‘A co ma być?’ chce się rzec ;) - konsola bije wszelkie rekordy popularności, regularnie dostarczając Nintendo astronomicznych przelewów. Koszt produkcji gier jest strasznie przyjazny developerom i wydawcom, baza użytkowników największa z ‘nowych’ konsol. Japończycy ją kochają, dzieci ją kochają, kobiety ją kochają, nintendofile już ją dawno mają i regularnie spraszają do siebie znajomych zarażając ich Wiimanią. Owym gościom zabawka podoba się na tyle, że lecą do sklepu po swój egzemplarz, następnie spraszają swoich znajomych, chwaląc się zakupem itd. - ciągnąc ten łańcuszek szczęścia. Gdzie w tym słodkim kręgu miejsce dla graczy? (tych ‘true’) Czy dla nich ta platforma to równie dobry i oczywisty wybór? W ogóle czy warto sięgać po taki hardware? 

Sam ostatnio zastanawiałem się nad tym. Ile przyjemności może przecież dać machanie kontrolerem przypominającym nunchaku, przed zaledwie ‘wporzo’ prezentującymi się grami... a tegoroczne, słabiutkie E3 tylko potwierdziło kwestię ‘dorosłości’ tytułów, które zmierzają na te platformę (ogólnie – są kierowane do młodszych użytkowników). Nie odchodząc jednak za daleko od głównego wątku, spisałem pięć powodów dla których konsola Maria, Luigiego i Księżniczki Brzoskwinki ( mniam ;) ) jest mimo wszystko warta większej uwagi:

Sterowanie: a no właśnie, kto zasmakował kiedykolwiek grania w gry dziwnymi kontrolerami (gitara, pistolet, mata etc.) czy też sam się powyginał naprzeciwko TV przy PSdwójkowym Eye Toy’u wie, że nietypowe sterowanie potrafi stanowić najmocniejszy punkt danej produkcji. Przy grach lekkich, na paro minutową sesyjkę takie rozwiązanie się idealnie sprawdza. A Wii oferuje ich najwięcej, oprócz nowych pozycji są też znane hity z odświeżoną mechaniką. Mimo wszystko przeszedłbym sobie jeszcze raz Resident Evil 4 czy Okami machając pilotem. Nie jestem na to jakoś nagrzany ale jakbym miał już swoją konsolę to z chęcią bym obadał wrażenia.

Świeże przeboje: o tak! Wii ma też swoje tytuły, których mogą jej zazdrościć PS3 i X360. Są to najczęściej gry specyficzne, nie będące szokiem dla całej branży, jednak ciągle warte sprawdzenia. To nie platforma dla Bioshocka, Gearsów i GTA... a jednak będzie miała, ot choćby, swoje Mad World, które już teraz zwraca uwagę całego grającego świata. Jest to też dom dla tytułów takich jak No More Heroes, Metroid Prime 3, Castlevania Judgment, Monster Hunter 3, Little Kings Story, Pikmin 3, Nights, Rune Factory, Shiren the Wanderer, Zack & Wiki, Tenchu 4 – wszystko only Wii! Co by nie mówić to ciekawy zbiór gier, może nie zmieniających oblicza rynku, ale solidnych i przynajmniej dobrych. Fajnie byłoby je wszystkie poznać. Byłoby przy czym machać.

Dwa w jednym: konkretnym argumentem za Wii jest jego pełna kompatybilność z GameCube’m. GCN co prawda okazał się średnim sukcesem (żeby nie napisać, że niewypałem), ale przecież też ma swoją bibliotekę produkcji, które warto sprawdzić. Jest Celda, Wave Race, 1080° Avalanche, F-Zero GX, Luigi's Mansion, Baten Kaitos, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes… i jeszcze troszkę. Takie dwie konsole w jednej (Wii również, bezproblemowo, obsługuje kontrolery z GCNa), które wciąż potrafią podrajcować swymi grami to niezła okazja. Tym bardziej, że większość graczy olała kubła na rzecz PS2 i Xboxa gdy te były rządzącymi platformami i oferowały o wiele więcej. Ci gracze przeoczyli ekskluzywne tytuły z konsoli Nintendo. Teraz, więc ta skromna kolekcja GamaCube’owych gier, powód jego klęski, stanowi ogromny plus dla Wii, taki paradoksik. Można ograć całą genialną trylogię Metroid Prime, wszystkie trójwymiarowe Zeldy a niedługo i Pikminową trójcę na jednym sprzęcie. Kuszące!

