Replay Value

I'm gonna give this another shot. I've felt lately I just need to write. I don't expect anyone to read, and that's just fine.

I picked up Dead Space the other day and have had a few hours to mess around with it. It's the first big title of the fall AAA game onslaught that I was interested enough in to buy. So far it has not disappointed. My girlfriend even had to leave the room while I was playing it, which has to be a good sign for a horror themed shooter. Dead Space looks fantastic, no doubt about it, which is to say that it looks absolutely disgusting. I am proud that this was the first new game I've had a chance to break in on my new 61" TV. The first thing you'll notice is probably the grossly deformed enemies which persistently lumber at you even after losing both legs (the headshot is no longer king here, it's all about removing their limbs), and they are a sight to behold. Once you get a quiet moment to look around though, you also notice how good the environment looks, in this case a huge "planet cracker" ship named the Ishimura. The gameplay so far is a little bi...

The game pictured above is Switchball , a puzzle game from Sierra now available on Xbox Live Arcade and PC. I downloaded it a few weeks ago and it's been my go-to for a quick gaming fix ever since. It's a deceptively simple puzzle game that's along the lines of Marble Madness or Monkey Ball , but with a clever twist. You're trying to get a simple marble past widely varied puzzles, but can change the ball into other states when the puzzle requires. There's a heavy metal ball for pushing heavy objects or getting past fans, or an air ball that can be inflated to float past spikes and other obstacles, and a sort of super ball that can be charged to jump, dash, or be magnetic. The puzzles start out simple, but get pretty complicated pretty quick. There's also a multiplayer race mode, but that's not my cup of tea. What's so amazing about this game is how clever the puzzles are. They're so good in spots that you just have to smile when you solve them. I...

So I finally picked up Mass Effect yesterday and popped it in. First impressions are pretty good. Like the look a lot, and LOVE the music. The much publicized conversation system isn't revolutionary, but it's fluid and seamless. Some people think there's too much dialog, but I feel like there's always a quick way out if you are so inclined. However skipping most of the dialog will make you miss how realized this world is. There's so much backstory it's nuts. How about the combat? Haven't seen to much yet but it's pretty solid. Could've used a little better cover system, but I'll excuse it for now. We'll see if it becomes an issue. I think I'll be taking the side of letting my team do whatever the hell they want for the time being. Seems to work alright. I do agree though that the whole item organization system sucks balls. You pickup TONS of crap during misisons, and it's not organized at all in your menus. I think I'll get over ...

I can barely deal with all the games which are about to come out in the next few weeks and months. Well there is little chance I could ever be truly without something fun and exciting to play from the past that somehow escaped my notice or financial reach at launch, the future always holds some highly anticipated treasures. While there are far too many games to list here that I would love to try, I will quickly speak about the 3 games I am most certainly going to buy before the year is out. Bioshock I list this first for two reasons: 1.It comes out the soonest (August 21st) and 2.It has me the most excited. How could you not love a spiritual successor to some of the best games ever (System Shock 1 + 2) which takes place in a crumbling and failed underwater utopia inspired by the writings of Ayn Rand? Still not convinced? Well then how about the fact that this beautiful Shooter/adventure/rpg hybrid mixes traditional shooting with crazy superhuman abilities called plasmids that allow yo...

The world needs more driving games where you spend as much time off the ground as you do in Stuntman. The driving genre has been getting pretty creative as of late, with a large handful of games looking to break the mold of Gran Turismo style attempts at pure simulation or the endless line of boring street racing games centered around gaudy chavved out cars. The most visible carrier of this torch of change is Burnout, a series of games centered around extreme speed and the art of the crash. Any game with mode that rewards the total monetary destruction of an acident is alright in my book. However I still think there's another level of innovation just waiting around the corner. It was hinted at by a good-but-too-damn-hard for PS2 a few years ago called Stuntman . The basic idea is almost equally puzzle and driving. You were tasked with performing stunt driving scenes in a series of fictional action films which took place in fairly traditional settings(among others an Indiana Jo...

That's right, Bullshit with a capital B. It's no news that Sony has been taking some serious shit these days. In fact their insane claims and statements are coming with such regularity it's quite astonishing. The backlash from the gaming community has been pretty substantial, but Sony seemed to be content to continually just brush those haters off as it were. Well they finally got angry. You can get more details at Kotaku, but the long and short of it is that Sony didn't like a (widely confirmed at Kotaku by very reliable sources inside the gaming industry) rumor that Kotaku wanted to publish. Well even after some nice asking from Sony, they published the rumor anyway . Instead of the "we do not comment on rumors or speculation," company line that Microsoft regularly dishes out, Sony sent a bitchy note to Kotaku saying that they were shutting down all relations with the site including interviews at future trade shows and the a request for the return of th...

