Haven't posted in forever, But it's VGAs night!
Pure speculation right now, but that last reveal, "The Phantom Pain" is for Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. Really, I'm just kind of spit balling, considering the guy missing hand looks a lot like Snake. The rendering also seemed similar to the reveal a couple months back.
UPDATE: The Internet is going mad over this reveal. Apparently I'm not the only one who figured this was Metal Gear Solid. Kojima wasn't in the audience for nothing. Apparently, an announcement with more will be coming up soon from the studio.
-Frankie out.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
#RageFace: USPS? Walmart?
Like the rest of the Xbox gamers out there, I should be playing Halo 4 right now. In fact, I purchased a limited edition copy of Halo 4 online via Walmart (Amazon was sold out) with a guarantee that my game would arrive by launch day. Spent my hard earned $110 dollars on it too.
Halo 4 launched Tuesday.
Where's my game?? I'd like to know that too, actually.
According to the Walmart website, my package arrived successfully at my local post office Tuesday. It claims that my guarantee was, in fact, guaranteed; my package should be waiting for me. However, after checking my mailbox for the past two days, there's no notice that a certain package was there waiting for me.
To investigate further, I went on the USPS package tracking site. I put in the tracking number and...nothing. I get an error message from the website saying that my package cannot be tracked from their website. I sent an email to Walmart customer service, but God know when I'll get a reply from that.
I'm not sure who's to blame for this one. I've never trusted the USPS, only really entrusting them with my monthly Gameinformer. I normally go through UPS for my online shopping needs: ThinkGeek, Amazon, Zappos, everything. I trust the bros in brown; and now that I've put my trust in another service, they let me down. USPS also has a history of losing people's things, my family included, and a certain corruption in the service where employees would steal packages.
Walmart also seems equally to blame. Their guarantee was not guarantee, although that is yet to be confirmed. I did receive an email confirming it had been shipped, which is better than nothing. However, the big corporations always seem to be the ones to blame with bad customer service and such, so it seems that this may very well be their fault too.
I'm angry, and I really just want my game. I won't settle for a normal copy, because I put down nearly double the money so I could get everything. If anyone, in my lack of audience, would be willing to help, it would be greatly appreciated.
-Frankie out.
Halo 4 launched Tuesday.
Where's my game?? I'd like to know that too, actually.
According to the Walmart website, my package arrived successfully at my local post office Tuesday. It claims that my guarantee was, in fact, guaranteed; my package should be waiting for me. However, after checking my mailbox for the past two days, there's no notice that a certain package was there waiting for me.
To investigate further, I went on the USPS package tracking site. I put in the tracking number and...nothing. I get an error message from the website saying that my package cannot be tracked from their website. I sent an email to Walmart customer service, but God know when I'll get a reply from that.
I'm not sure who's to blame for this one. I've never trusted the USPS, only really entrusting them with my monthly Gameinformer. I normally go through UPS for my online shopping needs: ThinkGeek, Amazon, Zappos, everything. I trust the bros in brown; and now that I've put my trust in another service, they let me down. USPS also has a history of losing people's things, my family included, and a certain corruption in the service where employees would steal packages.
Walmart also seems equally to blame. Their guarantee was not guarantee, although that is yet to be confirmed. I did receive an email confirming it had been shipped, which is better than nothing. However, the big corporations always seem to be the ones to blame with bad customer service and such, so it seems that this may very well be their fault too.
I'm angry, and I really just want my game. I won't settle for a normal copy, because I put down nearly double the money so I could get everything. If anyone, in my lack of audience, would be willing to help, it would be greatly appreciated.
-Frankie out.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Quickie: Assassin's Creed 3
Haven't posted in a while, but it's not like I have an audience anyway :P
Back to the point though: tomorrow is the launch of Assassin's Creed III, what may very well be the last game in the series (I doubt it, businesswise, but it's possible). If this series doesn't suffer the same fate that Ubisoft's last huge franchise, Prince of Persia, we will hopefully see more games in the next generation. The series Watch Dogs looks promising though, so Ubi may put there assets into that.
All of this speculation is beyond the point, though: I'M SUPER EXCITED!!! The Assassin's Creed franchises has been one of my favorite new IP's this generation, and I'm glad to see the series come through and conclude(?)
Assassin's Creed 3 will be released in North America on October 30
Until then, Frankie out.
Back to the point though: tomorrow is the launch of Assassin's Creed III, what may very well be the last game in the series (I doubt it, businesswise, but it's possible). If this series doesn't suffer the same fate that Ubisoft's last huge franchise, Prince of Persia, we will hopefully see more games in the next generation. The series Watch Dogs looks promising though, so Ubi may put there assets into that.
All of this speculation is beyond the point, though: I'M SUPER EXCITED!!! The Assassin's Creed franchises has been one of my favorite new IP's this generation, and I'm glad to see the series come through and conclude(?)
Assassin's Creed 3 will be released in North America on October 30
Until then, Frankie out.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Quickie: Dishonored
By the looks of all the new reviews popping up everywhere, the Dishonored embargo has been broken, and scores are up!
This game has to be amazing!
Although I was not able to play this game at PAX, I will be be picking it up Tuesday as a little birthday present to myself :) I'll play through it and then write a review for you all.
Until then, I'll try to see if I can keep up the site a little better.
-Frankie out.
This game has to be amazing!
Although I was not able to play this game at PAX, I will be be picking it up Tuesday as a little birthday present to myself :) I'll play through it and then write a review for you all.
Until then, I'll try to see if I can keep up the site a little better.
