100 million big ONES

Take this and multiply it by four...thats probably the amount of money GTA is going to profit. And if I'm off, it's only by a few million or so. No big deal for Rockstar

Reports are out that GTA IV cost around $100 million in production costs. That's more than some most films. That beats the now 2nd biggest game, as far as production, Shenmue that was released for the Dreamcast in 2000 and cost $70 million. 1,000 people worked on the game and there were some 100,000 photos taken of New York City to fully capture the city and make it Liberty City.

To me, that's an amazing tidbit, because the small bit of time (compared to the vastness of the game) shows how much went into every single facet of production. And judging off of how well the game is expected to do, $100 million is chump change compared to what Take-Two and Rockstar are about to make. Keep setting the bar higher Rockstar, keep setting the standard.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Some adjectives for Jack Thompson

Got this pic from Gamespolitics. Go check out why he sent it to them. Maybe instead of getting on GTA, Jack Thompson should read this article (thoughts on it coming soon).

Update: I will not be doing a commentary on the article as it is pretty plain to see when reading on Gamespolitics.com that GTA has not influenced killing or assaulting of police officers, and that's really all there is to say.

In my opinion Jack Thompson is an egotistical, media-hungry, make-it-up-as-you-go-along-to-get-attention-getting, self-serving, cant be told he's wrong, imbecile, nitty, nitwit, tomfool, moronic, nincompoop, conceited, vain of a jerk who should not be allowed to practice law or offer his opinion against video games whatsoever. We don't let bigots argue their point on national television as to why they hate certain races. Why do we let Jack Thompson continue to have a platform to purposely leave out the facts and research of games and just tell the people his unsolicited twisted opinion?

All of this coming from the picture above. It is clear to me that Jack Thompson gets off (and you know what, probably literally) on making a case against video games such as Grand Theft Auto IV. The most ludicrous part of this whole picture is the simple fact that he is holding up a game in which he has slammed for so long that is made by a company he bought stock in. If I see a picture of Jack Thompson actually playing the game I may just take what he says at a level just above crap and vomit mixed together (disgusting, I know).

Jack Thompson, why don't you go bother someone else for a change because you've sued enough companies and lost enough times to the point where anyone with a quarter of a brain knows you are a moron who seeks and craves attention so much that you would call a game a "murder simulator" that others, who are experts, flatly deny that the game is so. I don't know who beat you as a young adult with a Nintendo controller and made you say "Mario" (instead of Uncle) but you don't have to take it out on the gaming community and act like there is some sort of epidemic going on that the national government needs to consider changing laws for.

Go home, watch yourself on You Tube, take an ambien, go to sleep, repeat.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Airplanes and video games

Maybe this is really what happens if I don't turn off my DS when we are trying to land.....

Yes, today is the day Grand Theft Auto came out. And yes I got a copy without reserving it. Wal-Mart is a wonderful thing. But that isn't what this post is about.

First of all, I will, in the future, put up some kind of review on GTA. I can't promise when, as it is a massive game, and I can't promise how long it will be, but I will try to remember to put up a review. Secondly, I apologize for not having posted for four days, I have been out of town doing other things (I do have a life, lol).

Since I was traveling over the weekend I was inevitably in a plane. And one question I thought I would throw out there: Why do planes still have it so I can't play my PSP, DS, or listen to my ipod (or even CD player for that matter) when we take off and land? Come on folks, that has been the case since as long as I can remember and the very first time I was on an airplane is when I was three weeks old. Not years, but three weeks. When I was five we couldn't use electronic devices. Folks, I'll be 22 next month, technology has changed, and yet for some reason airlines still require that I can't even play my favorite Super Mario game.

I can understand cell phones and portable TV's (although I don't think anyone brings those on a plane), but what is wrong with me listening to my ipod or trying to be Sonic the Hedgehog Advanced? I think the airlines and the laws need to be updated. Practically everyone has some sort of electronic device, and since prices haven't necessarily gone down in relation to flying from one city to another, can you PLEASE update your plane so that it can "handle" my ipod being on? Thank you.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Kart Fighter=amazing=piracy=what?

Talk about your unknown, unlicensed, pirated games. Kart Fighter surprises me because someone actually had the idea to put a bunch of Nintendo characters in side-scrolling 2D fighter. Even though the characters weren't original, the concept was. How many people looked at Super Smash Brothers as revolutionary? This game was 'released' more than half a decade before that. How amazing is that? And had this game actually been licensed and legitimate, think of how it would have evolved into a modern day SSB. It could have quite possibly changed the way we look at compilation game characters who are all in one game.



