Author: BreakmanX

This is it, there is no turning back now. E3 2010 has officially started. The coffee is brewing at the Padinga offices, and planes have landed carrying our out of town staff. It is ready to get this stuff started. How about we begin with meeting one of the greatest Video Game Designers in the world? The Padinga crew was at Universal City this morning to be mere inches from Mr. Metal Gear himself, Hideo Kojima. It was a really great event and I enjoyed talking to the Konami and Sony representatives that were on hand at the store. The…

I was browsing Metacritic.com today, and noticed that Grand Theft Auto IV is still the highest rated Xbox 360 game out on the market. It got me thinking, "How come GTAIV is the best rated game of the Xbox 360? What makes it so popular?" So I sat down and thought about the first time I played the game, and it made me realize that is why it is the highest rated game. It is an incredible game. Sure, some people think it is a crappy game, and I’ll admit it is far from perfect, but the game is still…

I was browsing Metacritic.com today, and noticed that Grand Theft Auto IV is still the highest rated Xbox 360 game out on the market. It got me thinking, "How come GTAIV is the best rated game of the Xbox 360? What makes it so popular?" So I sat down and thought about the first time I played the game, and it made me realize that is why it is the highest rated game. It is an incredible game. Sure, some people think it is a crappy game, and I’ll admit it is far from perfect, but the game is still…

The May 12th launch of Steam for OSXhas gotten me thinking about the implications of a real gaming platformcoming to Macs. I’ve seen many friends, Break included, switch fromWindows to OSX for various reasons; the one downside being that theylose their ability to play PC games. This time period marked one ofthe biggest declines in PC gaming, so it was understandable, but nowthat the two major platforms will have support for games will it bringpeople back into the fold? Oneof the biggest obstacles for this is the fact that Macs are notoriouslydifficult to do serious upgrades on. PC gamers take pride…

The May 12th launch of Steam for OSXhas gotten me thinking about the implications of a real gaming platformcoming to Macs. I’ve seen many friends, Break included, switch fromWindows to OSX for various reasons; the one downside being that theylose their ability to play PC games. This time period marked one ofthe biggest declines in PC gaming, so it was understandable, but nowthat the two major platforms will have support for games will it bringpeople back into the fold? Oneof the biggest obstacles for this is the fact that Macs are notoriouslydifficult to do serious upgrades on. PC gamers take pride…

Nintendo Entertainment System, or “The NES” as it was referred to,first garnished my appetite for video games in the fall of 1988. I wasone of the many fortunate souls who came home from Toys R’ Us with theMario/Duck hunt package, complete with an orange zapper gun. It was abig deal, spending over $100 on a toy for a kid. But having no conceptof money I equated the intrinsic value of an NES as something closer tothat of all the birthday presents I ever accrued in my short lifecombined.Game cartridges quickly became thecurrency of my youth. My friends and I became…

Nintendo Entertainment System, or “The NES” as it was referred to,first garnished my appetite for video games in the fall of 1988. I wasone of the many fortunate souls who came home from Toys R’ Us with theMario/Duck hunt package, complete with an orange zapper gun. It was abig deal, spending over $100 on a toy for a kid. But having no conceptof money I equated the intrinsic value of an NES as something closer tothat of all the birthday presents I ever accrued in my short lifecombined.Game cartridges quickly became thecurrency of my youth. My friends and I became…

I finally got around to picking up Devil Survivor for the DS. The game follows the main character (get to choose his name) as he and his friends are stuck in Tokyo. Hero (my name for the main characters) gets a COMP (short for something a looks like a DS) to summon demons to battle other demons. The plot consist of you trying to find a way out of the Tokyo lockdown and learn why the lockdown was started in the first place. Along the way you will meet interesting characters that might join your team. The gameplay works by…

Recently, Criterion Games announced an exciting offer: Burnout Paradise and all of it’s downloadable content would become available for a limited time for the low price of $29.99. That’s an excellent deal, considering the whole shebang is otherwise worth more than $100. Luckily, I hadn’t yet expanded my game, so I was thrilled to hear about this deal. I could add all of the downloadable content for under $20. What a steal! Until I learned of the upsetting flipside to this offer: this would likely be the last offer or the sort for Burnout Paradise, because Criterion will no longer…

Just a quick note that I am REALLY enjoying Final Fantasy XIII.  Granted, my time is extremely limited but I have been falling in love with the game every time I’ve played it.  The visuals are absolutely gorgeous and I am enjoying the battle system.  I haven’t been this excited about a Final Fantasy game since at least X if not VII.  We’ll see, but so far so good.

