Capcom was having a superb sale for all you gamers out there interested in looking to add some video games or video game related merchandise to your collection. I, for one, was super stoked about this sale and was planning to throw a bunch of items in just before the sale ended. This is an account of my woes related to the sale among other Capcom related things that I truly believe that the Capcom gods in the heavens have decided to scorn me.

When the two biggest hobbies that you actively collect from collide, it’s hard to weigh out and get everything that you want from both hobbies without one given thing conflicting with another. If I had waaaay more money than I do now, then this wouldn’t be a problem at all. Anyways, I placed my order in the last two days of the sale and was met with such strong resistance that is bound to give anyone a headache.

I wasn’t at my house and had to navigate the terrain on unfamiliar territory (I was on a Macbook Pro). I proceeded to add the awesome things to my cart. At first, I added it through the More Info option and was met with an Empty Cart page. Funny. Then, I tried adding it through the “Buy” button and was also met with an Empty Cart page. As resilient as ever, I proceeded to do this multiple times over within the span of what seemed like an eternity of items not being added to my cart to all items disappearing completely bringing me back to the begin where I had to go and re-add everything again in the futile hope that the items would stay in the cart. It was such a frustrating process to have to relocate and re-add items only to have that happen to you on both the Macbook and an iPhone.

Then, after the items were successfully added, I logged in with my account because I am an already existing member only to go to an error page or my favorite – the Empty Cart page. This happened to me at least 3-4x on top of the items not adding and even reaching this point.

On the rare occasion, I was able to make it past not just one but to the final “Submit Order” page only to receive an internal error page that my order could not be processed at this time.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY ORDER CAN’T BE PROCESSED AT THIS TIME?!?!?!?!??!

To see those wretched red text rob me of what was so close to a victory is equivalent to an opponent just barely winning a match with just a sliver of health. I was met with this red error text three times before I finally decided to throw in the towel.

To my amazement, success lay in hiding behind the error text as all was not for naught because my orders seemingly errors had actually gone through. The only problem is that I had 2 additional duplicate orders that weren’t necessary. I mean I love you Capcom and all, but I don’t think I have a need for 3 copies of the same artbook. I know other people who are into the Konata way of doing something, but it’s definitely not my style (Lucky Star reference for all of you in the know).

I made sure to email Capcom asking for a cancel of the duplication orders before my order gets shipped out to me and then it’s really too late to do anything about that. This is what my message looked like:

None of the options specifically describes the
problem. I was trying to place an order on my Mac and I got an error on
the last page of checkout informing me that the order could not be
completed. I did this about three times reaching the final checkout page
and several other times trying to add products in my carts and log in
with my account. I had no idea that the charge actually went through. I
would like to keep the original order and cancel the two others that I
didn’t know went through.

This was my response from customer service:

Thank you for contacting the Capcom Online Store.

We have verified that your order below has been canceled, and will not
be posted to your credit card nor shipped out.

Order numbers: 6787368118, 6783568018, 6783417918

Sincerely,

Shella P.

Okay, Shella, but where in that entire message along with the two specific duplicate orders that I specifically requested to cancel did I ever give you the impression that every order should be canceled. I have no idea if customer service just sees one word such as “cancel” and goes about canceling something without taking a moment to read what the situation calls for. In another situation that is Capcom related, but not through the store, there was a slight mishap that looks like it will be rectified *crosses fingers*

Why Capcom? I have done nothing but love your many splendid franchises and to have this extremely frustrating thing to happen just sucks. Here’s hoping that this will be fixed, but I’ve been screwed often in situations like this.

P.S. While I’m at it, I don’t get how the Final Fight press kit was supposedly limited on a first base quantity that would revert back to it’s original price of $149.99(?). I stayed there clicking refresh and hoping that my comment would be met with a direct message. I see that it’s just regularly available at that MSRP and had I known that, I would have not been glued to my laptop refreshing like an idiot fool.

I used to have 982 points Capcom and now I’m down to 703. Between the switching back and forth between my Manage Categories tab to refreshing my home page, I managed to lose those points for some reason not quite apparent to me. *sigh*

WordPress readers, ignore the Capcom and points mention as I am trying to hit two birds with one stone and update as efficiently as possible.

My glorious return back to the workforce after having conflict of schedule with school which wasn’t really conflict of schedule at my previous job has made for a hectic schedule this semester. Between going to evening classes and immediately doing a graveyard shift employment that is stressful and requires quick mental aptitude has left me with no choice to ignore my blog and browsing routine. In all fairness, my involvment with both video games and figures has diminished if not been reduced to a mere observation. Quite sad, really.

Anyways, my school is about to finish up here and I owe it to myself at the very least to spam some updates.

I really miss figures and still keep up to date with the scene and what I should be preordering.

I really miss video games and am happy that I am playing again with both Left 4 Dead 2, Super Street Fighter IV, and Resident Evil 5 DLC to welcome me back.

I really miss blogging because I genuinely love to write and haven’t been able to use this as a channel for all the things floating around in my head.

I am a big fan of Bioware’s games. From Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, and more to the more recent offerings of Dragon Age and Mass Effect, they have a plethora of quality titles and have done well for themselves these past 15 years.

