PSP Whoa

The PSP-3000 reminds me of the Sega Game Gear. They're both the same shape and are too big to fit in my pocket. Even if I stopped wearing skinny jeans I wouldn't put the PSP-3000 in my pocket since the screen is so big it would eventually get scratched by my keys. Maybe Sony should redesign the PSP. Oh wait they did. The PSP Go.

I don't understand why the PSP Go gets so much negativity. The Recession probably has something to do with it. It isn't the brightest idea for Sony to sell the PSP Go for $50 less than its Blu-Ray player that just so happens to play video games. Especially when the PSP-3000 is $199.99 compared to $249.99 for the PSP Go. The PSP Go is a pretty penny, but there are a lot of Secret Santa's out there.

I've read reviews saying the PSP Go sucks because it doesn't have a UMD drive. UMD dics remind me of mini disc players so to that I say get an iPod and good riddance. Change is hard for some. They say the Macbook Air sucks because it doesn't have a disc drive. I wonder how many of these people download albums and movies from the Internet only to send them to their iPod's. It's not like you can return an opened PSP game to GameStop and expect to get a full refund. Besides the cases for these UMD games waste space, and there is always the risk of having a disc stolen. Game theft have been on the rise over the years. Maybe we should just accept digital downloads as the future. I can understand how a person who already owns a PSP could get mad, but maybe the PSP Go isn't for you.

Game of the Decade is a Myth

Can a game stand the test of time long enough to define a decade? I doubt it. Many innovative games have been released this decade, but they usually become a great sequel a few years later. There isn't a fair way to compare a game that was made in 2009 with a game made before 2005. It's hard enough trying to compare a game to it's predecessor. Put Grand Theft Auto 3 next to Grand Theft Auto IV and they both look dated when compared to a game like Assassin's Creed 2. Graphics aren't everything, the Wii proved that, but they do increase a games chances of surviving the test of time.

We're at the point of the cycle where most of the original IP's released this generation have sequels. Should we ignore predecessors and give the  award to either a game without no sequels or the latest game in a franchise? I'm sure there are people who feel that both Uncharted 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 are not as good as the originals, but sales say otherwise. Do sales matter when it comes to determining the Game of the Decade? If so, then Wii Sports should be a contender which is an insult to gamers.

If the award was divided by genre, how would the Sports Title of the Decade be determined? Would it be the 2010 (2k10) edition because of the latest features, or does the roster at a certain year determine it's dominance? Since Madden has been the only NFL game since 2004, should we consider Madden to be the NFL title of the decade?


It's hard enough trying to compare a game released in 2009 with a game released in 2008. When a game is new, it represents the year it was released. Look at Fallout 3 and Borderlands. Both games, released a year apart, are First Person RPG's set in a wasteland. Fallout 3 uses the setting to complement the dark theme about Washington DC after a nuclear war. It was released in 2008 when the economy was beginning to really suck, and the future wasn't looking too bright. Borderlands comes out a year later and has a more lighthearted approach to a wasteland. Instead of feeling like a victim to the situation, your on a treasure hunt with funny robots, cool guns, and raiders who don't have bodies hanging outside of their hideouts. Both games have different intentions, but what a difference a year makes. The lighthearted approach this year could be a reason why Mickey Mouse is returning with Epic Mickey next year.

Game of the Year? Yes
Game of the Decade? Not Possible but I'd give it to Grand Theft Auto IV

The Off Season

Feels like I've been ignoring you. I haven't. Been busy with college which requires more of my brain than I had hoped for. Besides, the drought is over so I hope you're busy playing games. I know I am. I've played Cursed Mountain, Gay Tony, Uncharted 2, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, and right now I'm playing Assassin's Creed 2 and Borderlands. The semester is over next month, so I'll be back soon. That's a promise.

Here's a preview of what's to come.

Happy Holidays

A friend once told me that being spoiled is how you act when you don't get what you want.

