Good-by to G4TV as we know it.

Ok, so this was announced in October, but as the days draw nearer I feel compelled to comment.
So, 
G4TV is axing Attack of the Show and X-PLAY this month. Sadly, they're the only shows worth watching. First Clear Channel ruins my Radio Stations and now this. 

TVGuide.com says there is talk that G4 may be looking to partner with Esquire or another men’s magazine like GQ as it moves forward into “more upscale, sophisticated guy TV space.” The network may be renamed G4Men, among other possibilities.

What baffooms!!! I have a litany of comments held back by the biting of my tongue.

Best wishes to the Cast and Crew.

Heavy Rain

I totally love this game!

This game should be remembered. And Played!!!

It came out in February 23, 2010 by Quantic Dream.

You can get a new copy of the Directors Cut for $19.99. Along with the game it includes dynamic themes, sound tracks and an extra mission.

What I have to write has already been written, saying what I would say... possibly with a lot more finesse.

I hope it is ok to blatantly copy anothers review (as long as I credit them... thank you Matthew Walker) because that is what I am going to do here. I mean, literally he wrote what I was going to.

First off, playing Heavy Rain over 2 years after it's release, has not lost any of it's credibility. In Anticipation of "Beyond Two Souls", I started this game and totally fell in love.

In Homage of that love I am presenting this post...

February Rain
by Matthew Walker

Can video games be a valid art form or cultural entertainment? Or more simply put, can they evoke an emotion in a player the same way a feature film or book can? While gamers and journalists alike know the answer to those questions, too often critics and so-called judges outside the industry have always answered with a resounding - NO. While I can admit a lot of games out there have a storyline that reads like the side of a can of SPAM, there are some noteworthy titles that truly capture the imagination.

I won't get into semantics, but the question remains: Can video games stand amongst some of Hollywood's greatest and be received as classics based on their story and experiences? Is Heavy Rain the title to break the barrier, or does it feed into the overall assumption of the industry?

I know what most are wondering about the following review - can I read it and the particulars of the game not be spoiled? Absolutely. I've kept this review spoiler-free so the story can truly be experienced by everyone who plays it. Simply put, Heavy Rain is, by far, one of the best written stories I have ever had the privilege of reading, watching, or playing. Having said that, it is important to point out Heavy Rain pulls no punches with its story. This alone reaches a new level for the industry and one that should not go unnoticed.

The importance of the story is further conveyed to the players, since you don't really have the pass/fail scenario we have grown accustomed to when playing games with quick-time events (QTEs). Heavy Rain has a narrative that grows from the way you handle the QTEs. Instead of feeling like you are being controlled by the game, you will more often feel like you are the one telling the game what to do. Let me explain. In Heavy Rain it really feels like you are in the driver's seat throughout the game. This is your epic; you are the director and this is how it is all going to play out after you have made your editing choices. The QTEs in Heavy Rain never feel out of place. Even in the smaller instances, like pouring yourself a drink, they flow as they would in your everyday life.

Since more recent games have found ways to include the QTE mechanic, in order to make players more involved with the cutscenes, it is refreshing to see a game grasp onto it and deliver something that is both traditional and refreshing all in the same breath. At first glance it is easy to say Heavy Rain is just a title with QTE and long cutscenes. However, this is part of the magic of the title. To say you will be using your controller in some of the most interesting ways to date would be a bit of an understatement. Don't let that scare you, though. You will need to give yourself a little bit of time to adjust to the controls. I don't say that as a criticism of the game. Instead, in order to enjoy the game from beginning to end, you will need to grow accustomed to using the controller in unique, different ways.

At times you will find yourself in the more traditional events like a boss battle. Where you have to be quick on your toes, or thumbs as the case may be, and hit the corresponding buttons. There are more than enough brawls to keep those that enjoy a good eye-button coordination test. Again, the magic here is not how well you do, but how much can change depending on the decisions you make. For example, you can execute the inputs perfectly, thus defeating your rival in the most pristine fashion. If you are slow or decide to react slower than you "should" have, you can prolong a fight so your character gets beaten up, thus slightly changing how things might play out later. In other events you could be doing something as trivial as getting out of a car or shaving. These events have to be played out but how they are is another aspect of how you control the pacing of the game.

