Batman: henchman blows himself away

So, I'm starting a new campaign through Batman: Arkham Asylum's hard setting, and everything is fine and dandy so far; Batman fights thugs, Batman knocks them unconscious, rinse and repeat. When the last henchman falls, however, he's left in a very uncompromising position. One may speculate that it's a position that, left untreated, can prove fatal. Or ridiculously embarrassing.

It's one thing to get beaten up by Batman, but to land with his balls in his own mouth? That's gotta be a bit demoralizing...

The game labels all the baddies you knock out to be "unconscious" when you observe them in Detective Mode, but it's hard to imagine this particular henchman surviving the fight after landing like this. While I forgot to check for myself if he was still unconscious or deceased, it's clear that this is a Batman "fail." But I'll chalk this to the programmers for this oversight.

So more like a Batman programmers "fail."

Gaming setup #2

While playing on a nice large HD TV is very nice, the huge thing occupies our living/dining room, and is facing my wife while she's busy. While I respect her space and kindly refrain myself from playing games in her presense (long story short, I just enjoy her company), there ARE two TVs in my house.

So I decided to set up my ol' slim PS2 to the second screen and voila - gaming station #2! While it's not HD, it DOES sport component cables, so the quality still looks crisp.

Sure, I have a PS3 that's backwards compatible and I'm grateful to have luckily scored one that does, but it sometimes becomes a chore to switch between the two types of games. Having to set up the virtual memory card, change to the right controller settings, and with my slew of PS3 games to play...seperating them is probably a good thing.

Plus the new station is in a seperate room. Bad news? It's the bedroom.

No worries. I'm far from being the jerk that plays games in bed all night. Like 13 years far.

Making a list, checking it twice…gonna find out if I can beat it tonight…

You’ll find that, as you grow older and more maturer (well…at least older), there is less time to spend on your favorite video games. And unless you find the one job that allows you to play games constantly or you’re Adam Sessler, games will always be categorized near, if not, the last item on your mental list of things to do.

For me, everything else precedes games, but games will be on the agenda when there is some free time available. But even then, I’m often times left just struggling with constant pausing and disjointed gameplay due to life’s many interruptions. So I fell back to a proven method of getting things done – making a list.

It’s been reported somewhere that people that write down lists of things to accomplish reach those goals faster and more often than those that don’t physically write them down. Something about physically manifesting them to actual goals that you can check off with a pencil as you go through them. Think of it like your personal achievements/trophies list.

Scoff at it all you want, but it seems to be working. I spend some time making a quick list of things to do, then when I have time, I mark off as much as I can while I play. Then again, the goals I put aside for myself are quite small – finish one level here, complete a few golf courses there. But organizing the small nuggets of gameplay into these short goals help me maintain focus on what needs to be played.

Does this take away from enjoying the game? Not really. I’m already having fun playing, but with my objectives organized, I become more focused at what needs to be done, and waste less time just wandering around.

Give it a shot. Make a list of things you’ll need to complete next and see how it goes! Results will vary, but if you have little to nil time, this might be a good alternative.

Gamer's TV: Game Center CX

With so many good-looking games being released nowadays, it's easy to forget the retro games that started it all. Sure, there are lots of games now that use the 8-bit style to bring back the feeling of the good ol' days, but who will play the games from yester-year?

Enter Shinya Arino of Game Center CX fame. This Japanese comedian, along with a filming crew made up of Assistant Directors (or AD) and staff, plays any given game for up to one full day, trying to accomplish set challenges against any old game of the day. These games can range from an old Famicom title, to any Nintendo Disc system title, to even a PS2 or Dreamcast game back in the day.

What makes the show so captivating is Arino's rational reactions to each game as he conquers (or in some cases, fail to conquer) the challenges set before him. You not only get to visually see his frustration and exhaustion as each hour passing by takes his toll, but he constantly narrates his actions in an almost child-like innocence. Add to that the typical suspense-driven cues and black-and-white dramatic screenshots, and you have a pseudo-drama every episode - except it's still just a comedian, playing old games, and being filmed the entire time.

And it's not just Arino that captivates the audience. The games in each episode take center stage, taking us back to that particular game's flaws and quirks exclusive to that era of video games. Who doesn't remember the vague storylines, the poor hit detection, or the obscure cheats that no one would find unless they bought a strategy guide?

