Non-specific Ramblings (My PRE-3)

What? WHAT?! E3 is only a few weeks away. Holy fishsticks!! So soon after the disappointment of last year? It doesn’t feel so long ago we were gearing up for E308. And oh boy!! The flames that baby went down it were almost horrific. Seriously, nothing really sticks to my mind beyond disappointment. So one would advise severe caution to anyone who is holding a remote piece of interest in E3 this year. Sure, they back at the Convention Centre and seems like the companies may reveal some big guns, but don’t hope too much as there is every chance this will just simply not touch upon former E3 conferences. Sad but true fact as well. The E3 many of us grew up with may be dead and buried. And in its place, this imitation demands our attention. So beyond this, what can we actually expect from the big 3 as we all cautiously brace ourselves for the worst?

Nintendo

What to expect – Though the Big N has really found itself on my bad side lately I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here because surely they have learned something after the horror of last years conference. So begrudging feelings aside, there is plenty that Nintendo could show if they actually deemed it necessary. Last we heard the Mario AND Zelda teams were working away on something. Now, we have seen Zelda: Spirit Tracks but really… where’s our next home console Zelda? Surely this year or next we should be getting close to a teaser… something… anything to keep fans going! Mario team could be making any number of things, New Super Mario Bros. 2? Mario Galaxy 2? New Paper Mario? Mario Sports title? Who knows really. I am hoping for NSMB2 because the first was brilliant. But I wouldn’t complain about Galaxy 2, just feels a bit soon. But the way I see it, the Wii needs some serious saving. So far HVS seem to be the beacon of hope, and just the other day announced Gladiator AD, but I am not yet interested in that.

I can only assume Matt may jump back on his “Kid Icarus is coming” train, but I find it hard to jump on just yet. Actually, I would love to hear from Retro Studio are up to, small chance that they show something off, but not impossible. One thing we have a high chance of seeing is possible some DSi stuff, most likely some DSi enhanced game announcements (bank on something with Pokemon in the title), its like IGN AU said, if any franchise sells… it is Pokemon. We may hear something about a new Wii channel or so, but don’t hold your breath.  Channels have gone quiet later, so one must assume that if Nintendo has something planned. But I’m expecting some extra selling points for the DSi to be revealed and maybe a speck or two of interesting software to make the Wii purchase-worthy. Heaven knows when they’ll do that. I’d like some sort of talk of Metroid to, but I won’t get my hopes up.

Sony

What to expect - These guys have some recovering to do, same as they do every year, but not because they lack quality. Because by God, I own a PS3 and it is currently my most played platform. Enough great games already to keep me going as well as future promise. But its lacklustre performance in sales ensures they still have a lot of fighting to do. For the most part they need to get some more great exclusives. Unchartered 2 should be a big hit at E3 I assume, maybe MAG as well. PSP successor is very likely, there has been so much buzz around the concept of a PSP2 that it is entirely possible they could let it out of the bag at E3. If there’s a stage to do that, it’ll be this one. Something that should get some major floor time would logically be God of War 3, the series thus far has been a high scoring one generally receiving favorable feedback… so why not feature the third installment? I am quite personally looking forward to it a lot! Kratos is itching for some more attention, and I see E3 as the place to see it. Of course, Sony could prove me wrong and ignore this upcoming title. Another point of interest is that Team ICO’s latest trailer for its latest game was released, so the gaming world is in a buzz hoping for more (they of course made Shadow of Colossus and ICO) so here’s hoping we see more of it!!

Something that everyone on the face of the planet who has an interest in the PS3 but doesn’t have one yet (this includes publishers as well) is after is a PRICE DROP. So will it happen? Well, Sony had a pretty good year in 2008, and why not follow up the next year with a price drop? I’m in no way saying its going to happen, because people saying so have been burned in the past by the usual, “It isn’t happening.” But really, if its coming then it must be coming soon. I will hope and pray that Square Enix will show off something for PS3 that is an RPG, because fora Japanese company they sure aren’t giving the PS3 much love. I’d like some Versus XIII footage and maybe the revelation of Kingdom Hearts 3? I can dream, damn it!! I don’t think we’ll see a PS3 redesign… I don’t think Sony will be feeling confident enough in their position in the console race to redesign their console.

