Games I'm Looking Forward to Sept - Dec

It's me again. This time with some bad news, I got YLOD AGAIN. But at least this time I'm not alone. As I'm typing my clan leader D. Clownz, McCoy, and Jango got hit with YLOD doing what we do best and that's gaming. Don't know when I'll be back probably sometime before September (maybe even October, if I decide to send the PS3 back to Sony.) But in the meantime, I got a small list of games that I'm looking forward to starting from September and ending at December. If there's any other games coming out by then, I will keep all of you posted.

September Games

(IF Sony doesn't send back my UFC 2010 I may have to push a game or two back until next year and I rebuy Rock Band 1 for all my DLC). There's only one game that I'm REALLY looking forward to and that's Dead Rising 2.

I didn't play the original Dead Rising (mostly because it was an exclusive 360 title). However with DR2 coming to PS3, I'll get to slay zombies, something that Resident Evil 5 didn't offer. You can create your own weapons from the hundreds of options available to you. Don't be surprised to see me, D.Clownz, and McCoy playing this ALOT!!!

October Games

Outside of Medal of Honor, which I must get because of Clan Rules, the only game that I'm looking forward to is Rock Band 3. As many of you know, I love playing plastic guitar, but this time everything is gonna be realistic. Real guitars, drums, and a freakin keyboard. YES A KEYBOARD!!! Add vocal harmonies from Green Day and the Beatles Rock Band, plus ALL your songs are exportable to RB3 and I can imagine people having a ROCKING time.

November Games

There is ONLY ONE GAME that requires 100% focus to and that's Gran Turismo 5. Add Ferrari's, realistic car damage (FINALLY!!!) and maybe some of the most intense endurance races that will probably YLOD a PS3. Expect me to play this game until I platinum it.

December Games

Hopefully, by December I'll be a level 50 on Bad Company 2 because clan is coming back to wreck havoc in Vietnam. Details about it have been few, but we're looking at a winter release date. So that could be anytime from November to January (or maybe February.) EVERYONE is amped for this expansion and are trying to figure out what DICE has up their sleeves. Whatever they have, it's gonna be fun.

This is primarily what I'm looking forward to. I forgot about NBA 2K11, but I'll get that for Christmas. Kennedy Out and remember: The YLOD means you're a prisoner of war.

Metal Gear Solid 3's Influence

Dang, it's been over three months since I've blogged and there's been some good reasons why I haven't. Mainly, I'm playing BC2 with my clan -UGL- and I haven't had any ideas until today. This topic is a game from the last console generation that I enjoyed and probably will play today which is Metal Gear Solid 3.

If you've never played any Metal Gear games, I suggest that you download from the PlayStation Store the original Metal Gear Solid. Many people will tell you that MGS1 is one of the best games to ever be released. Normally, I'd post a photo of the game in question, but I'm lazy and listening to Chris Rock's Never Scared.

MGS3 had the most straightforward (at least for MGS games) stories that people could follow. In typical MGS fashion there's twists and turns and things that you don't expect (if you've never played a MGS game). This blog is somewhat spoilerish, but I'll try to keep when exactly in the game you meet certain characters and plot devices to a minimum.

INFLUENCE #1

A gamer can complete Metal Gear Solid 3 in various ways. For instance, should you want to run and gun, you can do that (well in 4 you can because there's a little consequence should you do that). The first playthrough you can do whatever you want, but afterward try to play it using stealth. While MGS3 isn't completely a sandbox style game (i.e. any game that allows you to do what you want when you want ala Grand Theft Auto), but you have some unique tricks in your disposal. Any animal that you catch and be used on a enemy and causes some side effect to them.

Another thing that you can do is destroy guard shacks to prevent from chasing you down and also if you're caught reinforcements may not arrive. One other thing in MGS3 that you can do is skip an entire boss fight, if you so choose to.

INFLUENCE #2

In most games, the cinematics don't allow for any zooming in or out of the character models. This was present in MGS2, but not to the degree that 3 did. During the game, Naked Snake gets various injuries, that you can cure manually, not playing the game for a few days, or by not treating them at all. This fits into the jungle vibe that MGS3 has. The more serious the injury the less life you can regenerate from your stamina bar. MGS3 has regenerative health recovery, but not like Halo, Gears of War, and Uncharted. Instead, any damage that you take, you can hide in a place and in 10 minutes, maybe less, you'll be back to full health. Back to the original point I was trying to make. You are able to see the game from Snake's point of view, during select cutscenes, especially toward the end of MGS3. During various cutscenes, there will be a prompt for you to press the L1 (I think that was the button, haven't played it years) and you're able to see what Snake sees, good, bad, or ugly.

The two other gameplay elements that should be used in more games is a backpack and secret items. The backpack holds items that you don't use. The more heavier items you equip the faster your stamina depletes. This is true on higher difficulties where supplies are limited. All items that you collect throughout the game are located in the backpack and can be used only if they're equipped. For instance, if you wish to use the M60, by all means, but you need to equip it to use it. MGS4 has this same exact mechanic so nothing has changed.

The secret items (aka Kerotan frogs) are something like the treasures from Uncharted and the skulls from Halo. While Uncharted's were for show, Halo's altered gameplay. Each time a frog is shot, it makes a sound which can be used to distract guards, also to let the game know you've collected that frog. When all 64 are shot, you gain a secret weapon that helps you through the game, but your rank is severely punished for using that item. You can also collect all the animals in the game and use them as bait for your enemies. Especially, if you wait a few days and blow their supply shacks.

INFLUENCE #3

All good video games have characters that leave their mark on you. Whether it's Mario, Link, Samus, or Master Chief, MGS3 holds true to that as well. MGS3 has quite the cast, but the person who steals the show is the Major of the Ocelot Army. Every time he appears something bad ends up happening. Again, I can't reveal who his parents are, but both of them helped Snake during his mission.

This influence is sorta short, because of the potential spoilers so I'll leave it at that. Finally the last influence.

