Thursday, May 30, 2013

Special Editions of Video Games!

I've recently become interested in special/collector's/limited editions of games. These sets never really interested me much before; generally I prefer to wait for titles to reach the under $30 price point unless there's a series that I'm fairly loyal to (Disgaea and GTA being primary examples).

These special editions of games are usually at a price point of around $100+ so I just leave them alone. However, I've discovered a couple recently that have been decent deals- Uncharted 3 and Max Payne 3's special editions. They both feature some pretty fun extras including statues of the main character. Haven't opened either yet, but I am quite impressed with the size of these boxes. They are HUGE!

(Unfortunately, the Uncharted box has some damage. I've tried getting an undamaged set from the seller, but it seems like they all have some dings.)

Although some of these sets drop dramatically in price, others like the Ni No Kuni Wizard's Edition skyrocket in value. It is a very big risk. Are you willing to buy a $100 set that may increase to $200+ or possibly drop to $40? It is impossible to tell where they will end up.

This isn't going to become a hobby of mine because it is just too expensive, but in the future I'll definitely watch out for special edition bargains.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Under the Dome

Just saw yet another commercial for Under the Dome, the CBS show based on the Stephen King book. It looks like a fun premise for a show, but I'm too confident that it'll be canceled to begin watching.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Xbox None: An internet connection is now required to do anything.

This will definitely be a topic for an upcoming podcast episode, but I wanted to take a second and comment on the Xbox One. There's a great article on Wired.com that features an interview with Phil Harrison, a VP from Microsoft.

Of course, there are all kinds of fancy things that the new console will be able to do, but it is taking such a giant leap backwards in the most important ways. I'm not even going to discuss the way that the system will attempt to destroy the used game market, although that is a problem- I think the even bigger problem is that the console is going to require an internet connection.

Phil Harrison attempts to pretty-up the concept of this, hoping that people won't be smart enough to see through the massive problems with it:

"So, there is a lot of anxiety about “what if my Internet connection goes down” and you don’t have connectivity for a period of time. There are a host of features which will be usable without an Internet connection — watching movies, playing certain single player games… all of which will operate offline. We expect most of the more advanced experiences, like online multiplayer games, or games which have a lot of connected features… those games won’t operate if you don’t have an Internet connection. We designed the system to take advantage of a connection to the cloud, and all that that means. But no, it’s not required that you are connected all the time, every second of every day."

I was hoping with all my heart that the rumors weren't true; having a system that requires you to have an internet connection is so problematic. For one, what if you don't want one? What about if your internet connection is down? I guess you can't play. Wait, you can play "certain single player games." What does that mean? I'm assuming it means your Xbox One is worthless if you don't have internet. Maybe there's a game of Snake or a Tetris knockoff built into the system that you can play! What happens when the console gets old and the servers are down? Wonderful, you now have an unplayable game library! Microsoft just got too greedy this time.

Normally, when a new console is about to launch, it is a super exciting event that showcases giant leaps forward rather than giant leaps backwards. I hope Sony is watching and taking notes because if they follow suit, the Wii U will be the only next gen console in my house until the others drop in price dramatically.

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2013/05/phil-harrison-xbox-one/

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

JE Funhouse Podcast Episode: Ness is EarthBound once again

Hi all! Tune in and listen to this min-episode where Cyrus has a solo chitchat about the recent news of Earthbound on the Wii u Virtual Console.

Maury! Or is it Murray?

It is always such a shock to me that so many people on Maury (Maury Povich's highbrow talk show) fail to realize how his name is pronounced. Why do so many people call him Murray? Even if someone hasn't seen the name in print, I imagine that there would be numerous prompts along the way for any guest.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Dust 514 on PS3

I was so excited to see that Dust was a free to play title on the PS3. Then I realized that it was actually a third person action game with "514" in the title. I thought it was going to be the extra pretty 2D sidescrolling action/adventure game on the Xbox 360, which I now know is titled: Dust: An Elysian Tale.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Updated Local Co-op games list

Just added some new games to the Cyrus and Raven future co-op games list. Right now, we're playing the Tell Tale Game series The Walking Dead, which isn't really a co-op game, but it is quite fun to play together. The Cave has been crossed off the list for the time being, as it is something that we've already played. Unfortunately, an update completely erased our game save and has been the catalyst for playing The Walking Dead instead.

Although The Walking Dead is a really fun, innovative experience, it will definitely be nice to approach a new title that is a little less heavy and much more action-oriented. Because it is such an engrossing experience, it requires a great deal of attention and specific timing to when we even play it. Something that can be picked up and played at any moment would be nice for next time. 

More tower defense games should have sequels.

Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault
Terraria
Far Cry 3
BattleBlock Theater
Lego Batman 2
Deathsmiles
Anomaly: Warzone Earth
Twisted Metal for PS3
Ugly Americans Apocalypsegeddon on PSN
 The Cave

Thursday, May 16, 2013

JE Funhouse Podcast Episode: Drawn to Endless Runners

Hey everyone! In our newest podcast episode, Cyrus, Raven and Roxy philosophize on their current game play including Battleblock Theatre, Draw Something 2, Injustice for the iOS, 8 bit runner, and more.

We've missed you!

Here's our address on iTunes; keep current with the show by subscribing:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/je-funhouse-we-are-what-you/id537067117