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AICN Games: Monki's Weekly Wrap-Up! Ninja Gaiden 2! Halo 3! Stranglehold! And More!
Greetings humans, Monki here with your delicious batch of gaming treats.
Don't forget, you've only got a couple more weeks to enter to win a Wii autographed by Steve Wiebe from King of Kong! I've gotten a few entries so far, but I'm hoping to get a crapload more in the next two weeks!! Send 'em in kids!
We're getting into the time period where games start piling up. So many great titles are coming out in the next few months and if you are like me and have a full time job, it's damn near impossible to get to all of them, let alone beat them completely...and I loves me some achievement points.
I've been enjoying Stranglehold lately and I'll be getting into exactly why later on in my column...of course, while I pound away at that I missing out on the CoD 4 Beta and my Dynasty Warriors: Gundam action! So rough!
Alright, enough bitching...maybe I'll just watch Dead or Alive again...
Press Release of the Week!
I was always a fan of the crazy shooting games in the arcade when I was a kid. 1942, Gradius, Raiden...it looks like Hudson is releasing a new one in a couple of months for XBox Live Arcade. I've included some screens cause I think it looks pretty sweet.
REDWOOD SHORES, CA - September 12, 2007 - Leading video game publisher Hudson Entertainment has partnered with Natsume to bring gamers an all-new IP titled Omega Five for the Xbox LIVE(R) network. Omega Five is a graphically intense, side-scrolling shooter set in a three-dimensional environment, and features some truly hardcore action never before seen on the platform. The game is expected to launch worldwide in November 2007.
Set in a futuristic world, Omega Five is a shooter that pushes the visuals to the limit for a digital download game. The game feature 3D environments, dazzling special effects, and massive battles, all in high definition. Omega Five is unique in that players can choose from multiple humanoid characters, each with their own unique special attacks and upgradeable weapons, which they can shoot in 360 degrees. Omega Five also includes a local co-op function in which a friend can join in on the aerial mayhem.
"Hudson is truly pleased to be working with Natsume on bringing an all new franchise to shooter fans worldwide," said John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment. "Omega Five promises to be the most challenging shooter in the Xbox LIVE Arcade library, and will appease the most hardcore fan of the genre."
Looks pretty sweet to me...lots of pretty colors and lots and lots of bullets! I wonder if they travel really really slowly like they did in all those shooters back in the day? How does a bullet travel that slow?
Pretty Images of the Week!
Just announced a few days ago, some Ninja Gaiden 2 footage has hit the net and boy howdy does it look pretty. This guy will be hitting the 360 next year.
I want one of those bigass sticks with a sword on the end of it! Certainly looks as difficult as the last one, doesn't it?
Up next is a commercial for Halo 3 that has come under some fire recently. I think it's cool as hell. Watch!
To follow up on the commercial, here is a behind the scenes look at how the entire thing was built...
I absolutely love this take on video game advertising. We've seen plenty of trailers of shooting and running and explosions...like the Gears of War "Mad World" trailer, this grounds the entire plot of the Halo franchise.
I really like how the making of was treated as authentically as possible as well. That minor little touch that just makes it all that much cooler. Is there anything else that can be done to psych me up for this game any more?
Monki's Seven Most Important Stories of the Week!
GamerDad, a bright shining beacon of all that is right in the games world, suffered a heart attack recently. If you feel like helping out a bit, feel free to do so.
Jack Thompson is still crazy...and now he is bringing his own son into the insanity. Wasn't he supposed to be disbarred soon?
A big book for you WoW fans. Full of maps and strategy! Hopefully wizards and warlocks as well!
The Konami Code exists in Jam Sessions! Legends never die, they just go to handhelds...
Colin McRae, of DIRT fame, passed away in a helicopter crash. My condolences to his family.
A site that has every Guitar Hero 3 track released so far. Great for checking out what's been announced and whether or not you remember those Blue Oyster Cult lyrics.
Parents aren't happy about the Wii zapper. Surprised as I am? Does anyone remember the SUPER SCOPE? It was a giant fucking shoulder-mounted weapon and no one gave a damn! And we liked it that way! And we walked uphill to school, in the snow, both ways!
Monki's Six Games You Must Get of the Week!
World in Conflict (Available 9/18 for PC)
After getting in a bit of Company of Heroes, this game demands to be played. Check out this sick trailer and tell me you don't want it.