But I'm not dumb. Who is to say that Nintendo didn't know about this. They probably did know and started the SSB think tank a few weeks after this game first showed it's face. It's simply amazing that a game like this could have existed long before a game similar to this even was released and blew up the way it did.



What's interesting to think about for today is this; what games are being developed, that are unlicensed, that will one day be the next big idea? What person in their basement making a game based on well-known characters will end up having the next big idea in video games? I don't know who it is, or where they are at, but the simple fact that game making is easier to do than ever for computer nerds you just never know where the next big idea is going to come from. And you just never know when the idea actually evolves into something great if the people who originally thought of it will get any credit at all. Enjoy the video and the screens.




Tell me what you think about the screens AND the video (a two for one deal here peoples...I know, I know, hold your applause).

-Adridius

Latest MGS4 trailer

It's not HD, but it is the latest trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4. Can't really comment too much on it other than I am totally and utterly excited about the next installment in an awesome franchise!!!!!! It's all in Japanese, so if you are from Japan and can interpret every word for me, leave a comment and tell me what is going on exactly. Because all I could make out was when Ocelot said "Snake."

And good God, I still can't get over how old Snake looks. Oh well, I guess we all do have to age, even video game characters. I wonder what an old Sonic or Mario would look like (thinks....). Never mind, I don't want to know.

Can you imagine Mario saving Peach from Bowser is an old folks home? LOL! Doubt it'll ever happen but it is something funny to think about. As always, comments are welcome.

-Adridius

PSP in the bathtub.....ok.....

For those of you that love the Rain Forest, this is for YOU!

Came across an interesting little add-on (so to speak) for your PSP system. If you are like me and don't need to have your PSP everywhere you go this add-on is not for you. But if you like to bathe in the tub with bubbles and relax and play your PSP, then this is just for you! Check out the picture.

Heck, this could be good on a rainy day when you have to walk to class; or when you are stuck outside, or heck, if you just want to jump in an aquarium full of fishes and show them your awesomely cool combo score in God of War! Yes there are multiple uses for this. Personally I would love to go see Shamu and show him Final Fantasy VII so he could have an appreciation for other things in life rather than showing people he can wave. Wave on Shamu, wave on.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Only the beginning: GTA IV ad pulled

This ad got pulled. (Pause) What do three men on the side of the bus have to do with a mass shooting in Chicago?! According to Fox, the ad probably should have held the trigger itself. Stupid Fox...

The Chicago Transit Authority has pulled ads (see above) for Grand Theft Auto IV. Fox news had their own bit of musing that they did:

With so much focus on kids and violence these days, we wondered why ads for a violent video game have begun popping up again on CTA buses and train stations.

Yeah. Wondered. More like tried to pull a story out of your booty holes! Are you serious Fox? Go pick on something else ok? Seriously. I didn't hear you crying bloody murder when 300 came out and was being advertised. I didn't hear you yelling and screaming about Saw I, II, III, and IV. And where exactly were you when Freddy Vs Jason came out? Seriously, there are tons of other violent mediums that you can jump on. The shooting in 24 (oh wait, that's a Fox show, let's not talk about that), the Sara Connor Chronicles with guns blazing (wait...Fox again). No, you only attack what is easily convenient to attack.

Just because there are a handful of complaints (compared to the amount of people who are definitely going to buy this game) does not mean that these ads should be pulled. I am not advocating violence by any means, but how do the GTA ads (as seen above) start violence that led to "37 shot, 2 stabbed and 7 dead" (numbers according to CBS). Seriously Fox, why are you insisting this is causation? You all need to learn about the difference between causation and correlation. Just because something is there, does not mean it causes the other act to happen. And if you don't know what of what I'm speaking then you need to stop deciding what gets put on as 'news'. This is disgusting and it's only the beginning which is sad.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

Interesting.....kind of looks like Spider-Man meets War of the Worlds though.

Nick Chester from destructoid got a chance to do an interview with Graham Fuchs, Executive Producer of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. Instead of going to look at the interview on another website I've brought it to The Video Game Aid for all of you to enjoy. Here you go, and then my thoughts will be after the interview.

Destructoid: So just tell me a little bit about Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, and the direction you’re kind of taking with it.

