You get on a plane, train, or an automobile that you’re hopefully not operating. Reading a book just doesn’t feel right, listening to music isn’t stimulating enough, and you’re not tired enough to sleep right now. What to do? Whip out your portable gaming console and start tweaking away on the portable gaming smack! But now here comes the big issue. What system, what game, and what is appropriate for when? Here’s some lovely tips, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra playing Beethoven’s 8^th using poorly-tuned instruments.

DS, iPhone/iTouch, PSP, or a laptop?

Well, this depends on what you’ve got. If you have a means to charge your laptop/iPhone/iTouch, then go for whatever on there. Bringing a laptop kind of defeats the purpose of this entire article, so if you’re reading this on a plane and on a laptop, I spit in your general direction. But power is infinitely more important for a iPhone/iTouch. Especially if this is your music medium as well as your gaming platform. iWhatevers can die notoriously fast with no recharge around and in game mode, so beware.

Now the question remains: DS or PSP? This depends on brand preference, game preference, and certain qualities. If you’re already decided on brand or game, great. If you’re not, here’s a couple questions:

Do you like action games or RPGs? FPS or strategy? Original licenses or remake/sequels?

If you find yourself genuinely enjoying moments of intuition, solving puzzles, or simply just playing Tetris, then the DS is for you, as it carries a lot more puzzle games or brain-related games that don’t require a lot of attention.

If you like full-fledged, plot filled action games, with characters you already know and love — those games are available for DS, but the PSP provides a better presentation that might be perfect for your needs.

Be prepared to get bored quickly, even if it’s a game you’re drawn into normally.

Travelling long distances makes you feel stagnant, and easily distracted. Sitting still for all that time, any sort of event or action that goes on in or around you can distract you away, and you might get tired of doing the same game you know you’ll be playing for a certain amount of hours. A good idea would be to bring one game that exemplifies each genre you enjoy – a Final Fantasy Tactics, Super Mario Bros, and Professor Layton, for example, if you like strategy, platforming, and puzzling.

Don’t play games with lots of funky camera motion, unless you want to get car sick.

Believe it or not, this happens to more people than you know. Some people just get sick sitting on the seats that face the opposite way of the train! But be smart, if you know this game has a lot of forward first-person motion, it might not be a good idea to play it. Also if you cannot focus fully on the game, say someone keeps going to the bathroom and you have to keep getting up, then don’t play that game. Play a Bejeweled or Peggle until you have peace and quiet.

I hope these last four weeks were informing and somewhat interesting for you. It was a great joy digging into the working gamers world, and hopefully giving a bit of advice that was necessary. I’m always available to contact through Twitter or by commenting. Thanks a lot for reading and keeping gaming, you busy person you.

There’s a very large line of demarcation between today’s gamers: online gamers and those who are most assuredly offline players. As a busy, young go-getter gamer, it may be hard to determine your allegiance between the two factions. Yes, in terms of online play, practice makes perfect, but some of us haven’t the mental or physical fortitude for the high-level douchebaggedry that is perpetrated online.

On the other hand, some of us haven’t the Zen-like patience that is required to be a single-player completionist, at least not willingly. Some require the constant competitive nature of online games to get the same feeling of fufillment that single-player gamers acquire from a particularly difficult level or achievement. Then there’s a third side to this battle – the gamer that can take one or the other and maintain a low blood pressure on either side. Unfortunately, not all of us are this gifted, and struggle to remain sane in this ever-changing world of gaming, no matter which faction you side up with.

Personally, I’m not much of a competitive player. The non-stop douchey name calling, coupled with the accusations and buck-passing in online play infuriate me to no end. The occasional match of TF2 or PvP match in a random MMO suffice; but that’s because I have a role to play in the matches, and that can make a world of difference to frustrated gamers. Here’s a couple qualities you have if you’re a single player game:

• You find that owning more than one controller/Wiimote is pointless. This can also mean you have no friends.
• A lot of time is spent not learning new combo moves or multi-kill rewards; it’s spent collecting in-game items long after the game’s story mode is completed.
• You may enjoy an MMO, but you prefer end-game raiding to PvP.

