Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)

The Kraken

By Doug Beaver

Many pirates tell the tale of a beast so grand that they only dare to whisper its name.  It’s a monster so powerful, ye scallywags, that it even makes the mighty Google herself hoist her anchor and head for bluer seas.

This new-aged Kraken that has come up from the depths of Hell – aka bowels of Congress – is the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

But when the myth is separated from the monster, this animal is just another bloated government jellyfish, full of formless regulation, with nonspecific goals.  It’s an internet business owner’s nightmare, but a lawyer’s wet dream.

Even the mission statement on the first page of the Act trails off at the end:  “To promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes.”

“And for other purposes” is more vague and ambiguous than a Netflix business plan.

It’s not as though the idea of protecting intellectual property (like music, games, movies, and even pictures) is a new one.  We all know the drill, if you’re a pirate, you’re stealing.  In the long-term, pirates can ruin the market that creates the work you love.  Pirates take away the biggest driving factor behind all this popular art: profit.

While many artists claim that their work is for the masses, and that they stand out against greed, they are referring to pieces that would be distributed for free anyway.  These pieces aren’t in danger of being pirated.  That art will always be safe.

SOPA is trying to protect Lindsay Lohan’s breasts.

Lohan’s rack hit the internet right in the face (which doesn’t sound too bad) before the magazine went on sale at newstands, costing Playboy revenue, and forcing them to release the issue ahead of schedule to prevent major damage.

Playboy still does rather well for a gentleman’s magazine when there are fewer gentlemen in the world than ever before, but piracy could threaten to shut down The Mansion for good – and no one wants that before we get a chance to party there.

While it’s tough to be a business that has to constantly find new and innovative ways to protect its content from piracy, SOPA is also attacking entrepreneurs from the opposite angle by placing costly and time-consuming regulations that are difficult to enforce.

Internet companies will have to constantly monitor its own users’ actions to ensure no copyrighted material is even linked to, or access to the whole site could be immediately blocked.  That’s like shutting down a Target store if a customer were to show his friends a leaked trailer on his iPhone at the checkout line.

The government has placed internet businesses at a real disadvantage, because sites are responsible to follow traditional business rules and regulations (like Sarbanes-Oxley) as well as the PRO-IP Act, which is the forerunner to SOPA.

There will be a lot of winners if SOPA were to pass.  Lawyers and bean counters love these regulations, as it gives them purpose with a paycheck, and keeps them in business.  True pirates see PRO-IP and SOPA as a challenge, and internet geeks love nothing more than to be challenged and demonstrate holes in existing systems.  The government would get to collect on fines and fees. 

The only ones that don’t win in a SOPA controlled internet are the businesses, and that’s why sites like Google, Yahoo!, and Facebook are against it.  It made perfect sense that GoDaddy was boycotted for supporting SOPA, because the businesses that get their domains from GoDaddy are facing additional hurdles.

Instead of congress creating these acts that benefit everyone except the businesses they effect, a better solution would be to have the companies that need piracy protection laws – companies that support SOPA, like the MPAA, Viacom, and Nike – work with companies like Google to create a system to combat internet piracy without government interference. 

After both sides of the argument come to terms that can be agreed upon, the government can be consulted to ratify it.  Other than that, congress should stay out of the internet’s way, and keep the krakens they are trying to implement away from private enterprises.

“I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,” are still the nine most terrifying words in the English language… and the attempt to the internet by implementing SOPA is just another great example.

25 Days of Begging: Part Three

25 Days Of Begging: Week Three

         Well, we’re winding down to the last few weeks of begging and chances are you have already offended everyone you know with your incessant chatter about what presents you’d like for Christmas. But soldier on! How else do you expect to be able to get everything on your list? The trick is to nag them to the point that they give in and buy you everything you want just to shut you up. And that’s okay: who needs real friends when you have electronic ones? And just so you know, this is the last set of five before the J1Studios.com Game of The Year top ten list. And yes there will be surprises!Everyone loves suprises.

15. Mortal Kombat 9

         Mortal Kombat came up 1000% since its last outing. They set a new standard for story mode for a fighting game, brought the series into the new millennium with a fighting system made for high level play, and really upgraded the graphics with the additions of x-rays and visible damage. And some of the fatalities are just silly (link). If you don’t have this game yet, it’s a must buy. Or I’ll send Reptile over to give you a kiss.

