GRAND THEFT AUTO 4

Rockstar’s infamous franchise’s latest addition actually updates the number instead of the title. Grand Theft Auto 4 will have you driving, shooting, stealing, and doing missions all over Liberty City. This city actually turns out to be a pretty close representation to the real city of NYC. There are of course subtle differences but people who are fond of the big apple have said that they get strange fits of “I think I’ve been there for real”.

I’ve been playing the PS3 version, it doesn’t seem to be the more popular of the two but I figured that I really do need something to play on the system, other than PS2 titles (that’s right I have a PS3 with a chip, not the software crap (not going to get into it) and Sports games. I have to say after playing the game for a good amount of time that I am actually impressed with the game.

I’ve played the first GTA3 and felt that it was cheap and the thrills weren’t enough to keep me interested, and so I had no desire to pick up any of the other iterations of the GTA3s. Now I figured with a new number that maybe the gameplay would be something that I would personally enjoy, and I have to say that I was right in my guess.

The story is something that will draw you in, and it is gritty and its mature, but its a hell of a story. I felt as if I was actually drawn into the story and wished that I could do more to help the main character. I wouldn’t call him a hero, but he’s not a villain either.

The radio stations are back, and I have to say that after a while I did want to take my gun and blow out the stereo, but overall I was entertained by the music and the commercials that came on.

The controls aren’t meant for someone who wants to just hot rod and speed from place to place, it takes a little bit of finesse to pull off some of the turns at high speeds, and also to brake. I can’t tell you how many times I was dodging cars beautifully only to just barely tap a cop after I was trying to come to a complete stop, and then have to floor it all over the city to get the cops to lose me.

I have to say thankfully there is auto aiming, sure when I get into a gun fight I don’t have enough time to pull the trigger to activate it but what I life saver it has been, especially when you start getting the hang of moving the shot after you’ve locked on so instead of the chest you can go for the knees or the head.

I can see why this game has gotten such high scores, and I have to say that I too want to give this game a high score, probably not as high as most of the scores but it is still a high score in my book… 8.7 out of 10

I would like to point out that this game is indeed mature, and has subject matters that children don’t need to be dealing with. I know that the youth is growing up faster than ever, but lets leave this game to those who really are of age. I do have to say that Rockstar does take a stab at making the sex scenes humorous (don’t worry there’s nothing visual about it unless you like looking at the skylines).

Beyond Good and Evil 2 may be in production

I just picked this up and I have to say that if it happens I’ll be in line on the release day to pick up this game. The original was a true sleeper hit, it was one of those games that didn’t get any publicity, but when the gamers started to play it the game started to become a hit underground. I would have to say I was in the middle of the got to have the game craze, and I have to say that it was well worth the buy and just thinking about it makes me want to blow the dust off the old XBOX and fire it up with Beyond Good & Evil inside.

Here’s what I saw…

“Videogaming24/7 translated a piece from JeuxVideo*, which states that Ubisoft’s Michel Ancel allegedly confirmed Beyond Good & Evil 2 has been in pre-production for the last year. Apparently, 10-12 people have been working on the project, but the Ubisoft suits aren’t sure whether to move forward.“

Lets keep our fingers crossed that this comes into being.

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU

In The World Ends With You you play the part of Neku a troubled teen who somehow ends up in an alternate dimension of the world that he knows. You’ll have to battle through “Noises” (AKA monsters) and solve the days mission for 7 days. This game is an action RPG, and at times it seems like you really have to button mash to get through a fight. Even though on the DS its not really button mashing its using the hell out of your stylus on the touch screen, all the while paying attention to your partner on the top screen.

The gameplay is what you would expect from a square title, and the art is right down the same alley. I have to say that I couldn’t put it down and even though I had times where I struggled I got more addicted as time went on.

Throughout the game new options, moves, and items will open up and it is up to you to utilize what you have and what you’ve learned. You will be attacking with things called pins. They are basically buttons that have special powers. Some will have you slashing through your enemies while others will have you tapping an empty spot on the battlefield.

There are other options in the game that I haven’t been able to fully check out because no one I know has the game but I have been able to play one of the mini games that you can play against a friend and its like playing battle tops, sort of. You use your pins that are currently equipped and each one has different powers. The object of the game is to knock the opponents pin off the plus-sign looking table.