Przystępność: Wiecie jaki problem jest z X360? Gdy przychodzą do mnie znajomi, którym chce przyszpanować jak gry poszły do przodu to... nie wiem co im puścić. Dopóki sam gram jest spoko, ale gdy przekazuje im pada to wszędzie sterowanie jest za skomplikowane, a jak nie sterowanie to zasady a jak nie zasady to poziom trudności ich przerasta. To hardcore’owa platforma, nawet Viva Pinata na szybko im nie zapuszczę bo wymaga sporo czasu a jeżdżąc po Paradise City w ostatnim Burnoucie od razu się pogubią…
Ale dać komuś świeżemu Wii? Żaden problem od razu pomacha padem i się ucieszy ;) partyjki lecą sprawnie i szybko a takie dołączane do każdej konsoli Wii Sports nawet nasze matki, kobiety i córki opanowują w trymiga. Przystępność pilota i gruszki, połączonych kabelkiem jest zadziwiająca. Dochodzą do tego pojedynki multiplayer’owe ze znajomymi, dające mase funu. Bo przecież z ‘nowymi’ prawdziwy gracz w Tekkena, Forzę, Pro Evo czy Gearsy nie pogra, bo nie stanowią dla niego konkurencji. Za to na konsoli Nintendo świetnie bawią się wszyscy od pierwszego kontaktu - ciężko jej tego odmówić.

Dopełnienie dla konsol dla ‘prawdziwych’ graczy – X360 i PS3, oferujących wysoko budżetowe ‘poważne’ hity, Wii sprawdza się idealnie. Nie ma to jak odpocząć od takich hardcore’owych pozycji, przy kolorowych, lekkich i łatwych tytułach. Właśnie w nich tkwi i siła i słabość Wii. Równowaga musi być w naturze, a niestety ciężko na platformach Microsoftu i Sony znaleźć jakieś miłe ‘gierki’.

Wszystko to, teoretycznie, składa się na obraz szalenie atrakcyjnej konsoli. Takiej jaką należy czym szybciej kupić. I Byłoby tak gdyby nie... cena. Rozumiem, że Nintendo nigdy nie czaiło polityki polegającej na systematycznym obniżaniu cen (za to dojenie do ostatniego grosika swych fanów mają opanowane do perfekcji) ale teraz przeginają. Wii nie ma nawet odtwarzacza dvd, a kosztuje 900 złotych. Nie piszę nawet o możliwościach oferowanych przez jego procesor. To platforma okropnie przestarzała technicznie (a więc i taniutka w produkcji – przebitkę mają podłą), dla której nie możliwe jest otrzymanie portu choćby GTA4, bo co by go miało niby przerzucić? Te wątłe bebechy?
Gry, owszem, nie odrzucają od siebie oprawą ale stawiając obok siebie najładniejsze tytuły z Wii i te z Xboxa 360, szala przechyla momentalnie na korzyść MS. Wpływa to na gry – tu wiekopomnych hitów nigdy (obym się mylił) nie będzie. To takie granie w pozycje z poprzedniej generacji, które nie zdarzyły się na niej ukazać, tylko z nowym, kiwającym ciało sterowaniem. Za takie coś nie powinno się płacić więcej niż 500 złotych. Tym bardziej, że jako jedna-jedyna konsola nie ma prawa bytu, nie zaspokajając głodu gracza chcącego jakiś głębszych wrażeń i trzeba ją uzupełnić którąś z konkurencyjnych platform.
Innymi słowy, cudny gadżet aczkolwiek absolutnie nie wart swej ceny (dla polskiego gracza), czekajmy na zdrowe obniżki – wtedy nie będzie żadnego powodu dla którego by nie przygarnąć jej pod swój dach.
Sam na to czekam, coraz bardziej się niecierpliwiąc...

cascad

Sega reveló una nueva imágen de Mad World, este extraño y sangriento juego para Wii desarrollado por Platinum Games (antes Clover).

Este juego donde deberemos matar a nuestros enemigos de la forma más sangrienta posible para lucir bien en la televisión, saldrá a la venta a comienzos del 2009.

Y bueno, ya que es solicitado, aquí está el video que mostró Sega en el E3 de este año.

Fuente: Gamekyo

Radovan Karadzic captured

The victims of this evil wicked man are still being unearthed, 13 years after the  Srebrenica massacre.

Alhamdulilah, Allah the Almighty's justice is infinite and perfect.

Insha Allah, his trial and subsequent imprisonment will bring some peace to the families of his victims.

por fin vais a poder justificar el derroche de 250€ que habeis hecho.  Porque seamos francos, ni el fontanero italiano ni el amigo Travis han conseguido alcanzar la calidad (ni siquiera rozarla) de un título de esta generación.  Y ahora que vuestras Wiis acumulan montañas de polvo, y os planteais romprer vuestro cerdito hucha para comprar una consola de verdad (la Xbox360), llega Mad ‘MadWorld’ para sacaros del atolladero. Ya no vais a tener que seguir haciendo ejercicio de autoconvencimiento, vuestra compra ha valido la pena. Sí, amigo nintendero, es a tí.  Con este título tendrás la concienca tranquila durante algunos meses. Después, ya veremos.

