I wanted to add this video that I made to Gamespot; but I found out that I am not allowed to, so I will just add the link to my channel. I was so hype for Soul Calibur II HD Online that I spent all night making a fan made trailer using the actual trailer and clips from my PS2 copy of Soul Calibur II. I had a lot of fun making this video. If you see it; then I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu_1hU5f-3o

Recently, David Cage, the boss of Quantic Dream, stated that yearly sequels such as COD and Madden gets in the way of the creative minds of developers. I can understand his frustration; however I don't like how he worded it. His statements looked as if he was partially blaming the gamers for this loss of creativity. Gamers have the right to choose what games they like to follow. The developers are the ones who make the decisions for their game, not the gamer. To me this problem extends beyond yearly games; therefore it should be a level of concern. I am going to list a few reasons why sequals are desirable to developers.

1. Sequels for successful games has the potential to generate high profit.
2. Sequels may not require as much time to make.
3. Sequels can bring back a specific crowd.
4. Some games require yearly sequels due in part of the type genre it is in.

Sequels are a part of gaming; however I understand that sequels could get in the way of creativity especially if the sequel is for a very popular game. Sequels usually result in high expectations. And most hardcore fans of a series doesn't want the game to drastically change, because they deem such changes as unneccesary. There are developers that fear making too many changes could minimize the chance of success; because fans of a franchise would no longer like it. The phrase if it ain't broke don't fix it seems to be a commom practice. It would be nice to see more developers move away from that philosophy more.

For instance, over the years, especially now, there have been quite a few divides due to drastic changes to a favorite series. For example, there are SF fans who prefer Street Fighter 4 over Third Strike; because they didn't like the inclusion of the parry system. I can admit that I like SF Third Strike more; because of the art style, the speed, and the fact that the returning characters actually had a decent array of NEW moves. To me SF 4 went backwards instead of forward.

There is a simple solution to solve this problem. Developers should stop worrying about negative press and make their own decisions despite disapproval from fans. I am not saying to undermind suggestions of gamers; but developers need to figure out where to draw the line in terms of letting developer creativity shine. Developers shouldn't let gamers dictate everything developers need to do for a sequel. Developers are the ones who make the decisions; therefore the developers are the ones responsible for the lack of creativity.

It is kind of unfair that David Cage targeted only yearly games; because some genres warrant similarities to previous games. For instance, sports games mostly spend every year updating rosters and adding a few things here and there. There isn't much you can do to revitalize traditional sports games. Games that are made to be more realistic doesn't give you a whole lot of room to really let your creativity explode. However, it would be nice to see new ways to play yearly games as long as the ideas they come up with actually work well. Despite the fact that Madden games didn't make a ton of changes other than the roster it did come a long way. Maybe what yearly games like Madden and COD need is some creative competition to go against them in order to force them to find new ways to ensure dominance of their respective genre.

Yearly games shouldn't be the only focus when it comes to this matter. Every type of game is at risk. For example, Resident Evil and the reboot of Devil May Cry (DmC) are two games that caught a lot of unwanted attention due to gamers who wanted those games to be more of the same. However, instead of bending to the will of the gamer Capcom and Ninja Theory stuck to most of their guns. Risk doesn't always lead to success; however making changes to games adds new life to franchises that have gone stale or is close to losing its momentum. Plus, developers could also choose to move on to new projects if they want to use more time to find more interesting ways to bring a sequel to life.

Resident Evil didn't do so well, but Ninja Theory's attempt to breath some new life into Devil May Cry might payoff due to the occurence of more positive insight as the game gets closer to launch. Trolling DmC with parody pictures of the new Dante like the one above is still going on, but over the course of this week I actually noticed that some Devil May Cry fans that originally opposed the reboot is showing signs of interest. I am a fan of Devil May Cry and not a fan of Ninja Theory at all; because I don't really like their games. But, I do respect their effort and sticking to most of their guns when it comes to their vision for the DmC reboot. I questioned Ninja Theory in the beginning; but after playing the demo for two hours I actually liked what I saw so far. I do believe this game will be Ninja Theory's best selling game.

Lets pretend Ninja Theory made DmC actually the same as the previous games. Personally, I wouldn't buy it, because the game wouldn't be good. If DmC is going to be exactly the same as the other DMC games; then I would prefer the original creators of Devil May Cry to step up and make it a hundred times better than every other Devil May Cry game.

