An announcement today stated that Electronic Gaming Monthly, a fine videogame magazine publication, will return for the second half of 2009.
In January, publication shut down for the magazine after Ziff Davis Media said it was "no longer viable in today's marketplace." However, things have turned around.
This. Is. Awesome.
With aspirations of being a videogame journalist, I am glad that the publishers have agreed to restart the magazine's operation. I would rather work for a monthly publication (magazine) than a website because of the look and feel you get from print. Design plays a much bigger role in print, because you need to grab the eye's attention in order for the reader to actually read. Online, people read only what they want and look for more specific and interesting pieces.
Journalism isn't dying, but print media has faced a lot of hardships in the past year. It's slower and limited, but it's comforting.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Everlong
Today, I joined the ranks of the elite.
I have beaten Everlong on Expert in Guitar Hero: World Tour. Proof:
To begin this story, I felt like continuing on my replay of every song in career mode. My skills as a drummer have improved, and I wanted to improve my scores along with it. Songs that were not beaten on Expert before had been mastered, and gig by gig I marched on in my conquest(not counting Vicarious by Tool).
I reached the Rock Brigade, which as a whole is one the best sets for drumming: Mountain Song, Spiderwebs, Shiver, The Kill, Dammit, and Everlong. Typically when I would play this gig, I could get to Everlong, fail at 14 percent, and then switch to Hard.
But anyway, I do my thing. I nail every star power in Mountain Song. I keep up outrageous note streaks in Spiderwebs. I get shades beneath by awesome high score in Shiver. I hit all but one snare roll in The Kill. I even freakin' got a 4 star performance on Dammit! I was doing great!
The time came to play Everlong. I was not expecting much, but I had a feeling when my rhythm was dead on for the high-hat at the beginning. That right there helped me a lot, because the song carries that fast rhythm the whole time. Then comes the snare. And the bass drum. I was still in the green. The vocals started. They kept going. I knew I was past 14 percent, because I never hear this many lyrics. It continues.
I reach the chorus. That's a good sign. Hey, I have star power now! Back to verse. Still in the green? What am I going to do with this star power? Oops, used it by accident. Typical. But I'm still in the green... and... CHORUS AGAIN! I'M THERE!!!
Holy balls, I realize I am sweating a ridiculous amount. I feel it gather on my forehead, and a bead rolls down next to my right eye. Thank goodness I had my contacts in, or my glasses would be falling right off my nose.
Whew, I have a break now. I don't care about this drum fill they are giving me, I'm wiping this sweat off right now.
High-hat again. Miss the star power. Snare roll. Miss the star power. Oh well, I know I'm in good standing, I'm already past the second verse, that's all that matters. Get that far and I am home free.
OMG THIS SONG IS SO FREAKIN' FUN ONCE I KNOW I CAN'T FAIL! The sweat continues to gather on my face. I have swamp ass now, and couldn't be happier. I keep pounding these fake plastic drums like it's nobody's business.
And guess what? It's over. It's done. Everlong has been beaten on Expert.
I have beaten Everlong on Expert in Guitar Hero: World Tour. Proof:
To begin this story, I felt like continuing on my replay of every song in career mode. My skills as a drummer have improved, and I wanted to improve my scores along with it. Songs that were not beaten on Expert before had been mastered, and gig by gig I marched on in my conquest(not counting Vicarious by Tool).
I reached the Rock Brigade, which as a whole is one the best sets for drumming: Mountain Song, Spiderwebs, Shiver, The Kill, Dammit, and Everlong. Typically when I would play this gig, I could get to Everlong, fail at 14 percent, and then switch to Hard.
But anyway, I do my thing. I nail every star power in Mountain Song. I keep up outrageous note streaks in Spiderwebs. I get shades beneath by awesome high score in Shiver. I hit all but one snare roll in The Kill. I even freakin' got a 4 star performance on Dammit! I was doing great!
The time came to play Everlong. I was not expecting much, but I had a feeling when my rhythm was dead on for the high-hat at the beginning. That right there helped me a lot, because the song carries that fast rhythm the whole time. Then comes the snare. And the bass drum. I was still in the green. The vocals started. They kept going. I knew I was past 14 percent, because I never hear this many lyrics. It continues.
I reach the chorus. That's a good sign. Hey, I have star power now! Back to verse. Still in the green? What am I going to do with this star power? Oops, used it by accident. Typical. But I'm still in the green... and... CHORUS AGAIN! I'M THERE!!!
