I'm BAAAAAAAAACCCCCK!!!

Well, I had an unplanned 2 week hiatus. I got bronchitis, and then my knee decided to fill with fluid. So needless to say I've been nursing myself back to health. So, the biggest event of the gaming year happened 2 weeks ago. E3. Over the next few days I'll be going over all the game news, and giving my opinion on what I saw.

So the first game I thought I would give my thoughts on is Super Mario Galaxy.






Now I know that Nintendo is the Biznass these days, but that is not why I picked to review this game first. Honestly it was one of the first that came to mind. That and I don't want people to think I'm biased toward Sony. So anyway, on with the write up. This was the game that everyone wanted to hear about from Nintendo. Some have said that Nintendo has forsaken it's hardcore roots. With brain age, pokemon and whatnot, it feels as though this company has gone the way of old people and kids. Now I'm not saying that's all bad. It's making them booku bucks. So it was refreshing to see clips of Mario Galaxy. This game is turning platforming as we know it on it's head. Mario 64 was one of the first non sidscroling mario's ever. It took our 15 or so year concept of Mario and left us happily bewildered. Well, now Mario is blasting thru space and reinventing our box that we have put him in for so long. fighting upside down, adjusting for gravity, Mario is not willing to be pigeonholed. Of course one of the big announcements was that of the bee suit. Now whether or not it will be as big as the tanuki suit, that will remain to be seen. But, for some reason I have a feeling this is going to be a huge draw for the game. New controls, new look, new physics, new suits, my overall feeling is that this might be as big as Super Mario Bros. 3 when all is said and done.

Ok, that's it for today. Keep watching for more insight into E3

Why I Think Steve Jobs Is Secretly In Love With the PSP!! (and other ramblings about the iphone)

Now some might call this crazy, I think there is some founding for this arguement. I am a happy PSP owner, as you all know. And, I was helping a friend who recently recieved a iphone as a gift set it up. I have seen and iphone in person, but not till last night did I draw this corrolation between the iphone and the PSP. Now people have been clamoring for a device that would give them the web in portable form. They want movie play back and music at the touch of a button. The ipod has accomplished the latter 2 very successfully in the past few years. What is little known though is that the PSP has given us all three for quite a few years now. And on top of that the gaming is amazing.

Enter the iphone. the wide screen aspect ratio, music playback and wifi capability all mimic the PSP. So, did Steve Jobs really come up with something new, or was he really lusting after the PSP. I believe the truth will set him free!

I enter exhibit A:



...Is that what I think it is? A PSP on the table in the breakfast nook. The plot thickens.....

So honestly, I have no clue if Steve Jobs is smitten by the PSP. But, there are some very interesting parallels between the PSP and the iphone. The internet capablilty. The movie and the music playback. So, for the iphone owners, welcome to what the PSP owners have been enjoying for years!

News: Back in the Saddle Again (AKA E3 comments)

E3 is upon us again, but in a different format. I'll be giving my thoughts on the revelations at E3. Here's to hoping it lives up to half the hype.

Gaming Culture: Sony Ruling with an Iron Fist!!

Well, this debate has been heating up for quite some time now. The battle between the Colossus that is Sony Computer Entertainment, and the the hard working owners who want to love the company that made their beautiful handheld. This week Sony officially stated in writing what their feelings on the Homebrew scene are. Now this is nothing new in and of itself to PSP owners. They continue to circumvent the measures Sony has tried to implement to lock down the PSP. But, I believe this battle is just getting started for 2 very good reasons.

The first reason is the Pending release of God Of War for the PSP. This will be the first time since, well, launch day that Sony has had leverage on the Hombrew scene. The demand for this game is going to draw a line in the sand for Homebrewers and Sony. Like thirsty people in a desert land Sony will say "update or no new games!" I don't believe we have seen the true potential of a firmware update yet. This one will be just short of having an SCEA employee sitting next to you making sure that you haven't installed hombrew on your beloved PSP.

The second reason is the pending opening of the PSP store. PSP owners have been itching for this since the PS3 launch made PS1 games available on the handheld. As great as the release of God Of War is I think this is where Sony becomes the 800 lb gorilla. For some reason Sony hasn't realized that they could have PSP owners lined up like crack fiends for this thing. More games are what people want. Retro games, new games, any kind of games they can get their hands on. I think that part of the reason Sony hasn't realized what it's got in it's hand is that it hasn't figured out that this group of gamers are net savvy. I don't believe your normal demographic for the age group fits here. I know I am more apt to buy a game if all that I have to do is go on the net and download it instead of having to trapse to the store to buy it. I think that they are seeing the potential of what the PSP store could be in Japan. I have read many times where people in the US are dieing for the selection of games that Japan has. Now that I think of it, I've come to an interesting conclusion. I think that Sony has the US and Japanese markets pegged backward. Japan to me seems like more of a laid back culture. Not a "give it to me now" culture at first glance. And we all know the US is very much an instant fix society. Sony get a little crazy, try something new out in the US for once. You might be surprised at the response. The PS2 did so well because it was just that good. I have played with both the DS Lite and the PSP, and I'm sorry, but the PSP is miles beyond the DS. They need to realize that the PSP is JUST THAT GOOD!! LocoRoco is just as addictive as any pokemon game ever was. So start there and put the stranglehold on the DS!!

Now I have heard that Sony has called out their game devs. Asking them to be imaginative. I hope that Sony has been kind to Ready At Dawn, because they are the goose that lays the golden eggs. GOW is already impressive, and we haven't even see what it will truly be able to do with the speed upgrade. RAD needs to put on a seminar on how to design for this platform, because they have it down. They have embraced what this platform can do rather than complain about a missing analog stick. They have proven that this little handheld is more than a match for many full fledged consoles out there. Sony needs to remember that the whole industry shuttered when they heard that Sony was making a handheld. Nintendo should be scared, this thing can turn out pure visual crack!! Sony stop keeping the PSP being "the little handheld that almost was", and turn lose the machine to live up to it's potential.

Wow!! that was a rabbit trail. Anyways back to the topic. Homebrew and Sony. The Homebrewers are sick of waiting on Sony to make this into what they want. Sony would be smart to troll some blogs and get a feel for what people are really looking for. IR keyboard support, SKYPE, Full Flash support, maybe that second analog joystick. Much of what people want is software. You want to make money Sony, people are telling you what they want. People really are willing to pay if you give them what they want!!! So in parting, referring to the slogan above, Sony we want to play in your world. Just remember that ours is the one that pays your bills. Here's an equation Sony would be well served to learn: Giving us the things we want+PlayStation Network= BIG $$