Join sisters NinJaSistah and Pandalicious and the rest of the ESH Crew each day as they discuss video games, tech gadgets, anime, manga... pretty much everything within the geek chic lifestyle.
From Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC game reviews, previews, news, and gushings to audience questions and rumor mill seeding galore you'll find it here at ESH!
Color me stupified, I thought the Age of Conan mmo was on it's way out, but I guess I was wrong. It's getting an expansion. I know, right!?!
Rise of the Godslayer is the first expansion for the almost 2yr old mmo. Sadly, I didn't even stick around for the free month of gameplay and have never looked back. After watching this trailer...I'm still not going back. I've heard the game has become group-dependent which is always a turn-off for me in an mmo. But for those who you who are still hooked this expansion might be for you.
Set in the eastern empire of Khitai and including a new playable race - the Khitan - 'Rise of the Godslayer' brings to the table a new story and missions, new player mounts and new areas to explore. No release date has been released yet.
Anyone here remember a little RPG by Bioware called Mass Effect? I thought you might. Well, Mass Effect 2 will be hitting store shelves in a couple of weeks and I'm already sitting outside of Gamestop waiting.
OK, so the second part isn't true. I'm not waiting outside...yet. Nonetheless, I still want to play Mass Effect 2 when it come out on January 26. In the meantime, I'll just have to settle for the trailer that shows John Shepard's new crew kicking some butt.
It's almost impossible to transfer 1 kilobyte while gaming online without coming across some idiot going out of his/her way to display their "idiocracy". But once in a blue moon, a gamer comes along to show us exactly what we forgot about video games as we grew older.
After watching this video, I can barely type this post without tearing up. I'd let this kid win every online match we played together. This kid is just...I mean he REALLY...Aww, frack it! Watch the video. NO! Those aren't tears! My eyes are just sweating!
It would've been nice to see this trailer on the SpikeTV Video Game Awards 2009, but I guess after trying to fit in all of the movie stars who don't actually play games, there wasn't much room for this one.
The first Kane & Lynch title didn't get much love from the gaming community. Most reviewers said it was horrible and a waste of money. It's those kind of reviews that kicked this game completely off of my radar. It was only years later, during one of Gamestop's "Buy 2 Used Games, Get 1 Free" periods that I decided to give it a chance. It turned out to be one of the best games I've played.
I may be one of the few gamers looking forward to Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days in 2010. It probably wont' make it to SpikeTV Video Game Awards 2010, but never fear. I hear Sally Fields might be making an appearance!
If you're an avid World of Warcraft player then by now you know the story of the Lich King, Arthas. We witnessed the rise of the Lich King and now it's time to witness his fall.
Ever since my Geek Aggro co-host, Matt, talked me into playing the real-time strategy (RTS) game, Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne, I've wanted Prince Arthas dead. After playing through the current World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, I've wanted him dead even more. With last weeks 3.3 patch, Blizzard has finally given us the chance to avenge our fallen comrades and bring down an item level 232 greatsword upon the Lich King's skull. This opportunity may not mean much to those who don't know the story, but believe me when I say, it's been a LONG time coming.SUCK IT ARTHAS!!!
I played Guild Wars years ago and it just didn't interest me. It was so long ago that I can't even remember what I didn't like about it. The trailer for Guild Wars 2 just hit the internet and it's making me rethink my initial distaste for the MMO.
Let me start off by saying the graphics in this game are amazing. I'll go even as far as saying that this is probably one of the most gorgeous MMOs' I've seen, next to Aion. The trailer introduces each of the game's five races: Sulvari, Norn, Charr, Asura and Human.
Guild Wars 2 is due on store shelves in November 2010.
So many MMOs' and so little time. They just keep coming. Not all of them turn out to be good, which is sort of a good thing, because if they were, then I'd have no time to keep you guys updated on the latest in the MMO world. Speaking of which, Star Trek Online has been making their presence known lately.
Star Trek Online is a Cryptic Studios project. This is the same crew that brought us Champions Online a few months ago. They've been trickling more info to the public over the last month or so, including the release date (Feb. 2, 2010). The latest news comes in the form of gameplay footage. As much as I'm anticipating a good sci-fi mmo, I don't know if this is it. My money is still on Star Wars: The Old Republic, but who am I kidding, I'll most likely pick of Star Trek Online regardless.
So we've all been pissed when our parents grounded us. No TV, video games, cell phone for a set amount of time can chafe the arse of any typical teen these days, but just how far would you go to get it back?
A fifteen year old boy called Buffalo Grove police to find out if his parents were violating any of his rights by taking his Xbox away as punishment. Go ahead and let that sink in for a moment. His first call was made around noon, but he hung up. Shortly afterwards, the police showed up at the house to investigate and informed the kid that the parents have the authority to take his console away if they deem it necessary.
If I were the parent, I would've told the cops not to go too far, because there was about to be a dead kid here.
Bioware has yet to fail in delivering some of the best RPG experiences throughout the years. One of the things that makes their games so great is that they put in a little something for everyone, including our fellow gay gamers.
We saw the same sex love scenes appear in Mass Effect and they are back in Bioware, but with less controversy. I guess people were just caught off guard by the scene(s) in Mass Effect, which were not graphic, but just showed a little same sex "closeness" if you will. When Bioware released Dragon Age: Origins, the public was more like, "Meh. Those crazy developers are at it again."
Once I've finished Dragon Age: Origins, you'll see my review here, but until then check out what a few months of wilderness-roaming and fighting side by side will do to the toughest of warriors.
If you haven't heard of Microsoft's banning spree of modded Xboxes over the last few weeks as well as the lawsuit(s) that followed, then you must've been hiding under a rock.
Microsoft fired the first shot by hitting about a million modded console owners with the banhammer, locking them out if Xbox Live. Why the sudden lockout? Microsoft said that it was a long time coming, offendrs should know better, and there will be more to come.
The victims (if you want to call the that) replied with a lawsuit that stated not all modded console owners know/knew there system were modded. Some systems may have been purchased from online auction sites, such as Ebay, or from a friend or aquaintance and was not told about the sytem tampering. They feel that they (the good) should not have to suffer for the bad. The lawyers are saying that Microsoft intentionally waited for for the release of the biggest game of the year, Modern Warfare 2, to begin the bans, hoping that those affected would run out to buy another system which makes the corporate numbers look good.
Microsoft fired the first shot by hitting about a million modded console owners with the banhammer, locking them out if Xbox Live. Why the sudden lockout? Microsoft said that it was a long time coming, offendrs should know better, and there will be more to come.
The victims (if you want to call the that) replied with a lawsuit that stated not all modded console owners know/knew there system were modded. Some systems may have been purchased from online auction sites, such as Ebay, or from a friend or aquaintance and was not told about the sytem tampering. They feel that they (the good) should not have to suffer for the bad. The lawyers are saying that Microsoft intentionally waited for for the release of the biggest game of the year, Modern Warfare 2, to begin the bans, hoping that those affected would run out to buy another system which makes the corporate numbers look good.
What does Microsoft have to say about these accusations? Last week they released a statement pretty much telling the finger-pointers to read the Terms of Service, be careful who you buy your systems from, suck it up, and have a nice day. The spokesman also said that the company feels bad for those who have unintentionally come into possession of a modded console, but that number is very small in comparison to those who actually sought out a modded system and those who modded themselves.
I'm on the fence with this one. I can understand both sides of the argument. It's really hard to say who is right and wrong in this one. Both sides are sticking to their guns. The only thing I can say for sure is that whoever wins will strike a mighty blow for their camp.
What does Microsoft have to say about these accusations? Last week they released a statement pretty much telling the finger-pointers to read the Terms of Service, be careful who you buy your systems from, suck it up, and have a nice day. The spokesman also said that the company feels bad for those who have unintentionally come into possession of a modded console, but that number is very small in comparison to those who actually sought out a modded system and those who modded themselves.
I'm on the fence with this one. I can understand both sides of the argument. It's really hard to say who is right and wrong in this one. Both sides are sticking to their guns. The only thing I can say for sure is that whoever wins will strike a mighty blow for their camp.
I put off getting Gearbox's Borderlands for a bit over a week after the release because I just wasn't sure if this was the game for me. The commercials made it appealing, as did all of the reviews I read, but for $60, I just wasn't sure about this one. Finally, I decided to take a chance and it paid off.
The first thing you need to know about Borderlands is that if you're not playing this via online or LAN with friends or stranger (either one), then you're probably wasting your time and money. The single-player experience can be boring and frustrating, but when three other players join in for co-op gameplay, you get a mash-up of Phantasy Star Online set in a Fallout 3-esque environment with FPS gameplay similar to Halo and Call of Duty.
You start off by picking one of four characters: Roland the gun-toting soldier, Lilith the stealth/magic femme, Mordecai the sniper/assassin, and Brick the boxer/tank. Then you guide that character through the familiar RPG "fetch and return" and "kill and/or collect x amount of y" quests throughout the large landscapes and varied dungeons. The overarching story is to find the secret Vault while being guided by a mysterious woman who talks to you in your mind. Don't expect an epic or deep plot here. It serves no other reason than for you to go out and kill things.
Unlike similar titles like Fallout 3 and Hellgate: London, which use an under-the-hood die roll system to determine combat results, Borderlands has a pure hit or miss factor depending on your aim. If you hit the body, it takes damage. A bullet to the head resutls in a critical hit, causing more damage. So aiming plays a large part in how hard an encounter will be for you. Also, your overall level, weapon level, and weapon proficiency play a large part in the amount of damage you output. If you use the shotgun a lot, then you'll become extremely dangerous with a shotgun. The same goes for pistols, machine guns, rifles, etc.
Questing and leveling are not the only RPG elements in Borderlands. The skill tree will be familiar to many Diablo 2 and World of Warcraft players. Each character has three distinctive skill trees to apply skill points towards. So even though you may find yourself playing with another Roland, the abilities between the two of you may be noticeably different depending on your skill point allocations. You might spec your Roland to be an all-out damage dealer with guns, the other guys may spec more of a medic, causing his friendly fire to heal teammates. You don't have to worry about being stuck with a particular spec either. You can re-spec anytime, but at a cash cost.
The loot system has it's pros and cons for me. First of all, there are a LOT of different weapons to find. Some are the same items, but may do fire damage or ice damage, etc, or have different firing rates and magazine sizes. I love feeling of opening a chest or looting an enemy and not knowing what goodies are going to be there. Besides, guns, you'll get randomly generated items including, ammo, grenades and grenade modifiers (fire, corrosion, ice, shock, stickies, bouncies, HP transfusions, etc), gear in the form of power shields, and support mods that affect skill tree allocation. There are color indicators, similar to that of World of Warcraft, that determines rarity (white, green, blue, purple, and orange). This brings me to what I don't like about loot. The game lacks a reasonable way to distribute loot between players other than people making a mad dash for the drops and grabbing whatever they can, regardless of if they can use it or not or it being better suited for another party member, and selling it for cash if it's not an upgrade for them. Also if you want to trade or give an item to another party member, then you have to drop it on the ground and hope the right person picks it up. This can be extremely frustrating if not playing with friends or trusted gamers.
