IGN has a story about the info they have on the Revolution’s specs.

The long and short is that as expected, the raw power is better than a gamecube, but way less than the 360, or the PS3.
In fact, by numbers alone, the CPU itslelf falls short of even the original XBOX’s CPU.

Of course, we all konw.. CPUs aren’t everything. Nintendo’s focus is on gameplay, and all the polygons in the world are useless if all your doing is another remake of Space Invaders.

Im still anxious for May, to see if there really is more to the Revolution’s revolution.

Daniel Brown’s Nintendo Piano site makes for some easy listening .

I reccommend the Super Mario Bros. medlys (1, 2, and 3).

From MAKE: Blog: comes a brilliant Idea:

Credit Cards that earn you virtual currency for spending real currency.

The only issue, as Della Bitta and I were talking, is that this would really only work if there was an already open economy (i.e. Second Life would work.. WOW would have issues)

But DAMN, if the credit card companies aren’t all over this, they are damn fools.

On another semi-related note is this Wired article that explores how convergence of technologies, and standards is bound to happen to virtual worlds. It makes alot of sense, and has big implications.

God of War is my favorite title for the PS2. It’s the most far-reaching extension of Golden Axe arcade gameplay design (though only single player), and it it’s a titles I can play over and over again.

God of War 2 was recently announced for the PS2 (not the PS3) but with very little information. That’s okay, I don’t need any info, because after watching this game trailer — I know everything will be a-ok.

God of War 2 looks like it’s exactly like what it should be, just more God of War.

huhuhuh Take that you stupid griffin.

Well, since I have a PSP, I dont think I would have gone out and bought a micro, but My folks were nice enough to get me one for my birthday (Thanks Amazon wishlist!). And I must say. I think I’m in love.

Sure, it doesnt have the power of a PSP, not by a longshot, but its smaller than my cellphone, and it plays like a dream. With a gorgeous backlit screen, rechargable batteries, headphone jack, and teeny tiny form factor, this is what I wish my old GBA was to start with!

Now, sadly I loaned my GBA to someone… along with my games, and I have no idea who it was. After asking all the usual suspects, I think I will just have to assume that my games and that old gba (with custom back light home installed!) are lost to time.

On the bright side, that gives me a chance to get some new games! Yay!

Game cartriges are quite the racket, as places seem to sell their used carts for only about 5 bucks cheaper than buying new. And Im sure they only buy back carts for peanuts. Sure, I could have used ebay for better prices, but I’m too lazy to deal with it.

In one fail swoop I picked up: Super Mario Advanced 2, and4 (which is the Super Mario World, and Super Mario Brothers 3 [BEST SMB EVER!] GBA remakes respectively), Donkey Kong Country 3, The Castlevania doulbe cart (which has Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow), and The Legend of Zelda : the Minish Cap. Not a bad selection for a tad over $100.

I’ve tested them all out, but the first game I’m settling into is that venerable classic, Zelda. I LOVED the Wind Waker, with the creative use of puzzles, cool items, and progression, It was just wonderfully designed. Im happy to know that even while getting closer to the original zelda roots (i.e. back to 2D), this Zelda game is still beautifully designed.

The hook to this game, has you shrinking down to engage in different puzzles and worlds while being just TINY.

You play parts of the game in big form, and parts in tiny form. And whats cool is that while your tiny, the things you took for granted while big, become major obstacles. Puddles for example, become vast oceans you cannot pass. In addition, monsters, like those silly green slimes, become BOSS fights!

I’m still very early in the game, but already there are great graphics, and fun zleda gameplay. Things like: a jar that sucks stuff in and shoots it out; mushrooms that stretch, so you pull them to make them slingshot you over impassible terrain; and lilly pads that you hop on and use the wind jar as propulsion. All of that mixed in with the classic battle with Octorocs, Swiping down bushes with your sword, and talking to the townsfolk of Hyrule.

Yes, I can see that this little Micro, and the Micro game I got for it, are going to make waiting in lines, traveling, and basically every spare minute I have anywhere, a lot more fun.

Well the 360 has been out for about 5months now, and there have been a handful of great games for the system since launch.
Yesterday I picked up one of the most anticipated titles for the 360, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. For anyone who has not played an Elder Scrolls game, this series is know for its wide open story/quest line, and gives the player the ability to play the game any way they choose.
While in other RPG series’ the only “open” ended feeling you have is getting into random battles to level your character or party, Elder Scroll allows the player to not only follow a main quest line, but also find new quests from npc’s and follow up on “rumors” in each town. The openness of Oblivion continues in your character’s life, and skills. While some races (there are 10 in total) are more apt/suited for classes you are never pigeonholed into a class. If you don’t like being a warrior, just start focusing on spells, join the mages guild and your on a new track. If that doesn’t suite your fancy, join all the guilds in the game and become a Thief who can blast anyone who discovers you picking a pocket or breaking into a house.
Game play is the heart of Oblivion and allowing you to choose how you complete the game is where Oblivion just plain opens up!

Before you start Oblivion you need to create a character. Character creation is full of options, you need to choose a race , and from there you can modify almost any aspect of your appearance. Once your character is created the main story begins (i will not go into the story details, but as always you start in jail).
The first dungeon you enter is an escape from your captors, this dungeon gives you a good amount of training on movement, spell casting, using a bow etc. The controls on the 360 version are good but take some getting use to, a nice feature is you are able to map spells and gear to a quick select menu using the d-pad. Spells can then be selected, and are mapped to the right shoulder button.
By the time you exit this training dungeon you are fairly familiar with all the different skills there are in the game…and that’s saying a lot. I spent a majority of my time practicing my lock picking skills, and spell casting.
My only complaint about this part of the game is there are some moments when you “lock” yourself into a role. This feeling comes from choosing a astrological sign (these give you a selected bonus to mana, or hp, or agility…) and choosing a main line class. The coolest thing however is before you leave this dungeon YOU CAN choose to re-create the entire character, before you enter the world.

