The Video Game industry and Hollywood have ruined many good franchises over the years. Its a fact that we can't hide, and is glaringly obvious when products from both industries reek of that familiar commercial cash-in smell. Why do I discuss this point, you may ask? I myself aspire to be a filmmaker, it's what I want to do with my life, and I'm doing everything I can to make it happen for me. With these aspirations comes extreme perfectionism and critique, so if something just isn't good enough, it shouldn't go out.

The morning of writing this article, I watched a James McTeigue/ Wachowski Brothers film called V for Vendetta. This film, written before 9/11, has a special significance in today's almost broken world. The movie tells of V, a freedom fighter in a Guy Fawkes mask, who, on Fawkes' day, November the 5th, tries to do what his predecessor failed to do: blow up London's parliament. The pure workings of a dictatorship are seen in London's Empire, and thus, the ending is an exceptionally rousing one, working on all of our emotions, making us want to fight for what is just and what is right. For those who have seen it, imagine what it would have been like turned into a game. V for Vendetta would have been a run of the mill 3rd person action game with none of the heart or soul of the film. The meaning would be lost for a few dollars more. V for Vendetta is one of the greatest films in modern times, retelling to us how wrong we can be about people, and what cost freedom comes at. I would not want to play that on a games system.

The same could have been said for The Godfather, before that game was released. However good it was, The Godfather the game didn't capture the spirit of the film. Loving crafted by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo, The Godfather films were a work of genius, and it seemed as if EA was going to just water down the script and let the game be a GTA clone. As it happened, the game was very good, but it should never have been in existence in the first place. It didn't feel quite right. I'm sure many of you will disagree.

My final point covers the films they call blockbusters. In the case of V for Vendetta, it was disguised as a high-budget popcorn picture, but was instead a triumph of delirious anarchy and a wonderful piece of artestry and storytelling. Superman Returns, however, I am more that happy to let EA have a go at making that. The film was an out and out turd, spoiling everything we loved about the Christopher Reeve films and throwing out the window, replacing it with a mediocre screenplay, poor acting (with the exclusion of Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth) and a dull retread of an earlier Superman story. The game was equally horrible. I paid 80 australian dollars for Superman Returns the game, and I had returned withi a week so I could buy the Prince of Persia Trilogy, Burnout Revenge, and V for Vendetta on DVD.

Thankyou for reading my argument. As I said before, I'm sure not all of you will agree with me and that's ok. I would love to see your opinions on this matter n your blogs, and be sure to send me a friend invite. Until then, farewell.

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I took three videos from gamespot, and edited thyem together to make it sound amusing. Listen carefully. The videos are the Video Reviews for Red Steel and Simpsons Road Rage, as well as the frightfully bad games video with Alex Navarro.

Enjoy!

What else can we say but the simplest of things. Thankyou, congratulations, and goodbye. I personally hope that someone as clever and funny as you are has every success, and I was saddened to hear of your resignation.

Gamespot will be missing something without you, Greg Kasavin.

2006. The year that saw Nintendo rise from all but its grave to begin their journey to the promised land. The year that saw industry giant Sony fall from its perch, with an uninspired machine. And finally, it was the year that saw Bill Gates, Microsoft and the Xbox 360 take a firm grip of the game industry.

That may be exaggerated, because the three new consoles certainly have all had their time in the spotlight. In my 2006 reflection, I am going to look back at what made 2006 such a great year, starting with the oldest of the 'last-gen' (for want of a better term) consoles, the Playstation 2. While the new systems were coming out, and all the hype was on the Wii and PS3, The Playstation 2, broke 100 Million units shipped worldwide, and there were some stellar games released. With a launch of a new Zelda game on Nintendo's systems, people take notice of it, and most run out and just buy it. The same could not be said for Clover Studios with Okami. One of my games of the year, Okami's sales figures were poor, and while it was a brilliant game, and one that I will replay for years to come, it pretty much bombed out. The company's next release, God Hand, would prove to be their last, and I for one was more than disappointed. It is always sad to say goodbye to a very strong developer, especially because a sequel to Okami could never be done by anyone else.

