Video Game Crazy!

Brain Dawgs VS Zombies

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:04:00 +0000

VS

Hello Gamers,
Wow! A post that took two months to write (lol)!
Today, I wanted to talk about a discussion a friend and I had a couple of days ago. We both enjoy the occasional zombie game, but we both have different tastes. He's a fan of the Left 4 Dead series, while I'm a lover of the Resident Evil series. We had a discussion on which zombie is better; the one from L4D or RE? I'll point out some of differences in three categories.

Toughness

For this category, I'm just going to compare the standard zombies from L4D (AKA Brain Dawgs) to the standard zombies in RE. When it comes to taking bullets to the head, the zombies in RE are going to win. If you've ever played the original RE, you'll know that it would be suicide to go in a room with ONE zombie and then attack it with a knife. Reason: Because the zombies in RE don't feel pain (not to mention the T-Virus allows extra strength) and the L4D brain dawgs are basically humans except for they are stupid. It take one bullet to kill a standard brain dawg in L4D, while it takes about five to the head in RE to put one down.

Creepy-ness

I'm not sure if I should add this category, since it depends on what spooks you out, but I thought I would list the two and let you decide which is more creepy. Left 4 Dead: The brain dawgs gather in groups and attack you in hundreds. They don't walk, they RUN until they reach you or they're shot to the ground. Special brain dawgs like the Hunter add suspense since you can only hear him, not see him. Knowing he's around makes you fearful because if you're tackled by him, you can't get up without help. The Witch is also creepy. If you startle her...you know what I mean. Resident Evil: Sure, there isn't that many of them in one room, but when you see one coming towards you every so slowly, you start to feel a little bit worried after shooting it repeatedly, but doesn't slow down. Even after it's put down, it can get back up as a crimson zombie, one that is fast and more deadly. You also face boss zombies that are extremely hard to kill and will take almost every single bullet you have to kill it.

Abilities

Here I wanted to talk about what things both zombies have that sets them apart. In Left 4 dead, you have the standard brain dawgs, which although they're weak, there are tons of them that come after you. You also have the special infected like the Smoker who can attach to prey via his tongue and strangle them from far distances. They also have the boss infected like the Witch and the powerful Tank. This is by far the strongest brain dawg in Left 4 Dead. He'll charge you and then punch you until you're dead. He can also throw objects at you to knock you down from high places. Resident Evil has the tough zombies, but they lack speed and agility. They do have the boss zombies like Nemesis who is pretty much the hardest zombie to kill. In the end though, if you put zombie VS brain dawgs, the zombie is going to win. Not because of how fast it is, but because the brain dawgs lack brain power and would just rush in and attack.

WINNER: Resident Evil Zombies
You disagree? Comment your opinion.

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

VGC News: Nintendo DSi

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,
As some of you may or may not know, Nintendo is releasing a new DS handheld. This new device is called the “Nintendo DSi”. The DSi looks like the DS, but is really very different.

As I’ve said before, at first glance, it will seem that the DSi is the same as the DS, but Kotaku.com gives the details:

“It eschews the GBA slot (boo!) in favour of a slight downsizing (it's a little thinner) and a range of improvements. The handheld's screens have been enlarged, and will now be 17% bigger (at 3.25 inches) than those found on the DS Lite. As for the rumoured additions, both have proven to be correct, with "audio enhancements" made to the handheld, while it will also now include a .3 megapixel (640x480) camera.”

Nintendo has been taking more and more of a step into the online aspect of video games (i.e. Wii Shop Channel, online multiplayer). The same can be said for the DSi. Nintendo.com commented on the DSi online capability saying:

“DSiWare application will populate Nintendo DSi with software that can be downloaded using Nintendo DSi Points directly to the portable system, just as WiiWare has with Nintendo’s Wii console.”

In other words, the DSi will be much like the Wii Shop Channel in which you are able to download games, content or anything for that matter. The DSi will have a built in SD Card slot, which I’m guessing will allow you to take pictures off of your computer or elsewhere and put them on your DSi to share with friends or family.

The DSi will also have an audio function “which serves as both an interactive voice recorder and music player that allows users to play with their music while they listen to it. Users can access different audio filters or control the pitch and speed of recorded voice or music files to alter voices or change the tempo of a song”. You will also be able to listen to your own music while it’s on or off. I’m sure Nintendo will be using this application in some of their games.

The last feature is the DSi Camera which will allow you to take pictures of yourself, others, or objects and save them on the DSi. It will have two cameras, one on the outside of the DSi, and the other in between the two screens so you can take pictures of yourself. As Nintendo.com said, “If the touch screen gave Nintendo DS a sense of feel and the microphone allowed it to hear, the two cameras give Nintendo DSi the sense of sight.” You will also be able to toy around with pictures much like that in the Photo Channel on the Wii.

The DSi is launching tomorrow for around $170. I’m kind of worried about the system because Nintendo .com added that it will play “most Nintendo DS games”. So, apparently, the DSi will have a new set of games only playable on it. Not to mention the DSi won’t have a Gameboy drive so you will be limited on games (unless they really outdo what they’ve done on the Wii Shop Channel game wise). Overall, I think it’s going to be better than the DS though. The one thing I’m going to stress is that Nintendo doesn’t become like SONY in which the only good thing about the system is that you can hold a lot of songs and pictures. Nintendo needs to focus on what they do best; making awesome games.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Resident Evil: Zero (Gamecube)

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:50:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,
So here I am, ONCE AGAIN, taking forever making a new post on my blog. It's sad because I really love my blog, but recently I've had a loss of interest. To help me out with the lack of posts, I'm trying to get my friend to join Blogger.com so that he can write as a blog teammate. On Xbox LIVE, he goes by the name of ZoMbie MuSe and is a huge fan of video games. I would like him to join my blog so that we can get a little more news on the world of the 360 and so that I can have someone with the time to review some demos. Anyway, the reason I made this review today is because of the recent release of Resident Evil 5 (which I have yet to own...grrrrr......)! I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the release of the game than with a review of the game based on the first zombie attacks of the epic saga. The game I’m speaking of is Resident Evil: Zero.