It's coming for you and your children, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. So everything (pretty much) has been laid out on the table. The big things you need to know: 1. $250 2. Nov. 19th 3. Zelda (pictured above) at launch day That's right folks, just in time for the holiday season you'll be able to get your grubby little hands on Nintendo's latest creation, the Wii. For only $250 you not only get the system and one controller/nunchuck combination, but also the game Wii Sports as well. My feelings on including a pack in game (something not done at launch by a system since the Super Nintendo) are mixed, especially when it appears that many of the games included on Wii Sports (Tennis, Golf, Boxing, Bowling, and Baseball so far) are of the fluffy filler variety. However at this point there's not too much I will be able to do about it. As for the price, I think it's right on target, although the option of $200 minus that game would've been welcome. ...

I read somewhere a while ago that the most visited video game site on the internet is Yahoo Games. This might seem odd to some people, but it's true. The reason is because apparently a ton of people love wasting time playing solitaire, Hearts, or one of the many other simple and classic games available there. I have nothing against Yahoo Games(I myself have been known to play a few games of pool there on occasion), but I don't particularly like seeing that site ranked in the same category as solid game journalism sites Gamespot and IGN (#2 and #3 on that list I believe). I just think they should be in two different categories entirely. However this is beside the point. What the point is is that lots of people like casual games. These are games that are ususally either digital representations of real world games(Solitaire, Hearts etc...) or just very simple to pick up video game snacks(Tetris, Snood etc...). If you like games that are simple to pick up, but possibly a better ...

Just look at this headline to a recent WIRED magazine article and tell me it isn't at least a little surprising: Can the PS3 Save Sony ? The company that created the transistor radio and the Walkman is at the precipice. If Sony's new $600 console doesn't blow gamers away, it may be time to say sayonara. by Frank Rose Now I know that the video game industry has been considering the possibility that the PS3 could be a flop for quite a while now(the timeline varies greatly depending on who you talk to, but for my money it's since they announced the price), but I don't think too many people really thought it could sink Sony. However I suggest anyone who thinks that possibility is very slim should go ahead and read the fascinating article Frank Rose has written for WIRED because it makes a very convincing argument. My own opinion? Well despite some severe bashing by the hardcore gaming community, I still think this machine has a decent chance. Some huge mistakes have bee...

Before I say anything about the story he wrote, and it's snowball effect on the video game world, I will simply say that I believe Chuck Klosterman is a genius. His books and articles are insightful, hilarious, intelligent, and thought provoking, often all at the same time. He's a senior editor at Spin Magazine, a columnist for Esquire and ESPN the Magazine, and has written for countless other publications. You would do yourself good to go read some of his work, or all of it for that matter. Now that I'm done kissing his ass, I'll tell you the real story. Last month Klosterman wrote an article for Esquire titled The Lester Bangs of Video Games . The intent of the article was to discuss why there isn't a truly transcendent video game critic writing about video games for the masses, or any real writing in that direction. It's a fascinating read even for non-video gamers. To say that the reaction was mixed would be irresponsible, it was a torrent of applause...

So a few posts back I spent a decent amount of time explaining the big news stories of the Electronic Entertainment Expo(E3) from the Big 3. Well now I come bearing news of the status of E3 itself. The Entertainment Software Association(ESA) announced a few days ago that it is restructuring the E3 expo into a much smaller and controlled affair. Most video game media outlets are reporting that E3 is for all intents and purposes cancelled, and they're pretty much right. The beast formerly known as E3, and what will take place next year look to be so different as to warrant an entirely different name. What is the reason behind this you ask? Well basically the publishers were saying that they weren't getting a good return on their investment. When you add up the cost of putting together very high tech booths with tons of demo stations, people to staff them, free swag to give away, and the time taken out of the development cycle to create demos specifically for E3, one starts to se...

So the other night I saw a pretty cool French movie from 2004 called District B13. Probably the only reason this movie got released here is because of the involvement of Luc Besson. Besides directing some pretty great movies like The Professional and The Messanger, he's also produced half the stuff coming out of France in the last few years. Mr. Besson's also found time to do wacky stuff like re-edit and release the amazing Ong-Bak last year. He must never sleep kids(seriously, go check his IMDB profile ). ANYWAY, the reason this relates to video games is because this particular French film is the best action film I've seen since the previously mentioned Ong-Bak. Much of the reason for this is one of the stars, David Belle. Besides being the crazy man in the picture above, he is the inventor and grand master of a kind of freestyle-running/obstacle-coursing known as Le Parkour. It's all a lot of fun to watch, and terrifying at the same time. It also works beautifully in...

