Duke Nukem Is Back But Should He Have Stayed Away?

If one were to think of the pioneers of first person shooters, it could be classified as blasphemous if Duke Nukem was not a part of the selected few that helped thrust the genre into the popularity that it experiences today.

While the franchise has had enormous success in the early days of first person shooters, 3-D Realms latest installment [Duke Nukem Forever] has gone through a staggering twelve year development process. The release of Duke Nukem Forever has been a highly anticipated release that many thought would never become a reality.

While the hardcore fan-base of the series has gotten older, it appears the maturity level of Duke Nukem has not aged a single day. It has been criticized by a vast majority of gaming critics as being very juvenile.

Duke Nukem Forever is riddled with sexual references, vulgar language, and questionable content. While some of the unusual antics of entertaining the players are somewhat amusing, the game play and overall presentation seems as if 3D Realms was trying to duplicate the games formula for past success a bit too much.

Some of those antics include the ability to interact with feces which includes throwing it at animate and also inanimate objects. In the game Duke visits a strip club, dishes out distasteful language, and degrades women on a regular basis.

Originality of this game is non-existent. The plot is reminiscent of past Duke Nukem games that include an alien invasion in which Duke must save the world. Much like its predecessors, the aliens have come to planet Earth in lieu of stealing "chicks".

The guns system in the game takes a page out of Halo's two weapon system forcing the player to abandon certain weapons if ammunition is unavailable. There are still classic DN weapons such as the shotgun, chain gun, and rocket launcher; however none of these weapons give realistic recoil that you will find in most first person shooters. New weapons such as the shrink ray, sniper rifle, and alien laser give the shooter a variety of tools that were obviously added to keep the game from getting repetitive.

While the audio and voice acting of DN is solid, the same cannot be said for some of the other characters you interact within the game. The dialog of this game was meant to go along with Dukes unorthodox personality but at times comes off as bad scene from an amateur screenwriter. Some of the pop culture references are old and irrelevant. Yet more indication that this game was simply not meant for 2011.

If this game was released in the late 1990's, the graphics would be none other than spectacular. However visual graphics are unimpressive due to visually stunning games that were released earlier in the year such as Crysis 2 and Killzone 3 just to name a few.

The multiplayer experience of this game has traditional game modes which include Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag- In this case a "chick". Another mode named King of the Hill has been added as well. Online players can run amuck with their favorite wielding weapon and shoot each other much like the many first person shooters have come before it. One entertaining difference was the ability to shrink other online players and being able to crush them with one swoop of a soldiers boot. Becoming a puddle of goo after being smashed by another player is a method of dying that might seem degrading to a few hardcore gamers.

This game will sell units and there will be people who enjoy it. But for the most part the game falls short in far too many areas to be seen as a serious competitor to more successful First Person Shooting franchises. However it does have the ability to provide entertainment for those who simply want to play a game and who do not care for video game schematics.

Aside from not living up to a modern First Person Shooter, the hype alone for such a game that was in development for over twelve years played an enormous role in its disappointment.

It is a given fans of the previous Duke Nukem games will be intrigued by this new release but will most likely feel this game was not worth the wait nor did it come anywhere near to the hype that surround it.
I felt it was very disappointing to see such a highly anticipated release have such huge shortcomings.

3-D Realms created video game history with Duke Nukem in the latter half of the 20^th century, but has in a sense missed the boat of reviving the greatness that is Duke Nukem in 2011

EASYCAP "Hack" Attempt FAILED

Instead of writing everything the video already discusses, simply watching the video is much easier and faster than reading about it. Check out the video below.

Perfect For Any Red Dead Redemption Outlaw!

I found the perfect hiding spot in Red Dead Redemption for anyone who wants to get their wanted level really high.  It is very simple, safe, and you literally never run out of ammo.

Beta Working After Game Official Launch

I have been apart of dozens of beta testing.  More recently I got a hold of the LBP2 beta in late 2010.  My kids love LBP1 so getting a hold of the beta prior to launch was really cool.


Fast forward several weeks and the game officially launched on Jan 18th in North America.  So needless to say the beta of LBP2 has been sitting there unused.  Last night the kids asked if they could play LBP2 and I had told them that it didn't work anymore.  However before I said that one of them launched the application on the PS3.

