First off, the one I've been waiting for...
Sony is considering a premium tier of PSN.
So, basically, PSN as is would be the free version, and the paid subscribers would get stuff on top of that. I'd like to see this as it might bring additional pressure on Microsoft to bring basic online play (at least) to Live Silver. I'm very curious to see where this might lead. There is the ugly possibility they might remove features/performance from the free PSN - I would hate to see that (especially since that would do little to pressure MS into doing anything).
Of course, I'm a big fan of, "If free is good them cheap is better." If Sony offers me free or $5/month sub, I'd like to see what perks the sub has to offer! I've felt they've left money laying on the table by not offering a premium tier of PSN, so its good to see them do this.
Given that PSN requires game companies to host their own servers, I'd like to see them do some form of revenue sharing with publishers with the subscription money OR use the money to host servers themselves for smaller companies and independent games. Also, they can stop charging companies for bandwidth for downloads - I'm pretty sure that more than a few publishers/developers will be quite happy if that happens. I would certainly give subscribers faster speeds in that case - "You're footing the bill for everyone, so while everyone is downloading at the normal speed, your download will be up to twice as fast! Thanks!"
Potentially speaking this could be a win/win for everyone, including 360 owners.
Next up, Sony is planning an iTunes competitor.
As I wrote in the news thread:
Sony - if you want to beat iTunes you need to beat Windows Media Player in one key feature - it'll work with almost anything. Don't be like Apple and tie the service to specific hardware - license your platform out or make it so you can tap into the existing personal media player market. This is NOT the time for proprietary formats - embrace open standards, make a good quality product, interface and ecosystem, and you will do well for yourselves. Try and lock things up like Apple has and you'll never realize the potential you're capable of.
I'll stand by that. Most folks who didn't buy into iTunes/iPod don't want to be locked into anything. Also, the industry is moving away from DRM'd music; Apple's non-DRM'd music can be converted into MP3, Amazon sells only MP3s, and Zune sells MP3s also. Sony has already shuttered its old, DRM'd, Sony-device only music store. I hope they learned from that. Overall this could be very good, though. Choices are a wonderful thing.
In other news: Lawyers always win.
Yeah. Ooookay. Regardless of who wins, the lawyers will get paid, I'm sure. And if they do win, the folks who filed the suit will get chump change each. Gah. Notice Sony hasn't commented on the bannings? Smart move for them. In all likelihood they'll be doing some of those themselves (and for the exact same reasons) before this generation is over.
And more lawyers ruining our lives:
Oh for crying out loud... if this guy is as bad off as he says he's in, I think he should be seeking psychiatric help @_@
And lastly? I played the Bayonetta demo for the 360.
Normal kills me. Badly. OMG. Welcome back to scrubs-ville.
Easy is not as satisfying. It looks cool but I know, deep down, I'm playing scrub mode.
I like the mechanics, but right now lack the necessary l33t to do Witch Time stuff. The Torture stuff is interesting. I like how the guns are handled (press and hold, used as an ender/stopper for combos).
The game is quite gorgeous! Very pretty. The angels are freaky looking, though. Its like the cast of The Dark Crystal got new jobs as mook-fodder. Bayonette herself is eye-candy, although her standing pose is a bit goofy (and, in some ways, somewhat self-aware? "Hi, I'm supposed to be hot. Librarian hot.").
Right now I don't think the demo is as well done as DMC4's. The engine/mechanics are pretty intriguing, though. So, it likely I'll try this out later on, just not at the $60 price. OverallI think this is a great evolution of the DMC "stylish-brawler" game. It should be good, and I do not feel like its DMC with a sexier wrapper. Bayonetta feels like Bayonetta, just like KOF feels like KOF, SF feels like SF, and GG feels like GG (ie, distinct identity within a genre).
Might have to see if Ninja Gaiden Black on the XB can be found easily or not - I think they have a lower difficulty. I'm not quite so hardcore or masochistic as I used to be. I'd like to try the PS3 NG:S2 as its two-player if you want to - that's really the one thing this genre has been missing to make it the true successor to brawlers of old. Use online play and no worrying about cameras!
Side note: I want to find Otogi for the Xbox now, as well as maybe pick up DMC4 for my 360 since my PC version is being uncooperative (SecuROM is not liking W7 for whatever reason - says I've got imaging software - no patch I know of, darnit).
