heavy rain sounds effing awesome

Wow, this game is just looking cooler and cooler the more I read about it. Heavy Rain, by French game developer Quantic Dream, is due out later this month but has been generating buzz for quite awhile.

Read more »

sims 3 high end loft stuff!

The first (of many, I'm sure!) Sims 3 Stuff Pack is coming out tomorrow. High End Loft Stuff promises to "transform your Sims' homes into sleek, edgy lofts" with "sophisticated furnishings, must-have electronics, and cutting edge fashions". Translation: if you like your Sims to be hooked up and tuned in, you'll love this Stuff Pack. I know I will.

Read more »

no wii HD on the horizon

Those of us out there that try to defend the Wii as a valid gaming console have less hope for near-future advancements now that Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has denied any rumors of an HD Wii in development. In his mind, the addition of high definition graphics capability would not be enough to make a new Wii console stand out and sell successfully.

Read more »

backing up game discs?

Now personally I am an anal retentive crazy person when it comes to my game discs (the boyfriend is even worse than me, he disapproves of a game ever being put in another game's case, even temporarily!) but for those of you out there prone to losing, scratching or otherwise effing up your expensive game discs, here's an alternative for you. I'm sure software like this has existed before, and I'm also pretty sure that most game companies would not approve, but if you want to back up your games, here's how to do it. I am as a rule very against piracy, especially when it comes to video games, so of course you should only be using this software to make backups of games you have already purchased. Again, not something *I* need with my immaculate game discs, but it might be of use if you make a habit of leaving game discs face down on the table or stepping on strewn-about cases. Or of course if you have an Xbox 360 that you plan on moving while turned on with a game disc in it...

mass effect 2 is a huge hit

Not that that was unlikely to be the case or anything! EA and Bioware's latest Xbox 360 exclusive title, the follow-up to its 2007 space-based shooter RPG Mass Effect, is posting great sales numbers in its first week on shelves, especially compared to the first title's release sales numbers. Mass Effect 2 has topped the UK sales charts for this past week, beating MAG, CoD Modern Warfare 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Fans of the original Mass Effect game get the added bonus that the sequel lets you carry a completed game file over from the first game, giving the player access to their well-developed Commander Shepard character from the original story. IGN gave Mass Effect 2 a 9.6 "Incredible" and it currently has a metascore of 96 and a user score of 9.0 at Metacritic. If you are a fan of the RPG genre and never played Mass Effect, you can pick it up used for... Wow, I was going to say like $18 but apparently the used price has jumped again, surely based on the success of the sequel. Well, $23 is not a bad price to pay for the original if you've never played it I suppose. Anyway, Mass Effect 2 seems good enough that playing through the first before taking it on will be worth it. Anyone playing it and loving it yet? I know my boyfriend is itching to pick up a copy but is practicing discipline and playing through the first one again before starting the sequel.

UK Video Game Chart: Mass Effect 2 the new No. 1

friday gaming rant

It's been a crazy few weeks for me lately, I am in the process of moving on top of taking on full-time hours at my job so sadly I haven't yet been able to keep up with my resolution to post more often here. That doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about gaming on the regular though! Playing games is another story at the moment. It's been weeks since I've played a game other than Sims 3 and it's been days since I've played that! Bah, boo moving!

...Anyway. I have been in the car way more lately than I like to be and have been thinking a lot about the state of gaming and video game development in the last few years. I won't go too crazy ranting here... yet... but I wanted to introduce a new topic for discussion which is: What the fuck has happened to gamers' expectations?

I mean really. Maybe I just don't get the genres of games that sell in numbers today, but everything just seems so... dumbed down. The top games that get the best review scores and the widest demand just seem so... similar. All of them. You watch pretty cutscenes, you run around with one analog stick and control your camera with the other, and you hit a variety of buttons to kill stuff or blow stuff up. Different enemies, different weapons, different map textures, higher resolution... this is what is touted as depth in games today it seems like. I can be impressed by more advanced AI that games use to ramp up the challenge, but ultimately there is just nothing to video games anymore past shiny graphics, shooting control schemes and item/weapon collection. Now and then a game with a great plot comes out that manages to sell but for the most part the plotlines and story of popular games are just... not important it seems.

