Where's the Hall of Fame Award?

The Video Game Award's have improved significantly over the years. I mean when Samuel L. Jackson is the host and Linkin Park is performing, you're probably at the right place. The 2012 VGA's did not disappoint. I think I counted 4 awards being given out, but that's nothing compared to some of the trailers we saw. The one that sticks out the most to me is The Phantom Pain. I have no idea what the gameplay for that game will be like, but that trailer was badass. I was hoping to see a Fallout 4 announcement, but I'm happy it wasn't announced. I'd rather wait another 5 years for the next Fallout than to play another rushed game. As good as the 2012 VGA's were, there was one thing that was noticeably missing besides myself. Where was the Hall of Fame Award VGA's?

The VGA's began handing out the Hall of Fame award at last years award show. Shigeru Miyamoto graciously accepted the award on behalf of the Legend of Zelda. I remember standing up and clapping to my television as the crowd cheered for the legend himself.Mr. Miyamoto. That was the first moment where I felt like I had an opportunity as a gamer to thank Shigeru Miyamoto for his many contributions to video games. I think I shed a tear at that moment.

After Mr. Miyamoto accepted the Hall of Fame award, I began wondering what game would be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2012 VGA's. Would Miyamoto be back on stage to bring Mario into the Hall of Fame? Would Hideo Kojima swag it out for Metal Gear Solid? Would Cliff Blizinski announce Resident Evil 7 if he accepted the Hall of Fame Award? The world will never know since the VGA's didn't give out a Hall of Fame Award this year.

Not giving out the Hall of Fame Award feels like a missed opportunity. There's so many timeless classics that need to be inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame. We don't have time to waste. Let's say the VGA's gave the Hall of Fame award out every 2 years. That'd take forever to catch up with the current generation of classic games that should be up for consideration. Maybe the VGA's could do it like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and required a videogame series to exist for 25 years being, but that's not what this post is about.

What I'm trying to say is the VGA's Hall of Fame Award is a big deal, and it's a shame it wasn't awarded this year. There are plenty of games and developers that deserve their moment where gamers can thank them for creating timeless art. Yes video games are art Roger Ebert. Hopefully I'll be in the audience as the Hall of Fame Award is given at the 2013 Video Game Awards. Maybe I'll be the one presenting the award. Guess we'll have to watch the VGA's next year to find out. Until next year VGA's.

Is This The Beginning of the End for Nintendo?

Errol Games: The Podcast (Episode 1)

Ratchet & Clank Collection

 Score: 9.0 

Great Gameplay, Great Graphics, and a Great Value make for a great gift this Holiday Season.

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If you're a fan who's never played any of the first three Ratchet & Clank's BUY THIS GAME. You get your money's worth. For $29.99 you get 3 full Ratchet & Clank games. Sure they're PS2 games, but they're remastered with HD graphics, and they look great. Nobody would know you were playing a PS2 game. The series holds up well 10 years later. I thought that after 10 years the controls would be slow and annoying, but they're just as responsive as any PS3 game. This game rocks.  Here's a review for each individual game included in the collection.
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Ratchet & Clank

 

The game that started it all. The first Ratchet & Clank showed off the potential that the series had. Today it's notable for the things it's missing. One huge thing is Ratchet's ability to sidestep. It a huge culture shock to find out I couldn't step to the left or right while shooting at enemies. Even with Ratchet's sidestep missing this game is incredibly fun. It's the only game in the series where I payed attention to the story. I watched every cut scene with full attention.

The first Ratchet & Clank can be pretty difficult. I found myself turning the game off out of frustration a few times. I did usually get past the part I was stuck on the first try after taking breaks with the game.  The last boss fight was a pain tho. I might have ended up watching the last cut scene on YouTube, but that's not important.
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Going Commando

 

This 2nd game in the series feels more familiar with fans who have never played the first Ratchet and Clank. There's a lot more emphasis on the weapons in this one. This is where the upgrade system for your weapons upgrade was introduced. Also included is Ratchet's sidestepping ability and the ability to upgrade your health as you fight. The game's difficulty is there, but I just find the game so much easier with Ratchet's ability to sidestep. That's not to say I didn't die constantly at certain points.

