The BBPS

Weekend Bargain Bin: July 4th Edition

iicedesigner@yahoo.com (Adam Dodd) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:31:01 +0000

July 4th is finally upon us, and for many of us that means we finally have a reason to go outside and set stuff on fire. What better way to show your patriotism then by gathering the whole family and setting the sky aflame? But if you don't have any pyro tendencies then I recommend you play some video games, inside, where it's air conditioned, and set the virtual world on fire with some seriously sweet video game deals. Fireworks, grills, and socializing are a thing of the past, why can't we all just sit inside and play with our Wiis? So join me fellow gamers, let's start a revolution. A revolution that involves a couch, loads of food, and the best cheap game deals out there.

Ask a Girl Gamer: How to Pick Up a Girl Gamer

meli@u.northwestern.edu (Marissa Meli) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:23:53 +0000

Thanks for all of your great responses! Many of you wanted to know how to pick up a girl gamer, so let me present you with a few Do's and Don'ts when it comes to wooing one of us.

Remember: Ask a Girl Gamer comes out every Friday night. Whether you have questions about chicks or cheats, I'm your girl. Leave me a message here or e-mail me at thebbps@gmail.com with the subject "Ask a Girl Gamer" and I'll do my best to answer.

Now, how to date a girl who plays video games...

Invading The Highline.

danielscottlloyd@gmail.com (Daniel Lloyd) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:38:34 +0000

I decided today to check out NYC's new Highline Park. What once was an elevated train track, a relic of the past, is now a modern park setting, stories high above Manhattan's West Side. It truly is a gorgeous sight, but hovering over 15th St. and 10th Ave., I noticed a tiny visitor below me. Do you see him? Keep reading to see a closer look:

First Person Shooter Disease

mark1@peachey.ca (Mark Peachey) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:08:29 +0000

One out of 100 gamers suffers from this terrible affliction. And no, it does not involve school shoot-ups.

Quick-Review: King of Fighters Ultimate Match '98 (XBLA)

fakeXsound@gmail.com (Marc DeAngelis) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:06:02 +0000

2009 has been a 2D fighting fan's best year since the days of the Dreamcast - We finally got Street Fighter IV, Mark of the Wolves and KoF '98 Ultimate Match hit XBLA, and this month we see the retail release of two more 2D fighters, BlazBlu and KoF XII. As Ken Masters might say, "Yay!"

Last week, I was saddened by the lag-infested online play of Mark of the Wolves, and since this week's KoF '98 UM is another SNK Playmore game, I was expecting the worst. But thankfully, this one is seemingly programmed much better. I did experience some game-killing lag, but it was far less frequent than with MoW. Only when other players' pings were in the 200+ millisecond range did the game really start to chug. My only complain, which is no fault of SNK, is that very few people are playing online.

Other than that, though, what can I say? It's King of Fighters '98 with some extra characters, a few new stages, and a gameplay tweak or two. If you've already played '98, you'll be right at home as not much has changed. If you haven't though, get ready for a steep learning curve. This game is definitely not a simple one. There are three different fighting styles, different roll commands, and different ways to pull off special moves. KoF noobs should check out the more simple XI before they try anything in the late '90s era.

So if you're a fan of KoF already, this is a definite purchase, since it's the definitive version of '98. It's the fastest-loading (other than Neo-Geo) and the most feature-packed version of the game. You can choose between new menus and old, arranged or original music, and 3D [Dreamcast] or original backgrounds. It would have been nice to see redrawn sprites and backgrounds but what can you expect for 800 MS points? In any case, this will tide you over until KoF XII finally hits stores later this month.

Yay! It's KoF '98, tons of options, newly included characters, decent online play, cheaper than the PS2 version.

Nay! Sometimes laggy, steep learning curve, pretty ugly for a game that kinda-sorta came out in 2008 [JPN PS2, arcade].

For those of you who REALLY hate reading, or only learned to read numbers: 9/10

Resident Evil: Afterlife Shuffles to the Big Screen in 2010

iicedesigner@yahoo.com (Adam Dodd) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:16:47 +0000

No, not 2005's spectacular reboot of the legendary survival horror series, I'm talking about the fourth Resident Evil film (loosely based off the video games). Despite receiving almost unanimously negative reviews each film has surpassed its predecessor at the box office, the third topping over $150 million worldwide. Because of this success many of us expected (and dreaded) the announcement of the next installment. Now that time has come as Screen Gems has confirmed that we will be seeing more undead kickassery with a release date for the fourth installment in one of the most successful video game movie franchises of all time, entitled Resident Evil: Afterlife. If it wasn't for the utterly gorgeous Milla Jovovich (and my undying love for zombies... get it?) I wouldn't be interested in this film. Supposedly we might be getting another reason to see this movie, as Leon S. Kennedy has been rumored to appear and if the rumors are true actor Jensen Ackles might be assuming the role of Resident Evil 4's (now I'm talking about the game) protagonist. If you're interested, Afterlife will be shuffling to theaters on September 17th of next year.

Gamestop to Public: We Have Lost Our Damn Minds

meli@u.northwestern.edu (Marissa Meli) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:14:42 +0000

Just in time for summer, Gamestop is offering the worst Wii bundles of all time. Yes, worse than the $1200 shovelware bundles available at system launch.

The first bundle, Summer Fun, comes with the Wii, a Wiimote, and a Nunchuk for $249.99. And it comes with a free squirtgun. No, not a Super Soaker--this piece of crap that the dollar store is too embarrassed to carry. If this would make you order your Wii from Gamestop, might I interest you in the deed to the fabulous Brooklyn Bridge?

Seriously, what marketing genius came up with this one?

More ridiculous bundles after the jump.

Ads in Xbox Live: Do You Care?

fakeXsound@gmail.com (Marc DeAngelis) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:22:09 +0000

Tired of advertisements populating the city streets, the airwaves, and you computer screen? Well open up for more, because it looks like Microsoft will be unlocking the floodgates for ads on Xbox Live. Personally, I'm a bit pissed. Hit the link for my argument.

Gaikai - Cloud Gaming Heats Up

mark1@peachey.ca (Mark Peachey) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:42:18 +0000

If OnLive is the console killer, what's the OnLive killer? The answer might be Gaikai, another cloud-based gaming system. This one is being headed up by the infamous David Perry, creator of Earthworm Jim and all-around nice guy. Clearly this idea is catching on, and the whole industry could get shaken up in the not too distant future. Check out this video demonstration by Mr. Perry himself.

Gaikai Technology Demo (JULY 1, 2009) from David Perry on Vimeo.

For more information, visit David Perry's blog.

Heart Fighter shirt at Woot today

danzuke@gmail.com (Dan Zuccarelli) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:39:11 +0000

I've blogged about the Woot shirts before, but for those of you new here's the deal. The shirts are 10 bucks with free shipping, but the downside is they're only on sale for one day. For this particular shirt that day is today.

More popular designs go on sale later on but the price goes to $15. Still not bad for a tshirt, and they're high quality to boot.

Today's is called "Heart Fighter" and features the Galaga ship firing on an old school looking pixelated heart. Very cool.