Microsoft

What to expect – I don’t really follow Microsoft, nor do I really know what to expect from this year. I have noticed they have been pretty tightly sealed in terms of announcements so really they could have any number of things to say. Let’s face it, their biggest announcement last year was poaching Final Fantasy XIII’s exclusivity in the Western world so it would see release on both consoles (and as a result delay the Western release of FF-XIII on PS3 as well, good work!!). Speaking of poaching exclusives, it sounds like everyone is gearing up for the announcement of Metal Gear Solid 4 coming to XBox 360. Now, forgive me if I’ve missed something, but when exactly did this become fact? We know Kojima is teasing a new game, could be anything at this point but people seem focused on MGS4 to 360. Personally, I’ve finished the game upwards of ten times so I’m beyond caring at this point. The part that puzzles me is the stuff they’d have to edit out. Snake uses a PS3 control to control Metal Gear Mk. II, there is a PS3 in some sections, they reference Bluray and PS3… it just seems like a lot of trouble to go through. If anything, the next Metal Gear may be multiplat. But by that point, the franchise may be in risk of being ruined. I’ll rant more about this at a later date.

Apart from that, there are a few possibilities, pump some more use into the new XBox avatar system and the such (the failure of Scene-It burns, a competitor for Buzz might not hurt) and XBox Experience could get some enhancements. Something I personally think could come up is a new game by Rare, its hard to tell what though. Perfect Dark: Zero and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts ‘n’ Bolts have both failed. So will they start a new IP or try again with an old one? Impossible to tell really, but maybe they’ll try with Conker. He seems to be looked over a fair bit, but there is potential in bringing back this IP. The pop culture spoof he brings with him could go over well. I will put money on something Halo being shown. Halo = Microsoft, so they’ll show something. Definitely some Halo ODST but maybe something else? Halo 4? Halo Wars 2? Halo Party? I very much doubt Gears of War 3, but who knows what Epic could have up their sleeves.

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So like the title suggests, these were just some not so coherent ramblings of what I think E3 could have, but I am not going to get my hopes up. Between now and then I may cover a few companies in individual blog posts. And if I have the time, I’d love to cover individual companies WHILE E3 is taking place. I’m no game journo though, so that could be too much of an undertaking.

I foresee a Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft E3 write-up, and finally a Third Party one which will discuss interesting things bought to the table by the likes of  Square-Enix, Konami, Capcom, Bethesda, Rockstar etc. Either way, E3 is getting closer with every day.

Let’s hope it does not disappoint.

PRE-3

Quiet Blog. Busy April.

Sorry for the lack of blogs this month, it turned out to be surprisingly busy April. Lots of work, a fair bit of homework, and just general social activities. But I’m here now, writing this blog. So that’s a good sign… right?

Next week WiiLoaded will celebrate its 3rd birthday!! And anyone who has been around for any of that time should join us in celebrations next week. I’m not quite sure what we have on besides a birthday card contest (which can be located here), but if anyone who reads here has any ideas for activities then let me know and I’ll pass it on. You can also reach me at lemonmanx@wiiloaded.com which is convenient.

So what is coming up? And what has just passed us by?

In April was the much hyped release of Advent Children Complete, I have watched both the English and Japanese dubs and must say I enjoyed them both a lot. Fantastic added scenes that really flesh out certain elements of the film’s plot that were touched upon only lightly. And then there are scenes they added to just make things more awesome, like Sephiroth really kicking Cloud’s spikey butt for a good 20 seconds or so. Not much but when you see what he does, it is a painful 20 seconds for poor Cloud.

And just the other day Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was confirmed to be coming to PSN and XBLA, which is awesome. I can’t wait to pick that bad boy up and play the crap out of it. Mostly because I’ve really stopped playing Street Fighter IV… not quite sure why though. Unfortunate but we persevere.

I also know that I have been lacking reviews. I have written half of my (late) MGS4 one and the first quarter of my (late) Fire Emblem DS one. Unfortunately my homework interrupted here, I couldn’t get into a suitable state of mind to write about something I enjoyed after forcing myself through several boring essays.

Also, Transformers 2 is getting closer! Let the hype machine begin rolling.

Playstation of Europe Open Portable PSN IDs.

This is less of a blog post, and more of a little tidbit of information. Over at the EU Playstation site you can register your PSN and get a portable ID which updates as you obtain trophies. Now, I’ve only just started playing around with it so anyone that finds a way to change the flag then I’m dying to find out. Otherwise, its just another fancy way of showing off your trophy tally.

This is what they look like, the little picture on the top left part of the ID will be your PSN Avatar, and you can change the theme on the far right… I only picked Resident Evil 5 because there was no MGS4 theme. BLASPHEMY!!

Or if you prefer, the good guys over at Playfire have also got a trophy card system set up. I have one of each really, but I think I like the official one just a little bit more.