While I love the action platforming aspects of the series, I felt that Going Commando went overboard with the extra curricular activities. It's bad enough I have to play as Clank every now and again, but I got tired of racing. I don't want to win a race to move the story along. I don't want to fight huge enemies with Giant Clank. I don't want to fly around on a spaceship and shoot asteroids. I just want to smash boxes and shoot enemies. I understand the diversity of the games does wonders for it's pacing and story telling but Going Commando had too much diversity. I'm glad to see in future games they limited the Universe to having one stadium where you can do all of the extra activities you want.

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Up Your Arsenal

This was the first Ratchet & Clank game I ever played. I don't even know why I bought it, but I'm glad I did. I remember it felt like I played it for 5 minutes, but I had really invested 20 hours into it. Out of the 3 games in the collection, this one is the best in my opinion. Weapons now have levels so they continue to upgrade as you play instead of one big upgrade like in Going Commando. I'm still playing this game, but it's replay value from when I played it in 2004 or 2005 remains high. In closing I'll say buy the Ratchet & Clank Collection. Fans of the R&C should have a great time with this one. 

Nintendo 3DS XL Unboxing

Falllout 4 in Boston Would Be Awesome

If Fallout 4 is set in Boston, the first thing I'm doing is heading North. I live 10 miles north of Boston and am curious to see if my city gets the post apocalyptic treatment that only the Fallout series can deliver. Boston is the perfect city for the Fallout series, but it's not that big. There's plenty to do in the city, but you can pretty much walk anywhere in Boston if you're feeling adventurous.

I'm curious to see how much of the state of Massachusetts is up for exploration. Fallout 3 had parts of Maryland and Pittsburgh as well as Washington DC. Fallout: New Vegas was pretty big as well. There's plenty of areas in Massachusetts that could be recreated. There's the North Shore, South Shore, Central Mass, and the Berkshires to name a few places. I could see Fallout 4 having DLC set in Cape Cod similar to Point Lookout in Fallout 3. Providence Rhode Island is about an hour south of Boston. That might be close enough to be included in the game. If Fallout 4 is set in Boston, I'm exploring every nook and cranny of that map.

Regardless of whether Fallout 4 is set in Boston, I just hope the developers take their time with this one. Fallout: New Vegas felt rushed. I don't mind waiting a few years for a phenomenal Fallout game. I don't play New Vegas anymore, but I still play Fallout 3 to this day. That game is going to be hard to top, but if the location is set in Boston, that's definitely a good start. Please let this rumor be true.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss Review

Score: 7.5/10   

Pros

Beautiful Graphics

Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a great looking game. The PlayStation Vita really impressed me as it displayed Uncharted: Golden Abyss on it's screen. This game looks like a portable PS3 game. I guarantee anybody who catches a glimpse of you playing Golden Abyss will be impressed. I've always felt like screenshots of portable games never did the graphics to a game justice. That changed when I started taking screenshots of Golden Abyss with my Vita. The picture to the left is an actual screenshot taken on a persons Vita. Beautiful if you ask me. Nathan Drake gets some really pretty places to explore.

Fun Combat 

There's reason to argue that Uncharted is the best at 3rd person Action Adventure series out there. My favorite part of Golden Abyss was definitely the combat. When it comes to action, Uncharted delivers. You still have a variety of ways to approach how to take down enemies. You can be stealthy, run and gun, melee on people, shoot and cover, throw grenades, shoot rockets, or (sometimes) be a sniper.

My favorite way to play any Uncharted game is to perform Stealth Kills. Stealth Kills have never been easier in Golden Abyss. Golden Abyss makes it easier to track every enemy on your screen. I find that in other Uncharted games I tend to get caught performing a stealth kill by a person I didn't know was there. In Golden Abyss there's enough space between enemies to make clearing an area with Stealth Kills a lot easier to accomplish. Also the addition of touchscreen controls to perform Stealth Kills helps as well. As soon as you get close to an enemy a huge fist pops up on your enemy that you tap in order to perform a stealth kill. Easy.

