November Upcomings!

Halloween is coming, and after that is November. With November comes the beginning of some of the most anticipated titles. The Holiday gaming releases are upon us, folks. So what does that mean for TCPS? Well, you can expect more first impression podcasts of games coming out, and games that have recently come out. More podcasts of us playing classics in honor of new releases. Sonic, (the hedgehog, not the fast food chain,) is celebrating a milestone and a new game, and we're doing something special for him.

There might be a tiny celebration of both of our hosts working in the Video Game industry, in some fashion, (this means that Megan got a job. Really, it's a means for celebration.) And after Megan sells her video game inspired handmade creations, she'll be able to shoot more zombies with Antonio in a Legend of Zelda Left 4 Dead add-on. We'll record it, we promise it'll contain some classic moments.

Stay tuned for a regular release of podcasts, blog posts, and more. Antonio will be participating in a Iron Man of Gaming event this November and we'll bring you updates on that also. He's brushing up on his MvC3 as we speak. And don't forget to check us out on the Twitter-sphere @TCPSpodcast and on Facebook here.

Updates abound! Stay tuned!

Confessions of a MMORPG n00b

I'm not Exactly a n00b to MMORPG's, I just don't play them all that often. I experimented with text based ones on my old Apple2. I have Guild Wars, I anticipate Guild Wars 2. I've played the trial versions of World of Warcraft, because I was too young at the time to even consider affording the monthly payments. When I was 17 I considered getting Final Fantasy 11, but other singleplayer games caught my attention first. I'm not adverse to trying out new MMORPG's, looking for a good one, and I learn how to level up and take quests fairly quickly. I've found a new one to play, FTP on Steam in fact, and I've become a little bit addicted to it.

Forsaken World is what I'm playing. When I first opened it to play it I played it for three hours and found myself at level 13 when I left the 'tutorial' world. Another four hours later and I'm sitting pretty at level 22 as I type this up. I will admit that I spent a lot of time just exploring the harbor and trying to remember where all the different merchants were, and where I could go to buy something other than just 'basic weapons'. I'm ready to graduate from basic I feel.

But I do have a fatal flaw when it comes to playing MMO's, and it's kind of a big one. If I don't have any other friends playing the same game, I won't join or start parties. The problem probably stems from growing up as an only child and never really playing any multi-player games. The most multiplayer action I got was playing Super Mario Bros. 3 with my best friend when we were single digits. So I've never really felt comfortable finding random people and starting a party. Unless a quest or instance requires it, I will do everything alone. There was one time playing Guild Wars that I was invited to a party, and on a whim I accepted. I was a lower level than everyone else, and I was still exploring new abilities and actions that I could do. I was not as good as the others and not too long after I found myself traveling alone again.

I think what I'll have to do is explore the forums, become part of the community, for I want to make my Kindred Vampire awesome, and I'd like to join a Guild soon. I'm going to do what I never did what I was younger. I'm going to learn how to play MMORPG's the way they were meant to be played, with other players. Wish me luck. But, until then, I'm going to continue knitting Harry Potter scarves and crocheting Sailor Moon amigurumi's. The life of a nerd is never slow.

Animus, TCPS Style! Part One: Looking Back

So, we're going to hop in our Animus and look back at the First 6 months of gaming and tell you what was awesome, what sucked, and what was surprisingly good. Let's not kill anyone on the way. I'm looking at you, Desmond. And just because I look at Desmond, it doesn't exclude you, Megan.
(I have No idea what he's talking about. I would never *stabs passerby* anyone. Damn! I missed my target! *runs)

JANUARY:

TOP:

Mass Effect 2 - Finally, PS3 owners got their hands on the sci-fi epic that rocked the socks of 360 owners almost a year before. Touting the DLC content and the Mass Effect 3 engine, this game easily peaked up there as one of my favorite games of the month.

Dead Space 2 - A follow up to the horror sleeper hit by EA, this game brought even more scares and more blood and gore then forty score of the civil war. Amazing gameplay leaves me hankering for a DS3.

LOW:

MindJack- I'm sure you've heard me rant about this game, and upon looking back on it, I can't say it was a horrible game. It's a terrible game with mildly cool parts. It was very clunky and the touted multiplayer game was terribly done. Big disappointment.

Two Worlds II : I can safely say that it was better then the first one. That's not saying too much at all.

SURPRISE!

Lord Of Arcana - This Monster Hunter/Phantasy Star rehash turned actually turned out pretty cool. Lots of customizable options. Not a GOTY title, but great title.

