Tag: PS3

This Week’s Videogame Releases (WWE 12, Tekken)

The onslaught of excellent games has slowed down, but there are still some hot game releases left in 2011. Leading the way is WWE 12. I’m sure it will be another fine wrestling game from THQ, but I’m also sure there’s at least one good reason the writing won’t be as stellar as the Shakespearean scripts found in previous games. Fighting-game fans have a pair of releases to look forward to this week. Tekken Hybrid offers loads of Tekken gameplay in one package. The King of Fighters XIII takes a storied fighting franchise to the next level.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Sony Wants You to Replace Your Cable Box with Your PS3

Sony Corp. is rumored to be exploring an Internet-based television service that would use devices like the PlayStation 3 to replace traditional cable and satellite receivers. This could be a major disruptor to the American market; most consumers have two choices for premium television (cable or satellite), while a limited number of consumers have access to fiber services like AT&T U-Verse and Verizon Fios. Here’s more from The Wall Street Journal:

Sony Corp. is considering launching an Internet-based alternative to cable-TV service, people familiar with the situation said, posing the latest threat to the cable and satellite operators that dominate pay TV. The Japanese electronics and entertainment company has approached several big media companies to negotiate the rights to offer their TV channels over the Web in the U.S., the people said. Sony is proposing to beam the channels over Internet connections to Sony-made devices, including PlayStation gaming consoles, TV sets and Blu-ray players, the people said.

To me, cable and satellite companies are the same as mobile phone service providers — they all suck. While Internet services like Netflix and Hulu have given consumers more choices than ever, I’m still dreaming about a true disruptive service that would put cable and satellite companies on their collective asses.

Apple and Microsoft are rumored to be exploring an Internet-based TV services, and I’m thrilled to see Sony in the mix. These alternatives can’t get here fast enough. I’d love to cancel my Time Warner Cable subscription for a modern and more cost-effective service. It’s good to have dreams.

How about you? What do you make of the rumor? Would you be down with a Sony Internet TV service that ran through your PlayStation 3?

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This Week’s Videogame Releases (Mario! Zelda!)

It’s a Nintendo sandwich this week with Super Mario 3D Land kicking things off and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword wrapping it up. In between those Nintendo games are fine titles like Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Need for Speed: The Run, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Saints Row: The Third, Rayman Origins, and Kinect: Disneyland Adventures.

Any of you picking up new games this (absolutely loaded) week?

Meet the Capitol One Visa PlayStation Card

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced details on the PlayStation Card — a Visa credit card by Capitol One. The card earns points that can be used “for PlayStation games, accessories, and PlayStation Network content — along with other great products from Sony”.  It offers some nice bonuses for gamers that frequently buy PlayStation games and Sony electronics. Here’s the rundown:

  • 10X points on all PlayStation Network purchases
  • 3X points on all PlayStation and Sony purchases at Sony stores and Sony.com
  • 3X points at quick service restaurants, at movie theaters, and on your mobile phone bill
  • 1X points on all other purchases

Any of you going to apply for the PlayStation Card?

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This Week’s Videogame Releases (Call of Duty, Skyrim!!!)

Between Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, this might be the most loaded videogame week of the year! But wait, there’s more!!! Kojima Productions fans will definitely want to pick up the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, while wizards and witches of all ages will want LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (spoiler: Dumbledore dies!). Fans of cinematic adventures should check out Heavy Rain: Director’s Cut…even though it’s not really a director’s cut. You can get retarded (in here!) with The Black Eyed Peas Experience. If all this videogame excitement is too much for you then you might want to chill out with Deepak Chopra’s Leela.

Any of you picking new games this week?

Razer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset Review

Here’s a video review of the Razer Chimaera 5.1 wireless gaming headset. Although it can be used with any console or PC, it only allows for chat on Xbox 360. It’s a high-quality product from Razer, a company that’s known some of the best mice and keyboards for gamers…

Here’s a video review of the Razer Chimaera 5.1 wireless gaming headset. Although it can be used with any console or PC, it only allows for chat on Xbox 360. It’s another  high-quality product from Razer, a company that’s known some of the best mice and keyboards for gamers.

