Tuesday, December 21, 2010

All the Games in the Back, Speak Up! We Cannot Hear You.

The year has come and gone and a new one begins. There have been a lot of great games that have come out last year. From what has been said in the reports, Call of Duty: Black Ops has sold over $1 Billion in copies worldwide. I wish I could get a little bit of that pie. But that isn't the only great game out there. Many of them that were really fun to play and had great ratings but just didn't sell a lot of copies. This blog is to all the awesome games released in 2010 but didn't quite make it in sales.

All the games I am talking about in this blog have sold less than a million copies worldwide and got at least an average rating of 7 out of 10. That is still passing in my book and that is good enough for me to play and it should be enough for you all too.

SplatterHouse(Released Nov. 23rd) Number of copies sold: 53,191(Xbox 360) and 34,942(PS3).
Plot: In this game, you are playing as Rick Taylor. Rick and his sexy girlfriend, Jennifer, are college students majoring in parapsychology. Parapsychology is the study where they investigate the existence and causes and conditions of psychic abilities, near-death experiences, out-of-the-body experiences, crisis apparitions, retro-cognitions, reincarnation memories, regression memories, prophecy, astrology, ghosts and life after death by trying to use the scientific method it claims (Wow, really?). The two decide to stop by the West Mansion to visit the former home of the parapsychologist Dr. West, who had mysteriously disappeared years before. Unfortunately for them, the mansion is nicknamed "Splatterhouse," as nobody who has entered has ever escaped and lived to tell the tale. Upon arriving to the mansion, a sudden storm hits, and they're forced to take shelter in the house. As soon as they do, it goes dark, there's a sudden flash of lightning, and something kidnaps Jennifer and knocks out and nearly kills Rick. In his final moments, he regains consciousness and hears a voice coming from an ancient mask known as the "Terror Mask." The masks tells him that he can help him save Jennifer but he needs to put him on before he dies. Rick does so and has the mask becomes attached to his face and transforms him into a huge steroid-looking creature. The mask tells Rick that it will not let go of him until Jennifer is safe in his hands.

Review: This game is awesome. The way it ended definitely set it up for another one. This is not a game for children and is great if you are just out looking for an awesome button mashing game. The game play does go from a 3D to side-scrolling from time-to-time but it doesn't really affect the game play at all. The finishing moves you can do on these creatures are fun and just gory. I loved it. The more you kill, the more "Blood" you collect which you use to gain skills. SplatterHouse has some replay value in the fact that you get a choice of a second mask when you beat the game. Also when you beat the game, you unlock the original 3 Splatterhouse games, which are harder than this one I think. This game is either an own, if not a definite rental.

Trailer:


Vanquish (Released Oct. 19th)
Number of Copies sold: 206,311(PS3) and 154,268(Xbox360).
Plot: Vanquish is set sometime in the near future. Russia and the United States are fighting to control the world’s fast-depleting energy resources and the US has constructed a space station in order to harness energy from the sun. Russian forces captured the space station and diverts the solar energy harvested into a blast wave that destroys San Francisco, aiming to force the US into an unconditional surrender. In response to this, the US sends its armed forces with the mission to recapture the space station before the Russians destroys their next target, New York.

Review: Breath taking graphics with a new style of game play that any shooter can enjoy. The game is pretty short but is enjoyable enough to where you want to keep playing it over and over again. If you like this kind of game, this would be great to own. If not, it would be a good rental.

Trailer:


Singularity (Released June 29th)
Number of Copies Sold: 158,386(Xbox360) and 141,363(PS3).
Plot: Singularity takes place on an island known as Katorga-12, where Russian experiments involving Element 99 took place during the height of the Cold War. In 1955, a catastrophe involving experiments attempting to form a "Singularity" occurred on the island, causing the island's very existence to be covered up by the Russian government. In 2010, a sudden electromagnetic surge from Katorga-12 damages an American spy satellite. A military reconnaissance team is sent to investigate the uninhabited island, but a second surge causes their helicopter to crash. You play as Captain Nathaniel Renko, a member of the reconnaissance team. He enters the abandoned scientific complex on the island, where he phases between 1955 and 2010. Your main weapon is a Time Manipulation Device that allows you to manipulate objects or kill your enemies.

Review: The plot is amazing but the game play isn't the greatest though. Noting fancy I mean. This is game that would be great to play if you want to play something with a good story line. The game play is compared to the same style like Dark Sector, if you have ever played it.

Trailer:


Sniper: Ghost Warrior (Released June 29th)
Number of Copies Sold: 546,398(Xbox360)
Plot: You play as Marine sniper Sgt. Tyler Wells, you have been sent on a covert mission deep into the nation of Isla Truenots to aid the rebellion. Outfitted in a ghillie suit that renders you virtually invisible in the dense foliage, you must stalk an enermy whose knowledge of the terrain is superior to yours. This game delivers an extended stealth game play experience that challenges players with a variety of strategic and tactical choices that affect how they approach their objectives and eliminate their targets. It switches from Stealthy Sniper mode to Assault Rifle Gun Ho mode from mission to mission.