FEBRUARY:

TOP:

KillZone 3 - One of Sony's strongest titles went strong in February with plenty of sideswipes and action sequences that makes any FPS fan question the better shooter. Damn good.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 - Fighting Game quips aside, this was a very strong titles matching the heroes and villains of the gaming and comic book world together in this fast and frenzied fighting game that was easy to learn but hard to master. Solid game from Capcom.

BOTTOM:

Hyperdimention Neptuna - This RPG published by NIS America had a really cool concept. RPG based off the current console war and playing as female versions of the current game systems? How could that fail? Well, subpar graphics, slow story, and uninteresting characters. Oh, and DLC Characters that I can meet in game but can't use until I buy them? Get out.

Knights Contract: This GOW rip off had the potential to be really really cool. But the story ripped from Dante's Inferno and the gameplay that we've seen all too often leads it to not be as great as it should. Don't get me wrong. I have zero problems with games being practically the same gameplay. If you're going to go down that route, however, make the story creative and do something that others haven't done.

Surprise!

Bulletstorm: This EA/People Can Fly/Epic Games mash up that looked like Gears Of War surprised everyone, including me. A story that's totally different from the get go, and the addition of a scorpion style whip and a point system lead to a TON of fun. One of the best games of this month.

MARCH: (Note - March was a HUGE month. It was hard to keep it limited to 2 per section.)

TOP:

Crysis 2: I know in the Ides of March, I said that this was a game that should have gotten a full review, and I still stand by it. One of the best FPS that I've played in a very long time. Special abilities combined with a pretty awesome story and a increasingly difficult campaign leads to a must buy for anyone who likes shooters.

Dragon Age 2: This is a pretty weird post. Some people dislike Dragon Age 2 and some people love it. While I don't think it was as epic as the first one, I thought that DA2 was a great game in its own right and sets up for what could be on the same level as Bioware's other hit, Mass Effect. It's a quicker, faster, more streamlined game, and for that, It was a pretty enjoyable experience.

Bottom:

Homefront: THQ's jump into the foray with Homefront places the war on american soil. Apparently, people didn't take too well to that. Bad graphics and a 3-4 hour campaign left gamers and myself with a very very sour taste in our mouths.

Final Fantasy XIV: This is a potshot, mostly because it's a MMO, but Square Enix really dropped the ball with XIV to the point that the game (to my knowledge) is STILL free to play until Square can fix the numerous problems that plague the game.

Surprise!

The 3rd Birthday: For a lot of us, this was the awaited end of the Parasite Eve trilogy that many of us begged for. Square Enix gave it to us, and did not disappoint, despite the many changes to the game and the doubt of a title that can supply a enjoyable experience.

Part 2 coming up soon where we finish up the list, I point out the greatest games so far and we take a look at the future!

Apologies and Nostalgia

*Dusts off controller*

*Presses start*

Hello. My Name is Strife. Remember me?

No. Didn't think so.

The truth is that I've been busy. Hella busy. Real life has actually stopped me from doing my duties as a TCPS co-host and blogger and for that, I am indeed sorry. Honestly, I thought about stepping down as TCPS co-host because it seems like I couldn't really keep up with the times. Then I sat myself down and decided that I really REALLY wanted to do this. I really wanted to give you guys (all 3 of you) a moment of insanity that is only Megan and Antonio. So, I'm here. And I vow with all of my heart pieces to keep updating this blog until I can't any longer. Updates may be far and inbetween, but I'll get it done.

With that being said, I'm going to tell you why the Nintendo 3DS is the best nostalgia tool ever.

When the Nintendo3DS was announced, I had no idea of what the hell Nintendo was thinking. It sounded cool, but I brushed it off as another DS. Man, was I proven wrong. It turned out to be one of my favorite handhelds, hands down. Not only was it powerful, it touted amazing 3D graphics AND a fantastic lineup of games. While the launch titles weren't as great, the system itself still touted amazing games to play even if you didn't buy a 3D game. The system is that awesome.

We here at TCPS operate on steam-powered Nostalgia. Our video blogs are pretty much old school games being played and compared to new school. Nintendo sees our nostalgia and gives it to us on a 16-bit platter. We got a 3D ocarina of time. We got Excitebike. We're getting Starfox. We're getting Shinobi. And It doesn't stop there. Nintendo also gave us new things like Street Fighter, Dead or Alive, Resident Evil and Splinter Cell. A good bit of us are clamoring that new games are nothing like they used to be. Getting a 3DS is the answer to that. And if you're one of the people saying "Oh Noez, I hate re-releases of old games" but can't wait for the inevitable Final Fantasy 7 remake, then I'm thinking that you should re-analyze your gaming viewpoint. Also, laugh tremendously if it gets a re-release on 3ds.

Continue?