14.        Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD

         Sometimes you need to play a game that doesn’t just consist of shooting people in the face, curbstomps, and mindless violence. There’s were real gaming art lies: story, art, design, and interactivity all coming together to make an experience that moves the player. A great example of that sort of game is the Ico and the Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection. As you play these games, you encounter characters you care about, story lines that engage you, and game play that is just amazing. Not having a game like this in your collection you are really missing out on a major portion of the gaming industry.

13. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

         This game is purdy darn fun. You have multiple ways of story progression, multiple ways of defeating your enemies, and multiple endings. It’s one of the few shooting games in which you literally don’t have to shoot anyone, outside of cutscenes. Granted there are a few issues, but there’s nothing that should keep this from showing up on your list.

12. Catherine

         In one of the deluxe versions of this game, Atlus sends you a copy of underwear, a t-shirt for your lovely lady to wear as pajamas (or I guess you could wear it too, but trust me, you won't look as good), a pillowcase, and a pizza box. Everything you need for a night out. Persona Team has ever come out with anything that hasn't been hot, and Catherine is definitely a game worth grabbing. Just make sure you're faithful to your girl or it will turn you into a sheep-man, and have a screaming baby try to kill you.

11.        Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition

         Without a question, Street Fighter is the franchise that innovated the fighting game to something enduring that we actually want to play. If it wasn't for Ryu, then there would be no Morrigan, Fulgore, Marstorius, Jack the Ripper, Joe Higashi, or Scarlette. Street Fighter has continued to be a frontrunner in innovating the fighting game genre, and is still the ruler to which we hold everything up to.

         That said, if you're a serious fighting game guy, and you have been kicking around the idea of getting AE, but just haven't pulled the trigger yet, or if you're holding out because a character you like got nerfed, the 2012 update just came out (free), so the balancing and little details are worth taking a look into.

Honorable Mentions

Blaz Blu Continuum Shift 2

         Until Guilty Gear makes Badguy in HD, this is what ya got. Be happy with it.

Beyond Good and Evil

         You should get this game before the NDAA passes and we all go to jail.

Sonic Generations

         Sega made another Sonic game. But this time they decided to leave out the suck! (cough cough Shadow cough)

Street Fighter 3 Third Strike Online

         I dare anybody to make Q top tier.

By Chris Alexander

psn Imnotonfacebook

Xbl Mastergief

Email Mastergief@gmail.com

VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE (review)

VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE

Developer(s): Behavior Interactive

Publisher(s): THQ

Genre(s): Action Adventure

System(s): Playstation Network, Xbox Live

Rating: Teen

As a child of the eighties, I was thoroughly excited when Transformers finally got a good game after three disappointing releases.  So imagine my surprise when I found out about another of my favorite shows getting its video game debut.  Voltron: Defender of the Universe is an action adventure game based on the 1980's series.  In the game, you get to control one of the five lions, each with its own attributes.  You fight your way through King Zarkon's Drule army decimating vehicles and small inferntry.  Each lion is equipped with a multi-directional cannon that is controlled with the right analog stick.  Movement is done with the left analog stick.  The lions have melee attacks to take out ground enemies while their pounce attack is excellent for taking out airborne attackers.  At the end of the level, the lions combine to form Voltron to fight the Robeast.  Attacks are coordinated through quick-time events.  When playing with two or more players control over the robot is passed to the next player once the previous player's turn is complete. A sequence begins by choosing one of four attacks, after which a quick time event occurs. During the enemy's turn players can defend by performing a similar quick time event.  Once the Robeast's health has been depleted, Voltron forms the Blazing Sword and delivers the finishing blow.

PRO: The gameplay is pretty straight forward; blast away enemies as you run freely around the landscape.  I liked the Zelda-inspired overhead view that shows your enemies approaching from all sides.  The graphics are bright and colorful with detailed enviroments.  Remixed music and scenes from the original series move the story along and make you apart of the action.  The Drule army attacks your lion en masse with tanks, jets and soldiers.  Combat is frantic and fast-paced as you're attacked from all sides.  Space combat gives a nod to old school games like Space Invaders and Galaxian.  I liked this alot.  I remeniced about those arcade days as I guided my lion, taking out Drule ships along the way.

CON: As much as I enjoyed this game, there were a few bad spots that I feel could've been improved upon.  Though the overhead view gives a Zelda nod, at times I felt that the camera was too far away.  The attacking troops look like ants though they are understandably smaller than the Voltron lions.  Aiming with the multi-directional cannon seems a bit choppy.  I ended up missing several targets as I moved around; however, standing still was not an option.  Doing so made me a sitting duck and forget successfully nailing the foot soldiers.  I compensated with melee attacks.  I also would've like combat to expanded upon when fighting as the Voltron robot.  I really didn't care to much for the sequenced fight as opposed to a Real Steel battle.

