A Gaming Milestone

Now this is interesting!

My favorite indie game of the year, Journey, just got nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media." It goes up against a slew of excellent movies this voting season, including: Hugo, Tintin, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and The Dark Knight Rises. This marks the first time an entire album has ever been nominated based off an original video game soundtrack. And what makes it so cool for me is that I genuinely enjoy the heck out of this game! (And, yes, I've already downloaded it off iTunes, of course!)

Journey is a very simple, beautifully moving adventure released exclusively on the Playstation Network back on March 13th. It takes roughly 2 - 3 hours to complete and costs less that $15 to download from the Playstation Store. There is no dialogue. No guns. No fighting. No drawn-out cutscenes. You start out as a mysterious robed figure who's born out of a comet hitting the desert sands early one morning. From this point on you must guide this figure across the dunes on some unexplained quest that even he or she does not understand. Your only clue is a great big mountain peak rising up to the sky in the far distance. A bright beacon of light beckons to you from the summit of said peak, somehow drawing you forward. It's a journey, you see? One that will take you across great expanses and against sometimes impossible odds. And like all great journeys, it's not the destination that is important, but your experiences along the way that shape who you will become.

Journey also uses online play in a unique way which I totally enjoyed. If your PS3 is connected online, the game allows other players to intrude on your session. Now, "intrude" is perhaps too negative a connotation here. In Journey, random online players can appear in and out of your adventure at any time, offering to team up with you along the way if you so desire. You cannot speak to one another, or even see the other player's gamer tag (aka, user name). Your only form of communication is through a series of musical notes. Yeah, how rad is that? Somehow, some way--through carefully placed musical cues and the context of your actions--you and your companion can get the gist of things and work together toward a mutually beneficial goal. Which is, to reach your destination atop that mountain! On my first play through, I ended up buddying up with some guy from China randomly chosen by the game's servers. Because we could not speak to each other, and because there is no dialogue or text to read in the game itself, cultural and language barriers were never an issue. It's was all about the gameplay! Which, frankly, is how it should be.

Check out the trailer below for just a taste of the beauty and majesty this title brings:




Journey is a title that urges pure, unadulterated exploration and puzzle solving. What I loved so much about it is that most of the story is inferred by the gorgeous scenery and music. As such, the orchestral score is some of the most haunting, evocative pieces you'll ever hear. The type of score you'd expect from a deep, well-thought out foreign indie flick. Not a video game!

So it is no surprise to me that the score was nominated for such a top honor. The game's composer, Austin Wintory, did an outstanding job. Wow! And kudos to all the hard work from the members of the orchestra, especially the main cellist, Tina Guo. She's absolutely fantastic here!




I also love how much the scenery and colors draw you into this world. You start out with the golds and reds of the unending desert sands, move on to the muted greens of a sunken world, and eventually on to the drab blues and foamy whites of the snow-capped higher elevations . . . moving inexorably toward that bright light beckoning to you from afar. Along the way, as you successfully solve puzzle after puzzle with the aid of an online buddy, your robed protagonists gain wonderful abilities like incredible jumping height and even a form of flight. Given how much I love flying, you can only imagine how cool this was for me!

But perhaps the most thrilling aspect of the game comes early when you have to dune surf your way to the end of the stage. Yes, you read that correctly: dune surf. As in, surfing on sand instead of water! Or "sand skiing," if you want to get caught up in particulars.

I'll leave you all with this video of a German player's dune surfing session, which not only confers the sheer fun of this game, but the amazingly gorgeous visuals. Check out the lighting and spectrum shift when entering the terraced area of the ancient city. Jaw-dropping!




By the way, those energetic carpet bundles you see gliding through the air alongside your character, dipping below and above the sands like dolphins, are sentient helpers you had to rescue earlier. They assist you sometimes, lending magic to your depleting stores so that you can gain lift and maintain flight when you most need it.

Did I not mention this game is awesome? You should all play it sometime. It's a title anyone can pick up and enjoy.

Drake's Next Adventure

So, in the midst of finishing up Gears of War 3 for the Xbox 360 and preparing to start up Batman: Arkham City on the PlayStation 3, I learned that we're only 2 weeks away from perhaps the greatest game of all time releasing on November 1st . . . Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception!!!

Yes, I know. Blasphemy! For surely, Batista, the new Batman game is the undoubted king this year? And you know what? It just may retain that crown, because from what I'm hearing so far this Batman game is just about better than sliced bread! And I've only played the first 10 minutes, but I'm inclined to agree so far.

HOWEVER!

The Uncharted series has always been a stellar, shining example of Triple-A game making. Seriously, each title has gone on to win tons of awards and plenty of Game-of-the-Year titles (GOTY) from various reporting agencies in the industry. The last game, Uncharted 2, was seriously the best game I ever played! And from what I'm seeing so far, this third installment is pulling out all the stops. Here, check it out for yourself. The launch trailer below was just released, and I'm PSYCHED beyond belief! Hoooo, boy!





In case you don't know the story, Nathan Drake is a treasure hunter descended from the historical Sir Francis Drake. His illustrious ancestor was quite busy in his time tracking down various legendary artifacts across the globe, and he's bequeathed the same unquenchable thrill-seeking genes down through the family line, it would seem. The Uncharted games are sort of a cross between the Indiana Jones movies and the Tomb Raider games. No, really, there is no better way to to put it. The series is just THAT much fun! If you're a gamer and you own a PS3 but you haven't yet played these games . . . seriously, dude, what the hell are you waiting for? Do you honestly want to miss out on THIS much greatness?

The trailer above wowed me, though. I knew the game was going to be great, but I had no idea it would look this fantastic! I didn't think it was possible to improve on the visuals of the second game . . . but now I eat humble pie, because this is ridiculously gorgeous! And the story looks soooooo intriguing. Gave me goosebumps!

Sure, I'll be missing out on it myself since I'll be busy playing Arkham City. I usually save the Uncharted games for the holidays, though, so this is actually coming out at just the right time. Hopefully by December 25th I'll have completed the Batman game. It's going to be close, but I'm sure I can pull it off.

Oh, and one more note on this whole Uncharted thing . . .

A co-worker of mine sent me a link today to this video clip of Harrison Ford playing six minutes of the yet to be released Uncharted 3:





Lucky man!!! But, LOL, it's funny seeing his reaction to the visuals. See, this guy is an ACTOR! He can pretend quite convincingly that this game is blowing his socks off. You can tell he's not a gamer, though, but at least he gives it the ole college try. This was part of a Japanese promo event to sell the game in the Land of the Rising Sun. Apparently they all love themselves some Harrison Ford. But, I guess: who doesn't love the man, right?

Han Solo is still cool after all these years. Bet!

The Return Of Kevin Butler

The "fictional" VP of Sony PlayStation, Kevin Butler, has returned to where he belongs in a string of upcoming new and hilarious television ads for the PlayStation 3. If you follow me on Facebook, you're already aware of how much I love this guy and his commercials. If you need a refresher course, check out some of his more infamous tv spots here, here, here and here.