I mean come on! Magnum P.I.!! Badass.
Halo 3 (Available 9/25 for the XBox 360)
Your weekly reminder to pick up this game. You need to...the world depends on it.
MySims (Available 9/18 for the Wii)
I've never been a huge fan of The Sims, but this radical change in the look and feel of the game warrants a peek. The Sims have gone from realistic to a cartoony feel in this Wii version. Check it out.
Warriors Orochi (Available 9/18 for PS2/360)
I have admitted I'm a huge fan of this franchise and this title, bringing the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors characters together has me drooling. I can't wait to whoop more ass with Sun Shang Xiang!!
Skate (Available 9/18 for PS3)
This one is already out for the 360, and it's PS3 counterpart is coming this week. I spent about five hours playing this game this weekend with some friends. It really does flip the whole skateboarding game genre right on it's head. "Simple" tricks, by Tony Hawk standards have suddenly become more difficult, but much much more realistic. Out of the marathon Skate session with my three pals, the highest score anyone hit was just over 12,000.
This one is really fun, especially if know anything about real skateboarding.
Game I'm Playing Right Now!
Stranglehold (Available now for PS3/360)
I'll get more into why exactly I am really loving this game shortly, but let me get off a few quick hits before then.
The FULL title of this game is "JOHN WOO presents Stranglehold." That should read "Stranglehold as presented by JOHN MOTHERFUCKIN' WOO." This game IS a John Woo movie...an interactive John Woo movie. And not like the shitty Hulk movie or a gay cowboy RPG...this is Hard Boiled put into video game form. There is no reloading, bad guys show up constantly, you take about 2,000 bullets before dropping and you do this crazy slow-down "Tequila Time" stuff where you can shoot people in the nuts and are rewarded with an amazing animation of the dude's nuts popping followed by screaming and clutching of said nuts. Nuts. Balls. Package. Kaboom.
You run around blowing the hell out of everything...AND THERE ARE DOVES! Lots and lots of DOVES!
This game isn't difficult...really...but it is very much a fun shooter with a great story attached to it. I'm still about halfway through the game, but I'm having a blast. Definitely worth a look.
How Close Are We to Movie Games of the Week!
There is this big push to make video games more like movies. Let me make one of my big bold crazy statements.
Video games will never be the same as movies!
Okay, that isn't really a radical statement. It's pretty obvious actually. In the future we may have a new "interactive experience" label that will be what interactive-movie-games will be called, but as of right now...we just don't need it because they don't exist.
Of course, after playing Stranglehold for a while this weekend...they may be a bit closer than I could have ever imagined them.
The game is full of wonderfully fleshed-out characters and ultra-cheesy but still good enough to follow storylines...the cutscenes feel like real movie scenes. The villains aren't painted in black or white...everyone has a bit going on the side, even our hero. It's everything you'd want in a movie...except it's a game where you run around shooting people.
I really like where this trend is going though...big name directors are starting to realize the importance of video games as a genre. Spielberg has been involved with the Medal of Honor franchise for a while now and is currently working with EA on developing a few titles. Peter Jackson and Halo go together like peanut butter and naked ladies, and now John Woo has thrown his hat into the ring with Stranglehold. I'm liking where this is going.
Oh, on a side note...technology is so fucking cool. Towards the end of the first stage you wander into a bar...Stephen Chow (the hero, your character) sits down and asks for his usual shot of tequila. Chow looks incredible, but I was shocked when I caught myself saying outloud, "oh shit! that's John Woo as the bartender!"
His face has been scanned into the game...and for the first time ever I recognized a "real" person in a video game world. (Without the game being based on that character...like Chow in the game, or Tiger Woods in his games...)
That is pretty wild. With games becoming as technically incredible as they are now, I imagine we'll be seeing more from the likes of Andy Serkis (who just did some mo-cap work for Heavenly Sword) and others like Doug Jones start getting into the game realm. I can't wait.
When will we get these truly interactive movie/games? I have no idea...but if what has been coming out lately is any indication...I would imagine very very soon.
The Final Minute with Monki!
So many games, so very very little time. As I said before I've got a stack of titles sitting on my TV stand waiting for more play time...AND Fantastic Fest starts up this week...so it should be quite an interesting one for me.
I'm going to wrap up this column with a couple of videos...the first of which totally deflates the entire Halo "Believe" commercials that I find so very very good.
