Okay, okay so here I am once again. It's been awhile and so much has happened. We're here after the E3. I wasn't that blown away by E3 this year. You have allot of people speculating that after the less then stellar performance of the show this year it might not return next year. Which who knows, could be a good thing.
First off, G4 showed us the press conferences from the big three. And they were commercial free this year, after promising us they would be last year and then having commercials happen. Anyhow, I'd least the least impressive to me at least was Nintendo's showing. They through some facts at us about how Wii is outselling everyone else, showed us a demo of Wii ski which utilized the balance board, mentioned a new Pokemon game for the DS and concluded the show with Wii Music. They demoed that with a bunch of executives playing not hat great. With the exception of Miyamoto which I'm convinced was the ONLY one on stage who knew what he was doing but was drowned out by everyone Else's badness. They also showed Animal crossing for the Wii.
In all honestly some of the stuff they showed was cool, but I wouldn't buy any of it with the exception of Animal crossing and if I had to pick and choose I could go without that for the time being. They just didn't wow me. Most of the stuff was for that casual audience. Oh yes and how can I forget Wii resort. A game along the same line was Wii sports. They're next colossal money maker. Did you know that Wii play is still like one of their best selling games? And it's not that good. Uhh. Everyone was expecting that big break out title. Kid Icarus? Nope. Punch Out!!! nope. Perhaps a mario or Zelda title? In development from what Reggie says. They have allot of people disappointed this year. In my opionion rightfully so. I don't clock in may hours on my Wii anyway. It's a great machine don't get me wrong. However I could go the rest of the year without buying anything Nintendo at retail for the rest of the year. It's sad really.
Microsoft was pretty good. The best of the show. They demoed allot of games, Gears 2, and Fallout 3 stand out the most. Which buy the way the demo of Fallout convinced me to get it.
They also had a fair showing of their casual games. The one demo of "In the movies" sticks out in my mind. Another situation of executives demoing games on stage which they just shouldn't do. It utilizes the 360 vision camera and you like act out certain things with some Friends and then at the end they piece them together and you make like a "B" movie you play back and watch. That was okay I guess. It's nice that the technology has come this far but it's not my bag.
Then the big thing was a new interface coming this fall. That was cool too I guess. I was just bitching about how the current 360 interface like hides the custom themes you can get and almost makes it pointless to have a picture or something in the background because the blades and the ads get in the way too much. Now it's simpler to navigate. Supposedly however I read somewhere that it's ripped off from some other device that uses a similar method.
Sony was the second place holder. They did an impressive presentation with Little big planet which convinced me to pick that game up. They showed a trailer of God of War 3 which didn't tell people anything other than it's coming. They reminded us about the PS2 saying they're still some great games coming out for it. Which honestly I'm picking up one more title for the PS2 before the year is over. Overall I thought it was a good presentation. It gives me faith that Sony still has some tricks up it's sleeve.
I really didn't take much from E3. It only convinced me to pick up one more game this fall which I hadn't thought about. Everything else I knew about. G4 showcased some demos but I really didn't watch them. I'm just happy the whole thing is over. Now I'm just ready form all these great games to come out. Well, my brain is ready, my wallet isn't.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Red Ring of irritation
Me again. I'll begin by saying that my 360 which I've owned for a year and a half has fallen victim to the dreaded red ring of death or rrod as it's called in allot of circles. At first I was in denial. In my mind i was like, I take care of my consoles. I treat them like children. Hell you could argue they get better treatment then my car. So I would never have that problem with my 360. That kind of thing happened to other people, right? Oh so wrong.
I wasn't that upset by it a t first. I mean, MS has a decent approach to the problem, you call them up, tell them the problem and they send you a box and hopefully two weeks to a month later you get your console back repaired, or a refurb or something. Hell I didn't even have to call them up, if you register the serial number with your windows live account you can request a repair over the Internet so you never have to talk to anybody.
So it's a fairly simple process to begin with. I'm still waiting on the box they're supposed to send but it's cool, I just started the process on Monday. We'll see how long it takes them do something with it once they receive it. From what I've read there are three things they can do, fix the console you've sent them, give you a refurb meaning someone Else's box they fixed or send you a brand new console. I like option one and three, but I don't like the idea of getting someone Else's console. Why exactly? I don't know. Call me weird but getting the box back that I sent would be cool because it's mine. I bought THAT console. (Trust me, I've recorded my serial so I know)
Getting a new box would be cool because well that means it's a new one just for me. I'd still miss my old one anyway. But If I got a refurb that means it's been "fingered" by god knows who. I know they clean it off and all but still. Don't get alarmed, my not a germ-a-phobe or anything I just like my new stuff BRAND NEW. Hell with as much as it cost me, that's the way I want it. If I get my box back then great, it was mine to begin with.
