Real Alan Wake footage?..

Alan Wake is a mysterious Xbox 360 exclusive that has been on the release list for some time, but little is known about the game. That hasn't stopped a number of people getting rather excited about the title.

This video has appeared and claimed to be leaked Alan Wake footage that will be shown at the GDC 09 event. Looks genuine enough to me, and far too professional to be a fake. So this may very well be actual footage of Alan Wake.

Only time will tell when this either does or doesn't show at the GDC 09.

Minature arcade cabinets...

Awesome. Who wouldn't want their own minature arcade cabinets of old populating their, area they populate with randomness?

Seems Kotaku have the full scoop on this little gems. Probably something else not available in the UK though. Do we ever get anything?

The longevity debate once more...

Sony's Kaz Hirai recently sent a scathing message to Microsoft saying the Xbox 360 lacks longevity in an attempt to reinforce the idea that Playstation 3 will last 10 years in production and support. The thing is, does it matter?

As an avid gamer when a new console comes along, I just gotta have it. If the latest and greatest console can offer me more I'm going to buy it. The first console I owned was the original Playstation, followed by N64, Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Gamecube, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii and finally my Playstation 3. Purchased in that order and still all reside in my collection. All, with the exception of the Playstation, N64 and Xbox, were purchased at or close to the launch of each respective console. So does longevity actually matter to someone like me?

Not really. Once the latest is out I tend to jump ship quickly. Any multiplatform games will be purchased for the next gen console, leaving only exclusives as a reason for owning the older console. As far as longevity goes, the arguement is redundant for me. If the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii all latested until 2016 would they still be cutting edge? No, of course not. If the competition to Sony released superior consoles in 2011-12, as it is being widely speculated, do you think Sony would say 'no new console until 2016' of course not. The competition in the console arena is fiercer than ever and any of the manufacturers hands will be forced based soley on what the competition do.

Nintendo manufactured and sold NES consoles in Japan for just over 20 years. It has to be the longest running console in production ever, does that mean it was at its best or it stopped Nintendo producing three other consoles during that time? No, and I doubt at any point the NES offered Nintendo sales volumes at any level that could keep them afloat.

This generation Sony are a victim of their own success. The PS2 unfortunately is still alive and kicking, even to the point where it still outsells the PS3. The PS2 is that popular that they cannot simply stop producing the console as they risk loosing revenue. Revenue that in the harsh economic climate and with their recent huge losses they can ill afford to lose. This leaves Sony in a very awkward position, their previous console has yet to die out, while their newer console has yet to fully take off and we're potentially moving towards announcements from Microsoft and Nintendo of new consoles coming within the next 2-3 years. If that happens within the next year and consumers catch wind of this they may decide to skip a generation and wait for the next. Especially as it would seem they are content with what their PS2 consoles offer them.

I'll leave you with a thought. The reason the PS2 took off had a large amount to do with the inclusion of the DVD player, something Sony hoped they could replicate with the PS3 and it also being a BluRay player. That didn't happen as well this generation that much is obvious. At this point the PS2 had sold more than the PS3 has in the same time-scale, meanwhile Nintendo has gone on to sell astronomical volumes of Wii consoles to the casuals. My question is, are these the casuals that purchased PS2 consoles last generation for DVD functionality?

Too skilled or too much time?..

I was pointed in the direction of this image for someone who made this for their girlfriend. It's certainly impressive, although it does beg the question of how much time did this take to complete?

If you fancy making another, whoever you might be, email me and I'll give you details of where you can send it. Cheeky I know, but I want one.

Nintendo arrogance full steam ahead...

Just when you think arrogance has reached a peak, someone comes along and shows that it'll come in many shapes or forms. Nintendo is showing how their plans for game releases this year involve selling you Gamecube games that didn't sell as well as they would have liked during the previous generation or they think they'll be able to eek a few more sales through a release on the Wii.

gamesindustry.biz reported that re-jigged Gamecube titles with extra Wiimote magic thrown in will cost you £39.99. Not bad for games 5-6 years old, maybe older, that you played years ago and any real Nintendo fan of old will already most likely own. Like me Mario Power Tennis and Pikmin, two of the first titles on offer, already reside on my gaming shelf.

So what's the deal Nintendo? I don't think these titles are intended for fans, no these are intended to dupe the new recruits of gaming into purchasing something new, that's actually something old. The games have been enhanced for Wii functionality, which means pressing a button to serve has been translated to waving your arm through the air etc.

