Canada Gamers

WHAT ARE YOU DOING!

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:20:00 +0000

The sanctity of this place has been fowled.

Go to www.cangamers.com and bookmark it. It's still a WIP, but you can sign up, and visit the forums and start that.

MAG

noreply@blogger.com (Grover1) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:57:00 +0000

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Well its about time i write a new article to bad i wont be doing a full coverage of it until the end of the beta cause that's all I'll be playing. But until then ill report on what I know right now and how to get into the beta.So far from my sourses that i have gained i can say that the beta itself runs at a smooth 30 fps with 256 people. Also I have not yet heared of connection failures in a match. Character custimization has been designed so detailed from the weapons you will use, to the looks of your character. Something Modern Warfare 2 seems to be lacking in showing us espesially so close to release. This custimization will give you loyalty to the faction u pick to fight for. Whether it be the militia gurrila fighting SVER, the more modern army Valor, or the high tech pussies known as Raven. With it closer to beta time for me I will do a final report on it soon, please check back in on the 24th to read how mag stacks up.And to get into the MAG beta u need a annual subscription to qore and you will get an email giving you the beta code. NOTE* You must purchase qore before September 17th because thats when the beta opens and you must enter the code within 24 hours or the opening or you just wasted 26 dollars. P.S About time you guys are gonna get a ps3, and it's even better it is a slim.

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:36:00 +0000

http://themeforest.net/item/black-aperture/full_screen_preview/43052
Like that? Good. It's going to be the home of CCG.

Guess What Is About To Die!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:03:00 +0000

This blog. You can read it while I still use it, but get ready because the new site is being worked on and it will be ready for launch soon. BE PREPARED! I DEMAND YOU BE IN AWE!

You might as well just bookmark it now.

www.cangamers.com

-Tyler

Is It Finally Time For CCG to Buy a PS3??

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:36:00 +0000

FUCK YOU PS3 SL-It's $299!?!?!? COME 'ERE YOU!

That's right. Looks like CCG is getting a new console soonish.

The PS3 Slim is reportedly exactly like the PS3 in every way, except a shitload lighter, smaller, and best of all, cheaper. More space in your entertainment center, more money in your wallet. Nice job Sony. Here's to gaining a new customer. Cheers.

-Tyler

District 9 Review. I'll Keep the Spoilers Out.

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:56:00 +0000

Before you read this, I must warn you, if you haven't seen this movie, and haven't read up on any reviews, previews, news, or any media, don't read this. This movie should be viewed with little knowledge other than the trailer, and you should have almost no expectations for the film. Trust me, it is the BEST way to watch it. If you really don't care about reading about it, I strongly encourage you to rethink that. If you REALLY REALLY don't care, then click "More" to read my review.
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Fucking see this movie. I'm serious. GO AND FUCKING WATCH IT. It is the best Sci-Fi, best movie even, I have seen in years.

The Walking Dead. On Television. Fuck. Yes.

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:08:00 +0000

That's right. That picture. In colour. On television. On a network that is similar to HBO and allows much more mature matter. How's that for alliteration? I can only hope for the best things for the show, even though I won't be able to watch it because AMC is not in Canada. Sadface.
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I really hope they stay true to the material. It is a really good comic and is not just this mindless kill fest of zombies. Like any great zombie story, it focuses on the human conflicts and emotions that would arise and we would naturally have, even amidst a world full of danger and fear. People are still trying to survive and live normal lives despite having to go out back and shoot some dead, decrepit, rotting dudes.

I'm also worried about the content of gore and nudity. There are quite a few nude scenes, and a hell of a lot of gore, naturally of course. I just hope that it isn't toned down too much that it takes away from what everyone loves to see in zombie stories. I would actually prefer if it left it to your imagination to visualize for yourself what would happen. By that I mean, if a guy is eaten or torn to shreds, we could see quick cuts of clothes being torn off, zombies swarming all around, but then leave it to our imaginations to think of what followed the blood curdling screams of the soon to be zombified. I think it would be much better than either toning down gore too much, or not having any at all.

Ultimately, I hope this is fucking good. I love my zombies. More than anyone. To the point where it bugs me when people say, "I LOVE ZOMBIES SO MUCH!" because I know they don't truly. They don't truly understand the zombie apocalypse like me and my brothers do. It's the reason I hate Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising, a lot of Resident Evil games, and just about every game and movie with zombies. None of them actually portray a "realistic", if you could say that, portrayal of a zombie apocalypse. Books and comics are the first, and only mediums that, in my mind, accurately paint a picture of a world overrun with the undead. With all the tripe that comes out on TV and film these days, I truly hope that a comic as wonderful as The Walking Dead will translate into a fantastic television series that people will watch, and finally realize exactly what I love about the undead.

