PS2 games downloaded to PS3? [rumor]

Could this be for real?

I came across an interesting rumor today on the net. It suggested that there might possibly PS2 games coming to the PS3 via internet download. The first thing I thought was, "Why?" Why would I need to download PS2 games when I can go buy them and play them on my PS...ohhhhhhh; maybe that's why Sony had no reservations about taking out the backwards compatibility with the $400 PS3.

Although there is no information at this time whether Sony is really going to do this or not; from a business standpoint it makes all the sense in the world. Make a system and have it so that you can enjoy all your old favorites without having to have a hard copy of them all. It's like having a PS1, PS2, and PS3 all in one system. Although, backwards compatibility offered this too. But I still think some people may be drawn to it because they don't have to carry around all their games in a physical form, all of their old favorites can be on their PS3 internally.

I don't know what will come of this, but if the price-tag isn't too expensive this just might work. Part of me is still mad at Sony for taking away the backwards compatibility at one point. I'm just happy I got a PS3 before they did that. What do you guys think about PS2 games being downloaded to your PS3?

-Jeremy aka Adridius

For the Kids [charity and awesomeness]

Brian Brinegar, Dan May, and John Groth are people you probably don't know. If you do know them, awesome, but for the 99.9999% of the readers who don't (mathematical estimates off of pure guessing), they are three former college roommates who are raising money for Child's Play, a children's charity. They will be playing through Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy for 55 hours all in the name of charity.

And people say video games aren't beneficial. At the time I am writing this they have almost broken the $1,000 mark and they've only been playing for about two hours. If you love video games and you love kids, give a buck or two; it's for the kids. And furthermore, you can watch the live steam right here on Gamer-Aid!! I might consider doing this one day. I'm not sure how many people would actually watch, but I would love to just sit inside for about a month or so and play Final Fantasy games or play through so many seasons of Madden or something. It's all in fun and it's all for the kids. Enjoy.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Why do you play video games? [editorial]

I play because of the connection I feel to the characters and the stories...anyone who has played FF7 knows the emotions that you went through in those three discs...

Ever since I posted the Okamii review my focus has been on getting MGS4 completed and reviewed so that you all could read it. So far, the game is great, but I haven't played it since last Friday (almost a week ago) because I have been in South Carolina for my family reunion. Now, this isn't just an update post, I actually found something interesting to write about since I have been here (and found an internet connection) in South Carolina.

I was talking to my Uncle and the inevitable conversation of games affecting our youth negatively came up. Obviously, I took the side of it is the parents and societies responsibility to let our children know the difference between fact and fiction, real and fake, and fantasy and reality. He was taking the approach that the game developers should have more of a responsibility toward our youth. At that moment I fired back with, "The only responsibility they have is that they make sure that an ESRB is on the outside of the game's box and that they themselves as game makers make an amazing work of art that can be enjoyed by myriad amount of people."

To the latter statement he was confused. He was still in the ages of PONG and Pacman (to no fault of his own). So at that moment I decided to school him a bit. I told him what goes into making a great game (which could be for a different blog post). In short I said it has to do with the execution and delivery of storyline, graphics, gameplay, characters, and the overall fun factor. The storyline intrigued him to no end. He had no idea, let me repeat, no idea that games had story lines. And he also had no idea that some of these story lines (i.e Metal Gear Solid) were as complex and deep or even more complex and deep than the best political movie or TV drama. I had to explain to him that gaming isn't just about points anymore. Games are about an overall experience that one takes away when one completes said game.

At this point I was talking a little over his head and that is when he mentioned, "Someone definitely needs to hire you to write about video games." The reason I bring this up is that it will be interesting in 10 years to see if games become an accepted medium. In a respectfully disagreeing manner my cousin comes in with, "It won't be because there is no stream of information that can constantly be brought to a game the way TV and Internet can bring information of credibility and of use to society (I'm embellishing a little bit, but this is what he meant)."

To that statement I disagreed with him, with respect, because we now know that with an internet connection game's can be updated in real time with something as little as advertisement billboards in a racing game. I asked him, "Wouldn't it be amazing if one day there was a game that had its objectives change according to what was happening in the real world?" It's an easy concept to think of, but a very difficult one to implement.

