Amigo Beaner

Los Numeritos Issue 1

2011-02-06T19:20:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! Allow me to introduce yet another new segment/series: LOS NUMERITOS aka "By the numbers."

These posts will highlight random numbers pertaining to events or things in every day life. They're totally random and most often will be unrelated to anything within the list or prior lists. So, let's begin.

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31: Score that apparently Green Bay had at the end of this year's super bowl to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers. I didn't actually watch the game as I in part wasn't interested in it and I also forgot what time it was on. Which brings me to...
6: Number of Naruto Shippuden episodes I watched tonight instead of the football game. While I had started this series over a year ago, I paused it since I had caught up to the newest episode and so I forgot about it after a while and am just going back to it now.
6:20:43.210: my total time after completing the 172 lap 1,000 Kilometer endurance event at Sakuza Circuit (Japan) in GT5. I completed 2 hours last night and paused the game overnight (no saving during events) and finished the other 4 hours this afternoon.
86: current metacritic score of Killzone 3. Game launches on February 22nd. I tried out the demo and was actually surprised by how long I ended up playing multiplayer on it. Will be a day 1 or week 1 purchase for me.
10: Number of days since I've had a helping of Panda Express. I usually have it once a week but due to current weather I'm lazy and don't make the trip out to my nearest one.
14: seconds it took me to realize I'd never spend money or time on the upcoming Adam Sandler film "Just Go with it." At least it did better than the new Big Momma film. Seriously, sometimes, films just make me wonder 'wtf where they thinking.' Sad thing is that as bad as they are, they'll probably break even due to the "masses" giving them a chance.
740,120: number of views on my most popular upload to my Youtube account.

Alright, that's it for this edition of "Los Numeritos" be sure to keep an eye out for future entries. And no, I have not forgotten about the 'usuals': RCC, Ask the AFC, and What Grinds My Gears.

Til next time friends.

LOL Moment# 1 (NFS vs GT5 and Forza3)

2010-11-19T06:52:00.000-08:00

Hello friends, long time no post...I'm a lazy man so deal with it. I've been too busy doing other things, like your mom. I digress.

I have come up with yet another segment to this domain: "LOL Moment" in which I will make a brief post on a moment or event that is worthy of letting people know about. This can be a funny video, article or anything random that I encounter in my day to day operations. I guess it can also be somewhat of a brief rant session so we'll see. Let's begin.
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Yesterday and this morning, I began seeing articles around the interwebs (thanks Google Reader) about the 'smack' that was attempted to be laid down by the producer of the upcoming Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed title. Here are some links:

http://www.lazygamer.net/need-for-speed-shift-2-dev-gt5-and-forza-graphics-bland/
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=276019
http://news.softpedia.com/news/NFS-Shift-2-Unleashed-Will-Be-Better-Than-Gran-Turismo-5-or-Forza-3-167292.shtml

In case you're too lazy to look at any of the above links, the producer basically called out GT5 and Forza by claiming:

"You have to make a choice with today's tech. Either you go for - and this is harsh but it's what I think - the bland graphics of GT and Forza, or you try to push the bar for what consoles can do," said Nilsson."

Now, before I explain why this is an "LOL" moment, let me remind you about the first NFS: Shift title. Critically, the title gathered an 84 (xbox) and 83 (ps3) Metacritic. Forza Motorsport 3 obtained a score of 93 while the last numbered entry in the GT series (4) obtained an 89 on Metacritic. Sales wise, it has a little under 4 million lifetime which is good but not great when comparing it to the other 2 series.

Now, back to why I LOL'd. First of all, NFS is a series that has always been synonymous with arcade style racing. The first installments back on the ps1, pc etc. featured gameplay that was basically 'linear' or a non-closed course where you either raced against other opponents or in later installments, ran from the POH-LEECE. Shift was their first true entry into the racing simulator genre. I personally tried out the Shift demo last year and while it looked nice, I wasn't that impressed with the vehicle responses. Nevertheless it was a good try to enter the racing simulator genre and hopefully the 2nd title polishes up things from the first.

So going back to the quote. I don't know what 'bland' means to him but to call graphics on 2 of the best racing simulators as such is just well...laughable. Especially with the GT series that's constantly been able to set the bar on each console it hits, you have got to be blind to not admire the attention to detail and visuals. While I haven't personally played any Forza, I do acknowledge that their last installment was good on the eyes.

The second part of the quote is where I realized this dude was full of it. "You try to push the bar for what consoles can do." Oh, and he also added the following statement:

"That's what Slightly Mad is doing, and hence the decision was made to aim for 30 frames."

This was just icing on the cake in my book. First of all, both consoles (xbox, ps3) have strengths and weaknesses none of which are identical and so to say that one is going to push the bar on the xbox does not mean it will have the same effect on the ps3 and vise versa. The architecture behind the game design on both consoles varies and so while one may excel at a certain type of graphic detail, the other may not match it etc. Basically, his claim is B.S. because if you really wanted to push each console you would have 2 different games which in a time where multiplats are edging closer and closer to that 'identical' comparison, you can't have 2 versions of a game without having 1 or both sides feeling that they were shorted somewhere.

Finally, that last quote...the frame quote. Where do I begin with that? To my knowledge, Forza 3 DID run at 60 frames per second, so to say Shift 2 is going to run at 30 and yet push the bar on the console is just a big 'Derp' in my mind. As far as GT5, we know it will run at 60 (with very few exceptions on weather changes during a race) and it will also be running at 1080p. So how is it that Shift 2 is going to push each console, because apparently GT5 and Forza 3 aren't doing it enough.

In closing, this dude should just STFU. Release your title and see how the critics and gamers respond to it. I respect NFS as a series but Shift as a sub-series is quite n00bish and shouldn't bite off more than it can chew.

E3 2010: What I'd like to See

2010-05-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, 'tis been a while. And so let's begin.

June 15th-17th, 2010

Yep, it's almost that time of year again. E3...the biggest press related gaming conference this side of the globe (some argue the Tokyo Game Show is more significant). So to recap the importance of the event to the non-gamer readers:

E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) is the time and place where electronic companies from around the globe come in and present what is currently in the works and what to expect for the next year or so. This is usually the time when gamers get a glimpse of trailers, gameplay or demos of upcoming titles or simply when gamers find out about new titles that will be in the works. The event is not open to the public but journalists are allowed to use modern tech (live feeds, social networking) to bring all the news to the public. So in essence, this event sets the tone for the gaming world since if a major title is revealed it could push those on the fence about purchasing that game or console to make the jump.

In this post I will try and address what I consider are things that should be seen at this year's E3 with regards to the 3 gaming companies: Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. It'll be a mix of predictions as well as expectations so hopefully I address as much as I can, or at least that I can think of right now.

Ninty

A good title to justify a Wii purchase?

Without getting into a flame war, which i probably will allude to through this post, I personally never have considered the Wii as a direct competitor of the 360 or PS3. However, once must recognize the success of this console to date and so to that I tip my hat. My reluctance to purchase this console wasn't so much that it wasn't fully HD capable or that it didn't offer many features that came standard with the other 2 (watching DVDs, a decent online network), for me it was the games. From what I saw, Wii gamers were drawn in by Wii Sports, Wii Fit and the good ole plumber cow, Mario. To me, these titles didn't feel 'hardcore enough' and given that most of the non-Nintendo titles were mediocre when they were reviewed, I felt that it didn't make sense to get a console for just a few games.

During 2009 we found out that an upcoming Metroid title for the Wii was being developed by Team Ninja who are better known for their work on the recent Ninja Gaiden as well as the Dead or Alive series.

Why I haven't gotten any of these titles, I don't know.

Any who from sample gameplay/trailers the title does seem to have a Ninja Gaiden influence and being a Metroid title, I'm sure it won't let down. Recently, the new Super Mario Galaxy 2 has been rolling up the excellent review scores around the globe. It currently has a Metacritic average of 98 based on 27 reviews which is extraordinary.

Aside from the Metroid title, there's not many other titles that I think of that are coming up this year, thus E3 would be a good time for Ninty to tell us about what else we can expect. I suppose a new Zelda title wouldn't hurt but like the plumber, the cow needs to be let in the pasture for a while before you can milk it for good milk. There have been rumors of a new HD Wii but they haven't really surfaced much though it wouldn't surprise me since the theme of this year's E3 will probably be motion tech.

As far as the hand held market, Ninty has a good hold of it in the US but not in Japan. Will the 3d DS help maintain dominance? What new features can we expect with the device? Would a phone integration help it tap into more consumers? I'm sure I could go on about the handhelds but I don't intend to right now.

So to summarize Ninty at E3:
-Show more Metroid gameplay before release (August)
-Surprise us with new titles on the system (Starfox? dare I say Kid Icarus?)
-Give Sony and Microsoft access to the Virtual Arcade so as to make more money off of it
-If a new console is introduced, give current Wii owners a deal/incentive on why it's in their best (financial) interest to make the move up
-No more Mario. The plumber needs some time to rest and given the positive response to Galaxy 2, it'd be best to quit now and perhaps bring him back in 4-5 years.
-Show the 3d DS in action. I hear that no glasses will be necessary, prove it.

Microsoft

Live Demo?

Now for the heavyweights, first up Microsoft.

As I mentioned earlier, this year's E3 may be seen as the year of motion tech since Microsoft and Sony are releasing peripherals that they hope will bring some Wii owners into their console reaches. As we know, Microsoft is taking a bold step with its project Natal by eliminating all need for controllers or any peripheral other than one's own body. At a press event last year they demonstrated the capabilities of the device as being able to recognize body gestures and movements to facial and voice recognition. Indeed, this is quite an impressive device. That is, if it can execute everything as it claims to. Rarely if ever, has Natal done a live demo or one that isn't pre-rendered to show it in action. As a gamer, I feel that they are either keeping things under wraps for a massive unveiling of the device in action, or they haven't worked out all the bugs just yet. In any event, we shall see this device at E3 and I'm hoping it delivers because of the controller-less concept.

As far as my criticism on this device, I just have a couple. The first one is the games in general. Over the past weeks there's been articles/rumors posted on the internet about developers having to use up a lot of the CPU's power to run the device. I understand that computing all the different gestures and actions for all people in play (I think you can have up to 4 different people playing at once) takes power, but will this bring down the remaining cpu's power and thus produce games that don't look or play as good as one would expect them to? Then again, perhaps the amount of power is minimal and games will not be affected, but this goes back to my point about not seeing enough of it at the moment. While it can be argued that since the device won't hit store shelves until Christmas 2010 which would justify Microsoft not being in a rush to show live demos, I would also argue that if Sony's Move is released in the fall, the lack of Natal in action may have casual gamers going for Sony's device since it'll be out sooner.

If 3d is incorporated, even better for it.

My second criticism for Natal would be the fact that a controller less device would prevent any type of shooter from being played properly. Now before you all give me reasons why I'm wrong, here's reasons why I think it will be a problem. Shooters can't be played if you can't well, shoot. Though it's impressive that Natal can detect gestures, I haven't heard anything about detecting finger gestures and movements. Unless it's that precise, people would have a hard time being able to get their character to pull the trigger. I suppose the voice recognition could serve as a cue to fire but who wants to keep saying "Fire" over and over? There's also the issue of turning. Unless the game consists of moving forward, there's no way to turn around more than perhaps 45-60 degrees without losing site of the TV unless you have a multiple screen curve setup. Sure, there can be a 'set' gesture to let the game know you want to turn left or right (again voice?) but when in the heat of battle, this can become quite tedious and frustrating. And yes, a controller would help with this but then what's the point of promoting a peripheral free device?

Just point and say "pew pew"

Why do I make a big deal out of shooters? Well, if you haven't guessed it by now, I can guarantee that a majority of 360 owners are FPS fans. Nothing wrong with that. But when you have a new device in the works, it's very helpful if you can incorporate it into past games or future ones. Think about it, [supposedly] 40 million consoles around the globe, if you can incorporate Natal to a shooter title, even a 1-5% adoption rate is well worth it. More so if you can set up some incentive for current console owners to get the new device.

