xbox live or playstation network?

With last month's console price drops for both the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360, the debate of which system to go with rages on. The PS3's new claims of "It only does everything" are, well, kinda true. At the same time, the Xbox offers a highly populated online gaming community that the PS3 hasn't really developed as well (yet anyway). For a price of course. This article goes into both sides of the next-gen console debate in a lot of depth, including the differences in the online services as well as the hardware advantages to both systems. So if you're considering taking the plunge to buying a new $299 gaming system, check out this article for the lowdown on both options.

Xbox Live or Playstation Network, the Facts

symphony celebrates video game music

This is awesome. The Pittsburgh Symphony is putting on a special show paying homage to some of the greatest video game music ever composed. The show, "Video Games Live", has actually been performed since 2006 (get a taste of it in this YouTube video) but this will be its Pittsburgh debut. The guys behind the show are composers Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico, who emcees the event. The show features music from Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tetris, Super Mario Brothers and other classic game favorites. While the show is popular with gamers, Tallarico says it is actually those less familiar with the games that are most blown away by the beautiful and complex music showcased in "Video Games Live". I would love to see this show!

“Reaction to our show has been amazing,” Tallarico said. “We’ve heard everything from ‘Gee, my daughter just asked if she can take violin lessons to learn how to play the music from Final Fantasy’ to the hardcore gamers with tears in their eyes saying ‘I’ve waited my whole life for this, and thanks for helping to validate my passion and my hobby.’”

Symphony got game

project natal is pretty cool!

Motion controls are all the rage these days and everyone's got something in the works, but the one that really has people talking after E3 this week is Microsoft's Project Natal, a camera-based motion control system (unveiled by Stephen Spielberg!) whose tagline is "you are the controller"! This thing is cool. Project Natal lets you control your on-screen character with.. well, just you. You move around and a camera senses your motions, and also appears to be able to recognize your voice and face. I'm pretty curious to see this thing take off commercially and I can't wait to see the games available with this technology! Natal is clearly a major innovation to look forward to in the video game industry. Watch Peter Molyneux's E3 presentation on Project Natal with Claire and "Milo" below. Crazy stuff!

amazing - human tetris

I have gotten pretty addicted to Tetris DS and as a tribute, I'd like to share an awesome video I just came across. Presenting, human beings playing Tetris... as tetriminos!

sims 3 trailer yaaaaay

We're getting closer and closer to the Sims 3 being released on its delayed date in June and I'm just as excited as I was in February when I thought it was coming out then. This is a really cool video trailer with a lot of gameplay previews plus a look at the character customization scales and design. The personality creation looks like it will really be revolutionary. I'm also very excited by the ease at which you can recolor pretty much everything and make more detailed and varied character types. This game is going to rock!

wii emulator in 720p

Everyone knows the Wii is limited to games in 480p resolution, but now there's a Wii emulator called Dolphin that will run Wii games from a (high-performance) PC in HD. Videos on YouTube have shown what Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King would look like in 720p HD. Pretty cool stuff.

Wii Emulator Allows Games to Run in 720p HD

mc chris is funny

Shot at a Gamespot After Hours event, this video features MC Chris sharing his feelings on Kingdom Hearts II and why Resident Evil 4 is way better. Hilarious and pretty NSFW unless you have headphones or your own office and don't mind loud swearing and a drug reference. Enjoy!

dustin pedroia for mlb 09 the show

I'm not a fan of sports video games in any way shape or form, nor do I own a Playstation 3. Still, I am enjoying the current trailers out for MLB 09 The Show featuring my fave Red Sox player Dustin Pedroia! So enjoy this funny one from YouTube and watch out for the others on TV as Pedroia is a hilarious presence on camera and these are far better than his typical local business commercials.

perfect guitar hero round

I don't claim to be some kind of guitar hero goddess or anything (not like my coworker anyway, who practices on the in-store system during her breaks..) but I have gotten pretty good at GH2 and have been considering making my XBL debut and trying out some matches against people other than my boyfriend and friends. Until then though I will just have to keep inching towards Expert, and it certainly helps when I have perfect rounds like this one!

