Tasteful old Sega ads

With marketing like this it makes you wonder why Sega is dead.

Gee are you talking about a penis OH WAIT IT'S JUST MEGADRIVE!

What's with the claims that playing video games ruins your eyes? I played near the screen all the time when I was young because I am that hardcore oh yeah.

"Female players may find difficulties in the higher skill levels." Hehe

Ok this is just the most tasteful one.

Phil Harrison interview

1992-2008

As some of you might know, Phil Harrison, former president of Sony Worldwide Studios, recently quit. And as some have speculated (and feared), yes, he did end up in Atari (Infogrames). For those of you who might be wondering why (the hell) would he do something (so seemingly idiotic) like that, he reveals all in this interview.

Bad parenting, bad journalism

This is why Fox News blows so hard:





















That's right, blame video games AGAIN. Not only is it the stupidest thing ever (especially since the article itself establishes no correlation between the crime and video games whatsoever), but it only shows how butthurt they still are about the whole Mass Effect "SEXBOX" issue. What kind of people read/listen to this kind of news anyway? Seriously stop giving them money.

Video game franchises that should be put to rest already.

Every now and then there will be one game franchise that is so revolutionary/entertaining/mind-blowing etc. that the makers just won't stop at one. That next sequel features some improvements, and will sell even more than its predecessor. The next one doesn't have much to offer, other than that it's part of the series. Then the next game is just a clone of the previous one with new characters (maybe). It stays like this until the 7th installment, and by this time people are already getting sick of the previously revolutionary/entertaining/mind-blowing etc. game.

This sort of thing has been happening a lot especially recently. Companies even resort to remaking the game that started it all, in the hopes of calling back the tired fanbase, instead of just letting it go and working on something new. Sometimes, game series don't even live as long as seven installments--some games really lose their charm after two or three instances.

So, in this post I am going to list some game series that should die, unless they somehow manage to make it fresh again. It isn't comprehensive, feel free to add.

1. Super Mario Bros. -- no, not the platforming series, they actually need to make more of that. What needs to die are the spinoffs like party games and sports games. There's just WAY too many of them. The problem is many people would still buy these games because they have Mario in them. Nintendo needs to go back to making real Super Mario games and stop, excuse me for the term, whoring out the little guy.

2. Sonic the Hedgehog -- I'm sorry, but the horde of new characters need to be killed off. Silver? Facepalm. They need to stop trying to create 'deep' stories around the blue guy unless they do it really well, which I don't really think is possible because 1) what made the game popular back then is the exploration + speed aspect and 2) it's a game featuring talking animals. Not that I have anything against talking animals. Also how come some of the characters have clothes on while others do not? And Sonic's legs are getting too long.

3. Mortal Kombat -- Well it's pretty much dead already, lets just hope they don't come up with a new one. Blood and gore is so cliche nowadays.

4. Guilty Gear -- Mostly because the first true sequel is going to suck. Many of the old standbys were killed off or written out, and it's just an entirely different game now (it really sounds a lot like Dynasty Warriors).

5. Mega Man X -- The last one was X8 and it was quite a while ago, so this is also pretty much dead. But it better STAY dead. X4 was the last good game, and it wasn't as good as X3. Megaman Legends needs to be revived however.

6. Games whose titles start with "Sim" -- Do anyone actually still find these entertaining?

7. Final Fantasy VII -- not Final Fantasy in general, but FFVII. It's just getting ridiculous. They're not making games in this series to give us games. They're just milking Advent Children dry. Dirge of Cerberus was a horrible game, and I heard Crisis Core is mediocre. The character designs are sickening, and you can easily tell what the target demographic is with it.

8. Disgaea -- I'm going to be honest here. The first one was great. It was cute, funny, and really quirky, although for an SRPG it didn't really require much strategy. The second one was so-so. Not much has changed, except for a few tweaks and balancing so that you can't easily overlevel your way through the game. The third one however isn't looking too good. It's for the PS3 first of all, and they're using the same graphics engine as 1 and 2. There's some new stuff but nothing really exciting. Of course, this is just based on the previews, but seriously those low-res sprites should go. Also, having Laharl appear in every game is a bad sign.

