Get Your Game On | Renzie on Gaming!

A History of Video Game Consoles, pt 2 of 2

2008-10-13T13:42:00.005+08:00

a momentary break from actual gaming by Renzie Baluyut

Hey everyone. Welcome to my two-part special on the History of Gaming Consoles on my personal gaming blog: Get Your Game On | Renzie on Gaming.

I thought I'd do a public service discussing the history of video game consoles since me and a few friends were reminiscing about the good ol' days when we played our first ever video games- the Atari 2600, the Nintendo Family Computer, the Sega Saturn, and finally the first time the Sony Playstation blew our minds.

We're now moving on to the second part of our special on the History of Gaming Consoles. If you missed the first part, you may read it here. We covered the first four generations of gaming systems in our previous post on the subject, so we continue where we left off:

Fifth Generation (1993-2002)

Video games look so much better now as we enter the 32-bit era, and we see a new surge in not just consoles, but also handhelds and video games in general. The consoles that dominated this time period: the SEGA Saturn, the Sony Playstation, and the Nintendo 64. We all know how that turned out, right?

Many gaming systems have started shifting towards using CD-ROMs instead of game cartridges. Initially the loading times were slow, but as optical drives improved, this issue was addressed. Games in CD format were also cheaper to produce, and the lower costs were passed on to the consumers. Then again, it was also easy to pirate.

Of course, there were other fifth-gen consoles that weren't as commercially successful: The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, the Amiga CD32 and the Atari Jaguar.

The Sony Playstation was comparatively cheaper than the other consoles at the time, and benefited from an effective marketing campaign: positioning itself as a lifestyle accessory for males in the late teens to late 20's age bracket. Plus, games were easy to program for the Playstation, which made for a lot of games- far more than its closest competitor, the Sega Saturn.

Nintendo was the first to go 64-bit, and did rather well with Super Mario 64. It also came out with updated versions of the Game Boy: the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Light, and the Game Boy Pocket.

Nintendo did well, but not well enough to pass the Playstation in unit sales. It did have a strong hold on its market, appealing strongly to children and families.

Successful game titles at this time: Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy VII, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil and Silent Hill, Super Mario 64, Panzer Dragoon Saga and GoldenEye 007.

Sixth Generation (1998-2006)

Enter the sixth generation of video game consoles. The sixth-gen era is also referred to as the 128-bit era, and therefore saw the rise of some awesome gaming hardware: Sega's Dreamcast, Sony's Playstation 2, the Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft's XBox.

The clear winner in this generation was Sony's PlayStation 2- having sold over 140 million units as of mid-July 2008. Those figures also make the PS2 the best-selling console in history.

Microsoft's XBox comes in second with over 24 million units sold, Nintendo's GameCube in third with over 21 million units sold. Sega's Dreamcast came in fourth with just under 11 million units sold, and was discontinued prematurely in 2001, just before the XBox and the GameCube were released later that year.

Handhelds had also become more sophisticated. Nintendo saw continued success with its various new GameBoys, and then you had Nokia coming out with a gaming handheld/mobile phone hybrid in 2003- the Nokia N-Gage, and then the N-Gage QD a year later.

By this era, many game publishers started developing a cross-platform strategy, releasing versions of their games over multiple systems- PC, major consoles, and sometimes, even handhelds.

We also saw the rise of online gaming. While the Dreamcast was the first to incorporate a modem and browsing software into its system, it was the XBox that enabled players to play with other gamers online with XBox Live.

Notable gaming titles in this era: Grand Theft Auto III, GTA: Vice City, and finally GTA: San Andreas, Resident Evil 4, Shenmue and Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast, Halo and Halo 2 for the XBox, Metroid Prime for the GameCube, and the Disney/Square-Enix collaboration, Kingdom Hearts.

Seventh Generation (2004- today)

The Seventh Generation of gaming consoles is pretty much what we have right now-- the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft's XBox 360, and the Sony PlayStation 3.

The XBox 360 came out in November 2005, almost a full year ahead of the other two, and continued to enjoy strong sales in North America and Europe. Its advantage over its competitors has been the quantity and quality of titles, with even more titles coming out by the end of the year.

Sony's Playstation 3 hit the shelves on 11 November 2006, and had come equipped with Blu-ray capabilities, a feature critical to the success of the Blu-ray format, according to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment execs.

The Nintendo Wii dropped in stores on 19 November 2006, and had turned out to be the biggest selling gaming system of all three seventh-gen consoles. The Wii positioned itself to capture not just hard-core gamers, but also casual gamers, non-gamers and lapsed gamers.

In addition to its popular franchises, and in line to make the console more appealing to casual gamers, the Nintendo Wii came out with the Wii Series of games- which simulated real-world activities, or played around with sports, music, or doing exercises- all making use of its new gaming controllers equipped with motion-sensors.

The Wii and certain (earlier) models of the PS3 are fully backwards compatible with titles from their earlier counterparts.

As for handheld systems, we have the Nintendo DS (and later, the DS Lite) and Sony's PlayStation Portable (or PSP, and the succeeding PSP Slim and PSP Lite). The DS proved to be more popular with both core gamers and new consumers, while the PSP was mainly marketed towards a 25+ year-old (core gamer) market.

Notable titles for the Seventh Generation: Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect and BioShock for the XBox 360, God of War, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy Versus XIII for the PS3 and Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Sports for the Wii.

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. A crash course on the History of Gaming Consoles. Hope you learned something new today.

Cheers, everyone!

StarCraft II: It's a Trilogy!

2008-10-11T09:55:00.003+08:00

news from the wonderful world of gaming by Renzie Baluyut.

It's official, ladies and gentlemen: Blizzard's StarCraft II is now a trilogy.

You heard it right: three separate standalone single-player campaigns have been laid out for the sequel to Blizzard's best-selling real-time strategy title.

At BlizzCon '08 in Anaheim, Blizzard's Rob Pardo admitted that StarCraft II was already shaping up to be an undertaking far larger than the previous game. Wings of Liberty- the first game in the Starcraft II series- will focus on the Terrans. We just might actually get to see some closure for Jim Raynor and Kerrigan, two of our main characters from the original StarCraft game.

The second and third installments are Heart of the Swarm, which deals with the Zerg, and Legacy of the Void, which is dedicated this time to the Protoss.

According to Pardo, every one is going to be a full standalone campaign (as opposed to two expansions to one standalone StarCraft game) with 26 to 30 missions apiece. Each of the three will still have multiplayer components, and while a game might have its own set ending, but Pardo was quick to assure attendees that the middle part of the game have been designed to accomodate player choices.

No word, however, on when the first game in the StarCraft II trilogy will be out in stores.

So get ready to fork over some more cash to Blizzard just to get your StarCraft fix, ladies and gentlemen.

Cheers, everyone!

Warhammer Online: 750,000 Strong and Growing

2008-10-11T09:25:00.003+08:00

a quick gaming update from Renzie Baluyut.

No doubt about it: the whole gaming community's tuned in to the latest on what Blizzard has to offer on BlizzCon this weekend. But Mythic reveals the latest figures on its own MMORPG title- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning- which hit shelves just last September 18.

At the 2008 Tokyo Game Show, Turbine CEO James Crowley delivered a keynote address, and announced that EA Mythic now pegs the registered player total for the fantasy MMO title at 750,000. That's a full quarter-million up from when Warhammer Online came out just less than a month ago.

Already, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning may be "the fastest-selling new MMO of all-time," as EA Mythic claims. But can it sustain its subscribers after a couple of months?

Funcom's Age of Conan- another MMORPG- racked up a fairly impressive 400,000 subscribers in its first week upon dropping in stores. Three months after launching however, while Funcom may have sold some 800,000 copies of the game, only 415,000 subscribers stuck around.

Both Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Age of Conan will be up against some pretty stiff competition in a few weeks. World of Warcraft's latest expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, comes out on November 13. WoW already has at least 11 million subscribers to its name- and those numbers are expected to shoot up once WotLK hits shelves next month.

Cheers, everyone!

Unveiled: Diablo III's Wizard Class

2008-10-11T08:39:00.009+08:00

a quick time-out from gaming with Renzie Baluyut.

BlizzCon '08 is well under way at the Anaheim Convention Center, and Blizzard fills us in on the third of five classes you can play with its highly-anticipated hack-and-slash RPG: Diablo III.

You've probably already seen the demo gameplay for the first two classes: the Barbarian and the Witch Doctor. As if paying homage to the old pen-and-paper role-playing games, Blizzard has decided to throw in our magic-wielding Wizard Class.

Unlike the Witch Doctor who supposedly draws his abilities from the spiritual realm, the Wizard taps into the raw power of the universe and channels it to do her bidding.

The good guys of Blizzard gave eager BlizzCon attendees a sneak peak of the workings of the new Wizard- essentially what sets her apart from the other classes- and had gone further to explain Diablo III's new skill system and skill tree, a new rune system, and new improved special effects based on your character's special abilities.

So what can the Diablo III Wizard class do?

- Early on, she is able to throw Magic Missiles- something Dungeons & Dragons players should be familiar with. It's really more like the old Firebolt of Diablo II- a very basic arcane ranged attack which presumably becomes more powerful as your character invests more skills into it.

- After gaining a few more levels, she can now unlock Electrocute- a quick zap of raw electrical energy that pretty much looks like a form of a lightning bolt, then maybe progressing to something like chain lightning at higher levels.

- Higher up the skill tree is Slow Time, which was implemented as a bubble effect that radiates outward from the Wizard.

- Lastly, the devastating Disintegrate was introduced. Described as "a real face-melter", this spell makes use of a charge mechanic which allows the player to hold down a button and sweep their mouse across a swath of opponents, dealing more damage to enemies unfortunate enough to be targeted longer by the Wizard.

While a lot of the gameplay aspects were already demonstrated at BlizzCon, the current version is by no means final, as some game mechanics are still being either worked in, fine-tuned or chucked out completely by Blizzard game designers.

No word yet on when Diablo III will be released. In the meantime, get blown away by this vid posted on Blizzard's YouTube channel. Enjoy!

Pictures from Gamespot. Check out more pics and screenshots on Gamespot's section on Diablo III.

Cheers, everyone!

Great Moments in Gaming: The Onyxia Wipe Video

2008-10-09T10:41:00.007+08:00

a quick break from actual gaming by Renzie Baluyut

I don't know if you've already seen this video, but I just did a few months back.

Backgrounder: if you've been playing World of Warcraft, then you know that the later storyline brings in Onyxia, this big-ass black dragon boss, who has decided to take the southern part of Dustwallow Marsh as her lair.

It takes a massive effort to bring Onyxia down, with guilds organizing large raiding parties still getting wiped. Onyxia on her own is tough enough, but adventurers also have to deal with all kinds of Black Dragonspawn- among them, Black Dragon Whelps. Many, many whelps.

Now here's a disturbingly hilarious video of one such guild who had come knocking on Onyxia's lair. And promptly got wiped. Thanks to Alachas1985 for capturing this moment in viral video form- truly one of the greatest moments of gaming. Ever. Take a look.

Here's a transcription of what went down. Mind you, if you it's filled with expletives- so a word to the sensitive ones. Just had to stay faithful to the original material, is all. With that out of the way...

Odd groups go to the left, even groups go to the right. That means 1, 3, 5, 7 - left, 2, 4, 6, 8 - right. Seven and Eight are Whelp Groups.

Okay, now listen the fuck up: you're going to DPS very very slowly. Now... and by slowly, I mean fucking slow.

If you get aggro, it means you're going to lose 50 DKP 'coz you didn't know what the fuck to do!

And watch the fucking tail!

If you get kicked into the whelps, you lose 50 DKP again- for not being where the fuck you were supposed to be.

There is no aggro reset. The only... there's some shit about an aggro reset when some people don't know how to manage their aggro.

After 2 Sunders, you can basically start doing damage to it. Assuming you know how Aggro works, you son't over-Aggro.

OK, nuke it, DOT it, help the whelp groups...

When it's in phase 2, nuke it as hard as possible. You want to get it down as fast as possible. Have DOTs up on- on every time. 2 rows: Shadow Word: Pain, Warlock Curses, Rend, everything.

I don't see enough DOTs, more DOTs now! Come on, more DPS! Hit it like ya mean it! You'll get time to rest in Phase 3 while (down) getting Aggro.

Remember, save your Aggro-reducing abilities for when it lands. That means Feign Death, Vanish, -erm- fucking Fade, anything that you can use to reset Aggro.

At 40%, you will stop DOTs. Until then, you will throw more DOTs. Throw more DOTs, more DOTs, more DOTs. Come on, more DOTs! 'K, stop DOTs.

Now hit it very hard. And very fast!

