Gamer Mania 2

Super Stardust HD (PSN) Review

2007-08-07T17:26:00.000-04:00

I'm bored, so I figure I might as well come back for a review. Since we stopped blogging I've picked up all 3 of the new consoles, the PS3 just recently and the Wii back in February.

Here goes.

Super Stardust HD is the latest downloadable title to hit the Playstation Store and the third space shooter available. Unlike Blast Factor and Nucleus before it, SSHD does a lot to seperate itself from the pack. Instead of the normal flat, square grid that most shooters like this have, Stardust puts you on a spherical planet that your ship can fly around all 360 degrees of. You'll encounter gold, ice, and rock asteroids along with mechanized thingy-mabobbers [Yeah.. thingy-mabobbers, got a problem with my vocabulary? :-P] of all shapes and sizes that want to hurt you. To stop them, you get a Rock Crusher, a Gold Melter, and an Ice Splitter. Each weapon destroys the matching asteroid fastest, adding a level of strategy to the game. The asteroids have green power up rocks inside them that hold points, shields, or upgrades for your weapons. Also in your arsenal are bombs that clear the screen and a Dash, which shoots you across the screen, destroying everything in your path. The downside is it takes 10 seconds to recharge after you use it.

There are 5 planets that all have slightly different designs and enemies, along with different types of asteroids. Each planet is broken down into five phases, with more crap flying at you the further you go, and in the last phase of each there's a boss for you to ass-kick. There's both an Arcade mode and a Planet mode, but I haven't really figured out the difference between them. The official description is that Arcade allows you to unlock new planets and Planet mode is just for getting high scores, but I unlocked a planet in Planet mode too.. So I'm not sure if there's actually a difference between them or not.

The graphics remind me of Asteroids on steroids. Everything is hella shiny, from your weapons (the gold melter is especially pretty) to the enemies, to the planet. What I like most about it is how when you shoot the asteroids they break into bits very smoothly. It's just so incredible!

I'm not usually one to have much to say about sound, and that's the same this time around. I'll just say it's not bad music, but some of the sound effects are suuper annoying (one of the boss fights where rockets get fired comes to mind).

The most disappointing aspect of this game is the lack of online play. There's co-op, but it's only offline. It's not as good as the single player because your lives are shared and you have to stay on the same screen, but it still would've added longevity if it was online. There are still a lot of different leaderboards, which are a nice touch.

Overall for $10 this is a great deal, especially if you love games like this. I'm not going to say this is the PS3's Geometry Wars, because it's not that amazing, but it's the best bang for your buck on the PSN so far. 8/10

Now this doesn't mean we're coming back for sure, but I definitely had fun writing this and it didn't take too long, so don't be surprised if we do come back - Just like when we started out - Games only.

Keep an eye out.

Goodbye GM2, Media Monster Is Here!

2006-11-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

After 1 yr, 2 months, 5 days, 11 hours, and 28 minutes, Gamer Mania 2 has officially ended, to make room for the new superblog, Media Monster. Although we're keeping this blog up for archive reasons, it probably won't have any posts. I hope all of you GM2 readers can't get used to the change, but it's going to be great. We're starting fresh. We're bringing over some of the great GM2 segments, but we're putting a lot of new ones too, like lists every week, and alot of other great stuff you're definitely going to enjoy. If you thought GM2 was good, wait til you read Media Monster. So, it's so hard to say, but goodbye Gamer Mania 2, there's been good times, there's been bad, but you will never be forgotten. Without you, Media Monster would be nothing. So here is the link to our new baby:

Media Monster

-All of us

The death of GM2 today?

2006-10-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

You read that right, we are strongly considering letting GM2 go in favor of a new, redesigned blog. What we're going to do for now is start up this new blog with me, Zam, and Doug leading the way, and run it for a month or so to see how it works out. If we get a lot of hits and some comments we'll keep going with it and leave GM2 here as an old archive.

The reason we're doing this is because this blog has gotten way off course and we need to redirect what we're trying to do. We also lost tons of readers when we went dry over the summer, which was a very bad move. With this new one I think we we're aiming for is mainly games, but with movies, TV, and music sprinkled in moreso then they are now. We'll also have the occasional hot women on when it fits in. So it's not going to be another Gamer Mania, but something new.

So for a week to two weeks we're going to be not doing any posting unless there's big news, because you have no idea how much work it takes to really plan out a blog if you want it to succeed. We're also going to bank some game and movie reviews to drop all at once in the first week so we can start out with a bang. Doug's going to stay with us and probably help out a lot since he's not only a reader, but he recently made a new blog from an old one and in two months he's getting 400 hits a day. We have also acquired a new member by the name of Cat, who is definitely going to bring some diversity to a staff of 3 guys. Not only is she a woman but she lives in Europe, so she'll be able to give some very different opinions than we do. And soon the inevitable "Do you really game?!!?!?" questions will come...

And for all you GM2 fans don't worry, we're going to keep a lot of what we do here. We just want to add now that we've learned a lot from this blog. We'll keep you updated on how it's going with things like the name, what we're going to do in the first week, and when exactly we think it's going to start. And we'll give you a link once it's done.

Just stay with us guys, we promise it's about to get very good, very soon.

Fall of Liberty

2006-10-24T15:15:00.000-04:00

In 1931, Winston Churchill was hit by a taxi in New York. In the real world, he survived, and went on to rally the British people to fight the Nazi threat. But what if he hadn't?

It's from this premise that Fall Of Liberty takes it's theme - without Churchill's leadership, Europe and the United Kingdom have fallen to Hitler's forces. By 1951, using crushing technical superiority, the United States is invaded and defeated by the Third Reich.

With this setting, Fall Of Liberty will be an FPS experience like no other; a game that's both a World War 2 FPS and something different. Fighting not as a soldier, but a resistance fighter in a United States of America that's under the rule of a foreign power.

Now that sounds like a cool game. I know they do WWII games ad nauseam, but at least this one has a new twist. I really like this idea, and often wonder about things like this. Seeing it on screen just sounds fun.

I haven't been able to find a definitive answer as to what all this will be released for. In a couple different places, all I've seen is next-gen/PC. So who knows which next-gen systems they are talking about. I'd imagine the PS3 and 360.

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

Wow, Did You Know It;s Time For Marked Down Mondays?!?!?!

2006-10-23T19:36:00.000-04:00

Yippee, it's time for Marked Down Mondays! This week we got a special. Great deals, plus all the shipping is FREE! Now the deals:

1. The first deal is a good one. It's a nice Logitech (very good and trusting company) Bluetooth headset. But its for the amazing price of........$19.99! This is a great deal, and you save about $30! Plus, the shipping is FREE! Now that's amazing. Go and buy this little baby HERE.

2. Secondly, this is an great, great deal. Nowadays, viruses and spyware and getting crazy. There are so many. And you need some good protection. But did you know you can get a pretty respected and popular virus protection software program for only $6.99?!?! I didn't either until I found this deal on the new Norton Antivirus 2007. Plus, the shipping is FREE! But, it has a $30 mail-in-rebate, which is pretty bad. But still, this is an incredible deal you can't pass up. Check it out HERE.

3. Finally, this is an awesome deal on a HUGE hard drive. And when I say big, I mean BIG. This thing is 500GB! Now when you hear this, you think, "Wow, that's gotta be at least $600." Well you'd be wrong. It's actually only $199.95! Plus, the shipping is FREE! Man, that's great. This hard drive usually goes for over $300. Go and get this for you computer, now, right HERE.

Hope you liked this FREE shipping marathon this week. Enjoy!

-Zam

This Week In Gm2!

2006-10-23T14:58:00.000-04:00

Before we start TWIGM2, let's first talk about last week in GM2:

Ton deals us some deals in MDM
SmilesD disses 5 games in his 5 most overrated games
Ton gives you a carbinated, over-the-speed-limit preview of Need For Speed: Carbon
Musicology: Video of the band Augustana
I dished out 3 great websites in WW
Ton recaps this week in releases in Release Recap
360 News: 100GB Hard Drive!!!
Some PS3 News
No Halo Movie! (For Now anyway)
Videology: Watch as this guy proves he has sexual crisma
SmilesD asks the question: What was your first must have game?
Lucy Clarkson has a message for you (pictures of her ass, INCLUDED!!)
Finally, A review of the new Justice League Heroes for the Nintendo DS

This week, SmilesD is doing his usual news, random questions, all his usuals. Ton is bringing you a few previews for the 360 and possibly a review of something. I'm brining you a review of Robin Williams' new comedy "Man of the Year", and maybe a preview or two, and maybe another preview. And of course, the usuals, the Videology, the Marked Down Mondays, Release Recap, all that good stuff. So this is gonna be a good week in GM2!

Justice League Heroes (DS)

2006-10-23T14:29:00.000-04:00

Normally I wouldn't get a game like this for the DS, but a few months ago when I was trading things in, they brought it to my attention I could save a few more bucks if I reserved a game. I scanned the sheet, nothing caught my eye, so for whatever reason this was the game I ended up with.

I haven't gotten all that far into the game, but here's what I've picked up on so far. Someone is controlling the minds of various villians and superheroes. It's your job to go around and get these mind control devices off the various individuals.

As far as gameplay is concerned, it's a button masher with a little technique mixed in. So far, 9 out of 10 villians has been a robot who shoots at you. Different characters have different fighting tecniques. I've only used Batman, Wonderwoman, and Flash so far, so here's an example of some of different fighting techniques.

Batman throws his batarang, punches, and does some explosion type attack. However, he's very slow so he's not a very good choice when fighting in areas with lots of robots.

Wonderwoman throws her lasso, punches, and does a flying twist type attack. She also flys around which is good when trying to avoid enemies.

Lastly, and probably my favorite character to use so far is Flash. Obviously, the guy is fast, and his attacks are super fast which makes me extremely affective in highly populated enemy areas.

Back to the game. You pretty much go to different areas, kill all enemies, save a civilian or two, and when you're done you move on to the next area and do the same thing. It's basically the same thing over and over again with an occasional boss battle here and there. As you go through the game and fight with certain characters, they gain additional attacks, and the attacks they already possess become more powerful.

The only true problem(s) I have with the game is lighting. If the room's not extremely bright, from time to time it becomes very hard to see the screen. There are also parts of the game that are near impossible to get through with certain characters. If it weren't for Flash, I'd still be way back at the beginning sequence or two. Other then that and the reptitive objectives, the game is kind of fun.

Like I said, I'm only 10% into the game so there might be a lot I'm missing. If there is, I'll be sure to let you guys know, but the way things look right now, this is your typical button masher.

Would I recommend this game? Probably not. It's not boring or bad, there are just a lot better games out there for the DS. If you want a Justice League game, you're probably better served to get it on a home console.

--Smiles That Kill
Writer at Smiles That Kill
Today's feature, Adult Model Ariel X

Lucy Clarkson sends you a message

2006-10-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

Jodie Jordan, if you are out there Lucky Clarkson apparently wants you to kiss her ass. If you don't think you can make it, I'll glady go on your behalf.

Anyways, if you're sitting there wondering what in in the hell this has to do with gaming, I'll tell you, very little. Lucy Clarkson was the girl Lara Croft was modeled after, and well, I thought this was a great time to pass on that little piece of trivia. Now you know who she was modeled after, and because of these awesome pictures, you know some of the finer details of Lara Crofts body. Enjoy!

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

What was your first "must have" game?

2006-10-21T00:57:00.000-04:00

I can remember mine like it was yesterday, except it was like 15 years ago. I can't remember if I was in kindergarden or first grade when I got my Nintendo, but either way, I can remember the first game I begged for. You wanna know which one? Sure you do. I begged for an entire weekend to get Double Dribble. Remember that one? If you don't, you're no gamer at all.

I can remember playing that game on my beat down TV, a TV that had no Cable, no remote, and you had to change it with a dial type thing. I remember my dad beating my by about 50 points at halftime, and some how I'd come back and win before the game was over. I don't know if it had anything to do with my crying about the beat down, but something tells me it was.

That game was the shit. It had the most annoying sound effects ever. The dribbling sound was loud as hell, the "swish" sound was loud and as hell, and it was impossible to shoot a layup. As far as I can remember, every shot was a jumpshot.

So what was your first "must have" game?

No Halo Movie For Now, But There's Videology!

2006-10-20T21:03:00.000-04:00

Here is a little comedy video about a guy named Gabe Sunday who tried out for a J. Lo movie, but was told he didn't have enough sexual crisma. So he tries to prove it. Here's My Sex With J. Lo:

Game Over On The Halo Movie :-(

2006-10-20T19:22:00.000-04:00

Both Universal and Fox Studios have pulled out of the Halo movie adaptation, citing rising movie costs and concern over the inexperience of first time director Neil Blomkamp. As the budget was rumored to be edging closer to $200 million, and Microsoft getting a lion's share of the profits, the studio execs decided it was time to pull the plug.

Shocking news. We were all sure they were gonna make one. With all that Denzel playing Master Chief and everything. I'm a little upset, I was kinda looking forward to this film. Well, I agree with the budget thing, and with the director inexperience. I just hope they bring out a Splinter Cell movie, now that would rule. What do you guys think?

-Zam

Random new news about the PSTree

2006-10-19T22:57:00.000-04:00

Today Sony had a convention called Gamer's Day, and they announced a bunch of announcements (or.. whatever).

First of all, they announced that most of the EA sports games will use the tilt controls, as will Tony Hawk 8. Much better then the originally announced one. Thumbs up there.

Sony also confirmed that certain PSP, PS2, and PS1 games will be up for download on the PS3. That's sort of awesome but I really think they could have skipped the PS2 ones since most people will still own the games. It is good news though for PSP-less people, since you'll now get around to the few good games the PSP's had.

Also announced were the prices of many things. The HDMI cable will be $50 (pretty expensive), the PS2 memory card adapter will be $15, the Sixaxis controllers will be $50 (same as the 360 ones), and the Blu-Ray remotes will be $30.

Also, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby will be packaged in the first 500,000 consoles in Blu-Ray format. No one really knows why they picked that movie..

Last but not least is the announcement of their 37% cut estimate of profits this year, from 1.1 million to 670 million. I can't say I'm surprised, if they're going to get it back it's going to be 07', no way they were going to make that much this year.

360 is getting a what? 100GB Hard drive? Party time is in order!

2006-10-19T21:47:00.000-04:00

At the Microsoft-centric X06 Korea, some pictures of a bigger Xbox 360 hard drive have surfaced courtesy of Korean game site Game Inside. The photos appear to have been taken during a presentation hyping the new Xbox 360 accessories that are on their way, including the force feedback steering wheel, the wireless headset, and a 256MB memory card.

But what's of real interest to gamers starving for more HD space is the image of a hard drive emblazoned with the phrase "100GB." There isn't any other information on the hard drive (in English, anyway), and Microsoft has not announced anything on this side of the pond.

Wahoo. I have used all but 3GB of my 20GB hard drive on my 360 so this is very welcome to me. They might as well announce if for North America, becaues if it's coming in Korea, that's not going to be the only place. 2 questions though:

1) How expensive is this thing going to be? I mean, the 20GB is $100! I think the most they can charge really is $150, which isn't cheap, but it's not exactly expensive. That would also mean that the 20GB would probably drop down to $50-75, which is good for anyone who doesn't need the space.

2) Are we going to be able to transfer from our 20GBs to these 100GBs?

Anyway, at least this will finally stop the PS3ers bragging about how their hard drives are bigger. But it will start 360ers.. joy.

These Releases are about to Re-pop-a-cap-in-you, so watch out!

2006-10-19T21:29:00.000-04:00

This week is the biggest week in months for releases, with something like 5 gigantic titles out, and at least a few more smaller ones.

First is Battlefield 2142 which is probably the most popular PC game of the month, and the reason I hate my weak PC. Judging by early reviews this isn't a BF2 but it's still very fun, if you can run it I suggest getting it soon as you can.

Next is another game I am personally excited about, Splinter Cell: Double Agent on the 360, which is coming out on the other consoles later this month, but the 360 version is definitely going to be the best. Even though the 360's multiplayer demo was ballsish apparently the real one is off the wall good, so be checking that out soon as possible.

Then we have a very controversial game called Bully, which somehow got dropped with a T rating even though you beat little kids senseless, and is out this week on the PS2. I don't know why anyone would really want this.. but hey.. to each his own I guess, right?

And then is the sequel to one of Zam's favorite games and one of the original GM reviews, Destroy All Humans! It's now out on the PS2 and XBOX, and supposedly is just as fun as the first. Get on to that next time you are at the game store if you're looking for a lot of fun and aliens who enjoy using probes.

Next is the sequel to the popular Flight Simulator 2004, called Flight Simulator X, which you need to be warned will only run alright if you have a very high end PC, but it has a great level of detail to it's towns and cities, with buildings and streets where they should be. Oh yeah, and you can land on buses. Which is sweeet.

Justice League: Heroes came out on the DS, XBOX, PS2, and GBA.. but I think you should probably just wait for Marvel Ultimate Alliance next week. It looks a lot better. Then again I don't know too much about JL:H...

Also a few other small titles this week came out, Age of Empires 3: The Warchiefs expansion came out for PC, The Sims 2: Pets came out on PS2 GC and PC (I have no idea how expansions work with no hard drives..), Family Guy for PS2, XBOX and PSP which looks alright.. and last Nintendogs: Dalmations which doesn't really deserve a mention but can you blame me? I liked a 101 Dalmations.. don't laugh at me.. you mean people.. go away until there's another post.. then come back and comment..

Wow, Wednesday Already, Get Website Wednesdays Is In Order

2006-10-18T23:51:00.001-04:00

I got 3 sites for you today.

1. It's called Elgoog. It basically Google backwards. But everything is backwards. You type in a search, and it gives you the results backwards. It's pretty fun to see what you get. Tip before you use it, don't type in your word then press enter, cause that will go straight to the "I'm Feeling Lucky" option (or in this case, the "ykcuL gnileeF m'I"option.) But you can check it out HERE.

