Today was an exhausting but a  enjoyable day.  I guess you can say I finally popped my E3 cherry.  Even though there are so many things to play and see I think these next 2 days are going to be fantastic.  This will be first of few posts in which I just briefly explain what I saw at E3 on that particular day, also with Pictures :).  I will be taking more pictures tomorrow and hopefully they will turn out better then some in this batch. Pictures are at the bottom of this post.

For even more pictures check out some of my E3 buddy’s shots here.

Day 1 was nothing special.  I did manage to get some hands on with a couple of games but today was the scope out day.  Checking out the floor, see whats playable and then figuring out a plan of action for day 2.

Bayonetta: I got some hands on with Bayoneta and man this game is HOT (pun was intended).  The game feels very similar to Devil May Cry but much prettier.  Action is there, extremely fun to pull off some sick combos.  Don’t know whether game is supposed to revolutionize the action genre because it feels very similar to Devil May Cry. But hey, its just a demo, maybe there is something I don’t know.

Gears of War 2 Dark Corners: I didn’t have a chance to play it, but the nice dude over at Epic gave us quick demo of the content.  Dark Corner is a single player chapter that takes place after the death of Maria and gives you the option to play an unreleased level that introduces some stealth mechanics.  Looked interesting but its basically same gears of war but just a new story mission.

Left 4 Dead 2: This is the announcement that kind of rattled me.  I mean why so early when the last one was just last year. Anyways I played it and it its the same but with new setting, characters, enemies, and weapons. Including melee weapons.  The build we played was very early so I expect some polish maybe be required.

Batman Arkham Asylum: Finally a version of the game which is not the stupid challenge one that we have in the store.  In fact this was the one strait of the single player.  Pretty cool in how it uses the stealth mechanics and the way you pick off enemies a la Riddick (which I enjoyed).

Dirt 2: I loved the first dirt. The sequel looks like more of the same with some fine tuning to the handling, and some stunning visuals.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves: I already scored a beta invite by purchasing Infamous so there was no need for me to jump onto the multiplayer, which they had on the floor.  I was interested in the co-up, which looks like the portion of the multiplayer that I will enjoy.  This is one of those game which I think doesn’t need multiplayer but I am glad that its there.  The co-up was extremely fun, however still not liking the amount of damage these dudes can take. Not to mention a retard of co-up player we had who didn’t know how to play. So he was a liability but It was fun. And another thing just check out this single player footage.  I’ll stop talking now.

PSP Go: I had very little time to fiddle with the new PSP and from the looks of it I like it.  The only complaint is the tiny ass dpad.  Looks kind of awkward but I need more hands on with it. Preview

Anyways that pretty much most of what I saw but expect more stuff tomorrow.  And here are day 1 pictures:

It has been a long time coming.  Ever since that amazing E3 2005, Killzone 2 has been on the hype train.  Some of it positive and some of not so much.  Reasoning was due to the fact that there is no way they can ever make the game look that good.  Well my friends the game is here and I am happy to announce that this is the best looking game I have ever seen on a console.

The game just blew me away on how amazing it looked.  From the texture models to the character models, it just looked so damn good.  Not to mention some the best lighting effects I have ever seen.  On the same subject of tech, this game has to be played on a HDTV and some kind of surround sound setup.  I play this game only on my HDTV and my 5.1 headsets and damn, I am impressed every time I play (the game can also output in 7.1 if you have that setup).

Lets start off with the campaign.  Campaign is of average length, about 8-10 hours if you are methodical (or first time Killzone player).  I blasted through it in about 6 hours on my first playthrough, which kind of surprised myself.  And as suspected each level show cases how technically brilliant the game is.

However one thing that you may need to get used to is the controls.  I have played the original and the controls are pretty much identical.  Those who haven’t played the original may need some time getting used to them.  The general consensus on this issue however is that players hated the controls in the beginning and as they played on they started to get the hang of it.

In terms of shooters Killzone 2 doesn’t bring anything new to the table.  Except maybe for the cover system, which is all in first person.  It works by the player crouching behind cover and using the sticks to peak over the top and place shots.  When you are in cover your not just looking at the wall, your character peaks over the top so you can see where to place shots.  Guerrilla made it very clear that this experience is entirely first person, straight down to the cover system.  Which  works very well because it keeps you engaged and keeps the gun fights very intense.

In terms of the story, I am going to say it was just a little above average.  The story does has its moments but in general the story is there to setup for a sequel.  Which is a shame because there was a lot that could have been done here (you don’t have to play the original to understand the story of Killzone 2).  The story does have this notion even though you have a clear and distinct enemy doesn’t mean they are always the enemy.  Guerrilla makes it so that each faction can be equally bad.  The dialogue is also quite cheesy at times but I did chuckle at one or two mom jokes.