Gunfights are fun as well. Just about every gun from Uncharted 3 is in Golden Abyss, and they work well. I find that being on my fourth Uncharted game, I'm more open to using the variety of guns the game has to offer. When I began Golden Abyss, I felt that the aiming system was a bit off. I felt like the controls didn't react fast enough with my moves. I found that the aim sensitivity settings were set to 50%. I adjusted the sensitivity to 100% and was good to go.

Rear TouchPad

Golden Abyss emphasizes the use of the various functions of the Playstation Vita. You've got to tilt the Vita to maintain your balance at times, use the front touch screen to move stuff, etc. My favorite Vita function was the use of the rear touchpad. The rear touch pad is something I've never done before, and is used for various reasons throughout the game. One reason is to move objects around as you search for clues, and another is a zoom function.

The zoom function is what really impressed me the most about the rear touch pad. It took some getting used to, but once I did it was all good. I liked being able to adjust the zoom on my scope without lifting a finger. The rear touch pad also made it easier to get specific shots with this camera Drake carries with him. The camera icon appears at times for Drake to find a clue. The shots require a certain zoom level which the rear touchpad made easier to adjust. Sure you could use the front touchscreen to adjust your zoom as well, but I preferred the rear.

Front Touchscreen

The front touchscreen is probably the most used Vita function in Golden Abyss. There were things the front touchscreen did really well, and others that frustrated the hell out of me. It was fun using the touchscreen to perform stealth kills, climbing was a breeze as I moved my finger across the screen to get around, and adjusting the scope for the sniper rifle was a breeze with the front touchscreen. That's about where the front touchscreen stops being cool, and started becoming an annoyance tho. The touchsceen was cool in the first half of the game, but by the end of the game I was done with using it.

Cool Treasure

Golden Abyss added a new element of finding hidden treasure to the Uncharted series. The hidden treasure you find in Golden Abyss come with a back story of the people and place Drake is exploring. I remember finding a lipstick case which came from a woman who had dropped it as she and her husband were being kidnapped. Pretty grim, but it's a lot cooler than finding a ring that I can only rotate and zoom in on.

Cons

Game is Too Long

Call me crazy, but Golden Abyss is too damn long. The game has 34 Chapters. I was done with Golden Abyss by the 17th Chapter. At that point you've seen damn near every weapon and Vita function this game has to offer. Things started to get repetitive at this point. The worst parts were getting stuck over a stupid puzzle or something. It was a huge sigh of relief to see the ending credits in this game. It shouldn't be like that, but with Golden Abyss it was. I'm not saying to make future Uncharted games shorter. What I'm saying is it shouldn't feel like a hassle to get to the end of the story.

Quick Time Touchscreen Events

Later in the game (Chapter 20 something) quick time events becomes a major focus in the game for no reason. Instead of moving the control stick to perform these actions, you are required to use the touchscreen to perform some really mundane quick time actions. It would've been cute if the Vita read my finger movement every time. I found that when there were back to back quick time events, my Vita had a hard time reading my finger movement. It sucked because you'd have to sit through a boring cut scene every time to perform the same quick action. I also found myself constantly missing my quick time cue due to simply not being interested in the cut scene.

WAY Too Much Treasure

I saw a blog post from John Garvin, the creative director of Bend Studios, that said there are hundreds of thousands of treasures and artifacts in Golden Abyss. That's way too damn much. The worst part is the separate stories for hidden treasure that you find. I'd find a lipstick case from a woman who was kidnapped, then I'd find a random piece of a stone that belonged to another set of treasures with a different story. This made it really hard to keep up with the stories behind each individual piece of treasure. I think Uncharted should to stick to the 100 pieces of treasure formula and make stories behind that linked groups of 10 treasures. That would be a lot more manageable and easier to follow.

