First off, I want to talk about Battlefield 3. There is sooo much talk going around about this game, and how it will compete up against MW3. Honestly, it's hard to say. We don't have our hands on either of the games right now. So the ball is up in the air. The CoD franchise is huge, and the most popular one. And Battlefield in my book comes close, if not second place. Which one will reign supreme? We'll have to wait and find out. But my guess is that MW3 will still be on top. Being that it'll be on the same engine as MW2 and Black Ops, plus, all the teenagers will stick to what they like to play. Battlefield 3 will be a lot more realistic. And more people in their 20's and up will buy the game.
That's what I am guessing will happen. Another thing about Battlefield 3, is that on PC, it'll run at 60 fps. Very smooth. And on console, it'll run at half that. 30 fps. Don't get me wrong, the game will still look gorgeous and beautiful, but won't be a super super smooth, and there is bound to be some fps drops somewhere, making the game lag a bit. Since the CoD franchise is sticking to the same engine, it will run at 60 fps, like the others. 30 and 60 fps sounds like a huge difference, but it's not. Any lower then 30 though, you start to feel the lag.
Now lets talk about Guild Wars 2. Are you a fan of MMO's? Play WoW on a daily basis? Well, here is a MMO that is going to change things, and in a big way. First off, there will be no grinding! That's right. No more grinding for those levels. Sounds kinda weird, right? ArenaNet has removed the bell-curve traditionally applied to leveling, so that gaining levels from 40 to 50, for example, isn't any more laborious than leveling from 1 to 10. The upshot is that you won't be forced to remain in an environment long after you've worn out its content just to accumulate enough experience to move forward.
No dedicated roles! In GW2, every class can heal, but they can also do so much more. They can control the battlefield to lock down enemies ('tanking' without the vulgarity of being a meat shield), throw up barriers to protect others or duck and roll and use cover to protect themselves. It's called 'active combat' (or in other genres, just 'combat'), and it means that a group can effectively take on a dungeon or boss without hiding behind someone dressed like a human battering ram. It means that you can play the class you want without worrying about your potential usefulness to a group. It also encourages a great deal more environmental awareness than WoW's 'don't stand in the fire' approach to raiding - although, admittedly, Blizzard has evolved such mechanics significantly in recent months.
No quests! Which will be a strange concept to get used to. There will be no "Kill 15 Goblins" in a remote section of the map that without a mount, would take you ten minutes just to run there, then another ten to run back. You will have to.. Well. Explore. Here a quote from IGN. "In the persistent worlds of tomorrow, crazy stuff is out there happening every second - villages being razed, armies being amassed, pub brawls being started - and you're just going to have to go out there and see it for yourself." GW2 calls this crazy stuff dynamic events. Dynamic events will unfold tangibly in front of you, and your intervention could change the outcome and create a domino effect with other events across the landscape. Very interesting, right?
So pretty much there is a huge change coming to the MMO scene in gaming. Will it stick? Who knows. We'll have to wait and find out.
Alright folks, that's all for today. Enjoy the weather too! It's beautiful outside here in Butte and SW MT.
-j-
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
New Map Pack For Black Ops To Be Released June 28th, And More
The third Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack, dubbed Annihilation, releases on June 28, Activision said today.
Launching first on Xbox Live, Annihilation includes four new multiplayer maps and a zombie map. "With Annihilation, Black Ops fans will get four exciting and unique multiplayer settings with Hangar 18, Drive-In, Silo and Hazard," said Treyarch Studio Head, Mark Lamia.
"Players will also enjoy an all-new Zombies experience, Shangri-La, an exotic and mysterious map filled with deadly traps, dark secrets and innovative gameplay that will challenge even the most daring Zombie hunters."
Pricing details were not revealed, though Annihilation will likely cost $14.99, the same price as the previous two map packs.
Now honestly I find this kinda strange a the way. Last map pack, there seemed to be a lot more.. Spark I guess. More talk about it. With the leak and everything that happened. And now, there doesn't seem to be any hype about things. That's the vibe that I am getting at least. They only gave us a 12 day heads up. That just doesn't seem like them. I thought for sure they would say something at E3. Or maybe to them, it wasn't big enough to announce then. I'm not sure. But a bigger heads up would have been better. At least I think so.
Besides all that, if you are a fan of Mortal Kombat, you will be happy to know that Skarlet will be the first DLC character. You can download her starting June 21st.
Here is the trailer for the new character. If you have played up the ladder in single player, you will notice that she is chained up in the background, along with Kitana. The trailer goes on to tease three additional characters. Kenshi, Rain, and a fighter to be named later. Either character will be released individually this summer. A compatibility pack will accompany each release so that players who do not purchase the DLC will still be able to see online opponents using the DLC. These packs will be free and come with two skins (the first pack contains Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3-inspired Cyrax and Sektor). If you straight up buy the character DLC, you get the free skins as well.
I myself am pretty pumped for the new characters. Because well, MK is a lot of fun. And with a new fighter, that means more combo's and such that you get to learn and use. And with a new character, it's always fun. She reminds me of Mileena, but with her weapons always out, and not materializing in her hand. They are just there. Looks like a fun character to play. I can't wait.
Another game I would like to touch on very briefly is Dark Souls. The game will be released on October 4th. It's the second one in the serious. If you have a ps3 and haven't played Demon Souls yet, do so. Just keep in mind, the game is tough. Don't let it get to you though. Play that so that you can get used to the difficulty, and then when Dark Souls comes, you can (hopefully) plow though it at a decent rate. I heard this one will be even harder then Demon Souls. I'm pumped for it.