INFLUENCE #4

Multiplayer was commonplace for PC gamers for the better part of 10 years. Xbox Live and Halo took it to another level. The rerelease of MGS3 was entitled Subsistence and had a bunch of goodies. First, the remastering of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake for audiences who never played the 'original' versions of either title. MG1 was released in the United States, but it was gimped. If you've played both versions on MG1, you can tell the difference. MG2 on the other hand never saw release into the North American market, as the MSX was not as popular here was it was abroad. Diehard MGS fans want to see MG1 and 2 remade on PS3 or whatever next-gen console is coming out.

Back to the multiplayer aspect, it was unheard of for a release of a game to have a multiplayer built around the core game. This is something I commend Kojima Productions in doing. The MP is 100% Metal Gear and it was fun. However MGO, the game bundled with MGS4, wasn't that good. It needed more polish and plus I only played it one. I don't feel like reinstalling MGS4 and I don't remember my password or username for Konami's webpage.

Hopefully you've enjoyed my take on the influence of MGS3 on the gaming world, wish this could have been more carefully crafted, but when there's no paper or pencil around, ideas tend to fly around and you forget what you wanted to type. Kennedy out and remember, It wasn't my fault!!!

Review: Battlefield Bad Company 2

As most of you know, this was my most anticipated game of 2010. The question is did DICE meet the expectations that I had in the BETA and the demo or did they fail miserably?

I'll save that question last, but first the positives and negatives of BC2 and whether or not you should you buy it (if you haven't already).

Positives

The multiplayer is flat out addicting. Addicting to the point, even when you're pissed you still want one more game to get rid of that bad round you had or the loss your team took. Unlike Modern Warfare 2, this game is skilled based (and a little luck from time to time). Even if you're a no rank, you can kill a higher ranked player. I did that in the beginning by killing a level 8 or 10 player and a no rank killed me and I'm halfway through the ranks.

The guns handle like their real-life equivalents. M16s fire in three-round burst or full-auto. M1911 is a man stopper. Of course, in any 'Military Game' there's a generous amount of sniper rifles. If you played Modern Warfare 1 or 2, you know that you choose your weapon plus a sidearm and some perks. BC2 is different in a sense. Instead of weapons you pick classes, each with strengths and weaknesses; Medics heal and revive allies, Assault brings the pain and ammo, Recons are sneaky and deploy motion mines, and Engineers repair and destroy tanks. Also, there are several firearms that aren't linked to a class (e.g. G3, the Tommy Gun, shotguns, and for the Battlefield vets the M1 Garand.) Plus five different handguns and a tracer dart. Then, you choose your attachments (or perks) that suit your play style. Grenade Launchers for assault, advanced medic kits for medics, rocket launchers or anti-tank mines for engineer, and C4 or Mortar Strikes for recon.

Two differences from BC to MW are vehicles and destructible environments. With vehicles, (which have perks as well) they can make you win or lose or they can completely neutralize an entire team, IF the tank driver and gunner are in sync. Destructible Environments was one of the main things that convinced me BC2 was going to be good. I played the demo of the original Bad Company and it had destructible environments. Not to the extent they are now, but you could destroy a ton of things. When I mean destroy, I mean buildings, cover, heavy machine guns, and UAVs. About 90% of the things in BC2 can be destroyed, so just because you're in a GOOD hiding stop, someone will use some explosives and blow it away.

No two games will every be the same. For instance, if you dominated one round as the US, the next game you might do terrible. I've had rounds where I thought I did terrible, but ended up being the best player in the round and vice versa. Kill/Death Ratios are important in MW2, but not here. They're important, but it isn't the defining stat. Same with Wins/Losses. It's important to work as a team, instead of going lone wolf. It is possible to play lone wolf, but it's something I don't recommend, unless you have no friends (on PSN).

Negatives

From playing the BETA to the final product DICE has changed how some things worked. The spotting system (where you point an enemy for everyone on the map to see) was perfect, but now you can only spot so many times before it must cool down. There have been times I was in a squad and I tried to spot an enemy tank that was coming, but since spot was in cool down, my ally died. Certain guns like the M93R have been toned down, to the point that once you get the trophy for 5 guns, you'll never use it again, whereas others are completely overpower, the M1911 handgun comes to mind.

If you bought the limited edition, you got access to unlocks that others who buy the game have to rank up to get. I can see this a both a positive and a negative, however, I would have given the LE folks more of an incentive to buy the game during the first couple of weeks. For example, two more gun unlocks at minimum. One thing those at Gamestop got for pre-ordering BC2 got Squad Rush and the AKS-74u as free unlocks. Squad Rush is available for everyone right now, and the AKS is the third gun unlock for the engineer kit.

Too many times, I and an enemy have killed each other at the same time. This happens at least one maybe even two time a round to you. Squads should have 6 members, but I understand the max of four and when your not in a squad, you can't spawn on a friend. I've also spawned on a friend when he was in a fire fight and died three seconds later, because I wanted to 'HELP' out.

The last issue that I have is with the combat knife. Sometimes, you'll get the kill sometimes you'll miss. I'm not asking for MW2 teleport knife kills, but I do want the detection between the blade and my opponent to be better.

The Verdict

Earlier I asked myself whether or not DICE met the expectations of that I had from the BETA to the end product and I can honestly say they more than exceeded. One minor gripe was the single player campaign. The story was decent. If your expecting a masterpiece (like MGS or God of War), you're in the wrong place. I have a saying that if you play an FPS for the story, you're a sad individual. That being said, I think if you going to play one FPS this year, it's probably Bad Company 2. Modern Warfare 2 fans may disagree, but they're missing out on an great experience.

Before the final score and the buy/rent. This is an M-rated title, and fortunately (or unfortunately) there's a ton of profane language in the multiplayer. I don't mind all the cursing, but some parents might not.

Final Score: For DICE's third next-generation title, Battlefield Bad Company 2 has added things that other First Person Shooters will copy. The comparisons to Modern Warfare 2 are apparent, but these two titles are absolutely different. Modern Warfare is an arcade shooter. Bad Company 2 is a realistic shooter. The sound and graphics are top notch. The single player is more of an extended training session to teach you the ropes. Overall, fantastic work by DICE and (I hate to say this) EA.

9.3 (out of 10)

Buy this title if you a fan of FPS or you're tired of MW2's antics.

Kennedy out!!!