Final Thoughts

Being a fan of the Uncharted series, I was excited to play Golden Abyss on launch day for the PS Vita. It didn't disappoint. The gameplay is overall is really good. I would recommend any fan of the Uncharted series to check this one out if you get a chance. It does a good job at showing the promise of the PS Vita by showcasing beautiful graphics and adding interesting new features to the series. If I had to compare Golden Abyss to the other three games in the series, I would say this is probably the weakest addition to the series, but it's still a lot of fun. Golden Abyss is a lot like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It's the first game on a new console, and does a good job at showing the promise of future Uncharted titles. Naughty Dog delivered on that promise with Uncharted 2, and I bet Bend Studios will deliver on that promise as well with future Uncharted titles on the PS Vita.

If I Could Change One Thing About The PS Vita

If I could change one thing about the Playstation Vita it would definitely be the game slot. In order to insert a game cartridge, you must open the slot that is placed on the top of the Vita. When I first got my Vita, I had the hardest time the game slot. My nails aren't that long so I had to pick at it in order to open it. When I finally was able to open it, I noticed that my method of picking at the slot resulted in parts of the game slot being chipped. That's not cute for a device that I just paid almost $300 dollars for. If Sony had designed the game slot to be open like the 3DS I wouldn't have cosmetic damage on the first day with my Vita.

I could have avoided this problem by buying games digitally from the PS Store. It's actually better to buy games digitally as they are usually cheaper than owning the cartridge. The problem with that was having to buy a memory card big enough to hold all of the games I want to play. $99 for a 32GB memory card is simply too expensive for this gamer on a budget (especially after dropping $250 on the Vita.) I went with the 4GB which could maybe hold 2 Vita games on a good day.

Another thing I would change about the Vita is the location of the headphone jack. The headphone jack is located at the bottom of the PS Vita which has proven to be a pain. Having the headphone jack at the bottom of the Vita makes it hard to place the Vita onto my desk in order to watch the screen. This makes it annoying to watch movies on the Vita, especially when the sound from the built in speakers isn't that good. It would've been better to place the headphone jack on the side or the top of the Vita so I can plug my headphones in and be able to place the Vita on my desk for viewing enjoyment. I shouldn't have to hold the Vita in my hands at all times. If Sony considers redesigning the PS Vita they should really put my suggestions into consideration.

PAX East 2012: Day Zero

PS Vita Midnight Release (Chelsea, Massachusetts)

 

PS Vita Unboxing

Why I'm Not Buying a PS Vita

I had every intention of buying one tomorrow. I've got the money and the time to make it to the store, but unfortunately I've had a change of heart. It happened as I debated whether or not to go to a midnight release. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to wait to buy a Vita. Sorry Sony, but here's why I'm not buying a PS Vita on launch day.

Price
The price of the PS Vita is too high. You know it's expensive when the cheapest Vita model is the same price as a new PlayStation 3. If I had to choose which piece of Sony hardware to spend $250 dollars on, the PlayStation 3 would always win. I already own a PS3, but still $250 dollars is steep. You saw what happened to the Nintendo 3DS was sold for $250. Sales stunk, and less than six months later the price dropped. After the price drop Nintendo 3DS sales have skyrocketed. We'll have to wait and see how the Vita sells around the world, but it hasn't been doing great in Japan. I'm going to hold out from buying a Vita for a few months to see if an inevitable price drop comes.

Games

The launch lineup for the PS Vita is strong. I had the chance to play Uncharted: Golden Abyss and I've been dying to play it again. Hot Shots Golf also looks like a lot of fun. On top of that Gamestop is doing a promotion where you buy two Vita games and get one free. That's all tempting, but I haven't heard much about games coming to the Vita after launch. I'm pretty sure we'll get updates as PAX East and E3 come around, but games are what sell the system. I don't want Uncharted: Golden Abyss to be the only Vita game people are talking about a year from now.

Metal Gear Solid 3D
As the PS Vita gets ready to launch tomorrow, Nintendo's 3DS lineup gets stronger and stronger. Just today Nintendo released Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D for the 3DS. I've been looking forward to playing Metal Gear Solid 3D since last year. I came to the conclusion that spending $40 on a videogame is a lot healthier for my bank account than spending close to $400 for the PlayStation Vita. I'm also in the process of finishing Resident Evil: Revelations on the 3DS which has also been fun. When it comes to handheld gaming, I'm pretty much set for now with my Nintendo 3DS. There's really no rush in spending $400 for a new system. Sorry Sony, but giving the Nintendo 3DS close to a year head start is hurting my decision to buy a Vita.