Let’s do the good news first. Chad Concelmo will be joining us live IN STUDIO on March 17th, 2010.  I’ve listened to all the RetroforceGo! episodes as well as all his memory cards and am very happy to have him with us.  Chad is a staff member of Destructoid and has served on their podcasts, writing articles, and being a video game consultant on TV. The bad news is that last week’s show with Captain Cluster and I somehow got corrupted in the saving process.  🙁  It was a lot of fun to sit and chat with Cluster and am…

One morning, like any other day, I was wandering aimlessly to no particular place when I had happened upon what seemed to be a quarter that was sitting there just waiting for me to pick it up. I approached the George Washington metallic portrait and grabbed it in less than the shake of a lambs tail. Holding the quarter in my hand told me that this was unlike any quarter, it was as if it had been waiting for me to pick it up, since it had been resting next to entrance of an establishment with lights and sound exuberating…

One morning, like any other day, I was wandering aimlessly to no particular place when I had happened upon what seemed to be a quarter that was sitting there just waiting for me to pick it up. I approached the George Washington metallic portrait and grabbed it in less than the shake of a lambs tail. Holding the quarter in my hand told me that this was unlike any quarter, it was as if it had been waiting for me to pick it up, since it had been resting next to entrance of an establishment with lights and sound exuberating…

There are so many franchise games being put out there these days. So many.Hollywood and Video Game makers are similar in that regard; they are ever on the lookout for remakes and adaptations they can make because its cheaper to run off of an existing fan-base than to advertize a new idea. Sometimes it works (Batman: Arkham Asylum) and sometimes it fails horribly (Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game). And despite those failures, we keep buying in, time and time again, for the hope that this time we’ll see our heroes done right.After all, there’s nothing more fun than being,…

The last several years have seen the emergence of the blockbuster video game, a game usually influenced strongly by the notion of cinematic presentation of story. This line between video games and film will continue to blur, especially with the imminent release of Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain, which, judging by early reviews, is shaping up to be an emotional roller coaster that entangles the player. Thinking Heavy Rain is meant for anything other than a niche audience is naïve, contrary to whatever hopes both QD and Sony may have for the title. However, in terms of blockbusters, Uncharted 2: Among…

The last several years have seen the emergence of the blockbuster video game, a game usually influenced strongly by the notion of cinematic presentation of story. This line between video games and film will continue to blur, especially with the imminent release of Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain, which, judging by early reviews, is shaping up to be an emotional roller coaster that entangles the player. Thinking Heavy Rain is meant for anything other than a niche audience is naïve, contrary to whatever hopes both QD and Sony may have for the title. However, in terms of blockbusters, Uncharted 2: Among…

Does poor video game box art push you over the edge so much that you refuse to buy a game? Does it affect sales? That is a question that comes to mind whenever I see another wonderful game get the "American" treatment of shitty box art. One recent game to do this is Yakuza 3. With such an emphasis on open and cinematic gameplay, the cover the art depicts the game in a horrible light. Out is the slick and stylish black and white japanese boxart with a view of Kamurocho blistfully in the background, with a close up of…

Does poor video game box art push you over the edge so much that you refuse to buy a game? Does it affect sales? That is a question that comes to mind whenever I see another wonderful game get the "American" treatment of shitty box art. One recent game to do this is Yakuza 3. With such an emphasis on open and cinematic gameplay, the cover the art depicts the game in a horrible light. Out is the slick and stylish black and white japanese boxart with a view of Kamurocho blistfully in the background, with a close up of…

We were having issues with the shortening of URLs but I think it is fixed now.

Does twitter post correct links now?