Lee, run to the center! Mogrus, run to the center! Foresight, run to the center! Sarp, run to the center! Isis, run to the center! Whatever the fuck you do, don't stand next to other people!

Mogrus, center! Just heal me.

Lee, do NOT..! Go away from the head, Lee! Go away!
'K, DPS! Slowly! Come here, you fucking cunt! Watch the tail!

(Someone else) Whelps. (Somebody else) Crushim was Feared into...

WHO THE FUCK WAS THAT? Crushim, what the FUCK? Whelps- left side! Even side, many whelps! NOW, HANDLE it!

FUCK!

That's a FUCKING 50 DKP minus! What the FUCK was that SHIT?

If you stand in the right fucking place, there is NO WAY you are going to FUCKING get into the GODDAMNED whelps, whatever fucking FEAR, Tailswipe- whatever the FUCK! Okay?! It's like one in a fucking million!

From the- fucking north corner, to the middle, into the fucking Whelp cave, it's not even FUCKING remotely imaginable!

(end)

From Alachas1985's YouTube entry: The audio was created by "Dives" from Wipe Club, I had nothing to do with its creation, I only made the animation. Cheers to the guys from "Wipe Club" (http://www.wipeclub.eu) for making the sound clip!

Cheers indeed!

The 10 Highest Rated Nintendo Wii Games of All Time, pt 2 of 2.

2008-10-08T13:35:00.001+08:00

yet another break from actual gaming by Renzie Baluyut

Welcome to Part 2 of my special report on the Top 10 Highest Rated Games for the Nintendo Wii of all time, according to Gamespot.com.

After checking out the Nintendo Wii in action at a recent bloggers' party, I thought I might just get one for myself. After all, the Wii is great family fun.

In Part 1 of our special report, we've already mentioned five games: No More Heroes, Super Mario Bros. 3, Paper Mario, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Paper Mario.

So let's get on with our report and take on the five highest-rated Nintendo games of all time, according to Gamespot.com. Here we go:

5. Okami (released 15 Apr 2008)

This nature adventure game sees players assuming the role of a sun god who's attempting to restore life to a world devoid of color.

Ōkami is an action-adventure video game that was initially released for the Sony PlayStation 2. The port for Nintendo's Wii console was released in North America on April 15, 2008,

Set in an unspecified period of classical Japanese history, Ōkami combines several Japanese myths, legends and folklore to tell the story of how the land was saved from darkness by the Shinto sun goddess, named Amaterasu, who has taken the form of a white wolf. It features a distinct sumi-e-inspired cel-shaded visual style and the Celestial Brush, a gesture-system to perform miracles.

Ōkami was one of the last few PlayStation 2 games selected for release prior to the release of the PlayStation 3. Although it suffered from poor sales, Ōkami earned high acclaim from reviewers and earned, among other awards, the title of IGN's 2006 Game of the Year. The Wii version has earned similar praise though the motion control scheme has received mixed reviews from both critics and gamers.

4. WarioWare: Smooth Moves (released 15 Jan 2007)

The first next-gen installment in Nintendo's series includes over 200 minigames that use the Wii's motion-sensing controller.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves is the fifth game of the WarioWare series of games.

Like its predecessors, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a collection of microgames based on simple actions which usually last fewer than five seconds each.

The microgames are played in rapid succession, presenting the player with the gameplay screen and a short instruction hinting at the action that must be accomplished. Once the microgame is complete, the next one begins. If a player makes four mistakes over the course of one set of microgames, they usually must start over from the beginning of the set.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves has received favorable reviews from the gaming community, receiving a score of 83 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on the average scores of 58 press reviews. GameSpot rated the game 9.1 out of 10, their highest rating for a party game, and stated that "it's a terrific use of the Wii's unique control features, it looks amazing...".

3. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (released 19 Jun 2007)

Resident Evil 4 heads to the Wii, incorporating the control functionality of the Wii Remote and the additional content included in the Playstation 2 version.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, originally came out for the GameCube and then the PS2 later on, but was also released for the Wii on May 31, 2007 in Japan. While it features new controls involving the Wii Remote and Nunchuk extension, the game comes with the ability to use a Classic Controller instead.

The Wii Remote is able to aim and shoot anywhere on the screen with a reticle that replaces the laser sight found in the other versions. It can also be flicked in order to use the knife to instantly target an enemy.

The Wii Edition also includes the extra content from the PlayStation 2 and PC versions, and a trailer for Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

Resident Evil 4 has won numerous Game of the Year awards.

2. Super Mario Galaxy (released 12 Nov 2007)

Super Mario Galaxy finds Mario taking his adventures to new heights as he soars through space from planet to planet in search of stars.

Super Mario Galaxy is a 3D platform game developed and published by Nintendo for Wii. It is the third 3D platformer in the Mario series after Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine.

The game follows Mario on his quest through space to save Princess Peach from his arch-nemesis Bowser. Levels take the form of galaxies filled with a variety of minor planets and worlds while gameplay is updated with a variety of gravity effects and new power-ups.

The game is one of the most critically acclaimed titles of all time,and has won numerous "Game of the Year" awards. By March 31, 2008, it had sold 6.10 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling standalone Wii game and the third best-selling game published by Nintendo for the Wii behind Wii Sports and Wii Play, respectively.

1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (released 09 Mar 9, 2008)

Duke it out with your favorite Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl, or just simply SSBB, is the third installment in the Nintendo series of crossover fighting games.

Following its predecessors, Brawl uses a battle system unlike that of typical fighting games. Players can choose from a large selection of characters, each attempting to knock their opponents off the screen as they fight on various stages.

Instead of using traditional health bars that start at 100% and lose value, Brawl characters start the game with 0% and the value rises as they take damage. As a character's percentage increases, the character flies farther back when hit.

When a character is knocked beyond a stage's boundary and disappears from the screen, the character loses either a life or a point depending on the mode of play.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl had received an aggregate review score of 94% on Metacritic, and 93.3% on Game Rankings. As of March 31, 2008, it has sold a total of 4.85 million units worldwide.

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, Part 2 of the Top 10 Highest Rated Games for the Nintendo Wii of all time, according to our dear friends from Gamespot. You can check out Part 1 of my special report here.

Here are five runner-ups that didn't quite make it to Gamespot's list of the ten highest-rated Wii games of all time. They're all good games, nevertheless, and probably worth your while checking out: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Mega Man 9, Mario Kart Wii, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

If you still want to know how your other favorite Nintendo Wii games fared against all the others, you can then check out the rest of Gamespot's top games for the Nintendo Wii here. Always a great reference if you're in the market for some really great games for the Wii, whether you're completing your collection, or just starting from scratch.

Game blurbs taken from Gamespot. Pictures and information courtesy of Wikipedia. Follow the links to read more about our featured 10 Highest Rated Nintendo Wii Games of All Time.

Cheers, everyone!

A History of Video Game Consoles, pt 1 of 2

2008-10-08T11:36:00.005+08:00

a momentary break from actual gaming by Renzie Baluyut

Hey everyone. Just thought I'd do a public service discussing the History of Video Game Consoles. Some friends and I were talking about the days when we played our first ever video games- it was the Atari 2600 for me, and back then, if you had one at home, you were the coolest kid on the block.

Welcome to my two-part special on my personal gaming blog: Get Your Game On | Renzie on Gaming. Enjoy!

How It All Began

As early as 1951, a dude named Ralph Baer came up with the idea of interactive television, supposedly as he was building TVs from scratch back in New Youk. Baer was actually a television engineer, and so in 1966, created the first ever video game: two dots chasing each other around onscreen.

Sanders Associates, the company he was working for, gave Baer the go-ahead to go further, and threw some funding his way. Two other dudes were signed up: Bill Harrison, who came up with the idea of a light gun, aimed to hit a target moved by another player, and Bill Rusch who came up with the concept of the video ping-pong game.

The result was the protoype known as the "Brown Box" in 1968. It had 2 controllers, a light gun, and switches to determine which game you wanted to play.

The company Magnavox came on board in 1969 and used plug-in circuits to change the games instead of switches- giving birth to the first ever commercially released video game console in May 1972: The Magnavox Odyssey.

First Generation (1972-1977)

Aside from the Magnavox Odyssey, you also had the Pong game from Atari/Sears, which came out in the Christmas of 1975. You also had the Coleco Telstar, which also had its own line of games.

The first-gen consoles were not very successful commercially, however, owing to little support from their parent companies, and therefore not having a decent marketing push.

Second Gen (1976-1984)

Things started picking up though by 1977, when Atari came out with the Atari 2600, then later with the 5200.

You also had the Fairchild Channel F, the Magnavox Odyssey, Mattel's Intellivision, Milton Bradley's Vectrex, the Emerson Arcadia 2001, Colecovision, and the SEGA SG-100.

Though everyone enjoyed fairly brisk sales in the early 8-bit era, the most popular choice was still the Atari 2600, having a good selection of games that were also popular in the arcade.

We also saw the early handheld game consoles. Milton Bradly's Microvision was the first to come out in 1979, but didn't do so well commercially. You know what did though? Nintendo's Game and Watches, which came out in 1980.

The more popular games at the time? Pac-Man, Asteroids, Defender, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Space Invaders, Pitfall, Q*bert, Mario Brothers and Spy Hunter.

The video game crash happened in 1983, mainly because the market was oversaturated with all kinds of consoles, and mostly crappy games, as many companies only wish to just cash in on the video games craze of the early 80's, without really delivering much in the way of a great gaming experience.

For a time there, the future of gaming looked rather bleak- many companies have gone bankrupt and folded. Entire inventories had gone unsold, and were even used as landfill, the stories say.

Third Gen (1983-1992)

Nintendo's Family Computer (as it was known here in the Philippines), or Famicom (as it was known in Japan), or the Nintendo Entertainment System pretty much singlehandedly saved the video game industry, at least as far as consoles were concerned.

Its most popular titles? Super Mario Bros., the first Final Fantasy games, The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest, Contra, Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania and Bomberman.

Nintendo also introduced the Gameboy, which started to dominate the handheld market in the late 80's.

Despite Nintendo's success in North America and most of Asia, Sega's Master System was more popular in Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.

Fourth Gen (1987-1996)

By this time, we saw the dominance of two new consoles: the Nintendo's SuperNES, and the SEGA Genesis.

We now saw 16-bit games, which looked so much better than their earlier counterparts. In fact, many of the popular titles from the third gen got themselves updated to 16-bit versions, but we also saw some newcomers- Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter were all popular fourth gen games.

Part 2 of my 2-part coverage of The History of Gaming Consoles comes up in a bit. We'll cover the rest of the gaming consoles all the way to the seventh gen, which would the consoles we have with us today.

Cheers, everyone!

The 10 Highest Rated Nintendo Wii Games of All Time, pt 1 of 2.

2008-10-07T11:50:00.006+08:00

yet another break from actual gaming by Renzie Baluyut

If you're a dude like me who's just out to get a Nintendo Wii, you'd definitely want to fork over some extra cash in building up a decent enough games library. I'm really a PC games guy by default, but after checking out the Wii in action at a party I've been to recently, I just might reconsider getting one for myself.

Should be great when my cousins come dropping by the next time.

In any case, one of the best sites to do games research for me, has always been Gamespot. In their very own section for the Wii we can check out the highest-rated games that ever came out for Nintendo's seventh-gen console.

So ladies and gentlemen, here we have the first half of my 2-part special report on the Top 10 Highest Rated Games for the Nintendo Wii of all time, according to our dear friends from Gamespot. Starting off at number ten...

10. Super Paper Mario (released 09 Apr 2007)

Get ready for the next installment in Nintendo's Paper Mario RPG series, entitled Super Paper Mario.

Super Paper Mario is another role-playing game in Nintendo's Mario universe- the third in the Paper Mario series, in fact- but the style of gameplay is a combination of the previous Paper Mario titles AND Super Mario Bros. titles.

Unlike the RPG-style gameplay of previous Paper Mario games, the game combines platforming gameplay, RPG, and puzzle elements.

9. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (released 26 Feb 2007)

The N64 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time makes an appearance on the Wii Virtual Console.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure video game, originally developed for the Nintendo N64. Ocarina of Time is the fifth game in the Legend of Zelda series, but is actually a prequel to the other four that came before it.

The game received wide critical acclaim and commercial success. Despite a November 1998 release, it was the best-selling game of that year, and has sold over 7.6 million copies.

8. Paper Mario (released for the Wii on 16 Jul 2007)

Mario's paper-thin debut comes to the Virtual Console.

Paper Mario, known in Japan as Mario Story is a role-playing video game developed originally for the Nintendo 64. Paper Mario was re-released for Nintendo's Virtual Console in 2007.

Paper Mario is set in the Mushroom Kingdom as the protagonist Mario tries to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. To do so, he must locate seven "Star Spirits" to negate the effects of the captured Star Rod, which grants invincibility to Bowser.

