Tom Rhodes' Updated Game Character Art

Check out the amazingly talented Tom Rhodes' blog for a bunch of really cool updated gaming character designs!

Street Fighter IV - xbox 360

I was on the fence about this game. I had already purchased Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix and thought this wasn't going to be that much different. But I took a chance and I'm really glad I did.

When I first got the game home I played the arcade mode on easy. The moment I tried to start a game the screen flashed "A new warrior has entered the ring!" I thought nothing much of it until I realized i was playing online. My first match was quickly over. The guy who challenged me got some easy points and I had to go to training mode for a while.

This took me back to the arcade days where you'd try out a game just to have somebody slap down some quarters beside you and kick your ass at it. I liked that feature, but I had to turn it off if I were to unlock all the characters (and thank god you can turn it off so I could practice)




The game play feels different from it's predecessor's. The characters have a bit more weight and energy to them that really makes every hit feel like an actual hit. This doesn't slow the gameplay down though. This game is just as fast paced as all the others and then some with the inclusion of the Super/Ultra meter.

The Super Move meter and an Ultra move meter can easily turn the tide of a game. To fill the Super Meter you need to be doing well and to fill the Ultra meter you need to be doing poorly. Each has devastating potential and can help you out in the long run.


Playing with just the controller can be a bit frustrating as using an xbox 360 controller in a fighting game just feels wrong. Some of the moves don't register all that well and some feel impossible to pull off. I might have to invest in an arcade stick or if I feel creative and adventurous enough I might just make my own. or not.

9.5/10

(nipple twist)

PS3 VS XBox360

I've only played a handful of games on the Xbox 360 since having it and the main reason for me getting this was to play games that won't be released for the PS3. Games such has Gears of War, Mass Effect, Left for Dead, Dead Rising, Halo just to name a few.

When the systems first came out, most people I knew all picked up 360's because it was $100 cheaper and the PS3 really didn't have any stand out games. But since I got my 360 andstarted playing games on, the choice over which systems is better seems pretty straight forward to me.

In the beginning if you were to pick up a system solely based on game library, then one should know its only a matter of time before the other systems has its own roster of great games. So having both systems to play system exclusive games is a great way to get around that.

Beyond that this is what I noticed , just based off my own experience about the 2 systems.

1)Tonka Sturdy.Every person I know who bought 1 gen, 2nd gen and even 3rd gen systems of the x-Box are all on the 2nd and in some cases 3rd X-box!!! WTF!!! Could you imagine if Nintendo back in the day had to replace 90% of cosumers systems because they kept crapping out. They be outta business and the consumer simply wouldn't put up with it. "Oh yeah that Nintendo system where you play for 3-4 months and the systems dies, I've heard of that!! ..that's pretty shitty!!"

If I paid $500 for a first gen system, I sure has hell hope it would last more than a few months.
Then sending your systems back to the company and waiting a month or two to get a new one, have that one crap out on you and then send it off again the 3rd time. I think having it crap out on me the first time would've been enough for me. Screw this I'm going somewhere else, Wheres NEo GEo?!

Knock on wood, I am still playing my 1st gen PS3 with no problems.

PS3-1 360-0

2)Online.You have to pay to play online with the xbox. The PS3 is free. FREEEE!!!!! IT cost nothing to go online to play with friends, its FREEEEE!!!!. Yes I've heard the argument from friends that, the xbox servers are set up to be gamer friendly,(what ever that means), but you have to pay $59.00 a year to play online. The PS3, FREEEEE. I really don't think there's a difference in playing online with 360 and the PS3, everyones argument with me, is that the xbox has a great online setup to playonline. "What the hell does that mean?!

I can play online with friends on the Ps3 with great games and its fine. Resistance 2 I can play with up to 60 people and it runs fine, a great time for all. I think its the xbox 360 guys just trying to find a way to justify paying $60 a year to play games online. And this leads into the next point, if you pay every year that you have the xbox 360 to play online and the average life of new systems is 8-10 years befor the next gen system comes out. Then thats $480-$600 extra that you put into the system. PS3, $0.00000 Extra. I don't know, but the choice there's is plain has day.

PS3-2 Xbox-0

3)Price, yes the xbox generally is $100 or some cases $150 cheaper than the PS3. So for the average person looking for a system, all they see is,This one is cheaper. But for gamers, I think they should take a closer look.
From my last point, if you pay $300 for a xbox and then pay have to pay for the online gaming. Already you have paid 3 times the cost of the machine. The PS3, you pay $400 and no extra to play online.

Then all the extras that come with the ps3, it has a built in Wifi. The 360 you have to buy separate, so that's more cost added to an already growing total. And although I could care less about the bluray thing, it has that. But in my opinion if I wanted a blueray player, I just go get one.
This is one thing about the Ps3 that I think they could get rid of and help reduce cost. But that being said, just because the xbox is initially cheaper, its not the better buy.

