Archive for the ‘Videos’ Category
Celebrity Deathmatch Review. Classic Game Room presents a CGRundertow review of Celebrity Deathmatch from Gotham Games for the Playstation 2. Jim from the CGRundertow presents a game that never gets old until you’ve played it. Some games have finesse, and some games have class, and if you don’t appreciate those qualities in a game, then this game is for you! If you enjoy sitting around and playing games that don’t require you to think whatsoever, then by all means, order out some Chinese, grab a seat, and rot that brain away properly.
Like other years before it, 2011 was another entertaining year for gamers as well as game creators. From shooters to platform games, racing, role-playing and more, there were a lot of highlights that gamers enjoyed (and got disappointed with) in return for spending their hard-earned cash and precious time.
Just what helped define 2011 in gaming? Really, it’s more than just critical reviews and sales.
1) Living the second life – The one game that really delivered this is none other than Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, an RPG that sold a lot and won numerous awards. Like Oblivion before it, Skyrim allowed gamers to travel around the in-game country, explore countless places and engage in numerous quests that arguably took 150 to over 200 hours to do. Players were also free to decide what to do, where to go, who to engage, what group to join with, etc. Oh yes, there is nothing like living another one’s life in a fantasy world where dragons and wizards exist.
2) Shoot around – Modern military shooters like Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 gave gamers the experience of engaging in intense military combat without having to list up in the military, although there were some who told me that one of those games inspired them to do so. Gears of War 3 gave gamers that futuristic sci-fi shooting experience while Uncharted 3 mixed shooting with very intense adventuring nicely. These four games proved that shooting, be it in first-person or third-person, is not all about mindless search-and-destroy experiences.
3) Be the Creator – There is nothing like creating what you imagined with great detail and with the use of comprehensive creation tools. Minecraft proved just that and its reception will millions of people around the world is simply undeniable. The game is so influential, there are some religious fanatics or extremely conservative prayerful people who viewed Minecraft as a danger not only to their faith but also with kids. Not surprisingly, they called out for censorship or banning the game totally. Still, it remains to be seen if those prayerful people really played the game at all to justify their accusations. Remember all those knuckleheads back in the 1980s who condemned Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) as devil worship without ever playing the game or doing any solid research on it?
4) Racing in paradise – Game developer Turn 10 and its partners should be congratulated for delivering what is arguably the best driving simulator to date – Forza Motorsport 4. Clearly, the game was made with a lot of passion for car culture complete with emphasis on delivering the best experiences possible for gamers. It also had the best sound design which in effect made the cars in Gran Turismo 5 sound like vacuum cleaners. Lastly, Forza Motorsport 4 added some good value to Kinect owners with the AutoVista and accurate head-tracking features. With Turn 10’s big contributions and excellent work, gamers around the world are no longer limited to just one certain game franchise when it comes to driving simulators. Forza Motorsport is a franchise that is here to stay!
5) Choosing your own adventure/decisions – Like Mass Effect 2 before it, L.A. Noire delivered the Choose Your Own Adventure influences effectively with its open-world design and crime investigating narrative. It’s not perfect but it is a smart game, it captured the 1940s crime culture, and emphasized detective work that made gamers think before making a decision. The performance capture technology was indeed stunning and I wish such technology will be used in more games to make the gameplay more engaging. It is too bad that Team Bondi crumbled and many hard-working people did not get the credit they deserved with the game.
Simply enough, 2011 was a solid year. Will 2012 be solid too? What is certain is that the Olympic Games in London won’t overshadow video gaming this year. I’d rather play The Witcher 2 (Xbox 360), Mass Effect 3, and other promising games than waste my time on the Olympics.
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There is no doubt that Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the best games released this year as well as arguably one of the best RPGs (role-playing games) released in this current console generation. It gathered many near-perfect reviews from the critics and within 48 hours it sold over three million copies. Since 11-11-11, countless gamers continue to talk a lot about the experience they had with Skyrim through their respective platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, PC).
While many focused on the bugs and glitches of the game, there were some people that I encountered recently and they happen to be advocates of different causes. In line with their respective causes, they blasted Skyrim as a dangerous game. No, it’s not the typical “Video games will make the youth more violent and immoral!” criticisms. It’s different this time.
Criticism #1: Skyrim is bad for the environment and will influence gamers to destroy the Earth
I encountered a few people who claimed to be staunch believers in environmentalism. They are people who often blamed humanity and industry for polluting Earth to the point of global warming (note: they refuse to believe that 10,000 to 20,000 years ago the Earth grew hot and the polar caps melted long before industry began).
They condemned Skyrim for featuring mines and mining. They pointed out that the more people play the game, the more they will be tempted with greed over minerals or precious metals and that they will begin to care less about their natural surroundings. Worse, they claimed, Skyrim gamers might as well come up with new ideas to destroy the environment just to feed their greed.
In their final response, they prefer that gamers should avoid buying Skyrim (or those who bought the game should return it and get refunded) and instead donate their money to environmental groups like the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) for example.