Now, perhaps the angle of Natal is strictly to get the Wii audience, which is fine because it's a large friggin market. But, they shouldn't forget about their core audience which have kept the console going. I may be wrong on all my accounts and I actually hope Natal proves me wrong on this shooter issue because I do believe it's a device that if properly implemented is something I would like to have in my home .

As far as titles. I'm sure we're all aware of Halo Reach and of the 3rd Gears of War title and of Fable 3. The other titles that I can think of are multiplats: LA Noire, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Castlevania Lords of Shadow. So perhaps we'll have a surprise announcement of a new IP or a new installment in a series. I also have read/heard rumors of a Slim Xbox 360. I don't know much about it but if slim means cheaper [and hopefully more reliable], then it'd be a nice option for those of us that haven't gotten a 360 yet.

At this point it wouldn't surprise me.

So to summarize Microsoft at E3:
-Show Natal in action, not just on stage but w/demos set up for the journalists
-Surprise us with new titles that aren't shooters
-If a slim exists, give us price and features
-Tell us why Live is or will remain better than a Premium PSN

Sony

Boom!

Finally, Sony. Now, perhaps because I am a Sony follower, a fanboy at times, I will argue that 2009's E3 should have been dubbed "The Sony Show" because most of the 'wows' and surprises came from Sony:
-gameplay of 2009's Game of the Year Uncharted 2
-God of War 3 demo
-1st official trailer for Gran Turismo 5
-Announcement of Final Fantasy XIV
-Kojima's announcement of Peace Walker for the PSP
-First look at the motion controllers now know as Move
-Tease of Agent by Rockstar

I won't go into detail about the Move, but as far as the good aspects of the device: better accuracy than the Wii, buttons that allow for movement in any type of game, supposedly low price ($100-$60). As far as criticism on the move, my major 'beef' is that it's a Wii-HD simply stated. I think that it's a bit on the late side of motion controls' life cycle and so the Move isn't going to capture as much of an audience as if it had been released a year ago. Since there's not many titles that we're aware of for the Move, E3 would be a good time to show and demonstrate just why it's logical to go from the Wii to the PS3 or what the Move offers that the Wii can't. Despite the success of the Wii, I don't think that entering the motion market is really something that Sony and Microsoft needed to do but any attempt to get some gamers to adopt a console besides the Wii is good enough for them. So in summary, the Move needs good games in order to really stand out, otherwise it'll get ignored by Wii owners or overshadowed by Natal.

I tell ya, that's a smoke in the shape of Sweet Tooth!

Now onto the games.

Last year Sony emphasized a theme for their console: "only possible on ps3" as well as arguing that "it was all about the software." While I would agree that [exclusive] games do indeed set a system apart from another, it seems most people don't truly believe that as a recent Nielsen study showed that PS3's were being purchased for the Blu-Ray function rather than for the exclusives. So go figure, lol.

There's a bunch of rumors which most likely will come true (like last year's worst kept secret: PSP Go!). Among these: PSN premium service and a PSP2. The consensus seems that the PSN+ would allow for unlimited downloads of PS1 classics, and first dibs on Betas as well as unlimited media (videos) of some manner. There's also a recent confirmation of HBO shows coming to PSN for download. As far as a PSP2, rumors say that it will be touch screen but obviously w/a PSP button layout. Last year I heard about a Playstation phone and so perhaps this PSP2 will have call capabilities, we'll see.

As far as games, there's a lot of rumors about what we will see and what we may hear about. I'll jump to the summary now since this post is getting a bit tiresome (like your mom).

Summary for Sony at E3
-PSP2? Why should we buy it after the failure of the Go!?
-Premium Service, what is the right price and features?
-Confirmation of titles: Aside Killzone 3; Infamous 2, Resistance 3?
-Release date confirmations: Gran Turismo 5, Final Fantasy Versus XIII (is it still exclusive?), Final Fantasy XIV, Last Guardian or Agent trailers/gameplay?
-Jaffe's secret project: he says no new Twisted Metal yet we've been teased about the contrary. Given he's the man behind God of War 1 and the previous Twisted Metals I give him the benefit of the doubt that his newest product will be awesome
-Kojima's secret title(s): he used 'mecha' to describe a project he was working on (Zone of the Enders 3?)
-3d gaming: demo I guess?
-Titles for the Move

So as you can see, this year's E3 can be bigger than last years. A lot of things are being kept under wraps by all companies (as they should) and other things we've already come to confirm by now thanks to the internet. So hopefully i can come back and see where I predicted right and where I didn't.

Honorable Mentions:
-Capcom says it'll announce a 'bomb shell' of a title at this year's E3 (new Devil May Cry, new Onimusha? New Mega Man?)
-Virgin games may make a return. Yeah, that company that made games back in NES and I think some SNES games; also an airline. Their boss said he'd make an announcement at E3 so we'll see what announcement this is.
-New titles from Ubisoft, EA, Activision? Recall that Activision signed a contract w/Bungie so we may be seeing something new from the latter for all platforms. Also, Insomniac has confirmed a joint partnership w/EA to make some multiplats.

phew, so much to say. Thanks for reading friends.

Editorial: Final Fantasy XIII

2010-02-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

Hola amigos! It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. Today I will do an attempt at an editorial or a "a piece of writing intended to promote an opinion or perspective" according to Wikipedia.

Final Fantasy...

A legacy? A Franchise?...no, a business!

I will assume that everyone reading this has heard or is familiar in some way, shape, or form with this series. If not, head on over to Gametrailers.com and check out their "Retrospective" series of videos on various franchises. You'll be up to speed after watching them HERE.

A brief recap on my experience with this series (FF). My first FF title was FF3 which was actually the 6th installment in the series. I played it an emulator since the year was 1999 and thus the Playstation and Nintendo 64 era was well underway and thus Super Nintendo titles were becoming more popular on digital form rather than the physical cartridge. I got a taste of FFVII when visiting a friend's house where he played it on a PC but me being more of a racing or fighting aficionado, didn't take the game much into account. I got to play a demo of FFVIII after my purchase of Brave Fencer Musashi since it came packaged with the game. I believe the Squaresoft - Enix merger had not taken place yet.

Decent game.

My gaming activity then decreased around my teen years since I had to enter the workforce due to my parent's divorce. In the latter part of high school I got me a PS2 and with it GT3. Shortly after I got FFX per a friend's suggestion. The 11th installment did not draw my attention since 1) It had a $100 price tag and 2) I would have to get internet at home to play it. FFXII as far as I can remember took a while to release after FFXI and so I felt it was taking forever and when it finally did release I was busy with the God Of War and Onimusha series among others.

And that brings us to the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII.

Love it, hate it; you know you'll play it.

FFXIII was first announced at E3 in 2006. Having had all prior installments since VII on a Playstation console, it was pretty much given that this upcoming title would make its appearance on the upcoming Playstation 3 console. I won't go into the game's story since we all know that story is usually by default very good since it's one major component of the series that keeps it alive. At E3 2008 came an announcement that pretty much set forth a sentiment of sourness, loathing, dislike...basically something that has culminated in an ongoing fanboy battle to the never ending console wars of this generation.

I think it's safe to say that a good portion of people who purchased a PS3 did it with the intent of one day playing, what they had gotten accustomed to being, exclusives: Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, God of War, Final Fantasy, Ratchet and Clank, etc. I also think that it's safe to say that with the Xbox 360 not being a Japanese console, it's priority was the U.S. market and then the rest of the globe; thus the JRPG genre wasn't as prevalent on the console as it was on Sony's.

Up until E3 2008 you could probably expect the xbox fanboys' attitude towards FFXIII as one of uncaring. They saw FFXIII as an unappealing title since it wasn't an FPS (the craze at the time) and because them being 2 years after the initial trailer, PS3 fanboys had no real gameplay or footage on the game. PS3 fanboys manged to keep the hope alive thinking the wait would be well worth it. After E3 and the announcement of a title now going multiplatform, the attitude took a quick turn...

Almost overnight the attitude of the xbox camp became one of ridicule towards the ps3 camp. On the ps3 camp emerged a thought of betrayal and slight anger towards Square-Enix (SE). While most remained upset at SE, some (like yours truly) focused their attention to another title that was still 'exclusive': Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

Hope?

As of the date of this post, the title REMAINS a PS3 exclusive. In the months following E3, gamers would find out more about the title via gameplay footage, new trailers and an actual demo. The demo would come in the way of a bonus feature in the Advent Children Blu-Ray film. Obviously the aforementioned package did very well in Japan but not in the west where the demo would not be part of the film. In 2009 details emerged on the actual specifications of the game where Sony's console showed to be the ideal one to play the game in. Due to the storage limitations of DVDs when compared to Blu-Ray discs, FFXIII would come in multiple discs (3) on the Xbox while PS3 owners would just have 1 Blu-Ray in which the audio and video would be uncompressed unlike the Xbox port.

Early perceptions of the xbox port.

FFXIII released in Japan in December, 2009 and sold over 1.5 million copies on release week. SE had previously announced that despite the title going multiplat, Japan (Asian region) would only see the PS3 version of the title while the rest of the globe would get both versions; North America in March 2010.

We're currently about 1 month away from this title's release in the U.S. In the last couple of months there has been a growing sentiment of hate towards SE from the Sony camp. As an active surfer of game sites, I've been seeing the Sony camp in the last couple of weeks just showing no affection towards the title over 2 things: gameplay and content.

The hardcore JRPG followers don't seem content with FFXIII's gameplay. Apparently, in FFXIII you have an active turn battle format which hasn't been seen since FFX. Unlike FFX though, the player can only control 1 character at a time during battle. This doesn't sit well with those that have been following the series since its first installment on a Sony platform (FFVII) or those since its days on the Nintendo platforms. FF wasn't the first to implement turn battles but it was a big reason that they grew in popularity. Up until FFXI and XII, all encounters were turn based more or less while the aforementioned where more of an MMO battle style setup. People on the Sony camp feel that having control over 1 character doesn't make the game feel like a true FF title since it takes away the tactical element and thus lowering the need to formulate a strategy.

Doesn't look like they're taking turns...

Content is the 2nd major component for loathing of this title by the Sony camp. SE's multiplat announcement was followed by details of the North American and European releases: both versions would be developed so as to be near identical (as is the case with any multiplat). The Sony fans took this as another way to say that the PS3 version would be 'held back' due to the xbox's storage limitation and perhaps graphics capabilities. Many were let down when they realized that Japanese voices wouldn't be an option on the American version since the audio on the xbox would be compressed and so a 2nd audio option was out of the question. Then, in January it was discovered (via internet leaks and such) that there was content cut out of the game. This content was apparently substantial since it could almost have been its own game. Sony followers saw this as the utmost sign of the xbox's limitations and the result on the PS3 being held back. Some claimed that the lack of towns and NPCs in the game was tied to the DVD's storage limitations. I don't believe one should blame it all on the DVD since the content was apparently set for PS3 hardware. Many speculate this content will come back via Downloadable Content.

As far as the xbox camp, I haven't seen how they're reacting to all this. I've seen some show much eagerness to get to play an FF title on their console. It is apparent that JRPGs haven't been that successful on Microsoft's console this generation, but this one may change that. I've also seen that those that own both consoles will obviously opt to purchase the PS3 version. It's safe to say that Microsoft anticipated that owners of multiple consoles would get the PS3 version and for those that own neither, they'd buy a PS3 to play the title now that the PS3 has been enjoying good sales from its price cut, thus enter:

xbox + 2 controllers + game = $399 bargain!

Earlier this week the FFXIII bundle was leaked (now confirmed). A PS3 bundle was released in Japan back at the end of 2009 but no indications of it coming to the U.S. Will this bundle push units? Only time will tell.