If you disagree with these qualities, then look at the multiplayer perceptions to gaming, handily listed below:

• Single-player modes in your games are rarely touched, if only for achievements/trophies/in-game items.
  
• You may own more sports games than the above single-player gamer.
• If you’re an MMO fan, you believe that PvP is the only way to play the game, and you may have been quoted as saying so once or twice.

Then again, you might just be that guy who never decided his major in college; the woman who couldn’t decide which person to date in a sitcom, or whatever. A good way of telling if you’re in the middle ground:

• You’re an RTS fan. An RTS is a great single-player experience that can translate to online/LAN play.
• You own a couple FPS games, but are not in a clan or anything. A “Left 4 Dead” title is a must.
• You may be an MMO player, but you prefer neither gameplay experience, and might occasionally switch MMOs.

The sooner you decide what you like, the more effective your game scheduling becomes. For example. instead of boiling your blood in a TF2 night with your buddies, you might find it more soothing to have a single-player night in Civilization 4 or even to play Dead Rising as a group, taking turns at each 100 zombie kills or mission completion, for example. Or if a singular experience is really important, it might be time to catch up on your Zelda or your Bayonetta save. If you figure your tastes out, then it’s less time on bad games and more time on satisfaction.

Just remember that there’s no shame in being undecided, though. Some peoples’ tastes change a lot over time. But, people will hate you if you don’t pick a side, you evil flip-flopper you.

Week 4: Roads? Where we game, there are no roads. Or electrical outlets. (Gaming on the go.)

Nobody really thought we were done with this, did they?

Of course not.  Mega Man is a franchise that is more cherished the older, glitchier, and stranger it gets.  Clearly, it is unkillable.  Not that anybody’s trying to kill it.  Except for legions of menacing, mechanical murderbots.

This time around, there is NO strangely-haired super scientist trying to explode his devious whatever all over the planet.  You might say this is a departure for the series.  But fear not, classic Mega Man fan.  There will be plenty of robots going haywire, ironically with the word “man” in each of their names like always.

“Roboenza,” the name of a virus that some writer came up with in the car on the way to work, is hitting the robots of Mega Man’s world.  Even Roll is stricken by its viral contamination.  This, in turn, leads to the rising of several themed robots hiding behind levels full of floating and hopping enemies.

Your adversaries this time around:

• Pump Man
• Chill Man
• Strike Man
• Sheep Man
• Commando Man
• Nitro Man
• Blade Man
• Solar Man

Will Solar Man shut down when indoors?  Will Sheep Man be able to clone himself?  Will Blade Man just be Wesley Snipes in a robot suit?! These and other questions will be answered as Mega Man 10 arrives in the spring of this year.

But there’s more than just terrifiyng bosses to look forward to.  Get ready to play as not only the Blue Bomber, but his old “buddy” Proto Man and an as yet unnamed third party.  There will be an easy mode for you pansies that can’t take the heat of the robot apocalypse and another mode called “Mega Man Challenges.”

Deep breaths, guys.  But not too deep.  Don’t want anybody getting a big dose of Roboenza before you can get your hands on this bad-ass sequel.

]]> http://www.gamepex.com/ps3/omfg-you-guys-mega-man-1011/feed/ 0 http://www.gamepex.com/retro/2121/ http://www.gamepex.com/retro/2121/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:45:00 +0000 Robert http://www.gamepex.com/?p=2121 You probably don’t know Tim Kitzrow.

He’s not a household name, except maybe in his own.  He sounds like a guy who takes out the trash, mows the lawn, and all right, fine, he’ll takes the dog for her night walk because Jimmy forgot to, but he’s not happy about it.  He sounds like “Tim Kitzrow, you know, from accounting?”

But Tim Kitzrow is much, much more than an office worker and dedicated parent.  In fact, I have no idea if he is either of those things.  What we know for sure about him is that years and years ago, he was in all of our homes, pretending to be Marv Albert.

Kitzrow was the man behind NBA Jams’ legendary calls.  In 1993, he was “slamma-jamma” and “boomshakalaka-ing” his way into our childhood memories, as guys like Alonzo Mourning and Penny Hardaway performed miraculous feats of anti-gravity and occasionally caught on fire.

