Blog Posts from "Giant Realm's Cool Blog for Attractive People" - Gameriot.com

Crash Commando and Fat Princess Rock the PlayStation Network

no.spam@gameriot.com (amitlu) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:26:21 -0500

I got a chance to sit down with some awesome new downloadable games on the PlayStation network earlier at the show. Here's a couple titles worth your time.

Crash Commando
Back when I was in high school and dinosaurs roamed the earth, there was an awesome game called Infantry. It was a multiplayer game based on the Subspace engine, and in it you squared off in huge, futuristic battles in a top-down perspective. You had the option of selecting from different classes and game types, and generally blew the hell out of other people for a few hours. It was sci-fi death matchery at its finest, and though it's still available now, the spot it occupied in my heart has been taken up by Crash Commando.

Developed by EPOS Game Studios, Crash Commando takes Infantry's hook and brings it to current-gen consoles. Rather than a top-down perspective, it offers a more traditional side-scrolling view. You control a single character and can choose his weapons at the beginning of every round. (I opted for the grenade launcher for obvious reasons.) From there, you zoom around on jetpacks and inflict carnage upon your enemies, using not only your starting weapons but special environmental ones (like a special missile silo) and vehicles.

It's an even lower-pressure Halo, and for $10 won't affect your bottom line a much as its fleshier counterparts. Crash Commando is available now on the PlayStation Network.

Fat Princess
Ever wonder what life would've been like if you were a minion inside an RTS? It's more fun than you'd think, at least if Fat Princess is any indication.

Its premise is as simple as they come: Your kingdom captured another kingdom's princess, and they've captured yours. The first team to rescue their princess wins. But challenges abound when the rival team feeds your kingdom's princess cake that spawns throughout the countryside, fattening her and making her harder to carry, which slows you down and makes you easier to kill. Of course, you can force feed their princess to slow them down, too.

You begin life as a castle denizen, without purpose or vocation. But you need only walk over to one of a few buildings to give your avatar's life meaning: Just walk to the door and pick up one of the hats it spits out, and in a few seconds you'll morph into a new unit.

You can go through life as a warrior, worker, healer, archer or wizard, and you're able to change classes on the fly, so if your castle wall is suddenly breached by the enemy, you can transform into a worker and rebuild it. And what's really cool about this is every player on your team - the game supports up to 32 players - can do the same thing. So without any coordination, the game can easily devolve into a cluster****. Imagine a game of StarCraft where each Zergling is player-controlled. It's a beautifully chaotic idea and a welcome innovation to a genre that's almost as sequel happy as sports games.

Fat Princess is due out later this year and will likely be priced similarly to other games on the PlayStation Network.

NES+SNES = Retro Duo

no.spam@gameriot.com (amitlu) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:49:30 -0500

It's not every day you see a girl at a technology convention playing the original Super Mario Bros. on an HDTV. If it's not quite an oxymoron, it's one hell of a conversation starter.

She explained that she was showing off Retro-Bit's Retro Duo Twin SNES/NES system, which houses both an old-school Nintendo and Super Nintendo in one unit. The machine comes with two Super Nintendo controllers and features both composite and S-video connectors, which means you won't have to track down an RF-to-2009 adapter at RadioShack, and all you need to do is hit up a used games store that sells games made when you thought girls were icky.

If your family is anything like mine, as soon as you moved out of the house, your mom sold your machines at a garage sale for $12, and what's left of your heart shriveled and died when you came home for Christmas and received the bad news. (Seriously, Mom. What the hell?) Now that I'm all grown up and old enough to experience true nostalgia, I occasionally harken back to the days when my only goal was to beat Dr. Wiley in Mega Man 2 before the kid up the street could.

Now, with the Retro Duo, all I need is eBay and a personal day at work to get back to my roots. The best part is, according to the Retro Duo's designer, you still have to blow on the damn NES cartridges occasionally.

Of course, you may be asking yourself why you don't just rock the Wii Virtual Console or - gasp - just download an emulator and play your games on the PC. First, you're a grown-ass man and therefore know the only reason to own a Wii is for the new Punch-Out, which won't feature Mike Tyson and probably won't be all that fun anyway, since flailing around like a simp just to punch Glass Joe again will get old before you reach King Hippo. And to make matters worse, it costs $5 per NES game; you can buy those for $0.50 at a used games place. And as far as emulators go, Nintendo has been cracking down on those since they unveiled Virtual Console (Nintendo let the patents on the NES and SNES expire, so no one will bang down your door with a cease and desist later if you rock the Retro Duo), and playing Super Mario RPG in front of a monitor just isn't the same, man.

Even better, the Retro Duo costs $44.99 on Amazon, less than what you'd pay for a single Xbox 360 title. Not a bad price to steal your childhood back in anyone's book.

Cool cars at CES [pics]

no.spam@gameriot.com (amitlu) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:59:25 -0500

I ran through the car audio portion of CES earlier this week, and I snapped some pictures of the coolest cars at the show. Some are oldies, some are movie stars, and some look like they're from outer space. Check them out here.

Kitt of Knight Rider fame.

A custom kit job.

Side view. This car has never met a speed bump it didn't hate. Look at its clearance!

Hood shot of a suped-up BMW M5. Like it needed more suping.

A beautiful Lincoln Continental.

I'm not exactly sure what make or model this is. Maybe a Chevy?

A roadster inspired by Bentleys of old.

Another Bentley-ish roadster, but with some great paint.

If you stare at this picture for five minutes, you'll notice a blue car in the background.

A working DeLorean! If the two guys inside weren't making Back to the Future jokes, I had them covered.

This guy is sneezing on a car worth more than his house.

Italy's finest made an appearance, too.

That's it for now. If anything tops the DeLorean, I'll just hop inside it and update this article from the past.

