Going back to Need for Speed Underground
We all probably know of the “Fast and the Furious” movies. Some people love them, other people hate them. I’m of neither camp in the fact that I just kind of see it a date movie or popcorn movie. Just something to sit back, watch and have fun.
But the movie did inspire a whole slew of video games, the highest on the list that initially hit (for me anyway) was original Need for Speed Underground from 2003. And I picked it up again recently on the Playstation 2. When I first played it in either 2003 or 2004, I didn’t have any of the then current generation consoles, so I played it on the PC. Which, in reality, is the way it’s meant to be played. Of course, when I first started playing it I was running it on a system that couldn’t quite handle it at full detail. But I didn’t care. I still had a blast with it.
Did you know there’s also a podcast?
I do most of the stuff regarding telling people about stories and whatnot for the site through twitter. And more recently a Facebook page (just search for Wasted Seconds on Facebook) so for those of you who are either new or don’t follow that stuff now there is a podcast for the site which covers … well … games. Just me a couple of friends with possibly the occasional brave guest host or something and we just sit and talk about games. We just got done releasing the PROPER episode 1 named “We finally did it” where we talk about Split/Second, Modnation Racers, Red Dead Redemption (of which there will be a separate Spoilercast coming up in a couple of days purely for that game), video game tits, a little history of gaming according to yours truly and a lot more crammed into almost 2 hours worth of show.
There are also episodes 0 and 0.5 … episode 0 is just an introduction episode where everyong kinda says “Hi!!!” for an hour and a half. And episode 0.5 is all about what Josh found interesting about E3 since I don’t follow it … with the exception of Killzone 3. :D
You can find it right here at http://podcast.wastedseconds.com. And we’re also on iTunes, and you can subscribe right here. We’ve technically got three episodes in the bag, though we’re only on episode 1. Go and check it out and rate, comment, all that good stuff.
But yeah, it’s just me, Josh (Rapture) and Justin (xxmilkman69xx) shooting the shit about video games and other stuff that happens to catch out interest. Pretty much like the site. Except I’m a bit more free to talk about the women than they are because they’re both spoken for and I’m not. Technically.
Anyway, listen away. You can email the show at [email protected] or leave a voicemail number at (618) 984-5244. And, while this site doesn’t have any forums I’ve decided to kinda adpot the forums over at http://www.GameGavel.com, home of … well … Game Gavel which is an alternative to eBay for buying and selling video game stuff and the awesome Retrogaming Roundup podcast. The monthly 5 and a half hour opera of retro/classic gaming goodness that even modern gamers should listen to.
Please EA, don’t start a trend…
This story is over a month old, but it just came to my attention today and it is something I want to touch on. The market for used video games these days is massive, especially with the amount of quality titles being released as of late. Many gamers simply cannot afford to buy all of their games brand spankin' new, and stores such as Gamestop allow players to buy used games at a discount. The downside to this, is that publishers ultimately lose out on sales. Just like everything else in this business fueled world, the bottom line is money. 
In an attempt to combat the purchase of used games, more specifically in this case, EA Sports titles, the company has adopted a new system tagged "Online Pass". Whenever EA ships a new sports game, included with it will be a one time use code that allows access to multiplayer and additional DLC. Without the code, you are going to be set back an extra $10 just to play multiplayer. Not to mention, roster updates are included with this Online Pass.
Another Top 10 List
Top Ten Lists. Everyone loves to read lists, even though it is only on a rare occasion that the reader will wholeheartedly agree with the writer. Hell, some lists even provoke feelings of rage within a person if they disagree with the contents. But nonetheless, people continue to make em', and people continue to read.
Upon completion of Red Dead Redemption, it dawned upon me that I haven't enjoyed a game that much in quite a long time. I then started wondering if it was possibly my favorite game of this generation. And herein lies my inspiration for my list of Top Ten Favorite Video Games of this Generation. Did Red Dead Redemption claim the top spot? Lets find out.
A small trial impression for Kong 360 : Gorilla Warfare
My gaming time has been somewhat limited lately in the sense that I’ve had to do a LOT of running around lately with very little sleep. But I did give this a shot. When I first saw it I figured it was going to be some sort of knock off of the old QBasic Gorillas game that came with DOS back in the day. Thankfully, I was totally wrong after trying it.
