Just picked up God of War 3 today, yeah, one day after launch. Let's just say that me waking up at 4 p.m. yesterday didn't put me in the mood to go to the mall that day :P. Anyway, I haven't gotten that far in the game (just offed Helios, and quit after the save), but I would be rather suprised if I didn't slide the rating to a 10 after I beat it. Combine Uncharted 2's cinematic style with God of War's epic scenarios, and you get $60 more than well spent. Anyway, I think I'm getting old, because I can't keep up with the game at times (or maybe because I've been playing a lot of slow-paced games the past few months, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and some MMOs) :P. I got the Collector's Edition, and I have to say I'm very satisfied with it. The Pandora's Box feels sturdy enough for personal use, that secret compartment would be good for...well, I have no idea, but I guess it's good to have. The DLC I can't comment on, because I have to beat the game to try out. Bottom line, this is THE game that I will be glued to my console for a very long time, hopefully by the time I finish it Metro 2033 will be up and running on my computer (I'm predicting at least four days until I finish it).

Oh, and is it a bad sign when you buy someone bubble gum on request, and people think you're flirting with said co-worker? :?. Maybe it's because of the Powerade...didn't want to run just $0.60 on my card, so I tried to add it up so I don't seem laughably pathetic to the cashier (yeah, I basically live on my debit card :P). Oh, and happy St Patrick's Day, people! Can't tell you guys how many lame jokes I had to put up with all day that tied in with my name...word of advice, don't name your kids after holidays!

Apparently, I'm one of the few who can't play the game :?. While I'm reading forums on Steam and Game Faqs about how awesome the game is, some people share my similar problem: at startup, I get this D3D message saying I need to update my drivers (which is bull...I just updated them last month, and tried again, and it's up to date), the game launches for an astounding four seconds before crashing back to desktop. I know my PC, and it's capable of running the game at least on High (not sure about Max). Well, according to the Steam forums, the only thing I can do is wait until Steam updates the game, or Nvidia updates their drivers for this game. I could, technically, try what some have said and download the Beta drivers, but some have said it can overheat the videocard...really don't want to risk it for just one game. I guess it's a little comforting knowing that it's not my computer with the problem, considering quite a few people have this as well. But, as a game that was just released today, how long am I going to wait? But, in other news, started up Dragon Age Awakening, solid game so far. It's a bummer my overpowered weapons didn't make it in the expansion, but at least I got to keep my armor. Kind of miss the old crew as well, but other than that a pretty good time so far (I just started it, so not much I can say for now :P). And, picking up God of War 3 tomorrow, collector's edition :D. At least this can pass a few days until I hear word about an update for Metro...although it is killing me. Game looks freakin' sweet! Anyway, take care fellas, and those of you who've played Metro, let me know how it is, yeah?

Please forgive the awful pun :P. Anyway, I just poured my hatred onto Sony's Move in my last blog, so it's only fitting that I write one about how much I hate the Natal (you know, to be fair. I don't discriminate!). First, what the hell is a "Natal?" Accompanied by the Zune, they actually sound like weapons you'd hear about in a Star Trek episode. You know, it's as if these great companies who have all the money in the world to burn, but have absolutely no creativity to simply name a product, so they just go by whatever appears first on the random name generator.

Anyway, while I do see Natal succeeding a lot more than Sony's Move, even if only because knowing Microsoft, they'll force the thing on us. I see Fable 3 as the beginning of a very tragic thing to happen to our favorite games. Hopefully I won't see Gears of War 3 using Natal, or seriously, I will be pissed. Expect a lot of tacky minigames to be a majority of Natal games, a few core titles that would feel completely unecessary using it, and full on action games that will :o most likely make the player pine for the good ol' controller. Let's face it; the thing looks like a pain in the ass. I really don't want to look like an uncoordinated mime when I'm playing a videogame...being caught in my underwear holding onto a controller is embarassing enough. Can you imagine the horrors if you were to see me doing naked cartwheels across my room, and the reason is because I'm "playing a game using Natal!"

The technology itself is cool, I won't deny that. In an unexplainable inner-geek jumping for joy kind of way, it would be like those sensor devices you see on Sci-Fi movies. But those guys are doing something cool with the technology. Either they're conversing with a creepy holographic face that's talking about who it's going to kill, or controlling a kick ass mech that's destroying everything in sight. In Natal, I'm waving my right hand to make a turn in a first person shooter. I'm doing God knows what in Fable 3. Maybe the thing is so advanced, I can walk around and punch people in the crotch, and give a middle finger that will have a crowd reaction. You know, maybe it's not so bad. I'll take the thing with me in the bathroom, and the in-game citizens can watch me take a dump...only I'll position the camera in sync with someone's soup bowl. And that would be entertaining for...as long as a Wii game entertains me: five minutes.

