New Sony Offensive

Sony launched a major offensive in the console war this week with a number of big announcements. During a presentation at the GamesCom 2009 event in Cologne, Germany they unveiled the new slim PlayStation 3 and talked about their plans for the platform. There have been suggestions that Sony are lagging behind Nintendo and Microsoft in the battle for gamers and this package of products and updates is clearly an attempt to redress the balance.

The Wii and the Xbox 360 have been outselling the much more expensive PlayStation 3 and Sony has resisted any price drop. Back in June they claimed to be happy with their price point, which even then represented a loss on every console sold. With pressure to stimulate the market amid falling sales they have finally made a move. The new version of their popular console heralds the long awaited price drop and the 120 GB machine will cost $299 in the US, ¢â€šÂ¬299 in Europe and £249 in the UK. By comparison the 120 GB Xbox 360 Elite remains priced at $399.

The new PlayStation 3 slim is 33% smaller and 36% lighter than the old PS3. The interior has undergone a complete redesign and the console will use less energy and operate more quietly than the old model. In fact power consumption has been cut to two-thirds the previous level and as a result the machine does not heat up so much so there is less need for noisy fan operation.

The console looks sleeker and more attractive than ever and the visual redesign has also seen the logo change to lower case and a matte, textured finish instead of a shiny one. It supports Wi-Fi out of the box, it has two USB ports and you can access the hard drive from the front and upgrade more easily than with the previous iteration. In fact you can now upgrade the hard drive without voiding the warranty. The old 80 GB and 160 GB models will now be phased out.

If you are looking for a downside then perhaps you could point to the lack of backwards compatibility for PlayStation 2 games, although it can run PlayStation 1 games. You also can’t store the PlayStation 3 slim vertically unless you buy a stand and they have ditched the option to install another operating system.

Sony didn’t rest there and the announcements continued with a big firmware update for the PlayStation 3 platform. PS3 Firmware 3.0 adds some useful menu updates which make navigation on the console a bit smoother with easier access to the store and a redesigned friends list. There are a few new cosmetic updates as well which allow animated themes and the option of new avatars for your profile. Most exciting for UK gamers is the support for BBC iPlayer. There is also a new video on demand movie rental service offering HD and SD movies due to launch in November.

These new developments look set to take advantage of the superior capabilities of the PS3 and technically speaking it is by far the best console of the current generation. The PS3 supports Blu-ray playback, it offers 1080p HDMI output, integrated wireless, free online support and a 120 GB upgradeable hard drive. The firmware update will combine with a big redesign of their online Home space where companies are now looking to establish an online presence.

The new offensive was not limited to the console space and Sony had news for the handheld market as well. The PSP Go was unveiled back in June. It is a smaller, slide open version of the PSP handheld. At GamesCom Sony announced that they will be launching a mini-game store for the machine and gamers will be able to download casual games which are under 100 MB in size. They also plan to launch a reader for the PSP which will allow people to read full length novels on it and the video on demand service due to launch in November will be extended to the PSP as well. To round things off it will be available in some funky colors.

There are obvious moves here to beat Microsoft on price and also to challenge Nintendo on accessibility and the casual gamer market. Sony is uniquely placed to capture hardcore and casual gamers and their PS3 console is truly an entertainment center. If consumers were to shop for a Blu-ray player with internet surfing capabilities and access to streaming video on demand they would be hard pressed to find a device cheaper than the PlayStation 3 and it offers gaming as well. Perhaps with this new design and all important price drop we’ll see the console really take off at last.

The Greatest Skate 2 Bails of All Time

Skate 2 is probably the best skateboarding game ever made. It has a huge world to ride around in, an incredible control scheme, and is so realistic that you can do all the half 360 flippy trick varial slam jams that real skateboarders do.

But let’s face it: the most fun in the game is the epic bails. Everyone loves seeing that virtual skateboarder slam into the ground at speeds that break the sound barrier, so we’ve collected some of the most entertaining crashes, bails, slams, accidents, and crazy glitches we could find!

