We're Back Jack

After some time away Brian T. and I have felt the need for a comeback. Not like there was much to walk away from before, but everything has to start from somewhere. So after some discussion and contemplation we have both felt that the best approach to this blog would be if we went strictly retro. It isn't that we are against next gen gaming or anything like that, we just know that we do not have the resources to write reviews and give opinions on new releases. By the time we get our hands on a new game, play it, and review it; it is about 2 to 3 weeks after 100's of reviews of that same game have been written. At that point who would really want to read what we have to say, unless you just feel that we are amazing at what we have to say. That is why we think a retro blog is our best bet. Even though the games we will be talking about have long come and gone, they still hold that place in gaming history and for that should never be forgotten. Plus when it comes to retro gaming it is sometimes hard to find a game worth taking the time to play, so hopefully this blog can help with that matter.

Just in case anyone has that burning desire to know what happened and why we left the blog for almost a year, I will tell you. In December there was a major overhaul so to speak at the Mac (short for Maciano's where we work). Since then it has been continuing to get overhauled, but at least now it is a little more manageable. Brian T. has since moved back to Chicago. I guess to resume working as a male prostitute. He said that suburb cum just never tasted the same as it did back home. What that means I don't know but I'll just leave that one for you to ponder. Basically life just got in the way. We never stopped playing video games, its just that playing video games in the free time we had was more important then writing about video games. No offense to all 3 of our followers. Either way we have agreed to revisit this side project of ours and revamp it hopefully making it better than it was before.

-Brian R.

Dreamcast How To

If you read my last blog entry I talked about being able to play burned games on the Dreamcast. Just in case anyone is interested in doing it themselves I thought I would post links for everyone to get the ROMs, the program to burn the games, and a video tutorial on how to use it. This way you too can burn games for your Dreamcast and have access to over 250 titles, both domestic and import for your Dreamcast.

First we should start with where to download the ROMS (games). I use two places, both equally. They are both good except EMU Paradise has faster download speeds. Both though are through servers which allow for a steady, consistent, and safe download. WARNING: Be careful where you download ROMS from. There are a lot of bogus websites out there that claim to be ROM sites that do nothing more than infect you with a virus. It has happened to me and it just happened to Brian T. recently. So be careful and just go to the 2 sites that I have listed here.

EMUPARADISE
DCISOZONE.com

Once you have a game downloaded you will need to decompress the file. They come as a Rar file which is similar to a Zip file. There is a free program called WinRar which can be downloaded here. Just install it with the recommended settings.

After you have downloaded and installed WinRar you need to locate the ROM file in Window’s Explorer. Once you find it right click and pick “extract here”. Sometimes the CDI file will be directly extracted or sometimes it extracts sub RAR files that are numbered 01-?. If this is the case just right click on the first numbered RAR file and pick extract here again and then you will have your CDI file, which is the disc image of the game.

Now that you have the CDI file you need to burn it to a CD-R. Make sure it is a CD and not a DVD. There are several programs that you can use to burn disc images but the main one that I use is called Discjuggler, which only handles CDI files. It can be downloaded for free from here. Now this is only the demo version which gives you unlimited access to the program, but limits you to only being able to burn up to 700MB. This is fine because the CDI files never exceed that limit. When installing Discjuggler just do the recommended installation.

Now to setup and use Discjuggler you will need to watch this video tutorial. It will explain everything you need to know about burning the games to disc, which is relatively easy.


If you don’t like this video you can search youtube for a bunch of other videos with different ways to do it. I use this method because you change some settings under the advanced burn options, which is how I have always done it and haven’t had any problems with any games yet. But some people don’t change those options and say that the games work just fine too. I guess you can play around with it a little bit and figure out the method you like best.

Once that is complete you are ready to go. Sometimes if it does not self load you may need a boot disk. Just in case I placed the link here. I have never needed it yet but I have it just in case. Also you do need it to play imports. Enjoi.

-Brian R.

Lost and Found Again

As of late I have been struggling to find a good topic to blog about. One reason is because we are in the first quarter of the year and all of the big titles were just released for the holiday season. I will say that there are some big titles coming out in the next couple of months such as FFXIII, SSFIV, and Heavy Rain next week; but these last few months have been rather slow, at least for me. So I found this awesome website called Racketboy, which is a retro game site. Going through there must haves and undiscovered gems section for the Dreamcast I found a game called Cannon Spike. Basically it is a shoot-em-up that uses Capcom characters. I haven’t played it yet but I am soon and will review it then. Getting back on track, my purpose for this entry is simple and I will get to the point soon enough.

Basically after I saw that game on Racketboy I went to go and download the ROM. FYI if you have a Dreamcast that was built before October of 1999 you can download any ROM off of the internet, burn it to a CD-R, and put it in your Dreamcast and play it. If you have a console with a later build date all you need is a boot disk to play the game, which can be downloaded at the same site that you get the ROMs from. Anyhow as I scrolling through all of the games for the Dreamcast I kept seeing game after game that looks awesome as hell. And I thought to myself here I am complaining that I have nothing to play, yet there is a whole library of games for the Dreamcast that I have access to.

Long story short I went on a downloading spree and grabbed about 10 new games to try out for the Dreamcast. Unfortunately I did not get any blank CD-R’s until yesterday so I have not had an opportunity to play any of them. But the time is coming soon enough. So the point of everything is this. I was forced to go through my collection of games to find something to play because I wanted to play a game that had real purpose other than just killing people like in Modern Warfare. After doing so I was more than excited. You will be surprised if you went through your collection and realized how many games you probably have that you never finished, or maybe never played because it is part of a retro collection.

So what did I find? A fighter for the Saturn that I never played that Brian T. let me borrow, Knights of the Old Republic for the original Xbox that I started a long time ago and never finished, a booklet full of various Dreamcast games that I had downloaded and burned but never played, and Army of Two for the 360, which I borrowed from someone a long time ago and haven’t played yet. I guess it is just one of those out of sight out of mind things, because I keep all of my games in a cabinet, and usually the ones I am not playing are buried in the back behind the couple that I am playing and my controllers. What I need to do is convince my wife to let me build some media shelving so that way I can have everything out on display, which will hopefully keep it from going unforgotten. Take the time though to go through your collection of games and let me know if you find anything that you forgot about or never even finished or never played for that matter.

-Brian R.

360 Gamer POV on Heavy Rain

Finally the PS3 has an exclusive that can actually rival the competition. At least that is what it seems from playing the demo for Heavy Rain the other day. I have never played a game like this and really all I can say is that I was hooked and left wanting more. I am not going to go in to much detail because I think Brian T. did a good job at doing that, but I just wanted to briefly touch on my feelings about what is to come.

