Monthly Archives: August 2009

First Impressions: Wolfenstein (PS3)

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Posted by Rob on August 20, 2009 – 5:39 pm
Filed under Video Games
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wolfensteincover

Finally got Wolfenstein in from Gamefly. They shipped it Monday, but I didnt receive it until today (Thursday). But enough about how slow shipping is. Onto my first impresions of the game!

Wolfenstein is a FPS set during WWII. The basic story is interesting, as it has the Nazi’s doing some crazy occult stuff, and its up to you (Agent B.J. Blazokwicz) to put a stop to it. So you run around, shoot Nazis and creatures from another dimension, and collect gold and intel pickups. You also get cash at the end of each mission, which can be used to purchase new weapons and upgrades. What was interesting was upon starting the first mission, I was rewarded bonus cash for playing Wolfenstein 3D from the PSN.I didnt play too much into it, so I only got $1000, but I wonder if I play more I get more cash, and possibly some other goodies.

The difference-maker in the game is the Thule Medallion. Its an artifact you receive early on, and you use it to alter the environment. For example, the two powers I have for it allow you to either view the environment with enhanced senses to easily pick out key locations, and also lets you slow down time, making it easier to dodge traps and bullets.

Also, in between missions you go to the town, from which you interact with individuals to prompt the next mission. You can also search the town for gold and intel documents, and take down Nazi soldiers who are patrolling the area.

So far its a lot of fun. The WWII setting, and the occult twist, has definitely got me hooked, and I already know I’ll be playing this game through. There is also an online competitive multiplayer mode which I have not checked out yet, but I will get around to it eventually.

What Shell Said- 8/19/09

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Posted by Rob on August 19, 2009 – 10:24 pm
Filed under What Shell Said

She was sleeping on the couch. She suddenly wakes up in a laughing fit. I look at her.

“Whats so funny? What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.”

“Ok…”

Laughter continues

“So whats so funny.”

“You have it.”

“Have what?”

“The thingy…I dont know what its called…”

“Loki?”

“No…the highlighter thing. The marker.”

“You want me to get you the highlighter?”

“Not now…Im just saying you have it…”

“Ok…”

PS3 Finally Gets Trophy Cards…Called Portable ID’s

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Posted by Rob on August 19, 2009 – 8:08 pm
Filed under Video Games
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Get your Portable ID!

So as you can see above me, this is the new PS3 “trophy card”, which is being referred to as a Portable ID. Its available directly through the official PS3 website, and is a great feature they finally got around to doing. I was using Playfire for awhile to show off my trophies, but the problem was that to stay accurate you had to manually update and add trophies you acquired. This was not cool because not only was it a pain in the ass to constantly go on there whenever you received a trophy before you forgot about it, but anybody could claim they got any trophy and be a deuche about it.

So it took me awhile to figure out how to pop it on forum site like co-optimus but with the help of some forum members I was able to pop it on. The problem was that the Portable ID only comes with a html code, which is fine for my blog, but doesnt cut the mustard on forum sites, so I needed help creating a new code.

Anywho, its done, and its about time. It took Sony waaay too long to figure this out. There were a couple of independent sites offering this service, and Microsoft has been giving 360ers Achievement Cards (not sure what the official name is) for awhile now. So with this, Sony takes one more step towards competing with Microsoft. The price cut was a good thing, and this is also. Its silly to not offer the same services that the 360 does, even if 360ers have to pay. I’ll glady pay an annual price for online support if its as good as Microsofts. The only thing missing now is the damn voice chat. Is it so much to ask to be able to have a voice chat room running in the background while you play a single player game?!

Rangers Also Snag Vaclav (Vinny) Prospal

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Posted by Rob on August 19, 2009 – 9:08 am
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The Rangers have added yet another veteran to their ranks for next season with Prospal, who is coming over from waivers from Tampa Bay (where he did play with Tortella for a bit). This goes along with them already picking up Marian Gaborik earlier this summer.

I have no problem with Prospal. He has been on several of my fantasy teams for a couple of years, and I am familiar with him. I look forward to what he will be able to offer the team come September (yes, I do count and watch the pre-season games).

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Lots of PS3 Goodness at Gamescom

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Posted by Rob on August 18, 2009 – 7:59 pm
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Today was Gamescom, which is some kind of video game thingy in Europe. Anywho, Sony used it to release some interesting information.