Best of 2008 - Console & Overall

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:08:14 -0500

So, I had people asking for a "best of" broken down by console and an attempt to pick the overall best. I can do that. Why not, right? Everyone else does it. As such, I present to you what I consider to be the crÃ¨me de la crÃ¨me of 2008.

With that out of the way, here we go!

Dead Space (EA)

And lo, the sixth seal was broken and Schild gives EA the best game of the year. Yes Virginia, Dead Space is that good. I'd demand you play this right now if you haven't, but at the same time if you haven't played Dead Space yet, you're only hurting yourself. I could go on and on about how great it is, but frankly there's just no need to do so. There's enough material on the web (and on DVD/Blu-Ray) that you'll surely be able to find out if you'd like it or not. In short, it's the best horror title since Resident Evil 4 and I can only hope there are games in 2009 that are better.

See you all in 2009! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Paste Magazine's '7 Best Video Game Trailers of 2008'

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:11:33 -0500

Jason Killingsworth from Paste Magazine just posted an article today detailing his picks for the "7 Best Video Game Trailers of 2008." In this year-end ranking he stated that the main criteria a trailer would need to have in order to make his "Best of" list is that it must leave "you doubled over on the floor, panting with anticipation, chewing nervously on your wallet in hopes that $60 will magically emerge just in time for the game's release." Check out Killingsworth's list and see if any of these title teases had you dribbling on your keyboard.

7. RAGE

6. Brutal Legend

5. Mirror's Edge

4. Fallout 3

3. Dead Space

2. Gears of War 2

1. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

For explanations on all of the titles featured spin on over to.

Shout back: What trailers from 2008 truly made your jaw drop?

Soulja Boy Defeats Gaming Writer Stephen Totilo in X-box Challenge

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:21:43 -0500

Sadly this is my second Soulja Boy-themed .

I cannot believe Totilo got schooled that bad in Street Fighter. It is just an embarrassment to his gaming credibility.

Best of 2008 - Strategy

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:03:37 -0500

Strategy is treated like a sort of black sheep in the industry and I'm OK with that. Really, it's understandable; strategy is a niche of a niche. Sure, "real-time strategy" is arguably its own genre, but turn-base is most certainly some sort of niche crossbread between RTS and RPG and the fanbase isn't exactly huge. Some games have sold very well (the Disgaea series, for example), but most gamers don't know about them. It's also one of my favorite genres, which makes any sort of list like this a sort of exercise in self-gratification. I know I've played them, and I'd like other people to play them, but I'm not exactly sure I care if other people play them or not. That said, here's my top strategy games for the year.

Yes, there's only four. Everything else had some sort of flaw that just made them less than awesome. Like I said though, black sheep of the industry. While I would've liked a fifth, it just wasn't in the cards. Here's the rest of the notable titles though and their quality is up for debate.

Lock's Quest (DS):

In the same vein as Ninjatown, Lock's Quest is a tower defense title with other systems tacked on. They're tacked on rather decently though, and all in all, it's a fine strategy game. Unfortunately it simply managed not to grab me and I ended up putting it down after a few hours. I'm not sure I can blame the developer, as it's pretty well crafted. In fact, it's a fine game with few flaws, but since this is a list of my top 5 and it managed not to grab me, it goes down here. In short, it's not you, it's me.

Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power (PS2/PC):

I love Nobunaga's ambition, really, I do. But I realize two things about it that keep it from ever enterting any top five: the learning curve is horrible and it's terribly old school (and not in a good way). I'm OK with that, most people aren't - but even I can't get that out of my mind when I'm playing it. I continue playing it out of love more than anything else, and frankly, it's just not quite good enough. Maybe one day KOEI will decide to re-imagine this and Romance of the Three Kingdoms and come up with something truly fantastic. Until that day comes, it's relegated to a pile of "almosts, but not quite."

Command & Conquer 3 & Red Alert 3 (PC/360):

Talk about going through the motions. Both of these titles feel like they were merely willed into existence. They're both lacking in soul and feel like husks of former great franchises. Though, perhaps they never stood a chance as I've been burnt out on RTS titles since around 2003. Did I like them? Sure, a little. But they had no sticking power in my opinion. Though, with the latter, it's always nice to have a bunch of eye-candy with a high dose of ridiculousness for good measure.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (DS)

If Square doesn't care about FFT, than why should I? Maybe, perhaps, if they took strategy seriously, and stopped relegating the Ivalice story to the gaming ghetto for it's TBS titles, it wouldn't be so bad. As it stands it's sort of like a Fisher Price My First Turn-Based Strategy title, and I just can't give that any sort of respect.

As I said, short list. Friday? You know, I'm not sure yet.

Kevin Pereira Calls Out Adam Sessler on His 'Game of the Year' Choice.

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:53:42 -0500

We all know that Adam Sessler's decision to give the X-Play "Game of The Year Award" to Fable 2 was a bit a out of the blue and in many regards controversial, but it seems that Attack of the Show's Kevin Pereira has personally taken it upon himself to call out Sessler's questionable decision. Pereira thinks that Fallout 3, LittleBigPlanet or Left 4 Dead would have been better choices. What do you think?

Looks as though Sessler will have a chance to defend his "terrible, terrible mistake" on AOTS tomorrow.

Via Ripten.

Best of 2008 - Role-Playing

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:20:42 -0500

As with the prior installment, the first five entries are the best of the year, whereas the following are ones that didn't quite make the cut.

Fable II (360):

An almost-superb title that quickly diminished its ability to be included in the Top 5 by being ridiculously easy, terribly buggy, and with a less than impressive control mechanism for everything other than basic combat. While an improvement in every way on Fable, it's simply not that great of a game and feels more like a break from the "good stuff" rather than being part of the "good stuff" itself.