Being a person who heavily favors the 360 over the PS3, I found the controls to be a little difficult. Not so much as to how they were set up, but since a lot of the game is controlled by timed button pushing, it becomes a little difficult if you do not have the layout of the controller memorized. So I found myself hitting the wrong button from time to time but it was never a devastating problem. It is a little weird with some of the other button combinations but after a couple of tries it was fairly easy to pick up on.

I played through the Detective Shelby scenario 2 times and both times were different. Each time it started and ended the same; it was the content in the middle that was different. The first time I played through I angered the hooker and she would not talk to me about her son. It wasn’t because I was trying to anger her; it was just my inability to push the correct button. The second time through I again pissed her off but was able to lay a guilt trip on her at the last second, which got her to talk. I am pretty sure that if I played through a third time I can make her talk without any anger or any form of guilt, therefore giving one single scenario three possible forms of gameplay. Not to mention that once you get her to talk you begin to ask different questions depending on which button you push. If this were to follow suite with the first half of the scene, then you are looking at up to 6 different ways to play one particular scene, hypothetically of course.

This seems to make the replay of value of this game very high. Talking with Brian T. he said that in order to get the full experience it is recommended by Quantic Dream to play through the game a few times due to the changing content depending on how the game is played and because of alternate endings. The big question for me is; is it a buyer or renter? Well I can say that I am going to rent it through Gamefly first and give it some good playing time. If I absolutely need to have it I will eventually buy it, but I think that playing through it a few times will be more than enough to satisfy me. Later on I most likely will pick it up when the price is down to $20 or $30.

From a heavy 360 gamer this is definitely a game to play even though it is exclusive to the PS3. It may be difficult to pick up on the controls at first, but once you do I think that there will be no disappointment. After almost losing my PS3 I think it is time that I blow the dust off of it and give it the fair shake it deserves. Besides Heavy Rain, I know that I am getting Super Street Fighter IV (solely to kick Brian T.’s ass) and Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3 (only because the PS3 version is in 1080p and the 360 version is in 720p) this year. So at least I will have 3 games for the console compared to the many that I own for the 360. Comment and let us know what you all thought of the demo.

-Brian R.

Sega's Back

Last Thursday Sega dropped a huge bomb with their most recent announcement. I know that I am super psyched about it and just in case you are still in the dark about what is going on; it pertains to a blue blur, rings, emeralds, and side scrolling. If you haven’t guessed by now Sega is going back to their roots with Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Don’t reread the last sentence because you really read what you are thinking; a whole new Sonic in its original fun to play form. That’s right they finally realized that the Sonic franchise has been crap ever since they decided to venture into the world of 3D, so now we are getting a whole new classic Sonic game built from the ground up.

There is not a whole lot to go on yet. Everything I have found out is from the website for the game, which you can go to HERE. There is a short video with a blip of gameplay in it but other than that there is nothing more than some concept art and a news link. Other things that I do know are that it will be released in the summer and will be available on XBLA, PSN, and Wiiware. Also there is a 4th platform which is rumored to be the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. The supposed story to this speculation is that there was an error on the website’s part that allowed you to see all of the platforms it will be available on, which now they only show the 3 consoles and a group of question marks. But if it is coming out on the PSN then most likely you will be able to play it on the PSP also, which is a bonus for me.

There is still a lot of time between now and summer, and already the anticipation is eating away at me. Growing up and still to this day Sonic the Hedgehog is one of my favorite games. Even though I know that most of the newer Sonic games are going to suck, I still get excited about them and usually get let down when I finally play them. Any newer Sonic game is no comparison to the enjoyment that I get with the first 3 Sonics and Sonic CD, and finally now we will have a chance to play a new Sonic game the way it is meant to be played.

-Brian R.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is Awesome

Finally I got another Nintendo Wii last week. Once again it wasn’t as easy as just walking in to the store and buying one. Well it was but only after a week of phone calls and searching online. I had the same problem the first time I got a Wii, except that time I found out Meijer had 50 of them in stock for Black Friday. So I stood in line from 8pm until 5am the next morning. I ended up having to leave because I got the flu and came down with a 103 degree fever while standing in line. My mom and wife got stuck waiting in line with my 6 month old son. Good times for them ;).

So after spending about $500 this time to get the system, 2 complete controller setups (one remote, one nun chuck, 2 motion pluses, and a classic controller), and a game; I am finally back on the wagon. What game is it you ask? Well let me tell you. It is Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and boy have I enjoyed it every minute I can since I bought it. Hands down this is probably one of the best fighters that I have played in awhile.

I don’t even know how to convey the awesomeness of this game to you as a reader. So let’s begin with the presentation and looks of the game. Outstanding is a good way to describe it. It is comical and cartoony but not in a bad way. There is this 1970’s cartoon feel to it which is well suited for the overall game. Either way the colors are bright and fun and in some weird way it brings out the fun in the game instead of the seriousness that can come with fierce competition from other foes. Also you will find that you are not turned completely off by the music. Its soundtrack is tolerable in comparison to other Capcom soundtracks (SFIV) and at some points even enjoyable.

The button layout is simple but yet again well suited for this game like everything else. Like Brian T. said there are only 3 attack buttons. This is a great way to allow easier control of the characters making it possible to string together some devastating combos. The fighting style amongst the characters is unique to everyone allowing you to alter your gameplay dependent on who you are fighting with. There are endless hours of enjoyment with this game from mastering characters in arcade mode to cracking skulls online with the ultimate duo: Polimar and Casshan. Yeah that’s right that is my super head stomping team right there.

At first I was iffy about this game because it seemed slow and clownish, unlike other fighters that I was used to i.e. Marvel vs. Capcom and SFIV. But after a few rounds and some getting used to, the paced picked up and the graphics were more than appealing. This game is a definite one to own and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It definitely made the Wii worth owning again. Just in case you are all wondering the win loss record between Brian T. and I is 18-15, and I am the one with 18 wins.

-Brian R.

A Penny for your Thoughts

Yesterday my wife and I decided to rearrange our living room. We wall mounted the TV again and did it right by running all of the cords through the wall and ceiling. But when I moved my PS3 I heard something inside of it and I have caught my 2 year old son sticking stuff, mainly change, in the CD loading slot before. Already the anxiety had set in. I was so upset I picked up the PS3 and started shaking the shit out of it to try and get whatever it was out; real smart huh?

I then proceeded to turn it on for some idiotic reason and it turned on but you then heard this load grinding gears noise since whatever was in there had managed to lodge itself in the gears which spin the disc. I just kept thinking to myself over and over again that there is no way I am going to get this fixed or get a new one if it is totally broke. Now I am sure by now that someone reading this is thinking that I should have called Sony by now and set up to get it serviced. Well I did, but I was still uncertain of doing that at the moment because honestly my pocketbook can’t afford a $150 repair.

