The PS Vita Might Just Be Portable Heaven

Check out this snapshot of my PS Vita home screen (this is just the first panel, there are actually several of them but this one alone makes my point):

If you ask me, this is pretty badass. Sure, it could be argued that the 5 Vita titles shown are rehashes, and I can't disagree. I can only add the caveat that it's still early in the handheld's life cycle, and there are many titles for the Vita that are not rehashes/ports etc. I just REALLY happen to love Ninja Gaiden, DOA, EDF and Muramasa.

Speaking of Muramasa, if you've played the Wii game and enjoyed it (if you didn't you're dead inside, because the game is fantastic) (I'm only half serious), you should check out the upgraded port on the Vita if you ever get the chance. Yes, that's right, I said upgraded. The Vita is not only capable of playing a Wii game, it's capable of playing an upgraded version of a Wii game. The game POPS on the Vita screen. Simply gorgeous to look at and it now features fully customizable controls, so if you hated having to use up on the stick to jump, well, you can now change that. Personally, I still rock that method, but I also enabled the x button to act as a jump, so I have the best of both worlds.

As for the other games on that screen, sure, they are PS1 games, but they are enhanced on the Vita and even if they weren't, you're still playing PS1 games on the go, as well as iterations of current console games, all on the same system with the best screen of any handheld ever. And I do mean ever. It's stunning how good games look on it.

Ruminating on Destruction (The Demise of Classic Video Game Franchises)

Back in January I wrote a blog post entitled “My Favourite Franchises Are Being Destroyed”

In light of recent events, I have taken it upon myself to produce a follow up to said post. I am not sure what form the following will take (measured, rational assessment of things as I see them, an angry, emotional, irrational rant, or some combination of the two) but I do know that I am compelled to revisit this perhaps tired, but in my mind terribly poignant point: Classic video game franchises are being utterly raped in this seventh video game generation.

Resident Evil: Revelations 3DS Demo Door Puzzle in Seconds (2 Moves) Walkthrough

This video shows you how to complete that initial puzzle (door lock puzzle) found in the RE:R demo in a matter of seconds (once the screws are removed) by making just 2 moves:



If you have played this demo, what do you think of it?

Also, if you answer this, could you add whether or not you consider yourself a fan of the Resident Evil games, and if so, which ones do you prefer? The old school survival horror ones with tank controls, puzzles a-plenty, static camera angles and limited ammo, or the new school ones (Resident Evil 4 and 5).

Personally, RE6 will most likely turn out to be a far better game, technically, than Revelations, but I think Revelations will succeed where RE6 will likely fail: At being a damn RE game! I hope I am wrong, but I think 6 is going to stray even farther from the series' roots than 5 did, and while 5 was a great game in its own right, it was an abomination of an RE game :(

My Favourite Franchises are being Destroyed

Hear the latest news coming from the people behind the upcoming Resident Evil 6? They're after the Call of Duty market....Seriously:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/332888/resident-evil-attracting-cod-fans-the-dream-says-capcom-action-route-makes-sense/

First I see that abomination of a trailer and I figure there is no hope left, but then Capcom decided to at least be nice and remove any possibility of me maintaining even the slimmest glimmer of hope by announcing that, nope, you're out of luck, and yes, Resident Evil is not what it once was, aka what you fans  MADE it to begin with.

And btw, Capcom, RE5 was the biggest selling RE game and the most action oriented, but that correlation is just that: a correlation. To infer a causal relationship between the two is fallacious, and when you FAIL to grab a significant portion of the COD fanbase's attention, hopefully you will re-examine your conclusion. Protip: Was it the only RE game simultaneously released on multiple platforms, both with huge install bases in the middle of a gaming explosion in the mainstream? Was it a game that followed a tremendous entry into the series? Don't many franchises grow with time?

Can I be sure that it [i]wasn't[/i] the action orientated nature of the game that drove sales? Nope. They can't be sure it was, though, and when you factor in things like it following RE4, being multiplatform on 2 very successful consoles, etc., one has to wonder if perhaps they are being a bit narrow in their thinking.

