Celebrating July 4th

By Tom

Americans have a somewhat deserving reputation of looking for any excuse possible to blow shit up and there's no time where this is more apparent than on July 4th. Americans like explosions, be it from the joyously romantic view of fireworks from your own bedroom window, to the almost certain excuse to have sex afterwards. And really, who can blame them? Blowing shit up is fun. So without further delay, lets celebrate those games that help us enjoy our God given right to blow the living hell outa things.

Red Faction: Guerilla (PS3 / XBox 360)
There are a lot of games where you get to blow shit up and break anything you see, but rarely do you find a game completely built around that mechanic. Everything you see can be blown up and breaks realistically. It also helps that it's a really good game too. Download the demo and celebrate the 4th of July the right way!

Big Bang Mini (Nintendo DS)
Enjoy fireworks? This shooter of sorts lets you play with them. And it's fun too!

Blaz Blue: Calamity Trigger (PS3 / XBox 360)
A fighting game? Sure, it doesn't have explosions say par say, but you'll be hard pressed to find another fighting game with more action, style, and graphical polish. And since it supports nearly flawless PSP remote play, you can take it outside to the picnic! This is a fighting game you will NOT want to miss!

Harvest Moon (GBA / Nintendo DS)
Miss watching the fireworks? Pull out Harvest Moon and snuggle up to that special someone for the fireworks festival.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3 / XBox 360)
Sure, anyone can set off a bottle rocket in their backyard. It takes a steady aim and balls of steel to pull off an RPG shot at an attack support chopper. Celebrate American freedom the right way by securing it against the forces of evil!

Grand Theft Auto 3 (PS2 / PC)
Step 1, enter a crowded city street. Step 2, rocket launcher. Step 3, smile.

China Vs. Internet Addiction

By Mark

Move over Jack Thompson, you've got some serious competition on being the number one a**hole in the war on video games! In this week's issue of Science magazine - volume 324 (5936) - the magazine looked into China's attempt to rein in youths who are affected with Internet Addiction. Electroshock therapy and all.

Now, I want to set the record straight here. I'm a pre-med student who's main hobby is gaming. It is and always will be. That said, I recognize that video game and Internet "addiction" is in fact a serious issue that needs to be addressed. However, I also recognize that many of the older generation always had negative views on video games and other forms of electronic entertainment that makes them prone to lumping all teenagers and young adults with an interest in this form of entertainment together and calling them introverted, lazy, socially inept, etc. Therefore, whenever I hear stories about doctors, politicians, parental groups, and others talk about subjects like this, I tend to nod in approval and cringe at the same time.

Sadly, this is one of those stories where cringing is in order. Asian countries like China, Japan, and South Korea are notorious for their gaming population's obsession with MMORPGs. As an example, Ragnarok Online - one of the most grind-intensive online games out there - has a very large fan base in South Korea. We also have heard the stories of people dying in Internet Cafes due to marathon gaming sessions. So, some intervention is a good thing. However, China's method is a bit harsh. It is reported that the Addiction Medicine Center (AMC) in Beijing's Military Region is starting to become very reknown for its methods in aggressively treating this disorder. Apparently, the institution's methods include dancing and sports, reading, karaoke, and family therapy. That's where the nice stuff ends. The rest includes drug therapy, behavioral training, "elements of the 12 step AA program", and "mild electroshock therapy".

This happens to be one of China's less militaristic institution as well. There are others that could pass for a genuine boot camp for army draftees. The point is, Internet/gaming addiction is a problem. However, it's important to understand the cause behind the addiction. People do not become physically dependant on gaming, so drugs and psychotherapy (or just psycho therapy) won't work. People need to understand that gaming is a hobby, and like any other hobby - working out, shopping, etc - it becomes addicting due to people trying to fill a void in their life. Figure out what that void is, save yourself money, and spare the poor person any electricity coursing through their body.

PSP Release List - I FREAKIN' TOLD YOU SO!

By Starlight Princess

Back in January, before anyone else could make the claim, Tom declared it the year of the PSP. In his defense I posted a list of video games coming out on the PSP that proved this. And so far LocoRoco 2 has driven us mad, Prinny became the hero, and we resisted and gained revenge upon the Chimera in Resistance Retribution. But this was not the end of the titles released for the PSP, for as we are about to see, the owners of PSPs all over have only just begun to play.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Release Date: August 25th

Final Fantasy fans rejoice, for now you can play your favorite Final Fantasy heroes and villains in this new PSP exclusive! Play as your favorite character from your favorite Final Fantasy game; pit the heroes and villains that you always imagined against each other in an all out brawl. In the great battle which side will you fight on? Good or evil?
Category: Fighting

Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny
Release Date: September 1st

Soul Calibur has finally arrived on the PSP and it's brought us a few new fighters to enjoy. With enhanced graphics play as your favorite character, give the newest fighters a run, or create your own character with the newest of character creation tools ever made. Now you can take your fight for the swords to the streets.
Category: Fighting

Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days
Release Date: September 8th

Couldn't get enough of Disgaea or Prinny? Suddenly have the urge to level grind? Now you can play as a human hero attempting to save the world or as a demon villain attempting to become the Netherworld's newest ruler in Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days. With a brand new story, characters, massive customization, and 9999 levels with an infinite number of battle maps this game has the goods to make any level grinder happy.
Category: Strategy

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Release Date: September 22nd

Set in modern day Japan, you and your team must try to calm the chaos ensuing and bring reality back to order while navigating corruption, mental frailty, demons running amuck, and an alternate version of your world. Containing new content never-before-seen in North America, new music from famed composer Shoji Meguro, new animated sequences by famed artist Kazuma Kaneko, and enhanced graphics optimized for the PSP's widescreen aspect ratio after being remastered for the PSP.
Category: Role-Playing