Lo de Clover Seeds Platinum Games con su ‘MadWorld’ es totalmente demencial, es lo más bruto que va a pisotear los circuitos de Wii hasta nueva orden. Sus principales señas de identidad: estética rompedora a base del uso de 2 colores (blanco y negro) más el rojo para la sangre (a eso se le llama resaltar algo en condiciones) y violencia extrema, desmesurada y atroz. El vídeo que estáis a punto de ver es una muestra de lo salvaje que pueden llegar a ser nuestras acciones.

Dadle las gracias al bueno de Shinji Mikami. Yo por mi parte quiero este juego para ayer.

Hace unos días un amigo me paso este video y enseguida decidí compartirlo con ustedes, sin duda la interpretación de la letra y con una música que inspira una reflexión, la melodía y ritmo de la canción me parecen precisos para decir... Mad World!!! Tú que piensas?

When thinking of Nintendo and E3 , one picture comes to mind. Several years back, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was soon to be announced at the 2004 E3 event. All fell silent, the lights dimmed, and smoke filled the crowded room of loyal fans. A video began playing on screen and quickly it was made clear that a new Legend of Zelda was on its way. Suddenly, Shigeru Miyamoto came striding to the stage, sword and shield in hand. The audience leapt to their feet beside themselves in joy and admiration, cheering on the juggernaut of modern gaming.

Becoming one of the most profound entrances ever made at an E3 event,  Miyamoto made a clear and present statement that day: Nintendo was in-touch with their fans and knew what they wanted. They were ready and willing to please, anxious fans were happy, and the competition were muttering curses under their breath. The new Zelda game looked darker and more mature than ever before and was taken in by the masses in the drop of a hat.

Fast forward to the event held yesterday and it's an entirely different story. The somber crowd did not rise to their feet when Miyamoto took the stage. The fits of laughter and applause that so often couple Nintendo's usual unveiling could not be heard over the loud music being played on stage. The patrons of the event and the millions watching from home were deafeningly silent in awe as Nintendo stabbed their dedicated fans in the back and twisted the shank.

Miyamoto didn't arrive on stage portraying Link this time. He didn't come wearing Mario's cap, piloting Fox's Arwing, or even holding Pit's bow and arrow. When the smoke cleared and the lights once again lit the stage, we were greeted by someone we've never even seen before. It was just some dude with a mo hawk playing the air drums. Onlookers were immediately taken aback in confusion with crushed expectations. The whole dramatic approach created an atmosphere that was so close to home in the hearts of Nintendo fans that it almost felt like a joke. Why would they make such an entrance if something big wasn't coming?

After a moment of sour notes and bated breath, the curtain finally rose on Nintendo's poster boy. Remote in hand, he drew it to his lips and played the air saxophone, his Mii following the notes he played on the canvas draped behind. Miyamoto had finally made his E3 appearance but again the crowd marveled at the seemingly inside joke Nintendo had pulled. Looking around as if to confirm what they were seeing was in fact real, the attendees remained silent. Seconds later, reality finally sunk in and the hope that this was nothing more than a rouse quickly melted away. Nintendo revealed the game they had saved for the very end, the game thought by many to be the revival of a long lost franchise, the game that they were playing was the casual friendly, mediocre title they've had on the back burner for over two years, Wii Music.

The announcement was only the straw that broke the hardcore camel's back as the hour Nintendo press conference was almost entirely dedicated to the casual market. Out of the 11 or so games featured on stage, only three titles featured could be considered appealing to the core audience. The rest were minigames or titles directed at children.

The world should have known something was up when Nintendo revealed their MotionPlus device the day before their main event was to take place.  As Nintendo is usually the most secretive gaming company on the market, one would think they'd keep this under wraps until they had the media's full attention. Then, when their main event finally kicked off, everyone should have immediately figured out how the conference was going to end.

We were not greeted with the president at Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime or Satoru Iwata, the president of the entire Nintendo company. We were greeted with Cammy Dunaway, the executive vice president of sales & marketing under Fils-Aime. It's definitely not the usual format and not one that could have been expected, to say the least. Having the quintessential figure of a casual gamer, a soccer mom, start off Nintendo's conference was the foundation of failure. To our dismay, Satoru Iwata furthered the destruction by following close behind with a 10 minute long Nintendo sales figure briefing.

Sure, E3 is about showing off how well the companies are doing in the fiscal world, but it should, more importantly, be about gaming. Gamers, such as myself, may like to debate about sales from time to time, but never during E3. Nevertheless, the show did go on.

