B3yond the Report 10.21.08

Posted by Derek Robbins on 10.21.2008

Tekken 6, Bungie making a PS3 game, information on Resistance 2's Splitscreen, this week's PSN store updates and more this week on B3yond the Report.

Hello and welcome to B3yond the Report! Let's see what crazy Sony news is cooking for this week?



Making Tekken 6 Feel Like an Arcade Experience at Home

Replicating the feeling we get when we go to the arcade is pretty hard to do and is almost impossible some would say. It's very hard to recreate that "Me versus anyone who challenges me" atmosphere in a home game. Oh sure, you can go online and try to take on the world…but what often happens with fighters is that they lag up and can be nigh unplayable. Take a look at Soul Calibur 4 for instance…was it a good game? You bet'cha. Its online was even lightning fast at points, but every once in a while you would get matched up against some guy who is chugging along…and it makes the fight so much less enjoyable. It suddenly becomes very apparent that you are playing at your house.

In an interview with Gamepro, Katsuhiro Harada, Takahiro Noda, and Yuichi Yonemor commented that their number one goal with Tekken 6: Bloodline Resurrection is for it to bring that "arcade experience" home. They wish to use the PS3's (and 360's) powerful engines and online features to make the difference between an at-home experience and an arcade experience just about negligible.

"Basically, one thing we really want to try hard on is to recreate the arcade experience of fighting someone in the arcades."

That's a fairly admirable goal, after all…you may as well shoot for the stars and fall short. It's better than setting your sights low. How will this go down though? After all the last time Tekken tried this whole online thing we were treated to the PSP's Tekken Dark Resurrection, and to call that a lag fest would be a bit of an under-statement. They had this to say, regarding online and lag.

One thing that makes this even more difficult is Tekken is different from other fighting games in the fact that there is not much of a key buffer. Where other games might have three to five frames between the input and when it's displayed onscreen. Tekken only has one frame.

That would make it rather difficult when you think about it. It's instantaneous input-to-command and that's rather hard to achieve in a world where lag is in existence. I would actually say it's damn near impossible. I'm glad that they're trying though, and even if they fall short perhaps they can make an online mode similar to what we got with Soul Calibur 4. Respectable. Just not perfect.

The Tekken guys also want to implement a feature that I think will be pretty neat. What they plan on doing is having matches from top-rated players available to watch. Now you may be thinking: "Why would I rather watch someone else play than play for myself?" Well, the answer is quite simple. These guys are pros and watching them can really improve how you play. For instance, as some of you may know I'm a fighter junkie. I live and breather those quarter-circle-forwards. What I do is I watch matches on GGPO [what is essentially an online arcade] – sometimes even participating if I have the gumption – and see how these more professional players conduct themselves so I can improve my game. It's something those who want to be good might hunt out.

I'm not much of a Tekken guy, but knowing that the creators wish to make this experience as "arcade-like" as possible really helps to get me excited for the game. Not only that, but they plan on letting me watch pros fight? I can't believe I'm saying this, but allow me to pull a Colin Powell. I've backed other fighters for years…but for the first time ever, I shall be backing the Tekken franchise.

Man, it feels weird saying that.

Source is Gamepro magazine



Rumor: Sony to Actually Reward Your Trophy Hunting?

Usually I leave the rumor mill to the tabloids section, but this little piece of news really piques my interest. Apparently Sony is mulling over actually rewarding people for their hard-earned trophies. Now, as OPM speculates, these rewards will probably be limited to things like themes or free beta access…it still really encourages the gamer to go out and do a lot of things that they normally might not.

If this turns out to be true, I'd expect Trophy Access in Sony games to be a lot more widespread than it currently is. I'm not expecting it to be as wide scale as, say, Microsoft's achievement lists where every single game that is released on that system has some form of achievement…but it could be fairly interesting and certainly promotes going out and exploring the world that game developers work so hard on.