Which brings us to the good stuff. They are offering a ‘bazaar’ of sorts where you can earn tokens to bid on ‘auctions’, except the auctions are fabulous free prizes. It’s definitely worth checking out, so head on over to their site and go to the Bioware Social section (which links can be found for on any of the main pages for their games or the main site or signing up in the forums).

Lightning will shoot her way into your heart

With the creation of a minimum of twelve iterations of a not-so-final journey, Square Enix’s latest premier title, Final Fantasy XIII, is looking less like its predecessors and more of a preview of the (un)forseeable future for the franchise.

WARNING: The opinion of this post reflects that of the writer and their initial impression taken from numerous gaming sources. FF fanboys or otherwise uninformed opinions be wary of commenting lest ye incur the wrath of Bahamut!

Before the angry mob decides to set this blog aflame,  it would be wise to assess and evaluate the information presented before you to be able to fully formulate an educated statement in lieu of what a certain inner rabid voice may tell you.

In a traditional sense, the role-playing genre (RPG) can be defined as a fantasy setting in which the player assumes the role of one to multiple individuals,  utilizing an array of skill sets to progress through a predetermined storyline. Now, I would like to clarify two words (“fantasy” and “predetermined”) as to the context that the words are being used in relative to this subject so there isn’t any room for confusion or misinterpretation as the readers of this blog tend not to be as deeply intertwined with gaming as I am. When most people think of the word “fantasy”, they instantaneously think of the supernatural or involvement of magic which can definitely hold true for the concept being used as a genre, but “fantasy” loosely conveys anything that is unfettered by the limitations of your imagination. Since imagination is unique to every individual in question, then the limitation is the one that that individual in question imposes; and luckily for us gamers, the bright minds behind the creation of our video games don’t believe in such limitations, either. “Predetermined” is not to be mistaken for linearity. Storyline encompasses a number of characteristics – which I will go into some light explanation later – that is limited in nature from the moment you power on your console and insert the video game format media. Regardless of the number of choices and different ways that a situation can play out, the storyline is defined by what parameters are being put in place by the original creators. Simply speaking, if Kazuhiro Aoyama directed Resident Evil 3 for the Playstation to have sexy female protagonist, Jill Valentine, die as a result of her NE-T viral infection, then the possibility of ever seeing a Jill cameo in future Resident Evil games becomes moot. This is as best as I can define the rpg genre, taking the simplest common denominator from all the ones that I ever played, watched or read about without adding characteristics that convolute or stereotype the genre.

In general, role-playing games embody these characteristics:

1. Story
2. Exploration
3. Character Development
4. Customization
5. Statistical Upgrade

Other characteristics that have commonly been accepted as a strong distinguishing factor in most role-play games are:

1. NPCs (see Non-playable character)
2. Side/Optional Quests
3. (Interactive) shops
4. Dungeon crawl

Now, you might say, “But Jem, wouldn’t you say that the Zelda franchise can be deemed an rpg?” My short answer might be a rage-filled “no”, but saying that still doesn’t educate the other person. Let’s take a look at the five role-playing definitive traits and apply each and every one of them to any Zelda game with both my argument for and against each trait highlighted in different colors.

Why is Zelda not an RPG?

STORY

• (FOR) – There is a story in place with Link traveling across vast lands near and far to ultimately save Princess Zelda and restore Hyrule to its former glory
• (AGAINST) – While there is a story that compels the hero to go and save the princess, the story is more like a background descriptor instead of being used as a driving tool to develop and identify with the character (s) being played

EXPLORATION

• (FOR) – The map is very big with lots of areas to explore, therefore there is a heavy emphasis on exploration
• (FOR) – This clearly plays a huge part in Zelda because the very nature of the game is an adventure and what good would be an adventure without places to go and people to see

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

• (FOR) – You control Link and vicariously experience the trials and tribulations of his adventure en route to saving the damsel in distress
• (AGAINST) – The emphasis on developing Link’s character is very minimal and the growth you witness doesn’t go through a wide spectrum of stages, hence you don’t really get that sense growth. You’ll never see Link go through an identity crisis where he faced with a situation where he struggles to come to terms with who he is and is placed in scenarios that could compromise ideals he’s held firmly in his heart

CUSTOMIZATION

• (FOR) – Link can equip different armor, items and weaponry during the course of the game
• (AGAINST) – Your level of customization is trivial in Zelda because he’s not gonna don 50 bazillion different boots with a marginal increase in stats, thus causing him to discard said boots like it’s going out of style; the majority of the equipment is to aid in solving the puzzles even though each piece of equipment is very useful in certain situations and battles.  Customization isn’t just isolated to aesthetically changing your character’s wardrobe, but it can include but is not limited to personal history and identity

STATISTICAL UPGRADE

• (FOR) – You can statistically upgrade Link’s health by collecting heart pieces and get improved forms of combat techniques
• (AGAINST) – Being able to increase your health gauge and get better moves is paltry in terms of statistical upgrading because these facets of the game are meant to supplement the adventure being experienced as opposed to heavily emphasizing numbers as integral to your survival

The only strong parallel between a basically defined rpg and Legend of Zelda is the emphasis of exploration due to the scope of the world in which the game takes place in. All other qualities exist on a lesser scale, bringing the gamer’s attention to the fact that s/he must get from Point A to the goal at Point Z. Unlike Legend of Zelda, rpgs heavily emphasis development through story, character growth, exploration, customization, and statistical upgrades to immerse the player into the role of the character that s/he controls, hence assimilating that character’s persona which is what the act of role playing all about. While it can be argued that Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure title with underlying rpg-esque elements, a heavier emphasis of those elements would definitely push it into the rpg genre, specifically that of the action-rpg sub-genre (see Mass Effect), but that would be a redesign of game mechanics to fit that mold.

