GTAIV: The Sausage Cometh in a Montheth

Today has been an interesting news day for Grand Theft Auto IV and Rockstar. We got the final trailer (which we knew was coming) and we heard about a new community site. The Rockstar Social Club (rockstargames.com/socialclub) sounds very interesting to me, being the huge GTA/R* fan that I am. It's basically a community site where all Rockstar-whores can fight to get on top of the leaderboards and just be a wonderful retarded community. I've already been reading different people's thought on this news and some think it's a great idea, while others think it's horrible. The argument these “haters” use is that this site will take away from people enjoying the experience, that it will make everyone just strive to be numero uno. I don't think that's the case at all; this site is pure choice and if you don't want to be a part of it then you don't have to. It just really gets on my nerves when supposed GTA fans bitch about absolutely everything; the graphics suck, this site sucks, you suck, I suck, we all suck-a-lucka ding dong. Shut up already! The site will go live on April 15th allowing people to register before the game actually ships...though remember this isn’t just a GTA thing; it’s a Rockstar thing! So let’s all become rock stars together!

Now let’s go to the trailer of sausagedly goodness (which I posted below). I must say that Rockstar North really knows how to make a trailer. The music, the cinematography, the cuts...basically all that goes in this presentation is fantastic. The trailer really shows off some cool parts of the game that we haven’t seen much of yet. The physics on the guy falling down the stairs was great as well as when the news stands exploded. I don't care what anyone tries to say, this game looks absolutely gorgeous! The fact that there is so much in this game and that it looks as good as what we've seen just blows me away; not to mention the fact that from what I hear it runs pretty smooth too. Oh why must you tease me Rockstar, why!?

So GTAIV will be in our hands in just about a month now. Are you excited because I'm pretty excited (and yes Kadosho I know you're not excited). Hey Rockstar...release another Kubrick set so I can add to my collection!

Rockstar, "You're weird Kush"; Kush, "I can't quit you!!!"

 I am not ashamed to admit it and you shouldn't be either! Come on, let's all stand up and say it… I am totally gay for GTA!

Playsation Store...Hacked!?

"We have found out that there has been a possibility of unauthorized access to personal information" of PlayStation Store users, reads the notice posted by Sony today. Since PlayStation Store accounts don't portray entire credit card numbers, Sony asserts it is "highly unlikely" that any credit card information could have been stolen. Still, Sony also states that there is the possibility passwords could have been changed for a small percentage of users, "making it possible to view users' personal information and/or use the Wallet for the [PlayStation Store]."

Well this is a bit of interesting news and I’ll be interested in seeing how this pans out. I would really like to see people start back lashing on the PSN again (sorry fanboys) because the recent bitching over XBL by all the PS3 nutcases has been driving me crazy honestly. So I hope that it turns out to be a big issue just so I can laugh at all of you guys!

On a serious side I really don’t wish this to be any kind of big deal. I don’t want people to have deal with these kinds of shenanigans. Thankfully there is no way that I can be compromised and hopefully the 2 readers of my little sausage project here aren’t affected by it either…

Frontlines: Fuel of War (360) Review

Yes, Frontlines looks like every other shooter you've ever played.

• Game: Frontlines: Fuels of War
• Developer: Kaos Studios
• Price: $59.99 (Buy it)
• Release Date: 2/25/2008

I remember when Frontlines was first announced; it was my most anticipated shooter (before COD4 existed in any form) and I have had high hopes for the game ever since. Sadly I can't really say many good things about the game. I can say that it has a lot of potential, but I wouldn't take that as much of a compliment.

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The Upcoming Week: Full of Sausage

Here is just a quick summary of what to expect this upcoming week…

Reviews

• Frontlines: Fuel of War (360)
•  Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (360)
•  Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (PS3)
•  Army of Two (360)
•  Brain Challenge (360)

Features

…I am planning to do a Top 10 list for all the consoles I have ever owned, all the way back to the NES (I can’t remember my Atari 2600 that well…I’m a young boy *cough* I mean man…). So I am not sure how I will work this out, whether I will post one a day or one a week. I have my lists written up already so I’ll just wait and see…

Here are the platforms I’ll be working with…

NES, Sega Genesis, PC, Playstation 1, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, Xbox and Portables (no reason to break all systems up imo). I may also do a “360 so far” list as well.

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Other than that I plan to hopefully get a preview on Dark Sector if I can find the game to rent. Possibly a review of Condemned 2: Bloodshot if I find the time. Lastly I will start work on character concepts for the Distributed Failure poster…starting first with Rob “Big Daddy” Wood!

So stay tuned for many updates to the Sausage this week and remember to check out the Distributed Failure podcast which is recorded every Wednesday at 6pm CST and posted around 10pm. So give it listen: Love it, Hold it, Squeeze it, Want it, Have it, and Share it will everyone you know. Our Failure is your sweet, sweet listening pleasure!

And always remember “The cake is a lie, but the sausage isn’t”

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) First Impressions

I know I'm pretty late to the party on this one, but you know...it's only on the PS3. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, but back to business. I was really looking forward to this game; it was actually one of my most wanted games of 2007. From what I've played I have to say that the game is a mixed bag. The visuals are obviously gorgeous, but the perfect puff of smoke that follows every explosion gets a bit distracting for me. Nathan is an interesting (and human) character and his story is what keeps me coming back for more because the combat sure isn't doing it for me.

