I don’t know why I love this game so much but I do, it speaks volumes on the way some game developers make their games. Enjoy .

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Being the obsessive special edition freak that I am, I had to do a review on the Grand Theft Auto 4 Special Edition that Rockstar was awesome enough to put together.

I waited 2 days for a license plate…I know, I have issues

That’s a lot of stuff

The special edition came with the following:

*a CD of select songs from the soundtrack of the game (which is awesome)
*two keys for your safety deposit box
*Rockstar keychain
*a full size license plate (if pre-ordered through Amazon.com)

*a copy of the game (of course)
*A very detailed concept art book for Grand Theft Auto
*this awesome safety deposit box that can be broken into with a fingernail

*this sweet duffel bag

Overall I think Rockstar did a excellent job with everything that came with the special edition, besides the cheap ass lock on the safety deposit box. The CD is awesome and the first track, (Soviet Connection:The theme of Grand theft Auto 4) is good stuff. I’m happy with my purchase and hope in the future that all other companies step their game up when it comes to making special editions for their games. The days of only doing metal cases and bonus DVDs are over.

keep an eye out for my GTA 4 video review, coming soon

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Most people complained, at the start of the current generation of consoles, that video games were becoming to expensive. I however was use to paying $60 dollars for games because…well I have a problem. Remember when Halo 2 came out with the limited edition that came in a very attractive metal case? Not only did I opt to buy that version, but I also purchased the limited edition Halo themed Xbox even though I already had a Xbox sitting at home. I’ve bought both the limited edition and the legendary edition of Halo 3, the limited edition of Prey, Splinter Cell Double Agent, Stranglehold, Lost Planet, and Resident Evil 4. I know what you’re thinking and it’s ok; go ahead and judge me. I can’t honestly tell you why I purchased the limited edition of Prey, except to say my addiction is getting stronger.

You all taste like crap but I still love you

My addiction doesn’t stop at limited releases of consoles and games; it also spreads to movies, electronics, and also game related drinks. Yes, not many people can say this but I did have some of the Final Fantasy inspired drinks. With every new release, my addiction becomes more expensive. The Grand Theft Auto 4 Special Edition has already been ordered and will arrive to me from Amazon on May 1st. Why did I buy it from Amazon? Because if you order it from there, you get an exclusive license plate that you can’t get anywhere else; it cost me $89.99 plus shipping for this fix. Metal Gear Solid 4 is also coming out with a limited edition that will cost $85.00 for me to soothe my urges; I don’t even know what makes it a limited edition but it doesn’t matter. I already own a PSP and I love God of War so you can see where this is heading. That’s right, come June I will own the red Kratos themed PSP which comes with a copy of the game.

You come with some much cool stuff, how can I not buy you?

I’ve tried to stop in the past, honest! I’ve withheld my urge and didn’t get the super special versions of Gears of War, Bioshock, Oblivion, or the MGS themed PS3. I’m making progress right? Not really, because I still want all of those things I’ve mentioned. I one day hope to get control of this because I don’t know if my wallet or soul can take much more of this abuse.

I wish I still had my green Xbox. Also, where can I find this Panasonic Gamecube?

If I really had to pinpoint a reason to why I’m such a sucker for limited edition merchandise, I would have to say that I enjoy collecting things. Video games are what I do and what I want to do in life. Some people collect rocks, pogs, stamps, or coins. I collect electronic forms of entertainment. In the end I’m okay with my addiction; my guilty pleasure. I’m responsible with my money, all my bills get paid on time, and I get to indulge in what I think are the finer things in life. So if you have the same addiction I do, it’s okay. Embrace it. At least we aren’t on coke.

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So unlike a few unlucky people in the world, I was fortunate enough to have a beta code that actually works. Being overly excited and pumped for the beta, I decided to mess around and see what I could do early. My video above displays what I was able to do. In addition to the 1.01 update that takes years to download, you also have to sign up at Konami for a Konami ID. Once you do this, which I still haven’t been able to at this moment, you will also get a Game ID for MGO itself.

I know, I was thinking the same thing, “Did Nintendo buy Sony?”. No they didn’t, the way it works is this (to my understanding): Konami has it’s own system in place to monitor it’s online games and it’s being used for the first time in the US for MGO. You can find all of that information here. So now the wait begins and I don’t know if I can wait. The trailer did a great job of getting me excited. How about you? Are you excited? Granted, most of us will be playing right up until the 29 of April and we all know what happens on that day. That’s right, it’s International Dance Day.