Review: Sniper: Ghost Warrior is the most realistic sniper game that is out, right down to managing your breathing for increased accuracy of sniper shots. The ballistic system that accounts for bullet trajectory, including bullet drop and environmental effects such as wind, fog & rain is amazing. When you are able to pull off the perfect headshot, you get to watch your bullet strike the enemy with pin-point accuracy in Bullet Cam mode. This game requires stealth and patience. There is a multi-player mode which adds to its replay value. You will put in a good number of hours in the campaign and will have fun blending in with your surroundings. This is a game you should own. Once you rent it and play it, you will want it.

Trailer:


Nier (Released April 27th)
Copies Sold: 350,173(PS3) and 179,669(Xbox360).
Plot: The game is set in a crumbling world plagued by disease and dark, unrecognizable creatures. Players assume the role of the unyielding protagonist, Nier, resolute in his quest to discover a cure for his daughter, who is infected with the Black Scrawl virus. With powerful allies and a mysterious book, Nier encounters things that will confound even the mightiest of warriors. Nier blends both innovative and traditional RPG gameplay mechanics with an intense, bloody combat system to create an action-packed single-player experience where players explore and discover a future lost to a shadowy past. Armed with a powerful set of magical abilities as well as mighty swords and armor, players will do battle alongside a set of formidable allies against waves of dark enemies and giant bosses to discover the truth about the disease, his daughter ... and himself.

Review: This is like the modern day Drakengard without the dragon. If you are looking for a good button mashing game with meaning behind it, this is one of them.

Trailer:


Goldeneye 007(Released Nov. 2nd)
Copies Sold: 885,519(Wii) and 25,058(DS)
Plot: GoldenEye 007 allows players to channel Daniel Craig's lethal and gritty James Bond in an innovative, modern take on the legendary Bond adventure, GoldenEye. Blending fast-paced first-person shooter (FPS) action with covert gameplay, GoldenEye 007 epitomizes the modern thinking man's shooter by offering varied ways to complete each mission and destructible environments. GoldenEye 007 also redefines the multiplayer experience on Wii with split-screen action featuring classic Bond characters and special game modes, as well as online play for up eight friends.

Review: This game is awesome. Just like the good ol' days with the Nintendo 64 version, this new Goldeneye game will rekindle that classic vibe we all loved and still love today. The multiplayer is awesome but I don't recommend that any new commer to the game goes straight to playing the multiplayer, these people that I have played with, seem to play the game as if they have never stopped playing the 64 version. You get to play as Oddjob and throw his hat instead of a grenade. Awesome. The thing I really didn't like about the game is in order to melee, you have to hold the Z button and press B. I didn't like having to hold a button down and try to figure out the melee when you are in the middle of a fight with over a dozen villains. All-in-all, it is a great game and sticks to the Goldeneye classics.

Trailer:


Metroid: Other M (Released Aug. 31st)
Copies Sold: 742,083(Wii)
Plot: Metroid: Other M is a collaboration that blends action-packed production of the world-renowned Team Ninja development team with the game design talents of the creators of the original Metroid. Metroid: Other M is a dramatic new direction for a legendary franchise and a bold new blend between cinematics, storytelling and the best in interactive entertainment. Metroid: Other M takes the best elements of 1st-person and 3rd-person gaming to create a seamless blend between gameplay, story-telling and dynamic cinematography, that feels like a movie the player can control.Players hold the Wii Remote controller sideways while navigating and battling in 3rd-person. However, at any moment, players can switch immediately to Wii Remote pointer controls to examine and explore the environments in 1st-person perspective.

Review: Metroid: Other M was an awesome game to play. You will be going back and forth between levels but no worries, there will be plenty of creatures to fight. It was really cool how you can switch from 1st to 3rd person viewing but it was a pain because you might miss out on a lot of stuff if you don't view the area in first person. There are places that you will not see unless in first person view. This game was a lot of fun to play but once you beat it, there really wasn't much left to do. It is something that any Metroid fan must play but I would prefer to rent it. It will take you a good 8 to 9 hours to beat but you will love every minute of it.

Trailer:


NBA Jam(Oct. 5th)
Copies Sold: 211,731(Wii) 103,369(Xbox 360) and 64,301(PS3)
Plot: Well, Hmmm.... There really is not plot here except EA has brought back to life the greatest NBA game ever. Reviving the same announcer from the original SNES version and his great sayings like, "BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA" and "HE'S ON FIRE." Classic. Lets go straight to the review shall we?

Review: Welcome. Long time no chat. This game is just like the SNES version to where you can have Big Head Mode and having you player get the ball on fire. Oh man, I love this game and it is the only Basketball game I ever play. NBA Jam is a definite own, in my books. BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA. Oh man... Classic. Get a copy and play with your friends. Relive those awesome memories you had back in the day.

