I’d have to say that this is one of the coolest ideas to happen in gaming.  I was able to experience, first hand, the capabilities and enjoyment of the Wii Fit a few months ago….I know, I know, I’m a slacker blogger because I’ve not written about it or anything else in months.  I digress, so back to the blog at hand, I had been hearing about a “fitness” video game for some time and my thoughts were much like the general public’s thoughts…why?!  I’ll tell you why my fine friends, because it’s not just a fitness ploy, it’s actually addictive games that incorporate the muscles.  From things like hula hooping (hilarious to perform and watch being performed) and ski jumping to Yoga.  Yes I said Yoga and if you have ever done Yoga you will be impressed with the workout that your core and contributing muscles receive while trying to keep a tiny little blue dot within the appropriate parameters on the screen based on the slightest movements you have while on the balance board.  It is absolutely wild how sensitive and accurate the board is.   Back to ski jumping, I laughed so hard watching my teammates attempt to outscore one another while bending at the knee whooshing down the slopes and then bam, standing up just in time for lift off that some of them actually teetered on the edge of the board as if they would fall hundreds of feet if they stepped off to others who held their breath when they lifted off because it truly feels like you are ski jumping.  It was so much fun with a group and I can see where it would be a great tool for someone to engage in solo activity.  This is a must have people, if you enjoy playing the sports pack that comes with your Wii, this will knock your socks off with the single and social aspect of the unit.  Too much fun! 

How can you not love a game that features a smiley face pin on a grenade?

Battlefield Bad Company is coming out soon and the folks at Electronic Arts were kind enough to provide your humble author with a beta key to experience the game before it comes out. They also allowed me to give you a head’s up on this one. Tonight, I downloaded it on my Xbox 360 and wanted to share my initial impressions.

Remember, this is only the beta version and right now, it is strictly multiplayer. What is Battlefield Bad Company? Well, glad you asked. It is a first person shooter (fps) that is rated M. The multiplayer portion puts you on the side of the attackers or the defenders. If you are attacking, you are getting the gold bars while the defenders are there to prevent that from happening. If you have seen the movie Three Kings, you have some idea of what the game is about.

“But wait, wait” you say. “Doesn’t the world have enough fps games?” Well, yes and no. Personally, I enjoy fps as a genre, but there are a lot of clones out there. This one is different. For sometime, company PR machines tell us that their new game features “never before seen levels of destruction!” Usually these are evolutionary, incremental changes that while adding some level of destruction are not huge steps in moving the genre forward. The developer, DICE, has changed the landscape with their new Frostbite engine. This, dear readers, is a revolutionary advance. When they say it is a destructible environment, they mean it. Cannot find a door? Well, fire some rounds of machine gun ammo and presto, who needs a door when you can create your own opening? That sniper in the lower level causing problems? Introduce him to your grenade launcher as you remove the wall. A machine gunner keeping your team pinned down? Swing around with some shoulder launched rockets and properly welcome him to the neighborhood by making a modification to that chunk of the house he was hiding behind. Only the frames of structures remain to prevent the landscape from becoming too desolate.

So, I jumped in, head first and apparently made quite a target for the opposition at first. Must have been the bullseye on my back! The controller scheme is pretty straightforward. Graphics are solid. I could not speak to other players in the beta, but the game generates voices in a foreign tongue as well as English. Mostly, they were calls for a medic, warnings about snipers, grenades etc… Certainly, the final version will allow for chat so better teamwork can be achieved. Well, after a few deaths and re-spawns, I got my bearings and it was time to go to work. Weapon changes are a breeze with the bumpers. Changing classes is available at spawn and re-spawn as well. Players choose “kits” which dictate primary and secondary weapon selection. Choices include: Assault, Demolition, Recon, Specialist and Support.  One can spawn (or re-spawn) right in the middle of the battle or back a bit in a safe (safer?) zone. After that, it is all about the gold. The game has a ranking system in which scoring points (kills, assists, opening crates of gold, etc…) allows one to move up from a private, sergeant and so on. Not really sure if the rank gets one anything other than letting others know your skill level.

There are Internet reports that Electronic Arts will offer five special weapons to purchasers of the Gold Edition. If you are not getting the Gold Edition, do not despair; they will be happy to sell them to you via downloadable content. Now, EA is saying that the new weapons are balanced and do not provide an advantage or disadvantage. So I am wondering what purpose they serve. If there is no advantage, why offer it? If there is an advantage does that create an unbalanced playing field? Will everyone need to buy it? I am really not sure if I like this as an option and want to see what you think. So here is your chance, read up on it and post your thoughts. I hope Electronic Arts is not floating a trial balloon here. Right now, in head to head play, victory is largely based on skill. If one can purchase advantages, the balance is lost. I do not know if that is the direction we all want to go as console gamers. I say that as a fan of capitalism and with Libertarian sensibilities. I am all for the free market in business. I just like having a level playing field on which to compete. Fair competition makes us all better. I just do not know if this falls under my concept of fair.

All that said this looks like a fun game. Perhaps we can all use a little bit more Frostbite in our lives. Battlefield Bad Company will launch for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

See you soon!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Kratos is back and better than ever. God of War:Chains of Olympus (GOWCOO) has recently come out for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Kratos makes his debut on the small screen, but after playing it a few moments, you will forget that this is a portable. This "M" rated game has it all. Graphics are quite amazing and the game play is straight God of War. The PSP is well suited for this game as the controls feel familiar to those who have played the previous iterations of God of War.

