A Confession
May 3, 2008 | 0 Comments
I have a confession to make. I like Grand Theft Auto. I know, it’s pretty much the sum total of everything wrong with the world: sex, violence, drunk driving, murder, etc, etc, etc… but it’s a lot of fun.
I first started playing the Grand Theft Auto series back in 2001 when the original, bird’s eye PC game was released for free online to drum up interest for GTA3. It worked. After hours of playing GTA against each other, my neighbors and I jumped right into the vast new 3D world of Liberty City in GTA3. Stealing cars, beating up hookers, impressing gangs, it was all a ton of fun. But after all the missions, races, and car theft orders were done, the GTA world opened up with all of the “cheats” built into the game. GTA3 is one of the few games that does cheats right. With the right combination of codes, a full size passenger bus could actually fly through the air. Maybe it’s the whole “God-Mode” complex, but GTA3 was a boat load of fun.
A few years later, when Vice City was released, it was like everything that was great about GTA3 was made bigger and better, and given a sweet 80’s glaze. Now I could rule Miami in a leisure suit and do it all while listening to Journey! How can you get any better than that?
There had been a lot of hype leading up to Tuesday’s launch of GTA4, and for the most part I managed to stay away from it. It’s been years since I played Vice City and thought that the GTA series was no longer for me. That was, of course, until I read the 360 achievement list. After reading through the list, and seeing all the different mini games my interest was peeked. I then read online somewhere that there was well over 100 hours of gameplay in GTA4. I then found that Rockstar has not given up on adding “cheats” like just about every game developer has. And then it hit me. I really enjoy the GTA series.
Needless to say, I purchased GTA4 and spent a few hours driving around the city this evening. Just like the prior games, it’s pretty easy to get lost in GTA4. The city is massive, the cars are many, and the game is just plain fun. I’ll be playing it for awhile.
And now you know.
Solid Snake in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
March 16, 2008 | 0 Comments
I’m not sure why, but Solid Snake from Metal Gear fame is in the newest rendition of Super Smash Bros. Metal Gear Solid is one of the greatest games in video game history, but it wasn’t even on a Nintendo platform. Why Snake is in the game doesn’t really matter, as his use in the game is awesome.
Those who loved Metal Gear Solid can’t forget Snake’s CODEC communication system and his interesting conversations with the General, Otacon, and of course, Mei Ling. Nintendo didn’t forget either and included this in Smash Bros. When you’re playing as Snake on the Shadow Moses stage, mash down on the d-pad (using a Gamecube or Classic Controller) as fast as possible. If you do it right you’ll hear the familiar sound and the CODEC conversation screen will appear. Snake will engage in a conversation with one of the three characters (with the actual voice-actors from the game!) based on who Snake’s opponent is — there is a different conversation for EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER and even one for Sheik and Zero Suit Samus. Some of the conversations are informative, some include Mei Ling’s famous Chinese Proverbs, and some are downright hilarious.
You’ll want to pull this off with a friend as getting the CODEC to come up can take a few attempts and will leave you exposed, but it’s worth the effort. My favorite conversations were while playing Donkey Kong and Zero Suit Samus. Smash Bros. Brawl is a great game, but this “Easter Egg” is a very cool bonus. Props to Nintendo for getting this right.
Rock that band a little harder… in July
January 13, 2008 | 0 Comments
I can’t really wait.
As if playing Rock Band wasn’t one of the greatest group gaming experiences to come along in years, it appears that a new accessory is set to amp up the fun even more by bringing an “interactive light and smoke stage show” to your already thrashing performances. Apparently you can already pre-order this so-called Rock Band Stage Kit from GameStop for 100 bucks
(Via Engadget.)
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Select, Start
January 12, 2008 | Comments Off
While this article is from The Onion and therefore about as accurate as the Weekly World News, it sounds about right.
Nearly 50 percent of 26-year-old paralegal Philip Jenkins’ encoded long-term memories involve button combinations, game-playing experiences, and spatial-cognitive maps of various levels and worlds from Nintendo’s line of video-game consoles, a team of neuroscientists reported Tuesday.
From The Onion
Playstation 2: 2003-2007
September 22, 2007 | 0 Comments
Nearly four years ago I had an itch, an itch to play Final Fantasy X. I purchased the game used at EB Games (may they rest in peace) for a very reasonable price and couldn’t wait to enjoy my purchase. The only problem, of course, was that I didn’t own a Playstation 2. For the first few hours of the game I bummed my roommates hardware, but not having played a Final Fantasy since the epic that is Final Fantasy VII, I didn’t realize that my new commitment and his desire to play video games would come to a head. So, one fabled Sunday afternoon in September of 2003 I went to Circuit City and purchased my very own Playstation 2. This is it’s story.
The first two years of my college career were light on video game playing. I owned a Gamecube, which I had bought to play Resident Evil. The Gamecube brought some enjoyment in the form of zombie killing and Tie Flighter shooting, though, there wasn’t much else that got me going. I pre-ordered Zelda: Wind Waker but really didn’t know why. I never went through with the purchase. The Gamecube wasn’t satisfying and when Square announced that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was best played with four GameBoy Advances attached, I had all but given up. The Gamecube was sold to EB Games for an insane amount of credit (the day will forever be remembered by all those involved) and never thought of again.
The new Playstation 2 was broken in with over 110 hours of Final Fantasy X play. This, of course, was nowhere near enough time to complete all the side quests and acquire all of the ultimate weapons. It was, however, enough time to make the final battle a walk in the park and to renew my love affair with the video game industry. I suffered through the insane difficultly of Devil May Cry only to be disappointed by the horrible airplane ending. I got frustrated with my teammates in SOCOM and found the best way to complete the missions was by shooting them and doing everything alone. I beat pimps and Yakuza to a groovin’ 80’s soundtrack in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I enjoyed the comical J-Pop Final Fantasy X-2 and dominated the competition in both NCAA Football and Baseball. I returned to my zombie killing ways all while protecting the president’s idiot daughter in Resident Evil 4, put over 100 hours into Final Fantasy XII and, most recently, shredded frets like there was no tomorrow in Guitar Hero II.
The Playstation 2 has brought me countless hours of entertainment and fun over the last four years but it’s time to lay it to rest. With a heavy heart I will be trading in my Playstation 2 and all 11 games I own for it. While I can’t expect a repeat of the epic Gamecube trade in, the credit earned will go to fund an XBox 360. While I won’t be able to play another Final Fantasy game and a little bit of me will die inside when my money goes to Microsoft, I look forward to new titles to draw my attention and bring me years of entertainment value.