Things To Do While Waiting for Bravely Default February 3, 2014

If you’re planning to pick up Bravely Default on the 3DS when it gets released later on this week I recommend downloading the game’s demo off the Nintendo eShop before giving the full version a try.  It covers a portion of the game that’s not in the full version and depending on how far you progress in the demo, you can unlock items that will carry over to the full game.

If you want access to some of the best items and equipment the demo offers, you’re going to need to check out the demo’s SmartPhone inspired mini game, and restore the town of Norande.  It can be accessed by tapping on the arrow on the left side of the lower 3DS screen, and clicking on the icon that looks a little bit like a house from the menu that just opened up.  In the Norende minigame, you assign workers to complete various tasks that need to be done, like clearning rocks which will allow you to work on new areas or building and upgrading shops, which will allow you to buy the demo’s best items from save points.  By completing this minigame, not only will this allow you to purchase the best items and equipment from any of the game’s save points, it will unlock yet another set of free items you can bring with you to the full version of the game.  Trust me, you’re going to want the game’s most powerful equipment if you want any chance of defeating the demo’s final bosses.

The downside is restoring the town of Norende can take a lot of time to accomplish, especially if you’re working by yourself.  In fact I’ve heard figures taken that could amount to over 60 hours of real-time if you are just doing it by yourself with help from no extra workers, but with just four workers helping me out I was able to restore the town in less than a day.  While this time issue isn’t much of a problem for SmartPhone games that make use of a similar system, the 3DS has several limitations that can make waiting for these tasks to finish more of a chore than they should be.  You cannot quit the game or turn off the 3DS while the town is being restored, as either of those actions will cause the timers to stop.  You can however play the game or put your system in sleep mode while the game is running and the timers will continue to run in the background.

So if you are trying to restore the town, you’re going to want to do something else while the 3DS is asleep working its magic.  Here are a few things you can do while waiting for Norende to be restored.

• Play the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII demo or watch our Lets Play of it.  The demo can be downloaded right now on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
• Read all of 8-Bit Theater.  If you ever wondered what the story of the original Final Fantasy game would be like if all the characters were idiots (and the Princess was secretly evil) you should give the webcomic a read.  While the series is finished, there are well over a thousand pages to read.
• Read The Grand List of Role Playing Game Clichés.
• Check out MistareFusion’s Final Fantasy Memories series.
• Watch The Spoony One’s hilarious Final Fantasy game reviews. As of this writing, Spoony has reviewed Final Fantasy VIII, X, X-2, and XIII. He goes really in depth about a lot of these games flaws, but they didn’t make me enjoy the games any less. In fact, his reviews made me seek out the games to give them a try myself and I haven’t regretted it.  Spoony plans to review Final Fantasy XIII-2 some time down the road.
• Check out GameTrailers.com’s Final Fantasy Retrospective.
• Check out my RPG Memories video.

Don’t forget, you can always make these tasks take less time by simply assigning more workers to the same task, and you can get more workers by coming into close proximity with other 3DS players who are also playing the demo.  If you don’t come across 3DS players during the course of your normal day, you can always check out a Nintendo zone hotspot. Anyone who uses the hotspot who has also played the demo will relay the demo’s StreetPass information along with their Miis.  Obtaining just three other players’ StreetPass data through this process saved me 40 hours.  The final version of the game will allow you to carry over a maximum of 20 workers from the demo that you’ve acquired through StreetPass.

Bravely Default is coming February 6th, 2014 exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS.

The Decline of the LAN Center January 7, 2014

The first time I ever walked into a LAN Center was well over ten years ago.  A friend of mine heard a new business was opening about a half hour from where we lived and wanted to check it out.  Counter Strike: Source had just started a closed beta testing phase, and Valve was making it available to LAN Centers a week before they brought it to home users for wider testing.  As I stepped into the door of the newest business on the block I was surrounded by rows of computers, a bar that served the latest energy drinks, and great people.  For the first time in my life, I felt like I was where I belonged.

In a world where gamers don’t have a place where they can interact in person with each other, my local LAN Center gave me the chance to have that place.  Sadly, despite their benefits, it is my experience that LAN Centers have not had a very good track record as a business, particularly in my neck of the woods.  In fact, the LAN Center I just spoke of only lasted for a brief six months, and closed suddenly just before a New Year’s Eve event.  From the research that I have done, it seems like they are doing far better internationally, but even LAN Centers running abroad have noticed declining revenue recently.  So if the business is so good and competition is small at best, why have we seen a plummet in the availability of LAN Centers over the past few years?  Well, LAN Centers are expensive to operate and the income they generate in a lot of cases cannot offset the cost to keep them operating.  There are a few success stories, particularly the ones near college campuses, but from where I live if a LAN Center even opens at all it is short-lived, and it is quite a shame.

As I spoke of in my tips for how to host a great LAN Party, there are a ton of benefits to playing games on a LAN instead of through the internet.  Console users don’t need a Playstation Plus or Xbox Live Gold account to play a game locally, it is easier for teams to communicate as your other players will be right next to you, and finally the connection speed is much faster to play on a local network than if you were to play online.  There are other benefits for playing in a LAN Center.  You have the chance to rent time playing games you don’t yet own to see how you like playing them on PCs that can provide a much better gaming experience than the one you have at home.  The biggest reason for me to like LAN Centers was that it gave me the chance to interact with the other players in my area.  Having no technically literate family members and only a few technically literate friends, short of online social networking or crowded conventions, there really isn’t really a place for gamers to hang out and meet other like-minded people in a real life social environment.  A LAN Center became that place for me.