OVERALL: Voltron: Defender of the Universe is a fun game if you're a fan, new or old, of the series.  I thoroughly relived my childhood with this game much like I did with the latest Transformers game.  To me, it was nastolgic to hear Peter Cullen's indomitable voice narrate the game as he did breathing life into Optimus Prime.  I took the game for its highs and lows like I did with the series.  I have enjoyed Voltron: Defender of the Universe despite its quirks and found it to be entertaining.  It's a blast from the past that'll have you relive the past. Voltron: Defender of the Universe gets 3.5 out of 5.

See you on the next level,

Brian M.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim review

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Platform(s): PC, X-Box360, Playstation 3

Developer(s): Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher(s): Bethesda Softworks

Genre(s): Action/Role-Playing
Rating: M for Mature

There was a lot of hype surrounding the release of Skyrim, especially since its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was such a world-raved success, and because Bethesda Studios had more than 5 years to work on it. The important question then stands, “Is the hype worth it?” especially since such vicious competition as Modern Warfare 3, Arkam City, Uncharted 3, and Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 were all released within 14 days of each other?

I think so, Yeah. 

The first impression of the game is the graphics. Thick mountain forests with non-cookie-cutter trees placed at irregular intervals, a touch of frost on patches of grass or collected in the base of one side of the trees and rocks, and splashed onto the faceted faces of the surrounding mountains. The wagon you are in creaks and warps and splinters as it’s slowly pulled over an irregular landscape, and the faces  of the surrounding initial characters with their several days of stubble, old battle scars, and an articulation of the mouths that match the well-voiced acting.  If you look around, since it takes a minute to realize that the opening scene is in-fact *not* a CG rendered cutscene, you can watch as a small town looms out of the woods, clearly behind on the upkeep as the splintered wooden buildings break under the elements. Then a sense of doom washes over you as before you can even control yourself yet, you are shoved forwards towards your execution. 

And just when you think you finally get a sense for the spectacle, the Dragon appears, and all hell breaks loose. 

The opening tutorial mission is chaos incarnate for an opening mission. The fog of war holds no greater meaning then when you and your allies are fighting tooth-and-nail against unknown enemies in the dark of the cave, and you can’t differentiate friend from foe among those struggling silhouettes in front of you. The landscape is proven to be destructible as it is literally torn apart around you.  When you can finally move on by yourself into the world, the sheer scope of the world is laid bare and boy are you tiny in comparison.

Gameplay is in many ways an improvement over Oblivion. Each hand is now an independent entity to which you can assign a weapon, shield, spell, torch, or go barehanded in any combination you may like. Skills are once again independently leveled based on use, and your own personal level is increased by the improvement of skills, but now there is no limitation to “talented” skills or not. Stat points are reduced to general stats that improve automatically with levels. Finally, skill-related perks are no longer gained automatically with skill rank. Now you have to buy those perks with leveling points, meaning that you really do need to specialize this time, since it is impossible to buy every perk in the game. Another big improvement is that weapons and armor don’t break anymore, so you never have to worry about wasting weight limitations with stupid blacksmith hammers. 

The AI is a major improvement over the predecessor. A pack of wolves will fight like *a pack of wolves!* meaning, one will draw your attention while the others flank, and then they’ll hit and run until you’re dead or they get injured enough to flee. People will press you with melee and defend while their partners pick you off with arrows, and dragons will roast you with their breath from above, strafing runs, or directly in your face on the ground, depending on what is most likely to kill you first. 

Some downsides to the game: The shortcut menu is too limited. With so many spells, weapons, enchanted armors, and powers at your disposal, having only 8 or 9 shortcut buttons simply isn’t enough. The favorites menu quickly fills up into a ridiculously long list to sift through for your chosen thing, and it’s an annoying break in the action to pause in the middle of a fight just to jump through several screens of articles  to equip the next thing you need.  The game sometimes glitches, rendering some missions impossible, such as the one where I needed an NPC to open up the wall to the dungeon, but he’s already further along leaving me trapped in the foyer.  Finally, no matter what kind of character you want to play, smithing seems to become a necessary skill to level, since it’s the only way  to get any decent, or matching, high level equipment in the game. Enemies rarely ever wear anything more than Fur stuff, and hoping to find a type of weapon or armor underground is a crapshoot at best. 

All in all, though, it is incredibly easy to lose yourself for hours, days, and weeks at a time in World of Tamriel across the snowy mountains of Skyrim . Since I had to struggle to find faults with the game, I’d say that Bethesda used these last 5 years of development wisely, and that the Elder Scrolls V is in fact all that it was hyped up to be.

