Windows 8 Released October 27, 2012

Yesterday, Microsoft released their latest operating system for the PC.  Windows 8 promises to bring a whole new interface and widen all the capabilities of what a PC can do, like make full use of touch and gesture based systems.  Microsoft SmartGlass, which enhances the capabilities of the Xbox 360 and allows for second-screen possibilities while using SmartGlass compliant games and apps, is included with Windows 8.  SmartGlass is supposedly also out for Android phones, but has not yet been released for iOS devices yet, although that is expected to be coming soon.

Microsoft promises that if a computer is capable of running Vista or 7, it should be Windows 8 compatible.  64-Bit operating systems running Windows 7 should be able to simply upgrade to Windows 8.  32-Bit operating systems probably will need to do a backup and clean installation.

A new and upgrade copy of Windows 8 Pro is out now for the price of $69-$79.99 US.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Part 4 October 26, 2012

It’s Friday and that means that the fourth part of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn has been released to Machinima Prime and Halo Waypoint!

For those of you who would prefer to watch the video in the comfort of your own couch, you can watch it through the Halo Waypoint app on your Xbox 360.  If you can’t wait that long, just check it out below, courtesy of Machinima Prime!

Not enough?  Come back next Friday for the next part!

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn will release its feature-length director’s cut with the Halo 4 Limited Edition November 6th, 2012.  It is also expected to come to Blu-Ray Disc in December.

Paper Mario Sticker Star 3DS Trailer October 26, 2012

The Paper Mario series has been a long-standing tradition since the Nintendo 64 days.  In fact, the original game’s commercial made it into my Top 10 Video Game Commercials video a while ago.  Well, the series is back and it will be continuing on the 3DS, in fact its presentation during this year’s E3 3DS show gave me another reason to pick up the 3DS XL.

Well, here is the latest trailer for Paper Mario Sticker Star.  Enjoy!

Paper Mario Sticker Star is coming November 11th, 2012 exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS.  The game is coming to retail and will be downloadable through the Nintendo eShop.

Silent Hill Day – Linkara’s Reviews October 25, 2012

As we wrap up Silent Hill Day here on gamexcess.net lets take a quick assessment of everything we’ve talked about.  We’ve talked about the movies.  We’ve talked about the games.  We’ve even talked about the theme park attractions.  Now, lets talk about the comics!

Lewis Lovhaug, better known to the internet as Linkara, is the creator of Atop the Fourth Wall, a comic review site which is a staple of That Guy with the Glasses.  He is probably one of the greatest comic book reviewers on the internet.  His ability to point out inconsistencies and mistakes in the story, mostly due to bad writers, is the best that I’ve ever seen, and it keeps me coming back to his site each and every week.

Lets start with he beginning shall we?  The first Silent Hill related comic book review he had done was for Silent Hill: Dying Inside.  A comic miniseries where a story was explored that had nothing to do with the games and was completely inconsistent with the town we all knew and loved, well, except for the appearances of some of the monsters.

The videos are arranged in three-part series.  In the first part he reviews the first two issues and you can watch it here, in the second part he reviews parts three and four and you can watch that here, and in the final part he reviews the fifth and final issue and you can watch that here.  If  you’re interested in seeing any alternate endings to the video series you can watch them here for some laughs.

I watched his review very shortly after completing Silent Hill 2 for the first time and thought the opening bit he did for the second part where he perfectly parodied the SH2 opening cinematic needed to be seen by anyone who played that game.  I’ve been told that some of the issues from Dying Inside have been digitized and are included in The Silent Hill Experience UMD Video for the PSP in case you’re interested in checking out the series for yourself, or you can just look for the graphic novel.

The Silent Hill series quickly became a Halloween staple of his site.  The next Halloween, he reviewed the direct sequel series to Silent Hill: Dying Inside, Silent Hill: Dead/Alive.  Like with the previous review he reviewed the miniseries in three parts.  Part 1 included issues 1 and 2 and you can watch it here, Part 2 reviewed issues 3 and 4 and you can watch it here, and finally Part 3 reviewed issue 5 and you can watch that here.  Yes, there are alternate endings to this series as well and you can watch them here.

However, that wasn’t the end of Silent Hill comics.  In fact, Silent Hill: Dead/Alive referenced several other Silent Hill comic series we hadn’t seen yet.  Last October, Linkara reviewed the other Silent Hill comics that took place between Dying Inside and Dead/Alive.  They were smaller in length, so only one video was devoted to each individual story.  Silent Hill: Paint it Black is reviewed here,  Silent Hill: Among The Damned is reviewed here, and Silent Hill: The Grinning Man is reviewed here.

But don’t think that Linkara hated all of the Silent Hill comics.  There actually was a series that he liked a lot, and that was Silent Hill: Sinner’s Reward.  You can check out his review of Sinner’s Reward here.  Since it is a good comic, it didn’t merit an entire review (he usually reserves reviews for bad comics) but what is interesting about the video is he talks about just why this series worked where the other ones failed so badly.

