The Marvel - Arcade Pack DLC is out and I have decided to lay out what it is here for you all to see. It costs $4.99 and comes with three Marvel themed games. Each game has stickers, music, and decorations to unlock for use in your own levels. Each game also comes with its own set of trophies.

Hero Rush

Hero Rush is basically Jetpack Joyride with a few tweaks. You go around collecting coins while avoiding enemy ships, lasers and incoming missiles. You pick three characters from three different classes. The "Easy" class has characters that automatically fly up if you hold a button (any button on the right side of the Vita). The "Medium" class has characters which require you to continuously press the button in order to go up higher. Picking a character from this class multiplies the coins you earn by two. The "Hard" class has characters who cannot fly and instead can jump twice before they need to land. Picking a character from this class multiplies the coins you earn by three. Each character can shoot out a projectile and shoot incoming missiles. Every 500 meters or so there is a boss battle where your distance stops moving forward and you must defeat the enemy to continue. When one character dies the next comes in until you run out of heroes. The coins you earn can be spent on unlocking new characters (you begin with three), as well as stickers, music and decorations to use in create mode.

S.H.I.E.L.D. - Interceptor

S.H.I.E.L.D. - Interceptor has you flying around in a plane shooting down enemy planes. There are two modes, however I have yet to finish the campaign and so am unaware what this other mode is. I will update this post when I unlock it. Your plane has a primary weapon as well as a secondary hero power that needs to recharge after each use. These hero powers are attacks based on Marvel heroes and include an Adamantium Slash (Wolverine) and Repulsor Missiles (Iron Man). There are three waves in each stage with each wave adding additional enemies. Each enemy you defeat will drop a coin for you to pick up. Later levels introduce harder enemies and lasers shooting up at you from the ground. Coins earned can be used to purchase new weapons and powers as well as decorations and music for use in create mode.

Avengers: Ultimate Escape

Avengers: Ultimate Escape has Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and Iron Man trying to escape a ship by getting to a certain platforms on the map of each level without dying. The game is played completely with the touch screen and each hero moves differently and has there own strength and weaknesses. Captain America can block lasers with his shield; Hulk can break boxes but must run all the way to the corner in whatever direction you move; Iron Man always flies over one square when moving; Thor can move very quickly and charge up generators. Each level features one, two, or four heroes attempting to reach the platforms. Getting to the platform is never too difficult, the challenge comes from trying to collect all three coins in each level. Doing so requires quite a bit of strategy but the puzzles are never rip-your-hair-out frustrating. The coins you earn can be used to buy additional levels as well as decorations and music to use in create mode. There are a total of 80 levels to complete in all.

Hello my fine followers and other wandering eyes. I really wanted to make this a giant thing that I would post in the forums like my 1,000 forum post spectacular which remains my most popular blog post. However, I just don't have the time right now but I felt I still had to do something so here is this. If you read this, please comment and say hi, I would like to believe one of my 41 followers checks out my blog every now and again.
 
Here is some George Michael to celebrate: 
  

These are eight of the greatest television shows that you will ever watch. While they are not the only great shows out there these are my personal favorites and I recommend you check them all out. With the exception of Regular Show and Dan Vs, these shows are all available on Netflix streaming. In the case of both Regular Show and Dan Vs, tracking down full episodes on YouTube isn't too tough and they can be seen on cable (if you have it). 

The Twilight Zone (Original Series)

This show is a classic for a reason. While it may be in black and white, the stories told remain as interesting and engaging as when they were first released. It is astounding how many other forms of media have taken inspiration by the content of this show. One of the biggest causes of complaint from people is that the world no longer has original ideas. The primary reason for this is because this show took most of them. Not only is the premise of each episode interesting but the execution of each episode is handled with such care that it really feels like the people making this show gave it all their effort every single time. Rod Serling's is an excellent story teller who set standards for TV most show still can't live up to.

Regular Show

Cartoons are pretty awesome in general. What makes Regular Show stand out above the crowd is how related the characters are. Despite being different kinds of animals and object, they are all presented in a very human way and it is easy to find a character that you relate to and that reminds you of other people. The episodes always begin grounded in reality before jumping off into the fantastical due to some regular everyday problem. This grounding in reality and the realism of the characters makes the strange larger then life out of this world situations that much more fun to go through with the characters.

Drawn Together

Adult cartoons filled with vulgar language and obscenities are a dime a dozen. Drawn Together was special though. The idea was simple. Bring together a group of different cartoon character parodies and have them live in the same house like a reality TV show. Each episode would take on two plots and the episode would revolve around whatever shenanigan the characters were going through at the moment. The thing that made Drawn Together special was that they held nothing sacred. They did not exclude anyone from their parody, and it is guaranteed that at least one episode will strike a nerve with you as being insensitive. However, in doing so they help loosen you up and help you realize that their is no real harm done. Some of you bombers can stand to loosen up and realize that words only hurt you if you let them. And it is just funny as hell on top of all that.