Review: God of War III

After shaming myself for the prediction in the Super Bowl, I took a layoff on the blog. Well that, playing Bad Company 2, God of War 3, and my brother chilling with us for a couple days. Obviously, I'll be review God of War 3 (without spoilers of course), but here's an article from IGN (a site that I only read their features and not the reviews), Would You Pay a Girl to Play Halo With You.

I personally wouldn't because that makes me (and maybe a few others) seem desperate. Of course, there's a guy who can't get a girl to save his life that would attempt this in hopes that he can become 'COOL'. That comment probably came off a bit harsh, but I try to keep it real.

Review: GOD OF WAR III

LOL @ Package Art Not Final because this was the Final Box Art. I like Kratos, but I think I went a bit overboard with the image. Someone's gonna have nightmares about Kratos' Evil Eye, I know I did for a few nights at least.

Normally when I do reviews I break the title down with four sections; Gameplay, Graphics, Controls, and Fun Factor. Instead, I wanna try out a positive/negative aspect and also a buy/rent and keep/trade-in for value.

Positives

Hot of the heels of the God of War Collection, a lot of hype was given to God of War 3 and deservedly so. If you've played the Collection or you played God of War II when it was released on PlayStation 2, you saw ***SPOILER FROM GOW2: ***





Kratos and the Titans climbing up Mount Olympus wanting to exact revenge










***END SPOILER FROM GOW2***

It literally picks up from that point and in typical GOW fashion, there's a mini tutorial to get players used to the combat if you never played a GOW title, or even to us veterans of the franchise, because some games button layouts (especially in the Hack-N-Slash genre) are the same. Square for weak attacks, triangle for strong for example. Also in typical GOW fashion, you get thrown into an epic fight. This particular fight is pretty good (not an all time great fight), but the Hydra fight in GOW1 hooked a ton of people to God of War (which was an all time great fight).

There's an old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" largely applies to the combat. It's exactly the same as the previous titles, but one wrinkle is that magic (which used to be selected with the directional pad) is now linked to the weapons you collect. The weapons that Kratos uses this time around are similar with the exception of the Cestus, which was unveiled during the E3 Demo. All the weapons have strengths and weaknesses depending on the enemy that you face.

Other gameplay mechanics that were either added or fixed was the Combat Grapple. I was watching the making of video of God of War 3 (something that I've watched after finishing a God of War title to see the reasoning of particular design choices) and the Combat Grapple was something the team wanted to do in part 2. Kratos throws his blades at an enemy and headbutts an enemy, sending them to Neverland (that's a stretch, but the enemy does fly a good distance). The attacks from the blades have been reworked (you still have the Cyclone of Chaos and Tartarus' Rage but the Combat Grapple replace the L1+O attack) and the Golden Fleece has two new animations.

**Side note: When Kratos does these counters he looks like Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter. If you don't know who Akira is, you can Google Virtua Fighter, but it's not that important for the review.**


Boss fights for the most part are pretty good, one in particular reminds me of a boss in Super Metroid. To say what boss is from both in GOW3 and SM would ruin the suprise. Most of the fights will stay in your mind for a few weeks, others a few months depending how much you struggled or savored the savage beatdowns.

I was talking to one of my homies on PSN about the graphics and I think they look pretty impressive (especially on a standard definition TV). This game was designed to be showcased on a HDTV. The graphics are TOO realistic, if these creatures ACTUALLY EXISTED. The animations are excellent as well, with a few exceptions. One other thing before I get to the negatives is the sound. I can't put it in the negatives because most of the pieces of fit the theme of the game. There's some grunts and the voice acting is good, not Metal Gear Solid 1 good, but it's better than Resident Evil (PlayStation 1 original not the Director's Cut).

Negatives

One of my pet peeves about games especially if you buy brand new, is that I better get my money's worth. I don't think that I did. When I bought it from Amazon, I already had $46.25 in Amazon credit (a game trade-in plus buying Bad Company 2 gave me 20 bucks), so in reality I paid the difference between $56.95 and my credit, plus I wanted it day one so tack on 6 bucks shipping. The point that I'm ATTEMPTING to make is if you pay $60 for a game, it better have a New Game+, i.e. the ability to use weapons and abilities earlier than you normally would, or at least some form of multiplayer. God of War 2's NG+ was done well and of course Uncharted 2's single player was among one of the best (I know GOW and UC are two completely different genres, but here me out) UC2's multiplayer is fantastic. Granted I haven't played it since Christmas, it still is a blast to play.

Another complaint is the lack of unlockable costumes after beating the game on higher difficulties. GOW1 & 2 had this feature, but for some idiotic reason (i.e. money-grab as DLC in the future), there's only one costume to get (well okay a second one, IF you pre-ordered the game), but there's no benefits in using the extra costume, unless you played a specialty run for that costume.

The trophies aren't that bad, but one I have issue with is the Hit Man Trophy. I would have made it a silver, but other than that the trophies are fine.

I like some blood and a 'tasteful' gore, but GOW3 for some folks will be annoyed. If FIXED NOISE finds out about GOW3's sex mini game, expect some FAUX outrage. Ripping the eye from a Cyclops was cool in GOW2 (plus you got a costume for ripping 20 out), in GOW3 about a gallon of blood 'squirts' out the 'clops' eye and it becomes a bore, just like fighting Cyclops (if you know HOW to beat them without getting hit). Most of the kills in GOW3 are over the top (I'm not referring to the Sly Stallone movie of the same name), which I enjoy but many people will not.

Two other issues I have were the Magic and the addition and subtraction of some enemies. I mentioned early about how the Magic and weapons were linked, I didn't like the effects of most of the Magic (I almost wrote Mafia). The Claws of (insert non spoilerish name here) were the weakest weapons but it's Magic was useful. Not Army of Hades a.k.a. "OH GOD GET 'EM OFF ME" useful, but it can save you in a crunch. The Magic in GOW3 was uninspiring, with a few exceptions.

