New Game Alert!

I have been ignoring this game for a long while so it's due time that I picked up The House of the Dead: Overkill for the Nintendo Wii. I was going to get The Sims 3 also but for some reason I have second thoughts about it at the last moment before purchase - it's just a bit too similar to The Sims 2 and I have a lot of expansions attached to that second game. Due to this, I have moved The Sims 3 down to Severity 2 on my Purchase List.

Sega has gone grind-house. Will it be a success or a true overkill for the series?

Games Played 05/27/2009

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom - X-Box 360
Mortal Kombat Trilogy - PlayStation
Way of the Samurai - PlayStation 2

RANDOM GAME OF THE DAY:


Ape Escape 2 (2003)
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Studios Japan
Platform: PlayStation 2
Purchase Date: 07/03/2003


So what was the first thing the apes built to promote their newfound freedom?

When it comes to sheer fun, Ape Escape 2 never falters. In the game, you play as Jimmy who is tasked to retrieve all the monkeys who have gone wild thanks to his own blunder for accidentally sending the intelligence-boosting monkey helmets alongside the new sets of monkey pants to a monkey sanctuary. Under the leadership of the smartest ape in the bunch, a white monkey named Spectre, the monkeys sudenly become more of a threat instead of just merely a nuisance. The structure of the game is pretty straightforward: catch a certain amount of monkeys in each stage and you can go back to the previous stages to completely capture every single escapees. All of the monkeys have their own individual personality and character statistics - now that's what I call attention to detail - and you can view them in the Monkepedia at the stage hub. You use many strange devices to help you capture the monkeys and the task gets progressively trickier as you go along. The graphics are still absolutely beautiful! It's bright, colorful, and it even has widescreen support! When you are able to capture a monkey, the whole screen is darken, the action is paused, and pretty colors just burst out everywhere on the screen to really capitalize on your accomplishment, turning what really is a repetitive task into something truly rewarding. The stage designs are ingenious, featuring many platform elements and crazy themes. The continuously upbeat soundtrack is filled with infectious, memorable tunes. And then there are the magnificent boss fights - how can they make fighting a bunch of crazy monkeys this epic? A great game indeed.

LIBRARY STATUS: 5 out of 5

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Beta Key

The retail copy of Infamous that I picked up contains the multiplayer beta key for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I was glad that I didn't use it right away because soon after, I received an official invitation from Sony to participate in the beta. The beta voucher has an expiration of 06/28/2009 and it would be a shame to waste it. If you are interested in obtaining this key, please send me an email at loner.gamer@yahoo.com and I will provide it to the first request that arrives in my mailbox. [Update Note: 11am - I just discovered that I got another code that I received from a limited offer request that I submitted in, so there are two beta keys here up for grabs! 12:29pm - both codes have been claimed. That was quicker than expected thanks to my companion piece account on Youtube.]

I played the beta a couple of days ago and it was good. I really didn't like the competitive multiplayer - it's just another team-based third person shooter death-match - but the 3-player cooperative campaign mode was a lot of fun. It's like playing the first game, only with a couple of more players joining in on the explorations, the discoveries, and the gunfights! One thing is certain: the game's graphics are unbelievable even though the highest resolution is stuck at 720p. Uncharted 2 is definitely one of the best looking games I have seen this year.

It's Resident Evil 5 all over again but only faster and without the filthy majinis.

09/04/2018 - I am still getting requests in regards to this post to this day. Several things to note: Both codes were already claimed on the same day of the post 9 years ago. Also, you can now play the actual full game instead of playing a beta. If you don't know that, well, I don't know what to say. Lastly, these were the beta keys for the game on the PlayStation 3, and NOT for the PC. Thank you.

Games Played 05/26/2009

Blast Wind - SegaSaturn
Tak and the Power of Juju - GameCube

RANDOM GAME OF THE DAY:


Under Defeat (2006)
Developer: G.rev
Platform: Sega Dreamcast
Purchase Date: 04/25/2006


When surrounded by an infinite number of enemy bullets, press B.

Under Defeat is one of the Dreamcast's final Japanese games. It takes place in an alternate universe with a World War II-inspired settings. It's a 2D shooter with 3D graphics and you control a military helicopter equipped with a rapid fire weapon and three different "options" (or small ships) to choose from via power-ups from destroyed enemies. The gameplay is very basic but the relentless enemy bullets even from the early stages make the game difficult to master. Under Defeat's twist revolves around the player's usage of the "options" because you can only use one type of them at a time and when an option is summoned, it will help the player for only a short amount of time. There is an option gauge that will refill over time before the option can then be used again. The player must also stop shooting to completely fill that gauge. Overall, this system works great but the options-gimmick doesn't require much thought behind its usage. Your angle of shot can be rotated by moving your helicopter around and you can keep it at the desired angle by holding on the shoot button. The one really cool thing about the game is whenever you die, the game pauses for a brief second so that you can see what exactly it is that you have bumped your helicopter into.

LIBRARY STATUS: 3 out of 5

Games Played 05/25/2009

Free Realms - PC
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom - X-Box 360

RANDOM GAME OF THE DAY:


Missing: Since January (2004)
Developer: Lexis Numérique
Platform: Personal Computer
Purchase Date: 2004


What could possibly turn an independent, strong woman into this terrified mess?

Missing: Since January presents itself not as a video game but as a CD being distributed by SKL Network, a documentary production company, that contains cryptic clues left by a serial killer that must be decoded and solved to save the lives of their missing employee Jack Lorsi and a woman named Karen Gijman. You can think of it as The Blair Witch Project of video games where the intent behind the game's creation is to blur the line between fiction and reality. When you first start the game, an email address registration is required - the server is still up too (after installing a patch) if you are interested in purchasing the game - and this becomes a vital part of the experience. You see, as you delve deeper and deeper into solving the abstract and disturbing puzzles, you will receive many interesting emails related to the investigation. The game asks you to solve puzzles after puzzles while being taunted by the messages as well as raw video footage left by the killer himself and most often, you are required to look for your answers from the internet: there are many authentic-looking websites created for the purpose of this game that can be found using any search engine providing that you know the specific keywords to type in. It's a hit or miss sometimes but the clever usage of uncommon word combinations help to reduce unnecessary frustrations. The realism that comes from the serious tone and the handheld Quick Time video footage is exceptional. Missing: Since January is bold, fresh, and unsettling. A rare accomplishment and one of the most unique video gaming experiences ever devised.

LIBRARY STATUS: 5 out of 5