Man, it's been way too long since I posted a blog without actually deleting it on GS (I promise I won't delete this one @_@ ). For those that are closest to me, or know me enough to have witnessed my annoying habits, they'd be fully aware of the fact that I'm somewhat of a lazy perfectionist. If I don't like how something looks or sounds, I won't hesitate to trash it and start all over and alternatively, if I feel like I can't give 100% for any reason, I don't just bother. So forgive me if you've seen blog titles appear and suddenly disappear from GS's databases, it's my own damn habit that's to blame.

Putting that all aside, let's talk about some games for a change. It was exactly June 11th, 2010 since I "casually" wrote about any video game title I was currently playing, so it's high time.

Killzone 3:

(token turret gun sequence #1)

Ok listen, from a technical standpoint, Killzone 3 performed like a perfectly sound game. It had all the visual flare commonly associated with a next gen shooter (sharp textures, lively and sporadically explosive environments, awesome set pieces) and from an auditory standpoint, it offered up a worthy accompaniment of background noise with a musical score that set the tone pretty well (although, I was getting a heavy Star Wars vibe at certain points which was just plain weird o_O).

But despite all these technicalities, KZ3 still felt very hollow to me. I've been on this roller coaster ride several times before (plow through faceless enemies on a linear map, get placed in an on the rails shooting mission, proceed to stealth mission, get sent on a loan suicide mission, etc. etc.), all missions taking place from the perspective of two gun ho soldiers (as if more than one or two people couldn't save the world for a change). This entire game felt like one giant typecast, with a lazy ending that sealed my opinion permanently.

Infamous:

I love this title and I'm not entirely sure why. It probably has something to do with my love for the Super Hero. Since I was a kid I've always loved the super hero mythos (I even have a giant marvel, framed poster in my spot to let everyone know this), having godly powers and being able to do what you wanted with it, absent of all restraints. Infamous fulfills this need but not to the ridiculously limitless degree that Prototype offered.

Powers come gradually so this puts you on equal footing with your enemies for the most part. I began to appreciate the minimal differences as I experimented and began to use the environments to my advantage (blowing up cars, electrifying nearby water, using elevation). The missions are pretty repetitive and drab for the most part, but for some reason I didn't mind. The solid gameplay is taking precedence over the narrative for me (which still isn't bad) and so far I'm having a blast.

Dead Space 2:

A lot of people love to equate survival horror with the following conditions; less guns bundled with terrifying enemies. This is flawed; survival is survival regardless of the kind of ammo you're packing or lack thereof. The real physiological difference stems from the difficulty. Regardless of whether you have more or less guns, if I can breeze through an enemy without a sweat, any potential fear is immediately removed as a result.

With Dead Space 2, survival became a pretty repeated process for me as I kept dying thanks to a steeper difficulty level. I suddenly found myself a lot more on edge, walking slowly (instead of running), constantly checking my ammo and planning ahead for conservation purposes, and deciding how I should deal with an incoming threat.

We have titles like Silent Hill and Fatal Frame which have been branded true survival titles based upon these so called conditions, but it's a misplaced entitlement. These games provided an element of horror through a selection of imagery and environments that were designed to disturb you rather than out right scare (enemies however were laughably avoidable). It was that constant feeling of being uncomfortable throughout the experience that helped these two franchises stand out, and I felt a similar response with DS2, which had more to do with general caution than anything else - just as prime of an element when it comes to horror.

Dead Island: Official Anouncement Trailer

Even if it were from a movie, I'd still be impressed. The choice of music, the start and finish of a tragic moment set in time, combined with the use of a young child, which is typically taboo within the industry. While this says absolutely nothing about the merits of this title as a video game, it says wonders about the narrative direction. I really don't have much else to say..

You probably don't know this guy but his name's Nicola Godin and he's the game designer for Your Shape: Fitness Evolved for the Kinect. I interviewed him recently and as you can tell by his facial expression, he loves his creation. Now I'm not a particularly huge supporter of the device, because I'm not the immediate target audience. I do recognize however, what it does well. I had a chance to get some hands on with the exergame as they call it and the simple fact of the matter is that it works and Nicola's enthusiasm for the product definitely helped in raising my hopes for the technology.

