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.

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.