What a Glorious Year for Xbox Gaming 2007 Will Be

This is just a little look back at the Xbox 360 in the year 2006 and 2007 by looking at my old copy of OXM. The idea behind this is XKCD's five-year game lag which can save you a ton of money!

This magazine has it all! Halo, DOA... Extreme, Rainbow 6, and Half-Life 2! I'm a big DOA fan but DOA Extreme 2 is just not good. I don't care about your line of decency for the in game models but there is just no game there. Bad mini games that you have to play on your own.

Oh XKCD

You are amazing.

WTF Is This Google?

This horrifying ad was on my blog. What is this... I don't even... come on! I'll let a lot of stupid stuff online slide, but this? "Halo" a game that doesn't exist (Halo: Combat Evolved.) It's on Valhalla on Halo 3, the photoshopping is awful and if at some point playpickle.com got in browser Xbox 360 emulation working I'd be freaking impressed.

...

...

...

You know what? NO!
My blog will now be ad free, this is a horrible offence to gaming.

Nintendo is Learning to be Modern

So I was registering my copy of Skyward Sword on Club Nintendo when BAM! Social networking and integration and it's not annoying or intrusive. I love it when this sort of thing makes it to Nintendo because they are really lagging behind in the internet realm.

Also, as a side note. This little game is the reason I've had almost zero updates with Contreramanjaro. That and finals, those are important too...

Sam's Scary Games Update

Game Title	Platform	Video
Clock Tower 3	Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Condemned: Criminal Origins	Xbox 360	YouTube
Condemned 2: Bloodshot	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
Dead Space	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
Doom 3	Xbox	YouTube
Eternal Darkness	Gamecube	Coming Soon
Fatal Frame	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Fatal Frame II	Xbox/Playstation 2	YouTube
F.E.A.R.	Xbox 360	YouTube
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
Fragile Dreams	Wii	Coming Soon
Half-Life 2 [select levels]	Multiple	YouTube
Parasite Eve	Playstation	Coming Soon
Penumbra Collection	PC	Coming Soon
Resident Evil 4	Multiple	YouTube
Resident Evil: Code Veronica	Dreamcast	Coming Soon
Silent Hill	Playstation	Coming Soon
Silent Hill 2	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Silent Hill 3	Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Silent Hill 4	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Silent Hill:Shattered Memories	Wii	Coming Soon
Silent Hill: Homecoming	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
Siren	Playstation 2	Coming Soon
The Suffering	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon
The Suffering: The Ties That Bind	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon

Games to buy still:
Bioshock (Don't yell at me, I have it on PC but I only review console games)
Clive Barker's Jericho
Clock Tower (1,2)
Dead Space 2
Illbleed
Rule of Rose
System Shock
Fatal Frame 3
Zero: something no kamen (Fatal Frame 4)
Ju-on: The Grudge
More RE
Silent Hill Origins

Xbox 360 Game Case Comparison

When I buy a new game one of my main concerns is the quality of the case and its contents. Recently plastic saving designs have led to weaker cases that are far more prone to tearing. I hate these.

It seems like Halo CE Anniversary got the design right. It uses less platic and won't get a rip in the paper it it brushed a desk corner (like my Skyward Sword box >:( now has.)

A Look Back at Halo with Nick and Sam, Part 1

This is the first part of our look back on the Halo series in anticipation for Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary. This video features Halo CE and Halo 2.

Sam's Scary Games, Doom 3 Review

New SSG? Kind of. I totally forgot to update my blag. So enjoy the old.

Yes.

All of my money.


Just take it XSeed, and don't make this another Ju-On.

Hit Stuff With a Flashlight Simulator! SSG #6 Preview

This is how a MAN unboxes!

Distracting Things

Catherine, Otomedius Excellent, and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
No
Time
For
Blog.

TF2 is Free Forever

Well, Valve has done it again. They've shown the world the proper way to be a game developer.

Indie Game: The Movie

I thought this video looked pretty sweet. As a student of computer science now, one of my biggest dreams it to become a game developer. There's this sort of understood drive to making your own game, it's like the American Dream of owning your own business, being your own boss. Making games is hard though, as a service, you have to hope people like it or it's game over.

Link to donation site.

25 Years of Zelda

This is a 25 Years of Zelda picture being made. This is a bit old at this point but if you haven't seen it yet, see it. I love this kind of passion in this industry.