Finally I am at a point of no other options but to call Sony. After explaining everything to them, they basically tell me to take the console and throw it away if it is not working. Why you ask; because if you send anything in to be repaired and there is a foreign object in the bluray drive they will not repair the console and simply return it to you unfixed, still containing whatever it is that might be lodged in there. What, are you kidding me! How is it that it would cost more to me as a consumer to go and buy a new console as opposed to having the bluray drive replaced if it is unfixable? Were they trying to tell me that the bluray drive itself costs more than the whole PS3 unit as a whole? I doubt it, but like every retailer out there they see it as an opportunity to make me as the consumer go out and spend another $350 on a new PS3 instead of spending maybe $150 on repairing the one I already own. It is nothing more than a scam of a marketing ploy.

At this point I had no option but to try and fix it myself. What could it hurt, because even if I totally screwed it up I wouldn’t be out anything right? After some research on the internet and thanks to YouTube I found some good videos about dismantling the PS3 and the bluray drive. The hardest part was finding the necessary torque bolt to remove the initial screw to take the casing off the PS3. From there it was a breeze and luckily for you guys I took pictures.

This first picture is what the unit looks like with the outer casing removed.

Next you have to remove 7 screws to remove the inner casing that holds the CPU and bluray drive in place.

Here you can see the CPU and the bluray drive on the right. The bluray drive is not screwed in, so you can pick it up and disconnect the ribbon wire from the underside to completely remove it from the console.

Once that is out you need to flip it over and there you can see the motherboard for the bluray drive.

The next step is to unscrew the six screws on the bottom of the drive to remove the motherboard and the casing for the optical drive of the bluray player. Also you need to unhook all of the ribbon wires from the motherboard itself to completely remove it.

Once the casing is off you are left with the optical drive itself. At this point you are only 4 screws away from opening it entirely.

Now that it is opened you can clean the lens or remove a 1962 penny from your bluray drive, which may cause the gears of the drive to jam, whichever suites you best.

From here you just work in reverse to put everything back together.
Now mind you I have no computer repair experience at all. This is the first time I have ever done something like this and if I must say it was pretty easy. As long as you can follow directions you should not have a problem if you were in a similar situation. All together it took me about 30 minutes from start to finish, and now my PS3 is in full working order again. Long story short, I have a working PS3 again and I saved myself the cost of a new system. Thanks Sony for being a bunch of greedy a-holes and forcing me into a position to fix it myself.

-Brian R.

Side Note: My son was nowhere near my PS3 yesterday. So I have no idea how long that penny had been sitting in the bluray drive before it finally dislodged and caused some damage. It is kind of funny if you ask me, but if I had to guess it had been in there for at least a week while I was watching movies and playing LittleBigPlanet.

Another Year, Another Chance for my PS3

Seeing the great debate beginning to brew over this next gen console subject, I can’t just sit on the sidelines and let this one go. If my opinion matters one bit I would say that next gen consoles overall have been a failure, but don’t take that out of context though. There are great games, enhanced graphics, and better game control; but if we look at the hardware associated with the Wii, PS3, and 360, we can see that there have been letdowns with all three systems.

Like Brian T. said the Wii is nothing more than a glorified GameCube. It is a GameCube with motion control. For a long time now I have felt that the Wii was nothing more than a test; a test to see how the public would accept a new form of gameplay. Unfortunately it is widely accepted by all demographics from young to old, to people who really don’t even play video games; therefore causing Nintendo to continue pushing this console. There also is a serious lack of quality software support for this system but yet I can guarantee that Nintendo is raking in the cash, and because of that there is no need on Nintendo’s part to change a thing at the moment.

Then we have the 360. Overall we are looking at a pretty good system. They have support through other social networking communities such as Facebook and Twitter, along with a great library of games. There online service is above average and you can see that paying for the service definitely makes it worth the $50 per year. What the system lacks is the dependent hardware to run the console. System hardware failures plague the console with the Red Rings of Death and the E74 error code. Like Brian T. said too, it is ridiculous to spend $300 - $400 on the system then have to go spend another $100 on a wireless network adapter to get online. You would think since networking technology is not advanced rocket science; it would be built in the system or made affordable at least, but once again the system makes money even with its flaws, so why change what in terms of profits is not broken.

Finally there is the PS3. Let me say I have been let down by this system from the time I got mine and more so then the latter two. One of the biggest disappointments for this system is the lack of software that is available for the system. If you need someone to blame for this you can thank Sony for not providing the training and information that was needed for these developers to program the games. I can see how these game developers did not want to spend the money to train programmers to write for this system when they could just release it on a more popular, easier to work with system like the 360. To this day I still do not own a PS3 game. There hasn’t been a game yet exclusive to the system that I feel I need to have, and if there is a game that is multi-platform I always get it for the 360. But before you can complain about the software I think it is only fair to look at the system itself. We are in the 4th generation with the PS3. If you go here you can see a chart of all the different PS3’s and what hardware they contained.

It’s seems to me the PS3 has taken steps back instead of moving forward to try and provide a better product to their consumers. Look at the 360 for example. They have increased their hard drive space, replaced their original processors with better ones, and added more services to system. The PS3 has removed the flash card reader, removed backwards compatibility, reduce the number of USB slots, and taken away the removable hard drive. So how do they justify the price of the system? Sure they increased the hard drive space, but they removed everything else. No wonder we have seen a price drop in recent months.

That is not all that lets me down with the PS3. The PS Network; now there is a joke if I’ve ever seen one. Sure it is free, but what do you gain by having a free service: lag, poor support, and limited connectivity. If I was partial solely to the PS3 I would be more than happy to pay for my online service to ensure excellent service. Also I need to mention Home. What a waste of time and effort there. If I wanted to participate in something of that nature I would go and play The Sims. At least that way I wouldn’t be subjected to endless advertising. Plus it is completely annoying trying to have a conversation because it is a pain in the ass to type everything when 95% of the people don’t have headsets. Tell me why is there no Bluetooth headset included with the system? This is similar to Microsoft not having Wi-Fi built in to the system. Why not include something that probably costs them pennies to make compared to the $100 it costs us to buy it. When is enough, enough?

Where are we left as gamers when the companies that we support seem to not really care to support their consumers? And it is not only Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony; it is the software companies that support the consoles too. If you read my earlier blog “Diamonds Last Forever” you can see how I talked about there being a lack of games on next gen consoles that take gaming to the next level. There are no revolutionary or breakthrough games on any of the 3 major consoles today. Gaming has reached a standstill in some respects. Hopefully with the introduction of Natal we will see a shift in gaming. We will see what next gen gaming should be and hopefully get everything we should be getting out of these consoles. I know though that a magic wand shaped like an ice cream cone will not be the answer to this. It will be yet another let down from Sony. Maybe they finally realized this and that is why the date has been pushed back so that way they can try and save some face. Let me know what you think and how you feel about today’s gaming companies.