Graham Fuchs, Executive Producer: So New York City has been invaded – S.H.I.E.L.D. has declared martial law, and they're downtown, trying to evacuate citizens from the island; [Luke] Cage is gathering people for a last stand in Harlem; Kingpin is in his fortress in Midtown, and he's gathering his forces to help propel the invaders. [So] it's up to you, as Spider-Man, to determine how you're gonna help deal with this invasion.

So it sounds like there will be a lot of Marvel Universe characters in the game. This isn’t based on any of the films, it’s based on the fiction of the comic books?

Yeah, actually it's based on the comic book universe; it's not based on any particular story line or arc or anything. It's our own original story that we've come up with for the game, which has been great, because it's allowed us to bring a lot of elements we wanted to put in the game in terms of characters. You know, [we can] mix and match our own elements to sort of maximize the gameplay and make the kind of game that we want to make, so it's great.

Is it a free, open environment?

It's open world, you have free reign over all of Manhattan. We're bringing back the swing mechanic that everybody loves. We've completely rebuilt the city, and you know in the trailer -- I don't know if you've seen it -- but that's all in-game footage. It's not a pre-rendered cut-scene or anything. So, the city's been totally rebuilt. And there's a brand new lighting system.

Something we really wanted to do this time was take advantage of the verticality of the city. Our combat [we're saying] is the "most 3D ever." You can start a fight on the ground, fight a guy all the way up the side of a building, to one of our rooftops. We've got a whole new wall-combat system, so really we really wanted to just blow-out the “Spider-Man-ness” of that.

So in terms of the combat, and the Spider-Man character himself, will you be able to upgrade your abilities as you go throughout the game?

Yeah, you know a lot of it is based on how you're fighting. What we really wanted to do is give the player a lot of control over what happens in the game, and how Spidey kind of evolves throughout the game. So the system allows for you to kind of tailor Spider-Man to your own play style. If you're using lots of web moves, that'll upgrade his web abilities. If you're using a lot of hand-to-hand combat, that will improve those abilities. It really puts all of that in the player’s hands, as to how they're going to evolve throughout the game.

It seems like you can either be a “good” kind of Spider-Man or a “bad” kind of Spider-Man, right?

Yeah, like I said, it's up to you as to how you're going to deal with this kind of menace in the city. If you're being more heroic, the city is going to reflect that; when you meet the citizens, they're going to be cheering you on, and all excited to see you. If you’ve been using the more "by any means necessary" approach, then they're going to be a little more leery of you. And basically as you're playing throughout the games those decisions are going to effect when you encounter all of these heroes and villains at various points.

When will you guys be shipping the game?

It'll be shipping in the fall.

So the game will be coming to next-gen consoles, and pretty much everything you can possibly think of?

Everything, yeah. [Editor's note: This refers to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 2, and PC]

Are you talking any differences between any of the versions, like the Wii version and use of the Wii Remote for instance?

When we're starting to do “first looks” we'll get into all of that.

So the game is called “Web of Shadows.” What on Earth does that mean?

That's kind of a mystery, isn't it?

Yeah, you’re talking about it?

Yeah, you're just gonna have to wait and see.

Interesting (oh, it's me now if you guys didn't know, your friendly neighborhood gamer). I like the idea of a unique story-line. Another intriguing point is the combat system. The fact that you can start a fight on the ground and then literally move up the side of a building to fight is something that I never imagined before. And you would think someone else would have implemented that by now since Spider-Man can indeed climb up the side of buildings.

A fall release date tickles my fancy as well. The last two Spider-Man games I have played, I've enjoyed. Although both of them were too short: Spider-Man 3 and Ultimate Spider-Man. Both were fun though. The fact that this game won't be totally linear is cool too. You can power up certain aspects of Spider-Man; be the hero and watch out for civilians; be the hero but not worry about civilians; I think these are all good ideas. We'll have to see how well they are implemented this fall. Stay tuned.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Top 15 games with the best story lines

GamesRadar has a top 15 list (in no particular order) of the games with the best storyline. Obviously great story lines can be highly relative as some people may appreciate a more obscure and "confusing" story line rather than a clear and brilliant story being told. But anyway, here are the 15 games.

