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East Coast vs West Coast

No, not a gang war, but an ongoing struggle

This weekend is the Digital Life convention here in New York. As I wrote in VideoGameCentral's other blog, The Gamer's Voice (link below), it was an enormous let down. On the way out, Old Skool Fool and I were discussing how New York, or the East Coast region in general, isn't taken at all seriously in terms of gaming and game production.

Yes, yes, we know, California is where it all happens, down in Silicon Valley. I'm pretty sure I know the reason for that, though. I believe that the reason that everything is out there is because it's closer to Japan than New York. Regardless of geographical differences, I still can't think of a reason as to why New York isn't the home of more than a handful of major publishers and developers.

Our city is the "city that never sleeps", and believe me, it really doesn't. We have Wall Street, the home of one of the world's biggest stock markets, tons of news and magazine publishers, television studios, and pretty much everything else media related. However, our one shortcoming is video games. We have Rockstar, the company that brought you Grand Theft Auto, Bully, and Manhunt. All of those are great games, don't get me wrong. However, a great majority of game developers and publishers are stationed along the West Coast. Whether it be in Washington, the home of Nintendo and Microsoft, or California, the home of EA Games.

Is New York not a marketable city? I really beg to differ, considering how many advertisements I see in 60 seconds when I'm in any of the five boroughs. Or maybe it's the fact that since everything is already over there, no one wants to move the 5000 miles across the country. Or, my final hypothesis, rent costs in buildings are way too high. I know people who literally starve themselves just to have a measly APARTMENT in Manhattan. Imagine a game developer or publisher renting out a few floors of an entire building.

The reason still isn't clear, and maybe it never will be. Maybe someone reading this will actually start their own publishing house or development team and make their base in New York. If that's the case, good luck, and you know you'll always have friends with VideoGameCentral.com.

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The Good Old Days - Spanky's Quest

Week 2 of VGC's Retro Column

Sorry the blog hasn't been updated much this week, but it's been a very busy week for us here at VideoGameCentral. A couple of us went to the Digital Life convention here in New York, and needless to say, it was a major letdown. Read more about that in our blog, linked below.

Moving right along, I'd like to continue with the new weekly column, "The Good Old Days", by continuing with yet another sleeper hit for the SNES, Spanky's Quest. On the surface, the game looks like yet another platformer staring yet another cute cuddly animal. However, once you pop in the gray cartridge, you'll see how deep the rabbit (or monkey, in Spanky's case) hole goes.

Spanky's Quest, published by Natsume in 1991, stars a monkey named Spanky. In the beginning of the game, Spanky is taking a stroll through a forest when an evil witch traps him in a brick prison. Spanky then walks to the next area, and the game starts. A little confusing, yes, but the story of the game isn't really that important. What is important is the great gameplay.

Spanky's only attack is using bubbles which, when Spanky bounces them on his head, grow bigger and bigger. When Spanky pops the bubbles, various sports balls come out and hit the enemies, which are mainly made up of living fruit. The first bubble produced is purple, and when it's popped, a baseball comes out and attacks one enemy. However, if that bubble is bounced once, it turns green. When this one is popped, soccer balls are produced and come down in a straight line, hitting any enemies that come under it. When the green bubble is bounced, it turns yellow, which produce volley balls which attack enemies by increasing it's area of attack. Finally, the yellow bubble will turn orange, which produces basketballs which basically rain down on any enemies that go under it.

Sounds pretty basic, and it is, but the levels get very intense very quickly. After defeating the first boss, you are brought to a world that looks like a city (there's a bridge in the background with cars and trucks crossing it). The enemy numbers increase greatly, and get pretty tough. This is definitely one of those games that you'll keep dying and retrying because you think it's so easy, but you simply can't get passed the third world.

The controls are pretty tight, but your response times have to be even tighter. The hit boxes are a little iffy, but it's acceptable from an SNES game. The music is pretty catchy, while corny at the same time. It's pretty much electronic jazz, mixed with Mario type sounds.

Spanky's Quest has become a pretty rare game. Some vendors on eBay are trying to sell it for $100. Unfortunately, VideoGameCentral can't take care of you on this one either, we're currently out of stock of this game. However, the minute one comes into the store, I'll tell you guys about it. Join us next week for another rendition of "The Good Old Days"!

Here's a link to our other blog with an entry about our Digital Life 2007 experience.

http://www.videogamecentral.com/blog3/

Spanky's Quest Gameplay

The beginning part of the game Spanky's Quest

Spanky's Quest Walkthrough part1 of 7

Spanky's Quest is a Jump'n run for the SNES. part2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziyxIW9Oal8 part3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9YaLSZgmTk part4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcORK7w4_Yw part5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uMt7Yco7Ks part6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqCgq9TvCc4 part7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU_SQ-C7VCc

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The Good Old Days - Illusion of Gaia

A New Weekly Column from VideoGameCentral

Hey guys, Sweet Johnny Cage here. I've been taking care of VideoGameCentral's various blogs, including this one and the one over at www.VideoGameCentral.com . A little while ago, Old Skool Fool (another one of VGC's writers) suggested to me that I start up a weekly column about old school games that were absolute smash hits, but never really got much attention. Sleeper hits, if you will. Well, to kick things off, I'd like to start this week's column with a game that's on my Top 5 RPG's of all time, Illusion of Gaia.