First and foremost is that not only is the PS3 getting a price cut, they are also introducing a slim model. This is cool because the current one is so freakin big and bulky. As far as the price goes, its about time. The PS3 default console will now be $299, a $100 price cut. This is essential, because for the longest time the PS3 was soooo much more expensive than the 360. Now the PS3 can compete more directly with the 360 as far as price goes.

They will also be revamping the XMB with a firmware patch which will be released on Sept. 1. Should make things like the friends list and trophies more user friendly and easier to view.

There was also some PSP news, which I didnt care as much about since I think the DS > PSP. However, one cool feature is that you can view comic books on the PSP now, which I think is pretty neat. I think that, to me, the PSP is kinda like a whole other console, in which you really have to put a lot of time into playing the games. As in, the games are pretty in-depth. The thing about the DS is that its casual, made for quick gaming on the go. I like the DS better than the PSP for this reason and others.

So there were some good reveals at Gamescom. Of course, they missed out on the most important: VOICE CHAT!!! To this day I still cannot believe that I cant be playing a single player game and chatting with someone else playing a different single player game. This is my biggest complaint with the PS3 to this day. I just want to be able to sit back and play inFamous one night while talking to Steve as he plays Ghostbusters. Is that so much to ask Sony? Is it???

Steve is a Fool for Simpsons Season 12

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Posted by Rob on August 18, 2009 – 6:56 pm
Filed under Randomness, TV Shows
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season-12-dvd

So today was the day Simpsons Season 12 hit DVD shelves. In the past, I have ALWAYS bought it on release day, hurried home, and finished the season within 2-3 days. However, now that I am trying to spend less and whatnot, I decided to suffer and hold off until Christmas. I already made my parents promise they would get it, so at least I know I will receive it at some point.

Steve is another story. I knew he has bought all the seasons as well, and that he would be buying this one eventually. Since he works for BestBuy on the weekends, I figured he would wait until then. Now his birthday is next week, and I thought it would be cool to get him Simpsons for his birthday. However, since Im up here I cant see him for it, and he was going to be working before his birthday, so he could have bought it before I saw him. So I decided to pre-order it from amazon, so it would reach his house today, the day it hit shelves.

However, I did not count on him going to BestBuy on his lunch break today…

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Sacred 2 Update

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Posted by Rob on August 18, 2009 – 6:43 pm
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So many of my video game posts are about Sacred 2. I guess its one of my most favorite PS3 games. I also tend to go more indepth with it, creating my own strategy guides and what not for it. I also noticed that my Sacred 2 posts are the most popular posts, according to my site traffic reports.

Thus, I decided to make a separate catagory for Sacred 2. I will still be tagging these posts under video games, but they will also be under Sacred 2 as well. Just to try and get some more attention.

So I think I will be making up some more build guides soon. As of today, I have:

Level 48 Shadow Warrior

Level 38 High Elf

Level 21 Inquisitor

Level 18 Dryad

Level 15 Seraphin

Level 11 Temple Guardian

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First Trade-In to Gamefly

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Posted by Rob on August 17, 2009 – 9:00 pm
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I had intended on selling my copy of LittleBigPlanet on ebay. However, when doing it I had forgotten to enter a reserve price, and of course ebay is gay and wont let you revise it to include one. Thus, I had no choice but to cancel it. My auction was only going for $3.75, and there were other auctions ending later that had higher bids.

I still wanted to get rid of the game. I didnt want to go to Gamestop because turning in one game is a rip off. Gamestop is only good if you’re selling at least six or more games back to them. Plus, Gamestop doesnt tell you what they will give you for the game…you have to march over to the store and ask in person. I went to amazon, and they were offering $15.25 for it. But in the end, Gamefly had the best value, at $25.

I had to sell the game now, because like I said in another post, the GOTY edition is coming out soon, after which this original version will be worth nothing. So I decided to take $25 in Gamefly credit over $15 in amazon credit. The good news is that the Gamefly credit can be used towards my subscription, so I’ll be able to stick around for another month or two.

