The Greatest Act Of Kindness In The History Of Gaming... Period.

I have never been a fan of the game Borderlands. I found it to be bland, uninteresting, and clunky. However, despite the flaws about Gearbox's cult classic, this does not taint (c'mon kids...) the image of their overall class.
I did my midnight intra-web surfing and stumbled on to a story by destructoid on a gentleman by the name of Michael John Mamaril. This young fan of the game, Borderlands, passed away at the young age of 22 of cancer last month.
One of the wishes from his best friend Carlo, who is also a huge fan of the game, asked the good people of Gearbox to include a eulogy to be read by Claptrap, a character favorite in Borderlands. Not only did Gearbox happily obliged. Michael will be included as a non-playable character in Borderlands 2.
Never in the 23 years I have picked up a controller and aquired the knowledge of videogames in my world, have I seen such an act of genuine and heartfelt kindness for a fan. No dying of Aeris, kidnapping of princess, or even death of Jenny can match the emotion I felt when I listened to the eulogy. I share this link with you in hopes that other developers can take note that these people stay out in the warmth and even the blistering cold to have the most entertaining experience, never should they be considered as dollar signs.
For the the link to the eulogy, please visit:
http://m.soundcloud.com/tony-12-2/claptrap-eulogy-for-michael/s-tmwpd

Trailer Park Thursdays

Ok guys I'm going to try something new.... This post will be completely made from my Android phone. It kind of helps out in the long run, as far as providing information on a more "up to date" means. I will iron kinks out in future [days apart I promise] posts. Now on to the trailer. Need For Speed: The Run is a game that hooked me ever since E3. In my opinion being a Chicago native, EA has the most geographically accurate portrayal of Chicago I have ever seen. Look for Need For Speed: The Run in stores November 15th.

Youtube Post I like...... DEATH BATTLE!

    
    
     In case you have been wondering, this is a predominantly video game blog. With that being said, its safe to say the author ( That's Me!!) is a hardcore video game nerd. I wear this with pride. Most of my webs history is video game websites. The other part is youtube. If I'm not watching tutorials on how to improve my T. Hawk game in Super Street Fighter 4, I'm watching other video game related stuff. Normally, I check out crosscountertv or Egoraptor, but this particular time I stumbled a wonderful nerd gem that demands everyone's attention and "likes"........... DEATH BATTLE!!

     Created by "Wizard" and "Boomstick" (Ben Singer and Chad james), "DEATH BATTLE!" pits two iconic video game characters together (sometimes four! See The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.), and duke it out machinima style in a fighting stage of the appropriate characters. What I love about "DEATH BATTLE!" is that each fight is structured like the Spike TV show "Deadliest Warrior." Wizard and Boomstick introduce the combatants, explain their history and powers and their strengths and weaknesses. After this brief tutorial and a word from their sponsors, you see the combatants in one of their respective realms (i.e. the Mario Vs. Sonic battle takes place in the first world of Super Mario World for the SNES). Each fighter is given a life meter and the battle is carried out based on stats (kept unbeknownst to the viewer), and the winner is usually decided by one killing the other! I have seen too many of iconic characters that I was so sure to win the match easily, die so violently. After the blood is spilled and the victor is claimed, Wizard and Boomstick cut to instant replay to explain how and why that fighter lost. Very informative to say the least. I recommend anyone who is a fan of video games, violence, and nostalgic 80's cartoons to watch this channel. However, most of the content has offensive language and grotesque cartoon violence, so parents be weary of your kids watching this. As a sample here is their latest episode of their new season, changing the format and putting two pop icons together using the game Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World for Xbox Live and Playstation Network.


For the channel to subscribe to:
http://www.youtube.com/show/deathbattle?s=1

E3's Best In Show..... Better Late Than Never

Yes I know I’m late. I’m still trying to take in all the information that I saw during the Nintendo Press Conference. To be fair, I shall have a quick recap:

• Legend of Zelda and the Skyward Sword will be released this holiday season with a special gold Wii remote (However, no gold Wii Nunchuk)
• New Nintendo 3DS games are on the horizon with Mario Kart, Star Fox, Mario 3DS, Kid Icarus, and Luigi Mansion scheduled for the holiday season.
• The new Wii has been announced as the Wii U (I still prefer Wii Wii). However, people were concerned whether this was a new system or a new controller. It was later clarified that the Wii U is a system.
• A major announcement for the Wii U is it’s support of Third-Party developers. For the first time, Nintendo with have Tekken on their home consoles. Also, Ninja Gaiden 3, Batman: Arkham City, and Smash Brothers have been anounced as well.