• Metal Gear Solid (1998, PlayStation, PC)
• Grim Fandango (1998, PC)
• The Longest Journey (2000, PC)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, Xbox, PC, 2004)
• Beyond Good & Evil (PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC, 2003)
• Astro Boy: Omega Factor (Game Boy Advance, 2004)
• Portal (Xbox 360, PC, PS3, 2007)
• Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (PC, 1993)
• Bioshock (Xbox 360, 2007)
• Planescape: Torment (PC, 1999)
• Fallout 2 (PC, 1998)
• God of War (PS2, 2005)
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox, PC, 2003)
• Final Fantasy VI (Super Nintendo, 1994)
• Silent Hill 2 (Xbox, PS2, PC, 2001)

I have to admit, I was pretty stoked to see Metal Gear Solid up there, although I do think that Metal Gear Solid 2 had a better story line, but hey, to each his own. I was kind of bummed that Final Fantasy VII wasn't in there. Let's forget the fact that the story was heartfelt and all that good stuff. FFVII contained a scene where every gamer that had a soul at the very least thought about crying their eyes out because Aeris died. But hey, like I said, that's just me. A more recent game I enjoyed the story line from was Lost Odyssey, but that might have been too melodramatic for people. I personally cried at least four or five times and I loved the game.

Tell me what games you would want in your top 5, 10, 15, or 20 as far as story-lines go. There are no wrong answers as each game can affects people differently (COME BACK AERIS!). Feel free to leave your comments.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Okami: Wii and PS2 comparison

I've never played Okami. Go ahead, go crazy, shoot guns in the air, cause a riot and start a chant for me to be burned at the stake. Ok you done now? Ok, if you've gotten this far you will see that I do WANT to play Okami, and I probably will go ahead and buy it for the Wii. Check out this video that compares the Wii Okami to the PS2. Personally I think the Wii is better because the colors are richer, and I like warm rich colors. But maybe that's just a preference of mine, some may like the more faded colors of the PS2. Let me know what you think. Also let me know if you have Okami for Wii or PS2.

DC vs MK?

I'm all about innovation. Innovation meetings, innovation workshops, ideating, all of that good stuff that you see on those funny IBM commercials. But let's be real folks, DC versus Mortal Kombat? I'm all about crossing the paths of unlikely characters, but this isn't Super Smash Brothers, this is gore gore and more gory (and not the multi-million dollar former politician) paired up with childhood super hero icon. How does that mix?! I'm a positive person, I think it can work, but my better side of me is saying that you can't juxtapose two sets of characters on total opposite ends of the spectrum and put them in a game that will be taken seriously. I wonder if Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent will make cameos in a 'secret character' form? Haha! Ok, seriously, let me know what you think. Am I the only one that thinks this is ludicrous (and not the rapper).

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Iron Man demo coming to XBL tomorrow; PSN soon

If Iron Man ends up being as good as it looks-similar to if the Hulk is as good as it looks- this might be the day where I wake up and say, "Yay! A great movie video game!" The closest thing I've seen in recent memory is Spiderman 3 on PS3. I liked the game, just thought it was too short. You can check out the review if you go back into my older posts.

Anywho. Check out this Iron Man video game trailer and let me know what you think. I'm definitely going to see the movie (even if I'll be playing GTA IV before and after that) and I hope the game is just as good. Here's hoping.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

The Arcades are Empty

Does your Arcade look like this? Oh look...two people..

I remember a time where I didn't consider a shopping mall legit unless it was home to a video game arcade. Now I find myself walking through malls and being surprised if I even see a resemblance to something that once looked like a place to play arcade games.

When I was younger, kicking peoples butt at the arcades was something that made you feel like a legitimately good gamer. When you could take 50 cents and turn it into 20 minutes on your favorite fighting game. When quarters were used to show your place in line to take on the best of the best in that arcade at that moment. That's what arcades were all about. It was about putting just one more credit in the coin slot so that you could put your initials into a machine that to be immortalized forever (or so we thought).

What happened to that time? Somewhere in the midst of Dreamcast and Xbox, arcades got lost in all the hubbub of slicker graphics and ease of use for online capabilities on home systems. Something happened to arcades during that time. Something told us we didn't need them anymore.

We no longer need to go to arcades to put our initials into a machine to show that we are the best; that's what online rankings are for. We no longer need to go to arcades to see the coolest graphics; that's what our "next-gen hardware" is for. We no longer need to go to arcades to get social interaction to see how we measure up, that's what online gaming is for. It's really a shame because arcades used to be heaven on earth. They were the one place where video games were larger than life and you appreciated every moment of gaming since it was literally costing you every quarter you had in your pocket. The fast paced racing games; the hard hitting fighting games, and the classics like Pac-Man and Centipede. These games are now all available on our home systems, and the interactive pull of arcades is gone because of it.