Unfortunately  Linkara has decided not to review any Silent Hill comics this Halloween and is instead focusing on The Thing.  However, he did check out Silent Hill: Past Life in a new series he’s been doing on his site, Long Box of the Damned.  You can watch that video here.

And that just about wraps up Silent Hill Day today on gamexcess.net!  Hope you’ve all enjoyed it, be it if you’re just a casual fan, a new fan, or a fan of the series since the beginning.  And even if you’re not a fan or someone you has never played or even heard of Silent Hill, I hope you’ve found something you’ve enjoyed!  Have a wonderful day!

Silent Hill Day – The Game Den October 25, 2012

Dena Natali, who goes by the internet alias Cyborcat, has a fantastic channel where she reviews all kinds of movies and video games for quite some time.  She is a HUGE Silent Hill fan, and has done some amazing reviews of the games.

One of the first game reviews of her that I had seen was her review for Silent Hill 4: The Room, a game that I have not yet had the pleasure to play or even own yet.  I remember seeing it previewed at E3 2004, and hearing that the reviews of it had been mixed, but not much else about the game’s content or story, other than it was about a guy…trapped in a room.

Just be aware, there’s going to be spoilers in these reviews, but she is pretty good about saying exactly when in the videos the spoilers are coming.

For the purposes of space, here’s the first part of that review.  Her entire Silent Hill 4 review ran a whopping FIVE parts.

If you’re interested in watching the other parts of her Silent Hill 4: The Room review, you can watch Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, and Part 5 here.

Silent Hill 4: The Room was not her only Silent Hill game review.  In fact, we barely scratched the surface.  So lets turn back the clock and show the first Silent Hill game released for the Playstation 2.  This has been considered by many to be the finest Silent Hill game ever made and I’ve been playing it non stop for weeks now.  Of course I’m talking about Silent Hill 2.

If you want to watch the rest of the review.  Part 2 is here.  Part 3 is here.  And you can watch Part 4a here and Part 4b here.  Just take a note when you’re watching Part 4a on a non computer device as I had problems watching it on my mobile phone.

There’s also a review for Silent Hill 3, and for someone who hasn’t played that game yet, it hits every single reason why I should be playing it.  Here’s Part 1.

You can also check out Part 2 here.  Part 3 is here.  Part 4 is here.  Part 5 is here.

Her Silent Hill reviews weren’t just restricted to the to the original four.  She has also reviewed some of the more recent Silent Hill games made by American development houses.

If you’re interested in watching her review of Silent Hill: 0rigins, you can check it out here.

She has also done a Let’s Play of Silent Hill: Shattered Dimensions.  If you’re interested in checking that out, you can view the entire playlist here.  If you prefer something shorter, you can check out her review below.

And finally, here’s a review of Silent Hill: Homecoming, the first Silent Hill game made for this generation of consoles.  It’s had a…mixed reception, but the review is fantastic.

Wow, that’s a lot of videos isn’t it?  You can check out more of Dena Natali’s reviews on That Guy with the Glasses, or her YouTube Channel.

Keep tuned to gamexcess.net for more content on Silent Hill Day!

Silent Hill Day – Halloween Horror Nights Walkthrough October 25, 2012

As the site reported on earlier, Universal Studios is doing a special Halloween Horror Nights promotion in the days leading up to October 31st.  They are offering all kinds of special haunted trails which guests can explore to their terrorfied delight.  Each trail has its own theme and they range from the classic monsters from the early Universal Pictures, to trails themed from AMC’s show The Walking Dead.

Well, there is also a Silent Hill themed trail in the parks, and they look fantastic.  Modeled not just after the games but also the movies and graphic novels, both Universal Orlando and Universal Hollywood have their own unique trail that you can explore.  Well, since they’re not going to be up forever, take a look at them for yourselves!

Here’s a highly detailed look at the Universal Orlando Silent Hill trail, taken when the lights are turned on.

And here’s a look at the Universal Hollywood trail, taken during live conditions.

Fantastic works of craftsmanship, Universal.  You really went all out.  Now if only you’ll sell those Silent Hill t-shirts online.

If you would like tickets or special VIP access to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights while the event is still going on, you can buy them on the official site.

Silent Hill Day – Silent Hill Revelation 3D October 25, 2012

Tonight, the second Silent Hill movie is going to be released to theaters and IMAX in 3D, Silent Hill Revelation 3D.  From the looks of it, the movie appears to be a direct adaptation, both in story and in art style to Silent Hill 3.  It even shares the music from the games.

I really don’t know what more to say about it other than to show this trailer.

Silent Hill Revelation 3D is premiering midnight tonight in theatres and IMAX.

For those of you interested in watching the original movie, you can find it on DVD and Blu-Ray Disc.  If you prefer to stream it, it is being offered on Crackle and through Crackle supported devices, but I have not been able to get it to stream properly on my Xbox 360 for some reason.