The enemies you face-off are diverse, but some enemies I wish they would have included from GOW2. ***I'M GOING GEEK FOR A MOMENT, SO EXCUSE THE TECHNICAL TERMS.***
I miss destroying Beast Lords, especially when they summon Cyclops to do their bidding. Which reminds me, you can ride Cyclops similar to these enemies and do massive damage. I also miss those crazy Berserkers that would be immune (show no effects of damage) to most of your attacks, but I guess a particular enemy replaces them. ***MOMENT OF GEEK OVER.*** I wish certain enemies you faced off appeared more frequently, but when they do appear they're enjoyable. One section near the end of the game will cause frustration, anger, colorful language, controller breaking, television destroying just to name a few things. GOW1 & 2 had a few sections on higher difficulties that induced gamer rage. GOW3 has those moments and these will be burned in my brain until I die or something more ridiculous comes around and replaces it.

If you want me thoughts on the ending, send me a PM on PSN about it. Either voice chat or text doesn't matter to me.

The Verdict

If your a fan of God of War, which I am, but I'm not a fanboy who gets defensive and gives the people in a voice chat room a headache if anyone disagrees with me or completely trashes something that others like, then you've already beaten it and played or is playing a chaos no upgrade run. Others, I recommend that you rent it (especially if you're a trophy whore). In terms of keep or trade-in, depends on whether your a fan of the franchise.

FOR FANS: BUY/KEEP because of the DLC possibility
NON FANS: RENT IT from GameFly/Blockbuster/Movie Gallery
TRADE IN VALUE: From Amazon as of March 30 2:43 PM Central Standard Time: $32.50.

FINAL SCORE: 9.0. While not the best in the franchise, it is certainly a must play for anyone who has a PS3, a fan of the franchise, or played Dante's Inferno.


ONE LAST POINT: One thing I commend Sony Santa Monica for doing is NO MANDATORY INSTALL for GOW3 and the fact that they did it with a Dual-Layer Blu-Ray Disc. The downside is no skippable cutscenes. This is annoying for specialty runs and if you die a lot, but again NO INSTALL, so I can forgive them.

Kennedy (I mean Mr. Anderson) signing off. Check in tomorrow as I review Bad Company 2 and 'HOPEFULLY' the new map packs. Speaking of BC2, I'm gonna hop on and kill me some people. PEACE!!!

TOP TEN: Playstation 3 Ads

About two weeks ago, I gave predictions on both NFL Championship games. One of which, the Colts, I got right. The other, Vikings over Saints, was a misfire. I did however say the game would go into overtime, so I win a little.

As far as the Super Bowl, I ran a simulation a couple of days ago and the Colts beat the Saints 31-16. Melvin Bullitt was the MVP of the game. I'll have to do one more sim, this time without Dwight Freeney.

The reason for today's topic was a bit spur of the moment. I was on Playstation Lifestyle (dot) com and they had a handful of PS3 commercials that they deemed 'cool'. I, of course, must go to the extreme and give my opinion with ten I think are 'cool'.

PS3 commercials have gotten progressively better over the years. The earlier ads were okay at best. The Saliva ads were pretty good, but I think Sony's marketing department is hitting their stride with 'It Only Does Everything' ads To save on bandwidth, some ads have clickable links with the appropriate youtube videos. Before I begin, I must (as a show of how terrible PS3 ads in North America were) show the demon-devil-doll ad.



I also have an honorable mention with the Best Buy 'BOOM' ad.



There's no criteria for the list (one rule, I at least have to see the ad one and no offense to my European PSN friends, but I watched one of the 'This is Living' ads and they were a little out there. I usually like out there stuff, but that was beyond me.) I won't have any mini-commentaries after each ad.

10. David Wright : MLB 07: The Show


*Mini-comment: This was one of the better 'creepier' ads in the PS3 lifecycle. Also, it has the 'creepy' PS3 jingle, which I wish would have been the disc boot screen before it was removed with 3.00 update.*


9. PS3 Montage


8. PS3 Slim $299 Rumor

*Despite what people think, this was not one of the first 'Dear Playstation ads'. It made me chuckle inside because a majority of PS3 gamers go on blogs and get rumors. Then to see a company deny and eventually admit to something we knew was true."


7. MAG

6. Ratchet and Clank: Future : A Crack in Time

5. Desperate Father

*If my dad did this to entice me to my games with him, I'd run away from home.*

4. Unsatisfied Girlfriend

*If my girlfriend was mad at me because I didn't hook up the PS3 to the internet (or hook up her game system). I would shame myself and sit in the corner and not eat for a few days.*


3. Uncharted 2


*Originally, I had this at number 2, but realized that the current number 2 is very funny. Plus, if your gf sits and watches you play games, that's one that you can 'file that under not a issue.'*


2. Ungrateful Grandson


*The best comeback ever. You should use it in an argument on the internet, you'll probably win.*


1. Dustin Pedroia : MLB 09: The Show


*One of the first (if not the first) Dear Playstation ads. I'm a huge Red Sox fan (I should say a huge sports fan, in the interest of full disclosure). On Youtube, there's a whole series about the debate offered in the video. If you don't feel like searching here's the videos*


Angry Yankees Fan



The Agent



Hitting Coach


Have a great day (or if I don't blog again this week, great week) and remember the Dreamcast ads, "It's Thinking!!!"

The Fall, Rise, Fall, and Rise of the PS3

Hello gamers, I couldn't think of a good title for this blog topic. As you can tell, I've been thinking about the future of the PS3 and what it could possibly mean for those who own the PS3. Originally, I wrote this topic on a blog on gametrailers(dot)com, and I decided since another major game is around the corner to revise this blog. If you wish to read my earlier post about this go to gametrailers and search "36PSWii".


But before I begin the actual topic, I've got two things I wanna share. First, since I didn't write about the keys to victory for the NFL Divisional Games, I'll give you predictions of who's going to the Super Bowl. Two games were played on Madden NFL 10, and the first game (Vikings/ Saints) was a high scoring game. Vikings 48 - Saints 45 in overtime. The second game Colts and Jets was a blowout; Colts 38 - Jets 10. Vikings and Colts are in the Super Bowl and the week before I'll simulate the final score and post it either in my comment and/or my blog.

Second, I've got an issue with friends deleting me off their PSN account. I had this happen when I was gone off PSN for a year and a half. That I didn't mind, because I wasn't online and I had no way to tell people not to get rid of me. The issue that I have is people that I add delete me with no warning. Typically, if I delete you off my friends list you're either not online for a year or you've done something I didn't like (and I'm a pretty hard person to piss off). I shouldn't get too emotionally attached to something like this but that's my two cents.

