Playstation Network Blues

With today marking the 11th day of the Playstation Network being offline, it finally just hit me just how much I rely on the online capabilities of my Playstation in order to have fun. Strangely enough, it wasn’t even the fact that I haven’t been able to test my Mortal Kombat skills out on some worthy online challengers; it happened when I actually wanted to download something from the Playstation Store, something I rarely ever do.

My roommate and I have been on a huge Marvel fix lately (it probably has something to do with getting excited for all the movies coming out this summer), so naturally, we have been playing the Ultimate Alliance series pretty nonstop. For a while, every spare chance we got between classes and studying, we would play until we went to sleep; my roommate as Wolverine, and me as Colossus. It took us about 10 hours to beat the first game, and after about a week I finally made it down to Gamestop to purchase the sequel, which neither of us had played before.

When we arrived at the point early in the second game where you could assemble your own team, I was just about heart broken that they hadn’t included Colossus in the sequel. I almost didn’t even want to progress forward in the game, seeing as I would have to settle for a lesser character of my liking. Luckily for me though, I had remembered browsing over a character pack for Ultimate Alliance 2 quite some time ago, and although I could not remember what heroes were included in this download, I quickly headed to the Playstation Store to make the quick download. Well, I tried to anyways.

Like thousands of other gamers, upon trying to access the Playstation Store, I was greeted with the friendly message informing me that the network is currently unavailable. Of course I became frustrated, but not with Sony. I immediately got pretty irritated just thinking about those people who forced Sony to shut down the network. I guess they didn’t think how many people would be affected by their actions towards Sony. Hopefully Sony is able to get this whole thing straightened out by May 4th, the date they said the Playstation Network would be back online.

Next Next-Gen?

With the recent rumors surrounding the possible announcement of Nintendo’s next console, I figured I’d add something to the mix.

Although many sources are speculating the system will be announced during this year’s E3, Nintendo has not yet confirmed to any of the rumors. It is unsure whether the system will be the heavily rumored Wii 2 with Hi-Definition capabilities, or a new HD system all together. Regardless, it seems like Nintendo has their sights set on regaining the attention of the hardcore gamer market, especially through the use of third-party titles, which have become all too rare on the Wii.

I would love to see Nintendo drop the whole dependence on motion control and go back to the standard controller, while still keeping the motion control as a fun option like the other consoles of today do. Doing this would allow for them to once again be appealing to harcdore gamers. Its a well known fact that Nintendo lost a huge portion of their followers when they decided to go with the Wii over a more conventional system, and I would be surprised if they weren’t still hurting over it. I know when I first saw the Wii my impression was something along the lines of, “oh thats cute, now wheres the grown-up’s version?”

Don’t get me wrong, I grew up on Nintendo. My early years of gaming revolved around Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but as the years went on, other systems just became cooler. Its been a long time since the mentioning of the name Nintendo has gotten me even the slightest bit excited, but this new console is definitely a step in the right direction. Wherever they decide to take this new console, lets just hope a HD remake of Ocarina of Time is in the works, its well overdue.

Positive Hacking

About a week ago while I was spending a good chunk of my day Stumbling, I came across a page that I found to be truly amazing. Amidst all of the hilarious web comics and pictures of hot babes, came a video of a few people who are really doing something special.

The video of  a group of students from Kontanz University in Germany has earned a lot of attention recently, as it shows how they successfully hacked the Xbox Kinect to function as a guide for the blind. Using a set  of vibration devices and an audio ear piece to direct the user, as well as a hefty laptop backpack used to convert the displayed data, the Kinect setup is definitely a groundbreaking step in the right direction when it comes to assisting the visually impaired.

I really hope Microsoft is supporting positive hacking of their merchandise like this, as the potential for doing good seems limitless. This story is a nice alternative from all the negativity surrounding the whole Geohot ordeal. As long as the hacking is done with the intent to allow a technology to do things that are not technically illegal, I don’t think there should be any problems.

