Below you will find the Reveal Trailer for GTA V. This has me wanting to play San Andreas again in preperation for GTA V. This does also appear to be a current gen system release, but my question is, will it be on Vita? Time will tell when we get a release date and system announcement. Be sure to check back for updates on this now anticipated title from Rockstar Games. Comments and Questions below!!!

Matt here with a quick update, I know I have been M.I.A. for a while now, and its because I have been slammed with work and home stuff, but I am hoping to have a new blog up this week, and I am working on the Logan's Shadow review for PSP, hopefully finishing that soon, so watch for that!!! Working on a new blog

What's New
Alright folks, gaming season is now upon us. Now is the time for the blitz of new great releases just in time for the holiday season. Its also time for all of us to go flat broke. The HUGE release for this week, GEARS OF WAR 3!!! The time is upon us to hoard like crazy, get some "bros" and tear shit up!!! This game to me is always best played with a friend, so I am hoping that Eh-Rok will be getting it ASAP so we can go through the campaign together. This release is again the beginning of things to come, so let the broke gamers of America unite and buy this game together!!! This week also sees the release of the new Fallout: New Vegas DLC. Not sure on much about this one, I haven't researched it enough yet, but its Fallout DLC, so its bound to be good. I will give you an update on it once I have looked into it more.

Now Playing

This week I downloaded a two pack on PSN for my PSP. Killzone: Liberation and Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow. I have played a little bit of the Killzone, and even though it is a top down shooter, I am really liking it so far and will write a review on it once I am done with it. I have also been playing some Crisis Core off and on. I am kind of confused by this game in the way that they level you up, but for the most part its pretty fun, so I will keep playing it. Anyways, gotta go get some rest for work bright and early tomorrow. Look for an update from Eh-Rok soon now that his festivities are over with.

What's New 

A couple of releases this week I am really amped for. Call Of Duty: Rezzurection DLC, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Rezzurection is alledgedly going to be the last of the DLC for the Black Ops game from the COD franchise. Who knows with them, but this DLC will surely amaze as the others have before. Of course, Eh-Rok is in Hawaii on his honeymoon, and I don't have a 360, but when he comes home, I am pretty sure he is going to buy it, and we are hoping to play this weekend, and I will let you all know how it is. This is an all zombie map pack, with one of them being on the moon, which will surely be pretty badass in itself. Sad to see the DLC for this game come to an end, however, Modern Warfare 3 is on its way, so we won't have to wait much longer for new Call Of Duty to play!!! Deus Ex: Human Revolution came out on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC this week as well, and is highly anticipated. I believe Eh-Rok is getting this one as well, so watch out for his blog on it if he is, I know he like Deus Ex. From the Screenshots and videos I have seen from this game, I am extremely jealous that I can't play it, although, I might get it on PC. As you all know, I have had Eh-Rok's PS3 this week while he was gone, so I played a lot of Killzone 2, Infamous, Infamous 2, God Of War III, and Assasin's Creed, so watch for an updated blog from me. 

What I am Playing 

For now, I am not going to put anything here, I will do an updated blog this weekend for what I am playing, because I am hoping to buy a PSP this week. Right now though, I have Eh-Rok's PS3, loving it! Killzone 2 is an amazing shooter, I really wanna try Killzone 3 after the demo of it I played, it appears to be a very solid franchise from what I have played. I made it through most of Infamous, and even though I am not big on superhero games, this game amazed me! You knew you were a superhero per say, although you could be a bad guy (I never did), but at the same time, the amount of game play it had and the different things you did on your missions and side missions made it feel like an RPG in a way, a shooter, and a superhero, all in one! I loved the start of Infamous 2 as well, and I hope someday I can finish playing it (hoping I get a PS3 someday). God Of War III was what I expected it to be and more. Tyical Krados ripping apart baddies, and great gameplay with even greater of a storyline from the other 2 God Of War games. Assasin's Creed was odd to me, simply though because I haven't played the other games in that franchise, so I was really confused as to what to do and what was going on. All in all it has been a fun week with his PS3, and I am sad to give it back to him, but hopefully I get that PS3 this week to start reviewing games on that. Wish me Luck!!! 