Breaking Bad

This show is pretty damn popular with the Giant Bomb community but if for some reason you still haven't checked it out you should do so now! The plight of the chemistry teacher turned drug dealer is one filled with humor, drama and the occasional action scene. The arcs that the characters go through are nice to follow and it is interesting to see how the characters who become likable and who you start rooting for changes as the show progresses. This show was good enough to warrant the Giant Bomb making a parody of the title for one of their premium shows. If you aren't going to take it from me then take it from them, you should go watch this show.

Dan Vs.

Once again, grounding the characters and story in reality makes the fantastical cartoon shenanigans so much more fun. In Dan Vs we have a character of Dan who over reacts and seeks revenge for the little everyday things that piss us off. The episode starts normal enough and goes off the rails goofy by the end of it. It is a nice light-hearted cartoon with the voice of Curtis Armstrong (Booger from Revenge of the Nerds) really bringing the character of Dan to life. This is good old fashion family friendly TV that just about anyone can enjoy.

American Horror Story

If you are even remotely into horror then this show is right up your ally. American Horror Story is kind of like a horror version of The Twilight Zone, except instead of the story lasting one episode each story lasts one season. While it may not bring anything unique to the table what it does do is bring together several different horror types which makes it like nothing else out there. While the first season dealt with the issue of infidelity and featured such horror staples as the haunted house, the Black Dahlia and ghosts the second season deals with the issue of sanity and features such classic horror tropes as a masked murder, being possessed by the devil and aliens among other things. For all you lovers of horror, you should check out this show which is basically an homage to the genre.

The Walking Dead

Zombies are still pretty awesome. While it may be a little played out in other forums of media, having a zombie TV show just feels like a natural home. The problem with most zombie movies is that from the beginning you know that you are only going to be with this for around two hours at most and thus when the characters begin to die it is more or less whatever. As a TV show, you have time to get to know the characters and thus the tense moments in this show are a thousand times more tense then any moment in a zombie movie. Also zombies, zombies are still pretty neat.

Twin Peaks

I cannot recommend this show enough. Please, if you check out none of my other suggestions at the very least go watch Twin Peaks. It is a beautiful mashing of genres that is part thriller, part murder mystery, part comedy, part drama, part horror and completely amazing. The story begins with the murder of a girl in small town and when an FBI agent is called to investigate a bigger mystery begins to unfold. The story will keep your brain on its toes as it tries to comprehend what exactly is going on and what is going to happen next. Those of you that even remotely liked Alan Wake will absolutely fall in love with Twin Peaks which was obviously a big inspiration for the game. The story telling at play here will make you feel the full spectrum of emotions in its 30 episodes and you will never be the same again. Go check it out, you will not be disappointed. 

So what do you say? Have I convinced you to check out some of these shows? Were you already familiar with them? What are some of your favorite shows? Don't be shy, comment away!

Note: I have changed this post from when it was originally made by adding in two new games at the back end to make the list go to twelve. I have also added in a new paragraph of games that almost made the list. Then there is the LittleBigPlanet code that in 20+ comments no one even seemed to acknowledge. I am putting up the code here, take it if you want just please notify me so that I can cross it out. Or not, not like there are to many people itching to get their paws on it.

Yes, I know there are an ass-ton of these blogs out there so to alleviate some of my guilt and make me feel like less of an asshole I have decided to give away a code for a LittleBigPlanet Beta Vest. I believe the code is North America only, so only ask for it if you use a North American PSN account and actually own either LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet Vita, or LittleBigPlanet Karting (and actively play the game). I will give it to the first dude (or lady) that wants it.

Here is the code: 35HN-C9NK-EDAB

Amazing games I played this year that weren't released in 2012.

Before I get into my top ten I wanted to give a shout out to all the fantastic games I played this year that were not released this year. The most notable ones were BioShock, Alan Wake, Assassin's Creed, Saints Row 2 and Sly. BioShock had a beautiful setting and and the way it told its story was magnificent. The twist was also great (I'm surprised I never had it spoiled). Alan Wake had fun gun play and light mechanics and a story that continually left you wanting more. The atmosphere, while never scary, was always tense and made you feel uncomfortable. Assassin's Creed was also a neat story and having the boss fights be assassinations made the game feel like nothing I had ever played before. Saints Row 2 is one of the best games I have played this generation. It is crazy, fun, and extremely customization. The story is balls to the wall crazy without ever going full retard. I am currently playing through the Sly Collection (just beat the second boss in the first game) and I have to say I am surprised just how great this game is. The gameplay holds up perfectly and it feels great to play a 3D platformer that doesn't star a plumber.

Games that almost made the list.