Anyway, Kevin's been out of the loop for some time. Apparently he's been moonlighting as president of the carpet company "Economy Flooring" while Sony marketing got its collective act together. But, as is only natural, you cannot keep a good guy down for long. Kevin's back, and he's here to put in no uncertain terms to you casual gaming pansies out there why PlayStation 3 means business this Fall.

Check out the launch of the new "Long Live Play" ad campaign below, and tell me you don't just love this guy's enthusiasm:





Oh GAWD, so many awesome lines in this one. Like:

"It's tougher than a no-scope headshot from a moving troop transport." (haha @ the customer's reaction to that one!)

"I'm not coming back to the gaming industry to sell some watered down, get-grandma-off-the-couch weaksauce."

"Long live the kind of play that turns 'five more minutes' into five more hours."

"I believe in that as much as I believe in my no-look flaming crossbow shot."

LOL!

I so can't wait until the new ads start rolling out, especially with such awesome PlayStation exclusives as Resistance 3, Twisted Metal, and Uncharted 3 being released in the near future. And while I don't think anything can top PlayStation's old slogan "It Only Does Everything," I kinda like the new "Long Live Play" one for bringing back the focus to actual hard-core gameplay that seems to have been missing lately.

Long Live KEVIN BUTLER!!!

A Different Type Of "Game"

So, no. This is not yet another Game of Thrones blog entry. Put the sword down and relax. That's probably going to come tomorrow or the day after. I haven't seen the latest episode yet.

This is about the new Playstation 3 game I just started up over the weekend -- L.A. Noire. Yes, yes, I know I've already mentioned it yesterday, and in my "Now Playing" sidebar . . . but since then I've made a bit more progress. And I wanted to tell you about one of the cases I recently completed as newly minted LAPD detective, Cole Phelps.

See, on Sunday I managed to start the game and work my way up to detective. This got me off the patrol desk and placed in Traffic. Now the Traffic desk is not what you might think. As a detective, you don't go around writing parking tickets and telling people to fix their tail lights. No. In Traffic, you deal with any crimes pertaining to automobiles -- such as hit-and-runs, car theft, etc. So, once I made it to Traffic I decided to call it a day. I had been playing for only 2 hours, but I felt I knew enough about the ins and outs of this game to do a stellar job the next time I picked up the controller.

Monday afternoon, after getting some unrelated writing work done, I powered up the machine once more and dived back into the seedy underbelly of 1947 Hollywood.

My first case as a bonafide detective had me dealing with a guy who tried to fake his death by leaving fresh pig's blood splattered all over the cab of his derelict car. Like many of the cases in L.A. Noire, this one was based on an actual case that occurred back in the 40s. I flew through it with flying colors, though, earning a five star rating on my report when the case was closed.

But the next case is where I really shined. And where I began to realize that I'm actually smarter than the game. See, I'm one of those annoying people who watch crime shows and figures them out before the 15 minute mark. My wife hates it. So lately I've learned to keep my mouth shut. Very few shows actually stump me, though, like Dexter or House. Most shows are annoying simple to figure out: to whit, all the CSIs, most of the L&Os, and a good deal of NCIS.

So needless to say, this video game has its work cut out for it if it wants to fool me.

But this next case was far too easy. Laughably so. I figured it all out almost as soon as I arrived on the crime scene. And, despite how I might come across in the preceding paragraph here, I don't actually think it's due to my big brain. No. Unfortunately, it's because they made it too easy for players. Specifically, they left behind way too many obvious clues at the crime scene.

Still, it was a fun case. Let me go over the particular details. At the start of each case in L.A. Noire, you get a nice old skool title card in black and white. Such as with this particular case:

We're treated to a brief preview of the crime, by which a man stumbles drunkenly out into the middle of the street and gets hit by a passing car. The car stops, but then quickly speeds away.

Next, we're Cole Phelps getting the case handed to him by the captain of the Traffic desk. I head out to the scene of the crime and find that the area has already been cordoned off by patrol. An officer briefly informs me of the gory details, and that they have one witness waiting to be interviewed -- an aspiring actress (of course) who lives above the nearby bar and saw the whole thing from her window.

Rather than interview her, I make a beeline straight for the body first. There's tire marks, blood spatter, and a long blood streak leading up to the corpse. The coroner tells me the body of the unknown victim was thrown 20 feet from the point of impact. Straight forward hit and run; the driver didn't even stop. But already I have a sinking suspicion that all is not what it seems. I stoop down and examine the poor sap, sifting through his pockets and finding a wallet and a curious letter from his life insurance company.

So, I learn the victim is one Lester Pattison. Okay. He's married, too. Great, I'm going to have to notify the spouse of her husband's death. Next up, I examine the letter more closely. Seems his weekly premium had recently increased from $3.70 per week to $5.90, with his lump sum payout increasing from $10,000 to $17,000. Back in 1947, this must have been a LOT of money. But on the letter this amount is circled in red and the words: "WHAT THE FUCK!" are handwritten next to it. Hmmm, curious. This makes me think that Lester did not authorize this increase himself. Immediately I smell something fishy here.

Further examination of the body reveals a puncture wound in his chest. But the coroner tells me that this is normal in hit and runs, and that the car involved must have had a fairly detailed hood ornament. I don't know about that . . .

I get up and examine the clues on the street once more. The grisly streak of blood leaving from the point of impact seems too bloody for a hit and run. And at the point of impact, I notice a separate pool of blood. Okay, that doesn't match up. If the car was speeding and hit the vic here, throwing him 20 feet forward, there would not have been enough time for that much blood to collect in a stationary spot. There's something else going on here, I think to myself.

The presence of tire marks are also puzzling. This would suggest the car came to a sudden, screeching halt before impact. The driver slowed the car down! He must have driven off out of fear. Okay, so by now I have a pretty good hunch that it wasn't the impact of the car that killed the vic. There must be another clue somewhere else . . .

I notice that the point of impact is directly before the exit of an alleyway. There's a trashbin inside the alley, propped up against a huge dumpster. I head over there, and guess what I find inside the bin?

Yup! The proverbial "bloody knife." I knew it! Ha-ha, something tells me this is tied in with the vic. But in the game, my character seems a little slow on the uptake. I've already put it all together, though. I now know how the vic died, who killed him, and why. But for the sake of the game, I still have to go through the motions.

So I interview the witness. She tells me that she saw the guy step into the street and a red car come barreling into him. In the game, you have to watch the facial reactions of your suspects and witnesses to see if they're lying or holding back on you. This woman so far seems to be telling the truth. Barely 3 hours into the game, I've already figured out a certain trick to seeing through these different expressions. It's so easy!

