The official demo for Fight Night Champion is available on Xbox Live and PSN tomorrow, Feb. 1st. This is one of the most anticipated games for this year and rightfully so. There's a new intriguing story line and a complete new fighting system that has added more punches and combos. Check it out.
Easily one of the best boxing games I've seen. The trailer for the game is incredible.
If you're in the Northeast, grab the demo. That way you'll have something to do while the storm beats us for the next two days.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Co-op: good for the gaming soul
Japan pulled a victory over Australia 1 - 0 to win the Asia cup over the weekend in soccer. Japan showed great team work and the players were cooperating with on another like a well oiled machine. So? That's what teams do, right?
Well, being a futbol fan, I know that this is one sport where the assist is not really a stat. All the glory goes to the person making the goal. Japan's star player, midfielder Keisuke Honda, was once an egoistic player always searching for the shot. This weekend he played like a team player. And it may be all due to gaming.
The Japanese team, "Samurai Blue", loves playing games on their PSP devices. Lately they have been seen playing tons of Monster Hunter PSP in coop mode. Since this has begun it has been noted by many in Japan that the team has been playing exceptionally well.
The team has noticed the change also and have even began noticing their changing feelings towards each other. Many of them gathering in their dorms for nightly gaming sessions to fight "dinosaurs and what not".
Honda had this to say "To me now, there is no strength save the team. Because there is no power to win, I turned off my ego." After being crowned MVP, he became humble and even decided that Endo truly deserved it and said "Asia, I've done nothing."
And who says you can't learn anything from coop gaming? Obviously this proves that you can even go out and win over a continent or two at least. They should've done this a year ago. they could have gone further in the World Cup.
Japanese team plays through to the victory.
Well, being a futbol fan, I know that this is one sport where the assist is not really a stat. All the glory goes to the person making the goal. Japan's star player, midfielder Keisuke Honda, was once an egoistic player always searching for the shot. This weekend he played like a team player. And it may be all due to gaming.
The Japanese team, "Samurai Blue", loves playing games on their PSP devices. Lately they have been seen playing tons of Monster Hunter PSP in coop mode. Since this has begun it has been noted by many in Japan that the team has been playing exceptionally well.
The team has noticed the change also and have even began noticing their changing feelings towards each other. Many of them gathering in their dorms for nightly gaming sessions to fight "dinosaurs and what not".
Honda had this to say "To me now, there is no strength save the team. Because there is no power to win, I turned off my ego." After being crowned MVP, he became humble and even decided that Endo truly deserved it and said "Asia, I've done nothing."
And who says you can't learn anything from coop gaming? Obviously this proves that you can even go out and win over a continent or two at least. They should've done this a year ago. they could have gone further in the World Cup.
Japanese team plays through to the victory.
Time for a little fun
Thanks to Blistered Thumbs for this experiment in resiliency.
Check out their site for some more crazy videos.
Check out their site for some more crazy videos.
Even gaming farmers are feeling the pinch
Last week, Blizzard sent out complaints to Paypal, accusing goldfarming companies and resellers of what they call "intellectual properties violations" for selling WoW goods. After the complaints were received, Paypal sent letters to the farmers that Blizzard had complaints against saying that if they continued selling products through their sites and Paypal service, Paypal would revoke their use of the site and payment option services.
Here's a copy of that letter:
Too bad. Now what are the poor people who work at these "computer farms" supposed to do now? Looks like there'll be some people out of a job.
I personally hate the fact that there are so many of these farmers on MMO games but I understand why. It is frustrating trying to grind for all the items you want or just may need and this is the easy way out. But it has gone on way too long and far. You go Blizzard!
Here's a copy of that letter:
"You were reported to Paypal as an Intellectual Properties violation by Blizzard Entertainment Inc. for the sale of World of Warcraft merchandise."
"If you feel your sales do not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of the Reporting Party, please complete attached Objection of Infringement Report."
"The completed form should be faxed to the attention of the Acceptable Use Policy Department at [fax number] or emailed to [email address removed].
"Should you choose not to object to the report, you will be required to remove all World of Warcraft merchandise from your website in order to comply with the Acceptable Use Policy."
Too bad. Now what are the poor people who work at these "computer farms" supposed to do now? Looks like there'll be some people out of a job.
I personally hate the fact that there are so many of these farmers on MMO games but I understand why. It is frustrating trying to grind for all the items you want or just may need and this is the easy way out. But it has gone on way too long and far. You go Blizzard!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The industry loses a great artist
Donald Barnes Jr., a video game artist, was fatally stabbed outside his home attempting to stop a fight between a man and a woman earlier this week.
