What We're Playing: Pokemon Black & White

So I'm really late on the whole Pokemon train considering this game came out, what last year? But regardless it's a game that I haven't been able to stop playing. What's different about B&W is that it brought out the old elements of Pokemon like Team Plasma (Team Rocket for us veterans) and the fact that after you beat the game, you can catch older Pokemon like Ditto, Rapidash (you have no clue how excited I was when I caught Rapidash), etc. But one of the most exciting parts of B&W was the special place on your map you got according to your game. With Pokemon Black you got Black City, Pokemon White you got White Forrest. In my opinion, I think White Forrest is convenient because you get to catch all these different types of Pokemon, but with Black City you get different trainers and with trainers, you can level up your Pokemon faster. I think Pokemon Black would be the better investment but that's just me.
Right now my party consists of:

 *Terrakion, Samurott, Cobalion, Reshiarm, Zoroark, and Rapidash 

What's On The Web: NYANNYANNYANNYANNYAN

If you've been on the internet, you know what nyan cat is. A while back, one of the blogs I was following posted something that read along the lines of "I Nyaned for ten minutes!" or something and below that, there was a link. When I clicked that link, I saw what was Nyan Cat. 

 This adorable poptart cat with a rainbow coming out of his caboose became a pop culture sensation in hours. I couldn't check Facebook without seeing people post "I'VE NYANED AND I CAN'T STOP." I'm actually "nyaning" right this second. That little cat sings a harmonious melody of nyans that seeps into your brain and makes you challenge yourself to see how long you can possibly take the hypnotic sound.

Nyan cat has taken a few different forms such as the famous poptart, and a piece of toast but my favorite was when he surprised us on 4/20 as he dressed up as a Rastafarian once the clock hit 420 seconds. Silly Nyan cat.

Next time you play, click the lower the volume as many times as you can until.. well you'll see.

Jacksfilms Parody:

 

By the end of this blog post I NYANED FOR 900 SECONDS.

Let's talk about E3: The Big 3

Riley here, and as you all should know, E3, the biggest gaming expo of the year, is happening right now in Los Angeles, California. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have all given their keynote speeches, and have all announced a lot of cool, new stuff. But who had the best keynote? That's what we're going to talk about today.

First up is Microsoft, since they gave the first keynote. For the past few years, Microsoft has had great keynotes, unveiling a lot of cool stuff, like the Xbox 360 S, the Kinect, and all sorts of games. This year, Microsoft kind of fell short. Don't get me wrong, it was a great keynote, just not as great as past years. There were a lot of trailers and demos for games like Mass Effect 3, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, and even the new Tomb Raider. There's just one problem with that. We already knew that those games existed. There just weren't enough new games shown off at the keynote. In terms of brand new, never heard of games, the library was very Kinect-heavy. Microsoft's mission this year is apparently to get more games out for the Kinect. Honestly, I can't blame them. The Kinect only has a handful of games out right now, and only a fingerful are good. But hopefully, the likes of Kinect Sports 2, Dance Central 2, and Star Wars Kinect will fix that. Also, many games were announced to have Kinect features, most notably Mass Effect 3. Minecraft, the hot-shot PC game that's still in beta, was unveiled to be coming to the Xbox 360 later this year. It will also have Kinect features, but Kinect will not be required. One of the biggest things announced at the Microsoft keynote was the new update to the Xbox dashboard, coming this fall. It will add a complete Kinect-friendly user-interface which will allow you to access anything with Kinect. The biggest addition to the dashboard is none other than YouTube, so that you can search for the latest meme video without leaving your chair. At the end of the Microsoft keynote, one last game was shown off. None other than Halo: CE Anniversary, a remake of Halo 1, using the Halo: Reach engine. This game has been known about for a couple months, but never shown off. As a fan of the original Halo, I'm gald to see it put on the 360 with better graphics, online play, and best of all, achievements. At the very end of the Halo: CE Anniversay trailer, the screen went black, and then two words showed up that made millions cry for joy. Halo 4. That's right, Halo 4 is coming. Not only that, but it was announced that Halo 4 is the start of a new Halo trilogy, which means that there will be a Halo 5 and 6. Not much is known about these games, except that the Master Chief and Cortana make a triumphic and action-filled return.