In order to figure out why LAN Centers are declining we need to take a look at each of a LAN Center’s issues step by step.  First off, the cost of setting up a LAN Center and operating it are pretty high.  Power, equipment, rent, and high-speed internet all cost money which have to be paid on a regular basis.  Obviously you will have monthly bills to pay as you would for any business, but given the high cost of power usage by all the equipment you would be running and the air conditioning costs to keep all this heat generating equipment cool, your bills may be higher than your neighbor running the local coffee shop.  High-end computers capable of producing better graphics than most home PCs are expensive, even if they were all custom-built at cost,  individual game prices for new games are also quite expensive when you need to factor them over an entire fleet of PCs or have to pay monthly licenses per system for Steam access, and lets be honest even if you buy top of the line PCs at the time you launch, you’re going to have to replace all those PCs every couple of years.  The income to offset all of these costs come from the fees paid to rent use of the equipment, or from the sales of beverages, food, or paraphernalia a player can purchase while playing.  A player can come in, rent time on a PC or console, and play whichever game the LAN Center offers during the duration of the time they rented.

In theory this can seem like a great deal for both the business and the potential customers.  So if a LAN Center is unable to fill such an uncontested niche market, why are they in decline?  Who are they actually competing against?  Well, they’re competing against homes.  Just like the arcade had to compete with the home market by the mid 80s, LAN Centers now have to compete against homes that in a lot of cases can be just as well equipped for individual gamer as they are.  People have computers at home, and even high-end computers are not as expensive as they used to be.  What could previously only be afforded by major companies and cutting edge colleges, home high-speed networks are also very common now.  I remember arguing with all the ISPs in my area for years to bring support to where I lived, but even I had high-speed internet access by 2004.  Since installing high-speed internet, I personally have upgraded my home network three times to account for improved network speeds and with the equipment I have running right now, I could run a decent LAN from my own home without much issue.

So costs are high and income is difficult, surely there must be a better way to make this work?  There are a few success stories about business owners who have been able to make this work.  A guy in Canada who previously ran a video game store was able to open up a successful chain of LAN Centers in his home country.  So how do you subsidize all of these expenses and generate more income for your business?  Well, you mobilize your market and make them aware that you exist, and sometimes that can be an expensive proposition as well.  You will probably need to advertise.  Location is important.  You want to have your business located in a safe area people don’t have an issue visiting on the fly.  Close proximity to other popular business, like a coffee shop or video game store can help there.  Long hours also help.  People have jobs or have to go to school, and gaming hours are precious for many.  The Canadian business owner I mentioned earlier operated his LAN Center 24 hours a day, but sadly many shared business parks in my neck of the woods have fixed business hours that renters are not allowed to operate past, cutting them out of potential income from what could be considered later than usual peak hours.

Sadly, the future does not look good for LAN Centers.  A cursory glance of the local businesses in my area which have STEAM Cyber Café licenses was not promising.  I know for a fact that at least one of the businesses listed on their official website no longer existed.  The majority of the other businesses I was not aware of no longer had functioning websites, even though they were still listed on STEAM’s Cyber Café list.  However, I did see one glimmer of hope, a new LAN Center opened up not too long ago near a college campus I used to work at every summer.  The new LAN Center was more than just a cyber café, it also sold board games, energy drinks and collectibles.  Being across the street from a major college will hopefully help them get regular customers, but it was not without a few drawbacks.  The players using the computers they hosted mostly were playing MMOGs, which gain no benefits from LAN play.  Heck, they couldn’t even stock Bawls.

The original point of creating a LAN Center or Cyber Café was to offer people internet access while on the go and providing access to some of the latest PC games, that need is becoming smaller and smaller with every passing day.  Everyone nowadays has either an internet equipped smart phone or tablet on them which if connected to a cellular data plan can provide internet access at all times while on the go, and can play a lot of the latest mobile games to boot.  Any coffee shop can provide free wireless access to their customers’ personal electronic devices while they enjoy their beverage or baked good without the need to provide computers.  In fact, I’ve learned from personal experience that the need to provide internet accessible PCs is not really a market anymore for US consumers, even in major cities.  After talking to some friends I know who happen to run businesses in the city, the only demand for internet equipped PC access on the go is from foreign tourists!

With the always online requirement hanging over PC game purchases like a Sword of Damocles since 2004, and new game titles shipping without any LAN or System Link options at all there doesn’t seem like there’s much room for LAN play in today’s modern gaming industry.  Not only have these decisions been bad for consumers it has made it more difficult for LAN Centers to operate as well.  We already live in a time when the costs to operate these businesses can outpace its potential earnings.  Perhaps we have hit a time when this once great business opportunity is no longer viable.  Quite a shame as it was the only place I ever truly felt like I belonged.