-Frankie out.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Impressions: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Let me get this out of the way now: This game is by no means a game. Confused? You should be.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance isn't an action/hack 'n slash, it's a badass ninja simulator. In the few minutes I was able to play it at PAX, I have never felt quite as awesome in a video game before. It gave me that euphoric feeling of awesomeness that comes from getting an epicly long killstreak, getting through a stage on Mario without dying, beating a boss in Dark Souls, getting anywhere in Contra without the Konami code: It's just that awesome.
The demo starts as a scientist runs Raiden through an AR training ground. This is where the game introduces you to the slicing mechanic. With a press of a button, time slows down and the camera pans in to over Raiden's shoulder, allowing you to get a good, up-close view of your target. The slicing is all done through using the right stick. Every movement of the stick translates to a slice, allowing you to slice as much as possible. This much slicing lead to an awkward moment for me, though:
I crashed the game.
I looked back to the developer and asked for assistance. After he rebooted the game, I was back in the demo and cutting things up as fast as I could, or rather as fast I wanted to so I wouldn't crash the game again. Despite the crash, I was awfully surprised by how powerful the game was. In one area of the training grounds stood a picnic table with various watermelons on it just like the original reveal trailer. I sliced up the melons and looked at the area surrounding it. A Roman aqueduct looking-thing stood with twelve different pillars. Being curious, I ran around and cut each pillar and, unexpectedly, the whole thing came down. Even if the objects fade out quickly after hitting the ground, that's still a lot to render.
The demo continued into a scene showed off before at E3, the Gekko fight. I spent more of my time running around trying to find all the things I could slice. I was able to cut down a giant ferris wheel, and that made me happy :) There was one moment when I tried cutting a square into a wall and hoped the square would flop down and I could sneak up on him. To my dismay, it didn't work :(
The game then transitioned into a set-piece moment when I was running away from a helicopter across a crumbling bridge. I decided I was done with the helicopter, and then I fought it in a crazy boss battle. I was jumping along pillars, running up missiles, and slicing the hell out of this thing until it blew up :)
It wasn't until I re-read this that I was using "I" instead of Raiden. I guess it goes to show how immersive the game was. The controls were fantastic, replicating every quick movement of a robot ninja badass among all these intelligent enemies.
Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance cuts onto store shelves February 19, 2013. Pick it up and enjoy being a robot-ninja-badass :)
Frankie out.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance isn't an action/hack 'n slash, it's a badass ninja simulator. In the few minutes I was able to play it at PAX, I have never felt quite as awesome in a video game before. It gave me that euphoric feeling of awesomeness that comes from getting an epicly long killstreak, getting through a stage on Mario without dying, beating a boss in Dark Souls, getting anywhere in Contra without the Konami code: It's just that awesome.
The demo starts as a scientist runs Raiden through an AR training ground. This is where the game introduces you to the slicing mechanic. With a press of a button, time slows down and the camera pans in to over Raiden's shoulder, allowing you to get a good, up-close view of your target. The slicing is all done through using the right stick. Every movement of the stick translates to a slice, allowing you to slice as much as possible. This much slicing lead to an awkward moment for me, though:
I crashed the game.
I looked back to the developer and asked for assistance. After he rebooted the game, I was back in the demo and cutting things up as fast as I could, or rather as fast I wanted to so I wouldn't crash the game again. Despite the crash, I was awfully surprised by how powerful the game was. In one area of the training grounds stood a picnic table with various watermelons on it just like the original reveal trailer. I sliced up the melons and looked at the area surrounding it. A Roman aqueduct looking-thing stood with twelve different pillars. Being curious, I ran around and cut each pillar and, unexpectedly, the whole thing came down. Even if the objects fade out quickly after hitting the ground, that's still a lot to render.
The demo continued into a scene showed off before at E3, the Gekko fight. I spent more of my time running around trying to find all the things I could slice. I was able to cut down a giant ferris wheel, and that made me happy :) There was one moment when I tried cutting a square into a wall and hoped the square would flop down and I could sneak up on him. To my dismay, it didn't work :(
The game then transitioned into a set-piece moment when I was running away from a helicopter across a crumbling bridge. I decided I was done with the helicopter, and then I fought it in a crazy boss battle. I was jumping along pillars, running up missiles, and slicing the hell out of this thing until it blew up :)
It wasn't until I re-read this that I was using "I" instead of Raiden. I guess it goes to show how immersive the game was. The controls were fantastic, replicating every quick movement of a robot ninja badass among all these intelligent enemies.
Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance cuts onto store shelves February 19, 2013. Pick it up and enjoy being a robot-ninja-badass :)
Frankie out.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Impressions: Playstation All-Stars: Battle Royale
So many colons for one title!
This weekend was full of different gaming experiences, and I'll tell you all about them :)
To start out, the game I had the most experience with - Playstation All-Stars. Before PAX, I was under the impression that this game is just a blatant Smash Bros. clone. Nevertheless, the gameplay is similar, but the differences really make it shine on its own.
At the convention, the demo was limited to three-minute timed battles, leaving short lines for people to get in, play the game, and leave with a big smile on their faces. Players pressed start and picked their character based on the roster so far: Big Daddy, Good and Bad Cole, Kratos, Raiden, Dante, Parappa, Nathan Drake, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Fat Princess, Radec, Heihachi, Sackboy, Sweet Tooth, Sly, Spike, Toro, and the newly announced Nariko and Sir Daniel Fortesque. From what I experienced in the demo, the only way to change a character's color was to select the same character as someone else. Hopefully this changes in the final product.