Illusion of Gaia takes place during the Age of Exploration (14th to 17th century) and stars a cast of children from the town of South Cape. The main character, Will, is the son of the explorer, Olman. Olman took a crew of fellow explorers, along with his son, on an expedition to the the legendary Tower of Babel. However, something happened and Will was the only one who made it back alive. The strange thing is that Will doesn't remember what happened at the Tower that caused the team to split up. Furthermore, he doesn't even remember how he got back to South Cape. All he knows is that he must return to the Tower and find out what happened to his father.

The game begins at that point. Will and his friends go on a journey to the Tower of Babel that leads them around the world and back. They find out that they must acquire 6 Mystic Statues along the way to the Tower, each of which are hidden away in separate ruins found throughout the world. This is where the game gets really interesting.

When the game came out 13 years ago, I was only 6 years old. Needless to say, the internet wasn't as readily available or filled with as much as information as it is today. So, I had just assumed that the game was completely fictional and held no actual historic value. How wrong I was. When I was in 9th grade, I was in Social Studies class sifting through the mammoth sized textbook that my teacher had given me. After about 5 minutes of looking at the pictures (like any good high school freshman would), I noticed something familiar. It was Angkor Vat in Angkor, Cambodia, or as I knew it from Illusion of Gaia, Angkor Wat. It looked almost exactly like the Angkor Wat in the game, aside from the fact that palm trees were surrounding it and not bodies and desert.

After further research, I found out that all but 2 of the ruins that are visited in Illusion of Gaia are based off of real history, and generally mystical places found in the real world. I think that it's absolutely amazing that the developers at Enix would've taken the time to actually research various places in the world just to make the game that much more amazing. It almost makes me want to go to these places on my own. Who knows, maybe one day when I have millions of dollars to throw around I'll bring my friends on an expedition around the world.

Of course, the game itself is amazing, not just it's historical background. Will eventually finds a being called Gaia, who is the spirit of the Earth. During Will's first adventure, Gaia grants him the ability to turn into the Dark Knight Freedan to better navigate the dungeon that he has been thrown in in King Edward's Castle. Near the end of the game, when Will visits the Pyramid in Egypt, Gaia also grants him the ability to transform into Shadow, a solid form of energy.

These are the only three playable characters throughout the game. The story line is amazing as well. As the children's adventure continues, they all eventually split at different points to continue their separate destinies. The only one who sticks with Will through the very end is Kara, the daughter of King Edward and Queen Edwina.

The game itself is a little hard to come by these days. It's become somewhat of a cult classic, but still never got the public acclaim that it should've gotten. However, that's not to say that VideoGameCentral doesn't have a copy in stock. There's literally only one left, I just checked the shelf before I wrote this article, so you'll definitely want to get your hands on it before someone else does! Follow the link below to place your order:

http://store.videogamecentral.com/suniilofgap.html

Tune in next Friday for another rendition of The Good Old Days!

Illusion of Gaia - Dungeon 2 Gameplay

Gameplay video of the second major dungeon of the game

Illusion of Gaia - The Incan Ruins, pt. 1

Time to Traverse the Incan Ruins...what dangers await us there... (Note: This will be broken into several parts. I record in .avi format for the best quality. Every time I gain health, strength, or defence, I will end that particular part. So let's see what happens...)

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A Change of Platform

Are mobile phones the gaming platform of the future?

No, we're not talking about 100 years from now, we're talking about within the next few years, maybe even the next generation of gaming. As I've said before, I'm still not sure how much better gaming can get from this point in time, but maybe here's our answer?

When the wave of Final Fantasy VII games was announced a few years ago, I was ecstatic. Finally finishing the story line that seemed so incomplete in five different games? Sign me up! Or so I thought. When I learned that the game which explained the story behind the Turks, titled "Before Crisis", was going to be on mobile phones only in Japan, I was really let down. Until now, I haven't really even given the game any more thought since I found out.

However, something sparked my interest today. I found out that one of the three upcoming Kingdom Hearts games will be available for mobile phones only. I figured developers and publishers would've learned their lessons when the N-Gage failed...twice. However, why is it that Square-Enix continues to dump big bucks into this platform? A platform which offers graphics no better than a PSOne (SNES at times) and at the most a 4GB size (biggest size memory cards for phones). Although it's not likely that a 4GB game will ever come to a mobile phone due to the fact that there's no way a mobile phone could load a game that big. The iPhone has enough trouble playing NES games at the proper.