Trailer:


Transformers: War for Cybertron(Released June 22nd)
Copies Sold: 423,583(Xbox 360) and 319,938(PS3)
Plot: Transformers: War for Cybertron will challenges players to become the ultimate weapon. This is final, epic war will determine the survival of their entire race. Armed with a diverse arsenal of lethal, high-tech weaponry and the ability to instantly convert from robot to vehicle at any time, players will engage in heart-pounding battles on land and in the air in this gripping, 3rd person action shooter set in the Transformers' war-ravaged homeland. Complete with several multiplayer modes, Transformers: War for Cybertron allows gamers to play through story missions with their friends in drop in/drop out online co-op, and also create their own Transformers character for competitive head-to-head multiplayer modes, choosing among four distinct character classes, personalizing its look and selecting from a huge variety of weapons, skills and abilities.

Review: This game was a lot of fun to play. It was awesome in switching from robot to vehicle. Me, being a Transformers fan, I got to sing out the theme song to the cartoon show every time I transformed. The gameplay was pretty good and a bit challenging from at times. I did like the feature with the co-op, how you could come and go as you wished. It was great how you can play with friends but then have to leave and not worry about abandoning them. The graphics were awesome and so was the gameplay. If you like Transformers, this is the game to own.

Trailer:


Blur(Released May 25th)
Copies Sold: 357,186(Xbox 360) and 331,408(PS3)
Plot: There is no plot to this game except some sweet racing. Continue to Review.

Review: This is the adult version of Mario Kart. I am not saying anything bad about the Kart, I love it. This game has the feel of the Kart but with sweet rides and awesome environment. The power-ups in the game allow you to gain an advantage over your rivals while tradein some paint during the race. Trying and making your friends crash is always a fun thing to do. This game is a definite own.

Trailer:


Resonance of Fate(Released March 16th)
Copies Sold: 501,902(PS3) and 234,115(Xbox 360)
Plot: Civilization on earth has long been forgotten with the previously lush world now a burned out remnant of its former self. Originally built as an experimental life support system, Basel is now the only place on Earth where mankind can sustain their lives. Your characters(Vasheron, Zephyr and Leanne) must seek out and complete quests for their clients leading them on a journey that will reveal the truth of Basel.

Review/Trailer:
Ok. This guy says it a lot better than I could write it. Also it saves me A LOT of typing. I am not going to lie to you. I haven't played this game before but I really want to now after watching this.


Castlevania: Lords of Shadow(Released Oct. 5th)
Copies Sold: 423,865(PS3) and 302,791(Xbox 360)
Plot: It is the end of days and ungodly powers isolate the Earth. The worlds' alliance with the heavens has been threatened by a dark and malevolent force – the mysterious Lords of Shadow. Across this shattered land, the souls of the dead wander unable to find peace, whilst creatures of evil wreak chaos and death upon the living. Gabriel Belmont is a member of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite group of holy knights who protect and defend the innocent against the supernatural. His beloved wife was brutally murdered by the evil forces of darkness and her soul trapped for eternity. Neither living nor dead she realizes the horrific truth of what is at stake and guides Gabriel to his destiny – and hopefully salvation for the world. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow casts the player as the mysterious Gabriel. At its heart it is a vast third-person-viewed adventure, but combat and puzzle solving also play a major part in the main quest, while dark artifacts can be used to enhance Gabriel's powers.

Review:
This game was beautiful. That is it. The graphics were amazing and so was the gameplay. The thing that I really loved about it was all the nice moves you could perform with your character. The creatures were great to fight and challenging at times. I am not sure if it has been updated lately but when I played it, there were some glitches to the game. Maybe they fixed it. All in all this game was a lot of fun to play. If you love Castlevania, buy it. If not, definitely rent it and play it.

Trailer:


Well. I am done. This was a very long blog to write and my Xbox is calling me. I hear you... Well, until next time. This is J.P. and that is the latest news on the game cord.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Uncharted 3... Excitement begins NOW!

If you have ever played any of the Uncharted games, you cannot help but think they are awesome... Because they are. I had to go to GameXCape to play the games because I do not own a PS3. Not complaining though since I spend most of my time there anyway. Anyway... you should know that there is going to be a third game called Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. This game starts of with Drake wondering through the deserts of Africa. Completely far off from where the other two games started. The game is set to be released 1-1-11. At least that better be the release date according to the trailer and not some crap like they will give out more information then or something... I dunno.