My thoughts on this issue:
Let me start off by saying that though I can side with the fanboys on how things have played out, when I take a step back and see this through a different perspective I can't really blame Microsoft or Square-Enix that much because simply stated, these companies are running a business. By bringing this long awaited title to an already successful franchise on more than 1 platform you are clearly increasing your potential revenue. Then, by bundling it with your console you are strategically trying to get people to get your version despite claims that it will be the 'inferior' one. Often, gamers will forget that gaming is indeed a business and so sometimes actions will be taken as bad or wrong as they seem; just look at how much the FPS and the Music game playing cows have been milked. Yes, many get tired of seeing iterations of the same titles over and over. However, as long as the average consumer, the 'masses,' keep on buying those titles, they will keep getting produced on a yearly basis. Many ridiculed the Wii for being non-HD and with last gen graphics but look at where that strategy got them; it was Nintendo's business decision to keep the console on a low spec setup since most people were not ready to go into the HD TV market and motion control would be their thing.

He will outsell any FPS...what would a Mario FPS look like? (mindblown!)

Any who, going into March I will say that FFXIII will get a place in my library on release week. In playing other JRPGs (Demon's Souls and White Knight Chronicles) I have realized that SE is not the only good JRPG maker out there. I'm not done with WKC and I'm eager to hear about the sequel that is in the works. I will remain optimistic and hope a 2nd Demon's Souls gets made. Like the Sony fans that took most of their attention from XIII to Versus XIII, I am eagerly awaiting actual gameplay and more footage on this title that's remained quite a mystery ever since it was announced.

I'll briefly mention that FFXIV is supposedly set to launch sometime this year and is more or less a sequel to XI which means online MMO action for those that are into it. Announced as a PS3 and PC exclusive at E3 2009, it has lately been seen that the title will be going to the xbox as well. Yes, this is probably not a surprise to those that believe SE is a sellout (like your mom).

So to end this now lengthy post. I think people from both sides should end their bickering and just buy the game on whichever console they believe will give them the best experience. Yes, it sucks that FF will no longer be exclusive to the console that saw it come along in technology and story or gameplay innovation. BUT let's not forget that Nintendo was home to FF before it moved to Sony's platforms.

In any event, SE is a business whether you like it or not. Final Fantasy XIII will be a great title to grace us in 2009 among others. Like it for its visuals or hate it for its gameplay, it will always be branded and sit alongside the long list of FF titles.

Lets hope Versus remains exclusive and shows off what FFXIII could have been.

I now leave you with the last GoW 3 trailer before launch. Why? Cause it's fucking awesome (like your mom).

ciao!

Amigo's Review: The Book of Eli

2010-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Hello friends!

It's been a while since my last movie review, but hopefully we'll have more in this new year. I probably should have done a review of Avatar but if you haven't seen it by this point then shame on you because as someone who doesn't see too much movies there's no excuse that there's a movie I have seen and you haven't...that plus it's one of the better films I've seen in a while. I digress.

Pictured: the future...

Premise: The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic earth. There is not much talk about how/when the world got to this point but the idea is that one day (30+ years prior to the film) there was a great 'flash' that pretty much wiped out most of civilazion. I will assume the flash was either a cause of a solar flare that penetrated the earth's atmosphere or that we nuked ourselves...probably the latter.

The story follows a man, Eli, (Denzel Washington) who is headed west (USA most likely) and along the way you find out that most people either live in small towns or as nomads trying to find food and water to stay alive. Along his journey, Eli comes across a town that is run by a literate man who has men at his disposal to do his dirty work. This man is in search of a book that will give him complete control over all people he encounters (most people are illiterate) since he will use the book as a way of instilling their minds with that which is essentially religion.

No, not this book...but save it though.

An encounter with Eli reveals that both the head mob guy and Eli are the only ones that are literate (as far as they know). The mob guy manages to discover that Eli carries a book which after described by a servant girl hints at being the same book he seeks for power. Eli however has no plans to stick around the town nor hand over the book and a pursuit of this wandering man soon ensues.

Around this same time, an unwanted follower, the girl that snitched on Eli (Mila Kunis), joins the journey and then we are set for a showdown between good and evil.

<>
Pros:
+Good picture: most of the movie has a hint of "nothingness"; the clouds and landscapes are dull in color, nothing bright or colorful, it's like everything is just a shade of brown or grey.
+Good action sequences: though not many, they're pretty good and Denzel pulls it off nicely (like your mom)
+Good story overall

Cons:
-Not enough background: I would have liked more info or perhaps some flash back to how the world got to that point
-Not enough action sequences: (see above); I could have used more
-Ending could have been 'different' or not presented in a semi cliffhanger sense.

Overall I thought it was a good film that people should consider watching if they like some drama, a little action and an interesting story about the future and how people behave and survive.

This movie gets 4.0 out of 5.0 of my mexican rocking beans

2009: +/- and a look into 2010

2009-12-30T17:50:00.000-08:00

Hello friends. As this year comes to an end, I'm taking a look back (to the best of my memory) at the events that transcended this year and then I'll talk a little about what I hope or expect to see/get in 2010 (besides your mom).

Pictured: Overall a great year.

Going into 2010 my ps3 was still 'fresh' and getting broken in () since I had just purchased it on Black Friday 2008. Upon purchase of my console I also bought Rock Band 2 (whole set) and a Greatest Hit version of Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Those two titles would keep me afloat and entertained going into 2009. Up to this day I still play Rock Band 2 given the great amount of DLC that I've taken advantage of: Boston pack, Foo Fighters pack, Queen Pack and some single songs here and there (REO Speedwagon, Journey to name a few).

Maybe I should go back; I'm like 80% done and Demon's Souls has 'toughened' me up...

Sometime in January and February I made my first purchase of 2009: Burnout Paradise. The game was a nice $20 and the Burnout series has never let me down. This game was no exception. I won't go into details on the game (that'd take too long) so lets move on. Shortly after I purchased Resistance 2 and so began "R-2" online co-op nights with good friends. At the end of February I added a second FPS to my collection: Killzone 2. Sometime in April I added a game to my collection that really "kicked" my online gaming into action:

Pictured: Ah how I miss arcades...

Then it got a little 'dry' since there weren't many games out and I got busy at work. Then came E3 (won't go into that much) and along with the summer I got a hold of a great sandbox game: inFamous. This game was 'addicting' to say the least. I don't recall what my last sandbox title had been prior to inFamous (screw you, overrated GTAIV). End of summer into fall, there was another 'dry' period and then well into Fall and winter I again got a hold of some great titles: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Assassin's Creed II, God of War Collection, Demon's Souls and of course the game of the year:

Yes, it's that fucking good!

During the year I also had some great titles via the Playstation Network: Fat Princess, Pixeljunk Monsters, Flower, FFVII, Castlevania and some demos/betas: MAG, Bayonetta, Dante's Inferno, God of War 3, Need for Speed Shift, Gran Turismo 5.

Needless to say, 2009 has been a year filled with many great games (which at 60 bucks a pop most times adds up). I don't want to get too much into a debate on console sales but if you don't think that individual games can move consoles (especially exclusives *cough FFXIII *cough) then 2010 will prove you wrong.

So looking at 2010 it looks like this long list of great games released per year will continue. My current 'wish list' is as follows:
-God of War 3
need I say more? I pre-ordered this during summer 2008 (yes, before buying a ps3) and after just finishing the demo I am more thrilled to be on the pre-order list for the collector's edition
-Gran Turismo 5
I could go on about this title, but I'll save it for a post later on when the game releases next summer
-Final Fantasy XIII
it sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan on release day, I believe as of today its upwards of 2 million+ and it's only been about 1 week. Yes, it won't be exclusive to ps3 outside Japan BUT let me just say that in this day and age, some people get real picky as far as graphics and such so to know that the ps3 version won't have compressed files like the 3 disc xbox version, it's pretty much a given that if you have both consoles you get the ps3 version, otherwise you get a ps3.
-Heavy Rain
I had never heard of Indigo Prophecy until recently but apparently Heavy Rain will be just like that but more 'modern' and 'new.' There is a lot of mystery/unknown behind the game as far as how it will actually play out (All quick time events, all cinematics?) these unknowns make us or at least me, want the game more. I have a feeling this game will be on a genre all on its own and it will bring the idea of a movie/tv show and video game closer together as 1 medium.
-MAG
see my post on the Beta feedback
-White Knight Chronicles
recently there's been a growing number of RPG titles hitting current consoles: Demon's Souls, Dragon Age: Origins, Lost Odyssey?. 2010 will start off with this great title that should have been in 09. Heck, the sequel is already in the works
-Last Guardian
No, I haven't played ICO and I've seen Shadow of the Colossus, BUT I know a good game when I see one and this one has me quite interested in the same manner as Heavy Rain since we've only seen but a trailer for this title.

The following games are 'uncertain' as to whether they will hit store shelves in 2010 but if they can, then awesome:
Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Resistance 3, Unannouced Square-Enix title that's been "requested by people/press for a long time", Rockstar's Agent.

And as far as multiplats: Dante's Inferno, Bayonetta (if they fix framerates), Batman 2 (working title), Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands, Rock Band 3.

So as you can see, there's quite a bit of exclusives and some multiplats that should keep all types of gamers happy. One thing to note though is that most of these titles are to be released before the summer of 2010 which makes me wonder what to look forward to in the 2nd half of the year but then again, I'm sure E3 2010 will answer that question.

Again, I won't go into hardware talk much, but do keep in mind that we'll probably be seeing the motion technology and related games kick into gear sometime in 2010. Here's to having another great year as far as gaming. Thanks to my readers, about 3 strong and counting.

Have a safe and happy new years!

Beaner Preview: Dante's Inferno

2009-12-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

'Sup peeps?!

I just got finished playing a demo for the upcoming action title "Dante's Inferno."

Pictured: "God of War Ripoff" - Ranting Pikey

Publisher EA brings us this action title from Viceral games which will land store shelves (or Amazon.com) in February 2010.

So the premise is that you take control of a soldier named Dante during the 12th century. I haven't brushed up on my history in a while, but it involves the time when the crusades (can't recall which one) tried to take back 'the Holy Land' from the likes of Saladin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saladin). As a native Florentine (sp), you are set to fight against the forces of Saladin with no worry about the people you kill since your bishop has pardoned all/and future of your sins in the name of the greater good of God.

Pictured: Next Gen graphics were available back in the day

So the demo kicks off with you fending off some foes as you make your way through a castle. How and why you're there isn't explained. You simply realize you have to kill them or they will kill you. After the first wave you find yourself on an open field (you can easily tell a boss battle on the way). Some random dude comes and stabs you in the back, and all of a sudden Death or "the Reaper" appears (I think the two were in on it) and a battle ensues between you and this character. You obviously realize that you have to win, given most of Death's taunts pretty much imply you are going to win: "You can not cheat Death" or "You are just a mortal, give up"

Pictured: Hell's version of American Indians; they threaten you, so you take what's theirs.

The battle (which is uber Easy) rewards you with Death's scythe and then a cut scene ensues: You flash back to your Florentine town where you enlist in aiding to Gods call. In the process you apparently make a promise to your gurl that you will return (and presumably resist the urge to find pleasure elsewhere which we know is NEVER gonna happen). You find the town and local church trashed and then you see your gurl wasn't lucky enough to be spared. Her death which then brings about her spirit being able to talk to you as it gets taken by some 'evil' force triggers the next part of the demo where you begin collecting "souls" ala Devil May Cry/God of War. As you gain these souls you can upgrade moves, your weapon and later on you learn magic.

That's the overall gist of it, at least from what the demo held. Gameplay wise, it's like any other action hack and slash game. The controls are quite responsive and actions such as blocking are well executed in the middle of combos unlike say God of War. The demo seemed to run very well with no signs of too much action going on at once which may cause some frame issues. It does very well in delivering a pleasurable experience (like your mom).

God of War Ripoff?
The quick answer: Yes and No. Though more towards the former camp. Right off the bat there's the HUD display (icons/bars you see on your screen).

Pictured: Imitation or Forgery?