Link to original post.

Wii U is... about what you expect.

Well, it's happened. Nintendo has revealed to the world yet another console which no one is really quite sure about. They seem to be getting quite good at being unpredictably successful. The Wii U looks like a Wii that has gained some power and a new shiny huge controller.

What you get with this is an HD Nintendo console that has roughly 50% more power than a Playstation 3. This sounds great but when you remember that the PS3 is five year old technology it feels like maybe Nintendo should have put a little more power under the stylishly white hood. Of course, the final specifications have yet to be announced and developers don't even have a final dev kit yet.

Controlling this beast looks like a mystery to those of us who haven't played it but initial reports from those at E3 are positive.



Initial reports from developers say the console is easy to develop for which is great for getting decent 3rd party support.

Castle of Shikigami III for Nintendo Wii Review

Otomedius Excellent? Oto-I Really Want This Game!

OK, so I'm bad at rhymes, but just look at it. Joystiq says it's coming July 19 and I want it. I saw a video for it a while back and have ever since wanted it. Check out the video below.

What I've learned from Japan is that a game that has bikini pirate cat girl spaceship with a ski mask must be great. (0:38 in video) The special edition of the game comes with a pillowcase too. I don't think I'll be using it, but it doesn't stop me from wanting it any less than a pizza box or boxers.

The standard edition will be $29.99 and the excellent special edition will be $49.99.

This game will be misunderstood and extremely tacky, I can't buy it fast enough. Good job Konami!

I Mess Up a Disassembly - DualShock 2

Shocking News: Sprint Still Does Not Want T-Mo and ATT Takeover

It is common news in the mobile industry that Sprint Nextel has been fighting an uphill battle to regain some profit. Over the past few years it have gained a great number of subscribers and has ascended the ranks here in the US as a carrier. Coming from behind to actually having some of the best customer satisfaction is certainly respectable and its support of truly "unlimited" internet and position for internet openness has let it gain a little more support from the community of nerds I identify with.

Unless you've been under a 1900Mhz blocking rock for the past year, you should be aware that AT&T wants to make T-Mobile its own for ever and ever. Naturally, Sprint doesn't like this so much. The mess that the takeover would cause does look bad, but can Sprint, once thought to be the one to take over T-Mobile, make it look like this takeover is bad for everyone? Well they certainly tried. Look at these links tweeted by Sprint today. Looks technical.

Sprint Newsroom
A big PDF with lots of legal stuff

Outside Aperture - Science That Stays With You

Project Cafe Specs - A Bad Most Likely Fake JPEG

But as E3 approaches I'll read just about anything that comes out. These specs look good. I hope they are true. Also, The randomness of the RAM sizes seems very Nintendo indeed.











From Reddit.

Xbox Original Component Cables Review

Ultimate Shooting Collection for Nintendo Wii Video Review

Half-Life 2 - Exile Vilify by The National

I love this song a video combination.

Eternal Sonata Video Review

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Need for Speed Hot Pursuit for Xbox 360 Review

Need for Speed is a long-standing name in arcade racers. Going back to consoles as old as the PS1, Need for Speed has a reputation, a reputation that has been growing steadily worse since the release of NFS Underground. It’s true that the games to come between then and now weren’t terrible, but they also weren’t really worth remembering. This is the first game to pull need for speed out of its slump in my opinion. Read on to see why.

Gameplay
This isn’t a racing sim. Some may be lead to believe this way because the earlier released Need for Speed: Shift was. This is an arcade racer that feels more like a Burnout game than one of the previous NFS games. The controls for the most part are extremely solid. You have five major concerns with the controls, gas, brakes, steering, nitrous, and power-ups.  It’s a simple yet robust way to control a car. Drifting is a huge part of this game and it’s easier here than in almost any game.

To drift, simply let off the gas the slam it back on. After doing this, your car’s tail will whip out in the opposite direction to whichever way you’re turning. Use the NO2 on straight shots to hit top speed. Your power ups are mapped to your D-pad. They include, for racers, spike strip, EMP, jammer, and boost. For cops they include spike strip, EMP, road block, and helicopter. Each power has different levels that can be attained by leveling up.
Weather and time of day also play a role here. A wet road can lead to hydroplaning the night may lead to many blind corners.

