Happy Anniversary

Earlier this week The Legend of Zelda turned 25 and of course it hasn't received the attention from Nintendo that it deserves. Mario had a "reboot" of sorts, a special edition Wii and a special edition DS for his 25th, and tons of media converage. Zelda gets a 3D release of Ocarina of Time for the 3DS and the new release for the Wii: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. How many of you have heard about them? Exactly.

Growing up, Zelda was in the top 5 of games played on NES consoles everywhere. The sound of the title screen was enough to get gamers excited about the adventures waiting in Hyrule. Fans all over have been celebrating in their own way so I've compiled some of these highlights for any Zelda fans who may be interested.

Fan made shield:

Fan made Link Sword

Fan made Wii case mod

Incredible fan art

And an incredible mod of a Gameboy playing The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on an oscilloscope



Thanks Link, Zelda, and Ganon for the last 25 years.

For the children

Sesame Street for Kinect has been announced

The new official title is Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster. The best news, it's being developed by Double Fine, the studio that brought us Brutal Legend and Psychonauts. Why is that the best news? I find it the best challenge for a studio to go from developing games oriented towards teenagers and adults to a game for small children. A test to their skill.

I have to be honest, I am looking forward to this title. Even though it would have been great for Double Fine to work on Brutal Legend 2.

As a kid I remember watching Sesame Street and anything muppet related and would love to share this with my 4 year old. It was a great time in my life. The excitement is really because this game will open the doors for more families to enjoy quality time with each other. It will give many parents a way to connect with their children by sharing two greats in their childhood: Sesame Street and gaming.

This game could also show that there are some learning qualities for children that lie in playing video games. Sure there are tons of  learning systems out there such as the VTech and the Leapfrog Leapster systems but these systems don't seem very fun and play more like schoolwork. Making games that can show fun in learning and that learning is fun is what kids games should be and what better way than a Sesame Street game for the Kinect. Here's to hoping it gets done right!

Sniper mode in Bulletstorm

This video is so good that I had to post it. One more reason for you to pick this game up.



Thanks to GoldGloeTV on YouTube! Check them out they have tons of great videos.

Rain of Bulletstorm

For the last couple of weeks Bulletstorm has been wrapped up in so much controversy that even Fox News had to broadcast their 2 cents on the game. Why? Because it's another one in the long line of "violent games that add to the ever growing crime problem that plagues our world".

What more is that psychologist and book author, Carol Lieberman, was quoted by Fox News when interviewed about Bulletstorm as saying:

"The increase in rapes can be attributed in large part to the playing out of [sexual] scenes in video games,"

What??


What evidence is there to support such a statement? What studies have been conducted? Bulletstorm doesn't even have any graphical sexual scenes!

When interviewed by Kotaku, she goes on to try and clarify what she meant:

"The more video games a person plays that have violent sexual content, the more likely one is to become desensitized to violent sexual acts and commit them."

I must say I have never wanted to nor even felt the desire to want to rape someone after shooting a prostitute in the head after banging her in the front seat of my Comet in GTA IV. How about after the infamous sex scene easter egg in San Andreas? Naw still no. And furthermore, when I watch the news and I see the guys that have been arrested for rape, they mainly look like washed up construction workers wearing tracksuits and a massive amount of chest hair poking out the top of their jacket and are mentally disturbed.

Maybe this is why Fox News labeled this game as the worst video game in the world. Why? because they pushed the envelope for adult gamers. Even the other psychologist they interviewed agreed that this game is meant for mature audiences so statements made about increasing violent acts may not apply here. Dr Jerry Weichman stated:

"If a younger kid experiences Bulletstorm's explicit language and violence, the damage could be significant. Violent video games like Bulletstorm have the potential to send the message that violence and insults with sexual innuendos are the way to handle disputes and problems."

"My opinion, as stated in my quote, is that there is potential to do harm, but certainly this is not the outcome for 100 percent of the game's users. And obviously the folks at ESRB agree, since it's rated M for Mature and was not designed for young audiences."

For once an expert analyst has made sense.

Don't let the hype fool you folks. Get the game. It's not your average FPS. It's what shooters have been needing for some time. Right off the bat the game is loaded for fun play. The plot may be serious at times but the gameplay is more forgiving. You get an assortment of skillshots to pull off by shooting people in different parts of the body and for various ways of killing with specific weapons. This game is a highlighted must have for all FPS fans. If you're tired of COD: Black Ops here's your break.

The call of the real Juarez

A couple of days ago, the legislature of Mexican state Chihuahua, where the city Juarez is located, approved a request to ban the newest installment in the Call of Juarez series.

