Andrew Part One

ANDREW PART ONE

Andrew has spent months looking for a car. He didn't care if it  had sucked or that it made noise. He just wanted a car. The newspaper had an ad for a car, he was debating on looking at it, but was afraid he wouldn't buy it because the asking price was well over his budget. He thought about it, but looked at it anyways knowing he won't get it. The car was old, but he did not mind., it was green with dirt stains all over it. The man had said that the car works fine, but it was the little things that made the car more trouble than it was worth. Andrew said he would think about it and left. Two months after that he landed on a well paying job and while the car he wanted was a little too high, he would go out and get that Green car. It didn't take much time to get it, only a month, but when he was last there, the asking price for the car was higher than it was now. Now that green car was sold for 600 bucks. This would be a good car to have while he saves up for the big car he wanted. He won't have this car in a years time, it was just something to go to work with. It would take somewhere six to eight months to fully pay for the car he wanted. So until then, he bought the car, flaws and all.

to be continued...

Richard Pt 1

RICHARD PART ONE.

To say this car sucks was an understatement. Richard had no clue on why he thought it was a good idea to get this piece of crap car in the first place. It never worked right, when turning left there was a 75 percent chance that it will make a terrible screeching noise. At nights where it gets cold, the doors would get stuck and it would be impossible to open. The only way Richard figured out to open it was to splash hot water into the car, and then the driver seat would get wet from the melting ice and hot water. Worst of all the windows would not clean properly. When ever soap is touched it would leave a white residue. It got so bad that the residue looked like paper. The white soapy residue would take forever for it to clear out and ready to be driven. Because of this the car was dirty most of the time. Despite these problems it still runs. Richard hated those small flaws in a car. He had some in the past that wouldn't run at all, and that was even better than the one he had now. After owning the car for 2 years, he finally gave up and put the car in the newspaper. Potential buyers would come down and look at the car. Richard told them that it runs great, but once he told the flaws it had no one would buy it. He did eventually sell it 3 months after the first ad in the paper for a measly 600 bucks. It was not much, be he was finally been rid of it.

to be continued...

Book Vs Film: Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas

A HEAD FULL OF ACID

Hunter S. Thompson has been called one of the most influential writers of the 20th Century and the Mark Twain of his generation. What he left behind is a trail full of drugs, violence, and the harsh violent truth of reality as he saw it. From his early work about Hells Angels, where he spent a year with the infamous motorcycle gang, to Hey Rube, a collection of sports articles he had written for ESPN. Of course, being Dr. Thompson, he didn't write all about sports in Hey Rube. Hunter S. Thompson had seen everything you could ever see in a lifetime and beyond. His methods are questionable at best, but he wrote what he saw with conviction and most writers don't do that. One of his well known works is called Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: The Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Dr. Thompson called it a failed attempt at Gonzo Journalism, which is a style that he created or at least popularized. Some of the events in Las Vegas is true, some of it is not, but the truth is always stranger than fiction.

Thompson at Las Vegas '71

Las Vegas starts simple enough; "We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold." Dr Thompson, or Raoul Duke as it was first written by in Rolling Stone magazine, sets you up what is about to happen in the first sentence. This is how both the book and film starts. The film was released in the summer of 1998, the same day Godzilla came out no less, and it was directed by Terry Gilliam. Terry Gilliam was part of the Monty Python comedy troupe. He also directed 12 Monkeys and Time Bandits. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas starred Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke, which he based his performance by Dr. Thompson, and Benicio Del Toro as Dr. Gonzo, which was based of Thompson's friend and attorney Oscar Zeta Acosta. I consider Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas one of Johnny Depp's best films. Both Depp and Del Toro is amazing in this film. The film also had a handful of cameos including Lyle Lovett, Harry Dean Stanton, Cameron Diaz, Penn Jullette, Hunter S. Thompson himself, and more.

WITH A BIT OF LUCK

On the outside, the film can be viewed as a stoner comedy. The trailer plays this off, but it's much more than that. It's about two friends trying to find the American Dream in 1971 and why it has failed. After surviving the sixties with its police brutality and the uncertain future of America. They decided to head out to Las Vegas to find it, in Sports Illustrated expense as Duke/Thompson had to cover the Mint 400. Thompson was part of the Chicago Riot of 1968. He went on and said that the riots was much worse than any Hells Angels had ever done in the year he spent with them. One of the most memorable passage in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was simply called the Wave Speech:

All that talk and protest for Peace was for naught. The Vietnam War continued on. The film is not for everyone, there are things in this movie that will make you hate it, but it doesn't shy away from what is shown and heard, and that what makes it so great. One of my favorite scenes is simply known as Adrenochrome. A fictional substance that gets you higher than you ever though possible. In the movie, Raoul Duke tries some out and while the effects begins to take hold, his friend Dr. Gonzo begins to change into a wild beast complete with claws, horns, hair, and tits in his back. It's dark and twisted, but it has nothing compared to the next few scenes in the movie. Duke has recordings of all that had happened when he finally woke up from the drug trance. The music and the inter cutting between scenes is perfect. Total insanity and unsure of what will come next. The film also has one of the most suspenseful scenes in all of film, I was afraid of what might happen when I first saw the film years ago.

THERE I WAS... MOTHER OF GOD, THERE I AM!

