video games

Playstation 2 ends production

I still remember it clearly, I just had graduated college, and about to take on the world, and to celebrate, I traded in my N64 Donkey Kong Edition (it was green, and I should have kept it), my PSone, and a slew of games to get a shiny newly released PS2. Walking home from what was then called Electronics Boutique (Game Stop to all of you young uns), I was ecstatic, and could not wait to dive right in and experience the ‘Next’ Generation in gaming. Thinking back now, I can’t even remember what my first game was. I do remember playing Zone of Enders endlessly with my cousins, as well as Twisted Metal Black (the end credits with the Rolling Stones – Paint it Black was awesome, and will always be forever be associated with that game and the PS2 with me). And we also did some damage with Gran Turismo 3, which, to me was totally jaw dropping in the graphics department, and probably was the first game to me, to blur virtual and reality, in terms of looks.

I have played many games on that trusty big black brick, heck, I still have the majority in my basement (along with my PS2), and that system has served countless hours of gaming fun, from the Gran TUrismo‘s, the Madden’s, the Metal Gears, and The DDR’s, yes Dance Dance Revolution. I have so many fond memories playing my PS2, but somehow, even with all those great games, it still does not hold a candle in my heart as the SNES did. I have better gaming memories in the 8 and 16 bit era, than that of the first 2 Playstations. But I digress.

My PS2 hasn’t been touched since I bought a PS3, and I still purchased games for it about a little over a year ago, which I had meant to play, since the newer PS3’s aren’t backwards compatible.
I might just dust off my PS2, and be nostalgic for a bit, and relive some of those games. To date, I think I have over 100 or so PS2 games, and I might just do some retro recollections here.

Anyway, here’s to the PS2, you have given all of us some great memories in the past decade.

ps2pc

English: Two iterations of the PlayStation 2 c...

English: Two iterations of the PlayStation 2 console, the fat and the slimline. On the left is a slimline model SCPH-70001 with a vertical stand, on the right is a SCPH-30001 with a DualShock2 and 8MB memory card plugged in. This is the JPG version. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sources:

http://gimmegimmegames.com/2012/12/the-ps2-is-no-longer-being-shipped-in-japan/

http://www.famitsu.com/news/201212/28026636.html

 

 

Here’s some video’s for your viewing pleasure.

 

Wii U very quick initial impressions.

This was the first time I’ve really seen the Wii U up close.  I haven’t really paid much attention to it since they announced it.  I have to say though, I was quite impressed.  The controller wasn’t as bulky to hold at it sseems, and it’s not as heavy as it looks either, BUT, I can see how after an hour or so, it might be problematic.

I played a few moments of Rayman: Legends (which I stated Rayman: Wii U edition in the video), and the graphics are up to par with the PS3, and XB 360.  We’ll see how it holds up once Sony and MS bring out their new systems.  Anyway enjoy the video’s I was able to take.

 

 

 

A First Impression of: Resident Evil 6. Excited to let all hell break loose.

I think that first phrase just sums in all up.

The Big Cheese and I have been wasting away our weekends playing ridiculously fun yet extremely frustrating video games on our PS3’s.

One of our favorite games of the past year or so has been Resident Evil 5. We have literally played that game to death. But that didn’t stifle our fun. We kept playing it up until The Big Cheese broke his arm (and that’s a story for another day).

After the summer long hiatus and an uneventful waiting period, it finally released. Resident Evil 6.

Upon first glance, the third-person shooter doesn’t seem all that different from the older RE games. HOWEVER. Before actually jumping into the full game experience, Capcom was generous enough to throw in a mandatory tutorial. This 20-30 minute long prelude to the actual campaign starts with Leon Kennedy and Helena Harper. You play as Leon, learning the controls and mannerisms of the game.

I just have to say. The graphics? Beautiful. The game actually tells you to put the brightness down as low as possible (so that a grey six on the screen is barely visible). It really looks like a movie. The graphics are a sight to behold (even on my standard-def tube TV box), but of course, as any gamer should know, graphics aren’t everything. The sound is well done, too, by the way. Very detailed and crisp.

The controls are very different from the standard shooter, and will most likely be a difficult adjustment for a person that has solely been playing  Call of Duty lately, such as I.

You can play through the campaign as one of three characters, each with a different story line: Chris Redfield, Jake Muller, and the aforementioned Leon S. Kennedy.

I’m really hoping for a great experience with this game, as chilling as it may be.

Many storylines= much fun.

