Old Video Games I want

Well, I’m not sure I’ll be buying all of them. The following are video games already released on the Xbox 360 that I would like to play. Tomorrow, I’ll write video games not yet released.

Call of Duty 4. I’ve seen this in action thanks to my old roommate. Game looks amazing, didn’t play it at all.

Halo 3. I think it is a crime to own an Xbox 360 and NOT own this game.

Dead Rising. This is a cheap game I think, now it is anyway.

Assassin’s Creed. This trailer gives great meaning to the phrase, death from above.

Assassin’s Creed. Yeah, another trailer.

Gears of War. Interesting song to go with the trailer, original. Don’t usually see this in a video game.

Bioshock. I already wrote about this game a long time ago.

My Xbox 360

And so I have an Xbox 360. I’m happy with my purchase but I guess I won’t be able to fully take advantage of it until I sign on to Xbox Live when I get back to school. I have no Ethernet connection.

So, I got two games to go with it for now. The Orange Box and Mass Effect. The visuals in both are great. Half Life 2 is great fun so far, except for this part that I’m stuck on now. As for Mass Effect, while it is good so far, I also think it could have done it well to stay in production for a couple of months more. There are problems with pop-ups and slow down, the game’s framerate is pretty bad. Other than that, it is all good.

I can’t wait to get on Live though.

The Orange Box trailer

Half-Life 2 trailer

Mass Effect trailer

Video Game Quote

This was written by Tycho of Penny Arcade last Wednesday. It is true and sad if you are a Nintendo fan. God, I hate irony. Where is the next Zelda damn it????

“This is the deep-dish, delicious irony endured by the Nintendo stalwart: to see their platform of choice ascendant, even as their bright God turns his face away.”

Pikmin 3, NPD and more

Well, Pikmin 3 was announced. That’s it. Just announced. No trailers, videos, or even a single screenshot. So, who knows when it is coming out or anything. It annoys me because Pikimin is a series I like and would like to see how it is done with the Wiimote.

The NPD numbers were released yesterday and Nintendo is back on top. It is the number 1 company in the US, as well as Japan, and probably Europe. The world basically. As a Nintendo fan I should be happy, but I’m not. There are no future games that I care about. Not even Animal Crossing: City Folk. Why don’t I care about that? Because I have no time to devote to a game that requires my attention every single day. I don’t think I could play it again like I did the GCN version, after all, I’m in college now, not high school. But you know what is truly sad about all this. I’m more excited about non-Nintendo Wii games. Games like MadWorld, The Conduit, and the recently announced port of Dead Rising.

And so, I took the decision to buy a HD console. I chose the Xbox 360. Why? Frankly, because of the exclusives. There are only 3 that matter to me from Sony’s camp. Resistance and Killzone are FPSs and well, that’s why there is Gears of War, and Halo. And there is God of War 3. I’m sure it will kick ass but frankly, it is not enough, not now they lost FFXIII. No, LittleBigPlanet is not something that interests me.

So, I’m going with the Xbox 360. Hopefully I’ll be able to get it for 300 dollars. With it I’m getting Gears of War, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and Mass Effect. And the new Banjo game is too good to pass up because I loved the old N64 ones, I think that influenced my decision a lot as well. Anyway, I’ll be looking for my new console soon.

Super Mario Galaxy Music

Well, the following are tracks from the video game Super Mario Galaxy. Now, the game came out last November and it has one of the best soundtracks ever made. All of it orchestrated. Apparently, the Japanese have access to the soundtrack itself and that makes me very jealous. Anyways, apart from the music itself which is awesome, there are people who decided to emulate it with a piano to great results. Here are the results, all of the following were made by the following Youtube user named, tzohar. He is pretty awesome. First are the original renditions and then the piano ones.

The Good Egg Galaxy Theme

The Gusty Garden Galaxy Theme

Buoy Base Galaxy Theme

Super Mario Galaxy Theme, slow version.

And this is the music from the final battle. It is very kick ass, love every second of it. Look for more, nothing is bad.

Nintendo E3 Conference

One word. Lame. Aside from Animal Crossing: City Folk, there was nothing there for me. Nothing. I supported Nintendo through the N64 and Gamecube eras. What did I ever do deserve the crap that they are offering now? Wii Sports 2? Wii Music? No, no, no. No Kid Icarus even????? So, it looks like I’ll be going over to the competition unless something drastic happens by the end of the week . What should I get? A Playstation 3 or an Xbox 360 is the question now…

HOLY SH*T: Final Fantasy XIII for 360!!!!!!!!