The next screen, once everyone was ready, was the map selection. All the maps were in preview screens along the left side with a larger image of the map on the right. Only seven maps were playable, with the Time Station map excluded in the demo. There's was also the all-important random button, for when you and your buddies was to just jump into the game.
I can't really make up my mind on which map was my favorite. That would be a tie between Dreamscape (LBP/Buzz) and Sandover Village (Hot Shot/J&D). The first map builds upon itself as the game goes by, expanding to it's full size by the two minute mark. Then, randomly, Buzz pops up and asks a question. The answers are then labeled to five different spots on the map. This really adds to the gameplay, where all the characters are rushing to the correct answer not to get penalized. Sandover Village is nice because it may end up being the "Hyrule Castle" of Allstars, being the largest map available in the demo.
Now, the gameplay on all of these maps is really fun. All the characters have their own little intro when they arrive on the field, and then the battle begins :) The controls were a tad bit difficult to pick up, as they are more to that of Street Fighter than Smash Bros. The X button is the dedicated jump/drop button, but the other face buttons are all for combat. Each button can be pressed independently or modified with the left stick, leaving each character with at least 15 different moves. The one difficult thing was understanding what each button was going to do when you pressed it. When I press Square, will it be a longer range attack? A heavy attack? Having this kind of notification would be nice. The right thumb stick is for grabbing and throwing character, R1 is for picking up items, L1 is block, L2 is taunt, and R2 unleashes your Super Attack so you can start scoring.
Scoring in Allstars is a little different than Smash Bros. There's no "ring-outs" or percentages. Each hit on an opposing character builds your AP gauge. This gauge lets, once it reaches a level, allows you to perform Super Moves, which then allow you to kill the other characters to score. Each level stacks on each other: the more you save up, the more powerful you will be. Every kill counts for two points, and every death is -1.
Each different character has a different play style to them. My personal preference of characters in fighting games are ones that have good speed and range, and being able to get in, out, and leave your mark. I first played as Nathan Drake, because I love Uncharted. He wasn't too terribly fast, had pretty good range, but his move set was too reliant on guns and staying at a distance. I then tried Raiden, hoping he would be better. He has a fairly limited range, but is incredibly fast and does a bunch of damage. Dante is fairly similar, but preforms better in the air with long combo juggles between his guns and blades. But then, after going through the demo several times, I found my ideal character.
Kratos.
This game fully encompasses the badassery of being the f*cking God of War. Kratos is moderately fast, and his move set uses several of the different weapons featured in his games. Nariko is marginally faster moving, but doesn't quite pack the same punch as Kratos. He seems to be the only character with a distance grapple, when he throws his swords forward into another character, and pulls himself in to deal some damage. I stuck with Kratos for the rest of my playthroughs.
The same faults with this game arise as they did with Smash Bros. Sometimes, the action can get a little hectic and hard to follow on screen, especially when people use the same characters. With the additional power of the Playstation 3, though, there's never any chugging whatsoever. I'd also like to point out the map Dojo, the Parappa and Resistance crossover. Although some purists may like it for one-on-one duels, it's tiny and just a flat platform. I think I'll avoid it when I pick up this game this fall. The map count is also kind-of lacking. I hope more maps are unlockable in the final game. The character count is moderately sized, but it could be added on to with in-game unlockables or DLC, or kept just the way it is to ensure balance. The character models also looked a tad lacking, but this wasn't the final build of the game.
I really like this game :) It's fun, satisfying, and it'll be great to play with some buddies on the couch. I recommend you pick it up this fall, because I'm sure I will.
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royal fights its way out on November 20th in the US, November 21st PAL, November 22nd Australia, and November 23rd UK and Ireland.
-Frankie Out.
This weekend was full of different gaming experiences, and I'll tell you all about them :)
To start out, the game I had the most experience with - Playstation All-Stars. Before PAX, I was under the impression that this game is just a blatant Smash Bros. clone. Nevertheless, the gameplay is similar, but the differences really make it shine on its own.
At the convention, the demo was limited to three-minute timed battles, leaving short lines for people to get in, play the game, and leave with a big smile on their faces. Players pressed start and picked their character based on the roster so far: Big Daddy, Good and Bad Cole, Kratos, Raiden, Dante, Parappa, Nathan Drake, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Fat Princess, Radec, Heihachi, Sackboy, Sweet Tooth, Sly, Spike, Toro, and the newly announced Nariko and Sir Daniel Fortesque. From what I experienced in the demo, the only way to change a character's color was to select the same character as someone else. Hopefully this changes in the final product.
The next screen, once everyone was ready, was the map selection. All the maps were in preview screens along the left side with a larger image of the map on the right. Only seven maps were playable, with the Time Station map excluded in the demo. There's was also the all-important random button, for when you and your buddies was to just jump into the game.
I can't really make up my mind on which map was my favorite. That would be a tie between Dreamscape (LBP/Buzz) and Sandover Village (Hot Shot/J&D). The first map builds upon itself as the game goes by, expanding to it's full size by the two minute mark. Then, randomly, Buzz pops up and asks a question. The answers are then labeled to five different spots on the map. This really adds to the gameplay, where all the characters are rushing to the correct answer not to get penalized. Sandover Village is nice because it may end up being the "Hyrule Castle" of Allstars, being the largest map available in the demo.
