Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D. I don't get it

Some controversy has been brewing up with the newly released Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D. The Nintendo 3DS title apparently permanently saves your file when it saves your game. It's speculated that Capcom added this feature in order to prevent people from buying used copies of the game. I'm not sure I get it.

How does a permanent saved files stop people from playing a used copy of the game? I'm really clueless on this. Does it mean there is no NEW GAME option? Does it mean you can't save a new file due to the permanent saved file that would already be there on a used copy? Does it permanently save your file onto your 3DS or the game itself. What happens if you beat the game and want to play it again? This makes no sense to me whatsoever.

What I do know is Gamefly took the game down from being rented which probably means I won't be playing it anytime soon. It sucks because I would've played it if I could rent it. I don't really care for Mercenaries 3D to be honest. I was going to play it for the demo to Resident Evil Revelations. Guess I'll have to wait until 2012 to play that.

Happy 20th Sonic

Sonic The Hedgehog was one of the first videogames I ever played. It was games like this that helped shape my life as a gamer. The experience of being the fastest hedgehog that collected rings was so cool. The Sega Genesis series was 2nd to none. Sonic was giving Mario a run for his money back in those days. Sure the series isn't anywhere near what it was 20 years ago, but the classics deserve respect. Happy 20th Anniversary Sonic the Hedgehog. Thank you for influencing a generation of hardcore gamers.

Redbox Videogame Impressions

Redbox recently announced that they are adding videogame to their rental kiosks nationwide. Good news for people like me who live in places where their local Blockbuster and other videogame rental services are out of business due to the economy. Last night I saw a Redbox with the sticker "Games Are Here!" and decided to investigate. Here are some suggestions for I came up with for Redbox Videogame Rentals. 

Keep The Selection Up To Date

The most recent game Redbox had was Duke Nukem Forever, which isn't bad considering the game has been out for 8 days in the United States. I made it a point to check the videogame selection last night to see if Redbox had Shadows of the Damned, Fear 3, or Dungeon Siege III all of which were released yesterday. I didn't see any of these games, but that could have been because they were already rented out. If you want my money Redbox you have to have new videogames available the day they are released. I have no problem traveling 20 minutes to the nearest Blockbuster in order to rent a videogame on the day it was released. 

Don't Raise The Price

Two dollars a night seems like a pretty reasonable price to rent a videogame. I thought it was a deal until I did the math. If you rent a game for 5 days at Blockbuster it is $9.55. Five days with Redbox will be 45 cents more. Not a huge difference, but Redbox is more expensive. If they raise the price it won't be a good look. There is also a grey area that Redbox might want to consider. Playstation 3 games are technically Blu-Ray. They come on Blu-Ray discs and play on the Blu-Ray playing PS3. It'd be cool if we could rent PS3 games for $1.50 like the rest of the Blu-Ray titles you keep in stock.

Add More Classic Titles

Redbox picked a good time to add videogames to their roster. Summer is notorious for the lack of videogames being released. One look at the upcoming games list shows that not many games are being released between now and September. Redbox should use this time to add critically acclaimed titles to it's selection. I know space is limited, but games such as Dead Space 2, Grand Theft Auto 4, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 could be added to the list.

We Want Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

It's about time Tony Hawk made a comeback. The once best selling skateboarding franchise has become a symbol of failure in the gaming industry. It would be a shame to have the series end on a such a low note. Neversoft needs to remind us why we love the Tony Hawk franchise. It's time to bring back Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

We all know Tony Hawk's Ride & Shred were failures, but why were they failures? First thing I'd point to is the motion controlled skateboard that was required to play these games. It's clear Tony Hawk wanted to capitalize on the motion control fad that was going around. The problem was the games didn't successfully track the players movement which made the concept more of a gimmick than anything else. I personally have no interest in riding a skateboard which is why I like the arcade style Tony Hawk games always had. For your comeback you must get rid of the skateboard control.

Tony Hawk's comeback has to be named Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Why? because most fans agree that the best Tony Hawk games were from the Pro Skater series. They also sold the most units and were more focused on skateboarding. By the time Tony Hawk went Underground the series focused more on story, and adding elements to the gameplay such walking and driving. The name Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 would be perfect. It could be marketed as the true sequel to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 which is arguably the best game in the series.

You don't want to make a comeback that sucks. You want to remind the gamers how good Tony Hawk games used to be. Don't go overboard trying to add new features. Just give us the Tony Hawk experience we deserve. You could test the water by releasing an HD version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. I bet if it were under $15 it would do quite well. I personally could use a new Tony Hawk experience. It was a game people enjoyed watching me play as I attempted to score million point combos. Please come back Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. We miss you.

E3 2011 Awards: Biggest Letdown

Project Cafe. The Nintendo console that was expected to steal the show at E3 by making gamers hungry in anticipation. What we got was a tablet with buttons named Wii U. Is it a controller or a console? The world may never know.

