thirdworldgamer

Here's my review: Wow! :D (Sorry, I'm speechless!)

I called it...the gaming industry doesn't need this kind of attention. It's unfortunate because Modern Warfare 2 is really a great game. But for non-gamers, they can easily misinterpret that one level, and then if another violent attack occurs in the United States or elsewhere, this game is going to be the scapegoat. Regardless of what you think about Fox News' reporting and whether you agree with it, they're out there, and they're influencing minds. Activision/Infinity Ward should really have done the level in a different way to avoid all that negative publicity.

I've never thought I'd say this, but the violence in the Airport level in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 easily aims for controversy and is totally unnecessary. They could have just portrayed the same scene with a non-interactive cutscene, or they could have put you in the moment as a different character. It's something else completely when they put you in there as a terrorist, mowing down innocent civilians as you please. If Columbine or all those other 'gunman gone amok' scenarios never happened in the United States and other countries, I would never think this way about it. The fact is, if another student or psychologically distressed person goes crazy and blames this CODMW2 level for his insanity, video games will take the blame for real-world violence once again.

I saw this picture on the Turn 10 Studios blog: That's Dan Greenawalt (left) from Turn 10 Studios (Forza Motorsport 3), posing with Kazunori Yamauchi (right), CEO of Polyphony Digital (Gran Turismo 5). Here's the blog post where I found the picture: http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/blogs/post.aspx?App=turn_10s_forza_motorsport_blog&y=2009&m=11&d=06&PostName=forza-motorsport-3-week-in-review-11-6 So to the console-exclusivity fanboys, yes, apparently it is possible to respect your competition. Kudos to both developers for making the best racing games ever made.

It’s been around 4 years since the initial launch of the XBOX 360 and at that time, I felt that Microsoft was the underdog in the console race. Everyone was prattling about how ‘awwwwzommmm!!’ the Sony Playstation 3 was and laughing that Nintendo named their console after a male appendage. When the XBOX 360 came out, I believed that Microsoft hit jackpot. They had the right vision, they had the right games and I was fully on board. But the last 4 years of the XBOX 360 was marred by the horrendous 3 red lights of death and Microsoft’s insistent denial that they had absolutely nothing to do with it; like Pilate washing his hands clean. But the truth eventually came out and Microsoft really did rush the console to market in order to beat the PS3. While that strategy may have worked for the last 3 years since they gained a good portion of the North American market share, the stigma of faulty hardware plagues Microsoft to this day. Sure the Jasper doesn’t break as much as the ...

I'm currently playing Forza Motorsport 3; the one thing that really sticks out if you've played the previous game is how much more detail is on the car models this time. The cars are really pleasant to look at now, and sometimes I find myself just watching the menu screen [where they display your current vehicle in a variety of nice camera angles]. I also like the lighting on many of the tracks; though it's really noticeable that the newer tracks look way better than the older ones which are included in the game. Recently I got to race on Fujimi Kaido, an old track from Forza 1 which they revamped for this game...I think it has the best scenery for a racing game thus far. It's also a great track to hone your driving and drifting skills on. I must have spent an incredible amount of time tuning and racing online on Forza Motorsport 2. A few years ago, there was a thread on Pinoyxbox.com where most of my exploits (both online and offline) for FM2 are completely chronicled...

I also posted this on pinoyxbox.com ************* Finished downloading Forza 3 at 1:45AM. Finished playing the demo at around 2:40AM. Unbelievable, completely lives up to the hype; everything they've said about this game is true. I'm shocked at how much fun it was to play for a 'simulator'! The other day I was trying out Need for Speed Shift, which, at the end of the day, really reminded me of Grid/PGR. This one....this is an animal all its own, it just FEELS so different in terms of driving model, and that's what seems to make it special. The 60FPS really does help enhance the 'feel' of the driving, and the way the cars move and behave is like no other driving game I've ever played before. Perhaps Forza 2 is the only game that comes close. I'm surprised they were able to even surpass that! When I first bought my PS3 one of the games I purchased with high hopes was Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which had those dazzling cutscenes playing back on most websi...

Only downloadable (at this time) by using the website marketplace.xbox.com to forward your download to your console. Perhaps later on it can be downloaded directly via the 360. Here's the link! http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024d53084d/

Absolutely spectacular even for a game trailer - it is quite difficult to drive like the way they demonstrated there. Even more amazing that they used in-game footage; which means it can be done by players in the game itself, if they spent enough time with it.

