this game. If you love Oblivion, you will probably want to check this game out. If anything, you are going to want to check the kill scenes. Good lord.

US Release Date: Holiday 2008

2. Resident Evil 5 is up next. Damn, I love the setting. How many games are set in Africa? The graphics look fantatic. What did I like the most? Co-op. This is the first RE title on XBOX and I am sure it will not disappoint.

US Release Date: March 13, 2009…that’s Friday the 13th.

3. Fable 2 is done and is an RPG. After watching RE 5 and Fallout 3, I am a little underwhelmed by the graphics. What I thought was really cool about this game was the VERY extensive co-op. If one of your friends is playing, you can find him or her in real time in the location they are currently at in the game. Very nice.

US Release Date: October

4. Gears of War 2: Intense, intense, intense. Very nice options and new weapons. The demo they showed was phenomenal. The graphics look ridiculously good.

US Release Date: November 7

Ok, those were the big four games. Don comes back out and talks about how fantastic the 360 is and how it dominates all other consoles. John Schappert comes out and starts talking about 360 innovation. Some highlights of this part.

1. NBC and Universal are both partnering with XBOX.

2. New Dashboard – please see Stealhcon’s post.

3. Gameshows for XBOX Live – 1 vs. 100.

….Good lord, is the XBOX really becoming an interactive console experience? I dunno, I just dunno…

4. Microsoft is partnering with Netflix…interesting.

Shane Kim comes on stage.

Ok, what the hell is up with all of these “suits?” The people that are coming on stage have to be the most socially awkward people. Gaming is a hobby. The last person I want talking to me about games is an Amway salesman.

Banjo Kazooie, Viva Pinata 2, Scene It! Box Office Smash..

The next thing that they announced is “You’re in the Movies.” This is where I started to laugh my ass off.

Shane Kim, Don Mattrick, John Schappert are all on stage for this doozy. Talk about suits looking ridiculous, it reminded me of the Lambda Lambda Lambda parties on Revenge of the Nerds.

In “You’re Making an Ass of Yourself,” you use the xbox live cam to…make an ass of yourself. Stupid stuff. Sorry, not for me.

Now we get to the music part.

Another suit, Kai Huang comes out and is even more socially awkward than the others. At least Peter Moore had some social skills.

Guitar Hero World Tour allows you to make your own songs. Metallica is partnering! This one looks very good.

Keeitchi Yanno comes out on stage to debut LIPS!

Yanno was obviously under the influence of some very good alcohol when he decided to name a game “lips.” There is just too many bad jokes hidden there.

Lips is a karaoke game. Wow, a motion sensitive microphone! You can rip music off of your Zune and iPod and sing along with it. And…Duffy comes out to turn this press conference to..

LUDICROUS SPEED!

Ok, enough of that garbage.

Rock Band 2 is up next. Looks good with a huge song list. I am looking forward to this. What song am I look forward to the most?

“Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. God Bless you Harmonix.

Wada from Square Enix comes out next and talks about the games Square Enix is producing.

Infinite Undiscovery, The Last Remnant and Star Ocean are all coming out in the next year.

Ok, we are done…

Wait a minute, Wada is back on stage.

Holy Shit.

FINAL FANTASY XVVIIIIXXII for XBOX 360!

WTF?

E3...Xbox 360 Updated Dashboard

So I've decided that this post won't be about the games rather the system. The game reviews will be updated at the close of E3 2008.

As I watch what the folks at Microfsoft have in store for their staple system I have to admit that I am rather impressed. Mainly at the upgrade to their existing Xbox Dashboard. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and after seeing what Microsoft has done the saying couldn't be more true. It is obvious that the folks at Apple have been getting under Microsoft's skin. The new Xbox Dashboard will look extremely familiar to anyone who has ever experienced the Leopard OS for Apple computers. The interactive panel system used in programs like Front Row for Apple have their influences conveyed in the new Xbox floating panel menu system.

Another blatant rip-off is the inclusion of the new Xbox version of Nintendo's Mii community. Gamers can now create their own unique avatars and interact with others from around the world, with distinct Mii looking characters. The uniqueness comes in when Xbox does what it does best. Allow gamers to connect. Cool innovations like group gaming, chatting, and even movie and television watching make this a truly unique experience. From what I took from the demo, if one person purchases a movie he or she can invite up to 7 friends to watch the video with them online. Cool Sh&%!!