And here they are, for your viewing pleasure:

I was THIS Close

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDybCqW_6eI[/youtube]

CLOTHESLINE!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ6lhC3xzS4[/youtube]

I Don’t Even Want to See What Happened Earlier

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_R9JUzaTBw[/youtube]

Always Remember to Wear Your Helmet Kids

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO9YAl184-A[/youtube]

I Fought the Law, and the Car Won

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ara60tkMglM[/youtube]
“Why is this car going so slow? Speed up! You’re going too OH MY GOD NO”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3nXDCF2ZAQ[/youtube]

They Have to Stop Cleaning Those Windows so Well
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAAc6Gwcx-A[/youtube]

If You’re Going to Fall That Far, Might as Well Make the End Quick

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX6CRqk-n-Q[/youtube]

Face, Meet Rail
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s52o55YkIxk[/youtube]

Excuse Me, Your Face Is In the Way of My Foot

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUXL0xg_9Hw[/youtube]

“Oh my God, look honey! An icecream stand! Let’s get around this body that just fell from the sky and bounced around like a superball and get some!”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOIut51P80Q[/youtube]

Ouch. OUCH.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne2UtPJYmFc[/youtube]

“Oh, today’s sesh was also bad. I ended up flailing around wildly and launching through the air again.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4emZDxf2mY[/youtube]

It’s Not the Fall That Hurts, It’s the Slamming Into a Railing With Your Spine at Terminal Velocity

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Ro_FFy4hw[/youtube]

Learning How to Properly Distribute the Impact is of Crucial Importance
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8he2BxR3ZfI[/youtube]

Face, Meet Metal Girder
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p96LlrxIdfw[/youtube]

I Swear to God it Was Like it Was Happening in Slow Motion
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiQlSI7Eqfk[/youtube]

Actually, It’s Not the Fall That Hurts, It’s the Slamming Into the Pavement So Hard that Your Spine Bends Backwards

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPGPohpK1FI[/youtube]

At Least That Fence Broke His Fall (And Body)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzcyQZMevhE[/youtube]

Somehow he Lived Through the First Impact, But He Made Sure the Second Counted

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMkDLbz0d1s[/youtube]

10 Songs Rock Band Needs to Get, and Get Rid Of

Taste in music is always a touchy subject. What is a masterpiece to one man is often nothing more than another man’s vile ear-garbage. What I like, you might find worth listening to only as a bizarre form of self-flagellation, bringing yourself to let its slimy, musical tendrils into your ear-holes exclusively as a form of punishment for some mortal sin.

Nonetheless, there are songs that one can imagine are just objectively bad; songs that have literally reached the maximum level of crappyness (that level is somewhere around one Air Supply, I believe) and cannot be considered by any rational human to be any good. No enjoyment can be gotten from these songs, because they have been proven by science to be perfect examples of audio despair, which no person should have the displeasure of experiencing.

Likewise, no person should ever have to simulate the playing of such terrible songs in a video game format; forcing someone to merely listen to bad music is cruel, but forcing one to actively engage in the execution of bad music is an act that may actually destroy an important part of that person’s soul.

With the news that Harmonix has made the somewhat insane decision to release another Grateful Dead song pack tomorrow, with six whole, meandering, pointless, hippie anthems to absent-mindedly sway back and forth to, it seems fitting to go over what songs should be in Rock Band, and which ones have no place being anywhere near any person’s XBox, Playstation, CD player, iPod, 8-track, gramophone record player, or any other physical music medium for that matter.

So join me for the 10 songs that Rock Band needs to get, and get rid of!

SONGS ROCK BAND NEEDS TO GET RID OF:

I know, you can’t actually get rid of songs from Rock Band, mainly because they are written permanently onto the disc via some sort “burning” process.

So we’ll just look at this list as a lesson for future generations. The soul-searing pain we have felt as a result of having to listen to and mock-perform these songs will be our gift to those people down the line who will never have to sing lyrics like “because it’s nice in the afternoon” again. We are taking a rock and roll bullet to the audio processing portions of our brains, so that generations to come will not have to do the same.

Or you could just be selfish and try to literally scratch these songs from the surface of the disc, as I have tried many times.

Panic at the Disco – Nine in the Afternoon

Forget for a moment that the afternoon does not extend until nine o’clock, and in fact turns into something called “night time” several hours before nine. Forget for a moment that this song’s lyrics border on being nonsense due to the redundancy and blatant obviousness of their subject matter. You could, ’cause you can, so you do? I have absolutely no idea how you managed to use so many words there.

Finally, try to forget that this song is like an inescapable specter, haunting every appliance you own, including your TV, radio, and even your copy of NHL 09, a game that should by all rights be as Panic at the Disco-less as possible.

Even if you manage to forget all of these things, you will not be able to escape the fact that this song is the audio equivalent of a massive worldwide recession wrapped in a pink bow: it is the cheeriest looking thing to make you want to kill yourself in the last year.

Interpol – PDA

When you think about rock and roll, what words come to mind? If boring, repetitive, incredibly long-winded, and no redeeming qualities are the first things you think of, then Interpol’s PDA is for you.

But if you are not insane, then this song will make you wish you could build a Rock Band-playing machine to automatically perform it for you while you sit in a sound-proof room, preferably thousands of miles away.