That's all for today folks.
-j-
Launching first on Xbox Live, Annihilation includes four new multiplayer maps and a zombie map. "With Annihilation, Black Ops fans will get four exciting and unique multiplayer settings with Hangar 18, Drive-In, Silo and Hazard," said Treyarch Studio Head, Mark Lamia.
"Players will also enjoy an all-new Zombies experience, Shangri-La, an exotic and mysterious map filled with deadly traps, dark secrets and innovative gameplay that will challenge even the most daring Zombie hunters."
Pricing details were not revealed, though Annihilation will likely cost $14.99, the same price as the previous two map packs.
Now honestly I find this kinda strange a the way. Last map pack, there seemed to be a lot more.. Spark I guess. More talk about it. With the leak and everything that happened. And now, there doesn't seem to be any hype about things. That's the vibe that I am getting at least. They only gave us a 12 day heads up. That just doesn't seem like them. I thought for sure they would say something at E3. Or maybe to them, it wasn't big enough to announce then. I'm not sure. But a bigger heads up would have been better. At least I think so.
Besides all that, if you are a fan of Mortal Kombat, you will be happy to know that Skarlet will be the first DLC character. You can download her starting June 21st.
Here is the trailer for the new character. If you have played up the ladder in single player, you will notice that she is chained up in the background, along with Kitana. The trailer goes on to tease three additional characters. Kenshi, Rain, and a fighter to be named later. Either character will be released individually this summer. A compatibility pack will accompany each release so that players who do not purchase the DLC will still be able to see online opponents using the DLC. These packs will be free and come with two skins (the first pack contains Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3-inspired Cyrax and Sektor). If you straight up buy the character DLC, you get the free skins as well.
I myself am pretty pumped for the new characters. Because well, MK is a lot of fun. And with a new fighter, that means more combo's and such that you get to learn and use. And with a new character, it's always fun. She reminds me of Mileena, but with her weapons always out, and not materializing in her hand. They are just there. Looks like a fun character to play. I can't wait.
Another game I would like to touch on very briefly is Dark Souls. The game will be released on October 4th. It's the second one in the serious. If you have a ps3 and haven't played Demon Souls yet, do so. Just keep in mind, the game is tough. Don't let it get to you though. Play that so that you can get used to the difficulty, and then when Dark Souls comes, you can (hopefully) plow though it at a decent rate. I heard this one will be even harder then Demon Souls. I'm pumped for it.
That's all for today folks.
-j-
Monday, June 13, 2011
Off topic things to chat about.. Let's Roll!
Alrighty guys, lets go ahead and chat about some things that are up and coming, sort of.
Microsoft has developed a new chip, which could reduce the manufacturing costs of the Xbox 360. The new chip combines the CPU, GPU, Memory, and I/O logic onto a single chip. It's pretty schnazzy. Supposedly it will reduce manufacturing costs, which could possibly mean a price drop in the Xbox 360 Slim. And with Microsoft pushing the Kinect hard at this years E3, it could be the perfect way to encourage uptake of the device. Another sly move on Microsoft's part.
Another thing, Duke Nukem Forever is out. And.. Well.. It didn't get very good reviews. IGN gave it at 5.5. That's Mediocre. As a kid, I never really played the Duke Nukem's. But with the FPS (First Person Shooter) genre growing and expanding since it's time, it tried to copy too much of other games, and not sticking to the true Duke Nukem. The 360 version has frame rate problems at times, which is a bummer. And long load times. And the music is well.. It's not the best, lets just say that. Not very catchy. So if you have high hopes for this game, knock it down a couple notches. Don't want you to be disappointed.
If you haven't seen anything on Rage, you should do so. It's another FPS, but let me tell you what, this game is gorgeous. But sadly, the game has been delayed for an extra month. It'll hit stores on October 4th now, instead of September 13th.
Lets chit chat about Sony now at E3. Now IGN claims that they "won" E3. And you know, I have to agree. Microsoft last reported Xbox 360 sales earlier this month at 55 million, while Sony last reported sales for PlayStation 3 this past March at 50 million. Since their respective November release dates were a year apart, Xbox 360 has been on the market for 66 months, PlayStation 3 for 54 months. Thus, Sony is averaging nearly 926,000 PS3s sold worldwide each month compared to Xbox 360's monthly average of 833,000. This isn't a point Sony has ever nailed home, and it's a missed opportunity for the company to show that its sales situation isn't as dire as it's often perceived to be. So I gotta say it. Boo ya.
But that missed opportunity aside, there were two primary, overwhelming strengths to Sony's conference: exclusive games and the major reveal of its successor to the PSP, the PlayStation Vita. Sure, there were other reveals -- including an affordable (albeit small) 3D television and a cheap pair of 3D glasses -- but the PlayStation brand's strength rests in its exclusive content, and between that content and a successful reveal of everything Vita has in store, it's hard not to give Sony credit for delivering this year's winning press conference performance on those facts alone.
From Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Resistance 3 to Starhawk and Sly Cooper 4, Sony stressed experiences that can only be had on its platform. It's true that there were few actual surprises (at least in terms of PlayStation 3 software), but all of these exclusives are what's truly exciting for those that own a PS3. There were nearly a dozen PlayStation 3 exclusives in total shown at the conference (including the awesome LittleBigPlanet 2 Move-enabled DLC and a couple of much-anticipated HD collections), a staggering amount of games. Other upcoming and much-anticipated exclusives, such as Twisted Metal and The Last Guardian, weren't even mentioned in passing. Now that's a deep roster of exclusives.
