Latino Gamer

2012-01-31T02:53:00.000-08:00

Bioware - Mass Effect 3: Special Forces Trailer

If you haven't yet, check out Mass Effect 3 latest trailer featuring it's new multiplayer mode!

I can clearly remember when it was first announced that Mass Effect 3 would have a multiplayer mode. It was almost as if the world were about to end. Many people's first reactions were pretty mixed, mostly worried about how a co-op campaign would work and marry well with a single-player game. However, after learning that it's completely optional, everyone was able to breathe again. You may not be Commander Shepard, but knowing that you and three other buddies can create your own characters and be able to choose your race and class is something to look forward to. With details and this latest trailer showing off this new addition to the series, I can't help but be excited for this!

About the Author

Daisy is the artist and 3DS expert of latinogamer.com. A former GameStop employee and student at Glendale Community College, she currently resides in Los Angeles. She is a student flute player and loves the work of the great video games composers such as Nobuo Uematsu and Koji Kondo.

Daisy es el artista y experto sobre el 3DS de latinogamer.com. Anteriormente trabajaba en GameStop y estudiaba en el colegio de comunidad en Glendale. Estudia ser flautista y ama la musica de los gran compositores de videojuegos como Nobuo Uematsu y Koji Kondo.

2012-01-29T23:48:00.000-08:00

Photos from StreetPass Los Angeles 11 Meetup

Check out some of the pictures from the latest StreetPass Event!

Just wanted to share some of the photos from today's StreetPass Meetup. These events are always a great way to get together with the gaming community and meet new people, whether you have a 3DS or not.

Check out the rest of the photos over on our Facebook Page and remember to follow us on Twitter.

If you want to connect with the StreetPass folk and hear about their upcoming events, check them out at their Facebook and Twitter

About the Author

Rafael is the founder and video editor of latinogamer.com. Currrently a graduate student at California State University, Los Angeles pursuing his master's degree in Computer Science. He loves reading and learning about video game history and development. His dream is to be a video game designer.

Rafael es el creador y editor de video de latinogamer.com. Es estudiante de posgrado en la universidad del estado de california, los ángeles trabajando hacia su maestría en la ciencia de computación. Le encanta leer y aprender acerca de la historia y desarrollo de videojuegos. Su sueno es ser diseñador de videojuegos.

2012-01-27T23:43:00.000-08:00

Special Download Mewtwo for Pokemon Black or White Version Coming Soon

For those who have been waiting for him.

According to Pokemon.com and PokeBeach.com there will be an opportunity to download the all-mighty Mewtwo onto your copies of Pokemon Black or White. Apparently, he will possess the special move Electro Ball, which it cannot usually learn. I put the game down a while back, but I'll definitely bring it back out to pick this guy up. The specifics have not been announced yet, but it should be available February 12th. We will keep you posted.

I'm so glad we don't wait all day at a mall in line to get these event 'mon anymore...

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2012-01-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

Can Role-Playing Games Heal? Part 1 - Professor Gamer

Check out the short video introducing our new feature Professor Gamer as well as his first article for the site!

After reading The Function of Role-playing Games by Sarah Lynne Bowman (2011), I felt it was most appropriate to begin a longer discussion about the healing powers of video games rather than a single review of the issues she raises in her work. In the subsequent parts I will discuss her views on the concept of using role-playing to heal communities as well as the ability to solve problems, explore identity and eventually serve other social functions like dealing with bigotry and racism. But today, I want to offer a look at the roots of role-playing games, why they might potentially offering “healing practices” and my own personal experience and fascination with this genre.

First, my transition into the genre of action-adventure and RPG

My first experience with the action adventure genre and introduction into the fantastical world of RPG games began when I was about 7 years old and to my great delight my father brought home a new Super-Nintendo entertainment system, complete with a new controller and my own copy of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I can remember the first hours of my gaming experience as I marveled at the eerie feeling of being trapped inside a medieval dungeon and finally the wonderful exuberance as I emerged from the first quest to a bright landscape revealed by the afternoon sun.

After playing this game, I went outside and did my own self-play using the Hyrulian characters and putting them in interesting and novel situations. These games helped me to create my own narratives and facilitate my inquisitive nature and creative side.

Roots of RPGs in Medieval Fantasy, Science Fiction and Gothic Punk

Little did I know when playing The Legend of Zelda that this action adventure game would help me transition into the world of role-playing games like Final Fantasy and others. Moreover, as I continued playing these games I learned about several unique cultural developments which had made the genre possible. First, the common medieval themes in role-playing games are partially the result of the paperback release of J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings book, which became “tremendously popular, especially on American college campuses during the late 1960’s and 1970’s” (Bowman, 16). The success of this work led to resurgence in the genre of fantasy fiction and inspired a plethora of other works based on the Tolkien taxonomy (elf, human, orc, hobit, etc.). Moreover, resurgence of interest in the realm of the fantastical meant several things to Tolkien. According to Bowman, narratives served three important functions for Tolkien. First, they allowed people to escape the mundane in order to recover a sight that was previously obscured. Furthermore, the participant in the fantasy received a sense of Consolation and moral reinforcement, which Tolkien called eucatastrophe, or a “climactic affirmation of both joy and light; pleasure alloyed with moral confidence” (56). Rather than despair which is present in the genre of horror and speculative fiction, Tolkien claimed that fantasy led to “moral rearmament” of the individual in addition to simply a necessary escapism (ibid). In this way, fantasy narratives like Lord of the Rings allowed readers to experience both joy and pleasure, but also to begin to reclaim some of the more heroic aspects of their lives.