2. Next up, we got a site with funny cats. This site is a collection of pictures of cats doing funny things. One playing Solitaire on a computer, another's making a weird facial expression, things like that. It's pretty funny, and for the ladies, kinda cute. Check it out HERE.

3. Finally, the one you've all been waiting for, A PONG: Text-Based Game!!!! This is probably a first. It's a text adventure game that says what you're apponent is doing, and you make one of three decisions, to move your paddle up, keep it still, or move it done. It's actually pretty cool, check it out HERE.

Well, that's all for this addition of WW, tune in next week for more.

-Zam

We be putting the ology in Musicology

2006-10-17T22:58:00.000-04:00

Tonight I am going to tell you about a very new band called Augustana that I found through iTunes who are very popular because of their song "Boston" right now, but I like "Stars and Boulevards" better. It just reminds me of rock and roll, but with an awesome modern twist. Also if you want an even better quality of this song, go to Yahoo Music and watch the real video, it is very awesome. Without further adu..

Playing testsies with Need For Speed: Carbon!

2006-10-17T21:21:00.000-04:00

I absolutely loved NFSU2, but was rather disappointed with Most Wanted, and after I read an exclusive in GameInformer about Carbon, I was amped about it. Finally last week a demo came up on XBOX Live, and I got to play it. Here we go with how it's like.

In the demo you can choose from an old Charger, a Lancer, and a Lamorghini Gallardo. Once you pick you get to test out the game's customization which is called AutoSculpt or something like that. It's the coolest thing about the game, because you can mold just about every feature of your cars, and it's very hard to get 2 cars looking alike. That is the best part of this game I think..

You then can do a race and a drift, both of which are easy once you figure them out. The race is not challenging whatsoever thanks to the "squads", which are probably one of the most pointless features ever, because they stop other racers from being ahead or keep them behind you. Makes the races way too easy, when they're already very simple. It also is very hard to see anything, and you can thank blur for that. Yes they did it on purpose.

I liked the drifting a lot more, it definitely worked better then back in the days of Underground. I enjoyed that, but it really didn't make up for how bad the racing was. And I can see the fun of this wearing out quickly, as well.

Last you get to try the new Canyon race, which seemed like an awesome idea, but in reality it's nothing special. The purpose is to go down a winding canyon road, head to head, and if you hit them you lose points, if you hit the rail on the side of the road you fall off and lose, and if you pass them you win. It would work cool, if it weren't for the fact that a lot of rails that should be able to fall through, aren't, and the ones that you can are funky colored. Makes them look weird. And the problem with it is that you can go through the rail and sort of drive along the top side of the mountain, which sort of takes away from the way it's supposed to be played.. I was not impressed.

I am shocked at how this game is actually worse then Most Wanted.. check it out for a rent I guess, but I wouldn't be doing anything else with it.

SmilesD's 5 Most Overrated games of all-time

2006-10-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

I was reading what Zam and Ton had planned this week for GM2, and there "most hated games" idea inspired this post. These might not be games I hate, but they are games I feel people get way too excited over. At they very least, they are games that were popular that I never enjoyed for whatever reason.

In no particular order, here's the list.

Grand Theft Auto (series)

If it weren't for this game, I might never have bought a PS2. Until I tried this game out, I actually was going to buy an Xbox. So I buy the PS2 and GTA III, and at first it's love at first sight. Killing people for no reason, stealing cars, doing hookers, what could be better in a game?

So then I played it for about 2 weeks nonstop, and then I realized, God damn I've been doing the same exact thing over and over again. Eventually, breaking the law and running from the police or a gang for a half hour wasn't much fun anymore.

I traded the game in, and I've never looked back. This game isn't bad, and it's not boring, it's just not the great game people swear it is. It's repetitive as hell, and no matter how many people might disagree with me, it's a game I feel is extremely overrated.

Halo

Well, not only do I think this game is overrated, but I pretty much hate it as well. I can remember playing the demo in stores back in the day and thinking, boy does this game suck. And then it ends up being popular as hell. So I figure, well it was only the demo, maybe I missed something. Lucky me, my roomate had it, so I put it in and decide to give it a go. No, I didn't miss anything. It's just as boring as the demo was.

What is so different or original about this game that makes it so special? Seriously, someone tell me, because there are about 1583 more games out there that do the same thing, and many time do it better.

Final Fantasy (series)

Here's another game that I as a gamer felt I "should" like. So I borrow one of them off my neighbor. I can't remember which one for sure, but I think it was 12. I get about 3 or 4 hours into the game, get to a flower that keeps killing me, and finally decide, this shit is played out, I'm done.

I'll give it this much. The graphics and music are awesome. The whole hitting one button to attack, and then waiting to get hit stuff sucks. If you like that type of thing, then this might be the best there is, but I just couldn't stand it. I don't understand how anyone can play a game like that. I want something fun and fast paced, not long and drawn out like this game seemed to be.

The Sims (series)

This one can be summed up in a few sentences, maybe just one. Why,oh why would you want to spend your time living a virtual life? Why do you want to go on cyber dates? Why? I don't get it

Nintendogs

This is sort of along the same lines as the Sims. Where is the fun in taking care of a virtual pet? How fun is it petting your dog, feeding it, or throwing a ball on a screen? I just don't want to do that. My time is precious. I want the game to be fun, in your face and exciting. I don't want to take care of an animal. I have a real dog to do that with, and trust me, picking up shit, and feeding a dog isn't all that exciting.

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

Deals or No Deals? I say Deals.

2006-10-16T22:13:00.000-04:00

First off is a great deal from Sandisk which I have personally used, you can get a 2GB flash drive for $40, a 1GB for $20, or a 512MB for $10 with mail-in rebates. These things are freaking small too, and they glow like night-lights.

Next is a deal for a you DS gamers: Best Buy is giving $5 off on all of the Touch Generation games for the DS, which is Tetris DS, Nintendogs, the Brain Age games, and Magnetica. I suggest Tetris.

And last up is a quick deal for you 360 gamers out there, one of the good 360 games out now, Dead Rising, is on sale for $40. That's $20 off bitches! Seriously go give it a whirl if you haven't yet, the price just makes it better.

And that is your infomercial for today.

I can TWIG M 2.

2006-10-16T21:44:00.000-04:00

What? Did I really forget TWIG M 2 yesterday? Oh right sorry about that, I was tired as a hedgehog in a blender.

Last week:

SmilesD's Top 5 Games
Google Has Munched Your Tube
Marked Down Things
Wii Preorders Last Week (not really relevant any more..)
Zam Goes Lego with Star Wars Again - LSW2 review
Musicology: John Mayer's Stop This Train
Videology isn't Riding Dirty, it's White and Nerdy
Ton's Top 5 Games
What To Buy SmilesD For His Imaginary Birthday
A Very Meh Photology
Morgan Webb is Hot
Zam's Top 5 Games
A Syphon Filter Dark Mirror review by Ton

So this week, we're going to be a little bit hyped up. Everything normal; MDM, Musicology, Videology, RR, will all be here. Oh yeah, I am thinking of not doing Photology as that did not work out too well. Anyway, D already did a previewish thing of Diddy Kong Racing for the DS, I'm going to review Battlefield 2 Modern Combat finally, and Zam is going to do a review or preview as well. Also once I get some time with it I am going to tell you about my experience with Need for Speed Carbon and Splinter Cell: Double Agent online, for those of you without a 360 with Live. That should be fun. Smiles will be doing some more of his own thing too, and Zam and I might get together our 5 most hated games ever.

Peace out you furry bunnies.

Diddy Kong Racing DS

2006-10-16T13:12:00.000-04:00

Last week I did my Top 5 games of all time. You might remember I had Diddy Kong Racing for the N64 as number 2. Well, you can understand my excitement at learning of it's release for the Nintendo DS.

So here is a little bit about the game for you guys.

- 8 Player Single Card & multi-card wifi gaming

- Touchscreen and Microphone compatibility (I don't know what they have in mind with the mic. Maybe you have to scream at your guy and see get moving mother f!@#er to make him go faster?)

- Familiar characters, and courses(all 20 from the original game)

- Customizable vehicles

- New Weapons and challenges

- TT Wish Races (i.e. you can make your own courses)

As far as they characters are concerned, not all of them are returning. Fans of the game will remember Diddy Kong, Tiptup, Pipsy, Krunch, Timber, Drumstick, Bumper, and T.T. They'll all be back. You'll be losing Banjo and Conker, but we get a new character called Tiny Kong.

If you never played this game, trust me when I say it's great. You can compare it to Mario Kart, but add about 5 times the amount of fun. You have your traditional road courses, but you also get some water courses, and air plane courses. I put so much time into this game, and to this day I still debate going out and buying an old N64 just to play this game again.

Some other differences between Mario Kart and Diddy Kong are the boss races. There's a story to the game, and winning the races helps you get through the story. You battle characters in odd races, which is much different from Mario Kart. There are also missions that have nothing to do with racing. You have battles where you drive around with 3 balloons and do your best to bust your competitors before they bust you.

If you've had even one second of fun with Mario Kart, give this game a shot. You won't be disappointed. As far as I know, December 1st is the release date.

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

Syphon Filter Dark Mirror review.:..:..:::.::.:!

2006-10-15T22:46:00.000-04:00

Among all the junk the PSP has, there is one really really really super game called Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror. No no, not Splinter Cell Essentials. That game sucks. Let me tell you why it’s so good.

If you’ve never played Syphon Filter before it is essentially Sony’s less popular version of Splinter Cell. Let’s start with the good. Hell there is no bad. First of all, the controls are the best thing this side of the nubberly nub. The nubble is used to walk around, and the 4 buttons are used to turn in different directions. Then you can zoom or lock on with left trigger, and all of the other commands are on the d-pad. GREAT use of the PSP’s stuff.

Second of all, the single player is gigantimongous, with 8 chapters of 3 or 4 missions each. You play through them each in about 15-20 minutes if you don’t screw up, and they are all different kinds of missions. You can get all these unlockables for doing certain stuff, and each one lets you have more health, new abilities, or new guns you can start with. It’ll take you for freaking ever to get everything.

Next of all is the guns, which is probably the biggest set I have seen in a LONG time. I think the website had 56 listed in all, from mini-grenade launchers to shotgun pistols. Also if you get a certain award you can dual wield pistols, which is a useful ability. You can melee in this too, with either a choke or a knife. Oh yeah, and you can tazer people too. Sadly it’s not for their pleasure. It’s for barbeque. I guess you could give them some though.. even though they're the barbeque..

What I’m really itching to talk about here is the multiplayer, which is better then most console games. You can play with 8 people on deathmatch, team deathmatch, objective games, or rogue agent. The only one to describe is rogue agent, which has one person trying to survive as long as they can with everyone else against them. That one’s not too popular. What makes this so cool is the fact that it’s portable, and it still has full clan support, buddy lists, ignore lists, message boards, chat, and all, on a portable game! It still amazes me after this long..

And there are ranks and medals too, with 2 medals for 7 or 8 skills, and at each level you get a new item relating to the thing you got the shiny medal in. At each rank you get to brag that you’re up a level, and you get a new gun or two. That’s one of the coolest things, leveling up and then partying about it for an hour.

In the actual battles there are ziplines, hidden rocket launchers, grenade launchers, rifles, and all sorts of funky things. You can set up traps for your enemies like laser mines and turning on fires that block their way through hallways. It’s really hard to put into words why the multiplayer is so fun, it just is awesome. One thing: if you work as a team you will pwndizzle them, because you can heal team mates and revive them once they die.

Oh yeah, and the graphics are very good. I think probably as good as the PSP is going to get. Getting roasted with a tazer looks very good.

But the one downside is actually in the multiplayer, and it comes in the form of only 6 maps. Even though they are nice and big, and very well designed, it's still sort of boring to play 6 over and over again. Hopefully they'll release some new ones for download... (please Sony I'll pay you)

I wish I could tell you why this is awesome, but it’s just like when Yoda says “Good, yes?” It’s good because it is but you don’t know why. I’m going to shut up and score it. Guess what, it’s getting my coveted 5 people tazering themselves out of 5 because I still play it like it’s my life after having it for months. Go on, get it. You know you want to use your PSP for something good for once, instead of looking at pr0n on the browser.

Zam's Top 5 Best Games Of All Time

2006-10-15T18:49:00.000-04:00

Here is my list of the top 5 best games of all time!

5. Ms. Pac-Man

Now the first one was good, but this one was, in my opinion, much better. I just think that the graphics and the environments are much better. And what is better than having a pizza missing a slice with a bow eating a bunch of pellets while being chased by some freaky ghosts looking things? It is definitely one of those games that if you see it in an arcade, you have to pop a quarter or two in a play a game. Definitely, one of the top 5 ones.

4. Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic

This game was definitely the best RPG I have ever played in my life. This game is so awesome, it's crazy. So many paths you can go on, so many cool weapons, so many cool characters. There are so many cool things about this game, I just can't name them all. But everyone needs to pick this up and play it. Now its $20 or less, that kicks ass.

3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Everyone knows why this game is so great. First of all, all the thing you can do. You can pretty much get any car, do anything you want, at anytime. Secondly, all the cheats there are. You can get so many weapons, and all this great stuff. Thirdly, all the things you use for weapons, they have everything from wrenches, to baseball bats, to a woman's pleasure toy. It is friggin hilarious. Definitely and awesome game.

2. Lego Star Wars I & II

I don't know how I'm gonna transition from GTA to Lego Star Wars, but I'll try. Lego Star Wars I & II are definitely one of the coolest and most fun games I have ever played. I didn't know what to expect when I first picked it up, but damn, was it one of the best games I've ever played.
I guess this is why they both got a 5 out of 5. I I still find it amazing how they made a game like this, where everything is made of Lego's. And also they're coming out with Lego Batman soon, and I can't wait for that. So man, if you haven't played this, go out and get it NOW!

1. Super Mario World

I don't know what it is about this game and me. It might be the fact that I used to play it non-stop as a kid, or all the secrets, or I don't know. But it must be a really great game if you beat is over 150 times (which I did) and you still are finding things you never found before. That just shows a great game. This is one of the games that made the SNES, and I can see why. This game is definitely one of the best, if not, the best. In my top 5 at least.

Well, like Ton did, I guess I'll tell you the games I'm looking forward to.

5. Grand Theft Auto 4
4. Lego Batman
3. Anything on the Wii
2. Halo 3
1. Splinter Cell: Double Agent

Morgan Webb in a bikini

2006-10-13T00:47:00.000-04:00

This is one of the reasons I miss my subscription to FHM. I enjoyed looking at pictures of Morgan as the Gaming Goddess every month. I can't stand listening to her anymore on X-Play(her, and that show in general have become extremely annoying and corny), but looking at her will never become a hard thing to do.

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

Someone somewhere must REALLY hate me.

2006-10-13T00:20:00.000-04:00

Well, I am pissed off at computers once again. I had Release Recap made up, nice and medium length, pictures in, and what do you know, I go to publish it, Firefox friggen crashes. Not only does Firefox crash, but so does Notepad where I had it written.

Someone somewhere must really hate me. Someone who has a big switch sitting in front of them that says 'Ton's computer work' and 'Ton's computer will now suck total ass'. Well I think it's stuck on the 2nd one right now...

I guess I'll get you Release Recap tomorrow, because now it's just too dang late and I don't feel like re-writing it right now anyway. Oh yeah and if I get time I guess I will get to that Syphon Filter review, or maybe Saturday morning... deskisions, deskisions.

And by the way, whoever you are that hates me, I hate you too man. :)

Photology is finally here sort of kind of a little bit yeah.

2006-10-12T21:19:00.000-04:00

So, that is my sad attempt at something remotely interesting. Actually it would be a lot cooler if I had more time, and if Blogger wasn't being a bitch. The fact the template's small doesn't help either. I had a bunch of other pictures that were cool, including some by myself, but they wouldn't upload right.

Oh well.. I will try harder next week..

The "get me" games of October

2006-10-12T19:46:00.000-04:00

Xbox 360
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Tiger Woods PGA Tour '07
Splinter Cell:Double Agent

Nintendo DS
Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
Justice League Heroes

PS2
NHL 2K7
Destroy All Humans 2
Splinter Cell:Double Agent
Devil May Cry Greatest Hits Set
Need For Speed Carbon

These are the games that I'd get if money were no object. Unfortunatly it is, and I'll only be getting Justice League Heroes for the DS. What recent or soon to be releases are you eager to get your hands on?

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

Ton's Top 5 Games Of All-Time

2006-10-11T23:06:00.000-04:00

Like Doug did on Monday, today I'm going to tell you what my top 5 games ever are!

#5: Pokemon Yellow - You can say all you want about Pokemon, but I think this is probably the game I got the most absorbed in in the history of gaming. Not only did I play the game like a religion, but I got into the cards, and went to some tournaments. The problem is like almost anything else, when you get too much, you eventually start to hate it. So now, Pokemon is just a fond memory that I will never go back to.

#4: Spyro - This was the first game I ever got on the PS1, which was when I really started gaming. If I remember correctly this was the only game I had for a very long time, and I think I played this for 2 years quite a lot and never actually beat it. It may not have been the best game ever, but it's got something special with me for all the play time I gave it.

#3: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat - This is the newest game on the list, and I usually wouldn't consider putting something this new on a list of my favorite of all time, but out of all of my recent console games, this is the one that I haven't stopped playing since the release. Just a sign of how much I really enjoy this game is how I bought it on the PS2, then the XBOX, and now I have it on the 360. It was this game that made me realize how important it is to work as a team, in war and in games. I'm sure I've logged over 250 hours in this game through the different platforms. It's not as big of a milestone as the other games on this list, but I haven't gotten so excited about using tactics before, and then so pissed off when I make a wrong move.