Have a great week everyone, and keep on gaming!!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a psychologist by any means, have not hard core researched this topic, this will be strictly opinion base from me, don't hash out on me for facts to back what I am saying, as this will be strictly opinion based!! Thank you, and enjoy: 

 

    Alright, so this week I am only focusing on this topic, so check Eh-Rok's Blog page to get the latest on new releases. I am writing about Violence in Games vs. Violence in this world, because right now, it is the hottest topic rising, especially with the latest riots happening in London and blame being put on social media and gaming. First, I want to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the London riots, and the victims and families affected by the ridiculous shooting spree in Norway. A lot has come out of Norway because that jerk-off Anders is saying he used Call Of Duty to train for this shooting spree and get insider info on how policing works. That is crap, the most Call of Duty can offer you is war simulation, it does not provide any insight what so ever on how military or police run their operations, the most that it tries to make realistic to real life is the guns, even then, in real life, you can't really tag your gun. So what that guy is saying is crap, knowing that people will freak out and start blaming the gaming industry, which sure enough did happen, a lot of stores in Norway started to pull violent games off of their shelves. This guy had every intent of doing what he did, game or not, just he did his research and knew that if you blame it on some sort of social thing, be it music and T.V. (like Columbine) or social media (Riots in London, story after the jump), and then people just automatically blame it on these industries, making them the enemy when in fact those people are just dumb and ass holes (excuse my language). The only people that I feel have any excuse of mental problems with violence are soldiers that suffer from PTSD after coming home from war, now those guys have seen a lot of messed up stuff, in REAL LIFE, not some freaking video game!! I myself have played all kinds of shooters throughout my life, in fact, I usually will choose any FPS over any game any day of the week. Am I a violent person? I have never thought violent things, never wanted to take a gun and shoot people, never wanted to blow stuff up (except fireworks, but every guy does that). Its just ludacris to think that people actually think that playing video games influences your kid's thoughts and actions, its called bad parenting people. You ignore your kids or treat them like crap, they are going to get angry, I don't blame them, I would be pissed too if my parents didn't show any care for me at all.  This guy was effed in the head, with or without video games to 'influence' him, if anything, video games with some sort of violence are usually a way to get out your frustrations ethically, without doing harm to others. I will admit, when I get pissed, its fun as hell to blow stuff up in COD. Another recent cop out for violence lately has been social media, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.



    Recently there was a massive a massive riot that took place in London that lasted days before the London police got the situation under control. Stores were looted, buildings were burned, and it was just sheer utter chaos.  And what was blamed for it? social media for allowing teens to spread the word of the riots and get more teens to do the same thing. So what if you take away social media? People still have texting, phones to call each other, and email, there in lies this riot could have happened with or without social media being used to spread the word. What went wrong in these riots was it took the police too long to respond to the riots in force, in turn allowing for word to spread more, more people to think the destruction is cool and join in. The only part social media had in this riot was that the rioting was made public, and it kept us in the United States up-to-date with the events that transpired. The London police could have also have used social media to be aware of these riots before they even started, and could have allowed them to respond sooner to the starting point of the riots and quite possibly de-escalated the situation before it was able to get out of control. 

In conclusion, the only aspect that I agree with those blaming media of any kind on violence is that yes, people that are dumb enough to want to get violent can get ideas by playing these games or talking to other wierdos online, when you look at the big picture, no way in hell does the gaming industry create these games to attempt to teach people how to be violent. Some people were born with bad genes that cause them to have these horrible feelings and to want to act out, not video games. Its not like there is some sort of hypnotism going on here people, wake up and realize that it boils down to they will do it, with or without 'influence' from games!



