PAX Easter

PAX East 2012 falls later in the year than usual. Instead of a tradition weekend in March, PAX East will be held the weekend of April 6th - 8th, 2012. That happens to be the weekend Easter Sunday falls. Make sure you get your passes to PAX Easter. You don't want to be left out on the first annual PAX Easter.

PAX East has been awesome ever since it's debut in 2010. A convention that's focused only on games has never been seen on the East Coast. PAX East changed all of that by hosting the first annual PAX East at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. I was one of the 52,000 people that attended in 2010. It changed my life. It made me believe that being a gaming journalist is really possible.  I saw people walking by with different badges that said "Media" on them. I asked myself,

"If people with "media" badges are able to attend PAX East for free to cover the convention, why can't I?"

My search for that answer brought me to PAX East 2011. PAX East really outdid itself in 2011. It moved from the Hynes Convention Center to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) in South Boston. BCEC opened in 2004, and proved to be a better home for PAX East. As one of the 69,000 attendees, I would say it was epic. I feel like I did more to promote "Errol Games" during this convention. I did interviews, I took pictures, and I settled disputes during that weekend. I learned that people who have media badges like to make fun of your 3 Day Pass if they don't like you.  I like my 3 Day Pass. I have no problem paying money to cover PAX East my way. It would be nice to go to PAX East for free tho. I feel like I need to win a contest or something to make that happen. I could use some guidance.  2012 should be an interesting year.

#Bestof2011 Nintendo 3DS

 

What a year for the Nintendo 3DS. After a slow start and speculation that the 3DS was a flop, Nintendo got the ball rolling. The first major improvement to the Nintendo 3DS was it's controversial price cut. The people who paid $249.99 for a Nintendo 3DS were shocked to see the price go down to $169.99 a mere five months after it's release. Nintendo admitted their mistake and gave 20 free games to early adopters labeling them ambassadors to the 3DS. I was one of the early adopters of the 3DS, but I didn't take the price drop so personally. For starters it was a gift, but I had invested so much time playing my 3DS that I felt like I had already got my moneys worth.


Let's face it the first year for any new gaming system is rough. It usually consists of a heavy price tag and a software lineup that is less than favorable. I can't remember a launch title for the Xbox 360 besides King Kong. The Nintendo 3DS software lineup was bleak for most of the year, but there were some gems. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars is a fan favorite. My personal favorite was Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. That game held me over until the release of Super Mario 3D Land in November. Nintendo always brings their A game when it comes to a Mario Adventure, and his first 3DS outing is no exception. Every 3DS owner should give Super Mario 3D Land a try.

The Nintendo 3DS enters 2012 ready for competition. It's outsold the first year sales of the Nintendo DS, and hasn't slowing down since. The lineup for next years games looks spectacular with titles such as Resident Evil: Revelations, and Metal Gear Solid 3D expected hit stores the first half of the year. The smaller price tag also makes it a tough contender against the PlayStation Vita which is set to be released this February. In the meantime I'm going to get back to Super Mario 3D Land.

#Bestof2011 Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition

I thought Capcom had done it all when they released Street Fighter IV on 360 and PS3. Boy was I was wrong. Super Street Fighter IV 3D for the Nintendo 3DS is the best version of Street Fighter I've ever played. I go back with Street Fighter to the early 1990s with Street Fighter II: Championship Edition on the Genesis. Never have I ever invested as much time on any other game as I've invested on Street Fighter 3D. Before you say "I could play this version on the console," here are the things that make Super Street Fighter IV 3D better than the console version.

Better Graphics

You can't reproduce the 3D graphics seen on the 3DS version of Street Fighter on the console versions. Sure the graphics on console have a lot more going on in the background, but the 3D effect is really cool. I notice the detail on the fighters better on the 3DS.

Better Control Scheme

No need to buy an expensive arcade stick for the 3DS version. The button layout on the 3DS is perfect for Street Fighter. The face buttons are low/mid punch and kick while the shoulder buttons are high punch and kick. Having only two shoulder buttons gave me more patience learning the control scheme. The touch screen buttons make Street Fighter accessible to more players because it doesn't require as much effort to learn tough combos. Makes me wonder how come it took so long for Street Fighter to show up on a portable Nintendo console.

Portability
I play this game during times when I can't play other games. They include when I'm in bed and on the toilet. Sorry for the insight, but my mornings get off to a great start as I'm on the toilet playing Street Fighter 3D. At night I found myself playing until I fall asleep. It's awesome. I could also play this game outside, but I prefer to play it with a WiFi connection.