It goes without saying that the Final Fantasy franchise is one of the most well-known and widely played rpg staples in the video game industry. Even casual gamers who don’t know a lick about gaming have surely played if not heard of one of the many titles that comprise the series.

Every numbered Final Fantasy title including the abomination that is Final Fantasy X-2 (ugh!) heavily incorporates those five main traits along with a number of the distinguishable features, each with varying degrees of success in both execution and presentation.

Now, there have been previews and reviews alike along with interviews that have critiqued the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII title and I grow weary of the assessment I have seen thus far. I am as open as open can get, but I can’t help but feel a little shocked with how drastic of a change it is. I would just like to evaluate what XIII has and essentially taken away and provide a comparative analysis to its predecessors which I firmly believe are strong examples of what an rpg is.

Final Fantasy XIII Characteristics taken from various sources

• 7% Upgrading your weapons by adding bits and bobs
• 2% Hitting switches, solving puzzles, and various similar tasks
• 40% Mashing buttons trying to keep up with the new battle system
• 10% Messing around in Crystarium, unlocking new powers and abilities
• 1% Chatting to people on the street before rifling through their drawers
• 40% Sitting back and watching all those gloriously depicted cut-scenes

• Lack of explorable towns until a significant amount of hours has been invested
• Game controls your leveling up
• Being healed after every battle
• Things are bought via an Amazon-esque shop
• Towns aren’t actual towns and more of a background prop
• Control of only 1 character with the rest of your party being automatically controlled; if the character you are controlling dies, then it is Game Over
• Linear
• Repetitive
• Lack of NPCs with existing ones void of any form of interaction
• Uninspired villains
• Extreme amount of cutscenes
• Lack of a connection and fondness for the world and characters
• Party tends to be fixed
• Lack of side/optional quests

One of the things that I have always loved and looked forward to in an rpg is the level of customization, meticulously weighing out stats in various armor and weapons to give your characters the biggest advantage possible. 7% seems like an awfully low number to outfitting your character with gear unless the base stats for the weapons is high too begin with or there are other traits that govern character statistics. Mashing buttons screams out mindless hack ‘n slash, so I will need to see how this new battle system is put into use before coming to a solid conclusion. Lack of an actual town that is populated with NPCs and interactive places such as shops does put me off because ripping out a distinguishable feature like that from your game is really shocking and too drastic of a change that there is bound to be mixed feelings. An online shopping interface ties in with the lack of explorable towns or supplementary NPCs, so logically speaking it makes sense that shops would follow suit, but it definitely takes away from the interaction and experience unless there are other factors driving development.I have played rpgs that don’t include NPCs or towns, but the nature of that particular rpg (see Valkyria Chronicles) is very different from your standard fare of rpgs, since the sub-genre of tactical-rpg or strategy-rpg removes exploration, yet still heavily draws upon the other four main traits. Valkyria Chronicles has no NPCs or explorable towns, but it is definitely an rpg worth playing! From what I read, the game determines at what point it will assign skills  and abilities, tying the event to a plot in the storyline. I really need to see how this is going to be executed because rpgs give the player reign over their character’s growth and development. A unique take on a game controlling your leveling up which was executed superbly is the experience and leveling system in Lost Odyssey where the player was never given a hard number at the end of each battle, thus eliminating a sense of urgency in level grind that typically exists in most rpg titles. In doing so, the game adjusted the character’s experience points relative to the in-game progression with enemy encounters yielding more or less points to balance out characters whilst never taking away from the narrative flow of the storyline. I know this bothers a lot of people, but being automatically healed after every battle has existed in another shape in an rpg – just run over to a save point or sphere to automatically restore hit and mana points. Granted, I might have to run ways away in order to locate the closest save point, but my health and magic points are still being restored without exhausting medical supplies. I don’t know if you are completely healed before and after every battle or if the party must be in a “safe zone” to initiate regeneration in the same fashion as Dragon Age: Origins. Now, I have no clue as to whose gripe is it that only 1 character can be controlled and that the game ends as soon as the controlled character dies because that person obviously doesn’t know what they are talking about and is using their limited knowledge of rpgs as the basis for the genre. I wouldn’t be surprised if for some reason XIII treated the controllable character as the main character during different intervals, therefore death of that character would be treated as a big deal or something along those lines in the same token as Persona 3. I love cutscenes as an accessory to driving other factors in, but if the stress of the game relies heavily on CG or real-time cutscenes then all that development gained through interaction, growth and experience is lost on both the character and the player.

