« August 2006 | Main | October 2006 »
September 27, 2006
Mario ... of the North Star
The headline is from my brother. I think this is one of the cooler things I've seen.
The Fists of the North Star and Southern Cross must never fight ... but they can clean out your pipes. If anyone can translate what the Japanese means, I would be grateful. If not, fine. It's still my homepage.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)
'Kane & Lynch' shots
Eidos dropped off some more screens of 'Kane & Lynch'. Check 'em out.
The game, as you may or may not know, is slated for the 360 and PC.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 05:02 PM | Comments (0)
SEGA and New Line Cinema unite
This is either good or bad news, I'm not sure. SEGA and New Line Cinema announced a deal to make games based on movies centered around the "His Dark Materials" book trilogy from author Phillip Pullman. So, we have a GAME based on a MOVIE based on a BOOK. I'm worried -- that's a trifecta of possible gaming pain. Of course, if Sega pulls it off, it'll be quite a feat.
The first film is "The Golden Compass," which is going to star Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (if you don't know, he's the new Bond), and the game is slated to be released at the same time, which is November of 2007.
Check out the site here if you're not familiar with the book series and the author.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2006
DVD format war done? Ask the British
Reuters reports that a UK-based company has found a way to make an inexpensive multi-layer DVD. The company is called New Medium Enterprises, and the production costs of a disc using the company's new technology would be around 9 cents, as opposed to 6 cents for a regular single-layer DVD.
If you're into hearing about low yields and other goodness, here's the story via ZDnet.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:53 PM | Comments (0)
Firefox 2.0 en route
A story from Information Week says Mozilla, the creators of Firefox, is whipping out a release candidate of Firefox 2.0 today. It's the browser's first big-time upgrade in about a year. the upgrade is supposed to provide anti-phishing alerts, session restore, spell checking, and suggested searches.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
September 25, 2006
Curse? What curse?
Seahawks fans now have something else to cry about. Aside from the 3-0 start, there's bad news -- Shawn Alexander is out with a broken foot for at least a couple of weeks.
As you know, Alexander was on the cover of Madden NFL '07.
Now, I'm not saying there's a curse ... but look. It's starting to get creepy now, and it's apparent that simply ignoring it isn't working. Weird.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 05:06 PM | Comments (0)
No TGS ... but 'NBA 2K7' arrived
Like many people who weren't able to travel to the Land of the Rising Sun for the Tokyo Game Show, I've relied extensively on the likes of GameTrailers, GameSpot, Kotaku and Joystiq to get some inkling of what's been showing there, and what we can expect.
GameTrailers has gotten the most use out of me so far. They've got a teaser for 'L.A. Noire,' a PS3 offering from Rockstar, as one of their centerpieces -- but what still stands out to me is 'Lair,' a dragon game for the PS3. From what I heard, it was either going to look awesome or look like crap -- no middle ground. The gameplay footage I saw features a dragon and his rider annihilating a horde of armored soldiers, be it by flame or pimp-slapping them off some stone bridge. It looks like it could be pretty good -- I'm not sure if it's $600 good, but I'm just saying.
This week, I'm trying out "NBA 2K7," which arrived in the mail today. I could care less about real hoops since football season just started, but I wanted to see how 2K Sports pulled off the plan to make the individuality of each starter and star come to life. They concentrated on just Shaq a year ago, but now they've supposedly got the details down for practically everyone worth talking about. We'll see -- EA did this a while ago with its "Lakers vs. Celtics"-style games, and I always thought ultimate personalization was the next logical step. I'm actually surprised it took this long. I'm one of those fans that'll examine every virtual player to see if he REALLY measures up to the flesh-and-blood version. Frist guy I'm rolling out with is LeBron -- from the work-in-progress jumper to the way he attacks the basket -- I hope I see it all.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2006
When a game asks you to be a god, you say, 'YES!'
