Monday, April 30, 2007

Smell Ice, Can Ya?


Oh boy oh boy oh boy. The trials and tribulation of Sony as they enter this generation of gaming is truly a site to behold. The industry has seen Sony make their fair share of follies which have lead to some pretty dire consequences, and the hits keep on coming. It seems that Sony has announced that Chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, Ken Kutaragi, will step down from his position as of June 19th. He will be replaced by current SCEI president and COO Kaz Hirai, known by gamers for his ever-so entertaining E3 press conferences. This looks like a move that was coming after the PS3 fell on it's face after a launch in late 2006. As of now, things don't look good for the former reigning heavyweight of the video game industry. Since the PS3 has launched, things have been going downhill in Sonyland. The bread and butter of the Playstation 2 was gaming exclusives, as Sony always had a knack for landing huge titles exclusive to their system. This generation has seen a major change in that trend, as Sony staples such as the Devil May Cry and Grand Theft Auto series have both announced that they will launch simultaneously on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Making matters worse, Sony has recently killed off their 20GB hard-drive system, in favor for the more expensive 60GB hard-drive system ($599) to combat the launch of the 120 GB Xbox 360 Elite system.
Clearly it is still very early in this generation to declare Sony dead in the water, but the ship has certainly hit an iceberg and is in desperate need for someone to stop the leak and steer the ship in the right direction. Will Kaz Hirai meet the challenge, or sink with the ship?

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Left 4 Dead Wit Yer Frenz


Buzz, buzz, buzz...The volume for the buzz on Left 4 Dead just got turned up a notch, thanks to 1up.com and EGM magazine (same company, different media). Developed by Turtle Rock Studios and Valve Corp (yup, the Counter-Strike dudes, who happen to know how to make a fun multiplayer experience), Left 4 Dead is something most gamers don't know a whole lot about, but in the next few months that's about to change. In case you don't know, the premise of the game is survival. Rabies has taken over humanity and there are only 4 survivors (hence the dumb title) left. As one of the survivors, you need to hold off hordes of zombies with guns, grenades, and a trusty switchblade. The thing that makes Left 4 Dead stand out is that the game was built from the ground up with co-op in mind. From all initial reports, this is finally the co-op that everybody has been waiting for. Not a cheap Tom Clancy co-op throw in that has nothing to do with the single-player experience, and not a little co-op toggle that lets two people play in the same single-player game (a la Crackdown). Nope, not Left 4 Dead - This little beastie has been made FOR you to play with your friends, and if you don't play together, you're gonna be...well, dead. When the next-gen starting taking shape, most gamers wanted to know what new advancements were going to separate the Xbox 360 from the Xbox, and the PS3 from the PS3 (besides graphics, duh). Microsoft went the route of achievements, which have been a tremendous success, and recently Sony launched Home, that weird freaky virtual you thing. Besides changes like those mentioned, co-op was getting a lot of hype. Gamers were excited that the second generation of online games would finally feature other modes than CTF and deathmatch. Perfect Dark Zero started the fun with an extensive co-op mode, but the weather has been rather calm on the co-op front. Left 4 Dead looks to be spearheading the co-op revolution, and hopefully the game will be done right so other developers will follow suit and make games with co-op at the forefront of the experience. I want to be able to drag a wounded friend out of a hostile area, or be pulled up through a window by a friend at the last second. I want these things to be the core of the gameplay, not a throw-in during the games eleventh hour in development. With 4-player co-op also a feature of Too Human, it seems the industry is finally heading in the right direction.
Left 4 Dead is scheduled for release Q4 2007 on the Xbox 360 and PC.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Eating Crowla

