http://kotaku.com/5553606/man-accused-of-killing-kitten-for-unplugging-game-console    

I’ve decided I really want Alpha Protocol. I also want the GameStop exclusive add-on content. I’ve already preordered the game with Amazon.com because I have a gift certificate from purchasing Red Dead Retribution and $30 off is pretty nice. Now I’m thinking of preordering the game at GameStop and just canceling my preorder after I get the code on the receipt, or maybe I’ll return my Amazon purchase to GameStop. I will beat the system.

So, I’ve spent a few hours with ModNation Racers. OK, I’m going to come right out and say it, this game is the best cart racer I have played in the past ten years. The driving is well done, the controls are simple, and you have the ability to create: your driver, your cart, and the track. Right now, I’m using a downloaded ModNation Racer who resembles the White Ranger. Yep, I’m a nerd.

The creation tools are the key selling points. While ModNation is a more than competent cart racer, the creation tools the game gives you steals the show. It is amazing what people have done already. So far I have seen almost all of the main Marvel Characters, Batman, Superman, a wide assortment of Final Fantasy characters, Mario, several Dragon Ball Z characters and the list goes on and on.

As for the racing, I have experienced very little in the way of rubber banding. If you are driving well and play defensively the game will not automatically catch-up to you. The converse is also true; when you drive poorly, you have an extremely limited chance to finish the race in a qualifying position (1st-3rd place).

Once I have the game beaten, I’ll be posting a full review.

OK, I used to be a bad person and downloaded video games from the internet. I know, I'm a bastard. With EA creating a need for a code to play online what are the odds of buying a game new and finding that your key has been used by someone using a keygen?

A little known fact is that Arizona provides  electricity  to Los Angeles (LA), CA. LA has decided to boycott Arizona due to a new law concerning illegal aliens. Worst case scenario is that there is no E3 because they have no power.             

So, the thing about the Giant Bomb Lost Planet 2 Quick Look that I don’t understand is how Jeff can love Street Fight 4 (a game that is based on animation) while hating Lost Planet 2 for the same reason.   
 
Yeah, Lost Planet 2 isn’t for everyone. It’s not trying to be a Gears of War game; it’s a co-op Lost Planet game. Finding a game isn’t easy, but hosting a game and having people join takes on a few minutes at the most. The roulette wheel is addicting, even if you don’t always get a weapon.  All well, what do I know? I am not paid for my analysis of video game reviewers’ reviews.    

OK developers I’ve heard enough. If you don’t like used game sales, stop giving GameStop exclusive (and often game altering) preorder bonuses. There you go.   Problem solved. Now I’m going to go pay $5 to download the Lost Planet 2 maps because I didn’t buy it from GameStop.

 
 A good multiplayer addition to a game can change the experience entirely. I think Borderlands is the best example of this phenomenon. The Borderlands single player was OK, but it doesn't hold a candle to Halo or Killzone. I know Borderlands isn't the same type of FPS as the Haloesque type games. Borderlands is a loot and level driven game whereas Halo and Killzone are intensely focused on the gun play, which changes the core of the game. In Halo there is nothing stopping you from picking a fight with a hunter and winning based entirely on skill your skill while Borderlands requires the player to be at a high enough level so they aren't torn apart. 

 Where Borderlands shines is the multiplayer. When jumping into a co-op game with friends, the game comes to life with memorable moments. The multiplayer in this case is the vessel for the fun. It allows the players to share moments and memories even though they are scattered throughout the United States, and the world. It also can turn frustrating situations into something rather humorous. I have found being killed is a lot more fun with friends. 

 Another prime example of my positive multiplayer experiences has been playing L4D2 with friends. It's another co-op game, I know, but even the adversarial modes have been fun.  There is nothing like having your co-op partners go running ahead of you and leaving you to fight off a horde of zombies, or when they accidently upset the witch. Good times. In L4D2 teamwork is everything, and communication is the key, so playing with people you know and have played with in the past enriches the experience and in my case, the survivability. 