I'll let everyone know when there's more information about the series. Stay tuned.

Goodbye For Now, Old Friends.

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:17:00 +0000

Yep. That time is here. It came too quick I think. I've enjoyed these two weeks a lot. Broadcasting has been a blast and I can't wait until the next time we get to play and chat with everyone again. You guys have been a fantastic fanbase and chatting with you guys everyday and meeting new people on a daily basis was just awesome. The favourites grew from 190 the Friday we started broadcasting 2 weeks ago, to 335 as of this writing. Again, those faves are nothing if those people decide not to come back. Meaningless numbers, that's all.
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Now you're wondering(or not)when will the Canadian Couch Gamers be back??!! Well, soon. Not 2 months, but a couple weeks. Don't worry, we'll be back soon enough. For now though, we're going to be working on the new site and getting it all ready for launch into teh interwebz. If you guys have any ideas on what we should put on the site, let us now via comment box, message on JTV, any way you can get a hold of us.

That's pretty much it for an update on the broadcast. Just keep watching this blog and you'll know what's up in a jiffy.

-Tyler

Would You Like A Urine Sample As Well?

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:28:00 +0000

I've participated in a few betas in my gaming days. None were as lengthy and in depth as APB's though. In order to play the APB beta, Realtime Worlds needs to know everything about you. Where you live, your income, if you're married, have kids, own a home, I was waiting for the part where they ask for all my bank account numbers and PIN codes.

I did it though. Honestly, I probably won't buy the game because it has a monthly fee. But this game intrigued me from the first day it was announced a couple years ago. At any rate, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I get in and try out the game. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to report what I play in the beta, but I'll try to give you some impressions if I get in. Keep checking for more!

-Tyler

New Site, Need a Name!

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:21:00 +0000

CCG is in the process of purchasing a new site that will serve as our official website for all things Canadian Couch Gamers. You will be able to read news, articles, reviews, blogs, read bios of all the CG's(Couch Gamers, clever eh?), watch the broadcast while you visit the site, add your gamertag to the list of players, join the forums and become part of our community!

All we need is to think of a nice domain name. CCG.com is already taken, so we're asking you guys to help us out with something easy to remember, memorable, and something that is unique and won't be mixed up with another site. Right now we're looking at cangamers.com, but if you guys can think of something else, please post it in the comments!

-Tyler

CCG's Guide To JTV

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:13:00 +0000

So you're new to JTV. You happen to stumble upon the glorious channel that is the Canadian Couch Gamers. You watch, laugh a bit, maybe call us fags, maybe move on. You also may do things like yell at chat when there's no one around, thinking we just aren't answering you. There's good reason for that. You might also feel inclined to say "This channel sucks." That's not very nice either. Unfortunately, noobs kinda suck. Everyone was one, so you don't have anything to say; but some are worse than others. In order to help those guys out, here's a small guide on "How to act on JTV, for noobs."
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Fucking Register.
It pains me more than ever to see 17 people in the channel, yet only 8 or so are registered. I let you even talk too, that's sometimes a risk thing because I can't ban or time you out. You also can't fave the channel if you like it...

Make a Good Username
It's pretty simple, teepea is not a hard name to pronounce (though Brad from 4PP happened to mess it up), don't make something like tjs41123200. It is annoying to look at, makes you look like some kind of robot, and has no catchy nickname I can make up for you to call on you. Keep it simple, keep it catchy.

We Aren't Always Broadcasting...
So you go into CCG, don't bother to check the user list to see if anyone is on, and immediately look at the video playing. Oh look, Tyler is laughing because it looks like those zombies are doing the dirty! "HEY GUYS! WHAT GAME IS THIS!" "HEY" "GUYS!?"
We're not fucking there. An easy way to tell you're talking to an imaginary wall is to see if there is a title on the video player, along with arrows that let you go left and right, as well as the fact you're the only one in the chat..Check the userlist.

Come Back Often.
200+ favourites. Thanks guys! You know what I would like even more than you doing us a favour and clicking the fave button? Visiting again after your one visit and fave. Don't just do it because we say so, do it because you genuinely like the channel and the people who broadcast. We have our regulars, and then we have about 190 other "fans" who I've only ever seen once.

Participate!
So you've come to the channel, awesome! But I haven't even seen you type "Hi!" Are you actually here, or is JTV just slow? Dillon and I can't always be reading chat and seeing what people are saying. We rely on our own regulars, mods, and chatters to keep the channel alive and welcome people to CCG. Don't be shy, the internet is the best place to do exactly that.

Don't Tell Us What To Play
I mean, suggestions are good, but don't yell at us and say the game we are playing is boring, or you don't like it. I care, but not really, if I feel like playing it, I will. This also goes for what music we listen to. Feel free to request a song, we listen to a variety of things, but don't call my music shitty because you don't like it. Unfortunately, I'll probably do that to you, I'm a HUGE music snob. Sorry, I'm working on it. I know, it's very hypocritical.

