Publicly. No Need for Pesky Download Codes.

We’ve been playing the CoD: World at War beta at the Kezins Office for the last couple of weeks, but now everyone is welcome to join. Activision has thrown up the game on Xbox Live waters for all to play, peruse, and criticize.

It reminds us a lot of that little game — you may not have heard of it — Call of Duty 4, but now with the added benefit of scary attack dogs shadowing your every step! Even more (easy) kills after a 7-kill streak? Tsk, tsk.

Image Credit: Pitbull Help

written by Carlos Macias \\ tags: Activision, Added Benefit, Attack Dogs, beta, Cod War, Credit Help, Image Credit, Little Game, lot, Pitbull, Scary, world at war, World War, Xbox, xbox live

It’s fairly obvious by the above image that some of us at Kezins are not big fans of the insane ramblings of Zero Punctuation. Despite our lack of positive feelings for the videos, they seem to continue their popularity. The fact that nearly every episode of Zero Punctuation makes it to the front page of Digg.com certainly says that there’s a lot of people who continue to support the series. Hopefully no one takes this too seriously. We’re just poking fun at Yahtzee who seems to poke fun at all games. If you’ve never seen one of the crazy videos we’re talking about, here’s an example:

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: com, crack, Digg, Episode, fact, fun, gamer, image, Kezins, lack, lot, page, popularity, Punctuation, Zero

The Nintendo Wii really needed more RPGs and the console is starting to deliver. Ougon no Kizuna, being developed by Jaleco, may be one of the more interesting RPGs to hit consoles in some time. It’s also nice to see Jaleco back in action. They made some really awesome games back in the 1980s.

The game is an action-RPG, where you will use the Wii Nunchuck in battle. I don’t know a lot about the game yet, but it certainly looks like a title we need to keep our eyes on.

Scans Via Gamekyo via VG Chartz

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: action, battle, gallery, game, Jaleco, Kizuna, lot, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Nunchuck, Ougon, RPG, RPGs, time, title

Halo fans may not be getting any new details on when the strategy-flavored Halo Wars will be hitting console-side outside of “early 2009,” but you can enjoy some new box art in the meantime.

There sure are a lot of people backing up the three Spartan characters present. Looks good enough to grab the attention of the casual gaming crowd, at least.

“What?! I can play with three Master Chiefs?”

There goes a few million copies sold right there. Does the box art sell it for you?

written by Carlos Macias \\ tags: Art, attention, Box, crowd, date, gaming, Halo, Looks, lot, master, meantime, Nebulous, right, sell, Spartan

There hasn’t been a lot going on in the comic world lately, but ‘Fresh Ink Online’ recently reviewed Batman RIP, Urban Myths, Anna Mercury, and Uncanny X-Men. If you are interested in the topics here, G4 has some interesting forum discussions going on.

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Anna Mercury, Batman, forum, Fresh, hasn, Ink, lot, Online, Rip, Uncanny, Urban Myths, world, X-Men

The kind people at G4 sent us the latest episode of the ‘MMO Report’ in an email. They talk a little about Star Trek Online, which is probably the one thing I want to know the most about in the MMO world right now. Here’s what they had to say:

Once again, The MMO Report comes correct to school your ass with knowledge. And yes, we have been listening to a lot of Run DMC in the office recently. This week, Casey gives you all the information we have on Star Trek Online, brings you a new segment that will tell you where to look for those over-priced figures you spend your hard earned dollars on, and about an MMO boss that takes 24 hours to take down. That is what I call dedication.

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Casey, DMC, email, Episode, kind, knowledge, lot, MMO, Office, Online, Report, run, Star, thing, Trek, world

If you are easily offended, Tropic Thunder may not be the film for you. If you are looking for a lot of laughs, I’m not sure why you haven’t seen it yet. Some of the best quotes from the film really make more sense if you’ve actually watched the movie. The witty film makes fun of Hollywood and numerous Vietnam war films.  Here’s my choice for the top five Tropic Thunder quotes:

Kirk Lazarus: I know who I am! I’m the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude! (from trailer)

Alpa Chino: …because they had one good part in there for a *black* man, and they gave it to “Crocodile Dundee”!

