Rocking at ICC

Today's BCG event was fun but I will write about it tomorrow. For now, I'll leave you guys with some photos of this afternoon. They're not my usual though. Something was wrong with my shutter button so I couldn't really take proper shots. Plus, I decided not to use flash for fear of bothering the participants. Wouldn't want to piss them off now would we? Enjoy!

PS: These are only of the Guitar Hero III tournament. I didn't get there on time to see the PES2008 event.

See the rest of the photos at the following album.

BCG Tournament

More BCG Stuff

Just a short update to BCG's event this weekend in case people are still asking. I've managed to ask Rano earlier to confirm a few things but most are stated in the participant's handout after you've registered at the booth. The Guitar Hero III competition will be on Pro-Face off set on Medium difficulty for all participants. The finals, which will be held on Sunday, will see participants competing on Hard difficulty.

So get those fingers ready and prepared if you want to make it to the end. Also, don't forget your Guitar. You might want to come early in case there is room for testing.

I also found out from Rano, and this has been confirmed by Brunei_gamer, that BruGamer.com will be showcasing Rock Band again at the BCG event at ICC, Sunday. So if you are interested, drop by and check it out. Mr Syaf reporting to you sorta live in the middle of the night.

Hi-Def in Brunei

Sony Bravia HDTV X-series showcased at the Consumer Product Exhibit

I have to applaud Brunei for their recent push with technology in trying to keep up with the rest of the world. The Gaming community is showing itself outside its usual hideout and is finally being recognised by the mass but one of the problems with trying to push one technology is the lack of pushing another.

The Xbox 360 meet last week showcased a good example of pushing not one but a package of technology such that they were promoting the Xbox 360 as well as playing original copies of each games rather than the ever sprouting pirated copies. Thus, the console, the DVD games as well as Xbox Live are being pushed at the same time.

Blu-ray Player on display to show Hi-Def videos

Now a bad example would be what we saw this afternoon at the Consumer Exhibition at ICC while in attendance for the preparation of tomorrow's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and Guitar Hero III competitions. A local electrical goods company was promoting Sony products in high definition which included Bravia HDTVs, the PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray Disc players.

There are a few problems here. One, I doubt you should promote a PS3 if you are trying to sell Blu-ray players. Why? Because a PS3 has built-in BD-player and costs lesser than the Blu-ray player. Plus, a PS3 can do more such as giving users the ability to connect to the Internet to update the Blu-ray firmware besides its gaming ability.

Two, promoting Hi-Def discs such as the Blu-ray is a lost cause to a high percentage of the public when there are no market yet in Brunei for Hi-Def movies. What's the point of buying a BD player when you can't even buy BD movies in Brunei?

Finally, promoting HDTVs connected to a PS3 might be a good thing but that's as far as HDTVs can ever go here in this country. Gaming. Photos and home made HD videos maybe, but we are limited when it comes to HD content in Brunei.

So, my point being Brunei needs to promote everything as a package when it comes to trying to keep up with the world's technology which means opening an HD market here in Brunei in order to promote HD technology to the mass. Hopefully, HD will be quickly recognised as a great content provider here and not just be used in our daily gaming lives.

BCG Tourney Preparations

The Brunei Cyber Games are prepared for tomorrow's video games competitions at the International Convention Centre. With tons of big screen televisions sponsored by Phillips and the still so popular Sony PlayStation 2, participants should be confident enough that their time at the tournament won't be an unfair game. What's most important is that all systems and T.V.s have been tested and are ready to go.

During the registration period at ICC this afternoon, we saw a lot of people gathering around the booth. From students to adults, a lot of people were seen signing up for the PES2008 and Guitar Hero III tournaments. It's amazing to see such number of support from the public. Even parents of students were seen encouraging their kids to participate, paying for their entrant fees.

From BCG Tournament

Also present at the registration booth was our very own winner of the BruGamers Guitar Hero III contest, JuLoRen. He then forwarded to the registration booth to register with no cash at hand, with the guy who made this possible right by his side, Rano! Of course, that's all thanks to us and Rano for sponsoring the free entry.

Today's the last day of registration but RanoAdidas.com has posted that registration will still be open tomorrow (Fri) and Saturday, convenient for those living far away from Bandar.

From BCG Tournament

This BCG event will be held at ICC from 9am through 7pm on both Fridays and Saturdays, with Guitar Hero III tournaments starting in the afternoon at 4pm. Finals will be held on Sunday, January 6th, 2007, from 9.30am onwards, starting with the knock-out stages in the morning and afternoon.

For more information on the time please visit the official site.