This was an amazing year for video games, and narrowing down a top twelve was pretty damn tough. Some of the games that almost made the cut include Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, Retro City Rampage, Deadlight, and Fifa 13 (Vita), Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation, and Mortal Kombat (Vita). Tony Hawk HD is still as great as it has ever been, and collecting all the items in the single player and playing graffiti online is good fun. The inclusion of some local multiplayer and maybe a few more stages would have been enough to push it into my proper top 12 list. Retro City Rampage is a fun little open world game with tons of jokes and fun gameplay. It is great, just not better then anything on the proper top ten. Deadlight started out great, and while the platforming sections and fighting other humans later in the game wasn't anywhere near perfect, I have to commend the developers for trying to keep the gameplay fresh even if the controls were not as tight as they could have been. I would love to see a sequel building upon the fantastic foundation in place. Fifa 13 on Vita is portable futbol. Is it as good as the console release? No, but it is portable futbol and portable futbol is pretty damn awesome. Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack was one of the best launch games for the Vita and every bit as fun as the console release last year (which nabbed a number 3 spot on my GOTY last year). However, I was personally disappointed that DrinkBox Studios decided to make another game so similar to the last. I was hoping that the Tales from Space name would take on the same meaning as The Twilight Zone or American Horror Story, with each new entry being it's own self contained wacky adventure. This disappointment was enough to knock it of my list proper. Assassins Creed 3: Liberation takes it's time getting started, but once it does it is pretty damn fun. I have not finished it yet, thus preventing it from making my proper top 12, but the technical hiccups probably would have kept it off anyway. Mortal Kombat on Vita was such a great game that I felt the need to review (it is the only game I have reviewed). It is everything a portable game should be and is easily my #13. And now, without further ado, my top twelve games of 2012.

12. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

With Lego Batman 2 Travelers Tales did to the Lego franchise what Telltale did to the adventure genre. It re-imagined just what one of these games can be. It has an open world and tons of playable superheroes that have different abilities. I don't even like the DC Universe all that much (am more of a Marvel guy) but this game makes exploring the world and tracking down those gold bricks fun. It also has some awesome voice work, winks and nods galore for DC comic fans, and is completely playable in local co-op. If you are a fan of super heroes, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up and give it a shot.

11. Angry Birds: Star Wars

Angry Birds is pretty damn fun. A franchise like this doesn't blow up in popularity for no reason. The franchise has always been great for pick up and play experiences, and that remains true in Angry Birds: Star Wars. The new Star Wars based abilities given to the birds are great, from Luke using his lightsaber to Han firing out three shots with his blaster or C-3P0 exploding into a bunch of pieces. The story itself is done with stills which do a good service to source material (damn right Han shot first, Rovio knows its shit!) and the soundtrack is also great and Star Wars themed. The levels also contain nods to the movies, like the level in the Death Star that features the garbage compactor. If you have the means to play it, go play it. It is only $3, the best bang for your buck you can get.

10. Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault

The controls in this game are just like a normal Ratchet & Clank. The camera is (unlike All 4 One ) at a good distance behind the player and the platforming feels just like a main entry in the franchise. The story is funny and the villain is a nice throwback that fans of the old Ratchet & Clank games will appreciate. The new tower defense elements are neat and fit in nicely with the gameplay. This is the best cooperative Ratchet & Clank game yet. If you have a buddy to go through it with (locally or online) and you are a fan of the series then I cannot recommend this game enough. It is hard and short but amazing while it lasts.

9. LittleBigPlanet Karting

The LittleBigPlanet aesthetic is beautiful. Sackboy and his world look so amazingly charming that it is hard to play this game and not have a smile on your face. Below this beautiful aesthetic layer lies a solid kart racer. The controls are ridiculously simple making it very easy to just pick up and play. The level editor is much better then it was in ModNation Racers and making a basic track is fairly simple. The karts are made out of normal household items adding to the charm. This game is fantastic in both local and online multiplayer and is a great game to just unwind with.

8. Trials Evolution

This is modern day excitebike . The levels are all challenging and in some of the later stages downright frustrating. However, this just makes it that much more rewarding when you finally finish. Comparing scores and trying to get a better time then your friends also adds to the fun and helps you get through some of the tougher sections since it gives you the reassurance that it is in fact possible to pass that particular obstacle. Racing online is also great and the goofy levels made are fun little distractions.

7. Twisted Metal

My most anticipated game coming into the year was not as hot as I had hoped. The multiplayer was pretty much busted at launch and they just took too long to fix it. That said, the single player campaign is tons of fun. Blowing up other cars is as fun as it has ever been and the boss battles are all huge and and intricate. The FMV cut scenes are also impressive and appropriately twisted. The local multiplayer is also the best in the franchise. The levels are gargantuan in size and the cars and weapons all have a unique feel.

6. Need For Speed: Most Wanted

Asynchronous multiplayer and multiplayer. This game does both so very beautifully. Driving through billboards and hitting speed traps trying to get the best score is great fun. The multiplayer is also wonderful as it moves at a consistent pace and you are never doing the same thing for too long. The way that autolog tracks everything and lets you see how you rank with your friends makes it feel that much more competitive. I spent a large amount of time just trying to get the highest score on my personal leaderboard for everything from races and speed traps to billboards and pursuit scores. It is like you are playing with someone else at all times and that is pretty damn cool.

5. LittleBigPlanet Vita

This game has an adorable single player campaign filled with some of the most charming characters you will ever see. The levels are beautifully detailed and the soundtrack is equally impressive. It was as true in LittleBigPlanet Karting as it is here: The aesthetic is gorgeous. The touch controls also feel perfect and included mini-games are also awesome. This is arguably the definitive LittleBigPlanet. In terms of playing by yourself, the series has never been better. The platforming feels the same as it does on the PS3 but the added front and rear touch control open up the types of gameplay that can be experienced. The included levels are more then enough to put it on this list, the level creator and user generated content are just icing on the already sweet and delicious cake. And being able to download and save any user created level for use when you are not in a WiFi area is a great addition.