The point is, the only way games are going to progress is if we the youth (or whoever plays games) can convince our parent's generation that games serve a higher purpose than just points and scores. Games are an art and they are at their very root an interactively unique experience in which every individual that loves a particular genre should be able to enjoy at least once in their lifetimes. This is why we have cult classics like Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy, and others. It's not so much the pride of, "I beat that game." It's more of, "I got to experience history and I got to experience one of the most amazing pieces of art in a way most human beings do not get to experience." If you are confused by what I'm saying just think of it this way. When you play a game, do you really just play it to be the best? Or does part of you play it because of the invigorating feeling of getting to the next cut-scene; learning the newest secret; finding out the true reason why you are on a mission; or listening to the antics of the supporting and main characters that always make you laugh, cry, or get angry? What is it that drives you to play games. For me, it's more about saying, "I experienced that and I had fun while I learned something"; than it is saying, "I'm the best. "

What drives you readers to play games? Why do you pick up a controller even though society tells you you are just wasting away in front of a TV. It may just be the feeling of being the best. Or possibly, it could be deeper. Let me know your thoughts readers.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Love thy enemies [coolness]

I saw a shirt online [above] today that confirmed that with the right minds and execution [unlike this], religion and video games can mix. But anyway, here's a great way that video games and religion (or personal belief) can co-exist. Love thy enemy. You could make so many shirts like this with Bowser, Sephiroth, or Shredder, and personally I think it should be a line of shirts. I think it's great. The verse is from Luke 6:27

"But I tell you who hear me, love your enemies, do good to those that hate you."

And what better way to symbolize it than with Blinky, Inky, and Clyde? Do I really need to write anymore? What do you all think about this? Even if you don't prefer religion, what do you think about it?

-Jeremy aka Adridius

EA is getting sued [news]

In the wake of the exclusive rights to certain sports teams and their players, EA Sports is now getting sued, excuse me, they are receiving a class-action lawsuit in both California and Washington D.C. for anticompetitive conduct in respect to Madden 2006. The claim is that EA significantly raised the price of the game after receiving the exclusive NFL agreement. And since EA got the exclusive agreement, other game companies weren't able to get the agreement. I know, it sounds a bit confusing but that's what it says over at Davis LLP.

When I first saw this story I was happy. But then as I started to read it and figure out what exactly EA was getting sued for, I don't think the plaintiffs have a case here. I understand that what EA is doing is dirty and money hoarding. Not to mention that it also frees EA from having to be extremely innovative because, well, they have no competition; but I just don't see what these plaintiffs have here as far as a case. This is a business. And as much as I hate to say that because I feel that EA is ruining the quality of games for its own interests, I still understand that this is a business. I don't know what will end up happening, I just hope that whatever happens that EA doesn't take over EVERYone or else gaming is going to all around suck if there is no competition.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Okami [Wii review]

What if god was just a mutt? Well, not to get into any religious ideology with you wonderful readers, but that is sort of the premise for the celestial brush miracle game known as Okami.
Okami, which literally means “great god”, takes place in a non-specific era of Japanese history. Okami is set in Nippon. It starts off with a story told about a legend that supposedly happened 100 years ago. This legend depicts a white wolf by the name of Shiranui and a swordsman named Nagi that took down an evil 8-headed dragon by the name of Orochi. Shiranui and Nagi fought a hard battle against Orochi which ended up sealing the 8-headed monster away. For the next 100 years the legend of Nagi and Shiranui defeating Orochi would be talked about through all of Nippon. In the present, a man named Susano, who is a descendant of Nagi, accidentally frees Orochi to bring terror, evil, and darkness on Nippon once more. Because of this a woman named Sakuya, who is the guardian of Kamiki village, calls forth the sun goddess Amaterasu who is reincarnated into the form of the white wolf Shiranui. At this point you also meet a little bug like creature named Issun who is a traveling artist that is there with Amaterasu to help out on the journey to restoring Nippon to it’s former glory and ridding it of Orochi.

