Activision set to Rape your wallet this Fall

Oh alright, “rape” might be too harsh of a word; but if you’re planning on grabbing the big franchise titles from Acti later this year, better drop those pants and assume the position cuz’ boy, this one’s gonna hurt.

Recent Gamestop and Amazon listings of the publishers upcoming games have revealed what will be another hard-hitting season for gamers everywhere, covering the prerequisite Guitar Hero games (including their new kid on the block, DJ Hero), Tony Hawk, and even a special edition planned for Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2. Rather than just post boring numbers and text, however, I figured I could spruce up the facts with some pictures to get a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into by dropping those benjamins:

*bundled with turntable peripheral (PS2 versions is $99)

*No specific details on what’s included here

* tailor-made “family friendly” version of GH: World Tour, full band kit

*return of Tony Hawk game franchise, complete with new mandatory peripheral

Source: Gamespot

Joker Playable in PS3 Arkham Asylum

While exclusive third-party titles among this generation of systems are few and far between these days, exclusive content seem to be picking up that slack as extra incentive/ire for respective console owners, a lot of which have been overwhelmingly in favor of the Xbox 360 – ie, the exclusive “Lost and Damned” DLC for GTAIV, the plethora of new Fallout 3 content, etc. This time, however, it seems as if PS3 owners are being thrown a bone: a new ad for RockSteady’s upcoming Batman: Arkham Asylum on Sony’s Playstation Home service has revealed that the PS3 version of the game will allow players to play as the clown prince of crime in a few “exclusive Joker challenge maps.” It also makes it explicitly clear that these maps will “only” be on the PS3.

Since this hasn’t been announced beforehand, with clues that the advertisement may have gone up a bit earlier than intended, the exclusive maps may come as a surprsie to would-be owners of the game. We’ve already seen the PS3 get a similar deal with Mirror’s Edge – an exclusive DLC map in addition to the bundle that was released, so it wouldn’t be entirely unusual if this PS3-only content remains just that. Whether the 360 will receive its own exclusive set of maps with another character is something that I’m sure the PR behind the game will address shortly.

theFunkList: You got the Touch!

Is it just me, or have the iPhone/iPod Touch games been getting more and more recognition from console developers these days? Case in point: the two most recent “big title” games that were released in the App store both come from Konami’s Digital Entertainment division, with Dance Dance Revolution S and its most recent release, Metal Gear Solid Touch.

DDRS is something that I’ve been enjoying a lot lately, and the ramp in difficulty in later modes only makes me appreciate the blister-less glass screen all the more. I’ll probably check out MGST at some point (its retailing for $7.99 right now), but reviews seem to be mixed.

Other games I’ve been playing: Resident Evil 5 co-op with a friend – only two chapters in, but I’m having fun; Watchmen: Justice is Coming – another iPhone game, a simplified MMO actually, but while it was only $0.99, connection/server problems make it almost unplayable. I also have a Killzone 2 review still waiting in the wings (finally!), but I have to survive a few finals first =(

theFunkList: 2 months later Edition

Been a while since I been around these parts, but I’m hoping to jump back on the bandwagon once things with school settle down a bit… currently playing through Fallout 3 on the 360 (about 20 hours in), Dead Space on the PS3, and just started Resistance 2. 

Big month for games though: Street Fighter IV drops in a few weeks, as well as Sony’s coveted Killzone 2, which has been getting a lot of positive reviews lately. Impressions from the demo to come.

theFunklist: The “Way Too Many Games” Edition

Lemme just get this out of the way: wow. There is a metric shit ton of games that have been falling into many a gamer’s lap the past 2 months, and hopefully you’ve been fortunate enough to keep up. For me, lack of funds dictated what I could buy or rent, but I’m pretty damn sure what I’ve managed to get is plenty enough for now:

(PS3)

• LittleBigPlanet- Incredibly fun game that’s always worth a laugh or smile. I only wish I had enough time from school to pore into its level creator though.
• Dead Space- Played the first hour on Hard, and got my ass handed to me. Haven’t returned to it since (see below why) but that’s what holiday breaks are for….
• Rock Band 2- ‘Nuff said. A bunch of new songs and some game modes have made rock band a regular weekly ritual among my housemates.