It doesn't end there either, the other major resemblance was with the health/magic 'sources.' In God of War there are health/soul/magic chests that serve as replenishment points along the game. Health chests glow green, magic blue and soul red. Dante's sources of replenishment are fountains that flow different color liquids; green is health, purple is magic, orange is souls. You be the judge.

Final Thoughs:

God of War game play copy aside, the game's story is one to draw interest for those that are either fans of the works by the real Dante. The game promises a journey through the circles of hell which may prove fun and action packed. The demo, which was over 1GB in size, took me about 10-15 minutes to finish. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but I can tell that the game is easy overall, then again I was playing on the 2nd difficulty setting (other settings were not available), or maybe I've been toughened due to my recent playing of Demon's Souls.

Pictured: this game will kick your ass, feed it back to you and then send you back to the 8-bit era.

I think for newcomers to this genre (if any), the game will certainly fulfill their action needs. As a God of War follower I see it as an alternative to God of War though not one that will take its place, at least with this installment. I realize the demo doesn't show the whole game and such, but just from playing I think that it'll be a good game and if it follows along with the demo it can at least make a good statement for EA. Though the gameplay feels very contained as far as the action scenes, there's plenty going on that you are kept busy. At the end of the demo I will point out that the scenes of the game as a whole (trailer style) were quite 'bad' in that they weren't in the same quality as the CG scenes in the demo, they seemed like they were enlarged/upscaled from a 480 quality which didn't look too good. I figured as your last part of the demo, you should keep the quality high. But that's just minor, I'm sure the final product will be just as the demo.

In case you're unaware, PS3 owners will get the 'Divine' Edition of the game come February at no extra cost to the regular $59.99 tag. Why? Well, if you can't deduce that God of War III releases in March, EA needs something to entice PS3 owners. Xbox owners, well, they don't have a comparable game to God of War so this game is as close as they can currently get, thus no need to throw in the art book or extra goodies that we will find in our Divine Edition.

Next preview: hopefully Bayonetta.

Beaner Preview: MAG

2009-12-02T18:13:00.001-08:00

Ahoy hoy peeps,

it's been a while but time goes on. Today I'm going to be giving my feedback and opinion on the upcoming PS3 exclusive "MAG" or "Massive Action Game" for those who don't know.

It has such a "Massive" potential.

Expected to release on January 26, 2010 (North America) this title hopes to achieve what to my knowledge no current console game has done with it's online experience. You see, the feature that I consider will set MAG apart from other First Person Shooters (FPS) i.e.: the "Call of Duty," "SOCOM," "Counter Strike," etc. is the ability to have 256 players online in 1 match. 8 players will form a squad and 4 squads will then make up a platoon and then the platoons will make up the whole company.

I won't go into all the game mechanics and such as I've just recently tried the BETA and thus can't what all the final features will be in the final product. I do know the 3 available classes will remain in the game, but nothing more can/has been confirmed.

As far as what I have experienced in the Beta demo I would summarize the game as being fun/chaotic like Resistance 2 online (60 player matches), thrown in with some Killzone 2 style gameplay modes (objectives to capture/protect a building/item(s)) and then action similar to your typical FPSs. The controls are great as far as responsiveness and being able to aim. Similar to Resistance (may be the case in other games, just that I haven't played many FPSs), when you are gunned down you remain slightly alive and you can then be healed (by a medic) which requires you wait there and hear your player yelling for a medic, or you can simply hit (x) and you will 'bleed to death' which is basically the game's way of having you opt to respawn.

As I mentioned before, the game gives you objectives to complete within the given time limit. In the session I joined, my team had to take control of and secure 2 sites (A and B). The clock started at 30 minutes. About 20 minutes in we had taken site B and were in the process of seizing A but then the tug of war began. We'd start losing B but then take A or retake B but lose A. It reminded me of "Fat Princess" because you get to a point where it's just back and forth and you're so close. However, the stalemate just made the overall feeling one of 'pumped up' anxiety to complete the mission.

Overall though I was quite impressed that a demo could provide such amount of fun.

As far as what I didn't like or wish they fix for the final product I'd say joining game(s) would be one. I had to wait in the lobby for about 15 min. before a game began simply because there were about 120 of us regular class in comparison to about 30 of what I call gang/terrorist group and about 20 of the private organization group. Also since you're part of an 8 man squad, you can only communicate (head set) to those other players. I'm hoping that in the final product perhaps team leaders can communicate with other team leaders so as to plan together for the greater mission.

Final Thoughts:

Sorry Jerry, didn't mean to copy your line...

MAG has good potential despite what I consider to be a current supersaturation of FPS titles for current consoles. If they can work out the bugs (most I believe have already) and deliver that 256 player experience then I'm sure it'll have a decent amount of success which may make it stand out among the other shooter titles.

Next time, hopefully Dante's Inferno demo preview

Remake or Continuation of Classics V

2009-10-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY
------------------------------------

Hello amigos, it's been a while since I did a segment such as the one that is underway. Your fellow amigo beaner has been busy with work, lazy time, and UNCHARTED EFFIN 2! But I digress. Today we look at a game that I consider was a system seller for the SNES: Donkey Kong Country.

Pictured: A system seller...cause it was ONLY for Nintendo (as seen on box)

The reason I say 'system seller' is because as far as I can recall, the game was bundled with new SNES when it came out. Not many games got that honor, the only other ones I remember are Super Mario World (no duh), and Killer Instinct (see previous RCC blog entry). Back in the golden age of Platforming Awesomeness, a game needed to have traits that would make it stand out above the rest. Just like we have to many frigging FPS now a days, platformers dominated the 16-bit era; unlike FPSs from now-a-days, platformers back then were so varied and offered so many possibilities that people weren't getting the same iteration over and over getting ripped off for a rehashed pile of recycled crap.

Pictured: no, your eyes aren't lying to you, that indeed IS what recycled crap looks like

Now where to open this can of awesomeness? Let's begin with the graphics: as stated in the box the adventure was 3-D which back in the day was a new tech. that developers were toying with. Now despite the 3-D aspect, the gameplay being platformer by nature was more of a 2-D style though the objects and backgrounds did stand out as not 2-Ds like others (though not 3-D-ish in my opinion). The mechanics on the gameplay were top notch. Unlike crappy platformers where the characters defyied physics via bad controls/invisible pixels, DK had awesome controls that were responsive and precise, the polished graphics made it awesome to just look at from time to time.

As far as the story line, you played as Donkey or Diddy Kong, yes you had a choice to play as either one, it didn't matter. Characters were switched at any point, so long as you had both of them. In essence you had 2 lives and if either character got taken out, you could get that character back by finding a barrel labeled 'DK.'

Throughout the game you also had the chance to use several awesome animals which added both fun and unique which wasn't found with other games at the time.

Pictured: best helpers ever, kiss off YOSHI

If you noticed from the video, another epic win for this game was the MUSIC. The mix of 16-bit goodness with the rhythm of a fast paced platformer and the mix of a jungle beat made it a winning game. The levels and the boss fights were both difficult yet fun. I specifically remember the fun jungle levels at the beginning to the minecart-riding levels, to the various underwater levels that were frustrating yet fun (like your mom). The final boss (croc named King K. Rool) was a memorable fight for all reasons mentioned on why the game was awesome.

Aw, such an awesome game...

Now, I know that there were 2 sequels and even though Donkey was absent in them (as far as I know), Diddy just didn't cut it for me. I never got into the 2nd installment and so I didn't even consider the 3rd so for me there's only 1 GOOD Donkey Kong.

Pictured: what? a DK game? no, I don't see it.

When the N64 came around I wasn't too enthusiastic to get one given my biggest peeve for it was it's controller. As I went into the Playstation park, I didn't play the N64 installment of DK so I can't say how it was. But back to the main point of this segment: WE NEED A NEW DONKEY KONG! I know he and Diddy made appearances on Mario Kart(s) and Super Smash Bros, but I've yet to see them on new consoles in their own game. It's not like it's difficult to draw up a story for them to take part in. Granted if a game came out, it'd most likely be on the Wii, but that'd make like 4 good games for the Wii which may entice me to get one.

So please RARE, make it happen. This makes 2 RARE games on my list (Killer Instinct being the first) by the way.

A Remake of Donkey Kong gets my Chuck Norris Thumb of Approval!

Ask the AFC: Your Take on Premarital Sex?

2009-10-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

Good evening fellow readers/bloggers,

It's time for another installment of Ask the AFC. We had quite a bit of positive feedback from our last segment (no surprise since this is AFC we're talking about), that we decided to talk to the man that gives it to us with no hidden surprises.

We caught up with our boy o'wonder in a very prestigious and exclusive bar in the heart of Manhattan, New York.

AFC's got lasers!!!!!

We realized (like always) that his time is valuable and so we got right down to this weeks topic: Premarital Sex.

Hey AFC!
Oi!

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. This week's topic is premarital sex. What is your take on it?
Don't do it.

Ok, what else?
Just don't do it.

Fair enough. AFC everyone...

And thus with that, our insight into the neutral mindset took off to another club nearby where he was going to chill with a list of country singers that were in town that day. Yes, the interview was that short (no pun intended) but like always, the man goes right to the point and takes care of the business at hand (like your mom).

Remember friends, if you have suggestions for more questions on this and other of Amigo's segments just drop a message or comment. 'Til next time.

What Grinds My Gears II

2009-09-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

Registering To Post A Comment

Hello once again amigos! It's been a while since this segment has been on this platform, but oh well. Today we discuss the frustration and time consuming process of registering on a website just so that you can post a comment.

Today I found myself at Gamepro.com (per Google Reader link shared by my good friend Ranting Pikey). The link was for an article titled "Top 10 Games You Need for a Playstation 3 (PS3)" and naturally as most of you know me or sometimes label me as a 'sony fanboy' I was curious to see what, if any, games were on their list...

Pictured: Site now on my 'dislike' list...almost as bad as Kotaku

Now, without going into too much detail or making this a pure gaming post, I'll just cut to the chase. The list of games that 'NEEDED' to be in ps3 owners' libraries were all MULTIPLATFORM with the exception of 2 or 3 (Fat Princess, inFAMOUS). Honestly, why would you recommend games for a system if they look or play better on another? If it's a PS3 list why not have PS3 exclusive only games?

Man is this game fun!!!

After thinking it over and counting to 10...twice! I realized I would not be content until I got some form of satisfaction (like your mom). That's when I decided I'd just leave them a note on how the list does not pertain well to the title of their article. I figured my input was just as good as any other persons as feedback is usually not taken too heavily, especially on gaming sites. Well, that's when I ran into a problem...

Are you serious??????

Yes, in order to post anything I had to register with the site. W...T...F? It took me about 2 minutes to fill out their b.s. application, then another 2 minutes for their confirmation email to hit my mailbox. So 5 minutes later I'm finally able to make 'a' comment. That's 5 minutes that I should NOT have had to take. Friends, do sites really gain anything from having people register? I mean, sure they want to make sure that people don't spam their message boards or forums, but aside from that it's not like people get rewarded from becoming members. Such a waste of time...my Beaner time! lol

By the way here is my post (once I finally got it to post):

Pictured: Partial Satisfaction...

Notice Exhibit A where I ask them how to get out of there; Exhibit B you'll notice a thumbs up on my comment. Yes, I didn't care if I was only making 1 post, I thumbed myself up(not in a perverse way).

Considering all the time I spend surfing the web during my days and nights, I'm surprised I haven't encountered more situations like these because I'm guessing it's more common than I think, but I had not gotten this stirred up about an article in a while and so I guess that's why I'm addressing it now and not a while back. Oh well, i guess things eventually come around (like your mom).

And that my friends:

Ask the AFC: Are Filesharing/Torrent sites Bad?

2009-09-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Hello peeps!

I would like to introduce a new segment to this week: Ask the AFC. Here we will talk, debate, sometimes argue over random things, events, what have you. As far as why I picked AFC for this segment, simple: he gives it to you straight and to the point, you don't get B.S. answers leading around the issue, no sir. This man will tell you how it is (from his viewpoint which is usually very neutral or 'the norm'), 'nuff said. My side notes/commentary are in blue.Let's start...