I ask her what made her decide to come to the window in the first place, and here she gets cagey. So I put the pressure on her, calling her into doubt, and she caves. She tells me she was going to save this last detail for the papers, to get her face out there. But now she comes clean. Before the accident, she was in her apartment when she heard a loud argument coming from the alley. The argument was between a man and his wife. She knew they were married because the wife was using intimate knowledge of her husband to make him angry. The kind of stuff only a wife would know and about her husband.

Afterwards, the man stumbled out of the alley and that's when he was hit by the car.

Realizing I'm not going to get any more out of her, I venture into the bar and question . . . the barman, of course! He's a little antagonistic, but eventually through my questioning I learn that Lester and his wife, Lorna, were regulars. Well mostly Lester, who liked to get drunk and play the tables in the back. Apparently the two were constantly arguing, but on this night Lorna was really pushing his buttons. They took it outside, and that's the last the barman saw of Lester.

Further questioning reveals that the barman is covering for his boss, Leroy Sabo, who owns the joint. Turns out Leroy is looking to open a new, better joint and is a little short on dough. It also looks like him and Lester's missus have been getting cozy as of late. In fact, he took Mrs. Pattison home after the accident and this is why he's not at the bar now.

Oh boy. Now I have to go make that home visit sooner than later!

I grab my partner and book it to the Pattison residence. There, Lorna acts despondent over the death of her husband. I ask her if she's alone, and then Sabo comes slinking out from a back room somewhere. He says he's there to "comfort" his good friend.

Uh-huh.

I grill the wife pretty harshly, telling Mrs. Pattison that a witness saw her arguing heatedly with her husband just before the "accident." I also show her the updated life insurance policy and ask her if there's a reason why ten grand suddenly wasn't enough for her. At this point Sabo takes over and quickly puts an end to the convo. As I don't yet have enough evidence for an arrest, I have to lay off and leave.

But then I get a call to head down to the coroner's office, and this is where I'm vindicated. Turns out the vic was fatally stabbed twice on the right side of his thorax by a long, sharp object. Hmm, you mean like the big ass knife I found at the scene of the crime? So much for a hood ornament doing the job.

My partner is flabbergasted (stupid man!). He says that this case has just been upgraded to a Murder 1. No shit, Sherlock? I've known that since 3 minutes in!

Anyway, so we rush back to the Pattison residence with a warrant for Lorna's arrest. But she puts the blame squarely on Sabo. Sabo guns her down (the things he WOULDN'T do for love, eh?) and then runs like mad out the back door. I have to chase him down on foot, and when I finally catch up:

The punk ass! He actually has the nerve to pull a hostage on me. Oh, he's going down! I wait long enough for his head to come into view, and real quick -- POP! I pull the trigger.

That's right. Head shot go BOOM! Cuz, you see, that's how I roll baby!

Anyway, case gets closed. Because I collected all the clues and got right down to the nitty gritty in my interrogations ... er, I mean interviews, I get a 5-star rating on my performance, and a hearty atta-boy from the cap'n.

And there you have it. A "typical" case in a day in the life of Cole Phelps, LAPD detective.

Now tell me: doesn't this game sound SWEET to you? Despite it being so easy so far, I actually do love all the attention to detail and how each case unfolds differently. Interrogations are my favorite, with clue gathering coming in at a close second. Running and gunning is not quite as fun as it should be, given the gameplay mechanics. But that's never really been the strong suit of Rockstar games anyway.

I went on to unlock 5 more "trophies" yesterday, bringing my total now up to 12 trophies in all after only 2 days of play. Pretty nifty! I've also solved all the cases at the Traffic desk, and have now been promoted to Homicide. My very first case as a homicide detective is based on the real life and infamous "Black Dahlia" affair, which some of you may know about due to the big-budget Hollywood movie of the same name a couple of years back. I'm tempted to read up on that case in Wikipedia before I solve it in the game, but then it'll be beyond easy and so I don't want to spoil it for myself.

Yeah, I'm hooked! Can you tell?

More Dead Space 2 Shenanigans

So, as some of you know, I've been playing Dead Space 2 off and on for the past two months or so. It's taking me so long to get through this game only because I sometimes go weeks without finding the time to turn on the ol' PlayStation 3. But over the weekend I was finally able to devote a rather largish chunk of time to the game, and I have to say . . . things are really getting FREAKY!!!

Dead Space 2 is a sci-fi horror game. It takes place aboard a mining station orbiting Saturn's moon, Titan. In the first game, Isaac boarded the deep space vessel U.S.G. Ishimura and got introduced to the wonderful group of swell folk known as Necromorphs. After that adventure went bust, some idiot decided to tow the Ishimura back to Titan station (nicknamed "The Sprawl"), and so of course the Necromorphs are now all over this place as well.

Anyway, so, Isaac meets up with this other survivor--a technician named Ellie--and we're trying to get down to the bottom of some sneaky government cover-up occurring on the Sprawl. At some point before chapter 10, it's decided that Isaac needs to head back inside the Ishimura in order to get them from Point A to Point B. Ellie, naturally, waits outside the ship while Isaac climbs aboard and tries to get the big hunk of junk operational. This ship is HUGE, btw, but is theoretically supposed to be empty since Isaac took care of all the nasty baddies during the first game. But, do you think they would make it that easy?

At one point I'm contacted over the comm channel by Ellie, who has a clear view of the outside hull of the ship from where she's waiting. I was on my way to the Ishimura's bridge on an internal tram system when the following conversation takes place:

Ellie: "[Necromorphs] are coming in through a hole in the Medical Deck. At least you won't have to go through there.

Overhead Computer Voice: "Unexpected obstruction ahead. [Tram] shutting down. Welcome to the Medical Deck."

Isaac: "Crap."

*sigh* I just can't catch a break in this game!

Incidentally, from this moment on the shit really hit the fan. What was supposed to be just a quick run through the Ishimura to get it up and running turned out to be a nightmare trip down memory lane. I barely made it out of that damned ship alive and into Chapter 11.

Oh well, just another day in the life of a gamer. I hope the rest of you had as entertaining a weekend as I did. :)

An Overload Of Inside-Out, Reanimated Corpses!

Whoa, it's been an extravaganza of Necromorph killin these past few weeks! Let me count the ways for thee:

Two weeks ago I blogged in this entry about the upcoming sequel to 2008's breakout horror video game, Dead Space. To prepare myself for Dead Space 2's impending release, I purchased and downloaded the short prequel puzzle game, Dead Space: Ignition. Playing this quick title set the stage for some pretty freaky things that will be going on in the sequel . . . things I'm excited for, but which my heart is not going to be too happy about. I don't think it's recovered yet from that initial foray aboard the deep space mining vessel, the USG Ishimura.

But I had so much fun playing Dead Space: Ignition, that I decided to rent from Netflix last week the animated film which serves as a prequel to the first game, titled Dead Space: Downfall (pictured above). It was an excellent movie, one that got me even more hyped to return to this universe of bizarre alien artifacts and horrible monstrosities created from the corpses of dead space miners. Kewl!