This sense of new found heroism and mysticism about the world, helped many readers reclaim individual and collective agency as well as a re-enchantment with the world. Following the emergence from the rigidity of the 50s, people were able to reinvent themselves in a variety of ways. The Society for Creative Anachronism or SCA emerged in 1966 from a group of friends as a “medieval style going away party” eventually growing into a non-profit educational society which attempted to “create an idealized version of medieval life emulating chivalry, honor, courtesy, beauty and grace without such inconveniences as the Black Plague, Inquisitions, and intercultural strife” (18). In this idealize version of life, members would develop an “alter-ego that gradually evolves... from the social and historical influences of living within this shared alternate reality” (ibid).

One particular form of communal reenactment that emerged during the fascination with medieval fantasy was the Dungeons and Dragons game. D & D was a unique blend of role-playing and strategy which combined themes present in Tolkien, the concept of the alter ego implicit in communal organizations like SCA, and the tactics of war simulations games also growing in popularity. D & D introduced the role of an impartial referee, allowed participants to identify with a particular individual rather than the whole army (like in chess), introduced the concept of a story-line or campaign rather than a single battle (as players journeyed to enter dungeons and explore caves), and it allowed characters to perform a multitude of actions beyond fighting (Bowman, 20).

Moving a D & D structure into the world of science fiction, other role-playing games introduced the notion of skill building and further refined the sense of epic exploration. Although these themes had been present within literary genre, video games brought the player into a unique relationship with fantastical worlds they now journeyed to explore. As the battles became in a certain sense more personal, this also gave way to a new way to explore the inner desires of the player and perhaps confront some subconscious desires.

As Generation X began to challenge the materialism and inequalities of the generation before, their attitudes of criticism of power and privilege inspired a new kind of introspective gaming experience. White Wolf’s Vampire: the Masquerade (1991) game serves as a “direct thematic response” to the concerns of Generation X. The subtitle to this game, was a “storytelling game of personal horror” bringing together the “conventions” of a romanticized Gothic world with the aesthetics of punk culture (Bowman, 22). In this game, you play the role of a vampire who struggles to negotiate a predatory nature with a sense of compassion in a world which displays the victories of greed, corruption and moral bankruptcy. Thus, as you play the role of vampire you not only must overcome the brokenness of the world, but you confront uncomfortable choices and analyze the moral consequences of your actions in a more personal and profound way.

While this short history is incomplete, one can see how the themes of escapism, community and introspection have become an essential part of the gaming experience. In this way, the player in the role-playing game is presented with a new set of choices that allows them create a new identity and explore alternative desires. This begs the question, can the RPG provide a way to challenge players and transform their social relationships, or do they simply distract you with brainless “level-grinding” exercises that do no more than keep you addicted to playing the game itself.

The Potential to Heal

When we are talking about healing, we are primarily talking about the restoration of social relationships and emotional healing rather than physical healing (although game devices can be used to accompany physical rehabilitation programs), meaning the development of a web of social relations and connections which build up the individual. But, in a video game can such a form of “healing” become realized if the world in which social interactions takes place is a virtual one? The next post will cover how video games connect individuals to a community, and a critical look at how the online or virtual community helps individuals to build social webs, and recover from feelings of loneliness and isolation.

About the Author

Tim Urista is a student of the Claremont School of Theology. He's a longtime Zelda fan and an old-school gamer with a lot of love for the storytelling capabilities of video games. As Professor Gamer, he shares his insights into the world and history of the various gaming genres and franchises.

Tim Urista es estudiante de la escuela de teología en Claremont. Es fanático de Zelda y jugador de la vieja escuela con mucho amor para la capacidad de contar cuentos en videojuegos. Como nuestro profesor compartirá sus puntos de vista hacia el mundo y la historia de los varios géneros y series de juegos.

2012-01-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Latino Gamer @ Shifted2u.com - Let's Discuss Sonic the Hedgehog

Check out another article I wrote up for Shifted2u.com!

About the Author

2012-01-11T17:03:00.000-08:00

StreetPass Southern California Meetup Recap Video

Check out our video recap of last month's StreetPass meetup.