I won't say the decisions you make in something so trivial as to whether or not you have a glass of orange juice or mess up a plating arrangement will have a critical effect on the overall story. I can say, however, you will create ripples constantly in the game. You may not notice them, they may never come to fruition the way you'd expect, but the ripples are always there. The ripple-effect is perhaps my favorite aspect of the game. Quantic Dream knew people would find this intriguing, so they included an option to go to previous chapters in the game to play through them again in order to see what would have happened if you did things differently. Just make sure you always use the provided option to save before you dive into earlier, possibly game-changing events.

Cheat Code Central (http://s.tt/1dJDl)

The Walking Dead on PSN

Holy Crap! Just played Episode 1 of "THE WALKING DEAD" on the PlayStation Network.
It's really good!
The story-line is fun with the Characters, but the choices one has to make... So difficult!
When people you like start getting killed because of your choices. Yikes! And you can't go back to save them because the timeline does not permit. So if someone dies, they are out of the game.
Episode 2 is waiting to play.
I wasn't expecting much, so this is a real good surprise.
And the best part is, I have "PlayStation Plus" so the game is free!

The-walking-dead-episodes-1-and-2-free-with-playstation-plus/

CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act)

So we managed to fight the Gov against passing SOPA and Pipa, but did you know that last Friday, behind closed doors they passed CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act)? This act eliminates any previous Internet privacy laws (giving us privacy rights) and allows companies spying privileges.
And yes, there are two sides to this bill. As you can imagine, FB is all for this law!

The EFF (works for civilian rights) has pointed out that Obama's advisers suggest he Vetoes this bill if it makes it that far (does not say he will, it is advised).

If you want to know more, here is the EFF web site and info on this Act.

Take Action | Electronic Frontier 

Foundation

action.eff.org

Don’t Let Congress Use "Cybersecurity" Fears to Trample on Civil Liberties

Update: The U.S. House of Representatives has passed CISPA (the Cyber Intelligence Sharing & Protection Act), so the fight is moving to the Senate. Congress is now going to attempt to pass legislation on the Senate side and then conference it with the House bill. We can't let that happen.

Tell Congress not to compromise the civil liberties of Internet users. Use our form to contact your representatives today.

Congress is considering legislation that would create backdoor wiretaps into our daily communications. These “cybersecurity” bills would give companies a free pass to monitor and collect communications, including huge amounts of personal data like your text messages and emails. Companies could ship that data wholesale to the government or anyone else provided they claim it was for "cybersecurity purposes." Tell Congress that they can’t use vaguely defined "cybersecurity threats" as a shortcut to shredding the Constitution.

Under Rep. Mike Rogers’ Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA), and Sen. John McCain’s SECURE IT Act, there are almost no restrictions on what information can be spied upon and how it can be used. That means a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop “cybersecurity” threats.

Congress wants to use the threat of "cybersecurity" to undermine our Constitutional rights. Tell your lawmakers that we won’t stand for dangerous, unsupervised information sharing under the guise of cybersecurity.

Demon's Souls. What kind of world will you wish for?

Demon Souls final hours approaches

It should be noted that The Servers to One of the hardest and most rewarding games on the PS3 is finally shutting down.
This is a big loss to those who've never had the pleasure of playing this game in ON LINE mode.


Demon's Souls, you will be missed!!!
Thank you ATLUS for the last 2 and a half years you've given us.

A thought,: Video Games Rock while Movies Suck

Why can't Movies get it right? I find that Movies aren't as good as Video Games and they've been around so much longer. A Movie sequel is generally a set-up for a flop while in Video Games' sequels are better and greater.

An action film just can't hold up to a good action game.
There are exceptions, there are a handful of Great Movies. But in comparison, Hollywood doesn't care about quality and genius story telling. Maybe that's why they try and make movies (unsuccessfully) out of successful Graphic Novels, Video Games, and Foreign Films.
I haven't seen The Hunger Games, obviously it is a complete rip off of the 2000 successful Japanese series "Battle Royal". A complete rip off.

Game Deals!!! First week of April 2012

Best Buy Gamer Magazine from March has coupons good through April 7th with some good deals.

Batman: Arkham City is on sale for $29.99, with the 20 dollar off coupon it's only $10.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 on sale $29.99, with $15 off coupon only $15.99 (includes comic book)

Rage is $19.99, with $15 off coupon it's only $5 bucks.

There are other coupons worth checking out, while you can still get last months Gamer Magazine.

I was just at Best Buy in Long Beach, CA. and they still had the Magazine available.