GameFanboys.com

How to be a Video Games Blogger

2011-02-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Editor's Note: (ಠ_ಠ)

By Tom

One might look at my creation here at Gamefanboys.com and think to themselves, "I can do this easily," but you do not have any idea how wrong you are. Blogging, is in fact, hard work. It is; on the other hand, some of the most rewarding work you can do. Blogging is one of the last true ways for random people on the Internet to make their ideas known without being lost in the shuffle of shitty forum posts and youtube comments. I encourage everyone to at least try blogging about anything, but blogging about video games is a beast unlike any other.

How do you become a successful games blogger? Allow me to show you the ropes

Step 1: Be the biggest prick you can possibly be
One might think the best way to make yourself respected is to be respectful, but we are talking about video gamers here. So the trick here is to show them the same respect they show to you. If you have spent any amount of time on Xbox Live or PSN, you're probably well aware gamers are almost all immature little pricks who think the world of themselves, so that is exactly how you should respond to them.

This will have a two fold effect: 1) You will be sure to get mass amounts of page views from people who are the Internet equivalent of ambulance chasers and 2) these page views will lead to more fame than you could ever have achieved by being your mousy little self. After all, if you are a game blogger, odds are you are a prick online, but silent in real life.

Step 2: Be smart
No, I'm not asking you to go and research every little thing in the world to make the most of yourself, that would be just silly. I'm talking about making other people think you're smart. How do you do this? It's actually quite simple. All you have to do is say words like "Touhou," "PC Engine," and "Blast Processing." These words are an instant shoe in.

But being smart isn't enough. Remember, you're trying to be a prick, so you have to be arrogant about it too. It's important to make other people who don't know about Touhou shooters feel small and insignificant. If someone commenting on your blog saying things like, "What is blast processing?" the proper way to respond is to make him feel like he is dumber than a rock for asking. This saves you the trouble of having to look it up.

Another sure fire way of getting respected is to belittle games that are universally seen as being good. Saying that [Halo, Call of Duity, Gears of War] is shit is instant street cred with the retro gaming crowd. I recommend writing an article about how much of a bad game they are.

Step 2 Alternative: Be stupid
If you can't be bothered with being smart, the better alternative is to be a stupid as humanly possible. Write articles that make no sense, make jokes that aren't funny, and generally look like a dumbass. Once again, you should not forget the first rule. When people call you on being stupid, respond in even dumber ways. I recommend saying things like, "Your mom is an angry comment," or "That's not what your mom posted last night." Generally speaking, making a your mom joke is a perfect way to look like a tard.

Step 3: Make a Top 10 List of the Best Games Ever
This may seem innocent enough, but rest assured, this is the perfect flame bait. People will come to critique your choices. Some may even respectfully disagree. This is the perfect opportunity to lash out at them. The go to blogger choice of response, and still my favorite, is, "Well, I can do what I want with MY blog, why don't you make your own?" It is the most condescending response possible and will earn you a safe spot among the blogger elites.

Now that you've established yourself as an enormous dick, it's time to start writing humorous articles. You know, those articles that are supposed to make people realize you were joking all these years and try and laugh it all off. The best way to go about this is to make video game jokes. Lucky for us, there is a formula for gamer humor.

1. Establish what game you're making fun of
2. Put characters in a situation that doesn't make any sense
3. Have characters act out and say things that are not normal
4. This part of the joke is up to you, but most people on deviant art seem to think having their characters shout something that has nothing to do with anything is a logical way of providing the big lulz. As long as it's in bold print and in all caps, you're safe. Someone is bound to laugh.
5. The cake is a lie.

Alternatively, if you're going for the more edgy crowd, just make gay jokes about Marcus and Dom.

Trust me when I say you can make up for a lot of douchebaggery by just being funny. Apparently, gamers find liberal use of the word "cunt" funny, so that's another way to gain a fanbase. The important thing to remember is that video game humor is incredibly easy. Anyone who at least knows about Portal can do it. You may think you need to play games in order to make proper gamer jokes, but this is also not true. Just insert any video game characters into the above formula and you have gold. Example:

1. Show Mario. This establishes this is going to be Mario brothers related humor
2. Now put Mario in Rapture and have him facing off against a Big Daddy trying to kill it by kicking a turtle shell at it.
3. As Mario does this, he is going to yell, "FUZZY PICKLES!"
4. The Big Daddy then takes off his helmet to reveal he is actually Alex Trebek yelling "YOU SHOULD HAVE PUT THAT SHELL IN THE FORM OF A QUESTION!"
5. A static picture of the companion cube in Rapture with a cake on top of it. A narrator saying "The cake is a lie" is optional, but recommended since most people who reference Portal have not actually played it.

Well, that's all I have for now. If I think of any other ways to help make you a better gamer blogger, I'll be sure to post it!

Crossing The Line?

2011-01-28T14:37:00.000-08:00

Every Friday, the crew at GameFanboys.com will bring you an opinion/analysis article. These are articles that are longer than our normal everyday posts, and are written by either Tom, Mark, or any of our contributors. Feel free to take time over the weekend to read and add comments of your own.

By Mark

In the news the last few weeks have been Sony's attempts to fight back against the hackers who have caused numerous security patches to the PS3 firmware. The most notable of these patches includes the now-infamous taking away of the Other OS feature in older "Fat" PS3s that allowed Linux to run on the system. Readers may recall that gamers (mostly people who wanted to run emulators on their PS3) were in an uproar that Sony would take away a feature that had been implemented in their consoles.

Though their anger may have been slightly misguided - the people who yelled the loudest on message boards primarily used that function to hack their PS3 - it wasn't without valid arguments. One of the most notable being Sony failing to deliver on its earlier promise of an open system; a system in which programmers found a haven to run an operating system that could tap some of the potential of the PS3's computing power. After all, Yellow Dog Linux - a company that produces a version of the Linux operating system - had a contract with Sony in which they provided customers with PS3 systems with Linux already installed. While the contract most likely ran out once the PS3 Slim units hit store shelves, I'm sure YDL never saw Sony retroactively take away the OtherOS feature, and have them lose a customer base. The feature itself was touted by Sony as a business model, which had suddenly evaporated with GeoHot's (George Hotz) newfound ability to bypass the PS3 security partition via the OtherOS.

