Just because President Obama is putting a Wii in the White House - don’t think that means he has gone soft on video games! In his first major address, The President mentioned video games and the responsibility of parents to regulate them. This is the same point The President has been making since the campaign trail, that video games should not take the place of parents!
“In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home.”
Although I am sure the threads and commentaries are livid, I don’t think the President is denouncing video games. I think he is simply asking the parents to step up. I personally have to give him props for making the parents responsible for Billy’s D in math, instead of the video game industry.
Did you tune in and watch this weekends Oscar ceremony? If you were protesting the Oscars (due to the Dark Knight snub), than you missed out on the coolest World of WarCraft celebrity exposure since…since…Mila Kunis!
Steve Preeg - visual effects wizard, and World of WarCraft guild leader was awarded an Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. Steve is known for his work in multiple films including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and I Robot, but it was for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that he nabbed an Oscar this weekend.
Preeg is a combat Rogue and he runs a pretty tight guild. They have defeated every raid boss except Sartharion. Congrats on winning the sweet paper weight! Other than the Hugh Jackman performance it was probably the coolest thing that happened all night.
The past month has been good for Capcom as well as its fans. With the announcement of Dead Rising 2 earlier this month, and now the big announcement made yesterday on Xbox Live. With Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi on board, Capcom is working on Lost Planet 2. The trailer along with some Q&A was revealed by Jun Takeuchi himself, who seemed excited about this sequel.
The plot will take place ten years after the events of the previous game. The planet’s climate has changed in those ten years and will feature jungle environments as well as snow covered ones. You can also be expecting cooperative play from this title, and a Gears of War style engine.
The Trailer is made almost entirely from game play footage so what you are seeing in this trailer is what you can expect.
Ever since Resident Evil 5 was announced, Capcom has kept info on the game locked tighter than Fort Knox. Now that we only have 3 weeks left until the release on March 13th, it appears they have thrown caution to the wind. A new trailer was released by them last night with this warning “Lots of good story bits and spoiler stuff in this new trailer… It’s completely full of win!”
Spoiler? Yes, you did read the word spoiler in that sentence! What spoiler you ask? Could it be Chris, and Wesker are brothers? Does Wesker ever take off his sunglasses? Did the T-Virus originate from infected Chimpanzees? Although these are most definitely not true, the spoiler in this trailer is almost equally shocking!
Before your jittery fingers click that play button we warn you this spoiler is epic!
After much anticipation Japan’s desire was at long last quenched. When Street Fighter IV hit the shelves the Japanese hit the pavement! On the first day of the release of Capcom’s fighting classic 86,000 copies were sold!
Originally Capcom told a bit of a fib when they stated that Street Fighter IV was sold out in Japan, as we later discovered, this was not the case! A few gamers did some research after Capcom made the statement and we later discovered a number of individual retailers were sold out but all of Japan was not!
This news is really not all that much of a surprise. Saying Street Fighter is selling well in Japan is like saying frat boys like alcohol! Despite the fact the Street Fighter series is sacred over there, it is the first game in the series to be in 3D and that most likely was an influence on the purchases.
Street Fighter IV is now available on US shores, check it out!
To the joy of the Alliance and the Horde alike, Blizzard has announced BlizzCon 2009! The fourth annual mega event for Blizzard Entertainment fans will be returning to Anaheim Convention Center in California, on August 21st-22nd. This years event has been expanded from 3 halls to 4, and for good reason! After all the wow population is equivalent to a small country; 11million last time I checked.
Here are some things you can expect from this year’s event:
Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games
Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
Community contests with great prizes
Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard Entertainment’s game universes
A silent auction
More exciting activities and attractions to be announced
A return to F.E.A.R.
The second installment from Monolith’s hugely successful horror FPS title has at long last arrived. Returning to the city of Auburn where it all began. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin offers scarier atmospheres, more open environments, and a first person experience that is equally enjoyable as its previous title. From the darkest corners of the nether regions Alma has returned, and she has a bone to pick with Armachan!
Horror 101
F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin follows the story of Michael Becket, who is a new character to the series and a fresh perspective. A delta squad rookie, Becket is dispatched to the city of Auburn (on a mission to rescue Armachan’s President) just before it was annihilated by the cataclysmic explosion of the previous game. After the big boom is when the weirdness starts. Becket wakes to find that he is Alma’s newest interest as he begins to see her everywhere. As a sort of guide Alma leads Becket through a terrifying journey into the dark history of her past and ultimately to an ending so bizarre that I refuse to spoil it for you.
There is Nothing to Fear but…Alma
Continuing the same type of jarring game play from the previous game, you are constantly jumping between chills, and thrills. F.E.A.R. 2 capitalizes on the classic elements of horror, in which suspense draws you into a scene only to have it completely shattered by jarring action sequences. This is the bread and butter of the F.E.A.R. franchise and it is something they do well. The transitions from horror to action are a shocking way to propel the game play.
