You remember Goozex right? If not, read up on them on one of my previous posts at this link. Well, great news, I’ve been brought on as an associate writer for their member-run blog The Goozex Report. I’m very excited to be an even bigger part of their community, and wanted to share my first article with you. Give it a spin here, and let me know what you think.

Thanks everyone!

Care to see your favorite gaming consoles and peripherals with x-ray vision? Your wish has come true. Check the following link for one person’s flickr gallery. Very cool.

X-Ray Funnies – a set on Flickr.

G4 has again been named the official broadcaster of E3 2009, and with only a month to go until keynotes, I’m definitely excited. Let’s just hope I don’t relive the fiasco that was E3 2007 on the same network. See my rant for more information on that.

G4 promises to provide over 22 hours of content, including five keynotes, hands on demos, interviews, and Steve Wiebe with another one of his live Donkey Kong high score attempts. If you’re unfamiliar with Steve, then be sure to check out the documentary: The King of Kong. It’s a great film. Other than that, additional details on the broadcast can be found at the following link.

G4 Named Official Broadcaster Of E3 2009 – G4tv.com.

I spend a lot of money on games. I mean a lot. I buy 2 -3 new games a month easy. It’s an expensive habit, and it adds up, but hell, if you can’t enojoy yourself, then what good is living? I listen to a handful of gaming postcasts, and one day the topic was Goozex. I was intruiged, and looked into it further. I’m glad I did, because this site is awesome; something that anyone on a budget needs to take a good hard look at.

The idea is simple. Tired of getting ripped off at Game Crazy or Gamestop? Those unfamiliar, these companies thrive on giving you the smallest amount of money (or in store credit to be more accurate) for your game as possible. They then turn around and sell your game for the most they expect another will pay. The outcome? Sick sick profit. Goozex takes another approach. They use, what I refer to as, a lateral credit system. This means that when you trade a game, you get what Goozex deems to be the appropriate market value. No less. They have an algorithm working which takes the average value of a title, and adjusts slightly based off of demand. Using this information they then give each game a point value ranging anywhere from 100 – 1000 points.

Once you have some games you’d like to trade, you simply visit http://www.goozex.com, look up the game you’d like to dump, then place this in your offers queue. Goozex then adds your game to a list of available games. Once Goozex finds someone who wishes to purchase your games with their points, you accept their offer for your game, mail it off to them, and once they give you positive feedback, you’re credited points to your account. It sounds a bit complicated, so let me provide a quick example.

I had a copy of Silent Hill: Homecoming for my Playstation 3 which I no longer wanted (I purchased an Xbox 360 version for achievements… I feel so dirty). Goozex decided that it was worth 800 pionts (equal to $40.00), so I placed it into my offeres queue. After a few minutes, Goozex found a match, meaning someone had placed the title into their requests queue. I accepted the trade, shipped the title off using the shipping label I purchased from Goozex for $3.50 (the seller always pays the shipping), and once the recipient had received the game and found it working, they left me positive feedback, and 800 points were credited to my account. As a seller, I only paid for shipping in order to trade my game.

Once I had my points, I then decided that before trading any other titles, that I’d test the system just to be certain that it worked the way the site advertised. In order to buy games on Goozex, you first need to purchase trade tokens (your account comes with one token already). Each request costs you, the buyer, one token, which you purchase for one dollar. This means that for each game you purchse on Goozex, they make a total of one dollar. I found a couple games that I’d been meaning to test out, specifically F.E.A.R (350 points) and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 (450 points). I put the titles into my request queue, Goozex found a match within a day or so, and less than a week later, the games showed up in the mail. In the end, I spent two trade tokens, equal to $2.00, and $3.50 on shipping for a total of $5.50 to trade Silent Hill: Homecoming for F.E.A.R and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Vegas 2. Comaring this to what I might be able to get at Gamestop, and I think I came out far ahead.

Check it out. If you’d like, signup using this link, and you’ll automatically be added to my friends list. You can also check out my Goozex profile here, just in case you’d like to know what I’ve recently traded or purchsed on Goozex, as well as what games I’m playing, and some other interesting tidbits.

Enjoy.

Another day, and another press release, this time, from Nintendo, the underdog gone top dog. Included are, just as with the Microsoft press release article, core announcements and my thoughts on them.