Holy balls, I realize I am sweating a ridiculous amount. I feel it gather on my forehead, and a bead rolls down next to my right eye. Thank goodness I had my contacts in, or my glasses would be falling right off my nose.
Whew, I have a break now. I don't care about this drum fill they are giving me, I'm wiping this sweat off right now.
High-hat again. Miss the star power. Snare roll. Miss the star power. Oh well, I know I'm in good standing, I'm already past the second verse, that's all that matters. Get that far and I am home free.
OMG THIS SONG IS SO FREAKIN' FUN ONCE I KNOW I CAN'T FAIL! The sweat continues to gather on my face. I have swamp ass now, and couldn't be happier. I keep pounding these fake plastic drums like it's nobody's business.
And guess what? It's over. It's done. Everlong has been beaten on Expert.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Metal Gear... Big Boss?
Hideo Kojima's next project keeps gamers wondering, "What is next for Metal Gear?"
For the past few days, a teaser website has been running a countdown, and each time it hits zero, new bits are added and a new countdown begins.
At first, it was just an open field with clouds and lightning. Then, it started to rain, with the letters E3 appearing every couple seconds. Now, it is pouring rain. The letters are now showing PS3, E, R, and e. But the biggest, and best, addition is this:
Big Boss.
The next Metal Gear Solid game will once again take us back in time. That is what it appears to be. A PlayStation 3 exclusive, most likely, where Big Boss is once again the main character, filling in bits of the story through history.
But I wonder, what else can be added to the story when MGS4 did such a good job at filling in mostly every hole? How much of what happens can tie in to the main story line and how much can be new enough to surprise gamers? (Okay, the second part of that really should not be too difficult consider the franchise that I'm talking about.)
Honestly, though, I am a little upset that this was not going in the direction of a Raiden game. I like Raiden. He's a badass. MGS2 did not bug me all that much. It just made me look forward to MGS4 that much more. A Raiden filler game would have been way cool, since it would turn him from little bitch to ninja badass.
It just hit me. The time frame for this new game can lean closer to the events of the first Metal Gear. That would be cool.
For the past few days, a teaser website has been running a countdown, and each time it hits zero, new bits are added and a new countdown begins.
At first, it was just an open field with clouds and lightning. Then, it started to rain, with the letters E3 appearing every couple seconds. Now, it is pouring rain. The letters are now showing PS3, E, R, and e. But the biggest, and best, addition is this:
Big Boss.
The next Metal Gear Solid game will once again take us back in time. That is what it appears to be. A PlayStation 3 exclusive, most likely, where Big Boss is once again the main character, filling in bits of the story through history.
But I wonder, what else can be added to the story when MGS4 did such a good job at filling in mostly every hole? How much of what happens can tie in to the main story line and how much can be new enough to surprise gamers? (Okay, the second part of that really should not be too difficult consider the franchise that I'm talking about.)
Honestly, though, I am a little upset that this was not going in the direction of a Raiden game. I like Raiden. He's a badass. MGS2 did not bug me all that much. It just made me look forward to MGS4 that much more. A Raiden filler game would have been way cool, since it would turn him from little bitch to ninja badass.
-----
It just hit me. The time frame for this new game can lean closer to the events of the first Metal Gear. That would be cool.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty 4 was a cool game. It had a solid single-player campaign with one hell of a war story. Most of its renown came from its incredibly deep and playable online multiplayer.
We all know about online multiplayer and its importance in this generation's games. It can make or break an experience, and too many gamers beg for having an online mode, no matter how unnecessary it is. Resident Evil 5 (ugh, co-op emphasis again) wants you to play with somebody, but for some reason it has a deathmatch component (which is on the disc but you pay to unlock it?).
So World at War continued the same multiplayer experience, keeping the leveling system, prestige mode, unique perks, unlockable weapons and upgrades, and strategic maps. Single player was also pretty tight, although it was another WWII shooter, it took us to parts of the world that aren't normally featured. Marching from Mother Russia into the heart of the Reich was pretty epic.
Well, Modern Warfare 2 is coming. The teaser trailers have been released. We are expecting pretty much the same multiplayer experience, at least I am, and it's alright. But more exciting for me is the single player experience that looks really promising from the videos.