I'm not saying this is bad thing, it's just sad because arcades used to be a place where gamers of every kind could come together and just simply be. Be good, be great, be awful, but jubilant, be happy, and most of all be appreciative that they as gamers have a place to go. But all that is slowly leaving now and I don't know what it will take to get it back. Virtual reality? Bigger screens? I don't know what the future of arcade gaming will be, but I hope it has a future for the gamer-communities' sake.

As always, your comments are welcome. What do you think?

Jeremy aka Adridius

Wii Fit 90!?

Lean with it, Rock with it! Lol!

No no no, it's not the 90th installment of Wii Fit, the 90 is how much Wii Fit will cost! That's a third of what the entire Wii system costs. Very slick Nintendo. The reason I say very slick is because Nintendo realizes the reason they are as dominant as they are. It's not because they have the best hardware, it's because they have the best innovation. And since Wii Fit is supposed to be the next big innovative step for them they have no problem putting the price up to just under $100. I'm not mad at them, I can't be. They allowed me to buy a system that has years of fun value for the price of $250, only $50 more than their original boom NES.

What do you guys and girls think? Will you buy Wii Fit? I know it is going to be marketed heavily. And because of this I bet a lot of people who may not come around because of the price will eventually come around due to the high level of marketing it is going to receive. Let me know what you think. And as always, thanks for visiting the blog, and check back often.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Star Wars and Soul Caliber

Came across an interesting video today. I'm not a Soul Caliber IV hater, I've just never gotten into the series, but I respect it no doubt. I might just have to buy SCIV though simply because I'd love to play as Darth Vader or Yoda. How cool is that? Flipping around with Yoda or throwing people around with the forces Darkside using Darth Vader sounds fun. And the graphics are slick too. Check out the vid.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Guns are to blame for school shootings? Whodathunk

I think people were worried about her other *ahem* assets before they worried about her guns.

Wouldn't you know it; someone is actually blaming guns for school shootings rather than video games.

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said:

We are seeing more and more of these gun incidents, from a kid waving a gun around right up to the level of mass shootings. Amazingly, no one keeps official statistics at government level about shootings in schools and colleges, but we can see from news reports and research that it’s increasing. One of the main reasons is that it is so easy for the wrong people to get hold of guns in this country…

It tears me apart. It’s become such a common occurrence and I keep asking why we allow this to happen. I’m not sure that psychological factors or violent movies and video games are any different here than in other countries - the difference is how easy it is to get a gun.

What's most interesting about his statements is that he says there are no official statistics at the government level on school shootings. That baffles me. There is a study on everything known to man and one of the biggest news headliners in the past decade doesn't have an official record? That's for another blog on another day.

Seeing as this is a video game blog I feel I must point out that he's right about the violent movies and video games being the same in other countries. And yet they aren't having the same types of mass school shootings that we are. Have you ever watched an uncut Japanese anime cartoon before (see Akira)? If you haven't, those cartoons make some of our rated R movies look like G rated movies. And yet, when is the last time you heard about a mass school shooting in Japan.

Look, I'm not going to get political on this video game blog when it comes to the question of should we ban guns or not ban guns, but just like the Virginia Tech shooting, no one was responsible for all the horrible deaths of the innocent students other than the person pulling the trigger. If guns didn't exist, people wouldn't get shot. But since they do exist, how about we focus more on how the gun got in the child's hand and why the child did what they did, rather than focusing our attention on video games, movies, and gun laws themselves. As always, feel free to leave feedback.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

When you think video games, you think EA? I hope not

Just because the dinosaur is big DOESN'T mean he is better than Mario! Duh! (if you are confused, read on).

An interesting little quote came across my eyes today and it's from EA, specifically from head boss John Riccitiello.

Interactive entertainment is going to determine one great company and I think it's this one. One of the reasons I've come back is to try to take it to the next step.

Umm.. Ok hold on. (takes a long pause). What does EA even have besides Madden? Think about it. Ok you done? Did you think of anything huge? Oh I know! They have Mario, oh, wait, no. OH! They have Sonic! Oh, wait...no. HEY! They have the GTA franchi...wait what, they don't have that either? Fox? Samus? Donkey Kong? Call of Duty? BioShock? Final Fantasy? God of War? Ninja Gaiden? None of those? How about this, how about this. They've got NFL Tour (BWAhahahahahaha! That's a good one).

