84% not good enough

What if Mario was M? Parents probably wouldn't even notice, because itsa ME Mario!


To all the parents out there who say video games are getting worse and worse. To all news organizations that say video games are too violent and contain to much sex. To all the politicians who are trying to ban games. Tell me why, in the middle of your, "games are going to bring about the birth of the antichrist" talk you never mentioned that only 6% of games released last year were rated M. For all of you that don't understand that, it's as if only 6% of the movies that came out last year were rated R (that's not the case, it's just a comparison). Here's a quote from 1UP.com about the research.

"The Electronic Software Ratings Board...[found that] out of the 1,563 games the ESRB assigned a rating to last year, only 6% were given the M rating. That works out to roughly 8.5 out of every 10 games in 2007 being deemed appropriate for player of at least 13 years."

Amazing. Actually, no it's not amazing. Because of the whacked out people who always crush video games and say they are ruining our youth, you'd think someone would notice that when they go to a game store that they see more E's and T's than M's. But the problem is, the M's are all they want to see.

It's like a person who refuses to see the positive and choose to look at the minute percentage, in this case 6%, of negative, well in their view. And while I'm at it, why do so many people judge games they do not even play. Unlike a lot of rated R movies I have seen, most rated M games I have played are not rated M so that they can be over the top, it's just that the game and story line and action call for it to be rated M. Some rated R movies I've seen go out of their way to insert a sex scene or the say the F word 200 times, just because they can. I'm not saying their are games that don't do that, but I haven't seen many of them.

So before all you crazed "back in my day" people start going insane over how bad games are, look at the facts first.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

No..Wii love PS2

He Love? She love? Wii love...PS2

I came across some interesting figures today courtesy of Kotaku.com. There was research done by Oricon that surveyed 250 Japanese players on which systems they are buying.. I don't know about you, but I've been jealous all my life of how Japan can get so many cool games earlier than we can, but hey, that's the circle of life and I'll have to live with it. But it is quite interesting to see the type of systems they most value and then when Oricon is able to get figures from age groups and genders, that makes it all that more interesting. I have to say I was surprised that the Wii was the least owned system and that it was in no other age group or gender lists top 5. This might be due to the "high demand, low supply", but even so. The DS however, well that was to be expected. As far as PS2, think about when that system came out (early 2000) and it's still going strong over here in the U.S. and in Japan. If that's any indication to what the PS3 will experience I feel more happy than Tom Cruise jumping on a yellow couch.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

1. PlayStation 2: 62.3 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 55.4 percent
3. Super Famicom: 42.5 percent
4. PlayStation: 37. 5 percent
5. Game Boy: 34.3 percent
6. Game Boy Advance: 31.8 percent
7. Famicom: 28.3 percent
8. NINTENDO64: 25.4 percent
9. PSP: 17 percent
10. Wii: 16.4 percent

Women
1. Nintendo DS: 62 percent
2. PlayStation 2: 58.5 percent
3. Super Famicom: 40.3 percent
4. Game Boy: 36.4 percent
5. PlayStation: 36.2 percent

Men
1. PlayStation 2: 65.7 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 49.3 percent
3. Super Famicom: 44.5 percent
4. PlayStation: 38.8 percent
5. Game Boy: 32.3 percent

Teens
1. PlayStation 2: 64.1 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 55.8 percent
3. Game Boy: 51.1 percent

20s
1. PlayStation 2: 70.2 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 56.9 percent
3. Super Famicom: 42.7 percent

30s
1. PlayStation 2: 60 percent
2. Nintendo DS: 51.1 percent
3. Super Famicom: 39.1 percent

40s
1. Nintendo DS: 58.1 percent
2. PlayStation 2: 54.4 percent
3. Super Famicom: 42.8 percent

Twisted Metal..PS3...GASP!

Sweet Tooth: "Come closer, I have a secret"
Me: "Is it a new Twisted Metal game? OMG IT'S a KNIFE!..wait no it's a twisted metal game..AHHHH *GASP!*"

I have (GASP!) heard that the PS3 is coming to Twisted Metal in 2009. Wait, thats backward (GASP!). It's true Twisted Metal is coming to PS3. David Jaffe, on the development team for Eat Sleep Play, which could be developing Twisted Metal said,

"All we have said is that we have a three-game contract with Sony. Those games are PlayStation 3. We have started development on the first of those three games a couple of weeks ago. Realistically, that game will see the light of day at the end of 2009, maybe a little later or sooner, we'll see how things go."

It's about time Mr. Jaffe. That's a cool name by the way. And people with cool names make cool games. It kind of sucks that I have to wait till toward the end of 2009, but at the same time that makes me excited because I have faith the game will be done right. OMG can you imagine online rankings and online play with Twisted Metal? I'm laughing like Sweet Tooth over here I'm so happy.

If I find anything else about this game in the coming days I'll just add to this post. Keep a lookout.

Update: no more than 2 minutes after I posted this. Here's a quote from Jaffe himself.