It's too bad more people in the mainstream don't seem to know about "Okami," (released today) so it's going to suffer from the same disease that got "Indigo Prophecy" and "BG&E" -- meaning it's a fun, innovative and engulfing title that'll be turned away by plenty of gamers because it's different, and people seem to run away from anything different.
After about 20 tedious minutes of wading through text, this is one of those titles that represents the "experience" aspect of contemporary gaming -- you can actually look at it from an artistic standpoint. It's heavy in folklore and symbology, plus it provides a new spin on the whole "be a god" premise, making it more action-oriented as opposed to a lot of the menu-based, RTS stuff we've seen in the past.
I'm only a few hours in, but I'm really taking the time to enjoy this one. It's been worth it so far -- I mean, I can turn night into day by just painting a sun in the sky with a brush. Sweet.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)
'Skate' cometh to next-gen
Today, EA announced 'Skate' for the 360 and the PS3, which could end up becoming the next-gen competitor to the long-unchallenged Tony Hawk skating game franchise. The title is being assembled by the people at EA Black Box in Vancouver.
EA is touting the game's focus on realism, from the way the city reacts to the player to the physics-based skating controls, dismissing the "button mashing gameplay of past skating games." (is that a dig?) Essentially, they sound like they're pitching the experience as a skateboard sim rather than a playground-style skate party.
It wouldn't quite be EA without some kind of pro endorsement, and it appears skaters Danny Way and P.J. Ladd are on board. Is there such a thing as a cover jinx if the sport leads to various crippling injuries anyway?
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2006
On Nov. 19 ... Wii-joice?
Nintendo made their formal announcement regarding the release date and the price of the Wii console. As the headline says, the system is set for a Nov. 19 release in the U.S. (as the fanboys go 'wooooo') and will erase about $250 bucks out of your wallet, or a more than half of what one might pay for the higher-end PlayStation 3. In Japan, Ninty execs announced the Dec. 2 release date.
The out-the-box package includes a Wii Remote and a Wii Nunchuk (the pair of motion-sensing controllers), and one disc containing five Wii sports titles. Sadly, no Zelda, which would have been truly outstanding. However, Zelda IS going to be a launch title.
Nintendo is expecting about a 30-game lineup between launch day and the end of December. First-party (that means Nintendo original) titles are going to cost $49.99. Wii will also be able to play every GameCube game.
Then there's the Wii Channel Menu, which lets players either pick stuff they can play or access stuff like the news or weather. You'll also be able to view and send photos. There's also a system of Wii Points that you can redeem -- and you can also download classic games to the Virtual Console, which is a godsend for retrogamers.
From what Nintendo says, you'll be able to play stuff from the Super Nintendo, the original 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System, and even some titles from the Sega Genesis and the Turbografx 16. Bonk's Adventure, anyone? Perhaps a little Altered Beast ("rise from your grave" ... BOOM).
Now, the circle is complete. Basic info on all three next-gen systems (probably with more on the way), and it comes at a time where more ambitious holiday shoppers are already assembling gift ideas.
There's the Wii, which you just read about, which is the friendly, fun system built on a philosophy of inclusion. It also helps that it won't cost you a piece of your soul, and comes with ready-to-play games as well as access to a massive library of classic Nintendo stuff.
You've also got the Xbox 360, which certainly costs more, but also already has an established fan community and next-gen games library. Oh, and it also has mighty Xbox Live, where the Marketplace and Arcade have tapped into the casual gamer market.
Finally, there's PlayStation 3. The mere mention of this system either gets you a storm of expletives from people in shock over the $600 price tag or a tingling of anticipation of what could be the most powerful console on Earth.
Sony has taken a public relations beating concerning everything from the price, execs' remarks about how the system is a computer, not a console (and will make the PC obsolete), to the fact that the controller can't vibrate. Sony-bashing has become something of a trend -- it's hard to toss out the term "massive damage," or belt out "Riiiiige Racer!!!!" to gamers without them knowing what it means. After that, you usually get a derisive laugh.