4. The Walking Dead

As someone who used to always visit the library to read "Give Yourself Goosebumps" books, I have to say this game was just like one of those. It is an interactive story, and an impressive one at that. You really start to feel attached to certain characters and will regret some of the decisions you make. The gameplay itself is ridiculously simple making it a game everyone should experience at least once. I have a million more things I want say about what makes it so fantastic but I fear that in saying more I would spoil this amazing story.

3. Resident Evil 6

The shit finally hit the fan. Zombies, bio-organic weapons and evil scientists are all out to create a new world order and it takes seven protagonists to try and prevent shit from getting out of hand. The story is appropriately over the top and this is really what these games have been building to since the start. Once you change the settings and choose the laser sight option, it plays like a better version of RE5 (which was a better version of RE4). Things like sliding, quick shots, and melee at any time give you more options with how you want to take out the enemies. The stories all had a different tone and pace and it felt like four different games. Then there is the mercenaries which is as addicting as ever. This game is different, amazing and my number 3.

2. Uncharted: Golden Abyss

To call this game Uncharted Portable would be a disservice. This is the Uncharted game, the best in the series. The combat is just as great as in previous games, but the exploration and characters are outstanding. Drake has someone with him throughout almost his entire adventure, which means the great banter never stops. It was also great to see other characters refer to Drake as "the professional". He knows his shit and in this game they really do acknowledge it. There is also a lot of traversing without any over the top set pieces. Then there is the ridiculous amount of treasures to unlock, charcoal rubbings to do and scraps of paper to put together to make a bigger image. In this game, more then in any other Uncharted game, you feel like a treasure hunter.

1. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

The gameplay. This is what makes PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale my game of the year over everything else I played this year. It plays like no other fighting game ever released before. Every character plays differently and has a different strategy of how you use them. Because the only way to kill your opponent is with supers, it leads to some very tense moments in stock matches especially. Then there is the customization. You can change everything from you intro and outro to your taunt and victory music, making your character truly your own. I actually spent more time on the Vita version then the PS3 one, but it plays the same, and the online community is the same, and that is pretty damn impressive. But once again I want to stress how fantastic the gameplay is. The controls are simple, and combos don't require any ridiculous button inputs. However, the strategies are deep, and knowing when you should use your super, when you should roll out of the way, and who you should focus on taking out first all make the mind games at work really fantastic. I had more fun playing this then any other game this year, and thus it gets my number one spot.

According to this tweet by Sid Shuman, the full roster for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale has been revealed (and yes I originally read this on IGN).

Is anyone else disappointed? I figured they still had a few more characters to reveal before launch. Why the hell would they blow their wad two months before the release of the game? Way to kill off any hype building up to the release of this game. They should have spread them out more and revealed them up to the week before launch. Fucking Sony executives are dumber then a sack of potatoes.

PlayStation All-Stars could have (should have) been the biggest marketing tool of all time. It should have included All the stars of PlayStation. It should have been a celebration of all things PlayStation. That blu-ray should have been stuffed to capacity with extras showing mini documentary's of the origins of the playable characters, all of the games they are featured in, and some words from the creators of the franchise, as well as a demo of each of their games, ala Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Unlike Smash Brothers, this game should have only included one character per franchise, the biggest middle finger to Nintendo and Microsoft, a way of telling them "Fuck you, you don't have enough franchises to do this!". It would have allowed casual PlayStation gamers to be able to see the PlayStation in the same light that I do. PlayStation has the biggest, most diverse list of exclusive games out of the current console makers yet Sony does nothing to let people know this. I have already made a blog about the characters I would have liked to see and the problems I have with Big Daddy, Evil Cole, Raiden being in this game so I will not repeat that here (feel free to read that blog post here). Why not teach people about lesser known PlayStation characters like Fred Neuman, Aya Brea, Commander, Selvaria Bles, Leonard, Rohn, Cullen Gray, and Finn? It would have led to some people picking up those games after learning about them in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

And then there are the stages they made. Did we really need two God of War stages? There were so many other PlayStation exclusive games that would have made for great stages like: Afrika, MAG, Gran Turismo, Starhawk, MLB: The Show, MotorStorm, SingStar, EyePet, Wipeout, Tales from Space, Katamari, Kinetica, Super Stardust, Journey, Calling All Cars!, Echochrome, PAIN, PixelJunk, PlayStation Home, Super Rub 'a' Dub, Eye of Judgment, Mobile Suit Gundam, SOCOM, Crush, Invizimals, Zombie Tycoon, Escape Plan, Rag Doll Fu, Tokyo Jungle, Sports Champions, ModNation Racers, Sound Shapes, Wonderbook or Little Deviants. But no, they decided "let’s use God of War twice!". They literally have enough exclusives to only use each franchise once while making a stage and filling out the roster of playable characters. Once again, a perfect opportunity to stretch that middle finger out to Nintendo and Microsoft wasted.