What I'm really hoping for is that this catches on so Microsoft might decide to try something similar. I know this is awfully optimistic of me, but can you imagine a world in which, just maybe…you can have one of those pesky DLC contents for free? I mean, sure, they could still charge you for other DLC…but like, let's say that you went ahead and got every achievement in a game. Wouldn't it encourage gamers to do it more if they got something of actual value out of it? Plus, who know, maybe they like their new add-on content so much that they decide to actually purchase other DLC that they may not have even been inclined to look at.

Like me for instance, I really do love Megaman 9…but it's becoming fairly obvious to me why they released the game for $9.99. They knew that there would be several people out there willing to pay more for content that should have been in the game at the start. Oh sure, playing as Protoman is pretty cool...but do I really want to pay more for something that should have already been added? Perhaps if the achievement system let me have a free piece of DLC to see what I was missing – and I LIKED it – I would be more inclined to try more of it out?

In the end, this probably will turn out to be nothing and Sony will probably question why they would reward gamers for having no life. If they actually DO go through with this, it'll start out small at first – with the aforementioned free themes and beta access – but it could eventually become something rather cool. So I'm hoping that this development pans out and we can see a whole ‘nother side of achievement grinding. Showing them online has never been more profitable!

- So trophy hunting could be handy? Nice.

Bungie: "Dude, that 360 thing is old news.

We all probably know by now, through one source or another…that Bungie isn't exclusive to Microsoft anymore. After the upcoming expansion pack for Halo 3 – entitled Halo 3: Recon (It's more stealth based this time) – Bungie can move on to develop games for other systems…such as the Nintendo Wii, it's time to fuck up some covenant on my balance board namely the PS3. Bungie's PR and community director, Brian Jarrard, had this to say regarding Bungie's post-Halo war plans:

Halo itself was a bit of a perfect storm - there were a lot of things happening at the same time, and who knows if we'll ever hit that magic again. I certainly think that Bungie has an awful lot of really awesome game experiences and stories to tell.

They'll be very different - are they really going to catch on and become a pop culture phenomenon, spawn dioramas, and worldwide marketing campaigns? Who's to say?

I know the guys who are working on this project are really passionate and invigorated. A lot of it just seems to be going back to the old school vibe of Bungie - now there are guys just doing what they do best, being creative, unrestrained, thinking about what they want to do, and what is our next project? That's something we haven't done in a long time
To me, the thing about Bungie is that they were very hit-and-miss before Halo came out. I would even go as far to say that the original Halo was also a miss, but alas…I'd be in the minority for thinking that. For every Halo or Myth, Bungie created a game like Oni which was so bad…so repugnant…that you were better off simply staring at your Playstation 2 and begging it to do a backflip or something.

The only thing Bungie has been doing lately is making Halo games. Yes, I am sure they have very interesting ideas on what else to do. I mean, the PR guy even said so! (so it must be true!) To me though, they really have to prove that they don't necessarily need to make shooters to succeed. Yes, obviously, they have made other sorts of games that are very popular…but again I must state LATELY it's just been shooting. If they can prove that they can leave that genre – and the more tactical based Halo 3 Recon could go a ways in improving that – they could be a developer with an even higher stock than they have now.

What really helps them out is brand-recognition. If I had spoken to a casual gamer in the late nineties and asked them what they thought of Bungie they would probably look at me inquisitively and say: "You mean like the cords?" In the year 2008 gamers really know who Bungie is and what they are capable of. I'm very intrigued to see what they will do in their post-Halo world. I hope that it's something interesting and even if it's not for the PS3…best of luck to them. The PR guy again:

In theory we do have every means to go out and find the right ecosystem, the right partners, to align with. We're very happy with Microsoft, the Xbox 360's been great to us and they're a world class publisher. So who knows what the future will bring us.

Who knows what the future will bring indeed

Source: GameIndustry.biz



Resistance 2: Splitscreen

It's fairly inarguable that one of Sony's big games of this holiday season is the second Resistance title. I mean, why wouldn't it be? When the PS3 first launched it was one of the very few games that was worth your hard earned dollar. Though I wasn't the biggest fan of it, I can at least see why other people enjoyed it so much. Also, what do I know? I like JRPGs, my opinion is invalid.