Dance Central 2 Review

Platform(s): XBOX 360

Developer(s): Harmonix Music System

Publisher(s): Harmonix Music System

Genre: Music, Rhythm, Exercise

Without ever a full year passing by, the Kinect’s best-selling game, Dance Central, is back with its long awaited sequel, Dance Central 2. As you may recall with the first Dance Central, it made a perfect blend of music, ranging from old school to contemporary, and dance, ranging from simplistic to intricate. Taking cues from previous music games, Dance Central creates innovative dance routines based upon the theme and genre of the song and goes a great job while doing it. The same thing is done with its sequel but at a greater effect.

Right off the back, Dance Central 2 present itself with more appealing graphics by adding the effect similar to that of viewing a lighted object through smeared glass. This only made the colors pop and, when it came down to scenery changes, which can only be achieved by hitting a string of “Flawless” and “Nice”, the visual makes the game even more appealing.

Another thing that makes the game worthwhile is the improvements that it has made from the first one. One of them is the introduction to crews. There are six crews, consisting of two members (some returning from the first one and some new to the game) each with their own style and attitude towards you: Lu$h, Riptide, Hi-Def, Flash4wrd and Glitterati. With these crews comes the most important improvement in the game: Simultaneous 2-player gameplay. While the first Dance Central dabble in 2-player mode , having the Dance Battle forcing you to switch every interval, Dance Central 2 now support two dancers on the screen. This enables you to either play cooperative or competitive with your friends. It even introduced a drop in/drop out functionality. While the two player gameplay is a welcoming addition to the game, granted if you have enough space to accommodate another player, that’s not the only thing that has improved.

Dance Central 2 has also remodeled their “Break It Down” mode, allowing the players to focus on specific moves in a particular routine that’s giving them a hard time as well as record how you’re performing each move. This feature will allow you visually see how precise your movements are in comparison to the dancer. It also goes to show the improvement that the developers went into making sure that players don’t half step these moves now the sensor is very sensitive to the way your body is moving. That means if they want you to get low, you have to get low.


Finally a campaign mode has been added to the game allowing players to get familiar with the different crews in the game. Each crew has a set list of songs that are unique to them. For example, Flash4wrd, a sassy hip hop crew consisting of alumni Taye and newcomer Li’l T, focus more of the sexy and seductive dance style such as Rihanna’s Rude Boy or Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff. The campaign is simple, and can be expanded on, but it’s still pretty fun.

The Pros:

Like its predecessor, Dance Central 2 has a great blend of old school and contemporary music, ranging from techno to hip hop. It also gives the player the luxury of import all their downloaded and original songs from the original Dance Central increasing the complete list of songs to a whopping 100 or more. It also made a great number of improvements to its existing features; two players dancing being the most emphasized one. The graphics is another plus because it makes the environment and characters pop.

The Cons:

Dance Central 2 goes come with one interesting flaw: it’s not XBOX Live compatible. This may be a problem for some but others aren’t too picky about it. Since the game is meant it to be a party game, putting it on Live would defeat the purpose of the local aspect of the game.

Overall:

Dance Central 2 is the game for beginner and advance dancers alike, showcasing seamless routines to some of the most popular songs in the industry. While your body may be aching from some of the demanding moves in the song, it still, in my opinion, holds the title of being the best-selling game for the Kinect.

Final Score: Dance Central 2 gets 4 out of 5.

Justin P.

Alice: Madness Returns Review

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-Box 360, PC, Apple

Developer(s): Spicy Horse

Publisher(s): Electronic Arts

Genre: Action/Adventure, Platform

Rating: M for Mature

Ten years ago I learned about a game that fueled my love of twisted fairy tales as well as action platform games. American Mcgee released Alice in 2001 but it was only for the PC much to my dismay. Then just recently, EA games released the sequel Alice: Madness Returns. The story picks up after the end of the first game with Alice now living in an orphanage in Victorian London after being released from Rutledge Asylum. At the orphanage, she is under the care of a psychiatrist named Doctor Angus Bumby, who uses hypnotism to help his child patients to forget their harsh memories. Still haunted by her family's death in the house fire ten years ago, Alice continues to have hallucinations. Sent to the local chemist to get medicine, Alice wanders after a white cat and has more hallucinations, witnessing asylum Nurse Witless transform into the Jabberwock. And this is where the games madness begins.