Now, the gameplay on all of these maps is really fun. All the characters have their own little intro when they arrive on the field, and then the battle begins :) The controls were a tad bit difficult to pick up, as they are more to that of Street Fighter than Smash Bros. The X button is the dedicated jump/drop button, but the other face buttons are all for combat. Each button can be pressed independently or modified with the left stick, leaving each character with at least 15 different moves. The one difficult thing was understanding what each button was going to do when you pressed it. When I press Square, will it be a longer range attack? A heavy attack? Having this kind of notification would be nice. The right thumb stick is for grabbing and throwing character, R1 is for picking up items, L1 is block, L2 is taunt, and R2 unleashes your Super Attack so you can start scoring.
Scoring in Allstars is a little different than Smash Bros. There's no "ring-outs" or percentages. Each hit on an opposing character builds your AP gauge. This gauge lets, once it reaches a level, allows you to perform Super Moves, which then allow you to kill the other characters to score. Each level stacks on each other: the more you save up, the more powerful you will be. Every kill counts for two points, and every death is -1.
Each different character has a different play style to them. My personal preference of characters in fighting games are ones that have good speed and range, and being able to get in, out, and leave your mark. I first played as Nathan Drake, because I love Uncharted. He wasn't too terribly fast, had pretty good range, but his move set was too reliant on guns and staying at a distance. I then tried Raiden, hoping he would be better. He has a fairly limited range, but is incredibly fast and does a bunch of damage. Dante is fairly similar, but preforms better in the air with long combo juggles between his guns and blades. But then, after going through the demo several times, I found my ideal character.
Kratos.
This game fully encompasses the badassery of being the f*cking God of War. Kratos is moderately fast, and his move set uses several of the different weapons featured in his games. Nariko is marginally faster moving, but doesn't quite pack the same punch as Kratos. He seems to be the only character with a distance grapple, when he throws his swords forward into another character, and pulls himself in to deal some damage. I stuck with Kratos for the rest of my playthroughs.
The same faults with this game arise as they did with Smash Bros. Sometimes, the action can get a little hectic and hard to follow on screen, especially when people use the same characters. With the additional power of the Playstation 3, though, there's never any chugging whatsoever. I'd also like to point out the map Dojo, the Parappa and Resistance crossover. Although some purists may like it for one-on-one duels, it's tiny and just a flat platform. I think I'll avoid it when I pick up this game this fall. The map count is also kind-of lacking. I hope more maps are unlockable in the final game. The character count is moderately sized, but it could be added on to with in-game unlockables or DLC, or kept just the way it is to ensure balance. The character models also looked a tad lacking, but this wasn't the final build of the game.
I really like this game :) It's fun, satisfying, and it'll be great to play with some buddies on the couch. I recommend you pick it up this fall, because I'm sure I will.
Playstation All-Stars Battle Royal fights its way out on November 20th in the US, November 21st PAL, November 22nd Australia, and November 23rd UK and Ireland.
-Frankie Out.
Friday, August 31, 2012
On to PAX
Now that I'm done with school for the week, I'm driving to Seattle for PAX :) I'll be posting impressions on the demos and trailers premiering at PAX, such as Halo 4, Gears of War: Judgement, and Dishonored. If any other games are announced, I'll be sure to write about them.
-Frankie out.
-Frankie out.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
BREAKING: Brand New MGS Game Announced
Staying up late on a school night has paid off!
Hot off the presses is the announcement of a brand new Metal Gear Solid game now, though not sure if official or tentative, name Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. Several tweets were posted about the game from people fortunate enough to attend the 25th anniversary event of the MGS series in Japan today. According to the tweets, the game is an open world stealth game. The demo was purportedly running on current-gen pc specs (what that entails, I don't know) showing off the power of the new Fox Engine that will be running the new game.
The demo began with a cutscene that featured Snake, in Naked Snake/Big Boss attire, stealthy moving around a complex, then transitioned into gameplay. If caught, Snake would then need to find a way to escape the complex. The game was beautiful, according to some tweets flooding in now.
The most amazing part? The Fox Engine is designed for current gen hardware. This game can come out next year, people. A brand new Metal Gear Solid, that doesn't star Raiden, could come out as the Swan Song for this generation before we transition over. If this game does come out 2013...wow. I really hope some more images, or even a video, can find it's way onto the web tonight.
Here's to hoping people :)
-Frankie out.
Hot off the presses is the announcement of a brand new Metal Gear Solid game now, though not sure if official or tentative, name Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. Several tweets were posted about the game from people fortunate enough to attend the 25th anniversary event of the MGS series in Japan today. According to the tweets, the game is an open world stealth game. The demo was purportedly running on current-gen pc specs (what that entails, I don't know) showing off the power of the new Fox Engine that will be running the new game.
The demo began with a cutscene that featured Snake, in Naked Snake/Big Boss attire, stealthy moving around a complex, then transitioned into gameplay. If caught, Snake would then need to find a way to escape the complex. The game was beautiful, according to some tweets flooding in now.
The most amazing part? The Fox Engine is designed for current gen hardware. This game can come out next year, people. A brand new Metal Gear Solid, that doesn't star Raiden, could come out as the Swan Song for this generation before we transition over. If this game does come out 2013...wow. I really hope some more images, or even a video, can find it's way onto the web tonight.
Here's to hoping people :)
-Frankie out.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
#Rageface: Countdowns
There's something about countdowns that always gets me. It's something about seeing numbers counting down to something that gets then anticipation going in me, so much so that I write multiple articles with the same title. My mind especially gets going when I see a big name attached to it, like Square Enix.