• Two new peripherals were revealed: the Wii Zapper, and the Wii Steering Wheel. The Wii Zapper is basically a light gun hybrid, taking both the Wiimote and Nunchuck addon, and giving them a cradle with a stock and a more firearm like trigger, and the steering wheel is basically a wheel which accepts a Wiimote to become a new way to control racing games (I don’t know if I would consider this second idea very unique as a similar peripheral was introduced by a third party at console launch). The good news about these peripherals is that they are included with the games intended for their use, so we do not have to worry about purchasing another unsupported peripheral (I’m looking at you Super Scope!). The Zapper was showcased with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and the steering wheel with Mario Kart Wii.

• Super Mario Galaxy has been dated with a November release, and is looking very good. Great graphics, and fluid animation married to interesting gameplay means I’m happy. I am not personally a huge fan of Super Mario 64 with its few number of levels with too many goals. I prefer a more traditional Mario title with a point A to point B goal. Anyways, this looks to be a fantastic title.
• Super Smash Brothers Brawl has been dates a December 3rd release. Great news and just in time for the holidays. This is bound to be one of the most complete holidays yet. This title was not playable at E3.
• Metroid Prime 3 was shown with its tightened controls, and is looking great. Excellent graphics and gameplay. This is a for sure winner finally showcasing the possibilities of the FPS using the Wii controls.
• Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass was also shown with its stylus only controls. They claim this will offer a natural and intuitive experience for veterans and new gamers alike, but I remain skeptical. On the other hand it is Nintendo, and it is Zelda, so they can’t really mess this up. A for sure buy.
• Reggie laughably claims Nintendo is already serious about online gaming.
• Mario Kart Wii was announced for a 2009 release including full online play. They claim this will be the first Mario Kart title which will allow both new and veteran players to be competitive with one another.
• Brain Age 2 was showcase, and looks to be a handy little sequel to the incredibly popular title.
• A new Wii Channel was shown named Check Mii out where players can upload, vote on, and download each other’s Mii creations. Contests are in the works where players will be asked to create Mii characters with certain themes.
• The last, and largest announcement was Wii Fitness. More of an application than a game, this will take your BMI (body mass index) and run you through daily routines such as yoga, balancing exercises, pushups, step aerobics, and more. The goal is to provide a fun way to exercise. This will use a scale like controller which the player will stand upon while playing. This will be used to determine balance and to act as a scale. Fitness progress is recorded and displayed upon request. This is more of the plan to include non gamers in the Wii fun.

Look for a Sony Conference Article Soon!

It’s official. E3 is in full gear with the Microsoft press release ending only moments ago. I, being awesome, have noted the event’s highlights for your reading pleasure. Included in this article are the most important highlights according to my opinion, and commentary on those highlights. Read on!

• Since the release of both the Wii and Playstation 3 in November of 2006, 65% of third party title sales were Xbox 360 titles. That is a rather staggering number if I do say so. This really goes to show that the extra year given to the Xbox 360 has paid off immensely, providing an established fan base which seems to be very solid at this point in time. More numbers go to show that the Wii and Xbox 360 seem to be neck and neck as far as total sales since the Wii release, and the Xbox 360 selling 2 units for ever 1 Playstation 3 sold since its launch.
• Some incredible titles are on the way for the Xbox Live Arcade, with the most prominent titles being Sonic the Hedgehog, Bomberman, Super Puzzle Fighter HD, Tetris Splash and Super Street Fighter 2 HD. I found the most interesting of these announcements, not that they are really new news, was that both Sonic the Hedgehog and Golden Axe are being released this evening on Xbox Live Arcade. No need to wait for these titles!
• Microsoft announced a new partnership with Disney, making their vast library of family favorites available on the Xbox Live Marketplace beginning tonight. Another step in a great direction for one of the only ways to rent high definition videos at this point in time.
• Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 Elite will be launching in Europe during August of this year. I suppose that is good news for the European video downloading fanatic, but for those in the states, this was a ‘whoopdie doo’ announcement.
• Project Gotham Racing 4 was shown, and to be honest, I am not really interested, however this does bring hope for a Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 release this year. *crossing fingers*
• Gears of War is finally coming to the PC with new multiplayer content, and 5 new levels. This is obviously apart of the Windows Live Games initiative, and therfore supports the Xbox 360 controller, which was used in the demonstration. I would like to comment that the graphics were about the same as what we have seen on the Xbox 360, but the frame rates were silky smooth, with seemingly better resolutions. This new content alone will not get me to buy this title for the PC, so I hope that this new content will also be released as downloadable content for the Xbox 360.
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is looking to be incredible. The playthrough seen included voice acting by the famous Sean Connery, had what looked to be amazing gameplay, graphics to drool over, and a very fitting soundtrack. This looks to be the title which makes me jump over this this long running franchise.
• Grand Theft Auto releases this October with exclusive downloadable content for the Xbox 360. Very good news for Microsoft.
• Resident Evil 5 was announced for the Xbox 360 with a very short, although extremely awesome trailer shown. Another series debuting on the Xbox 360 for the first time.
• A fairly lengthy playthough of Assassin’s Creed was shown, and although this was not a title I was initially caring about, this demonstration has changed my mind. The gameplay looks to be vary varied, and the crowd dynamics appear to create a very chaotic experience. This title releases this fall.
• A limited edition green and gold Xbox 360, which is a strangely very ugly color scheme, was shown which will be released along side Halo 3. No real surpise there. We also saw a limited edition Halo Xbox years ago.
• Lastly the Halo 3 campaign gameplay trailer was shown which looks to be coming along. The graphics are certainly better than those seen in the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta, and for a change, I actually seem to be slightly excited for this title which is being released in September, only 11 weeks from now.