Steampunk Finally makes it's debut in Video Games?

This past Memorial Day weekend, here in the US, I found myself a little further south of my home city. I was in Dearborn, MI, while Antonio was moving from his old apartment into his new living quarters. He'll have to fill you in on that, I know very little about how that went. What was I doing down in Dearborn you might ask? Why I was attending the second annual World Steam Expo! An assemblage of steampunk nerds far and wide across the whole world! And now you might be asking, why am I telling you this? What does this have to do with games and this podcast? Let me fill you in!

The first Steampunk MMO will be making it's gaming debut in a few short years, as early as 2012. About time I say. Style influences in games is fine, but now we get a game with a full steampunk premise. How can I tell you all this? I was able to attend a panel at WSX giving the audience an exclusive preview of the games artwork and story. I'm not able to give you much, as those involved in the creation of the game weren't able to us much information. It's set in 1908, the year that the world ends. The oceans are evaporated, the land is crumbled, and pieces are sinking into the molten core of the earth, and aether is released into the air. Those nations that aren't destroyed must quickly learn how to survive in this new world and all the changes that are happening. Most revert back to barbarism and must rebuild their own civilizations. The ultimate goal is to get back to the glory that was the late 19th century, when empire's were at their peak. While they rebuild they must also learn to survive the creatures that were created by the aether, and each other. This story of AIR is set two hundred years after the cataclysm.

What I can tell you about the gameplay is that it's going to be your typical MMO, and not, at the same time. They're working hard to make sure this isn't full of fetch and retrieve missions. They want to focus on plot and story, on making this more than just a game. I for one, couldn't be happier. I've met and talked to some of the writers and artists and there's so much planned for this game. Coming later this year, or early next year will be a mobile game, focusing more on the flight of airships, a flight simulator, that will be able to be ported to other platforms in the future. One of the lead writers is also releasing a book this July that starts to tell the tale of the great cataclysm, Blood in the Skies, by G.D. Falksen.

I'll be keeping a close eye on this game and it's developments. We were tipped to keep an eye on the website, AIR, as it should be getting a revamp soon, with more information. Awesome things are happening friends, awesome things. Just like E3 coming up this week. Expect reports on that soon.

Objection! Video Games should stay out of my movie, damn it!

*Presses start*

So, I've been moving recently and I hate life. We've bee......

HOLD IT!

There's been a recent announcement that the lawyer with a mission, Phoenix Wright, is getting adapted to the big screen. From the way it sounds, Phoenix, Maya, and Mia, and Edgeworth will all be represented in this long awaited movie.

So....why is it that I have a huge problem with that?

If you think about it and you've gotten past the first case in the first game, you'd know exactly why. I'm not going to spoil anything now, but in a later blog post, I will. Just know that the entire basis of this Phoenix movie lies in the first 30 minutes. I just don't think that they'll do it justice.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what every gamers nightmare is.

Since 1994, Hollywood has been taking our video games and for the most part, killing the stories and the characters that have made them iconic. Super Mario Bros. Sucked. Double Dragon was terrible. Don't get me started on Street Fighter. Hollywood has a habit of taking well established stories and "ritzing" them up for people who aren't on the same gaming wavelength and getting them to understand the story and to care about their characters. The problem with that is by changing the story, you change a lot about the character, and when people like myself go to enjoy said movie, we end up shouting "THAT'S NOT WHAT HE/SHE/IT WOULD DO! LIES!" at the screen while the other people around us wonder what we've been smoking. They just don't understand that when we get in the theater, we already have a established connection with the lead character/villian and the movie being displayed is nothing like we've played on our game systems.

That's not to say that it's always 100% why VG movies fail, either. Sometimes, we as gamers want the exact same game, line by line, scene by scene, translated to awesome CG effects. Generally good movies get thrown down the tube because of what X director didn't do. I thought (and still do, to this day) that Mortal Kombat was the best video game movie that you could find. It didn't follow what was considered at the time to be canon, but it did a damn good job at getting as close as it could. Resident Evil was the same way. I thought it was a pretty good movie and could have succeeded as being it's own franchise, but I don't think it has a damn thing to do with the game series at all besides sharing a title. Hell, I even kinda enjoyed DOA, but for totally different reasons. :-D

At the time of this writing, David O. Russell just stepped down from the Uncharted movie. This movie was a prime example of taking a video game and changing everything about it. (From being a treasure hunter to a family of art dealers? Really?) Besides, Mark Walburg should never touch another video game movie again. Max Payne is still too fresh in my mind. *shudder*

I think for any director that wants to pick up a game needs to find that happy medium. Make a good movie that stays true to the series, and I'll be happy and you can take my money any day of the week.