As I wrote before, Square had launched a new countdown site that teased something with my favorite DS game, The World Ends With You. Today, as the countdown ended, it revealed that The World Ends With You was coming to iOS...for $18. From the use of the characters in Kingdom Hearts 3D, I figured this countdown had something to do with the inherit sequel that TWEWY really deserves on the 3DS, or Wii U, or whatever. I see what Square is trying to do by taking the game out of its cult following and making it a legitimate mainstream hit on multiple platforms, but the game's original control method was what made the game truly original. An iOS port did not need so much hype.
Square also has another "countdown" of sorts for a new Final Fantasy 13 game that will be announced on September 1. Square did the same sort of announcement last year while teasing the Tomb Raider reboot. These two might be successful, no doubt for Tomb Raider, and the countdowns were very well performed, too.
What really angers me is when a countdown just leads to another countdown. I remember Konami did that with what is now Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance. One countdown lead to another for multiple weeks. The payoff was big, but it was too much. If you want to make a really long-form anticipation machine, start an ARG. I love ARG's, and I know of forums dedicated to just ARG's, like the popular Halo 3 ARG.
Or just make a big announcement :)
-Frankie out.
As I wrote before, Square had launched a new countdown site that teased something with my favorite DS game, The World Ends With You. Today, as the countdown ended, it revealed that The World Ends With You was coming to iOS...for $18. From the use of the characters in Kingdom Hearts 3D, I figured this countdown had something to do with the inherit sequel that TWEWY really deserves on the 3DS, or Wii U, or whatever. I see what Square is trying to do by taking the game out of its cult following and making it a legitimate mainstream hit on multiple platforms, but the game's original control method was what made the game truly original. An iOS port did not need so much hype.
Square also has another "countdown" of sorts for a new Final Fantasy 13 game that will be announced on September 1. Square did the same sort of announcement last year while teasing the Tomb Raider reboot. These two might be successful, no doubt for Tomb Raider, and the countdowns were very well performed, too.
What really angers me is when a countdown just leads to another countdown. I remember Konami did that with what is now Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance. One countdown lead to another for multiple weeks. The payoff was big, but it was too much. If you want to make a really long-form anticipation machine, start an ARG. I love ARG's, and I know of forums dedicated to just ARG's, like the popular Halo 3 ARG.
Or just make a big announcement :)
-Frankie out.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Purgatory
I realized I've hit a slump, one I don't think I'll be able to get out of until this fall...
I recently completed Mass Effect 3 (a little late to the party, but whatever). I completed the story of my Shepard that I've been keeping up since the original. I had my wisdom teeth taken out, so I figured recovery time equals more Xbox time, so I went crazy. I spent hours completing the story, with the occasional break on multiplayer to get my galactic readiness up. But after all the hours spent saving the universe, it was over.
The end.
I've attempted to play video games afterward, but nothing is very satiating. Dust: An Elysian Tale is a bore, and a disappointment; I really only forge in Halo: Reach anymore, although the multiplayer is fun; nothing seems fun anymore. I think I might just be burned out from gaming right now. I was even super excited for the launch of Counter Strike for XBLA, bought it today, played for half an hour, and turned it off. I couldn't do it. It just didn't feel fun.
Has this ever happened to you? My oh so miniscule reader base? Have you been burned-out of video games? I'm really hoping this gestation period ends soon. I think I'll be satiated when Dishonored launches in October, the same day as my birthday :)
Leave your burn out story in the comments, and share this with your buddies and stuff. I need readers, dammit :P
-Frankie out.
I recently completed Mass Effect 3 (a little late to the party, but whatever). I completed the story of my Shepard that I've been keeping up since the original. I had my wisdom teeth taken out, so I figured recovery time equals more Xbox time, so I went crazy. I spent hours completing the story, with the occasional break on multiplayer to get my galactic readiness up. But after all the hours spent saving the universe, it was over.
The end.
I've attempted to play video games afterward, but nothing is very satiating. Dust: An Elysian Tale is a bore, and a disappointment; I really only forge in Halo: Reach anymore, although the multiplayer is fun; nothing seems fun anymore. I think I might just be burned out from gaming right now. I was even super excited for the launch of Counter Strike for XBLA, bought it today, played for half an hour, and turned it off. I couldn't do it. It just didn't feel fun.
Has this ever happened to you? My oh so miniscule reader base? Have you been burned-out of video games? I'm really hoping this gestation period ends soon. I think I'll be satiated when Dishonored launches in October, the same day as my birthday :)
Leave your burn out story in the comments, and share this with your buddies and stuff. I need readers, dammit :P
-Frankie out.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Anticipation :)
So, just a few moments ago, while Googling around, I discovered that Square Enix has posted up a new countdown teaser site that looks awfully familiar to something I hold very near and dear to my DS...
The source code states that the character designs are by Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi: the two designers from the original TWEWY. The countdown says 6 days, 9 hours, and 40 minutes from the time of this posting, so we'll have to wait until then to discover what Square has in store for THE GREATEST DS GAME EVVEEERRRR!!!
...
...
not really professional, but I don't care. I love this game :)
-Frankie out.
The source code states that the character designs are by Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi: the two designers from the original TWEWY. The countdown says 6 days, 9 hours, and 40 minutes from the time of this posting, so we'll have to wait until then to discover what Square has in store for THE GREATEST DS GAME EVVEEERRRR!!!
...