As you begin with the story you learn that there is one thing you must do; paint. Yes, if you’ve never played Okami before, you will be in for quite a surprise as painting is an intricate and crucial part of the gameplay. Amaterasu only starts off with one power that her celestial brush can accomplish. That power is the power to finish constellations. What this does is bring back the 13 gods that have the powers for your celestial brush to possess. Your first god that you bring back by filling in the missing stars of constellations is Yomigami, a dragon god. He has the power of regeneration or restoration. Because you brought him back he is able to bestow his power on you for your journey to help in any way possible. Let’s say a bridge is out because it has been destroyed. All you have to do is take your brush and fill in the missing parts of the bridge with ink and voila, instant restoration and the bridge can now be crossed. This is the power of the celestial brush. To understand and fully appreciate this game you must learn when to use the celestial brush and what kind of power should be used at any given point and time.

As the game progresses, knowing the different instances to use the brush becomes rather simple as Issun will tell you (if you haven’t figured it out already) what should be done with the brush. For instance; if you are fighting evil creatures Issun will let you know when the appropriate time to use the power slash technique. As the game progresses this will start to become second nature to you and you will be feeling like an artist in no time.
As the game progresses you will start to see why this game feels so artistic. Amaterasu’s ultimate goal is to rid Nippon of Orochi, but in the process she is restoring life left and right. This restoration of life is most notably in the form of plants and trees. As you go through the game, each time you take out an evil life form plants will start to grow around the area where you took out the evil. This shows a great contrast between dark and light and really magnifies what the job of a god (at least in the game Okami) is supposed to be. They are supposed to keep order and restore life to desolate places.

In my opinion what makes this game so great is its graphics. It literally looks like an art canvass in motion. The colors are rich, the motion is fluid, and you get a real sense of serenity and peace while playing the game. This bit of serenity is magnified when Amaterasu uses the celestial brush to bring plant life back into a dark forest. As you use the brush in a circular motion around some plants, they will bloom. This process of blooming is a gorgeous site to watch as it really shows off the developer’s creativity and artistic ability. Nothing in this game looks realistic as it is purposely supposed to look a little bit more on the anime side. But even though it may look like a cartoon, you’ll never get the feeling that the game is too “kiddy” because the feel of the game isn’t juvenile at all.

The audio is another aspect of beauty. The music seems to go with the scenery quite well. At times I felt myself wanting to put the audio on repeat and just doze off to sleep with the soft flutes playing in the background. The music compliments the visuals and vice-versa. The one gripe I do have about the audio, although small, is the characters speech. The entire game is subtitles, which isn’t a problem. The problem is that instead of just grunting once for a set of subtitles, it seems as if jibberish has to be spoken for every single word. It’s hard to put into text, but it really is part grumbling, part jibberish, for every word that is spoken in the game. At first this got on my nerves a bit, but as the game started to progress it was easier and easier to accept.

Another gripe I have with the game is the actual motion of painting with the Wii-mote. Let me
just say that the motion controls for the game are well done. They are not overdone. The gist of the motion controls is similar to Super Mario Galaxy in which I shake the Wii-mote to attack enemies. The only other time I use the motion controller is when I am painting. This can be good and bad. It’s good because I actually get to draw, and that is pretty neat. The bad part is the execution of what you are trying to draw at times. There were a number of times where I was stuck at a specific cut-scene because I couldn’t draw what they wanted me to draw as specifically as they wanted me to draw it. And some cut-scenes I have had to do more than five times. The other gripe I have with the drawing is that it seems to not always recognize depth. As I am drawing a bomb, I want it to show up in the foreground, where Amaterasu is standing; but instead it shows up in the background in a place where I wasn’t even trying to put it. This is also frustrating when you are trying to draw a circle to bring a tree back to life. Even though I may be drawing the circle directly onto the tree, for some reason it will register that I was trying to draw a circle for a tree behind it. The tree that I wasn’t drawing for is further back that the tree I was trying to draw for. As the game goes on you will find out how to deal with this, but for a casual gamer this just might be enough to make you put down the Wii-mote forever and never touch this game again.