Fighting the urge nod off throughout the briefing, gamers geared up for some excitement when Iwata introduced Animal Crossing: City Folk. With Nintendo's solution to the outcry for vocal communications on the Wii, they simultaneously revealed the WiiSpeak device. Gamers can finally talk to friends while playing their favorite games, and Animal Crossing will be the first game to debut it. The microphone has been a long awaited peripheral by many Wii owners. It was a pleasant unveiling and the two products were a  perfect pair to debut the new technology.

WiiSpeak sits on top of your TV, allowing the entire room to communicate with others. That's great for the family of casual gamers, but they weren't the ones asking for it and probably won't even use the thing more than a few times. The core crowd brought this issue up to Nintendo, not our moms. Yes, many of us asked for a voice chat solution, but when were told we'll be needing to basically yell across the room for it to work, it's more of a solution with a problem rather than a solution to a problem.

Why not a headset? Hell, for that matter, why not both? I have a PC headset with a detachable mic that i bought for $10. If I wanted my brother to join the conversation I was having with a buddy across the Net, I could pop the mic off and plug it straight into my microphone port. Either way, it's a shortsighted "you asked for it, take it or leave it" response to the needs of their core fans.

Of course, the show kept going, delivering games myself and many others found less and less appealing. Raving Rabbids TV Party, Call of Duty: World at War, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades, Spore Creature Creator, Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, and a short segment on the DS's other uses followed, effectively boring the hell out the audience. This was not due to the fact that most didn't spark interest in them, but that each was given hardly any time to be shown. They pretty much waved an old bone in front of our face and when we finally tried to bite, pulled it away.

I am excited for the Rabbids wacky antics in TV Party, but how many times are we going to see the same "ride a yak down a mountain" game or variation of it before we get something new? the Call of Duty game was hard to catch as the camera kept jumping from side to side and the only thing we saw of GTA DS was a slide with the game's the title on it.

Fans breathed a sigh of relief though when they finally brought out the MotionPlus and loaded up Wii Sports Resort. The sequel of the original Wii Sports, obviously, Resort will be showing off the precision of the device just as the original did for the basic Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Showcasing a frisbee game, a jet ski simulator, and a sword dueling match, Resort looks like it will be able to hold up to the first's reputation. The device certainly does look like it has an overwhelming amount of potential and is the biggest thing fans and gamers took away from the event. Well, other than the feeling of betrayal.

Think back to the Red Steel trailer shown several years ago. Remember how the player swung the sword with the animation seeming to follow his every move? The MotionPlus is finally going to bring this to reality. We can now experience what the Wii was intended to deliver: 1:1 controls. That means the sword fighting that was intended in Red Steel will come to fruition and the golf swings in Wii Sports will become more precise amongst many other possibilities in future titles. I have a lot of faith in this device as well as millions of other Wii owners should have as it truly will usher in a new era in gaming.

Instead of ending their show on the MotionPlus high note, they trudged forward. They set their next game up as if this was what we had been all waiting for. The lights began to dance across the auditorium, smoke rose as if from out of no where, and the crowd in the Kodak Theater, as well as the fans at home, clung to the edge of their seats. The screen lit up on stage and the only thing seen was Nintendo hammering the nail in the coffin of their own press conference.

Nintendo didn't drop the megaton announcement most fans expected at their E3 event this year. The only thing they did drop was the ball that is their dedicated fans. The entire show was slated for the casual consumer and the lofty amount of money they frivolously throw away on piss poor games. Even with the WiiSpeak and MotionPlus, their show received an extremely sad reception by their fans. Rumors spread from top tiered sources claiming a revival of Punch-Out! and even Kid Icarus would be shown by Nintendo at this event. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Plus, with Nintendo's seemingly unintentional raising and shattering of the core consumers' dreams with the Wii Music segment, it was one of the biggest letdowns in recent Nintendo history.

With Sony and Microsoft showcasing some of their must have third party games along side their own, they put Nintendo's showing to shame. Where was The Conduit, Mad World, Mushroom Men, or de Blob? Four of the best looking Wii games on the horizon were pushed aside to make room for the likes of Grand Theft Auto's heading and a video of Raving Rabbids TV Party that seemed far too familiar.

Nintendo made it clear at this E3 that their main focus is no longer on their loyal fans who wait for days in lines for their products; who stir up hype for their games by word of mouth; who carried them on their backs to where they are now. This show was dedicated to those who aren't even dedicated to them. Nintendo catered to people who probably didn't even know E3 existed rather than those who stayed up for hours on end just to catch a glimpse at what they had in store.

I was one of the loyal fans who backed Nintendo's attempt to plant some roots in the casual field. But now, more than ever, its seems as if Nintendo is not only planting more roots on the other side of the fence, they're hiking up the ones firmly anchored in the core fields they planted long ago. It felt like Nintendo delt us a punch to the gut, turned us around and booted us from their home. And while furiously sitting in the pile of mud we landed in, told us to tell our moms they said hi.

