I downloaded a new demo from the PlayStation Store last weekend and got a few surprises. Talk about Echo Chrome has been circulating for quite some time now but it was not until I tried it for myself that I was able to appreciate the game. Echo Chrome is so simple when it comes to graphics. It is like comparing a child’s art doodles to a masterpiece by Picasso.

Yet it delivers a different kind of gaming experience. Imagine black and white drawings (simplistic drawings – lines and curves) in 3D. That’s it! The beauty of the game lies in the 5 different laws that apply to the world of Echo Chrome. At the beginning of the demo, you are introduced to the 5 different perspectives – I forgot what they all are (too lazy to turn the PS 3 on as I write). You have to remember these perspectives in order to succeed at the game, though.

The challenge is in you, the player, being able to manipulate the environment so as to utilize the different perspectives and guide your character through the pathways in the game. The game seems easy and simple enough – until you actually try it. I think the graphics and the simplistic explanation of the perspectives are cunningly deceptive. They give you this false sense of belief that everything is easy. Trust me, it is not – and that is the fun of it!

The game will be released for the PS3 and the PSP.

Or is it the other way around? Lego plays Batman? It doesn’t really matter, does it? What matters is that we can all be playing Lego Batman pretty soon. If you are at a loss as to what I am talking about, go back a couple of years and try to recall the Star Wars game wherein the characters were made out of Lego. It was pretty cool actually. When I first heard about it, I honestly had misgivings. I thought that it was going to be lame. As it turned out, I was wrong.

I have not seen demos of Lego Batman yet but if the Star Wars Lego is anything to go by, then this game should be just as fun. According to Alice Liang over at 1UP:

But basics aside, the dark and detailed cityscape isn’t the only thing that sets this apart from its Jedi predecessors. The fan-servicing Villain Mode allows players to run rampant in Gotham’s streets as notorious menaces like Catwoman, Joker, and Scarecrow, each with their own special abilities.

She expounds on more details:

But developer Traveller’s Tales isn’t going to let the bad guys have all of the fun. The Dynamic Duo has its own tricks: special suits. Like Batman and Robin’s gadget-filled belts, the suits allow them to do some amazingly useful things. In his Glide suit, Batman can cross long gaps, and, as you’d expect, with the help of hot air or steam vents, he can reach even longer distances and greater heights. The Sonic suit, which has the Caped Crusader holding what looks like a black bullhorn, sends out strong sonic waves that can shatter obstacles made from blue glass Lego pieces. And, of course, Batman has to have his explosives. With the Demolition suit, he can set and ignite Bat Bombs to blow up Lego objects.

This is all the information they have for now but the screenshots look pretty good. I wonder if I can get my hands on a demo version anytime soon?

We’ve always known that GTA IV would create a lot of noise and the nearer the release date is, the louder the noise will get. I know I shouldn’t have been surprised when I read several blogs announcing a pirated version GTA IV being released. Kotaku excitedly announces:

At around 11:50am Greenwich Mean Time, the PAL version of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 was ripped and leaked to various torrent sites by a ground called iCON. This would of course enable burning a copy for the home console. Meanwhile, the NTSC version is expected within the next 48 hours. YouTube clips have been popping up online of the game’s opening and early missions — but as of posting, many of the clips have been taken down. The retail release is a mere six days away. This isn’t the first GTA game leaked as San Andreas was as well. And it was leaked a week before, too.
We haven’t verified whether the 6.32 GB file really is the full game, but there are plenty of listings on torrent sites now and we contacted Rockstar for comment.

Can’t wait to see what Rockstar will say – not that I can make any use of the version as I don’t have an Xbox 360.