Overall however, Ready at Dawn did a good job in creating a motion sensor game that focuses on art and the beauty of it. The story itself isn’t extremely original and that leads to the game feeling kind of bland. Okami is an original game with original graphics thrown into an unoriginal story line and sub-par dialogue. Don’t get me wrong, Okami is a good game, it just seems to be missing that “fun” factor. I would find myself playing it just to play it, not necessarily because I was having fun. It does start to pick up steam the more and more you get into the game, but five or six hours of gameplay might be too long for some gamers to wait before the meat of the action and story line come into play. For what it is, Okami is a great game. But to me it seemed a little too slowly paced. Maybe this is because it is trying to keep a theme of serenity and peace and “taking your time” with the brush strokes as the game itself tells you to do. All in all if you liked the game on PS2, you should like the game on the Wii. If you’ve never played the game, but like Japanese culture, you want to pick up this game. And if you want to witness some of the most unique set of graphics that next-gen gaming has to offer, you will want to pick up Okami. For some it will be the most intrinsic game they have ever played, and for others, the fun factor just won’t be there. But ultimately Okami is a unique experience that should be enjoyed by any person who has an appreciation for video games, art, or both.

8.5/10

Jeremy aka Adridius

Microsoft wants to be the first to release [news]

Microsoft wants to be the first to release a new console in the next next generation console war as it did with Xbox 360. Robbie Bach of Microsoft had this to say:

The last cycle for the original Xbox was a little shorter than typical (at four years). We started way late.

If you take the question of whether it was the right thing to try to be first [with Xbox 360], the answer to that is definitely yes. It has given us a leg up in a number of places that are super important.

It has given us a leg up with game developers. It has given us a leg up from an economics perspective. It helped us expand Xbox Live quickly. At a strategy level, if you asked if we wanted to be first again, I would say yes.

But when asked when we may see Microsoft's newest creation Bach simply said:

Our view is we will be selling Xbox 360 for a long time.

Does this rub you guys the right or the wrong way? Because Microsoft seems to be all about money, even though they have made a pretty nice piece of hardware in Xbox 360. Everyone knows that Microsoft screwed so many people on release day when they would be playing their 360 and the unwanted red ring of death would show up. Dogs yelped, babies cried, and the faint sound of "ahhhh" could be heard in the city streets. If Microsoft does come out first with a new console, I, personally, will probably still be playing my Wii and PS3 (and yes my Xbox 360 elite) while I wait for all the bad apple Xbox's to filter their way out of the stores while the masses try to brag to me and tell me that they've gotten their hands on "IT" (ebay reference).

I understand Microsoft's point here. They want to make money and the sooner they can introduce something new into the market the sooner they can start making money on it. But let's not be so hasty Microsoft; take into account what is happening with the Wii (which is kicking your butt in sales) and with the PS3 (the developers are learning that this system is more and more what they thought it was). Just because you are first out of the block doesn't mean you'll win the race.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Go buy a real Hula Hoop! [Tiny interview]

There is a fitness instructor on Diet.com named Sarah who was asked to test out some of Wii Fit and give her take on how it helps an individual person to become more fit. These are her responses:

Soccer:
"Labeled as a balance exercise, this game could really double as a core workout however in order to get the benefits you need to engage your core."

Hula Hoop:
"According to my heart rate the benefits I received from hula hoop were equivalent to a walking warm-up. My advice go out and buy and actual hula hoop if you like it that much."

Running Program:
"Why purchase a $90 game to run when you can do it for free?"

Being as I have never played the game you must take my comments for what they are: comments. I think the problem with her hula hoop statement is simply this. What if I can't hula hoop with a real hula hoop (which I really can't, I know, it's sad)? She actually has a point though, it's better to go spend money on a real hula hoop than just getting this game for your hula hoop enjoyment. As far as running for free, I don't really like to run. I'm not disagreeing with her, I just don't like to go outside and run. I'd rather get on an eliptical. Do you think the Wii Fit will come out with that add-on one day (absolutely not, lol).