Más tráilers interesantes del E3 para disfrute y sobredosis audiovisual de nuestros lectores. Esta vez les toca el turno a Prince of Persia: Next Gen, Sonic Unleashed, Killzone 2, Mad World, Wario Land: Sake It! y Ratchet & Clank: Future Quest for Booty.

Prince of Persia: Next Gen

Serio candidato a GOTY. El juego desprende AMOR por todos sus pixeles. Plataformeo, duelos emocionantes, libertad de exploración, ritmo fluido, belleza audiovisual y una compañera que dista mucho de ser un estorbo. Ahí os dejo el walktrhough que presentaron en la conferencia de Ubisoft. No tiene desperdicio.

Si queréis verlo completo y en HD:

• Walkthroug PoP 1ª parte
• Walkthroug PoP 2ª parte

Sonic Unleashed

¡Sonic ha vuelto! Y está vez con un juego que, como mínimo, se apartará de la mediocridad de las últimas entregas. Visualmente me encanta: bonito, colorido y detallado. Ahora bien, jugablemente... Francamente, se han pasado con la velocidad hasta el punto de ser una sucesión de Quick Time Events. También se desvela el gameplay de Sonic Wolf; por un momento me ha parecido ver un Ninty Nine Nights protagonizado por el erizo, pero con barras de vida...

Aquí en HD.

Killzone 2

Tráiler del multijugador del FPS estrella de Sony. Placer audiovisual para graphicwhores.

Wario Land: Shake It!

Sigo preguntándome porque no mostraron este tráiler en la conferéncia de Nintendo. En cualquier caso, tiene una pinta genial. Atentos a las animaciones.

Mad World

Tan original como desgarrador. Lo nuevo de Platinum Games -ex clover Studios- se muestra en todo su esplendor en el siguiente tráiler. El humor negro no faltará.

Ratchet & Clank: Future Quest for Booty

Una nueva entrega de la saga Ratchet & Clank. Esta vez en forma de descarga en la PSN.

Aquí en HD.

Sega and Capcom face off for best of show

By Jeremy Azevedo

If Sega was still in the console game today, I’d consider it safe to say that they would rule 2009 on the strength of their upcoming game catalogue alone. They had no fewer than 8 games on the floor (and behind closed doors) that are sure to be monster hits, some of which were even totally brand new IPs!

We’ll start with Bayonetta, an action game with a sense of theatrics so extreme that it makes Devil May Cry look like Connect Four. You play as a witch in 7-inch stilettos (that also double as machine pistols) with magic hair that can conjure up torture devices to destroy invading angels. Sounds crazy, is crazy, and looks all the more rad for it. Next up was Mad World, a black and white (and red) action game that looks kind of like Sin City but plays out more like “The Running Man”, only with 100 times more violence than any anything, ever. Surprisingly, Mad World is a Wii exclusive, much like the similarly violent but totally unrelated No More Heroes that quenched Wii gamers bloodlust this year.

Also showing at Sega was Sonic Unleashed, which features both a night and day play environment, one that has you running around as Sonic at speeds that made me want to take Dramamine, and one that has you playing more of a combat/exploration type game as “Sonic the Were-Hog”. Stormrise brings large scale tactical RTS combat to consoles, and Alpha Protocol looks like the spy version of Mass Effect. This last one in particular was one of the best of the whole show, a cool idea executed very nicely. James Bond can suck it!

Lastly we had Samba De Amigo for the Wii, Valkyria Chronlcles, a tactical RPG with a very unique looking cel-shaded graphical style, and Golden Axe: Beast Riders. I had heard that Golden Axe was cancelled a couple of months back so I was surprised to see it here in playable form, but it was a fun action title nevertheless, despite having nothing on Bayonetta. In total, an awesome showing from a veteran company in their finest form.

Square Enix was showing a new RPG called Infinite Indiscovery that looks to be the next big thing for the company (if it doesn’t fall too deep into the shadow of Final Fantasy XII), but it’s Nintendo DS gamers who are in for a real treat this fall season. In addition to the soon to be released Final Fantasy IV remake, there’s also Dragon Quest IV and the ever so long awaited Chrono Trigger port on the way as well.

I know a lot of you are wondering how Lego Batman and Mortal Kombat Vs. DC are coming along, and I am happy to report that both look like a lot of fun. While MK Vs. DC doesn’t have the depth of Soul Calibur IV or anything, it does play very well and the superhero powers are well implemented. There will be at least 10 characters from either universe included, not counting bosses and secret characters. Care to guess who they might be? I just hope one of them isn’t Aquaman… Lego Batman marks the first time that the Lego series gets to step out of the confinement of a pre-exisitng storyline and tell a unique story of their own (one that is approved by DC of course). The game looks all the better for it, with better puzzles, powers and guest characters than any previous Lego game. I can’t tell you the exact number of characters available to play, but I have been assured that the number is staggering, and assume that all the major Batman players will be included!