Your movements are on point, the interface is very welcoming as you guys have most likely seen and the actual exercises seem to have been well researched (I broke a sweat). I also like the fact that the mere nature of the technology creates a regimin that makes it hard to cheat *unlike other exercise routines*. I definitely will be eyeing the Kinect a little more closely this time around, especially when pc enthusiasts begin to unlock more of its capabilities via software.

PS: As you can tell, I still write for Urbanology Magazine, hence the access to these exclusive events, interviews etc. I don't like to write about it too much because it feels like showing off to me, but if you guys want more information about it all, I'll gladly post more of these, since you as daily gamers will appreciate it the most.

It's almost that time of the year again, a time when I get to spend an entire day with fam that I only get to see once a year, should be good times! *twitchy smile*

But really, I love my extended family and I like you guys, so I'm wishing yall a Merry Christmas, Happy Hollidays and Happy Festivus!

I don't usually post twice in a day, but Jim Sterling's Destructoid article really annoyed me and I had to comment on it.

Jim Sterling recently responded to Braid developer, Jonathan Blow's heated response to a CVG article that supposedly placed him in a negative light in relation to Microsoft's approach to indie development, which essentially placed something he said within the wrong context. Jim quoted CVG's article in a previous blog post and felt that he needed to defend himself and CVG in the process after Blow blasted the publication in a blog. (how do you even defend CVG, they are the lowest of the low)

During this rant for those with even minuscule reading comprehension skills, it became clear that Jim was essentially admitting to being a website that now had to cater to the lowest common denominator because according to him, no one wanted to read long detailed interviews or editorials. In the process he also practically assured that any and all developers should expect to have their words twisted for the sake of petty system war material so that hits can be generated. (While ragging on Kotaku in the process….rich).

I read between all the astutely handled words that were meant to draw pity and acceptance from the reader and deciphered a pretty clear statement that depresses me as a follower "Real Journalism doesn't bring in the moola, so posting about boobs and system war related nonsense is the way to go, unless you can figure out a better way for us to make that money, you have no right to complain". As a developer I would absolutely dread at the prospect of a journalist twisting my words as Jim so clearly admitted to supporting for the sake of profit, and I have no idea how this tactic helps this industry mature as far as coverage goes.

Despite his personal stance, what I loathe almost just as much are the replies that followed, which only further reaffirmed his position. It's like they were all saying, "yeah you're right, make that money and continue to provide me with the utmost dumbed down content just so you could stick around a little big longer", while in the process trashing Jonathan for supposedly handling it like a douche because Jim quoted one singular attack driven line from an entire blog post that clearly stated why such tactics can hurt him along with others as indie developers.

"When this kind of hack-job is written, it hurts indie developers: it harms our relationship with our business partners like Microsoft or Sony when they think that we called an interview just to trash them in public (or when they know we didn't really do that, but they have to deal with the PR fallout of the public thinking we did, which is just as bad.) It harms my reputation with players because they think I called an interview just to make a big deal out of bashing Microsoft and generally being negative (which I did not do!) It does an injustice to people who want to read about thoughtful discussions in video games; it does this not only by failing to point out the thoughtful parts of the interview, but by injecting extra noise into the sphere of discussion, making it harder for everyone to find anything thoughtful." - Jonathan Blow - The Witness

I'm not sure how you can read John's blog post and not understand the common frustration that's shared among many developers from this industry in regards to words are constantly being twisted for the sake of profit, only to read a piece like Jim's afterwards that asks for your understanding and respect afterwards, as if it was entitled to recieve it. Let me know your opinions on this growing trend, do you guys like the direction of sensationalist coverage that has been going on for years now because I'm getting pretty sick of it.

Having been an Xbox 360 gamer for so long, I feel thankful for having seen the grass on both sides now that I own a PS3, enough to produce a general opinion on the system's strengths and weaknesses comparatively to the competition. Just like most of my opinions, it's all subjective in nature so if you don't agree then that's your right.