So for the actual process, I went on their website and searched for the game. They then stated the price they would give me for it. After accepting the price, I had to enter the UPC for the game. I assume this is to ensure them that you own the original display box for the game, as both the box and instruction manual are required in order to get the trade in. After entering the UPC, the deal was finalized. It took me to a page where I printed out the packing slip and mailing slip. The packing slip confirms the game(s) being traded in and the price that Gamefly quoted it at. You also have ten days to get it to them, as after ten days they have the right to change the value of the game.

So I will be shipping out tomorrow. So far the transaction went smoothly. I will see how it goes when they get it and give me credit, though I do anticipate a pleasant experience.

Another Weekend at Home

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Posted by Rob on August 17, 2009 – 8:37 pm
Filed under My Personal Life

So last weekend went fairly well. I started Saturday morning easy, playing some Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, and then watching a few episodes of The Simpsons while Shell made a cake and got ready. We left the house at 12, and our first stop on the way down was in Catskill, at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. Cole was one of the first true “American” painters, and I actually taught a lesson on Cole for one of my last classes while student teaching last semester. It was a bit disappointing. While the place was his actual house/work shop, they  had very few of his paintings on hand. Most are scattered across the U.S. at other museums. This was disappointing because I had hoped to see more of his work there.

After that we headed down to Shell’s dads house, and hung out there for an hour or so, shooting the breeze. We then headed to Red Lobster for dinner. I orderd their new jambalya dish, and the waitress had the nerve to say “just so you know its a little spicy”. I was like “Im counting on it, thats why I ordered jambalya.” Still, I didnt expect it to be spicy since it is a chain restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised with it. Personally, I would have liked a bit more spice, but it was spicier than I expected. The shrimp and andeue sausage were pretty tasty, and it had the “holy trinity” of peppers, onions, and celery (though I think traditionally the celery is substitiuted by okra.)

After dinner we headed to The Castle, which is a mini golf place in Chester. Well, it USED to be just a mini golf place, with a lame arcade, batting cages, and go karts thrown in. They have recently remodeled, and added rock climbing, laser tag, and a pub/restaurant. We didnt check out any of the new stuff, and just stuck to the mini golf. Shell’s dad is a putting machine, and put us both to shame. I got one hole in one, and could have had three if the courses werent in such shoddy disrepair that the ball constantly missed the hole my a millimeter due to cracks and sags. I did come in second place though, which is a first for me. Im usually dead last.

After that we went to Ritas for some ice. I love the place. Their ice is sooo delicious, and they usually have great flavors. They actually had a Swedish Fish flavor, and being a fan I had to try it. It was good, and tasted like Swedish Fish, but I couldnt see eating an entire ice of it. Instead I stuck with a plain vanilla cream, which is awesome.

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Happy 20th Anniversary Sega Genesis!!!

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Posted by Rob on August 14, 2009 – 9:51 pm
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sonic2_1

Today was the 20th anniversary of the U.S. release of the Sega Genesis. Since Im writing this, you are correct to assume that I owned a Sega Genesis back in the day. My first console was the NES, and eventually it was time to upgrade. I had two choices…the SNES or the Genesis. I dont remember why, but in the end the Sega won. I loved my Sega, until the day I replaced it with a PS1. Talk about brand loyality! However, I was happy with the PS1, and have since not strayed, still rocking my Ps2 and PS3. But I digress.

Sega was sweet. I remember how sharp and beautiful I thought it was, especially the original Sonic games. Sega had quite a few awesome multiplayer games such as  Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, and that cowboy shooting game I always forget about (not MadDog for the Sega CD, the cool side-scrolling one.) I also loved Road Rash, and they freakin’ NEED to make a new version of that for the next-gen consoles. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR EA?!?!?!

Then came the six-button controller, and I had a blast using that with Street Fighter II, the BEST fighting game ever made. I popped sooo much time into that game. Oh yeah, there was also that Eternal Champions fighting game, which was weird. It was a neat premise, but I remember it being REALLY slow, like all the characters were extremely groggy.

I also had a collection of Disney games, both because I liked Disney when I was younger (and I still do dammit) and because of my younger sister. We both played those games, like Aladdin and Lion King. I remember when she would play to a certain point where she got stuck, then I would take over and get her past a level or two, then she would play again. The ol’ pass-and-play. Oh, and we also used to play the crap out of NBA Jam. That game was the shizzle back then. Someof my all-time favorite catchphrases from a video game are “He’s Heating Up”,  “He’s on Fire!” and “The Nail in the Coffin!”