The Story

Alice: Madness Returns version of Wonderland is a twisted malevolent landscape of its former self. Upon arriving, Alice encounters the Cheshire Cat who informs her of a new law ruling Wonderland, this time it’s from the outside world. Alice must stop it and restore Wonderland to normal. After learning of Wonderland’s plight, I guided Alice through the beautiful yet strange landscape. I found it pretty easily to navigate. Once I picked up my first weapon, the Vorpal Blade, found in the remains of the Jabberwock, my first enemies appeared. The game’s combat system is fairly simple. Alice targets the closest enemy when attacking; however, I am able to manually target my foes as well. The manual targeting set-up is similar to Darksiders placing a black border around the screen keeping it fixed while I moved Alice around. I can cycle through enemies with ease, keeping the action moving. Madness Returns’ offers lots of platforming which becomes a larger part of the game as you traverse through Wonderland’s areas. I found this to play out more in later stages and since there no ledge grabbing like in most current titles, I had to make my jumps count. However, this is compensated by Alice ability to triple jump and float. The game also has lots of secrets and hidden areas which can be accessed using Alice’s ability to shrink. Alice’s other ability is her Hysteria mode that she enters when her health is low. In this mode, she is invincible and her attack strength is doubled.

The Pros

The combat mechanics are simplistic enough for anyone new to the game or to the type of game play. Alice’s primary weapon, the Vorpal Blade, attacks with lightning speed which quickly finishes off weaker enemies. There are also long range weapons in the form of a gattling-gun firing Pepper Grinder and Teapot Launcher which fire boiling tea at your enemies. I like the fact that I can switch between close and long range on the fly. The platforming element is very basic, a kind of throwback to its early days where timing is everything. I was pleased with the level designs and the disturbing atmosphere of each world which truly represented the madness of Wonderland. Also, you get to access to the first game either with a redeemable code or purchasing it for $9.99.

The Cons

Before I mentioned the simplicity of the game’s combat mechanic, but it couldn’t hurt to have a little variety in Alice attacks. I found myself button mashing the whole way. True, there are moments where I had to strategize to defeat certain enemies but I would’ve liked to be able to vary my attacks rather just simply swing the weapon wildly. The game does glitch a few times. Sometimes my long range weapon remained deployed even though I had switched the Vorpal Blade. My mayor problem was the camera especially when using the long range weapons. The camera is not always fixed behind Alice and in some instances this infraction ruined my jumps during a platforming section. I found myself having to adjust the camera before and sometimes during a jump or when using my long range weapons. The umbrella Alice uses for defense is only deployable when in targeting mode. I would’ve liked more freedom with this.

OVERALL

Despite its faults, Alice: Madness Returns is a good action platform game in the tradition of Darksiders and the God of War series. Its disturbing cut scenes keep the story moving which may be confusing unless you’re familiar with the Lewis Carroll story. I like how the game’s storyline switches between Wonderland and the real world, which has an atmosphere relevant to Silent Hill. Exploration of both worlds will keep you interested as well as the secrets found using Alice’s shrink ability. Fans of the first game will have fun with the sequel. If you haven’t played the first game but are looking for an action platform to kill some time then pick up this game. Though I have not played the first game, I like Madness Returns. It is a bizarre twist on a classic tale told like never before.

Final Score

Alice: Madness Returns gets a 3 out of 5.

-Brian M.

Street Fighter IV Volt: Battle Protocol review

Street Fighter IV Volt: Battle Protocol

Developer: CAPCOM

Publisher: CAPCOM

Genre: Fighting game

Platform: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Release date: June 30, 2011

Price: $6.99

Buy it Here!

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In 2010, CAPCOM put out Street Fighter IV for the iPhone which to my surprise was actually quite good. The game has the ability to provide a feel (even though it's limited) as close to the PS3 and Xbox360 console version as possible. The things that make the game work on the iPhone is that there are less characters then the console versions. Combos that you do in the home versions are still doable in this mobile addition. I could go on about Street Fighter IV iPhone addition but the focus is Street Fighter IV Volt, so let's get to it!

