[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/180407488746fd6a4042c40Rock_band_cover.jpg[/img]Let's not kid ourselves. I really like music / rhythm games. As such, I really like games like Guitar Hero. So, when the next Harmonix game was announced and it was Rock Band, it was pretty damn exciting. Then, there was the revelation that the game was only coming out for the 360 and PS3, which made baby Jesus cry. I myself, was one sad panda. The pain was lessened a bit when I saw the associated price tag, but the game still was amazing, and deep down, I still wanted it.
Fortunately, Harmonix announced that eventually Rock Band would be coming to the Wii, and that was about it. No price, no release date... nothing other than that the game was coming to the Wii. Well, that's nice, but I want more concrete information. The Wii owners want more information. Would it be expensive like its brethren, or would it be slightly more affordable? Would it be a quick cash in like Guitar Hero / PS2 Rock Band, or would the content be more like the 360 / PS3 versions? Most importantly, when would it be coming out?
Well, there is a release data and price for the Wii version. June 22, 2008. $170. Price, not too surprising, but hey! We now have a date. Additionally, it will be a "Special Edition", with 63 songs, including 5 bonus songs. Oh boy, I can barely contain myself. Yay. Seriously.
So, the burning question of will this game be a gimped version like the PS2 version, or will the game be like the 360 / PS3 version has yet to be answered. Certainly, my excitement will either fall or rise with that announcement, and I can't wait to hear more about this version of the game.
PC World has stated that the new upcoming PS3 firmware, version 2.20, will include some great new features. PC World says:
"The updated firmware enables Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, or BD-Live, to be supported on the PS3. BD-Live enables Blu-ray Disc makers to incorporate additional interactive features including downloadable video content, ringtones, games and more.
The firmware also exposes "Portable Copy," which enables PS3 users to copy a standard-definition version of the Blu-ray movie to a PlayStation Portable (PSP). You can transfer music and photo playlists from the PS3 to the PSP and use the PSP as a remote control for music playback using "Remote Play." DivX and WMV playback functionality has been improved, along with new Internet browser settings and additional AV settings."
I think that this is a great new ideal from Sony. They just keep pushing out more and more great ideals all the time now. I will admit I was one to be a PS3 Flamer, but now I am starting to like the new Playstation.
•Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3 •Obscure: The Aftermath •Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure
My pick this week goes to Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Now, before all you Final Fantasy fangirls start crying becuase I didn't pick your OMFGKAWAIIBISHIE ^__^ game, let me just say that I would never award FF7 or FF anything, other than "Series Tony Most Hates". Now to the pick at hand, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the Nintendo DS. This game, while lacking the graphical prowess of Sigma, Black, and II, it definitely looks like a well thought out and well executed version of the game that you can put in your pocket and play anywhere. The game really seems to live up to the high bar set by the console iterations of the series. The critics so far seem to agree with my analysis, as it has been getting very positive scores across the board.
In addition to Dragon Sword, be on the look out for Dark Sector and Viking: Battle for Asgard. Dark Sector may end up being meh, but Viking looks like it could be a real surprise. The first review I've seen of that game gave it a 9.5/10. Be sure to check out the other reviews of it as the week progresses, because this might wind up being a game to buy. The fact that it's based on the Vikings only makes me more intrigued, because Vikings are freaking badass.
Also, I have a correction from last week's list. World Championship Cards for PSP has been delayed until April. Sorry for disappointing all less than two of you who are looking forward to this game.
Check back here next week to find out what games are begging for your money!
[img align=right width=250]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/89805237447e2a8683ef7cjack_thompson_attorney.jpg[/img]Poor old Jack. Man gets a law degree, starts making frivolous lawsuits bordering the absurdity realm of Hot Coffee Cup Warnings, and then eventually gets referred to the Florida Bar. While the Bar Trial is still in process, we do have an interesting development that did occur today.
