Ben's Week In Review: April 24

Happy bunny day, everybody! We've talked about the PSN enough, so let's dwell on other topics for a while.

No Last Guardian this year? Bummer.

When I saw the disappointing announcement, I felt a little irritated...and I felt guilty about that irritation. That guilt arises from the obvious fact that we have plenty of top-notch titles scheduled for 2011, especially for the second half of the year. I mean, why should I be complaining when we already know Resistance 3, Batman: Arkham City, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Twisted Metal, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception are coming between September and November...? And that's only a small sampling! So what right do I have to complain? I still remember futilely scanning the shelves back in the early '90s, trying to find something even remotely interesting to rent. Times have changed for the better in regards to frequency of awesome games.

That's undeniable. And yet, I can't help feeling like the loss of The Last Guardian is significant. It would've been a really invigorating breath of fresh air; an artistic high watermark for the year, and it would've been especially useful against a myriad of familiar formats and styles. Well, I can be patient. And when the game does arrive, I'm sure I'll be more than satisfied.

Wow, that NGP launch could be damn attractive

I'm not the biggest portable/handheld fan but even I'm interested in the Next Generation Portable, and it appears Sony is planning to bypass the traditional software launch woes. Historically, many new pieces of hardware just don't release with a lot of must-have games, but look at the four titles on tap for the NGP's release. If the information is accurate, there could very well be three AAA titles available on day one, and that's pretty bad-ass. Uncharted and Wipeout have yet to let anyone down, and Sony has said - numerous times, in fact - that they fully intend to give the NGP huge software support. They know it's crucial.

And analysts know this, too, so if we can confirm more of the 50 scheduled NGP titles developers are currently working on, it would go a long way towards increasing the consumer's enthusiasm. And that goes double if a lot of those titles are easily recognizable, and the franchises in question have a fantastic reputation.

Personal gaming update

So I finished Portal 2 and I loved every second of it. But I need to apologize for a small error in that review: when describing the length, I said the first half was puzzle-based while the second half was more about progressing in puzzle fashion (so-to-speak). However, I hadn't quite finished at the time I wrote the review; I was convinced I was at the end, but there was another set of puzzles (similar to, but more complex than the first half) before the adventure is over. Just wanted to clear that up. Anyway, I enjoyed myself immensely and that ending is freaking hilarious. GLaDOS' song is just perfect. The whole production is so worthy of the praise it has received, even if any claims of a "great story" are exaggerated.

I'll return to Dragon Age II now, but I had to get involved in the Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection for the review. Unsurprisingly, I'm glad I did and yeah, it's proving hard to go back to DAII now. ;) Mortal Kombat is great fun, too, but it's not really my thing. Looking forward to L.A. Noire!

4/23/2011 Ben Dutka

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Comments (95 posts)

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LittleBigMidget
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 9:37:16 PM
Reply

I'm currently playing the arcade ladder with Scorpion and waiting for PSN to get back up.

Also, PC fanboys are the worst.

Last edited by LittleBigMidget on 4/23/2011 9:37:39 PM

4 up, 3 down

Geobaldi
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 11:48:16 PM

Console fanboys can be just as bad if not worse. Fanboys in general, no matter what the subject of conversation may be, are just downright irritating and in our cases here on this site, really put a damper on our favorite hobby.

Last edited by Geobaldi on 4/23/2011 11:49:11 PM

6 up, 1 down

Dancemachine55
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 3:20:55 AM

Yeah, particularly those Playstation fanboys, thinking they're so elitist and better than anyone else. They don't even bother to acknoweldge the awesome games the 360 and Wii has!! They're all a bunch of ignorant little....

.... oooooooooh.... ssssorry.....

... thought this was N4G, my bad. :P

4 up, 1 down

Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 5:47:22 AM

Any fanboy not on your team is always the worst.

8 up, 0 down

kevinater321
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 9:46:16 PM
Reply

I am eagerly awaiting any new on the ngp. Of course all the big news like the price, the release date and a lot of the games will be announced at e3 this year. So still a ways off. *sigh*

3 up, 0 down

Lord carlos
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:00:22 PM
Reply

I'm good with TLG being delayed,gives me something to look forward to next year along side MGS.
NGP i'll get after the first model revision cause my 60 gig ps3 died twice(refurb as well)
PGU:Not much because of the psn bs thats going on but i did start operation flashpoint red river & i have to say its pretty good once you get the hang of ordering your fireteam around.
PS.Went into my local gamestop with 5 old multiplats that i did'nt play anymore with the intention of trading them in for credit along with 120 bucks & was going to get portal 2,MK & socom,got evertything scanned in and then am told by the douchebag behind the counter that their all out of stock on all 3 games.
'On day 1? i ask
'Yes' he lied
'Sure its nothing to do with pre-orders?
'Eh..well..'
i left the shop with red river instead & 107bucks still in my pocket.
A sad day when you cant even walk in on day 1 n get your games!,they should at least have a supply for over the counter sales for people that do things the old fashion way.
Boo hoo

2 up, 0 down

Danny007
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:12:24 PM
Reply

Take your time on The Last Guardian. We need to save some PS3 exclusives for next year.

Also, I can't wait for L.A. Noire as well. 9 days until Motorstorm 3. May is jam packed with good games. A good game each Tuesday.

0 up, 0 down

JMO_INDY
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:15:18 PM
Reply

Happy Atheists/Agnostics Eating Candy Day!!! :D

6 up, 10 down

Underdog15
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:34:05 PM

lol, anything to distract from people who actually see the holiday as a monumental event. Statements like that just make you sound like a bastard in denial.