Forums such as Neogaf.com and Dustloop.com are reporting the appearance of the next update to Blazblue, titled "Blazblue: Continuum Shift". Reports say that this game will first appear in Japanese arcades some time in late September 2009, and it will add 2 new characters to the game. One of the new characters, Tsubaki Yayoi, was revealed in the latest issue of Famitsu. For more on the game, check out this thread on Dustloop.com forums.

For a few months now, Turn 10 Studios has been showing off pictures and videos of Forza Motorsport 3, and everything they've shown thus far has been very impressive. In a few days time we will find out if the videos, pictures and claims about gameplay will be proven to be true....the Forza Motorsport 3 Demo is coming out on the Xbox Live Marketplace this coming September 24, 2009! Forza 2 was a fantastic driving simulator but still left a lot to be desired in terms of visuals compared to its rival, the Gran Turismo series. Turn 10 seems to have taken this criticism to heart; every screenshot and video for the game attests to that, showing off incredible quality and improved design at every possible level, while maintaining that hardcore degree of driving simulation that the Forza series has built a grand reputation for. September 24 can't come soon enough! Most likely for Asia the demo will be released on September 24 at around 4-7PM Philippine time (just my guess).

In all these videos I play as Jin Kisaragi. (Gamertag: hadokenz)

Jin (hadokenz) vs. Nu (BlackberryChaos), Xbox Live Ranked Match; I'm hadokenz in this match. Greatest. Comeback. Ever!

My extra 1 month free Xbox Live trial on my Xbox 360 is almost up. I'm still pondering on whether to buy a new Live card or just use up all the trials I have left. I'm saving on expenses so I just can't buy every game that comes out...the same goes for Live subscriptions. The one saving grace of the Playstation 3's online model is that it's free....it's just too bad for the Xbox that it doesn't look like Microsoft is going to change their Xbox Live multiplayer policy anytime soon (A paid, gold subscription is required to play online for the Xbox 360....) :( That said, I've been using my XBL trial account for Blazblue (almost) exclusively for the past 30 days, accumulating more than 500 total matches on my Blazblue Drive Card, and getting on the top 100 Jin players for the month on Ranked Match play. I'm still enjoying this fighting game a lot. I love how each match never gets predictable, and when you change tactics and style it really forces your op...

Yes, it's early (September), but it seems for me, for gaming, the year's winding down. We already have so much information on the games coming towards the end of the year that I feel my anticipation for new games is lessening lately. The only game I'm getting before the year ends is Forza Motorsport 3. I'll probably just rent Halo ODST because I'm getting the impression that it's just a quick-cash-in by Microsoft on their storied franchise (It doesn't help that Master Chief isn't in the game....) I don't know if my enthusiasm for gaming is just waning, or I just feel generally unexcited for the coming lineup, for all systems (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii). Tekken 6....might not get it due to monetary concerns, and I was never a huge, huge tekken fan (I do respect the local scene for it, though). And I realized that I've played so much of Blazblue and Street Fighter IV that I'm thinking I need a break from fighting games in general.

PXB members Kantoboy and GM were able to attend the Penny-Arcade Expo 2009! More pictures over on this thread at Pinoyxbox.com.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=501774&publicationSubCategoryId=65 Victims were Canadian Alexis Tioseco, 29, and his live-in-partner Slovenian Nica Bohinc, 30, both died on the spot after they were gunned down inside their house at 39 Times Street in Barangay West Triangle. Elenzano said that they are now locating the couple’s new helper identified only as a certain Criselda, 46, and the three male suspects involved in the robbery-homicide case. The police official said that the suspects took off aboard the couple’s Ford Lynx (CPW-329) and still undetermined types and amount of valuables from the house. Magdalena Patpat, who has been working as a maid for the couple for three years, told policemen that Criselda has been working for the couple for a month after a friend recommended the suspect to her. At around 10:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Patpat was watching television when Criselda asked permission to go out to a store. Criselda then returned accompanied by three armed ...

For gamers based in the Philippines, Gamehopper is now accepting pre-orders for the highly anticipated release of TEKKEN 6 for both the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360! This title will cap off what has been an amazing year for fighting games.