Lost Odyssey (360):

At this point, it feels like Hironobu Sakaguchi is simply going through the motions. While I like the title a good deal, I'm simply not all that impressed with what was done here. While it had some brilliant, bright, and shining moments - I really feel like it was lacking something. Or rather, it didn't feel like it progressed the genre in any way other than character design - which I felt was superb. Hopefully Sakaguchi and Co. can get back on their game for their next round of titles.

Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis (PS2):

While I love Gust and N1 (and by extension, NISA), I really feel like Gust's method of rehashing themes with some new gameplay elements is simply a nice way of keeping me satiated but hampers me from getting truly excited. I enjoy everything they release to the market, but I don't feel as though they're pushing the boundaries enough. Nothing they make is terrible (or even a little bad), but at the same time they aren't producing anything that's going to shatter the world. I did, however, enjoy this more than Lost Odyssey or Fable II. Yea another feather in the PS2 cap, I suppose.

Final Fantasy IV (DS):

Having played this nearly ten times over, Final Fantasy IV remains one of my favorite games ever. I can't say I care for the DS remakes of these titles all too much, but I suppose it deserves recognition simply because Squaresoft knows how beloved these old titles were (particularly compared to their later releases, which are less than great - read: everything post Final Fantasy VI). It's nice to see them give it the old college try, but if they're going to do remakes like this, I'd really rather they be full-fledged AAA next-gen titles rather than portable cash-ins. I guess, whatever makes them money in these dark times, I suppose, is OK. You can't fault them for being a business, but a title like this is never going to break into the top of the list.

Tales of Vesperia (360) & Eternal Sonata (PS3, previously 360):

Notable only because they released but not for the contents therein. In fact, including them on the list is what I would call an obligation. Not notable in any real fashion, besides their existance, I'd really like these folks to try smarter and harder rather than just going through the motions. Admittedly, Eternal Sonata was pretty gorgeous for a few seconds, but that's about all the praise I can heap on it. Tales was simply an example of mediocrity.

Next? Strategy!

Xbox 360 Version of Left 4 Dead Gets Hacked

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:37:43 -0500

Well, sh*t! Just when I thought I had found a Xbox 360 title that was relatively untainted by the majority of soulless LIVE users I come across this video. Up until now, much like Gus, my Left 4 Dead online experience has been nothing but positive. I know it may sound unbelievable, but ever since I picked up this latest Valve title I have experienced mostly cooperative teammates, minimal trash talking, and last night I even managed to have a half British half American team who didn't end up talking sh*t about tea drinking and McDonalds loving. However, I feel that Left 4 Dead may soon go back to the LIVE dogs if Valve and Microsoft don't quickly collaborate on a serious patch-and-ban initiative. I have my fingers crossed for good fortune.

Video via Joystiq.

Atari Acquires Cryptic Studios

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:53:57 -0500

Atari has acquired yet another potentially valuable asset in its ever growing empire of castaways. Today the studio announced that it had officially picked up growing MMOG developer Cryptic Studios (City of Heroes) which is currently in production of three titles which are scheduled to be released over sequentially over the course of the next three years. The titles acquired by Atari are Champions Online (projected for 2009), the hotly anticipated Star Trek MMOG (2010), and one more unannounced MMOG title that is currently slated for release in 2011.

In addition to the titles obtained Atari is said to be hoping to benefit from Cryptic's Studio's tools and technology by applying some of the studio's resources to other Atari titles and Atari's online community.

When commenting on the deal in a recent press release CEO of Infogrames/Atari David Gardner expressed the immense promise that the deal offered, stating:

"The acquisition of Cryptic Studios brings to Infogrames an outstanding creative organization, with a proven track-record of success in the fast-growing MMO category. Cryptic's success is founded on leading-edge technology and the vision of a seasoned executive management team. I am impressed with the tools and technology that Cryptic has developed to make MMOs less expensive to build. Creating vast worlds and interesting interactions can be very people intensive but with the use of Cryptic's toolset they have a proven way of cutting average production costs in half. This is exactly the type of company we wanted to acquire in order to build Atari for the 21st century."

Cryptic Ceo John Needham reciprocated the positive nature of the acquisition, saying, "We share a common vision with Atari and their leadership team. With our game development and online platform technology skills, we're very excited about the opportunities that this unique combination with Atari creates. I am committed to helping Atari grow into a leading online game company and look forward to being part of the team."

GI.biz has reported that the deal cost an intitial $26.7 million in "upfront cash payment" and could earn Atari over $27.5 million in revenue and stock shares.

Source: GI.biz.

New Screens and Debut Video for Evasive Space

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:48:36 -0500

YUKE's Company of America and High Voltage have just debuted some new in-game screenshots and a sneak peek video of their forthcoming WiiWare title Evasive Space. Both these latest previews provide a better look at the environments this title will provide and how the infrared driven top-down shooter will actually play. Check out the video teaser above and the two screenshots below and be sure to comment back your thoughts.

Evasive Space is due to launch in January 2009.

Download The Top Three Indie Games from SUT 2008

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:46:50 -0500

Paradox Interactive and Gameplayer have collaboratively revealed the top three finalists in their indie game developers competition, SUT2008, today. These three titles will now advance to even more persnickety jury who will scrupulously examine the finer points of each game until late January when the winner will be announced and given an online publishing deal with GamersGate.

Despite the fact that only one title will take home the SUT crown and receive sponsored publishing all three titles are currently available for download on Gameplayer. So take some time out of your work day to support indie gaming by downloading all of the titles below.

The STU finalists are:

1. by Mjao (Post-Apocalyptic Point and Click)

Comment back on which title was your favorite.