mirror's edge third-person hack

One cool thing about PC games in this age of console giants is the possibilities of hacking games to reveal interesting new features or add crazy new options to a game. There is often a lot more room with a title's PC version for funky innovations and downloadable game changers. The latest of these PC game hacks is for Mirror's Edge and it allows a third-person vantage point not available in the game while disabling the camera's up-down function. Mixed reviews of this hack complain that it removes the suspense and momentum of the game's action, plus the model and her movements of course look pretty bunk, not having been designed to ever be actually seen. Still, it's cool that innovations like this happen and I think it drives the buzz of the online gaming community in a good way. Check out the Mirror's Edge third-person action in this video:

a sad wii story

Many gamers lament the lack of M-for-mature Wii games aimed away from the console's target demographic of families and casual gamers, which is why the story of Winter, the "lost Wii game" is especially sad. This game would have been a real showcase of Wii controls packaged into a beautifully animated survival horror game akin to Silent Hill. The main character is stranded in a mysterious blizzard filled with scary creatures, and keeping warm is an important aspect of your health, meaning you have to start fires to warm yourself up in addition to keeping safe from bad guys. Sadly, Winter has no publisher and no current plans to be finished. It's a real tragedy and you have to wonder why Nintendo doesn't see more value in getting this kind of game to market. This developer footage shows this innovative and extremely creepy game off quite nicely:

resident evil 5!

Resident Evil 5 looks cooler and cooler with every new trailer that comes out for it and this one from Gametrailers.com is no exception. Enjoy!

more neglect ahead

So it's gonna be a wee bit longer until the blog gets a proper update as I am off on a trip out of town for the next few days. Until then, enjoy this totally awesome video promoting Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, slated for release on the Wii on February 29:

wii games to look forward to in 2009!

After the dismal year the Wii had in 2008 things can only be looking up, right? Well, there are quite a few things to look forward to in the coming year for the family-friendly console. One that is piquing my interest the most is the less family-oriented Deadly Creatures. Here's a cool video showing the badass-ness of the tarantula that you can play as in this upcoming game, slated for release February 9, 2009.

prepare to be amazed

Dude. Parrots can play Tom Clancy's EndWar. What this video lacks in newness it makes up for in total awesomeness. Winner gets a back rub!

movin' on up to hard!

We've been rocking out a lot lately (also known as playing Guitar Hero) and have just started transitioning from Medium to Hard. Some of those songs are, to use scientific terminology, redonkulously hard. Some day I will conquer Carry On Wayward Son but until then I've been doing okay. Like many others before me I even made a video of myself doing Possum Kingdom. Of course I had to pick one of the 5+ minute songs and I'm still far from competent but I am doing much better in Hard than I would have guessed. Expert is still far, far off in the distance, for now anyway.

oh my god this shiz looks awesome

I may have to break habit and actually play Resident Evil 5 myself just because it looks sooo cool. Who am I kidding, I will probably just watch my boyfriend play. Still, it looks totally amazing. The Africa setting looks to provide a unique and new backdrop for zombie strife and the zombification looks scary as hell. Check out this E3 trailer and also the links below for some awesome IGN HD preview vids from the Japanese PS3 demo of the game:

Electrifying Mr. Chainsaw

Snipe Those Suckas

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50 worst video game titles ever

I love lists. There was a great one in this month's Game Informer of the top 10 worst game character names ever (The list included such witty classics as Miles "Tails" Prower and Shoot Gunner). Here's another enjoyable one: The 50 Worst Video Game Names Ever. The list includes hilarious contenders such as Nuts & Milk, Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja and If It Moves, Shoot It. My favorite? Awesome Possum Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt!:

Fun fact: This is one of the first games to actually use digitized voice. Not so fun fact: Here's a dialogue snippet:
Awesome Possum: "I'm awesome!"
Dr. Machino: "You’re not so awesome!"

You got that right.

two thumbs up for personal trainer: cooking

We've all seen the Lisa Kudrow commercial many times by now but I am glad that I took an interest in Personal Trainer: Cooking for the DS because I received it as a gift for my birthday. It seems totally awesome so far - I haven't actually cooked anything yet because I am not home very often at mealtimes but I have big plans! There are 245 recipes in total from a wide variety of countries and a range of ingredients to suit any taste. The interface is easy to use and I love the shopping list function that lets you check off ingredients you need for certain recipes as you go shopping. Seems like a pretty comprehensive cooking tool that I hope will allow me to widen my culinary horizons and make some crazy French dish or something.

the retail life

I mentioned below the in-store consoles that are a regular part of my work environment and I get to "enjoy" the various demos and previews that loop, let's call it, every 10 to 25 minutes. On five different monitors/TVs within about 100 square feet. So today I shall share some of them with you all so you can envision the excitement of my life working in the video game industry.

"The Metal" by Tenacious D at the VGAs (my personal fave):


Lego Indiana Jones demo:


Sweet Touch of Love axe commercial:


That's just three of the many, many 5 minute segments I get to enjoy over and over again. Now you can too!