That's it for now, I have to go, feel free to contribute.

What would an Apple game console be like?

Recently, Apple, creator of the omnipresent iPod (as well as many other devices, namely, computers) updated their trademark to cover various types of video game devices as well. Before I proceed, I would just like to say that I have nothing against Apple (I am listening to my iPod as I write this, in fact), I have no problems with them releasing very similar products and marketing them as something totally different. Making a profit is the core goal of every firm, and if this is what Apple's market wants then it's all good. Though I never got into Macs because I've used PCs all my life and I'm more comfortable with them.

Please note also that I will not be using statistics, sales figures, and such in this post, so take everything here with a grain of salt.

Apple entering the video games market is nothing new. Back in the mid-1990s there was the Apple Pippin, which was designed to be a game console and a computer in one (much like today's consoles, except less powerful.) At launch, the thing was priced at $599 (the similarities just don't end!). Suffice to say, the console was a failure, as the market already belonged to the Saturn and the original Playstation. Those who watched Lucky Star might remember that Mr. Izumi promised to give his daughter a Pippin if she has low grades.

But that was before the iPod. Not too many people really cared about Apple back then. But ever since they launched the mp3 player whose name became a household term similar to Thermos and Nintendo, Apple, once known by most only as "that other computer brand", has become a truly unstoppable force, complete with new hordes of faithful followers in addition to the old ones already present. So threatening in fact that even Microsoft is attempting to gain some of the market back by launching their own high-capacity mp3 player.

However, it is also solely to this iPod that we can attribute the sudden increase in Apple's power. I (empirical evidence yeah!) can easily find 10 people who use iPods but I might have to spend a little more time finding the same number of people who use Macs. Maybe I should spend more time asking people other than my classmates, but wait. I can just as easily find 10 people who own a PS2. Where am I going with this? I guess what I really want to say is even though Apple has that many fans, they still don't amount to the number of Sony, Xbox, or Nintendo fanboys, let alone console gaming fans overall. Heck, even the PS3 is having trouble outdoing its own predecesor. (Also PS3sux.)

Although, there were already many companies who make mp3 players before the iPod came along, and it was still able to dominate. Apple did release the first mp3 player with large storage capacity. And made it trendy. I guess they just need a really cool gimmick and some catchy marketing for their future game devices to catch on.

Let's look at the iPod once more (I am looking at it right now). What are the features that make it different from other mp3 players? Firstly, although mine is black, the first iPod was colored white. Solid, clean, plain white. Secondly, it has the storage. At the time the iPod was released, most mp3 players didn't even have one gigabyte of storage. Apple's first had four gigabytes. Then, it has the clicky scroll wheel thing. The cool thing about it is there are neither wheels nor visible buttons, but you can press the top, the bottom, the left, and the right of the clickwheel for different functions. Also, depending on the screen you were at, the touch-sensitive wheel can be used to scroll through lists, increase or decrease the volume, and aim that cannon in that minigame that came with mine. Finally, it is small enough to fit into most pockets.

If that's all that makes the iPod special (in plain view anyway), then Apple is out of gimmicks for their video game device. All three current-gen consoles are colored white or have white versions. They also have large storage (except the Wii, which doesn't have any, but has expandable memory). The clickwheel gimmick is the only one left, but the Wii has waggle, and hell if anything can beat waggle. Even the PS3 controller has a motion sensor.

I'm not saying that the Apple console has to be just like the iPod. I'm sure there's some pretty intense R&D going on. But look at the Pippin again. It had a lot of features (4 CD drives!), and you could even say it was ahead of its time, being a network computer and game console in one. But no one was really interested. Now, if they iPod-ify the thing it will have a better chance of selling (see: iPhone). But let's say they do make a really unique console. Would they be able to penetrate the market anyway? Microsoft is having a hard enough time competing against Nintendo, and Microsoft has been in the game (no pun intended) for quite a while. There's also Sony. Even if every Apple fan buys this new Apple console, it still wouldn't be enough.