Progression

In this game you level up as a cop and as a racer separately. Completing these levels and unlocking levels can help you upgrade your tools and unlock new cars. The levels are based on points and you get more for performing better in races. There is no real story mode, which is a relief because that kind of ruined past games.

Features
As is typical with the soulless assholes at EA, they give you one VIP code with your purchase. This means if you buy it used or borrow it from a friend you get the shaft. If game companies like to charge you 15 bucks to use a game you paid 60 for on more than one Gamertag, then I will openly say they’re an asshole company. Come on EA, everyone hates you unless you are publishing a Valve game.
If you get past the horrible atrocity that is the VIP code system, there is an online mode, a store to buy a few megs of cars and vehicle license rights, as well as a single player mode and show-off wall. You can also take a photo of your car mid-race which can lead to some spectacular looking pictures.

Visuals
Visually, this game is what I would call stunning. Getting a Bugatti Veyron up to 250mph feels like you are going that speed. The graphics are smooth and are in an excellent high resolution. Some games may look a bit better on the surface such as the Project Gotham Racing series, however when you consider the scale of the game and other things like high poly traffic and changing weather, this game really is quite beautiful.

The cars are definitely beautiful with great lighting and reflections. The destruction on the cars also looks magnificent. One of my favorite things to do was take pictures in a crash. The various depth filters added with speed really give the game a nice look. The whole time though it manages to not look weird like Need for Speed Shift did with the blurriness or too contrasted like the underground series.

Audio
What I’ve noticed recently with EA’s big titles is a great focus on Audio. As with a lot of Dice’s games, Criterion manages to make this game sound amazing. There is a nice balance between the music and sound effects. The soundtrack is also quite good. I found myself at some points actually listening to the music, which is more than I can say for the past few racing games, I’ve played.

If you have 5.1 and a nice deep sub, you’ll love the sound this game puts out. Rumbling engines and screeching tires are music to my ears in this one. I’d also like to note that driving in tunnels in this one sounds great too.

Wrap-Up
I do follow the CGR formula here so no number scores will be found here. I played this game to death and still want to keep playing. The races don’t ever really feel stale and the only time I don’t like the game is in the Cop races where you can’t hit anything. That is not very Lando. I do feel like this game is worth about $50 if I bought it new. While it’s great and leaves me very satisfied in the genre, there really isn’t much here you can’t get elsewhere. If you love this genre get on board, especially if you are a fan of the older NFS games.

Oh Valve, How You Steal My Heart -- Half-Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2

Valve must know that they have some of the most patient customers in the industry. Valve's name is a parody of time manipulation but also a synonym for quality. I mean come on, Halo 3 was like .75 Valves and Earth Defense Force was somewhere near 1.21 GigaValves. Seriously, being compared to Valve is one of the highest honors I can give something. I've played through Half-Life 2 and Portal so many times I know the dialog.

All things considered, Valve is really stingy about the information they release to their salivating fans because the instant they do, every single syllable is searched for a cryptic meaning or metaphor somehow connected the Black Mesa events to the destruction of GlaDOS. This could be the reason that it's been ages since we've heard anything about the assumed dead Half-Life 2: Episode 3 or been given zero information about Half-Life 3.

This obscurity may be why many fans were greatly excited for the episodic releases of the Half-Life games. More Half-Life to rage over sooner right? BUT THEN something called Portal became extremely successful and so did another title called Left 4 Dead. Now the fans that would normally sit and wait patiently found themselves wondering if their beloved developer had abandoned them. Episode 2 was like taking a stroll down HINTington Avenue or down WinkWink Boulevard. Then at the end it became the biggest building in the video game metropolis known as CliffHangersburg.

Now the poor and beaten fans are watching Left 4 Dead, its sequel, Portal 2, and DOTA 2 come out before even hearing about a new Half-Life. Now these games are fantastic in typical Valve fashion, but come on, poor Alyx is still crying, it breaks my heart. Now onto my article!

Half-Life 2: Episode 1

Starting where Half-Life 2 left off, you are immediately reintroduced to two of the most lovable characters of the HL2. Alyx and DØg. You have to once again save City 17 from certain destruction and complete tasks well beyond the physical abilities of most theoretical physicists. This is the first episode to use HDR lighting and was by far one of the best looking games of the time. The story is this game was much more driven and focused. It used cooperative AI in a way that made Alyx a welcome teammate that never got annoying.