Kirk Lazarus: Some of us might not make it back.
Jeff ‘Fats’ Portnoy: What do you mean, like… not on the same flight?

Speedman: I don’t believe you people!
Kirk Lazarus: What do you mean, “you people?”
Alpa Chino: What do you mean, “you people?”

Kirk Lazarus: Yo, assholes, this mother fucker’s dead!
Tugg Speedman: [picks up severed head] I think I can spot a prop head when I see one!
[people around him gag while he plays with the head]

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Alpa, Chino, dude, Dundee, Film, fun, haven, head, Hollywood, Jeff, Kirk Lazarus, lot, movie, Quotes, quotes Tropic Thunder, sense, Speedman, Thunder, Tropic, Vietnam, War

I’ve been a big fan of Roblox since it came out. For those of you who have never heard of the game, it’s basically a free virtual playworld for kids. Even though it’s for kids, I still find a lot of enjoyment with the game. If you love LEGOs, you’ll certainly love this game. Check out the game’s website sometime!  The following video shows an interesting creation of a soccer game with Roblox.  We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on new videos, considering the possibilities are endless with the title…

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Creation, enjoyment, eye, fan, game, LEGOs, lot, playworld, Roblox, Soccer, title, video, Website

LittleBigPlanet’s appearance in E3 was a huge success. Will ‘SackBoy’ help increase Sony PlayStation 3 console sales?

The little guy known simply as ‘SackBoy’ in Sony’s upcoming video game, LittleBigPlanet, has a lot riding on his burlap shoulders.  It seems Sony is putting all their faith in the little guy, and with an official release date there’s no turning back.  That means no more delays.  This also means that this is Sony’s last chance to capture new PS3 gamers.  The First Person shooters have already chosen what system they prefer killing on.  The MMORPG guys have decided that PC’s are for them.  Portable device people love the on the go advantage.  I feel that Sony’s last target audience is the first time console owners of the Nintendo Wiii.  Everyone knows that the Wii’s lifespan is short lived, as we previously discussed.  So I say, strike while the iron’s hot.  Publish a game that sells a cute little zipper-stomach doll, and use bright colors and a simple game title name.

The buzz surrounding this game is how customizable it is.  LittleBigPlanet or ‘LBP’ for short, is a puzzle platformer game that combines the ability to jump, move, and grab objects. Players can use their abilities to shape and develop the highly manipulatable environment to build custom spaces either individually, collaboratively, and/or competitively. Levels focus on co-operative, physics-based gameplay, and players can use mechanisms such as cogs and blocks to build anything from small level parts to large, complex worlds. The game will also allow opportunities for players to acquire new skills and tools.

After all the delays, do you think LBP will be a successful PS3 game?  Do you think it will help sell PS3’s to new gamers?

written by Juan Perez \\ tags: appearance, burlap, game, guy, help, iMPACT, LBP, LittleBigPlanet, lot, Playstation, Poll, SackBoy, Sony, success, video

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The NCAA Football franchise never sells the way Madden does, but it’s still a huge series.  I have always been partial to the little brother of Madden considering my love for college football.  We expected big things with the 2009 installment, but it seems there’s really not a lot to write home about.  Online Dynasty mode was surely welcomed and the ability to share custom roster files was a nice bonus.  Other than that, the game really doesn’t offer many improvements over NCAA 08. There are a few minor changes to the game that I’ll try to break down below.

Gameplay

Gameplay hasn’t changed a lot, but the offensive game is definitely more wide-open than ever.  This is great if you love offense and a step backward if you are a defensively minded player.  An unfortunate addition to the game is the ability of the home team to “ice” kickers.  This ability works entirely too well and really dilutes the realism of the game.  I suggest turning this option off in any game you play.  Another problem I noticed with the game is the fact that the AI simply does not work well at all, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.  AI controlled players will run the wrong direction and frequently miss easy tackles.  While the game certainly is slightly better than 08 in most areas, I expected more.  If you currently have NCAA 08, you may want to simply wait until NCAA 10 hits shelves to upgrade.

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written by Will Snizek \\ tags: ability, addition, bonus, Dynasty, football, game, Home, lot, Madden, NCAA, Online, replay, series, value, Xbox