...
not really professional, but I don't care. I love this game :)
-Frankie out.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Hybrid: Impressions
In simple terms, I like Hybrid. I think it's derived from my joy of Jeremiah Slaczka's work. He's one of the unsung revolutionaries of this gaming generation. Although some of his franchises have been beaten like a dead horse (Drawn to Life, soon-to-be Scribblenauts), his ideas have been amazing. So, in 2010 when he announced that 5th Cell would be leaving the kid-friendly DS games for a third-person shooter, people were surprised...and then all coverage fell off the map. Game writers didn't seem to care. Then, the Summer of Arcade line-up was revealed and everyone started caring again.
Hybrid is a sort-of deconstruction of the third-person-cover-shooter genre. While games like Gears of War and Spec Ops: The Line leave you to hide behind cover and run around the battlefield freely, Hybrid streamlines that to just cover. With your jetpack (which instantly bumps up the cool factor of the game) you fly from cover-to-cover shooting your opponents. While some would think it takes away your freedom, it instead makes action much faster and hectic. You can change course in mid-flight and change your destination, as well as strafe around as you fly. Once you arrive at cover, you can vault and move around while locked to the cover. Shooting mechanics will be instantly familiar to anyone that has ever played a third-person shooter ever. Blindfire, aiming, reloading, all the same. A killstreak mechanic has been placed where kills allow you to summon robots to the battlefield. One kill gets you a small drone, three for a larger death machine, and five for a robo-ninja that can kill anyone instantly (robo-ninjas also make this game that much cooler). There is also an ability mechanic that allows you to choose a special ability to take into combat. Whether you be selfish and get an ability for yourself, or if you choose a support ability to help the team, it's up to you. The abilities add a strategic element to the game. If you don't like your current load out, you can always change it while you wait to respawn.
Where the game starts getting really interesting is in the social mechanics built into the game. Each bout is part of a larger on-going conflict. The two factions of which names I do not remember right now are fighting for dark energy that does...something. The near-nonexistent story is crap, quite honestly, but it together this awesome mechanic. The world is separated into different sections where the two factions are competing to this large amount of dark energy. All the experience gained in battle gets your faction on closer to the energy. The closer you get, the more xp bonuses you get for being in the "hotzone". Then, at the end of each season (which I think ends once the energy is collected in each zone) everything is reset. You keep your levels, but not your rank. The winning team also unlocks a special golden dragon helmet while the losing team gets a paper bag.
It's good the dev's can still be funny :)
The unlock system is probably the only thing I'd consider bad about the game. Although none of the podcasts we've recorded have been posted, I have this strong dislike of free-to-play games; a hatred I will write about another time. Anyway, the unlock system is based off of levels. Every level, you gain one unlock key to unlock something out of different categories. Until you gain that key, each item has a little gold-block-thingy next to it that represents credits.
Credits that cost money.
Now, everything can be unlocked normally without having to spend Microsoft Points, it just takes dedication. The credit system allows someone to buy the same item someone probably spent hours working towards. I really don't like that, but as I wrote earlier, that can be saved for another time.
Hybrid is an amazingly fast-paced third-person shooter that reinvigorates the genre with new mechanics that could lead the way to grander gameplay for next generation. This game is heavily reliant on people playing it, so go buy this game and fight the good fight :)
-Frankie out.
Hybrid is a sort-of deconstruction of the third-person-cover-shooter genre. While games like Gears of War and Spec Ops: The Line leave you to hide behind cover and run around the battlefield freely, Hybrid streamlines that to just cover. With your jetpack (which instantly bumps up the cool factor of the game) you fly from cover-to-cover shooting your opponents. While some would think it takes away your freedom, it instead makes action much faster and hectic. You can change course in mid-flight and change your destination, as well as strafe around as you fly. Once you arrive at cover, you can vault and move around while locked to the cover. Shooting mechanics will be instantly familiar to anyone that has ever played a third-person shooter ever. Blindfire, aiming, reloading, all the same. A killstreak mechanic has been placed where kills allow you to summon robots to the battlefield. One kill gets you a small drone, three for a larger death machine, and five for a robo-ninja that can kill anyone instantly (robo-ninjas also make this game that much cooler). There is also an ability mechanic that allows you to choose a special ability to take into combat. Whether you be selfish and get an ability for yourself, or if you choose a support ability to help the team, it's up to you. The abilities add a strategic element to the game. If you don't like your current load out, you can always change it while you wait to respawn.
Where the game starts getting really interesting is in the social mechanics built into the game. Each bout is part of a larger on-going conflict. The two factions of which names I do not remember right now are fighting for dark energy that does...something. The near-nonexistent story is crap, quite honestly, but it together this awesome mechanic. The world is separated into different sections where the two factions are competing to this large amount of dark energy. All the experience gained in battle gets your faction on closer to the energy. The closer you get, the more xp bonuses you get for being in the "hotzone". Then, at the end of each season (which I think ends once the energy is collected in each zone) everything is reset. You keep your levels, but not your rank. The winning team also unlocks a special golden dragon helmet while the losing team gets a paper bag.
It's good the dev's can still be funny :)
The unlock system is probably the only thing I'd consider bad about the game. Although none of the podcasts we've recorded have been posted, I have this strong dislike of free-to-play games; a hatred I will write about another time. Anyway, the unlock system is based off of levels. Every level, you gain one unlock key to unlock something out of different categories. Until you gain that key, each item has a little gold-block-thingy next to it that represents credits.
Credits that cost money.
Now, everything can be unlocked normally without having to spend Microsoft Points, it just takes dedication. The credit system allows someone to buy the same item someone probably spent hours working towards. I really don't like that, but as I wrote earlier, that can be saved for another time.
