E3: Sony Spotlight

The Sony Spotlight is done. Contrary to Adam Sessler's rant of the spotlight not being as much of a splash as that of Microsoft, I believe it to be alot more informative and satifying. Then again G4TV is heavily biased towards Microsoft. Sony's spotlight focused on not just one console but all 3 consoles currently being supported (PS3, PS2, and PSP) and the Playstation Network. So what do I think of all the hoopla we've been given to digest? Read on.

Its just like Sony to have an outstanding opening presentation. I guess they have the big movie studios to help them out, so why not? The big theme of this year's spotlight was that Sony is focusing more on software compared to hardware.

It wasn't surprising that the first presentation of a game was of Insomniac's Resistance 2. The phrase 'epic monster battles' was given new meaning as Nathal Hale battles the Leviathan boss through 1950s US.

Next to follow, a great presentation of Sony's analysis of various sale and other data using Little Big Planet that surely put smiles on everyone's faces.

Jack Tretton went on to disclose that Ratchet and Clank series will be further appearing on the PSN with Quest for booty (MSRP $14.99). I have to admit, never have I seen a platform look so superb as Ratchet and Clank on the PS3. The game still look like a Pixar movie.

The SCEA CEO was adamant to emphasize that what matter most to the Sony is 'quality not quantity'. I must say, Sony's PS3 library of game might not be as elaborate as those on other consoles but its the most appealing. Jack assured that a lot of PSN content/games are on their way. One such title I am looking forward to is Ragdoll Kungfu.

The next couple news items made me jump up, shout in amazement, and finally break into tears. It assures me that I ended up with the best consoles in the market and a company that is doing everything to satisfy a broad audience. The PSP will see the release of Resistance Retribution, Super Stardust HDportable, and Valkyria Chronicles. I know some have already heard of this, but this is fantastic news for me. I'm a big fan of the former to games and my wife of RPGs.

To top off the PSN news, the video store (which we all heard was coming in the summer of 2008) is out tonight. Yes friends. Everyone with a PSN account will be able to download/rent TV shows and Movies as of midnight (15 July 2008). Further, these downloadable videos can be transferred to your trust PSP and viewed on the go. Way to go, Sony! As if that wasn't enough, Jack announced that 'Life with Playstation' will be released by end of this month!

After the crowd murmur had died down Sony Online Entertainment (SOC) announced that a new MMO was in the works called DC Universe Online. Great news for comic book and gaming fans as renowned artist Jim Lee tries to fuse both universes into one.

In the midst of all this excitement, the 40GB playstation will be repleaced with the 80GB lineup and will be remaining at the $399.99 price come fall 2008.

Trailers for the epic squeal to God of War 2, namely God of War 3, and Infamous were shown. Lastly, a new 256 player MMO is in the works utilizing squad based (8 persons) fighting and character growth in the upcoming MAG (Massive Action Game).

With all this news, its been uplifting to see that Sony is bring a mammoth to the dinner table while the other consoles have been hunting for exclusivity and picking berries. I am now going to ease in and play some Super Stardust until nightfall. Its been a good day.

Quick Review: Super Stardust HD Solo Addon

As many of you old-time gamers, that were lucky enough to have owned an Amiga in the 90s, might remember Team17's Super Stardust (SSD) game release in 1994. This was a glorified Asteroids clone. Well, can't really say its a clone any more. SSD was more of a logical progression on the Atari classic (raise your hand if you owned an Atari 2600 back in the 80s). Fast forward to 2007 and the game is is back, and this time its been revamped even further and now appears in crystal HD supporting 1080p. Noooice!

Super Stardust HD (SSDHD) comes with the 3 weapons used in SSD, 3 different types of asteroids (rock, gold, and ice), and a ton of enemies. I remember my PC friends drooling over the insane amounts of objects flying around on screen at one time all ray-traced up. I suppose these same friends would be stunned to see SSDHD in action today. I was when I first got my hands on the SSDHD and my wife is still awed by the shear chaos. That said, the new addon ups it up a notch.

The addon pack, aka SSDHD Solo (*) adds three gameplay modes. In addition to Arcade, Co-op and Planet modes, the addon pack expands the game in Endless, Bomber, Time Attack, Survival modes. I'm not going to get into the descriptions of the different mode types but here are some videos for the new modes: Endless, Bomber, Survival. Time Attack mode simply pushes you to complete the level in the least amount of time. Another surprising and welcomed addon feature is the ability to switch to retro music; the original tracks from the Amiga games, some remixed.