No PSOne Classics... for now

One of the biggest selling points on the PS Vita for me was the ability to play games from the Playstation One on it. When Sony initially announced that PS One classics weren't coming to the PS Vita I got upset. I have been buying more and more PS One classics lately. It'd be great to play Threads of Fate when I'm on the train. I also heard Sony's not going to release PS2 classics on the Vita which is wack. Everyone knows the Vita is capable of playing PS2 Games. Make that happen Sony. Sony has stated that PS One classics are coming soon to the Vita, but won't be available at launch. That gives me more incentive to not buy the Vita until I'm able to play PS One Classics on it.

One of these Days

I do plan on buying a PlayStation Vita at some point. It's either going to take a price cut, a large library of well reviewed games, or the return of PS One classics. Writing this blog post has revived my interest in buying a Vita tomorrow though. If I can make it past launch day without buying one I should be good. Wish me luck.

Fallout 3: Point Lookout Review

I haven't played a new Quest in Fallout 3 in a while. I've spent the better part of three years exploring the Capital Wasteland. I finally came around and bought some downloadable content (DLC) to expand on the original story. In comes Point Lookout which I bought for $9.99 on Xbox Live. Point Lookout is an island just off of Maryland's Coast. When you buy the DLC a ferry shows up to take you over. That's a picture of the ferry "Duchess Gambit" above.

Point Lookout is a crazy place. It wasn't hit by nuclear bombs during the war, but the island received radiation from the Capital Wasteland. The radiation attracted Ghouls and Swamp People who are radiated inbred locals. The small local population is reduced to gang of people known as Tribals. Tribals are initiated by traveling to the swamp and ingesting special seeds. The seeds cause you to fall asleep. You wake up with a scar on your head, and a piece of your brain missing. Lets just say that losing a piece of your brain can cause a person to go crazy. Point Lookout is worth a visit. By the time I finished the main quest I was satisfied with what I accomplished. It inspired me to finish the main story so I could start the "Broken Steel" DLC.

PlayStation Vita: 3G vs Wi-Fi

I'm having the hardest time deciding which PlayStation Vita to buy on launch day. On one hand you have the Wi-Fi model which is $249.99 and on the other you have the 3G model for $299.99. Being a gamer on a budget my natural inclination is to go with the Wi-Fi model because it costs less. After some research I'm not sure the Wi-Fi model is the best deal. Here's some reasons why.

When it comes to practicality, the Wi-Fi Model wins hands down for me. The need for 3G simply isn't there for me. My PlayStation Vita (like my Nintendo 3DS) will barely ever leave my house. I'll mostly spend mornings and commercial breaks playing the Vita. The rare times when my Vita does leave my house I don't intend on playing games online. I focus on playing one player games when I'm out in public. Especially when I'm in class because I don't have to focus my undivided attention on what's going on in the game. Besides that, playing a game online in a public place lets people know you have the most expensive Playstation Vita. It might attract unwanted attention from people who might want to steal it from you. The same goes for the iPad in this instance. If you're sitting on the train surfing the web, it says "Hey I can afford the most expensive iPad hear me roar!!!"

Another con against the 3G model of the Playstation Vita (besides it being $50 dollars more than the Wi-Fi) is that 3G service requires a monthly payment for the service. That's a huge no-no for this gamer on a budget. Lets say you decided to go with the $14.99 plan for 250MB of data. That comes out to $179.88 dollars a year for the service. That means you're shelling out close to $500 dollars for your first year with the Playstation Vita. It's not all bad though. You don't have to sign a contract so you can cancel anytime. I'd much rather stay home or hit up a hotspot and use the Wi-Fi for free thank you very much.