Time Magazine's Top Ten Games of 2008

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:42:00 -0500

Time magazine has just released their annual List Season magnus opus in which they attempt to breakdown the "Best of" damn near everything. And included in this monstrous list of Top Tens was Lev Grossman's attempt at ordering the "Top Ten Video Games of 2008." While most of the titles that appear on Grossman's list are as arguably fitting as they are predictable, I can't help but find the opinions presented feel somewhat readymade and spiritless. It's not that Grossman doesn't know what he is talking about it just seems he couldn't find a deep enough argument to convince anyone that the more questionable placements and title exclusions on his list were actually valid. Maybe its just me, but I would much rather have an overly enthusiastic, intentionally argumentative, discussion-starting list than one that barely rallies a "meh, really?" response out of it's gaming readership. It's as if Grossman is saying, "These are the best... I think." Check out the list and explanations and see if you agree.

Time's Top Ten Videos Games of 2008 (All titles link to explanations):

1. Grand Theft Auto IV

2. Braid

3. LittleBigPlanet

4. Rock Band 2

5. Gears of War 2

6. Dead Space

7. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

8. Hunted Forever

9. Fieldrunners

10. Spore

Photo via Joystiq.

Best of 2008 - Genre: Action

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:32:56 -0500

The first five titles below are my "top 5" as it were. They are not in any particular order, but they are the five titles that stand out among the pack. Everything below - the "runner ups" - aren't in any particular order either. They simply weren't "good enough" to be in the top five. I'm not bashing them (well, most of them), they just didn't cut it. So let's get to business.

Little Big Planet (PS3):

Look, the only problem here was including 3 planes of space. That is, it wasn't perfectly 2-D. I can deal with the mediocre controls, the fact it never ever takes itself seriously, and the repetitive music on most stages. I can deal with the fact that it floats between amazingly awesome and downright brutally difficult (a by-product of the controls being way too floaty). But I simply hate the 3 planes of movement. Had that not been in the game, I probably would have had this in the top 5, replacing N+.

Gears of War 2 (360):

In short, not my cup of tea. This particular style of run-and-gun gameplay has never interested me and probably never will. Also, I hate the look of everything coming out of Epic these days. If you're a Gears fan, this really isn't an attack at you, it simply isn't my thing and frankly, everything here is my opinion. I can appreciate what it does, but that doesn't mean I'm going to spend time on something I don't enjoy - Gears of War being one of those "somethings."

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii):

Smash Bros. deserves a numbered list:

Hampered completely and totally by the horrible Nintendo multiplayer platform.
Simplistic. And don't yell at me about the emergent gameplay of Smash Bros. titles, I know about it and it's not why I play fighting games.
I just don't care about these franchises anymore. Throw me in the "I grew up, Nintendo didn't" corner.
Were 1-3 not true, I'd still be pissed about the inclusion of Mother characters, but a lack of Mother 3 stateside (viva la fan-translations).

Braid (XBLA):

Why is this not in the top 5? Two Words: Jonathan Blow.

Rez HD (XBLA):

Awesome, but a remake. I typically don't allow remakes to enter into my Top 5 lists. There's nothing wrong with Rez HD, it's absolutely great - but it's still a remake. You may be thinking, hey, N+ is just a remake of a flash game! Well, not really. N feels more like a prototype after finishing N+ whereas the previous Rez titles were not prototypes by any stretch. That said, if you haven't played Rez before, this should be at the top of your list for things to buy - or at least near the top.

SSFIITHD (XBLA, PSN):

Awesome, but a remake. See Rez HD.

Resistance 2 (PS3):

By all accounts, considering my love for the original, this should really be in the Top 5. For whatever reason though, this one seems to lack something that the original didn't. Maybe it was soul, maybe it was something else. I'm not sure. But something is missing and it just didn't blow my hair back the way the original did.

Bionic Commando Rearmed (PC, XBL, PSN):

Why isn't this one in the Top 5? Easy. The controls were god-awful. There's no excuse for them not updating the controls when they went through the trouble of updating everything else. Just inexcusable. But wait, did they upgrade the controls in Mega Man 9?! No! But nothing was wrong with the controls of Mega Man to begin with, Bionic Commando's controls always sucked - and therein lies the problem.

Patapon (PSP):

Rhythm game? Action title? Whatever, I'm including it here. I loved it, really. Just not enough.

Call of Duty: World at War (PC, PS3, 360):

In short, not as good as Modern Warfare. I'm not sure I have to say anything else. It is, however, the best game Treyarch has managed to squeeze out of its generic creative juices - which I suppose is saying something.

Far Cry 2 (PC):

Please get your Grand Theft Auto open-world BS out of my Far Cry. Speaking of...

Grand Theft Auto IV (PC, PS3, 360):

I've never liked the GTA series. I've bought most of them and never actually gotten interested. This one didn't change that. Of course, considering how many people were let down by this title, unlike with Grand Theft Auto 3, I don't feel too bad saying it simply didn't deserve the honor of being in my Top 5. The whole series, for whatever reason, simply personifies the definition of "overrated" in my book.

Soul Calibur IV (PS3, 360):

I read a post on some forum that said "moar liek Soulless Calibur IV imo" - and you know what, it's right. This game had no soul whatsoever. Talk about a let down.

Battlefield: Bad Company (PS3, 360:

Truly, I wanted to like this. Mostly for the characters, which I thought were written incredibly well. Unfortunately, DICE has the tendency to make controls that feel, I don't know, janky. This title is not an exception to the rule.

Mirror's Edge (PS3, 360):

See Bad Company. Also, it simply wasn't very good. But we did get a great theme song out of it!

Castle Crashers (XBL):

I can see myself loving this if I had more time with it. But in the realm of 4-player coop games, I can't see it beating out Left 4 Dead no matter how much time I could spend with it, as such, it's a runner-up. I will say that it's better than Alien Hominid in every way, so +1 for The Behemoth.