The game begins with an introduction with Rebecca Chambers and the medical research organization better know as UMBRELLA. At the beginning, a team of highly trained professional investigators known as S.T.A.R.S., investigates the distress call of a murder near the UMBRELLA headquarters. Your character’s name is Rebecca and she is a rookie at S.T.A.R.S. Her and her team is forced to land inside a forest. While investigating, they find a crashed police helicopter in which all the people inside are dead except the escaped convict Billy Coen. As Rebecca’s search continues, she stumbles onto a train which was carrying passengers. As Rebecca searches the train, she finds out that the passengers aren’t really deceased, but are actually zombies. The passengers were infected by mutant leeches which carry the deadly “T” Virus. She later finds Billy on the train, and they decide to work together if they want to live. The game later takes place in a mansion where you discover the dark secrets of the UMBRELLA Organization.

At first, I really hated the game. The action was boring, the camera angles were weird, the game had a loading screen every time you leave a room, and the controls were awkward. However, after I started to get more into the game, I became addicted. Even though the camera angles can be confusing and frustrating sometimes, it fits with how the game is set up. To be honest, this game isn’t an action game; it’s a puzzle/mystery/horror/adventure game. The game consists of finding the next clue so you can get to the next level or get a new weapon (which can be really tough). I really like how much time they spent setting up each situation so it can correspond with the other three. For example, you may need to backtrack to the lower level of the mansion in order to find a key to a door that will lead to a clue that will lead to a new door, and so on. They really made sure the clues to opening a devise or door weren’t obvious either. Sometimes you would have to read some letters that are scattered on the ground in order to understand which way to turn a dial or contraption. It adds a challenge that isn’t meet in most games. It's also cool how they set up that character controls as well. For one, you can switch between characters in real time, but not only that, you can also use the C Stick to rotate a character if things get hot. It's really interesting.

The other thing impressive about the game was the environment. I loved how almost everything you saw had a purpose and you could actually see moving in real time. For example, when you’re on the train, you look outside to view the train tracks or if you look at the bar, the bottles will be moving with the motion of the train. It’s really cool how it all works and I’ve never seen anything like it in another game.

The weapons are pretty basic. You can have a pistol for both characters, then on the way you can pick up more like the Shotgun or Grenade Launcher. You can also customize some of the weapons to make them better. You can’t reload in real time so having to switch back and forth from the game and the weapons and health screen can be annoying at times.

The game is a single player only which is kind of sad. For a game in which teamwork is stressed, it’s surprising that it’s not a co-op game.

The game was pretty good and I’m starting to like it more and more as I get farther though the game. I wouldn’t say that it’s a must have, but if you’re a fan of the series or enjoy an adventure game with puzzles, you’ll enjoy this game. I give Resident Evil: Zero 8 out of 10.

Ups: Great environments, great graphics, challenging puzzles, good story/character development.
Downs: Horrible angles, sloppy controls, annoying load times.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Gears of War 2

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:05:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,

This is my first post of 2009! Yes, I've been gone that long! Anyway, this post is a review of Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360. Although this game came out in November, it is still considered a very recant game.

Campaign/Story:

As some of you who read my review of Gears of War already know, I'm not a fan of the story. My reasons being that it's not original at all and that some of the characters lack personality and character which allows the gamer to relate to them, not to mention that Epic Games gave them a very bad script. Gears of War 2's story is actually very much the same as Gears 1 which is actually okay. The reason why is because almost every game sequel is going to have similarities to the original game. My problem though is that the original story for Gears wasn't even that great to carry onto the second one. This story in a nut shell is this: Marcus Fenix and the rest of the Human resistance realize that the lightmass bomb used in the first game didn't have the effect that they wanted it to, so instead, they are going to use all that they have left and take the battle to the heart of the enemy. One thing I was really pleased about for Gears 2 was how long the campaign was. It's been a while that I could actually say that a shooter lasted more than three days. It's actually almost longer than Doom 3. Although it was longer though, I didn't find most of the levels to be better than Gears 1. In Gears 1, they had levels such as the night levels where you have to walk in the light in order to keep getting killed by the Kryil. I'm not saying that Gears 2 didn't have any really good levels, I'm just saying that there are some levels on the campaign that I'll never play again. Also, they let the gamer get even more story with some of the background battles from pieces of news paper and notes. It's a very good idea from Epic Games and I salute them for it.

Multiplayer:

The best improvement from Gears 1. In the first game, I NEVER played the multiplayer because the person with the sniper rifle could shoot anyone even if they were in cover. Gears 2, however, improved the maps, added new modes and fixed the glitches. They also added a "training mode", that allows you to get used to the multiplayer modes with bots instead of going online and getting your butt kicked because you don't understand the rules or maps. They also added a "Horde" mode, which allows you and four other players to play a survival mode against 50 waves of the Horde! It's really fun! Epic, I give you a standing ovation for your improvements on multiplayer.

Weapons/Abilities:

This is where the game really shines. Not only did they make the Lancer's power SO much better, but they basically improved every single gun in the game. Now, it won't take three clips of ammo from the Lancer to destroy enemies and you'll swap it for the Sniper Rifle, but you will actually want to keep the gun throughout the entire campaign. They also added new weapons like the Mulcher (a portable gun turret), Mortar, and one of my favorite guns, the flamethrower. The new abilities in the game are equally impressive. The "crossed swords" feature for the chainsaw attachment, to the Lancer, allows you and an enemy to lock chainsaws and fight to see who can win (instead of a coin toss like in Gears 1). You can also take downed enemies as Shields instead of just curb stomping them.