Ps3-3 Xbox-0

4)Graphics.
Although the ps3 hasn't really taken advantage of its power, MGS 4 the exception. It has the potential to really shine here. My last few games that I've played on 360, mass effect especially, had dropped graphics. This is where I would run up to something, or a cut scene would happen and the graphics would pop in 2-3 sec later. It happened alot with the games i played.
I have yet to see this happen with Ps3 exclusive games.

PS3-4 Xbox-0

5) Library
The Xbox has the upper hand here, which is why I think it outsells the Ps3. It simply has a better selection of system exclusive games. The PS3 is slowly coming around with great games of its own. But the Xbox had some great games right from the start. Its only a matter of time, within in a year or 2 that it won't matter. They will both have a great selection of games.

PS3-4 Xbox-1

6)Controllers
Here is the biggest difference between the two. I can play my Ps3 with my wireless controller and if the battery starts to die, I can simply plug it in with my wire and keep playing although it is very short like 3 ft, but it is still usable, where once the 360 batteries go, you HAVE to go buy something else.The Xbox has a battery pack. So when the batteries die, you can buy more batteries,($6.99 which they say a set of batteries will last 30-50 hrs depending on brand) or buy rechargeable batteries along with a battery charger (I bought the rechargeable batteries and charger kit which cost me $27.99)or buy a battery recharger pack that you can plug into the system and then into controller($19.99)

PS3-5 Xbox-1

So I got a xbox, that I paid $300 for, I paid an extra $600 over the past 10 years to play online with my friends. It died on me twice, so I had to deal with the hassle of sending it away and getting it fixed or replaced. A cost of playing on wi-fi will add another $69-$99 to my total. The batteries died eventually so I bought a charger kit and rechargeable batteries $27.99
Bluray eventually replaced DVD so Had to buy a bluray player which is $150-$300. But the selection of games are really great and they look great when the graphics arn't being dropped. And all I had to pay to play all this was $1146.99-$1326.99

I picked up my first PS3 for $400. The games for it when I first got it were pretty skimpy, but they got better has time went on. To play online is free and can play with up to 60 other players and has no dropped graphics. It has a built in wi-fi if I choose to use it or not. Eventually if blueray becomes standard the same way dvds replaced vhs, I will already have a built in blueray player. And all I had to pay to play all this was $400

Overall, its the base price of the arcade bundle that parents and nongamers see when they look at both of the systems. So yes, 360 are going to move more units(hehe, I said Unit!!) For me its a stand alone choice of what systems is better, both in cost and playability. So with that being said, Josh, go get a Ps3!!!, its about friggin time!!

Mass Effect - Xbox 360

Yeah, I know this game is old.But I just recently got a Xbox 360, and there are a ton of games out for it that I wanted to play and can only play on the 360. This being one of them and it being it so far from its release date, I got it in one of the bargain bins. So it was super cheap from it original price.

I remember when this first came out and there was lots of hype around it. Great graphics and story and solid game play. My first thoughts of the game was, Its exactly like Starwars: Knights of the Old Republic. Except of lightsabers and lasers, there and Bullets and Bionics. Then because I am an idiot, I didn't clue into the fact that both games are made by the same company, that explains alot. This doesn't make the game a bad game, for me, it was more of the same.

For people who never played Starwars, KOTOR because they don't like Starwars type games and then turn around and play mass effect. They are the same game, if you liked one, then you would have liked the other, Starwars of not. When I first played Starwars, KOTOR, I loved the game, it was something different and had all the starwars mythos and lightsabers. It had the premise of starting the game has a neutral guy but depending on the choices that you made, you could be a good or bad guy, same with mass effect. Certain choices affects what you do.


So when Starwars, KOTOR 2 came out I was a little intrigued and gave it a try. It was the same game except with more options and new characters and different story. I found myself bored with the game and rushing through all the talking bits just to get the game over with. And by no means did I want to go back and play the game again but this time has a Sith. IT was just blah. And if I knew from the start that mass effect was like Starwars KOTOR, I pretty sure I wouldn't have picked it up. It was fun for the first 10 hrs, but then I found myself skipping whole conversations and story plots just to get the game over.


You know that when you are skipping things just to get to the end of the game is usually not a good sign. Unfortunately the game went on for another 26 hrs. Sure I could have finished it earlier, but I had to do all the side quest. If I don't it feels like I am not completing the game and plus doing little side quest helps to level up and make boss fights that much easier.


And the bloody elevator rides, holy shit, who came up with that!!!!I hated knowing that I had to get in a elevator just to check in a locker or grab an item. You literally get in it and then I can leave and take a shit and come back and I would just be getting off the damn thing.

