Friday 31 July 2009

welcome to my Hell O Kitty


/// Being a beta tester isn't all fun and games you know, well, it does have a certain kudos but sometimes you just have to take one for the team and those of you who thought i had been joking about the whole Hello Kitty thing lately can gaze upon the trailer above! After the inane dullness of Home and then suffering the horrible horrible fate in Free Realms (hell is being trapped on a server with 300 kids!!) doing the whole HKO was a breath of neon girl pastel eyefull of fresh air. Like all things HK you cannot possibly hate it no matter how much you try, it's just always so damn nice all the time, and i really do have to say some Sony exec's should drop in there and see how the whole MMO social networking thing SHOULD be done, you never hear a HKO tester wandering around moaning because there's nothing to do or having to queue up to try things.

Hello Kitty i will always secretly love you! here's the real sekret link to join up

[mobiletone]

Thursday 30 July 2009

is the cake a lie?

so the long awaited game Fat Princess drops on the Store today dispite all the little bitches getting their knickers in a twist over pricing In Fat Princess, the player joins one of two opposing teams consisting of up to 16 cartoon characters, each with the goal of rescuing their team's princess from the other team's castle (similar in many respects to capture the flag modes found in other multiplayer video games). In order to make their opponents' task more difficult, players can feed captive princesses more and more food so that she will become heavier and harder to carry back to her respective castle.

[mobiletone]

FREE Sega Dreamcast for every reader*

That's right, in this amazing giveaway today to celebrate the erm.. 1419 revolt of Anti-Catholic Hussites, followers of executed reformer Jan Hus, stormtown hall in Prague & throw Catholic councillors out the windows.. OK it's early in the morning what more do you want? but here and now you can have a Dreamcast of your very own, or if you're like me another one just hit up the link below to get the goodies.

Dreamcast-Girl
CLAIM YOUR FREE SEGA DREAMCAST HERE


[MobileTone] *Sega Dreamcast is a Cubecraft toy and is for decorative purposes only, girl not included

Wednesday 29 July 2009

BORDERLANDS gameplay video


"Weapon damage straddles the line between FPSs and RPGs because the game will call on two specific factors to determine your hits and misses. The first is your weapon accuracy skill, which can be upgraded via your skill tree and raises as you level your character. The second is your proficiency with particular weapon types; like weapon skill points in RPGs, these increase with continued use of an item. Gearbox reps on hand pointed out that while each weapon subclass has its own proficiency metering system (pistols, rifles, shotguns, and the like), hits and misses are not determined by a "dice roll" system".

"Questing is a major part of Borderlands when it comes to levelling your character. Quests ranged from the obligatory kill quests of bandits and local wildlife to fetch and return missions. Completing these gave us access to key non-player character allies who in turn supplied us with armour, weapons, and information."

"Fun cooperative online play, solid single-player questing and exploration, and customisable RPG elements that provide the basis for unique visuals have us eagerly awaiting Borderlands when it hits... this October."

Tuesday 28 July 2009

GRiD, online


playing GRiD online does nothing more really than to underline the whole PEOPLE=SHIT statement. If you want a nice structured race against like minded people, forget it, you remember when GT5:P came out and there were those fucktards who seemed to like nothing more than to FUCK YOUR GAME UP, well, i think they all moved to GRiD. You'd think after all this time they would have gotten bored and gone back to playing Burnout Paradise or something but no, every race near enough HAS to be ruined. It's just the same in the ranked matches, i dare you to try and vote for something that's not a Touring Cars race!

GRiD online rules:-
(1) You will NEVER brake for the first corner, even though there are 6 other drivers doing so in front of you.
(2) WHAT racing line? use track exploits anytime you can!
(3) Being overtaken is for the weak! side slam them into the wall/chicane/other driver as they draw level while overtaking.
(4) Get a 'friend' to handbrake turn just as the race start light turns green to FUCK THE WHOLE GRID UP.
(5) If you are losing you will QUIT OUT OF SESSION.
(6) VOTE TO BAN anyone that calls you out for being a cheating mother fucker.
(7) You wil only race in the same Touring Car event.

