Mini reviews of previews

Right, I haven't been writing anything at all for the past month or so, due to some new responsibilities elsewhere and poor Mr Syaf is handling all the writing stuff all by himself.

So anyway, here are some of the stuff we've been playing and will be playing in the near future.

God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) is out already, and yes, it's as awesome as the demo in all respects.

Patapon (PSP) has yet to surface in this country, but from the demo that I played (and finished), I could safely say its one of the main list of things I need to get once my paychecks comes in.

For those who don't know what Patapon is, its a rhythm based game mixed some tactical RPG element in it. Sounds weird but interesting? In-depth reviews of the full game can be found here.

On the Nintendo DS side, the predecessor for Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, a sequel from the stellar adventure/text heavy Phoenix Wright trilogy is a welcome change from all the brainteasing insanity that is Professor Layton and The Curious Village, which is another game that is worth getting if you're the puzzle/adventure type.

So, just to remind all of you, that Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox360/PS3) will be out on April 29, but give it a week or two before it arrives in Brunei. (read: BOOK NOW)

Also, keep a look out for Final FantasyVII: Crisis Core (PSP), the prequel before Cloud went nuts, which received good reviews from April's edition of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

On an unrelated note, yes, the Xbox360 does make loud noises when it access its disc and Its NORMAL, part of its flawed design unfortunately.

Fret not as there's solutions for every problem, but not in the way you imagined it. Check out the articles from here and here for more information on how to shut up your Xbox360.

Until the next reviews of previews!

10 Reasons for PS3

PS3 Fanboy has made a list of 10 reasons why the PS3 is relevant again. They mentioned how Blu-Ray won the format war and is one of the reasons why the PS3 is a good bargain for a Blu-ray player.

In this light, I think, and I've seen, a lot of people are purchasing the PS3 in Brunei, meaning that more and more people are willing to spend original content and games and moving away from piracy. Great job people!

And for those who haven't purchased it yet, then these 10 reasons might be just the help you need to make up your mind. Go over to the page here and have fun!

WWE Spartan

One of the most amazing things I love about the WWE Smackdown (and now Smackdown VS RAW) series from the beginning of its life on the PS2 is their character customization feature (or CAW for Create-A-Wrestler). It's so deep that you could spend an hour just creating your character - which also means that you are free to be extremely creative.

With WWE Smackdown! VS RAW 2008, I've seen so many characters being created from original characters such as Kurt Angle (who is now in TNA) to The Grinch. Heck, once I even saw Billy the puppet from the Saw movies. But one of my favourites has got to be the following video. If you've seen 300, then shout with me... SPPAAAARRRTAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!

X360 Games for Sale

Here's the other e-mail. Check out the last post for the other items on sale. For all things on sale, or history of stuff being sold, click here.

From Din:

Hey there 360 owners! Just to tell you that I'm selling some of my Xbox 360 games since they are no longer playable to me. So rather than leaving them rotten...I'm selling them with a reasonable price.

Original Games:
Crackdown ($45)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance ($45)
Tony Hawk's Project 8 ($50)

Get all of them (discount 20%) = $112

Non-original Games:
Dead Rising ($5)
Mass Effect ($5)
Assassin's Creed ($5)
GRAW 1 ($4)
Splinter Cell: Double Agent ($4)
F.E.A.R. ($4)
Gears of War ($4)
Forza Motorsport 2 ($4)
Condemned: Criminal Origins ($4)
Juiced 2 ($3)

Get all of them (discount 20%) = $33.60

Interested? Contact +6738626714, Cash Term only. All of the games are tested and work perfectly especially the non-original games.

p/s I'm also selling a PSP game - "Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (Japanese Ver.)" for $20.

All messages were written and sent to BruGamers Online by the owner. All items on sale are solely by the owner and has no connection or whatsoever with BruGamers.com except for this post. Please contact the phone number/e-mail given above for enquiries. BruGamers.com is not responsible for any transaction made between the buyer and the seller.