Will this article ever banish the myth that PS3 is more reliable than the Xbox 360? I seriously doubt it, considering how rabid [and pointlessly defensive] the Internet fanboys can be about the console brands that they love. That said, whatever console you own, for this gaming generation, be ready to face the inevitable! (For the entire article, click the link below) http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-system-failure-article System Failure: Why PS3 and 360 drop dead for the same reasons August 29th, 2009 Page 1 of 3. Page 2 In a week where Xbox 360 production boss Aaron Greenberg stated that Microsoft's hardware issues were "well behind us", I found myself finally facing up to the notorious unreliability of the older 360 consoles, and attempting to do something about it. In many ways, this feature is an off-shoot of a personal story. Readers of the Digital Foundry Twitter feed will know that both of my retail Xbox 360s died of RROD in quick succession. While ...

I found this only very recently, apparently Giantbomb.com has a really good treasure trove of Blazblue images! It's in their review for the game. Honestly, the review sucks. But the images they put in there are pretty good, including some artwork that was from the GALLERY of the game. Some samples below (the link to the review is below the pics).

Just an off-topic post because this concerns saving my country from all the corrupt politicians running for office....for the Filipinos reading this, do the right thing and help convince this guy Noynoy Aquino to run for President! http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090828-222419/Wear-yellow-Sen-Aquino-tells-supporters Wear yellow, Sen Aquino tells supporters By Maila Ager INQUIRER.net First Posted 11:15:00 08/28/2009 Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Politics, Cory Aquino MANILA, Philippines -- Paint the town yellow if you want Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to run for a higher post in 2010. Aquino, son of the late President Corazon Aquino and martyred Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr, made this call in his continued search for an answer to the increasing clamor for him to either run for president or vice president next year. “Wear something yellow on your person, notes, with your ID, panglagay sa bahay, sa sasakyan para mapakita na marami tayo ditong umaasa at ma...

UPDATE: I've been on a huge winning streak lately! Still going :D I just wonder...is it online lag that's causing me to win so much recently, or have I been extremely lucky, or am I getting better at this game??? I have no idea, to be honest. I am enjoying playing this game online, though! Great netcode! :D Saving for posterity :D

It's a very SLOW time in console gaming these days. No major announcements, and not many interesting things to write about.... Sure, there's the PS3 Slim news leaks that we keep hearing about in the gaming press but to be honest, how is that news? And how is it interesting? It's a Playstation 3 in a new form factor.....regardless of whatever shape or form it may arrive, it's a PS3, we've already seen and played it, and I think it's only really news to the ones who haven't bought one yet. I don't really consider it a type of new or interesting technology. Yeah I've posted about that leaked PS3 Slim here in the Philippines, definitely that's interesting for what it is....an unsupported country getting first dibs on unreleased technology, sure....but that news was last week's news. Lately I've been visiting NEOGAF and there isn't anything really huge to write about. (just the usual fanboy wars and sales armchair-analysis threads....) The...

Tips for Score Attack (Jin only....I haven't spent a lot of time with the other characters, though I am considering learning Bang or Litchi) Useful block string for all the 'hard' characters: 2A (x3 max), 5B, 5C, 5D (somehow this baits them to try attacking, thus turning 5D into a counter). After 5D, use the combo / follow-up of your choice (in my case it's 6A->dash cancel->5C->super jump cancel->air combo) In a normal match 5D is a bit slow so this only works on Score Attack AI. 1. Unlimited Rachel - if you start the match with an ice car, use the B version since it's slightly faster. - if you don't start the match with an ice car, jump back, block the first lightning strike, and then use instant air dash to get in close. - if rachel calls down a frog, try to get to the side AWAY from the frog, either by jumping + dashing or ice car C. - when your meter hits 50, use the C distortion drive attack. - if you get in close, use the block string specified...

This achievement was really hard to get and took me a very, very long time:

I've been looking for this forever, finally found one thanks to the dustloop forums: The Real, Seems-to-not-be-ripped-from-the-game, full, uncut, epic version of the Bang Shishigami song!

Need cash. To buy this.

I already posted this on Pinoyxbox, but might as well save it here for future reference... * * * * * (Given the following directional input markers) 789 456 123 And A - weak attack, B - medium attack, C - strong attack, D - drive attack * * * * * Currently enjoying finding new tricks in the game (with Jin, at least) through Training mode....yesterday I learned that: - Jin's 623 (dragon punch) + C has a significant amount of invincible frames; it might not have good range horizontally, but it's good for countering attacks that you know are coming towards you. - You can do a longer air combo by using the super jump cancel....originally I only used the regular jump cancel but then later on I tried using down+up instead of just up, and it causes Jin to jump higher after cancelling a normal move, so the air combo I'm getting is the same as the one in the tutorial video on the special edition: B, C, super jump cancel, B, C, D. The tutorial video on the special edition omitted thi...