Apparently the Florida Supreme Court doesn't enjoy constantly receiving lots of frivolous cases from certain people. Recently, they sent Jack an order demanding why they should not place sanctions against him. Well, apparently Jack's reasons either were not good enough or he just flat out did not provide them with any. Well, the Florida Supreme Court has just decided to set sanctions against good ol' Jack. These sanctions now make it so that Jack can not submit any cases directly to them. That means now that he needs to find an equally crazy person to submit his cases, and I honestly doubt that anyone would be stupid enough to join him in his quest for frivolous lawsuits.
We wish Jack the best of luck in his future endeavors, and hope that the Florida Bar makes an expedient solution soon enough.
This week is actually a damn good one for new games considering we're right in the middle of March. If you have a PS3, 360, DS, or PS2, there's a great game coming out. The other consoles, not so much unless Sega Superstars Tennis completely beats my expectations (which it won't). So without further ado, here's what you can buy this week:
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•Condemned 2: Bloodshot •Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds •Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore •Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Also available in a Limited Edition) •Sega Superstars Tennis
•Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Also available in a Limited Edition) •Sega Superstars Tennis
•George of the Jungle •Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 •Sega Superstars Tennis •Worms: A Space Oddity •WWII Aces
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
•World Championship Cards
(No highlight game here this week. I'm not going to tell you to waste your money on World Championship Cards. Go buy God of War, Wipeout Pulse, or Patapon instead.)
•Diary Girl •Fantasy Aquarium •Go Pets: Vacation Island •Lost in Blue 3 •Sega Superstar Tennis
•Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection •Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends •Sega Superstar Tennis •Singstar 90s (Also available as a bundle with 2 microphones)
My overall pick of the week goes to Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. This package is a collection of the first three Metal Gear Solid games in a specially priced $30 bundle in preparation for the release of the highly anticipated (50GB, dual layer Blu-ray) PS3 exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots which comes out in June. The Essential Collection is a fantastic deal if you are new to the MGS series, have only one or two games in the series, or are a completist. It's really hard to say no to $30 for three of the greatest games ever.
Check back here next week to find out what games are begging for your money!
[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/202850710747ae286024acdBBFC-Big-Brother.jpg[/img] Britons! We Oceanians celebrate your recent triumph, for it was today that your country realized the intrinsic value of incredibly violent games. We have for so long known the value of these games, and now you'll get to experience a game that has been training our kids for your own perusal. We feel that this game will only make your people more prepared for the atrocities that will be part of the unending war, which we are sure that you'll soon enter. Where we're numb to the atrocities of the unending war, you people have no concept of the atrocities that you will soon experience and see. Thankfully, your government has officially decided to make Manhunt 2 available for purchase. Praise to your government.
Minipeace approves of this development, and we certainly hope that more games like Manhunt will be approved for purchase within your country. Perhaps your country will be the first to realize the masterpiece that is Thrill Kill. We personally so close to realizing that game; however, Big Brother felt that Oceania was not ready for this masterpiece. Hail Big Brother. His wisdom is unending, and with his leadership we're certain to prosper for years on end. May we remind you of his wisdom:
WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The Author of this Post assumes no responsibility for any thoughtcrime that may have occurred while reading this article. Hail Big Brother. That is all.
They mailed Nathaniel a care package filled with all kinds of Halo/Bungie related goodies. Here's a list of what he got from the House of Halo...
Legendary Edition Helmet signed by most, if not all, of Bungie
Halo 3 Soundtrack (two disc) signed by Marty O'Donnel
Bungie Jacket
Bungie T-Shirt
Halo 3 Messenger Bag
Two Halo 3 Limited Edition Wireless Controllers (both versions)
Halo 3 Faceplate and Skins for Xbox 360
Four McFarlane Action Figures
Halo Actionclix Preview pack
Halo Actionclix Game Pack 4
Halo 3 Wall Graffix
Halo 3: Ghosts of Onyx Novel
Halo Graphic Novel
Halo 3 Wristband
Halo 3 Hackeysack
In addition Nathaniel has heard from John Porcaro at Microsoft who apologized about the situation and promised that they will get him something just as awesome as his signed 360. As of right now, he has not received anything from Microsoft.