Enemies:

In Gears 2, you get to face new enemies from the Locust army. You get the huge guys like the "Grinder" who contain the Mulcher weapons. The smaller suicide enemies, the "Tickers", will explode if you don't shoot them, they are really effective at getting you out of cover. The "Bloodmount" which are beasts that allow grenadiers to get to enemies quickly and finally "Maulers" which are giant Locust with sheilds and use grenades as maces. The main enemy leader of the Locust is "Scorge", who carries a chainsaw rod and is extremely powerful. One of the enemies that I think everyone would agree are a rip off of the Flood is the "Sire". The Sires have tentacles on their backs, they can get back up after being shot (like the flood off of Halo: Combat Evolved) and can have limbs shot off. Yeah, it sounds like Epic likes the idea of the Flood.

All in all, I thought that Gears of War 2 was overall better than Gears 1. In still needs some improvement though. I give Gears of War 2 an 9 out of 10.

Ups: Long campaign, WAY BETTER MULTIPLAYER, better weapons and abilities

Downs: Story still needs improvement, Epic needs to make enemies that aren't a rip off of other games.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon (360)

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 01:46:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,

Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon for the 360 just recently came out on December 1, and I would have to say it's one of my top 10 games this year. Not only does it have the classic DAH humor, but also a LOT of more cities and space to explore.

The game takes off where Big Willy Unleashed ended. Pox and Crypto have ditched the fast food gig and decided to start up a casino instead. After Cyrpto kills off the competition, though, a pack of Nexo warriors, who are thought to have been wiped out, came and tried to cut off all the attention that Crypto had attracted by destroying buildings and sucking brains out. After the fight, Crypto had to destroy his own casino in order to keep knowledge of his existence under wraps. Now with revenge in his heart, Crypto sets out to find who, or what, destroyed his jack-pot.

The game features about five different locations that you can visit which all have there own missions and secrets. All the levels have missions that change and will have you do different things. You also have sub-missions like protecting a witness so you can gain information to missions where you have to destroy a building in order to teach the person a lesson. You can also find these artifacts that add replay value to the game after you've beating the story mode. Between missions, you are allowed to do whatever you want. The problem though is that after you're done with all of the missions, the "do whatever you want" action gets repetitive. However, it will take a while to find everything before you start to get board. I also noticed that the game had some glitches with the cut scenes and graphics. I found that sometimes the voice would cut out on dialogue and that the game did freeze on me a couple of times.

What would the game be without the weapons though? You get the classic Zap-O-Matic and Anal Probe along with a few new toys. Some of these weapons are the Venus Human Trap (when placed, a giant flower will pop out of the ground and will eat anything it can grab) and the Black Hole Gun (a gun that creates black holes that will suck in anything that's close by). You also get the old PK abilities like mind reading and psychokinesis along with the new powers like time stop and PK Magnet (which lets you pick up objects or people and make them stick to other objects). The controls for weapons and PK powers is well done. It's very easy to understand and easy to learn. The Flying Saucer also has been upgraded with the ability to upgrade weapons, which you can do with DNA, and has been added with new weapons such as the plasma cannon and Tornadotron (lets you summon a tornado and cause havoc while invisible).

The multiplayer is also much better than Big Willy Unleashed, however, that doesn't mean it doesn't need to improve. In Path of the Furon, you can play with another player on three different game modes. One mode is called "Ion Soccer" in which you use your ion detonator to push a ball into the opponents hole. Another game is one in which you and a friend race against each other to abduct a human until you reach the score limit. The last game is called "Brain-O-Matic" in which players try to gain more brains than the other player. However, it only has a two player capability and has no online features. If you're looking for a good multiplayer, you may not want to touch this game.

All in all, I still enjoyed the game's dark and crude humor while delivering a ton of objectives on each level. Even though the game isn't the best reviewed game this year, it still was a winner for me. If you're not sure, go ahead and give it a rent. I give Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon 8 out of 10.

Ups: Lots of stuff to do, great humor, great weapons.

Downs: Repetitive, bad multiplayer, some glitches here and there.

Also, just a reminder, don't forget to check out http://www.cryptoenhance.com/ for exclusive Destroy all Humans! Path of the Furon videos, downloads, and other cool stuff to Enhance Your Crypto, including entering a contest to win a 32-inch HDTV or a $50 Game Stop Giftcard!

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!

Merry Christmas and What's Going On In 2009

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:14:00 +0000

Hello Gamers!
Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope it's filled with joy and no stress as we have to visit family!

Just wanted to let you guys know that I have just received Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon for the 360 from M80 to review and will have the review sometime after Christmas is over. Also, I think I'm going to have a post of which system did the best this year, and what the games of the year were.

Hope you all enjoy Christmas Break!

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360)

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:41:00 +0000

Hello Gamers!

I would like to apologize for not writing, but I've been very busy the past couple of weeks, and as I've said in my last few posts, there hasn't been a ton of material to write about. However, I was able to buy the game, Left 4 Dead, and I really wanted to review it for this week since I had been lacking reviews.