Strengths:

Multi Media Capabilities:

I was actually surprised by how multi-media rich the PS3 actually was straight out of the box. I'm not simply talking Blu-Ray playback, but rather, media server capabilities. For those less technically minded, it means being able to stream video content from my netbook directly to my PS3 wirelessly without the use of any sort of media center. All it took was an install of a single program and it was instantly recognized on my system along with my hard-drives etc. All of that however would be completely useless without the multitude of video formats it supports. I honestly didn't expect it to be able to play 720p or 1080p mkv files but it did so without a hitch.

The Build:

This thing is quiet, amazingly so. It makes such a difference with my movie watching and video gaming since I value atmosphere and sound so much (which might I add, the PS3 makes excellent use of its sound output capabilities). It just seems like a quality machine build wise and I feel confident in its ability to last as long as I'd like it to. The Xbox 360 however always left me with a subconscious dread that it may give up on me at any second, which isn't something any gamer should have to worry about after spending a good 200 dollars.

The Games:

I haven't even touched a fraction of the PS3's exclusive library, but having played just half of Uncharted 2; I can definitely see the raw technical differences between the two systems. I noticed this quite easily when I played God of War III months ago, but it just seems to be becoming more pronounced. I also see a heavy single player focus with the upcoming titles I'm seeking to play, which appeals to my tastes. So I have a lot to look forward to.

Weaknesses

The Install:

I understand the appeal of the Blu-ray addition to the console. I've heard many PS3 owners brag about this supposed strength. However, for the many of the titles I've checked out, they all seem to sacrifice the luxury of inserting a game and playing straight from the get-go for size. Yes, the alternatives are those pesky install times. The PS3's Blu-ray player for most intensive purposes is simply too slow to play a lot of titles straight from the disc and this is becoming increasingly clear. Having to wait five to ten minutes to play a freshly inserted title pales in comparison to taking seconds out of my time to change a disc (which happened maybe twice during my 360's entire life span).

PlayStation Store Demos:

Install times also seem to plague demos as well. I know that the act of downloading and installing a demo hardly seems new to a PC gamer, but for some reason it seems entirely backwards as a PS3 owner after having been exposed to the instant download and play scheme XBL sports. It wouldn't even be a problem if it didn't take ten or so minutes to install a standard 1 gig title.

PSN:

I actually don't mind PSN, mostly because it offers a free online alternative, but despite that, I'm starting to clearly understand why some individuals prefer XBL regardless of the subscription price. It's just a more appealing interface, with an obvious focus on more community and social features. PSN however, feels sterile in comparison, an afterthought, with your friends list tucked to one side along with brief descriptions of what they're playing as opposed to actually having access to detailed information, like what level your friend was actually on within a given game.

Overall:

Despite the negatives, all the aspects that I personally value in a system seem pretty damn sound and then some. So I'm definitely not regretting my purchase. The only difficulty I have now is deciding what title to purchase next. Demons Souls is unquestionably high on my list.

Yes, it has been too long Playstation...

...reunited and it feels so goooood!

As far as PS3 exclusives go, I may be setting the bar a bit high by starting off with Uncharted 2 but it came bundled with a deal that I couldn't resist.

Now this isn't to say that I've abandoned my Xbox 360 library. I fully intend to purchase another system in a month or two, but for now thanks to the holiday deals that are surfacing, I thought it would be a great time to finally re-enter the Playstation family. (and I simply wouldn't feel confident as a writer with an up and coming video-game website if I knew that I abandoned the chance to play all of the best this generation has/had to offer. *no, I haven't forgotten about the Wii*)

For those with PSN accounts, go ahead and drop me a line in the comments section with your ID's. As for my own, I kept it pretty simple. Crystalvision83.

PS3 Impressions coming in a later blog.

I just finished watching a heart wrenching flick called Darfur, which is naturally about the genocides that have and are still happening within the region of Sudan. I've always invested a certain interest towards the conflict but I normally view it in the same manner as I view the Aids crisis, a situation that seems ridiculously hard to control or stop – as a result, I'm admit-tingly desensitized to the tragedies, but I'm actively interested nonetheless.