GOOD:

I love that this version (unlike the 1st iPhone version) has ONLINE MULTIPLAYER!! That's right folks you can play other people who enjoy SF4V all across the globe! Phones have come a long way baby! With Street Fighter IV iPhone edition having only 14 characters in the game total, the addition of 4 new characters (Cody, Vega, Balrog and ????) is welcome. The "????" is a hidden character that you can later unlock (I'll explain on our Facebook fan page). to give it that newer/update feel they made the interface like the Character Select screen and Stage Select screen follow the look of the updated Street Fighter IV game, SUPER Street Fighter IV. This also gives me the thought that via iTunes you MIGHT be able to buy or download for free, more characters. Here's hoping! With the Online play you build up stats just like you would on the home versions (kinda cool). Your avatar that you customize to represent you ONLINE can actually "battle" other avatars that you played via online matches. That builds up stats but they are separate from your actual fighting stats. Think of it as a silly mini-game. You can even post your stats and achievements via Twitter. Graphically I think it looks pretty amazing especially for an iPhone game, and the sound quality is top-notch!

BAD:

I know that this is a mobile game but I still wish there were endings for the characters. You do get a 5 sec cinematic, which is better than nothing (SS4 iPhone), but the biggest complaint is the LAG in the online play. Yes I know this is a first for CAPCOM when it comes to phones, so I expect a game update that will fix the problem. Still when it works, it works!

OVERALL:

Overall, I have to say that I really enjoy Street Fighter IV Volt. It is a great on the go game and a great time waster especially for the price of $6.99. I mean come on, I was doing my crossover combos on my iPhone!! I have to say that this deserves a 3.5 out of 5. GET IT NOW!

E3 2011 info for those who don't know!

So E3 is over and where has it left us? Well, the major games and hardware were in attendance, Candace Bailey looks good playing Kinect games in a skirt (or a dress), and we all were treated to some of the industries best eye candy that we will hold onto until the next E3 comes along. We here at J1 believe that while we can deliver news to our fans, often its our opinions andour imaginations that you really care about most. So, lets take a look at the big stories, and little stories, of E3 and what we think of them with a little J1 flava on top.

First the biggies: Halo 4, Halo HD, the “real” launch titles for the 3DS, Street Fighter x Tekken, the Wii U, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Rage, Zelda: Skyward Sword, the Vita, Batman: Arkham City, Overstrike, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Uncharted 3, Skyhawk, Gears of War 3, Bioshock Infinite, Prey 2, Journey, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim...really too many to write out here. But as far as I'm concerned there are only a few that are really making me lean forward in my seat as the trailers play.

Of all of E3, the following are on my must buy list: Street Fighterx Tekken, the Vita, Batman: Arkham City, Bioshock 3, Mass Effect 3, Overstrike, Deus Ex Human Revolution, and perhaps Hawken.

I wouldn't be a fighting game fan if I didn't get Street Fighter x Tekken and it already looks awesome. Let's just hope 'Gief and King get to wrestle (go King!). The Tekken players will supposedly have moves that will allow safe passage through the waves of fireballs that will be thrown at them, and will excel at close ranged combat. There is some bit of that that makes me uncomfortable. Zangief, Abel, T. Hawk, and others already have fireball safe moves and they still struggle to close the distance with the best of the keep away artists (Guile, Dee Jay, Akuma, Gouken). The neat thing will be seeing how they balance out the complete lack of fireballs on the Tekken half with the serious juggling and mixup advantage that they should also have.

Arkham City and Deus Ex are need-to-buys because the games in their respective series before them were great and there would need a Devil May Cry 2 style meltdown to come out as anything less than stellar. Since I have seen enough of both to be assured that won't be happening, I'll definitely be getting them, probably at launch (see you at midnight, South Street store). I feel bad for the people that are going to have to judge for the Game of the Year category for the next two years, if these two titles are representative of the quality of work going into the AAA titles they will have their work cut out for them.

Overstrike and Hawken are two completely new games: one made by David and the other by Goliath. EA's Overstrike probably had a small army working on that trailer for at least half a year for ten hour days; Hawken is made by less than 10 people, some of which are interns. And Hawken showed up with actual gameplay! Nevertheless, we look forward to both entries, and lets pray that Overstrike plays at least something like its trailer.

Mass Effect 3. Bioshock Infinite. Two games that have game of the year written all over them. If I didn't get both of these, I might as well sell my PS3 and 360. These two games will be so awesome that they will no doubt take up more of my life than several of the other games on this list combined. You have to love how they moved Bioshock from the ocean to the clouds, and the apparent graphical bump they've given it. Lets hope for a little more enemy variation to make the game perfect. And I love how Mass Effect carries decisions we made years ago all the way through to the end. Can't wait to kick some reaver butt. Seriously, I can't stress it enough, these two are too innovative, too pretty, too amazing to pass up; if you get nothing else (besides Street Fighter x Tekken) get these two..

