Today the Zune HD was released so like I promised myself, I went out and got the 32gb version. Been in dire needs of an mp3 player ever since my 6 year old iPod died and when I heard about the Zune HD I told myself I’d get one. And now that I have one I thought I’d do something a little special just for the hell of it. Most nerds love getting and opening gadgets so what better way to celebrate than a good ol’ unboxing! (more…)

Reading through my normal video game sites, I came across a link to a Persona 4 Endurance Run videos by some guys over at Giant Bomb. Basically they’re playing the entire game from beginning to end and providing some hilarious commentary. I’d heard of Persona 4 and all its prequels but never actually knew what they were about. Always wanted to play one but never had any form of Playstation. So I figured it’d be the next best thing to watch the run. And for a game that’s around 80 hours, it’d also be a great timesink until I start school. Right now I’m on episode 83 and I’m pretty much hooked. What really grabbed me was that it’s a mix of an tradition JRPG w/ summons and a social-simulation game. Basically you cultivate relationships with other characters to give them special moves and help create more powerful summons. What adds even more to the game is the cast of characters. While they do have cookie cutter stereotypes, they are just so very endearing that you can’t help but love them (especially Chie <3). They’re so well developed they’re pretty much like anime characters.

I fell in love so much with the game that I just had to play the game. But I didn’t really want to pay $150 bucks just for it. Then I remembered a few years ago looking at PS2 emulation so I could play Kingdom Hearts. Sadly my computer was way underpowered to run it properly so I gave up. Two computer upgrades later I probably have a good enough computer now. Downloaded PCSX2 and the UNDUB version of Persona 4 from a torrent. Did some searching to find the optimal settings for the game, started it up, and.. it worked wonderfully! Usually there is some slowdown or audio glitches, but I had nothing! I was psyched. Got about 15 minutes into it and realized that it really sucks to play the game without a controller. Keyboard controls are not fun. So yeah ordered a controller that I could plug into the computer. Getting it tomorrow and then getting my Persona on. Yeah can’t wait. (more…)

First off let me say that Batman is my all time favorite classic superhero, Marvel and DC. The only guy that comes remotely close is of course Deadpool, coolest dude ever, who is my favorite comic book character. Anyway back to the B man. Never really read any of his comics when I was little. Was basically a Spidey only guy ’cause of my dad. What grew my love of the Dark Knight was Batman: The Animated Series. I remember watching the cartoon every day before dinner and just getting caught up in whole mythos surrounding him. Now years later I’m still just as enamored with the city of Gotham as ever and with the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum I finally get to experience the world first hand.

Now good superhero games have been hard to come by. Many of the last few gen games have been atrocious. I’m looking at you Superman 64 and Batman Dark Tomorrow. But as of late there have actually been some excellent games. Hot of the heels of the not-so-bad Wolverine: Origins game, comes this excellent stealth/action/brawler game by company Rocksteady. First off I must say that the visuals are stunning. The Joker looks downright creepy and Batman’s suit looks stunning; thankfully there are no Bat-nipples. His suit even gets torn over the course of the game. While the caves and tunnels look nice, the first time you step foot outside of the buildings is quite stunning. Very reminiscent of Unreal back in the day. Rocksteady did an awesome job crafting the world.

That’s not to say its the game’s only redeeming feature. By far no. It also has excellent gameplay. While there is an overly long opening playable cutscene, from that moment on you definitely feel like the Dark Knight. Whether you’re fighting off a ambushing group of thugs or are stealthily eliminating armed henchmen one by one, it all feels great. Then there are the fights with the major villains of the world. I won’t spoil who you fight, but each one is quite intense and unique. Even though there were enough, the geek in me just wishes there could have been more. Hopefully there will be DLC for that. If not, AA2 needs to come out sooner! All this comes together nicely to a final throwdown with the Joker, but with a twist. While I wish the stealth elements could have been thrown into the battle, but it was still a great finish to the game.

There were also some little extra tidbits that were icing on the cake. The voice acting in the game was AWESOME. They got three of the VA’s from The Animted Series which absolutely floored me. They got Kevin Conroy and Mark fuckin’ Hamill to return as Batman and the Joker, respectively. Hands down I think these two are the best rendition of their characters ever. Sure Heath’s performance was stunning, but Mark “don’t-call-me-Luke” Hamill’s performance just always sends shivers down my spine from just how awesome it is. And lastly is the wonderful Arleen Sorkin reprising her role as Ms. Harley Quinn, who is up there in my list of favorite female comic book characters. That probably says a lot about me but I won’t go into that. Astonishing voice acting aside, another cherry on the metaphorical game cake is the Riddler puzzles. Throughout the game are either various trophies, riddles, or missions that the Riddler gives you. Now these are the sort of things I love. Item collecting, meticulously searching the environment for clues, these are the things I live for. And integrating it into an already wonderful game is just pure ecstasy.

As you can tell, I freakin’ loved this game and I couldn’t recommend it enough. You should definitely check this game out. Unless you’re some kind of die hard Marvel fan and won’t touch anything DC with a ten foot stick. Or if you just hate fun, then I guess stay away from it. But those who do will be drawn into this wonderful world and will be addicted from beginning to end. One of the best games of the year. (more…)