Use Your Common Sense
It's something that people think does not apply on the internet, but if people used it there would be a whole lot less arguments and stupidity. Think to yourself before doing something, "Should I do this? Would I do this if it was real life?" It will save everyone grief.

These are a few things you can do to elevate yourself from looking like the annoying new guy to looking like the less annoying new guy.

To The 4PP Members, and Our Fans.

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:47:00 +0000

I was visiting 4PP's forums today, and I found this: http://4playerpodcast.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1486

When I read the title I was like "Holy shit, I saw that user "mighteemax" in our chat the other day!" I basically knew it was my post. Surprisingly the replies weren't filled with FUCK THIS DUDE, 4PP FOR LIFE! THIS KID'S A STUPID FAG! Instead I saw people agreeing, posting comments in a mature manner, ya know? People acting like normal people. That is 4PP's forum. I've been lurking in it for a few months now, but just joined in June. It is without a doubt better than the chat on the broadcast. Now, two mods (edit:3) have actually commented on my last post about 4PP, and I just wanted to address them and any others about what they said.
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I thank you again for not being absolute idiots and screaming at me for writing that post. I honestly did not believe anyone read our blog other than 1 or 2 of our viewers.

Now, reading the forum posts and responding back, I've changed some of my opinions. I already knew that the forums were a great place to talk with the actual fans of 4PP, and you guys have just strengthened that view. Obviously, I'm not alone in a lot of my views on 4PP. Now, the main thing people are fighting me on is that not all of the community are idiots. I'm fully aware of that. I did not write the post after seeing 4PP for just a few weeks. I've been watching since just before Xmas 2008. Some of you seem to believe I was talking about THE ENTIRE 4PP community. I was talking strictly about the broadcast. The forums have nothing to do with any of my post. I was talking about the chatters on JTV, and the broadcast itself. You guys have given me great faith that the internet can still hold civilized discussions and disagreements, and for that I am infinitely thankful.

One of the forum members, Seisan, mentioned that 4PP do read chat, they just end up ignoring it because 99% of the banter is "PLAY THIS! PLAY SOMETHING SCARY! THIS GAME SUCKS!" etc. I guess you are right, I would end up doing the same thing if I were them.

I would like to just kind of end this whole thing by saying a few things. First, I have nothing against Brad, Nick, Travis, or David. I would LOVE to hangout with them and talk games, and play games with them. But on the broadcast, I wish they would be a bit kinder, ignore the morons, and set an example to make the broadcast and the actually intelligent chatters, more tolerant of new people who may not turn out to be idiots at all, and may be really awesome people. I'm not trying to bash 4PP or start a big flame war, I was trying to point out problems I have with the broadcast. I believe that I may have been a bit harsh, and it did turn into somewhat of a bashing. But I still stand by most of what I said, and that everyone needs to chip in to make the chat a place where we can have intelligent and entertaining conversations, and everyone can participate, no matter if you are a new guy, a regular, a mod, or one of 4PP themselves.

Thanks again to everyone who commented, and I guess thanks for the free advertising lol.

How I (Tyler) Feel About 4 Player Podcast.

noreply@blogger.com (Tyler Parry) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:20:00 +0000

There has been a lot of mixed messages I've been giving about 4PP on the feed and off. Now, I'd like to take the time to explain exactly how I feel about them, because, it isn't all hate.
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First of all, they are pretty cool guys. I always think to myself how much I would enjoy sitting in through a podcast and chatting with the guys at their place. They talk about a lot of cool things in gaming, and a wide variety of things, and it's exactly what I would like to talk about in our discussion shows.

They're also pretty intelligent. Brad especially knows how to articulate ideas and set a conversation up to go somewhere. They use some surprisingly smart words instead of using just simple words that anyone would use.

Their podcasts are well done for the most part. They do get off topic sometimes, but overall they know what they are talking about, the show is mostly structured, and it's enjoyable overall.

Now that that is out of the way, this is why we bash them so damned much.

Their popularity has been their biggest downfall. The total douchebaggery and lack of interaction with their chat, besides mods and stopping to call chat complete idiots, has lost them a lot of fans. Unfortunately they gain about 100 or more a day, so they don't really give a shit if people don't watch. Granted, a lot of their chat viewers are completely retarded. We would get annoyed to shit if people were quoting all of our highlights and telling us to play a game that we had turned into a meme on the channel. But then there are the other people who are apparently still retarded for watching.

