Hey guys! Really quick blog tonight. You might have noticed that I haven't posted a blog for nearly a month and you might be wondering why that is. I've lost interest in blogging. I can't really say why, but I no longer have anything to talk about. I don't buy new games that often anymore and I don't like telling the internet every detail of my life, so there isn't much point in blogging anymore. I'm not leaving Gamespot, but blogs will be very infrequent from now on. I honestly miss those days when I could think of a blog topic just about every day. Maybe those days will come back one day. To finish this blog, I figured it would be nice to give one quick update. I'm level 63 in Modern Warfare 2 (no Prestige yet) and the game is still incredibly fun, even if it is annoying at times. I'm also quite happy because I've been getting some great grades in school. So I'll see you around when I'm ready to blog normally again. In the mean-time, check out my friends blogs. Thanks!
Went bargain bin hunting again 
- Ice Age 3 (X360)
- Night at the Museum 2 (X360)
- Rogue Warrior (X360)
- Superstars V8 Racing (X360)
Happy Easter
In Dragon Age Origins,I finally was able to make my character have romance with Morrigan.I made my character talk to Morrigan a lot,I made him listen to many of her stories and I tried to make my character show he understood and cared about Morrigan's past/stories/life so Morrigan would like/love my character more.However,doing this wasn't enough,and there wasn't anymore new dialogue for me to use on Morrigan,so I decided to buy her lots of gifts,and she finally put out,and I received the trophy for making romance with Morrigan.
I've now earned 51% of the Dragon Age trophies,and I've completed the main story,so I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished in the game now.I'm still going to play Dragon Age Origins ocassionally,because I like the game a lot and it has many sidequests that I haven't completed and story paths I haven't tried and I like the way it allows your character to interact with other characters in many different ways.Another reason I eventually want to go back to Dragon Age Origins is because I want to try to get some more trophies and Dragon Age Origins has some very achieveable trophies that I haven't earned yet.Also,I want to make my character have romance with Leliana.
Morrigan.She's actually a witch,but a sexy one too 
I've played Afro Samurai,and I'm impressed and I think it's fun.It's simplistic,but fun.It's very gorey,as Afro will literally cut his enemies into pieces,but it's arts tyle and gore go well together.Gangsta music/ghetto talk blended with a feudal Japan is a unique mix,and I've enjoyed experiencing it.Overall,it's mostly a hack n slash game with some platforming elements.But there is some things I don't like about the game,such as how there's no mid battle healing options(so far)and the platforming is sometimes terrible.
Afro Samurai has lots of gore,nudity and swearing
Katamari Forever is very charming and colorful.You have to do missions that involve doing things such as rolling a ball around and making it get bigger by rolling it over objects,and those become attached to the ball and the ball will get bigger and when the ball is a certain size,you can use it to break through walls,and the story is supposed to be about collecting junk(the junk is whatever objects you're able to attach to the ball)and using the junk to restore color and stars to the universe.The player can see a lot of imaginative scenery and rainbows and bizarre but enjoyable characters.It's controls are a bit clunky though.
If I could roll up a big ball of junk like this,I'd use it to squash people that I don't like
Anyways,that's all my gaming news for now 
I got a lot so far, I bought Left 4 Dead 2 and CODMW2 on launch. Then I got Brutal Legend and Mario and Luigi Bowser's Inside Story with black Friday deals. At Gamestop I picked up Boom Blox, Silent Hill Homecoming, and Okami in a buy 2 get 1 free deal. A While back I went and got Borderlands, Uncharted 2, Demon Soul's, and Scriblenauts. Then I got The Last Remnant, Dragon Age Origins, Operation Flashpoint, and Machinarium all for PC. Now I will either get Assassin's Creed 2 or the new Ratchet and Clank A Crack in Time for Christmas from my girlfriend. So far I like them all but got so many I haven't played tons of many of them and just started in all of them. Except I have played a lot of Left 4 Dead 2 and CODMW2; and I played through Uncharted 2 a few times and it's amazing, if you have a PS3 treat yourself with this game. What have you guys gotten and got any good stuff to recommend?