Soul Bubbles (DS):

Charming, quirky, and original. But at the end of the day, it simply wasn't good enough.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS):

The best of the portable Castlevania series, and if it weren't for N+, I would've included it in the Top 5. Truly a wonderful title.

Metal Slug 7 (DS):

Another title which sadly was beat out by N+. Looking back, this was just a great year for the DS.

Mortal Kombat vs DC (360, PS3):

Heh. OK. You caught me. Simply including this because I wanted the opportunity to say "If Subzero versus Batman can't save Midway, nothing can." What can I say, I have a mean streak.

Wednesday? RPGs.

2008: A Retrospective (and Explanation)

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:14:30 -0500

It's no surprise among my friends that I think 2008 was pretty lackluster all around. Sure, there's one or two things that really stand out, but for the most part it felt like a transitional year for me. No, I don't mean a transition into a new console generation or a shift into resources into new areas of development. I mean a transitional year as in every company - both PC and Console - were trying to figure out what the hell they wanted to do. The Wii turned black into white and made things a lot less cut and dry than they were during the heyday of the PlayStation 2. Same with PC, we're feeling the real burn of a post-WoW world with the failures of Tabula Rasa, (and to a lesser degree) Warhammer Online, and Age of Conan. Last year, a number of titles were released that had been in development since before things got turned on their head and the results were fairly good for every type of gamer. 2008? Not so much.

To give you an idea, in 2007 we had the following: Super Mario Galaxy, The Orange Box, BioShock (sorry PS3 owners, I don't count the re-release as something important, which I'll explain soon), Call of Duty 4, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Crysis, Virtua Fighter 5, Rainbow Six Vegas, Contra 4, Crackdown, Everyday Shooter, etc. The list goes on for a while and frankly, every single console had some absolutely stellar titles. Including the PSP with the release of Logan's Shadow, Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. Truly, 2007 was an absolutely standout year for games.

2008 strikes me as notably dreadful. In fact, for most genres I had so much trouble making a list of 10 games that I've shortened each genre list to a mere 5. One could argue it would be harder to become notable with such a short list, but it really isn't. The five titles I'm going to be listing for each genre are very good titles - unquestionably good in fact. As in, if you don't think they were at the very least "good" (note: not excellent or great, just good), I'd say you're gaming incorrectly. Shameful as that sounds, I guess this was simply a good year to release a game if you weren't an Online Gaming Developer - protip: Release titles during Blizzard's off-years.

In addition to listing the five titles I think were the breakout titles for each genre, I'm going to make a list of games that didn't make the cut and an explanation for why. Sure, you can get angry about why Gears of War 2 (rehash sequel, typical) and Call of Duty: World at War (not as good as CoD: Modern Warfare) didn't make the cut, but it'll fall on deaf ears. I'm typically very forgiving when it comes to games privately, I'll play just about anything. But when it comes to really putting it down on paper, I'm hyper critical. I make odd choices that most folks wouldn't even think of putting on their list (note: N+ for the PSP will show up on my top 5 action titles) and sometimes, maybe I'm even a little controversial (lol, not really). I also remember titles most people outright forget - thought, admittedly, not many of them made any lists this year. Perhaps that's partly due to the lack of titles that blew my hair back.

Anyway, next Monday, you'll be treated to my top 5 action titles. The following wednesday, you'll get my top 5 RPGs. This will continue with Indy, Puzzle, and then strategy, and on the last week of the year I'll be going over my top 5, maybe 10, titles for the whole year. I'll try to validate my reasoning, and it's possible it will include titles that weren't on the previous lists (for example, there's no sports category - mind you, I don't like sports titles, but that's another thing for another day). Anyway, just felt I should give you a warning since most of the readers here don't know how I judge games (my reviews aren't the best of examples in terms of purely personal judgement, sometimes I finish games that are terrible - and enjoy them). Also, this is typically the only time of the year i don't mind stirring up a little bit of fanboy in-fighting.

Release Diary - Volume 10: The End

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:18:30 -0500

Ah, 2008, I hardly knew ye. A lot of people consider the past year to be a pretty great year for games. I'm actually of a different opinion. Aside from a few standout titles - which I'll talk about in the coming weeks - the year was mostly trash from where I was sitting. It's not that the games themselves were trash, I'm just saying that when I take the year in as a whole, it was an extremely underwhelming year compared to the last few. But hey, at least the year goes out with a bang. Well, sort of. The PS2 goes out with a bang. Heh.

This Week (12/03/200:

Prince of Persia (PS3/360):

You know what, I'll just give it to you straight: I know a lot of people are excited about this, but what I played of the first one, and the tiny bits of the ones that followed, I just couldn't stay interested in the series. I, unfortunately - given the lack of games in the coming weeks, will be avoiding this title. Many others are excited and I can sort of see where they're coming from, but I suppose this is simply one of those "different strokes" situations as there's really no reason for me no to have liked the first couple other than I simply didn't. But for those of you looking forward to it, you only have about 48 more hours to go.

Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories (PS2):

OK, another title that's just not for me. I've watched one of my friends play through the previous Kingdom Hearts titles - or rather, I've seen the cinematics and the ends of each game. Frankly, I just can't care about this bizarre merging of worlds. That said, I heard the GBA title (the original platform for this particular game) wasn't all that bad, so I imagine a port into the recent KH2 style would probably hold up pretty well. Anyway, for those that were waiting, only 48 hours for this as well.

Next Week (12/10/200:

Persona 4 (PS2):

I've been playing this for a couple weeks now. In short: BUY IT.Â Should have a review in a week or so, before release. But you're only hurting yourself if you don't preorder it from Amazon for the goodies. Support Superior RPGs, please, for the good of the industry.