However, Sony is still seen as the king -- royalty more of the Nero variety, but on the throne nonetheless. There are still some great releases coming out for PS2 (God of War II), and if any one system has the potential to make a lot of critics eat their words in a very short time, it's PlayStation 3. I hope it does well -- not for Sony's sake, but for gaming in general.
As for the Wii, you can check out the official Web site for the console for extra knowledge. The system's going to get huge props in Japan (Shigeru Miyamoto is still viewed as a gaming deity), and the fact that it comes out two days after the PS3 shows some moxie.
And of course, there's the "gaming for everyone" philosophy. One of the biggest complaints I've heard from readers and non-gamers is that they certainly have the desire to try games, but everything from the controllers to the consoles themselves caters to people who've been playing for years. Telling a non-gamer to simply "get-used" to a contemporary controller is like asking someone to operate on their own heart. With the Wii, the learning curve is roughly the same size. Therefore, no intimidation.
I'm not saying Wii will rock the holidays, but if a few families check in and make the plunge, who knows?
Jump away to see the Wii early lineup, via press release. Keep in mind, this is the stuff we're hoping to see from Nov. 19 to Dec. 31.
From Nintendo:
Battalion Wars II
Big Brain Academy™ (temporary name)
Excite Truck™
The Legend of Zelda®: Twilight Princess
Mario Strikers Charged
Metroid® Prime 3: Corruption
Super Mario® Galaxy (temporary name)
WarioWare™: Smooth Moves
Wii Sports
From Activision:
Call of Duty 3
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Rapala Tournament Fishing
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
World Series of Poker
Atari:
Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2
Atlus:
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Buena Vista Games:
Chicken Little: Ace in Action
Disney's Meet the Robinsons
Codemasters:
Dance Factory
Sidewinder
Electronic Arts:
The Godfather
Madden NFL 07
Need for Speed: Carbon
SSX
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
Konami:
Elebits
Majesco:
Bust A Move Revolution
Midway Games:
The Ant Bully
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
Happy Feet
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Rampage: Total Destruction
Sega:
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
SNK:
Metal Slug Anthology
THQ:
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Barnyard
Cars
SpongeBob SquarePants:
Creature from the Krusty Krab
Ubisoft:
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII -- ("I am the fist ... YOU ARE THE BOARD!!!")
Far Cry: Vengeance
GT Pro Series
Monster 4x4: World Circuit
Open Season
Prince of Persia
Rayman: Raving Rabbids
RED STEEL
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Vivendi Universal:
Ice Age 2
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 08:28 AM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2006
'Rule of Rose' pt. II
Well, I found the mermaid. She puked on me and delivered some karate chops to the dome for good measure.
Since then, I've been at a place called the "gingerbread house," met the first nice person in the game and am now slaughtering walking pig creatures that like to run and bowl you over.
I'm probably not going to get the chance to finish it before AGI, but I've played enough to call it a good, solid survival horror game, though there really isn't that much horror. Visually, the game amps up the tension by not giving you a lot of light to work with, sometimes putting you in pitch black areas. There's also a grainy look to the screen that adds a "dirty" touch to the experience. It's not really a gory title, though the blood flies when you strike the various creatures you encounter. And as I mentioned before, I got puked on.
There's an undercurrent of fear, rather than the waves of it you get with other games. Much of this has to do with the outstanding music, which features a lot of twisted violin and piano combinations. It does a good job of keeping the player uncomfortable, even though the instances of something actually jumping out at you are rare by horror standards. The true terror comes in the cutscenes bolstered by great audio -- you'll see a creatures with no eyes look at you right as the violin shrieks; you'll hear sinister kiddie laughter or the wheezing of the demented chubby girl as she works away on a sewing machine -- lots of crazy stuff that preys more on the anticipation of what you might see rather than the fear of death.