That was the movie, but what about the book? Well, actually, the movie and the book is quite close with each other. Yeah, there is a scene or two that was in the movie, but not in the book. There is actually a scene that was in the movie that never made it to the book. But as it stands, it's one of the most faithful adaptations you could ever want in a film. Does this lessen the book? No, in fact, it improves upon it. The film feels more like a companion piece of the book. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but at least watch the movie once. It's dark, twisted, funny, strange, and at times truthful. If you decide to read the book and liked it, read some of Hunter S. Thompson's work as well. I've read some of his work, but not all of it, and what I did read, I did enjoy. There is another movie called Where the Buffalo Roam, it's got Bill Murray as Hunter S. Thompson. It's not the best film you'll ever see, but it's interesting to see what Murray's take on Thompson and see what Depp did. But to know the real Thompson, I would suggest Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

"When the going gets weird. The weird turns pro." - Hunter S. Thompson.

Violence: It's Human Nature

Violence has been a touchy subject on the video game industry for a while now, as more games get increasingly violent, the question of what is too far gets asked. BioShock Infinite seems to be the next game questioned on whether games are getting too violent lately. BioShock Infinite is violent, but it’s not as violent as most says it is. You do shoot things and use vigors to kill enemies, what makes it violent is the melee kills. You get your skyhook and use them in brutal ways. Either killing an enemy by decapitation or simply snapping the neck. I think the reason why these kills are the front and center of it all is how detached the rest of the game is. It’s the most violent aspect of the game, and it can easily be avoided most of the time. The only time you use the melee is the first battle. 

RIP TEAR SLASH 

But what about the other games that is out there? Take the God of War games. They are increasingly violent, and it sells that level of violence to the audience. When God of War III was first announced in E3 2009, the finale part of the demo was Kratos ripping Helios’ head off. It was not a clean rip either; skin was stretched, veins burst, and blood spewed everywhere. Even Kratos himself was bloodied. That one rip was the talk of everyone when God of War III was discussed. It’s very possible to say that the violence and gore was part of the game design, but if you look at paintings about Greek Mythology, they are violent by nature. The one painting that shows up often is one of Cronos eating his young. It was not like they were swallowed whole like in God of War II, but literally being eaten. Blood covered Cronos hands and mouth with a body that is almost devoured. This is just one of many graphic paintings of violence that shows how violent a person is. Look up Hell at Google, and you will be shown paintings of people getting tortured and killed. From the early days of the caveman paintings by telling the story of how they got their food, to now where we can see real live shootouts in the news. Violence is now, and forever more, a part of human nature. If you see an insect you don’t like, there’s a good chance that you are going to kill that insect. There, you have commented violence. 

 
See the veins 

Violence is in movies, music, comic books, books, and nearly everything you do. Some of the greatest movies are violent. Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, Saving Private Ryan, and even the old classic Disney films are violent. Same goes for comic books. Even in the 1950's where comic books had to be absurdly tame, it still had violence in them. Music and books are downright graphic. Listen to a song from the Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem and there is a good chance that there is a violent reference. Then there are bands like Cannibal Corpse and Dethklok. Their songs are violent by nature. There is not an episode in Metalocalypse that some random person dies in the most graphic ways. I’m a fan of They Might Be Giants and there’s a song from there new album on which it hinted that two young kids kill their parents. This is not the only song they sing about that has death in them. In their long career, death one way or another is one of the main themes. If you think that games and music is bad, it has nothing on books. 

GORE AND GORE 

One of the most popular books to come out in the past 20 years is the Harry Potter series. It starts out fun and light, but by the time the series ends, it’s so far removed it feels like an entirely different series. If you saw the movie and read the book, you know that the snake did not disintegrate in the book like it did in the movie. The snake was flown off and blood was everywhere. What you make in your own head is worse than what actually is. In the Dark Tower series, Stephen King goes to an absurd detail on how a person got ran over by a car. No music, game, or movie has ever match that level of graphic violence. That is why horror movies are effective and some are not. The less we see the better. Because there was not a PG-13 rating back in the early 70's. Toby Hopper was hoping to get a PG rating on Texas Chainsaw Massacre because of how little gore was shown, but when it was released it was rated R. Even by today’s PG-13 standards, the film is tame. What pushed it to the R rating was how little was shown and how your brain made it worse. The ironic thing is, is that Jaws is rated PG and that film is gorier than Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 

 
He gives us the idea, we just fill in the blanks. 

You could argue that the reason why games are in the spotlight instead of films and books is because we are participating on the violence. While this is true to a point, we are only interacting with someone else’s idea. It’s one thing to play a game; it’s another thing to write about a fictional character’s death. In the game we are giving the tools to kill an enemy. Either by sword, gun, magic, blunt object, to even the body. Writing about a death allows you to step forward beyond that. It gives you a motive, setting, weapon, and the characters. I could write that person A kills Person B with an ax, or I can say that person A dodge person B’s attack and Kills person B. I can kill A or B in a number of ways. By the chest, legs, arms, or even the head. It’s entirely up to me and that is what games can’t do. 



There will always be violence in media. Whether fiction or on your nightly news, violence will never go away. I just rather prefer violence in a game, book, movie, music, paintings, plays, or any other matter that is not real life. If you kill another human being, then there is something far more wrong with you than you realize. There is no easy answer, so try not to find one.

