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After yesterdays early morning (early for a night owl like me) wakeup for Microsoft, it was somewhat of an amazement to me that I managed to spring out of bed today with equal or greater enthusiasm for Nintendo's press conference. Yes, Nintendo! What I've been waiting for. No dozing today, just a shivery awareness--possibly brought on by the overzealous air conditioner--of the awesomeness--hopefully--awaiting me. After a short intro clip showing Mr. Miyamoto getting ready with cute little Pikmin dancing all around him, he and his Pikmin are up on the stage now, welcoming everyone. For those of us on the internet, Pikmin are popping up in the audience now, making a few members look uncomfortable. Miyamoto then welcomes Bill Trinen to the stage as his translator. He begins theorizing that game machines shouldn't be dependent on a TV, and intros the fancy new controller, claiming a "Dedicated personal screen changes the importance of TV screens". Then, much to the delight of fans around the convention center, he shows off Pikmin 3. You can definitely tell a graphical update from the earlier installments, though I'd hate to see the riot if they looked the same. There's a new variety of 'Rock' Pikmin in this title, and says it uses the Wiimote/Nunchuck configuration as one of its main control methods. On the other hand, the Wii U gamepad brings in a much heavier strategy element, with an overhead map view and multiple commanders of Pikmin. Seems using the gamepad is a different game experience than the Wiimote option. That trend continues all conference; a rather interesting twist, I think. Now he's saying Pikmin 3 is a game for serious gamers (though not in those words). Then he pulls a Pikmin doll from his pocket as he leaves the stage. I love this guy. Reggie Fils-Aime takes the stand next, and claims he feels like a...purple Pikmin? Awkward. I wonder sometimes if he says stuff like that intentionally just to make a joke for next year. Now he's saying that games are the most important part of this conference--is that a gentle rip of M$?--and that over the next hour, it'll be a solid demo of over 20 Wii U games. Next he says that the Wii U can change your life, and revolutionize your living room, and I wonder if this will turn into a design show. Reggie then tells us that Netflix, Amazon video, ETC will definitely be available on the Wii U, and that at E3.Nintendo.com hey're going to be updating their info as E3 continues, since there's "not enough time" to do so in this press conference alone. Supposedly, and to my everlasting horror, the Wii u is a very 'social console', and they're using the phrase “Asymmetric gameplay” to describe the unique experience of playing with the duel screens of gamepad and TV. And, as I faithfully recorded earlier, gamepad players play differently than 'standard' Wiimote players do. And, happily enough, the Wii U can use two gamepad's per console. I'm happy they addressed that after the complaints last year. Now Reggie is showing off a detailed 3D view of the gamepad. Taking a note from Sony and Microsoft, the thumb sticks now have press buttons too, and also with a bit of Xbox flavor, trigger buttons aside from L and R are on the back, with those two being up top, making the thing resemble a really big GBA, almost. I see a USB slot as well, and I can only ponder the possibilities. Charging, hopefully too; it looked almost like there was a ubiquitous battery slot on the back, and I really wanted to not have to purchase batteries every three weeks, ala` wiimote. It's got a camera built in, along with a speaker and headphone jack. And a blue glowy home button. Really, the gamepad itself resembles a game console, or tablet of sorts, what with the touch screen. Here's hoping there will be someway to transfer games to it and carry it with you. Now they're showing Miiverse again, though it was 'released' for public viewing earlier this week. Seems to be a hub of sorts for the console, as well as a social thingum. You can see/send simple text messages, somewhat like swapnote, and you can share screen shots taken from a game, as well as scores and such. And you'll be able eventually to view it with a 3DS, PC or mobile device. I smell Microsoft wizardry here. Continuing to display Miiverse' potential, we wants to bring in an 'old friend'; namely Mario in the form of New Super Mario Bros U, which uses Miiverse within the interface as a 'real time social window'. Seems similar to Live!, from the slight view shown here. NSMBU seems to have a squirrel suit of sorts, and the old Yoshi mechnism, where you find a baby Yoshi and have to feed it enough to make it grow. I love that. It also features well as a gorgeous art style, gushy as that may sound. It can also be played standalone on the gamepad, and features 'boostmode', where up to four players use Wiimotes to control, and one player (for a possible total of five) helps them out with the game pad, making blocks appear or other helpful objects and triggers. Next Harley Quin pops up on the big screen to annoy people. Or, I guess, intro Batman Arkham City on the Wii U. She's freaking everyone out as Martin Tremblay walks on stage and thankfully sends her away. Alright, so maybe she was just annoying me; the audience chuckled. Either way, Arkham City: Armored edition is a remade (or at least modified) version of Arkham City made specifically for Wii U. Batman not only has an armored