Another piece of news to make waves comes from Amazon, which just released the revealed the soundtrack for the game. News For Gamers lists the tunes down:

Soviet Connection (Theme from GTA IV) by Michael Hunter
Dirty New Yorker by Mobb Deep (feat. Havoc & Prodigy)
No Sex for Ben by The Rapture
No Fraid A by Munga
Where’s My Money by Busta Rhymes
I Want You by C.J.
Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh
Stand Up Jamrock by Bob Marley & The Wailers and Damian Marley
Liberty City: The Invasion by Seryoga
Vagabond by Greenskeepers
On a Journey by Electrik Funk
Nickname by Qadir
Holy Thursday by David Axelrod
War is Necessary by Nas
Zombie by Fela Kuti
5:23 (Maiden Voyage) by Global Communication

A few more days to go…

This piece of news just frustrates me! I first heard of it through Bloggey Kong and the title “Afghanistan May Ban Video Games” already got me going. When I found the link to the actual news article, believe me, my blood pressure went up!

First of all, I distinctly remember several years ago, reading about Afghans being so thankful and happy that they could finally listen to music. I can’t imagine life without music. The Afghans, during the Taliban reign, were forbidden this small thing. After the Taliban was taken down, their eyes were opened to what the rest of the world took for granted.

And now, the very same Afghans who were “liberated” from Taliban rule, are putting in place legislation that is reminiscent of what used to oppress them. I apologize if this is sounding to be a political rant – let me get back to the point. This legislation, if passed, could also ban video games from the country.

Here’s an excerpt of the article published on Pakistan Daily Times:

All I can say is that I am confused and pity the countless Afghans who consider video games as their hobby.

Only a few more weeks and GTA IV will finally be out! I am sure that countless gamers all over the world are impatiently waiting for the day that they can get their hands on the first copies of the latest in one of the greatest game franchises in the history of video gaming.

Well, here is something more to whet GTA enthusiasts’ appetites – the GTA Social Club. What is this all about? It is basically an online home to anyone who plays GTA. Here’s more information from Gaming Bits:

Grand Theft Auto IV has gone gold for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 . Take-Two CEO’s Ben Feder said GTA IV is “in production and in trucks en route to retailers” during Take-Two’s shareholders’ meeting. We’ll see how tightly retailers can keep the game under wraps. I wouldn’t be surprised that random leaks and early eBay auctions surface.

In addition to GTA IV going gold, the Rockstar Games Social Club has launched and is now taking early registrations. There’s a nice giveaway sweepstakes contest if you register before GTA IV’s release.

From the Social Club: “The Rockstar Games Social Club is now open for pre-registration. This is a members-only destination for leaderboards, statistics, tournaments, ongoing special competitions, virtual events and more for Rockstar titles beginning with the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29th. Register your membership now to set up your profile and ensure that you will be able to check your stats and participate on day one of game release.”

Register on the Social Club website before the release of GTA IV (4/29/08) and you’ll be entered for a chance to have your portrait illustrated by Rockstar Games in “Grand Theft Auto style.” One Grand Prize Winner will be selected.

I scrambled to pre-register in the hopes that I would be one of the first to do so. Unfortunately, I was way up in the 20 something thousand…still, I have the chance to get my portrait drawn!

I never thought I would see this day – I was wrong. It seems that video games are becoming that prevalent that real life rock bands are seeing them as a good venue for releasing their singles. Well, at least one specific video game – Rock Band. I remember way back in the day when radio was the main means of releasing songs. Not anymore!

In an unprecedented move, rock icon Motley Crue is set to release their newest single “Saints of Los Angeles” through the video game Rock Band. This single is available for download through Xbox Live or the PlayStation Store. Of course, it isn’t for free, but the price is quite reasonable at 99 cents.

Motley Crue is not the only band that is going down this path. Def Leppard, another 80s favorite, is set to release their new single entitled “Nine Lives.” The band, however, chose another video game for their venue. Guitar Hero III enthusiasts will be able to download this latest single from Xbox Live on April 24 and from the PlayStation Store on May 8.

But wait – there’s more! There are rumors going around that Metallica has something in the works for Rock Band as well. Though nothing has been substantiated as of yet, it seems that the band just might release their new single through Rock Band as well.

I don’t know about you, but I think that this is quite revolutionary and presents a lot of exciting possibilities for musicians and their fans.