So yeah, I had some great experiences with my Sega. Once again, I dont know what made me choose the PS1 over the Dreamcast, but I think I made a good choice, and dont regret it. In memory of today, I will pop in some Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection on my Ps3 and rock through some games.

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Selling LittleBigPlanet

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Posted by Rob on August 14, 2009 – 9:38 pm
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lbp-goty

I saw that the LittleBigPlanet GOTY edition is coming out soon. Thats when I remembered that I actually owned the game. Problem was, I never played it. Its a great premise and all, but I found several of the levels too challenging. The one time my friend got it in from Gamefly and we were going to play it, we never got around to it because I had to wait two hours for him to get through the beginning stages before he could play online.

I tried my hand at creating a level, and even watched all the tutorials. But that was the problem…there were too many tutorials. The create a level was awesome, no doubt about it, but I couldnt handle the complexities of it.

So needless to say, with the GOTY edition coming out soon, I figured I should take advantage and sell my copy now, while the price is right. I could have traded it in to Gamefly for $25, but I decided to take the ebay route instead, and am selling it there. I hope to make at least $25 on it…

Another Family Weekend

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Posted by Rob on August 14, 2009 – 9:30 pm
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Tomorrow Shell and I are headed down to Middletown to see the rents. On Saturday we will be seeing her Dad, and on Sunday we will be at my rents house. My family from New Hampshire are coming down, and its always pretty sweet to see them. My cousin is actually working on the invitations for our wedding, so I think we will be pouring over templates as well.

The Vain Quest for the Sacred 2 Survivalist Trophy

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Posted by Rob on August 14, 2009 – 7:09 pm
Filed under Sacred 2, Video Games
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I got up this morning with a mission. My goal was to start up a brand new Shadow Warrior and rock through the bronze difficulty. The point of this was to snag four trophies:

Scrooge- Dont buy anything from merchant

Dedicated- Complete story with only 20% or less of the map explored

Survivalist- Complete story without dying

Dark Ruler of Ancaria- Complete the Shadow story

So I actually ended up rocking through the whole thing  just today. The main quest is not long, and without doing any sidequests it took me about 7 hours, which isnt too bad.

However, unfortunately, when fighting the last boss, I faced my first and only death, thus ruining it for me from getting the Survivalist trophy. I will have to do this all over again at some point to get that trophy, but not for awhile.

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Google Latitude…A Stalkers Dream Come True

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Posted by Rob on August 13, 2009 – 11:44 pm
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So last week, Steve sends me an invite to join him on Google Latitude. I didnt know what it was, but was intrigued to try new google apps for my phone.

Latitude is an extention of Google Maps. Basically, you register your cell phone with Latitude. It then shows your location on Maps based on where your phone is, with a 500 foot margin of error. Its pretty ridiculous, but also pretty accurate. Steve left for vacation on Saturday, and I was able to watch him go from New York, through Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina, before finally arriving in South Carolina. On the flip side, he watched me as I went from East Greenbush to Poughkeepsie to Brooklyn, and the falling days he tracked me through Manhattan and Red Hook. The entire weekend both Shell and Cara thought I was “creepy” for seeing where Steve was, so I just did it more to be a jerk.

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Uncharted Finally Getting a Price Drop!

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Posted by Rob on August 13, 2009 – 6:47 pm
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Its about damn time! One of the best PS3 games, Uncharted, is finally going to see a price drop. The game has been out for a long time, and has never seen a drop. The used price is still around $40-45, which is ridiculous for such an old game. Im very excited, and hope to pick it up on the cheap someday soon.

I played the game early on. I had enjoyed the demo, and it was one of the first games I rented from Gamefly. I had a blast rocking through it, and since I wasnt in school at the time, I rocked through it in like two days. However, my internet was out at the time, so I never installed the trophy patch. So I got all these trophies, but they never registered on my official trophy collection.

Thus, I want the game to play through it again. First, because it was so awesome, and secondly, because I needs my trophies!

Finally Beat Sacred 2…on Silver…

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Posted by Rob on August 13, 2009 – 2:42 pm
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So it is done. What I thought I would never do I did. I completed the story for the silver difficulty on Sacred 2.

It was a blast. The last boss battle was ridiculous.