This movie eases itself into the conflict like any mainstream flick would. You have a bunch of Caucasian naive American journalists going within the region with the sole intent of acquiring a great story, of course without completely realizing the entire scope and seriousness of the situation.

Now when I say naive, try a professional journalist questioning the idea of children being recruited as soldiers, this is a fact that most should know by now and it made me cringe hearing her repeat it. It's safe to say that I certainly didn't expect an amazing script going further into this movie, but I expected an accurate portrayal of the crimes that occurred and I got more than I expected.

It was a very hard movie to watch and it was a film that didn't hold back for a second. Children were graphically murdered, females were raped and butchered, I was literally angry throughout which isn't something that normally happens since films are such a passive thing to me.

The violence and realism overshadowed the incredibly conventional story arc which was mostly grounded on non-fictional crimes that happened every day, and I came away from the movie with a certain amount of respect for whoever decided to push the boundaries necessary to show what most of us rarely want or get to see.

As the credits began to roll, I suddenly had a conflict of the mind when I saw Uwe Bowl's name listed... This is a director that was known to push some of the most unnecessary boundaries for the sake of gaining the attention of the public, with Postal being a prime example, and I had to question whether or not this flick was genuine in its message. Did he portray a damn infant being impaled for the sake of showing the truth or for gaining attention? I guess in the end I decided that it really didn't matter because before I saw his name I felt genuine sadness and it made me want to read up more about the conflict, which is what every movie of this nature should aim to accomplish. Yes, it's surprising to utter these words, but Uwe Bowl actually made a decent movie.

So this is maybe the fourth time my Xbox 360 has died but this isn't a simple RROD error, this is a 0001 error. What this translates into for those less informed, is a complete internal problem (could be a short, could be fried in some way, a part likely needs to be replaced or re-soldered) because it isn't recieving any power whatsoever. When I turn on my 360 it won't even respond, it'll simply give me the three red lights without any sign of life which is not normal. I'm so @#$@# pissed right now I can barely retain my anger because this couldn't have happened at a worse possible time.

So my main outlet for reviewing titles is essentially gone until who knows when, but I'm still going to launch the website regardless. To top it off, COD: BO's is just around the corner. I don't understand how engineers who consider themselves professionals can make such a horribly unreliable product. I have a computer background so when I look at images of the insides of this thing, it just pisses me off how poorly things were designed...(why rest a dvd rom drive over the GPU's heat sink and not impliment some sort of gpu focused fan for instance). I normally avoid talking about this because it's just a recycled complaint but I needed to vent. I need a f@#4@# drink....

So here is my Gamespot version of my Enslaved review which I wrote a couple of days ago. Now I originally intended to have this be one of the first few reviews on my website but I thought I'd post it here anyway. Let me know what you think. This is basically the quality I'm going for when it comes to my own reviews, but hopefully other volunteers can bring a different side (humorous etc).

The term escort mission has undeniably received quite a bad rap over the years amongst gamers; it's one of those uncomfortable gameplay methods that can bring some of the most uncharacteristically vindictive hisses and curses from behind the hilt of a controller. Much like another irritating system known as backtracking, few titles have managed to unitize these gameplay concepts without falling victim to the associated flaws that make them weak by design. So it was a surprise to find a developer ballsy enough to base a videogame entirely around this much stigmatized genre.

Straight from the beginning of the game, it was clear that Enslaved was not going to waste time setting up the major backbone that would hold the two main protagonists together throughout the journey. It was the simple words "I die, you die" uttered by the technically minded and cautious female named Trip, to the more brawny and mile tempered fighter named Monkey, that helped illuminate why two completely opposite personalities would have to rely on each other under less than ideal circumstances. You immediately got the sense that character development was being paid with a lot more thoughtfulness than the surrounding plot – a refreshing take when compared to the plethora of games that put too much stock on telling a decent back-story.

