Tag Archives: Wii

Fried Game Consoles, or The Importance of Having a Good Surge Protector

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Only slightly exaggerated

So there I was…Shell was doing some research on the computer last night, which meant it was time for me to play a bit. I turned the PS3 on, booted up the new Jurassic Park game, and was in the options screen getting things situated when all of a sudden my PS3 just died. There were no blinking lights, no beeps and blips, just complete and utter silence and stillness. I pushed and held buttons, plugged and unplugged wires, gave the PS3 a tour of all the outlets in the apartment, but no such luck. I was horrified, and it got even worse as I tried to turn the system back on without success. I was crushed.

This morning I gave Amazon a call to see about getting an exchange. I had purchased this system in September, so the 30 day return policy was long overdue. But I didn’t let Amazon’s policy stop me from getting what I wanted. I spent an hour talking to two customer service reps and one supervisor before I convinced them to give me a refund. It was a battle, but a battle worth fighting, as the alternative was to wait weeks for Sony to “fix” it, and we all know those don’t always go as planned. So I packed the PS3 up and took it off to UPS so that Amazon can do what they want with it. Read More »

House of the Dead: Overkill: Extended Edition Coming to the PS3

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About two years ago I reviewed House of the Dead: Overkill for the Wii and praised it’s awesome gameplay and ridiculously, over-the-top 70s horror movie story. It is hands down one of my favorite Wii games and I definitely consider it a standard to hold all other rail shooters against, not only for the zombie-killing fun, but also for the great story (something that is lacking in most rail shooters.) Well, I heard the great news today that come October 25th, House of the Dead: Overkill will be making its way to the PS3, complete with Move-treatment. The following information has been confirmed:

  • Will be playable in HD-gloriousness
  • Can be enjoyed in 3D if you so desire
  • The many awesome cutscenes have been revamped
  • Being the “extended edition”, there are at least two totally new levels
  • There are also two new game modes
  • There will be new enemies
  • There will be new weapons
  • The boss fights have been improved (which I assume means they will be harder) and the final boss fight has been extended
  • Two-player local co-op
  • Trophies (let’s hope there’s one titled “Return to the Womb”) Read More »

PS3 Review: The Shoot

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One of my favorite video game genres is the rail shooter. I’ve enjoyed tons of these on the Wii, but it was hard to get a good experience on other systems due to available technology. With Sony’s introduction of the Move controller, along with the PlayStation Eye, the PS3 is now able to deliver this genre with great controls, along with even better graphics. One of the first rail shooters I tried out was The Shoot, and I was pleased for the most part.

The Shoot is a very casual rail shooter, in that you are not shooting terrorists or zombies, but instead cardboard cutouts of enemies. In the game you control an action star, and each of the five levels (each containing four stages) is based on a different movie genre. For example, the first level is a western, so you will be shooting down cowboys and bandititos. Then the next level is a sci-fi flick, so you will be shooting cardboard robots and cardboard robot brains. The simplicity of the action, as well as the absence of blood and other violence, does make this a family-friendly game that is still a blast to play for even the most hardcore gamer, so long as you have a soft spot for rail shooters.


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Just Snagged Time Crisis: Razing Storm

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One game genre that I am a sucker for is rail shooters. Not only is it my favorite type of game to play on the Wii (and I have a hell of a lot of them) but it’s also the only genre of game that I would buy additional peripherals for. I scoff at the idea of buying plastic baseball bats and swords, but I’ll step right up to buying a plastic pistol holder for my Wiimote (Wii Perfect Shot) or PS Move controller (given the uncool name of the PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment.) Since I first got move in January, I’ve been trying to rent two rail shooters from Gamefly; Time Crisis: Razing Storm and The Shoot. After months of waiting, I finally received Time Crisis on Monday. I spent about twenty minutes playing it on Tuesday before I dropped it back into it’s packing slip and sent it on its way…not because it sucked but because it was AWESOME! I had a $25 gift card to Gamestop so it was actually cheaper for me to purchase from Gamestop as opposed to keeping it from Gamefly.