One of the major problems I have had for many years is air conditioning at the office. My hands tend to get cold after an hour or two in the office. I normally wash my hands in warm water or simply sit on my hands for a moment (lol, TMI).
When I lived in Texas for a couple of years I also had the same problem at home because A/C was used about 8 out of 12 months a year. Much like there is heated handles for scooter and motorcycles, have any of you seen that many heated keyboards? If so, do you have any recommendations?
Saki Candy Green. Everything done in Photoshop CS4. Resized for up-loading so there is an extremely huge quality loss.
Updates:
Replaced banner and signature image.
Whats New?
Nothing really exciting. I'm back to basics like studying anatomy and perspective.
Gaming Stuff:
My Nintendo DS is now broken and im left with playing online games. I stopped playing Street Fighter IV because i suck at it.
The Good Stuff:
For people who loves to draw manga, I found some very useful brushes in deviant Art Manga Brushes.
I found this great site for searching anime characters especially girls Anime Character Search.
For Anime cosplay fans, good cosplay reference site Pan in the Box
One of the best tutorials for drawing a human body! check this out! Guide to drawing the body
Future Updates:
Nothing planned yet.
Well, I'll say I was pleased with Prototype. It was as good as I expected. When I first started, I'll say I was disappointed, because the controls felt so loose. Compared to inFamous, at least. But as I started playing through, I realized that if they were as tight, it'd been weird, and probably a lot harder to play. It basically had what I complained about with inFamous. The story was longer (for me, at least), and the world seemed bigger. Running up buildings was absolutely a dream come true, as opposed to having to climb. The move list was pretty big, as well. A lot of moves get replaced, as you get further in, which is fine, cause it kept it fresh, but some moves, I almost never used. I did like how the changing of moves flowed easily, and wasn't all crazy like I was sorta expecting. The story was pretty good, in my own opinion. Nothing really frustrated me like most games tend to do, either. It was a relief. I'm not saying the game was a cake walk, but with so many options and ways to choose from, to do something, it wasn't a mad rush to try to do the same thing the same way and fail over and over again.
Just like inFamous, if you do not have this game, I highy, HIGHLY recommend it.
Other things I've been doing in the gaming world:
Call of Duty : World at War. I've been leveling up, as usual. I'm now a level 56 I think, Prestige 1. I can't remember the level, but I know I'm a Brig General III. I really like that game. I usually don't get into FPSs, but I dunno, it's fun to play. I also don't like playing online games, but again, it's a fun game. Anyone that wants a...I guess small challenge, can look me up, as I post myPSN a lot. (For any game, really, not just CoD. PSN: Bearrie)
MapleStory : I've been playing this a pretty fair amount, as well. I'm now a 137 hero, at 73%. This game really is a drug, for those who have never played it. It's a free (if you don't buy nexors) MMO game, that makes you want to level A LOT. If not just for yourself, you have enough competition in the game to make you want to level till you can't stand playing anymore. I'm also a damage *insert random bad word here*, so I tend to spend a lot of money to make my character strong. I'll probably play tonight, so I can level. haha.
Other things I need to work on :
Infamous and Prototype : All I really need to do for these two games now, is get 100%. I'm aiming to get all the trophys, but for Prototype, that seems a bit harder. One of the trophys is killing 5 or less civilians? Man...I kill more than that in any single mission. Anyway, that's just my goal for those two.
GTAIV : I was like half way through the game, but every time I started it, it told me I'd have to restart to get the trophys, and I finally did it. Now I don't wanna play it. I don't know why, but it's not fun to me. Not as much as San Andreas was. I was actually pretty disappointed with it. The main thing is the way cars handle. It's so hard to control them at high speeds.
All the rest of my games : Just beat them. haha. Try to get all the trophys, from the ones that have them.
MapleStory : Keep leveling, get my guild big, and finish quests. Anyone who plays, and is in the Bera server, add me. MasaBearrie is my IGN.
Other than that, have a good day.Bearrie out.
Now it's been rather difficult playing the damn game with my xbox overheating so often. I'm still not 100% sure what is wrong and how I can fix it, or deal with it. Of course I can send it to MS for a fee of $100 but with Christmas fast approaching, I need my money for other much more important things. I mean spending that much money for repairs, or spending money purchasing another Xbox would feel like such a waste. I could use that money to buy myself a PS3, thus completing my collection.