suit, but uses a BAT computer to work through various puzzles and also set and actuate traps. The gamepad, of course, is used as the BAT and functions as a scanner, hacker and remote controller of batarangs, amongst other things like explosive gel traps. As cool as it is, I can't help but point out that Batman Arkham City is already wildly successful on other consoles at the present date. Now Martin is bringing out Jeremiah Slaczka, to talk about Scribblenauts Unlimited. Now with adjectives, and hi-def. Just like the version on the DS, you can create loads of different objects using words to solve various puzzles, or fight, or ETC. Looks like a fun game, and again, it's very pretty looking and has a unique art style. Low res streaming disabled any sort of graphical comparison for me, though. In this, you use the gamepad to create the various stuff you'll use, and it looked handy with the touch screen. As an aside, you may notice I've no release dates to tell you; that's not because of my shoddy reporting, but because there were none given. Something I find annoying. Reggie takes the stage again, kicking Martin off, to make the 'all about games' comment again. The next series of clips was sort of a blitzkrieg that left me nigh on frantic typing them down.  Darksiders 2 made it, and was instantly recognizable, even for me. Not sure how I feel about the mixed up theology presented in the series, but the game itself looked crazy fun, with Death being a pretty agile dude fighting lots of towering critters.  Then Mass Effect 3 popped up on the screen, and actually surprised me, because I genuinely didn't expect that. Even though I'd actually heard about it earlier last month. I probably don't have to waste text space describing that game, amirite?  Next was Tank! Tank! Tank!, which, though still stunned by Mass Effect, appeared to be a tank-based shooter with nice multiplayer capability. Tekken Tag Tournament showed up next, which was another surprise to me; looked like Tekken, but with a few wink/nods at Nintendo. I'm excited for where this title will end up.  Then Trine 2 Directors Cut, which is from all repute a pretty amazing platformer. Again though, there's the trend of either remade games being rereleased or older games being ported to the Wii U, and not a whole lot of completely original titles. I was hoping for at least one new IP at this years conference. Ninja Gaiden 3: Ninjas edge wafted by next, filling the air with the scent of blood as Ryu tore, cut, and whirlwinded his gory way through various enemies. I swear, next time someone complains to me (as if I could even do anything about it) about Nintendo not having 'mature and hardcore' (which should probably be read 'violent') games, I will kindly point them out to this. Aliens Colonial Marines is the final game, with all it's violent, creepy alien slaying (and being slayed) self swaggering about the screen. Supposedly, as hit the internet last month, the Wii U version will be better looking than the current Xbox and PS3 generation. Which is impressive, but not as much as may seem; it's a next-gen console being compared to current generations. If it didn't look good, there's a problem. In any case, the game does look nice, if bloody. I'm interested to see what it'll do with multiplayer, ad nothing has been mentioned yet. Whew...so many games, so little typing speed. Next up for chat is the Music and fitness genres. For me, this is where the conference started going downhill. But Reggie punned himself over his 'My body is ready' comment last year, and I appreciate he can laugh at himself. Talking about how Wii Fit and Wii Fit+ got people into gaming who otherwise would not be, and how Wii Fit U introduces a new peripheral (Wii Fit meter) and uses the camera on the gamepad. Also Luge, which looks fun. The Fit meter looks like nothing more than a slightly advanced pedometer, which brings to mind the infamous glorified blood-pressure machine they tried to pass off last E3.  Now a music game called SiNG, which tries to get everyone to play, since usually with music games a few people are playing and the rest are staring numbly at the TV. The gamepad displays lyrics, and you face your friends to sing instead of facing the TV, and everyone is supposed to sing along, both with you and a dancing character on the screen...It's karaoke basically, but you have to actually face your friends laughter instead of a cold, heartless blue lyric screen. I'm mildly mortified at this. Scott Moffitt takes the stage now to talk about 3DS titles. But, limited on time by Reggie, he's hosting a 3DS press conference thingum in a live webcast tomorrow night. Which I think was probably wise, instead of trying to cram it all into one event. Still, he shows New Super Mario Bros 2 off, and it is all about gold coins. There's even a 'gold' Mario ability, and they brought back the famous Tanooki suit (the audience cheered). Mario can also punch in this version, much to my delight. NSMB2 is scheduled for release August 19th. Next pops up an oddly flattened Mario image; can't fool me; I know Paper Mario when I see him. This new one in the series aptly named "Paper Mario: Sticker Star", and relies upon using stickers to fight with, explore, ETC. This holiday season. Not sure if I favor the idea of having to replace my stickers frequently, but as they showed hammers, fire flowers, scissors, ladders, and other stuff all in sticker form, I'm looking forward to giving it a shot. Continuing