Back on December 17th Nintendo had a big StreetPass meetup with all the southern California StreetPass groups. There was a raffle, Mario Kart 7 tournament and plenty of opportunity to meet other gamers. Here are the links where you can find each of the StreetPass groups.

https://www.facebook.com/StreetPassLA | https://twitter.com/#!/StreetPassLA
https://www.facebook.com/StreetPassOC | https://twitter.com/#!/StreetPassOC
https://www.facebook.com/StreetPassIE | https://twitter.com/#!/StreetPassIE

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2012-01-10T13:28:00.000-08:00

Hideo Kojima’s jungle epic heads to Nintendo 3DS in March

METAL GEAR SOLID: SNAKE EATER 3D for Nintendo 3DS™ will be released on March 8th.

METAL GEAR SOLID: SNAKE EATER 3D is a reworked update of the best-selling PlayStation®2 title, and brings that game’s immersive jungle setting to life using the handheld’s glasses-free 3D imaging system. KONAMI has also confirmed that the new game will also make use of the new Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro accessory, and has revealed the packshot for the first time.

METAL GEAR SOLID: SNAKE EATER 3D is set during the Cold War of the 60s, and sees series hero Snake infiltrating the Soviet jungle to bring back a scientist being held against his will. Starting on the outskirts of a military base, the player must use Snake’s stealth skills along with the foliage and shade that the jungle offers as cover to infiltrate unseen. As the game progresses, old faces make unwelcome appearances and a series of terrifying boss characters must be defeated before leading up to a dramatic twist that brings Snake face to face with a key figure from his past…

The new game springs to life in 3D, with the jungle’s dense foliage and craggy outcrops acting as truly immersive cover as the player works their way through the lush setting. The game also takes full advantage of the split-screen format, enabling easier access to Snake’s inventory, which is now located below the main action. The game also supports gyro synchronization, for special actions like balancing on narrow ledges that will draw players further into the world of MGS. Similarly, targeting enemies is now made simpler with the addition of Circle Pad Pro-compatibility, with the second Circle Pad allowing users to target distant foes with ease.

Concealing one’s self and sneaking up on guards is central to METAL GEAR SOLID: SNAKE EATER 3D, but the 3D elements make key boss battles and exploration all the more incredible. The Nintendo 3DS title utilises a first-person view in which the foliage can be seen brushing past as Snake moves through it, and the many creatures that inhabit the locale will attack if Snake disturbs them. However, these can also be killed and stored as rations, highlighting how Snake must also overcome his surroundings while undercover on his mission…

Another addition exclusive to METAL GEAR SOLID: SNAKE EATER 3D is an all-new camouflage photography system. Within the game, Snake can alter his ensemble to match and blend in with his immediate environment and the possibilities can range from brick-colored fatigues within buildings, to the classic camouflage khakis of the jungle. Users can now take a picture of real-life items and create a camo suit based on them – although the extent of its effectiveness will vary depending on how well your pictures blend with Snake’s environment!

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2012-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City - Triple Impact Trailer

The USS and Spec-Ops soldiers collide as Raccoon City is overrun with zombies.. and more.

Courtesy of Capcom Unity's YouTube Channel, here's the new trailer for Operation Raccoon City.

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2012-01-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition Announcement

You knew it was coming.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to Release Expanded Version of Award-Winning Fighting Game

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced the Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, a content-rich version of 2011’s award-winning Mortal Kombat videogame. The 2011 iteration of the legendary fighting franchise sold more than three million units worldwide and was recently named Fighting Game of the Year by Spike TV’s 2011 Video Game Awards.

Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition delivers the critically acclaimed game and all previously released downloadable content (DLC). The DLC includes fan-favourite warriors Skarlet, Kenshi and Rain, as well as the infamous dream stalker Freddy Krueger. The game also offers 15 Klassic Skins and three Klassic Fatalities (Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Reptile).

Developed by NetherRealm Studios and led by Mortal Kombat co-creator and creative director Ed Boon, the game will be available from March 2nd on PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

The 2011 release of Mortal Kombat was a triumphant return to the game’s original mature presentation offering over-the-top fatalities and wince-inducing X-ray moves. Going back to a 2D fighting plane, this latest iteration in the franchise introduced a number of new gameplay features including Tag Team, Challenge Tower, and a deep story mode. Players can choose from an extensive line-up of the game’s iconic warriors and challenge their friends in traditional 1 vs. 1 matches, or take on several players in the innovative online King of the Hill mode.

For more information about Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, please visit www.themortalkombat.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mortalkombat or on Twitter @MK_Mortalkombat

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2012-01-06T23:48:00.000-08:00

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses

Here's the press release regarding the Legend of Zelda concert tour.

Event Featuring New Four-Movement Symphony ours North America Throughout 2012

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 5, 2012 – Starting today, video game fans and music lovers in North America can purchase tickets for an extraordinary concert tour that celebrates one of the most beloved game series of all time. The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses tour will feature live orchestral performances of theme music from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise.

The name "Symphony of the Goddesses" refers not only to the concert program but also to the new four-movement symphony recounting the classic storylines from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time™, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker™, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess™ and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past™. Fans can also expect to hear stirring orchestral renditions of music from other games in the series, including The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening™ and Th e Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask™. The full orchestra will be conducted by Eímear Noone with arrangements by music director Chad Seiter.