I'll leave you with Ken Levine's comment on the BioShock film that was started but then cancelled. All directors, heed this warning. All gamers, listen closely. This is dedicated to you.

“I think we’re in the space now of building properties that are appealing to people, and there’s a version of BioShock that makes a great game and there’s probably a version of BioShock that makes a great movie.”

Continue?

No More Heroes and the Waggle War

*Presses Start*

Suda 51 is the shit.

For those of you who don't keep up with your game directors, Suda is the wonderful director for games such as Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked, Killer7, Fatal Frame IV and the wonderful No More Heroes. To give you a brief summery, you play as Travis Touchdown, a nerd whose new mission is to defeat the top ranked assassin in his new job of killing everyone in his way. It's rude, it's vulgar and best thing of all time, I love and it's one of the best games on the Wii. Hands down.

PS3 is getting a port of the wonderful part one this summer, so I gave the Japanese version a shot.

But before I get into that, let me give a little bit of info on the waggle war.

Back in 2006, Nintendo launched the Wii, the thing that would soon single handedly destroy their competition for at least 3 years. With it's innovated motion control gaming, it stood on the top of the mountain and laughed at Sony and Microsoft. Both Sony and Microsoft came out and called the Wii's gaming "cute" but none of them could topple the giant. That is, until 2010. Sony released the Playstation Move. It looked just like the Wii, but with wireless nunchuks and a ball on top of the remote. Microsoft released the Kinect the same year touting the tagline "You are the controller." The Kinect sold a lot more then the Move did, but aren't we all forgetting that Both competitors came up with such technology to cut into the Wii's success? And whatever system has the better games is completely to the eye of the beholder because the three consoles have their quality games:

Kinect has Dance Central, a pretty big flagship of a game.

Move has Resident Evil, SOCOM, NBA2K, Killzone, and a few other games that can use the move.

Wii Has your Mario, Zelda, Metroid and other misc games that are just awesome.

At the end of the day, it all depends on what you are into. I, personally, have a Move and a Nintendo Wii. There's nothing that interests me on the Kinect. I don't care for Dance Central and that's just about it as far as "good" games. I have a Move and Killzone was awesome to play on it as well as Resident Evil 5. The Wii gets the most playtime just because I like the quirky games to come out on it. Trauma Center Series. Madworld. TVC. Brawl. Other M. No More Heroes.

*Sigh* No More Heroes.

I love the game, but it doesn't flow as well as it should on a system on the ps3. It struck me as colorful, vibrant, and just as cartoony as the world that it was depicting. On the PS3, The graphics are much better, but it became a darker world in the process and I found myself missing the little things in the game. The Control scheme for this game should have been easy, but it just feels like they were a compiled mess. The game was indeed, made for the motion controls and it should have never been stuffed into a controller. Towards the end of the first boss, I just felt frustrated and mad that half of the moves that I could easily pulled off on the Wii were getting me killed on the PS3. I can see this being playable for US audiences only if you're going to be using the PSMove. If you're looking for getting this one, make sure that you have the move.

Travis Touchdown fumbled on this port. If this is the way that we're going to handle ports from now on, we should have No More Heroes.

Continue?

Tutorial Menu!

*Presses Start*

My Birthday was yesterday. It was shitty, thanks for asking.
I'm going to answer some questions and hopefully make some things clear for anyone who keeps visiting the blog.

Blog

"What exactly is this blog supposed to be about?"

This is essentially a gaming blog based off of random stuff we decide to talk about. Our number one focus is the podcast but I try to update the blog as often as I can.


"Why aren't their more reviews on here?"

There are a couple of reasons, but mostly because Megan and myself are only two people and there are a crap ton of games all the time. Another reason is I don't play games for the sole reason for reviewing them. If a game interests me, I'll play and if I deed it worthy of writing a review, then I'll post one. I think that's something that we do that a lot of other sites don't. We don't review games for the sake of reviewing them. Where's the fun in that. Lastly, We're busy people. I'm working two jobs on top of being a DJ. Megan has a ton of projects she wants to work on. We are devoted to the site, but we can't spend all of our manhours doing this.


"I don't like how you choose not to focus on the games. Fail."

Well, simply put, Oh well. There are tons of sites to choose from and if you don't like the format of my writings, I invite you to check out some of the other gaming sites.


"It's been X days since someone's posted!"

Once again, We're working on it. In a perfect world, I'd like to have a well written blog up at least once a week, and Megan and Myself try to record a podcast/videocast/etc. at least once a week if not more.


Podcast

"What is this for?"

This is the meat and bones of this site. We get on here and we rant about gaming topics. Usually, we never stay ON topic, but that's the charm. We want it to be like two adults having a conversation, so there really isn't any format.