to show off titles we saw at last E3 (can you tell me mild aggravation?) It's Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. And though I was complaining a bit earlier, the game looks good. Multiple mansions this time around, along with new ghosts requiring specific strategies to defeat. Whether this will be different from the original remains to be seen, but there were definitely some new facets. Like giant spiders. Launches this “holiday season”. Scott then says you'll have to watch tomorrow to find out more, especially for third party stuff. Then he shows clips for Castlevania lords of shadow: mirror of fate, Epic Mickey: power of lllusion, Scribblenauts unlimited, and Kingdom hearts: dream drop distance. (all for 3DS). Reggie kicks Martin off now and starts talking about Lego City, and using the Gamepad as a crime fighting tool. The Wii U gamepad is used as a scanning tool, and this seems to be a sort of open world crime fighting game, with sweet action mechanics. There's an exclusive portable version for the 3DS, but I'm still distracted by the Lego detective parkouring it up and laying a beat down on baddied. This has definitely taken the Lego series to new heights, well away from the slightly stodgy beginnings. Reggies goal for Wii U this year is to provide new and engrossing game experience for everyone, hardcore or casual. Now he's praising Ubisoft for doing just that. Yves Guillomot, on behalf of Ubisoft, thanks Nintendo for the new oppurtunities the Wii U provides. Also, uses the phrase “asymmetric gameplay”. Hope that doesn't become a catchphrase. Regardless, they're showing off games with Xavier Poix now, including Just Dance 4. More random dancers, and this feels like yesterday all over again. But a dance mesh mode, called 'Puppet Master has been added to the series, and I can see it turning in an effective torture method. Then they throw up “strike a pose” and things turn awkward for a minute. I will say in its defense that the Just Dance series, wild flailing that it may be, is surprisingly fun, and this is the first music title at this E3 I haven't wanted to die in a fire. Next, something hopefully masculine enough to slide past the fact I admitted to liking Just Dance, is Zombie U, one of the 'hardcore' titles they're offering up. The demo begins with the game pad being displayed as a survival kit pulled out of a hard case. In the game, it's used as a scanner and for inventory management, along with a sniper mode. Door hacking, too, and breaking free of a zombies unfriendly embrace (that's...not really something I think should be listed as a feature). Looks like a good title, in my eyes. Very pretty and spooky, graphically. And you can get zombified with the camera on the game pad, which they did with Reggie and spent the next five minutes just...staring at his face. Now, in another wild rushing of clips, they've got Assassins Creed 3, Rabbids Land, Rayman Legends, Sports connection, and Avengers: battle for earth. All of these look great as well, so I'm quite happy with the updated graphical capabilities thus far. I'm less happy about the lack of Nintendo exclusives being displayed this year, but then, last year people complained over lack of third party games, so Nintendo cannot seem to catch a break. Now there's props on stage, with 'Nintendo Land" emblazoned on the screen. Reggie is comparing Nintendo land to the original Wii Sports, in that it shows you what the controller can do. Now he's bringing on Katsuya Eguchi and Johnathan Yeckley to show what he means. It seems to be a variety title just like Wii sports, where your Mii visits different attractions which are based off classic Nintendo IP's. There's a Zelda title, as well as Donkey Kong and Animal Crossing, Takamaru's Ninja castle, and happily for me, a Luigi's mansion attraction. Oddly, it seems as though Nintendo land is not packaged in with the Wii U. It's supposed to launch at the same time as the Wii U later this year; one can always hope though, right? More Nintendo Land stuff, this time at night with fireworks, but really no changes. Reggie says 'Together, better' and I'm frightened since it seems like one of those 'One of us. One of us. One of us' horror movie moments, but that's just another pop phrase for media consumption. Seems I've fallen for it. And...that was the end of the official conference. But in a very neat twist, they had a special presentation at the end just for internet viewers, where they rehashed games already shown and went over them deeper (giving more in depth gameplay videos about Nintendoland and Wii Fit U, for example). It's nothing spectacular, but it felt nice to be noticed. And...that's all folks. Another Nintendo press conference with no release date for the Wii U, no price point, and very few brand new first party titles. Where is the Metroid, 3D Mario, or Zelda? Granted, Skyward Sword came out not that long ago, but still. Where is the list of release titles, even? Ah...Nintendo fanboy am I. And truly, I've been waiting for Wii U info since last year. But my non-biased side is unhappy with this conference, especially in retrospect. To be sure, I rank it well above Microsoft's yesterday (unfortunately, I missed Sony's), but at the same time, I can't help feeling a bit...mystified, I guess. It's like there was a cloak of sorts over information. Still, plenty of good titles, at least for the time being. Here's hoping for more info over the rest of E3. --Isaac Anonymous