Hybrid is an amazingly fast-paced third-person shooter that reinvigorates the genre with new mechanics that could lead the way to grander gameplay for next generation. This game is heavily reliant on people playing it, so go buy this game and fight the good fight :)
-Frankie out.
So...
It's been a while since anything has been posted. I think I'll go on a posting spree today since I'm incredibly bored. Post frequency might increase a lot next week since I'll be out of commission after my surgery. I'll probably write about my impressions of Hybrid, the new XBLA game, and my hopes for PAX 2012 coming up in a couple weeks :)
-Frankie out.
-Frankie out.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Impressions
According to my newest save, I've logged in about 4.5 hours into this new Kingdom Hearts game. So far, I've run into characters from my favorite DS game (The World Ends With You); fallen asleep a few times; made friends with a bat, cat, and a spiky thingy; and defeated a giant flying monkey.
It's awesome.
The last 3DS game I bought was Kid Icarus because I couldn't afford to throw down money on Super Mario and Mario Kart. Kid Icarus had fast, frantic on-rails action that slowed down to hard-to-control, on-foot gameplay. Don't get me wrong, I still love that game. I kick ass at multiplayer too :) but once I started playing Kingdom Hearts, my connection with my 3DS had rekindled.
Unlike the last DS entries in the series, you don't play as Roxas or a digital copy of Sora, you are Sora, and Riku. This game takes place, in the cannon, as the newest entry. Sora and Riku are off to become Keyblade masters. I would tell you more, but that's really all of the story I've gotten so far. As with most Kingdom Hearts games, I don't expect the story to totally make sense up until the player reaches the midway point.
Since it's the newest game in the cannon, it would make sense that it has the most refined gameplay. The command deck system allows for faster gameplay to make all the fights seem that much more epic. It seems like this is how the developers can attach the ATB system from Final Fantasy IV or Final Fantasy XIII into a more real time game. Another gameplay element added is Flowmotion. Flowmotion makes Sora or Riku all purple and sparkly. When they become purple and sparkly, they become total overpowered badasses that can fly around the stage, laying waste to any Dream Eater that stands in their path...
...yeah, Flowmotion is pretty cool. It makes gameplay much faster. Being able to fly around the area makes traversal quicker and more fun. It also makes exploration enjoyable without any shoe-horned, frustrating platforming. The camera can still be a little wonky at times, but that's to be expected with Kingdom Hearts games.
This game is beautiful. As proven with Metal Gear Solid 3D, the 3DS can match the graphical power of a PS2 - IN 3D!!! This game looks equally as good as Kingdom Hearts II. The game also provides new areas of existing locales to explore. New areas of Traverse Town and the Grid. I can't speak for the rest of the game (I'm not there yet :P) but I assume there will be other cool places to kill Dream Eaters in.
It may be the fact that I love the Kingdom Hearts series or that it's just a good game, but I recommend this game for anyone with a 3DS. Good games for the system seem pretty stagnant other than New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Luigi's Mansion. So to quench your 3D thirst, pick up this game.
-Frankie out.
It's awesome.
The last 3DS game I bought was Kid Icarus because I couldn't afford to throw down money on Super Mario and Mario Kart. Kid Icarus had fast, frantic on-rails action that slowed down to hard-to-control, on-foot gameplay. Don't get me wrong, I still love that game. I kick ass at multiplayer too :) but once I started playing Kingdom Hearts, my connection with my 3DS had rekindled.
Unlike the last DS entries in the series, you don't play as Roxas or a digital copy of Sora, you are Sora, and Riku. This game takes place, in the cannon, as the newest entry. Sora and Riku are off to become Keyblade masters. I would tell you more, but that's really all of the story I've gotten so far. As with most Kingdom Hearts games, I don't expect the story to totally make sense up until the player reaches the midway point.
Since it's the newest game in the cannon, it would make sense that it has the most refined gameplay. The command deck system allows for faster gameplay to make all the fights seem that much more epic. It seems like this is how the developers can attach the ATB system from Final Fantasy IV or Final Fantasy XIII into a more real time game. Another gameplay element added is Flowmotion. Flowmotion makes Sora or Riku all purple and sparkly. When they become purple and sparkly, they become total overpowered badasses that can fly around the stage, laying waste to any Dream Eater that stands in their path...
...yeah, Flowmotion is pretty cool. It makes gameplay much faster. Being able to fly around the area makes traversal quicker and more fun. It also makes exploration enjoyable without any shoe-horned, frustrating platforming. The camera can still be a little wonky at times, but that's to be expected with Kingdom Hearts games.
This game is beautiful. As proven with Metal Gear Solid 3D, the 3DS can match the graphical power of a PS2 - IN 3D!!! This game looks equally as good as Kingdom Hearts II. The game also provides new areas of existing locales to explore. New areas of Traverse Town and the Grid. I can't speak for the rest of the game (I'm not there yet :P) but I assume there will be other cool places to kill Dream Eaters in.
It may be the fact that I love the Kingdom Hearts series or that it's just a good game, but I recommend this game for anyone with a 3DS. Good games for the system seem pretty stagnant other than New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Luigi's Mansion. So to quench your 3D thirst, pick up this game.
-Frankie out.
UPDATE!
Haven't been keeping this updated as much as I'd like to, but it's because we've all been so busy! I was away at a business camp for a week, the Olympics are on, and I picked up the new Kingdom Hearts game for my 3DS on Wednesday. KINGDOM HEARTS!!!