In the last article I posted about this, there was some question from the commenters about whether or not this story was fake. Well, you're wrong, because it most definitely is real. Nathaniel's friends and the people that have signed this 360 have come forward confirmed it. So yup, they really did erase what was on his 360.
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Christmas is supposed to be a happy time when you are a kid. It doesn't become faceless until you're older, but as a kid, it's quite the magical time, normally. Unfortunately, there is the Grinch. You know the being. Green, evil, that guy. Well, apparently, the grinch struck this Christmas, and it wasn't very nice.
See, the video? The kid's name is Jonathan. He got a box for Christmas. Upon taking off the wrapping, he found that it was a 360 Arcade box. Most people, including Jonathan, would be elated that they were getting a new gaming system to play on, but there seemed to be something wrong with the picture. Upon opening the box Jonathan found that there was in fact no 360 in the box but rather CLOTHES! How evil. Dreadfully evil. Certainly, someone in this story has no heart.
Thankfully, lots of people do, and have contacted the family to get the kid a 360. Kudos to Microsoft for offering to help, but it looks as though Engadget has this debacle covered.
What a mean thing to do to a kid on Christmas. I hope the Grinch in this story grows a heart.
This story is about a man named Nathaniel. Nathaniel is a huge Xbox 360 fan who pre ordered his console months before launch. Since getting the console, he has collected signatures from several people at Microsoft, Bungie, and Rooster Teeth (the creators of the hit Halo machinima series, Red vs Blue). As you can see, this is not just a few people signing it, but most of the console had some kind of signature on it. Heck, the bottom of the console had a drawing of Master Chief by the artist of the Red vs Blue comic.
Imagine his shock when the console died. Now Nathaniel was faced with a tough situation. He had to decide whether to take off the case and see what he could do with repairing it on his own...or send it off to Microsoft. It was not an easy choice but he opted for the latter because the first would void the warranty.
Before he sent the console off to Microsoft for repair, Nathaniel contacted them over the phone, explained the situation to them, and asked that he receive his exact same console back. Microsoft obliged and gave him a reference number to include when shipping the console off to them.
He sent his unique Xbox 360 along with a letter reiterating his situation and his wishes to have all these signatures preserved to Microsoft. Everything seemed to be in good shape...
Some weeks later, Nathaniel received his console back from repair. He opened up the box it came back in and saw his 360 was sent back. It had the exact same serial number, but it was missing something. What exactly was it missing? Yup, the signatures.
He couldn't believe it! All those signatures that meant so much to him...gone. Oh, but they didn't just replace the case, they SCRUBBED THE SIGNATURES OUT! You can tell because there is marker smudge visible on the 360.
(Click the image for a higher resolution version)
Since the original posting of the story, there have been some additional developments. Many have wondered why he decided to share this tale of woe with the internet. Well, he states that it's simply a cautionary tale for 360 owners who send in their consoles for repair. He regrets sending in his console in the first place, but he's angry because he was ASSURED by Microsoft that they would take care of his system and send it back to him how it was received. After some time trying to contact Microsoft, the company has finally responded to Nathaniel and apologized to him and stated that they are working to correct this issue. Nice of them to look into this, but it should have never happened in the first place.
[img width=150 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/163238371547c70bd77c7e9Porteous-OP804.jpg[/img]See this man to the right? His name is Julian Porteous, and he has something to say about video games. Clearly, being the auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Australia just doesn't fancy all of his time. Never mind striving for that "Just Community" and other Catholic mumbo jumbo*, for now is the time to talk about video games.