The worrying thing is this is probably going to work. Nintendo are about to rip off the newbies and best of all they'll love 'em for it knowing nothing of these titles already long history. Once more they'll proclaim 'innovation'.

Deathclaw Vs. Super Mutant Behemoth...

As I mentioned it in the last post, the Deathclaw is pretty nasty foe in Fallout 3 and it's the only thing that generally gets the better of me. Even the Super Mutant in Behemoth variety isn't anything compared to those damn Deathclaws.

Someone has decided to pit the Deathclaw against the Super Mutant Behemoth and see what the results are. Well, it would seem there is an unanimous victory here but you're going to have to watch the video to find out. For those not in the know, the Deathclaw is the smaller one and the Super Mutant is the bigger one. For those watching on a black and white telly the pink ball is behind the blue ball!

What if Halo 3 featured Fallout 3's V.A.T.S system?..

Fallout 3 has consumed my free time. If I ain't working, eating, drinking, sleeping or watching the latest series of 24 I am playing Fallout 3. At least until a pack of Deathclaws kill me once again, those things are far too powerful. What if Halo 3 featured the V.A.T.S system, or any online shooter for that matter? What would the results be?

Spotted this video on YouTube. For a fan made video it's incredibly good. If you have played Fallout 3 this will have a lot more meaning to you. They got the feel just right.

Movie about Chun Li...

They call it Street Fighter : Legend of Chun Li. I call it Looks Like Another Bad-un.

Surely Hollywood at some point is going to bring some people in from the gaming world and get them to actually tell those responsible for these pathetic movie adaptations exactly what should be included in a film about any particular game. As opposed to collecting a few basic facts and then piecing together a script that couldn't be further away from the source material.

We see it time and time again. Doom, Street Fighter The Movie, Hitman, Mario Bros. With only a few exceptions like Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil which are the closest but still pretty far from being anything like the original game storylines. So why do they do it? I'm certain it can only be the case that they want to make a quick profit rather than spend time to fully understand a game and then develop a worthwhile script.

If you fancy watching the latest Hollywood disaster movie the trailer for the film has been released. Before you watch it remember the image of Chun Li above, that is classic Chun Li. Once you have seen the trailer tell me how this bares any resemblance to Chun Li? Answers on a post card, or the forum below.

Older films on BluRay...

The HD format wars are over, BluRay is the disc based victor and now I have a lot more confidence about my investment in the format as recent news of sales increases have been reported across the US and Europe. There is however one thing I cannot get myself behind, the older movie on BluRay.

I have made it a rule to only purchase films I felt would benefit from HD, like Transformers, Cloverfield, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Iron Man spring to mind as some of the most impressive BluRay films I have seen. So why do I shy away from older films so heavily?

It’s partly because of some of the reasons that companies like Sky gave when launching their subscription based HD packages in the UK. They made a big deal about requiring HD cameras to fully benefit from the new format and that subscription costs were in place to fund the change over to more advanced HD camera equipment. So based on this, only newer films should be able to benefit from HD? If you follow that logic.

I purchased The Crow a while back and was unimpressed with the transfer, my upscaling DVD player did pretty much the same job with a standard DVD. That particular film is only presented in 1080i and not full 1080p, something which is not clear when reading the case as it insists it is ‘Full HD 1080’, but it most certainly is not 1080p. This BluRay purchase has haunted me and made my opinion pretty much stuck in stone.

This week I managed to get Starship Troopers on BluRay for £9.99. A film I can watch, over and over, it just never bores me. This was a pleasant surprise as not only does it feature a full 1080p transfer of the film, there is a considerable increase in picture quality.

It makes me wonder how many other older films have transferred to HD as well as Starship Troopers that I have yet to see. I really don’t think I will be purchasing too many unless someone has some real recommendations of decent worthwhile films that made the transition successfully. For now, I’ll play it safe and stick with recent releases only but it's nice to see that some older films can be a worthwhile purchase on BluRay.

The black hole of Fallout 3 finally has me...

It got me, I have been completely and utterly sucked in by the gravitational forces of Fallout 3. Which is saying something when at first I could not get into this game despite really trying to give it a chance. Something changed though, because I suddenly found myself enjoying it.

I have had the game since early December and put in about 8 hours total play until about 5 days ago. The initial vault sequences were quite enjoyable and then all of a sudden you'll find yourself out in the wasteland immediately being attacked by unknown creatures that are pretty nasty and what do you have to protect yourself? Whatever you picked up on your mad dash out of Vault 101 that's what. So maybe a pistol or most likely a baton and almost no sense of direction as to where you're headed.