My point about all this is that at first I wasn't upset about it. Truthfully, I don't put many miles on my 360. I had bought Ninja Gaiden 2 recently and was playing that off and on but I had metal gear and was engrossed in that. Before that however, I BARLEY played. Seriously, like I was lucky if I turned it on maybe once a week? And Xbox live arcade was stale and I can't tell you the last game I downloaded there. My good buddy has a 360 and we were playing Battlefield 2 but my disk got scratched a while ago and I hadn't played since. Anyway, I got to thinking about it, and I started to get upset about it. Microsoft sacrificed quality just to be first in the next gen race. That's terrible. I've had allot of consoles and I've never had issues with any of them, until MS started making them. My Original Xbox sometimes had issues with the disk drive but not always. So then here comes the 360 and a year and a half later it craps out on me...what the fuck?
I've even read stories about people having two three and even four different 360s. That my friend is where I draw the line. I decided that when I get my console back if it craps out on me again. I will not but another one right away. I have standards and why the hell should I compromise them? It's not my fault that they built a shoddy machine. I really don't have high hopes that after I get it back it's going to last long but I'll at least let them try.
I'll admit it, I prefer Playstation. Now before you go blasting me, I am not a FANBOY. Far from it. Both MS and Nintendo have some great games on their respective platforms and I think that's great. But I just like my PS more. I but multi platform games for my PS3. I recently have only been buying the exclusives on the 360. Come to think of it I think all my games on 360 are console exclusives. Hmmm...
I just think what they did wasn't right. I applaud them for trying to fix it but hell it took them quite awhile to even admit there was an issue. Keep checking back as I will keep everyone posted on it's progress. until then....peace.
I wasn't that upset by it a t first. I mean, MS has a decent approach to the problem, you call them up, tell them the problem and they send you a box and hopefully two weeks to a month later you get your console back repaired, or a refurb or something. Hell I didn't even have to call them up, if you register the serial number with your windows live account you can request a repair over the Internet so you never have to talk to anybody.
So it's a fairly simple process to begin with. I'm still waiting on the box they're supposed to send but it's cool, I just started the process on Monday. We'll see how long it takes them do something with it once they receive it. From what I've read there are three things they can do, fix the console you've sent them, give you a refurb meaning someone Else's box they fixed or send you a brand new console. I like option one and three, but I don't like the idea of getting someone Else's console. Why exactly? I don't know. Call me weird but getting the box back that I sent would be cool because it's mine. I bought THAT console. (Trust me, I've recorded my serial so I know)
Getting a new box would be cool because well that means it's a new one just for me. I'd still miss my old one anyway. But If I got a refurb that means it's been "fingered" by god knows who. I know they clean it off and all but still. Don't get alarmed, my not a germ-a-phobe or anything I just like my new stuff BRAND NEW. Hell with as much as it cost me, that's the way I want it. If I get my box back then great, it was mine to begin with.
My point about all this is that at first I wasn't upset about it. Truthfully, I don't put many miles on my 360. I had bought Ninja Gaiden 2 recently and was playing that off and on but I had metal gear and was engrossed in that. Before that however, I BARLEY played. Seriously, like I was lucky if I turned it on maybe once a week? And Xbox live arcade was stale and I can't tell you the last game I downloaded there. My good buddy has a 360 and we were playing Battlefield 2 but my disk got scratched a while ago and I hadn't played since. Anyway, I got to thinking about it, and I started to get upset about it. Microsoft sacrificed quality just to be first in the next gen race. That's terrible. I've had allot of consoles and I've never had issues with any of them, until MS started making them. My Original Xbox sometimes had issues with the disk drive but not always. So then here comes the 360 and a year and a half later it craps out on me...what the fuck?
I've even read stories about people having two three and even four different 360s. That my friend is where I draw the line. I decided that when I get my console back if it craps out on me again. I will not but another one right away. I have standards and why the hell should I compromise them? It's not my fault that they built a shoddy machine. I really don't have high hopes that after I get it back it's going to last long but I'll at least let them try.
I'll admit it, I prefer Playstation. Now before you go blasting me, I am not a FANBOY. Far from it. Both MS and Nintendo have some great games on their respective platforms and I think that's great. But I just like my PS more. I but multi platform games for my PS3. I recently have only been buying the exclusives on the 360. Come to think of it I think all my games on 360 are console exclusives. Hmmm...
I just think what they did wasn't right. I applaud them for trying to fix it but hell it took them quite awhile to even admit there was an issue. Keep checking back as I will keep everyone posted on it's progress. until then....peace.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
The best game yet....
Alright, so here I am, back from another long hiatus in your face with more thoughts about life and gaming. Allot has happened to me since my last post but the first things I want to touch on, is Metal Gear Solid 4.
What can I say? The game is a masterpiece. I love practically everything about this game. It made me oh so glad I have a PS3. I was a great conclusion to a great game franchise. It wraps up everything story wise and explains it all. I've only gone through it once, but I plan on going back through it again very soon. I decided to go through the first three games and then go back and play it again. Which now I'm at MGS3: Snake Eater which in my opinion is good but I find it frustrating.
