Posts

Showing posts from September, 2011

Unlock Griffin in Gears of War 3

Image
For an easy way to unlock Griffin in Gears of War 3 multiplayer, all you have to do is "like" the Gears of War Facebook page.  Unfortunately, there's a lot of fakes.  I'll make it even easier. http://www.facebook.com/gearsofwar Click the link and then click "Get Griffin" on the left.

The Fate of Clayton Carmine in Gears of War 3

Image
He lives. He dies. Gears 3 is a pretty great game.

How to Change Your NAT to Open

Image
When playing online, you may have received a message that your NAT is set to strict or moderate and this may impact matchmaking.  What is NAT?  Click the link .  Does your head hurt now?  Here are some easy steps to set your NAT to open using a Linksys router and Xbox 360. 1.  Manually configure your Xbox 360's IP Settings. Network Settings -> Select Your Network -> Edit Settings -> Manual IP Setting IP Address: 192.168.1.250 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 Gateway: 192.168.1.1 DNS: 192.168.1.1 2.  Open up a web browser and access your router by typing in the IP address.  Typically the IP address is 192.168.1.1 3.  Click on the Applications and Gaming tab. 4.  Select Single Port Forwarding. 5.  Type in a new application name.  I used OpenNAT.  Type in 3074 for both the External and Internal Ports. Make sure "Both" is selected under Protocol.  Type "250" in To IP Address.  Then check the box under enabled. If you've f

Top 10 Games of All Time

Image
I've been wanting to post this for a long time, but had an internal debate for some time.  Debate settled, here's my list.  These are games that I personally consider to be the best of all time. 1.  Final Fantasy VIII This was the game that had changed my world.  The initial trailers I saw in theaters blew me away.  I had to have this game.  In fact, I bought the game before I even had a Playstation to play it on.  To date, it remains my favorite game of all time and that isn't likely to change.  It opened my eyes to what games could be.  I haven't looked back since the game launched on September 9, 1999. 2.   Mass Effect 2 BioWare are masters of story telling.  With Mass Effect, they have crafted a universe that I dare say...overshadows Star Wars.  Mass Effect 2 took all of the good from the first game and took it to a whole new level.  In a game where virtually every action you take makes an impact in the current installment and the next one, this is an a

50th Game Review

In a landslide, the winning review is Red Dead Redemption.  The epic tale of redemption in the wild west was a smash hit from RockStar Games is set to become my next epic review.

Fact or Opinion?

I've been wanting to do a top ten list for a long time now.  The list would be the Top Ten Games of all Time.  There are plenty of sites and magazines that already do this.  The problem I'm running in to is, what defines a game as great?  Is it based on the technical aspects such as control, graphics and audio quality, lack of bugs, etc?  Or is it purely the opinion of the person making the list? For example, Gran Turismo is widely regarding as the greatest racing game of all time.  This is due to the immense amount of detail that went into the game.  From the replication of the real world tracks to the infinite amount of fine tuning that can be done to the cars.  The game is so realistic that professional racers play the game to train for upcoming races. Myself, I can't stand Gran Turismo.  I prefer Blur, a game that blends real cars and Mario Kart.  A game whose regular player base on the 360 now consists of 50+ players on a Saturday night.  Blur and Gran Turismo are

2011 Xbox 360 Usage

Image
I don't know about you, but I'm a huge fan of the monthly stats that the Xbox team sends.  Long have I wondered how much time I spend with the console.  But of course, this doesn't reflect just my time.  My profile is the default profile when the Xbox is turned on.  These numbers are padded a little.  So, if you see me on in the morning watching Disney shows, it's not me.  I swear.

Choose My 50th Game Review

I'm coming up on a historic moment, my 50th game review.  The question is, what game should I review?  Sound off in the comments below or make your choice in the poll. Alan Wake Gears of War 2 Halo 3 Lost Planet 2 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Mass Effect Mortal Kombat Red Dead Redemption Resident Evil 5

Paranormal Confessions

The love of my life has finally started her own blog.  It details her experiences with the paranormal and provides a unique view on the subject.  If you're a fan of ghosts and things that go bump in the night, I highly recommend you pay a visit . http://paranormalconfessions.blogspot.com

Prince of Persia

Image
Prince of Persia was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft.  Release on December 2, 2008, PoP marks the beginning of a new trilogy in the series.  It establishes a new story with a new cast of characters and stands in stark visual contrast to the games preceding it. The story opens with an unnamed man venturing across the desert with his treasure laden donkey, Farah.  A sandstorm erupts and soon the "Prince" is separated from his fortune.  He then finds himself in a mysterious ancient kingdom.  He soon meets the princess of the kingdom, Elika.  Elika has been resurrected by her father, the king.  As a result, an ancient evil by the name of Ahriman has awoken and corrupted the land.  The Prince and Elika must heal the corrupted land in order to seal Ahriman. The game world is broken up into multiple zones with four distinct areas.  Each area is guarded by one of Ahriman's generals, the Hunter, Concubine, Alchemist and Warrior King.  To heal the land

Games to Beat: 2011

With little over three months to wrap up the list of games on my list to beat for 2011, I have 12 games to go.  Sadly, this isn't including games I anticipate on purchasing once they're released.  Nor does it include the total amount of games on my back log.  As it stands, my completion rate for the year is at 48%. A recent survey found that only 10% of people beat a game they've played.  I was blown away by this.  Though, I suppose, it's not that hard to believe.  This generation of gamers are lazy.  They crave instant gratification.  But that's not the point.  The point is that I need to get my ass in gear and wrap up those last few games.  What games are sitting on your back log?

