Quite the entertaining demo. It definitely leaves you wanting more.

The process to get into the beta was quite daunting. You have to create a Konami ID, then a Game ID(which is quite annoying because the Konami site is so unstable and buggy) and once you’re in the beta you have to create an avatar. The beta is not reinventing any wheels, but it is fun. I usually just play team deathmatch. I find that doing objective-based games on the PS3 is difficult because most people either don’t have or use a headset. Not to mention the varying levels of quality of bluetooth headsets. Enough talk here’s some gameplay footage.

Well let me start off by saying that I used this:

The video will show you how well I did. I am enjoying the game but I can’t help but wish they were doing a little more with it. An obvious rebuttal to that statement is “what about the online?” The online portion is great but the back and forth gameplay gets a little frustrating. Doesn’t matter, if you like Mario Kart you’ll enjoy yourself.

I was familiar with the wrestling stars of the early 80′s but was never really into it. The wrestling bug bit me in college of all places. One of my roommates was into it and I slowly became fan. What made that transition so rapid was the games. WCW World Tour(pics) for the N64 to be specific and then WCW/NWO Revenge (pics). One could assume that I was a WCW fan first, indeed I was. AKI was the developer behind these games and they went onto create two more classics WWF Wrestlemania 2000(pics) and WWF No Mercy(pics). These games took what I loved about the WCW and perfected them and added an admittedly(at the time) better crop of wrestlers (performers). Sadly that was AKI’s last wrestling game with THQ. Wrestlemania X8 for the gamecube was developed by Yukes and was garbage. My interest in wrestling slowly went away, until I picked up Fire Pro Wrestling 2 for the GBA. However my initial impressions for this game was almost as high as as my fleeting interest in wrestling at all. It is a very tough series to get into but stuck with it and have zoned out on more train rides to and from work that I care to recount. AKI did show up again and developed the first Def Jam game, Def Jam Vendetta, which was not quite as deep as their wrestling games but great nonetheless. The latest FPW release, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns, did not dissappoint either. Although I had to get used the dual shock controls. I can’t write enough good things about the FPW series, BAM! has always done a good job with it. Here’s some gratuitous gameplay footage of the FPW2 for the GBA:

The capture is a bit choppy because the software I used to do it doesn’t work well with hardware acceleration on. I’m late to the party but this is a great game and it’s free. However I am waiting for the inevitable feature which I will search for only to discover that it is paid content.

I thought that I’d seen everything. It looks pretty cool. Imagine a Hot Pocket that was actually a microwave. I know I just blew your mind. check out the article here.

When I first heard that SC was coming to XBLA I was very excited. Then when I found out that it would be lacking online play. So I dusted off my Dreamcast and it’s as good as it ever was. I threw up the intro and some gameplay footage. I almost feel like why bother to even be excited for SCIV.

A very fun game that few got a chance to play.

My PS3 is the highest console on my shelf with the Wii in the middle and the 360 at the bottom. The current placement of my consoles on my shelf is not indicative of my true feelings towards them. A 360 fan(not boy) is what I am(sorry for the rhyming). I do have a PSone in my nightstand(sick right?) with the mobile monitor, but it hasn’t been turned on in quite some time. Being a relatively new PS3 owner I still feel the need to justify its purchase so I preordered Metal Gear Solid 4. So I decided to pick up the MGS Essential Collection last week to see what all the fuss is about. Ironically the justification is rather weak due to the fact that two other devices I own can deliver the joy that is Metal Gear Solid. Now that I have finally stated the inspiration for this rant I cannot believe it took me this long to play this game. I have been rather vocal about being a Splinter Cell fan and have shunned the MGS series. While I still am a self-proclaimed Sam Fisher fan I must say that the first of the Essential Collections offerings has held up very well. After an attempt to play the first Metal Gear several years ago I was content in only having defeated Ocelot. But I missed out on a convoluted and compelling story line that had me in “fisticuffs” with the likes of Gray Fox, Raven, Liquid Snake and the sultry Sniper Wolf. I completed the game in about two days. This game is a rebuttal to anyone who makes an argument that games cannot compete with film and that they lag behind movies in story telling. Despite it being quite pixelated and jaggy the visuals hold up urprisingly well. You know you are playing a 10+ year old game but the wtiting keeps it all together. To be honest it was a tad confusing at times and even verbose but once it drew me in I could not stop playing. I cannot help but wonder what other goodness I have been missing out on. My plan is to complete all the Metal Gear Solid Essential games and have a much better experience this June while playing MGS4. I give Metal Gear Solid a thumbs up. Late to the party but very glad I came.