The visual style of Borderlands just works. The use of solid outlining and bold colors gives it that Street Fighter IV painted look, completely different from the other Unreal Engine 3 titles. This makes the post-apocalyptic industrial wasteland come alive and complements the (at times) over-the-top silliness of the game. The art style is a constant reminder not to take the game too seriously when I see a shotgun-toting midget running at me or boss who gives me the Degeneration X crotch slap before trying to blow my head off.
As I said before, the game really becomes fun when you add three others into the mix. The more players there are, the harder the enemies become. The harder enemies become, the better the loot becomes. Plus, it's more exciting when you walk into a town full of gun-toting baddies and the group has to work together to survive. Whether you trying to peel a crazed axe-wielder off of your teammate or as a medic, shooting him with healing bullets to keep him alive, the more, the merrier. There are some arena areas that allow for PvP or just whacking an teammate and waiting for them to accept the challenge can start a versus mode, but that usually a way to tell when party members are getting bored or the level 50 cap has been reached and, well, they're bored.
Death in Borderlands does not mean the end of the fight. While you're down, you have an opportunity to kill an enemy to get a "Second Wind" that brings you back into the fray before bleeding out and respawning. Players can also revive you but at the risk of exposing themselves to danger while doing so. It's extremely frustrating to get taken down during single play, miss the "Second Wind", and have to no one to revive you, resulting in a respawn that incurs a fee each time.
Many of the boss fights were anti-climatic. Whether in single-player or multi-player, you'll basically find yourself strafing or circling the enemy while shooting everything you have at a weak spot until he drops. Some bosses are able to be exploited by just staying out of engage range and sniping them until they die.
Many other reviewers had a problem with having to drive or run for long distances throughout the game. I really didn't mind it because it drew me into the massiveness of the areas. Although, without an overlaying map or minimap, it was frustrating to have to constantly pause the game to check the big map for positions an routes. I'm hoping that this, along with the loot and trading system, is something that Gearbox fixes in patches.
All in all, Borderlands was well worth the money I spent for it. Combining an awesome FPS experience with solid RPG elements and sealing the deal with enjoyable multi-player gameplay keeps me coming back for more even after the 30-ish hours of the main story has been completed. I'm looking forward to the DLC that Gearbox has on the horizon.
Had I not played through the first Bioshock a few months ago, this game would not be on my radar, but seeing as how I did, now it is. And boy, this is one hell of a blip on the radar!
Bioshock 2 brings us back to Rapture as a Big Daddy. Don't worry. We'll still be fighting other Big Daddies, as well as Big Sisters and other new foes. There's some very cool tweaks to the gameplay as well. Oh yeah! Rapture has a new leader, some chick that's bent on religion an butterflies. I'm sure there's more to it, but we'll have to wait until February 2010 to know for sure. Until then, check out IGN's preview.
The trailers for Bioware's upcoming RPG, Dragon Age Origins keep getting better and better.The newest one makes me even more excited for the game.
Bioware is know for making epic rpg games such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (1 and 2), Jade Empire, and the mmo that has me drooling with anticipation, Star Wars: The Old Republic. Their latest title, Dragon Age Origins, will hit store shelves on November 3rd for PC and Xbox 360. I have yet to pass up the opportunity to play one of their titles and this game will be no exception.
I'll admit, I know absolutely nothing about the Tekken lore, but if all I knew about the franchise was this trailer, even though it's not really for the actual movie, I'd go see it..if it was for an actual movie.
Some very talented guys over at Quantumoptic Productions put this together for a G4 video game trailer contest. Unfortunately, they didn't make the deadline, but they still get my vote. This low budget trailer is better than some of the big budget trailers I've seen. Check it out.
Motorola has joined the Android OS team by unveiling their Motorola Cliq cell phone at their press event last month and it ain't looking too shabby.
The Cliq puts heavy focus on social networking and messaging which are two of my top priorities in a mobile device. I know. Making calls SHOULD be top priority, but who does that with cell phones anymore? The device functions on Google's Android OS so you'll notice similarities with the G1 and MyTouch 3G.
Motorola also debuts their Moto Blur function, which allows you to manage and login to just about all of your social networking apps from one platform, sort of like IM+, BeejiveIM, etc. The Cliq takes a page from the HTC Hero device (also Android-based), connecting together a lot of the social aspects and functions of the phone instead of having them spread across multiple apps.
All of the information I read on the phone said that it had a slide-out keyboard and those of you that know me and listen to Geek Aggro know that slide-outs are a turnoff for me. BUT, as I was catching up on my Phonedog cell phone reviews, I found the above video that shows off Androids Cupcake virtual keyboard on the device! Now I'm excited. I don't mind the option of a slide-out keyboard for text input as long as it's not the ONLY option.
The Motorola Cliq is rumored to hit T-Mobile in October. I'm sure once it gets closer to launch, T-Mobile will also announce a price on the device. Stay tuned.
I can't seem to get the image out of my mind. Every time I hear the name of Douceswild's own podcast, I get images of Oliver Wendell Douglas riding a tractor.
But Geek Aggro is not about farming nerds. It's a delightful podcast about gaming that I really enjoy. If you're already a fan of the Sistahs, you should add Geek Aggro to your regular podcast rotation.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance was a big hit when it came out 2006. You were able to play as almost all of your favorite super heroes, wielding their awesome powers. The second installment looks to bring even more excitement to the table.
Having just recently read the Marvel Civil War Saga, I am thrilled about this game. For those that aren't familiar with the premise of the game and the Civil War Saga, you can read about it here. In short, there were unfortunate events that led to the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act, a law requiring all super heroes and villains to register their powers and secret identities with the government. The purpose was so that those with powers could now be held accountable for their actions as well as be paid (like cops) to fight crime instead of being vigilantes. Some heroes were for the act and some were against it, creating a dividing line between long-time friends and teammates. The two sides were led by Iron-Man, the face and head of the government forces, and Captain America, the leader of the "rebels". Things got really ugly in this saga.
Check out the trailer for the Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, due out next week (Sept. 15). Whose side are you on?
I don't believe there's any PS3 owner that isn't anticipating Uncharted 2 when it comes out in a few months. But if you're one of the few who hasn't heard of this game or hasn't jumped on the "GIMMIEGIMMIE NOW" train it, then check out the video.
The aiming seems to be a bit more on point and the addition of the escort missions is sweet. I just have one question about this video. How in the hell are these women taking direct explosion blasts to the face and walking away from it? Oh well. They still look hawt and so does the game!
Sony is finally adding more style to the PS3's navigation menu and it's about time.
I love my PS3, but the XBM always seemed a bit "Windows"-ish to me. Things are hidden inside of things and you usually find what you're looking for stumbling across it.This has definitely been a feature dominated by Microsoft's Xbox 360. Sony is looking to change that next week with the release of firmware 3.0.
Check out the walkthrough video for some of the improvements coming to the system.
Blizzcon 2009 kicked off this weekend and the highlight of the event was the introduction World of Warcraft's next expansion titled Cataclysm.
Rumors began spreading almost two weeks ago about two new races in WoW. It turned out to be true. Blizzard showed of the new expansion trailer this weekend and billions of mouths dropped to the floor. Raised level cap, two new races, Worgen and Goblin, Guild leveling, Azeroth being completely revamped, and more.
Check out the trailer and then head over to MMO Champion for more info on the expansion and more coverage of BlizzCon.
As Aion enters the final stages of closed beta, this mmorpg has plans to stake it's claim in the genre. The question is, what's makes this one stand out from the rest?
I played Aion's closed beta for the first time last weekend. It's definitely a unique mmorpg and very well done. NCsoft has just released the second episode of their Aion podcast which focuses on the classes and character customization. The game truly shines in these two areas.
Playstation Home has become a bit more interesting now that the "Real American Heroes" have moved in and they've brought some goodies with them.
I know, the majority of the public thinks G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (movie) will be a flop. Hell, the only thing I'm looking forward to from the movie is the fight between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Until then, fans will be pleased to know that G.I. Joe now has their own space in Playstation Home along with Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, The Baroness, and Duke outfits accessible for a limited time.
But wait. There's more...
In the Home Theater, you're "treated" to "an exclusive video welcome from stars Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols as well as a trailer introduction from director Stephen Sommers."
I know what you're thinking.
"...that's good to know...I guess..."
And to you I say,
"And knowing is half the battle." *single side-tooth sparkle*
I've said it many times before and I'll say it again. Google is gearing up to be the next Skynet. They have taken steps to transend mere email, search engine, and mobile OS. Google now wants to encompass your entire computer with their official operating system, Chrome OS.
Google's OS will be based on their Chrome browser and will first appear on netbooks sometime in the second half of 2010. Developers will be able to use ordinary web development tools in conjuction with the OS. Google is already in talks with netbook manufacturers and plan to open-source the software before the ending of 2009.
Chrome OS promises a quick boot up and to be secure. How many times have we heard that before? On the other hand, if it can beat Vista's occasional three minute boot up time, then I'll be satifsfied.
Sundar Pichai, VP product management and Linus Upson, engineering director, made it very clear on the Official Google Blog that Chrome OS will introduce a more pleasant and stress-free experience.
"We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files.Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates. And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet."
It will definitely be a challenge for Google to turn consumer heads away from what they're used to in terms of computer OS, namely Microsoft who has, without a doubt, dominated the operating system market. Google definitely has the name recognition and deep enough pockets to be a contender. I think it's extremely wise that they're introducing the OS to the netbook market before jumping into the desktop and laptop market.
It's going to be interesting to see how Chrome OS stands out from other platforms in the future. They're definitely going to need lots of marketing, because not many will go out seeking a new OS. It will have to have to be thrown in their face along with its' benefits and usefulness Flashy apps, stability, security, and ease will play a huge factor as well in regards to those that have kids who will be using the OS.
Thanks go out to Vichus Smith for the heads-up. I'll keep you posted on Google's future steps into the OS market as more info is released. So keep checking back.
Ghostbusters waste no time throwing you into the action and it does a great job doing it. Hunting down the spooks and capturing them with your array of equipment feels exactly how I imagined while watching the movies. The ghosts don’t make it easy for you, which gives you an understanding of why there was so much property damage in the movies as well as the game.
My problem with Ghostbusters is that you’re given the entire experience of the game within the first few minutes. There are a few possible tweaks when it comes to weapons and upgrades, but it’s just not enough for combined with the four or five hours it takes to finish the game in one sitting. What you get in the beginning is all there is through to the end.
The first Ghostbusters movie was one of the funniest films in history with lines that are still quoted today. The game falls short in this aspect. It comes off as actors failing to impersonate the originals, making me ashamed to have ever quoted the lines myself.
I won’t completely blame the game’s shortcomings on its’ voice actors. The storyline leaves a lot to be desired. It’s simple with no real plot twists or turns. After managing to sit through the story, I got an ending that seemed like a rush job.
On the other hand, Ghostbusters packs a few multiplayer modes that will keep you from trading in the game directly after finishing it. Sadly, even this does not make it worth the $60 price tag. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the series and this is a must have for you, Ghosbusters should definitely go on your “Things To Rent” list.
This is one of my favorite series on the PC and I can't wait to take control of Guybrush Threepwood again on July 7th.