OK, so i'm not saying i didn't go on to win several races, i think i did it more to spite those fuckwits that kept trying to ruin it, WHY does this game not have a 'griefing' option. There are some good guys out there and rarely you do get a nice balanced down to the line race, had a couple of great LeMans 24hr(minute) races, and i found the best thing to ruin the ruiners 'fun' is to disable collisions, you should her them cry when they launch a highspeed t-boner on you, travel right though your car and wreck themselves into a solid concrete wall. needless to say the quit out of session very quickly.

[mobiletone]

Sunday 26 July 2009

Shatter

My favourite new content on the PS Store this week is the game, Shatter. Priced at £4.79 it's great value for money - I'm certainly getting my money's worth. I've not been so addicted to a PSN game since Super Stardust HD.

So what is Shatter? Essentially it's an Arkanoid-clone (the block breaking game you may remember playing as a kid). Your bat takes the form of a small space ship, limited to move in two directions (left and right on the levels where you play from bottom up and up and down in levels where you play from left to right). But there's a twist on this Arkanoid-style play. L1 sucks and R1 blows (no joke that's how they describe it in the manual!). Using these buttons your ship can coerce the bouncing ball to curve to the left or the right. It's possible to keep the ball amongst the blocks for a long while, in some cases completing the whole level after a single ball is launched from the ship (bat). As each block breaks it releases fragments - these are collected by holding the suck button and then they all rush towards you. Collecting them affects the direction of the bouncing ball though - it will also be sucked towards you.

Launching into Story Mode from the menu, you progress through waves in each of 10 different worlds. At the end of each world there's a boss to beat. I'm up to World 6 so far. Each boss I've met has been different from the last. Just like in a shoot 'em up, you have to figure out when to avoid their attacks and what their vulnerability is.

As you play through each wave, your points multiplier accumulates (unless you lose a life - then it resets to zero). Some blocks release power-ups, including additions to the points multiplier, an extra life and changes to the ball's behaviour. You also accumulate energy which can be used to briefly deploy a shield over your ship. This is handy to take care of breakaway floating blocks that are drawn towards you and will knock you off the screen for a second if they hit you when you're not shielded. Whilst your ship is off screen you'll obviously not be able to control the ball and this is when you are most vulnerable to losing a life. When your energy metre reaches a high enough point you can deploy a special attack (Shard Storm) where the ship launches a hail of projectiles for a few seconds, each one capable of causing damage to most kinds of blocks. This can clear some entire waves and also helps to defeat end of world bosses more quickly.

The presentation in the game is great with lovely HD graphics, a solid frame rate and a decent soundtrack. You'll also notice some 3D graphics between waves, as the background to each wave, twists and turns into the next. This adds to the whole impressive experience.

The score's are ludicrously high - you'll get several million on your first go. My high score is 147 million just a tad lower than Apnomis (who will be beaten soon enough! :)).
[reakt]

Friday 24 July 2009

Those Official EU Blog chicks are such a tease!

Nina Scherer pens most of the Singstar news updates on the Official EU PlayStation blog. Notice how she always signs off her posts with a little kiss at the end (x). So when today's Singstar update was posted I was surprised to see another girl had written it and more importantly that she was not showing us any love by missing off the kiss at the end! So I pointed this out to her and she was quick to apologise and promised a kiss next time. Not only that but Nina herself must have been reading as she's chipped in with a kiss of her own. Now, now, ladies, don't fight, there's plenty of reakt to go around!

Ha ha! :)

BORDERLANDS: OCT 23rd!


i love how they release games when my monthly pay hits the bank. i for one will be buying this, yepp, it's another wasteland game, it's brown and grey but who the fuck cares? wasteland is the new outer space.. ever since i watched Mad Max i have been hooked on this sort of thing... except Mad MAx 3, that sucked balls!!

[mobiletone] (running out of the door to work)

Thursday 23 July 2009

Calling all Console Designers



If there's one thing video game internet-types love it's rumours about new console hardware.

With their 3-hour press conference at GamesCom less than a month away, I thought it was about time to crak open Paint and steal Sony's thunder by designing the ultimate PSthree.

Feel free to draw/build your own Tomorrow's World efforts and I'll post them here!

ps3_slim_advert
[mobiletone]'s console design. "i got a bit carried away i guess"

Zero Punctuation: Red Faction Guerrilla

Wednesday 22 July 2009

But it's like that, it's just the way it is!!

