"Cause nothin' lasts forever, Even cold November rain"
Too bad there's no cold November rain in New Mexico

• 4Feb 10

  Oh my Gosh! ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!!!!!!!

  ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmy gosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygoshohmygosh

  ohmygosh ohmygos hohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh

  

  ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosho hmygoshohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygoshohmygosh ohmygoshohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygoshohmygosh ohmygoshohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygoshohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh

  

  ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh

  Translation-this is the only game of 2010 that I'm going to buy

  • Posted Feb 4, 2010 6:42 pm GMT
  • Category: Games
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• 24Jan 10

  Top 7 Games I Played In 2009

  A top 7 on something based off of 2009? It's almost the end of January! Well I've been busy, so yeah. I have beaten around 10 or so game, but to be fair half of them were N64 games and combining their playtime would be less than a day. And I have a rule that it has to be a game that I started playing in 2009 or barely started in. Also I am ranking in which how much fun I had not, graphics or production value and such. So anyways here's my top 7 games I have beaten in 2009.

  7. Viewtiful Joe 2

  I loved Viewtiful Joe back in 2008 and when I saw it for a mere $6 at GameStop I was happy. This game is a basic continuation of the original Viewtiful Joe with a few tweaks in the fighting and difficulty. First off the game is a bit easier and you have a new partner, Silvia who is incredibly useful with her dual guns. The game itself did not evolve much in terms of fighting and gameplay, and you know what? Who cares? It is still a great game that did not need much improving. Capcom's throwback to the old school beat em ups is one game you will need in your collection. Too bad there will probably never be a Viewtiful Joe 3.

  6. inFamous

  This is my first PlaySation 3 game that I have ever gotten and boy is it amazing. It takes the mechanics of free running and third person shooters and fuses it all together into an incredible package. The gameplay is silk smooth, the story is great and full of twists, and it is incredibly replayable with another side to choose from and tons of sidequests. I love inFamous and find it to be extremely fun and satisfying. Sucker Punch did a great job and it served well as the number 6 spot.

  5. Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

  Wait two games in 1 spot? That's not fair! Well since it's my list I can do whatever I want and I like both game equally. Many people have heard me rant about Modern Warfare 2 and my disappointment at Infinity Ward for having a 3 hour campaign and not have high interest in multiplayer (I'm on dial up and trust me online does NOT work as of now). But I do love Call of Duty 2 and 4. To me Call of Duty 2 feels like a perfect mix of intense and epic gameplay spread into 3 campaigns. My personal favorites are the Russian campaign for the epic feel and the United States campaign for its intensity in D Day. Call of Duty 4 on the other hand blew me away even further for it's intensity. The first actual level looked brilliant and played perfectly as you were invading the ship. Everything about the game was incredible and it is a must play for all shooter fans.

  4. GoldenEye 007

  It's GoldenEye 007. Next!

  Just kidding. I got this game for $12 on eBay and it is amazing! Believe it or not this is THE game that started the trend of console shooters with it's awesome controls, missions, and multiplayer. You know that multiplayer with multiple people playing at once? This is the game that perfected it and evolved shooters into online console multiplayer with annoying 10 year olds screaming that you were owned and thinking they are awesome. Thank you online multiplayer you're sure raising the future generation well. (Ehsan does not blame SOME of the youth on video games. He knows that those are a small percentage of our youth of today. Parents shouldn't give rated M games and Xbox Live to their 10 year olds. Duh. I mean who pays for the money, the 10 year olds?)

  3. Wii Sports Resort

  What's this? A casual game? No, it's a great game. It basically looks like another sequel to Wii Sports with more events. But instead of that Nintendo made has made a deep game with over 33 events. Most events are a ton of fun to play with events like archery, sword fighting, basketball, and such, with 3 different styles of play in each event. It is a ton of fun for me and it is even made better with the including of the Wii Motion Plus! It does everything that Nintendo should have added to the Wii Mote! Joking aside this game is great single player and even better with friends on multiplayer.

  2. Marvel Vs Capcom 2

  Yup I like Marvel Vs Capcom 2. Initially people may be overwhelmed by everything, but after giving it a chance, it is a whole lot of fun. Taking the concept of past Capcom fighting games and slightly simplifying it but making it deeper with the assist system was genius and a whole lot of fun. I have played little over 3-4 hours, but I still have fun playing this game. It's just one of those games that you can play for a quick 10 minutes and get back to business.