These dolphins are dancing for April 29th

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With all the attempts to play a game in this genre, comes the inevitable truth that lies beneath: fear is not a gameplay mechanic that works for me. Always being low on ammo, using 2×4’s that will eventually break, and the random dog that jumps through a window to eat your face is not my idea of fun. Although I’m surely not alone in this realization, there are at least an estimated 5.93 million people who bought the different flavors of RE4 who would tell me to stop being a punk and grow some. I’ve tried, really I’ve tried. I remember the day I picked up Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube; January 12th, 2005 when it was released. It was my birthday and I decided that I was going to give this “fear for fun” thing another go. So I went to my nearest Best Buy, picked up the LE of the game, and quickly went home to play it. “I’m going to beat this game no matter what!”

Oh it’s all fun and games until you poop yourself from fear.

“Wow”, were my initial reactions because the game looked stunning. Surely I’ll be able to make it though this one right? Of course not. I made it as far as the first boss before I came to the realization that I would not be able to finish it. The game was way too stressful and the anxiety of wondering what was going to run around the next corner was too much for me to handle. I play games to escape from the stressful task of my day and playing this type of game wasn’t taking me to my place of zen.

Yes, I will kindly….

I did, however, enjoy Bioshock.

In my opinion, Bioshock is very much a survival horror game but a unique one. Rather than implementing fear by giving you low ammo and breakable objects, the game uses the surroundings in which you explorer to provide the suspense. One part that really freaked me was when you picked up the shotgun for the first time. I don’t want to spoil it just in case you haven’t played it [i]yet[/i] but that part made me jump out of my chair. One main reason I enjoyed my time with the game is the story. There were enough twists in the game for me to want to see how it ended, even if this meant I would have a mini heart attack while getting there. I love when a game can engage me with its story so much so that I want to see what happens and continue playing it no matter what. The inclusion of super human powers and the ability to upgrade your weapons also gave me the sense of security when those “spoke” moments happened.

creepy little kids are scary

So, what drives gamers to play a game in this genre? Do they enjoy being scared or frightened but rather do it in the world of a videogame? Do they secretly want to be the savior of humanity or at least feel that way? Or is it just the fact that they get to blow zombies’ heads off that gets their motor going? I honestly have no clue on what drives the fans of survival horror games. It drives me crazy to think that some people actually put themselves in these type of situations and actually enjoy it. As much as I want to play Condemned 2, I know I couldn’t make it through the first level and I’m okay with that.

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It looks like Best Buy is jumping on the bandwagon of stores who are offering their customers some type of “we’re sorry you’re a dumbass” consolation prize for the early adopters of HD-DVD. Today it was announced here that if you purchased a qualifying HD DVD player from Best Buy before February 23, 2008, you will be receiving a complimentary $50 Best Buy gift card. I know you’re probably asking yourself, “why would they do such a thing” and the answer is quite obvious and easy: Publicity is great and they aren’t really losing any money on this fiasco. Back in 2006, Best Buy reported a $43 million gain from used gift cards. That’s 43 million dollars of people who just didn’t use their gift cards: WTF?? You can be pretty certain that none of those people were gamers because we would use them the instance we received them, or at least put them towards a pre-order.

free money is good money

Although the format war is over, I’m still happy with my purchase simply for the fact that I can pick up HD movies for the cheap. Granted I’ll eventually run out of options with the HD-DVD format, but I have roughly 558 movies to buy on the cheap. For instance: I can either purchase American Gangster for $14.99 on regular DVD or spend 3 more bucks and have the HD version that’s plays on any drive. For someone who collects movies, it’s pretty much a win-win for me.

So what did you do during the “great” format war? Did you wait on the sideline until one had risen victorious? Or did you just become a tech whore and buy them both like I did? Also, for those who did buy the add-on or a HD DVD player, are you keeping it?

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Today will no longer be known as February 25th, but as the day the world declared in one voice: “We will not go quietly into the night!” We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!

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The game I reviewed, quickly, goes by the name of Conan. It’s really a great game if you can find it on the cheap. And remember: THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS!

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Another week goes by and I keep hearing how good the game is so I decided to go ahead
and buy it on a whim, hoping the be enlightened as I play more of the game. I made it to
Area 4 without any problems and started to enjoy myself but didn’t have my “OMG”
moment.

Then as I reached the boss for this area, it happened:

When I fell in love with Rez HD from Kryptinite on Vimeo.

I don’t know if it was the boss, the way the music and controller vibrated as I surged
forward through the tunnel, or maybe it was all the intense colors that were being thrown
my way but I fell in love. The way the music vibes with the enemy’s I’m shooting, the
feeling of weightlessness, and the since of freedom in this game is what I think makes it
amazing. I’m becoming a believer of games that aren’t 8 hours longs because this was an
experience I think everyone should have.

As you can see I got owned but that’s not the point. My point is that certain games take
awhile to stick and when they do, you all of a sudden have a new understanding and
appreciation for the game. I’ve heard that Area 5 is mind-blowing and I need to see it to
believe it.

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