Lost: Via Domus

Well the first few reviews for Lost: Via Domus are in....and they are decent. Metacritic doesn't have a Metascore for it yet since there are only two reviews, but the average is a 73 out of 100. I'm not really sure why, but I'm kind of excited for this game. Maybe it is because Season 4 has put me back in the mood, or maybe I'm obsessed, but either way it is at the top of my Gamefly Que.

UPDATE: Well there is a Metascore now, it is currently at 58 out of 100.

Video Games on TV

Well Spike TV is having their fourth annual Video Game Awards this Sunday December 9th. I haven't watched these awards in the past, but this year I have decided to check them out (likely days after on my TIVO). The reason I am interested though isn't to see who is going to win. I personally don't put a lot of stock in most awards shows because most of the time what really should win doesn't. My point in watching is to see what sort of production Spike pulls off. Since it is a show devoted to Video Games, my instincts tell me that it will be chalk full of corny clichéd punch lines and your standard stereo typical nerd fair.

Back when G4 was more about gaming, their shows were full of this type of nonsense that drastically degraded their product. Granted, I have watched my share of X-Play, but more because it was my best way to see games in action before they came out, not because I was enjoyed the show itself. The past few years however with the increasing quality of video podcasts, and websites centered around preview videos of games, I have seen no reason to watch G4 or any other show about video games on TV. Maybe, just maybe, Spike has learned from these mistakes and will provide a quality viewing experience more on par with the internet competition than the TV competition.

UPDATE: Long story short, I never watched the VGA Awards because my Comcast box decided to reset itself during the awards and my TIVO picked up a blank signal for two hours. I'm not sure if I should be mad at Comcast or thank them.....

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles

Despite being 14 years later than most Castlevania fans would have liked, Konami has finally brought its classic PC Engine vampire hunter to the masses. Why it took this long to get new life outside of Japan is up for debate, but it was worth the wait. Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP reveals the entire story of Richter Belmont. Included on the disc are a 3D remake of Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, the original 16-bit version and the follow up masterpiece Symphony of the Night.

Symphony alone is worth the price of admission, but it must be unlocked in the remake. This is not a bad thing however as it gives you even more reason to play at least part of Rondo of Blood, which is the classic Castlevania formula at its finest. Whether you are a Castlevania fan or not, if you own a PSP, you need to check this out. With three great games packed into one disc, this should really be a no-brainer. Go get it and thank me later.

Top 100 Video Games

Ok boys and girls, today is the day I reveal ProjectBWB. For those of you who have been wondering, it is a Top 100 Video Games list that I have created. But it is not your ordinary Top 100 list. Aside from compiling the information, I had nothing to do with the content of the list. Instead of putting together a list of games I think are the best, I compiled the list from numerous sources around the web. The result of that analysis is presented to you through ProjectBWB. Check it out and don't be shy, let me know what you think.

ProjectBWB

ProjectBWB is what I decided to name the project I have been working on for the past three months. I'm happy to say that I am 95% finished and should be unveiling the final product within this next week. I would have it finished sooner but I have visitors coming in for the weekend. Just to whet your appetite, I will tell you that this project is about video games. That's all for now.

Where have I been?

The past three months I have been working on a project in my free time. While I'm not ready to reveal it just yet, I am happy to say that I will be revealing it very soon. This blog will be the first place that I will release any and all news about the project until it is finished. What is it? Let's just say it is on topic with much of what this blog has been about. Back to work.

New Poll

Since Blogger has added a new poll feature I have decided to test it out. You will notice on the right nav-bar there is a poll about upcoming video game releases. Take a second and let me know what you think.

More on BioShock

Well it is official, the critics love BioShock. I was checking out Metacritic today and BioShock for the Xbox 360 has a metascore of 97 based on 42 reviews. That is the highest rated next-gen game to date. Now for me it isn't totally surprising. I follow the games industry fairly close and everything I knew about this game leading up to it's release indicated it would be impressive. But this impressive is a surprise. This is the kind of feedback you would expect from Halo 3 or GTA IV, but BioShock? How many people who aren't fans of the System Shock games or that aren't shooter fans even knew this game existed before now? Probably not very many. Great review scores don't necessarily translate into great sales figures though. It will be interesting to see what the overall sales for August look like.