But I am nowhere near through yet.There are still oh so many trophies to be had. Plus Im going to take my character through the gold difficulty now for ever more XP goodness.

Gamefly Lasts at Least One More Month…

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Posted by Rob on August 13, 2009 – 12:04 am
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So as many of you may know, I recently purchased my first smart phone (BlackBerry), so I had to prepare for the increased monthly bill to compensate for the internet usage and whatnot. My plan was to cancel my old phone’s insurance, drop down my text plan, and to cancel Gamefly, in order to kind of break even.

Well, I dropped the insurance and texting, but not Gamefly.

My Gamefly account renews on the 8th of each month. So on August 7th, I sadly went to Gamefly’s site to cancel my subscription. When I clicked “Im sure I want to cancel”, it took me to a new screen with an amazing offer. Basically, they said “Hey, give us another chance. We’ll only charge you $8.99″. I was paying $15.99, so this was a steal. I was tempted for mere seconds before giving in to the savings. Plus, I had not finished InFamous yet, and was sad that I was getting ready to send it back without beating it.

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Finally Caught Up in Sacred 2

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Posted by Rob on August 12, 2009 – 8:49 pm
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Well, my new Shadow Warrior has finally surpassed the older one, in terms of leveling and exploring. I had originally restarted with a new SW because my old one was broken, since I was still learning to play the game. He was level 44. Today my new SW not only reached level 44, but also made his way out of the swamp area into the desert (my original SW was still plodding along in the swamp).

I would love to eventually beat this game, but I have so much fun exploring, grinding, and side questing. Who knows when I will…not very soon at the rate Im going…

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Movie Review: Funny People

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Posted by Rob on August 12, 2009 – 5:31 pm
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Shell and I went to see Funny People this Monday. I have been a fan of Adam Sander, through all his ups and downs. Also, I really like Seth Rogen, and dont think he’s done any wrong yet from the movies Ive seen. Finally, I really liked Judd Apatow’s other works like 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. So with all these factors, I had to see the movie.

It was pretty awesome. Its Sandler doing a “smart” comedy, with a lot more going on than the outward appearance of a bunch of people doing dirty standup. Sandler’s character is very similar to himself, in that he is an aging actor who had a lot of retarded movies in the past, and is now at a point where he wants to do something more. After finding out he has a serious illness, he attempts to live the rest of his life in relative solitude, occassionally performing stand-up. However, he must hire Rogen’s character to help him write jokes and what not. As is to be expected, they eventually become friends, and Sandler opens up to Rogen. Other stuff happens as Sandler attempts to be more open, and tries to reunite himself with his dream girl, the one he let get away.

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A Truly InFamous Ending…

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Posted by Rob on August 12, 2009 – 5:20 pm
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I completed my first run-through of InFamous last night, and shipped it back to Gamefly today. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised with the game. The fact that there is a good and evil storyline (with different side missions) really gives the game a need for a second run-through, not to mention there are about ten karma-specific trophies for each storyline, so you cannot get them all in one run-through. I ran through the game with the evil storyline, and had a blast. What was awesome was that as you get more evil, your appearance changes. I mentioned in a previous post that the color of the lightning changes depending on your karma. But your physical appearance also changes. As Cole gets more evil, he becomes pale, and gets some gnarly scars and other nonsense on him. In the end, his powers get a major boost, and it ends up looking like hes spraying out a symbiote (a la Carnage) rather than lightning. It was pretty bad ass.

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The ending of the game was ridiculous. The final revelations and such really took me by surprise, and I had no idea this was going to happen. I am not going to get into it because it is such a great thing I would hate to spoil it. Also, the game ending hints at the possibility for a sequel, which would be really awesome!

So yeah, I had a blast playing through it. I got some ridiculous powers in the end, ranging from an awesome chain lightning attack (which I was hoping the game would have…makes me think of Sith…) and the ability to call down giant lightning bolts from the sky. The game was really great, and I enjoyed destroying cars, gas stations, and innocent bystanders. I definitely think the “evil” story is easier, due to the fact that collateral damage reinforces your evil karma. I think it would be tough for me to maintain positive karma when I’m accidentally killing civilians. I highly recommend checking this game out. Its been a great addition to the PS3, and I really look forward to it becoming a series rather than just one game.