Next up? Yearly rundowns. Yay! List wars!

Six Titles That'll Work on Nearly Any Machine (Vacation Gaming)

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:40:27 -0500

It's inevitable. You have to visit the parents or grandparents, or if you're an orphan - somebody. This generic familial being generally has a crap computer. But all is not lost. Thanks to sites like gog.com, the-underdogs.info, and various other digital distribution outlets, you can still find things that'll run on nearly any machine. While this list may not be available at some of the usual suspects, most can be found on the web - or better yet, you should already own them. Honestly, they're all must-play titles, even if they're fairly obvious. Really, if you're anything like me, you always make sure you have a gaming vacation during a real vacation. That is, unless you're at a beach. Anyway, here are the title I took on my most recent vacation, and I'd recommend them to you without hesistation.

Diablo 2 (Blizzard, PC/MAC):

I'm not entirely sure I need to say anything about this. Having bought it 4 times due to constantly losing my keys, Blizzard allowing you to add it to your account at their site was a godsend. As such, if you have a copy, you should really add your keys at Blizzard's store so you can download it wherever you go. Assume that any other Blizzard main-franchise titles are included with this recommendation as they can be found at the store. Additionally, if you didn't already know, World of Warcraft is not available there. Blizzard doesn't take kindly to bandwidth hogs (hi bittorrent). That said, odds are, if your parents' computers are like my own, well, they're not going to run WoW very well anyway.

Planescape: Torment (Black Isle & Bioware, PC):

Basically the best RPG ever. Not available digitally as far as I know, simply because Wizards shelved the license. If you have a copy, you should play it again just to remind yourself how crap the writing is in every RPG that came before it and every RPG that came after it, other than...

Deus Ex (Eidos, PC):
Honestly, if you haven't played Deus Ex, you're part of the problem. I recommend picking it up and playing it as soon as possible (hey, it's available on Steam, as well as almost everywhere else), so I don't have to find you on your vacation and bludgeon you with a sock full of quarters. Also, if you haven't played it, you'll be happy to know that it's basically the most quotable FPS ever made. If you don't believe me or agree with me, you're wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

We've had to endure much, you and I, but soon there will be order again. A new age. Aquinas spoke of the mythical city on the hill, soon that city will be a reality and we will be crowned its kings. Or, better than kings... gods!"

Yes, I do believe I'll be playing this again soon. Oh, by the way, there's a high-resolution texture pack if the machine you're playing on isn't total trash from the last century. Said texture pack is available right here.

Civilization 2 (Firaxis, PC):

Still the best Civ title, possibly due to the involvement of Brian Reynolds. Don't be deceived by Sid Meier's name on the box or in the title. This is a Brian Reynolds game and it shines like a beautiful bright shining star. Speaking of Brian Reynolds, I should probably recommend...

Rise of Nations (PC):

OK, Rise of Legends was pretty much crap comparatively but RoN is still one of the best RTS titles available today. I'd recommend just biting the bullet and picking up the gold box for it. You'd be surprised what this title can be run on. After patching, it runs pretty flawlessly on anything since roughly 2002 - which makes sense given it came out in 2003.

Fallout 2 (Black Isle, PC):

Look, just go buy it at gog.com. It's like $5 or something. Jesus. I shouldn't even have to recommend this.

Well, those are pretty much my standby games whenever I'm away from my totally kickass e-peenputer. Now, it's the day before Thanksgiving, I'm going home and enjoying a trough full of food and a barrel full of cheap liquor. Then I'm going to pass out and count sheep until I'm hungry again - and repeat that for 5 days.

The Artist Formerly Known as Halo 3: Recon

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:44:58 -0500

Sometimes name changes come about for no good reason: Prince became The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, ODB became Big Baby Jesus, Puff Daddy became Diddy, Paul David Hewson became Bono and then the self-proclaimed Millennial Messiah, and now Halo 3: Recon has officially become Halo 3: ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper).

Bungie ?" Either way, the change hasn't diminished my excitement for this stand-alone expansion. How about yours?

Photographer Robbie Cooper Shows Gamers What They Look Like

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:27:18 -0500

Ever wonder what you look like when you're gaming? Well, thanks toÂ New York TimesÂ photographer Robbie Cooper, the same artist responsible for theÂ BBCÂ photo portfolio "Online Gamers Unmasked," now you can. Cooper's latest video project entitled, "Immersion," features secret film capture of adolescents playing popular videogames. It's an interesting project that definitely raises some good questions concerning the truth behind children's' gaming habits, but I am sure once a few anxious parents catch wind of this video "headphones boy" and "knife kid" will become the new poster children of the anti-videogame movement. Regardless of the anti-gaming backlash it may cause, this is a great study that is definitely worth checking out.

Also, who really cries at a videogame? I knowÂ Gears 2Â almost got you, but seriously, no crying!

For more on "Immersion" goÂ here.

Release Diary, Volume 9

no.spam@gameriot.com (amitlu) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:01:54 -0500

Supposedly Chronicles of Spellborn comes out this week, but I don't believe it nor could I find any real details on the web page other than some information about a limited time open beta. That leaves us with a grand total of two notable releases. I suppose folks just didn't want to release anything during the week of Thanksgiving. Not sure why though, given that Black Friday, even during a depression, is still Black Friday. Well, anyway, if you're compulsive and need to buy something every week, here are your options:

Chrono Trigger (DS):

I suppose, if you haven't played this (and I can't see why you wouldn't have, unless you're , this would be as good a time as any to enjoy one of the best RPGs ever created. Back when RPGs were actually pretty great and art, music and story really came together to create something special to an entire generation of gamers.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (360/PS3):

How awesome?