-Brian R.

I don't ♥ Gamestop

Gamestop is a name that has become house hold in the world of gaming. They are everywhere and they have almost monopolized the video game market. I know that I shop at Gamestop or used to as of last week. It is impossible to not shop there especially if you are in the market for used merchandise, or what they refer to as “pre-owned.” I have finally been pushed over the top though with their unappreciative attitudes, over priced “used merchandise”, and under purchased trade-ins. Their sales tactics are more annoying then helpful and if you have a question about anything, don’t expect an answer given by a majority of the employees to be helpful.

My dislike for Gamestop has become so much that it has finally driven me to shop elsewhere unless it is unavoidable. By now as a gamer I am sure that you are aware of the fact that you can pre-purchase or reserve a title long before it is released. So then why is it then when I am in the process of reserving a game do I always get asked if I would like to reserve any other game? Obviously at this point I am well aware of their reservation process and if I had wanted to reserve any other games I would have done so from the start. So please don’t ask me. Then there is the pricing on the video games and I am not talking about new games, but their used crap. How is it that you are going to sell me a game for $5 less than if I were to purchase it new, but if I were to trade that same game in, for store credit mind you, you will only give me a fraction of that price. Here is a hypothetical situation just in case you are unfamiliar with their ridiculous rip-off policies. Brand new a game costs $59.99, used it is $54.99 but if I bought it new or used and went to trade it in for store credit; I would get $20 or $30 max. That is in some cases more than 100% profit and possibly even more if you consider the fact that I have to use that $20 or $30 in the store to purchase more stuff. It is not like it is cash in my pocket. What a fucking rip. These plus other little things here and there have become too much, but it wasn’t any of this that finally drove me over the top.

This type of shit I have dealt with for years now and tolerated. It wasn’t until recently that I was driven over the edge to the point where I said enough is enough. Long story short, I called Gamestop to see if Assassins Creed qualified for a promotion that was taking place. They said it did so I went to trade it in. When I got there I was told that it did not qualify and that I would get $5 for the trade in. After some back in forth arguing I was finally asked who I talked to. Luckily I got his name and bingo I got $20 for Assassins Creed (mind you I only paid $17.99 for it used from Gamestop, so essential now I got paid $3 to own and play the game for almost a year). After that the assistant manager that was ringing me up just completely lost his shit. He start banging the crap out of the keyboard on his computer, throwing the game I was trading in around plus the game that I was buying, followed by a long string of god damn its and Jesus Christ’s. Then it escalates to the point of the assistant manager reprimanding and belittling the employee in front of Brian T., two mothers and their kids, and myself. Now between you and me I didn’t give a shit about how he was reacting and if anything I was getting a good laugh from getting one over on them; but with my hate for Gamestop I saw yet another opportunity to get more out of them by complaining about this negative experience to their corporate office.

The next day I filed the complaint with their corporate headquarters. After sitting on hold for about 10 minutes I finally got through to someone and explained the whole story. Once again I was put on hold only to hear after about another 5 minutes of silence that my complaint will be filed to the district manager. So I wait, and after about a week with no response he finally calls me. Once again I explain my situation to him. He goes on to inform me that both employees were assistant managers who are in line to get their own stores in the next year and that their behavior was unacceptable. Thanks, I know or I wouldn’t have called. Then he continues to tell me that this situation was a great training experience for his employees. He finally goes on to end the conversation with and I quote, “Thank you for bringing this situation to my attention. We are handling this internally and using this information to better help employees learn how to better handle themselves. We appreciate having you as a Gamestop customer and look forward to your future business with us. Goodbye.” What the fuck is that bullshit? If I were to go out and ream a server in front of a table about a mistake I made, A. I would no longer have a customer and B. if I wanted to keep them as a customer I would need to basically give them the store with gift certificates and what have you. But what did I get; nothing more than a thanks have a nice day, and come buy more overpriced crap from us. Well thanks for letting me know that I am nothing more than a number to you and that you have zero care in your customers. Why would you when you are arrogant enough to think that if he doesn’t come back I will have 3 more behind him. Well I used to think like that and now with the dwindling economy and the increase in competition, I am wishing that I treated every customer like family instead of a paycheck.

Today there are more and more options when it comes to video game sales. There are the big box stores like Wal-Mart and Target, online stores such as eBay, Gamefly, and Amazon, and even new retailers similar to Gamestop, like Play-N-Trade and Gorilla Games. Amazon, Gamefly, and the new video game retailers all take in trades either for cash or credit like Gamestop, and now you can also purchase used games from Wal-Mart. Plus the extra benefit to Play-N-Trade and Amazon is that you are not limited to purchasing games and accessories for 3 systems (360, PS3, and Wii). You have access to everything video game related, anything from a NES game to a Sega Dreamcast VMU. Having those options makes shopping there that much more appealing. I should mention also that every where else’s deals, trade-in offers, and prices on just about everything are lower than anything that you can buy at Gamestop. With all this said it leaves me to say that I am done with Gamestop. The only way I would be compelled to step foot in that store again is if I were given a gift card. It is your choice if you want to continue to support Gamestop and their bullshit antics; but I would highly recommend that everyone start taking the time to shop elsewhere instead of trying to fill that instant gratification with Gamestop. Comment back and let me know what you think about Gamestop and if you too have had enough.

-Brian R.

Tree Hugging Hippy Crap

I don’t know if anyone takes the time to actually read our blog but if you do kudos to you. So if you do then you probably remember a blog from about a month ago, give or take, that Brian T. wrote about in regards to a game on the PS Network titled Flower. For days all I heard at work was how amazing the game is and how I need to go buy it. Then he continues on to say that it is such an awesome game that he can’t even describe it to me that I should just go and buy it. So I did and let me say I am pissed that I wasted fucking $10.

Where should I start with this crap? First there is not excitement. You float around like a fairy traveling from flower to flower, and once you get to a flower I guess you use your magic fairy dust to make it bloom. Please note that one of the selling points for Brian T. was that every flower that opened there was the pluck of a guitar string. Wow talk about fun. Eventually you continue spreading fairy dust until you make the grand poomba of all blooming objects come to life, a tree. Second this game might be fun if you were 12 years old, had a vagina between your legs, and your room was painted pink and decorated with hello kitty fatheads. It’s fortunate for me that I have none of these things, making me have zero interest in this game. According to Brian T. you can find magic flowers in every level that will unlock trophies; but who the hell wants to keep floating around as a pedal of a flower for any given amount of time looking for the special magic flowers. Not me. I could barely choke my way through the first level from start to finish let alone waste anymore time looking for these mystical flowers hidden throughout the levels.

