Recent Buys: Episode 1 - Saints Row: The Third, iCore Arcade Stick, digital Capcom fighting games
Here we are in the new year and I thought I'd start things off by sharing what my recent gaming purchases are for this week/month/part of the month.
Let's start with the intangible stuff. So I got a "loan" on a $20 PSN card, it was supposed to be on $10 but due to some unexplored complications with Sony limiting shared accounts to only 2 users from 5 it left my friend being unable to access the remaining $10. This was sort of an impulse due to a sudden sale of of Marvel vs Capcom 2 and the character DLCs for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 on PSN. Both were half-off so it was really hard to resist. Not too long after that Sony announced the 12 for 12 sale which included Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition so I had to jump on that. So that's two Capcom fighting games and a DLC character for another Capcom fighting game. Damn.
On to the disc based stuff. I got Saints Row: The Third brand new and was mildly disappointed that the Asian release of the game didn't give you a free digital copy of Saints Row 2, it is only available in Canada, America and Mexico. shoulda read that fine print. Saltyness aside, the game is pretty neat. Not as stupidly awesome as I was expecting it to be but good fun nonetheless. The best description of the game I could tell you is that it's basically GTA on crack. Still not satisfied? How bout if I told you that you can get a dildo bat that's called "The Penetrator" as a melee weapon?
Last but not least I caved and got an arcade stick. The iCore Arcade Stick is not the greatest arcade stick out there but for a budget stick, it certainly feels better than I expected. The buttons are responsive and feel pretty good and the stick has the little micro-switches so it does those delicious clicking noises when you move it around. The performance of the stick is not the best in the world as I find myself having to jam a motion as hard as I can before my in-game character does the desired move but maybe that's just me not being used to using an arcade stick. The PS Home button on mine is a bit faulty so I'm going to have it replaced within the week.
Watch my poor performance in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition while I was testing out the arcade stick.
Twisted Metal has gone gold
Twisted Metal has gone gold, and is all set for its February 14 release date. Chad Cox, producer of the new Twisted Metal at Eat Sleep Play brings the news to the Playstation Blog with info about what will be included when you buy Twisted Metal.
Each copy of Twisted Metal will provide a voucher to earn a Sweet Tooth Outcast skin for Starhawk. Not interesting? Yea, thought so too. But what's included on the Limited Editon of Twisted Metal is another story.
Each Limited Edition will included a code to download a digital copy of Twisted Metal black. David Jaffe revealed that the first copies of Twisted Metal will include Twisted Metal black. Those first copies mention are obviously the Limited Edition of the game. If you pre-ordered the game, you get an automatic upgrade to the Limited Edition.
A true Playstation classic is returning. Twisted Metal will be out on Valentines Day, February 14, 2012 exclusively for the Playstation 3.
[Source: Playstation Blog US]
Guild Wars 2 confirmed for 2012
Happy Chinese New Year to all! ArenaNet founder and President Mike O'Brian posted interesting news about Guild Wars 2 in ArenaNet's official blog. Not only is this the year of the Dragon, but its the year for Guild Wars 2.
The post also mentions that they have recently concluded the closed beta of Guild Wars 2 and is now moving forward in opening the beta to a wider audience. Starting in February, they will be opening the beta to selected press and on March and April, they will be inviting more people to help test out Guild Wars 2.
While there is no official release date yet for Guild Wars 2, the last sentence of the post confirms that Guild Wars 2 will be on shelves this year. So Guild Wars fanatics, just hold your breathe for a little bit longer. Release is near.
This brought a smile to my face, but I'd be happier if they gave us a release date already so I can count the days. Does everybody else agree?
[Source: Massively]
Weekend, what are you playing?
Happy Chinese New Year to you guys and for some of us here in the Philippines, it’s long weekend. That means extended playtime! From the infamous words of most Pinoy players out there who’s been to a few internet cafes, “Boss, pa extend po”. So, what are you playing?
Migoy: So I got a copy of Saints Row: The Third, the asia version sadly does not give you a free digital copy of Saints Row 2 after you redeem your online co-op pass which bummed me out a great deal (gotta read that fine print), and it seems pretty good. The intro mission was full of intense action but kinda waters down once you get to the new city of Steelport. It’s not as stupid awesome as I was expecting but I’m still having a good time with the game. As for how it holds out later on? We’ll just have to wait and see.
I finally found a Facebook game that I like and wouldn’t ya know it, it’s Tetris. Tetris Battle on Facebook is fun not only because Tetris is one of the best video games to have ever existed but the game pitts you against other players in a match to see who gets the most KO’s in 2 minutes time. KO meaning whose stack reaches the top faster. Now I don’t know how exactly the whole live versus thing works in this game, I think it’s just AI and the skill depends on the rank of the player, but beating “other players” gives you a different satisfaction compared to reaching level 20 and then just psyching out in the game. If you look at my 2012 gametime spreadsheet, you’ll see a few entries of Tetris Battle on the dates of 1/20/2012 and 1/21/2012.
On a final note, I’ve sort of got a Arcade Stick craze. I don’t want to spend 4000php+ for one of the high end sticks cause I am in no way going to even try to go for pro and I want to be able to afford 2 sticks so that me and my cousins/friends can emulate the arcade experience in fighting games. Looked around GreenHills yesterday and I’m looking at the iCore Arcade Sticks. They go for 1200php each and though that seems a tad too cheap, I’ve read a few forums saying that it’s a pretty decent budget stick. Was planning to go for the Blaze Digital Arcade Stick that goes for around 2300php but I’ve read that since PS3 firmware 3.5, the PS3 does not recognize the arcade stick anymore so that’s a huge bummer. I don’t mind having a wired stick so if you guys have any recommendations about PS3 arcade sticks, lemme know.
Quash: Finished RAGE this week. The game was awesome all the way until you hit the end. I was shocked on how the last parts of the game felt lacking. More like incomplete really. I had fun thanks to the gameplay, but the racing and the last leg was just disappointing.I'm still planning to play RAGE since I still have Nightmare Mode(first playthrough was on hard) and the nine coop missions to finish.
I started playing Skyrim again. Working on my full mage on Master difficulty. I feel myself getting sucked in again but dying over and over again from one shots can be frustrating.
Mass Effect 3 demo dated
Electronic Arts officially announced a date for the Mass Effect 3 demo. The demo is coming on February 14 and will included a single player portion and a coop portion, the multiplayer aspect of Mass Effect 3.
The coop portion of the demo comes on February 17, 3 days after the single player demo. If you purchased Battlefield 3 though, you get the coop demo together with the single player demo on February 14.
“We are excited to be able to give gamers an expansive demo that will put them right on the front lines of this all-out galactic war,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series. “The entire scale of the game is bigger than anything we’ve ever done. With its intense action, deep customization and raw emotional power,Mass Effect 3 will deliver a spectacular action RPG experience to fans of the series and newcomers alike.”
If you plan on trying the demo out on your Xbox, you'll get a treat. The Xbox 360 demo will be the first ever pre-launch demo to support voice recognition of the Xbox 360's Kinect. It will be an exclusive feature on the Xbox 360 version were you may use the Kinect's voice recognition to order your squad or activate your abilities by simply saying it.
Mass Effect 3 will be out on March 6 for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
[Source: Gematsu]