Now, usually I start a review with the story line of the game, but Left 4 Dead (unfortunately), there isn't one at all. I'm not exaggerating or being bias, it doesn't have a story. They (Valve) decided that they would drop the gamers into a zombie infested world without letting you know why. All they reveal is that it's been two weeks since the infection broke lose and that four people must survive different situations. Now, you don't know how the virus got lose or where all the others survivors are at (if there are any), but you do know you have to go through every level killing anything that moves. You have four chapters (No Mercy, Death Toll, Dead Air, Blood Harvest) with about four or five levels for each. The campaign itself only takes about five hours to beat by yourself. When playing, though, your goal in each level is to get to the check point killing any infected that you see. Even though I don't like the fact that Valve didn't take the time to make a story, I still love the creative writing on the walls of the safe houses. When you enter a safe house (a place at the end of the level which lets you reload, get weapons and heal), you will sometimes be able to see some writing on the wall which was written by other survivors. It can change from messages between family members to theories about how the infection broke lose. It's quite ingenious and makes it feel very real. It's very much like Portal, which is also made by Valve. The writing on the wall is about the most story you can get out of the game, but it's still entertaining to read.

So, now that I've gotten the most of the bad stuff out of the way, it's time to talk about the shining aspect of the game: the co-op. I would say that the co-op is what makes the game shine, but it can also be the downfall. Since you have four survivors (Bill, Francis, Zoey and Louis), you can have up to four people online or play with a buddy on a local network. I've had yet to play with four people, but I have played co-op. From what I played, it makes the campaign SO much better. Valve wanted you to have that teamwork feeling in the game, so they set up the health system so that you would need to help each other out instead of hogging all the med kits to yourself. When you get trapped by a infected human, you will not be able to free yourself. This means that you'll need help from a teammate if you're going to ever get back up. If the infected person does get you into a "last stand" type of mode, you will either bleed out or be saved by a teammate. You'll need a med kit, so you can heal yourself or a teammate will save you instead. You can also take pain pills which can help you out if you're all out of med kits. Although the characters will warn the rest of the group if there is danger, you still need to keep a good communication with the rest of you team if you want to stay alive. However, even though the co-op is fun, you can really only enjoy the game if your friends own it. Sure, you could play Versus mode (which I'll talk about later) until your eyes pop out, but you still will have more fun with friends.

Your arsenal for the game is pretty basic. You can change between health, bombs, pain killer and flashlight by using the D-Pad. You get can have either a pipe bomb (a bomb that will make loud nosies to attract infected, then will explode), or a Molotov Cocktail (basically a bottle with alcohol and a rag which you light and throw to create a huge bust of fire which will spread and kill infected). The flash light is used almost throughout the entire game and will come in good use. You will be able to carry a pistol (which has unlimited ammo) and a secondary weapon. With the secondary weapons, you can choose between an M16, Uzi, Sniper Rifle, Pump Shotgun, Semi-Auto Shotgun, and you can choose to double wield two pistols if you like which will not replace your secondary gun (but will take more time to reload).

The infected humans in the game I guess you could say are zombies. However, they're not your everyday zombies. These guys come in HUGE packs and they WILL run towards you. You also have the special infected which are more rare than normal infected, but can be very deadly. First, you have the Hunters. Hunters are these hooded humans who will crawl, and when they see you, they will lung and hold onto you, tearing at your chest. The Smoker is also deadly. They have a huge tongue that can reach up to many yards and will constrict you until you can find a way to be freed. The Boomer is slow and weak, but can be the rain on your parade. They spit goo all over the survivors, which will attract huge hoards of infected. They also blind you for a bit.

The more destructive of the infected are the "boss" infected. These guys will kill you...no joking. The first one is the Tank. The tanks are huge infected humans which may be slow, but can send you flying if they hit you. They're also hard to kill. You'll need to use a couple of shells to take down these guys. Now, the most scary of the bosses is the Witch. Witches don't like to be messed with. They're kind of like the sister who goes right up to her room and doesn't want any human contact until they feel like they've absorbed all the oxygen in their room. Witches sit down and cry horrible noises. If you see one, turn out your lights. If you keep messing with one, you will run towards you and with one hit, kill you. Don't mess with them; trust me.

Online is also fun to play. As I've said before, they have a Versus mode (which is really the only online besides four player co-op). In Versus mode, you either play as the survivors, or the infected. Yes, you can finally be a zombie, don't explode. The goal, if you're the survivor, is to work together and get to the safe house alive. If you're a zombie, you have to kill the survivors. As a infected, you can be a hunter, Smoker, Boomer or a Tank when the game selects you. You never know that infected you'll be. You will usually be a Hunter, but that doesn't mean that you can't use your tongue of doom to kill humans. It's really fun and is almost worth the 60 bucks alone.

All in all, Left 4 Dead isn't the greatest game that most people told me it is. Don't get me wrong, I like Left 4 Dead, but I'm not going to play it 24/7.

I give the game 8 out of 10.

Ups: Fun co-op, great innovation, finally get to be the zombie!

Downs: No story, you need online to get the most out of the game.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon Great Giveaway!

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:19:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,
In honor of the newest edition to the Destroy All Humans (Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon, which will be available of the Xbox 360 and PS3) collection, M80 is hosting a giveaway where you can win a brand new 32” HD TV and a $50 gift card to Gamestop!

Also, you will be able to win a DAH: POTF bobblehead doll from participating Gamestop locations! All you have to do is provide a proof of purchase for your brand new Destroy All Humans game and you can instantly receive your prize!

For more information, please visit http://www.CryptoEnhance.com.

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

World of Goo

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:17:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,

While I was playing on the Wii a couple of days ago, I decided to check out the Wii Shop channel because I still had about 2200 Wii Points still left on my account. After searching a little, I came across the World of Goo game for the new Wii-Ware games. I had heard a lot of good things about it from other blog sites. Naturally, I was a little worried because about it because I thought it might be a waste of money, but I downloaded it anyway (you have to give new games a chance). Once I started playing it, I was really worried. It look very strange and the game sounds were kind of freaky (if you play the game, you'll know what I mean). I was confused as to what I needed to do to play; but once I got past the third level, I really started to enjoy it. The point of the game is to connect your "goo balls" together and build a structure that will reach up to a pipe which sucks all the goo balls into a container. Now, the game is much what you would find in a flash game off the Internet. So, in that respect, there isn't really a story. All you know is that you have balls, and you need to stick them together (yeah, that sounds really nasty).