Here is the Trailer:


There is another good set of news for the Uncharted series. They are going to make a movie based off the game. I am a bit disappointed because the chose Mark Walhberg to play Drake. I am not saying anything bad about Markie Mark. He is completely badass in Shooter. To be honest, I kinda picture myself as him when I play any game as a sniper... "I'm Mark Walhberg. Always get the girl, Always get the kill." Awesome. Back to what I was saying, I really felt they needed to get Nathan Fillion because he really looks exactly like Drake. As if Naughty Dog had been watching a non-stop marathon of Firefly and thought to themselves, "Hey... Nathan Fillion looks AWESOME! Hmmmmmm..... Drake needs to look like him." And BAM! There is Drake. Oh well.

I mean compare and judge for yourself.


Well, that is all I have for you now. I am J.P. and that is the latest news I have for you on the game cord. See ya next time.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Big crushing the Small

Well everyone, big business has found its way to make another striking blow to the little guy. What does this have to do with video games? I will tell you. For those of you, like myself, that are excited for the midnight release of Call of Duty: Black Ops, don't expect it to happen at your locally owned video game store. I, like many, have grown tired of the big businesses that don't carry the old school games that we all grew up with and is all about making a buck instead of the the customer. Back to what I was saying. Yup. If you buy your games from a locally owned video game store, you won't see Black Ops at midnight there. Why is that you ask? Due to many previous Call of Duty games being sold before the date of their releases, Activision will not allow small, locally owned stores to receive the copy until the day of its release. And that is only if they pay extra to have it shipped to them that Tuesday. If they didn't, the will get it later on that week. But what about the big business? Do they get punished as well? Nope... They will still get the game in on time and have midnight releases, if they want to. Why do they not get punished? Because they are "Big Corporations. They never sell the games out early to people, like their friends and whatnot." That is sarcasm if you didn't get it. I can tell you that I know people that have gotten the game before its release and they got the games from the big corporations. So why aren't they being punished. Money pretty much. They help Activision make the big bucks.
Rich, Owner of GameXCape a locally owned video game store, said things that I cannot post because of potential children reading this. Pretty much it pisses him off that they are doing this to all small business stores. A midnight release is when he would sell off most of his games for Black Ops but now, who knows how much it will hurt him. Just like other game stores, it will hurt them as well.
So all you people that support your local game stores, be patient with them and keep giving them support. If we didn't have them around, we would be stuck with nothing but expensive games and no place to hang out at.
This is J.P. signing off of here and signing on to my Xbox. See ya next time.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Money Well Spent?


Hey everyone. J.P. here with the latest news in the Gaming World. Well, word on the game cord is that Microsoft has spent $500 Million Dollars on the campaign for the Kinect. Now, I am sure that most of you know by now that Microsoft has increased their prices to Xbox Live. Well, now you see what that money will be going to. Yup. Making up for the lost money spent on this campaign. I am not saying anything bad about the Kinect, but that is a lot of money for a campaign about a motion system. The last time they spent this much money on any campaign, was when the first Xbox was released in 2000. I think the Kinect is a neat device but I don't think that they didn't need to spend that much money to advertise it. The E3 Convention pretty did all the advertising that was needed. Here it is from the E3 convention...


She has a Tiger named Skittles.... Skittles? Really?


This game would be fun kinda... maybe if you are pretty competitive with your friends...


The dance game is pretty neat but the Star Wars game will be AWESOME! I could just play that game for hours...


So you see, this is all the advertising they really needed. Not needing to waste all that money. Some of it was used to get on Oprah. You know what that means... I better get on Oprah so I can get a Kinect for FREE!

Well, I am off to try and figure out a way to get a free Kinect from Oprah. Until next time. Keep on Gaming.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Zombies, Zombies Everywhere. Too Many, I Do Think

Hey everyone. J.P. Here with the latest news in the Gaming World. With Call of Duty: Black Ops soon to be releasing November 9Th, this has made me excited to finally play a new game. Pretty much I will have a week until all the hackers find all the glitches in the game and make it suck. I love the fact though, that there is a new Nazi Zombie type game for it. I was excited because I love zombie games, but then I started to realize something. There are a lot of Zombie Games out there now, maybe a little bit too much.

With the release of the Undead Nightmare DLC (Downloadable Content) pack for Red Dead Redemption, Zombie Island of Dr. Ned for Borderlands, Left 4 Dead 1 + 2, Dead Rising 1 + 2(which by the way. Dead Rising 2 was Awesome and I just got all the endings to it. Took me some time to beat it though. Highly Recommended Game), and many more out there. I feel a bit swamped with zombie games. I really like the concept of a zombie game but when it is created solely due to a fad, (Yes. I hate saying it, but if you look back at how many zombie games were created back then and how many are created now. All this sudden interests of zombie games make it a fad. It's sad but true.) it isn't as great as it once was.

I was confused on why they would make an zombie game for Red Dead Redemption. I mean, that just throws the whole game off in my opinion. The Island of Dr. Ned was really short and you could easily beat it. It almost seemed like there was no point in having that add-on except to make a little extra money. It is as if the programmers don't spend enough time on the add-on to make it great. I feel they just say to themselves, "Hey let's make some more money but how? Oh lets make an add-on to a game and add zombies too it. But lets not spend a lot of time working on it." Games need to be either completely zombie based or part of the game when released, not an add-on.