Combine the total disorientation you'll feel with the limited resources you have and it all seems like a desperate struggle that is seemingly getting you nowhere. It just doesn't seem fun and the fact that any weapons you do have are so poor in aim you will find yourself missing most of the time, making you feel a little sick that those seemingly expensive rounds of ammo you struggled to afford offered you little protection. It is at this point I considered giving up, much as you probably would do if your whole world had just been turned upside down and you were left in a No Man's Land styled landscape of unbelievable cruelty. There are few friendly faces and outside of any small settlements remaining you'll face attacks from animals and human foes of a wide variety.

During those initial hours you are going to find it hard. Like me you might very well feel like giving up and put Fallout 3 away as a failure. My honest advice is don't. That is the worst thing you can do, because you are about to miss out on one of the most engrossing games I have ever played. You'll get better weapons, your aim will get better, you start to repair your own weapons and the further away you get from whichever settlement you frequent most you'll reap the rewards of those failed attacks with items you can sell. You suddenly start to realise that those initial hours of despair are pure genius because the memories of those harsh hours of play make you thankful of how far you've come.

I found myself setting out on an almost daily routine scavenging for anything I could sell to make a few caps for ammo. It is this go almost anywhere feeling, because virtually everything has been reduced to rubble, that sucked me in and after a few hours of foraging through broken and destroyed buildings confidence starts to ride high about making another trip into the unknown once more a compelling priority.

Fallout 3 is a fantastic game and anything that can eventually draw me into playing over 20 hours in 3 days is an impressive feat which I can now highly recommend.

More online cheating evidence...

'Cheaters never prosper' that's what I was always told anyway. Everyone has heard someone accuse or throw an accusation or two against someone online, I've even been guilty of the latter from time to time. Sometimes though cheaters do prosper and in the realm of online gaming they most frequently do.

After seeing some forum posts about players cheating/glitching on Call of Duty: World at War whereby you are able to exploit a glitch in the online maps that allows players to exit the playable game area. These players are then able to kill at will without fear of retaliation as they effectively become invulnerable. Another recent example is on Left 4 Dead where Versus mode games have seen players as both survivors and infected have been able to once more exploit the maps to prevent the necessary objectives from being fulfilled. In these cases the developers should be patching the problems they created through improper play testing, especially when titles like COD:WAW went through public betas and the aforementioned exploit was apparently seen back then. Two months on neither have seen fixes for these problems and could eventually make online play redundant if enough legit players are turned off.

Those however are just problems with game coding and should through patching disappear. Hopefully sooner rather than later. There is something worse cropping up more frequently and that is the modded controller. If you take the Xbox 360 controllers for example, with a £6 screw driver you will be able to get past the security torx screws holding them shut. I should know I've broken and repaired enough pads to know those little babies inside out. So very little is preventing people from modding their controllers and that is exactly what they are doing. Rapid fire controllers for online play. Making basic weapons exactly like machine guns. In my eyes this should be very easy to detect, the rate is the same constantly and publishers and network operators like Microsoft and Sony should be looking to stamp this out immediately before it becomes the norm.

The video below is an example of exactly what the results are with one of these modded controllers. It detracts from the playing experience, would be difficult for a player on the receiving end to detect and players new to online gaming might be given the perception that everyone is just too good and not worth competing with. If you personally think this is acceptable, you are not a gamer and as the player here demonstrates that even their poor accuracy has given them an unforgivable edge and spoilt an otherwise solid online experience.

I'm affraid I can't let you play that, Dave...

Everyone knows that the Xbox 360's RRoD problems are not really a laughing matter and the consoles failures must be the worst of any console to ever grace the gaming world, but matching those problems with a classic film is genius as demonstrated by the above image.

Any other console would not have survived the press onslaught of articles detailing RRoD which tells me that despite its issues the console still has a strong place in the hearts of its followers. Maybe it has been blown out of proportion and you never really can trust the forum posts saying I am on my eighth console, but I can confirm that I too have suffered from the RRoD and still stand by my Xbox as the best console I own.

HAL just needs to stay away from mine from now on.

Can Europe still be ignored?..

In the past Europe was always treated like the poor relation of the games industry, especially when it comes to games consoles. Many may think of this as a thing of the past and although things are better in recent times we still see some reminders of the past business policies today. The question, can Europe still be classed as a region that matters less than the rest?