Wii U is not on my list of things to purchase. Unless this HD tablet is less than $100 dollars you can count me out on buying one. What's the point of having a tablet that's not portable. Sure you can play it all day in your house, but that's what I use my 3DS for. On top of that Nintendo didn't present any original IP's for Wii U. They just had a bunch of 3rd party developers announce games for Wii U. A majority of which will be available on Playstation and Xbox months before they ever hit Wii U. Maybe I'll change my mind as time comes closer to it's release but as of today Wii U is my biggest Letdown from E3.

E3 2011 Awards: Biggest Surprise

Was anybody else totally surprised when Sony introduced Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time? I was trying to figure out the franchise Jack Tretton was talking about as the trailer opened. "A series that both kids and hardcore gamers enjoy that began in 2002." I was stumped. The joke at the end about the cast making it to E3 on time made me laugh. I thought it was cute. I've actually never played a Sly game before. I will definitely be checking out the new Sly when it hits stores next year.

E3 2011 Awards: Best Presenters

Best Presenter Award goes to the people who presented at Microsoft's Press Conference. It was hilarious when Robert Bowling's screen said "Please Reconnect Controller"during the opening segment. Every person who presented during Microsoft's show had stage presence. The kids were animated as they explored Disneyland as were the guys playing Kinect Sports Season 2.

I learned a lot about nervous habits as I watch the presenters at Sony, Nintendo had a bunch of boring executives that talked too much, but Xbox kept it cool. Congrats Microsoft.

E3 2011 Awards: Best Host

Best Host Award goes to Jack Tretton for his presentation during Sony's Press Conference. He came out throughout the show and kept it moving. Some of the presenters tried to take him off his game by making fun of his wealth and fashion, but their jokes fell flat. That was a really nice tie by the way. The way it matches his shirt is awesome. Well done.

He also didn't take up too much of our time talking. He was constantly introducing games and products. He had me clueless as he introduced Sly Cooper: Thieves of Time. Congratulations Mr. Tretton.

Nintendo E3 2011: Pee You Wii U

Nintendo you talk too much. First you have a translator that speaks over Shigeru Miyamoto then have executive after executive doing more talking then showing. Know why Sony has the best show this year? They made their show about games. Jack Tretton didn't come on stage and talk all day. He said a few words and showed us the next new game.

I can't deal with the translator Bill Trinen. He speaks as Miyamoto speaks. I'd rather have Miyamoto speaking Japanese the whole time than listen to a translator speak over him. Nintendo take a note from Sony and have your translators speak after you have spoken. It's disrespectful to have someone speaking over a legend as he's explaining his work.

Don't know why, but I prefer to see Mario in Space. Super Mario Galaxy should be the name for Mario's future 3D adventures. He's in outer space and space is endless so it works. It would also help Mario get a real story if they revolved it around how he's lost in space trying to find his way home. Instead of finding the Princess he's trying to find his way home. That would be cool as hell.

Luigi's Mansion 2, I'll pass. I wasn't a big fan of the first one. I respect it, but it wasn't for me. If any Gamecube exclusive deserves a sequel it's Eternal Darkness. The game is a gem for a flop. I would buy an HD remake of that game first day.

Wii U. How many batteries does that thing need? The controller looks like a tablet. Apple better watch out.That the controller looks huge. Bigger than the original Xbox control. The Golf game impressed me how the controller was used as the T on the ball. Wait. That's Project Cafe wtf?

Overall I give this show a thumbs down. They didn't introduce one new IP or give us any cool trailers. Step your 3rd party game up Nintendo and work with the developers. It's not all about you Nintendo, cause when it is you are boring and uninspired. You abandoned the hardcore gamers back in 2006, and we've forgotten about you. Remind us why we love you Nintendo. We're waiting.

Sony E3 2011: Best in Show

Round of applause for Jack Tretton. It's not often we get the chance to commend the CEO's in this industry. You did the right thing Sir. Open the show, apologize about the Playstation Network, and make the show 5 hours long. Genius. Jack Tretton is a great host. He stuck around and showed us some pretty cool stuff. He also dresses nice and he keeps the show moving.

He kept me guessing when he introduced Sly Cooper's return to Playstation. I didn't see that one coming. I liked the trailer. It was funny and cute at the same time. I'd be the only person laughing in the audience if I was there right now. Motion Controls are so 2006. PlayStation get this and updates us with PS Move early. Medieval Moons... Yeah anyways.

Playstation made the show all about the games. That's what we care about. We don't care about how cool your new technology is we care about the games. Unless Nintendo plans on showing some hardcore games with Project Cafe, Sony might the best show this year. I've seen so many games this year I don't even know where to start. I was surprised by the early reviews of inFamous 2. I was expecting 9.0's and 10's. It got a 7.5 from Gamespot and a 3.5 from GamePro. They both agree it has it has it's moments. I'm still going to check it out tomorrow.