So awesome.

Next week is more exciting, I promise.

OK, maybe not. Well, at least one game next week is new, while the other two notable releases are ports. Let's get depressed together! No worries though, there is more stuff coming out this Fall and Winter, just not for a few weeks. We can make it through this!

By: Eric Schild

Tabula Rasa Shutting Down and Funcom Layoff Rumor

no.spam@gameriot.com (amitlu) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:53:43 -0500

Earlier this afternoon, on the official Tabula Rasa site, the dev team collectively announced they'd discontinue the game on February 28, 2009:

Last November we launched what we hoped would be a ground breaking sci-fi MMO. In many ways, we think we've achieved that goal. Tabula Rasa has some unique features that make it fun and very different from every other MMO out there. Unfortunately, the fact is that the game hasn't performed as expected. The development team has worked hard to improve the game since launch, but the game never achieved the player population we hoped for.

So it is with regret that we must announce that Tabula Rasa will end live service on February 28, 2009.

Tabula Rasa never recovered from an abysmal launch and harsh reviews, suffering from a lack of polish in a post-WoW enviornment dominated by new players without the patience required to grin and bear their way through a new MMOG's first six months.

The announcement follows closely Richard Garriott's letter to the community that marked his departure from NCsoft, and likely the game industry.

In related news, Funcom is rumored to have laid off as much as 70 percent of its U.S. and customer service team. The U.S. office, based in Durham, NC, is the hub for QA, PR, English-speaking customer service and lower-level, English-speaking community management. The exact specifics of the layoff aren't yet public, but the company's contraction is very likely due to Age of Conan's lack of commercial success. Funcom's previous MMOG, Anarchy Online, suffered similar problems, and the company was able to recover.

Alison Carroll Interviewed in Support of Tomb Raider: Underworld's Release

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:41:44 -0500

In this latest GameTrailers interview new Lara Croft lovely Alison Carroll discusses how she came to play the buxom videogame icon and a few finer points on Crystal Dynamic's latest release. What can I say, it's Tomb Raider-themed. It involves a lot of cartwheels, somersaults, guns, Underworld promotion and breasts. Enjoy.

It must have been seriously weird for her brothers to have been fans of the Tomb Raider series and thinking whatever they willÂ about Lara and then having their sister take on the role.

Tomb Raider: Underworld was released yesterday, November 19.

Extremely Detailed Google Map of Capital Wasteland

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:44:44 -0500

Besides helping me figure out the best route through Chicago while still hitting up Giordano's this weekend, Google Maps has pleasantly offered me this extremely helpful Fallout 3 detailing of Capital Wasteland. Although it may appear clustered at first, this user-generated map is an absolutely invaluable resource to any dedicated Fallout 3 player in search of unlocking every possible nook and cranny of this expansive environment. I highly recommend checking this out. It would have greatly helped me out in my brief Fallout 3 stint.

Also, commenters from Joystiq have advised fellow players toward a few points of possible interest, including, a crashed spaceship and Ray Gun northwest of the Minefield and further north of the Power Station.

If you are too snooty for the map just work your way to level 20 and unlock the "Explorer" perk, but then you sacrifice being a "Ninja" or "Solar Powered."

Via Joystiq.

First Screenshots from Forthcoming WiiWare Title Evasive Space

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:04:41 -0500

YUKE's Comapany of America has released the first in-game screenshots and level details for its company's forthcoming WiiWare top-down flight-focused title Evasive Space today. The series of screenshots showcase maze and action-based gameplay from the first two chapters of this four chapter mutli-themed, multiplayer Wii download.

Check out these first photos and comment back your thoughts.

Personally, I think that a top-down flying title on the Wii would be about as frustrating as trying to play Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (XBLA version) one-handed, but that could just be because I am utterly hopeless with a Wii Remote... or anything Wii-related for that matter. Except maybe for baseball in Wii Sports.

Evasive Space will be available in early January for 1,000 Wii Points.

Wrath of the Lich King Claims Its First Victim

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:38:16 -0500

Wrath of the Lich King has officially claimed its first victim this past weekend, when 15-year-old Swedish schoolboy collapsed and went into convulsions during class after a 24-hour WoW-athon with friends. The boy's father reported to Swedish newspaper KvÃ¤llsposten that "they played all day and all night. Maybe they got a few hours of sleep. They ate a little food and breakfast at their computers."

And, surprise, doctors say that the teen shocked his bodily systems by disrupting their regular routine with sleep deprivation, lack of food and extended periods of intense concentration. He is expected to make a full physical recovery, but his friends will undoubtedly abuse him for years to come.

For a more detailed take on the story with added videogame addiction backlash check out Times Online.

All I've really got to say is that you can't go into a trench war when you're packed for a picnic.

In related Wrath of the Lich King news: Guilds Nihilum and SK Gaming have already finished Blizzard's latest WoW expansion. Hats off to you all, but, seriously, damn.

Everquest II: The Shadow Odyssey Expansion is Out Tomorrow

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:26:27 -0500

It's just one more day until the official worldwide launch of Sony Online Entertainment's fifth Everquest II expansion pack, The Shadow Odyssey. So get ready for this highly anticipated MMORPG add-on that boasts a lengthily list of notable new gameplay additions, enhancements, environments and variants for dedicated players, including:

More than 20 new zones, including the new overland zone, Innothule.
New nostalgic EverQuest dungeon themes, such as Najena, Mistmoore and The Sebilisian Empire, and adventure through more than 18 goal-based dungeons, such as Ruins of Guk and Befallen.
The Achievement Point level cap will be increased to 200 to offer new achievements for class-specific lines.
A new Dungeon Delving mission system for players to replay content with new and different experiences.
Five new Heritage Quests with unique rewards being added.
A new, mysterious group of erudites with powerful new armor and equipment will barter for void shards earned during your encounters.
Epic tales of the odyssey are told through battles with dozens of new creatures and hundreds of new quests.
Two new deities have been introduced into Norrath, Rodcet Nife and Anashti Sul.
Includes Desert of Flames, Kingdom of Sky, Echoes of Faydwer and Rise of Kunark expansion packs, and The Bloodline Chronicles, The Splitpaw Saga and The Fallen Dynasty adventure packs.
Also includes Legends of Norrath strategic online trading card game, digital starter deck and booster pack.