BioShock: Infinite Review

"If you want to test a man's character, first give him power" - Abraham Lincoln

Ken Levine returns to the world he created with BioShock Infinite. When the original BioShock came out in 2008, it received many awards and it's been called one of the greatest games of all time. While BioShock was good, it wasn't as good as everyone said it was. Repetitive fetch quests, a bit leaner, and a lackluster boss and finale, I just don't hold the high regards everyone else has. I found BioShock to be good, Nothing more, nothing less. BioShock 2 came out, and it wasn't good. It was just mediocre. Now, in 2013, we finally have a BioShock game that matches the hype, BioShock Infinite. It ditches the fetch quest style of the original and leads us to the path of redemption and loss. From the minute  you step into Colombia, BioShock  Infinite version of Rapture, it becomes apparent that this is American Propaganda overload. No matter where you turn, you will see the red, white, and blue. There was also racial overtones in the game, none of it was too offensive, but it does bring the racial war America used to have. The one thing that does shine brighter than that is the religious propaganda. The creator of Colombia is a reverend named Comstock, but he calls himself a prophet. He claims that God came down and to make the City one which this game is based on. If the original BioShock shows what happens if you give everyone too much power, BioShock Infinite shows you what happens if you give someone too much.

"Who is the happier man, those that lived life to the fullest or someone that just stood back and merely existed?" - Hunter S. Thompson (paraphrased)

BioShock Infinite is an FPS adventure on which you have to save a girl named Elizabeth. For all the action and great gameplay BioShock Infinite has, it's nothing compared to Elizabeth. Elizabeth can take care of herself and can take care of you. It's like a reversed escort mission, instead taking care if her, she is taking care of you. She throws you all you need to survive the fight. And if you are down, she'll revives you. She doesn't help all the time, but most of the time she does. This might make the game seem easy, but it's not. The game is not too hard, but there area  few fights that do require you to be careful. One of the best part of the game is the Skyline. You use a hook to ride in the skyline to go to one place to another in Colombia, and it can be part of combat also. This adds an exciting aspect to combat. Using the Skyline, it will make you be in constant movement, but Elizabeth won't give you items. It becomes a risk and reward aspect of the game that I didn't think it would be there. Elizabeth is this years Clementine. She's a fully established character that you can't help to care for. What makes Elizabeth work is the brilliant script and a great story. The voice acting is superb that makes you care for the characters. DeWitt is a likeable dick. The last 10 to 15 minutes of the game is so mindblowing that it's going to be hard for other developers to match it.

"We are Hummingbirds who are not willing to move" - Issac Brock

In the nine to twelve hour game, there were a few moments that I would have either taken away, or trimmed down. There was a stealth mission that comes from out of nowhere, and it would have been entirely possible to miss it. The finale battle, while trying to be epic, didn't have that same excitement the rest of the game had, and one that I won't mention because of spoilers. That part happens in the middle of the game. The story, while still great, does falter a bit, but that one section ends just as quick, it's still equally important to the overall narrative. It just seemed that there would be more than that. But the worst thing about it is the fact that there is no carry over or new game plus. Like Tomb Raider, finding everything is just not worth it if it doesn't have carry over.

It's not often a game comes along and blows the hype out of the water, but BioShock Infinite did just that. The flaws that it has, even if one of them is major, is nothing compared to the rest of the game. Not only is it a strong contender to game of the year, but it'll be remembered as one of the best games of the decade.

A Quick Impression of Injustice: Gods Among Us

The creators of the Mortal Kombat series are coming out with their brand new game Injustice: Gods Among Us. Releasing in April, 16th Netherrealm has a released a demo in the mean time. The demo has three playable characters; Batman, Lex Luthor, and Wonder Woman. It's got about 20 more fighters in the finale game including Robin, Nightwing, The Green Lantern, The Joker, Superman, and Harley Quinn. Depending on what character you play as you play as, they each have their own advantage and disadvantage. Lex Luthor is strong, but moments are slow, and Batman is quick, but his attacks are weak. Wonder Woman seems to have the mixture of the two. I'm a more of a quick attacker player, so Batman was the choice for me. If you were expecting the fighters to have the same moves as the Mortal Kombat characters have, then you'll be half right. The buttons for both games are different, but they both share the same button commands, Batman's grappler move is the same as Scorpion's. If Batman is Scorpion, then Wonder Woman is Mileena and Lex Luthor is Jax. If you had some problems with both Mileena and Jax, then you'll have the same problem here. But if you practice like you might have done with Mileena and Jax, Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor can be powerful fighters. With enough practice, you can make their weakness into their strength. This game has the philosophy of Easy to play, Hard to master. I haven't learned every move of Batman, so I've been button mashing. I know that if I sit down with it like I did with Mortal Kombat, Batman will be just as powerful.

There was one only one mode to play in the demo, and that was Battle. You fight Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and Doomsday. Doomsday seems to be taking the Shao Kahn's school of bosses, but unlike Kahn himself where Kahn has the tendency to use the same moves over and over again, Doomsday mixes them up. He's a legitimate challenge. He isn't tough, but tough enough to keep you in your toes. Much like Mortal Kombat, there is a type of X-Ray move, instead of showing the bones break, each fighter has a super move. Batman's super move is that he shocks you, hit your chin with his knee, throws an exploding Batarang, and makes his Batmobile run you over. It gets ridiculous sometimes, but it's fantastic in doing so. There is also wages that happen randomly in the battle where you press a button to try to complete a clash. There was something like it in Mortal Kombat vs DC. If one person wins the wager a small bonus will be given to them. The two I've seen was a small health benefit or more damage of the resulting clash. If there was a tie, nothing happens, and the fight continues on. The one thing that did surprise me was the damage. In one fight parts of Wonder Woman's skin was gone. It's not Mortal Kombat level of skin damage, but it's there and not as bloody.