You know what's even funnier than taking in-game dumps in a videogame? Milo. I hope to God that thing is just a rumor, or a scrapped project. Honestly, what the hell is someone my age going to do with a litle boy? Tell him sex jokes all day and laugh as he cringes? They better pray Milo never launches, because I will find a way to psychologically scar an artificial intelligence to the point of growing up to be a serial killer. I'll create Sid 6.7 all over again.

Anyway, Natal. God I am so sick of saying that name, I'm pissing myself off here. Saying Natal three times is like having kids in the car asking "are we there yet" for six hours straight on a lonely freeway. I don't want to "pretend" I'm playing a game using the device. I did that a long time ago when I was 5 years old. It's called imagination. At my current age, my imagination is used for things like writing and drawing. not playing a videogame, especially one where I'm throwing a handful of air at my TV and it shows I'm throwing a baseball.

Yes, in the future, we will have motion control. Forget virtual reality where you are in the game. Now, you ARE the game! Yes, motion controls are as terribly lame as that last sentence. I guess the part in the Matrix where when "you die in the virtual world, you die in real life" really spooked the future so much that they made it as idiot-proof as possible. Which i find a half-truth in that. No matter how harmless you can make something, someone will find a way to kill himself with it. And as such, motion controls were invented! Expect a lot of broken furniture and bruised shins after Natal launches. Also, don't be suprised to see the famous "Wii remote breaking TV" youtube videos replaced by Natal gamers kicking their expensive TVs "This is Sparta!" style. *sigh* The future looks bleak. I'll be picking my nose playing a videogame, and accidentally triggering the jump control off a platform.

Sony's fabled Wand, then rumored to be the Arc, now has an official name: the Playstation Move. God, you know, what is it with Sony, and having to pick the lamest names for their products? Home, the PSP Go, Eye Toy, and now we have the "Move." In perhaps what is even worse than the fairy-sounding Wand, I'm actually looking foward to Sony's latest inventions. Not out of technological innovations, but what buzz-kill worthy title they can brainstorm for yet another feature no one has asked for.

Names, of course, mean nothing if your product delivers. Even that, I'm skeptical about. Some may claim that Sony had the idea since 2003, but that bold claim goes out the window the moment you actually see this "Move." I guess in a way for Sony to show some decency to the controller they so obviously ripped off, someone must've said, "Oh crap, someone will notice the nunchaku part as well! Quick! Throw on a disguise! Here! Here's a clown nose!" I won't lie. E3 was a pretty impressive show for the Move. You can do what you could've done with the Wii, only slightly more accurate and with graphics that don't look like ass. From the showing, I could physically karate chop skeletons with my in-game sword, or shoot 'em in the eye with a bow with pin point accuracy...something, I'm guessing, can't be pulled off with the standard R1 button we've been using for the past 10 years.

But in all seriousness, what I see is Sony copying what made the Wii so successful, they'll also inherit what the Wii also lacks: support. No doubt Sony will have someone dedicated to making games for the Move (and do I feel sorry for that guy), but how long will this gimmick last? I mean, Resident Evil 5 will have support for the thing, but I beat the game over 10 times, and not once did I ever wonder how much more awesome it would be if I had motion control :?. Other games may follow suit, but again, I'm perfectly fine with the standard controller. Whatever games end up exclusive for the system, same thing. In fact, I can see it following in the Wii's footsteps in terms of game quality. Honestly, shopping for Wii games is just like dropping a diamond ring in a porta potty: you have to sift through tons of crap to find the goods.

That is, assuming the rest of the world is even remotely interested in it. I figured, those who've always wanted motion controls in their games already own a Wii. Seeing as how Nintendo is still the number one console maker, I'm at least correct here. There's really nothing I see here that would make a proud Wii owner rush out to the store to buy a PS3, EyeToy and the Move just to stifle his motion sensing fix. Like I said, better graphics is all I'm sensing here, and to the casual market it's so obviously trying to attract, are they even going to want two systems that basically do the same thing? And don't get me started on Natal. Sure, it's actually kidn of cool with the controller-free gameplay, but I'm having bad feelings of punching myself in the crotch playing a boxing game, or playing a soccer game and accidentally punting my dog across the room. Tacking on Fable 3 isn't going to make me want Fable 3...it's going to make me hate Fable 3. But at least Natal has the dececy to rip off something that no one cared about in the PS2 era, the EyeToy. Yes, this short-lived, insignificant peripheral is what's going to back up Move. Not that there's anything wrong with that, because I can actually see it pushing sales foward for the Eye...but honestly, Sony will have to do two things: either market the hell out of the Move, or have it pre-packaged with the console, and hope that new owners will grow fond of it.