Then, there was the reveal of Vita. Sure, the name is pretty bad, but then again, I suspect it will grow on us as we start throwing the terms "Vita" and "PSV" around. To me, it seems that Sony has preemptively learned from the mistakes Nintendo made when the Nintendo 3DS launched in that there was no compelling games for people to play. While uncertain terms like "launch window" are being used to describe the slew of titles we saw at this year's E3 on Vita, the fact is that Sony isn't trying to sell Vita on the mere fact that it's the successor to the PSP. In addition to all of its non-gaming functionality, Trophy-earning possibilities and more, there will be compelling titles ready around the time Vita comes out late this year, and there's cause to be really excited for many of them, including Super Stardust Delta, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and LittleBigPlanet. Again, all exclusives.
Sony also nailed the price point of the Vita. And I mean nailed. $250 for a wi-fi enabled unit or a mere $50 more for a 3G-enabled PSV makes this handheld extremely competitive. At $250, it's the same price as a Nintendo 3DS.
And with that, that is all for today. Chat with you guys later!
-j-
Microsoft has developed a new chip, which could reduce the manufacturing costs of the Xbox 360. The new chip combines the CPU, GPU, Memory, and I/O logic onto a single chip. It's pretty schnazzy. Supposedly it will reduce manufacturing costs, which could possibly mean a price drop in the Xbox 360 Slim. And with Microsoft pushing the Kinect hard at this years E3, it could be the perfect way to encourage uptake of the device. Another sly move on Microsoft's part.
Another thing, Duke Nukem Forever is out. And.. Well.. It didn't get very good reviews. IGN gave it at 5.5. That's Mediocre. As a kid, I never really played the Duke Nukem's. But with the FPS (First Person Shooter) genre growing and expanding since it's time, it tried to copy too much of other games, and not sticking to the true Duke Nukem. The 360 version has frame rate problems at times, which is a bummer. And long load times. And the music is well.. It's not the best, lets just say that. Not very catchy. So if you have high hopes for this game, knock it down a couple notches. Don't want you to be disappointed.
If you haven't seen anything on Rage, you should do so. It's another FPS, but let me tell you what, this game is gorgeous. But sadly, the game has been delayed for an extra month. It'll hit stores on October 4th now, instead of September 13th.
Lets chit chat about Sony now at E3. Now IGN claims that they "won" E3. And you know, I have to agree. Microsoft last reported Xbox 360 sales earlier this month at 55 million, while Sony last reported sales for PlayStation 3 this past March at 50 million. Since their respective November release dates were a year apart, Xbox 360 has been on the market for 66 months, PlayStation 3 for 54 months. Thus, Sony is averaging nearly 926,000 PS3s sold worldwide each month compared to Xbox 360's monthly average of 833,000. This isn't a point Sony has ever nailed home, and it's a missed opportunity for the company to show that its sales situation isn't as dire as it's often perceived to be. So I gotta say it. Boo ya.
But that missed opportunity aside, there were two primary, overwhelming strengths to Sony's conference: exclusive games and the major reveal of its successor to the PSP, the PlayStation Vita. Sure, there were other reveals -- including an affordable (albeit small) 3D television and a cheap pair of 3D glasses -- but the PlayStation brand's strength rests in its exclusive content, and between that content and a successful reveal of everything Vita has in store, it's hard not to give Sony credit for delivering this year's winning press conference performance on those facts alone.
From Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Resistance 3 to Starhawk and Sly Cooper 4, Sony stressed experiences that can only be had on its platform. It's true that there were few actual surprises (at least in terms of PlayStation 3 software), but all of these exclusives are what's truly exciting for those that own a PS3. There were nearly a dozen PlayStation 3 exclusives in total shown at the conference (including the awesome LittleBigPlanet 2 Move-enabled DLC and a couple of much-anticipated HD collections), a staggering amount of games. Other upcoming and much-anticipated exclusives, such as Twisted Metal and The Last Guardian, weren't even mentioned in passing. Now that's a deep roster of exclusives.
Then, there was the reveal of Vita. Sure, the name is pretty bad, but then again, I suspect it will grow on us as we start throwing the terms "Vita" and "PSV" around. To me, it seems that Sony has preemptively learned from the mistakes Nintendo made when the Nintendo 3DS launched in that there was no compelling games for people to play. While uncertain terms like "launch window" are being used to describe the slew of titles we saw at this year's E3 on Vita, the fact is that Sony isn't trying to sell Vita on the mere fact that it's the successor to the PSP. In addition to all of its non-gaming functionality, Trophy-earning possibilities and more, there will be compelling titles ready around the time Vita comes out late this year, and there's cause to be really excited for many of them, including Super Stardust Delta, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and LittleBigPlanet. Again, all exclusives.
Sony also nailed the price point of the Vita. And I mean nailed. $250 for a wi-fi enabled unit or a mere $50 more for a 3G-enabled PSV makes this handheld extremely competitive. At $250, it's the same price as a Nintendo 3DS.
And with that, that is all for today. Chat with you guys later!
-j-
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Best of E3
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is a spectacular showcase of all things video game, where developers, publishers and gamers from all over the world gather to see what the future of gaming has to offer.
Here are our E3 2011 award nominations so far.