Injustice: Gods Among Us releases this month for the PS3, WiiU, and 360, and if this demo shows a tiny taste of what is to come, then this will be one of the best fighting games around. I haven't mention the extra multiplayer and single player modes this game has. The same care that Mortal Kombat 9 had is shown here, and I can't wait to try out the full game.

Tomb Raider Review

It's actually risky to reboot an iconic character. Not only do you need to bring fresh ideas, but to make sure that he character still has those traits that make the character memorable in the first place. Ninja Theory's Devil May Cry tried to reboot the Character of Dante with mixed results. Now Crystal Dynamics attempts to reboot Lara Croft in Tomb Raider.

For the first time in 17 years, Lara feels like a real person. She is unsure of herself, cares for others, and feels pain as the events of the game pans out. Very few games allow having the character abused as much as Lara has. Past games from the series have Lara escape death, and she doesn't even have a scratch. Not even Nathan Drake gets a cut. You see the damage Lara gets throughout the game. Not only does Lara get through a blender, but we feel her pain as well.

LAWSUIT ISLAND

Tomb Raider has a lot of homages to The Descent

The set pieces are a sight to be seen, it even rivals that of the Uncharted series. From escaping from a burning building to parachuting down a tree infested mountain side. Her will to survive allows her to come back stronger than ever. By the end of the game, Lara Croft has never been this bad ass. There is not a lot of weapons to choose from, but the weapons you do get you will use. There is not a weapon you will not use. There are ways to upgrade your weapons and deal out more damage.

Finding salvage and weapon parts will maximize your weapons. Finding relics, journals, and GPS caches will give you experience to upgrade yourself, by the end of the game, you can deal melee damage.

The combat is fast and exciting; the game is challenging, but never frustrating. Each fight that comes with it feels hefty and real. Each bullet and arrow that flies passed your head feels earned. It's a thrilling experience that most games strive for. The light stealth is excellent and very satisfying. You can complete full section using only stealth. Cover is the best around. When enemies are nearby, Lara will cover down automatically and it has a sense of realism. No button is needed. The enemies will do the same. They will flank you or rush you and it never feels old.

PLACE HERE AND THERE

Lara Croft can survive almost anything.

As you progress through the game, you will come across tombs. There is not as much as I hoped for, but they do allow a mixture among action and puzzles. There is a focus mode called Survival Instinct, but a part of finding the way point, I hardly used it. The Survival Instinct provides the pieces to the puzzle, not the solution. In the game you can explore the whole island. While the game is liner, it doesn't feel like it with its many places to find. Moving around is fast and fun while using the pick axe is a blast to do. Lara moves as you would expect someone will do, if she trips her body will have a response to it. Lara Croft's story to protégé to Survivor is an interesting one; it's not about looking for tombs, but her will to survive.

The side characters are not the most fleshed out, but they are interesting. The parallel between Lara and Mathias is interesting and the focus point of the game. As one goes mad with the will to survive, the other finds themselves stronger than ever. What helps this new Lara is the new actress playing her. I hope that we see more of her as Lara in the future. This is a rare game where the guns have a power behind them. The game is not the most detailed, but it still looks great.

THE WALLS ARE COMING DOWN

Not every game is perfect, there was this one moment where I died because the platform I was on did not load properly, and another where I got lost and could not find my way out. That happened in my second play through. It was after I met Grim, and I had to start over again. There is a lot of Quick Time Events in the game, but it becomes less so as the game continues. There is a weird save system where the game saves all the time, but you cannot do it manually. Nearly everything you do, the game will save. I would have liked it more if the fire camps was the save point like in Dark Souls.

The biggest problem with Tomb Raider is the lack of Carry Over. After you beat the game, you cannot bring your stats with you into a new game. If this had carry over, then searching for all the little trinkets the game has would have been worth it. Some of the problems are glaring, but they do not detract the overall feel of the game. The length of the game is awesome clocking around ten to 13 hours, more if you decide to find everything. Crystal Dynamics has not only given us a refreshing take on Lara Croft and Tomb Raider, but a fantastic Action Adventure game. It's too soon to tell, but I can see this being in my Game of the Year list by the end of the year. A worthy entry to the series.

Respawn Reload posts...

I AM ALIVE

First announced in E3 2008, I Am Alive is set to be one of the year’s most ambitious games. If this demo gives any indication, it falls short of the intended goal. The story is based on a guy looking for his family after “The Event”. What that event was, the demo wasn’t too clear on. What is clear is that the whole world is now in ruins in a post-apocalyptic future where it seems everyone is out to get you. Unlike most games where it’s clear that the world can clearly fix itself, I Am Alive takes that away and shows you what would really happen.


It starts off promising; you go across a broken down bridge, and the game teaches you how to climb. Climbing is a mix of Uncharted and Shadow of the Colossus. Uncharted is clearly a main influence when it comes to the climbing game play. You jump, climb, leap, and even hang down. To keep with the survival aspect of the game, it takes its cues from Shadow of the Colossus. Both games have a grip meter which you would have to be careful of. What makes it different from one another is that when your grip is gone you enter this intensified mode where you would have to push the R1 button as fast as you can for a last ditch effort for safety. By comparison, in Shadow of the Colossus, you just slip and fall. Whereas in Shadow of the Colossus you can upgrade your grip, in I Am Alive it actually downgrades. Hang on for too long and your gauge will slowly start to degenerate and the only way to get the grip back is to drink water. Even with all this, the climbing aspect, while simple, is quite thrilling. It becomes an exciting race against time as you try to reach that one area that will save you. I’m not too big on racing against the clock, but this game seems to do it right.