All though it isn't my birthday until next Saturday I just found out from my parents what one of my birthday gifts will be and its awesome what they revealed to me. They bought me tickets to X1039's Very Merry X-mas Party. X1039 is one of our local radio stations that play rock in-case anyone was wondering, but what's awesome about this concert is who they got for it:
They got Chevelle, Sick Puppies, Switchfoot, Unwritten Law, and Paper Tongues to play! I don't know how much my parents had to pay for tickets, but still its going to be awesome since I haven't been to to many concerts myself, especially since two of my favorite bands are performing Chevelle and Sick Puppies. I really haven't heard of the other bands, but they seem pretty good as well. This is going to be one heck of a concert and I'm definitely going to enjoy it!
And... that's it for now, I guess. I'll try to write a proper blog sometime soon, maybe.
Let's not forget, everyone was super sceptical on this Batman videogame before it came out. There hasn't been a single good 3D Batman game. There hasn't been a single great superhero game (Spiderman* games are only good for the swinging). So, BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM had a lot going against it. How will the game keep true to the Batman character? Will the gadgets have lame gameplay? Would the combat system be a generic beat-em-up? Would the story suck? Who's ever even heard of Rocksteady Studios?
NO ADDED JUNK
Thankfully, it was the exact opposite of those questions. BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM is a tight experience, with game design that sticks stringently to its goals. There is no Batmobile driving sequence. There are no Quick Time Events. There is no co-op. There is no multiplayer. There is no big Gotham city open-world where you do side-quests to pad out more hours. Rocksteady was confident in its single-player campaign, to not have to add any obvious filler.
That's major confidence from a fairly unknown developer studio.
I'M THE GODDAMN BATMAN!
So, what should a Batman game be? A platformer? A brawler? A detective game? Or, be like other clever developers, and dip into all those genres? Not many games combine different gameplay genres, or when they do, they're bloated. There's been only one game that I remember that did it well, which was BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL. Most games just rely on what they're good at, and stick to that. I think it's called the "if it's not borken, don't fix it" paradigm that has led to the most generic games ever.
BATMAN: AA isn't that. The developers put excellent gameplay that defines every aspect of the character. Due to this, everything about the game feels fresh. From the insanely refreshing and satisfying freeflow combat system (Batman's the best at martial arts, and it shows) to the exploration of the world with your grappling hook (he's gotta perch like a bat, too) and other geekgasm gadgets (no Bat credit card), you know you're playing a Batman game.
The Batman combat is just genius. Instead of combo mashing, every single face button is a tactic. Little input = big output. You must be an economical businessman with your button presses, especially when it comes to the Combat Challenges. Is it the only game where there isn't a single-button-mashing combo? The variety of moves leads into the animations, with some of the most beautiful mo-cap work I've witnessed from a protagonist. Animations never get old, because they hardly ever repeat. They're dynamic. This again is a huge achievement, to not have "animation fatigue" even in this HD era of having hundreds of animation cycles.
Stealth gameplay could've been screwed up so bad. How many good stealth staple games are there really? I have to give props to Rocksteady for making the most universally simple and elegant stealth system that anyone can pick up. This is the new wave of aggressive stealth. The artificial intelligence is great, which allows you for sandbox SPLINTER CELL-like gameplay where you're toying around with the enemies, and then snapping up the last enemy who's peeing his pants. When you're on a gargoyle, you feel so Batman it's creepy. SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION is also going along this new wave of aggressive stealth (which is resonating a lot more with people who've always wanted to try these games), so let's see what grandpa Sam can muster up. Wait-and-pounce stealth is dead.
Character gameplay even comes down to how Batman never kills, and so never clashes with the overall story unlike in UNCHARTED (let's face it, Drake is Marcus Phoenix in a half-tuck, and a superhero because of his unbelievable jumps of saving grace). To me, it didn't feel like the game was ripping off other games' specific minutia. Sure, if you're reductionist, you could say it's a mix of SPLINTER CELL, TENCHU, METROID but it never plays like one of those games. That's a huge accomplishment and shows Rocksteady are confident in creating Batman-centric gameplay. I want to see enemies' heartbeat in SPLINTER CELL now. I want to glide in every game now. Also, it's beaten TENCHU in the grappling hook department and is making SPLINTER CELL run for its money.
LET ME TELL YOU A STORY
Of course, I wouldn't forget the excellent storytelling. Notice, I didn't say the word "story". It's still a great plot, of Batman being stuck in a prison for 1 night with the Rogue's Gallery, but what shines is the multiple venues of storytelling used. There is soft storytelling through Joker on the intercom or on TVs and the audio interview tapes. Then there's the typical hard storytelling through cutscenes.