The game received a positive reaction from the media, attaining an aggregate score of 88% from Game Rankings and 93% from Metacritic.

7. Super Mario Bros. 3 (released for the Wii on 05 Nov 2007)

Mario ventures beyond the Mushroom Kingdom to battle Koopas across seven neighboring worlds using new power-ups like the Tanooki Suit.

Super Mario Bros. 3 is often considered one of the best Super Mario games.

It is the fifth release in the Super Mario video game series, which was first released for the Famicom in Japan and later on the NES in North America and PAL regions.

It is often regarded as one of the Nintendo Entertainment System's greatest games, and is the second best selling game for the NES, after Super Mario Bros.

The NES version was later re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console.

6. No More Heroes (released 22 Jan 2008)

From SUDA-51, creator of the surreal shooter Killer7, No More Heroes chronicles Travis Touchdown's rise to the top of the assassin's league.

No More Heroes is an action video game directed by Goichi Suda- or more known in Japan by the nickname Suda51.

Throughout the game, the player controls the character Travis Touchdown. The game has a free roaming world, allowing Travis to move around on foot or on his motorcycle, the "Schpeltiger". Gameplay is open-ended, with the concession that the player must kill the top ten assassins in order to make the storyline progress. There are numerous part time job side quests to earn money which can be spent on weapons, training sessions, clothes and video tapes.

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, Part 1 of the Top 10 Highest Rated Games for the Nintendo Wii of all time, according to our dear friends from Gamespot. You can check out Part 2 of my special report here.

Here are five runner-ups that didn't quite make it to Gamespot's list of the ten highest-rated Wii games of all time. They're all good games, nevertheless, and probably worth your while checking out: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Mega Man 9, Mario Kart Wii, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

If you still want to know how your other favorite Nintendo Wii games fared against all the others, you can then check out the rest of Gamespot's top games for the Nintendo Wii here. Always a great reference if you're in the market for some really great games for the Wii, whether you're completing your collection, or just starting from scratch.

Game blurbs taken from Gamespot. Pictures and information courtesy of Wikipedia. Follow the links to read more about our featured 10 Highest Rated Nintendo Wii Games of All Time.

Cheers, everyone!

Waiting For Fallout 3

2008-09-19T14:44:00.005+08:00

Just a little over a month more before Bethesda Software's take on the venerated role-playing classic hits stores. I gotta admit- I can't wait to get my grubby little fingers on my very own copy of Fallout 3.

For those unfamiliar with the title, the Fallout series of role-playing games was set in a post-apocalyptic, alternate reality. Remember the Cold War in the 50's? What if we actually went straight to World War 3 from there? In the Fallout universe, the survivors have been living in underground Vaults for several years, only to come out and find a desolate, wasteland of a world. And that pretty much sets the stage for Fallout.

Usually, you start out as a Vault-dweller, or as a descendant of vault-dwellers, and as you do some exploring and go about your business, you'd probably discover a greater evil on the rise, and you, as the reluctant hero, end up being mankind's last hope.

I'll probably go into the details of the first few games (Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, and the XBox's Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel) in my future posts. For now, it's enough to know that Bethesda Software- the dudes from the hugely successful Elder Scroll series of role-playing games, have so far done a great job in bringing back Fallout from the dead.

Here's the latest Fallout 3 video trailer from GameSpot. Enjoy.

Here's the very first trailer that came out earlier this year, if you missed it:

Fallout 3 comes out on October 28. Not just for the PC, but for the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3 as well. Can't wait!

Cheers, everyone!

Dead Space Out This Month

2008-09-18T14:44:00.003+08:00

If you're a fan of sci-fi horror games like last year's BioShock, the X-box's Fatal Frame 2, the under-appreciated Clive Barker's Undying and the more classic System Shock 2 , then Dead Space is probably a game you should look out for.

A hands-on preview by Ricardo Torres is out on Gamespot. It's borderline spoiler-free, and gives you a good idea of what you'll be up to when you leap into the game.

You may have already figured it out: something goes terribly awry in some huge space vessel. A dear lady-friend is on board, so you're here to rescue her, and here you are trying to make heads-and-tails of the dismembered corpses you see all over. Yes, you also get to upgrade your gear- weapons, armor, and even special abilities- anything you can do to help you get to the bottom of this mess.

Ah, you can expect a lot of nasty beasties as well. And you know they get progressively more ornery as you make your way through the game. Monster bosses that await you at the end of each level? Likely so. But before we all get ahead of ourselves, why not go ahead and read the rest of the preview on Gamespot here.

Dead Space by Electronic Arts hits the shelves on October 20.

Cheers, everyone!

5 Ways of Dealing with Repetitive Strain Injury

2008-09-09T17:26:00.006+08:00

Here's a post that I first published on another blog of mine, The Life and Times of The Renzie Man. A little bit of advice for all you fellow gamers out there, especially those who have yet to experience the pain and discomfort of Repetitive Strain Injury. Read on!

I’ve had the misfortune of not being able to type for more than a couple of weeks. The doctors said it’s RSI, or Repetitive Strain Injury. Or Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD). Or Work related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD). Whatever it is, the joint area that connects my right pointy finger with the rest of the hand got all swollen up, and for a time, unbelievably painful, particularly with the smallest bit of movement.

Which meant that I was pretty much getting by with just the left hand for two weeks. So it’s been ice packs and hot packs for me, and a lot of pain killers.

On the plus side, I’m just a little more proficient with navigating with a mouse using my left hand.

It’s actually pretty serious, particularly for people who spend a big chunk of their waking hours in front of a computer. Surfing isn’t much of a problem. It’s really those who type a lot, or play games a lot, or in my case, both. Repetitive Strain Injuries can keep you from performing your job well, or if you’re a gamer, it can keep you away from that MMORPG you’ve been obsessively immersed in for days.

I do a lot of writing for clients (e.g. continually churning out articles and blurbs on a keyboard), on top of maintaining a number of blogs. After three to four hours of non-stop keyboard-work, what do you suppose I do to take a break? Play computer games! Oh the tendons on my hand are just happy to do more button-mashing and mouse-clicking!

You take your hand’s well-being for granted until the pain slowly creeps in. At first, it just feels a little tired. So you go on with your work-play routine anyway. Then you feel the joint stiffness. Swelling starts building up. After a day, the pain sets in- so bad that at this point, you can’t even move your mouse anymore, or type with both hands. The swelling spreads to the surrounding areas. It dies down after a while, but it still takes at least two weeks for you to get yourself back to two-hands-typing form.

Dealing With Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

1. Prevention is key. Don’t wait for RSI to happen to you. Or in my case, don’t let it happen again. Take a few minutes break after an hour of keyboard-mashing. Fifteen minutes every hour or hour-and-a-half should be alright. And use those fifteen minutes to do something else- not by checking Facebook, or Plurk. Really take time to walk away from the keyboard and recreate some other way. Make a sandwich, read a book or plant an herb garden or something.

2. Your state of well-being counts. Which means proper nutrition and lots of exercise. Strengthen those arm muscles to improve circulation and endurance. Drink lots of water. Eat the right kind of food.

3. Invest in more ergonomic keyboards, mice and other interfaces. There are lots of nice keyboards out there designed to keep the wrists in a more functional position while typing, as well as all kinds of gaming interfaces for those who play all day. Adaptive technology enables the consumer to have access to a wide selection of special keyboards, mouse replacements and even pen tablet interfaces and speech recognition software. Might be wise to consider these. Heck, I know I would.

4. Observe a good sitting work posture. Being conscious of your posture at work also plays a role in preventing Repetitive Strain Injury, or RSI (and a lot of other body pains for that matter).

5. When things start to go downhill, consult a licensed medical professional. The tendency of some people is to self-medicate. Unless you’re a medical professional yourself, you shouldn’t go ahead and pop some pills for the pain. Besides, there are a lot of available pain management protocols available for different kinds of Repetitive Strain Injuries, for different kinds of lifestyles. Help your doctor figure out the best one for you.

So there you have it. Hopefully it doesn’t happen to you- coz it’s really such a bitch to have, what with all the pain and discomfort.

Cheers, everyone!

Are You Ready For C&C: Red Alert 3?

2008-08-30T14:44:00.001+08:00

If you're a fan of the Command & Conquer franchise, then you'll be pleased- even excited- to know that a third game in the Red Alert series is pretty much on its way.

For those of you who aren't quite familiar with the franchise, Red Alert is a real-time strategy game set in an alternate future, where the Allies, the Soviets, and now a third faction- the Empire of the Rising Sun- all go head-to-head in a World War III-scenario using Sonic Tanks, Tesla Coils and Intelligent Dolphins.

Check out this trailer I saw earlier on Gamespot:

Here are a couple other video trailers, just to keep you drooling in the meantime :D

Looks promising. Definitely will be keeping my eyes open for this one. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 drops in stores on October 28 this year.

Cheers, everyone!

So You Wanna Get A Wii...

2008-08-09T12:54:00.001+08:00

a quick break from actual gaming by Renzie Baluyut

I wouldn't blame you- the Nintendo Wii is a fine piece of gaming equipment. It should be great to have if you have the time to play it, and even more so if you're looking at getting the entire family involved.

Personally, I'm a PC gamer- have been one for as long as I can remember. Thanks to more free time these days, and spending more time with family, I'm seriously considering getting me a Wii.

Let's check out the Wii, shall we?

A Quick Look at the Nintendo Wii

As a seventh-generation console, the Nintendo Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

The Wii has consistently outsold both since its release. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detect movement in three dimensions. Another distinctive feature of the console is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.

The Wii is Nintendo's smallest home console to date; it measures 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, 157 mm (6.18 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, the near-equivalent of three DVD cases stacked together. The included stand measures 55.4 mm (2.18 in) wide, 44 mm (1.73 in) tall and 225.6 mm (8.88 in) deep. The system weighs 1.2 kg (2.7 lb),[65] which makes it the lightest of the three major seventh generation consoles. The console can be placed either horizontally or vertically.

Wii's Virtual Console

The Wii comes with the Virtual Console, a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, which is really an online service that allows players to purchase and download games and other software for Nintendo's Wii gaming console.

The Virtual Console lineup consists of titles originally released on now defunct past consoles. These titles are run in their original forms through software emulation, and can be purchased for between 500 and 1200 Wii Points depending on system and rarity and/or demand.

The library of past games currently consists of titles originating from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Nintendo 64, as well as Sega's Master System and Mega Drive/Genesis, NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and TurboGrafx-CD, SNK's Neo Geo AES, Commodore 64 (Europe only) and MSX (Japan only).

Over ten million Virtual Console titles have been downloaded as of December 2007.

Using Your Wii

Using the Wii is often seen as being more physically demanding than other game consoles. Some Wii players have occasionally experienced a form of tennis elbow referred to as "Wiiitis".

A study published in the British Medical Journal states that Wii players use more energy than playing sedentary computer games. It is however indicated that while this energy increase may be beneficial to weight management, it is not an adequate replacement for regular exercise.

A case study published in the American Physical Therapy Association’s journal Physical Therapy focused on use of the Wii for rehabilitation of a teen with cerebral palsy. It is believed to be the first published research showing the physical therapy benefits resulting from use of the gaming system. Researchers say the gaming system complements traditional techniques.

Information and pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.

Check out this blog's special on the Ten Top-rated Wii Games of All Time, as ranked by Gamespot.

Cheers, everyone!

Top 10 Strategy Games for a Lower-End PC

2008-07-27T00:47:00.006+08:00

Not too long ago, I had this officemate who has not upgraded his PC to current-day standards. It doesn't even run on a Core Duo, neither does it have a top-of-the-line graphics card, nor does it have broadband access to the internet- a real basic workstation.

Now that I think about it, most homes with personal computers probably have the barest of the bare; after all, the typical consumer probably uses the PC for basic word processing, surfing, searching and email, and basic media playback. Out of those, I would estimate 25% would be using their PCs for more advanced functions (photo/video/audio editing, 24/7 downloading, etc.), and probably only half of that percentage would have top-of-the-line gaming gear.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of great classic games out there- games that are so well-made and well-designed, which can, even to this day, provide hours and hours of entertainment. Much more so if you play them over and over again.

Anyway, said officemate asked me to hook him up with a few good classic strategy games, so I rummaged through my old collection and came up with this list of recommended titles:

Starcraft (1998).
Jagged Alliance 2 (1999).
Hostile Waters: Anteus Rising (2001).
Tropico (2001).
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999).
MechCommander (1998).
Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001).
Age of Mythology (2002).
Freedom Force (2002).
Master of Orion (1997).

Starcraft (1998).