As of now I've tried both dismantling my xbox and elevating the power brick, which may be the problem as to why my console overheats. I've also tried turning a fan on max over my console and it's power brick. Today I was actually able to play almost the entire day without the console crashing on me. But then my brother decided to play some Force unleashed which then led to the console crashing yet again. My guess is that since I have Gears of War 2 installed onto my HDD the disc not spinning plays an important factor in the console not overheating. This is just a theory as I am not 100% sure.
If anyone has a suggestion as to what I should do please let me know, I need help desperately, hahaha. I haven't tried playing Gears online so I really have no idea how that will fare.
*On a side note I should hopefully have a review (a rather late review) of the game up soon, thanks for tuning in...*
I don't think I know anyone who I'm friends with on Gamespot... Sometimes I'll friend someone because I like an argument they make, or I like their avatar or signature, and I always accept friend requests. But this brings me to my point: I don't know any of you. Any at all.
So, if you're feeling bored and feel like talking about yourself, I'd like to get to know all of you a little better. 
Just tell me about yourself. Some ideas would be:
-Name
-Age
-Location
-Gender
-Interests
-Favorite color
-Video games you own
-Favorite smilie
-Favorite Gamespot board
Sooo yeah. And because I don't know any of you, I'm assuming none of you know any of me. 
So I guess I'll fill this out and stuff, to give all of you an idea.
Name: Tyler
Age: 17 (Edit on June 22nd, 2009: Now I'm 18 )
Location: Rochester, NY
Gender: Male
Interests: Save video games, I love manga a lot (but I don't watch any anime at all!). I like Yu Yu Hakusho, Bleach, and One Piece, and recently I started Death Note and After School Nightmare. I also like Ugly Betty a lot (yeah, I'm the guy with her in my sig) but it's odd, because I've never been obsessed with a TV show before. I guess I like it because it's a nice mix of comedy and drama. I have also been swimming competitively since 7th grade, and I plan on doing it in college in a year.
Favorite color: Teal
Video games: I only have a DS at the moment (lack of $$$) but I'm obsessed with Animal Crossing. I also recently started playing Resident Evil and I'm liking it so far.
Favorite smilie: , or 
Favorite Gamespot board: OT. I actually joined Gamespot because I wanted to become a brainless fanboy in System Wars, buuut that got old quick, especially after I discovered OT sitting at the top of the board page.
Whew. Yours doesn't have to be as long as mine. But yeah, if you wanted to tell me (and all my other friends I guess) about yourself then please feel free!
Sometimes, in my travels of the internet, I come across something that I must share with the world.
This is one of those times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UChQ5QPTYXo
So, this event started yesterday! Or... today, or something. Now, they're announced some exciting news like:
If you want a ffxiii demo, you must buy advent children on blu ray!
A ffxiii game no one wanted was coming to cell phones, but now it's for the psp
X game coming this year
Y game coming that year
X game being "exclusive" to ps3
Y game being multiplatform
now, it's good, since those games in the event (final fantasy xiii and it's bastard childs, all of the new KH games, dissidia, sigma harmonics etc) from weeks ago called E3 (which blowed by the way) and well, nomura said there would be a BIG announcement, as in BIG. As in; I'll give you all hopes up of a FFVII remake.
Now, I never played it on the psone, but I've played FFVII on my pc, but the damn thing crashes, so it's got no use anymore. There's many solutions for me playing this now.
-get a ps1 copy
-get a better pc copy
-get a rom of something, which I won't
-the famous "remake" which would be awesome, and might happen, since square likes making, remake, after remake, after port, after remake, and then another port.
If not ffvii remake, at least something regarding FFVIII, since... well, I haven't played it, but have been dying to play it.
With the last of the Time Trotters riding off to the welcoming sunset of unemployment, I'm doing my best to stay ahead of the trend. On Monday I'll be starting up at my new gig, months of Call of Duty-filled joblessness finally coming to a close.
And while I will always remember the fall of 2007 as an enjoyable old mess of new video games, Boston life, and a roller coaster of job hunting, 2008 is looking to be pretty sweet.
