Sunday, November 27, 2011

Super Sony Bros Brawl

Folks, Black Friday has come and gone. And when Black Friday comes, chaos ensures. From pepper spraying customers to security guards gone mad, getting the best deals on gaming is bound to be a nightmare to many.

Outside Black Friday, something has been brewing in the Sony camp. According to the Paul Gale Network, courtesy of NeoGAF, Sony is putting work into their own Smash Bros clone. But is it true?

Eurogamer has this to say

What is SuperBot's "very amazing" PlayStation 3 exclusive?
By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 25 November, 2011
Sony silent on Smash Bros. rival rumour.

Sony has declined to comment on a rumour that it is making a PlayStation 3 exclusive Smash Bros. rival.

The console manufacturer told Eurogamer "we do not comment on rumour or speculation" when quizzed about the game, reportedly in the works at US developer SuperBot Entertainment.

Word of the mystery brawler first emerged on The Paul Gale Network, which claimed it featured a number of Sony mascots, including Parappa the Rappa (Parappa the Rapper), Kratos (God of War), Sly Cooper (Sly Cooper), Nathan Drake (Uncharted), Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Colonel Mael Radec (Killzone) and Fat Princess (Fat Princess).

The report also mentioned a Sandover Village stage (from Jak & Daxter), Hot Shots Golf characters in stage backgrounds, a LittleBigPlanet stage and a Buzz! trivia mini-game. A James Bond character is also mentioned.

Current speculation points to SuperBot Entertainment, a Culver City, California-based studio confirmed to be working on a "very amazing PS3 game" for Sony Computer Entertainment America, as developer of the game.

SuperBot's website describes the company as "an exclusive developer of Sony Computer Entertainment America" and reveals it is "currently in production of a yet-to-be announced PS3 title".

According to a job advert, SuperBot is after a senior combat designer with "a strong familiarity with fighting games and fighting game theory".

Another job advert asks for a lead designer with "a strong familiarity with online mode and matchmaking design as they apply to console gaming".

On SuperBot's website are pictures of arcade fighting sticks.


Looks like Nintendo and Capcom has some competition in the Ultimate Fighting crossover genre. Will Sony deliver with their own Smash Bros? Will they sneak in a few guest stars?(Maybe Cloud and that mama's boy Sephiroth) Stay tuned.

Works Cited:

Eurogamer

More info on the upcoming Sony-themed Smash Bros game at

NeoGAF

Monday, November 21, 2011

Mario's PETA blues

Folks, last week Nintendo released their 5th 3D Mario game "Super Mario 3D Land." Releasing more than a year after Mario Galaxy 2. Must be a new record for time between 3D Marios. One thing that is also brought back is the Tanooki Suit. This famed suit is now embedded in Super Leaves, overriding the Raccoon Mario powerup.

However, it seems one group has targeted Nintendo over the Tanooki suit. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

A new game from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) pokes fun at Super Mario Bros. Trying to draw some attention to its cause, PETA says that its new game, Super Tanooki Skin 2D, will hopefully make Mario think twice about wearing fur in his games. In the game, which is part of its new "Mario Kills Tanooki" campaign, players "direct a bloody, skinned raccoon dog as he chases a tanuki fur–suited Mario through a surreal fur farm where raccoon dogs are routinely skinned alive for their fur."

"Tanukis are real-life raccoon dogs who are beaten and, as PETA's undercover exposés show, often skinned alive for their fur," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "This winter, everyone can give raccoon dogs and other fabulous animals a 1-UP by keeping our wardrobes fur-free." PETA says that "by wearing the skin of an animal, Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur." They also claim that the game informs people that in real life, "Mario would be wearing the skin of an animal who was beaten, strangled or electrocuted, and it wouldn't give him any special powers other than the power of self-deception."


A bold claim. But according to the game, real Tanooki suits come from leaves, not from Tanuki fur. However, Nintendo had this to say about PETA's claim

"Mario often takes the appearance of certain animals and objects in his games. These have included a frog, a penguin, a balloon and even a metallic version of himself. These lighthearted and whimsical transformations give Mario different abilities and make his games fun to play.

The different forms that Mario takes make no statement beyond the games themselves."


Nice move Nintendo. Won't make up the sleeperfest that was 2011. As for PETA, they have responded to the response from Nintendo

"Mario fans: Relax! PETA's game was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, a fun way to call attention to a serious issue, that raccoon dogs are skinned alive for their fur," Shakira Croce, PETA's media coordinator said. "We wish real-life tanukis could fly or swat enemies away with their tails and escape from those who profit from their skins. You can help them by never buying real fur."

How dare you tell me not to buy real fur. I like my real fur jacket as it is made from real bearskin and...

