Raymond’s Random Rants!

Derek Jeter– How awesome are the Yankees looking right now? I don’t want to jinx it, but the team’s confidence reminds me of the great Yankee teams of the late ’90s. I was still living in NY when they were snatching up World Series — kind of weird to think that I’ve been watching Jeter, Rivera, and Posada their entire MLB careers.

– I know a lot of you are down on WWE right now, but I really can’t say enough about SmackDown. Jericho is doing his best work ever (though he’s on both shows most weeks) and it’s great seeing future stars like John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler develop. The Harty Dynasty should develop into something good, especially Tyson Kidd. I dig Cryme Tyme, but have to admit I’m biased because Shad Gaspard is geek chick (dude loves his comics!).

– Btw, I was toying with the idea of live blogging RAW on Monday. Anyone interested?

– This Google Wave video of Pulp Fiction just cracks me up. I’ve watched it like ten times in the last day. I haven’t gotten my Wave invite yet, but a few of my friends have…which makes me extremely jealous.

Continue reading “Raymond’s Random Rants!”

NIS America is Calling All Badman Fans

Holy Invasion of Privacy Badman

NIS America is calling on all gamers that want Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! on UMD. The company is holding a pre-order drive to make this digital download a UMD reality. A NISA representative said:

We have received lots of emails from our fans about the UMD version of Badman, and we did a poll for it. Turned out, lots of people are still interested in Badman UMD. So we decided to support their needs. (And, we really REALLY wanted to make the UMD version of Badman, too!) We’ve decided to start the preorder, and if we get 1,000 orders we will go ahead and manufacture the UMD version of Badman.

NIS America is one of my favorite game publishers. The company puts out unique games with a quirky sense of humor (I love the Disgaea series!). I hope it gets the support it needs to make Badman happen on UMD. Click here if you’re interesting in helping the Badman movement.

iPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3GS Graphics Comparison

iPhone graphics comparison

Gizmodo posted a cool graphics comparison of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS running Iron Fist Boxing 3. The site noted:

You see shadows, sweat and bloom lighting (edit: experts in the audience say it’s technically specular mapping) while playing on the 3GS (all of which you’ll notice in the lead shot). Plus, you’ll notice additional in-game effects like motion blur on the 3GS, too. Still, the 3GS only handles this advanced content at 30fps. The graphic improvements can be turned off so the handheld can reach 60fps.

The iPhone developers I spoke to said that supporting the 3GS’ superior graphics adds anywhere from 10 to 30 percent to the development costs, mostly on the art side.

Anyone else out there rockin’ an iPhone 3GS? Any games impress you? I’m always looking for recommendations.

Source

Google Wave Used to Make Goofy YouTube Movies

Google has huge plans for its upcoming collaborative messaging tool, Google Wave, but a lot of people don’t know what the hell it is and what it’s supposed to do. In the hands of some YouTube users, Google Wave is a tool for making entertaining movies (entertaining for nerds anyway). First up is a famous clip from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. (Please note that foul language is used.)

Not quite as entertaining is this Google Wave version of Good Will Hunting:

Continue reading “Google Wave Used to Make Goofy YouTube Movies”

God of War Collection Trailer

You know you want it!

Sony Santa Monica director of product development Jon Hight noted:

Available this November — just in time for the holidays — fans and newcomers to the franchise will be able to experience the epic journey that is God of War and God of War II on the PlayStation 3 for the first time remastered in full HD resolution on a single Blu-ray Disc. Both critically acclaimed games (originally developed for the PS2) will include 2X anti-aliased graphics running at 60 frames per second for an ultra smooth gameplay experience on the PS3. PlayStation Network trophy support will also be included — a first for the series.

And don’t forget, the God of War Collection will also include a PSN voucher code for the God of War III E3 2009 Demo. So don’t miss your chance to check out God of War III before it hits store shelves in March 2010.

Check out the trailer and let me know what you think (please)!

Source

Shigeru Miyamoto Talks Xbox 360 Achievements

Shigeru Miyamoto

At a recent roundtable discussion, legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto discussed a wide variety of topics. One interesting tidbit was his view on Xbox 360 game achievements. Miyamoto said:

I’m not particularly well versed in the Xbox 360 achievement system. I spend most of my time working on my own games, and don’t have a lot of time to look at what other people are doing.

The idea of playing the game in a particular way and having it unlock a special prize that rewards you… it feels like something we’ve been doing for the last 15-20 years.

Miyamoto has a point, but he’s also missing one. It’s true that many of his Nintendo games were designed to reward gamers for playing in a particular way, but people like points, trophies, etc. It reminds me of when my friends at 1Up started the site; I had no idea what my “score” was for, but I wanted more points, which made me keep visiting.

