Posts Tagged With 'Xbox'

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Epic New Project to be Revealed on March 27th

Epic New Project to be Revealed on March 27th
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Warren Spector and Disney France have sent out invitations for a March 27th announcement of an “EPIC PROJECT”.   Rumors state that the announcement will reveal Epic Mickey 2, however other rumors hint that Epic Ducktales could be announced.

I have not played Epic Mickey yet, but it is definitely on my list.  As most of you know, I am a Kingdom Hearts Fanboy and have come to love the slightly mysterious and edgy Mickey in the series.  I think that is why I have not picked up my copy of Epic Mickey yet, I am afraid I will be disappointed that Mickey will not live up to my current expectations of him.

The rumor of an Epic Ducktales is also very exciting!  I was a devout fan of the series, and loved the original NES game.  Throw a little Darkwing duck in there, and I will be in Heaven!

The rumors of Epic Mickey 2 started spreading in January.  Other rumors include a split screen 2 player mode as well as availability on Xbox 360, PlaySatation 3 and Wii.  regardless of the announcement, I have a renewed urge to play Epic Mickey.  what is your review on the original Epic Mickey, and are you excited about a sequel?  And if Epic Ducktales is not announced, who is with me to start a petition to get it in development!?

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Posted by Essel Pratt 15.03.2012 in All
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Would New Games for Old Systems Really Be That Bad?

Would New Games for Old Systems Really Be That Bad?

Recently, Dan posted an article about a new Super Nintendo game in development.  As I read the article I felt a chill of excitement run down my spine and started thinking, would this really be a bad idea if it continued?

I know that a lot of people out there will be against it.  They will tell us that Emulators and downloads from the console specific stores are their choice of playing games from old systems.  However, for me at least, it is never the same unless you are playing on the original system.  The pain of Nintendo Thumb as you are dominating the tough bosses, or the frustration of violently blowing into games in an effort to get them to play, made games just seemed more than games, they were something that you became part of.  I have tried emulators, and downloads from the shops and I am not against it at all.  I just feel that the nostalgic feel of the controller and classic look of the old cartridges are superior in some sense.

But would it really be that bad to release new games for old consoles?  There are currently many systems out there, such as the Retron 3 NES SNES & Sega System, that will play old school games.  And there are plenty of used systems that sell very cheap on various sites across the web. I actually think this would be a great test market for new games as well as expanding the story of current or future games.

There are some that argue the games would be horrible because the graphics are inferior to today’s graphics and the music would be annoying in an 8-bit format.  My response would be that graphics and sound are cool and help draw you into a game, but let’s face it…the game is all about the story.  If Mario Kart 7 played Barbie Girl on a loop in the background, I would just mute the volume and turn on the radio.

Now, $60.00 would be too expensive for a game of the retro quality, bit $20-$25 US would be appropriate.  If this had the backing of either the system consoles or the development companies the price could be low enough and the talent would be available to create a quality product.  Sega could get back to their roots and create some awesome games, Nintendo could reintroduce some old/forgotten characters, and Sony/Microsoft could even pick up some of the games from other “lost” systems.  I actually think that this would be a great way for future game developers (fresh out of school) to get their foot in the door to work on newer high res games.

What are your thoughts, would you expand your retro console collection with new games?  If so, what new games would you like to see get the retro makeover?

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Posted by Essel Pratt 05.03.2012 in All
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Is Your Wii/Kinect/PlayStation®Move Really Helping You stay Fit?

Is Your Wii/Kinect/PlayStation®Move Really Helping You stay Fit?

I have to admit, I bought my Wii for two reasons.  The first being for me and my kids to play the games and enjoy our time together.  The second was to experience the interactive gaming experience and possibly lose a little weight and become a bit more healthy.

When I first hooked it up and turned it on I tried out Wii Sports.  It was amazing!  I tried all of the events and found that after boxing, I was sweating and my arms felt like rubber.  The next day I was sore.  When Wii Fit came out, I purchased it and had minimal results.  Now the Wii Fit board sits under my TV cabinet with a visible layer of dust.

Next I bought Kinect for my Xbox 360.  I really like that there are no controllers to mess with, but still find that I do not use it that much.  My kids play all of the various dance games, but I would not say that they break a sweat.  As for the Playstation Move, I never really had an interest in it, so I can’t really give an opinion on it.

Recently, a local news broadcast reported that their independent studies have shown that Motion active video games do not necessarily help you lose weight.  Their finding showed that half of the kids and adults sat down while playing Wii, and those that were active tend to snack and “relax” afterwards. 

The study found, “There was no evidence that children receiving the active video games were more active in general, or at any time, than children receiving the inactive video games, suggesting no public health benefit.”

Although I probably have fit into the same category as the majority of the subjects in the study, I would argue that there are some out there that do use their active devices in their weight loss and fitness routines successfully.  Do you have any success stories with any of the devices?

Posted by Essel Pratt 29.02.2012 in All
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