People were understanding of Sony removing the feature in the newer line of consoles, since many felt it was alright to remove it just from the production line, but retroactively taking something away was a gigantic no-no. While genuine programmers didn't feel a lot of the sting from the update last year (it was, after all, an "optional" update), gamers who wanted to have their cake and eat it too were upset, including myself. Some put the blame on GeoHot for his publishing of the work-around, while the majority blamed Sony, and even tried to sue them - the attempt failed in California court.

Now, another round of Sony v. Pirates has started. Back in November and into December, a group of hackers known as fail0verflow publicized a major PS3 flaw in the way it creates security keys. Days later, GeoHot released the system's master key on his blog, which subsequently allowed people to run unauthorized software on their consoles, including pirated games, homebrew programs, and even custom firmware. While the general response from the public was that of "victory over the corporate duchebags", something momentous happened which hasn't happened in the gaming world in recent memory - Sony filed a lawsuit accusing both failOverflow and GeoHot of breach of contract, tortuous interference with contractual relations, trespassing, common law misappropriation, and violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Copyright Act, and the California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act. Yes, that is a mouthful.

Earlier this week, Sony did manage to get a temporary restraining order preventing GeoHot of hacking further consoles and publishing his results. To add teeth to the mix, GeoHot must now turn over his computers, hard drives, and all other storage materials related to Sony's legal team within 10 business days. This is a serious step for Sony's war against GeoHot and pirating in general. A precedant has now been set for a major electronics company to file suit and charge an individual with breach of contract due to the fact he took his own legally obtained device and hacked it. An underlying implication can also be found here - just because George Hotz did not specifically engage in pirating activities, he provided a blueprint for how it can be done to the outside community. This alone is enough for a company to confiscate his property in an effort to shut him down in the name against piracy.

With all of this, it begs the question, has Sony and the courts crossed a line? It may seem like a simple yes or no question, but this question is being played out on forums and message boards all over the internet. While this story may not make any headlines in papers, it sends a shock wave towards the pirating and hacking community. Remember that PSP that you hacked (and possibly bricked) trying to run a homebrew emulation of Phantasy Star? You definitely violated the DRM Agreement and may be the subject of litigation if you ever published a how-to.

It's important, because a simple Google search for "Homebrew PSP" or "PS3 Emluation" will yield many websites that give people a how-to guide into hacking their favorite Sony consoles. It may not even be a Sony console for that matter, as Microsoft has also been the target of piracy and hackers as well. Could they face similar litigation, or are they small potatoes compared to the likes of a failOverflow and GeoHot? Did Sony invite trouble unto themselves with the original inclusion of the OtherOS functionality and the creation of an open platform, or are they just the victims of a society that is never satisfied with what they are given, or one that seeks to stick it to big business?

Personally, I do feel that GeoHot and failOverflow should get what's coming to them. It's people like them which spurned Sony to remove a feature from their system which I enjoyed using. They are also the reason why Steam (and all it's annoying authentication and DRM) was invented for PC games in the first place. People need to understand that actions have consequences, and their actions may have resulted in developers and publishers losing a lot of money to pirates and hackers. PC game developers sure feel their pain, and I'm sure many a PC programmer turned to consoles due to the rampant piracy on computers thinking they would find a safer haven. Alas, greed has been the downfall of many things.

As for the other questions, they are all up in the air to me. I will say this however: While I see the world as having many shades of grey with questions involving morality, choice, and legality, I do understand there to be absolute truths - absolute right and wrong - when it involves personal choice and responsibility to yourself and others. While GeoHot and failOverflow may not participate in piracy and hacking directly, their very actions allow for that type of black market business to not just exist, but flourish. To trump your exploits - which are very much illegal no matter what angle they are viewed from - in an online world where anonymity is becoming less and less prevalent is not only the epitome of stupid, but also an insight into the mind of something akin to a criminal.

George Hotz is now forced to hand over all of his PC and PS3 hardware to authorities who have determined that his actions on his own time, performed on something he obtained legally, perpetrate an illegal trade that costs businesses millions every year. Good for Sony to stand up to their digital rights; however, is this simply nothing more than a show of force, a pushback against an illegal industry, or is this the beginning of a journey down a slippery slope?

Only time - and a judge's ruling - will tell.

Vae Victas!

Source: Gamespot

"Next Generation Portable" Impressions

2011-01-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

By Mark

The big story today was Sony finally unveiling its follow-up to the PSP. Called "Next Generation Portable" for now (it will be referred to as the NGP from here out), the little machine is actually pretty impressive. Three of the most important changes include the front screen being larger (16:9 5-inch OLED screen) and it also functioning as a touch screen. In fact, the back portion of the handheld also sports a touch-sensitive area as well. Thirdly, there is the inclusion of a second analog stick - huzzah! Note that I said "stick" too. Gone is the Anaolog Nub that graced every iteration of the PSP until the Go emerged, and they have been replaced by more standout sticks right below the button areas.

There are several other improvements and additions made to the handheld. The NGP also features dual cameras, one on the front and the other on the back, and an open microphone on the front. The cameras are interesting, because aside from being available to take lovely photos of yourself naked, it will provide gameplay functionality in the form of motion-sensing. Remember the six-axis technology? It makes a comeback in the NGP as well. There is also a three-axis electronic compass built in for use with the built-in GPS. Not enough for you? The NGP will also be sporting a 3G wireless device for all your portable online gaming needs. Coupled with Bluetooth and the AdHoc capabilities already present in the system, the NGP really stands out as a formidable mobile gaming platform. But what about the specs itself you ask? Let's take a look.