If you want to be video games (or "interactive entertainment's") one great company then when you think video games you have to think (enter in your company's name here). All I think about when I think of EA is how they bully their way into trying to take over other companies to get profit on games they didn't even come up with (see EA trying to take over Take-Two because of GTA IV). I think of how they bullied 2K because they knew that 2k would rip them a new one with the 2k football series. So instead of just making a better game of Madden, they go ahead and get an exclusive deal so they are the only company to make NFL games. When I think of EA, I don't think of a development company, I think of a publisher that puts their name on everything that is good that they don't make (see Rock Band). When I think of EA, I think about two horrible years of Madden on next gen systems. When I...ok you get the picture. When I think of EA, I don't think of a gaming giant because they are geniuses, I think they have a lot of money publishing titles and owning the biggest football franchise ever. Does ANYone recall Superman?

Guys and girls, honestly, when I think about video games I think of classics and wonderful characters with wonderful story lines. When I think about video games I don't associate a big game publishing giant who seems more interested in the bottom line than making great games. Make some great games first and rely less on your name EA and maybe I'll think about associating you with the word video games or "interactive entertainment."

MGS4 Headset

AWESOME!!! AWESOME! AWESOME!!!

I'm a geek (as if you didn't know), and I like geekish things (this should not be confused with being a nerd). Well, I just heard about a Metal Gear Solid 4 headset for the PS3, and man, am I ready to drop some cold hard cash on this little bugger.

Not only is it a headset to talk trash on PS3 games, but it's Bluetooth; so I would imagine it would even work for my (GASP!) phone too!!! How awesome is that?! And maybe even my Bluetooth enabled computer! AWESOME! But even if I can only use it on my PS3, that's still awesome. Heck, it's MGS4. Konami could make a brand of cologne with MGS4 "Smell like Snake" and I'd buy it. That's all for now, check back often.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Resident Evil Racism?

Check out the trailer to see what you think.

If you do not know, I am black. African-American, Afro-American, shoot, American, whatever you want to call me, I have brown skin and my origin is from Africa (even though I was born in America, let's not forget that we don't call people who are originally from Europe, European-Americans).

I stumbled across an article on D-toid by none other than Jim Sterling, who is white by the way, nothing against him, just pointing it out so that everything can be fully understood in this post. What I find interesting is that black people, with means to get their opinion out there, are really in an uproar about Resident Evil 5. They aren't mad because it's gory. They aren't mad because it's violent. They are angry because a white man is shooting up black people.

Now in all fairness making a game about a white person shooting up only black people is racist. Just like if there were a game where a black person was shooting up only white people is racist. If those white people are his oppressors, thats a different story, but you understand what I mean when I say hate is hate and shouldn't be tolerated in either form.

BUT, Resident Evil 5 does not fall into this category. Let me repeat that. Resident Evil 5 does not fall into the category of racism. Let's have an information session shall we. RE is about one man killing zombies. The last time I checked, no race in a fantasy world is immune from zombies, so therefore, any race can be zombies. The fact that RE is taking place in Africa I would expect the population of people that are infected and become zombies would be of darker skin since most of the people in Africa are...well...black.

Personally, I'm not offended by this. Once the people in Africa turned into zombies, that's when the main white character starts to shoot them, not a minute before. So really, being a zombie knows no color bounds. But if you are going to put the game in Africa, you can't just have a slew of random races in a place where the majority is black. It just doesn't make geographical sense. What's the reason for the story-line being in Africa this time? I think that's the main thing, and that has more to do with the game than any type of racism.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

No freeloading for Mario Kart Wii

Try sneaking them into the country on a plane rather than a Kart which has the ability to leave a trail of banana peels.

I have never been big on importing games for my U.S. consoles, or buying a CD, DVD, or cartridge so that I could play foreign games. I definitely was missing out. Then I heard about FreeLoader for the Wii that allows you to play games that were not made for your region. I was pretty excited for a couple of reasons, but mainly because I could play Japanese titles earlier than I ever thought possible. Well, I bought FreeLoader and haven't been able to test it out yet. Sadly, I just found out that Mario Kart, from Japan, will not be able to play on my Wii even though I have FreeLoader.