See, Australia currently has a maximum rating of R15 on video games. As you know, the age 15 generally doesn't correlate to mature audiences. As such, there are quite a few games that just don't get released in Australia. I don't know what I'd do if I could not play Manhunt, Postal, or Marc Ecko's Getting Up. I'd probably go crazy. Regardless, that is how it is in Australia. Clearly, video games are a subversion where any game intended for people over the age of 15 should be banned.
Recently, it was mentioned by sometime in the Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification that they may consider adding the R18 rating to the game ratings. Currently, the R18 rating exists for film, but not games. Certainly, there are a couple prudes that think that it is their God given right to think what other people should or should not do. Take for example Julian Porteous. As a ranking member of the Catholic clergy shouldn't he be worrying about something more important than what games are rated, such as clergy abuse, or is that strictly an American thing? Either way, the auxiliary bishop of Sydney opposes the proposal to add R18 to the Australian Classification system. Why? He thinks that video game violence can desensitize people into performing acts of violence. Hogwash. If that was the case, I would have gone out killing lots of people with a beam katana that I obtained at the local flea market. Thanks No More Heroes! Thankfully for everyone, I would never make such an absurd connection and my rationality and morality would keep me from performing such a heinous action. God knows though what would happen if I was subjected to sitting through one of Julian's homilies. Now that's desensitizing.
Julian, bugger off. Convince your congregation to perform acts of charity and see God in all things. Stay the hell off of our modes of entertainment, and I'll be less inclined to criticize the work that you and your cohorts do.
*David Murnan is a raised Catholic kid who was subjected to 12 years of Catholic education, of which four of those years were in an amazing Jesuit Institution. As such, he is allowed to be openly critical of his own faith.
Sony has just sold me on a PS3. This was announced on IGN.com recently:
Quote
MGS4 Bundle Announced Anticipated game to be packaged with 80GB PS3 and DualShock 3. by Jeff Haynes
February 26, 2008 - For months, Metal Gear Solid fans have eagerly been looking forward to a release date of the upcoming title from Kojima Productions, Metal Gear Solid 4. Since its delay last fall, the only thing fans have known is that the game is expected to be released later this year. Earlier today at Destination PlayStation, a retailers only conference for Sony products, Sony announced that a Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle pack will be released in Q2 2008.
The bundle will include MGS4, an 80GB PS3 and a Dual Shock 3 included for an MSRP of $499.99. It will also include an Metal Gear Online "Starter Pack. For players that pre-order Metal Gear Solid 4, there's an added bonus: they'll be guaranteed access in the multiplayer beta of Metal Gear Online in late April.
"Working closely with our retail and publishing partners and sharing our hardware and software roadmaps at Destination PlayStation gives us a great opportunity to outline some key milestones for the year. In response to incredible demand, we will be manufacturing more 80GB PS3s for North America and the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 80GB PS3 bundle is an ideal way to offer that continued value to our consumers," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA. "With Blu-ray having won the format war, our stellar software line-up and a broad product portfolio, we will continue to drive the incredible momentum we've been generating since last fall."
EDITOR EDIT: That wasn't the only thing to come out of Sony's Playstation Destination event today.
Metal Gear Solid 4 comes out June 12. One can only assume the bundle comes out on that same day too.
In addition, Sony announced a new God of War PSP bundle. The bundle will be $200 and will come with God of War: Chains of Olympus, Superbad on UMD video (hahahahaha, Superbad and UMD are both hilarious...for totally opposite reasons), and a free download of Syphon Filter: Combat Ops from the Playstation store. Expect it on retail shelves in June.
Finally today, the much awaited vibration-enabled DualShock 3 will be hitting store shelves on April 15 for $55. More than I had hoped for, but still a good deal cheaper than importing it.
So, it looks like Sony decided to save all the big announcements for this little conference instead of saying everything at GDC. Looks like the bad news of Phil Harrison leaving Sony is being balanced out.