Anyways, heres the video if you haven’t seen it. Its really just amazing.

As My Console Gently Weeps

While sitting down to watch the Phillies game tonight (Lee looked awesome), I couldn’t help but notice the layer of dust forming on my Xbox 360. It then hit me that I haven’t even turned the poor thing on in well over two months, which then got me to thinking, “why the hell do I still have this thing?”

I received my first 360 as a Christmas gift a little over four years ago, and back then I don’t think I could have been happier. With its great games such as Gears of War and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblvion (back then it wasn’t on PS3), the 360 received 100% of my gaming input. That was until I experienced my FIRST “Red Ring of Death.”

Classic

No big deal right? Microsoft fixed it for free and after a couple of weeks, my 360 (or some random person’s) was back in action. Life went on as normal, all the way up until the release of the first Modern Warfare; about 6 months after my refurbished console was sent back to me. There I was was, waiting in a lobby with a couple of friends, when all of a sudden my screen looks like it took a couple rides on a tilt-a-whirl.

Red Ring of Death 2. Me 0.

In the following years leading up until now, I would go through another two 360s. As time went on I lost more and more faith in the 360, and eventually brought myself to buying a PS3; probably the greatest investment I’ve made throughout my gaming life. I began buying all my games for the Playstation, and after a while, my collection rivaled that of my 360 games. Whether it was due to my newfound love of seeing those crisp PS3 visuals, or to avoid the inevitability of a fifth broken Xbox, my subconscious was leading me further and further away from my old ways.

Nowadays, I don’t even think about which console I’m going to buy a game for. For me, there is no contest between the smooth-running Ps3 and the time-bomb that is the 360. I should really force myself to just trade my 360 into Gamestop for the $50 dollars its worth (just a guess), but a part of me can’t seem to part with it. No harm in holding onto the old thing I guess, and besides  Gears of War 3 does look pretty damn good.

Battlefield 3: Call of Duty Killer?

Playing Call of Duty (CoD) has been a hobby of mine ever since the world was graced with the original Modern Warfare. The series has had its ups and downs over the last couple of years, but the people at both Infinity Ward and Treyarch have managed to keep bringing myself, and millions of other gamers back for more.  Due to that fact, I’ve always avoided the CoD‘s competitors like the plague; games like Medal of Honor and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 were never able to break my CoD addiction… until now.

Battlefield 3

Ever since DICE released their first game play teaser trailer for Battlefield 3, I have been checking the headlines over at IGN daily hoping to catch the next glimpse of amazingness. I can’t say that something as simple as a game play trailer have ever been able to get me so excited for a game, and I’ve been actively researching upcoming games for well over a decade now. The pure intensity that these trailers provide is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed in a trailer… for anything.

Not to say Call of Duty is down for the count, but with all the legal issues between Infinity Ward and Activision that surfaced earlier in the year, I’m a little discouraged about the upcoming Modern Warfare 3. The size of Infinity Ward’s staff has been significantly reduced following the dispute, which has led to Activison bringing on Sledgehammer Games (Transformers: War for Cybertron) to assist Infinity Ward with the single-player campaign, with Raven Software (Singularity) handling the multiplayer aspect. Both of the additional developers working on the title are more than capable of making Modern Warfare 3 great, but I guess it just comes down to how well they mesh together.

Hopefully some footage of Modern Warfare 3 surfaces soon, but until then, I’m all aboard the Battlefield 3 train.

Both games are scheduled for a November, 2011 release date.

Another Linear Spider-Man Game?

With the recent announcement of Spider-Man: Edge of Time, another web-swingingless Spider-Man game,  I decided to take a look back on the series’ slow and painful descent into darkness over the past couple of years.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

Lets face it, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions was a mess. The developer, Beenox (also developing Edge of Time), seemed to have spent too much time on making four Spider-Mans seem interesting, instead of just making one Spider-Man perfect. The madness that came with jumping from one Spider-Man to the next made for a game that was easily forgettable, and deeply regrettable. Honestly, my largest issue with this game was that somewhere along the line, somebody at Beenox decided that it would be a good idea to get rid of the open-world web-swinging. Yeah, the thing that made Spider-Man games fun.