Final Fantasy XIII replacing Grand Theft Auto: China Wars building billboard

According to producer Yoshinori Kitase, though, that’s absolutely what the FFXIII team was aiming for. As far as Kitase is concerned, FFXIII isn’t even really a role-playing game. “We didn’t really intend to work within with the RPG template,” he says. “We wanted to create a new game, even a new genre. The way we look at it, there’s isn’t a certain format that we have to keep to and build a game around. Rather, it goes the other way around. We create a game and, depending on what works or doesn’t work within that game, it ends up reflecting different staple elements.”

“Because players are presented with multiple different situations on the field, in a lot of senses FFXIII is more like an FPS than an RPG,” says director Motomu Toriyama.

While I had originally intended to write this preview before the North American release, this post became more drawn out because I realized that casual gamers wouldn’t understand where I was coming from unless I explained what an rpg is. There was no set of definitive traits out there, so I had to really sit down and think about all the various rpgs that I played to identify elements that define the genre as well as provide an explanation for those elements. There would be no point in me explaining my initial shock to the direction that Final Fantasy XIII went in without first giving a foundation for why I felt that way akin to how a Street Figher fan might initially react and have some initial concerns if the next Street Fighter 32 Turbo FX stripped the core mechanics that define fighters as well as the franchise as a whole.

Both producer and director confirm my suspicions about the direction of taking the Final Fantasy franchise to a more FPS-oriented style of gameplay to appeal to the North American population where FPS (First-person shooters) genre is a highly lucrative business venture due to the numerous casual gamers being able to jump into the action with little to no effort involved. From a business standpoint, I think this is a very intelligent decision to promote the survival of your company; as a fan and long-time gamer, I welcome new IPs that want to go and do something different all the time, but Square Enix is trying to do it under the guise of their cushion that is the Final Fantasy name brand, knowing that a long-term fanbase won’t outwardly abandon a title that is connected to some of their beloved memories in their gaming history.

Now that the game has officially come out, I need to receive my copy and confirm or discard the points from this post and form another evaluation of Final Fantasy XIII as the genre it is being marketed for, the merits and flaws of the title itself whilst being objective as possible. I love Squaresoft dearly, but I haven’t been in good terms with Square Enix ever since the merger. Since then, I’ve gone on to date Valve, have lunch with Infinity Ward, rekindle with Capcom, and court Naughty Dog. Even then, I will go out and revisit Square Enix with this latest title and see how our lunch date plays out. I sincerely hope that with that drastic of a change, the game is still able to embody the essence of what it is to be an rpg with their own spin on it.

To quote something a friend who is a long-time fan of Squaresoft and the Final Fantasy franchise:

“To  some people, FFXIII is just another game. To some people, it’s just another RPG. To some people, it’s just another Final Fantasy game, but to me that shit means way more than that….for me, this is Square’s last hope….it’s like that chick I’ve been in a relationship with for a long time and she keeps fuckin’ up, but I remember the good ole days, so I stay with her hoping that she’d go back. And I’m just waiting for her to fuck up one more time and I’m done with her.”

Quote of the Day: “My affinity to the person has to be really strong for them to breach my emotional immune system and make me love sick.”

Last year around late Fall, the Lost Planet 2 demo went live on the, you guessed it, Xbox Live Marketplace. I immediately played it and got hooked with the gameplay mechanics that I was able to witness. I played and joined numerous online games with each one bearing a slightly different experience from the last game played. My original intent was to post up my thoughts on this demo, but all of this got sidetracked with everything else going on which is usually the case for me.

Recently at the beginning of this year, I replayed the demo with friends after urging them to download it. This post is based off of my experience and thoughts from that time.

Upon loading up the demo, you are brought to the title screen where campaign trial is the only accessible part of the demo. The campaign trial is divided in an offline and online game mode with online play allowing you to connect with up to three other individuals for some cooperative fun. For all intents and purposes, I will be covering the online aspect as the single player campaign is relatively the same as the online component sans the additional help made available to you.

When starting up an online game, you can find an already pre-made lobby and the game will provide a list of lobbies with the amount of open slots available. You will need to back out of this menu to the previous one if you want to refresh current and active lobbies which was a bit frustrating on my end considering the amount of times I needed to refresh to actually find a suitable lobby that wasn’t already in session, full or had the lobby creator – who is the host or leader – idle indefinitely on that screen. If you have at least 2 other friends, it is recommendable to create a game with private slots so that you can invite whomever you want without running the risk that a random individual with join your lobby.

The controls for the game are, for the most part, common in button assignment and functionality; the right bumper allowed for a 90° right turn, the left bumper was a 90° left turn, the left trigger threw grenades, the right trigger fired the weapon, the left stick button manipulated movement, clicking in the left stick button made the character assume a crouched position, the right stick button aimed the reticule of the equipped weapon, clicking in the right stick button reloaded the weapon, the directional pad/D-pad activate the zoom feature of a scoped weapon, the A button dictates jump , the Y button changes from a primary to a secondary weapon or picks up a new weapon, the B button melees, the X button anchors the user by deploying a grappling hook. Other button functionality includes pressing the Back button to access the PDA which is essentially pausing your game to access other sub-menus such as in-game options that offer limited tweaking to the restrictions of a demo, pressing the Start button uses up a health item called the Harmonizer to restore some lost Battle Points, and the Y button + left trigger/ right trigger to heal with T-ENG or to drop the current weapon. The aiming speed is defaulted to 5 which is not too slow and not too fast for most players. I am starting to play on maximum aiming speed levels in other games, so playing with a neutral speed level can feel a little off at times.