Which brings me to another massive fail for 4PP. Their popularity is entirely based off of memes they created, and that is a problem, because now you're constantly annoyed by viewers to play those memes like funny shit happens EVERY time you play. You've created popularity based on something fake. They've basically taken over the internet meme "Do a barrel roll", and turned it into something that only 13 year olds would find funny over and over again. Oh wait, I just explained 98% of their viewers.

The combination of all those things create a channel that may be hugely popular, but is forced to now live in a shadow of its former self. Again, I still think that they could put on a great show, and have an interesting broadcast, but they've created a fan base that does not give a shit about gaming discussion and more intelligent things, and instead wants to see "lulz", all the time.

A New Breed of Gamer, A Different Generation of Games

noreply@blogger.com (Tyler Parry) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:51:00 +0000

We can't escape the media. It's impossible. Even in the gaming industry, especially the gaming industry, we can't escape the media. Every year gamers fall into the hype of a brand new blockbuster must-have for the summer or holiday season. But how many times has that game ended up being a flop? Are those games really all that great? When we compare some of the big hits that have come out in the past couple of years, we start to see a pattern: more and more hype of games. Who is the target of all this hype though? As a 19 year old avid gamer with experience with a variety of games, new and old, I can usually tell what is going to be good and what isn't. Unfortunately, the younger gamers can't. They're destined to play through the next big hype without a second guessing of its "quality".
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It's an unfortunate sight, one that I see grow bigger and bigger with each passing year. The new Halo, Gears of War, Call of Duty, the monsters of gaming can spew out a new title whenever they want, and the kids will eat it up. There is so much hype for games, yet very few of them actually manage to be an overall success.

The new generation of gamers is a totally different beast. In fact, it's not a beast at all, it's more like a sheep. Gamers aging from 8, up to about 14 are shown nothing but commercials of prerendered trailers for the newest game, while the narrator tells them it's going to offer the best this and that. It may be true, but often times, it's not. Nevertheless, these kids will beg their parents to buy the game, and most of them will get it. And so starts the cycle of shaping the generations.

What are the top online games for PS3 and Xbox 360? I'm 100% sure you can guess what they are. If you guessed Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 and World at War, Killzone 2, you're right. What do these have in common? Guess again...Exactly, millions of dollars of hype and advertising, along with names that people recognize. Now, I'm sure you can think of a ton of other games online that you would rather play than these. But, why don't you? For me, it's because I'm the only one I know that owns the game. The online communities are dead, taken over by these giants. Chromehounds is a good example. Though the singleplayer was definitely below average, the multiplayer was an interesting, fresh, and fun aspect of the game. You would take part in a persistent war, choosing a country and building a mech of total epicness. Fighting alongside your friends and destroying the other countries units was awesome. Definitely a unique online experience I'd never had. You can still find some people fighting the good fight too, but definitely not many.

Another one of my favourites was Civilizations Revolutions. A much simpler, less time consuming, but still very satisfying and fun adaptation to the PC version, it definitely proved strategy games could work on a console with a controller. It's quite dead now though, it took me a good few minutes to find a match online.

So why is it, that these games, with all of their uniqueness and qualities, could die so fast and so hard? Why do we keep buying these damned games we know we've played over and over and over again? Why are we so adamant on playing a few quick matches of killing sprees over maybe something different, something new, something more thoughtful, more complex? Is it because we're all actually mindless killing machines who want nothing more than to destroy? No. It's thanks to the media. They've taught us that consoles are no place for the thinking man's game, only violent, simple-minded games where we pick up a gun and go nuts. Granted, these games are a ton of fun and, when played with friends, can make for an amazing night. But we need to start realizing that we are only hurting ourselves. Gaming has taken itself into a new generation, and it's heralds are the thousands of minds of submissive, easily influenced children and preteens that are much more susceptible to seeing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and yelling for joy than to see a remake of the original Shadowrun (done right...).

Ultimately, this affects everyone. And I'm not saying that this is something that will happen with the snap of my fingers. It will be a gradual change to the type of games that become popular. I'm 19 now, I plan to be gaming, and be involved in gaming until I am either physically or mentally unable to play a video game, though gaming could be the reason why I'm not mentally or physically able to play games, so I find it very troubling to see this de-evolution of gaming. Video games are supposed to be, to me at least, the one creative outlet where you are limited to nothing except your imagination. The pinnacle of entertainment, art, socializing, and creativity. It will always retain the entertainment and social aspects, but now I'm not so certain about art and creativity. Too few games are now tantalizing me with art styles, camera styles, or any aspect of art or creativity. I find myself now reveling in the fact that a game now features new guns, characters, and maps! Why am I settling for that to be my next must have game?

We are settling for something that we can change so easily, with the simple action of not buying a game. We can show the huge names in gaming that we want something fresh, something new, something we've never seen before, instead of letting them, year after year, churn out more of the same shooters we see every year. But unfortunately again, that is only what we as mature gamers can do. There is still the other half of the gaming population that will be your biggest challenge in changing the games you play, the younger crowd.