However, that brings up another argument. Could the reason for companies putting money into mobile gaming be that today's phones could undoubtedly handle them? If an iPhone could play a feature length film and full quality and resolution, then why couldn't a full quality game be made for it? While the videos for the Kingdom Hearts games from the Tokyo Game Show haven't made their ways onto the internet as of yet, there is still some speculation as to which service provider will attain the KH title.

If it is in fact AT&T, or Europe's Vodafone, that acquires the game, Apple would undoubtedly proceed with funding for development for their phone. After all, that's pretty much the only thing that the phone can't do out of the box (without a little hacking). Who's to say that we won't see a game such as Kingdom Hearts or Metal Gear on a phone? Who knows, maybe a few years from now we'll all be playing Gears of War on our phones while riding the subway. Only time will tell my friends, only time will tell.

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Yea

I think its crazy that videogames are reaching pho more...1 point

Wii gets even more Sporty

Capcom teams up with Camelot to bring you We Love Golf!

Although I had imagined it being spelled "Wii Love Golf" when I had first heard about it, I was still very happy to hear that it was happening.

As a lot of you may already know, Camelot is the development group who has blessed us with such titles as "Hot Shots Golf" and "Mario Golf", which have kept us busy for countless hours when they were popular. I'm sure all of you have also spent countless hours playing the Golf game on the Wii Sports disc that came with your Nintendo Wii. This new game will simply amplify that experience tenfold.

While nothing has even started as far as production goes, it's still great to hear that more sports games are starting to make headway on the Wii. It's just disappointing that they're happening almost a year after the system's release. And the excuse of "it being out longer in Japan" because we actually got it before any other country in the world.

But I digress. More information is bound to come from Capcom within the next few weeks or months and you know VideoGameCentral will be the first to give it to you guys!

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Times are Changing

VideoGameCentral takes a look at the way games are made today

A friend and I were talking about how when we were younger, online gaming wasn't really even thought of as far as console gaming was concerned. We were never really looking for games with amazing graphics in the beginning. All we wanted to play was a game that would keep us hooked for hours until our eyes bled.

These days, gamers, including myself, are constantly looking for that Xbox Live! logo on the top right corner of the box. I was actually shocked to find that Bioshock, although a great game as far as the fun factor is concerned, didn't have one. It actually made me hesitate buying it. That's not to say that I don't enjoy playing games that have online capability. I've never had another experience that compares to the one I had co-op-ing my way through Gears of War with my friend Joey. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

However, the point that I'm trying to make is that games are almost solely rated on their online playability. Even when I write my reviews, the largest paragraph is usually about the online play. When I first put in Stranglehold into my Xbox 360, I didn't even go to the single player adventure at first, I went right to Multiplayer Mode. How has gaming evolved so much that we're not even concerned with playing a game by ourselves?

I was aggravated while playing Final Fantasy XII because I had no one to talk to in a guild or out in the world, among other things that I didn't like about the game. I remember sitting in front of my television set as a youngster playing Super Mario World and constantly retrying levels because I kept dying. I was fully content with the gameplay of Zelda: A Link to the Past because I had fun playing it. I would come home from school just to play that game and try to beat another dungeon.

Who knows, maybe developers will start to focus more on single player and bring gaming back to what it once was. Some people might say that this is a step backward because of the technology that's available. Either way, games are definitely changing in every which way. Before you know it, there won't even be single player modes. It's already happened with MMORPGs, so why can't it happen to console gaming? Only time will tell.

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The Governator is all for Dance Dance Revolution

Ahhhnold feels that DDR in California school is fit for students

You read it right folks, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has deemed Dance Dance Revolution to be a part of the Governor's Challenge in California schools. The Governor's Challenge Competition is a challenge among all K-12 schools in the state to help get California students healthy and fit.

We have something like that here in New York, but my school didn't have a DDR section. If it did, I'd definitely win that competition. From the perspective of a gamer, I feel like this is a huge step in getting gaming into the main stream. With someone like Governor Schwarzenegger behind this movement, it's only a matter of time before the trend sweeps the rest of the nation.

West Virginia has already implemented a DDR program into 765 schools throughout the state. Yes, there will always be the students who think that the game is stupid, but I hope that they'll all realize that the game really does help them get fit, as it did me. Good luck California! Now if only he could convince the E3 commission to open the show back up to the public.

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Parents Just Don't Understand

Will Smith said it best, and here's a prime example

Maybe it's a sign of the times, or maybe parents are just becoming way too over protective of their children as far as video games are concerned. This latest report of crazy parenting comes from the state next door, New Jersey.

The Star-Ledger (a New Jersey based tabloid magazine) ran a poll on its blog asking parents what they thought of the Wii Zapper. If you don't know what the Wii Zapper looks like, it's the picture featured with this article. Anyway, most parents agreed that they wouldn't purchase this peripheral for their children because of how "life-like" it looks. Are you kidding me? LIFE-LIKE?!?!? This thing is an all-white piece of plastic.