The Fall, Rise, Fall, and Rise of the PS3

The PS3 has been out for about 3 years (technically this is going into the third year, but I digress) and it seems as it's been out for 10. At the beginning of the PS3 lifecycle, Sony fanboys (myself included) defended the system from bogus claims and valid claims such as no games, copying Xbox Live, and it was too expensive. All of which is true, and it seems as though some decisions Sony has made increased the number of gamers who purchased a PS3, but also it had at one point divided the Sony base (the one's who bought the system for $499 and $599 respectively). With great games all has been forgiven, such as the Uncharted franchise and Ratchet and Clank, and at least two more great games are around the corner such as Heavy Rain and God of War 3. This history lesson can show companies what mistakes not to make. The mistakes Sony has made, there are also some successes that were made. The next six months are going to be great for PS3 owners or they could be a failure depending on the decisions the Sony execs make.

The E3 Fiasco

Arguably the most infamous thing Sony prior to 2007 was famous for. If you never seen the fiasco, I've got a brief youtube video on this link. I watched it live and thought it was okay at best. Everyone was eager to find out what exactly the PS3 was "capable" of doing. Of course, tech demos of MGS4 and the infamous Killzone 2 trailer were shown, but games such as Genji had promise (too bad it failed for anyone to remember it), and I can't forget about Heavenly Sword a.k.a. the Goddess of War (that's what some people called it).

The two things many people complained about (back in 2006) was the price of the PS3 and how many versions of it were planned on being released. As many people know, the PS3 was originally released in two forms, the 20 gig and 60 gig version at the price of $499 and $599 respectively. Sony figured since Microsoft could get away with making multiple consoles, they could also. The one thing I give Microsoft credit about the first Xbox and Sony for the PS3 is the mandatory hard drive. After the E3 presser (press conference), people were questioning Sony's audacity to release a console for 600 bucks. At that time many people started to dig Sony's grave and rushed to the 360.

System Launch

The PS3 was launched in Japan November 11, 2006 and North America was released on the 17th. There were reports of people getting shot and injured (someone may have been killed, my memory's on that are a bit fuzzy, but I think someone was). People on EBay were charging upwards of $10,000 for one, and I was trying to get money just to buy one (for $600 of course). During my Christmas vacation from college, I ran across one at a Wal-Mart two days before New Year's and another one at Wal-Mart in my area. Me and my homeboy were going back to school and we stopped at our Wal-Mart to pick up a few items that we needed. The night before I picked up Twilight Princess on the Gamecube and started playing it. The next day, January 7, 2007, I finally had the money to buy a PS3, and to my surprise Wal-Mart had one. I didn't notice the night before if there were any.

I was a happy man to finally get a PS3, but there was one problem, there were no games out that interested me. In the beginning of 07, I wasn't an FPS fan, so Resistance: Fall of Man was out of the picture. Instead, I bought Madden NFL 07 and NBA 2K7. A few days later, I bought Fight Night Round 3 and Ridge Racer 7.

During the PS3's infancy, the things you can do on it now, such as internet browsing, watching downloaded videos from PSN or on your thumb drive, media servers, in-game cross media bar, and whatever else we can do now, wasn't even possible on PS3. Another thing the PS3 had a big problem was updates. It seems as if there was a system update EVERY DAY and these were mandatory and if you didn't do it, you could play your game. There's a list of other things you couldn't do, but I don't want to waste time remembering it. PSN itself was bare-bones. Of course you could download demos, but it's not how it is now. Some demos are rare, if you didn't download them from PSN when the PS3 came out, you would never see them again. Gran Turismo HD Demo is the perfect example of this.

The only bright side to having a first generation PS3 was that you could play ALL of your PS2 and PS1 games, so that made up for the lack of games. It wasn't until November 2007, that 'Uncharted' waters became a little clearer.

An Uncharted Future

Naughty Dog, the creators of Crash Bandicoot and the Jak and Daxter games, hinted they were going to make a realistic looking game for their first PS3 game. It was called Uncharted (with no Drake's Fortune subtitle). Back in 2005, when I first read about it in Game Informer, I thought to myself, there's no way this game is going to be any good. Slowly, my homie Rambeaux (who at the time didn't have a PS3), was talking the game up and I was leaning on the fence about it. It wasn't until the demo of Drake's Fortune was released back in the first week of November 07, a few weeks before it's retail release. I downloaded it and immediately I was hooked. The graphics were stunning and made me proud to say I was a PS3 owner. I got the game during Christmas and spent time beating the game and trying to find all the treasures.

Before Uncharted, the PS3 didn't have many games specially made for it (Yes I'm aware of Heavenly Sword, Lair, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma). Insomniac Games the month before released Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Activision released Guitar Hero 3, and EA had Rock Band. Activision also released a little title called Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, that changed the landscape of gaming both online and offline. The online part of CoD4 was addicting and that's where I made a few friends and joined a clan.

During the first half of 2008, the PS3 was getting stronger by the day. Folding at home was released so PS3 owners could help to find a cure for cancer. Playstation Home was still in the closed beta stages and just about everyone was looking forward to it. Some game called MGS4 was coming out in June and it had it's own console bundle. The 80 gig PS3 was getting phased out and the 40 gig would be the 'NEW' standard. I also can't forget about GTA4.

*Quick Comment*As a first-gen PS3 owner, I was okay with the 80 gig system. It at least had backwards compatibility. The biggest mistake Sony made was getting rid of BC. As you can see on PSN, they have PS1 classics and there are some rumors that Sega said that PSN might have PS2 classic games. Add to the fact, the God of War Collection was released and many people want the MGS franchise rereleased as a PS3 title. Some friends of mine had this debate years ago, and I'm still hearing people wishing PS3 had BC. *End Quick Comment*

After July 31, I had no access to the internet to tell my PSN friends not to delete me. I assumed that the wireless connection that I was 'borrowing' would be back on an unfortunately it wasn't. Before I left PSN, I downloaded 2.40 and read that a lot of people (probably 10,000 people) had their consoles bricked. Lucky for me, mine didn't brick, but what I didn't see was the 'death' of my PS3.