Where this game shines is multiplayer.  If you played the original the multiplayer was kind of janky. Guerrilla has greatly polished the multiplayer for the sequel and now its quite brilliant.  Killzone 2 uses xp based system to unlock guns and new classes a la Cod4.  On top of that they introduce classes that can effect the battlefield in many ways, similar to Team fortress 2.  Except one cool thing is you can mix and match each classes abilities.  For example, you can be a medic who’s primary ability is to revive.  Now if you have unlocked the repair ability from the engineer class you can now be an engineer medic; have ability to revive buddies and repair turrets or ammo boxes.

If you have a PS3 and need a shooter/multiplayer game, absolutly buy and play this game.  Campain is good, Multiplayer is excellent with tons of options so there is very high replayability.  With the release of the new maps Guerilla is looking to extend the life of this game for a while.  So buy it, play it and hopefully i’ll see you online.  My psn name can be found on the “Links” page.

Madworld is the greatest Wii game I have played since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in fact its the only game I have played since Brawl on my Wii.   The game symbolizes what I thought would never happen on the Wii console, an extremely violent and extremely mature game made for the mature audience on the Wii.  As fun as the game was it still has its problems.

Lets start off with the positives.  I thought the story was actually pretty good.  I know what your thinking a game that is based off a TV show in which you kill until there is no one left.  Yeah sounds dumb on paper but as you continue to playthrough the game the story gets more interesting and deeper than once you started.

In addition the game is so damn fun. Especially when you first drop into the first level and learning all the cool things you can do and how brutally you can kill people.  Once you get to the boss fights however that’s where the fun begins.  Its like those battles in God of War with those brutal finishes to end their existence.  On the subject of bosses, the game never takes itself seriously.  You can definitely see it in the characters as they huge cliches from other games and movies, like the HUGE (and I mean not natural huge) breasted vampire boss you fight.

To top it off I think the visual style is brilliant.  Since its on the Wii, which is not known for its technical prowess, the developers had to think differently in order to convey the brutality.  By going with a Sin City look where everything is black and white except for the red blood the developers were able to pull it off quite brilliantly.

Now onto the problems.  On problem with the game I had was the camera.  There is a time when you have to fight a really fast boss and locking the camera to him is quite hard.  It also has an effect in combat because you hold the C button to lock onto an enemy and tap C to put the camera behind you (I forget if it is the C or Z button, its one of the small buttons on the nunchuck).  Since there is also platforming in the game the camera starts to become an issue.

The game is also very repetitive.  You will find yourself doing the same thing for pretty much the entire game.  However it does break it up with the vehicle segments, but that still doesn’t out way how repetitive the game is.

In terms of longevity the game is quite short, 5-7 hours on your first playthrough.  The game does have 2 player split-screen multiplayer with 10 mini games (I don’t really remember how many there are but its there) at your disposal which you unlock during the singleplayer (man golf was my favorite).  However there is no incentive to replay the game once you have beaten it once except if you want to try hard mode.

In terms of purchasing I say rent this one.  It really deserves a playthrough but there is nothing there to keep you engaged for a while.  It is putting the Wii in the hardcore direction but if you want to play the other “Non Nintendo” hardcore game be my guest (wait there aren’t any).  So if you are a hardcore Nintendo Wii fan I recommend at least playing it once through.

To close out GDC this week infinity ward graced us with a teaser trailer for their upcoming Call of Duty game.  Along with the teaser came the official release date which is November 10, 2009.  Time to get those preorders in check out the teaser:

Also you want to check out this website:

http://modernwarfare2.infinityward.com/

Where basically its the same trailer however you can analyze, pause, and zoom into the video.  There have been a lot of cool new things peoples over the internets have spotted.

I never was a strategy game fan.  Nor have I been particularly good at strategy games.  So if this review is not to your liking check out other sites in which the reviewers are genuine strategy players.  Since this was a halo a game I assumed I would give it justice and give it a go.  And being a halo fan that is exactly what I did.

I don’t particularly like strategy games mainly for the amazing micromanagement that takes place.  My head simply can’t comprehend the amount of things that are going on at once.  Needless to say going into this games I was completely opened minded.

To be fair it is the easiest strategy game I have ever played.  Not because the game was easy but just the way it controlled.  Since its the first major strategy game for the console, the controls do work very well.  You basically only need to know two commands the entire game.  Hardcore strategy players will likely blow through the campaign in about 6-8 hours.

When I think about halo I think who ever has the biggest gun wins (not always the case but usually works most of the time).  That is exactly how I played this game.  Build a shit ton of units and tell them to all go attack the enemy.  Even with that strategy I found it to hard (shows you what kind of strategy gamer I am).  Even on normal on the 7Th level I was getting owned.  So I had to put the game on easy.  I’m sorry but I had to finish the game.

One thing that is cool about halo wars is that this really feels like a halo game.  All the units are modeled exactly and have the same behavior as the other games.  From the warthog to the grunts.   Ensemble did a really great job in making the game feel like a halo game.  Even the menu is identical to halo 3’s menu.

