Later this week, just after the Playstation store launches with a revamped look that hopefully won't completely suck like it does now, there will be a patch released that will "fix" the biggest complaint about the massive pile of crap that is Lair. Sony just really can't let this one go, apparently. Of course the controls are a big contributer to the failure, but there were other factors as well (awful camera, horrid lock-on, wretched ground combat, etc.). Time to accept it as the failed experiment it is and move on.
As a rule, movies based on games suck. A huge part of that reason is Uwe Boll. The German "director" has snatched up rights to many properties that if handled correctly, could be decent movies. There's a slight chance to stop him though. He has claimed that if 1 million sign this petition, he will stop making movies. Granted, the chance that he will actually stop is slim to none, to but hey, anything's worth a shot if it might stop this jackass.
That's mostly it for today, but I did want to remind everybody that Okami is out this week for the Wii. If for some reason you aren't thinking of picking up this wonderful title, you suck and you can blame yourselves when the Wii is filled with nothing but waggle mini-game collections. But if you still need some more encouragement, check out 10 reasons Okami is a mad masterpiece, 5 reasons you suck if you don't play Okami, and my fairly decent music video to promote the release:
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Sprinster
4/10/2008
Microsoft is Original
No, this isn't a late April Fools joke. Microsoft is indeed trying to get in on the waggle craze that Nintendo started. Clearly, this is Microsoft's latest in what so far has been a long string of unsuccessful attempts (Scene It?, anyone? to tap into the casual/non-gamer crowd that Nintendo has a virtual stranglehold on. Dear god is this a horrible idea. MS is seen as the gamer's console of choice, this will strictly be seen as a lame attempt to cash in on Nintendo's success, and quite frankly, MS doesn't have a third of the development magic that makes Nintendo the gaming equivalent of Pixar. And even with a Wii-like remote, MS is forgetting the main thing that really attracts developers to Wii-it's much, much cheaper to make games. Nearly every game made on a 360 or a PS3 is a massive investment (at least the ones that aren't complete trash), Nintendo offers a much lower risk.
Ready to see Jaynestown in hi-def? Fox has just confirmed the awesome news that we are getting FIREFLY IN BLU-RAY! Unfortunately, it's merely in the planning stages as of now, so it probably won;t be out until Christmas time (BUT I WANT IT NOW!).
We as a society love nothing more than to see a celebrity rise to mega-stardom very quickly. And then to see them spectacularly spin into a seemingly never-ending descent just as quckly. It's no different for gaming as Gamesradar presents a in-depth look at the gaming industry's equivalent of Britney Spears-The rise, fall and deafening crash of Sonic the Hedgehog. Granted, we thankfully haven't been subject to to a reality show starring Sonic and his pro-bestiality princess, but the career paths are eerily similar nonetheless. I mean seriously, Sonic's last real hope is having all control taken away from him (and by him I mean the morons at Sonic Team who have made nearly all the Sonic titles up til now) and letting someone else make his decisions for him (that'd be Bioware). All he needs is a knocked up younger sibling and we're there.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: War, Inc.
4/04/2008
Video Day: BSG is finally frakking back edition
Sorry for two video day posts in a row, but aside from the ridiculously awesome news of Sam & Max coming to Wii (but not until fall), nothing's really going on right now, so here's some awesome BSG vids to enjoy while we wait for the season premiere tonight:
BSG Top 10 List
What the Frak is going on with BSG
Battlestar Galatica Revealed: Part I
Part II
Part III
The Phenomenon: Part I
Part II
Part III
BSG Top 10 List
What the Frak is going on with BSG
Battlestar Galatica Revealed: Part I
Part II
Part III
The Phenomenon: Part I
Part II
Part III
3/31/2008
Video Day: The Mario Paint Edition
Ok, not much going this week so far, so I'm just going to post my Top 5 Mario Paint vids. In case you don't know, it's an old Super NES game that some more creative nerds have used to re-create popular songs & themes. So here's 5 of the better ones I've seen:
Still Alive (From Portal)
The theme from "The Office"
The Legend of Zelda Overworld Theme
Mike Tyson's Punch Out!
And finally, CHRONO TRIGGER!
And I'll end the whole thing with the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Tangerine Panic
Still Alive (From Portal)
The theme from "The Office"
The Legend of Zelda Overworld Theme
Mike Tyson's Punch Out!
And finally, CHRONO TRIGGER!
And I'll end the whole thing with the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Tangerine Panic
3/27/2008
A Crisis in Midgard
Christ, sorry for now posts until now, but I had an incredibly hectic week at my real job in addition to moving to a new apartment that thankfully is much closer to my work and just had no energy.
So, Britney Spears' guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother was this past Monday, and it was surprisingly subtle. She was completely innocuous, and there were surprisingly no obvious jokes about her or her troubled life. She was even funny. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing her on the show in a recurring role if they do continue to go to back to the office where Ted's new love interest (the always amazing Sarah Chalke) works. And, as a awesome bonus, the best of Barney!
Final Fantasy VII came out way back in '97, and yet many a rpg fan will still tell you that it's the best rpg ever, and many will also claim it's the best game ever. I am far from in that camp. It's a very good game, and was certainly groundbreaking when it came out, but there are better rpgs that came before it (like Chrono Trigger), better rpgs that have come since (like KOTOR, Mass Effect & Kingdom Hearts), and better games in the FF series itself (personally I liked VI & IX better, with IX still being my personal favorite in the series. But more than really any other game, fans have cried out for Square to do either a direct sequel or at least a remake. Oddly, Square has done everything but that, releasing a wretched straight-to-video movie and a mediocre shooter spin-off starring a secondary character. But now, they may have finally made something that will actually please the fans somewhat in Crisis Core, which acts as a prequel, taking place 7 years before the events in VII. I picked it up today and have played a couple of hours. I will say that the combat is a little stiff, but very engaging and fun, and the camera could use some work, but the presentation and sheer fan service makes it more than a worthwhile purchase if you enjoyed your last big adventure in Midgard, and a damn good excuse to pick up a PSP if for some insane reason FF Tactics and Chains of Olympus weren't already enough of a reason.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Meet Dave
So, Britney Spears' guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother was this past Monday, and it was surprisingly subtle. She was completely innocuous, and there were surprisingly no obvious jokes about her or her troubled life. She was even funny. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing her on the show in a recurring role if they do continue to go to back to the office where Ted's new love interest (the always amazing Sarah Chalke) works. And, as a awesome bonus, the best of Barney!
Final Fantasy VII came out way back in '97, and yet many a rpg fan will still tell you that it's the best rpg ever, and many will also claim it's the best game ever. I am far from in that camp. It's a very good game, and was certainly groundbreaking when it came out, but there are better rpgs that came before it (like Chrono Trigger), better rpgs that have come since (like KOTOR, Mass Effect & Kingdom Hearts), and better games in the FF series itself (personally I liked VI & IX better, with IX still being my personal favorite in the series. But more than really any other game, fans have cried out for Square to do either a direct sequel or at least a remake. Oddly, Square has done everything but that, releasing a wretched straight-to-video movie and a mediocre shooter spin-off starring a secondary character. But now, they may have finally made something that will actually please the fans somewhat in Crisis Core, which acts as a prequel, taking place 7 years before the events in VII. I picked it up today and have played a couple of hours. I will say that the combat is a little stiff, but very engaging and fun, and the camera could use some work, but the presentation and sheer fan service makes it more than a worthwhile purchase if you enjoyed your last big adventure in Midgard, and a damn good excuse to pick up a PSP if for some insane reason FF Tactics and Chains of Olympus weren't already enough of a reason.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Meet Dave
3/18/2008
FRAKKIN CYLONS!
Granted, the Season 4 premiere is still a little over 2 painfully long weeks away, but you can ease the pain a bit by refreshing yourself on one of the best shows, with the season 3 release of Battlestar Galactica. And for a quick general recap, check out this video:
And yeah, that's really it for things to actually talk about today, but I do have two other very cool videos to leave you with. Firstly, the Dark Knight Trailer nicely matched up with the '89 Batman that starred Keaton & Nicholson:
And the second is this fairly kickass music video that I made for GTA IV (normally I'm a little more humble, but I'm pretty damn pleased with it):
And as awesome as all this is, I'll throw in the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK as well: Family Restaurant
And yeah, that's really it for things to actually talk about today, but I do have two other very cool videos to leave you with. Firstly, the Dark Knight Trailer nicely matched up with the '89 Batman that starred Keaton & Nicholson:
And the second is this fairly kickass music video that I made for GTA IV (normally I'm a little more humble, but I'm pretty damn pleased with it):
And as awesome as all this is, I'll throw in the FREE GAME OF THE WEEK as well: Family Restaurant
3/14/2008
EA will soon own the Universe, continued...
EA took their attempt to own Take 2 up a level by officially trying for a hostile takeover. Take 2 is asking shareholders to not accept, but I wouldn't be surprised if their pleas fell on deaf ears. EA will pretty much have all the major American gaming franchises if this does go through. Hopefully, in spite of all this, EA head John Riticello's recent comments about a commitment to a higher quality of game won't be forgotten.
Pretty much the only movie worth mentioning at all for this weekend is the latest Dr. Suess adaptation, Horton Hears a Who. The history of Suess on the screen is certainly a muddled one, but this latest has the best reviews since the original animated Grinch way back in 1966. Seems like a solid film to take the kids to that won't liquefy your brain, but I'll probably take the opportunity to check out The Bank Job since that's gotten really positive reviews and seems like a fun time.
Looking for user created content for Brawl? Check out IGN's Super Smash Bros. World. You can check out user-created stages or upload your own. I may try and throw something together, though I admittedly never seem to have enough of an attention span when it comes to level editors.
And finally, The Hulk trailer is here! How is it? I'll post it for yourself to judge. I'm not completely sure I buy Edward Norton as Bruce Banner (even though the Ang Lee adaptation was horrendous, Eric Bana was well cast and did a great job), and the CGI does look a little iffy, but I do see potential. As long as it can avoid the seemingly obvious pitfalls of the disastrous previous film (like say, having a giant electric ghost as the final villain), it should be a decent film. Check out the trailer for yourself and judge:
Pretty much the only movie worth mentioning at all for this weekend is the latest Dr. Suess adaptation, Horton Hears a Who. The history of Suess on the screen is certainly a muddled one, but this latest has the best reviews since the original animated Grinch way back in 1966. Seems like a solid film to take the kids to that won't liquefy your brain, but I'll probably take the opportunity to check out The Bank Job since that's gotten really positive reviews and seems like a fun time.
Looking for user created content for Brawl? Check out IGN's Super Smash Bros. World. You can check out user-created stages or upload your own. I may try and throw something together, though I admittedly never seem to have enough of an attention span when it comes to level editors.