Now, you might disagree with me, and say that there are very unique games that do well, like Fat Princess, Braid, Trine, Scribblenauts, etc. But how long are those games' life spans? I don't see people playing Braid anymore, I'm sure Trine will do well on the PS3, and despite it receiving many awards at E3, I do not see many people playing it on PC, and it's currently out. What are people still playing though? All of the monsters of gaming. There may be a time when the "flavour of the week" is all you see, but guaranteed within a week or so, they'll be back to Halo 3 and CoD.

I do not want to be completely pessimistic though. I do not believe that the unique games will disappear completely. I do believe though that they will go further under the radar as long as the hype machine continues to trample the minds of young gamers.

Poll of the Day.

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:23:00 +0000

As if we all didn't know just how bad EA was hated, GameFaqs' daily polls shows us.

Enjoy your day.

Finally Something PS3

noreply@blogger.com (Grover1) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:23:00 +0000

Uncharted 2 was a big hit at E3 2009. And who wouldn't be blown away at what this game has to offer. First off, the graphics in this game look amazing and it puts games like Killzone 2's graphics to shame. Everything down to Nathan Drake's hair is detailed, and it is truly showing the power that PS3 has to offer. But the graphics are not the only reason why Uncharted has captured the attention of so many people.

A new feature to Uncharted is the online play which looks promising, with a coop story in which you and a friend can play as Drake and some other person that is to be revealed. There are are also your standard team deathmatch, deathmatch, and other new modes that will be shown as the date of release gets closer. One mode that I enjoyed was where two teams have to fight to grab the treasure and bring it back to their base. The only thing is that when you are carrying the treasure your speed drops dramatically and you can only defend yourself with a pistol, so teamwork will help you and your team succeed in your missions

Overall with a cover system that feels like Gears of War and a much improved melee system than the first installment, Uncharted 2 looks to be a promising game this holiday season...

Guess Who...

noreply@blogger.com (AnthrakzPanick) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 06:06:00 +0000

Unrelated Pic

Hai, Most people who read this blog should know me from the channel. You see, i'm here to tell you a story of a young young man named xs0u1hunt3rx who came down from the heavens in a horse from 1605. One day xs0u1hunt3rx was riding on his horse, which he named Umbrella for unknown reasons, to Tyler's house in Shitville, Ontario. On his way there he found many bad video games which he knew Tyler had played and broadcasted live. Some of those games were Gears Of War 2, Left 4 Dead and Halo 3.

Finally xs0u1hunt3rx had enough of it and teleported to Tyler's house and cock-slapped him in the face for broadcasting such bad games. He also took his internet powers away for what felt like 7 years. But was actually 2 monthes. Later on xs0u1hunt3rx regretted what he did, and said sorry and gave Tyler's internet back. But he also pwnt Tyler with a few clips (that you can find in the clips section of the broadcast page) such as Poison Roll and OWNED.

Tyler eventually grew a brain and gave xs0u1hunt3r permission to post on his blog. Soon Tyler will allow xs0u1hunt3rx to run CCG. And then xs0u1hunt3rx will rule the world.

- Soul A.P. Hunter

Let's Do The Time Warp.

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Written by Tyler Parry

There was a time in my gaming history where I was content with just about every game I ever played. It was about the age of 4-8. You could put any game in my hand and I would enjoy it. Do you know why? Because every one of those games was most likely a 2D side scroller. Every system had em', Game Boy, Game Gear, SNES, Genesis, Saturn even. Do you know how many fantastic games came out of the 2D-SS genre? Too many to list. Astal, Clockwork Knight, every Castlevania game, X-Men 2, Alien Soldier, Pitfall, and about a couple hundred others. Why is it that today I would, a lot of the time, rather put down my 360 controller and the amazing graphics of new games, to open up an emulator with hundreds of SNES and Genesis games? It's because those games were fun as hell. I remember playing PSOne for the first time, with its fancy graphics and 3D gameplay. Pff. Yeah, sure I loved it. There were a lot of great games being made, but it was also the beginning of a new era. One that, ultimately, was less fun.
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I want my 2D games back. I know it's possible. Games like Shadow Complex and Trine are showing me that the games can be made damned well. Trine is an amazing game, it received tons of praise from the press, despite slipping into the shadows with most gamers. I got a chance to play the demo and when I began playing I let out a cry of joy as I realized that this game: a) Looked damn good, and b)Played damn good. It didn't have the hectic gameplay that most side scrollers had back in the 90's, but it instead fused so many elements of old and new game mechanics to create an awesome experience. This game very much reminded me of "Lost Vikings", where you would have to switch between 3 characters who would utilize their abilities to get from point a to point b and eliminate enemies.