Best Overall Game
Tomb Raider
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Batman: Arkham City
BioShock Infinite
Hitman: Absolution
Mass Effect 3
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Battlefield 3
Best Xbox 360 Game
Forza Motorsport 4
Tomb Raider
BioShock Infinite
Hitman: Absolution
Batman: Arkham City
Mass Effect 3
Gears of War 3
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Battlefield 3
Prey 2
Best PS3 Game
Hitman: Absolution
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
BioShock Infinite
Twisted Metal
Tomb Raider
Batman: Arkham City
Resistance 3
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Battlefield 3
Prey 2
PixelJunk: SideScroller
Journey
Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
Papa & Yo
Dark Souls
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Disney Universe
BioShock Infinite
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Tomb Raider
Payday: The Heist
Prey 2
RAGE
Battlefield 3
Batman: Arkham City
Mass Effect 3
Hitman: Absolution
Super Mario 3DS
Kid Icarus Uprising
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Sound Shapes
Little Big Planet Vita
Hot Shots Golf Next
Super Stardust Delta
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus
Puzzle Agent 2
Hitman: Absolution
Tomb Raider
Batman: Arkham City
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Assassin's Creed Revelations
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Street Fighter X Tekken
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus
Skullgirls
Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest
Little Big Planet Vita
Dance Central 2
Fruit Ninja Kinect
Kinect Sports: Season 2
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
The Gunstringer
Rocksmith
Dance Central 2
Sound Shapes
Rayman Origins
Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
Super Mario 3DS
Tetris 3DS
Forza Motorsports 4
Mario Kart 3DS
Need For Speed: The Run
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Mass Effect 3
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Far Cry 3
Prey 2
BioShock Infinite
Battlefield 3
RAGE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Resistance 3
Madden NFL 12
FIFA Soccer 12
SSX
NBA 2K12
No nominees yet. Check back soon.
Everybody Dance
Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest
Kinect Sports: Season 2
Kinect Disneyland Adventures
Eye Pet & Friends
Disney Universe
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
Assassin's Creed Revelations
Tomb Raider
Twisted Metal
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Resistance 3
Mass Effect 3
Playstation Vita
Cheap Sony 3D TV
PS3/Vita cross play with Ruin
Kinect Fun Labs
Wii U Controller
Batman: Arkham City
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Dead Island
The Last Guardian
Kinect: Star Wars
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
X-Men: Destiny
Mass Effect 3
RAGE
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Resistance 3
Battlefield 3
Gears of War 3
Here are our E3 2011 award nominations so far.
Best Overall Game
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Batman: Arkham City
BioShock Infinite
Hitman: Absolution
Mass Effect 3
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Battlefield 3
Best Xbox 360 Game
Forza Motorsport 4
Tomb Raider
BioShock Infinite
Hitman: Absolution
Batman: Arkham City
Mass Effect 3
Gears of War 3
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Battlefield 3
Prey 2
Best PS3 Game
Hitman: Absolution
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
BioShock Infinite
Twisted Metal
Tomb Raider
Batman: Arkham City
Resistance 3
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Battlefield 3
Prey 2
PixelJunk: SideScroller
Journey
Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
Papa & Yo
Dark Souls
Best Wii Game
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Disney Universe
Best PC Game
BioShock Infinite
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Tomb Raider
Payday: The Heist
Prey 2
RAGE
Battlefield 3
Batman: Arkham City
Mass Effect 3
Hitman: Absolution
Best 3DS Game
Super Mario 3DS
Kid Icarus Uprising
Best Playstation Vita Game
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Sound Shapes
Little Big Planet Vita
Hot Shots Golf Next
Super Stardust Delta
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus
Best iPhone/iPad Game
Puzzle Agent 2
Best Action Game
Hitman: Absolution
Tomb Raider
Batman: Arkham City
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Assassin's Creed Revelations
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Best Fighting Game
Street Fighter X Tekken
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus
Skullgirls
Best Motion-Controlled Game
Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest
Little Big Planet Vita
Dance Central 2
Fruit Ninja Kinect
Kinect Sports: Season 2
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
The Gunstringer
Best Music/Rhythm Game
Rocksmith
Dance Central 2
Sound Shapes
Best Platforming Game
Rayman Origins
Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time
Super Mario 3DS
Best Puzzle Game
Tetris 3DS
Best Racing Game
Forza Motorsports 4
Mario Kart 3DS
Need For Speed: The Run
Best Role-Playing Game
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Mass Effect 3
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Best Shooter
Far Cry 3
Prey 2
BioShock Infinite
Battlefield 3
RAGE
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Resistance 3
Best Sports Game
Madden NFL 12
FIFA Soccer 12
SSX
NBA 2K12
Best Strategy Game
No nominees yet. Check back soon.
Best Family Game
Everybody Dance
Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest
Kinect Sports: Season 2
Kinect Disneyland Adventures
Eye Pet & Friends
Disney Universe
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
Best Trailer
Assassin's Creed Revelations
Tomb Raider
Twisted Metal
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Resistance 3
Mass Effect 3
Coolest Tech
Playstation Vita
Cheap Sony 3D TV
PS3/Vita cross play with Ruin
Kinect Fun Labs
Wii U Controller
Most Anticipated Game Award
Batman: Arkham City
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Dead Island
The Last Guardian
Kinect: Star Wars
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
X-Men: Destiny
Mass Effect 3
RAGE
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Resistance 3
Battlefield 3
Gears of War 3
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
E3 2011
Alright guys, lets go ahead and talk about some of the stuff that is coming with E3. Some of the biggest, being the Wii U, PS Vita, and Halo 4.
Now lets go ahead and take a look at the Wii U. There is a lot of confusing with this bad boy. And some are saying that possibly, PS3 + PS Vita - Wii U. Since they can pretty much do the same thing. Confused a little bit? Lets go into more detail.