And finally, The Hulk trailer is here! How is it? I'll post it for yourself to judge. I'm not completely sure I buy Edward Norton as Bruce Banner (even though the Ang Lee adaptation was horrendous, Eric Bana was well cast and did a great job), and the CGI does look a little iffy, but I do see potential. As long as it can avoid the seemingly obvious pitfalls of the disastrous previous film (like say, having a giant electric ghost as the final villain), it should be a decent film. Check out the trailer for yourself and judge:
3/12/2008
BEST. NEWS. EVER.
Before it was just rumor, but now it's been confirmed by none other than Dr. Cox himself, John C. McGinley, that Scrubs is indeed coming back for another full 18 episodes on ABC next fall. This is beyond awesome. I personally hope it becomes the mega-hit on ABC it has deserved to be for so long, possibly resulting in even more seasons. This show has managed to stay fresh this long, Bill Lawrence can probably keep coming up with good ideas for at least a couple more years.
And in just plain bizarre news, former singer & current waste of humanity Britney Spears will be doing a guest spot on another one of my favorite sitcoms, How I met Your Mother (which you can read about in the article I linked about Scrubs new season). I really don't understand the reasoning behind this at all. The woman is a complete disaster area. It might've been one thing if she was still a pop idol, but if you're going to have washed up strung out psychotics barely hanging on to their careers be on your show, take a page from Scrubs and have Gary Busey do a cameo.
I'll post it next time I update, but tomorrow, the long-awaited trailer for The Incredible Hulk should pop up online. Why should we be excited when the last Hulk film was a giant atrocity? Because Edward Norton has one hell of a track record and this is a film that will not act like the rest of the Marvel universe doesn't exist, which is pretty awesome.
Finally, though I'm sure all of you Wii owners are still madly playing Smash Bros, you can't take it everywhere, so if your looking for a good new portable experience, you should probably check out Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles-Ring of Fates comes out for the Nintendo DS and fixes the issues with the Gamecube original-namely not needing an ultra-expensive setup just to play with your friends. I want to pick this up, but I ignore my portable systems enough as it is, this may wait till I beat some more games and can prioritize playing them at home.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Drunken Masters
And in just plain bizarre news, former singer & current waste of humanity Britney Spears will be doing a guest spot on another one of my favorite sitcoms, How I met Your Mother (which you can read about in the article I linked about Scrubs new season). I really don't understand the reasoning behind this at all. The woman is a complete disaster area. It might've been one thing if she was still a pop idol, but if you're going to have washed up strung out psychotics barely hanging on to their careers be on your show, take a page from Scrubs and have Gary Busey do a cameo.
I'll post it next time I update, but tomorrow, the long-awaited trailer for The Incredible Hulk should pop up online. Why should we be excited when the last Hulk film was a giant atrocity? Because Edward Norton has one hell of a track record and this is a film that will not act like the rest of the Marvel universe doesn't exist, which is pretty awesome.
Finally, though I'm sure all of you Wii owners are still madly playing Smash Bros, you can't take it everywhere, so if your looking for a good new portable experience, you should probably check out Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles-Ring of Fates comes out for the Nintendo DS and fixes the issues with the Gamecube original-namely not needing an ultra-expensive setup just to play with your friends. I want to pick this up, but I ignore my portable systems enough as it is, this may wait till I beat some more games and can prioritize playing them at home.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Drunken Masters
3/11/2008
The Sky is falling
Ugh. I think I'm Smashed Bros. out for a day or two. I spent basically the whole weekend unlocking characters & beating the Subspace Emissary mode, which was just a chore and not much fun. The good news is that the core fighting element is extremely fun still, and online actually works fairly well once it gets going, even if the setup is rough (much easier for friends than with someone anonymous). I've unlocked all but two characters-Wolf and Jigglypuff, and I don't mind waiting on either of them. I would definitely say the new characters are al pretty good and fun to use, my personal fave probably being Meta-Knight. This is the multi-player party game for the Wii. It's too bad they don;t have a smooth online setup or games like this, Strikers & Mario Kart could make the Wii the online system of choice by a long shot.
10,000 B.C. was horrible. Plain & simple. I'm actually sort of shocked that a movie this big can fail on so many fundamental levels, but credit to Roland Emmerich, the Uwe Boll on non-video game pieces of utter crap.
360 owners have something to be excited about this week, as the first downloadable content for Mass Effect is out at a pretty reasonable $5. Again, the price seems very reasonable, but I might just wait for more content and some kind of bargain all-in-one pack for around $20 or so, just doesn't seem like enough as it is.
That's really it for today as I've got an early start at work tomorrow. But here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Step Brothers
10,000 B.C. was horrible. Plain & simple. I'm actually sort of shocked that a movie this big can fail on so many fundamental levels, but credit to Roland Emmerich, the Uwe Boll on non-video game pieces of utter crap.
360 owners have something to be excited about this week, as the first downloadable content for Mass Effect is out at a pretty reasonable $5. Again, the price seems very reasonable, but I might just wait for more content and some kind of bargain all-in-one pack for around $20 or so, just doesn't seem like enough as it is.
That's really it for today as I've got an early start at work tomorrow. But here's your TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Step Brothers
3/07/2008
Historical Accuracy is for losers
This weekend's biggest release is Roland Emmerich's "historical" epic 10,000 B.C. and it's not getting too kind praise from critics, nearly all of them bashing it for it's historical inaccuracy. Really? That's what people are bashing a dumb action flick for, whether it got all the facts right? Is the movie critic industry just filled with failed geographers & anthropologists? Because historical accuracy doesn't mean jack squat to me unless I'm watching a documentary or reading a historical textbook. That's like bashing 300 for not being historically accurate when it was based on a loose comic book interpretation of historic events in the first place. It's a movie people, not a college course, lighten up! Of course, if the movie sucks on other fundamental levels, I'll revile it as much as the next cinephile, but given most of even the bad reviews praise the action & effects I think it'll be a fun dumb experience just like it's supposed to be.
Another movie based in loose historical accuracy opens this weekend with The Bank Job, your seemingly run-of-the-mill heist film with the big twist being that it is based on actual events. I'm admittedly a little tired of heist films in general, but I'm also a huge Jason Statham fan and this is actually a well-reviewed heist film so it will probably be a good way to kill some time on Saturday before a certain mega-title hits at midnight.
And yes, I have a rare weekend (in fact a 4-day weekend) off, so I will most definitely be grabbing my copy of Smash Bros. Brawl at midnight on Saturday and probably not sleeping for the next 48 hours. Assuming I can tear myself away at some point I will give some hands-on opinions and my friend code for the game on Sunday or Monday.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Street Kings
Another movie based in loose historical accuracy opens this weekend with The Bank Job, your seemingly run-of-the-mill heist film with the big twist being that it is based on actual events. I'm admittedly a little tired of heist films in general, but I'm also a huge Jason Statham fan and this is actually a well-reviewed heist film so it will probably be a good way to kill some time on Saturday before a certain mega-title hits at midnight.
And yes, I have a rare weekend (in fact a 4-day weekend) off, so I will most definitely be grabbing my copy of Smash Bros. Brawl at midnight on Saturday and probably not sleeping for the next 48 hours. Assuming I can tear myself away at some point I will give some hands-on opinions and my friend code for the game on Sunday or Monday.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Street Kings
3/02/2008
Is the PSP actually good now?
We all remember how this little portable war started. The DS came out with it's unimpressive lineup and weird dual screen/touch screen setup that nobody really got and it was thought to be a failed experiment by Nintendo much like the Virtual Boy. Surely, the PSP, which was superior graphically and had many multimedia functions right out of the box would easily dominate the handheld market. But I think by now everybody knows better than to scoff at anything Nintendo does. The DS is the hottest system in the world, with a plethora of great games that really appeal to all audiences, while the PSP, while generally selling well, can't ever hope to catch up. A big part of the reason was that while the DS started off slow with a poor library, that was remedied quickly. And the PSP's lineup of good games has always been few and far between. But now, that seems to finally starting to be remedied. The last few months of 07 saw quite a few worthwhile games such as FF Tactics, Castlevania & Disgaea. And this month, we have two more titles actually worth checking out, the portable adventures of everybody's favorite murderous servant of the gods, Kratos, in Chains of Olympus, being the first. Between this and Crisis Core coming later this month, I may have to actually pick up my PSP every now and again. Hell, maybe I'll go nuts and trade in my crappy old used one for a nice new slim one.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Wulfgar
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Wulfgar
2/29/2008
Will Ferrel gives me a semi
I can't really explain it, by all rights, I should not be a big Will Ferrell fan. He's basically played the same character doing the same thing for the last several years, just in different arenas. From Anchorman to Talladega Nights to Blades of Glory to this week's biggest movie, Semi-Pro, he's rarely tried something different. And yet I'm more than willing to pay good money to watch it over again. Maybe eventually I'll get tired of his shtick, but for now I'll just enjoy it and not try to think too much about why.
What's the best possible news ever? That Scrubs 7th and final season may actually not be it's last. ABC, who actually owns the show, has been rumored to be trying to get at least one more season of this fantastic show. NBC is rightly pissed, but they also treated the show like crap for the whole time it's been on NBC despite it being the only worthwhile sitcom on the entire network until The Office & 30 Rock came along.
That's really it for today, but your Trailer of the week is a new kickass trailer for IRON MAN (god this is gonna be awesome):
What's the best possible news ever? That Scrubs 7th and final season may actually not be it's last. ABC, who actually owns the show, has been rumored to be trying to get at least one more season of this fantastic show. NBC is rightly pissed, but they also treated the show like crap for the whole time it's been on NBC despite it being the only worthwhile sitcom on the entire network until The Office & 30 Rock came along.
That's really it for today, but your Trailer of the week is a new kickass trailer for IRON MAN (god this is gonna be awesome):
2/24/2008
EA will soon own the universe
Sorry about not updating Friday, I had planned to do something about the Oscars, but then I realized that any awards show that would completely pass over King of Kong for even a nomination in best documentary doesn't deserve any sort of write-up. I am watching the show as I'm writing this, but it's pretty much because there's really nothing else on (and because John Stewart can make just about anything tolerable).
Before I get onto today's main topic, though I did not get around to seeing Be Kind Rewind, but there are 2 other worthwhile movies I did check out. Charlie Bartlett certainly has some issues, and I'm not just talking about the film's protagonist. It's a mostly clever concept somewhat tainted by almost completely collapsing into ridiculousness in the final third of the film. But it is amusing and charming and star Anton Yelchin puts on a great performance that is very worth paying good money to see.
The other film just came out on DVD and I highly recommend renting it ASAP. Gone Baby Gone certainly sounds like a recipe for disaster. Quickly fading movie star Ben Affleck, who hasn't directed a feature film before, directing a movie with THAT title (certainly doesn't sound like a serious drama), and casting his younger, mostly untested brother, Casey, in the starring role. What we get instead is easily one of the best dramas I've seen in quite awhile. Masterfully crafted with great performances by everybody, Gone Baby Gone is a fantastic mystery thriller about those real grey areas that fall in-between right and wrong, without falling into the preachy, melodramatic & predictable traps that so many films that try for the same ideal fall into. I've always believed Ben Affleck was a talented guy who just made some bad (ok, REALLY BAD) choices in scripts. It turns out his best work may be behind the camera, so hopefully with this great film under his belt, we'll get to see more from him.