The physics of the game are incredible! The structure is really light so if you start to add a lot of goo, it will start to tip and shake. It's hard trying to get it well balanced because a goo ball must stick to at least two other goo balls. In other words, it can't go straight up without any curve. There are, of course, some different goo balls which allow you to do different things. The green ones, for example, allow you attach and then detach. You can also add some balloons to keep the structure up (be careful though, you don't want to add too many balloons to one end or they'll pop). Once you're able to connect to the pipe, you have to make sure you left enough goo balls to reach the limit. Most of the time, you'll need eight of them to pass the level.

When I was looking at the details about the game, I noticed that it had Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, but I couldn't find it on the game. Now, I may be wrong, but I don't know if it has it or not. If it does, I'm sure what you do is face off with another player in a race against time to see who can reach the pipe faster.

So, if you're really into online games or just a good strategy game, you should buy World of Goo. The price for the game is 1500 points (which is $15) so it's not that bad of a price.

I give World of Goo 9 out of 10.

Ups: Great stategy game, good controls, easy to play

Downs: Confusing menu, more detail about game

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Max Payne Isn't That Painful

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:08:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,

Sorry it took me this long to put the review on here, but I've been pretty busy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this review!

Let me first start off with this, Max Payne is one of the first video game based movies that isn’t complete trash! I would like to say, however, that I have not played Max Payne, and I cannot really compare the movie to the game.
The plot in a nutshell is this: Three years after the death of his wife Michelle (Marianthi Evans) and baby boy (there were three people involved with the murder, but one got away), Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) must find the last man who had killed his family. He spends his time looking at old case files trying to find any clue to who it might be. After doing some research, he meets a woman with a tattoo of a wing on her arm. He takes her to his place trying to find out if she has any information. The next day, Max finds out that she has murdered. Max’s old partner, Alex Balder (Donal Logue) finds that the tattoo on her arm resembles that of a tattoo on one of the men who killed Max’s wife. After Alex dies, Max goes to find out who is involved with the murders. Mona Sax (played by Mila Kunis), is also a victim of the clan’s murders and joins Max in order to stop them. Later in the movie, you find out that the reason of these murders is to keep the public quiet of the drug “Valkyr” which is a drug that gives those who take it a sense of invincibility and makes them almost unstoppable. However, its side affect is that it can cause the victim to hallucinate (which the hallucinations are in the form of demons). I’ll stop with the plot there because I don’t want to give away the surprise.
The one thing I would like to give credit to is the fact that the director didn’t make the same mistake that most action movies take, which is the “leave your brain at the door” take. What I mean by this is that most action movies lack plot and just have a lot of fake action scenes because it’s a cheap thrill. Max Payne, however, had a pretty good plot with twists and some pretty good action scenes. In fact, most of the movie was Max Payne trying to put the case together. There were only about three action scenes in the whole movie.
As the people who have played the game already know, slow-motion (or bullet time) action is what is a big part of Max Payne. I was actually surprised to see that there wasn’t a lot of bullet time in the movie. I guess I’m kind of happy about this because it probably would have seemed to be a rip off of the Matrix if they did have a lot of slow-motion action. Some of the action scenes were pretty cheesy though. For example, in one scene of the movie, Max is in a building full of SWAT troops who open fire at him. They are armed with machine guns, and Max is armed with only a pistol. Some notable things were that he never had to reload, he hit about 3 of them, and they only scared his left arm with a bullet. I was expected some cheesy parts mostly because it was an action movie.
As I digress, I think that Max Payne was worth watching. However, it can be hard to follow at times and isn’t for the light of heart. If you’ve played the game or you enjoy the occasional action film, then I would think that you would probably like Max Payne. If you’re not sure about the movie, you can see it when it comes to the dollar theater or when it comes out on DVD. All in all, visually it’s amazing and the story is pretty good. If they could do a little bit better with the action, I think the movie would have gotten more reviews that gave it a better score. I give the movie an 8 out of 10.

Ups: Good story, good acting

Downs: Some cheesy scenes, hard to understand sometimes or not put together very well.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Quick Update

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:42:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,
Just letting you know I'm not dead, I've just had a lot of stuff I've had to do over the past two weeks. This isn't a new post, just letting you know that I'm going to see Max Payne tonight and will probably have a review by Saturday or Sunday.

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

VGC! News: Halo 3 Has Been Updated!

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:26:00 +0000

Hello gamers,

On Sept. 23, Bungie has updated Halo 3 to make use of their new rating system (which gives a more specific experience match when playing), their change of game types and maps, new maps and even new achievements!

The rating system has been changed to where you have instead of only numbers dictating what experienced players you play with, you also go by rating. So, in other words, even if you have the skill number of 40, you're rank can tell players how long you've been on that rank and will match you up with people more of your speed. It's interesting, but I think it's not very necessary.

The game types have been changed and so have the maps. Online, they've added a "Squad" battle which is where you have two teams of six who face off on a map with either slayer or objective game type. I've not played a lot of the new maps, but on the map Rat's Nest, they've added a huge box for cover and with the game type "SWAT", they've added plasma grenades and the Covanent Carbine. They've not added any of the new maps yet, but the map set will be called "Mythic" and they're also adding new campaign levels.

As for the achievements, they've added 30 new ones. Some of the achievements are "Killtacular" where you have to get five kills in a row within four seconds of each other without dying. They're also adding new skulls for the new multiplayer maps and maybe even new armor for the achievements.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

VGC News! de Retro

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:01:00 +0000

Hello gamers,
I know that it’s been a while since I’ve had a post for my blog, but news has been very slow and there were some power problems at my house. However, I did find two pieces of information that I would like to share.