In terms of pure processing power, the NGP will run an ARM Cortex-A9 core (4 core) CPU processor and a SGX543MP4+GPU device. There was no word at the press conference on memory usage, however the rumor is development kits are going out with 1gb of RAM, although the system itself isn't going to use more than 512mb.

From people who have handled the system (people at Kotaku and Gamespot), the word is the NGP is lighter than the PSP-3000, with it being just as bulky as the PSP-1000. Obviously from the pictures, it's not as compact as the PSP Go; however, the specifications more than make up for this little shortfall in product design. After all, what did you expect with two analog sticks?

Retail pricing? Ahh, now here's where the rubber meets the road. There was no price-point detailed at the press conference. My guess? Well, with the 3DS arriving close to the holidays - and Sony stated the NGP would also arrive "in time for the holidays" - and selling at $250, I could forsee the NGP selling around the $300-$350 mark. Sony got burned last time with the pricing on the PS3 despite the fact they needed to stem some of the loss from the production of the system itself. I can't see the NGP retailing for more than that due to the stiff competition it will have from the 3DS during the holidays.

So, when all is said and done, what do I think? Well, the system itself seems to be one sexy beast. There was something mentioned about cartridges being sold for the system rather than UMDs, which is an interesting choice given the last time cartridges were sold for any system (N64). I'm wondering if I heard that right, because there isn't any information available (as of this writing) detailing where the games are actually going to go. Either way, the impression I got is that Sony is abandoning the idea of a digital-only distribution format like the PSP Go, which is a smart move. That being said, the system itself is a pure upgrade from the original PSP, which means the games that will be released will be of much higher quality. Demos for a new Hot Shots Golf, Uncharted, and Killzone (among others) were shown, that the quality of those games even now seems to be just under PS3/360 levels in terms of graphical quality.

Having a second analog stick with touch screen functionality is a very good move by Sony. The second stick gives hardcore gamers like myself new reason to try FPS and Action/Adventure titles that previously were lousy. The touch screen and motion sensor capabilities that were demoed seems gimmicky; however, they worked very well in context with the Uncharted demo that I saw. I can see that touch screen and motion sensor an avenue for Sony to market the system to a more casual, Nintendo DS-oriented audience that is used to a touch screen, but might be looking for something a little more upscale than a DS.

It's clear that Sony and Nintendo are moving in different directions with their handheld devices. With Nintendo still pushing the accessibility and casual route with their DS, Sony is going after a gaming audience that wants more adult gameplay. To compare the NGP with the 3DS, therefore, is a waste of time simply because the two handhelds are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Take a look at the amount of technology going into wireless gaming side of the NGP and you'll see one of the biggest differences right there.

More details are sure to follow within the coming months about Sony's specific plans with the NGP. I would imagine E3 will be buzzing with more details, and there I'm sure we'll find a more targeted price point. One thing is for sure, this holiday season will be one not to miss!

Source for specifications: Gamespot

Kana ~ Little Sister Review [NSFW]

2011-01-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

Console: PC [reviewed], PSP
Developer: AngelSmile
Publisher: G-Collections
Released: July 2, 2002
Price: $24.95 [Warning: Links to NSFW material]

EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN IMAGES AND THEMES SOME MAY CONSIDER OFFENSIVE.

By Tom

Truth be told, I was hesitant to review this game. Not because it's unworthy, but because I know 90% of you reading this (all 4 of you) will probably not buy this game for some very justifiable reasons. For one, this is most definitely an adult game in every sense. Not only does the game contain blatant pornographic material, but it deals with the themes of incest, death, and sacrifice. Not only that, but if that didn't narrow down the audience, it is also a visual novel, which means there is very little actual gameplay. It's not that western audiences are not already familiar with these kind of gameplay mechanics. We have a growing library of adventure style text based games on the DS like Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton, but Kana ~ Little Sister is primitive even by those standards. The gameplay boils down to the level of interactivity you'd expect from a choose your own adventure book you read in the 90s.

All that in mind, if I still have your attention for some odd reason, then follow me past the jump as we're going to talk about the most deeply emotional game I've ever played.

If you've played other weird Japanese visual novels and don't really want to dive into that territory again, I completely understand. Before Kana, I played the games GIBO, Hitome, and Fate / Stay Night and I can honestly say I don't recommend a single one of them. GIBO is the single most perverted game ever made that appeals to fetishes that don't even exist yet. Hitome is a darker than sin game that glorifies rape and incest. Fate / Stay Night has its perverted moments, but it's mostly just BORING. Not that Kana is immune from the perverted critique - it is about a relationship between a brother and sister after all - but it handles this dangerous material much differently.

For one, the game does allow you to choose what you will say or do at key moments of the game. Some of these options will lead you down more perverse paths than others, but for the most part, Kana presents a scenario that never feels too removed from reality. You play as the other brother of Kana, a small fragile girl whom was born with a sickness that may ultimately take her life. Even though there is a path through the game where Kana does live, the game establishes early that her chances of survival are extremely low and your job as her loving brother is to make her remaining days as nice as possible.

It's going to be difficult to explain what makes Kana so good without venturing into spoiler territory, but since the game has eight different endings, I'll just explain to you the emotions I went through on my first play. To be perfectly honest, this game took me a long time to complete. Not because each scenario is all that long, but because it literally is a novel aided by pictures. With that in mind, there are over 9000 things I could be doing at my PC other than reading, so it took a while for the ball to get rolling. You play through your childhood, teen years, high school, and all of it goes by very slowly. This does serve; however, to give you an emotional connection to Kana you simply could not get if the game simply said "This is your sister, you love her," like so many video games before it. Case and point, does anyone really give two shits if Link and Zelda get together? Nope, it's all about the adventure. Well, Kana is the exact opposite.