Hold on though, there's a new type of storytelling too. Non-linear storytelling. This was experimented with PRINCE OF PERSIA 2008, but felt disjointed at times. Here, you're going from one part of the island to the other, and while the game's missions are not linear, there is still interactional dialogue and reactions. For example, after the Medical Pavillion mission, you can go back and find out that the Doctors haven't escaped but instead have boarded themselves up behind desks! They stay there until the end of the game! Nearly all of the characters give context-dependent dialogue too, at certain points of the game. All the personnel of the island are free to talk to, at any point of the game, so for example Aaron Cash can cheer you on to finally beat Joker when Joker's "party" starts. Because of such reactionary dialogue, it can make the Arkham Island come alive no matter how dreary it is, and showcases that Paul Dini can also write games.
Blah, blah, ALWAYS WITH THE HERO SPEAK!
Now, I won't say it's the most original game ever, but for this year, I feel it sticks out against the crowd. For such a bold game, it also excels on execution which MIRROR'S EDGE (the most original game of recent times) and other original IPs couldn't be. It is in the very rare club of a first game being nigh-on perfect on Day 1 release, like last year's DEAD SPACE. There is no need for a sequel, or any improvements needed other than very superficial ones like more bosses. It also helps that it's the best superhero and licensed game ever made. Riddick, you now have a friend.
I'M IN CONTROL OF THE ASYLUM!
All the reviews of the Batman game have been very favourable. The only negatives about the game are things that are very nitpicky. Batman's figure covering a large part of the screen (there is a non-Batman centred camera). Yes, the Titan bosses repeat a couple of times, and yes, there aren't 20 types of enemies, but this is par for the course with nearly every action-adventure game ever made. Plus, as long as they're fun, I don't see the criticism of some good repetition. One that everyone can agree on is that the final boss battle is shallow but it does show how unpredictable Joker really is. BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM is so damn good, people are finding it hard to find legitimate criticism. Usually, with triple A games, you can bash the character gameplay or story, but here it's just damn good.
You also have to remember, a great game has to be as great for newcomers. It should be as pick-up-and-play as MARIO. Because of the excellent controls and simplified systems, BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM happens to be that. BATMAN: AA is definitely up there with MARIO games in terms of being accessible for everyone. Most of the games this year can have very specific audiences, like all of the shooters. Shooters are not every girl's best friend.
THE LONGEST JOURNEY
While most games up their pacing by putting more variety through newer locations or "palette-cleansing" gameplay (turret sections, vehicle sections), BATMAN: AA goes about it by completely changing the level design of Arkham Island at times. Rocksteady didn't feel the need to up the variety by letting you go to Gotham city (even though, you sort of do at one spoilerific point). Enemies appear where they weren't before, like snipers or crazed inmates. Poison Ivy's vines blocking away paths. Scarecrow, period. Batman's armour and face takes a ton of damage throughout the course of the game (for once, it's not a gimmick!). Because of such pacing and setpieces, the non-linear world never gets boring through the amount of backtracking you'll do. There's always something to look forward to.
Thanks to the magnificent pacing and every single moment being memorable, the game ends just at the right moment. So, while you might spend 15-20 hours with the game, it feels you've been through a lot with the characters and the island. This is one night you and Batman won't ever forget.
OVER? IT HASN'T EVEN BEGUN!
Because it stands out amongst the pack of games this year and had the MOST TO PROVE, this is easily the Game of the Year.
No sequelitis.
Totally new gameplay, like the freeflow combat where animations never recycle.
Most fun stealth gameplay ever.
Non-linear backtracking that's always interesting.
Great storytelling.
And that it's damn memorable! Every moment in the game was given love and care, from Harley Quinn's office to the Riddler.
Everyone loves the game, which is not something you can say for a game franchise other than MARIO. This is a great game for people not privy to Batman's loving cape. The best games are the ones where everyone finds something to love, and for 2009, it's BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM, in my opinion.
* except for Spiderman: Web of Shadows [credit: 100th_bullet]
We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here on Curacao (i.e. no national holiday) but we do know how to make a great traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Be thankful for everything you have and treat each new day as a gift.
Be thankful for all the good things that has happened to you and learn from the rest because tough times never last, tough people do.
I would like to thank to everyone I met here on Gamespot .
Happy Thanksgiving.
Hey everyone, how are you all?