Click on the album below to see the rest of the photos.

BCG Tournament

BEST OF 2007 AWARDS

BruGamers Best of 2007 games polls are all up and it is up to you to determine who will each award go to. So vote for your favourite games on all systems and genres by next week when we will reveal the results of the polls. So click away if you haven't!

View all Best of 2007 polls here

PS: Love my award graphic above?

BRUGAMERS GAME OF THE 2007

BRUGAMERS GAME OF THE YEAR
	Call of Duty 4
	Halo 3
	BioShock
	Mass Effect
	Super Mario Galaxy
	Warhawk
	Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
	Rachet & Clank Future
	Folklore
	Guitar Hero III
	Assassin’s Creed
	MotorStorm
Free polls from Pollhost.com

PS3 GAME OF THE YEAR

PS3 GAME OF THE YEAR
	MotorStorm
	Rachet & Clank: Future
	Warhawk
	Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
	Unreal Tournament 3
	Folklore
	The Orange Box
	Call of Duty 4
	flOw
	Everyday Shooter
	Assassin’s Creed
Free polls from Pollhost.com

XBOX 360 GAME OF THE YEAR

XBOX 360 GAME OF THE YEAR
	BioShock
	Mass Effect
	Halo 3
	Guitar Hero III
	The Orange Box
	Call of Duty 4
	Hexic 2
	Bomberman Live
	Crackdown
Free polls from Pollhost.com

WII GAME OF THE YEAR

WII GAME OF THE YEAR
	Super Mario Galaxy
	Super Paper Mario
	Metroid Prime Corruption
	Guitar Hero III
	NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams
	Geometry Wars Galaxies
	Resident Evil 4
Free polls from Pollhost.com

PSP GAME OF THE YEAR

PSP GAME OF THE YEAR
	Silent Hill: Origins
	Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
	Beats
	Monster Hunter Freedom 2
	Brave Story: New Traveller
	Rachet & Clank: Size Matters
	Jeanne D’Arc
	Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow
	Worms Open Warfare 2
Free polls from Pollhost.com

DS GAME OF THE YEAR

DS GAME OF THE YEAR
	Bleach: The Blade of Fate
	Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
	Contra 4
	Megaman ZX Advent
	Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck
	Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
	Worms Open Warfare 2
	Geometry Wars Galaxies
	Pokemon Diamond/Pearl
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Winners of the GHIII Contest

After a very close call, we have finally got ourselves two winners of the Guitar Hero III Free Entries Competition. Turns out that a number of people actually almost got all questions 100% correct. Almost. But no one got it all figured out. So, let's forget about all the suspense and go straight to the winners (I bet you didn't even read this paragraph and skipped straight down! Shame on you!). They are:

1. Muhd Zulhilmi Harun, with 95.5% correct answers! (Some were too detailed in my opinion, but good - that's why he gets the 0.5 extra mark)
2. Mohammad Amir Rabbani, with 83.5% correct answers!

We will contact you via email with all the information you need.
Thank you for joining the contest and those who didn't win, don't worry, you still have a chance to enter by paying $15. And finally, I wish Zulhilmi and Amir Rabbani goodluck at the GHIII competition! You guys have our support!

Now let's have some fun and see if any of you guys know the full answers by posting the answers as a comment on this post!

Here are the questions again:

1. In which year was the first Guitar Hero released?
2. On which console was it first released?
3. Who developed the first Guitar Hero?
4. Who published Guitar Hero III?
5. How many Guitar Hero games are there and what are they?
6. In Guitar Hero III, how do you unlock the Saint George Guitar?
7. In Guitar Hero III battle mode, what does the 'Broken String' power up do to your opponent?
8. How many Bass guitars are available in Guitar Hero III?
9. Name all characters found in Guitar Hero III.
10. Bonus question: what does BCG stand for?

Brought to you by BruGamers.com thanks to RanoAdidas.com.

Brugamers Review: Ghost Squad (Wii)

With great repetitions comes great replay value.

Here’s the basic of Ghost Squad: You enter the game, shoot oddles of terrorists, save some people and kill the boss. Then repeat the process again for more stuff to unlock. It’s a simple premise, albeit very short experience.

Regardless of how I looked at it, I just can’t stop from continuing on long after I memorized the whole game’s script, slightly linear experience for the sake of unlocking new areas, weapons and costumes. Add to the increasing difficulty, I’d say this game is best enjoy multiplayer-style.

With a plethora of unlockable contents and some really quirky gunplay, this game will make you come back for more. It’s just a matter of tolerating the repetitions and of course, utilizing the Wii Zapper (which makes a big difference) to fully appreciate the addictiveness that is Ghost Squad.