Speaking of saying goodbye, our beloved Xbox was superceded this year, and its final days were precided over by one of the greatest games for the system, Dreamfall; The Longest Journey. For all the hard-core, voilent, mature games released for that system, the last one would be an epic quest, and one which will keep players intersted for hours on end. I was surprised not to see Dreamfall given the honour of Gamespot's Best Xbox Game of 2006, and was laughing at their choice of NCAA Football 07. That choice has to be the stupidest call I've heard in years. While I have the utmost respect for all the Gamespot editors, a football game is hardly a swansong for a machine as great as the Xbox was. I remember the first time I played an Xbox. A week after its release, a friend of mine, invited me and two others over, and we had a four-player marathon of Halo and Fusion Frenzy, and we also took in turns playing Voodoo Vince and ToeJam and Earl 3 (the Australian launch had these two games at launch). I speak for everyone when I wish the original Xbox goodbye.

While Microsofts console didn't have a recognized swansong, the Gamecube's came late in the year with the console's last epic, The Legend of Zelda; Twilight Princess. Along with stellar releases such as Tomb Raider; Legend and LEGO Star Wars II; The Original Trilogy, LOZ;TP was recognized as Gamespots Gamecube and Wii game of the year, as a seperate version was released alongside the Cubes successor. The Gamecube came up a clear last place in the Console War, but that didn't stop it having some of the best games of its generation. Metroid Prime was widely recognized as being better than Halo, and LOZ; The Wind Waker, Paper Mario 2, and later on, Resident Evil 4, really showed what the Cube was capable of. RIP.

The first new console released this year (in Australia at least) was the Xbox 360. With stellar games at launch such as Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo; Elements of Power, Project Gotham Racing 3, Quake 4, Dead or Alive 4, and a few weeks forshadowing, The Elder Scrolls IV; Oblivion, Table Tennis, Far Cry Instincts Predator and more, the Xbox 360 sold like hotcakes, and continues to dominate the industry to this day. The best games for the system now include Oblivion, Gears of War, and, most importantly, the Burger King Trilogy (Sneak King, Big Bumpin and Pocketbike challenge).

The troubled launch of the Playstation 3 was the biggest news of 2006, and reports of stabbings, cut lines, shotguns to the chest and more were heard to have occured just get 'those Playstations'. Ebay was flooded with systems, one even selling for over $16000 American. Resistance; Fall of Man was the best game at launch, but Ridge Racer 7 came up a close second.

Finally, The Nintendo Wii ushered in a new generation of gaming this year, with its motion sensing controller and barrage of launch titles such LOZ; TP, Trauma Centre, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz and more. WiiConnect24 Updates were found to be bricking systems, and lawsuits were filed against Nintendo for the wrist-strap and the trigger for the Wii Remote. Wii seems to look likely to win this console war, and because of its uniqueness, everyone can now play. I look forward to playing more of Wii in 2007.

I will remember 2006 as a great year for videogames, and bring on 2007. Thsi is my last blog post for 2006, so take care and I will write to you all again next year.

Its been a while since I last posted in my blog, but I actually have been playing games... go figure. I've been playing International Cricket 2005, The Legend of Zelda; The Wind Waker, God of War and The Godfather. All of these games I have owned for a while yet haven't actually got into that much. Anyway, I am going to rant about The Godfather, because, yes while it is a very fun game, while playing it on my Playstation 2, there have been some flaws and bugs, and, most surprisingly from an EA Game, terrible gameplay mechanics (pick the sarcasm there folks?)

EA Games is a big, mega, giant, colossal video game behemoth, and it produces a lot of games, the quality of which has been quite low of late. Case in point; The Harry Potter series. While I enjoyed HP2; Chamber of Secrets, it felt like a REALLY cheap cash-in on the movie. Probably because it was. I found COS in K-Mart for about $9 australian (5.50-7.50 american... I aint a bloody mathematician) and picked it up immediatly because of its price. While my Gamecube ran COS fine, it felt like a very rushed game, and I am disappointed I had the same feelings about the Godfather. I have tried The Godfather on Xbox, and played it the whole way through over numerous visits to an Xbox-owning friends house. When picked up a 360 and the same game for 360, I did the same. No issues on either of Microsoft's consoles. Yet, having played the PS2 version all the way through, I was shocked. The Frame-rate is despicable, and the sound goes all static when you get into a car. I was listening to a Podcast off EA's website about the game, where this problem was adressed, and the executive producer of the game, David DeMartini, said I should burn the crappy pirated edition of the game and buy a legitimate copy. Guess what Dave?! I paid $85 Australian bucks ($75 american... games are expensive over here) for legitimate copy of the game, and this crap is still happening!!!