All developers have to do is make games so good that gamers will make the effort to leave their comfort zone. It would also help to get more feedback from gamers to see what changes are more sensitive, so that they can make more careful decisions if they plan to make more drastic changes to sentitive areas. It would also help that developers remember that they can't please everyone. Making a good first impression in the video game industry is more critical than you think. I think that Ninja Theory probably would have had a better start if they asked the Devil May Cry fanbase to point out areas that are risky to change, so Ninja Theory could try to make adjustments that could make both sides feel more comfortable. However, it is up the Ninja Theory to draw the line that will determine how much they will compromise.

I believe sequels is not the problem; because creativity is all up the the developer. The developers are the ones who decide to keep things the same. Creativity requires risk; therefore if developers are not willing to take a chance, then the path to creativity is compromised. Sequels can be different; but are the developers willing to take the risk and bear the burden of the consequences that come along with it?

Please provide your own thoughts about the creativity problem.

I am not a Halo fan at all; but I will play any game that has cooperative elements in it. Halo has gotten so much hype and I don't understand why. And after trying out every Halo game before this one I kind of still don't; however I do like the game so far. I am not going to spoil anything for you. This blog was posted just to post my impressions of this game so far.

I like the pace of this Halo 4 campaign a lot more than the previous games. To me the last three games had a terribly slow start. The beginning of the game feels a bit more action packed and the story seems to have more of an edgy, darker feel to it. I am bit interested to see how the story unfolds.

The graphics of the game is incredible to look at on an HD TV. I was blowen away. The game is clearly the best looking Halo game ever made. The textures are spot on, the character models look really realistic, the facial expressions are well done, and the sense of scale is really out of this world. This is most likely the best looking Xbox 360 game to date.

The gameplay is similar to previous Halo games; however there are a few changes here and there. I like the inclusion of back grabs. Plus there is a bit more interaction with the environment. For instance, avoiding hazards as you climb.

The sounds of the weapons are also different as well. The weapons sound like they have more of a punch. The weapons not only sound good; but the power of the weapons have been beefed up a little. The explosions from the environment and grenades are also spectacular.

I haven't played much of the game; but so far I find it very interesting. Halo and non Halo fans tell me your thoughts about the first thirty minutes of playing Halo 4.

Intro:

I know this issue is old news; however the whole story about sequels killing creativity motivated me to share my thoughts about Resident Evil 6. This blog was actually written in back in October of 2012.

There is a split here. We have old school, hardcore RE fans who hate the game and gamers who actually like it. I know this whole blog was a bit late; but I didn't feel the need to write one until now. I saw a response to one of my most recent comments on Resident Evil 6. When I read it I was a bit surprised. Well.....to be honest I wasn't. I was told that it isn't the game that is the problem; but the fate of the entire series.

The problem with the statement is the fact that the game itself is what started this whole community outbreak. Then again it probably started a bit sooner; but it just so happened that this game is the small piece of straw that finally broke the camel's back. Based on statments from other gamers and a few comments here and there it seems as though Resident Evil 4 could be somewhat of an unseen catalyst that lead to this moment. I will come back to this later. I would like to start by talking about what many people liked about the old games.

I have played Resident Evil ever since the first one came out on the PSOne. The game was centered around fixed camera angles, lack of resources, limited saves, tricky puzzles, and powerful enemies across the board. There were a lot of things that made the old Resident Evil games great. The combination of the things I have previously mentioned helped create a world that was pretty creepy.

The monsters were ugly and could easily over power you if you get careless. Zombies in this game were a threat in the beginning. I can remember getting killed by them many times until I found a better way to deal with them. The same can be said for a lot of the other monsters too. For instance, the zombies are numerous and their grabs are extremely powerful. I used the following plan. Use the knife when I shoot them down to preserve ammo, only use the hand gun on zombies, never use strong weapons on zombies, and run past them. I would recommend running past them when you get used to the tank controls. And don't get me started with the Hunters. I thought those were the worst monsters in the game. They are fast, can kill you from across the room with one jumping slash, and darts around corners in order to scare the living day lights out of you.

The puzzles were a bit tricky and took some time. Some puzzles could even kill you if you are not careful. Another creepy thing about puzzles is an unexpected creature may try a sneak attack after you solve certain key puzzles. You had to be on guard all the time in the old RE games.

Saves were not unlimited in the old games. You had to find ink ribbons to save games on a typewriter. Therefore, you have to be careful you don't over use them or you may put yourself in a bad situation. Bad saves in the old games are..............bad for you.

Fix camera angles made the game spooky as well. Strange angles make the game look as if something is watching you and the simple fact that you can't see certain areas makes you fear the unknown. The game was kind of made in a way to make you feel uneasy due to limitations and lack of visual perception. The music was pretty creepy as well. The same formula was used for the other titles as well; but changed just enough to make it a little different.