Now for Sony. I was proud of Sony's keynote this year. They focused on a lot of really big games, such as Ressistance 3. Sony also announced a few games for the first time. I am most looking forward to a new Sly Cooper game entitled Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. But games weren't all Sony had on their mind. For a few months now, it has been widely known that a new PSP type device would be coming out at the end of this year. At E3, Sony announced it's official name, the Playstation Vita (Vita means life in latin, representing that gaming is life). The Vita is about the same size as a PSP but is much much nicer. It's screen is a much higher resolution than the PSP's, capable of putting out near HD graphics. The screen is also a touch screen, and there is a touch pad on the back of the Vita. The biggest addition to what might as well be called the PSP 2 is a second analog stick, allowing for better controls, especially in first-person shooters. It also features a much more robustonline function than the PSP had, sporting a friends list and voice chat. Several games for the Vita, such as LittleBigPlanet 2, Modnation Racers, and Uncharted: The Golden Abyss, were shown off as well. The Vita will be arriving this Holiday season in 2 models. A wi-fi only model will cost $250, while a wi-fi/3G model will cost $300. The 3G network for the Vita will be that of AT&T. While I am excited for the Vita and glad they showed it off, I was very dissapointed that Sony did not announce a Playstation 4. I believe that one is needed, due to the low security of the PS3. This was shown by the Playstation Network being taken down on April 20 of this year, and being kept down for a month. Hopefully a new Playstion home console will be announced next year.

Rounding up the pack is Nintendo, but just because they spoke last, certaqinly doesn't mean they did the worst. Nintendo started its keynote by talking about this year being the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. They then announced that every single one of its main systems will recieve a Zelda game this year. The 3DS will be receiving two free downloads of past Zelda games, and The Ocarina of Time 3D, while the Wii will be receiving the next main Zelda game, Skyward Sword. The next segment of the keynote was focused entirely on the 3DS, and several new games coming out for it this year, including Starfox 64, Mariokart, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Super Mario 3D, and even a sequel to Luigi's Mansion, Luigi's Mansion 2. I am excited for each and every one of these games, but first I have to get a 3DS :P After the 3DS talk was done, it was time for the big reveal. For a couple months now, it has been known that Nintendo was working on a new console, and that the controller for said console would have a touchscreen. But that's it. That's all that was known. But now was time to tell everyone what Nintendo was hiding. The WiiU! Yes, I know it isn't the coolest name, but never judge a console by its name. The WiiU itself looks like a hybrid of the Wii and the 360, but it's the controller that matters. The WiiU controller is a tablet about two thirds the size of an iPad. The center of the controller is a 6.8" screen which displays in stunning HD. On either side of the screen are analog sticks, with a d-pad on the left side, and face buttons on the right. There are also two trigger, and two shoulder buttons. The controller also sports nifty front and back cameras which allow for picture and video taking, and even a video chat reminiscent of Apple's Facetime. Now then, for the cool part. The controller interfaces in games in very unique ways. For example, a Zelda game was shown (which looked great in HD), and your inventory was shown on the controller's touch screen, allowing for quicker item changes by simply tapping on an item. A Madden game was also shown. Picking plays was done entirely on the controller's touch screen, so they didnt cover up the football field, allowing for a more immersive experience. The WiiU controller's coolest function is to take a game off of the television screen and place it onto the controller's screen. What that means is that if you're playing Mario Kart on the tv, but someone changes the channel, you can keep playing on the controller's screen. That's right, the WiiU offers portable home console games. And speaking of games, the WiiU won't be dredged in terrible family-friendly games like the Wii was (I'm looking at you Babysitting Mama). Actually, there will be some hardcore M-Rated games on the WiiU. I'm talking about Darksiders 2, Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed, Arkham City, Metro: Last Light, and even Ninja Gaiden 3. And these aren't toned down ports. These are the same games you'll see on the 360 and PS3. That's enough to make me want to buy the console right now. I would love to play some Battlefield while lying in bed, and I'd be able to do that with this fancy new controller. There was one more big announcement at the Nintendo keynote, and that was a new Smash Bros. game. Personally, I love the Smash Bros. series, and can't wait to get the next one. It'll be coming to both the 3DS and the WiiU, and both versions will somehow work with each other in tandem, but details on that aspect were kept secret. The WiiU is also backwards compatible with all Wii games, including downloaded virtual console and WiiWare games, and even utilizes WiiMotes. The WiiU will be coming out next year. I just wish it was out right now. Nintendo closed out their keynote with a sly easter egg. The screen showed numerous logos all at once as people left the theatre. Most of these logos were titles of games that were just announced. However, others were of unnannounced games such as Kirby Wii, and a new Rhythm Heaven. I wonder when these games will be officially announced. Hopefully, they are real.

