You love, I love, We love Katamari, and other things

We love Katamari - 9/10
I recently succumb to curiosity and sheer popularity craze and bought the now probably well known Katamari Damacy game. I was only able to procure the sequel as the original was discontinued. Though this may be a good thing as I hear the first was not as good. Anyways on to the review. We love Katamari is a delightful game that is quite unique. The amount of unique non-violent games currently on the market are few and in between and most do not execute their ideas as beautifully as this game. The art of the game and the feel are both similar to what one would see on a major drug trip, but it makes the game all that more fun. I will explaint he basic premise of the game as I have had the same question over and over, "what do you have to do?" Well as the prince you must roll a giant ball, gathering things onto it as it grows. The larger the ball the larger the items you can pick up with it. Some levels have restrictions of on them as to how big you can make the ball, having to do it in a certain amount of time, or having to pick up certain objects. Each level presents its own set of unique challenges, but the most enjoyable level is one in which you must make your katamari as big as possible in a large amountof time. It is really quite fun starting in one small neighborhood, rolling out to small to pick up much and returning large enough to pick up the entire town. The game is quite simple and pleasant and never had me throwing a fit because a "bug" threw off my game plan. Everyone should love this game because of its innovatives, but what is also great is the fact that their is 2-player head to head. In the mode you can pick up your opponent, quite fun. Finally, I recommend you pick up this game, but alas it is only for PS2, if you dont have a PS2 go and get one and buy this game.

Lookin' For the Good Stuff

I recently came across a game that I had seen little of besides a single commercial and a reference from a friend. I had lost track of it among my school work, but have rediscovered it and I would like to share the press release for the game with you.

SEGA
Spartan: Total Warrior™

Platform: PlayStation 2; Xbox; GameCube
Category: Action/Strategy
Developer: The Creative Assembly (a SEGA development studio)
Release: Fall 2005

The first console title from The Creative Assembly, the developer of the million-unit selling Total War PC series, Spartan: Total Warrior lets players lead epic and cinematic battles as a fighter known only as The Spartan. He’s an elite soldier blessed by the Gods, immersed in titanic clashes between mighty Roman battalions and mythological monsters. Using the steel of his blade and powerful magic, The Spartan bravely rallies his countrymen to liberation. Brutal combat meets epic warfare on the war-torn fields of the ancient world as you fight for your life, your freedom and your honor. A richly detailed saga of fierce combat, Spartan: Total Warrior runs on proprietary software that makes it possible to present more than 160 detailed warriors simultaneously engaged in pitched combat. Players can wade into the thick of battle using a wide range of moves, including multiple melee and missile attacks, combos, blocks, shield charges, and evasive stances. These battles take place in massiveenvironments, from arid wastelands to full-scale cities, through dungeons over rugged mountains, and finally to the ultimate showdown in the Imperial Coliseum in Rome.

Features:
• Beautiful cinematic environments feature a wide variety of sweeping vistas,
weapons and foes that truly push the power of current generation consoles.
• More than 160 warriors merge and attack on screen simultaneously, making for
the most grandiose battles ever seen on a console.
• A wide variety of units include Roman soldiers, skeleton armies and classic
mythological creatures.
• Players can acquire new, more powerful weapons and armor, and earn favor and
powers from the gods.
• Varying mission structures present multiple objectives, including escorting,
capturing, destruction, discovery, and survival, keeping the gameplay fresh.
• Arena mode allows players to test their skills against an endless stream of
increasingly difficult foes.

I don't know about you but those features would get me hyped not to mention the videos and pictures at the main site for
Spartan: Total Warrior
Until Next, when hopefully I will have a review for you.