Police have arrested the suspect, Bikram Sing Otal for the murder.
Barnes had been a character artist since 1996 and has worked for studios such as Tiburon, Luxoflux, EA Sports and Activision.
Read the full story at kotaku.com.
Police have arrested the suspect, Bikram Sing Otal for the murder.
Barnes had been a character artist since 1996 and has worked for studios such as Tiburon, Luxoflux, EA Sports and Activision.
Read the full story at kotaku.com.
Black Ops gets bigger
We're just days away from the new DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops to be released on Xbox Live. The download goes live February 1st. PS3 players will have to wait until March 1st to play. Until then guys hang in there.
First Strike will be bringing 5 new maps: Kowloon, Stadium, Discovery, Berlin Wall, and Zombie level Ascension. So make sure you save up 1200 MS Points for the download.
Check out the Xbox Live First Look
I personally love the fact that they added Berlin Wall. The map goes great with the era that the game is based in. It really brings that Cold War feel to the game. Activision definitely made a good choice by waiting for DLC to bring this map on. It doesn't have that rushed look and detailing on both West and East Berlin is incredible.
Discovery brings a nice element with environment that can be damaged and changes the map. Environmental damage can make a great divider and choke point with Team Deathmatch games and can open up strategies for winning.
Kowloon features a zip line that can be used to travel through out the map. It opens you up to everyone but it provides a speedy way to get around. The map kind of reminds me of the Favela map in Modern Warfare 2. A lot of it is jumping from rooftop to rooftop in a congested ghetto.
There's not much out there for the Ascension map except that it's set in an abandoned Soviet shuttle launch base. It's expected to be one of the most popular maps for players.
First Strike will be bringing 5 new maps: Kowloon, Stadium, Discovery, Berlin Wall, and Zombie level Ascension. So make sure you save up 1200 MS Points for the download.
Check out the Xbox Live First Look
I personally love the fact that they added Berlin Wall. The map goes great with the era that the game is based in. It really brings that Cold War feel to the game. Activision definitely made a good choice by waiting for DLC to bring this map on. It doesn't have that rushed look and detailing on both West and East Berlin is incredible.
Discovery brings a nice element with environment that can be damaged and changes the map. Environmental damage can make a great divider and choke point with Team Deathmatch games and can open up strategies for winning.
Kowloon features a zip line that can be used to travel through out the map. It opens you up to everyone but it provides a speedy way to get around. The map kind of reminds me of the Favela map in Modern Warfare 2. A lot of it is jumping from rooftop to rooftop in a congested ghetto.
There's not much out there for the Ascension map except that it's set in an abandoned Soviet shuttle launch base. It's expected to be one of the most popular maps for players.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Atari 2600 handheld Mod
So a new Atari mod has been created. This one is a nice throwback to my childhood. You can see the whole article here. If I could get my hands on one You probably wouldn't see me for a few weeks.
Sony is the new Apple
Sony has decided to take the Apple route and is taking George "GeoHot" Hotz, the hacker who was able to crack the PS3 with his own form of jailbreaking, and the fail0verflow team to court and they are taking all of his computers and drives to court for full access.
As part of the case Sony was granted a temporary restraining order. Basically, Sony has forced Hotz to have to pull all his links from his site that details all of his work with the PS3 and pass over all of his gear to the court. That includes and discs, USB flash drives, and workstations he owns and uses.
Of course his work is still out there on dozens of sites that have already posted his work for all to see. Sony is just using their big muscles to push the guy around and trap him into a corner.
George Hotz was not even trying to create a way to pirate games for the PS3 but bring back the feature that Sony took away early last year, the addition of a second OS. His homebrew technique doesn't even allow a pirated game to play.
Late last year George was able to crack the encryption on the PS3 to allow him to be able to run his own code. He was able to bring back the Linux OS installation that Sony had been blocking.
Jailbreaking iPhones have now become legal. This is technically the same thing. The restrictions that Sony has put in place to be able to load apps that Sony does not offer is similar to those that Apple put in place for the iPhone. Federal law has already proven that it doesn't break the copyright and does not violate the terms in which Sony has released the hardware. The biggest hurdle will be for Sony to prove that Hotz cracked the code knowing that he would open up the PS3 to possible piracy.
It's sad that Sony is really going through all this effort to destroy this kid. The only thing left for them to do is to burst into his house with SWAT and confiscate all his gear in evidence crates. You never know...
