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Preorder Stories – Metal Gear Solid 4 June 22, 2020

Posted by Maniac in Preorder Stories, Site Videos.
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By popular request, here’s our Preorder Stories for Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PS3. This was the game that was one of my biggest reasons to buy a PS3. Today, we’re not just going to share a story about a preorder, we’re also going to talk about the time I got to play the game a year before everyone else did. Enjoy!

At least one more Preorder Stories video is on its way! Stay tuned!

Metal Gear Solid 4 is out now exclusively for the PS3.

Preorder Stories – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic June 20, 2020

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Got a short and sweet preorder story today. Back in 2004, for some reason Lucasarts decided to release a new Star Wars game on two platforms…several months apart from each other. After the first time playing the game on a friend’s Xbox, and not having an original Xbox myself, I would have to wait several months to play the game on my PC. On the plus side, I was going to get a really cool pewter mini-lightsaber with the game.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is out now for Xbox, PC, smartphones and tablets. It’s backwards compatible with the Xbox One.

Mind of Maniac – The First Time I Bought Art June 9, 2020

Posted by Maniac in Mind of Maniac, Site Videos.
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As Mr. Spock would say, “For everything, there is a first time.” I have been interested in art for most of my adult life, but the rigid framework for memorization of art history (and the insanely early class hours) has always prevented me from exploring my interest any deeper than the surface. Still, I’ve been to museums I’ve attended art exhibitions and I’ve seen documentaries on the subject. Then, I saw a piece of art while at a trade show with my fiancée.

What happened? Watch and find out.

You can see more examples of MiJuMi’s art on his website.

Tales From IT – When a Printer is More Than Just a Printer June 8, 2020

Posted by Maniac in Site Videos, Tales from IT.
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We’ve got a follow-up to our last Tales from IT, with a hiccup I encountered from a major network migration. I was under orders to pull all of the old printers from a major business. One particular user did not want their printer to go anywhere.

Tales From IT – How Dungeons and Dragons Prepared Me to Work for Major Companies June 7, 2020

Posted by Maniac in Site Videos, Tales from IT.
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I know I said that we would retire Tales from IT, but given the current state of the world I thought it would be important to tell this personal story. Many of you may have been told while growing up that playing games with your friends would never help you in your life, and that harmless games like Dungeons & Dragons were bad for your personal growth. Your parents lied to you.

Here’s a story about a time I handled an important project for a major company. Not one single assignment I ever did in school was useful to me. The game of Dungeons & Dragons I learned how to play just a year earlier…was.

Mind of Maniac – What to Put in a Pokemon Theme Park Land June 4, 2020

Posted by Maniac in Mind of Maniac, Site Videos.
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Recently, we’ve been inspired by the work of David Ganssel, better known to the internet as Doggans, and his new series “Armchair Imagineering”. In that series, he gives his ideas for the biggest most elaborate (and expensive) ways to develop theme park rides based on recognizable intellectual property. Today, we decided to throw our hat into the ring and submit our own ideas for that very subject.

Later this summer (pending delays) Universal Studios Japan is expected to launch the very first Super Nintendo World, a full theme-park land devoted to Nintendo’s classic games and characters. Officially, we know next to nothing about what to expect when it does open, although rumors have persisted for some time about what is being constructed. US citizens unable to travel to Japan will be happy to learn it is all but certain that portions of Super Nintendo Land will open in Universal’s bi-coastal theme parks including the new one opening in Orlando, Florida, Epic Universe.

However, while we have heard rumors Mario, Yoshi and Donkey Kong will be coming to Universal’s parks nobody has mentioned anything about Nintendo’s actual biggest franchise, Pokémon. As of the time this article is being written, Pokémon is the number one selling franchise of our time, and yet Universal Studios has not hinted any Pokémon content is coming to their parks. That could mean that Pokémon themed lands might be getting saved for later expansions of Epic Universe, but we have no way to confirm that.