I have never been into downloading TV shows on my XBL however I do occassionaly download movies. Microsoft has announced partnerships with NetFlix, NBC, and Universal. These high end partnerships can only mean one thing...extensive media options.

This fall update appears to be a doozy. It completely re-does everything about the XBox dashboard. Let's hope they didn't break something that didn't need fixing.

Overall, I am impressed with though still curious about Microsoft's new changes. My updated review on the changes will come along with the XBL update this fall.

SId Meiers's Civilization Revolution Xbox 360 review.

During the summer drought, It's always nice to have a good game to hold you over. Not only will this game hold you over, but it may stay in your disk tray for a long time. This is exactly what the Xbox needed, a well put together strategy game. The buttons and actions are simple and well organized.

The concept of the game is fantastic. You start out with an ancient civilization, and through research, development, and cultural enlightenment, you grow....until you either smash your enemies, control a vast majority of wealth, or have the majority of super fancy people (cultural victory). You get to choose from some of the greatest leaders the world has ever known (Caesar, Alexander, Ghengis Khan, Napoleon, etc).

Military:

I was very pleased with how military units are developed and controled. Build a town, order a unit, and that's it. Build different structures to improve the units that are created, easy stuff. Once you have a unit, it can move a certain amount of spaces depending on its capabilities. Get three of the same unit, hit the Y button...you've got an army.

I was amazed at the massive volume I was able to churn out unit after an hour or so. The A.I. is very clever and doesn't waste time getting Sh&% done. Negotiating is a great concept in the game. You can buy yourself valuable time, by making a temporary truce, or paying the enemy off to leave you alone.

One of the best parts of this game is invading a town with tanks and plains only to find it is defended by losers with swords and arrows. If you have some old units that stick around, they can quickly become
outdated.

Culture:

Build magnificent structures, and spread your civilization far and wide. Great people throughout history will show up in your towns. Get enough of them, build the united nations....and you rule the world. Having great people join you adds massive bonuses to your stats....and lets everyone else know that your better then them.

Finances:

Hoard the worlds wealth, and control the world. Realistic enough right? Build the world bank, and you can sit back and know that the world is yours.

It's nice that you don't have to smash the enemy to pieces to win this game. You can play it however you like. Choose your government...democracy holding you back from slaughtering other nations? give Communism a try!

Invention is another key to success in this game. Develop religion, writing, or nuclear weapons. Developing these will greatly improve the culture and military in your cities.

Yes, you can play this online. Set up a random match on xbox live, and see who the better man is. Get a game going with your friends.....endless fun is to be had with this game.

This game came out at a great time. It would have been a shame to this come out in September-December and be overshadowed by the big hitters.

Let's see 4 out of 5, 8 .5 out of 10. 1,5 thumbs up, two snaps and twirl.

MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots

Well, well, well, good ole' Snake is up to his old tricks again..sneaky bastard. The forth and final installment in the Metal Gear franchise pits Snake, now Old Snake, against an impressive cast of characters. From the moment the opening credits began rolling, I knew I was in for something special. After hearing rumors of a 90 min. intro I was very curious to see what was in store. Turns out that the intro wasn't 90 minutes but it was very entertaining. I was extremely impressed.

The transition between cut-scenes and live action was seamless and there was virtually no change in the graphics. And speaking of graphics, the game is a beauty to look at. Though I was initially apprehensive about the sandy brown and stone setting of the Middle East my perspective quickly changed mostly due to the use of my stealth suit's ability to blend in with the textured environments.

The action is intense and the strategy encompasses elements of both stealth and all out action. Fans of the MG series will be delighted at the new control scheme.

The sound is amazing. You will be delivered into surround sound bliss as you listen to enemies' conversations and wonderful sound effects scattered about.

The story is what you would expect from MG..complex and full of conspiracies. I understand that all of the questions left unanswered from previous MG games will be answered. I hope so. I'm dying to know what the hell the La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo is...???

Overall, this game ROCKS!!! A must buy for any PS3 owner. Full of action, stealth, awe-inspiring moments, and plenty of secrets you'd be crazy to miss this.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots earns 9.5 conspiracy theories out of 10