In case you haven't heard by now, EA, obviously threatened by the creation of uber-publisher Activision-Blizzard, has tried to acquire GTA publisher Take Two. Now Take Two did reject the offer, but only because they think the offer will be significantly higher after GTA IV comes out, so it only seems like a matter of time; and the 2 billion (that's right, BILLION) initial offering makes the Bioware/Pandemic buyout seem like small time stuff. Now, most will decry this as sure ruination of the GTA franchise, but there is one thing that gives me a little hope. John Riticello, head of EA has apparently noticed the declining scores on sites like metacritic, and isn;t happy about it. He's actually even promised to do something to increase those scores. Granted, that could end up being an empty promise, but given that companies these days do things like get critics fired for giving a bad review, someone at Riticello's level actually even brining up poor scores and making a promise to try and improve those is something noteworthy, and hopefully that is exactly what acquiring talent like Bioware, Pandemic & Take Two is going towards.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Music in Motion
Before I get onto today's main topic, though I did not get around to seeing Be Kind Rewind, but there are 2 other worthwhile movies I did check out. Charlie Bartlett certainly has some issues, and I'm not just talking about the film's protagonist. It's a mostly clever concept somewhat tainted by almost completely collapsing into ridiculousness in the final third of the film. But it is amusing and charming and star Anton Yelchin puts on a great performance that is very worth paying good money to see.
The other film just came out on DVD and I highly recommend renting it ASAP. Gone Baby Gone certainly sounds like a recipe for disaster. Quickly fading movie star Ben Affleck, who hasn't directed a feature film before, directing a movie with THAT title (certainly doesn't sound like a serious drama), and casting his younger, mostly untested brother, Casey, in the starring role. What we get instead is easily one of the best dramas I've seen in quite awhile. Masterfully crafted with great performances by everybody, Gone Baby Gone is a fantastic mystery thriller about those real grey areas that fall in-between right and wrong, without falling into the preachy, melodramatic & predictable traps that so many films that try for the same ideal fall into. I've always believed Ben Affleck was a talented guy who just made some bad (ok, REALLY BAD) choices in scripts. It turns out his best work may be behind the camera, so hopefully with this great film under his belt, we'll get to see more from him.
In case you haven't heard by now, EA, obviously threatened by the creation of uber-publisher Activision-Blizzard, has tried to acquire GTA publisher Take Two. Now Take Two did reject the offer, but only because they think the offer will be significantly higher after GTA IV comes out, so it only seems like a matter of time; and the 2 billion (that's right, BILLION) initial offering makes the Bioware/Pandemic buyout seem like small time stuff. Now, most will decry this as sure ruination of the GTA franchise, but there is one thing that gives me a little hope. John Riticello, head of EA has apparently noticed the declining scores on sites like metacritic, and isn;t happy about it. He's actually even promised to do something to increase those scores. Granted, that could end up being an empty promise, but given that companies these days do things like get critics fired for giving a bad review, someone at Riticello's level actually even brining up poor scores and making a promise to try and improve those is something noteworthy, and hopefully that is exactly what acquiring talent like Bioware, Pandemic & Take Two is going towards.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Music in Motion
2/22/2008
POWER TO THE PEOPLE! (is that a good thing?)
So, ever taken a look at an game (especially on Xbox Live Arcade) and said to yourself "I can make something better than this trash!". Well then smart guy, it's time to put your money where your mouth is, because Microsoft is finally making XNA tools not only available to the public, but will post your stuff on Xbox Live if it passes muster. While I'm sure some will liken this to a golden age of indie games, I more feel that it'll mostly be like Newgrounds is now-an occasional gem, but mostly giant piles of steaming crap that you'd have to pay me to play for more than a minute. There are a few demos on Live now that you can check out, but most are evidence that this is really something best left to pros.
Well, it's been awhile, but there's finally some movies worth discussing out this weekend. Sadly, one of them is apparently not Vantage Point, since it has one hell of a cast, but really bad reviews.
But there two very interesting films out this weekend. One is Charlie Bartlett, which is a more modern take on films like Ferris Bueller. Granted, there have been many, many attempts over the years to do a modern take on that film and most have them have turned out pretty terrible, but Bartlett has mostly solid reviews to back it up, so I'll definitely try and check it out.
The other is one I've been excited about for quite awhile-Be Kind Rewind, from Michael Gondry, who brought us the brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This seems like more of a straight-forward goofball comedy, but it also looks like a lot of fun and I really enjoy both Mos Def & Jack Black so I'll be making this one a priority.
That's all for today but I definitely plan on updating tomorrow & Sunday, so see you then.
Well, it's been awhile, but there's finally some movies worth discussing out this weekend. Sadly, one of them is apparently not Vantage Point, since it has one hell of a cast, but really bad reviews.
But there two very interesting films out this weekend. One is Charlie Bartlett, which is a more modern take on films like Ferris Bueller. Granted, there have been many, many attempts over the years to do a modern take on that film and most have them have turned out pretty terrible, but Bartlett has mostly solid reviews to back it up, so I'll definitely try and check it out.
The other is one I've been excited about for quite awhile-Be Kind Rewind, from Michael Gondry, who brought us the brilliant Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This seems like more of a straight-forward goofball comedy, but it also looks like a lot of fun and I really enjoy both Mos Def & Jack Black so I'll be making this one a priority.
That's all for today but I definitely plan on updating tomorrow & Sunday, so see you then.
2/17/2008
It's just so obvious....
Some things seem so freaking natural, you can't imagine how they weren't come up with before now, especially given all the more out there ideas that seem to come down the pipeline. Just look at Okami. Given it's premise of painting stuff on screen, the Wii seemed like such a natural fit, and that's happening in about a month. Now, look at Dragonquest Swords, coming out this week. The Wii obviously can't do an epic free-roaming rpg quite like Oblivion, but Dragonquest seems like an ideal way to do something similar. Instead, what is Dragonquest swords? An on-rail light gun game with swords. Whoopdeedo. And hey, maybe it's not eve that bad an idea, but it just seems like such wasted potential. I guess I'll just hope that Square Enix sees the light and makes a worthy Dragonquest epic in the near future, because lord knows the Wii is seriously hurting for rpgs of any kind at this point.
And has Fox news learned to not poke the bear yet? Every time they have attacked video games, they come off looking like complete morons. After the tragedy at NIU earlier this week, who, despite being already massively discredited as an expert on anything except being a fucking moron, took the first opportunity to promote himself with Fox's full backing? Jackass Thompson of course. Now he's a "school shooting expert"? What exactly qualifies him as that? His psych degree? Oh wait, he doesn't have that. Years in the field? Nope. Any experience in anything except being a complete ass? Nope. Take Two completely destroying Thompson in court will hopefully make other companies aware that they really don't have to put up with this crap.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Adventures of Gyro Adams
And has Fox news learned to not poke the bear yet? Every time they have attacked video games, they come off looking like complete morons. After the tragedy at NIU earlier this week, who, despite being already massively discredited as an expert on anything except being a fucking moron, took the first opportunity to promote himself with Fox's full backing? Jackass Thompson of course. Now he's a "school shooting expert"? What exactly qualifies him as that? His psych degree? Oh wait, he doesn't have that. Years in the field? Nope. Any experience in anything except being a complete ass? Nope. Take Two completely destroying Thompson in court will hopefully make other companies aware that they really don't have to put up with this crap.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Adventures of Gyro Adams
2/13/2008
A Blue Odyssey
So, the first (and for quite awhile, only) rpg of '08 hits this week in Lost Odyssey. To be honest, even though it has quite the pedigree, I hadn't had much interest, as it seemed like a very bland, traditional rpg. But oddly enough, it was Blue Dragon, which I have gone through a little odyssey of my own with, that may be having me changed my mind. Blue Dragon is a very, VERY traditional Japanese RPG. It was more a victim of bad timing than anything else. Literally the day I brought it home was the day my 360 decided to crap out on me. So it sat there for 5 weeks with no way for me to play it, and by the time I got my 360 back, you get the insane trifecta of Halo 3, Mass Effect & Orange Box just on 360. Nevermind that there was also a couple of other titles like Mario Galaxy & Uncharted also getting most of my attention. So it basically sat on my gaming shelf. But, about a week ago, convinced I would find it dull like the less kind reviews have been saying. And suddenly nearly 30 hours in, I'm really digging the old school vibe. Yeah, it's turn-based (which RPGs seem to be moving away from these days) and Marumaro is one of the most annoying characters in a long time, but there is plenty of enjoyement to be had for those of us who grew up on these kind of rpgs and still enjoy the occasional one. And while I won't pick up Lost Odyssey right away since I want to actually finish Blue Dragon first, I'll be likely to pick it up as soon as that's done (which should actually be in the next week). And for those wondering, Devil May Cry 4 is still sitting unwrapped in my table...
The long-awaited Will Wright epic Spore finally has a release date of Sept. 7th. That is a ways off, so hopefully it's a date that can be kept, as this was one of those games people were betting would be stuck in development hell for all of eternity.
What's the best post-strike news? That Scrubs, come hell or high water will be given a proper finish. Granted, theoretically I'd want the show to keep going forever, but 7 years is an incredible run for any show, and it's good that they end it while the show is still top notch rather than waiting until it's a shell of it's former self (I'm looking at you, Simpsons).
Finally, I'd like to give a cheap plug out to my buddy Warden, fellow game enthusiast with a pretty solid blog of his own. Also a good source for more in-depth reviews rather than the usual quick snippets you see on here.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: CJ7
The long-awaited Will Wright epic Spore finally has a release date of Sept. 7th. That is a ways off, so hopefully it's a date that can be kept, as this was one of those games people were betting would be stuck in development hell for all of eternity.
What's the best post-strike news? That Scrubs, come hell or high water will be given a proper finish. Granted, theoretically I'd want the show to keep going forever, but 7 years is an incredible run for any show, and it's good that they end it while the show is still top notch rather than waiting until it's a shell of it's former self (I'm looking at you, Simpsons).
Finally, I'd like to give a cheap plug out to my buddy Warden, fellow game enthusiast with a pretty solid blog of his own. Also a good source for more in-depth reviews rather than the usual quick snippets you see on here.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: CJ7
2/08/2008
STRIKE OVER!!!!
I wasn't planning to honestly do an update today, with not a whole lot of major news and really nothing worth mentioning out this weekend, but hey, breaking news: the writer's strike is finally done! So what does this mean for this TV season? Some shows can still be salvaged, such as the Office, but several disappointing points, such as no 24 until fall or possibly January of next year, and Scrubs will get 4 more episodes, but that's a couple short of the 18 planned for the final season and those might be just released on DVD. So, some not so great consequences, but I certainly don't blame the writers, they've been screwed by the studios for years now. Hopefully both sides will have enough foresight in the future that next time big contracts are up for negotiation, they can avoid most of these pitfalls.
