2009 in Review

Christmas has come and gone, and the New Year (and a new decade) is upon us. Panzer posted up his 2009 look back already so I figured I better get mine up before it gets too late.

A Christmas Casualty

Overall, we had a great Christmas this year, everything went pretty smooth (Santa did have to put out Christmas presents by flashlight and candlelight due to a blackout). Kids were happy, Mom and Dad weren't too stressed. However, it didn't go all that well for one individual...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! May your Christmas be filled with as much joy as these kids...

PSP-4000 more than just a rumor?

Looks like the PSP-4000 is turning into more than just a rumor. Check out this lovely print add from the MCV digital edition.

PixelJunk Monsters: Hard-core!

Recently I have taken to playing through PixelJunk Monsters on the Hard-core difficulty. Why? I don't know, probably because I'm a masochist. I love tower defense games and one of the very first ones I ever played was in the Warcraft III expansion pack (remember that one?). I fell in love with that level and I've loved tower defense games ever since.

I've posted up a video of me doing a perfect run (Gold Rainbow Get!) on the Special 1 map on Hard-core. Enjoy

Spike VGAs

It's roughly 3:15 am. I finally finished watching the Spike VGAs. Overall, I was pleased with the results, but there was some that I thought were off the mark. So here's the breakdown, I'm not commenting on every award so I've put all the ones with comments first with a summary of the other wins following that.

FFXIII PS3 and 360 differences

Over on FinalFantasy-XIII.net, they've got the skinny on the differences between the PS3 and 360 versions of the game. Square, speaking with Famitsu, said that they would be identical way back when but I don't think anyone really believed them.

Mega Man returns

Looks like Capcom will to recapture the success of Mega Man 9, which, in turn was attempting to recapture the early success (frustration, anger and difficulty?) of the NES Mega Man games. The latest issue of Nintendo Power reveals a new Mega Man game, Mega Man 10.

This version will be a bit more user friendly than 9 as it has an Easy Mode (which is assume will be similar to the Easy Modes available on the Mega Man Collections on the Xbox, PS2, and GC.

Obviously it will be on the Wii, via WiiWare, but there's no other word on the other platforms. One would assume that since Mega Man 9 was available on all three major consoles, 10 will be as well, unless, of course, Nintendo worked in conjunction with Capcom to 'bring the series home.' That would a nice move assuming that Nintendo actually pulls that off.

Regardless, it's nice to see Mega Man returning once again.

The Tetris God

If you've ever played Tetris, you will totally get this video.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

"Reverse squiggly!"

Gaming has really gone mainstream

Wow, video games have really gone mainstream.

We've seen ads for video game, tie-ins with fast food, and soft drinks but now we must have hit that all too critical mass.

UMD add-on for the PSPgo?

Seems a little odd but according to CVG, Logitech is working on one. Interesting really since that kinda defeats the whole purpose of having a PSPgo. However, if they do make a UMD add-on I wonder if it would be possible to rip your UMDs to your PSPgo? I'm sure that Logitech wouldn't include software to do so, but there's always homebrew.

Strange especially since there's rumored to be yet another PSP iteration (PSP-4000?) that will have UMD support.

Sony has said that they are going to support a dual delivery model. I didn't really believe that but if they are really readying a new PSP with UMD support then I guess they really meant it.

I'm a big fan of the PSP, I use mine all the time for on the go gaming as well as my portable MP3 player, with the occasional web surfing thrown in the mix. Removing the UMD on the PSPgo was a stupid decision as it cuts off anyone's existing library (I myself have almost 50 titles) and even if they did find a way to transfer it all, I'd need a ton of space to fit all those games. Plus my digital downloads would have zero resell value, and that just doesn't sit well with me.

2009...a look back

With the start of December its about time I look back at my year in gaming. Last year I thought I did well to finish fourteen titles but I outdid myself in 2009 and completed twenty one.

LocoRoco Review

Roll, bounce, and split yourself to save the LocoRocos.

Star Wars CG, or that's how we do it CG '77 style

Okay, this isn't really gaming specific, but it's kinda related because it's A) Star Wars and B) about computer graphics. This is a video about the making of the computer graphic that was shown during the briefing to Rebel pilots. I never really thought about it much but looking back at this video, and then thinking about how games are rendering things real time now, it's kinda interesting to see how far we've come in the last 30+ years.

I'm amazed at how this was done, that the method of transfer was a camera taking pictures and that it had to do multiple exposures for a single frame because the computer couldn't draw the whole trench. Note that he talks about rotating the object in real time, I imagine that was kind of a big deal back then. Larry Cuba was one of the pioneers in early computer graphics, and won several awards for his work. Interestingly enough, his own website makes no mention of his work on Star Wars, an odd omission if you ask me.

Assassin's Creed II Collector's Edition swag

A short note. I picked up my Assassin's Creed II CE from Gamestop this week. The Ezio statue (figurine?) is fantastic! The statue itself is huge, my Altair figure sadly only comes up to his knee. As for the other CE items? The Bonus content disc is pretty much a throwaway. My soundtrack? It's buried as a menu item on the Bonus DVD and it's not even the full soundtrack. It has only 14 tracks, while the soundtrack available on Amazon shows a total of 35 tracks. And because it's on a DVD I can't take it with me to listen while I drive to work. And why on earth did they not include the awesome Lineage movie is beyond me. The Art book is nice but nothing to write home about. After having purchased the three CE versions of World of Warcraft and it's expansions, my expectations for an art book are pretty high. I've yet to get to the Palazzo Medici or the Santa Maria Dei Frari (the pre-order bonus map and the CE bonus map, respectively) so I can't say much about that.