But either way, go crazy PS3 owners!! Apparently the EU one will be getting updates in the future so that could be worth watching for.

My Game of the Year 2008

So here is the (most predictable) decision I’ve had to make this year, my own personal game of the year. I’ve tride most of the higher rated games this year such as: Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Fallout 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, Audiosurf, etc. And I have to say that when it came down to it I found myself with a few options.

But when I weighed up the options, the answer was clear.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, from the genius of Hideo Kojima takes the cake for me (despite the fact that it is a lie). People can complain about the length of the cut scenes to the cows come home but for me the pure storytelling utilised in the game wins it for me. Yes, they are long. And yes, sometimes they can be incredibly poorly done. But the story that is weaved into this game tells a heartbreaking tale. One of the a bleak future controlled by war, and the hardships of the main characters to try and stop the destruction in its tracks. What gets me most in the game, is that all the characters have lost so much. They have lost a lot that they care about and are purely fighting now to atone for their sins.

Sometimes it’ll feel cliche, but to me it didn’t matter. I was so engrossed in Snake’s struggle to finally end Liquid. Otacon’s desperate rollercoaster ride of wanting it all to end while not wanting Snake to fight. Raiden’s ridiculous change from pussy to Frank Jaeger. Just, the game itself feels amazing.

One downfall is the lack of actual gameplay, but I’ll touch upon that in my review coming in the near future.

Metal Gear Solid 4, I salute you.

We Rise From The Dead

No, this post isn’t related to Dead Rising Wii (which is looking shit by the way), this is just me once again announcing that this blog is rising from the dead. Over the December period I had picked up a second job which had me contracted on Mondays to Fridays and sometimes Saturdays so I have been a very busy person. I realise this blog probably has no constant viewers, but regardless I’d like to apologise for my inactivity.

Because of my increased workload I had to put a few things on the back burner but now as my contract is ending soon I have more time thus I can complete what I wanted to. For starters I have a Disaster: Day of Crisis review which is 1/2 finished. For New Years I’ll be doing a review of LMX’s Game of 2008, which I’ll be blogging about this weekend. And I also want to review Fire Emblem: New Shadow Dragon early 2009 when I eventually get the chance to finish it. I’m roughly up to Chapter 12, I could review the Japanese version but that’d be pointless.

Amongst my working I rewarded myself, that’s right I *finally* picked up my PS3 with: Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Fallout 3. As well as a shiny new HD TV to display its amazing visuals on. As of this post, my Wii is still unplugged due to a dead Wiimote, I am going to be replacing it soon though. It just doesn’t have a high priority on my list.

2008 is nearly over, a year dominated by the Wii obviously. But in terms of game quality it is a draw between the XB360 and the PS3. But as it stands, 2009 is looking like the year of the PS3. Either way, it’ll be interseting to see.

Also check out the massive Steam sale, it rocks. Bought DOOM 2 for 0.99c

See you next mission.
-lmx

4,000 Hits And A Fiery Emblem

ZOMG! Fire Emblem DS released in Japan recently, and I managed to snag a copy. In short, it’s a great experience… even if I can’t understand what they are saying. The menu layout and such is very similar to the general Fire Emblem formula which makes navigation surprisingly easy. Having said that, there is an English patch undergoing development on the internets for the ROM version. When it’s complete I urge any and everyone who needs a Fire Emblem fix to get it. However, those in the group of Fire Emblem fans probably already has a copy and is counting down til the final English patch.

Fire Emblem re-tells the original NES title’s story of Prince Marth, only in DS graphics with new features from the GBA games (some notably absent though). It accomplishes what a Fire Emblem game should seek to achieve, it’s a strategy game with enough difficulty to keep you going (If you’re like me and want everyone in your party to survive the entire game) but features auto-save spots mid-Chapter so that if you *do* get to a frustrating position you can avoid doing entire Chapters again… which is always a welcome change.

Metal Gear Solid 4 still in mind, beautiful game. The review is coming. Just wanted to let you guys know that much. It’ll get here… eventually.

Recently E3 came and gone (If you didn’t notice, which you’d be forgiving for doing) and it was, to say the least, a complete and utter disappointment. No massive news came from it worth mentioning beyond FF-XIII taking the step to multiplatform. But if you haven’t heard about that by now, get out from underneath your rock and say hello to the modern world. In summary:

Nintendo – Continuing down the casual path with titles like Wii Sports Resort and Wii Music. And attempting to keep hardcore gamers with pissy titles like Animal Crossing: City Folk with a half-assed voice chat option. At least The Conduit and Mad World look interesting though.