Why? Well, believe it or not their argument is a very simple one - the children. Seeing that Juarez is a very violent place with over 6,000 murders last year alone, legislation is pulling to keep this game off shelves  and out of the hands of the kids in Mexico.

Kids are drilled in schools to "duck and cover" at the sound of gunfire. They're exposed to the dangers of violent cartel gangs day in and day out. The last thing they want is for them to be exposed to a work of fiction that may glorify the violent life they tr to avoid. I understand why they would want this game banned. But we don't know exactly what the game is about yet.

The only real details we have so far:

"You'll embark on a bloody road trip from Los Angeles to Juarez, Mexico immersing yourself in a gritty plot with interesting characters and a wide variety of game play options. Take justice into your own hands in this modern Western shooter."

I hate the fact that games are banned in countries but for once I see a reason that I could understand. The middle eastern countries have done similar bans because they impose on their religious beliefs or ways of life. I can back legitimate reason why you would want to keep such games away. Usually countries, like Australia, feel the need to ban a game because it has a character picking up prostitutes or throwing someone off a roof. I don't want to hear a bullshit excuse to ban a game. Almost every country has a prostitution problem or murders but they don't go around banning games. And choosing the argument that they influence crime is the weakest argument to choose. Last year Australia saw 302 murders of which 59 were commited with firearms. Urugauy has not banned violent games such as GTA 4 and they still had less number in murders. So did Greece.

Whether they choose to ban the game or not is a choice they will have to make but I hope that they make it well. Either way, I'll be behind them on this one.

More rules

Vietnam has joined the list of countries limiting online gaming for everyone. Beginning March 3, online gaming will now be blocked between the hours of 10 PM and 8 AM. The Ministry of Information and Communication has asked ISP's to begin blocking online gaming services in a curfew of sorts for youths. Problem is, it's affecting older gamers and gaming parlor businesses.

On top of all the gamers, gaming services also see the issue of maintenance to their servers. Without the possibility of accessing servers at a time that the least amount of people would be online they would have to run patches and updates during peak times.

Really Vietnam? Sure, piss off 26% of your population why don't you..

I'll have Megaman 2, 1989 please

Should gaming be luxurious? Christopher LaPorte, a former medical equipment salesman, thinks so. He has plans to open a luxurious gaming palace in Vegas this April.

His vision is for you to come in and sit on plush couches and view a "wine list" of the best games being offered. There will be a console area specifically for this. Modders are looking to retrofit all the old consoles to work perfectly with new displays in HD. A console fee of $10 an hour would cover the gameplay. Of cource, order a bottle of bubbly and they may waive that fee.

There are also plans to 45 arcade cabinets of which the majority are classics such as Rampage, Double Dragon, Pac-Man etc. all playable for 50 cents each. Even though 45 doesn't seem like a huge number compared to places like Pinball Wizard or Family Fun Arcade it's more about the atmosphere.

LaPorte is willing to go the extra mile to make sure that gamers do get the best experience. He will be stockpiling controllers and joysticks. He will also be stocking fighter arcade sticks and steering wheels. Great for console players who hate playing Marvel vs. Capcom with console controllers.

Insert Coin(s) will also have a a DJ spinning music that will include video game effects and even parts of the original soundtrack. There will be a fully stocked bar that will seat 50 and even a small dance floor for those not wanting to play.

Although I know this place would not be for me I would like to check it out when it opens. I personally feel an arcade should be a dirty dark dungeon where tons of people are just playing toll their fingers are fused into a claw shape because of the joystick. This sounds more like a Dave and Buster's turns club.

Hope he does well. If he does Chris will plan to open more stores through out the country.

L.A. Noire interview with Gamespot

Thanks Gamespot for this great interview




Just more to add to my previous post about realism in video games.

Vote for the BAFTA Game Award

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is allowing people to vote who should get the Game 2010 award. This is the equivalent to a people's choice award. The nominees are:

Now go vote already! BAFTA Game Award Voting

Realism in games: L.A. Noire

With expanding technology in games we are seeing more realistic scenery, vehicles, and now faces

Team Bondi has taken realism to a whole other level.

Using "MotionScan", Team Bondi has been able to bring to the table a new dimension in game play - the ability to fully read emotion from a character's face. MotionScan uses high definition facial scanning and intelligent algorithms to capture HD video of an actor's face with incredible detail.




The game is coming out to be beautifully developed. Your choices you make in-game are the same that real world detectives would have to make. Is the suspect lying? Is he nervous? You decide. Why is he sweating? His cheek twitched! It's the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure game. You play detective and you decide who's guilty and where to take the case. Investigation is key so the game forces you to think.