#2: Super Smash Bros. Melee - Since 2002, this game has been the coolest party game in the history of forever. I play it a minimum of 10 hours a month, and even more when I get a bunch of people together. The thrill of getting whacked up against the screen with a basball bat by your friend is so cool, and I wish I knew why. The other reason this game is so special to me is not only do I love it, but my girlfriend does too, and it's very rare to find a game that we both enjoy so much, and can spend so much time on together. Bring it on, Brawl.

#1: Legend of Zelda The Ocarina of Time - Yep any surprise here? The story with this game is back when Windwaker came, I got this as a preorder thing for the Gamecube. I had never played a Legend of Zelda game before. After playing this through, on original, and Master Quest, I rebought an N64, NES, and SNES, and went on eBay for every single Zelda game I could find. And I enjoyed every minute of them. All of them. I can't thank OOT enough for making me the Zelda fanboy I am today.

And as a bonus I will give a quick list of the 5 games I'm looking forward to the most...

#5 Super Smash Bros. Brawl
#4 Rainbow Six: Vegas
#3 Battlefield: Bad Company
#2 Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
#1 Assassin's Creed

Wow, Videology RULES!

2006-10-11T23:01:00.000-04:00

For this weeks videology, we have the newest in song parodies. Definitely on of the most if not the most famous artist with song parodies is Weird Al Yankovic. On eof his newest songs is a parody of Chamillionare's "Ridin". It's called "White and Nerdy". I know about three fourths of you guys have already heard this song and the hype a ton of times, but can you believe some people haven't? :-0 . Well for those people, here is the great music video:

Musicolology is with John Mayer this week GM2ers, so get reading!

2006-10-10T22:53:00.000-04:00

Yep that is right, I'm going to give you a song from John Mayer's new CD, Continuum this week. After SmilesD recommending him to me, I picked up the CD last week at Circuit City and let me tell you, it is the greatest thing since sliced lemonade. Wait what..? Anyway, I'm not going to tell you about the single, Waiting on the World To Change, you've probably heard that, and I don't think it's the best song on the CD anyway. The one you're about to listen to is #7, called Stop This Train, and it's slightly slower then the single, but it shows how smoothly John can switch between his regular voice and the higher pitched voice he uses a lot, how well he can play guitar, and how good the writing is on this CD. It talks about how life goes by too fast and he wishes he could stop it even though he knows it's not going to happen. HEY how about I shut up and let the music talk?

So here is Stop This Train, by John Mayer. It'll be up there for a week, and please just listen to it a few times then delete it. Buy the CD if you really like it, guys.

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Review!

2006-10-10T21:56:00.000-04:00

A few day ago, in a place that's not too far....

GAMER MANIA 2
REVIEW

Episode II
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Review

I was alone on night on my PS2 not doing much. Then I looked up at my PS2 game collection and saw the cover to one of my favorite games of all time, Lego Star Wars. I thought, man, what a game; if only there was another one. But then I hear a croaky voice.

It was little Lego Yoda, and he said "Strong with Lego Star Wars you are, Lego Star Wars II, play you must." "After play, write review for GM2 you also must." So I said, "Of course Lego Yoda" and here's the review........

Yes, the review to the sequel of the FIRST GAME EVER reviewed on GM2 is now here. (Lego Star Wars Review). Now Lego Star Wars got our highest review of 5 out of 5, but can Lego Star Wars II live up to that? Well I'll tell you........after this commercial break. Just kidding, I'm not gonna pull a Seacrest on you. I'm really gonna tell you......at the end of the review. Anyway, the rest of the review.

Let's start with the story. Basically, you play through the original three Star Wars movies (Episode IV, V, & VI). You play as a lot of the characters in LEGO form of course. Each episode has 6 chapters. But unlike the first game, these chapters are nice and long. And all of the environments and characters (basically everything) is made of LEGOs. The chapters all start out with that famous Star Wars scrolling thing that tells the story of it. And it has the famous Star Wars theme too.

The graphics are really good for Lego's. It's amazing how if you go buy a set of a Star Wars ship and build it, it's built probably exactly like in the game. I think it's cool how they can do that. But it's really awesome.

You unlock the good guys in every level, but the other guys, you have to buy once you either see them in a cut scene, or defeat them. It's kinda costly, but kinda worth it in Free Play Mode (which you unlock after you beat that level/chapter). You also have to buy vehicles. That kinda stinks. (By the way, in my opinion, Boba Fett and Han Solo kick the most ass in this game.) Oh, and also, you can customize two of your own characters, but what I found is you can only play them in Free Play, but its pretty cool.

Like in the first one, you have to collect studs and 10 minikits in each level. The minikits build stuff, and the studs are used to buy things at the store.

A new thing is there thought. There's now gold and red blocks. There's one red block in each level, and about 4 possible gold blocks in each level. There are different places in the lobby of the game (Mos Esley Cantina) which can build passageways. Mostly, a challenge mode for the levels. It's pretty hard, but pretty cool.

The cut scenes are good and very humerous. So they're very enjoyable.

So overall, the game is definitely as good as the first one, if not better. If you played the first game, go get up and drive down to your local game store, and pick this one up. If you haven't played the first one, JUMP UP, AND DRIVE AS FAST AS YOU CAN WITHOUT BREAKING THE LAW TO YOUR LOCAL GAME SHOP AND HAVE THE CASHIER SMACK YOU A FEW TIMES, THEN BUY BOTH! Ok, so everyone who needs some good fun, pick this one up. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy gets 5 Lego Jedi's enjoying the sight of Lego Slave Leia, out of 5.

-Zam

Wii preorders may start this week

2006-10-10T13:22:00.000-04:00

According to Joystiq and one if it's insiders, EB and Gamestop may be taking preorders by the end of this week for the Wii. I was wondering when this was going to start. I'm still debating whether I want to get it on the release date, or wait until Xmas time. It's not that I don't want it right away, it's just that I'm not sure if I have the money.

PS3 preorders started today. Was anyone lucky enough to get their order in? I bet it was a madhouse at the EBs and Gamestops across the land.

Back to the Wii for a second though. I also learned today that the Wii remote runs in to trouble when the sun gets in the way. If this is true, I hope they can get it fixed ASAP. It won't be a problem for me, but for some people avoiding the sun where they game might not be an option.

Lastly, if you think I'm sexy, and you really want me, come on hunny let me know. In other words, let's get some commenting going on around these parts. It'd make things much more lively.

-SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill
Today's feature, Model Toni Leigh

We're giving you rolled back prices and we're not Walmart, so suck it Wally World!

2006-10-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

Deal #1 is on something a bit outdated but if you don't mind the fact that they're 5G instead of the new 5.5 ones, Overstock has got White 30GB iPods for $210. So you might not get the new bright screen and all, but you save $40.. so that's worth checking out. The Linkitization is right here.

Deal Numero 2 is a gigantic SD Memory card for $28. Oh yeah, by 'gigantic' I mean 2GB!!!!! Those things usually cost like.. $40-50. So this is a great deal guys if you need memory. You have been linked up like sausage links.

And here's a very nice deal on a good game - The Prince of Persia Warrior Within for only $4! I'm actually going to have to use this as I have Sands of Time and for $4 I can't pass up this one. Here's a link to the XBOX version but I bet it's the same for all of the versions if you look.

And the last deal of the night is for if you're looking for an mp3 player a bit smaller then the iPod I had up top. You can get the $200 Sandisk Sanza 2GB Mp3 player (which is nice and tiny and a good player from what I've heard) for just $110 on Amazon. So if you want some tunes in a stick go on and click here.. you know you want to.

ALERT!: Google Has Bought YouTube, This Is Not A Drill, Google Has Bought YouTube

2006-10-09T19:42:00.000-04:00

Google Inc., the most-used Internet search engine, agreed to buy YouTube Inc. for $1.65 billion, adding the largest video-sharing site on the Web and an audience that watches more than 100 million clips a day.

It's true. I seriously would have never suspected that Google, who has their OWN video service, bought another video service. But it really is a great move, as their stock went up about $10 today alone. They're probably not going to change YouTube, it's pretty much just for the money (in my opinion). But wow, for $1.65 Billion! Now that's a buy. But, there's great news.

Google & YouTube have just signed on with some major record companies to be able to show high-quality music videos, instead of those ripped ones fans put up. Now thats GREAT. Finally we can watch our music in good quality for free (I hope). So look out for those.

-Zam

SmilesD's Top 5 Favorite Games of All-Time

2006-10-09T14:08:00.000-04:00

Here are my 5 favorite game of all-time listed in descending order:

5. Tecmo Bowl

This was the first game I was ever truly obsessed with. You couldn't beat the Chicago Bears on there. Walter Payton, Willie Gault, The Fridge, McMahon, Singletary, they were all there. I remember keeping my stats in the cheap ass tablets they used to give us at school. I had pages, and pages of stats from playing that game nonstop. And not just for months, but for years. That was the great thing about Nintendo. You didn't have remakes of game every year. You really got your dollar back when you bought a good Nintendo game. It was around forever.

4. Super Mario Bros. 3

What a great game! I loved this game. I loved the frog Mario, the squirrel Mario, finding the whistles, everything. Of all the NES Mario Bros. games, this was the best.

3. Super Mario 64

Oddly enough, this was the first game to ever come out for the N64, and in many people's eyes, the best. This is a game I can still play to this very day, and rarely does a game entice me to do that anymore. I love the controls, the look, everything about it. Usually, once I complete a mission, I never go back to it. Mario 64 had me going back to repeat missions for years. I still get enjoyment out of this on my DS.

2. Diddy Kong Racing

I love this game. When this comes out for the DS, I'll be the first one buying this bad boy. I can still remember renting it during Christmas break way back when. The levels in this game were great. You flew planes, raced boats, raced cars. You had it all. Even boss battles. Even the two player mode was great. I loved battling my brother, either racing or trying to shoot him and blow up his ballons. Great, great game.

1. Metal Gear Solid

This was the first game I ever played where you actually had to be smart to finish it. No longer where you running around with reckless abandon shooting at everything in your site. No, in this game, stealth was what it was all bout. This was a game of patience and smarts. I'm sure some will say other games have come out that are better, but this was the first of it's kind for me, and it will always be the best.

What are you all-time favorites?

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill
Today's feature, Playboy's Mandy Lynn

This Week In GM2!

2006-10-08T22:58:00.000-04:00

Let's hit the time machine first for last week:

Hands-On With the Wii
Zam gave us a good Marked Down Mondays this week.
SmilesD asks the question 'Are games too easy?'
Gran Turismo HD: Cars and Tracks Sold Seperately
Hanging By A Moment in this week's Musicology
An old Abbott and Costello skit in this week's Videology
The return of Website Wednesdays!
SmilesD's List of Must-Have Games for the Wii.
My Dead Rising Review Wants to Eat You Alive.

And this week, we'll have all the regular segments, MDM, Musicology, Videology, maybe Photology, no Website Wednesdays this week unless we find some good ones (remember we said that's an every other week thing), and maybe Photology will finally come out of the box. I might get around to that NBA Live 06 review, but I don't know any more. It's just going to be an angry hate letter to EA in all reality because that game was the worst thing I have ever played.. but maybe. I'll do a review though, maybe of the great PSP game Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror. And Zam should be doing Lego Star Wars 2 in the next day or two now that he's beat the main story, maybe something else later in the week too.

But our main problem is Fridays. As you can see we're definitely bad at making our posts on Fridays, because well, almost every one Zam and I are out on. So what I think we're going to have to do is put Release Recap on Thursdays. Don't be expecting anything on Fridays from us on a regular basis. Sorry guys, but we've got lives too.

Hope to see you this week on GM2, and we'll give you a post card to send home if you do come!

Dead Rising Review

2006-10-08T21:46:00.000-04:00

If you are human you probably know what a zombie is.. right? Well good, next question is does shoving them in the crotch with chainsaws sound fun? Yes, right? If you answered yes to both of those then Dead Rising is for you. One warning though, this game is quite the bloodfest.

First up is the good. There's enough of it.. First of all this game has an interesting story full of treachery, violence, government corruption, and quite a lot of other things. At first it seems like Capcom just dropped a reporter in a mall full of zombies for 3 days, but the plot slowly comes together and gets very interesting.

One of the other very big plussels this game has is that you can use just about anything you want to whack zombies. You find it you can attack with it. There are things from bowling balls, to olive oil, to lawn mowers and cars. Some of the things have the same effects but when you get a katana and slice a zombie straight down the middle of his head down through his crotch, you know you've got a cool game on your hands.

There are some other small things that make up this game that are good, like how the story can be done if you want, or you can just go around and kill zombies. You go on the story missions if you want. There are also tons of side missions. The other interesting thing is that they have an infinity game mode that you can unlock where all you do is try and kill every zombie. All 53,594. Oh yeah. That's actually the biggest plus. THERE ARE 53,594 ZOMBIES IN THIS MALL!

Now it's time to meet Dr. Evil who has the bad for us. Dun dun dun...! The biggest turn off of this game (you know you thought it was sexy in a I'm-Gonna-Eat-Your-Brain kind of way) is the save system. You save once in a bathroom or the security room and then when you try to save again you have to overwrite it. So that means if you want to try killing more zombies and take less time on the missions, and you screw up, you have to start from the beginning again. You get to keep your level and everything, but this is VERY annoying. The fact you can only save in certain places doesn't help.

And another thing on the negative end of this battery, the action can get repeatitive after playing a while even though there are all the different weapons.. Meh that's never good. It does last a while though.

There are a few other small things like the aiming system, you hold down the aim button then you have to use the left thumbstick to aim, which is awkward since most games have you aim with the right. But you don't do too much aiming so it's not too hard to avoid. Something else is how your escortees are pretty stupid sometimes. I think the last thing I'm going to say about this game that's bad is that the text you have to read is very small and fuzzy if you're using a standard-def TV, no matter how big. If you have bad eyes I doubt you'll be able to read this at all, and even with good ones it can be hard.

I'm just going to cut the tension with a knife and give Dead Rising its score. 4 out of 5, because despite its downfalls, it can be quite fun a lot of the time. Peace out.

Must Have Games for the Nintendo Wii

2006-10-05T21:35:00.000-04:00

With the Wii's release date quickly approaching, I thought I'd compile a list of Wii games most likely to give you your bang for your buck. Not only do they need to give you good money value to make this list, but they all must potentially use the new Wii control system to the best of it's abilities. So let's get on to the list:

Elebits

This isn't going to be an action thriller, but it should be fun. Elebits are little creatures that give the world power and make everything run. From what I understand, they create electricity and things like that. For some reason they are lost, and it's your goal to collect them and earn now powers and movements.

The fun part of the game will be trying to find these guys. The can be hiding under plates, couches, anywhere. The key to the game is stealth. If you are throwing things around, you risk the chance of making the elebits run. However, if you take your time and pick things up slowly, trapping the elebits becomes much easier. Using your controller to pick things up in the environment should make for a fun, interactive experience.

Super Mario Galaxy

It's Mario! Does anything else really need to be said. It might not be out on the release date, but it will be a must have game as soon as it's released. Flying through space and running sideways, and upside down on planets sounds fun to me.

Wii Sports

If I remember correctly, this game is going to be packaged with the Wii. You get golf, baseball, tennis, boxing, and bowling. Using your controller to mimic the motions in these different sports should be extremely fun. Playing with two players will become increasingly fun. Imagine boxing your buddy, punching in the air with your controllers, and working up a real sweat. I can't wait to try this out. This should definitely bring the interactivity of the controllers out in full force.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

As soon as I heard about the Wii, Super Monkey Ball came to mind as a great game to bring over. Moving the controller up and down, left and right, all the while trying to maintain balance on the topsy turvy tracks should be a real challenge. Of all the games I'm listing, this is by far the one I want most.

Sonic and the Secret Rings

Like Mario, Sonic needs no introduction. Anytime you can fly around with Sonic it's a good time. From what I've read, the new controls have only enhanced the Sonic franchise.

Super Swing Golf Pangya

I know Wii Sports has golf included, but I just like the idea of playing any sport game using the new control system. For some reason swinging my arms around will give me more satisfaction when I play well. No longer will I just be hitting a button at the right time, I'll actually have to time my swing right, use the right speed, and angle. It should be great.

Red Steel

Of all the games mentioned above, none of them have been a real gritty action game. Every once in awhile though, a gamer needs to simulate killing someone. This game will let you use the controller like a gun, or slash the opponent down with a sword. At E3 they showed some of this game, and it's sure to be a good time.

In my opinion, these are the games I think everyone should try in order to get the best experience out of the Wii and it's new controls. All of the games, in some way will have you doing things you've never done in a game before. Some have old heroes being used in new ways, and others have new heroes trying to make a name for themselves. No matter what the case is, they are all sure to be fun.

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

What's Up

2006-10-05T20:57:00.000-04:00

Just time for some news on the blog, first of all today was Zam's birthday which is why he didn't do any posting. Second, I'm still not ready for Photology yet, so that's not going to be up this week. I should have that one donearoo by next week, I'm just not sure if I want to take pictures or use Flikr.

Tomorrow I'm a bit busy, but I think either Zam or I should be able to get to Release Recap before the night is over. As for my reviews, those will be up between tomorrow and Sunday. Zam's LSW2 one will either be up over the weekend or early next week. We're not ditching you guys, don't worry.

Peace out furry people.

Like disco, Website Wednesdays are back! Oh wait disco isn't back.. bad analogy

2006-10-04T23:09:00.000-04:00

Hey guys that's right WW is back in action, and this week is going to be 3 different sites about music. So let's get on with it then!

First we have Blogmusik, which I've been using in Musicology for 2 weeks. What this site is is a virtual iPod (with a very sexy and shiny interface that looks like a fat iPod that just went through a car wash) that lets you listen to music if you search for the artist you want. They seem to use torrents or something to get the music.. I doubt you could get busted for using it though since you're not actually downloading the music, you're just listening to it. Also it's still in Beta so they by no means have all music, but if what you're looking for isn't brand new and is relatively popular, you should find it.