These words always make me perk up in anticipation – undocumented, PS3, and unveiled. Put together, they simply mean that there is something new and exciting that I can do with my PS3, right? Well, let’s say almost always. In this case, I was a bit disappointed when I read the post in PS3 Vault – the title held so much potential!

So what is it all about?

Apparently, someone has discovered a way to blow out the dust that tends to accumulate inside the PS3 casing and the fan. If you do this, you just might extend your PS3’s life – if only because you have removed all the accumulated dust inside. Another perk – well, it depends on your perspective, really – is that you can make your PS3 sound like an Xbox360. (Really now, though, who would want that?;))

Anyhow, here is the video that is being circulated on YouTube. Oh, by the way, this only works for the 40GB version and not on anything else.

Who says casual games are way too easy and have no story line at all? If you think this way, then you haven’t played too many casual games at all. I think that one of the more task oriented casual games that I have played is Hot Dish. I just got a copy from a friend a few weeks ago and I was immediately hooked.

As the name implies, you get to pretend that you are an up and coming chef. You go through several different restaurants – from Italian to Asian to French. The hard part is managing your time when you have to make 3 dishes at the same time. The game play is quite complicated, simply because of the way you have to manipulate your mouse.

The task windows tells you what you have to do and there are small icons which indicate the action – click, move the mouse up and down, left to right, clockwise motion, etc. Clicking is easy and so are the up-down and left-right motions. What irks me is that I have tons of problems with the clockwise motion (used for stirring, mixing, and grinding). It seems that it’s not only me who has this problem – people at Casualicious had the same problem.

Anyhow, you can purchase recipes as you go along as you will be awarded stars depending on the judgment of the food critic after each meal that you serve. I am honestly stuck on the French level – I just have to finish the last meal and I need 42 stars to get past it but I keep getting only 40 or 38. Help anyone?

Those of us who have had the PS3 for quite some time now would think back to the day that we first turned the console on and held the Six Axis controller in our hands. I don’t know about you, but I still remember that day clearly. I was certainly not one of the first people to have gotten a PS3 unit but that didn’t take anything away from my first experience with my PS3. Though the Six Axis controller was not a DualShock, it did serve its purpose. Well, actually in my case, it still is serving its purpose.

Still, the news from Sony that they are discontinuing production of the Six Axis controller due to the release of the DualShock 3 controller last week was most welcome! I can just imagine playing tons of PS3 games with this new controller – just like the one I had for the PS2, but which, I am sure is definitely going to be better!

Of course, some of you may have had your heyday with the DualShock already as units have been on sale on Gamestop since the beginning of this month. Some people have also claimed to have bought their controllers from Japan earlier this year – I am not quite sure about that. What I know is that those who have already experienced these new controllers for the PS3 have said nothing but good things – heavier, more stable, better performance, and so on. So what are we all waiting for? DualShock, here we come!

Well, if Metsbrotha is to be believed, then yes this baseball video game is the best there is. Here is what he has to say:

For you baseball fans with Playstation 3s, I strongly suggest walking down to your nearest Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart or wherever you buy your video games from - and do yourselves a favor and pick up MLB ‘08 The Show. Simply put, this game is the most realistic baseball game I have ever played. It’s sick.

For starters, the graphics are amazing. The stadium recreations are top notch and the player movements are as real as they come. For example, if you play a game at Shea, there are cranes working on a half-done CitiField in the background. Sick.

It actually really FEELS like you are playing a baseball game, which is why I like it so much. Not since Baseball Stars on NES have I enjoyed playing a video baseball game.

Check out the YouTube video below and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I apologize in advance as the vid shows Pedro and the Mets losing to the Braves (which we all know will never happen lol). Notice how Pedro’s windup and pitching style is recreated EXACTLY in the game. Sick.

I have not really played the whole version of the game as I have only tried the demo but from what I have experienced, it does indeed have the potential to be the best baseball video game in my book. So why haven’t I bought my own copy yet? Simply because I am not really into baseball for video games. If you are, though, you might want to check it out for yourself.