How To Host a LAN Party December 30, 2013

With New Year’s Eve creeping up on us, what better way for us gamers to spend quality time with each other than by having one huge gaming party, and trust me there’s no better way to celebrate our love for gaming together than by hosting a kick ass LAN Party!

For those of you who don’t know what a LAN Party is, it is an event where gamers get together in the same location, network their PCs or game consoles together on a local network using LAN or System Link, and play multiplayer games with your closest friends.  There are a lot of benefits to playing locally as opposed to playing your games online.  You won’t need a Playstation Plus or Xbox Live Gold account to play your game locally, you can communicate with other members of your team easier as they will be right next to you, and finally the connection speed is much faster to play local than if you were to play online.

If you’re planning to host a LAN Party for the first time, here is some information that you may need in order to host the best LAN Party possible.  Trust me, I’ve hosted plenty and attended a few.  If you want to host the best, here are some tips on how to keep all your guests happy and have a great time.

First off, you’re going to need to set up in advance before even the first guest arrives.  Your job as a host is to provide each player with enough space to play, power, and a network they can plug their systems into.  That means pulling out all the folding tables, chairs, routers, and switches you can get your hands on.  You will want to use the biggest room in your house for this, but if you must, there is nothing wrong with playing in your basement so long as there’s no risk of water leaking down there.  Make sure that whatever room you use has plenty of wall outlets.  It’s not a good idea to daisy chain surge protectors as you may end up overloading the room’s power requirements and cause the room to black out.  If users are bringing PCs, make sure they bring their surge protectors with them from home and plug them directly into your wall outlets.

Now let’s talk about networking all these systems together.  Most home routers that you can find today will allow four wired connections.  If you plan to host more people, you’re going to want to buy some extra switches (which can allow as many as 32 connections).  Make sure to buy gigabit (10/100/1000) capable equipment and have plenty of spare CAT-6 cable for optimal speeds.  As many games don’t even support that many simultaneous players (Halo: Combat Evolved for example only supported 16 players playing off of 4 systems), you may be able to run several different games or game tournaments at the same time, depending on how many guests are attending, and what they want to play.  Finally, even if this is a local network party, if you can provide internet access through your network, I recommend doing it.  Sometimes other users don’t have the benefit of having the most up to date versions of their games installed, and while that shouldn’t be an issue, I have noticed that different versions of multiplayer games can be incompatible with each other.  If everyone at least has online access, they can patch their games automatically upon startup.

If you can’t get your hands on any extra switches, using a wireless network can work, although just be aware that a wireless connection is nowhere near as fast as a wired one.  Most modern consoles and laptops have built-in wireless network capability out of the box, but a lot of the first generation hardware will not.  If you plan to have everyone play wirelessly, just tell your guests to check in advance how old their system is and to determine before the party starts if they will need to get a wireless adapter before bringing their systems over.

Your other job is to make sure there is enough food and refreshments for everyone who may be attending.  Finger food works best, as having a sit down meal can distract from gameplay.  If your guests would like to bring food for everyone, let them, but you may need to have a kitchen ready to warm up anything they may have brought.  Common etiquette is to keep the food area separate from the gaming equipment, and ask everyone who may be playing to not bring food into the play area for sanitary reasons, although you can use your own discretion for beverages.

Speaking of beverages, its a really good idea to have a mini-fridge in the play area.  You can stock it with individual bottles or cans of whatever beverages you or your guests may like, and keep them cool.  Individual cans and bottles work best in a party.  Guests can simply open a fridge and grab whatever they want with less of a spill risk.  Classic LAN Party drinks include Mountain Dew, Bawls, Jolt and TAB.  You may have some guests that prefer to drink diet sodas, so don’t forget to get some diet sodas as well, but depending on your guests, I wouldn’t recommend buying more than a third of the amount of diet soda as you would buy of the regular kind.  There’s also nothing wrong with making tea, coffee or espresso for your guests if they request it and you have the resources to make it.  If you are only having adults in attendance you may wish to provide alcohol, but I have never done that.  Remember, we’re here to play games, and alcohol may impair your guests’ gaming skills.

Just because you’re the host doesn’t mean you’re expected to provide everything, so try to get players to bring their own equipment.  If they have their own consoles, great, tell them to bring them.  If they want to bring their PC or laptop, let them.  If they have their own monitors, HDTVs, or projectors they would like to bring, let them!  If you’re planning to do a console gaming party, at the very least try to get players to bring their own controllers or memory cards.  The hardest thing for people to bring with them will likely be their display.  You may have some old TVs or monitors laying around in your basement, and so long as you aren’t trying to hook them up to the PS4 or Xbox One, they should work fine.  On top of that, a lot of modern flatscreen computer monitors will offer HDMI connections, if you have any monitors that aren’t being used, they can double as gaming screens.  On top of that, since modern computer monitors are designed to have the quickest refresh rates possible, there’s less of a risk of image lag that many HDTVs can suffer from.

Okay, now that your guests are arriving, lets talk about how to set up your players.  A modern console can theoretically host as many as 4 players, wheras a PC will usually max out one player, and can take up more space than a console.  Try to get players to set up their systems in close proximity to other players who plan to play the same games.  This can make it easier for them to communicate (or trash talk) other players enjoying the same game.  This will likely be the same area where most of your network traffic will be taking place, so make sure the players in this area are connected on the same switch or router for optimal speed.