It's a good question. Long term gamers will remember poor NTSC to PAL conversions with huge borders and sluggish or poor frame rates, bad translations for RPGs that took a long time coming, or situations where some of the greatest games of the past just simply never made it to these shores.

Nintendo and Sony the longest surviving of console manufacturers that are still alive today have both either been guilty of this themselves or their consoles have seen third parties giving Europe the cold shoulder. Final Fantasy VII is a prime example of a Playstation title that took a long time coming to Europe and at the time the excuse was the variety of languages it had to be translated to. Nintendo themselves even more recently on the Wii left us waiting for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and on Gamecube could barely decide whether to release Animal Crossing in Europe and it eventually arrived far too late to have any real impact.

Only a few of the many many examples of the past that showed European gamers that they weren't as important as the rest, I know. Is it any different today? Yes things are much better, simultaneous world wide releases of consoles has become common place today or at least are released in close proximity as opposed to the year and longer delays we saw in the early 90s, with games following a much similar pattern these days too. So yes things are most certainly far better than in the past and the poor conversions are barely mentioned today. I certainly wouldn't complain too much but I still think there is room for improvement. There are still some examples like the original 60gb Playstation 3 with PS2 chipset never making it to Europe, leaving us with a very hit and miss emulation experience, we never saw the best emulation the PS3 had to offer.

I present another question. Should Europe still be treated as the weakest of all regions? Simply put, no. That should never have been the case anyway, but with recent news that Xbox 360 has sold 8 millions units in Europe and in the UK ELSPA reported the games industry in 2008 was bigger than ever and worth a staggering £4.03 billion. An absolutely staggering amount when you consider the current economic climate. Microsoft now see Europe as the second largest region, which means we have seen better treatment, but we still miss out on things like the NetFlix movie streaming services that the US got when the NXE launched.

On the whole Europe does seemingly receive better treatment from all three console manufacturers today, but there is still much room for improvement. We still miss out on a lot of stuff, although one thing is certain Europe is on the rise and that isn't going to change and the first console manufacturer to really dedicate some true resources to the region could capture some of the untapped potential that has been missed and ignored throughout the last 20 years or so.

Fanboy food fight...

Well not quite, more like a playground name calling session. I really cannot stand it any more. I know I have been vocal here about where Sony have been failing this generation and I initially wanted HD-DVD to succeed as it appeared to be the better format, but I just cannot stand any more fanboy baited articles on the web any more.

Yes UK Resistance with their we hate Sony statements are a good laugh to read, but only a fool would take them 100% seriously. For a long time it did look like Sony were going to stay in the starting blocks and I'll standby the fact that Xbox Live is better than PSN, but titles such as 'Sony are edging close to pulling the plug' or '2009 will be the year the Xbox 360 fails' are bait.

The problem is and this is especially true with the first example, is that they draw you in. You have to click on the link just in case something has happened and the news is true. Upon arrival you'll find nothing more than a simple collection of random paragraphs that account for nothing of substance. The worst thing is these articles then have hundreds of fanboy comments where you'll hear the same lame 'mine is better than yours' comments to which you'll find the usual retort 'no I think you'll find mine is better than yours'. Come on this is sticks and stones kind of stuff, grow up.

It's great to have an opinion. Anything I have writen here I'll stand by as true at the time of writing. Of course opinions change, Little Big Planet was a game I didn't pay much attention to, though that all changed after I spent a little time with it. However I will back my opinions with some solid reasoning, examples and an insight to why I think something should be a certain way or why something is better, not just because I feel the need to bash something.

Lastly before I sign off from this little rant after another strenuous day at work. Why do fanboys deny what they are? Sitting on a forum and bashing your online nemesis' choice of console is plain sad when you use the terms 'Xbot' and 'PS3-PO' to insinuate the responses you dislike (no matter how just that comment might be) is some kind of automated response.

Lets all grow up a little here. The journalists and bloggers too need to focus on drawing people in with some quality content because right now you are no better than the rumour mill spouting tabloid papers. In the mean time expect to see more opinionated blogs from me about what I like and dislike, but at least expect some justification for my ravings rather than pure bait for those fanboys to gourge on.

The Urban Dictionary has this decription of what makes a fanboy.

1. A person who is completely loyal to a game or company reguardless of if they suck or not.

2. A pathetic insult often used by fanboys themselves to try and put down people who don't like whatever it is they like.