Duran Duran – Hungry Like the Wolf

When did the 80s become cool again? In the 90s all anyone ever did was make fun of the 80s. It was basically a full time profession back then. And the reason everyone made fun of the 80s in the 90s was because everything in the 80s sucked really really bad.

Duran Duran is no exception. It’s just that Hungry Like the Wolf is one of those songs that has somehow permanently burrowed itself into the soft, fleshy mass of our collective consciousness, where it resides to this day. Once inside it released its alien pheromones, modifying the chemical balance of our brains so that its horrible true nature was hidden from us, making us think it was actually a good song.

But you can’t trick me, Duran Duran. I know this because every time I have to play this song I have the sudden urge to shove a screwdriver up my nose into my frontal lobe, proving that your vile demon-larva are lodged in all of our craniums, just waiting to be reamed out with hand tools.

Ratt – Round and Round

Seriously? Ratt?

I mean, are you kidding me?

If Winger ends up in Rock Band 3, please shoot me in the face.

Miranda Cosgrove – Headphones On

Okay, this is actually a download, so its not necessarily part of Rock Band. But it is a free download, which means there is a very high percentage likelihood that you will download it because its free, and why the hell shouldn’t I download it when its free? How much could that hurt?

Oh it can hurt, in so many ways. I made the mistake of downloading this song, and I repeatedly punch myself in the face every day as punishment for my folly. If you enjoy the current state of your face, in which it isn’t being punched by your own furiously clenched fist all the time, then don’t download this song.

Sonic Youth – Teen Age Riot

Maybe I’m just prejudiced against Sonic Youth because of how much I hate them for needing three guitar players to make every one of their songs sound like a mess, but this song should not exist in Rock Band. “Noise rock” is pretty much the least fun sounding genre imaginable, and playing this song in Rock Band proves it.

Rob the Prez-O-Dent – That Handsome Devil

File this song under Makes Absolutely No Sense. The production of it is such that you can’t actually hear what’s happening. I have no real problem with that; some of my favourite bands have recordings that sound like crap. Its just that when I’m trying to play a video game version of a song, sometimes it helps to be able to tell what the hell is going on.

Add to that the fact that some of the drum parts you have to play in it are essentially just a jumble of coloured bars mashed next to each other, and this song basically turns into a screwed up game of Simon with a bad soundtrack, interspersed with random gun shot sound effects.

Linkin Park – One Step Closer

I don’t know why they called it “nu” metal, cause playing this song is getting pretty old! Haha.

God I want to kill myself.

Abnormality – Visions

I know, I know. Death metal (or black metal, or doom metal, or sludge or goop or crud or gunk metal or whatever the hell it’s called) bands have a lot of technical skill. They use weird time signatures like 15/Pi, play at tempos in excess of nine million beats per second, and are known to breathe fire on innocent civilians when they’re not playing at shows attended entirely by other bands.

That’s all well and good. I get it. But please don’t make me play their songs in Rock Band. Their riffs were not made for normal human appendages, my plastic guitar controller probably can’t even register notes as fast as these guys are playing them, and this song has all the musicality of the dying groans of a goat being crushed by a flaming boulder. That unique sound only means “party” for people who wear white makeup all the time and use real sheep heads as stage props.

Every Bonus Song -  All of Them

We know that you guys at Harmonix are, like, real musicians and everything. We appreciate it, a lot. Your musical experience lends the game a very authentic feel, we are glad you know what you’re doing, etc. etc.

But that having been said, we have to tell you something: your friends’ bands are kind of a downer.

They always show up at our parties and get really drunk and start talking too loud and then get in the way when we just want to play songs that we actually like, and it gets really annoying.

I mean, it’s gotten to the point where I intentionally avoided downloading the 20 extra songs for Rock Band 2, even though they were free, because I didn’t want to dilute my song selection with their incredible mediocrity.

Oh, and don’t try to sneak your friends into the next party by taking away their “bonus” tags like you did in Rock Band 2; we know which ones they are (they’re the ones that suck that we’ve never heard before) and we’ll have a door man waiting. You’ll thank us when you give in to peer pressure and are too cool to even look them in the eye any more.

SONGS ROCK BAND NEEDS TO GET:

It’s nearly impossible to whittle this selection down to ten songs, to the point that even choosing seems almost blasphemous, but what must be done must be done, in the name of Rock and Roll.

Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song

The game is called Rock Band, yet Led Zeppelin is not in it. This is essentially a logical contradiction in its most fundamental form. It is like explaining to someone that 2 plus 2 equals 4, then asking them to tell you what 2 plus 2 equals, and when they tell you “It is 4,” you punch them in the throat with a pair of brass knuckles.