360 Casing for Sale

Just some e-mails I got of gamers who are selling their stuff. But just so you guys know, we have BruGamers.mulitply.com for these kinds of stuff. You can create a new post there and I'll link it here so that it's easy for you guys to use. Also, if any of you are interested, I'm looking for another BruGamers.com writer. If you are interested, leave a message here. I'll have the requirements up soon.

From hasher87

XCM Smoke Black CASE + All Black wireless control pad SHELL (BRAND NEW, NOT AVAILABLE HERE)

Package include:
-XCM Smoke Black Case (Transparent Black)
-XCM All Black Wireless Control Pad Shell (Smooth Edition), comes with LED that glowing on the button (Optional: require soldering)
-XCM Xbox 360 Unlock Kit
-Torx Screwdriver for Xbox 360 Controller

Items are in hand right now. All packaged in 1 original box, Im only selling the casing only, not the console/controller unit



Prices Option:
Complete Package Price (No Installation) = $120
Complete Package Price + Installation = $130
XCM Smoke Black Case with opening kit (XCM Xbox 360 Unlock Kit) = $100
XCM Smoke Black Case with opening kit (XCM Xbox 360 Unlock Kit) + Installation = $110
XCM All Black Wireless Control Pad Shell with opening kit (Torx Screwdriver for Xbox 360 Controller) = $40
XCM All Black Wireless Control Pad Shell with opening kit (Torx Screwdriver for Xbox 360 Controller) + Installation charge = $50

Other than that, im selling 2 of my games as well:
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) = $70
still wrapped Halo 3 Chinese Voice with English Sub/Menu (Xbox 360) = $50

Installation manual will be given for those who want to install themselves

Contact me (Shah) through this number: 8836545


All messages were written and sent to BruGamers Online by the owner. All items on sale are solely by the owner and has no connection or whatsoever with BruGamers.com except for this post. Please contact the phone number/e-mail given above for enquiries. BruGamers.com is not responsible for any transaction made between the buyer and the seller.

GDC08: Warhawk Future

Support for Warhawk will continue for a very long time as long as there is a community out there. Well, at least that's what Dylan Jobe, game director of Warhawk, told 1up at an interview during last week's Game Developers Conference.

"Warhawk will continue to be supported through a number of booster packs and is likely not the last we'll see of the franchise," reported 1up.

In the interview, Operation Broken Mirror was also confirmed at the upcoming Booster Pack which will include one new vehicle, the rumoured APC. This APC will act as a portable spawn point and equipment producer. Operation Broken Mirror will also include a new battledfield.

Good news is that game modes will also be supported and will continue to be integrated into patches and updates for free, just like the upcoming 1.3 warhawk patch.

When asked about the long gone single-player, Jobe told 1up that they are not working on bringing the single-player experience and that if they do, it would be related to a new product.

So Warhawk fans, looks like the future of this franchise is really bright. So keep playing and you'll get more out of it.

Read

Phil Harrison Retires

Sony Computer Entertainment gave a surprising announcement in the form of the resignation of Phil Harrison, effective February 19th. The President of Sony Computer Entertainment World Wide Studios will be replaced by Kaz Hirai, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment International.

As one of the founding members of SCE, Phil played a key role in the development and growth of the PlayStation business and our industry," said Kazuo Hirai. "It is sad to see him departing from SCE, but I wish to express my gratitude for his many invaluable contributions and also wish Phil the very best of luck in his future endeavors."

"The past 15 years at Sony Computer Entertainment has been the defining journey of my life so far," said Phil Harrison. "I am grateful to all the PlayStation family for their incredible support, guidance and friendship. It has been a privilege to serve as part of the team and be inspired by them on a daily basis. I am so proud of everything PlayStation has achieved and will continue to support its future in every way I can."
-via joystiq

Phil Harrison has been a great asset and a great public speaker for Sony since the retirement of the father of all PlayStation, Ken Kutaragi. But the new appointment of Kaz Hirai will make 2008 an interesting year for the PlayStation brand.