This week we caught up with AFC in the beaches of New Zealand:

Stay classy AFC...

He took some time off his precious schedule to discuss this week's topic. The following is a transcript (shortened at some parts) of our dialogue:

What is your view on downloading files via torrents/fileshare?
you may as well take your computer to a free STD clinic afterward
If you can't tell, AFC tries to make us educated in medical terminology. I had to look up what an 'STD' was and lemme tell you, he knows what he's talking about.

Can you elaborate?
those kind of file sharing websites are NOTORIOUS for being loaded with lots of viruses and spyware

First, the filesharing programs, are you aware of them? if so, any that you can name?
not really, I've never had a reason to search them out; kazzaa and limewire I've heard of
He forgot ARES (my personal favorite), as well as BearShare

Pictured: AFC wants NO part in this...too sour for his taste

Now the fact that files are 'shared' via a client, similar to as 2 friends through a chat client, does that make the program bad?
in theory no, but the reality is they are NOT shared because the media never has to be returned and both parties can use it at the same time
But what if people rent it?

On a tangent off that, do you think physical media will one day become obsolete?
the reason digial media is being jammed down our throats is to eliminate things like loaning the games to friends and resellers like Gamestop. But by and large, I don't know many people who prefer purely digital media. I'd much rather have a physical copy. That being said...I think it'll be more of an equilibrium
I agree with him on this one. Despite a lot of things going digital, we're not at a point where every consumer can download Gigabytes of data in minutes, no, it takes hours. I also think there's too many people who enjoy the sense of having a tangible source of media.

Let's talk about websites or Torrent providers you said early on they carry viruses and malicious software?
they're well known for it. I don't use em so I don't ask about them so I don't know about them

Alright, next i'm going to give you some 'scenarios' and I'd like to see if the actions are justified w/filesharing...

scenario a) Let's say you bought the latest Garth Brooks CD somehow it gets misplaced (cause AFC doesn't lose things...ever) Since you paid for a copy, would it be fair for you to obtain the content via fileshare/torrents?
arguably yes. But you and I both know situations like that NEVER happen. It may have happened twice in the history of the Internet. It would be easier and wiser to find someone else who had bought the CD and burn a copy

finally scenario B) you stumble upon a CD (via torrent/fileshare) of an artist that no longer records and whose CDs you can't find in any major online or physical retailer would filesharing/torrents be 'ok' to use?
I suppose that falls into the same logic I used when I downloaded emulators of only nes, genesis, and snes but really, outside of mexican tuba/accordian band how often does that happen?
Oh AFC, you know me too well... :'-)

Well, he had me there. And thus concluded our conversation. AFC everyone...

For those that wish a topic to be discussed on 'Ask the AFC' simply email or leave your feedback. He's a busy man but I'm sure he can find time for his fans, or your mom (zing!).

Amigo's Review: The Final Destination (3d)

2009-09-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post, but oh well. Today we look at a recent movie release:

Pictured: vomit

So this weekend, yours truly and some comrades went up to the Twin Cities (awesome weekend), and while there our schedule made it difficult to catch a showing of 'Inglorious Basterds' or 'District 9' so we opted for what we thought was an alternative...plus the sound of a 3d horror film sounded 'new' and 'different' but in a good way. Thus we embarked on a journey to which I wish we had not gone.

Premise: For those unfamiliar with the series (like myself), the premise behind this series is the following: random person is able to foresee catastrophic, horrific events that involve mass amounts of people and objects just making an endless long chain of events that trigger something which causes people to die in very obsucre and sometimes cruel ways.

With that said, most of the movie obviously revolves around the protagonist trying to figure out why he's having weird visions or dreams and he finally realizes he's seeing how people will die next, but the problem is that he has to find the people first to help them avoid death in hopes of breaking this 'chain' since people (survivors of initial mass death) are dying in the order they were 'supposed' to die.

Obviously this being a horror film, there are plenty of deaths. I won't spoil it much but don't be too surprised with the ending. This film reminded me of the 'Saw' series (Saw > Final Destination in my opinion); however, unlike 'Saw' this series relies too much on things and certain triggers coming together in a perfect timing/alingment sort of like when 'all the stars align in the skies' which to me seemed to be their biggest flaw and thus their downfall. I mean, the deaths in 'Saw' are gruesome too but they don't require you to believe many things other than 'oh crap, it's a puzzle of death.'

Now don't get me wrong, there were some good aspects of the film.

Good aspect of the film

At times it seemed that the film did show lots of promise (like your mom); you felt a sense of suspense because you knew something sudden was coming but you didn't know when. Also, the 3d factor was a good way of seeing the deaths and getting a better sense of 'depth' so as to make the screen jump out (duh).

However, the overall film (which was short in my opinion; about 1hr and a half it seemed like) didn't capitalize on giving that 'horror' feel. If you take out the long detailed death scenes which are rewound and then played over again, you get a story that could probably have been told in 10 minutes. I haven't seen that many 3d films but I can say this is no 'Beuwulf' or that ride at Hong Kong Disnelyand which was awesome less mainlanders.

<>
Pros:
+3d adds new way of seeing death
+Hot chicks
+Crazy deaths

Cons:
-no real story
-not that scary
-too 'fake'; not all the things that are triggered would actually happen in real life
-not the best acting I've seen; no big name stars
-final destination cow has been milked too much

Overall, I don't think I got my $13 worth. Though I could have kept the glasses, why would I keep them? They would serve me no real purpose. Unless you're a fan of the series, put it on your last resort movie if you get to the theaters and there's no other movies playing at that time.

This movie gets 2.5 out of 5.0 of my mexican rocking beans

Remake or Continuation of Classics IV

2009-08-10T19:01:00.001-07:00

ADVENTURE ISLAND
-----------------------------

It's another great edition of RCC. This week we're taking a look at a platformer which I first played in the arcades and then on my home console and now a days in my emulator: Adventure Island.

Now, I believe this game first made its appearance in the arcades but I remember seeing it on the NES more frequently. In any event, it was part of the big trend back then which was 'platformers.' Given the success of our beloved plumbers: Mario and his green attired brother (sidekick nobody), many games tried to capitalize on the success of a platformer and so the platforming cow kept giving and giving whilst companies kept milking and milking.

Pictured: the source of Chocolate Milk, nice and fresh!

Unlike the treatment of cows now-a-days (fuck you Activision), back then companies knew when enough milking was enough, but I digress. Adventure Island was what it said: an adventure...on an island. You took control of a leaf/hula skirt, shirtless, cap wearing dude whose feet were in constant motion. You didn't really get any 'plot' which was common with platformers at the time. You basically (as a gamer) knew that you had to from left to right and that was the idea. Plus the cover was like many NES covers: very demanding of your imagination and very good at sucking you into buying what 'seemed' as a great game...in this case it was.

Just look at it: you, on a dinosaur with a boomerang...with sea creatures, UFOs, volcanoes...I want this game!

Published by Hudson Soft, this game was indeed a fun filled adventure. Again, like many others of its time, its difficulty level wasn't for n00bs. Without access to the internet back then for tips, walkthroughs, or strategies there was nothing left to do but take the game like a man and just keep trying. As seen in the footage, the object of the game wast to get to the end of the level before the health meter ran out of juice which you could replenish along the way by eating the different fruits you came along. Your primary weapon was a hammer/rock thingamagig which could later be upgraded to shoot out more per throw. You also could stumble upon boomerangs which in my opinion were the better weapon.

You also had the chance to obtain a skateboard in some levels...yes, a skateboard on an island, NICE! With it you could move quicker obviously but as soon as you got hit or stumbled on one of the many rocks in your path (which could be destroyed w/upgraded hammers/boomerangs). It took practice but if you could master the skateboard you could practically ride it all the way through (like your mom).

And so, this first installment was so good (I presume) that they released a sequel for it on the Godly SNES.

Wow, now it's 'SUPER'...mine carts, tiki men chasing you, dragons, more boomerang...shit, I want this one too!

Once again, Hudson published this installment and in the arcades it was such a success...at least, the arcades I played it at, which was back in Home Country.

Me back in home country...break dancers aint got shit on me

I remember as a kid the amount of tokens the locals had to spend the first time a group of them played the game through entirely...it was a lot. However, once they saw all levels once, it was a matter of time before secret levels, lives and shortcuts were discovered. As far as the gameplay, I could play the game over and over. I'll admit that after beating it a couple of times, the levels seem 'short' but it's so much fun that it doesn't matter. The story, which this game did have unlike it's predecessor was your typical "rescue the damsel":

As you can see, the graphics for the time were nice and colorful, but in my opinion it was the music that really made the game great.

Yes, it was relevant to show the whole game in it's awesomeness and yes, our friend does get some luvin as any hero would...except for Link.

'nuff said

So in closing, Adventure Island is something that we or I, would like to see redone or continued. Now a days there's not that many platformers so it wouldn't have too much competition. Personally, I think we've gone into a trend where now a days it's all about shooters and iterations of same shit in new packages (fuck you again Activision). The game has so much random crazy things that result in an overall fun experience. As seen in gameplay vids above, the guy eats fruit to stay alive, and whilst skateboarding he wears protective gear...food, safe skating, what else do mothers want from a video game? Please mothers, don't answer that.

So yeah, this game gets my Chuck Norris Thumb of Approval!

Amigo's Review: Fat Princess

2009-08-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's my first video game/movie/what have you review...

Last Thursday, July 30th, 2009 the Playstation Network released the long awaited (by those of us 'informed' gamers) "Fat Princess." Seen at E3 and hyped for a good reception, this long awaited download can simply be described as: Fun, Addictive, Hilarious, Cheesy, Frustrating, and overall: "lol." Yes, I know 'lol' isn't really an adjective but in my opinion (which is the one that matters in this site), the term suits the game very well. So, let's get started.

Premise: Fat Princess is basically a simple "Capture the Flag" game but with twists...and you don't have to do any physical exercise which is a plus. Anyways, you're assigned to either the Blue team or the Red team (you can switch teams after each match if you so desire). As far as the scenarios/settings go, you can start off in a typical wooden area, a shipwrecked beach stage, a hot lava/volcanic stage, a rocky cliff stage, a simple meadows stage, or a deserty stage (I'm sure there are others but I can't recall them). Teams start opposite each other inside their castle walls. When you start, your avatar (which is customizeable) is guided (by you) to pick up any of the hats lying by their respective machine workshops:

Worker

This guy is the resource gatherer (wood and stone), he makes it possible to upgrade other characters' classes as well as the one who makes it possible for you to build your castle gates (or repair them), your catapult (which in some stages flings you right to the opposing castle), bridges (that only your team can cross), and ladders (used to get into enemy castle). He can later upgrade into a Pyro/Bomber who carries infinite bombs and useful when fully charged. (Fully Charged attacks are performed by holding/charging the square button).

Warrior

Your muscle and power land attacker. Warriors are quick, agile and very responsive to attacks/blocks. You begin with a warrior bearing shield and sword but later on you can upgrade them to a warrior that carries pike and shield. Though pikes deal more damage, they are slower and take longer to charge for a heavy attack.

Mage

Mages or Wizards as you may call them, are your 'mass control' units. When charged, they deal damage to opponents that are within their circle of reach. You begin with a fire mage who can later get upgraded to an Ice mage who is great in slowing down opponents, especially when escorting your troop(s) that are carrying the princes(sses).

Archer

Archers are obviously your long range unit (However, mages too can shoot long range though with weaker attacks). Archers have the longest reach and can later be upgraded to Gunmen who sport an old school musket that when fully charged for a heavy attack deals 3 shots at once in a "<" pattern to cover more area.

Priest

Priests are the healers in your team. They can either heal individually (great as a backup when leading an attack), or when fully charged they heal comrades within their reach circle. Later on they can be upgraded to what I call a 'Dark' priest who leeches health off the enemy individually or within his circle reach when fully charged.