Just gonna make this blog and I'm gonna say this right off the bat that I probably won't be doing much blogging here anymore as I used to because it's getting a little boring here and most of my readers has left (for their own reasons) but I still have you guys which is great and for that I'm gonna lead you all to my Wordpress blog, where I'll be doing most of my blogs there in the future and beyond.
Also with that said, I have two blogs that I've posted recently so check them out....
So please check them out if you can. Now let's move on to this month's Pick-Ups!
Mangas: Black Cat (Vol. 1) and Welcome to the NHK (Vol. 1 + 2)
Games: Cursed Mountain and Spectrobes: Origins on the Wii (Special Thanks to Madman for sending them to me) and Half-Minute Hero on the PSP (US Import)
Magazines: Official Nintendo Magazine and Hyper Poster Book
Full Metal Alchemist Complete Best Soundtrack and 2010 Calender
Nintendo "Power to the Players" Sticker
(Sorry for the shaky image)
Trigun "Vash the Stampede" Poster
Full Metal Alchemist Wall Scroll
Not pictured:
-Borderlands "The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned" DLC
-LIT (Wiiware)
-Bomberman Blast (DSiWare)
-Tekken 6: Limited Edition (without Arcade stick)
Now with the pick-ups out of the way, now onto something random...
Now, when it was announced, I was not looking forward to Assassin's Creed 2, mainly because I was extremely disappointed with the first one. But I have gotten around to renting it and I did play it (for at least an hour) and all I can say is that it is better than the first one but not much different to change the core experience which may not seem like a bad thing for those who adored the original but could be bad if I went more deeper in the game but I can't really say too much as I didn't play any more due to other things. So, I'd say if you'd like the first one, get this one. If you didn't (like me), give it a rent and/or possibly wait for a price drop.
Now about Assassin's Creed 2, Ubisoft said the most biased thing that they demand for high scores on this game which I think it's really dumb and just shows on how desperate they are wanting to sell this game but I guess they won't be happy if they see this review by Destructoid.
On a more recent note involving anime as I've finished watching Berserk recently. Despite it's age, it's an excellent series overall with a dark but engaging story, great set of characters (but there's only 3 that are the most important than the rest), solid facial designs, great background designs, bloody action scenes, detailed stillshots and unconventional but amazing music score to set the show overall.
While there are bad factors about Berserk are some dislikable characters and some animation flaws but the biggest one of all was the ending
*Spoiler alert* It ends abruptly by fading the white at one fatal scene invovling God's Hand with no explanation whatsoever *End spoiler*
The ending was so annoying I still think about it to this day, I believe you're suppose to use your imagination on what happened and/or just read the manga, but it's still a shame that due to the show's limited budget and impressive work that it ended up in a disappointment, but I'd still say give it a watch if you like medieval fantasy, violence and gore with a really good story.
Well, that's it for now. Take Care everybody.
Don Ivan Punchatz not only did a superb piece that depicted the desperate struggle that the player faced against the hordes of Hell itself, it created a logo that combined both the arcane and technological overtones that permeated the game's enviroment and storyline; The heavy font, the jagged contrasts of the shapes within the letters and the overall strength of the whole piece has made of this one of the most memorable game covers ever and a image that is indelible part of the video game legacy. He in great part helped cement the legacy of one of the watershed moments in gaming.
Oh and that demon on the lower left corner of the image, it almost says: "Yes, you are next." Don Ivan Punchatz (September 8, 1936 - October 22, 2009)
Gamers of all generations thank you and remember you.
Hey guys!
So deeply sorry for not being here for sometime. I've been really busy with my life, and I didn't had time to come here, I'm going throught an hard phase again. Well I'll try my best to come here daily. Anyways in gaming news, I got a Nintendo DS. So far my favorite DS game is Luminous Arc 2, I still want to try Final Fantasy Tactics A2. TGS was not bad this year, it had good footage. I'm playing Bioshock a lot and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 demo is awesome. I know it seems abit rushing but I want to write everything in a way to it doesn't get too big and maybe boring. Sorry guys for not being here I trutly am. And btw how are you all? and what games you looking forward to this year? Section8 was a failure to me and I'm going to download Forza 3 demo soon.
***SPOILER***
Anyways bye guys, sorry!
I really am thankful.Finally.
I knew I would grow tired of this place and decide to leave, or get banned without actively trying. I'm surprised I'm not banned already, but instead it has led to this. I don't want to continue doing this anymore.
I am leaving GameSpot permanently.