It’s always a good idea to have a dedicated system running a fighting game, regardless of whatever that game is.  Recently, Killer Instinct came out for the Xbox One and if you don’t mind only playing as a single character, it can be downloaded for free, but if you don’t happen to have an Xbox One on hand, I’m sure any decent fighting game will work.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had guests who had never played games before signed up for the latest fighting game tournament and loving every second of it.

Another possibility is to have a console dedicated for the latest rythem game, like Rock Band or Guitar Hero.  I know a lot of people probably have old instrument controllers laying around collecting dust, and this is a great time to dust them off and use them again.  I have to admit, this would be the best choice to use for a room that has a surround sound system installed.  If you have any older HDTVs you plan to use for this area, they will work, just make sure to enable GAME MODE for less latency, otherwise you may have a problem with button response time.

Don’t forget, we also had two major console launches at the end of this year.  It’s also a good idea if someone has brought the newest game console (like the PS4 or Xbox One) to connect it to the best screen in the house in case anyone who hasn’t been able to play games on that system yet will get the chance to see it for the first time in the best possible quality.  On top of that, neither the PS4 nor the Xbox One has any analog video output, and have to be connected to a HDMI-equipped HDTV to be able to function at all.  Keep that in mind if someone plans to bring one of those systems over.

Here’s some final information for you all.  Keep in mind any modern router, regardless of how many hard-wired connections the router may offer, has a maximum of 255 individual systems it can connect to.  If you plan to have more guests than that, you’ll need to be running multiple networks.

Oh and just remember, according to Fargo, a hot girl and her sister must be in attendance.  Happy New Year and have fun!

Ten Things To Do in Anticipation for the Xbox One Launch November 21, 2013

With the Xbox One launching at midnight tonight, I’m sure that there are many of you who are chomping at the bit to get your newest Microsoft console, but just be aware there is plenty of stuff that you can do right now to make the process of playing it all the faster.  We already did something like this with the PS4’s launch, and now it’s the Xbox One’s turn.

1. Watch our Xbox One Preparation Video, which has a lot of the most recent information on the Xbox One for anyone who plans to pick up the console at launch.
2. Get those last Xbox 360 Achievements in now, because while your Gamerscore will carry over to the Xbox One, the Xbox One will not be able to play Xbox 360 games.
3. Buy a Xbox Live Gold Prepaid card if your subscription is due to expire soon.  GameStop informed me a few days ago that Microsoft was planning to release a Day One Xbox Live Gold prepaid card that was solid metal during the Xbox One launch, so if you would prefer to get one of those, just wait.
4. Pick up any of the games for the system that are already out and have no street date, like Call of Duty: Ghosts.  Or pick up the extra peripherals that have already been released including the Xbox One Controller or Play and Charge Kits.
5. Make sure you know your Xbox Live login information so you can transfer your GamerTag and profile quickly to the Xbox One.
6. Download the Xbox One SmartGlass App to your Android iOS or Windows Device.  Microsoft chose to release a separate companion app for the Xbox One instead of upgrading the current one.  SmartGlass functionality will be used in some of the Xbox One’s launch titles including Dead Rising 3, so be sure to download it.
7. Make your cable or satellite provider upgrade your HD box to one that is equipped with HDMI if it is old.
8. Stock up on plenty of Mountain Dew or Game Fuel if your area is carrying it.
9. Clear some space in your living room for the new Kinect.  Got a table in the middle of your living room for no reason?  Yeah, move it.  The new Kinect will not require as much open space as the first model did, but you’re going to need some open space with no obstructions between you and the camera to make full use of it during gameplay.
10. Make a list of all the Xbox Live friends you would like to add to your friends list but can’t due to the Xbox 360’s 100-friend limit.  The Xbox One is going to allow a 1000 user Friend List so expect plenty of friend requests from old acquaintances to come.

The Xbox One is launching tonight at Midnight for a price of $499 US.

Top Ten Things To Do Before the Playstation 4 Launch November 14, 2013

At midnight tonight, the fourth generation Playstation will be released.  This is going to be an incredible occasion marked with celebration across the country.  I’ve already got a preparation video to help anyone interested in picking up a launch console, but like with anything there are always last-minute things you can do before picking up your console to make the setup a faster process.  Because, like you know, you’re just going to want to get to the games.

So here are a few things you can do before midnight tonight to help you get your PS4 ready for gaming just a little bit sooner.  These are not listed in order of priority, so don’t worry about one step being more or less important than the other.

So, read on PS4 player.  Your next-gen games await.