The Origins of the Divide

Resident Evil 4 is when the series took a completely new direction. The game became a 3rd person shooter Resident Evil game. The camera wasn't fixed, there are quick time events, contains a little more action, and is a bit less spooky. The game was well received by reviewers and gamers alike; but it is clear that Resident Evil is taking a new direction from that day forward. The game uses quick time events, but only during cutscenes and during boss battles when the situation calls for them. The camera is in your control since the camera keeps the action in front of you; but quickly adjusts to your movement. The game isn't as scary; but the atmosphere and the ominous music score will keep you on your toes. The game had a bit more action in it; but the pace was steady enough for you to take it all in. Plus weapon mangement was more important in this game; because you didn't have anything to store all of your weapons in. It took me a while to get used to that.

Even though RE 4 was respected by most the divison worsened after RE 5. RE 5 was fun to me; but many had a lot to say about the game. Some didn't like the inclusion of cooperative play, the game had even more action than RE 4, the number of quick time events increased, the AI partner was terrible(I can agree with that. Thank goodness I had a friend to play with the entire time.), and etc. You can learn about more dislikes about the game on your time; because there were a lot of things people didn't enjoy about the game. I can honestly say the controls was bad; because playing the versus mercenaries modes online revealed just how bad the controls were when playing against other players. It was almost as if the popularity of RE 4 motivated Capcom to simply add more action, add other stuff, and forget what made Resident Evil an icon.

In the beginning RE 6 was looking pretty good to reviewers and other people. However, the public demo and the final build of the game was quickly bashed by a large number of the community. I rised my eyebrow like the Rock from WWE when I saw the news articles and comments made by the public during week 1.

Reasonable Dislikes:

Resident Evil 6 is basically a condemned game for both reasonable and unreasonable reasons. Lets start with the reasonable reasons. There are quite an array of reasons; however I will only share a few.

The game has far too much action. Nothing is wrong with more action; however Capcom tried a bit too hard. There was so many cool, over the top things happening that the structure of the game was kind of lost. The pace was mostly pretty fast which didn't leave room for much reflection and planning. The fast pace does create a sense of urgency which is way I like it; but it led to a noticable problem in this game. For instance, the game is so fast that there are times that you often find yourself getting killed without fair warning. So you may find yourself repeating certain parts of the game a few times until you realize what actually happened.

There are too many quick time events. Personally, I like QTEs but I can understand the frustration some have with too many. QTEs can get in the way of flow and some gamers may not be able to get past them as quickly due to physical limitations.

The skill point system feels out of place. The skills are not unique for each character. If the skills are not all that unique then I find skill sets useless. To me items could have been used to help you handle things like better defense and upgrades. For example, melee and bullet proof vests could have been used for defense. The skill point system just seems more like a chore to me and doesn't really fit.

This game kind of led to a loss of identity. I can agree that the game is less like a survival horrer in some respects. The action was really insane. I liked it; but others didn't. I think sometimes a line has to be drawn somewhere. There were a lack of puzzles and the game didn't require a whole lot of brain power.

Those were just some of the dislikes I agree with.

Now onward to some of the things I found unreasonable.

Unreasonable Dislikes:

The controls were terrible. I have to disagree with that. In the beginning, I had difficulty with the controls. But after playing the game for a while I quickly got used to the controls and found the gunplay fun. Using the dive, slide, and barrel roll moves really made evasion easy. The controls even made playing Mercenaries one hundred times more fun than RE 5. I do feel the cover system wasn't that great; but it was helpful at times. Overall, I thought the controls were way better than RE 5 and RE Operation Raccoon City put together.

The story was not all that great. I thought the story was great and was done in an ambitious fashion. Story telling wasn't really done like this before. Merging the stories of different teams together led to some very cool moments. I was surprised to see the story lead itself into coop moments that involved more than 2 players. And to witness the story in different perspectives was pretty cool due to the ability to see how each team got in the situations they encountered. For instance, Sherry and Jake had to fight a deadly enemy thanks to Ada even though it was unintentional.

The RE series needs to die now that it lost its identity. I would like to see another RE one day. Just because the game isn't to your liking doesn't mean the next game will not improve. Developers can use reasonable feedback to make the next game better. I would rather see something done better than just kill it off. Far instance, I thought Devil May Cry 2 was terrible; however, I didn't wish for Devil May Cry to end after the second game.

I don't like this game; because it is like Gears of War. Ummmmmm. I don't see the connection; because they are too totally different games. They both use a 3rd person shooter layout and are more action heavy; but that is the only similarity. The gameplay of both games are vastly different. The weapons used in RE are far more realistic, the melee combat doesn't involve chainsaw kills and meat shields, RE 6 isn't a shooter where staying in cover all day is necessary for success, your health doesn't regenerate completely, and etc.