Since first appearing in 1986, The Legend of Zelda game series has sold more than 65 million units worldwide. The most recent entry in the series is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which launched exclusively for the Wii™ console in November.

Concert dates and locations are as follows (subject to change):

Jan. 10: Dallas
March 14: Vancouver, British Columbia
March 26: Seattle
March 28: San Francisco
April 7: Denver
April 20-21: Phoenix
May 12: Atlanta
May 31: Montreal, Quebec
June 22: Austin, Texas
July 14: Orlando, Fla.
Sept. 29*: Toronto, Ontario - tickets on sale March 31

Additional dates and locations will be announced throughout 2012. Fans can view a complete tour schedule, find ticketing information and sign up for a regularly updated digital newsletter at http://zelda-symphony.com. For more information about The Legend of Zelda video game series, visit http://zelda.nintendo.com.

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2012-01-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

SEGA Reloads The House of the Dead 3 and 4 Exclusively for PlayStation® Network

Check out the trailer and press release for Sega's re-release of House of the Dead 3 & 4

SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that legendary horror arcade shooter The House of the Dead 3™ will be coming exclusively to PlayStation®Network on February 7, followed by the arcade shooter The House of the Dead 4™ this spring. Both titles have been updated with HD graphics, trophies, and complete PlayStation®Move support to give players the full arcade The House of the Dead™ experience in their living room.

“The House of the Dead has always been one of SEGA’s most popular series, and over the years we have worked hard to bring that full arcade experience to console owners,” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “The abilities of the PlayStation 3, as well as PlayStation Move, have let us get closer than ever before. The only thing these titles are missing is a need for quarters.”

Originally released in 2002, The House of the Dead 3 introduced a number of new elements to the series, including “rescue events,” a shot ranking and grading system that challenges players to shoot both quickly and accurately, and a Boss “cancel” bar that players must fill to fend off devastating attacks. Featuring unique-to-console gameplay mechanics, The House of the Dead 3 can be played using a PlayStation Move controller or a standard PlayStation controller.

The House of the Dead 4 arrived in arcades in 2005, and its upcoming release on PlayStation®Network will be the first time this extremely rare title has ever appeared on a home console. In addition to the run-and-gun-down-creatures gameplay players had come to know and love, this title introduced hidden “treasure rooms” that contain score-boosting items, as well as interactive sequences that force players to push away grabby enemies. Watch out for the biters!

For more information please visit http://www.sega.com/games/house-of-the-dead-3/

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2012-01-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

Latino Gamer @ Shifted2u.com - Let's Discuss Operation Rainfall

To start off the new year, check out my first article on shifted2u.com!

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2011-12-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 Reveal Trailer

We finally have ourselves a trailer for this.

I know things around here have been pretty quiet, but we do have a lot of things planned for the coming year. I really want to get a running start with 2012, so please keep your eyes on the site and our facebook page.

In the meantime, allow me to make up for the lack of updates with a trailer I know a lot of us have been looking forward to: Sonic 4: Episode 2.

If you're interested in the accompanying interview, you can check it out at Destructoid.

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2011-11-29T18:26:00.001-08:00

Giant Robot Presents: Game Night 7 - This Saturday

Another event going on this Saturday hosted by GiantRobot.

Our friends over at AngryBananas.com would like to share with you an event going on this Saturday where a couple of indie games will be shown off. According to the description, the folks from StreetPass will be there as well, so bring your 3DS if you have one. Either way, this sounds like a great way to connect with the community and check out some games while you're at it.

You can go directly to check the event page on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/294675493898210/

If Facebook's not your thing, check out the info below.

In conjunction with the Attract Mode, Meat Bun apparel, and Angry Bananas, Giant Robot is proud to host Game Night 7, an event that takes place at GR2 about every two months. For this seventh installment, we are featuring two games by Polytron, Fez and superHYPERCUBE.

Both games appeared at Indiecade in Los Angeles and turned heads and as well as provided top notch entertainment. Fez is a well designed scrolling type of game. You’re a character moving around an atmosphere that’s artistic and cute and the entire environment actually shifts as you make turns. It’s an instant classic. superHYPERCUBE is a game requiring 3d glasses and runs of a Xbox 360 Kinect. It takes motion and depth perception and is an insane feat using the technology of today’s games. Both games provide very separate experiences and is guaranteed to amaze.

Nintendo 3DS StreetPass: Meetup Everywhere is a simple-to-use online platform that enables an organization’s fans or followers to coordinate local, real-life meetups based on shared interests. Nintendo 3DS users who are interested in sharing content with others via StreetPass are invited to visit http://www.meetup.com/nintendo3ds to find events in their area or to plan their own StreetPass meetups. Users are also encouraged to use the “#streetpass” hashtag within social media to promote Nintendo 3DS StreetPass events throughout the year and attract even more participants.

Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based publication about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles.

Game Night 7 will take place on Saturday, December 3rd 2011, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

For more information about Game Night, GR2, or Giant Robot magazine, please contact:
Eric Nakamura
Giant Robot Owner/Publisher
eric@giantrobot.com
(310) 479-7311
2062 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

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2011-11-28T15:15:00.001-08:00

Latino Gamer Reviews – Need for Speed: The Run

After all the hype, let us finally take a real look at the latest Need for Speed.

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Black Box
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
Platform: Playstation 3; also available for Xbox 360, PC, Wii & 3DS.

The Story

Need for Speed: The Run is the latest entry to the long-running franchise. While Slightly Mad Studios brought us a pro racer simulation in Shift 2: Unleashed earlier this year, here Black Box returns the series to being more action-packed complete with aggressive opponents, interesting courses and police cars chasing you down. All of this combines into a game that feels very alive and delivers quite an energetic experience.

Our protagonist is Jack Rourke, your typical scruffy white guy – the default player character by today’s gaming conventions – who find himself indebted to the mafia. Early on, we meet Jack’s equally boring associate Sam Harper, who informs him of “The Run” – a cross-country race from San Francisco to New York for a multi-million dollar cash prize, which will resolve Jack’s problem.

When I first played about an hour of the single-player campaign at a preview I was very impressed by the fact that it seemed to be a proper story mode tying together a series of races. However, I was expecting more of a plot as you encountered competing drivers and other characters along the way. This failed to happen. You do encounter a few of the other drivers along The Run, but their only characterization is a still image and quick bio before the race. To its credit, some story does happen in the form of obstacles. At a couple of points during the game, Jack has to deal with the Mafia or police coming after him. Oddly enough, the characters with the most dialogue end up being the police officers Jack is constantly listening to through a police scanner. This at least livens up what would otherwise be speech-less races.

The Gameplay

The visuals are typical for today - attractive, but not especially awe-inspiring. The soundtrack does not exactly consist of songs you would keep on your iPod, but it fits the mood and tension of the game incredibly well. When the game begins, and at a couple of the aforementioned story-driven obstacle points, you must play through some quick-time events to get Jack to survive. I can only assume this was meant to break up the long stretches of races without having to create a second set of controls for different gameplay sections. While QTEs are often frowned upon by many gamers, they are not too bad in this case. They come up at multiple points, so you do get a sense that they are part of the game and not a lone throwaway section, but I would have preferred something that gave you more actual control over your character. However, the bulk of the gameplay is obviously the actual driving and this the game does very well.

Each stage involves you racing to get ahead in The Run. Most stages either have you racing for position and give you an amount of opposing drivers you must pass up by the end of the stage or for time and do not have opposing drivers, but instead give you checkpoints you must reach within a time limit. I found these “ordinary” stages the most enjoyable since they feel very much like what a racing game should be. The “boss” stages involve you trying to outrun one of the rival drivers, sometimes accompanied by other competitors. You get a quick description of the rival, but not much else. The upside is that defeating certain rivals unlocks their car for your own use. The most tedious stages are the so-called “battles.” These fall in between conceptually. In these you have multiple opponents and a certain amount of time in which to pass up each one. There is not really anything about them that makes them battles – these are really just regular stages with multiple constraints.

Rival Driver Wait a minute... there IS a Latino in this game? A character with a much more tender and relatable backstory? Well how come I can't play as HIM?

The Multiplayer is mostly what one would expect. You can jump online and race against human opponents in a set of events. Here you can gain XP and unlockables as well as obtain certain trophies that are unique to the multiplayer. Autolog makes a return allowing you to keep tabs on your friends so you may challenge their times. Black Box did their best to make this mode accessible: when you crash it does not take long for the game to warp you back in line to continue and you can even join a race in progress.

As you make progress, you will unlock driver abilities, cars, icons, backgrounds and even mottos that will display to your online opponents. This game makes me think of Smash Bros. with the amount of content there is to unlock.

Unfortunately, this game is lacking some key aspects. The feeling that there might be a grand story unfolding before you intrigues you early on, but this curiosity is never satisfied. Besides that, you can tell that the developers were trying to make resetting during a race painless, but this does not quite work out correctly. There are times when you just barely go off the road or touch a nearby wall and could very easily continue, but the game automatically resets you to the previous checkpoint because it decided you were out of bounds. There are other times when you crash hard and fly into the neighboring forest and wait for a second expecting the game to reset you, but then you realize it is not going to, because that area is apparently fair play, even though it would take you a long time to get out – at least you can just press select in this case.