What I want from a single player campaign is roughly a 20-30 hour playthrough. To me, that does not sound like too much to ask. I want more than about a dozen missions. I want to be able to return to the game with hopes of thinking, "I want to play this certain level right now," and when I do, it is awesome. Give me unique objectives, different environments, solid characters, and the obligatory sniping mission.
Most importantly, give me this badass story that involves killing terrorists.
We all know about online multiplayer and its importance in this generation's games. It can make or break an experience, and too many gamers beg for having an online mode, no matter how unnecessary it is. Resident Evil 5 (ugh, co-op emphasis again) wants you to play with somebody, but for some reason it has a deathmatch component (which is on the disc but you pay to unlock it?).
So World at War continued the same multiplayer experience, keeping the leveling system, prestige mode, unique perks, unlockable weapons and upgrades, and strategic maps. Single player was also pretty tight, although it was another WWII shooter, it took us to parts of the world that aren't normally featured. Marching from Mother Russia into the heart of the Reich was pretty epic.
Well, Modern Warfare 2 is coming. The teaser trailers have been released. We are expecting pretty much the same multiplayer experience, at least I am, and it's alright. But more exciting for me is the single player experience that looks really promising from the videos.
What I want from a single player campaign is roughly a 20-30 hour playthrough. To me, that does not sound like too much to ask. I want more than about a dozen missions. I want to be able to return to the game with hopes of thinking, "I want to play this certain level right now," and when I do, it is awesome. Give me unique objectives, different environments, solid characters, and the obligatory sniping mission.
Most importantly, give me this badass story that involves killing terrorists.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
PS3 Fallout 3 DLC - OMG!
(^ It rhymes)
But yes, it is official. In an exclusive interview with IGN, Fallout 3 Game Director Todd Howard announced that the three current DLC will come to PlayStation Network starting in June with Operation Anchorage. A period of about a month separates the next release, The Pitt, and then yet another month before Broken Steel (an a raised level cap). Ugh.
It breaks my balls that it will not be until roughly August that I can take my character(s) up to level 30. This leaves me wondering why I would want to download the first two expansions before Broken Steel when the experience would be wasted.
For the Xbox and PC crowd, two more DLC offerings are coming before they hit the PS3: Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta. Come October, all five DLC will be available on disc with the Fallout 3: Game of the Year edition.
I pretty much want only Broken Steel. More so for the capability of leveling up to 30. I'm sure even without the bonus missions, I could go back through the Capital Wasteland and hit 30 with what is already there. I hit 20 hours before I was even close to finishing the story. Hours. And believe me, I committed a lot of hours to Fallout 3, like any good gamer should have.
But yes, it is official. In an exclusive interview with IGN, Fallout 3 Game Director Todd Howard announced that the three current DLC will come to PlayStation Network starting in June with Operation Anchorage. A period of about a month separates the next release, The Pitt, and then yet another month before Broken Steel (an a raised level cap). Ugh.
It breaks my balls that it will not be until roughly August that I can take my character(s) up to level 30. This leaves me wondering why I would want to download the first two expansions before Broken Steel when the experience would be wasted.
For the Xbox and PC crowd, two more DLC offerings are coming before they hit the PS3: Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta. Come October, all five DLC will be available on disc with the Fallout 3: Game of the Year edition.
I pretty much want only Broken Steel. More so for the capability of leveling up to 30. I'm sure even without the bonus missions, I could go back through the Capital Wasteland and hit 30 with what is already there. I hit 20 hours before I was even close to finishing the story. Hours. And believe me, I committed a lot of hours to Fallout 3, like any good gamer should have.
Happy Anniversary!
Today is the four year anniversary of one of the greatest days of my life.
Yes, the celebration of the midnight release of Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
At midnight, I am watching my DVD to celebrate that magical moment. No other movie release had me so excited or made me feel the way I did when I saw Episode III in theaters. The only time I felt more entertained in my environment was seeing Snakes on a Plane at Star Southfield (a woman's hat literally flew off her head).
May the Force be with you all.
Yes, the celebration of the midnight release of Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
At midnight, I am watching my DVD to celebrate that magical moment. No other movie release had me so excited or made me feel the way I did when I saw Episode III in theaters. The only time I felt more entertained in my environment was seeing Snakes on a Plane at Star Southfield (a woman's hat literally flew off her head).
May the Force be with you all.
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