IMO, this by far the best addon pack for any game on the PSN. You'll get tons of hours of gameplay, cursing, and ignoring of your significant other.

* If anybody can figure out why the 'Solo', please let us know. I figured its because this expansion pack dealth with single player mode only. Can we safely speculate that there will be a co-op pack coming out in the future? hmm.

Rock Band - The reason why you are going to look like a dork

Back in the day... I mean waaay back in the day, there was this wonderous little group of developers with a love for music of whom were collectively known as Harmonix. They brought forth into the world a game that the nerdiest of us have played (and own..) named Frequency. Frequency was a milestone for rythm games as it made it much cooler. See, in the past we had to play these games where you got up, stood on a mat and dance, danced your revolution onwards towards eternal virginhood. Also, you could play space channel 5, but then that meant you were gayer than a handbag full of rainbows next to a box of lucky charms and a Hedwig and the Angry Inch CD.

So, with Frequency, we could play Fear Factory, we could play Slipknot and we could do it with the trigger buttons on a controller with flashy lights and patterns that would have us frothing at the mouth like back in the day when we would watch that one Pokemon episode that always left us waking up naked in the middle of the woods covered in lube and sheep fur.

It was awsome.

Afterwards, we were introduced to cooler music and the concept that the track we were travelling down didn't have to be a tunnel, but could be flat in Amplitude. This was also awsome and I still have the restraining order from the nearest sheep farm to prove it.

No one expected what Harmonix would do next.

We ended up with the gayest looking parody of a guitar this side of Barbie's Rock out like a Starlett guitar my 3 year old daughter annoys me with. That would have to be the only negative aspect to the game, speaking as a man who actually plays a real guitar (electric and accoustic) I just cannot make myself feel like a man with that sad little plastic thing in my hands, but I digress. I digress because Guitar Hero is awsome, and so are all of it's decendants except for rocks the 80's and Guitar Hero III (the later of which isn't Harmonix's fault as Activision swept in and bought the GH franchise thinking they would be able to print money with it)

No longer were we pretending to play some instrument through a controller, we now had the opportunity to pretend to play an instrument that actually looked almost kinda sort of like a real guitar!!

This was awsomeness!

Who know real musicians that make a living covering other people's music could play a strapless guitar, make it flip around their legs while STILL PLAYING and while causing electricity to vomit out in all directions and make the whole crowd go more ape-shit than a roman orgy full old roman senators and little boys!

I am really overdoing it, and I am sorry. I just think it was kinda gay if you only took the time to step back, ignore the screen and look at the people playing it. This is something you have to get used to, and think is cool to even come close to RockBand being enjoyable.

RockBand is what Harmonix was putting together while Activision was thinking up wonderous ways to rape the GH franchise.

This is a review for RockBand, so I should get to it instead of this history lesson.

So...
Think Guitar Hero, add the ability for a singer (mic included), a drummer (drum set and awsomeness included), and two guitarists (one guitar, the other bass) and legions of screaming fans yelling "MY TURN!!"

So, here is why you need to blow about $150 on this game:
Unlike all the itterations of Guitar Hero, you can actually create yourself. You can design your own tattoos and makeup, change your clothes, rings, earrings and so on... you can also do the same with instruments. You can download your own favs through weekly downloads from xbox live or playstation network depending on if you are cool or not (not in that order) and, it's now a party game.

The thing about RockBand is that you are now in a team environment. If all are involved, and one person fails without being "saved" by his/her bandmates, then the whole band fails. You can be kicking ass on your solos (and yes, there are solos), but if the singer cannot karaoke the words and pitch correctly to Roam by the B-52s, then you are all screwed.

Aside from the co-operative aspect now introduced to the game, you also have a much more robust touring mechanic. Instead of the venues being tackled in order, you now have a choice to go back and forth, accumulate fans, transportation and so on so you can play bigger venues in the towns you started in.

This kicks a lot of ass if you're into this.

You will find that playing the game is quite different from Guitar Hero as some things have changed. Your little note indicators are now replaced by bars. They are a little shorter, but this doesn't make the game feel any harder, surprisingly. The other thing is hardware-based. The Guitar itself doesn't have the same shaped fret buttons, now they have a flatter, less distinct feel to them. Also, the colors now face the player. The other things are the additions of an effects indicator (that only changes when you solo or use star power) and new fret buttons. The new fret buttons that are where the higher frets are and are a lot closer together. They are there for new players, people with smaller hands and pussies. You will also find that when you play a solo with those frets, you dont need to strum.

