Video Game Violence

I saw this on G4TV X-Play last night and I was happy to hear this new research and discoveries. It totally exposes the politicians like Jack Thompson, Hillary Clinton and shows what nonsense their information and studies present to the public masses through the media. I of course never agreed with them but this further supplements this particular issue of interest.

G4TV: "Kids Who Don't Play Video Games Are At Risk"

New Playstation Store Impressions

Along with the Firmware Update 2.30 came the new PlayStation Store. Lets face it, it would have been difficult for them to make a crappier looking/functioning store. I don’t know if I would call the new store fantastic, but it is a massive improvement. I still like it a ton over the old model nonetheless. The way of navigating the store with the D-Pad is now quite easy, but the biggest improvement in my opinion is the way its actually set out. There are now categories that are easy to get to, including All Games, Game Add-Ons, Videos, PSP Games, etc. Unfortunately there seems to be some problems with thumbnail images loading in, but I a sure that’ll be fixed. All in all, its a step in the right direction. Now…how about that in-game XMB? Or perhaps some Home?

What are you playing this weekend?

Hey everybody, I apologize I didn't have the "What are you playing this Weekend" last week. I got caught up in some other things. Anyways, this weekend I'm playing catch up on old classics such as Killer 7 for the Gamecube and some SNES classics for fun like Secret of Mana and TMNT IV: Turtles in Time.

What are you planning to play this weekend?

I'm getting Dark Sector next week will digg into that soon and write a review and impressions.

Currently Playing: Killer 7 GCN
Upcoming releases: April (Mario Kart Wii) May (HAZE- PS3) and June (MGS4 LE)

FFVII Crisis Core Impressions and Review

Set seven years prior to the events of the first FINAL FANTASY VII, the Shinra Company is rapidly increasing its influence through its monopoly on mako energy and military might. With the burgeoning city of Midgar as its base and symbol of prosperity, Shinra is on the verge of establishing absolute dominance over the world.

Well If you have played Final Fantasy 7 then the prequel Crisis Core has many of the same characters from FF7 universe and will be familiar to veterans. Anyways, Crisis Core is an action RPG where battles take place in real-time. In this installment you play as Zack Cloud's friend in SOLDIER and learn about Shinra and the developments that lead to the beginning of Final Fantasy VII.

The battle system uses a new system called DMW, or Digital Mind Wave. This three-reeled slot system is constantly spinning and dictates a number of things: when you perform Limit Breaks, when you summon, when you level up and even when your materia is leveled up. All is decided through various match-ups of numbers and portraits which show up on the reels. This system definitely takes some time to get used to, but I thought it was fantastically implemented and made even the most mundane battles interesting.

Also, the amount of leveling you can do, both with Zack's stats and his materia via Materia Fusion, is absurdly impressive. Once again, dedicated players have the option of completely dominating in battle by using the system to their advantage. It's always great to see such potential in an RPG.

Battle Activation is one of the few complaints I have with Crisis Core. The battles begin when Zack moves into certain areas or hot spots, which is just fine when you're moving in a continuous direction. Unfortunately, you'll often glance to the side and see a treasure chest right after battle. Running just a few steps over and then coming back will often re-activate a nearby battle, which is aggravating if you're in a hurry.

My final complaints are less serious but still notable. The load times for entering and exiting cutscenes can be a bit on the long side, but they're within a tolerable range. What I found truly puzzling was the player's inability to skip cutscenes. Even the long ones. You can pause at any time which is helpful if you're interrupted while playing, but there's no way to skip past something. This can be a particular annoyance when you die right after a long series of scenes and are forced to watch them over.

Overall, Crisis Core is a great game. It's fun even with some complaints put to the side. In addition to God of War Chains of Olympus this is a great game to add to your PSP library. The game will take about 20 hrs. or about 30-50 hrs. if you do all side missions in game 300 in total.