But once that ball does get rolling, it doesn't stop for anything. There are games and movies in the past that have made me shed many a manly tear, but Kana is the first that has me straight up crying my eyes out. In the path I took, Kana dies at the end, but I knew ahead of time there was a path where she lives, and that knowledge alone put me in a state of denial for the entire ending, which made the ultimate loss that much more painful. Not only did she die, but this game really knew how to twist the knife with story moments that made every sentence move tear jerking than the last. In short, I'm never going to look at snow the same way again.

But the path wasn't all about sadness. The ending was also about appreciating life, sacrificing for those you love, and what living a life free of regret is all about. And I got all that out of only one path of eight! There's so much more to see in the game and I can't wait to see how the other stories end. While I can't use the same breakdown I use for most games, I'll give it a shot anyway.

Story - 10
As stated above, Kana's story is downright amazing. Anyone who can ignore the fact that this is incest will find one of the most truly romantic and tragic stories ever. Part of me wants to say if it wasn't an incest story it would have been better, but that's simply not true because of how much the guilt of the feelings the couple has drives the story itself.

Graphics - 10
Visual novels may need wonderful writing to work, but the art must be exceptional too, and Kana pulls it off. The art does an interesting trick where every picture of emotional significance is SLIGHTLY exaggerated. Not enough to look like a caricature, but enough to bend your emotions. For example, when Miki, Kana's nurse, goes from her typical happy self to her dead serious face, the change is so abrupt and her face so cold that you will get the same pit in your stomach you get when people do that in real life.

Sound - 6
Like most visual novels, there is music, and the music here is perfectly fine, but there isn't a lot of it. So expect to hear the same stuff looped a lot.

Gameplay - LOL
Yeah, not even going to give it a rating since visual novels aren't really about the gameplay anyway.

Replay Value - 10
Eight endings. EIGHT. And with significant enough difference in each path leading up to the endings, you'll have a lot to look forward to.

Overall (not an average) - 10
If my writeup didn't convince you this game fully deserves a 10, then you probably wont like it anyway. All this praise aside, you need to look at a game like Kana the same way your girlfriend looks at you, in that you really only should play with it when you're "in the mood." Doing otherwise will usually just result in boredom as you stare blankly wondering if it's done yet and if you think my analogy isn't fitting then you are the exact type of person I'm talking about.

On a side note, if you can understand Japanese and you want to play the game without the erotic scenes, then you should definitely pick up the PSP version as it is for "all ages," though I would never give this game to a child.

Hell Will Freeze on May 3rd

2011-01-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

Still more acceptable than the Dead Space 2 ads

By Tom

One of the longest running jokes in gaming history will finally have its glorious punchline. On March 3rd, 2011, Duke Nukem Forever will finally be upon us.

Will it be worth the wait? Who cares! It's Duke back in action! He's looking for some alien toilet to park his bricks. Whose first?

We Can Have Our Cake and Eat it if we Damn Well Please

2011-01-20T22:57:00.000-08:00

To be fair, I wouldn't want to destroy this cake by eating it

By Tom

Bloggers are known for two things: making statements so broad that they cannot possibly be true and accusing others of doing the same. Case and point, see the last sentence I wrote.

One of my absolute favorite mainstays of the gaming blogging community is the old argument that gamers cannot call games art and still call their favorite violent games "just inconsequential video games." I completely understand this concept as I have said this before, but now my eyes are open. So, is it true that games cannot just be stupid fun and art at the same time?

That's right, there can be no better way to explain this opinion than calling it what it is: total bullshit from people who want to call games art, but scramble poorly to defend them when pressed. Don't get me wrong, I've been a stark defender of the concept of games being art since the very beginning, but this is the wrong way to defend it. It's wrong, because it doesn't logically make sense.

Let us look at other art forms. No one is going to argue that film is art. With movies like All Quiet On The Western Front, Gojira, and The Grapes of Wrath, film has well established itself as an effective medium to tell compelling and artistic stories. You know what else are films? Dude Where's My Car?, Gigli, and Catwoman. While your actual enjoyment of these films can be up in the air, no one in their right mind would argue these films are art, yet, once again, no one ever argues that film is not art.

By blogger logic, if film is art, so is this

So if you are ever reading a blog and someone says, "You can't have it both ways, gamers," just know that, YES, YOU CAN. We are perfectly free to praise a Team Ico game as artistic brilliance and enjoy God of War 3 as a mindless slasher gorefest. It's A-OK to write about the impact of Flower, and then sit down and curse off a kid in Gears of War.

Film critics are free to look at an artistic film and judge it as art, and review a stoner comedy on the grounds of entertainment value. So are we. If you want to give Shadow of the Colossus and Deadly Premonition a score of 90% for completely different reasons, no one should EVER fight against your right to do that. As a member of the gaming press, it is your responsibility and duty to approach your job in a mature way and review how you see fit regardless of the game itself.

...........

lol I said duty.

Stabbing Ourselves

2011-01-20T01:56:00.000-08:00

By Tom

Simply put, anyone who has ever been attacked, minus a select few, have decided to defend themselves. Now that most battles are fought with words and not swords, defending yourself has gotten easier and easier. Of course, it's no secret that mainstream media has absolutely no handle on how to cover video games, and they have even less of an idea who your average gamer is. If we were to look at most gamers between the age of 18 to 35, I'm sure you're going to find a healthy collection of well adjusted adults who enjoy gaming like people would enjoy any other hobby (and I base this opinion on absolutely nothing).

As adult gamers who also view ourselves as normal people, it can come off as rather insulting every time the mainstream pretends that gaming is a child's hobby. After all, the first arcade machines were mostly found in bars, the 2600 had a vast collection of pornographic games, and modern games routinely cover topics that require a supreme emotional investment you just won't find in children.

Still, the reputation persists, and once again, another study was released that gives gamers yet another bloody nose in the eye of the mainstream. And if that wasn't bad enough, EA's latest ad campaign seems to make public opinion worse.