1. If you don’t have a Sony Playstation Network account, sign up for one.  They’re free.  However, if you have a PS Vita, PSP or PS3, you likely already have one.
2. Sync your Trophies so you have all your PS3 stats on your PSN account.  You may not be playing PS3 for a while.  Just turn on your PS3, log into your PSN account, hit the triangle button when highlighting the trophies option, and select “Sync With Server.”
3. Preorder any games you plan to purchase online on your PS3.  You can do this from the Playstation Network Store.  Almost all Day One PS4 games, including some multiplatform titles are available for preorder.  Granted, these preorders are for the digital versions of games, not retail ones.  You’ll need to preorder retail games at your local game store.
4. Free up one HDMI slot on your HDTV or HD receiver.  PS4 requires HDMI connection and has no analog connection for video or audio output.  However, it does have a digital optical audio output for legacy surround sound systems.
5. If there are any PS3 games you currently own that you would like to upgrade to a PS4 version, hold onto them.  Sony is offering digital version of PS4 games at HEAVY discount to players who currently own the PS3 version of the game.  Check the Playstation Network store for which games are currently being offered at this discount.
6. Buy an extra Dual Shock 4 controller or Playstation Camera at retail right now.  They’re actually out and you can pick them up early.  Heck, there are even some PS4 games that you can get at retail right now like Call of Duty: Ghosts.  Price is around $59 US each.
7. If you have a Playstation Vita, update your Vita’s firmware to the most recent version.  The updated firmware is required for PS4 to Vita game streaming.
8. Download the Playstation App to your Android or iOS Device.  It’s free, and you can log into your PSN account and manage your trophies without a PS4.  Just search for “Playstation App” on your device’s respective online store.  It is required to make use of the PS4’s Second Screen capabilities.
9. Sign up for Playstation Plus.  It is now required to play PS4 games online.  You can do that in the Playstation Store or just buy a prepaid card at retail.  Price is $49 US per year.
10. Download the PS4 1.5 Firmware (Day One Patch) to a USB storage device.  While Sony will make the update available online as well, there may be a mad dash to update it immediately, and downloading it in advance and installing through USB may be a faster option.  You can download the update, and read the instructions on how to install it here.

Video Game Halloween Costume Ideas October 30, 2013

Tomorrow is Halloween in my neck of the woods, and while many people have already decided what costumes they plan to wear tomorrow, it can be hard for some to pick out just the right costume to wear.  There may also be some gamers out there who want to show off their love for video games as well, and want to recreate the costume of a video game character to show their love.  I understand that there are tons of video game costumes available to purchase online (some of them are even officially licensed), but there are plenty more that are not.  With that in mind, I’ve decided to post up a list of some popular video game characters who have outfits that can be replicated with just a little bit of money, and a long look through a closet.  Now get to it!

Pokémon Trainer (Pokémon) – While they deal with fantastical technology and creatures, Nintendo’s Pokémon games have always tried to make their game world and fashion as close to real life as possible.  Most of the clothes that the various Pokémon trainers have worn over the years can be readily found in most people’s closets.  Their costumes can usually be made up of black shirts, blue vests, fingerless gloves, hoodies, jeans and a backpack.  The only problem I’ve seen is trainer hats are custom for the most part, and may be more difficult to obtain.  While most of Ash’s hats from the various Pokémon animated series can be found cheaply on sites like Amazon, if you’re a female interested in the hat worn by the Black and White female trainer, you may have to make that yourself.  If you’re going for a more recent Pokémon Trainer look, just remember to keep your sunglasses in your hat.  If you have any Poke Balls or plush Pokémon around, bring them with you in case someone challenges you to a battle.

Mario and Luigi (Super Mario Bros) – Their costumes can be incredibly simple.  Both Mario and Luigi wear jean overalls, which can be found pretty much anywhere.  If you’re going to play as Mario, you’ll need a red sweatshirt, and Luigi wears a green sweatshirt.  If you have white gloves, they could enhance the look, but they’re not needed.  You’re going to need a mustache, so if you’re unable to grow one yourself, make sure to pick one up at a costume shop.  While you could always accessorize your costume further, like build a ghost vacuum for Luigi, don’t bother bringing a plunger with you.  While the boys are plumbers, we have never seen them carry a plunger in a single one of their video games.  What you will need to top it off though is a custom Mario or Luigi hat, and you can find those pretty cheaply online, or at any costume shop.  Heck, Nintendo has been giving away custom Luigi hats all year long at most of their major events.  You probably have one in a swag bag somewhere you forgot about.

JC Denton  (Deus Ex) – Very simple costume for the bionic agent.  Black leather trench coat.  Blue or gray zip up fleece shirt or vest.  Sunglasses.  That’s it.

Jackie Estacato (The Darkness) – Take the JC Denton costume (listed above), lose the sunglasses and add a long black wig.

Duke Nukem – Red tank top, blue jeans, black suspenders, and dark sunglasses.  The hard part is going to be in replicating his classic flat top blond haircut, or his huge muscles.  You may be able to find a wig to match the hair, or just happen to normally sport his classic hairstyle, but the muscles may be harder to replicate.  As Duke would say, “Be sure to take your um…vitamins.”

Frank West (Dead Rising) – Frank is a bit more difficult to recreate as he’s got a nearly infinite amount of different costumes that he can wear in the games that he’s appeared in, and many of his outfits can be confusing to anyone unfamiliar with the game series.  Here’s an interesting story.  I once saw a guy walking around PAX East last year in nothing more than a pair of briefs and suspenders to hold them up.  The producer next to me had no idea what he just saw, but was relieved when I told him that it looked like he was cosplaying as Frank West.  While It may be a little cold to do an outfit like that outside, you can always go for his default outfit of a white button up shirt and leather jacket.  Just don’t forget the camera.