However, now I think it's getting to be too much. I mean I love it all--don't get me wrong--but the hype machine for this game series is running on overload! Last night, Electronic Arts released a Dead Space game for the Apple iPhone and iPad -- which got a pretty decent review over here. (I haven't downloaded this game yet to my phone, but best believe I will!) The Apple game is like Ignition in that it shows another side-story taking place in the events leading up to the shenanigans going down in Dead Space 2. So, yet again, fans looking forward to the sequel game will be able to get a little more back story to round out the experience beforehand. I'm all for that.

Then comes today. Today, Tuesday the 25th of January, is a BIG day! Not only do we get yet another Dead Space animated movie released on DVD--this one called Dead Space: Aftermath (pictured above)--but, of course, it is the the launch day *finally* of the game itself, Dead Space 2!!! IGN has a really nice review of it here, too.

Phew! Can you say "Dead-Spaced out"?

Luckily, this is a series I really, truly like, or else I would be in danger of severe burnout. But although it may seem like a lot of info to the uninitiated, these various smaller media tie-ins are just like appetizers--light and fluffy. The two mini games--Ignition and iPhone--are very quick, breezy numbers that drip atmosphere and great story, but don't really tax the player. For that, the real meat n' potatoes is still the proper sequel, Dead Space 2. The movies, on the other hand, serve as nice pieces of exposition for those who are either being introduced to the game's universe for the first time, or who just wanted to reinforce the knowledge they already have about the mysterious things going on in Isaac Clarke's world.

I'm about to head out to purchase Aftermath on Blu-ray. Tonight and tomorrow I'll probably play and finish the iPhone game, and then this weekend I shall crack open Dead Space 2 on my Playstation 3. I really wish my other gaming friends could join me on this adventure, but they're all either busy with other games and/or real-life issues, or are just plain chicken-shit to try. Of course, I say the latter with lots of love. :)

Anyway, if you like extremely gory and freaky jump-out horror with your sci-fi, you've just been served notice that Dead Space is where's it all happening these days. If you've been hiding under a rock all this time, you have some catching up to do, yes?

Of course, if you just want to jump headlong into Dead Space 2 from scratch, I would recommend at least searching out the story scenes from the first game online to get you up to speed. You could probably just play the sequel cold (I'm sure the back story will be explained in some form or another), but why should you when we have such wonderful modern day inventions like Youtube and Wikipedia to make life easier?

If you decide to join me . . . bring a spare plasma cutter and perhaps a few replacement projectile saw blades with you, okay? It's going to get HAIRY!!!

I Don't Get All The Hate Over This Game

As I mentioned back in this entry, I recently downloaded the game Dead Space: Ignition, which is sort of a set-up title paving the way to the upcoming sequel, Dead Space 2. The game only costs $5 and takes roughly 45 mins to complete from beginning to end. But the story has a branching plot, much like a choose your own adventure novel, so in order to see all the possible outcomes (a total of 4 different ones), you'll have to replay the game another 3 times to get the full picture.

Got it? Good.

I don't quite understand all the backlash this tide-over title has received since its release back in October. Complaints range from the game not involving any actual shooting or other action-y bits, to the art style being underdeveloped and "blobbish."

To that I say, whaaa? I actually liked the art direction. I wasn't expecting cutting-edge graphics here, not for $5. The story is told through the "motion comics" format, a style that might be familiar to fans of the recent Zack Snyder Watchmen film, which included a motion version of the graphic novel on the collector's home video set. Basically, the cutscenes are static comic book frames brought to life by minimal movements for dramatic emphasis. If you're into comics and cinema, you've seen this done before. It's no big deal. I don't see where all the hate is coming from.

Again, five dollars people! If you want to get an idea of what I'm talking about, check out the video trailer for this game by clicking here.

As for the complaint that this is not an action-shooter game -- big whoop! Why should it have to be? You want a shooter game, either replay the original Dead Space or wait for the sequel to hit next week. I was told that Ignition was going to be a puzzler, and that's exactly what I got. You solve a bunch of puzzles increasing in difficulty throughout the course of the game, all the while being fed the story via motion comic format in-between. The story is engaging and very much in spirit of the main games, complete with graphic horror moments, plot twists, and a whole heaping of betrayals.

Dead Space: Ignition tells the tale of two CPD employees aboard a space station named "The Sprawl." I'm sure there's a more official name for this place, but I don't recall hearing it during the course of the game. Nor do we ever fully understand what the "C" in CPD stands for, but we can infer from the dialog that the "PD" portion is Police Department. So, these two police officers--named Franco and Sarah--are coworkers. But, it turns out they're also lovers on the down-low. And while Sarah is the brawn of the pair, Franco is the brains. Or, at least, the technician. He's the staff engineer and, as such, he seems to spend most of his shift fixing computer terminals throughout the station.

When Ignition begins, Franco and Sarah are called to investigate a series of corrupted automated processes across the Sprawl. Franco hacks into the systems and hauls them back online. Sarah's job, on the other hand, seems to be standing around and making smart ass cracks. The voice acting is very good, however, and you do get a real sense of chemistry between these two.

Of course, because this is still a game taking place in the Dead Space universe, eventually there is a "Necromorph" outbreak aboard the station. These appear to be the same baddies Isaac Clarke came across in the first game. Necromorphs are mysteriously infected humans who mutate and turn inside-out and go on a general killing spree of mayhem and gluttony until no one is left alive. How the infection got from way out in deep space to the Sprawl is a mystery that is never truly answered in this game. But there are hints that the same saboteurs messing with the station's computer systems are behind the outbreak. Only Dead Space 2 will provide the true revelation, it seems.

Naturally this is where the game heats up. Franco and Sarah get caught up in the melee which follows the outbreak, barely having time to make sense of what the hell's going on before they're joining the other unsuspecting citizens in running for their lives. Although you never do get to wield your trusty plasma cutter and get hip deep into killing some baddies (that's Sarah's job, handled entirely through expository scenes), your job as Franco is to hack into various barrier controls and access panels in order to effectively escape the ravenous hordes of Necromorphs heading your way. This is where the challenge and gameplay aspects kick in. As an engineer, Franco's main expertise seems to be using hacker's tricks to bypass sabotaged circuits or safety overrides. In his arsenal are three types of hacks, which he'll choose depending on the scenario: Trace Route, System Override, or Hardware Crack.

Trace Route.  My least favorite of the hacks. This puzzle involves Franco wending a light trace (orange line) through a maze of computer-generated barriers and redirects in breakneck speed. The system attempts to prevent you from reaching the mainframe core by sending out its own traces (blue lines) in a race to see who will reach the center first and unleash a quarantine on the enemy subroutine. In addition, along the way it releases various other subroutines to block and/or alter your course. I hate this hack because it's a bit reminiscent of the light cycle sequences in Tron, which in my opinion were always overplayed by fans. This hack, unfortunately, seems to be the most frequent throughout the game, though. Ugh!