My face when I heard about Dead Space 2's viral ad

EA has Dead Space 2 coming just around the corner. The original Dead Space was a gorefest horror game that was highly applauded by most gamers while stuck up snobby horror fans like myself gave it the cold shoulder. My own invalid opinions aside, EA has decided to use Dead Space's gore to advertise it with a video showing how much your mom hates Dead Space 2.

Let me ask you a serious question: how, in any way is this supposed to endear our hobby to the mainstream? Yes, it's true, kids love games that are universally disapproved of. How else could you explain the success of Mortal Kombat? Is it clever marketing? Certainly, but in the end, it only makes gamers look immature. Plus, this advertisement is directly confirming what parental watchdog groups have been accusing for years, yet gamers have expressly denied every time; that M rated games are targeting children.

Yet, people are still gathering to defend this marketing campaign. Why? Can you think of a single thing gained by this except for extra capital in EA's bank account? It's bad enough that our ads are now telling parents video games are intentionally trying to warp their children, but now there are studies confirming it.

According to oneindia.in,

Over a two-year span, a group of researchers from Singapore, Hong Kong and an Iowa State University psychologist looked at 3,034 children in Singapore from third grade to eighth and found that nine percent of them were considered pathological players - similar percentages were found in other countries.

They also found that once a child becomes addicted to video games, he was more likely to become depressed, have social phobias, poorer grades and more anxiety.

You can rally against this study and its blatant flaws all you like, but the perspective remains the same: gaming is for children and it's warping their fragile minds. Even myself, a functional adult and graduate student, would be considered to have a gaming disorder by the standard of this study, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Do you know why there's nothing I can do about it? Because studies like this come out, and then our own industry tries to refute them with one hand and promotes M rated games to children with the other. This is something I cannot defend and you shouldn't either.

Game of the Year?

2011-01-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

We are many things, but timely isn't one of them; however, I think it's finally time to bring you the Gamefanboys Game of the Year awards!

While it may be true that in 2010 major publishers did not bring too many new and amazingly innovative games, many of the games released where quality versions of previous work (Phantasy Star Portable 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Super Street Fighter 4, Gran Turismo 5).

That said, leave it to indy developers and download titles to put a interesting spin on the year's lineup with some truly brilliant games (Super Meat Boy, Shank, Limbo, Minecraft).

So what games blew our mind this year? Hit the jump to find out!


Beauty like this set the visual style of Red Dead Redemption apart

Tom: I seriously had a game picked for game of the year.....and then Mark had to be a nice guy and give me Red Dead Redemption for Christmas. WTF man! This game is so good that it has to be my pick for game of the year! That said, I haven't played long enough to make any kind of educated statement about the game, therefore, I'll let Peter handle that.

On a side note, the game I originally wanted to make my game of the year was Phantasy Star Portable 2 for the PSP.

A GTA style game with fantastic shooting? I'm in love!

Peter: Many gamers are by now familiar with Red Dead Redemption as it has come to be one of the most wildly popular Rockstar games to date. Keep in mind: this is the same developer that brought you the Grand Theft Auto series, many of which are fan favorites. But Rockstar sought to define the genre by introducing Red Dead Redemption. That is, creating a game in the Wild West that actually works. To this end RDR achieves this and so much more. There is so much that can be said about this game that makes it great but I will limit it to a few.

An aspect of RDR was its intensely enjoyable multiplayer. This allowed the player to create a posse with their friends and stir up trouble by essentially making the player lobby the world, in what is known as “Free Roam.” Never before could you mount up and undertake missions in a world that is as alive as in RDR. For me though, the real draw of RDR was in its masterful storytelling, by offering you a world that you find yourself caring about Rockstar has shown us how epic a video game can be.

She may not look like much, but she got it where it counts

Mark: This year, I have to give my Game of the Year award to Minecraft. While there are many Triple-A titles that arrived on store shelves this year, there is a reason why Minecraft has nearly 1 million individual sales and over 2.5 million downloads - the game is all about gameplay and how you want to play and customize the game. With the game finally entering its Beta phase of development, multiplayer has now kicked into high gear along with the singleplayer component remaining as strong as ever.

Graphically, obviously the game is subpar compared to something like Black Ops, but the sandbox-style gameplay has players on a personal quest to not only survive hordes of skeletons, zombies, and creepers during the night, but to build houses, castles, floating islands, and literally anything else you can dream up. With a randomly generated world that builds itself as you explore, the same game is never played twice. This game in itself is a testament to what is possible for indie-game development.

More Tales From The Pachter

2010-12-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

By Mark

Gamefanboys.com's favorite whipping boy Michael Pachter (and many others too) is at it again just in time for the New Year news slowdown! Destructoid presented the gaming community with a little report in which Pachter said only fanboys care when he's wrong, and that he doesn't care what the gaming community says about him, because he's only interested in talking to analysts and shareholders.

O RLY!? Hang on, let me go to the archives and check a few things...ok done.

Here's the thing, this guy prides himself on not just talking to industry shareholders and other analysts (which he does and makes a living at it), but he also runs a show on Gametrailers and is a contributor for Industry Gamers.

His point that he divulges information for the sake of industry shareholders and makes forecasts just for them and not for us might be somewhat digestible if it wasn't for the above evidence. But let's play devil's advocate for a second. Let's say Michael Pachter's primary duty is in fact that of speaking to the business men and women of the gaming industry. Does it make it any less moronic of him to predict that an HD Wii will be coming by 2010? That EA might charge $10-$15 for a monthly subscription model for all of its online games? Or that MMORPGs would not be affected by economic conditions because those gamers are addicts and would keep playing despite their financial situation?

(Aside: On that last note, you can talk to two of my friends who have been hit by job loss and are trying to plan for their wedding late next year. Neither of them have touched World of Warcraft.)

