Archive for February, 2010

PS3 Phatboys Can’t Connect

Dear readers, it has come to my attention that some PlayStation 3 games for some users are not booting up properly.  The issue seems to only affect the classic spec models and not the PS3 Slim.  Sony issued a statement and I’ve spoken to gamers and got the 4/11.  Read more for the full scoop.  Hang tight everyone with a Phat out there!

Weekend Wrap Up of February 27

Alright, here is the Wrap Up for this past week after last week’s update hiatus.  Needless to say, it was a busy week. Tons of stuff happening around here, Evan got hands on with God of War III and Al interviewed the owner of J!NX. The God of War III preview will be out early this week, and the interview can be viewed here. Also, another week, another ShockCast. It can be listened to here.

Crime Scene Review

SouthPeak Games’ Crime Scene arrived February 16, 2010 for Nintendo DS. The game should have piqued the interest of those looking for some blood on the system that only has a handful of M rated titles. Crime Scene throws you right into the action. Your first case involves two people dead. From there on the game can best be described as Trauma Center meets Ace Attorney. So, how does it all come together?

No Loading Screens for God of War III

Not only will God of War III not have hard-drive installs, and only take about five megabytes per save, but it will also be a totally insane game.  Christer Ericson, Director of Technology at Sony Santa Monica Studio, let the world know via twitter that God of War III will in fact have no load times.  According to his statement,

Rockstar Reveals Unreleased Beaterator-Made Beat!

Have you ever wanted to be able to get that beat out of your head while you’re on the go for later so you don’t forget it?  Or do you just want to mess around with a music game that lets you make your own rules?  Check out Beaterator for PlayStation Portable put together by Rockstar Games and Timbaland.  Read more information about the game and to hear a decent instrumental for free!

Transformers: War for Cyberton HD Co-Op Soon!

Transformers!  When you hear that you might think back to the classic comics, cartoons, the recent blockbuster, or you might think of some lackluster video games that have come out under the franchise.  That is all about to change if High Moon Studios is right about Transformers: War for Cyberton. 

J!NX Gaming Apparel Blowout Sale Extended!

Apparel that you don in celebration of your gamerdom is a fierce necessity.  This is especially true for anyone planning to go the huge gaming events this year, or pretend they did.  Right now you can get 3+ T-Shirts from J!NX the unique gaming clothing line and get $5 off each one!  Read more to hear about some of the things going on at J!NX right now.

Metro 2033 PC Required Specs Announced

Hey everybody out there in the PC gaming world.  You are not forgotten.  As we heard recently Metro 2033 will support some of the most advanced DirectX11 features of any game on the market soon when it releases this March.  There will be amazing textures, lighting, and

Final Fantasy XIII Battle System: What Has Changed?

With every new Final Fantasy game there is a new story, new soundtrack, as well as new visuals and features to behold. The Final Fantasy series has been on the forefront of innovation in the gaming industry since the first installment in 1987, setting the benchmark for traditional Role Playing Games indefinitely as well as adapting to the needs of the modern gamer. Final Fantasy XIII’s battle system takes another large step for the series towards realtime battle control,

Immersion: Where Heavy Rain Fails

I love Heavy Rain, I really do. It contains an interesting story with an ever-changing plot line that adapts based on player input. Entire chunks of the story are added or removed based on whether a character lives or dies. The control scheme, while it takes some getting used to, works well to allow the player to make those decisions in a fairly life-like and logical manner. The characters themselves, sans any voice acting faux pas, are deep, memorable and really do a good job of getting you to relate to them throughout the story.

The problem with the game is that it doesn’t meet the standards of giving you the full, immerse experience like the developers expect it to, at least for me. While it gets many things right and what it does get right makes for a very enjoyable experience throughout, it just doesn’t succeed in making me a part of the world. There are good and bad sides to this, as I will explain.

First Joe Danger Trailer Looks Amazing

After watching this trailer, two words came to mind. Excite-Bike. Alright, maybe those words plus two more. On Acid. It looks amazing, and more than that, it looks insidiously fun!

Masters of Creepy Babies: Visceral Games

While playing through Dante’s Inferno I encountered an enemy that was pretty unexpected. Almost as unexpected as an achievement that popped up moments later, it was an achievement entitled “Bad Nanny” that I earned when I killed 20 unbaptized babies.  Read that again, I killed 20 unbaptized babies.  Yeah, that’s how I felt when I first saw the infant toddle towards me. Now, before you think that I knocked that baby over, curb stomped it then proceeded to high five the devil and shotgun beers with him, I must describe this “baby”.  First of all, it crawled out of what I would describe as a crib, made of fire and brimstone. It’s arms were blades not unlike the blades sticking out of Mortal Kombat’s Baraka. It’s eyes were blank and dull, the umbilical cord and stomach hanging out.  The way it walked was very similar to a baby, and as I was still in limbo I wasn’t sure what to do. Until it hit me. Then I knew it must die. Before long, I was swarmed by these fast moving hell spawns.