As of right now I've invested 440 hours and 10 minutes into Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. I can't wait to finish writing this blog post so I can get back to playing it. If you have a 3DS you should seriously check out this game. It's my most played game this year.

The Pros and Cons of Using Gamefly

I've been a member of Gamefly since August 2009. In those two years I've been an overall satisfied customer. There have been a few hiccups here and there, but the service has been solid. A friend asked me if Gamefly was worth it? I put this list of pros and cons together to help you decide whether or not you should subscribe to Gamefly. If anybody who has a Gamefly account has anything to add feel free.

Huge Selection

Gamefly is the only place that allows me to rent Nintendo 3DS titles. $40 is a lot of money to put towards a game that I might not even like. It's not like Gamestop is going to give me a full refund on an opened 3DS game because I didn't like it. Whenever a 3DS game that interests me is released, I'm using Gamefly to play it. Gamefly also has a bunch of games that my local Blockbuster doesn't carry. Games include Catherine, Cursed Mountain, & Tony Hawk's Project 8.

Fast Shipping

It usually takes 2 days to receive a game after Gamefly sends me a confirmation email. They also ship out new games the day before they're released which means I usually have a new release the day after it hits stores.  An example I use is Uncharted 3. It was released on Tuesday November 1st. Gamefly shipped it Monday, October 31st, and I received it Wednesday, November 2nd. I have no problem waiting an extra day to play a new release. The shipping might slow down next year when the United States Postal Service slows down their next day mail service.

Game Availability 

One problem I've encountered is the availability of a new videogame after it's been released. You can almost guarantee a new release will have "Low Availability" for it's first month. I've had it take weeks to receive a confirmation email after a games been released. A game that comes to mind is Batman: Arkham Asylum. If I had been better about shipping the game I had back to Gamefly, I probably would've received one of the first copies of Arkham City they shipped out. I waited 2 weeks for an email that Gamefly shipped out Arkham City, but it never came. I gave up and put dibs on Uncharted 3. I'm current;y waiting to see how long it's going to take before Gamefly ships me a copy of Super Mario 3D Land.

Remembering to ship games back

I've ran into this problem more than a few times. I finish a video game, put it back in the packaging, and leave it in my car for over a week. Forgetting to ship a game back seems like a small problem until you miss the deadline on that new videogame you wanted to play so bad. Now you've got to wait for who knows how long until you get a confirmation email. Another word of advice would be not to ship a game back too close to the release of a new game. Best bet is to give yourself a week. The holiday rush of new games is pretty much over so I guess it's pretty much a game of waiting for a confirmation email. Remember to ship your games back when you're done.

Would I recommend Gamefly???

I absolutely recommend Gamefly if you're a Nintendo 3DS owner. That $40 price tag on videogames is expensive, and most 3DS titles at this point have not been getting great reviews. Save your money and use Gamefly. For everyone else I recommend giving Gamefly a try. They have a one month free trial where you could get a feel for how it works. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Why the 2011 VGAs Rocked

Ladies and gentleman I stand corrected. I had every expectation that the 2011 Video Game Awards were going to be two hours of boring television. Boy was I was wrong. The 2011 VGA's were great. Really great. I enjoyed watching it from beginning to end. Here are some reasons why the 2011 Video Game Awards Rocked.

Better Music

The VGA's made a bunch of additions to the show this year that rocked. One of the additions was an in house DJ by the name of Deadmau5. He's already official when it comes to rocking awards shows since he was the inhouse DJ at the 2010 VMA's. A bunch of people tuned in just to see Deadmau5 perform.

Of course on television his epic music and light shows kept getting cut short thanks to commercials, but he did his thing. Deadmau5 also introduced a new helmet which is way more detailed than the one he had on at the VMA's. The new helmet is cool because it has a bunch of videogame designs on it. The Right Eye is Pac Man and I see a 1UP logo on his right ear. Very appropriate for the occassion.

Great Host

A great awards show begins with a great host, and Zachary Levi was just that. His Portal 2 leap across the venue was a great entrance, and the guy knew what he was talking about. That's a huge step up from last years host, Neil Patrick Harris, who was cool, but I couldn't really relate to the him as a gamer. Zacahry Levi was funny as well. His joke about him and Jane Lynch being sexy male hosts had me laughing. He also kept the show moving. I wouldn't mind if he came back to host the Video Game Awards again.