System Override.  This is a curious hack. Curious in that it's far too easy. For some reason I never failed any of these puzzles, not even once. I don't even know if it's possible to fail them. Basically, it's a capture-the-flag game with the system's firewall. Franco inserts a vector (the red trident icon in the lower right) into a honeycombed software layout. Through this vector, he can release 4 different types of viral attacks. The object of the game is to get either one of these viruses across the board to attack and "capture" the computer's firewall (green fortress blob on the far left). Along the way, however, the attacks are met with swift and furious anti-viral measures. The challenge comes from judging which viruses to send out to best attack specific types of anti-viral opponents. It becomes a juggling act, but in the end your efforts all boil down to your army being bigger and better than the computer's. Through sheer, overwhelming attacks, eventually all the anti-viral measures succumb under your numbers, leaving the firewall "fortress" completely vulnerable. Quite simple, really.

Hardware Crack.  Ah, this is the mack-daddy of all the hacks! They start off easy, but then become hard as hell. By the end of the game, you're ready to tear your hair out due to the sheer complexity of this hack. Luckily, this is the least frequent of all three types. Yet, oddly enough, it's also my favorite of them all. Your job here is to redirect the two main light beams (green and red) to their respective matching power junctures on the other side of the board. Bend the beams around various obstacles just right, and you'll overload the fuses for a hardware short. At some point, however, a yellow power junction is introduced. So, in addition to finding ingenious ways to split, reflect, and redirect green and red lights across the board, you'll have to figure out how to also combine both colored beams to form yellow and route it over to the appropriate yellow receiver point as well. It can become quite the colorful mess, let me tell you!


And that's pretty much the sum of it, folks. The entire game is nothing but these 3 hacks being thrown at you in numerous variations. Some can be quite ingenious puzzles that are rewarding in the cracking, but most are annoying. To be honest, I only got enjoyment in being able to see the story progress after each solution. And trust me, the story gets pretty gripping at points.

Eventually Franco and Sarah end up in a really bad situation, which may or may not result in one or both of them meeting a horrific end. It all depends on the choices you make. Of course, if you play through all 4 possible story branches like I have, you start to see a certain pattern shared by all choices. This revelation, I'm sure (and it's quite the doozy, in fact) is going to pay dividends when it's time to play Dead Space 2. I can't wait to discover exactly how!

For your efforts at beating Ignition, you get a special hacker suit Isaac can use in the sequel. I hope the suit does what it sounds like. In the first game, you got special perks for various in-game items (like health, ammo, etc) depending on the level of your hacking abilities. So, if you're into that sort of thing like I am (hacking is always my favorite part of most games these days), this is even more incentive to play through Dead Space: Ignition.

And why wouldn't you want to? You get a pretty decent and quick offering for only 5 bucks (free if you pre-order the sequel), and the story sets up some elements for Isaac Clarke's continuing adventures. if you're a fan of the Dead Space universe and plan on returning there sometime soon, do yourself a favor and take less than an hour to try something a little different in the same milieu. Despite my hatred of the Tracer race hack, I still think the total package was well worth my investment.

Rating:  8.3 out of 10.

P.S. -- In case you're thinking of stepping right into Dead Space 2 without first playing the original, below is a video trailer which will catch you up on the back story to this universe. And, hey, it just revealed to me that the name of the space station is Titan Station, after the Saturnian moon it orbits -- kewl! Does this mean the Necromorphs are closing in on Earth? *gulp*

Dead Space 2 Is Almost Here!

Where the *bleep* have I been all this time? Oh right, neck deep in novel and short story writing la-la land for the past several months. Still, this is no excuse. I can't believe I almost missed out on the fact that Dead Space 2 is coming out in just under 2 weeks time!

Whoa!

Now, I know I said I was taking time off from gaming to write . . . but honestly, this is something I can't pass up. In case you don't recall, I talked about the original game in this entry back in July 2009 when I first started it up, and then this one nearly a month later when I was almost done. Wow, what a summer for gaming that was!

Anyway, Dead Space seriously impressed the hell out of me, despite initial misgivings. But words alone cannot explain how high-octane, insanely gruesome and satisfying this title is. To date, it is the one game that almost all of my friends cannot get through because it scared the living bejeebus out of them. Only two of my bros-in-arms finally mustered the courage to see it through to the end. That right there should tell you something about how seriously creepy the title is. It even had me taking breaks to catch my bearings -- and I'm a muther-effin VETERAN at survival horror games!

And now Dead Space 2 is upon us, ready to thrust poor engineer Isaac back into the fray of things. Knowing what happened during the credits scroll at the end of the last game, though, I must admit I have a few sneaking suspicions about what's up with our main dude this time around. Let's just say it's not looking good. But, hey, check out the launch trailer below and tell me you're not as psyched to play this as I am:




Awesome! I could do without the Smashing Pumpkins track blasting over the dialog of course, but other than that it looks like I should be expecting more of the same of what made the first game so damn addictive. And, hey! Isaac not only has a face for most of the game this time around, but a voice as well! He's moving up in the world.

I challenge all my gaming buddies out there to join me on January 25th and put this one through its paces. We can see who makes it the farthest and quickest. And, no, I'm not favored to win because, like I said already -- I'm a little pressed for time right now. Even if I wanted to play this every second of every day (and trust me, I will want to), I'd be lucky if I even get one hour of game time PER WEEK to fight nasty necromorphs with my trusty plamsa drill. I simply have too many things going on in my free hours this year.

We shall see.

Oh, but on a side note: apparently a small set-up game to this sequel was released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live! last October. Dead Space: Ignition is a non-shooter puzzler done in a quirky comic-booky presentation that's more like an interactive graphic novel than a true, full-fledged game. Okay, that might be selling it short since apparently some of those interactive elements are quite puzzly and requiring you to hang on tight to your gaming hats. Still, it's more story set-up for the real meat-n-potatoes that is Dead Space 2. As such, it might be a good idea for me to download it off the PSN and prepare myself properly for the release date of the actual sequel. You can also get the download code for free by pre-ordering DS2 from any retailer.

I would hazard a guess that Ignition only needs about 2 or 3 hours to beat, tops. Which, in my world, means a good couple of days of sporadic devotion on my end. Luckily, I have a 4 day weekend starting today thanks to MLK day on Monday, so guess what I'll be doing?

Oh yeah!!!

And here I thought I would be getting back into Red Dead Redemption sometime soon. Oh well, so much for that plan.

FINISH HIM!!!!!

Guess who's coming to dinner in Mortal Kombat land later this year? Why, the God of War himself -- and exclusive to the PlayStation 3, naturally! Check out the reveal footage below. As Scorpion and Sub Zero prepare to throw down, they receive a rather rude interruption. GET OVAR HERE!!!





