My "Final" Fantasy?

There are moments in life when people make bad decisions; decisions where every ounce of our being screams “STOP” and yet we continue. Like ordering the Double Down from KFC or having the hiccups while practicing sword swallowing. Sure, I know it is bad for me and that there is little reward waiting for me at the end of the challenge, but I have to persevere. So I went through with playing Final Fantasy 13 and came out wondering what Square Enix was thinking.

A Walk in the Woods

What starts as an overdue vacation for Alan Wake and his wife Alice, quickly evolves into a psychological thriller from the mind of Mr. Wake himself. The town of Bright Falls, located in a sleepy part of the Pacific Northwest, is anything but tired. Within their first night, in a cabin on Cauldron Lake, Alice is abducted by a dark presence. It is up to Alan to get her back. Certainly not the most original of plots, the universe that Remedy begins to develop around the characters is fascinating. This makes Alan Wake one of the most original games I have played in the past few years.

Alan Wake in your City

Alan Wake, one of the best new IPs to come out in the past couple of years, has been met with underwhelming sales. Enthusiasts are quick to blame Microsoft and their marketing campaign, but there are doubts if that is the underlying issue. Two campaigns which have captured the Internet’s attention are the billboard ads and the “machinima-esque” webisodes called ‘Bright Falls’.

Now, the billboards were very clever, but region locked. The only reported sightings were in the Toronto area and although the Internet can share, it isn’t the same as seeing one on the street. I would like to think that if these were spread to 5 major U.S. cities, it would have helped to bring in a little more buzz. Especially the giant night light, which was strange enough to draw ones attention during the day and had an awesome visual effect at night. It is a shame that for whatever reason these billboards were not brought stateside. Maybe they didn’t test well, but if that was the case, then there should have been some sort of marquee ads used (billboards, buses, train stations, etc.).

Next you have the mini-series ‘Bright Falls’, a prequel to Alan Wake, which does a good job creating the eerie atmosphere for the town in-game. Not machinima in the traditional sense, as the episodes are all live-action. The set pieces and characters do reprise their role in- game, including Mr. Alan Wake himself. At first, it had a very erratic story arc, revolving around a reporter who arrived in Bright Falls to interview someone and instead experiences a series of haunting events. I watched the series a second time after playing the game, and this allowed me to utilize my knowledge about the fictional universe that is Alan Wake. I almost immediately new what the protagonist was experiencing.

*SPOILERS* The protagonist is being consumed by the darkness over the course of the series and essentially he becomes one of the “Taken”. It is more than just a marketing campaign. The content is actually cannon to the story arc and provides an interesting perspective on what it must be like for the people of Bright Falls.

Combined with some major banner time on numerous gaming sites, it appears that Alan Wake will be achieve acceptable returns. It has combined worldwide sales of over 600,000 at this point, and should reach 1 million by the holiday season. If Microsoft is smart, they will try to bundle it with new 360’s in 2011 and make a cut off the episodic DLC Remedy is releasing. And if they are even smarter, Microsoft will release this on Xbox Live using the Fable 2 model. Play the first episode for free and then $10 for each additional episode. With 5 more disc episodes and 2 DLC, that $70! If you have yet to play Alan Wake, I highly recommend it and my impressions are forth coming. I only hope that the game sales long-term reflect the praise it deserved.

Note: All videos and images are courtesy of Super Punch and YouTube

Watch the episodes of Bright Falls yourself, after the jump!

Blog Report

Just playing Some Alan Wake, when all this news happened. Enjoy!

Is It Legal to Jailbreak and Unlock Your Cellphone? Copyright Office Officially Says, "Yes" [IPhone]
Take A Visual Tour Of Tron: Legacy's New 'Flynn's Arcade' [Comic-Con 2010]
Darth Vader and Boba Fett class up the joint [Cosplay]
Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken X Street Fighter Revealed At Comic-Con [Comic-Con 2010]
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition Announced At Comic-Con [Comic-Con 2010]
LittleBigPlanet 2 Takes November With Adorable Collectors Edition [Release Date]
About The Time Darth Vader Robbed A Bank [Screengrab]
Konami Launching Retail Shop [Japan]
Meet The Guys Who Make Gaming's Fancy Editions [Packaging]
Kevin Butler and New Zealand
What Is Daigo's Day Job? [The Beast]
Rumor: Microsoft Killed Plans For "PC vs Xbox 360" Online Play [Microsoft]
PlayStation 3's 3D Games Could Get 3DS-Style Slider [3D]
Blizzard Does 180 on Real Names
Google Invests $100+ Million In FarmVille Company, Prepares Google Games [Rumor]
Dead Space 2's Miner Upgrades, Including A Solution To A Lack Of Bullets [Preview]
Six New Games Unveiled By EA Today [Electronic Arts]
Fight Night Champion Announced for 2011
Microsoft's Take On The Cost of Motion Gaming [Kinect]

Blog Report

Here is some news!