Psychic Camper from Psychonauts – Double Fine actually sells shirts that are an exact replica of the ones that the campers wear while staying at the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, and they have them in both mens and womens style.  If you want to show off your psychic skills, you can pick one up here.

Nathan Drake (Uncharted) – Well, anyone who happened to pick up a copy of the Uncharted 3 Collector’s Edition should be able to recreate his costume.  While he has changed his clothing on many different occasions depending on the environment he was in, he’s never far away from Sir Francis Drake’s ring.  A replica of that ring, plus Drake’s horseshoe belt buckle are included in that collector’s edition, and they should work well enough that you could wear them as part of a costume.  While you can’t go wrong with wearing a simple black suit with a white button up shirt and no tie, as he does in the beginning of Uncharted 3, Drake is usually known for his long sleeve beige shirts, blue jeans, and boots.  That should be easy enough to obtain.  Just keep the ring around your neck to complete to look.

Max Payne – I actually went dressed as him once one Halloween.  While the more recent Max Payne game depicted him as a bald, bearded man in a Hawaiian shirt, the original version of him was clean shaven with a full head of hair.  Depending on what version you are going for, you may need a leather jacket with an open Hawaiian shirt under it.

So that’s just a small list of how do make some quick video game costumes this Halloween.  No matter who you choose to go as I wish you all a very fun and safe time!

Pokémon Trainers Need Pokémon Bank Now October 22, 2013

One of the biggest developments after the announcement of Pokémon X and Y was the announcement of Pokémon Bank.  For a small yearly fee, gamers could upload all the Pokémon they’ve captured in the various Pokémon games to the internet.  It offered gamers a larger storage capacity than the sixth generation games could, and ensured that a player’s Pokémon would not be lost if they sold or traded in their games.  Nintendo also announced that they would release a small companion app for the 3DS to help gamers transfer any Pokémon captured in Pokémon Black, Pokémon White, Pokémon Black 2, and Pokémon White 2 called Poké Transporter.   Because the fifth generation games allowed you to trade Pokémon from earlier games to it (and those earlier games allowed trading with even earlier ones), with the help of the Poké Transporter a player could theoretically transfer nearly every Pokémon they’ve ever captured over six generations of games to Pokémon Bank!  Once stored in Pokémon Bank, the Pokémon can be used in X, Y, and any future generation Pokémon games.  This is of course provided the player still had their games and the hardware to play them, but it is a very strong incentive to get long-time Pokémon players to sign up for the service.

I spoke to a Pokémon Trainer today who had been collecting Pokémon since the release of Pokémon Emerald on the Game Boy Advance, and he was frustrated that there currently was no way to bring any of the Pokémon he already captured in the earlier games to his new game.  Nintendo has made it clear that players are not allowed to trade Pokémon from earlier Pokémon games directly to X or Y, so the only way you will be able to bring your Pokémon to the games is with Pokémon Bank and the Poké Transporter app, even though earlier games allowed it.  Nintendo says this is the case because they can’t allow sixth generation exclusive Pokémon to end up in earlier Pokémon games, it could break something.

With the ability to trade your Pokémon from earlier games missing from X and Y, the only way to get your Pokémon into the new game is through Pokémon Bank.  The problem is Pokémon Bank won’t get its official release until December, and Pokémon X and Pokémon Y are out now.  I’m sure there are many Pokémon X and Y players who are also frustrated about this.  Pokémon X and Pokémon Y are designed around the ability to use the Pokémon Bank to collect and store Pokémon, but since the service is currently not active, it cannot be used.    It would have been nice if Pokémon Bank launched on the same day as the sixth generation games, but alas it was not to be.  Hopefully Nintendo is taking the time to work out all the bugs before launching the service to ensure a smooth rollout.

Pokémon Bank launches in December 2013 to the Nintendo 3DS.  The fee to join is $4.99 US per year, but there will be a free 30-day trial period for Pokémon Trainers interested in testing the system out first before signing up for it.

Why Doesn’t Sony Remove HDCP For Playstation 3 Gameplay? October 20, 2013

I know I waited a bit longer that I should have to start doing direct gameplay capturing on this site, but that was because I was waiting for capture devices to come to the market that could capture 1080p gameplay through HDMI and that has only been possible in the past year.  Earlier in the summer, I picked up an AverMedia Live Gamer Portable capture device for the site and I love the thing.  It can capture HD video game streams to either a PC or Class 10 SDHC memory device through either an analog or digital connection.  It works well on my Xbox 360 and Wii U, as all I need to do is plug a HDMI cable directly into it from my console, and I can capture all the game footage I want in crystal clear 1080p at thirty frames.  Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for my Playstation 3, and it’s because of a decision that Sony made at the beginning of the PS3’s development and sadly still has not rectified.

My one issue with my capture device is it cannot capture PS3 footage through HDMI.  In fact, no game capture device currently on the market can capture PS3 footage through HDMI.  That is because the Playstation 3 uses HDCP encryption on all content coming out of its HDMI connection.  Because of that encryption, no footage at all can legally be captured through HDMI on the Playstation 3, forcing me to capture gameplay footage through a lower quality analog connection.  And yes, an analog feed, even if it is in HD, is lower quality than a digital one.  Just take a look at my comparison video to see for yourself.