I’m sure there’s some petty legal reason why Led Zeppelin hasn’t graced the Rock Band disc yet. But if you are reading this, Jimmy Page (which you are definitely not) then know this: putting your songs in Rock Band can never do as much damage to your reputation or credibility or any other aspect of your career as did the raping of Kashmir called “Come With Me” featuring Mr. Sean P Puffy Diddy Daddy Combs himself.

Dio – Holy Diver

Okay, I take back what I said about the 80s; everything except Dio (and all the other songs in this list that were released in the 80s) sucked. Three important facts to know about Ronnie James Dio: 1) He pioneered the use of the devil horns as a uniquely metal form of non-verbal communication, 2) He played the role of a rock and roll God in the Tenacious D movie, which required no actual acting on his part, and 3) He has rocked like freaking mad for every minute of every day of his entire life.

In fact, the entire Holy Diver album should be made available for download.

Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train

Hey Rock Band, guess what? Guitar Hero: World Tour has this song, and you don’t.

By not having it in Rock Band you are literally urinating all over Randy Rhoads’ long-dead, plane-crashy corpse.

Green Day – Basket Case

You can love them or hate them, but it is undeniable that Green Day is one of the biggest bands in the world.

Their absence from Rock Band is strange, to say the least. Even Metallica (who at one point sued everyone on the planet for thinking about downloading Napster to maybe download copies of Metallica songs) are in Rock Band and are even being featured in their own game, so there’s really no legal reason why you shouldn’t be, Green Day. Get on it.

The Band – The Weight (or Cripple Creek, or really anything by them, because everything they did is fantastic)

If you’re going to put country music in the game, why not try putting in country-influenced bands that aren’t marketed towards people who think that Reagan’s trickle-down economic plan is fantastic, follow a policy of carrying one gun per article of clothing during hunting season, and actually think Brad Paisley is good?

Queen – Another One Bites the Dust

While Bohemian Rhapsody may well be one of the most rocking songs of all time, I decided against it because the game is called Rock Band, not Epic 10 Minute Piano Song Game.

Another One Bites the Dust is recognizable, rocking, and full of killer riffs and awesomeness, making it perfect for Rock Band.

(PS: No AIDS jokes will be made in this article.)

Van Halen – Hot for Teacher

Hey Rock Band, guess what? Guitar Hero: World Tour has this song, and you don’t.

By not having it in Rock Band you are literally urinating all over Eddie Van Halen’s crazy, double-tapping, soon-to-be-dead-of-cancer-or-alcoholism-or-something corpse.

Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City

While we’re on the other games have this song so why don’t you train of thought, let’s hit up some GnR. Burnout Paradise, a game about cars or heroin withdrawal or something, has this song in it, but all Rock Band could get was a song from the Axl Rose and Some Other Guys edition of Guns N’ Roses?

Shame on you Rock Band.

(And yes I know one of those other guys was Bucket Head. Please don’t send any letters.)

Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower

There is a surprising lack of Jimi Hendrix in Rock Band, which is, frankly, inexplicable.

Simply put, All Along the Watchtower is chock full of riffs and drum beats and notes and other rock and roll stuff that would be incredibly fun to pretend-play. Plus it would do double duty by getting more Bob Dylan into the game.

(Note: Make sure to open all your windows before setting your controller on fire, as plastic fumes can cause all sorts of rock and roll-inhibiting ailments.)

Thin Lizzy – The Boys are Back in Town

There are plenty of fantastic Thin Lizzy songs that would absolutely kill in Rock Band, but I went for the easy one, because everyone already knows it, whether or not they know that they know it.

The problem is that very few people know who actually wrote it, nor do they know that Thin Lizzy was one of the best rock bands of the 70s, nor do they know that there is a life-size bronze statue of the lead singer Phil Lynott in Dublin Ireland.

If having a bronze statue of yourself is not rock and roll enough to get you into Rock Band, then I have no idea what is.

And that concludes the list! I hope I have done a service to those of you who have yet to play all the songs in Rock Band, and cherish the integrity of your ears.

(Commence rabid, vitriolic insult-throwing about other people’s musical taste… now.)

Dominate Your Opponents Without All Those Pesky “Skills” With the XCM Dominator

XCM announced that their XCM Dominator Joystick is set to be released some time next week.

The controller, which will be available for the PS3, includes a joystick and a host of buttons that will emulate the style of old-school arcade controllers.

And in true old-school fashion the XCM Dominator comes with a turbo-fire mode, which will no doubt soothe the carpal tunnel-afflicted wrists of anyone who uses E. Honda.

Also included are four programmable buttons that can each save a series of up to 20 steps of button presses, which are then ready to be unleashed with a single button press, meaning you don’t have to do any of that boring trying if you want to pull off any complex moves.