 

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Read our Sony E3 recap
Check out our Microsoft E3 summary  

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Top 7 iTunes Tips and Tricks You Need to Know for Amazing Deals on a $50 iTunes Gift Card

Bright eyed, bushy tailed, I awoke this morning in happy expectation of this years opening to E3; otherwise known as 'Gamers Christmas in July”. Which is weird, considering it's June. Either way, I grabbed a bottle of Root Beer and planted my rump firmly in front of my desk for the next few hours, hoping for awesomness to rain from the Microsoft flavored heavens that is their press conference.

 

Poppy showtunes start off the presentation. I can live without those, so I'm using the time to wipe the sleep from my eyes. Or, in reality, to nap on my desk for a few minutes. Global media briefing, the first man says? What kind of...never mind.

 

They're starting off with Halo 4, which was unexpected. They certainly aren't afraid to throw out their killer apps quickly. The live action trailer reminds me of the stink that happened over Killzone 2. Graphically, the title is definitely sharp, but I don't think anyone is surprised at that. What I was surprised over was the Covenants presence. I thought those guys were taken care of? Must've just been the Elites what made peace with humanity. Ah well, the new enemies--the Forerunners, the ones who made the original Halo's--look awesome in their form and armor. Weapons are pretty sweet looking too; has a sort of Ancients from Stargate look, with the moving and levitating parts. The guns literally assemble in mid air as Master Chief picks them up. Along with his jet pack seen in the earlier trailer (which was not shown in this presentation), Master Chief also sports new visors in this trailer. I wonder if multiple visor settings will be a gameplay mechanic, because he used his to give a black-and-white scan of the surrounding area, revealing enemies. One can always hope, right? To further complicate things, Cortana is apparently going insane. A recently released issue of Game Informer mentioned that AI's in the Halo universe start to degrade after several years and get taken out of commission, and, as stated in the trailer, Cortana has been 'alive' and working for eight years now. Whatever the case, Cortana has taken a flying leap off the deep end and you have to wonder what the Chief will have to do about it.

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Unleash the Power: A Comprehensive Guide to Build Characters in Diablo IV

There have been a lot of Kickstarter funded games getting heaps of publicity lately.  Have you backed any of them?  I like the concept provided that the good are delivered.  My husband and I backed the Shadow Run and Double Fine adventure games.  We passed on the Leisure Suit Larry and Ron Paul projects.  Have you backed a project?  If so, which ones?

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Slugterra: Return of the Elementals

April 27, 2006: Nintendo has just released the name of their newest console, codenamed Revolution. April 28, 2006: The entire internet bursts out laughing, jokes about the “Wii” (pronounced “wee”) abound and fans of the big N let out a collective groan. Why, of all the possible names, would Nintendo choose a name that’s a joke? And it only went downhill from there. Once the Wii was released, there were endless “do you wanna play with my Wii (wee)?” jokes. Nintendo fanboys everywhere were giving the big N dirty looks while trying to convince people that it was cool name. But everyone was still wondering, why did Nintendo name it that?