But then again, who knows. I hear a lot of people saying the current generation of video gaming, well, sucks, and they even fear that the video game industry might be at its last breath. Maybe Apple can revive it.

(P.S. I wonder if that made any sense at all. :<) (P.P.S. obligatory "PS3SUX")

Videogame-related Valentine's day cards

Show your Valentine how you really feel with these 'special' Valentine's day cards. These are old, I know, and there are plenty of these, but I keep forgetting about them and these are the only ones I was able to fish out of my tumultuous ocean of improperly-named files in my single image folder dedicated to a certain SECRET WEBSITE. Because I actually renamed them.

Make that special someone fall in love with you. Give your Valentine one of these tomorrow!





This is my personal favorite.


P.S. No, don't give anyone any of these. :<

Wal-Mart covering M-rated games in black sleeves

Wal-Mart Covering Up "M" Rated Games

Wow. Just wow. How far are they going to drag this nonexistent issue of videogames, violence, and sex? Sure, the games do have gratuitious violence and/or sex, and you might say "lol they're doing the same thing they do to smut rags so that people know that they are, in fact, smut rags." No they aren't. They cover porn magazines in black sleeves because the covers of such reading material, more likely than not, DO contain nudity. When was the last time you saw viscera and/or bare titties on a game cover? Has there ever been an instance? (Hentai games don't count.) This is just so ignorant it makes me grind my teeth in rage. Thanks to you, kids will now have an easier time choosing the games that aren't meant for them. Furthermore, thanks for covering the rating printed on the box art, which as far as I'm concerned is doing a better job.

"When asked why the sleeves would matter when the titles are stored behind glass, the company had no comment."

GOOD JOB. AAAAAUUUUGGGHHHH.

Picture unrelated.

Today, Xenogears turns 10 years old

Xenogears is an RPG released by Squaresoft (who is now Square Enix) on February 11, 1998. Stating your partiality towards it nowadays will make people angry at you, but back then when censorship laws were only just relaxed (and we were young), it felt so rebellious and deep and awesome to be fighting against organized religion and God and angels and to hear things like sex in your videogame. (Now it's just really trite.) But more importantly, Xenogears was also cool because it had giant robots (called 'Gears'), and it allowed you to fight with or without them. One of my most fulfilling moments was when I was able to fight 'gear battles' (where enemies normally required the use of Gears to defeat) without using Gears.

Xenogears is also well-remembered for its notorious 2nd disc. Due to deadlines and lack of funds, the 2nd disc was horribly rushed by the developers, and it turned into with two-hour borefest of slow-moving text that cannot be fast-forwarded. The developers who would later form MonolithSoft vowed to fix this with Xenosaga but alas, that seems to have failed as well.

If you haven't played Xenogears, maybe now is a good time. Or not, if you have a short attention span and/or you have been spoiled by today's graphical standards. Still, you should; otherwise you'd be missing out on one of the more important games of the PSOne era. A PSP would be handy for this cause, you can leave good ol' Disc 2 running while you are in a meeting, and you wouldn't miss anything. Just the story.

I still find it hard to believe that it's been 10 years. I feel so old. :(

Fun with Google Image Search and Sonic the Hedgehog characters

Here's something maybe fun to do and definitely fun to tell your friends about especially while they're at work: In Google Image Search, try searching "Sonic", "Knuckles", or "Tails". Wait for the results and gouge out your eyeballs afterwards/watch your friends at work get fired.

Warning: Don't do this at work, in front of other people, or anywhere really. Before you try this, be aware that you might find some of the things that you will see disturbing.