In the pre-game lobby, warriors outfitted with various gear and articles of clothing similar to a nomadic style stood before us. In that instance, I guessed that the climate to be a colder one based on how much clothing were on our warriors and the environment from Lost Planet. You could also see the regions of the players in the pre-game lobby which I’ll explain one of my experiences with an online game later on. On my first trial run with my two other friends, we decided to create a close lobby with private slots to see if we could invite someone from our friend’s list to join us. Seeing as no one on our friend’s list were on, we jumped into the game with a party of three.

Once the game loaded up, there was what appeared to be a lush environment with plenty of green for the eye to see. This right here undid my previous thought of some arctic battlefield with unforgiving snowstorms and lands devoid of plant life. On the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, the HUD displays a simple image of the currently equipped gun along with the current amount of ammunition while the top right has a mini HUD with your character as the central marker. The user has a default of 5000 battle points with 3000 allocated to the team’s overall status on the top left-hand corner as well as the harmonizer bar and the T-ENG supplier prompts and grenade stock occupying the bottom left corner. There are game controlled AI teammates that assist you in this demo, but AI teammates are usually never comparable to that of another human being. Clicking in the left stick button immediately reminded me of the running mechanics in Gears of War where the player’s character is closer to the ground to do a sprinting motion before returning to a clunky motion that is also featured in that game. There are multiple fluorescent cyan modules that scatter the initial area where the player(s) are  deposited in that offer some gameplay tips. Teammates’ names – both in-game and real life – are highlighted above their heads so you’re aware of position, health and can provide some assistance. Items such as weaponry and equipment have a thin yellow highlight to them, making it easier to detect where weapons and equipment are located.

As soon as the players make their way towards the edge of the overlook, an enormous reptilian armor with a spiky exoskeleton emerges from the ocean. This creature is of elephantine proportions and is even bigger than the dragons in Capcom’s successful Monster Hunter franchise. Without needing any obvious directions, the players need to destroy Category G and are prompted to aim for its core which might be a vital spot for the monster. The rocket launcher near the edge of the overlook is the best weapon to grab from the get go to land in some crucial shots when G initially emerges from the water. After playing the demo and observing others, I quickly make a dash for the data post and repeatedly tap the B button to quickly activate the data post. Completing certain objectives such as the activation of the data post rewards the character with points that rank players, but the data post serves as spawn points for the player so that they can easily join the fight immediately after a respawn. Glowing spots situated on Category G’s six knees as well as the bright horn atop its head are vulnerable parts that effectively take damage and break off after sustaining x amount of hits.

Since, I knew the importance of activating the data posts would prove pivotal to our success of the mission (and the additional points didn’t hurt, either), I took no care in trying to damage Category G save the few shots I would fire every now and again. After activating the third data post near the tunnel, I jumped down and anchored by hook into the tall overlook and began to rappel myself towards higher ground. Using the injection gun, I quickly scoped in to fire off a burst offensive then defensive stat boost. It was a temporary effect, but it could mean life and death if the situation called for it. One thing I tried in close proximity to another teammate was to send off thermal energy blast akin to throwing hadokens that restored allied health.

Slowly, the glowing parts would glow brighter with each impact of a bullet until the leg blew apart into 3-dimensional cube shaped objects scattered about on the ground. Collecting “?” serves no purpose in the game aside from accruing bonus points that get tallied into an overall rank. Well, the demo had no real purpose for them, but I imagine that they might be exchanged for other objects or be an achievement based challenge. The destruction of any three of Category G’s legs gets the monster ready for infiltration via its oral cavity. Yes, you have to go inside what seems to be a feral abyss.

Every time Category G nears infiltration, I stock up assault rifle ammunition and grab a rocket launcher or sniper rifle. If I happen to be close enough, I’ll rip off the gatling gun and use that as the primary weaponry in whittling away at its innards. One of the coolest things in this demo was that I could rip off the gatling gun off of any of the multiple immobile mechs scattered in this demo level. It is honestly the best thing to use to steadily decrease G’s health gauge. Oh yeah, reloading while in scope mode is definitely the way to go! Once inside, numerous smaller insectoid creatures with multiple legs spawn from intestinal tract along with bulbous masses that explode after damage. Landing shots on what appears to be a lone, dangling organ in the distance upsets G severely. Eventually, the peristalsis causes the user to flow deeper within the intestinal tract until s/he is expelled out of the body.

Mechs named VS are useful in the sense that they can hover and effectively move out of G’s area of effect attacks, but they provide additional firepower and protection. The majority of the mechs scattered in the demo seat only one user, but the mech situated near the tallest overlook in a small alcove has two additional side seats. In one of my earlier playthroughs, I repeatedly put my mech in standby mode to appeal to other players. I mean what’s the point of riding in a 3-person mech with only 1 person. I don’t have what any clue what happened next, but hovering near G’s body with a player at either side of me holding down on the trigger button filled me with much delight. I may have been amused at the time. After successfully killing G, multiple cube shaped objects fall to the ground with players scurrying about in a frenzy to collect as much before the timer ends. The highest ranking is S with D being the lowest that I have personally seen in the matches that I played. My best score was an ‘A’.