Special mention is due to relative newcomer “Southpeak”, a developer that had a couple of really fun games on hand at the show. One of these titles was X Blades, another action game with a female protagonist that gives players more of what they really want in that kind of game: tits and ass. With an art style that borders on hentai, this is one sexy game. The Gameplay is up to par though, with an awesome anime-inspired look and feel that makes it really stand out. Also showing was a small DS title called Ninjatown, one of the more unusual and memorable titles at the show. It’s somewhat of a tactical RPG, only with cute little ninja-men that must protect ninja town and all the ninja star shaped cookies contained therein from an invading horde of equally cute demons. The Gameplay manages to be simple enough to rope in non-traditional gamers while providing challenge to more hardcore gamers at the same time.

I’m not usually one for WWII games, but all that might change after playing Eidos’ Battlestations: Pacific. You play as either the Americans or the Japanese (in an alternate reality in which the Japanese were winning) in real-time naval and air battles. BP looks and controls better than anything in the genre, and allows you to take full control of any unit ant any time. Not only that, but it’s as historically accurate as is humanly possible. Monster Lab was right next door, a more lighthearted fare for the Wii and DS that allows you to create your own monsters (using any of 1556 different available monster parts) and send them into battle. Fun for kids, but also fun for adults. Lastly for Eidos was Tomb Raider: Underworld, a logical next step for a recently revived series. TR: Underworld captures the sense of wonder and exploration that was always the series trademark, while also making minor improvement to the already much better visuals and controls.

Rounding out the show was Capcom, who not only dropped the bomb that they would be porting Dead Rising to the Wii, of all places, but also had a remarkable stable of games in fully playable form. Of course Resident Evil 5 was the best of the bunch, with controls that were nothing short of legendary, and action that made RE4 look like a quiet Sunday drive. Co-op play will be supported, and in the single player game, you are assisted by an AI sidekick that actually helps rather than hinders you, providing covering fire, exchanging items and ammo with you, and helping keep you alive. Street Fighter 4 was the only game that could even come close to competing with it in terms of sheer graphical beauty, and was playing perfectly as a Street Fighter game should. All 12 original characters were represented, along with 4 new ones, and the game looked 3-D while still playing 2-D. The only time the game went full 3-D was for the dramatic special moves and finishers. SF2 Turbo Remix HD was equally impressive graphically, albeit for totally different reasons. It will probably be a decade before anyone is able to create a 2 dimensional game of any kind that looks and plays this smooth.

Bionic Commando was also playing great and living up to expectations, as you swing and shoot your way through a totally destroyed landscape ripe with things to hang from and toss around. Mega Man 9 was also a fun little diversion, bringing back old-school NES era Mega Man for one more battle with the nefarious Dr. Wily and his robot minions with weird, dumb names. But the real surprise was Dark Void, a shooter that really brings things into the 3rd dimension like no other game I’ve seen. It’s like Gears of War but with vertical elements. Your main character is a 1940s pilot sucked into a strange world via the Bermuda Triangle, and equipped with a jetpack that lets you take to the skies if you so desire. After playing Dark Void, simply moving around in a horizontal plane now seems glaringly limited.

That’s all for today, check back tomorrow for some more in-depth info on some of the best games of E3 2008!

Read about Day 2, Nintendo, Konami, Ubisoft, Sony and more HERE!

Read about Day 1, Microsoft, EA, Guitar Hero 4, Rock Band 2 and more HERE!

This is such a sinister and frightening ruling with wide reaching consequences.

This women abides by French law, presumably her husband pays his taxes and supports her financially, so she is no burden upon the state (this is usually a pre-requisite for citizenship), she speaks French, she is not a danger to society.

Yet, because the powers that be dislike how she lives her life in private, she has been denied citizenship.

Is she not entitled to live her private life as she wishes without being penalised? Is this not a right that we all should have?

At the moment Muslims are the popular 'whipping boy' of society, so people are over looking the glaring invasion into civil liberties. We do so at our peril.

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I'm going to away from the internet for a few days, so I won't be able to comment or approve comments. I'll be back Monday, insha Allah. May Allah the Almighty protect and guide you all.

Was listening to XPN tonight and they were streaming some indie band who said "we promised to learn a song by the beautiful Leonard Cohen for tonight. But then we didn't." Is LC the most respected cat from the last 40 years or what? Just last night a friend emailed me and said "I actually don't listen to all that much Leonard Cohen (interpretation, I don't listen to leonard cohen but I don't want to sound uncool by saying so straight out.") I told her to keep lying until it's not a lie anymore.