 

            Fans were excited about the “Revolution”, the first pictures showed a sleek, black tower of awesomeness with blue light from heaven emitting from the disc drive. And why else would Nintendo codename something the “Revolution” unless it was something huge?  Sure, Revolution wasn’t the best name either; it’s a bit too long and hard to translate, not to mention presumptuous, but it was cool. But for the love of Mario, why the Wii? Why use a name that they knew people would make fun of?

 

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The Remaining

I'm fine with people having their own opinion, but this one borders on outright trolling: http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/122/1220061p1.html. This is the reason people think you're biased IGN. http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/i-am-alive

I love IGN, they're my main news source, but I plan on taking their opinion with a grain of salt from now on.

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FIFA 23: Releases from EA Sports of the Rulebreakers

I recently beat a game that had a questionable but unique love story.  I'm going to try and be vague so I don't give away spoilers in the game I'm talking about here.  The main characters in this title are two teenagers that are adopted siblings.  As the story progresses, they grow closer and are comfortable in each other's presence even in mixed gender bath houses. While they never begin a romantic relationship, they are encouraged to do so by many other characters in the game.  I'm all for a good love story but I found this one a bit awkward.  Perhaps my convictions stem from this verse in the Bible:

Leviticus 18:9 says Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

What do you think?  Do you find this relationship natural or awkward?  Granted genetically there no foreseeable issues here but I still find it going against God's law.  

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2022 Christmas Buying Guide

 Like many Christians gamers, I feel a twinge of guilty when severing heads in Skyrim, or unleashing destructive magic from my palms.  It's easy to think we're just having meaningless fun, but this anxiety is proof enough for me that we should start to take games more seriously. 

 

However, I don't feel called to quit gaming, so how does a Christian proceed? We all believe games have such potential in telling stories yet we're left to live with tug-of-war raging inside us: one between questionable morality and edifying messages.

 

By morality I of course mean the stuff you don't want your grandmother to see: violence, sex, swearing etc.

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Looking back at 2011

Man, this year was a great year for video games. There were lots of comeback games such as Sonic Generations and Rayman Origins. This year also marked the releases of LittleBigPlanet 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

This year also had a lot of great movies such as Captain America, The Muppets, and Courageous (can I get an amen?).

And to think, 2012 is going to have The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Kid Icarus: Uprising, the Wii U and other great movies and games.

What do you think? Was 2011 one of the best years of gaming and/or movies?

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Digital Religion

I have been running ChristCenteredGamer.com/CCGR.org for over ten years.  In that time we have had our fair share of scoffers and trolls who don’t understand the purpose of this site.  It is not our place to tell people what to play or not to play, but rather to inform them of what is in a game so they can make an educated purchasing decision.  Last night I was having a blast playing the casual RTS game Fate of the Pharaoh.  Given the title I was expecting references to the Egyptian culture and gods.  Not surprisingly, I did discover references to Ra the sun god and was able to earn achievements for beating his times in each level.   No big deal, I don’t mind a bit of a challenge.  While I was playing through the levels, I saw some of my villagers worshiping their idols.  I had no control over it and wasn’t asked to participate, so I continued to play on.    When I reached level fourteen, the tables turned.  Instead of gathering materials and gold for my villagers, I had to gather these resources and give them as an offering to the goddess Maat to progress to the next level.  This is where I have stopped playing the game.  Why?  Because I feel it breaks the first and second commandments.

Exd 20:2 I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.   4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:  5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God…

 Will every Christian feel the same way?  Probably not.  However, those that will agree with me will be thankful for saving themselves $7 for this game.  For all of the non-Christians that visit this site, here’s a question for you:  Would you be equally upset playing a game not labeled as a Christian game but require you to acknowledge and worship Jesus to continue?  I bet the developers of that game would get a few complaints.  I understand that it’s not real and it’s just pixels and 1’s and 0’s etc, but so is pornography if you want to use that excuse.  If you get busted by your spouse for looking at indecent pictures I bet the 1’s and 0’s argument won’t work out too well. 

Digital or real, I don’t feel comfortable breaking the commandments of my Lord.  I refuse to play any game that forces me to pay homage to a god other than my own.  I hope you can better understand what we’re about and where I’m coming from.

In Him,

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Learning to be like Jesus in Skyrim

 The snow is white like my blind eye peering through a horned helmet. The distant howl of a wolf startles me, prompting a knee-jerk response to unsheathe my two-handed battle-axe. I stand motionless on the mountain path.

 Waiting.