Even right now as I am writing this he is standing over my shoulder arguing with me about how “peaceful” the game is and that I am looking at it in the wrong light. Boo hoo because when I play a game there is nothing more peaceful then blowing some assholes head off with my ACR in Modern Warfare 2. I need some real action in a game, not this boring tree hugging waste of time that you get with Flower. I guess in order to enjoy this game you must either need be extremely stressed out and don’t want the aggravation of playing a real game, or you need to stoned, really stoned. Neither of those things happens for me. I can say that visually the game does look good, and it is probably the best use I have ever seen of the Sixaxis controller. But if you are looking for some real excitement in a game, I need to inform you that you won’t find it with Flower.

-Brian R.

Diamonds Last Forever

Starting from NES all the way up until now, what games can you remember in say less than a minute? Super Mario Brothers 3, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Halo, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy VII are a few that pop in to my head. But for you did any come to mind that were on a next gen console. Are there any games that you own for your Wii, 360, or PS3 that you know you will refer to like you do with the above mentioned games? I don’t think so, and I am sure most of you can say the same.

Now I know you are all thinking by now, “What about Modern Warfare and Assassins Creed?” Well I kind of agree and disagree at the same time. Yes Modern Warfare is a game that will never be forgotten but was it revolutionary. I can say that is was revolutionary for first person shooters, but once all the fat is peeled back, it is still a FPS. Then there is Assassin’s Creed. To me this game is revolutionary but will it be remembered? I think it could have been but with its repetitive boring story line, it will be forgotten. So we move on to Assassin’s Creed 2, which is an awesome game but it is nothing more than what the first Assassins Creed should have been but wasn’t. It will definitely be remembered but unfortunately all of the revolutionary aspects of the game were already done in the first one. So I would have to put these games in the maybe pile.

I have been talking about this for a while with various people, Brian T. included and no one can pin down a single game on a next gen console that just says wow this game made a huge impact on me. This is a game that I will revisit every year or so. I began to look forward at upcoming releases and a couple come to mind that may do that. I am talking about Splinter Cell: Conviction, Final Fantasy XIII, and Gran Turismo 5. Why do I think these games might be revolutionary; because if you have seen videos for Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo then you will see that visually these games have been taken to the next level. But is it the game itself that is revolutionary or the system hardware that is responsible for the visual experience that will be tied to these games. I would say a little of both, but I would think that it is mainly the console hardware itself that allows these games to look the way they do. Then you have to take into account the amount of time that went in to these games. We are looking at 4 or 5 years of development on these titles. From a gamers stand point it is definitely worth it because then we get an awesome game, but from a company’s point I can easily see how it wouldn’t be beneficial because of the amount of money and time it would take to create the game. A good example would be Gran Turismo vs. Forza Motorsport. Turn 10 has already produced two games compared to Sony’s half a game (Gran Turismo Prologue). Both Forza Motorsports were great games, and I do not think that any more time put in to the development of the games could have made them that much better than they already were.

Finally there is Splinter Cell: Conviction. Let me start by showing the video of the co-op gameplay that was recently revealed.

I have never seen a game rely on so much interaction between players before. It definitely puts your characters life in the hands of the other player and vice versa. It also shows the amount of teamwork that will be necessary in order to complete the missions. From what I can tell, and from what I have played, I have never seen a co-op mode go in to as much detail as this game looks like it will. My anticipations are high for all 3 of these games to finally come out because I want to see if they live up to their expectations.

Personally I think we have reached the thresh hold of what we can do as long as we are stuck sitting behind a controller. Everything that can be done has been done, and anything semi-new that gets released is nothing more than an extension of a previous game style or an improvement on an existing game engine. Adding more and more buttons is doing nothing more than making too many options for developers and too much confusion for gamers. I believe that once Natal is released for the 360 we will start to see a change in gaming on a revolutionary scale. We will see games played and interpreted like we have never seen before. Or on the other hand it will be a huge failure and be nothing more than a skateboard peripheral that is absolutely worthless and overpriced. Let me know if you think differently and if there are any games that you think paved new ways in gaming since this generation of consoles has been released.

-Brian R.

Is it Gay to Get a Blow J From Another Man

You would think that with the advancement in today’s technology, somebody would have invented an authentic virtual reality experience that simulates another man giving you, the player, an intense blowjob. Many of you may remember in the 90’s when rumble vests hit the market. These vests would basically just vibrate in the same way that controllers do today, but at the time, the vests were marketed as authentic accessories that could simulate every punch taken in Mortal Kombat and every cumshot to the chest taken in the hard to find N64 classic “Cumshot City: Wet and Wild”.



What I, Brian Rossi, would like to know is…when are we going to get a next-gen update that will finally allow me to live my true gaming fantasy of getting a sick, nasty BJ from another man? Do we really need another Halo or Madden game on the market when we don’t have a single homoerotic oral sex simulator? No. Let’s get it right people. You wanna fix the economy? Fix the housing/mortgage crisis in America? Do you want our soldiers out of Iraq? Call your local congressman and demand what all freedom-loving Americans want…a Wiiware download where you use your Wii remote as an anal or oral probe.
-Brian R.

Glitching is for Pussies

It has been a couple of weeks since I have written my last blog entry. Main reason being I am getting fucked in my ass at work, which has left me little time to do so, and the little time that I do have I would rather be playing video games then writing about them. I am sure you all can understand that. The only game that I have been playing since November 10 is the new Call of Duty, and I am sure the same goes for most. It is an awesome game all around. The campaign is good, most of the special-ops are fun, and without a doubt the online play is amazing. But like any game it isn’t perfect and it mainly isn’t the games fault itself.

The fault comes from the douche bags online that can’t just play the game the way it is meant to be played. What am I talking about? Let’s start with the huge increase in the amount of faggots running around with grenade launchers now. I guess since they can’t rack up kills with the martyrdom perk, they need to just run around blowing everybody up. Then there are the douche bags that do nothing but run around with the double shotgun setup and do nothing but try and stab you. Why would you want to do nothing but run around and stab people? How could that be any fun? If anything it is just fucking annoying. It goes against the entire concept of the game. You remove any skill or challenge that you would face if you just played the game the way it was meant to be played. And last but not least the gayest of them all are the idiots who run around using the javelin glitch. Their goal is to run and try and stab you, and if you kill them while the glitch is in affect it automatically sets off the javelin. The other thing they try and do is find your spawn point so they can run in and kill themselves along with 3 or 4 of your teammates. What the fuck is this. This is all bullshit. Play the fucking game right and stop being such pussies. I cannot stand people who fucking cheat. Grow some balls and play the game fairly. Your numbers don't mean shit and the win is worthless if you have to cheat to get it. And just in case you don't know what I am talking about here is a video of the javelin glitch.