1. Demon's Souls

2. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

3. Beats by Dre High Definition Headphones

Merry Holidays Everybody

Wii are not the same

Remember when an arcade game by the name of Mortal Kombat was ported to the consoles? The blood & gore that made the game inFamous was removed from the SNES version. What was Nintendo thinking? Guess it's no surprise the Gamecube had a stigma of being a system for kids. Remember the "Clean is better than dirty" ad for Super Mario Sunshine? Maybe it was Gamecube's indigo color, or it could have something to do the fact that not one game was rated M on launch day. Was anybody else thrown off when Capcom announced the Resident Evil series was going to be exclusive for the Gamecube? This strategy to gain mature gamers failed since other M rated exclusives such as Eternal Darkness flopped, while Resident Evil 4 has been ported to everything including your cell phone.

Nintendo had their moment with M rated games. The Nintendo64 introduced Turok & Conker's Bad Fur Day. Sure the game was edgy, but Conker's image as a cute squirrel could easily fool a parent who was looking to buy a game for their child. Sure they were probably advised not to by the person selling it, but I bet a few copies made it home. Nintendo has always seemed to cater to parents, soccer moms particularly. They are the ones that are able to buy the games for children that are too young to work after all. The Wii feels like Nintendo's way of saying thanks to the parents that supported them for all of these years.

Not paying enough attention to the mature audience is definitely the charm of Nintendo. They find ways to be innovative . Who has more recognizable mascots than Nintendo past or present? Mario's adventures still find a way to bring the kid out of me. These third party developers should just stick to the other consoles for M rated exclusives. Either that or join the club with the other flops.

Maybe this is all apart of Nintendo's plan. The Wii has hit a wall as far as sales go because of surpise surpise a low demand for software for the Wii. Maybe Nintendo needed to prove to themselves that they could win a console war again. It's been a while since Nintendo was on top. This generation is the strangest. Sony's in last, Nintendo's in first, and the top selling game of the decade is free when you buy a controller. That is bullshit by the way.

Games Delivered?

The holiday season is right around the corner, and the price of a new game isn't going down anytime soon. Finding a way to cut costs on this expensive habit has proven to be an annoying task. Renting a video game at a video store has always been an effective strategy, but finding an available copy on the release date of a new game can be tough. They say patience is a virtue, but how long do you have until the next new game is out? This week alone we saw Need For Speed: Shift, Wet, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, and NHL 10 hit store shelves. I decided to give GameFly a try. For those that don't know GameFly is to games what Netflix is to movies. Their premise is simple Games Delivered. Too bad they can't seem to get it right.

If you want to stay on top of video games, your going to be busy. You should be busy playing video games, not waiting for them to show up. The first game I rented from GameFly was Okami. It's availability was high, and I received an email from GameFly saying they shipped the game the day after I joined. Eight days later, Okami shows up in my mailbox. GameFly claims a game should be at your doorstep in 2-4 business days. I excused the delay as them working out the kinks. No harm, no foul. Every game in My GameQ has yet to be released except for Cursed Mountain, which GameFly claims to have shipped September 9th. Seven business days later, Cursed Mountain is still not at my doorstep. Why am I not surprised?

When Batman: Arkham Asylum was released last month, I was determined to play it on the day it came out. Buying it wasn't an option so I called Blockbuster. The one I called didn't have it, but the employee directed me to a Blockbuster that did. To my surprise, I was playing a rented copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PS3 on the day it was released. Knowing the copy hadn't been played by anybody else made me feel cool. The 5 day limit I had with the game inspired me to finish the story as fast as possible. I played it relentlessly, and 2 nights later I finished the story. Has anybody with a GameFly account received a game on the day it was released? If not then Blockbuster might be the way to go.

I did contact GameFly when Okami didn't show up, but all I got back were generic responses that I'm guessing they use when people have an issue. It didn't do much in the way of trying to figure out what happened to the game. I would talk to them about Cursed Mountain, but something tells me I'll get nowhere. Writing this feels like the way to go. So much for trying to stay on top of the new releases for the month of September...