The Man Who Will Bring Us To The Fourth Dimension [Feature]
Dragon Age II's New Look, Now In Screen Shots [Bioware]
This Chun-Li Has Tiny Thighs [Gameface]
Which Version Of Deus Ex: Human Revolution Should You Buy? [Deus Ex: Human Revolution]
The Dumb Reasons Publishers Passed On PS3 Hit Joe Danger [PS3]
Large Kinect Kiosk Sets Up Shop In Mall [Xbox 360]
Does The Gears Of Warring Of Harry Potter Go Too Far? [Ea]
Help Defend Gaming: Sign the Gamer Petition
God Of War Movie Trailer Is...Unexpectedly Brilliant [Clips]
Amazon As Market Research (For The Lonely Gamer) [Nsfw]
How to Hack Your Nintendo DS for Easy Backups and Single-Cartridge Playback [Gaming]
Questions And Answers About Blizzard's Real ID Plans [Blizzard]
A Guide To Building The 'Perfect Arcade' From Scratch [D.i.y.]
Kmart's Peer Game Reviews Gives Power To the People [Well Played]
Sony Explores Alternative to Split-Screen Multiplayer [Patent]
Scandal May Have 'Permanently Damaged' Tiger Woods PGA Tour [Golf]
Rumor: Namco vs Capcom, Capcom vs Namco In Development [Rumor]
Sony Commercial Ripped Off [Top]
Infants Found Wandering Streets While Father Plays PC Puzzler [Crime]
Learn The StarCraft Storyline In A Hurry [Blizzard]

Amazon Gold Box Day for Xbox 360

If your reading this and have not already heard, there appears to be a Gold Box sale today for Xbox 360 games at Amazon.com! You can reach it here.

Transformers: War for Cybertron will be on sale for the Gold Box Price: $42.98 all day.

Then every couple of hours another game will drop in, limited stock, at a ridiculous price point. Right now, you can get Singularity for $39.99 (33% off).

The hints for the rest of the day, with my predictions on what the game is, are as follows:

0900 - Go West, young man. = Red Dead Redemption
1100 - Journey to a land of legendary combat. = Deadliest Warrior
1200 - Street Fighter IV button mashing. = Probably some Madcatz Fightpads or Arcade Sticks
1500 - The first modern day spy role-playing game. = Alpha Protocol
1600 - Hone your stealth skills. = Splinter Cell Conviction
1800 - Life 23 years from now. = Metro 2033
2100 - Explore the deadly, shadowed world of an Assassin. = Assassin's Creed 2

So get out there and buy some Xbox games, while they are still on sale.

To Hell and Back with Dante's Inferno

                                     

Somewhere in the depths of Hell, a crusader travels in search of redemption for his lost love. It is only with the help of Death’s Scythe, his lover’s cross, and some magic that he finally finds the redemption he seeks.

blog report

Trying to burn through Dante's Inferno before the weekend, because then I am going camping!!! In the mean time, here is all the news you have been pining over.

GameStop's One-Hour Red Dead Redemption Sale Falls Flat [Doh]
Zangief Vs. The Universe [Clip]
Dragon Age II Seems Like It Will Be Very Different [UPDATE] [Bioware]
Here's What Inspired Vanquish [Shinji Mikami]
May NPD: Free Is Not Free
Summer of Arcade Titles Dated
Blizzard's Real Name Forum Policy Has Fans In An Uproar [Blizzard]
The 25 Least-Loved Wii Games, Maybe [Wii]
When Arcades Die [Arcade]
Hulu Plus For PS3 Doesn't Require PlayStation Plus After All [Hulu]
Microsoft Takes Third Stab At Showcasing Xbox Live Arcade [Xbox 360]
Bobby Kotick: Frustrated by Xbox Live Biz Model
Street Fighter High Enrolls Some New Students [Humor]
Average Reviews Mean No Second Helping Of Alpha Protocol [Sega]
Report: Here Are Kinect's Technical Specs [Xbox 360]
Square Enix Honcho Calls World Cup Interview "Deplorable" [Yoichi Wada]
Weighing Morality in Gaming [Morality]
When Britney Spears Meets Japanese Hack-And-Slash [From Software]
Hey Ebert, Play This Game [Art]
It's Better To Deathspank With A Friend [Clips]
After Nearly Four Years, The PS3 Finally Turns A Profit [Sony]

Get Blur for $20!!