All in all I gave Nintendo a B+, It was a great press conference, however , this was a conference that should have been saved for E3 2012. 

And now that I got that out the way, I cannot help to give special recognition to the Game of Show of E3 2011..........  

      I was wrong to ever doubt that this game would win Best In Show. From start to finish, it was nothing short of a (pun intended) roller-coaster ride. At first, I admit I was a little leery about Irrational Games taking the franchise to a different setting as opposed to their underwater scenery in it’s previous two games. I did think about it, having played both games, one part that I did not like about the Bioshock series was the underwater portions of the game. It is unsure if the Big Daddy’s or Little/Big Sisters will make an appearance. It is certain that when this game is released in 2012, expect a lot of copies being sold.

EM&R's Newest Arch Nemisis...... Mortal Kombat's Krypt Demon

     I’m sure by now many of you have played the new Mortal Kombat that was released in mid-April. I am also sure that you have played a “King Of The Hill” match or two (I will save my gripes for that another time.). The thing is, I love Mortal Kombat. If this was an actual person this would be the person I would not tell my girlfriend about and sneak away in the middle of the night to hang out with. However, I have a VERY HUGE problem with a certain part of the game. Introducing this guy.......

     This particular bundle of sunshine is called the Krypt Demon. In order to explain to you who or what this is, let me first explain what MK’s Krypt feature is. The Krypt is the section of the game where you spend your newly acquired “Koins” that you received in such modes as story mode, challenge tower etc. and purchase extra content (costumes, extra fatalities, artwork). Now if you’re a person like me, you play through the story mode, and finish arcade mode with every character and unlock all the content in the Krypt in one fell swoop. Wrong. I say that because the Krypt Demon is added in the Krypt to prevent you from hanging out (if ever) inside the Krypt. This jerks’ method of ejecting you from the Krypt is simple. SCARE 8,000 SHADES OF HOLY HELL OUT OF YOU!! While you’re going around coffin to coffin (which the art designs are already creepy enough), the demon randomly pops up out of nowhere (a little trivia fact: it’s actually just a 2D drawing), and lets out a blood curdling scream and then disappears. This only lasts about one and a half to two seconds, but that’s more than enough time to know when you’re not wanted. Upon scouring the Krypt for the first time and experienced my first encounter, I immediately grabbed my chest, dialed 9 and 1 (the other one would soon follow if I really did have a heart attack), turn off my Xbox and went straight to Nick Jr. for some much needed visual palate cleansing. Now this is where I have my beef. As a gamer playing your game, you have a system of unlocking your content. I’ve put up with the story mode where I can’t skip through cutscenes (Do I really care about Kitana’s life story?). I’ve put up with the ridiculous Challenge Tower where not only I have to fight with no arms, I have to play upside down and have a flawless victory while avoiding ice blasts from the background. It is another thing to punish me even further with threats of heart attacks and wrecked nerves. Shame on you Ed Boon, shame.

Sony E3 Press Conference: No Butler, No Problem

    Well done Sony. Everything that should have been said, was carried out with class. At the beginning Sony representative, Jack Tretton, addressed the the problems Sony faced in April (biggest cyber attack in history and over 171 million dollars in damages). Tretton personally apologized and assured customers that the are working diligently to never let that happen again, very professional, very endearing. Now that Sony finished the sad stories, they pull out the big guns almost immediately. Uncharted 3 is displayed, and fans immediately burst with applause. With the gameplay (that wasn’t gameplay to me, it was almost a movie!) shown, it reminded me of the Tomb Raider trailer that was shown earlier in the Microsoft press conference, just more intense. Nothing new to report as far as features, only the report that Uncharted is visually stunning game and anyone that visits Subway during the month of October, will recieve early access to the games’ full multiplayer. Afterwards, Tretton addresses the Playstations’ use of 3D. While I will save my reasons why I do not like 3D in gaming, I will simply say that this was highly unessesary. There were a few issues I had with their 3D features such as a Sony 3D display where it shows one image but a completely different image to a second player with no split screen. This is just plain old witchcraft. Along with 3D gaming, Sony announced that Shadow of Colossus and ICO, two major titles for the Playstation 2, will be digitally remastered and made for 3D. In addition, both God of War games for the PSP will be remastered for the Playstation 3.  