All in all, this was a solid event, however next to no surprises were shown. Glaring omissions such as IP TV, a price drop annoucement, or even new titles really brought this down. I do commemorate Microsoft for showing only titles that would be released this year (except for Resident Evil 5 which will not be released until 2008), but in that decision, much excitement was lost. At this point we have a lot to look forward to this year, but none of this is new news. It would have been great to have seen some previously unannounced titles show their faces, but I suppose Microsoft will show us when ready. Look forward to additional articles on the Nintendo and Sony press releases coming tomorrow.

Last year I downloaded the E3 press releases after their initial airing for convenience, but this year, G4 has decided to exclusively broadcast the event live on television, and in the process, screw me out of precious information. Thanks G4… NOT! *in Borat’s voice* Not only did many of the commercials not apply to gamers in general (after all, how many gamers find themselves in need for a natural male enhancement solution?), but they seemed to place these commercials in the worst possible places as they could. They interrupted Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Halo 3 trailers to give me glimpses of the elderly forgetting “important information they neglected to write down,” and middle aged men smiling due to the not so vague effects of their male enhancement medication. Wonderful. The sole gaming station on network television doesn’t care about the games, nor the gamers interested in their station, they simply care about airing commercials at inopportune times during a live event. Don’t get me wrong. I expect advertisements, however during a live event, being the most important press conference of the year for gamers, this station’s target audience, this is the 8th deadly sin in my eyes. G4, let’s have a heart to heart. I spent 2 hours watching your sorry excuse for a pre show, which must have been at least 40% commercials, only to miss out on various chunks of the most important information at the event due to network greed. There is a special place in hell for you.

This article has been emailed to the G4 at info@g4media.com citing this article. As they obviously do not care about their audience, the gamers, I doubt they will care about this message, but hey, here it is anyways.

It’s that time again, and the nerd event of the year is nearly at hand. I am of course referring to the ever so wonderful and luscious E3 event. I, never being one for sports, treat this as my sport. This is my Super Bowl. We commonly see people making predications with the Super Bowl, as to who is going to win, by how many points, who the star players will be, etc. I am now going to be doing the same kind of thing, but with a far more interesting event: E3.

I have divided my predictions into 3 categories: Duh, Possibly, and No Way In Hell. Anything found in the Duh category means just that. Duh! Something that is obviously going to happen, and is really just wasting space on the page. Items in the Possibly category are the true predictions. Things that will likely be addressed. The No Way In Hell category is reserved for the joking predictions. More of a, ‘Wouldn’t that be funny?’ section than anything else. With the rules out of the way, let us begin!

Duh -

• Metal Gear 4 is not Playable, not near finished, still not multiplatform. Concerns regarding development progress on the Playstation 3 are addressed.
• Sony will defend the Playstation 3′s price, and will also justify price drop at the same time, being certain not to note the poor sales as a reason. Quite the act.
• Microsoft will comment on the 30% failure rate of the Xbox 360, and of course, skew the numbers in their favor.
• Gears of War 2 is not mentioned. Additional downloadable content for Gears of War is announced, and demonstrated.
• Microsoft will spend most of their energy with the Halo franchise. Mass multiplayer is a given. More of the campaign’s graphic engine revealed which will show us that it’s not as bad as we all thought.
• Sony will release information on the new Playstation 3 controller, with rumble as its highlight feature. Mixed feelings as thoughts of the battery life problems arise.
• Sony will play dirty by flaming the HD DVD platform while promoting Blueray. At the same time, Sony will comment on the number of Blueray players now in homes compared to HD DVD players, neglecting to mention this jump in numbers is related to the Playstation 3 release.
• Nintendo will not mention anything of interest regarding their online gaming platform.
• Sony will showcase Playstation Home as their primary interest. Everyone nods off and wonders when we’ll see Metal
• Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy XIII.
• Call of Duty 4 is a big deal. Graphics boggle the mind.

