Well I finally finished Dragon Quest VIII. I got the game back in February I believe so after six months of playing it off and on I finally beat it. Sometimes I wouldn't touch it for weeks.

Anyway I got a review for it up so check it out and tell me what you think. Agree or disagree? Recommend it if you like.

Here is the link... Dragon Quest VIII

I'm off to start Kingdom Hearts II. Hopefully I'll finish before Final Fantasy XII comes out... not likely though :P

I must admit that when I first heard of this movie I thought it was a joke. I mean it is called "Snakes on a Plane" and people were talking about it as if it were the second coming.

Let me say that Snakes on a Plane is a really stupid movie. However, it is stupid in a good way.

The animated snakes look silly at times, the dialogue is not the best, and the story is not entirely original save for the snakes on the plane part. But this film is intentionally campy and will make you laugh.

The action is also quite satisfying. Once it gets going, Snakes on a Plane will entertain you throughout. Who knew snakes could be such a great antagonist? Well maybe Indiana Jones.

Anyone looking for some humorously campy action in their film will definitely enjoy Snakes on a Plane.

Thumbs up.

After much anticipation, the Dead Rising demo was finally released on XBox Live a few days ago. It is a very large file but definitely worth the time.

The demo starts out with a little story sequence and then you are in the middle of the mall. One thing you have to know is that the demo is fifteen minutes long and you have to stay within certain areas of the mall or you will trigger a cutscene and the demo will end. But aside from this you do get quite a bit of freedom as you can roam around the mall and check out different stores for weapons and clothing.

There is an impressive amount of unique weapons you can use to bash some zombie brains in such as a sledgehammer or an acoustic guitar. There are also some less useful items like the giant stuffed bear. It won't kill the zombie but it is definitely amusing to wack some undead upside the head with it.

The great thing about the demo is that it is only the tip of the iceberg in regards to what will be available in the final game. And I played through the demo quite a few times and found something new and fun to use each time. Every weapon has its uses and you will have fun discovering what you can do with each one.

I must admit I was cautiously anticipating this game but playing the demo has me excited about the final version. If you have XBox Live then you should go download the demo now.

Dead Rising will be available on Tuesday August 8 with an MSRP of $59.99 for the XBox 360.

GameSpot just did another of their Pick 5 lists so I thought I'd do my own. These are the 5 games I'd want with me if I got stuck on a deserted island.

1) World of Warcraft - This is the second MMORPG I have ever played and was much better than Final Fantasy XI in my opinion. The only thing bad about it was that it cut into my time to play other games so I have quit WoW and refuse to try any new MMORPG for the time being. On a deserted isle however, I would have all the time in the world so WoW would be an ideal game to get back into.

2) Halo 2 - I have to pick one good action game. I have never been a huge FPS fan but Halo has always been so much fun. I have especially fallen victim to the online multiplayer addictiveness and longevity. This would be a great game to kill some time.

3) Tetris DS - Because I need a good puzzle game on the list and what better puzzle game than Tetris? An online version would be great to keep the challenge up. I think the DS verison would suffice.

4) Chrono Cross - My favorite RPG of all time. This game is not too long in comparison to other RPGs. But that is a moot point because it becomes long when you play through it more than once to get all the characters and endings. Plus, when you add the great musical score and innovative battles, you have got yourself a great way to spend some gaming time.

5) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - I have actually never played an Elder Scrolls game. But Oblivion has so much great buzz, and from what I hear it is a huge life killer, that it would be an absolute must-have for a deserted isle. After all, I would definitely have no life then.

So what do you think of my picks? I tried to pick some different genres to keep myself occupied. Variety is always good.
Some honorable mentions include Civilization IV, X-COM: UFO Defense, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, and Super Mario Allstars.

The PS3 is a hot topic right now and for good reason. It is also in some hot water in many critics' eyes. There is a chance that the PS3 could fail in this upcoming console war and I will provide some back up to these speculations.

1) Ken Kutaragi talks too much. Sony has gotten very cocky and probably assumes they can sell PS3 at a $600 price tag and get away with it. Well they can do it to an extent. The videogame business doesn't follow the status quo if you mess it up with stupid actions and words. Kutaragi has been saying some crazy things for example. Here are some jaw-dropping quotes from the man himself...
"I think it is too cheap." That was Kutaragi referring to the PS3 $600 price tag!
"We never said we would release a game console... it is clearly a computer." That was Kutaragi trying to explain the high price tag.
Every time Kutaragi opens his mouth, a Sony fanboy buys a DS or preorders a Wii.

2) Sony needs to keep more exclusive titles. GTA has always come out on PS2 first. But GTA will now come out simultaneously for 360. That is a big blow. Why pay for a $600 system when you can get the same game on a cheaper console? Once again, Sony thinks they can get away with it because people will buy the system anyway.
An exec working for SCE Europe even said people will buy the system. "Even if there are no games." These quotes are almost funny but they are also insulting to consumers.
For Sony's sake, they better keep Square-Enix happy. They pulled FF7 from N64 so they can pull FF13 from the PS3.

