The Four-eyed Journal » Gaming

Sony PlayStation Vita US Launch Titles

jhay — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 06:34:40 +0000

It’s on the Christmas wishlist of most gamers, Sony is revving up for the US launch of its newest handheld gaming console, the PlayStation Vita. It has been recently launched in Japan while it is scheduled to hit the US shelves in February 22, 2012.

Accompanying the handheld’s release a list of new titles that has something for every gamer out there. Check out the list of the Vita’s launch titles below:

First-party titles (Available 2/15/2012):

Escape Plan (PSN Only)
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
Hustle Kings (PSN Only)
Little Deviants
ModNation Racers: Road Trip
Super StarDust Delta (PSN only)
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Wipeout 2048

Third-party launch titles (Available 2/22/2012):

Army Corps of Hell (Square Enix, Inc.)
Asphalt Injection (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Ben10 Galactic Racing (D3 Publisher of America)
Blazblue: Continuum Shift Extend (Aksys Games Localization, Inc.)
Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Dynasty Warriors Next (Tecmo Koei America Corporation)
F1 2011 (Codemasters)
EA Sports FIFA Soccer (Electronic Arts, Inc.)
Lumines Electronic Symphony (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Michael Jackson The Experience (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only, Sony Online Entertainment LLC)
Rayman Origins (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only, Drinkbox Studios)
Touch My Katamari (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (Capcom Entertainment, Inc.)
Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition (Sega of America)

Third-party launch window* titles:

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. Inc.)
Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (NIS America, Inc.)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (Tecmo Koei America Corporation)
Ridge Racer (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Silent Hill Book of Memories (Konami Digital Ent. America, Inc.)
Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted (505 Games)

Accessories:

4GB memory card (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
8GB memory card (February 15, 2012, $29.99)
16GB memory card (February 15, 2012, $59.99
32GB memory card (February 15, 2012, $99.99)
Starter kit with memory card (February 15, 2012, $39.99)
In-ear headset (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
Carrying case (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
Travel pouch (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
Protective film (two-pack) (February 15, 2012, $9.99)
Card case (February 15, 2012, $5.99)
Cradle (February 15, 2012, $19.99)
Portable charger (Spring 2012, $49.99)
AC adapter (February 15, 2012, $14.99)
Car adapter (Spring 2012, $14.99)
USB cable (February 15, 2012, $14.99)

*Means the game will be available within months of the Vita’s release.

Is the game you’re looking forward to included in the launch list? What games do want to see on the Vita?

Image from Sony PlayStation Vita Blog

Microsoft Xbox Kinect Star Wars Spoof - No lightsabers, just a long stick

jhay — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:31:55 +0000

It’s always been a fantasy of every geek to wield a lightsaber, cut down hordes of droids, use the Force to manipulate objects and of course, duel a Sith. The closest thing we could get to brining this into reality is via video games.

Microsoft pushes the envelope and wets our appetite even further with their immersion device Kinect for Xbox 360. It alows users to play a game using body gestures and movements, voice commands and real-life objects.

Now imagine, playing a Star Wars game with Kinect?

Forget the life-long training and celibacy! Buy a Kinect for your Xbox 360, grab a long stick and start restoring order and peace in the galaxy!

I’d like to see how it would be like to play The Sims 2 with the Kinect.

Happy 25th Birthday Super Mario - The game that saved video games a quarter of a century ago

jhay — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:59:14 +0000

It was only until now that I’ve found out that Super Mario and I were of the same age. The year I was born, 1985 was also the year Super Mario was released by Nintendo on the Famicom/NES back then.

According to its history, video gaming were at an all-time low because of the tons of crappy games on Atari during 1985. Super Mario changed all that and got almost everyone back to playing video games. The game is about Mario and his brother Luigi, plumbers out to rescue Princess Toadstool from the evil Bowser, King of the Koopas. Today, it’s one the best games of all time. Game creator Shigeru Miyamoto explained why his platform hero is still one of gaming’s most recognisable heroes:

Stimulated by advancements in technologies, we have always enjoyed creating the Super Mario Bros. games. The series has always taken advantage of the latest technological advancements and is the fruit of creativity of many of my hard-working friends working closely as a team.

I remember playing this game on the Famicom with my sisters and uncles. There were no save features nor memory cards to keep your progress in the game so once all your lives are spent, it’s game over. Literally. We could easily spend entire afternoons playing Super Mario, chasing after every gold star we discover and trying to get the highest jump towards the flag pole.

Along with Pacman, Super Mario Bros will always have a special place in my memories. Now I wish our old Famicom were still around and working. Good times!

Image by lucamascaro, By Attribution-ShareALike

Random Posts

Official Final Fantasy XIII US/EU release date

jhay — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:00:47 +0000

My high school buddies, hard core fans of the Final Fantasy games have been long waiting for this one. Official announcement from Square Enix says that the newest installment in the long-running franchise, Final Fantasy XIII will be released in the US and EU this coming March 9, 2010 and it will be available everywhere else soon after.

Check out the latest trailer for the game:

The delay was caused by developing an XBOX 360 version of the game, but I’m sure the wait would be worth it.

Hat tip to Atma Xplorer

Anti-drunk driving ads coming to XBOX 360 games

jhay — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:05:11 +0000

Now here’s a more responsible and tech-savvy government, Yahoo! News reports that the Scottish government will be targeting gamers with ads against drinking and driving via games on the XBOX 360.

The 10,000 pound ($20,000) trial project will see the ads appear on virtual billboards within several games for Microsoft Xbox consoles, including “Need for Speed: Carbon,” “Project Gotham Racing 4” and “NBA Live.”

Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson said the number of road accidents was rising, and innovative approaches were needed to reach young people. The government estimates that 73 percent of Britain’s 15- to 24-year-olds have access to a gaming console at home.

“The technology is non-intrusive, subtle, but the message can be seen in the background, loud and clear,” Stevenson said.

Officials said that if the trial was successful it could be expanded to include other road-safety messages.

I have seen few in-game advertisements before, probably because I was too focused on getting the perfect gear-shift, *heh* nonetheless I’d say that this is tax payers’ money being put to good use. Much like those anti-smoking graphics being printed on cigarette packaging, the drive for safer roads is of equal importance.

An interesting bit to notice though, is that why is the Scottish government targeting XBOX 360 games? What about the other consoles like the Nintendo Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3? Ah but the “[Scottish] government estimates that 73 percent of Britain’s 15- to 24-year-olds have access to a gaming console at home” and since it targeted the XBOX 360 games, the majority of that 73% are XBOX consoles. LOL

Will this government campaign negatively affect the XBOX sales in the UK? Would this ads also appear in the other consoles? Would this campaign itself be effective? Much remains to be seen.

Now why can’t the Philippine government do something hi-tech and useful for a change? *sighs*