Possibly -

• Although not on the same scale as the previous years of E3, this will offer a more personal and focused experience.
• Xbox Live IP TV is demonstrated.
• Xbox 360 Fall dash update is revealed.
• Microsoft will reveal at least one new and engaging peripheral
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl is Playable on the Wii with a focus on multiple control schemes, and is a hit.
• Metroid Prime 3 is playable, and the controls tighter than ever.
• Silent Hill 5 is announced as a Playstation 3 exclusive.
• Silent Hill Origins is playable, and actually good on a handheld.
• Resident Evil 5 is announced as an Xbox 360 exclusive.
• Starcraft 2 will not be shown, playable, etc. This will be saved for Blizzcon.
• Blizzard will not announce another expansion to World of Warcraft. This will also be saved for Blizzcon.
• Halo Wars is shown in more detail. No one cares.

No Way In Hell -

• Apple will announce their new console, the iPlay.
• Mario will be revealed as a woman; Samus will be revealed as a man; Link remains ambiguous.
• Starcraft Ghost resumes development for a simultaneous release alongside Starcraft 2.
• Earthbound 2 / Mother 3 is announced for stateside release.
• Halo 4 announced. *snicker*

With the ninth Tony Hawk title in the series being released this fall, the question must be asked, “When will it end?” Enjoying some of the greatest success seen in recent video game series, Activision has taken a queue from the biggest offender in the ‘releasing too many games in too short of time club’ known as EA, and has consistently been obsessive compulsively releasing titles faster than I get cheap food from the McDonald’s drive in.

To me the series has been a down hill spiral since the release of Tony Hawk 3, which included the final step in allowing you to combo anywhere; the revert. From that point innovation went out the window and the struggle for more titles in less time ensued. How about we take a break from the series; releasing good, but not great (and more importantly innovative) titles, take a step back, and really change something about the game, rather than tack on additional gimmicks? Perhaps one could argue that the gameplay is solid; that nothing about the core game needs to, or even should be changed. If that is the case, then stop making this series. If all you plan on doing is creating additional areas, adding a handful of tricks, and slapping a new title on the game, then perhaps downloadable content is your bag of chips, as this area of distribution is both cost effective, and popular. I am personally taking a break from the series. I loved Tony once. We used to play on the weekends, and tell stories to one another until late into the night, but not anymore. He is a one trick puppy and has outstayed and overplayed while I overpaid. Please check out trailers for both the new Tony Hawk’s Proving Grounds as well as EA’s (shudder that I am even saying that this looks to be a good direction for skating games) skate. Finally a skate boarding game with some innovation.

Manhunt 2 is looking to break many records, but at this rate, none will be sale related. This is the first time a console title gas been given an AO rating upon initial review by the ESRB. The AO rating is considered to be murder by rating as no major chains will carry the product, and no console manufacturer will allow a title with this rating to be released.

From Wikipedia:

The BBFC has refused to certify the PlayStation 2 and Wii editions of Manhunt 2, meaning that it will not be legal to sell in the UK (however it will be legal to own), unless Rockstar makes the necessary changes and resubmits it, or successfully wins an appeal.

The Irish Film Censor’s Office announced that the game would also not be available for sale in Ireland. This is the first time a video game has been banned in Ireland.

The game has received the Adults Only rating from the ESRB, effectively removing it from retail, as most chains do not carry AO-rated games, and it has been Nintendo and Sony’s policy not to accept third party AO games. Rockstar is expected to appeal this decision. Both Sony and Nintendo have announced that they are officially refusing to allow the game’s release on their systems in its current state.

Although the ultimate result of this is not yet known, I surely hope that Rockstar is able to edit the content on this game fast enough to meet the desired release date. I know that they plan to appeal the rating with the ESRB as they intended that this game be released as M rather than AO, but due to the increasing pressure from people or parties such as Jack Thompson (I do not like this man), the likliness of this rating being changed in the game’s current state is not likely.