Archive for June, 2008

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First Impressions and Unboxing: Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition

metal gear solid 4 limited edition

Well, I’m about 8 hours into The Reason You Buy A Playstation 3, and so far it does not disappoint.  I wanted to write up some quick impressions for y’all – for the record I’ve played all three entries into the Metal Gear Solid franchise along with the Portable Ops game on the PSP.

Here are my initial thoughts on the game:

  • The first 30 minutes of the game contain a LOT of “holy shit” moments
  • It feels like a 50/50 split between gameplay and cutscenes so far – this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the narrative is the strongest suit of the MGS franchise
  • Sometimes I feel that this awesome movie is being interrupted by a game
  • These cutscenes are the most amazing cinematic pieces ever in a video game – they probably surpass a good portion of Hollywood movies and TV shows too
  • Are people who’ve never played an MGS game really going to enjoy this as much as I have so far?
  • You can totally play this game like Call of Duty 4 and kill everything that moves with your M4 Carbine/P90 if you want to – ammo does not become a problem like it was in previous MGS games
  • There are a LOT of items/weapons to use – it feels a little overwhelming at times
  • I’m surprised at the variety of environments – I totally did not see these gorgeous locales coming
  • Why can’t Snake climb up obstacles that look like any Joe Six Pack could surmount?
  • Why aren’t there more hours in the day to play this game?

Was the limited edition of the game worth the $25 premium?  I don’t know yet, as you can see from the blu-ray case, it has spoilers so I’m not touching it until I finish the game.  My initial reaction is that of buyer’s remorse because $25 is a HUGE premium for a “limited edition.”  However, if this blu-ray disc delivers it’ll be worth it due to the cinematic nature of the game.  The audio soundtrack doesn’t hurt either – it’ll make driving on the freeway a little bit more epic.

(More pics of the unboxing after the jump)

Read the rest of this entry »

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A New Internet Catchphrase Is Born

I don’t know how I missed this earlier this week, but Fox News anchor, E.D. Hill, calling Barack and Michelle Obama doing a fist bump, a “Terrorist Fist-Jab” is definitely one of the pottiest things I’ve heard all year.

Sadly, Ms. Hill has lost her show. On the bright side, she’s coined a catchphrase that will surely linger on the interwebs for years to come.

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Review: Ninja Gaiden 2

ninja gaiden 2 logo

Games like Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto IV are pushing the boundaries in terms of storytelling and emotional evocation from a video game.

Ninja Gaiden 2 does no such thing.

What it does do, is provide the most exhilarating, visceral kickassery that you’ll experience on the Xbox 360.

An way to describe the kind of game you’re getting yourself into might be that it’s what Michael Bay would make were he to make a summer blockbuster involving ninjas, demons, explosions, decapitations, blood, and big-breasted women.  It’s as easy to play as mashing buttons, but the combat also has the depth of a fighting game like Soul Calibur.

If that sounds appealing to you, or if you just love action games, go out and buy this game now.  It has some flaws in both design and camera work, but as an overall experience, it’s still great fun.

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The Onion Has Exclusive On New WoW Expansion: The World of World of Warcraft

It’s uncanny how realistic they can make video games these days.

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Shatner’s Cover of Pulp’s Common People Set To Animated Star Trek

This is awesome.

(Thanks to Andy K for the tip!)

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3G iPhone Is $199, Comes Out July 11th

iphone 3g

(photo credits: macrumors.com)

The biggest surprise to come out of Apple’s WWDC keynote was not the announcement of the iPhone 3G, with its improved battery life, 3G data network support, or GPS functionality.  It was the price of such a wondrous device.

Launching in 22 countries on July 11th at a price point of only $199 for the 8GB, it’s clear Apple means to break this device to the masses.  There will also be a 16GB model for $299 that will also come in white.

Here’s a slide of the promised battery life improvements – as always, we’ll see how real world use shakes out.

iphone 3g battery life

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New Call of Duty Details Leaked

call of duty 5 world at war logo

Scans from the latest issue of the UK’s Official Xbox Magazine show some more details about the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise.

As expected, the game is being developed by Treyarch and will be once again set in the World War II era.  It’s going to be using the CoD 4 engine and be on the PC, Wii, 360, and PS3 platforms.  Multiplayer apparently will include the same perk system that CoD 4 did and also add vehicles.

Yadda Yadda Yadda.  Frankly, my excitement level for this game is almost nil because:

a) It’s not developed by Infinity Ward (the developers who created the franchise)

b) I am sick to death of WWII

c) We just had a new Call of Duty game come out about 8 months ago – and it was pretty damn good!

At least Activision has the decency to not officially call it “Call of Duty 5.” My money’s still on gratuitous in-game footage in the next season of Chuck though.

Read more details [videogaming247.com]

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How Did This Guy Get To Play Duke Nukem Forever?

I have no idea who Jace Hall is, but apparently he finagled a video exclusive out of 3DRealms for its legendary vaporware title, Duke Nukem Forever.

If you haven’t been following games for the past couple of decades, you may not be aware that this game has been in development for over 12 years. I remember chomping at the bit in 1997 for this sequel to the awesome Duke Nukem 3d that was supposed to go head to head with Quake 2 to determine first-person shooter title supremacy.

My reaction to the vid?

Looks alright. At this point, I don’t even know what I’m expecting anymore. As long as it has Duke’s trademark potty humor and it has a decent feel, I’ll probably be happy with it. It’s not like anyone’s expecting the equivalent of Bioshock out of this one.

Skip about 4 minutes into the video to see the gameplay footage – the first half of the video is an interview with Agent Weiss from Alias.

Update: It looks like Jace is a former VP at Warner Bros. Interactive – Read more here

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HTC Diamond Looks Kickass, Could Rival iPhone


HTC Touch Diamond boot video from Joshua Topolsky on Vimeo.

Just when you thought no Windows Mobile device could compare to the iPhone, leave it to HTC to come up with something awesome.  The above video for the upcoming HTC Diamond’s interface looks very impressive.  It looks slightly more complex than Apple’s WunderDevice, but with more user customizability due to the Windows Mobile platform, it could appeal to more advanced users.

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Congressional Candidate Plays World Of Warcraft

jeanne stevens pirate

In an era where ignorance about video games in the political realm is rampant, it’s refreshing to come across a level headed politician when it comes to gaming.  Jeanne Stevens, Republican nominee for the House of Representatives in the 101st district, Connecticut, is one such individual.  Apparently she is an avid player of World of Warcraft.  With three characters created (70 Hunter, 58 Shaman, 53 Rogue), Jeanne obviously has spent some time with the game.

Wanderinggoblin.com has an interview up with Stevens.  Contained within are some questions about her campaign and her second life in Azeroth.  I found her opinion on video game legislation to be noteworthy:

Parents need to start parenting! You are the adult. You are responsible for what happens within your home. If you don’t like the content of a t.v. show, game, book, etc., don’t allow it in your home – that is your choice – you get to be the legislator, you make the laws of your home. Don’t abdicate that responsibility to the government. Exercise your own common sense – way back when, I enjoyed listening to Howard Stern on my commute to work – if he was getting too raunchy for my tastes, I changed the dial – and, I never listened to him if my kids were in the car.

Amen, sister!

Running for Congress might actually be a good move for Mrs. Stevens – if anything it’ll afford her more time to play WoW than her previous gig as an attorney did.

Read the whole interview [wanderinggoblin.com]