"I don't like it."

Next Topic.


Videocast

"What games do you usually cover?"

The whole "gimmick" of the video is that she has never played any of these games before, so we record her playthoughs and catch her reaction. It's great fun.


"She's never played them before? Those are classics!"

I'll leave this for Megan to explain. Megan?

Ah, hm, yes. I was raised as an only child in a single parent household and led a very sheltered life, mostly by choice. So I didn't play many games, mostly because we couldn't afford them, or I had never heard about them. I had a nice sized NES collection (still do somewhere in my basement) but they were the more obscure games that most people probably never played, (Godzilla anyone?) What are the classics now, I didn't like when I was little, except for Mario and Zelda and I'm pretty damn proud that I managed to keep on track with Zelda. :D I came into gaming late and now I'm trying to personally make up for all these years missed out by being a rather large gaming nerd. Working on that.

"What's the deal with Mega Man 2?"

To make an extremely long version short, we had the game beaten all the way up to Wily, and the video file was corrupted. This wouldn't have been a huge deal, except we spent over 6 hours playing that game. So yeah, it hurt a lot for us to lose that file, but a lot of inside jokes were born from that. Same thing with Mega Man X. I actually beat that game and once again, the file was corrupted, and we were only able to save a little of it. We'll go back to MM2 eventually when the pain wears off. MMX, however, can go burn in a fire.


"You know for an expert, you're not doing too well."

I've said it before, but I'll re-iterate. I've never said that I was an expert at these games. I've played most of the games she's played, but that doesn't mean that I remembered all of it. Hell yea, I'm a bit rusty, but come on. When's the last time you've booted up Castlevania 1? Exactly.


"I have an idea for what game you should play next!"

Then please, send us a e-mail! It'll knock the cobwebs out, and we'll put it on our list of things to do if it meets the requirements.


Other Things

So, what's left for us to do? We've got some pretty cool things lined up. I've done some TCPS solo videos that should be posted up soon. I've actually got a list of topics that I would love to blog about and a couple of drafts on the computer that are just sitting there, waiting to be finished. We're plotting on finding some of the wackiest, craziest, and down right weird game accessories and posting a HUGE blog about it. And other surprises cocked together in the blog. TCPS at the movies, anyone? ^_^ (Don't forget more guests!)

One last thing. If you visit, and you like what you see or you are excited for what's to come? Please, please, let us know! Tweet us, Email us or just leave a comment for us to catch! We'd love to read it!

Continue?

Prinny Invades my Game Difficulty, Dood.

*Presses Start*

So, The 3DS is awesome, but it's sitting in a corner right now. My A.D.D attention span (and not wanting to get up) has drawn me to another game.

Prinny. Yeah. The Peg-legged penguins from Disgaea have their own game. And it's fucking awesome. It's a normal platformer game that gives you 1000 lives and says "finish me". Sounds like overkill? It's not. The Difficulty is rammed up to 11 and you'll need every single one of those lives. And that's only the easy difficulty. On hard, it's one hit kill-ville, and it's population you. I've have yelled obscenities, thrown the PSP, and overall made people hate me as a neighbor, but I've had more fun with this game then I have in a long time. Mostly because this game has kicked me in the balls and laughed at me while I'm in pain.

For me to say that I like difficult video games is a general assumptions. I like games with a challenge, which is more then I can say for 9/10ths of the games out there today. I know, I know, some of you are impressed with your Halo Legendary run through, but even that doesn't amount to how difficult games back in the day were. Try playing "Bionic Commando". No, not the remake. The old one with a life bar that you had to earn. That was hard. How about "Ninja Gaiden?" And yes, the new one was crazy difficult. Just like the old one.

In the days of emulation and save states, game difficulty has gone down a ton. I'm under the impression that few gamers that grew up on Xbox and Wii, don't really have a grasp on what difficult games are. When I play a game, I don't want to be able to breeze through it. I want to have a game that makes me feel like I've accomplished something by finishing it, not make me feel like I just wasted my time. There's not too many games like that out there like that.

Ghosts and Goblins was difficult. You got hit twice, and you died. Battletoads was incredibly difficult. TMNT was a bitch to finish as well. Contra: Hard Corps. Comix Zone. Castlevania. Games that weren't hard by going to options and clicking Very Hard; These bastards were difficult by design, and I think nowadays, games don't do that. People don't know about limited continues. They know about auto saving and quick aim.