Then there is the stunning lack of Crash and Spyro. Why the fuck are these two not in the game? I have two theories. 1) Sony was actually selling its roster spots (which is why all the third party characters have a game coming up) and they would have had to pay Activision to use Crash and Spyro and the publisher (that damned publisher) decided it would be an unnecessary waste of money and then went on to green light more Wonderbook games, or 2) They already have the characters and are going to sell them as DLC.

To me, the thing I love most about Super Smash Bros. is that it is a celebration of all things Nintendo. All of the extras you could unlock in “The Vault” the trophies that each had a large description, and the huge amount of songs were great fan service. The combat is also simple to play and understand for people of any and all ages.

The combat system in PlayStation All-Stars is fun (trust me, I have played it) but unless you play it for yourself it just seems overly complicated. They should have focused on making it simple fun for everyone, but instead Sony hired a group of hardcore fighting game nerds who ended up creating an overly complex fighting system that isn't straight forward and thus isn't inviting to casual players (which is the audience this should be aimed at). Capture the casual audience and once they see all the interesting PlayStation characters, they go out and buy their favorite characters game helping them make the transition from casual gamer to core gamer. And when that transition happens, they will remember who made them fall in love with video games. Taking a new generation of gamers would really help Sony in the long term.

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This game could have been so much more had it been given more time and a game director that actually was passionate about the PlayStation. Omar Kendall does not seem to give the first shit about PlayStation. Ever since I saw an interview he did with GameTrailers where he said that El Dorado was from Uncharted 2 I knew he was the wrong person to be directing this game (starts at around 1:25 in the video below and you can see even the interviewer is surprised). This game should have had a co-director to go along with Omar (or even replace him entirely with Seth Killian) like Greg Miller, Colin Moriarty, or Will Powers. Yes, I realize a lot of you guys here hate IGN but those two guys, Will (and myself) are the only people that I know of who really understand PlayStation and have an appreciation for all branches of it.

So to sum it all up, I am disappointed that Sony did not do more with this game. If Sony doesn't care then why should anyone else? To call this game a Super Smash Brothers Clone is insulting to Nintendo. While Smash Bros is a celebration of all things Nintendo that happens to also be a fighting game, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale seems like a fun fighting game that happens to feature PlayStation characters. Those Will Powers tweets really paint a grim picture for the future of PlayStation. He mentioned a few games that have absolutely no PR support, including LittleBigPlanet Karting (which I had assumed they were going to push this year along with Battle Royale). Between Sony laying off a big chunk of its PR staff and then releasing a new PS3 model that is actually more expensive then the old one, do they actually expect to do well this holiday season? Whoever the evil Sony Warlord is that seems hell bent on destroying the company, I hope they get rid of him before it is too late. 

LittleBigPlanet Karting will officially mark the death of ModNation Racers. I understand why Sony would decide to make LittleBigPlanet Karting instead of ModNation Racers 2, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing. LittleBigPlanet obviously is a much better established and loved franchise. I have no doubt in my mind that this game will sell more then ModNation Racers ever did. However, I really think a new ModNation Racers 2 would have been a better game, and here is why:

The Characters

For starters, the characters in ModNation Racers were much more unique and offered players a much more diverse set of options to customize their characters. A Sackboy will always look like a Sackboy. Whether you put on a 100 stickers, a shiny cloth, or make it a girl, it will still look like a Sackboy. ModNation Racers would let you make your character the way you wanted to make him look. Here are a few of the ones I personally made that that can't be done with a Sackboy because he is a Sackboy:

The Karts

The karts in LittleBigPlanet Karting look generic. They all have the same aesthetic feel. They seem like makeshift karts made from household items. The karts in ModNation Racers had a slick look and were in proportion to the character. I don't know if it is that Sackboys head is to big or the Karts are to small but the focus is on the Sackboy instead of the kart. If the beta was any indication the mod tools for karts is not nearly as varied in its options. You no longer pick your cars engine, simply the sound it makes. Placing decals is no longer a precise Photoshop-like mode, it is just slapping on some stickers like you would in LBP. Here are some of the karts that I made in ModNation that I doubt will be re-creatable in Karting:

The Copyright Infringement

One of my favorite things about ModNation Racers is that you could literally race as just about anyone you could think of. If you can think of it, 98% of the time someone has already made it in ModNation Racers (yes, even the GiantBomb staff). Seriously, name someone in the comments and I will post a picture of them if I can find them in the game. Once again, a Sackboy will always look like a Sackboy and the karts are too small and the tools too simple to allow for any real customization. Here are just a few of the mods and karts that are not re-creatable in LittleBigPlanet Karting:

Staring such characters as:

And such karts as:

The Focus

As I have stated, Sackboy is a generic looking creature that can only be customized so much, and his karts are the same way. They are too small and they do not have the space to be detailed or personalized. LittleBigPlanet Karting is focused on creating levels. As the beta has shown (those of you who weren't in the beta can check out the quick look), the developers seem to have focused on giving the players the tools to create a bunch of mini-games that have karts. The karts don't sound well and the karts feel too light, but at least you can play basket ball right guys? The focus of ModNation Racers was always the characters, karts, and the racing itself. You could be anyone you wanted to be in that game, and the karts had a good weight and sound. Sure, the level creator wasn't great but at the end of the day in a good kart racer, the background doesn't matter, as long as the gameplay is good.

