Flashback 2007: 1UP Yours Live at PAX

In case you've never seen it, now you can. Can the 2008 version possibly be better?

Bittersweet Choices

Tonight is an interesting night, and it's full of unique decisions (actually just one decision, really). Instead of the usual, "what game will I play tonight" routine, I've got a bigger choice to make.

Do I go to Seattle for my first ever Penny Arcade Expo?

First, let's start with why not? Well, its up north in Seattle, WA - a place I'm not even remotely familiar with, and it's expensive. The ticket is and easy $45 bucks, but the plane ticket is about $288 for a round-trip. And that's not including hotel. I'd be happy with a shack made of straw, but it's never that easy. Even if a hotel bill can inflate the price even further, I'd feel worse if I didn't go.

I mean, For all intents and purposes PAX 2007 was the shit! It was a real convention for gamers, filled with unique surprises like The Mini-boses, (and even Freezepop). Halo 3 was playable, Rock Band rocked the house, Eye of Judgment, great swag, and the halls were filled chatter about the type of stuff we gamers love to talk about: games.

Oh, and 1UP Yours Live was awesome! Heck, it's still awesome. The fans loved it, and Garnett's already confirmed that they'll be back again with another live show this year.


Photo courtesy of Doug Bonham's blog
Man, if only this decision was easy. Then again, none of them are. Hell, I remember when I boarded a plane with all my belonging and flew to San Francisco, last year. That was the ultimate one way trip. And it wasn't easy, but I'm better for it. And even if this choice isn't as challenging, it's still hard.

Spend upwards of $500 dollars and attend one of the most unique conventions left on the West Coast (since E3 = .....), or sit home and watch all the fun on my PC (or Mac)?

Man, I wish these things were easy.

So Sick With It

A random search on Youtube for "Street Fighter III" led me to these videos. I really hope the SF community will turn come out with some sick videos to top these masterpieces.


Latest Gamevideos SF IV trailer (sorry for the bad voice-overs)

The Endless Days of Summer

It's like clockwork, really. Every summer I get bored with the games on my shelf. It happens every time. I've got three Colossi left to slay, but I'm not in the mood for mountain climbing. I've started a city in "Animal Crossing" ironically called Cali, but I don't feel like paying a visit. Thwart the zombie invasion in "RE 4"? Pass. Continue my comic mishaps through "Penny Arcade's Slick Precipice of Madness"? No.

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but I hate the games of summer.

But I might be alone on this one. Madden fans will rejoice in August, and some other releases in-between will surely rouse the gaming masses (Two Human, perhaps?).

It's times like these when sifting through the pile-o'-shame feels appropriate. And what do I spy on my shelf next to Persona 3? Kingdom Hearts 2, a game that scared the bejesus out of me in the Little Mermaid level, when Ariel burst into song. I loved the original Kingdom Hearts, but I quit playing after that. It just didn't seem worth it at the time.

After my fears subsided, I started thinking about the current crop of consoles and their battle for exclusives.

"Kingdom Hearts" is a franchise that holds significant weight in the gaming business. The second installment of the Disney/Square Enix crossover sold very well two years ago. But after this E3, I wonder if Square is considering the amount of money that a cross platform Kingdom Hearts could earn? Picture it on Wii: This version would hold instant interest with Nintendo's new audience. A Disney game, cutesy characters, are irresistible and marketable, but simplified controls are a must. Making it mass market accessible could make it a massive success.

But what about PS3 and 360? Well picture this: whenever Final Fantasy XIII comes to retail (in 2012, lol). Square Enix will then likely look at the sales numbers. If the game sells better on 360 (and it very well should given the install base), what would stop the RPG titan from publishing the game across multiple platforms? This also falls in line with Microsoft's recent image shift to attract more attention from the Nintendo's audience. Microsoft has to realize the potential they have to wrestle yet another exclusive from Sony.

But Sony can't be foolish, either. Yes, they have closed their checkbooks and refuse to pay for exclusives, but look at the recent NPD. Sony outsold the 360 by a decisive margin, thanks in part to "Metal Gear Solid IV" - a great game that continues to stay exclusive, and demonstrate the retail power exclusives still maintain in the console space.

Enough with the Time Wizardry, I'll revisit "Kingdom Hearts 2" this week. 1UP FM is playing "Psychonaughts", and frankly I'm not interested. Hopefully, I can withstand the Little Mermaid level instead.

In the meantime, I'll post my final thoughts on "Shadow of the Colossus" on Friday.


Ha, looks like the genius at Square planned on the success of KH in the first game, afterall.

**Keep in mind that Square is already developing a PSP, and cell phone version of KH for release later this year. Nothing has officially been said on current console exclusivity in relation to KH III.**

The Dark Knight Awesome

This will probably be the most spoiler-filled piece I have ever written. If you haven't seen "The Dark Knight", then stop reading and head to straight to your local movie theater. You won't regret it, I promise you.

"The Dark Knight" is an excellent film. There, I said it.

I'm sure there are plenty of other people saying the same thing, so it doesn't surprise anyone that I'm such a big fan. It feels like as much as people believed in the promise of Batman Begins sequel, more and more anticipation circled around Heath Ledger's last performance before his drug overdose months ago. So much could be said of his performance (or the Ledger/ Nicholson debate), but I believe the greatest strength of this film is its story, and that comparisons between the two actors, while interesting, are irrelevant.