The Wii U is an entirely new console that is backwards compatible with the Wii. A Wii U game can only be played on a Wii U system, NOT a Wii. The Wii U console will do all the rendering for the controllers and beam the video feed out to each individual controller. That takes an awful lot of bandwidth, way more than bluetooth can handle (note that the Wii U controller is reported to have two different wireless transmitters, bluetooth for the standard controller functions and a much higher bandwidth transmitter for the video and audio). For this to work with the PS3 and Vita it would have to work over the much lower bandwidth Wi-Fi connection and rendered separately by every single connected device, the PS3 console and each connected Vita. Sorry, but I can only imagine the amount of lag this would introduce. Sure, the Vita could possibly do the whole "playing a PS3 game on a handheld," but that is only a very, VERY small part of what the Wii U controller was described to be able to do. That is kinda the dilemma here. Will the PS3 + Vita have lag? Or can it hold up it's own against the Wii U? PS3 + Vita is pretty much the same thing as the Wii U. But which can do it better?
The price of a PS3 and PS Vita combined would presumably be more expensive than a Wii U and its controller, but if you are already one of the 50 million PS3 owners worldwide then $249 for the Wi-Fi PS Vita could be more appealing than shelling out for the Wii U – with the added bonus of gaining a genuine portable entertainment device that you can throw in your bag and play with away from home.
Sony certainly has experience with a setup similar to Nintendo's Wii U with its Remote Play service for PS3, which allows PSP owners to browse and stream content from their PlayStation 3 console. And though largely unheralded, Lair – one of the very earliest titles for the PS3 – allowed the player to stream the game to their PSP screen with no lag. The downside was the sacrifice of control – the PSP only has one thumbstick when the game needed two to perform adequately. But such issues won't arise with the PS Vita, given it practically has every control interface type known to man – from twin sticks to touch screens.
Of course, there are plenty of other factors to consider. No specifications for the Wii U console itself have been revealed, and the final console could well be uber powerful, play Blu-rays, vacuum your carpet – who knows? But the point is: do you want to make space for a new (admittedly tiny) box under your TV, or do you want to make room in your bag for a new handheld?
So like I've been saying, there is a lot of debate going on with this. And we'll have more details on that later.
We'll chat more later
-j-
Now lets go ahead and take a look at the Wii U. There is a lot of confusing with this bad boy. And some are saying that possibly, PS3 + PS Vita - Wii U. Since they can pretty much do the same thing. Confused a little bit? Lets go into more detail.
The Wii U is an entirely new console that is backwards compatible with the Wii. A Wii U game can only be played on a Wii U system, NOT a Wii. The Wii U console will do all the rendering for the controllers and beam the video feed out to each individual controller. That takes an awful lot of bandwidth, way more than bluetooth can handle (note that the Wii U controller is reported to have two different wireless transmitters, bluetooth for the standard controller functions and a much higher bandwidth transmitter for the video and audio). For this to work with the PS3 and Vita it would have to work over the much lower bandwidth Wi-Fi connection and rendered separately by every single connected device, the PS3 console and each connected Vita. Sorry, but I can only imagine the amount of lag this would introduce. Sure, the Vita could possibly do the whole "playing a PS3 game on a handheld," but that is only a very, VERY small part of what the Wii U controller was described to be able to do. That is kinda the dilemma here. Will the PS3 + Vita have lag? Or can it hold up it's own against the Wii U? PS3 + Vita is pretty much the same thing as the Wii U. But which can do it better?
The price of a PS3 and PS Vita combined would presumably be more expensive than a Wii U and its controller, but if you are already one of the 50 million PS3 owners worldwide then $249 for the Wi-Fi PS Vita could be more appealing than shelling out for the Wii U – with the added bonus of gaining a genuine portable entertainment device that you can throw in your bag and play with away from home.
Sony certainly has experience with a setup similar to Nintendo's Wii U with its Remote Play service for PS3, which allows PSP owners to browse and stream content from their PlayStation 3 console. And though largely unheralded, Lair – one of the very earliest titles for the PS3 – allowed the player to stream the game to their PSP screen with no lag. The downside was the sacrifice of control – the PSP only has one thumbstick when the game needed two to perform adequately. But such issues won't arise with the PS Vita, given it practically has every control interface type known to man – from twin sticks to touch screens.
Of course, there are plenty of other factors to consider. No specifications for the Wii U console itself have been revealed, and the final console could well be uber powerful, play Blu-rays, vacuum your carpet – who knows? But the point is: do you want to make space for a new (admittedly tiny) box under your TV, or do you want to make room in your bag for a new handheld?
So like I've been saying, there is a lot of debate going on with this. And we'll have more details on that later.
We'll chat more later
-j-
Friday, June 3, 2011
Mortal Kombat
Well kids, we are still waiting on Panisko to write up a little somethin somethin' about the map pack for CoD: Black Ops. And there has been a lot of talk about Modern Warfare 3 and now the " CoD: Elite" Where you pay a fee to have certain benefits.. And we'll be touching ground on that a little bit later.
But right now, I wanna talk about Mortal Kombat. I've recently been playing it quite a bit, and let me tell you what, it's a nice change of pace from playing first person shooters and such. And it's a blast! Like some of the previous MK's, you unlock items by using the Krypt. And use Kombat Koins as currency. Another thing I like about the new MK is that it went back to its roots. Blood and Gore. Not like MK vs DC. A Mortal Kombat game is suppose to be rated M. Not T. There are suppose to be fatalities that make you say OH ****. And the one that comes to mind for me would be Noob Siabots. If you haven't seen that one yet, well, you are in for a surprise, let me tell you what. I know I was when I first saw it.
