Graduation Approaches

With graduation quickly approaching, I am going to have to take some time off from the Blog. But no worries, I should be back in a week or two. More content to come.

Bitmob - Red Faction: Guerilla Vs. Just Cause 2

Red Faction: Guerilla had to be the biggest surprise of 2009 for me. I had played previous incarnations on PC and while I remembered them, they don't come up in conversation too often. Guerilla, on the other hand, had quite the opposite impression on me. So much so, that when Christmas rolled around I bought a few copies for my friends! It was just one of those games that was full of "oh shit" moments and glorious explosions, that it’s memories have stayed with me to this day. So when I started to hear about Just Cause 2, I was really excited. It sounded a lot like Guerilla; where you are a stranger in a foreign land, leading its people to freedom from the hands of an oppressive military force. Furthermore, it has an open world environment with unique vehicles, weapons, and explosions. After putting about 10 hours into JC2 and beating Guerilla, I feel I can weigh in on their similarities and differences.

Play it NOW! - Battlefield: Bad Company 2

The boys of bad company are back, and they are ‘in it to win it’ in this high octane sequel from DICE. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 comes from a long line of first person shooters. Like its predecessor, it changes the Battlefield formula by creating a story with memorable characters. Having not played the first Battlefield (shame on me), I was not familiar with the returning cast members. Perhaps this was a good thing. Haggard, Sweetwater, Sergeant Redford, join you (Marlowe) on a crazy adventure around the world, trying to keep the impending Russian threat at bay. Many reviews promoted the impression that Bad Company’s latest incarnation lacked the same depth in the character development and story as its predecessor. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the story and down time between fights. The squad’s camaraderie led to conversations on topics ranging from the best scenes in the movie Predator, to names common in the continent of Africa. After a long stint of playing more serious FPS’ like Modern Warfare 2 and Bioshock 2, it was refreshing to see my squad having as much fun as I was.

Blog Report

As the world turns, I am getting slammed with homework trying to finish out the semester. Hopefully I can finish Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Dragon Age: Origins - Awakenings. In the mean time, NEWS!

Tony Hawk's Tony Hawk: Shred Outed By Tony Hawk [Activision]
Star Fox Dog Needs To Do A Barrel Roll [Screengrab]
Nolan Bushnell Rejoins the Atari Force [Atari]
The Best (Kotaku) WarioWare Games You'll Ever Play [Nintendo]
Do Video Games Shape Who We Are? [Well Played]
Call of Duty Series to "Broaden" Its Audience [Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]
This Is A Nice, Nice Xbox 360 [Microsoft]
No Star Fox? Nintendo, You Have A Volunteer [Hideki Kamiya]
What Gets You Banned From Xbox Live Until The Year 9999? [Uno]
Why Is Japan So Behind? [Japan]
Splinter Cell Stunt Almost Gets Someone Shot [Ruh Roh]
Roger Ebert Asks a Good Question [Debate]
Brit Woman Needs Sex Constantly After Mishap on Balance Board [Oh Boy]
You Got Lost Planet 2 all over my city
FIFA Promotion Doesn't Get More Bizarre Than This [Japan]
Final Fantasy XIII PS3 'Nearly Doubles' Xbox 360 Version In U.S. Sales [Square Enix]
The Modern Warfare Fight: Your Guide to Activision Vs. Infinity Ward [Explainer]
Teenage Boy Charged With Killing His Father With Sledgehammer [PC]
Microsoft Supplier Factory Treats Workers Like "Prisoners" [China]
Game Changers: Sequels That Scared The True Fans [Genre Benders]
A Place To Drink Coffee With Gundam [Gundam]
Super Mario and Japan's National Pride [Japan]
The Winner Of The Tester Explains Why He Wanted To Win Work [Playstation Network]
Modern Warfare Developer Sees More Key Departures Today [Modern Warfare]
The Life of Game: Why I Live In Japan [Column]

Gaming Outdoors - Screw Attack Gaming Convention

That's right! ScrewAttack is hosting another convention here in Dallas, TX on July 4th weekend. So bring the pain and compete in the Iron Man Contest. Or come to the Uwe Boll panel and ask him how it feels to be a total douche bag! More details to come when the schedule is up, but for now you can register here. General Information after jump:

Bitmob: Anticipated Game of 2010

Every so often Bitmob.com issues a community topic and since I am taking a more active role in their site, here is my post. This months topic was over our most anticipated game of 2010.

Yeah Yeah, I am sure half you out there think I am nucking futz and the rest won't even read the article, but Puzzle Quest 2 has become my most anticipated game of 2010. It wasn't always like this, Mass Effect 2 easily held the reigns for sometime, but I desperately need more Puzzle Quest! Sure, there are a slew of games coming out in 2010 and I plan to play them all, but there is one that looks to scratch a personal itch. It is something I honestly never thought I would find myself saying with triple A titles like Fable 3, Red Dead Redemption and a new Halo only months away; but Puzzle Quest 2 will keep me busy for hours on end if it is anything like its predecessor. Sure, there have been various imitators and the less than stellar Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, but those are NOT Puzzle Quest. Hopefully the sequel will be an expansion of everything that was great about the first game. Leading me to grind level after level, through Bejeweled-esque combat. Some announced changes include a graphical upgrade of the over world map, new classes, mana gems, loot etc.