Giant Bugs, and Wanted Criminals

The giant bugs involve Starship Troopers, and Wanted criminals are from the latest addition to the Need for Speed line up.
The former is everything a fan boy could want from a book/movie adaptation. I was actually quite surprise at how it was pulled off since it was not crappy like many movie games. The reason could be that it followed the story of the book and not the movie. The game itself is a relatively standard fps with an array of weaponry and surface coating of storyline, but that is where the similarities end. It is quite obvious that the developer desired to bring the hordes of bugs observed in the movie to life in the game. The kill count you can obtain in any one level is more then most fps I have seen to date. The bugs really do come in swarms and their variety is both interesting, believeable, and deadly. The graphics are relatively decent, but the lack of much of any physics engine, destructible environments, or a competent save feature do play against it. This is where the cheats come in. The game employs the usual god mode and ammo refill cheats, but it includes others of which I believe is the best cheat I have ever encountered. The cheat is called EvilEye, and what it does is kill any bug you stare at, I know cool! Believe me at times you will use it and the bugs still manage to get close to you. Certain bugs with specific weak points do not die from the cheat, but I found this forgiveable.

Finally, Need For Speed: Most Wanted. I have to be honest, I have never played any other game in the series, but if I had to choose this would be the best. It is a quite appealing game with beautiful visuals and stunning cars complete with customizability. Couple of big winners with me. The story is thin, but the journey through is skill testing, every race challenges to improve further. The campaign involves you, the player, climbing the "black list", a list of the top rated street racers, and at about rank 9 I started to say, "Oh my god, I can't believe it will get harder." The game will have you constantly wheezing for air as you cross finish lines with only seconds to spare ahead of your rivals, or make daring escapes from police car pile-ups. It cannot be argued that this is not an adrenaline pumping game. If sometimes you just want to cruise in the car you have proudly built, you can and you can enjoy it with the rich environment. Just try and keep it legal or you'll have caops trailing you in no time.

That's all for now, So Until Next.
PS: I should note that I had to get Starship Troopers shipped from England, as it is not sold in Canada.

360, Now the court settlement payment

Recently in the news was a story about a man whom is starting a class action suit against Microsoft. The article which mentions the lawsuit also mentions some classic lines from Microsofts PR department, "We have received a few isolated reports of consoles not working as expected," and the greatest line, " Microsoft has dismissed the claim that the problem is due to rushing the console to market". Now here is my question, barring my feeling of respect for a company whom has actual admitted this, Why-TF did you rush the fucking console to market!!!? It is really genius stuff, like just imagine the onversation they must have had about the release date.

Gates: "Ok people we have to release for christmas for an undetermined reason."
johnson: "But the consoles still have a number of glitches and bugs to be worked out. Basically we are releasing a new kind of mini-desktop. We cannot take this quickly or we will be crucified."
Gates: "Yup, releasing this christmas, sounds great. Ahead of everyone."
Johnson: "But.."
Gates:"...releasing this christmas..." (walks off into a broom closet)
Anyways enough about the boeing 747 crash that is the 360 release. Listening to Video Game Radio - VGamp a song from DDR came up, DDR - supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. You might not agree with me, hey you might want to slaughter me, but DDR has gone too far and should be shutdown. Imagine seeing your children playing DDR to the tune of the "Wish Upon A Star" Rap, or Celine Dion's "My Heart Goes On" - the remix. I know I would cry in pain just by hearing her music again, but a remix. Gahhhhhhh!! Run away, then off a cliff!! Go to nomoreddr.com to sign the petition to stop DDR.

Just Kidding...Until Next.

Console-ular Let Down

I am rathered pissed about this, but unless you give two shits about the Next-gen consoles (ie. Xbox 360, PS3) Read this:

X360 Let Down

Until Next.

360, Assumed: Everyone thought Degrees - Actual: Number of Initial Bugs

Well it has been one hell of a roller coaster for Gamers and Microsoft alike as the release of the new xbox on November. 22 occurred. Many were eager to acquire their pre-orders and when they arrived home and started their machine they were met with errors. Yes, Xbox consoles everywhere are freezing, glitching and bugging to the melody of smashed controls and scratched disks. Microsoft has been called on by gamers for help, but I must ask "what the fuck happened?"
I until today was going to get a console, but until the things are fixed I'm not touching one. Xbox was so gun-ho about being ahead of the curve, both their other competitors were almost a year away from release. Xbox 360 came out with a supposed corner on the market, gamers are impulsive buyers. Face it gamers are almost categorically addicts and 360 would be the first console to satisfy their need.
Unfortunately the delayed release of the Revolution and PS3 may be well justified. Thinking about this on a market stand point, nintendo and Sony allowed Microsoft to rush their console in and basically Microsoft acted as a free test run of a Next Gen console release. By watching and seeing what issues develop in public hands Sony and Nintendo can therefore further improve their consoles. I can almost assure you that both the Revolution and PS3 will be free of the problems tha plgue the Xbox 360.
Here is a metaphor to sum it up, Microsoft is the idiot that goes running into the jungle and falls into the quicksand. Meanwhile, Sony and Nintendo are the two following Microsoft letting them expose all the hazards and traps.
Signing off on Micrsoft Stupidity, Until Next.