Tales of Monkey Island will be the first of five monthly episodes. Check out the new trailer BEFORE I MAKE YE WALK THE PLANK! Sorry. I couldn't resist.
Oh great. Just what I need is another sweet rpg to consumer what little time I have left these day.
On the other hand, I don't have a good rpg for my PS3 so White Knight Chronicles may be just what I need. Check out the E3 trailer below. The JRPG is expected to hit North America sometime this winter.
If you loved Team Ico's previous games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, then you should definitely check out what seems to be early footage of their next project "Project Trico", which was leaked through PlaystationLifestyle.net
"[Team Ico's new project] might be something similar to what's been done. Kind of a middleground... the essence of the game is rather close to Ico.", said Team Ico leader, Fumito Ueda at this years GDC.
Microsoft is not taking Xbox Live cheating lightly. If you're one of those who has done something underhanded to juice up you Gamerscore, then prepare to publicly wear the mark of shame.
Stephen Toulouse, XBL Policy and Enforecement official says that besides dropping the Gamerscore of cheaters to zero, they're also marking their Gamercards as cheaters so everyone will know you're a dishonest gamer.
"It also puts a tag that you've been caught cheating on your Gamercard. That's a pretty big Scarlet Letter.", says Stephen.
So, I guess cheaters have an important decision to make. Is a few extra gamer points worth a permanent cheater brand?
Kotakutipped me off to some new free kicks for my Xbox avatar.
Not only do we have flip flops, socks and sandles, leather platforms, sandles, and white go-go boots, but we got the Air Jordans. Well, they're knockoffs, but they still look like DEM J'S! Now all I need is a Chicago Bulls outfit and a face feature with the tongue sticking out. Can you say "BALLIN'"?
Bummer. We don't get Jade Raymond this time around. She's probably still beating herself up for having her face plastered anywhere there was Assassin's Creed 1 talk and gameplay in 2007.
Ubisoft has another fall guy this time for Assassin's Creed 2 and his name is Patrice Desilets. In the video, he gives us the scoop on the new game. I'm praying for you Patrice.
This little gem popped up in my RSS a few minutes ago from IGN. This is some of the funniest dubbing I've heard in a long time. If Final Fantasy XIII sounds like this when I get it, I'm playing straight through the game, then playing it again. The little chocobo and the huge sex scorpion are the winners here.
In the past month, my interest in Protype has gone from "whatever" to "can't wait". The opening cinematic for the game makes me even more anxious to play it. Although I do find the plot of VERY similar to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.
Rumor has it that the first Red Steel on the Nintendo Wii sucked big time. I never played it because of what I heard and read so I couldn't tell you for sure. I've seen videos and I wasn't that impressed. On the other hand, I am impressed by the new Red Steel 2 trailer which uses the Wii Motion Plus. The controls definitely look more intuitive than the first, but I don't want to put all of my money on this horse until I see him in action first. Until then, check out the trailer and let me know what you think.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was the second game I played on the PS3 after I purchased the system a few months ago. (Metal Gear Solid 4 was the first.) After the first five minutes of the game, I knew that this should have been the first. Drake's Fortune is an awesome game and that's why I'm excited about Uncharted 2" Among Thieves and from watching the video, it seems the addition of multi-player will make the game even better.
If you're itching to try the multiplayer for yourself, then you might want to consider grabbing a copy of Infamous in May, because the Uncharted 2 d multi-player beta.
There have been many memorable merges and crossovers in videogame history Squaresoft and Enix, Activision and Blizzard are just a couple. But here's a question I'd like to pose. What do you get when you mix Marvel, the comic book publisher, and Capcom, the videogame publisher? You get me returning to a genre I gave up long ago!
It's official. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is making a comeback! I gave up on fighting games years ago, because I just couldn't keep up with the crazy and complex moves, which had become necessary to make the games enjoyable. On the other hand, even though I had very little skills at MvC2, I enjoyed seeing the Marvel characters I had read about for years duke it out with Capcom characters.
Nine years ago, this game dominated the arcade scene, then proceeded to take over the console. I'm positive it'll do the same thing again when it hits Xbox 360 Live Arcade and PS3's PSN. There's no official release date on the game yet, but once I know, you'll know. Until then, enjoy the newly released trailer for the game and let me know if you're excited to see it return.
You're probably looking at this picture and asking "What am I looking at." Almost every World of Warcraft player will recognized the design as a mimic of a Horde hut, but not too many will guess what's inside.
The WoW Pod takes steps to incorporate all of those small annoyances that pull you away from your World of Warcraft gaming session, such as bathroom breaks and food.
"...it was created to question "the inducement of pleasure, fantasy fulfilment and the mediation of intimacy in a socially-networked gaming paradigm such as World of Warcraft" says Cati Vaucelle & Shada/Jahn, the brains and artist behind the pod.
If you're hungry, you can scan cookable foods, which automatically begin heating a hot plate to cook the food at just the right amount of time. Once the food ready,...wait for it...your toon will announce to you and other gamers that it's ready. The game will automatically put your character in and "AFK" status (Away From Keyboard) to allow a moment for you to eat and when you return to the game, your character's mood and actions may reflect that of having just eaten, showing signs of sluggishness from overeating or energetic.
This definitely feeds into the negative stereotype about MMO players, especially WoW players. But you know what? This thing is awesome and I want one!
This is awesome! It just goes to show that mad skillz knows no age. Just imagine this baby doing this to you in an arcade, then yelling, "WHO'S NEXT?! BRING ME MY MOTHER-F'N BOTTLE!!"
The title that many said would breathe life into the Playstation 3 has hit the shelves, but is it really the saving grace for the system? Although Killzone 2 manages to sit among the great first-person shooters before it, it really does nothing to set itself apart from them. That said, it is definitely and good game, taken for what it is and does.
The story is simple. It's you against them as humanity is taking the fight to the Helghast on their home planet of Helghan. On top of the story is some of the best graphics to grace the PS3 and an intense combat that will have you "poppin" Helghast tops for almost 8-15 hours in single-player mode, depending on your difficulty setting. Co-op would have been amazing in this game, but sadly and questionably there is none. You do get to fight along side the members of Alpha squad (A.I. controlled), but the game suffers from the same problem as the first Gears of War. Fallen comrades can be revived by you, but when the shoe is on the other foot, they won't even give you a second thought. What you do get is the occasional hot-headed vulgar military banter that will have you snickering from time to time.
There's a wide variety of weapons to use against the Helghast. One level even has you driving a mech to take out the waves of on-coming enemies. The games attention to detail really shines in these regards as you'll see spent casings ejecting from the guns as you fire as well as visible damage to your mech as you get hit.
The controls are the biggest issue in Killzone 2 and a take some time to get used to. The game implements a realistic weapons-to-weight factor that affects your reaction time and accuracy. If you carrying a heavy machine gun then getting a quick aim on an enemy isn't easy. You'll get a bit of delay between your analog stick movement and the character's reaction to mimic the feel of toting some heaving metal. This has caused a lot of outcry from the public. I found a few minor adjustments in the control settings helped, but not that much. If anything, the cause and effect of weight and reaction has improved my response time, due to the fact that I have to react quicker than I normally would which definitely comes in handy for multiplayer matches.
Playing as a run and gunner in Killzone 2 will achieve you nothing but a speedy death and all expenses paid trip to the loading screen before having to retry and rethink your tactics. Position and cover is very important. Even the A.I. knows this. They will run into covering positions and take aim from a distance, ducking back into cover to avoid gunfire and reload. This is something you'll learn and have to implement early in the game in order to progress.
I'll admit that i purchased this game with the intention of going through the single-player campaign, dabbling in a few multiplayer sessions, then letting it collect dust until I decided to trade it in for probably $20. Things are not going according to plan. I'm enjoying the multiplayer part of the game more then the campaign. Killzone 2 has implemented a rich multiplayer (Warzone) that draws you into the battle between humans and Helghast. Instead of joining or creating a single objective match, playing through, then creating another session, you're able to play through them all without a break in the gameplay. For example, you'll start with the oder to plant C4 at different enemy locations within a certain amount of time. The opposing faction must stop you from doing so. if you succeed, you must then stop the enemy from diffusing the bomb(s) before it explodes. Once either side succeeds, then you'll be issued a new objective telling you that you or one of your teammates or a member of the other faction has been targeted for assassination. You must stay alive or defend your teammate (depending on if you're the target or not) or take out the marked enemy before time runs out. Once you complete or fail the mission, then another order is given to kill as many of the opposing faction as possible. The side with the most kills a the end of the time limit wins. The nonstop action and objective spawns creates a sense of "Oh crap! What's next?? What's next??" feeling. This goes on throughout the span of a best of five different objectives. At the end of the match each faction gets points that contribute to the level advancement of your character, which allows for higher, ranks, different weapons, and class change options such as Medic and Engineer. The winners get a point multiplier bonus.
If you're in to FPS games, Killzone 2's $60 price tag is well met. It wins in graphics and the solo campaign is entertaining but the heart of the game is it's multiplayer. So your enjoyment will probably depend on which of those aspects your more interested in. Is the PS3 exclusive title a system seller as many are saying? I don't think so, but if you already have a PS3 then it's definitely worth picking up. Like I said, the game really does nothing revolutionary for its' genre, but what it does, it does extremely well.
A female gamer, Teresa, has been banned from Xbox Live for identifying herself as a lesbian in her profile. Microsoft says that other players found her sexual orientation "offensive".
I just recently saw a thing on your site about someones gamer tag being banned because it had the word gay in the tag.
I had a similar incident, only my account was suspended because I had said in my profile that I was a lesbian. I was harassed by several players, 'chased' to different maps/games to get away from their harassment. They followed me into the games and told all the other players to turn me in because they didn't want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap.
As if xbox live is really appropriate for kids anyways! My account was suspended and xbox live did nothing to solve this, but instead said others found it offensive.
Today I received a message from another gamer calling me a fag. I am a lesbian, so they aren't too smart if they cant get their anti-gay slurs right.
Microsoft does nothing to stop this or prevent it, but instead sides with the homophobes. No one will help me get the word out about Microsoft's anti-gay policy. Not even the HRC who says Microsoft has a positive image with them. Not to me it doesn't!
I have mixed feelings on this incident which I'll go more into it on the next Geek Aggro episode (#22). I'd like to know what you guys think.
I can't believe I missed the release of this trailer!! It just proves that the internet has become too vast for one man to patrol.
For those of you eagerly anticipating Final Fantasy XIII, this trailer (by way of Kotaku) should cause your mouth to salivate even more. The combat looks awesome as well fast-paced. I can't wait to get my mitts on this title.
For the first time since FFVII, There will be a playable black character introduced into the Final Fantasy universe and might I add that he also has a cool affro and name, Sazh Kalzroy.
Very little is known about this character whose picture was revealed in the latest issue of Japanese magazine, V Jump. If I could read the language, then I'd probably have more info. What we do know so far is that he loves the color green, has a soft spot for chocobos, and dual wields two pistols.
Who else is willing to bet that Sazh Kalzroy will be the comic relief or "jiver" of the game? Full magazine scan below.
So I finally got around to finishing Mass Effect last week and it was worth it. Not only is it an excellent rpg, but the song that played during the ending credits was worth the play-through.