I am sure some readers would wonder why I did not simply just restart the original campaign with a new character, but it just wouldn’t be the same for me. I had played through the campaign in its entirety, and hit my level cap. To me, that means I put that game down and concentrate on something else. With a new installment in the franchise, I can easily justify spending another 40 hours of my life training mounts, laying siege to cities and becoming a overall bad ass. Also, since I played the first installment on iPhone and it is not being released (initially) on that platform, I will get to change up the Puzzle Quest experience for myself as well. Since many of you readers have probably played this on one of the other various platforms, I pose this question – Xbox Live or Nintendo DS?


Note: all pics are courtesy of D3

Blog Report

Games Games Games Games Games Games Games!

ModNation Racers Artist Spotlights: Ratchet & Clank Get Girlfriends!
Shooter Shooter Shooter Shooter
Rush’N Attack: Ex-Patriot Preview: The 80s Strikes Back [Preview]
Let's Round Up Gears of War 3 Stuff [Xbox 360]
There's A Ghost Recon Prize In Every Box Of Splinter Cell: Conviction [Ubisoft]
Well this iPhone game doesn’t in any way relate to the...
The Biggest Break Up In Video Game History [News]
A Japanese Game With Goddesses About...The Game Industry? [Japan]
Grand Theft Auto Used To Steer Children Away From Violence? That's New [Video Game Violence]
What's With The Nuns, Japan? [Religion Week]
Giant Bomb Has A Rat Problem
Rumor: Gears Of War 3 Adds Underwater Combat, Mech Suits & More [Xbox 360]
12-Year-Old Runs Up $1,300 FarmVille Debt [A Cautionary Tale]
They Grow Up So Fast: EA's Website, Circa 1997 [Internet]
Why We Call Him Dude Huge [Explainer]
Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack Pricing Doesn't Bother 2.5 Million Xbox 360 Owners [Xbox 360]
Good Advice From One Nintendo Creator To Another [Blockquote]
iPad Wizardry: Jim Lee Sketches Wonder Woman [Comics]
The Thoughts Behind Miranda's Behind in Mass Effect 2 [Republished]
White Stripes Guitarist's Recommendation: "Quit Video Games" [Music]
EA Forms Real-World Racing Team [Ea]
Metal Gear Solid? More Like Metal Gear Solid Advertising, Your Billboard Here [Konami]
Rumor: Grand Theft Auto Developers Pressure Magazine, Writer Sacked [Journalism]

Marketing 101: Giant Bomb Quests

I love all press in video games journalism, Bitmob.com especially. I read everything from everywhere and rarely go flaunting the content of one journalism outlet verse another, but Giant Bomb has done something that may have raised the bar for press outlets across the industry. Dare I say, all web sites across the Internet. The implementation of a Quest system for their users. See a synopsis of my most recent online addiction after the jump...

"The Tester" Plays It Safe

After subjecting myself to 3+ hours of reality TV, Sony has a new QA Tester and his name is Cyrus, or more specifically, Will Powers. As an experiment in whether or not consoles could be a device for exclusive television programming, was Sony’s new PS3 exclusive reality TV program a success? From my perspective… no, but in the long-term, should Sony choose to revisit this model for delivering entertainment to the PSN, then it may be a yes.

Blog Report

Time is flying by and there are just too many games. DA Origins: Awakenings is home, with Battlefield Bad Company 2 on the way. Splinter Cell will be here soon and let's not forget Final Fantasy 13. Wow, my head hurts. So here is what the world did, while i recouperate...

Is This The Best Nintendo 3DS Mockup We've Seen, Or The Real Thing? [Rumor]
Love of the Pixel Leads to Endearing Game With a Twist [Mimeo And The Kleptopus King]
An RPG, Only This Time, Without The Fluff [Jrpg]
Sony's Mascot Exec Kevin Butler Moves PS3 Beyond The 'Arrogance' Age [Playstation 3]
Mass Effect 2 Formally Introduces Kasumi Tomorrow [Dlc]
Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 Is A Steal This Week [Deals]
Losing Our Religion [Religion Week]
Download 700+ Free Scifi Books Onto Your iPhone [Ebook Frenzy]
Will The Nintendo 3DS Screen Look Like This? [Clips]
Apple Thinking About Control Pads For iPhones [Patent]
Religion in Games: Less a Leap of Faith, More a Suspension of Belief [Religion Week]
The Ultimate iPad Launch Game Round-Up [Guide]
Blur Beta Set to Open To All (Xbox 360) Users, And Why It Won't Come to the PS3 [Blur]
New Portal 2 Concept Art Shows The Anatomy Of An Aperture Science Turret Gun [Valve]
The Xbox Live Arcade Inventory Blowout Sale [Deals]
NSFW: Is This The Most Violent Recruitment Site In Japan? [Tango]
Gears of War Developer To Debut Next Game on Late Night [Epic Games]
Club Nintendo Updates With New Games, New Goods [Nintendo]
New Super Mario Galaxy 2 Trailer Introduces Rock Mario [Wii]
Dante's Inferno's Trials Of St. Lucia Gives You Wings [Gallery]

Hitting it off: Heavy Rain

Recently Lauren and I decided to embark on a new type of game, Heavy Rain. Coined as an "Interactive Experience", Heavy Rain is a wholly unique for this generation of gaming. Though not co-op in the traditional sense, in my opinion, it is still an experience which can be a shared. Quantic Dream, the developer, had treaded lightly down this path before with their PS2 title Indigo Prophecy, but the overall story arc and number of branching paths are far more significant than in their previous title. Warning: there will be spoilers!

AOM - April

You have to check out this guy --> Manuel Augusto Dischinger Moura @ http://manuhell.cghub.com/

He has done a fantastic job of combining two of my favorite things Street Fighter and Zombies!!!!