While the climbing was decent, the combat is way off. This is supposed to be a game about survival. I understand ammo, health, and supplies are rare, but what I don’t understand is why the combat is the worst part of it. In one section alone – early in the game – you come across two guys trying to pick a fight. For one moment, the combat becomes interesting. You push the attack button, and you will perform a surprise kill. After killing the first guy, you will get his weapon with one bullet, and kill the other guy that was with him. After finishing both, two more guys comes out, and this is where the combat becomes terrible. You first have to hold them up and force them back, once you do so you can do something, but the game wasn’t too clear on that either. Unless I was doing something wrong, I can’t see how to beat these two guys. This part reminded me of Dark Souls. The only difference is that Dark Souls had great combat, and I Am Alive does not.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish. I was more frustrated with the game’s sloppy combat than anything I played this month, which is a shame because I was really looking forward to this one. After watching gameplay footage and trailers, I thought the game would be something original. The survival aspect seems like it would be great, but the action is severely lacking. From what I’ve heard, there’s a little too much action.

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PAX EAST INDIE


 One of the many reasons PAX was created was because E3 was much too big for Indie developers to show off their new games. So with that in mind, Penny Arcade created PAX. Now PAX East and PAX Prime are a major event for new, upcoming developers to show off their games. This year they had a space all their own called Indie Mega Booth. It was one of the biggest booths on the show floor, and it showed off 20 indie games. Every year at PAX Prime there is a list that shows the absolute best in Indie game called PAX 10. Could any of the following games be in this year’s PAX 10?

SUPER TIME FORCESuper Time Force is a Xbox Live Arcade game that appears to be a cross between Contra and Super Meat Boy, and has a fantastic 8-bit feeling to it. Every time you die you either go back to the checkpoint, or the beginning of the level. Even when you die, that life can still help you; if you killed an enemy in one life, in your next life that enemy will be killed from your previous life. This game sounds fun, sadly, a release date has not been announced.

CHARLIE MURDER

From the people that made The Dishwasher games comes Charlie Murder. Charlie Murder is a beat ‘em up/hack and slash game for the Xbox Live Arcade. You play as a member of a punk band, and it’s up to you and your band members to defeat a rival death Mmtal band. The game seems to support four player co-op, and the graphics seem to look like drawings a punk artist would do – which seems to be part of the charm.

AIRMECH

Airmech is a free-to -play RTS for PC. The game has a cartoon look to it that keeps it from looking like most RTS games on the market. In the game, you fly around in a big area, and as you try to battle opposing forces, you can build your own base. It may have a cartoon aesthetic, but it uses a deep RPG system that you use to advance your bases. No release date has been announced, but you can join the alpha now.
MIEGAKUREMiegakure is a platform puzzler where you can shift the dimensions. In this game, you go through different arches solving puzzles. In one puzzle, there is a huge wall in the way that you can’t simply pass. Then you shift the landscape, and you can go into different areas in the small map. After shifting different areas, you will eventually solve the problem. This game looks very interesting.

ANTICHAMBER

This is why the Indie Mega Booth exists. A first person puzzle game where you explore the puzzles around you. When you enter a puzzle they can make you experience weird things. For exmaple, one puzzle will place you in a hallway maze, but if you go back to where you came from, that hallway will be completely different. Something always seems to be changing in Antichamber. If you fall, you will not die. Instead, you will find a new area to explore and figure out. Antichamber will be released for the PC and Mac at a non-disclosed date in 2012.

KAIRO

Kairo is what happens when you take the point and click aspect of Myst, and make it in a first person perspective. Towering behemoths await you as you try to bring the machines back to what they were. Each world seems more strange than the last and, for some reason, they are all connected. Not much has been announced for this game, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a trailer.

MONACO

Monaco is a top down co-op game where you and your friends try to infiltrate buildings. The game’s class base, and each class have unique properties that will make every heist a little easier. When ever you enter a room, a grayed out area will be in color. What ever the guard sees will also be in color. Each map is based on real blueprints in Monaco.
GO HOME DINOSAURSGo Home Dinosaurs is a tower defense game where dinosaurs decided to ruin your picnic. Each dinosaur will have their own attacks as well as any defensive moves you have. It’s played in a very cartoon manner and is coming out this summer for the Chrome web browser.
RETRO/GRADERemember the classic shoot ‘em ups? What if you played them in reverse? This is what Retro/Grade will show you. Instead of firing your rockets at enemies, you dodge enemy attacks while picking up your ammo again. This is like watching a classic Atari game rewinding itself, but you still have control. Retro/Grade is coming for the PlayStation Network sometime this year.

JACK LUMBER: THE LUMBERJACK

Jack Lumber is a tale of revenge. When a tree falls on Jack’s grandmother, Jack has sworn revenge on the forest. This kind of reminds me of Fruit Ninja, but for mobile devices. Trees fall from the sky and time slows as you chop down trees, but watch out though – you don’t want to kill the animals that live in the forest you are destroying. Jack Lumber: The Lumberjack is coming to mobile devices this summer.

DRUNKEN ROBOT PORNOGRAPHY

Drunken Robot Pornography is a game on which you can create your own robots. There is not much to go on, but from the trailer, it seems that you can create robots, levels, and, I think, the way they explode. Once that is done you can do it all again. It made its premiere at PAX East. If the community can get behind this, I can see this shaping up to be a great game. Think of the possibilities!