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Menno de Jong and Mark Otten - Mad World (Incl. Marcus Schossow Remix)

Opis: Nutka Mad World jest w deche i naprawdę warto zassać... nie ma to tamto... niestety remix Marcus'a jakoś mi nie do końca odpowiada... chyba za ciężki :D

RLS info:

EUPHORiC Presents
Artist: Menno de Jong & Mark Otten
Title: Mad World (Incl. Marcus Schossow Remix)
Record Label: Intuition Deep
Genre: Trance

Cat. Number: INTD001
Size: 35.4MB (2 Tracks

Source: WEB
Quality: 320kbps / 44.1kHz / Full Stereo

Release Date: 03-07-2008
Pre date: 03-07-2008
Store URI: http://www.beatport.com

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LINK: KLIK/DOWNLOAD

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Namaste

When thinking of Nintendo and E3 , one picture comes to mind. Several years back, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was soon to be announced at the 2004 E3 event. All fell silent, the lights dimmed, and smoke filled the crowded room of loyal fans. A video began playing on screen and quickly it was made clear that a new Legend of Zelda was on its way. Suddenly, Shigeru Miyamoto came striding to the stage, sword and shield in hand. The audience leapt to their feet beside themselves in joy and admiration, cheering on the juggernaut of modern gaming.

Becoming one of the most profound entrances ever made at an E3 event,  Miyamoto made a clear and present statement that day: Nintendo was in-touch with their fans and knew what they wanted. They were ready and willing to please, anxious fans were happy, and the competition were muttering curses under their breath. The new Zelda game looked darker and more mature than ever before and was taken in by the masses in the drop of a hat.

Fast forward to the event held yesterday and it's an entirely different story. The somber crowd did not rise to their feet when Miyamoto took the stage. The fits of laughter and applause that so often couple Nintendo's usual unveiling could not be heard over the loud music being played on stage. The patrons of the event and the millions watching from home were deafeningly silent in awe as Nintendo stabbed their dedicated fans in the back and twisted the shank.

Miyamoto didn't arrive on stage portraying Link this time. He didn't come wearing Mario's cap, piloting Fox's Arwing, or even holding Pit's bow and arrow. When the smoke cleared and the lights once again lit the stage, we were greeted by someone we've never even seen before. It was just some dude with a mo hawk playing the air drums. Onlookers were immediately taken aback in confusion with crushed expectations. The whole dramatic approach created an atmosphere that was so close to home in the hearts of Nintendo fans that it almost felt like a joke. Why would they make such an entrance if something big wasn't coming?

After a moment of sour notes and bated breath, the curtain finally rose on Nintendo's poster boy. Remote in hand, he drew it to his lips and played the air saxophone, his Mii following the notes he played on the canvas draped behind. Miyamoto had finally made his E3 appearance but again the crowd marveled at the seemingly inside joke Nintendo had pulled. Looking around as if to confirm what they were seeing was in fact real, the attendees remained silent. Seconds later, reality finally sunk in and the hope that this was nothing more than a rouse quickly melted away. Nintendo revealed the game they had saved for the very end, the game thought by many to be the revival of a long lost franchise, the game that they were playing was the casual friendly, mediocre title they've had on the back burner for over two years, Wii Music.

The announcement was only the straw that broke the hardcore camel's back as the hour Nintendo press conference was almost entirely dedicated to the casual market. Out of the 11 or so games featured on stage, only three titles featured could be considered appealing to the core audience. The rest were minigames or titles directed at children.

The world should have known something was up when Nintendo revealed their MotionPlus device the day before their main event was to take place.  As Nintendo is usually the most secretive gaming company on the market, one would think they'd keep this under wraps until they had the media's full attention. Then, when their main event finally kicked off, everyone should have immediately figured out how the conference was going to end.

We were not greeted with the president at Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime or Satoru Iwata, the president of the entire Nintendo company. We were greeted with Cammy Dunaway, the executive vice president of sales & marketing under Fils-Aime. It's definitely not the usual format and not one that could have been expected, to say the least. Having the quintessential figure of a casual gamer, a soccer mom, start off Nintendo's conference was the foundation of failure. To our dismay, Satoru Iwata furthered the destruction by following close behind with a 10 minute long Nintendo sales figure briefing.

Sure, E3 is about showing off how well the companies are doing in the fiscal world, but it should, more importantly, be about gaming. Gamers, such as myself, may like to debate about sales from time to time, but never during E3. Nevertheless, the show did go on.