Gamer = Addict?

Recently I was reading the Toronto Star and was reading their Ideas section. Video games seemed to be there feature for the day so they had some interesting facts. One fact involved a study, the study came out with this interesting tid-bit; when showed in-game screenshots of various games the test subject showed the same reactions and brain functions as a drug addict. Funky stuff eh?
So continuing on with my addiction enhanced hobby, the Xbox 360 has been released at its whopping $500+ price tag. I say $500 because no one will buy the core system which doesn't have the hard drive. The reason, people aren't going to throw away hundreds of dollars in games just cause a next gen console rears its sleek manufactured head. Though the new Xbox may actually earn this price tag for its great graphics and stellar processing speed, but the games don't. The games feature about a $10+ increase over the older system games. As the game industry forges ahead tools are constantly being created for developers to utilize. The Xbox 360 features a very developer friendly devkit which should speed up the process, which is in addition to hundreds of other software programs that further shorten the development cycle. But I guess I should just suck it up and pay for the Xbox name like everyone else.

In game news recently I played both of the Starship Troopers demos and I have to say it is intense. If you were a fan of the original movie and the book you will appreciate this game. The game came out back on Nov.15 which I had not realized, I though it came out months ago and boy it has become beautiful and polished since I last saw it. The bugs are as fast, freaky, and relentless as they are in the movie. As well as preetty much being able to play through every major scene from the movie you have the filled out story from the book. I have to say this is one of the best book/movie games I have ever played or seen. I suggest you pick it up if you are a fan of the movie. If you are not a fan of the movie pick up for the sheer speed of the action.

Thats all I have for now. Until Next.

Leaked scripts, Bad teaching, and sidekicking it

Well kind of a late discussion on it but if you are a Halo fan you may have heard about the leaked script or at least a review about the intro. It doesn't read very well or very excitingly from what the guy has written but the implications are pretty cool. The movie will basically be the games but fulle realized and gory. Moving on...
Teaching is a fine art, some grasp it some do not....my Creative Writing teacher does not. She seems to have this belief that all her students have made game proposals before, she also believes that any sentence she rambles off is instant known and understandable. MISTAKE! Thankfully we here at UOIT are able to give a review of how we believe the course and teacher perform. These comments are taken seriously and go on the teachers permanent teaching record. I love it here but some things need to change.
My final reference to my creative writing course involves my game idea which actually I like and believe has potential. So don't shoot down my dreams too quickly. My idea involves being the sidekick of a hero, and you get to do all the cool sidekicky stuff. I dont want to put my whole proposal up here as some one may go "hmmm...I like this I think I will steal it". Unfortunately the world does work this way. If you want a copy of my proposal to give me feedback on please send me an email. If I know you I won't need any explanation as to who you are. If I don't know you better luck next time.
Until Next.

Surfing the WiFi

I am at home right now and planning to see Harry Potter tomorrow, it looks Action Packed! and Stupendous! as well as Magical!...whoops sorry I was reading the reviews at the same time as typing. But seriously it looks good despite the gaping hole that was the Head of Hogwarts. Why did that old uy have to die?! Why?!!
Anyways Xbox 360 comes out on the 22nd and I gotta tell ya it looks pretty nice, if you go to your local Best Buy or Future Shop you can see for yourself. Kameo has been a long time coming but for what I played it was worth it. King Kong looks spectacular on the system and Perfect Dark just maybe revived as a franchise. Personally I like the look of Xbox 360 and the potential Next Gen "Halo", Gears of War, but my money is waiting for PS3. Unless I get Xbox 360 as a present or my stock investments explode with profits PS3 is what I want. The potential of their Cell chip technology is just huge and anything that the Xbox 360 will have towards the middle or end of its life will probably look like the first games for PS3.
I put my $20 on Sony so Until Next.