Best Buy has Blur marked down to $39.99 from June 20 to June 26. Combine with the $20 off manufacturer's coupon ([www.blurgamepromotion.com]) for a $19.99 copy of Blur. I personally took advantage of this if you saw my tweet. You should too!

Thanks to the guys at http://www.cheapassgamer.com/ for the heads up.

note: image courtesy of Google image search

E3 Wrap Up

Click the jump for my impressions of E3 and what the "big three" had to offer.

Blog Report

In the final act of Red Dead Redemption and it is building to be some of Rockstar's best work. But E3 is here so I guess the finale will have to wait. News!

The Giant Video Game Banners E3 Didn't Want You To See [E3]
Creative Boss is Said to Walk Out on Assassin's Creed [Rumor]
This Tuesday: PlayStation Move at Best Buy stores throughout Los Angeles!
iPhone 4 in Tokyo
Playing Rock Band 3's New Keyboard, 102 Button Guitar Controller [Mtv Games]
Metal Gear Solid: Raiden Has Changed [Cover Story]from Kotaku by Luke Plunkett
Play Zelda II As A First-Person Shooter [Zelda]
The Disappearance Of SimCity [Simcity]
The Dreamcast Returns! (As Digital Content) [E3]
New Mortal Kombat Coming, Will Be Most Gory Ever [Fighting Games]
Old Lady Complains To Google About Pac-Man [Humor]
Sony Shows Its Faith In 3D [Playstation]
Is this elementary school secretly the Starship Enterprise? [Star Trek]
My Four-Year-Old Son Plays Grand Theft Auto [Grand Theft Auto San Andreas]
"You Gonna Read This, Fisher?" The Art of Enemy Taunts [Republished]
My Own Private Architecture [Republished]
Watch The Entire Red Dead Redemption "Short Film" [Clips]
Pissed-Off Parents Find Math Game Too Violent for School [Education]

Marketing 101 - Blur Ad Campaign

With the latest generation of video game consoles reaching full stride, popular culture has created a menagerie of different gamers. This results in more mainstream ad campaigns for video games, and the opportunity for creativity. Bizarre Creations’ newest IP, “Blur”, is an arcade racer, heavy on vehicular combat and multiplayer. The latest ad campaign features a foodstuff named “Brock Lee”, who is tired of driving in kart races for babies and marvels at the “big boy” racing in Blur. It is all very tongue-in-cheek and clearly a shot at the traditional kart racing genre and its current leader, Mario Kart Wii. Despite any qualms you have with the “sharing” of ideas across IPs, I feel the marketing is effective and succinctly explains the games overall theme. After seeing this, a post appeared on Kotaku showing the French ad campaign behind Blur. The approach towards the ad campaign is significantly different, taking the more “traditional” approach to advertising a product. Let's look at the two ads after the jump and go from there:

Play it NOW! - Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Run, jump, and climb your way through Ubisoft’s latest iteration in the Prince of Persia franchise: The Forgotten Sands. Anyone familiar with the franchise and its recent reboot will immediately notice this is not the Nolan North prince. Instead, we return to the Sands of Time era, as Ubisoft attempts to bridge the gap between the first game and its sequel, The Warrior Within. Why the departure? In my opinion, this was done to act as a companion to the recent live action summer movie, which is set in the same universe. After the first hour of play, it will be clear this is the Prince of Persia we all remember, but the game quickly evolves into a unique experience.

Blog Report

Why is it that John Marston always a sucker for scumbags and philanderers?

I just made it to Blackwater and I already hate the new mission characters more than the ones in Mexico or Armadillo.

That's saying alot since Armadillo was home to slimey, nun-robbing, necrophiliacs...

NEWS!

Tetsuya Ishida's surrealist self-portraits
Red Faction: Armageddon "Emergency Transmission"
The War Game Where Nobody Gets Shot [Politics]
Microsoft Changing Xbox 360 Box Art [Coverstory]
Results are in on PAX's Booth Babe Ban Poll [Pax]
Kim Kardashian As Lara Croft? That Can't Be Right, Can It? [Rumor]
Porn Empire Can't Penetrate the PS3 [PS3]
Radiohead Has Good Taste In Video Games [Music]
Contra Returns Without The Contra Name [Konami]
First Batch Of BlizzCon 2010 Tickets Hit eBay [Blizzard]
Enjoy Your Massage! No, Really. Enjoy It! [Wii]
Oh, BTW, EA Sports Confirms NBA Live's Name Change [Sports]
PlayStation Move Gets Another Supporter [Playstation 3]
Man Accused Of Killing Kitten For Unplugging Game Console [Crime]
Foxconn Employee Dies After 34-Hour Shift [Foxconn]
Hulu Coming To Xbox 360? [Rumor]
Sony Remembers The PS3 Is A HD System [Hd]
Rockstar Won't Be At E3; Game Reveal Purportedly On Hold
Surprise! No Portal 2 Party at E3 [E3]