A few more concerns about the Godfather is also one of my pet-hates in videogames, and why I avoid Splinter Cell like the plague. It's the stealth, dude! It's terrible! In The Godfather, you are tasked with delivering the horse-head to Jack Woltz's bedroom, but guess what?! There are guards to sneak past, and they come out of nowhere, and trigger the goddamn alarms!! Its horrible!! Couldn't there just be no guards and make there environment puzzles or a car chase?! AAAARRRRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!

EA are firm believers that if there is a new game mechanic, the game is an instant revolution and people should pay premium price for a slightly altered version of what they already have! Look at The Godfather's Blackhand Control system.For all f those who have played the Godfather, do you honestly think that EA are going to use that in something other than a Godfather game!? It is absurd! Although it may be funny if they incorporated Blackhand Executions into Harry Potter... In fact, I may just demand that EA do that, or... or... one of the Battlefield guys will go mysteriously missing... then another... then another... until they're all gone...

Merry Christmas everyone, and I hope that Xbox 360, Wii or Playstation 3 is under the tree for you on the 25th.  

The release of the Playstation 3 is immenent, and I for one, am excited. There is an infinite number of games that I am pumped about getting, and the thought of getting my fingerprints all over its shiny surface makes me very primed for the next generation of video games. While the launch of PS3 is a bad thing in some cases, with price and supply being major factors, the console ships alongside some truly awesome games, supplied by great pub;ishers such as Ubisoft, EA Games, Activision, and of course, Sony itself.

The SixAxis controller seems similar to the Playstation 2, but I believe it will pioneer the next gen in terms of comfort in accessories. The tilt support seems kind of gimmicky, but it may just be the spark that makes the PS3 a nessecary purchase down the road. But the PS3 isn't about controllers first, but it is definetly about the games first and foremost. The launch list is stellar, with Resistance spear-heading a bombardment of EA Sports titles and various others. Resistance looks awesome, and is set to rival Gears of War in terms of gameplay and atmosphere. Madden NFL 07 looks fantastic on Playstation 3, with each indvidual blade of grass visible on a nice, 1080p TV. The player models look beautiful, each jersey is accurate, and the stadiums are intensly coloured. To put it simply, Madden looks crisp and detailed, and will probably have all the features found in the PS2 and Xbox versions. Another EA Sports title, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, also looks excellent, with each course detailed, and the golfer models also are nice.

NBA Live 07 looks excellent, and will probably beat out NBA 2K7 as the king of PS3 basketball games. While both games are cool, Live 07 has the better graphics and probably better gameplay. Ridge Racer 7, the RR for the PS3 launch, has excellent visuals, and also has a lot of potential.

EA is really making the effort for the PS3 launch, and hopefully Ubi and Sony will step up to the plate with more offerings. Sony especially need to step up the amount of first-party titles. This is my thoughts about the games of PS3, and feel free to comment or message me about your opnions.

It has come to a time where it is nessecary that we determine the victor of the battle between the Playstation 2, the Xbox, and the Gamecube. It has been a hell of a fight, with each console having some great games, but only one can be the overall victor. So, as I deconstruct each small battle, feel free to share your opinion on who wins this battle of the Consoles.

Launch - In 2001, the Playstation 2 launched in Australia alongside launch games such as Gran Turismo 3, Ridge Racer V and Dynasty Warriors 2. After supply was strictly limited due to limited supplies in NTSC territories, the Playstation 2 came into its own as a must have after the release of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III soon after the release in Australia. The Xbox, released in Australia in 2002, shipped alongside the most successful FPS of the sixth generation consoles, Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios' Halo: Combat Evolved. Also at launch was Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing, and Dead or Alive 3. It also enjoyed strong third party support, unlike its rival, Nintendo's Gamecube, which launched on May 17th 2002 with Luigi's Mansion and Star Wars Rogue Leader being the must have titles. While Gamecube's launch was very successful, its weak support and Nintendo's lack of advertising saw it sink in Australia.

Market Share - Microsoft, with its first entry into the console battle, started strongly and is finishing strongly with 24 million units shipped as of Q2 2006. Gamecube has only managed about 20 million, with the Playstation 2 screaming success with over 106 million units shipped worldwide. While these may have been sold to repeat customers, it proves conclusively that Playstation 2 was the most popular console for many of the worlds people.