Luckily, I don't care about that. I can wait until Mario Kart comes out in the U.S. That's not a big deal. The big deal is this. Why is Nintendo doing this? I recently found out that the PS3 will play any game no matter what the region. I like that. I think if you buy a system it should be universal. If you are a gamer, and you like games, you should have the option of buying a game in the Japanese or European market if you live in the U.S. Even if you can't read Japanese, sometimes wanting a game so bad merits you getting a game where you have no clue what the characters are saying, (thank the Lord for subtitles though).

I realize this is probably a savvy business move by Nintendo, but come on let us play our games no matter what language or country code they are in. This just goes to confirm my love for Sony. Nintendo, I love you too, but why are you undercutting the consumer when FreeLoader is not advocating piracy. It's only advocating being able to play titles you currently don't have in your own country. What is so wrong about that?

Please feel free, whether you are from Nintendo or not, to leave comments telling me what you think.

Adridius

BioShock(er)! PS3?! What?

Apparently 2k is trying to make a sequel for BioShock that will be included on the PS3. Or it won't. Or it will. Or, wait. Ok here are the facts. 2k posted a job opening and in the job description included.

Experience working with recent generation game console technology (Xbox, Xbox360, PlayStation2 or PlayStation3) and Playstation3 experience is required.

So, that's interesting. If I simply owned a PS3, this would make me very excited, but I own both, so I'm not freakishly getting antsy about whether this statement could indicate that a Bioshock 2 could be coming to the the PS3. But since I am so loyal to Sony (although I might still buy GTA for 360, sorry Sony it actually pains me to think that way), I do want a great game to come to their system. Make of this what you will. What do you all think? Does it make you excited to know that there may be possibly kinda maybe sorta in a slight manner be a less than small or bigger than you think chance of BioShock 2 coming to the PS3? Let me know.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Just when you thought Plastic was Phoolish

Thanks for the image Kotaku. Now for the caption.
"14.99? Isn't it just plastic? Does that mean it's recycled?"

Many people (I would imagine) upon first hearing of the Wii steering wheel peripheral for Mario Kart Wii either said, "Wow that's awesome!" Or they said, "What the heck, it's JUST plastic?" I was one of those people that mentioned the latter. Apparently I was wrong. It's not simply plastic. The wheel has been through 30 prototypes. There have been rumors that engineers, yes engineers are involved to make the final product the best it can be. There have been words such as, comfort, weight, and ergonomics used.

Engineers? Really? Wow. I need to take back all my negative thoughts about this being a good way to rip off people for a piece of plastic that they don't need. But when words like ergonomics are being used along with engineers, well I have to open my ears (get it, they are all 'E' words. Get it? Nevermind.).

I have to say I'm pretty intrigued. And by the sound of the words aforementioned I have to say $14.99 is not asking too much. It's Nintendo, I don't think they would add a steering wheel just to add one. I could be wrong, but it's not like they just need more money. Wait, on second thought, scratch the "I don't think they need more money". This is a business, everyone wants money. Have a good one folks.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

The Madden Jinx...it has to start with someone

It's getting kind of slow this time of year. Game's aren't coming out at a fast pace; football season is over; GTA IV isn't out yet. So you know what I thought I'd do? I thought I'd go ahead and give you my prospects for who will make the cover of Madden this year. I figured I'd go ahead and get a jump start on anyone else who is planning on doing this article, because hey, it's never to early to start thinking about a game that's only four months away and a football season that's only five (really...five? That's it, wow, it seems longer, go cowboys). So here you are, here is my list (and let's hope it doesn't insight as much hate as my last list, gee wiz).



Tom Brady:

You don't throw 50 touchdowns in one season, date Giselle, and basically be adored by every female that has hormones in the New England area and beyond just because you play football. No, Tom Brady is the real deal. As much as I was hating on his team last season, I still never said Tom wasn't good. Tom is great (I'm not ready to crown him as the best QB of all time, but hey, I'm not blind). I would be surprised if EA didn't even approach him about being on the front cover of Madden. I mean for goodness sake, he's Tom Terrific. Do I really need to explain this anymore?






Braylon Edwards:

I'm a Dallas Cowboy fan, so of course I wasn't rooting for the Browns last year (lousy 22nd pick). But I was in awe and amazement when I saw Edwards make his catches last year. If it hadn't been for Randy Moss, Edwards would have gotten more publicity. And hear me on this, cause I won't repeat this twice (on this post anyway), Edwards year was not a fluke, the man is going to either match what he did last year or do better. Why? Because he has a QB. Look I'm not saying Derek Anderson is Joe Montana, but he's a heck of a lot better than Kelly Holcomb and Tim Couch, no offense to either person.