When it popped up it gave us an error message.  I knew something like that was going to happen and I attempted to explain to my children that we need to buy the real game.  (On my to-do list)

While I was doing this the level launched!  WTF?  It was working!  I have NEVER heard of a beta that worked after a games official release but somehow this one did.

"They're Sooooo Angry!" Those Damn Angry Birds

"They're sooooooo angry"

Angry birds is a game I have developed a special kind of bond with.  I have had moments when I wanted to laugh, cry, adored, despised, cherished, and wanted to throw the game out the window.  It has grown into the epitome of a love/hate relationship.  During the course of the many long minless hours of playing this gave
I have learned something about this game that others might not have realized just yet.



ANGRY BIRDS IS AN EVIL EVIL GAME!!!

I am speculating somewhere out there in the world Angry Birds has been the culprit of someones loss of job, girlfriend or boyfriend, life, or other form of staus.  (Yeah life if you are so addicted you play and drive)

While millions of people are hopelessly addicted to this game I have come up with a short and to the point summary to anyone who has never been blessed/cursed to experience it.

Giving severe head injuries to kamikaze colored birds who are looking for revenge against egg stealing green pigs. 

Damn those stupid pigs, damn them.

Killzone 3 From A Guy Who Hated Killzone 2

I have been a fan of first person shooters for a while now. While I humbly admit I am not the best shooter in the world, I am in no way anywhere near to the worst. I feel my skill level is a little more than average.

I remember back in early 2010 seeing those awesome Killzone 2 TV spots that would just suck you into it.



I remember thinking to myself... "I have to own that game!" So on launch day, I went out and bought it. At first it was a tad different than the normal FPS I would normally play but I figured I would adjust to it. I did not. So much annoyed me about the game.

First and foremost were the bullets. If it is a futuristic kind of game why in the world are they shooting bullets? Seemed a little primitive to me. That was my first gripe about it. Then I realized how bulky and sluggish the characters moved. I hated that. Even with the sensitivity all the way at maximum it still feels as if they move far too slow.  Next up was the aiming system that the game had in place.  Having to manually zoom in and out without the zoom going back to normal once you let go of the button was very foolish.  Most games have it already setup like this.  It is easy.  You let go of the zoom button and it goes back to normal.  Not with KZ2, you have to manually push the zoom again to unzoom.  Having said that there is too much firing from the hip.  Next was he recoil.  The recoil in this game was just awful.  I understand that guns naturally recoil but it was taken to the extreme in KZ2.

Needless to say those annoyances plus others cheated me out of the KZ2 experience.  I had given up on it and wanted nothing to do with it after not only 2 weeks of owning it.

Fast forward to a year later and I see those awesome Killzone 3 trailers/gameplay that seem to just suck me into it.



Killzone 3 looks spectacular. So much in fact that as much as I hated KZ2, I am willing to give the series another go round.  I would be foolish to stay biased and not get it based on my KZ2 experience.  I am just hoping that my little annoyances were fixed in this next installment.

Here I am a guy who never thought he'd play another Killzone game again, publicly announcing his triumphant return.  I have pre-ordered the game and will update how I feel about it by the end of the month.

Leading up to launch I am not going to be pessimistic and assume that I will hate it like I did KZ2.  IN fact it is the opposite.  I am confident I am going to love it.  Look at it!  It looks amazing!

Would Like To Take This Time to Say Thank You EA.

I have been a huge Battlefield fan for many years.  I used to play Modern Combat on the PS2, bought Battlefield 1943, Bad Company for both the 360 and the PS3, (when I bought BC2 on 360 I paid additional $ for a VIP), I bought BC2 on the PS3 along with the Vietnam expansion… you get the idea.  Basically, I have been loyal fan and have spent quite a bit of money on Battlefield series.

Only recently I re-purchased BC2, but this time it was for the PS3.  (I had mostly played on 360)  That was because when the Vietnam expansion came out, I just had to get it.  So I had to start over on multiplayer.  No big deal.

That’s when I noticed that I wasn’t a VIP anymore.  When I bought VIP I was on the 360 and it did not carry over to the PS3.  (Even though on Battlefield.com my account clearly has my 360 gamertag along with my PS3 PSN name intertwined)

I contacted EA via live support and explained the situation and explained how I have been a loyal longtime fan and have spent boatloads of money on the series.  I wanted to attempt to get my VIP switched over to the PS3.  After all, I had purchased it before.

