Pedal to the Metal is going to NYC Comic Con

Ok... This clearly isn't New York City and as much as I want to think I'm Rocky (Sly Stalone will be there!!!), it just isn't so... BUT! Heil, Animal and myself will be at Comic Con October 11th and 12th to check out the floor, interview interesting people and poke around with whatever device we can get out hands on...  Anything you guys want us to see, report on or check out while we're there? SPEAK UP!

Also, If you live in the area and want to come say hello let us know!  I know I'd be happy to say hello to any system warrior going to the show... Maybe we can even convince you to do part of the show with us.

See you there Sucka...

GTA, is at last a franchise with competant controls...

I played about 3 hours worth last night on launch day and all I have to say is, thank you thank you thank you.  At the risk of sounding like a complete winey pvssy cake, GTA4 was a mid 80's Rosanne Bar wearing nothing but a flannel shirt to my GTA boner.

Dear God, I'm sorry...

Back on point... GTA4 controlls were as ugly as seeing under Rosie O'donnells shirt after mowing the lawn...

ugh... No, No... I'm trully sorry.

GTAV plays really great... like really great.  Yeah, there are still some issues with movement finese for finer actions like being geometrically off from a stairwell or struggling to sometimes hit the quick hop over the wall right, instead landing you into an embarrasing face plant into a wall... but everything else is, dare I say, quite good... 

It's logical... The quick aim is smart and precise and where it makes the gameplay suffer from a precision standpoint, it more than makes up for it with sheer volume of enimies to plug in any given battle.  The driving is smooth as silk, angling corners and lineing up routes on the fly is a joy and despite the 80% chance of every intersection oddly having a passing car lined up perfectly to make you swerve.  It's a quick pick up, 1o minutes later and think "damn Im a good E-driver."  Point is, R* used some common sense in this game.  They didnt strip away the feeling of "GTA controls," but they finally made them work... Little things like switching weapons or powersliding a corner are handled with confidence now and small overall game improvements like quick saves make the cell phone actually enjoyable, rather than evoking the feeling of the dentist calling to remind you of that root canal scheduled for later this week the way GTA4 did.

Yeah, the locale is awesome and the possibilities are just knee buckling, but the greatest improvement is bar none the fact that playing Grand Theft Auto isn't a chore... it's like a whole new world baby... :P

This one should more than make up for it... :D

Undoubtedly, a few of my favorite games of all time...

The Eroica Hall of Fame, if you will

I posted these in a System Wars thread and got thinking it was also a decent blog post I've never made.  Enjoy or criticize... have at it.

KOTOR - Been playing it over the past few months... still the best ever.  There is no depth charted for the love I have for this game... During College, I skipped 95% of the N64/Ps1 generation and I had relegated gaming to that of a passing hobby for the first time in my life... years later, and yes after a gamecube purchase, trade in, xbox purchase, I asked my wife on an off chance to get me KOTOR (I thought it was a 3rd person action game), as I heard it was well recieved... Maybe it was because this particular style of game slapped me first or maybe its because the game is just trully eye watering-ly amazing, but this game made me believe in gaming again... To this day, no game I've played since Kotor has achieved the satisfaction I got from my first run through... Discovering it on PC was like playing it for the first time again, only this time without mud in my eyes... its beautiful, its focused, its independant Bioware at its finest... It's easily one of the greatest games ever created.

Actraiser - Still play it on Virtual Console.  It was the reason I wanted the Wii, Absolutely timeless... The blending of sim town creation light mixed with an awesome and beautiful 2d platformer done to a razors edge... Oh, and did I mention you play both sides of the game as God and God's right hand angel? um... hell yes.  Some mornings I wake up and I'll say its the best game ever.

Final Fantasy 4 -Last played, last summer... Unlike Actraiser, which is undoubtedly still incredible to anyone who plays it, FF4 holds up for me because of its endearing nostalgia.  I still get angry at cain for betreying his friends under the spell of dasterdly evil.  I shed a man tear when Palom and Porum selflessly turn themselves into stone to save the ones they care about... The characters still resonate with me and their relationships are still beautifully well delivered.  I love the combat, difficult bosses and world... Going from foot to hovercraft to Airship feels good and accomplished and the end game is well earned... You become a juggernaut but you still need to work hard for the credits...  I'm sure it's been surpassed in different ways, but it's still my favorite JRPG in gaming history... yes, even today.  I play the entire thing with a smile on my face. *METEOOOOO!!!"

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past -  When Pressed, I have a hard time saying it's not the best game ever... Still highly accessible, Charm that is unmatched, still pretty, still immersive, still amazing... This is the one game I play and think to myself... "perfect". There is nothing of note to criticize whatsoever.  perfect adventuring, perfect gameplay, perfect tale and a perfect sense of exploration...  Its probably the one game I hope the aliens find in the rubble after we destroy ourselves some day...  I play it every couple years to ensure it staying fresh... it does.  Last time I played it with my sons... damn near teared up when one of my son's had "the look" on his face while playing it... totally sucked in.

Mass Effect - Mass Effect has taken the role of Star Wars of my adulthood... It's my favorite interactive Space Opera this side of the attakin traverse... While we can argue all day every day over the narrative, and whether its an RPG or a shooter, or whether its a gripe about running animations (stupid), Mass Effect will remain near and dear to my heart because the characters were not only memorable and fit the "star wars" mold of Space Opraism, but it was the one piece of entertainment media that ruled my soul over a 6+ year stretch... I love everything about the journey, the characters, the love and the loss...  After a total of 13 playthroughs over the three games, I've decided to shelve Mass Effect  for a couple years and revisit it to experience it all over again.  Will be interesting to see if it holds up.  