To put it simply, I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the site telling me that it's my fault there are HTML errors. I'm sick of pointless moderations. I'm sick of the same threads being reposted every month and I'm sick of the waves of old threads being bumped.
James Kozanecki sent me a private message at the start of this month. Part of it reads:
| kozanecki wrote: |
| We noticed that you've been moderated a fair bit lately and under the Terms of Service you're rapidly approaching a ban. You're a great forum poster and it would be a shame to lose you, so try to keep it clean and above board. |
Yeah well screw that. Lose me. I don't want to be a GameSpot forum poster anymore, and I won't let moderators have the satisfaction of moderating me anymore or banning me. I am clean. I am above board, but GameSpot's moderation system is flawed and doesn't allow for the least bit of fun, joke or innuendo. I will no longer subject myself to this virtual prison.
There isn't even a reason outside of the forum to visit this website and hasn't been for years. The news is always a day late, the reviews are late and the video content is bland.
This website is no longer relevant and has no reason to be visited.
So there's my reasoning. No real surprises there, but why exactly have I chosen to leave on the 22nd of September?
Before being a regular at GameSpot I used to post very frequently on a wrestling forum at wrestling.net.au. As seen by this screenshot taken before the forum was relaunched, I made nearly 6000 posts there! However after having enough of one moderator on the team who had hated me ever since I signed up I decided I would leave. I did so, on the 22/09/2007. The exact same date I registered there in 2003. Now I'm going to do it again. Same date, same signature, and just like last time I will never return. Even after writing this the similarities continued with one of my last threads on GameSpot being closed just like on the wrestling forum.
As for where I'm going next, I don't feel like writing anything on the internet for a while. I want to sit back, wind down, reflect, forget and refresh. I want to rid my mind of the evil of the past before moving on to something better.
But it wasn't all bad. The most important part of this website for me were the same people who read my posts and blog entries throughout the years. You. Your personalities, forum posts, blog posts, Community Games Nights and Pick-up threads kept me coming back all these years and I thank all those who gave me a laugh. You all know who you are!
And... I guess that is it.
It's time for me to stop. What you're reading now is the last thing I'll ever do on GameSpot before signing out for eternity. Time to walk away from almost 100 blog entries, over 1000 users tracking me, over 11000 profile views and over 12000 posts. It may be drastic, but this is something I feel I need to do and it's in my best interests that I say... Goodbye!
And then, there was nothing.
elektrixxx.....
Part 1: Intro | Part 2: Messaging and the Inbox | Part 3: Status Options | Part 4: Cross Game Chatting | Part 5: Giftability | Part 6: Trophy Syncing | Part 7: Profile Cards | Part 8: PSN Messaging Via Web | Part 9: Online Community/Website | Part 10: Game Nights
DISCLAIMER
Fanboy comments are not welcomed in this blog. See the intro for full details.
- Finale -
I'm getting bored of doing this so I'm just gonna list off the remaining things I had in mind.
- Voice Messaging
- More Avatars
- Ability to Change Username
- More Friend Sorting Options
- Better Gamer Cards
- Trophies Count for Something Somewhere
- Increase the Number of Friends on the Friend List
- Some sort of Rep System
- Some sort of Reporting System
- XMB during Movies and PS1/2 Games
And I think that was it. I have "Trophy List" written down but I don't remember what that was referring to.
Introducing the latest way Sony plans on failing this generation......
:::::::::: DRUMROLL PLEASE ::::::::::::
THE PS3 SLIM!
What? No applause?
Oh yeah, of course there's not, because it's crap.
Sony has decided that people don't want nice things in their homes. Who'd want something that looks nice in their entertainment center? That would let others speculate that the owner had taste and standards and you know, eyes that worked.
So we're fortunate enough that Sony has released the ugliest console in recent memory. But wait, you ask "Leroy, it can't be THAT bad"
In response I'd like to remind readers that my name is Jason and no, it's bad.
Yes it's smaller but it's got basically the same footprint, what's changed is it's height and that's never been an issue. Also by lowering it's height when horizontal that means that when it's vertical it easily tips over. Don't worry though Sony is already making stands for the console. See they knew there'd be a problem there and instead of including the stand they have you buy it separately, isn't Sony great?
Let's get to my biggest issue, it's finish, or lack thereof.
The console is wrapped in flat unfinished plastic that has a texture. The outside of the console looks like it's at step 2 out of 5 on the assembly line. Know when writable DVD's started picking up and everyone got one of those cheap Apex DVD players so they could watch home movies of family events on them? The Apex DVD players that brand new out of the box looked the same as components that are heavily weathered at a yard sale?