(scene description ahead -- possible spoilers ... )
As far as the whole "teen-girl eroticism" thing goes, I didn't see much of it -- there's no rush of rampant sexual energy between the characters, like in "Fear Effect II." Yes, there's the "kiss me" scene in the intro and trailer, but after that, all I've seen is an innocently written love letter from one girl to another, as well as the scene of a budding friendship between Jennifer and another girl, Wendy, who says something about "being together forever" and mentions a pact of everlasting love. And the only things they trade at that moment are a teddy bear and brooch. The game is such that sexuality is the absolute last thing you think about. There's a moment where Jennifer is on the ground and the chubby girl (Amanda) crawls OVER her instead of walking around her -- and it's not in a sexual way, but rather in a pathetic, oafish way.
My main issue with the game is goes out of its way to be vague about everything you're supposed to be doing. I understand that this is meant to maintain the fabric of the story, but it also left me with a few instances of wandering around wondering what to do next. It seems very easy to get lost and frustrated if you don't have something the dog can "find."
I want to go ahead and finish the game, as there are multiple endings (I'll get the bad one first). Overall, it's been a worthwhile experience.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2006
'Rule of Rose'
I've never wanted to uncork this much fury on a bunch of fictional children until now.
It says something about a game when it pulls out this kind of emotion out of a player, and it doesn't have to do with whether or not you like the controls or graphics. It's about storytelling, and this game is pretty good at it. It's more creepy than scary -- you're more likely to go, "What the hell is that?" than scream in fear.
Right now, what stands out to me are the cutscenes. Not only are they very well made, but they do an excellent job of illustratiing the personalities of each of the characters without using a lot of verbiage. And the one thing you learn as the player is that this is a warped bunch of kids.
I started out in an orphanage, but a good chunk of my time has been spent on an airship. I have no idea how I got there -- that happens a lot, and its one way the game messes with your head. Most of the game's "levels" are broken down by months (timeline is 1930), and are narrated in mini-storybook form. For instance, when certain things occur, you'll see words on the screen that say something to the effect of "The unlucky girl (that's you) ran into the strong-willed Princess."
You piece together who you are (and who these other kids are) as the game goes along. As far as I can tell, you're a girl named Jennifer who ends up at a creepy orphanage that houses members of the "Aristocrat Club," which is comprised of several nasty little girls and boys. Jennifer gets "recruited" to be part of the club. Every month, she has to provide a "gift" for the club. If she fails, so a voice says, she dies. Much of the game involves plenty of searching and puzzle-solving, lots of "find the item" stuff.
This would be irritating if not for the dog you encounter in the early part of the game. I like the dog -- it can "find" where certain objects are supposed to go by following the scent, much like a real dog. For instance, if you find a letter, you can have the dog "find" where it originated from. Then, you can follow him. The same goes with keys (to find doors) and other items -- one gift you have to find is a bird, so when you run into a feather, you're golden. As you follow the dog, you find yourself entering various areas of the airship -- kitchen, guest quarters, library -- and eventually you run into enemies.
The baddies you face aren't grotesque like in "RE" or "Silent Hill." They're just freaky -- there are imps, midget goat people wielding knives ... one boss battle was a screwy old man partially bound in ropes that tried to whack me with a stick. As you'd guess, Jen doesn't exactly have weeks of weapons training -- with an assortment of weapons like lead pipes or ice picks, she musters about as much power as a teen waif could wield.
I'll have more later ... I haven't gotten to the music yet, and I'm off trying to find a "mermaid princess." Enjoy.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2006
Wii loves some Sam Fisher
Ubisoft announced today that "Splinter Cell: Double Agent" is going to be a launch title for Nintendo's cutely (or stupidly) named new console. No real specifics on how the motion-sensing controllers are going to factor into this whole package, but the mind wanders: Human shield mechanics? Manipulation of spy tech? Most of the people who saw this at the Last Big E3 agreed that the game (at least on other systems) was praiseworthy. Perhaps this could help the system shake off the kiddie vibe its been saddled with -- it's not like Sam Fisher is Mr. Rogers, and it's not like "Red Steel" is meant for the 10-year-olds either. Nice timing of the announcement, by the way.