You crazy kids get off my lawn, dood. Until then,

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Hello good people! Yeah, I've gone through and changed a few things, like, the color scheme, (it was almost pastel pink with cherry blossoms, but Antonio shot that down,) and the layout. I just felt like it needed to be changed, that is until I am able to go in to my lovely art programs and design a layout for the site. I will slowly be adding some buttons for the podcasts though so you don't have to search for the link I've placed randomly in the post. :) I hope to have those up by tomorrow.

You've probably also noticed that we've been a bit quiet. Blame real life. I had a family emergency, that's still kind of going on, but slowing down, and a few other things that have caused me to go into over-stress mode. And real life attacked Antonio, specifically his back last I checked.

What else is new? Well, as some of you might know, the TCPS podcast is available in the iTunes store, and now we are also available in the Zune Marketplace! Yay! We're also on Twitter! You can follow us @TCPSpodcast, and you can watch out soon for a Facebook page, also. We are all over the internet! We even have an email! If you wanted to get a hold of us, ask us some questions, send us some comments, or anything really.

Now, what can you look forward to seeing? Well, I'll tell you!

New podcasts! - Video Challenges including Chrono Trigger, Kirby, Metroid, Shinobi, Kid Icarus, and many others.
Podcasts on Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, DLC, Video Game music radio stations, and whatever else we feel like.
More guests, including Joe 'Covenant' Lamb, Shua, Julia 'Jules' Sherred, the return of Owen, and many others. Oh yeah, people wanna be on this podcast. We cool.

New blog posts! - Reviews on Dragon Age 2, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and Prinny. Gaming crafts that exist in real life, and maybe a special blog post including some Steampunk, (I have my reasons.)

New Layout/Extras! - As I mentioned above, a new layout might be on its way soon, along with some new buttons for media downloads. Also we''ll have some fun extras showing up, like video podcasts from Antonio, and our YouTube channel featuring our Let's Play's!

As you can see we have some awesome stuff coming up, some awesome stuff has happened, and we're not running out of ideas anytime soon. Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell the internets! To Continue Press Start is here to stay.

The Ides Of March: Games that should have gotten reviews, but didn't

*Presses Start*

So, I have to get off my 3DS long enough to tell you about some games that came out in March that should have gotten full fledged reviews but most of my time was spent between real life and Dragon Age 2.

Speaking of Dragon Age 2, I promise a review, but I'm actually replaying this game to catch up on some of the things I missed (like characters) so that'll come soon enough. Promise.

Now to the games:

Rift: The World Of Warcraft "killer" that released earlier this month has gotten pretty amazing reviews so far. I haven't reviewed it because of my disdain for (Most) MMORPGs, but reader reviews so far are saying that it's good, but it's not going to stop WOW anytime soon. Aion anyone?

Pokemon: The racist version of the game dropped this month and so far people are saying that it's pretty good. I should actually pick up, but once you pick one up, you've picked them all up.

People are saying that it's incredibly different, but I've yet to know a difference.

Homefront: The THQ answer to call of duty that really left me wanting to play call of duty. The solo campaign was really terrible. The Multiplayer was OK, but I'm more a solo guy myself.

Okamiden: Yes. 10x times yes. It's not on the same plain as the original, but it's holds it's own well enough to suppress the urge for an sequel.

Dissidia 012: Harder to start from scratch, but overall, a satisfying prequel. All the new characters are interesting.

Crysis 2: Definitely deserving of a full review. So many cool things in the game, it's pretty good so far. The Multiplayer is solid and the Single Campaign is great. And yes, my PS3 can run Crysis.

I know March isn't over yet, but most of the major ones are already out, and there's some games that should have gotten a solid review, but because I am only one man, I can only tackle what I can. Expect another blog real soon guys.

Continue?

Ferelden Blues: A look back at Dragon Age and the Journey to Dragon Age 2

*Presses Start*

Let me start off by saying that I love RPGs. I love them all, and a ton of them rank up there as one of my favorite game experiences of all time. It's just not the normal Final Fantasy, Either. 3 of my top RPGs of all time aren't even Final Fantasies at all (Chrono Trigger, Star Ocean: The Second Story and Persona 4). That's not to say that I dislike them. There's very few that I can say I really just don't like, and even then, that's not to say that they're terrible games, that's just saying that there was something in that game that I couldn't get into (I'm looking at you, Final Fantasy XII) and caused me to be slightly disappointed. That's also a huge gamble in RPGs today. You have to be emotionally invested in your character and in your team. If not, you're risking having your pride and joy in the bargain bin. A little company called BioWare understood and complied with amazing force.