You wouldn't necessarily know my love for kingdom hearts since our podcast has yet to be posted, but it should be up...
.
.
.
soon...hopefully. No promises there. I'll talk to the editor.
Until then, this has been your Geekly Weekly update. I'll probably make a post later about this business camp and my impressions on Kingdom Hearts 3D, but until then, I'm gonna go watch some swimming, because that's really all that's on until track starts tonight. Yay :)
Frankie out.
You wouldn't necessarily know my love for kingdom hearts since our podcast has yet to be posted, but it should be up...
.
.
.
soon...hopefully. No promises there. I'll talk to the editor.
Until then, this has been your Geekly Weekly update. I'll probably make a post later about this business camp and my impressions on Kingdom Hearts 3D, but until then, I'm gonna go watch some swimming, because that's really all that's on until track starts tonight. Yay :)
Frankie out.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises: Review
A little later than expected, but I still want to give all of you my personal review of The Dark Knight Rises. Of course, not to be a douche, it'll all be spoiler free :)
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..
...
....
.....
AWESOME!!!
Yeah, giving you details about the movie would ruin the experience. Christopher Nolan is a cinematic genius. His films are masterpieces. Go support one of my favorite filmmakers with his brand new movie. I've always been partial to Marvel super heroes, but I can respect a good movie when I see one.
Also, our thoughts here at Geekly Weekly go out to the families of those who lost loved ones in Colorado Friday. These people simply wanted to enjoy a masterpiece of film, and lost their lives because of it.
In the words of Ezio Auditore: "Requiescat in pace."
Hopefully, we'll actually have the first episode of the podcast up soon. Here's to hoping :)
-Frankie out
.
..
...
....
.....
AWESOME!!!
Yeah, giving you details about the movie would ruin the experience. Christopher Nolan is a cinematic genius. His films are masterpieces. Go support one of my favorite filmmakers with his brand new movie. I've always been partial to Marvel super heroes, but I can respect a good movie when I see one.
Also, our thoughts here at Geekly Weekly go out to the families of those who lost loved ones in Colorado Friday. These people simply wanted to enjoy a masterpiece of film, and lost their lives because of it.
In the words of Ezio Auditore: "Requiescat in pace."
Hopefully, we'll actually have the first episode of the podcast up soon. Here's to hoping :)
-Frankie out
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Anticipation
By this time tomorrow, I, Frankie, and maybe some other members of the Geekly Weekly cast (this post also stands as an invitation to the other Geekly Weekly members) will be watching the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. Hopefully, we'll actually have an episode posted Friday and I'll give a spoiler-free review of it :)
Frankie out.
Frankie out.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
#Rageface: Kids in a Theater
Apparently, my first #Rageface didn't post...so I'll just do a new one ;P
Today, I went to the movie theaters to watch the movie Ted with my brothers. I know, a little behind on the times, but I still managed to watch it (pretty good movie too). The movie would have been more enjoyable had there not been for four little kids sitting behind us.
How do four eight (inferred by their voices and annoyingness) year-olds get into a rated-R movie?? I know I did when I was eight, but that's because I was awesome :P Don't movie theaters have to follow guidelines against stuff like that? This film contains heinous language, drug use, alcohol consumption, and giant tits with a face drawn on them. Little kids shouldn't be opened to these things yet. Judging by their reactions to such things, they hadn't yet. I'm not going to go on about what age kids are entitled to know about certain things, so I'll just go back to how much they angered me.
These children were running around the sparsely populated movie theater yelling quite loudly. One teenage girl in the crowd called out to them to shut up, but nothing more. The children were making unfunny remarks at everything going on-screen (I do too, but not to their volume. At least mine are funny :P). It was as if the children were purposely put in that theater to annoy and frustrate me. I stood strong though, and made it through.
Whew, got that out there. This has been #Rageface with Frankie. Maybe I'll do one on the Viacom-DirecTV situation next and how it has interrupted my Tosh.O obsession...
Maybe I'll write about my Tosh.O obsession too...
Today, I went to the movie theaters to watch the movie Ted with my brothers. I know, a little behind on the times, but I still managed to watch it (pretty good movie too). The movie would have been more enjoyable had there not been for four little kids sitting behind us.
How do four eight (inferred by their voices and annoyingness) year-olds get into a rated-R movie?? I know I did when I was eight, but that's because I was awesome :P Don't movie theaters have to follow guidelines against stuff like that? This film contains heinous language, drug use, alcohol consumption, and giant tits with a face drawn on them. Little kids shouldn't be opened to these things yet. Judging by their reactions to such things, they hadn't yet. I'm not going to go on about what age kids are entitled to know about certain things, so I'll just go back to how much they angered me.
These children were running around the sparsely populated movie theater yelling quite loudly. One teenage girl in the crowd called out to them to shut up, but nothing more. The children were making unfunny remarks at everything going on-screen (I do too, but not to their volume. At least mine are funny :P). It was as if the children were purposely put in that theater to annoy and frustrate me. I stood strong though, and made it through.
Whew, got that out there. This has been #Rageface with Frankie. Maybe I'll do one on the Viacom-DirecTV situation next and how it has interrupted my Tosh.O obsession...
Maybe I'll write about my Tosh.O obsession too...
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The Blog!
Hey, what's up Geeks (or Weekers, we'll come up with something). Welcome to the official Geekly Weekly blog! Yay! This is your host, Frankie. We'll be working to get this up and running, featuring blog posts from all of the guests on the show. This is also where we'll be posting all the episodes for everyone to listen to. Enjoy :)
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