[img align=right width=250]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/107411104447bf29c519367NintendoWifi.gif[/img] So, Nintendo Wifi Connection. It sucks, really, really hard. Don't kid yourself, if you are looking for a competent online service you certainly will not find it in the land of Nintendo. Just hearing the words "Friend Code" is like listening to a teacher use her fingernails against a blackboard. It simply is not a nice thing, I tell ya. For a company leading the pack in sales, they certainly have no idea how to capitalize on the burgeoning market of digitally distributed content.
So, what is this I am hearing about Wii Pay and Play? An upcharge for online? Perhaps, but right now we just don't know. What we do know is that Wii Pay and Play will be collecting money for "services that will adapt flexibility". What the hell does that mean? Kotaku speculated, so will I. It sounds as though Nintendo wants to print more money. More money that it does not need. So, perhaps they want to screw you, John Q. Consumer. Do you enjoy getting screwed? Personally, the thought of being raped by Nintendo does not entice me.
Perhaps Nintendo will wow us with something that is truly amazing. Show us what you mean, Nintendo, rather than being ultra cryptic about things. Show us that you are going to use this "system" for something awesome. Given your track record in the world of digital distribution and online gaming, I somehow seriously doubt it.
Microsoft has the stage for the keynote this year at GDC, and here's a rundown of what they stated:
Seven games sold over one million units each on 360 last holiday season. Impressive numbers I must say.
"Games sell better on 360 because they play better on 360." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Shut it, asshole! Don't take Sony's arrogance of years past because that is not true at all, my friend. Oh well, yay self promotion.
Over 1 billion achievements have been unlocked on Xbox Live. Half of those by Tynstar.
Gamers have spent over $250 million on Xbox Live Marketplace on gaming related content.
There are over 100,000 pieces of saved film content for Halo 3 uploaded each day by game players. That's 30% videos than what YouTube gets daily.
Three million songs for Rock Band have been bought.
Xbox Live Community Games is announced. This new platform is about "democratizing" game distriubtion and allowing everyone to publish games. One of the games shown is called JellyCar, and goddamn does it look AWESOME. They show off some other ones that I haven't seen pictures of yet, but JellyCar is just too awesome for me to care. Demos of the games shown are up on Xbox Live Marketplace now.
Guess what? Games are coming to the dead MP3 player Zune. You'll be able to play custom XNA games on Windows, Xbox, and Zune. Most impressive, but who the hell actually owns a Zune (or for that matter wants one)?
AAAAAAAAAAAND Michael Catz, president of Epic Games comes out on stage to show off the next version of the Unreal Engine and talks about Gears of war...where does this lead? Nowhere. Just a little tech demo. Nothing about Gears of War 2 announced...YET
Exclusive GTA4 downloadable episodes this fall. Take that PS3 owners!
Tomonobu Itagaki shows off Ninja Gaiden 2...and the controller fails and he has to reconnect it. Funny stuff, funny stuff. Ninja Gaiden 2 will allow you to take videos and upload them to the internet just like in Halo 3. Again, a 360 exclusive, coming out June 3.
Peter Molyneux comes out to demonstrate Fable 2. One of the new features is a game that's like roulette and craps combined. But, the thing is that this game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade a few weeks before Fable 2 comes out and you'll be able to take the money won in that game and import it into Fable 2. Very very neat idea if I must say so myself. Another new feature: co-op mode. You will be able to call up any character in Fable 2 by logging in as that user on Xbox Live. So, basically, if you want to go play co-op on Fable 2 with a friend, you don't need a memory. You can just login on your friend's system and your character will be imported into the game. Now, if you get any gold/experience playing co-op, you can take it back to your own game. Nice touch. He shows off the combat system.
At the end of the show, just as everyone thinks it's going to end, the screen turns red, shows some guy fighting a locust and chainsawing him to death, CliffyB comes out with a chainsaw and says "GEARS OF WAR 2 WILL BE EXCLUSIVE TO XBOX 360 THIS NOVEMBER." Wow. I sure as hell didn'tsee that one coming...