Fighting the urge nod off throughout the briefing, gamers geared up for some excitement when Iwata introduced Animal Crossing: City Folk. With Nintendo's solution to the outcry for vocal communications on the Wii, they simultaneously revealed the WiiSpeak device. Gamers can finally talk to friends while playing their favorite games, and Animal Crossing will be the first game to debut it. The microphone has been a long awaited peripheral by many Wii owners. It was a pleasant unveiling and the two products were a  perfect pair to debut the new technology.

WiiSpeak sits on top of your TV, allowing the entire room to communicate with others. That's great for the family of casual gamers, but they weren't the ones asking for it and probably won't even use the thing more than a few times. The core crowd brought this issue up to Nintendo, not our moms. Yes, many of us asked for a voice chat solution, but when were told we'll be needing to basically yell across the room for it to work, it's more of a solution with a problem rather than a solution to a problem.

Why not a headset? Hell, for that matter, why not both? I have a PC headset with a detachable mic that i bought for $10. If I wanted my brother to join the conversation I was having with a buddy across the Net, I could pop the mic off and plug it straight into my microphone port. Either way, it's a shortsighted "you asked for it, take it or leave it" response to the needs of their core fans.

Of course, the show kept going, delivering games myself and many others found less and less appealing. Raving Rabbids TV Party, Call of Duty: World at War, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades, Spore Creature Creator, Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, and a short segment on the DS's other uses followed, effectively boring the hell out the audience. This was not due to the fact that most didn't spark interest in them, but that each was given hardly any time to be shown. They pretty much waved an old bone in front of our face and when we finally tried to bite, pulled it away.

I am excited for the Rabbids wacky antics in TV Party, but how many times are we going to see the same "ride a yak down a mountain" game or variation of it before we get something new? the Call of Duty game was hard to catch as the camera kept jumping from side to side and the only thing we saw of GTA DS was a silde with the game's title on it.

Fans breathed a sigh of relief though when they finally brought out the MotionPlus and loaded up Wii Sports Resort. The sequel of the original Wii Sports, obviously, Resort will be showing off the precision of the device just as the original did for the basic Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Showcasing a frisbee game, a jet ski simulator, and a sword dueling match, Resort looks like it will be able to hold up to the first's reputation. The device certainly does look like it has an overwhelming amount of potential and is the biggest thing fans and gamers took away from the event. Well, other than the feeling of betrayal.

Think back to the Red Steel trailer shown several years ago. Remember how the player swung the sword with the animation seeming to follow his every move? The MotionPlus is finally going to bring this to reality. We can now experience what the Wii was intended to deliver: 1:1 controls. That means the sword fighting that was intended in Red Steel will come to fruition and the golf swings in Wii Sports will become more precise amongst many other possibilities in future titles. I have a lot of faith in this device as well as millions of other Wii owners should have as it truly will usher in a new era in gaming.

Instead of ending their show on the MotionPlus high note, they trudged forward. They set their next game up as if this was what we had been all waiting for. The lights began to dance across the auditorium, smoke rose as if from out of no where, and the crowd in the Kodak Theater, as well as the fans at home, clung to the edge of their seats. The screen lit up on stage and the only thing seen was Nintendo hammering the nail in the coffin of their own press conference.

Nintendo didn't drop the megaton announcement most fans expected at their E3 event this year. The only thing they did drop was the ball that is their dedicated fans. The entire show was slated for the casual consumer and the lofty amount of money they frivolously throw away on piss poor games. Even with the WiiSpeak and MotionPlus, their show received an extremely sad reception by their fans. Rumors spread from top tiered sources claiming a revival of Punch-Out! and even Kid Icarus would be shown by Nintendo at this event. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Plus, with Nintendo's seemingly unintentional raising and shattering of the core consumers' dreams with the Wii Music segment, it was one of the biggest letdowns in recent Nintendo history.

With Sony and Microsoft showcasing some of their must have third party games along side their own, they put Nintendo's showing to shame. Where was The Conduit, Mad World, Mushroom Men, or de Blob? Four of the best looking Wii games on the horizon were pushed aside to make room for the likes of Grand Theft Auto's heading and a video of Raving Rabbids TV Party that seemed far too familiar.

Nintendo made it clear at this E3 that their main focus is no longer on their loyal fans who wait for days in lines for their products; who stir up hype for their games by word of mouth; who carried them on their backs to where they are now. This show was dedicated to those who aren't even dedicated to them. Nintendo catered to people who probably didn't even know E3 existed rather than those who stayed up for hours on end just to catch a glimpse at what they had in store.

I was one of the loyal fans who backed Nintendo's attempt to plant some roots in the casual field. But now, more than ever, its seems as if Nintendo is not only planting more roots on the other side of the fence, they're hiking up the ones firmly anchored in the core fields they planted long ago. It felt like Nintendo delt us a punch to the gut, turned us around and booted us from their home. And while furiously sitting in the pile of mud we landed in, told us to tell our moms they said hi.