 I'm still trying to get in a game of Bad Company 2 with my friends. So far we just haven't had time. It'll be interesting because it's an adversarial game play, but being in the same squad, and spawning off of one another could radically change things. The use of vehicles and working as a team to capture point should be a lot of fun... in theory. This will also greatly reduce the chance of me having to deal with a bad medic.    

 My adversarial multiplayer experience on both the 360 and PS3 has been, for the most part, being told I suck by a 13 year old as they teabag my dead body. This also brings about the point that I like playing some of these games more on the PS3 because less people have microphones - this is both a negative and a positive - because I can't hear them, I just see them violating my corpse. The downside of not having a microphone is it makes teamwork impossible, not that it ever was. 

 So what make multiplayer great? The simple answer is friends. Real friends. Not Facebook, Xbox Live, PSN friends, but people you know and socialize with on a regular basis.

 
 I still have several more hours at work, and I can't wait to go home and give it a try.

 
 Have a great day and I'll see you online.     

 
 The next blog should be on bad multiplayer experiences. Achievements and trophies has been put on the back burner until I can articulate well enough to be understood.      

OK, I have a PS3 and an Xbox 360. Now whenever I buy a game I have to choose between the two. The 360 dominated game purchases for the past three years; however, as of late, I find myself buying more and more third party games for the PS3. It isn't a debate between trophies or achievements, but rather what games my friends are playing and buying.

 
Last night I played some Mass Effect 2. I was disappointed to find that I had mistakenly uploaded the wrong save file and Wrex is dead. What a disappointment. Now, I have this debate, whether I should upload my other save and start over or keep on going with my current progress. I really want Wrex to be alive, but at the same time, I need to beat the game.       

 
This whole concept of achievements being bad seems a bit out of place. I'll write more on this tomorrow or Monday. I love Mondays.

 
Working alone sucks.   

Wow, there is a lot gaming news. 

First off, Sony Move.  -- I'm still not interested, maybe a little more intrigued, but there is really nothing there for me. Hopefully Sony won't end up getting covered in garbage party games like the Wii.

 
Metro 2033 looks pretty awesome, but I'm unsure of the game play.  I'm not too familiar with Dmitry Glukhovsky literary works but from what I can tell it takes place in a post apocalyptic Moscow. It sounds like the game will lack a conventional HUD, and it appears as though the majority of the game will take place underground. However, when the character is exposed to the outside world the game will also require you to set and check a wrist watch (in game) to change your gasmask filters. This almost sounds a bit monotonous. Do we really need this in our games?  I understand how this can add a level of tension - such as being in the middle of a firefight and hearing an alarm going off to let you know you only have moments left - but there is the possibly it will be overused. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

 
Last night I also managed to see a little of the IGF awards live form GDC. It was awful. Horrid jokes, a serious lack of public speaking skills, and a look of nervousness that made me feel uncomfortable for them just made it bad. Then Jessica Chobot comes out. She was the last person I heard speak, and this was diffidently the low point of the show for me.  She was loud, obnoxious, and she was the only person to swear. Good for you Jess now go lick a PSP.  

 
Anyway, I listened to the Darksiders soundtrack. It was really good. This is, of course, is coming from someone who enjoyed the game and the music so my opinion, like all opinions, is a bit biased.  The music is very motivational to me, so when I have the urge to write it really inspires.   

 
A friend I work with recommend a game called Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite for the PSP.  After reading some reviews and knowing I have a several hour plane flight ahead of me I download the game. It's pretty neat so far, but I'm not going to really have time to get into it until I'm in the air. My PSP is excited as I haven't shown it any love in quite some time.

 
Today I added a new podcast to iPod for my long drive to work. It's called "This is Only a Test" from tested.com. I really like the website and I hope the podcast is of the same quality. Fun and tech what more can I ask for?

 
Since I am working this weekend as well I'll try and do some shorter blogs on GDC or what I've been playing.

 
Have a good night and I'll see you online.