More to come soon, I can’t believe it! I just saw this and my jaw dropped. DAMN. More to come once I see it. It is confirmed, Final Fantasy XIII will be coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously. WOW, just…didn’t see that coming…

Hopefully some footage soon!

Update 1. Now that I’ve recovered from the blow of the news, it seems like a good strategy for Square-Enix to go against the exclusitivity they had with Sony. The 360 does have a bigger penetration in Europe and the US. Holy Mother of God though, I still can’t believe it. More official info to come!

E3 News: Wii MotionPlus

This is entirely from Nintendo, via IGN.

“Nintendo’s upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.”

Now, Nintendo is announcing this right before the Microsoft press conference which means something is up. Nintendo wouldn’t just reveal this today if they had no reason, after all, their press conference is tomorrow. So, this to me adds more fuel to the rumor fire of MS releasing a new controller with motion control. They are the only ones who haven’t done it, to Nintendo it was a great success with the Wii and to Sony, well, they are still failing with their gimped system. We will know for sure in less than an hour.

So, what does this new adapter mean to the average Wii owner like myself? This means I have better get my damn lightsaber game from LucasArts or a sword fighter game that will allow for one on one control. I’m sure NIntendo will reveal something that is compatible with the game tomorrow though, they wouldn’t just drop this with nothing. For instance, when Nintendo released their rumble pack back in the N64 days, it was released with Star Fox 64. Needless to say, things are getting interesting.

Xbox Price Drop!

Oh, how hard is becoming to NOT get one of those. I want one. Ah, not because I don’t like my Wii but I want to be a more rounded player. Well, this is one of the pre-E3 announcements, expect more to come. Follow this link to the original source, now copy and pasted.

Xbox 360 Console Now Offers Triple the Storage

Published July 13, 2008

Redmond, Washington—Microsoft is giving consumers more gigabytes for their buck. The company today announced an Xbox 360® console with triple the storage space of the original console, but for the same price of $349 (U.S.) estimated retail price.

Available in retail stores in the U.S. and Canada starting in early August, the upgraded Xbox 360 will include a 60GB hard drive for storing the growing wealth of digital entertainment available for the console, including music, movies, television shows, and game content. In addition, Microsoft today dropped the price of its 20GB Xbox 360 console in the U.S. and Canada to just $299 (U.S.) (ERP) while supplies last, a savings of $50.

“We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we’re giving it to them at no extra charge,” said Albert Penello, Xbox director of product management at Microsoft. “No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver, and now you’ll have three times the storage to manage all that great content.”

Xbox 360 is just one of three Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment systems Microsoft offers. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Arcade, which comes with a 256MB memory unit and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games, is a value for the whole family for $279 (U.S.) (ERP), and the premium Xbox 360 Elite console is available with a 120GB hard drive for $449 (U.S.) (ERP).

Out of the box, the Xbox 360 console is ready to provide an incredible gaming and entertainment experience:

• Xbox 360 console: The console is equipped with a cool white finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in high definition (HD) entertainment (up to 1080p for gaming), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) output.
• 60GB Hard Drive: The 60GB detachable hard drive allows you to save your games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos, and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the premier one-stop digital download center for entertainment.
• Upscaling DVD Player: With an HDMI cable (sold separately), watch your favorite DVDs in near high-definition using the upscaling capabilities of Xbox 360.
• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller: This award-winning, high-performance wireless controller features the Xbox Guide Button for quick, in-game access to friends and music. It has a range of up to 30 feet and a battery life of up to 30 hours on two AA batteries.
• Xbox 360 Headset: The headset lets friends and family around the world chat while playing games, watching movies, or sending voice messages on Xbox LIVE.
• Xbox LIVE Silver Membership: For no additional cost, Xbox 360 owners can chat with friends online, collect Achievements to improve their Gamerscores, send and receive voice and text messages, and access Xbox LIVE Marketplace content such as game demos, and purchase or rent HD movies and TV shows, as well as the best in downloadable games from Xbox LIVE Arcade. (Broadband Internet access required.)
• One-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold: An Xbox LIVE Gold Membership provides a complete online entertainment experience. Those who subscribe to this premium service can engage in competitive online multiplayer matches, tailor their matchmaking via feedback and accomplishments, and chat with an entire group of friends at a time.

E3 Wish List

Well, that time of the year is almost upon us. The time of E3. Finally, all the cards will be dealt and we will know all the news for the coming holiday season. This is important, especially if you are a Nintendo fan, since we know nothing about what is coming. Nintendo has promised that they will please the hardcore but we shall see. The only two games that I know of that are coming out after the summer are the following.