DISCLAIMER: Again, this was a strictly opinionated article, so do not come after me asking for resources, I have none, this is my opinion, if I offended you, I am sorry, but I am entitled to my opinion, one of which I think that a lot of gamers alike  would agree with. Thanks for reading, Have a great week, and GAME ON!!

Well, now that summer is coming to a close, we are finally getting some nice weather here (better late than never) so I have been doing a lot of yard work in preparation for a lot of family (approx. 30 people) that will be visiting my house this weekend, so I haven't had much gaming, so this week, I am going to talk about a HUGE announcement for Wii COD fans that happened on 08/04, then I am going to discuss a very sensitive topic, violence in games and how it affects people. Let's begin, shall we?

New Releases

There wasn't much New release wise that really appealed to me to feel we should discuss, however, there was a HUGE announcement on 08/04 by Activision for Wii owners that love the Call Of Duty franchise. Activision announced that Modern Warfare 3 will be ported over to the Wii console. What they didn't say however, is the exact release date and who is making it, which you can speculate that a lot of people are thinking that Treyarch is going to do it as they did Call Of Duty: Black Ops on the Wii. I really hope that either Activision does it or that they find someone else to do it though, don't get me wrong, Treyarch did a fantastic job at porting over Black Ops, however, I feel that is where the support for Wii owners from Treyarch stopped, especially since we have only seen patches, no DLC. And right now, they are getting ready to release the final DLC for Black Ops on every other system, and still not one DLC for Wii. Now I still play it, still love it, but would have at least thought they could have ported over some sort of new map pack by now. Who knows, maybe now that they are done doing DLC for the major systems, they might, just might, focus on the Wii, but probably not. Say what you want about Wii graphics, I will agree, but when it comes down to it, for Wii owners, this is sure to be a huge release, and I am definitely going to place my pre-order for it.

Alright, this week has been a good week, thinking about selling my Wii and getting a PSP 2000 instead, as it is going to be a lot easier for me to play handhelds while my wife is watching tv then only being able to play while she is at work  2 days a week. Time will tell though, I am always changing my mind, ha ha. Either way, I am getting a new console this holiday season. Today, I am going to be doing my blog a little different. Instead of telling you what I am playing, we are doing a discussion on the Vita and the Wii U. Let's begin. 

New Releases  

This week saw quite a bit of releases, couple of them were anticipated, the rest were just there. Let's start with Back To The Future: The Game-Episode V: Outatime came out on PS3. Not much to say there, probably won't be that good at all.  Next we have number one of the 2 anticipated releases: Catherine, on PS3 and 360. This game was one I was even waiting for, it looks like its going to be an amazing game, and according to Eh-Rok, it is indeed, and that will probably be one of his next reviews. From the advertising, it appears to be a very provocative game,  although Eh-Rok says that is not necessarily the case. The graphics on this game appear to be what can be expected for PS3 and 360. This is definitely going to go on my list of games I have to get once I get a new console. Next we have Dragon Age II: Legacy on PC, 360 and PS3. This DLCis going to really appeal to Dragon Age players, although from what I have read so far, some of the Dragon Age players that are reviewers have been disappointed in this DLC so far, they have preferred Dragon Age over this one, I will probably rent it though just to see for myself, not sure if Eh-Rok purchased this one either. Next we have Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions on 3DS. I don't expect much from this game, its just another Pac-Man style game, although if I had a 3DS, I would probably buy it, for the sheer fact that a classic like Pac-Man never gets old. Next up is Section 8: Prejudice on the PS3. This is an arena shooter, said to be just like Section 8, only with better visuals, and a stronger online play. Probably not going to get a very good fan base, but maybe worth giving it a whirl.  Lastly we have Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team, a third person action shooter on the PS3. 