 I hear his ragged breath through the trees before I spot him, a flash of teeth seeking flesh. I bludgeon the beast's skull with a grunt and chase his hide before it slides down the mountainside.

This is Skyrim. And my mountain path is a sacred meditation marked by stone tablets, laying out the history of the land, the people and our religion.

This is a spiritual moment. Not in the game, but here on the couch I've been sitting on for the last four hours, sipping noodle soup and green tea, (I have a cold ok?). I had a spiritual encounter sometime between clothing this 300-pound Viking in leather and magic rings and climbing this ancient rocky path.

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The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

 

 

Skyrim reviews are beginning to pour onto the internet and it sounds like Bethesda has delivered on all the dragon sized hype.

 

So the question for me isn't should I play, but how should I play?

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Unleash the Power: A Comprehensive Guide to Build Characters in Diablo IV

Here's what I'm playing currently:

PC: Almost done checking out all of the classes in Dungeon Defenders.  I have a youtube video if you want to see what the game play looks like.    I'm half way through the adventure game Tales From The Dragon Mountain: The Strix, it's kind of a dud, avoid it.  I have Skyrim on pre-order, can't wait!

Wii: EA Active 2 I picked this up for $20 it's great so far, I feel half robot with the glowing accessories that monitor my heartbeat and movements.  It's giving me a good workout and after I'm done with the 9 week challenge, expect a review!

PSP: Worms Battle Islands

3DS: Currently collecting dust, waiting for Mario 3D to arrive.

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From Hero to Villain — Here Are 3 of the Most Loved Legend of Zelda Characters


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Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and its Place in Western Civilization

I never owned one of these consoles but it was truly ahead of time and died a premature death at only 18 months on the market. It sported many innovations present in modern day consoles including multiplayer gaming, a web browser and portable hand held support.  The 480p resolution was impressive back then too.   Many of the popular Dreamcast game series are still popular today including Unreal Tournament, Phantasy Star Online, Resident Evil, Soul Calibur, Quake and Dead or Alive.  At last many of the games have lived on, I wonder what console will go extinct next?

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Dark Souls 2: When Less is More

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a satisfying game. It scratches my sneaky Metal Gear itch, a frothy mug of root-beer to quench my thirst for Mass Effect's interactive conversation, and eases the ache for Elder Scroll's open world exploration, though on a small scale.

 

Deus Ex even weaves an intricate and poignant narrative, exploring questions like,  "What is it to be human?" and "Should arms be replaced by gatling guns?"

 

But 10 hours in and I am bored. Well, not bored, but restless. I am tired of sneaking around in the shadows, tranquillizing mercs and dragging their unconscious bodies into the shadows. 

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How to Properly Play Video Games With Your Child

Lately I’ve been thinking about how I can be a better witness when I’m on the Internet, specifically when I’m playing a multiplayer game. While the opportunity rarely comes up to share ones faith during a death match or an epic quest, we should always be ready to answer those who ask. In Luke 9:26 Christ has some strong words for those that know him but don’t tell others: ‘For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.’ This is an area that I struggle with all the time, feeling I should say more than I do about my faith. The best thing I know to do is to keep studying the word so that I will be ready when an opportunity presents its self. And when it does I trust that God will give me the courage to speak up, remembering Paul’s words in his second letter to Timothy Chapter 1:7 ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’ But until they ask there is another way I can silently let my light shine: through my behavior. Even though I may never see the real faces of people I meet in games I still a responsibility to live my life in a holy manner. The Apostle Peter, in his first Epistle, gives us an idea of what that means in I Peter: 1:13-16:'Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.' Holiness is a matter we should always take seriously, even when playing a game. But what does that mean on a practical level? How can I be holy while on the game grid? I think the first thing thing that’s important to remember is the “golden rule,” found in Matthew 7:12: 'Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.'
While the in-game persona may be an orc or a faceless space soldier, on the other side of the avatar is a person that I should treat with the same respect that I would want to be treated with myself – even when we’re trying to frag each other. It mostly comes down to common courtesy and politeness, traits that are scarce enough on the web as a whole. People seem to feel that, just because they have a certain anonymity, that they can act however they want, without any thought to others. But it is my duty as Christians to be different from the world, as Romans 12:2 says: 'And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.' Since most of my communication with other players in games will either be written or verbal, one way I can set myself apart by not using profanity or insulting other players. For I am an ambassador of Christ, no matter where I am, and a dirty word can soil a good witness - which is why Paul gives us this command in Ephesians 4:29: 'Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.' And also in Colossians 3:8: 'But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.' But even if I don’t use any “bad” words, I can still be in the wrong if I reply to an insult or nasty comment in anger. Remember the wise words of Solomon, in Proverbs 15:1: 'A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.' Often just ignoring a “troll’”will make them get board and move on. But if I must speak I try and keep it civil to defuse the situation as best I can. However, I think there is more to it than just being nice (or at least not being rude). Often times new players are scorned and excluded because of there inexperience. But ignorance is not the same thing as stupidity: just because a player doesn't know where the flag capture zone is, or that clicking on the glowing stone obelisk is a bad idea, doesn't make them dumb. It can be hard to remember what it's like not to know things that we take for granted. Experience will cure ignorance in time, but I can help it happen faster. In Matthew 25:45, Jesus says: 'Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye diditnot to one of the least of these, ye diditnot to me.' The verse here is referring to physical needs, but I think the principal applies: if you see someone in need, can fulfill that need but don’t, you displease God. I'm not saying that we have to hold the hand of every noob we meet. But it wouldn't hurt to help someone along that is struggling, so that everyone can have more fun in the long run. “I’m not a teacher,” I hear myself say. Well, that's what wikis are for! Most every major online game has a wiki these days. Giving a new player a link to one is easy enough and gives them access to the combined knowledge of dozens, even hundreds, of players. Or I could just quote from it whenever they ask a question and look really smart. Either way, a little display of kindness can go a long way towards opening doors.
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God Bless the Broken Road