Thank you Phil Harrison for your Game 3.0. Let's hope we get to see it come to light.

Toshiba Hearts Sony

In the industry news, Toshiba has moved on to back Sony's Cell and RSX chips. News of negotiations has been surfacing for the past few months but no solid deals have been finalised, until recently. With the dropping of HD DVD plans, Toshiba is buying microchip processing facilities in Japan for USD$835 million. This means that Toshiba is helping Sony produce the Cell and RSX chips.

Here's to a long lasting relationship!

Read the rest here.

GDC08: GT Wheels

At GDC, Logitech unveiled the official Gran Turismo 5 wheel for your PS3 which will cost $149.99 when released. Steep price at the moment but it will be worth it once GT5 comes out. Anyway, why would you play a close-to-real-life driving simulation with a SIXAXIS or Dualshock 3?

Back USB for PS3

This is for those who fancy usb ports at the back of their PS3. I have to say, having USB ports at the front can be quite messy - especially since I always have the PSeye and a USB charger plugged in all the time. Do the following at your own risk ... btw.

GDC08: PixelJunk Eden

Have you tried out PixelJunk Monsters yet? If you haven't, a demo of the game was just released Thursday (Friday local time) for your trial pleasure. I have to say, it's a must download for strategy game loving gamers.

PixelJunk is not stopping there though with their simple 2D yet deep games (game if you don't include PixelJunk racers). Their next release is called PixelJunk Eden. Check out the following video.



At GDC08, Q-Games claims that they will be releasing their latest game in the PixelJunk series before summer. I know I'll find myself following news on PixelJunk Eden - I'm curious enough now to how this game is really played.

GDC08: In-Shirt XMB

One of the most requested feature on the PS3 is in-game XMB. It's been so long and Sony has yet to deliver. At GDC, Sony had shirts with the words in-shirt XMB printed on it, a tease no less by Sony to tell us that in-game XMB is coming. Let's hope it's close. It's been awhile since the last firmware update.

The War is Over

Toshiba has finally called it quits and has stopped production for HD DVDs. Obviously, current HD DVDs will still be around but let's celebrate for the format war has somewhat ended! And seems like Sony has finally got its share of winning a format war, what with its history of losing streaks. But yay to Blu-Ray!

Personally, I'm glad Blu-Ray won since it has the better looking disc cover.

Next Week: GDC08

The Game Developers Conference is next week and I'm hoping to find some free time to read and update some news from GDC08. It'll be interesting to see what they've got, especially with rumours floating about saying that a lot of huge announcements will be unveiled in San Francisco. News on Home hopefully?

Games For Sale

Just thought I'd post this here so it stays up. Sympx is selling his x360 and PS3 games if you are looking for games cheaper than the shops. If I were you, I'd get them if I haven't already got them myself, especially Gears, COD4 and Uncharted. Pretty damn cheap.

XBOX 360 games for sale:
Bullet Witch - $40
Def Jam Icon - $40
Strangehold - $50
Rainbow Six - $40
Gears of War - $50
Splinter Cell - $50
COD4 - $65

Ps3 games for sale:
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (US ver) - $75
Folklore + Bradygames strategy guides - $85
GRAW1 - $40

Contact Sympx through 8915553.
Grab them before they are taken.

BruGamers Review: Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law

Anyone who have ever got the chance to watch the episodes (or anything to do with the old old series) will undoubtedly know how cool Birdman is in a lot of way. Now, to play a game based on the character acting as an incompetent, bumbling and mild mannered lawyer, you can never go wrong.

But, as adventure games goes, its quite shallow on the investigation/interrogation side, for the most part, you can win the game in one session and still complete the game laughable (no pun intended) secrets. Yes, you heard me, this ain't Phoenix Wright.

Despite this, I did have an enjoyable time as I screw around with some of the absurd options that were given like why in the world would I want to call Avenger (Birdman's trusty bird sidekick) three times? For the comedy, of course.