Next is a site called Pandora. Unlike BM, this has you put in a song and then they will give you recommendations based on genre, the type of music in the background, the type of singing, and tons of other very detailed things. I like it for finding music you never knew existed, and if you're lucky you'll get some good ones.

Last for the night is actually a music download site called AllofMp3. Now what is special about this site is instead of $1 a song, they charge around $.15 a song and $2 per album. How they do this is they are in Russia, and they bank on good conversion rates. Yes it is legal, I checked. And even though they're Russian wankers, they have a library of music that's about as big as stores like iTunes', including brand new stuff. Cool interface for previewing stuff too.

Man, So Many Good Video's, Which One's The Best? Well, That Is Answered In Videology!

2006-10-04T23:08:00.000-04:00

Here's a classic comedy sketch by legendary comedic duo Abbott & Costello. It's one of the most famous sketches of all time. So enjoy, "Who's On First?":

Musicology 101!

2006-10-03T22:21:00.000-04:00

Today for your Musicology class we have got a song that was popular a few years back called 'Hanging By A Moment' by Lifehouse. I've been looking back at old stuff lately and I ran into this one, it's very good and you'll probably remember it when you hear it. I also suggest looking at 'You & Me', they're both soft accoustic rock, and very good.

So go here again to blogmusik, and search for Lifehouse, they'll both be on there. I suggest the You and Me (Wedding Version) and the Accoustic version of Hanging By a Moment instead of the originals.

Peace out my hot dogs and keep on rockin'.

PS: Is it just me or does that bald guy remind you of a woman with no hair?

Sony's Game Division is Full of Crap and Should Die.

2006-10-03T21:27:00.000-04:00

Not only is Sony as a console maker going loopy, but so is there games division. Just as I was beginning to regain hope it is all slashed away...

"'We've finally reached the stage where the car modeling is up to speed with the power of the PS3.' He's talking about the features of Gran Turismo: HD Premium which is the GT5 sneak preview with "full PS3 spec qualities".

Now we're talking about the Classic version. "Its very important to have assets to support the online depth we have".
GT:HD Classic content will feature 770 cars, 51 tracks, 4500 items - all downloadable.
We hope to add car parts, visual parts, things people can download to make modifications. This is being shown on the screen with the shop front image on the network platform. "We can't go public in saying this, but this is the GT version of iTunes." They haven't yet decided on pricing for any of these items.
Kaz talks about how they want to make items in the game as desirable, more like enviable, and that not every item or car will be available to every person. You have to be able to "afford" it. He wants to create that ownership lust that exists in the offline world."

Have you ever heard anything so greedy? What they are essentially saying is that you buy the game - it has the main game structure on the disk. Then you buy every single car and track seperately offline, parts too. Think about this: There are 770 cars and 52 tracks. At even 50 cents each that equals just shy of $400 if you want the full game. Let me ask you - do you want to pay $400 to get what should be included in the first place? I highly doubt it. You should get everything ready at launch in the original game. I understand add on packs for later cars and things they couldn't get in before launch, but making you pay to play the game after you already bought the actual game, what is that? They are going crazy if they think that's going to work. What's more? Another lie:

Damage? "Another piece of homework that we've always forgotten to submit". The crowd laughs, but Kaz says the hope to support damage models at the start of next year.

"Implementing damage, the biggest hurdle was obviously dealing with auto manufacturers. The philosophies from manufacturers is starting to gradually change. The best compromise at this point is to model damage to racing cars and not yet to consumer level cars."

Tisk tisk Sony, you think we believe it when Forza has it? Nope. Work harder next time or stop lying and say you didn't want to bother trying to get it.

So.. basically this is where I say "**** off" Sony "and die". Hey I just quoted Lindsay Lohan! If only I were sexy I could be her twin.. hey a guy can dream can't he? :)

Are video games too easy?

2006-10-03T13:26:00.000-04:00

I just read a little article in the latest Game Informer magazine, and they asked that exact questions to different guys. One said yes, and one said no, both for various reasons. Here's my take on the question:

Games are not too easy. Yes, there are some that anyone with 3 fingers and one eye can finish, but there are plenty of games out there for the hardcore gamer. There are also a lot of games that find a nice balance between the two.

One thing people need to remember is that there are different types of gamers in the market. There are 6 year olds who can't handle the intricacies of a game like Metal Gear Solid. For them, something like Lego Star Wars works out perfectly. Even for someone like myself, a game like Lego Star Wars works out. There are times when all I want to do is pop in a game and play. I want to have the experience of Star Wars through this game, and I don't feel like battling for hours on end to do that.

With that said, there are times when I want to challenge myself with a game like Metal Gear. However, I don't want every gaming experience to be as challenging as a game like this.

The hardcore gamer needs to remember that not everyone is as good as they are. Take Madden for example. Someone who has played Madden for 8 straight years, to them the game is pretty easy. They can pick the game up and get going very easily. But is it really an easy game to get in to? I say no.

Imagine that you've never played Madden before in your life and you pick it up for the very first time today. It's not as simple as hitting A and then throwing the ball to your open B receiver anymore. Now you have to worry about the defense calling an audible, do you want to run hot routes with your receiver, do you yourself want to audible, you can control your lead blockers now, and the list goes on. I don't know about you, but that's a lot to handle at once, and it's not easy to pick up.

To sum it all up, no, games are not too easy. Some are easy, some are average, and some only a certified gaming genius can get through. That's the way things should be, because that's the type of market we're dealing with. Some people play for fun, some people play 24/7. A good mix of difficulty is important and it's the only way you avoid alienating a certain demographic of gamers.

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

Marked-Down Mondays: The Equivalent of Pr0n To Cheap-Skates.

2006-10-02T23:21:00.000-04:00

Yay, MDM is here. And for today's edition, we have three deals, all to do with memory.

The first one is a Mini SD card for you cell phone and other small electronics, but it has a large SD card converter for bigger things. All for the low, lovely price of only.....$17.95! You can't get this anywhere else. This usually goes for around $35. And the shipping is FREE! Get it HERE.

Next up is a 1GB Flash Drive. It's a nice Kingston one that should last. And it's only........$24.99! You usually can't get these for that price. The usual price is $59.99!!!! THAT'S 50% OFF! Get it HERE.

Finally, if 1GB is not big enough for you, why not step it up to 2GB. And do I have a deal for you. You can get a 2GB Flash Drive for only.......$37.95!! That's LOW. It goes for a lot at other places, and this is a nice, low price for a 2GB! Get it HERE.

So, I hope you enjoyed Marked-Down Mondays this week, and hope that these deals will help you with all your portable storage needs.

-Zam

A Nintendo Wii review

2006-10-02T11:51:00.000-04:00

Tom Samiljan recently got his hands on the soon to be released Wii. He details his likes and dislikes about the new system, and while I can't speak on the system firsthand, I can tell you whether or not I think what he has to say is worth listening too.

What he liked:

Innovative controllers: What seemed goofy at first turns out to be pretty ingenious. In the Wii Sports Boxing game, for example, you use the Nunchuk and the Wireless Controller (one in each hand) to punch at the screen, making the whole experience more realistic.

I'm glad to hear he had a good time with the controllers. Afterall, if those fail to engage the player, nothing on this system will. The Wii is all about an innovative style of play, and these controllers will either make or break the Wii. Personally, I can't wait to experience these for the first time.

Pick up and play: Many of the Wii titles on display were of the no-previous-experience-necessary puzzle (Wario Ware:Smooth Moves, Big Brain Academy) variety. And the motions you make using the controllers on Wii Sports so mimic the actual sports (you literally swing the controller like a tennis racket) that even "uncoordinated" types who have grade-school-gym-class-enforced familiarity with, say, baseball, would be able to pick up and play.

As I mentioned in my "Meet SmilesD" introduction, the ability to have games that are fun and easy to pick up is a big deal to me. It's not that I suck at video games and want them as easy as possible, I just don't have the time anymore to dedicate 3 hours to one area of a game. I want to pick it up, put it in, and start playing without a big learning curve. Not to mention that the only person I have to play games with is my girlfriend. She has a hard time picking up the nuances of today's games, and the "pick up and play" style will surely make is more fun for her and me, as we can now play together.

Cool interface: I liked the Wii Channels, particularly the appropriately named Mii Channel that lets you create a cartoonish avatar of yourself. Like a version of you if you were a Gorillaz band member, this character can then be inserted into any number of games, including Wii Sports and Wario Ware.

Things like this aren't all that important to me, but they do sound some what interesting to say the least. I don't know how much enjoyment I'll get out of putting together an avatar, but adding an individual to your system is a good idea nonetheless.

What he didn't like:

HD or not HD: I couldn't find anyone at Nintendo to give me a straight answer on whether games would be in 480p (same quality as DVDs) or 720p (HD-quality). The component video outputÂthere's no state-of-the-art HDMIÂindicates it could go either way.

Well, for some this is going to be a sticking point. A lot of people really like the shiny pages, and I agree they can make a game go from a 7 or 8 all the way to ten, but once again, this won't hinder my enjoyment of a game, or the system.

If Nintendo has the ability to make their games HD quality, then I think they should. If, however, they decide not to go that route, that's fine by me. Like I said, I just want a fun game and the rest will take care of itself.

Thin launch lineup: Nintendo announced more than 40 first- and third-party titles due out by March 31st, but it was not specific about exactly how many titles would be out at launch.

Who cares? Anytime you have a brand new system the library is going to be small. The same thinhappenednd with the 360, and really a year later not much has changed for them. Don't use that as a reason not to buy the system. You also have to remember that developers are still getting used to the new game play the Wii offers. The games will come my friends.

Boy, do my arms hurt: Whether "casting" a fishing rod to catch virtual bass in Zelda or tossing a bowling ball in Wii Sports, I nearly dislocated my shoulder using the wireless controller.

What pansyzy! I know these controllers are adding a bit of activity to the game, but I doubt the average person gets tired and fatigued. Do a little stretching and you'll be in business.

So should you listen to reviews like this in making a decision? It depends. definitelyly wouldn't make a decision based off of one guy. Read up as much as you can, talk to people who've tried it personally, and give it a try yourself. This system might be for you, it might not.

--SmilesD
Writer at Smiles That Kill

This Week In GM2

2006-10-02T01:09:00.000-04:00

Last Week on the Gamer Mania 2 Circuit:

This week, Ton is bringing you a review of the game Dead Rising for the 360 and a review of NBA Live 2006 (which is going to turn out as more of a joke then anything). He's also trying to introduce his new seg, Photology, if he figures out how he wants to do it. For me, I'm bringing you a review of Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy (the sequel to the first game EVER reviewed on GM2!) later in the week and probably a preview of something.. So, look forward to that. Doug is bringing you guys some news stories, and maybe a review (he's not sure). We're also bringing back Website Wednesdays!! But, there's a thing with WW. We're gonna have to make it so we do it every other week to fit our schedule. Wednesday is one of the worst, and tiring days for us, so one every other week is what we can do. We also got Videology, Musicology, MDM, and The Return of Release Recap. So, that what's going on This Week In GM2.

Test Drive Unlimited Review

2006-10-01T21:44:00.000-04:00

So back in I dunno what month, I think June, I previewed a game called Test Drive Unlimited that looked uber sweet. Well then came the demo, which was uber crap. The second demo got me back interested.. and now I'm gonna tell you if the final game went crappy or went uber sweet!

So first is the good as usual, this game has a nice bit of it. The absolute coolest thing about this game isn't the online stuff, it's the gigantic 1,000 mile island of Hawaii you can cruise about. You can go up volcanoes, you can go along winding country roads, through cities, down awesome 10 lane highways, whatever you want is pretty much there. Also you can get something like 125 cars and motorcycles, which are all good and cool, but there are some odd missing ones like BMW and there are like 10 bikes, that's it. But aside from that the car selection is VERY pimpin.. even though there are no Hummers.

The other really big plus to this game is just the way it's built, how you drive around and unlock races as you advance in ranks, which go up as you get achievements. Seeing all of the on and off ramps in a game entwined and knowing you can go on any one you want is very cool for me at least, but that has to do with my liking of architecture I'm sure. The GPS system you use to get around is very cool, because when you open it it actually zooms out of your car and goes up into the air to a map, and then it zooms back down to your car from the air. The woman voice that tells you where to go is kind of annoying though, I would have much preferred Elmo's furry voice. There're also houses in this game, which are cool aside from the fact that each one holds certain cars so you have to go around and find the right one if you're looking for a certain car. So that's pretty good..

What else.. erm well, it has a very good amount of events at least offline. I think there are 120 races and over 100 mission things. While I'm on that subject.. there are only regular races, eliminators, and time trials, which kind of sucks but the track variety will keep you interested. There also be them missions I been talking about back when, there are basically transport where you take people around, car transport, where you have to bring a car from A to B without damaging it, and package transport, which is pretty much like car transport with a time limit. They're ok, but the races are much better.

The last thing to talk about on the good side of things would be audio and video. The graphics are incredible for the racing cars, at times it's hard to tell if it's a real car or not. But in everything else, it seems like they dropped the quality tenfold. The buildings are just blocks, the normal cars look like total and absolute crap, and the trees are just 2D. Meh! It seems like they worked on the cars and took the rest of the stuff out of Mario Kart 64 or something.. And the audio, well there are a couple of different radio stations that would be good if you could hear them. To even tell there's music playing you have to mod around with the sound options and turn the main TV volume up, and then when you go back to TV everything'll be super loud.

So that's about all I can say for the good/semi-good... Now it's time for the ZOMG that's horrible. First of the multiplayer, it's very hard to believe the game was based around this. The servers are down daily, some of the features don't work at all, and you can only see 16 people on the map at any given time. Sorry but this is an MMO? Nope, an MMO would have hundreds and hundreds at least on the map at a time, if not on screen. Also there are only certain races you can do online, and they're laggy too, which really does suck. There are certain things they did right though, like the instant challenge and the Drive-In (you can design time trials and put up rewards for people to do them).

The other bad thing that I haven't already mentioned over the course of the review is that the handling leaves a bit to be desired, the cars all handle pretty alike no matter what the make or model, just the class changes it. And the handling that's there isn't very smooth.. it feels funky. Lastish I just want to say the police are the most annoying thing ever, they always say the same thing on the radio and once you're in a pursuit they'll just start randomly popping up after you get away from the last one, so it's very hard to get away.

So TDU is a good game, but leaves a lot to hope for mostly in the multiplayer, but also the graphics and other departments. Even with all of that though, it gets 3.5 hula skirts out of 5. Buy it at $40 (you'll get quite a lot of time out of it before you're bored), then sell it back a month or two later for $20.

GM2- Meet SmilesD

2006-09-30T17:06:00.000-04:00

What's up GM2ers? The owners of this here blog have extended their hands to me and asked me to become a member of the GM2 team. Needless to say, I gladly excepted the invite -- for a small fee.

So, you might be asking yourself, who is this new guy? Probably you're just saying who cares about this new guy. But either way, I'm going to give you a little background info.

I'm 24 years old, I'm in grad school, and I have a blog of my own. The blog is called Smiles That Kill, and it has very little to do with video games. I go by the alias SmilesD over there, just like I will be here. When you have time, you can hop on over there to get a feel for what I'm about, and how I write.

My gaming credentials are quite simple. Santa gave me an NES in first grade, and since then I've never looked back. From that point on, Mario and SmilesD needed to be together, and together often. I've had an NES, Sega Genesis, N64, PSone, DreamCast,PS2, Gamecube, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, and Nintendo DS.

I'm a simple gamer. I miss the days of old when anybody could pick up a controller and get into a game. That's probably the main reason I love the Nintendo DS, and can't wait for the Wii. More then likely the posts you'll get from will deal with Nintendo or the upcoming PS3. I have no love for the Xbox, or it's big brother the 360.

Now that you know a little bit about me, let me say that I'm looking forward to being part of GM2. I've been a long time reader here, and it'll be fun to put my own little stamp on the place. Stop by Monday when my gaming specific posts will start.

Dance Factory Review

2006-09-27T22:46:00.000-04:00

I think you've probably heard of the games that make you think you can dance when you're really just jumping around like a monkey on crack, the ones called Dance Dance Revolution. Well there's a new spin-off called Dance Factory and its main feature is that you can use your own music to dance.....

The good comes first. The biggest plus to this game is that you can use your own music of course, which should mean you have as much music as you want but sadly it doesn't really. The problem is about half of the music you use is not going to make good dances, either because the game can't do it right or it's just a bad song to dance to. So.. yeah.

Another plus to this game is that it has all of the basic game modes from DDR, but it has a new multiplayer one that hasn't been done before called Creature Mode. What happens in this is you put a CD in and (I bet you didn't know this) according to Konami, there are creatures in your CDs. So each CD will give you a different creature you can use for the mode, which is pretty cool. It's also cool that a creature can fit in a CD.. I wish I could do that. As far as the actual creatures go.. well.. they look like what you get when you let crocodiles operate on each other, the legs, arms, and neck are all gone. But somehow their hands, head, and feet are all mysteriously still in place. Funky. You get to buy your creature accessories in 3 different colors, and each one has a different ability aside from making your furry look like a rock star.

When you play in head-to-head with these creatures, if you get a certain number of arrows hit in a row, all of them will turn to the color of one of your pimp accessories. If you hit them all, something will happen like half of your opponent's arrows will go away for a bit. It's pretty cool, but the fact that every accessory only comes in 3 colors and they each do the same things kind of sucks. That's about all for the good...

Now for the bad.. and it's a doozie. First of all, the dance steps are off a lot of the time, it's kind of like they just throw arrows down no matter what the song. They also put a lot of the same combos in a lot. Also... it takes about a minute for the dance routines to be made. They did have the niceness to add in a 3D Tetris game for you to play while you wait.. but it's kind of hard to play when the arrows on your dance pad are hitting themselves like they do a lot. Nice thought though.