And then there's Shadow Complex, which is being hailed as a new Metroid, and for good reason. From what I've seen, it's definitely a game to get excited about if you're a fan of side scrollers. Upgrades, current gen physics and graphics, an interesting story, awesome looking combat and puzzle elements. It's like Epic Games took everything we all loved about the old side scrollers, carefully crafted the right elements and combined it with current generation tech.

The sad part? Not many people are going to play it. If you haven't noticed, there's a lot of people on Xbox Live that wouldn't even know the game Goldeneye. Yeah, it brings a tear to my eye too. You know what their Goldeneye is? A little game called Modern Warfare. It sucks, but what were you going to play when you had your N64? Goldeneye, or Super Mario Bros. 3? Yeah, I'd be taking dual rocket launchers to Baron Samedi and Jaws as well.

But is there still a market for 2D side scrollers? No doubt. I can't be the only one that still appreciates Symphony of the Night, I know I'm not. I'm well aware that these games will not make it as full priced games either. They will however have a fighting chance as additions to the XBLA, PSN, or WiiWare. A great deal of people bought Symphony of the Night on XBLA, including me. I also bought Metal Slug, which is a great example of the pick up and play madness that side scrollers can bring to a gaming experience.

I feel as if it's a lost art that only older gamers will appreciate. Sadly, the newer generations of gamers are completely fixated on FPS's like Halo and CoD. I'm not sure what it is that changed to make the budding gamers less willing to try something new. I remember being about 8 or 9 and I was playing tons of different kinds of games, from RPG's to racing games, side scrollers, platformers, there were many games that caught my eye, even at such a young age. It might be because of things like the media and advertising, things hyping games up, whereas when I was young, gaming was almost like the punk scene, it was just something not everyone knew about and participated in, almost like an underground society. But that is completely another topic that I'll talk about another time.

The bottomline is, I hope that people will see the potential for 2D-SS' on marketplaces for consoles, and Steam on PC. How awesome would Castlevania be if it were like Shadow Complex??! AWESOME.

EB Games: Power to the Player. Yeah Right...

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:57:00 +0000

I have a story for everyone. It's a tale about customer service and company policies. A tale of joy, money transaction,turmoil, and a boy with an empty game case.
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That was lame. But here's what happened. Steph and I visited EB Games a few days ago to buy some DS games because we'd just got a DS for $90 off a local classifieds site. We browse the games, she looks for Yoshi's Island, I look for Final Fantasy 4($40 for a DS game? Eff that noise.) She finds her game, I don't buy mine. Instead, I see Castlevania Order of Ecclesia. Awesome, Dawn of Sorrow was sweet, hopefully this one will be just as good. It's brand new, sealed in the plastic, everything. We buy the games, and leave the mall content and eager to play with our new toys.

I give the DS to Steph, and let her play Yoshi's Island first. On a related note, I've spent way more fucking time playing that game than her, and it is ridiculously addictive and actually quite fun. Look for a review soon. I don't hesitate to rip open the wrapping and open up the case. I do hesitate to grab the DS and play Castlevania when I notice a small problem, though. There is no game card or instruction manual in the case. Just the case itself and the DS WiFi manual. I am a little dumbfounded, considering it was a brand new, not used game, perfectly sealed in plastic wrap. No one could have tampered with it. I turn to Steph with the case open and go "Uh..." Steph didn't really see the problem at first, she though I might have had the game in my hand or something, and then she realizes. Back to EB Games we go.

Now, let me point out, I'm not a confrontational person, I'm not one of those people who goes off on employees because most of the time it's not their fault that something is wrong. This is one of those cases.

I bring the case to the girl behind the counter, with the receipt and even the plastic sealing and tell her the problem. She has to call up the district manager. After a brief talk, she tells me she can't do anything about it and we have to call up Konami and talk to them. Normal people would go nuts. But I know how these things work. It would actually be Konami's fault and not EB Games'. I let out a sigh and said "Ok".

We are back in the car when we realized we just purchased a $40 case. Now I'm kind of pissed. We pay $40 for an empty case and EB Games tells us there's nothing they can do about it? At all? This is where my problem lies. Why the fuck do we have to call up Konami? It bugged me more and more as I thought about how easily EB took our money and shrugged off something that granted, wasn't their fault, but they should be the ones taking care of. I as a decent person and a gamer would be slightly angered as well if I worked at EB and someone purchased a $40 case. I even said to Steph, "If I worked there I would have told that person I'll take care of it and call them back when the game comes in." But guess what? That's against company policy according to them. Helping a customer is against the rules. All Gamestop/EB Games cares about is the fact that they made their profit. That's all.