Continue reading “Shigeru Miyamoto Talks Xbox 360 Achievements”

Hideo Kojima Promises Zoe of the Enders Sequel, Explains ZoE2 Flop

Zone of the Enders 1

Hideo Kojima has promised a Zone of the Enders sequel, but due to everyone at Kojima Productions being busy on various Metal Gear Solid titles, it might be a while until the next Anubis: Zoe of the Enders (the game’s Japanese name) is created. Andriasang translated Kojima’s blog entry on the matter:

We’d like to make an Anubis sequel at some point. Also, we feel that if we do it, we’d like to make Anubis succeed this time. I already have a game plan and method for sales in my head. However, we don’t know if it will be green lighted. The production lines within Kojima Productions are currently full.

I cannot make a promise about time. However, I can promise a sequel.

Kojima also explained why Zoe of the Enders 2 wasn’t the success it should have been. He chalks it all up to timing and blames himself.

Continue reading “Hideo Kojima Promises Zoe of the Enders Sequel, Explains ZoE2 Flop”

Mass Effect 2 Confirmed for January 26, Pre-order Bonuses Revealed

Mass Effect 2

EA just sent out a press release confirming the release date for BioWare’s highly anticipated Mass Effect 2. The game will be released on January 26, 2010. Customers that pre-order ME2 might be able to snag some excellent in-game accessories. Here’s the official word from EA:

In North America, pre-order bonuses include special-ops armor and weaponry that are designed to boost Commander Shepard’s skills and abilities. At GameStop, Terminus Gear is available with pre-orders, which includes the powerful Terminus Assault Armor and the M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon:

  • The Terminus Armor is designed for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields, and augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of reserve ammo.
  • The M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass, and ultimately expanding the selection of heavy weapons available to players when they gear up for combat missions in Mass Effect 2.

Players that pre-order Mass Effect 2 at other retail outlets in North America will receive the potent Inferno Armor, which is used by officers to monitor battlefield conditions by recognizing elevated heart rates, and regulates sub-systems with extreme efficiency to allow for greater response times — together these abilities translate in-game into a negotiation bonus for Commander Shepard and an increase in run speed and augmented damage from combat powers.

BioWare doesn’t need to lure me with any pre-order items — I’ll always buy the company’s games. That said, I’m not going to turn away some nifty weapons. How about you? Are you going to pre-order ME2?

Hit the break for the awesome Terminator armor image included with today’s press release!

Continue reading “Mass Effect 2 Confirmed for January 26, Pre-order Bonuses Revealed”

What Are You Playing This Weekend?!?

Ah, the weekend is here! I’m thankful that I made it through the week. There were some bumpy spots for sure, but in terms of RPad.tv…all I can say is, “Wow!” You guys have been amazing! As you probably guessed from the title of this post, I want to see what games you have slotted for weekend playtime.

Kingdom Hearts 358

I’m way, way behind on stuff I have to play to keep current. While a lot of you will be enjoying Brutal Legend and Uncharted 2, I’m going to be giving Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days a whirl. A bunch of my friends told me that 358/2 Days is to Kingdom Hearts as Crisis Core is to FFVII. Considering how much I loved Crisis Core, I had to give this game a shot. I hope it lives up to my expectations!

Like I said, I want to know what’s on your weekend playlist (*snicker* get it?!?). What games are on your plate?

Coffee Talk #5: What’s Up With All the Wii Hate?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, balloon boy, the new info on that FFXIII chick, or advanced sock-organization techniques, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For many enthusiast gamers, Nintendo has gone from a lovable loser to a disdained winner. Longtime gamers professed their love for the company while it was struggling during the Nintendo 64 and GameCube eras. Now that the Wii has Nintendo enjoying record success, a lot of the same people have turned their backs on it. Why is that? Is it an abandonment thing? Sure, the company has had tremendous success with the mainstream audience, but it’s still serving up Marios and Zeldas and Metroids for enthusiasts.

Wind Waker

As someone that follows the business, I’m all for the Nintendo Renaissance. It was unexpected and made the market really interesting. As a gamer, I’m happy that the company is enjoying great success. The millions of casual gamers that bought Wii consoles will help make sure that I get new Pokemons, Zeldas, etc. I seem to be in the minority though. A lot of the comments I read at TheFeed (and a few that I’ve seen here) were full of anti-Wii and anti-Nintendo venom. Perhaps it’s entirely fueled by nostalgia, but I don’t see how anyone can hate Nintendo. All I have to do is think about a game like The Wind Waker to get warm fuzzies (of the gaming variety).

On this wonderful Friday, I want to know why you feel that way you to about the Wii. Has the console changed you opinion of Nintendo? Do you feel like the company abandoned you? Or did you just outgrow it?

Continue reading “Coffee Talk #5: What’s Up With All the Wii Hate?”