SNAPSHOT

Snapshot is a platform puzzle game on which you can control the world around you using a camera. You take pictures of the objects and use that picture to make paths to unreachable areas. The unique aspect of the game is something that will be hard to ignore. Snapshot comes out later this year for the PC and Windows.

RUNNER 2

Runner 2 is the sequel to the highly successful indie favorite Bit Trip Runner. In the original Bit Trip Runner, the graphics were inspired by Atari design. Now, the sequel, Runner 2, will update the graphics to the modern age. In the game, you play as a runner who must avoid obstacles in his path. If given the right tracks to run in, I can see this game as a highly addicting addition to the Indie gaming. It is releasing sometime this year for the Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and possibly the Wii-U.

SKULLS OF THE SHOGUN

Skulls of the Shogun is a turn-based strategy game on which you play as a commanding Shogun. After he is betrayed, he finds himself in the afterlife. Here, he takes control of his dead army to crush his enemies. I love the look of the game, and it seems to be a great game. Skulls of the Shogun is releasing in 2012 for the Xbox Live Arcade and PC.

TALES FROM SPACE: MUTANT BLOBS ATTACK

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is a game on which you play as a blob. This game is coming out for the PlayStation Vita, so it will use everything the handheld can do – touch screen and maybe even gyroscope! The game has a campy feel to it, so it will keep the game from being humorous.

GUACAMELEE

I saved the best for last. Guacamelee is a brawler platformer on which you play as a luchador looking for the President’s daughter. Everything about this game looks amazing; the combat, the game play, the art style and the music. In the trailer, the game appread to be serious, but in less than a second, you find out that it’s not, and it’s great for it. It even has multiplayer. Guacamelee is set to be released for the Xbox Live Arcade in 2012.

So there is the list of the Indie Mega Booth. There are a few games that I didn’t talk about, mostly because it’s already released or it’s a port. Super Brothers: Sword & Sworcery EP and Snuggle Truck are releasing sometime this year on different platforms. AAAAAA for the Awesome is already out for mobile devices.
Is there a game you would like to play from the list above? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

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Sniper Elite preview


Out now on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live is the Sniper Elite V2 demo. It’s a sequel of the 2005 modest hit game, Sniper Elite. In the demo, you play as a sniper as he carries out a mission. The story was not detailed as the demo focuses on a single mission. What sets this apart from other third person shooters is Rebellion’s commitment to create the most accurate game around. Everything about the game feels authentic. Your main weapon is a sniper rifle, although, you do still get the normal assault rifles and handguns. Each weapon in the game is taken directly from history. Also, every time you take your shot from the sniper, you have to take into consideration the wind speed, direction, levitation, and even your own heart rate.

Before you even start at the demo, it will give you 4 difficulty modes to choose from: easy, normal, hard or custom. The custom difficulty is the smartest thing I’ve seen in a game in a while. Do you want the game to be easy, but still have all the difficulties of firing a real sniper? The game allows you to do that. Once you are dropped into the game itself, you will find yourself in a bombed building. This is where the sniping begins. When you look through the scope, there are several indicators that will help you; wind speed, your heart rate, and a new mode called “Focus Time.” When your heart rate is steady enough, you can enter the focus time and time will slow down. When this happens, there will be a red triangle telling you where the bullet will go. Once you fire the weapon, it will show a kill cam following the bullet – like in Max Payne. Then, every once in a while, you will see an x-ray vision of the bullet piercing the target. It’s much more brutal than what was shown in Mortal Combat. In my last x-ray vision, you can see the bullet go through the target’s gums as teeth are blasted out and see the exit wound as pieces of skull flies out. Each kill is more brutal than the last.

Another aspect of the game is stealth. As you enter tight areas, you have a choice of two weapons; an assault rifle or a silencer. A silencer is the best way to go. If you are in a jam and need a quick getaway, you can quickly move from one place to the next. After you do that, there is a silhouette that will tell you when the enemy last saw you. This is very similar to what Splinter Cell: Conviction did with Last Known Position. I was left impressed by the end of the demo.
Sniper Elite V2 is releasing in May 1st on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

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Preview Closure


Last year’s PAX Prime had a game in their PAX 10 booth called Closure. At first glance, Closure seems like it’s a ripoff of Limbo and Braid. As I continue playing, Closure convinced me that this feels and plays different.

Using balls of light as a source, you play the monster type thing where you go from room to room solving puzzles. In one room, you would need the ball to go through a wall. In order to do this, you pick up the ball and move it as far away from the wall as possible. Once you drop the ball, you would need to jump to the other side. The other side is another ball for you to continue. This is just a simple puzzle. From the 15 to 20 puzzles I played, it seems that it would get challenging fast, and this is a good thing. They also mix it up a bit by including keys, and movable lamp shades. As long as you are in the light, you can’t die. Once you go out of the small circle of light, you fall into the dark abyss.


Although there is not much to see, it looks fantastic. It’s simplistic design helps sell the hopelessness that the game has. So far there is not much of a story, but then again except for Portal and maybe Braid, story is not that needed. The music is just as simple, but also just as great. The Icon had this drum beat that sounded amazing, and I couldn’t wait to play it. That was just the wallpaper icon. There seems like there will be a lot to do in this game. There is over 100 puzzles, plus a few secret ones. It’s on the PlayStation Network right now for $15, and just playing the five to ten minute demo makes me want to play it more. Closure shows further proof that smaller, downloadable titles, are some of the best around. I was left impress, and I want to know more.