To this day, Starcraft remains one of the best-selling titles for the PC of all time. And with good reason: when Blizzard came out with Starcraft, it raised the bar not just for real-time strategy (RTS) games, but for all games in general.

The game revolves around three species: the Terrans, the Zerg and the Protoss, and their ongoing conflict for dominance over the known universe. Each faction has its own pros and cons; in fact, the game has been praised for coming up with three totally different but balanced factions available for play.

Starcraft is top-notch in terms of production: it has a compelling storyline, user-friendly interface, memorable characters, and one of the most-well designed games you will ever lay your hands on.

Jagged Alliance 2 (1999).

This game remains as one of my personal favorites of all time. Who else ever thought of coming up with a good squad-based strategy game, where you can hire (and fire) mercenaries, buy weapons and have a great time wresting control of an island nation from the hands of a despotic dictator?

You lead your team of mercenaries and take over the country one city at a time- in the process, raising citizen militia of your own, and gaining more support (as well as funding) so that you can get better weapons, equipment, and even hire better mercenaries to aid your cause.

I have it installed on my PC to this day. At least until Jagged Alliance 3 comes out this year.

Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising (2001).

In the distant future, man has built the perfect utopian society. War was a thing of the past, at least until a cabal of old-school dictators decided to change the status quo.

Enter Antaeus- one of the last Carriers ever used in war. Equipped with powerful nano-robot creation engines, your job as commander is to take the Antaeus and bring the fight to the enemy- in a chain of island-fortresses where they are amassing their weapons of war.

As commander, you use the supercarrier Anteaus to build your own war machines: make choppers, hovercrafts and other vehicles, and plug in your pilots- stored personalities on special "soulcatcher" chips- and take on the enemy one island at a time. You can pilot these vehicles all on your own, or leave the driving (and the fighting) to one of your pilots- it's all up to you.

Tropico (2001).

Speaking of islands and dictators, how would you like to be a dictator of a third-world island nation?

Poptop Software came up with Tropico- the Carribean Island-building classic in 2001, where you get to play "El Presidente" and rule your island-country as you see fit: determine what kind of industries you want, provide housing for the people (or not, it's up to you!), sign laws and policies, control the media, curry favor with the church (or the communists- whoever you want!), even skim a few million to put away into your -ahem- retirement fund.

Whether you choose to bleed your country dry, or lead your island nation to a prosperous future is totally up to you.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999).

Picking up from where Civilization II left off, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri allows you to play as one of seven fictitious Earth leaders out to colonize a brand new planet.

Firaxis came out with the game in 1999, and I have to say: for a game that came out almost 10 years ago, I have yet to see a 4X game (a strategy game where you explore your world, expand your territory, exploit resources and exterminate your enemy) that has just the right amount of depth and options for customization.

Also an added treat for me: the cutscenes that play whenever you complete a Secret Project. Great voice-acting, and tremendous replay value.

MechCommander (1998)

You want intense mech-on-mech action? MechCommander is the first ever MechWarrior game of tactical command. Set in the BattleTech Universe, it's one of the first games that lets you concentrate on a fixed number of units at the start of a mission, and you gain more Resource Points (RPs) as you accomplish specific mission objectives.

It's really more of a squad-based strategy game than a traditional 4X RTS. You decide which mechwarriors to take with you to a mission, which mechs they get to take with them, and even what kind of weaponry you want on your mechs: Long-range missiles? Particle projectile cannons? Heavy lasers? It's your unit- just bring em all back in one piece!

Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001).

From the same guys that gave you Command & Conquer- here's an RTS game set in the Dune Universe.

Play as one of the three great houses: Atreides, Ordos or Harkonnen. Watch out for those massive sandworms that can eat entire armies whole, run over infantry with your harvesters, and choose your allies among the other unaligned factions- The House of Ix, The Imperial Sardaukar, The Tleilaxu, The Spacing Guild and The Fremen.

Great RTS gaming whether you're a Dune fan or not- this game will at least get you interested in Frank Herbert's literary masterpiece. The Spice must flow!

Age of Mythology (2002).

Here's another bestseller from Ensemble Studios: Age of Mythology- a great RTS game which brings into play elements of Greek, Egyptian and Norse Mythology.

You play the role of Arkantos, an Atlantean admiral, on the trail of an evil cyclops named Gargarensis who managed to turn Poseidon against Atlantis. Your hunt for the villain eventually takes you through Greek, Egyptian and Norse lands, as you enlist the aid of powerful units- centaurian archers, huge axe-wielding minotaurs, mighty sphinxes, lumbering mummies, noble valkyries and packs of Fenris wolves to defeat your opponent.

Gain favor with the powers-that-be, and call upon the powers of the gods to bolster your army or smite your enemy- but remember, your opponent can pray to his gods to work against you as well!

Freedom Force (2002).

Wanna play superhero for a change? Freedom Force by Irrational Games provides a welcome change of atmosphere as far as strategy games go.

Lead a team of Silver Age-inspired superheroes fight criminal elements as well as super-powered villains in Patriot City. Build them up and unlock new powers, or you can even make your own superhero. Pokes fun at the campy superhero shows and comics from the 60's and 70's, but has some really intense and immersive gameplay elements.

The game has been so popular that complete DC and Marvel mods (in addition to regular fan-made mods) are available for downloading online.

Freedom Force is real fun to play- at least when DC and Marvel come up with their respective MMORPG's in the near future.

Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (1996).

Why rule the world when you can rule the universe instead? Master of Orion II allows you to play an alien civilization (or human, or you can go ahead and make your own) and pit yourself against other alien civilizations to rule the known universe.

Colonize planets as you explore the galaxy, build up your colonies, research new technologies, and design your own battlecruisers and pit your fleet against the enemy's. Or you can go all diplomatic and pursue trade and research treaties. Eventually, the Antarans come raiding, picking out colonies at random, at least until you take the fight to them.

You think your new Death Star can handle those Antarans? Let's test the new Stellar Converter on that hapless planet over there...

What other classic strategy games can you recommend for a low-tech gaming rig?

Cheers everyone!

A Quick Break From Gaming - 2008 July

2008-07-25T03:10:00.006+08:00

Hey there, fellow gaming enthusiast.

It's actually been quite a while since I've posted anything really substantial on this blog. I've been in Los Angeles for a little over a month- and if you've been reading any of my other blogs, you probably already know that I have plans of moving there definitely within the year.

I've already cut all my corporate ties (i.e. retired early from my radio career in Metro Manila and had gone completely home-based) back in the Philippines, and I'm starting to appreciate my new work-life situation.

What it means, really, is more time for me to do the shit I want, whenever I want. And yes, that means, among other things, more gaming.

At least I managed to get some stuff done while I was in Los Angeles:

--> I managed to get me a sweet new PC. It's got a nice new monitor, much better sounds and I thought I should try me out Vista for a change. I'll be using it for a lot of photo/video/audio editing on top of my regular gaming stuff.

--> Moved quite a lot of games to Los Angeles, but I still have a substantial amount of toys and games left to bring to the United States. At least I can play World of Warcraft from L.A.

--> Seriously considering getting me into Age of Conan. Been getting good word-of-mouth. But do I really have enough time for another paid MMORPG? I don't think I'm playing enough WoW as it is :)

--> I still have my eye on a new Xbox 360. I bought me a new Canon EOS 400D Digital Rebel XTi instead.

--> I was considering getting a DS Lite. Or a Sony PSP. But I have serious doubts- I don't think I really want to get into handhelds. Maybe when I have a spare US$150, then I'll think about it again.

--> Checked out the new 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Not too keen about it. I'd rather stick to the old 3rd or even 2nd Edition rules. Seriously. In fact, I'm playing Icewind Dale II all over again.

--> Got my sister hooked on World of Warcraft :D

--> Also managed to get my hands on Mass Effect for the PC, which I'm playing right now. Awesome game.

Well, at least it's good to be back. This blog is in need of some housekeeping. I didn't even realize Felicia Day left me a message last March. Felicia Day, man! Of "The Guild" and "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"! How could I have possibly missed that?

Let's get back to some blogging now, shall we?

Cheers, everyone!

Getting To Know: BioWare

2008-07-23T11:38:00.007+08:00

If you've been playing a lot of role-playing games on the PC, then you definitely must be familiar with the work of BioWare.

BioWare is a gaming company (or more appropriately, an electronic entertainment company), based in Alberta, Canada, which has, for over 10 years now, been the creator of some of the most highly-praised and commercially successful computer role-playing games of all time.

Being a huge Dungeons and Dragons geek myself, I've been taken by most of their games. In fact, my love affair with BioWare started when the first Baldur's Gate (1998) game came out- and totally revolutionized the way role-playing gaming for the personal computer: for the very first time, the table-top RPG mechanics of 2nd edition D&D actually translated very well on a PC platform.

Then more D&D games for the PC came out: Planescape: Torment (1999)- developed by Black Isle Studios, made use of BioWare's Infinity Engine, followed by the first Icewind Dale (2000) game, then the even-more-improved sequel to Baldur's Gate- Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) and its expansion, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001), finally culminating in the release of Neverwinter Nights in 2002.

BioWare helped usher in that new golden age for computer role-playing games. I've been fortunate enough to play all those games, and each one that came out were epic in scale- with gripping storylines, memorable characters and challenging battles.

Everything was well-made- the voice-acting was spot on, the musical scores were perfect, and game was so seamless, all you could think about was finishing one more quest or heading to one more town, before finally catching 2 hours of sleep before heading for work later that day.

Games by BioWare

Shattered Steel (1996)
Baldur's Gate (1998), and its expansion, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (1999)
MDK2 (2000)
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000), and its expansion, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001)
Neverwinter Nights (2002) and its expansions: Shadows of Undrentide (2003), Hordes of the Underdark (2003) and Kingmaker (2005)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ("KotOR") (2003), which first came out for the Xbox before finally seeing a version on PC.
Jade Empire (2005), also came out for the Xbox first.
Mass Effect (2007), came out for the Xbox 360 first, before releasing a version for the PC.

Third party games using BioWare engines

Planescape: Torment (1999)
Icewind Dale (2000) and its expansions Heart of Winter (2001) and Trials of the Luremaster (2001)
Icewind Dale II (2002)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004)
Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006), and its expansion Mask of the Betrayer (2007)
The Witcher (2007)

Games Currently in Development

Mass Effect 2 (in-development)
Mass Effect 3 (pre-development)
Dragon Age: Origins (2009)
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008)
an Untitled MMORPG using the HeroEngine
a Knights of the Old Republic MMO
another game in development yet to be announced

Right now, I'm playing Mass Effect for the PC. My friends who've had a go at it on the Xbox 360 swore it was a great game- and they were absolutely correct. Never have I been sucked into a game like this since, well, Neverwinter Nights 2 or KotOR II: The Sith Lords.

I hope to write a review in a bit. I've already hit level 25 after almost 14 straight hours of playing, and I don't think I've even hit the halfway mark of the story. Yes, it's that epic.

Check out more on BioWare on their entry on Wikipedia, or check out the official BioWare website.

Cheers, everyone.

Diablo III's Witch Doctor Class

2008-07-20T08:17:00.000+08:00

yet another quick break from actual gaming with Renzie Baluyut.

A couple of posts back, we've checked out Diablo III and the first of five new classes: the Barbarian. If you've been visiting Blizzard's channel on YouTube, then you may have seen this other gameplay demo, but this time we see another class: the Witch Doctor.

Seems to be an updated version of Diablo II's Necromancer, but it seems that this new Witch Doctor has a lot more useful tricks up his tattered sleeves. That, plus the promise of enlisting the aid of other NPC's you meet along the way, hints at some glorious battle sequences. Check this out:

Here's something about the Witch Doctor class we gleaned off the YouTube channel:

From the writings of Abd Al-Hazir (entry no. 0013)

Most believe the fearsome witch doctor of the umbaru race a legend, but I have seen one in battle with my own eyes. And it was difficult to believe, even then. He dispatched his opponent with terrifying precision, assaulting his victim's mind and body with elixirs and powders that evoked fires, explosions, and poisonous spirits. As if these assaults were not enough, the witch doctor also had at his command the ability to summon undead creatures from the netherworld to rend the flesh from his enemy's body.

I came upon this rare display as I ventured deep into the interior of the dense Torajan jungles that cover the southern tip of the great eastern continent, in the vast area known as the Teganze, with the goal of seeking out the tribes that reside there. This area is extremely secluded, and heretofore unseen by foreign eyes. I was fortunate to befriend the witch doctor I saw in battle, and, through him, his tribe: the Tribe of the Five Hills.