Now then, I think we can all agree that the keynotes of this E3 were pretty amazing. But who won? Well I'll have to say that Microsoft and Sony tied this year. The Vita is about as exciting as the Kinect. But both companies talked about great games, such as Resistance 3, and Modern Warfare 3. They also both had huge reveals (i.e. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and Halo4). I think it's obvious who had the best keynote though. Nintendo. The WiiU is just revolutionary, and that's what Nintendo does best. They were the first to utilize motion controls, dual screens, and 3D without glasses. In fact, I don't think I've ever been as excited for a console as I am with the WiiU. If only it had a better name...

High Hopes: Bishock Infinite

If you're like me, you're OBSESSED with Bioshock. To me it is one of the most interesting plot lines with stunning graphics and intense game play. It just gets you hooked from the begining. With the announcement of Bioshock Infinite, I've been waiting on pins and needles just to see a bit of gameplay, so when Irrational Games released the complete ten minute demo, I flipped out. This seems to be one of the most promising bioshocks to date. The graphics are flawless and you jump right into the action, there's no lengthy in depth crap about whats going on. You learn whats happened hands on. I'm curious to know why exactly they left the confines of Rapture and moved to Columbia, the city in the sky. From the looks of this screen shot:

It seems that this is another situation of a ruler wanting their colony to be perfect (the whole Lamb and her children situation down in Rapture) so my guess would be, with all the immigration from outsiders coming into the US, they declared no other immigrants penetrate their land so they made their land in the sky, but of course, corruption took over. I'm counting down the days until they release this beauty.

-Cassidy

He's back to kick ass and chew bubblegum. And he's all out of bubble gum. A preview of Duke Nukem Forever