Overall, its not a bad game, its quite good. But its a game that I had already played and had my fill of when it was called Starwars:Knights of the Old Republic. Play any of these 3 to have a great gaming experience. You don't need to play all 3 for the whole experience, its just more of the same.
7.5/10

With me just finishing Mass Effect, they just released the teaser trailer for Mass Effect 2. Which I am sure it will be a great game if you have never played any of the games mentioned above.

Macho Man Left 4 Dead mod

Macho Man Left 4 Dead mod!!

Pacroid Video Podcast Test

Josh and Jake play Splatterhouse 2 and talk shit. This video is a test to see if we can make a funny gaming podcast. Unfortunately the video did not record correctly so I had to fill it in with footage of me playing after the fact. Let me know what you guys think:

part 1



part 2

House of the Dead: Overkill

Overkill is the first mother fuckin' game in the series to be released on a home console rather than an arcade first. It's a mother fuckin' rail shooter and a real mother fuckin' fun little game to play.

If you're offended easily don't get this game. It's really mother fuckin' nasty at times and the mother fuckin' language in it is pretty mother fuckin' intense. Every chance the characters get they mother fuckin' swear like it's mother fuckin' goin out of style. Having said that it fits the story and a crude humour. (One character goes on about having to take a piss for a good few minutes)

The game can easily be beaten in a few hours with a few unlockables and a director's cut mode (probably with more swearing)


The rail gun gameplay is pretty much the same as the other wii house of the dead, using the remotes to aim at the screen and reload by shaking the controller like Micheal J Fox, but the story is different from previous titles. The game has a Grindhouse style to it and makes the game actaully more likeable. They captured the feel and music from these old movies (and planet terror) which adds a forgivness for the language and humour. It works.


This personally is my favorite House of the Dead in the series although at times it does look a bit cheap. (crappy character animations, bad mouth movements and the small glitches here and there) If you're looking for a good wii game I recommend but wait until it hits a lower price.

8.5/10

Myspace

We're now on myspace!! So if you want to be BFF with us then Click Here

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Game Trailer

HOLY MOTHER OF KNUCK CUCKLE!!, SWEET MUCKER OF JESES FEET AND ALL THAT IS HOLY!! WHAT NONSENSE IS THAT?!...LAZY TOO HEADED JIZZ MONSTER!!!!!!

So with the movie, they have to have a game to go along with it. The first game sucked ass, in fact it like sucking ass so much, it came around for a second helping of ass sucking, except this time with monkey ASS!!!

Yes, its only the trailer. But when I first saw this I thought I clicked the wrong link and was watching the trailer for the first transformers the movie game. NOPE!!!, I'm right, its the second one. And what a piece of shittery this is. From the trailer alone, you can see the level design is an exact rip off from the first one. Prime is standing in front a factory, the same factory from the first one, the city with the downhill slope with the park next to it,WHAT??!. NO NO NO NO NO.

YOU BUNCH OF LAZY MONEY GRUBBING ASSHOLES!!! You think that you can slap a few new robots in, add a a couple of new levels to an existing game will make it better?!

I can assure you now, I won't be buying this game and look forward to the reviews for it. I could be wrong about the whole thing, it is after all only a little teaser. But for anyone who has played the first one should be able to see the similarities in both games. Pieces of shit, no nothing tit mongers!!

The Darkness - PS3

When this game first came out, it did interest me and didn't have enough buzz about it for me to pay the full price of it. So Last November I got it in the bargain bin and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since. So I figure I stop the new games I' ve been playing and finally get this one started and finished.

It doesn't have trophies because it came out before all the trophy hype. But it does have its own achievements, which are kinda fun, but I felt no reason to get a in game trophy. The game is based off the Top Cow comics, "The Darkness". I've never read any of these comics, only seen pictures of it. The game is a FPS, first person shooter, but in addition to guns you get Darkness powers. Its these darkness powers that set the game apart from you standard shooter.

One can complain that this is a mediocre shooter, and if it just had the gun elements, they would be right. But having darkness powers, makes it possible to handle every situation differently. For example, a group of guys are up ahead

.
1)I can have a shoot out, just like any other FPS
2)I can send demons into the fray and let them kill them by either sawing off their heads, exploding, electricity, pissing on them, etc
3)I can use the darkness snake/eel and make my way to the front and rip out their hearts
4)Throw a black hole in the middle of them and let them get sucked into another dimension.
All scenarios can be solved without firing a shot if need be and can be pretty gruesome! ME likey.


A little over view of the game: your a guy(jackie), who gets possessed by this demon(darkness) who draws his powers from the darkness, so going into the light is bad.(shoot out the lights) Hes in the mob, so the story revolves around dead girlfriend, family and betrayal. In the middle of all this, he is trying to understand what is happening to him. So we have the darkness story line that parallels the mob story line. Get revenge and what the hell is happening to me.

