Seriously, Nintendo?

Now, I'm all for padding out the sales numbers and all, it makes for good quarterlies and impressive press releases, but really, what's the point of this? The $19.99 price tag doesn't do much to soften the blow of the ludicrous, either.

It's not like they didn't already default their way to the title of one of the best selling games of all time simply by including one for FREE with each Wii sold, or anything.

I mean, I'm all for Nintendo finally giving games like Twilight Princess a sorely needed price drop (5 years in the making?) while they work to release a real "next-gen" console not being held back by its own gimmicks, but isn't there a subtle admission of failure being made when you try to sell me a free pack in game? The one that started the irreversible trend of effortless minigame-games that became a staple of your console's (mostly) shovelware library?

For the same price as a legit (yet criminally undersold) game like Madworld, even?



Y'know, part of the reason "hardcore" software failed on the Wii was due to the fact that it had to compete with the casual offerings at the same price, and the new audience Nintendo spawned couldn't tell the difference in quality, but went with the fluff because it seemed much safer from a new buyer's prospective. Way to exemplify why you scared off your core audience with this console, Nintendo.

..and why you're replacing it so soon.



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Block Breaker Bird?

Angry Birds is inescapable!



Ever since it’s 2009 debut, it seems impossible to not have heard of the gaggle of irascible, wingless (perhaps that’s why they’re so angry?) fowl and the pigs who can’t get enough of stealing their eggs. Their popularity isn’t confined to the phone either, with plush and animated versions of them popping up , and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a movie at some point. They’re mainstream in a good way, and even though we’ve yet to see the LEGO stamp of approval on that notion, fan and master LEGO Ambassador Chiukeung has gotten the hard part out of the way and brought them to life.





If you suddenly feel like you want one as much as I do, head on over to his Facebook where there are more pictures of his handiwork on display. It’s really impressive, also a case for LEGO to get on this. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

Seriously though. I want one. Either this or a NERF version so I can literally slingshot them at random passerby.

Either is fine.:)

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Tangible Excitement.

Estacado's back, baby.
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Social Notworking.

Thank You, Destructoid.

Two weeks in, outages, fan reactions and emotions torn asunder, the PSN is still down, even though the initial promise was to have the service up and running just before the two week mark hit on May 3rd, 2011.
We are nearing the third week, and despite promises to the contrary, the PSN is still down.

Of course, it’s easy to point the finger and blame outside elements, but the fact of the matter is that Sony being unprepared to an attack of such magnitude was not only irresponsible, but it put the company’s fans and consumers at risk. How does one run a multi-million dollar network 70 million or so users deep and not even have a basic firewall to protect against malicious users? How do you not inform your consumers that their personal information may be at stake for two days until you’ve completely pulled the plug and started a chain of fear and bad PR that will sit with you forever? HOW do you admit that you are just as vulnerable as your consumers when you’ve stood as a sentinel for your various online practices for years?

It’s a terrible situation, and one that has cost the company so much that I’m sure execs are envisioning ritual suicide in their minds while thinking about their figures at the end of this quarter, most of all Activision for losing out on that glorious Black Ops server time.

Most consumers are just lamenting the fact that they can’t play online, but the ripple effect is far greater. players who purchased the new Mortal Kombat, despite the game being rife with offline content, can’t hone their skills online against other players or redeem their bonus content. Lucky players invited to the inFamous 2 beta have been cut off, and Sucker Punch is losing out on valuable data that would aid their development. Owners of the online-only DC Universe Online have no adventures to embark upon.

We have just passed the month of the shooter in April. Because it is arguably the most popular genre indulged in online play, this means recent releases like Bulletstorm, Crysis 2, Killzone 3, Homefront, Portal 2, and the unlucky faithful who purchased SOCOM 4 have all been left out to dry. Unlike the others in the aformentioned list, They’re the ones suffering the worst, being left to read middling to poor reviews for their game, and having nothing more than a mediocre single player with no online to justify their $60-$150 investment. Even smaller, bite sized games available now for download like Moon Diver andOutland aren’t receiving the audience they should.




Part of the compensation has been said to be free gifts in the form of two as unannounced PSP/PSN titles, and a 30 day subscription to Playstation Plus, but in my opinion, those are frivolities that won’t gain our trust back. A free game will only remind us of the potential identity theft that may have toppled the PS Store’s database, and the minimal benefits of Playstation Plus for a trial period will likely deter more potential subscribers than it would’ve gained due to the ambiguity surrounding the subscription’s benefits. Free gifts of questionable value aren't the way to go. They're cute, but they aren't reassuring, like a stuffed animal presented as an apology for cheating.

I think if Sony wants to mend this, they need to let us in. Business practices and the delayed dissemination of information aside, we as consumers and gamers need to know what Sony plans to do to make their network secure. We need assurance that our information is secure. We need to know that our games will be fully functional. Most of all, we need to know that it won’t happen again. CEO Howard Stringer wrote a somewhat heartfelt apology to the users two days ago for this extended debacle with the promise to restore as soon as possible. While I consider that a step in the right direction, I truly hope they keep the PSN down as long as it needs to be. An extended delay is better than rushing to the finish.

Sources, reading material if you’re interested:

http://technologizer.com/2011/05/06/sir-howard-speaks-out/"target"_blank"
http://www.destructoid.com/geohot-blames-sony-executives-for-psn-hacking-debacle-199965.phtml
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/05/psn-servers-were-unpatched-and-had-no-firewall-installed-secu/

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Crying Wolf – DJ Hero 2 Ultra Records Mix Pack Review

Well, don’t I feel like a conspiracy theorist.