Here’s the Cliff Notes version:

Like

  • Super Comfortable — I wore the Chimaera for several gaming sessions of two hours or more and found it perfectly comfortable the whole time.
  • Great Sound — Although it’s not as impressive as headsets with multiple drivers, I really enjoyed the sound output. At the very least, it blows away TV speakers in terms of clarity and detail.

Didn’t Like

  • Microphone — The mic isn’t noise-cancelling, which could be a deal breaker for gamers that play in crowded living rooms, doorms, etc.
  • Possible Interference — I’m positive that interference won’t be an issue for most people, but if you live in a crowded apartment complex (like me) with lots of 5.8GHz devices fighting for signal then you’ll probably experience occasional dropouts. At home, I experienced a few dropouts but when I brought the Chimaera to my friend’s house in the suburbs I didn’t have any.

Kindly watch the review when you have a chance and let me know what you think! Is the Razer Chimaera 5.1 something you want this holiday season?

Heavy Rain Director’s Cut Coming November 8

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that a “director’s cut” of the outstanding Heavy Rain for PlayStation 3 will hit store shelves on November 8, 2011. It’s not a director’s cut in a movie sense. It’s more like a special edition…that’s being released a few years after the original. Here’s the features rundown of Heavy Rain: Director’s Cut:

  • Complete, original game, Heavy Rain
  • Heavy Rain Chronicles: Episode 1 — “The Taxidermist” DLC
  • Heavy Rain Original Videogame Score by award-winning film and television composer, Normand Corbeil (16 tracks)
  • New front-end menu and interface with built-in Move support
  • A series of 8 “Making of” Bonus Videos
  • Three Dynamic Themes (Heavy Rain, Heavy Rain ARI Forest, Heavy Rain ARI Mars)
  • 15 additional pieces of new concept art
  • 2 bonus Trailers (Thank You Trailer, Love Trailer)

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of Quantic Dream and really enjoyed Heavy Rain. That said, I think it’s misleading to call this a director’s cut. When I first heard about this product, I was hoping for additional chapters or scenes that were omitted from the original game — you know, the type of content you’d expect from a director’s cut of a film. While this is a nice package for Quantic Dream fans and those that haven’t played the game yet, I wouldn’t classify it as a director’s cut…at all. Having said that, this will probably fall into the category of games that I buy over and over again.

Do you think this package should be labeled as a director’s cut? Any of you planning to pick up Heavy Rain: Director’s Cut next week?

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This Week’s Videogame Releases (Uncharted 3!!!)

Huge week for PlayStation 3 fans as Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception brings the noise. PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers get an updated version of a James Bond classic in Goldeneye 007: Reloaded. If you’d rather enjoy combat with swords and shields instead of guns then take a trip to Middle-Earth in Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Sega’s iconic hedgehog is back in Sonic Generations. Capping things off are two Konami games with outstanding names. Otomedius Excellent wins on its name alone. Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With an Engine cracks me up every time I hear the name since in my head it’s Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With a Pulse.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Ken Levine Talks Occupy Wall Street and BioShock Infinite

The Washington Post has a great interview with Irrational Games creative director and co-founder Ken Levine. Similarities between BioShock Infinite and the Occupy Wall Street movement are discussed. I highly recommend giving it a full read; it’s a fantastic interview with one of the sharpest minds in game development…

The Washington Post has a great interview with Irrational Games creative director and co-founder Ken Levine. Similarities between BioShock Infinite and the Occupy Wall Street movement are discussed. I highly recommend giving it a full read; it’s a fantastic interview with one of the sharpest minds in game development.

One curious aside in the interview is Levine talking about BioShock Infinite getting heat from leftists and white supremacists alike. Check it out:

The games tend to be a Rorschach for people, and I’ve heard both sides of reaction [to the demo]. I had the displeasure of going to a white supremacist site that made a point of saying this game by “the Jew” Ken Levine was about killing white people. But then I went to this leftist site that said this is about discrediting leftists movements. Games, as I said, are a Rorschach, and I don’t want to be making games that are expressing a political or philosophical view.

For some reason, in my head I hear a white supremacist calling him “the Jew Ken Levine” similar to how South Park’s Eric Cartman says “that damn Jew Kyle”. Though perhaps that’s just me….

Anyway, head on over to The Washington Post, enjoy the interview, and let me know what you think (please).

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