These were pretty funny:

...for only 4,000 - 5,000 pesos! I saw the stick in several shops there. Playstation 3 owners are very lucky to have accessories like those readily available in local stores, so go grab them, and let store owners know that selling arcade sticks is a GOOD idea! In other news....The Hori Real Arcade Pro EX (the Xbox 360 version of the stick) was nowhere to be found in Greenhills. It's a trend I've been noticing in Greenhills lately. Less and less stores are supporting the Xbox 360...less games, less accessories....sadly, it seems local gaming stores here in the Philippines are more focused on selling Playstation related items. For many Filipinos, it seems...when it comes to games, it's a Playstation world...

I spotted these in Timezone, SM Megamall yesterday. They had 2 SF4 machines for 1vs1 play (one player on each machine). Both machines were set up with the correct HD screen resolution, so the characters don't look stretched (unlike the original setup before in Glorietta). I hope more players play on these Street Fighter machines, so that Timezone will know that a strong fanbase exists for Street Fighter, and so that they'll buy more units.

Note that the following are indicators for directions: 789 456 123 * A good way to interrupt some strings or pokes from your opponents is to press 'A' repeatedly, though you have to combo it into something so when your opponent is far enough, he won't be able to counterattack so easily (or counter-poke you). A good attack string I've found is: 2A, 2A, 5C cancel to 2C, then ice car 214C. Add more 2A's depending on the distance between you and your opponent. * Another good air combo which I don't use much but seems to do good damage is [In Mid-Air] B, C, then double jump, then throw, then upon landing continue to a different combo. * If you freeze your opponent in the corner, go for 6C to launch them, then cancel into 623A (a Dragon Punch-like move) for a follow up. You then have a lot of options to pressure. If you have some meter, you can jump and do 236D to trap them or bait for another freeze, or you can jump above them and press 'D' to freeze again. B...

A long, long time ago, I used to play Street Fighter II in the local arcades...I think it was about 1992 or so. One of the things which other players would tell you is the way you hold the arcade stick matters when you're playing. Originally, I put the arcade stick between my middle finger and my ring finger, much like holding a wine glass. I've done that ever since I was 13 or so.... Fast forward to today, and I still use the same hand positioning when playing a fighting game. I read something online which said that one other hand position on the arcade stick is to put the arcade stick between your pinkie and your ring finger. I thought originally that this was a bad idea....but tonight, I tried it in a few matches of Blazblue. Wow, what a world of difference that made. I found I could execute some moves even more consistently, and more quickly. Dashing-type moves (which require forward-forward or back-back motions) became slightly quicker and more consistent for me, and I fou...

Amazing series of matches from the Grand Finals of the EVO 2009 Street Fighter IV (World) Championship: Daigo Umehara from Japan plays Ryu, while Justin Wong from the USA plays both Abel and Balrog....the Grand Finals extends to over two sets! Part 3 has a sound problem where the audio turns into static, so turn down the volume when you play this video:

I wasn't able to catch the final match, but I've heard that Daigo bested Justin Wong again at EVO 2009. Daigo stuck with Ryu while Justin picked Balrog (Boxer). I'm still looking for a video of it on youtube....it's actually on ustream but the download speed from there is really slow. For now, I'll just have to settle with this match, the earlier 'winner's circle' round between Daigo and Justin, where Daigo picks Ryu and Justin picks Abel: I'll update this post once I find a video of the actual final match. They say it was really epic!

Just sitting down pondering on all these great fighting games that came out this year. Blazblue, Street Fighter IV, then later King of Fighters XII and Tekken 6....this year is pretty unprecedented in terms of attention that the genre is getting. I remember in the late nineties, when Street Fighter II was at its prime, there was also a lot of fighting games being released by various companies. You could say that the fighting game back then was the "first person shooter" of that generation. Companies were churning them out left and right, and a lot of them were simply derivative of Street Fighter II. At some point, I think gamers just got tired of all of them. Today, I'm not too sure if fighting games will overtake the current popularity of first-person shooters with younger gamers, but the ones that are being released today are really first-rate, high quality titles that all have their own unique personality. Currently, Blazblue gets the nod for seeming to be the most ori...