New Street Fighter IV scans reveals new old characters

The recent issue of Famitsu magazine came with this Street Fighter IV spread (scans courtesy of RuliWeb). There has been much speculation on which characters will return; particularly, everybody is anxious about whether or not Chun-Li and her thighs will make a glorious 3D comeback. She did, and her thighs actually look more delicious than ever. And it doesn't look as out of proportion as I feared when I heard SF was making the jump into 3D land. But JESUS CHRIST WHY IS EVERYONE ELSE SO BIG. Just look at Zangief! He's a walking mass of flesh with chest hair. Blanka looks cool though, he looks just as monstrous as he should have really been all these decades. Dhalsim looks...normal. When taken out of context he doesn't look as stretchy anymore. But since everyone else put on like 500 extra pounds his new bulky physique still looks undernourished in comparison.

Actually I don't really have a problem with the direction the art style is taking, except Zangief. Hairy mass of flesh. It is so disturbing.

Obsessive-compulsive things you do in video games

(Inspired by a /v/ thread from just a few minutes ago)

Are there things you do in videogames that don't make sense but you must do anyway? I have a few, and I will list them here since there isn't really anything interesting to write about today anyway.

-Even though I have enough golds I'd always grind for more money before buying an expensive item "just in case".
-I don't use the "rare" items like elixirs and whatever super potions that heal fucktons of HP if they can't be bought, even in the final battle.
-Whenever there's a branching path in a dungeon I always take the path that I think doesn't lead to the boss room; if I think I've gone too far and might actually be headed towards the boss I go back and take the other path. Random encounters makes this extremely annoying.
-If I can jump instead of walk, I would.
-I jump through the doors in Megaman. No exceptions.
-Related to the previous, I can't take it when I have to use an E-Tank to beat a boss. I would start over and do it again until I can kill him without losing any life. ;_;
-I'm one of those guys who steals the pizza/turkey/large meat just to piss other players off even though I don't want to. Sorry ;_;
-Even though I only used like 4 bullets in my clip I would always reload, knowing I have a full clip makes me comfortable.

There's probably more, but I can't remember all of them at the moment so I'll just add them later. Do you have any of these?

Activision wants your money for the GHIII/Rock Band compatibility patch

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/12/20/activision-wants-for-ps3-guitar-patch/

Well, that explains everything. The reason why Activision doesn't want to release the compatibility patch for PS3 GHIII/Rock Band is not because they want to punish Harmonix for being lazy and unprepared, they just want your cash. Which isn't really surprising. Now, the desperate Rock Band players who want an extra guitar will not only pay for the game itself, but also for the patch. You know, if Activision just said so earlier, and nicely, I probably wouldn't mind, since it is their technology after all. They could have made insane amounts of money from desperate Rock Band players that way. But no, they just had to be dicks. I hope you resolved the problem with the Wii version of GHIII already Activision for it looks like you're going to lose a lot of fans.

Who's at fault? Activision vs. Harmonix

Activision prevented Sony from releasing a patch Harmonix developed to allow the use of PS3 Guitar Hero III controllers for the PS3 version of Rock Band. Full story here. tl;dr Rock Band releases a stand-alone copy of their software (no guitar peripheral) for the PS3, was supposed to be compatible with GHIII controllers but Activision strongly objected all of a sudden.

Activision/Guitar Hero:
Guitar Hero is an established and highly-successful music/rhythm game, with many fans. Activision wants to stay ahead of the competition and drive off any rivalry, as all firms do.

However, they're being gigantic dicks to their fans who want to play both GHIII and RB. Some people may have bought GHIII so they can play both games. Others, who bought the RB special edition bundle, might want an extra guitar (bass) and now unless they buy another special bundle they won't get a bassist (until next year). Lots of people are already complaining.

Harmonix/Rock Band:
Harmonix recently entered the rhythm game market and produced Rock Band, which features not only guitars, but vocals and drums as well. There are Special Edition bundles of their game which come with all the peripherals necessary to play the game, but for those who don't want to spend as much (and already own GHIII), they also released a stand-alone copy of their game which was supposed to work with Guitar Hero controllers (which by the way aren't sold outside of the GHIII bundle, $100). RB's official controllers for PS3 are on their way but won't make it until early next year.