Bitmob - "Fog of War" Homework

Bitmob contributor Michael Rousseau issued a challenge to the Bitmob Community for the month of May to improve the readability of our posts. Using a series of algorithms, we could either write a new article or improve an existing one. I chose to improve upon the first editorial I ever wrote on my blog, which you can find here. The readability results are below and the re-written post with my conclusion, is after the jump.

Readability Results for original post:

Flesch Reading Ease – 54.8

Flesch – Kincaid Grade Level – 11.4

Gunning Fog Index – 14.16

Blog Report

How about the Microsoft "Wave"?

No, then maybe Playstation "Move"?

Alright Mr. Pickey, try the Nintendo "Waggle"?

Yeah, that'll do. Check out the rest of the news from this week.

New Promotions for PSP this June!
Remote Control Mario Kart Has Shells, Bananas [Nintendo]
It's Ghostbusters, Like You've Never Seen Them Before [Pachinko]
Tropical storm Agatha opens up massive, horrifying sinkholes in Guatemala City [Disaster]
Coming Soon to PSN Store: Joe Danger for PS3
Whose Car Is This? [Yours]
Man Spends Six Months Plotting Murder Of Counter-Strike Rival [Crime]
Left 4 Dead 2 Mutates Into Single-player Game [Valve]
Teen Werewolves Do Not Like The Xbox 360 [Nsfw]
Dear Apple, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft [Open Letter]
PAX Surveys Alternatives to Its Booth Babe Ban [Pax]
Should You Be a Gamer if You’re Marketing a Video Game?
Marvel vs Capcom 3 Screenshots Will Kick Your Canon In The Face [MvC3]
Don't Cheat In Guild Wars, You Will Be Killed [Mmo]
Red Dead Redemption "Short Film" Looks A Lot Like A "Trailer" [Clips]
THQ Announces Partners Division
Sonic Colors Streaks To The Wii And DS [Game On]
Kung-Fu Live for PS3: You Are the Controller
The Real Halo Rifle That Shoots Nerf Darts [Halo]
J Allard's Parting Advice To Microsoft [Microsoft]
Insomniac's Next Franchise Will Be Multiplatform
Father of the Xbox, Head of Gadgets and Fun Leave Microsoft [Update] [Xbox Shakeup 2010]
Do We Need Fair Trade Games? [Republished]

Blog Report

Went on a video game bender since the girlfriend was out of town this weekend. Played for about 36 hours and put a major dent in FF13. Also hit up Red Dead for some good times online, but the world didn't stop for my gaming addiction, so here is the news!

Mass Effect: The Movie Is Really Happening [Hollywood]
Here's Your Special Launch-Day Halo: Reach Hat [Microsoft]
First Killzone 3 Screens, Official Details [Playstation 3]
Little Girls Writes A Letter To Nintendo, Gets A Free DS? [Ds]
Ubisoft Ruins Prince Of Persia Box Art [Ubisoft]
Maybe The Greatest Baseball Pitch You'll See Today [Japan]
Dead Skate: Code Unlocks Isaac and Board [Unlockable]
I'm your huckleberry
The Sony Situation: SCEA's Rob Dyer Speaks
Blur Punches Mario Kart In The Balls [Clips]
Watch the Dallas Cowboys football stadium implode - from inside [Explosions]
From The Wayback Machine
Walmart Unveils Shiny New Online Gamecenter [Retail]
No More Heroes 2 Inspires The First Video Game Lingerie Collection [No More Clothing]
World Of Warcraft Remote Auction House Is Free To Browse, Pay To Bid [Blizzard]
Code Required for UFC Undisputed Online Play [Dlc]
Unlockable Celebs Will Return to NBA Jam [Wii]
Exclusive Showdown Reveals...Pointlessness Of Exclusives [Xbox 360]
Beware This Ruinous Prince of Persia Glitch [Spoilers] [Glitches]
PixelJunk Shooter 2 in Full Production!