Normally it is EA’s policy that the VIP is not transferable, however since I am a level 7 veteran they decided that it would be okay and gave me a PSN VIP code.  All I did was be polite and explained the situation on how I did not own it for 360 any longer etc.

Now I had no idea this would actually work.  I just gave it the ol’ college try and it all worked out.  Having gone through this experience reinforced my belief that EA actually cares about its customers.  In a similar situation does anyone think the makers of any of the COD series would do the same for its customers?  In my opinion… “Never”.

Thank you EA.  

PS3 XMB Changing In The Near Future?

 

Last week Sony officially announced their Next Gen Handheld device (Called the NGP or Next Gen Portable) that is to officially replace the PSP. 

While most already knew of the existence of this device one thing took a lot of people off guard.  Apparently the NGP has a completely different XMB than the older PSP or even the current PS3.  Normally, the Sony handheld and the PS3 shared similar XMB’s to help intertwine the two devices a lot easier. 

This is not the case with the new NGP.  The new XMB for that system will be called “Live Area”.  A relatively new XMB that has been unseen in any of Sony’s electronics. 

In the near future will this “Live Area” make its way onto the PS3?  The Sony handhelds and the PS3 have a solid history of sharing XMB’s so it is certainly a possibility.  Overhauling the PS3 XMB is long overdue in my opinion.  However that is all speculation that a lot of professionals and gamers alike are already making.

Yes The PS3 CAN Play MKV Files (Without A Converter)

I already know a lot of people out there already know this but then again there are a lot of people who do not. 

YES THE PS3 CAN PLAY MKV FILES WITHOUT CONVERTING THE FILES TO ANOTHER FORMAT!

To be honest, I was never a huge fan of the MKV format since it was not as popular as a AVI or a MPEG file formats.  However the MKV file has a huge advantage over all other formats that I really like...  the video files are a lot smaller compared to others.

Here is a how to video on how you can make MKV files show up as playable media for your PS3.

PSP2 Announcement Coming Next Week

FINALLY! After hearing many rumors and waiting for what seems like forever, Sony is finally going to announce next week the news that we have all been waiting for. Yes folks, the official announcement of the PSP2! It has been no secret that Sony was in development of the PSP2, but without an official announcement gamers and fans were left to do nothing but speculate.  In recent weeks it has also been rumored to be even more powerful than the PS3 itself!

Another rumor is that soon after the official announcement, Sony will officially announce the Playstation phone. A phone that is literally going to revolutionize how we use our hand held devices.  If Sony has upgraded their remote play capability on the PSP2 and or the Playstation phone to act as a true mobile ps3, I for one will be very happy.  It would be awesome to have a mobile device that allows me to stream Netflix, Skype, or play ALL my downloaded PSN games.We are very excited!

Another Way To View Youtube On The PS3

Remote Play Is Evolving

Anyone who owns a PSP along with a PS3 is very aware of the remote play feature. It allows any PSP owner remotely connect to their PS3 from anywhere that has wifi.



This is defiantly a feature that just starting to be implemented on the 360 by having access to Xbox Live through a windows phone. However the PS3 version has been around for quite some time. Although the features that are allowed to be used during remote play are limited, it is still a step in the right direction.

In late 2009 early 2010 Sony allowed all brand new Sony Vaio computers the ability to use the PS3 remote play feature. A sign that the Remote Play option is evolving. While this was exciting to most gamers it was met with disappointment for those who do not own new Sony Vaio PC's or laptops.

That changed in the summer of 2010 when a man who goes by the name of NTAuthority hacked the software and made it available for those who do not own a vaio.

Read About The Hack Here:
http://www.ps3-hacks.com/2010/06/21/vaio-remote-play-patch-released-use-sonys-remote-play-on-non-vaio-pcs/

There were limitations and conditions involved [updating runtime and running software as administrator] but the hack worked for most people. There were still some who had issues regarding the hack but still....

another step in the right direction.

People who did get the remote play to work complained that there was very little to do on it aside from watching the music/videos already on the PS3 or using it's internet browser.

