I don't know how we've been able to avoid Pokemon for so long. It was only two weekends ago that Porkfry got a Pokedex for his birthday, and I can remember that as his palm slid affectionately over the cover that I shivered. A spiritual sight seized me, and from the thick manual I could see eight black legs wrap around his trunk. One side of the book was a plain of seeking red eyes, and from the other sprung twelve starving umbilicals that sniffed for new prey.
So the latest PC gamer should be arriving on news stands any day now if it hasn't already. This particular issue has a very early look at our game, On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One. They actually sent one of their guys (Dan Stapleton) up to Canada to visit Hothead and get a first hand look at the game in development. Dan apparently liked what he saw because the resulting article is actually really positive.
This thing is pretty huge.
I don't mean in terms of kilobytes - I mean it's packed tight with powerful features. Upscaling of content has been in demand, and it's been delivered. Like the 360 Elite, you need to be hooked up via a managed connection (i.e., HDMI) to upscale a DVD. Past that, it will knock up your old PS/PS2 games to 1080p, but the results we've gotten here haven't been supernatural - still appreciated, though.
The real flavor is elsewhere: specifically, the ability to stream video, pictures, and music from "a DLNA compliant device," which you'll find just about every computer already is. That's only half of it. The Remote Play option of the PSP (the one that lets you enjoy certain types of content stored on your PS3 via your PSP) is deeply enriched by this capacity. You can do this much already. But with the next update for the Playstation Portable - 3.50, to be released before the end of the month - you'll be able to access your PS3 remotely via any wireless connection. I must say, starting a download at home while I'm still at the office sounds pretty Goddamn good.
Also, while we are loving the PSP, am I the only person enthralled by the idea of R-Type Tactics?
(CW)TB
We attended the same Nintendo Media Summit you have seen reported elsewhere, in the hopes of seeing Super Mario Galaxy or Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - titles which are not minigame compilations, portable puzzle games, or games for my mom. I don't want to say that the complimentary breakfast and lunch were a factor. Let me say that we were hungry when we made the decision to go.
Gabriel and I played Starcraft, everyone played Starcraft, but for the most part he and I would play two Terran armies against Zerg computer opponents in an effort to simulate Starship Troopers. It might sound like you could only get a couple nights of entertainment out of this scenario, but you'd be underestimating our feelings toward Starships and the proud Troopers that wait within.
The aggregate price for all Rock Band peripherals was originally three hundred dollars, going by the vague entries in the Gamespot database, but those strange figures are really the chicken entrails of the gaming industry - its powers of prophecy are somewhat in question.
A few eagle eyed viewers noticed that I accidentally drew a Nebulon-B frigate in today's comic. Gabe mentions the Mon Calamari and the Corellians but the Nebulon-B is actually produced by the Kuat Drive Yards.I deeply regret the mistake and I have since corrected it in the comic by replacing the original drawing with one of the Mon Calamari Cruiser "Liberty", sadly lost in the Battle of Endor . I am in no way trying to diminish the Nebulon-B frigate or the fine craftsmanship of the dedicated workers employed by KDY. Again I apologize for any inconvenience or offence my carelessness may have caused.
-Gabe out
I have no time for Lair, I'm afraid. My limited playtime with the game has only encouraged me to further limit said playtime, throttling this value until it reaches zero. As one of the long-known exclusives, a kind of cult has formed around the game - one whose creed hinges on the glorious arrival of their reptile saint. It is a weird hunger, one quite outside reality, and it would be best to manage those expectations before their piss-smelling vagrant messiah stumbles into the retail channel.
We'll be going over PAX preregistrants soon to determine this year's Omeganauts, and anyone who has registered by June 15th is eligible. If you'd like to hurl yourself into the running, please do so at your earliest convenience.
This year's Omega Prize differs substantially from our offerings in the past. Here's how: Winner and guest secure passage to this year's Tokyo Game Show, flight and Hotel included, assisted by five thousand dollars in cash as a kind of general purpose "Misbehavior Fund." Ain't a bad wage for three days' work.
(CW)TB
Even now, the metamorphosis has begun - common Crackdown disks are starting to spin, and splinter, and light is coming out. The gates have swung wide, and now you may know what we know. In this comic scenario, I am the man being obliterated by his friend and Kiko is the one behind the red lance of energy. I wanted to be angry, but it was simply too awesome.
I’d like to apologize to one of the teams we played last night in Halo 3. Sadly today’s comic really isn’t too far from the truth. Halo has some strange power that makes me really want to talk shit. I honestly don’t endorse that sort of behavior in any of the other games I play. Also, I’m used to playing Rainbow 6 where voice communication is limited to your own team. So I feel bad because last night I was defending our flag against a team of penny arcade fans who honestly seemed like a good bunch of guys. However after being put down by one of them a couple times I finally got the jump on him and as his body hit the ground I said something to the effect of “go fuck yourself.” And also I think I made a spitting noise.
If only this strange illness were confined to my cohort, Gabriel! If only it did not creep, pooling and leaping to the nearby host, there to deliver its terrible payload!
It was announced in January that Hellgate: London, the futuristic sequel to Diablo, would offer up some kind of hybrid pay model for its online experience. The word is out, now, and there isn't much consensus on whether their "Elite/Free Play" tiers represent a reasonable value. At this point, I don't know if we as potential consumers know enough about the base, boxed experience to discern if it's enough content. It seems like every post, now, we must discuss the transformation of gaming from product into service.