So can all of this be overcome? Of course it can. If you are good and can play the game right, then these pussies don’t stand a chance. Let them continue what they are doing because other then pissing me off, once the game is over I still come out on top, even with their bullshit tactics. I can only imagine what kind of shitty numbers they would put up if they weren’t doing this.

I am curious to know what you all think about people you meet online. Also I am curious to know what you think about the maps on Modern Warfare 2 because if you ask me I think they are just mediocre. Comment back and let me know.

FYI for everyone. If you are like me and sick of these cheating bastards, report to Microsoft that they are using the javelin glitch and they will get their xbox live accounts banned.

-Brian R.

Merkin Bitches

Up until a couple of years ago, I hated first person shooters. I thought they were relatively boring and repetitive. Don’t get me wrong I did enjoy Doom and Wolfenstein 3D on my PC, but I went from those to Halo; but to me Halo sucks and there is no convincing me otherwise. It wasn’t until the first Modern Warfare came out that I really go into FPS’s; and not only did it get me in to FPS’s, it also got me heavy in to online gameplay. Because up until this point my main focus of playing a game relied more on the single-player more than anything, where now I feel it is more balanced between single and multi-player.

So after a couple of months of hearing people say how awesome it was, I finally gave it a shot. At first I was fucking horrible at it. I mean I was complete shit. I continued playing though getting better every day, and I can thank online play for this. I know if I would have only played the campaign I think my feelings would have stayed the same about my hate for shooters. From there I moved on to World at War, and by this time I was just walking all over people. I was killing mother fuckers, sicking dogs on their asses, and just downright making people look like bitches. Between Modern Warfare and World at War I spent countless hours running around merking people for the fun of it. But that was then and this is now, and as of last week we were finally able to move on to the next Call of Duty installment, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Let me just start by saying that Infinity Ward took an already awesome fucking game, and made it fucking more awesome. I have already put in almost 20 hours of gameplay in to this game and I haven’t even owned it for a week. It is fucking intense and I have loved every minute of it so far. The campaign mode is fun to play but it does seem a little short. If I had to compare the two Modern Warfare’s, I would have to say the first is better, but on the other hand though the online play, which was amazing on the first Modern Warfare, is even better on MW2. The maps, the quality of gameplay, and the graphics make this game stand out above all of the rest. The addition of death streaks, new perks, no more martyrdom and juggernaut perks, and the customizable kill streaks help to make the improvements over the first Modern Warfare. But why should I continue to review a game that I am sure most have played already? I’m not, but I just wanted to touch on those few features that helped me enjoy this game that much more. Either way if you have not had the chance to play COD MW2 then let me say that you are missing out. I would highly recommend any of the 4.25 million people who haven’t bought this game yet, to go out and buy it because if you love online gaming or killing people then this game is right up your alley.

This past week I have already seen the announcements for Call of Duty 7. Activision is obviously following suit by having Treyarch develop this title. No details have been released but I think it would be safe to assume that we will be looking at another WWII shooter. What I am anxious to see is what changes we saw in MW2 get carried over to the next installment. I don’t know about you all but I would like to see a Call of Duty set in the Vietnam era. I know it wouldn’t have a happy ending, but it sure would be fun trekking through the jungle killing Vietcong. I am sure everyone has their own opinion on MW2, but is there anyone out there who didn’t like this game. Let us know with some comments. One last note, if any of you think that you can show me up in MW2 I would love to see, because I know I can hand you your ass. Look for brofilone13 on Xbox Live.

Apples to Oranges

For about the last 6 months now I have wanted a PSP. My original reason for wanting it was I figured my only real expense was the initial start up costs of the system, a Pandora battery, and a memory stick. At the time I was looking at spending only about $100 total for all 3 things. I figured since I paid almost nothing for it I could take the risk of cracking the system and download my games for free. If I fuck it up it isn’t really a big deal to waste another $40 and get a new PSP 2000. But since my hookup got fucking shit canned at Gamestop, I am now looking at paying about $120 - $150 for a PSP 2000 system alone. So what do I do now?

Well since I am paying full price for the system I have to take a few things into consideration. Do I want a 2000 or a 3000? Both are one in the same with a few minor differences. One thing I do know is I don’t want a PSP Go because it just looks fucking gay and it has a smaller screen plus you lose the UMD slot. Also with the system sliding open, I can see it being more prone to break. The 2000 has the Darth Vader special edition PSP, which I can get for $120 used at Gamestop. But the 3000 has the Gran Turismo limited edition bundle right now for $199.00, which comes with the system, Gran Turismo, and a 2 GB Memory Stick. To me this seems like a decent starter package at a good price. Plus I would also be getting the system brand new instead of used, yet another plus. I guess the deciding factor would have to be whether or not I want to crack the system.

After long hard consideration of this I have decided that cracking the system isn’t worth it. Here is why:
• I eventually will end up with too many games, so many that I do not know what to do with
• With a huge library of games I can never focus on one from start to finish
• I can emulate on my computer and DS; so do I need to emulate on the PSP
• I will have to use outdated firmware
• Games are affordable because I would be happy with buying older games since I do not intend on using my PSP for other than playing single player games (not too worried about online play)
• I would not be allowed to play downloaded games from the PSN store without an extreme amount of work to do so if the system were cracked
• PSN’s store has an amazing library of download content for the PSP that I do not want to miss out on. Plus it is cheap.

Considering all of this I am going to go legit on the PSP. Now it is just a matter of which system. And to be fucking honest I really don’t care. They are both quality products. The only real difference is that the 3000 has some better hardware and technical features over the 2000, for example the display.

I would like the 3000 but I wouldn’t complain if I got the 2000. I would really like to know everyone else’s opinion on which system I should get, and why. Comment back with what I should do.

-Brian R.

Nobody Likes Sloppy Seconds

I wonder if writing a review for a demo is even appropriate but I just find it awfully convenient that the demo happened to be released a few short days after the reviews of the original Left 4 Dead. Like I had said before L4D has solid gameplay. Unfortunately I think that was the problem with the development of the original L4d; they focused too much on the engine and gameplay and focused way too little on content. I had hoped that with L4D2 they would have realized their shortcomings with the original and would take a potentially good game that just fell short, and improve on it. I think it would be easy because the workings were there, but they just needed to add a little TLC.