The answer should be a flat-out NO! You're still giving investors opinion-based forecasts and not fact-based analysis. And yes, there is a difference between the two here. "Fanboys" who tease apart The Pachter's words have good reason to. Due to his involvement with several facets of the gaming industry, people - sadly - do listen to him and respond (albeit with reservation) on a certain level. In a sense, it's the "fanboys" that are keeping him honest in his predictions and general statements, because he is obviously incapable of policing himself.

Most people wouldn't have a problem with him if it weren't for the fact this guy has been built up as a sort of deity among industry analysts. If he wasn't prone to making ridiculous predictions and ignorant gaffes, gamers and game journalists wouldn't make much of him outside of him just being another "industry insider".

Then again if that were true, we'd have to find another whipping boy.

Massively Effective

2010-12-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

By Mark

Don't worry, this is the last cliched title I'll use this year...

Anyway, it's been circulating for a while now that Mass Effect 2 will be coming to the PS3 early next year. What's pretty damn cool is the fact the game will be using Mass Effect 3's engine.

Excuse me while I soil myself with anticipation.

Ok, I'm back. Yes, the news broke about a week-and-a-half ago when Bioware's Jesse Houston released the info on a podcast. Now, for all you fanboys out there, yes that does mean this version will look much better than the 360 version of the game. Congratulations, you won this round. For the rest of us, that means we'll essentially be getting a sneak peek at what Mass Effect 3 could be looking like in action.

Now, I had questioned the sanity of Bioware a while ago, wondering why they aren't releasing both Mass Effect 1 and 2, since players would probably be epically lost in the story arc. I mean, they are being plunked down right in the middle of the trilogy after all! Well, it turns out Bioware did heed this warning and decided to pull a Metal Gear Solid on PS3 users. In a partnership with Dark Horse comics, the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 will be shipping with an interactive digital comic detailing the events of the first game!

The best part? It will literally act as a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, with the player deciding the progress of the story similar to the first game. The choices you make in the comic will directly relate to the events of the second game, just like in the 360/PC versions. If you so choose of course.

I bring this up now, because the PSN made available the demo for Mass Effect 2 last week, just in time for Christmas. I have played it, and while I was thinking of buying the game and getting into the series earlier, I am REALLY going to buy the game now. Yes yes, I know the game has received more accolades than either of James Cameron's films combined, but I'm a skeptic at heart when it comes to hype.

So if you're a PS3 owner thinking about investing in the trilogy, download the demo and see for yourself. It gives a taste of both the action and story elements present in the game. I only played the first half of the demo due to spoiler warnings abound, and even that was good enough for me.

Source: Gamesradar

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

From All Of Us Here At GameFanboys.com:

We wish you and your family a happy holiday and hope you enjoy the time spent with your friends and family. If you're alone this year, maybe make a trip to help those less fortunate and partake in some Christmas cheer.

And once you're done with your friends, family, and less fortunate people, go play those nice games that you all got for the holiday!

Enjoy!

An "Open" Dilemma

2010-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every Friday, the crew at GameFanboys.com will bring you an opinion/analysis article. These are articles that are longer than our normal everyday posts, and are written by either Tom, Mark, or any of our contributors. Feel free to take time over the weekend to read and add comments of your own.

By Mark

With Fallout: New Vegas getting brand new downloadable content by the way of Dead Money, something has been bothering me that warrants discussion.

The two most prominent open world game developers right now are Bethesda and Rockstar. Between the Elder Scrolls/Fallout franchises that Bethesda makes, and the GTA/Red Dead Redemption games Rockstar makes, gamers have their share of "sandbox" type of games to choose from. I find these genres to be enjoyable, certainly, but I have noticed a crop of gamers popping up that are finding it more difficult to readily jump into these types of games, no matter how good they are. In truth, many of these gamers, myself included, tend to look at these games with a hint of uncertainty, in the sense that they are very daunting to delve into. There is simply so much content to them that, for someone like me who wants to experience everything (or at least 90% of what the games has to offer), it can be difficult to purchase the game, let alone spend the hours devoted to what the game needs to be fully experienced.

Then there's the issue of whether or not the game will "captivate" me. Open world games tend to be based around several hooks, most notably getting the gamer engrossed in their world. Truly, it is immersion that high-quality sandbox-style games go for to keep drawing players back into their world. Though not a necessity to have, without it gamers probably wouldn't replay the game at a future date.

In fact, that's exactly what happened to me with the original Fallout.

I love Oblivion. I love the fantasy genre and fantasy-type settings in games, so I was eagerly anticipating the game to come out, let alone the fact it's a quality RPG as well. It's this same love that has me stoked for Skyrim when it comes out later next year. However, I was hesitant to buy Fallout, despite its similarities to Oblivion and the fact it was made by Bethesda - a company that I now hold in high regard for quality.

However, when I finally bought and played the game a few months ago - I had to see what all the hype was about and see if I should purchase New Vegas or not as well - I decided shortly into my playtime that I would trade it in once I was finished with it. And finish it I did, too. While I had some compulsion to go back and revisit the game from a more evil perspective, I decided to trade in the game instead. Why? Because I genuinely found myself disconnected from the world that was created. Don't get me wrong, I thought walking around "post-apocalyptia" was fun, and at the same time scary for the vision it provides, but it just wasn't for me.

I recently had a chance to play Red Dead Redemption, and I must say I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys Westerns and/or shooters. Rockstar made a game that can appeal to people outside of the Western genre, and it should be given a chance. At the same time, I was simply overwhelmed by the staggering amount of gameplay choices present in the game. Even more expansive that Grand Theft Auto IV, the world of Red Dead almost literally allows you to live like a cowboy on the open range.

Thinking about it, once I completed the game, would I go back to it and replay it? It's a tough question, simply because the thought of having to go back and redo all that work to get back to where I would be by end-game is a daunting task, which provokes me into going back to the quick Modern Warfare 2 matches.

Is there really such a thing as too much immersion and too much..."openness"? Have we reached that threshold where games make themselves un-replayable due to their overload of side content? Are games trying to become too reflective of whatever setting they're trying to emulate that they sacrifice market appeal?