More rumors about the PS3 Slim that was in the Youtube video: http://www.examiner.com/x-12218-Providence-Video-Game-Examiner~y2009m7d12-PS3-Slim-video-and-new-image - The store supposedly had 2 PS3 Slim units. - The PS3 Slim units were NOT packed in boxes (they were sold 'as is', as shown in the video) - The PS3 Slim came with Playstation 3 accessories (cables) and 1 Dualshock 3 controller. - The store claimed they tested it with Unreal Tournament 3 - It has a 120 GB hard drive. - Both units have already been sold....rumors placed the price between PHP 12,000 ($250) to PHP 20,000+ (US$417) - We have some idea where this store is; yes, it is in Greenhills, San Juan.

According to this post from Kotaku (and this video from Youtube), the PS3 slim was spotted in the Philippines. http://kotaku.com/5317605/yes-i-know-about-the-damn-ps3-slim-video-[update ] The video: What do I think? I don't know if it's fake. I do find it sad that Kotaku takes every opportunity to portray our country as piracy heaven. I'd like to say that there are gamers here in the Philippines who do buy original products and original console games. The piracy issue is a real problem here, but there are gamers (like myself) who think that, if the hardware makers sold their products officially here, then maybe piracy could be discouraged. This is because having official presence here in the country would give gamers incentives to support buying original games and hardware. For example, if Xbox Live had a region for the Philippines, then people would have an incentive to actually support the original product(s) instead of buy the pirated versions of games. This is because t...

According to reports from Pinoyxbox. This is great news....now a lot more people here can try out this excellent fighting game!

Just some footage from the Evolution 2009 Fighting Game Championships taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Live stream: http://www.evo2k.com/live/

It's a real shame that Virtua Fighter 5R isn't coming to home consoles. I was watching this video on Versuscity and was amazed by this feature for watching match replays....a feature for displaying frame data! Nothing like actually seeing this in a replay....this feature looks to be quite useful for someone who wants to analyze the game at a very deep level! http://www.versuscity.net/2009/06/25/vf5r-now-supporting-frame-data-display/ Now THAT...is hardcore.

I wouldn't say that this is a strategy that is 'fool-proof', it's just something that you can start with if you want to think about how exactly to play as Jin. Just something I posted on Pinoyxbox a week ago.... http://www.pinoyxbox.com/phpnuke/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=24377&start=105 *** Playing as Jin I'm trying not to abuse the ice car tactic too much since it loses its surprise factor at some point and it has really bad recovery when blocked. Watching the instructional DVD gave me a basic idea for a combo which I've been practicing in training. It seems useful for a Jin player just starting out....and since it's in the air, it looks very cool hehehe (Note: does not work in the corner because somehow your opponent can air recover faster from that spot) [On the ground...] 1. Start with Standing 'D' (or any other freeze)...basically freeze your opponent somehow. 2. A standing D can be dash-cancelled; so if you see the fra...

A few months ago, Guitar Hero Arcade made its debut in the Philippines at Timezone Glorietta 4. The game was a huge hit with local arcade players, which has prompted Timezone to make the game available to their other branches in the Philippines. Thirdworldgamer was invited to their event to try out their latest Guitar Hero Arcade units, and to talk about the current arcade gaming scene. Here are a few pictures from Timezone's "Guitar Hero Night", held on July 10, 2009:

If you execute Bang Shishigami's Distortion Drive...you get this epic transformation sequence which happens alongside this anime-styled theme music. Just awesome :D Here's another vid of the song; if you click the video, you'll get a youtube page with the lyrics on it:

Gamers considering getting this game for an extreme experience of gaming terror, don't spoil yourself by watching this video. Buy the game today; it's going to be totally worth it. For the rest of us wimps who couldn't finish the game, here's a video of the last boss and the game's ending.

I've had enough of Dead Space (Xbox 360). It's just too disturbing for me. With all the shocks and gratuitous gore in the game, I've had to lower the volume on my home theater to a sound setting of '8' just so I can keep on playing the game. Despite that, the ultra-violence is just too much for me to take. Granted, everything about the game is EXCELLENT. The GUI? Amazing. They implemented this system where movie dialogue playing back between your character and others is shown as a floating screen in front of your character. Everything else uses this fantastic system as well. Browsing your inventory, looking at your map, objectives, etc....they use this same system where graphical interfaces float in front of you, and it makes the game extremely seamless and immersive, because you never leave the 'game' environment to do other things like check your inventory, health, etc. The in-game puzzles? Very creative. I liked a lot of the little challenges they put in ...