A few days before Christmas, I was playing MGS4 and my system got hot and shutdown. At the time I knew my PS3 would get hot (as all phat before the 40 gig was released would). I didn't let my system completely cool off and jumped right back on it. 2 minutes later, the fans completely shut off and the system powered off FOR GOOD. I died inside, but at least I got MGS4 from my dead system. This wouldn't be the last time a PS3 of mine would shutdown.

'Uncharted' Waters Again?!

During the Christmas holidays I went back to the PS2 (phat) and played games that I didn't have time to start playing, such as Indigo Prophecy. Since Heavy Rain could be considered a spiritual successor of IP, I suggest those who want to get a feel of how HR is might be like pick up IP from Amazon(dot)com. Brand new it's 109 dollars, but a used copy will cost you $10. Also during my PS2 frame of mind, I bought Guitar Hero World Tour (instead of getting my PS3 fixed) and MLB 09: The Show. With my birthday coming up and my PS2 probably on it's last legs, I decided now was the time to get it fixed.

I went through Sony's online Customer Service and placed an order for my coffin. My original receipt had water damage to it, so I did my best to handwrite the information that couldn't be seen. I thought that I wouldn't be getting a PS3 back, but Sony loves money. After a week or so later, I got my current PS3, 60 gig backwards compatible. A part of me, still wishes it was my original, but I can't complain. I also kept my limited warranty just in case this one dies on me and I can get it fixed (I still also have my receipt as well).

I finally got back online August 09 and I noticed that most of my friend's list has vanished. A few people kept me on. To make up for lost time, I downloaded demos of games that I missed to see if I really wanted to buy them or not. One game that impressed me was Batman: Arkham Asylum. The demo of Uncharted 2's multiplayer came out as well and I encouraged most of my friend's list to download it. I bought UC2 and had a blast playing it (I still have a blast playing it). Trophies and Home were finally implemented (even though trophies were around since the 2.40 update).

Fast Forward to Now and the Future

Now, with the PS3 looking more stronger, there's a few things that we need to keep an eye on. One in particular is the premium PSN that could be coming by E3. It's going to be something similar to Qore, you'll get access to betas, videos, and other extra stuff that the free accounts won't get (until a little later). I think could be a good thing, but I'll have to do more research about it when it's announced.

Second, the motion controller. It's going to be a gimmick, just like Sixaxis control. I'll keep an eye on it, but I won't buy one.

Finally, the games. After the initial drought of games that PS3 had early on, now there's too many games to buy. I personally want Demon Souls, God of War 3, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and whatever PS1 classics may come out.

This blog ended up being a little longer than I expected, but when you've got a lot to talk about, your mind goes in different directions. I hope you enjoyed reading it, as much as I typed it.

NFL Playoffs Plus Random Gaming Info

What's up world!! After writing that long blog, I needed to recharge the juices (and find some more topics to blog about). I figured the NFL playoffs would be a great place to start, but before that two topics that caught my eye over the last few days that I wanna give my two cents about.

Gilbert Arenas

Agent Zero, as I like to call him, did by far one of the stupidest things in the history of sports. Here's a link to what he did. As a basketball fan, Gilbert is among the best at scoring and cracking a joke or two. This was a joke that went too far. He claimed that he was trying to get his guns away from his kids. However he brought the guns to work (the arena) and D.C. gun laws say that you can't own a firearm. Mr. Arenas is probably gonna get jail time and his contract revoked. No NBA team would want to deal with the headache Gilbert causes and I think his career is effectively over.

Harry Reid, U.S. Senator

I have the utmost respect for Senate Majority leader Reid. I don't like how the Senate Health Care bill has shaped up (I think the House version is better because of the Public Option. I truly believe that true reform is with a single payer system). Despite that, Leader Reid made some questionable remarks about Candidate Barack Obama. I give him a pass because of all the things he's done as a member of the Senate. His choice of words could have been better, but I understood what he was trying to convey.

NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Round

I was watching most of the playoff games this weekend at my moms. The Jets/Bengals game was lackluster. Cincinnati hasn't been the same ever since Chris Henry died. I didn't expect them to show up, especially what happened to them the week before. The Jets shutout the Bengals last week and Saturday proved what I already knew, the Jets are scary hot.


Though they're not as hot as the Dallas Cowboys. After 13 years of losing playoff games, they've finally won a game. I'm happy for Jerry [Jones], Tony [Romo], and Wade [Phillips]. IF there's one team that scares me the most in a one game situation it's the Cowboys. Defensively, they are among the league leaders in defensive categories. The offense can hit a big play in a blink of an eye, and if Romo can be mistake free, they could represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.


The shocker of the weekend was the Ravens destroying the Patriots. I was on my PS3 checking to see if it was working right, more on that in a bit, and I saw the score was 14-0. I stopped what I was doing to watch the Ravens defense harass the Patriots in all three phases of football; Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. I think the Patriots dynasty is over, though I think they will at least win their division next season.

The best game of the weekend, even though I fell asleep during it, was the Cardinals/Packers. It had the makings of a blow out while I was watching it for 3 quarters. I headed back to my room to take a nap and the next thing I knew the score 51-45 in overtime. I saw the highlights and was just in awe with Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay made the right decision in getting rid of Brett Favre, because Mr. Rodgers can play.


This week is Ravens/Colts, Cardinals/Saints, Jets/Chargers, and Cowboys/Vikings. Before the games are played I'll give a keys to victory or a who I think will win.

PS3 News

In about two months time (give or take) Gran Turismo 5 will finally be released. This is another game that made me get a PS3 although it would be YEARS before it would eventually be released.

You probably seen on PSN I was playing a game called Peggle. It is addictive and totally worth the $10. You can also play it for free on your PC on popcapgames.com. The best way to describe Peggle is the game Plinko on the Price is Right. When you clear the board, you get to hear Ode to Joy and it gives you that sense of accomplishment.

My PS3 almost died on me last Saturday. It had overheated while I was playing Batman: Arkham Asylum. This was the same thing that happened to my O.G. PS3. The only thing I did different was NOT to play it when it got too hot. One of my PSN friends said I might have the Yellow Light of Death coming soon. I'm being extra cautious for the next couple of days until I know it's working right.