The Bottom Line

Need for Speed: The Run is a very enjoyable game for racing enthusiasts and casual fans alike. Once you get started the typical gamer mentality takes over and you want to keep going to see it through to the end. Once complete, however, it ends up feeling a bit light. The multiplayer, choice of many cars and ease of the campaign give the game fair replayability whether or not you are a racing fan, but this also could have benefited from some more options - I know I would play it all over again if we could play as Cesar. Ultimately, this game suffered from lack of time to really make it shine. A more fleshed out plot would have given the game more substance while polishing out the exact mechanics would have improved the overall experience significantly. The campaign is still very enjoyable, so even if you are not a fan of racing games I recommend renting this title as it may just be the one to get you a bit more excited for the genre. Hardcore racing fans will get their money’s worth from purchasing this game since they can spend months trying to beat their and their friends’ best times as well as facing each other online.

As a final note, I would just like to warn that I have heard complaints regarding the PC, Wii and 3DS versions of this game. This review refers specifically to the PS3 version, which is most likely nearly identical to the Xbox 360 version, but I recommend you do some more research before purchasing the PC, Wii or 3DS version.

Thank you for reading and happy gaming.

Final Score

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2011-11-28T12:19:00.001-08:00

'Gua-Le-NI' or 'The Horrendous Parade' - iPad

Here's a quick look at a casual game for the iPad released today.

'Gua-Le-NI' is a new action/puzzle game for the iPad. Seems a bit trippy from the trailer, so if you are into unique puzzle games this might just be worth checking out. If you think this sounds interesting, go ahead and scroll down to check out the trailer, description and screenshots. If you end up trying it out, leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

App Name: Gua-Le-Ni
Platform: iPad
Rating: 4+
Primary Category: Games
Subcategory: Action
Subcategory: Puzzle
Price: US $4.99
Description:

Categorize the fantastic paper-animals before they flee the bestiary which contains them! Use the taxonomic cubes! Feed the brutes!

Double Jungle's 'Gua-Le-Ni, or: The Horrendous Parade' (http://www.gua-le-ni.com) is the first commercially-released casual video game whose development and tuning were guided by the analysis of its players' psychophysiological responses. Starting from very early builds, The Academy for Digital Entertainment at NHTV Breda University of Applied Science (The Netherlands) assisted the Italian development team of Double Jungle in obtaining a detailed insight into the psychophysiological (or biometric) effects that their casual action-puzzle videogame had on its target audience. In particular, our experiments correlated stress levels and the contraction of facial muscles with in-game performance in order to establish whether 'Gua-Le-Ni' offered the cognitive challenge, the learning curve, the duration and the enjoyment the designers had in mind for their product.

Taxonomy has never been so much fun!

URL http://www.gua-le-ni.com

Release date November 28, 2011

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2011-11-25T23:30:00.001-08:00

Trailer -- The King of Fighters XIII Game by ATLUS

The new fighting game by ATLUS with a pretty kick-ass trailer.

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2011-11-24T15:54:00.001-08:00

Jak and Daxter Collection Announcement Trailer

Trailer for yet another HD collection.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Here, enjoy the trailer for Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter collection!

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2011-11-23T00:27:00.001-08:00

Latinogamer.com - Discussion on Review Scoring

Today we are gonna talk about the direction of the site.

If you are a longtime visitor of LatinoGamer.com, you may have noticed that it has been a good while since I have posted a straightforward review, which was the original purpose of this website. The site has undergone some restructuring, we have received more opportunities to attend events and Dpad Daisy has come on to give the site a second voice, so I have had to decide exactly what direction LatinoGamer.com should take. As an important part of this, I have been putting a lot of thought into what style of review scoring, if any, I want us to implement.

I started putting videos on YouTube almost three years ago and these reviews did not include any sort of numerical scoring. This is because I felt such systems were not actually all that helpful. After all, you cannot really convey the quality of a game against all other games in a linear fashion. Instead, I made it a point to say who I believe would or would not enjoy the particular game. This approach was much more flexible and made the most sense to me at the time.

Moving forward, I realize that readers today expect to see some sort of score given how much of a standard it has become. However, there has also been a lot of negative discussion recently in regards to reviewers’ scores, much of it stemming from an oversaturation of high scores leading people to believe that only “9’s” and “10’s” and worth playing.

I do like the “hybrid” system that Blistered Thumbs and ScrewAttack use in which they award games both a numerical score from 1 to 10 as well as an author’s recommendation such as “For Fans Only!” or “Rent it!” This allows a game to receive technically-average score, but a recommendation to buy due to originality or because the author feels it is of great value while a technically-superior game may receive a higher score, but a recommendation to rent due to brevity or not being on an ideal platform. With this as a starting point, I set off to develop a system that could be more expressive than what has become commonplace. Ultimately, the biggest flaw in the standard 1-10 system is that you cannot express something as multi-faceted as a video game – taking into account narrative, aesthetics, music, ambiance, genre, control and fun factor – on a one-dimensional scale. The following is the review structure and scoring system we have decided upon for latinogamer.com.

Opening

Title
Publisher
Developer
ESRB Rating

This is just the facts. Perhaps you are a fan of a certain developer or maybe you are a parent and want to know the rating right away.

The Story

This will cover both the actual in-game narrative as well as any interesting history there might be behind the game or its place in a series (sequel, reboot?)