So what will 2011 bring in the world of remote play? Will we see additional steps to having a fully functional console from our laptops/PC's? Will we see Sony update the feature and officially allow non-vaio computers to use its feature? With the popularity of this it is almost certain we can be optimistic and say yes.

I feel it is almost safe to say that a 360 fully functional remote play application is equally desired. But for now, we have to be happy with just being able to use it with a Windows phone. Hey... it's a start.

Recording Your PS3/360 Gameplay And Uploading It To Youtube

People always ask me how we record our gameplay.  It is really simple and only cost us roughly $8.  We purchased a EASYCAP on ebay for $8 and figured out how to get great quality on it. 

This didn't happen overnight, in fact we had a hell of a time figuring out what setting were best.  Finally after much trial and error we figured it out.  Other people who have purchased the easycap dismiss the device as something that does not give good quality.  Well we beg to differ.  Plus, we are going to show you how.

Now That 2011 Is Here Will Xbox And Playstation Allow Old Console Games To Be Played On 360 & PS3?

2011 is finally here.  Being how our "next gen consoles" aren't so next gen anymore, the question arises on when if ever Xbox and Playstation will update the systems to allow Xbox original and PS2 games to run on the 360 and PS3.

Lucky PS3 owners when the system first launched were lucky enough to have first gen consoles that did in fact allow the PS3 to play the old PS2 games.  For whatever reason (we speculate it hurt PS2 sales which at the time were still good) they decided to pull the plug and eventually took the feature away.

Almost the same goes for the Xbox 360.  Some of the early consoles played the previous Xbox games and also for some strange reason, they took it away.

We understand why Sony and Microsoft would do such a thing 4 or 5 years ago.  The thing is, the PS2 sales and the Xbox [original] sales are not what they used to be if even existent.  We think it is time to update the consoles to regain this which would be a highly popular feature.  Both the PS3 and the 360 can easily accomplish this.  Will this ever happen?  We honestly do not know.  Both systems have dipped into the previous console gaming market and allowed certain released for download via XBL or PSN.  Which is cool and all but the selection is very limited.  Allowing the consoles to regain the access to play the older games would most likely regain interest in those old games that gamers loved and grew up playing.

Do you see this ever happening?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it doesn't hurt to dream.

Dear Sony...

Every PS3 lover knows one thing that most will agree on.... THE PS3 DOESN'T DO EVERYTHING!  Least, not yet.  The PS3 is an amazing machine.  In no way does it use its full capacity of what it is able to do.  So, I am come up with a few features that would make excellent additions.


Skype Integration:  If the PS3 followed the suit of the PSP and allowed Skype video chatting it would be spectacular.  Skype is a widely popular program used by a large amount of users.  Skype on the PS3 would benefit everyone.  The user, Sony, and of course Skype.  Plus it is a feature that would be used.

Gameplay Recorder: When Sony revealed the video editor it came off as a step in the right direction.  Finally we were able to upload videos to facebook or youtube.  However there was no gameplay recorder.  There isn't a gamer on the planet that would not like to upload certain aspects of their gameplay for all to see.  Everyone has had that gaming moment when you make that awesome play, kill, or some other gaming moment when you just wish other people were there to see it.  Adding a gameplay recorder is another feature that most ps3 users would like to see.

Improved Web Browser: Most people complain that the web browser on the ps3 is so bad, they do not even use it.  I too have had my issues with it.  If the web browser was updated, in a sense the PS3 could potentially be used as an additional computer.  Very useful for those families with only one laptop or PC.  No more waiting for them to get off the computer so you can browse the net, you can just use your PS3.

Invisible Sign-In:  Most PS3 users have friends on their friends list.  However having an invisible sign-in would be useful for those times when you just want to be left alone.

Improved Chatroom: Even though it has been fairly obvious most PS3 users would like to be able to chat with friends outside a chatroom, the actual chatroom could use an update as well.  For those who do decide to join a chatroom with friends, a video or music sharing feature would be nice.  If I have a video I would like to watch with the people of my chatroom, that would be ideal.  Kind of like the theater party on the xbox 360 version of Netflix.




 If Sony were to add these features it would easily place the PS3 a step above all other consoles.  To a lot of PS3 users the PS3 is already superior.  I too think this however these features would leave the issue with a status of "without a doubt the best best console on the market".