It's been a while since I posted anything, but this is definitely something worth mentioning. Chances are you already heard of this project, but Harebrained Schemes is trying to fund a new Shadowrun game through Kickstarter. If you've played the original, you know how awesome this concept is and what would be more awesome than a new one? They have already reached their goal of 400 000 USD, so the game will be made, but if they reach one million dollars, we'll get a whole lot more. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about this, because I think it excites me more than than any other Kickstarter project. The current release date is set to December 21st, 2012. What are your thoughts on Shadowrun? Played it before? Excited about the new one?

Oh... my... god! This must be the most awesome thing to happen in the history of mankind. So apparently a newspaper agency in a neighbouring city of mine decided to host an art competition in collaboration with a local power company and the municipal government. People were free to send their works of art to the agency, which would later allow people to vote for the best picture. Well, apparently this particular agency isn't too familiar with Internet culture and probably had no idea that one of the accepted contributions was in fact a trollface.

19 winners were chosen by the voters and the trollface picture landed in 10th place. What does this mean? Well, this means that Trollhättan's county management will spend tax payers' money to paint Trollfaces all over town. I should be outraged since it's a waste of money, but it's just too hilarious!

The fact that a World of Darkness MMORPG is in development is nothing new as it has been mentioned a few times before by CCP. However, no official announcement has been made... until a couple of days ago. If you are familiar with EVE Online, you know what CCP is capable of in terms of depth in MMORPGs. EVE is one of the most comlpex MMOs on the market, and one can only hope that this one will follow the same pattern.

Of course, it would have been nice to see another Vampire The Masquerade game, but since this is done by the EVE developers I really think this could turn into something fantastic. What do you think?

Oh yeah, don't forget to check out the video in the second link.

Well, it's time gather up some Yakuza fans and form a union. For some reason there isn't a single union dedicated to this fine franchise. That's about to change!

[spoiler] Hopefully! [/spoiler]

If you're a fan of the Yakuza series, then you are welcome to join us and help form a union. Just send me a PM or leave a comment and I'll count you in. There must be a few people out there, right? ;)

When I picked up the mail today, this was my reaction.

Long story short, I'm a huge fan of the Yakuza franchise, so naturally I'd be excited for every Yakuza game released. For a long time it was unclear whether or not Yakuza 3 was to be released in the west or not. Same thing with Yakuza 4. Since a western release of the fourth game was uncertain until June 2010, I thought I'd import the Japanese version.

- I order and pay for Yakuza 4 in April 2010.

- I wait for 2 months, no game arrives.

- I contact them and they say that it probably was lost during transportation, considering the fact that it was sent right before the ash cloud from Iceland which caused a bunch of trouble for the air traffic.

- I ask them if it is possible to send another copy, which they do free of charge.

- 10 days later I receive the fourth installment of my second favourite franchise of all time (right after Metal Gear) and I couldn't be happier.

The only thing that does suck is that I have to go to work later... I kind of feel like playing Yakuza all day long.

I'll of course get the western version when it comes out next year, just to support the fact that they are releasing it here.

Such beauty!

Time to order Ryu ga Gotoku: Kenzan.

Blue-haired boy, where art thou? Little Nemo: The Dream Master is one of those memorable games on the NES that unfortunately never got any sequels. I think it is time for one, don't you? I know a lot of us played this game when we were younger and I suppose I'm not the only one who enjoyed and still enjoy the game to this day.

Whenever you mention Little Nemo: The Dream Master to someone their eyes start to shine and a smile appears. And it should, because it certainly is a great game. The whole concept of everything taking place inside the head of Nemo is just brilliant as it removes the boundaries set up by reality and allows for a great amount of creativity. The game can be pretty challenging from time to time, but unlike Ninja Gaiden, it never asks you to bend over and accept your fate. It manages to balance the whole thing in a good way. Every level of the game is incredibly well designed and shows just how creative game designers can be. The level design ranges from a toy factory, to a garden, to a sky city and an upside down castle. It gives you a great variety in gameplay and keeps the game from becoming repetitive. My personal favourite is level four, the ocean level.