    After a failed attempt to show that the Playstation Move is so much easier to control playing NBA 2K12 (Kobe Bryant knows this firsthand), Sony turns its attention to its console-only exclusives. This was the key performance for Sony, telling the consumer “Yes, we offer the same game as the competition, but we have content only available on our system while the competition will have nothing” So cold Sony, so cold.

    Bad news, no Playstation 4 was not announced (nor should it). Good news, the Playstation had announced their NGP (Next Generation Portable). I would assume that Sony wants to disavow any knowledge of the PSP Go, introducing the successor to the PSP , PSP VITA. This sexy piece of handheld machinery features 2 cameras, full touchscreen, rear track pad, and full six-axis controls. This is a very nice system. My main concern is what form the games are played on (disc-based or download), and if this is download based , how can Sony rectify the problems that contributed to the demise of the PSP Go. At a $249 retail price, the VITA is available in a wi-fi only model. For gamers that need an extra wireless boost like 3G, This model is exclusively through AT&T as a wi-fi and 3G model for $299.

    This was a great conference held by Sony. I understand why Mr. Kevin Butler was a no-show for the sake of professionalism. While I did find some points with the 3D and inFamous segments a bit unnecessary, it is the exclusive content that kept me intrigued (Side note: Street Fighter X Tekken has an exclusive character, Cole McGrath from the inFamous series for the PSP VITA version). Again, job well done Sony.

So, whats your take on the conference?

Sony Press Conference: A

The Microsoft Press Conference: E3 Round-Up

    

     Microsoft has finished their E3 press conference, and were my predictions correct? Yes and no. Yes, however, Microsoft focused on too much Kinect (roughly around 70%) of the conference. Good news is more third-party support from games like Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Forza Motorsport 4, and Mass Effect 3. We saw some new gameplay footage from Gears of War 3 (a game I am very excited for), and I can honestly say, it was rather bland for me. No explanation of the story (replay of the original story trailer), just a display of a big baddie and a mech you could not use. Tomb Raider was shown and it suffered similar fate as Gears of War. We see Lara Croft tortured and fighting for her life to escape an collapsing cave. There was a lot of quick-time events which reminded me a lot of it's successor Uncharted. As far as the system goes, a new feature has been added to Xbox is Bing and YouTube. While this is a fantastic idea, it is about time Microsoft provided this service to its customers, not to mention the Wii and PS3 have fully functional web browsers while Xbox does not. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 did not disappoint the audience as Sledgehammer and newly-staffed Infinity Ward showed off 10 minutes of gameplay footage of what looks like Navy Seals fighting in what looks like a destroyed New York City. What took my breath away was the unveiling of HALO 4! The only problem I have with this trailer is I would love to see what 343 studios can do now that Bungie is longer doing the franchise. All in all I was quite please with the Microsoft conference. No announcement on the new Xbox and too much emphasis on the Kinect, but great display of upcoming titles. So what do you guys think? Also, Expect a Sony review later on today after the conference


Microsoft review: B

My Top 5 Things I am Excited To See At E3

It's that time of year ladies and gentlemen. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is the Super Bowl (or Auto Show for our Chicago readers out there) of the video gaming industry. Shown internationally all over the world and covered 24/7 on some network television, E3 is the expo that informs fans and consumers on the latest information on the future of their favorite brands and companies. What's on the horizon for E3? I will give you my predictions as well as tell you things you should be excited for.

5 - Sony Adresses It's Console Woes

     It's been an extremely tough last few weeks for Sony. Shutting down its free-to-use network service and jeopardizing it's users private information. It would be nice to see if Sony addresses these problems and assures customers that people are working diligently to make sure this problem does not happen again. Sony has already announced it's identity theft protection plan and free Playstation-Plus service to all its customers, the next smart move will have to continue their damage control and announce thier plans to move forward. Also, we need more Kevin Butler like we need more Cowbell! Have you ever noticed we haven't seen him in any commercials in the past 2 months..... fishy.

4 - Can Microsoft Expand Its Kinect Titles

      Possibly one of the biggest stories of last years E3, was the unveiling of the Kinect for the XBox. Microsoft took the idea of Nintendo's take on motion gaming and took it to the next step with controller-less gaming. Well months have passed, and the Kinect has only proven that it is a great way of navigating through XBox's dashboard. Yes Dance Central is an excellent dancing game (apparently you're not a real man until you ditch DDR and do the "KId & Play"). Yes, Skittles from Kinectimals (game shown above) is probably one of the most adorable characters I have seen in quite sometime. However, is this it Microsoft? What separates this from the Wii is strong third-party titles that made the Wii more than just a toy you dust off during family functions.