Far from running around for several months declaring the not-so-harmonious death of my favorite music franchise several times over,I truly believed that the last pack (that in itself the last-last pack) was all there was, and after completing the slightly underwhelming last (last) one, I packed my turntable away, and lost myself in a sea of FPS games. Imagine my surprise when news of this seemingly random mix pack found it’s way into my mailbox. Done? Bug-eyed much?

Now imagine my amazement when the words Deadmau5, Benny Benassi and Yolanda Be Cool crossed my eyes.

Oh, I’m done declaring this series dead. Yes I am.


DJ Hero 2 “Ultra Mix Pack" (Downloadable Content)
For: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii (Songs sold as individual tracks)
Publisher: Activision/Freestyle Games
Price: 640 Microsoft Points, $7.99 PSN, 300 Wii points (per track)
Release: 4/19/2011
Reviewed on Expert difficulty; Individual songs on a 1-5 point scale, overall is by 10 and not an average.


Benny Benassi - House Music




As it stands, House Music was already a deep, bass heavy song, but FSG apparently wasn’t satisfied with completely buzzing your ears off with one of BB’s finest. No, I’m pretty sure they wanted to make your head explode with a high-tier track. It was a SUCCESS, with their manic style complimenting this already up tempo track with a range of effects that make it sound like it received a shot of adrenaline. It’s all deep lows and piercing effects here, with a challenging, tap heavy chart that has its scratches and samples paced just right to lend a feeling of control over the beat. Even the scratchdown>tap pattern from “Sexy Chick” makes a return here, and it managed to throw me off when it came back at me in reverse. Excellent, excellent track to kick things off, and I don’t say it lightly. It captured the energy of the original perfectly, and only changed things slightly to make it distinct as a DJH mix. Believe that I couldn’t stop myself from dancing in my seat.

Rating: 5/5

Deadmau5 - Sofi Needs A Ladder



Deadmau5 and Sofi’s affair first graced my ears in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, and the fandom carried over into the (awesome) album 4x4=12, so I practically decided while downloading this DLC that it would be my favorite song in the pack. The sad truth is that, it is not. This however, does not mean it’s bad. It’s an oddly reverse take on the original, in that it starts out slow with lyrics from the END of the song, and then incorporates the rest about 2/3rds through for a better paced finish. While this change really affects how the song sounds and feels (and it does feel odd if you’re used to the original), it’s still undeniably Deadmau5. Call me crazy, but FSG must know that he’s an avid gamer, because this is a pretty challenging track that actually had my fingers cramping a bit midway through. At the end of the day however, it’s a good track, but not the great one I was expecting. I also can’t shake the feeling that it seems like a bit of a missed opportunity to mess with Sofi’s lyrics as well. Listening to her call out her addiction in metaphors in the original seemed ripe for mixing, but even if they weren’t feeling creative enough for the entire song, having them intact would’ve been better than cutting most of them out, similar to the way “Move for Me” was charted. I feel like it’s the one thing holding this track from the greatness it should’ve been.

Rating: 3/5

Yolanda Be Cool - We Speak No Americano



Fun fun fun. This track, whose band doubles as a Pulp Fiction reference (trivia!) has much going for it, already sampling the humorous song Tu vuò fà l'americano. As a result, it has a nutty, goofy feel to it, with samples in all the right places and enough mixed challenge to keep you guessing. The various ways FSG has managed to keep this game tricky is impressive, and I don’t know who can hit that series of taps/scratches without spraining something, but power to them. As good as I am, I’m pretty sure I broke something on my first attempt. Don’t let this ward you off though, because the song is so much fun that it becomes irrelevant about halfway through. I had fun with this one, and I love the sound they came up with for it. As I mentioned about House Music earlier, this is an example of a remix shaking things up enough to make it different from the original, with just enough flavor to keep it familiar. Kudos.

Rating:5/5

This is prime. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say FSG is pulling out all the stops, making a case for DJ Hero’s continued existence with an outburst of talent and wit. The in-game “hero feed” says that this is the final DLC pack for the game. Excuse me if I have trouble believing that after hearing it so many times before. I have faith in them. Ten DLC packs spanning twenty-nine songs later, I’m still on board, and I’m still dancing to what I consider one of the best game soundtracks ever. Anyone listening to this music and deciding the series needs to close is outright insane. There couldn’t be a stronger case for this to go on.

Rating: 9.0

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Sonic Generations looks..

AWESOME. Now that we are in agreement, hit the jump for more details!




Yeah.
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IRL Box?

Love Cut the Rope? If you have an iOS device, OF COURSE YOU DO. The fun, addictive puzzle game from Zeptolab is extremely hard to put down once you’ve picked it up, and semi-frequent updates ensure that adorable character Om Nom’s hunger (and your spare time) are kept at bay.

The latest update added the “Magic Box”, which, in addition to 25 new levels and three achievements, adds a new element in the form of top hats, teleporting a new layer of complexity towards players’ feeding endeavors.

To celebrate the release, the wonderful people at Zeptolab constructed a MASSIVE demo unit at Los Angeles' Hollywood & Highland Center. Looking like it was pulled straight from the game, the unit features 9 huge touch screens well suited for all sorts of rope cutting, creature feeding craziness.

I’m not sure what else needs to be said, because if you’ve played this even once, you’re probably already halfway across the state to run off and conquer this thing. If you aren’t situated on the West Coast, fear not! Another one was spotted in Atlanta International Airport.

Road trip, anyone?

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