  And now #1

  1. Superman 64

  This game is great. I love the fact that the flying is so awkward or the greatness of falling through random floors, and…. wait

  The real #1

  1. The Beatles Rock Band, New Super Mario Bros Wii

  What can I say? New Super Mario Bros. Wii was the perfect game for me, as was the Beatles: Rock Band. I just had so much fun with those games. The Beatles: Rock Band to me was the perfect game or a Beatles fan and it weaved perfectly together as one of my favorite games. And as for New Super Mario Bros Wii, I just had pure fun . To tell you the truth I was slowly fading away from gaming and I stopped playing for a few months. Then in December I got New Super Mario Bros Wii and it reminded me of my fun times I had playing a video game. Playing these games remind people that it's not really about online multiplayer, or production values. It's about just having fun.

  Thanks for reading.

  • Posted Jan 24, 2010 6:44 pm GMT
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• 3Jan 10

  Looking Back: The Decade In Console Gaming

  Well 2009 is coming to an end and we are approaching a new decade. As this old decade is closing, I am going to look back at the progression in ways on gaming. There were many huge revolutions that are now standards of gaming today and some standout games that shaped a system of what it is today. So let us begin.

  

  It is the year of 1998. The major gaming consoles right now are the Nintendo 64 and the Sony PlayStation. Out of the shadows emerge a console that was made by a former giant. The Sega Dreamcast. Originally Nintendo's rival in the 80s over the Genesis and NES/Super Nintendo, Sega has fallen back with some consoles that were less than average and with horrendous add-ons like the 32X and the Sega CD. But Sega has looked away from that and they were ready to show the new generation of gaming that will become the standard today. Things like online gaming, full SD resolutions, and a web browser were stuff that was amazing. Sega excelled even further by adding the VMU, which is essentially a removable storage device, but can also serve as an auxiliary display during normal gameplay. Now add this with a launch of the greats of Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventure, Power Stone, and Hydro Thunder and we got a hit console here. It was all going well until Sony released their next generation console of the PlayStation 2.

  After having huge sales in the world, Sony's release of the PlayStation 2 diminished sales and ultimately put an end to a once great console company. And the sad thing was that Sega managed to create a console that served beyond expectations, and forged into the many minds of gamers with its huge arsenal of 688 games. Another thing that is worth noting is that the Dreamcast remained a success in Japan and had a much longer life span than in North America. Now Sega is in the software market making hit or miss titles, while occasionally releasing solid games. Unfortunately, they will never reach the legendary legacy of the Dreamcast and arguable one of the greatest consoles of all time. Live on Dreamcast.

  

  After the success known as the PlayStation, Sony decided to follow up to their success by releasing a console beyond their former masterpiece. This marvel is known as the PlayStation 2 and it was amazing. The thing that made it such a dominating console, aside from an excellent library, was the ability to play DVDs and ****c PlayStation games, which was convenient for the original PlayStation fans. Many also believe that the only thing that stopped Sega from making larger sales than Sony was the inclusion of DVD playback on the PlayStation 2. Initially, Sony placed little emphasis on online play, but later released the PlayStation Network Adaptor in late 2002. They also announced first party support with games like SOCOM: US Navy SEALs. Sony also gained support from Electronic Arts with online play, enabling them to compete alongside Microsoft in the online race. After a while, Sony managed to pull the online play together and make it a success, due to the fact that the online was free and that there were many titles that supported it.

  On September 2004, Sony managed to release a newer PlayStation 2 unit, known as the PlayStation 2 Slim. The model was generally a slimmer PlayStation 2 as opposed to the bulky original model. However, due to the underestimated demands and shipping problems, the PlayStation 2 Slim sold very little at launch. This was mostly due to the fact that around launch, a Russian oil tanker got stuck in the Suez Canal, causing a slowdown in the imported PlayStation 2s in the UK. There were also 1700 stores in the United States that had shortages of PlayStation 2s. However, sales picked up and as of today the highly popular PlayStation 2 became the best selling console of all time, with 138 million units sold and is still an active console, with games still being produced.

  

  Now we move onto the Microsoft Xbox. The Xbox was Microsoft's first step into the gaming industry after the porting of Windows CE to the Sega Dreamcast. However out of all the consoles, the Xbox had the hardest time getting into the gaming industry. The reason being was that all the other companies had large support from Asia, particularly Japan. Being an American company, Microsoft had troubles with the release of the Xbox in Japan, due to the lack of support from some Japanese developers. Another problem was the original controller to the system, known as the Duke controller. The problem was that that the controller was just too huge and hard to hold. It also held the 2008 Guinness World Record for the largest controller for a video game console. After that Microsoft decided to release a revised controller, known as Controller S, which was smaller, yet more compact.Aside those issues, the Xbox was a fairly well built system that impressed the audience at the unveiling in the Game Developers Conference in 2000. But the demand for the console was highly anticipated for one game.