I talked about the Faunts and they're song M4 Part II on the last episode of Geek Aggro. I was just about to turn off the game when the credits started rolling. Then this song started playing and I was like, "Wow. This is pretty good." By the time the song finished I already had it queued up on YouTube. Check it out and tell me what you guys think.
We seen some awesome fanmade things pop up in 2008. Machinima and AMVs', were at an all-time high, but I've found the ABSOLUTE best of them all. This one definitely is going in my 2008 jewel bag.
Who's not familiar with the Thundercats? It was a very popular cartoon that debuted in 1985 about a handful of half feline, half human warriors that escaped from their dieing planet and were trying to survive on a new one. They each had special abilities that make them great, such as a whip-whielder who could turn invisible and staff expert who could run extremely fast. It's been announced that a CGI-animated feature film is in the works and due for a summer 2010 release and every geek from here to Saskatewan will probably we watching it.
A fellow fan of the show could not wait for an official trailer of the Thundercats movie, so he made is own and it's been blowing minds since it's debut. I could not think of a better way to kick off 2009 other than with this fanmade greatness. You'll probably recognize some the actors and scenes from other movies that have nothing to do with each other, but when brought together like this, I can only hope the official trailer gets me as excited, if not more, than this fake one has. Get your wetnaps ready and enjoy!
I'm sure that the majority of anime fans already know that there's a Dragonball live action movie around the corner.Here's the funny part. The majority of THAT majority is dreading the hell out of it, me included.
With the recent outbreak of comics and cartoons making the jump to the big screen, it was only a matter of time before Dragonball was called to the forefront. The powers that be even managed to procure a couple of my favorite big name actors such as Ernie Hudson, Chow Yun-Fat, and also James Marsters from the Buffy and Angel series. What saddens me is that these guys will forever be attached to what I see as almost a sure flop.
I'll admit that the action looks cool and that alone would probably seal it for me if I wasn't a big fan of the Dragonball anime. Check out the international trailer for Dragonball Evolution coming in 2009 and tell me your initial thoughts. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a 90-minute movie with Gohan charging his "kamehameha" for 75-minutes of it.
There's been some pretty good RPGs coming out on the Xbox 360. Most of them have been awesome, but everyone once in while there's one that just doesn't quite cut the mustard. Unfortunately, Square Enix's Infinite Undiscovery has trouble even getting the jar open.
Infinite Undiscovery takes place in a world containing a moon, which is the home of a god who is considered the source of magical blessings upon humans. Those that are born under certain phases of the moon are tattooed with sigils known as Lunaglyphs, which grant powers and abilities. A group called the Order of Chains has shackled the moon to the ground, disrupting the flow of power and balance, thus bringing disarray. The hope and fate of the world rests in the hand of Sigmund the Liberator who has the power to cut the chains and restore order. You take on the role of Capell, a musician who mysteriously looks like Sigmund.
The character personalities are well defined and enjoyable. The dialogue, which is mostly voiced over, really fleshes out the almost 20 playable characters. Narrative inserts are engaging and something to look forward to as it enhances the story.
The gameplay leaves something to be desired. There are many aspects to the combat, which is good and bad. Although real-time combat provides a variety of moves, the amount of button-pressing that comes with performing the abilities is overwhelming and hard to remember at times resulting in constant sifting through the tutorial for a refresher course. You have the basing weak, but fast attack and the strong, but slow attack as well as combos. These are hard to connect on mobile foes due to the lack of target autolock and lengthy animations. You will always be controlling Capell, but the “Connect” feature allows you to issue commands to allies and utilize their abilities either in combat or through small puzzle-solving situations. If you die then you have to wait and hope that a party member sees fit to revive you before the timer ticks down and it’s game over.
The lack of save points right before boss battles can be frustrating, resulting in a lengthy retracing and refighting your way through a dungeon or area if you die during the encounter. Seeing as how some of the boss fights are complicated and may take a few tries to get the fight down, you may be doing this a lot.
Visually, this is one of the prettiest games out there.The world is beautiful and full of color and detail, but the directions you are given to find the next waypoint are extremely vague, which makes it easy to get lost along the winding paths. You will come across the frequent “go south” or “go west” and that’s it. It’s sounds simple enough but a few landmarks to look for from the quest-giver would have made the search a lot easier and less time-consuming.
As far as RPGs’ go, Infinite Undiscovery comes in short at about 20 hours. There’s just not much there but the basic storyline and stunning graphics. Features like item creation add a bit of side enjoyment but not enough to make you feel as though you got your money’s worth. Pass on this tittle at its’ current price of $39.99, but if you can find it in a bargain bin or Gamefly it, then give it a shot.
If you love racing ATVs’ with insane jumps and aerial maneuvers then I’ve got the game you should look into. You might want to add Blackrock Studio’s trick-based ATV racer, Pure, to your holiday wish list
Pure builds on ATV racing gameplay adding detailed customization and physically and realistically impossible stunts to execute within gorgeous environments. A few minor irritations arise as the game progresses.
In the fashion of SSX Tricky, Each race provides you with some basic level tricks, which can be pulled off by pressing a series of keys. Successfully landing the tricks will boost your gauge and unlocks a new tier of tricks. This is nothing new or revolutionary in this genre but Pure manages to keep it simple and get it right.
Managing your jump speed plays a big part in the game. When approaching a jump, you have to choose how much boost to use because it has a direct impact on how insane your stunts will be. In the later levels of the game, it becomes more important to manage your boost for stunt quality as opposed to just exerting the boost speed to make it to the finish faster than the others.
The track system adds to the enjoyment of the game. There are so many branching routes with hidden shortcuts providing an advantage to anyone who takes the time to become familiar with the layout the tracks.
Now I’ll give you for the aggravating part, which is minor, but still aggravating. The collisions can be a pain in the arse and they happen too frequently for my taste. Getting bumped by some other racer, costing me precious time is one thing, but when it happens constantly then I’m a bit put off by it. I’m not an ATV expert but I can’t see this happening in the real events. I haven’t played the multiplayer part of Pure, but the collision can be switched off in that mode, which is a good thing.
Overall, Pure is a fun game because it sticks to what works for the genre and while still maintaining it’s enjoyment factor. The stunts are amazing, as well as the locations you race through. Fans of ATV racing should definitely check this one out on the PC, Xbox 360, or PS3.
What happen when Danish paper, Ekstra Bladet, sat down with the new face and body of Eidos' Lara Croft, Alison Carroll to quiz her on things any good archaeologist (especially a "tomb raider") should know?
There was awkardness for Mrs. Carroll, egg on Eidos' face, and hilarity for us. You can tell from the beginning that Alison didn't want to do this and when the Eidos rep saw this train wreck in progress, she FINALLY decided to pull the plug.
I knew the that the mmo, Tabula Rasa , wasn't doing so well in retail/subscribers once Gamestop decided to stop selling it, but I did not realize the extent of how bad. Well, for those that were and still are interested in trying the game, but did not want to spend big money on it, then head over to Amazon.com where you can get it for...wait for it....
That's right. Less than a dollar will get you the entire mmo plus a free month of play. Now if something could only be done about the price of the subscription.
EA's C&C Community Manager has since retracted his statement made yesterday on the official forums about connecting the forum login and EA game login, resulting in simul-ban. (Story here).
I'll save you the link click to his official posting and put it here.
If you didn't notice, your C&C Community Manager, me, had a bit of a run-in with the video game blogging media today in reference to a direct quote I made on our forums here a few days ago in regards to how we handle bans and suspensions on the forums and in-game. You all know how we are greatly trying to protect and serve you from those who wish to disrupt our C&C community by breaking ToS on our forums or in-game, and I know everyone appreciates when we take action on those that are the worst.
That said, the previous statement I made recently (that's being quoted on the blogs) was inaccurate and a mistake on my part. I had a misunderstanding with regards to our new upcoming forums and website and never meant to infer that if we ban or suspend you on the forums, you would be banned in-game as well. This is not correct, my mistake, my bad.
If we suspend or ban you from the forums, that does not affect your in-game account and certainly it does not impact your in-game account for other games. Quite often we usually warn you before taking any type of action, suspend you before considering any type of ban, etc. I am sure you guys know that we are fairly tolerant and stress that you please show respect to others, but we also understand the forums are a place to be heard and express your opinion in a constructive manner. Everyone has their "flame" moments.
Your Posting in our official C&C EA Forums is enabled by an EA Nucleus account (the Master EA Account you typically login with to chose your Persona) -- but access to the forums and access to the games are separate. Players who have been banned from EA Forums are not automatically banned from online access to their other EA games, or the game associated with that particular forum. Players can be warned, suspended, and/or then banned if they breach the Terms of Service or Code of Conduct in a forum, game or service. Each forum, game and service is managed independently by our customer support representatives responsible for that specific forum, game or service.
Suffice to say, when we take action on someone on our C&C forums here, for any number of ToS breaking reasons, it does not impact your C&C game account or any other EA Game Account connected to your forum name. The mods here do a great job of alerting me when we need to warn someone or take further action, if I haven't seen it myself or heard it in a thread from one of you, but any action we take on a C&C Forum User, doesn't impact their in-game status.
I apologize for the misunderstanding, but I hope everyone is able to see the greater good intent in that we are simply trying to keep the forums and in-game as friendly and fun environments as possible, just know that those two environments are treated seperately by myself, the mods, and especially our Customer Support team. =)
Sincerely, APOC
So all is as it should be as I said on the latest Geek Aggro episode. Forum and game access should remain separate from each other when it comes to banning purposes.
EA tightens the noose around your nuggets even more with their lastest action. The company has taken steps to connect your forum and game login and password. So if you get banned from the forums for whatever reason, then you also will not be able to log into your paid in full EA games such as Spore, or Red Alert 3 until they deem you fit to return to duty.
"Your forum account will be directly tied to your Master EA Account, so if we ban you on the forums, you would be banned from the game as well since the login process is the same. And you'd actually be banned from your other EA games as well since its all tied to your account. So if you have SPORE and Red Alert 3 and you get yourself banned on our forums or in-game, well, your SPORE account would be banned to. It's all one in the same, so I strongly recommend people play nice and act mature."
"All in all, we expect people to come on here and abide by our ToS. We hate banning people, it makes our lives a lot tougher, but its what we have to do.
Anyone else see anything suspicious about this image printed on the official marketing material posted by RIM's Blackberry Storm (9500) launch partner, Vodafone.
Do you remember that feeling of relief you got when making it to that typewriter to save your game after surviving an onslaught of zombies in the Resident Evil series?
Well, say good-bye to it. I mean the typewriter, not the feeling. Capcom is doing away the the saving via typewriter in Resident Evil 5 and replacing it with a new save-game feature.
Hopefully they don't replace the typewriter with a PC that has the chance of crashing causing you to lose your saved game.
If you didn't read the title or look at the above picture, guess what's coming to the Nintendo Wii.
Along with the new DSi announcement at the 2008 Fall Press Conference, Nintendo boss, Satoru iwata has announced, Punch-Out! The 8-bit Nintendo game is FINALLY getting a remake and it looks awesome! I sold my Wii to a friend a long time ago, but this is definitely worth picking up another one, if I can find one...