And to top it all off, the Dominator comes in a translucent case with built in LED lights, so that you can impress all your friends with some sincerely bomb ground effects. (No word on whether a spinning rims mod will be available in the future.)

The Dominator can be pre-ordered at any XCM official retailer, and it will only cost $89.99 to buy your way to arcade-fighter success.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARNJgUyj7rI[/youtube]

This article was featured on Buzz Newsroom.

Guitar Hero: Metallica has Release Date, Will Destroy Your Shins

Over at Metallica’s website, they’ve revealed that the release date for the Metallica-focused Guitar Hero: Metallica is March 29th for XBox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The game will essentially be Guitar Hero: World Tour, with real venues, real members of Metallica, and a lot more Metallica than your average rhythm music game. 28 Metallica songs will be included, and if they’re anything like the downloadable Metallica songs for Rock Band, they will be incredibly difficult.

In an interesting choice for a game that has Metallica in its name, the game also includes some bands that aren’t Metallica, such as Slayer, Machine Head, Alice in Chains, Queen, and Foo Fighters. I guess Guitar Hero: Metallica, with special guests Slayer, Machine Head, Alice in Chains, Queen, and Foo Fighters was a bit too verbose.

Most importantly of all, Guitar Hero: Metallica will include an expert-plus mode, which will include double bass pedals, for those who are truly masochistic enough to want to play Lars’s full bass beats. I’ve played some of Metallica’s songs on drums on expert in Rock Band, and they turned my legs into quivering jelly, so I can only imagine how hard double bass will make this game.

Check out the trailer!

[youtube]http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4N3t9GiLVA[/youtube]

This Year’s Top 5 Games That Consumed an Unhealthy Amount of My Time

It’s that time of year again! No, not the time of year when last minute shopping rushes to find rare and valuable Elmo dolls bring grown men to tears (although I’m sure that happens all the time.) That’s right, the Christmas holidays are list time!

I’m not very big on making objective lists of the best things of the year though. It’s all too wishy-washy to go ahead and say that your list has identified the undeniably best whatevers of the year, implying that God himself would agree with your selection. (Oh man! God exclaimed, You guys put Start Wars: The Force Unleashed at number 7! I would have done the exact same thing!)

So instead I’ll just be giving a personal list of the 5 games from this year that threatened to destroy any free time I had, leaving me an unproductive shell of my former self. If you’re looking for a gift for a friend, or think you might have missed out on some great games this year, or you just want to ruin somebody’s life by getting them hopelessly addicted to a video game, then check out This Year’s Top 5 Games That Consumed an Unhealthy Amount of My Time!

5) NHL 09, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

What is it? Well, it’s a hockey game. Two teams skate around on the ice wearing loads of protective gear, trying to hit a piece of vulcanized rubber into a net with a piece of wood, pausing occasionally to punch one another in the face.

And it has all the official NHL teams!

Why is it so great? First of all I am required by law to enjoy this game due to my Canadian citizenship. Second of all, NHL 09 is probably the best sports game ever made. I’m not even really a fan of sports games, but NHL 09′s attention to detail and smooth gameplay are fun to play whether or not you know what a Zamboni is. (PS: I have no idea what a Zamboni is.)

From the fantastic Skill Stick mechanics, which allow you to control every movement of your stick with the analog controller, to the realistic physics and player movements, NHL 09 is a gem.

Why it will destroy your life: Based on the amount of time I’ve spent playing this game online it should almost be number 1, except that I don’t consider time spent screaming at my TV with my roommates to be misspent; no my friends, that is quality bonding time.

Seriously though, losing another game to the Penguins even though you outshot them 15 to 1 will test your nerves. Finding out that the person who just beat you is a 12 year-old kid from Wisconsin will make you furious. Finding out he just sent you a message deriding ur playing abilities and questioning your sexuality will make you want to snap your controller in half over your knee like a pool cue.

4) Final Fantasy Tactics A2, for Nintendo DS

What is it? Like all games with Tactics in their name, FFT is a game entirely composed of combat. Get a quest and travel on the map to an area where you kill a bunch of monsters on an isometric, turn-based playing field. It’s like a real Final Fantasy game, except with all that boring story stuff taken out.

Why is it so great? FFT is as massive, tightly-designed and addictive a strategic RPG you can ever hope to find, with more quests to complete, items to find, characters to level, and classes to strive for than you can shake a stylus at. How do they fit so much game into such a tiny little cartridge, you ask? The answer: magic. Black Magic, I believe.