The last game I have knowledge of that actually included open-world web-swinging was Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, and that game was decent at best. Aside from all of its technical glitches though, Web of Shadows had some solid core game play concepts, as well as a pretty enjoyable storyline. Still, the most enjoyable part of this game was the ability to swing around New York City, taking out bad guys at your leisure.

I guess I just don’t understand why developers have been venturing away from a perfect concept. Even today I still consider Spider-Man 2 as one of my all time favorites, and that game was the king of open-world web-swinging. Call me old fashioned, but I still believe in the concept of if something works, it probably doesn’t need fixing.

Mortal Kombat Preview

Mortal Kombat 2011

The Mortal Kombat franchise is one of those video game series that people my age grew up with, but after a while it kind of became like that one friend that you used to talk to, but due to some poor decisions on their part, you eventually started avoiding. Luckily, both people and video game franchises can redeem themselves, and from the looks of the recent Mortal Kombat demo, this familiar face is sure to please.

Its been almost five years since the last true Mortal Kombat game (Mortal Kombat: Armageddon), and fans of the series have been craving for some brutal hand-to-hand combat the whole time. Not to say that the recent Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe wasn’t an enjoyable game, but the fact is that with its Teen rating and somewhat cheesy “Brutalities”, it was less than true to the gut-wrenching series.

What makes the upcoming Mortal Kombat great is that it is going back to basics. Although the game features a traditional 2-D style (the characters are rendered in 3-D), it offers all of the excitement of the classic originals, while adding its own unique feel. Fan favorites such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero make their returns to a character lineup featuring over 25 characters, each with their own unique moves and fighting styles. Playstation 3 owners get a special treat as Kratos, the God of War himself, will be a console exclusive for PS3 owners.

New to this entry in the series is a 4-Button fighting system made popular by the Tekken series. In this setup, each of the four main buttons on a controller correspond to a character’s body part. This new feature makes for some very interesting combos while fighting. Also featured in this entry is a unique Story mode, the Classic Tower mode, and the always exciting Tag-Team mode. Check out the Offical Tag-Team gameplay video below.

Mortal Kombat hits stores Tuesday, April 19th.

Double Dipping

So let me get this straight. Captain America is The Human Torch, and The Green Lantern is Deadpool? Is there a shortage of appealing actors willing to play two of the most recognizable comic book characters ever, that the producers had to use actors who were already associated with other comic book characters? No offense to Chris Evans and Ryan Reynolds, two actors who have definitely earned these roles, but perhaps there are others who could have fit the part as well. I’m not saying that these two respective actors are not good choices, but here are my issues with them playing these characters, as well as some suitable replacements.

Chris Evans: Captain America

Chris Evans as Captain America

First off we have Chris Evans as Captain America, a role that at least to me, seems a little outside of his comfort zone. As far as I’m concerned, Chris Evans’ perfect roles are characters that behave as some type of comedic relief, whether through their actions or through a smart aleck attitude, such as The Human Torch. As bad as the movies were, Evans was great for the role, as he almost perfectly embodied all of the cockiness and impetuousness of the character. My problem here is that unless Evans has been choosing his past roles based on his interests over his acting skills, I might have trouble viewing him playing somebody as honorable and courageous Captain America. Its not to say that I don’t think Evans has the potential to make this movie great, but I think he also has the potential to put it on par with other duds like Spider-Man 3.

Alternative: Gerard Butler

Sure, he might be known as King Leonidas from the movie 300, but Butler has the personality to really bring the Cap alive. With his stern persona and admirable composure (assuming he still has his 300 body), Butler could have been a valid fit for the role.