Ok, so this is me eating a big fat helping of crow. I am addicting to Viva Pinata. Mr. FPS hack 'n slash shoot first and ask questions later is addicted to a sim. And not just any sim, but one that features furry little pinatas and the gardens that attract them. The obvious answer is that I've misplaced my balls somewhere, but I checked and they're still intact. So, why the warm and fuzzies? It seems that RARE has finally grabbed my ghoulies (pun intended and pathetic at that) this generation, and I can't stop making gardens and romancing pinatas and blah blah blah...trust me, play the game. The con is that it's as immature as it sounds, but the pro is that it's another masterpiece from RARE, one that will have you hooked until you fill every last checkmark in that stupid little journal. I feel like a little kid again and I'm collecting DK coins, and I love every minute of it. Viva Pinata is certainly a nice change of pace, and it all started when I got sick of getting shot in the face in Rainbow Six Vegas on realistic mode. I finally had the guts to pull the shrink wrap off of this rather inexpensive masterpiece after not having even the slightest interest when it first retailed. I've probably gone on way too long as it is, but I owe this to all my friends who I harassed as they collected chocolate coins into the wee hours of the night. I'm eating crow, and it's in print to prove it. Well done, RARE. Now gimme my frickin' next-gen Killer Instinct game before I take this shovel and beat the candy out of you guys.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Too Human Gets a Morale Boost


It's tough for me to really feel bad for Silicon Knights. After a terrible E3 showing last year, Too Human dropped off the radar as Denis Dyack (President of Silicon Knights) had his feelings hurt. Following the hiatus, Too Human returned with a blog on IGN.com where Dyack poked a little fun at himself (with the help of Penny Arcade). Earlier this week, another post on the blog featured a 13 minute video featuring three members of Silicon Knights and a member of IGN. I wasted 13 minutes of my life listening to how much better the Too Human team felt after IGN was impressed with their newer build of the game. GIVE ME A BREAK! I have a hard time feeling bad for guys who make video games for a living, especially when no one forced them to reveal a premature build of the game that they knew would get critically torn to pieces. E3 wouldn't have suffered if Too Human didn't have a playable demo, and the whole pathetic fiasco that has ensued since the game was initially shown to the public is completely unnecessary.
I don't want to be confused with someone who doesn't appreciate the work of Silicon Knights. I think both Eternal Darkness and Legacy of Kain were great games , and I have been looking forward to Too Human since it was originally announced in 2005. My problem comes from the fact that Denis Dyack and Silicon Knights are using a blog on IGN as a psychiatrist's couch as we gamers have to hear about how difficult it was to hear all the negativity from people playing their game. Get over it! We know the game wasn't ready, we know the game will be great when it's released. Use the blog to give us some info on the game, or some gameplay videos, or something other than whining. I'll give you an ice bucket...

Sunday, April 1, 2007

April Delays Bring May Monsters

So April's finally here and we have a pretty empty month as far as releases go. The 360 has hit a small bump in the road, with several delays this month making Guitar Hero II the only big release for Microsoft. PS3 has nothing really substantial coming out either, relying on ports of Enchanted Arms, the lackluster RPG that debuted months ago on the 360, and F.E.A.R., the horror-shooter that is seeing it's third iteration release, to carry their April sales. As far as the Wii is concerned, Super Paper Mario is their big title of the month, which will most certainly be a good game, just not something that will hold gamers over for any lengthy amount of time. What does this all mean? Since April is pretty scant of titles, what is the next big title to hit the next-gen systems?
Well, the votes are in and the winner is...Monster Madness, the campy, 4-player monster romp created by Artificial Studios in which gamers take control of high school heroes as they battle their way through hordes of the undead and things that go bump in the night in an effort to retake suburbia. The buzz on the game is that it should be a fun co-op campaign that never really takes itself too seriously, and that's really what you want in a game like this, especially if you're playing alongside three friends. The game will also support 16-player PvP with game modes such as capture the flag, something that's never really been done in a top-down game like this.
Color me excited just because I love any game that I can play from start to finish with my friends. There's always something about playing with friends that enhances the gaming experience, but what will make or break the game is the gameplay. While that might seem like a "duh" thing to say, I think in a game like this you can't just have a strategy of mashing A for hours on end, much like you do in the critically acclaimed Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. I think its safe to say that there won't be an amazing story included in the $60 game, so a little bit of diversity in the gameplay would be nice to see. What exactly does that mean? Powerful weapons pickups, an in-depth combo system (both single player and team combos would be fun to try to pull off), and really interesting boss battles that would force players to work together, instead of everyone mashing A-B-X a hundred times to finally win. I really haven't asked for much here, because I don't think the game will need any more major elements than the ones I have mentioned to make it fun and worth the purchase. Hopefully Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia will deliver. If not, you could always dust off Zombies Ate My Neighbors.