Why it will destroy your life: Scrolling through a list of 400 different Medium-sized Gilded Shortswords to find the one that will give your fighter the Clammy Strike ability is a surefire way to risk your sanity. Getting to the bottom of the list and realizing that the weapon you’re looking for is actually in the Medium-sized Non-Gilded Shortswords list will definitely put you over the edge. Worst of all: FFT makes you like it.

3) GTA IV, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

What is it? To hear some of the media talk about it, GTA IV is a game in which a key strategy for success is setting hookers on fire, and reaching the next level requires you to commit vehicular homicide on a minimum quota of hobos.

In reality GTA IV is a game about Nico Bellic, an immigrant looking for a break in the land of dreams, but who instead gets mixed up with some shady characters and dangerous situations. The game has developed a great deal from its predecessors, making the actual grand theft of autos less of a focus, and putting storyline and gameplay at the forefront.

Why is it so great? GTA IV has brought a new level of detail to gaming. Liberty City, the game’s setting, is a vibrant environment with tons of believable pedestrians, landmarks and sights. On top of that, the physics in GTA IV are truly fantastic: car wrecks look incredible and exciting, and every object in the game reacts convincingly to your character. Plus, the single player campaign never gets boring, as GTA IV is always throwing you curveballs and surprising you, giving you new things to do throughout the entire game.

But most important is GTA IV’s story. The trials and troubles of Nico and his cousin are told in a truly cinematic style that is captivating and interesting. GTA IV could easily be turned into a movie without any modification to the plot and it would be entertaining. It shows what can really be done with a video game, proving that games aren’t just a shallow form of entertainment.

Why it will destroy your life: Beat the single player campaign? Why not drive around the city trying to drive your car off a jump into a flying helicopter? Done that already? Maybe it’s time to launch your car across the city with a swingset. Bored of that? Time to set your car on fire and drive it off a ramp, diving out of it just before it explodes, or jump out of a helicopter at maximum altitude into somebody’s swimming pool.

GTA IV has that combination of neat physics, amazing environment and tons of toys to play with that just begs to be experimented with for hours upon hours.

Oh, and there’s multiplayer too.

2) Rock Band 2, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

What is it? The sequel to the ground-breaking first Rock Band game, which was the first musical rhythm game to incorportate guitar, bass, vocals and drums, making it into an automatic party catalyst. Rock Band 2 brings some new features, like online challenges and a no-fail mode, but really all we care is all the new songs, right?

Why is it so great? Um, Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer, anyone? No? How about the entire 1976 self-titled classic from Boston, aptly named Boston? I don’t care who you are, drinking a six-pack and belting out the lyrics to More Than a Feeling while your buddies wail on the guitar, bass and drums ain’t nothing but a good time.

Plus, owning Rock Band 2 means your neighbours will consistently get fantastic 3AM lessons in classic rock that they will never forget.

Why it will destroy your life: Let me just put it this way: if there was a column for Rock Band 2 DLC expenditures next to the Living Expenses section on my credit card statement, its total might just dwarf my spending on groceries. My song selection is great, but my food selection is down to Mr. Noodle and peanut butter.

1) Fallout 3, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC

What is it? I’ve written about Fallout 3 before, but it’s worth talking about it again. Fallout 3 is the latest instalment of the classic series of post-apocalyptic RPGs, this time pitting you as a vault dweller who ventures out of the safety of his home out into the wastes in search of his father. Adventures ensue, raiders are shot up, and irradiated beasts try to eat you.

Why is it so great? Fallout 3 is the perfect modern incarnation of the classic Fallout games. It keeps everything that we know and love about Fallout, like the violence, gore, humour, irony, compelling atmosphere, interesting characters, and so on, while updating it with fantastic graphics and a massive, fully-explorable world. It even managed to hang on to Fallout’s combat system, now in a feature called V.A.T.S. (Vault Assisted Targeting System,) which means you still have the option of shooting that super mutant’s arm off with your shotgun. (No kicking people in the eyes any more though, unfortunately.)

Why it will destroy your life: I’ve never been to the actual DC area, but if Fallout 3 is any indication I will definitely get lost in the massive subway system trying to find Penn. Avenue East station, only to end up on the other side of the city, where I will be killed by a mole rat. Expect to miss a lot of important meals due to spending time exploring the world of Fallout 3. But be assured, it is super-fun, ghoul-killing exploration.

And the exploration is only going to get more intense with the release of Fallout 3 DLC in the near future.

Well, that’s it for This Year’s Top 5 Games That Consumed an Unhealthy Amount of My Time! Tune in next year, if you have the free time. (if you play these games you won’t.)

Spike’s Video Game Awards Debut Game Trailers, Present Awards, Invent Soft-core Console Porn

Last night, Spike’s Video Game Awards debuted a host of new games, gave out awards for the best games of the year and, despite a bit of disingenuous Hollywood glitz, generally entertained.