But hey, since we're on the topic of being offensive, I'm sure most atheists would be offended to suddenly be disallowed from having a paid day off on this holiday.

Funny how that sense of entitlement works, eh?

Go get your own holiday so I can have a day off for no reason, too. Of course, that would be pretty bleak... "Hooray! I have hope in absolutely nothing!"

As if you would detract from people who have found peace, whether it's misguided or not.

Unless, of course, amidst your constant "God doesn't exist" chant (which is really silly, in and of itself... why do you need to convince people of that?), you can actually prove He doesn't. (And just as I personally can't prove he does, you certainly cannot prove he doesn't, either. So why tear people down?)

Why are you so offended by it? But when it all comes down to it, why do you feel the need to be so offensive? I can understand if someone came in here and got all religious on you, but no one said anything about God or religion. Instead, you're the one that began all the propoganda.

It isn't fair to do that so randomly. You can go get your own day, but you can't just reinvent the meaning of a religious holiday so bluntly. Why don't people like you ever go after other religion's holidays? Is there something about Christian holidays that offends you?

You should ask yourself why you're so sensitive towards Christianity. This isn't the first time you've done it, and now I'm calling you out on it. And I will win a theological debate, so back off.

Last edited by Underdog15 on 4/24/2011 2:46:15 PM

2 up, 5 down

Underdog15
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:55:18 PM

I just wanna add, normally I can ignore this sort of thing without ever commenting, but when you go after the one holiday that has significant meaning in my life, I get a little touchy. It's just not cool to do. (Christmas is great, and all, but it's not the big one)

2 up, 3 down

Godslim
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 7:04:03 PM

wow chill out man and lets not get started on the whole god debate......u seem very relgious and i dunno y u have really got so offended by that i think he was only jokeing

"which is really silly, in and of itself... "
lol what

0 up, 0 down

Godslim
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 7:19:18 PM

oh and
"Hooray! I have hope in absolutely nothing!"

just made me lol

2 up, 1 down

bigrailer19
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 9:18:12 PM

I too usually like you Underdog, can ignore these types of comments. But what a dumb comment to make so randomly! Take it somewhere else before you infect the one video game site I enjoy coming too!

Last edited by bigrailer19 on 4/24/2011 9:21:16 PM

0 up, 1 down

LightShow
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:16:36 PM
Reply

dont worry, the "ending" halfway through portal 2 had me fooled too.

0 up, 0 down

Nickjcal
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:21:06 PM

Same. I was like really? Wheres the goop and all that etc. The Puzzles get insanley difficult after that part

0 up, 0 down

Temjin001
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:16:47 PM
Reply

There's a whole lot of games I'm looking forward to this year. Among the hottest are Infamous 2, Skyrim (that trailer is just amazing), Mass Effect 3, Deus Ex, Uncharted 3. I'm hopeful for Rage, Motorstorm, Twisted Metal and whatever great stuff gets revealed at E3.

I want the NGP, but probably not right out of the gate. I'll let prices drop and the gaming library to expand. Make no mistake, if I had cash to burn, I'd be on board day 1.

As for my gaming update, I've been on an Assassin's Creed binge. I finished the first game. I loved the story. I gotta say, the AC games probably have the coolest stories since, since MGS? I'm not one to play games for stories, but the AC games make me stop and listen. I've been doing AC: BH which was abruptly cut short temporarily--I didn't really want to--because of the new MK. And I'm glad I took the time to try it out. It's sick as heck, but very well made. WB was definitely a turn for the better for the MK team as they had more time and resources to make it the best they could. I'm already working on a user review and I hope to have it done sometime tomorrow. Fighting games are close to my heart so I've gotta give it love.

2 up, 0 down

sirbob6
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:21:34 PM
Reply

NGP is sounding amazing. However PS3 games are more important to me so it might be a while till I pick it up.

I will probably pick up Portal 2 down the line when it is a lower cost. I enjoyed the first one and I am certain the second is good but I am saving money up for the fall.

To many games, so little time and cash

0 up, 0 down

main_event05
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:34:09 PM
Reply

Saw Prototype at the mall for $17 so i grabbed it, haven't played wanna finish Dragon Age. I just hit the 50 hour milestone. Not much else going on but I gotta ask, is it just the way I am playing DA:O or is the game designed to repeated hand you your ass. Is there some way to my party's level up that I am missing, there just doesn't seem to be a lot of fights for me to pick.

0 up, 0 down

sirbob6
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:42:40 PM

I really had no issue with DA:O, even on nightmare. I would highly suggest fine tuning your parties tactics. This made a huge differences in how much my party actually did. Also a balanced party helps.

Your party should also be close to your level, usually equal or one behind you. Two or three tops.

Last edited by sirbob6 on 4/23/2011 10:45:29 PM

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:50:26 PM

no there aren't a lot of fights, if you want to big a big shot you need to micromanage your skillsets and weapons pretty closely.

0 up, 0 down

DazeOfWar
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:53:53 PM

@sirbob6: You know I never did mess with the party tactics on my first playthrough. I think I'll do more with them this 2nd time since I did have times when most of my party would die in big fights.

0 up, 0 down

main_event05
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:56:09 PM

I should add that one huge problem with when i play RPGs i always end up focusing only on the main character and the only people who get any real play time are the people who 1st fill up the party.

0 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 4:26:13 AM

Also *who* you bring with you are of importance too, especially when they have weapons with different damage types. And like it's been said, towards the end of the game it's worth reviewing the strategy settings on the characters.