I am TheEroica and these are my favorite games on the Citedel... Favorite games of all time and the most accurate example of my tastes in gaming...

Just a quick reminder to all my friends - Pedal to the Metal has a new thread and we'll be moving all discussions there.  Season two is slated for next week and we hope you'll join us.

By the Community and FOR the Community means, tell us what you want.

Leave feedback here with me or in our sticky.  We absolutely want to get this endeavor right for you and the community so speak up.

oh... and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!!!

Spent a long time talking about it and now it's happening.

The System Wars community goes sonic, with a podcast designed by us and for us...

Pedal to the Metal 

The goal is to bring system wars to your ears and in doing so, allowing the community both a different outlet for our favorite obsession while simultaneously giving us a seperate way to interact.  The bottom line is that ALL are welcomed.  ALL suggestions will be heard and ALL opinions are valid.  We want to hear from you and we want you to bring the same passion you have in the forum to our new initiative.  Please feel free to PM both Heil68 or myself if you wish to be on the show or make a suggestion... or just leave a comment in the space below.  Looking forward to bringing the fight, and the fun to you wherever you are!

                                                                                                                                                   See you in the trenches,

                                                                                                                                                                 TheEroica

Off the Cuff

Episode 4

REvaLaTioNNs

Kinect just isnt what we hoped it could be... not bagging on the attempt, but it, in its current sauce could never be part of my gaming future... Friends, Kinect sucks.

But...

(removed)

-TheEroica- 

Off the Cuff

Episode 3

Had to share... When I was 19, I went to see Slash's Blues Ball at Pearl Street Night Club in Northampton Ma.  Slash was kind enough to hang with me and a couple friends after the show and chat about music and guitar.  VERY cool.

Curious about an interface...

As next generation approaches I find myself realizing more and more that a controller means more to me than most aspects in a platform.  Quite honestly, If I don't like the way it feels to play games I tend to avoid it.  I don't and have never liked the DualShock.  The sticks feel so out of place.  I love the XBOX360 controller, though I have legit gripes with the D-pad.  I think the Wii's control scheme is borderline laughable... as in I hate it.  Opinion's Opinion's Opinion's, though it leads me to my thought...

What has been your favorite controller in video game history...?

Im just gonna say it... For me, it has always been the NES Advantage.

I loved the leverage I could put on this controller.  The variable speed turbo that I could set up for some shooters, the "pause" "pause" "pause" slow down for the tricky spots and the player 1+2 switching to share the love.  Big buttons, strong durable arcade stick and a solid double input chord, the NES Advantage was my pearl covered pistol grip in the war against everything video games.  While I can certainly agree that it is a controller that would not fit game design today and the fact that it fell out of favor with me when Nintendo released an "updated" NESA for the SNES, nothing comes close for me as a go to controller in gaming history.

-The Eroica

Off The Cuff

Episode 2

I'm just gonna come out and say it... I hate the weeks/months before a new console is announced.  I don't mind speculating, but where the walls are broken down are when the community overreacts to rumors and accepts them as truth... It's akin to arguing over who'd win in a fight, a three legged luck dragon or the feces of the lock ness monster... I can't subscribe to arguing over things that don't exist... and the new consoles will only exist when they are announced by their creator.

Which leads me to the Off the Cuff thought for episode 2.

If the new consoles feature a straight out lock of used games, where will you find yourself next generation, ethically...

I myself will forever and always be on the side of freedom of consumer.  While I believe that creators deserve compensation for their creation, I draw the line at the "industry" itself.  Quite honestly, I don't trust any industry, be it movies, games, or music.  They make choices that conflict with the freedoms I enjoy in choosing what I'd like for my purchases and my tastes.  When the industry has control, you no longer choose what you want, you are relegated to skiming the entertainment they allow... The music industry is a perfect example of this.  The industy has lost control to the masses and because of this there are no dominant genres in music any longer... remember the 80's glam rock movement or grunge? those manifested because of the "direction" the industry wanted to go... I'd so much rather choose what I wish and consume it on my own terms than have something jammed down my throat because someone in a suit thinks it will test well with audiences.  Your freedom to choose is your power in the fight... I say never give it up.

-The Eroica

TheEroica Presents... 

Off The Cuff 

I never knew what to write in my blog until I had an epiphany... there are a lot of things about gaming I find completely unique and interesting and while I spend time thinking, I never write it down, so I've decided to share the corner of brain not often discussed when it comes to being a gamer... I'll just spill it here.  If you comment, great! if not, no worries... at least I'm sharing my insanity with the world.

If you could be part of one aspect of the gaming industry, what would be your desire?

   For me, I thing I'd love to be apart of some aspect of performing for gaming.  Whether it was acting part ,I've never acted before, (unless you count being Oz in wizard of oz about 25 years ago) or being the creative designer/composer of Music for games.  I've spent my life as a musician and have the ability to create some insane themes for gaming and the love of the hobby to apply my skills wisely.  So many times I tinker with game themes and I feel like I could do it with ease...

  Id also like to act a part in a game.  As previously stated, I have no experience with acting and really no desire too.  I just want to play a game with me in it.  Call me an idiot, but I loved the face scanning Ubi did early this gen with Rainbow Six Vegas.  I still laugh when Im running through the map or get gunned down.  Mostly though, I'd like to bring a character to life for a game.  Would be cool to be "the" voice or "the" face of a cool character in gaming...

      Any way you slice it, I'd enjoy being part of any game in it's creation.  The above respresent a portion I can do and the other, one that would just be really cool to do.  Gaming pretty much rocks...

                                                                                                                                                              -TheEroica

Just adding some memorable moments...

Skyrim Failstation

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