And it’s pouring like cats and dogs out there! Ever since they announced the development of this video game, I have been looking forward to actually trying it out. Heavy Rain has created a lot of noise. At first glance, the plot does not seem to be much different from any other movie or show that you can see today. The central character is a serial killer that is caught up in the drama of his life. The brilliance of Heavy Rain is in how the creators blurred the lines between movies and video games. And with the power backing up gaming consoles today, I can just imagine how awesome the gaming experience will be!

SFGate describes the game in words that I just cannot shake off:

The PlayStation 3 title, which goes on sale Tuesday, invites players to step inside a beautifully crafted interactive movie, playing four characters as they grapple with moral and emotional choices that spill out from the story.

There are no points, gunbattles or traditional challenges found in video games. Instead there is a propulsive story with clear consequences to every action, including death for any of the main characters.

For some reason, I think of a modern and hi-tech version of Choose Your Own Adventure. The game is obviously very much focused on the story, making it quite intelligent, in my mind. I like to think of it as you creating your own movie but using the video game format. Now that I can get my hands on it, I just might be holing myself in for the weekend.

Tags: Heavy Rain, New Games, playstation3

Anyone who has had at two or three gaming consoles at the same time will know how irritating it can be to have to deal with all the wires associated with these toys. You also have to consider the game controllers. While the new gaming consoles have wireless controllers, the mere idea of having to buy different controllers for different consoles is not that attractive. We have no choice at the moment, however.

If Sony’s patent application is going to become a reality, though, we just might be able to use one gadget to play games using various consoles. Think PlayStation, Xbox, and the Wii. I think that they’ve also mentioned compatibility with Atari and Sega!

How is this going to work? According to the patent application, the controller will make use of an LCD screen – touch sensitive of course. This screen will display the various buttons and controls that we currently find in game controllers. Obviously, this means that the experience will not be tactile at all. It’s much like the touch screen phones and tablets in the market today. The controller will be able to store 3 different controller configurations but will display only one configuration at a time.

I can easily see how advantageous one controller for all consoles can be. However, I am not so sure about the disappearance of buttons that you can actually feel. I think the tactile experience is part of gaming, and the touch screen idea might not be well-received. Then again, that’s what many said about the iPhone.

Tags: game-controllers, gaming consoles, sony, universal remote

What do you get if you combine Rock Band and Guitar Hero? It’s simple: Band Hero. This is one of the latest titles in the plethora of video games about music, and guess who is behind it? No other than the makers of the hit video game franchise, Guitar Hero.

The first thought that came to mind when I heard of Band Hero is that why would they feel the need to create another game when Guitar Hero is still making it big? I think one of the things that gives the new game an edge is the line up of artists and songs featured. How does Adam Levine, No Doubt, Lilly Allen, and The All-American Rejects sound? I am pretty sure that the younger crowd will have more fun playing to these songs than a lot of the music featured in the Guitar Hero series.

Just like the other games, Band Hero allows multiple players to contribute their talents as different members of the band. There are a lot modes which players can choose from. I think one very interesting mode is Let’s Get this Party Started! In this mode, any player can join in at any point of the song. Players can tweak their settings in mid-song as well, making it easy for everyone to do their own things without having to worry about messing the whole production up. This is excellent for groups of people who do not have the same level of skill – and I am just thinking of my family right now!

The game is available for the XBox360 and PlayStation3, among other platforms.

Tags: Band Hero, guitar-hero, New Games, Rock Band

Not long after Sony released its much awaited PlayStation 3 Slim, video game console makers seem to have woken up from their slumber. If you thought that the video game console wars are over, think again! It’s back and in full force.

Try looking online for a video game console and you will be met with various promises and offers. This console has better hardware to give the best graphic experience. This one is the fastest. This one has awesome sounds. And so on.

More than the actual console itself, manufacturers are coming up with a plethora of hardware add-ons that promise to give gamers the best experience yet. At the most recent E3 convention in May, Sony revealed a new control system that is compatible with the PlayStation Eye. Not to be outdone, Microsoft revealed Natal, a hands-free control system. Of course, Wii had its MotionPlus.