So E3 has come and gone, and the news is still coming at pretty steady rate. This E3 had quite a bit more than usual riding on it due to it being the final major show before both the Nintendo Wii and the Sony PS3 are released this fall(November 17 for the PS3, unknown for Wii). Well now that all the big news is out in the open, I feel it's time to throw my opinion into the mix. There will probably be many posts to follow with commentary on happenings from E3, but the most pressing news to respond to is the moves made by the Big 3: Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. I'm just gonna go down the line for this one. Nintendo: For many a fanboy, this was the moment they had been waiting for for years. The next Nintendo system would truly be revealed in all its glory, with working Wii-motes and playable games to shock and amaze. Although we've heard this sentiment many times before, there is a large contingent that believes that this could truly be the system that launches Nintendo ba...

While I am probably the last video game blog on the planet to comment on the subject of the Nintendo Revolution's name change, my waiting is not without reason. I write this on the eve of E3's beginning, and the controversy about Nintendo's new system is at a full on roar. For those not regulars to the world of video games, E3 is like the ultimate once a year Roman Orgy of video game trade shows. It's held usually in LA or Vegas, and is only open to people in the industry. More so than even the Tokyo Game Show, this is where us nerds find out what they're going to be playing for the next year or so. This year it is where we will finally(if the gods don't hate us), see a great many things including Halo 3, the new Nintendo system actually running, same for the Playstation 3, and a whole lot more. This particular entry though is about Nintendo's latest entry into the home console market. Up until a week ago, the system was named the Nintendo Revolution. ...

I don't know about you but nothing makes me fell refreshed like wasting an entire day playing video games. My roomate just returned home last night after a 3 month incarceration in Pittsburgh. Since his showing up last night at least 17 (conservitive estimate) hours of gaming has been logged between the two of us on our hardworking Signature 2000(?) television. I myself have been playing more games than in the last few months as of late due to having a new job and a little spare cash for once. No big spending sprees, but used gaming trade ins have been good to me. For me its been lots of Metroid Prime 2 on the Gamecube until my $6 ebay copy of The Matrix: Path of Neo showed up in the mail yesterday(after being sent through the US Postal Services worm-hole apparently, as I won the bid on Friday afternoon and paid for it late that night. It was coming from Texas freaking standard mail, not even priority). My roomie has been playing the fantabulous God of War. Actually all the...

Okay, so you all know about HDTV. At the very least you've heard how it's, "the future of television and will change the way we watch TV" and crap. Or if we want to get even more visceral than that, unless you've been under a rock for about 10 years, you've at least seen a pretty HDTV at Best Buy in that wonderful "Section of Stuff I Can't Afford." What you may not be aware of is the fact that DVD's, as pretty and fancy as they are, do not have the same eye-blistering resolution of HDTV. Believe me on this one. Go watch Lord of the Rings in HD, and play it on the same TV on a DVD side-by-side, and you will notice a big difference in picture quality. So you may be wondering exactly where I'm going with this little lesson. Well someone finally got off their ass and made a disc that can hold an entire high definition movie. Actually two different formats were created that could hold movies in HD, each one backed by a bunch of technolog...

Now I realize that there are lots of athletes out there who probably delight in playing themselves in video games (although I wonder if players on crappy teams play their team all the time knowing they'll be at a big disadvantage). I also realize that many voice actors have probably delighted in playing characters voiced by themselves. But this is a little weird. Okay it's really weird. So the Army (yes THE Army) is funding another sequel to its little experiment known as America's Army, released in 2002 for the PC. There's been several updates and expansions since its initial, surprisingly well received release. What started out as a free game available for download on the internet and at Army recruitment centers (sneaky huh), eventually spawned a retail version for PS2 and XBOX this year. But now they're throwing in a twist by putting you in the shoes of actual existing soldiers. That means the playable characters are based on current soldiers, and the missions ...

One of the most under-appreciated gamer magazines isn't even printed, but available free to your cheap ass any time you want to check it out. I speak of The Escapist . Incredibly well laid out and insightfully written, the escapist is the best gaming magazine no one ever reads. They recently released their holiday issue, and I highly suggest you check it out. Sorry but there aren't any reviews for 187: Ride or Die, so you'll just have to take my word for it and believe that it sucks. Well kids, at the risk of offending some really dumb people: Merry Christmas.

Well it may be a bit late to get that special someone a gift that has to be packed in a crate and shipped via trucking company, but it's never to early to start thinking about next year's credit card pounding nightmare. The gift I speak of is something all gamers have dreamed of at one time or another, but few will ever know the delight of. That is: Arcade Games. I don't mean those wussy arcade collections that Namco and Midways are peddling out at such an alarming rate. I'm talking about good old fashion stand up and pump in some quarters arcade games. Back in a simpler time, arcades were king. Nothing used to get me more excited as a kid than the deafening roar of my local arcade (an Aladdin's Castle if you're curious). Nowadays though you'd be hard pressed to find much more than a random pinball machine or copy of Galaga in the odd laundromat or pizza place. That is unless you're willing to brave the terror of such cold and heartless "arcades...