I feel that the Video Game Industry needs to slow down a bit. Take a breather on all the zombie games. This way, we don't get burned out on that great genre and will still enjoy all the great zombie killing action that we have known to love. I would just hate to see a great zombie game come out and say to it, "Man. Not another zombie game."

Until next time. Keep on gaming..

Saturday, October 2, 2010

6,000 Years and Counting...


Hey everyone. J.P. here with the latest news in the Gaming World. It has been a busy week for me but also for Halo: Reach. Upon its first day release, the game has made over $200 Million smackers. That is some big green there. That isn't even the craziest part about it. In the first week of its release, it has already accumulated 6,000+ years worth of game play. That is a lot of weekday all nighters. The thing is, even though Halo: Reach has a lot of game time already put into it, apparently it hasn't even touched the number of hours that have been put into Modern Warfare 2. I am a bit afraid to even know what those numbers are due to the fact that I have added a lot of those hours to the chart. The third place winner is none other than Halo 3. So even though there is still time for Halo: Reach to still get those hours in, I feel it won't last long when Call of Duty: Black Ops comes into play. That game is going to be sooooo beautiful. It might be good enough to knock Modern Warfare 2 out of it's big title.
My big question though is, which game has the most amount of hours spent playing ever? My guess is on either Tetris or Zelda. Let me know what your guess is and until next time. This is J.P. and until next time. Keep on Gaming... You know I will.

Monday, September 20, 2010

HAL Uh-Oh: New game, New Problems

Hey Everyone. J.P. here with the latest news in The Gamer World. Halo: Reach is the latest game for the Xbox 360 and it is AWESOME! I have been been playing the campaign and it has been SWEET! Some of my friends have been playing the multiplayer and say it's pretty bad-ass. Unfortunitly for some players, they have not had such a great experience with Halo: Reach like some of us have had.

For some of you out there, you may have bought the brand new version of the Xbox 360. Beautiful ain't it. Some people wanted to save money and bought the cheaper 4GB (averaging around $199.99) compared to the 250GB model (around $299.99). Well this seemed like a good idea at the time but are now showing their true cost with Reach.
If you have been trying to play the campaign with your friends, you might have seen this:
"One or more players do not have a certified Xbox 360 hard drive attached to their Xbox 360 console. Some multiplayer aspects of Halo: Reach require an Xbox 360 certified hard drive."

Yeah... You are playing the game on a BRAND NEW XBOX 360 AND IT DOESN'T HAVE A CERTIFIED HARD DRIVE...Makes a lot of sense. I just have to ask, Did we do something to Microsoft and Bungie to make them hate us? I mean, is the a scheme to get more money out of us, the Loyal Gamer? If you got the 4GB system and want to get the 250GB hard drive for the new Xbox 360, it would cost you about $129.99. This would then come to a total of around $330 you just spent so you can play Halo: Reach. That is $30 more than you would be paying for the 250GB system initially. WTF?!?! I could have sworn we were in a recession or something. Thus we are poor and that Microsoft and other companies should help us out a little bit, the loyal consumers, and not be greedy douches. (I love your games though Microsoft. We made you and we can brake you if you go against your fans. We would like to stay your fans, so help us out a bit. Come on. I mean, come on...)

Well, this isn't the only problem with Halo: Reach. Some gamers with older Xbox 360s might be seeing the disk read error. Well the problem might be your Xbox, not the game. Apparently the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro consoles, which were sold from 2005 to 2008, won't allow you to play Reach. There have been reports that the 120GB Elite model is affected as well.

Microsoft issued a statement acknowledging the matter:
"We are aware of a very small number of customers reporting that their copy of Halo: Reach is causing a 'disc read' error. Those affected should contact Microsoft customer support at 1-800-4MY-XBOX for troubleshooting assistance."

Well at least this issue can be solved. But the the question that comes to mind is, Why did this happen in the first place? Did they get lazy? Where they just trying to rush it? Are they trying to help Microsoft make more money? Who knows. I feel that game companies need to spend more time on their games to make sure they don't F-up and piss off their fans. I am pretty sure that we can wait a little bit longer for a game to come out so the company can make sure the game doesn't mess up.

Well, I am off. I am J.P. and until we meet again. Keep on Gaming.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Duke Nukem Forever AT LAST!