And as if this shit wasn't enough, this comes after the bastardization of Ninja fucking Gaiden of all things, PLUS the shooter-ification of Mass Effect, the whatever the fuck you call it they did to Devil May Cry (although I hold out some hope that one may still be good), the abomination that was Dragon Age 2, the rape of Rainbow Six (although the games are still great, for the most part), the pillaging of the spirit of Fable, and on and on.

Not to mention other people's favourites that have been ASSFUCKINGRAPEFUCKED like Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Hitman, Metroid, Silent Hill, etc.

This is a pretty fucking sad time to be an 'old school' gamer. Everything classic is being bastardized in favour of being "cinematic," and "accessible," and anything that was stealthy, strategic or required any fucking thought, effort, patience, time or conquering of difficulty has become a fucking joke, with hour long turorials, incredibly obvious exposition, HUD's made for toddlers (breadcrumb trails, really Molyneux?), and someone in your ear at ll fucking times, telling you what to do and where to go (even goddamn motherfucking RYU HAYABUSA has someone chirping in his ear in Ninja Gaiden 3....WHAT THE FUCK?).

ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT!!!  FUCK!!!!

/get off my lawn

Nintendo 3DS: 'Hardcore' Gamers' Dream?

Thus far, the Nintendo 3DS has:

-A new (and GOOD) Shinobi Game!!! (btw, my first 'S' Rank:

)
-Two new Resident Evil titles (one out (although it is just a mercenaries rehash), one upcoming (actual new entry in the series))

Btw, if you are not aware of Resident Evil: Revelations, and are a RE fan, shame on you! It's aiming to be a mix of the new and old RE styles, and looks very good thus far.

-New entries in the Contra and Castlevania series announced/rumoured

-Heroes of Ruin, an upcoming (Q1 2012) online action RPG/dungeon crawler that looks VERY good

-Monster Hunter 3G or whatever it is called

-Nano Assault.

-Some other crap I am unaware of/do not care about, because really, it's all about this:

....as long as it doesn't get cancelled.

(and Shinobi, which I am loving (and is kicking my ass))

(And yes, I am aware of the existence of the NG:Sigma rehash for the Vita. I'll probably end up getting it, but the 3DS title is supposed to be an entirely new game)

Nintendo has long had a reputation for catering to the 'casual' market, and while this may not be entirely unsubstantiated, they have gone a long way to rectifying that perception with their acquisition of some serious 3rd party firepower for the 3DS (and apparently for the upcoming and stupidly titled Wii-U as well).

If you are more in line with what people mean by a 'hardcore' gamer, as I would be my most people's standards, then you may want to take a second look at the Nintendo 3DS. When thinking of the 'hardcore'/'casual' issue, it's not as clear a divide between the Vita and 3DS as you may think. The 3DS isn't just Brain Age and Nintendogs games.

When you think Nintendo, you may think Nintendogs, Brain age and Wii Sports. Well, maybe it's time to think Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Resident Evil, Contra, Castlevania and Monster Hunter :P

Video Game Memories Pt. 4: Sixth Generation (Xbox/PS2/GCN/DC Era)

Memories

The Xbox was my favourite console last gen. I owned a Gamecube as well, although I did not get my PS2 until this generation (the seventh) was already underway. Anyways, the Xbox is from where most of the gaming memories from this generation are derived, so I will mostly focus on that.

The xbox was released in North America on November 15th, 2001. My brother and I received ours on Christmas, a day I still fondly recall. The xbox has provided me with innumerable memories, some of which I will detail here.

RESIDENT EVIL 4 and CODE VERONICA REMASTERED FOR 360/PS3!!!!

Resident Evil Revival Selection Announced

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/22/resident-evil-revival-selection-brings-re4-code-veronica-to-ps3-xbox-360/

HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK!!!!!!


Capcom, I hate you for being so insidious with your monetary practises, but this is fucking RE4 we're talking about, remastered....in HD....achievements....Alright, you win, Capcom, you win.

Take my money.

Oh, ya, plus Code Veronica remastered....in HD...achievements....but whatever, fucking RESIDENT EVIL 4!!!!

The excitement I feel is ridiculous. I feel like a kid at christmas.

WOW.