Now we are witnessing the slashing of game console prices. The PlayStation 3 Slim already costs less than the first models. I was really taken by surprise at how low the price was! The Wii is also getting cheaper, with a 20% discount in the works.

What does this mean for us, consumers? Simple! We will have more and better choices in the near future. Looking at things from another angle, owners of the Xbox 360 and PS3 Slim are quite assured of the longevity of their consoles – it doesn’t seem like the units will be phased out for newer ones anytime soon.

Tags: Microsoft, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, PS3 Slim, sony, video game console wars, video game consoles, video games, xbox360

By now, you’ve probably gotten yourself your own PlayStation 3 Slim – the newest console to roll out of Sony’s manufacturing plants. Then again, you might be holding off on making that purchase, especially if you still have the original PS3. If you do not know it yet, my own 60G PS3 died on me early this year. Apparently, the motherboard just melted. From what I have been reading in the forums, this particular model of the PS3 is really prone to this meltdown. Lucky me.

So you would have thought that I would have gone out and immediately bought a replacement. I thought it wiser to wait for a while, and I am glad that I did! Over the weekend, when the new PS3 Slim was released, I decided to wait no longer and get myself a new toy. So how is it?

Well, it has only been several days but so far, I am more than satisfied. To be honest, though, I have not seen much improvement regarding performance and functionality. I am still doing the exact same things that I did with the original PS3. I play my games, I watch videos and TV shows, I play online, and I download content. The Blu-Ray player is just as handy as ever.

So why buy the Slim? Well, it IS slim! I still am getting used to seeing this sleek black box where a chunky shiny black box used to sit. I don’t hear any noise – seriously, nothing at all – while it is on. It doesn’t heat up (please, motherboard, don’t melt on me again), and they say it uses less power (let’s see the electric bill when it arrives).

I say get yourself one if your PS3 is due for replacement. If not, then you can wait.

Photo courtesy of Letsbuyit

Tags: gaming consoles, Playstation 3, PS3 Slim, sony

It’s a go, guys! The PlayStation 3 Slim is coming soon!!!

Amazon is now accepting pre-orders for the PS3 Slim at $299 only. What’s to rave about? It is 33 percent smaller than the original console. It is also 36 percent lighter. After having to lug the PS3 from the mall to the house, I wouldn’t mind having a smaller and lighter one! But is this all?

Nope! It does not make as much noise as the original PS3 and all the games for the slim version are in high definition. Now this will not make much of a difference if your TV sucks, so make sure you have a full 1080p screen. It also doubles as a Blu-ray player, plays DVDs, has built-in Wi-Fi, has a built-in Web browser, and has a 120GB hard drive. Not these are not really new things, but it helps that they are still part of the new console.

So is there a downside to the new console? Unfortunately, yes. For one, it does not have backward support for PS2 games. I am going to miss this a lot as I have a lot of PS2 games that I still like to play. It also has no infrared port, but that’s not really an issue for me. But that’s basically the “bad” that I can see.

For $299, it really is a good deal. The thing is, I am not sure I want to buy the first units to come out of production. That’s what I did with the original PS3 and I ended up with a lemon – the motherboard burned out a year later. I think I’ll stick to the old PS3 for now and get the slim a year or so down the road. Sound like a plan, doesn’t it?

Don’t you just love the Internet? You get to stumble upon pieces of news that you might otherwise not even hear about! Take for example this “rumor” that I discovered over at Cheap Ass Gamer.

A forum member saw a sign posted in his area of West Jordan, Utah. The sign is shown below.

If the sign is for real, then video gamers can buy new game titles for the price of used games as Gamestop or Game Crazy is offering them. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that you can make extraordinary savings if this rumor proves to be true. Other gamers in the forum have had their say about the post – many have not heard or seen of the promotion from Best Buy. A Best Buy employee adds his two cents: maybe it is market dependent. That is, not all Best Buy stores will offer the same deal.