This seems to be the trend with fighting games lately, for each console to license an exclusive guest fighter from another series specific to the console of choice. It makes sense that Kratos would be an exclusive on the PS3's version of the game, then, since he's easily the most kick-ass anti-hero around this generation. With all the gruesome, graphic blood letting the Ghost of Sparta has been the cause of in those games, methinks he'll be a natural fit among the psychopathic bloodthirsty kombatants of the MK universe. This may just be my first Mortal Kombat game in over a decade. Last time I played one was on the Sega Genesis.

Wow! Memories . . .

And, those of you who know me, let's see if you can recall my favorite fighter from the series. Come on, you can do it. Just write it in the comments section below. Needless to say, I'll be using him almost exclusively this time around. Just you wait and see!

This ninth installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise is slated for release on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles sometime in April. Word on the street right now is that X360 owners will be getting Fulgore, the cyborg fighter from Rare's Killer Instinct series. Although this is an unsubstantiated rumor as of right now, it's one that seems to be gaining A LOT of traction on the message boards today.

I say "meh." Killer Instinct was an okay fighting game on the SNES back in the day . . . but doesn't have nearly the same allure as, say, a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. Hell, I'd take Tekken over it any day. Although, okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch. The N64 version of KI2 was quite spectacular, to be honest.

Still, Fulgore is no equivalent to Kratos. Sorry X360 fans, PS3 fanboys win this round.

Oh, This So Sucks!

Damn! The one time I actually wish I lived in L.A. Or, at least in So. Cal. The various Creative Directors of each God of War game together, under one roof, discussing their different visions and how they came about adding to the man, the myth, the legend -- Kratos, the God of War!

Red Dead Redemption

Just as I said I would last week, I got my hands on the Playstation 3 version despite some unfounded rumors that the Xbox 360 one had less hiccups. And so far I can't let up on this game!

Red Dead Redemption is a production that's hard to describe to non-gamers. All I can say is that it's an open-ended playroom with the wild west as the setting. Anything you imagine that description to be, within gaming constraints, that's probably what's in there. Dirty saloons littered with colorful people? Yep. Shootouts at high noon? Yep. Stagecoach chases, posses, even red injuns? Yep, yep, and triple yep!

And, hey, you can even hunt and skin wild game and play saloon favorites like poker and blackjack, too! All for a little extra cash in your pocket to buy items such as chewing tabacky and gin. Okay, well in the game those items have more to do with increasing your health and precision aiming rather than giving you mouth cancer and cirrhosis of the liver . . . but still cool nonetheless.

Red Dead is created by Rockstar Games, the same people who brought us, among other favorites, the Grand Theft Auto series. And like the latest installment in that series, RDR borrows the same game engine and basic mission layout system. Not to mention the cover and targeting systems being rather similar in most respects.

So far, as I mentioned in my sidebar on this page, I haven't been doing much progressing on the main portion of the game. I played a few missions to whet my appetite and learn the basics, but honestly I've been spending most of my days simply exploring this wide-open gorgeous world the developers have created.

In many ways, this game is superior to GTA IV. In my opinion, the vastness of the plains and open prairie lends more to exploration and soaking in all the details. Whereas in GTA IV you were down and dirty in an urban recreation of present-day NYC--and all that such a setting entails--in RDR you have more time to just mosey on down the trail on your favorite mare or gelding, survey the land, and just generally take your time going about your business. You have few modern distractions like buddies calling you up on your cell phone to hang out, or annoying family members needing your help to rescue them from dumpsters. No, just you and your horse this time around.

Yessiree -- at the end of the in-game day, after a nice hunt or a big fat win at the tables, it feels good strolling through the main street at dusk on the way to my lodgings, iron strapped to my side, a polite nod to the passing ladies, and knowing that time here runs at a slower pace.

This!

Well, fast on the heels of my recent vlog entry commenting on movie Westerns and how much I adore them, comes IGN.com's review of the sandbox Western video game, Red Dead Redemption. Click on the link to read their comprehensive analysis of the game's strengths (many) and flaws (very few).

Knowing how much I love the Western genre--especially the "Spaghetti" variety--RDR seems to be right down my alley, and then some! Brought to you by the same folks who gave us Grand Theft Auto IV, Redemption is a spiritual sequel to Red Dead Revolver released back on the prior generation of video game consoles (Xbox/PS2). Which is just another way of saying that you can play the second game without ever having heard of the first, as the story from the original does not carry over to the sequel.

I purposely allowed this game to fly under my radar until its release date (which is tomorrow, btw) so as to avoid as many spoilers as possible. As a result, the rather high review scores handed out by IGN and a handful of other gaming journalists came as a pleasant surprise. And from reading each writer's take on the game, I can tell this is going to be a special experience for me indeed. Can't wait to play it!

I'm throwing up the official trailer below so that you folks who are into gaming can give it a gander and see if this is a title you're meant to have in your collection. But before you make your decision, do me a favor and please read the written review I linked to above. It tells you a lot more about why this game is so awesome than either the trailer or my paltry gushing can accomplish.

Oh, and RDR's out on both the Xbox 360 and PS3. If you're like me and own both consoles, you'll now have to make the decision of which version to get. Since I'm a Sony loyalist, I'm picking up the PS3 one. I haven't been able to track down any word on what the graphical or gameplay differences (if any) might be between the two. But I'll take a chance with Sony's spacious BD-ROM capacity over the inadequate DVD option of the 360.

Saddle up, pardner!

Kratos Sez: I Fear Nothing!

For those who do not understand all my fussing over the God of War video game series, take a gander at this here teaser for the upcoming release of GoW III and never wonder again:

(Enter your birthdate to verify you are old enough to watch this gruesome footage.)

And, yes, this is the in-game graphic's engine generating this video footage and not some CGI recreation. This means that, aside from some touch-up to remove the red orbs and health/magic meters for presentation value, this is *EXACTLY* how the game will play on the PlayStation 3. Those are the same exact moves Kratos uses in the game, for those of you not familiar with the series. Tell me this is not going to RAWK hard!

PS3 Gets A Facelift, And A New Price!

I hope none of you have gone out and purchased a PS3 in the last couple of months, for at this year's Gamescom conference in Germany, Sony just announced the newly redesigned console (as pictured above).

This new PS3 design is a bit shorter, slightly less thick, and about the same width as the old model. The surface is not the shiny new car material that the previous design sports, but still looks cool nonetheless.

Inside, things have changed to allow the PS3 to run roughly 33% more efficiently in terms of power usage and heat exhaust. The new console is about 1/3 lighter as well. It comes with a 120GB hard disk drive, and the same everything else as the previous design. So it won't play games any differently; the changes were mostly cosmetic.

Of even more important news, however, is that the system will release to stores on September 1 of this year. And to coincide with that launch, Sony has announced a price cut from $399 to $299 on both the new and old designs. In fact, if you find an old-design model PS3 in stores right this minute, the price cut should have already taken effect.

