Zero Punctuation Review: Overkilling on the Bloody Sand

Because I took an extra-long "Lazy Wednesday" last week, for today's "Lazy Thursday" here are two video reviews from Yahtzee's Zero Punctuation - House of the Dead: Overkill, and 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand.

Between the two, it's hard to believe that the House of the Dead game has more F-Bombs than 50 Cent's.

Clearly NSFW below. Enjoy!

House of the Dead: Overkill


50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

Street Fighter 4...finished! As far as I'm concerned.

It's not the most glamorous victory, but I'm stamping "finished" on Street Fighter IV simply because I was able to beat the game with one character on the easiest setting with only one round matches and the credits rolled soon after. I've even played a few random online matches and won my first one (after I lost, like, the first 10).

I think, up until the game's release, I was rather tepid about the game overall. It wasn't until I got my hands on the controls that I realized it played almost exactly like Street Fighter II Turbo Championship Edition, back in the SNES days. Soon after a few rounds of fighting, I knew I had to get the game again.

Oh, I'm far from being a threat to other players...but at least I can make a dent before going down.

Burnout Paradise...finished!

After all the crashes, races, and road rages, I've finally acquired my Burnout License, triggering the rolling credits, and officially marking my "finished" stamp on Burnout Paradise.

Like Rock Band 2, this is not a game where I can truly put the controller down feeling satisfied. There are still more things to unlock, a few more trophies to acquire. Plus, there will still be days where I'll feel like shit, where I'll feel so angry that the only thing that will feel good is a bit of road rage on the virtual asphalt.

And leave it to me to just figure out how to customize my soundtrack right before I got the credits to roll. Whatever music is playing becomes your end-game music. So I got to enjoy my end credits listening to Katy Perry. Swell.

A Space Invaders music video

Got this from my friend Dave in Facebook - a kick-ass music video from artist Royksopp for their upcoming album "Junior."

This screams "epic win" in my book. Enjoy!

Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo.

Prince of Persia Epilogue...finished! (Already??)

And within that 2-3 hours of guaranteed gameplay (which I was quite surprised they were so accurate on), the Prince of Persia Epilogue was done surprisingly quick. And I was done with the original game not too long ago, too.

I guess that brought some closure...emphasis on "some." Some of the added gameplay features, like the ability to be on the offensive from far away distances was a nice touch and changed up my battle tactics. Overall, it's a new section of an elaborate playground for me to run around in, while getting some trophies during the process.

But the $10 price tag seemed a bit much for the extra stuff. Despite the added skins for both the prince and princess, it should've went for less than $10. Even $8 would've been more reasonable. Nevertheless, if you enjoyed the original game, the Epilogue should quench some of that end-game thirst. Besides, as long as you didn't pay full-price for it, it's not such a bad purchase.

Send To Phone

A Street Fighter IV birthday

As a belated birthday gift, my wife gets me a copy of Street Fighter IV, and the collector's edition, no less! I was interesting in just the game, so I was pleasantly surprised by the extra goodies!

As to whether or not my skill level has improved since I got the game? I still get my ass whooped by the CPU on the easiest setting. And I got a sore thumb to prove it. I've still yet to try my hand at battling other people online, but best to practice up and at least give some strangers a run for their money.

A rare find - Megaman 9 Press Kit!!

During a visit to this year's Wonder Con, I found Capcom holding a booth displaying their games and wares to the public, as well as selling their products with no sales tax. Amongst all the Phoenix Wright and Street Fighter games, I found a few stray copies of their Megaman 9 Press Kits lying around! Sure enough, they were on sale during the convention, so I couldn't help but snag myself a copy!

If you're not familiar with these press kits, these faux game boxes contain a hollowed-out NES cartridge with a mini cd inside filled with Megaman 9 art assets and screenshots. Originally given to the press for free as promotional items, Capcom made about 200 of them available to the public for $50 a piece - which sold out fast. So, paying for one without any sales tax or shipping is a real steal!

The nostalgia value of this is through the roof. Even showing it to a friend, he felt like a little kid holding it. The jury is still out on whether or not I break the seal to view its contents, but in the meantime, I'm just happy to have it in my hands.

Now excuse me while I hold it again....aaaaaaaaaah.

Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? arrives

Categorize this in the "late arrivals" section simply because I forgot to report it, but the latest NIS title to arrive at my doorstop came to me probably sometime early last week - Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?

Don't let the fact that it's not an RPG fool you - this game is just as challenging as any other NIS RPG out there. With maniacally-created levels, strategically-placed enemies, and only 1000 lives at your disposal from start to finish, this game will wear you down in a heartbeat.

Want to read what I thought of the game? Check it out at Akiba-Station!

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Zero Punctuation review: Spiderman: Web of Shadows

Seeing that Yahtzee doesn't want to review anything with a number appended to the end of its title, it went back a year and reviewed Spiderman: Web of Shadows.

Yeah...that came out of left field for me, too.

NSFW below, enjoy!

Prince of Persia...finished!

Given a game like Prince of Persia where you cannot die has its benefits and disadvantages. The key benefit is that you're not entirely discouraged when you perform a misstep, and can immediately try again from where you left off. One of the major disadvantages is that gameplay is shortened since there is no fear for failure.