PS Vita vs. Wii U (from a handheld standpoint) 

Alright, you may me wondering why I said from a handheld standpoint, it is simply because where they stand right now, Nintendo has only basically shown off the controller, and stated that you can play your games on it, like a handheld. Now what thye didn't say was if it was fully portable, basically making it a DS with a bigger screen, which would be cool. However, the biggest downfall for me with this controller so far is the size. Now of course, I am not going to complain about it being too big, as I have not held it yet, but from the dimensions of it, and the images I have seen of it, it does appear to be very awkward to hold it in your hands. Antoher debate I have is if the controller itself will be rechargeable, or if they are going to stick with what they had with the Wiimote and make you buy a rechargeable aftermarket battery pack if you want a rechargeable remote, especially since both 360 and PS3 now are standard to have rechargeable remotes, Nintendo better step up on that. At E3, they showed that the game you are playing on TV can be easily stopped and resumed on the Wii U remote without missing a beat. Well, the question then arises, how far can you go from the console before it won't read each other anymore? Do you have to be in the same room, the same house, or can you even take it with you? I doubt you will be able to take it with you, not getting my hopes up about that. Not much has been said about the console, although it does look like its going to be about the size of the 360, but I fear that they focused so much on the remote and the capabilities of said remote, where are they going to lose the momentum with this console? I will definitely have to try it all out first before I really decide on if I am going to buy it, plus I want to see what third parties are going to do with this console first.  

Alright, now to my favorite, the PS Vita. I am really excited for this handheld to be released later this year, and I don't care how much it is, I am going to be getting it. There are already a lot of descent titles for release with it, like uncharted and Little Big Planet 2. The screen is going to be much more crisp than anything in the past, but the one thing that is making me nervous is the latest rumour going aroudn that they are going to drop the amount of RAM in it.  Although I doubt this will really affect gameplay, it is still a dissappointment that if it turns out to be true, developers won't be able to go the limit on their new games. Next up that is really cool, dual control sticks, which will give it more of a PS3 remote feel, but in the same respect, doesn't really make it as portable, as you won't really want to slide that in your pocket and risk snapping the control sticks, but that issue can be resolved with a hard case, of which I am sure they will release for it. Sony is going to offer a Wi-Fi version and a 3G version using AT&T (booooo!!!!). Eh-Rok and I are more than likely going to get the Wi-Fi version because both of our houses have Wi-Fi, and there are so many Wi-Fi Hotspots now that you don't really have to worry about not getting that internet connection when you need it when your traveling. The screen might have some resolution problems outside with glare, but that is no problem for me because I will mainly be using it indoors. I am ultimately hoping that they will try and compete immensly with the 3DS and bring internet to this handheld and possibly Netflix? That would be a huge advantage for them to enable that. Unfortunately, they are keeping a lot of the details in the dark, only releasing bits at a time, which is frustrating, but also a very smart marketing move  on Sony's part. The part on the Vita that I am worried about though is the dual touch screen, but again, I am keeping an open mind until I try it out for myself, but it also won't hinder my decision to buy this, because you can still use your basic controls if it gets frustrating. I think Sony is getting into something really good with this handheld, especially since they are working on getting PS3 titles avail. for the Vita, I would love to see them bring Infamous over to the Vita, and I wouldn't really be surprised if they did, that would just encourage me getting the Vita even more because even though I don't have a PS3, I have played the demo for Infamous 2 in the store, and LOVED it! 

Well, that is all for this week, everyone have a great week, I know I will, its supposed to actually be nice weather here.  Everyone get out there and game, while rocking out!! Be sure and check out my new music review, dropping now! Go go go!!

Well, another week is upon us, and sadly, it appears I did not win that PS3 I was trying so hard to get. There is still a slim hope alive that I could win it, but time will tell, and at this point, I doubt I will get it, but luckily there is a new contest for a 360!! So lets go for that one! Plus I am trying to still find one for cheap, if anyone knows how I can get one for cheap, please let me know, so I can start having more to add to my gaming blog! 