The night, hosted by the always kinetic Jack Black, started with a very funny pre-taped skit in which Black was caught cheating on his Wii with a Playstation 3 and XBox 360, complete with blurred-out disc-tray exposure. Afterwards, the actual awards started with a rousing rock opera about fighting off the evils of reading, exercise and meaningful relationships, performed by Black and his Tenacious D partner Kyle Gass.

Besides humour, the VGAs also offered up game trailer debuts; a lot of game trailer debuts. The debuts included: Dante’s Inferno, Watchmen: The End is Nigh, God of War III, Uncharted 2, DLC for GTA IV, titled The Lost & Damned, DLC for Gears of War 2, which was released at midnight last night, and the metal-inspired adventure game Brutal Legend, which stars Jack Black as the main character.

The trailers were nice to see, but felt a little bit like advertisements, making it a bit difficult to get excited about them. I can’t quite shake the feeling that all these trailers would have just been released on the internet with little to no special fanfare if they hadn’t been debuted on the VGAs. This gave the impression that the only thing special about them was that they were, well, on the VGAs. Nonetheless, it was nice to see video games get the same sort of attention and recognition that blockbuster movies get.

The night also featured a host of celebrities, including Tony Hawk, Eliza Dushku, Kristin Kreuk, Keifer Sutherland, who won an award for Big Name in the Game for his work in Call of Duty 4: World at War, and many others.

Once again is was nice to see Hollywood recognizing the legitimacy of video games with its presence, but it also felt a bit disingenuous at times; while Tony Hawk has been at every VGA so far, and is deeply connected to the video game industry through his widely successful Tony Hawk skateboarding games, it’s hard to say that someone like Kim Kardashian attended for any reason other than some exposure. Maybe I’m being unfairly judgmental, but I can’t see Kardashian sitting down to pwn some noobs in Halo 3.

But it wasn’t just Hollywood celebrities that attended; some video gaming icons were featured as well. Will Wright received a lifetime achievement award, Tim Schafer presented his upcoming game Brutal Legend in a funny skit involving Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and a flamethrower-toting Jack Black, and Alex Rigopulos accepted an award for Harmonix’s Rock Band 2.

Oh, and there were awards too. I was glad to see that the games nominated and the awards given out seemed to be genuine choices that most video game players would agree with. GTA IV, Rock Band 2, Fallout 3, and other fan favourites brought home honours,  and none of the choices seemed to be influenced by or chosen for marketing reasons. Here are the results:

GAME OF THE YEAR

• Grand Theft Auto IV

CONSOLE-SPECIFIC WINNERS

• Best Xbox 360 Game: Gears of War 2
• Best PS3 Game: LittleBigPlanet
• Best PC Game: Left 4 Dead
• Best Wii Game: Boom Blox
• Best Handheld Game: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

GENRE WINNERS

• Best Individual Sports Game: Shaun White Snowboarding
• Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur IV
• Best RPG: Fallout 3
• Best Shooter: Gears of War 2
• Best Team Sports Game: NHL 09
• Best Action Adventure Game: Grand Theft Auto IV
• Best Driving Game: Burnout Paradise
• Best Music Game: Rock Band 2
• Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show: LEGO Indiana Jones

MISCELLANEOUS AWARDS

• Studio of the Year: Media Molecule
• Best Multi-Player Game: Left 4 Dead
• Best Independent Game: World of Goo
• Big Name in the Game (Female): Jenny McCarthy
• Big Name in the Game (Male): Kiefer Sutherland
• Best Performance by a Human (Female): Debbie Mae West
• Best Performance by a Human (Male): Michael Hollick
• Best Original Score: Metal Gear Solid 4
• Best Soundtrack: Rock Band 2
• Best Graphics: Metal Gear Solid 4

Overall, the VGAs were entertaining, at least for this video game fan. Some of the glitz and glamour felt a bit contrived, but this is to be an expected outcome as video games become more and more mainstream and gain broader exposure. Overall, the VGAs did justice to the best video games of the year while offering up a few laughs at the same time.

Game Sales Grow

The video game industry is growing stronger with Nintendo’s Wii leading the way.

With the video game industry raking in billions of dollars every year, it is becoming a powerful entertainment force that rivals the film and television industries. With games reaching higher qualities in gameplay and high definition graphics, and the Wii’s appeal to a new and broader audience, it’s no wonder that the sales statistics are so high.