In any case, I think that it is well worth your effort to go check out the local Best Buy PLUS the other Best Buys within your area. I went over to Gamestop to check on their latest offers for used games and found games for as low as $26.99 (Star Wars Force Unleashed PS3) and as high as $44.99 (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 360). New copies of Call of Duty 4 are being sold online anywhere from $49.99 to $53.97. $44.99 is looking pretty good to me.

Anyone knows more about this promo?

What made the Wii so popular? Before Nintendo came out with this gaming console, the “war” was practically between Sony’s PlayStation units and Microsoft’s Xbox units. Then the Wii came into the picture. Now, it is undoubtedly at the head of the race. So what made it so popular? There are probably a lot of answers to this question but the Wii-mote is definitely going to be one of the most common answers. To make the long story short, the Wii-mote has made revolutionary changes in the way we play games.

Now what would happen if the PlayStation or the Xbox had a controller much like the Wii-mote? Would it boost the sales of either gaming console? I cannot give a definitive answer BUT I am pretty sure that the people at Sony have thought about it. A lot.

In fact, the rumor is that they are releasing a PS3 controller which bears a striking resemblance to the Wii-mote, but with new developments. Yahoo Games has the story:

While Sony’s current Sixaxis PS3 controller already detects motion, its functionality is severely limited compared to the Nintendo Wii remote. According to the article, the new device will one-up the Wii controller by using tiny LED lights and a small webcam to track movement, which will apparently make for much more accurate motion-detection. This bears a striking similarity to a patent application filed by Sony in 2006, lending an air of credibility to the claim.

Can you imagine playing God of War 3 using this controller? Now all we need are 3D effects….

What is your greatest or wildest dream? For some people, it is to become the President of the United States. Others dream to become the greatest gamer of all time. Still, there are those who dream of having a video game created with them as the lead characters. I don’t know about you but the last one sounds pretty good to me. I would be forever immortalized. I would be earning money. I wouldn’t have the responsibilities that a president would have.

Anyhow, if that was 50 Cent’s dream, then it has come true. With the release of his new game, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, he really seems to be making it good in the world of video games. If you remember, he had a previous game released, 50 Cent Bulletproof. However, he seems to be more proud of the new game than the first.

In an interview with MTV, he says:

The game is an intense experience,” 50 said. It was developed by the British studio Swordfish, but it’s 50 who came up with the skull bit. “The crystal skull actually exists,” he said. “It’s a diamond, an artifact. I saw it in a magazine in Dubai. I took it and said, ‘Make this what they’re after.’ “

And if you think that this is the end of the road for 50 in terms of video games, then think again. He has mentioned other projects in the future and has even talked about being part of game development and marketing. Business savvy speaking here huh?

Though a lot of people didn’t think that the video game industry was going to be seriously affected by the economic crisis, it happened. The video game industry actually reported lower sales this quarter and I am not really surprised. After all, when it comes to the crunch, entertainment is usually the first thing to get cut off the list. At least this is the case for me. Still, video games are a good alternative to going out to watch movies and eating at restaurants. In the long run, staying at home and having video game parties will save you less.

But what about buying new video games? You would think that not many video games will be released at this point in time, knowing that majority of the people all over the world are cutting back on their spending. Still, the people at Activision have just released the fourth installment of the Guitar Hero franchise. Guitar Hero World Tour, released today, does not come cheap.

The whole package is selling for $189.99 – almost $200. In an attempt to make it more marketable, Activision is also selling cheaper versions. The game only version comes at $49.99 while the game plus guitar controller comes at $90. If you already have the old guitar controller, then you can just get the standalone version. Still, is this a time to be spending hard earned dollars on video games?

Don’t get me wrong, I am actually trying to balance my checkbook and figuring out if I could get the game. I really want it but I am not sure that my finances will permit it. Perhaps this will be my Christmas gift to myself. How about you? Are you willing to get it as soon as it hits the shelf?