I've already gone farther than I meant to right now but I would be really interested in what anyone (anyone? Bueller?) might think about this topic. I know franchises like Halo and Call of Duty have hordes of followers that are happy to defend them but I'm just saddened by the way smaller, deeper, BETTER games just aren't getting made anymore. And when they are, no one buys them!

Future more specific topics on this theme will include:

• What Ever Happened To Adventure Games?
• Just Because I Don't Have A Dick Doesn't Mean I Want Games About Babyz and Ponyz*
• Why Video Games Are Not A Good Replacement For Socializing With Friends In Person
• The Lack Of Puzzles That Make You Think At All
• Don't Make Movie-based Games, Make Movie-LIKE Games!

...and more. Don't touch that dial! But in the meantime if you read this blog and have an opinion on the matter please elaborate in the comments.

*Note: I might actually enjoy a game about Ponyz. But definitely, definitely not Babyz.

bungie and halo 3 help haiti

The digital age we live in has made fundraising for global purposes a much more efficient machine than many could have ever imagined - the money and donated goods pouring into Haiti since the earthquake there is astonishing. This cause has allowed groups not often associated with doing good to contribute in new technological ways. One of the best recent stories out of the tech realm in my opinion is Bungie's decision to donate to Haitian relief funds via a unique method: gamers who decorated their Halo 3 avatars with a red heart are participating in a donation drive where every 1,000 players equals $100 donated, up to $77,000. This is a really innovative way to let people donate indirectly through spaces they are already spending time in and by contributing only their concern. I hope to see more charitable movements like this in the video game industry - and, really, it would be nice to see efforts like this before the major disaster hits. There is a lot of need in the world and with the global reach the gaming industry has achieved, it is certainly a big opportunity to get large numbers of gamers involved.

Gamers Doing Good: Play Halo & Help Haiti

If you're interested in other ways to donate to the relief funds helping Haitians in the aftermath, check out Google's excellent comprehensive guide to helping: Google Crisis Response: Support Disaster Relief In Haiti. Just another reason to love Google!

peta loves the sims 3

I'm still working on being on top of all the awesomeness related to video games that gets reported on the internets these days so forgive me for posting a story that's a few weeks old. However, I think this is just totally blogworthy! The Sims 3 and Electronic Arts were awarded a Proggy award from PETA this year for progressive views on vegetarian lifestyles. Apparently the bar is low enough in video games when it comes to standards of humanity/progress that having the option for Sims to lead vegetarian lives is impressive enough to win an award. It is a pretty damn cool Trait to select for your Sims - they get a whole new range of food options, avoid meat in meals and get sick if they eat meat dishes.

Rumor has it that game testers have reported that vegetarian Sims live longer and age more slowly than meat-eating Sims. Of course, that would jibe with studies showing that real-life vegans and vegetarians are less prone to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening conditions.

The Sims 3 Gets PETA-Vegetarian Friendly Award

**disclaimer: I love all animals. I don't love PETA all the time. I do think it's rad that they can get their points across in this kind of promotion.**

hotel dusk: last window?

If you read this blog at all you know I love point-and-click adventure games more than any other genre. I'm always on the lookout for great games that I missed in the past as some of the best adventure games are older titles. Still, occasionally new games come out that make me jump for joy because of their commitment to preserving the wonderful tradition of point-and-click. One company whose game I have really taken a liking for is Cing, who developed Trace Memory and Hotel Dusk: Room 215 for the Nintendo DS. Imagine my surprise and thrill when my boyfriend clued me into to recent development news on a Hotel Dusk sequel! Apparently titled Last Window, the DS game is not strictly a sequel but does star my favorite video game anti-hero Kyle Hyde in a plot that occurs a year after the events of the original Hotel Dusk game. Last Window will also make reference to characters from the previous game. Gameplay elements will likely be very similar with a few changes including rumble-pak support. As a huge fan of the first Hotel Dusk game I will for sure be pre-ordering this one... whenever it gets a North American release date, anyway!

Last Window DS - New Details