For those not schooled in this franchise, a brief explaination is in order. The first God of War made its appearance on the PlayStation 2 (PS2) in March of 2005. We played as Kratos, the "Ghost of Sparta" (his muscular back is on the cover above). You know he is a bad dude already.  He is a Spartan warrior and a force with which to be feared on the battlefield. After a particularly grusome battle, he gives up his life in exchange for salvation from Ares, the God of War. Great game play and graphics are hallmarks of the original God of War. This was followed by God of War 2 which was released in March of 2007. Here we follow Kratos as he takes on more enemies including Zeus himself. It just does not get any bigger than that, dear reader. Great game play, graphics and challanges are a part of this as well. In addition, the puzzles and tasks that Kratos must complete are more detailed. In this latest installment, we play as Kratos 10 years before God of War 1. It is a prequel, and it is awesome.

In addition to the great battles, there are more quests and puzzles that keep you thinking. Fans of the series will be pleased with this. Some require a lot of planning. I went through a lot of trial and error on the "ships" in God of War 2 before getting it quite right. Combo moves and powers are unlocked and the finishing moves are incredible. They are almost like mini games within this game. Various enemies round out the battle. The story line is compelling and detailed. Major references to Greek mythology are sprinkled through and provide a vibrant pallet from which we are in awe. 

Amazing, does a portable game have a right to look this good?

Picked it up on Friday evening and could not put it down all weekend. Once you complete the game, you can unlock various skins for Kratos. Do not yet have them all, but so far, they look great. So, what do you think?

As you can tell, I think this is a must have title for any God of War fan and PSP owner. Rumors persist that a God of War 3 is coming for the PlayStation3 (PS3). Sony clearly has their work cut out for them in topping the previous versions and this latest installment, but they are up for the task. Picturing playing this in high def and unleashing the power of the Cell Processor engine has me fired up already.

On a personal note, my old PSP died Thursday night. It was my fault. Lost the thumbstick button at CES and picked up a replacement, third party part from an unnamed retailer after a fruitless search for an official replacement. The case in which I store my PSP pushed the thumbstick down and broke it. Now, I am the proud owner of a PSP 2000. It feels so light, that I cannot believe it can do all the old PSP did and more. Blu-Ray ripping to a memory stick (standard def) is coming, SKYPE, internet radio and other updates are all packed in. Additionally, video out is now possible to a big screen. Sony did a nice job and cut costs in unnoticable ways while adding features. PS3 owners will be glad to know that via the PlayStation Network, we can get FREE themes of God of War. Downloaded mine and replaced the older Warhawk and Call of Duty 4 themes. While downloading it, noticed there was a PSP background as well. Pop in a Memory stick and once completed, pop it in the PSP. WOW, what a cool concept. Hard to believe that these themes are FREE. Great job on this Sony. From the game, the system, themes and the interoperability, job well done.

Jon,

***UPDATE - YOU CAN FIND THE 2008 CATALOG HERE

 DS owners, it is time to get your inner Rock-god fired up! The folks at Activision, are not resting on their laurels being the number one publisher of video games in the US and merging with Blizzard to become even larger. No, they have plans for you DS owners. This is Guitar Hero On Tour for the Nintendo DS. We got to test and play this at Destination PlayStation in Arizona a while ago, but we could not share this with you, dear reader, until now. We think you are going to like what you see.

Image Source: IGN

Yup, this is what it will look like. It clicks onto your Nintendo DS and boom, you have a portable Guitar Hero game. It comes with a "pick" because one strums a screen and pushes the "frets" as you would on console versions. Great head to head action is possible using the DS wi-fi ad hoc network. I got to play against one of the folks from Activision. Like the console version, players can launch attacks against each other. The game leverages the DS features very well. One may have a rabid fan wanting an autograph during their performance, so one needs to "sign" on the touchscreen before getting back to playing. Alternatively, players can launch a failed pyrotechnic attach on their opposition who will need to "blow out" the flames using the DS. Lots of fun. Honestly, I would have stayed playing it, but we had some business to take care of at Destination PlayStation, oh well. Sometimes work gets in the way of fun.

Great songs are included including hits from Nirvana, OK Go and No Doubt. New unlockable venues keep the Rock Party going on all over the place. It is rated E-10+ so it will reach a wide audience. Personally, I think this is going to be a really huge title to expand an already large market. Brining together a top music franchise game with the top handheld platform should only result in a powerful combination in the marketplace. We are excited to be able to share this with you. Be looking for this at a Sam's Club near you.

While I do not personally own a DS (the collection is limited to a PS3, PSP, 360, Wii and various Macs), this may be a reason for me to get one.

Crank up your DS and you can be like the gents in Spinal Tap*, crank it up to eleven!

So what do you think? Is this something you would want for your Nintendo DS?

(*This is Spinal Tap, for those that do not know, was a very funny  "R" rated "mockumentary" directed by Rob Reiner and released in 1984. It followed a fictious British metal band by the same name who mysteriously lost many drummers over the years. Good flick if you want to laugh at some sophomoric humor.)

Here is a quote from the movie regarding the aforementioned "eleven." You really need to see it if you have not.

Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven. Nigel