The world of Oblivion is massive is scope, detail and feeling of life. Trees move in the wind, blades of grass sway back and forth, and woodland creatures run back and forth. The world itself is 16sq miles when your on foot moving from town to town its a bit boring. The game allows you to “port” to any town you discover so if you are in a a hurry travel can be quick when you want. I decided to huff it to the first major town, on the way i had to fight my way through highway robbers, wolfs, and this one deer who pissed me off!.
In my travels i happened upon two abandoned forts. Rather than continue onto town I decided to explore these dungeons, one was suited for a thief, with lots of locks and traps to disable, while the other was suited for a warrior, because it was early in the game both were are blast, and breeze.
2hours later i arrived at my destination, and dropped off a quest item since i was sick of walking i decided to “liberate” a horse for the greater good, and continued onto a major city. By the time i got there the city streets were barren. In Oblivion all the NPC’s run on a real time clock, if your looking to sell gear or stop into the local alchemist shop you can only go during business hours (hehe unless your a thief). This NPC day to day cycle will also play out in things like assignations, you’ll need to follow your mark for a day to see what they do and when they are most vulnerable.
So far I am 4 hours into Oblivion, and I am actually going to start over again with a new character, only because i now know i want to be a thief/mage. The funny thing is i am excited to start all over again because i know things will be different this time around.
If you are looking for a game that will allow you to do almost anything you want Oblivion is the game for you. If your looking for a compelling RPG with a solid main quest line and story Oblivion is the game for you. Oblivion hits all the marks on what a game should be “F-U-N”, and with content downloads from Xbox live I can only imagine how the world will change and grow.

Talk about a trailer coming out of left field. Well, maybe not - considering that the GDC is here and E3 is only a half a month away. But still, I didn’t see this coming at all.

Battlefield 2142 trailer on you tube.

Enjoy!

For the Record, I’m STILL playing BF2. Talk about a game with staying power.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Click to listen to one happy MP3

It’s about freakin time Sony admitted things are falling behind schedule. It’s seemed that way since last year’s E3, and it’s only gotten worse.

From 1Up.com’s coverage of the story: Today, Sony officially conceded defeat to the recent flurry of rumors and speculation, with Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reporting the machine has been pushed back until November.

There aren’t many details out right now, but Sony says issues over the finalization of copy protection technology related to their Blu-ray disc drive is the cause of the delay.

Rumors are that the console will be released in Japan in November, which probably means the PS3 will miss ANOTHER Christmas in the States. Wow.

Thanks Fico.

It’s Monday, and I’m both busy and lazy. So instead of making numerous posts out of this I thought I’d cram it all into one. :’)

Bioware is making MMORPGs
The king of D&D RPGs (Icewindale, Baldur’s Gate, Planescape Tourment, Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire) is expanding into the world of the MMORPG. The production will come out of a new Austin Texas office (old-school Bioware is located in Edmonton).

BioWare Austin has already begun work on a Massively Multiplayer Online roleplaying game (MMORPG) title; the new game will mark BioWare’s debut in the Massively Multiplayer Online space. BioWare has recruited some of the top talent in MMO and RPG development, both to manage the development efforts at BioWare Austin and to collaborate with the experienced team at BioWare Edmonton, to develop a game that combines the best of BioWare’s great past games with a compelling persistent online experience. Joining the Austin team as lead designer is James Ohlen, BioWare’s Creative Director, whose previous credits include lead or co-lead design roles on Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic(TM), Neverwinter Nights(TM), Baldur’s Gate(TM) and Baldur’s Gate II(TM). Also leading the BWA team are MMO veterans Richard Vogel and Gordon Walton. Richard Vogel brings 15 years of experience to BioWare Austin, previously serving as VP of Product Development for Sony Online Entertainment’s Austin studio, as well as launching Ultima Online(TM) as a senior producer at Origin. Gordon Walton recently served as VP, studio manager and executive producer at Sony Online Entertainment as well as VP and Executive Producer at Electronic Arts.

The complete press release is here. They have some interesting talent there, including a Sonly Online VP — hopefully he wasn’t kidding the skidmark of a sequel that is EQ2.

Field Ops: A First Person Shooter RTS hybrid
There have been some mods that have attempted the merging of these two game genres, and some pretty lackluster games (Savage). Field Ops seems to be going all out though - bringing a RTS viewpoint onto an environment similar to Battlefield 2. Although BF2 does have a commander role, their vantage point and interaction is done through a pretty static 2D map. Field Ops seems far more colorful and alive.

Game Features:

• 5 Unique locations
• More than 8 different classes per side
• First-Person shooter AAA quality graphics
• True to life Physics engine
• Immersive and exciting multiplayer modes featuring a worldwide ranking system
• Real vehicles and weapons for the most authentic Special Forces experience
• Fight on the ground, in the air and over water
• Motion-captured animations for the most realistic experience ever
• Tactical A.I. allowing for exciting gameplay in both RTS and FPS views

Field Ops has a teaser site with about 7 or so screenshots. Doesn’t look bad, but we’ll defininetly need more news that this before we get too excited over the game. After all, it’s going-up against BF2 expansions and the new UT for Christmas sales. Field Ops is set to ship in November.

God of War 2 coverage
Game informer has some news on the PS2 sequel to one of the best games of last year (that was last year, wasn’t it?). Joystiq.com has some scans of the magazine article which are too small to read, but offer-up some great screenshots.
Enjoy!