The Princesses

These are the 'flags' of the game. You begin with the opposing princess in your castle cell/dungeon. To wint the game you need both princesses in your castle: one in the throne and one locked up. Whilst you upgrade your stations/classes andt try to infiltrate the enemy castle, you can have any team member grab a slice of cake and give it to the enemy princess who will down it with much hunger (like your mom). The more cake you feed her, the more difficult it will be for the opposing team to carry her fat ass over to their castle.

And that pretty much sums up the set up. As far as gameplay, it is extremely fun even with bots who are actually quite good, but overall games can last upwards of 30min-1hr unless it's set up to a certain time limit at which point the team with the most points wins. Here's a sample walkthrough:

As you saw, it can get quite gory, but in a fun way. Though you can do a single player 'campaign' it's best suited for online. There's no option for 2 player or co-op play but I doubt you need it. The game makes it so that it is essential for teammates to communicate as they play. You can't just rush in since the opposing castle doors are usually well defended and take a while to knock down. Also, it's important that not everyone chooses a non-worker class since without workers you can't upgrade and you can't repair. Along the way to the enemy castle are outposts/towers which can be captured by either team. Usually an unattended outpost will become your teams outpost if you stand by it and wait for the meter on the outpost to fill up in your team's color. Outposts can then be used as a place to hit enemies from or to heal if you sit on them long enough.

The game ends (as mentioned) when one team has both princesses. When a team gets the second princess and sets her (either on the throne or in the cell), a timer begins and if the timer ends with the princesses still in the castle, the game ends. Upon the game ending you can see scores of all players and even vote for what stage you want to play in next.

<>
Pros:
+Addictive online multiplayer: the more players the better, though bots are quite good
+Voice chat with teammates: best to help organize attacks
+Variety of classes
+Variety of stages
+HD visuals: game looks beautiful
+Audio: everything from the game sounds to the phrases said by the characters (enemy princess often says 'cakey please!' lol...or by the announcer/narrator. (in 1 game which our team lost, the announcer said "you got pwned" LoL)

Cons:
-Getting connected to online: online is fun but it takes several attempts (3-5) to find a game and it's not because there's no games out, it's just the server gets glitch (which Titan studios has already addressed will get patched up).
-Respawn counter sometimes gets delayed. (I've sometimes gotten knocked off cliffs and it takes a while to register my player's death).
-Occasional lag: you'll hit enemy players who will remain untouched and then kill you but then they die as your attacks catch up

Overall, the game is extremely fun. And for 15 USD, it's quite a purchase. The hype was sure worth the 'weight' and its cost is well worth it. As mentioned, the only main issue is joining an online game which gets frustrating after 5 attempts or more, but otherwise once you're in you can go at it for well over an hour (as with your mom).

This game gets 4.5 out of 5.0 of my mexican rocking beans

Remake or Continuation of Classics III

2009-07-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

DOUBLE DRAGON
------------------------

For this week's issue of "RCC" (I have coined this term now); I decided to step back (away from 16-bit games) and go back to the father of 'modern' gaming as I see it: the NES.

Pictured: my first encounter with my gaming destiny

Now, the first time I saw/played an NES was back in home country in the year of 1990; thus I did not speak this crazy tongue you all call 'English' and so most of the time when I gamed I understood nothing in the manuals or games other than: move left to right, if you get powerups/bonus items use them and don't die.

Pictured: capital of home state in home country.

Any who, it was one of my older cousins that first got an NES (given to him by his cousins from the city) and so began my gaming life. Some of the games he got with his NES were Super Mario Bros. (expected), Punch Out, Joust, Bionic Commando, and finally: Double Dragon III. Now, this specific cousin was what I considered a 'natural' gamer. Within days he was able to beat Punch Out and go through Super Mario. without warping ahead. In my young head I began to want to 'emulate' him as he was someone I looked up to (which may explain my gaming interest). I also recall this cousin as being the one to introduce me to:

Pictured: Quarter/Token Guzzler of Arcades.

But this isn't about the great Street Fighter series, I'll address that at some other point. Going back then before this digression...One of the games that came along with my cousin's NES was Double Dragon III (DD3).

Pictured: Fun yet very difficult/frustrating game...unless you did co-op.

Now, before I start going on about the game, i'll point out that this was on the Angry Video Game Nerd's list of video reviews which I recommend seeing.

Though he didn't like the game (due to difficulty) I still think it's worthy of being on my RCC list. The other thing I will point out that I still laugh about is the whole "BIMMY - JIMMY" typo on the beginning of the game (as pointed out by the AVGN):

Pictured: lol!

Ok, so the story goes that you must more or less avenge your friend that got pwned like a bitch and rather than tell you who did it, he leaves you in a cliffhanger state as he dies. Assuming he's also a martial arts expert, I'd imagine he'd tell you who to kill rather than waste his last breaths bulding up to it, but he dies and so you begin. (Note, I love the intro theme music)...

Overall the game is quite difficult. If I can recall, the only way my cousin and I beat it was in Co-Op mode B (the one where you can't hurt each other). Looking back, this game was very versatile as far as gameplay. You could move up and down the screen (to add depth?) besides the typical left to right. Each of the brothers had a hand attack as well as a kick attack. You could also grab and hold enemies and finish them off with either hand/kick combos or throws. However, the best attack that you could use was the Hurricane Kick...similar to Ryu's in Street Fighter.

In the game you also had the option to carry weapons which were dropped by enemies: knives, staffs, or broken beer bottles. In a way, the game was a bit ahead of its time. Though there were several iterations, I only have played the 3rd installment so I don't know much about the first two and I'm too lazy to do research that will insight you on those. So for now just take what I'm presenting (like I told your mom).

Upon the 16-bit era, the game got a couple installments on the SNES. The one that made it on my SNES library was Super Double Dragon. (Yes, it fell victim to the 'super' series).

Pictured: Double Dragon...SUPER!

This game unlike it's predecessors wasn't too 'exciting'. New features added to the game included fancier grappling finishers, enemies with new weapons (that again could be used if dropped), and the ability to block/guard against some attacks. Where this game failed was in a) Story line: the plot sucked...i can't recall it entirely but that's how much it sucked and probably the worst change was the 'modification' of their hurricane super kick. No longer could you just tap two buttons and execute the kick, now you had to charge up a 'gauge' that was below your vitality and upon charging it anywhere from 1-99 percent, you could do a hurricane kick.

The more you charged, the longer you remained in the air or traveled if executed with forward motion. If you charged the meter up to 100, you'd enter a semi-steroid stage where for a limited time you could do more damage (but ultimately it was useless). Often you'd find yourself wanting to charge the kick to maximum but accidentally leave the charge for too long and enter 'steroid' phase instead which was a kick in the gonads since the kick was more useful. Now the game was good graphics/sound wise but other than that it was all downhill.

Ah, memories...What next? Oh, well, they made other Double Dragon entries, the most notable ones that people recall would be those that were in the fighting genre. The most known, at least that I remember is Double Dragon V...which I did play at one point in my life and it SUCKED (simply stated). Given I had already played the likes of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, playing DDV was just not fun. It was difficult and the controls sucked. There weren't any of your typical 'fighting' input commands: down, downright, forward punch...and so that turned me away from the game.

Pictured: A pathetic excuse for a fighter.

Now, with success of a game or franchise comes the well predicted ability to keep wanting to squeeze and squeeze (like your mom) the money out of it. Double Dragon's game success like other games brought about the creation of an animated series...which was decent in my opinion. I think it only ran a couple of seasons but overall as a kid I really liked it but now I'm wondering if it was because the image of DD wasn't tainted yet since I had only been exposed to DD3.

Yeah...memories. "For might, for right, we are double dragon!" lol. Now I did say and emphasized (see above) 'tainted.' Why you may ask. Simple:

Pictured: Proof of Video Game to Movie Law; Failure

Yes, the franchise got greedy and decided to make a film...a very bad one at that. Now, the movie is overall quite funny given the bad acting and story line. I'm sure it'd make for a great drinking game. But yeah, it's a bad movie. The only reason to watch...

The only reason to watch the movie, though she doesn't get much camera time (like your mom).

After the movie failure I think the franchise got the hint and stuck with games...however, I am certain that since then no 'new' entries have been made to the series other than remakes for handhelds or for online stores (Wii/XBL/PSN?). Which brings me to my closing...

I think we're due for a new Double Dragon. Wether it's a remake of the first 8-bits or an entirely new story...we need a Double Dragon with current graphics. I can't think of a game currently where you can do co-op in a semi-free environment where gameplay is action and beat-em-up fighter mixed. Their genre is untapped right now. So please Technos, go back to what made you well known and make a good game!

I give the Double Dragon Series my Chuck Norris thumb of APPROVAL.

Race to the Finish Line

2009-07-01T19:18:00.001-07:00

Alright, I'm sure this issue (which I will address) has been debated (and probably will continue to be) by many...but I don't care. This is my take on things, hence my blog. So let's begin...

In the old days, racing games began as either top view or back view (becoming the standard). A popular racing classic was Pole Position which put you in an F1 car to the tune of 8-bit sweetness.

Similar Games would follow and upon the release of 16-bit generation consoles, the next wave of racing games emerged.

Pictured: If Jésus was a game console...til PSX came out

Though many games improved on the F1 theme and gameplay, there was one game that took the racing formula but rather than being realistic turned it crazy which resulted in much Fun:

I could so go off on a tangent on this game...but i won't, lol

I could go on a tangent and talk about how good this game was (like your mom last night), but I'd be digressing. Any who, there weren't that many good racing games that really could claim where as close to racing simulators as you could get (at the time). However, recalling from my childhood there was one game or series that caught my attention and got me to be a fan of racing games:

The best racing game on the SNES, in my opinion...

There's so much to say about this game: graphics, music, gameplay...

As you can see in the video, the tune is just nice (intro theme played in video only). Now the only "minus" with this game was the fact that it was always played split screen. Even in single player, the bottom screen would be played by a computer player. Two player was more of a co-op where both racers had to place above 6th position (of 20) in order to go on to the next race (4 races per country, 8 countries total).

This game was followed by 2 sequels: TOP GEAR 2 and TOP GEAR 3000...the former I never played nor do I know much about (and I'm too lazy to do some research :-P). The second one however, was a big step towards a racing sim. Top Gear 2 followed in the steps of 1 but it fixed the constant split screen gameplay (single player could now play in the whole screen), and they added the ability to pick up dollar icons along the race which then could be used for currency in upgrading parts: wheels, exhaust, engine, aerodynamics, turbo, and paint.

Again, gameplay and music were phenomenal. My only 'minus' with this game was the fact that there was only 1 car model (a Ferrari F40 look a like) unlike it's predecessor which had 4 vehicle choices (all a balance between speed, handling, and gas consumption). Both games made it semi-realistic as far as making sure you pitted appropriately so as to not run out of gas or to save money for better upgrades later on. Overall I liked 2 for the single player but 1 for the two player game play.

I know I'm skipping more info/games, but I don't want this post to be very lengthy so let's warp to the next gen consoles: N64/PSX.

The (at the time) next gen consoles brought about a revolution to racing games. Once again in the fun multiplayer department, Mario Kart (64) satisfied that hunger while those seeking a fun racing (without crazy powerups) arcade game would either go to the arcades:

Pictured: an almost extinct game...endangered but found in movie theaters

Or they would pick up one if not the best known racer on the home consoles (at the time): Ride Racer. This game brought the fun of arcade racing (along with customization options) to the home consoles and was very fun to play...or just watch

As a teen, the only reason to play Ridge Racer...

However, for those that weren't looking for crazy/fun racing or arcade racing but REAL SIMULATION RACING, their answer came in 1997:

...Perfection (at the time)...

This game revolutionized racing games (at the time) and became an instant hit! The level of physics and realism where unheard of up to that time. Polyphony Digital pushed the Playstation's hardware to the limits (as it would with later titles) to bring an experience unlike any other. The game featured 178 cars and 11 tracks. There was an Arcade Mode and a Simulation Mode (both modes would become standard in future titles). Arcade mode was well, arcade: pick a car and a track and race. Simple enough. However, it was Simulation Mode that really immersed you in a racing experience.