I'm Makin' Movies Baby!

If you were keeping track you will know that last week The Movies came out, and most likely if you called ahead to the store and asked if they had it they responded, " Ok, what movies are you lookin for?" I recommend specifying that you are looking for a game before saying The Movies because you will get this response. Already I have released 2 movies on The Movies community website. I currently have a comedy and a thriller in the works both of which I am fine tuning scenes and figuring out how to best work the audio or just how to work the audio. The comedy is called "Homes of the Millionaire" and with the dialogue thats in my head I think its hilarious. The thriller is called "Fade Out" and it involves a man that is having flashbacks or premenitions of the future you find out towards the end. Both I think will be good but it is hard to get your movies noticed when every hour 20+ are uploaded by people. Check out the 2 I have uploaded, "Race without End" and "DeadBeater", don't judge me on Deadbeater as it was my first feature and is kinda rookie. Race without End I think is great and you might recognize the idea from Family Guy. Check it out and Until Next.

Can You Hear the Sirens!?!

No, the title does not refer too the mythical sirens that enchanted sailors and drew them to jagged rocks with their lovely songs. Last night the fire alarm in the residence went off and that is no lovely song, imagine a sound that rattles your very skull and then you would be getting close. Today I am picking up The Movies, a game in which you are able to construct your own movies from the ground up, script, actors, costumes, everything. Recently my roommate bought Battlefront 2 and holy crap it is addictive and fun. I recommend it fully. I have also played and completed Shadow of the Colossus, the game is very open their is a lack of things to do, but the sheer size of the colossi makes up for it. Each boss is fantastic in design and scale, coupled with the best figure movement I have ever scene. Each colossus moves and shakes like any normal creature and it looks spectacular.
As I did not have much sleep last night because of the fire alarm I am at a loss for things to say so Until Next.

Give New Companies a Chance

Recently I bought a game called "Legend of Kay", it is a platformer that involves a ninja cat that has too stop an eveil gorilla and rat from taking over the world. The gameplay is solid with fun moves and tight controls, it has a relatively decent difficulty, and spyro-like graphics. The reason I bought it was because it looked half-decent and I decided to give the little guy some help.
In a game world filled with popular sequels, and crappy movie games the smaller more original companies are getting quashed. I had never even heard of the Legend of Kay before yet it was a fun game that was better quality then alot of stuff from say EA.
All I am saying is that the next time you're in EB or Wal-mart or where ever you buy games have a look at some stuff you have never heard of and give it a try. You could be pleasently surprised.
Until Next.

Backgrounds, Backgrounds every where...

And not a drop to drink. Wait thats not right, well no matter. I have recently taken up the hobby of making relatively simple backgrounds. The gems I will post on my photobucket account in 1024x768 and 1280x1024. Have a look and please give me feed back. (Yes the Lionhead eye is available and believe me it looks great.)

Halo 3? I don't think so

Recently a script supposedly the official Halo 3 storyline has been circling the web, but much like Britney Spear's sextape its a hoax. Sorry people but you must think with your heads not your eyes. Firstly Halo is one of the hottest franchises to hit the gaming market in years and by this point in time any detail is under lock a key. Also Bungie could be taking a break from it companies do do that. Consider Doom in this regard. Today I happened too browse the serious of games for the Xbox 360 and for some reason EB has Halo 3 prime for release on June.30, 2006. That is amazing Bungie has not even ***king announced the game and EB figures they can finger a release date. F*** they might as well be CNN or Fox news reporting on the Iraq War before it even started, hell before it was even mentioned as a possibility.
My only beef is if EB really wants to be taken seriously they need to put up real games! with real realease dates!
Though here is a prime quote for today from EB themselves,
"The ship date and retail price have not been confirmed and therefore are subject to change. If the retail price is decreased you will receive the lower price."

Moved up in Here

I am now officially in rez, I have my room, mail, and laundry keys and classes start on thursday.
I only have 1 class on thursday but that is when they start.
I completely rearranged my room from how they supplied it and I gotta say its really nice.
I don't have any game reviews right now but I will sometime later this month and early october, because by that time The Movies will be out and so will Black& White 2.
I guess until I start class thats it.

