posts by matt
matt

Rumor Rounds: PSP2 w/ HDD?

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This one comes from a recent Samsung convention, revealing some sort of memory unit for the device, either designed for the existing unit or a future revision. Even though it would be awesome to have an HDD, I’m inclined to think that it really won’t save the PSP.

Technically, the PSP isn’t a bad system. It has all the pieces to make it a great machine, but Sony has done a horrible job making it useful.

First, regarding its multimedia capabilities, you can’t really watch anything unless it’s been properly converted. They gave us the Media Manager (which isn’t free, by the way), and the online community has given us PSP Video 9, the ultimate converter for the PSP. But if you want to watch video on the PSP, you have to learn about it first. →  Apply directly to the forehead.

Wii Sells Like Wii-Cakes

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In little over a month, the Nintendo Wii has sold over 3.19 million units worldwide, according to VG Charts.org. For any console, that is a fantastic number, and Nintendo is deservedly riding on clouds lined with freshly printed Benjamins right now.

But how could this have happened? I mean, Nintendo is supposed to be dead last in the home console market, right? How can a company become so popular after being the most underrated console maker in the last generation? Am I taking crazy pills or something?

I guess the Wii really is all that and a bag of potato chips. We have reports that moms and sisters have been getting into the action, and people are getting so excited that they’re shattering their TV’s to show how excited they are. →  Ask not what this post can do for you - ask what you can do for this post.

Noob Xbox 360 Impressions

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For Xmas, I finally acquired a Microsoft Xbox 360, HDD included. And of course, I got it early in the day and was not able to play it until later that night. After nine nail biting hours without any system, I finally put the 360 through the ropes.

For a gamer that never really liked where Msoft was heading with the Xbox, I have to say I am enjoying 360 a lot. Maybe a little too much, in fact. The system’s got so much to mess around with that you can get overwhelmed without ever playing any games. I’m somewhat of a tech-savvy individual, so when a system lets you hook up your Media-Center PC and stream video to an HDTV in 1080i, I’m as happy as a toadstool that was just saved by a fat Italian plumber. →  They’re reading her… and then they’re going to read me!

Actual Use for an SD Card: Excite Truck

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Early last week, my girlfriend noticed that she had a surprise under our Christmas tree. Not one to bow down to that kind of challenge, she soon met my present with one of her own. Hesitating for only a second, we both agreed to exchange them early. She was now the happy recipient of an iHome, while I got to bask in the glory that is Excite Truck.

The game is definitely a fun experience. It’s like Motorstorm, only without the whole over-promise, under-deliver thing. I can also see a lot of Burnout 3 in it. In the very little time I’ve had with the game, I have to say it was a great present. Hopefully I’ll have a review of it soon, barring any unforeseen writer’s block. →  Let’s get read-y.

OCRemix.org is da bomb

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Have you ever said to yourself, “Man, I really wish someone would remix the Super Mario Bros. theme with some jazz vocals. That would be sweet.” Seriously, who hasn’t wished that at least once in their life? Well, if you have, then your prayers have finally been answered. OCRemix.org is a site completely dedicated to hosting remixed versions of your favorite video game tunes.

Want a Salsa-flavored remix of Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s Special Zone? Or what about a techno version of Actraiser’s first level? This site is just filled to the brim with some awesome tracks. The songs themselves have to go through an approval process, so don’t worry about finding a song with some nut job screaming the vocals to FFX’s “Sudeki de Na” track. →  Postgaea 2: Cursed Memories

Wii Have Internet. (Update 1)

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Nintendo is on a roll with these Wii updates. Hot on the heels of the Weather Channel release, the Big N has seen it fit to give their fans another reason to patiently wait while Mario collects coins on the bottom of the screen. Yes, that means the Internet Channel has been set free.

Although it’s only a trial version, it gets the job done in an admirable fashion. You’ll be surfing the net in no time, all in the confines of your dark, dank dungeon of sinful pleasure. But (there’s always a “but” with Nintendo nowadays) it’s definitely far from perfect.

First, there’s no javascript or quicktime, so forget about watching movie trailers on Apple’s site. We do get Flash, though, which means Youtube is a go, but there are reports that EU users are having problems with the site. →  A delayed article is eventually good, a rushed article is all we post.

Are gamers too jaded?

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Seeing as how most of us are around the 20 year mark, we’ve all probably seen and played a lot of video games in our lives. My collection alone contains well over 100 games, and that doesn’t include those I have traded in. This in and of itself isn’t a bad thing. Hell, the more the better. But when we start complaining about a new game that doesn’t do something that a 10 year old game does, we have to ask ourselves, “are we too jaded nowadays?”

Take, for example, Ocarina of Time. How insane was it when you first saw how big Hyrule Field was? For the time, that chunk of real estate was huge, and we truly felt OoT was special and epic because of it. →  Uncharted Waters: New Horeadin’s

GameCube Was Good, And Don’t You Forget It!

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There have been some rumblings on the Interweb in the last few months that Nintendo completely failed with the GameCube, some people saying it was their worst console to date. Sure, it’s not as popular as the PS2, but that doesn’t make it a failure.

Critics mostly point to the fact that the GC only sold 20 million consoles worldwide, compared to PS2’s 100 million. If you look at it like that, then yes, it looks like a failure. But for some odd reason, many people cite the original Xbox as a success story, even when it sold only 23 million units, three million more than GC. That just doesn’t add up.

Can you remember the games we got with our beloved GC? →  What can change the nature of a post?

Wii Weather Channel Tells Weather, Gamers Complain

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…And I’m going to be one of those complainers. What? I can’t help it. What with the powers of blogging, and all.

Anyway, after updating my Wii (which never takes as long as those other guys), my forecast channel finally greeted me up on the main screen. I’m starting to like how the main screen is turning out, what with those blank boxes starting to disappear. Still makes me wonder, though, won’t we max out the available channels by the time Wii’s successor shows up? 48 channels may sound like a lot, but five years down the line? I’m not too sure about that.

After setting up my Forecast Channel by telling the Wii which city you live in or near, you finally get to see what we’ve been missing since launch. →  And so it games…

Final Fantasy XI OST

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Many people have probably already figured out that I am a huge video game music buff. More than half the music on my computer is from one game or another. And after much contemplation, I hit up iTunes and purchased the complete Final Fantasy XI OST for $16. For 51 songs, I couldn’t afford not to buy it.

I can already hear you moaning over the fact that I went the iTunes route, but I have to say they have a great selection of Final Fantasy music. They have all the major OST’s, covering the entire series. They also have some Black Mages in there for the hardest of the hard core. It’s also really good that I don’t have to wait like two weeks before I get the music, like you do with importing. →  Oops, I did it again.