I imagine this might be an option for customization, but friendly fire is always on in the game. When using the injection gun, it might cause confusion in allies who are too quick to judge that you are trying to sabotage the mission. It also means that the possibility of getting a bonafide douchebag in your game is much higher if you don’t know who you are playing with. For example, I ended up in a team with all Russian players who took it upon themselves to bombard me with fire. Being the type of person who doesn’t back away from a challenge and knowing this game wouldn’t go anywhere, I retaliated back just waiting for the game to end already. In my most recent game with my friends, we got grouped with a douchebag who kept throwing grenades in our direction, but was not very good at tk’ing. We all had headsets on and proceeded to curse said douchebag out. While these are just minor grievances, they are still grievances nonetheless.

I took this from Grizzlyfire’s youtube channel to demonstrate what the demo looks like so that my words have an image to connect with. In this video, the player does an offline single player campaign and does things very differently from what I described and the video cuts out before the demo is technically finished, but you should get a good idea of this game.

Here is the trailer with hints that there might be some Gears of War cameos.

- Courtesy of

• Grizzlyfire’s youtube Channel
• Playstation Universe
• Machinima

Lately, I’ve just been preoccupied with school and other things that I have been neglecting my blogging duties. Even with school, I think I would still regularly blog had it not been for the unreliability of my damn laptop who chooses to crash on me every so often. I could blog on the desktop, but I hate the hard keys of the keyboard that give resistance each time I clack away. I’m a fast typist and don’t like resistance of any sort when I’ve got my creative juices flowing.

Oh yeah! I just remembered how crappy Timewarner is! Okay, let me take that back. Apparently, in the previous week, our cable decided to die out of the blue and I was left with no internet for at least 4 days straight. It was quite irritable to watch the blinking green dot never make it past the first stage. When the internet technician came over, he informed us that there was something wrong with the cable box which was the underlying problem to our internet dilemma. To simply translate this, a bastard neighbor probably was trying to steal cable lines or do something shady. Nice…

So, there you have it. My laptop crashes and I have had the pleasure of wiping it several times already. I think I’m going to have to scout out some great deals for laptops or something. As of right now, I’m sick and further want to extend my vegetation mode.

I can still be reached if you know of the means to do so, but I will be more or less floating around the cyberspace.

Every year, Spike TV partakes in a video game judging panel conducted by you, the gamer, in deciding what games go home as the winners that best exemplify a particular category. While I do think that a big portion of the gaming demographic is reserved to mainstream or casual gamers, I tend not to let opinion based award shows such as Spike TV sway my opinion in any shape or form. I do not make an attempt to discern the difference in a mainstream or casual gamer as both tend to fall under the same category if characteristics were mapped out in a Venn diagram. Let’s face it – mainstream or casual gamers may not necessarily be able to identify an excellent game that ascends to a form of art if it hit them in the face because if a video game doesn’t run on high definition medium or include multiplayer or some type of bragging rights in the form of trophies or leaderboards then the game itself should be dismissible. While there are plenty of video games that boast multiplayer, push 1080p graphics or incorporate leaderboards, those qualities alone should not be the staple for a great game, let alone game of the year quality. In my experience and those of others who have expressed as much, excellent games are all about a single component reinforced and held up by several multi-tiered sub-components. For me, the single most important thing about a game that is reinforced by every other factor is the experience that I come out of the game in the initial moment of popping in the video game media in the appropriate platform, in the midst of my adventure and lastly, the summation of that adventure as I’ve finished beating the game and/or completing all the optional tasks that I’ve undertaken. Experience comes in many shapes or forms, but I believe it is a very difficult thing to do to be able to impart a lasting impression on an individual with the vast amount of tools at your disposal.

Without further adieu, let’s get on with the results of the Spike Tv awards.

[Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed henceforth merely reflects the author's ideology from as much of an objective stance as possible]

{Click on any of the categories if you would like to view specific content}

Most Anticipated Game

Jem’s Vote: Mass Effect 2

Winner: God of War 3

Anticipation is the process in which any number of individuals look forward to something – whether it is an object or feeling or person or even a course of action. The item being anticipated usually determines a course of action at a later point in the future. In this case, video games previewed well before their expected release date generate hype that therein establishes or reinforces a fan base that eventually leads to sales.

Out of all the candidates, I felt that Starcraft II was going to win this category for the sole reasons that the amount of gamers on the PC vastly outnumbers that of the console gamers, a reputable franchise and fans have been waiting for this game for some time now. As someone who only knows of the franchise due to never having a good PC to play any PC games, I voted for Mass Effect 2 because the entire atmosphere of the game left a lasting impression on me. To my amazement, God of War 3 has been voted as the most anticipated g loame by registered users. I love the franchise and have played the two predecessors as a loyal fan, so I have no question in the back of my mind that I will be picking up the third installment. Saying that, I have not anticipated the 2nd or the 3rd in the series despite loving the 1st one.

I don’t disagree with the outcome of the results  as all the entrants are of notable background.

Best DLC

Jem’s Vote: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony

Winner: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony

There are only two games in this category – Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV. While I have always had the intention of buying the Survival Edition of Fallout 3 (and I still intend to do so), other things preceded the game in priority resulting in not having the title to this day. I cannot comment on the two dlc – which is short for downloadable content – for either games as I am usually late in hopping on the bandwagon to download extra content for my games. Downloadable content can be in the form of an expansion further drawing upon the foundation of the primary title or adding completely new areas and story.