Wait a minute. This isn't Bearskin. This is an artifical substitute.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Works Cited
GamePolitics Link 1
GamePolitics Link 2
GamePolitics Link 3

Thursday, November 10, 2011

The most sacred cycle in all of the industry

Before we get down to my rant against the abomination that is Sonic Generations, a quick update. Early this year, PSN and XBLA were hacked and the information on their respective services were compromised. For the former however, PSN was down from April to mid-late May, causing much outcry and backlash that Sony somehow managed to recover from.

But now, it seems the Steam service itself was hacked. The following message is from Gabe Newell.

Dear Steam Users and Steam Forum Users,

Our Steam forums were defaced on the evening of Sunday, November 6. We began investigating and found that the intrusion goes beyond the Steam forums.

We learned that intruders obtained access to a Steam database in addition to the forums. This database contained information including user names, hashed and salted passwords, game purchases, email addresses, billing addresses and encrypted credit card information. We do not have evidence that encrypted credit card numbers or personally identifying information were taken by the intruders, or that the protection on credit card numbers or passwords was cracked. We are still investigating.

We don't have evidence of credit card misuse at this time. Nonetheless you should watch your credit card activity and statements closely.

While we only know of a few forum accounts that have been compromised, all forum users will be required to change their passwords the next time they login. If you have used your Steam forum password on other accounts you should change those passwords as well.

We do not know of any compromised Steam accounts, so we are not planning to force a change of Steam account passwords (which are separate from forum passwords). However, it wouldn't be a bad idea to change that as well, especially if it is the same as your Steam forum account password.

We will reopen the forums as soon as we can.

I am truly sorry this happened, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Gabe.


I smell a conspiracy theory here. This sounds like it could lead to XBLA, PSN and Steam going the WiiWare/eShop route in the future: Tying all of your purchases to 1 system/computer/handheld and requiring you to punch in your Credit Card info every time. Ether that or their security was shoddy in the first place.

Now folks, early this month Sonic Generations debuted on the 360 and PS3, with nary a Wii version in sight. But what caught my attention were the scores it got.

Console Monster: 8.8/10 Everything about Sonic Generations oozes excellence and while some of the traditional annoyances remain, it is hard to deny the crazy speeds and pure enjoyment Sonic's latest adventures reveal.

IGN: 85/100 It feels refreshing to be able to say that Sonic is good again. His upward trajectory over the last year continues and he's only gaining momentum. Sonic Generations is largely a game for the most hardcore of Sonic fans, but for the millions who have fond memories of narrowly dodging spikes, grinding on rails, or even that time he was a pinball, Sonic Generations is a game made for you.

GameTrailers: 81/100 Sega finally appears to have learned from its mistakes. Sonic Generations' thoughtful mishmash of the hedgehog's distinct incarnations delivers the best of both worlds. Though it's a bit on the short side, the fundamentals are undeniably well executed. Sonic hasn't been this good in years.

PlanetXbox360: 83/100 A few hiccups here and there stop Sonic Generations from being a classic, but it's definitely a huge step in the right direction for Sonic Team and Sega, especially considering how cluttered the previous titles were. It's a throwback to the carefree days of Sonic platforming fun, while still packing the kind of modern components that will keep you gazing at the screen in sheer delight.

Games Radar: 80/100 Easily the best Sonic game since the hog's Sonic 2 glory days. Surprisingly, modern Sonic's levels are the more impressive and fun and, while low-speed control is still clumsy, the wealth of quality action scenes cherry-picked from the past two decades make the overwhelming majority of Sonic Generations an absolute blast.

What are you reviewers doing? You're not suppose to praise this game like you did with Sonic Colors(And break the Sonic Cycle at the same time). You're suppose to bash this game as if it were the reincarnation of Sonic 06.

But the biggest insult comes from Jim Sterling, who last year bashed Sonic Colors on Wii, only to give this game his blessing

Destructoid: 80/100 While it's not quite the stunning triumph that many had hoped for, Sonic Generations is a truly great game that provides some of the best Sonic action ever seen and pays fitting tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog -- highlighting both his successes and his failures.

How DARE you, Jim Sterling. After having such high hopes, you went and slapped me right in the face. You all know the Sonic Cycle is one of the most Sacred relics of gaming. Breaking the Sonic Cycle is blasphemy and the punishment for breaking said cycle would including playing endless rounds of Ninja Bread Man.

But unfortunately, that's not the only game to break its own cycle. Last month, Activision released a new Spyro the Dragon game called "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure." With snipe directed at this game, I had hope this game would end up being smashed down as one of the worst Spyro games ever. Unfortunately, that didn't turn out too well for me ether. And even Jim Sterling added insult to injury to me.