One parent started by saying, "What kind of message are we sending to our kids as parents if we were to buy this?" First off, it is my personal theory that if a child is really influenced by video games enough to actually bring physical harm to someone, then there's something more to the story there. My friends and I have been gaming all of our lives. I've been playing first-person shooters since I was 8 years old. There is not one inkling of any type of bullying, fighting, or anything of the sort on my entire school record.

The thing that really gets me is that parents are becoming way too over protective of their children. As a result of this, they're missing out on all of the fun of video games. Did these parents not play Duck Hunt on their NES's when they were young? That's all this gun is actually used for, so far at least. But still, am I the only one who thinks that things are getting a little ridiculous? I know that I get my gaming genes from my father, who used to hang out at arcades and play Centipede and Space Invaders when he was younger.

People, I'd really like to see your opinions on this one. What do you guys think about this topic? Adults, children, anyone, please let us know your opinion!

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Echochrome

Only one word is needed for this article, and here's why

Puzzle games have always been a staple to any console since the video game was conceived. It started with Pac-Man and went on to Tetris. It's gone all the way to Lumines, but this game, Echochrome, will change the way you think of the puzzle genre forever.

It's basic in concept as well as gameplay, but probably one of the most complex games I've ever even seen when it comes to solving the puzzles. In Echocrhome, you're a stick figure who must navigate through the environment you're dropped into until you reach the goal. Simple, right? Wrong.

To get to the goal, you must rotate the camera in any direction to change the look of the environment so the stick figure can get through the world. For example, just say that the stick figure is moving along a beam and there is a gap between one end and the other. You must rotate the camera until another piece of the environment covers that hole. The figure will then walk along the beam like there is no hole, because it's invisible.

It's a little confusing, yes, but I can tell you guys right now that it's going to be the most talked about puzzle game since Tetris. While there is no release date announced yet, we have been informed that it will be available for download for the PlayStation 3 and available on UMD for the PlayStation Portable. Check out the video below for a better explanation.

Echochrome - Demo Video

Echochrome for the PlayStation 3 and PSP (first video)

Echochrome is a new and inovating game from Sony Japan Studios for the PS3 (through PSN) and the PSP. This is the first trailer of the game that was shown on E3 2007 by Sony.

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Stung by Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson sends 15 year old son to Best Buy to purchase Bioshock

Yes, we all know and HATE hearing the name Jack Thompson in discussions of video games. However, he's still fun to laugh at. This latest news comes straight from his mouth (or fingers since it was an e-mail), however. Thompson sent his 15 year old son into his local Best Buy to purchase the "ultra-violent" game Bioshock, which is rated Mature.

Needless to say, he succeeded. Whether or not his son will be actually allowed to play the game, that's up to the great Thompsonator to decide. Jack goes on to say that retailers and and the entire gaming industry itself are "engaged in a fraudulent and deceptive trade practice across the nation". He also goes on to say that the store manager should be fired (and no doubt have charges pressed on him for tainting his son's virgin eyes and mind [pfft]), as well as the cashier who sold it to him be fired.

I'm going to step out of my professional persona for a minute and say that this guy is a complete fool. Why does he pull stupid stunts like this? Just to catch the one in 5000 cashiers in America selling Mature games to kids under 17? Just to get his face in the papers and blogs is more like it. Hell, he's actually winning his argument right now by me writing about him. The man infuriates me to the point of no return.

Ranting aside, there is actually a history that Thompson has with Take-Two. Take-Two is actually affiliated with Rockstar, who released Bully 2 years ago. He tried suing them for violating Florida's public nuisance laws. Thompson was almost dis-barred from the Florida Bar Association.

I really hope that this case goes nowhere fast, as I think it already is. I really just feel bad for Jack's son, who will never have any friends because of his dad.

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Another One Bites The Dust

VideoGameCentral further discusses the Decline of the Professional Gaming Scene in America

It was reported today that the World Series of Gaming has been canceled. Not only has the next season been canceled, but the remaining 3 events have been canned as well. This comes as saddening news to us here at VideoGameCentral. The majority of us are pretty competitive gamers, especially me. I run 3rd Strike tournaments on Long Island at least once a month.

While this country has always struggled with accepting gaming into the mainstream, it's still very disheartening to hear that another competitive gaming organization is no longer in operation. I sometimes ask myself, why can't we just attract every day people to gaming? I'm pretty sure it's because of the image that flashes in peoples' minds when they hear the words "competitive gaming". They immediately think that the people in these competitions are guys who live in their mother's basement and just play games day in and day out. What people don't realize is that we all have day jobs, go to school, or both.

I'm really praying that it's not too late to bring gaming to the main stream. Here's to hoping that something else can come along to bring gamers together.

