Geek Swagger.
Playstation 3
E3 2009 – Rumors and Such
May 28th
It's that time again. Â This year's return to the E3 of yesteryear should produce some exciting news. Â This post is really just a roundup of some of the rumors I've heard and what I'm looking forward to most. Â We'll start with Microsoft and the Xbox 360.
Not much is known about what Microsoft is going to show this year. Â You can bet that Halo 3: ODST will play a big role, but otherwise they don't have the laundry list of announced megaton games to talk about like they have in years past. Â One rumor going around is that they're working on a motion controller (in fact, the same rumor is going for Sony) so we may see the debut of a new motion controller initiative to compete with Nintendo's ridiculously successful Wii. Â There's also a rumor that the 360's dashboard will see another massive update similar to the "New Xbox Experience" we saw last holiday season. Â This might be tied into the Zune / Xbox Marketplace integration that was announced this past week (along with the new Zune HD). Â However, as far as games go, I'm kind of at a loss. Â Some folks are saying that Half-Life 2: Episode 3 will be debuted during Microsoft's conference despite the fact that it's traditionally a PC franchise. Â I'm not sure about that but Episode 3 is definitely a game I'm interested in seeing.
The Sony press conference is the one I'm the most excited for because they have the biggest list of announced games to look forward to. Â There has also been some interesting information leaked about possible revisions to their hardware which have me excited. Â Let's start with the games, though. Â Currently the games they've announced that I'm interested in:
- Uncharted 2 - A sequel to my second favorite game on the console. Â What I've seen so far looks even better. Â Can't wait for this game.
- Heavy Rain - Should be interesting, comes from the same folks that made Indigo Prophecy. Â The gameplay seems to rely heavily on quick time events but the visuals are great as a result.
- Project Trico - This game isn't technically announced yet, but some footage was released not long ago and it looks promising. Â Unfortunately I wasn't around for ICO on the PS2, but I'm looking forward to playing my first game from Team Ico.
- God of War 3 - This one's obligatory. Â Another game from a series I haven't had the opportunity to try out yet but if nothing else the gameplay looks extremely fun and the visuals are amazing.
So that's just the software, how about the hardware? Â I've been flirting with picking up a PSP (for the second time, I might add - I bought the original when it was first launched but there were no games so I traded it in to put towards my 360), and all rumors point to an announcement of a new version of the PSP this year during Sony's press conference. Â Apparently called the "PSP Go," this new portable console will be focused on digital rather than physical media. Â You'll be able to download games from a PSP store which is very appealing to me, and very appealing to Sony because it should cut down on some of the rampant piracy issues associated with the device. Â A lot of folks are pointing to this as the rebirth of the device, and I know that if it's announced I'll buy one, plain and simple.
There's also the question of the Playstation 3. Â Despite having a solid line-up of games Sony is still struggling in this department. Â Some shots were recently leaked of a PS3 "slim" redesign, and originally these images were scoffed at. Â There is a bit of a twist however - sites that put these images up were contacted with cease and desist notices, giving this rumor some credibility. Â Could Sony finally be making a big push to put the PS3 on the map? Â A slim and sexy version of the console could do the trick, though a price drop wouldn't hurt either. Â We shall see.
As for Nintendo? Â Who on Earth knows. Â They maintain that they'll have games for core gamers (i.e. gamers who aren't interested in doing exercises on a balance board or playing their Wii remote like a pretend saxophone) but we've heard that before. Â All I know is that it really doesn't matter what they do at this point, the Wii and DS combined will continue to sell like gangbusters and completely outshine the 360 and PS3. Â My only concern is that Microsoft and Sony will begin to think that motion controllers are "where it's at" and give up on traditional gaming as we know it.
It would be a sad day if that were to happen.