You began with 10,000 credits which you could spend to buy your first car. However, that amount wasn't enough for a new car (as in real life) and so you'd be left to purchase a used vehicle. Once having purchased your vehicle you had to win races to earn more money, BUT you couldn't do any racing until you got Licenses. YES, you had to take a driving exam to race (see how good this simulator was).

There were 3 licenses (if i can recall correctly): B, A, International A (in order of difficulty). Each license required the passing of 10 tests (from starting and braking to drifting, taking curves w/vehicles that oversteer or understeer, to completing full courses). Each test was timed and thus completing a test at a certain time would give you a Gold, Silver, or Bronze trophy. Failing a test would result if you didn't reach the lowest time threshold (for Bronze), if more than 2 wheels went off the road (yes, they were that picky) or if you crashed too hard into a wall (more on crashing later).

Once you had a license(s) you were able to compete in events that would give you money in relation to your finishing a race. When you competed in more difficult events you'd win more money and a free car (which you could turn around and sell for more money) as a bonus. Eventually once you felt ready, you could undertake some Endurace Events which really tested your racing spirit. How? by making you do 30-50 lap races. Yes, you'd have to race for over an hour! However, the reward felt great (like your sister), you would win a bunch of money and get a bonus car that would most likely be a Racing Edition vehicle that once again could be sold for money.

The highlight though, that in my opinion put GT above all other racers was the ability to upgrade a vehicle. From tires to suspension to engine parts, to turbo, to aerodynamics (like in Top Gear). The fact that you had different 'levels' of upgrade made a difference on the track. A car without racing tires would have to pit more often than one with racing tires. Similarly, a car with an upgraded turbo package would show an improvement over one without. The driving experience would be very noticeable if enough upgrades where done. All of this was encompassed in a very positive reception by gamers and critics which propelled the series (and the PSX) to be one of the best selling of all time. Over 10 million copies of GT have been sold worldwide. 10 million! and that's just for 1 game, lol.

A sequel would follow on the PSX which would be very similar to the first installment except with improved graphics, more cars and tracks and an 'oil change' option in the Simulation Mode.

The legacy continues...

GT2 also came in 2 discs: 1 for arcade, 1 for simulation. It also introduced rally racing (which would become a standard in following sequels). There were 2 more licenses introduced (Rally and Super S) and the racing events where made more variant: a cup for cars that were certain sizes/years/type of engines. Endurance Races too where anted up now to races that had up to 100 laps as part of the event (over 2hrs of gameplay).

The series would continue on with the 3rd and 4th installments following on the Playstation 2.

Jésus resurrected (if he was a console)

Again, the concept (arcade, simulation) would remain generally the same. Improvements on these later sequels would include: better physics (cars who went on grass/dry road would slow down substantially and or spin out of control), snow and wet roads where introduced. Customization options more detailed (ie: controlling how much wheel spin each tire could give if purchased the control variable slip traction component), better lighting effects on cars and racetrack.

The racing experience was once again taken to the next level: more real world courses where added and also events such as the 24hr endurance races...yes, you could literally race for 24 hours. However, to ease this situation you could race w/the aid of an auto-pilot or computer mode which let you take a breather whilst the computer raced for you as you told it how fast to go, when to pit and when to pass; furthermore you could speed up the race by up to 3 times so as to finish the 24 hour race in just 8. Again, the reward for doing these events were good not just for money or a bonus car but because you realized it was as close as you could get to real racing but at the comfort of your home.

With the release of the PS3 came a 'semi-sequel': Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

Pictured: > any M$ attempt at Racing Sim.

I say 'semi-sequel' because Prologue is basically a Demo (the size of a full game). It gets updates from time to time and other than that, it's a glimpse of what GT5 (full version) will be. From the reviews and feedback I've seen (i haven't played this title) it seems GT5 will be very promising. The graphics on Prologue are amazing as well as the game play. There's a reason GT has earned the title of "The Real Driving Simulator" which has been endorsed by racing fans and teams alike.

This brings us to perhaps a very delayed stating of why I wrote this post: The Upcoming Release of Current Gen Racing Simulators.

Now, by now I'm sure most know what happened at E3 with Microsoft and it's announcement of Forza 3.

Apparently this new iteration will feature over 400 cars and many new real world tracks. Sony announced over 800 cars...for the PSP Version of GT. Now, don't get me wrong, the game 'looks' great but will it 'feel' great? The ongoing 'argument' that Forza fans have been using against GT is the damage issue. No GT games have featured damage. Usually if you hit a car or wall you'd either slightly bounce or come to a halt but no noticeable damage...less latest titles where wheel wear would be faster if you hit with a certain region of your car. But Forza fans will always mention how their games do show damage and thus they are more 'real.'

I saw some videos of the last Forza to be released and they do indeed provide a good sense of damage, BUT, it's a sad attempt...cars who get hit over 5 times at 60+mph will continue racing as if nothing happened. Sure there is visual damage of a dented hood or missing bumper, but that's it. The car continues to produce the same results as if it was never hit, so how is that realistic? Furthermore, owners of both systems more often (9/10) than not will say that though Forza is fun and and such, it FEELS too arcade style whereas GT does give you a good driving sense.

Now...GT5 has been in the works for years (almost 4 i believe). We all know it's coming but Sony and Polyphony Digital are very good at keeping it down on when this will come. At E3 2009 they showed a glimpse of what they have been working on:

Now, honestly, is there any doubt that GT5 looks better and with more potential than Forza? There will be NASCAR and World Rally in the game...that's 2 individual games inside GT5, lol. The other day I was browsing through a Gamespot forum (why? I forget) and Forza fans kept saying that GT5 had no 'real events' such as the LeMans 24 hour race (most known racing event in the world). Well, obviously those n00bs know nothing about Le Mans. It's an event that takes place on a course called 'La Sarthe' which was introduced in GT3! So they're so wrong on that. Furthermore to illustrate my point, our good Professor WIKIPEDIA says the following about the Le Mans 24 hour race:

"At Le Mans there are various traditions that have been seen over the years. One of the longest lasting is the waving of the French tricolor to start the race. This is usually followed by a fly-over featuring jets trailing blue, white and red smoke."

A 'fly-over featuring jets trailing blue, white and red smoke"...in case you have a short attention span, go back to the GT5 trailer (at 45 seconds in and watch). ~insert another burn~also you will notice that subaru race had damage.
To Turn 10 (Forza team) I say, don't talk smack until you:
1) make a real SIMULATOR game, not one that is more arcade style
2) Have REAL tracks with MORE than a handful of cars (400 on the newest/best installment whereas PSP's GT will have 800)
3) Gain recognition from real racing teams/drivers
4) Sell copies in millions

They have no right to be talking smack. Heck, the upcoming Need For Speed: SHIFT is getting more praise on realism than Forza.

Yamauchi and his team have always pushed the SONY console(s) to the limits and produced work of great quality. I have every GT game (less prologue) and will be playing GT5 on the day it comes out. There's no doubt in my beaner mind that the game will blow people away.

Honestly if 'damage' was what made a racing game real or not (like Forza fans say) then gameplay would be like this: crash your car, you're out of the race if you crashed too hard and upon going back to your home/menu screen you're faced with a repair bill relative to your crash...dont have enough credits? GAME OVER.

Yes there needs to be a lot of realism, but not to the extent that I just described which is what would happen in the real world. Even simulators that real drivers practice on aren't as detailed as some GT features.

Any who, so concludes this lengthy post where the moral is: Don't mess w/Polyphony! Go back to playing your arcade simulator wanna be Forza fans.

My prediction: GT5 launch this holiday season w/PS3 as a bundle. GT5 will end up outselling Forza about 5:1. Reviews for GT5 will be very positive and Forza players will go back to crying in their parent's basement.

Remake or Continuation of Classics II

2009-06-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

ALADDIN

Remember when we were all younger? Remember when Disney still made cartoon films? Remember when Disney made some good games like Goof Troop (SNES), Ducktales (NES), Tazmania (SNES), and Lion King (SNES) just to name a few? Well I remember around the time of purchasing my 2nd SNES (my first one came from a flea market purchase (30 buck I think) and it came w/Mario's time machine which I thought would be fun since the box art showed possible adventure and such):

Pictured: Crazy Possible Super Special Awesome Fun!

Pictured: More random crap that later ruined my image of Mario.

Finally, the game was a Super Mario game! Up til then I had only seen/played Super Mario World which was uber awesome. Long Story short, I regret choosing Mario's Time Machine as the game to accompany my cheap yet great SNES purchase.

Pictured: Best Console of All Time...til PSOne came along

Ok, I digressed and went off on a tangent. Around the time that I purchased my new SNES; a lot of great games were out. Among them one that defied the taboo or almost 'axiom' that games based on movies were doomed and sucked was: ALADDIN.

Pictured above: One the best platformers of the time..and he's got his monkey!

Now, perhaps part of the reason this game was great was because Dinsney and its developers actually put "effort" into this game. Also, there was no shortage of funds to invest in this title in my mind. Aladdin had a great movie (the one the game was basing off of) as well as what I consider one of my favorite cartoon series of all time; thus the Aladdin '-meme' was working extremely well for Disney. Also, if you think about it, the Gulf War was over by then and thus the game made some of us (as kids) think that the Middle East was an awesome place to want to visit just so that we could find a Genie lamp or a flying carpet...yeah, imagination as a kid was awesome...until the internet came along and thus our brain has been on paid vacation ever since.

Again I digressed. Back to the game...The game as I mentioned was one of the best platformers of its time...heck it could probably still hold its own now a days. Just take a look at its intro movie and intro gameplay:

Great huh? And that was just the beginning! I can't remember how many levels there were but they were all different. One level it was a typical sidescroller, another you were going vertical (up and down) the whole level through the roofs/streets of Agrabah, and I remember there was a stage where you control the flying carpet and you quickly outrun fire that's on your tail almost as fast as most ps3 owner's boot at Kotick's ass. Anyways, as seen (if you did see the video), each end level gave you a chance to earn goodies: extra lives, more points and other things which made it even better (and easier at times) to play the game.

The other big thing I remember about the game is the last boss: Jafar. Just like the film you had to face this sorcer type guy. I can't remember how the film goes, but the boss fight was a lengthy one (that's what she said). You had to fight him in 2 stages: as himself and then morphed into a friggin big ass COBRA.

Yeah, a very large snake that you had to manhandle (again, that's what she said). And like a good game, the last boss was harder than all previous levels so the gratification when winning was great. However, once (like older games) you figured out the patterns it was easier to take on the boss. Upon defeating Jafar some stuff happened and I think you end up flying away into the night sky (clear night) on the magic carpet w/your honey Jasmine (to presumably make whoopy with).

Alright, cue the arab porn music..

All in all, this game is worth replaying many times over. I know it was ported over to the Genisis and I think gameboy. Wikipedia mentions a later iteration on Playstation but I don't count it as PS1 was part of a new generation of gaming. With that in mind, I would really like to see another Aladdin game get developed. Capcom did the SNES version and so I think they could do another game or remake for the current generation systems...except for Wii cause I like my games in HD...720p or above if possible. hehe. So if you haven't already played this great game, go to eBay and get it...or download an emulator and then the ROM.

I give this game my Chuck Norris Thumbs of APPROVAL for remake/continuation.

What Grinds MY Gears I

2009-06-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Food At Theme Parks

Today I took a visit w/the cousins to our local theme park: Six Flags Great America

Not pictured: Food ripoffs!

Now, I have a Season pass to this place which pays off after 1.4 visits (or so they say). After some fun in rides and such it was time to get some grub/chow/food. Smart visitors will bring their own food and upon chow time they will exit the park whilst getting a stamp that allows re-entry for free and then they'll pig out in the parking lot...if they can remember where they parked their car.

Pictured: $$$ for the park

On this occasion though, I opted to purchase food from the park since I was not too eager for plain old sammiches or beans from home. I knew that there was a Panda Express in the park among one of the food courts so, me being the devout fast food Chinese fan that I am went in to purchase a lunch from the establishment.