So what are we doing now? After calling many parts of Gamestop/EB Games, we've gotten the same answers, so the same day we had to call Konami ourselves. The game is en route to Konami's building in California. I better get some free shit from Konami...

-Tyler

Get Ready For a Hellstorm JTV...

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:56:00 +0000

I was going to actually report this piece of news, but it's too disturbing. Just google child pornography on JTV. It's the link to the "inquistr" site. Warning, some of the pictures are disturbing, the comments are even worse.

Do Want!

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:31:00 +0000

I want deez gamez. I want you to watch dem too.

Mass Effect 2
Modern Warfare 2-Jake is getting the fucking NVG Edition. YER!
Brutal Legend
Dead Rising 2
Bayonetta
Castlevania: Lord of Darkness-Please be good...
Singularity
L4D2- Most likely on PC because in all honesty, it is much better
Shadow Complex
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories-Fapfapfap
WET
Final Fantasy 13
Max Payne 3
Bioshock 2
Crackdown 2
Alan Wake

There's probably more, I just don't remember everything. Oh god, I hope I get dat job at Gamestop... I need dem moneys.

-Tywer

I Hate Christian Lander

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:05:00 +0000

"Stuff White People Like". Come on, really? He's the first step in JTV becoming totally lame and showing spotlight on the people that give JTV money. Don't watch his broadcast, it's not even good. The guy looks like a tall Kiebler elf with glasses. Almost 400k views, and not even 200 faves? That should tell you something about what the JTV viewers like to watch...

As much as I really didn't care about Dead Pirate Studios, I totally support their views on how JTV is becoming less focused on the actual broadcasters and more focused on sponsors. Kinda weird because around the time of E3 Tia Marie, who is awesome, was telling me how she was talking to a lot of people to sponsor JTV and stuff so that the site would be better. I never thought this would happen though. I thought it would be bettering all the little JTV heroes and normal broadcasters, but instead we get more ads, the front page looking nothing like it used to, and me feeling like when I go in to browse the gaming channels, I feel like I've found this hidden part where normal people can broadcast. It's a weird illusion that JTV is putting on, and they need to realize that their site would be gone if it weren't for all the people broadcasting.

What do you guys think of JTV now?

Prototype Review (Written by Tyler Parry)

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:31:00 +0000

It seems this generation has it's share of great games. Graphically awesome, increasingly complex gameplay, unique experiences, and unforgettable characters. But this generation also lacks something that I remember very well about past generations, mindless fun. Prototype is a game that is both awful and brilliant, yet manages to keep me playing somehow.

The game is set in New York city, where a viral infection has spread all over the citizens, and buildings, turning them into mindless killing machines, and spawning zones for mindless killing machines, respectively. You play as Alex Mercer, a man who seems to have a different strain of the infection, allowing him to form different parts of his body into weapons of extreme violence, enhanced speed and agility, as well as consume others to use them as disguises and gain health. Unfortunately, he can't remember how he became this hooded piece of awesome.

The story is rather dull and tired, but I found some plot twists quite interesting and fresh. The revealing of Alex's story was also fresh, as I felt compelled to hunt down targets from the "Web of Intrigue", people who were involved someway in how you became a hacking, slashing, smashing, devouring monster. The main story progression is somewhat lackluster I found, as I had no idea who the hell half the characters were and I felt like they weren't important. An example would be a twist between Mercer's wife and a man hunting Mercer. When it was revealed what she did, I really couldn't care less, and Mercer's dismay and sudden anger did nothing to upset me even the slightest. The emotional contact to any of the characters is not there. By the way, what happened to Dana?? I don't remember seeing her again..

The storyline was also quite misleading to me. I felt like the game was making Elizabeth Greene the main enemy of the game, after all she did. Obviously those who played the game know that she definitely isn't the boss. I was quite disappointed how that branch of the game was so easily complete. It felt like the writers had all these ideas of how the virus was started, but didn't want to part ways with any of their ideas and so threw them together into one big mess of story arcs.

With so many games setting the bar for graphical quality this generation, Prototype's graphics are totally inexcusable. Nothing in this game looks good. Even the prerendered cutscenes look shoddy compared to other mediocre games. I would have settled for just the models looking primo and everything else looking like total ass. At least I could have said "Damn that looked awesome when Mercer went armored and slashed up those tanks!" But no, instead I look at graphics that literally look last gen. It is atrocious. The characters are bland and blotchy, the landscapes are half decent at a distance, there is quite a bit of texture popping in some spots, explosions are downright unbearable, and the colours are very dull. This is not what New York is meant to look like. In an open world game like Prototype, the city, especially a well known one like New York, should be as much a character in the game as Alex is.