The drums are just plain awsome. Unlike the guitar, it is actually quite close to emulating what it is like to play a real drum set, albeit a smaller drum set than the ones your favorite bands play on. You could possibly go to a real drum set and play the same way you were playing (on a higher difficulty) and it might actually sound correct. You get a kick pedal and drum sticks with the deal and honestly, even though I dont play the drums much, I think it's the best part of the game.

The vocals will make you feel right at home, you Kareoke Revolution playing American Idol reject. You know who you are Mr. Hung... go back and check if she still bangs, you sad excuse for a lack of coolness.

Honestly, it's one of the hardest parts of the game (I cant hit those notes in I Think I'm Paranoid, but that's cause I have a pair) cause you have to actually match pitch. The plus side is that even though the words are given to you, you can actually hum the pitch and get off scott-free.

Rundown:

Graphics - cartoony, but detailed. Good effects, everyone looks alive and animates quite like a rock star. There is no FAT option, so you cant make yourself (or me) faithfully, but you do have alot of play.

Sound - you may or may not have a favorite represented in the set list, but it is always growing, sounds great (even the covers) and the dl tracks are cheaper than on GHIII.

Gameplay - Its awsome, it makes you look gay, but you will be playing this till the next itteration comes out and sucks another $150 out of your pocket.

Replay Value - Downloadable. Tracks. Weekly. Nuff. Said

Rent/Buy - you cant Rent it, so go sell a kidney and buy it.

The dry fart that is Iron Man (game)

I was able to play the demo version of the Iron Man game yesterday and I have to say that the game felt off even though visually the game looks half decent. The clumsy controls, in my opinion, are what contribute the most damage to the game. I spent good time trying to get the feel right but even though my customization improved the controls, the game just did not capture my interest. Within 5 minutes of toying with the demo, I hit the PS button, and clicked X to quit the game.

I know some of you will be shouting 'foul ball' because I am reviewing a demo here and not the whole game. True, but demos are supposed to give you the feel for the game and in most cases employ the most favorable parts of the game. Eventually, if I do get my hands on the full game, I will re-review the game. Thats a promise.

I have yet to come across a good game that was based on a movie. Why is this genre of pathetic games still alive? I'll tell you why. There are a host of absent-minded gamers out there that buy games because of hype (Halo 3) and we are approaching the release of the Iron Man movie, so the move by Marvel is predictable. However, I see the movie hurting the image of the superhero. Its like reading a great book and then watching the movie that was made to triumph over the novel but paled in comparison. (Hint: Timeline, Sphere). To all the game studios: Stop making crap this like. But then again, its not their fault. Their pockets are being filled by the gamers that buy this rubbish.

Sigh. Alas, people are but mere sheep in the era of capitalism. I guess I'm old-school and want substance and quality in a product. I figure some will retaliate by saying I'm just not a fan of Iron Man. Not true little kiddos. I was an adamant reader of the comic book and still have them somewhere in storage. I would not have bought them if I wasn't a fan.

My opinion, save your $59.99 and go treat your wife, kids, girlfriend, or whatever to some ice cream. And not that McDonalds shit either. I'm talking Dairy Queen!

DMC4, check!

I finally finished playing Devil May Cry (DMC) 4. I wouldn't call it epic but it certainly kept me well entertained for a while. I still haven't gone through all the secret missions and unlocked all the extra content but I'll get there eventually. So what do I think of this latest edition to the DMC series? Pretty good. Visually, the game is stunning. Running on the PS3 I would gather that it'll be the case. Audio is superb, as its been throughout the series. Cut-scenes have been directed really well. Gameplay is similar, in my opinion, to the rest of the series. That includes the good and bad. Camera angles become an issue at times. All said and done, I think this was a great game for the fans of DMC and a good intro to the xbox crowd that didn't have the luxury of playing the first three installments unless they owned a Sony Playstation 2 (another perk for picking up a PS3 for all the other DMC titles should work on the PS3). Oh, I must point out one thing. The game is short. I can't help wonder that its because Capcom wanted to fit the game on two DVDs for the xbox crowd and us PS3 owners got gipped because of lazy (parallel) development. I don't know. I just think its wrong to waste so much space and processing power.