As part of the case Sony was granted a temporary restraining order. Basically, Sony has forced Hotz to have to pull all his links from his site that details all of his work with the PS3 and pass over all of his gear to the court. That includes and discs, USB flash drives, and workstations he owns and uses.
Of course his work is still out there on dozens of sites that have already posted his work for all to see. Sony is just using their big muscles to push the guy around and trap him into a corner.
George Hotz was not even trying to create a way to pirate games for the PS3 but bring back the feature that Sony took away early last year, the addition of a second OS. His homebrew technique doesn't even allow a pirated game to play.
Late last year George was able to crack the encryption on the PS3 to allow him to be able to run his own code. He was able to bring back the Linux OS installation that Sony had been blocking.
Jailbreaking iPhones have now become legal. This is technically the same thing. The restrictions that Sony has put in place to be able to load apps that Sony does not offer is similar to those that Apple put in place for the iPhone. Federal law has already proven that it doesn't break the copyright and does not violate the terms in which Sony has released the hardware. The biggest hurdle will be for Sony to prove that Hotz cracked the code knowing that he would open up the PS3 to possible piracy.
It's sad that Sony is really going through all this effort to destroy this kid. The only thing left for them to do is to burst into his house with SWAT and confiscate all his gear in evidence crates. You never know...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
PSOne games to be played on Android
That's right, you read it. Android phones will be playing PSOne games later this year. Sony announced that the "Playstation Suite", the name Sony has decided to call retro Playstation games, will be playable on Android phones through the Playstation Store app.
Five games have been confirmed so far:
It's funny because the "Playstation Phone" is still in development and still coming soon.
Five games have been confirmed so far:
- Cool Borders 2
- MediEvil
- Rally Cross
- Syphon Filter
- Wild Arms
It's funny because the "Playstation Phone" is still in development and still coming soon.
The new kid on the block
This device is chock full of new features front to back. The display is a nice OLED display screen that is touch sensitive, tilt sensitive SIXAXIS controls built-in for motion control, dual analogs, front and back facing camera, and a touch sensitive back.
Network connectivity is still there with WiFi and now also supports 3G for real on-the-go online gaming. Now you don't have to be standing outside the local Starbucks snagging their WiFi and having everyone stare at you because you obviously don't look like the usual hipster that crowds the place.
I still think the biggest feature is that it will no longer use UMD's. The PSP2 is going to use flash memory based cards for games.
Here's what Sony has to say about it: "NGP adopts a new game medium, a small flash memory based card, dedicated for NGP software titles. Taking advantage of the flash memory feature, this innovative card can store the full software titles plus add-on game content or the game save data directly on to the card. By adopting flash memory based card, SCE will be able to provide game cards with higher capacity in the future, allowing developers to store more game data to deliver rich and immersive games."
Depending on what this card is like it may be what makes or breaks this system. The PSPGo tried not using media but failed very badly. Mainly because there was no backwards compatibility with games you already owned on UMD on a system that was on the same generation. If this system isn't thought out well it could bust and go the way of the Atari Lynx.
It is better thought out than the Go so far. It allows you to have some sort of media that can expand and will also play PSOne and original PSP games that are available to download, so there is some backwards compatibility. Pricing for games hasn't been discussed yet but if they aren't in a reasonable price tier for downloadable games and dwell on the same plane as media based games then they're in for a rude awakening.
The games so far announced look awesome:
- LittleBigPlanet
- Uncharted
- Killzone
- Wipe Out
- Resistance
- Hot Shots Golf
- Hustle Kings
The graphics are intense and rival the PS2. Some look almost as good as the PS3.
Another great feature is the ability to see what other users are playing near you and allow you to chat with them using an app called Near. This could allow users to socialize on some sort of level with other gamers and could allow a richer experience in online gaming. Thanks to a built-in GPS, you could contact friends nearby and get a gaming session going and compare rankings on leaderboards.
As for the biggest competition, it looks like it will be the 3DS. However, Sony will not be bringing 3D to the table just yet. They are heading in a different direction with the NGP.
Sony's Worldwide Studio head Shuhei Yoshida said this: "We evaluated the 3DS screens that are available and the costs, and there are lots of trade-offs. This [the NGP] is what we want to do."
When pressed further, Yoshida continued, "The portable is a totally different beast. It's still emerging and in a transitional stage. We are developing a platform to last a long time." So Sony, Yoshida said, made a very careful choice about what is important to them. Apparently, that's not putting 3D in a portable.
All in all it's shaping up pretty well and is definitely welcomed by me so far. I can't wait to get my hands on it and see how well it performs with my own 2 eyes.