Chronicles of Riddick : Assault on Dark Athena Review
May 25th
I've had some time to spend with Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and I have to say my overall impressions are very positive. Â I was a bit apprehensive about playing the game because I wasn't at all familiar with the franchise and I'm usually a little hesitant when it comes to games based on movies (and movies based on games, for that matter). Â However, Assault on Dark Athena has a lot of fun gameplay elements and overall I'm very happy with the experience.
To review Assault on Dark Athena is really to review two games - both Assault on Dark Athena itself and the previous title in the series Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, which debuted late in the original Xbox's lifecycle and was therefore missed by gamers such as myself. Â Fortunately you don't have to worry about playing a shabby Xbox port, because Tigon and Starbreeze Studios have completely remastered the game to bring it up to next-gen standards. Â I have to say compared to native Xbox 360 games there is no noticeable difference in graphical fidelity, and the environments in Butcher Bay are rich and pleasing to the eye. Â They did a great job of breathing new life into a game that was considered ahead of its time on the Xbox.
Gameplay-wise Escape From Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena are part stealth/espionage, part first person shooter, and part puzzle-solver.  Though you're encouraged to use Riddick's comfort in shadows to quietly take out enemies in the dark, you can also run around blasting them if you so dare.  The puzzle elements of the game are almost a throwback to older PC adventure games like Myst or Monkey Island.  There are many times throughout that you'll have to use your noggin to work through a problem in order to advance, and more often than not the puzzles provide just enough challenge to be fulfilling without being so difficult as to cause frustration.
The move from Butcher Bay to Assault on Dark Athena does provide some handy upgrades, but the overall look and feel of the series remains consistent. Â Though the environments and textures are just as good in Butcher Bay as they are in Assault on Dark Athena, I noticed that the character models in the latter were a big improvement. Â You can tell that a lot of attention was paid even to off-shoot characters and overall the detail is great. Â Another cool enhancement comes in the form of hot keys for your weaponry. Â If you want to, you can use a radial to browse all of the weapons you've collected, but in Assault on Dark Athena you can also assign your favorites to buttons on the d-pad for easy access.
The two games include a whole lot of replay value aside from the standard fare of achievements. Â If you're a fan of the Riddick franchise you'll delight in the fact that you can unlock a whole bunch of bonus features by finding and collecting items such as packs of cigarettes and security key cards in the game. Â Overall I have to say that it's rare to find a singleplayer experience that provides as much content as Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena does. Â Even if you're new to the franchise like I was you'll be able to jump in and enjoy the gameplay right away, and because Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena have linked narratives you'll get a consistent experience the whole way through.
If you want to learn more please check out my media post for 'Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena' by following this link:Â Game Reviews - The Chronicles of Riddick : Assault on Dark Athena and Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
Sony slashes the price of the PlayStation 2 to $99
Mar 31st
Today is important because two separate announcements have made me feel exceptionally old. Â The first, as you might have guessed, is that Sony has cut the price of the PlayStation 2 to $99. Â Why does that make me feel old? Â Because I realized that this cut comes nine years after the PS2 came out in October of 2000. Â Yeesh, I can still remember some of my teachers in school talking about how they were feverishly trying to hunt down a PS2 to give to their child for Christmas. Â I guess that's the sort of thing that sticks with you when you're a geek.
This announcement really has me thinking. Â Ever since I purchased my PS3 I have realized that I missed out on a lot of quality franchises by skipping the PS2. Â What I want most is to go back and play games like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and this price reduction might be the motivation I needed to actually pull the trigger on some "classic" gaming. Â What I'm really holding out for though, is a store on PSN which sells downloadable PS2 games so I can get that experience without having to drop cash on an older console. Â Maybe we'll see that one day.
So I guess this is good news if you're in the market for a PS2 almost a decade later. Â Another cool thing about this announcement is that it gives some credibility to Sony's "10 year strategy" with their consoles. Â Maybe the PS3 will actually be relevant 8 years from now. Â I can only hope!