       Riley here, and today I'm going to do a little preview on Duke Nukem Forever. Most people know Duke as a former king of videogames. His most famous game, Duke Nukem 3D, has been hailed as one of the greatest first-person shooters of all time and has been ported to Xbox Live Arcade, the Playstation Network, and even to the Iphone's app store. However, Duke hasn't had a game in 12 years. Duke Nukem Forever was actually supposed to come out back in the '90's, but was cursed by developmental problems untill Gearbox and id Software picked up the game. After a couple years of re-making a game that was never finished, Duke Nukem Forever is almost in the hands of Duke followers who never gave up hope on the return of the king. As a person who pre-ordered Duke Nukem Forever, I was given early-access at an Xbox 360 version of a demo of the game, which was just released. After playing it, I'm ready to give my thoughts on a game that was once thought of as a myth.
       So the demo starts off with a bit of back story on Duke Nukem, and how he's an American hero for fending off countless alien invasions. He's described as the perfect soldier who can't lose. Some type of superhuman. Then, you're given control of this invincible warrior... as he's using a urinal. Classy game, ain't it? And no joke, you control how long Duke pees by pulling the right trigger. My personal record: 18 minutes. My guess is that Duke has a bladder the size of my ego. Anyway, after you're done taking care of business, you look around and realize you're in the locker room of a sports stadium, and when you head out to the lockers you notice dozens of dead bodies littered around on the floor.You see a group of EDF (Earth Defense Force) soldiers huddled around a whiteboard with football-esque plan drawn on it. Basically, it shows a bunch of circles (EDF soldiers) heading towards a giant alien cyclops. One of the soldiers asks Duke if he wants to add anything to the plan. It's optional, but you can draw or erase anything on the whiteboard. I just drew a big red X over the cyclops. No matter what you do, the EDF soldier exclaims "This is the best plan I've ever seen! I mean, I don't understand it, but I'm sure it's amazing. If we had this earlier, that guy over there would probably still have arms." Anyway, after a brief art excursion you start heading throught the linear halls to the big cyclops boss. Once you get to him, you fight him with a dual rocket launcher containing exactly 69 rockets (like I said, classy). As you run out of ammo, an EDF ship drops more. It's a fairly easy boss fight, and once you kill him, you rip out his eye, and since you're in a football stadium, you kick a field goal with it. Then the camera zooms out to reveal that everything you just played through was actually being played by Duke Nukem himself. Still in first-person, you see Duke's throne room of his mansion as he pauses the game holding up a custom Duke Nukem controller. A woman asks Duke if he enjoyed the game. His response: "After 12 years, it better be!". Do you hear that? It's the sound of the fourth wall shattering into nothingness.
       After this funny scene, you start a new level taking place later in the game, in a desert area. Most likely somewhere in Nevada. The level starts with you driving Duke's monster truck through a canyon. The driving controls are pretty good and basic. Right trigger to accelerate, left trigger to brake, B to use the handbrake for drifting, and A to use the nitro boost. Eventually, you run out of gas. Don't worry, it's part of the plot. You won't actually have to manage gas levels for the entire game. Anyway, now you have to find gas for your ride. As you make your way through the very linear canyon you start fighting the main enemies of the game. Aliens that are really just pig-men. Duke Nukem's gunplay controls are a lot like most other FPS's. If you've played Call of Duty or Halo, then you know the controls. The weapons are pretty accurate. The pistol is relatively weak, but accurate, the shotgun is a one-hit kill at close-range, etc. My personal favorite gun was the shrink-gun, which shrinks your enemies to mere inches, and then you can just melee them for a quick insta-kill. My one problem with the shooting is the aiming. Duke Nukem does not utilize iron sights like Most other FPS's. Insead, the camera zooms in and you just see the aiming reticle, just like what Fallout 3 did. It's mostly personal preference, but I would rather have iron sights. They're more realistic and feel more accurate. But enough analyzing. Eventually, Duke arrives at a mine entrance. The whole mine is pitch black, so you use "Duke Vision" which lets you see in the dark. It's exactly like the night vision that Riddick uses, where everything is white. It's a nice concept, and definitely worked well. I actually prefer it to the standard green night vision. Eventually, you find gas deep in the mine and ride a minecart back to your monster truck. There just happened to be a minecart track right above where you ran out of gas. How convenient. Once you refuel your truck the demo fades to black and you watch a trailer for the game that's been out for a few months already.
       All in all, this demo showed me that Duke Nukem Forever will be a decent game. It's definitely funny, but also action packed and fun. I love the character of Duke Nukem. He's a super soldier that loves women, America, and cracking off hilarious one-liners every two minutes. Other than the odd aiming, and the fact that your shield feels too weak and runs out too fast, Duke Nukem Forever should be a great game. I look forward to playing it on June 14, which is when it is released for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. You can expect a review on the game as soon as I can get one out. To close out, I'm going to use a quote from Duke, about Duke: "All hail the king!"