It's time for me to check out some Fight Night Live on Spike. So, I'll check in with my loyal readers next time.

Games of the Year Plus 10 Games for 2010

1. First, let me be the last person to wish everyone a Happy New Year, hope everyone's been safe and enjoying their time with family. With a New Year it gives us a chance to reflect on the year that was and the things we enjoyed. In my case, I've got a little housekeeping to take care of from '08 and then '09.

Typically when I blog, I'm writing with first hand accounts of everything. Today's gonna be different. For most topics it'll be my Mr. Kennedy persona. For topics that are tough, I'm bring two of my other online aliases 36PSWii from Gametrailers and EHeroClayman from Youtube to settle some debates once and for all. Think of it as the multiple personalities of one guy. Here's a couple of topics from '08 that must be taken care of.

2008 Game of the Year

*To separate my different handles, I'll be typing with the standard font, 36PSWii has italic font, and EHeroClayman has bold font.* There was only two games that could be classified as '08 GotY. In April 08, GTA4 was released. A few months later MGS4 was released. Both games got tons of 10/10's, tons of hype and fanfare, and many awards. Today will 'unofficially' settle the debate of '08: GTA4 vs. MGS4.

36PSWii: MGS4 was by far the best game of '08. It was the SOLE reason why I bought a PS3. Originally it was supposed to be out in '07 but something called Halo 3 pushed the release back a few months. Needless to say, if you weren't a MGS fan, then you wanted to play GTA4. I loved GTA:San Andreas, but by that point what more could you do in a sandbox game. GTA4 had great graphics but they didn't push the limits of the PS3. MGS4 pushed the limits of the PS3 (at the time) and it looked magnificent. Add to the fact, this was the 'last' MGS title with Solid Snake as the main character, memorable boss battles, and the 'conclusion' of the loose ends the other MGS' created and there's my GotY.

EHeroClayman: Let the record show that I'm a big fan of MGS (obviously), however GTA4 was something fresh that the gaming industry needed. Rockstar games always pushes the medium of video games to spark controversy (whether intended of unintended). The thing that surprised me about GTA4 was playing as a non-American. Typically most video game lead characters are white American males. The exceptions to the rule were Carl Johnson and Niko Bellic both from GTA games. GTA had something MGS was missing and that was realism. Add to it multiplayer (which MGS also has) and characters that you genuinely cared about (everyone except Michelle/Karen and Dmitri) and you've got my game of the year. Too bad PS3 doesn't have the Xbox exclusive DLC, because I want to find out some major plot points.

Kennedy: Since I'm the deciding vote, I'm giving it to MGS4. Simply put, if you own a PS3 and you haven't play this game, you're missing out on what video games do to a person. Everything in MGS4 is memorable even the mandatory installs during the missions. The only thing GTA4 has on MGS is trophies, but you didn't play MGS for the trophies. You played to see how in the world Hideo Kojima was going the bring the series to an end with all those loose ends. Some were clarified, others could have been explained better. Whatever the case MGS4 is the 2008 GotY.

Guitar Hero Vs Rock Band

This debate has been going on for the past 2 years, with no 'clear' winner in sight. Again here's my take on it from 2 differing points of view.

EHeroClayman: I loved the Guitar Hero franchise, but when Rock Band was released I knew that it was a potential great franchise. GH oversaturated itself over the span of 2 years. In those same 2 years, RB has released 1 main game, two spinoffs, and of course the 'optional' track packs for those who don't have internet. This model I can support, GH's model is destined to fail and I'm glad I jumped ship as fast as I could.

36PSWii: GH's franchise will not die. As long as there's DLC GH will still exist. People will still flock to GH because it's the 'established' brand. Playing as the Beatles is cool and having Lego versions of yourself is fine, but I like seeing an exaggerated version of me on stage playing some Ozzy, Sting, and Zakk Wylde. GH for the win!!!

As you can tell PSWii's argument falls flat on all merits. Rock Band wins by default because of two things. One, Harmonix, the original creators of Guitar Hero, know about music and their charts are similar to actual guitar. Two, as long as music exist RB's model will continue to be supported by people such as myself. The one thing GH has over RB is superior instruments.

Now here's the 2009 Awards. Some categories will have nominees, some won't. I'll be taking over the duties for the majority of the awards until the '09 GotY. No pictures of the game covers, because I'm lazy.

Best BETA

• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• ModNation Racers
• MAG

The winner by no one's surprise is BFBC2. That was the primary beta that I was playing. MAG was okay (256 players is nothing to scoff at), and ModNation still has some work to do before it becomes a Mario Kart killer. The beta of BFBC2 is probably better than MW2 and the full game is coming in March, so get your copies reserved at Amazon and Gamestop so you can have an advantage.

Best Sports Game

• Fifa 10
• UFC Undisputed
• Fight Night Round 4
• MLB 09 : The Show

The winner is Fifa 10. If you don't like soccer, this game will make you appreciate the skill that it takes to play it. Past Fifa's were good, but this one is quite possibly the best one. I played the Show on PS2 and I can say the PS3 version is miles better than it. Fight Night and UFC have brought back some much needed competition in the sport of competitive fighting. If you're to get one sports game this year (before baseball season starts,) get Fifa 10. Plus it helps that the demo is awesome and you can save replays to EA's server.

Best Rhythm Game

• DJ Hero
• Guitar Hero: Metallica
• The Beatles: Rock Band
• Lego Rock Band

Two band centered games a cool and plus it never gets old playing Lego games, well until they release a Lego game on a franchise I know nothing about. But DJ Hero is the clear winner. Here's a sample of the mash-ups in game.



The only thing that's stopping me from getting DJ Hero (outside of a job) is the $120 price tag. Other than that, DJ Hero wins Rhythm GotY.

Surprisingly Good Game

• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Guitar Hero: Metallica
• Assassin's Creed 2
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine

GH:M was definitely a contender to win this award. I heard good things about AC2, but I've still got the terrible taste of AC1 in my brain. I will eventually get to playing AC2 in '10. Same with Wolverine. But the winner is Batman: Arkham Asylum. AA did something that hasn't been done since the NES days, make a great Batman game. Hats off to Rocksteady games for doing the impossible.