According to James Stevenson, Insomniac Games' community relations manager, Resistance 2 will feature split screen online play for both the 60-player online competitive play mode and also the 8-player online co-operative campaign mode. This, of course, is good news! Now if you have a friend over to play a good ol' round of Resistance, it's not just limited to the two of you…you can find 58 other people and have a fun ol' time shooting everything up.

Also for those interested in Resistance 2's collectors edition it should be noted that the bonus disc that comes with it is not of the DVD format, it's of the BLU-ray format. That's shocking isn't it? A developer actually taking advantage of the opportunity they see before them? Amazing! The BLU-ray will probably come with all your standard special edition stuff – you know interviews, behind the scenes, deleted content, etc – but this time you can watch it in high definition, neat!

I may not be looking forward to Resistance 2 due to Resistance 1 being an entirely mediocre game but if Insomniac can step its game up from the original to the sequel like how Eidos did with Time Splitters…we may very well have the next "big" shooter on our hands. Even if this doesn't happen, I find it really hard to believe that anyone could play around in a 60-player online war-zone and not have fun. Even me and my black, jaded heart can see that.

Source is: US Playstation Blog



Weekly Playstation Store Update – 9/16

It's that time of week again! PSN Update time, bitches.

I, of course, will only be covering the PS3 store this time because I have no interest in shovelware. Well, shovelware that's on the PSP at least.

Downloadable Games
• SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation (US$ 39.99)
PS1 Classics
• Sno-Cross Championship Racing (US$ 5.99)
Add-on Game Content
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09 Spyglass Hill Golf Course (US$ 7.49)
• THE EYE OF JUDGEMENT: Biolith Rebellion 3 (Expansion Set Three) (US$ 14.99)
• THE EYE OF JUDGEMENT: Biolith Rebellion 2 & 3 Expansion Bundle (US$ 19.99)
• Rock Band tracks
o Dr. Feelgood" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o Kickstart My Heart" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o Rattlesnake Shake" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o "She Goes Down" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o "Slice of Your Pie" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o "Sticky Sweet" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o "Time For Change" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o "Without You" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" - Mötley Crüe (US$ 1.99)
o "Dr. Feelgood" Album (US$ 15.99)
Game Demos (free)
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift Demo
Game Videos (free)
• LittleBigPlanet: Making Fun
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift Vehicles Trailer
• SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation Launch Trailer
• wipEout HD Behind the Scenes
• Eternal Sonata Trailer
• Far Cry 2 Who's Who Trailer
• Guitar Hero World Tour Billy Corgan Vignette
• NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Storm September Trailer
PS3 Themes
• Valkyria Chronicles PSN Theme 01 (free)
• Silent Hill Homecoming Theme (free)
• Eternal Sonata Theme (free)
• SAW Legacy Theme (US$ 1.99)
PS3 Wallpapers (free)
• Eternal Sonata Wallpapers (x6)
• Silent Hill Homecoming Wallpapers (x4)

Well first, as much as I dislike SOCOM it's hard to speak ill of it. The game was JUST released so I figure if you hate using your gas to travel to the game store or if you just hate owning physical copies of games…this is probably for you. There aren't any rankings for it up at gamerankings.com so I imagine you'd have to exercise caution with this one. It's probably safe to say that if you like SOCOM you'll like this "definitive online SOCOM"

SNO-cross is an alright game, but it's kind of a weird choice for the PSN store. Five dollars is a nice price, but I'm still puzzled as to why they chose that game…was there an outcry for it? Well…whatever…it's worth the money at least.

So what's this? 7.49 for a golf course in Tiger Woods 09? Tell me I am reading this wrong, because if I am not…that's pretty crazy. SEVEN dollars? I'm not even willing to pay five dollars to play as Yoda in Soul Calibur 4, I sure as hell wouldn't pay seven to play a new golf course. Fuck that. The Eye of Judgement stuff is excusable I guess. Those are like expansion packs, are they not? So that's cool.

What's the weekly Rock Band update this week? Mötley Crüe? Yeah, okay, moving on.