The culture of the umbaru of the lower Teganze is fascinating and perplexing to those hailing from more civilized walks of life. For instance, the Tribe of the Five Hills frequently engages in tribal warfare with both the Clan of the Seven Stones and the Tribe of the Clouded Valley, but these are matters of ritual and not of conquest. I had heard tales that these wars are waged in order that the victors may replenish their supply of raw materials for the human sacrifices that their civilization revolves around, and when I timidly asked my hosts more about this topic, I must admit their laughter made me fear for my safety. However, through stumbled attempts at communication of such complex topics as what constitutes heroism and honor in their society, I gathered that only those taken in battle are considered worthy of the ritual sacrifice, much to my relief.

"As if these assaults were not enough, the witch doctor also had at his command the ability to summon undead creatures from the netherworld to rend the flesh from his enemy's body."

Upon further discussions with my hosts, I discovered that these tribes define themselves by their belief in the Mbwiru Eikura, which roughly translates to "The Unformed Land" (this is an imprecise translation, as this concept is completely foreign to our culture and language). This belief holds that the true, sacred reality is veiled behind the physical one we normally experience. Their vitally important public ceremonies are centered upon sacrifices to the life force that flows from their gods, who inhabit the Unformed Land, into this lesser physical realm.

The witch doctors are finely attuned to this Unformed Land and are able to train their minds to perceive this reality through a combination of rituals and the use of selected roots and herbs found in the jungles. They call the state in which they interact with this other world the Ghost Trance.

Alongside the primacy of the belief in the life force and the Unformed Land, the second most sacred belief of the tribes is their philosophy of self-sacrifice and non-individuality, of suppressing one's self-interest for the good of the tribe. This idea, so foreign to our culture, struck me as something I wished to delve into much more deeply.

Unfortunately, there was intense social upheaval among the tribes due to an incident involving their most current war (inasmuch as I could discern in the ensuing bedlam), and the charged atmosphere warranted my quick departure before I could ask anything further of my hosts.

You could also check out a better quality video over at the official Diablo III promotional website, or discuss Diablo all you want with your fellow fans here on Battle.net.

Pictures from Gamespot.com. Check out more pics and screenshots on Gamespot's section on Diablo III.

Cheers, everyone!

WCG 2008 Philippine Champions announced

2008-07-19T13:00:00.001+08:00

I'm a gamer- but definitely not as hardcore as these guys. I mean, I love playing, I can lose myself in a great MMORPG for hours on end, but at the end of the day, I still have a job to do, cats to feed and a girlfriend to spend time with.

But check it out: hundreds of gaming fans and gaming enthusiasts headed down to the SM Mall of Asia last weekend to check out all the gaming action on The World Cyber Games 2008 Philippine Preliminaries.

A total of 104 gamers entered the quarter finals which began Friday (July 11), following a series of eliminations held in various internet and LAN shops all key cities over the Philippines- in Metro Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao.

So who's representing us at this year's World Cyber Games?

The legendary local CounterStrike team Horsemen of the Apocalypse- Arvin Agbisit, Paolo Nancho, Jupiter Mars Gaboy, EJ Clores and Gary Guevarras- will be playing for Philippine pride in Cologne, Germany in November of this year, where they'll be going head on with other national teams for world Counterstrike supremacy.

Also competing are: Frederick Pe, our 2008 Warcraft III champion, Rafael Formoso, this year's bet for Guitar Hero, and John Raymond Tan, who's pitting his skills against the rest of the world on Command & Conquer 3.

Meanwhile, competing at the Asian Cyber Games is Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients (DotA) Team Meneski, with members Rhymel Olete, Jose Silva Jr., Ronald Robins, Kendrick Sy and Rovic John Perez.

This year's batch of national gaming champions will be representing the Philippines in the WCG Grand Finals set this November in Cologne, Germany, where up to 800 of the world's best gamers are expected to participate in the world's most prestigious e-Sports competition.

Our champions have not only earned the right to compete in Germany, they also get a lot of prizes for their efforts: a cash prize of P30,000, as well as other great stuff: mobile phones from Samsung, brand new Quad Core processors from Intel, peripherals from Logitech, and other computer gaming parts and upgrades. They also get free games, gift certificates, premium items of all kinds, magazine subscriptions, and the well-earned respect from legions of gaming fans.

Presenting the awards at the closing ceremony were officials from WCG global partners Samsung and Intel. Jerry Lacson, General Manager for Marketing of Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation, commended the gamers for their display of skill and sportsmanship. In a speech, he says:

Samsung believes that Filipino gamers can excel in the games, and in doing so, display the highest level of sportsmanship that makes them worthy to carry the Philippine flag in the world finals. Since the beginning of the World Cyber Games, Samsung has been a staunch supporter of this competition. We do this for a simple reason – we believe in doing our share to create a healthy and responsible games culture.

Very well said, Jerry.

Meanwhile, as gamers saw action and cheered on for their favorite teams, everyone else at the SM Mall of Asia had the chance to check out a cosplay side event sponsored by Logitech.

The weekend crowd cheered as twenty four cosplay participants paraded in their intricate costumes. What was even more entertaining was the question-and-answer portion, in which the contestants really got into character. Some even had prepared skits with memorized lines, and the savvier ones easily ad-libbed their character's personality.

The top prize winners for the cosplay were Mark David Cerezo as Optimus Prime in first place, Belldandy Grimarez as Scar Predator in second place, and Pablo Bairan as Iron Monger in third place.

The World Cyber Games 2008 Philippine Preliminaries were made possible through the support of global partner SAMSUNG, premiere partner INTEL, along with the following official partners: Villman Computers, Logitech, Seagate, Asrock, Sparkle, SM Malls, SM Cyber Zone, Enchanted Kingdom, World of Fun, Playground Magazine, NU 107, Data Blitz and Vivendi Universal.

Cheers, everyone.

I've Seen Diablo 3's Barbarian- and it was Awesome

2008-07-17T07:47:00.000+08:00

a quick break from gaming by Renzie Baluyut

Blizzard has gone right ahead to create some good buzz about one of its upcoming games, Diablo III. There were already some signs online that hinted on a release pretty soon, and with Blizzcon 2008 happening in a couple of months, we just might see more clips of Diablo III on YouTube and other gaming sites.

Speaking of YouTube: I'm currently subscribed to Blizzard's channel, and for all you fans of the great hack-and-slash RPG- Say 'Hello' to the first of five (or so I've heard) classes for Diablo III: The Barbarian.

That's him right there cleaving his way through waves of ghoulish undead. Watch the new Diablo III Barbarian in action: here's a video clip to blow your mind!

Here's something about the Barbarian class we gleaned off the YouTube channel:

From the writings of Abd Al-Hazir (entry no. 0025)

In my journey to catalogue the various denizens, civilizations, and fauna of our world, I have traveled far and wide, but never before have I been struck with such dismay as when standing upon the ramparts of the ancient fortress of Bastion's Keep. I came to see firsthand the barbarians, those near-legendary, immense, relentless, dual-wielding furies of combat dwelling upon their sacred Mount Arreat.

Instead, I stand here looking at a mountain that has been torn asunder by some extraordinary force. The sight, I must confess, is incomprehensible. Yet what I see before me cannot be denied.

What truly happened here? Where are those majestic warriors of old?

"I came to see firsthand the barbarians, those near-legendary, immense, relentless, dual-wielding furies of combat dwelling upon their sacred Mount Arreat."

Though they were once misunderstood as simple, bloodthirsty invaders, the long and noble history of these proud people is now rightly acknowledged. And therein lies the greater tragedy here, for those of us familiar with the nobility of the barbarians remember too what they call their "vigil", the concept that lay at the very heart of their culture. The barbarians consider it their sworn duty to protect Mount Arreat and the mysterious object within. They believe that if they fail to uphold their duty to the great mount, or are not given a proper burial upon its slopes, they will be denied a true warrior's death, and their spirits shall roam the land without honor for all eternity.

If there are any barbarians left alive, they must truly be without hope. Perhaps this is the genesis of the rumors of monstrous things reported to resemble the barbarians in size and ferocity, but that are in reality nothing more than unreasoning, inhuman beasts. Could the destruction of not only their home but also their very beliefs have actually brought this magnificent race so low?

Renzie's Classic Gaming: No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In HARM's Way

2008-06-23T12:28:00.001+08:00

On today's Renzie's Classic Gaming, we shed the spotlight on No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In HARM's Way, or more simply, NOLF 2, a campy yet innovative and stylish first-person shooter released by Fox Interactive in late 2002.

I must have played it in the first half of 2003 or so- and enjoyed it immensely. NOLF 2 is the sequel to the 2000 Action Game of the Year No One Lives Forever- which was a very refreshing take on first-person shooters. Think Austin Powers, but you have a female lead- Cate Archer- and having its own brand of humor, still poking fun at the old spy movies of the 60's and 70's.

What pleased a lot of people was how more highly-polished NOLF 2 was, greatly improving upon the already great game that No One Lives Forever was. Also worked in is a decent role-playing element which allows you to customize Cate by building up her stealth, marksmanship or stamina- by spending skill points which you acquire through the course of the game.

As a spy action shooter, you could choose to be more subtle, and go stealthy- accomplishing your mission goals with minimum collateral damage. Or you could go all out, guns-ablazing and leaving a satisfyingly high body count.

Not that the stealthier way is less satisfying. In fact, a lot of the fun in NOLF2 involves sneaking up on your enemies and then eavesdropping in on some hilarious cleverly-written dialogue.

Even the friendlies have funny lines, particularly so when you try to engage them in conversation multiple times.

However you choose to get your mission goals accomplished, get ready for lots of action in NOLF2- you get to ride snowmobiles, use a variety of weapons and even bring Ms. Archer's purse-ful of high-tech gadgets into play.

OK, probably more wacky than high-tech. Cate Archer's quirky tools of the trade- are mostly cute and female-oriented: lipstick cameras, nail-clipper lockpicks and torches disguised as a can of hairspray. Watch out for the exploding robot kitties!

NOLF2 is powered by the Jupiter incarnation of the LithTech Engine. Check out No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in HARM's Way by checking out the official website on nolf2.sierra.com, or by simply unearthing your old copy and playing it all over again!

You could also visit the NOLF2 wikipedia entry here, or its review, as well as tech specs and pics on Gamespot, here.

If you're already playing No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in Harm's Way, check out the gameguides and FAQs here, on GameFAQS.com, if you need it.

Classics- I call them great moments in PC and console gaming. Truly memorable gaming masterpieces from years gone by. Games so good, you can install them onto your PC today and still have a good time. This has been another Renzie's Classic Gaming feature on Get Your Game On: Renzie on Gaming.

Cheers, everyone!

Must-play Games: Grand Theft Auto IV

2008-05-09T07:08:00.004+08:00

It's probably the biggest game this year. The hype has been incredible, and the results are in. According to a news report on the Internet Movie Database, the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV has taken in US$500 million on its first week on the shelves, more than any movie in history has made in its first week. The amount translates to an opening week mark of 3.6 million game units sold.

The April 29 opening day sales alone were phenomenal- tracked at US$310 million- beating the US$300 million record set by Microsoft's Halo 3 for the Xbox 360 last year. Read the rest of this article on my other blog, "Renzie's Rants and Raves."

Check out Adam Sessler's review of Grand Theft Auto IV on this G4TV clip taken from their signature gaming show, X-Play.

Here's a game you should be playing right frackin' NOW. Grand Theft Auto IV is only available on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 (for now at least), so if you don't have either console, now's a good time to get yourself one. Sell an internal organ if you have to. Then sell another body part to get Grand Theft Auto IV.

I've already raved about how much I've loved its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. And by all indications, it seems GTA IV holds true to its promise to deliver a game just as kick-ass as the last one.

Gotta have this game. Period.

Cheers, everyone!

Blizzard Acquires 'Diablo3.com' Domain

2008-05-08T12:02:00.006+08:00

The blogosphere was abuzz late last week with the news that Blizzard had recently acquired the 'Diablo3.com' domain.

Diablo3.com used to be the domain of a fansite for gamers who are fans of the 1997 hack-and-slash action RPG, its sequel that came out in the year 2000, and its various expansion packs and add-ons.

Now that same fansite has moved to Diablofans.com. Same content, different domain. So now that Blizzard has their hands on the 'Diablo3.com' domain, does this mean that production for a third installment is now underway?

Interesting story: Mockery and Umaro- the two dudes running the site, were approached by Blizzard a few months back- apparently interested in the Diablo3.com domain, which was currently occupied by the fansite. Mockery has this to say:

...while Blizzard is indeed acquiring the diablo3.com domain name, they told me that this shouldn't be considered an announcement for the Diablo 3 game we've been waiting for all these years. They acquire new domains all the time. While this is true, I personally can't help but think that this is a confirmation of sorts that they're working on the next Diablo game. Sure, they can claim it's because they want to protect their intellectual properties 'n what have you, but I can't imagine they would all of a sudden be so interested in the diablo3.com domain if they weren't working on a new Diablo 3 game behind the scenes.