With that said, I am loyal to Sony as a console consumer. I love their games, and even tough out those "inferior ports" to enjoy a non-exclusive. But even I have to admit that Sony does do pull off a lot of laughably bad ideas. In fact, I still have my bottle of champagne next to my PSP Go, waiting to be popped the moment I hear news that the Go is a commercial sucess. I just never understood the reason why these multi-billion dollar companies go to great lengths to muscle in on fresh idea and still somehow hold their heads up high and assume that what made one product popular will shift the magic to their favor. Hey, maybe the Move will be the next big thing in gaming, as it is rumored to be under $100, and the PS3 is gaining a lot of momentum. But at the same time, I can't help but wonder about the whole thing. Casual gamers own a Wii for half an hour of fitness games and a few Mario titles. After that 30 minutes, they get on with the rest of their lives. The Wii sits on a shelf like a creepy gargoyle for most of the day. Traditional gamers play the hell out of a game, then go to the store to look for a new game that doesn't suck. Unless Sony has the power to succeed where the Wii lacks, I see the same thing happening to the PS3. That is, assuming that developers who got burned by the Wii will even want to touch the Move.

I'm confident that traditional gaming won't be harmed in this shift. Rather, I see more focus on traditional gaming than motion control. Simply by the thought that only one motion control system will reign supreme, and those who already own a PS3 won't aquire a taste for these kinds of games.

Heads up: if it turns out to be a commercial success, boasting a vast library of games that put the DS to shame, I'll humbly eat my words. Until that day comes, I can prance around in my Superman pajamas holding a huge banner of Ipad mockery. Don't get me wrong, the Ipod Touch is awesome. It's got games I wouldn't believe were possible on it (and boat loads of zombie games that more than satisfy me). Of course, the music and movie collection too large to fit on my 16 gig model. But seriously...Ipad!?

From what I've read so far, it's basically on par with if I were to rip off the screen from my old laptop from nine years ago, graphical quality and memory-wise. Hell, it might even be internet connection-wise also :lol:. Oh, but it's got touch screen :roll:. That technology is so five years ago! So basically it's a big-ass iTouch with 10% the memory of a regular computer...no camera, no flash player...powered by wi-fi only, and somehow this beast goes for $499 (and that's the cheapest one I've heard about..."if" I were to get one, I'm going all out and getting the fully loaded one...at a modest $800!) And of course, 3G models also require a monthly subscription...anyway, it's not like these features are bad...I mean, they've worked wonders on the iTouch, but somehow someone in Apple got a million dollar bonus in his salary for having the bright idea of taking what makes the iTouch so awesome, and make it look as stupid as possible.

If this is the best Apple can do to rival Nintendo's firm grip on the handheld market, I really have to join president Iwata in his laughter (heck, I'd share a cigar with the guy and we can take turns poking fun at the thing). Then I'd go to Sony's office, and shake hands with Kaz, congratulating him that the PSP Go isn't the dumbest idea for handheld gaming. Honestly, the only redeeming quality I see in the iPad is the fact that my fingers won't get in the way when I'm playing a game. And it does look a lot more comfortable using the accelerometer...but I wouldn't be caught dead holding onto one of those. Basically, the cheapest models have even less features than my $300 netbook (and I don't even play games on my netbook :?).

While I'm sure Apple will net some sort of profit off the Ipad, I'm not quite sure how many people will find much use in it. I can see it being a mobile TV, courtesy of Itunes (which I can counter and say I'll just bring my laptop, which also has a collection of movies. On Itunes). It could be a "better-than-the-iTouch" gaming device in terms of performance (which I will also challenge and say...seriously, do I have to? I can play freakin' Dragon Age on the thing!). About the only thing it's got on my PC is a longer battery life (mine lasts about two hours without plugging it in, sadly. Even my netbook would only last about six hours). Still, when an idea is this bad where it warrants a blog dedicated to it, well...you know your product isn't the greatest of ideas (see my blog on Tony Hawk Ride...although I'll admit my prediction was off. I predicted a 5 :P).

But for the benefit of the doubt, I already know it's got a ton of great games. I have an iTouch, and I own a library of sweet games. But when your greatest idea ever was the iTouch, which is STILL the best music player that somehow ended up earning a throne in the handheld gaming division, I just don't see the point in making it successor into something my mom would mistake for her cutting board.