There were not really any new gameplay tweaks or differences from the original game which is actually a good thing. It is familiar and solid the whole time. It is short but ended up being my favorite game in the Half-Life series.

Half-Life 2: Episode 2

I will keep my story descriptions low in this section to prevent posting any spoilers. This episode most notably involves covering a lot ground. You find yourself in a vehicle for a great amount of time. Zombies are becoming a smaller and smaller part of the Half-Life games at this point and the bigger and badder Combine are attacking full force. You really feel like you're at a disadvantage here. The Ant Lions also make a pretty big return here. I don't generally condone baby killing, but for 2HP each, I'll relax my morals a bit.

This is by far the most important episode for story telling and there really isn't too much to tell you beyond that. It's great and if you like any of the previous game you'll love this one.

Images from store.steampowered.com and blackmesasource.com

Why Gaming is Still Important: A History, A Melody, A Cause

Nick Duncan

The Gamer Gestalt

“The Secret of Life is in Art.” This quote comes from legendary writer Oscar Wilde. Since the dawn of man there have been artists, drawing scribbles on cave walls to painting the lush canvases of the Renaissance. Oscar Wilde, however, was not a painter. His art came from a different place, though he was in fact an artist. Art can be defined on a multitude of levels; the brush and the paint fall into just one of the innumerable categories that portray the physical manifestations of the human imagination. Today’s world exists in the digital realm. Computers, cell phones, and the internet all link us, bind us, and shrink the world to the size of our pocket. This digital era also introduced video games. The popularity of video games has grown incredibly since their creation in the mid-seventies, and a growing debate has sparked both in and out of the gaming community on whether or not video games are art. To answer that question one must define art and demonstrate how games are a form of artistic expression. The technology that exists today allows the creators of video games tell grand stories that can bring the player into an experience that they also help sculpt. Players are affected emotionally by these experiences to which they become so committed. Games carry themes, and form a thesis about a point they wish to prove. Video games are an expression of the human being, pulling the player into a world that is not their own, yet reflecting the ideals and imaginations of the creators and along with those who play it. This experience is as much a piece of art as a painting in the Louvre .

The history of video games is a short but sweet story. In the seventies, a device known as “The Brown Box” was invented; this allowed the user to control a dot on a television screen, trying to catch another user who controls another dot. This dot was far from the Mona Lisa, but contained the makings of a thriving global medium. More “game boxes” surfaced and turned into arcade cabinets; the industry continued this way until it saw a decline in the mid-eighties. Video games started to be written off as a passing fad. Then Nintendo, an arcade cabinet company that wanted to get a share of the household market, created their first console. The Nintendo Entertainment System revolutionized gaming at home. The system perfected the practice of swappable cartridges, reaching out to more third party companies and creating some of the best video games in the industry thus far. The games were fun and engaging, drew the player in with their look and feel, and everything just worked. From there Nintendo, and more console companies such as Sony and Sega, created consoles and games for the next decade. This comes from Mark Wolf’s book on the history of video games, Video Game Explosion: a History from PONG to Playstation and beyond. The consoles reached out to consumers across the globe, letting friends and family gather to share in the experience of gaming. The turn of the century introduced the internet, and the capabilities of computers skyrocketed. Gaming machines were now capable of producing graphics and environments closer to real life than ever before. The story continues today as the gaming community grows larger, encompassing a larger variety of people than ever before.