"Twisted Metal is coming to PS3." Guess that answers it. Thank you Sweet Tooth, you will grace my presence again. Please don't stab me. Stab Roadkill.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

It's official, Fox hates Video games like God hates satan

Want your world to stay like this?
Fox says don't play video games....huh?

Ok. I have to calm myself down before I get angry. I was on destructoid.com earlier today (some great stuff by the way, check it out and mention you heard of them through me) and I found a blog talking about how Fox news (yes that's fox with a capital F) did a story on how "Video games may hurt nature." Of course, Mr. D-toid (thats a short version for destructoid for all of you that don't know) is quick to point out that the actual research that is done for the segment blames TV and computer activity as a whole. The gist is that because people are spending so much time indoors, they won't have an appreciation for nature, and thus won't care what happens to it.
Oh well that makes total sense coming from a TV NETWORK! Let's all stop watching 24, the Super Bowl, The Sara(h?) Connor Chronicles, Family Guy, American Dad, The Simpsons, and so forth, because we are ruining nature by supposedly 'not caring'. But no, Fox didn't take the time to talk about them, they wanted to put more blame on Video Games and point out how the apocalypse is inevitable because 8 year olds named Timmy like to play Nintendogs instead of playing with their real dog outside. Or that one kid who comes home every day and stays inside doing his homework all day because he's trying to get a job that requires him to be in an office where he types out facts and figures and then retires to sit at home and watch..omg.. FOX! Wait, that last part didnt have anything to do with video games...
What's even more is the researchers themselves do NOT, I repeat, do NOT single out video games themselves, Fox decided to do that with its own headline. I guess reading, writing, and arithmetic are all part of satan now because most of the time they involve being indoors. I guess cooking is out of the question, and grilling is better. And driving your car is worse than riding a bike. Come on people, really? Are you going to let this stand? And while Fox is at it, they might as well blame indoor beds and praise people who camp because they have a 'respect' for wild-life. John Deere thinks your lame Fox. Geez.

-Jeremy aka Adridius

You might win some (18) but you just lost 1!

I know this is a video game blog. I know the focus is supposed to be on video games, I will tie in video games, but first I want to say how elated I am that the Giants won. I am a Cowboy and a Packer fan, so I wasn't very happy when the G-men beat us, but I am over the top excited that the Patriots lost. Now all the talk of "are the pats the best team ever" can stop, now the "the pats are going undefeated" can cease, and the newly arrived topic "are the pats going to be the first 100 team on madden" will never see the light of day again, at least for now. As a journalist you want to be able to convey your thoughts clearly to an audience. Well my thought is "Woo hoo!! The Patriots won 18 games in a row and lost, choked, feel asleep, bit the big one, hit the wall, and whatever other term you want to use to describe what just happened. " I didn't want to hear about the god-like Patriots for the rest of my life. As a Cowboys fan I would much rather hear that the Giants are the Super Bowl champs, than to hear about the 19-0 Patriots for the rest of my life. I can hear about the Giants for a season, than the Patriots for a life-time. I am absolutely stoked to hear what all the commentators who were kissing up to the Patriots this year will say in the coming weeks about how the Patriots didn't win and how the Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. All the people who said the Patriots were unbeatable, and especially all the idiots who weren't giving the NFC a chance at ALL no matter who the NFC team was in the Super Bowl. Those people that said that the Pats would be so far ahead at half-time that the game wouldn't be watchable. Those people that said that the Patriots could beat the 90's Cowboys, 80's 49ers, 70's Steelers and '72 Dolphins. Yeah, those people, I want to see them eat their words. Patriots, you might win some but you just lost one. Plaxico's prediction of a low scoring game with the Giants winning doesn't look so stupid after all huh? Congrats to the Manning brothers for winning back to back Super Bowls. Man...I am so happy.

Mario, Peach, Diddy, oh my

Ok, so maybe that title doesnt totally make sense, but I wanted to save the cool title (which is known by me and only me for now) for later when I actually review the game. I've read up that there are actually Zelda, Star Fox 64, and Super Mario Bros. demos right there on the SSBB disc. Awesome. But what's cooler than that? No, not the fact that the game got pushed back a month to the beginning of March (arggghhhhh!!!). The cool thing is this new Japanese commercial for the game and the fact that I've heard rumors of...get ready, brace yourself...48 characters!!!! Enjoy. And also free of charge, I've included a game-play video...please dont wet your pants.

Call of Duty 4 is the Bomb!