Check out the gameplay. Little Mac is back along with with his (and our) favorite opponents. No word on a release date yet.
It's game over for Jack Thompson. The Florida State lawyer, turned thorn in all gamers' side, will be officially disbarred as of 30 days from today.
The Court approves the corrected referee's report and John Bruce Thompson is permanently disbarred, effective thirty days from the date of this order so that respondent can close out his practice and protect the interests of existing clients. If respondent notifies the Court in writing that he is no longer practicing and does not need the thirty days to protect existing clients, this Court will enter an order making the permanent disbarment effective immediately. Respondent shall accept no new business from the date this order is filed.
To add insult to injury, Thompson has been ordered to reimburse the Florida Bar fees amounting to $43,675.35.
I speak directly to JT with these words:
My friend, if you think your life is over after hearing this news and you find yourself wanting to end your life with a gun, then just pull out your cell phone and punch this cheat code and everything will be alright:
Ensemble Studios, at one point, was working on a top secret Halo MMO, code-named Orion. The project was so top secret, that no one knew it was even canceled until a few days ago.
Anyone who listens to the Geek Aggro podcast knows that I'm still praying and waiting for an awesome futuristic sci-fi shooter MMO to come along and blow me away. I don't know if the gameplay of Orion would have been any good, but the concept art for the game looks great.
Here's the interesting part. People are assuming Orion was canceled because Ensemble Studio is being or already has been shut down. The game may be going down with the ship or it may have been passed on to someone else.
If you haven't heard of Google's new Android mobile phone OS, then start researching it now, because if you thought your iPhone was the shiznit, then the HTC Dream phone might have you rethinking that.
It's being rumored that HTC's Dream mobile phone will go on sale September 23rd through T-Mobile. Sources say T-Mobile plans to hold a press event in New York City on September 23. However, if we've learned anything from Apple's tactics, the date of a press conference may not be the actual release date of the device, but rather a announcement of the release date. So don't get your hopes up.
From what I've seen of Google's Android OS, it quite possibly will give Apple's iPhone some competition. I will definitely keep my eye on the OS and the phones running it and if it pans out to be the "iPhone killer", then I'll either be switching service providers or looking into an unlocked model.
Move over Tiesto and Oakenfold. There's about to be some new DJs' on the scene. Activision is working on a DJ Hero game that puts you behind the turntable.
Not only will you be scratching to pre-released tracks, but you'll be able to create your won mixes. The big obstacle for Activision at the moment is licensing of songs due to the already intricate licensing process that exist in the DJ scene due to sampling and mixing. They're merger with Vivendi seems to be making things a bit less complicated, giving them access to Universal’s record label catalog.
There's no images of the official turntable/instrument to be used with DJ Hero, but rest assured once it's released, you'll find it here.
Acti-Blizzard (Activision/Blizzard) has announced that the newest expansion to the frighteningly successful mmorpg, Wrath of the Lich King, will simultaneously hit stores in North America, Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Russia, simultaneously on November 13th. Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand will get the game the following day. Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau will have to wait until the November 18th.
The standard expansion will sell for $40 and the Collector's edition will set you back $70. The CE will include:
— The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, a 208-page book featuring never-before-seen images from the game. — An exclusive in-game pet: Frosty, the baby frost wyrm. — A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews, the Wrath of the Lich King intro cinematic with director's commentary, and more. — The official soundtrack CD, containing 21 epic tracks from the game, along with exclusive bonus tracks. — A mouse pad featuring a map of the newly opened continent of Northrend. — Two World of Warcraft Trading Card Game March of the Legion(TM) starter decks, along with two exclusive cards available only in the Collector's Edition.
You have from Thursday, September 18th, you have almost two months to decide if you're going to stick with Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning or jump over to World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.
Activision has released the entire track listing for their upcoming upgrade to the Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero World Tour. I had a little chat yesterday with fellow Collective Geeker, Kelly, and he asked if I've decided on Rock Band 2 on Guitar Hero. I said RB2, but after seeing these track lists, I'm even more confused. Activision has Rock Band 2 beat by 2 tracks.
ACTIVISION UNVEILS FULL GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR SET LIST
* 311 - “Beautiful Disaster” * 30 Seconds To Mars - “The Kill” * Airbourne - “Too Much Too Young” * The Allman Brothers Band - “Ramblin' Man” * Anouk - “Good God” * The Answer - “Never Too Late” * At The Drive-In - “One Armed Scissor” * Beastie Boys - “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” * Beatsteaks - “Hail to the Freaks” * Billy Idol - “Rebel Yell” * Black Label Society - “Stillborn” * Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Weapon of Choice” * blink-182 - “Dammit” * Blondie - “One Way or Another” * Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - “Hollywood Nights” * Bon Jovi - “Livin’ On A Prayer” * Bullet For My Valentine - “Scream Aim Fire” * Coldplay - “Shiver” * Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Up Around The Bend” * The Cult - “Love Removal Machine” * Dinosaur Jr. - “Feel The Pain” * The Doors - “Love Me Two Times” * Dream Theater - “Pull Me Under” * The Eagles - “Hotel California” * The Enemy - “Aggro” * Filter - “Hey Man, Nice Shot” * Fleetwood Mac - “Go Your Own Way” * Foo Fighters - “Everlong” * The Guess Who - “American Woman” * Hush Puppies - “You're Gonna Say Yeah!” * Interpol - “Obstacle 1” * Jane's Addiction - “Mountain Song” * Jimi Hendrix - “Purple Haze (Live)” * Jimi Hendrix - “The Wind Cries Mary” * Jimmy Eat World - “The Middle” * Joe Satriani - “Satch Boogie” * Kent - “Vinternoll2” * Korn - “Freak On A Leash” * Lacuna Coil - “Our Truth” * Lenny Kravitz - “Are You Gonna Go My Way” * Linkin Park - “What I've Done” * The Living End - “Prisoner of Society” * Los Lobos - “La Bamba” * Lost Prophets - “Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)” * Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Sweet Home Alabama (Live)” * Mars Volta - “L'Via L'Viaquez” * MC5’s Wayne Kramer - “Kick Out The Jams” * Metallica - “Trapped Under Ice” * Michael Jackson - “Beat It” * Modest Mouse - “Float On” * Motörhead - “Overkill” * Muse - “Assassin” * Negramaro - “Nuvole e Lenzuola” * Nirvana - “About a Girl (Unplugged)” * No Doubt - “Spiderwebs” * NOFX - “Soul Doubt” * Oasis - “Some Might Say” * Ozzy Osbourne - “Crazy Train” * Ozzy Osbourne - “Mr. Crowley” * Paramore - “Misery Business” * Pat Benatar - “Heartbreaker” * R.E.M. - “The One I Love” * Radio Futura - “Escuela De Calor” * Rise Against - “Re-Education Through Labor” * Sex Pistols - “Pretty Vacant” * Silversun Pickups - “Lazy Eye” * Smashing Pumpkins - “Today” * Steely Dan - “Do It Again” * Steve Miller Band - “The Joker” * Sting - “Demolition Man (Live)” * The Stone Roses - “Love Spreads” * Stuck In The Sound - “Toy Boy” * Sublime - “Santeria” * Survivor - “Eye of the Tiger” * System of a Down - “B.Y.O.B.” * Ted Nugent - “Stranglehold” * Ted Nugent’s Original Guitar Duel Recording * Tokio Hotel - “Monsoon” * Tool - “Parabola” * Tool - “Schism” * Tool - “Vicarious” * Trust - “Antisocial” * Van Halen - “Hot For Teacher” * Willie Nelson - “On The Road Again” * Wings - “Band on the Run” * Zakk Wylde’s Original Guitar Duel Recording
Rock Band 2 On-Disc Track List:
Artist Song Title Decade 1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s 2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s 3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s 4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s 5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s 6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s 7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s 8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s 9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s 10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s 11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s 12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s 13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s 14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s 15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s 16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s 17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s 18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s 19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s 20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s 21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s 22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s 23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s 24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s 25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s 26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s 27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s 28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s 29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s 30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s 31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s 32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s 33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s 34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s 35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s 36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s 37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s 38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s 39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s 40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s 41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s 42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s 43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s 44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s 45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s 46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s 47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s 48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s 49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s 50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s 51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s 52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s 53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s 54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s 55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s 56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s 57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s 58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s 59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s 60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s 61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s 62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s 63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s 64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s 65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s 66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s 67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s 68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s 69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s 70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s 71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s 72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s 73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s 74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s 75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade 76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s 77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s 78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s 79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s 80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s 81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s 82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s 83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s 84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s
Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online fans will be pleased to know that the popular Japanese MMO will soon be released in the European and North American online PC gaming markets in four languages: English, French, German and Spanish.
The game was recently acquired from Atlus, by Aeria Games which means that it will be following in their "Free To Play" motto. Aeria Games has some awesome massively multiplayer titles and Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online, or MegaTen as it's known, will be a great addition to the lineup.
Set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo somewhere between Shin Megami Tensei 1 and 2, players choose one of three factions - the order preserving Law, system crashing Chaos, and mercenary Neutrals - and utilize a real-time strategic fighting system to help defeat the demons running rampant throughout the city. It features many of the mainstays of the main series, including Devil Partnership and Devil Fusing to create new breeds,
MegaTen offers numerous unique features:
* Strategic Real-time Fighting System - Choose between attacking, parrying and defending in real time. * Diverse Weaponry – Use a wide array of weapons from medieval swords to modern-day rifles and handguns. * Devil Partnership – Players negotiate with devils to assist in battle and missions. * Devil Fusing – Players can combine multiple devils to create new breeds. * Private Dungeons – In addition to the public battle areas, players can access private dungeons to hunt and collect items with their friends.
Panasonic will begin production on an extremely thin 150" wall mounted television in 2009. This beauty will include face recognition that adjusts the display and programs according to the watcher. The picture will move with you when you walk and the display will be large or small, depending on your distance from it. It will display a screen saver instead of a black screen when turned off.
The huge display would be awesome for gaming and video chat, providing life-size images while you play your favorite games or chat with individuals.
There's no doubt that this television will be WAY out of my price range, but a guys can dream, can't he?
Confirmed word on the internet says NCSoft's British offices are to be closed following the cancellation of an unannounced MMO in development there. The same sources say that Tabula Rasa, NCSoft's sci-fi MMO, is on it's last leg and rumored to be shut down in a few months.
Having played Tabula Rasa, I can agree with those who say the game failed to capture our attention and the contents of my wallet. I think the concept was brilliant, but it failed to deliver in content. On the other hand, I didn't realize that NCSoft was feeling the discontent to such an extent that would cause them to shut the game down (if the rumor is true). I'd hate to see the game go, but I'll understand why, if it does.
A disgruntled ex-Gamestop employee who goes by the name WhistleBlowerZero, has put up a nine part series on YouTube blowing the whistle on Gamestop's business practices towards consumers and employees. You may recognize the video and narrative style from Zero Punctuation.
As a former manager of a local Gamestop, I can say that a lot of what he says is true, especially the part about having better options than trading your game back to Gamestop, I'm not a disgruntled ex-employee either. I just recognize better deals than what Gamestop offers. Watch the video and tell if you agree or not.