Pros: Graphics are the best I've seen on PSP
CG cinematics are Square-Enix at its finest

Cons: dialogue is not that great
missions are nice extra but tedious and repetitive in locations visited
leveling and limits are not controlled

Final Score: 8/10

SF FFVII: Crisis Core Launch Event at Metreon

Well I went to the FFVII: Crisis Core launch event in SF on Tues. and it was cool but disappointing. I didn't even get my copy so.. i was pretty upset. I was fortunate to have my copy preorder at Gamecrazy and funny story is I could have had game on Mon. instead but wanted to see what cool stuff was happening. The line was long and I was #202 so i missed cut off by 2 people 200 max. people. I went 1 hr. early and found some people were there since day before so yeah!!

Time: 6pm-9pm
SF Metreon 101 4th Street
Tues. 3/25

I have posted pics I got while standing in line if you were not able to attend this event...

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I actually have plenty of gaming to get done this weekend. I have been busy with work and tired from other stuff going on. So, I finally get some time to kick it and get some serios gaming time in. I recently received my Dual shock 3 controller from Play-Asia and will have my impressions up soon once I try RFoM and some others. I also got my copy of Crisis Core FFVII and will likely be bustin' through that this weekend. I will have my impressions and review up soon.

Hope everyone has a beautiful and safe weekend. If you're doing some gaming, brag about it and your recent purchases in the comments.

Currently Playin': FFVII: Crisis Core, MGS Essential Collection, Resistance Fall of Man
Upcoming: Dark Sector(Multi-plat)

My purchases for this coming week are likely I'll pick up Dark Sector later in the week or rent from Gamefly.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Gaming? What's that? I actually have plenty of gaming to get done this weekend, including seeing how well the MGS Essential Collection plays revisiting MGS and MGS3. Add to that some Resistance Fall of Man if my imported Dualshock 3 Satin Silver comes in and you've got a weekend of quick reflex gaming accounted for. Not much else planned, outside of gaming! I recently finished the 6 hr. Ratchet Size Matters and the 5 hr. GoW Chains of Olympus on PSP a few weeks ago...

Hope everyone has a beautiful and safe weekend. If you're doing some gaming, brag about it and your recent purchases in the comments.

Currently Playin': MGS Essential Collection, Resistance Fall of Man
Upcoming: FFVII Crisis Core (PSP), Dark Sector(Multi-plat)

My purchases for this coming week are FFVII Crisis Core on Tues. and likely I'll pick up Dark Sector later in week or rent from Gamefly.

My favorite Xbox games

Well this is the first of many lists of my favorite games on consoles of past. They are in no particular order. I will also be starting a weekly section "Gaming Fridays" where I will list what I'm playin' and you the viewers can comment as well what you are playing. It's similar to what Kotaku has on their website...


1. Halo 2
2. Shenmue II
3. Knights of the Old Republic
4. Jade Empire
5. Ninja Gaiden
6. Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO
7. Fable
8. Psychonauts
9. Prince of Persia series
10. Dead or Alive 3

but like every console it has so many awesome games so this list is just 10 of of my top favorites.

Smash Bros. Brawl Review and Impressions

Well, I picked up my copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl at midnight launch at the Gamecrazy on March 9th. It was cold but worth it. Anyways, onto the review. If you have played a Smash Bros. game before you know the drill. You play as characters from Nintendo franchises duke it out in combat with special attacks, items, etc.. This game is everything Melee established and so much more. There is so much to do from collecting trophies, stickers, characters, levels, home-run contest, boss battle mode, and adventure mode to name a few. A twist in Brawl is the addition of two third-party characters Sonic from Sega and Solid Snake from Konami.

This is a must have Wii game in any Wii owners library. This is a game that will be in your Wii consoles for months upon years to come. The basic modes of past Smash Bros. games have returned such as Classic, Brawl, and Adventure Mode as well as other favorites like Target mode and Home-run contest. The big change is the story mode is a story mode with platforming and boss battles with beautiful CG cinematic. The adventure mode is a bit tedious and will take about 8 hrs. to complete but is an interesting addition.