1st Xbox360 Meet: Update

I know it took me awhile to post this, but its better late than never right? As you all know this was the first Xbox360 Meet held in Brunei recently and it was met with great reception from the public. These are the pictures taken by me during the events. Just click on the picture and it will take you to my gallery.

1st XBOX360 MEET

More info at their website, here.

Vote for your favourite

BruGamers best of 2007 polls are up with the start of a new year! So go ahead and vote for your favourite games! You can also click here to view all best of 2007 polls. Bookmark it since we've got more polls coming up for you to vote such as PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, DS and Overall Game of the Years.

Also, as a reminder, the Guitar Hero III Free Entries Contest is still on until tomorrow, Wednesday, 2nd Jan. So go on and answer the easy GHIII questions and get your chance to enter the competition at ICC for free! Click here for more info.

BEST ONLINE MULTIPLAYER

BEST ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
	Halo 3
	Unreal Tournament 3
	Warhawk
	Guitar Hero III
	Shadowrun
	Call of Duty 4
	Calling All Cars
	MotorStorm
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE
	Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
	Ratchet & Clank: Future
	Super Mario Galaxy
	BioShock
	Assassin's Creed
	Stranglehold
	Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST RPG

BEST RPG
	Mass Effect
	Brave Story: New Traveller
	Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
	Super Paper Mario
	Monsters Hunter Freedom 2
	Folklore
	Pokemon Diamond/Pearls
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST RHYTHM

BEST RHYTHM
	Guitar Hero III
	Rock Band
	Beats
	Boogie
	Jam Sessions
	Honeycomb Beat
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST SPORTS

BEST SPORTS
	Skate
	Tony Hawk: Proving Grounds
	Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
	Smackdown vs Raw 2008
	Fifa 2008
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST RACING

BEST RACING
	Forza Motorsport 2
	Need for Speed: Pro Street
	Juiced 2
	Project Gotham Racing 4
	MotorStorm
	DiRT
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST FIGHTING

BEST FIGHTING
	Virtua Fighter 5
	Tekken Dark Resurrection Online
	Smackdown vs Raw 2008
	Bleach: The Blade of Fate
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST FPS

BEST FPS
	Halo 3
	The Darkness
	Call of Duty 4
	BioShock
	Unreal Tournament 3
	Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST STORY

BEST STORY
	Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
	Mass Effect
	BioShock
	Ratchet & Clank: Future
	Folklore
	Assassin's Creed
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST GRAPHICS

BEST GRAPHICS
	BioShock
	Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
	Ratchet & Clank: Future
	Unreal Tournament 3
	Call of Duty 4
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST STRATEGY

BEST STRATEGY
	Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
	Jeanne D'arc
	Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of Lions
	Command and Conquer 3
	Worms: Open Warfare 2
	Disgaea PSP
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST PUZZLE

BEST PUZZLE
	Puzzle Quest: Challenge the Warlords
	PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient
	Super Puzzle Fighter HD Remix
	Beats
	Eye of Judgment
	Lemmings
Free polls from Pollhost.com

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
	Hexic 2
	Bomberman Live
	Warhawk
	Everday Shooter
	flOw
	Super Stardust HD
	Calling All Cars
	Beats
	PAIN
Free polls from Pollhost.com

DMC4 Opening Cinematic

2008 is here and 2007 is long gone. Words can only express so much of what we went through last year. Did I just call 2007 'last year'? Wow! I'm starting to feel the change now. My whole body's tingling. Spider-sense is ... ANYWAY, we've got polls coming up now that 2007 is over, so check back with us to vote for your favourite games of 2007!

Now before you go, check out the opening cinematic of DMC4. Again, Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Guitar Hero 3 Free Entries Contest

It just struck 12am and it's 2008. I'm here, updating this website for you guys instead of going out and celebrating new year. Actually, new year isn't a big deal for me anymore, it's just another day. I'd rather spend the time playing games - which is why I am an author of a gaming news blog, because I care.

Anyway, I've mentioned Brunei Cyber Game holding a Guitar Hero III competition at ICC this weekend and you want to join but don't want to pay the $15 registration fee. Don't fret! We are giving away two free entries for you so you won't have to pay that registration fee and save that precious 15 bucks of yours for your girlfriend's/boyfriend's new year present! What? Your not getting your partner anything? Shame on you!

But anyway, before you get the chance to get the free entry, you need to enter a short contest where you answer some questions about GHIII. Simple questions but only two get to win. We will select the two people who answer the most questions correctly and if there are more than two, we will draw names and pick two winners.