203:08:13 hrs* of playing Fallout 3 needs a sexy party tiem!


thanks go to [Cody Muskwa] and the rest of the team for the video.

[edit] *works out to an average of 5hrs a week since the game launched

Tuesday 21 July 2009

ello tosh gotta Toshiba blu-ray?

After losing its battle to make the HD-DVD the successor to the DVD, Toshiba Corp. is considering making products in the winning format, Blu-ray.

Although Blu-ray is backed by Toshiba competitors such as Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp., Toshiba has little choice. It no longer makes recorders and players in HD-DVD. The Blu-ray alliance was more successful in wooing Hollywood studios.

The Yomiuri, Japan's biggest newspaper, reported Sunday without identifying sources that Toshiba plans to enter the Blu-ray market. Toshiba spokeswoman Yuko Sugahara would not confirm the report.

"It is true that we are being flexible in looking into such possibilities. But at this point no decision has been made," she said Tuesday.

The move would be reminiscent of Sony's strategy after its Betamax videotape standard lost to Panasonic's VHS in the 1980s. Sony ended up making VHS products.

The Blu-ray market could be too lucrative for Toshiba to pass up. The Japanese electronics maker racked up its biggest loss ever, 344 billion yen ($3.7 billion) in its last fiscal year, which ended in March.

Apart from home entertainment products, Toshiba is also a large maker of PCs, in which Blu-ray drives are slowly supplanting DVD drives. Without Blu-ray drives, Toshiba laptops could lose out to other manufacturers

[mobiletone]

Monday 20 July 2009

Gears of War beater?


The Amerkins get it this week and we get it next Friday, OK, i know it's a movie tie-in but seeing as it's from Disney and seeing how far they have come lately (PURE) in the field of gaming i personally have to say i like the look of it. It also touts being in '3D' the sort where you wear the ol' green and red glasses not the sexy digital steroscopic found at the cinema, but that's fine because no-one owns a home 3D-TV, Disney say 'experience some parts of the game in 3D' how many parts i am unsure. But there's the option to turn it off anyway and play in good old trusty 2D :) I dunno, does the thought of playing a G-Pig as part of a secret organisation with some sexy gadgets do it for you? Metal Gear Guinea? The clean look to the graphics and the closeness of the G-Pigs to their on screen counterparts has been done really well, but we all know looks aren't everything. Last movie tie-in i played was Ratatouille and that was pretty true to the story and the gameplay and character animation was solid, So G-Force might not be 'teh hardcorezz' but it may just be fun, and isn't that what gaming should be about really.

Never seen anybody get so high. G-Force is a fast-paced action-platform game featuring a unique elite team of specially trained guinea pigs that use high-tech gadgets and specialized talents to complete a dangerous government mission. G-Force puts players in control of both Darwin, the guinea pig leader of the covert intelligence G-Force squad, and housefly surveillance sidekick, Mooch, as they team up with the other G-Force agents and use their gadgets, stealth mastery and pint-sized teamwork as mankind’s only hope to complete a dangerous high-level government mission. G-Force uses innovative gameplay featuring a unique sense of scale, puzzle solving that requires players to manipulate environments and enemies, including diabolical waffle irons among evil household appliances.

Friday 17 July 2009

Tim Dog on PS3

One of my favourite old 12 inches comes to Vidzone - it's a big noisy hip hop kick in the face, great old school east coast rap - not for when your mum comes over though.

Go to Vidzone
Search for Tim Dog, I Get Wrecked
Turn up the volume
Turn up the bass
Play Now...

While your at it, go for Roots Manuva - Witness - probably the funniest video of all time and keep the volume and bass up too as it's one of the best UK Hip Hop tunes of all time.

It's not all about rap though is it? Drop your favourites into the comments box please, I need a U3S playlist

[mrjimmy]

We need to have a little talk

Sony has just announced plans for a three hour press conference at GamesCom. Expect the entire internet to get the hump when rumours and complete fabrications don't bare any resemblance to the cold, stark reality.

GamesCom takes place in Cologne (Leipzig now hosts a browser, online & mobile event). SCEE's conference is on Tuesday 18th August, 18.00 - 21.00pm GMT

Rumour, conjecture, lies, let's hear it all in the comments section!

[pabloamigo]

New Killzone 2 DLC video

Guerilla Games has released a trailer for their upcoming DLC pack - Napalm & Cordite.

