In my previous post I wrote about my recent purchase of a PS2 and the backlog of excellent titles that I picked up for it.  This weekend I spied a rare copy of Yakuza 2 on a store shelf of a nearby game store.  As I have heard a lot of positive comments about the quality of this game, that and it being a spiritual successor of sorts to the Shenmue franchise (a personal favourite of mine), I decided to pick it up and add it to my PS2 collection of games.

Or did I?  The one thing about picking up a rare or hard to find game is that they often have the ability to pull in some nice coin, especially when they remain factory sealed. I had a quick look on eBay and noticed that 'Buy it Now's for Yakuza 2 could fetch double the price that I paid for it.  So with the pile of games I still have to play, would I miss this game?  I could turn around and buy possibly another great game with the proceeds from that sale.  It makes one think.

At the end of the day I more enjoy owning and playing the rare game rather than  profiting from a quick sale (plus I am eBay lazy).  If anyone out there as played the game I would love to hear about it.  While I likely won't play it anytime soon, I think it would be one of those 'rainy day need a fresh game' games. I am interested to see how the Japanese mafia lives.

Yakuza 2

-SG

Well after a weekend away from gaming it was nice to come home and hop right into Afro Samurai and Resident Evil 5. I really wanna touch on Resident Evil 5 though. One thing this game has been getting as of late is a lot negative response about its “out dated controls”.

You know nobody bitched when when RE4 came out. In fact it was praised for its new and improved controls and leaving behind the old 2-D pre-rendered control scheme. I do believe that first and foremost that gameplay should be the most important thing about a game. Without it even the greatest story would just be and awful chore to play through.

This brings me to the rant most people have with the RE5 control scheme. “You cant move and shoot” Yeah that kinda sucks, but does it ruin a game that has played on that one aspect of the controls since the beginning ? No it doesn't or at the very least shouldn't.

I hopped into the game last night after only having time with the demo and I was very pleased with the everything from the graphics to the controls. Do I wish I could move and shoot at the same time ? Yes I do, but by no means does this take anything away from the game.

Heck it reminds that I am playing RE game. I say reminds me because If I had a complaint about the game after putting about 3 hours into it, it would have to be that the fright factor seems to be gone from the series. Yeah the creepy zombies and the grotesque looking creatures of virus gone bad are still all in the game,but so far that seems to be about it. I will admit thought the first time I ran into the dogs I jumped, just a bit. You remember the good old dogs don't you ?

So RE 5 is what it is and that's a darn good game with fine gameplay. The controls maybe dated, but by all means they do nothing to take away from the game at all. I think if your not playing this game because you have an issue with the controls then your just foolish and you’ll be the one missing out. RE 6 …… Now that's when I will be looking forward to the new move and shoot control scheme !

-TX

After listening to the Rebel FM podcast last week (the podcast can be found on iTunes, Zune marketplace or at there website at www.eat-sleep-game.com), which had a segment about music in games, it made me think back to some of my favorite tunes.

Probably some of the earliest videogame music I can remember that I really enjoyed was from Ultima IV for the Commodore 64. Music from the game such as the Lord British and overworld theme, still stick with me. The game also had a neat feature allowing you during the to cycle through the different songs, which I would do time to time. It’s funny how such low fidelity music can stick with a person.

Some years later the next title impacted my perception of how good music in games could be was Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan) for the SNES. Like Phil Kollar from Rebel FM, the opera scene in FFIII was fantastic. I played through the game several times just to get to that scene and other great musical moments. Subsequent FF’s continued to churn out more memorable music (ie. One Winged Angel from FFVII).

One my all-time favorite videogame tunes though has to be the main theme from Metal Gear Solid 2, which is written by Henry-Gregson Williams. Last year I was able to hear to the piece performed at Video Games Live. Like movies, great music can really elevate a game. Rare is another developer, which puts of well-polished, orchestrated music (see both Viva Pinata and Banjo Kazoozie: Nuts and Bolts).

Games that I have played recently with great music include Braid, Mass Effect, the Halo series and Bioshock. I also can’t forget music game genre with Rock Band and Guitar Hero providing a whole new game music experience (Elite Beat Agents on the DS is also another one of my favorites).

I’m sure there are others, which I can’t think of at the moment. What are some of your favorite video game tune?

- Schu

Last weekend I was fresh out of the movie theatre having just finished watching the Watchman movie. I really enjoyed the film, and as I left the theatre I was hungry for more!  When I got home later that evening I downloaded the demo for Watchman: The End is Nigh, the first part in an episodic series of games that take place approximately 10-15 years before the events of the movie/book.  The game follows the adventures of two of the Watchman, Rorschach and Night Owl as they attempt to thwart the villainous Underboss who has recently escaped incarceration from the local prison.

I finally purchased the full game the other night and now I am a little over halfway through the game. While it has not received much critical acclaim or praise, I can say from my perspective that Watchman is an excellent beat-em-up that makes one feel empowered.  I am in Act IV in my current playthrough as Rorschach and if you have seen the movie you know he is total bad-ass, well if you want to relieve that bad-assery, Watchman delivers in spades. While the game starts you with a limited move set, it gradually builds you up, teaching you more cooler combos that once you see them you will be hooked into this game tight!  The look of this game is not only the best looking XBLA arcade games, but ranks up their with the 'Triple-A' titles in the Xbox 360 library!  Watchman also sports the best lock-pick mini game this side of the Splinter Cell series.  If you have a buddy nearby, local co-op is available so you can take down the bad guys together

As you can see I am really impressed by this title, but the knocks on it such as repetitive gameplay, and for me the constant stream of look-a-like villains are valid.  But these complaints are minor as when you are playing a game in this genre you should expect a certain amount of repetition.  For me, hitting those sweet combos never gets old.  Also, the cut scenes are done in the style of the recently released video-comic edition of the Watchman.  So if you were a fan of the original book, you will feel right at home here as well.  So if you are a gamer and are looking for more than videos to get your Watchman fix, I highly recommend The End is Nigh.  And as the first part in the episodic content, we should have some fresh Watchmen content for sometime to come.