Motorstorm 2 demo…racing. Yeah, I think I know how that one will play, thank you for the offer.

I still fail to see the point of these trailers. Odds are most of the people that actually download these trailers from the PSN store are more hardcore and also check Gametrailers or youtube for up-to-the-minute game videos. It just seems useless to me to release game videos on a weekly basis. If they did it daily, you know, to coincide with them being released and so they could get an edge on the competition? Maybe. Whatever, you can probably just go online on your computer to see any of these. Moving on…

Neat themes this week, I like what they have to offer…I may even use the Silent Hill one or Eternal Sonata one over the Metal Gear Solid one I already have in place. That's not a promise though! Don't hold me to it! I may not even do it! Also, they want me to pay for a theme? A SAW theme no less? Yeah, fuck you.

Eternal Sonata and Silent Hill: Homecoming wallpapers? No complaints here, both solid titles.

Well, hey, that's it. This week is decent I suppose, there are a couple of questionable DLCs out there but for the most part I would have to say it could have been worse.



B3yond the Tabloids

As I briefly touched on in the above section, Yoda will be made available for your purchase on PSN. Now look, if they went with the Protoman pricing plan of two dollars I would probably be okay with it. After all, I quite enjoy Yoda. What doesn't Namco want for it though? Five dollars!? Ah gee, poor X-Box gamers too…they don't have Vader. I'm not paying five dollars for a character, it's a waste of money. If they were adding like…five? Where I was paying a dollar for each? Okay, sure, that's fine. But One for five? No thanks, I'll keep my incomplete roster as is.

Speaking of DLC…there is even MORE Megaman 9 DLC this week for your perusal. If these sell well there will be even more coming out in the future. That's, err, that's a bit much. So what crazy shit are they charging for this week? Well one is a new stage in Time Attack mode which gives us the new boss Fake Man. That's cool, worth a dollar at least. New stage? Sign me up. It's the next thing that gets me. You can now pay for hard mode and expert mode. Paying for game difficulty? Seems iffy to me. Megaman 9 wasn't that hard in the first place (I don't care what you say, it was downright easy for me)…forcing me to pay more to make it harder though? No thanks. You should have fucking included it in the first place.

Apparently the PS3's latest firmware, the 2.50, is not compatible with Sony Home Theater systems. Isn't that crazy? The screen will just go blank. This bug was discovered, by of all place, IGN Australia. So is this just a problem with PS3's in Aussie land or everywhere in the world? Seems bothersome though, especially considering it won't work for their own product. Well, I guess this means they'll either A-) fix it or B-) release a new firmware quicker.

So good news for all you Prince of Persia fans out there. Ubisoft has let it be known that they are releasing a remake of the original prince game – with fancy updated graphics – on PSN this week. That's right, you can own a fantastic game for what is most likely nine dollars! This is a pretty great trend I have been noticing. Bionic Commando and Megaman 9 were both released this year and now Prince of Persia? Sign me the hell up. I hope this retro trend continues, I just hope it doesn't continue with new DLC every week .That's kind of annoying.

Big shocker, apparently the price cut of the X-Box 360 didn't hurt sales of our beloved monolith. What, you're telling me that people who were going to buy a Playstation 3 bought one anyway even though a system that's un-related to it received a price-drop? No way! This is insane! You're blowing my mind! Sales on 360s went up, which you know…was bound to happen, but PS3 sales weren't effected at all. Pretty predictable, but you know, whatever.

Speaking of the X-Box, owners of the 360 are currently enjoying "Age of Booty" (which isn't a John David Booty simulator)…but the PSN release of it? It's been delayed. This is a damn shame because the game could have enjoyed a surge of success due to the week-long delay of Little Big Planet. Gamers need that extra week, dammit! Age of Booty will launch in November now. Capcom said that they were having problems with the map-editor and needed to stream-line online play.

