the picture on top

So i finally looked at it to see what was all in it, and i noticed that the 360 has the dreaded Red Ring-O-Death.

i thought that was quite clever.

lol.

10 Features Game Developers Should Embrace

Interesting article by Blake Snow via Business Week.

The list basically reads:
1. Never ask a player if they want to save their game.
2. Always say "press any button" to start a game.
3. Always let players remap controller buttons to suit their preferences.
4. Always let players skip cut scenes no matter how important they are to the story.
5. Never let a camera get too close to a player or bump into a wall.
6. Never make use of every controller button just because you can.
7. Always give players full control of accessibility options.
8. Never use insipid, indefensible enemy attacks.
9. Always present in-game tutorials, FAQs, and help menus for newbie gamers.
10. Always let gamers get in and out of gameplay as they desire.

I have to agree with 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10 since these are the annoyances I come across while gaming day to day. #1 is actually hindering in my opinion. Games like Final Fantasy and such where you may not want to save your game and lock yourself into a position often require saving "strategically" to accomplish certain tasks. Click the "Business Week" link above to read the explanations of each point.

Super Smash Bros: Brawl footage - 7 minutes of it

Via Gamespot

Seven minutes worth of new Super Smash Bros footage for your eyes. Check it out:

Assassin's Creed - Keeping you busy for almost 2 days!

Recently, the producer of Assassin's Creed, Jade Raymond, sat down and took some time to discuss the upcoming Ubisoft title. Aside from mentioning that there will be no demo for the game, Raymond also said that gameplay tests have averaged about 18 hours of play time if you were to just play through the main story. With side missions and some exploring, however, you get about 40 hours! Side missions mentioned included something to do with flags (possibly a Halo skull collecting type of thing?) and helping people around the 3 cities you can explore.

Sounds pretty cool in my opinion. Hopefully the game ends up being as good as it looks.

Assassin's Creed drops this November on PS3 and Xbox 360.

New Assassin's Creed Makes Me Want It MORE!

I will be buying this game the day it comes out, like the huddled masses will. You're probably playing Halo 3, I'll be waiting for Assassin's Creed

-Stephen Out!

Everything's better on the PS3 (atleast DiRT is)

Chances are if you're A) a 360 owner and B) a racing gamer fan you have DiRT. The latest game in the Colin McRae (R.I.P.) series of racing games has been doing great since it's release. By reinventing the way racing games look and feel, DiRT is turning heads and making gamers who had not previously enjoyed racing games pick up a racing wheel. PS3 owners have had Motorstorm since the release of the system and now they too can enjoy DiRT - even more than 360 owners! (and no, I don't own a PS3. In fact, it hurts a little to even type this).

With the recent release of DiRT on PS3 the head-to-head comparisons have proven that PS3 does in fact one up the 360 as far as graphics and performance go. Gamespot's Alex Navarro had this to say about the PS3 version of DiRT:

"One of the big complaints about DiRT on the 360 and PC was that it simply didn't perform very well. The PC version looked choppy on a near-constant basis, and the 360 version had a tendency to tank pretty badly during multicar races. On the other hand, the PlayStation 3 version is nearly flawless in this regard. The game maintains a steady 30-frames-per-second rate for the vast bulk of the game, and the few scattered dips in performance are very brief and hardly noticeable. The extra time between releases seems to have benefited this version a great deal."

So there you have it. Now go and get your gloating over with.

Dualshock 3 Coming SOON!

For most of us a rumble controller for PS3 would be king. So we've been all waiting for the answer to are calling.

And I've got some good news for you :

In the latest 1UP podcast, they reveal the following info:

* Burnout: Paradise - looking better on PS3. Better AA and motion blur. According to the developer the PS3 handles these things at 60fps better whereas the 360 struggles. Garnett says rhetorically: "Is this the first multiplatform game where PS3 shows is technological superiority?"

* MGS4 Playable at TGS + New "Spoiler Filled" Trailer - Changed some stuff from Leipzig based on feedback (camera etc)

* New FFXIII and FFVersusXIII Trailers in enclosed theater. Not being released to public?

* Eternal Sonata coming to PS3 early next year - Two new playable characters + Dressing up costume system.

* Ace Combat 6 coming to PS3 next year.

* Steamboat Chronicles sequel for PS3 and PSP

* Persona 4 for PS3 - Exclusive.

* Star Ocean 4 is PS3 exclusive.

* Yakuza 3 - PS3 exclusive

* Yakuza 2 coming to US soon. Sub titles only, not dubbed.

* Silent Hill 5 Exclusive to PS3 in JAPAN, on PS3/360 in West.

* GT5 Prologue playable.

* White Knight Story playable at TGS (White Knight Chronicle in West?)

* Team ICO working on two projects. 1 retail + 1 PSN

* Dualshock 3 will be at TGS.

* Kingdom Hearts Zero to... PSP. More KH games coming to other platforms... Wii most likely due to EGM "rumour"

* More games to come in FFVII compilation - Shane thinks FFVII remake will come near end of PS3s life when install base is higher.