The pack features two new maps (Suljeva Cliff Side and Arctower Landing) with some slight tweaks to the normal Warzone gameplay. Each map features a new 'super weapon'; either the flamethrower or bolt gun, but the catch is that only one player can get their grubby mits on the new hardware.

There will also be some extra trophies to earn (toast 10 players in one round no doubt)



The Napalm & Cordite pack will be available on the PSN store on July 23rd. Expect it to cost £4.29; ergo the whole world will go bananas. There's a recession don't you know!

[pabloamigo]

Thursday 16 July 2009

2 Skate videos in which i try



that's about a mad as my skillz get :D [mobiletone]

Playstation Store Update

This week Mike Kebby comes up with another excuse not to have to put up with the bitching and whining from disapointed fanboys after posting the update for us.

"I just want to let you know that there will be a delay in responses from me in the comments section this week, as I’m not in the office Thursday and Friday (birthday celebrations)" - M Kebby

So what do we get this week?? Trash Panic - a new take on mans age old problem of figuring out just how to cram one more thing in the bin so he doesn't have to empty it, could be worth a look. Disney’s Tarzan.. a PSX classic.. really? REALLY!?! A set of GhostBuster costumes for the Little Sack People, cute but over priced, bring 'em back down to 99p please guys, or free! Some more tracks for Rock Band and Guitar Hero and a few videos and themes. Usual sort of update i guess.

I wont mention the downloadable games for the PSP because a Digital copy should not cost 2-3 times MORE than i can pick it up down the high street for. sorry Sony. when will you realise that is NOT the way to go.

[mobiletone]

is it nerdy to rearrange your entire desktop style to fit around a new browser?

quote of the day from PSN User:
Callofduty1 -"IM GOING TO BUY A NTSC PSP IVE HAD IT WAITING FOR THESE PS1 GAMES"

celebrate 9-11 by throwing Dirt

That's right, while the Americans will be watching endless reruns of that incident and generally moaning and wailing, we over here in the glorious UK will be able to get our scruffy little mitts on a shiny new copy of Dirt2, Codemasters has confirmed the release date - September 11th 2009



BTW: i totally 100%ed the original Dirt and got gold in every single event. :D
ps: Google Chrome is now my default web tool, nice clean and simple.
[mobiletone]

Wednesday 15 July 2009

Zero Punctuation: Overlord 2


Ever wondered what total dross Yahtzee use to do before he became a pawn in the great games engine? then wonder no more! I think this proves there is hope for all of us really. ;) mt

we have cheap titties* on PS3!

Now that the depression is well and truly here to stay i figured it was time to have a hunt around the virtual mall and see just what you can get for your gaming bucks. This list is by no means definitive as i'm lazy and have a pizza ordered so as soon as that arrives i'm out of here, but here we go, gaming on the cheap.

Little Big Planet : £11.99

Killzone 2 : £22.99

Grand Theft Auto IV : £17.99

inFamous : £26.99

Metal Gear Solid 4 : £14.99

Dead Space : £11.96

Street Fighter 4 : £24.99

Fallout 3 : £24.46

Mirror's Edge : £11.09

Far Cry 2 : £17.19

So there we have it 10 quality titles all for under £25 quid (except inFamous) i personally own 6 of them, not saying which ones but i bet you can guess, so i guess that proves that no matter how bad things get, even if you're unemployed you will still be able to keep on gaming. 3 million unemployed -pffft- what's the problem then? Got any better deals you seen around lately, where do you go to get your fix of virtual fun?

*titles :D [mobiletone]

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Fallout 3 DLC

"So when can you expect Fallout 3 DLC? We are knee deep in testing at the moment, and we’re hoping to have the first DLC out by the end of September. That long? Keep in mind that not only do we need to test each DLC on PS3, we also need to test each DLC when used in conjunction with each of the other DLC, as well as all of them together, along with the entire original game"

- Ashley Cheng // Production Director, Bethesda Softworks

yeah, i'm suuuuuuuuure they did that on the X360. Bastards. seeing as we were supposed to have it 'at the end of June' September feels like a right kick in the balls, i dunno, do i bother anymore waiting for teh DLC or just hang on until xmas and get the GOTY edition with all the junk stuck on blu-ray anyway.