I picked up Devil May Cry 4, but I haven't popped it open and am most likely going to return it. The reviews have been pretty solid, but they all mention the very repetitive nature of the game and honestly I couldn't stand the faux crap metal that was in the demo, I really don't relish the idea of listening to more of that in the 20 missions. But I'll think it over for a few days.
That's mostly it for today, but remember awhile ago, it was announced that Steven Spielberg was making a game for the Wii. Now this is hardly the first time a big Hollywood personality has gotten involved in gaming, and usually the results are less than spectacular (and half the time, the person acts like they just forgot to take their ADD medication and move on to something else without finishing the project). But Spielberg seems serious about making a fun and simple title that doesn't seem nearly as ambitious as most of his other projects, but still seems like a fun time (and the physics engine is supposedly insane), check out the trailer for Bloom Blox:
I picked up Devil May Cry 4, but I haven't popped it open and am most likely going to return it. The reviews have been pretty solid, but they all mention the very repetitive nature of the game and honestly I couldn't stand the faux crap metal that was in the demo, I really don't relish the idea of listening to more of that in the 20 missions. But I'll think it over for a few days.
That's mostly it for today, but remember awhile ago, it was announced that Steven Spielberg was making a game for the Wii. Now this is hardly the first time a big Hollywood personality has gotten involved in gaming, and usually the results are less than spectacular (and half the time, the person acts like they just forgot to take their ADD medication and move on to something else without finishing the project). But Spielberg seems serious about making a fun and simple title that doesn't seem nearly as ambitious as most of his other projects, but still seems like a fun time (and the physics engine is supposedly insane), check out the trailer for Bloom Blox:
2/04/2008
BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Bah, is it Monday already? I had an extremely busy & exhausting last several days (and there honestly wasn't any new movies worth discussing and not a whole lot of breaking news). But I've decided one thing I've definitely been slacking on is talking about upcoming movie news. I'll post trailers and such, but rarely talk about things like casting or even announcements of movies. I'll start trying to do that more, starting today with the awesome announcement that they are making a big screen adaptation of The Greatest American Hero! I really loved the whole concept of this show, basically the idea of a guy who never really quite gets the hang of his powers. The director has a strong background for great comedy already, and since he has said he was holding an open casting call, may I suggest Nicholas Brendon? He's a little towards the older end of what you guys are looking for, but I think he's beyond perfect for this type of role, and it could clearly be a breakout thing for him.
Other big movie news is the Guillermo Del Toro is directing the new Hobbit film. Obviously given that Peter Jackson did such a tremendous job with the LOTR trilogy, he would be the best option, but Del Toro has shown he can do epic fantasy with the best of them, so I'll be very excited to see what he does with this project.
One movie I did finally get to see was Cloverfield, and I really enjoyed it. Not much else to say on that, but the effects were used very well, and I thought the handheld camera gimmick worked well in this movie unlike so many others. I've already heard sequel talk, but I feel that will taint the original.
Finally, I did finish No More Heroes, and it was one hell of an experience. I highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a truly great action experience with a awesome story to go along with it. It does come in a little bit short on play time (just under 14 hours), but oh it is a very, very sweet 14 hours.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Sonny
Other big movie news is the Guillermo Del Toro is directing the new Hobbit film. Obviously given that Peter Jackson did such a tremendous job with the LOTR trilogy, he would be the best option, but Del Toro has shown he can do epic fantasy with the best of them, so I'll be very excited to see what he does with this project.
One movie I did finally get to see was Cloverfield, and I really enjoyed it. Not much else to say on that, but the effects were used very well, and I thought the handheld camera gimmick worked well in this movie unlike so many others. I've already heard sequel talk, but I feel that will taint the original.
Finally, I did finish No More Heroes, and it was one hell of an experience. I highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a truly great action experience with a awesome story to go along with it. It does come in a little bit short on play time (just under 14 hours), but oh it is a very, very sweet 14 hours.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Sonny
1/29/2008
The King of Kings
When people talk about great comedies of the last year, you hear names like Knocked Up, Superbad & Juno. But King of Kong beats them all. It's more touching, more absurd,and features way more characters that can't possibly be real, but they are all too real. It's easily the best documentary in years, and yet was completely ignored by the idiots at the academy, so make sure you pick it up at your local retailer tomorrow and show them just how out of goddamn touch they are.
Just one other thing I really wanna touch on today-What the hell is up with Nintendo and the Virtual Console so far this year? We aren't even getting our regular 3 releases a week (which is something Nintendo swore they would staunchly deliver continuously), and this week, we only had one release (albeit a good one). Granted, unlike 360 & PS3 owners that are basically just biding their time till GTA hits, Wii ownners have actually had a couple worthwhile console titles this month, bit that's no excuse for the ridiculously paltry VC release we've seen over the last few weeks. I mean, c'mon, you're not Microsoft, this isn't the failed experiment that is Xbox Live Arcade, which is a horrible mishmash of bad emulation & casual titles no one gives a shit about. I understand not unleashing all the great games of yore in short order, because then nobody will be buying anything not long after and a lot may get lost in the shuffle, but I think one or two memorable classics a month is far from a hard task with the massive library Nintendo has at their disposal. This was supposed to be one of those things to show that Nintendo wasn't abandoning the hardcore base (because let's face it, mostly hardcore gamers are the ones paying to download these ancient games). If they continue to treat it like this, they'll lose out on a giant opportunity.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Midnight Meat Train
1/28/2008
The Top Ten movies that should be on HD NOW
Well, I almost made it. Was too busy Friday, just didn't feel like doing it yesterday, and then suddenly had an impromptu IHOP run with a bunch of people from work right after I got off today. But anyways, we all know HD is freaking awesome, allowing us to see brilliant picture and hear great sound never thought possible at home. And while there are some great titles available on both HDDVD & Blu-ray, there are plenty that should be available that aren't for some unknown reason. I decided to skip over the painfully obvious stuff like Star Wars (most of the original movies are probably too old and the new ones suck) & Pixar films (because they all should be on Blu-ray in the near future). This is definitely some personal choice mixed in with stuff that would be a technical marvel in HD, but it all deserves to be in the best format possible. So here we go:
#10
A great fantasy movie, with lots of vibrant scenery and special effects would look fantastic in a proper transfer. Hell, it still looks pretty goddamn impressive 20 years later, thanks to use of mostly practical effects and awesome puppetry from the legendary Jim Henson. I'd honestly rather see this on HD before any of the LOTR movies.
#9
It was never Star Wars, but The Last Starfighter is practically a forgotten sci-fi classic at this point, and a high-profile HD release would make people remember this great little film. The effects might look dated no matter how clean the transfer, but it'll be good for some nostalgia, and it's just a very, very fun movie.
#8
Disney is coming to Blu-ray, so there's not much reason to worry about any of those films, but this criminally ignored animation classic deserves a HD upgrade more than 99% of Disney's animated library. It tells a better story, sports fantastic animation that'll only look more awe-inspiring on HD, and is simply one of the great animated films of all time. It's definitely worth picking up on DVD if you haven't seen it yet, but here's hoping someone is smart enough to give it the upgrade it truly deserves.
#7
Possibly more of a personal choice, but I think seeing the most recent movie version of Sherwood in HD would be an absolute delight. Robin Hood is a movie full of color and lush scenery which would only benefit from such an upgrade. Plus it's probably the only movie I can stand with Kevin Costner in it...
#6
Really, this is a complete mystery to me. Easily the greatest space comedy since Spaceballs, the movie still looks great and is prime material for an HD upgrade. I really don;t have much more to say except to wonder what the hell could possibly be holding this up?
#5
The best Star Trek movie certainly deserves the HD treatment. If seeing the Enterprise, the Borg and lots of phaser fire in High Definition doesn't get you all hard, then your internet privileges should probably be revoked.
#4
Ridley Scott's Roman epic seems built for HD. The vibrant stadiums, the huge crowds, and especially the tiger scene all just scream that they should be seen in the highest definition and best sound available. And it's sure as hell better than any of the current historical epics available in either format.
#3
David Fincher's psychotic mind trip of a masterpiece is ranked so highly not just because it's such a brilliant film, but also the excellent visual style, cinematography, and just way out there look & feel of the entire movie. An HD treatment would make this cult classic fully realized.
#2
Sort of a cheat, but the greatest crime saga of all time sure as hell should be one of the top priorities to put on HD in some form. I would certainly prefer to see Part II over the original as I feel it's superior film, but the original is a fantastic movie as well. Both films feature fantastic cinematography that stand the test of time and would only look even better with a nice 1080p transfer applied.
#1
DINOSAURS! IN HD! WHY THE HELL IS THIS NOT ON HD?!?!?!?!? Seriously, Spielberg's classic still looks amazing 15 years later. To my knowledge, Spielburg has personal approval over any of his movies going to either HD or Blu-ray, so maybe he's just waiting for a clear victor, but to be honest this is probably one of they key titles that could turn the format war. I really don;t care. I just fucking want it more than any other title, because a T-Rex on my new Samsung in 1080p would be the coolest thing on Earth ever.
That's all for now. I'll definitely be back tonight or Tuesday for... something.
#10
A great fantasy movie, with lots of vibrant scenery and special effects would look fantastic in a proper transfer. Hell, it still looks pretty goddamn impressive 20 years later, thanks to use of mostly practical effects and awesome puppetry from the legendary Jim Henson. I'd honestly rather see this on HD before any of the LOTR movies.
#9
It was never Star Wars, but The Last Starfighter is practically a forgotten sci-fi classic at this point, and a high-profile HD release would make people remember this great little film. The effects might look dated no matter how clean the transfer, but it'll be good for some nostalgia, and it's just a very, very fun movie.
#8
Disney is coming to Blu-ray, so there's not much reason to worry about any of those films, but this criminally ignored animation classic deserves a HD upgrade more than 99% of Disney's animated library. It tells a better story, sports fantastic animation that'll only look more awe-inspiring on HD, and is simply one of the great animated films of all time. It's definitely worth picking up on DVD if you haven't seen it yet, but here's hoping someone is smart enough to give it the upgrade it truly deserves.
#7
Possibly more of a personal choice, but I think seeing the most recent movie version of Sherwood in HD would be an absolute delight. Robin Hood is a movie full of color and lush scenery which would only benefit from such an upgrade. Plus it's probably the only movie I can stand with Kevin Costner in it...
#6
Really, this is a complete mystery to me. Easily the greatest space comedy since Spaceballs, the movie still looks great and is prime material for an HD upgrade. I really don;t have much more to say except to wonder what the hell could possibly be holding this up?