Hey. J.P. here. I was too excited when I heard about this that I didn't want to wait a week to make the post. Remember the awesome game of Duke Nukem? How the character wowed us with all the great weapons and sayings like "Hail to the king baby" or "Come get some." Oh I love those games and still play them. I still own and play Duke Nukem: Zero Hour and when Xbox Arcade released Duke Nukem, I was on it like white on rice on a paper plate in a snow storm. It was great. What about the ever so fable Duke Nukem Forever? The game that was announced in 1997 but was never released? What the hell happened? Well I shall tell you. 3D Realms wanted to make this Duke Nukem game the best it could be. The latest and greatest game ever. Duke Nukem Forever is actually supposed to be the sequel to Duke Nukem 3D which was released in 1996. Everything had to be perfect for this game, thus the delays. Unfortunitly so much time had passed and it seemed what was to be the greatest game ever would just be a myth of legends... Last year, 3D Realms went broke and the game was to be never seen again... Or so we thought.

The creators of the ever popular games "Borderlands" and "Brothers in Arms", Gearbox Software, got the rights to the game. With help from former 3D Realms employees, they have been working hard on the game and announced to the world that Duke Nukem Forever will be released in 2011. The game will be released for PC, XBox 360, and PS3.

I know, I cried as well when I heard the news. The tears flowed of waterfalls from my eyes. I am just finally glad that they are finally going to release a game that should have been released a decade ago. This was a game that many people grew up on and brought joy into our lives.

Well, I am J.P. and until next time, Keep on Gaming.

The PS3's are coming... The Ps3's are coming!


Hey everyone. J.P. here for GameXCape with the latest news in the Gaming World. Want to get a PS3 but not sure when the best time to get them is? Well, now is the time. Sony is releasing 2 new models of the PS3. The two models are the one for 160 GB of memory and the one that has 320 GB of memory. The 160 GB is available now in store for only $299.99 (MSRP). But the 320 GB wont be available until September 19th and will cost $399.99 (MSRP). The 160 GB is just the stand alone model (has the PS3 and controller). Why is the 160 GB out now but the 320 GB isn't out till later? Well, Sony will release the 320 GB with the Sports Champion Move Bundle. This bundle will include includes a PS3 system, a PlayStation Move motion controller, a PlayStation Eye camera, Sports Champions Blu-ray game and PlayStation Move game demo disc. Already have a PS3 but want the bundle anyway? Well, the Move bundle will have one PlayStation Move motion controller, a PlayStation Eye camera, Sports Champions Blu-ray game and PlayStation Move game demo disc for $99.99 (MSRP).

The Sports Champion game has several cool games but the one I think is the coolest is the Gladiator Battle. It looks really sweet. Check it out here.


All in All, I have my Wii and I am pretty content with it. The PS3 move still has some sweet things to it and who knows, might have even cooler games later down the road. Well, that's all I have for ya. Until next time, Keep on Gaming.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Xbox Live Price Jump. Is It Worth the Leap?


Hey everyone. J.P. here with the latest in news of the Gaming World. In the world of Microsoft, it has been announced as of November 1st, the price of Xbox Live has increased by $10. This will make the year subscription for the Gold Membership to $59.99. The Silver Membership will still remain free for anyone that wants it, but remember that it won't allow you to have the online features, like playing online, Netflix and whatnot.

Electronic Entertainment Design And Research, or EEDAR, analyst Jesse Divnich stated that the $10 increase is still a great value for all the stuff that Xbox Live offers. To be honest, I do not feel that it is worth the $10 increase unless you actually use all the extra crap that is on Xbox Live, like Twitter, Facebook, ESPN, Video Kinect and Netflix (The only thing I use out of that stuff is the Netflix). I think that Microsoft should allow the users to have the options if they want to use all the other EXTRA Apps (except Netflix... We need our Netflix on the XBox. Ha Ha), then they can go for the extra $10 a month. If the users do not wish to have use those extra things then we should not have to pay the extra money for something we won't ever use.

He goes on to say that the data they have collected from their consumer pools indicate 30% of Xbox 360 consumers have played a video game online 15 times or more in the last 3 months, compared to 23% for the PS3 and 10% for the Wii. Well No Shit Sherlock. There have been a lot of great games that came out for the Xbox 360 in the past few months and people like to play with their friends online. The data only states for playing video games online, not using all that extra crap applications. VIDEO GAMES! Jeeze, What Morons! They also state that the fee will do little to impact the "positive momentum" of the Xbox 360. Greedy Bastards they are if you ask me. Who knows, soon they might charger you by the minute to talk to your friends like a phone service over Xbox.

I love playing online with my Xbox 360 and I like some of the features that are presented like playing with friends online and Netflix, but that is it. I do not think it is worth paying $10 extra a month to use stuff I will never use.

Well, that's it from me. Let me know what you think of this and until next time. Keep on Gaming.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

To Wii or Not to Wii... That is the Question.