  After the purchase of Bungie prior to launch, Microsoft released one of the biggest games in video game history, and that game was Halo. Halo became a huge phenomenon, and it was more impressive that it was a console shooter. Prior games such as Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, and Medal of Honor were excellent, but it may be arguable that Halo had a huger fan service. Along with a variety of launch games like Dead or Alive 3, Amped, Fuzion Frenzy, and Project Gotham Racing, Microsoft had a successful future anticipated. Another thing that Microsoft boasted about their system was their online service, known as Xbox Live. Using Xbox Live, a subscriber has access to play with other players around the world and download content to their hard drive. Though the service worked only with a broadband Internet connection, it was a faired fairly well, with over 3 million subscribers by 2007. Throughout the years Microsoft had a good run, mostly because of many third party titles being released alongside the PlayStation 2. Another helping factor was that Microsoft had exclusive licensing such as companies like Tecmo and *sob* Rare and were able to easily port PC only games to their system, such as Doom 3 and Half Life 2. The Xbox was a great system and sold over 24 million units worldwide, with 16 million in North America, 6 million in Europe, and 2 million in Asia, with the last game released to be Madden NFL 09.

  

  We are now at the last major console released in the 6th generation, the Nintendo GameCube. Before the GamCube, Nintendo was a powerhouse in the gaming industry and a household company. After the success of the Nintendo 64, Nintendo tried to fix the mistakes that they made by being more lenient in their policies that have angered many companies to the point of them ceasing support of their popular series. Companies such as Konami and Square Enix (formerly known as Square Soft), have abandoned Nintendo in favor of the PlayStation. Hardware wise Nintendo had the weakest console in the generation, mostly because Nintendo used mini DVDs instead of full-sized DVDs, opting the inability of DVD or audio playback. This was worsened that the disks can only hold 1.5 GB of memory rather than the larger 8.5 GB dual layer disks used by Microsoft and Sony. This often led to games being either made into 2 disks, become stripped down ports of the other console titles, or just simply not made for the GameCube Instead Nintendo tried to step into the online crowd. Unfortunately their Broadband-based activities were short lived and only a few games were able to be released that used online play. One positive feature about the GameCube was the ability to play Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games through the use of a cable to connect a Game Boy Advance to the system or the use of a Game Boy Player.

  The launch of the GameCube fared well and had a small number of good titles. Over time though, the sales lagged for a while, mostly due to the audiences skipping out on the console in favor of the more action packed titles available on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. For a while Nintendo has ceased production to sell their many units, which eventually led Nintendo to reduce the price of the GameCube to $99. They also bundled games to theit systems, which had the console selling steadily. Unfortunately, even though Nintendo pulled off their policies, many major companies did not develop many of their titles for the GameCube. This was simply because the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions sold a lot higher copies than the GameCube version. That being said, the GameCube is considered one of the most underrated consoles and people missed out on some great gems such as Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and Tales of Symphonia. In the end of the run, the Nintendo sold 22 million units worldwide, with most of the sales being attributed from Japan.

  So the sixth generation is yet to be over, but in 2004 the seventh generation of consoles started to rise. Along the way we experience things from revolution to near perfection. So now we will begin.

  

  After the success of the original Xbox it seemed Microsoft knew what was at hand and how they needed to dominate the industry. One thing they had to improve was better feedback from the Japanese market that made the least purchases of their prior console. The hardware used for the Xbox 360 was also quite remarkable. The XPCU at Microsoft is a custom triple-core PowerPC design that was based by IBM. The Xbox 360 also used a chip designed by ATI called Xenos. The Xbox 360's hardware design also made it possible to attach different hard drives on top for saving games and data. Microsoft also furthered their use of Xbox Live by creating a free Silver member's account, but the Gold membership was excelled from the previous version. This time around users could download full games and arcade titles through Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Live Marketplace. It also led to the inclusion of Netflix and social services. As of today there are over 20 million users subscribed to Xbox Live and the numbers are still growing.

  In 2005 the Xbox 360 launched in 36 countries, which was the most countries launched at the same time for a console. The Xbox 360 had a great launch with quite a few stellar games released alongside it. Over time the Xbox 360 had many models that ranged from hardware changes to more hard drive memory. Currently the models used for the Xbox 360 are the Arcade and Elite models. One feature that was abandoned by Microsoft was the support for HD DVD that has rivaled Sony's Blu-Ray along with the PlayStation 3. Initially there was a HD DVD Player that you attached to the Xbox 360, but after the failure of the format, Microsoft was forced to remain with the inferior DVD format. Through the years Microsoft has also boasted of the Xbox 360's capabilities to serve all the different gamers, with games ranging from all genres so everybody can be satisfied. However all these great things have been slowed down with the E74 code and the "Red Ring of Death". These errors cause the inability to use the Xbox 360 and are common among many users, though Microsoft treats the victims to a replacement Xbox 360 if those errors rise. As of now there are over 31 million units sold worldwide with the least attributing from Canada and Japan with only 870,000 and 1 million units sold.