The statue is pretty sweet, so that soothes some of my disappointment with the contents of the CE, but as far as I'm concerned, the Bonus disc is pretty lame.

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Review

Ratchet & Clank face off against the evil Dr. Nefarious

DuncanR2N's Weekend Thoughts Vol. X: Things every game should do

Lately I've been thinking about ways that the game experience could be easily enhanced. Things that don't change the core gameplay at all, don't affect the storyline, done really do anything to the game itself, yet could improve the overall enjoyment of a game. Most of these things I've seen in one or two games, but for some reason, have yet to become mainstream, even though they are fantastic ideas.

Here they are in no particular order:

Assassin's Creed Lineage Part 1

Last year Ubisoft bought Hybride Technologies, the visual effects studio that created the effects for '300' and 'Sin City'. Why would a game publisher buy a movie effects company?

Ubisoft said that it acquired Hybride "to share technology and to develop tools in order to optimize the creation of both video games and visual effects and to offer gamers visual experiences that rival those of the cinema."

Windows 7 gets a Whopper tie-in

If you're in Japan, and you like Whoppers, you can get a lovely tie-in with the Windows 7 release; a 7-patty Whopper. The guys from CAG have posted up a lovely video. You can watch it after the jump, but be forewarned, it's not pretty.

I tweet

For fun I thought I'd track my progress with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I've already played through it once but I'm now doing it again on Hard, treasure hunting and trying to get all the weapon counts and such done. I created a Twitter account and now I've got it up and running and hooked to my Uncharted 2 game. Follow if you like. It can be found here

Blu-ray for your Xbox 360? [UPDATE]

Looks like it. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer dropped this lovely little line in an interview with Gizmondo:

Well I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there—you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories.

So looks like we may get another HD-DVD type of accessory maybe?

MotorStorm, where's the love?

I absolutely loved MotorStorm. It's a solid off-road racer set in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world where these races are like the new gladiator combat. If you win, great, if you loose, it probably means that you are a spot at the bottom of a cliff.

God of War Collection - gimped? [UPDATE]

I know that I should be really excited about this but I can't help but feel that I'm not really getting the experience I was hoping for after carefully reviewing the recently released God of War Collection trailer. Yes it looks sharp, and it will be fun earning trophies for both games, but I noticed something that really bugged me.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - Crushed! and Platinumed

I've been gearing up to play Uncharted 2: Among Thieves lately by going on a quest to obtain my Platinum Trophy for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I successfully finished that effort this evening, earning my Platinum Trophy at 8:27 pm EST. This is my third Platinum Trophy, joining Prince of Persia and inFamous into that elite Platinum group.

Halo 3: ODST Review

With the Master Chief off-world, its up to the ODST to complete a crucial mission in New Mombassa.

DuncanR2N's Weekend Thoughts Vol. IX: Motion Control

I've not posted my thoughts lately so I thought I'd write a bit about something that has been rolling around in my head of late. Nintendo burst onto the scene this year with their Wiimotes, and left Sony and Microsoft in the dust in from a hardware sales standpoint. So now, a couple years later, both Sony and MS are poised to release their versions of motion control (I guess the Sixaxis wasn't motion-y enough), with hopes, I'm sure, to steal some of those consumer dollars that keep finding their way into Nintendo's wallet.

Question is, do we really need it?

The latest and greatest trailer for Final Fantasy XIII from the Tokyo Game Show. It's Japanese, and it can be a bit heavy on the whine factor, but it's nice to see the combat in action. Lipsync is fantastic.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth Review

Come to me Dark Warriors battle awaits us...

Batman: Arkham Asylum Review

The world’s greatest detective takes on some of his most dangerous foes while trapped in Gotham’s infamous Arkham Asylum.

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords on Sale!

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is on sale for 400 Billy Bucks (or $5 for those of you who like to think in terms of real money). If you don't yet have this title, and you want it (and for $5 you should) go grab it. It's the Deal of the Week on XBL.

This Week in Games: Sep. 6, 2009

I decided to stop doing the monthly update. Too much happens in a month so I'm trying out a weekly update. However, since I didn't do an August update, I will go ahead on bring you up to speed.

inFamous Review

Cole is just a regular guy, trying to make ends meet. He's got a nice girl, good friends, and really doesn't ask for too much. He's a courier in a big city, who one day, is asked to deliver a package that will change his life...

Resistance: Retribution

The popular Resistance franchise takes its fight on the go with a sequel for the PSP.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

The world's best soldier is called upon once more to save it from the military-industrial complex.

Resistance 2

The Chimera are back and this time they are bringing the fight to our shores

Resistance: Fall of Man

An alternate history world war that would make Harry Turtledove proud.

Wild Arms 3 Review

You got your spaghetti western in my JPRG. No, you got your JRPG in my spaghetti western!

Wild Arms 2 Review

Let's return to Filgaia!

Final Fantasy IX Review

Final Fantasy the way it should be (no cellphones please).

Luigi's Mansion Review

Ghosts in your mansion? Who you gonna call? Uh, Luigi? Okay, I guess.

Tales of Phantasia Review

A great place to start for a first time Tales player.

Wild Arms Review

A journey to Filgaia that was surprisingly enjoyable!