Sometimes it seems that this is a loved but forgotten game. I would love to see some studio pick this one up and reboot the franchise. I think it would mean a lot, not just to me, but also to other gamers if someone, somewhere decided to start a revival project of this great title.

What are your memories of the game? Did you ever play it? Would you like to see a reboot of the franchise?

Before you do anything else, check this trailer out.

[video=6249444]

Sega has offered us a number of Sonic titles over the years, but none of the newer ones have been particularly good. After Sonic The Hedgehog 3, the series hasn't been able to reach that same level of... awesomeness. Hopefully things will change with the release of Sonic 4. What we want is a classic Sonic title similar to the first three games, a game so fast that you will get motion sick. Speed is what Sonic is all about and taking that away from him is like taking away everything the little guy stands for. More speed and less dimensions is what Sonic should be all about.

Can this be the one to finally win back the blue hedgehog's former glory? I suppose we will have to wait and see, but it definitely looks like Sega has got something going on here.

Oh yeah, don't forget to check out the offical site.

Yep, I have now pre-ordered the God Of War Collection from VG+. Hopefully it will arrive in my mail next week. You never know how long the shipping will take when you import something. By ordering it from across the pond, I will get it cheaper and faster. Those crazy folks at SCEE want us Europeans to wait until next year for it to be released. No thank you! 37 Euros is what I payed for it, including shipping costs. The price in Europe will probably be a lot higher than that.

It is also a great opportunity for me to experience the games as I have played none of them before. It will be interesting to see why so many people adore the franchise so much. So next week it is time to shed some blood and see what Kratos is made of.

Anyone else planning on picking this one up?

If what I have read is true, The Holy Bible will come to Xbox Live. Who would have guessed, huh? Not only will it be available on your big screen TV, but it also has an awesome name; Bible Navigator X. According to Internet standards, these news are probably pretty old by now, but I thought it would be funny to post my thoughts on this.

"The Xbox 360 isn't just secular entertainment anymore," said Aaron Linne, B&H evangelist. "We can use technology that other people developed to study Scriptures through a new medium. Some people are just more comfortable with a controller in their hands than a book."

It is interesting to see how they are trying to reach out to people. Isn't that how you want to spend your nights? Reading the Bible on Live rather than playing actual games. Apparently it will also have some nice features such as bookmarking, a search tool etc. Who wouldn't want that, right? I know this will be a day one purchase for me.

Seriously though. I think it is a pretty cool thing to do. I mean, why not use the possibilities that are offered today? I think it is a smart move and it will definitely be interesting to see where this goes. One thing I don't like about it though is the fact that the Bible publishers are asking for a mandatory donation of 400 MS Points. That is not reasonable, especially not for people with other religions. I certainly wouldn't want to be forced into paying for it, as I am not religious.

What are your thoughts on this?

Source

P.S. Read the comments posted under the original article, they are kind of funny. D.S.

It's been a long time waiting, but a release date for Final Fantasy XIII has finally been announced. March 9, 2010 is the official date. Looks like a great game that will offer everything people have come to expect and hopefully a little more.

This is where I make a confession. I have never played a Final Fantasy game in my entire life. I am a Final Fantasy virgin, inexperienced and relatively new to the world of JRPGs. I have played a few, with the best one so far being Eternal Sonata, but still I have never been an enthusiast. All this will hopefully change this March, it is my wish that the game will inspire me to further explore the world originally created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and see why gamers all over the globe think of the series as a masterpiece. Final Fantasy VII is available on PSN after all, so I guess it is worth checking out.

The clip below is the announcement trailer for the game. Enjoy!

[video=6239842]

Again, March 9 apparently the day when The West will be blessed by the divinity of FFXIII. Will I take part of the blessing? Absolutely! Will it lead to my salvation? We will see.