I've never been a big fan about Battlefield but the graphics on this game look amazing. You have to remember, the trailers you see on tv or even online are a lot like uncooked re-chewed food: the game isn't done and its been re-rendered through the camera/computer so the quality of the sound and the video will not be the same as when you plug it in and play. The fact that Battlefield made me drool (graphically speaking) from a demo means that they are doing well enough production-wise to polish their work to the sort of quality expected from a complete game. I seriously might buy the game just so I can watch my gun fly apart into a hundred little customizable pieces.

Also the COD: MW3 demo looked sick with the NYC backdrop, the sight customization, and the smart grenade launcher (which will hopefully be even better than MGS 4's). I love how the game alternates between making you feel like the grim reaper (the first game had that famous AC-130 section) and being a completely helpless punk (Black Ops' endless army of doom comes to mind). We can all look forward to calling down surgical strikes on whole buildings worth of baddies, helicopter crashes, tense sniper infiltration missions, and generally blowing crap up.

Halo HD and Halo 4 are interesting because they're both games made by Microsoft (not Bungie) specifically in the pursuit of wringing every last dollar from a super successful franchise. Sometimes that works out all right (Fallout: New Vegas) but more often than not the new studio makes a game of decent quality that looks similar, and sounds similar, but just doesn't feel the same. Especially when you consider that they are going to try to make three games! They are going to have a tough job: to make a game that is familiar to players of the original trilogy, and yet making something that's innovative enough that's its not just a retread. The fans will be looking at every atom of detail put into the game to make sure that it stays true to their extremely high game play and story expectations. Tough job. Can't wait to see how that's going to come out.

I want to come out and say that while I plan to buy Rage and play it to death, I am somewhat confuzzled at how they are going to start

announcing and planning a sequel when they haven't released the first game yet. Rage could sell two copies for all they know! It kinda feels dirty, like a company making a game and then coming out with paid DLC in less than a week later. Well, at least the game looks as good as advertised, I was worried that it was going to look like the offspring of Doom and Borderlands.

In my pocket on some days I could have a Geimei A330 (look it up), a personal media player of some type, an android smart phone, and occasionally I have a bag with my laptop/tablet in it. And I still want a Vita. Why? Cause I do. Because it finally has dual sticks. Because it has graphics on par with the PS3. Because its black and shiny. Because it it the complete spiritual opposite of the 3DS. That alone it good enough for me.

Now for the stuff that's not so cool. Though the Kinect and Move did have a solid showings this year, there really just isn't anything that has me desperate for them yet. Does anyone remember the Playstation Eye? Though the tech has come a long way, I just feel like if I'm going to get up and move around, I'm going to hit pads in the dojo for real, or throw a frisbee, or play peek-a-boo with a crackhead in a garbage can. I like how people are willing to sweat for their games now, but don't we really like games because they're completely unrealistic? I mean, doesn't Chuck Liddel holding pads for you as you kick for real seem like one of those gimmicky arcade games we used to play when we were kids? Or dancing in front of your television? When they come out with something I can play by myself or others that doesn't make me feel foolish I'll be all over it, till then, no thanks.

The puzzlement extends to the newly revealed Wii U; seriously, that's the best name that the marketing team could come up with? I don't get the controller, which looks like a tablet with buttons. I don't get how the “hardcore” games are going to play on a system so aggressively marketed to casual players. And I also ponder what kind of price this strange arrangement might cost. One of the things that helped the Wii was that it was so cheap, but how are they going to manage to make the Wii U cheap? The tablet controller itself should retail for at least the cost of what a Wii today would cost. I would actually find it interesting if they allow you to load games on the tablet thingie and take it along with you portable style. I'd probably try to root it and install Honeycomb, just an idea.

What do you guys think? Is there something that you saw at E3 that tickled your fancy? Disagree with me? Didn't get all of the E3 info you wanted and want to get filled in? Hit me up on the forum and let me know!

~ Chris A.

Marvel VS Capcom 3 Achievement/Trophy Guide

Earn the Achievement/Trophies For Marvel VS Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds

1. Passed the Field Test – Clear 160 missions in Mission mode.

2. A New Avenger – Clear 320 missions in Mission mode. — Each of the 36 characters in the retail game has 10 missions to complete. There are 36 characters in total, so you will need to complete almost 9 out of 10 missions for each.

3. Welcome to the Avengers Academy – Clear 80 missions in Mission mode.

4. Leading the Charge – Surpass the rank of Fighter.

5. Combat Specialist – In Ranked Match, surpass the “1st” class rank, or fight someone who has.

6. Comic Collector – Unlock all items in the Gallery.

7. Back at’Cha! – Perform 10 successful Crossover Counters. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

8. Excelsior! – Perform 10 Team Aerial Combos. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

9. Be Gone! – Perform 10 Snap Backs. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — A Snap Back is when you use quarter circle forward and the support/assist character button to force the opponent to tag in a different character.