Rockstar announced Max Payne 3
Mar 24th
I can't decide how to feel about this one.  I heard about it yesterday morning and at first I was quite happy since Max Payne is a series I love, but then after thinking about it things could be worse off this time around.  First, this game is not being developed by Remedy who developed the first two in the series.  Second, the game's one press image is of Max looking rough and old, almost like Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell: Double Agent (which was my least favorite in that particular series).  Finally, they're promising to take Max where "we’ve never seen him before," and frankly I'd be happy with a game that's exactly like Max Payne 2 but with new levels, story and graphics.
Of course since there's so little to go on I can't really make a snap judgment at this point, but I guess I'm just a little wary of this announcement.  Hopefully the game turns out great, and either way I'll be playing it.  You can hit the link below to catch a bit of info if you're interested. Let's just hope they don't try to work in any of the story elements from the movie, which I just watched last weekend for the first time (handily enough), and am not a big fan of.
Unboxing of the Resident Evil 5 Collector’s Edition
Mar 10th
Looking to save some cash in these tough economic times? There's no better way than by letting other people drop the cash for a collector's edition. When they do an unboxing of the game, you can watch the video and it's just like you're there with them! In this video one of the hosts of the Joystiq Podcast, Justin McElroy, goes through all of the cool kit you'll be receiving if you've preordered RE5's $90 bundle. Me personally? I went for the standard edition, but after watching this video I feel a little envious!
Your PlayStation 3 trophies are now available online
Mar 4th
Sony has put their users' trophies online at last (think Xbox 360 gamerscore/achievements), so you can see what you've unlocked. Â I'm hoping this leads to something similar to a gamercard down the road, but for now just having this nice interface to browse all of the trophies I've unlocked so far is pretty handy. Â All you have to do is login with your PSN credentials at and click the trophies tab.
From there it gives you a quick overview of all of the trophies you have (see mine below), and lets you drill down on a game-by-game basis to get more detailed info. Â Pretty cool!
Area 5′s Co-op show
Feb 23rd
I was (and am) a huge fan of the 1UP Yours podcast. Unfortunately 1UP was hit by the economic downturn like most other companies these days, and so a lot of the guys who I'm used to hearing every week suddenly found themselves out of a job. Fortunately a few of them have banded together to start a new video series, and in so doing have given new life to the now deceased 1UP Show.
This isn't really news but I just wanted to give them a plug, as little as it may mean from my minuscule blog. If you're into gaming at all I can't recommend their videos enough. They've set up a YouTube channel, so if you have an account go ahead and subscribe like I have:
If you're not sure what the whole thing is about you can catch the latest episode of CO-OP below.
Just like real life
Feb 21st
I love the Call of Duty games, especially the online multiplayer, but I can see why some people hate it. Anyone who has played for any length of time has had an experience identical to this (some strong language):
I saw this on Kotaku and I have to admit I nearly died laughing. =)
Original link:
This is why I love Valve
Feb 20th
They know how to sell their games. They're perfect at inciting that impulse purchase by putting up a game for so cheap that even if you don't need or want it, you can't resist. This past weekend their extremely popular survival horror FPS "Left 4 Dead" was available on Steam for 50% off. That means you could get a couple-months old blockbuster for $25. It goes without saying that this is an amazing deal.
Because of this deal the sales numbers for Left 4 Dead on Steam went up 3000%. That's not a typo, three-thousand percent. Not only that, but the game sold so well that it actually outperformed the game at launch. Amazing. Hey Sony and Microsoft, you want to know how to solidify digital distribution as a means of content delivery? Start offering up some limited-time deals to subscribers like Valve does! The only unfortunate thing is that I already own Left 4 Dead for both the Xbox 360 and PC. It's funny, I actually got it for PC from Steam when they dropped the price to $35 a few weeks ago...and I thought that was a smoking deal.
You can check out the article that I read about this from here:
Also on a related note I saw this in my twitter feed yesterday and I couldn't help but laugh: . Props to @jcallinan for linking this up, haha!