EA Sports has decided to introduce NBA Jam to a new generation of gamers, but instead of a Sega Genesis controller, these new players will be conducting their on-court business with the Nintendo Wii. Surprise, surprise; EA wants to combine the classic feel of the ridiculous basketball title with the new features and technology available in sports titles of the present.

Which could work pretty well or be a complete misfire.  I remember the appeal of NBA Jam wasn’t its graphics or mind-blowing special effects.  It was the fact that this was basically professional basketball meets Looney Toons; a concept that became a lot more literal than it should have been years later with Space Jam. There was a clear bias toward the Bulls.  It may or may not have been haunted by Drazen Petrovic.

These are all aspects of the game that EA may have a difficult time re-capturing for a generation of gamers who are used to open world sandbox shooters and MMORPGs.

Player-specific visuals and physics will highlight the overhaul as the new NBA Jam is produced by EA Vancouver and released at some point this year.

No word yet on the availability of Tim Kitzrow.

It is  the age of instant news, an age where on enters his/her kitchen, takes a pill, and is fed. An age of flying cars; internet-capable toaster ovens; even the ability to curse out people in far-off lands from the comfort of your own home. Back in the old days, gaming news was easy to follow and even easier to come by, having only few sources. Something usually didn’t happen very often, and when it did happen, it was some big, earth-shattering news. If this happened today, it would seem as though game development was impossibly slow moving. Game development actually is slow moving, but the amount of time it takes to generate substantial hype can take longer than the game’s creation.

These days, as we are bombarded with news about the newest curvatures added to a female character’s assets (see Dead or Alive for more about “jiggle” physics) or the gameplay changes in a sequel to a game that just shipped. Sometimes we also get the random “real-world relevant” news, where someone hurts/kills another with video game involvement, or video game legislature from a Jack Thompson/Tipper Gore/Dave Grossman, fighting a quixotic war against the industry. Hilarity ensues in the case of the latter and we all grow a little wiser reading it.

But the biggest issue – sometimes it’s so damn hard to keep track of the blur of news today. It’s difficult to even find a news site that actually follows what you want to read enough. That’s where an RSS feed comes in. It’s a handy little button that can be placed on your browser, or in a widget on your desktop. RSS (or Really Simple Syndication, or as I call it Running Stuff Smartly) lists all of the posts a blog or news site would have available for a certain period of time. This is all done without you actually having to connect to the website at all – just the internet connection. This is a great tool that can also be annoying and detrimental to your time, you busy gamer you.

If you’ve subscribed to several RSS feeds, you may find that you’re reading the same news over and over again, and that can get very tiresome. Other times, you could be syndicated to news posts that are irrelevant, biased, or just plain incompatible with your personal politics. This can lead to potential troll-flamery and even a headache. In other words, it might be bad — really bad. Here’s a couple tips for ensuring that your browser and time are not swallowed up by RSS feeds:

Follow specific sites.
If you want Nintendo and MMO news only, then it might not be a good idea to subscribe to an FPS blog or SkullF**kers.com. On the other side of the coin, if you don’t want to read a lot about Nintendo or MMOs, then it might be a good idea to subscribe to a blog that has hardc0r3 l33t cred.

The more diverse your selection of news sites, the better.
For example, news sites like Joystiq and Kotaku, while different in certain news coverage (Kotaku tends to talk more about the Japanese market), have many overlapping stories. Try RSSing just one, and casually reading the other. But RSSing Joystiq/Kotaku and GamePolitics might be a perfect, neither would overlap too much. Your time is saved, take 50xp.

Follow an Earth news site.
This is entirely optional, but it might be a good idea to follow an Earth news site, such your local news affilates or NPR or something. This way you can find relevant info (such as video game-related incidents or relevant legislation) as well as follow some of the issues that come up in our games everyday. It will deepen your understanding of more realistic games as well as make you popular in the social circuit because of how current you stay.