*deep sigh* how could they have done this to my favorite game? i guess it goes back on the shelf now to collect dust and never get played again. Adios Wastelands, we had many many MANY good hours of gameplay together.


[mobiletone] ps: we got mentioned on the radio today :D

Monday 13 July 2009

Battlefield 1943 - The new Warhawk?

The best thing I downloaded from the Store after the last update was Battlefield 1943. If you've not seen it, it's a first-person shooter set in World War II. You play in one of two teams. One being America the other being Japan (perhaps other nations are represented in the full game!) The objective is to secure bases, much like the "Zones" type of game in Warhawk. The simularities to my favourite online game don't end here. It's also possible to man turrets, drive jeeps and tanks and even fly planes. Each vehicle is controlled either in first-person perspective or in third-person if you prefer (which I do). I've not played the game for long. My free trial has expired :( I had chance to play a few rounds but I never got the hang of flying the planes. There are only a few of them scattered around the map. When you get chance it's well worth giving it a try. Flying the planes is not going to be for everyone though as it's tough! You need to use both sticks and a shoulder button to fly the sucker, with a keen grasp on your pitch, roll, yaw and throttle. It's very challenging and I think that's what's drawn me into this little game.

The game is very well presented. It has an arcade feel to it with bright and crisp graphics that look simple at first glance. A closer look (for example at the folliage) reveals a bit more detail. It's not Killzone 2 but looks pretty good. Interaction with the surrounding environment is excellent. Trees and buildings can be used for cover yet just about everything is destructable. So there's no hiding from tank fire inside a building for example. Shoot a tree with a heavy machine gun or a rocket and have the satisfaction of watching it toppel to the ground! Bridges over valleys and such can be destroyed making it more difficult for the enemy to access your base in vehicles.

All in all a great little game and I'll probably buy it next time I've got a spare tenner.
[reakt]

now for something completely different

Approval by a Blogger May Please a Sponsor


The Federal Trade Commission, it seems, has determined that bloggers aren't journalists, or should at least be treated differently.

The commission, in the process of re-examining the disclosure rules for their truth-in-advertising guides, are now calling out bloggers as a potential issue. The commission says it is looking into the legitimacy of blogger opinion and whether access to review product influences their write-ups. They don't, however, seem to be concerned over similar practices in the print and mainstream media.

Instead of relying on specific rules, the FTC's guides use a set of examples to lay out issues that they have identified. In talking about the importance of disclosure of material connections between the endorser and the seller, the guide uses an example aimed directly at online video game journalism.

In seeking to delineate between a professional writer and a blogger, the FTC approaches a slippery slope that could very easily end with the government deciding who is and who isn't a journalist.

Equally troubling is the coverage of this issue by the New York Times, which seems to almost deliberately not get it. In a Sunday story entitled "When a Blogger Voices Approval, a Sponsor May Be Lurking", the New York Times reports on the issue making it clear that unlike journalists, some bloggers are for sale:

"But unlike postings in most journalism outlets or independent review sites, most companies can be assured that there will not be a negative review: if she does not like a product, she simply does not post anything about it."

/// Well, i'd have no trouble receiving free stuff to review instead of having to rummage around on the sale shelves or blag ex-rental titles from my friendly video store owning lesbian or entering numerous competitions to win something, anything game related so i'd have something to blog about. This article is just about snobbery from those who don't get free cinema tickets so they can review a film, or those who don't get the free samples or pre-release game code, the sort of writer who has been stuck in a small crappy office for years grinding away secretly hating the free wild abandon of the small rat like creatures that are called bloggers.

I have, for better or worse, been spewing forth my badly structured grammatically incorrect squit for over 10 yrs now in various guises on the interwebs and in that time i have seen the rise of the super game sites (kotaku, destructoid etc etc) who are nothing but paid puppets of the corporations and yet the commenters suck it all up as the gospel truth waving vigorously whatever console flag they align themselves too, because we all know you can't own both consoles, you sickos!