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LevelUp’s Rock Band Ottoman: The Ideal Storage Solution

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Like many gamers, I gave in to the addictive fun that is the music game genre. As a result, I have a few plastic instruments lying around the living room. It was a cluttered mess, and didn’t exactly look all that great in the open. I was also wondering how to safely pack the instruments (the drum set in particular) for the upcoming move.

I then remembered reading about ottomans that were specifically designed for Rock Band storage. I first went to Amazon, but didn’t like the one they had on there. Then I remembered reading an article on co-optimus about them, and went to see which brand was mentioned. It was an ottoman from LevelUp, and I believe the model I purchased is the “Rock Band Double Ottoman”. I searched online for it, and was surprised to find quite the deal for it at Gamestop of all places. It’s available on their website for the price of $89.99, with $20 or more S&H, depending on the speed you choose. The lesser quality ottoman on Amazon was $119 with free shipping, but I wanted this beautiful piece from LevelUp, so I was sold. I placed the order online on Sunday night and  when I came home last night there was a huge box waiting for me.

I was super excited so I grabbed the nearest knife and started opening up the package. I couldn’t wait to see this wonderful piece of black furniture that would be solving my plastic peripheral woes.

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Let the Chaos Begin

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There is now officially less than two weeks before I hop in the car and make the grueling drive down to Myrtle Beach, SC to begin the next phase of my life. There is much to do around here and we just started packing up stuff yesterday. It was sad to begin boxing up my video games, particularly the Wii. To conserve space I popped all my PS3 and 360 discs into a binder, and that will go in a attache case with my controllers and other accessories for those systems so that I will still be able to play down south. I just didn’t see the point in doing the same with the Wii since it gets limited play time compared to the other systems, plus there are just sooo many accessories for it!

Also, this is my last week of work, with Thursday being my last day! Man, I will not missing being up at 2:45am…at least until Shell starts popping out some kids. She will be working into next week so I’ll be home doing a lot of the packing and other stuff that needs to get done before we leave.

That being said, I’m already backed up on here as it is. I have a draft about “Guys Weekend In” that was the weekend of June 4th as well as a geocaching adventure that is about 80% complete. I hope to have those finished by the end of the week, but don’t be expecting much else from me until the move is completed. Not that I have a hardcore following of fans who will say “hey, Rob’s been slacking off lately”…

The Games of the PS Move

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I have been interested in getting the PlayStation Move for quite some time. I do like the Wii, but I was intrigued by the possibilities for the Move, particularly with the more accurate controller and the higher quality, HD graphics. However, at the price I was not about to buy it for myself. So I placed it on my Amazon Wish List, and I found out Christmas Day that my parents had purchased it for me. I already had the Eye, so all I asked for was the basic Move controller. After Christmas, I went to the PlayStation Store off of PSN and was happy to find that pretty much every Move-enabled game currently available had a demo. So I went ahead and downloaded all eight demos, and spent the next few days trying them all out. I want to share my thoughts on the demos for the games, but I’ll start with my initial view of the controller itself.

PlayStation Move Controller

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PSN Demo Review: Sonic 4

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Sonic 4 is yet another classic game revamp with today’s hardware to give it the nostalgic feel while still looking damn good. Mega Man did it, Super Mario did it, heck, even Earth Worm Jim had a tweeked game (mind you it was still the original game for the most part), so popping out a Sonic game along the same wave length was a great idea. Sega has been claiming from the start that it picks up where Sonic & Knuckles left off, and maintains the same look and feel. Once the demo popped up the other night, I couldn’t wait to check it out. Sadly, the demo only allows you to play through Act 1 of the first stage, so there isn’t a whole lot to do, but you do get a feel for what’s in store.

First and foremost, I have to say that the game is beautiful. The graphics are simply amazing, and you can really tell that it incorporates today’s technology while still sticking to a classic 2D Sonic game. It really feels like you’re playing an HD remake of the classic Genesis game, except that the world and enemies are different. The game plays the same as the originals, where you run, jump, and roll around collecting rings and busting up robots to release little woodland critters on your way to the end of the stage. Of course, there are a few things that are different.