*Note: I've heard from various sources that stores are still not reflecting the price drop, but expect this to change any day now. Sony made it clear that the price drop was supposed to happen immediately*

So, if you were thinking about getting a PS3, I'd wait two weeks and pick up this new design. Imagine: you get a PS3 game console, a built-in Blu-ray disc player, a 120GB HDD, built-in WiFi, and Sony's free online games network -- all for just $299!

By comparison, to get a Microsoft 360 for the same price, you'd have to settle for their "Pro" model, which only comes with a 60GB HDD, absolutely NO high-definition disc player (like Blu-ray), NO built-in WiFi, and an online service you have to PAY for.

Hmm, WTF is wrong with you, Microsoft? For $299, Sony's PS3 is way and above the better bargain!

Although I should point out that fans are expecting the 360 "Elite" model to drop in price from $399 to $299 in response to Sony's move. The "Elite" *does* have a 120GB HDD and is a sleek, sexy black too boot! But I don't think it has built-in WiFi (someone correct me if I'm wrong), and still no Blu-ray player. Oh, and Xbox Live network access is still not free. What it does have is an included HDMI cable, which the PS3, sadly, does not come with.

If the Elite model does drop to $299, the speculation is that the Pro will drop to $249, or be discontinued altogether. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I think you know which of the two consoles I'm endorsing. :)

It Will Be Mine. Oh Yes, It Will Be Mine!

Above is the official trailer for the new Batman: Arkham Asylum video game coming out at the end of August. I've been keeping silent on this because I no longer like to spoil games until just when they're about to drop. In any event, this game's got me jizzing in my pants!

Lessee here:

Kevin Conroy reprising his role as THE voice of Batman? Check.

Mark Hamil back voicing the Joker? Check.

A slew of other original voice actors from The Animated Series, including Efrem Zimbalist (Alfred), Richard Moll (Harvey Dent), Arleen Sorkin (Harley Quinn), and Michael Ansara (Mr. Freeze) back as well? Check. Check. Check. And CHECK!!!!

And, to top it all off, Paul Dini is back to pen the script. OH HELL FUCKIN YEAH!!!! This is a veritable "Batman: The Animated Series" family reunion, all in video-game format! I think I'm in comic geek heaven!

Arkham Asylum is looking to be *the* definitive Batman game fans have been clamoring for. Batman has been done many times before on the consoles and PC--from comics-inspired, to the various cel shaded and lego games, to movie tie-ins--but never has so much awesome talent been gathered under one banner like this. Rocksteady Studios upped the ante and delivered the goods! I know it's a bit early to be praising a game that's not even out yet, but seriously: this is looking GOOD! And some of the advanced buzz is really, really positive.

From what I've been reading, this will be Batman done proper. Not only is the story dark and moody, but the visuals are looking to match! And, honestly, could you have picked a more perfect adversary and chilling location than the Joker at Arkham? The answer is NO, no you could NOT!!!

But even more impressive is the gameplay. Check out the trailer below and you'll be able to get a sense of what I'm talking about. In this game, you'll have to take on enemies the way the Batman really would. This means using stealth, gadgets, and scare tactics to weave beautiful takedowns and jaw-dropping acrobatics onto unsuspecting goons. And with Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, and the Riddler to name a few tossed in, the boss battles should be something epic to boot! And of course, Batman doesn't kill, so this will also be implemented into the choice of combat and execution styles the gamer has to pick. How brilliant is that?



Lastly, for us Sony fans, the PlayStation 3 version of the game will offer a bonus exclusive whereby you'll be able to unlock the Joker as a playable character in one of the mission room challenges and, perhaps, even more. Check out the video below to see how the Joker's mechanics play out:



Honestly, after seeing that, I don't know how anyone can settle for the Xbox 360 or PC versions. For real!

Batman: Arkham Asylum hits stores on August 25th. I'm going to be starting up Dead Space real soon, but hopefully I'll be done in time to get this on the day it drops. If not, I'll save it for my birthday in early September.

But mark my words: it WILL be mine! :)

Game Review: Prince of Persia

Well, just finished playing Ubisoft's 2008 reboot of the Prince of Persia franchise. As a long time fan of the series, I had gotten a bit burned on the "Sands of Time" trilogy previously released, and was looking forward to seeing which direction the game would go in now.

And boy was it worth the wait! I simply adore this game. The developer decided to go with a more artsy and minimalist approach this time around, and it pays off. You can check my "Now Playing" sidebar on this blog for more on how I feel about it.

The game itself is more firmly rooted in Persian mythology than the previous iterations, this time pitting you up against the force of Ahriman himself as you fight to keep his dark influence from spreading across the land. The "Prince" this time is not royalty, but a mere vagabond/adventurer/glory seeker who stumbles onto a magical kingdom while getting lost in a sandstorm. Pretty soon he runs into a fleeing princess and is dragged into a battle between warring gods. The girl, Elika, secures the unnamed adventurer's help, and this is where the game begins.

It quickly becomes apparent that Elika is more than just a pretty sidekick, however. Unlike similar characters in other games, the AI which propels the princess is pretty darn advanced. She truly is more a help rather than a hindrance as you use her powers and intelligence to cooperatively battle through each opponent and puzzle the game throws your way.

In fact, the main design of the game is based on the single principle of cooperation: be it scaling sheer cliff sides or battling a humongous mountain of ugly in the form of one of the elemental adversaries, you must constantly string along moves with the aid of Elika's magic and combat prowess, bouncing back and forth between each other as you surmount the obstacles placed in your path together. Really, it's quite beautiful to watch once you get a handle on the controls. Check out the two trailers below, which demonstrate exactly what I mean:





All in all, this was a quick and VERY FUN little game to kill time with over these two weeks off from work. The cell-shaded art style choice works so well here--like anime--way better than traditional CGI. Make no doubt about it, this is a gorgeous looking game! If you have the time and interest, I highly recommend this title.

RATING: 8.5/10

Weird Things Abound On Home

Well, I spent last night doing some more exploring on the PlayStation Network's online world, Home. Things are still rather bland during this Beta testing phase, but apparently there are ways to amuse yourself . . . and then there are *ways*. I chose to purchase some new duds so that I can at least tell myself apart in a crowd. The above sweater and pants cost me under $0.50 cents each of my real money. Chump change, and I don't plan on doing this often. But as you can see it's a bit of an improvement from the last look.

Anyway, I was sitting by the pond doing some people watching when a rather curious commotion began to build up near me. An "attractive female avatar" (AFA) was dancing with some dude near me, which immediately caused a bunch of other guys to rush over and surround the AFA while trying to spit game.

Yeah, you read that right. It looked as pathetic as it sounds. Anyway, the AFA strung them along until a rowdy bunch of about 6 or 7 guys started dancing in unison with her, trying to get her to take them home. (yes, you can do that in Home, although the protocol does not yet exist to do anything risque once you get back to your pad.) And then "the trap" was sprung. Oh, it was glorious people! I wish you could have seen it.

Well actually, you can.