I was getting excited as the anticipation to play the demo grew as it was downloading. I feel you should all know that there I really want to like this game, there are just certain factors of the game itself that hold me back. So the demo starts and the opening clip gets me even more excited, but then for me it all goes to shit. It starts flashing all of the things to expect with L4D2. NEW CHARACTERS, 5 NEW CAMPAIGNS, and NEW GAMEPLAY MODES; wow I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a game of the year edition of the original Left 4 Dead with the extra download content all in one. But wait there was none of that fucking promised download content. Why, because it was turned in to a new Left for Dead. Then the disappointment starts to brew. So I begin the demo and instantly I feel that I am playing the original game again. No zoom on weapons, same run and gun, and same bullshit. Where’s the new guns, the new style of gameplay, where was anything new. Eventually I came across an assault rifle, which I couldn’t zoom with surprisingly, unless if maybe I was just pushing the right stick in wrong. They added melee weapons, which were fucking useless when being attacked by a horde of zombies but once you pick up a melee weapon, you lose your pistol. That was just fucking gay and stupid. So really what is new? They couldn’t have just made some map packs available and offer a download for a gun pack.

I know I know that this is just a fucking demo. But if I were Valve I think that since I already have a critically acclaimed game, I would not need to offer a demo to show off what can be found in the original. You would think that they would want to give a sneak peak at what is to come. Maybe not put all their fucking cards on the table, but just enough to get people whet. That is why I think they really do not have much to offer, or I could be completely wrong and the full release of the game will make me eat my words. Either way I am still going to give the full game a try because part of me still wants to like this game. I am curious to know what everyone else thinks of the demo so far, or hear any opinions that you might have in regards to Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2, which is set to release on November 17.

-Brian R.

Nobody Likes to be Ass Fucked

So I was just going to let Brian have the Left 4 Dead blog but with it being Halloween and all, and with my hate being so great for this game, I cannot resist. The problem is where do I start; and do I even fucking waste the time giving credit where credit is due?

I suppose I will start with the good, what little bit there is. Left 4 Dead has solid gameplay and controls. There you go, that is it.

What, were you expecting more? Like what about how the zombies constantly generate in a new place every time. Are you fucking kidding me? Is it mentally fucking possible to even remember where each zombie would generate from considering the mass amount that flock you at any given moment. Come on we are not playing Mario Brothers on the NES anymore. We have advanced enough to make sure that there is enough content in a game anymore to make it almost impossible to remember where enemies come from, regardless if it is random or not. Right or wrong, and that alone is not the only shit that was weak as hell in the game though.

Next we have the major lack of weaponry and the similarity and repetitiveness of every goddamn level. Does anyone remember in Clerks 2 when Randal described the story of the Lord of the Rings in about 1 minute? Well I will do the same but in about 10 seconds. Here we go. We start at the beginning, fill our ammo and fight for a health pack if we are playing co-op, regardless if you are out of health and almost dead, start running and shooting, and finally get to the last door, hopefully before some asshole closes it on you, and then repeat again. Fun right? Then there are the weapons. Talk about a huge let down, only 4 weapons and some grenades. Fuck the fact that the weapons are upgradeable; a fucking Uzi is a fucking Uzi. And really we should say that there are only 3 guns because who really tries to use the sniper rifle when you are being gang raped by a hundred zombies. Because of that this is how Left 4 Dead made me feel, gang raped for $60 worth of bullshit.

But we were all taught that we should learn from our mistakes. Hopefully Valve got this same life lesson at one point in time. In less than 3 weeks Left 4 Dead 2 will hit the shelves. Will I buy it though? No, but I am definitely going to rent it. I believe that everyone should get a second chance. Like I said the gameplay and controls were real good. If they add more weapons and change up the levels a little, then I think that Valve will have a real solid game on their hands. Lastly I didn’t think I should bring this up but should I mention that fact that Left 4 Dead 2 is probably nothing more than promised DLC for the original Left 4 Dead. Who else feels like this is a gang rapping? Let me know by commenting back.

-Brian R.

Look at me, I'm in a Nutshell

I still remember my first real experience with video games. I was about 4 or 5 years old and my grandma’s neighbor got a Nintendo. I can picture in my head the awe that everyone had once it was set up with Mario Brothers playing on the screen. Unfortunately I only got one crack at it and I died trying to jump on the first goomba.

I will be brief with the earlier systems because I did not have much as far as a library is concerned due to the fact that I was fucking hindered by being a kid and only got games on special occasions… i.e. holidays and birthdays. I owned all of these consoles in this order: Atari 2600 (thanks to my dad), NES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Game Gear, Playstation, and Xbox. I got my PSX in high school and let me say that video games were becoming less and less important in my life at that time. I stilled played them, but they fell second to friends and partying and I was usually partying while playing them. I got an Xbox when it came out, but I was really, really heavy into the partying. I sold it and then about a year later got a second one only to sell it in a month. So to be honest I would really say that my gaming career went on hold in the PSX era if you can even call it one. The time period between PSX and Xbox 360 is kind of foggy for me and it was no one’s damn fault but my own. And trust me I know that I missed out on a lot of good shit that was associated with the PS2 and original Xbox; but I have time and am slowly going back and making up for shit missed.

In my time I have come across some bad ass games that I will always remember. Mario, Sonic, Excitebike, Zelda, Tony Hawk Series, The Secret of Monkey Island, Dragon Warrior, FFVII, Destruction Derby 2, Skitchin’, Sewer Shark, Street Fighter II’ Special Champion Edition, Mortal Kombat 2, Eternal Champions, and RC Pro-Am are just to name a few. So don’t get discouraged and say you can’t trust my judgment based on my history, which might not be as extensive as the next persons. That doesn’t change the fact that I know what’s good and what sucks. Besides, just because I didn’t play them when they came out doesn’t mean that I don’t sit at work and play them on emulators for my computer. You gotta love free shit.

By now I am sure you are wondering what I do have to work with and talk about. Well as far as consoles go I have an Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, and a Nintendo DS Lite. I am in the works of getting a PSP 2000. Why a PSP 2000? Because the PSP Go is a fucking piece of shit joke. Who only wants to download games? No resale value, what if you hate it you are stuck with it, and it makes it harder to pirate games (jk). Emulators that I have are NES, Super NES, N64, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Color, PSX, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Neo Geo, and Turbografx 16. Some of these are on my computer and I have some for my DS too. I have every NES rom, SNES rom, N64 rom, Gameboy and Gameboy Color rom, Gameboy Advance rom, about 200 DS games (.nds files), every Genesis, Sega Cd, and Game Gear rom, about 35 Dreamcast games (.iso files), every Neo Geo rom, and I am working on building my collection of PSX, PS2, and PSP games (.iso files). So as you can see, I do not fuck around when it comes to video games. Slowly I am working my way to filling up by 2 TB external HDD with rom’s and iso’s.

My goal is to fucking own it all. But most of all I still want a Neo Geo, a Turbografx 16, an Atari Jaguar, a Sega Genesis, Sega CD, and a 32x. Basically I am working at attaining everything that I wanted or had as a kid but don’t have now. Someday I will have them but in the meantime I obviously have more than enough to fucking go around. Can you beat this or even match it? I would like to know. Plus I am always interested in new and improved emulators, so let me know where to get them and how well they work.