So if you had access to the latest technology, the smartest minds in engineering, unlimited funds and only the limitations of reality to deal with, what would you create if you were told to design a Pokémon-themed land for a major theme park? What do you say we talk about it. There will be rides, there will be shows, there will be food and there will be merch. Please watch and enjoy.

Pokémon games are out now on various platforms including the Nintendo Switch.

Preorder Stories – Enter The Matrix May 28, 2020

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In the year 2003, the world was gearing up to finally receive new content from the world of The Matrix. While most people remember The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revelations, most people don’t remember the filmmakers actually made three projects. The third was a video game called Enter The Matrix.

Enter the Matrix was planned to be more than a licensed video game adaptation but a canonical tie-in that continued plot moments that could not be included in the two Matrix sequels. It released during E3 2003, the first ever E3 I attended. Oh and did I mention, I got to meet the game’s developer just before picking it up?

Enter the Matrix was released on PC, Xbox, PS2 and GameCube.

Free Month of Pokemon Distribution Starts This Week May 26, 2020

Posted by Maniac in Game News, How To, Site Videos.
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If you’ve got a copy of Pokémon Sword and/or Pokémon Shield I’ve got some really cool news for you. The Pokémon Company is distributing a free Pokémon each week through the game’s Mystery Gift function. The first one up is a very special Mr. Mime.

If you don’t know how to use your console’s Mystery Gift function, here’s a tutorial. All you need is an active internet connection and a copy of a GEN8 game.

Get Mr. Mime now while you can because a new Pokémon is coming to the Mystery Gift every Friday for the next three weeks.

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are out now exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Preorder Stories – Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact May 23, 2020

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Welcome back to the latest Preorder Stories, where we talk about some of the most interesting preorder content from across gaming’s history. Since the release of the Xbox 360 it’s almost expected that you will receive some kind of exclusive content for preordering a console or PC game (usually delivered through a unique download code). Would you believe me if I told you a PC game attempted this exact same thing half a decade earlier?

Back in the year 2000 developer Monolith (who would later go on to create Aliens Vs Predator 2, No One Lives Forever, F.E.A.R and Condemned: Criminal Origins) was ready to release a PC-exclusive game called Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact. The game put you in the shoes of a psyonic-powered Ice-T as he attempted to bring various superpowered villains to justice. However, the most unique component of the game (of its time) was that you could alter your character’s psyonic abilities (called “Talents”). These Talents, which looked heavily inspired by Magic: The Gathering, could be swapped out with new ones either purchased online, or distributed through various promotional campaigns.

The ability to upgrade your character with unique official abilities other players didn’t have access to set the game apart from other PC titles of the time and after playing its demo, I became very interested in picking up the game for myself. Anyone who preordered it through Electronic Boutique’s official website would revive a CD-ROM bonus disc with even more talents you would not be able to obtain elsewhere.

While the game received decent reviews (averaging 85%) it almost completely dropped off the radar after it was released when Monolith’s next game, No One Lives Forever, geared up to be released later that year. Whatever plans Monolith had to release future Talents simply never came to pass. As for what happened to this game’s glorious plans for future talent releases? I can only speculate. Sit back and relax while I tell the story of the first game to take a chance on offering post-release DLC.

Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact is a PC-exclusive game.

Preorder Stories – Splatterhouse (2010) May 18, 2020

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Welcome back to Preorder Stories, where we highlight some of the best preorder incentives from across gaming‘s history. Today, we’re talking about one of the most critically divided games I’ve covered on this site, 2010’s Splatterhouse. It was a horror game that launched after Halloween with with little to no marketing fanfare. At launch, critics HATED it and for many people (including myself) their overwhelmingly negative reviews were the first impression of the game they got. However, after the game received a price drop, it got the attention of the internet’s subset of horror enthusiasts, gorehounds, metal heads, and received a huge response from a wide group of gamers.

For a game that received so little marketing support, it was personally shocking to discover the game received an INCREDIBLE preorder incentive. What was it and how did someone who didn’t preorder the game get it? Let’s find out.

Splatterhouse (2010) is out now for the PS3 and Xbox 360. As of this time it is NOT backwards compatible with the Xbox One.