Sep 02

Just saw the two-hour season premiere and couldn’t help but feel that gaming has infiltrated yet another show, “Prison Break,” and the influence clearly shows.

The following shouldn’t come off as too much of a spoiler, but today’s episode ended on another series’ signature cliffhanger. The players (pun intended) come to the realization that what they were looking for and found was actually just a piece of a bigger puzzle. A piece that represents 1 out of 6 items.

Sound familiar? It’s the same “fetch quest” mechanic found in plenty of games (i.e. Rare’s games, Assassin’s Creed, Super Mario Galaxy, as well as countless others) that artificially extends play time, but will it be effective in a show?

It seems like a cheap way to continue the show with the director, writer, whoever, giving themselves complete freedom to throw in unrelated events into the overarching story. Don’t be surprised to see a cross-country trek every episode to find the elusive “key cards.”

The series has been doing good so far, well into its fourth season with the same, expected twists that usually wind up entertaining and keeping you glued to the tube. We’ll see if its new gaming-focused approach measures up to its previous shows…might even be the template they use for the upcoming game.

written by Carlos Macias \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 20

Some sad news surfaced today. The “Shogun of Harlem” Julius Carry III passed away last night, but few details are available. Sho’Nuff was probably one of the greatest villains in movie history. Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts epic, produced by Rupert Hitzig and directed by Michael Schultz. While the film was a critical disappointment at the time, it was a financial success and is considered by many to be one of the greatest cult classics of the 1980s. Carry’s most famous line from the film was “Kiss My Converse” which has been used time and time again by other films and in rap songs and videos. Carry was 56 when he passed away.

I will never forget the final fight of the film where we learn about the “glow”. The following scene is perhaps my favorite fight scene from any film:


written by Will Snizek \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 16

Kezins.com recently asked if you thought LittleBigPlanet would impact PS3 Sales. To our surprise, many of you said “Yes, it will”. Carlos recently wrote what you’ll get with either GameStop’s or Amazon’s version of LittleBigPlanet coming October 21st.

Here is what Amazon’s deal will offer:

Amazon.com Exclusive Pre-Order Bonus
Pre-order today and receive an Amazon.com exclusive official “LittleBigPlanet Creator” MiniGuide. Instructions will be e-mailed to pre-order customers after the game has released. Offer good while supplies last. Offer limited to products shipped and sold by Amazon.com.

written by Juan Perez \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 15

Kalypso Media today released the first Making Of Video of the upcoming adventure CEVILLE. We’ve certainly been looking forward to the game and it looks like things are coming along nicely. In the thirteen minute video, the developers talk about the story and how they financed the production of the game. CEVILLE looks like it’s shaping up to be a very weird adventure title. Fortunately, weird is good in a world where too many games have standard stories. What’s really interesting about this video is the fact that they show us how the developers and publisher first met and how the deal came to be.

More “making of” videos will be released by Kalypso Media in the near future. Some of the topics include characters, game development, voice recording and music composing.

For some reason, YouTube isn’t cooperating with us today, but the video in .ZIP format can be downloaded HERE.

 

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 15

The packshot for ‘Sacred 2: Fallen Angel’ was released today, so now you know what the box looks like when you are shopping for the game. Sacred 2 is basically a prequel to the original Sacred taking place 2,000 years before the first game’s events. With a new game engine, this game will be in beautiful 3D. The game is scheduled for release on the PC this September. If you aren’t into PC gaming, it will be coming to the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 two months later in November. Click on the images below to see larger views.

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 13

We decided to start a new segment on the site called “Word of the Day”. Our challenge to you is to find a way to use each word of the day to enhance your life. I’m a huge fan addict of Dictionary.com’s “Word of the Day” but we’ll be choosing terms that you are unlikely to find there. Today’s word of the day is “bitchassness” coined by P Diddy on Making The Band. I find that this particular word is appropriate for the gaming world as well. If you play a lot of online games, you certainly run into numerous people who fall into this term.