3) PS3 Cell yields in the toilet. According to IBM the Cell processor is so big and complicated to make that only about 10 to 20 percent made will be usable. So that means 1 in 5 chips (in the best scenario) will actually work well enough to be used to put into an actual PS3. This means a shortage of the console and that Sony will be hemorrhaging money over making them.

4) BlueRay Discs. Sony is putting a lot of money into this technology and it is a big gamble. Sony usually fails at introducing new media. Their last success was the floppy disk. The BlueRay tech is costing them a lot of money to put into the PS3 and is part of the reason it is so expensive. On top of that, Sony is reportedly having problems meeting demand on the blue laser diode component. So that means more money hemmhoraging.

5) Wii-360. With the 360 having a year head-start and a great online model, and the Wii getting so much positive buzz over its unique control, virtual console and its lower price tag, many people are looking elsewhere for a next-gen gaming fix. Most people I know have a 360 and want a Wii at launch. With a possible shortage looming and a high price tag, many people will likely pay for a Wii or 360.... or both. All for the price of a PS3 or less.

I just want to add that I have both a PSone and PS2. I have always been a huge gamer that just wants the best games on any system. But I think Sony is making a lot of mistakes and is overlooking its competition. I believe that Sony can rectify much of what they have done to succeed but need to change direction soon. But as things are now, things do not look so good for Sony.

I just wanted to share something that happened to me.
I should point out that I bought my XBox at Best Buy with the 2-year Replacement Plan and I ended up using the plan to help pay for part of the 360. Of course I also bought the Replacement Plan for the 360 as well.

3 months later my 360 kept freezing on me rendering most games unplayable. So I had to use my Replacement Plan again. Everything was fine since none of the games were freezing anymore.

After a couple of days, however, I got the red lights of doom. When you turn on your console, the four green lights that surround the power button turn red except for the upper-right quadrant. This means that your 360 is broken.

So I had to once again use my Replacement Plan to get my 3rd new 360.

I cannot believe how shoddily this system seems to be made. I shouldn't have to replace my 360 so many times. That's even worse than Sony as I had to replace both my PSone and PS2 once each. But only once and then they have lasted a long time.

My advice to everyone who puts big money into an expensive video game console is you should buy it at Best Buy and please do yourself a favor and buy the Replacement Plan. It always helps me out.

I even used the Replacement Plan on my DS to upgrade to the DS Lite. And I will probably use it again to upgrade the Lite to whatever else they come out with.... maybe a different color :P

Moral of the story: do yourself a favor and buy the Replacement Plan. It is not expensive and you will be glad to have it if/when your console gives you the dreaded "Read Disc Error" message... or when they upgrade your favorite portable. :D

Well before I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest I saw a few trailers of course. And my theatre was lucky enough to catch the Transformers Movie Teaser Trailer.

The trailer didn't show much but the audience I was a part of was very excited to see it nonetheless. Funny thing is nobody knew what the trailer was for until the movie logo came up. Then the crowd went nuts.

I wanted to post the video here but I do not know how.
If anybody is privy on how to do that please let me know :D

Anyway check out the video here... Transformers Teaser

I was able to catch the midnight showing of this movie Thursday night and I was very entertained. I must say that Johnny Depp once again shines in his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, as do everyone else in this film.

The movie was filled with action and comedy and it had some great special effects. I especially loved the look to Davey Jones and his crew.

If you liked the first movie then you will thoroughly enjoy this outing. Dead Man's Chest clocks in at about 2.5 hours long but will have you entertained every minute. The movie ends with a bit of a cliff hanger and will leave you wanting more (probably by this time next year).

I highly recommend this film. Though if you haven't seen the first Pirates then you must watch it to get more out of this film as there are many references and some surprises that won't mean anything without viewing the first film. But for the rest of you...

Big thumbs up :D

I was finally able to try out the multi-player in Prey and it was a big let down.
Not because of the actual gameplay but due to the major lag experienced during play.
Now there were some positives to the multi-player as well.

First, the level design was nice. It had many of the unique things you would find in the single-player mode such as gravity tracks and those warp tunnels. Except, of course, it was all designed for a multi-player battle arena. Hopefully the final version has more levels like this.

Another positive thing was the weapons. The multi-player lets you try out some more cool weapons not featured in the single-player demo as well as the ones that were. One unique weapon was an alien gun that shoots acid capsules of some sort. Using unique and interesting weapons like this is definitely a strong point to Prey.

However, one negative thing about the demo was that all the characters in the multi-player battle arena look like Tommy. But this is a demo so this might change in the final version. Being able to play as different characters in multi-player would help spice things up though it is not really necessary. Just imagine being able to blast your opponent in the face and the last person they see is Tommy's Grandfather.