Also, please copy the questions below and email it with your answers to sinadam@gmail.com. Include your full name, IC number and contact information. We will announce and contact the winners on Wednesday, 2nd January.

Note, all rules of BCG still applies such as bringing your own guitar to the event. We will not supply anything to you but a free entry. For more information on the event, please visit the official site here.

Finally, I wish you goodluck and Happy New Year!

1. In which year was the first Guitar Hero released?
2. On which console was it first released?
3. Who developed the first Guitar Hero?
4. Who published Guitar Hero III?
5. How many Guitar Hero games are there and what are they?
6. In Guitar Hero III, how do you unlock the Saint George Guitar?
7. In Guitar Hero III battle mode, what does the 'Broken String' power up do to your opponent?
8. How many Bass guitars are available in Guitar Hero III?
9. Name all characters found in Guitar Hero III.
10. Bonus question: what does BCG stand for?

Brought to you by BruGamers.com thanks to RanoAdidas.com.

Evolution of Mario

Mario has undergone a lot of surgeries and, unlike us people on plastic, Mario is actually looking better and better the past two decades. Who said growing old makes you look all grey and wrinkly?

Image via Geekstir.com : Click for larger view

It's interesting to see that Nintendo gave Mario a somewhat 3D look in the 1987 Mario and went back to its one-sided 2D look in 1990. But hey, he's looking rather handsome in Super Mario Galaxy!

A PS3 Christmas

I remember how ecstatic I was back when my dad bought us a Micro Genius to replace our stolen Super NES when we were kids. Imagine the joy a kid would feel today to have been bought a PS3 by his parents. That's just the case in the following video where these kids dad sneakily got them something special for christmas.

This Week's Poll

I'm curious, really. I've assumed, and I shouldn't have, that the gamers who get access to this website are of at least 18 years of age. I forget that most gamers in this country tend to be quite young. So, tell me, how old are you dear readers?

Leave your comments here and click on the poll on the left side of this site to pick your choice.

GHIII Free Entries Contest

Just a short update as a follow up to the last post on next week's competition. We want to let you guys know that we will be giving out TWO free entries to the GHIII tournament, organised by RanoAdidas and Sunlit, via a small contest soon. Note, this contest is only for free entry to the Guitar Hero III competition, not PES2008 and not winning the GHIII competition itself. Free entry, which means, if you still do not understand that, you do not have to pay the $15 registration fee.

Remember, the competition is for GHIII PS2 - but as far as I know, nothing much differs since all guitar layouts are the same.

So check back with us soon to find out how to win the free entries.

This BruGamers.com contest is sponsored by RanoAdidas.com.

PES2008 and GHIII Competitions

The gaming community in this country is getting more and more recognised. With this afternoon's event on the first ever xbox 360 meet, hopefully more people will be able to understand how mature the gaming industry has become and not just refer to it as a "kid's thing".

Next week, another gaming event will be held at ICC, this time focussing more towards competition than a showcase. Competitions are open to the public which include PES2008 tournament and the ever increasingly popular Guitar Hero III. Registration was held the past three days but if you are still interested in joining, registration is still open on the 2nd and 3rd of January at ICC from 10am to 5pm.

The event is organised by ranoadidas.com and Sunlit, and knowing the experience of Rano, it should be pretty well prepared.

For more information, visit the website.

The First Xbox360 Meet in Brunei

It’s amazing to see support from the community from time to time. This is especially true during the recent 1^st Xbox360 Gamers Meet held at the Mall in West Street Café today.

It was Guitar Hero III's mini-tournament that took center stage, despite only using the HDTV’s speakers; it still gathered onlookers and supporters to join in on the fun with the competitors. The intense battles between eight players were electrifying and the intensity increased when the finals took place.

In another turn of events, as the last of the Guitar Heroes receives their prizes, the organizers showcased another glimpse of the future by unveiling Rock Band for the first time in public. Songs that were played were Weezer’s Buddy Holly and The Knack’s My Sharona. The audiences were ecstatic, even as far as humming to the tune.

This event was the first of its kind outside the usual Winning Eleven Tournaments which has been going around for awhile now. Overall, the event was well received and quite commendable for a first time.

The purpose for such meeting was to create awareness of an Xbox360 community in Brunei, promoting the system as well as its online/LAN capabilities and encouraged gamers at purchasing original games.

Amongst the schedule events for the day included demos of Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare which showcases what the Xbox360 does best, playing together in multiplayer.

With more encouragement from the gaming community, events such as this will only get better and hopefully have enough variety to pull off something on a grander scale. Let this be the start to something great!

For more info about the event here.