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More Halo 3 news for good measure

It may be getting old, but this one is actually very useful

According to Xbox.com, the night of and the nights after the release of Halo 3, there will be tons and tons giveaways. Most notable of all of the freebies is a Pontiac G6 GXP Street Edition. That's right folks, one FREE automobile.

Along with the car, there is also going to be a Samsung entertainment center being given away. Other prizes include the standard big-game stuff. Special edition consoles (I really want one), controllers, faceplates, Microsoft Points (wait, Micro$oft giving something away?!), and a whole slew of other prizes.

While I never win any of this stuff anyway, I'm actually pretty excited for the Halo 3 launch, even though I really don't like the game. I personally think that Halo is a rip from Quake and Unreal Tournament, just with a few added things. But then again, if you were to think about modern day gaming, you could say that every platform is a rip off from Donkey Kong. I've been playing FPS games since Quake II, and I really just feel like the whole Halo scene is nothing compared to the Quake and Unreal scene. I still remember freaking out when I found out about Nightmare mode in the original Quake for the PC.

All in all, I hope Halo does well, because it's one of the last console games that has such a huge fan base. I may be against the game, but I'll never go against the gaming scene as a whole. Good luck to all of those who are going to be trying to be #1 on the ranking!

Halo 3 sold! Wait, what?!

A follow up to our previous article about people getting Halo 3 early

You read it right folks, someone got an actual copy of Halo 3 and sold it right on eBay for $149 AU (about $123 American). How they got it, no one knows but the seller and maybe the buyer, but by the looks of the picture, the thing was authentic.

The whole package included everything you'd normally get when you buy a game. Green case, book, disc, advertisements for magazines you're never going to subscribe to, and all that jazz. Was it real? Only the seller and buyer know this, but I'm telling you right now, it looks real.

This story comes exactly 2 weeks before the game actually gets released. I think that the guy who bought the game is an idiot because if he pops that disc into his system and Microsoft sees his gamer profile say "Playing - Halo 3", he's going to be banned just like the last guy. Can't people just wait another 14 days?

If you want to pre-order a copy of Halo 3 (you only have 14 days left!), just follow the link provided below:

http://store.videogamecentral.com/xb360halo3.html

Banned for the next 7000 years?

Someone got their hands on Halo 3's final build and got kicked out of the Xbox community

It appears as if someone by the name Scar on Xbox Live got their hands on the near-final build of Halo 3 (called Epsilon) and got himself banned for the rest of Earth's existence. That's right folks, the guy got banned until 12/31/9999. He also got his actual Xbox permanently banned as well.

While the guy could just go out and buy a new Xbox and start up a new account and most likely be fine, it's still pretty shocking how hardcore Microsoft handled it. I really don't know what I'd do if I got banned for my next 10,000 lifetimes. I think I'd stop gaming for a few months until I saved up enough money to actually get a new system. And that's IF Microsoft didn't ban his IP address. This is just another example of how Microsoft controls the planet.

Sega, the...pioneer?

VideoGameCentral takes a look back on online console gaming

Here at the VideoGameCentral main office, the conversations employees have usually consist of gaming (duh!), but lately, everyone has been buzzing about old school gaming. I brought up one thing in particular that made a few people instantly reminisce to back in the day.

What I brought up wasn't the Atari 2600, the Famicom, or the Coleco Vision. It was none other than the Sega Channel. In case you don't remember, the Sega Channel was a kind of network adapter that went onto the back of your Sega Genesis console that connected you to the Sega Channel network. This network worked similarly to how the Xbox Live Marketplace works now. Sega Channel not only had leaderboards, but it also allowed subscribers to download FULL versions of games, some of which had added content solely for Sega Channel users.

Most gamers who own an Xbox 360, regardless of model, frequently visit the Xbox Live Marketplace. Whether it's for game demos, wallpapers, or re-releases of classic games. What people don't realize is that this has all been done before, almost 10 years ago.

Most people don't give Sega the time of day anymore because unfortunately, they constantly release bad games. I think the last game of theirs I actually enjoyed, besides Virtua Fighter 5, was Crazy Taxi 2. I have a fond memory of being over my Grandparents' house one summer about 10 years ago. They plopped me and my sister on the couch in front of the TV, like any good grandparent who was babysitting would. Since my grandparents didn't have any sort of game system, I just channel surfed until I landed on a 6 minute infomercial for the Sega Channel. I remember the host was Phil Moore, the same guy from Nick Arcade. I remember that I had always wanted a Sega, and the ability to be able to compete with other players and get beta access to games made me want one even more.

Some of you may be wondering why it is that I wrote about this particular subject, and it's quite easy. Gamers often forget, or simply just aren't aware of where modern gaming came from. Most things that we take for granted in the industry today are generally redone from things 10, 15, even 20 years ago (*cough*Mario*cough*). Until next time gamers, keep the memories fond and your imaginations vivid.