My response? Those environmentalism believers forgot that Skyrim is loaded with options and that gamers are granted the freedom to choose what they want to do, where to go, who to meet, etc. While mining is present in the game, it is entirely left up to the player to decide whether to mine or not. Getting ores of gold, silver, steel, iron and others can be done through buying from sellers whenever mining is not an option. More importantly, I don’t think that Bethesda has any agenda whatsoever against environmentalism and mining in the game is more of a form of escapism from reality for gamers. Besides, not too many people would ever want to enter an actual mine in real life.
Criticism #2: Skyrim is anti-animal
While I could not confirm if the other critics I encountered were supporters of the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), there was no doubt they hated the portrayal of animals in Skyrim. It’s not just the roasting of skeevers. Rather it’s the hunting aspect of the game as well as giving players the freedom to sell pelts and meat of animals. These same people I talked with previously condemned Red Dead Redemption for the same reasons. They say the Skyrim players will later care less about animals and abuse them openly.
Like mining, hunting in the game is optional and there are other ways to acquire food and pelts of animals. I don’t think many gamers would actually become real-life hunters, nor would they disregard the existence of animals just because of a game.
Conclusion – These pro-environment and pro-animal critics of Skyrim that I encountered sure talked tough. The funny thing was that they refused to answer my questions: Did you ever play Skyrim at all? If yes, how long did you play?
Similar to the moralists and other extremists who attacked video gaming, these critics failed to prove their credibility, nor were they able to justify their criticisms towards Skyrim. Unless they come up with very strong cases, I don’t think games like Skyrim should be banned nor declared as a public nuisance.
Some people just won’t get along and some just could not understand.
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Playable demos, daily tournaments, signing sessions, and special deals at the Capcom store await New York Comic-Con 2011 attendees this week. Here’s just some of what you’ll see:
PANELS
• STREET FIGHTER – Legendary Street Fighter producer, Yoshinori Ono will provide the latest update on Street Fighter X Tekken. Street Fighter fans are encouraged to come in costume as Capcom deems Friday to be “Street Fighter Day!” Some lucky fans may be called onstage to demonstrate their mad fighting skills firsthand to win prizes. Followed by a Q&A session plus some special surprises. Friday, October 14, 5:15 – 6:16pm in the American Airlines Theater 1A06
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 – Hear the latest news about this legendary fighting game franchise straight from producer Ryota Niitsuma. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek as well as a chance to come onstage to showcase your fighting skills against each other for prizes. Followed by a Q&A session. Saturday, Oct 15, 2:45 – 3:45 pm in the American Airlines Theater 1A06
• Resident Evil – Capcom declares Saturday to be “Resident Evil Day,” so come dressed as your favorite classic and new RE characters! Come find out the latest information about the newest entries to the Resident Evil franchise: the truth behind Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City with producer, Rey Jimenez, Resident Evil Revelations for the Nintendo 3DS, the gorgeous re-imagining of Resident Evil 4 HD and Resident Evil CODE: Veronica X HD, plus surprises! Followed by a Q&A session. Saturday, October 15, 6:15 – 7:15pm in the MTV Theater 1A10
• World of Capcom – Learn firsthand about Capcom’s newest hit properties, Dragon’s Dogma and Asura’s Wrath, as well as the latest on the just released Dead Rising 2 Off The Record Executive Producer, Jason Leigh. Followed by a Q&A session. Sunday, Oct 16, 12:15 – 1:15pm in the American Airlines Theater 1A06
BOOTH ACTIVITIES
• Play the upcoming 2011/2012 line-up of games before they come out in stores. Playable demos include: Dragon’s Dogma, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Resident Evil Revelations, Street Fighter X Tekken, Asura’s Wrath, Dead Rising 2 Off The Record, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Street Fighter IV: Volt.
• Tournaments will be happening in the heart of Capcom’s booth Friday through Sunday at 11am-12pm for Street Fighter X Tekken and 2-3pm for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Signup daily at the Capcom booth from 9-10am. A special Dead Rising 2 Off The Record Tournament will take place on Saturday from 4-5pm.
• Capcom producers and artists will be hosting signing sessions at various times during the show.
• The Capcom store will once again offer special merchandise and limited edition items, in addition to the ever popular Grab Bag filled with awesome Capcom goodies.
• There will also be additional special promotions and giveaways galore, so attendees are encouraged to visit the booth often.
SPECIAL EVENT
• New York Comic Con is the setting for the SFXT BOWL MMXI! Street Fighter X Tekken fans will get to cheer on superstar producers Yoshinori Ono (Street Fighter) and Katzuhiro Harada (Tekken) as they don full football gear, and draft select fans from the crowd to join them in a series of football challenges on a custom indoor SFXT football field. Cheerleaders will lead the crowds as we find out just which fighter franchise has the best fans of all. Fun for the whole family as well as tons of custom SFXT BOWL premiums such as Tshirts, bang bang sticks, foam fingers, and more! Saturday, OCT 15, level 1- Exhibit Hall 1B, Noon – 1pm.
Capcom will be located at the entrance of the Exhibit Hall in booth #722. Stay tuned to Capcom-Unity for updates at http://www.capcom-unity.com/
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