Ok so this post isn't a huge deal and Sarah makes some extremely valid points. But I thought it'd be fun to post anyway. It will be interesting to see, as this game is out longer, if people actually do get more fit by playing Wii Fit. That will be the real story. Stay tuned to your regularly scheduled keeping up with gaming news life.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

MGS4, Incredible Hulk, Okami [update]

Hi all. Just to let you know I bought MGS4 today and plan (I say plan because I don't want to make any guarantees) to do a review on it. Also I was just asked by another place I write for to do Okami for the Wii (I know it's been out for a while, but it doesn't come out in Europe until next week). So I'll probably be working on those two games for the next week with more immediacy placed on Okami since it's on a deadline not up to me. As far as the Incredible Hulk, I am very intrigued by the looks of the game. It also appears to be working on a similar engine (from what I've seen of the commercials so far) as the previous Hulk game on PS2. So those are the three things I'll be working on most likely in the next week. Keep checking back. I wanted to give a heads up to all of my readers though, new content will be coming. Keep checking back.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Skitchin [Throwbacks]

If you are looking at your computer screen right now and don't know what the heck you are looking at, it's ok. Skitchin was one of the most unique games I have ever played when I was younger. I never had thought about the concept of grabbing on to the back of cars and letting them carry me past my opponents that I am racing. One prime moment that I remember when I was playing Skitchin (on the short lived SEGA Channel) was when I got pushed off of grabbing a car and I went flying through a billboard. I still remember that I was laughing uncontrollably for at least two minutes and couldn't stop laughing every time I thought about it for the next few days. I'd love to see this game brought back in some way on next-gen systems. Enjoy the video.

Jeremy aka Adridius

Things to do while you wait for MGS4 [sillyness]

Well, since we are less than a week away from the HUGE release of MGS4, I thought I'd make a list of things to do to pass the time while you are waiting for the big day. These aren't in any kind of order.

1. Play 52 card pickup 52 times with special MGS4 playing cards
2. Read the dictionary, but say Metal Gear solid before every word
3. Go buy Metal Gear Solid 1-3 and play those through
4. Draw all the MGS4 characters and make a comic book with your OWN story line
   
5. Play frisbee with your old MGS games
6. Count jelly beans
7. Organize your sock drawer
8. Color co-ordinate your underwear
9. Watch all of the cut-scenes in every MGS
10. Dress up as Solid Snake and sneak around your house without anyone knowing you are there
11. Practice laying underneath a box for hours
12. When people start talking to you tell them "We better talk on the codec for better privacy instead"
13. Try to beat MGS 1 in under 3 hours
14. Buy a MGS4 T-shirt and proclaim that you won't take it off until MGS4 comes out
15. Act like you have a stealth suite on, and when people look at you, do random things because you just KNOW they can't see you
16. Buy a snake
17. Say Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 100 times fast
18. Get your tent ready to camp out at your local game store
19. Dress up like Altair, but put a fake cigarette in your mouth so people know you are really dressing up as Snake
20. Go buy 4th of July fireworks and every hour on the hour, light one and say "HAPPY ONE HOUR CLOSER TO MGS4!!!"

I hope you all enjoyed that a little bit, even if you are not MGS fans. If you've got any more to add, feel free to comment, I'd love to hear some more funny ways to pass the time before this monumental game becomes available.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

In-game advertising a go by Sony [news]

PS3 and Pepsi can now be friends. Well, if Pepsi pays that is.

Sony has opened the door up to in-game advertising thanks to it's agreement with in-game advertising partner IGA Worldwide. Game publishers and advertising firms will be able to buy and sell ad space within games to reach their target audience of people 18-34 years of age. The advertising will be placed in your typical games, there won't be billboards in Final Fantasy games so don't worry. The first money hungry..er..I mean company to jump on board with this is EA. They will have dynamic advertising any Madden, NBA, NASCAR and NHL games. They will also have advertising in the Burnout series and Need for Speed.

An interesting idea is that these ads can be updated in real-time. You won't see the same, let's say, Pepsi ad on every turn 3 in a NASCAR game, maybe you will see a Sugar Daddy billboard instead the next time you race. That's pretty intriguing.