0 up, 0 down

SolidFantasy
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 10:37:00 AM

I hear ya, I was always getting my ass raped. I took the shameful rout of putting it on casual setting. I'm not to proud of it so I'll just bang it through and then go back as a different character with a little more experience on normal setting.

0 up, 0 down

aaronisbla
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:05:00 PM

It would help if you listed what class you're playing as. In my many playthroughs of it, i found the mage if used in certain ways,, to be the easiest to use as far as the main character goes. Believe it or not, they make the best tanks

0 up, 0 down

main_event05
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:09:17 PM

I'm an Elf Mage

0 up, 0 down

aaronisbla
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:05:52 PM

GREAT, ok, well have you done the Redcliffe mission where you send a mage into the fade? if not, make sure you take your lead character mage and bargain with the demon to get blood magic spec unlocked. once its unlocked, you can go back to a previous save if you want to do things differently, but that class spec remains unlocked for all game saves and future playthroughs.

At first glance, blood mages may not look like much but once you build them up they are deadly. Combined with with the Arcane Warrior class spec for your mage will make it into a walking tank that can take down most enemies by themselves. They take little to no damage, even on harder difficulties.

The only catch to making any mage go down the Arcane Warrior path is a lot of the skills Arcane uses are buff skills. Its not uncommon to have all of you buffs on (including some you may have learned from other skill trees, like flame blade ( or whatever its called, its been awhile since i last played ) and have very little mana to cast a good spell or 2.

This is circumvented by using blood magic. It allows you to cast spells but it saps life instead of mana. Arcane Warrior allows you to use your magic stat as your strength stat so you can wear the bulkiest armors, and wield swords and shields. Combined with some of the skills you learn later with Arcane, your armor rating is so high you rarely get hit. It also allows for great elemental protection.

If you need to cast a attacking spell, do so under blood magic. If you need to heal yourself, blood magic has a skill that allows you to drain an allies health to heal you. This works WELL on pets you may have out on the field, like pets a Rogue may call forth.

0 up, 0 down

aaronisbla
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:09:56 PM

Say you don't wanna go down the Arcane path. Blood Mage still makes for an excellent class spec no matter what. Key is making sure whoever is your tank is always drawing attention. Bigger armor = More aggro towards your armored ally. Allistar fills this role perfectly. Wears armor, good fighter, uses shields. Played right, enemies will always go for him first, allowing you space and time to cast spells

0 up, 0 down

DazeOfWar
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:48:39 PM
Reply

The NGP is going to be awesome. I just can't wait to get my hands on one. I'm also a little disappointed that Last Guardian won't hit this year but if it needs it to be spectacular than that's ok. I just don't understand why the Team Ico collection is delayed. That should come out this year no matter what. Oh well I'll just put the money towards Fear 3.

Here is my gaming update:

I earned the platinum in Uncharted 1 finally. So happy for that. It is my 5th platinum trophy. I finally went through Secrets of Monkey Island. Still 2 more trophies for 100%. I started the Strong Bad games tonight. Pretty funny so far. I may work on Dragon Age: Origins some more and maybe some Borderlands or just start something else. Not sure yet just depends on how I'm feeling.

1 up, 0 down

JMO_INDY
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 11:30:08 PM

Secrets of Monkey Island = Greatest Game Remake EVER!!!

1 up, 1 down

Alienange
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:25:40 AM

Indeed

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 10:53:40 PM
Reply

Since I knew TLG wouldn't make it this year I'm not bothered at all. Besides, next year needs to have SOMETHING. 2011 is like the biggest year I've seen in a long time. This way TLG will get the attention and hopefully sales it deserves.

As I wait for LA Noire I'm playing some Ar Tonelico and Two Worlds II. As soon as finals are done next month I think I'm just gonna be pale and play games inside all summer. Sick of the real world for sure.

0 up, 0 down

kraygen
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:04:04 AM

I haven't started ar tonelico yet, but I really enjoyed Two Worlds II. Definitely has some issues, but it has some of the best customization you can find.

0 up, 0 down

Qubex
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:34:19 AM

I am not overly concerned by the delay of Last Guardian... I would want it to be the best game in the PS3's crown. It will be a nice way to end off this generation for me as in 2012 I expect to be on PC and PS3, depending on the game. For the PS3 is will only be for exclusives though... games from Sony studios.

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

1 up, 0 down

Danny007
Saturday, April 23, 2011 @ 11:00:07 PM
Reply

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110423/ap_en_mu/as_obit_former_sony_president

1 up, 0 down

Killa Tequilla
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 12:08:21 AM
Reply

Has anyone noticed that when you open the web browser on your ps3 & youre on the playstation home page & you scroll left or right youll see "introducing free movies on playstation"? NO BS. Check for yourselves... What is that all about?

Last edited by Killa Tequilla on 4/24/2011 12:08:54 AM

0 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:38:49 AM

Thanks for the link,

R.I.P. former Sony president and chairman Norio Ohga

May you forever have happiness in Heaven playing my recently departed PS3.

3 up, 0 down

GuernicaReborn
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 10:01:08 AM

I know sony just launched a service called Crackle, they offer free movies and TV shows with limited advertising. I'm assuming thats what you're seeing.

1 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:48:18 PM

Yeah, Crackle's a great movie site put out by Sony that works just like Netflix, except that all the movies/shows on Crackle are FREE.

0 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:50:25 PM

"May you forever have happiness in Heaven playing my recently departed PS3. "

lol, AMAZING!