It begs the question: how much did Blizzard pay to acquire the Diablo3.com domain from these guys?

According to what we have read, no money was involved at all. True fans that they are, Mockery just happily gave the domain when Blizzard asked for it- instead of making a huge profit out of the transaction.

Now that's something to admired. More power to you and your new Diablofans.com site, Mockery.

Check out the rest of Mockery's story on his thread here, on Diablofans.com.

Cheers, everyone.

Have You Checked Out The World of Warcraft Comics?

2008-05-08T11:35:00.002+08:00

Here's something every World of Warcraft gamer can appreciate: a whole bunch of World of Warcraft funnies- 15+ pages of comic strips- right smack in the WoW Official Website Community Page, which you can check out right here.

I gotta credit my girlfriend for pointing this one out to me. Yes, she plays World of Warcraft- heck, even more so than I do. Just the other night, she was checking both our accounts to see which ones needed renewing, and she stumbled upon the motherlode of WoW humor.

We eventually ended up reading them all. Of course some were funnier than others, but it was great to know how there are so many passionate players out there who came up with all these great strips.

You can see all kinds of renditions of familiar World of Warcraft character archetypes- some anime-ish, some intentionally drawn crudely- the variety in itself is a testament to WoW's universal appeal.

It seems that World of Warcraft players have been submitting these funnies since May of 2006- that's exactly 2 years ago- and more seem to be coming in. We're both looking forward to seeing more of these entertaining comic strips.

So next time you check out your World of Warcraft account, take some time out to browse through the rest of the WoW Official Website. Drop by the Community Section and check out the comic strips. Good times, man.

Cheers, everyone!

Would Rather Be Gaming

2008-05-07T04:59:00.005+08:00

There seems to be a shortage of good gaming bloggers.

At least that's what this friend of mine told me. She works for a local PR agency, and it's good to hear that more PR and advertising agencies have been making good use of bloggers as a legitimate means to promote their interests.

In any case, she's had no problem putting together groups of bloggers for other events- food events, tech events, lifestyle events- but for some reason, she wonders, why does she seem to have a shortage of good gaming bloggers?

I thought about it as she brought it up- was this true, I pondered to myself. Off the top of my head, I could name probably a handful of bloggers I know who are into gaming, and some who actually do have gaming blogs which I read- but that's just it, there's only a handful.

But why aren't there more?

Even looking at my own blog- this one, "Renzie On Gaming"- I've noticed that I haven't put in as much content as I have on, say, my blog on marketing, or my blog on music. Even if it's clear that I'm a game freak of the freakiest kind.

Gaming is what I do when I'm not blogging, or otherwise engaged in business. And given the kind of games I play, it's so easy to get lost in them hours at a time.

And then it struck me. Why aren't there more gaming bloggers?

Because bloggers who are into gaming, would rather spend two hours playing their World of Warcraft, Call of Duty 4 or Grand Theft Auto San Andreas than spend those same two hours blogging or writing some more.

Even at this moment, in fact, I'm just itching to head on back to Azeroth to level up my Dranei shaman for a couple of hours before I start doing real work.

But there you have it. The answer to our question. There's still a huge demand for gaming blogs out there, and now that I've realized that, maybe it's time to change the way I see things.

After I log in to World of Warcraft a bit. Gotta check my Auction House sales, you know?

Cheers, everyone :)

10 Things I Enjoy About Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

2008-04-09T13:27:00.004+08:00

Grand Theft Auto IV will be hitting the shelves in a few weeks. I had me a hankering for some Grand Theft Auto action, and decided to reinstall the PC version of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and play it once again.

I first tried the GTA-SA two years ago, just before I was hooked on World of Warcraft. I never was a huge fan of driving sims, but an hour into the game, and another couple hours, and another several hours- I was completely and totally hooked.

In fact, I may have called in sick a couple of times just to have some more game time. I've played the hell out of my XBox version of GTA-SA, as far as I could remember, and it was some of the best gaming moments of my life.

So here I am, tagging up the streets of Los Santos once again, taking a break in between runs. I decided to write a little bit on GTA-SA, just before GTA IV sucks me in by the end of the month.

10 Things I Enjoy About Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

1. Great Story.

Games are a dime a dozen. Okay, maybe not. I pay top dollar for my games, and at the very least- more than graphics, gameplay or whatever gimmicks- I expect a decent story: something to hold all the game elements in place to make sense in your head.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas manages not only to come up with a decent story, but a great story. Anyone who's played GTASA can tell that the story is well-researched, well-written and well-executed.

It's a kind of story that truly draws you into the game. You really are Carl Johnson. You really understand the urgency of the situation. Hours go by, and you're still playing- it's that good.

2. Characters You Actually Care About.

I know it's probably part of #1 Great Story, but there's something about the characters of GTASA that makes you want to know more about them.

In the game, you play the role of CJ- Carl Johnson- who, after 5 years in Liberty City, comes home shortly after the death of his mom. Then you get to reunite with your elder brother, Sweet, and your younger sister Kendl. After a while, you roll again with your Grove Street Homies- Ryder and Big Smoke.

Every time the game introduces a new character- it's always fun. Not only because you have a new set of missions to accomplish, but you also get to know a little more about the people in CJ's life.

3. The Open Sandbox Setup.

There are only a few games with an open sandbox setup: games where you can choose to follow the main storyline right away, or just go ahead and take your time do other things- in the case of GTASA, there's just so MUCH you can do. Sure, the sidequests alone are alright, but you can do anything from collecting cars, to fighting crime as a vigilante, or making money as a petty crook, or take the 'hood by force of arms.

Alternately, you can just take a scenic tour of the city, or just do random acts of violence just because you feel like it. And that's the beauty of it- you can do anything you want, any time you want. Now that's a LOT of gameplay.

4. The Variety of Vehicles.

You got all kinds of cars, motorbikes, even choppers and planes, boats, bicycles- everything handles differently, sounds differently- the variety in itself is amazing. Even the vehicle physics- from the way they accelerate, or come to a sudden stop (read: crash!), or jump off a ramp, or skid through a tight turn- only adds so much more appeal to an already appealing game.

5. The Radio Stations.

Being a radio guy, this one particular element is really close to my heart. The game has been using made-up radio stations since the very first Grand Theft Auto, and by the time they came out with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, they've mastered it to the point of using the radio stations to set the game nicely with music from the time period, with well-written adlibs and even radio commercials.

Cruising around San Andreas with the radio on gives you a great idea that it's the early 90s, with 'contemporary' alternative hits coming out of Radio X, New Jack Swing from CSR, and even dance from SF-UR. If you're the type who digs the oldies, there's Playback FM, The Dust and Bounce. Rounding it off, there's talk radio, country and even K-Jah.

6. Games Within Games.

It's actually hard to define Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. At it's core is a great driving game, but it has lots of action-adventure, strategy, arcade, even some role-playing elements. There's a main storyline, but has so many sidequests involving a variety of gameplay mechanics that GTA-SA comes out as a beautiful hodge-podge of small games in one massive game.

Obviously you can race for money; but you can also do some 'dancing' by keying in combinations of buttons that come out onscreen to Kool & The Gang's "Hollywood Swinging", run stealth missions at night as you break into houses for some loot, take a neighborhood by blasting away at enemy gangs, or even drop by the horse-racing shop and do some gambling for some quick cash.

7. Just A Little Bit of Role-playing.

GTA-SA considers several attributes for you character: respect, body fat, fatigue, muscle, max health, sex appeal, driving and weapon skills.

Naturally, completing quests increase respect, which allow you to handle larger crews of your homies. Picking out the right combination of clothes, tattoos, and haircut adds to (or takes away from) your overall respect and sex appeal (how you affect the ladies).

Your appearance is tied in with muscle and body fat, which you can fix by heading off to a gym, or chowing down at the local Burger Shot. Some ladies prefer the muscular types, others skinny types- you can almost just as easily go back and forth from one body type to another like any Hollywood actor.

The more you do things, the better you get at a certain attribute- whether it's a preference for using a sub-machine gun, driving a motorcycle, or even flying a helicopter- all handy skills for completing quests easier, and therefore completing the game easier.

8. A Whole Lot of Unlockables.

You are rewarded with unlockables for performing certain key tasks in the game- like by completing it, or by tagging up the entire Los Santos neighborhood with spray paint, or winning first place in all the races.

You get anything from bonus clothes that appear in your wardrobe, bonus vehicles that spawn at your house, even gear and weapons everytime you check out the kitchen.

Unlockables also give you handy boosts to your attributes, like maxing out your sex appeal or making you fireproof. But for a lot of people- just like me- it's just the joy of completing everything just to see what the game has to offer.

9. The Voice Acting.

What can I say? The voice acting is INCREDIBLE. Possibly one of the best made for any computer game. The main characters have been voiced out great, and you even have some great cameos for some of the other characters. For me, the two most memorable are Samuel L. Jackson, who brings a lot of mischief and depth to the role of Officer Tenpenny, and you have James Woods who puts in a lot of urgency and smarminess as Mike Toreno.

You also have a lot of other familiar voices in here: David Cross, the late Chris Penn, Ice-T, Peter Fonda, even Michaels Bivins of Bel Biv Devoe, Axl Rose of Guns N Roses, George Clinton, and Chuck D.

10. So Much San Andreas.

At a quick glance, you can tell that The world of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas has been inspired by the real-life neighborhoods in and around the state of California and Las Vegas. The detail is incredible, day or night, and even the weather effects are great.

Usually, it takes me a week to finish most games, and a couple weeks more until the novelty wears off and I start looking for a new game to play. GTA-SA is one of those few games that I end up playing for months- mostly due to the sheer volume of content, and just so many things to do- there's just so much game packed in a few Gigs of hard disk space (or DVD, depending on which version you're playing).

The Final Word

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is one of those few must-have, must-play games. For me, it's up there with World of Warcraft, and the last few Elder Scrolls games.

If you haven't played it yet, you simply have to. Just in time before GTA IV comes out at the end of this month. I've played it before, and I'm playing it again just to get my GTA fix.

If the hype for Grand Theft Auto IV is huge, it's probably because the bar has already been set so high with the past few GTA games. And given Rockstar Games' track record as far as GTA is concerned, GTA IV promises to be totally kick-ass, probably even bigger (if not as big as) Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.

Cheers, everyone!

The Guild: Extra Stuff!

2008-03-24T01:54:00.001+08:00

While we've heard that The Guild is currently working on episodes 9, 10, and a much-awaited season ender, I decided to get my fix of The Guild on their YouTube channel.

So far they've had eight episodes posted:

Episode 1: "Wake Up Call"
Episode 2: "Zaboo'd"
Episode 3: "The Macro Problem"
Episode 4: "Cheesybeard's"
Episode 5: "Rather Be Raiding"
Episode 6: "Total Wipe"
Episode 7: "Home Invasion"
Episode 8: "Tipping Point"

But they also have a few other videos, which I've decided to focus on this blog post. The most recent is this one, where we have the crew show off their nice little ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production, right before they bagged the Yahoo 2007 Best Web Series Award, the YouTube Best Series Award for 2007. I think it's just cute to see the whole bunch off-character every now and then.

Then we have a gag reel from a whole bunch of outtakes from the first three episodes, posted in mid-October of last year.

And finally, probably my favorite thus far, is this cute little Christmas montage they put together. Featuring the music of Don Schiff, with a creepy Santa and cute little Cubby :)

Read more about The Guild as I feature the rest of the other episodes on this blog, "Renzie On Gaming". In the meantime, you can check out their official website for lots of great insider stuff and exclusive video, or you could check them out on Facebook and MySpace.

'Til next episode! Cheers, everyone!

The Gamer in Felicia Day!

2008-03-24T01:13:00.001+08:00

Now here's a lady who can easily be every gamer-boy's dream-come-true. Felicia Day, ladies and gentlemen: she's cute, she's funny, and most importantly, SHE PLAYS GAMES!

Seriously.

In a recent episode of Mahalo Daily with Veronica Belmont, we get treated to an interview with Felicia Day and The Guild co-star Sandeep Parikh. Of course, they talk about the online comedy series- what it's about, how they came up with the idea for it, and what's in store for The Guild in the immediate future.

Somewhere along the conversation, Felicia admits to being a gamer all her life- getting into PC games as early as 6 or 7 years old, and rattled off quite a few of the games I also played back then- more notably, the Sierra series of adventure games: King's Quest, Space Quest and Leisure Suit Larry!

Woohoo! Man, I loved those games! And that was back when games came in antiquated 5-1/4" diskettes. Diskettes, man!

She also mentioned the Ultima series, a bad Diablo addiction in college, and as we all know now from The Guild official website, a two-year addiction to World of Warcraft!