The final tip: Social networking is your friend.
If you use Twitter, Facebook, or some sort of random social networking site on the Internet, follow/friend a known game blogger (like @whitemidget, for example </shameless>). They will usually post game-related news, their own posts, and other interesting bits of knowledge. Also, it’s a good way to know if someone you don’t know is taking a dump or drinking a latte. But such is the price to be paid for keeping current on game news.

Keeping up on your gaming news is important, especially if you like know anything about titles on the way or the next generation of consoles. But remember that there are tons of useless news out there, and follow the above tips. They might save you some time reading through the same Zelda article, or a biased piece about the terrorism segments in Modern Warfare 2.

Week 3: Online Games and Why You May Have High Blood Pressure.

We have been privy to LEGO games featuring both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, all of which feature a massive amount of playable characters and a unique humor combining the concepts of LEGO and both film franchises, with varying degrees of success.

But now… finally… LEGO is taking it’s own world into account for a MMOG that will knock your block off.

The just released LEGO Universe Trailer, from developers Lego Group and NetDevil, shows a world where imagination itself is threatened by a bunch of ghost-viking-skeleton-sceptre types.  Whatever they are, they hate LEGO, they hate you, they hate any fond childhood memories you might have… they’re just a bunch of assholes, really.  Strangely reminiscent of when your big brother and his lacrosse friends would come into your room and kick your castles and spaceships into bricks.  Little did they know that someday you would build yourself a LEGO world where they were all DEAD!

….

Anyway, the good and decent LEGO people aren’t going to take this abuse without a fight, and the next thing you know, there are legions of pirates, knights, ninjas, construction workers; everybody with a yellow head, pretty much, prepared to stand in the way of these disturbing new enemies.

A subscription-based venture, LEGO Universe will of course be family-friendly (This is LEGO, after all) and put the bricks and how they are used at the center of the action.  However, there will be different difficulties based on the player’s skill with building.

Due to release later this year for the PC, LEGO Universe demands that you take your imagination by the collar and punch it into overdrive.  Not only are you building skills under scrutiny, but, just like when your mom used to vaccuum your bedroom, there are millions of LEGO people facing death and depending on your help for survival.

Will you answer the call of the brick?!

As one of only two people to have the cinematic honor of being killed by an alien, predator, and terminator (Bill Paxton being the other), Mr. Henriksen has built quite the resume of direct-to-DVD powerhouses, while piling up supporting roles in blockbusters like The Quick and the Dead, Appaloosa, and Pumpkinhead. He’s also no stranger to video game appearances, appearing as high-ranking Military office in both “Mass Effect” and “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.”

But what he’s really no stranger to is being a ridiculous bad-ass.

Which is why gamers have every reason to lose their shit upon developer Rebellion’s announcement that he has signed up to appear in their upcoming Aliens vs. Predator title.  The excitement hasn’t escaped the man himself, as he stated, “They’ve made me look very good.  This is the first time I’ve been fully represented in a game, with my voice and how I look, and the Rebellion guys have done a great job. I might score from this game!”

Wow.  The man’s about 70 years old and he’s announcing firm intentions of getting laid because of a video game.

What a god.

Henriksen will be taking on the role of Karl Bishop Weyland, a relative of his charatcer from the Alien vs. Predator movie, Charles Bishop Weyland.  Fans will also note that “Bishop” was, of course, the android portrayed by Henriksen in Aliens.

Based on the video, source material, and now the cast, Rebellion is building quite an arsenal of reasons to be interested in this title, which is set to drop this February.

And if you’re a stranger to the man’s work, I recommend The Mangler 2, Antibody, Pirahna Part 2:  The Spawning, and of course, Sasquatch Mountain. Yes, it is literally a mountain full of sasquatches.

Starting with the cover boy, Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria, involving actual major league players is a big step toward the title’s legitimacy.  Recently announced, however, is the addition of a “council” of seven more players outside of Longoria:

• RP Andrew Bailey (Oakland A’s)
• SP Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners)
• 1B Justin Morneau (Minnesota Twins)
• SP Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers)
• 1B Kendry Morales (Los Angeles Angels)
• OF Nelson Cruz (Texas Rangers)
• SS Jose Reyes (New York Mets)

2K Games’ VP of marketing, Jason Argent, had this to say regarding the players’ input:  ”We look to partner with the top emerging talent every year to assist us in shaping our MLB 2K franchise.”