Better Presenters  

Remember the people who presented at last years Video Game Awards? Me either. This year we saw a bunch of famous faces present awards, trailers, and musical guests. The guys from that show Workaholics were hilarious when they presented the trailer to Alan Wake. They came out as if they won an award and went on to introduce Alan Wake 2. By the way they were presenting the trailer it wasn't clear if they knew the game they were presenting or not adding to the humor. 

What about Charlie Sheen presenting? That was definitely a highlight of the night. Say what you want about Charlie Sheen, that man is winning. Gotta give kudos to Will I Am and Hulk Hogan. The special guests that attended this year makes me want to go to next years VGA's. I'd get to mingle with some stars for real.

Hall of Fame

This year the Video Game Awards gave out it's version of the Lifetime Achievement Award by inducting The Legend of Zelda into the Video Game Hall of Fame. The only thing bigger than Zelda being the first game inducted into the Hall of Fame was creator Shigeru Miyamoto being there to accept the award. Both Zelda & Shigeru Miyamoto deserve that first spot in the Hall of Fame.

Despite all of the recent controversy around rumors of Miyamoto is retiring, it was good to see him on stage smiling. Something tells me this isn't the last time we'll see Miyamoto accepting a Hall of Fame award. I give it 3 years tops before Mario makes his way into the Hall of Fame. The Videogame Hall of Fame is a genius award within itself. I look forward to seeing what game get inducted next.

Teabagging

You know those award shows where the person who wins give a really long acceptance speech? The VGA's aren't one of them. Gone are the days of people thanking everyone from GOD to the cleaning lady at their hotel. If you take too long at the VGA's you risk getting teabagged by a US Soldier.

I thought the host was joking when he said if you take too long accepting your award you'll get teabagged. That was until the guys at Infinity Ward set off the alarm for going too long on their acceptance speech for Best Shooter. Next thing you know the soldiers on the stage Teabagging one of the guys from Modern Warfare 3. How's that for a win? You've got the best selling game of the year, the award for best shooter, and you got teabagged on stage. I look forward to the day I get to accept a VGA. The only thing I'll have on my mind is avoiding getting teabagged. Until next year.

Why The VGA's Matter

It's that time of the year again folks. The last month of the year means we have to spend one of our weekend nights watching Spike TV for the Video Game Awards. The VGA's is like a dentist appointment. I don't look forward to going, but I have to go. The VGA's might not be fun to watch, but they do matter. Here's why.

It's on TV
The VGA's matter because they're the only Live Televised videogame awards show around. All the other videogame award shows (the IGA's, GDC's, etc) are invite only. I usually find out who won those awards after they happen via Twitter or a gaming website. With the VGA's everyone's invited. All you gotta do is tune in to Spike TV tonight at 8p ET / 5p PT and you're there. The best part is seeing the games win in real time and and having a collective conversation about it on Twitter with other gamers.


New Game Announcements/Trailers
It wouldn't be the VGA's if we didn't get trailers and announcements for upcoming games. I would say after E3 the VGA's is the place to find the most announcements for new games. There's a rumor going around that Tony Hawk is announcing a new videogame tonight. I'm curious to see what that games gonna be like. I also heard that a new trailer to Mass Effect 3 will be shown tonight. That should be interesting.

Can You Say Game of the Year? 
The VGA's kicks off the award giving season we get in videogames this time of the year. I figure since we're all able to watch the show, we should allow the VGA's to be the first to give it out the Game of the Year award. I'm probably going to disagree with their choice since the game that's on my list wasn't nominated, but that's besides the point. At least we all find out who won their Game of the Year award at the same time. It's not like I'll wake up in the morning to people spilling the beans that (insert gaming website here) gave out the Game of the Year Award.

Feel It

 

Why I Want the Special Edition of Skyward Sword

I can't even remember the last time I played my Wii. If I remember correctly I was playing Donkey Kong Returns last November. It's sad. I see it everyday in my living room collecting dust. It saddens me to think that I could have traded in my Wii a year ago and not even missed it. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the only reason why I haven't traded in my Wii.

I've come close to trading in my Wii on many different occasions. The first time I almost traded it in, I decided to trade in my Gamecube peripherals instead. They included Super Mario Sunshine, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, a Gamecube memory card, and a Gamecube Controller. I got $20 from my friend Simon at Patriot Games, and put gas in my car.