"The criminals in this town used to believe in honor and respect."

The beginning to this story seems obvious: Now that the Batman has swept the streets of Gotham City, its criminals have turned to more demented men. But the introduction of the Joker is much better in this film than the original Batman film, and it carries though the remained of the movie. This Joker is a criminal genius, as he should be. He's a foil to the Batman, a character that is so often revered as the world's greatest detective. And that's one key specific that the Burton films missed.

"This town deserves a better class of criminal."


Sure the Burton Joker was somewhat diabolical, but it didn't hit as close to home as the current incarnation. This Joker is an urban terrorist. He creates panic and pandemonium. He uses twisted social experiments (the kill Coleman Reese bit was genius) and turns people against each other. The opening bank robbery scene sets this up nicely, and throughout the remainder of the movie its evident that this is a new kind of criminal, a demented creature who can influence others to struggle with psychotic choices. Alan Moore, the author of "The Killing Joke", would be proud of this Joker, given the writer's unique input on the character's comic book renaissance.

This Joker is out to crush men's souls, and Harvey makes the ultimate victim. He's the symbol of hope Gotham needed, an elected official that's pledging to make a difference. And the Joker tears him down, pushing the former white knight to madness.



"We're what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object"

I love the way this movie also focuses on the unique relationship between Batman and the Joker, especially in the prison scene where the Joker reveals that he doesn't want to kill Batman. He enjoys toying with, instead. Poking, and prodding the Batman, all in an effort to make him break his rules. The rules Bruce set for himself in "Batman Begins" that he isn't an executioner. These are the tenets that keep Bruce in check, and keep him sane. Its the line he won't cross. And the Joker savors every second that he can get him closer and closer to breaking one of them.

"You either die the hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Besides the incredible story, and the powerful performances by all the actors in this film (and great pacing), the thing that wrapped this movie together so well is the ending. Batman is Gotham's whipping boy. He can't be a savior, he can't serve and protect. Yes, he deserves a medal, but he's still a vigilante. A man operating outside the law, and worse: the Joker's killing spree is partly a result of his actions.

The cops hunting the vigilante know as Batman makes sense, and its a much better fit than police cooperation.

I could go on and on about this one all night. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to. Its a great summer movie, and the best ten bucks you'll spend all year.

And thank god a shitty game didn't get coupled together with this movie. It would have really made me sad.

Backlog: And Then There Were Seven...

My Colossi killing streak continues now that I found number four. I quickly moved on and slayed numbers five and six, soon after.

I find the proportions and sense of scale, in "Shadow of the Colossus", simply amazing. Every Colossi feels huge, but as they get progressively bigger you really appreciate not only the way they look and move, but the way they interact with the world. I'll use Colossi number five as an example.


The deity in the great temple warned me about Colossi number 5. "Blah, Blah, He's no body's fool," he (or it) said. I rode off to find the beast, and while I expected him to be smart, I didn't expect him to be fast. This one was fast, indeed. Number 5 ran through big stone walls, about as high as his abdomen, trying to crush me. This Colossi isn't taller than the third one, but he makes his presence felt and chases me into a small crevice - a place where I can hide and wait to strike.

And strike I did, toppling the large creature despite his attempts to shake me off.

I can't help but notice how well this game immerses players with so little gameplay. The space that the developers have provided is as big as a GTA (maybe), but minus the population. This world manages to feel alive without the pedestrians or the open mission structure. Instead, Shadow of the Colossus deliberately chooses to be linear, and it retains a majority of what GTA manages to provide. The world of the Colossi might feel lonely in comparison, but it still feels alive.

It would be interesting to see Team Ico's next project now that they can develop on more powerful consoles (presumably the PS3). I'd even be interested in their next game if it were developed for PSP.

Game Diary - July 16, 2008

I find that I might have given up on "Alone in the Dark". As much as I want to love this game, I just can't bring myself to play it again. The very cheap one hit deaths have made me scorn the game I was most eager for this summer.

I went looking for the fourth Colossi in "Shadow of the Colossus" today, and that's about as far as I got. The bugger was no where in sight. You think it would be easier to spot a foe the size of a skyscraper, but somehow my massive adversary managed to evade my sword. It would help if the directions to get to each lumbering adversary weren't so cryptic. I mean the whole sword glowing thing is cool, but it doesn't direct me as well as I'd like.

Spoilers contained herin, be warned!
Since I was still in the mood for some epic adventures, I returned to "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" for the first time since forever. I toppled the villain Zant with my powerful Master Sword and resumed an adventure that's been in progress since I bought my Wii back in June 2006. Unfortunately, the quest is not over and you-know-who lurks at Hyrule Castle. I barely find myself up for one more dungeon, but I'll consider returning to this one. I just might finish it before the next one comes out.


Compare the Wii version of Animal Crossing to the DS and see for yourself.

I also played some Animal Crossing: Wild World on DS and felt a vague sense of deja' vu. The presentation is very similar to the recently announced Wii version, a little too similar in fact. My gut tells me that we can expect another Nintendo title with zero innovation attached, another game that's more of the same. I only hope that I'm wrong.