it's here! (another game i can't play edition)

oh yeah, it happened again.

while i really appreciate the thought and hooking up with a new company is rad, sega of america skimmed my e-mail requesting review copies and information and plunked a ps3 version of condemned 2 into a ups envelope and sent it through the wonderful courier network.

so we're at this again.

the real issue here is that i'm forced into a corner where i have to question my dedication to the craft i'm so badly trying to break into.

a) i can just say 'f-it', leave the game and go on to one of the many other reviews i still need to write.

b) i can tell sega that they sent me the wrong platform for this game, and probably receive no response or potentially piss them off so they don't send me more (which is a probable case in choice a as well).

c) i can try to find a way to get a ps3.

but the third option has me troubled. while i knew i would eventually need to figure this issue out, i didn't know it would be this fast.

i'm at a point where it may be an issue of committing to this crazy venture to the point where my other hobbies become subjugated by my job. i may have to get rid of a piece of guitar gear to fully commit.

see, i've got a tube amp i've stopped using and it would probably sell for about the same price as a ps3. it's like that scene in back to the future iii. the point of no return.

if i make that decision, there's no turning back. i've got to get that De Lorean back to the future or crash and burn in clayton eastwood ravine.

or better yet, work might pay for one.

either way it's feeling kind of symbolic like a training montage in a rocky flick.

will give deets when there are some to give.

peace be the journey,

JD

really hope this is the last time i mention the bully patch...

but unfortunately i have to report that it basically doesn't do much.

while at first, i thought, hey, no freezing, i failed to think about the fact that, patchless, i hadn't had a freeze since i got out of chapter one.

my audio was still wonky in some cutscenes, the graphics are far from perfect and stutter at the oddest of times but i was happy.

then, last night, it happened.

i was playing the final level, which i won't divulge the content to for fear of spoiling the game for others, but after i had completed 90% of my tasks, it froze.

i was entering a building (which goes to a quick loading screen every time) and the screen went black and my 360 was out cold.

i tried to get the 360 menu, restart it with the controller and even waited 2 minutes to see if it was just a stall. but no, it froze...again.

so i guess the patch needs to be patched, and i'm kind of bored about writing on it now.

wishing for a flaw-free game to play,

JD

rock band for wii questions answered, and how!

this came out this morning so i'm sure it's old news, but after all my speculating yesterday, ea have put the niggling questions i had to rest.

- still no dlc, but there may be some day
- it's basically a port of the ps2 version, and lack everything that version lacked
- there will be no 'waggle' wii-specific controls
- no wiimotes are necessary
- it will ship with a usb hub like the 360 version
- the instruments will come in 'wii' colours (ie. white)
AND
- you can't use your guitar hero iii guitar(s)

so there you have it folks. you can play rock band on wii, but you've gotta get all new peripherals and hope that the regular setlist plus the five bonus songs, will keep you interested enough to merit the $169 price tag.

it really is a good game, and i'd be hard pressed not to recommend it to wii owners thinking of grabbing a copy. my only issue is still with the guitar hero iii guitar compatibility and the lack of additional songs available through dlc.

they're small points but still annoying since the 360 and PS3 versions are fully featured.

JD

neat finds: rock band on wii

forever rumoured, but only recently confirmed, rock band is indeed coming to wii.

the best fake guitar game that adds drums and downloadable content five bonus songs, will be out on june 22nd.

and, what's that? you want a second guitar to go with it?

as part of the release announcement, harmonix also said that the peripherals for wii will come out the same day.

it also doesn't mention whether you can use the gh:iii guitars that were made for the wii with rock band for wii. but that seems like dangerous waters to tread after last time.

rockin out with my wii out,

JD

first notes: rainbow six vegas 2

checked out a small little bite of rainbow six vegas 2 this weekend and i was of two minds.

first off - wow. cool. i really didn't know that a tactical shooter could be fun and not too complex for my anti fps/third person shooter brain.

i was using snake cams, organizing flash bang breach entries and hitting head shots within an hour of play. it got really fun.

but just as quickly, it got damn hard.

second - level of difficulty. now i know i'm not the best gamer out there and this is new territory for me but damnnnnnnnn!

it's just so easy to die in this game.

i even have the skill setting on 'casual' but you can still die in 2-3 shots and the ai (while dumb every so often) has super human sight which makes planning a must. this can either make or break each scenario.

the puzzle solving side of my brain is delighted that there is more than one approach to each task, but the frustrated 5 year old inside me can only take about an hour or so of this game at a time before getting disgruntled and annoyed.

i cleared a chapter fairly quickly, but am now stuck in a stand off that has me on the top floor of a night club, not able to descend down the stairs without being picked off. i have a feeling it has something to do with some cover down there i can't see, but because of the fact that i can't see it, how the hell can i get down there?

argh.

i do like it though, and my final thoughts will be encapsulated in a review in another week, once i'm further through.

sniping ur dudes in ur base,

JD

bully patch redux mk. ii

so i guess i gave you guys geese too early.

supposedly, according to kotaku, bully is patched as of today at 4:30pm Eastern.

have at it and get to some boy kissing wedgies!

happy easter,

JD

bully patch redux (and geese too!)

so, just a quick last note.

once again, rockstar are being jerks about this whole bully thing.

firstly, they've made another announcement that they will make an announcement (WHAT!?!?) tomorrow concerning the bully patch.

huh?

i guess they're all playing fully-patched versions of bully on 360, in between marathon gta IV sessions (which has probably long-ago gone gold, in glitch free versions) sipping margaritas and getting ready for the "BEST EASTER EVAR!!!".

or maybe i'm being a little harsh, but that note still seems cryptic.

i hope it means they're going to release the patch and maybe a small gift for those that have been waiting...like maybe some free dlc? a chance to beta test gta IV?

i'm not hopeful, but otherwise this is just a whole lot more teasing.

i may pull out my hair if they announce that we have another week left since they already fell through on their other promise.

to cheer you up, you bully fanatics you. here are some pictures of real live CANADIAN GEESE which i saw walking a few feet away from me in the parking lot near my work.







GEESE!

JD