I'm sure you're waiting for me to mention the delay of Little Big Planet…but that's mentioned pretty much everywhere else on the internet and I don't really see the need to talk about it. What? It's delayed a week? Oh goodie, now I have even more time to invest in Mother 3 to make sure I get everything. Thanks Sony for considering this man's need to play through JRPGs. I'll be sure to pay you back…somehow. The only reason the delay bothered me was due to the reasoning behind it. Someone pointed out in the Fact or Fiction comments why EXACTLY it was delayed and I kinda see why. If it makes you feel any better, the guy responsible for pointing this out (who was going by the handle solid_08) feels kinda bad about it. Awwww.

So did you know that you can access the Playstation 3's recovery menu in the most recent firmware? This doesn't have any practical use yet – though it could, I mean, the recovery menu is fairly vital in the PSP homebrew scene – but like if your system partially bricks or something you can now take care of it without needing to take your system to the shop or something. That's nice.

Bioshock recently came out for the PS3 over in Europe…and to celebrate 2K Games will be rolling out some neato PS3-exclusive DLC. These are pretty much just areas to test out your skills – the first one being the ferris wheel room – so it could be kinda neat I guess. Also new to this version if the game is the Survival mode. So if you haven't tried out Bioshock yet, you probably should…and what better system to try it out on than the PS3? I mean, we only got it a year late! That's not bad is it?

So did any of you think that the Guitar Hero franchise was running out of gas? That surely the…four GH games this year would be the most we'll ever see from the franchise? Well, uh, you thought wrong. Activision has filed for a game called: "Guitar Hero: Modern Hits" (SO YOU CAN PLAY ALL YOUR FAVORITE SONGS FROM THE YEAR 2008! YEAH!). Activision also plans to release double the number of GH games we had this year for 2009 and…perhaps even triple it by 2010. Yep, it's official. I guess if you like acting like you can really play the guitar then you'll be set for the next good long while.

As we all know Capcom has been on a bit of a roll, but I suppose it's not only guys like me who notice this sort of thing as Sony has taken this into notice as well. As a reward for being a loyal provider of DLC for PSN, Sony has granted Capcom the first ever branded Playstation Store Experience. John Diamonon, product manager on all Capcom digital titles told Edge in an interview:

"Out of all of the third-party companies making use of the digital space, [Sony] recognizes Capcom as one of the best partners for content. We're supporting PlayStation Network like no other company."

Facebreaker sold a bit over 50,000 copies. Aww gee…it looked fun too. Shame it was such a flop.



B3yond the Cinema



Well, you know what it's time for don't you? Obviously weekly footage from game of the century (2000-2100) Street Fighter IV! This week's fight pits Balrog against Blanka. Enjoy!



You may not be on board with this whole Naruto thing, but it's really hard to deny that this game looks downright beautiful. Plus, it's a blast to play as well. To be totally honest, for an anime game it actually looks rather sensational. I'm going to have such egg on my face when I'm the only person above the age of twelve to purchase this game at my local EB games, but damn man…it looks fun!



A trailer for Resistance 2 you say? Don't mind if I do. God, I hate myself. Here I am bad-mouthing shooters left and right…yet by the day I am looking more and more forward to Resistance 2. Oh God. I am changing.



Toddo, this one is for you. You owe me man. Some Mortal Komabt v. DC Universe stuff. Oy.



Some SOCOM for you. So this is, what, squad shooting, shooting, and fighters this week? Man I am the king of diversity.

The One Man Water Cooler



One day, one day perhaps far away this logo will change and you will all look at me and say: "You told me so, but I did not believe." On that day, it is my belief that you will see clearly…that my promises will come to life. Until then though, I'm full of shit.

Alright, I'm going to cut it honest with you guys today. This Watercooler isn't related to Sony. No, it's not like the other two times I've verged off topic and I spoke negatively about a couple of things (Nintendo and Spore, respectively). This will feature glowing positivity about so sickening that you may think I changed personas. So if you don't like the Mother franchise or Mother 3…you'll probably just want to scroll down. I've been waiting to play Mother 3 ever since Mother 64 was first unveiled to me (which was sadly cancelled)…and now, years later, I finally have a chance to play it in my native tongue. I'll be back to pure-Sony next week but this week? I'm talking Mother 3, baby.