1 up, 0 down

Killa Tequilla
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 12:19:11 AM
Reply

Sony's latest update :)

"We sincerely regret that PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have been suspended, and we are working around the clock to bring them both back online. Our efforts to resolve this matter involve re-building our system to further strengthen our network infrastructure. Though this task is time-consuming, we decided it was worth the time necessary to provide the system with additional security. We thank you for your patience to date and ask for a little more while we move towards completion of this project. We will continue to give you updates as they become available."

Last edited by Killa Tequilla on 4/24/2011 12:19:32 AM

2 up, 0 down

GuernicaReborn
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 10:06:07 AM

I haven't been here or on PS3 in a couple days, been working on my car instead. This is crazy! I'm a little late to the party, but I have to go to the other gaming sites and read some comments.

Whenever something like this happens it brings out the crazy in people and those people post stuff. They're usually good for a hour or so of entertainment. People here seem to keep the crazy to a minimum, at least everyone but ___________, and even he keeps it under control for the most part.

0 up, 0 down

kraygen
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:08:39 AM
Reply

Sad news for TLG, but it's true that at least we are not going through any dry spells. I don't care how long they take as long as they do the best they possibly can.

FF Duo Decim has me more intrigued than before, there is way more to this game than I thought there would be. I thought it would be a pretty standard set up for a fighting game. Just some cut scenes in between battles, but way more to it than that and I'm really enjoying it.

Psn being down sucks for the whole beta thing, but I'm in my own little rpg worlds so it hasn't had much of an effect on me.

0 up, 0 down

Cesar_ser_4
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:30:36 AM
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I wonder, will the ngp be able to play hd videos purchased from PSN? and if they are, will we be able to output them to our tvs in 720p? that'd be nice

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Lawless SXE
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:40:18 AM

That'd be cool. How about the ability to use it as a kind of external hard drive for the PS3, with automatic updating for any new file types that you upload onto the home console upon connection?

0 up, 0 down

Alienange
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:32:31 AM
Reply

Ran through Enslaved and then got back into Fallout New Vegas. Thankfully patch 1.04 downloaded just fine and the game seems quite stable now. What else to do with the network down right?

Oh, and all those PS+ babies on the PS Blog can go shut the hell up about getting compensated.

1 up, 0 down

Qubex
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:35:22 AM

I am sure Sony will have to deal with more law suits now... it just costs them so much time and money...

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

0 up, 1 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:50:09 AM

Alienange,

Well, I haven't read any of their posts, nor do I intend to.

But with that said, I don't have PS+ yet but I think that anyone who does have it surely has a legitimate beef, & their PS+ time should certainly be extended by exactly the same amount of days that the PSN network is down for.
That's only fair.

As for all the others, the PSN has always been free, so they need to get a life & stop their bitchin' about demanding a free game, etc, etc.
I mean seriously now, Billy Preston said it right....
"Nothing from nothing leaves nothing"

1 up, 0 down

Alienange
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:50:45 AM

@ Qubex

Some might try, but their lawyers will/should point out to them that there is a disclaimer that they agreed to when they first used the PSN. One that stipulates that they use PSN "as is" and that Sony does "not warrant that the service and content will be uninterrupted."

Paying for PS+ does not remove those disclaimers and certainly doesn't give you more rights over the use of the network.

Last edited by Alienange on 4/24/2011 1:51:54 AM

2 up, 0 down

bigrailer19
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:17:15 AM

Gotta agree with alienange on this one. Any and all people asking for compensation for this are being rediculous. I only say that because this isn't like cable or the internet as far as PS+ goes. What I mean is besides special deals, early demos, betas, etc... PS+ members arent gaining anything that Non PS+ members have access too. Having access to play online is free, PS+ or not. The only thing PS+ members are missing out on right now are deals that will be there when PSN goes back up. So really their isn't much to compensate for. but extending their membership the amount of days the network is down does seem like a fair offer!

2 up, 0 down

Fane1024
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:18:30 AM

As a PS Plus subscriber, I don't see any reason for an extension. The only service that anyone has missed during the outage is access to cloud saves. So long as we get access to Tuesday's free items whenever service is restored, I don't see why anyone would feel "shorted".

ninja'd by bigrailer

Last edited by Fane1024 on 4/24/2011 2:20:15 AM

1 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:29:40 AM

OK, I stand corrected then.
I don't have PS+ yet, so I hadn't seen their disclaimer.

But maybe Sony will, just as a goodwill gesture to the PS+ users. Besides it might help to negate somewhat, all the bad press some folks are trying to give them.

BTW, I'm sure M$ has all of it's paid Astro-turfers out in force during this PSN down-time period, & working them in triple-overtime shifts to stir up crap on all the PS related fan sites.

2 up, 0 down

kraygen
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:37:32 AM

People are always trying to exploit the system and get stuff for free. I have PS+ and I don't think sony owes us anything. If the network is down 6 months, ok, I'd have a problem, but I don't see that happening.

A few days without the network to ensure a better more stable network, seems reward enough to me. People thinking they are owed something because they lost something that was free are just looking for a hand out.

3 up, 0 down

Qubex
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 10:28:41 PM

Actually Alienange... you are right! I forgot to take that into consideration. Only thing is, during the process, the brand is pulled through the dirt. Accumulatively, that may be more damaging than lawsuits in the long term...

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

1 up, 0 down

LittleBigMidget
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:02:23 AM
Reply

Rebuilding PSN? Holy crap, that must be hell having to recode the entire network again. Years of work destroyed, only now to be rebuilt in a week or less. Good luck PSN team...