Apparently, some people have perfected the art of what is known as "Quincying" on Home. Very quick, Quincying is when a male gamer creates a female avatar to dupe other horny and nerdy male gamers into trying to pick her up -- something they wouldn't have the balls to do in real life. And when you have a bunch of them sufficiently baited . . . well, that's when it's time to do a fast-switch and change into something a little more, um, appealing.

The guys at this site duplicated the feat with textual and video documentation. Click on the link and read all about the setup, then check out the video at the end of the article. Or, you can just skip straight to the same video posted below. I'm telling you, it's well worth your effort to watch. Oh hell yeah!

Heading Home

I finished up Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360 today. The game was a blast; I loved every second of it. It was also one of the easiest games I've played in a while. Which is odd considering that the first one was much harder.

Anyway, I decided to give the 360 a rest and boot up my PlayStation 3. And lo and behold I was greeted with a new addition in my icon list, as you can see from the pic above. Yup, Sony's much anticipated Home service has finally launched late this week!

And what is Home?

Well, it's a virtual live gathering place where gamers can meet, mingle, and do all sorts of cool things. It's a little bit like the Sims for those of you not in the know, or a lot more like Second Life for those of you who game on the PC. You basically create an avatar, get assigned an apartment, and then go forth and, er, multiply I guess. No, in actuality you can roam around the virtual world doing all sorts of things like chatting with other avatars, go bowling or play some pool, go shopping at the mall, dance, etc, etc. Right now the options available are very limited. Home is still in Beta testing, so it's going to be a while before we see the good stuff. For now, I suppose, you can go to the mall and buy some new duds and perhaps a lamp or chair for your apartment. I haven't done it yet, but I hear you have to use real world money to purchase some items. Like $5 or $10.

This is my avatar. I tried as best I could to get him to look like me, but even though there were quite a few sliders and options to toggle with, this was the best I could do. Dude doesn't look anything like me at all, but it's good enough for now. The clothing options are limited right from the start. Presumably we'll eventually be able to buy a variety of different clothes from the mall so that everyone can have their individualized identity. As it stands, I've ran into 20 or 30 near identical clones of myself in just 5 minutes of wandering around. Bleh!

After choosing my avatar, I was given a swanky studio apartment overlooking the harbor. This is pretty cool. I wish I could have this place in real life! It's a bit bare now as you can see, but eventually we'll have more decorating options to chose from. Furniture, wall art, color scheme -- the works.

And check out the view from my terrace! All these pics are taken off of my tv screen using a digital camera, btw, so pardon the low quality here. But I can assure you that the ocean water looks almost real on my HDTV--wow! I'm really impressed with the graphics on this service, which--like the PlayStation Network itself--is completely free. Eat that, Microsoft!

Anyway, I eventually wandered down from my loft to check out the lobby, which is called Central Plaza. This is an open-air rotunda in which everybody materializes literally out of thin air, and which leads you to other accessible areas like the Bowling Alley, the Mall, and the Theater. If you notice, there are even real-world ads up in the form of revolving billboards. I guess this will generate the revenue to run this place, among other sources. Right now, as you can see, the movie Twilight is being promo'ed.

I'm in the mall here. You can see for yourself that there isn't much diversity in terms of clothing style. But this will change. For now, everyone seems to be running around the place with their heads cut off. Like over-eager children let loose in a toy story. It's hilarious! We're also given many different options to play with in our actions. You can choose to interact with your surroundings in various ways, and even play music and dance. I spotted quite a few small gatherings of 4 or 5 gamers swaying and jamming to the beat of music you can't hear until you get close enough. I avoided these gatherings (naturally), and instead bid my time exploring.

A few people tried to chat me up, but I wasn't feeling the awkward typepad interface. Unlike with the PC, chatting here requires using your game controller to individually type each letter of your message one at a time at an agonizingly slow pace. Unless you happen to have a USB keyboard connected to your PS3, which I don't. I could use my PC one, but constantly changing it back and forth between systems would suck.

The other option is to use a bluetooth headset to voice-chat with people in real time. Sony's PS3 is cool in that it allows all types of third-party accessories to pair with it so long as they connect via bluetooth or USB. So I was able to use the same headset I use for my mobile to chat on Home. I didn't, of course, but I left it powered on in my ear so that I could eavesdrop on other people's conversations. That was seriously weird. I mean, really. Walking around the Plaza, you'll suddenly hear someone's real voice speaking inside your ear just out of the blue. As long as you're standing near enough, you can listen in as people carry on real conversations inside of this virtual environment. For those using the typepad to communicate, you can read their conversations above their heads.

I think this is beyond cool. Once I actually do start to interact, I don't see how I'll ever type my messages out though. But maybe not all people are comfortable with this? We'll see.

I can't wait until more people sign up and this place turns out to be a real haven for gamers. There is much skepticism on just how successful Sony's gamble will be. But judging from the amount of new people creating accounts and materializing into the Plaza just this afternoon, I think this is going to be HUGE. And I'm so glad I get to witness Home's humble beginnings from pretty much Day 1 here. It will be interesting to watch it expand and improve.

I'll keep ya'll updated.

This Has Got To Be The Wackiest Game Coming Out This Year!

Seriously, it's odd as all hell. And I likes! It's called LittleBigPlanet, created by U.K. developer, Media Molecule, and exclusive to the PlayStation 3. The game is certainly a strange one, using realistic physics and intriguing puzzle elements to make this one of the most innovative platformers I've seen in a while (move over Mario Galaxy!)

But what's so unique about this game? In LBP, players can select between two customizable characters--dubbed "Sackboy" or "Sackgirl." As the names imply, these characters are basically thumb-sized sock puppets ala Fraggle Rock or the Muppets. And like Fraggle Rock, the diminutive figures get to act out their adventures in an adult-sized world, which is created from scratch by the player.

That's right, you heard correct: the player designs the levels! Or plays levels designed by other gamers. The option's up to you. The way this works is that LBP is connected to an online global community, where players from around the world create and submit their own levels to be ranked. The best, most innovative levels get bumped to the top of the online leaderboards, where they can be accessed, played-through, and rated by all. Players are given a wide-ranging toolkit of templates, shapes, and textures to manipulate in creating their sandbox world. Truly your imagination is your only limit.

The game allows for up to 4 players at one time, either sitting together in the same living room, or separately via the online option. It's possible to play LBP without an online connection, as the game comes pre-loaded with select stages already built-in. However, the real meat-and-potatoes of the title will come from its online global community, where the interactive possibilities are staggering.

In the above trailer from last year's Game Developers Conference, you get a 4-minute glimpse of what a typical stage in LBP can look like. Take note of the interesting ways in which the 4 players have to interact with the environment in order to progress through the various levels. You'll quickly pick up that this game's strength lies in the co-operative mode, where carefully executed assistance from your friends is necessary so that the whole team may advance together.

LittleBigPlanet is scheduled for release in Europe on Oct. 29, 2008, with the North American release set for close to, if not on, the same date.