L.A. Noire is going to be bringing a new era in gaming. But how real do you want your games to be? Obviously attention to details in environment and faces is definitely a welcome addition to games but what about gameplay? L.A. Noire gives us what a more realistic game is going to be like. But I don't think the realism is going to make a huge splash with all developers and games. I truly hope that this level of realism isn't brought in to games such as GTA or if a different Red Dead Redemption is made.

The reason being is that while you have to rely heavily on facial and body language in this game, it's not something you have to rely on a linear story line based game. Also, L.A. Noire takes a different approach when it comes to fighting bad guys. You don't have one guy taking out a warehouse full of 50 baddies. The realism comes in and has the main character in actual situations and brings it closer to real life.

Make sure you mark May 17th on your calendar for the release of one of the most anticipated games for this year.

Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect get honored

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has nominated Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for 7 awards and Mass Effect for 6! Huge news for these game. They were nominated for Best Artistic Achievement and Best Game among them.

There are of course more games on the list of nominees. Check them out on their site. The awards will be announced on March 16th and will stream live from the site. Stay tuned for more information...

John Hughes meets Zelda

If John Hughes made a Zelda movie, this would be it!

Sony Xperia in action

So the Xperia (PSP-phone) looks pretty sweet. Gameplay looks nice on it. If I weren't mistaken I would've thought Sony decided to release two handheld gaming systems this year...

Sony: Get a life!

Sony has been in the news a lot lately ever since they decided to sue George Hotz and various other PS3 hackers. This week a judge granted Sony's request and will allow them to comb through the computers and hard drives they confiscated from Hotz in order to find information that relates to the hacking of the Playstation.

Federal judge Susan Illston ruled probable cause that Hotz does possess the code, videos, and step-by-step instructions on cracking the code on his machines.

"That's the breaks." - U.S District Judge Susan Illston

At least she's not making Hotz retrieve the code from anyone who he may have forwarded it to as Sony requested.

"It's information. It can't be retrieved. It's just not practical," Illston said. "What would they do, Xerox it and mail it back?"


Sony is now threatening to sue anyone who decides to post the code. Maybe they should sue themselves since they "mistakenly" tweeted the code themselves.

Sony has also taken measures to make sure any modded consoles do not make their way onto PSN. The two known workarounds for custom firmware PS3's are now being blocked from accessing the network.

Let's hope they don't implement their plans to place a serial code security system on future PS3 games. Traditionally this is for PC games to deter piracy of games. The plan is to begin placing long serial numbers inside the case that needs to be inputted into the console before it can even be played, Sony would allow this for up to 5 consoles at least.

No one wants to deal with the hassle to play a console. You're supposed to just rip off the wrap and begin gaming goodness. It's not like a PC where you have the keyboard in front of you and can be entered in seconds. If the serial numbers are at least 25 alpha-numeric characters long, that's an estimated 3 minutes of entering the code, another 3 minutes to have the game fully load, another 2 minutes to get a new game started,  and another few minutes to make sure you have all your settings the way you like them. You just spent 10 - 15 minutes to begin playing where normally would take you 5!

Sony, get a life!

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Galactus fight revealed!

This is absolutely an insane fight! Galactus as the end boss for the most anticipated fighting game this year and it looks out of this world. Thanks to IGN for the exclusive.

Capcom has decided to show us how powerful Galactus is by having him flick characters off screen. His combos exceed anything that I've seen in any Marvel vs. Capcom game so far. Enjoy!

More Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Videos

XPERIA: helping back alley clinics since 2011

For anyone who wasn't watching TV this weekend and wasn't paying attention to the ads running during the Super Bowl, Android and Sony released a commercial to debut Xperia: the device that has been dubbed "The PSP Phone". Set to be released on Feb. 13, this commercial has been ready the world for it's stunning gameplay.



Intriguing? Yes. Kind of creepy? Definitely. Creative? Absolutely.

The stage is set for Sony to be Apple's biggest rival in mobile phone gaming. The Xperia totes a full display and separate D-pad and buttons where the iPhone integrates it on-screen. This allows for full screen gaming and a more handheld gaming device feel.

Running on Android 2.2, Xperia will be the first Android device to focus mainly on gaming. Sony has not confirmed what games will be available for a full line-up as of yet but they have plans to unveil a new games app store at launch. This will touch base on a previous post on Android and Sony confirming PSOne games to be playable on Droid phones this year. Makes sense that they would bring PSOne games to the table. I hope they confirm Einhander for their lineup so it would force me to grab an Android phone.

Let's hope that after all is said and done the Xperia is as good as it's being hyped up to be. The last thing that we need is another N-Gage to be out in the wild.

Wine that says w00t!

This is awesome. If anyone knows where I can acquire some, please let me know thirtylives@gmail.com




Thanks Kotaku for sharing this with us.