Anyway, you can check the rest of the interview on YouTube, or right here, as I have conveniently provided for your viewing pleasure.

Check her out on her very own website, right here- where you could check out more pics (like the one above), and the kind of work she's done so far. Smart little lady has even done some branding and is doing a great job marketing herself online. Heck, she's even designed the website herself! Well done, Felicia :)

If you haven't seen it yet, go check out The Guild- it's a hilarious online comedy series which you can check out on the show's channel on YouTube, or on this great comedy site- Effinfunny.com. I've also provided some linkage (to all eight webisodes thus far) right here:

Episode 1: "Wake Up Call"
Episode 2: "Zaboo'd"
Episode 3: "The Macro Problem"
Episode 4: "Cheesybeard's"
Episode 5: "Rather Be Raiding"
Episode 6: "Total Wipe"
Episode 7: "Home Invasion"
Episode 8: "Tipping Point"

The Guild, Episode 8: "Tipping Point"

2008-03-24T00:53:00.000+08:00

Welcome to our continuing coverage of The Guild, my new online favorite, and winner of the Yahoo 2007 Best Web Series Award, the YouTube Best Series Award for 2007, and the ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production.

In our last episode, Codex now knows why Zaboo is so weird, and all is not well in Cyd's household. Meanwhile, Tink shows off her babysitting skills, Bladezz gets back at The Guild, and Zaboo bids Cyd goodbye :) with an ethernet cord.

Guild drama continues in Episode 8: "Tipping Point". Enjoy!

The Guild, Episode 7: "Home Invasion"

2008-03-24T00:42:00.001+08:00

Welcome to our continuing coverage of The Guild, my new online favorite, and winner of the Yahoo 2007 Best Web Series Award, the YouTube Best Series Award for 2007, and the ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production.

We see more of the Codex-Zaboo drama in our last episode. The Guild goes on, despite the debacle at Cheesybeard's. And someone else decides to drop on in! We get to know more about our not-so-welcome guest right here on Episode 7: "Home Invasion"! Enjoy this one!

The Guild, Episode 6: "Total Wipe"

2008-03-24T00:28:00.000+08:00

Welcome to our continuing coverage of The Guild, my new online favorite, and winner of the Yahoo 2007 Best Web Series Award, the YouTube Best Series Award for 2007, and the ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production.

The Knights of Good all hang out at Cheesybeard's in our last episode, and as Codex tries to keep the meeting right on track, we get more on- and off-line drama with terribly disastrous (and funny!) consequences!

This next episode, "Total Wipe", was the very first episode I've seen of The Guild, and made a total fan-boy out of me. Checked out YouTube, the official websites, signed on as a fan on Facebook, and yes, featured them on my blog :D

Enough about me- let's watch some more of Codex, Zaboo and everyone else in The Guild! Enjoy!

The Guild, Episode 5: "Rather Be Raiding"

2008-03-24T00:15:00.000+08:00

Welcome to our continuing coverage of The Guild, my new online favorite, and winner of the Yahoo 2007 Best Web Series Award, the YouTube Best Series Award for 2007, and the ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production.

In our last episode, The Knights of Good finally meet up at the local hangout, Cheesybeard's... and it was damn awkward. Also hella hilarious! The meeting at Cheesybeard's continues with Episode 5: "Rather Be Raiding". Arrr ye ready for another comedic clip?

The Guild, Episode 4: "Cheesybeard's"

2008-03-23T23:52:00.000+08:00

Welcome to our continuing coverage of The Guild, my new online favorite, and winner of the Yahoo 2007 Best Web Series Award, the YouTube Best Series Award for 2007, and the ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production.

I'll tell you why The Guild is such a huge hit for me- three things, really:

1. The Geekness- it refers to dorky games like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars and stuff. And, yes, I do play those MMORPG's, dork that I am.
2. The Ladies- wow, Felicia Day (who plays Cyd/Codex) and Amy Okuda (Tink, pictured below with the crew on set) are both sooo cute!

3. The Humor! Tell me it isn't funny, and I will fight you :) Online :D

Now let's get back to the story. In our last episode, the Guild deals with an in-game issue: Bladezz got banned for spamming at the Auction House. Zaboo shows off his Photoshop skills and his -uh- "magic carpet". Cyd wants to desperately get away from it all, and proposes the Guild meet up for a change in real life.

So the chicks and dudes all finally meet up in this episode, "Cheesybeard's". Enjoy!

The Guild, Episode 3: "The Macro Problem"

2008-03-23T23:37:00.000+08:00

Welcome to our continuing coverage of The Guild, my new online favorite, and winner of the Yahoo 2007 Best Web Series Award, the YouTube Best Series Award for 2007, and the ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production.

In our last episode, after not being online for more than 36 hours, Zaboo finally shows up- at Cyd's doorstep! Zaboo seems to be bent on taking their online "relationship" to the next level, much to Cyd's ever-growing dismay. Oh, and after a very long bus ride, he also needs to "drop some kids off at the pool" :)

Check out this next episode, "The Macro Problem". Enjoy!

Also worth mentioning: kudos to Eric McKenney on those great character sketches, Joseph Limbaugh for the animation sequence (after Cyd's cold open), and to Don Schiff for the cute little musical score. You really put it together with this one, guys.

The Guild, Episode 2: "Zaboo'd"

2008-03-23T16:50:00.000+08:00

Welcome to our continuing coverage of The Guild, my new online favorite, and winner of the Yahoo 2007 Best Web Series Award, the YouTube Best Series Award for 2007, and the ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production.

In the very first episode, we are introduced to Cyd Sherman, who goes around online in a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) as a healer by the name of Codex. Our series of webisodes takes a peek into her life (as though they were vlogs), and how she relates with her colleagues from "The Knights of Good"- her online playing companions.

We meet them all in Episode 1. Cyd/Codex is having a rather challenging time dealing with her MMORPG addiction. From their Facebook page, we read:

Quirky and a bit socially awkward, Codex was a violin prodigy as a child but then ... she grew up. She's at a major crossroads in her life, but it's much easier to play video games than make any life decisions. She's a healer in-game as well as in-life, always helping other people with their problems while ignoring her own.

Of course, we also meet the rest of her guildies:

Vork - The guild's resident "tank", or warrior. His real-life name is Herman Holden, and is also the guild leader. We see how his life revolves around gaming; his toaster, mini-fridge and indoor skillet is all within arm's reach of his PC.

Hmm, maybe I should set my room up that way too... Anyway, here's the blurb on Vork from Facebook:

Vork is the Guild leader of the "Knights of Good." He focuses all his energy on the Guild and rarely leaves his house because, "doing things costs money." Everything he needs to sustain himself is within arms reach of his computer, so he never has to get up from his desk. Serious but well-intentioned, it's easy to push his buttons, which his Guildies do frequently.

Tinkerballa- or just "Tink"- is the guild's hunter/ranger. She may look sweet, but she can be rather direct if she has to be (which is most of the time). She's one of the younger members of "The Knights of Good", probably in high school or college. Apparently has a constant need for gaming; we see her playing a Nintendo DS even while the rest of the guild is just talking.

This is what she has on Facebook:

Tinkerballa has a sweet-as-pie face with a mouth that will bust your balls. She plays a ranger class, so keeps herself distant from the group physically and emotionally. The Guild doesn't know a lot about her personal life. She acts apathetic but she's defensive of her Guildies when they need help.

Bladezz - is the guild's rogue. Also one of the younger members of "The Knights of Good". He has a tendency to hit on all the female guildmates. Also seems to be quite handy with cards.

Here's what we find out about Bladezz' character on Facebook:

Bladezz is the youngest Guild member and a bit of a loot whore. He's always creating drama, but it's "never his fault." He loves to push people's buttons, especially Vork's. Bailing him out of trouble is a full time job for the members of the Knights of Good.

Clara - is the guild's resident heavy-damage-dealing gnome mage, which incidentally also uses her real name as her online name. Clara is a stay-at-home mom of three, cheerful and nice and all, but not exactly a model parent. You'll see :)

This is what we have on Clara on Facebook:

Clara is the mother of three children, but her real parenting skills come into play online. She is always full of buoyant enthusiasm regardless of logic and acts as a mediator during any crisis. On another note, she likes to giggle when she kills mobs. It's a little creepy over the mic.

Finally, we meet Zaboo - who plays a gnome warlock online. Apparently he thinks that he and Cyd/Codex have a "relationship" online, misinterpreting her normal smiley faces on chat as a genuine display of affection towards him. His real name is Sujan Balakrishnan Goldberg, and is HinJew, a combination of Hindu and Jew. Also pretty handy with Photoshop.

This is what we have on his character on Facebook:

Zaboo is overly enthusiastic about everything and is always willing to help out a Guildie, whether they like it or not. He gives 100% to everything, and his trusting nature frequently gets him into trouble. He's a whiz online, and can find out anything about anyone: And he does. Grouping with him is always fun, his enthusiasm can put anyone in a good mood.

Now that we got to know the guys a little better, let's move on to Episode Two now, shall we? This little bit is entitled, "Zaboo'd". Enjoy!

A Little More StarCraft!

2008-03-23T15:40:00.000+08:00

Just a couple a days ago, my friends and I were playing this cool StarCraft boardgame. I suppose we all needed a break from the usual PC/Xbox360/DS gaming. We could have played a good ol' fashioned pen-and-paper RPG, but no one wanted to DM, so we played this one (as well as a couple of other board games) instead.StarCraft The Board Game is definitely a good change of pace. I'll write more about it on another blog entry. In between rounds, we'd also talk about the latest news in all kinds of gaming- and one of the highly-anticipated games for us was definitely StarCraft II. Heck, why do you think we were tiding ourselves over with the board game? :D

No word yet on when the game is officially going to be released, but the latest trailer was already out on Gamespot (you can check that out here). In the meantime, I thought I could get myself oriented on what else had gone on in the Starcraft Universe.

The original StarCraft game is one of those games that is installed in my PC to this day. It's definitely a classic- one of those games with great replay value, and still provides a great deal of real-time strategy entertainment even when there are a lot of new games out there.

Now most of us have the original game, as well as the Brood Wars expansion pack, but I just found out that there were a couple of other campaign packs not in my collection, namely Insurrection and Retribution.

StarCraft: Insurrection, according to Wikipedia:

Insurrection is the first add-on pack for StarCraft. Although developed and published by Aztech New Media it is authorized by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released on PC on 31 July 1998.

The expansion's story focuses on a Confederate colony during the course of the first campaign of StarCraft. As in StarCraft, the player takes control of each race in three separate campaigns. In the first campaign, Terran colonists attempt to defend themselves from the Zerg invasion of the sector as well as from a rising insurgency, while in the second campaign the player directs a Protoss task force sent to clear the Zerg infestation of the colony by any means necessary. In the final campaign the player assumes the role of a Zerg cerebrate, moving to crush all opposition on the surface. The expansion only contains new campaigns and multiplayer maps, it does not include new content such as units and graphical terrain tilesets. Insurrection was criticised by reviewers for lacking the quality of the original game and as a result of its lack of success, it is not widely available. Although the add-on is authorized by Blizzard Entertainment, they offer no comment on support or availability of the game.

StarCraft: Retribution, according to Wikipedia:

Retribution is the second of the two authorized add-on packs released for StarCraft. The add-on was developed by Stardock, published by WizardWorks Software and authorized by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for the PC in late 1998.

Retribution is set during the second episode of StarCraft, revolving around the acquisition of a crystal of immense power connected to the Xel'Naga. Divided into three campaigns, the player assumes the roles of a Protoss fleet executor, the commander of a Dominion task force and a Zerg cerebrate, all tasked with retrieving the crystal from a Dominion colony and getting it off the planet as quickly as possible. As with its predecessor, Insurrection, Retribution does not include any new gameplay features beyond its single player campaigns and consortium of multiplayer levels. The add-on was not received with critical support, instead being regarded as average but at least challenging. As with Insurrection, Retribution is not widely available. Despite authorizing the add-on, Blizzard Entertainment offers no comment regarding support or the availability of Retribution.

So this means I have to find myself a copy of Insurrection and Retribution and play the damn things before StarCraft II comes out. I've already checked out the official Blizzard website, and, yeah, there's a whole lot going on in there. Here's a trailer for the upcoming sequel to StarCraft, which I found on YouTube.

You could visit the official Starcraft 2 website for lots of artwork, downloadable trailers, even a recap of what has happened so far in the Starcraft universe.

In the meantime, it seems I'm gonna get more of my sci-fi RTS fix playing Warhammer 40K and blow away some Necrons- as soon as I install them into my PC once more.

Cheers, everyone!

Watch "The Guild" on YouTube!