For a game that is about treasure hunting and exploration; there sure is a lot of shooting. Every time I find myself immersed in the story (or platforming), I suddenly find myself in a shootout that would feel at home in a game like Gears of War, but not in this game. I enter an area and a shootout begins; I kill a few enemies and then more magically arrive to keep the fire fight going. These scenarios don't belong in this game. I wouldn't have a problem if these fights were with a small group of men and were more tactical in nature. Instead you just find yourself shooting up countless generic enemies who are capable of taking way too much damage, not to mention that the hit detection is a bit off. If the story wasn't interesting to me I wouldn't see a reason to keep coming back because the shooting isn't doing anything for me (besides pissing me off).

It's way too early for me to truly judge this game, but from what I've heard the shooting only gets worse. As long as the story keeps me involved I will still really enjoy the game, but I can't help thinking about how amazing this game could be with a little less shooting and a little more exploration.

Sonic...Going back to it's roots!?

So apparently some screen shots of a new Sonic game have shown up on the internet. If the pictures are true then the game will actually be taking place mostly on a 2D plane; I will be extremely excited about a Sonic game for the first time in years. Sonic works in 2D and I don’t know why everyone feels the need to put every single game in a 3D world. Would Contra be the same if it wasn’t a side-scroller? I don’t think so. Shattered Soldier was an amazing game for the PS2 and I hope that this new Sonic game (possibly called Sonic Unleashed) goes back to it’s 2D roots because if that happens we may actually find ourselves with an actual good new game featuring our favorite blue hedgehog. Just remember that as of right now nothing is official and nothing had been announced; this is all pure speculation at the moment, but it's looking good.

…and Sega…Where is my next-gen Earthworm Jim!? Come on, you know we want it and it could be awesome. I know there’s still good somewhere inside of Sega so just let it out. Don’t make me have to play my Genesis and Dreamcast for Sega sweetness; remind people of how good Sega once was...for me. :)

2008: Let's play in the sand

2008 is being called by most “The Year of the Playstation 3”, but I believe this to be the year of the open-world game. Besides the possible biggest game of the year, GTAIV; 2008 has over 10 open-world game scheduled for release. Is this a good thing? I don’t really know, but it would seem that “playing in the sandbox” is becoming the new WWII shooter. As much as I love this genre; an overpopulation of open-world games isn’t really a good thing. This is more obvious when you see that some of these games aren’t really that different from each other.

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Rocketmen: Axis of Evil (360) Review

It may be called Rocketmen, but sadly Elton John is not featured in this game.

• Game: Rocketmen: Axis of Evil
• Developer: A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games
• Price: 800MS Points ($9.99)
• Release Date: 3/5/2008

Rocketmen: Axis of Evil is basically Smash TV with an attempt to add a story and RPG elements. What Puzzle Quest does for Bejewelled, Rocketmen does for Smash TV. I have to say that every time I play this game I can’t help but think of my friend Rob (aka Elton John), he is quite the rocketman! “I'm not the man they think I am at home; Oh no, no, no I'm a rocket man”, sorry I couldn’t help myself.

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Most Influential Game

I was recently browsing some forums and came across a topic that intrigued me. The topic was “What game has influenced you the most?” and it was easy for me to pick one game. It was no question Shaq Fu! That game is so amazing and remarkably unique that I can’t help but think of how much worse the game industry might be if we were never given this sweet, sweet game of Godliness!

Sarcasm is such a lovely part of life. Honestly the game that has influenced me the most (our meant the most to me) is easily Metal Gear Solid. There are plenty of games that I have liked more and games that I think are better, but Metal Gear Solid at the time showed me something I had never seen in a game. A little back story here; I joined the Playstation orgy late and was still heavy in the Genesis due to being poor (The Genesis still kicks ass!).When I first got my Playstation I bought Madden and Metal Gear Solid and the game blew me away. I had never seen a game with so many story elements to it (I have never gotten into JRPGs). The game had such high production values; all the voice work, characters and cut-scenes. It was the first game that made me really care about a video game character. I remember reloading that torture scene over and over because I couldn't bring myself to let Meryl die. That shit is crazy! The game was amazing to me and was such a jump from all the games I loved from the past generation. Though I do like plenty of games more; MGS will always be the game that really showed me what this media could pull off and it all always will be.

I also want to give a strong second place "prize" to Bioshock. To me the game is absolutely amazing. The narrative and the story are so above every game to me, but the real special thing about Bioshock is that it really is a work of art. The game is beautiful and has so many little details in every aspect. They really went out of their way to think about every single thing in the game world. If anyone ever questions whether video games are art. You only need to show them Bioshock and if they still say that a game can't be art; then you'll know that they don't know what art really is...

Girls Got Game

To all the female gamers out there! (Guys are welcome too) You should all check out Girls Got Game! It’s a new site dedicated to bringing together the community of female gamers and showing that they can hang with the boys. Girls are just as important as guys in the world of games. They may still be out-numbered, but they still are just as passionate about video games as anyone else out there. So if you’re a gamer who is sausage free….please, please PLEASE go and check out Girls Got Game! …sign up and tell all your fellow gamers about the site. Spread the word and let it be known that Girls Got Game! kicks ass like a boot full of brass. You’ll be sitting in the grass looking for a pass to save your ass. Praying in mass won’t save your ass, I laugh that you even have to ask! So break off fool, this site is mad cool…and if you’re a girl, give it whirl. It won’t disappoint…pigs go oink! (Sorry, I couldn’t think of anything to rhyme with disappoint)

…also I’m sorry for the rhyming in general. It’s what I do…and yes I know I am a retard!

So anyways please check out the site for me, for you…for 55cents!?....alright
Girls Got Game!