Sin-sational

I know who hasn't used "Sin-sational" when describing Sin City, if they liked it of course. Yes I also realize that it is not a game but I just think it is such a cool movie. The colour effects are as eye catching as Pleasantville with Dialogue as old as time yet uniquely enthralling. I love the movie. I can't say it is my favourite of any genre because I believe it is that unique.

Also I recently discovered the site www.tallyhall.com its got some great little videos made by this quarky band called Tally Hall. If anything at least watch the vid "Banana man". I just found it but everyone else probably knew about since like forever. Or at least that is what smart asses usually say to me.

Finally I rediscovered a great little game site, www.ferryhalim.com it has got some weird and very nice looking games. check it out. You might get addicted or you might say, "this fuckin thing never ends!" Cause well most of the games are the never ending kind.

Until Next I am killing my cousin for stopping my recording of Family Guy. Little Bitch

Maintenance Marvel

I just spent 4 hours at the Subaru dealership by my house. Why? Cause my mom wanted to get an odd noise fixed up right away. Get it done in a jiffy. Son of a fuck. Good thing I had a book or I would have killed someone. I cannot wait to be out of here so that I am not at the mercy of my dumb fuck mother's ability to waste my time. She is great. But she likes to fuck with the time I have. Its mine not yours bitch!
Anyways I am doing a game review update on 3 titles:

Advent Rising - Good story, bad cut-scenes, horrible cut-scenes, decent graphics, heavy action, decent strategy element (when it is there, basically a run and shoot), bad cut-scenes, and bad controls, horrible horrible controls. Imagine trying to play Virtua Cop 3 at the arcade while someone is butt-fucking you, and then your in the realm of what I'm talking about. The game has the standard movement on one thumbstick and camera control on the other thumbstick. Though here is the trick, they created a new patented "flick targeting" control. Where did they put it you might ask? Well its with its dominant cousin camera control on the right thumbstick. That's where the fuck it is! If it weren't for a smart targeting system that your char automatically uses you would be fucked. Only a fucking genius would fuck with the camera control. Fucking geniuses.

Magne Cum Laude (Leisure Suit Larry title) - It lives up to the hype of being simple mini-games aimed at getting Larry laid if succesfully completed. Fun but simple.

Rise of Kasai (Mark of Kri sequel) - Basically the same game. Period. Good but nothing new besides new playable characters.

Thats all I have for the moment as I prepare for my transfer into the life as a Uni. student. Man it will be fun. Until Next.

Living the Dream

Ahhh...it feels good to live the dream. Ever since I was little I have said to myself, "I want to make worlds, characters, and stories that are original and out of this world. I want to make video games." And now I will. At least that what my university program implies - Game Development and Entreprenuership. Its great the kind of recognition I get when I tell people. Their face lights up and they say, " Wow... that sounds so cool." Yes...yes it is. I can't wait. My way of making a living will be in the future be to create an immersive fictional world, get lost in it, and share the experience. Wow...that sounds cool.

Gaming is a little Stranger

Recently I got and completed Oddworld Stranger. The new game from the inventive people of Oddworld Inhabitants can really make a game. I have never had a game experience like the one I had with this game. Here are the features I enjoyed: Being able to save anywhere, Well-placed automatic save points, multiple strategies for any one situation, new approach to the FPS - having to collect your ammo ( your ammo being living creatures), Great camera angles, Cinematic at times with actual being, good bosses - the bosses were actually difficult, good storyline- great storyline, and overall a good new experience. I barely ever got frustrated with the game - believe me this is quite an accomplishment. My "Gamer Anger" is a story for another time.