#5
The best Star Trek movie certainly deserves the HD treatment. If seeing the Enterprise, the Borg and lots of phaser fire in High Definition doesn't get you all hard, then your internet privileges should probably be revoked.
#4
Ridley Scott's Roman epic seems built for HD. The vibrant stadiums, the huge crowds, and especially the tiger scene all just scream that they should be seen in the highest definition and best sound available. And it's sure as hell better than any of the current historical epics available in either format.
#3
David Fincher's psychotic mind trip of a masterpiece is ranked so highly not just because it's such a brilliant film, but also the excellent visual style, cinematography, and just way out there look & feel of the entire movie. An HD treatment would make this cult classic fully realized.
#2
Sort of a cheat, but the greatest crime saga of all time sure as hell should be one of the top priorities to put on HD in some form. I would certainly prefer to see Part II over the original as I feel it's superior film, but the original is a fantastic movie as well. Both films feature fantastic cinematography that stand the test of time and would only look even better with a nice 1080p transfer applied.
#1
DINOSAURS! IN HD! WHY THE HELL IS THIS NOT ON HD?!?!?!?!? Seriously, Spielberg's classic still looks amazing 15 years later. To my knowledge, Spielburg has personal approval over any of his movies going to either HD or Blu-ray, so maybe he's just waiting for a clear victor, but to be honest this is probably one of they key titles that could turn the format war. I really don;t care. I just fucking want it more than any other title, because a T-Rex on my new Samsung in 1080p would be the coolest thing on Earth ever.
That's all for now. I'll definitely be back tonight or Tuesday for... something.
1/25/2008
Devil May Care
If there is one game that really kick-started the whole over the top action genre, it was most definitely the original Devil May Cry. It was the first game with that much intense action and style to match. You felt like you were a genuine badass that could lay waste to a hundred minions and the occasional evil master villain as well. But time hasn't been overly kind to the series. The second installment was a dismal disappointment, nearly dooming the series altogether. The 3rd made a huge leap forward, but it's emphasis on being frustratingly hardcore limited it's audience and was overshadowed by the superior hardcore frustration of Ninja Gaiden. With that in mind, we come to the demo for the newest chapter in the series that was released on both Xbox Live and PSN today. I downloaded it, and it definitely felt like the series was trying to get back to its roots, with the insane difficulty of the last game dialed down to something more manageable. It felt familiar. In fact, a little too familiar. It felt like I was playing the first DMC game all over again, with no discernible difference aside from a graphical facelift. And to a certain extent, that is actually ok, but honestly you'd be getting a better action experience from God of War or No More Heroes if you have the option. But then again, 360 owners who don't have another option or PS3 owners who can't wait for the next GOW installment (which is rumoured for '09 at this point), it's actually probably a worthwhile purchase.
And yes, I have gotten a few quality hours in with NMH, and it is extremely epic. The game has a very Tarantino-style feel to it that is just pure style and fun. I agree with most reviewers that the whole town aspect seems extremely underdeveloped, but it certainly does not get in the way of the fun. Again, I can't stress how much you need to buy this game to prove that soccer moms and senior citizens are not the only audience on the Wii.
Oh Fox news, when will you learn (hopefully never)? Fox news has essentially told EA to go fuck themselves, refusing to retract or correct any of their blatantly false claims about Mass Effect. I really hope EA goes after them full bore, because this is probably one of the few companies powerful enough to make them shut the hell up.
And pretty much the only movie that's even possibly worth discussing this weekend is Sly Stallone's attempt to revive that other franchise that helped make him a star, Rambo. The strategy clearly worked with Rocky, but that was treated with a touch of realism about the fact that Rocky (and Sly) was an old dude trying to regain a little former glory. This seems like Sly is acting like he's 30 years old and an invincible badass. And granted, he's probably the most in shape guy in his 60s I've ever seen, but that doesn't make Rambo any less of a silly premise. That being said, I might go see it just for the 80s nostalgia of ridiculously violent films that you just don't see anymore.
That's it for today, but I'm planning a top ten movies that should be on HD column for this weekend, so look for that (and be sure to pass along any suggestions you might have).
And yes, I have gotten a few quality hours in with NMH, and it is extremely epic. The game has a very Tarantino-style feel to it that is just pure style and fun. I agree with most reviewers that the whole town aspect seems extremely underdeveloped, but it certainly does not get in the way of the fun. Again, I can't stress how much you need to buy this game to prove that soccer moms and senior citizens are not the only audience on the Wii.
Oh Fox news, when will you learn (hopefully never)? Fox news has essentially told EA to go fuck themselves, refusing to retract or correct any of their blatantly false claims about Mass Effect. I really hope EA goes after them full bore, because this is probably one of the few companies powerful enough to make them shut the hell up.
And pretty much the only movie that's even possibly worth discussing this weekend is Sly Stallone's attempt to revive that other franchise that helped make him a star, Rambo. The strategy clearly worked with Rocky, but that was treated with a touch of realism about the fact that Rocky (and Sly) was an old dude trying to regain a little former glory. This seems like Sly is acting like he's 30 years old and an invincible badass. And granted, he's probably the most in shape guy in his 60s I've ever seen, but that doesn't make Rambo any less of a silly premise. That being said, I might go see it just for the 80s nostalgia of ridiculously violent films that you just don't see anymore.
That's it for today, but I'm planning a top ten movies that should be on HD column for this weekend, so look for that (and be sure to pass along any suggestions you might have).
1/24/2008
What defines a "game"?
Geez, so much to go over today. I guess I'll get the depressing stuff out of the way first. Obviously we've all heard by now that Heath Ledger is dead. It's certainly a shame, the guy was on a career high, due to explode in a few months with people already buzzing about his performance in the new Batman film. Beyond sending my condolences to his family and friends I really don't have much else to say on the subject. I just hope we don't see a steady stream of sub par movies Ledger was in that were never meant to see the light of day but would now be released to make a quick buck (see John Candy). Let's hope The Dark Knight leaves a memorable impression that will be talked about for a long time to come.
Also, damn you EA, I actually may have to start liking you again. EA virtually bitch-slapped the morons over at FOX news, who were blatantly lying about the supposed "extreme" sexual content of Mass Effect. Granted, anybody who takes anything FOX news says seriously obviously had a serious lobotomy, but this is the first time someone as big as EA has actually fought back and this quickly. I seriously hope the morons at Fox don't shut up because then a slander suit won't be far off. Bravo EA, and damn you for making me say bravo.
Moving onto the crux of today's post, of course I went ahead and picked up No More Heroes, but I haven't cracked it open just yet (mainly because I had forgotten to charge my Wii Remote). What I did spend my limited amount of charge with was a new & interesting title that also came out this week called Endless Ocean. This title seems to be dividing the gaming community. Either it's yet another example of banal non-gamer nonsense that is slowly dooming the industry; or it's a fresh, relaxing, almost transcendent experience that some people just don't get. It certainly sounds dull as hell on the surface. You dive and check out fish at various underwater locations. That's really it. There is the occasional objective, but you're free to do them at your leisure. No real leveling up, no enemies to kill, no princess/kingdom/world to save. Sure as hell doesn't sound like what we would normally consider a game. It doesn't even sound remotely interesting when described, but I honestly had a genuine fascinating and enjoyable time with what I've played so far. And the gaming community is always talking about how games need to grow and evolve and change if they are really to be considered in equal company with other mediums like cinema & music. That means weird experimental shit that is totally out there with an original premise has to break out and garner attention. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Animal Crossing, in that while there were certainly objectives to complete, you could literally spend hours just exploring, talking to townsfolk and seeing what happened at different times of the day. So, bottom line, don't be afraid to give Endless Ocean a chance, just broaden your definition of what a game can be and you'll probably enjoy it (although I probably am going to take advantage of the custom soundtrack option because the Enya-esque music just makes me sleepy).
That's all for today, but I'll leave you with a pretty awesome 5-minute video of Smash Bros. footage and will most certainly be back tomorrow with hopefully some NMH thoughts as well as expanded thoughts on Endless Ocean and the Devil May Cry 4 demo that is due to pop up.
Also, damn you EA, I actually may have to start liking you again. EA virtually bitch-slapped the morons over at FOX news, who were blatantly lying about the supposed "extreme" sexual content of Mass Effect. Granted, anybody who takes anything FOX news says seriously obviously had a serious lobotomy, but this is the first time someone as big as EA has actually fought back and this quickly. I seriously hope the morons at Fox don't shut up because then a slander suit won't be far off. Bravo EA, and damn you for making me say bravo.
Moving onto the crux of today's post, of course I went ahead and picked up No More Heroes, but I haven't cracked it open just yet (mainly because I had forgotten to charge my Wii Remote). What I did spend my limited amount of charge with was a new & interesting title that also came out this week called Endless Ocean. This title seems to be dividing the gaming community. Either it's yet another example of banal non-gamer nonsense that is slowly dooming the industry; or it's a fresh, relaxing, almost transcendent experience that some people just don't get. It certainly sounds dull as hell on the surface. You dive and check out fish at various underwater locations. That's really it. There is the occasional objective, but you're free to do them at your leisure. No real leveling up, no enemies to kill, no princess/kingdom/world to save. Sure as hell doesn't sound like what we would normally consider a game. It doesn't even sound remotely interesting when described, but I honestly had a genuine fascinating and enjoyable time with what I've played so far. And the gaming community is always talking about how games need to grow and evolve and change if they are really to be considered in equal company with other mediums like cinema & music. That means weird experimental shit that is totally out there with an original premise has to break out and garner attention. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Animal Crossing, in that while there were certainly objectives to complete, you could literally spend hours just exploring, talking to townsfolk and seeing what happened at different times of the day. So, bottom line, don't be afraid to give Endless Ocean a chance, just broaden your definition of what a game can be and you'll probably enjoy it (although I probably am going to take advantage of the custom soundtrack option because the Enya-esque music just makes me sleepy).
That's all for today, but I'll leave you with a pretty awesome 5-minute video of Smash Bros. footage and will most certainly be back tomorrow with hopefully some NMH thoughts as well as expanded thoughts on Endless Ocean and the Devil May Cry 4 demo that is due to pop up.
1/21/2008
Is there a hardcore audience on the Wii?
Well here's your chance to speak up. An original, mature, bloody action game with minimal waggle hits this week. It's called No More Heroes and it's not about saving the princess, or defeating aliens for the 5 billionth time. You just wanna be number one, and there are 10 other guys standing in your way, so kill them. There's obviously more to the game, but this is exactly the kind of title all the hardcore gamers whine about not existing on the Wii. If you want more original, awesome games like this and less titles that carry names like Carnival Games, you need to buy this, and any games like it in the future. I'm not saying buy something just because it's daring and original, games like that can still be all that and horrible, and shouldn't be supported. But it also should not have to have the Nintendo (or some almost equally big name like Resident Evil) name behind it in order for you to buy it. I mean hell, all these established franchises had to start somewhere too, if nobody gave them a chence, all we'd ever be playing is Madden and licensed crap.