First of all, I want to express my gratitude to the entire Mother 3 translation team. By all sounds of it, they worked their asses off to bring us a translation to the sequel that Nintendo didn't want us to play. For no pay. Look, I love Earthbound…to this day it's my favorite game of all time but I have to tell ya'…there's no way in hell I would have did everything these guys did to bring us this game. There's dedication and then there's god damn super dedication. The thing is, if it wasn't for people like this…I'd never had the chance to play Mother 3 without constantly looking at a translation guide, wondering what in the hell Duster was saying. So thank you. I know none of you will ever see these words, but I thank you sincerely. Especially thank you for not including honorifics such as "-san" or "-kun" and making the game feel like more of a localization.

Anyhow, enough with the thanks, let's talk about the actual game shall we? It would take quite a lot of hard work in order for Mother 3 to top Earthbound as my favorite game of all time. After all, EB was one of the very first RPGs I bothered to play all the way through and is still a game that I go back to every year. The thing is though, Mother 3 could very well be on its way to surpassing even that. Sure, the game may not be as charming on the surface…but there is a lot of stuff going on underneath that.

This time, the game is much, much darker. There is death and loss revolving around the party the entire time. You're not just controlling a kid who needs to save the world from an invisible alien, you're controlling a kid whose world has been totally destroyed by an unknown army, a kid who doesn't want to see the world change…you're working against a tangible villain and I think that's really cool. Ness just has one motivation: save the world. Lucas has many: Save the world, restore the world, reunite his family, and grow up. In many ways, it's a more adult title…because the characters actually grow. I figure this is mostly because players of Mother 3 are likely to be in the same boat as I am. Adults who played the game as children and have been in love since then.

The new, darker theme isn't the only new thing, though. Your supporting cast this time is much stronger…and features significantly more character growth. Without spoiling too much, Duster and Kumatora are both significantly stronger leads than any of the main four in Earthbound were. They bring a mixture of backstory and personality. You not only want to understand more about them, but you also want to see them make it through this situation okay. You don't like how the world changed (it feels like Itoi is trying to make a statement here. The simpler the world is, the better?) and you want to see these people experience true happiness. I can dig that.

I guess the thing about the story of Mother 3 is that…it feels like there is more substance there than what you would find in your usual game. They have elements such as the coming of age, the dealing with loss, loyalty, family unity…that you really don't see many other places. I haven't beaten the game yet so I can't say for sure, but there seems to be a whole layer underneath the surface.

Apparently though, the much improved plot isn't the only thing going for Mother 3. The big complaint about Earthbound today is that its battle system is near archaic. If you hadn't played it back in the day, odds are you won't be able to get into it in the year 2008. The system is plodding and is full of faults. Mother 3 does a bit to alter this, though. Now in each fight you can incorporate the rhythm of the background music to do extra damage. Essentially you just tap the A-button to the rhythm of the bass and you'll be causing extra damage in no time. Is it a huge overhaul? No, but it makes simply mindlessly attacking less optimal. Another thing I enjoy about this game is that every boss fight just feels…epic. I have to go all out when I fight, and I really don't see that enough today. I had a boss fight in Chapter seven which LITERALLY ended as all my characters had their HP winding down towards zero. It was intense.

It's not all perfect though, there are some things that Mother 3 doesn't do as well as its predecessor. First of all, you don't have the same feeling of freedom as you do in the original Earthbound. I always felt stuck on a linear pathway through Mother 3 while in Earthbound…it never felt that way. Once I got the teleporting ability I could just dick around and go wherever I wanted to. I mean, it actually felt like I had the world at my fingertips. In Mother 3 I rarely get lost because I know exactly where I have to go and in which direction it is I need to go. It's very linear.

In that regard, it kind of loses its charm. Not to say that Mother 3 isn't charming – it is – but compared to the original it's just not as easy of a game to get enamored with. I imagine this is because Earthbound had a sense of innocence to it. The world seemed like a new place to Ness…he hadn't really experienced any hardship before, he was just trying to achieve his destiny. Obviously Mother 3 is different. Due to the more mature theme and the superior characterization…the innocence that was a big factor of the original Earthbound is sort of missing. A shame? Sure. It's not that big of a deal though.