I voted for The Ballad of Gay Tony out of a consensus of good reviews boasting how much fun this content was. I am and will always be a GTA fan for life, so I voted accordingly. Well after the fact, I received The Ballad of Gay Tony/The Lost and Damned as  one part of a Christmas gift. As someone who isn’t into downloading games or content, I am quite pleased with this GTA add-on. For what a dlc should be, it adds just the right amount of story and missions to provide a strong subplot to the main story of the game and there are plenty of references for those who appreciate how Rockstar tied in parts of the main game and the first dlc. It is  just that damn good.

Best Downloadable Game

Jem’s Vote: Shadow Complex

Winner: Shadow Complex

I only know of 3 of the 4 entrants (Battlefield 1943, Fat Princess and Shadow Complex) through hearsay or an actual demonstration.  I have never played any of the Battlefield games but am aware of the genre and overall gameplay. I have heard from numerous friends that Fat Princess is a very fun and addicting game that many of my friend’s list can vouch for. Shadow Complex is a very meaty and well-developed downloadable game. I went over to my friend’s house and saw how much gameplay elements were incorporated into the game. A primary reason why I never buy downloadable games is because I only buy titles I know will either bring me some sense of happiness and/or will be a good game according to my standards.

While I was impressed with Shadow Complex, I will not be purchasing this game on my 360. I have such a humongous backlog of games that the purchase of downloadable games still retains no appeal to me whatsoever.

Best Voice

Jem’s Vote: Nolan North as Nathan Drake

Winner: Jack Black as Eddie Riggs

With the exception of Jack Black, all entrants have exemplary voice acting performances in their respective title. It has been a very long time since I have forgotten that the character(s) before me was a fictional character set in a video game world. Voice can breathe life in a 2 or 3-dimensional character that exists solely on your screen. Ever since Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, I have been a big fan of Nolan North’s voice performance as Nathan Drake. I have experienced his performance as the prince in Prince of Persia on the 360 and Desmond in Assassin’s Creed, there is something notable about his character Nathan Drake that really outshines the other characters in his resume.

Claudia Black is the new female protagonist in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and while her voice fits her character perfectly and her performance is done convincingly, Nolan North is better of the two. I am surprised that Emily Rose, the voice actress behind Elena Fisher, was not included in this category, but that may be due in part to her supporting role in the game. Mark Hamill’s voice performance as the Joker in Batman Arkham Asylum is truly exemplary and just as top notch as Nolan North’s Nathan Drake. I am convinced of his performance despite not owning the game.

Now, Jack Black is a generally funny guy, but I didn’t find anything remarkable with his performance in Brutal Legends. I have no real idea why he won as I would have been content with anyone from Batman Arkham Asylum or Uncharted 2: Among Thieves especially Mark Hamil or Nolan North.

With the laptop aside, my disappearance comes as a result of working many, unforgiving hours at work and is reinforced by the abundance of sexy games coming out. I am also trying to work out a different career and future path,  so all of this makes me a busy girl. My camera is a bit on the crappy side, but I am hoping that the new rechargeable batteries will bring forth a new breath of life in them. I have a long list of updates and hope everyone has been well.

~Jem

Enter the ultra sexy Fortune Hunter Edition

sWhat does limited mean? Well, for some of you have come every so often to hear me ramble and rant about certain things will know that I made a post regarding the exclusive/limited nature of figures<insert link>. The general principle is the same for practically every hobby that you choose to pursue sans all the technical stuff.

If you ever pay attention to the information printed on the box of your video games and/or manuals, if it is on the Sony platform then you will most likely see SCEA or SCEE. Depending on the region that you are in or where you bought you game, you will be seeing one of those with your game.

The Fortune Hunter Edition is a special bundle done by SCEA meaning that it is exclusive only to the United States. If SCEE had done something special, then it would be only available to Europe. Stuff like this happens for both regions, really.

So, for all the whiners out there who are super pissed off that this isn’t available to them, then it just sucks that the marketing for their region isn’t sponsoring any spiffy events such as this. So, it’s a shame that it just turned out this way for such an excellent title.

Now, this puts a whole new spin on the word “limited”. I know that I tend to get irritated when something that is supposed to be limited in nature is mass-produced and easily obtainable. Let’s just put it this way. I think real, diehard fans are the ones that should be rewarded with sexy limited editions and not just some random joe schmuck who comes in and happens to be at the right place and time. Fortune Hunter Edition is insanely limitd in the sense that it will not be available through purchase and I’m not counting eBay, Craigslist or any other area where people sell off goods.

The Fortune Hunter Edition comes with some exclusive downloadable content, autographs from the entire Naughty Dog development team, a thick and aged-looking art book, the video game, and the exact in-game replica of the Phurba dagger artefact. The Phurba dagger artefact is measured at a whopping 15 inches length. Everyone seems to think it’s the size of a letter opener, but this baby is the real thing.

If you could buy this bundle, it would cost $400 not including tax. Yeah, I think I’m crazy enough to go and purchase this bundle.

