Tag Archives: VGA 101

Japan Has A Resident Evil Restaurant. They’re Better Prepared For The Zombie Apocalypse Than We Are…

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Theme restaurants are nothing new in Japan at all. In fact, poke around the internet (or even better, Tokyo proper) and you’ll find all sorts of cool to weird theme restaurants. Capcom has one for their Biohazard series (known here as Resident Evil), aptly named Biohazard Cafe & Grill. Here’s a video walk through to ogle and wonder when the hell the US is getting one. Sure, Times Square, Hollywood, Florida or wherever the hell Raccoon City is would be perfect, but don’t bet on it for a few reasons. I’d say sticky-fingered fans of the franchise would clean out the joint while it was being constructed. Yeah, you KNOW you’d be swiping those salt and pepper packets and “blood” ketchup by the box-load if you ever got a job there. That and hell, despite the US love for the macabre and all things zombie on a fictional level (er, unless you count those who REALLY think zombies exist), I can see all sorts of issues with parents protesting the restaurant even before it opens up. Hey, at least you know where your kids are all afternoon, Ma and Pa Kettle…

Capcom Arcade Cabinet All-In-One Pack: Holdouts Get It But Good…

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So, you were one of those cheap thrifty folk hanging about and peeking ’round the corner every so often waiting for Capcom to release the full version of its hit arcade games collection at a ridiculously low price? Well, *ding!*…  your order is hot and ready to go. Available now for oh, about 50% off and including the two secret bonus games, Vulgus (“What’s a Vulgus?!”, you ask? You’l find out soon enough!) and 1943 Kai! you can grab Capcom Arcade Cabinet on PSN and XBLA for $29.99 (or /€29.99/£23.99/2000 Microsoft points). Play these at home on your TV and not have to worry about some thug shaking you down for quarters, sticky controllers or cigarette smoke blinding you when you’re going for that high score. Er, unless you smoke when you’re playing games…

VGA 101: New DS Aquisitions: Soma Bringer & ATV Wild Ride

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new DS stuff

One is an awesome Japanese import action/RPG that’s very much Diablo inspired with an anime edge (and sadly was never localized into English – thanks, Nintendo for missing out on what would have been yet another a surefire hit new IP!).

The other is an amazing technical wonder in the form of a 60 frames per second racing game featuring those four-wheeled death machines some folks seem to love a wee bit too much. Thanks to Anthony Bourdain nearly killing himself when he fell off one that proceeded to roll over him as he tumbled down a sandy slope on an old episode of No Reservations, every time I see or think ATV, I get a good laugh going that takes a minute or two to subside… Continue reading →

VGA 101: More Collection Madness, Badly Shot (For Now)…

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Nope, I’m not QUITE taking today off, folks. I was just catching up on some games I need to review (the results of which you’ll read shortly). Anyway, to keep you “entertained”, I thought I’d grab my crappy camera and quickly zoom through some stuff in the library (which NEEDS a big reorganization and/or a makeover I can’t afford yet, boo!). Er, you may want to take some Dramamine before viewing this, as it’s probably really fuzzy and moving faster than a caterpillar who’s had a pot of strong coffee. Or like a rat. Made out of a LOT of video games. Squeak, squeak! Eek, eek!

Video Game Appreciation 101 (III): On Instructions and Necessary Antisocial Behavior

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This time, let’s talk briefly about pain management before moving on to today’s lesson. For this first part of the class, you’ll need a hammer and a hand. Yours, specifically, so you should have two. One-handed gamers are excused from this part of the lesson (unless you can hold a hammer in your prosthetic hand or have a friend who won’t mind lending a hand). Now, on the count of three, raise the hammer and hit your free hand… oh, somewhere around the thumb is fine. Not too hard, now.

Ready? One, Two, Three!

Oops.