In order to understand how a game can be art, one has to first understand what a video game is. This can be a difficult concept to grasp because video games encompass so many devices. Games can be a solitary experience, where a player takes control of a character through an adventure similar to a movie. Players interact with protagonists and antagonists, though defeating enemies is the usually norm for a game plotline. Multiplayer games are very popular, as they allow many gamers to play together at once, competing and working together to achieve a goal.
Control is an important concept in the gaming world. The player’s actions off screen are translated into the game. Many critics of games point out how gamers are enveloped into the game and lose a sense of what is real. Outcries against violence in video games put this ideal as their masthead. The truth is that games do affect the gamer, but only as much as the gamer desires. This is not a conscious desire, but a subconscious one. Evidence has shown that media effects on violent behavior are minimal. The annual review of the effects of media violence from the sociology department of New York State University stated that media effects are minimal and “affect only a small percentage of viewers” though players do put themselves into the game. Video games put players in a “role”, but they play the role through their own being. A person’s character is most revealed when they fail to realize they are reflecting themselves by the game they are playing. True, most people are not likely to shoot a town full of people. The situation made by the game places players in a spurious realm and they are given instructions to complete a task. The way players go about completing this task is what is so revealing. Subtle nuances on play style, how gamers use their environment, whether they work alone or with a team, or even which tools they use can be linked to a person’s personality and emotional grasp on the situation.
Now this all equates to evidence that games can in fact be art. Art is a feeling or experience that garners an emotional reaction. Films and novels have always attempted to draw in the user to a world that will affect them emotionally. These two mediums are recognized as art. Video games attempt to establish themselves separate from simple comparisons between films and novels by differentiating the means by which they achieve artistic goals. These means involve bringing the player into the artistic experience, something that no other medium can do. Many who have established themselves in the field of film or writing try to write off video games. Roger Ebert wrote an article for the Chicago Sun Times assaulting the claims that games are art, saying “No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great poets, filmmakers, novelists and poets”. One cannot make that claim unless they experience the argued games for themselves. Grand Theft Auto IV, a free-roam action game that is set in a huge city, has gotten a healthy amount of attention for being controversial and violent. Yet no one has taken a look at the context in which the game is presented. A man from war torn Russia comes to America to live the “dream”. The game poses the question, “What is the dream anymore?” (GTA IV) This man gets swept up in the mob while trying to get by, reducing himself to the acts that he swore never to commit again since he moved to America. “Here, things will be different.” (GTA IV) The character development, the story arcs and the creative, intense action parallels the experience for which creators of novels and film have contended for decades. As for films, Goodfellas, The Godfather, and The Departed all explore the means by which people try to make something of themselves. All were created by one of “the great filmmakers”, but cannot bring about the point in the same way the game does. The game has a point to make, and is made using devices that are found within all video games.

Games have garnered an emotional reaction from gamers since their inception. The production that gaming companies put together is not just a way to make money. It is known that games cash in on popular themes and play styles, but the creators of games want people to take something away from the experience of playing the game. If games were just one dimensional, buyer consumed creations, there would not be world class writers assigned to the script, brilliant programmers tasked with making the gamer feel like they are a part of the experience, and even artists given the job of creating the visually stunning landscapes and characters that populate the games. Games are their own medium; they do not fall in with the likes of checkers or baseball. Those that argue that football cannot be art confuse the definition of game and video game. IGN editor Mike Thomsen refuted Ebert’s argument in an editorial, and when the aforementioned concept came up, saying,

The reason football is not art is because its rules were designed with the primary goal of competition. Competition is only one of a great many different experiences that a videogame can create. Games can also be about losing, and not competing at all. They can be about love, the impossibility of relationships, the beautiful indifference to our individual life choices, urgent intimacy in the shadow of death, sexual anxiety, and confrontation with life choices to which there are no right answers.

The games that build these relationships demonstrate a gripping, storytelling method that allows gamers to experience something similar to the emotion from art, film, and books, yet it contains something that sets it apart from everything else.

The dictionary defines art as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary substance”. Games have the ability to have players experience something beautiful, and come away moved in a way that has them thinking and telling others for a long time. This concept can be found within the game Bioshock, which was released in 2007. It is set within the confines of an abandoned underwater city, created as an escape from the government authority around the world in 1950. The player’s character survived a plane crash in the sea above this city, and as he is lead to safety he lands in the desolate wasteland that is the city of Rapture. Upon entering, you receive a radio transmission from a man named Atlas, who acts as your guide to getting out of the city, ending each request with the phrase “Would you kindly?”(Bioshock) Players explore the city and deal with the crazed populates that are desperate for the drug known as Adam which gives them superhuman abilities. The setting is dark, dreary, and sets an incredible tone which all players feel. The lush details of the collapsing city underneath the waves create a feeling of confinement that haunts the characters to the game’s chilling conclusion, which is the most artistic part. Atlas is revealed to be the mobster who had a hand it bringing the city to the state it was now, along with his arch enemy and the city’s creator, Andrew Ryan. Atlas has been using the player all along to carry out his means, as the player’s character, Jack has been trained from birth to follow the orders given. The phrase “would you kindly” makes the player follow every request, which they have done unknowingly throughout the game. Ryan reveals this to the player and uses the phrase to have the character murder him, ending his life with the now famous phrase, “A man chooses, a slave obeys.”(Bioshock) . These story elements call into question many heavy themes that sit with the player long after the thrilling conclusion. Obedience to authority is something young people question and reject, but to be following an authority without even knowing it makes people reevaluate every task they do. Gaming itself is taken under the microscope and examined. Do players really choose? Any movie, painting, or song that is considered “art” would have to work much harder to create this feeling in the viewer. Since the connection the gamer feels between the game and themselves is so visceral and corporeal it allows incredible ease in the flow of intended emotions from the creator of the game to the recipient.