10. Mega Buster – Use 1,000 Hyper Combo Gauge bars. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

11. Ultimate Nullifier – Perform 30 successful Advancing Guards. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

12. Playtime Is Over – Surpass the rank of Amateur.

13. Herculean Task – Beat Arcade mode on the hardest difficulty.

Set the game to the Very Hard difficulty, 30 second time limit, and damage on highest. Select Taskmaster with Aim Master Assist, Chris Redfield with Gunshot Assist, and Dr. Doom with Plasma Beam Assist. Keep using the projectiles from the corner to win every match. When you reach Galactus, activate X-Factor, and perform a Hyper Crossover Combo to take away a decent amount of health. He will hit you before you are done. Then, fight him as you normally would.

14. Saving My Quarters – Beat Arcade mode without using any continues.

15. Waiting For the Trade – View all endings in Arcade mode.

16. Master of Fate – Unlock all achievements.

17. I Buy the Issues – View one ending in Arcade mode.

18. World Warrior – Earn 5,000 Player Points (PP).

19. Brusin’ Bruce – Land an Incredible Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

20. Charles In Charge – Land an Uncanny Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

21. Average Joe - Land a Viewtiful Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — Do a 30+ hits combo with Viewtiful Joe. Henshin A Go Go Baby!

Make a team with Iron Man, Deadpool, and M.O.D.O.K. Once you have three Hyper Combo bars,make all three characters do their Hyper Combos at once. Make sure the oppenent has almost a full bar of health so they do not die while doing it. You should get a 95-hit combo and get the "Average Joe", "Brusin' Bruce", and "Charles In Charge" achievements.

22. Champion Edition Hero – Earn 30,000 Player Points (PP).

23. Super Turbo Brawler – Earn 100,000 Player Points (PP).

24. Big Bang Theory – Perform 30 Hyper Combo Finishes. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

25. Brave New World – Participate in any mode on ONLINE only.

26. Steel Battalion – Block 100 times. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

27. Fate of the Satsui no Hadou – Decide who is the true master of the fist in an ONLINE only match. — Finish a fight between Akuma and Ryu.

28. Copy This! – Put an end to this game of spider and fly in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Spider-Man and Taskmaster.

29. Raccoon City Incident – Settle things between former S.T.A.R.S. members in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Chris Redfield and Wesker.

30. Passport to Beatdown Country – Fight in all of the stages.

31. Need A Healing Factor – Win a match without blocking. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

32. School for the Gifted – Get a 5 game win streak in Ranked ONLINE Match.

33. A Hero Stands Alone – Win a match without calling your partners or switching out. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

34. Full Roster – Battle against all characters in an ONLINE match.

35. Who Will Answer the Call? – Participate in an 8 player Lobby ONLINE .

36. Duty and Deus Ex Machina – Make a match ONLINE between a national hero and a killing machine a reality. — Finish a fight between Captain America and M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing).

37. One Step Ahead – Land 50 First Attacks in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

38. Avengers Assemble! – Make a team composed of the Big 3 and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.

39. Turn the Tables – Land a Team Aerial Counter in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

40. Galactic Smasher – Perform 30 Crossover Combination Finishes. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

41. Wreak “Havok” – Use X-Factor in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — When you lose one or two of your teammates, you can press the two assist buttons to trigger this damage boost. It cancels out your opponents moves, even hypers, allowing you a one-time comeback.

42. Badds to the Bone – Make a team of three who have altered their bodies, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is M.O.D.O.K., Iron Man, and Spencer.

43. Whose Side Are You On? – Bring about an end to the Civil War in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Captain America and Iron Man. I’m not sure, but you might also want to try including Spider-Man & Wolverine against She-Hulk & Deadpool.

44. Fate of Two Worlds – Make a match ONLINE between the marquee characters for this game a reality. — Finish a fight between a team of any 3 Marvel universe and a team of any 3 Capcom universe characters.

45. Female Flyers – Make a team composed of women who can fly, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Storm, Phoenix, and Morrigan.

46. Darkstalkers – Make a team composed of those who dwell in the darkness, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Morrigan, Felicia, and Hsien-Ko.

47. Weapon X – Make a team composed of Weapon-X test subjects, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is X-23, Wolverine, and Deadpool.

Courtesy of gamingbolt.com, videogamesblogger.com, and cheatcc.com