Patrick Willis:

Who? I know that's exactly what some of you thought. This guy was a rookie last year who played for the San Francisco 49ers and he is a Linebacker. This guy is a beast. He was the defensive rookie of the year and he finished with 174 tackles with a staggering 135 of them being solo tackles for the season and had a couple games where he had 18 and 20 tackles. We need to give the defense a bit more love all around in both video game football and regular football. He deserves to be up here with the big names.








Terrell Owens:

Let me state something. I love this dude. Yeah you can talk about team player this, mouth that, but T.O. has the numbers, and the stats, and the dynamic play you need out of a receiver. And he led the NFC in TD receptions last season. He's already been on the front cover of a video game when the 2K series was still making games, but regardless, the numbers he has put up the last two seasons serve as more than enough for him to merit being in this conversation.






Randy Moss:

You can't talk about the 50 TD's Brady threw for without mentioning the 23 that went to a little known guy by the name of Randy Moss. By my account, a receiver has never been on the front cover of Madden, there have been 3 RB's, 4 QB's, and one LB (the defense needs more love people!). If any year called for a WR to be on the front cover of Madden, this absolutely is that year.




Adrian Peterson:

Or A.D. (All Day) as he would rather be called (it's confusing, but go with it). When I was playing fantasy football last year and my girlfriend took A.D. right out from under my nose in the 7th round when I passed over him in the 6th for Randy Moss (I guess it wasn't so bad), I was furious. She ended up coming in 2nd in the league and I came in first (HA!). But all season long I was envious of A.D. That man was by every account a man among boys. 296 yards in one game? Come on, that's sick! If I were him, I dont know if I'd want to be on the front cover. Sophomore slump, Madden jinx, can he do everything he did last year. Lot of pressure to get over. But if anyone can do it, A.D. can.




Ladanian Tomlinson:

Or L.T., if you didn't know. Word on the street is that EA asked L.T. to be on the front cover last year and he turned it down because of the jinx. That was actually a good move by him, RB's careers are in jeopardy from year to year enough as it is regardless. As long as L.T. keeps being L.T., he'll make it into the speculation of who will be on the front cover of Madden every year.






David Garrad:

Surprise surprise. As good as this guy was last year (only 3 int's in the whole season, that's less than Tom Terrific folks), he flew under the radar. He came into the starting roll when Jack Del Rio cut Byron Leftwich and named Garrard as the starting QB. I personally thought this was dumb, but at the same time, I like Del Rio and I thought that he knew what he was doing even though I didn't trust Garrard. Well, I was proven wrong like the earth was proven not to be flat. Garrard is someone to watch out for because in his first season starting he takes his team past the wildcard round and into fight the dominant New England Patriots. And even in that game, he was poised and played pretty efficiently. He has tremendous upside when he can actually become a full fledged game changer. Because he is no longer a caretaker QB, but if and when he moves into an elite status, watch out.






Peyton Manning:

I'm actually surprised this guy hasn't been on the front cover yet. He has every other endorsement known to man, even Oreos, but has never managed to wind up on the front cover of Madden. When your pockets are so fat, a few more inches is hardly noticeable, so I'm guessing he doesn't need it. But just like L.T., if Peyton keeps being Peyton, he'll always be in this discussion.




Eli Manning:

I hate to admit it, being a Cowboys fan, but Eli did his thing in the playoffs last year, and he deserves respect. He did the impossible (by most) by beating the Patriots and taking them on a drive that will go down in history as one of the best drives ever in Super Bowl history. If not the best drive, he gets the nod for the craziest play. Yeah, Eli was inconsistent in the regular season, but seriously, who has the ring?


Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think and if you think there was anyone who you think should be on the front cover (because honestly, there are probably SO many more to choose from for good reason).

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Hulk Trailer

Guys (and girls), check this out. Remember how cool the last Hulk game was, Hulk Ultimate Desctruction, well this new Hulk game looks even better. Game-play wise, not sure how it's going to compare to the former, but it looks so much sleeker and cooler. And it makes me excited because maybe a Super hero (or a person with super human powers that just goes on destructive rampages) can actually have two more than decent back to back gaming experiences. Since it's trying to correlate with the movies release, lets hope it doesn't fall under the dreaded movie to video game curse (see Superman Returns). Here's a video from Gametrailers. Enjoy.