Hold the f'n phone. Someone want to tell me why I'm able to reserve and buy games at 7-Eleven? Right after that, I'm going to need someone to tell me why I'm getting a possible release date of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King from the same place I can buy the best slurpee?
The above pic of a 7-Eleven receipt came from Kotaku and lists the WoW expansion at a retail price of $40 and there's talk of a midnight releasing of the game by some of the employees. I'm not sure what kind of bizarre universe I've awaken in, but if I walk into Gamestop and I see a burrito machine then I'm going to go insane.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Gameloft! Why am I thanking one of the most successful cell phone game developers? I'll tell you why. Gameloft has given me Chuck Norris Brings the Pain for my cell phone! They have managed to take all of the bad assosity that exudes from Chuck Norris and poored it into one cell phone game.
Chuck Norris Brings the Pain put you in the boots of Chuck as he roundhouse kicks his way through a rogue Soviet army to rescue POWs from Cambodia. Wait! He's not finished. After that Mr. Norris has to save America from an invasion! This work of art shouldn't be classified as a game, but as documentary of a day in the life of Chuck Norris.
Check out the gameplay. There's no sound to the video, but are you surprised? Chuck Norris NEVER let's you hear death coming.
Gamestop/EB Canada is offering a gaming guarantee on the upcoming title, Star Wars: Force Unleashed. They are so sure that you will like this game that they're offering buyers the opportunity to trade the game in for full purchase price credit if they don't like it.
Gamestop did something similar to this with the Playstation 3 title, Haze, but was halted by Ubisoft. There is no current news of this program taking place in the states. Let's see if Gamestop is crazy enough to give this opportunity to Americans. Do I even need to go into how it would end up?
(Lucasarts has announced the Star Wars: Force Unleashed demo to be available for PS3 and Xbox 360 download this Thursday, August, 21st.)
Advertising withing video games is nothing new. We're seeing it more and more every day. Players of World of Warcraft on the Dunemaul logged in yesterday to see one of the best displays of in-game advertising.
Blizzard has been cracking down on spam shouts and whispers from gold sellers in WoW, but these people will always find a way to get word of their product out to others. MMOInn, a gold-selling company, created an in-game ad in one of the major cities, Ironforge, for all to see using the corpses of dead gnomes. The "company" was so proud of their ad, that they had this pic displayed for all to see on their website. How will blizzard go about putting a stop to this form of advertising.
There's a new trend in overseas. Not only are colored contacts popular, but it seems that anime eyes are the big thing now in Japan. Anime eyes are usually characterized as large cartoonish eyes that are common in Japanese art and animation or "anime" as it's known in the states.
Japanese men seem to have a liking for large eyes on their women, but there's no cosmetic surgery that I know of that can make the eyes bigger. Some girls have turned to extra-wide contact lenses. They're not only tinted, but tinted prominently in the extra-wide outer ring. The result is the appearance of a bigger, wider iris.
The lenses are made by a variety of companies including Geo and Dueba, and cost in the $30-$50 per pair range. The contacts are not only cosmetic. If you send your prescription to them, the lenses will be made to order.
Blizzard has implemented a new "Recruit a Friend" initiative for existing subscribers. If you talk a bud into signing up for 30 days then, you get 30 days of free gameplay. Talk them into sticking around for 60 days and you get a nice swift Zhevra mount. Some of the other bonuses are triple the normal XP gain and for every two levels your friend gains, "they can grant one level of experience to any one of your characters of lower level." That's not a bad deal at all.
Here's the FAQ copied from Blizzard's website with more details on the program.
Recruit-A-Friend FAQ
What is "Recruit-A-Friend"?
Our new friend referral system allows you to recruit some of your friends to join you in World of Warcraft by sending them an invitation email containing a trial activation key. With this key, your friends will be able to set up their own trial accounts.
To start this process log on to the Account Management section and click the Recruit-A-Friend button. This will take you to the actual friend referral page, where you can enter a friend's email address and name one at a time. If you want, you can also enter a message that will be included in the invitation email.
How can I earn the exclusive in-game mount?
For each person you refer who upgrades to a retail version of World of Warcraft and purchases two months of game time, you will be able to give a character on the account you sent the invitation from an exclusive in-game zhevra mount. This unique mount can be claimed through the website, is only available to Recruit-A-Friend participants, and can only be applied to a single character.
What in-game benefits do we get while the accounts we play are linked?
1. Characters on both accounts can summon each other once per hour. 2. While adventuring with your linked friend/family member, you will each gain triple experience. 3. For every two levels the new player earns, the new player can grant one free level-up to a lower-level character played by the veteran player.
How long will I be linked to my recruit?
The link between the accounts will last for 90 days from the date that your recruit creates an account. Remember that for the link to work properly, your recruit must create a new World of Warcraft account using the 10-day trial key in your invitation email.
When my friend/family member upgrades from a trial account to a full version of the game, will that break the link between the accounts?
Nope! Your friend/family member will have to upgrade to continue playing past the 10-day trial, and the accounts you play will stay linked until the full 90 days have passed.
If my friend/family member recruits another friend/family member, am I linked to that person too?
No, these benefits only apply to the person that you referred directly.
Are there any limits on when and where I can summon my friend?
You and your recruit may only summon new characters of equal or lower level to the character you are playing. There is a one-hour cooldown on this summoning ability. Also, once one of the characters reaches level 60, the summon will no longer function.
Do I always gain triple experience while I am linked to my recruit?
No, only when you are partied with a character on the linked account and both players are present when slaying the monster or completing the quest. Also, if the two characters are not the same level, only the lower-level character is given the experience boost.
Is quest experience tripled too?
Yes, but only if the quest was not trivial (gray difficulty) for either character.
Do normal experience rules apply?
Yes, if a monster is trivial to either player, no experience boost is given.
How does this affect / stack with Rest State experience?
While you are partied with a linked recruit, any Rest State you have accumulated is not consumed. Only the tripled experience from the Recruit-A-Friend program is applied.
What if I'm partied with multiple recruits who I'm "linked" to? Do I get quadruple, sextuple experience?
No, you can only ever gain a maximum of triple experience regardless of how many linked recruits you are partied with.
Are there any limitations to granting levels to characters played by the veteran player?
Yes. The recruit may not grant a level to a character that is equal to or higher than the current level of the character he or she is playing. Additionally, the recruit may not grant a level to a character that is level 60 or higher.
How can I earn the free 30-day credit?
For each person you refer who upgrades to a retail version of World of Warcraft and purchases his or her first month of game time, the account you sent the invitation from will receive a free credit of 30 days of play time.
Can I use the free 30-day credit on a different account or at a different time?
No, the 30 days of play time are immediately applied to the account you sent the invitation from once your recruit pays for his or her first month.
Can I earn multiple 30-day credits and mounts with Recruit-A-Friend?
Yes! These rewards will be given to you for each account you refer that meets the criteria listed above.
If my recruit cancels the account before purchasing subscription time, can I still earn the 30-day credit or the in-game mount?
If the recruit later comes back, reactivates the account, and purchases subscription time, you will still be eligible for the rewards. Additionally, you can always invite more friends/family members to try World of Warcraft through the Recruit-A-Friend system.
A lot of good trailers came out of Comic Con 08, but this one really caught my attention. Spider-man: Web of Shadows looks like it's going to be amazing! I like the combination of old suit and black suit Spidey. You throw a symbiote Wolverine in there and I'm practically sold.
Game Description: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows immerse players in an all-new action-adventure saga that gives them unprecedented control, never before seen in a Spider-Man game. Armed throughout the battle and confronted by an unrecognizable New York City, players choose to play as a heroic web-slinger or a volatile, destructive anti-hero, fighting with or against a vast number of fan-favorite Marvel heroes and villains, switching instantly between sides, and deciding which missions to undertake to save mankind. An all-new combat system combines web slinging and customizable superpowers to give gamers the freedom to fight and explore in a free-roaming, open-ended environment. Battles blend Spider-Man's speed and agility with the landscape, challenging players to master fast moving acrobatic combat, powerful new web-slinging moves and destructive combo attacks, as they take the fight from the streets, up the sides of buildings and onto rooftops.
I went see The Dark Knight movie this weekend and although it was a great film and there were many awesome moments in the movie, I'd say the one part that really caught my attention and stuck with me was when Morgan Freeman pulled out one of the most badass-looking cell phones I have ever seen. I couldn't wait to get home and research it.
All I could make out from the movie was that the phone was Nokia branded. After some Googling, I found out that the phone is one of Nokia's newest models, the 5800 or Tube. I use an iPhone, but if anyone asks me who makes the best and most reliable cell phone in the industry, I'd quickly say Nokia. Although it looks like another iPhone copycat, it's being reported that the fuctionality of the phone is much better than Apple's "Jesus phone". Here's a Q&A video and the specs:
* 3.2-inch touchscreen display with 16 Million colors * 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus * Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM/EDGE radio
-3G UMTS/HSDPA
* Bluetooth 2.0 * WiFi * GPS * 3.5mm headphone jack * TV-out port * 140MB on-board storage * 111 x 52 x 14.5 mm * 104g
No official release date or carrier has been announced yet, but the phone is rumored to hit the market between the end of 2008 and 1Q 2009. Can someone get Batman on the phone? He might have more info.
Who didn't see this coming? This guy!! If you were looking for a reason to purchase Guitar Hero World Tour, then you've got one now.
Activision dropped a bomb on the gaming industry by announcing that Jimi Hendrix will make his video game debut as a playable character in Guitar Hero World Tour. The "strumming samurai" also brings with him two of his most popular tracks (for now):
"Purple Haze (Live)" (recorded in 1969 at the San Diego Sports Arena)
"The Wind Cries Mary"
This is big news and no doubt a smack in Rock Band's face delivered by Activision.
Ever since the release of the iPhone last year, I knew that it was only a matter of time before more in-depth and detailed mobile games would make their way to the device.
We've seen full 3D games that make use of the iPhone's accelerometer (Super Monkey Ball and Kro-Mag Rally) in the iTunes App Store which was opened last week. Well THQ Wireless has taken mobile gaming a step further with their demo of Stars Wars: Force Unleashed at this weeks E3 conference. Before I began watching the video, I was a bit skeptical as to how the gameplay would pan out on this device, but after seeing it in action, I'm sold. I will definitely buy this when it releases September 16, 2008.
I've been waiting for Star wars: The Force Unleased ever since I saw the inital footage at E3 2007.
Check out this Rancor battle gameplay shown at this year's E3. This is what Star wars Knights of the Old Repulic should have looked like. The force lift at the end is AWESOME!
I've upgraded my 2G iPhone to the new and improved 3G version (even though 3G won't be in my area for a couple of months), and I want to share it with you guys.
I''ll be streaming live in the Geek Aggro group here. If you're curious about the new firmware 2.0 features and want to see it in action then come have a look. The stream will start at 2pm CST/3pm EST. If you have a profile page on Collective Geek, then I'll be answering questions in the main lobby of the chat box. Come check it out!
There are new additions to your regular old iTunes this morning. If you do a search, you'll find some of the new iPhone applications! Don't believe me? Then check out the AIM Application (iTunes Link).
Unfortunately, none of the the apps can be used until we get the 2.0 firmware update for iTunes, but it's still awesome to see them showing up. I'm almost positive that as the day progresses, we'll see more apps show up in iTunes.