App of the Week: Star Wars Trivia

Image
Name: Star Wars Trivia Cost: Free Description: A complete Star Wars trivia game with over 500 questions on all the Star Wars saga. What is the name of the droid that attached Luke's prosthetic hand?  How many non-droid bouny hunters were on the deck of Darth Vader's ship in The Empire Strikes back?  Find the answers to these questions and hundreds more with this free app. As a long time fan of all things Star Wars and all things useless trivia, I've fallen in love with this app.  Simply pick a movie and do your best to answer a series of 10 multiple choice questions.  I consider myself a big Star Wars geek who knows more than I should and I found myself getting stumped on quite a few occasions.  This is a perfect time killer for trips or any down time you may find. 

Release Calendar: September 2011

September 1 Jumpgate Evolution  (PC) September 6 Reistance 3  (PS3) Dead Island (360, PS3, PC) Might and Magiv Heroes VI  (PC) Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC, 360, PS3) Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten  (PSP, PS3) The Impossible Game  (PSP, PS3) BloodRayne Betrayal (PS3) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters (PC) Rugby World Cup 2011  (PS3, 360) Driver: San Francisco  (PS3) Rise of Nightmares  (360) September 7 Crimson Alliance  (360) September 9 Starfox 64 3D  (3DS) September 13 Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad  (PC) NickToons MLB  (DS, Wii, 360) Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures  (DS) The Gunstringer  (360) Bit. Trip Complete  (Wii) God of War Origins Complete  (PS3) NHL 12  (PS3, 360) The Cursed Crusade  (PS3, 360, PC) Sengoku  (PC) Rage  (PC, PS3, 360) The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns - Again  (DS, Wii, PS3, 360) Pucca Power Up  (DS) White Knight Chronicles 2  (PS3) September 14 TrackMania 2: Canyon  (PC) September 19

You're the Devil, Gamestop

Today I took a trip to one of the closer GameStops.  The idea was to trade in some of my older games in hopes to either get a new game , Rise of Nightmares, or pay off my preorder for Gears of War 3.  I was really hoping for option #1, but I had to settle for option #2.  What was reaffirmed for me was that gaming is an expensive hobby with little in the way of financial return.  Here's what I traded, what I paid when I bought them, and what I got. (Wii) Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels - $40 - $4.20 (Wii) Castlevania: Judgement - $20 - $5.60 (360) Rockstar Games Table Tennis - $14 - $0.70 (360) Rockband 2 - $60 - $2.80 (360) Fallout 3 - $30 - $3.50 (360) Divinity 2: Ego Draconis - $60 - $9.80 (360) Devil May Cry 4 - $10 - $2.80 Total: $234 Sold: $29.40 Profit: -$204.60 Granted, no one buys games to make money off of them.  The time one enjoys playing the game is usually a fantastic return on investment.  Add to that, Gamestop's notorious reputation for

Hunted: The Demon's Forge

Image
Hunted: The Demon's Forge is a co-op dungeon crawler set in a dark fantasy world.  The story follows two mercenaries, Caddoc and E'lara, as they attempt to unravel an invasion spanning three kingdoms.  Developed by inXile Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks, the game was released on May 31, 2011. Hunted is the story of two mercenaries, the human Caddoc and his elven companion E'lara.  Caddoc has been experiencing haunting dreams involving a mysterious woman with alabastor skin named Seraphine.  Soon enough, his dreams become reality and the two mercenaries must discover why a normally cowardly race, the Wargar, have teamed with their mortal enemies, the Minotaur.  The two races have been enslaving humans from three separate kingdoms for unknown reasons. The story itself is an interesting one and fun to experience but it is also very predictable.  There are plenty of twists and turns that you can see coming from miles away.  This is all very familiar ter

Devil May Cry 4

Image
Devil May Cry is a series whose entire story will never be told.  There are four games in the series.  The order of the games in the series is a bit screwed up though.  To play the story through start to what is available, you would have to play DMC 3 then DMC 1 then DMC 4 then DMC 2.  Adding to that is the series reboot that is due out sometime next year.  My theory for the series never being finished is that DMC 2 was a flop in both reviewer and fan eyes.  That's a shame as it was my favorite game in the series.  You saw a more mature Dante with a somber story and fantastic game play.  The game (and series) ends with Dante riding a motorcycle into Hell and Lucia waiting for him to return.  What ever happened to Dante?  The world may never know. DMC 4 follows a new protagonist, Nero, as he quests to unravel the secrets of his order and save his one true love, Kyrie.  It all begins with a concert that ends with Dante shooting the leader of Nero's order in the face.  Then i