I'm going to end this updtae with a couple a vids. The first one is a follow-up to the Mario Meets Halo vid I previously posted. This is an actual fan-made game that is being developed, and it looks pretty sweet so far. So check out this new vid and click it for more info and a link to a fairly cool downloadable demo!
Finally, there aren't a whole lot of upcoming PSP games that I'm too excited for, but Final Fantasy: Crisis Core is one I'm definitely keeping an eye on, and I got what I thought was a pretty good idea for this upcoming prequel, so check out this vid (AND THEN GO BUY NO MORE HEROES THIS WEEK):
I'm going to end this updtae with a couple a vids. The first one is a follow-up to the Mario Meets Halo vid I previously posted. This is an actual fan-made game that is being developed, and it looks pretty sweet so far. So check out this new vid and click it for more info and a link to a fairly cool downloadable demo!
Finally, there aren't a whole lot of upcoming PSP games that I'm too excited for, but Final Fantasy: Crisis Core is one I'm definitely keeping an eye on, and I got what I thought was a pretty good idea for this upcoming prequel, so check out this vid (AND THEN GO BUY NO MORE HEROES THIS WEEK):
1/17/2008
A flaw in your plan...
A new Leisure Suit Larry game is being made! With promises that it'll have little if anything to do with the last horrid game, Magna Cum Laude. I'd be pumped, if not for the producer's idiotic and contradictory statements. He wants it to be a classic sex comedy in the vein of Animal House and American Pie, yet he's toning it down from the last release so much that there won;t even be any nudity. Now, normally, nudity in a game is completely unnecessary and usually to cover up horrible gameplay flaws, but the Leisure Suit Larry series is rife with great comedic use of nudity, as are the classic comedies the producer wants to aspire to. You cut that out, you're essentially neutering Larry. How can we expect to ever have good games that also have some adult content if one of the great adult series of all time has its balls cut off before it's even out of the gate this time?
Pretty much the only movie even worth mentioning that is opening this weekend is Cloverfield. I will say when I first heard about this movie I wasn't the least bit interested. It has many classic warning signs. Firstly, it's opening in January, usually a dead zone for new good films. Second, It's reportedly mostly filmed on shaky cam, which just tends to annoy the hell out of me. Third, it's a giant monster movie. Can you remember a good modern giant monster movie? But a couple of friends of mine did get to see a sneak peek at it, and their response was overall pretty positive, so I am planning on checking it out tomorrow.
That's pretty much it for today, but I'll try and get another post up by Sunday. In the meantime, check out this awesome Mario meets Halo video:
Pretty much the only movie even worth mentioning that is opening this weekend is Cloverfield. I will say when I first heard about this movie I wasn't the least bit interested. It has many classic warning signs. Firstly, it's opening in January, usually a dead zone for new good films. Second, It's reportedly mostly filmed on shaky cam, which just tends to annoy the hell out of me. Third, it's a giant monster movie. Can you remember a good modern giant monster movie? But a couple of friends of mine did get to see a sneak peek at it, and their response was overall pretty positive, so I am planning on checking it out tomorrow.
That's pretty much it for today, but I'll try and get another post up by Sunday. In the meantime, check out this awesome Mario meets Halo video:
1/15/2008
They'd better be adding in Megaman. And Bomberman. And Simon Belmont. And...
Smash. Bros. is delayed. Granted, one more month isn't a terribly long wait, but given that this game was originally supposed to hit us early last year to begin with, it better be the finest example of crazy 4-player mayhem to date. I was definitely considering picking up the previous Gamecube edition in order to sharpen up my skills, and this delay may give me just the motivation to do that (or maybe I should actually use the time to try and put a serious dent into my giant backlog of games from the holiday season).
Ah, the stench of total failure. After telling everyone and their mother how horrible it was working for Nintendo and their inferior console, Factor 5, makers of the gigantic pile of crap that is Lair, are suddenly making a Wii game. But they already failed at motion control once, and I'm not really up for yet another trip in an X-Wing, so unless these guys really pull out something worthwhile, I'd be just as happy to never hear from them again.
What's this? A Highlander game? Granted, no Sean Connery or even Christopher Lambert (and really, like Lambert would have anything better to do these days) is a bummer, but the fact that this is an original story based on the property and not tied down to any lame movies or series means it has more promise than most games of its ilk.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Ah, the stench of total failure. After telling everyone and their mother how horrible it was working for Nintendo and their inferior console, Factor 5, makers of the gigantic pile of crap that is Lair, are suddenly making a Wii game. But they already failed at motion control once, and I'm not really up for yet another trip in an X-Wing, so unless these guys really pull out something worthwhile, I'd be just as happy to never hear from them again.
What's this? A Highlander game? Granted, no Sean Connery or even Christopher Lambert (and really, like Lambert would have anything better to do these days) is a bummer, but the fact that this is an original story based on the property and not tied down to any lame movies or series means it has more promise than most games of its ilk.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
1/14/2008
Save our Sonic?
Ah, Sonic, it's been a long and arduous road. You started out as a hip up and comer that was a serious challenger to the platformer throne, with some excellent 16-bit titles. Then you hit the Dreamcast and while there were some blemishes, most had an enjoyable experience. But we should've seen the warning signs then, because it's been almost nothing but a downhill spiral for the blue speedster for the past 17 years. Yikes. Granted, there haven't been many pure Sonic games in that time, but we have plenty of horrid spin-offs like Sonic Rivals, Shadow the Hedgehog and of course the failed abortion that was your next-gen debut, simply titled "Sonic the Hedgehog", apparently trying to make a comeback in the same way Sylvester Stallone did with the simple title of "Rocky Balboa", but with far less successful results.
Yes, Sonic desperately needs a revamp if he's not to completely lose what few fans are left. And we are getting it with a new DS rpg by Bioware that sounds incredible. But is he even worth saving? We come back to him time after time again like the victim in an abusive relationship, expecting that things will be better this time. I've been able to mostly stay away, but as somebody who was a diehard Sega fanboy in it's glory days, I still have been lured back by promises of revamped gameplay on games such as Shadow & more recently Sonic & the Secret Riings, which had so much potential, but fell way short as usual. In most cases, gamers usually give up on a series long before they have been burned this often. But you see the fan reaction when it's announced that he is in Smash Bros or that Bioware is working on a game (when the reaction was more likely to be that they've sold out) and we still love the abusive blue blur. I'm willing to ignore my better judgement and give Sonic one last chance to tempt me, but hopefully if we gamers are spurned again, we'll respond with wrath and vengeance (not literal of course, put the torches & pitchforks down) rather than just waiting to be punished again because Sonic promises it'll get better next time.
No major games are coming out or movies being released this week. Luckily, all that will change when the first truly big game title 0f '08 hits next week. In fact, I'm so pumped about it, I made a cool fanvid! Check it out:
Also, the Dark Knight trailer is pretty wicked, what's more wicked is when somebody makes a killer trailer for the original campy show using the exact same audio:
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Coffee Shop
Yes, Sonic desperately needs a revamp if he's not to completely lose what few fans are left. And we are getting it with a new DS rpg by Bioware that sounds incredible. But is he even worth saving? We come back to him time after time again like the victim in an abusive relationship, expecting that things will be better this time. I've been able to mostly stay away, but as somebody who was a diehard Sega fanboy in it's glory days, I still have been lured back by promises of revamped gameplay on games such as Shadow & more recently Sonic & the Secret Riings, which had so much potential, but fell way short as usual. In most cases, gamers usually give up on a series long before they have been burned this often. But you see the fan reaction when it's announced that he is in Smash Bros or that Bioware is working on a game (when the reaction was more likely to be that they've sold out) and we still love the abusive blue blur. I'm willing to ignore my better judgement and give Sonic one last chance to tempt me, but hopefully if we gamers are spurned again, we'll respond with wrath and vengeance (not literal of course, put the torches & pitchforks down) rather than just waiting to be punished again because Sonic promises it'll get better next time.
No major games are coming out or movies being released this week. Luckily, all that will change when the first truly big game title 0f '08 hits next week. In fact, I'm so pumped about it, I made a cool fanvid! Check it out:
Also, the Dark Knight trailer is pretty wicked, what's more wicked is when somebody makes a killer trailer for the original campy show using the exact same audio:
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Coffee Shop
1/10/2008
Universal FTW
Granted, when the no-so-great high def format war is officially chronicled and talked about in future generations to the few who care, Warner Bros. decision to only support Blu-ray will most likely be considered the key turning point. But the battle could've dragged on for years as long as HDDVD was able to keep noteworthy studios like Universal & Paramount. But that's now changed as well, with Universal saying they'll be dropping HDDVD like a bad habit once their exclusivity deal ends in May. They didn't actually say they were committing to Blu-ray, but it would be odd that they would be the only major movie studio not releasing movies on any high-def format whatsoever. I'm sure if you went with HDDVD, you are pretty upset right now. But hey, you can probably pick up a ton high-def dvds for cheap real soon!
Is Namco trying to one-up Nintendo with bizarre cross-overs? You would think you couldn't get any weirder than Snake being in Smash Bros, but from CES we get the out of nowhere announcement that Darth Vader & Yoda will be in the new Soul Calibur game. And while most moronic geeks are questioning how this fits into canon or how any other fighters could stand up to the force & lightsabers, I choose to revel in this absurdity for all its worth. Strong rumors of more Star Wars characters to come as well. As long as the game is fun & balanced, you can throw Boss Nass & Jar Jar Binks in there as well.
I admit, I'm kinda tempted to see In the Name of the King, just to see what Uwe Boll idea of a LOTR-esque epic would look like (especially when he has less and a third of the budget to work with). But, I'll probably just save the money and be sure that it sucks.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Forbidden Kingdom
Is Namco trying to one-up Nintendo with bizarre cross-overs? You would think you couldn't get any weirder than Snake being in Smash Bros, but from CES we get the out of nowhere announcement that Darth Vader & Yoda will be in the new Soul Calibur game. And while most moronic geeks are questioning how this fits into canon or how any other fighters could stand up to the force & lightsabers, I choose to revel in this absurdity for all its worth. Strong rumors of more Star Wars characters to come as well. As long as the game is fun & balanced, you can throw Boss Nass & Jar Jar Binks in there as well.
I admit, I'm kinda tempted to see In the Name of the King, just to see what Uwe Boll idea of a LOTR-esque epic would look like (especially when he has less and a third of the budget to work with). But, I'll probably just save the money and be sure that it sucks.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: The Forbidden Kingdom
1/04/2008
Warner Bros. FTW?