Game Chronicles: 90/100 Skylanders signifies a new start for the franchise – a step back to Spyro's roots, yet a step into the future.

Nintendo World Report 90/100 An extremely well-designed game that is perfect for kids. Unfortunately for parents, this game is wonderful and addictive, meaning that most kids who get their hands on this will crave more characters to collect them all.

IGN: 80/100 Yes, ultimately the content in the game is already on the disc and you have to pay money to unlock it, which sounds like BS. But even without the extras, Skylanders is a pretty substantial action game for kids (with a small cast). It's fun, it's challenging, the story is cute, and there is co-op.

Destructoid: 80/100 It's not the most complex game on the market, but the innovative gadgetry and authentic thoughtfulness on the part of the developer stands out in a market so used to churning out the same old crap.

Planet X-Box 360: 83/100 The design is quite inspired for a product designed for younger players, and the presentation is surprisingly high in value.

Worth Playing: 90/100 Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is so specifically targeted to children and the unique way they approach games, often vacillating back and forth between tightly focused and wildly erratic in under half an hour, it's difficult for an adult to fully and fairly evaluate this game's entertainment potential.

What is going on here? First Spyro and now Sonic? What is with bad gaming franchises becoming good again? There has to be something to counter this. But what?

The only thing I can think of is the user reviews on the new Modern Warfare game. Though many patriotic critics have chimed in on MW3, many User reviews have slammed it down. The reviews are at Destructoid compiled by Jim Sterling himself(Who I now have a grudge at. *Wink Wink*).

Jim, you give Sonic Generations and Skylanders a 4/10 and maybe I'll forgive you. I mean, it's not like I have and enjoy both games and even have the toys for Skylanders and....uhhh

*Makes a beeline for the exit door*

More info on the Hack at:
Kotaku

Select MW3 reviews at:
Destructoid

Works Cited:
Metacritic(Sonic Generations)
Metacritic(Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

NPD September 2011: The Sacred Sonic Cycle

Folks, I am madder than a Sonic fan over a bad Sonic game. And if there is anything worst than a bad Sonic game, it's a good Sonic game. And if there's anything worst than a good Sonic game, it's a Mario and Sonic crossover. Sonic is teaching us that it's okay to destroy jobs and Mario is teaching us that it's okay to beat up the power. Well I've got news for you, furries. When I get my hands on Sonic Generations and the 3rd Mario/Sonic crossover, I am gonna rip you a new one. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!*Lightning storm here*

But first, the NPD numbers both Hardware and Software

Xbox 360: 438K
Playstation 3: 364K-374K
Nintendo 3DS: 260K
Wii: 240K
Nintendo DS: 145K

Now come on here. Why is the 360 still in first place? Why is the PS3 right behind? I mean Sony should be winning in the good ol US of A. Screw Europe and Japan. America is where its at, baby. I mean it's not like I got a new replacement 360 to replace my....Err, let's continue.

But what's really bugging me is the Wii. Why isn't it under 200K? Are people who didn't buy it starting to buy it? come to think of it, was Nintendo really playing possum this year? I know, cuz they're gonna sneak up back and rip Sony and Microsoft again, especially in 2008 when the latter two got better games, but the Wii stormed through. It's madness I tell ya. MADDNESS! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*Get's slapped*

Oh. Sorry. Anyway, Software

01. Madden NFL 12 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP)** Electronic Arts - Over 2.3 Million
02. Gears of War 3 (360)** Microsoft (Corp) - Over 2 Million
03. Dead Island (360, PS3, PC) Deep Silver - Nearly 1 Million
04. FIFA Soccer 12 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, 3DS) Electronic Arts - Over 400K
05. NHL 12 (360, PS3) Electronic Arts
06. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360, PS3, PC)** Square Enix Inc
07. Resistance 3 (PS3) Sony (Corp) - 180K
08. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Wii, NDS, 360, 3DS, PS3, PSP, PC) LucasArts
09. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, NDS, Wii, PC)** Activision Blizzard
10. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (360, PS3, PC) THQ

Unfortunately, if your name is Gears of War 3, sorry but you've been outsmashed by Madden NFL 2012 across multiple systems. Dead Island is in 3rd place with FIFA Soccer 12. EA's other sports game involving Hockey(NHL 12) is right behind with SquareEnix's Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Resistance 3 comes out in 7th with Lego Star Wars III: The CLone Wars. Rounding out the top 10 is Call of Duty: Black Ops and Warhammer 40,000.

What does the month of the dead provide for gaming? Is Batman number 1 again? Will Spyro show his true colors? Can Kirby steal the spotlight? Or is Battlefield blowing the month up? Stay tuned

All data originated from NeoGAF