  

  So now we move onto the PlaySation 3. Sony has a continuing success with the PlayStation 2, but now feels like it is time to make a new console. In 2005 Sony announced the PlayStation 3, but with no hardware to present. Instead they presented a trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and a tech demo of Final Fantasy VII, showing how it would look on the PlayStation 3. After showing yet another impressive trailer for Kill Zone 2, people were stunned and were ready for the PlayStation 3. After a few delays Sony finally announced the price of the PlayStation 3, which was a ridiculous $500 that turned away many buyers. This was worsened by the fact that many developers stated that the hardware for developing games for the PlayStation 3 was harder than the other consoles thus turning away many companies such as Valve (though The Orange Box had a release for the PlayStation 3).

  In 2006 the PlayStation 3 launched to mediocre reviews, yet it was in high demands. Some of the highest prices on eBay went up to $3000. Due to the lack of high quality games and high price, the PlayStation 3 was declared a flop and was constantly ridiculed. Eventually Sony decided to turn this around, which were attributed to the price drops, the victory of the Blu Ray format over HD DVD, and the release of quality titles. Around 2008, Sony started to gain more customers for the PlayStation 3 and in 2009 Sony released a smaller model known as the PlayStation 3 Slim and stated that their console is capable of "doing everything". Critics have then changed their thoughts on the PlayStation 3 being a failure and later praised Sony for being able to overcome their initial failure. As of now there are over 30 million units sold worldwide, with the most sales attributing to from Europe and the United States.

  

  So now we are at the last console released s far in the seventh generation of gaming, the Nintendo Wii. To start things off, Nintendo did not do as well as they should have with the Nintendo GameCube. In fact, the Nintendo 64 outsold the GameCube in its run. So sitting down, Nintendo managed to create one of the biggest innovations used in gaming by introducing a console codenamed "The Revolution". Initially the controller was to be presented at E3 2005, but it was withdrawn. Instead the console was unveiled followed by the controller at the Tokyo Game Show and ked to Nintendo to name the console, the Wii. The thing that set apart the Wii from the other consoles was through the Wii-Mote. The Wii-Mote is a wand shaped controller that can detect a person's hand movements through Bluetooth connections. This allows people to interact with their games more, if the games are developed correctly. The system's hardware is considered to be the weakest, though it was already known by Miyamoto, who's goal for the console was not power. The system uses a 512 MB internal flash memory and the ATI "Hollywood" graphics chip. Unfortunately, Nintendo still did not use the methods of DVD or audio playback, which was a major complaint for the Nintendo GameCube. Another issue that arose was the lack of a proper hard drive, in which Nintendo has offered the use of an SD card as a usage of storage. A new thing that Nintendo tried to test again was the use of online play. Through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo set up the option to use Internet play once more. The basic mold came from the Nintendo DS handheld, and they tried to carry over many functions including the infamous friend codes, which were the only way to play with your friends. Nintendo also added a new "Channels" interface in which each feature of the system was a channel.

  In 2006, Nintendo released the Wii and it was a huge success, yet many countries had large shortages of the console. The console was praised for the revolutionary method of play and improvements over its predecessor. Nintendo also added the Wii Shop Channel to their service allowing players to download older generation titles from Nintendo, Sega, SNK, and other systems through an emulating service known as Virtual Console. It also introduced the ability to create avatars known as Miis, which can be used for select Wii games. Along those, Nintendo added full functionality of Nintendo GameCube games and allowed GameCube controllers to be used for certain Wii games and all Virtual Console games, along with adding a Super Nintendo-like ****c Controller. However, the console was still criticized for the overabundance of shovelware titles (Nintendo does not use its strict policy rules anymore) and the lack of HD graphics. That being said Nintendo has managed to pull from their slump and deliver one of the most successful console in history. The Wii has sold about 56 millions units worldwide (as of September 2009).

  Now we are at the end of the decade. We look back at the successes and failures of consoles and games and we see how the future of gaming will be. Will gaming be as spectacular as it was in the past with newer revolutions? Or will it be more of the same? The future will determine this as the decade in gaming comes to a close.

  • Posted Jan 3, 2010 6:18 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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