New Releases 

There were releases that I was looking forward to this week. The first one was the DLC for Fall Out New Vegas: Old World Blues. This is the 3rd DLC for New Vegas, and it is designed to reveal how the monsters came to occupy the area. This was a highly anticipated DLC, and from what Eh-Rok has told me, Fallout has always had really good DLC, so this one is sure to still not disappoint. Like I said in my opening, I don't think I have won that PS3, but hopefully I will get my hands on one somehow. The newest contest is for an Xbox 360, so wish me luck there! The next release was Call of Juarez: The Cartel. The promos for this game make it look amazingly fun to me, however, once I was reading up on it, it sounds like the gameplay is shotty with controls, but I also read that the graphics are about the same quality as a PS2, and for me, graphics on the 360 and PS3 should be equally as good for all games across these systems. I will see what the gameplay looks like for myself and judge then, but I don't think that I would buy it, I would rent it first to test it out. Capatain America: Super Soldier is out for PS3 and 360, but like all spin offs from movies, probably just another blah game. Lastley is the DLC for Left 4 Dead 2: Dead Air, we need to get Eh-Rok over here so that we can finally finish that game and maybe get this DLC, but I do agree with him, this is mainly a game you should play with friends, makes it much more fun and interesting than by yourself. I would still play this game all the way through by myself though, just to pinpoint the differences. However, once Dead Island comes out, it will be a tough competition for Left4Dead to keep up. 

What I Am Playing 

This week, I mainly played CivWorld and Angry Birds online, and mixed it up a little with Rockband 3. Rockband 3 I played merely to advance further in my career mode, nothing special there, as I have not downloaded any DLC for it yet, although, Harmonix did reach their 3000 tracks mark this week with their newest weekly DLC release. I also played some of Monster Hunter Tri, starting this game over as I didn't make it very far before so I may as well start over. I do have to admit thought that with our new house, I either need a bigger tv or sit closer in order to read the words from the story. But oh well, its plenty worth it, that game one of the most impressive Wii games that I have ever played. This week I am going to try and go do some trade ins and maybe pick up Twilight Princess, another one that I have been wanting, just don't think of it until after I have left the store, ha ha ha. Civ World is starting to be addictive to me, reminds me a lot like Civilation, only kind of cooler because you can just play online, and you have all facebook community members to play with, especially if your friends in your list are playing it too. Angry Birds of course is addicting to anyone that attempts to play it. This game is for any age range, from children to adults, its just sheer fun! 

Well that is all from me this week, be sure and pop on over and check out my music blog for some more great times with REAPER!! 

Hopefully everyone had a great week, I know I did, I had a yard sale over the weekend, made some money so I can't complain. This week is going to be a busy week for me with work and house work right when I get home, so lets begin. 

New Releases 

Again, there was not much being released this week to get too excited about. However, there are still a few good new releases worth brief discussion. First is the L.A. Noir: Reefer Madness DLC. This is basically a new case that expands on the last one from the game disc. If you were a fan of L.A. Noir, definitely you should download it, as it is sure to be a hit with fans. Next up is the latest Harry Potter game, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Not much to say about this one, maybe it will be better than the other ones, but I am pretty sure at this time, its safe to say that this game will be the same song and dance as the other Harry Potter games, which is, not that impressive, just okay graphics, and same type of gameplay over and over again. The one that I am looking forward to this week is NCAA Football 12, Its Game Day Baby!! This game is sure to impress if you have played any of the other ones from the past. You can tell that they have listened to their fans, fixing the controls, designing a much better control scheme and a lot better flow in the overall gameplay. This game is on my list of must haves if I win that PS3 next week (stay posted to see if I end up winning it). The introductions for the teams has been revamped and has a lot more detailed intros for each team, making you feel like you are actually there in the game, staring down your opponent. If you’re a sports fan, definitely this is one worth adding to your collection! 