The RE games should be like the old RE games. I don't agree with that because that statement is far too vague. For all I know people could be saying that they want the game to be as dated as RE 1. Please explain what needs to improve instead to saying useless stuff like that. What should be brought back? What should they do better? What should be eliminated? What can Capcom keep in? Elaborate please.

My Opinion:

I enjoyed RE 6 despite my new found displeasure with the crazy moves Capcom made the least few years. I thought it was a good game, however, there are flaws that I can agree with. I am a hardcore fan of RE; but I will not let my appreciation of RE cloud my judgment. I love the style of the old games; therefore I do wish the game had more of a scare factor and a few other things. However, I am open to change and like to see new things in games I like. I think the problem here is the fact that the changes made was as wide as the Grand Canyon. When a line is not drawn then this is the kind of thing that happens. Some hardcore fans don't like it when the change is so huge that the identity of the game itself is more transparent than usual.

Not paying attention to things like the stuff I mentioned will usually backfire when you have a huge fan base. Capcom tried so hard to do some many different things that it blew up in their faces. Capcom had some great ideas; but the focus was lost somewhere. Preference is one of the reasons why working in the video game industry is so tough. One false move can hurt you when you are doing new things to a popular franchise.

I fell off the wagon when it comes to Grand Theft Auto games. I played Grand Theft 3 on the PS2 and thought it was pretty good. However, the game got kind of stale after beating it and lack of development in terms of the main character. I played Grand Theft Auto Vice City and San Andreas and got really bored fairly quickly. I played Grand Theft Auto V and felt the gameplay didn't evolve at all in terms of combat. I found myself getting into Red Dead Redemption though.

After playing Saints Row 2 I enjoyed it; however the game didn't provide the content needed to really set itself apart from GTA. Now playing Saints Row: The Third I found it to be an absolute blast. I never really had an interest in purchasing a gang related game with the exception of The Warriors on the PS2; which I thought was even more fun than GTA combat wise.

The thing that sets Saints Row apart from GTA is the fact that Saints Row never really took the roll of gang warfare seriously. And after playing Saints Row: The Third, it truly follows the previously described premise. Not only that, but game allows you to do pretty much whatever you want as long as it is within the realm of the game itself. Plus the customization features of this game adds a lot depth in terms of power updates and giving your gang a more personalized image. And all of the zany close range combat moves adds to the comedy of Saints Row. The story is really entertaining as well. And I love how you can play the entire game with a friend. I can't wait to purchase this game and do a review of it when I find the time to do so.

What do you guys think about Saints Row: The Third?

The games that scared me the most had to be the the PSX and SNES version of Clock Tower, the NES version of Friday the 13th, Resident Evil 3/4, and Dead Island. I would add Fatal Frame and Dead Space on the list, but I never played those yet. If you did play any of the Fatal Frames and Dead Space tell me about them.

Friday the 13th is number one; because I played it when I was around 9 to 10 years of age. The way Jason randomly jumps out of nowhere with that crazy soundtrack was too much. I was scared so bad that I had trouble taking a bath by myself and sleeping. Watching Friday the 13th at that age also increased my fright meter.

Clock Tower was really scary; because of the sense of complete helplessness. You could only run away, use the environment to stun Scissor Man, and hide as you are trying to solve puzzles that are bit more tricky than your typical survival horror games of today. Scissor Man can jump out of places you would normally hide and even attempt to kill you in places you are hiding. The atmosphere, lack of music, and chase music adds even more suspense. The game also had some cutscenes that freaked me out. This game would have taken the number one spot if Friday the 13th didn't terrorize me during my days as a child.

Resident Evil 3 was pretty crazy due to the fact that Nemisis was able to chase you around at blazing speed. Nemisis can open doors, use a rocket launcher, and out run Jill; which scared the crap out of me. Every time I ran from him he would be a second behind me before I escape through a door.

Resident Evil 4 was good, since the enemies were more lethal and a bit smarter than zombies and the different monsters and human like foes had some pretty brutal finishers. Plus the music and environments were pretty creepy.

Dead Island was simply a bit scary; because those zombies can get a good jump on you if you are not paying attention.

So what about you?