Hubby Hubby Ice Cream

Hubby Hubby Ice Cream

Antony Price is probably enjoying his night with some Hubby Hubby Ice Cream from Ben & Jerry's. He has a lot to celebrate. For starters the first trailer for The Ballad of Gay Tony is now available. Gay Tony's Ballad is looks as if it's aiming to be over the top and fabulous. You have to be pretty fabulous to end up a trending topic on Twitter. Liberty City has been appearing in the news a lot as of late. Huang Lee & his quest for the Yu Jian sword is making it's way to the PSP on October 20. This war in Chinatown has got to stop people. There's word from the rock stars that iPhone and iPod Touch users will be able to get in on the action sometime this fall. Be careful ladies and gentleman.

Trending Topics

What do Empire City, Washington D.C. in 2277, Arkham Asylum, and Rapture have in common? They all give off the impression that humanity is in serious trouble. This theme of a post-apocalyptic past or future seems to be one of the hottest trends in video games. The typical dark theme in a game used to involve a certain level of horror or some type of war. Now it's all about something causing humanity to go insane. Either it's a nuclear explosion, a viral infection, or simply ending up in an insane asylum. Background characters who used to be funny and uplifting have been replaced with miserable people who are either crazy or have nothing to live for. Could it have something to do with today's economy?

Empire City best represents this recession. Most of the people didn't see the explosion that changed their lives coming, and after it happened they tried their best to maintain. Sure there were people that saw it coming, but maybe they were more informed about the situation than others. Cole is kind of like President Barack Obama. People either love him or hate him, but either way their looking at him to fix the situation. President Obama might not have any superpowers, but he's arguably the most powerful person on the planet.

Do the apocalyptic themes make you feel better about today's economy? The amount of people playing games has gone up for many reasons including the number of people unemployed. It might add fear to a persons outlook of the future since games like Fallout 3 predict devastating nuclear explosions and such. One could only hope for a better tomorrow and try to do something about it today.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum was released last Tuesday so you know I had to be on that. My funds are nowhere near where they are going to be, so I had to rely on Blockbuster. I'm so glad I didn't buy this game. It's a good game, but it's not great. I beat it in a day and a half. I wanted to finish it as fast as possible, but a day and a half is too fast for $59.99. The last game I crammed to finish was No More Heroes, and that took me 4 days. I also enjoyed playing it for the whole 4 days. The first step in Batman: AA is getting used to being Batman. If you a fan of Batman your going to have a great time because I would say this is the closest you'll get to actually being him. His movement is different from any other game I've played this generation.

The fighting annoyed the hell out of me. I wasn't impressed when I saw the demo. The fighting looked slow and easy. As I played through the game the fighting is slow and easy. Punch With Square, Counter with Triangle, Stun with circle. That's the basics. The gadgets and moves you learn throughout the game add more spice to the fights, but it felt repetitive on day one. Especially since in most places you couldn't use stealth to either attack or avoid them.

The stealth was my favorite aspect of the game. Stealth kills take looking at the situation as a whole and figuring out how to handle it. If there was an option to use stealth the whole time this game would have been a classic. The Riddler's clues were also fun. I caught myself ignoring the story looking for clues. The clues were cool because they did different things. Some came with character bios, while others opened new challenge modes. I found about half of his clues by the time I finished the story. The story is forgettable, but it's pacing kept me going. The Character Bio's helped me in understand how the Batman universe works.

I would recommend playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. Take your time with it. I tried to write about it right after I beat it. I couldn't because my brain had so much to process. Took me 4 days to finally be able to write something. It's all good though. My last words about Batman: Arkham Asylum are it's a good game, but it's not on my list for Game of The Year.

Get Me Outta Here!!