Pictured: Hunger quenching goodness!

When I purchased my meal, I had one intial let down: the meals came pre-arranged. I usually love PXpress's fashion of one choosing the main dishes and sides, but given I was at an amusement park, I didn't mind too much. I ordered a nice Orange Chicken package with rice, chow mein, and mandarin chicken. I opted for no drink as we had brought drinks with us. The ending total: $10.79. Right there and then I just changed into a mindset of anger, angst, hunger, confusement and so on. Eventually my hunger was dominant and I handed over a 20 as I began to feel the sensation of being deprived wrongfully of my cash and thus wondering if such a thing as wallet rapeage existed cause I believe I had just experienced it.

A regular purchase for me at PXpress is usually $7-$8 which is for a 2 side dish (1.5 times more food than what I got today) a fortune cookie and a drink. I realize the park has to make money to make ends meet but seriously, charing that much for a small dish? They're almost as bad as movie theaters.

Pictured: one of the first Rip Off practicioners

Despite the small dish calming my hunger, I still feel I didn't get my full money's worth. I could go on about how the food didn't taste as good as a typical PXpress but looking back at it as a whole, I guess I can just ask myself: what did you expect from a theme park? However, given the number of visitors yearly, I'm sure the theme park is making good profit in which case why not work on the quality of service such as food or having lines that don't take 2hrs+ to get to a ride that lasts less than 3 minutes? In any event, I had a good time but I won't buy food in the park again...unless once again, the family decides to pack plain old sammiches and such. lol

And that my friends:

Remake or Continuation of Classics I

2009-06-08T19:34:00.001-07:00

KILLER INSTINCT

It seems like just yesterday I would come home from school, fire up my SNES and engulf myself in a series of reflex and thumb workouts due to the fast gameplay of this great game. Now, it's not until just now that I see that back when this game came out, the console exclusives were just beginning (note top right corner of KI box "Only for Nintendo"). The friggin cartridge alone was BLACK! How cool is that? Yes, I know Doom had an orange cartridge on the SNES but in my book BLACK > Orange. lol

Developed by the people at 'RARE' who first gained fame (in my book) with Donkey Kong Country. This game was quite successful that it was ported to the N64 with a quasi sequel 'Killer Instinct Gold'. I say quasi since it had all the same characters and no new noticeable features that would make it seem like a sequel. Just like when SF would just add 'turbo' or 'hyper' to their titles. Anyways, I digress.

Now here's an alternate to the MKs and SF's out there. The very and I mean VERY strange cast of characters showed that random fighters could come in all shapes and sizes. Fighters weren't just your average martial artists from a certain period (Samurai Showdown) or from the streets (Street Fighter) or from some weird other worlds (Mortal Kombat). These fighters had no bounds, heck there were 2 beasts: Wereful and Raptor (wolf, lizard) along w/a skeleton guy, an American Indian, 2 non-human fighters made of fire and ice respectively, a ninja, a boxer, and a futuristic Master Chief looking guy. (note Fulgore > Master Chief).

(note, this was the only group pic I found, but the bottom right corner;

the guy and 2 girls shouldn't be there since they were in KI Gold)

Oh yeah, and 1 girl: Orchid...who made use of her assets

What really made this game a blast was the COMBO battle system. Anything with 3 or more hits had a level of combo: Triple, Hyper, Monster, King, Super, etc. With the ultimate being the ULTRA. Ultras had to be input right before you finished your opponents vitality gauge and once in place, your fighter did the rest.

All of this led to people like myself just trying to get as much hits as we could. I remember one strategy guide where it was almost a whole friggin page with each button command to do the highest number combos.

In addition to this unique Combo system they also had special finishers or 'Fatalities' as MK popularized as well as what they called these 'Humiliations' which was like MK's friendships:

Overall, Killer Instinct wasn't really a direct competitor to fighting games as it was a complementor, reason being that though it was a fighter, it's weird yet intuative fight system made it fall in its own category. I would often do KI for a while and then switch to Super Street Fighter 2. I never felt one was better than the other but both were extremely good.

Finally, the game came with Killer Cuts

This was basically a CD with all the great tracks (which the game had many) to accompany your enjoyment. Let me say that again: you got a complementary CD for a game that was in a generation where CDs weren't popular yet. Now when was the last time you got a free 'anything' from a game without buying a Collectors Edition or something of that sort? Exactly! And promotion codes for download don't count cause unlike a CD, codes require internet access which costs money. 'Nuff Said.

RARE, if you're out there somewhere, (i haven't kept in touch w/RARE)...please bring back the joy of multi hit combos and awesome soundtracks!

Anyways, this game/franchise has my Chuck Norris Thumbs up of APPROVAL for remake/continuation!

Right Chuck?

SONY's E3 Press Conference

2009-06-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

Alright, so today SONY had their press conference and I managed to view it all among my other duties that I had during the day. Here are my reactions to the events that unfolded:

-Playstation Network: It's growing both in number and in applications. The overarching theme that PSN is what bounds all Playstation systems together is something that is here to stay. For a free service, it's very very essential in pushing SONY ahead in the race of online interaction and entertainment.

-PSP Go: Wow, I was actually intrigued by this latest version of the portable. Not because of the design, but because of all the functions it has and all the great software that is on the way. Now, the $249 price tag is a bit of a small setback but when you see and take a closer look at all its features you realize that it's a great price. Of course, SONY plans to continue marketing the previous PSP models so there's one for everyone :-P . I personally have put it on my Christmas wish list which will probably turn into me getting it on Black Friday.

-Polyphony Digital: I thought president Yamauchi was a bit nervous up on stage...and he had a translator, but all that aside it made me realize that GT5 may have been set back a bit due to the development of the Gran Turismo that is headed for the PSP. However, Yamauchi didn't disappoint since he did provide us racing enthusiasts w/a trailer of GT5 which was just amazing. New to the series it seems will be the addition of NASCAR vehicles and a more expanded World Rally circuit and vehicles which makes the game even more lustful. I will continue to be patient for this title.

-Kojima: so he's got a game for the PSP, that's good I guess. But I still think he's a sellout.

-Uncharted 2, MAG: I have yet to play the first Uncharted so I will hold off on commenting, but the gameplay did look damn good. MAG is missing something that fails to grab my attention so until I know what it is, I am not to enthusiastic about it. I mean, perhaps since I have overdosed myself w/Resistance 2 and Killzone 2, MAG isn't as attractive.

-Motion Controllers: I gotta say I was not expecting what I saw. When I heard SONY had new motion devices I thought: Wii copycats but improved. However I was wrong. They're really taking motion sensing and physical interaction to the next level. Though what I saw were prototypes they show a lot of potential.

-Modnation Racers: I see this as Little Big Planet-esque but w/racing as a theme. I for one thought it's quite intuative to make your own tracks and almost be able to rance instantly. However, I have not gotten LBP and so that may say something, I mean, it's a good game or so I hear/see but I don't have it on my to-buy-list. In any event, should be good game for non casual gamers.

-Square-Enix: I honestly almost shrieked in amazement when I saw CEO Tretton wasn't joking when he said footage for Final Fantasy XIV. And boy he wasn't kidding. FFXIII isn't out yet and work is underway on XIV. Not only that, it'll be a PS3 exclusive (YAY!). But it alludes to FFXI where online was the only way to play. So, the question here is: will we have to pay to play it just like FFXI? I had a long argument w/Cosnatch over this who has no optimism. I see it this way: PSN is FREE and is growing. Why would they all of a sudden charge? It'd deter people from using it which is something SONY wouldn't want. HOWEVER, I have heard that there are rumors SONY may begin to charge a 1 time fee for the PSN depending on how much you plan to download. But in any event, Square has been good lately w/their games (less FFXII I hear :-P ) so it looks promising.

-God of War III: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gameplay was PHENOMENAL, truly GODLIKE! WOW! I want this game more now. The graphics, the scenery, the fight sequences, just...mouthwatering. WOW!

-Assasin's Creed II: great gameplay but I don't have the first (didn't seem like a must have at the time), and it'll be multiplat so no biggie there.

I think this sums up most of the highlights. I would've liked to see more on HEAVY RAIN or actual pics/videos of Rockstar's 'Agent.' Project Trico showed a trailer but I had already seen it a couple weeks back in a leaked online page.

Overall I'd say SONY did well as far as pushing for a unified family of systems all tied by the PSN. As far as let downs I really don't have many aside the obvious price cut and maybe them announcing a Twisted Metal title for the PS3 or an FFVII remake. However FFVII is supposed to be on the PSN now, so maybe I'll play it through there. I've actually never owned FFVII but do know the story and have played it briefly.

In any event, great E3 SONY.

Kojima is a Douche/Traitor/Sellout Prick

2009-06-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988687p1.html

alright, I had a good day at work and all, then I come home and my friend Cosnatch sends me the above link...well, as evident, Kojima is gonna release a Metal Gear game for the XBOX 3-fix-me

...let that sink in
...keep letting sink
...a bit more

..ok, oh wait, let it sink in some more..

...
...
...

WTF?!!!

Honestly, I have never owned any Metal Gears, I've only seen and played them briefly BUT, I do know they are great in their genre, they are in a genre of their own!

To see Kojima go to M$ after having so many installments of the franchise w/SONY is like having and raising the perfect family then one day go and try to raise a second one w/your wife's worst enemy who is not as talented, is more nerve wrecking, short tempered and easier to break in and still expect your children from perfect wife no. 1 to call you dad w/a big smile on their face.

Seriously, even if the game goes multiplatform it doesn't change the fact that Kojima fell pray to cash being thrown at him. Now, if it was me I'd probably take cash too but only after really thinking how this would impact my image on the already large fanbase that had supported my projects throughout the years.

Mr. KOJIMA, if it wasn't for my current love of 'inFAMOUS' I'd literally pack up my PS3 and go sell it at GameStop where I'd see if they had any SNES cause you really killed part of my current gaming memories of this generation. Thank you Mr. Douche.

The only thing that will save you is if you decided to make this be a joke and then laugh at Microsoft's face in which case I'd never doubt you again. But seriously, WTF?!

Beaner Countdown: 5 best groin/nut shot videos

2009-05-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sure we're all aware I somehow find enough time during the day and night to roam around the web and find the latest videos or 'meme's circulating our cyberspace or as they say in spanish: "cyberespacio"
Given that, many assume that I have too much free time, others that I have no life, but I do. In any event here's my list of the top 5 groin/nut/family jewels/huevos/crotch/gonads, whatever you want to call that area, videos (that I can think of right now). If you're a guy, you know it hurts to get hit in the industrial part of your body...with that said, enjoy.

5: 'Why Forest Gump Started Running'
--> Young Skateboarder gets owned by skateboard, exclaims 'Oh my God, that hurt' then takes off...

If you see towards the end of the clip, he stops (presumably to cry since he's away enough from the camera) but still never a good idea to run after such a blow. lol

4: 'AFV Bike Groin Rack'
-->Another vid of a kid getting owned, except this one had padding and a helmet, yet still fell prey to a nut shot...by his bike.

I'm sure his interest in off road bikes changed after that event. So sad...

3: 'Nutcracker Sled Ride'
-->The title says it all.

Nutcracker Sled Ride - The funniest home videos are here

I like the slow mow takes at the end...painful nonetheless.

2:'Skateboarding Fail'
--> Ah, Failblog.org such a great source of stuff to keep us, at least myself laughing for hours.

...it kinda does hurt just to watch it... ... LOL

1: 'Polevault'
--> A now 'classic' video of sports mishaps, this is really not the best outcome especially when viewed by thousands, or even millions...

Well, there you have it, my top 5 groin/nut shot vids that I can recall as of now.

I may do countdowns like these from time to time, but it seems I am somewhat emulating Cracked.com so we'll see.

~Amigo Beaner

New 'Waste' of TIme

2009-05-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

Trial post...just seeing how this works :-P