Hello Playstation Vita. I was skeptical about the news that came out earlier in the week about the name. I might have to start believing my colleagues more. I'm not calling it Vita, I'm calling it PSV. PSV for me. That has a nice ring to it.  There's something about a deal with AT&T that I don't understand. Is the PSV a phone? I don't get it. Oh well. Maybe I should have payed better attention. Uncharted PSV looked cool. You can play with the touch screen or with the buttons. It's up to you. Mod Nation Racers announced itself as a launch title on the Vita. That's cool. but when Sony When?

Microsoft E3 2011: Kinect Blah Blah Blah

Starting the show with Modern Warfare 3 shows you've got nothing new to say to the hardcore gamers Xbox. Every gamer knows a new Call of Duty is coming this fall. I bet most fans could have guessed it was Modern Warfare 3. The gameplay itself got off to a boring start. The dude on the stage looked bored playing as swam underwater.

Tomb Raider looked cool. I instantly thought of Uncharted when the trailer started, but after I saw her pull that stick out of her side I saw this game was serious. Nathan Drake is one of those guys who plays with fire and never manages to get a scratch on his face. Seeing Lara Croft get beat up as she made her way out that cave was cool. Add Tomb Raider to my list of games on my radar.

I'm skeptical about the Kinect support in Mass Effect 3. Sure it sounds cool to be able speak your dialogue choices to the game, but how does it sound to the person in the other room? "You're the Krogan's last hope." My family is going to think I'm crazy. Did Ubisoft show actual gameplay to the new Ghost Recon? All I saw was a trailer and a guy customizing his gun with his voice via Kinect. Only reason why I ask is cause I'm not sure if the game was a first or third person shooter.

Kinect blah blah blah. I thought Kinect was about using your body to make things happen. I guess it's more about using your voice to navigate menus. I think I'll save my $150 and just use my controller thank you very much. The purpose of Kinect's technology seems to be to make the gamer lazier. That Ryse game presented by Crytek seemed... Interesting. I don't know how exciting it's going to be punching and kicking the air. I'll wait for the reviews on that one.

Phil Spencer called Gears of War 3 the biggest exclusive of the year. That's scary since we've known about the game for years. As a matter of fact the game should've been released by now if it kept it's original release date. I'm not mad that Gears of War 3 is the big cheese for Xbox this year, but I want to see an exclusive I wasn't expecting. There's still another 45 minutes left of the show. Surprise me Xbox.

I got nostalgic when they presented Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. It made me think of how far the series has come since 2001. It feels like yesterday when my friends and I spent months playing the first Halo. Those were the days.

I'm not sure about Star Wars Kinect. I want to see something innovative with the technology. All I see is the player swinging the light saber and moving things. Do that in one game you've done it in all.

I see why Xbox was so quiet on the days leading up to E3. Microsoft had nothing to say. They're still hung up on Kinect which has yet to do anything for the hardcore gamers. This technology needs more time behind it. Maybe next year we'll finally see that hardcore game on Kinect.

How come Major Nelson never hits the stage at E3? When I see his tweets I instantly think Xbox. I've seen him speak at a Tweet Upl, and he does a good job at keeping peoples attention. I don't get it. Sure he's on Twitter with the updates during the show, but Major Nelson not hitting the stage is like Kevin Butler not appearing at Sony's show.

Overall I give the show a thumbs down. Xbox 360 isn't doing anything for the hardcore gamers besides Gears of Wars 3. Kinect wasn't cool 2 years ago, and it's not cool now.  The Halo 4 trailer at the end was not a surprise neither was finding out it's going to be a trilogy. Next year Xbox focus on the hardcore gamers please. You'll be doing everyone a favor.

E3 Unboxed

Nintendo is expected to walk away with the best show at E3. I'm not so sure about that. Project Cafe has been making headlines ever since it was announced as the codename for Nintendo's next console. Stories ranging from Project Cafe supporting HD graphics to the controller being a portable console sound cool, but what about the videogames? I've heard speculation about two titles that might end up on Project Cafe. Super Mario Galaxy 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. If Zelda shows up as a launch title on the Project Cafe then Nintendo is off to a bad start. 

Please don't name Project Cafe "Wii 2" Nintendo. I hardly play my Wii at all. I usually binge on it whenever a game I'm interested in is released. The last time I binged I was playing Donkey Kong Country Returns. That was last November. Ever since then my Wii's been collecting dust. I don't want to be reminded of how much I didn't play the Wii whenever I think about Project Cafe.

I hope Nintendo doesn't completely abandon the Wii at E3. I hope they give Link his first real Wii adventure by announcing a 2011 release date for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. As far as Super Mario Galaxy 3 goes that would be an awesome launch title for Project Cafe. Mario continuing his space adventure on a new console? Sign me up.

I still think Sony and Microsoft have a bunch of tricks up their sleeve. They've been quiet about what they have in store for E3. I expect to hear updates about Gears of War and Uncharted 3, but I'm interested to see what they are going to do with their motion peripherals. Maybe they're both ready to present original IP's  for the Move and Kinect. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony or Microsoft presented a new console. Let The Show Begin.

PS3 Unboxed

Dedicated to my fans

Live From the Computer Lab