The drought is over ladies and gentlemen. I've spent the past week catching up with my Wii and PS3. I started it off with Punch-Out!! Great game. 1987 would be proud. It's funny what updated graphics can do to a game. The game felt fresh to me even though it's based off a simple premise. It's remarkable. Kept me entertained all weekend.

I then decided to play the PS3. The only game I own for my PS3 is LittleBigPlanet. It's the only game you should own on the PS3. Unlike games where the only update you get is downloadable content that usually costs money, this game evolves everyday for free. There's over a million user created levels. I had problems with my network connection so I wasn't able to sign into the Playstation Network. I spent hours attempting to ace levels. For those that don't know that means going through a level without dieing. No Lives Lost. Judging by the pic on the left, I don't think I did all that bad. Next stop was Batman: Arkham Asylum.

You Never Go Away

Call of Duty has come a long way from it's days as a PC first person shooter set during World War 2. The transition to the current generation of home consoles helped set itself apart from other series such as Battlefield and Medal of Honor. After increasing success with it's four sequels, the series has its eyes on creating the best selling game of all time when Modern Warfare 2 is released in November. Whether or not that happens is up to consumers, but is this the peak of Call of Duty's success?

Call of Duty 2 was introduced to the Xbox 360 in November of 2005. A sequel has been released every year under Activision's inFamous business model. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2007 proved to be a breath of fresh air to the series. The new setting and weapons gave way to a higher level of success for the series. Last year we went back to World War 2 with COD: World at War. I think the step backwards helps Modern Warfare 2's chances at the top spot since it's had some time away from the spotlight to be missed. If Modern Warfare 2 becomes the best selling game of all time, how much time will it take before we see another Call of Duty? If it's by Activision's business model about 365 days, which doesn't feel like a long enough time to be missed. Then again Guitar Hero is doing fine, and Tony Hawk did ok until the series ran into the ground. Most of the top selling series are still relevant today because they take time off between releases.

Imagine if a new Grand Theft Auto was released every year. Every odd year it's set in Liberty City, and every even year its set in Vice City. That would mean this years Grand Theft Auto would be set in Liberty City. Do we deal with it because we love the series so much, or would we say enough and demand for something fresh? The sales of the series probably wouldn't be as strong as they are, unless the controversy around each release is what draws so many people to the series. Modern Warfare 2 has had it's fair share of controversy, so maybe it will keep the series alive in the future. Switching back and forth from World War 2 and Modern Warfare could keep the series going, but for how much longer? First Person Shooters already have it hard enough trying to stand out in an overcrowded market. Will the name keep the series going 5 years from now? I doubt another Call of Duty game will be able top the success Modern Warefare 2 has in store. The sales will probably stay strong, but its probably all downhill from there. Unless the series takes a break....

Super Smash Time

Nintendo is arguably the most recognized brand in gaming. It's run through five home consoles has introduced the world to a bunch of memorable characters. These characters have had their fair share of adventures, but rarely do they all come together in a game. It seems like whenever they do come together it's to smash. Super Smash that is.

Super Smash Brothers is an interesting series. A sequel seems to appear every time Nintendo releases a console, but it doesn't seem to change much. Sure there's more characters and stages, but I've been holding forward and A to do some serious damage since the Nintendo 64. Why does Nintendo get away with bringing back old franchises? I understand Punch-out!! is a good game and all, but does nostalgia allow you to look away from the fact that it's pretty much the same game that was on the NES? Let's look at another old franchise that was remade on a Nintendo system, Resident Evil for the Gamecube. That was a classic remake of a classic game. The developers didn't stop with better graphics. The game introduced new gameplay mechanics, and added more to the original story. Sure it's a third party remake, but you can play it on the Wii.

Where would Nintendo be without their established franchises? All Nintendo has done this generation is sell units. If Mario didn't blast off to another galaxy and Link wasn't playing in the dark, where would Nintendo's adventures lead us? Do they want us all to be Wii Fit and nothing more? The Gamecube was all about the first party exclusives. That gave it an edge over both Sony & Microsoft who only published games developed by other people. Sure most of the Gamecube's 1st party games were sequels, they still introduced new series like Animal Crossing and Pikmin. Wii Play does not sound like a series. When the next generation comes will these games still exist? Probably, but lets hope Nintendo hasn't lost it's edge as a creator of original masterpieces...