Senior producer at Sony Online Entertainment Bruce Ferguson further detailed throwback aspect of his company's forthcoming release in a recent press release, stating:

"The storyline of The Shadow Odyssey allows players to explore uncharted regions in the virtual world of Norrath while experiencing nostalgic areas made famous in the original EverQuest almost 10 years ago. This expansion comes on the heels of the highest selling expansion to date, Rise of Kunark, and the incredibly successful Living Legacy program, which ran over the summer months and attracted large numbers of new and returning players who are ready for exciting new adventures."

So if you are an Everquest fan definitely be sure to pick up this latest expansion tomorrow (Nov. 1 either online or at your favorite game retailer.

First Screenshots from Watchmen: The End is Nigh

no.spam@gameriot.com (Nithead) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:59:53 -0500

Warner Brothers Interactive has officially released the first screenshots from its forthcoming episodic PSN, XLBA and PC videogame series Watchmen: the End is Nigh. The game will act as a prequel to the film's theatrical release and will allow players to cooperatively play through a number of Watchmen-based beat-em-up scenarios as either Night Owl II or Rorschach. The game was written by original Watchmen comic editor Len Wein and advised by its artist Dave Gibbons.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh is expected in early March and will be the cover story for December's issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

For enlargeable photos go here.

Photos via SlashFilm.

Release Diary - Volume 8 (Left 4 Dead)

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:17:55 -0500

I could talk about NFS: Undercover or Animal Crossing: City Folk or Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe or The Last Remnant or Tomb Raider: Underworld or even Castlevania Judgement. I could remind you that the LOTRO expansion Mines of Moria is out or that Naruto: The Broken Bond drops this week. Hell, Metal Slug 7 and Rune Factory 2 drop this week for DS - both of which are pretty excellent.

But does it matter? I don't think so. This week is packed, but there's only one thing I'm going to be playing...

Left 4 Dead (PC, 360)

The demo consumed me for a decent number of hours over the last week and I've trashed my sleep schedule to play the hell out of it tonight.

After killing and getting killed by countless witches and tanks, I think I finally have a grip on how they behave. Smokers, hunters and boomers pose almost no threat except when they get a jump on me - which, thankfully, is fairly often. Through this, I've learned the most important lesson, which I've mentioned before - always play on expert. Sure, it's ok to warm up to that in single player or online, though I'd recommend the former until you can beat advanced with three bot teammates.

Expert is where the real **** happens. They've pretty much captured how I'd expect a real zombie attack to turn out - and don't say you've never imagined it, you know you have. Zombies will swarm you if you stand around too long and you have to have a certain amount of teamwork to survive any appreciable amount of time. Sure, I wouldn't expect the "boss" zombies to be in a real zombie attack, but they certainly crank up the fear level in Left 4 Dead.

In short, all I can say, I suppose, is if you buy anything this week it should be Left 4 Dead. It's a superb title in every way and truly deserves your time if anything does.

I guess, if my hand were forced, and you had to buy something else I'd recommend Metal Slug 7 or Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. But who am I kidding? This week is about Left 4 Dead and I feel for anyone that has to compete with this particular monster of gaming.

NCSoft Loses a Bunch of Money. World Watches in Horror.

no.spam@gameriot.com (schild) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:57:40 -0500

So, there's a few accounts of this on the web. I'll recommend two of them:

1. Gamasutra delivers a relatively boring variety of financial trauma.
2. GameDaily delivers the goods.

And I quote (the whole thing - tactless, I know):
Following the surprise announcement by Richard Garriott that he's decided to leave NCsoft, the MMO publisher today issued its third-quarter fiscal results, which showed a 50 percent decline in net income from 10.1 billion won to 5 billion won ($3.69 million).

Sales also fell two percent to 78.2 billion won and operating profit dropped 53 percent to 4.6 billion won. NCsoft said there was a drop in online players thanks to the typical summer season and due to the fact that this summer the Beijing Olympics gained some attention, leading to less online gaming.

The company's third quarter was driven largely by Lineage and Lineage II, which generated 26.6 billion won and 34.9 billion won, respectively. City of Heroes/Villains led to sales of 6.2 billion won, Guild Wars 3.7 billion won and Tabula Rasa 1.76 billion won.

NCsoft management indicated that it's hopeful that the company will rebound in the fourth quarter with the launch of Aion.

Ok, read it again.

One more time.

You should see it now. But if you don't, I'll help:

NCsoft said there was a drop in online players thanks to the typical summer season and due to the fact that this summer the Beijing Olympics gained some attention, leading to less online gaming.

I'm the type to call them as I see it, but there's so much smoke in my ass that I'm having trouble forming the proper words to describe this silliness.

Look, just blame Tabula Rasa. It's not that hard. Admittedly, the folks at NCsoft must have balls the size of melons, because it takes a real man to come up with a reason like the olympics for the halving of income, rather than placing the blame squarely on a space tourist.

I suppose I can, at the very least, give them props for looking forward. Shortly after reading the news of their tumble, I got PR saying they hired Dirk Metzger to be the Vice President of Marketing. I don't know who that is, but I can't say I'd be willing to inherit what he just did. Have fun, Dirk - and best of luck to you!