Games - The Playstation 2 has had a lot of great games over its long lifespan, the most notable of which have been the Grand Theft Auto series, the Jak and Daxter series, God of War, Resident Evil 4, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy series, the Metal Gear Solid series, and many, many more. The Xbox also had some very good titles, the most notable of which were Halo and its sequel, but was also supported with good sales of Fable, Ninja Gaiden, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Grand Theft Auto, the Splinter Cell series, the Rainbow Six series and the Ghost Recon series. The Gamecube's best titles were first-party, like Metroid Prime, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Super Smash Brothers Melee and Super Mario Sunshine, none of which capturing the commercial success that would have kept Nintendo afloat this generation.

Controller - The controllers on all three systems were fine, but in terms of comfort, the Playstation 2 pad was the best for playing games on. Microsoft redesigned the horribly massive Xbox Controller into a small version which soon became as standard, and the Gamecube controller also worked well, especially the wireless 'Wavebird' controller. The second Analogue Stick of the Cube was also great for EA Sport's FIFA games.

The Winner - The Winner of this console war, the sixth generation of machines, is undoubtedly the Playstation 2. No other machine has been as popular or has had as great a game as Eye Toy, which was just one of Sony's innovative Party Starters range. While the Xbox was the most powerful, and the Gamecube was in the middle technically, the weakest machine of the pack proved that a two year head start on the competition can really win you a commercial battle. Feel free to comment on my desicion, and please message me your own. But for now, sit on your couch and wait for the next generation to come.

 

I find myself doing multiple blog posts per month, complaining or informing, so I decided to rap those up into one, big, regular post. My firtst topic for today is Family Guy the Video Game, which I purchased for $44.95 Australian. I posted a blog entry about how my first impression was that it was great, but I have seen the error of my ways. The Family Guy game is a mediocre blend of stealth, platforming and side-scrolling action. The latter, starring Peter Griffin, is the very best of these three, but that doesn't say much. I'm glad it was budget-price.

To the Playstation 3. What was once an unattractive package has turned into a nice concole option that has a few nagging problems that may plague the success of itself. Those include the limited SixAxis battery life, the two packages and the price. I think you all know what I mean with that.

I watched the extended edition of The Da Vinci Code this morning, and I was surprised to see that the extra 25 minutes were crap! That is a prime example of Internet sarcasm. Extra stuff is usually fairly bad, and thus, the additional footage was very, very poor, and that movie was a B-Grade corny fest already. Movies into video games... that ties into one of my earlier posts... its good readin...

Back to the Playstation 3, I have some comments of the launch line-up. While Resistance looks cool, I think the Next-Gen war will be won on third-party support, and the Playstation 3 looks weak from the start. While I look forward to playing Tony Hawk Project 8 on PS3, the 'innovative' tilting controls make it a highly unattractive option when compared to the 360 version.

I will come up with another rant soon, but make sure to message me if you have any feelings about this, and feel free to leave a comment.

- Nick B

Family Guy is one of my favourite TV shows, so I was excited to finally play the game. On first impression, Family Guy: The Video Game looks and plays like you would expect. The graphics are nice, and the gameplay is fairly basic collection/combat stuff. For those waiting for a full review, check my Game Space a a later time, but rest assured, at a budget price, Family Guy should be on everyone's Christmas list.

The Need for Speed series has been hugely successful series over the years, and as the time comes for its 12th annual installment, Carbon, I think a few things need to be said that have not been by the fanboys who believe that this is the very best each console has to offer. I have had extensive experience with the Need for Speed series, having owned the Underground games and played Most Wanted, so everyone should listen when I say that there are some problems that bring down the games every year. Namely, the controls. I pride myself of my skill in Burnout, and compared to the finesse controls of those games, Need for Speed feels really loose and imprecise, I have never seen this come up in reviews, but my father, who enjoys the series, thinks that this brings down what really is a fine bunch of games. This issue, along with the fact that it takes way too long to get a really awesome car in multiplayer, really shape my opinion which was initially very positive. I played Underground 1 on my friend's Xbox system, and was appauled that a retail copy of the game was performing so sluggishly. There are no differences between consoles, but having played the games on all three, the controls are worse on the Xbox and Playstation 2 than Nintendo's Gamecube. Graphics wise, all games and their individual versions look very nice. 

I look forward to playing games like Need for Speed and Tony Hawk's Project 8 on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, because they may or may not control better, and the graphical upgrade will be worth the purchase.

Thanks for Reading.