AICN Games: Monki's Weekly Wrap-Up! 360 with IPTV! PSP with Skype! Games with Terrorists! Mass Hysteria!
Greetings humans, Monki here with your first wrap-up of the new year.
2008 will arguably be the first truly "next-gen" gaming year...of course, that would make it "current-gen" then...wouldn't it? Anyway, Wiis are still impossible to get, PS3s are still stacked up all over Best Buys across the country just waiting for those folks who were waiting for the hi-def war to end and the 360 is still bloated from Christmas turkey.
Lots of stuff has happened in the past few weeks, so let's dig in and see what all we can find.
Game News of the Week!
Microsoft pushed hard towards the end of 2007 to keep themselves at the top of the home console market...it seems that they are starting off 2008 with a similar push.
This past weekend at Bill Gates' keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Bill rolled out a few new bullet-points to add to the list of "Why the 360 is badass."
Why is that important? Imagine if in 1985 you just plugged your cable from the wall in to your NES and then watched TV with it. Not only would it be awesome to watch Double Dare in 8 bit resolution, but it would be a huge milestone for the industry. Of course, I know the resolution of the console doesn't effect the source, I was just trying to be funny. (Emphasis on trying.)
Seriously though, remember back in the early 00's when people were talking about media-center PCs or home entertainment boxes or whatever the hell they were called? Take at look at your 360...it seems the future is in fact now. Pretty badass, I think.
All that, and a few new shows are going to start showing up on the XBox Live Marketplace pretty soon. From a Microsoft press release:
LAS VEGAS - Jan. 6, 2008 - Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the leading high-definition video-on-demand service, is expanding once again, adding content from two major entertainment partners. Microsoft Corp. today announced at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that Disney-ABC Television Group and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) will be joining the more than 35 networks and studios offering U.S. Xbox LIVE members premium entertainment content via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store.
"Disney-ABC Television Group and MGM are two of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, and this announcement helps continue to evolve and diversify the content offering on Xbox LIVE," said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "The ability to offer such great content in high definition further expands Microsoft’s commitment to connected entertainment with Xbox 360."
Later this month, all U.S. Xbox LIVE members will begin to have access to select TV shows and movies from the ABC Television Network, ABC Family, ABC News, Disney Channel and Toon Disney as part of an agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group. More than 500 hours of content, in both standard definition and high definition when available, will be offered including hit ABC Television shows "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," "Ugly Betty" and "Desperate Housewives." Past and current ABC shows will be available on demand, with new episodes arriving on the service the day after they air on television. A variety of award-winning ABC News broadcasts and specials from its unparalleled archive dating back to 1963 and containing priceless interviews, stories and historical moments will be available for download as well.
Just the other day, Quint was telling me how much he wanted to watch "Hanna Montana" on his 360...well Quint, Christmas was just a couple weeks late my boy! Now you can get all the Billy Ray Cyrus daughter you can handle!
But Sony isn't just sitting back and taking it. Sony is still pushing the PSP pretty hard. Just announced is that Sony is bringing Skype, the internet communication tool, to the PSP.
Basically, you can make free calls to other Skype users via your PSP. That's pretty slick...but is it enough to push someone in to buying a new handheld system? One that really hasn't had any really cool releases in the last few months?
With Blu-ray being thrust into the clear leader in high-def discs, and the new PSP additions (including some PSP stuff you can do while connected to a PS3) it seems like Sony may actually make some ground up on the 360 this year. We should see some kind of a bump when Metal Gear hits in a few months too. Really though, until then, are there any sweet PS3 titles that would interest you in buying a shiny new dust collector?
The only game that I've enjoyed on the PS3 that isn't available for the 360 yet is Unreal Tournament 3.
For the second year in a row, Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity broke $1,000,000. Over one million collected in just a couple of months. It really goes to show that gaming breeds more than socially awkward and solitary people that some would lead you to believe.
The games industry is really starting to step up and show that games aren't just meant for children. I honestly believe it is a good thing for titles like Manhunt 2 to really push the medium along. If we sit back and let regulation modify every single new title that comes out, we are just bowing down to censorship. Things like Child's Play show that these aren't just kids playing games. Honestly, how many kids under 17 do you know that have donated to charity in a monetary fashion? Sure, there are exceptions, and I know plenty of you probably built a house one weekend with your church group/scout group...but really...we are a maturing culture of people.
Speaking of Penny Arcade, this is just a reminder to let you know that Jack Thompson is still crazy...and you can buy an autographed copy of GTA 3 with his signature on it....and if it sells, the money is going to Child's Play. So badass.
Since we're talking politics, keep an eye on Hillary Clinton. She has pretty much some out and said that she wants to have the government censor videogames. She would support regulation of the games industry..."regulation" = "censorship." Keep that in mind when you go to your primaries. Then vote for Ron Paul.
With CES going on right now, we're bound to hear some more badass news for the games industry, so hopefully I'll live up to my new years resolution and be putting these columns out on a weekly basis again...so check back next week for more info coming out of CES.
Pretty Images of the Week!
This first batch of images is from Konami's upcoming "Target: Terror" for the Wii. I actually played this game at an arcade this weekend with a buddy of mine. It truly is the old-school style of digitized humans on a virtual world, just like Lethal Enforcers...except apparently the new Lethal Enforcers 3 (which was at the same arcade) is all rendered graphics now like how Virtual Cop was back in the day. You like those name drops there? Time Crisis, Area 51, Police Trainer...ahem...
Apparently in addition to shooting terrorists, you also shoot people in golf carts...awesome.