That's what the Slim looks like
Kitty's tongue = PS3 Slim
Who gives electronic components a texture?
I mean who else besides a company trying to cut costs by releasing an inferior product releases electronic components with a texture?
What's the number one threat to all electronics?
Gorilla drinking Red Bull with a sack of hammers
But you know the SECOND biggest problem?
Dust
So what does Sony do? They release a console that if you listen veeeery close you can actually hear it sucking the dust towards it. Run a Swiffer over it and you'll have a very nice contrast between the dusted plastic on top and the dust filled texture underneath.
I'm sure Sony's original plan was to just throw all the PS3 components in a cardboard box and let users cut a slit in the side and call it a "green" console.
The new Slims can't run third party applications on them. That's not a big deal since most users don't even know it can so that's not something worth complaining about. If someone wants me to I'd be more then happy to edit this but I'd much rather do another sentence on how awful the thing looks.
Honestly, this thing is the console eqivalent of watching how hot dogs are made.
So let us count some Sony failures this generation shall we?
SONY SAYS RUMBLE IS A LAST GEN FEATURE
That worked well for them
SONY OFFERED BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY - FOR A WHILE
Glad to see that was such a pressing need they had to work to eliminate it.
SONY THINKS BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY IS DEAD
Which after reading the last link has to make you giggle lol
Now that's not even counting it's underwhelming PSN service which I always say...
"The best way to describe the PSN service is that it feels like it's free"
The fact that the PS3 is just weak when it comes to games. I hear Sally Struthers is starting a new charity getting game disks into hungry PS3 drive slots. I mean the console is pathetic when it comes to games.
It's got a few exclusives and then......nothing lol
Multiplats are all better elsewhere save maybe 3 titles?
"Sony, when you can't possibly want the best"
I mean the refs in Madden this year don't even have striped socks. I'm also pretty sure that Hasselbeck only has one hand and Adrian Peterson just "hovers" over the field because he's only got a torso, head, and arms.
But let's stick to the PS3 Slim just like all the dust on the planet
Not only is it a failed attempt to beat Microsoft....(how's that Elite price drop taste Sony? Want another bite?)
It's giving the users less and hoping they fall for it
The Slim is inferior to the "fat" but Sony doesn't care, they're content with failing this gen. The "fat's" nice buttons? Gone, too expensive. They're just trying to cover their losses as much as possible before the next gen starts.
So remember this saying for the current generation
"Not everything that fails is Sony, but everything that's Sony fails"
The franchise has been around for to long producing the same beat-em up genre game since 1997. The most recent Next-Gen version called Dynasty Warriors 6 was fun and had better graphics but didn't live to my expectations.
Then I get a hold of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires for the 360 and I can say this is what I wanted from the franchise. Strategy, improved graphics, all the characters, create a character, and you choose the path of your character.
I know I'm weird for liking this game as much as I do but the game provides more to just beat'em up. Playing on Normal and Easy are very easy on all levels (the strategy, fighting and all around game play) but as you go into higher levels, they do get challenging as you keep playing.
The game is also has easy points for the 360 if anyone is willing to invest some time into it.
Would like to thanks Crimsonhead16 for showing me this game (he is on my friends list on XBL and I noticed that he was playing it). He and I do like the franchise alot.
What's up guys, many of you know that I am still active elsewhere. For those gamers that are interested I stop posting here because of the limitaions on video's.
For those who wish to follow me you can visit here. Peace guys.
Last week, I reviewed The Punisher: No Mercy which you can see is now posted to this site. If you aren't bothered to click, let me just say that it's a really shallow FPS with broken online. AVOID.
Funny thing is, on the other end of the spectrum, we have Battlefield 1943 which does everything right in the series. Click hereto see the review.
Thanks, and maybe I should do vidoe blog or something soon.
i am a very cool panda as well please refer to my profile picture and or signature for more information
Ok, so here is an idea I came up with for the absolute coolest theme park ever designed called Virtual Kingdom. The idea is that it would be Disney's 5th park in Florida and would be geared towards and older audience. Here's the pitch I wrote in a Disney fan site forum:
Ok, here is an idea that I think would become something revolutionary. It's a theme park devoted to video gaming. I am a hardcore gamer and know that the gaming industry is becoming just as big as the film industry. Disney has started to get into the game with their own publishing arm and buying up a few studios, so why not bring the magic of gaming to Florida with a gaming based theme park? Ever wanted to experience your favorite gaming moments? Now you can...
