Tag: Videogames

Check Out my Review of The 3rd Birthday (Please!)

Machinima.com has posted my review of The 3rd Birthday. As a Parasite Eve fan and a fan of developers working on this game, I was expecting greatness. Instead I got…uh…goodness. Aside from amazing graphics, there’s nothing all that special about the game and it has little to do with its predecessors. Here’s a quote from the review:

One of the biggest changes in the game is Aya Brea’s characterization. In the first Parasite Eve, she was a strong NYPD officer that kicked ass and didn’t shove sexuality down your throat. That characterization is completely out the window in The 3rd Birthday. Aya still kicks ass, but due to (convenient) amnesia doesn’t possess the strong spirit she had in the other games. Her clothing also shreds as she incurs damage, so you’ll spend a lot of time staring at her legs and ass. There’s even a shower scene that seems like it was included to titillate gamers with a glimpse of her boobs. Aya is definitely hot (uh…you know, for a videogame character, I mean), but what the hell happened to the strong warrior that captivated gamers in Parasite Eve?!?

I’m quite proud that I was able to use legs, ass, and boobs in a review.

Anyway, please check out my review if you have a moment and leave a comment at Machinima if you have two moments. Thanks!!!

Gran Turismo…the Clothing Line

If Konami’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker clothes aren’t your style, then perhaps the Gran Turismo Boutique has something that’s more you. Touted as “custom made performance wear exclusively developed for Gran Turismo enthusiasts”, this clothing line is as sleek and expensive…just like the cars you see in Gran Turismo 5.

If you have a moment, check out the Gran Turismo threads. Any of you interested in picking some up?

Source via Joystiq

Coffee Talk #332: Pleasant Videogame Surprises

Today I’d like to hear about games that surprised you. I’m talking about games you didn’t expect much from, but ended up loving. As for me, I remembering buying a game because it was on sale and ended up…

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, the Red Sox’ awesome losing streak, your favorite Transformer, or the hottest Spice Girl, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday’s column was too much of a downer. Let’s move out of the bitter barn and play in the hay! Today I’d like to hear about games that surprised you. I’m talking about games you didn’t expect much from, but ended up loving.

As for me, Civilization Revolution for iPhone was one of the best gaming surprises I’ve had in years. I bought the game when it was on sale for $2.99 and ended up playing it for hundreds of hours. It was perfect for long flights, bus rides, killing time before a sports game starts, and avoiding work (wait, that last one is bad). I thought I’d like Civilization for iPhone, but I ended up loving it (as much as Charlie Sheen loves cocaine).

Now it’s your turn! Please share some of your best videogame surprises.

Mortal Kombat Screens

Mortal Kombat has gone gold and Warner Bros. Interactive sent out a bunch of celebratory screenshots. Check out Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Mileena in action. (Is it me, or did Mileena’s boobs grow to Dead or Alive levels?) The game is out later this month and loads of game writers are loving it. The early buzz is that this will be Mortal Kombat’s return to glory.

Any of you interested in this game?!? Perhaps this would be a good choice for an RPad.tv Invitational Tournament. Please let me know.

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Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters Wondercon Screens

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment showed off Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters at WonderCon 2011. Here are the screens. There’s some cool stuff here. I love the one of Hal Jordan facing off against Thaal Sinestro. Naturally, Hal makes a construct shaped like a giant fist (where’s the giant boxing glove?!?). The manhunters look pretty menacing. Sadly, Hal’s costume looks like a rotting piece of salmon nigiri.

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

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Coffee Talk #331: Disappointing Videogame Sequels

Today I’m looking for people to hang out in the bitter barn with me. What are some of the most disappointing videogame sequels you’ve played? Why were they so disappointing? I’ll play some music by The Smiths…

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, Britney Spears’ new video, compilation, or your favorite Bangle, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I recently finished The 3rd Birthday for a Machinima review. As a big fan of the first Parasaite Eve for PlayStation, I was really looking forward to the third game starring Aya Brea. While The 3rd Birthday isn’t bad by any means, I’m terribly disappointed in the game (aside from its ridiculously beautiful graphics). On paper, it should be one of the best PlayStation games ever made. Instead, it’s “only” good.

The 3rd Birthday has an interesting history to draw from, but the game mostly ignore its two predecessors. The lead character is the same and a few minor details  from the previous games are mentioned, but that’s about it. The game was directed by Hajime Tabata (director of Crisis Core) and written by Motomu Toriyama (event director of Final Fantasy X), with art from the brilliant Tetsuya Nomura. Aside from the stellar art, the game is pretty average. How could such an excellent team produce a game that’s just decent?!?

*sigh* Today I’m looking for people to hang out in the bitter barn with me. What are some of the most disappointing videogame sequels you’ve played? Why were they so disappointing? I’ll play some music by The Smiths for this miserable edition of Coffee Talk.