Nothing ever changes, and critics, whether it be food, film, game or adult sex toy will always be swayed by getting free perks, hell, why would they do the 'job' otherwise? Me, i write and comment because i have a love of gaming and it's safer than doing a faceplant off a tabletop jump.. or that could be effect and cause.. whatever.. tomorrow, i review my Zero Punctuation t-shirt.. -heheh-

[mobiletone]

Sunday 12 July 2009

stab stab stabidy stab stab


/// Well, between Top Gear and Family Guy i had some spare time and thought i'd post this up. Yepp, i finally, after months of procrastination, got round to playing some Assassins Creed due to putting my favorite game on hold until Bethesda sorts out the DLC and NIS drops the Disgaea trophys too.
It took me a couple of hours to get into it and memorise the controls and get the hang of climbing about and counter attacks and the like but patience is a virtue or so i'm told, especially when you hold your breath, take that extra step forwards and give an NPC a bit of R1+square up close and personal, the graphics in such scenes are pretty sweet and i am yet to tire of the numerous ways i get to stab up my targets, or annoying beggar women but that's actively discouraged. Also what's with the snarky comments about acting grown up etc from the residents of Stabfest Damascus? sorry for having fun guys! you just made the list.
The cities themselves are well thought out and the people go about their business as one would expect the roads and tracks between them seem to be populated by over keen soldiers who would try to slice you a new one if you so much as look at them funny but a jab of X and you shuffle past, mostly, undetected.
Now, i've never been one for stealthy games, i played MSG on the PSX and just gave up on Rainbow Six but being a Crusader era ninja does has it's appeal. It's a slower pace of gaming, i found myself scoping out the lay of the land and using my eagle vision to spot any potential hazzards and escape routes from my targets, i do like rescuing citizens as the fights are rather good and when you spin round 180 and pull off a counter move it's very satisfying. Not sure about the whole being strapped into the Azimath (sp?) to access my genetic memories side of it though, that kind of trips my 'whut?' but they glitches and little graphical sci-fi flourishs add soemthign rather special to the game mechanics.
Think it's a keeper. [mobiletone]
Video + Editing by [Guilherme0019]

2 weeks later i bought a PS3


FanVid Sunday returns with the last video i ever made with my PS2 and what i still consider the bestest motorbike thrashing game EVAR! Tourist Trophy by those masters of things going round and round on tarmac, Polyphony Digital, the tracks are basically all lifted from GT4 and a new tuning screen/system that made it's way into GT5:P as usual there are hundreds of bikes to choose from and it was nice to find my 20 something hooligan missile the RD250(tuned and before speed cameras 130mph tops) and the Honda 400 *nostalgia*. nice that the game still works on the PS3 and still gets dragged out now and again for a thrash (it can be found for under a fiver these days). The vid is an old 1960s Honda rc162 being rode around Suzuka (with suitable cinefilm filters running) for an old racing series back before we had 'online multiplayer' and had to post vid up to prove our lap times. damn that seems positively quaint now.

back-in-the-day
you at the back there, stop sniggering! :P
[mobiletone]

Thursday 9 July 2009

FUEL demo in Store today

A demo of Asobo Studio's Fuel is on the menu today for PS3, 360 and PC gamers who fancy giving its open-world antics a blast. And the console versions feature online play, too.

On all three versions, players can "take on the Ocean Rush career event, where 7 racers pick their own paths through treacherous landscapes," explains publisher Codemasters.

"Gamers can also take on Blitz - a wild, high-pressure challenge where players must race against the clock to reach the next checkpoint before time runs out."

On the console versions, however, you'll be able to play online for a limited period of two weeks from today, allowing you to do 16-player free rides "in a limited area of the Tsunami Reef zone". Which is apparently recognised by Guinness World Records as "The Largest Playable Area in a Console Game" with 5,560 virtual square miles to race in.

You can also "challenge up to 6 other players in the Ocean Rush career race". If you're interested, you might also fancy reading this review of the PS3 version

/// They need to do something about the online side of things though, you will hardly ever find anyone 'freeroaming' online in the full version, even on the n00b friendly begining part of the map, and if you do they won't have a headset. The races usually consist of 2 or 3 guys at best thrashing it out (unless, as usual, they quit out because they're losing, wankers), and are set up as custom sessions you create or, the better option is, just jump to quick race, that way at least you'll actually get to race instead of twiddling your thumbs staring blankly at an empty lobby... apart from that though i like the game, the map is just probably too big and open to really support any sort of online community and if you do spot a lone rider in the distance they'll be long gone before you can find them. I do my best to play as much as i can in online mode as you still get the same experience as offline, but with the sales numbers what they are and the odds that anyone else is playing it too at the same time, in the same map zone and on the same server pretty small it can be a lonely experience as a post climactic event sidecar pilot.
I'll have a drop in if SCEE actually put the demo up, Mikey K we're looking at you mate! and take a ride over to the Tsunami reef hub to say hi to the nubs, TBH that's a pretty bland bit of the map, lots of sand and dunes. Anyway, anything to get the numbers up hey?