(360)

• Far Cry 2 – Bought it right before the glut of relases in late October. Definitely reminds me a lot from GTAIV, and that’s a good thing. The traversing is sometimes bothersome, but the game practically oozes atmosphere.
• Brothers in Arms – Another casualty in my games list that only got a few hours of playtime. From what I’ve done so far has been fun though.
• Gears of War 2* – Now this has taken up pretty much my entire game time since its release, and for good reason: visually the game is fantastic, while the formula found in the first game has been refined enough for it to seem fresh again. Horde mode is where it’s at.

Forthcoming (today actually!) games include my much anticipated Left 4 Dead (360), while I’ve decided to skip over -for now – games like Fallout 3, Fable II, Resistance 2, Valkyria Chronicles, Cod:WaW, and others just because I need at least some money left over to at least feed myself once a while to, you know, survive. As always, reviews will be imminent, as soon as I find the goddamn time to finish all these games.

Now THIS should become a game….

Move over Left 4 Dead and Resident Evil 5, cuz’ Marvel’s awesomely awesome (really, that’s the only way to describe it)  “Marvel Zombies” series should be turned into the ultimate zombie game out there. Classic super heroes and villains pitted against zombified superheroes and villains? Yes, Please.

While I am far and away an expert on video game design, and I can’t even begin to fathom how a game in the world of Marvel Zombies would work, deep in my gut I know that it must be done. I was aware of the existance of the series since late last year; however I never bothered to read it all up until last month. And my, my, what an entertaining read that turned out to be. It has become like a mini-obsession with all things Marvel Zombie since I picked up the first hardbound collection, and now that I’ve finished them all, I need more! Another sequel to the comics would be nice, but I can only imagine how much fun can be had with a MZ game to mess around with….

If you haven’t had the chance to read the series yet, I highly suggest you stop whatever else you’re doing and run to the nearest bookstore chain near you. Now. Trust me, it’s that good.

theFunk list: Checkup

Things that have happen since I’ve been gone:

- Brother’s wedding 3 weeks ago/onslaught of relatives visiting

- Had a brief trip to LA

- Working for a friend on and off on building their house

- Nabbed a Xbox 360 shortly after its price drop last week (specifically for upcoming Left 4 Dead)

- Getting ready for another brief trip this weekend, this time in San Diego

See ya folks soon.

Fun with SCIV’s Create-a-Character Mode

By now you’ve probably seen some rather “creative” characters in Soul Calibur IV either through online battles or videos posted over youtube. So to join in the fun I thought I’d share some of my own characters that I’ve spent quite a bit of time on through the game’s custom character mode:

HARLEY QUINN (from the Batman mythos)

THE HULK (nuff’ said)
TRUNKS (from my childhood favorite DragonBallZ)

ORLANDU (aka TGCid from FF Tactics!)

OLD SCHOOL ROBIN (Batman mythos)

NIGHTWING (Batman mythos)

The mode is surprisingly robust, though obviously there are particular limitations depending on the equipment the game offers. Still though, I can’t wait to see what some others have started to cook up already.

theFunk list: Almost-Home edition

For the past three weeks I’ve been spending some much-needed downtime with family and friends here in Hawaii, and come Monday night, I’ll be heading back to the heat wave that has currently consumed San Francisco and the Bay Area. I’ve tried to do a bit more coverage here on the blog whenever I had access to the internet - the place I’m staying at is a bit picky – especially in trying to access the flood of information coming from this week’s E3.

As mentioned before, I haven’t been able to touch my PS3 due to this trip, but I did break down and picked up a DS during my stay here (I know, why play videogames when I’m in Hawaii right?). Also been playing my PSP a lot more lately, since I realized I hadn’t finished Patapon quite yet…. nor Crisis Core for that matter.

E3 Analysis: Sony’s Press Conference

Being the humble, and relatively unknown, writer that I am, I obviously wasn’t able to attend E3 this week. Though I may not be able to provide hands-on impressions of the newest games and interviews like some other fancy sites, that doesn’t mean I can’t play along with everyone else in the game of speculation! So, instead I will add my own two cents on how each conference played out, and determine whether or not there really was a true “winner” like millions of other comments across the web have been debating about in the last 72 hours. Without further ado, onto Sony.

