God of War Collection, bitches! -
So I’m pretty sure I’ve almost beat the first God of War via the PS3. Fun stuff. My opinion remains the same. It’s cool, fun, and epic, but I wouldn’t heap the praise on in the same way that everybody else has. Still, I’m mildly committed to beating the collection by the end of the year. I never thought I’d say this, but the game might actually be too epic. Kinda like FFXII’s soundtrack.

Dragon Quest? -
Yeah, the series I don’t really care for. I’ve been playing V on the DS and strangely loving it and it’s made me had the desire to play DQVIII for the PS2. That has never happened before. If you know me, you know I’m lukewarm on that title. Weird.

Final Fantasy XIV beta -
I applied. Cross your fingers for me.

Call of Duty is fun to watch -
Seriously, I’ve wasted more hours watching my roommate play Modern Warfare 2 than most people spend playing it. I don’t know why gaming isn’t more of a spectator sport in North America.

I think I had more to say, but that’s really all I’ve been playing, and my eye hasn’t been on the news this week. Plus, I have a countdown list to get to. But anyway, I’ll leave you all with a very recent IM snippet with the one and only Riddles.

It’s important to note that I have played a notably small amount of the two games. In fact, I only tried the original God of War for about an hour and stopped because I thought it was pretty bad.

However, that was a few years ago and I think I had a headache. And since I only have headaches about once every 2 years, I think it’s safe to say that it could have affected my opinion. The point is that I am more impressed this time. The HD resolution makes a huge difference. It’s easy to say that because, unfortunately, there are a number of in-engine cutscenes that didn’t get the treatment for whatever reason and they look like crap in comparison. I’m also playing on Easy because I think I just suck at the game. I’m surprisingly good at games like Uncharted and Call of Duty, but I guess button combination games are a weak spot for me since I blow at fighting games too. Anyway, the game is fun so far, and I’m content with my purchase. If I beat it this year, I may even review it… That is if Riddles and I can ever settle on our review format.

Before I leave, The Broken Finger wrote alternate text for these thoughts, and I couldn’t make this post without sharing them with you all. In fact, I wonder if I should have just left the following post up instead. Verbatim.

“This game made me feel really bonery. Meaning, I started playing the game with no boner, but once it got underway, I had a one way ticket to Boner City.”

My back HURTS.

Can the inappropriate jokes, you clowns. My back really, really hurts and I’m not happy about it.

Regardless, I’m here to bring you the news as I always do; or whatever I manage to approximate. As Ethos mentioned earlier today (in a not-so-subtle reminder, methinks) there actually IS quite a bit of news to discuss.

So hang on to your butts, and we’ll get to it.

Modern Warfare 2 Opening Video Leaked – Controversy Likely to Follow

I almost have to wonder if this was intentional on the part of Infinity Ward or Activision. The opening gameplay segment of the  upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been leaked for the viewing pleasure of the internet.  Check it out below:

Hmm. Anything about this video alarm you? Like… the fact that the player is clearly a terrorist, gunning down innocent civilians in an airport? Just a little bit on the brutal side.

It’s obvious that this is just a temporary segment, with the purpose of developing the plot of the game. However, I have little doubt that it will be snapped up by the mass media and blown way out of proportion.

And frankly, I doubt either publisher or developer will have a problem with that.

Modern Warfare 2 Will Feature Third-Person Mode
IN that same video, an apparent third-person shooting mode was shown off. This mode was later confirmed by Activision.

Third-person mode will only be available in multiplayer matches, and only when it is specifically set in the options menu beforehand. (i.e, players will not be able to toggle first/third person viewpoints while in a match. Also, it must be set for all players in the match.)

Huh. A “leaked” video that a) announces an unexpected new game mode and b) shows off some sure-to-be-controversial footage? Well played, Activision. Well played.

God of War Collection to Hit Stores November 17

Hey, hey, hey; we finally have a release date AND a trophy list for the upcoming God of War collection for the PS3. As the title states, that release date is November 17. For those interested in the trophy list (which is quite massive) check out the Kotaku article.

The God of War collection is the two original PS2 classics re-mastered and copied to a single Blu-Ray disc. You probably knew that already, but I figured I should clarify for posterity’s sake. I’d love to pick up personally, but between Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed II, it’s yet to be seen if I’ll have the financial means.

First Brutal Legend DLC Free on PS3

Brutal Legend has a DLC pack coming out on November 5, which consists of two new maps for the game’s online multiplayer mode. (Which, in case you’re wondering, I’ve yet to test out.) The names of the maps are Circle of Tears and Death’s Fjord, and they’ll cost you 400 Microsoft Points.

However, if you, like me, have the PS3 version of Brutal Legend, you can download the pack for free for the first two weeks. Why? Nobody knows. So, instead of asking questions, I’ll just download it and be happy. I mean, I’ll probably never USE it, but it’s free so I don’t care.

Disgruntled Gamer Sues Sony over PSN Ban

Lawsuits! Lawsuits! Juicy lawsuits. Actually, this one is a bit lame, but it’s funny. Erik Estavillo, avid player of Resistance: Fall of Man originally filed suit against Sony back in June, claiming that his ban somehow violated his right of free speech. In that same suit, he asserted that his ban constituted theft of his pre-paid PSN points. Needless to say, his case was thrown out the window rather quickly.

Apparently he’s back at it, still representing himself, and appealing his garbage lawsuit. Why did I give this dumb fucker the time of day? Because this quote from the GamePolitics article is priceless:

Estavillo tells GP he is representing himself in these cases and, in light of his PSN ban, is playing the Wii (Metroid Trilogy) and Xbox 360 (Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe). Estavillo said that he loves playing as The Joker in the latter title and may be “a bit obsessed” with the character, adding, “I plan to wear a purple suit during my court trials. No joke!”

Win, win, win.

The Who to Rock Rock Band

God DAMN it. I knew eventually they were going to release a Rock Band or Guitar Hero that I care about, and here it is. Speaking to Mass Live.com, The Who’s lead singer, Roger Daltrey, let the cat out of the bag:

Q: The Beatles are the latest band to be featured in a video game, “The Beatles: Rock Band.”

A: The game, yeah, yeah, they’re going to be doing a Who one next year. There is one planned. (The idea) is fabulous. Anything that gets non-musical people interested in music is wonderful. In my opinion, music is our last true great freedom. They can burn our books, they can burn our paintings, but they can’t stop us singing and making music.

I love The Who. I have Quadrophenia playing as I type this, in fact. I happen to despise Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and the like.

If The Who: Rock Band ever does come to exist, it will represent a dire conflict of interest.

Alrighty, that’s all folks. You actually got a decent amount of news today, and you got it on time. So. Be happy!

By the way, just to set the record straight, I have not picked up Forza 3, and I won’t be doing so. Why? Because only stupid, scheming, theme-week stealing douchebags play that Forza, THAT’S why.

(grumblegrumble)

Also, the below picture will be explained…
It’s a wacky one this time, folks.
Please to enjoy.