Call of Duty 4 is..is..wonderful. I am not the most die-hard first person shooter. I am not the most die-hard army game fan. I have officially become a die hard Call of Duty (if produced by Infinity Ward) fan. Seriously, I'm not one for first person shooters where things can get frustrating to a point of giving up. The idea of enemies popping up around corners and such don't sit well with me. Luckily, COD4 helps matters, at least in my case, by always giving me allies who direct me in what to do and where to go, and rarely do enemies sneak up behind me.
That alone isn't the only reason why COD4 excels compared to other first person shooters. The story is fast paced and the voice acting is top notch. I actually felt as if I was part of the army. When my comrades died, a little piece of me was saddened even though I knew it was a virtual world. But most of all, I loved how the game stayed consistent, but not monotonous.
Throughout the game you will be either on foot, in a helicopter, in a plane, or in a vehicle, and every type of terrain is different, and yet, familiar. The interesting part of this game is although you are one character for the majority of the time (a guy named SOAP), you still get to experience other soldiers roles such as when you are in a plane high above a site shooting at enemies who have no chance of shooting you because you are so high in the air. Simply put, the game is multifarious.
Yes, it is short, yes it goes by quickly because you are having fun, but replay value is through the roof for two reasons. One is online play. I have only done free-for-all online play, and that is fun in itself. When I'm actually able to unlock new modes after getting my rank up, who knows how many hours I will be on this game. The other replay value is seeing if you can beat the game in harder modes of difficulty. I beat it with little frustration on the normal level, so who knows how many times I will die in the harder levels, but that makes it all the more exciting because as I get more familiar with the levels, difficulty will be a manner of skill rather than surprise.
Overall, this is a great first person shooter and a great army game. This serves well for any development company that wants to make quality games in the future. I can't wait until Infinity Ward unleashes their next genius game, but in the meantime I'll definitely have something to do.

-Jeremy

Another Sega character game

So I was checking on the wonderful destructoid.com and I have found a new Sega game. It's tennis. Now, I know what you're thinking...actually, I dont know what you're thinking, but here's what I'm thinking, why does Sega not make quality games anymore, especially the ones involving Sonic and his pals? Ok I know that doesn't have so much to do with the tennis game, but it's a point I want to bring up. Can Sega make good games, especially with this new tennis game coming out? It just seems that Sega tries to capitalize on how much people love Sonic, and dont take the time to flush out all the excitement and potential that each one of their games has a chance to possess. Granted, maybe they are content with selling games to the younger audience who don't understand everything that goes into a game, and if that's the case, then that's ok. But, looking at this video, it has major potential and could be great, I'm not saying it can't be great, I'm just a little worried, thats all. Oh and the fact that Dr. Robotnic's name is now Dr. Eggman, sucks!


-Jeremy

Leggo my eggo batman

I have never played a Lego game longer than five minutes. I have never owned a Lego game. I hate Legos. I never played with Legos growing up. I never was too interested because I wasn't into building things. If it's already built and you want me to play with the little Lego characters and make a story out of it or something else in which my child imagination could think up, then yes I could do that. So it's a wonder that I am excited about a Lego I can finally play. Lego Batman. Nothing really to report here, just some new screens. Enjoy.

-Jeremy





BATMAN ....and robin...LEEEGGOOOOO!
Robin can only take down "normal" thugs
...and he needs a new mask..i know who you are robin..I know who you are...actually..who IS robin? Isnt his name dick? No seriously?
Who cares...cause..here comes...batman...da da da da da da da da BATMAN!
Notice how the Bat is scaring the Scarecrow. He's a G. He scares the scary.
Who the heck is this? A ninja turtle reject that got stuck in Gotham?
Jokers face is funny...hahaha

NFL Tour impressions

I downloaded the demo of NFL Tour for PS3 and I must say, I'm not impressed. First of all, NFL Tour seemingly pulled away from it's predecessor by doing away with Gamebreakers. This seems to be a good thing, but gamebreakers really had a way of speeding game-play up. There doesnt appear to be any sort of turbo in this game, just a speed burst such as that of Madden. Ok, before I go on a bashing rant let me talk about the aspects of the game that I do like. I do like how there is a new counter-system implemented in the game so that it doesn't seem like luck when you break a tackle, or can't break a tackle. I can see what the developers were going for, but as far as being able to counter a broken tackle and lay in for a big hit, it all happens much too slowly to feel as if you are playing football. This is supposed to be the arcady version of madden and I feel that it moves so much slower.
Now for the bashing. NFL Tour is way too slow to be an arcade football game. The jukes look like jukes my mom could make on a stationary couch. The speed of the game just isn't there at all. When it comes to arcade type big hits, it fails again. I don't know if this is because the NFL wanted to take away the big hits with no pads aspect of what made the first NFL Street popular, or if the developers just don't seem to get it.
There is a new way to pass the ball which seems unnecessary. Instead of pressing the button that corresponds with the icon over the players head, you can press a button to switch your target receivers and then press another button to throw to them. For example, when you drop back, one receiver will have a visible X over their head (on the PS3 version) and one will have a faded O over their head. To throw to the O you have to press O then X because now that receiver is your primary receiver.
I like the idea of what tour is trying to do with the motion controls, but I don't think they do it well. If you want your running back to break a tackle or a defensive lineman to throw an offensive lineman out of the way, you can move your controller in a direction to execute that action. It seems though that it is tough to do as I found myself just waving the controller around back and forth instead of trying to execute a specific movement. In this instance I would rather have had a button to push, especially with the defensive lineman.
Overall, I don't understand why the game is as slow as it is. The first Street version of the series was much more fast paced, everything from running to throwing, now it just seems as if the game-play isn't up to par with what it used to be, or what it COULD be.

-Jeremy