Hey everyone. J.P. here with the latest and greatest in news of the Gaming World. With Xbox 360 and PS3 coming out with all these great games in the next coming months, what about our good ol' pal the Wii? Are they going to have any great games coming out soon? I have to say yes. If you own a Wii, you know as well as I do that they do not have a lot of great games out. The games I have personally enjoy, and I feel that others might agree with me, have been Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Super Mario Bros Wii, Mario Kart, Red Steele 1+2, Super Mario Galaxy 1+2, Star Wars: The Forced Unleashed and Wii Fit. There might be a few other games but I do not think that they are many that are worth playing on the Wii. But I feel that the Wii is ready for a comeback. The games coming out soon I feel will bring the Wii back on top.
Nintendo has finally decided to go old school with their games as you may have noticed in the Super Mario Bros. Wii game. The new games look very appealing and I am glad that some new great game are finally coming out for the Wii.
Some of the new games for the Wii are Metroid: Other M. For anyone that has ever enjoyed a Metroid game, this is going to be the next generation of Metroid Lovers. This game has everything that we love about Metroid and some new things that make it even better. Watch the trailer and decide for yourself. This game will release Aug. 31st.

The next game that looks really interesting coming out for the Wii is Kirby's Epic Yarn. There hasn't been a new Kirby game since the days of the Nintendo 64. I have always been a fan of Kirby since I first played it on the Gameboy and to be honest, words cannot describe how awesome this game looks. The trailer looks amazing as well as the game play. Look at the trailer and judge for yourself. This game is released on Oct. 17th.

Are you a fan of Donkey Kong? Who isn't to be honest. When Donkey Kong Country came out for the 64, it just blew my mind. If you felt about Donkey Kong Country as I did well you better get your Bayer aspirin because you might have a heart attack. Nintendo will release Donkey Kong Country Returns on Nov. 21st. I know.. I am excited too. The game sticks to its roots and will definitely appease the fans of the Donkey Kong Country series.

Do you remember the game NBA Jam? Some of you are saying yes. Myself, it was one of the few basketball games that I actually loved playing. All the funny looking players, insane dunks and crazy sayings from the announcer like "Boom Shaka Laka", "Kaboom", and "He's on Fire." Oh the great memories. Well, now you can enjoy those memories on the Wii with NBA Jam from EA Sports. I will definitely get back into backetball games with this one. To my brothers, when this game comes out, it's on... NBA Jam will release Oct. 5th.

What about those fans of the greatest shooter of all time Goldeneye? When will they get to re-experience the great classic shooter for the Wii. The time has come and your prayers have been answered. The new Goldeneye 007 will be released sometime in November. I am a huge fan of the 64 version and to be honest, if they mess this game up there will be hell to pay. HELL I SAY! The gameplay is just like the original and the game looks great. Check it out for yourself.

Remember watching Fantasia as a kid? Remember how dark it was, but still amazing? Epic Mickey is the next thing to it. This dark tale of Mickey's adventure has taken characters and locations of Disney's ideas from the past 80 years. This dark tale is about Mickey who discovers the magic brush and creates a horrific creature on accident with it. That creature comes alive and has destroyed the world that Mickey and his friends live in. It is his job to undo the damage his creation has caused and return teh world back to normal. From all the pictures and trailers that I have seen, this game is a definite to own. This game seems to have potential and definite replay value. See for yourself.

Last but not least, the Wii will release a brand new Zelda game called The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword. To describe this game, actually renders me speechless. Majestic is the only thing that comes to mind and the only thing that will ever come to mind. That is it, plain and simple. Majestic... The game designers want to still tinker around with the game and clean it up more so it won't be released until sometime early next year. Watch the trailer and enjoy.

Well that's it for me. If you don't have a Wii, I suggest that you plan on having one soon. These games will bring the Wii back on top, in my opinion. Love it, Hate it, it's up to you to decided if you are interested in what Nintendo has to bring to the table. I'm J.P. giving you the What's What in the Gaming World.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Casual Gamer vs. The Harcore Gamer: Where is the line drawn to make it fair for everyone?