3 - Nintendo's Legends Are Back

     And my are they back with a vengeance. Do not be surprised if you see more footage of Kid Icaris, Star Fox, and Zelda for the 3DS. Hopefully Nintendo sees the need to no longer expand on its "money printer." Also, we should see how the Wii is gonna expand on it's catalog of classics. Or will they...............?

2 - Behold! Here Comes 3 New Challengers?!?

      It is that time again. Nintendo has announced the Wii 2 (Codenamed Project: Cafe), and it is said to be the first system released by Nintendo to have HD capabilities. In addition to its boost in graphics, it is also said to have a (wait for it....) "Ipod-esque" touch pad controller. Nintendo is not the only one throwing their hats in the ring, rumors have been circulating that Sony has put the finishing touches on "Vita," Sony's new handheld set pickup where the PSP left off (which is also like saying Obama's presidency after the Bush Administration). Also, a Playstation 4 is already being tested and it would be no surprise you will hear anything about that. While, there have not been any concrete evidence that an "XBox 2" is currently in the works, only one can speculate Microsoft will follow suit. 

1 - Mass Effect 3, Can Shepard Beat McTavish?

     Yes. I am putting my money down for Best In Show to the popular franchise, Mass Effect. It's the conclusion to the said series, and also the most important story in the franchise. Set right after the events of Mass Effect 2, Captain Shepard (first name varies because you can customize whether Shepard can be a man or woman), Earth has taken a severe beating and not only Shepard and his gang stop the evil forces that are destroying Earth, he must put an end to them once and for all (it is the conclusion, right?). While I have picked Mass Effect 3 as the coverage to DVR, it is by only a slim margin that this game will beat out Gears of War 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and the powerful juggernaut known as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (A lot of 3's here).

Are you guys excited about anything coming out? Hit the reply and tell me what you think!

Duke Nukem: Greatest Special Edition of the Year?

    

     As an avid gamer, I've had my share of collector's editions of new releases. From the old Mortal Kombat with the (Kollectable?) comic book that explained the story and characters, to Fallout 3's tin lunch box that I still use to this day. However, there is one collector's edition that made me choke on my morning cup of coffee. Introducing the (*ahem*) "Duke Nukem: Forever 'Balls Of Steel' Edition." Due in Stores the week of May 3rd, this mammoth collector's edition comes with the following:

* Collectible bust of the greatest alien ass-kicker of all-time
* Numbered, limited-edition certificate of authenticity
* 100-page hardcover book: The History, Legacy & Legend: Duke Nukem Forever Art from the Vault
* Duke Nukem Forever postcard series
* Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem sticker
* Duke Nukem Forever collectable comic book
* Duke Nukem Forever foldable paper craft
* Duke Nukem Forever poker chips
* Duke Nukem Forever mini-card deck
* Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem dice

     All for the low, low, price of $99, I found this as quite the steal, that is of course you're one of those fans that could not wait the 14 years it took to make this game. While other games would release collector editions that come with special controllers, I can really appreciate a game that literally says "Hey! Controllers can break. However, with this, at least you have something cool to look at on your coffee table." What do you guys think?

Trailer Park Thursday!

In spirit of keeping consistent with compelling plots and deep gameplay, Rockstar Games will be releasing L.A. Noire. According to Gamespot.com "it will have players entangled in a violent web of vice, corruption, and crime in the titular metropolis's underworld. Players will be tasked with solving a series of murders in what Rockstar describes as an "open-ended challenge," with atmosphere provided courtesy of a jazz soundtrack." Look for L.A. Noire to hit shelves May 17, 2011.

Rest In Peace Guitar Hero (My Heart Will Go On)

     It's been only six years since Activision (through the developer Neversoft) released a game that would bring crampy hands, cluttered living rooms, and pure joy for all ages, Guitar Hero. Announced yesterday, Activision (*cough* Legion Of Doom *cough* *cough*) has called it quits on the franchise, along with other titles. While the declining sales in the music genre, along with a focus on a more interactive approach (Dance Central, Just Dance etc.), this news didn't come as a surprise. With that being said, most are concerned of what MTV Games have planned for the Rock Band franchise and how will this affect the said declining music genre. Well, to commemorate the 6 six years of excellence and bad eye scrolling conditions I leave this post on a heartfelt note.