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Upcoming October Gaming

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October is now upon us, and there are quite a few decent games coming out this month. It took me awhile to sort through what I really wanted, but there are two titles coming out that I will definitely be playing in Octoer. Luckily, with Fable II on it’s way back to Gamefly, I am able to select any of the October releases to play. The other I have already pre-ordered.

With Fable II shipped back, I could pick any of the releases of 10/19 and 10/26, and there were four large tempting ones: Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, Fallout: New Vegas, Fable III, and Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2. I loved the other games in each of these games’ series, so it was hard to decide which was best. I loved Fallout 3 to no end, and played through it three times, and would probably love going through a fourth. I enjoyed Fable II, and am really curious to see if Fable III is successful in improving upon what it’s already accomplished. As for Star Wars: Force Unleashed, I never got the full experience; I played through it on the Wii and never the PS3 or 360, but I still enjoyed the general story and looked forward to the sequel. But in the end, I decided on New Vegas.

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Pros and Cons of Mass Effect 2 Going Cross-Platform

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To the horror of 360 “fanboys” and the cheers of PS3 users, it was officially announced yesterday at Gamescom that Mass Effect 2 would be released on the PS3 next January. To add on to my anti-fanboy argument, when I looked at the post on Joystiq (see above embedded link) for this news, I saw several comments where people were either saying “nooooooo” or “this sucks now all we have is halo and fable”. That is just stupid talk, and I hate it. I would be pleased as punch if God of War went to the 360, and I think it should!While this is a major victory for gamers who only own a PS3, it also has some problems.

The Pros

First and foremost, the biggest pro is that more people will be able to enjoy the wonder world of Mass Effect. If I didn’t have a 360 I would be just as happy, and being a 360 owner I’m not crying over this…I hate console-exclusive games. The fact that before I had a 360 I never got to touch the likes of Left 4 Dead, Mass Effect, and Castle Crashers, and that I know that there are people out there in the world who have never played Uncharted, God of War, or Resistance, just makes me so angry. There is absolutely no way any gamers win from console-exclusive games…unless they count “bragging rights” as a pro. Personally, I don’t, and I think the only people who benefit from exclusive games are the system owners (Sony of Microsoft), since a person like me has to own both systems to enjoy all the greatest games. Not even the game developers win, because they would sell a hell of a lot more units of a game if it appeared on both systems.

So that all being said, gamers will win because more people will be able to enjoy the story of Mass Effect, and Bioware will win because more copies of the game will sell. It can also be assumed that, with this happening, that Mass Effect 3, due out next year, will also be a cross-platform game, which is great. Read More »

The 360 is Here!!!

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I received the 360 in from UPS today, and I’m pretty pleased. I’m taking a quick break from set-up to put up some pics and whatnot.

The package:

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The package opened:

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The package contained more than just the 360, as the dudes over at co-optimus.com also sent over a t-shirt and stickers.

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Also included was a brand-spanking new copy of Crackdown 2:

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The system looks pretty sweet with the black finish. It’s like a matching pair for my PS3. Now all I need is to trade my white Wii in for the black one…

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Also came with matching black controller and headset. It’s kind of sad that the headset is wired, but I’m not complaining, since the price was right!

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So there you have it: my 360! I’m pretty excited to get playing. As of right now I have Crackdown 2, Castle Crashers, and TMNT Arcade (the awesome 1989 one!!!) By tomorrow I should have Left 4 Dead (from amazon) and Mass Effect (from Gamefly), and in a few days, once I get some credit in from amazon, I’ll be ordering Gears of War 2. I think these games are going to be a great start to my 360 experience.

Wii Review: Wii Sports Resort

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While on my honeymoon, I stumbled across a $50 Best Buy gift card in my wallet, and was itching to head to the mall and buy something neat. In the end, I decided to finally pick up the Wii Motion Plus, which came packaged with Wii Sports Resort. I enjoyed the casual games of Wii Sports, so I figured I would equally enjoy Wii Sports Resort.

