Kinect: Gunstringer first look
Gunstringer is developed by Twisted Pixel and published my Microsoft Game Studios. This Xbox Live Arcade Game will be one of the first Kinect game that doesn't only cater to the casual gamer. Oh and you get to sit down while playing this game.
You basically control the Gunstringer, an undead marionette sheriff betrayed by his posse. He emerges from his grave and goes on a quest in search for his old Posse to get revenge, picking them off one by one. You control Gunstringer with your left and right hand. Your left hand is how you control Gunstringer strafing from left to right by moving your hand. The right hand controls your gun. You shape your right as gun and as you aim at your enemies you get to lock on them. doing a firing gesture will make you shoot and watch Gunstringer shoot all that was lock-on.
It's a great concept and looks fun. No definite date yet for Gunstringer but they are aiming around the end of 2011.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGpVEruw3M4]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nKLLaBlx-c]
Meat Boy Sighting
If there is an anime convention, there will be cosplayers. If there is a game convention, there will be cosplayers. Many a nerd dressing up as their favorite anime / video game / comic book characters. From Final Fantasy's Cloud to Gundams and even Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters. But here we have a cosplayer for my indie game of 2010, Super Meat Boy. Its simple yet so hilariously awesome at the same time. Brilliant. I remember having the same reaction when I saw this guy.
So the 3DS gets released tomorrow
With just a few hours before our calendars hit the 27th of March. The Nintendo 3DS will be on sale for the open market. If you're from the Philippines you can get the 3DS at any DATABLITZ branch. As for the price, I haven't really asked any of the staff members but since it's going for $250 in the US, expect it to be around 12,000 php.
From what I've seen and heard, the 3DS looks to be an amazing handheld game system, as for the english launch titles I can't say the same. So, will any of you be buying a 3DS on day 1? Did you pre-order one? What will be your first 3DS game? Leave your questions and comments below.
Why Pokemon Gold is so badass
Ok, so I'm officially on the Pokemon bandwagon again since I started Pokemon White which I am really getting into. I'm 5 hours and 30 minutes in now that may not seem much to all of you who have a dozen level 100's and clocked in at 80+ hours and what not but I am just starting and I can already say that my playtime with Pokemon White is already interfering with some of my day to day tasks.
However, I'm not here to talk about Pokemon Black/White. I'm here to talk about Gold, not Heart Gold, just Gold. Pokemon Gold came out on the Gameboy Color back in 2000 and takes place in the region of Johto. Back then there were only 250+ Pokemon and before it came out, we only knew 152.
Now most people from my generation would say that their favorite Pokemon game would be Red/Blue. Most of my friends had the Blue version since it was the "superior" version. I joined the Pokemon craze pretty late in the game when everyone had already finished it and kept talking about it on the school playground. By the time I started playing Red, the fad was dying.
Pokemon Red/Blue was a great game and I had my fair share of "gotta catch em all" with it and my missing no. item duplicating madness. When Gold/Silver was released, I didn't have a copy of it on day 1. And again most of my friends got the Silver version cause it was the "superior version" and they though the rainbow bird (Ho-Oh) on the box looked stupid. When I went on a family trip to the US one summer, I was able to convince my uncle to get me a copy of Gold. My face was glued to the GameBoy Color screen for most of the vacation.
I enjoyed playing Gold more than I did playing Red and one of the reasons for that would be the games length. It felt like two games since you aside from exploring Johto with all the content it offered, you also had access to Kanto which was the region from Red/Blue. You ended up collecting 16 badges instead of the regular 8 and with the added 100 Pokemon to collect. That's almost double the number from Red/Blue.
I liked most of the new Pokemon and I enjoyed seeing and catching some of the old ones but what set this game apart from Red/Blue and what made really develop a special connection with Gold was that final battle you have at the peak of Mt. Silver after beating Pokemon Champion Lance. And that battle would be the showdown between you (Gold) and the most badass trainer, Red.
"You'll S#1* bricks"
Since I had the Gold version, the name "Red" would be listed. He would be named "Blue" if you had the Silver version. It was a coincidence that I had Red and Gold so the names matched up perfectly. I felt like I was seeing myself, my old character, the hero in my past life. When you see him standing on the rock platform, he had his back turned. When you speak to him, you recognize the sprite as he faces you and then the music plays. When you see his close up and more detailed sprite. Instant fully realized "OMG" moment.
He throws out his first Pokemon and its a high level Pikachu, then I thought "No, that isn't me. Its Red". I started recognizing him as his character, the character that was meant to be portrayed by the creator of the Pokemon manga. Red, the trainer that catches them all.
Coming from the Anime and then playing the game, you'd obviously make a comparison of Red to Ash. But Ash is not Red. Ash gets his butt kicked constantly by new characters, meets all these legendary Pokemon but never catches them while Red just stuff every Pokemon in those little red and white balls.
To quote some random person on the internet;
Ash believes in friendship. Red believes in kicking your ass.
And I can assure you that is 100% true as I got creamed by Red's Snorlax and Blastoise during my first battle with him,
"Gotta catch em all, bitches"
I've since played through Ruby, a bit of Diamond and Pearl and some of the 3D Pokemon games on home consoles but none of those games gave me the same sense of bliss, amazement and sheer terror as that one battle on Mt. Silver. I'm glad that Gold/Silver got a modern remake for the newer generation to experience.
Pokemon White is somehow giving me a drive to keep playing it which I have not felt since the days of Gold on my old GameBoy Color. A fresh new experience seeing a whole bunch of new Pokemon with new towns and areas to explore. It feels fresh and familiar at the same time. Fresh is something I haven't felt in a Pokemon game in a long time.
Gold / Silver
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ixY6Da0g8&w=480&h=390]
Heart Gold / Soul Silver
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tzw5GtBSQc&w=480&h=390]
3DS Region Lock Confirmed
If part of your excitement in owning a 3DS is seeing a sequel of one of your favorite DS imports being released on the new system or a completely new title that you know will never see the light of the english language then I'm sorry to say butthis video shows that the 3DS is in fact REGION LOCKED.
In the video, a North American copy of Super Monkey Ball 3D is popped in a Japanese 3DS but unit does not even detect it. It just shows an empty slot. Replacing it with a Japanese version of Nintendogs & Cats and poof, like nothing happened (which is in fact the case).
For some, it'll sound like the worst new ever. For most, we'll probably just get a "meh" out of them. I for one am saddenned by this news. Ossu Tatakae Ouendan 1 and 2 are 2 of my favorite DS titles (no, I do not like Elite Beat Agents and their popping balloon sound effects) and I was expecting that the 3rd game would be released on the 3DS since it was hinted at the end of the 2nd game. I was also looking forward to some Japan exclusives since a lot of good DS titles never get the greenlight for translation.
Owners of imported DS games, do not fret because they will still work fine on any 3DS.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSONr0_zzII&w=640&h=390]