MMOverwhelming

As I was battling in the streets of the famed Paragon City, home to the heroes of "City of Heroes", I started to think about all the MMOs out there right now, and holy crap there are alot of them.
Here is a list of the currently active MMOs on store shelves or coming soon: City of Heroes, World of Warcraft, Horizons, Asheron's Call 2, Everquest 2, Star Wars Galaxies, Anarchy Online, The Matrix Online, Dark Age of Camelot, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Final Fantasy Online, Planetside, Tabula Rasa, Shadowbane, Eve Online, The Saga of Ryzom, Auto Assault, Etc. This of course does not include the countless MMOs found online. For a complete list go to www.mmorpg.com.
The very nature of these games makes it impossible for any single person to possibly play each with in their own lifetime so we are stuck with picking only 1 or a few. My path has lead me to try Guild Wars, Planetside, Asheron's Call2, Horizons, Eve Online, WoW, and City of Heroes. Guild Wars, Eve Online, Horizons, and Asheron's Call 2 were both only trials lasting about 2 weeks. The rest I have actually purchased and played for an extended amount of time.
So lets see how someone should look at the MMO gameplay world.
1: Ask yourself how much free time do I have?
If the answer is little you should probably ignore MMOs altogether and just stick to the fun, quick, and readily accessible offline experience of other games like FPS or Action-Adventure games.
2: Do I like playing with others?
If no, then why are you even reading this? MMOs are for the cooperative experience, a sort of Instant Messenger with action and killing.
3: Do I have the patience for downloading?
if no, then stop reading. To be a smart buyer with MMOs always look for a free trial for the MMo you are interested in. Free Trials will usually require you to download the entire game which can be more than 1 G. Avoid buying the physical game instore because $49.95 is much more then $0 for the 14-day trial. If you can not find a trial on the games web site search the net you can usually find one.
4: Do you like to do the same thing over and over again with changing environments, enemies, and teammates?
If yes, then MMOs were built for you. MMOs have many quests but they will fit in a range of 3 to 4 types, usually: Kill, Rescue, Collection, and Travel. The one thing that can be counted on to change is whom you are killing or rescuing, what you have to collect, and where you have to go. If you can't say "I could spend hours just wandering around in that world helping people and doing random stuff" then don't get the MMO. The MMOs game world is one that you will spend hours upon hours in and you have to be interested in the world or things will get boring fast.
5: Do I understand what I am doing within the first day?
If no, drop the game. If you don't even understand more than movement and attacking within the first hour or two drop it. If the game isn't simple enough to come to you within at lest a few hours of game play it's ballacks. It's the "If you don't get it you won't get it" Philosophy.

Other then these few questions its basicallyt just feel. You have to ultimately decide whether you like it or not. Personally, I could sit on my ass for hours just flying around in City of Heroes.
Until Next.

Psychonauts. Killzone, and Alcohol

Well recently I bought Killzone and Psychonauts and man is there one hell of a staunch difference. Yes, they are different genres and types of gameplay but the quality of the game is the focus here. Killzone had the label of "Halo Killer" and it really does not earn its name. A variety of weapons is lacking, it has an F-ed up weapon balance, the enemies are idiots sometimes, and the gameplay is slow. Finally the game has the biggest lack of story I have seen in a while, half the time I don't know what the fuck I am trying to accomplish. The game allows you to select a character before each set of levels and every single one sucks ass. The only one of any use is one tank like dude. One character is stealth based, which is interesting because there is no fucking option to be stealthy. Idiots, god.
Now for the staunch difference. Psychonauts is one of the most innovative, creative, fun, interesting, intriguing, and funny platformers I have played in a while. The characters are so funny and the story is interesting with dialogue that follows through. The game is difficult without being daunting, but there are moments where you will go "duh! Why didn't i think of that?" This game is truly awesome and I now realize why I haven't been able to catch a copy for a while.
Finally, alcohol. This stuff has passed through the ages in pretty much the same role as morphine. Used often to relax and unwind, it has been adopted by all cultures and everyone has produced their own twist. I started my drinking career this past friday and boy did that career end fast. The alcohol of choice was Crown Royale and Malibu. Unfortunately the malibu ran out early. So I was left with the awful cologne, shit that is Crown. I became drunk and it was kinda cool. the only difference I found was that I was obviously relaxed, but also I had the inebriated affect to any movement. The night was fun, but it did not last. At about 4:30 am I came out of the drunk haze and so began the hangover. I retched over and over again, it did not truly subside until 7:00 am. I have never felt so bad. And like that my drinking career ended. I have vow to never touch anything beyond a beer again. And even at that I will not have to many beers. IF you want some advice, I would advise to not drink that hard shit.