It's not as though all the unique things about Earthbound are gone though. EB's fantastic sense of humor really shines through in Mother 3. Villagers will say such weird dialogue. Dialogue that you may have to read a couple of times to confirm that they really said that. One of my favorite lines early in the game is when a bouncer tells Lucas and his dog (in disguise as a human) that his "friend smells like a dog-looking kid and you smell like a kid-looking-man". It's weird stuff like that which really makes Mother 3 stand out on its own. A serious game that isn't afraid to let its hair down and joke a little…I really love that. It's also nice to know that the weapons are still every day appliances as opposed to swords. It just feels more unique that way.

I could go on and on about my love for the third mother game, but I'll cut it short. There is a chance, a brief chance, that by the end of this experience I will have a new favorite game of all time. It's running dangerously close and may already be in the top-5. I would say to those of you who haven't played Mother 3 yet to simply download a GBA emulator and the ROM and get the translation patch from here. I don't care if your blood is Sony black through and through, you will like this game. I promise you.

Well, that's enough of that. Next week will be back to Sony…but I've been waiting a long time to write about a sequel to Earthbound and finally…I have a chance. So thank you for tolerating and sorry for veering off course.



B3yond the Mail



Let's see what some of the comments from last week were, shall we?

Steve307 leads off this week with:

RE: Smackdown Vs. Raw...I'll just keep playing WM2000 and No Mercy, thanks. I don't know why Yukes just can't get it right. Oh well

SF2 Turbo HD is FINALLY coming out, huh. I'll be there. And if MvC2 releases on PSN with online multiplayer, I'll officially be set for the rest of 2008. I still have my Dreamcast copy, as well as a burned copy with background music that isn't quite so...gay.

I would agree with you…but I guess I kind of like playing with the updated rosters. Obviously the Attitude Era is superior to the shit we have going now but God help me there is fun that can be suckered out of beating the snot out of Triple H with CM Punk.

Glad you plan on getting SF II Turbo HD Remix. That game looks downright beautiful and should be out sometime in November. I think. It should be coming out at around the same time as MVC 2 which is also rumored to be releasing in November. As fighter fans, we should both be set for a while.

Toddo calls me out!

"Apparently Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe Kollector's Edition will feature hand painted box art, a 16-page "Komic" by John Tobias, and bonus video content. Color me jaded, but this doesn't seem like it'd be worth the extra 10 dollars."

Come on now... That is not fair. You don't like MK so of course this is not a good deal for you. But if it was Capcom vs Marvel and offered the same stuff in the collectors edition, how would you feel about it then sir?

I had been pondering this question for a little while, even after I responded…and I realized that I am wrong. Totally. I know for a fact if the same little dinky shit came out for SF IV I would be all over that as though it were some sort of cheap…coat? Yeah, I'll go with coat. A 16-page comic book with Dan in it? It just seems to have Derek written all over it.

Chris kind of contradicts himself:

Meh, SFIV is WAAAAAY overated. An arcade I go to has it. When they first got it so many people played it they had to sign a waiting list, lol. Then after a while everyone got bored of it and went back to SF3 and then to Tekken 6, lol. I'm not saying its not fun, it is SF after all, but I am saying..... DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

I was with you until you said you went to Tekken 6. Tekken 6 might be promising but I doubt it'll be as intricate as SF IV.

I appreciate all the comments I received very much. Positive or Negative, your feedback really helps me evolve as a writer. Thanks!

The 411mania Empire!



Vincent Chiucchi writes the Select and Start News Report.

Joe Roche writes theFull Circle 360 News Report

Theo Fraser writes The Nintendophiles

Chris Vicari writes The PC Spotlight

Chris Evans writes The PC-Centric Extravaganza

I write the 10th Hour

Drew writes Coming Attractions

AJ and Mike Minotti are the voices of the Exploding Barrel Podcast

Well, that's it for this week.

'til the crossroads