First a summation of key points from their press conference:

• A wealth of new games for both the Playstation Portable and the PS Network, including the surprising Resistance Retribution (PSP) and the modestly priced ($15) Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty (PSN)
• The official unvieling of the PSN’s video content service, which officially went live a mere few hours ago – keep in mind that the announcement was made this morning.
• The first teaser for God of War 3, as seen in my previous post
• Three new system SKUs: for the PS3, we have the September-bound “Core” pack with an 80GB console retailing for $399 (the current price of the 40GB sku), but it has yet to be seen whether this version will lack PS2 emulation as well; the upcoming PSP “Entertainment Pack”, including R&C: Size Matters game, voucher to obtain echochrome from the PSN for free, a UMD version of National Treasure 2, a 1GB memory stick, and of course the PSP system (slim silver seems to be the flavor); then for the PS2, we have the “Family Pack” that will include Lego:Batman the game and the Justice League: New Frontier animated film, all for the low price of $149
• The surprise announcement of “MAG: Massive Action Game” from former SOCOM developers Zipper Interactive. Though the footage was prerendered, descriptions from the invent pinpoint the style as SOCOM with a dash of a futuristic vibe to it; additionally, it’ll include a whopping maximum of 256 players
• Previous known PS3 titles, like LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, etc. shown in playable form and/or through new trailers

Though Sony lacked a truly megaton announcement that a certain other competitor had the day before, much to everyone’s chagrin, those same people have seemed to miss the forest for the trees: while nothing truly surprising – save for the hitherto unknown game, MAG – was shown, the lineup they did show was impressively robust. From the FPS juggernauts of Resistance and Killzone, to the unique offerings of LittleBigPlanet and the PSN titles of Flower and Fat Princess (seriously, look that game up), Sony has a wide portfolio of upcoming games that is sure to appeal to all types of gamers.

Which brings up another point: FFXIII may have lost its exclusivity to the PS3, with many ignorant fanboys calling it the final “nail in the coffin”, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Sony still has a host of other exclusive titles, such as the ones mentioned above, and a bevy of others that will make it out next year – these include Sucker Punch’s superhero game inFAMOUS, the teased God of War 3, the upcoming DC Universe MMO, Gran Turismo 5, SOCOM: Confrontation, The Agency MMO, the mysteriously-absent Heavy Rain, as well as continued support for the online success of Warhawk. It’s quite clear that Sony’s internal studios, as well as those who have a great relationship with the company, are hard at work at developing what will hopefully turn out to be quality titles; considering that some of those developers come from impressive pedigrees, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think so either. And yes, FFXIII is still coming to the Playstation 3 as well.

Shifting away from the games persepctive a bit, however, was the nigh-instant addition to the PSN in the form of its brand new dowloadable movie service. The timing of the announcement, even though many expected it to occur sometime around E3, was fantastic – Sony showed off the new service, and instantly pleased many to hear that it would be available that night. I haven’t been able to try out the thing myself since I’m still away on vacation, but coupled with the recent firmware 2.4 (which I also missed) and now the movie service, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t excited to come back home to my PS3 to try all the new stuff out.

The only dissapointment, in my eyes, was the generally vague discussion on Sony’s upcoming Home service; all SCEA boss Jack Tretton had to say was that “your patience will be more than rewarded.” Following a video that showed how various developers are going to utilize the virtual space – the customized war room in Warhawk and launching the game from within the service, for example – Home does indeed look great, but the long wait since its debut back in the early months of 2007 has managed to cripple its hype. There has been delay after delay since its announcement, and I’m sure both gamers and developers alike have been scratching their heads on when the service will finally appear – Sony has obviously gone through some growing pains with developing Home as well, so let’s hope that it will truly be ready for its “open beta” release sometime this fall.

Overall: The PS3 has certainly come a long way since its somewhat disastrous launch nearly two years ago – a lack of good games coupled with the high costs of the system – but this year’s E3 has shown that Sony at least appears to be on the right track. With support from talented developers on all fronts, the PS3 is far from being starved for good games, and perhaps the biggest challenge for Sony is to try and erase the nasty perception of the lack of said quality games. This perception has been perpetuated by many in the gaming community, with some evidence from developers as well (exclusive DLC, half-assed ports, etc), but many PS3 fans know this obviously isn’t the case. Will the PS3 continue to play second-fiddle with the continued success of the 360? The next 6 to 8 months are going to be a crucial factor in deciding that question, but at the very least, the PS3 can only expand its user base as we close out the 2008 gaming season.