Madden 08 MultiReview

Since my post a few days ago comparing the Xbox 360 and PS3 frame rates for Madden 08, some interesting things have happened. First, more reviews have been released which gives us an in depth look into what critics think of each game. Second, GamePro posted yesterday that EA is considering Xbox 360 it's top priority over PS3 and Wii. To delve a bit deeper into this I have posted review scores for both versions of the game to get a better idea of how they turned out.

Source
MultiReview Score	87								81
1UP	90								85
Cheat Code Central	92								92
Game Almighty	72								68
Game Informer	80								80
GameDaily	90								80
GamerNode	90								85
Games Radar	90								70
GameSpot	85								85
GameSpy	90								80
GameTrailers	90								90
IGN	87								77

BioShock

I downloaded the demo for BioShock on Xbox 360 last night and I was very impressed. If you have an Xbox 360 and an Xbox Live account I recommend downloading it right now. It isn't a very long demo, but what you get is a nice look at the potential this game has. The graphics alone on the game are amazing, especially the water effects which are by far the most realistic I have seen to date. Expect to hear more about BioShock soon.

Madden 08

I haven't picked up my copy of Madden 08 yet, but I have already read a lot about it online. The thing that has caught my attention the most isn't the fact that the game is greatly improved over the past iterations, but the fact that the Xbox 360 version runs much smoother than it's Playstation 3 cousin. From everything I have read, the 360 version runs at a smooth 60 fps (frames per second), while the PS3 version is chugging along at 30 fps at best. While this same issue came up a month ago when NCAA Football 08 was released for both systems, it surprises me a bit how much more coverage this has received for Madden. If you are interested to see the difference check out the comparison video from GameVideos.com.

Resident Evil 4 Coming to the Wii

Gamestop.com reports that Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 4 will be released on the Nintendo Wii this summer. I have yet to play anything for the Wii or even hold the controller, but this is an interesting move especially since you can already play the Gamecube version of the game on your Wii. Aside from the fact that you will be able to use a new control scheme, wouldn't a totally new Resident Evil game have a better chance for success? Don't get me wrong, RE 4 is a great game, but it has been around since 2005, and it has also been released for the Playstation 2 and is slated for the PC (which remains to be seen if it will ever materialize). I guess the real question is how much are gamers willing to pay for this version? If they are planning on selling it for $49.99 like most Wii games, I would have to think it would be hard to rationalize the purchase, unless you haven't played. Even if they decided to sell if for $29.99 or $19.99 you aren't getting that much new.

Next-Gen Console Wars!!!

Now that the holiday's are over, and all of the new video game consoles have been released, I wanted to take a step back and analyze each.

Xbox 360
The Bright Side: It has been out the longest. The graphics and gameplay of the second generation of games are as good, if not better than PS3's current offerings. Has the strongest financial backing (Microsoft).

The Dark Side: Microsoft! (For reason's that shouldn't need explaining). Less innovative than the Wii and PS3.

Playstation 3
The Bright Side: It is the most powerful of the next gen consoles. Sony has dominated the past two console wars.

The Dark Side: The Price Tag. $500-$600 is a lot of loot even if it is the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market. Many people are fed up with Sony's high and mighty attitude.

Nintendo Wii
The Bright Side: The most innovative and unique of any console to be released since, well, Virtual Boy. It is by far the cheapest of the next gen consoles.

The Dark Side: The most innovative and unique of any console to be released since, well, Virtual Boy. No major graphical upgrade (is that a word?). Nintendo's lack of 3rd party support in the past.

Based on what I have seen so far, I believe the early favorite to win this generation is the Xbox 360. It seemed like there were more people trying to make money with the PS3 than wanting to actually spend money on one. I'm not convinced that the Nintendo Wii has the staying power to with the less than stellar graphics even despite early sales. The Xbox 360 seems to have created a nice cushion, and with killer apps like Gears of War out now, and Halo 3 in the future along with others, I feel it has the most potential to be the King of this generation.