According to Kotaku.com, the three main leaders that designed the Metroid Prime trilogy have decided to leave Retro and begin their own company. Design director Mark Pacini, art director Todd Keller, and principal technology engineer Jack Mathews were said to have been “escorted off the premises last Friday”. It’s also been said that they have contract with Electronic Arts (EA Games). Don’t worry though; Retro Studios will not be closing (although no project has been announced). I would really enjoy another Metroid game from them (considering how well they did on the Prime trilogy). It seems that they decided to leave because they wanted to go beyond Metroid. It will be interesting to see what happens.
In some other news that I’ve seen, de Blob (a Wii game in which you control a blob to color structures and other material) got an exceptionally well rating. IGN.com gave it 8.4 out of 10 and said that it’s “one of the most well put together, clean and smooth third-party Wii games to date.” The only reason I even know of this game is because about a year ago, M80 talked about letting me review it. I was expecting this game to get 3 out of 10 because I didn’t think the Wii would ever have another 3rd party game that didn’t suck. However, I’ve very glad to be wrong. I hope that in the future, more game designers will look at this game for guidance instead of throwing a game together in five seconds.

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Power Outage

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Hello gamers,

I'm sorry that I've not posted in a while, but we've had a major power outage in Ohio thanks to Hurricane Ike. So, until my power can come back on (I'm using the Library's computer to write this), I will be unable to post on my blog. So, please be patient. Right now, I think I'm going to get The Force Unleashed for the Wii and will write a review for it.

Sorry Again,
Oddball

Cluster of News

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:20:00 +0000

Hello gamers,
First, let me apologize for the lack of posts I've had recently. There is a very good reason for that, I've had a lack of interesting news to share with you guys. Although I could find some video game related news, I couldn't find any interesting news. I just put myself in your shoes and try to think of something you guys would like to read. So, finally I have some news...

First off, I finally got COD4 for the Xbox 360. Although I have it on the DS and have already done a review for the game, I think I'm going to review this game next week. So, stay tuned for that.

Second, IGN has posted their Overall Best of E3 on their website. Please click here to read their review.

My last bit of news is about the Halo 3 tournament. So far, I have one person who wants to join. If anyone else would like to join, please e-mail me. I would really like to have at least 10 people join. Even if you can't join, tell your friends about it.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Possible Wii Tournament?

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:04:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,
I was just wondering how many people who comment on this site own a Wii. I would like to make a Wii tournament on either SSBB or Medal of Honor: Heroes II (I would do Mario Kart if I owned it). As for a prize, I would gift any game the winner would want off of the Wii Shop Channel. So, please comment or email me if you want in.

That's about all, but next week I'd like to talk about MadWorld, Conduit, and Resident Evil 5.

Well, that's about all,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

VGC! News: It'll Blow Your Socks Off!

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:15:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,
I've got some information I'd like to share with you guys.

First off, I'm going to start a Halo 3 tournament in a couple of weeks (unless it's delayed). I don't have a set date yet, but when I do, I'll tell you guys. I would like you guys to share your Xbox 360 Gamertag's with me please. You can send it in a comment, or if you don't want it shared publicly, send me an e-mail (videogamecrazy@yahoo.com). I'm thinking of actually giving away prizes... More on the tournament later.

My other news is that a new Resident Evil movie will be coming out. Unlike the other poorly done movies, this will be in complete animation and will feature the characters Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield (related to the upcoming Resident Evil game character, Chris Redfield). You can see the trailer below.

It's not going to be in theaters, but it will be out on DVD. I think I'll like it because it's more focused on the fans of the series. Then again, it could be REALLY cheesy.

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Quantum of Solace

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Hello Gamers!
Today’s post is about the game based upon the upcoming James Bond movie: Quantum of Solace.

I was reading some news on IGN today and found some videos for the Quantum of Solace video game that will be coming out in November.

I’ve posted the trailer above. As you guys can tell (if you saw the video) is that it’s going to be a mix of 3rd person and 1st person views. The main part of the game will be played in first person unless you need to choke a bad guy or hide behind cover which will convert your camera angle into a 3rd person view of James Bond. Think of it kind of like Call of Duty 4 first person shooter angle with a Gears of War cover camera kind of angle.

One thing I’m worried about is what systems it would be on. I’m hoping that it’ll be on the Wii, but it doesn’t seem like it at the moment. Right now, all I’ve seen it on is the 360. So, please tell me what you guys think of the trailer and the game.

Well that’s all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

E3 2008

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,
Well, E3 has come and gone again. Some veteran gamers know E3 as the biggest gaming conference ever. However, ever since some changes since last year, it's not been the same. Some reporters who have just come back from E3 say that it's one of the worst ones yet. However, that's besides the point; all the games really care about is what new games and technology will be coming out soon from SONY, Microsoft and Nintendo.