As you can probably guess, most of you didn’t actually hit your hands. This is indeed a wise thing. Those of you who did are in a lot of pain and probably wondering why the other 99 percent of the class isn’t joining you curled up in a ball under their seats…

Continue reading →

Hey, Sony? Where The Heck is PANEKIT On The PS3 and Vita?

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(thanks, akiha777!) 

I’ve been on the hunt for a reasonably priced copy of PANEKIT for ages and I’m still surprised that Sony has passed up on localizing this seriously awesome game for the U.S. of A. while also never updating it for a home or portable console since its release*. And you’re now asking me: “What’s a PANEKIT?” Basically, it’s a toy construction kit where you get to build whatever you want out of metal “parts” and set it in motion (if you like) in a 3D world. Sure, it’s visually “dated” by today’s standards and DEFINITELY a niche title, at that. Nevertheless, in this age of all sorts of junk games on phones and tablets, anything that allows you to create and share digital toys with others without losing pieces or worrying about dropping what you’ve built (and seeing it smash into a million pieces) deserves a new shot…

*Yes, the game was popular enough in Japan to get a PSN reissue not too long ago, but it STILL wasn’t even looked at for a more worldwide release (which is too bad)…

Gallery: 3DO Library

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More of my game collection madness for your viewing pleasure. Actually, of the three galleries posted so far, this set of games was the easiest to photograph as almost all of them are stored right next to my PC in a CD tower and the others are in a nearby bin. Enjoy!

Review: The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

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Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Snowblind Studios

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE)

# of Players 1 – 3 (online 1 – 3)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

Attempting to expand upon a revered and well-established canon such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth saga is indeed tricky business, particularly in the case of The Lord of the Rings trology. Get it wrong and it’s a trip into the bowels of Mount Doom as some poor development team and publisher face the wrath and ruin of legions of longtime fans. Fortunately, The Lord of The Rings: War in the North delivers an epic (and Mature-rated) tale that ties in nicely with the trilogy as well as an addictive hack & slash that’s challenging and highly replayable. It also marks Snowblind Studios’ first current generation title (finally!) and yes, they’ve done a very solid job here. The visual presentation is grand and fitting, the music is perfect and the familiar gameplay is brutal, simple and about as fun as can be for a game of this type. The game is not without its flaws, however. Some chinks in the armor show up in the form of a a weird sound bug in one area, occasional AI stumbles plus a wee bit too much repetition of quest-related dialog. Nevertheless, this is one journey well worth taking whether or not you’re a fan of the books and films. Continue reading →

What Team Ico “Should”* Do Next (After The Last Guardian, That Is)…

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I’ve been kicking this silly idea around for a while (over 10 years), but I’m no game developer at all, just an old gamer and sometimes “idea guy” with a lot of thoughts about how to make good games better and better games even more fun. By the way, game companies DO NOT HIRE IDEA PEOPLE (trust me, I’ve asked). So er, don’t get any wild ideas about becoming that person who thinks it’s a good idea that Nintendo or whomever will want you and your notebooks full of Mario or Metroid levels just because you and your friends think they’ve never been done before. Now, where was I? Oh, right.

Since Fumeta Ueda and company are so great at making beautiful worlds and combining them with thought-provoking stories that don’t use a ton of words to express a wide range of emotions, I’d actually love to see them remake an old favorite of mine that, while not a “classic” at all, is a very intriguing game that has a number of similarities to their work. Continue reading →

Spiderweb Software Is Having An Eternal Sale. Get Some Great RPG’s Anytime You Like…

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spiderweb_logo

Want to try out (and then buy) some of the deepest and most intricate RPGs out there for PC and Mac (and in at least one case, iPad)? Well, Spiderweb Software, which usually runs an October sale has lowered their prices even more permanently! While getting 20% (or more) off is awesome, buying one of their PC or Mac games this month will give you an EXTRA 10% off, making anything they have an even nicer deal. Hmmmm… at these prices, I may just have to take my own advice here for a change…