Square Enix has officially announced their new rpg...for the iPod!? Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes has gameplay and graphics in the style of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and Disgaea.
Are you ready for the kicker? You remember the Monster Rancher game on the Playstation 1 and how you were able to create monsters from just about any CD you had around the house? Well, Song Summoner follows a similar path, allowing you to create an army from songs on your iPod. Here are some pics.
SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes Publisher: Square Enix, Inc. Platform: iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod Genre: Role-Playing Launch Date: July 8, 2008 Price: 4.99 USD (iTunes Store download)
Game Features
- Transform your iPod songs into "Tune Troopers" to combat the evil Mechanical Militia.
- Tune Trooper types and abilities are determined by the songs used to create them.
- Your Tune Troopers can be powered up even outside of the game--just by listening to the songs you used to create them!
- Control Ziggy, a "Conductor" that creates warriors out of music, and guide him through his journey to save his brother Zero from the Mechanical Militia.
- Experience a turn-based tactics battle system, divided into player and enemy phases where each side takes turns maneuvering their forces.
- Deploy the right troopers at the right time, and use contraptions found on the map effectively to achieve victory in battle!
- iPod Click Wheelallows players to play the game as easily as selecting music.
Nowadays, touch screen is pretty much a standard on most devices.
It existed long before Apple's widely successful iPhone, but not as intuitively. HP has taken a step in the right direction by releasing their touch screen pc and it looks pretty awesome. You know what would be better though? If Apple would release a touch screen Mac!
Yesterday SCEE (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) announced the new online features for the Playstation 3 that will be available on July 2 along with 2.4 enhancements, in the form of an automatic firmware upgrade that will deliver some of the features requested by gamers.
Press Release: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced new online gaming functionality for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™), which will become available on July 2, 2008 with the 2.40 enhancement, an automatic firmware upgrade that delivers several of the features most requested by gamers. Combined with PLAYSTATION®Network’s unique service of free* online gaming, the enhancement makes PS3 an even more attractive platform of choice for the online gamer.
Firstly, the 2.40 enhancement allows XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) access in-game. This means that you can access the PS3 menu at any time while playing most games, simply by tapping the PlayStation button on your controller. With 2.40, you can check if any of your friends are online (thanks to their own user profile), read and send messages, change some settings for games, all without having to quit the game you are playing. While you can’t pause an online multiplayer game involving other people, you can rejoin play at any time when you’ve finished browsing. Along with these enhanced communications features, the Friends list capacity will double to 100 Friends.
2.40 also delivers trophies to recognise players’ achievements in the online arena. Other competitive activities recognise winners with trophies – so why not gaming on PS3? Many online games will have gold, silver and bronze trophies – with platinum available for those who snag all three – all displayed on the XMB for everyone to see.
Super Stardust™ HD, a PLAYSTATION Network-exclusive released last year, will be the first game to leverage the Trophies system and will offer a variety of trophies**. The following first-party games are also slated to offer Trophy support:
• BUZZ! Quiz TV • LittleBigPlanet • MotorStorm Pacific Rift • NBA 09 - PS3 • PAIN** • PixelJunk Eden • Resistance 2 • SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation • Warhawk**
The 2.40 enhancement is just one more reason to join PSN, the online network for PS3 users that lets you game online for free*. All you need to do to join is connect your PS3 to broadband and register, or go to the connection guide at www.eu.playstation.com to find out more.
Once in, you’ll find online matches and leagues for all of your favourite games – whether that’s MotorStorm™, Resistance™, Warhawk™ or Gran Turismo™5 Prologue – absolutely free (although users are responsible for paying their broadband fees) and at any time of the day or night. You’ll also find PLAYSTATION®Store, where you can download entire games as well as extra levels, content for your existing games plus internet browsing, video chat thanks to PLAYSTATION®Eye and much, much more.
There’s never been a better time to join PSN. Sign up now to make the most of the 2.40 firmware enhancement - see www.(website).com to find out more.
The ice wall on Blizzard Entertainment's website has finally melted away and at the Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational, they announce Diablo 3.
It's been a LONG time since we've had another installment to the very popular Diablo series. Well the wait for Diablo 3 is almost over. You can find details as well gameplay video here.
I can remember when I was a kid, I took all of my comics, placed them in the plastic comic bags, and stapled them to my wall. The walls of my room were covered in comics. I was in heaven. Well if only I knew, then what I know now.
If I would have thought about doing what this person did to their walls, (and if my parents would let me) there would have definitely been some alterations. I'm seriously think of doing something like this to my office. This is frickin' awesome!
We’ve heard it was coming and the rumors proved to be true. Get ready to “Rock Out”! We’ve finally got a look at Guitar for the Nintendo DS.
Guitar Hero has been the talk of the gaming industry for a while now. Whether on the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii, Guitar Hero has allowed people to switch the rhythm from their feet, a la Dance Dance Revolution, to their hands. It’s, “hands down” (see what I did there with word-play), the best rhythm-based game on the consoles and now it’s going portable. Activision is bringing us Guitar Hero On Tour for the Nintendo DS and I couldn’t be more excited. Pictures of the attachment have been floating around the internet, but now we can actually see how’s it’s going to work. The following has got to be one of the funniest trailers I’ve ever seen, especially when the usage for the DS mic is demonstrated. This is definitely going to be a blast on the go.
Ok. You guys must be tired of me going on and on about the new iPhone. Well guess what? I got MORE news about the upcoming new iPhone and you don’t want to miss this. The release date has been announced!
So, Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference started yesterday and will commence through the week. A lot of people predicted that Steve Jobs would announce the new 3G iPhone along with the release date and they were not mistaken. Mr. Jobs also released pricing info, but we’ll get to that in a bit. First, let’s talk about some of the features Apple has in store for us starting with the App Store in early July. This will be the main attraction for the 2.0 update. Some of the available apps talked about at The WWDC were: 1. Super Monkey Ball ($9.99) 2. Auctions – Ebay tool on your phone. Check listings, winnings, and bid from the phone. (free) 3. Loopt – a location-aware social network. Displays a map with pins representing where your friends currently are. User profiles show show a log of where the person has been and the photos they’ve sent in. You can call or text them from the app. (free) 4. TypePad – blogging tool for the iPhone (free)
These are a few of the apps announced. You can see the entire keynote here.
Here’s the most important part though! Finally!! A look at the new iPhone, release date, and pricing!! Here's Steve doing the honors…
You know ya’boy Douce has a bit more for you. The prices announced will be with a 2yr service agreement with AT&T. Here’s a bit of info from the inner-circle of AT&T. The 3G data plans will cost $30. That’s ten bucks more than the 2G plans. OMG…They raised the prices again…YOU BASTARDS!!
LAUNCH The podcast kicked off in 2006 with the first episode being released on May 3rd, and we have been cranking them out ever since. Over 100 total released shows [We have done a bunch of My Top Fives people] ESH has really grown into something unexpected, but ultimately an insane amount of fun to do. In this episode of the podcast we talk about how we got to be two years old.
CHANGE I launched the site in April of 06 as SplendidBlunder.com. Originally, the idea was to have a space on the web to create, post, mix, and remix other people’s GarageBand projects. It was going to be a playground for Panda and I, and while we were having all of our conversations about the setup, we kept wasting time talking about Video games and anime.
GROWTH We realized quickly that we wouldn’t be able to do just the site or the podcast alone, and began recruiting our more than geeky friends to join the family. The first recruit was MagicMystic, then came Evermore, MonkeyDoo, Douceswild, GeekWoman, madameRoslin, theAdmiral, colonelPanic, and most recently KingBabyDuck. We started out small, with only 1000 people on average hitting the site, and now, we do quite a bit better. I figure it has to be the crazy that keeps them coming back, because there is definitely nothing out there like us.
We will be making autographed DVD’s featuring all of the podcast episodes over the last two years available on the ESH site shortly.
RIM has been pumping out the Blackberry for a long time and I’ve been a big fan of the device and just gave them up last year for the iPhone.
The Blackberry is still the best emailing device on the market and also a top-notch cell phone in my opinion. I’ve used every Blackberry since the 7100 and have not been disappointed at all. They’re only getting better with the two up-coming releases, the Bold (9000) and the Thunder (9500), which has no catchy name as of yet.
I won’t go into much detail about the device until I’m able to actually get some hands-on time with each one. What I will say is that along with the rumors of the second-generation iPhone coming in June, there are also whispers of the Bold coming to AT&T around the same time. As for the Blackberry 9500, no release date has been announced either as far as I know, but it’s supposed to be a Verizon lifetime exclusive product.
I was prepared to get the new iPhone, but now I’m not so sure after seeing the Thunder.
I’ve been enjoying the hell out of my iPhone since it released in June of ’07, but Apple may have me trading it in a month or so for a beefed-up version.
It’s been confirmed. Apple will be releasing the iPhone 2 very soon (maybe next month). My sources inside the company have tipped me on an up-coming vacation blackout for all employees from either June 9-11 or June 15-19. This the same thing that happened last year before the first iPhone's launch date was released to the public.
We can expect faster data from the new model as well as a lowered price with a 2-year service agreement, of course. You’ll have the choice of either an 8gig or 16gig model with price tags of $199.99 and $299.99. It was only a matter of time before AT&T figured out a way to lock us into a solid contract, but that’s not bad prices for such an awesome phone. It's unknown as of yet what the retail price of the phone will be and how this will affect the price of the first-generation phone.
Joyous praises were heard when the news was released that the second-generation iPhone will take advantage of the much faster 3G service. What does this mean for us? Well, it means faster internet for one. It also opens up the possibility of Video Share and Cellular Video a.k.a. Mobile TV. There's also talk of AT&T charging extra for 3G usage...(bastards). I'll be pissed if they raise the charge but it may be worth it not having to wait for the page to load when checking out some ESH goodness.
There have been rumors of multiple colors as well as a slimmer model. I don’t know how true this is, but I’d love an all black iPhone. I don’t really care if it’s slimmer. The current size of the phone is perfectly fine with me, but I could go for a smudge-resistant screen. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m constantly tapping and swiping that screen all day long and by the time I'm done, a blind cop could lift a print from the screen.
Start making preparations now to camp your local stores because last year, supplies were gone in minutes at some locations. Keep checking back for more info, because as soon as we know it, you'll know it.
I’ll keep this short and sweet. Grand Theft Auto IV will be released to the public when the sun comes up on April 29th, but you could be jacking cars and committing armed robberies (in-game, of course) hours before then.
No one should be surprised to know that Gamestop and EB will have a midnight opening Tuesday morning to allow anyone who reserved GTA IV to pick it up when the clock strikes twelve. (Check your local game stores for participation info.) My copy is already reserved and I’ll be in line with bags under my eyes to pick it up. I’ll be twittering the event so if you have a Twitter account, then you can get updates of my early morning journey by following “Douceswild”. If you have the “Twinkle” app. installed on your iPhone then you’ll be able to view some pictures as well.
World of Warcraft has held the mmorpg throne for years, but I think Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning will challenge WoW’s right to rule.
