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.

Happy Birthday Super Mario Sunshine

August 26th, 2002. My entire 2002 summer vacation was spent anticipating this day. I couldn't wait for the release of Super Mario Sunshine on the Gamecube. I spent countless hours imagining myself playing through the next Mario adventure. Looking back on it the hype and expectations I had for Super Mario Sunshine were definitely met and may have even been outdone.

It all started with the August 2002 covers for Electronics Gaming Monthly. The magazine was doing a special report on Nintendo and gave covers to the 3 Games that ended up defining the console, Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, & Legend of Zelda: WindWaker. Out of the three games that EGM put on the cover I was most excited about Mario. I remember after reading the article I ran to Electronics Boutique (Remember that?) and preordered Super Mario Sunshine. Super Mario Sunshine is one of two games that I've ever preordered in my life. The other one being Zelda: Wind Waker due to the free copy of Ocarina of Time that came with a preorder.

I believed so much in the Gamecube at the time that I couldn't be disappointed in Mario's Gamecube adventure. The way I see it is Nintendo has a stable of characters that they can use at any given point in time. Mario defines Nintendo. Super Mario games on any console define the console I'm playing. Super Mario 64 defined the Nintendo 64, Super Mario World defines the SNES, Super Mario Sunshine defines the Gamecube. You won't find a lot of glitches and bugs in a Super Mario Game. These games are given that extra amount of attention before they're released.

Back to Super Mario Sunshine. I remember putting $20 dollars toward my purchase when I preordered it. I spent almost every weekend of my summer putting money towards my preorder ($5 dollars here, $2 dollars there) until the game was paid for. By the time I had it payed off I began imagining myself buying the game. I saw myself waiting in a long line until the cashier asked about preorders. I'd skip the line and hand him my slips to receive my copy of the game. That made me feel so good.

I called EB on August 26th and they said the game would be in stock on the 27th. I was a bit salted, but I could handle waiting another day. I mean after all I waited the whole summer. When I finally had the game I remember enjoying it a lot. I didn't get all 120 Shine Sprites, (Those blue coins were annoying), but I came close. I don't think Super Mario Sunshine has gotten the right amount of credit it deserves. Sure it got good reviews, but it always gets perceived as a step down from Super Mario 64. I'm here to say Super Mario Sunshine is a great game that should be mentioned in the Videogame Hall of Fame. Long live Super Mario Sunshine

Madden & The NFL Lockout

 

The NFL Lockout was the best thing to happen to the Madden Franchise. Months after fans voted Peyton Hillis to be on the cover of Madden 2012, fears of a lockout put the NFL season in jeopardy. It wasn't clear if Madden 2012 was going to be released had the NFL season been in lockout. Now that the NFL Lockout is over Madden 2012 will be released on August 23rd.

The NFL Lockout put football news on the back burner for months. Usually we hear about players being traded during the off season, but nothing was happening. Now that the Lockout is over we're being flooded with news about the NFL. In one week Chad Ochocinco became a Patriot, Plaxico Burress became a Jet, and Randy Moss announced his retirement. These are all big stories that build up fans anticipation for the upcoming NFL season. Are you ready for some football?

Madden couldn't be in a better position now that the NFL Lockout is over. We usually get a new Madden the week the NFL Preseason starts, but the Lockout pushed things back a few weeks. Madden 2012 will be in stores August 23rd. The extra time plus the flood of NFL news is only building anticipation for Madden 2012. I'm thinking Madden 2012 is going to be the best selling Madden game up to this point. NCAA Football 2012 was the best selling game of last month. No surprise there, but it outsold last years NCAA Football 11. Some say it was due to the uncertainty of Madden 2012's release, but I say it was due to the end of the NFL lockout. I expect Madden 2012 to feel the same benefit See you at the midnight release.

Nintendo 3DS Buyers Guide

So you bought a Nintendo 3DS. Let me be the first to say welcome to the family. They say I should be upset about paying $250 dollars for something that's price went down in less than 6 months. Truth is I'm not upset. The Nintendo 3DS is the only videogame console I play and has been since I bought it. Before the price went down I had invested 300 hours into Street Fighter 3D. It's safe to say I got my moneys worth. This post isn't about me though, it's about you and your new 3DS. With any new console comes questions and I'm here to help answer them.

The first question you probably have is what color should you choose? My answer would be the flame red that's coming September 9th to North America. If you can't wait that long you're choices are Aqua Blue and Cobalt Black. I went with Cobalt Black because I wanted to be more low key about having a 3DS. I remember when I bought a DSi kids younger than me instantly knew what it was. The Black 3DS gives kids the benefit of the doubt until they see the screen. The Aqua Blue 3DS is your way of telling the world you own a Nintendo 3DS. No shame in that, but it might attract some unwanted attention. The choice is yours.

Next question you might have is what games should you buy? I strongly recommend Street Fighter 3D. If you enjoyed playing Street Fighter when you were younger play this game. It is the be all end all to the Street Fighter franchise. The hardcore console Street Fighter Players should give this a try as well. I know you spent X amount of dollars on arcade sticks, but you gotta check this out. Only people I wouldn't recommend this two are people who never liked Street Fighter.

Another game to check out is Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. I'm personally not a big fan of the game. I got further than I did when I played it on the Gamecube, but I keep getting stuck. I hate walking around aimlessly trying to figure out what to do next. I respect the games legacy. It's the first 3DS game to sell one million units for a reason. If you haven't played Pokemon Black/White yet I also recommend that game. I've taken a break from playing it, but it was fun while I played it.

The last question you might have is how does the 3D effect look? My answer to that is it looks awesome. I initially thought the 3D meant that things would pop out at you, but that's not the case (so far.) The 3D really brings out the graphics in games that I've played. The background really comes to life when you turn the stereoscopic lens up. I can't play with the 3D too high for that long. My eyes begin to strain and I start seeing double on the screen. I usually keep the settings fairly low most of the time. I can still see the 3D and my eyes don't strain at all. Sometime I play with 2D. Either way I'm definitely enjoying my 3DS. I hope you enjoy yours.

I hope I helped your journey with your 3DS. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer them. Enjoy.

PAX Prime. That's Mine (Day 1)

PAX Prime is 24 days away. I gotta get on the ball and figure out how I'm going to get to Seattle from Boston sometime around August 24th. I don't even have a badge to get in the convention for crying out loud. Maybe this song will help.