PS. I hope in future episodes we will get to play as the Comedian!  He is such a bad guy!  Makes the Punisher look like Captain America.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh

-SG

Over the Christmas break of '08, I had a hankerin' for Resident Evil 4.  I had never played the game, and as at that time I was planing on playing Resident Evil 5 in short order, I thought it would be a good idea to play RE4 in advance of that. 

It seems kind of silly to buy a console for just one game, so I have kept my eyes open for a couple of classic titles to purchase so that I could play them at a later date.  So in this first edition of the BackLOG (clever play on the words Backlog and Blog) I thought I would rundown my PS2 purchase plan of the last few months:

Resident Evil 4:  The game that started me down this mad quest.  I have managed to get several hours in and actually found the game to be very enjoyable, even in spite of its tank-like controlls and its awefull in-game story and diolougue.  Hopefully I can find the time to see this game through to its completion someday.

 

 

Shadow of the Colossus:  Though I have never been one to follow Sony's games or franchises, I have always had a really strong interest in this title.  Something about its mysteriousness, its uniqueness, and huge fricken' monsters!  I was able to pick this game up on the cheap and have dabbled in it just a little thus far.

 

 

Beyond Good and Evil:  Again, another inexpensive pick up of a classic title.  I had owned this game previously on the Xbox (and also I have picked it up once again on said title), but since I now have a PS2, I might as well have it for it as well.  Again another classic title that demands an appropriate amount of love, also a play through in advance of its upcomming sequal.

 

So, three classic games and a used PS2, memory card, component cable, all for about $120!  Try and beat that.  If you have any other excellent and inexpensive suggestions for PS2 games I would like to hear them.

-SG

I was delighted to see on the internets today that appears that we will finally be receiving some new information on one of my most highly anticipated titles of 2009, Bioshock 2. While I am not a regular reader of Game Informer, I definitely will be picking up this mag just so I can get an early peak of B2. What does the cover tell us? So far we have a new member of Andrew Ryan's dysfunctional family, The Big Sister, and the events of the game take place in the not-too-distant future. There is something under the sea, and it smells fishy-delicious!

There's Something in the Sea

-SG

 

I have smelt what THQ and Yukes have been cooking, and I like it!  It has been many a year since I have been really taken by a wrestling game.  Coming of age in the 1980's I was huge fan of the WWF brand of wrestling.  This for me was the golden age of wrestling gaming, playing such great games a Championship Wrestling and Bop n' Wrestle on my Commodore 64, The Main Event  and WWF Superstars in the Arcade.  Though my love affair with wrestling continued into the early part of the decade before Vince McMahon's spell wore off, I was never able to get into the bevy off wrestling games that came along year after year.  It is 2009, and finally for me, wrestling games are back!

At the end of the day , wrestling games are a lower class of fighters, so where Legends lacks in technique, it makes up for in presentation.  One of my great disappointments with previous games was accessibility and the ability to pull off the 'cool moves'.  What I like about this game is how it allows you to make the great moves by stringing together chains with Quick Time Events.  The ability to relive great moments from Wrestlemania's past is exciting for me being an old-school fan.  I wish the graphical style would represent the actual look of the wrestlers in their prime rather that the glistening man-gods they appear to be.  This was hammered home for me when I saw the graphics for the Iron Sheik.  He looked more like an underwear model then a wrestler.

So this game might be a purchase for myself.  Just having the ability to relive some of the great wrestling moments from my youth could justify the purchase alone.

LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA

-SG

Since middle of last November I've been on a quest to lose some weight thanks impart of being inspired by a couple of friends. To say the least I've been highly successful in my journey to better health. Most of the success has come from eating better and smarter with some exercise thrown in to boot.

So how about this Wii Fit thing, can it really help you get in shape ? Well…….. I'm still not sure about that. I mess around with it (notice I said mess around, it is a Wii game after all) every now and then, but have yet to give it a full test.

I have noticed though when spending a half hour of time with the Wii Fit I tend to feel like I have used some energy. I don't feel it gives me the intense workout that I get at the gym in a half hours time, then again I don't think it was meant to do that anyway.

I'm going to give the Wii Fit a 2 week test and post my results when finished. Stick around to see if the Wii is Fit or still just a gimmicky kids toy with some interactive low-res pixels thrown in ! I guess I really have to do this now that I've posted it.

-TX

Over the years I have read many videogame sites and blogs. One of my favorite happens to be ICandee, You Game. ICandee always posted about her love and joy for videogames, but never bored you with gaming news or reviews that you could read on any other site.

That's what made her blog entertaining and fun to read. Now I Candee has moved over here to Blogger and will continue with her original and witty posts as always. Checkout…ICandee, You Game .

-TX

For those 360 owners who have Burnout Paradise and have recently downloaded the latest update, which is ~ 850MB, be sure to delete the Bike pack and Cagney update. The previous two updates are included in the latest patch, so make some room on your hard drive and delete them.

- Schu