Enjoy the official trailer
Excitebike Humor
Here's some early Excitebike humor thanks to our friends at Dorkly.
Make sure you check out some of their videos.
Make sure you check out some of their videos.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Task Force 141
Earlier this week in Moscow at the Domdedovo Airport there was a terrorist attack which killed 35 people and injured 180 more. Russian Today, Russia's top satellite TV station, has now pointed the finger towards Modern Warfare 2 as the alleged inspiration to this attack.
If any of you have not played this game yet, I suggest you do. In the campaign mode there is a mission named 'No Russian' where you play as Joseph Allen of Task Force 141 and are tasked with joining the terrorist group in killing civilians at an airport in Russia.
Before watching this video be warned. It is graphic.
I can't see any similarities between this mission and what transpired in Moscow. The unfortunate event involved a suicide bomber that snuck past security and made his way to the passenger arrival area. Clearly this was planned out to create a huge message. No one has claimed responsibility but of course they are laying blame on Islamist groups.
This is also the second time in a month that video games are being blamed for allegedly influencing terrorist attacks. Are games really what terrorist are beginning to dub their tactics after? In 2004, in the same airport there were 2 suicide bombers that purchased tickets illegally from staff and detonated aboard 2 different planes killing 90 people. In 1985, Rome and Vienna saw terrorist attacks at major airports. And these happened before the release of MW2.
Obviously the people responsible for this attack had been planning this for some time. They are methodical and very technical with their tactics. I don't think they sat around watching this scene unfold and said "that's how we're gonna do it! But with bombs!" Should we blame Street Fighter for kids getting into fights or Super Mario for idiots wanting to spit fireballs?.
But this isn't anything new as popular media has always been at fault for bad things happening. Superman was blamed for kids wanting to fly off their roofs. WWE has been blamed for kids breaking their necks. The difference here is that these were real people they saw on TV and said if they can do it so can I.
The point is we shouldn't be trying to find blame for violent crimes in video games that depict violent scenarios without the guilty party actually confirming that they were. This is the struggle that is being seen in the US with congress and some politicians wanting to ban games outright. They are seeing games as a gateway into violent crimes and ruining the minds of children and adults alike. Former lawyer Jack Thompson once described them as "murder simulators" and said playing video games were "mental masturbation". There has never been a proven case where someone has been found guilty of murder because a game has told him to do so. You have better luck finding someone who was told to kill people by a dog.
share your thoughts and comments
If any of you have not played this game yet, I suggest you do. In the campaign mode there is a mission named 'No Russian' where you play as Joseph Allen of Task Force 141 and are tasked with joining the terrorist group in killing civilians at an airport in Russia.
Before watching this video be warned. It is graphic.
I can't see any similarities between this mission and what transpired in Moscow. The unfortunate event involved a suicide bomber that snuck past security and made his way to the passenger arrival area. Clearly this was planned out to create a huge message. No one has claimed responsibility but of course they are laying blame on Islamist groups.
This is also the second time in a month that video games are being blamed for allegedly influencing terrorist attacks. Are games really what terrorist are beginning to dub their tactics after? In 2004, in the same airport there were 2 suicide bombers that purchased tickets illegally from staff and detonated aboard 2 different planes killing 90 people. In 1985, Rome and Vienna saw terrorist attacks at major airports. And these happened before the release of MW2.
Obviously the people responsible for this attack had been planning this for some time. They are methodical and very technical with their tactics. I don't think they sat around watching this scene unfold and said "that's how we're gonna do it! But with bombs!" Should we blame Street Fighter for kids getting into fights or Super Mario for idiots wanting to spit fireballs?.
But this isn't anything new as popular media has always been at fault for bad things happening. Superman was blamed for kids wanting to fly off their roofs. WWE has been blamed for kids breaking their necks. The difference here is that these were real people they saw on TV and said if they can do it so can I.
The point is we shouldn't be trying to find blame for violent crimes in video games that depict violent scenarios without the guilty party actually confirming that they were. This is the struggle that is being seen in the US with congress and some politicians wanting to ban games outright. They are seeing games as a gateway into violent crimes and ruining the minds of children and adults alike. Former lawyer Jack Thompson once described them as "murder simulators" and said playing video games were "mental masturbation". There has never been a proven case where someone has been found guilty of murder because a game has told him to do so. You have better luck finding someone who was told to kill people by a dog.
share your thoughts and comments
Welcome to the 21st century
The secret service will be joining us in this century soon. It seems that they will be doing what the military has been for a few years now. They will begin training simulations using video games. Since the 60's they have been using tabletop simulations and continue to this day. I could picture a bunch of MIBs around a massive Warhammer table with mock up figures of Obama and a plastic army men surrounding him.