Despite that, the pure benefit, at least to me, of not dying is to be able to play the game as how the original plot designer intended - with no breaks to the story due to "lives" or "continues." For me, this is about as true to an interactive movie as a game can get, all while still giving the player full interactivity of the game.

This game is definitely one of those where I wouldn't mind playing again, simply because of the game's flow and beautiful 1080p graphics. And with another Epilogue expansion coming very soon with at least 3 more hours of playable content, I'm good as ready to jump right back into the desert.

Zero Punctuation review: F.E.A.R. 2

This week's "Lazy Thursday" brings F.E.A.R. 2 into Yahtzee's arena in this week's Zero Punctuation. I presume the sequel is as shallow as its appended "2" to the original title, since Yahtzee didn't seem to fancy it as well. According to him, if you've played the first one, you've played the sequel.

Fortunately, Yahtzee has much more to rant about than that. NSFW below!

Paying my last respects...

Upon visiting the doomed PlayStation Store, I happened to find this lonely PS2 station appropriately left on the game over screen.

The only difference between how I found it to the picture above was that the words "restart from last checkpoint" were highlighted.

In true mourning fashion, I reached out to the controller and selected "quit game."

You were my break room from SF, my launch event where I got Jet Li's autograph, and my place where I finally purchased my PS3.

But now, you have no more lives left, and you're out of continues.

In other words, PlayStation Store...you are dead.

Zero Punctuation review: Skate 2

Ever determined to post on a "Lazy Wednesday," here's this week's Zero Punctuation for you - a review on a game I just recently acquired, Skate 2.

Granted, skateboarding isn't Yahtzee's cup of tea, but he knows that. Even so, he still does his "job" and gives the game his own wit and charm.

Oh, who am I kidding? He rips it a new one.

NSFW below. Click and enjoy!

Little Big Planet...finished!

This was actually done a few weeks ago, but I finished the main story mode in Little Big Planet. Like Rock Band 2, this is about as complete as I can do in a game that has a much lengthier replay value. There are a few levels that I'd like to construct, and even more that I'd like to play.

Unfortunately, all that takes time. And as a gamer, time is not on my side.

Rock Band 2 (tour)...finished!

Rock Band 2 is not the type of game I could really classify as "completing," simply because there's always something new to play or compete in. Which is why I'm putting a "finished" stamp on the game for just finishing the world tour, which would technically count since the credits rolled right after.

It's gonna take me more time to master the drums and start earning some of the harder-to-achieve trophies within, though. Couple that with the constant stream of new songs to download, and you have a game that I'll always return to for more.

Prince of Persia added to collection

What's this? Another game? So fast? Are you kidding??

I can at least say I played and completed the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. I can't say the same for the second and third installments of that trilogy, but it's good to know that the new Prince of Persia is starting all over with a new story and new system. And that is part of the reason why I now have a copy of the game in my house.

That, and it was on sale.

In any case, adding this to the growing pile isn't helping my playthroughs much...

Skate 2 and the evolution from Tony Hawk

Games are a great escape, but more and more the line between them and reality are blurring more and more. Pressing buttons to perform actions is such a backseat in many of the games that we play that it has had to evolve to literally get people off their seat. Wii was the most prominent influence toward this new generation of games that involve bodily movement, making players literally swing a racket or golf club to perform well in their games. Rock Band has also forced players out of their seats and really get involved with the music they love as well, potentially increasing their fondness for real instruments.

And, on a smaller scale, Skate has taken out the conventional button-input commands towards a more spontaneous flick of the analog sticks.

When the first Skate came out, I admit that the new control scheme scared me. I just stopped playing the Tony Hawk games, and was still used to button-mashing every single move while I made ridiculous air. It's not until Skate 2 where I decided to return to my video-game-skateboarding roots.

Now the controls feel more natural, the tricks look more realistic, and the bails look incredibly painful. All in all, yet another game added to my ever-growing PS3 library.

Zero Punctuation review: Thief: The Dark Project

For today's late "Lazy Thursday" post, we have Yahtzee do something he hasn't done in a while - express praise for a game, reviewing Thief: The Dark Project.

Long time fans of Zero Punctuation has probably heard the witty Australian mention Thief here and there when referencing a good game, and this week he tells us why he enjoys the game so. But it's still Yahtzee, so he still can't help stuffing in any penis or poop references during the process.

Enjoy the NSFW review below!

Zero Punctuation review: Little Big Planet

It's another "Lazy Thursday" (which should be "Lazy Wednesday," but I've been a bit laggy lately), and this week's Zero Punctuation review is on Little Big Planet for the PS3.

The review is standard Yahtzee fare, but there's some "cheeky" stuff in the middle.

You'll see.

NSFW below, obviously. Enjoy!

New games acquired over the weekend

Something old, something new...

Hot Shots Golf has had a solid run when it comes to playing an enjoyable golf game in an arcade-like setting, and the Out of Bounds PS3 version is no different. One of the few PS3-only games that I wanted to get, now finally in my house. Fore!!

And for my PSP, another music game to tap my fingers to. DJ Max Fever hopefully will fill the "portable Beatmania" gap in my heart, combined with anime graphics and hip Korean beats. I enjoy my English, Japanese, and Chinese beats, so this should be right up my alley.

Oh, and leave it to a new PSP game to remind you that you need to update your PSP firmware. Thanks, Sony.