As for my opinion on it. It's really hard to say. As long as they don't take away from the gaming experience, I'm neither yay or nay for them. But if they start getting so in the way that it's a pain to play video games (such as sometimes the case when I watch TV with so many ads, thank you TiVo for helping me with that annoyance) then we might have a problem. The other thing is, if we are going to get ads in games, can the price-tag for the game come down a bit? This is one thing I never understood about movie ticket prices. Different movie theaters have different prices, but before the movie starts there are so many local ads now-a-days you would think that they could decrease a movie ticket by at least a dollar. But hey, I'm talking to the wind here because the bottom line is money. And the more money you have the more resources you can buy, so I get it.

Ultimately this could be a good thing for the industry. It'll start letting other companies whom have employees that have never picked up a video game controller be sort-of familiar with a game they've never heard of. And in this way the media of video games can start to become a standard medium with TV, Radio, and Internet. And if that happens then video games will get much more exposure and they will have the opportunity to grow.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

GTA made me do it [ridiculousness]

Does this image make you want to shoot your local law enforcement peace keeper?

Just thought I'd do a nice short little post about a man in New Zealand. Tim Reid, a 25-year-old New Zealand man, is claiming through his lawyer that he beat up a police officer and stole a patrol car because he had played GTA. This is a quote from a news account:

[Reid] committed violent offences and compulsively played Grand Theft Auto. Mr Nicholls [Reid's lawyer] said a video game that showed violence toward police was a public safety concern, with the game promoting the behaviour...

Wellington District Court judge Denys Barry jailed Reid for five years... He said Reid was hardwired for violence and anti-social behaviour and programmed by his recreational pursuits.

Oh for fricks sake! I really don't have to stand on a soapbox and rant about this, because Gamepolitics.com points out a very interesting aspect of Reid's life.

GP: Reid, according to the report, began smoking pot at age five. He had been physically and sexually abused while growing up, and continues to abuse drugs and alcohol. He has priors for assault and robbery. Moreover, he is a 25-year-old man, not an impressionable adolescent.

Right...video games made him do it. Spare me.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

Konami asking reviewers to omit [news]

This is simply a rumor, but apparently Konami has asked certain review sites to omit the cut-scene length and the install time for MGS4. This is interesting to me because of all my years being in games and reading game reviews and keeping up with the industry I have never heard of a company asking (or telling) another company what to omit out of a review.

Good cop, bad cop, time.

Good cop. I can totally understand why Konami would not want cut-scene length and install times in a review. Personally to me the install time should mean jack in reviewing a game. Yes, I could mention it, but why? That has nothing to do with my overall gameplay experience when it comes to whether I liked the games story, characters, graphics, and gameplay. This is simply my opinion, but I understand what Konami means. And secondly, the cut-scene length; who cares. I love cut-scenes personally and for some reason cut-scene length can be viewed as a bad thing. But for me, it's not. But again, I can see the negative connotation that may seem to come off in certain reviews about cut-scene length; but, overall, it should not be looked at negatively.

Bad cop. Konami has no right to ask this. Their game is what it is and it should be allowed to be put under the full microscope that is video game reviewing. If they have a problem with what was said then they shouldn't read the reviews, or better yet, don't make the game. Everyone is subject to the full fledged criticism of a reviewer because they are indeed a critic. If you know you have a stellar game, don't worry about a couple of little things that maybe bring the score down by a percentage point. If someone doesn't buy your game because of those little factors, then they really didn't want to buy your game anyway. Shame on you Konami for asking this. You are a stellar game company, don't be worried about some petty review that may make your game look good in every area and then slam it for install times and cut-scene length. It doesn't matter, so don't ask it to be omitted.

Just a heads up for my readers. When I do reviews I try to put in the most important aspects of the game that I feel can make or break your experience. Since some games are getting extremely long I put in what I feel is most important to your overall gaming experience. There were so many more points I could have added about Lost Odyssey and GTA IV; but the point is that the games were great, so omitting certain quotes or isolated gameplay instances that I liked doesn't seem like a big deal if the bottom line is that the game is great. And also a heads up, I'm thinking about switching my review scale from 1-10 to a graded A-F scale. If I do switch I will have an explanation of why I did.

-Jeremy aka Adridius