Another thing I've enjoyed about MK is the Story mode. It's pretty much a movie that you fight in. No joke. And the story is actually pretty darn good. I haven't completed it yet, but I'd say I'm about 85% done. I won't go into detail about the Story, so you'll have to play it to find out what happens. Lets just say you go kinda go back in time through MK1, 2, and 3 and try to change what happened. Pretty sweet.
Another thing that I can't wait to get my hands on is the Tower Challenge. There are a total of 300 challenges. That's right. 300. And that should keep you busy for quite some time. I was to go through them all. It'll take me a while.
Also, you can play online vs people around the world. I played 3 games online yesterday before one of my buddies got on, and I happened to win all 3. Lucky? Maybe so. Sonya is my main character. I remember she was also my main when I played MK: Deception. Sonya has some good moves that are quick, and can cover ground pretty quickly. It's quite handy. Other characters that I play are Smoke, Sub Zero, Kabal, and Scorpion. I can play others, but not as well. And I still need quite a bit of practice. Which hopefully I will get in today.
Well, that's all I have time for today. MK is a very enjoyable game.
I'm on PS3 if you want to play.
PSN: Deadsider07
-j-
But right now, I wanna talk about Mortal Kombat. I've recently been playing it quite a bit, and let me tell you what, it's a nice change of pace from playing first person shooters and such. And it's a blast! Like some of the previous MK's, you unlock items by using the Krypt. And use Kombat Koins as currency. Another thing I like about the new MK is that it went back to its roots. Blood and Gore. Not like MK vs DC. A Mortal Kombat game is suppose to be rated M. Not T. There are suppose to be fatalities that make you say OH ****. And the one that comes to mind for me would be Noob Siabots. If you haven't seen that one yet, well, you are in for a surprise, let me tell you what. I know I was when I first saw it.
Another thing I've enjoyed about MK is the Story mode. It's pretty much a movie that you fight in. No joke. And the story is actually pretty darn good. I haven't completed it yet, but I'd say I'm about 85% done. I won't go into detail about the Story, so you'll have to play it to find out what happens. Lets just say you go kinda go back in time through MK1, 2, and 3 and try to change what happened. Pretty sweet.
Another thing that I can't wait to get my hands on is the Tower Challenge. There are a total of 300 challenges. That's right. 300. And that should keep you busy for quite some time. I was to go through them all. It'll take me a while.
Also, you can play online vs people around the world. I played 3 games online yesterday before one of my buddies got on, and I happened to win all 3. Lucky? Maybe so. Sonya is my main character. I remember she was also my main when I played MK: Deception. Sonya has some good moves that are quick, and can cover ground pretty quickly. It's quite handy. Other characters that I play are Smoke, Sub Zero, Kabal, and Scorpion. I can play others, but not as well. And I still need quite a bit of practice. Which hopefully I will get in today.
Well, that's all I have time for today. MK is a very enjoyable game.
I'm on PS3 if you want to play.
PSN: Deadsider07
-j-
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Long Time No Talk!
Well, sorry about the long dry spell there! We had some technical difficulties with our email, and finally got things sorted through. PHEW!
We have lots to talk about. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.
So we'll talk then!
-j-
We have lots to talk about. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.
So we'll talk then!
-j-
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
PSN Password Reset Exploited. . .
Well... Sony's latest security measure may have been circumvented. Early reports suggest that Sony's request for PlayStation Network users to reset their passwords could have inadvertently exposed the network to a new set of attacks.
The exploit allows hackers to change user passwords via the PSN password reset page, using just two pieces of information – a PSN account email address and a date of birth – both of which could have been obtained in the original breach.
The exploit was initially reported by Nyleveia, but the story has since been confirmed by Eurogamer, who claim to have seen video evidence corroborating Nyleveia's claims.
As a consequence, the PSN sign-in is currently down on a number of Sony's sites.
Well, this is just wonderful. We finally get the network back up and running, and then another thing has to go wrong. I would recommend that if you have any passwords that are the same as your PSN account, change them. You don't want to risk the possibility of them getting into more then one of your things. That would be bad news. I just don't understand why people would want to keep trying to screw Sony over, and every gamer that plays on the PSN. Just stop! All we want to do is play games online with your friends. So take your hacking to somewhere else!
Anyways, I'll keep you posted on whats going on. Check back later for more.
-j-
The exploit allows hackers to change user passwords via the PSN password reset page, using just two pieces of information – a PSN account email address and a date of birth – both of which could have been obtained in the original breach.
The exploit was initially reported by Nyleveia, but the story has since been confirmed by Eurogamer, who claim to have seen video evidence corroborating Nyleveia's claims.
As a consequence, the PSN sign-in is currently down on a number of Sony's sites.
Well, this is just wonderful. We finally get the network back up and running, and then another thing has to go wrong. I would recommend that if you have any passwords that are the same as your PSN account, change them. You don't want to risk the possibility of them getting into more then one of your things. That would be bad news. I just don't understand why people would want to keep trying to screw Sony over, and every gamer that plays on the PSN. Just stop! All we want to do is play games online with your friends. So take your hacking to somewhere else!
Anyways, I'll keep you posted on whats going on. Check back later for more.
-j-
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
PSN Customer Appreciation Program Details.
As you all know, with the PSN coming back online, we will be receiving gifts for our patience, support, and continued loyalty during the outage that we had to endure. The package will be made available to ALL existing registered PSN and Qriocity users, and will be made available shortly after we have fully restored the service. More specific details about these offers and eligibility requirements will be posted as the services go live. So my guess is within a week after the Store comes back online. Which is around the end of the month. Now here is the good part.