2 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:19:57 AM
Reply

My PGU.....

I'm awaiting the FedEx hearse to bring my beloved Ps3 back home.
In the meantime I'm stuck having to play "the Outfit" on my Bot-Box Double 180.

But....when my PS3 arrives here next week, I'm taking it along with a big bunch of banana's right over to my local "Planet of the Apes Substation" that they've tried to disguise as a US Post Office.

And I'll wave that whole f*cking bunch of sweet delicious ripened yellow skinned primate hypnotizer's right in front of the Top Silverback's ugly kisser.

And once my hypno-fruit have his full & undivided attention, then "BAM"....I give him the "shock & awe, bait & switch" treatment of swapping out those banana's for my murdered PS3 that another one of his vine-swinging, package-smashing, 20-thumbed, poor excuse of a species, did to my machine.

I'm sure a restraining order might soon follow my upcoming tirade at them, but f*ck it!

That's only a quick 52 weeks & it will just give me plenty of time to plan out even more ways to rattle their cages all over again.

2 up, 0 down

Lawless SXE
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:37:57 AM

Make sure you don't waste those bananas. They're a rather rare commodity over here at the moment.

0 up, 0 down

LittleBigMidget
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:38:34 AM

Are you feeling well, Biker?

1 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 3:46:49 AM

Lawless,
Wow, really?

They're quite abundant over here, so I never gave it any thought.

BTW I get mine at a produce store where they're 5 LBs for a $1.50.

So how much are they there, maybe I could ship some over & get another PS3 quicker, LOL

LittleBigMidget,
I guess you must have missed my PS3 obituary & all of my recent tirades over the last 2 days against some stupid ape of a A-hole at the US Postal Service who smashed my PS3 during transit to a YLOD repair shop.

I had expected to get it back this week & be back to playing on it, but now it's broken beyond any repairs.

So no, I'm not fine & that's why all my Primate references directed towards the USPS

(Disclaimer: no offense to any real primates).

Last edited by BikerSaint on 4/24/2011 3:50:56 AM

1 up, 0 down

Lawless SXE
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 4:10:20 AM

They all got blown away in Cyclone Yasi... Good thing my boss is awesome. From what I've heard, a thirteen kilo box is going for upwards of a hundred dollars, so it wouldn't take much for you to get a new PS3 at that price.

Damn Yasi... **cked up everything. At least temporarily. Let us know when you get a new PS3, yeah?

1 up, 0 down

Clamedeus
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:34:45 PM

They smashed it to pieces? Dang, i would be pissed as well.

1 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 1:56:12 PM

Lawless,
Wow, sorry to hear about the cyclone damage. Hope you pulled through it OK.

Shame about the banana's, I love them because they're a good extra source of potassium for me.

Yeah, don't worry, cause once I get another PS3, I'll be shouting it from all the rooftops(except for any hot tin roofs, LOL)

Last edited by BikerSaint on 4/24/2011 1:56:42 PM

0 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:09:10 PM

Clamedeus,

No, not smashed to bits, but the result of the package jugglers at the USPS wound up being just as bad.

From what the repair shop had told me, plus the "damage" pictures they also sent me, the whole right side of my Phat 60(640GB) was crushed in, plus about a 2" pipe sized area of it was also pierced inward too.

The repair shop still fixed the initial "red blink of Death", but then found out while testing their repairs, that the damage caused by USPS, had killed it's A/V functions so it was actually DOA on arrival to their repair shop.
The only good news out of this is that the repair shop waived their $70 repair bill & is sending me my money back along with my PS3(minus $12 for the FedEx return shipping label).

So, even though the repair shop(Gophermods dot com) wasn't able to save my machine, I've got nothing bur good words for them as they were prompt in their correspondence about the damages, still did the original repair work in an attempt to save my PS3, and then waived the bill once they realized it was DOA.

Anyway, I should know exactly how bad the damage actually looks when I get it back this week.

Then the fight starts between me & the USPS over my claim of the $500 extra I had put on it with them.

Last edited by BikerSaint on 4/24/2011 2:22:33 PM

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Clamedeus
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:50:05 PM

That sucks dude, I never had a problem with things like that thank god, that's insane. Did they get high and start beating stuff with a bat? That's some piss poor shipping they did.

I hope you can resolve things.

Last edited by Clamedeus on 4/24/2011 2:50:27 PM

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Lawless SXE
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:36:16 AM
Reply

Damnit... All day on the water and not a single bite. Either I'm a godawful fisherman, or that's just rotten luck.

Well, TLG only ever had a tentative date, so I'm not considering it a delay, which means I can't be disappointed by the news. However, I am saddened that we won't be getting it until next year. Speaking of which, it's looking quite impressive already, and I can't wait to see what other announcements are made as the year progresses.

The NGP launch may well be one of the best in history if that news is real and those titles live up to expectations. And we must remember that that is only from first- and second-party studios. We have no idea what the other publishing companies may have in store for the NGP launch, but as with 2012, I can't wait to find out. Forward thinking is good to have, just as long as you don't lift your hopes too high.

