1P Start

The title of this post is pretty self-explanatory, but if you absolutely need any more explanation, then I’ll put it thusly. I don’t like football. I don’t care for sports in general, but I really can’t make myself care about football or any games based on it. The last time I truly enjoyed a football game it was Tecmo Bowl for the N.E.S…. when it was brand new. I know this probably makes me less of a man or un-American or what have you, but there it is. Still, I ran across a news item relating to Madden NFL ‘09 that gave me pause.

According to Binge Gamer (and whoever they linked to), Madden NFL ‘09 is coming out for the XBox. Yes, the ORIGINAL FREAKING XBOX, the gigantic black box which is probably collecting dust under your bed. Call me crazy, but I was under the impression that nobody was making new games for that beast anymore, especially since the 360 has been out for several years and the original was pretty much retired by Microsoft. Yeah, I’ve bought a couple of Xbox games within the last year, but that was due to the fact that they were ultra cheap and I’m going to be playing them on the 360 when it supports them. I can’t imagine someone who still owns an original Xbox and is starving for brand new games, unless they were exceedingly poor and in that case buying the latest version of Madden should be one of the last things on their list of priorities.

The trailer for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 has hit and it looks… well… it looks pretty underwhelming. The only superheroes shown are ones that you’d expect. Even more disappointing than those items is the fact that the “fusion power” doesn’t seem much more than a gimmick. I’m hoping that it’s not just a new power you get when you push right trigger and the Y button. Hell, the fact that Hulk can throw Wolverine isn’t that impressive. You’ve been able to throw Wolverine since the first X-Men Legends game not to mention the first outing of Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

On the good side, the graphics do appear to be improved. While they don’t look jaw dropping during close ups, when the camera pulls away they look fantastic and most of the game is probably going to be from that higher up perspective if its anything like the first game (or X-Men Legends).

What’s the best way to generate interest in your tired, nearly dead franchise? To change it up and then return it to it’s roots. It worked for Coke with New Coke and it may just work for Mortal Kombat with the change up being Mortal Kombat vs. DC and a switch back to form with Mortal Kombat 9… although let’s all hope that it’s not as bad as new Coke.

Kotaku talked to series creater Ed Boon who didn’t really reveal anything at all other than the visions for a more gritty, totally kick ass Mortal Kombat are dancing in his head like some fantastically bloody ballerina. Perhaps the break from the standard Mortal Kombat is just what the series needed to get people to actually care again before putting us back into the world of ultra violence.

Not only is Watchmen, one of the greatest graphical novels of all time being turned into a film, but it’s also going to be an episodic video game hitting both XBox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network. The game will supposedly be a “mature” brawler that will feature, “visceral superhero combat.”

Thankfully, they are making the game a prequel to the events in the novel/film, because there really wouldn’t be a whole lot of combat found in a brawler based directly on the source material. I bet a million nerds lost there minds at the announcement of this game and not in a good way. Enough people are having a problem with Watchmen being turned into a film, much less turn into a standard beat-um-up video game.

Four more characters are joining the ranks of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, according to the panel held at the San Diego Comic Con this last week. The characters from the DC Universe are the Joker and Green Lantern. No word on which Green Lantern it is yet, but I’m holding out hope that it’s Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner. The characters from the Mortal Kombat stable that are returning are Jax and Kitana. Does anyone even like Jax? I don’t think I know anyone that really ever played as him.

Regardless, my buddy Shawn went to SDCC this year and he managed to get into a Mortal Kombat vs. DC party held at some bar there. He played MK vs. DC for about three hours and his report was that it was, “fucking awesome.” I think that you don’t really need much more than that for a preview.

This week’s Rock Band downloadable content brings more Nine Inch Nails and a couple of tracks from Shinedown. The songs are:

* “Burn” Nine Inch Nails

* “Capital G” Nine Inch Nails

* “Last” Nine Inch Nails

* “Devour” Shinedown

* “Junkies For Fame” Shinedown

The Nine Inch Nails songs are available in a three pack for $5.49 (440 Microsoft Points) for the pack and the Shinedown songs and the Nine Inch Nails songs individually for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) each. I’m not a huge NIN fan, but it is nice to see more of their songs. I do have to wonder about Shinedown, do they have any kind of following?

Videos and my retarded thoughts after the break!

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With all the excitement for the upcoming games in the musical genre like Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World tour, there really hasn’t been as much heat on the Konami pretend band game aside from their lawsuit with Harmonix. What little I’m hearing hearing isn’t very good, either. Kotaku got their hands on the drums for Konami’s Rock Revolution and boy does this thing look ugly as sin:

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The new Wolfenstein trailer is now up and it’s looking pretty good. Maybe not excellent, but there’s really not a lot to judge from this teaser:

The requisite Nazis make their appearance and there’s also some machine gun action as well as explosions. I’m guessing that they were trying to set the record for the most explosions in one thirty second clip. There’s also a few shots of some crazy looking guns that I’m guessing are the results of some Nazi technological experimentation.

I’d like to see more before I get really excited and I definitly need some details on how multiplayer is going to work. Like I’ve said before, the multiplayer on the last Wolfenstein game was what separated it from a rather standard shooter. A shooter featuring Nazis and zombies and junk, but a standard shooter nonetheless.

Thanks to Kotaku!

I’d pretty much given hope that this would happen, but Activision recently rocked my socks with news at their non-E3 event that Guitar Hero: World Tour will work with Rock Band’s instruments as well as third party made controllers.

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I really hate when a company tries to copy a novel and popular idea as a means of cashing it. It never works as well and usually is half assed and poorly supported. Case in point, the motion sensing PS3 controller vs. the Wii’s motion based controls. The latest case is Microsoft’s blatant copying of Nintendo’s popular Miis in their upcoming updates to Xbox Live.