[mobiletone]

Wednesday 8 July 2009

OK.. it's now officially SR2 week


Zero Punctuation reviews this week's sandbox crime game, Saints Row 2.

Ok, so he did actually review GhostBusters the game this week but i thought to myself, fuck that!, i'm having to much fun taking over the whole low textured covered city of StilWater (and no i have no idea why it only has one 'l') and running over overzelous women police officers who squeak like small frightened mice when squashed, yes you read that right, in my 24 ton earthmover of death to care for 'crossing the streams' what is this 1984 and i've been in a coma.. oh yeah, my character has. damn. SAINTS ROW BABY!!

now that's a collection


wondered what 1200 ps2 titles looks like? probably like the games section in Cash Convertors but.. this guy http://www.pcmuseum.ca/ is living our dreams! i wonder if he has any WANG computers in his museum. Or is in need of an indigo iMac missing a keyboard. my collection consists of a Dreamcast and about 20 games, a PSX + 20ish games, a now sadly dead chunky PS2.. really must get rid of the corpse someday with around 50 games And my loverly sexy PS3 with around 35 boxed titles. There is also a tower PC of some long forgotten vintage in the hallway which i covered in wool from an old jumper to make a cat perch for.

Tuesday 7 July 2009

QCF + Hard Punch

I don't know about you, but back in the good ol' 16-bit days I used to love a bit of 2D fighting action.

King of Fighters, Street Fighter, Samurai Showdown, Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat, Waku Waku 7; if the plain was flat I would take it on.

My youthful lust to go mano-a-mano with all and sundry is probably the reason why I really like the look of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. Just released in the US, there are currently no plans for an EU release. :(



I thought I'd email Arc System Works and pester them to release it in Europe. Here's their response:

Thanks for your inquiry and opinion.
Regarding PS3 BLAZBLUE EU version,
we are afraind the release dedail has not been decided at the moment.
We will inform about it on our homepage http://www.arcsystemworks.jp
shortly after when it's determined.

Best Regards,

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
ARC SYSTEM WORKS CO.,LTD
User support


(sic)

Bummer!

Join me in my quest for 2D fighting perfection and email Arc with your support for an EU PS3 release: hello@arcsy.co.jp

[pabloamigo]

Better than youThink

So, i've been catching up on some of the games i have neglected for whatever reason, ok, it's Saints Row 2... now i know it got slated when it was released because it wasn't GTAIV! but it is more GTA than GTAIV i feel. I doubt any of us would say San Andreas was a total pile of arse, who can forget all the naughty monkey stuff we used to get up to, such as attacking innocent pedestrians with flame throwers or chainsaw attacking police cars, and the bizarre plot. these are what made that game great, and in that same vein Saints Row is full of win too. sorry. I'm not saying GTAIV was balls but it seemed to miss the point somehow, whereas SR2 hit the nail on the head and knew exactly what core demographic they were going for. Yeah i know the graphics are not as shiny as Liberty City but it more than makes up for it in gameplay. After dicking around exploring, attacking people/police for several hours i got down to the story, you escape from prison, and set up rebuilding the gang to take back the city, see that video i posted a couple of days back for the prologue. The character customisation is the best i have seen so far and you earn respect from missions, doing burnouts, kicking arse, the more respect you have the more missions you unlock. You also claim territories, remember the gang fights in GTA:SA, very similar set-up, and you can buy businesses to earn a bit of scratch everyday to put towards new safe houses and customising options. I'm into it for around 25hrs so far and have just finished a revenge fuelled killing spree after a key character was killed by a rival gang. all good fun.

in brief, if you liked GTA:SA and want basically more of the same you won't go far wrong with SR2. the odd thing is i hardly ever see it as a trade-in or ex-rental for sale.