Find all of your used Sega Genesis needs at VGC!

http://store.videogamecentral.com/segagenesis.html

Sega Channel Infomercial

Bringing it back old school with a terrible commercial

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Out With The Old PS3, In With The New 80GB Model

Sony "upgrades" the PS3, and downgrades it's status in the gaming world yet again

Today, Sony announced that all stock of the 60GB model PS3's have been sold from Sony's warehouse and are now on the shelves of your favorite retailer (including VideoGameCentral). This means that after a little while of this stock of systems is on shelves, Sony will start shipping out the 80GB model (with limited backward compatibility) and the 60GB models will become a rarity.

What this is basically saying is that you'd better get your hands on a PS3 now if you want to be able to use the same system to play your PS3, PS2 and PSOne games all on one system. Some people think that the price drop was just a way to get rid of the supply of 60GB and 20GB PS3s in order to make way for the "better" 80GB model.

What does this reviewer think of that? I think that if that is the case, then Sony has another thing coming if they think that they'll be able to sell more systems if they have no backward compatibility. What a lot of people don't realize is that you can simply swap out the hard drive with a normal laptop hard drive and get more capacity than Sony will probably ever give you. Just logging onto Newegg.com right now I can get a 120GB laptop hard drive for $70. So let's think about that, should I pay another $100 to Sony for another 10GB of space or $70 for another 60GB? I rest my case.

Aside from the 10GB difference, there is nothing separating the two PS3 models at all. So, gamers, if you've been thinking about getting a PS3, get one while you'll still enjoy it. Here's a link to the PS3 section of the VideoGameCentral online store:

http://store.videogamecentral.com/pl3youre.html

Manhunt 2 "Awarded" An "M" Rating From ESRB

The year's most anticipated action game gets brought back from the grave

Just when we thought we weren't ever going to be able to use a pair of wire cutters to dismember somebody, Rockstar Games comes back to prove us wrong.

As I'm sure all of you remember, back in June the ESRB (Electronic Software Rating Board) slapped an Adults Only rating on Rockstar's most anticipated game of the year (not including GTAIV, but we've seen how that's turned out), Manhunt 2. While there is no legality tie with this rating, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's still going to go on shelves. As a result of this A/O rating, Sony and Nintendo both gave a big "Hell No" to Rockstar and banned it from their consoles until the rating went down.

Yesterday, the entire gaming community got its wish. Rockstar toned the game down enough for it to receive an "M" rating. While we're not exactly sure what was taken out of the game, it must have been a lot for it to come down one rung of the ratings ladder.

As far as this reviewer is concerned, I'm a little disappointed with the whole situation. While I do understand that a game with an A/O rating wouldn't exactly fly off the shelves, I don't understand why two major gaming companies would completely ban it. I know that I'd play the game if it had an A/O rating, in fact I'd RATHER play the first version. Here's to hoping for a special edition within the next couple of years. You can pre-order your copy of Manhunt 2 for the Sony PSP, PS2 and Nintendo Wii by following the link below.

http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=gamesusainc&query=manhunt+2

Who Put Transformers In My Metal Gear?

Latest MGS4 trailer from Germany

Yet another gameplay trailer of our favorite espionage action thriller series, Metal Gear, has been shown at the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany.

At the beginning of the trailer, we see a band of soldiers (at least that's what they seem to be) bulldozing their way through a barricade in the middle of the street. About a dozen or so feet further, the bulldozer is suddenly brought to a halt. The driver attempts looking through the little window in front of him and all that is visible to him is a tail.

What happens next is something we've seen before in the series. The soldiers attempt to shoot the big thing, aptly titled Crying Wolf, holding the bulldozer off the ground, but to no avail. Bullets are deflected and no damage is done. The soldiers then look up into the sky and one exclaims, "It's The Beast!" The Beast then swoops down, and Crying Wolf, holding the bulldozer up, drops it down. The shock wave caused by the bulldozer crashing to the ground causes most of the soldiers to fall to the ground.

Many of the soldiers attempt to flee, none of them make it. One of them is captured by another Transformer-esque being, named Laughing Octopus, and is squeezed to death, looking like something caught in the grasp of a boa constrictor. Laughing Octopus laughs maniacally, and the remaining soldiers shoot the being, but their efforts are futile.

More chaos and carnage ensues as the soldier in the white coat attempts to flee as his comrades are shooting Laughing Octopus, but begins acting as if he's a robot. His body jerks until he's facing his comrades, and then begins to shoot them all in the back. He is then lifted into the air, and is contorted until his back breaks. He then falls to the ground, dead. Snake says, questioningly, "It can't be". Fans of Psycho Mantis, sorry, but he hasn't returned. The being that possessed him is Screaming Mantis.