Ryan Reynolds: The Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds as The Green Lantern

This one was a bit tougher for me, as I’ve always been a Marvel guy and my knowledge of The Green Lantern is limited, but from what I know The Green Lantern, or Hal Jordan, is kind of an arrogant guy who is also capable of being the hero type. Its a tough call here though, as Ryan Reynolds might be capable of pulling it off. Looking at Reynolds’ track record though can cause some doubt. Many people may recall that he was the original Van Wilder (lol) and most recently, the king of wise cracking, Deadpool. Which is where my problem stems from. Reynolds was great in his limited time as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (good enough to get his own spin-off), but Deadpool and The Green Lantern could not be any more of opposites in my opinion. It could be just me, but I love Reynolds as a wisecracking funny guy, and I’m almost discouraged to see him taking on a slightly more serious character, but who knows, maybe he will bring some comic relief to the ever so burdened Ringed Wonder.

Alternative: Josh Duhamel

Personally, I would have loved to have seen them follow the John Stewart storyline with Will Smith as The Green Lantern (the guy can do anything), but since they chose to go with Hal Jordan, I’ll settle for Josh Duhamel. When he’s not hiding from Fergie or making chick flicks, Duhamel is a pretty respectable action star (Transformers 1&2). Some of you may disagree, but some of those battle scenes in the Transformers series were pretty intense, and Duhamel was pretty convincing with being able to keep his cool under pressure. I think he could play the Green Lantern no problem, plus he kind of looks like Hal Jordan.

That’s all I have to say, I’d love to hear your opinions on whether you think the two chosen actors are good choices, as well as any alternatives you guys can think of.

“Hate the Ideas, Not the Person Behind Them”


Growing Up

The other day my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, and for the first time in my life, I actually had to stop and think about the question. In years past I would have had a list the size of Declaration of Independence filled with different video games, but something is different now that I’m older. Ever since I’ve had my own money and a driver’s license, I’ve never had any hesitation when it came to running down to Gamestop to buy a game on the day it came out.

Thats where I went wrong. As great as it is to be able to get a game on the day it comes out and go right home and play it for the following eight hours, lately I have been missing the joy of opening up a game Christmas morning,  because I’ve been buying almost every game that comes out during the holiday season by myself. Although, as much as I miss that feeling, I don’t think I will ever be able to make myself wait to play a game ever again, especially with how long it takes to produce games nowadays.

For just a taste of this feeling that I’m talking about. Check out the Nintendo64 kid.

 

The Fails Unleashed

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

 

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed gave fans of the popular film series an exciting new perspective of the Star Wars universe. With it’s amped up displays of Force powers and a storyline that rivaled any of the prequel films (nothing beats the originals), The Force Unleashed opened up almost endless possibilities for a great sequel(s). Wait a second; didn’t the main character die at the end of the first game? How do you make a direct sequel without the main character? I’d imagine doing something like that would require a huge amount of skill… or a truck load of bulls***. Unfortunately for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, the latter rose to the occasion.

In The Force Unleashed II (TFU2), players once again take control of Starkiller, except this version is simply a clone of the one from the first game. That’s right, sometime between ruling the galaxy and charging his battery, Darth Vader figured out how to clone Jedi; something that apparently was impossible to do hence it never being done before. This raises several alarms for me. If it is possible to clone Jedi, then why is the Empire still settling on using Stormtroopers?   Well, the problem is that I’m almost positive it is impossible to completely clone a Jedi. Sure, I have no problem believing that Starkiller as a person could be cloned, but it’s the fact that his Force powers were cloned as well.

That reason alone is why I had trouble really getting into TFU2; if a game’s main plot is too ridiculous to understand, then it doesn’t really have a chance of being a great game. Don’t get me wrong, TFU2’s game play was a huge upgrade over the first game, and aside from the whole cloning thing, the story was actually  enjoyable. But due to it’s ridiculous concepts and an extremely short playthough (between 3-6 hours), TFU2 is not a game I would recommend, unless you are getting it for under $20.

For a more in depth review of this game, check out http://news.tgn.tv/star-wars-the-force-unleashed-2-indepth-review/, or simply click the picture in this post.