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Release Date: October 13th

Welcome back to Silent Hill. This time you're Harry Mason and you're looking for answers to your daughter's disappearance after a car accident. Wandering the snowy streets of Silent Hill, Harry has some choices to make and people to meet, depending upon who shapes him. But when the world freezes over the monsters will come out to play, evolving and taking the forms of both Harry and the player's deepest, darkest fears. I hope you're not scared of the dark…
Category: Action, Horror
Platform: PSP, Playstation 2, Nintendo Wii

Dante's Inferno
Release Date: December 1st

Welcome to Hell. Journey thru the Nine Circles of Hell, based off the influential classic poem. Take your place as Dante, a Crusader who must save the soul of his beloved Beatrice from Lucifer himself. The further into Hell you go, the more fierce and hideous monsters you shall face. But monsters aren't the only thing lurking in Hell, you must also face your own sins, a family past best forgotten, and unforgivable war crimes committed during your "crusade". Just remember one thing; no one leaves Hell alive…
Category: Shooter, Action

LittleBigPlanet
Release Date: December 8th

Sackboy has a new home on the PSP! Play thru 35+ levels collecting prize bubbles, costumes, and "CREATE" materials! Create your own levels with the user friendly POP-IT tool and share them in ad-hoc mode or post on the community pool in infrastructure mode. If you just happen to own both the PSP and PS3 versions you can also unlock bonus content with Cross-Talk. It's time to play!
Category: Action

Early adopting the PSPGo? I Say PSPNo!

By Tom

So with Sony's new PSPGo on the horizon (October I think) it's time for me to start thinking about being an early adopter. And when I thought about it long enough, I discovered there is no valid reason to buy this early.

On one hand I can have access to Sony's library of download early titles. On the other hand, I can have access to Sony's library of download early titles and not pay $250 (already own a PSP).

So I've decided to wait on this beautiful piece of hardware. Can anyone convince me otherwise?

Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there!

DS: Princess Debut: 9.2 / 10

By Starlight Princess

I have played various games; I'll try anything you throw at me (just about) just to see what it's like. Princess Debut is definitely a game that can stand on its own. It is a dancing/dating sim game that is surprisingly not as bad as one would think by the title. It's definitely the girliest game I've ever played, and if they are all like this one I may become a bit more open minded and try a few more.

Summary:

You start out the game as a fourteen-year-old average girl who has grown bored with life. Your friend attempts to cheer you up as you both talk about the various prince charming's in your lives but it doesn't work. Once you get home and open your closet the biggest surprise falls out of your closet, a princess who looks exactly like your character and a strange creature that flies (floats around you) with odd glasses and a magic wand.

The princess explains her arrival due to the fact that there is an important royal ball coming up, the Ball in Saint-Lyon. She can't dance and has problems talking with princes, so she wants you to attend the ball in her place. You ultimately agree and follow the creature named Kip into the portal in your closet to be dropped into the Flower Kingdom, a beautiful place with a market place, a stadium, a beach, a large flower garden, and various other places. Your character realizes that the six princes look exactly like the six boys your friend was trying to convince you of being princes.

Each boy has a different personality and is a bit dysfunctional, but you have to choose one no matter what. After playing the game various times to give it an accurate rating I've completed the Ball of Saint-Lyon with four of them. The oddest one is the one with the weird sister fetish thing going on. I promise, it's all G.

After you pick your dance partner you learn to practice every day. When you're not practicing you can visit various parts of the kingdom and attend special events, like the Founding Day celebrations. You also go on various dates with each of the princes, no matter who your partner is. Each situation gives you various questions and answers; your job is to find the right one so the princes all fall in love with you. But in the end you fall for your partner. At the Ball of Saint-Lyon you're revealed as a double, as the real princess has come to watch you compete. Somehow this doesn't upset your partner much as he's fallen head over heels in love with you. You compete, and if you do well, you can win. At the end you can choose to stay in the Flower Kingdom and grow up with your choice prince, thus getting married in the future. Or you can choose not to, in which case you go home and form a relationship with his other in your world.

Graphics: 8.5

It's a 2-D game; there isn't any real movement except for in the dancing. Don't attempt to do the moves on the touch screen and stare at the characters moving, it's impossible. Trust me, I've already tried, I've gotten away with peaking once in a while, but otherwise I'd end up missing a dance move.

The pictures are pretty, though a little on the weaker end. For not much movement on some screens they could have put a little more detail in them but otherwise they were pretty.

Music: 10

The various songs they chose for this game are not only well known, but beautifully played and set up for the dance that accompanies them. From the waltz danced to nocturne to jive danced to funiculi funicula, the music is definitely something worth listening to.

There is no voice acting, thus no worries about hearing various voices. There are other noises though, like the waves on the beach and birds chirping in the background.

Game Play: 9.0

Game play was pretty good, as you gained a new song it did get harder and more challenging as the dance moves went quicker. What threw this score off a little was how part of the game play was your response to the various princes and their problems. One wrong answer and their relationship with you went for the worst, even if the answer made more sense than the one they want to hear. Not that it was a bad thing to make you think, but it seems more like making the prince happy is more important than being honest, a big no-no in the real world.

Overall Score: 9.2

This game was very good. It definitely opened my eyes to girl games; though some will never be accepted (Barbie Horse Adventures still scares me). I would certainly tell any gamer girls that are looking for a game based for girls and need a bit of a challenge to give it a try.

Final Fantasy Tactics is coming to the PSN! Be excited