Then the second big problem with this game is the graphics... if you've ever put a grenade in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and let it blow.. you know about how good these graphics look. Everything's bland and boring, the visualizations are stuck about 20 years in the past with lines all over the place (I will admit that a choice couple of them like the one in the pic below are awesome), the menus are boring, and the accessories for the creatures look like absolute crap. The arrows look pretty cool though.

The scoring in this game is messed up too, a lot of times you can't tell whether or not you hit an arrow or missed it. My last gripe about DF would have to be the lack of online, but that is very easy to forgive since there is no game disk in once you put your music in.

So.. overall Dance Factory has a lot of flaws, but they aren't too hard to forgive for the most part since it's running off of cache. I think there would a lot of potential for them to do a DF2 in the future on consoles with hard drives though, since they would have a lot more room for caching. I'll just go ahead and give it a 3.5 funky chicken monsters with floating body parts... out of 5, and tell you you should give it a go if you like casual DDR but not if you're really hardcore.

X06: MS is getting good at this

2006-09-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

First off, Microsoft snatched up exclusivity on Irrational Games' Bioshock. Chosen by GameSpot editors earlier this year as the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006 Game of the Show, Bioshock was previously slated to be released on the PC and "next-generation console systems." An Xbox 360 version was shown behind closed doors at the event.
Another big exclusivity announcement from the media briefing was that the next installment of Splinter Cell would be coming only for Microsoft's next-gen console and the PC. And by "next installment," Microsoft didn't mean Splinter Cell: Double Agent, which hits multiple platforms later this year and was shown off with a new trailer. It was referring to the Splinter Cell game after Double Agent, which came to light just last week when assets for a whole slate of Ubisoft titles, including Splinter Cell 5, accidentally hit the Web.

Sony.. you better be watching your asses guys, if this is a sign of things to come, Microsoft is getting hella' good at this game dealing business and they already sort of have the upper hand. This is great for them though, SC5 and Bioshock are both gigantic games and are going to be huge hits to not just Sony, but Nintendo too in terms of SC5. I did not know MS has this in them to be honest. And there's more:

At Microsoft's X06 event currently taking place in Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft's corporate vice president of marketing Peter Moore gave gamers the latest on what's in store for GTAIV on Xbox Live Marketplace. He announced that Rockstar Games is working on two downloadable packs for the game--to be made available within months of the game's release.

A press release issued during the conference said only that the packs would add "hours of entirely new gameplay" to GTA4. No additional details on the downloadable packs were released, but industry sources have said they will be along the lines of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories in terms of length.

Whoaaaa, what in the world? Downloadable content the size of a full game?! That is totally crazy and once again, MS has done great with exclusivity.

X06: Time to break out your fake mullets... Guitar Hero 2 on the 360

2006-09-27T22:11:00.000-04:00

As music has made the generational leap from cassettes to CDs, so too will music games. RedOctane today announced that the sequel to its popular Guitar Hero game is going next gen on Microsoft's Xbox 360.The companies did not release any more details on the X-Plorer (shaped like and presumably named after the Gibson X-Plorer guitar), but the controller was built specifically for the Xbox 360. RedOctane did not state whether the X-Plorer was wireless or not. It is also unclear whether or not this is the Xbox 360's version of the wireless PlayStation 2 Guitar Hero controller that was listed on GameStop earlier this week.

Bringing Guitar Hero II to a new platform means some new features. As expected, Xbox Live Marketplace will serve as a cyber jukebox for Guitar Hero II

RedOctane has not announced a release date for the Xbox 360 version of the game, but Activision CEO Robert Kotick recently said that the franchise would hit new platforms next year.

....Hell yeah RedOctane! This is my vote for news of the day. I have played the hell out of GH1 on the PS2 and have been hoping that it'd come over to the 360 so I could get some Achievement gratification and music off of Marketplace. Take a look at that kickin' controller too, if that's wireless I will start drooling right now (sadly they won't say). I can't wait even though I just bought 1 back in July. Thanks RO, you have made my day.

Halo Wars and A new Halo game by Peter Jackson!!!!

2006-09-27T21:58:00.001-04:00

8:09: A trailer begins. There's a Warthog from Halo. Lots of them. They're tearing through a barren field with a few Scorpions. Another group of space marines is under attack. The Covenant wipes out the last of that group and prepares for the incoming Warthogs. A full-scale battle erupts, with tons of vehicles left and right. Spartan Group Omega shows up. "If they want war, we'll give 'em war." A logo for "Halo Wars" appears. The game is apparently a real-time strategy title for the Xbox 360 EXCLUSIVELY. Its official Web site is now live.

Yeeeaaaah, biaches! I would have never guessed this was coming, but hey I know I sure as hell ain't complaining. RTS games are awesome, and Halo is cool so this should be a very good game. Watch the trailer.

Jackson takes the stage to hollers and loud applause. He says the first project has been in the works for about a year. He talks about a "not quite a game, not quite a film" experience. He wants to take stories that could become films but maybe won't, and bring them into the world of games.

8:06: The game will be based on Halo!!! It's not Halo 4, and it's not the film, but it will be based in the world of Halo. It will NOT be a traditional game. Is this the much-rumored "Forerunner" game?
8:07: Jackson speaks! "Instead of making a film, we [will] make a form of entertainment that you can watch and enjoy like you would a film," but with interactive elements, he says. Jackson thinks the technology is to the point where games and film can blend, "and the fun of this is going to be figuring out where they can blend." He says it won't be especially for the hardcore game crowd. Moore says this means Microsoft is working on Halo beyond the movie, and Bungie is working on content beyond Halo 3. There will also be an all-new series based on stories from Jackson and Walsh.

Wow, two Halo games in a day, what in the world could MS have done better? This one especially interests me because it sounds like something totally new, in the world of something familiar. But having two Halo FPS (and Halo Wars) games come out in a year (probably) seems like a bit of overkill...

Yet, no news on Halo 3 except an announcement that a big announcement will be made by the end of the year.. Seems like a cruel joke by Bungie, I guess they like having love/hate relationships.

-Zam

X06: 360's High Def DVD Drive for 199 smackers

2006-09-27T21:33:00.000-04:00

When it hits stores in North America, the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player should retail for $199.99. Gamers in the UK can expect the player to run them £129.99 ($245), while those in France and Germany can expect to pay 199.99 euros ($254) for the hardware. All these prices have been called "estimated retail prices" by Microsoft, which noted that the actual retail price may vary.
A movie-playing machine with no movies to play wouldn't make much sense, so Microsoft is also throwing in a copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong on HD-DVD, and an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote, as well. That's the film version of the giant ape's adventure and not the Ubisoft game adaptation--Microsoft has previously said the HD-DVD will be used only for movies.

Microsoft could do whatever the hell they want with this.. I don't care. I don't have an HD-TV and I probably won't be getting one any time soon. I'm sure this will keep visual junkies happy though, $200 for a high def player is a nice deal, especially with King Kong thrown in for free. The player still looks crazy cool, by the way.

Videology

2006-09-27T20:30:00.000-04:00

We here at GM2 (Ton and I) have decided that we are gonna bring you a collection of new segs with "ology" at the end. Ton just introduced you to Musicology, and soon, we're gonna do Photology. But right now we're gonna do out new one, Videology. Videology is where we post a funny, entertaining, awesome, just plain stupid, etc. video. Here's a good one today. It's called "Dance Evolution". It where a comedian goes through a bunch of centuries of dance in a 6 minute video to so many songs. I believe it's one of the most popular videos on YouTube EVER! And it's great! So enjoy, "Dance Evolution":

Musicology

2006-09-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

One of the new segments, Zam or I tells you about a cool song and gives you a link to download it or listen to it. I've done it before but now it's going to be an official segment (with a funky name) and it's going to be much shorter. The official day might be Tuesday but we're not sure just yet.. Onward!

This week's song is a pretty old one from a band called The Verve. The song is called The Drugs Don't Work. I found the band through Rockstar Supernova and the song Bittersweet Symphony.. but this is just a plain amazing song. "Like a cat in a bag/Waiting to drown/This time I'm coming down" + the way it's sung = a few lines that could definitely make people cry. Those lyrics are pure genius.. they give a horrifying picture. Go give it a listen no matter what music you like, it's considered rock but it's not really.

Instead of posting it up as a download I'm going to direct you here as that's legal to use, me posting it probably isn't (I don't really care but this is easier). So go there, type in the artist The Verve, and click on the song, it should play after about 5 seconds of loading.

PSThrizzle games for $60, I am amazed

2006-09-26T21:56:00.000-04:00

Gamers have known about the price of the PlayStation 3 since E3 (except in Japan, where the price was recently cut), but the costs of the system's games have been up in the air. The cat may be out of the bag now, as the online Sony Style store now has listings for seven games, all priced at $59.99.

Shoppers can now preorder Ubisoft's Blazing: Angels: Squadrons of WWII, Activision's Tony Hawk Project 8, Call of Duty 3, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Full Auto 2: Battlelines, as well as Sony Online Entertainment's Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom

So this isn't exactly official, but even so it couldn't really be any closer to official, so I'm stunned. As much as I have been hard on Sony for everything PS3, I have to say this is a very surprising (and good) move for them since everyone was expecting something more like $70. It looks like they finally might be starting to do some things right..

And I have to say my interest in the PS3 has been re-sparked all of a sudden, maybe because I too was expecting $70+ games. I don't really know why but I suddenly am considering getting one again..

The Wee Wii will have free web for a year.. yay.

2006-09-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

Opera Software, the makers of the Wii's Web-surfing software, cleared that situation up a bit today with news that its browser for the system would be free for a limited time. Gamers will be able to download the Opera browser from the Wii Shop Channel free of charge until June 2007, the company announced today.

After June 2007, the browser will be available to download for an undetermined number of Wii points, the virtual currency of the Wii Shop Channel.

The browser will support Flash and AJAX-based content, and while it will be customized for Nintendo's next-gen system, Opera promises it will have "the same complete standards support as the Opera 9 Desktop browser," with functions including bookmarks and zoom. The browser will also be designed to work specifically with the motion-sensing Wii controllers.

Ok.. so the deal behind this.. you're going to have to buy an internet browser for the Wii after June 07. I don't get why really, that should be free, it is on PC's. Here's to hoping it won't be expensive as crap (I'm sure Zam will be the only one who gets that joke), I would definitely like one if I get a Wii.

P.S. If anyone knows who that is inside the O please tell me...

Dun dun dun... it's Marked Down Mondays with special guest Mr. Walmart Smiley!

2006-09-25T23:41:00.000-04:00

Heeeeey guys been a long time, but here we go. Marked Down Mondays!!! Just to let you know this is going to be mostly my segment, Zam and I have agreed, and he's going to be taking one of the new ones we haven't introduced just yet. But enough small talk; Our special guest, The Walmart Smiley says he thinks he's ready, so let's dive right on in:

First deal is a 2 for $15 DVD sale down at the Best Buy, they have a gigantafreakinmongous selection, with some new ones like Constantine and Hitch in there, and also older stuff like The Mummy. I'll be doing that one for sure. Linky.

Next deal is a bunch of games, starting with World of Warcraft down to $20 everywhere (the damn monthly charge is almost more then the game now..!). They also have a deal at Best Buy when you buy 2 $20+ PC games, you get $10 back. Good deal there, and good linky here. Also the brand new Madden 07 for $40 on PS2 and XBOX, and $50 on XBOX 360. More linky. One more game deal - any and all new NBA games come with $10 gift cards. Linkytastic.

And here's your every week deal, a 2GB Flash drive for $40 and a 512MB one for $15. Nothing very special there... special linky is here though for the 2GB. Pet him with your pointay cursor thingy!

Errrmm.. what else we got.. John Mayer's new CD, Continuum for $9. Crazy good CD, I suggest picking that up. Linky got all dressed up in his sextastic sumo wrestler outfit for this one (Be afraid)!

And for the last deal, PS3's $1 PRICE DROP!!! You can get them for $599 instead of $600 everywhere now, I guess Sony had a change of heart and thought you'd like a candy bar with your PS3... I can hear the fanboys now... "Thank you Sony, we LOVE candy bars.. who cares if they're drugged to make us love you guys.. We love you Ken Kutaragi! *dreamy sigh*"

That just about ends it up for the night, I'll see you next week for another MDM guys!

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Preview

2006-09-25T19:46:00.000-04:00

YAY! Marvel has a new game! Well, this isn't exactly big, exciting news, as some of their other games, weren't exactly................uhh............(they sucked). But anyway, this one looks good. It's called Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. That name just makes me want to play it. It's for basically every console (including the new ones) except for the DS. It's a huge RPG where you take control of over 20 Marvel characters including Captain America, Wolverine, Silver Surfer, Iron Man, Spider-Man (of course), and many, many great others. So, basically, the fate of the Earth and the Marvel Universe (run Stan Lee! RUN!). Kind of a usual story for RPGs. Also, you get to make a team, name it, have a main vehicle for your team, and gain a rep throughout the game. Sounds like Marvel Super Heroes are being put in GTA. But guess what, you don't just battle normal goons and carbon-copied foot soldiers, you get to battle, OTHER MARVEL SUPERHEROES! Awesome! (Well, there are foot soldiers, but just being able to kick superheroes' ass with other superheroes' makes up for it.) There are over 140 CAMEOS TOO! It comes with the usual mode, competetive (battle) and co-op mode. There's probably a free-play mode put in there somewhere. So, this game just sounds....pretty cool....but it's look awesome.

Especially the graphics, they're kickin'! They make all the superheroes' powers look awesome. Very well done. I think I'm gonna enjoy this game, especially since I love Marvel superheroes. So go check out this game when it hits stores on October 24.

This Week In GM2

2006-09-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

As part of our revival of GM2, each Sunday we're going to write this little summary of what's going on this week on the blog so you can find out if there's something you'll be interested in. If all goes well we might also use this to sum up what happened over the past week and give you links to it if you want to check back on what we've been up to. So here it goes:

This week in GM2 we're going to be getting back to the norm of a year ago, with me doing a review of the funky, weird, and sort of sucky Dance Dance Revolution poser Dance Factory and also one of the 360 MMOCARPG, Test Drive Unlimited. Zam's aiming for a few previews as well, but he hasn't decided of what yet (will update this when he picks which). We're also going to be restarting segments, with Marked Down Mondays a go for tomorrow, and a possibility of a new, revamped Release Recap on Tuesday or Thursday. We're also going to introduce a couple of new, quick segments this week, which we hope you'll like. And of course we'll have some interesting news stories as soon as they hit the e-Desk.

So that's what's happening this week in GM2, hope to see you reading this week (you don't want to know how we will see...).

P.S. Be sure to give major props to Zam for that bitching logo!

Halo 3 Logo Officialized

2006-09-24T22:04:00.000-04:00

There you have it, that is what Master Chief's face looks like under that sexay visor of his. Ar wait that's not right... Being serious, that thing is awesome.

What's Next?

2006-09-23T22:23:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is a new segment we're doing where we joke about how weird the ideas for games are getting and making our own game title we think is coming soon.

Lego Star Wars was definitely an excellent idea, but what's next? Are they gonna do Lego American Idol? Oh man, that game would be GREAT. You get to customize your own contestants to be part Simon, part Ryan Seacrest, and part Clay Aiken. Oh what a voice on that thing. Sounds like a gay, nasily british person. Oh I can see it now. The only problem with this game is that Lego's don't talk or at that sing. In Lego Star Wars no one said a thing they just did facial expressions. But everyone would love that to not hear Lego Simon say his comments and no more "Yo dawg" from Lego Randy (actually I would miss that). And no more "You did your thing" from a Lego Paula who's wearing a LEGO thong (ouch).

All we can say is, if this game comes out, What's Next?

-Zam

No DVD Player On The Wii

2006-09-20T22:29:00.000-04:00

It was comfirmed by Nintendo that the Wii will have no DVD playing of any kind. Even though the game disks are around the same size, it doesn't matter. The rumor of a DVD connector is false. This is ok, but not that great for all the people who don't want to buy both a Wii and a DVD player, and just want them in one. Oh well, I guess that is why the price is so low.

-Zam

Wii's Price, Release, and Virtual Console prices out

2006-09-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

Here comes the hard info. "One price, one configuration, one color." So there's only a white one (for now), it comes with the nunchaku and so-called "Wiimote" controllers, and it costs...$249.99! The system will show up at 25,000 retail locations, so it probably won't be too hard to find one--especially since Reggie just promised 4 million units shipped globally by the end of calendar 2006, with the majority share going to North America.

Where can I order one? Ok, ok, I shouldn't be saying that, $250 is over what was expected, and it seems like quite a bit of money for what you get. For $50 more you get the basic 360 which has a lot more to it... But back to the Wii, that $250 does include a nunchuck and Wii Sports (now with Bowling and Boxing), so it kind of softens the blow of the price. The only white color is a little disappointing, I might end up waiting for a black or red one which should be out sometime. But that 4 million units by the end of the year, that is nice. I think the 360 has only sold 3.3 million and it's been a year, so there should be no shortage of the Wii suckers when they come out. Come November 19th I think you'll probably be able to get them, pre-ordered or not. As for that release date, no surprises there.

In a little other news related, the nunchuck and remote set on its own will cost $60, which is $10 more then a 360 controller. That's a lot. Hell the games cost less then that. One last thing before I end up for the night:

Surprisingly, full pricing details are here. NES games will be available for 500 Wii points, Super NES games for 800, and Nintendo 64 for 1,000. Wait, Wii what? Looks like they're taking the same tack as Microsoft: Consumers part with fake money more easily than real money. A 2,000 Wii points card can be had at retail for $20--so that's $5, $8, and $10 a pop, respectively.

No surprises, I don't mind those prices at all. $10 for an N64 game is fine, most of them used at game stores cost $5-10 anyway. I'm sure I'll be buying tons of these, just like I did with the XBOX Live Arcade.

But now this gamer is off, and we'll get more into Nintendo's press conference tomorrow afternoon.

-Ton

Every Gamer's Dream Room!