Just got home, and it feels pretty great. I can smoke in the house, I don't have animals crawling all over me when I'm trying to sleep, and not to mention I can sleep on an actual bed this time (I kid you not, for two days, my bed was a Bowflex machine!). Anyway, it's good knowing that my house wasn't carried off into the mountains, and no one broke into my house and stole anything :). On another note, I just learned where my grandmother kept her jewelry (apparently, there's a secret compartment somewhere that I never knew about! :shock: Oh, and the closet is supposed to house something cool, but I'm forbidden to ever find out...I'm guessing it's some things my great-grandparents had to hide during World War 2...you know, America and their paranoia about Japanese Americans being "spys" for the Axis nation :?). Anyway, now I can kick back, log on many hours on my computer...PSN is down for me so I'll settle for a movie, and take care guys!

According to the news, this "tsunami" turned out to be a monumental letdown. Don't get me wrong, I'm forever grateful that it wasn't as serious as it was expected, but I can't help but wonder if yesterday was one great blessing or just an overreaction. I'm still at my mom's house, but it's good knowing that the house I live in is still standing (not to mention, I left behind a lot of valuables; my grandmother's jewelry, the box of all her Buddhist things and a vault of very important papers. Thinking back, I should've packed these along, but since everyone who called me sounded pretty shaken up, I just tossed whatever was on my desk and dug out :P. Anyway, the panic is over, I thank you guys for the comments, and hey...I'm so getting drunk tomorrow! :P

Well, I just got a call at 3 a.m. from my cousin. Let me tell you, any phone call this late at night is always going to be bad news. I'll cut to the chase: there's been a tsunami warning at my area, and from the look of the news, it's pretty damn serious. Packed whatever clothes I could find, my laptop, my dog, my grandpa's pills (apparently, he's the optimistic one, saying "nah, it's only for today. It's not that serious." Pretty bad that I have to sneak his own pills in my bag...you know, just in case s---- happens.). Outside, it was pretty crazy. You know how there's a city-wide panic in one of those zombie movies? Just like that. No cars tipping over, but the gas stations were packed, a lot of disorder going around, shopping carts packed with water and food, and I saw just about every house bringing every little thing they could fit in a pickup (honestly, what the hell are you going to do with a couch? :?). I'm hoping it won't be too devastating...I left my PS3, TV, a crap load of movies and games behind. Not to mention the other stuff like family albums and such. Not to mention the cat...I don't even own the cat, but it's been coming around for years begging for food and watching the yard. I'd bring it along too, but I couldn't find the damn thing. In about half an hour, the sirens will go off, and at 11 a.m. the first wave is supposed to hit...what the news says, 12 foot freakin' waves! Well, I hope after I finish work, I still have a house to live in.

Well, got my tax return in, and got a good $1,000 to blow away recklessly. Picked up Heavy Rain (by the way, they ran out of the pre-order bonus, so anyone mind telling me what it was? :) Although the cashier was cool, and gave me $5 off my purchase). Also picked up some sorely needed shirts (which I haven't bought a new shirt in three years! :shock: ), and me being a metal head, got a Hatebreed, Slayer and Iron Maiden shirt. Got some new belt buckles (can never have enough of these :P), then got Law Abiding Citizen, which I'm watching right now. Well, I got a ton of money left over, and I'm considering pre-purchasing some Steam games, Metro, Dragon Age Awakening, and fully paying off God of War 3. And some pants...it's a bad sign when people think I'm still living in the punk rock era because my pants are hashed. Anyway, take care guys, and feel free to share your "Government Issued Spendning Money." :P

Well, I started playing Fallout 3 all over again on the PC, and forget what the reviewers tell you about the PS3 version. On PC, I've encountered so many crashes, it's un-freakin'-believable! :x I mean, the damn game freezes from every five minutes to every few hours...thank god for autosaves, or I'd make history and be the first person to set a downloadable game on fire :P. I must've spent about an hour looking at the forums (which I'm suprised that quite a lot of people have the same problem...even more shocking, some people play it off like it's a normal part of the game! "yeah, I get those all the time. No big deal." :?) I downloaded the latest patch from the website, turned down my settings, the only thing I haven't tried yet was disabling my internet connection and playing offline (some say Windows Live can screw up the game as well). Ironically, I haven't experienced any bugs in the PS3 version...which I'd gladly play if I didn't give my copy away...yeah, somehow that "Oh, go ahead and take it. I bought the GOTY edition from Steam. What could possibly go wrong?" really bit me in the ass, eh? I'd like to think that perhaps it's my computer, but hell...every other game I've played so far works flawlessly. Well, here's to hoping offline mode is the reason why this game sucks (in performance)...oh, and what I've noticed is that it crashes when I'm in buildings, basically indoor areas. Which is "no big deal," except if I just so happen to be in a subway, and it freezes right when I'm about to exit into the wasteland...well, @#$%@!.