At this point I was all but sure that I was going to go with the Wi-Fi model of the Playstation Vita. Then I was introduced to the various bundles Playstation is offering with the 3G model. The first bundle they have is the First Edition Bundle. The First Edition Bundle includes the 3G model of the Playstation Vita, A case for the Vita, The game Little Deviants, and a 4GB Vita Memory Card. The big thing about this bundle is that it allows you to purchase the Playstation Vita a week before it's launch date. Meaning on February 15th you can be playing Uncharted: Golden Abyss while the the rest of us wait until February 22nd. That sounded really cool until I saw the price of $349.99. You're paying an extra $50 dollars to be able to play the Vita a week early. I'd rather go to Boston and play the Vita right now (3 weeks early) at the Vita Hill Social Club for free.

The bundle that has my attention is the Launch Bundle that comes with every 3G Playstation Vita on February 22nd. The Launch Bundle includes an 8GB Vita memory card, a free month of 3G service, and a free Playstation Network game to be announced all for the price of $299.99. This bundle has my attention. The free stuff included is worth over $50 dollars. The 8GB Vita Memory Card alone is $34.99 and a month of 3G from AT&T is $14.99. I was planning on buying a 4GB Memory card because it's the cheapest one, but seeing an 8GB memory card included in the 3G bundle has me curious. Who knows what the free games going to be. Good or bad the PSN game is free my friends.

On launch day my original plan was to buy a Playstation Vita, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and a 4GB memory card. If I go with my original idea, I'm looking at spending $324.97 before taxes. If I go with the 3G bundle, I get a 3G Vita, an 8GB memory card and Uncharted Golden Abyss for $349.98 before taxes. The question I'm left with is this. Is the extra $25 worth it to buy a 3G bundle? I'll let you know what I decide on launch day.

Why You Should Sign the Latest WWE Petition

Have you seen the latest petition against WWE Games? It's from a gamer by the name of John Bonham whose tired of World Wrestling Entertainment games being made by THQ. Just by reading the petition you get the idea that the guy is a dedicated fan. He ought to consider reviewing games to be honest. In the petition he lists a number of valid reasons as to why THQ should stop making WWE Games. He makes a convincing argument. Convincing enough for me to sign the petition.

I signed the petition because I feel like WWE Games aren't welcoming to new players. I come from the old school when wrestling games were fun. The days of WCW vs NWO on the Nintendo 64. Those grapple based wrestling games were beyond fun back in the day. I don't understand why these games aren't still being made today. I've played a couple of the WWE Games, and I don't like them. For starters I have no idea how to even fight in these games. I go to training and I get even more lost. I've literally played 10 minutes of the WWE Games and I was done. Wrestling games need to go back to the N64 model. Update that and you'll probably gain more fans.

If you want to read the petition click the link below.
http://www.change.org/petitions/wwe-games-inc-wwe-inc-move-wwe-game-series-away-from-thq-games#

Feeling Skeptical about Resident Evil 6? Me Too.

 

Let's cut straight to the chase. Resident Evil 5 was not good. The best thing about Resident Evil 5 was the graphics. The story was wack. The plot spends the whole time trying to surprise you, but I saw the plots twists coming from a mile away. The clues were so obvious. You would think a game with a weak plot would have a great gameplay. Unfortunately that's not the case with Resident Evil 5.

Resident Evil hasn't been the same since decided to switch the style up and become an action game. The action formula worked great when it was introduced in Resident Evil 4, but by the time it hit Resident Evil 5 it was redundant. Resident Evil 5 is basically a co-op version of Resident Evil 4. If Resident Evil wants to be an action game, it should at least be good. Resident Evil 5 is a mediocre action game at best. Resident Evil 5 couldn't hold it's weight with action games such as Grand Theft Auto or Gears of War.

I am hopeful for Resident Evil 6. One of the main characters is Leon Kennedy. Leon has a track record for being in great Resident Evil games. Resident Evil 2 is arguably the best game in the series, and Resident Evil 4 is a classic. If he's coming back for Resident Evil 6 that's a good sign. The trailer for Resident Evil 6 looks like another action adventure game. A lot of quick time moves are shown throughout the trailer. I really hope they incorporate survival horror aspects into Resident Evil 6 like their doing in Resident Evil: Revelations. I'll definitely be picking Resident Evil 6 up when it's released on November 20th 2012. If it's another disappointment I might be done with this series.