Overall, meh, I don't care about MS so nothing here really struck me as being compelling, except the whole Xbox Live Community Games thing. I like how that might shape up to be. Otherwise they made me roll my eyes with that whole "games play better on 360" trash and laugh at the Zune.
Remember, this week is GDC and the main show starts today. Well, here's the frist big news of the show: Nintendo has revealed the release dates for both Wii Fit and WiiWare, and oddly enough they are within a week of each other!
WiiWare hits first on May 12. The games that will launch on the service are not known yet, but Nintendo stated in their press release that some of the early WiiWare games would be Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King, LostWinds, and an episodic game series from one of my favorite developers, Telltale Games. Other known WiiWare games are Bomberman, Gravitronix, Pokemon Farm, Dr. Mario & Bacteria Extermination, IGF Grand Prize finalist World of Goo, and the amazing looking Eternity's Child. Pricing or size on the games are unknown, but I imagine we'll hear more as launch gets closer.
Nintendo has also announced a May 19 release date (just six days after WiiWare!) for their bathroom scale/game combo, Wii Fit. If you've been living under a rock for the past year and don't know what Wii Fit is, it's basically trying to further the Wii's reputation as a fitness machine (and as a gimmicky minigame machine). Honestly, I don't care one bit about Wii Fit, so here's a link to Wikipedia's article on it.
I'm really excited for WiiWare as this could be the breakthrough that the Wii needs to appeal to me. What I really hope to see is indie developers dream up imaginative ways to use the Wiimote and make innovative games that Nintendo would never think of. Hopefully we'll see more of a indie-driven, innovative and creative environment on there rather than a bunch of existing franchises made for the service. It's looking to be a mix of both with estabilished franchises like Pokemon and Final Fantasy, but those games will be mixed with stuff like Eternity's Child. If we get more games that are like that, then the WiiWare games might possibly end up being better than the actual disc-based games. One can only hope, I guess.
Anyways, be sure to keep it on RFG for all the important GDC news.
My pick this week goes to Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Now, before all you Final Fantasy fangirls start crying becuase I didn't pick your OMFGKAWAIIBISHIE ^__^ game, let me just say that I would never award FF7 or FF anything, other than "Series Tony Most Hates". Now to the pick at hand, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the Nintendo DS. This game, while lacking the graphical prowess of Sigma, Black, and II, it definitely looks like a well thought out and well executed version of the game that you can put in your pocket and play anywhere. The game really seems to live up to the high bar set by the console iterations of the series. The critics so far seem to agree with my analysis, as it has been getting very positive scores across the board.
My overall pick of the week goes to Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. This package is a collection of the first three Metal Gear Solid games in a specially priced $30 bundle in preparation for the release of the highly anticipated (
As you remember, 
This story is about a man named Nathaniel. Nathaniel is a huge Xbox 360 fan who pre ordered his console months before launch. Since getting the console, he has collected signatures from several people at Microsoft, Bungie, and Rooster Teeth (the creators of the hit Halo machinima series, Red vs Blue). As you can see, this is not just a few people signing it, but most of the console had some kind of signature on it. Heck, the bottom of the console had a drawing of Master Chief by the artist of the Red vs Blue comic.
Sony has just sold me on a PS3. This was announced on IGN.com recently:
In addition, Sony announced a new God of War PSP bundle. The bundle will be $200 and will come with God of War: Chains of Olympus, Superbad on UMD video (hahahahaha, Superbad and UMD are both hilarious...for totally opposite reasons), and a free download of Syphon Filter: Combat Ops from the Playstation store. Expect it on retail shelves in June.
Microsoft has the stage for the keynote this year at GDC, and here's a rundown of what they stated:
Remember, this week is GDC and the main show starts today. Well, here's the frist big news of the show: Nintendo has revealed the release dates for both Wii Fit and WiiWare, and oddly enough they are within a week of each other!