RE6

Resident Evil 6 – Initial Thoughts
RE6

Finally a new game to waste time on with Cheesecake.

It has finally come, RE6, a game Cheesecake and I have been eagerly awaiting since it’s announcement.  We’ve played countless hours of RE5, Practically getting everything that there is to get in the main games campaign.

We’ve tried other co-op games, but none gave us the satisfaction that RE5 provided us with.  I actually forgot that today was the release date for RE6. I  thought it was another week or so away.  I just happen to stop by a Best Buy during my lunch hour, and, there it was.  I picked it up on my way home, and not too long ago, I just finished playing through the ‘tutorial’ stage.

My first impressions? It still somewhat feels like RE5, controls wise, although now I can aim AND move.  Also during the tutorial stage, there was a lot of my ever so favourite quick time events.  (sarcasm)  Not a fan of them in any shape or form in any game, BUT it does keep you on your toes.  The graphics look gorgeous.  Textures look a lot better than they did of RE5.  Voice acting and sound effects were just as good as it was from RE5.

Initial response to the game by the media is really mixed.  Some gave it really great reviews, some gave it extremely bad reviews, and most gave it ‘meh’ reviews.  [Read snippets of some reviews from CVG].  The same was said about RE5, and RE:ORC.  They were both decent games that provided hours of frustrations and entertainment.  And that in my book is a win.

This weekend, Cheesecake and I will be playing it co-op style (not Gangnam…..yeah, I went there) and we’ll give you our semi-in depth take on it. You know what, maybe we might just go blog about it after each play session.  We’ll see if this is worthy of losing the game.

Stay tuned!

I have the best luck.

I love video games. The Big Cheese got me into those addictive little nuggets of happiness.

I have so many memories with Nintendo’s DS line. I received a silver Nintendo DS for my birthday, a few years back. Somewhere along the line, I found a beautifully perfect, white Nintendo DS Lite.

I played my Pokemon games to death on those two beasts, but after my DS Lite broke, I was left without a portable gaming system. Two years, I’ve gone without splurging or asking for a new Nintendo DS, but my PS3 is most likely to be held accountable for that. My PS3 is the only gaming platform (besides my Android phone and computer) that I own and use on a regular basis. I do have a Nintendo GameCube stagnantly seated next to my PS3, however.

Anyway, today brought back some of those memories. The rage-quitting, the pride in finally defeating a gym leader, the shouts of excitement after winning a race in Mario Kart DS, the funny and often inappropriate drawings on PictoChat, the amazing, destructive fun of Bomberman…

What brought such awesome memories back, you ask? Well… Much like how I found the white Nintendo DS Lite, I found myself a white Nintendo DSi. An oldie, but at least it isn’t oversized, like the new 3DSXL or DSiXL.

I’m so happy. Time to break out the Pokemon Platinum and Diamond. Gonna catch me some weird Sinnoh Pokemon.

Final Fantasy box set announced

Having played pretty about 60% of the major Final Fantasy Games, and being somewhat of a collector, I would so love this to be on my shelf, or storage bin in the basement.

Yes, I do have copies of the re-releases on PSOne, GBA, and whatever else system it came out for, this would still be a pretty major piece for a fan such as myself.  Is the hefty $450.00 price tag worth it though? For me, probably.  It would be so nice if square would just re-do the games to modern standards, but that would take massive amounts of money I am sure they are not willing to spend.  At least give us the best one of them all, Final Fantasy 6.  (yeah, sure, some of you will say FF7 is the best, but let’s not get into that).

FF7 has gotten more attention, with spin-off games, and a movie.  I just wish Square Enix would give us some fan service, and do something for the FF6 camp.

Anyway, it will hit Japanese stores on December 18th.  Who know’s if we will see it on our shores.

Thank you Engadget for the news

http://tinyurl.com/9bafr4d

Final Fantasy 6 is the best one of them all PERIOD!

Oh my.

We’ve all had those WTF moments. And for gamers, we have had our fair share of extremely crazy WTFs. Here’s a gamer’s take on his top 10 WTF moments in video games.

What really happens after you trade in your stuff at Game Stop

I doubt anyone has ever really wondered what happens to the stuff you either trade in or sell at Game Stop for about 1/3 of the price you originally paid for. (or +30% if you are a rewards member, excluding hardware)

BUT in case your that one person that did wonder, well wonder no more.  Kotaku has posted such information, so now, maybe YOU can sleep a little more soundly at night.

 

http://kotaku.com/5932029/see-what-actually-happens-to-your-dirty-broken-pre+owned-video-games