So, there is so much going on these days, it’s hard to post promptly. At best, I’m starring the articles that stand out to me, in my Reader, and then finding a rare weekend moment to post them. This time, I’m so far behind the events, I’m going to present a digest. I trust you’ll click some links, view some videos, and benefit in some way from it.

Going back to September 8th, before Tokyo Game Show 2010, we had an article about the forthcoming Vietnam add-on to Bad Company 2. Since then, there’s been frequent discussion of it, and people generally seem excited. I can tell you, as someone who was at a very impressionable age – when TV networks and movie companies started capitalizing on a retro Vietnam-war themed trend, putting out several television shows, several movies, and revisiting the politics and culture of the 60s – I am very excited. Here’s a trailer:

And now, some gameplay:

Flash forward, and today we have another story, from someone who attended TGS 2010 and experienced some first hand action, with several screens worth passing on:

The Vietnam expansion pack is the U.S. Marines versus the North Vietnamese army. It includes 4 new maps and brings 15 new Vietnam-era weapons like the M79, 6 new vehicles like the UH-1 Huey, forty-nine different 1960s-era tunes (Fortunate Son!) and new Achievements and Trophies.

I can’t wait to play as VC.

Changing gears, has anyone seen a Resident Evil movie? I have. Once. It wasn’t good, but I’m considering going again, and there’s only one good reason. Her name is Milla. Apparently the next one due out is entirely 3D. Yawn. Well, the film was apparently shot with the same tech as Avatar.

Speaking of zombie movies, here’s a curveball. German filmmaker Uwe Boll is making a Nazi zombie film, and it is in fact, based on the video game. It’s apparently called, BloodRayne: The Third Reich. Appropriately bad. Additionally, he made another WWII movie putting the evil back in the holocaust. It’s called Auschwitz, and instead of portraying a “nice Nazi collaborator” as in Schindler’s List, it reminds us what the holocaust was really about: the brutal extermination of 6 million Jews. Yikes. Feel good hit of the year, clearly.

Speaking of Axis powers, there was an insignificant article about a new Gundam themed phone that was released in Japan (of course), further evidence that Japan is desperately clinging on to old cash cows, while the West overtakes the once innovation powerhouse with its own smartphones and popular video games. Will America or Europe begin producing top-notch animes too? I’m not saying that Gundam isn’t cool. You gotta love big, boldly designed robots, but seriously, do you want a smartphone like the iPhone or HTC, or do you want a flip phone that looks like a toy? Obviously, these paid celebrities prefer the Gundam phone.

Of course, only Japan could pull of fan service like this, and you gotta love them for it.

Further proof that Japan’s innovation is suffering, Sega has apparently introduced zombies to Shinjuku-inspired Kumurocho, in the upcoming Yakuza: Of The End.

As much as I enjoy fighting hordes of zombies, this is just so wrong, and so cheapens the Ryu Ga Gotoku brand, that I don’t know what to think. On one hand, I think the series has been aging, and generally seems to be rehashing the same game, so it’s good that they would pull a hair-brained stunt like this. On the other hand, if they are trying to cash in on the West’s fascination with zombie action, I’d say they are about a couple years too late. Let’s see. Off of the top of my head: Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead, Siren, Call of Duty: Nazi Zombies, Burn Zombie Burn, Zombie Apocalypse, Dead Rising, Dead Nation, and even Red Dead Redemption will be getting in on the act (which I am admittedly excited about actually). Does Dead Space 2 count? Now, witness this spectacle.

Look, the Ryu Ga Gotoku (Yakuza) series is relatively serious, tells a pretty good story for a game, is really steeped in urban myth and reality, and on its own, stands as a time-tested contender to games like Grand Theft Auto. So this is just weird. I’ll reserve judgment a little while longer.

Also from the land of the rising sun, PlayStation of course. It was recently PlayStation’s 15th birthday. Here are some info graphics.

I was just playing Uncharted 2 tonight (on Crushing), and realizing again just how far we’ve come. A well deserved slow clap for Sony.

Let’s celebrate with some Kevin Butler.

Personally, I think the fictional VP is a gold mine in advertising for Sony’s PlayStation brand. Check out the other CMs here.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled coverage of war games, more war games, and even still more war games… sheeesh!!

Medal of Honor is a game that I think we can easily describe as the love child of Call of Duty and Bad Company. Unholy in its Coke & Pepsi carnal union, but beautiful to behold. I don’t really need yet another war game, BUT it sounds like Medal of Honor has the polish and intensity of COD, with the amazing DICE-made game engine of BC. Behold.

How about something alternative and life affirming. I have no experience with them, but PS2 titles Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are being re-released in HD for PS3. Better yet, the next game in the series, The Last Guardian, is looking pretty great and a welcome oasis from whizzing bullets. Lots of screens here.

Speaking of games of a gentler, more beautiful variety, Ni No Kuni is shaping up to be a show stopper. As a Studio Ghibli fan, I am very, very interesting in this. The important thing to remember here is that as you adventure, all the cellshaded, hand-drawn graphics are being rendered in 3D in realtime.

Here is another video showing pure gameplay, and it looks really gorgeous. I think this is a phenomenal achievement. I don’t have any RPGs right now, so this may be the one I pick up. Speaking of Japanese RPGs and animes, there is THIS wacky game on the horizon, called Catherine:

It looks like Mario turned 25 on the 13th of September, 2010. Is that the only Nintendo news of this digest? You know, I’ve been thinking about it. Frankly, Nintendo Wii is great, if you are playing in the same room with friends. There is a handful of games that work online, but matchmaking with your friends, and establishing voice chat is circuitous and depends on gear. It’s a shame. Maybe they’ll get up to speed and bring us an HD system that is just as competent online as Xbox and PS3. Nintendo is actually doing a good job with their online store. It’s a pity that the system itself is limited to storing downloads on flash cards.

Actually, one of the great things about the Wii Shopping Channel is that they have a lot of games, old and new, and have a bunch of titles from Japan that we can buy with American duckets. It turns out that Sony in its typical slow-to-the-party fashion is going to begin selling Japanese downloadable games to the Western audience directly through PSN, which Ken and I will appreciate. Although, they probably won’t all be made available, it could represent some DLC that we can get without having a Japanese credit card. Great. More chances to spend. Did I mention there’s a lot going on right now?

ANYWAY, Nintendo still makes the most accessible, tightly designed games with a universal sense of child-like innocence. Happy birthday to Mario, their figurehead.

Now to something else quite life-affirming. Mafia 2, a game well worth your downloading and trying the demo, has set a Guinness record for F-bombs in a game, beating out the previous record holder with 200 utterances. I wonder how it competes with any of the well-known mafia flicks from Hollywood. The record-breaking is generously compiled here for your convenience.

And with that, I end this blog digest.

Continue reading →