Personal Update:
Finished reading Inferno, and am now onto Purgatory. Those poems are deep, and tempting me to try my hand at poetry. I need some strong inspiration though...
Still playing through Sly 2 and VC2, and coming close to the end of the latter. Can't wait to finish it and start on MGS: Peace Walker so that I can finally purchase Dissidia 012, The 3rd Birthday, FFIV Collection and/or Tactics Ogre without feeling overly guilty. Only then of course, each of them will take me six months to finish, so my portable gaming will be fine until well after the launch of the NGP. Doesn't mean I'm not getting one ASAP though...
Picked up Dante's Inferno and Nier earlier this week for $25 and $26 respectively, so a good pair of deals IMO.
And I'm sick of hearing about the PSN outage. It'll be back whenever it's back, so I'm going to try my hardest to resist the temptation to post any more on articles/editorials referring to it until that time.
Peace.

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Lawless SXE
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 6:03:54 AM

Oh, and before I go to bed, I wanted to ask: I'll be back in the city on Tuesday, and time permitting, I'll be visiting JB Hi-Fi, with the express purpose of picking up a JRPG (if they have anything in stock). Last time I was in there, they had Ar Tonelico Qoga, Hyperdimension Neptunia, Disgaea 3 and Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll (that I remember, there may have been more). Which of those would you mob suggest as the best option for someone who's never played one and is unsure of how I would react to it, or would suggest searching out something else in particular? Or, should I just wait until I play through Nier and WKC1&2 before deciding to take any further plunge?

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Temjin001
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 12:49:16 PM

"All day on the water and not a single bite. Either I'm a godawful fisherman, or that's just rotten luck. "

Did you practice with Sega's "Bass Fishing" before hitting water?
=p

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BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:26:06 PM

Temjin001,

Ha, I've still got my Dreamcast fishing pole controller just for such occasions.

Last edited by BikerSaint on 4/24/2011 2:27:48 PM

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Clamedeus
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:54:12 PM

I love fishing I haven't gone fishing in a long time, I might have to go out sometime and start doing it, it's very relaxing.

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bigrailer19
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 2:52:11 AM
Reply

I have been going to school a lot recently so my game time has been cut substantially. I've started playing a lot of pixel junk monsters recently again. I love that game! I've beaten it and the expansions and gotten 100% trophies, but am now tryin to rainbow all the levels! Also started playing ratchet and clank: ACiT again, havnt beat it yet. I didn't get Socom 4, portal 2, or MK like I had planned. I'll eventually get Socom 4 for sure in the next couple of weeks, I'm just a huge fan of the series. I have an urge to play through all the Prince of Persias again so I've been thinkin about getting the HD collection, so I don't have to borrow a PS2 to play them! Also love that series!

Anyways that's about all I've been up too. Other than I'd like to finish LBP2 so I can create a level or two!

Last edited by bigrailer19 on 4/24/2011 2:53:23 AM

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___________
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 3:20:31 AM
Reply

i love the song at the end of portal and portal 2 there so funny!
i really enjoyed portal 2, not as much as portal, but still a bloody fantastic game!
valve do it again!
i think i did not enjoy portal 2 as much because 1 portal was so new so that destroyed it a bit.
2 its allot more puzzle focused instead of platforming focused.
whole reason i did not like LBP2 is because it removes the platforming and replaces it with gadgets to do it for you.
portal 2 was kinda the same, instead of using gravity and portals to get from one place to another, you use springs and repulsion gel.
3 hype obviously.
i went into portal expecting little, and was so shocked by it!
portal 2 i went into expecting the world, and got most of it but not all.
4 its so repetitive!
allot of the puzzles are the same, either move this laser, move this box to a switch, use this gravity field to catch or move this.
its the same glass of water regurgitated time and time again!
awesome game, i just wish they kept the focus on platforming, and give us a little variety in the puzzles instead of just regurgitating passed ones!
the game really needs a hint system too.
as ben said in the review when you start a puzzle most of the work is figuring out where to go, once you know that its pretty easy.
i spend 99% of my time figuring out where to go, not how to get there.
allot of puzzles you look around and say where the f*cks that exit!?
they need a hint system so if you get stuck give us some hints as to what we need to do.
ok its a puzzle game, but some hints wont hurt!
its a awesome game, i just wish they kept the focus on platforming instead of using gadgets to get you where you need to go.

0 up, 4 down

Excelsior1
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 3:37:56 AM
Reply

i think the biggest story this week has got to be this psn outage. it's very frustrating to not be able to go online for days. i don't think sony has handled this very well, and that has cuased a lot of the backlash. i know the hackers cuased this but they told sony they were coming. my main concern is that sony can't stop a planned attack that's telegraphed in advance. they are taking a real beating out there. their initial silence has cuased a lot of backlash, and outcry. just an absolute pr nightmare.

anyways, i hope this outage ends soon, and sony takes a good, hard look at its network security. these attacks will continue. they also need to look at their pr department, and the way they deal with consumers. silence is not acceptable on an outage of this length.

Last edited by Excelsior1 on 4/24/2011 3:39:46 AM

4 up, 1 down

Excelsior1
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 4:05:39 AM

i just wanted to say a few final things about this psn outage. sony's updates on this situation have been few and far between creating a sense of fear of the unknown. sony stating they know its broke, and they are trying to fix it but have no clue when that will be just isn't good enough.

people might shut up if we knew what was going on. they have not really told us anything we didn't already know.

Last edited by Excelsior1 on 4/24/2011 4:12:52 AM

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Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 5:44:36 AM

By now PSN has been down for so long that I tend to agree more with you. I am starting to worry if the hackers managed to do something more damaging than we have been able to imagine. It's long overdue some real info from Sony now. I was pretty sure psn would be up again by now.