Altogether I thought it was a good experience.  It started to drag near the end because I just wanted to get through it and see what the story is about.  Mainly due to the repetitiveness of building and rebuilding bases each level.  In addition the story is good.  It brings some interesting topics but there is never that character you really cared about like Master Chief and Cortana.  Another gripe with this game is that it introduces the flood and hardcore halo fans know that the flood didn’t exist until the covenant unleashed them in halo CE.  On that note I say rent this one.  If you are a halo fan and not a strategy game fan but are interested in the story, as I was, then rent it.  If you are hardcore strategy player you may like it but you will definitely see the many flaws that separate it from being like a Company of Heroes caliber.

Going into the movie I was very skeptical of how it was going to turn out.  Some of the trailers I have seen were awesome and there are some were I wanted to gouge my eyes with a pencil.  Being one of many Watchmen fans I’m sure all of us were crossing our fingers in hope that this may be the movie we deserve.

The movie was excellent.  It really captures the tone and story the novel was trying to convey.  So much so that the first half of the movie was shot frame by frame like the novel.  Usually most movies based on a book or a former piece of work tend to be changed slightly to fit the viewing pleasure.  Watchmen is movie made by a fan for the fans.

The characters are pretty much identical to the characters in the novel.  In my opinion Rorschach was the best.  The movie really captured his brutality and his insane mentality.  The character who plays Nite Owl is pretty much identical to Dan Dreiberg from the novel.  Except where is that awesome belly?  Doctor Manhattan was was also played very well.  On the subject of Dr. Manhattan I was very surprised to see how many none Watchmen fans were in the theater.  How do I know this?  Well as soon as Manhattan blue goods flashed on screen nearly half the audience was like wtf.  You know who you are.

This goes on to my point that non Watchmen fans did not like the movie.  Having to see various shots in which come straight from the book and having them go wtf is this.  There is a lot meaning behind each and every shot.  The movie cannot explain all of these meanings because its a movie, otherwise you would be sitting there for ever.  For example why Dr. Manhattan is always naked.  There is a reason why he is as he is.

All together this movie was great.  I highly recommend every Watchmen fan, even you Alan Moore, check this movie out.  If you are unfamiliar with Watchmen I recommend you read the novel first then go watch the movie.  See if you are fan first before going to see this movie.  If you have no interest in reading the book and want to watch the movie, you and about half of the theater are going to be happy with seeing a blue dong and nice special effects.

You know the drill.  Check it out here:

http://rvb.roosterteeth.com/archive/episode.php?id=605

Relocated part three is up check it out here:

http://rvb.roosterteeth.com/archive/episode.php?id=594

I have been a HUGE fan of the God of War series since the beginning. From the PlayStation 2 versions to the PSP version; all brought a mix of amazing story telling and combat to the action genre.  Not to mention the greatest Bad-ass in video game history.  We haven’t seen much of it since that small snippet of a trailer back in December.  Which showed little to nothing.  Hearing that on Friday that there was gonna be a  God of War III blowout.  I was constantly refreshing the page to see when they were going to upload the info (btw they were over by 37 minutes).

First lets start with the trailer.  There is only one word to describe this trailer:  “EPIC.”  And yeah that’s all in game (I doubled and tripled checked):

HOLY SHIT my head just exploded.  I would pick apart the video for you but these guys do it instead, besides they do it better:

This next video is the games new director discussing some challenges faced and new additions for God of War III:

You can also check out 1ups and IGN’S previews as they go even deeper about the game and talk about stuff that wasn’t shown in the trailers.

• IGN’S preview: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/954/954097p1.html
• 1up’s preview: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3172781&p=3

In addition you can check out the slew of screenshots that have been released to the internets.  If you are a God of War fan those images are a must see and the articles are a must read.

Those of you who have reserved the game already you may have a received a little key to download the demo off the PSN.  If not visit any Gamestop to receive you free download.  For those of you who haven’t reserved I think the demo goes live a couple of days before the release on February 27Th.

From what I have played the game feels very similar to Killzone 1.  Controls are almost the same as well as some of the gameplay, with some new improvements (You can change controls to Cod4 like controls as well).  One is the cover system which works pretty well.  Guns are more realistic and have an extra kick.  Gameplay feels solid with no major issues from what I have played.

One thing I did mess with was the controls.  For newcomers into Killzone the controls are going to need some to time to get used to.  For returning players you will feel right at home because it feels very similar to Killzone 1.  Although some playing with sensitivity maybe in order.  My setting had the y-axis to 100% and x-axis to 70-90%.  In my opinion these are most ideal because having it any lower makes it kind of hard to line up your shots.

On a positive note the graphics are probably the best I have ever seen on console.  Attention to detail with some sick lighting effects.  Being a fan of the first one and reading all the high praise, I can’t wait to pick this one up.  The only problem is the demo was so short, anyways looking forward to the 27Th.