In Conclusion

ModNation Racers 2 could have been a step up from the original in every sense. United Front Games could have improved the load times and added all the new additional creation tools that they put into LittleBigPlanet Karting, while leaving the kart and character tools exactly the same as they were in the original. Instead they made the game have an entirely new aesthetic and all those old customization tools were scrapped. They added in better level creation tools but they did not make the character and kart tools better. Nay, they are actually now worse. I understand that United Front was on a schedule and they could not do everything in the time they were given, but if they had been making a sequel to ModNation Racers they could have simply iterated on the great foundation that was already in place. I also understand that Sony decided to make LittleBigPlanet Karting because ModNation Racers probably did not sell very well and a sequel would have done just as bad. However, if Sony could hire a competent marketing team (a sack of potatoes would be better then whoever they have now), they could have given out ModNation Racers for free on PlayStation Plus or as part of the Welcome Back Package to let people see that most of the launch bugs had in fact been fixed. That would generate good word of mouth and a larger fan base that would be eager for a sequel.

LittleBigPlanet Karting feels like one step forward and two steps back. While the new level creation tools are much better now, the characters and the karts are no longer at the center of the game. The racing also does not feel right, it almost feels floaty, like LittleBigPlanet proper. ModNation Racers 2 could have been the greatest karting game ever. At this point I'm not sure if I would even call LittleBigPlanet Karting a good karting game.

Yes, I know there is a thread about this here but fuck you I'm making a blog post of the characters I want to see damn it! As someone who grew up with the original PlayStation and arguably Giant Bomb's biggest Sony fan, I am crazy excited to play this game and can not for the life of me see how everyone else is not as well. Some people have the nerve (or ignorance) to say that there are not enough PlayStation characters to make this game interesting, I say fuck you there are more then enough.

	Neptune, the protagonist from the hit PlayStation 3 exclusive series Hyperdimension Neptunia would be a great fit to join the battle royale. Sega currently doesn't have anyone representing them in the game and who better then Neptune? And of course I expect her dialogue to be as amazing as the the games dialogue.
	Scarlett Blake, from the much loved downloadable title Dead Nation. That game had so many unique weapons that her moves would basically make themselves. And for her level 3 she would of course be busting out the Shocker.
	Kazuma Kiryu from the Yakuza series is a bad motherfucker who people don't mess with. He fights the Japanese mob, he fights zombies, he even fights zombie mobsters. This man deserves a spot on this roster for those reasons alone.
	The raging substance abusing, domestically violent father from this years PSN title Papo y Yo would be another good fit. He could go around being angry and hitting people, with his special being that he eats a frog and one hit kills people in a fit of rage.
	To be quite honest with you I don't remember a whole lot about the story in the Gex games. Something about this chick with huge boobs giving you some kind of TV related mission. Anyway, in each area you would have a different look, and in battle royal he would be able to bust out these different costumes Kirby style (not that Battle Royale is in anyway similar to Smash Bros). He is not exclusive to the PlayStation but his best days were there and therefore deserves a spot.
	Hey Giant Bombers, did you know that the PlayStation Portable actually had quite a few exclusive franchises? One of those was Dead Head Fred, about a guy who got his head cut off (but kept his brain) and is trying to get it back. The gameplay was about switching heads either to get through a puzzle or to beat up some dudes. Once again, another character whose attacks make themselves.
	Massive Action Game (MAG) was the first (and to this day only) first person shooter with more than 200 players on a map at once. I haven't played it in a while, but at its peak it was truly a thing of beauty. Considering the fact that Sony shuttered Zipper, I think it is safe to say there will not be a MAG 2. They should, then, get a character from one of there games to represent in the battle royal. At the start of MAG, everyone had to chose one PMC to join (based on little more then this intro video) and then you were stuck with that team forever (unless you wanted to erase your character). By far the most popular team was SVER. Lets have a soldier from there representin' all the hard work Zipper did for Sony.
	Did you know that there are these things on the PlayStation store called PlayStation minis? One of the best of these minis was a game called Age of Zombies, starring Barry Steakfries. Mr. Steakfries is a likable, hilarious, and witty individual. Think Duke Nukem if he wasn't a bag of douche. I'm glad he has gone on to star in several other successful award-winning IPhone games because this is a character that deserved more recognition then he got at Sony. Still having him in this game would help give the battle royale roster some real heart and soul.
	My personal favorite PlayStation mini, Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess stars a vampire called The Duke going around fighting monsters who most likely kidnapped his princess. He is feared by all monsters and actually has to chase them down to beat them. Depending on how many platforms you fit before beating each monster, you will get one of three take down animations. Last time I checked there are three special attacks per character in battle royale, making the duke a perfect fit. Also any man bad ass enough to fight Kong in a Thong deserves to be in this game.
	No seriously guys, the PSP really did have exclusive games that were fun to play. Pursuit Force is another such example, where you play as the commander of the pursuit force and need to take down bad guys by jumping from cars to boats to plains. This action badass would give Jason Statham a run for his money. Also, seeing as how the developer BigBig was also shut down this year, I think it is important that they get a character representing their contribution to Sony.
	Aya Brea is the star of the Parasite Eve games that were released on the PlayStation One (with the third releasing on PSP). The games served as a sequel to the Japanese Horror Novel winning book Parasite Eve by Hideaki Sena. Aya is a bad ass fighter and with amnesia and the ability to switch bodies. She should be in the battle royale for those reasons, and also she would be another female in what is currently a total sausage fest of a fighting game.
	Norman Jayden was my favorite protagonist in Heavy Rain and I feel he would be an amazing addition. A drug addicted FBI agent with a high tech glove and glasses, who wouldn't want this guy in the game? His introduction when fighting with other characters would be great as well, like discussing substance abuse with Papo, or asking Scarlett Blake if she is related to the Carter Blake.