2006-09-13T17:02:00.000-04:00

^^The place where every girl
wishes they had their first kiss.

^^It looks like he got that

at Wal-Mart of something

Wow, now that's a room. This guy must of spent thousands of dollars on this. Incredible stuff!

iTunes 7

2006-09-12T22:01:00.000-04:00

At today's Apple Media Event, along with new iPods, a new version of iTunes was released. It can easily be dubbed the biggest change since the original iTunes was released. Here are some of the new features:

New design featuring dark blue and silver instead of silver alone.
A 3D Jukebox view that lets you flip through your albums and choose what to listen to that way.
A Download Manager that tells you how much is left in whatever you're downloading and allows you to order your downloads by priority.
An iPod Summary page that sums up all of the data you need to know about your iPod.
The ability to get cover art for any ripped songs automatically added.
Gap-less playback for all music.
The ability to backwards sync your iPod with other computers and copy the music off the iPod onto other authorized PCs.
Downloadable movie trailers for your iPod.
Movies from the likes of Disney, Pixar, Miramax, and Touchstone; $15 at release, $13 to preorder, and $10 for old titles. They are now 640 by 480 instead of 320 by 240. Most movies will be available on the date of the DVD release.
iPod Games available for download; $5 a title with 9 games online now ranging from Pac-Man to Bejeweled. Not playable on PCs. Works only with 5G iPods.
And last but not least, a blue iTunes logo instead of a green one.

Of all of those updates, I like the album art one the best. It may seem kind of silly, but I spent forever over the summer finding album art for CDs I'd ripped. The pain in the ass now is deleting the Amazon stuff and getting the higher quality pictures from iTunes. The 3D Jukebox is pretty awesome too.

I'd like to be amped about the movies, but I only have a 5G with 1.5 hours of video playback, and I now don't plan on getting a new one since the 80GB ones are .55" thick. Not missing out on much though, they're only Disney anyway... And for $10-15 I would expect the ability to burn them to DVDs. The movie trailers thing is a nice feature, I've been waiting on that for a year. I'll try out one of the games in a few days and tell you guys what it's like playing Tetris or something on an iPod.

The problem with this new version of iTunes is copying music to your iPod. Instead of having one thing on the sidebar for your iPod, there's now the main iPod tab, and 4 sub-tabs that let you see the different items on your iPod. You can't just go onto the music sub-tab and press paste to add music. You have to go to the main iPod tab, which doesn't have a list of your music, and press paste. It's very annoying for me. If I were you and you're not itching to get movies or games, I'd wait for 7.0.1 or the next update because it can get to be a huge pain in the ass.

So overall it's pretty cool but could still use some work.

Next up: iPod and Shuffle get revised

2006-09-12T17:47:00.000-04:00

After the Nano, what could Apple do but release new versions of the regular iPod and the Shuffle? Nothing. So the iPod is not really a redesign, more of just an update to it. Here's what's changing:

No more 60GB. The new models are now 30GB and 80GB, no news released on whether they will be the same form factor or the 80 larger then the 30 as in the last generation.
60% brighter screen.
3.5 hours of video playback on the 30, 6.5 on the 80.
Newly-designed headphones, not shown, hopefully they will be in-ear with increased quality.
New searching feature for music
'Gapless' playback, no idea what that means
Games for $5 on iTunes, will work with the old 5G's and this, no information about the Nanos.

I don't care about the brightness. I don't care about the Gapless playback. I care about games and all that video playback. 6.5 hours of video playback in such a small thing amazes me, I will be getting that 80GB no question as long as it is not as big as the 60GB was last time. Now the games.. I will not buy the iPod just for that since my 5G does it just fine, but I am pretty excited about that too, playing Pac-Man, Zuma, and Tetris on my iPod sounds like it'll be fun. Only $5 as well. Sort of wish they would give us the same paint job options as the new Nanos, but that's an easy thing to let go. $250 for the 30GB and $350 for the 80GB. No release date.

So what I'm thinking is, one way or another, with this update, I'm going to get a new iPod after just a year as long as the 80 isn't huge. I hate Apple for doing this but I'm willing to pay for that extra video playback (especially with the movies I'll talk about next post), but it was getting a hella scratched up anyway. I wish they would just get the freaking Video out the door so I don't need another one next year again.. oh well. I'm also interested in the new earbuds.. I would be paying $100 for new ones if I hadn't heard this.. hopefully they are in-ear and not as tinny as the last ones.

The Shuffle is receiving a total makeover, and the new one will be as big as the iPod Remote is. If you don't know how small that is check the pic. That's crazy small, fo shizzle. Too bad it's a Shuffle, I can not have an mp3 player without a screen. It's that simple. Coming in 1GB next month for $80.

First, the new iPod Nanos.. They are teh pwnage!

2006-09-12T17:20:00.000-04:00

What needs to be said, guys? Those things are simply put, BITCHIN'! Here's what the update changes:

No more cheap plastic, all Aluminum here.
5 colors, no need to tell you what they are, unless you're colorblind you can tell from the pic. Hell if you're colorblind why should the colors matter?!
24 hour battery life. Enough said, eh?
New charger, lanyard, and armband. Charger is way overdue, as is the armband.
52% smaller then the original Nano, I honestly have no dayam idea how they did that, the original Nano's were freaking midgets. To be honest, I don't know if I'd want an iPod that small.
Will have the same software as the regular iPods.

So that just about sums it up, the coolest thing about these new Nanos is that the new design looks just like the old Mini's, but smaller and not the plastic of iPods past. For that reason alone, I would probably buy one, but I don't want anything that expensive that's that small. Just too easy to lose. Sorry Apple.

$150 for the 2GB Silver Nano, $200 for the 4GB Nano in all of the colors, and $250 for the 8Gigger in Black. Don't know why you can only get the 4GB in the different colors.. seems one of the biggest things going for them..

Will be back in 5, with more news.

-Ton

Apple's Media Event Coverage Starts Now!

2006-09-12T17:10:00.000-04:00

Earlier today Apple had a big media event, and they announced so many new things coming to iTunes and iPods, we are going to take about 5 posts to bring it to you. The news ranged from new iPod Nanos to the new iTV, but sadly there was no news of a true Video iPod.

So starting in say 10 minutes, the posts will start marching in like saints!

-Ton

AudioSlave's Original Fire

2006-09-11T22:37:00.000-04:00

Ok, so here's the deal. Back in August Microsoft's XBOX Live Artist of the Month was Audioslave. On the last day of August I decided, what the hell, I'll take the video, it's free anyway. After watching it twice, I knew Audioslave was a kick-ass band, and I had this song stuck in my head without any hope of getting it out. Oddly though, I hate their old music. This song marks their turn into more rock'n'roll and hip-hop influences in their music instead of alternative, and it makes the difference that got me interested.

This video is just plain awesome (even though the Youtube version is a huge step down in quality from the HD version on my 360), the tune is great no matter what kind of music you like, it's not too hard or too soft for anyone to complain, and the actual video is really unique. I love the pictures and lyrics going around in the background. And Tom Morello and Chris Cornell looks really cool, too. Without further ado, I present AudioSlave's "Original Fire". If you like that, I suggest going out and buying their new CD, Revelations, as it is very cool as well.

Edit: Until YouTube's new interface figures out how to work itself, I can't get videos on this blog, so I'm gonna have to just link you guys. Sorry. AudioSlave - Original Fire

-Ton

Remember, Remember, the 11th of September.

2006-09-11T22:15:00.000-04:00

It’s been five years since everyone’s lives were changed, either directly or indirectly, thanks to four terrorists hijacking separate planes and crashing into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. It was done for no apparent reason aside from inflicting us with fear, and to a certain extent, it worked. Now 5 years later most people have recovered from the shock, but the people who lost members of their family or friends will probably never fully heal. Let’s take a moment to pray for them…

Now on to a bit happier note: the Freedom Tower. In case you haven’t seen the design for the building, it’s going to be a 1776 (in a tribute to the year we got our independence) foot tall structure, with a slanted glass roof, and it looks absolutely awesome. Alongside the FT will be a memorial for the 9-11 victims, a museum, and four other towers. Construction will be started at the end of 2006 and is supposed to be finished in 2012… Sort of doubt that though, with how amazing that thing looks. Basically just have a look at that picture to see what it’ll look like. Find out more about it near the bottom of this Wiki article.

-Ton

TV Talk

2006-09-08T20:56:00.000-04:00

Ok, this might turn into a new segment. Well, the fall season of all the shows are starting off, and their coming with a kick. So, let's talk about them!

Let's start of with the new competition show called Celebrity Duets which premiered last Monday on FOX. It's a show that has some C-List or under celebs, including wrestler Chris Jericho, comedian Hal Sparks, "Xena:Warrior Princess" star Lucy Lawless, actor and comedian Cheech Marin, Fresh Prince's Alfonso Ribiero, and others, 8 in all. And they sing with A-List or a little lower singers who were hits back in the day. They include Micheal Bolton, Richard Marx, Gladys Knight, and many others. They have a duet with the famous singer, then are judges by a celebrity panel including Marie Osmend, Little Richard, and David Foster. One get elminated per week. It's hosted by one of my favorite comedians, Wayne Brady. So overall, I thought the show was entertaining. I like all the old songs they sing, good stuff. It's great to see how many celebrity singers they can get for this competition though. You should check it out if you like the oldies. I give it a 4 out of 5 so far. Check it out on FOX, Thursdays at 9pm, and the results show, Fridays at 9pm.

Next up, is the 3rd Season of the hit doctor drama "HOUSE" which premiered on FOX this week on Tuesday. And the third season is very good. For those of you who don't know about the show, it stars Hugh Laurie as a doctor named Gregory House who is a quick witted guy who just comes up with the crazy things to treat someone, and they usually work. His crack medical team include Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer). They all work at Princeton Hospital in New Jersey, and the show is about them solving some extremely interesting cases. The show is great, loved it the first 2 seasons, and love the 3rd one more. If you watched the first few seasons, check this one out. If not, still check out this show, it's amazing. The first ep gets a 5 out of 5. Can't wait til next week. Check it out on FOX, Tuesdays at 8pm.

Now, let's talk about some sitcoms. One new one is Brad Garret's new sitcom "Til' Death". This show is about a married couple who were married for about 8,500 days, and arebasically sick of living with each other, but do anyway. A newlywed couple moves in next door, so they try to explain to them the complexities of marriage, but make it funny. The show is alright, not as funny as expected. But so far, it gets a 3 out of 5. Check it out on FOX, Thursdays at 8pm.

Another good show is the sitcom "Happy Hour" Thursday nights on FOX after "Til' Death". It's a great sitcom you guys should check out.

So, I've talked a lot about FOX tonight, but the truth is, they are basically the only network to talk about right now. But be sure to check out the new stuff coming soon on CBS. Including probably Ton and I's favorite show, "The Amazing Race", Sundays on CBS at 9pm starting on 9/17. "Shark" which is a new show starring James Woods who plays a lawyer who tries to succeed. It's on CBS Tuesdays at 9pm starting on 9/19.

Coming soon on ABC is "Help Me Help You" which stars Ted Danson who plays a therapist who has a group who comes together and talks about their promblems, and he tries to help them. But it seems, he has many problems of his own, and that's about it.

On NBC, check out "Heroes" on Mondays. They also have the comedy show starring Tina Fey called "30 Rock", and a drama called "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip".

So, seems like a great line-up this fall. Check them out.

-Zam

Smiles That Kill

2006-09-07T23:05:00.000-04:00

If you're a regular here, you know that we read a blog called The Only Opinion That Counts, which is run by a dude who is now known as SmilesD. Well, TOOTC is officially dead. But Doug has made a new blog called Smiles That Kill, and let me tell you, it is very cool. So go check it out!

On a side note, the blog "D" and I used to write, the Divine Opinion, is dead as well. It's good news and bad news for you guys. Good because you'll be able to just see all of my movie reviews here, but bad because there will likely be less of them.

That's all I've got to tell you, so I'm out.

-Ton

XBOX Live Arcade Reviews: Week 1

2006-09-07T21:55:00.000-04:00

Microsoft set out to make the XBOX Live Arcade popular around 10 months ago when they released the 360, and at the moment I own 8 of the titles from it, with about half of them good. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to give you short and to the point reviews of each and every one, and tell you which 4 of them are worth your money, and which 4 aren't. Today I’ll do… Pac-Man, and Uno.

Pac-Man: The original arcade title, loved by millions, was released on XBLA at the end of July. It features what the original did, and just about nothing else. Which is its biggest fault, all that’s there is the regular arcade game, and Live leaderboards. Same graphics, same levels, same everything. It just feels too basic, even for a $5 XBOX Live Arcade title. The other problem with this version is that using the XBOX 360’s controller is absolute crap, the analog stick sticks a bit when you use it for this, and the D-Pad is much worse. Also, as with the other classic titles like this, only 2/3 of the screen is used.

I know they just wanted to get it out there, easy as possible, to make some money off of an old title, but I really wish they would have put a little bit of work into it and maybe come up with some new maze designs or even Co-Op play on Live. Even if it wasn’t great, it would be a lot better then playing the exact same thing over and over, by yourself.

As you can probably already guess, this is one of the 8 titles I own so far that I can not recommend. Going to have to give this package a measly 2.5 out of 5. It would be lower if it wasn’t a classic like Pac-Man. Even for $5, I expect far more then one game mode and leaderboards. Only buy it if you want 200 easy gamerscore points.

UNO: One of the most popular XBOX Live titles, an adaptation of the classic card game UNO, was released back in May. It’s arguably the most loved arcade title, because it’s simple yet has a lot to it. It’s basic UNO, with standard, partner, and elimination modes. You could play against the computer if you wanted, but where the game lives is on Live. It’s incredible fun to hook up with 3 friends and just play Uno while you’re having a chat. Or you can use it to make friends, which I have done quite a few times thanks to this game.

The Uno cards look amazing in high def or standard, yes I know it’s kind of funny to say that about cards, but they are very shiny. You could probably complain about the music which is basically a ukulele or guitar tune that loops endlessly, but to be honest I doubt you’ll notice it. Or there’s the custom soundtrack feature if you really hate it that much. Last but not least, there’s the ability to use different deck skins, which add some effects, make the cards look different, and change the rules up a little bit. So far there’s only 2, the 35^th anniversary one (free) and the PGR3 one ($1.25).

As this is one of my favorite XBLA titles with almost endless replay value, I can do nothing but recommend it. I’ll say it deserves a 4 out of 5 just because if you play it too much, it can get boring. After all, it is only a card game. The most amazing thing is, even though it’s an incredible game, you can get it for 400 MS points ($5). Go buy it.

So that’s it for this week’s XBLA reviews, I’ll be back next week with 2 more (likely Hexic HD and Galaga). See you then.

-Ton

We're Expanding Our Focus

2006-09-06T17:16:00.000-04:00

So, as you know, GM2 was originally all about video games, but then talking about those kinda got a little old and repetitive, so we expanded our focus a little by adding some movie reviews. But now, we're gonna expand it even more to include television, movies, music, video games, tech, and a lot more. So stay tuned for all around news and reviews.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GM2!!

2006-08-31T21:07:00.000-04:00

Exactly one year ago today, at this exact minute, we made our first post was made welcoming everyone to our new blog, Gamer Mania 2. And now 364 posts and 16,834 hits later we're still going strong. Ton and I are both proud to say that we run Gamer Mania 2, which now is viewed from all over the world. So, we wanna say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GM2! Now to sing the song to the tune of the Birthday Song:

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY GM2, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GM2, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAMER MANIA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GM2."

Cheer Up

2006-08-08T13:21:00.000-04:00

There are tons of things going on everywhere that are very saddening, so us here at GM2 would like you to cheer up. Hello Kitty Vader will help us out:

Emergence Day is coming

2006-08-03T18:09:00.000-04:00

Regardless of whether or not it was the big announcement, the Gears of War release date has been confirmed. The game's publisher, Microsoft, today announced that "Emergence Day," when the game will be available in North American stores, will take place on Sunday, November 12, of this year. UK stores will begin selling the game November 17.

Gears of War will be available in two packages: a $59.99 standard edition and a $69.99 limited edition. The more expensive version will feature metallic packaging, a Destroyed Beauty art book, and an extra DVD with a "making of" video.

Great way to counter the PS3 launch MS! It's no Halo 3, still a very popular game though. Definitely predictable, but nice to hear it confirmed. So... yeah.. very cool limited edition too, I'll be getting that one for sure.. No one knows if this is the "big" announcement that Epic said would be coming this week, but I'm almost sure it was.

Yeah, that's all.

-Ton

How Much Of A Nerd Are You?

2006-07-31T00:57:00.000-04:00

Take the test! This is a good test to see if you are a nerd. At the end, it gives you a percentage. Ton is 27.5% nerd and I'm 25.0% nerd. What scores did you get. Click the link below to find out. And there also a IQ test, Lazy Test, and some others. You can take them all at the link below.

Link

E3 is going the way of the dodo..

2006-07-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

GameSpot has learned that tomorrow the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) will announce changes to the format and scale of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the game industry event that typically draws in excess of 60,000 attendees and includes over 400 exhibitors.

On July 28, the Web site of UK trade magazine MCV reported discussions had taken place between the ESA and E3 exhibitors which addressed the future of the annual trade show. GameSpot spoke with informed game industry sources late Friday and Saturday and learned that the show would radically shrink in size and move from its usual Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) venue to a smaller location.

Sources said that rather than fill the 540,000 square feet of the cavernous LACC, the show will take place at a location that would support exhibitors in meeting room space only, with companies showing their wares to a select group of attendees numbering in the hundreds rather than thousands.

No! NO!! NOO!!! I can't believe it! Not E3! For some reason I always thought it was great for developers and publishers to get their games shown off to the public.. I don't see how it can be that bad at losing money. It's not official thankfully, but with how detailed this is, it sounds like it will be soon.