Crying Wolf then starts thrashing around the alleyway and finishes off the remaining soldiers. Another Metal Gear-being, named Raging Raven, shoots missiles at an overpass and crushes the final two soldiers. The whole Beauty and the Beast Unit then leave the scene. Screaming Mantis actually bows in the direction of Snake, as if this was all a demonstration of their power to him.

Is this what we can expect from the entire game? Pre-order MGS4 at VGC by following the link below:

http://store.videogamecentral.com/ps3metgerso4.html

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Leipzig Gameplay

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Leipzig Gameplay

Gameplay from the Leipzig Games Convention this week of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Shows the Beauty and the Beast Unit.

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When There's No More White Trash To Harass

When talk shows run out of things to talk about

It has been reported that today on the new Star Jones show on CourtTV, she will be talking with California Senator Leland Yee about violence in video games.

Why is it that talk shows need to scare parents into thinking that their children are going to grow up to be killers because of the violent video games they play? I'll never understand it. Contrary to popular belief, our lord and savior *cough*, Jack Thompson will not be making an appearance on the show, although he was "originally scheduled" to be it, according to him.

Why do talk show hosts need to bring the gaming community on a weekly basis. Why don't they direct their attention to eating disorders in Hollywood. Oh wait, I'm not too sure if Star Jones would want that. We'll try and get a YouTube video up when someone has recorded the show. Until then, stay tuned!

The Roots Are Decaying

The status of the arcade scene in 2007

It is almost too clear that the arcade scene has been dying for the past ten or so years, but there have been some major blows in the past couple of years. In New York especially, arcades are closing left and right, leaving arcade gamers either no where to go, or forcing them to travel to other arcades that they wouldn't normally travel to on a weekly basis.

I know from personal experience when the arcade at Tri-County Flea Market closed a few years ago, the best arcade was about 30 minutes east from where I lived. With traffic, about 45 at times. While I didn't exactly mind going that far because of the fact that most of my friends were going there as well, it was still a pain to have to travel to play games.

Maybe it's just old school gamers who are pained by the dwindling status of the arcade community, but it's definitely hurting the video game scene in general. Not everyone realizes that arcades are where it all started. Our parents played Frogger and Space Invaders in their local pizzerias and mall arcades. It was the thing to do on a Friday night. Sure, some of them weren't as into it as people like Billy Mitchell, but it was the start of a new generation.

Maybe home consoles are to blame since most arcade games, especially fighters, get home version releases. With the home console versions, player's don't have to wait in line to play, let alone the fact that they don't have to pay every time they want to play.

Who knows what the actual cause of it really is. The fact still remains that the arcade scene is dying. Post up what you guys think about this issue and anything else related to the arcade scene in your area.

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New DS Lite Replacement Cases

Give your DS Lite a face lift with the new Shock DS Lite Replacement Shells

Bored with your plain old DS Lite that everyone else seems to have? Well then paint the town red, or blue, or clear with the new DS Lite replacement cases from Xtreme Enterprises.

Dubbed the Shock shell, these cases don't just go over your current factory installed case, they literally replace them, making your DS look and feel like it's fresh out of the box! I replaced my regular black case that's been on my DS Lite since I got it with the "Mario Cap" Red case. To my surprise, I felt more comfortable playing my DS with the replacement case on than my regular shell. The surface of the case is very smooth, which I really liked. The replacement buttons and D-Pad were very responsive, something you'd expect from this company.

The whole kit 'n kaboodle includes both top and bottom shells, clear replacement buttons (including the L and R triggers and Start and Select buttons), clear D-Pad, battery cover, and last but not least, replacement GBA slot cover. The possible colors are Clear, Taxi Cab Yellow, Mario Cap Red, Mirror Chrome, Ghost White, Midnight Blue, Jet Black.

So whichever color you choose, you'll know that you'll be gaming in style with these new shells. These new Shock cases could be the best investment you could make for your Nintendo DS Lite.

Check out the new Shock DS Lite Cases here.

Wii Virtual Console VS Real Retro Gaming

VGC discusses the differences bettwen Wii's Virtual Console and real old school gaming

Since the release of Nintendo Wii, a feature generating the most excitement in various gaming circles has been the Virtual Console. For those of you who aren't aware of what this is, it's basically classic gaming on your Wii. You simply purchase the game you like from the Wii Shop channel and proceed to download it right onto your Wii. This is pretty much the same thing as the Xbox 360's Marketplace and the PS3's PlayStation Store, except with a much more retro feel to it.

Some of the titles are real blasts from the past. Games such as Street Fighter II, The Legend of Zelda series, and Sonic the Hedgehog make appearances on the Virtual Console. A lot of these games are a real treat to play, especially to someone who has being gaming since the age of 2, such as myself. Some of the games have slightly enhanced graphics, which is always a nice addition, along with better audio tracks. It's great to see that Nintendo is still catering to us old-timers.