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five great movie based games

Good games that are based on or inspired by movies are hard to come by. Due to the fact the game often is scheduled to be released when the movie is released, there is not a lot of time to make sure the game is as good as it can be. E.T, a video game based on the hit movie, was partially responsible for the video game crash of ’83. There are a lot of games based on movies that comes out every year, mainly during the summer movie season and a few games out there are actually good. They may not be perfect, but they stand out from the hoard of dull games that are based on movies.

GOLDENEYE 007During it’s heyday, Rare was one of the best developers around. Much like Valve today, you could have never gone wrong with a game made by Rare.  Their claim to fame was the Super Nintendo, Donkey Kong Country trilogy, and the Nintendo 64. They made quite a number of games for the Nintendo 64. The ones that was more well known are; Perfect Dark, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Banjo-Kazooie, and Banjo-Tooie. In 1996, Nintendo acquired the rights to a movie coming out called Goldeneye. Goldeneye would be a new James Bond film. The first since 1989 with a new actor playing Bond. At the time, first person shooters were primarily for PC as it can handle the speed and precision that was needed. Nintendo took the gamble, and it paid off in the end. When the game was released in 1997, 2 years after the movie, it was considered an instant classic. Without Goldeneye, there would be a good chance that we would not have the games we have now. At the time, with it’s slick controls and it’s four-player split screen multiplayer, it showed that a great FPS on a console was possible. Even today, Goldeneye is still considered one of the best games of all time. The last time I played Goldeneye was a few years ago. Because of it’s awkward controls now, I can’t get into anymore, but a friend of mine was playing it and to him, it was just as he played it when it came out. Goldeneye was later re-released for the Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3. Instead of having Pierce Brosnan it, it had the most recent Bond, Daniel Greg.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE UNCAGED EDITIONIn 2009, the anticipated X-Men origins: Wolverine movie had finally came out to theaters. The movie was a massive disappointment. Although the movie failed to entertain, the game did the exact opposite. There were two versions of the game – a T-rated edition and an M-rated edition. The M-rated edition was called X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition. This version would be completely different from the T version. The most notable difference is the use of blood and gore. X-Men Origins is not a fantastic game by any means, but it was a blast to play. X-Men Origins is the rare case where the game itself is better than the movie. Raven Software did a splendid job on keeping Wolverine’s brutal nature. The comics, cartoons, movies, and video games kind of kept Wolverine’s killings as bloodless as possible, while X-Men Origins took that away and showed you everything. It’s just a mindless hack and slash that is, somehow, better than the movie itself.

STAR WARS: EPISODE III: THE REVENGE OF THE SITHThis was a massive shock for me. The developers at LucasArts had actually taken the time to make this game as good as possible, and the end result was kind of awesome. They took key plot points from the movie and made a game out of it. As a Star Wars fan myself, I had to play it. The one thing that surprised me is how fun the combat was. It’s not Ninja Gaiden deep, but it’s deeper than The Force Unleashed. Every fight was fun to play through, and the boss fights were amazing. We even got a behind-the-scenes video showcasing how Hayden Christensen – who played Anakin Skywalker – helped showed off some of the moves used in the game. It even had a two player versus mode where it would play like a fighting game. It uses the same combo system that the main game has. There is even an alternate ending where Obi-Wan is killed by Skywalker.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD16 bit makes a return to this game based on the movie which is based on a comic of the same name. Taking it’s cues from classic beat ‘em ups. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World takes Scott and the rest of Sex Bob-omb through the city of Toronto as they fight for Ramona Flowers, Scott’s new girlfriend. You can play as Scott, Stephen, Ramona, or Kim.  Nega-Scott is a hidden character and Knives Chou was released later. The game looks like it was made during the nineties, using sprites and music. The music was made by Anamanaguchi, a Chiptune rock band. The game didn’t have any online play so if you wanted to play with friends they had to be there with you. Much like old times.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KINGBased on the final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the movie-inspired game followed the movie a bit too closely. While most games take some liberty to expand on the movie, The Return of the King follows it to a tee. In the game, you play as the surviving fellowship. The game picks up at Helm’s Deep, and that is where the game begins. Once it starts, it rarely stops. The action is fast and grand, and while it’s obvious they did tone down the battles – due to the hardware at the time – it did not stop EA from making the game as big as it can be. From Pelennor Fields to the Black Gates of Mordor, The Return of the King still stands as the bestLord of the Rings games around. You can upgrade each character, and every unlock shows some of the making of the game. After you beat the game, you can play as any character on every level. If you want to trade Frodo for Gandalf, you can. It even unlocks Merry and Pippin for play. This is one of the very few movie based games that did it right.

The Future of PlayStation

THE POWER OF TALKING TOGETHER

A few weeks ago, Sony announced that there will be a major conference concerning the future of PlayStation. Throughout this time, it has been suggested that it will reveal the PlayStation 4. Well, that time has come, and it's now all about the future of Sony, and it's biggest brand the PlayStation.

The conference starts off with a video showing off some of their biggest games in PlayStation brand with a remix of Metric's Monster Hospital in the back ground. Then one of the heads of Sony came up and started to talk about the future of PlayStation and what to expect. As expected, the briefly talked about the Vita, but promised that more will be revealed during E3 this June. During the early days of the PlayStation 3's life cycle developers was complaining how difficult it was to make games for the PlayStation 3 with it's brand new Cell Processor. Taking to heart, the designers of the new PlayStation 4, which were developers themselves, asked other developers what they would like to see in the new system. It was apparent that they wanted the system to be easier to develop for. With this in mind, started to develop the PlayStation 4. I'm not technical wizard, but from the sound of it, the future of PlayStation looks bright. With colors coming at you at all sides. 