[mobiletone]

Saturday 4 July 2009

Not Bioshock 2 Concept Art

rapture--mobiletone-concept-art


/// Here we have Big/Little Sister from the upcoming Bioshock 2 game lovingly recreated in this limited edition collectible piece of art.. ah shit, who am i kidding, it probably took me longer to make than it should have but i think it's kinda kick arse.

What about all those game characters that don't go on to be evil bosses or comedy sidekicks or heros saving the world from certain doom (again), the ones who failed the entrance exam to the latest game and had to go off and do all the mundain stuff that we poor pathetic humans had to do. What if Chunners has to serve fast food at McBurgers, or MGSs Snake could only get a job as a keeper down the local recreation park? What would our lives be without all these brilliant characters and stunning stories and plots that fill our mundain world with so much light and joy?

What would we do if we couldn't game ever again?

[mobiletone]

Friday 3 July 2009

Thou Shall Take the Blame!

Most gamers do not always think about other players, especially if they are only doing campaigns or single player games. But have you ever watched another gamer play? Maybe had a teammate who wasn’t pulling their weight (not just one game, but repeatedly)? I was watching some people play on a kiosk at Best Buy, when they messed up. It wasn’t a small mess up, like missed one note or only got one of the coins instead of two. It was a HUGE mess up. Their reaction was “Stupid controller, doesn’t work correctly.” Then they angrily walked away.

[LadyLuck] from the ever sexy and talented GameGirl blogsite

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Motorstorm: Rift patch update v1.03

What’s in the update?
The update contains improvements and amendments to the game, and fixes for several issues reported by players on the MotorStorm forum.

> Microbadges – Secret Microbadges unlocked.
The hidden Microbadges are no longer a mystery: check them out from the Microbadges screen in your Garage.

> Audio Settings – Preference order is now DTS followed by AC3.
DTS audio settings are automatically configured if available.

> Audio Settings – Vehicle horn volume control added.
Volume of vehicle horns can now be adjusted using a dedicated sliding scale.

> Garage – Competition Winners Gallery added.
A Gallery for photo competition winners can be viewed from your Garage.

> Speed Events – Gate visibility improved.
Not only are the next two gates now visible (instead of only the next one), the colour of the flares at each gate have changed to make the Speed Events a little easier: orange smoke on the left and yellow smoke on the right.

> Speed Events – Gate ‘passed’ issue fixed.
When playing in standard definition, the issue with some gates not registering as ‘passed’ has been fixed.

> Split-screen – 4-player Split-screen lock-up fixed.
A potential lock-up situation, occasionally caused by leaving a 4-player split-screen race, has been fixed.

> Online Racing – “Never-ending (zero lap) races” fixed.
Races will no longer begin with (and remain infinitely at) zero laps; a problem which affected various online races since Update 1.02.

> Online Racing – All 12 positions displayed in race results.
Since Update 1.02, only the top 8 positions were displayed at the end of a race. This is fixed and all 12 results are displayed at the end of the race.

> Online Rankings – Rank cap increased.
In order to alleviate the congestion at the top of the Leaderboard the rank cap has been increased.

> Online Leaderboards – Player’s stats added.
You can now view any player’s stats from any of the Leaderboards in the game, and compare them with your own.

> Online Matchmaking – “Searching for Matchmaking” screen fixed.
The “Searching for Matchmaking” message no longer overlaps, as it did in certain languages.

> Soundtrack – Track previews added.
Highlighting a track on the playlist (from the Soundtrack screen in the Options menu) will play the track.

> Soundtrack – Track details added to Pause Screen.
The artist and song title of the track being played are displayed on the Pause Screen.

Radec 3VS3 Tournament

War, never been so much fun they say!

With this in mind, Apnomis, Fanpages and I had been training, Rocky-style, for ohhh, several minutes before our first round tournament match with Killzone Brasil.

Physically and mentally prepared, we strapped on our Helghan boots, waited for our opponents to enter the fray and the...oh...what's that..?

....the buggers NEVER SHOWED UP.

Now I don't know how many of you are familiar with Killzone 2 multiplayer, but if a clan doesn't show up for an arranged match you still have to go through the motions of each round.

Why Guerilla Games, WHY?

20 minutes of our lives we'll never get back.

Still, another 'glorious' victory for the Threespeech Regulars.

Winning without killing is the new going out. As my old mucker Issac Asimov once said:

"Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent."

True this.

[pabloamigo]