Back in 2009, BioWare released a game that sucked up over 100 hours worth of game play from me. Dragon Age origins told the story of a man who fought the darkspawn. The back story and the character was entirely up to you. This was one of the first games that I played that let you build up your character from scratch (Save for Fallout) and unleash havoc on the world that BioWare created. For me, I was living the high life until my castle was ambushed and killed my family, leaving me to become a Grey Warden and eventually save the world from the Blight. YES. The way that they told the tale for this game was amazingly well done and enough for me to drop everything that I was doing to finish this game. A year later, While my Dragon Age lust was still hot, they announced Dragon Age II, coming the following year. Now, usually I'm alright with sequels as long as the first one is done correctly (See Bulletstorm review) But what I'm not a fan of is announcing a sequel of a game that is still relatively new. I can understand striking while the iron is hot, but that may have been a bit TOO quick. Bioware was quick to piss people off, and the next announcement wasn't going to be any better.

Bioware announced that they were going to make DA2 more "streamlined", "faster" and "less tactical". For a fan of the first game and how tactical it was, I was kinda upset. I didn't want streamlined. DA:O was for the hardcore gamers who wanted to take control of everything, and that's where I wanted it to stay. Then they announced that the character that you took control of in the second one couldn't be ported to the second one. Why? Because they were giving you a person to start off with, instead of making him your own. That's right. Wanted to be a elf blood mage? Out of the question. You had to be a human. That was the most upsetting thing that I've read. I was a human to start off, but I loved the Elf's back story that was created. If I wanted to replay the game and start off completely new, I couldn't do it. As if all that wasn't a big back stab to the fans, BioWare also made a completely new battle system. You wanted to press X and let your character duke it out while you kicked back? Not anymore. Everything was now in real time, taking away the tactical portion of the game.

Pissed off isn't a way to put it. Fans were fucking LIVID.

It seemed like BioWare had turn their back on their fans. I have to admit, I wasn't 100% sure that BioWare still had it anymore. They cut out what seemed to be major portions of their game for a faster and quicker experience for everyone. Like the selfish fanboy I was, I didn't want the game for everyone. I wanted it for me. Of course, as time goes by, I settled down. I decided that the very best I could do was give it a shot and hope for the best. The trailer looked cool, so at very least I could scoop it up and say "Hey BioWare, I have faith that you'll do me proud". Did they disappoint?

Part 1 of Dragon Age 2 coming really really soon. Until then,

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Podcast update!

Not only did we just post two new podcasts today, (one audio, one video), and a new blog post, you can now find the "To Continue Press Start" podcast in the iTunes store! Side note: I'm still working on getting into the Zune Marketplace for those who don't have iTunes. Stay tuned for updates of our different "Let's Play" series, also!

Podcast episodes here: Click

Bulletstorm, The Matrix, And Game Endings

*presses start*

First off, I'm sorry for lack of updates. Things have been crazy on this side as of late, so I'm going to update twice this week to compensate.

I've pulled my foot out of people's ass in MVC3 long enough to put in Bulletstorm and finish through the campaign. Bulletstorm is a straight macho charged game resembling a FPS version of Epic's pride and joy, Gears of War. It was crude. It was charged. I've never heard so many creative references to a penis before. It was a bit on the easy side. The most important thing? It was a blast to play. There's a certain rush that you get (not to mention bonus points) when you drag your enemy (a la Scorpion) to your face, attach explosives to his neck, and kick him back to his co-horts and watching them all explode. (For the record, that one was entitled GangBang. Get it?)

Too bad the ending blew. Hard.

(Spoiler alert ahead but if you haven't seen The Matrix Trilogy, I'm sure you're on the wrong site.)

I remember being so excited about watching Matrix Reloaded. I'm sure I'm one of the many that genuinely enjoyed the movie while I was in the theater. "Oh man, the fights were pretty cool, Holy shit they got out of the ship. Neo's in a coma. Who is that....Oh man, it's Bane/Smith! What's gonna happen no...."

*Spits out Popcorn*

"What the fuck is this shit?"

Now, before I get tons of "WTF, some of the best games have this, you have no idea what you're talking about" mail, let me clarify. Sometimes, and under very rare circumstances would something end on a to be continued and it work. Especially with gaming. I could name of a couple off hand, but since some of them are on the newer arc, I'll refrain, but some of the older trilogies that come to mind are Halo, Prince of Persia (confusing as it was at the time), and Phoenix Wright just to name a few. Ending a game on a Cliffhanger that was a pretty epic thrill ride is one thing, but I can't help but feel like sometimes the developers use that as a cop-out nine times out to ten. It feels like a cheap sitcom saying "Tune into next week for the exciting conclusion to this $60 dollar game!" And just like The Matrix Reloaded, it promises big things and like it's anti-climatic conclusion, it often fails to deliver. I didn't pay $60+ Whatever DLC to have a friggin incomplete game. If a RPG did that, I'm pretty sure I'd develop a well written letter telling the company to fuck themselves.