The park would be called Virtual Kingdom and be geared towards an older audience sort of like Islands of Adventure, but have the entire park be based upon both classic and modern gaming franchises.
Attractions would be rated on content using the ESRB rating system used to rate the content of video games. These ratings are:
Everyone: Suitable for all audiences
Everyone 10+: Suitable for ages 10 and older
Teen: Contains content suitable for ages 13 and up
Mature: Not appropriate for anyone under 17
There would be six lands: Galactic Conquest, Mushroom Kingdom, Old School Central, The Streets, Main Stage and Mythical Palace.
Galactic Conquest: This land would be devoted to sci-fi and futuristic games.
Attractions:
Halo: Covenant Wars (Teen for violence)
Board a Warthog and blast your way to victory against the vicious Covenant onslaught. Based upon Microsoft's popular Halo franchise. This ride would use the Dinosaur ride system and give guests assault rifles to gun down targets who interact with the ride vehicle, depending on if you kill them or not. Each vehicle would seat 6 guests.
Star Fox The Ride (Everyone 10+)
Do a barrel roll with Fox and friends on this dark roller coaster ride through the galaxy! Based upon Nintendo's cla$$ic Star Fox franchise. This would be a pretty standard roller coaster with a highly themed beginning launch sequence.
Bioshock: Enter Rapture (Teen for violence and scary images)
The lost city of Rapture, a city of beauty and mystery as well as terror and destruction. Will you survive or become another victim of the Big Daddys? Based upon 2K Games first person shooter series. This would be a heavily themed boat ride filled with lots of advanced interaction scenes, including a large dramatic plunge, and several interactions with Big Daddy AAs.
Dead Space Experience (Mature for violent and disturbing images)
Dare to board a deep space mining ship and experience the horrors that Issac Clarke faced on his trip, if you survive that is. Based on EA's sci-fi horror franchise. This would be essencially a walk through haunted house with advanced audio anamatronics and lots of very intense moments. Not at all suitable for children.
Ratchet and Clank (Everyone 10+ for some crude and suggestive humor)
Join Ratchet and his trusty robot ally Clank as they journey into outer space in search of Ratchet's orgins. Based on Sony's action/platformer franchise. This would be an omnimover dark ride that follows a shortened story from the Ratchet and Clank series.
Mushroom Kingdom: This area is completely based on cla$$ic Nintendo franchises, especially Mario.
Attractions:
Super Mario Bros. Adventure (Everyone)
Board a shellmobile and aid Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach from the evil Bowser! This would be a dark ride using the same system as Journey Into Imagination following the basic story of the Mario games.
Mario Kart (Everyone)
One of the best racing party games is back and in real life! Board your kart, take out your opponents and get to the finsh line! This ride uses an advance go kart vehicle that stops and spins when hit by items activated when passing certain points on the track.
Mario Party Plaza (Everyone)
Play carnival $tyle games based on the Mario Party series.
Pokemon Central (Everyone)
Gotta catch 'em all! Create your own Pokemon, trade other guests and battle in the state of the art battle arena. The battle arena would allow guests to, for a fee, battle other guests using a hologram battle arena.
The Streets: Trash the urban landscape of a city filled with carnage, mayhem and zombies!
Attractions:
Grand Theft Auto: Turf Wars (Mature for Violence)
Choose your side and battle for turf in this highly interactive and immersive laser tag arena based on Rockstar Games' popular Grand Theft Auto franchise. Essentially this would be an open city block with buildings to hide in and defend as well as several interactive environmental areas such as destructible scenery and more. Extra fee required.
Left 4 Dead (Mature for Violence)
Can you and your friends survive the zombie apocalypse? Enter a dark city block and gun down zombies on your way to the safe room. Based on Valve Software's first person shooter. Guests in teams of four would enter a play environment with either a shotgun or machine gun. Then they encounter robotic zombies including smokers, boomers and the mighty tanks. Each player is equipped with a "bullet proof vest" that stores their three lives and keeps track of damage. Shoot down the enemies and reach the safe room alive in order to survive. Extra fee required.