But did they really expect that a rival firm, of all people, would help them sell their product? Either they should have made the guitars available or not sell the game at all. They thought they could piggyback on Guitar Hero's success; they forgot that they are competing for the same market.

Sony
Sony just happened to get caught in the crossfire. They have the patch, but until Activision stops objecting they can't release it. In other news there are no RB/GH issues in the Xbox 360 version (i.e. you can use GHIII controllers for Rock Band on the 360). Wonder why though.

Who's the bigger dick? I still think it's Activision. Not even because they're being dicks to their fans anymore, but because they just missed a great opportunity for extra sales. ("Hey we need an extra guitar for bass; I know, let's buy GHIII! We can get an extra controller AND another fun game in one")

THIS is how you advertise your vidya game

Nothing smaller than ENORMOUSLY GIGANTIC? Check.
Blue-haired underaged-looking schoolgirl? Check.
In school uniform? Check.
:3 face? Check.
Her name is Kona-chan? Check.

Actually 4/5 of those can apply only to the Lucky Star PS2 game which, by the way, is delayed until January 24. :( Oh well, at least there will be a giant Konata reminding people to buy the game until then!

This building, the Media Land building, which always has game-related ads posted all over it. Last spring it featured Gyakuten Saiban 4 (Apollo Justice), summer it was Crisis Core, and now it's Lucky Star. I wish they did this kind of thing everywhere in the world.

(Source: Akiba-ch)

Women and video games

Okay, the usual stance with regards to this issue is "LOL GIRL GAMERZ" (see picture) and that they don't really play video games. Of course they do. Although I will admit, the ones that I do see usually play casual/party games or rhythm games. And the ones that do play 'traditionally' male games (like fighting games) usually aren't very good at it. Or whatever is popular at the moment (Counter-Strike, for some reason, had many women playing, but Unreal and HL didn't get much love).

There are also women who are so vocal about their being "girl gamers" that it gets really unbelievably irritating, and yet the only games they play are CS and DotA and they aren't that good at it either. I mean, if you're a gamer then you're a gamer, regardless of the gender. No one is proud of being a "guy gamer".

So, I constructed a poll. It's on the right side of this site. It will run for 10 days. My blog can't get a good sample size, I know, but at least it'll give me a rough idea. How many women seriously play video games? We're not talking about rhythm games like DDR and Guitar Hero, party games, or games that you can win by button mashing. Seriously play as in, have been playing since childhood, have experienced controller-throwing frustration in a game yet still beat the game in question, yelled at your friend while playing Contra because he/she's too slow/fast, and know what "Roman Cancelling" is and how to do it. Of course, the definition of 'gaming' varies, and I really hate throwing around the term myself, but if you've been doing similar things, then that counts too.

Please vote, and thanks!

GHOSTBUSTERS IS BACK (IN VIDYA GAME FORM)

Game Informer's December issue will cover one of this year's biggest surprises: What were previously thought to be just mere tech demos are shaping up to be an actual game--and a direct sequel to the last Ghostbusters movie. (Although Game Informer says those videos have nothing to do with this game.) Even better is Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd are lending their talents both in the character voices and in the actual scripwriting.

I wonder what kind of game it will be. Actually I kind of want it to be an FPS. I've ALWAYS wanted to cross those streams and this might be the perfect opportunity.

Want a date? Check which console you own first

To the guys: ever wondered how you measure up with the ladies as a gamer? MSN Dating & Personal's Margot Lester gathered a panel composed of a psychologist, a game programmer, a gaming network proprietor, and the editor-in-chief of GameTrailers.com (which happens to be the source of many of the videos on this site) to help you answer that question. Here is a summary:

If you own a PS3, you...
-like to be the first to have things
-may be rich
-demand the best
-"sophisticated, intelligent, enjoys competition"
-are loyal
-are in the know
-are always working

If you own a Wii, you...
-are selfish about his passion, but open for social interaction
-are fun
-are smart with your money