AverMedia pleads innocent to this and has made it clear that this issue is completely Sony’s doing.  I don’t blame them, they are simply complying with the law.  It is highly likely that Sony chose to completely encrypt all of the PS3’s HDMI content to prevent PS3 owners from copying High-Definition video streams from Netflix or Blu-Ray movies, but if you ask me Sony took it a step further by HDCP encrypting PS3 gameplay as well.  The downside of Sony’s decision to encrypt gameplay with HDCP is that any review sites who do side by side comparison videos taken between multiplatform games will not have the best possible video source on the Playstation 3 as they would on Xbox 360 or Wii U, throwing off the reliability of comparison videos.  Granted, most video game review sites have captured all of their HD content through analog connections up to this point, so this hasn’t been much of an issue until recently.  Because an analog signal doesn’t have as high a picture quality as a digital one, gamers will see artifacting from the capture device that they wouldn’t normally see if they had used a digital connection even if both consoles were captured at the exact same resolution.

I have talked about my issues with HDCP in my HDCP History article, but I understand the need to have it active while watching a Blu-Ray Disc or Netflix.  I don’t understand why Sony enables HDCP during gameplay.  The Xbox 360 and Wii U do not HDCP encrypt their HDMI game streams.  On top of that, if HDCP is such an essential feature of the Playstation 3, why aren’t the Playstation 4 or Xbox One going to encrypt their gameplay footage?  In fact, the PS4 and Xbox One will ship with built-in live game streaming and game DVR features right out of the box, all of which can be made more useful for users that have separate capture devices.

I think the plan was that the PS4 would encrypt their HDMI stream and force players to use only the PS4’s supplied features to stream or record gameplay.  Sony bowed down from that decision after a lot of media pressure, and the fact that the Xbox One would not be doing it.  We don’t know yet if HDCP encryption will be removed from the PS4 at launch, or will be removed with a Day One firmware update, but Sony has confirmed that it will be removed.  The press was very happy about this development and gave Sony props for changing their minds.  My question is if it was so unpopular on consoles that aren’t even out yet, and it can be removed with a patch or system update, why doesn’t Sony go one step further and do the same thing on the PS3?

We live in a time when everyone wants to be able to have the opportunity to record their gameplay sessions and share it with others.  There are tons of popular Let’s Plays across the internet, and more are being uploaded every day.  The Playstation 4 and Xbox One will ship with internal DVRs so gameplay can be recorded and streamed without the need of a separate capture device, but an external capture device offers a lot more flexibility on game captures, particularly for longer gaming sessions.  There is no reason to encrypt PS3 gameplay, Sony, and tons of reasons why you shouldn’t.  You’re not going to have it on the Playstation 4, remove it from the Playstation 3.  All you’re doing is forcing players to use a lower quality connection to capture footage from your games, making them look in a lower quality than they otherwise would have.

UPDATE:  Since writing this article, the PS4 has been released and Sony has not removed the HDCP encryption from the console’s HDMI game stream, even though they had promised they would before launching the console.  While Sony has not changed their intent to remove this stupid hindrance to recording gameplay, as of the time of this writing the PS4 is still HDCP locked, and it was not removed with the PS4’s Day One 1.5 firmware update.  Meanwhile the Wii U and Xbox One are also out and have no HDCP encryption on their HDMI outputs, permitting their users to record their gameplay digitally to their heart’s content.

I really am struggling to understand Sony’s decision to launch the PS4 with HDCP encryption and not remove it with the Day One firmware update when all of their direct competitors have no such hindrance in place since the day their products hit shelves.

Rest in Peace, Tom Clancy October 2, 2013

It is my unfortunate duty to inform all of you that writer Tom Clancy has died at the age of 66.  While I’m sure many of you remember him for penning the books that would become blockbuster movies like The Hunt for Red October or Patriot Games, his work has also inspired many of the most popular video game series of all time including Rainbow Six and Splinter Cell.  He has been heavily inspired by the trials and tribulations of our day, starting with penning books inspired by the events of the Cold War and moving in the more recent years to books that have talked about cyberwarfare and international counterterrorism.

After Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six made a huge impact in the PC market, I decided to give his original book Rainbow Six a read during my sophomore year of High School, and I have to say I loved every word.  What an ending!  After reading Without Remorse that summer, I decided to read every single one of his Jack Ryan books, and I spent most of my free time in High School and my first year of College reading every single one of his fiction novels,  It was so cool that he chose to include a small follow up to Rainbow Six by including the characters from Team Rainbow in The Bear and the Dragon.  His final Jack Ryan novel, The Teeth of the Tiger, was something I read every break I had from working the summer it was released.

Today, his name still lives on in entirely new game properties coming out from Ubisoft, like Tom Clancy’s The Agency, which was announced at this year’s E3.  Rest in Peace good sir.

Games You Should Play With Your Significant Other September 28, 2013

Let’s face it, there are going to be a lot of people who visit this site who have significant others who do not share their interests in gaming like they do and would like to change that.  On Thursday, I posted up an article where I detailed ten games that probably would not help them in that endeavor, or at least shouldn’t be the first games they should play with their significant others.