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The latest Ghostbusters: The Video Game trailer is up and man oh man it’s getting me all kinds of excited:

The game itself better not suck, because this has potential to be the coolest thing ever. How could it not be? It’s the unofficial Ghostbusters III with all the main talent on board (No, I don’t count Rick Moranis) and even most of the secondary types. Hell, it could almost be better than a movie, because you won’t be distracted by the ravages of age on the main actors. Dan Aykroyd’s almost more frightening than any of the ghosts.

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The wait is finally over and Rock Band fans will rest assured knowing that Rock Band 2’s track list is mighty strong. Here’s the list, followed by my thoughts:

# “Let There Be Rock” by AC/DC
# “Girl’s Gone Grey” by AFI
# “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette
# “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains
# “Ramblin’ Man” by Allman Brothers
# “Almost Easy” by Avenged Sevenfold
# “Shooting Star” by Bad Company
# “So Whatcha Want” by Beastie Boys
# “E-Pro” by Beck
# “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill
# “White Wedding Pt. I” by Billy Idol
# “One Way or Another” by Blondie
# “Tangled Up in Blue” by Bob Dylan
# “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi
# “Hello There” by Cheap Trick
# “Uncontrollable Urge” by Devo
# “Feel the Pain” by Dinosaur Jr.
# “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed
# “Panic Attack” by Dream Theater
# “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran
# “Pump It Up” by Elvis Costello
# “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac
# “Everlong” by Foo Fighters
# “Shackler’s Revenge” by Guns N’ Roses
# “PDA” by Interpol
# “Mountain Song” by Jane’s Addiction
# “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull
# “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
# “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett
# “Anyway You Want It” by Journey
# “Painkiller” by Judas Priest
# “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas
# “Pretend We’re Dead” by L7
# “Our Truth” by Lacuna Coil
# “One Step Closer” by Linkin Park
# “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit
# “De-Luxe” by Lush
# “Colony of Birchmen” by Mastodon
# “Peace Sells” by Megadeth
# “Battery” by Metallica
# “Where’d You Go” by Mighty Mighty Bosstones
# “Float On” by Modest Mouse
# “Ace of Spades” by Motorhead
# “Drain You” by Nirvana
# “Spirit in the Sky” by Norman Greenbaum
# “Nine in the Afternoon” by Panic at the Disco
# “That’s What You Get” by Paramore
# “Alive” by Pearl Jam
# “Lump” by Presidents of the USA
# “Testify” by Rage Against the Machine
# “Round & Round” by Ratt
# “Give it Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
# “Give it All” by Rise Against
# “The Trees” by Rush
# “Lazy Eye” by Silversun Pickups
# “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins
# “I Was Wrong” by Social Distortion
# “Teenage Riot” by Sonic Youth
# “Spoonman” by Soundgarden
# “Cool for Cats” by Squeeze
# “Bodhitsattva” by Steely Dan
# “Rock’n Me” by Steve Miller Band
# “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor
# “Chop Suey” by System of a Down
# “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads
# “Master Exploder” by Tenacious D
# “Souls of Black” by Testament
# “New Kid in School” by The Donnas
# “We Got the Beat” by The Go-Go’s
# “Alabama Getaway” by The Grateful Dead
# “American Woman” by The Guess Who
# “Kids in America” by The Muffs
# “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” by The Offspring
# “Alex Chilton” by The Replacements
# “Pinball Wizard” by The Who
# “Visions” by Abnormality
# “Get Clean” by Anarchy Club
# “Night Lies” by Bang Camaro
# “Shoulder to the Plow” by Breaking Wheel
# “Neighborhood” by The Libyans
# “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” by The Main Drag
# “Conventional Lover” by Speck
# “Supreme Girl” by The Sterns
# “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” by That Handsome Devil

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It’s been a long time since I did one of these, since it doesn’t seem like anyone cares. I’m incredibly bored though and I don’t feel like writing about some stupid Spore creature that looks like something else, so here you go.

Who can help you get through the hot days of summer with chemicals and lots of sugar? That’s right kids, the Kool-Aid Man! In the eighties the Kool-Aid Man was so popular he had his own sitcom called, “Mr. Kool-Aid Man in Charge.” It was a minor hit, but was canceled after a child actor drowned in Kool-Aid Man’s head. Before the shows cancellation, there was a game for the Atari based on the Kool-Aid Man. Behold this wonderful ad that appeared in many comic books:

So there you have it, the Kool-Aid Man video game, inspired by a child murderer.

Well the trailer to the highly anticipated (or maybe sorta anticipated?) Mortal Kombat vs. The DC Universe is finally here and it doesn’t look like complete garbage. I’m hoping it’s not a complete suckfest, because these previews are starting to get me thinking otherwise.

I particularly like the part where Flash is running with the guy through walls. I wonder if that’s a move that’s particular to Flash or if all the combatants, excuse me, Kombatants, will do that as well. It also looks like they’ve gotten their breast physics working quite nicely with Catwoman there. It wouldn’t be a fighting game if the female fighters didn’t have ridiculously large sized breasts that were exposed for no reason.

At the end the also prove that there’s still some fatalities, though you don’t get to see the “good part.”

Thanks to Kotaku

I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner, but the Angry Video Game Nerd has finally tackled Superman 64. It’s an epic episode only because Superman 64 is one of the most reviled games in video game history.

The one thing that I have to ask is, when is flying through rings ever a good idea in games? I’m a fan of space based flight games and for some reason they’re always throwing some sort of stupid ring based levels in them. Enough already!

It’s funny to think that the game was so bad that when I worked for Wal-Mart and it was still kind of new, it was marked down to 2.00 bucks. Even then we could barely sell the damn thing. I remember a Dad picked it up for his son and I felt terrible ringing up the purchase.