Wii Sports Resort is kind of a mixed bag, with some great games, as well as some lame ones. There are twelve total, though two (golf and bowling) are basically clones from Wii Sports, but with the Motion Plus controls. Before I get into the game, let me talk about Wii Motion Plus. It’s a small device that attaches to the bottom of the Wii Remote, but the problem is that the Motion Plus is encased in a silicon sleeve, so you have to go through some effort to attach it each time. The Nunchuck then connects to the bottom of the Motion Plus. This makes the controller bulky…what was initially a nice light controller in your hand is now getting weighed down with the Motion Plus and the casing. However, it’s only a minor annoyance, and if anything I hate it more for the effort to hook it up than the weight it adds (which is actually minor, but I just want to complain about it.)

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New Site Page: Game Reviews

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In an attempt to make my game reviews easier to find, I have put them all in one section. Now if you go to the “Game Reviews” page, you will see an alphabetical listing of all the full reviews, quick reviews, and demo reviews that I have done, broken down by system (PS3, PSN, Wii, and DS). You may see the same game listed twice, but that’s because I wrote a quick review, and later wrote up a full review for the same game, and can’t bring myself to get rid of my older posts.

Also, as a heads up, many of the Wii game reviews really stink. These were mostly done on my old blog (thejournalofronconnery), and I didn’t really have much of a professional feel back then. Thus, many of them will only be a few sentences long and contain no pictures. I also realized that as I went through all my game review posts,  some games I never reviewed that I should have (particularly Uncharted 2, Resistance 2, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Sacred 2), and that a lot of my Wii game reviews are way to short, and don’t do some of the great games any good (like Boom Blox, Ghost Squad, and Mario Strikers Charged.)

From now on I will update this page continously as I add new reviews, whether they be for new games or full updates of the games I only skimmed over.

Enjoy!

Wii First Impressions: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

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Yeah, I will admit that it has been awhile since I turned on the ol’ Wii. But once I picked up New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I had reason to go back to the white console. Mario Bros. Wii is genious, much like its DS counterpart, in that it brings back the simplicity of old-school Mario platformers with some new twists and gorgeous graphics to make a truly awesome and fun game.

The game’s story is nothing new, and even harkens back to the days of Super Mario 3…Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser’s kids (all the guys from Mario 3, along with Bowser Jr.), and it’s up to Mario and friends to save the day. I say “and friends” because one of the best features of Mario Bros. Wii is the addition of co-op…up to four players can take part in the game AT THE SAME TIME! So think old school Mario platformer, but with four buddies being able to play together (as Mario, Luigi, and two toads.) Now I’m not as big a fan of the inclusion of toads, and I think it would have been cooler if they threw in Wario and Waluigi, or didn’t have the Princess kidnapped so she could be a playable character. Also, if the characters all had unique abilities a la Mario 2, it would have been cool too. But in the end, I can’t complain about a game that allows four friends to go platforming together.

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Now I Want a 360

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So as I have saying over the weekend and today, I was able to finally check out the 360 at PAX, and I liked what I played.

First off, remember that I am not a 360 hater. I don’t necessarily believe that the PS3 > 360, or that I hate the 360 simply because I have a PS3 instead. When I was ready to jump into the current-gen consoles, I was tossed up between the PS3 and 360. My friend and I had lengthy conversations about the pros and cons of each, and for awhile it looked like I would get a 360, for the lower price and the far-superior online service. However, one of the biggest problems was that I had never touched a 360 before. None of my friends ever had an Xbox or a 360, so I never knew how it was. Also, I was skeptical of the 360′s life due to all the RROD reports, and I didn’t want to think about the chance that I would have to worry about getting my console fixed. So when Wal-Mart happened to have a $100 deal on the PS3, I was quickly sold, and that laid it to rest. Read More »

Games Played at PAX East

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Obviously one of the major draws of PAX is the games. I got the opportunity to play quite a few. Of all the games I played, only a small handful were unreleased…many of them are games that are already available that I have never had the opportunity to play. So heres the games, in no particular order:

  • Crackdown 2 (360): We waited on line a little under an hour to check it out. It was a free for all game with men in armor suits who carried rocket launchers. The object of the game was to grab an orb and then run away and stay alive for as long as possible. So the main target of the game was always whoever had the orb. I was not a fan of the game. The controls were pretty bad, and navigating the city was horrible. The player cannot fly or run up the side of buildings, so you have to jump to latch on, but you can only latch on at particular spots, so a good chunk of the game was spent trying to get over a building so I could continue on in the match. Overall, I wasn’t a fan of what I played, which was only the versus mode. Apparently there is a single player and co-op story mode, but I was not able to play that.
  • Charlie Murder (XBLA): Charlie Murder is a fun four player beat em up a la Castle Crashers. The four playable characters were basically punks, and ran around beating the pulp out of other punks. Each character had a special move involving a guitar, as the character I was using summoned forth saw blades that ran across the screen cutting down enemies in their path. The game looked pretty good, with large, cartoonish characters and enemies, and I would definitely purchase it if I had a 360 when it comes out. Definitely keep an eye out for it.

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Ten of my Video Game Moments (in my life)

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Im not saying that what follows are the 10 best games ever made, or my top 10 favorite games. Instead, I starting thinking back through my life about some fond memories I have of playing video games, from growing up to nowadays. I  brainstormed a bit about these memories and to see what would to mind, and then I organized them chronologically and as you see below. Enjoy taking this trip down memory lane with me.

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Learning to Waggle with the Wii

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The Nintendo Wii gets a really bad rap, as far as the “next gen.” consoles go. It has inferior graphics to its bigger cousins, the X-Box 360 and the PlayStation 3. Many Wii games that are churned out are produced to satisfy a “casual” market of gamers, not the hardcore gamers who favor the PS3 or 360. The Wii’s controls (the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck) are not traditional, and they feel foreign in the hands of veteran gamers. Also, cross-system games (such as Call of Duty, Bully, and Madden) are seen as horrible when ported to or created for the Wii, due to the inferior graphics and “gimmicky” controls (often requiring the player to waggle the Wii Remote repeatedly, causing severe soreness) that come packaged with Nintendo’s little white console.

However, the Wii is a lot better than people make it out to be. The trick is to be a smart consumer, and do some in-depth research on games before making purchases. Yes, there are a lot of extremely terrible Wii games (Chicken Shoot, Redneck Games, and Carnival Games) that are pumped into the market in an attempt to make a quick buck. Let’s be honest…the majority of the Wii’s games fall into this category of “shovel ware”. However, to an experienced and savvy gamer, the Wii does have a decent number of titles that are a lot of fun, and really save the system from being a piece of junk.

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The Worst Wii game ever???

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Weekend Plans

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We are heading back down to Middletown this weekend (again). Today will be a chill day. While the women folk go shopping, the men will be sitting back watching Ken Burn’s The Civil War and the Jets game.

Tomorrow is the main reason we are going down, that being the tuxedo fitting. I am meeting up with Steve, my bro-in-law, cousins, and dads, and we are all getting our fittings at Men’s Wearhouse. After that, we will be headed to You You for some tastetacular munchies and cheap drinks. Huzzah!!!

Cara will be coming back with us tomorrow night, and will stay until Wednesday. She will regret it, as I force the PS3 and Wii upon her while Shell works. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Plans

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Tomorrow Shell and I hit the road for a 13-hour car trip down to Myrtle Beach, SC to visit her mom for Christmas. We will be leaving tomorrow night when Shell gets home from work, so we hope to be in Myrtle Beach by 7am or so. While Im sad that I wont be seeing my family on Christmas, it will be nice to have a stress-free holiday in which I am not running around like crazy on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

To prepare for the trip, I am right now loading up my iPod and DS to the max with music and games. I will also bring the Wii down with me for some family fun. Not only is the PS3 huge, but I dont think Shell will appreciate me playing that while Im down there…with the Wii she is more likely to play. Her presents are all wrapped, so thats good to go. Tomorrow Im just gonna get a holiday haircut (I always wait til the week or so before Christmas to get a nice cut) and start loading up the car and getting other things done while Shell is at work. Then once she is home we are off!

Merry Christmas to everyone who happens to read my blog! Im bringing my lappy down with me, but I dont know if I will be able to snag any internet service. We shall see…