These themes and theses may seem like a new addition to games, but gaming having such a short history as it does, time is needed for it to grow. Film, accepted by most of the population as a form of art, got its start at the end of the 19th century, and has moved from a simple medium to one that can call for thinking, intelligent audiences able to appreciate the artistic emotive means the piece hopes to fulfill. Using the medium to appropriately garner the response needed is the key. Film uses cinematography, writing, acting, and staging, not to mention a feeling to make it all happen. Games use similar tools. Design, scripting, acting, modeling, are all parts of what goes into making the pieces into a complete a picture.

Earlier games used the limited technology creators had at their disposal to pull a feeling from the players. Super Metroid, a two dimensional action-platformer released in 1992, had simplistic graphics and a general run-and-gun gameplay. Yet gamers still talk about the story and the feeling they get from running around the dark corridors of the alien infested planet. The text-only story of the game was intriguing but simple, and the design carried a mood with it to match the overall purpose of the game.

People want to express themselves. It is a part of a collective mission to define who we are as humans. For millennia people have created and destroyed to find this purpose and meaning, and the mediums they use have shifted throughout the years, and most of it has been referred to as art. Games now carry the expressive weight of artistic expression, sharing it with the scores of other conveyances of human emotion and purpose. Video games carry a negative weight that makes the medium work that much harder. Visually Interactive Experiences would be far more appropriate for such an increasingly important aspect of human culture.

PS3 Steam Account Option Now on Steam Install

I was relocating my Steam install when I noticed something new. An option for new PS3 user accounts. Here is a picture. This comes as I sit impatiently awaiting the delivery of my copy of Portal 2 for PS3. I can't wait.

Recent Pick-ups Episode 3

Sam's Scary Games, F.E.A.R.

This is my review of F.E.A.R.

E3 is Big, Internet is Bigger!

The sort of light headed heaviness that fills my eyes as I scroll through hundreds of game article is unique to the greatest week in gaming. This week is during E3 that comes once a year and has been my goal as a blogger for years. Going to the greatest gathering place of all things gaming is an opportunity beyond easy description. I have watched tons of video game conferences and seen videos and pictures of the booth on many blogs and websites. Actually being there would be amazing to me and would allow me to be one of the reporters I have followed for year. As a computer science major, being near the people who I hope to be my colleagues or competition in the future will be the greatest experience of my career.

Blogging about games has become a hobby to me to tell people about games and get feedback from them to know how to improve my writing or to just have a discussion on an exciting new game. Letting a person pick a game from the other side of a glass case in a store now seems like a sin to many enthusiasts and to me, it feels like an opportunity to educate. I find great pleasure in telling people all I know about games and have become well educated in how to find out the best way to describe a game to someone. Whether it is comparing Halo Reach to an epic novel like the Odyssey or telling a confused parent that maybe they should consider Wii Sports Resort over Deca Sports.


This video had over 20,000 views on YouTube in about two days as a result of good timing and my willingness to stay awake for several extra hours.

Headcrabs are great for guarding games

Finding ways to keep a reader's or watcher's attention throughout an entire speech, article, or video about video games and technology has become more than a hobby to me, it has become my personal goal. I keep trying to find ways to keep attention and keep from looking like just another kid from a video game forum. Letting people know what else you've done or maybe adding a humorous but related image can take the edge off eye strain.

The main reason for my writing this article is to sell myself to the folks at KmartGamer. I heard about KmartGamer from the website Joystiq.com that an article about KmartGamer sending bloggers to E3. I have in fact been contributing to this blog since the end of August 2010. Before that, I was part of a group known as Base2Games which died mainly from a lack of experience, the remnants of which can be seen here and here. Since the death of Base2 I have been able to drum up my personal channel to 36 subscribers and 51,771 video views. This is the result of quite a lot of work taking place during the school year even as I am a full time college student. I have started my own review series called Sam's Scary Games in which I review scary video games. I have made 4 of these videos so far with three videos having more than 200 views and one having over 400. My other personal series, Casual Collecting has approximately 100 video views per video. This is pretty good considering I don't advertise myself and have no affiliates.