With the sudden rise of Social Media in the past couple of years, it's obvious that Sony, along with Microsoft and Nintendo, would try to embrace it. Nintendo sort of have it, in its own way. Microsoft has it, but it's not fully fleshed out. Sony, on the other hand, seems to get it right, if you like that sort of thing. The whole thing feels like YouTube. You can play the game while streaming and observers will comment on your play style. It's OK, but I can't see myself using it that much. What I will use, however, is the share button. The Share button on the new PlayStation 4 controller will allow you to share your gameplay to your friends, and possibly YouTube. You can even stream games via Ustream. I doubt it, but it would be awesome if they let us have the ability to edit our own videos. There's a lot of promise shown during this portion of the conference, but I need to see it in action to get my own opinion of it. Out of all that was shown, they didn't answer my biggest question of all; will you need a constant internet connection?

COLORS, PUZZLES, AND GUNS OH MY!

It took an hour for Sony to talk about the social aspect and the ease of access for the developers on the PlayStation 4. What really matters are the games. The first game they showed off was Knack. In Knack, you play this robot that can control certain objects in the world. It has the Kameo: Elements of Power feel to it. It's too soon to tell if this will be any good or not, but I'm glad that the first they Sony showed off was a platformer. With the success of The Walking Dead, Journey, and the Unfinished Swan, Sony continues to show support for the Indie gaming scene. Jonathan Blow, the creator of Braid, came up to announce his new game, The Witness. The Witness is a beautiful, colorful game that has elements of Journey and Myst. It's an open world puzzle game, and Jonathan Blow claims that it will have twenty-five hours of gameplay in it. The whole game feels lavish and unique. The Witness could be the first game to use the new touchpad on the new Dual Shock 4 controller, and use it well. Sony also announced that Self publishing will be for PlayStation 4. This could be a big game changer for the Indie game developers.

The second game they announced was Killzone: Shadow Fall. Knowing that Killzone always had great graphics, it should come to no surprise that the tradition is still here. Unlike 2005 Killzone 2 video, this seems to be in real time with someone playing. The game is more colorful than any of the past Killzone games, and to me that is awesome. Other than that, it's your typical First Person Shooter affair. It's Killzone being Killzone, and some would say that's a good thing.  

DRIVE PAST THE HACK

The next game they announced was Drive Club. I'm not a racing nor a car person, but what I have seen is highly impressive. Each car in the game is so detailed that it could be possible to put Gran Turismo to shame.  The game also has the online ability like Need for Speed: Most Wanted, being that you can race anyone, anywhere in the game and set up challenges. The depth of Gran Turismo, and the fun of Need for Speed. Car simulator fans could have a lot of fun with this new game. If done well, I can see this over taking Gran Turismo. 

Private Security seems to be a theme in these next two games. One is Infamous: Second Son. In Second Son, not much is shown other than there are cameras everywhere and the police seems to be like fascists. The grim introduction by the guy at Sucker Punch told a real life story about how he got pepper sprayed a few years ago, it kind of lost its power by the mention of superpowers. It was just a trailer of the game and nothing else, not even proper gameplay. I thought the first two games was good enough, so I'm keeping my eye on this one. The other game takes the private security a bit more seriously and stole the whole show. Watch Dogs tells a story of a man that can hack into everything in Chicago. We saw new gameplay footage and the game looks like a classic in the making. You can hack nearly everything in the game, including a tobacco executive's bank account. What really did it for me was the chance to stop a crime. You can follow someone that has a high rate of chance to be a victim. When the bar reaches 100 percent, it seems you can save them, or let the crime happen. The demo showed what happens if you stop the crime. I hope that you don't even have to fire the gun to complete missions. The whole thing was exciting and refreshing to see. Instead of doing the crime, you can help end it. Watch Dogs will not only be coming to the PlayStation 4 but for the Wii-U also.

THIS IS WHAT COULD HAPPEN.

Capcom and Square Enix showed videos of games they are making. In Capcom, they have a game called Deep Down. The game looks to be a cross between Dark Souls and Monster Hunter. The game they showed off looks promising of showing off what the PlayStation 4 can do. Square Enix, on the other hand, showed off the same trailer they showed off last year, but as great as it is, it wasn't new. We've seen this before. Then the brand director of Final Fantasy came up. When I saw this happening, I thought that they would say that Final Fantasy VII would finally get the remake fans have been wanting since 2005. This was not to be, all he said that later this year, the PlayStation 4 will show off a new Final Fantasy game. To me, this is as obvious as to say it was cold outside to day. Yes, it is cold outside today, and yes, we are getting a PlayStation 4 Final Fantasy game. 

The rest of the presentation was just small stuff that showed some of what the developers are doing. Blizzard is releasing Diablo III to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, Quantic Dream showed off their new game engine, Bungie's Destiny is going to have exclusive content, Media Molecule is making a game for the Move on the PlayStation 4, and Unreal Engine 4 was shown off. 

Overall, the whole thing was solid. They obviously didn't want to show off too much, or risk running out of steam for E3, but what was shown was enough to get me excited. Is this what the final games will look like? I doubt it, but what was shown is a bright and colorful, and too me that is more exciting than brown and black. There was a few missing in action that I would have liked to see. The Phantom Pain, The Last Guardian, and Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. The PlayStation 4 is releasing this holiday season. It's unknown what the price, what the it looks like, but expect all that come this E3 in June. This is the part where I say "The future is here!" but I'm not. Damn.