The Gameplay

Naturally, this will be the bulk of most reviews. Here the author of the review goes over the controls, mechanics and modes of play, discusses the content, length, difficulty and – most importantly – overall fun factor of the game.

The Bottom Line

This is basically the closing comments. Is there something unique about the art style or soundtrack? Does is have any other noteworthy aspects? Is there something outright offensive about it? Most importantly, who would or would not like this game? Maybe the author feels very strongly that one should play the previous entry in this series before trying this one or only if they have played other games of similar difficulty.

Score

This is where our system comes in. What we have decided is that our scores will consist of two numbers plus a “thumb” and author’s remarks. The two numbers are both on a 0-10 scale and will be represented by a colored bar. The first number represents our overall recommendation of the game for fans of the genre. The second number, which is always equal to or less than the first, is our recommendation to people who are not fans of the genre or the franchise. This means that a 10-10 (completely blue bar) is a true masterpiece with universal appeal and a 1-1 is an utter shame of a game while a 10-1 is an amazing game, but only for those who are already fans – it will have no appeal to non-fans. Here is an example of when this distinction will come in handy:



Score: 9 – 6	Score: 8 - 7

In this case, I have given Final Fantasy X a nine for fans, because I believe it is a great RPG that fans will get a lot of entertainment out of, but a six for non-fans, because it is still a very straightforward RPG that will be only slightly above average for those who have not been fans of RPGs in the past. On the other hand, Grandia III is still a really great RPG, but does not give you as much “bang for your buck” so it gets and eight for fans. However, it is still a seven for non-fans since I feel it is more likely to appeal to them than Final Fantasy X due to originality. This illustrates how two games can have different scores without one necessarily being ‘better’ than the other. This will also be followed by a “thumbs” up, middle or down and, optionally, additional author’s remarks. This allows us to, for example, give a game high numbers as well as a “thumbs down” and a “skip it” because we feel it is technically superior, but have some other strong reason to dislike it or average numbers as well as a “thumbs up” or a “must buy” because, although it is technically average, it is so unique that you really should play it despite the flaws.

Also, whenever more than one of us plays a game we will have additional score set as a second opinion listed on the same review. This may also be done retroactively if one of us plays a game later.

This is the system we will be using from now on whenever Daisy, I or anyone who might join us in the future posts a proper review. This does not mean we will not also try out different ideas (retrospectives, snapshots, comparisons, essays) or alter this system in the future, but that is it for now. For future reference, the system breakdown will also be added (with greater detail) as a tab on the navigation bar. We hope you will all find this useful and, of course, we welcome any feedback. Thank you.

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2011-11-22T23:30:00.001-08:00

Batman: Arkham City - Play as Robin DLC Trailer

The trailer taking a quick look at the Robin DLC.

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2011-11-21T16:31:00.001-08:00

Magic Pixels' Carnival Island Preview - Latino Gamer

We got to visit the fine folks at Magic Pixels for an interview and some hands-on time with their new game Carnival Island.

Enjoy the video! Scroll down for photos and screenshots.

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2011-11-16T17:12:00.001-08:00

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto turns 59 Today

Today we are sharing a short tribute to Mr. Miyamoto.

Found this video over at the Game Overthinker's blog. The creator, YouTube user WyldStallynsGames says he wants it shared, so I thought everyone might enjoy this beautiful tribute to the father of the modern video game - Shigeru Miyamoto.

This video is in celebration of The Legend of Zelda's 25th anniversary and is titled, very appropriately, Father of My Childhood. Indeed, it was his Super Mario Bros. games on the original Nintendo Entertainment System that started me (many of us, I'm sure) on my lifelong love affair with video games. Love them or hate them, Miyamoto's games have influenced the very foundation of this industry. Lord only knows how different the world would be without this man's work, which is what got Nintendo going and which many credit for putting an end to the post-Atari era Video Game Crash. Without his work, I would not have created this website.

For all of the worlds you have created and everything you have done, thank you.

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2011-11-15T22:31:00.001-08:00

Español | Need for Speed The Run Llega a las tiendas

Today we have a Need for Speed press release for our Spanish readers.

La franquicia de carreras automovilísticas más vendida de la industria de los videojuegos regresa con un elenco estelar, incluyendo figuras como Christina Hendricks de “Mad Men” y Sean Faris de “Never Back Down.”

La franquicia de juegos de carreras automovilísticas más vendida de todos los tiempos ha regresado, y las expectativas son más altas que nunca. Prepárate para correr por tu vida en una vibrante carrera automovilística de costa a costa del país, desde el Golden Gate hasta el Empire State, ya que Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) anunció hoy que Need for Speed™ The Run ya se encuentra disponible en tiendas minoristas de Norteamérica. Need for Speed The Run ya ha sido merecedor de la puntuación perfecta, 5/5, de Stuff Magazine, mientras que Men’s Health anuncia que el juego ofrece “una carrera automovilística con una dosis de acción extraordinaria”. Por otra parte, Univision destaca a Need for Speed The Run por sus “espectaculares autos y la intensa acción automovilística” y GameTrailers declara que el juego es “pura diversión al volante”.