I can understand cliffhangers, but when the game just ends with no amazing finish to it, it just feels rushed, incomplete and I drop the controller because now I have to wait however long the developers decide to stop milking their "Highly successful hit game" and actually finish my game. People are STILL waiting on a half life 3 and that's supposedly been in the making for years. You know, they decided that they didn't want to finish at that moment so they release half done. Movies can get away with it, but it's usually not for the best (See Matrix Reloaded) and with Television, it's almost expected and accepted. Games is a bit testy just because when we purchase a game, we expect a story. A beginning, a conflict, and it's dramatic, fun filled conclusion. Conclusion, being the keyword.

In Prince of Persia (The Sands Of Time series), The story telling was so epic, It could afford the cliffhanger ending at the end of Warrior Within. .The huge difference was that there was a conflict that felt resolved. Destroying the The Dahaka (or the hot chicka, can't remember her name) felt like a huge accomplishment. (Spoiler note, I found it really cool that no matter what ending you got, You cannot change your fate still rang true.) Half Life 2's ending on the other hand... depending on how you look at it, was a slap in the face for people who waited for 7 years for this game and have such a blah ending. Tack that on for people who played it when it first came out in 1998 and you have people who have been following this series for 13 years and is STILL waiting for a conclusion to a video game. You can't climax forever, Gamindustri. After a while, we all just stop caring and move on to something that's more filling. It's not me, Bulletstorm. It's you.

Oh, and the Matrix Revolutions can blow my balls.

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Opening Remarks and Acceptance

*presses start*

Welcome, one and all, to the fantasy zone.

Megan randomly asked if I wanted to do a podcast on which I jumped on immediately. The problem was that we actually couldn't just randomly make a podcast. There was a lot of technical mumbo jumbo that had to be jumped so that we could actually do this, but we jumped with ease. The hardest part actually came for a name for this blog/podcast. It took longer to come up with a name that didn't suck then to actually make the site. After some intense deliberation, we're here now.

I've been a gamer as far back as I can remember, all the way from my family owning a NES to owning a Genesis to owning every next-gen system possible. To question my gamer-ness is to question my manhood. I'm a gamer a heart and I'm pretty sure I'll game until I run out of extra lives and game over becomes more then a cue to start over.

I've been playing the fuck out of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 recently. It's a game that fans have been waiting to drop for over 10 years and it's finally made it. The game is fun and fluid. The graphics are beautiful. The MT Framework works wonderfully for this game.

And deep in my heart of hearts, I know people are going to hate this game with a inhumane passion. For No. Reason. At. All.

That's generally how it goes with gamers. We're passionate about our games and anyone who doesn't follow our opinion of games might as well be dead to us. If you play fighting games, you're a elitist. If you play Call of Duty, odds are you don't like anything else that isn't "Real life". If you play sports games, you're a jock who's so close minded, he hates everything else. RPG players are nothing but nerds who sit in their basement and play D&D all day. If you play the platformers, you enjoy the kiddie games. It goes on and on and on with no end in sight. It's almost kind of sickening how close minded the gamer central is. It brings your personal likeness of virtual games and tossed on the outside world and ridicules you for it. I've seen people stop talking because one is a sports fan and the other likes puzzle games. It's the ridiculous shit like that. Megan (as I'm sure she'll tell you on one of her posts) plays the hell out of Minecraft. While it's not my cup of tea by a long shot and I pick on her constantly about it, I'll never tell her that she sucks as a human because of her gaming habits. That's crossing the line.

And even if you can agree on certain genres, that's not even the end of it. There's sub-genres as well that could very well be your Mason-Dixon line. "u liek Final Fantasy? WTF, Disegea 4 life n00b, gtfo". It's these retarded habits that make real gamers not associate with other games. For the record, There's at least something of every genre that I've taken a liking to. From Madden 11 to Ico, I can say there's something out there for everyone, and one game doesn't necessarily define the genre. So, I challenge all of you. Go play something out of your genre. You an RPG guy? Try a sports game. FIFA soccer your choice of game? Play some Trauma Team or some Phoenix Wright. You like FPS's? Hit up some Street Fighter and then let's talk. Find something to play and who knows? Maybe you'll come out with a new love of a certain game and at very least, you can come back here and say that you tried. Acceptance, ladies and gentlemen. That's all I ask for. Tolerate that everyone likes something different.

Except those Minecraft people. They're fucking weridos.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go back to Amaterasu. Spider-Man has been talking shit and I plan on shoving one of my divine instruments where the web don't spin.

Until next time,

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