There are quite a few twist that occur in the game, but I’m not going to give any away. What I will give away is my grade for this game, and I give it an 8.7 out 10

May 21st: Penny Arcade Adventures becomes Available

So the wait for the game that is in a way Penny Arcade is almost over. All you have to do is wait a little less than a week now. This game will be coming out for the 360, PC, MAC, and linux. I think it is safe to say that the Penny Arcade guys not only want everyone to play their game, but whoever is producing this game sees that Penny Arcade is a gold mine of a brand and knows that the people will come to get this game. The only thing that is interesting is that you’re going to be buying the game for 20 bucks no matter the platform. I haven’t bought anything on Live Arcade in a while but that would definitely be my largest purchase if I were to get it in that format.

I’m sure a review is going to appear soon after the release so just keep coming back and check out what we’ve been up to lately.

Episode 23: Forgetting a Detail

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GNO Know to Go!

GNO Know to Go! is one of the latest games to be featured for the i-pod touch/i-phone. Its a trivia game that will test your knowledge to the limit, the only downside is that the game is really meant for 2 players, it can be done with one but you’re going to be playing as 2 different people trying to beat each other.

There is a wide variety of categories for this game, but the basics of the game boil down to this: You will face your opponent and move around the board to try to collect 3 tickets, upon doing that you will win the game. To get to those tickets you have to move the amount of spaces that are indicated by your star rating. At the beginning you’re given just one so you can only move 1 spot, but if you get a match correct your star rating will increase allowing you to move faster, but watch out your rating will go down with every wrong answer.

Matching is played out like this, you’ll move to a spot of the board your opponent will get to choose 1 of 4 possible answers and then you’ll have to figure out the fact or definition of that answer. Some of the answers no one might know so there is a way to dare the opponent to see if they know the correct selection.

This game can be very laggy at times, so I recommend patience when trying to play, also you really do need two players to play this game correctly, so unless you can separate yourself mentally into two different individuals you might want to wait on playing this game until you have a friend come visit.

The lack of single player does this game in and with that I promptly give this game a the following rating, not because the graphics were bad, on the contrary they were above what I had expected, but simple because of the lack of single player 6.9 out of 10.

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise Slated for September

Viva Pinata, the sleeper hit for the XBOX360, is finally getting a sequel in Trouble in Paradise. This time around the game will be adding some features that utilize the XBOX camera, which to be honest I’ve never had a desire to get, as well as opening the way for co-operative play, which I think is a good move and might help smooth out some of the times where it seems like everything needs attending to.

There isn’t an exact date at the moment, but the mere mention that there will be a second I’m sure is a cause to shout “hurray”.

There is a rumor that this game will be using the camera to unlock cards that will allow for the unlocking of different pinatas, housing, and other things. I’m not exactly sure how this will all work out, I have to say that I wouldn’t personally go too far off the formula that worked last time, but this is a Microsoft company and Microsoft might be trying to push the use of the camera because no one really uses it all that much, well in my opinion.

I’m just afraid that this game will turn into some find of cutesy Eye of Judgment, and while there are plenty of people that like that type of card game, the people, I think, that like Viva Pinata will be utterly lost with trying to work the cards.

God of War 3 Rumored to have March 2 release

For those out there who just can’t get enough of the action from the 3 previous God of War games here comes the announcement of a release date for the next one. That’s right there are three God of War, God of War 2, and God of War Chains of Olympus. It looks like the Sony exclusive streak will continue, and I have to say that I can’t wait to see some screenshots and maybe a demo to see what they were able to do with the PS3’s hardware.

If you don’t believe me just follow the link: God of War 3

Banjo-Kazooie 3 Screenshots appear

I’ve never really gotten into the Banjo-Kazooie craze that some people out there have been in, but for those out there it is good to see that this series is alive and well. Screenshots have been posted to give everyone a little look at what they can expect in the next chapter of the game.

I have to admit I haven’t followed the development of this story from the beginning but I have to say that it is a bit weird to think of this series on anything but a Nintendo product, and I hate to break it to those out there that are in the dark like I’ve been, its coming for the XBOX360. That’s not all the surprising since Rare, the studio that will be making it, is one of the many studios that Microsoft grabbed a hold of back in the day when things were just starting to roll.

For those out there who are Rare fans I hope that this game beats the more recent Rare trend and is one hell of a solid game. I have to admit that the screenshots look nice, and if the team writing the story keeps to the tried and true it should be one hell of a game.

Click here for a link to all the shots: Gallery

Episode 22: Idiot Emerges

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