Con un elenco estelar, incluyendo a la estrella de Mad Men Christina Hendricks, Sean Faris de Never Back Down, la modelo de tapa de Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011 Irina Shayk y la modelo de Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Chrissy Teigen, Need for Speed The Run lleva a los jugadores a competir en una emocionante carrera automovilística de costa a costa del país conocida simplemente como “The Run.” Con $25 millones en juego, los jugadores toman el volante como Jack Rourke y recorren miles de millas de peligrosos terrenos, desde San Francisco hasta Nueva York, enfrentándose a otros 200 corredores y evadiendo a la policía y a la mafia que siguen sus pasos muy de cerca.

“Este es el juego de Need for Speed más grandioso, más veloz y más peligroso que hemos lanzado hasta el momento”, señaló Jason DeLong, Productor Ejecutivo de Need for Speed The Run. “Need for Speed The Run ofrece toda la emoción de las electrizantes carreras automovilísticas que caracterizan a esta serie y aumenta el nivel del juego con increíbles secuencias de acción y las sensacionales actuaciones de su estelar elenco”.

Y la acción no termina cuando los jugadores cruzan la línea de llegada en Nueva York. Need for Speed The Run ofrece una adictiva serie de desafíos y una función altamente competitiva para múltiples jugadores. Con este videojuego también regresa la aclamada función Autolog, brindando información sobre el desempeño de los jugadores minuto a minuto para garantizar que estén siempre compitiendo cabeza a cabeza con sus amigos, enemigos y competidores en línea.

Los paisajes panorámicos y el impactante entorno casi real de The Run son posibles gracias al motor Frostbite™ 2. La potencia bruta del motor del juego DICE, que mejoró los combates en tiempo real en Battlefield 3, permitió dotar a Need for Speed The Run de una escala y un alcance masivos, desde pistas con increíbles efectos visuales, como las resbalosas pendientes de Independence Pass, CO, hasta los vehículos más modernos, incluyendo el nuevo Porsche Carrera S del 2012 y el nuevo Lamborghini Aventador del 2012.

The Run es el 18º producto de la franquicia Need for Speed. Desde sus comienzos con el lanzamiento de The Need for Speed en 1994, la franquicia ha vendido más de 115 millones de unidades y ha generado ingresos por un total de más de mil millones de dólares.

Need for Speed The Run ya está disponible en Norteamérica, y estará disponible en Europa a partir del 17 de noviembre de 2011, para el sistema de videojuegos y entretenimiento Xbox 360®, el sistema de entretenimiento computarizado PlayStation®3, PC, Wii™ y Nintendo 3DS™. Para obtener más información sobre Need for Speed, visita http://www.needforspeed.com o conviértete en fan en Facebook en http://www.facebook.com/needforspeed. También puedes seguirnos en Twitter, en http://www.twitter.com/needforspeed.

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2011-11-14T22:56:00.000-08:00

Need for Speed The Run Preview and Interview

We visit EA studios for a hands-on with The Run and speak to Justin Wiebe.

Last week, Neo and I got to visit EA for a hands-on preview with Need for Speed The Run. We were both very pleased with what we saw and look forward to playing it some more. Here is out video of the day, followed by some photos of our visit. Enjoy!

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2011-11-11T23:06:00.001-08:00

StreetPass Los Angeles Meetup at the Citywalk

The guys at StreetPass Los Angeles are having another meetup this Sunday.

For those of you with a 3DS and looking for a way of getting some more StreetPass interaction, the fine people at StreetPass Los Angeles are having their meetup this Sunday, November 13 1:00pm - 4:00pm at the Universal CityWalk in Hollywood.

We have attended their events in the past and it's a cool way to meet some other players. For those of you interested, here is a link to their facebook event page: StreetPass Los Angeles VIII

Here is the basic info from their event page:

For those who use, public transportation, the Red Line lets you off right across the street from where the Tram picks up and drops off people. This might be the best way to get there.

For those who choose to drive, you can either park in the Metro Lot (where the train stops) or Park in the City Walk parking lot. The Metro Lot is FREE, but finding a space might be very difficult. I drove around and around today (Wednesday), and there were no free spaces. So, either arrive early enough to find parking down there, or perhaps get a carpool together to pay for parking in the City Walk lot, which costs $15 DOLLARS.

We will be meeting around the Gamestop, so just look for me hanging around outside.

Please note the weather and dress appropriately. It will be kinda chilly, so dress warmly, unless you don't mind the weather. :)

We'll probably have the usual Mario Kart DS Competition. Feel free to bring other games like Pokemon, DoA, Street Fighter, etc...as I'm sure someone will want to have a battle! :)

Super Mario 3D Land launches on Sunday, so you can pick up your copy there, if you hadn't already pre-ordered it elsewhere.

1000 Universal Studios Boulevard Los Angeles, CA

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