Anyways, I’m really happy that this edition exists and will be trying my absolute darnedest to be one of the lucky 200 to get a chance at owning this. Oh yeah, there’s only a limited amount made because cost of production would probably run an all-time high.

Title: PS3 UNCHARTED2 GAME PLAY
Length: 300 mins
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: If you can’t wait until October 13th, SCEA and Sony Electronics have partnered to produce an exclusive “sneak peek” event that bring UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves to the big screen before launch. Join Naughty Dog in a night of fun and Multiplayer tournaments with the chance to win lots of cool prizes-including the Fortune Hunter Edition. Attendees will also have the chance to play UNCHARTED 2 on the ultimate high definition big screen, powered by Sony Electronics 4K digital cinema technology, which provides image resolution four times greater than any high-definition consumer television out there. Sony Electronics is working with major theaters across the country to create “digital destinations”, pairing 4K digital cinema technology with enhanced events for gaming, music and sports to create an unprecedented entertainment experience. UNCHARTED 2 will be one of the first pre-released games showcased at select sites. Event is from 6PM to 11PM. Registration begins at 5PM.

One aspect of my absence comes as a result of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. There were a few ways in which you could guarantee yourself a spot for the closed beta of this game, but putting down the minimum of $5 at your local Lamestop was the easiest and most upfront of them all. Yes, I stay the hell away from Lamestop inasmuch as I can, but this is was best way to get a beta code. Besides, you can always cancel your deposit regardless of what sleazy employee tries to tell you otherwise.

The preorder bonus had the beta code which gave you access to the closed multiplayer beta as well as a Revenge booster that you can utilize from the beginning in the retail copy of the game. Something tells me that this booster might be akin to martyrdom of CoD4 fame.

As a fan of the first installation in the franchise, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, I was super stoked to hear that Naughty Dog would be making a sequel to this very successful PS3 launch title. To brush up on my history and to familiarize myself with the in-game mechanics, I have located my copy of the launch title and have begun to play it to prepare for the second one. I guess you can say that I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of this game. Hmmm, there is some weird text formatting with the 1st paragraph that I am unable to correct. Strange.

First and foremost, anyone who is genuinely a gamer, as in you love ALL games for the sake of gaming, should play Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune especially if you own a PS3. In terms of PS3 gaming, I’d have to say that this title is one of those games that will go down as a classic in terms of launch titles, titles within its genre, and relative to other titles that exist amongst the next-generation consoles. This is one game that I can definitely say that if you haven’t played the first one, you’re definitely missing out and cannot truly experience and appreciate the great strides of improvement upon something that was already very good to begin with.

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Out of the many trailers being showcased for games coming out this fall, I am completely mesmerized by the Uncharted ones. I think the last trailer or in-game demonstration that impressed me vastly was Remedy’s Alan Wake. As you can tell from both the message and subtitle of the game – “Among Thieves” -, there is bound to be betrayal and heartache of some form in this title. It’s all so sexy.

The following screens are from IGN’s press screenshots and I can only surmise what level or aspect of the game is being shown. Ah, I remember when I used to be privy to press information, too.

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Unlike the first Uncharted where the user was isolated to a remote island, Drake and crew will be traversing exotic lands of varied terrain. The above screenshot looks to be that of a Himalayan environment.

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Here is some train wreckage that could possibly be en route to the Himalayan location. One aspect that’s done extremely well in the series is the evasive maneuvering whilst being able to shoot at your enemies. Drake is an extremely versatile guy.

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If I’m not mistaken, this map is most likely that of Village unless there are other locations with random scripted events such as the tank bursting through the wall. This is a pretty gnarly shot, but I highly doubt that even the man himself, Nathan Drake, can stand against a tank especially with a mounted turret at the top. We’re both lucky and unlucky that the tank doesn’t fire off its main cannon. Now, how cool would that be!

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Who doesn’t feel like a badass mothaf-BLEEP in a fisticuff match against bad guys? With the array of different types of ways to sock it to someone, melee in the game makes for a fun addition to the gameplay. I really enjoyed the melee and combat system in the first one and never grew tired of the witty remarks that ensued my uppercuts and hooks. I don’t know how many gamers have noticed this, but Naughty Dog really cares about breathing life and realism into its characters and game that slight muscle contortions and facial expressions are fully implemented in the characters in both offline and online gameplay.

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Last but not least, this is the E3 in-game demonstration that completely blew my pants away. My jaw dropped and stayed that way during the entire demonstration length. You just need to watch it.

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I leave you with this. When I love a video game franchise, I fully support that franchis to no end. More often than not, I end up loving the characters and look for those characters in installations of the game. You’d be surprised that endearing characters can tug on heart strings and bring loyal fans wondering what happened to those characters (see Resident Evil 5 and Jill Valentine). I’ll dedicate another post concerning this topic, but this is especially true of me and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I don’t particularly care for blondes and rarely like a blonde-haired video game character. I happen to love Elena Fisher from the first title very much. The woman about to plant her lips on Nathan is obviously not Elena Fisher. I can’t wait to see how this all turns out.

Pictures, Trailers or Information Courtesy of:
-PS3 Development
-G4 TV
- IGN for water stamping all of those pictures, lolz
- Youtubbers for uploading the E3 demonstration and official trailer

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