So overall, its got a great story, great voice overs, the darkness powers really kept me interested in the gameplay, lots of side missions, (much like GTA), and was pretty gory. The downside, it has some of the worst acting animation I've ever seen in a game. When the characters show emotion, angry, happy, down right pissed off, they all still have the same expression. You couldn't tell if he was happy or angry. They didn't give them any eye animation, sure he blinked, but could it have been that hard to add eyebrow animation to the characters?!

I must say that I was really surprised by this game. It shouldn't be overlooked by people thinking its your standard FPS. I really enjoyed the game, it was just its dated look that is its downfall. Still enjoyable.

7/10

Red Dead Redemption

According to Rockstargames.com Red Dead Revolver is finally getting a sequel for the 360 and PS3. Red Dead Revolver was one of my personal favorite games in the PS2. I played though it quite a few times and the mini shoot 'em up game was really fun!

They say it uses the same engine as GTAIV and it's more of an open world type game than the last one which was level based. The Screen shots look really good and the character looks a little Clint Eastwoodish. The website says it will be released Fall of 2009.

Seth's Review, A 10 yr old Perspective - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - PS2

So Seth is a big Harry Potter fan, he pretty much likes anything Harry Potter. He has read all the books by the time he was 9 which I think is amazing, cause I didn't read my first novel till I was12. I use to call them fat books, the harry potter books would have scared the shit outta me with the sheer number of pages when I was 9.

So, yeah, hes read the books, own some Harry Potter Merchandise and the movies and all the games to date. I've played some of them, they arn't entirely...wait wait, this is Seth's review, lets hear what he has to say about this particular game.

So I asked him to list the pro's and con's of Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets, and his list goes like this,




PRO'S

Seth - You get to fly a Broom stick.
Darryl - That's important in games, I'm sure transformers the movie would have been better with broomsticks, sure has hell couldn't make it worse.

Seth- You get to learn names of famous witches and wizards.
Darryl - Now it sounds too much like work, I ain't up for games that me make learn. I'm glad you are though, LEARN ONWARD!!!

Seth- You can upgrade your spells and curses. Which is fun.
Darryl - Can't complain with that, I too like upgrading things.



CON'S

Seth- They made you sneak past the prefects with no invisibility cloak.
Darryl - Sure makes sense, you get up in the middle of the night, you sleep in the bare buff, who has time to put pants on to go to the bathroom, stupid game!!!

Seth -They made overloads on spells, which means that when you used an overload spell, it took away your life.
Darryl -Sad to see that they are still putting stuff like that in games. I hate it when they give you special moves that drain your life. The older games were famous for doing that.

So some closing comments on the game then.

Darryl - So did you enjoy the game overall?
Seth - Yes, pretty good!

Darryl - So do you think God will not let you in heaven if you play Harry Potter Games like the crazy people in Jesus Camp?
Seth -Uhhh, I don't know, I have to find out what he thinks.....(giggle)


Darryl -Do you think that playing Harry Potter Games at a young age will lead to the path to the darkside or lightside?
Seth - That question will only be valid if you could play has both the evil and good side, unfortunately, I only got to play as Harry.
Darryl - (I'm not making this shit up, this is what he said)
Seth - Then add something from me, that sentence is not from, DARRYL, HAHAHAHAHA, Darryl stop it!!!!I mean it Darryl!!!

Darryl - Ok, So how many Harry Chickens do you give this game outta 5.
Seth-UMMM?????........hard to say, 3 Harry Chickens outta 5.

There you have it folks, another great review from the perspective of a 10 Year old.
Seth - THE GAME ROCKS!!!!


Here is a Slytherin Map to Draco that Seth says will help!

Bob's Game?

So get this. There's this guy named Bob and he spent five years making a game from scratch for the Nintendo DS. Problem is Nintendo doesn't want to have anything to do with this game. As for Bob he has tried a number of different protests, demonstrations, and whatever he could think of to get Nintendo to change the frown of a rejection letter upside down. (Even a failed 100 day sit in attempt.)

So what the hell is Bob's Game anyway?? Not a lot of details about the game are on Bob's site (all part of Bob's plan of course to make people curious) but from his trailers it looks as though it's a game where you walk around and talk to people.

From the Bob's Game website:

'"bob's game" is a simple 2D adventure game, with focus on
story, puzzles, item collection, and communication instead
of repetitive battles with palette-swapped enemies.'

Bob's latest plan put into action involved himself and a group of friends traveling to Nintendo World NY and plastering the store with Bob's Game posters, Business cards and mock-up game boxes. Will it work? Probably not but he did succeed in getting his name out to maybe 5 more people..... and a possible restraining order against himself.

Personally I hope Bob does get through to Nintendo and he does get his game mass produced. If the price on the game is cheap enough maybe enough people will buy it and give it a shot. It can't be as bad as some of the other crap Nintendo has released. *cough* *cough* *sneeze* *puke* *blood* (scuze me)