Despite the flaws of Dead Island the game is quite innovative. Techland took a classic genre and put a new spin on it. There is so much you can do in the game and you may find yourself playing for hours. Exploration is a really big part of this game; because you will find a lot of side quests and good weapons. Doing side quests usually results in getting good weapon mods. The RPG like system is also nice; because the game gets tougher as you level up. The ability to make weapons stronger and more deadly is always fun. And playing with other people is a blast, especially when you find a group of people who enjoy playing, talking, and working together as a team. I am a team player, so I don't mind giving people the items they need to modify weapons.

The combat system works great as well. The game's focus is more on melee combat. Every attack, jump, and sprint drains your stamia meter, so you have to be more careful you don't over exert yourself. And weapons also wear out over time; therefore you will have to repair weapons you want to keep at the cost of cash. The damage dealt to zombies is a lot like MK 9. Every hit adds more wounds and hitting the same spot creates deeper cuts. And a zombie game isn't complete without explosive objects and fire. You can throw propane tanks in the middle zombie hordes, blow them up, and watch the zombies turn into over cooked BBQ. The gun fights is pretty good too. The combat is fun.

There is trouble around every corner, you hear loud screams closing in, and you never know what you will find. The appearance of zombies are random, so it is good idea to have a variety of weapons for every situation. Too bad the punishment for death is too forgiving, because it kind of takes away the feeling of urgency. You just lose cash when you die and respawn, but the punishment price increases as you get more money.

If you want to take a break from zombie killing you can always be creative and come up with things to do. For instance, me and a few friends played a game of beach hockey with a beach ball and paddles after clearing the field of zombies. Of course our game gets interupted when it starts to get good, but adding zombies to the mix always makes the match a little more challenging. Truck racing is fun as well.

The game does have some annoying bugs that needs to be fixed; however this is a game I would encourage people to try, especially if you have an internet or LAN connection setup. I have been playing zombie games for years and Techland really did a nice job of coming up with a system a bit more unique. I encourage every gamer to give this game a try.

I was surprised to see one of my reviews mentioned by a big name of the community. Synthia happens to be a employee of Gamespot, or it was the best assumption I came up with based on the achievements earned. It is a honor to be mentioned. I do reviews; because gaming has been a hobby of mine since I was a kid. It kept me out trouble and I made some real good friends through gaming. I would just like to thank Synthia for mentioning me. Reviews are fun and I plan to review games that I play when I find the time. There are some reviews that I did that was a bit too self centered; however I believe my reviews are getting better little by little. Sometimes it can be hard to move away from bias and frustrations; but at the same time I feel sharing those things make my reviews fit my personality. One example of this was the review I did for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I let my frustrations with Capcom's tactics get the better of me and I wanted to share my frustration. I think I am going to move away from over doing it with frustrations; because it kind of throws off my reviews. I wish every other reviewer the best of luck in terms of getting mentioned.

I played street fighter far more than any other fighting game out there. I began playing king of fighters during the playstation one days. I was hooked on king of fighters 94. King of Fighters is pretty fun; but I kind of lost track of game after that. It wasn't until I visited some new arcade spots that my interest in king of fighters returned. King of Fighters 12 was lacking in characters, but the gameplay and animation was solid. The art style of the game was the art style I wish many 2D fighting games still had. The art style fits. I am not taking anything away from what capcom did with street fighter 4. I thought capcom did a nice job; but I just feel 2D art would have been the better choice. I would just like to thank SNK, Ark Works, and other companies for keeping 2D a live.

KOF 12 has an art style I have been looking for. It reminds me of games like street fighter third strike and garou mark of the wolves. The use of counters in KOF 12 added a new wow factor when a counter connects... a loud bang and the screen zooms in to showcase combo carnage. Very nice....

Then I played KOF 13. I was already convinced that the game will sell well in October after playing the game for 20 minutes. It has the art style of 12, but the sprite are a bit smaller and sharper. The characters seem to move a bit faster and the characters have more move variety. There is also a better character selection. The visuals of the game is still stunning and the neo max moves are quite spectacular. It looks like KOF is back and better than ever.

I am impatiently waiting for the release of street fighter third strike: online edition as well. The look of the game and the music always kept me pumped up. And the animation is just great. Plus I finally will get to the play the game online. I always knew this day would come, I just didn't know when.

2D fighters are back...bady!!!!

I am going back to old school games this week. After cleaning my room and special game room I took a look at the old games from my ps2 collection and decided to go retro. I had a blast playing Contra Shattered Soldier a while ago and I plan on playing DBZ budokai 3 again. Maybe I will play a little more street fighter alpha anthology as well. Playing those games always remind me of the good old days of gaming. LOL. I even decided to do a few reviews of some games I already own and played. I may do some more old school game reviews later this month. And playing those games help me appreciate what we gamers have now. So do yourself a favor and break out the classics.