All of the success I have had has been a result of my hard work and only came after long hours of work and personal training. When I review a game or preview an event I always remain objective and talk about what a game is rather than what it means to me. Everyone has a different taste in games and I think it's important to realize that games are to be judged and reported on based on their qualities and ability to deliver what they aim to, not to be compared to other pieces of media or scored on how much you personally like a game.

These are a few examples of my past work.

• Unboxing Video
• Sam's Scary Games Video
• Game Review
• Game Collecting
• Industry Articles Part 1 Part 2

Recent Pick-ups Episode 2

Grip-iT Review

This is just a short review of the Grip-iT controller add-ons. I really found these to work great on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. I use them mostly on my Xbox 360 controller and find them to work great.

Oh Valve, How You Steal My Heart -- Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2

Following one of the best video games to ever be made with a sequel seems like a near impossible challenge, especially with the rules changed so much. What I mean by this is that back in 1998 there were only a handful of games that tried to follow a narrative. This was partially due to a lack of technology, and partially due the immaturity of the industry. When it came to Half-Life 2, a little of the ridiculous was shaved off the edges of the Half-Life formula. Gone were the random teleportation sequences or errand platforming missions. Half-Life 2 seemed, from the beginning, to take itself much more seriously.


It makes sense to change the formula, what is another alien shooter with military baddies in a world populated with Halo and other war games. The feeling is immediate that the world is not without order, on the contrary, order in being mandated rather heavily. Upon starting the game you are almost immediately introduced to this scenario as you are forced to witness abuse by the authority with no ability to help or save the victim. You feel powerless as you start to move through the gates and are herded wherever the Combine soldiers feel like sending you.

As it turns out, you are immediately introduced to the idea that this isn't a run and gun game. Sometimes it's best to find a way around. You are also introduced to the idea that you alone cannot succeed and will need the help of your allies. This game is a must play for any fans of adventure, puzzle, shooting, and platforming games. I think it's time for a <ul>.

• New array of weapons
• Clearer enemy
• Great use of Havok
• Transition to character driven story
• Huge adventure elements
• New methods of transportation
• A clear goal
• Oh, and of course, Alyx Vance

So, as Gordon Freeman, you progress through some of the most elaborate environments I've ever seen in a game just to get back to your friends. Really, if you think about it, the whole [spoiler spoiler spoiler] leading up to the final [spoiler] with Breen, was only to get back to Eli after the disaster that sent you to Ravenholm.

Turns out, someone at Valve figured out how to make awesome AI for both enemies and allies. It's actually preferable to work as a team in this game. Remember Nova Prospekt? Pretend you weren't sad when Alyx left your side. Anyways, Gordon becomes the big hero of the day finishing the game by wielding one of the most amazing weapons ever conceived. After beating the game the first time, I started it over. That's just the kind of game it is.

Lists are fun you say? Let us <li> about my top five favorite things about Half-Life 2 to finish up.

1. The zero point energy field manipulator
2. Physics gameplay
3. Alyx Vance
4. Ravenholm
5. First Level

Alyx image from Half-Life 2: Episode 1 Steam page. Box picture from Wikipedia Half-Lfie 2 page.

Oh Valve, How You Steal My Heart -- Half-Life

It seems like only a few days ago that I first strolled up to a metro cop. It was in 2006 when I had my brand spanking new Xbox 360. My friend says "hey, check out this game called Half-Life 2, it's got physics." I played just a bit on his orignal Xbox and was hooked. Little did I know that compatibility on Xbox 360 was just awful. I was permanently stuck in Ravenholm because the zombie crushing autos decided to float away. That evening I ran to the store and bought the PC version and it's been love ever since.

Most people think the idea of loving a game is ridiculous, but come on, I'm not talking marriage love with a husband and wife and 2.5 kids. We're talking love like the kind that makes you cry when Mufasa dies or is the reason your can still play games like Super Mario 64 and get a kick. This may in fact have lead to my desire to find new games and tell the world about them. For a game as excellent as Half-Life 2 or it's expansions, mods, or prequels, it is extremely surprising how few people have played it. Now, let's step back in history and look at the games.