-Brian R.

War What is it Good For

Up until Call of Duty 4 I was never much of a First Person Shooter kind of guy. With the exception of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom on PC, I hated FPS’s. Halo especially, which I still hate to this day. I played Bioshock when it first came out and didn’t like it. All because I had some hate towards FPS’s, I think I didn’t give some good games the play they deserved. And to be honest I think the hate stemmed from the fact that I fucking sucked at them. When Modern Warfare finally came out I decided to give them one more fare shake. Besides all of my friends were playing it and everybody kept saying how amazing of a game it was. So I bought it, got good at it, and now I fucking love shooters. And I’m pretty confident in saying I will fucking hand most people there asses in COD4 or COD 5. With that said maybe I should go back and revisit Bioshock now.

This last week I have been playing Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. This is a fucking cool ass game that I think should a got a little bit better of a rating across the board. Unfortunately I only had the opportunity to play the campaign mode because I was so stuck on that, I never got a chance to play any multiplayer online. Codemasters set out to create a game that simulated and presented the feeling of realistic all out war. With this installment of Operation Flashpoint, I think they have succeeded.

Bad Ass Shit:
• Open World Setting – Allows many options when confronted with challenges. Flanking enemies, going head on, or avoidance all together
• Real Reaction to Injury – Getting wounded in the leg makes you limp and you can’t run. If you are wounded in the arm you can’t steady your weapon as well
• Weapons – Very realistic. Switch from single shot, burst, or full auto. Grenade Launchers, RPG’s, mines, and various grenades. Gun firing ranges are realistic and hit detection is above average.
• Artillery and Missile Strikes – Fucking awesome. The look and devastation that is caused makes this an awesome addition to your arsenal when it is available.
• Vehicles – Flying a helicopter is like using a flight simulator
• Realistic Simulated War – This game can make you feel like you are really in combat

Shitty Shit:
• Sound Effects – Had the surround sound turned to “11” and still thought I should be feeling these explosions not just hearing them.
• View in Vehicles – Could only look forward when driving or flying. Thought you should be able to turn your head and look out the side windows.
• Button Layout – I don’t know if it could have been better or if I am just stuck on Call of Duty’s button layout.

Indifferent Shit:
• The Story – Sets up real well but once the game starts it is just mission after mission with no fillers. But realism is the goal and that is how it would be in real life.

I wish that I would have had more time with this game. Unfortunately Gamefly fucked me and didn’t send it out on the release date so I got stuck renting it. I could have almost bought it with the amount I ended up spending on late fees. But the real question is; is this game worth buying? For me I would have to say yes ...kind of. This game does kick ass. Even though I did not experience the multiplayer, from what I have read about it, the game there is some real potential there. Unfortunately the game is fucked by poor timing. If you’re like me with 2 kids, a wife, a full time job, and no money tree in the backyard, then you need to prioritize which games are a must. With Forza Motor Sport 3 coming out next week and Modern Warfare 2 coming out next month (both a must have for me), I would much rather wait until after Christmas when all the price drops start to happen. Maybe I’ll pick up a used copy then. That way I can fully enjoy the game in its entirety at my pace because this game is definitely fucking worth it. Has anyone else played it and agree/disagree? Comment back and let me know.

-Brian R.

In Your Face Bitches: Super Street Fighter IV

This is fucking bullshit. This was my first thought to the announcement of Super Street Fighter IV. All I could think was that Capcom was getting the breast pumps out to start milking there consumers even more in a money stricken economy. I know why they would do it, because who doesn’t like money, but as a consumer you can’t help but feel like you are getting raped in the process. Then I began to think why it wouldn’t just get released as a game add-on or expansion pack made available through DLC. So many questions came about without any answers. Then the next day came the official announcement and the releasing of some of the details of the new game. From that my demeanor started to turn from anger to anticipation.

One thing that made the official announcement of SSFIV even better was the statement made about the price. It has been said that we are not going to see a “new release” price tag on SSFIV but it will be listed at an upgrade price. Thank god because all I kept trying to figure out was, how do I explain to my wife, who hates video games by the way, that I am spending $60 on a game that I technically already have. Trust me it would be a tough sell, and with having 2 kids I don’t always have $60 at my disposal. What I would like to see is what was done with the expansion packs for Rockstar’s GTAIV. The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony were both released with a $20 price tag. To me that was a great move on their part because it allowed them to generate even more revenue off of the same game without making people second guess whether or not they should buy it. Unfortunately I do not see that happening with SSFIV, because they are not simply creating an expansion or another game based on the same workings as the original, but they are adding and changing things to hopefully make SFIV an even better game.

So how do you make a game even better? One way to start is by adding new characters. Who doesn’t fucking like new characters? It has been said that there will be up to 8 new characters added to SSFIV but the rumor mill on the internet is saying that there may be up to 10. As far as new characters announced go, they have officially announced 3, and 2 of them aren’t even new, new characters. So far there is T. Hawk and Deejay. Hooray for that considering I never even played as them before. T. Hawk to me just looks like another Zangief. Slow, huge, and strong. The videos of Deejay that I have seen look pretty awesome. He looks like he has some nice special moves along with the ability to link in some nice combos. Then there is the new, new character Juri. I haven’t seen much video showing some real game play but what I have seen is her ultra combo, and it looked fucking awesome. But I could have been blinded because her opponent was M. Bison, I love seeing M. Bison get his ass handed to him. Fuck that stupid head stomp move. Anyhow I hope to see some new characters and some old favorites added to the already large list of fighters. But who am I kidding. I know that even if there were 100 characters I would still pick Ryu every time. What can I say; he is fucking awesome and easily the best Street Fighter character of all time.

Other features and game tweaks are also expected to help change the overall appearance and feel of Street Fighter. We are going to see a balancing and reworking of every original character in Street Fighter IV. This too is awesome. Why, because I am sick and fucking tired of all those douche bags who play with Sagat and think they did something amazing when they win a match. I am sick of getting a standing strong kick to the head and half of my life being taken away. That one is for you Tats008. There is also going to be some other added features like bonus stages, new background stages updated online play, and new intros for all characters. On a final note I have also read that there is talk about how the video replay might get changed also. That was a huge letdown when they released the Championship Mode update for SF4. I was pissed when I found out they only let the top 5,000 ranked players upload videos, which basically meant almost everyone lost that option after a couple of days.

So why wouldn’t you want to buy this. It looks fucking amazing. New characters, game tweaks, video uploads, all at the low price of hopefully $30. But wait there is still one more thing, GAME LOBBIES. Now we can take the nostalgia that we all had when we were kids playing Street Fighter 2’: Champion Edition on our Sega Genesis’s with all of our friends, and now do the same from our own homes. Winner stays and loser goes, bitches.

Brian R.