---Microsoft---

After seeing some of what Microsoft had to offer, I wasn't completely impressed. Sure, they're going to have Resident Evil 5 with online co-op (which is going to be awesome) and you have the return of Gears of War, but nothing made it worth really going to. Don't worry though, it seems that it's the same way with all the other company's conferences too. On that note, I'll go ahead and talk about Gears 2. Although Epic is trying to give the sequel a better story, they're going to need a little more than that to keep me at least impressed. When Gears 1 came out, everyone told me how great a game it was. I bought it a few years after it had been out and was very disappointed with it. It just seemed to me that Epic didn't really mind putting everything you see in every gamer into the game. To show you what I mean, ask yourselves this question; what did Gears of War offer that no other shooter has already offered? I'm feeling it's the same way with Gears 2. What Epic thought would really make the game stand out from the first one was just added some new weapons and abilities (like the flame thrower as a new weapon and taking a Locust hostage as a new ability). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the only thing that makes a game good is if they totally redefine everything (because having fun is really what matters), I'm just saying that if a game designer wants to make a type of game that has been done over and over again, that they should change it just even a little bit. If you'd like to see some campaign videos, click here. Resident Evil 5 will be coming out pretty soon for the 36o and PS3. Now, the same problem Gears of War had, Resident Evil 5 seems to be having the same kind of trouble. Even though it's supposed to be the next game, it's just like Resident Evil 4. I'm fine with a game having some of the same features, but it's almost an exact copy. If you'd like to see more, click here (be warned though, the video is violent and not for kids 18+). I'm not going into a lot of the game, but Fable 2 will be coming out for those who enjoyed the first game. It seems it will be out in October of this year. Microsoft must like Nintendo's Mii idea because they are updating their dashboard with avatar like characters like what you can do on the Mii Channel for the Nintendo Wii. For more information concerning Xbox 360's conference, click here.

---Nintendo---

I would have to say that Nintendo had the worst conference of all three companies. A lot of the people who went into the conference felt very sleepy and Nintendo seemed to really only show a lot of old people enjoying the Wii, and not a lot of hardcore gamers. It felt as if they forgot the veteran gamers and decided to put out a lot of low quality games. Only few games mentioned seemed even remotely interesting. The biggest games were Mario Super Sluggers, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Wii Music and GTA: Chinatown Wars for the DS (which I'll talk about later). What really saved the conference though was the new technology they introduced. The biggest thing for me was the WiiSpeak. With the WiiSpeak, all the Nintendo online dreams came true. What the WiiSpeak does is allow gamers inside the room to talk to other gamers while online. Right now, the only game confirmed with the WiiSpeak is Animal Crossing (maybe The Conduit?). Some of the pros of the WiiSpeak over the 360 headset is that it will allow everyone in the room to talk, and not just one person. With that also comes some cons. My question about the WiiSpeak is what is the total distance you can be from the microphone without screaming? Hopefully Nintendo will update us on how far you can be. The WiiSpeak will connect to the sensor bar. Nintendo also introduced their "motion plus", which will allow a more sensitive motion sensing experience with the Wii remote. All you do is plug the new technology into the Wii remote and it will pick up smaller movements (which gives the gamer a better and more accurate control over the game). As I mentioned earlier, the DS is getting GTA. Now, I'm happy that Nintendo is giving some hard core games to the gamers, but they didn't have to use GTA. As some of you may know, I'm against GTA. I think it's a waste of money and it just gives video games a bad name. Now, that's just my opinion. If you really enjoy GTA, go ahead and get it. As for me, I'm not touching it. For more information, click here.

---SONY---

SONY seemed to have one of the best conferences according to reporters. Sony introduced a plan that will give gamers a little extra money. They're going to give really great games like Oblivion a great price like $30. Some new games are God of War 3, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty and Resistance 2. For online, Sony is trying to take online gaming to the next level. One game will feature 256 player online! For those who don't know, the most players on a single game I've seen online for any online game has been 32. One thing I would be worried about is the connection speed for the gamers and how huge the memory space you would need for that kind of online play. Also, and 80 gig PS3 will cost $399 once SONY cuts the price. For more information, click here.

All in all, E3 didn't go as well has everyone would have hoped. I would say SONY had the best conference this year.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

Next Week...

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,
Just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be taking this week off so that I can summerize E3 and give you as great of a post as I can.

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

VGC! News: A Cluster of News

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:40:00 +0000

Hello Gamers,

Last week I decided not to make a post because it was Independence Day here in the U.S., so sorry if some of you wanted a new post. Today's post is based on some little news stories I would like to share with you.

---My Nintendo Wii---
If you guys can remember a few posts back, I told you that my Nintendo Wii got a boo-boo and needed to be repaired. At about 12:00 today, my brother came rushing in with a package saying "It's here, it's here!" I was very excited to see my little Mr. McWii again and play him once more (even as I write, my brother is playing Super Smash Bros.). I would also love to thank Nintendo's help service. They not only were very helpful, they gave me very clear instructions on how to fix the problem and made sure I understood everything that I needed to send in the Wii. They gave me a comment card to fill out to let them know how well everything went. I'm going to make sure that they feel super duper because I've never dealt with a nicer group of employees in my life.

---Alone In The Dark Sounds Like It Should Stay In The Dark---
I was very excited for the release of Alone in the Dark for the Wii, but from what the UK is saying about the Xbox version, I'm starting to change my mind. IGN UK gave the game a 3.5 out of 10! For those who don't know, that's not a very good score. For some odd reason, I can't find a Wii review even though it's been out since June, 25. (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/883/883153p1.html)

---New "The Conduit" Clip---
Also found at IGN, they have new The Conduit clips ready for viewing pleasure. Thanks for the comments on "Wii're Not Big Fans of Shooters" for the info on the game, guys! (http://wii.ign.com/dor/objects/14248157/the-conduit/videos/conduit_trailer_051608.html)

---Samus Is In the Modeling Business---
Hello gamers, First 4 Figures (a company that takes comic, game and movie character's and makes models out of them) has sent a prototype of a Metroid Prime Phazon Suit model. Inside the model, they have put 25 LED lights! It will be available the first quarter of 2009 and will cost about $225. (http://comics.ign.com/articles/887/887816p1.html)

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

VGC! News: A Possible Price-Cut?