The Next Step

It's official. The PS3 Slim is coming in September for $299.99. This news might not come as much of a surprise to many, but what does this mean for the PS3 in the long run? Can it make a huge comeback from last place, or is this generation going down as a rough patch in Sony's history? Time will answer all of these questions, but how much time is left for the PS3? It might be less than we think...

The average life of a Playstation is about 5 1/2 years. That would mean that "leaked" pictures of the Playstation 4 would probably start to show up by next years holiday season. People from Sony have been saying that the PS3 is on a 10 year life plan, which can be both good and bad. On one hand if the next 6 years show a steady growth in sales, the first 4 could be overlooked as growing pains. On the other hand if the competition moves forward, the PS3 would probably be considered last generation given that it had been around so long. Unless the PS3 is ahead of it's time.

In Sony's history, the slim version of a Playstation usually shows up when it's lifecycle is more than halfway over. Maybe the PS3 is trying to go out with a bang. The fall lineup of PS3 exclusives look strong, and a price cut for the PS3 in September could only help sales of these games. The more people you get hooked to what your doing now, the bigger your next move will be. Maybe that's what Sony has in store for us...

Flight School

Videos of gamers unboxing early copies of Batman: Arkham Asylum have been showing up lately. The Special Edition includes special things like a straight jacket. Maybe we all are a little crazy, but exactly how crazy does one have to be for the opportunity to play an early copy of a game? If it's more than a little bit. Sign me up...

I wonder how long early copies exist before being released. The Prestige Edition of Modern Warfare 2 has been getting unboxed long before the boycott against Activision began. How does one get the privileged of playing an early copy? Rappers have been tweeting about playing Madden 2010 weeks before it hit stores. Early copies of Madden 2010 were donated to a submarine crew being deployed before it's release date. It's safe to say one must be a strong individual in order to get one. Knowing the right people must help.

If you could spend more money to buy an early copy of a game, would you do it? I'm not sure if I'd even spend $59.99 for a game that's in stores today. I just got a subscription to GameFly and my que is set for the upcoming months. Having to wait weeks to play a new release has yet to be determined, but it will in due time. I'm hoping to never have that problem...

Go!!!

If you asked me if I would have bought a PlayStation Portable back in 2005, I would have laughed in your face. I feel that a portable system should have it's own identity. It shouldn't be the portable version of something that already exists. The Nintendo DS is a different piece of hardware compared to the Wii. I've always seen the PSP as a portable PS2. When Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories were rereleased on the PS2 that made my bias against the PSP even worse.

I ignored the PSP until best leaked secret of 2009's E3 showed up on the web. Pictures of the PSP Go show a redesigned version of the original. I've always felt like the PSP was too big to be a portable system in the 21st century. PSP Go solves that problem by going for more of a stylish approach. Stylish accessories are great for a person whos always on the go. Guess it's safe to say the war between the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP will follow us into the next decade. Will the PSP Go help bridge the gap in sales between the Nintendo DS? Guess we'll have to stay tuned to find out...

My allegiance with Nintendo's portable's probably had something to do with me ignoring the PSP. The Pokemon series is the reason why I've owned every Nintendo portable system since the Gameboy Color. That type of loyalty to a series is something I'm not sure I could find on the PSP. There's only one way to find out. I used to ignore PSP's games because they all seemed like spinoff's to popular games on the PS2 and PS3. Metal Gear Solid: Peach Walker looks like it's going to be great. Since I waited 4 years to get a PSP, there's a lot of good games just waiting to be played. If you've ignored the PSP, maybe it's time to pay attention when the PSP Go drops in October. Guess there is a perk for being patient afterall...