Since most readers upon finding this review likely familiarized themselves with the basic storyline, it isn't necessary to repeat information in regards to the overall story arc. However, it's the world surrounding the two fictional characters that needs recounting.

You quickly find out that the depressive locale that Trip and Monkey reside in is actually a New York City set one hundred and fifty years into the future, within a world that has gone through one too many wars to the point where near human extinction is a reality and robotic creatures are the stereotypically dominant species. Despite the all too familiar scenario, it's important to note that visually, it isn't the rusty metallic visual look we'd often come to expect from most post-apocalyptic settings, rather it's a game that sports a surprisingly lush and green aesthetic. One of the very first visual highlights you notice is a dying world that ironically seems teeming with life – Broken down buildings with rich green foliage, a sky that seemed surprisingly blue; along with some unique character design choices all brought a certain beauty to an otherwise bleak world.

It all makes traversing throughout each mission all the more easier, and you'll definitely be doing a lot of that throughout your journey. Due to the fact this is mostly an escort mission, making use of each character's unique abilities comes into play. Trip, despite her frailty, doesn't fall under the same guise that makes so many escorts a frustrating pain, in other words, she isn't completely useless. Her abilities naturally coincide with your own (that being Monkey), she can use her tech savvy gadgets to sway enemy fire in her direction, or alert you of potential traps. However, much of her skills are defensive in nature which makes her particularly vulnerable to any sort of combative danger. But this is where Monkey's natural strength and agility comes into play.

The symbiotic relationship works so well between the two characters that you often feel like it's your obligation to protect Trip rather then it feeling like a forced task. On the combat end of things, Monkey is capable of handling most of the dirty work without a sweat, which is a great thing until you realize that this trend continues throughout the game. It's just too easy.

While you're given the ability to upgrade certain moves, enemies hardly put up a challenging fight and they usually sport the same move sets per encounter. The fixed camera angle usually present during a fight also adds a welcome cinematic flare to the action and works well, most of the time. The problem comes from a view point that normally remains fixated on your character throughout the action, which ultimately hampers your view of potential sneak attacks – a big no no for an action title.

You can also be expected to perform quite a bit of traditional plat-forming as hinted by the character's nick name, Monkey. For the most part, plat-forming within Enslaved provides more eye candy than actual challenge. Much of the appeal comes from watching the wonderfully animated Monkey effortlessly traverse the environment but it's a visual flare that comes at the cost of over simplification. Simply positioning monkey in the right direction and pressing a single button will always get you where you need to go without much effort – it's literally impossible to fall to your death. This is unfortunate since so much of the game provides you with the sort of death defying moments that would normally cause your heart to skip a beat, but with the prior knowledge of invincibility; it only takes the thrill out of the plat-forming segments.

Despite these various weaknesses, Enslaved never allows the gamer to focus on one element for too long. Thanks to some great pacing, It's a game that provides the player with some clever and memorable moments throughout. At one point you may be trying to evade bullets while Trip comically attempts to handle a vehicle without knowing how to drive, or you may find yourself trying to run away from an unstoppable mechanical forty foot dog with Trip hugged onto your back. It's a great method of pacing, and it also lends itself well to the game's greatest strength, the story telling.

Now you may be surprised when it's said that the plot isn't all that original or new, in fact it's mostly based on an ancient tale, and so, much of the back story would seem derivative regardless. This isn't where its strength comes from; it's the subtly handled relationship between Monkey and Trip that sets it apart from most story driven titles.

Thanks to some cleverly handled facial animations carried on from Ninja Theory's previous title, Heavenly Sword, every nuance of emotion can be seen between the two protagonists without a single word having to be spoken. You'll notice fear, distrust, curiosity, jealousy, humor, disappointment and anger without the robotically awkward expressions that often plague other titles. The great script also lends itself well to the overall story.

When it's all said and done, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West stands as a beautifully told tale that helps it excel as a cinematic joy ride, but with a few glaring flaws that ultimately prevent it from being truly excellent as a videogame. If you're one of those gamers that gains more value in a richly told character driven plot, than you should definitely give Enslaved a try.