The biggest negative in the demo though was the lag in the battle arena. This game looks and plays well and it is a shame the multi-player had to suffer from this problem. However, I remain optimistic that these issues will be addressed before the final release since, once again, this is just a demo.

Prey will be available on July 10 with a MSRP of $59.99 for the XBox 360 and $49.99 for the PC.

I just finished playing the single-player demo portion of Prey on the X-Box 360 and I must say that I was very impressed.

The demo starts off pretty slowly at first as Tommy, the main character, just finished using the restroom. Tommy is a Native American and dreams of getting off the reservation with his girlfriend Jen. What is kind of cool is that you can play around a bit with your surroundings: lifting the toilet seat, turning the sink on and off, using the soap dispenser, etc.

You then make your way out of the bathroom and into the bar to meet up with your girlfriend who also runs the place. On your way you run into Tommy's grandfather. He gives a bit of an ominous warning about what is to come that night.

You can play around with your surrounding in the bar as well as you can choose the music playing on the jukebox and play a few arcade games. Meanwhile, Jen is yelling at you to pick up the wrench you left on her counter. And this is where things pick up and where Prey's storytelling strength shines.

While you're looking around you can hear Jen having a conversation with a couple of customers. They talk about some wolves and Jen says that something must have disturbed them. Pretty soon you hear an argument start up and Jen asks you to help her. So you must dispatch the unruly customers with your wrench.

However, the lights suddenly go out and everything starts shaking. If you look outside the window, you can see lights from the sky and a big truck being pulled into the air. Next thing you know, you and your loved ones are also being abducted.

You end up inside a large ship and Jen and Grandfather are both there with you. All of you are strapped on to metallic platforms. Things become really interesting here as the platforms begin to move with Jen beside you all the way. You get a bit of a tour of the ship in a somewhat horrific amusement park style ride. And during this ride, you can look around while you hear people in the background screaming, yelling, and even one guy is praying the Our Father. This all really sets the mood and you get a feeling of helplessness.

Well you feel helpless until you hear an explosion and your platform falls. Suddenly you are free and, armed with your wrench, able to at least try to help your loved ones out of this horrific situation.

As you make your way beating down on alien scum, you will come across some horrific scenes involving other people who are abducted. You will see a machine that seems to have no other purpose than to kill people on the aforementioned metallic platforms. And you'll also run into some other people who seem to have tried to escape. Many of whom seem to have been driven mad.

One thing you will definitely notice is that the graphics are really nice within the ship. It really looks like a lot of detail was put into it with all the textures and lighting effects.

Another thing that you'll notice is the gameplay. This game is pretty intense and a lot of fun. After the whole intro, it feels good to kick some alien butt with your bloody wrench. After a while you'll gain access to an alien gun and a grenade of sorts. All of which seem to be "alive." The grenade is actually a little green crawling creature. A lot of detail went into the weapons and it really shows. Since they are alien, they actually seem to be techno-organic as does the ship itself. Nice stuff.

Aside from the weapons, the game has some clever level design. There are many warp portals in this game. They are like rips in space and allow you to move from one room to another. One clever room has two such portals. But one leads right into the same room. So when you approach the portal, you actually see your self from the side entering the same portal. This is just a sample of the odd things you will see. There are a lot of other trippy rooms and level hazards which will have you gasping out loud.

Eventually, one of these hazards will kill you. It is not avoidable. But this is where this game also shines in its innovation. When you "die" in this game, you can come back to life... if you earn it. You play a little mini-game of sorts by arming your spirit with a spirit bow and arrow in a spirit world. You have to bring down some blue and red spirits to come back to life and restart where you were last injured. I guess we'll have to see in the finished game if there is anything more to this little spirit world since it did not feel very challenging.

Aside from venturing to the spirit wold, this spirit body of yours can be used to solve puzzles as well. For example, there is one room you cannot get by due to a forcefield. But where your physical body cannot enter, your spiritual one can. You can expel your spirit to get through the forcefield and turn the forcefield off by finding the right switch panel. You see, you can read some of the alien text due to your supernatural powers. Tommy's powers are apparently derived from his Cherokee background. He even gets a cool pet spirit hawk that helps him fight the baddies.

Now I did give away a bit about what happens during the demo but I also left quite a bit out. This game just has to be seen and experienced as Prey really has a strong story and solid gameplay. And this is coming from someone who does not like first person shooters. Although Prey definitely has a bit of an adventure game feel to it as well since you solve puzzles as well as dispatch enemies.

If you have an XBox 360 and XBox Live, you need to play this demo. It is probably the best demo out right now and definitely warrants a look.

Also of note is that the demo also features multi-player though I did not get a chance to try it.

Prey will be available on July 10 with a MSRP of $59.99 for the XBox 360 and $49.99 for the PC.