November 2008 statistics below:

The 10 best-selling games for November 2008, according to the NPD Group’s sales figures:

– 1. Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360) — 1.56 million

– 2. Call of Duty: World at War (Xbox 360) — 1.41 million

– 3. Wii Play W/ Remote (Wii) — 796,000

– 4. Wii Fit (Wii) — 697,000

– 5. Mario Kart (Wii) — 637,000

– 6. Call of Duty: World at War (PS3) — 597,000

– 7. Guitar Hero: World Tour (Wii) — 475,000

– 8. Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360) — 410,000

– 9. Resistance 2 (PS3) — 385,000

– 10 Wii Music (Wii) — 297,000

The top-selling game consoles for November 2008:

– 1. Wii — 2.04 million

– 2. Nintendo DS — 1.56 million

– 3. Xbox 360 — 836,000

– 4. PSP — 421,000

– 5. PlayStation 3 — 378,000

– 6. PlayStation 2 ¢â‚¬â€œ 206,000

The percentages for November 2008:

– Software: $1.45B (+11%)

– Hardware: $1.21B (+10%)

– Accessories: $255M (+7%)

– Total Games: $2.91B (10%)

Strong sales across the board will only be higher in December as we buy boatloads of gifts during the holiday season. Where other industries are seeing slowdowns, the gaming industry pushes forward and doesn’t look back.

When the compiled 2008 statistics are released we will see how much the industry has grown over the last year. Some analysts say that the video game industry will trump the film industry and become understood as a mainstream media. Evidence of it’s mainstream growth is apparent in all the attention we see gaming consoles garnering on the news and other television shows.

Cheers to 2008, and here’s hoping for an even better 2009!

Wonderfully Excessive Tekken 6 Trailer Released

A new trailer for Tekken 6 was released at the recent Atari Live press event, and it showcases everything that the Tekken series has come to be known for.

The Tekken series, initially released in 1994 as an arcade game, is a well-established 3D fighting game. The last few instalments have made the shift out of the traditional arcade setting and onto the PlayStation console.

In a first for the series, Tekken 6 will also be available for XBox 360, which will very likely widen its popularity and ensure solid sales.

Though I’m not a hardcore fan of fighting games and usually wouldn’t be too excited about the release of one, I make an exception for Tekken. Growing up, me and my friends lived as arcade nomads, travelling from arcade to arcade looking for new Tekken players to challenge. Memories of wasting enormous amounts of quarters have a permanent place in my heart, so news of a new home version on XBox 360 piques my interest.

The new trailer showcases plenty of in-game footage, showing off some new characters, including a really fat guy, which I’m sure most Tekken fans are excited about.

And for anyone who isn’t familiar with Tekken, the trailer is chock full of over the top cinematic action that anyone can enjoy. It views like a summer blockbuster movie trailer, complete with glimpses at some of the game’s campy but entertaining cut scenes. These scenes include stuff like explosions and a character driving around on a motorcycle for no apparent reason then shattering an entire glass building with one punch.

Tekken 6 is due out in fall 2009. Check out the trailer below, or check out the hi-def version here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5a-zb5LLxs[/youtube]

Sony’s PlayStation Home reportedly Going to be Released in the Next 10 Days

It is being reported by UK’s Times Online that PlayStation Home, Sony’s long-awaited Second-Life-like service, will be released in the next ten days.

Home, which has been in development for at least a few years, will allow users to create an avatar for their account and socialize with other PlayStation 3 owners. Home will have features similar to Second Life but obviously much more limited than Second Life’s virtually limitless possibilities.

Users of Home will be able to explore a world inhabited by other users complete with various destinations like shops and player-customized homes, perform emotes with other avatars, play various minigames and so on. Eventually users will be able to purchase, with real money, cuztomizations for their avatars, such as new clothes and items for the homes.

Where Home differs interestingly from Second Life is that it seems that it is designed to be a sort of enhanced version of services like XBox Live or the Playstation Network. For example, users will be able to jump into games with other users straight from inside Home. In this sense it looks like Home might be an attempted step up from the avatar based online-services of XBox live and the Wii, which offers more interactivity and customizability than its competitors.

Phil Harrison, former head of Sony Worldwide Studio and current employee of Atari, had some good words about Home, saying that Sony, “brilliantly realized their ambitions,” with Home, and added that they “will have a very successful platform.”

Home looks like an interesting approach to the online experience being offered by consoles. Up until now, services like XBox Live and the Wii’s online service have offered a small amount of user input and have been mostly just designed to give a simple and straightforward way to buy and download content and play games with friends. But with the advent of Home, online console services might make a move towards being game-like themselves.

It’s hard to say whether Sony Home will make a noticeable impact, but it presents some interesting developments for what may come to be expected of the online console experience. If Home’s Second Life-like environment catches on, we may see Nintendo and Microsoft respond in the future with developments of their own avatar-based environments.

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