All PlayStation Network customers can select two PS3 games from the following list. The games will be available for 30 days shortly after PlayStation Store is restored and can be kept forever.
A big bonus I see for those of you who already have PS Plus, is the 60 days of free subscription. 60 days. That's two months. The network was out for not even half that. You guys got the best deal yet. And if you own a PSP, you get double the games. 4 games total. Sony has done a great job giving back to it's customers. And we should all appreciate it. This is a great deal. If you have all the games in the above list already, well, I apologize. Would be nice if they could give you guys some in store credit, but looking into everyone's PS3 to see who has what would be very time consuming. Still, a great deal for everyone non-the-less.
Now one thing that I wish we could get back is that weekend of double XP we lost due to the network being down. I remember that whole weekend I was wishing that the network would be up in time for some gaming, but it never was. Sad yes, but I wish they would "reimburse" us one of them bad boys. Or maybe when we get the new pack packs, they can give us a x3 XP to make up for things. Now that, would be awesome. I know a lot of my friends would enjoy that.
We'll be having details on the new maps and such here in the next couple of days. Mr. Panisko should be writing one here soon. And when the map packs do come out for the PS3, I will be adding more to that. So far, I've heard good things about the maps. But a lot of them can be pretty camp heavy. And some are sniper friendly as well. Which is a good thing. It's about time they have more maps that you can snipe on.
Well, that's all I really have for today guys. Enjoy the network being back up and running, and have a little more patience for the store to be back up. Those rewards are right around the corner!
Contact:
PSN: Deadsider07
Diablo II: Xellioth
-j-
All PlayStation Network customers can select two PS3 games from the following list. The games will be available for 30 days shortly after PlayStation Store is restored and can be kept forever.
- Dead Nation
- inFAMOUS
- LittleBigPlanet
- Super Stardust HD
- Wipeout HD + Fury
- LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
- ModNation Racers
- Pursuit Force
- Killzone Liberation
- A selection of “On Us” rental movie titles will be available to PlayStation Network customers over one weekend, where Video Service is available. Those titles will be announced soon.
- 30 days free PlayStation Plus membership for non PlayStation Plus subscribers.
- Existing PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive an additional 60 days of free subscription.
- Existing Music Unlimited Premium Trial subscription members will receive an additional 30 days of free premium subscription.
- Additional 30 days + time lost for existing members of Music Unlimited Premium/Basic subscription free of charge for existing Premium/Basic members.
- To welcome users Home, PlayStation Home will be offering 100 free virtual items. Additional free content will be released soon, including the next addition to the Home Mansion personal space, and Ooblag’s Alien Casino, an exclusive game.
A big bonus I see for those of you who already have PS Plus, is the 60 days of free subscription. 60 days. That's two months. The network was out for not even half that. You guys got the best deal yet. And if you own a PSP, you get double the games. 4 games total. Sony has done a great job giving back to it's customers. And we should all appreciate it. This is a great deal. If you have all the games in the above list already, well, I apologize. Would be nice if they could give you guys some in store credit, but looking into everyone's PS3 to see who has what would be very time consuming. Still, a great deal for everyone non-the-less.
Now one thing that I wish we could get back is that weekend of double XP we lost due to the network being down. I remember that whole weekend I was wishing that the network would be up in time for some gaming, but it never was. Sad yes, but I wish they would "reimburse" us one of them bad boys. Or maybe when we get the new pack packs, they can give us a x3 XP to make up for things. Now that, would be awesome. I know a lot of my friends would enjoy that.
We'll be having details on the new maps and such here in the next couple of days. Mr. Panisko should be writing one here soon. And when the map packs do come out for the PS3, I will be adding more to that. So far, I've heard good things about the maps. But a lot of them can be pretty camp heavy. And some are sniper friendly as well. Which is a good thing. It's about time they have more maps that you can snipe on.
Well, that's all I really have for today guys. Enjoy the network being back up and running, and have a little more patience for the store to be back up. Those rewards are right around the corner!
Contact:
PSN: Deadsider07
Diablo II: Xellioth
-j-
Monday, May 16, 2011
PSN Is Back Up And Running
Yes indeed, you heard me. The PSN is back up and running.. Which means I won't get any more crap from Panisko! Which has lasted.. Well.. Nearly 4 weeks.
According to a press release, the first services users can expect to return are:
Even though the network is back up and running, the store isn't. So if you have add ons that you would like to get, or the latest Rockband DLC, you're just going to have to wait.. About another 2-3 weeks. Sorry guys. I know that's a bummer, but at least multiplayer is up and running. That's what I've been waiting for. Just remember we do get some bonuses here soon now that the network is up and running. I'm assuming once the store kicks on, we will be able to receive our "payments" that we get for the network being down. Now PlayStation Plus will be nice to have, but when you download those free games that you get from it, the ability to play those will be gone once the 1 month trial ends. Might just be enough to get you to subscribe, who knows. I'm pretty sure that I won't be subscribing to it. It has many benefits, yes, but I wouldn't use them to their full potential. But many of you out there could. I would definitely purchase it if I bought several games from the PSN, but I don't.
I was able to play Black Ops for a bit last night. Played for about 1.5 hours, and there was something I noticed.. The people I played with were either very good at the game, or they were just horrible. There really wasn't an in-between kinda guy. It was fun though. While the network was down, I played a couple rounds of bots not too long ago. Just have to make sure I stay fresh. Honestly though, when I started playing, it felt weird. It's been too long since I've really REALLY played the game. The controls just feel weird, and the sticks on the controller, to me, felt really loose. I wasn't used to it. I play on a high sensitivity (9) so, I had to kinda readjust. I didn't change it, but it took a bit for me to get the hang of it.