Play it NOW! - Super Street Fighter IV

Street Fighter IV was the fighting game for a new generation. Not only has it fleshed out the idea of what a 2.5D fighter can be, but it has sparked a revival of the genre. It is only suitable that Capcom, the father of 2D fighters, be the one to lead such an ambitious journey. Much like their previous installments, SSFIV is an expansion on the foundations laid in Street Fighter 4. Some gamers may be taken aback by the idea that they have to procure another disc. Let me assure you: this is a new game.

First and foremost, the character selection screen is initially completely unlocked, and a few new characters are available. Some are from the original Super (Dee Jay & T-Hawk), others from the Alpha series (Guy, Cody, Adon), and still others from Third Strike (Dudley, Ibuki, Makoto). Rounding out the 10 are some new faces with Hakan and Juri. This article will focus on the new characters, since the existing are similar to their predecessors.

Juri - Is primarily an offensively oriented character, with few defensive moves. Most of her attacks are kicks and her fireball technique can be charged. If you choose to charge, she does a high kick first and can unleash her fireball at any time after that by releasing the button. She has a counter move in which she taunts her enemy into hitting her. If she is hit; she can move backwards, jump into the air, or appear behind her opponent. Combined with her aerial dive kick, this counter is especially painful for her opponents. Her super unleashes a flurry of fireballs and juggles the opponent, ending with a fireball that hits the opponent as they are falling. The first Ultra is the Feng Shui Engine, which is a timing move that allows her to do combos at ease. The second Ultra is the Kaisen Dankairaku, a devastating attack in which she kicks her opponent up, then down where the opponent lands on her foot. She taunts them before slamming them into the ground.

Hakan – An oil wrestler whose technique revolves around the application of oil to his body. The primary move is called the Oil Shower, but the overall move set remains the same regardless of the presence of oil. The difference made by applying oil shows in the strength and agility of the character. Moves like the slide attack, will reach further with oil applied. Since he is more of a grappler, his throws are also more powerful with oil. Applying the oil also makes him "glow" for a short amount of time, acting as a timer of sorts for his current oiling. His super involves grabbing his opponent, sliding back and forth across the floor of the stage. The first Ultra is the Oil Coaster, which is like a more powerful version of his Oil Rocket move. He grabs, then pops the opponent up into the air, and slides them into a wall. The second Ultra is the Oil Combination, where Hakan lays down on the floor and waits for his opponent to fall into him. Once an opponent does, calamity ensues and they will wish they had not executed that last jump.

Additionally, all characters have been given a second Ultra. You choose which Ultra to use before the round begins, much like Third Strike. The game also features a few additional online modes: Team Battle (up to 8 players), and Endless Battle (winner plays against a rotating group of up to 8 players).

Another great feature is the Replay Channel, which allows players to save and view replays from around the world. It provides users some excellent footage, despite the lack of any character specific filters, which would help in finding a match up you may be struggling with. Fans of the series will notice the return of the car and barrels bonus stages. I found these to be fun bits of nostalgia to remind people of Capcom’s roots. Rival battles are still prominent from the previous game, which feature a unique dialogue sequence whenever a certain pair of characters face-off against each other.

A downloadable Tournament Mode is scheduled to be released on June 25, 2010. This will allow people to create their own tournaments, with victory belts. This will be cool if only for bragging rights and Capcom has mentioned sanctioning a few tournaments of their own DLC is limited to a number of costume packs for the various characters. These are not essential, but certainly add some variety to the already numerous costumes and color combinations. The game itself is at a price point of $40. If you don’t already own a fighting game, it makes Super Street Fighter 4 essential for any console owner.

*note: all pictures are coutesy of a Google Image search

Video Recommendations are live!

Video has come to Two.Can Play thanks to YouTube and you should be able to start watching some of it now.

Sure it isn't production quality, but hey with the budget of about the cost of a Subway sandwich and my trusty Flip cam, it is as good as it can be for now. As for my "on camera" demeanor, it will improve with practice.

The YouTube username is TwoCanPlayBlog, but you can also go to the video page on http://www.twocanplayblog.com/ to find all the videos currently uploaded.

And since you are already here, click the jump for my VR of Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Bitmob: Guides

Guides, walkthroughs, and FAQs are all tools which have helped gamers across generations of consoles overcome obstacles in their gaming experience. These can be applied to almost any type of game for any purpose, but their intent is to provide the reader complete transparency into a games’ world. Normally, I will try to avoid the use of these tools, because in some ways, I feel it can ruin my experience. For every rule there is an exception; however, and Bethesda Games Studios (makers of the Elder Scrolls series and Fallout 3) have become that exception.