Hello everyone. J.P. here with a question for you all. Where is the line drawn to where it is fair for Casual and Hardcore Gamers? I think in order to answer this question, we have to look into what defines a casual and hardcore gamer.
"A casual gamer is someone who plays video games for about 0 to 7 hours a week," said Rich from GameXCape. "Any more than that would make you a hardcore gamer." But not all people define casual and hardcore gamers by time spent playing games. "I feel as though a casual gamer is one that plays games on a rare basis. usually in a social setting with friends, or in a party atmosphere. Or perhaps only plays a select few games," said Stephen Culton, an Xbox 360 gamer. " A Hardcore gamer would be someone who plays almost religiously. The usually either have a set time they sit down to play. A hardcore gamer plays online for a good majority of their game session. Also, a hardcore gamer tends to collect all the titles in a certain series, or franchise of games." Personally, I feel that a Hardcore gamer plays games a lot but also takes them too seriously. A Casual gamer can also play a lot but plays just for fun, not taking games seriously. They just play to enjoy the game.
Well, for a clear definition of what Casual and Hardcore gamers are, well there really isn't one. They are pretty much defined by either however many hours they play or how they play. Nothing is set in stone.
But what happens when casual gamers and hardcore gamers come together? Most of the time, nothing good. I like to consider myself as a Casually Hardcore gamer, mainly I play a lot but I don't take the games seriously. During my games, I have seen hardcore gamers treat casual gamers pretty badly. This isn't all the time mind you but a lot of the time it happens. This sucks for the casual gamers because they will lose interest in the game and that's not fair. But know, casual gamers, not all hardcore gamers are bad people. "Personally I will play with anyone who isn't a total jerk. I don't shun "n00bz" because everyone has been there at some point. Sometimes you can offer helpful advice to someone new," said Robert Culton, a hardcore gamer for Xbox 360.
So what can be done to make it fair for everyone? Some people think that games should be paired up by comparing people's overall stats or their skill level, like Rich and Robert. Some people just like it the way it is like Hardcore PC gamer Rousbell Orozco. "I don't think anything should be changed," he said. Personally, I feel when it comes to fairness, I feel that the programmers should make it to where the number of people that join groups should be a bit fewer, to make it fair, and the overall stats should make a huge impact in which group a person is placed in. This would make the games fair. I feel it would balance everything out when playing and would prevent the likely chance of getting whole teams of hardcore gamers.
Let me know your thoughts. Until next time, this is J.P. with what is going on in the gaming world.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Cheaters and Rage Quitters BEWARE! Bungie is on the loose...


Hey everyone. J.P. here for GameXCape, giving you the news that gamers want to know. As most people know, Halo Reach is coming out pretty soon. Yes. I am excited just like everyone that has ever been a fan of the Halo series. Soon gamers like me, will finally have a new game to play. Though most people are counting down the minutes until it's release on September 14th, cheaters and people that leave mid-game often or how Bungie calls them "rage quitters" might not enjoy the game as much as others.

Nobody likes to play with cheaters and everyone hates it when teammates leave during a game, leaving you short handed. Well, Bungie doesn't like them either. Bungie's Community Director, Brian Jarrard, talks about the steps that Bungie is taking to eliminate these types of players. “We actually have new tools now to detect that and eventually, people who do this habitually will actually be penalised,” he continued, “We want to be able to remove them from the population so they can’t make everyone else keep having a bad time.”

What about the cheaters? No worries about them now. "Unfortunately, there’s just a lot of really smart people out there with a lot of spare time who keep finding new ways to break things that weren’t supposedly able to be broken." (I really hate those kind of people. People mainly cheat because they can't play the game at all and need to cheat to be as good as the rest of us.) For those people that are still going to try and break Halo Reach, Bungie has something to say to you; "We have all sorts of different severities from auto-detecting people on certain infractions and issuing the appropriate punishment, to having the Live team themselves basically make someone unable to connect to Live period." said Jarrard, "You know, we won’t hesitate to ban people,"

Finally! A game company is taking the initiative to make gaming fair for everyone. If only some other companies did the same as Bungie. *Cough Activision Cough Cough.* Some people worry about people getting banned if they leave the game a couple of times or lose connection or whatever. Well as previously stated above, only habitual game quitters will get in trouble. It will be ok if you leave a game a few times. So no worries unless you make it a habit... I am just glad I won't have to worry about people cheating now when I play Reach. I am sure a lot of other people are glad as well. Well, that is all I have for now. Let me know how you feel and until next time, keep on gaming.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Dark Side of Call of Duty


Hey everyone. J.P. here talking to you about the soon to be downfall of Call of Duty. For anyone that is a fan of Call of Duty, you might lose interest into the series once you hear this. The Call of Duty franchise after Black Ops might become online only with Monthly Fees. Now for people with Xbox 360's, we pay Microsoft's fees to play the games online. Why would we want to pay another fee in order to play a game. That's what computer games are for. It is said by Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter that Activision has to lead the charge into paid multiplayer with the Call of Duty franchise. This just made the gaming community upset and a quick rebuttal from Activision, who noted that Call of Duty will always be free to play online. Even though they say that it will still be free to play online, most believe a subscription plan is still coming.

Janco Partners' Mike Hickey said, "We believe management will announce a subscription plan for Call of Duty online, a premium service that automatically drops new maps and items. We expect 4 to 5 million current COD online players would subscribe to the service." Are they serious? Where do they get these numbers? I know a lot of people, that whenever they start adding a monthly fee to Call of Duty, they will be done playing the franchise. I am one of those people. I enjoy playing the games but not if I had to pay an additional monthly fee just to play the game. I am a broke college student. I am not made of money. We believe here at GameXCape that games with monthly fees belong to the PC world, not to counsels.

What happened to you Activision? Do not lose your way into the Dark Side of the Corporate World. Activision... "Insert Darth Vader Breathing" We are the Gamers "Breath" We are the reason you're still around. "Breath" Betray us and you will suffer the consequences.

Give us your input on what you think about this.