The game simulation is called Virtual Battlespace and was developed for the original Operation Flashpoint game. The sim will be located on three kiosks in the training center using 50" stereoscopic displays to seem more real.
Its funny that I remember seeing chimps using sims to learn how to fly planes in Project X and humans are now seeing the potential of video games in every day lives.
The game simulation is called Virtual Battlespace and was developed for the original Operation Flashpoint game. The sim will be located on three kiosks in the training center using 50" stereoscopic displays to seem more real.
Its funny that I remember seeing chimps using sims to learn how to fly planes in Project X and humans are now seeing the potential of video games in every day lives.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The future of console gaming or a big bust?
With devices such as the Kinect, Playstation Move and the Wii all bringing interactive gaming to the masses, what is to become of good ol' fashioned console gaming? What does the future hold for a controller and being able to sit down after a tough day at work to blow away some zombies or destroy enemy bases? Personally, I believe that the controller/console combo will never die out and for one good reason if no other: Leisure Time.
There are other reasons of course. I mean, how are you supposed to play platform games or games like GTA, C.O.D., Red Dead Redemption etc.with motion capture? Not everyone can.While motion capture and interactive titles are fun and are definitely here to stay, what can we look forward to with a standard console? One good contender is the sweet package brought to us by OnLive.
This new system is a micro console no bigger than the palm of your hand and comes with its own wireless controller. What makes this so special is that the games are all online. This console has embraced cloud technology and has freed itself from having disc after disc stuffed into itself. It brings HD games, thanks to its HDMI port, to your living room TV via its online service. This makes the box super fast as it can start the gaming session in seconds. The bottleneck however, is in the service itself. As anything that streams online, there are issues. You will need a nice internet connection in order to enjoy to the max. What makes it interesting is that there are requirements based on TV size. You are required to have a connection of 5Mbps minimum for TV's 40" or larger. For cable or FiOS customers its no problem. 30 - 40" you're going to need 4Mbps. < 30" you can get away with 3Mbps. The reason behind the bandwidth needs are because of TV resolutions obviously. The device has built-in wireless-n and comes equipped with an ethernet port. The dashboard is pretty simple and you do have multi-player games available. If I had the option I would try it out. It's only $100 for the console and controller. You can also get the service itself on your PC for FREE. Of course games are not. They range from anywhere between $4 and $40. Not to shabby.
I guess this could eliminate some piracy problems for game publishers if it was adopted by game makers. Of course it could also start another console war with different manufacturers bringing different features to the table. Exclusive games could still be offered to different consoles just as they are now. I could see Nintendo creating one exclusively for their own titles.
Or this could go the same way as the doomed PSPGo. Although I think the Go was just too early for it's time. Only time will tell what the future holds in store for gaming consoles.
It's officially here!
The first official posting of Thirty Lives is here. It's also the first day of Wintereenmas.
If you don't already know what Wintereenmas is I suggest you read up on this wonderful holiday that celebrates all that embodies the gaming spirit. It is the Christmas equivalent for video games but last for 7 days (Jan. 25 - Jan. 31). It is a time to partake in celebration, play games, come together as gamers and appreciate the entertainment that they have provided in our lives. Unfortunately this also brings out the people we hate the most - the ones that act like the trash talking 12 yr olds on Xbox Live or PSN dropping nothing but F-bombs and making you wish that you didn't have a headset in the first place.
It's been 25 years since I first picked up an Atari joystick and became ultimately hooked. This week I will be playing tons of old classics on my NES console and reminiscing. And if I have the chance, I may plan a trip to Pinball Wizard this weekend.
So what is this blog going to be about? Everything video games. Mainly video game politics but I will post reviews, news and random banter as well. I'll also post various sales info and any contests that I can find so if you are reading pay attention. You may find something cool going every once in a while.
Wintereenmas will be kicking off this year with the release of Dead Space 2 for PC, PS3 and Xbox360. It doesn't seem to disappoint either. It looks to be as frightening as the original and then some. There are a few new surprises to the game. You still star as Isaac from the first game and you still walk around with magnetized boots. But you now have the option to disengage them and float freely in space.
Other releases this week:
- Dino Strike (Wii)
- Lord of Arcana (PSP)
- Two Worlds II (PC, PS3, Xbox360)
- Dead Space Aftermath (Blu-ray, DVD)
Enjoy. I'm going to go back to watching my 80's GI Joe cartoons.
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