Disappointment of the Year

• Resident Evil 5
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

I was pissed off at MW2, frankly I don't even care to play the game with BFBC2 around the corner. Instead, my rage is on RE5. All the team at Capcom had to do was make RE4 in high-def, add Chris, and make it 10 times darker and creepier. Instead RE5 wants you to play co-op and buy stuff that should have been free on disc. RE5 is collecting dust in game shelves and I won't buy it. If RE5: Alternate Edition is rated better than RE5, then I'll pick it up. If not I'll avoid it.

PS3 Game That Should Be on Hard Drive

Flower. The best way to describe Flower, is a free flowing version of Pac-Man. Instead of controlling the flower petal with a joystick, it uses Sixaxis Motion Control. It's a carefree type of game and it has trophies to boot. I bought it at $5 during the Thanksgiving sale and it's absolutely worth every penny (now Flower is back at its normal price of $10).

Best RPG

Demon Souls. One word to describe it, HARD. You will die and die a lot. It's an old-school RPG and I'm an old-school gamer. I need to get to a store and buy it. Plus, I've heard nothing but good things about it (way back in February).

Developer of the Year

If this was done before Christmas, it was Naughty Dog hands down. Instead, Rocksteady games gets the nod for *AGAIN* doing the impossible: Making a GREAT Batman game. This game company gets a ton of kudos from me.

PSN GotY

• Shatter
• Peggle
• Flower
• Pixel Junk: Shooter

You can play Peggle for free on your PC, and it's addictive. Shatter is Arkanoid with a modern day facelift. Any Pixel Junk game becomes addictive. However, the winner is Flower. It's so simple even a caveman can play it. All four gain my seal of approval of must buy games on PSN, along with Super Stardust HD.

Best Graphics

• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Batman : Arkham Asylum
• Madden NFL 10

What?! Madden is the best graphics category?!! Madden despite its flaws in gameplay is a gorgeous game in HD. B:AA is pretty impressive, but UC2 is the winner. Two Words: Train Sequence. That plus some crazy snow textures and faces that get damaged over time (something B:AA has as well) gives UC2 my best graphics. Playing UC2 in standard def (something I don't recommend if you can avoid it), doesn't put into words how much Naughty Dog has improved their game engine in a span of 2 years.

Retro Game Collection of the Year

It has to go to Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. 40 games for $20, it's a steal of a deal. This game was on my radar when my PS3 was broke and I wanted it pretty bad. Sure you could pirate these games (some you won't be able to get because of DMCA), but that takes the fun out of some game. SUGC is a glorified emulated Genesis (or Mega Drive) with a handful of games missing (Gunstar Heroes and Outrun), but for the most part if you grew up playing Genesis games it should be in your collection.

And finally the Big Daddy, the Game of the Year.

Game of the Year

• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Assassin's Creed 2
• Killzone 2
• Modern Warfare 2

Out of the nominees, only two did I think highly of. In a rare case of me changing my mind at the last moment, I award my Game of the Year to both Batman: Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Uncharted gives you the best value for your gameplay. It's 50 bucks as I type and it's rare to see a single player driven game have a pretty good multiplayer. What I mean is, UC is a single player game, the MP is a bonus feature and a good bonus feature to boot.

Batman's game is exactly how you want a Superhero game to be. Get to face (hear and see) some of the rogues gallery. Using his gadgets to get across areas and use them in combat scenarios. Most importantly, the developers were fans of Batman and anytime a fan gets a hold to something they hold dear, chances are it's going to be good. I wish I could drive the Batmobile or fly the Batwing, but that's what sequels are for.

That's what I think of 2009's games hopefully 2010 and beyond will be equally as impressive. Speaking of 2010 games, here's that list of 10 games (on PS3) and little description on why you should keep an eye on them.

• Heavy Rain: I was a fan of Quantic Dream's Indigo Prophecy (one of my underrated PS2 titles). The moment they announced it, I knew it was going to be good. If you want to know how Heavy Rain's going to be, I suggest picking up a copy of Indigo Prophecy and playing it on your PS2, because BC PS3's can't emulated it right.

• God of War 3: Huge fan of the first 2 God of War games. Gonna get 3 because of the first two and plus I want to know how the story ends. Similar to the reason why I wanted MGS4.

• Gran Turismo 5: Die-Hard GT fan. People are waiting for Polyphony Digital to release the game. The release says March of this year, wouldn't be surprised if it's pushed back to the summer. Polyphony is notorious for game delays because they want their games to be perfect (i.e. no patches needed).

• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 : Two words: Destructible Environments.

• MLB 10: The Show : I'm a die-hard baseball fan. Missed Sony San Diego's 09 The Show on PS3. I did buy it on PS2, so they did get my hard earned cash. One of the best exclusive games on PS3, even if you don't like baseball.

• Dante's Inferno : Normally, I wouldn't recommend a game similar to God of War, but this clone seems pretty good. I've got a sneaky suspicion that some of the dev team on DI have worked on GoW or may have been fans of it. Either way, PS3 is gonna have some brutal games.

• ModNation Racers : I mentioned in the blog MNR, needs a lot of work. I'm beta testing it, not as much as BFBC2, but I believe MNR has a ton of potential. If framerate issues can be fixed and course editing is even easier, watch out Mario Kart.

• 3D Dot Heroes : It's an Atlus RPG, it's quirky, and it's $40 when it's released in May. Plus Link from Legend of Zelda makes an appearance, so it's full of win.

• White Knight Chronicles International : WKC was supposed to be out right around the release of Uncharted 1, instead the Japanese have it and we're getting that version plus a few things extra. The game's made by Level-5, a team who's used to making great RPG's. Some of their works include Dark Cloud 1 & 2, Rouge Galaxy (another sleeper PS2 title), and Dragon Quest VIII (the best RPG released on PS2).

• Final Fantasy 13 : The king of RPG's is finally coming after numerous delays, a multi-platform announcement, a death of my PS3. The only reason why it's on my list is because of it's weight in the industry.

These are my 10 for '10. Out of the blue, another title may come up and replace one of these on the list (like Mass Effect 2). Have a safe week and remember: '10 maybe the third year in a row that PS3 is the top dog.