I understand that it might be hard for some small companies to pay for going, but more of the bigger news comes from companies like Ubisoft and Nintendo.. And they can then use the kind of responses they get to modify their games and consoles, but now it won't happen.. This is just really hard for me to grasp.

Zam and I had hopes of going some day.. now all we'll be able to do it watch it online like I did last year, and that's crappy. So remember today - 7/30/06 - as the day that E3, the awesome gaming convention, became just another TGS. Linky has the full story :'-(

-Ton

Splinter Cell: Double Agent delayed, again.

2006-07-27T17:33:00.000-04:00

Ubisoft's expectations would no doubt be higher, but the publisher also confirmed that it has delayed the release of Splinter Cell Double Agent to "the end of October," pushing it out of the company's second quarter entirely.

Yawn. Getting tired of this, really. It was supposed to be out in February. Now it's July. I still don't have it. Not gonna have it for 3 months. And I'm pissed. I was very excited to get this back in January but now, thanks to these delays, I'm really not very amped to get it any more. Good job Ubisoft.

I guess at least they're polishing it off a little bit more, but I really doubt a month and a half will do much.

Wouldn't post about this usually, but news is about as dry as the Sahara desert this month.

Pac-Man ate Myspace!

2006-07-23T21:18:00.000-04:00

I was talking to Zam on AOL and he suddenly yelled "OMG! GO TO MYSPACE!" Well, I went there and found that the Myspace server lost power due to some kind of storm, so there's just a blank page. And at the bottom is Pac-Man!!! So go on, you know you want to, and play this slightly-updated (everything moves a little better) version of the arcade classic! Hey, maybe if it gets popular enough they'll just leave it up and make it like Myspace in a game or something. I'm game for munching pictures of my buddies and then reading their profiles after every level!

Me, I'm off to investigate what Pac-Man has to do with Myspace :).

-Ton

NBC's Heroes

2006-07-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

As some of you might have heard, NBC is having a new show for its fall lineup, and one of them is a show called Heroes. Heroes is a show about many different people around the world that wake up one morning and discover they have superhuman powers, but pretty much only one, single power. The show showes their lives and how they deal with their powers. Eventually, these "Heroes" must work together to save the world from an evil guy who wants to take their DNA and do evil things with it. And the first thing that popped into Ton and I's mind as sooned as we saw a preview for the show was, "Wow, that is such an X-Men clone!" And guess what, nothing is really turning our minds away from that. Well, the heroes they follow have such similar powers to so many X-Men, that's its just crazy. Here's some of them: Peter Petrelli is a 30 yr old male nurse who found out he has to power to fly (countless number of mutants), there's Isaac Mendez who is a painter and a junkie who can paint the future when he is high (again, countless number of mutants can see the future, now painting is a different story, but its pretty much the same), there's Niki Sanders who is a Las Vegas Cam Girl who has a very powerful alter-ego (can't think of any X-Men, but I have one question, how does that make her a super-hero? That one is that will have to be seen further), there's Hiro Nakamura (wow, Hiro, what a great name for a Hero), well anyway, he has two powers, he can munipulate time (an X-Men named Sway has that too) and Hiro can also teleport (Nightcrawler, but he can teleport from Japan to New York, so more of the X-Man named Blink), there's D.L. Hawkins who's a prison inmate that can walk through walls (wow, that is seriously one convenient power for his situation, and Kitty Pryde is the related X-Man), there's Claire Bennet who is a High School Cheerleader with incredible healing powers (Wolverine, Beast, Angel and a lot more), and finally, there's Matt Parkman, a LAPD cop who has the power of telepathy (Marvel Girl). So, as you can see, all of the characters are EXTREMELY similar and are doing pretty much the same thing as the X-Men, but NBC is saying that this show is too real to be the X-Men. And they can get away with it, because one of their writers and producers is Jeph Loeb who worked on X-Men before and countless other comic books. Ok, I'm hitting a bit hard on how it is like the X-Men, but it is. But overall, it sounds like a good show. It's probably something I would watch, and NBC needs it because of their current ratings. So, maybe this show will draw in the comic fans and just people who like super-heroes. So look out for this show, Mondays on NBC starting sometime this fall. Stay tooned on GM2 because we will be covering some on important events going on with Comic Con, coming soon.

-Zam

Slip Kid #1

2006-07-20T20:51:00.000-04:00

You probably didn't know, but one of our fellow bloggers, Sean McDevitt, has been working on writing a 6-issue
comic series titled Slip Kid. The series follows a boy named Clay who discovers he has teleportation powers and sets out on a journey to find his father, along with his new friend, Sarah. I've only been following the progress for about three months, but it seems it's been in the works for almost two years. His work has finally paid off as he has recieved copies of the first issue yesterday after months of anticipation. At the moment you can only pick up a copy at his local G-Mart in Champaign, Illinois, or at the Wizard World comic convention in Chicago next month, however, you can email him at sean@slipkidcomic.com and work it out with him to have him mail you an autographed copy in exchange for a Lincoln. I suggest checking it out even if you're a little leary, you might like it, and at the least you're helping Sean get his bearings in the world of comic writing. For more information on Slip Kid, slip on down to the official website of the series. Linky will show you out.

P.S. Once I get my copy, I'll write up a review on the Divine Opinion

P.S.S. I'll be in New York Friday through Sunday, so it'll be just you and alakaZam

-Ton

Superman Returns: Second Opinion

2006-07-19T21:30:00.000-04:00

Since Zam already wrote a full review, I’m just going to talk about what I thought about it. He gave it a high score of 4.. but after seeing it, I really don’t know where he got that from. First of all, I don’t like the fact that they pretended the 3^rd and 4^th Superman movies never existed, and as Zam already said, it’s a bit late to be making a.. second version of the series.

After leaving this movie, I had so many damn questions it wasn’t even funny. How did Superman even move that island into space? It was made of Kryptonite so he really shouldn’t have been able to touch it, let alone lift it out of the ocean. Why did they cast Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. She was sure pretty, but aside from that I really don’t get why Superman loved her. Was Richard an idiot? He thought he was Jason’s father when obviously Superman was, and I have no idea whatsoever how that works out, because Clark didn’t even know Lois has a boyfriend.. so obviously Superman was dead before Richard came into the picture.. that’s just a big plot hole. How exactly would Lex Luther benefit from the island he was making? He was going to kill all the people he would have made money from. My biggest question though is, how the hell didn’t the people at the Daily Planet figure out Clark was Superman? Clark goes away, Superman goes away, Clark comes back, Superman comes back. Pretty obvious to me what's up.

Aside from that, I don’t think Brandon Routh was a very good Superman. He was pretty good as Clark Kent, and he had the body to be Superman, but he didn’t play the part very well. James Marsden was probably my favorite actor in the whole movie, which is pretty sad, considering he didn’t have a huge part. The biggest problem with this movie though is that there just aren’t enough memorable moments in this film. The most exciting part of the movie was the shuttle/plane scene, because the big island plot was total rubbish. I also didn’t like the whole idea of Superman having a son..

Once you get around all of that, there are a few good things. James Marsden and Kevin Spacey are both very good, there are some neat special effects, and.. it’s Superman. Sadly, I just can’t recommend this movie. A shallow story, a sprinkle of bad acting, and a big side of unanswered questions all adds up to what I call a 2.5 out of 5. After seeing it, I wish they’d just cut the crap and made it a 1 and a half hour movie full of action. Superman, please, just die, and don’t come back to life this time.

All I can give this is at most a rent, because it's possible you'll enjoy watching it a single time, but probably not any more then that.

Bored?....Then Watch Hinoi Team's "Night of Fire"!

2006-07-19T01:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, I found this link in some random chatroom or something, but this is one......interesting video. IT's some japanese band name Hinoi Team and they have an extremely catchy song called "Night of Fire". It's in Japanese. But oh man, it's so much fun to watch, and you can't stop watching it. Just one thing, the funny thing is to watch the guy in the back a lot and seeing him attempt to do the dance moves, but wtf is he wearing. Well anyway, here's the vid:

Link

Superman Returns Review

2006-07-18T09:39:00.000-04:00

Cast: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Tristan Leabu, Sam Huntington

Plot: The movie starts with a planet deep in space exploding in a supernova. This planet is called Krypton, and because of the explosion, tiny pieces of this planet have mutated and become an element known as Kryptonite. Meanwhile on Earth, an elderly woman lay on her death bed with a man beside her. She is telling him how much he means to her, and is leaving him all of her fortunes and possessions, to this man in the shadows, a man named, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey). But, in a spacey (wow, what a pun) farm land, there is another elderly woman (this one alive and kickin') washing dishes by her window when something shoots out of space. She goes to the crash sight to find her son, Clark (Brandon Routh), returning from a exploration mission. She greets him and takes him back to her house. But back to Lex Luthor, he finds the "Fortress of Solitude", where he steals a crystal and is greeted by Superman's father who tells Lex (of course he doesn't know he's Lex) all that the crystal can do, how it can destroy yet create matter. So Lex is on his way with his wonderful minions to use this crystal to their advantage. Meanwhile, Clark Kent is returning to his town of Metropolis to his job at the Daily Planet. There he sees his old friend Jimmy Olsen (Sam Huntington) and Jimmy welcomes Clark back and all that. Meanwhile, on a plane escorting a space shuttle, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) is aboard asking questions for the Daily Planet. Back with Lex Luthor, he’s in his basement where there is a play city and he is gonna demonstrate what happens when you put the crystal in water. So they cut a little piece of the crystal, and are ready to put it in water. Back at the Daily Planet, Clark goes over to Lois’ desk, and see’s a Pulitzer Prize of her article, “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman”. As you can tell he isn’t happy about that. But he still looks around and sees a picture of Lois with a young child, Jason (Tristan Leabu), and Lois’ new fiancé, Cyclops! (Ok, it’s not really the character Cyclops, but the actor who plays Richard White in this movie, James Marsden, also played Cyclops in the X-Men films. So if you don’t mind, I’m gonna call him Cyclops for the rest of the review.) So Jimmy tells Clark about how Lois got engaged to Cyclops and Clark isn’t very happy.

Meanwhile, back in the basement with Lex Luthor and his minions, the piece of crystal they cut is put into water and the power suddenly goes out. But not just in the house, everywhere, the power is out. Including, the plane that holds Lois and the space shuttle. Back there, the pilots of both the shuttle and airplane are in panic, and back at Mission Control, their power is out as well. The power comes back and they think everything is alright. They try to abort the mission, but the shuttle won’t let them and is still counting down. So the shuttle goes off and takes the plane with it and they blast crazy fast. Back with Clark and Jimmy, Clark sees it on the news and knows what he needs to do. Back on the plane, everyone is in panic and they are almost going into space. But (dun dun dun dun) Superman is here to save the day. He detaches the shuttle and throws it into space, but the plane is going crazy fast down to Earth. So he chases after it. He trys to grab it, but the wing falls off, then the other wing falls off. So he grabs the front and brings it down slowly to the ground in a baseball field. He goes on the plane and makes sure everyone is alright and Lois notices Superman, who she once loved, has returned. The newspapers go crazy with articles after that. Meanwhile, Lex is planning to use the crystals he has to create a continent. But he is scared Superman will try to stop this, so he has a plan. Back in Metropolis, a woman’s car is going out of control. Superman saves her and she is grateful. But while that was going on, Lex stole a large amount of Krytonite from the local museum. They go back to their lair to regroup. So then some other stuff happens with Superman and Lois like him taking her into the sky and all that. Then, Lois is on her way to the Pulitzer Prize awards ceremony for her, and while on the way, she wants to stop by someone’s house to get an interview about the story of the recent blackout. While there with little Jason, she sees a boat. She hears music playing so she decides to go onto the boat.

While on the boat, her and little Jason search for the person, but find no one. While searching, the boat begins to move. Lois and Jimmy are scared and try to run to the entrance. While trying to run, they are intercepted by Lex Luthor coming out of his bathroom, brushing his teeth. So, since she is there, he captures her. They start arguing, and then Lois tells him to give her an interview. He agrees and he tells her his master plan on how to use the crystal to make a continent that will wipe out most of North America and a bit of Africa and kill billions of people. Of course, they’re scared. So, Lex pulls out his enriched piece of Krytonite to further explain. He finds that little Jason has a certain reaction, and wonders who’s the father of Jason. Lois is sure Cyclops is, but Lex isn’t so sure. He puts the Krytonite closer for a minute, but nothing happens, so he starts on his master plan. He goes to the top deck with some minions and leaves one there to watch Lois and Jason. Lex inserts a crystal into a large whole in the Krytonite and launches it into the ocean. While in the ocean, it expands and is ready to create the continent. Back on the lower deck with Lois and Jason, the minion is playing some piano with Jason, while Lois tries to sneak a fax to tell her coordinates to Cyclops who is at the Daily Planet. The power suddenly goes out (due to the crystal’s affect) and so does the power to the whole city. The power comes back on, and most of the fax made it through, but the minion found out about it, and picked up Lois and threw her across the room. He came closer to her, about to hurt her, when suddenly, THE PIANO JASON WAS PLAYING FLIES ACROSS THE ROOM AND SMASHES THE MINION AGAINST THE WALL! Lois looks over, expecting Superman, but only sees Jason, arms stretched, most likely thinking, “Is that Cyclops’ child?” Lois tries to run with Jason to the top deck, but it soon intercepted by Lex and put into a room. Meanwhile, back at the Daily Planet, Cyclops, Clark, and Jimmy receive the fax and know its from Lois due to the handwriting. So Cyclops takes a water plane that he owns and flies to them. At this time, Lex and his minions are already on the already forming continent. Back in Metropolis, a huge earthquake is shaking the city (because of the crystal/kryptonite formation in the ocean) and destroying buildings and such. So Superman must save all of them. Then he goes back to save Lois. There with Lois, Cyclops opens the door to the room they are in. They are happy to see each other, but a spike flies up from underneath them from the forming continent and takes the boat up.

While the boat is going up, it’s splitting. And the half they are in submerges. Poor Cyclops, first he dies in water in X3, and now he is submerged underwater with his fiancé and child about to die. Dude seriously, stay away from water. Well anyway, Superman comes, saves them, then he flies to where Lex is. Cyclops, Lois, and Jason fly away in their watercraft. Back with Lex, Superman comes to try to stop him, but Lex pulls out a huge chunk of Krytonite, stabs Superman with it, and breaks some into Superman. They kick Superman’s natural Krytonian ass, and then throw him into the ocean. But alas, Lois, Cyclops, and Jason know about Lex’s Kryponite, so they fly back to help Superman. They get him out of the water, and takes the Kryptonite out of him. He must go destroy the continent. So he beams the source with his heat vision, then carries the freed continent away into space (Lex and his only surviving minion fly away in a helicopter.) But while Superman does this, he becomes week, due to the large amount of Kryptonite in the continent. So he falls, and lands in a park. The emergency physicians find him, and take him to surgery. They remove the final piece of Kryptonite located in his body, and he is put in critical condition. Lois visits him, and kisses him and all that. Then alas, Superman has escaped the hospital later that night. He is in Jason’s room, and says the words his father said to him. The audience now knows that Jason is SUPERBOY! Then Superman flies away.

My Comments: This movie was pretty good, but it was a bit late. It’s a sequel to a movie that came out a long time ago. But anyway, it’s still a pretty good film. Brandon Routh is a pretty good Superman, but just looks too small to be Superman. The special effects are good, and the story is interesting. So overall, it’s a good movie for Superman fans out there. Superman Returns gets 4 pieces of Kryptonite Lex Luthor stole from a local museum in Metropolis, out of 5.

-Zam

VideoDownloader Plug-in for Firefox

2006-07-15T20:55:00.000-04:00

If you’re like me and hate seeing a sweet video on the net and not being able to download it, then you’ll be glad that a new Firefox add-on named “VideoDownloader” has been released. It does pretty much what the name suggests: it lets you download embedded videos from websites. That means that you can download videos from Yahoo Music, Youtube, and just about any other site that you can watch stuff on. All you do is start watching a video, and click on the object at the bottom of the Firefox window. So do yourself a favor and go download this FF plug-in right where Linky is standing. OMG IT’S LINKY!! Long time no see old buddy!

On a side note.. we don’t endorse downloading videos off of Yahoo! Music because it’s most likely illegal. My suggestion is to buy the video off of iTunes and then download it off of Yahoo, because at least then you’ve payed for it, and you just want better quality. Personally, I don't see any thing wrong with doing it as long as you just watch it. It's really just to promote the song, so you should be able to get them free. Basically, it's your choice, but if you get caught by the RIAA it's not our fault.

Possible XBOX 360 bundle?

2006-07-14T22:49:00.000-04:00

"Over on the Gaming-Age forums, one poster who goes by the handle "Dr_Cogent" claims that a new Xbox 360 bundle with about $85 of throw-ins will go on sale beginning August 1 for just $399.

Allegedly, the new bundle will come with an Xbox 360, Project Gotham Racing 3 ($50 value), 1250 Xbox Live Marketplace points (just over $15), and a three-month Xbox Live Gold subscription card ($20 value). The post doesn't specify which Xbox the bundle will contain, but presumably it would be the 20GB hard-drive-equipped, $399 premium model.

The post also says that the original Xbox has been discontinued, but did not offer any evidence or reason."

That's a very interesting rumor, as Microsoft confirmed that the price wouldn't drop, but they didn't say anything about a bundle. Though it's not official in any way, this would make a lot of sense because PGR3 is a very popular game and makes use of the Marketplace quite a bit, while the Live stuff would be a great way to promote the service. The biggest problem with this is that the game included is PGR. I'm sure there are plenty of people who like racing, but I'm sure there are many who don't. What would make more sense is to offer it with PGR3, Perfect Dark Zero/Call of Duty 2, or Kameo. That way everyone could find one they would enjoy.