Now with the network being back up and running, what is the first game that you are going to play online? And what are you looking forward to? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.
And with that token, let's take a look at something else again really quickly. Modern Warfare 3. Yes, we did talk about. And it's almost certain the game is coming out November 8th. There is a poster now with the dates confirming it. w00t! Which means you better get to 15th prestige quickly on Black Ops before it's too late. Now there are also a couple little trailers out on IGN. They aren't much though, which is disappointing. I thought maybe there would be a little bit of game play. Another thing I am kinda bummed about in MW3 is that they are keeping the same engine. I'm hoping for the NEXT CoD, after MW3, they make a new engine to run the game. I guess we'll have to wait and find out about that one.
One more thing before I take a break, with the network being down.. I've been going back and playing old games that I thought I wouldn't really play again. And one of those would be Diablo II. I remember first playing this game back in the day when I was in 6th-7th grade. That's like 9-10 years ago or so. And it was a BLAST back then, and right now I'm having a lot of fun playing too. And to make things a challenge this time around, I'm playing Hardcore. And if you've played Diablo II, you know what I'm talking about. Hardcore means that if your character dies at all in game, then that char is dead. You are unable to play him ever again. Which means.. DONT DIE! It's tough, yes, but a lot of fun as well. Just make sure that you are careful. I'll teach you a little trick. If you are on the verge of dying.. Save and Exit. As quickly as you can. That has saved me many times, and it will save you as well. Stuck in a corner or anything? Just save and exit. And be quick about it.
Don't forget you are always welcome to send me a message and game it up.Don't be shy, my friends and I always have a blast when playing. And if you are new, we'll help ya out, not a problem. And if you are a seasoned veteran, well, lets kick some butt!
PSN: Deadsider07
Diablo II: Xellioth
That's all for today folks, leave a comment below and tell me what you think about everything. Til next time.
-j-
According to a press release, the first services users can expect to return are:
- Sign-in for PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, including the resetting of passwords
- Restoration of online game-play across PS3 and PSP
- Playback rental video content, if within rental period, of PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
- Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity, for current subscribers, on PS3 and PC
- Access to 3rd party services such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and MLB.tv
- 'Friends' category on PS3, including Friends List, Chat Functionality, Trophy Comparison, etc
PlayStation Home
Even though the network is back up and running, the store isn't. So if you have add ons that you would like to get, or the latest Rockband DLC, you're just going to have to wait.. About another 2-3 weeks. Sorry guys. I know that's a bummer, but at least multiplayer is up and running. That's what I've been waiting for. Just remember we do get some bonuses here soon now that the network is up and running. I'm assuming once the store kicks on, we will be able to receive our "payments" that we get for the network being down. Now PlayStation Plus will be nice to have, but when you download those free games that you get from it, the ability to play those will be gone once the 1 month trial ends. Might just be enough to get you to subscribe, who knows. I'm pretty sure that I won't be subscribing to it. It has many benefits, yes, but I wouldn't use them to their full potential. But many of you out there could. I would definitely purchase it if I bought several games from the PSN, but I don't.
I was able to play Black Ops for a bit last night. Played for about 1.5 hours, and there was something I noticed.. The people I played with were either very good at the game, or they were just horrible. There really wasn't an in-between kinda guy. It was fun though. While the network was down, I played a couple rounds of bots not too long ago. Just have to make sure I stay fresh. Honestly though, when I started playing, it felt weird. It's been too long since I've really REALLY played the game. The controls just feel weird, and the sticks on the controller, to me, felt really loose. I wasn't used to it. I play on a high sensitivity (9) so, I had to kinda readjust. I didn't change it, but it took a bit for me to get the hang of it.
Now with the network being back up and running, what is the first game that you are going to play online? And what are you looking forward to? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.
And with that token, let's take a look at something else again really quickly. Modern Warfare 3. Yes, we did talk about. And it's almost certain the game is coming out November 8th. There is a poster now with the dates confirming it. w00t! Which means you better get to 15th prestige quickly on Black Ops before it's too late. Now there are also a couple little trailers out on IGN. They aren't much though, which is disappointing. I thought maybe there would be a little bit of game play. Another thing I am kinda bummed about in MW3 is that they are keeping the same engine. I'm hoping for the NEXT CoD, after MW3, they make a new engine to run the game. I guess we'll have to wait and find out about that one.
One more thing before I take a break, with the network being down.. I've been going back and playing old games that I thought I wouldn't really play again. And one of those would be Diablo II. I remember first playing this game back in the day when I was in 6th-7th grade. That's like 9-10 years ago or so. And it was a BLAST back then, and right now I'm having a lot of fun playing too. And to make things a challenge this time around, I'm playing Hardcore. And if you've played Diablo II, you know what I'm talking about. Hardcore means that if your character dies at all in game, then that char is dead. You are unable to play him ever again. Which means.. DONT DIE! It's tough, yes, but a lot of fun as well. Just make sure that you are careful. I'll teach you a little trick. If you are on the verge of dying.. Save and Exit. As quickly as you can. That has saved me many times, and it will save you as well. Stuck in a corner or anything? Just save and exit. And be quick about it.
Don't forget you are always welcome to send me a message and game it up.Don't be shy, my friends and I always have a blast when playing. And if you are new, we'll help ya out, not a problem. And if you are a seasoned veteran, well, lets kick some butt!
PSN: Deadsider07
Diablo II: Xellioth
That's all for today folks, leave a comment below and tell me what you think about everything. Til next time.
-j-
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