I personally don't think so; however, I'm sure people would disagree. I do think that developers might need to take a hard look at what content they want to include in games and decide if it's really necessary. I'm not talking about side quests, but more side content. Rockstar tends to be the biggest proprietor of side content, which includes things like collecting tons of automobiles for some guy in exchange for cash.

Perhaps the answer to having a too-expansive sandbox game is to shrink the size of it. The province of Cyrodil was frickin huge, as was the Capital Wasteland. Don't even get me started on Red Dead's territory. GTA IV did something smart. Whereas GTA: San Andreas went the biggest out of the PS2/Xbox trilogy, GTA IV decided to shrink itself while incorporating more useful space. There was simply more to do and see despite the smaller area the game was set in.

Perhaps the upcoming Elder Scrolls: Skyrim will do the same thing. Though I personally would like to see a large area with a variety of towns, dungeons, and environments, many others would probably enjoy a smaller area to explore, but with more of that area used up for random quests and unique world events.

Reducing the size of the world wouldn't be a bad place to start for sandbox games. At least gamers wouldn't have a sense of dread the first time they opened their map to look at the world they now inhabit. After all, dread tends to inhibit replay value a lot!

Around the Internet: Touch Arcade

2010-12-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

By Tom

If someone told me when the iPhone was relesed that iOS would turn out to be one of the biggest sources of quality mobile gaming, I would have told them it was just a fad that would be dead within the year. After all, a device as expensive as the iPhone would surely only be in the hands of people who had little to no interest in gaming. I also would have said "bullshit" to anyone telling me these devices would end up in the hands of children, but common sense has been proven wrong before.

Flash forward to now, and iOS is hosting one of the fastest growing gaming communities ever. It has everything from Bejeweled to Pocket Legends, a full iOS MMORPG. Besides the big titles from EA and Activision, iOS is also supported by Cave and a plethora of independent developers, making it a choice platform for both niche gamers and mainstream fans.

But, and this is a huge but, almost every day there appears to be more iOS news, and thanks to a gaming journalism community who still doesn't take the platform as seriously as it needs to be, much of this news is lost among the noise of the daily mainstream news. So where can you go to keep up with it? You would do well to bookmark Touch Arcade!

Touch Arcade is currently my number 1 choice of where to stop and find out the latest news on iOS and a fantastic archive of reviews, so stop by and show your support today!

Have you ever wanted to design a game character?

2010-12-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

They forgot Japanese characters must be emo

This is a good place to start [source: Kotaku]

Tis The Season - To Sue

2010-12-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

By Mark

You know, over the last year or so, I have lost count of how many lawsuits have revolved around the makers of games like Rock Band, Guitar Hero, or any other rhythm game that relies on licensing to push out a complete product.

The latest in a string of lawsuits is Rock Band's developer Harmonix suing their employer Viacom. Earlier this year, Viacom wanted around $150 million in bonuses it paid to shareholders of Harmonix. Now, Harmonix wants money from Viacom, claiming it somehow manipulated costs to prevent the bonuses.

I couldn't even begin to follow all this business wheeling and dealing. This year, the economy is crap. Last year, the economy was crap. Next year, the economy will probably be crap. With all the lawsuits hitting other companies for business reasons, and all the copyright infringement lawsuits that seem to keep hitting the Big Three console makers from random idiots, it just seems to me that people want a piece of the pie to keep their bottom line afloat.

Whether or not Harmonix has a viable argument remains to be seen in claims court. I personally would like to see Harmonix sued by the gamers who bought Rock Band 2 and all the other iterations of Rock Band out there, claiming that they are whoring the franchise just to get more money while delivering the same damn game all over again.

Come to think of it, EA Sports should be sued as well......

Source: Gamespot

This is a thing that exists: Toilet Video Games

2010-12-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

What is this I don't even

By Tom

There are some things I just can't type for myself, so I'll just quote them from an article:

"You control the thing with the power of your stream, aiming at sensors mounted in the surface of the bowl to control one of four available minigame types, which are shown on a screen mounted at eye level. The games available include graffiti erasure, controlling a mischievous gust of wind set on flipping ladies' skirts, and a simple one that estimates how much liquid was released based on the stream pressure.

Most intriguing, however, is a game involving using the stream pressure to push a sumo wrestler out of the ring. The opponent's power level is determined by the pressure of the last person to use the urinal. So yeah, multiplayer and leaderboards."

On a nice side note, this was developed by our friends at Sega.

Source: Destructoid

Monster Hunter Portable 3rd Becomes Fastest Selling Capcom Game Ever

2010-12-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

By Tom

While we have yet to see mainstream success for the Monster Hunter series in the west, Japan still eats the games up like crack. As a result, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd has now shipped 3 million units for PSP, making it the fastest selling game in Capcom history.

Personally, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PSP was some of the most fun I've ever had with a video game, so I expect great things from the next game.

Online Love

2010-12-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

By Maggie

Secret of Mana coming to iOS

2010-12-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

By Tom

Secret of Mana, one of the greatest Super Nintendo RPGs of all time, will be coming to the Apple apps store before the 23rd. That's the good news. The bad news: from what I can tell, they haven't made any significant changes to the game to make it a touch screen game. Why is that bad for a SNES RPG?

On the surface, that isn't a big complaint to level. However, Secret of Mana isn't your standard turn-based RPG. It is an action RPG where pixels can matter in your sword swing. So unless someone proves to me otherwise, I won't be picking it up. Especially since the game will come with the Square tax of being $5 higher than other games for no other reason than, "We can."

Seriously, if they're porting it to iOS, why not a PSP port? It would be a much better home for the old franchise.

Source: Touch Arcade

In Eleven Days, Cityville Reaches 22 Million Users

2010-12-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

By Tom

To put that in perspective, World of Warcraft is considered to have a massive user base at 12 Million. If Cityville was a country, it would be number 53 out of 225 in population. I have nothing more to add.