If you own a 360, you...
-are willing to play cooperatively, and have a wider choice of games
-are into serious gaming
-like violent games, but are also social
-are rich
-might be good in bed

How accurate do you think it is? While there is a disclaimer on the bottom of the article which states that you shouldn't completely trust these, I think most of it is just bullshit. Firstly, a lot of people own a PS3 simply because they're raging Sony fanboys, or are waiting for MGS4, and not because you demand the best or whatever. Although this might be where the 'loyal' bit comes from. Next, the Wii may be the best choice economically, but what it offers is much, much different from what the PS3 or the 360 does. You can't really claim that a Wii owner is more fun than a PS3 owner just because the games require the player to waggle around. Lastly, the statements about the 360 owner can also be said of PS3 owners: there's coop, 'serious gaming', violent games (NGS anyone?) and it costs a lot. I'm not sure about that last one though. I mean who needs dates when we have games?

Koji Igarashi talks about Castlevania STUFF

Wired.com has an amusing little interview with Iga (Koji Igarashi), producer of the well-known Castlevania series of games. Iga hinted of a new DS game being developed, but nothing is to be announced yet until after players "enjoy the PSP version (the Rondo of Blood remake)". So for those who thought that just because the next Castlevania is on the PSP Konami has "switched sides", think again. Also, he said that by pre-ordering the Rondo remake from GameStop players will receive a special edition Simon Belmont figure, Simon's Quest version (black, red, and white, and 'pixelated'), especially made for this occasion by Neca (who also made another 'pixelated' Simon figure, as well as the new Symphony of the Night figures, among many other things). However the numbers are very limited, so be prepared.

Iga also admits that he messed up with regards to the timeline of the games, and that he shouldn't have released it because now it's 'all official'. Well, they can always rewrite it. Many games in the series have been rendered 'unofficial' because of this same timeline anwyay.

Also, as to why the player whips candles:

"I've actually thought about the candles. The candles are people's souls that were taken by Death or by the vampires. In Japan there are candles that represent life. So, when you release the souls from the candles by whipping them, they give you a "thank you" present. Thank-you hearts, or thank-you holy water."

I wonder what the new DS game will be like, though. I don't really want another Aria sequel, and Portrait of Ruin kind of sucked for me...and honestly the 'MetroidVania' stuff is getting kinda old...I hope he can bring something fresh for the next installment.

Portal: Now in 2D

Here's a nifty little time-waster. If you've played Portal, Valve's dimension-bending FPS that comes with The Orange Box, then you already know how this works. You have a gun that shoots portals of 2 kinds, one entrance and one exit, and you can instantly go wherever you leave your exit portal at. It's pretty cool. This fan-made flash game from Newgrounds based on Portal is a great little 2D version of that game, and is surprisingly well-done, considering how much crap there is on that site. If you don't have Portal yet and want to experience it (to an extent), or are just waiting for your copy to arrive, or are just plain bored at work, give this game a try.

(If you are at work you shouldn't be reading this at all, lulz)

Otacon's role in MGS4--HMMMM.

note: I was debating with myself whether or not I should post this because I might be accused of making things up and sensationalizing, but I was already done when I realized what really happened so I thought might as well, just add a note at the top.

Man, if Hideo Kojima weren't fond of messing with the heads of his fans, this would be so easy to dismiss as shenanigans or a simple mistake. Remember when Konami hinted at Raiden by making a toy figure of him? They just might be at it again. Observe this screen from Action-Figure.com:

At first I thought, "bah, could be just a stupid mistake" but then someone pointed this out:
Hmm. The item on the picture is clearly Snake from MGS4. In fact, it looks exactly like the Snake figure from the same toy series...but with a mask on. And you know how Kojima is with masks and false identities...

But you know...they probably just really meant "Otacamo" and not "Otacon" and that Otacon in the battlefield is a pretty far-fetched idea anyway, but wouldn't it be cool if Otacon were a playable character? :(