I came really close to selling my Wii the other day. I was strapped for cash and needed gas to get to school. I began to get the cords together when I noticed my one and only Wiimote sitting by itself. I thought of the Special Edition of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

"Doesn't that include a Wiimote?" I thought to myself.

I began to do my research. Not only does the Special Edition of Skyward Sword include a gold covered Wiimote, the Wiimote has the Wii Motion Plus built into it. I then found out that the Wii Motion Plus is required to play Skyward Sword. I've had my Wiimote since 2007. It doesn't have any of bells and whistles that newer Wiimote's have. My Wiimote was officially obsolete. I grabbed my Wiimote and an extra nunchuck I've had laying around and traded both in for $15 dollars at Patriot Games. To the Gas station.

As the holidays approach, the first thing on my Christmas List is the Special Edition of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. It's $79.99 and the Wiimote that comes in the Special Edition looks cool. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the final game for my Wii before I trade it in. It's going to be nice to be able to play it with a cool new controller.

Why Multiple Characters in #GTAV Doesn't Make Sense

 I don't believe the rumor of multiple playable characters in #GTAV after watching the trailer. It doesn't make sense. If that was the case more than one person would be narrating their story in the first trailer for the game. Remember the trailer to GTA IV? "Perhaps here will be different" was spoken by the main character Niko Bellic. Alternative characters come in the downloadable content. If you remember, The Ballad of Gay Tony & The Lost & the Damned put different perspectives on the same story. I bet #GTAV will do the same thing.

The trailer showcases a bunch of fancy cars. The one that caught my attention was the red convertible which showcases it's ability to drop it's hard top. That is a beautiful car. I can't wait to ride it down the streets of Los Santos. Is that Los Angeles? I beat San Andreas 5 years ago. I can't remember. I know I saw a sign that said Los Santos in the trailer tho.

It looks like our protagonist this time around is a middle aged American white man. The name of our character remains a mystery, but I'm already interested.  It looks like our protagonist has already accomplished everything he wants in life. He's retreated to what looks like Los Angeles for "the magic" as he calls it. Grand Theft Auto V looks like this guys midlife crisis. I don't care though. He is interesting enough for me to want to see what his life is like. Sign me up for the #GTAV. You'll probably see me at a midnight release.

Then again watching the trailer almost 12 hours later opens me up to the possibility of multiple characters. Who's to say you're not playing as one of the homeless people in the street, or as the guy who is running from the cops. Los Santos is definitely set in modern times. All I can see missing is the occupy movement. I can't wait to hear what the radio stations have to say.  Maybr the story is about multiple characters. I just have a hard time believing it.

What Grand Theft Auto 3 Means to Me

I remember the first time I played Grand Theft Auto 3. I was hanging out at my friend Tino's house. He was glued to the TV playing this game on his PS2. I saw him in a car driving around a city. I noticed how there weren't any boundaries to where he could drive. He was free to drive wherever he wanted. "This isn't a racing game." I said to myself.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Grand Theft Auto" Tino said.

For real? The Grand Theft Auto I remembered was the game with the overhead camera view. The Grand Theft Auto I knew was the one where you had to hold X to walk and the missions were hard. I wasn't a fan of Grand Theft Auto 1 or 2. I pretty much wrote the series off, and here is this cool game that my friend is calling Grand Theft Auto.

"Can I play?" I asked.

"Yea" Tino says.

He hands me the control and I begin driving. I was in a Kuruma driving around Chinatown.

"Press L2," Tino suggested.

I pressed it and noticed the camera shifting to look out the left window of the car.

"Alright, now hold L2 and press O," he continued.

That was the moment I fell in love with Grand Theft Auto 3. Something about being able to do drive-bys just blew me away. From that point on, I had a feeling Grand Theft Auto 3 was going to be a classic. It was time to jump into the next generation of videogames. No more Nintendo 64, it was time for a PlayStation 2.

Not too long after I played the game at Tino's house, more of my friends had copies of GTA 3. It got to the point where you had to have played the game to be cool in my middle school. It got to the point where you had to have played the game to be cool in my middle school. I would sleep over friends houses just to play GTA 3 all night. I remember one night when my buddy Tom and I jammed to Rise FM for like two hours. We put Claude in a car and just zoned out to the six songs on that radio station.

Grand Theft Auto 3 became so popular that by the time I went to buy it four months later, I had to bring my mother because the lady at Toys "R" Us said I was too young to get it myself. It's crazy because I could have bought Halo: Combat Evolved, which had the same rating, with no problems. At the time, Toys "R" Us had games on shelves, so all you had to do was bring one to a register to purchase it. With GTA 3, I remember having to go to customer service and specifically ask for the title.