Here's a couple preliminary Wii shots:
For me, I'm pillaging Rule of Rose, Yakuza and NASCAR 07 this week. I hit Yakuza first, and ... blah. I'll have more on that later.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 09:50 AM | Comments (0)
September 07, 2006
Enter the 'Jade Empire' on the PC
2K announced today their intentions to bring forth "Jade Empire: Special Edition" for the PC. The game is slated to enter our lives in January 2007. Some of the special stuff includes better visuals, some new fighting styles, new monsters and enemies with enhanced AI. We'll also get customizable, intuitive controls and an all-new art book.
So, you can find out if you're "Open Palm" or "Closed Fist" all over again. If you've never heard of "Jade Empire," shame on you -- you can get the basics here.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)
ESPN.com, GameTap launch game channel
Looking for more evidence that video games are a growing part of pop culture? Just in time for football season comes the "ESPN Video Games Channel" presented by GameTap. It's all sports games, all the time, and much of the editorial content is produced by folks at 1up. The centerpiece as of this moment is a virtual duel between the Manning brothers. You can see the site here.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:21 PM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2006
MMO to honor fallen Crocodile Hunter
The late Steve Irwin, aka the Crocodile Hunter, is going to be memorialized during a service in "World of Warcraft." A player by the name of BubbRubb is gathering support for the event. Check out the story here.
Here's an excerpt of BubbRubb's call to action:
"I would like to spell out CRIKEY with players as a tribute to his wondrous catch phrase, and then we can dance and swim in the ocean to celebrate his life instead of mourning his death."
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 06:20 PM | Comments (0)
Uwe Boll unleashes the anger beneath the surface
Reviled game-movie director Uwe Boll once issued a challenge to fight his critics in a boxing ring. Now, you can see that challenge come to fruition. I had to see it for myself -- Boll's actually formally trained in the sweet science, whereas his opponent -- as you'll see -- not so much. There's a wince-worthy moment about three minutes in where the poor guy sort of balls up in the corner to avoid Boll's fists of fury. The opponent is Carlos Palencia Jimenez-Arguello of the Cine Cutre Web site.
There's a part of me that wouldn't mind seeing Boll challenge someone, only to have it be some MMA fighter freelancing as a movie critic. But by the same token, the dude DID get in the ring with him. You're gonna get hit.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)
A few 'God of War II' screens
It wouldn't be Greek mythos without the obligatory "fight the angry giant" scenario. These pics were just posted on the Sony press site. The truly skeptical might see this as a way to make people almost forget that about 400,000 PS3s are coming to the U.S., which now means you have a better chance of picking up a Holy Grail. Happy holidays in advance, everyone.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 05:03 PM | Comments (0)
Games as social aid?
Reuters has a story about a study about how MMOGs can help players with their people skills. The study was done by Constance Steinkuehler of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dmitri Williams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Check out the story here.
I like stuff like this because it helps dispel the ancient stereotypes about the "lone wolf" gamer. For my part, some of the best parties and social activities I've been to involved games and gamers. We DO talk to each other. Really. If you want evidence, dive into the chat room at All Games. I ended up talking to someone late into the night about Transformers, for crying out loud.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)
Jack blasts judge
It looks like video game nemesis Jack Thompson has whipped out his verbal Hanzo sword and is swinging away at the judge presiding over the Louisiana gaming law case. It's an early morning entry at GamePolitics.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
PS3 confusion. Numbers ... hard.
Good stuff this morning concerning Sony major domo Ken Kutaragi's reported announcement that the U.S. and Japan are getting 500,000 PS3's come Nov. 17. You can check out the specifics on GameSpot.
It looks like the U.S. is getting a whopping 400,000 PS3 units coming to them on launch day. Check out the figs in Brian Crescente's Rocky Mountain News blog. The numbers were also confirmed in a GameSpot update.
Posted by Redmond Carolipio at 03:35 PM | Comments (0)