Who knew Master Chief boogies down to Cher? Awesome.
Now to finish it all off with this video that nearly killed AICN friend Kraken. He stopped breathing at some point.
YOU NEVER MAKE THEM TOUCH!!
Alright, I'm off to try to find more time to play Skate, Dynasty Warriors, Stranglehold, the CoD4 Beta, Mortal Kombat 2, Tron, Guitar Hero......until I can catch my breath again...back up the tree I go!
-Monki
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thankyou. goodnight
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Dang it!!!! so close o well
Halo3 sooooo damn impatient. -
not only does he do "some" motion capture work for HEAVENLY SWORD.. he actually directs the motion capture performances for the whole game... and it shows. the cinematics are unparallelled. you want interactive movies? this game is it. the level of detail in the expressions is INCREDIBLE... adding a layer of depth of character that up until now has never been seen in a video game. the game is fantastic, fun to play and revisit. another really great "interactive movie" would be THE DARKNESS, as well. great script, and a very believable world to play with. games may not be movies, but i consider that a good thing. the hybridization of the two formats is an inevitable future for our entertainment.... i personally can't wait for developers to continue to push the boundaries.
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Isn't it Chow Yun-Fat in Stranglehold?
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Just got my 4th XBox and counting the seconds til Halo!
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My bad, it indeed is Chow-Yun Fat, not Stephen Chow...got my Chows crossed.
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What's with the references to Hulk and Brokeback Mountain? That's Ang Lee, not John Woo.
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That masturbation skit had me on the floor. To bad that troupes other skits don't live up.
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I am so psyched for Halo 3, but that Ninja Gaiden footage was just sick.
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Is a, no pun intended, blast to play. It may be a little simplistic, but it is fun to shoot shit up. Now where is John Woo's Jean Claude Van Damme game? I want to do the splits while kicking someones ass.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be-daI6Hnv8
WITH WARTHOG!! -
Halo 3 is gonna rock fucking balls. Forge, 4 player online co-op, Save Films, the ability to send screenshots to web in high res, massive campaign battles, this game is gonna rape.
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Woo's for Lee's and Chow's for Fat's,Harry, Morri, Quint et al you should take Monki to task, get em down the Alamo and straighten his film knowledge out.
But Halo 3 should have fat kids chest bumping each other across the world, it looks like it rocks balls!
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John Woo hasn't directed a gay cowboy movie or anything to do with the hulk. You're stupid.
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Getting my directors screwed up too...replace Gay Cowboys with John Travolta and Nick Cage...pretty close still....
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I played the demo and thought it was cool, I just couldn't see a whole game worth of that being something to get into - perhaps a rental?Like the rest of the world I am awaiting Halo 3 - can't wait to see all the cool new multiplayer elements. If anyone wants to add me to your friends list, please do so. My gamertag is - El Chupa ParraI have already taken next Tuesday off of work. Until then I will be playing COD4 Beta, which is pretty kick ass by the way.
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How about a scythe? I know, it isn't like those have ever been in video games up until now, so how cold you possibly be familiar with the term?
Ah well, just another re-hashing of old news and various mistakes thrown in for good measure. I guess it is to be expected when the "gamer" writing it has a boner for the Dynasty Warriors series and is talking up Stranglehold like it does something different then Max Payne did years ago....
1 more thing, 1942, Gradius, and Raiden were hardly "crazy" shooters. Played any post-1992? -
one of the worst MP games in recent memory. The poorest MP game I can think of was Doom3 a few years back, and this is worse.Everyone has as much health as they do in single-player. Which means sneaking up on someone and shooting them in the back of the head with a MACHINE GUN, means they turn around and start shooting you too, and whoever has the better gun and/or more bullets wins. Sigh.Also, stupid f***ing TEQUILA TIME is in MP. And not in a cool way, like the way F.E.A.R. implemented it, but you'll be in the middle of a gunfight and all of a sudden without warning someone drops a SPIN ATTACK Tequila move and everyone in the room dies. Wow.
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That last video is just SO wrong on so many levels....which is why it's totally freakin' funny!
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Ha! That was insanely funny! And the Halo commercials look sick to the nth degree! I won't be playing it until next year, though, 'cause I'm playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion, and it'll probably take me that long just to finish it. Great game, but there's so much to do...
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Bet your asses. All hail John "Masterchief" 117!
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Crossing the Chows is bad.
