tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18136921813016823962011-01-13T13:47:10.118-07:00Because landfills are ok on the internet.Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-76047434704610732952011-01-11T01:12:00.004-07:002011-01-11T01:51:04.933-07:00

I guess this will be rant-ish, but I really don't care. My babbling will be based on all current information I've read regarding the Uncharted movie. Maybe it won't come to fruition (I'd convert if God helped me out on this one), but as of right now, it seems like it's going to happen. I know that about 8,000,000 people already shat their pants over this shit, but, again, I don't care.Oh, how I

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-89852205175651467512010-10-26T15:21:00.005-06:002010-10-26T16:59:21.444-06:00

Right off the bat, I should say that I'm really enjoying Castlevania: Lords of Shadow so far. I've only just started chapter 2, but I'm currently appreciating the slow-burn of both the game play and story. Be that as it may, I've already found my first brow-furrowing moment in the game. Ever heard of Shadow of the Colossus?Well, the dudes at Konami sure have. The first boss fight in the game

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-59870281861828518682010-10-07T21:38:00.002-06:002010-10-07T21:50:25.277-06:00

I recently reviewed Alan Wake for a school paper, so I figured I'd throw it up here. It's lengthier than most of the stuff I normally write, so be forewarned. I actually didn't get to address everything I wanted to because of length, so I might put up a separate post talking about those things. This one's worth it, though, because it's fucking awesome. Enjoy.“But nightmares exist outside of

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-88010363551831435432010-08-31T15:13:00.012-06:002010-08-31T16:16:00.664-06:00

No, that's not the name of the game pictured above. Instead, it's how far I leveled up in Fragile Dreams before I decided to shit-can it from my collection. Why? It's quite simple, actually: the combat really, really sucked. Like, really. "Oh, but if you can muster enough strength to power through the combat parts, the rest of the game is a lot better," some might say to me. Sorry, but I

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-33355934888015717662010-07-13T15:07:00.013-06:002010-07-13T15:50:03.128-06:00

Really, it's true. And it's a funny thing that Dan Houser wrote one of the absolute worst video game characters in history and also one of the best. I think Rockstar was trying to create a John Marston-type of character when they made GTA IV, but for whatever reason they failed miserably. The 2nd time was a charm, however, because Red Dead: Redemption accomplishes everything narratively that

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-42720982324600357052010-05-24T10:25:00.014-06:002010-05-24T14:02:31.525-06:00

We all know by now that Rockstar Games "Red Dead Redemption" is out and enjoying universal acclaim from fans and critics so there's no point in reviewing this absolutely must buy title. The only thing I care to add at this point is that RDR will stand proudly beside the best western films that I have in my DVD collection. It is that damn good.Last night as I finished a major section and started a

MarkuswelbyMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12516702877086692298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-10191917129094233522010-05-10T17:47:00.024-06:002010-05-10T19:13:10.243-06:00

I didn't read too much information about Splinter Cell: Conviction before playing it. I also didn't watch a lot of videos. The bit I knew really intrigued me: Sam learned his daughter's death might not have been an accident, and he heard some names floating around. The interrogation bit in the demo certainly led me to believe he was on a personal mission of vengeance. Right or wrong, he was

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-18205890471837608412010-04-24T01:11:00.006-06:002010-04-24T01:52:08.178-06:00

So, I promise this isn't just me cribbing from Kotaku's post about Lost Planet's female character models. I watched the Youtube clip they made available (which I will, as well, after the jump), and I couldn't help but think about Heavy Rain. Hah, not where you thought this was going, was it? Sucka!First of all, I most certainly don't expect a game like Lost Planet 2 to depict females (or

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-16645123143955811662010-03-17T03:28:00.006-06:002010-03-17T04:57:45.094-06:00

I think I just experienced the first real "should I be doing this?" moment in my game playing history (with qualifiers, if asked). So I'm playing Heavy Rain, and I take control of Madison Paige for the first time. She wakes up in the middle of the night, apparently after falling asleep on the couch. The t.v. is still on, which I turn off. I have her look at her watch, and it's almost 3am.

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-60246065115396362492010-03-15T06:02:00.006-06:002010-03-15T06:31:26.783-06:00

Going directly from Bioshock 2 to Heavy Rain is jarring. Both games seem to have clear purposes, but their implementations couldn't be any different. One is philosophical in nature and hits on what it means to be part of human society, and the other is, in part, about a family tragedy. Bioshock makes you think, while Heavy Rain makes you feel.I only played for a couple of hours, but the most

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-12249418212889930092010-03-15T04:21:00.018-06:002010-03-15T05:59:45.061-06:00

Before I played Bioshock 2, I wasn't sure if sequelizing a masterpiece was a good idea. I couldn't think of any ways to substantially improve the experience, and rather than bring the series down by adding a second, lesser game, I was of the opinion that Bioshock should have stood as the lone entry in the franchise. While my opinion has changed, I still maintain that the tale was already told

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-81804692267613770352010-03-12T04:01:00.019-07:002010-03-12T15:53:22.429-07:00

As a warning, I'll be going more into specific plot points and characters in this post.Dionysus Park seems to mark the beginning of the end of Bioshock 2. Before I got to this point, I had received precious few tidbits of story specifics, and I was actually wondering when it was going to get a head of steam going. Well, the steam is starting to build now. I've learned some things about my

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-21669829633613966552010-03-11T03:39:00.007-07:002010-03-15T06:02:04.012-06:00

Having finished Siren Alley about an hour ago, I'm struck with just how much Rapture has changed. Gone are the statues portraying Man looking up to the heavens, and in their place are shrines for Man to bow in deference to the very thing they formerly aspired to be. It was strange being in a traditional church setting, but the cult vibe permeated the air far outside of the Temple of the Lamb.