Where will I be working, you ask? As a quick attempt at cross-site promotion, I encourage everybody to visit my internet blournal, DoofyCrap.com. Tomorrow I'll write about my rad new place of business over there. A quick hint: it perfectly combines so many of my interests it's scary. Not too many suspects to pick from, I bet some of you can figure it out in a hurry.
Best of luck to Ryan, and see you all at Doofy HQ!
- Rich
PS: If somebody at GameSpot Live wouldn't mind publishing the ol' Time Trotters to the site, I would greatly appreciate it. Too much of too many people's hard work in that baby to see it hidden away forever! I'm not asking for fanfare or anything, just put it up all sly-like to the Shaolin Style gamespace. My extended family (and of course the GameSpot faithful) would love to see it, thanks!
Ok....I decided to spend a fortune on my new pc: dual core 2.4 GHz, 8600 GTS, 1 GB RAM. Yeah, I know, it's not oh-so frigging-cool. But I can play Crysis with decent fps on mid setting. And it confirms my old belief that pc is still the best platform. Forget about Xbox 360. And After years of keyboard and mouse, I just can't picture myself playing Call of Duty 4 with that stupid joystick. I played Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect on my friend's Xbox 360 and found that I just couldn't familiarize with its controller. Just like what Bill Gates said last year: "Mouse is the best input device in the history of mankind." Amen to that.
Another reason. Take a look at Capcom. They just threw "Playstation exclusivity" policy out of the window. Their games will be available on PS3, Xbox 360, and.....pc! How about Crysis on any console? Not even a rumour. And there's no secret that Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, GTA 4, and some other AAA console games are coming to pc. Oh and now I can play PS2 games on my pc too! Oh my fellow pc gamers, rise. Raise your hands and shout your victory. Let us march to the edge of the world. And let it be heard that pc is the conquerer of the gaming world!!! Ok....that's it for this post. Now it's time for me to go play Final Fantasy XII on that frigging PS2. 
It's another year that's come and gone, and it's been wonderful getting to know all of you. I wish you all happy holidays and that you spend it with the people that mean so much to you.
I hope in the coming year we can get to know each other more and the gaming world continues to grow! So my best wishes to you-- see you next year!
Sometimes all you can do is cling to your beliefs.
Good luck to all those who are staying here, but my time here on Gamespot is coming to a close.
You can find me as one of the admins of www.thevirtualunderground.net, a refuge for my favorite community on this site. All are welcome, so please drop by.
You can also find me on the PMS Clan forums (www.pmsclan.com), Scorehero (www.scorehero.com and #scorehero on gamesurge), and lurking around DOACentral (www.doacentral.com).
And remember... no matter how sad Parappa gets, he can get through anything because he believes.
Yes me like everyone else bought into the Halo 3 hype. I loved the first game, enjoyed the second game (not as good as the first but still a good time none the less) but now that the third has rolled around all I have to say for it is that I beat legendary with my two best friends. Was it a great time sure it was, did I enjoy waiting in front of gamestop with them and some of my other friends and watching Nathan's sister flirt with every guy there yes I did. But was it all worth $120 dollars?
I have loved the Halo games ever since I got the first one in June of 2003 or 2004 it was a blast, I had never played any first person shooters before and this is the game that made it my favorite genre that it is today. It was fun, had great storytelling, sweet sound, amazing graphics, and was just a blast to play especially with my neighbor who would come over everynight and we would play. I would take it to friends houses and dominate them in 1 on 1 matches and it would be great fun. But how come the third didn't hit me in the same way the first to did. Yes it had awesome online and everything but its not as good as my first online game (Call of Duty 2 [Xbox 360]) and it wasn't as great as my first FPS (Halo) and why not they claim that it is better than both. Heck for 120 bucks it should be better than both combined. It should be like if corpral Taylor and Cortona had a kid it should be that awesome. But yet I haven't played it in like 2 weeks. Why you might ask, because those friends that I have all those grand memories of staying up til 5 in the morning beat Halo with can't play (AMEATYHOTPOCKET [or as I like to say Nathan] is grounded for failing english....again and Colts Fan 42 [Timmy] xbox broke). So the point of the long rediculous article is not to make me look awesome because I'm hating on Halo 3 also but it is because games should be built around having friends to play it with. I mean heck thats why I have been enjoying pokemon so much is because all of my friends play it with me and their ds' are reliable unlike the 360.