Although mostly meaningless blows like an aging mortar & concrete business choosing one side or temporary exclusivity are what have mostly been traded in this dumb format war between HDDVD & Blu-ray, a huge and possibly finishing blow may have come today. Warner Bros., which was supporting both formats, has officially pledged themselves fully to Blu-ray. As the biggest DVD seller in Hollywood, that pulls some major clout and will probably be the eventual nail in the coffin for HDDVD, who now only has Universal, Paramount & The Weinstein company backing it exclusively. Which is great news for me, since I just picked up enough blu-ray dvds over the last two days to start a nice small HD library, and hope to be picking up many more in the future.
So, able to get on Xbox live lately? If the answer is no, you are hardly alone. Apparently MS was nowhere near ready to handle the surge of new gamers on live over the holidays, as it has caused loads of issues. The good news is that MS is going to compensate all of us, the bad news is, it's going to be with some worthless Live Arcade title. Really? I think a free month of live would be appropriate, assuming they even get the issues fixed within a month's time. This is like where Kramer jumped at free coffee after he got burned, even though he could've easily gotten so much more, but we aren't even getting the opportunity for something more. MS may have the games, but they are killing any goodwill that gets them with all their technical issues. If this crap continues, you may see a lot of 360s being returned.traded in for PS3s before long.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: CORE
So, able to get on Xbox live lately? If the answer is no, you are hardly alone. Apparently MS was nowhere near ready to handle the surge of new gamers on live over the holidays, as it has caused loads of issues. The good news is that MS is going to compensate all of us, the bad news is, it's going to be with some worthless Live Arcade title. Really? I think a free month of live would be appropriate, assuming they even get the issues fixed within a month's time. This is like where Kramer jumped at free coffee after he got burned, even though he could've easily gotten so much more, but we aren't even getting the opportunity for something more. MS may have the games, but they are killing any goodwill that gets them with all their technical issues. If this crap continues, you may see a lot of 360s being returned.traded in for PS3s before long.
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: CORE
1/03/2008
Performing without a net
Well, tonight, in just a little while, we get to see just how funny Jay Leno & Conan O'Brian can be without a staff of writers, because even without a paid staff, they are coming back on TV (so has Carson Daly, but no one cares). David Letterman & Craig Ferguson are back on the air as well, but they were able to strike a deal with the striking writers guild for their own shows. Jay Leno isn't too damn funny with a full staff, my guess is he'll bomb pretty damn horribly without one. Conan is sort of a wildcard. He is definitely one of the funniest guys in Hollywood, and was responsible for some of the all-time greatest Simpsons episodes. But live, in front of an audience, with absolutely no prepared material is a whole different type of performing. It's anybody's guess if Conan's improv skills are truly up to snuff.
I am finally an HD convert. Even though I work in a place that has a Home Theater department filled with giant 50+ inch-plasmas, I honestly never thought HD looked that much better than standard-def, when I I saw it at work. And at home, all I had was a fairly poor-quality 15-inch LCD by Magnavox (not the greatest of TV brands to begin with). But since I did just recently acquire a PS3, I also picked up my first blu-ray movie a couple of days ago, the brilliant Ratatouille. Granted, last night on my TV, it didn't make much of a case for going HD on anything. But I just picked up a cool new 26-inch Samsung, and I'm watching Ratatouille right now, and it does make one hell of a difference. I'm not saying blu-ray is better than HD-DVD, I'll probably need to break down and get the HD-add on for my 360 to truly judge that; but I'm a much bigger HD than I was just yesterday.
Trailer of the Week: MY NAME IS BRUCE
I am finally an HD convert. Even though I work in a place that has a Home Theater department filled with giant 50+ inch-plasmas, I honestly never thought HD looked that much better than standard-def, when I I saw it at work. And at home, all I had was a fairly poor-quality 15-inch LCD by Magnavox (not the greatest of TV brands to begin with). But since I did just recently acquire a PS3, I also picked up my first blu-ray movie a couple of days ago, the brilliant Ratatouille. Granted, last night on my TV, it didn't make much of a case for going HD on anything. But I just picked up a cool new 26-inch Samsung, and I'm watching Ratatouille right now, and it does make one hell of a difference. I'm not saying blu-ray is better than HD-DVD, I'll probably need to break down and get the HD-add on for my 360 to truly judge that; but I'm a much bigger HD than I was just yesterday.
Trailer of the Week: MY NAME IS BRUCE
12/29/2007
Medium Entertainment's totally pointless year end awards!
Well, no movies opening this weekend and no breaking news, so now's a good a time as any to give my year-end wrap ups. Going for something a little different from the usual "best of" this year, so enjoy:
Best Vaporware:
I don't why anybody is surprised at this. Sure, potentially Sony's metagame/virtual world is a visionary and fantastic idea. If it ever gets done, that is. This could be the Second Life for consoles, but it also could just end up being some ad-filled eyesore to pump merchandise, which seems the more likely of the two. I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't really see the light of day until at least 2009.
The Helping Amateur Stalkers Everywhere Award:
Xbox Live's Friends of Friends. Seriously. who's fucking bright idea was this? So, anybody can potentially track down anybody on live, which probably isn't that big a deal, but I rarely let people I've never even talked to on an internet forum join my friends' list, much less somebody who is a friend of a friend of a friend. Xbox live isn't Myspace. This really just seems like a tool for advertising where you get asked to be on the friend list of The Burger King or something horrid like that.
The resting on their laurels award:
Yes, it was a banner year for Nintendo. Their waggle system continues to sell like it's the last system ever. But really, what did Nintendo do to please it's already big installed base this year? Not a whole lot, and the sad thing is , it wouldn't have taken much to make us pleased. Better virtual console releases, for one. Yeah, what is classic is subjective, but most of what we've seen this year on the virtual console was questionable at best. I probably should be having trouble keeping my Wii from overflowing with VC titles, but it just isn't happening.
Which leads me to my another major complaint-Nintendo still hasn't made it so that you can play anything from an SD card, which massively limits the memory options. I mean hell, I may have to start choosing between channels and game saves soon, especially with Wii Ware on the way next year. And finally, the ever-lasting complaint of simplifying online play. Their is literally no justification for making your customers have to jot down 16-digit codes for every friend for every individual game. You don;t even enable voice chat, so that whole protecting the kids mantra is complete BS. And even if you did, that's what thing like parental settings (and parents themselves oddly enough) are for. I mean honestly, this is the kind of thing that will make people skip otherwise solid titles like Battalion Wars 2, because it just isn't worth the hassle. These are all easily fixed problems, Nintendo, and shame on you for being lazy as hell about it.
The You only get out of it what you put into it award:
3rd Party Wii developers: Seriously, just how many half-assed pieces of complete shovelware have we seen on Nintendo's console this year? And all of them are by third parties just desperately trying to cash in on the Wii's success. Then they have the gall to piss & moan about how they can't make any money on the Wii. Granted, you're not going to hit monster numbers like Bioshock & Mass Effect, but I thought that was one of the points of the Wii in the first place-that you could make more daring titles that don't have to be monster hits because they cost a fraction of what it costs to develop titles for the 360 or the PS3. The Wii has effectively proved people don't care about graphics that much, but they still need something besides 10,000 minigames to bide their free time.
Biggest Jackass:
Granted, several Sony execs were in the running, but the increasingly insane antics of Thompson month after month made him a shoo-in. I mean the guy has targeted everything from Microsoft to the Department of Defense, and even facing disbarment hasn't slowed this maniac down in his crusade to destroy videogames that just ends up destroying any credibility he has left. It's been fun Mr. Thompson, but it's looking like 2008 will find you jobless and possibly in a rubber room where you truly belong.
The biggest disappointment of the year:
Xbox Live Arcade: Seriously, it's been around a year longer than the Virtual Console, yet the amount of quality titles is a hell of a lot less, and it's not because the usually only do one title a week. Sure, there have been a couple of rare gems like Bomberman & Worms, and Streets of Rage 2 was certainly worth the $5 to download; but a look at the rest of the list reads like some hastily slapped together "greatest hits" compilation with only a couple actual hits and most of the running badly on hardware that should have no problem running it. Microsoft can;t even decide what the hell it wants Arcade to be. First it's an outlet for indie developers, then it's a land of mostly badly emulated classics. Now it's trying to reach out to a young and casual crowd that isn't even there with games that feature Spongebob collecting underpants. Arcade is in the middle of a giant identity crisis, and it will be looked upon as one of the great blunders of this generation if Microsoft doesn't get their act together.
All right, that's pretty much it. See you guys next year!
Best Vaporware:
I don't why anybody is surprised at this. Sure, potentially Sony's metagame/virtual world is a visionary and fantastic idea. If it ever gets done, that is. This could be the Second Life for consoles, but it also could just end up being some ad-filled eyesore to pump merchandise, which seems the more likely of the two. I wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't really see the light of day until at least 2009.
The Helping Amateur Stalkers Everywhere Award:
Xbox Live's Friends of Friends. Seriously. who's fucking bright idea was this? So, anybody can potentially track down anybody on live, which probably isn't that big a deal, but I rarely let people I've never even talked to on an internet forum join my friends' list, much less somebody who is a friend of a friend of a friend. Xbox live isn't Myspace. This really just seems like a tool for advertising where you get asked to be on the friend list of The Burger King or something horrid like that.
The resting on their laurels award:
Yes, it was a banner year for Nintendo. Their waggle system continues to sell like it's the last system ever. But really, what did Nintendo do to please it's already big installed base this year? Not a whole lot, and the sad thing is , it wouldn't have taken much to make us pleased. Better virtual console releases, for one. Yeah, what is classic is subjective, but most of what we've seen this year on the virtual console was questionable at best. I probably should be having trouble keeping my Wii from overflowing with VC titles, but it just isn't happening.
Which leads me to my another major complaint-Nintendo still hasn't made it so that you can play anything from an SD card, which massively limits the memory options. I mean hell, I may have to start choosing between channels and game saves soon, especially with Wii Ware on the way next year. And finally, the ever-lasting complaint of simplifying online play. Their is literally no justification for making your customers have to jot down 16-digit codes for every friend for every individual game. You don;t even enable voice chat, so that whole protecting the kids mantra is complete BS. And even if you did, that's what thing like parental settings (and parents themselves oddly enough) are for. I mean honestly, this is the kind of thing that will make people skip otherwise solid titles like Battalion Wars 2, because it just isn't worth the hassle. These are all easily fixed problems, Nintendo, and shame on you for being lazy as hell about it.
The You only get out of it what you put into it award:
3rd Party Wii developers: Seriously, just how many half-assed pieces of complete shovelware have we seen on Nintendo's console this year? And all of them are by third parties just desperately trying to cash in on the Wii's success. Then they have the gall to piss & moan about how they can't make any money on the Wii. Granted, you're not going to hit monster numbers like Bioshock & Mass Effect, but I thought that was one of the points of the Wii in the first place-that you could make more daring titles that don't have to be monster hits because they cost a fraction of what it costs to develop titles for the 360 or the PS3. The Wii has effectively proved people don't care about graphics that much, but they still need something besides 10,000 minigames to bide their free time.