DCUO Free DLC Adds Two-Face, Mxyzptlk, and More

Sony Online Entertainment has released some free DC Universe Online DLC that includes Batman villain Two-Face and Superman baddie Mr. Mxyzptlk. Here’s the laundry list of details from SOE senior producer Wes Yanagi…

Sony Online Entertainment has released some free DC Universe Online DLC that includes Batman villain Two-Face and Superman baddie Mr. Mxyzptlk. Here’s the laundry list of details from SOE senior producer Wes Yanagi:

Two-Face

  • Two-Face Instance: Following Harvey Dent/Two-Face on a mission into The Penguin’s hideout, players will aim to take out his latest smuggling operation. The kicker? You don’t know if he will help or hinder your efforts – the chances are 50/50 and everything depends on the flip of a coin!
  • Legends PvP: Harvey Dent/Two-Face will be added as a playable character in Legends “Play as Iconic” Player vs Player mode.
  • New Attacks: Call in your own mob of goons to keep your opponent occupied as you unleash a suppressive bullet spray, oil drum trap or grenade launcher.
  • Flip-of-the-Coin Abilities: Switch powers based on which side the coin lands: the Two-Face side deals more damage and DoT attacks and the Harvey Dent side gives more control, knockdowns and stuns.

Seasonal Content

  • Mister Mxyzptlk: Experience Metropolis transformed by the presence of Mister Mxyzptlk and his fellow 5th dimensional supervillain tricksters.
  • Multi Player Race: Players can assume the guise of a 5th Dimensional Denizen and play tricks on fellow races over the skies of Metropolis.
  • New Gold Collections: New encounters with 5th Dimensional Denizens dressed as Leprechauns guarding a Pot Of Gold that players will need to find and collect coins from while the leprechauns try to stop them in various amusing ways.

Additional Updates

  • Batcave 3 Raid: Level 30 players are brought face-to-face with The Dark Knight himself. Unfortunately, he’s been infected with a virus and has teamed up with the all-powerful Brainiac’s Avatar of Technology.

I’m planning to hop back into DCUO shortly and I’m really looking forward to encountering Two-Face. He’s one of my favorite Batman villains (just ignore Tommy Lee Jones’ horrible version). Hopefully some of you will join me. The only thing that could stop us is my iPad 2. (Playing games on a new gadget is more powerful than a batarang.)

Source

Cee Lo Green + iPad + NESynth = Awesome

Here’s an awesome version of Cee Lo Green’s “F**k You!” performed on an iPad using NESynth. It’s fantastic hearing a modern song in classic NES sounds. It’s also completely cool that this was done on an iPad. Check out the clip and let me know what you think (please)!

Coffee Talk #330: Cartridges Coming Back to Home Consoles?

Will the next generation of consoles will use solid-state storage instead of disc-based media? It’s an interesting argument. There are great reasons to do it and great reasons not to. Let’s…

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, the rise of Ivan Nova, the latest iPhone 5 rumors, or your favorite painkiller, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

While we were talking about the digital future of consoles, I was intrigued by one of RPadholic smartguy’s comments. He believes that the next generation of consoles will use solid-state storage instead of disc-based media. It’s an interesting argument. There are great reasons to do it and great reasons not to. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Publishers love that cartridges are better than discs at combating piracy. A combination of anti-piracy measures on the cartridge (that can be updated) and online authentication would be tough to beat. Solid state would also mean sturdier products. As smartguy mentioned, the less moving parts a console has, the longer it will last. That’s great for the consumer.

On the downside, cartridges will always be more expensive than discs and digital downloads (obviously). Future games will require at least 16GB flash cards and some will require much more than that. While the price of solid-state memory will surely go down over the next few years, it will still be more expensive than a Blu-ray disc.

Speaking of Blu-ray (and DVD), one of the reasons disc-based gaming took off is that movies used the same format. Lots of people used their PlayStation 2 as their primary DVD player and the PlayStation 3 is still on of the best Blu-ray players around. While digital movies are becoming more and more popular, discs aren’t going away just yet. It can be argued that console manufacturers — especially Sony — still want to offer the ability to play disc-based movies on their consoles. Then again, it might be easier and cheaper to set up an exclusive deal with a digital movie partner. Or maybe they’ll have their own service, like the rumored Orapa for Microsoft Xbox.

Do you see cartridges coming back to home consoles? Why or why not? Would you prefer cartridges or discs for the next generation of videogame consoles?

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker…the Clothing Line

Konami has announced a line of clothing inspired by Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The threads go on sale April 11, 2011 and encompass a wide variety of products. Sadly for the ladies, it’s a men’s clothing line. Here are some details from the press release:

Available for purchase online in US and Canada beginning on April 11, 2011, the collection, featuring well-known Peace Walker images, will include coats, sweatshirts, pants, t-shirts and hats, all inspired by clothing worn by characters in game. Additional items in the clothing line will be released quarterly and surrounding certain special events throughout the year.

The clothing line was created in partnership with musterbrand LLC, a global design group focused on bringing digital creations to the real world.

It’s a good thing Konami didn’t send this press release out on April 1 because I would have dismissed it as a joke. As it is, I want to know if you would proudly wear some Peace Walker branded threads. Perhaps I’ll grow a Solid Snake mullet to complete the look.