To further help you out, here are ten games that I would recommend playing with your significant other.  These games were chosen because they are just fun games to play that exemplify some of the best aspects of the medium and should not provoke any relationship arguments.  Now a lot of these games can be played in two-player, but some of these games are single-player only.  Please don’t worry too much about that, their single-player campaigns can be just as fun to watch as they are to play, and at the very least, you can always change who’s playing at regular intervals.

1. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – PS3 players can find a lot to enjoy in this entire exclusive series.  Each game has a great story, fun gameplay, and incredible exotic locations to explore.  Whether you decide to play the game or just watch your partner play it, you’ll have fun together, and it always helps to have a second mind to help figuring out some of the puzzles.   In fact, wasn’t there a Kevin Butler commercial about this for Uncharted 2?

2. Nintendo Land – Nintendo Land is a great game for couples to play.  Imagine a theme park where each section focuses specifically on each of Nintendo’s popular franchises and imagine visiting it with your partner.  You’ll get the chance to work together or against each other in a wide array of different minigames that are inspired by many of Nintendo’s properties including Metroid, Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and more.  It’s a lot of fun to play these games together, and just be aware that even if you are playing against each other, the game will save the coins you earn playing to help you unlock more decorations for the park.  So even if you are playing against each other, you’re still helping each other towards a common goal.

3. Pokémon – Even from its humble beginnings, Pokémon is the definitive two-player portable game.  With two games being released for each iteration, Nintendo has made it clear that you need to travel through both of them in order to capture all the Pokémon and become the very best like no one ever was.  Imagine each of you playing through one of a generation’s games at the same time as your partner is playing through the other.  The Pokémon world is bright, colorful, and there’s a lot to explore.  You can share tips on how to get through different areas, give each other advice on how to best battle the various gym leaders, but best of all you can link up at the various Pokémon Centers and trade your Pokémon, expanding your experience and building your Pokédex.  Get your partner a Nintendo 2DS or 3DS and a copy of one of these games.  With two trainers working together, it is possible to truly catch ’em all!

4. Halo 4 – Halo has always been the definitive party game since the first game launched with the original Xbox but the Xbox 360 exclusive Halo 4 cranked cooperative play up to eleven.  On the one hand, you will be able to play an engrossing single-player story together on the same Xbox 360, as you try to save the life of the partner you’ve had since the very first Halo game.  Or if that is not your cup of tea, you can play through a lengthy ten-part campaign (each with five levels) which will set the scene for the story of Halo 5.  This is the perfect game for couples to play.  Oh and the best part is, unless you’re playing with the Iron Skull enabled, if your partner dies, they can always have the opportunity to respawn without much of a penalty.

5. Alan Wake – This PC and Xbox 360 exclusive is a game about a regular guy trying to save his significant other from supernatural forces, a perfect subject matter for couples.  The story, music and gameplay are so much fun to either play or watch your partner play.  The worst thing that could end up happening over this game is the argument you may have over who gets to play next.  In fact, the setting is so incredibly atmospheric don’t blame me if someone wants to go on a vacation to the Pacific Northwest after finishing the game.

6. Dance Central – Who needs prom?  People like to dance and there’s nothing wrong with that, and this game will give you an excuse to dance with your significant other, and who wouldn’t want that?  Whether you decide to trade-off dancing the lead, or be your significant other’s backup dancer, you can learn new dance moves together while listing to some fun party songs.

7. Kinect Adventures – If you have a Kinect for your Xbox 360 you already have this game. In Kinect Adventures, you need to accomplish a series of fun mini-games using your entire body, so it is a great exercise tool for both of you.  As for why it would be so great to bring your partner in it with you, two people can accomplish a lot more in this game than one, and your scores will reflect that.  Just be aware, the game will randomly snap some pictures of you two having fun and will show them to you at the end of each level.

8. Journey – Many people have considered this 2012’s Game of the Year, and while I don’t agree with that sentiment, I do see exactly where they’re coming from.  The game is beautiful, the music is amazing, and the world laid out in front of you just begs to be explored. thatgamecompany produced the perfect game to play with someone who has never played a game before.  You can’t die, there’s no penalty for exploring the game’s world or trying different things to solve the game’s puzzles.  The best part is that you never know when you’ll find help.  Random players online phase in and out of the game’s world.  You can either choose to work together or leave them behind.  The mountain’s peak calls.

9. Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX – Lets face it, we’ve all grown up watching a lot of Disney’s classic films, and this game series has been the culmination of all of them. This is a game series that takes some of Disney’s biggest franchises and most popular characters and puts you right in the middle of their worlds, and the characters in them look, act and sound exactly as you remember them.  A great game to play for the nostalgic.  While the games are single-player only, Kingdom Hearts: 365/2 Days is a fully remastered HD cinematic game, so it makes for a nice excuse to sit down on the couch together, pop some popcorn and just watch the story unfold.

10. Minecraft – The goal of this game is to build structures in an artistically pixelated world fighting off zombies, spiders and other creepers but in reality this game is really just a goldmine for your creative side.  You can link with friends, check out their work, or create an entire world of your own.  How much fun would it be to build an entire world from scratch and then have your partner explore it with you?

So there you have it, ten games that would work great to introduce to your significant other, even if they aren’t a gamer.  Special thanks to Princess Angel for helping me out with this!