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-50066995414563392182010-03-11T03:35:00.004-07:002010-03-11T03:52:49.288-07:00

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-32706052503614497152010-03-10T03:48:00.017-07:002010-03-10T04:52:53.946-07:00

As I played through some four more hours of Bioshock 2, I continued to be in awe of the world Irrational Games (2K Boston) created. I've never played System Shock or System Shock 2, but man, would I love to. The price for System Shock 2 on Amazon is unfortunate, to say the least, so it looks like I won't be playing it in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, that game's so-called spiritual

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-16474652859071214012010-03-09T20:39:00.005-07:002010-03-15T06:27:05.716-06:00

Shortly after finishing Heavy Rain, I thought to myself: Did I just finish 2010's game of the year? It's barely March, and already we have been blessed as gamers with the likes of Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, Darksiders, and more. But, as I sat there on my couch watching the credits, I couldn't help but think: "What's going to beat Heavy Rain?" Moreover, is Heavy Rain even a game? Well I guess that

Mr Studhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05445035932543325828fajones28@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-33972533820542149622010-03-09T03:40:00.044-07:002010-03-09T21:22:59.190-07:00

Sequels can be funny things. Sometimes they vastly improve upon their predecessors, and other times they take a step backwards. Mostly, however, they're a combination of the two. Take Bioshock 2, for instance. There are immediate and obvious improvements to the game - most of which are mechanical - and they go a long way in allowing me to continue to enjoy my journey into the depths of

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-90960031648417797732010-02-26T15:18:00.013-07:002010-02-26T16:44:56.691-07:00

Bioshock is one of the greatest games I've ever played. I remember the sheer awe and wonderment I felt when I found myself swimming through a sea of fire towards the lighthouse; I was at once both scared and excited, apprehensive about entering Rapture yet compelled to get there as soon as possible. Once I was under the sea, the destroyed beauty of Rapture became a source of instant bliss. Not

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-90402295281783412762010-01-08T11:46:00.008-07:002010-02-26T16:38:56.169-07:00

Let's get this out of the way first and foremost. Darksiders won't be the most original game you play in 2010. Originality is overated anyways. Although we as gamers very much appreciate new ideas, the truth is they don't always sell very well and we end up sticking to things we love the most like Halo or COD. Don't believe me? Clover/Platinum games in the past few years delivered two awesome,

MarkuswelbyMDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12516702877086692298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-55745627629832359732009-12-13T16:35:00.004-07:002009-12-13T17:14:37.219-07:00

I was dreaming about 40 minutes ago. Dreaming about being in my local game store - the one that is the mecca of all things video games. It was one of those dreams where you know where you are, even though the location looks nothing like the real thing. Anyways, I was there perusing the shelves, and one of the only games I can remember looking at was Resident Evil 5 for the Gamecube. You read

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-4478118323531415942009-12-13T02:52:00.002-07:002009-12-13T02:58:18.647-07:00

Recently I've seen the argument put forth that games cannot, by default, elicit the same emotions that movies do. Reason being, simply, that you're looking at computer-generated characters instead of real, living, breathing people. Is that actually the case? Is that a very strict limitation of games that can never be overcome? I give you two examples - one from an actual live performance, and

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-75523126814098857982009-12-11T15:21:00.005-07:002009-12-11T21:45:53.479-07:00

It's not often a game pulls me in so completely. So completely, in fact, that I'm going to declare Silent Hill: Shattered Memories one of the most immersive games I've ever played. Every aspect is designed to make the player feel like they are part of the world, and it's working on me hook, line and sinker.I'm not going to go into all the details just yet; I'll save that for when I've finished

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-31991378559615961482009-12-10T02:56:00.004-07:002009-12-10T03:21:46.717-07:00

Observe, if you will, the difference between MY opening scene in Penumbra: Overture vs. the walkthrough on Youtube.Youtube: skip to the 5:20 mark for this:Looks normal enough, right?My playthrough: wait....what? THAT'S NOT RIGHT. FUCK YOU, PENUMBRA.Yea....not much else for me to say. Sucks.

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-41642048157044070392009-12-10T00:52:00.002-07:002009-12-10T00:54:37.650-07:00

I just want to quickly point out that I have absolutely wayyy too many games that I either a) haven't finished or, b) haven't even started.2009 was the year of me being a douche. That is all.

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1813692181301682396.post-33222374903240358562009-12-09T04:53:00.010-07:002009-12-09T23:46:39.978-07:00

It's 5am, and as I sit here, fresh off a couple of hours attempting to subjugate my people in Tropico 3, I happened to come across this post by Michael Abbott over at Brainy Gamer. It's worth a read. But, sadly, it made me think about what the Call of Duty franchise has ultimately become: a five-second thrill rehashed ad-nauseum. My first confession should be that I'm not nearly as big a

Sir Phoboshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14352238010072817884presentlygifted@yahoo.com0