The other thing that seems false is the August 1st release of this package, because it would have more then likely been announced by now. The news about the XBOX, it really shouldn't happen just yet because of the 360's backwards compatability issues. Until they get those ironed out I think it needs to keep being produced, if in small quantities. Sadly, since MS has stopped making games for the original XBOX, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it happens. Keep your eyes open for more news about this.

Thoughts on rising game prices

2006-07-14T21:23:00.000-04:00

When the XBOX 360 was released, it introduced gamers to $59.99 games. I personally thought, ah, it’s $10, and if I wait a month I can get it for 50 used. Now that I own 11 of them, I have quite different feelings. I don’t mind quality games like Oblivion and Ghost Recon that I’ll be playing for a long time costing that much, but stuff like Tomb Raider: Legend and King Kong should be $40 or $50 at most. Why? Because you go through them once or twice and there’s nothing else. You’re done. Basically, what I’m saying is, if a game is less then 20 hours long and has no Live play, it shouldn’t cost $60. Even Need For Speed Most Wanted should have a reduced price tag because the Live play is pretty much a pile of unleaded petroleum and virtually un-playable.

What I’m also pissed off about is sports games. They come out every damn year with a few added features and they figure they can charge gamers $60 when the exact same game is on current-gen consoles for $40 or $50? I think not. My other problem is the amount of ads they’ve put into these games. If you played Fight Night Round 3 or pretty much any other 360 sports game, you probably noticed how many advertisements were in those games. In FNR3, ever freaking ring was sponsored and the replays were too. If they can get away with that level of ads, we should be able to get away with a $40 game. Either get rid of the ads or get rid of the high price tag.

I’m worried about this especially now with the Playstation 3 on the rise. Since XBOX 360 games cost $60 and they’re on regular DVDs, use the Blu-Ray logic and you’ll realize that PS3 games will cost a minimum of $70. Think about the fact that Blu-Ray discs hold 53 GB so games will be much bigger, and I think we’re looking at price tags of around $80. Frankly, I can’t see them pulling that off. I understand why they're that high, but in my eyes it’s just another reason Blu-Ray should have been left out of the PS3.

With price tags possibly at $80, what I spoke about earlier will be even worse. Sports titles for that much would be the biggest rip-off I’ve ever seen, as they won’t use more then a tenth of the capacity of those discs. This is probably my biggest problem with the Playstation 3, and the only reason I can see to buy one now is if Assassin’s Creed is exclusive to the system. I’m glad that Nintendo is trying to counter this by offering games at a lower price, and I hope Microsoft and Sony can figure out something as well, because I’m not happy about getting 7 hours of game or the biggest bunch of ads I’ve ever seen for $60.

Your thoughts?

Las Vegas Mayor Fires Off on Rainbow Six

2006-07-13T22:01:00.000-04:00

"Now Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman is taking exception to the setting of another Tom Clancy game, Ubisoft's upcoming Rainbow Six Vegas. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Goodman has an issue with the game's plot, which sees terrorists taking over a swanky casino on the city's Strip and seizing a number of hostages.

Goodman reportedly said the game was "based on a false premise," adding he has been repeatedly told by government officials that Las Vegas is "the safest place imaginable" when it comes to terrorist attacks. The mayor also said he'll look into whether or not the city can prevent the game from being released. "It could be harmful economically, and it may be something that's not entitled to free speech [protection]," Goodman is quoted as saying."

What the hell!? If there's one thing that pisses me off the most, it's people like this guy. I mean, it's a damn game for Christ's sake! Of course it's based on a false premise. It's not like Ubisoft is coming out and saying, "we're making a game based in Las Vegas because it's infested with terrorists."

Games have to be based somewhere, and a game like Raindow Six, I'd be happy that it's based in my city. It's not going to hurt the economy. If anything, it'll attract people because of how damn cool the city looks in the game and they might want to see the places from the game in person. I don't even give a second thought to the exact city a game is based in, as long as it looks awesome, let alone be scared to go there because of the game.

And I don't believe Vegas is all too safe. I bet they have gangs, and murders, and everything else bad going on. That is what this mayor should worry about fixing, not what's in a game. It's like some dude is looking to go there and he says, "Oh, a few people got murdered there yesterday, that's fine, but I'm not going there because a game with terrorists in it was based there."

Get working on what really matters, Mr. Goodman. Oh yeah, and good luck stopping a game this popular a few months from its release.

I'm still waiting for Princess Peach to sue Nintendo for making her kingdom look evil..

XBOX Live Arcade Wednesdays

2006-07-12T22:44:00.000-04:00

Heh - no, it’s not a new segment. If you have an XBOX 360, you probably know that the Arcade has been dry since UNO came out back in early May. Well, tonight at the Bambuddha Lounge in San Fransisco, Microsoft set up a release schedule for the next five weeks and dubbed it “XBOX Live Arcade Wednesdays”. Starting today, with the release of Frogger for 400 Microsoft Points, a single Live Arcade game will be released on to the Marketplace every Wednesday until August 9^th. Next week, we see the release of Cloning Clyde, which will set you back 800 points and promises to be an interesting departure from the other four classics being released. On the 26^th, the arcade classic, Galaga, is revived and can be bought for the small cost of 400 MS points. The next week brings the most highly anticipated Arcade game, Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting to the Marketplace, and is shaping up to be the biggest success the Arcade has had so far. After the mass of delays this game has been through, the release is finally official and it will set you back $10 (or 800 MS Points). Bringing up the rear is an equally popular classic from Namco, Pacman! It carries the same cost as Galaga, at 400 Microsoft points.

It’s shaping up to be a great summer for the Live Arcade and XBOX Live as a whole, and we can only hope they will keep up this once-a-week release schedule with Arcade releases in the coming months.

Wii-Mote Cake

2006-07-06T02:30:00.000-04:00

That's right. Someone actually made two cakes that are in the shape of a Wii-Mote and have the Wii-Mote layout on top. We found this on GoNintendo.

Link

No 360 price drop in late 06'

2006-06-26T23:03:00.000-04:00

"'As you're all aware, there have been rumors of a price drop for the Xbox 360 coming along later this year,' wrote Porcaro. "The official word from folks in the know is that there are currently no plans for a price drop this fall." (Emphasis in the original.)

The rest of Porcaro's blog post goes on to talk about how the cost of a $299 baseline Xbox 360 is a small price to pay to enter the next-generation of gaming, given the fact Xbox Live Silver is free and the console also plays DVDs and MP3s. Oddly, though, Porcaro's superiors in the Redmond, Washington, headquarters had not returned requests for confirmation of the price drop as of press time."

I can't blame them. Their premium model is already $100 less then the base PS3 and their base model is only $100 more then the Wii. They're really right where they need to be, but this doesn't even mean that there won't be one.. he just said that there are currently no plans. It doesn't make sense for them to announce it now anyway - people would just wait and pay less.

Ah well, we'll see what happens.

Ton, out.

P.S. There are some freak power outages going on around here.. so blogging will be at the minimum till Wednesday. We'd rather not write articles and then lose them halfway. Sorry guys.

New Gamer's Opinion Poll

2006-06-16T10:41:00.000-04:00

It's about time for a new Gamer's Opinion poll. By the way, if you're wondering, the Wii got 61% of the vote on "most interesting console after E3" with 17 votes. PS3 got 29% (8 votes), 360 got only 7%. I'm surprised by that number, with all of those cool games they showed off.. And last, PSP got just 1 vote, which isn't surprising since it was on the back burner at E3, along with the DS.

Now, for the next poll, you have to have read the blog a little bit. You probably noticed that we've been trying to bring back Website Wednesdays, but we kind of stopped again because we don't know if people are reading them. We're also thinking about bringing back a weekly deal post, either MDM on Mondays or Deals of the Week on Tuesdays. And I had an idea for "Music Mondays" which would be like my Song of the Week post, except Zam and I would both post a song or video, and it would always be on Mondays.

So, the question is: Which weekly posts do you/would you enjoy reading? There are a bunch of different choices which should cover everything.. So vote it up.
Ton, out

By the way, Zam is off in our version of NY for a couple days, so it's just me here.

Gates has left the building, in 2008.

2006-06-16T09:58:00.000-04:00

In a press conference held Thursday after the stock markets had closed for regular trading, Gates announced that over the next two years he will gradually step away from his daily responsibilities at the company he cofounded some 30 years ago.

Microsoft's chief technical officer Ray Ozzie will immediately assume the title of chief software architect, Gates said. In addition, chief technical officer Craig Mundie will immediately take the new title of chief research and strategy officer and will assume Gates' responsibilities for the company's research and incubation efforts.

"Our business and technical leadership has never been stronger, and Microsoft is well-positioned for success in the years ahead," Gates said in a release. "I feel very fortunate to have such great technical leaders like Ray and Craig at the company," Gates said. "I remain fully committed and full-time at Microsoft through June 2008 and will be working side-by-side with Ray and Craig to ensure that a smooth transition occurs."

Yes, you read that right. Gates is leaving in 2008. I see this as a very mixed bag. For one, everyone knows him as the creator of Microsoft, and a lot of people who don't know the industry will probably think: Without him leading them and creating ideas like the XBOX, Microsoft will be dead. Even though people who know whats going on know he probably will still stay around in back for a few years. My other thought on the bad side is: Could this maybe be a foreshadowing of something bad on the horizon? Maybe he thinks Vista is going to bomb? Interesting. We'll see.

There's also a few good things. It gives a chance for some new ideas to come along since a bunch of people no one knows are taking over. Could be good, could be bad. And lastly, he had to retire sometime.. At least he's leaving them with a good console, and a good operating system coming up. That's all I have to say really... except: Elvis has left the building. So have I.
Ton, out.

Ridge Racer 6 vs. Full Auto

2006-06-15T23:18:00.000-04:00

So in my search for good 360 games that I don’t have, I tried out Ridge Racer 6 and Full Auto. Now I’m going to talk about them a little bit in kind of a vs. style, I know it's a weird set of games to put up against each other, but I'm going to do it. They're both still racers inside, so they're kind of alike.

Gameplay: Ridge Racer 6 is the same as usual, for about the 7^th time, and it’s getting really old. All you do is drift.. and drift… and drift. They tried to make it a little better by adding a nice nitrous system, but it doesn’t do enough to change the game. They both have a nice set of modes by the way, Ridge Racer with just time trial, career, and a few others, and Full Auto with career, arcade (racing without guns), and I think a time trial. Anyway, in Full Auto, it’s got a nice, fresh idea: adding guns to cars. So you’re racing but also trying to blow up the other cars. Real cool idea with a lot of potential, but they could have made it a lot better. The Unwreck (reverse time) feature is beyond cool and very useful though. Who wins for gameplay and fun? Well, it’s kind of hard to put these 2 against each other, but if you do, it’s an easy win for Full Auto. Way more fun and cool.

Cars: Since these are racing games, I guess I should talk about the cars. Ridge Racer 6 has a nice line-up with like 100 some cars and a bunch downloadable on the marketplace. Nice set. Then Full Auto has about 25 cars, all of which are really cool and different… but they all go about the same speed: really slow. This is a hard call: Ridge Racer has like a million cars, but FA’s are all different and cool. I’m going to say it’s a tie even though FA’s cars all feel slow.

Graphics: Then we go to the graphics. Ridge Racer 6’s cars look stunning, but all the 360 racers cars do. The problem with this game, some of the grassland/forest tracks have graphics that look way arcadey, and it pisses me off. I’m not paying $60 to get a game for XBOX 360 with games that remind me of arcade games. Now, Full Auto, wow. Everything looks great, awesome particle effects when you blow up buildings, shiny cars, nice looking tracks. Easy win for FA.

Sound: Sound is another one-sider. Ridge Racer has a ton of music, but it’s got the most annoying damn announcer ever. I swear, this was one of the things I hated the most about the game. HE TALKS 10 TIMES A MINUTE! His voice is also annoying as hell. If you could turn him off, the sound would be great. I think you might be able to use a custom soundtrack, but I don’t know if it would get rid of the announcer. I shouldn’t have to do that either. Full Auto sounds great. All the guns, music, and everything is nice. Another win for FA.

Multiplayer: The last competition area is online play/multiplayer. Ridge Racer really excels here, with up to 14 players in online races. I didn’t actually try it, but it sounds nice, still… it’s the same game. I actually tried Full Auto, which is for up to 8. It’s not all that amazing, but good none-the-less. Gonna have to be another tie here.

Everything Else: It’s pretty obvious which is going to win, but I’m just going to talk about a few small things. Ridge Racer has some really confusing menus… which get pretty annoying. It’s got quite a few modes, which makes it a little bit better… but overall, this does not feel like a next-gen game at all. They really just slapped on pretty cars and a nice online mode and tried to call it next gen. It also has some weird ass achievements like – beat all the races without nitrous. Umm.. wasn’t that supposed to be one of the big improvements? Why award someone for not using it? I don’t know.

Full Auto, however, feels like a next-gen game. It has its problems though too. Most of its maps are way too alike, and they’re hard to tell apart, but there is some variety. I also have to bring up the slowness of the cars again… It’s not that cool, but the thing is, if it was faster.. it wouldn’t work that well. I don’t know what they can do about that. And, two last things. There are too few guns, but they do mix them up some, so it’s not all that bad. Last thing, even though it has an incredible level of destruction, there are things missing. I’d love to be able to knock down subways and make my enemies go around.

Verdict: In case you didn’t realize, I think Full Auto is a better game, but it gets kind of old and something just feels off. It easily beats RR6 though if you put them up against each other. But if you don’t.. Ridge Racer 6 gets just 2.5 bottles of “CRAAZY nitrous” out of 5. Full Auto gets 3.5 out of 5. My suggestions are, Ridge Racer, unless you are a diehard Ridge Racer fan (pick it up if you are), get the PSP version instead, maybe a PS2 one for probably $15-20 for either. Way cheaper, and pretty much the same game. If you want a good, pure racer for the 360, get PGR3, NFSMW, or Burnout. I bought RR6, but returned it the next week for Tomb Raider: Legend. Full Auto – rent it, then maybe buy it. If it drops to $40 I know I’m getting it.

I can break dance in the middle of rush hour traffic, so suck it!

PS3 In-Depth

2006-06-14T22:40:00.000-04:00

The PS3 has been making a horrible reputation for itself currently with its price, and all of the rumors about used games and whatnot. Well anyway, the system is still incredible. There are many people who want to buy this system, but some who don't know the in-depth info and actual power of this thing. Well, GM2 has got you covered. Our close buddy Trey has written up a report of the PS3. The information is extremely reliable being that the president of Sony himself provided it. This is definitely an article to read if you want to know about this new bundle of graphical and processing joy. It's a good and interesting read. Download it below in either PDF form or in a Microsoft Word document. Since we don't have our own server, we had to upload to a very trustworthy hosting site, so don't be scared when downloading this. ENJOY!!!

PDF : Microsoft Word

Gamer Mania 2

Super Stardust HD (PSN) Review

Goodbye GM2, Media Monster Is Here!

The death of GM2 today?

Fall of Liberty

Wow, Did You Know It;s Time For Marked Down Mondays?!?!?!

This Week In Gm2!

Justice League Heroes (DS)

Lucy Clarkson sends you a message

What was your first "must have" game?

No Halo Movie For Now, But There's Videology!

Game Over On The Halo Movie :-(

Random new news about the PSTree

360 is getting a what? 100GB Hard drive? Party time is in order!

These Releases are about to Re-pop-a-cap-in-you, so watch out!

Wow, Wednesday Already, Get Website Wednesdays Is In Order

We be putting the ology in Musicology

Playing testsies with Need For Speed: Carbon!

SmilesD's 5 Most Overrated games of all-time

Deals or No Deals? I say Deals.

I can TWIG M 2.

Diddy Kong Racing DS

Syphon Filter Dark Mirror review.:..:..:::.::.:!

Zam's Top 5 Best Games Of All Time

Morgan Webb in a bikini

Someone somewhere must REALLY hate me.

Photology is finally here sort of kind of a little bit yeah.

The "get me" games of October

Ton's Top 5 Games Of All-Time

Wow, Videology RULES!

Musicolology is with John Mayer this week GM2ers, so get reading!

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Review!

Wii preorders may start this week

We're giving you rolled back prices and we're not Walmart, so suck it Wally World!

ALERT!: Google Has Bought YouTube, This Is Not A Drill, Google Has Bought YouTube

SmilesD's Top 5 Favorite Games of All-Time

This Week In GM2!

Dead Rising Review

Must Have Games for the Nintendo Wii

What's Up

Like disco, Website Wednesdays are back! Oh wait disco isn't back.. bad analogy

Man, So Many Good Video's, Which One's The Best? Well, That Is Answered In Videology!

Musicology 101!

Sony's Game Division is Full of Crap and Should Die.

Are video games too easy?

Marked-Down Mondays: The Equivalent of Pr0n To Cheap-Skates.

A Nintendo Wii review

This Week In GM2

Test Drive Unlimited Review

GM2- Meet SmilesD

Dance Factory Review

X06: MS is getting good at this

X06: Time to break out your fake mullets... Guitar Hero 2 on the 360

Halo Wars and A new Halo game by Peter Jackson!!!!

X06: 360's High Def DVD Drive for 199 smackers

Videology

Musicology

PSThrizzle games for $60, I am amazed

The Wee Wii will have free web for a year.. yay.

Dun dun dun... it's Marked Down Mondays with special guest Mr. Walmart Smiley!

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Preview

This Week In GM2

Halo 3 Logo Officialized

What's Next?

No DVD Player On The Wii

Wii's Price, Release, and Virtual Console prices out

Every Gamer's Dream Room!

iTunes 7

Next up: iPod and Shuffle get revised

First, the new iPod Nanos.. They are teh pwnage!

Apple's Media Event Coverage Starts Now!

AudioSlave's Original Fire

Remember, Remember, the 11th of September.

TV Talk

Smiles That Kill

XBOX Live Arcade Reviews: Week 1

More Problems Head Sony's Way

We're Expanding Our Focus

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GM2!!

Cheer Up