This is a very apt description of 6/7 of those players listed.  Not only has Jose Reyes been somewhat “emerged” for years, and this year, he “emerged” onto the disabled list for most of the season.  A simple comparison?  Evan Longoria had 113 RBI this past season, while Reyes knocked in a resounding 15.

It may be unfair since he was, you know, injured, but there were plenty of talented players who were not injured and had terrific years.  Also, Jose Reyes does things like this:

Uh huh.

If you look at this picture, and think “Yes, that man is a professional baseball player whose advice will no doubt be invaluable,” than congratulations,  you are high.  Is there a striptease portion of this year’s MLB 2K title?  Hopefully, for Jose’s sake.

But rest assured, the spotlights will eventually settle permanently on Evan Longoria, a fantastic choice, considering the last cover boy, San Francisco giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, was victimized in the least surprising pot bust of all time.

And yes, I am a Phillies fan.

Each week in January, I (Tim) will cover a topic that is close to the working gamers’ heart. Yes, some of us are busy with work, school, and other non-game endeavors, heck, even social encounters! But gaming is who we are deep inside still, and I’m here to console, advise, and to help keep you abreast of gaming nerdery.

Have you ever been invited to the bar to watch the Superbowl/World Series/Stanley Cup/World Cup/World Poker Tournament/Flipadelphia? Did you pick up your Xbox controller the next day, and notice a thin layer of dust covering the controller, clogging up your responses as you attempt to take down that Big Daddy – again? Has that darn social life of yours interrupted your gaming to the point that you are now very behind?

You’re not alone, friend. Funnily enough to other readers, scoffing in amusement, look at the statistics. The average video game player is 35 years old. These aren’t Tamagotchi years, these are real, solid, 100% true years. (Special thanks to 1999 for the extremely dated reference!) Over 65% of Americans have played a computer/console game in 2008. This is most likely almost a direct result of the popularity of that Nintendo Wii thing.

Anyway, let’s get to the point – life always interferes with hobbies, that’s why you need to take time out to hobby, then jump back into your life. If you’re lucky, then your hobby is your job. But for the rest of us people out there on this planet, our time is always going somewhere.

Here’s some tips for keeping your gaming hobby up while still maintaining a grasp on real life stuff: (note: this may sound stupid, but sometime the most obvious thing is in front of you. Look at Solid Snake!)

Schedule a time to play a game each week, or more if desired. I actually do this myself, unless I’m reviewing something. Mondays are MW2 days, for example, Wednesday is my Xbox RPG day, if possible, and Thursday is my WoW/PC night. Now, you don’t need to set this much time, it’s a suggestion, but whatever works for you.

Invite your significant other to join you on these nights, ESPECIALLY if they don’t play games! It’s said that the best way to propose to your girl/boyfriend is by killstealing them in your favorite FPS. The rage in their faces is suddenly calmed by the +2 Commitment Bomb dropped upon their faces. Seriously, though, if they don’t play games and you guys alternate activities, this might be perfect. Have a gaming night with them playing something non-frightening, like Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. Then move up to more hardcore titles and adjust as desired. Might give you two something in common, or a reason to hate your partner. Either way.

Gaming doesn’t end at the LCD screens. Think about a tabletop game, like D&D, Warhammer, or even a more structured physical board game. There are some unique ones available at your local hobby shop, no doubt. Don’t be afraid of the social stigma that surrounds this format of gaming. These games are actually a great way to develop a close-knit group of friends without the awkwardness. It’s akin to playing an arcade game with someone, but cheaper in the long run because the tabletop game is (usually) a one-time investment. This could also be scammed off as a gaming day with your partner/mate/alternate persona, while disguised thinly as a social outing.

So try some of these out, and more importantly, post comments! Suggest ideas, ask questions, and curse me out!

Next week: RSS Feeds and how they can  help/hurt your gaming news.