Burnout: Road Rage (Teen for intense sequences of racing and action)
Are you ready for the ultimate racing experience? Board your racer and speed through a sleepy suburban town only to take down the competition and smash your way to the finish line! This highly advanced ride would use a combination of the Test Track vehicle system and the Kula arm technology. The vehicle would be attached to the arm and would speed through the highly explosive indoor environment. The centerpiece move is where the vehicle smashes into a truck and corkscrews in the air over another oncoming vehicle and lands safely onto another track beside it. Harnesses will be a required addition to the vehicle due to high speeds and the corkscrew section.
Psychonauts Boot Camp (Everyone 10+ for some Crude humor)
Dare to enter someone else's psyche with Raz and experience a trip through the mind unlike any other based upon Double Fine Productions' cult cla$$ic game. This would be simulator attraction with a film featuring the art $tyle and several environments from the game Psychonauts. At the end of the ride, guests can enter the Psychonauts Playground of the Mind and have your own boot camp adventure.
Main Stage: At the center of the park is Main Stage, which features a place for guests to try out the latest and greatest games as well as rock out live!
Attractions:
Rock Band Live! (Everyone 10+ for Lyrics)
Are you ready to become a rock star? Audition your "band" to compete with other bands in an all out battle of the bands! Guests would audition for judges using EA and MTV's Rock Band video game. If selected, a small group of bands will compete against each other and the audience will vote on who they think was the best ala American Idol.
The E3 Experience (Everyone to Mature)
Have you ever wanted to go to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)? Well now you can experience what it's like at Virtual Kingdom! Here is where you can try out some of the latest games from some of the industry's top publishers.
Mythical Palace: Journey into the world of fantasy and mythology based video games.
Attractions:
Assassin's Creed Stunt Show (Teen for violence)
Follow the great assassin Altier as he leaps, dives and fights his way to glory and honor! Based upon Ubisoft's action series.
God of War: Hydra Battle (Mature for intense action)
Follow Kratos as he battles the mighty Hydra in a scene from Sony's God of War. This would be a revolutionary audio animatronic show using hologram technology. The theater is actually placed above the show area. It's a circular room with two rows of seats in a giant circle around the ring of the theater. Guests are seated and pull down roller coaster quality harnesses, then the theater lifts into the air in a corkscrew rotation and the seats are tilted downward to reveal the floor has become a giant water tank where a huge hydra audio animatronic appears and is killed by a hologram/AA Kratos. During the show, the theater would spin to simulate an oncoming storm and at one moment would briefly drop to startle the guests. It would be a very tough to pull off attraction, but would be awesome if it worked out right.
Legend of Zelda: Temple of Time (Everyone)
Follow Link as he ventures forth to uncover the Ocarina of Time in this dark ride based upon the legendary Nintendo 64 game. The ride would use a trackless ride system in order to increase the level of immersion from each scene.
Soul Calibur: Battle of Souls (Teen)
Choose between Nightmare or Siegfried in a battle of the two great swords on this high speed inverted roller coaster adventure based on Namco-Bandai's Soul Calibur series. This would be a highly themed outdoor dueling inverted roller coaster ala Dueling Dragons that would include a couple brief indoor audio animatronic scenes explaining the origins of each side and a launch outdoors where the battle begins.
Old School Central: A land entirely devoted to the origins of gaming in all their 8 or 16 bit glory!
Kickin' It Old School (Everyone)
Ever wanted to hit blocks and jump through warp pipes in Super Mario Bros? How about play Pong in real life? Well here's your chance in this exhibit where guests can relive some of the cla$$ic moments of old school gaming, in real life!
Neighborhood Arcade (Everyone to Mature)
Play arcade games ranging from old school cla$$ics to more modern hits from across the globe and prove how good you really are.
Tron the Ride (Everyone 10+)
Board a lightcycle and race through cyberspace on a quest to save the virual world based upon Disney's cla$$ic film, Tron. The ride would use a perfected version of the Rocket Rods ride system, increasing the capacity of the vehicles and featuring two different paths. At the end of the ride, guests can pay a fee and battle in the Laser Disk Arena.
So there you go, that is what I would love to see become the Virtual Kingdom. I didn't include restaurants or meet and greets or other smaller attractions, mostly because it has taken me 2 hours to write all of that down. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for new attractions or restaurants.
In order to build this, Disney would need to make deals with Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA, MTV, Namco-Bandai, Ubisoft, Valve, Double Fine and 2K Games, as well as anyone else who would want to show their games in the E3 Experience, but if this was done, it would without a doubt be the most impressive theme park in the world.
So there you have it. What do you think?