I have over 35 hours into Dragon Warrior VII and I'm still on the first disc.  I think I will have to sink 100 hours into this game before I finish it.  It's really a shame since this great game is riddled with swearing, quite a difference from the Nintendo versions I have been playing until this point.  I'm not exaggerating that every time I load up this game I encounter a swear of some sort.  da*n, bas*ard, son of a......, and hell is thrown around pretty casually too.  "Get the hell out of here" etc.  The Nintendo versions may have had 1 or 2 da*n in it max.  :\ 

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Sonic's 20th Anniversary

I am a huge Sonic fan who loves playing the blue blur's games despite their critical reception. I love the fast-paced action, catchy music, and great graphics of the series. I know that some of his games have had weird gimmicks such as the werehog in Sonic Unleashed, but I found most of his games enjoyable. Actually, the only Sonic game that I officially hate is Sonic Labyrinth. Still, games like Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity made me think that the blue blur could do a lot better. Once Sonic Colors and Sonic 4 came out, I knew that the blue blur was done with gimmicks. For Sonic's 20th anniversary, SEGA is giving us Sonic Generations and Mario and Sonic 3, both I think look excellent. Sonic Generations features both Classic and Modern incarnations of Sonic, while Mario and Sonic 3 features both series' iconic characters and party games based on the London Olympics coming next year.

2011 is actually not only Sonic's 20th anniversary, but also Mario's 30th, Zelda's 25th, and Halo's 10th! Weird huh?

Reviews to Sonic Colors and Sonic '06 coming soon.

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PSP: The bargain hunter's dream

I'm a sucker for bargain bin games and try to avoid paying full retail price when possible.  There are many great games to be found in the used game sections of GameStop and the prices of many classics are $20 or less.

For my birthday I got a used PSP 3001 for $50 and the came with Fifa 2009 and a UMD movie Treasure Hunter 2.  I had to buy an AC adapter for it.  So $65 out the door with a game and a movie isn't bad.

Since I don't play sports games I traded in Fifa 2009 and took advantage of GameStop's recent buy 2 get one free sale and picked up.  Jeanne De'arc, Final Fantasy: Crisis Core and Patapon.  All of these out the door was less than $15.  We went back the next day and picked up Parappa the Rapper for $6 and Lumines 2 for $5.  My last purchase was Half Minute Hero for $10 out the door after using a 20% off coupon I got for my birthday.

We also got two free games from the PSN Welcome back pack (Kill Zone and Little Big Planet)

 

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PS4 Pro vs PS4 – Which PlayStation Console is Right for you?

I was very surprised at this years E3. I wasn't too crazy about Sony and Microsoft's conferences, and I didn't think the Nintendo one would be any better. I was shocked at the new console, Wii U.

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