The term basically refers to negative actions towards others through words and expressions. If you think you are better than those around you, like to lie or are just a shady individual, you probably suffer from bitchassness.

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 13

I haven’t had the chance to check out ‘Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory’, but the assets I receive always seem to be interesting.  Today, three new images surfaced showing off some unit pics from the game.  Fans of the Sudden Strike series may be pleased to find out that the new game has gone to a 3D style engine.  Some people may need to upgrade their computers if they plan to enjoy this one.  Most reports state that the game plays sluggish on dated systems.  It looks like 3Ghz will be the standard for playing this title.

 

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 13

KOEI announced today that a free demo of Romance of The Three Kingdoms®XI (RTKXI) for Windows-based PC is available now. Gamers can visit www.koei.com/rtkxipc to view the official trailer and download the demo.  I’ve only had about 30 minutes to check out the demo, but it’s certainly getting me excited about the game.  It seems like I was playing the original game yesterday.  Of course yesterday was the 1980s and I was playing it on an Amiga.  XI has been around for a little while, but this is the first time we’ll see a PC version of the game in English. 

The complete version of the game will be available to consumers in North America and Brazil beginning September 9, 2008 exclusively through digital download.  I’m sure the game will eventually end up in stores, but online will be the only way to get it in the beginning.  The suggested retail price is only $19.99, so the game isn’t a bad buy for what you are getting.  

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 08

Title: Beijing 2008: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games
Platforms: Xbox360, PLAYSTATION 3, PC
ESRB: E for Everyone
MSRP: Xbox 360: $49.99; PLAYSTATION 3: $49.99; PC: $29.99
Genre: Sports Simulation
Multiplayer: Online up to 4 players
Ship date: Out Now

This is your last chance to compete WITH the Summer Olympics.  With the Men’s Soccer team already picking up a win against China (1-0), the USA is off to a good start.  So I say, go out and get the game.  Having hands-on experience Gymnastics’ Rings is ridiculous.  No, Beer Pong is not an event but Badminton is.  Oh yeah, get your shuttlecock’s out.

Beijing 2008 will feature uncanny realism with fully rendered models of the actual Olympic arenas where competitions take place as well as the surrounding cityscape of Beijing. Players will strive for national pride as 32 countries are represented in Beijing 2008 and over 35 different sporting events to participate in. For the first time ever in Olympics video game history, players will have the ability to compete against others online and compare scores on online leader boards; truly capturing the international competitive spirit of the Olympic Games.

Partial Feature List:

• Developed for all true next generation consoles
o PLAYSTATION 3
o Xbox 360
o PC

• 32 National Teams Represented

• Numerous disciplines including
o Athletics
o Gymnastics
o Shooting
o Aquatics
o Weightlifting
o Table Tennis
o Kayak
o Cycling
o Judo
o Archery

• 38 Events in total

• Over 1000 character models

• Play as male and female competitors

• Comprehensive Game Modes
o Training
o Competition
o Career

• Competitive online gameplay for all platforms
o Complete live against opponents from around the world
o Download & upload best times & scores
o Download & upload ghosts of your best performances
o Full online leader boards

• LAN (Local Area Network) support for PC version

Via Press Release

written by Juan Perez \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 07

It took a while for us to compile a list of the 100 greatest video games of all-time, but it’s finally done. Starting today, we’ll be publishing the list one game at a time until we get to #1. #100 was a tricky choice, considering there were hundreds of games that deserved the spot but didn’t make it. After careful consideration, we went with ‘Shadow Hearts: Covenant’ from the Sony PS2.

The game was developed by Nautilus and published by Midway in 2004. It was a direct continuation of Shadow Hearts and the second official game in the series. While it wasn’t the longest RPG, it still provided you with about 35-50 hours of gameplay.

What really gained my attention with this game was the nearly flawless and addictive battle system. That combined with an interesting group of characters, good visuals and a great soundtrack, it made for one hell of a game. While the game could have been improved in some minor areas, it was certainly one of the best RPGs released for the PS2. Let us know what you think about this game!

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,