Dragon Age Origins vs. the MMORPG Who doesn’t like a good old fashion role playing game (RPG)? The gaming community in the last decade has been overrun by the increasingly popular massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) genre. This style of gameplay has lead the classic gamer astray, where once a solitary elf could peacefully rend justice against a horde of the undead, s/he now requires 24 of his or her virtual “friends” in order to defend herself/himself. This forced social behavior has a new enemy in Dragon Age Origins, the new Bioware game released late in 2009. This solitary RPG touted…

The Internet seems to have been set aflame by the possibility of new Nintendo hardware to be announced at their media summit on the 24th. I think there will be new hardware, but it will likely be something we already know about; Vitality Sensor, DS xL etc. Nintendo will hold off with the big guns until E3… AT LEAST. With the Wii still doing strong, even though it is not as strong as it was, Nitntendo will hold onto the Wii train for at least another year. Also, everyone has a DS, why change everything up now.Nintendo has a very…

The Internet seems to have been set aflame by the possibility of new Nintendo hardware to be announced at their media summit on the 24th. I think there will be new hardware, but it will likely be something we already know about; Vitality Sensor, DS xL etc. Nintendo will hold off with the big guns until E3… AT LEAST. With the Wii still doing strong, even though it is not as strong as it was, Nitntendo will hold onto the Wii train for at least another year. Also, everyone has a DS, why change everything up now.Nintendo has a very…

Project needlemouse has been revealed as Sonic 4! After months of speculation, Sega has announced today that they will be releasing a 2D episodic sonic game this summer. Details are still slim at the moment. However, after examining the 3-4 seconds of footage of the trailer, it’s safe to say that the game will be features 3D Sonic and environments in a 2D plain. Let’s hope Sonic 4 will put Sega’s beloved franchise back on track. Pricing or length deatils of each "episode" will hopefully be announced soon. Sonic races it’s way onto consoles via download this summer. As a…

Project needlemouse has been revealed as Sonic 4! After months of speculation, Sega has announced today that they will be releasing a 2D episodic sonic game this summer. Details are still slim at the moment. However, after examining the 3-4 seconds of footage of the trailer, it’s safe to say that the game will be features 3D Sonic and environments in a 2D plain. Let’s hope Sonic 4 will put Sega’s beloved franchise back on track. Pricing or length deatils of each "episode" will hopefully be announced soon. Sonic races it’s way onto consoles via download this summer. As a…

“Hey, remember Sega Channel?”“Sega what???”“Sega CHANNEL!” (Shakes head with blank face) You have no idea. Okay, never mind then. I ‘ve had this conversation an innumerable amount of times. Sega Channel was great. It was awesome. But barely anyone seems to have ever heard of it. For those who were fortunate enough to have it as a kid, Sega Channel is fondly remembered as a magical gaming marvel. And since then, there hasn’t been anything like it. Introduced in 1994, the premise was simple: Call your cable company, have them mail you a giant cartridge, plug a cable into the cartridge (the same cable that goes in your TV), put…

I never really got into Steam. Unfortunately, right as it was rising to prominence I had pretty much gone into console monogamy. In the late 90s and early 2000s I built my PCs to be the finest gaming machines I could muster, but by 2004 I was using Macs and had no real desire to play anything requiring a Mac and Keyboard. Flash forward to 2009. I know have a decent graphics card (Radeon 4870) in my Mac Pro and have been absolutely gorging on Steam’s greatness since the holidays. Amazing sales from December through January helped me catch up…

I never really got into Steam. Unfortunately, right as it was rising to prominence I had pretty much gone into console monogamy. In the late 90s and early 2000s I built my PCs to be the finest gaming machines I could muster, but by 2004 I was using Macs and had no real desire to play anything requiring a Mac and Keyboard. Flash forward to 2009. I know have a decent graphics card (Radeon 4870) in my Mac Pro and have been absolutely gorging on Steam’s greatness since the holidays. Amazing sales from December through January helped me catch up…

I never really got into Steam. Unfortunately, right as it was rising to prominence I had pretty much gone into console monogamy. In the late 90s and early 2000s I built my PCs to be the finest gaming machines I could muster, but by 2004 I was using Macs and had no real desire to play anything requiring a Mac and Keyboard. Flash forward to 2009. I know have a decent graphics card (Radeon 4870) in my Mac Pro and have been absolutely gorging on Steam’s greatness since the holidays. Amazing sales from December through January helped me catch up…

Dear Mario, It has been a few years and I never said anything, but I feel like every time I see you, it’s there. It’s in the back of my mind and it’s really bugging me. You know, I’ve gotten over it, so it’s not that big of deal anymore, but I think we need to talk about it. You really hurt me. I’m talking about Super Mario Sunshine.