Biggest Jackass:
Granted, several Sony execs were in the running, but the increasingly insane antics of Thompson month after month made him a shoo-in. I mean the guy has targeted everything from Microsoft to the Department of Defense, and even facing disbarment hasn't slowed this maniac down in his crusade to destroy videogames that just ends up destroying any credibility he has left. It's been fun Mr. Thompson, but it's looking like 2008 will find you jobless and possibly in a rubber room where you truly belong.
The biggest disappointment of the year:
Xbox Live Arcade: Seriously, it's been around a year longer than the Virtual Console, yet the amount of quality titles is a hell of a lot less, and it's not because the usually only do one title a week. Sure, there have been a couple of rare gems like Bomberman & Worms, and Streets of Rage 2 was certainly worth the $5 to download; but a look at the rest of the list reads like some hastily slapped together "greatest hits" compilation with only a couple actual hits and most of the running badly on hardware that should have no problem running it. Microsoft can;t even decide what the hell it wants Arcade to be. First it's an outlet for indie developers, then it's a land of mostly badly emulated classics. Now it's trying to reach out to a young and casual crowd that isn't even there with games that feature Spongebob collecting underpants. Arcade is in the middle of a giant identity crisis, and it will be looked upon as one of the great blunders of this generation if Microsoft doesn't get their act together.
All right, that's pretty much it. See you guys next year!
12/21/2007
Cinematic Overload
Wow, for once there are just too many goddamn good movies for me to catch-up on. I did manage to see both I am Legend & Juno today, both of which I highly recommend seeing (especially Juno, that's easily my pick for best comedy of 07). But suddenly, there's a huge avalanche of new films that all seem worth seeing. First up, there's what may be the best spoof film in quite a long time in Walk Hard, a star-making role for the brilliant John C. Reilly. Then there's also Tim Burton's most critically acclaimed film in over a decade, the movie version of the macabre musical Sweeney Todd. We also have Tom Hanks latest shot at Oscar Gold in Charlie Wilson's War. All good choices that I really want to check out. Hell, I even want to see National Treasure 2 since I enjoyed the first one, but it's definitely under the category of "if you've seen everything else.
That's pretty much it for me today, but I'll leave you with a Christmas classic: A Charlie Brown Christmas... Performed by the cast of Scrubs!
That's pretty much it for me today, but I'll leave you with a Christmas classic: A Charlie Brown Christmas... Performed by the cast of Scrubs!
12/19/2007
A long NIGHTS journey...
I apologize for not posting for over a week, but I really sick for about a week and am still recovering a little bit. I was in fact very pissed that I was so ill I could not go out to see I am Legend and check out the new Dark Knight trailer (of course by now I've seen the trailer, but I will also check out Legend this weekend).
But it is good that I have mostly recovered just in time for the last big release of '07-Nights: Journey of Dreams for the Wii! Granted, this game may only matter to those few of us who were lucky enough to play the seminal original on the ill-fated Saturn, but since it's been over a decade , I'll take what new content I can get. It's a shame that according to most reviews, that while the game works fine with the classic controller, they apparently could not get the Wii controls to work well, since that seemed such a natural fit for the game.
Duke Nukem lives? Granted, I've never been a big fan of what is basically a composite of Ash from the Evil Dead movies & Roddy Piper from They Live, but ID has finally has posted a trailer for the long rumoured vaporware. Of course, without some kind of release date, this means squat IMHO. And really, what relevance is Duke to modern-day gaming? We have so many more awesome heroes that could kick Duke's ass...
Trailer of the week: HANCOCK
But it is good that I have mostly recovered just in time for the last big release of '07-Nights: Journey of Dreams for the Wii! Granted, this game may only matter to those few of us who were lucky enough to play the seminal original on the ill-fated Saturn, but since it's been over a decade , I'll take what new content I can get. It's a shame that according to most reviews, that while the game works fine with the classic controller, they apparently could not get the Wii controls to work well, since that seemed such a natural fit for the game.
Duke Nukem lives? Granted, I've never been a big fan of what is basically a composite of Ash from the Evil Dead movies & Roddy Piper from They Live, but ID has finally has posted a trailer for the long rumoured vaporware. Of course, without some kind of release date, this means squat IMHO. And really, what relevance is Duke to modern-day gaming? We have so many more awesome heroes that could kick Duke's ass...
Trailer of the week: HANCOCK
12/10/2007
Tom Brokaw is old and confused...
It always amuses me when someone who is the voice of a generation completely out of touch with today's world tries to make a statement on modern day stuff they obviously have no clue about. Take this latest from retired old fart Tom Brokaw:
What I really love is how he claims he's a "free speech absolutist" but condemns two very valid forms of it that sure as hell shouldn't be criticized any more than the media he worked for for so long. I'm all for examining violence and it's effects. Hell, blogs can be a very useful tool for just that and the ongoing dialogue Brokaw mentions. To call them cancerous and then throw in videogames just because it's fashionable to scapegoat them for everything (note that the VT shooter didn't play any violent games) is just absurd and shows how senile he is. Do yourself a favor and stay shuttered away in the old folks shelter, grandpa.
Onto happier news, one thing that has sort of annoyed me about the Wii controllers is that they aren't truly wireless. The nunchuck is still attached to the Wii remote and so is the classic controller. But help is on the way. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but Nyko is coming out with a wireless nunchuck and Thrustmaster (really, Thrustmaster?) has their own wireless version of the classic controller that is on its way as well. We all know the less wires we have to deal with, the better, so hopefully these will be on shelves soon as it doesn't seem like Nintendo is too concerned about developing their own wireless versions of these any time in the near future.
In addition to the free game of the week, a have a little treat for you guys, my newest fanvid, featuring Smash Bros. Brawl! Til next time...
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Top Chef
HH: NBC ran the Virginia Tech killer tape on the day they obtained it. Steve Capus, Brian Williams made that decision. Did they make the right decision?
TB: Yeah, they did.
HH: Do you not think it's going to incite other people to try to do the same thing?
TB: No, I don't. I think...to get back to something we were talking about earlier in general thematic terms, I don't think we're doing a very good job about talking about violence in this country, either. You know, Virginia Tech went away. We didn't have any ongoing dialogue in our communities or on the air about the corrosive effect of violence. It was not what he, what people saw of him on the air that will drive them, it's what they read in blog sites, and what they see in video games. It's that kind of stuff that I think is cancerous. And I'm a free speech absolutist, but I think that at the same time, we have to have free speech in some kind of a context. And part of that context is a discussion of the possible effects of it.
What I really love is how he claims he's a "free speech absolutist" but condemns two very valid forms of it that sure as hell shouldn't be criticized any more than the media he worked for for so long. I'm all for examining violence and it's effects. Hell, blogs can be a very useful tool for just that and the ongoing dialogue Brokaw mentions. To call them cancerous and then throw in videogames just because it's fashionable to scapegoat them for everything (note that the VT shooter didn't play any violent games) is just absurd and shows how senile he is. Do yourself a favor and stay shuttered away in the old folks shelter, grandpa.
Onto happier news, one thing that has sort of annoyed me about the Wii controllers is that they aren't truly wireless. The nunchuck is still attached to the Wii remote and so is the classic controller. But help is on the way. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but Nyko is coming out with a wireless nunchuck and Thrustmaster (really, Thrustmaster?) has their own wireless version of the classic controller that is on its way as well. We all know the less wires we have to deal with, the better, so hopefully these will be on shelves soon as it doesn't seem like Nintendo is too concerned about developing their own wireless versions of these any time in the near future.
In addition to the free game of the week, a have a little treat for you guys, my newest fanvid, featuring Smash Bros. Brawl! Til next time...
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Top Chef
12/07/2007
All that glitters...
Is most certainly not gold. I already pretty much posted my opinion on this weekend's only big opening film, The Golden Compass. You'd be much better off trying to find some indie fare like say Juno(which unfortunately isn't playing anywhere near me).
New trailer for GTA IV hit today. Though I wasn't a huge fan of San Andreas, this is starting to look pretty damn promising.
I am also making some progress in my massive gaming pile, finishing off both Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect. I kind of wish A lot of these big games turned out to be disappointments because honestly I would love to play Mario some more or go through Mass Effect again but I just have too many other games that are pretty damn good to do that now or in the near future. It's a silly complaint, I know, but for all the complaints of lack of quality games by the gaming community, now we are dealing with more quality content than we know what to do with (well, if you own at least 2 systems anyways).
That's pretty much it for today. I do want to give a cheap plug for one of my Gorillamask buddies, Evan Smith, who does some pretty damn cool artwork on his blog, Broken Sanity, which is also in my link list so you can check it out at your leisure even after this post disappears into the archives.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: SPEED RACER
New trailer for GTA IV hit today. Though I wasn't a huge fan of San Andreas, this is starting to look pretty damn promising.
I am also making some progress in my massive gaming pile, finishing off both Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect. I kind of wish A lot of these big games turned out to be disappointments because honestly I would love to play Mario some more or go through Mass Effect again but I just have too many other games that are pretty damn good to do that now or in the near future. It's a silly complaint, I know, but for all the complaints of lack of quality games by the gaming community, now we are dealing with more quality content than we know what to do with (well, if you own at least 2 systems anyways).
That's pretty much it for today. I do want to give a cheap plug for one of my Gorillamask buddies, Evan Smith, who does some pretty damn cool artwork on his blog, Broken Sanity, which is also in my link list so you can check it out at your leisure even after this post disappears into the archives.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK: SPEED RACER
12/03/2007
EA is dethroned? Yay?
Potentially huge news: Activision & Vivendi have officially merged, making them officially larger than EA, which has been the world's largest publisher for years now. Granted, given that EA is filled to the brim with giant jackasses with inflated egos who put out the same licensed crap year after year, most would see a serious competitor arising like this as a good thing. But really, what has Vivendi done besides World of Warcraft in the last 6 years? And Activision isn't exactly none for original quality releases either, with an umpteen number of Tony Hawk & Spider-Man titles that vary little under their belts. Will this lead to both striving for good, innovative original content or will we just see even more crappy cross-overs and tie-ins like Tony Hawk's World of Warcraft or Spider-Man's Adventures in Azeroth? I'll choose to remain cautiously optimistic.
I managed to catch a sneak preview of The Golden Compass. I read the book earlier this year and thought it was ok. The movie was a huge disservice to the source material, however. They changed much, and the writing, editing and acting were all pretty horrible. It amazes me that you can go so wrong when you have such a clear blueprint to base your work off of.
Trailer of the Week: The Spiderwick Chronicles
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Candy Mountain Massacre
I managed to catch a sneak preview of The Golden Compass. I read the book earlier this year and thought it was ok. The movie was a huge disservice to the source material, however. They changed much, and the writing, editing and acting were all pretty horrible. It amazes me that you can go so wrong when you have such a clear blueprint to base your work off of.
Trailer of the Week: The Spiderwick Chronicles
FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Candy Mountain Massacre
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