I didn't want the game because of the controversy surrounding it. I wanted it because it was incredibly fun. If it was boring but still naughty, I don't think anybody would care enough to want to play it. Instead it's this phenomenal release that just so happens to contain drugs, violence, and prostitutes.

On this 10-year anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3, I wonder when that next landmark game will arrive. A game that creates a new genre and gets it right. An original game that inspires copycats that are both good and bad, but never better. A game that every player knows about. A game that unites us as gamers. It'll be here one day.

Happy Birthday Grand Theft Auto 3. You changed everything.

Patriot Games

Why I'm Buying Resident Evil Code Veronica X HD

The reviews are in for the HD version of Resident Evil Code Veronica and they are mixed. It currently has a score of 74 which is all right considering. I've read the reviews from Destructoid which gave it a 5/10 and Gamepro which gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.

These were the CONS from Gamepro's review of Resident Evil: Code Veronica HD:
"CONS: Terrible controls hamper much of the gameplay; puzzles are occasionally way too obscure to figure out without help; forced camera perspective feels cheap later in the game; rarity of items and weapons can get you stuck in a corner if you're not careful."

My question to the person that wrote the review is how many Resident Evil games have you played before? Last I remembered Code Veronica was similar to Resident Evil games before Resident Evil 4. The fixed camera angels weren't "cute" in the year 2000. They made Resident Evil the series it is today! Pressing "forward" to move is nothing new to veterans of the series who think the series has recently moved in the wrong direction. The rarity of items and weapons is also a staple in the series. The game would be way too easy and less scary if you had more bullets than you needed to survival. The genre is survival horror after all. Learn how to save bullets.

Destructoid's review of Code Veronica is similar to Gamepro's except a valid point is brought out in Dtoid's review. They ponder why younger Resident Evil Games such as the Resident Evil Remake and Resident Evil 0 were overlooked for an HD remake. Capcom probably looked past Resident Evil 0 because that game is short. I remember finishing that game in one sitting. Capcom probably overlooked the REmake is already a remake. Why remake a game for a third time? I mean the first Resident Evil is a classic by all means, but give it a rest.

Speaking of games that need to stop being remade can Capcom stop remaking Resident Evil 4? I mean jeez you can play that game on everything from a Gamecube to an iPhone. Giving the game HD graphics doesn't justify releasing Resident Evil 4 for the umpteenth time. The problem with Resident Evil 4 is it created Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil 5 is the worst game in the series. I didn't become a fan of the Resident Evil series because of it's over the top action. I became a fan because the atmospheric fixed camera games. I can not wait for Resident Evil Revelations on the 3DS. In the mean time I'll download Resident Evil Code Veronica HD tomorrow and relive the Resident Evil experience I fell in love with.

Structure Errol Games

What the Hell is a Deus Ex?

Forgive my ignorance but what the hell is Deus Ex? All's I know is it's a PC game that came out 10 years ago. My knowledge of PC games is limited to Call of Duty 2 and The Sims. My PC doesn't turn on, but it has an ATI Radeon X700 video card inside of it. I'm guessing that a pretty dated graphics, but I was able to play the Sims 2 on high settings with no problem.

Back to Deus Ex. Apparently a version of the original game was ported to the Playstation 2 in 2002. I wasn't aware of it. I was too busy playing Resident Evil on the Gamecube. The reviews have been pretty solid for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Human Revolution popped on my Radar after my trip to Blockbuster earlier. I walked in and noticed that all seven copies for the PS3 version of Deus Ex were rented out. I've never seen a whole section of PS3 games rented out at Blockbuster. Ever. I knew it would get worse as I checked the XBOX 360 section. Sold Out. I asked the guy at the counter if he had any copies. He told me they'll be back on Sunday. Great. The game I wanted to spend Hurricane Irene playing will be back on the day Irene shows up.

Looks like I'll have to spend an arm and a leg to buy Deus Ex: Human Revolution. $59.99 is a ridiculous price for a videogame. I'd be cool if videogames were released digitally if it meant I had the option to rent the game before I bought it. Maybe it already exists. Told you I'm ignorant when it comes to PC Gaming. Anyway's I've got a videogame to buy. I'll make sure to not buy it from Gamestop due to them taking the PC version of Deus Ex off it's shelves. I'm not planning on buying the PC version, but I shop where all gamers shop.