So despite the shortness of the game and the lack of investigation, it is enjoyable to some extent, if you're just spectatoring while the other player just trudge on with the gameplay.

Okay, I think I must've been hard on the interrogation part, but it does have some "A-HA!" moments.

Definitely, for the obscure gamers out there who can't have enough of parody induced craziness. Go get it.

Suggestions: Competitve Gaming in Brunei

It seems for most of time during our gaming times, I realized that we need something to fill in the gap. The guys over at Championship Gaming Series is an amazing piece of insipiring work of insanity and should be taken as an example of some of the events we need to do here. Though, it is VERY UNLIKELY for such a big event to come down here to our country, but if there was someone out there, who has the guts and foresight to see this through, I'd say it would prove to be successful.

Think for a moment, with the amount of audience and participants who attended the recent Brunei Cyber Games, it was evidence enough of how such an event can be a success, then how come we don't see many of those as we like to? Often times, its fun to play with friends and online cohorts, but at the same time we also have that primal need to show how awesome we are at Tekken 5. Yes, because bragging rights are one of the main criterias of a gamer.

Another issue here is variety. How come stuff like Halo 3, Call of Duty or to an extent Virtua Fighters aren't within the pipelines? Gamers out who are skilled and keen at showing off their prowess are undermined because like most trends-slaves, we'll definitely follow the next best thing to come out.

All I am saying is that diversity counts when it comes to competitions. Include small stuffs like MotorStorm or DiRT into the forray, and fighting games and so forth, just so as not to alienate other gamers who just have no interest in Guitars or football.

The idea here to cultivate a sort of wider view on the things, it doesn't matter if its just a soft-opening of say, an UNREAL Tournament just to test things, but its always good to find out how many gamers out there are interested.

The future can be bright for competitive gaming. If only we can open our minds and think outside the box without shredding it to pieces.

Got a better idea? post it over the comment box!

1 billion in 26 months

Here's my two cents on Guitar Hero III. I love it. I love it more than I love Rock Band. And mind you, Rock Band is a good and fun game, but it just doesn't keep me there for far too long. I don't know. Maybe it's because how boring the guitar play is. Maybe it's the okay list of songs available, even despite it having lots of downloadable songs every week. But truth is, I love Guitar Hero III more despite the lack of songs you get to download. Well, turns out I'm not the only one who thinks so. The world seems to love Guitar Hero too.

According to Activision, the Guitar Hero series have managed to garner over US$1 billion within 26 months while selling 14 million units. That's impressive, considering that the franchise was first developed by Harmonix (the creator of Rock Band). In a 1up article, they mentioned that Activision also claimed that Guitar Hero III has set an industry record (again) as the best selling title in a calendar year.

It was also mentioned that, despite their lack of downloadable songs, Guitar Hero III has surpassed 5 million song downloads as opposed to Rock Band's 2.5 million. And I must say, I've downloaded all Guitar Hero III songs but only a few of Rock Band's (mostly Bowie, Metallica, Blink 182 and All American Rejects).

This just shows how consumers do not look at developers but really concentrate on the title of the game seeing how the creators of the original Guitar Hero has moved on to Rock Band and still Guitar Hero stands above the multiplayer rhythmic game.

April 29 Marked

It is time to celebrate as our beloved Gran Theft Auto IV has been given a released date! That magical number is April 29th! Yes, this year! So rumours of it being released at the end of this year or next is false. Aren't you just glad? Let us all celebrate this special occasion by getting ourselves some hot coffee (if y'know what I mean).

Twisted Metal Extra Twisted

The PS2 still proves to be so popular in this country, especially since support for the system is still high. Thus, I think owners of PS2 would be happy to know that Twisted Metal Head On Extra Twisted Edition will be out February 5th (my birthday btw) for some never before seen levels as well as old school arenas to blast your opponents in. Here's a gameplay video from Jaffe himself.

From Crackle: Twisted Metal Head On Extra Twisted Edition

PS: Seems like a lot of games are coming out February 5th.