Oh, and I hope you see the irony in putting those in the "pretty images of the week" section.
This next footage is from Burnout Paradise, which I'm totally stoked to play...after getting my paws on the demo on the 360, I've been pretty much going crazy waiting for this one.
There's something a bit strange about this "trailer" though...I don't know if I can put a finger on it...
Oh yeah, IT'S A GIANT FUCKING AD FOR WAL-MART. Classy EA...very classy. Does this mean I'll be able to buy the game for $10 cheaper at Wal-Mart? My guess...probably not.
And lastly...a new trailer for Dynasty Warriors 6...If you've read my columns, you know I have an affinity for the "Warriors" series...I still don't know why I keep going back to it...
Oh wait, now I remember, its all about mowing down hundreds of opponents...awesome music (from the early 80s)...it's about knowing that if Lu Bu shows up, and he isn't your ally, you best fucking run cause he will fuck your shit up.
I'm such a fanboy that I noticed that Koei changed their logo animation...radical.
Games You Must Buy of the Week!
There is really a dearth of titles right now...after the holiday season most companies sort of sit back and collect themselves before making the push for April/May...so some of these titles may be a bit old.
EA has refined their NFL Street title into this new, league friendly game. I got to check out a bit of it at E for All a few months ago, and it plays pretty much how you'd expect it to play. A lot of fun for those of you who only buy Madden once a year.
I mentioned this one before, and I'm totally jazzed about it. The visuals in this game are freaking beautiful and I can't wait to go online and smash my friends into various walls and upcoming traffic and hopefully school busses full of children and/or nuns.
In the battle of the music games, Rock Band has absolutely stolen my heart. I've been playing this game almost non-stop since I got it and I'll challenge anyone to a tug-of-war on drums. I'm like a tornado of arms and drumsticks when I'm on this thing. If you can get this game, get it. It rules. There were a few hardware issues when it first hit the streets, but those seem to be resolved now. I managed to break my first kick pedal on my drums, but EA replaced it in a couple of weeks. Hooray warrantee!
A friend recommended this one to me a while back and I've been meaning to check it out. It hits in a couple of weeks on the DS and it looks to be pretty snazzy. A post-apocalyptic world where 90% of humanity is dead? Sounds like L.A. to me! Wow! Rimshot!
This game hasn't left my DS since I bought it. If you are a fan of the old-school Contra titles...you need to get your damn hands on this one. It's been out for a while now, so you can probably find it for cheap...but get it. It's an excellent reminder of the golden age of gaming.
There aren't really a whole lot of titles available for the PS3 that really caught my eye over the holiday. Primarily my PS3 has been used for playing back Blu-ray discs, but UT3 has taken over the disc drive as of late.
The game has a great old-school feel to it that you don't get with a lot of modern shooters. I forgot how common it was for games to have a power-up system back in the day as opposed to a regeneration system. Also, being able to hold like 8 weapons at a time is pretty slick.
The multiplayer aspect of the game seems a lot less personal than 360 shooters. I think primarily it is because most people don't have have headsets...so you have many fewer douchebags talking shit the entire time you are playing...its a breath of fresh air. Also, with no one talking, its pretty much like playing with a group of robots...smart robots.
Anyway, this one is getting a lot of my time now...and if you have a PS3, drop me an email with your PS3 friend name so I can start filling my list up...and then you can say you shot an AICN writer in the head.
What is in a Name?
After a long game of Halo 3, bouncing around and seeing tons of different XBox Live usernames, I got to thinking about the names we use online...and then I wrote the following in an email to a friend of mine. I figured some of you out there might feel similar. Enjoy.
I've been thinking a lot about people's Handles online. Nicknames...usernames...aliases...I've gone by the name "Monki" for almost a decade now...before that I was TRIVIA-DJ for about a year, and before that I went by Crash for about 3 or 4 years...
Are handles unique to this generation of people? Sure, nicknames have been around for ages, but the unique thing about them now is that more often than not, people create their own. Not only that, but sometimes people use that alias, that avatar, to hide behind and become a whole other person online. In the real world you may be "Tim" or "Sarah" but online you are "Gareth the Destroyer" a dickhead on XBox Live or "Starpedals" a sorceress in World of Warcraft, who is kind, but packs a vicious staff.
We use our online or gaming personas as an escape from our real life, and the name we choose is often the first instance where someone will gather information about you. A boring handle, or an unoriginal one (a name followed by a birthdate or year) can show that someone just doesn't give a damn about what they are doing and are more likely to screw around. If I'm playing Rock Band against Timmy1982, it wouldn't shock me if he just up and quit if I was beating him too badly.
But a name like "Knight of Myth" or "SmartMop," something original, I can appreciate that. Obviously this person has created a persona they are going to be playing with.
Of course, over time our handles can attach themselves to real life. As I said before, I've gone by "Monki" for almost a decade now, and it is not uncommon for friends to call me Monki in the "real world." Hell, my business card says Monki on it.
Are we drifting towards a future where someone is more likely to go by a chosen nickname than their real name? Probably not...and besides...who wants RockStar6969 doing your taxes or PrincessSnowflake fixing your broken arm....
The Final Minute with Monki!
There you have it, my first column of 2008. It's already been a pretty wild year. Let's just say it started with a bang...and a lot of Captain Morgan...and a handful of sparklers that Harry gave me for some silly reason.
This is going to be an insane year for us gamers. I can't fucking wait.
I leave you with an alternate ending for the movie Superman 2.
Alright kids, have a glorious year! Until next week, back up the tree I go!