Half-Life

Why is it that dropout nerds make such amazing entertainment? Half-Life introduces itself like no other game; a rather long and boring tram ride with an annoying voice telling you all about a place called Black Mesa. As terrible an employee you seem to be, arriving so late and all, everyone seems so happy to see you because you get to do their dirty work in the test chamber. A wonderfully pure test substance has been given to your research department by a mysterious man in a blue suit (who is actually made of wood in Half-Life: Source.)

Well, things get messed up and the whole place basically gets messed up and lots of people died. Also you are introduced to parasitic aliens as well as other monsters that have great control over unknown forces. You are given a melee weapon and a healthy American supply of guns. Let's do a quick recap.

• guns
• aliens
• zombies
• army
• one man army
• huge environment
• everyone has a common enemy, you

Half-Life was available for PC and Playstation 2. There is also a Dreamcast build floating around online if you don't want to cough up the whole couple bucks a legit version will cost you. There was a remake of the game on the source engine which added better effects and performance. Oh Valve, you're so thoughtful.

This game had it all and deserves every reward it got. The game is extremely long and challenging in the style of older games. New games are far too easy on us. Autosave is a luxury and we were lucky to map the function to a key. I applaud you if you got through all the Xen levels without a little godmode or noclip. I didn't have the patience but still loved the game. It replaced Duke Nukem as my favorite PC shooter of pre-millennium times. I wish I could recommend this more, maybe a review is in order...

Case picture and video were taken by me. Valve eye picture thing is from developer.valvesoftware.com

Be More Obvious Sprint!

I'm talking about the connections.

Sony NGP

---

I made this video the night of the press conference so the information will be old by now. I'm thinking I may make a new portal specifically for Sony's Playstation line. Let's see how life goes before I get too much on my plate. May get some help for it.

Sam's Scary Games, Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly

Here is my video review at last.

Fatal Frame 2 - A progress report.

Well, I'm currently working on my review of Fatal Frame 2. I keep hitting roadblocks because I get terrified and need to take breaks. This may be my most ambitious project yet, lame I know. This is because this game has a special place in my heart for scaring the crap out of me. I need to get this right, so I've employed the help of my friend Nick and John (GriffoliansGames) to give me an interview and help me demonstrate this game's ability to scare you.

Me trying to explain this game-
Me: So you take pictures of ghosts and they sneak up on you and stuff and you have to move dolls and sometimes they laugh and have bloody kimonos or crawl out of boxes and then they drop rocks and you listen to them and read their diaries and they make noise then sometimes when you look at something one of the ghosts looks at you and it's terrifying.
Friend: Sounds dumb.
Me: No really, it's scary!!!
Friend: OK, sure.

So I have uploaded the segment of the game that I plan to use part of in my review. It is the scene in which you first get your camera, your only weapon.

Here it is, Get your learnin and tune in soon for my full video.

Sam's Scary Games, Resident Evil 4

  

Scary Games: Directory (Update 1/23/2011)

Game Title	Platform	Video
Clock Tower 3	Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Condemned: Criminal Origins	Xbox 360	YouTube
Condemned 2: Bloodshot	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
Dead Space	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
Doom 3	Xbox	Coming Soon
Eternal Darkness	Gamecube	Coming Soon
Fatal Frame	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Fatal Frame II	Xbox/Playstation 2	YouTube
F.E.A.R.	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
Half-Life 2 [select levels]	Multiple	YouTube
Parasite Eve	Playstation	Coming Soon
Penumbra Collection	PC	Coming Soon
Resident Evil 4	Multiple	YouTube
Resident Evil: Code Veronica	Dreamcast	Coming Soon
Silent Hill	Playstation	Coming Soon
Silent Hill 2	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Silent Hill 3	Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Silent Hill 4	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon
Silent Hill:Shattered Memories	Wii	Coming Soon
Silent Hill: Homecoming	Xbox 360	Coming Soon
Siren	Playstation 2	Coming Soon
The Suffering	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon
The Suffering: The Ties That Bind	Xbox/Playstation 2	Coming Soon

Games to buy still:
Bioshock (Don't yell at me, I have it on PC but I only review console games)
Clive Barker's Jericho
Clock Tower (1,2)
Illbleed
Rule of Rose
System Shock
Fatal Frame 3
Zero: something no kamen (Fatal Frame 4)
Ju-on: The Grudge
Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (not sure about this one...)
More RE
Silent Hill Origins