Super Mario Sluggers, aka, Mario Baseball.

Wario Land Shake, a 2D platformer from the looks of it.

As for my wish list, I hope Nintendo fixes the storage solution of the Wii. I, like many people, have no more space for Virtual Console or WiiWare stuff.

I would also like for a new Legend of Zelda announcement but I think I’ll be disappointed on that regards. I hope for the official announcements of Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing Wii and Pikmin 3.

The following are some of the more memorable moments of past E3s.

E3 2004, the Zelda reaction

E3 2006, the Wii line

E3 2006, Sony being an embarrassment.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

I want this game. Ooohhh, could be for my birthday, granted, it won’t be on the day or even the month. But that doesn’t matter! Hopefully will learn and see more about this title at E3.

Video Game Review: Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast

Jedi Outcast is a Star Wars fanboy’s dream come true. It is easily the best Star Wars game I’ve ever played. Simply put, you are Jedi bad-ass who uses a lightsaber to kill peo–er…bring justice to the galaxy. The Force powers in the game are awesome. The ability to lift someone and choke the life out of him while also shielding yourself from blaster fire is just amazing. Did I mentioned you can use a lightsaber?

Now, I’ve only played the Gamecube port of the game though. Why?  At the time of the release, my PC couldn’t handle the game so instead I got the port. The graphics are ok but I’m sure it is better on the PC. The FPS controls surely are. Yes, the first few levels are FPS oriented, before you get the lightsaber. I guess I could get this game again for my laptop, I would love to see it in its original form. You don’t need to play the games before this one to understand the story which is good and the story itself is easy to follow. Anyway, did I tell you that you can use a LIGHTSABER?

Trailer 1. The game was also made for the Macs, and the original Xbox.

Trailer 2

Trailer 3

The Conduit

The Conduit is what would be classified as a hardcore for the Wii being made by High Voltage Software. It is a special game because the Wii is kind of short when it comes to hardcore titles. This kind of game usually appears in the rival consoles, the Xbox 360 and the PS3. The Conduit is being built from ground up with the Wii hardware, it is not a port. When I saw the trailer, it reminded me of Half-Life. The storyline seems to intriguing but it could end up being clichéd. As for the last part of the trailer, Deathmatch confirmed, I just hope it means that I’ll be able to go online and kill others playing the game. I always found Medal of Honor 2 to be a good online multiplayer. Of course, it was no Xbox Live but it was free which is nice. Hopefully, we will learn more about this promising title at E3 next week and also would like to know if High Voltage found a publisher yet. Here is a trailer of the game.

Resident Evil: Degeneration

Okay, now, this is the film I want to see. It is a CG film based on the series with characters that we all know and love. According to Wikipedia (yes, I’m quoting Wikipedia for this post) Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy will be appearing on the film and it is supposed to come out this year. I don’t think it will come out this year, maybe in Japan first but I suspect a next year release for the US. Okay, well, Final Fantasy: Advent Children was delayed numerous times so I’m basing my opinion on that. Anyways, here is the trailer, hopefully the movie will be as good as the games and better than the live action films.

State of Mind

So, how am I doing personally. Well, on the video gaming front, I have been addicted to Guitar Hero 3 but no more. I have over 100 video games and I have to play them some time. I played Guitar Hero 3 for almost an entire month straight. So, I’ve moved on to Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes and Viewtiful Joe for the Gamecube and will finish Killzone and Bully for the PS2 sometime this month.

On the reading front, I’ve been concentrating my Stephen King books. I’ve read Apt Pupil which is one of the most disgusting, creepy, psychological wrong stories to have ever been written. So, I suggest people to read it of course. I’ve been reading his short stories for the most part.

As for movies that I’ve seen, The Incredible Hulk was the last movie I saw in theaters. It was alright and really liked the cameo at the end. I also Iron Man, twice too, it was that good. If you haven’t seen it, go now! Narnia disappointed me, it became Lord of the Rings at the end. I’ve also saw rented movies from iTunes, it is great.

As for myself, I’m bored to the point of tears. I have nothing to do here. No friends I can visit and hang out with. I can’t wait for August to arrive. I’m a bit less stressed though, which is always good and I can sleep better, even though I sleep on the floor. My father was never as good as my mom with money and a result of that is that he only rents a room with one bed, which is where my sister sleeps. At least with my mom, I always had my own room, which I was thankful for. So, in short, I’m lonely and hate it. Always hated the summer for that reason.

Blogging is fun though, and I’ll be doing it everyday from now on. Well, that’s all from me for now. I’ll put up a real update soon.