Last edited by Beamboom on 4/24/2011 5:45:20 AM

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Excelsior1
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 7:14:12 AM

@beamboom
yes their silence is worrisome, and its driving the speculatrion rampant. right now sony is only reacting to this situation. they need to get on top of this and control the message themselves. they can't do this with updates that really say nothing.

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Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 4:37:14 AM
Reply

Thanks to psn being down I finally got to complete Dragon Age 2 for the first time, and absolutely loved it. What a finish - wow. My overall rating of DA2 were increasing towards the end and all in all I think I have to rate it at the level of DA:O, it's not *that* much worse once you get over the armor/loot thing.

The shock of the week: After DA2 I also tried going back to New Vegas and do the last few things for the ending there, but meh... After playing BioWare stories for a couple of hundred hours so far this year Fallout was really a faded experience. Sadly. And I used to love Fallout! What's happened? Has I become a BioWare addict? Have I lost my ability to appreciate other RPGs? Not that it matter much so far since it's almost no RPGs released anymore anyways, but what will this mean for my ability to enjoy Skyrim?

Luckily there's ME3 in the horizon.. :)

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Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 4:37:14 AM
Reply

Regarding DA vs FA that you mention at the end, Ben: You and I seem to the exact opposites on almost everything, It's amazing!
I also tried to continue on Final Fantasy XIII this week. Now that is a game I simply do not understand. I do not comprehend! Is it a game, even? You walk forward, see a group of enemies lined up like pieces on a chess board, can't attack them even, no posisioning, no strategy, then I step on some magic border and then... The game play for you?
Then a cutscene where a bunch of... kids(?) do all-heroic speeches like they were all endings of an american action movie (in my opinion they are so over the top cliches that I cringe, is it supposed to be a joke I don't get?), then I walk forward some meters, and then I see some other chess pieces lined up, and so it goes, like a never ending loop from hell?
I sit there with my pad saying "what the heck" looking like a question mark...

I try not to disrespect the game cause all logic tells me there HAS to be something with a game series that's in its thirteenth edition. I just have never felt so alienated, so totally out of it before. Like I've entered a member only club without membership, or entered a country without passport. "You are not supposed to be here - now get out!".

Is this the all famous "jrpg" glory I hear so much about?
If so then I am definitely not japanese, to put it that way... Also, I fully understand why they would want to "westernize" themselves... I have to admit!

Last edited by Beamboom on 4/24/2011 5:07:35 AM

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Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 5:50:19 AM

... That should be "DA vs FF". Sorry for spamming but I blame the disappearing edit-button. :)

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Lawless SXE
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 6:15:57 AM

To be fair, FFXIII is widely regarded as the worst of the numbered series and may be a poor indicator of the rest of the series. I do sort of agree with you on several points, but from what I gather (I've only played XIII, but I will get around to X, X-2 and IV in time) the focus is firmly on the story and battle gameplay, with micromanagement also playing a strong role.

I thought the story of XIII was too convoluted for its own good, and ultimately unfulfilling, which is why I'm interested with where they're going to take XIII-2. The micromanagement I barely used, as it hardly seemed necessary. I mean, determining which path of the Crystarium to take was tricky at times, and I mainly used items to buff the weakest stats of my characters, rather than chopping and changing them to suit the battle conditions (although I took the latter route in Dissidia).
The battles really grabbed my attention though, as you had to employ different strategies against certain enemies. Yes, it usually came down to a battle against the Stagger bar, but getting the enemy to that point, and finding ways to exploit it was what kept me coming back. That, and I have an unhealthy habit of not giving up on anything, no matter how tedious or annoying. :P

I know I'm not really the right person to ask, but I'd suggest you pick a different game in the series and try it out. See if it changes your mind. Keep it in mind that FFXIII is NOT the pinnacle of that '"jrpg" glory'.
Peace and Goodnight. I should be back in about... seven hours.

Last edited by Lawless SXE on 4/24/2011 6:17:13 AM

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Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 6:55:30 AM

Thanks for your informative reply, Lawless.
Yeah I do realize this is not the ultimate "jrpg experience", but when I add my experience with WKC and Phantasy Star (psp) I am starting to see a pattern here, and I do not like what I see: Kids being heroes, very bad jokes, a weird mixture of chess play and action hybrid. And may I also add, girls with huge eyes always looking up on you in the cutscenes. Still being children, not sexual partners...

There's a lot of games I do not like, but with these jrpgs I can not understand why *anyone* would find this to be a good waste of time. And usually I do understand such things, at least with games rated 70+.

Last edited by Beamboom on 4/24/2011 7:03:49 AM

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Excelsior1
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 7:30:48 AM

@beamboom
i will say this in defense of ff13. i enjoyed it far more than ff12. i thought the story, characters, and even the battle system was better in ff13. i hated ff12's dull story, dull charracters, and mmo type battle system. there is strategy to be had in ff13 in setting up the right paridigms. and having the right equipment especially later in the game.

it does have problems, though. it is too linear, and the kill tubes need to go. i also did not like the emphasis on staggering an opponet. it just made me feel rushed, but i adjusted and to my surprise i ended up loving the game. it's a beautiful game with great productioin values and music.

the heroic speeches, and cut scenes are typical in a ff game. it really would not be a ff game without them. ff10 has ton of speeches, and cut scenes like that.

if you are looking for good ff that has voice acting, and turn based combat i would suggest ff10. it's a ps2 game, but i think it holds up well. it has random battles, and you can swap out characters. it's generally well regarded by the ff community.