What I Am Playing 

This week I was very busy with the yard sale and trying to find a different job, so I didn't have much time to play at all. But one of the games that I did play this week was Monster Hunter Tri. This was a highly anticipated game at the time it was released. The sad news is that it had been so long since I have played it, I had to start over to refresh myself on the gameplay and what you need to do. For the Wii, this game has very impressive graphics and some thrilling gameplay for being so RPG style, especially since I am not normally one to play an RPG style game, I usually find them very boring, however, this one has always had me intrigued, and I want to keep playing. Another game that I played this week from the beginning was The Conduit, another great game for the Wii. It does have a very short campaign, but I am loving going through again and taking my sweet time on each level, trying to collect everything there is so that I know I have beaten it to 100% completion rather than just rushing through it to beat it. I am soon going to get The Conduit 2 and hopefully write a review on it. Finally, I played some more of Rock Band 3. Not much to update with that one, they are always releasing new tracks for DLC, I am just trying to get it beat so I can get some new tracks on it. 

Well that is all for this week, tomorrow there will be a new music review, I just need the rest of this evening to finish listening to all the albums, there was quite a bit of good releases this week. Stay tuned for Eh-Rok's blog for this week, he is camping right now, but is going to try and post from his PS3. If he can't he will be writing a long one next week.  

This Blog and the Music Review Blog is a couple of days late, and I apologize, I was really busy with 4th of July and family last weekend. I hope everyone enjoyed their Fourth (and still have all their fingers and toes). 

 

New Releases  



    Not many releases this week that I was really excited for, but Mafia II: The Director's Cut came out today, which pretty much means not much, as it's still pretty much the same thing with some added things like extra dialogue and a little extra gameplay to make it a little more appealing. I have never been a big fan of Mafia, so I was not too excited about this next release. To me its just another way that they are trying to make more money off of the game. Another one that was basically a re-release was the Resistance 2 pack that came out this week. Resistance has always seemed like a really good franchise, and from what Eh-Rok has told me about it, it's very similar to Coall Of Duty and Killzone, and from the gameplay I have seen, I would say he is right. I am very excited to hopefully someday get my hands on these games and play them as I have always been a big fan of both Call Of Duty and Killzone and their gameplay. In addition to being a good game, its also 2 games for $40 bucks, which is always a great deal in my book, and a great way for companies to capitalize and get a good profit going.

What I'm Playing  



    First, let's start with Annihilation Map Pack. We did indeed get to play it last week, and yet again, Treyarch has not disappointed. I had a very high death rate of course to start the maps as I was more about exploring them the first few rounds to get familiarized with the layout of them. My favorite would have to be Drive-In. To me, this map had a lot of potential for snipers, making the map that more challenging. I am more of a run-and-gun player, and there was more than ample enough places for me to take cover from the snipers and pick them off like they are trying to do to us. The Zombie map was another impressive map to me, even though I suck at the zombie maps. We only made it about 6 rounds in that map, but from what we saw of the map it was pretty big and very impressive. I wish we could have went more rounds, but oh well, we suck at zombies, that's life, and it was still a really good map. Although I really enjoyed the maps, I kind of hope that Treyarch is done with the map packs for Black Ops, especially since if you have bought every map pack so far, you have almost spent as much as you did on the disc itself. On my system, the Wii, I went and bought Rock Band 3. The biggest difference I have seen is the career, and I don't like how they have made it to where you have to beat goals, it’s a weird change that I will have to get used to. I do enjoy the updated playlist though, it appears to have a lot of good song choices. In addition to that, the fact that you can use basically a real guitar or a real drum set on Pro is a very cool feature that I might eventually try. I also started Goldeneye over again, this time taking my sweet time on each level and exploring it to its fullest capability instead of rushing through to beat it. I tried the multiplayer, and it was fun, but compared to Black Ops, it has very stiff controls, I am almost tempted to try the nun chuck and Wii remote instead of the CCCP (Classic Controller Pro). I didn't get a chance to play Resident Evil 4 yet, but tonight my wife works, so I plan on getting in a little game time on that and Goldeneye tonight after the kiddos go to bed. I have less than two weeks until I find out if I won a PS3 in a contest, so keep your fingers crossed that I do get it so I can start writing cooler reviews than just the same old Wii games.



As always, we appreciate any feedback and I hope everyone has a great rest of your week!!