2008-03-23T14:44:00.001+08:00

I have to thank Mike of "The Mike Abundo Effect" for this great find- The Guild -a funny new channel on YouTube. If you've been into MMORPG's like World of Warcraft as much as I have, then you'll be laughing your ass off with this brilliant online comedy.

According to Wikipedia:

The Guild is an award-winning online sitcom about the real lives of the online guild "The Knights of Good", with webisodes 3-6 minutes long.

The Guild is based on guilds in World of Warcraft and other MMORPGs. The first episode was posted July 27, 2007. It is broadcast on The Guild's personal website, effinfunny.com and YouTube. The show follows the life of Codex, the healer of The Knights of Good, in an attempt to lead a normal life, being dropped by her therapist as a lost cause, having a guildmate show up on her doorstep and facing the guild's internal troubles.

The Guild is written by Felicia Day (who plays the role of Codex), and yes, that's her on the picture to the left (ain't she a cutie?). The online series is directed and edited by Jane Selle Morgan. The series is produced by Day, Morgan and Kim Evey.

We'll feature everyone else in the cast as soon as I've done more research about them.

According to their Wikipedia entry, The Guild won the ON Networks/SXSW Greenlight Award for Best Original Production in March 2008, an inaugural award to recognize promising new digital series, as well as the 2008 Yahoo! Video Award and 2007 YouTube Video Award for Best Series.

At the time of this writing, there are some twelve videos on their YouTube channel. You can watch the first one ,"Wake Up Call" right here:

My Favorite Games: Master of Orion 2 (1996)

2008-03-23T13:05:00.000+08:00

I was playing Master of Orion 2 over the weekend. The game is more than 10 years old, and it still provides a great deal of entertainment. At least it's a break from the usual MMORPG and first-person-shooter.

Master of Orion 2 is a good old-fashioned turn-based "build-your-civ-and- conquer-the-known-universe- one-planet-at-a-time" kind of strategy game. When it first came out in 2006, it totally blew me away. I had already seen my fair share of space-empire-themed games like Reach for the Stars, Overlord, and the first Master of Orion- which were all pretty good games (and by "pretty good", I meant I could still lose myself in playing any one of em for hours- particularly the very first Master of Orion). For me, however, MoO2 has just the right amount of detail and micromanagement to keep things interesting.

The first Master of Orion was groundbreaking enough- it was simple and loads of fun, allowing you to explore your surrounding territory, expand your galactic empire by colonizing planets, exploit resources by developing your colonies and forming alliances with other races, and exterminate all those who oppose you.

Some people found the first Master of Orion a bit too simple and repetitive. The second one does give you a LOT more options for customization and micromanagement- you can decide what technology your scientists should research, what weaponry to put into your line cruisers, even how to allocate citizens of one your many planets into what kind of production: farming, industry or research.

You could read Gamespot's review of Master of Orion 2 here, or download the game here on the Atari website.

Cheers, everyone!

The Burning Crusade is the Top-Selling PC Game of 2007.

2008-01-27T12:01:00.000+08:00

No surprise there.

According to the NPD Group, the industry-tracking research organization, The Burning Crusade- Blizzard's expansion to the World of Warcraft (2004)- is the biggest selling PC game of the year.

The Burning Crusade made its debut in January of last year and sold 2.4 million copies worldwide in its first 24 hours on sale, though I remember getting mine much later in June. For the US alone, the game sold 2.25 million units for the entire 2007.

The first World of Warcraft game landed in second place, selling an additional 914,000 copies in the US this year. Blizzard's hugely successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game first came out in late 2004, and has been a bestseller ever since.

While Blizzard has claimed the top 2 slots, EA Games seems to have dominated more than half of the Top Ten. In the list The NPD group released a few days ago, we also see Electronic Arts' The Sims 2 (also released in 2004) and its various expansion packs- The Seasons expansion pack(in third place), the Bon Voyage expansion pack (in eighth) and The Sims 2 Pets (at tenth). Two other EA games- Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (at #5) and Sim City 4 Deluxe (at #6)- land at the top ten.

Activision's Call of Duty 4 was the fourth biggest-selling game of the year, while Microsoft's real-time strategy game Age of Empires III made it to #9.

Best-selling PC Games of 2007, by units sold, as reported by the NPD Group.

1. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Expansion Pack. Vivendi Games. 2.25 million
2. World of Warcraft. Vivendi Games. 914,000
3. The Sims 2: Seasons Expansion Pack. Electronic Arts. 433,000
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Activision. 383,000
5. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Electronic Arts. 343,000
6. Sim City 4 Deluxe. Electronic Arts. 284,000
7. The Sims 2. Electronic Arts. 281,000
8. The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Expansion Pack. Electronic Arts. 271,000
9. Age of Empires III. Microsoft. 259,000
10. The Sims 2: Pets Expansion Pack. Electronic Arts. 236,000

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Gaming.

2008-01-25T00:32:00.000+08:00

That's right, welcome to my world.

Welcome to the world of a 34-year-old self-professed geek- who, by day, slaves away at a regular job and does business like most radio executives, but by night, hunkers down in front of yet another PC and dives into role-playing games.

That's right. I work hard so I can play. I work to pay my monthly World of Warcraft fees. I work to check out Datablitz (the local gaming software retailer) to see if the new game I've been waiting for is already out. I buy gaming merchandising when available. I get other people to play. And now, I'm blogging about it.

This blog- Renzie on Gaming- gives you my personal perspective on games, gaming gear, games marketing, and the gaming industry, and how the gaming industry affects the rest of the world. My personal perspective, ladies and gentlemen. Ultimately, this is all about what I think, and what I care about.

You're all welcome to stick around and poke around if you like. I even encourage you to leave a comment or toss around an idea or two. It's all cool.

See you guys around. Cheers!

Everybody Wants To Rule The World: A Review of World of Conflict (PC, 2006)

2008-01-09T07:28:00.000+08:00

This post originally appeared on another blog, "Renzie's Rants and Raves". Since late January 2007, I've decided to create a blog focused entirely on games and gaming, so I thought I'd move this post here instead.

It's probably one of the best real-time strategy (RTS) games I've played in quite a while.

In fact, I'm not a huge fan of RTS games at all- that is, the usual resource-gathering, base-building, army-amassing tedium that seems to plague most of those that ever came out. I don't mind, really, if there's a fresh new concept, a compelling storyline, or stunningly impressive graphics. Fortunately for me, World of Conflict had all of that, and so much more to deliver.

Imagine if you will: what if The Cold War played out differently? What if, instead of The Berlin Wall going down, the USSR strikes out at Europe, effectively starting World War III? As the US sends the bulk of its troops to aid its NATO allies, the Russians make a daring sneak attack on the North American continent from the west, capturing Seattle and pushing inwards.

You play the role of a Captain on the day of the Russian invasion- scrambling to organize an effective resistance in the face of a relentless foe.

This you notice as they drop you down into the game- it's instant action. No you don't need to build bases and gather resources- you play right away with the units you have at the start of the game, and gain additional units as you capture strategic points, or accomplish certain missions.

Later on, you'll be able to call in air strikes, artillery bombardment, airborne drops or aerial recon- again, depending on the mission/storyline, and your accomplishments.

Come to think of it, there have been other RTS games that were pretty much along the same lines- Mech Commander, and to an extent, Dawn of War. But it doesn't matter when you get sucked into the game so deeply that it slipped your mind that, yes, you have work the following day, it's 3AM but you HAVE to do this ONE LAST MISSION...

Yes, it's that engaging.

Heck, World in Conflict has even successfully torn me away from World of Warcraft. So that's already saying quite a lot.

Pros: World in Conflict has so much going for it- a great story, amazing game design, stellar graphics, a game engine that works well, and stunning visuals. I personally love the voice-acting of all the characters in the game (Alec Baldwin narrates in between missions, btw), and the fact that it featured two of my favorite songs: Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule the World", and Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again".

Cons: Nothing I can think of right now, other than that the entire single-player campaign only took me a few days to finish.

Have You Seen These World of Warcraft TV Spots?

2007-12-30T03:04:00.000+08:00

Check out these funny World of Warcraft TV commercials- I actually was able to catch a couple of them on TV while I was watching VH1 in the 'States over the holidays.

This one has William Shatner as a Tauren Shaman.

This one has Mr. T as a -uh- a Night Elf Mohawk (really more of a Warrior, but don't say it out loud in front of Mr. T)

And lastly, here's Mini-Me, Verne Troyer as a Gnome Mage (what else?)!

Also, here are a couple of other TV spots, apparently for a European audience. This one has Jean-Claude Van Damme as a Troll Mage:

Translation:

"My name is Jean-Claude Van Damme... and I am a mage."
"Hand-to-hand combat for me: it's over!"
"Now I can cast powerful spells!"
"Just try messing with me... I'll turn you into a sheep."
"A sheep!"
"...Because we all are a bit like sheep, you know..."
"I am Jean-Claude Van Damme, I am a mage.
"And you?"
"What's your game?"

World of Warcraft. Try it free at www.warcraft.fr!

Lastly, here's Willy Toledo as a Human Paladin:

Cool huh, hope you had fun. What's your game?

Gaming Goals for the Year 2008.

2007-12-29T01:40:00.000+08:00

This has been a fine year in gaming- but looking forward to 2008, the prospects seem very promising. After all, a lot of fine games are coming out, and I've seriously channeled my interest in video games into this whole blogging thing to keep track of what I want for myself and what's going on out there.

The ultimate goal really, is to be able to play more games- which means a dedicated effort to not just increase my weekly allotted game time, but to also maximize said game time. It also means a steady supply of games- sure I'd buy some every month, but it would be great to get some free from time to time. Gotta work on that.

My current PC still seems good enough to play the more requirement-heavy games out in the market right now, so I probably don't have to worry about it until next year- which means I can probably divert my attention to getting myself a new console.
And the gaming console on my wishlist is the Xbox360. Nothing against the PS3 or the Wii, but I think I'm really more of an Xbox person. Besides, I already have my eye on some great games for this year. Check it:

Fallout 3 (due out last quarter of 2008)
Grand Theft Auto IV (due out second quarter of 2008)
Bully: Scholarship Edition (due out March 2008)
Dynasty Warriors 6 (due out February 2008)
and Return to Castle Wolfenstein

On top of those games, I should also secure the following titles once I get my 360: Gears of War, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Chromehounds, Viva Pinata and Call of Duty 4.

As for handhelds, I have to get myself a Nintendo DS first- I heard it has some real cool games, and it's great as far as handhelds go. Second priority would be a Sony PSP- or that PSP Slim- that thing you can plug into a TV.

Most of my efforts will still be directed towards getting new games for my PC. What am I setting my sights on for 2008?

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich-king (out later this year)
Galactic Civilizations 2: Twilight of the Arnor (out April 2008)
Jagged Alliance 3 (out first quarter 2008)
Guild Wars 2 (out mid-2008)

At this point, I still have to get me The Orange Box, The Elder Scrolls IV Expansion Packs (The Shivering Isle and Knights of the Nine) and The Witcher.

See? Got it all pretty much figured out. Now all I have to do is work doubly hard and make things happen for myself. Check you guys out in a few months.

Cheers!

Back To Guild Wars!

2007-08-01T23:58:00.001+08:00

OK. This whole day job is eating into my otherwise perfect gaming lifestyle. Two-and-a-half months ago, I was contentedly satisfied playing my World of Warcraft- until I was hit by the stark realization that, yes, the gaming lifestyle needs to be supported by a steady source of income. So I begrudgingly returned to corporate slavery to generate the resources required to keep on gaming.

And here comes the announcement of the release of Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Ahh. I have such fond memories of Guild Wars. It was the very first MMORPG I got into (since I was very much working at the time). I've started playing in early 2006, and I've worked my way through the Prophecies campaign, the Factions expansion, and then the Nightfall add-on.

They say that Eye of the North is Guild Wars' first REAL expansion. What exactly they mean by that, I have no clue. But whatever it is, it sure sounds a whole lot better than the first two. Yay! More Guild Wars action for everyone!

Guild Wars is a great game for people who have work. While, yes, World of Warcraft is just as entertaining (or arguably more so), you'd like to be able to make full use of the gaming time you're paying for every month. Unlike WoW, GW is free-to-play (after your initial purchase, of course). And unlike LOTS of other free online games out there, this one actually kicks ass. The storyline is very engaging, the character development allows you for lots of customization, the quests are appropriately challenging, and the game has incredibly high replay value. Getting both add-ons (Factions and Nightfall) gives you a lot more quests to play with, additional storage space, four extra character slots, improved henchmen and so much more. Oh, and it looks and sounds good too.

So just before I go get myself a copy of Eye of the North, I'd like to back and revisit the lands of Tyria, Canthia and Elona. Spend some time with old friends, make some new ones- getting myself in the mood for a lot more Guild Wars action. Let's play!