Microsoft – Trying to make a move on Nintendo’s audience with party games and Mii-like Avatars. Poached FF-XIII from Sony’s exclusive pile, but never really too surprised there. Square Enix like money, Microsoft have a lot of it. Oh and Gears of War 2… snore.

Sony - Bleeding. Badly. Staying alive somehow though, mostly due to the PS2 which is still selling. Resistance 2 coming, big boss battle, eye-candy. MAG, dream game that probably won’t come to be. MGS4 remaining exclusive (win). Oh, and PS2… did I mention that?

Square Enix’s “DKΣ3713″ event happened recently as well. For those who aren’t keeping up to speed, the big FF-VII announcement appears to have been an Advent Children: Complete release date for Japan and news that it would come with a 2nd disc containing a FF-XIII demo for PS3. Not huge news, at least not what I’d hoped for. But I’m sure we all knew deep down the FF-VII remake is a bit off yet. Everyone’s favourite evil clown, Kefka, was confirmed for Dissidia but still no sign of Cloud yet. FF-Versus XIII will remain a worldwide PS3 exclusive, which is fantastic news… since I want it more than FF-XIII. Oh, and Agito XIII + 3rd Birthday are going to PSP. Woo.

Anyway, apart from all mentioned above. I’m enjoying my R4, assisting local Les Misérables production, and working/Uni-ing myself to death.

See you next mission,
lm-x

The Return.

I understand I have been absent for awhile, I have had quite the busy schedule, maintaining work, Uni, gaming and real life stuff isn’t easy. Also I had my 21st birthday party recently, I’ll spare you guys the details but it left me sickly for a few days.

Anyway. What’s happened? I finished MGS4. Several times. Love it. Adore it. Treasure it. Except for its ending. Got my R4 card, experienced a lot of awesome things because of it. Had holidays, now they’re over so back at studying and stuff again.

Also, WL is undergoing difficulties so I’m putting time aside to help them.

Peace and love readers!

“This is my final mission…”

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MGS4 is amazing.

I will be reviewing it after I explore it top to bottom, inside and out. On my friend’s PS3 (since I couldn’t afford my own *just* yet) and my self-purchased copy of MGS4 (since I know I’m going to get a PS3 anyway).

Few games have had me this excited from the start. Its just hard to describe, maybe its just the MGS fan inside me embracing Solid Snake’s final mission. But it is breath-taking to play the game we’ve waited so many years for.

So Metal Gear fans, let us come together. We have to help Snake finish his last mission, and earn his final retirement.

Its going to be an emotional ride.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Leaks from the Patriots

So, as we inevitably expected. MGS4 has been leaked the public people, and people are either hunting down spoilers or screaming at them in pure shock at having seen them. I have ran into a couple, and have taken it rather well, mostly since I still don’t know how Solid Snake will end up in the long run.

But be warned, it’s only a matter of time. We’re seeing more and more pics from the Limited Edition strategy guides and leaked copies of the game.

I will say, this game is going to be incredible. And it seems like everything literally will be tied up in this game based on some of the plot details regarding the roles of MGS3 characters, Para-Medic and Signit.

Hideo Kojima, we bow before you.

A New Year. A New War.

2008 has come in with a bang, and I must say I look forward to seeing what this year holds. We get a lot of potentially good games this year, as well as a lot of guaranteed great games.

With Smash in Feb, Mario Kart somewhere mid-08 and MGS4 in late-08 this is shaping up to be even better than last year… and we got some pretty cool games last year, oh… and Halo (that’s right, it’s not great.)

Anyway, I recently completed FF-XII and I must say that it is by far superior to Twilight Princess on the Wii. Not only was its story better, but its gameplay and music were, its characters were and its lifespan was. I mean, I played TP for about 60 hours doing all the sidequests and such. Not bad, hey? Well so far I’ve spent 100 hours on FF-XII, and I *still* have a few things left to do. Including a 6 hour boss fight to complete. Only thing that TP has over FF-XII is the fact that Ganondorf is an awesome villain, Vayne in FF-XII was not. Plus its ending built to nothing, clearly showing they WANTED that damned sequel. Which I think is wrong.

My mod chip goes in my Wii soon and I start saving to import SSBB from America and then I start my PS3 fund so that I may buy MGS4.

Also, Raiden is a girl. RUFL!

See you all on WiiLoaded.

This is the beginning of SSBM Season 2008. I look forward to it, I am assuming it’ll start Feb/March.