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:36:00 +0000

Hello gamers,
I was looking at some news on IGN about a possible price cut for the 360. According to the rumor, "The forums at High-Def Digest have gotten their hands on an image that appears to reveal an impending price cut for the Xbox 360. Currently priced at $349.99 (the SKU with a 20 GB hard drive, headset, and HDMI output) the advertisement suggests a 50 dollar price cut to $299.99." So, does that mean that more people can buy it? From my personal experience, I've had to pay over $100 for my 360. If you want online, you're going to have to spend some more money. It's not like I'm saying that you're going to spend that much (because I had to buy a wireless adapter), but you for sure are going to be paying more than just your system.

Also, what about Microsoft? If they make the system cheaper, that means that they're going to be losing more money because the system itself takes more than $300 to make. There was also rumor that the PS3 was going to lower it's price to $299, but that seems to be a myth. If SONY truly did that, they would be cutting their own throats.

Just remember this is a rumor and doesn't mean that Microsoft will cut the price. As they told IGN, "We don't comment on rumors or speculation".

Well, that's all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

P.S.: After looking at some of the comments, I wanted to inform you all that the 360 takes about $715 to make, not $300. (http://www.joystiq.com/2005/12/28/xbox-360-costs-715-to-make/)

Wii're Not Big Fans of Shooters

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:25:00 +0000

Hello gamers,

Is it just me, or does Nintendo want nothing to do with great shooters for their console?

I was taking a look into Alone in the Dark for the Wii, and I noticed that it only is single player. Now, I understand that the Xbox version doesn't have a co-op or multiplayer function either, but why doesn't the Wii have any really great shooters out yet? Sure, we have some good shooters with amazing single player (Metroid Prime 3) and we have a few nice online shooters (Medal of Honor: Heroes II), but no shooter has been released with off-line multiplayer for the Wii that is worth playing. It would also be great if they had some co-op shooters besides some old arcade games.

I'm not saying that the Wii should just focus on shooters, but they don't have many of them. I think the reason for that is because most of the games where you use the Wii remote to use a gun doesn't always work (if you've played Red Steel, you know what I'm talking about). When RE4 for the Wii came out, I was hoping they would have a co-op option for the game, but they didn't. With multiplayer, you have some great replay value and just think of how awesome it would be to aim the gun with the Wii remote if the designer made the motion sensing perfect.

News, News, and More News!

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Hello gamers,

Today's post is just a bunch of news stories that I'm going to put into one post.

News Story 1:
First, I would like to peak your interest with the news of E3’s arrival coming in July (the 14 through the 17). For more details, you can click here to go to IGN. For me, it’s a huge event because it lets the gamers get a sneak peak into what lies in the future for all three systems. Who knows what the Wii will have in store with the Wii Fit or what new games the PS3 may have and possibly some information from Microsoft on a new system coming down the road. It will be held in Los Angeles.

News Story 2:
The Wii owns. Not only has the launch of the Wii Fit boosted sales for the system, but also it’s been the best selling system almost every single month since it came out (except for when Halo 3 came out). Last month (May) the Wii is still leading. It’s going to be hard for the 360 or PS3 to stop the Wii’s momentum. Click here for full story.

News Story 3:
This one is about my news. Yesterday, I was playing Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition when it froze and told me to eject the disk. I figured it had just been on too long and was a little too hot to play. I waited later when it was nice and cool in my room. I put Resident Evil 4 back in and turned on the console. To my surprise, it didn’t work. I tried another game and it also didn’t work. I then went to the troubleshooting hand book for ideas. I tried cleaning the disk and unplugging the power cord. All in vein, however, because it still didn’t work. After looking back into the booklet, I decided to find the number for help from Nintendo and called them. I was greeted by a young woman who helped me find out what the problem is. It turns out that I’m going to have to send in the Wii in for repairs. I know, you’re all very sad for me right now and can’t find a solution to finding a good night’s sleep after all of that horrible news, but they’re going to fix it for free. The lady was very nice and really helped out. In a couple of days, I’ll be turning in the system and will have it back in a few weeks. I’m sorry if I’ve given you guys some really long and unnecessary information, but I was really happy that Nintendo gave me the help they did. In fact, I’m going to send a letter with my thanks for the help. It reminds me of spacepiratefear’s story about how his virtual consol game wasn’t excepting his control, so they sent him a new one.

Well, that’s all for now,
HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!

VGC! News: The Future of Advertising

videogamecrazy@yahoo.com (Oddball) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:16:00 +0000

Hello gamers,

Today, we live in a world with entertainment which can only be viewed by at least watching some advertisements. For example, when you go out to see a movie, what do they show for 10 minutes before the movie? Another example would be TV. We all know how many ads on TV there are. So, my next question is, what about video games?

If you look at Nintendo or Microsoft, they ask if you would like news letters or themes based upon their new games or (for Microsoft) if you want a theme that is based upon an upcoming movie. Now, I can't really say the same thing about the PS3 (since I don't own one), but I found a news story saying they will be heading in the same direction as their other two opponents with the subject of advertising.

According to Sony.com (you can also see the home page on my links from my blog),

"Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced the introduction of dynamic in-game advertising on PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3). Marketers interested in placing advertisements in games for PS3 or publishers with available in-game space for advertisements are able to engage through advertisement distribution partners, with IGA Worldwide selected as PS3’s first partner."

Now, I fail to understand what they mean by "in-game advertising". Do they mean that while playing a game, advertisements will be shown or maybe during a loading screen. Will it be like Nintendo where you can choose to not receive game advertisements? Will it just be game advertisements or will it be like Microsoft who advertises Mountain Dew or Doritos? I think putting non video game ads into a game would be bad. The best way to advertise would be to let the player choose if he/she wants to see the ads or not and not to be bombarded with ads like on TV. Never the less, it seems that advertising on video games or video game systems is inevitable.

Well, that's all for now,

HANG TIGHT GAMERS!!