Elder Scrolls Fans Rejoice!

2010-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

By Mark

Who says the VGA awards are useless? Check out the trailer for the recently announced Elder Scroll below. I know what I'm getting for Christmas next year!

11/11/11 can't come soon enough!

Knights in the Knightmare Review

2010-12-13T02:37:00.000-08:00

Console: PSP [reviewed], Nintendo DS
Developer: Sting
Publisher: Atlus
Released: November 19, 2010
MSRP: $29.99

By Tom

Alright, are you ready for this? Knights in the Knightmare (KitN) is a bullet hell strategy RPG with slot machine elements and a twisted story. Also, there are puzzle elements too. How does this work? Well, you control a little wisp that floats around screen. You float the wisp over knights to control them while selecting their weapons and attacks. While this is happening, the enemies on screen are sending bullet patterns not after the knights, but after the wisp. Everything is timed, everything is intense, and you're left with the most unique experience you will ever find.

Are you still with me? After a description like that, odds are you know if you're interested in this game or not. If you are, then follow me after the jump for more information.

The above description does a fine justice to explaining how the game is played; however, actually playing it is a different beast. Luckily, the game provides a long and deep tutorial for getting started. Sadly, for the most part, this is a very directed tutorial with little room to play around, so if you get bored easily, the tutorial itself might be enough to make many people put the game down and never come back. It's noteworthy that when I played the DS version a while ago, I don't remember the tutorial being as interactive as the PSP version, which made me put the game down never to return, so beginners would do well to try the PSP version first.

After that disclaimer, there really aren't too many other places to go except for the breakdown, so here it is.

Story - 4
Perhaps I'm just too stupid to follow everything that's going on, but the game really doesn't make anything clear and eventually I just stopped caring and started skipping every cut scene. It doesn't really matter though since the meat of this game is the complex and unique gameplay.

This is a complex interface

Graphics - 8
This game is a very artistic game, and the graphics match that image. All the characters are very stylish and dark. That said, like any bullet hell game, the interface itself can get highly cluttered. Without a proper introduction, this clutter can get highly distracting.

Sound - 5
Music: average. Sound: average. There's nothing really that stands out here. Some copies of the DS version come with the game soundtrack, but it's nothing special and isn't worth seeking out. That said, the sounds and music aren't bad either, so I can't really complain.

Gameplay - 9
For translating a DS game to the PSP, the movement is amazing and you'd never know the game was originally designed for touch screen control. In fact, it may even be better without touch screen since your hand won't be in the way of the interface. Plus the PSP screen is bigger.

Replay Value - 5
I'm sure diehard RPG nuts will find a lot to like to try again, but your average gamer will try it, find it cool, and maybe play it again every now and then. This is not a game you'll play instead of everything else that comes out for the holiday season.

Overall (not an average) - 8
I don't expect everyone to pick this up. In fact, I don't expect a whole lot of people at all, but those that do will be in for the most unique experience available on any console. It truly was difficult to score this game because when you score something, you typically benchmark it with others in the genre, but Knights in the Knightmare transcends genres and becomes its own thing.

Spike TV Video Game Awards Once Again Make the Industry Look Bad

2010-12-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

By Tom

I've always heard that the Spike TV VGA just made video games look bad, but until this year, I've never been able to personally watch it. After taking the time to do so I can safely say I will never make that mistake again.

Were there trailers? Yes, but none of them were really trailers that gamers would care about. Most of them were cinematics that showed absolutely nothing of gameplay. Arkham City, Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, and Uncharted 3 had their moment in the spotlight, but worthless trailers weren't the offensive part of the show. The part of the show that was truly offensive was what they expected "gamers" to find funny.

The show opened as follows: short song and dance number that concluded with Neil Patrick Harris pulling out guns and killing everyone on stage. RIGHT THERE should tell you everything about who they thought their audience was. That isn't even comedy, that's just appealing to people who want violence. Afterwards, Neil Patrick Harris did his best attempt at gamer comedy, and failed terribly, even attempting comedy by turning game titles into porn movie titles. WTF!?!?!

Thankfully, the audience wasn't having any of this bullshit. Throughout most of the show, there wasn't even a chuckle to be heard. It was the most awkward and uncomfortable comedy show in the world. The only time the audience laughed (and admittedly me too) was when they introduced Spiderman making fun of NPH, which was aided by the fact that NPH has spent all night insulting everyone's intelligence. Some other mild comedy was sprinkled throughout the show by other people who clearly had no idea what they were talking about, but overall, the Spike TV VGA was a disaster. The show told gamers exactly what the mainstream thought of them; a bunch of immature kiddies.

Pink Friday

2010-12-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

Click to expand

By Maggie

Vuvuzelas 'R Us

2010-12-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

By Mark

Ubisoft has done quite a few things in the past to discourage piracy of their games. Most notably, that includes having its games become DRM, where PC players must basically register their game copy online in order for it to be played. Unfortunately, hackers still found a way to crack the DRM, so obviously Ubisoft has work to do.

On the portable side of gaming, it's well known the DS is a haven for pirates, with DS games being very easy to obtain illegally. To counteract this, Ubisoft decided to have some fun with its latest DS game: Michael Jackson: The Experience. And no, it's not creating a bad game (we'll not go there for this article).

Instead, Ubisoft included a code of some kind that when an illegal copy of the game is played, the game is unplayable, and instead the game is paused and - of all things - Vuvuzelas are played to annoy the player.

Piracy proof? Yes. Funny as hell? Aboslutely. Piracy sucks; they ruin the game industry, and we here have always been against it. Go ahead and bash Ubisoft for its creation of DRM for its PC games and the Vuvuzelas. But all it's doing is protecting its interests and the interests of the people who worked hard to create the games Ubisoft publishes.

I say, Vuvuzelas never sounded so good.