They took away the soliton radar! Yeah, that great radar from MGS2 and the original MGS that helped you out immensely when it came to enemy placement and layout of where you were was taken away. Now I realize that it's supposed to be the 1960's and story wise (and I guess technologically) the radar wasn't invented yet, but couldn't you amuse me then? The whole deal is this, you spend allot of time in the Russian jungle, so you rely heavily on camouflage to fool your enemy's and slither by undetected. That's fine, but the radar still would have been a GREAT help.
I mean you get other things to help you out, like a directional microphone to listen for things at distances, and they do give you a motion detector and sonar, but with the exception of the microphone, the other two are battery powered and they just don't work as well. You really have to rely on your senses in the game, which looks great and sounds great too so you really are immersed in the atmosphere. Now combine all these tools well, and you can survive. I don't know if it's me, but even with all these tools, I just can't play this game well. You want proof? I bought the game when it first came out in 04'. I went through it once, and that's it until now. So it's been what, almost four years since I went through the whole game again? I realized though the story in this one is really good it's just a matter of having the patience to play it through that's all. I spend most of the game in alert mode I promise you. And half the time I get so frustrated with trying to hide and creep that I just try to run and gun through certain parts which doesn't really work all that well most of the time. I'll get through it again though unless is pisses me off anymore.
I also took a hiatus from buying retro games. Haven't been into Vintage Stock (a local shop that buys and sells allot of old games, music and movies) in over a month now. I was obsessed at one point. There are three stores close to me and I was making rounds once a week. It was getting expensive too. The store is great though but it's a crap shoot every time you go in there. You might find something really great but allot of times you don't find much at all. You have to go in there often to see what they have. I made a few great finds in the last month or so though but they were on Ebay. (I still hate ebay) I found a top loading NES deck and a copy of Viewpoint for the Neo-Geo. Two things I've been chasing for years with no luck.
So I put classic gaming on hold for a bit because there were allot of current gen games coming out. Last month I picked up three, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, MGS4 and Ninja Gaiden 2. It was a pricey two weeks for me. Still haven't opened DBZ So I'll let you know how it is at some point.
Next week is E3. The gaming industry's big who-ha of the year. I can't wait for it to be here, so it can be over just as fast. Oh, don't get me wrong I think the whole show is great and all, but that's all anyone can talk about the week before and the week after. Lets just get the games out there, you know?
That's all I got for the time being. I'll do my best to post more often next time. Until then....
What can I say? The game is a masterpiece. I love practically everything about this game. It made me oh so glad I have a PS3. I was a great conclusion to a great game franchise. It wraps up everything story wise and explains it all. I've only gone through it once, but I plan on going back through it again very soon. I decided to go through the first three games and then go back and play it again. Which now I'm at MGS3: Snake Eater which in my opinion is good but I find it frustrating.
They took away the soliton radar! Yeah, that great radar from MGS2 and the original MGS that helped you out immensely when it came to enemy placement and layout of where you were was taken away. Now I realize that it's supposed to be the 1960's and story wise (and I guess technologically) the radar wasn't invented yet, but couldn't you amuse me then? The whole deal is this, you spend allot of time in the Russian jungle, so you rely heavily on camouflage to fool your enemy's and slither by undetected. That's fine, but the radar still would have been a GREAT help.
I mean you get other things to help you out, like a directional microphone to listen for things at distances, and they do give you a motion detector and sonar, but with the exception of the microphone, the other two are battery powered and they just don't work as well. You really have to rely on your senses in the game, which looks great and sounds great too so you really are immersed in the atmosphere. Now combine all these tools well, and you can survive. I don't know if it's me, but even with all these tools, I just can't play this game well. You want proof? I bought the game when it first came out in 04'. I went through it once, and that's it until now. So it's been what, almost four years since I went through the whole game again? I realized though the story in this one is really good it's just a matter of having the patience to play it through that's all. I spend most of the game in alert mode I promise you. And half the time I get so frustrated with trying to hide and creep that I just try to run and gun through certain parts which doesn't really work all that well most of the time. I'll get through it again though unless is pisses me off anymore.
I also took a hiatus from buying retro games. Haven't been into Vintage Stock (a local shop that buys and sells allot of old games, music and movies) in over a month now. I was obsessed at one point. There are three stores close to me and I was making rounds once a week. It was getting expensive too. The store is great though but it's a crap shoot every time you go in there. You might find something really great but allot of times you don't find much at all. You have to go in there often to see what they have. I made a few great finds in the last month or so though but they were on Ebay. (I still hate ebay) I found a top loading NES deck and a copy of Viewpoint for the Neo-Geo. Two things I've been chasing for years with no luck.
So I put classic gaming on hold for a bit because there were allot of current gen games coming out. Last month I picked up three, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, MGS4 and Ninja Gaiden 2. It was a pricey two weeks for me. Still haven't opened DBZ So I'll let you know how it is at some point.
Next week is E3. The gaming industry's big who-ha of the year. I can't wait for it to be here, so it can be over just as fast. Oh, don't get me wrong I think the whole show is great and all, but that's all anyone can talk about the week before and the week after. Lets just get the games out there, you know?
That's all I got for the time being. I'll do my best to post more often next time. Until then....
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