Last edited by Excelsior1 on 4/24/2011 7:40:46 AM

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Temjin001
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 9:52:11 AM

I can't say FF13 could ever be placed below the first game =p
Last year I downloaded FF1 on the Wii's Virtual Console. I was all like, "I'm hardcore. I'm all about FF. I can do it and enjoy it."

After about 30min I was like, "I can't do this. This just plain ... sucks. I can't do this. And it's boring." *CLICK*

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Temjin001
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 10:07:00 AM

"the heroic speeches, and cut scenes are typical in a ff game. it really would not be a ff game without them. ff10 has ton of speeches, and cut scenes like that."

lol yeah, FF and it's bold heartfelt speeches. It always cracks me up and my wife. She'll hear lines from the game and antagonistically recite them with even more added drama. I know she's right every time. I always can't help but think, "who talks like that or behaves like that?"
I chalk it up to something being lost in translation between the eastern and western cultural norms.
I've come to like it, though. It's one of those eccentricities about FF ;)
Though, I will say, I prefer usually playing something that talks and behaves more "normal?" Games like Uncharted and Mass Effect talk and behave totally natural and believable to me. I can really identify and connect with the behavior and emotions of the characters in games like those.

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Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 11:14:38 AM

Hehe you got a cool wife! Yeah the right way to tackle this game is probably to have an ironic distance to it.
But I did ask myself, are these speeches supposed to be ironic? A comment on the typical all-american action hero?
It just don't look like they are joking. And if so, they are telling the same joke over and over.

Still, it does not make me any wiser, really. Cause from the sound of it around here it looks like jrpg is no less than RPG heaven, with comments about some non japanese rpgs like "well it's pretty good... for a western rpg".
I'd say it should be the other way around, with a new japanese game being "pretty good... for a jrpg"!

I had a similar experience like you with a FF game I downloaded for the PSP. I felt all hardcore too, then. Until I actually started the damn thing. :D
I don't even remember it's name now, it was so fast deleted. It was the worst spent bucks that year. But it was supposedly a very "legendary" FF game, top-down perspective where I walked along an empty path, only to be attacked out of nowhere.
In my eyes it was just meaningless randomness and ugly artwork.

So this whole investigation of mine into "jrpgs" has so far reminded me of when someone is telling a joke and everyone around me laugh out loud while I just stand there not understanding the joke at all.

Last edited by Beamboom on 4/24/2011 11:24:10 AM

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LittleBigMidget
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 4:43:57 AM
Reply

http://cdn.gamerant.com/wp-content/uploads/Grand-Theft-Auto-5-on-Wii-2.jpg

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Excelsior1
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 3:27:11 PM
Reply

i just got off the phone with sony and the told me 2 days at the earliest , and a week at the latest. they did say its definitely not coming up today. i can only imagine the beating sony will take if its down another week. i'm not optimistic...i really had pressure them on an eta as to when psn services will be restored. i don't think they really know.

Last edited by Excelsior1 on 4/24/2011 3:27:54 PM

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Beamboom
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 4:10:36 PM

I don't think they know either. And that says something about how serious this attack is.

However, I *hope* that info about our credit card details etc was nowhere near and kind of theoretical danger. Cause if so then it is a scandal of galactic proportions if they kept that a secret.

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Underdog15
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 3:27:41 PM
Reply

PGU - Haven't been missing out without PSN. Been playing through Uncharted 2, which is always fun.

Last week, I played through and platinumed Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. A little short, for my liking, but charming. Ending was lame.

Profile Picture Update - My parents flew up for a visit and took the wife and I out to dinner. This picture is of my wife and I. I've been very family focused lately with the fact we have a little one on the way this fall!! :D

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Lawless SXE
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 5:50:16 PM

Congratulations, Underdog.

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aaronisbla
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 9:16:41 PM

nice picture bro and congrats!

Last edited by aaronisbla on 4/24/2011 9:16:56 PM

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, April 25, 2011 @ 12:06:12 AM

LIES! All gamers are still in their parents' basements, wearing Batman capes!!!

...sorry. I channeled a mainstream 50 years old+ reaction.

Anyway, congrats. :)

Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 4/25/2011 12:06:18 AM

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BikerSaint
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 9:49:01 PM
Reply

Congrats to your & yours!

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swapnilgyani
Sunday, April 24, 2011 @ 10:22:17 PM
Reply

While I am disappointed about the delay of The Last Guardian, I would have no hesitation in giving TeamICO all the time in the world to create this game.

Look at Gran Turismo 5. It was undoubtedly a superb game right at launch, but there were certain troubling issues with the game then. Just 3 months and a couple of updates later, it transformed into a completely different beast! I would have gladly given Polyphony Digital 3 additional months to get today's GT5 (as opposed to November 2010's GT5) right out of the box!

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SirLoin of Beef
Monday, April 25, 2011 @ 10:52:40 AM
Reply

PGU: Have been playing through Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga on the 360. It's frustrating at times but I'm digging it for the most part.

Will be restarting inFamous after that. Had an unfortunate problem while upgrading my HD (went from the 60GB model to 500GB) and my inFamous saves are no more. I want to finish that one up before the second one comes out. From everything I've seen of it, it should be an awesome game.

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Lairfan
Monday, April 25, 2011 @ 6:47:02 PM
Reply

PGU: Having fun with Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat, and I can't wait for L.A. Noire and inFamous 2 to come out!

Also, once again I gotta say that I'm not really that bugged by TLG coming out next year. There really isn't an incredible amount of exclusives I'm interested in coming out next year, aside from the rumored GoW4 and a couple others, so TLG is a good addition for next year. Besides, IMO we have too many games coming out this year anyways.

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