But the point is that you can spend whatever you want on a game, and 600 bucks on a PS3, and buy the coolest TV ever but if you don't have friends to enjoy it with whats it really matter? (unless you are playing oblivion then it doesn't matter) games aren't meant to be the anti social nerd toys that the media makes them out to be today, they are meant to be enjoied with friends. Without those friends to enjoy those games with you just have yourself another $120 paperweight.
I got the Ace Attorney 3 in the mail and beat it like all the other ones insanely fast because of the addictive gameplay and the amazing storytelling. Here are my thoughts on the trilogy and the three games that make it.
What is the worst game in the trilogy?
After playing the 3 games in the series, the one that I could look back on with confidence and say that the Ace Attorney 2: Justice for All is the worst one. While I admit that the storytelling improves quite a bit and the cases overall have more twists and turns, it is disjointed. I look at the game and each case really has no connection with each other and it makes the second game feel more episodic and with less cohesion. The game also has a distinction of having the worst cast of the Phoenix Wright games, with most of the new cast being forgettable. It also stands that it does have the worst soundtrack in the series with some exceptions. With that said, it has Case 4, which is one of the best cases ever.
What is the best game in the trilogy?
My statement is almost predictable in what I think is the best in the trilogy, it is without a doubt Ace Attorney 3: Trials and Tribulations. The game smashes the second game into pieces and stampedes over the original game. The storytelling is an evolution of the second game and it is a huge improvement. The opening sequence doesn't do a "phoenix wright" anymore and presents the killer, instead showing more about the event which leads to more questions than answers. The original game was great because it presents a bunch of court cases, with the audience being pleasantly suprized with the connection between Case 2 and 3. The third game steps it up 10 notches because 3 out of the 5 cases have to do with each other, with much stronger ties with the previous game. The game feels far less episodic and more like a coherent VERY EPIC storyline. The cast of characters is easily the best in a Phoenix Wright game, the new characters aren't forgettable, very likable and have personality to spare. If you don't know who Viola, Iris, Dahlia, Mask DeMasque, and Bikini you will know when you play the game. It also has case 4 and case 5, which is fanservice heaven, I don't mean "fanservice" in panty shots, but fanservice in terms of characters, events and storytelling. The music is also easily the best in the series by a long shot. The game is also known because it has what is easily the most evil villain to ever grace a Phoenix Wright game, the only way they could beat this is if they put someone even more twisted in the next trilogy.
What would be the best case?
The most intense case in the game Franchise is Case 4 from Ace Attorney 2: Justice for All. From the beginning to the end it was as intense as watching a space shuttle launch or a roller coaster going at 120 mph. It is the most intense one, but not the best one. The best one is without a doubt Case 5 from Ace Attorney 3: Trials and Tribulations. Case 5 has the strongest storytelling and some of the best character development in the series. It answers all the unanswered plot holes from the frist two games, and it is fanservice galore with the best of the best in the cast helping Phoenix Wright go through the saga. In Japan the title is appropriately known as "Magnificent Turnabout" but the english title is poorly named "Bridge to Turnabout" hopefully this gets fixed in the USA edition, since they are allegedly fixing many problems with spelling. The case also features what is the MOST EVIL character to ever grace the saga. It also gives a huge sense of closure with the storyline and gives you a warm a fuzzy feeling.
Other Thoughts
Phoenix Wright
- The Easiest game in the franchise and has one of the stronger soundtracks in the franchise.
- It was also the shortest when you don't count case 5.
- Edgeworth was the main character of development in the game
Ace Attorney: Justice for All
- Worst game in the franchise, felt more episodic.
- Worst soundtrack in the franchise
- Worse cast of characters.
- Much harder than Phoenix Wright.
- The main point of character development is the Fey Family
Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations
- Easily the best in the franchise, the tight knit storytelling also makes it the most epic.
- It is the hardest game in the franchise
- Ironically, it is the only Ace Attorney game I ever played where case 2 and 3 are harder than the last two cases.
- It also uses the Psyche locks a lot more naturally and it flows more than the second game
- It has the best cast of characters and villains
- The main point of character development is Mia, Phoenix, and the Fey Family
- It is also the longest of the Phoenix Wright games.
Here i am!
With my paycheck.... I got a cellphone