These are not the only character that I think would be a good fit, but they are the ones I want to see the most and getting that damn chart thing to work is a pain in the ass so I did not want to add more to it. Other good fits include Death Jr. from the Death Jr. franchise, Rohn from Lair, Leonard from White Knight Chronicles, Gabe Logan from Syphon Filter, Joseph Capelli from Resistance, Ico from Ico, Wander from Shadow of the Colossus, Emmett Graves from Starhawk, Gene from God Hand, Selvaria Bles from Valkyria Chronicles, Lightning from Final Fantasy, Cullen Gray from SOCOM, Kat from Gravity Rush, Aveline de Grandpre from Assassins Creed, Joel from The Last of Us, and Jodie Holmes from Beyond: Two Souls. Yes, I realize that not even half of these character will probably make it into the final game. :(

The fact that there are so many fantastic characters that are associated with the PlayStation makes decisions like putting in Big Daddy from Bioshock (which originally launched on PC and 360 only, it's like putting Frank West on the roster) and Evil Cole like wasted character spots. Seriously, as much as I love inFamous, he easily could have been a costume swap. Those of you who have played inFamous 2, take a look at the Cole trailer and tell me you don't agree that he would have been just as great if instead of that ice attack level 2 it had been replaced with a tornado that simply goes in the direction your facing when activated (and doesn't last too long or go up too high), and instead of the level 3 being the tornado, have it be the giant lightning storm (you know, that bad ass attack that is the last one you get in the game). That way all the the attacks would be lightning based and a simple color swap could have been used if you wanted him to look good or evil and leave it at one character per franchise (as a "fuck you, you can't do this Nintendo"). It also irks me that they choose to go with Raiden instead of Solid Snake. I don't give a flying fuck if he was on Nintendo first, that franchise had its peak on the PlayStation and the main character should be in the battle royale. Besides, I associate this Raiden look more with the X-Box then PlayStation, especially seeing as how it was announced by Microsoft and is being made by Platinum Games (the guys who made the Bayonetta game that was great everywhere but the PlayStation).

I am actually quite pleased with the rest of the roster announced so far. Yes, even with Heihachi Mishima and Dante. The game is called PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, not Sony Computer Entertainment All-Stars Battle Royale and therefore I feel that characters that are closely related with the PlayStation platform are more then welcome. For a very long time Tekken could only be played either in an arcade or on a PlayStation console. It wasn't until this generation that a Tekken game finally came to the 360 (which is great, the fighting games are better at tournaments when there is competition from people that perhaps only have one console). Same goes for the Devil May Cry games, which started off as PS2 exclusives. I would also be ok with them adding Barry Burton, seeing as how Resident Evil got its start on PlayStation as well.

You may have noticed that I have yet to mention Crash and Spyro, but that is only because there is not a doubt in my mind that those two wont be the last two characters that SuperBot reveals. There is no reason for them not to appear, there is no bad blood between Sony and Activision, they are even making a special edition Call of Duty Vita system. You don't start the show with a show stopper. If these two characters aren't in the game, I will eat my hat (and possibly track down Bobby Kotick and punch him in the adams apple).

So are you guys excited for this game? Are you not excited? If not, then why? Are there any other character that you would like to see join the Battle Royale that I failed to mention?

This has been a great year, and it seems like a lot of the community is not taking the time to stop and smell the roses. There have been so many posts about this console cycle being too long, about the low quality and quantity of games being released this year, about Giant Bomb not being as great anymore, politics, and so on. Now granted a quick look at my forum history will quickly show you that I am just as guilty as all of you at being a jaded ass-hat from time to time. However, this year has been really fantastic and I wanted to list some of the things that have made this year so fantastic to me.

The PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita is amazing. The promise of playing console games on a portable device has actually been fulfilled. Mortal Kombat on the Vita is a perfect example, it plays exactly as well as the console versions did even if it did not look as good. I use the thing for everything from listening to podcasts and watching youtube videos to browsing the web, playing video games and watching Netflix. It really is the all in one portable device, and it is such a damn shame that Sony has (had?) such a shitty marketing team for the system.