The real reason people will buy this game is the multi-player and online play is fun and addictive. So many characters and customization to choose from. It's fantastic how even though some aspects of Brawl feel like Melee with a fresh coat of paint its still fun and feels like the definitive version of Smash Bros.

This is a must have Wii game in any Wii owners library. This is a game that will be in your Wii consoles for months upon years to come. This game will be the best $50 you spend on the Wii for 2008!!!


Pros:
-Tons of characters and levels
-Lots of gameplay modes and variety
-Awesome graphics
-Smooth, fluid experience



Cons:
-Some loading issues
-Story mode is tedious and feels like a chore
-Wi-Fi online is a bit laggy



Final Score: 9.5/10

For more info visit smashbros.com

Dualshock 3 controller coming soon!!

I ordered my new Dualshock 3 controller imported from Japan via Play-Asia. I can't wait to utilize the rumble again and have the extra weight feels better that way.

I'll post pics once I get mine in Satin Silver.

Gaming of 2008!! Its an Exciting Year...

Gaming is a hobby! It's something we love to do when we have spare time and want to get away from stress. Whether it be the angry boss at work or just life being annoying..

Anyways, 2008 is gonna rock!! Whether your a multi-console owner or only an owner of one console..

The Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii have something for everybody!!

Some of the titles coming:

Playstation 3 The PS3 seems to have the strongest lineup going into 2008. It has a large variety of every genre.

This is only a small list sampling of what is to come... An exciting time indeed!!


Gran Truisimo 5 Prologue Racing April 2008



Haze FPS May 2008



Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Stealth Action June 12, 2008



Killzone 2
FPS
September 2008


LittleBigPlanet Indy September 2008



Final Fantasy XIII RPG Q4 2008/TBA 2009


Resistance 2: United We Fall FPS November 2008




Final Fantasy Versus XIII Action RPG Q4 2008/TBA 2009



inFamous Third Person Action November 2008



White Knight Chronicles Action RPG November 2008

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Xbox 360
The Xbox has a nice lineup of titles coming in out in 2008. While nothing will be particularly original or breathtaking, their will be a nice variety of fan favorite sequels.

Fable 2
Action RPG
Q4 2008/TBA

Too Human
Third Person Action
May 2008


Alan Wake
Adventure
October 2008


Ninja Gaiden II Hack 'n' Slash/Action
June 2008


Gears of War 2 Third Person Shooter November 2008



Banjo Kazooie 3 Action Adventure November 2008/TBA

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Nintendo Wii
2008 really looks to be a bleak year for the Wii. The only titles talked about for upcoming release has been really bleak. The Nintendo IP's such as Animal Crossing, new Kirby title, Star Fox, F-Zero, etc.. have yet to appear on Wii but beyond the same franchises that they have used over and over again console generation after generation you wonder what else Nintendo has? Kid Icarus from Factor 5? New Zelda title? Hopefully Nintendo can ride on the success of Super Smash Bros. until early 09 when they will have some decent first party titles worth purchasing.

Okami
Adventure
April 2008



Mario Kart
Racing
April 2008


Smash Bros. Brawl: 3/9/2008
Already released

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MULTIPLAT(PS3+360)

Resident Evil 5
Horror Survival
December 2008



Bionic Commando
Third Person Action
Q3 2008





Battlefield: Bad Company FPS July 2008

Dead Space
Horror Survival
October 2008



Grand Theft Auto IV
Third Person Action
April 2008



Dark Sector
Third Person Shooter
March 2008




Star Wars Force Unleashed Third Person Action August/September 2008

Fallout 3 First Person RPG/Shooter October 2008




2008 is shaping up to be possibly the greatest year in the history of gaming. The PS3 is gaining major momentum after winning the HD format wars with HD-DVD and also gaining steam with a dogpile of first and third party titles. I would probably go to PS3 this year, as it did to 360 last year. Either way its a great year to be a gamer.