This is a weird mix of a top down shooter with Unreal Tournament … with gorillas. It sounds weird, I know. But damned if it ever works for what little I’ve played so far. Great, detailed graphics, you and your opponents don’t die in half a second like one does in a Call of Duty game. The control works beautifully, and isn’t like your typical dual stick shooter that seems to have invaded the marketplace with an annoyance level that can barely be hidden. You use the sticks like you would normally, but now there’s a REASON for pulling that damn trigger because not only does the right stick point you where to shoot, but it also aims. If you want to aim right in front of yourself, you direct the crosshairs there. Further away … blah blah blah you get the idea. You’re intelligent.
You would think it would hamper the game and slow it down, but it doesn’t at all. It works great. I’m going to be giving this more time indefinitely within the next couple of days to do a proper review, but yeah. In the very LEAST try this out, because not only does it boast 4 player local, but there is also system link and online support for up to 8 players. And I’m probably going to be talking about my experiences with it on the Wasted Seconds Podcast sometime as well. It’s about damn time something DIFFERENT showed up in the way of dual stick shooters.
Changing gaming habits and old systems.
Are you the type of person who’s gaming habits constantly change? Maybe sometimes you play nothing but first person shooters for however long and then find yourself wanting to play an old school top down RPG. Or maybe you jump from system to system like I do. When you’re in a position like me and have lots and lots of choices … you tend to jump around. I have at LEAST 7 computers in this house of varying degrees of usefulness with literally thousands of games, an NES, a Retro Duo (a review of which is elsewhere on this site), Sega Genesis, 32X, various versions of the old Game Boy. A few PS1’s, a few Dreamcasts, a friggin’ Atari Lynx, a Playstation 2 and a ton and a half of those cheesy little Play and Play TV games … although I feel a little guilty not having the Atari Flashback 2 … my 29th birthday is soon. Bear that in mind. ;) And that’s not even all of them.
XBLIG Review – Zombie Estate
God this is so cool. It’s not perfect, and it has it’s problems … but it’s just so damn cool. You’ve played Left 4 Dead right? Sure you have. This is along the same lines at that … though it’s a bit closer to the game Killing Floor to me since the zombies come in waves and you have the chance to buy weapons and whatnot in between the waves.
In it’s most basic sense, it’s another dual stick shooter. And it’s one of those irritating ones that make you hold down a trigger to shoot. I never saw the point with that … yes I’m aware it makes sense to hold a trigger down to shoot. But come on. This is a video game.
But it’s still damned well worth snagging, and I’ll let you read on to find out why … in my humble opinion anyway.
Puppet War FPS for the iPhone/iPod Touch
I haven’t played it yet … this is just my reaction to the absolutely absurd idea and trailer. What the hell? This is right up my alley … I love just WEIRD concepts like this. Apparently you’re a janitor working at this kid’s show and the puppets decide to just go nuts and go against humanity. So far from the trailer and the screenshots the graphics are surprisingly good and detailed, though I’m not sure about the gameplay. First person shooters on the iPod Touch and whatnot are kind of hit or miss.
I may end up getting this ridiculous looking game very very soon. It’s $1.99 and can be found right here.
An introduction…
"Boredom's not a burden anyone should bare.."
That is one of my favorite quotes in music, and I wholeheartedly agree with the statement. The administrator of this site has granted me the pleasure of adding my two cents of whatever comes to mind, right here on this site. My purpose here is to cure myself of the occasional case of boredom, and hopefully do the same for you in the process.
I am a 26 year old father of two young daughters, and an avid gamer when the time allows. I work also, but it is nothing interesting enough to speak about. I am a big fan of FPS games, but I enjoy games that spam MOST genres, minus RTS, simply because I do not have the patience.
What I post on this site will vary. Could be an opinionated article on current events, or something simple such as what I thought about a game demo. Who knows. Whatever I post though, I hope you will all enjoy my writings as much as I will enjoy composing and sharing them.
Xbox Live Indie Game Review – Zombie Hunter
Imagine this. Someone played Wolfenstein 3D then played Call of Duty : World at War Nazi Zombies or Left 4 Dead. Now imagine a mix of those two games (in fact, a custom level for Wolfenstein 3D that was as much of a remake of Nazi Zombies as possible would actually be kinda neat) that is no where NEAR as interesting as either one.
That’s what you’ve got here. It’s a VERY basic first person shooter where you run around killing zombies and saving survivors. Occasionally you’ll pick up a scope that let’s you snipe from across the screen … which is kind of odd to me how the guy would lose it in between each level. But whatever, nobody said this game had to make any sense.
You pick up extra guns from time to time, but they all feel the EXACT same, so there’s no real point to it as far as I can tell.