That being said, there are a few slight problems with some of the VC games. One of the very noticeable problems in some games, such as Starfox 64 and Mario Kart 64, is the speed. Some games are known to play at an accelerated rate on the Virtual Console when compared with the original N64 game.

This is most likely due to the fact that the game is actually running on an N64 (or SNES, or NES, or whatever the game and system may be) emulator rather than the original console hardware. That being said, it's somewhat surprising that Nintendo's emulators aren't too much better than the ones floating around the internet today.

Below you will find a demo video showing the differences between the original Starfox 64 for the Nintendo 64 and both versions on the Wii's Virtual Console.

Some content, mainly just easter eggs, have also been either changed or completely removed from the VC versions of the games. A prime example of this is the extraction of the Chris Houlihan from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

The Virtual Console experience isn't quite the same without some of these tiny features removed. While the Virtual Console is a very nice feature of the Wii, there's really nothing like seeing an old gray Nintendo system sitting in front of you with an aged gray cartridge in the slot.

Starfox 64 VC and N64 Differences

Demo video of the differences between the various versions of Starfox 64 on the Wii and N64

Star Fox 64 comparisons (N64 vs VC): alternate first boss

here is a vid showing the first boss battle in the N64 version, VC 1.0 version and VC 1.1 version of Star Fox 64. note: i updated the vid's name because people kept confusing it with the regular 1st boss.

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Where's my Wii?

Where have all the Wii's Gone?

Want a Wii?

Everyone wants a Wii, in fact 2 out of every three gamers want a Wii but they can't get one.

Reports are in that the Nintendo Wii is outselling the XBOX 360 and the PS3 2 to 1! So for every Sony & Microsoft fan, there's a Wii player in one of them!

Because of the next-level interactive gaming concept of the Wii it seems like the supply will not be able to meet the demand till mid 2008!

But hey , don't take our word for it...go and try to find one!

E3 for Who? For All?

E4 All & All for None!

E3 2007,

The memories are still lingering in the summer air of E3's past, but what about E3 2007? Well, the bottom line is that there will be an E3 2K7 but it will be industry only.

This does not mean you! And unfortunatly a lot of industry officials seem to have abandoned the idea of a lack luster show!

So what is happening?! Well, E For All is going to happen!

What is E For All you ask? Well, we're not really sure but it seems to us as a bad attempt for IDG media to use the steam of the E3's past to market a whole new show.

The weird branding of the show's site leads us to believe it's Microsoft influenced with the 360 power bar being some type of logo. (Kinda cheesy if you ask us!)

There's still no real reports of what to expect at this show except, "it's supposed to be for all"!

Didn't it seem like the E3 was for all anyway? And what about NYC's Digital Life?

How many watered down game shows do we need.

Can't we just bring back the real E3's of yesteryear?

Only time will tell, & until then check out more on the E for All show here:
http://www.eforallexpo.com/

I guess we'll go to...because it's "for all"

XBOX 360 Elite or Beat?

A second attempt to catch already angry gamers?

So it's the elite!

This is what Microsoft deems it anyway. Just released is the new XBOX 360 elite, but what's that great about it for an extra $80?

Aside from being black, which honestly looks sleeker than the white & the fact it has a larger hard drive capacity what else is there?

Not much, other than a HDMI port. If you ask us, there should be more. Alot more. Even if the price was slightly higher.

How about that HD-DVD player? How about better backwards compatibility? How about...

The list can go on..but will gamers go for the upgrade?

We can only see how many XBOX fans will be come "elitists"!

Game or Die:

Choose your path wisely!

We'll give you praise, or beat you down. But no matter what, we turn frowns upside down!

There's a Monster in My Pocket!

No you dirty devil, not that one!

Some call it Pokughmon, some call it Poke-yer-Mom others call it Pokemon'. But the bottom line is that they all originated from one place!

The Pocket Monsters!

For all of you who don't really know the American version of Pocket Monsters (now with an almost 10 year anniversary!) is really what we call here in the US Pokemon.

These loveable little digital devils have captured the hearts & wallets of millions worldwide.

And today we salute you Poke'mon lover. In fact Pokemon isn't just for little kids, it's also for 30 year olds and up!

So much in fact there are reports that certain video game company employees may have to call in "captured" to finish the latest Pokemon Diamon & Pearl games in the series for the DS.

So I guess your truly never too old to catch'em all...or maybe even a cold or two!:!

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl can be caught here: http://store.videogamecentral.com/pokemon-diamond-pearl.html

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Remembering the Last Great E3 2006!

Yes, we were there

A little outtake from VideoGameCentral's Unofficial Gamer's Guide to E3 DVD 2006!

Buon Appetit'!

E-3 2006 clips part 1

our time at e-3 2006

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E3 2006 Gaming Ghost From the Future

E3 Exodus!

When the show is over, one of our staff happen to meet up with his future self to show him the way!

E-3 2006 Exodus ( Time Travel )

E-3 clips at the end of the show

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