Wednesday, May 21, 2014

God of War Collection (PS VITA)

For those of you who have either been living under a rock, or are new to the gaming scene you can now enjoy the brutal goodness of Sony's first two "God of War" games on the "PS Vita" for a fraction of the cost of what the original games initially sold for. The two part collection which is basically a collectively emulated port of the first two PS2 releases comes complete with all the hidden secrets, cutscenes, and God of War action that one could desire. Kratos' story, including that of his origin, and his fight against/for the Gods of Olympus can now be experienced in a scaled down version that is complimented with remapped controls that are designed to make the playthrough on the Vita an easier, and more viable experience.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Drakengard 3 (PS3)

In the beginning of this Hack 'n Slash JRPG prequel by Square Enix we find a fantastical land divided by chaos, and a populous overburdened with the conflicts of war. It isn't until the five divine female Intoners (songstresses) descend from the heavens, and calm the warring civilians with their song that true peace is finally realized. Unfortunately for the five Intoners, and their newly devoted worldly followers a sixth Intoner by the name of "Zero" arrives abruptly on the scene shortly thereafter ready to kill her fellow Intoner sisters, and rule the world as she sees fit. It is Zero's story that is being told for the duration of the game, and it is through her actions, and reactions that we slowly come to understand why it is she is doing what she's doing. The bloody revenge plot that ensues is filled with a Tarantino style kill frenzy, 'Devil May Cry' combat mechanics, and a comedic nature that takes in account over-the-top sexual innuendo as well as some mature trash talk not meant for younger ears. Zero, her faithful dragons, and her soon to be disciples will ultimately delve deep into a callous, and emotional story of pure bloodshed coating themselves with the crimson stain of those who would dare stand in their way.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

PRODUCT REVIEW - 40" Sanyo E-LED 1080p HDTV (Sam's Club)

This particular review came about as the HDTV in question was bought by a close relative of mine. The fact that said product was of significant cost, and did not last hardly a year needed to be addressed for any future HDTV shoppers out there who might stumble across this same television. What is included in the following review is facts based on observations made of family actions, reactions, and inquiries dealing with their purchase and attempted product return. I also personally hooked up the HDTV, and saw it's state decline as the months passed, because my grandmother stays with me, and the television itself is in my house ...

In early - mid 2013 my mother went to the local Sam's Club to buy an HDTV for her own mother (my Grandmother). She was looking for the best deal, and the best HDTV that she could afford. It just so happened Sam's Club had a deal on a 40" Sanyo HDTV. The end cost was about $400, or more when the tax was figured into the pricing. She purchased the television with no extra warranty thinking that it would last for a good while before going bad. The previous Samsung HDTV that we had bought from the same Sam's Club was after all still going strong. After purchasing the pricey television she brought it to me, so I could set it up for my grandmother. I hooked everything up as directed by the manual, and set the settings the way they were meant to be set. For the next several months, and only 50+ hours of use the once impressively working HDTV began to show signs of major malfunctions.

Friday, May 16, 2014

My First Pokemon Experience EVAR!!!

Believe it, or not members of the gaming community, but I have personally never played a Pokemon game until just recently. Years have passed me by, and I have watched the internet go ablaze with the rumors, and release dates of new Pokemon games, new Pokemon cards, and new Pokemon cartoons. Absolutely none of it interested me whatsoever though. Even the glimpse I got of one of the cartoon episodes during my niece, and nephew's visitation did not impress me. I felt that Pokemon was like "Call of Duty". It was a mindless trap for youngsters, and grown @$$ idiots to throw away their hard earned money on. Those were my initial thoughts. After getting a 3DS recently, and not having a decent game to play on it though I chose to get one of the latest Pokemon games regardless of my lack of interest in the series. The game I ended up choosing was "Pokemon Y". Probably because it was red in color, and dealt with an epic fire Pokemon. Gotta love the hellish things in life. Am I Right?

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi (PS3)

Whether we want to acknowledge it, or not the world of gaming was built upon a gender biased foundation. Game developers either exploit the human anatomy in order to make characters such as that of females more appealing to a male audience, or take a purely girly approach not taking in account the fact that female gamers would love to see a strong willed female protagonist. There's even the fact that there are gamers who are gay who would be willing to support games more if only their own gender preference was deemed as important as everyone else's. I think in a haphazard sort of way Aksys Game's/Ideal Factory's "Hakuoki" series actually goes out of their way to provide such an outlet for both the female audience, and gay gamers alike. With a shojo artistic style, and a story geared towards giving the feminine characters an empowering voice the game sheds a unique light on the samurai era. One that's unlike any other. Not only does it contain plenty of historically true elements in it's fictitious storyline, but the game also includes a romantic nature with some reverse harem activity for the gamers who are into that sort of thing. While it is geared more towards a female, or gay audience you might find as I did that it's enjoyable regardless of it's feminine appeal.