Prohibited: Walking while gaming

A 10 year old boy was rescued by an off-duty cop in Italy when he fell onto the tracks because he was walking while gaming. It's bad enough there are people who walk while texting and fall into fountains, now we have kids who can almost get killed while gaming.


          

The boy, who has not been named yet, was walking with his mother and sister on his way home from school when the incident happened. Lucky for him the off-duty officer, Alessandro Micalizzi, instinctively jumped on to the tracks to help him up.

Micalizzi said this about what happened: "It was only afterwards when I heard the other passengers clapping and cheering that I had stopped and thought about what I had done and my heart was in my throat. That was the only time I thought of the danger otherwise - I was just focusing on the boy and trying to save him before the train came into the station." 


This is a great example for kids. Gaming handhelds are great but if you're not sitting or standing still, you should not be paying that much attention to them. This kid is lucky he wasn't seriously hurt or worse.

I've seen kids cross streets with their parents and paying attention to their DS instead of where they're heading. And when I cross them I just want to yell out "SKRREEEEE!" just to watch them jump. I'm glad the driving while texting law went into effect because of the increasing number of accidents it was causing; last thing we need is to add fuel to the politicians and lawyers to want to ban gaming in public.

Mortal Kombat hands on video.

Ed Boon Looks like absolute crap. The years have not been good to him since Mortal Kombat was first released. Any ways check out the cool interview and awesome videos of the new MK game set to realease in April. Thanks to G4TV!

PS3 Games - E3 2011 - Mortal Kombat

The latest in online gaming addiction

China has begun war against online gaming addiction. It hasn't been started by the government though, but by parents.

Starting next month, a new project will begin to require online gaming companies to have a web page and hotline call center for parents to monitor their child's online gaming habits.

People's Daily Online has reported that internet gaming services will authorize parents to limit or ban their child from playing. The gaming providers will also work with parents to provide guidance as to which games would be best for them to play and prevent them from playing improper games. This comes as the "online addiction" in teenagers in China has been counted at 33 million!

The Ministry of Culture will begin this monitoring service on March 1st. They believe that children should not be playing online games for more than 2 hours a week or pay more that $1.50 (US) for online gaming services.

This of course could be worse. China has already placed other programs to stop online addictions that are more strict and proven to be more violent. Some clinics have used shock therapy and even beatings to stop teenagers from feeding their addiction.

There are thousands of people worldwide who are addicted to online gaming. There should be programs to help people who show these symptoms. I don't agree with the hardcore programs but to each country their own.

People have been losing their lives over online gaming. Marriages have crumbled, jobs have been lost, friendships lost forever. The stereotype of a smelly gamer is starting to not become a stereotype but a fact when these addicts begin to ignore their hygiene. There are even reports of people showing withdrawal symptoms because they couldn't get their fix. People need help and there should be help for them.

I know first hand as I was once addicted to online gaming. I was addicted to Final Fantasy XI for 3 years. I would breathe that game. I would stay up all night and play and sleep only on the bus and train to work and back home so I wouldn't lose time playing. I would feed my infant son and rock him to bed with one hand while playing. I ignored my duties as a husband and father. It all changed when I have noticed what I was doing and what I have become. My wife gave me an ultimatum, my game or my marriage. It was a wake up call.

I began craving the game but was bound by a verbal contract that I would only be able to play video games at that time when everyone was sleeping or when no one was home. I was only limited to Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Of course MMO's have to be played daily to get the best out of them right? I made a choice to abandon the game altogether and focus on everything else.

I was lucky to have someone help me through that. Most kids don't. Parents nowadays don't question these things. "So what, he's playing. Better than being out in the street." Is it? Their addiction is helping them become anti-social.

Don't get me wrong, I love gaming and will do what I can to play but there's a difference between the kids who grew up playing against real friends in Atari and Nintendo and kids who never see the face on the other side of the character. I grew up with co-op mode and "multiplayer" being 2 chubby little kids sitting on the edge of a bed playing Contra or Double Dragon. We spoke with other kids about games and went to each others homes to play their Super Nintendo because we had the Genesis. We went to the arcade and placed quarters on cabinets to signify "I got next!" And when studies like this one show that today's youth play 31 hours and are vegetables and slaves to their console, we have to find a way to bring back old school social gaming.

For the children...

AKUMA

These statues were created by an artist from Australia named Jay. You can find more pictures of his work on his site here. He has tons of great stuff on there.

The details he puts into his work is phenomenal. These statues are 1/2 scale. they are approximately 42" tall.

The clothing on these is real fabric which adds more attention to detail and a more realistic feel.

There are different statues that he creates and either raffles them off or are sold through his site so check them out.