Some Fantastic Games

This year has seen the release of some fantastic games. Soulcalibur 5 once again gave players some fantastic tools to create there own fighter and the fighting itself is still as fun as always. While I do believe that the gem system in Street Fighter X Tekken is totally dumb, the game is really fun if you completely ignore the gem and just have some 2 v 2 action with 3 other local players, with strategies and decisions about whether or not you should tag out coming up constantly. Lego Batman 2 breathed some much needed new life into what was becoming a stale series. The open world is as fantastic as the cast of characters. Trials Evolution was a ridiculously addicting game when trying to beat your friends times.

Some Time to Clear the Backlog

Yes, while there have been some amazing games that have been released this year there has not been a large quantity of them. This has given me time to go back and play some of the great games that I have had on my radar but never got the chance to play. The first Assassins Creed is very underrated in my opinion and I had a great deal of fun playing through it. Saints Row 2 was an amazing and wacky game with a great story, fun missions, and an insane amount of customization. Alan Wake was quite the unique experience that was fun and suspenseful from beginning to end. Ico was a fantastic journey that was also one of the most unique games that I have ever experienced. I am also currently making my way through Bioshock and am really digging it.

The Golden Age of Superhero Movies

We are currently living in it. The Amazing Spider-Man saw the web swinger finally done justice on the big screen. While not without its problems, it had a fantastic cast and a Spider-Man that wasn't afraid to tell some jokes. The Dark Knight Rises saw the Nolan Batman trilogy get a fantastic conclusion, and while not everyone loved it, it was my favorite of the series. And of course, there was the big one. The movie that comic fans did not thing could be pulled off on the big screen (but always hoped for). The Avengers. The Avengers was such an amazing film that I actually went to go see it three times in theaters (twice in 3D), and I had trouble convincing myself to just wait for the blu-ray instead of going to see it again. Seriously, if you had shown me (or anybody) this clip ten years ago they would have shit their pants:

A Bright Rest of the Year

There are still a huge number of great games that are going to be coming out this year (more then I am going to be able to play this year), like LittleBigPlanet Vita, FIFA 13, Resident Evil 6, Boarderlands 2, Assassins Creed 3, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, LittleBigPlanet Karting, Halo 4, Forza Horizon, New Super Mario Bros. U, ZombiU, Lego City Undercover, and Scribblenauts Unlimited. And of course, the game that people who grew up with the original PlayStation have wanted since forever, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royal. Haters are always going to hate, but this game has me crazy excited and I don't give a flying fuck who doesn't share my excitement.

Hype for the Future (2013 and Beyond)

Then of course there are all the other games to look forward to further into the future. Tearaway, The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite, DMC, God of War: Ascension, the next Super Smash Bros., and of course the new consoles that are coming out from Sony and Microsoft. And then there is the continuation of the golden age of comic book movies to look forward to, with the Days of Future Past film, the Marvel Phase Two films, the SHIELD tv show, and the possibility of DC stepping it up and giving us a Justice League movie. I am a man who enjoys the feeling excitement and anticipation almost as much as when the thing finally arrives, and there is plenty to be excited about.

The here and now is great. Next time you are feeling jaded or sad or any emotion other then ecstatic, take some time to realize just how lucky you are to live in this day and age with so many wonderful forms of entertainment. So what do you say? Are some of you grumpy sour pusses a little less sour after doing some personal reflections of all the great thing you've experienced this year? What are some of those great things you have experienced this year?

Hello Giant Bombers. It seems I have now made it to the 1,000 mark. Who would have thought that I would stick with these forums even after nobody responded to my very first post. I have been around the block and tried to participate in the IGN forums, the GameTrailers forums, and even the GamesRadar forums (back when those existed). I eventually found a home with Yahoo Answers where internet shenanigans were allowed to run wild. That ran its course though and for a while I just stopped posting comments on websites entirely. Eventually though, I figured what the hell, I may as well join the Giant Bomb forums, I already listen to the podcast. And the rest is history.

I am very grateful to this community. Seriously, you guys are the best! I did not have a Steam account before Giant Bomb, and every Steam game I currently have has been given to me by a Giant Bomber. You dudes are amazing and I promise you guys I will one day give away some stuff as well to help share the love. This place has stricken a really good balance between humor, shenanigans, and seriousness (although it could stand to loosen up a bit more).

But who the hell am I? Do you people even know? Have any of you ever even taken the time to even read my mini-bio, lists, achievements or blog posts? Am I anybody meaningful to these forums (obviously not the extent of users like @Claude, @Jay444111, or @Enigma777 to name a few), or am I just some random jackass who has way too many typos and asks inappropriate questions?

I don't like how the logo makes it seem like Jamie and Adam created the website. I understand that there faces will help bring in new viewers and that's great. The new content they have been putting out is great. But why couldn't they do a group photo with everyone on the top?

What it is:

What it should be:

It would be like if Giant Bomb got Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb to join and they changed the logo to this:

Even if the original crew was still pumping out the same amount of content that logo would make you pee blood.

What do you guys think of the new tested? Do you think they should change the logo?