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...anyone want to tell me why the Halo 3 trailer 'came under fire'? Really liked it myself, though the head-snap was the one step too far. Should've just panned to the grenade followed by an almost imperceptible 'click' and charging glow...
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Sep 17, 2007 2:14:16 PM CDT
Stick to games, Monki, Your film opinions are null&void
by george newman
Your film opinions are null and void with that Ang Lee/ John Woo mix up.
You sounded like one of those idiots who, one hour into watching Moulin Rouge, says "isn't that the guy who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi?"
I definitely appreciate your video game column, but dang. Your brain just sharted. -
Since Hollywood loves to make movies based off video games, maybe it's a sneaky way for John Woo to get a Hard-Boiled sequel made.
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I concure wholeheartedly however I will still be picking up Halo 3.
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Why not?
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Hopefully, it will be from another character like the Peach one from a few months ago. I think Wario would be a good choice for maximum comedy and in-your-face value.
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Confusing John Woo with Ang Lee, and clearly not having any real knowledge about classic video games or the gaming industry...
Isn't anyone else embarrassed for Aintitcoolnews by this absurbly 'uncool' gaming column? This site has the potential to do something actually good, not paste old stories out of context, regularly get the facts wrong, or clips from things we've seen for months...
Just end it, please...it brings nothing of value... -
Shit I still have'nt finished the first one. (Black) Goddamn Itagaki is a sadist.And there's no way I'm shelling $60 for a game that i'll beat in 3-4 hours *cough*stranglehold*cough*.It's funny that PS# is getting "improved" leftovers from the original Xbox while the 360 is getting a whole new sequel.
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And holy shit is that game going to rule the Xmas Season. It's awesome and one of the best FPS Military Multiplayers I've ever had a chance to play. Everything that you hated about COD3 is gone. Everything that you loved about COD2 is 100% times better. It's just an amazing game.
Also the Ratchet and Clank demo is mindblowing fun. If you can find a copy pick it up.
Heavenly Sword is a great rental.
But the game all of you should own is Bioshock. Certainly a front runner for GOTY! -
Ang Lee directed HULK and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, not John Woo.
Monki is so easy to hate. -
That game couldn't hold Thomas Sullivan Magnum's JOCKSTRAP!!!
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Cool trailer but 10 console's from now graphics won't be good enough to make Halo's alien designs look any less lame. Much less still action figures. Most overrated game ever. My dad will probablly buy it though so I still get to try it without spending a dime. Then I can bash it even more.
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for fuck's-sake just put Alien-Crush & Splatter-House on XBLA! Uh, I'm not sure what to think of that "Making" of John 117 Monument add...cool, but silly at the same time.
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anyone??
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they are little army men? what's that have to do with anything? i have to believe in halo 3? wtf? im confused. what a dumb ad.
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How does it make you feel to read these talkbacks? Every week you get totally slagged off. And quite honestly, you deserve it, mate. Most people just drop by to laugh at the comments lamenting your appalling knowledge of video games. But I'm not here to insult you even more than is necessary. My question is, why do you not take on board anything that is said in these talkbacks? In your last abysmal posting someone made a bunch of suggestions as to how you can improve your posts. Whoever it was nicely pointed out things that weren't working, things that would smarten up your column wer suggested. Instead you ignore those tips, and dump this crapfest on us, a post devoid of, oh I don't know, basic fucking fact checking? Knowing the name of one of Asian cinema's most beloved stars, that sort of thing. Seriously mate, like Grandpa Simpson you are a living joke. Your cut and paste antics of age old news is useless, your diatribes are rarely insightful or amusing, and I have yet to read anything from you that could ever be labelled as a real review of a game. So please, either smarten up your act, or just stop all together.
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I watched it, and well... felt nothing. Did I miss something?
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Nicholas Cage and John Travolta as Gay Cowboys does kinda fit!!
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Yeah, seems a few folks are pre-empting the fact that the ads might offend veterans of real wars. Storm in a teacup. Gives Bungie a bit more free press in the runup to release, though. Like it needs it.
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Assassins Creed and Mass Effect in November. I'll be glad after the 20th I wont have to hear about how awesome Halo 3 is going to be, and I can actually get a review/preview for a different game, without scrolling through youtube videos of Halo and How to Make a Halo Video and Halo revisited: how the how to make a Halo Video was made directors cut..
Baby Boomers and Career Politicians Will Be Our Downfall..
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