The Atmospheres are eerie, more creative, and much larger then in the previous game. Some levels are large, and that does put a bit of a strain on the game play as you become bored with staring at the same level. You will be exploring the devastated city of Auburn in which you will constantly come across Armachan operatives who have been dispatched there. Alma becomes your guide as well as your tormentor, as she constantly twists your mind with disturbing hallucinations. Unwillingly forging a psychic bond with Alma you develop the ability to slow down time. The ability is a much needed asset as the AI of F.E.A.R. 2 is advanced. Enemies will use environments, and team tactics to try and take you down. The bullet time will give you the advantage to dispatch enemies as needed.
The mech suits add a creative element to game play, and are extremely enjoyable to use. Self repairing and equipped with dual guns, and a rocket launcher they are basically gigantic killing machines. The mech suits are very effective in helping you to mow down enemies. You will be able to use them at various times, and surprisingly they work for a game totally unrelated to mech suits.
Multi-player is average keeping the simple modes; such as death match, and capture the flag. So do not expect much more than that from it. It isn’t a bad multi-player by any means, just basic. Campaign mode is another story! It is a rich experience with dynamic environments, and a near indiscernible plot line with more twist than a Shyamalan film.
Fear thy name is Alma
F.E.A.R. 2 continues the formula of its predecessor, and it is an effective one at that. Larger environments, more intelligent enemies, and a continuing theme of creepiness definitely makes this game worthy of your time. The muti-player could have been better and that is the reason this game falls short of a five star rating, but the campaign alone makes this game worth its price. We give F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin 4 out of 5 stars.
For all you Street Fighter fans who are eagerly awaiting the Street Fighter film, I think you are going to be let down come February 27th. That aside, a new clip of Street Fighter The Legend of Chun-Li has come out, and it is a fight sequence between Chun-Li and some thugs.
Despite my utter repulsion to the movie, I will admit that this clip actually looks pretty good. If I didn’t know any better, I would say this movie may actually not be a nightmare. Luckily for us we know better!
If you are really bored and would like to watch the poorly casted Kristin Kreuk (no disrespect to her but she is no Chun-Li) kick the snot out of some really lame bad guys, you should give it a click. If you, like me - have no desire to see this film, watch this clip anyway and hold on to the vague hope that someday . . .somehow, Hollywood will actually create a good video game-based film.
During the current recession it seemed that (for awhile at least) the video game industry was untouchable, but in the past few months we have discovered that this is not the case! There have been layoff’s, delays, and companies flat out going out of business. Eidos, in particular has been hit hard in the past few months, and even EA has been struggling. Now Midway has announced that it is filing chapter 11 bankruptcy. Although the cause is not entirely due to the economy I am sure that the current state of things have made it hard for them.
“This was a difficult but necessary decision,” said Midway Chairman, President and CEO Matt Booty. “We have been focused on realigning our operations and improving our execution, and this filing will relieve the immediate pressure from our creditors and provide us time for an orderly exploration of our strategic alternatives. This Chapter 11 filing is the next logical step in an ongoing process to address our capital structure.”
As said before I don’t believe the economy is entirely the cause of Midway’s woes, since they have been struggling for years now. Sigh* you were once an arcade giant, oh how the mighty have fallen!
If you loved the original Alien Vs. Predator game, but were let down by the film franchise we have got news for you! Everyone’s favorite extraterrestrial throw down will be returning, but in a much more adequate setting. Sega and Twentieth Century Fox announced Alien Vs. Predator the game, which is currently in development. Rebellion, the guys who brought us the original Alien Vs. Predator in 1999, are working on the game now which is projected for release 2010.
“SEGA continues to create masterful games based on our Aliens franchise and this new addition is sure to continue their successful track record,” said Gary Rosenfeld, Senior Vice President, New Media for Fox L&M.
Although this is definitely good news it seems it is coming with a price, as it appears that Colonial Marines is getting pushed back from it’s 2009 projected release. Sega has said “Signing of Rebellion’s Aliens vs. Predator makes for a third Aliens franchise game, which will be the first to launch in series.”
Although I am disheartened by the fact that I will not be getting to play Colonial Marines this year, it is not nearly as disheartening as another AVP movie. Thank goodness Twentieth Century Fox is going with another AVP game instead of a film.
Just because President Obama is putting a Wii in the White House - don’t think that means he has gone soft on video games! In his first major address, The President mentioned video games and the responsibility of parents to regulate them. This is the same point The President has been making since the campaign trail, that video games should not take the place of parents!
During the current recession it seemed that (for awhile at least) the video game industry was untouchable, but in the past few months we have discovered that this is not the case! There have been layoff’s, delays, and companies flat out going out of business. 