To me, sound is one of the most important aspects of the game, almost even more so than graphics. I remember playing the first Call of Duty with a nice pair of surround headphones and just being totally blown away by the sounds of mortar fire all around, Germans screaming to flank me, gunfire being heard everywhere, and me just sitting their with sweaty hands trying not to become another casualty. Unfortunately that's exactly what the sound in Prototype has become. Just about everything, save for the decent but profane voice acting, is mediocre at best. There are no unique sounds anywhere, an explosion sounds like an explosion, a blade sounds like a blade, a tank sounds like a tank, etc. Don't expect your 5.1 surround system to get a workout from Prototype.

And now, onto the gameplay. The one saving grace of this entire game. Do you remember Spiderman 2? You remember how awesome that was? Well Prototype grants you that feeling of awesomeness once more. There are so many things wrong with the gameplay, yet so many things right. To fully understand we'll have to go through certain things individually, starting with the upgrade system.

Much like Spiderman, you obtain upgrades and moves to make Alex Mercer a total badass capable of stopping anything. Of course, you don't just start off with every move-oh wait...Well after that part, you must go through the game and rack up as much EP as you can to purchase abilities like the whip, which turns Alex's arm into a long reaching claw that is capable of disabling choppers, or unlucky civilians. Think of it as Stretch Armstrong with more claw, and less bean leakage. There are also upgrades that allow you to run faster and jump higher, which is hella fun I must say. Zipping around the city and gliding is a joy in this game, if only the city looked as appealing as the running, jumping, and gliding animations. In fact, all the animations are pretty damn solid. You feel pretty badass the first time you jump 100 feet in the air and drop down onto a tank with the hammer upgrade, and then zip away to run up a building and do it again.

The game also allows you to destroy enemy hives and military bases. Of course, once you destroy them you're rewarded with a beautiful display of a building collapsing that is not unlike a gingerbread house falling apart. It's abysmal to watch, and quite laughable. You can also infiltrate military bases, which can hold soldiers which, when consumed, grant you things like weapon proficiency upgrades, and artillery strikes. Though I never, even for a second, preferred to have a terrible looking barrage of artillery fire over 30 tendrils massacring everything around me. But the option is always there. Though it was too easy, it was a lot of fun using "stealth", and by those quotes I mean you can consume a guy safely as long as there isn't someone looking DIRECTLY at you. There were too many moments where I'd consume a dude and say "How the fuck did he not see me? These are THE worst marines ever."

Also scattered around the city, a la Crackdown, are orbs that give you hints, and orbs that are on "landmarks". I didn't know the top of an apartment was a New York landmark. These also grant you EP that increases as you collect more. Only thing is, I always made tons more EP from everything else in the game, I didn't need the measly 10000 or so the orbs offered. Still, I took them when I saw them, which was only when they were directly around me.

You may read this review and think a few things, like "This review sucks," or "wow, this sounds like a shitty game." And you're right, on both parts. The thing is, I still had a blast playing it. Prototype is a game that feels completely unfinished and unpolished, with just a spark of what could have been a really amazing game. Luckily, that shimmer we get to play is the gameplay itself.

Gameplay: 7.5
"It really is fun to play. The city roaming is a fun, and it is just a blast to use different abilities on the endless amounts of enemies. Unfortunately, that is kind of a downside, things get a little to hectic at times."

Graphics: 4
"If slicing an enemy in half, squishing them to a pulp, or whipping them around wasn't so smooth, this game would be impossible to look at."

Sound: 5
"So ridiculously meh."

Overall: 7
"It's not a bad game. It's not a good game either."

This is my first ever review. Expect more to come, as well as some articles. Please leave some comments, and be constructive, not a dick.

Real Broadcast This Weekend! Also, Be a Part of CCG!

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Hey all who still read this. Tomorrow I will be going to my Aunt's for the weekend, where I will have ACTUAL working internet. The kind that would allow me to broadcast games again. So for this weekend, I will be renting a bunch of games, and doing a broadcast. Jake and Erik may stop by as well, but for the most part it'll just be me. I'm looking forward to it.

We are also looking for people to write articles and advertise the blog to get it off the ground. If you're interested in becoming a writer for CCG, write a small 1000 word article about anything involving the gaming industry, and email it to tyler_on360@hotmail.com. Also send an email to that address if you are interested in seriously advertising. As well as becoming part of an ambitious project, you will be given a cut of the AdSense profits. Payment in PayPal only. Word to your mother.

-Tyler

All Aboard The Fail Boat!

noreply@blogger.com (tp500) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Internet will be bought tomorrow!!! Exciting, but we have to wait like 12 days or something for them to actually install it. It's because the line goes through Bell or something. So we won't be broadcasting this week. We're also leaving Friday to go to Niagara Falls, so we'll be back next Thursday. Hopefully the internet is all setup by then and we can broadcast finally.