Many people are anticipating W.A.R., which has a tentative release date of October 7th, 2008, and I will definitely pick up a copy. I’ve never purchased the collector’s addition of any game, but this past weekend, I dropped a fiver on the C.E. because those that preorder get into the open beta when it begins and also get early access to the full the game before everyone else as well as some awesome in-game items, depending on where you preorder from.
Order from Gamestop or EB Games (online or in-store) and receive the: Sentinel's Amber Band Enhance your stats and cast "Touch of Earth," increasing your chance of doing additional corporeal damage with each hit. (Usable in PvE combat only.)
Order from Amazon.com, GoGamer.com, GameCrazy or EAStore.com and receive the: Guardian's Iolite Band Enhance your stats and cast "Touch of Spirit," increasing your chance of doing additional damage with each hit. (Usable in PvE combat only.)
Order from Best Buy or BestBuy.com and receive the: Champion's Sapphire Band Enhance your stats and cast "Touch of Frost," increasing your chance of doing additional elemental damage with each hit.
If you’re into mmorpgs and looking for the next big one, then you’ll definitely want to check out Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. This one is going to be HUGE. Mark my words.
You can find out more about the game at the official site here.
I’m sure you all know that the official release date of Grand Theft Auto IV is set for April 29th. I’ve played and completed every installment of the series and I plan on adding this one to the pile as well.
I’m not going to waste time trying to convince you of how good GTA is. You’ve heard of it and at this point you’ve probably made up your mind if you’re into the controversial video game by now or not. A few days ago the final official trailer was released and now we sit and wait. The problem is…I CAN’T WAIT!
A lot of video game stores have a reservation policy which allows you to plop some money down on a game so the employees will hold the game for you when it comes out. The question I pose to you is how necessary is it to do this?
The employees at the game store will tell you if you want a game on the day it releases then it’s in your best interest to reserve it. After talking to a few friends of mine that work at GameStop and EB, I’ve come to the conclusion that what that statement means is that they might have extra copies of the game to sell other than those on reserve, but you won’t get one if you didn’t reserve it.
Why do the employees want you to reserve the game? I used to manage a GameStop store a long time ago and the official answer which was pounded into the head of managers’ was to raise the initial sales of the game within the first couple of days. Now the answer you’ll get from employees (behind the scenes of course) is “because we have a quota and my manager told me to.” The employees have a weekly quota on reservations so the fewer people they convince to reserve a game, that’s the more grief they catch from the higher-ups. If you did not reserve the game when it releases, then the employees will not give you a copy out of spite even if there are extra copies behind the counter.
I’m not saying that this happens at every gaming store in the world, but I think it’s a safe bet to say that this is happening in most of them. Is this to be expected from the average kid working at the store? It definitely is. If he or she catches hell from their boss (who in turn probably caught hell from his or her boss) about not getting enough reservations for the week on a particular game, then that employee will more than likely take out his or her frustration on you when you come in without your reservation stub, thinking you’re going to march into their store and get the game you want so badly, after turning him or her down a few weeks ago when asked to reserve it. You’re at their mercy now. What can you do?
It’s always been a dream of mine to have a place where gamers and like-minded individuals as myself could hang out share thoughts and opinions. Well that dream has come true!!
Myspace has dominated the online social community for a long time. Although, it’s a good place to hang out, meet people, and share life experiences, it has always been hard for me to find a group that I fit into there. Even with the few gaming, anime, and technology groups that exist on Myspace, I’m very limited to what I can do once I join.
Well there’s a place for you and me now at GAX. GAX is a social community for gamers, movie enthusiasts, anime-lovers, etc. The site is named after the late Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008), the author of the well-known fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). GAX allows members to created and decorated their own page, invite friends, create and join member-created groups of various topics, create blogs, and much more! There’s also an active and live chat running on every page.
Sign up. It’s free! Who knows? Your blog may be featured on the main page of GAX!
Wouldn’t it be awesome to play your favorite mmorpg on a portable device? I know what you’re thinking. “I do that already with my laptop.” Well I’m talking about something just a bit more portable than your average-sized laptop.
How many times have you missed the train or bus to work because you didn’t want to log out of your mmorpg? Have you ever wished you could take your mmorpg with you on that long family trip so you’ll have something to do in the car? Well the OQO model 0.2 might be what you’re looking for. The OQO is basically an ultra mobile PC capable of running XP or Vista and weighs about one pound. You can also play a variety of other pc games on the system.
Here’s World of World fully functioning on the system.
Seeing as how Apple did it, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft decided to make their own version of the “Jesus Phone”. Move over iPhone. The zunePhone is coming.
Just over six months ago, Apple released their revolutionary iPhone upon the world and the cell phone industry has never been the same. Other manufactures have tried to follow in the footsteps of Apple since then, such as HTC’s Touch and LG’s Prada, but only one company can truly bring us the cell phone of all cell phones and that’s Microsoft. Ladies and gentlemen, Bill Gates and Microsoft proudly bring you the zunePhone.
There has always been a fine line between spending time playing video games and spending TOO MUCH time playing video games. One wife had enough and left her husband for not being able to walk this line.
Jocelyn, a 28-year old California resident and ex-employee of Blizzard has recently divorced her husband, Peter, of six years, blaming his addiction to World of Warcraft for the downfall of their marriage. “He would get home from work at 6:00, start playing at 6:30, and he’d play until three a.m. Weekends were worse — it was from morning straight through until the middle of the night. It took away all of our time that we spent together. I ceased to exist in his life.”
Jocelyn goes on to say,
“I bought the game for him for Christmas 2004, when it first came out. By May we had our first serious discussion about where our marriage was going, and by September I had moved out.”
As any good wife would, Jocelyn tried to schedule some quality time of 30 minutes to watch television together, but Peter refused, not wanting to leave his current raid. His domestic duties also began to suffer, as far as his share of the chores around the house and paying bills. Jocelyn is a gamer herself, but refused to play World of Warcraft, because she recognized the addictiveness of the game and its never-ending gameplay. She has no hesitation in blaming WoW as the sole reason for her divorce and is still emotionally distraught over the game’s impact on her marriage.
“I’m real, and you’re giving me up for a fantasy land. You’re destroying your life, your six-year marriage, and you’re giving it up for something that isn’t even real. [Blizzard] build it in such a way that you have to keep putting more and more time into it to maintain your status. I remember thinking when I was married that it was downright exploitative to people who couldn’t control themselves in that way. It’s set up like a drug.”
Here are the issues that that should have been foremost in Jocelyn’s thinking and reasoning. It seems as though Peter had more of an issue with prioritizing as opposed to an addiction to a video game. It’s obvious that he would rather spend time on the game than with his wife. That’s more of a personality issue than an addiction to something. Why blame a video game for being TOO good when the obvious reason for the demise was her husband’s personality?
I’ll be the first to admit that World of Warcraft is an excellent an addictive game. I, too, have been called out on my tendency to neglect other things when playing the game, but what always snapped be back to reality is my recognition of a stronger addiction to my wife and her happiness. I’m not taking away from the fact that Jocelyn definitely was neglected as wife and partner is this matter, but a question I’d like to ask her is, why is she blaming a game for ruining her marriage instead of questioning her decision to marry a man that would put ANY video game over her? It sounds to me as though she made a poor choice in picking a husband rather than a video game.
Podcasts are becoming much more popular with every passing day. I listen to tons of them throughout the week. They’ve become the main source for much of my gaming, anime, and tech info. I’d like to know which podcasts you guys can’t get through the week without.
I first discovered podcast almost two years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. I can’t start my day if I don’t have all of my podcast updated and ready to put on my iPhone. My playlist consisted of only about five shows in the beginning, but now I’m up to almost fifty shows. There’s a variety of shows that I listen to. They consist of music podcasts, video games, anime, technology, etc. The list goes on and on. The funny part is, with all the shows that I have on queue, I’m still looking for more. That’s where you guys come in.
I’d like to know what podcasts you guys are listening to and watching. List your top 10 or 5 if you don’t have that many. Maybe there’s an awesome podcast that I should be checking out. Hook me up guys. Here’s mine:
1. Achievement Junkie 2. Diggnation 3. Distorted View 4. Electric Sista Hood 5. GeekBrief.TV 6. The Instance: World of Warcraft Podcast 7. Massively Online Gamer 8. Radio 538: Tiesto’s Club Life 9. Tekzilla 10. Totally Rad Show
That’s ONLY a few on my list. What are you guys bumpin’ on your mp3 player?
The number “13” has always been known as an unlucky number and that just may be the case for me as far as SquareEnix's Final Fantasy XIII is concerned.
I’m at a crossroad right now. I’ve been pretty firm on my decision not to purchase a Playstion3 because I detest the price of the next-gen system. On the other hand, I’ve been a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series since FFIII. Seeing as how Squaresoft/Enix has had a longstanding relationship with Sony, I figured the chances of the series coming the the Xbox 360 was slim, but with the release of FFXI Online on Microsoft’s system and the announcement of another possible mmorpg by SqareEnix in the future, my hopes were high. I always knew in the back of my mind that I would have to make the decision to either pony up the cash for the PS3 or bid farewell to the series that I love so much. The time for the decision is now.
The long time character designer of the Final Fantasy series, Tetsuya Nomura, not only swears by a 2008 release for FFXIII, but also teases at a playable demo on the Playstation Network a while before the game is released to show off the revamped battle system. Either two things are going to happen this year. I’ll either eat my words and breakdown and purchase the overpriced system or say goodbye to the FFXIII and /wrist when every PS3 owner sinks their teeth into the demo and then the full game. No matter the choice, you guys will probably see an grown gamer cry.
There's a new trailer up for Condemned 2: Bloodshot and it definitely keeps in line with its predecessor.
Not only does the trailer bring you a grim and creepy feeling, but it's got the whole "WTF is going on vibe". That was an all to familiar feeling that came with the first game in the series, Condemned: Criminal Origins.
The new game picks up where the first left off, with the main character, Ethan Thomas, who has degenerated into a depressed alcoholic. I can't say I wouldn't have a similar fate if I'd gone through what he did. Despite this, he gets pulled back into the police force to investigate another series of bizarre happenings.
Check out the trailer here to see if you're up for another hellish ride. (Age verification may be required.)
I can't seem to get the image out of my mind. Every time I hear the name of Douceswild's own podcast, I get images of Oliver Wendell Douglas riding a tractor.
You're probably looking at this picture and asking "What am I looking at." Almost every World of Warcraft player will recognized the design as a mimic of a Horde hut, but not too many will guess what's inside.
EA tightens the noose around your nuggets even more with their lastest action. The company has taken steps to connect your forum and game login and password. So if you get banned from the forums for whatever reason, then you also will not be able to log into your paid in full EA games such as Spore, or Red Alert 3 until they deem you fit to return to duty.
Who didn't see this coming? This guy!! If you were looking for a reason to purchase Guitar Hero World Tour, then you've got one now.
There are new additions to your regular old iTunes this morning. If you do a search, you'll find some of the new iPhone applications! Don't believe me? Then check out the 
Yesterday SCEE (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) announced the new online features for the Playstation 3 that will be available on July 2 along with 2.4 enhancements, in the form of an automatic firmware upgrade that will deliver some of the features requested by gamers.
There's a new trailer up for 