Despite the fact that Arino is suppose to complete the challenges on his own, he still receives assistance from his staff and AD on occasion, especially when he must return to a certain section of the game after a game over. And they provide just as much amusement as Arino does when playing as well, sometimes exceeding expectations, and other times failing just as poorly as Arino did.

In the end, you don't really need to be a gamer to enjoy the level of old-school frustration and innocence of retro games. Game Center CX is one show that you'll be glad to stop your gaming to watch.

Summer laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag...

First off, my apologies for the extreme lack of posts here. Summer has officially arrived, and with it all the energy-sapping heat rays. Overwhelmed with a sense of guilt, I vow to post something this week to recover.

But boy, the heat....

Guitar Hero...Arcade?

You would think that after a few years, most everyone would've gotten either Guitar Hero or Rock Band to play at home. So you can imagine how surprised I was when I found the arcade cabinet at my local movie theater arcade.

Upon further research, I found that the arcade version is based off a limited track list from Guitar Hero III. So, if you don't have any of the latest incarnations of these games and NO friends who own these games, I suppose 4 quarters per play is the best you can do in your local arcade.

Post-E3: Destructoid robot spotted

Found Destructoid on the scene, right before dishing out a heaping serving of whoop-ass. That attendee didn't see it coming...

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Returned from E3, still tired and weary...

Hey guys, just want to let you know I still have a few more E3 posts to put up, but resting up big time in the meantime.

Where's Waldo?

Apparently wandering around at E3...

On my way to E3...

...I passed by a familiar scene that Heroes fans should recognize - the fountain was in the end of season 1. I've seen it a number of times before, but thought it would be nice to share...enjoy!

End of E3, day 2

The day's over for the second day here, and there are still posts I'll need to get done today before I sleep. I've forgotten how tiring it is to walk the floors here...

Before I take off to grab some grub, though, I'll leave on this note: I got a chance to meet Charles "it's-a-me, Mario" Martinet! Not only that, but I got to play with him and two other Nintendo reps a couple rounds of New Super Mario Bros Wii! The kicker? He kept doing Mario's "oh-no" voice whenever he messed up! What a great way to close the day! Will post up picture of us together later (sorta wished I had the right setting on my camera at the time, though).

Moo

While I collect my notes and stamina, here's a large cow from Natsume's booth.

Who you gonna call?

That's right.

POM to the rescue!

Before I realized that I forgot to bring water from my hotel room, I just got handed a complimentary bottle of PomX on the street! Thank you street PR!!

Will still need to pick up some cheaper-than-convention-food grub before arriving, though, so will stop by Famima on the way.

Leaving to glorious E3

DSi...check. PSP...check. Camera...check. Everything fully charged...check.

So begins my one-man blogging team! Be sure to catch all my updates here AND at akiba-station.com!! I'm off!

Customized E3 room keys...classy!

I heard that hotels were customizing hotel room key cards...but I didn't know MY hotel would do it too! Freaken sweet!

Landed in LA, Pictobitted out.

Got somewhat of a rest on the flight, but not without getting in some more Pictobits gameplay. The game certainly demands a bit more agility in getting the pieces cleared, without cluttering your screen with random bits that get in the way.

The art format of the entire game makes for pleasant eye candy, even when you just peruse the menu system. The retro character reveals are just as exciting, and is enough fuel to plow onto the next level. I can see a lot of hours plunked down into this game already.

In any case, I'm heading to the hotel now to rest up for tomorrow.

Off to E3!

This will be the beginning of many weird random mobile posts that'll spawn from my Blackberry during my time at E3. As of right now, I'm awaiting my flight to LA to attend the show.

Yes, I have missed the first day of the show, but it was for unforeseen circumstances. In any case, I'll be attending the second and thrid days, and hopefully I won't be missing much. As you can tell, I have some idle time at the power station at the airport to charge up my necessities, as well as downloading Pictobits before leaving the house unit.

I'll be periodically updating my blog whenever I take noteworthy pictures, so keep checking Gameritis every now and then!

Gameritis will be at E3 this year!

I'll be down in LA next week, covering the 2nd and 3rd days of E3! And while other sites will bring you the standard news each day, I'll be covering the seedier side of E3!

Well, not really. But you can be certain that I'll be doing a lot of mobile blogging throughout the convention!

Also, I'll be accepting questions on what YOU guys want to find out on the showroom floor. Just be sure to post them at the Akiba-Station post that will be up soon!

Don't know what Akiba-Station is? Check out the Links section and check 'em out!

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