The l33t gamer!

As kids we have all had our dreams and aspirations, for Caine it was running his own arcade from his fathers auto parts store. Due to his location there were not many people who would walk by and notice what this amazing kid had done.

His father talks about how he was always curious about everything and how he would take his toys apart to discover how they worked. It is no surprise that even when you do not have much money, but a lot of imagination, you can create something that can change your life.

Caine spent countless hours creating his games from cardboard boxes and scotch tape. He would dispense tickets from inside the box any time someone would score to give you the feeling of a true arcade. Inspiration can come from many places, it just so happens that fate was on his side.

A filmmaker who was looking for a part for his Toyota stumbled into the shop one day to find Caine’s arcade. He was Caines very first customer and started a revolution, from cardboard boxes to a scholarship fund this kid has come a long way. Even as adults we can all learn something from these amazing kids.

Take a look at the video below and if you feel inspired then take the time and a dollar or two and send it his way, you can visit him at www.cainesarcade.com

.

Now for those of you that have a heart or an imagination, even a passion for gaming, help send this kid to college.

Google has made the headlines again for their latest gadget, Google Glasses. These modern day glasses bring high tech to every day events, their promotional video shows off the technology.

After watching this video for the first time I could not help to wonder how well these may tie into future games. Imagine the next generation systems running 3D with an environment that can provide real time updates through the glasses instead of on screen. Sports games could benefit highly from this, each player could call their own plays without their buddy seeing which plays they may be choosing.

Imagine playing first person shooters and being able to mark locations for your teammates, see hidden weigh points, or seeing the face of the person you just killed (more rage quits please). All of your stats could be displayed through the glasses instead of taking up valuable screen real estate. You could even walk away during an intermission and the display would let you know when it was time to return.

I can already see a huge military benefit to these as well, the art of war has changed with each step in technology, and this is no small step. While the application for games is intriguing I can only imagine how this could change the scope of the battlefield. From viewing maps to tracking enemy movement, the possibilities are endless.

Here is where we take it a step further… The military has already released games in hopes of luring potential high school grads into the service. How far off would it be to recruit based on scores and achievements. We have all seen UAV’s in the Call of Duty series, some of us have flown in Battlefield. While not even close to the real knowledge it takes to control such things, the military could use the games as a baseline…the new aptitude test.

One day you may make the top of the leader boards in your favorite game, then the next day you receive a formal invitation to join the military.

Diablo fever is in full force as the pre-orders continue to add up. Streams of the Diablo 3 beta are still attracting large audiences and even I am getting anxious awaiting the release.

I have played over a thousand games of Starcraft 2 on ladder, leveled to 85 with a warlock in W.o.W., and my attention span is so small when it comes to any other game. Blizzard is never in a hurry when it comes to the release of their games, and with good reason. The amount of testing and development helps ensure that when the box hits the shelves it is as free from glitches as possible. Personally I would take some glitches and missing content to get my hands on any of their games early.

So the question begs, what to do while we wait for the release of Diablo 3? Plat games that are like it!

Path of Exile

www.pathofexile.com

In Path of Exile, the player has been exiled from their homeland to the corrupted and deeply hostile continent of Wraeclast. Alone, or with other exiles, they must develop their skills and discover powerful magical artifacts in order to survive the challenges of a cutthroat post-apocalyptic fantasy world.

Path of Exile immerses the player in a gritty and realistic art style that goes against the current industry trend of cartoony RPGs.

Our combat is especially visceral, with plenty of blood and gore. Position matters a great amount in our combat system. You can dodge projectiles and be blocked in by monsters.

Torchlight

www.torchlightgame.com

The adventure is set in the mining settlement of Torchlight, a boomtown founded on the discovery of rich veins of Ember – a rare and mysterious ore with the power to enchant or corrupt all that it contacts. This corruptive power may have dire consequences however, and players set out into the nearby mountains and depths below to discover the full extent of Ember’s influence on the civilizations that have come before.

Players will choose from among three character classes, and venture from the safety of the town of Torchlight into randomly generated dungeon levels, with a huge variety of creepy monsters, endless variations of loot to find, and quests to complete. The endless randomization ensures a long-lived gameplay experience.

I am still craving Diablo 3 despite these great substitutes, at least they make it a little easier to bear.

It is no surprise that Microsoft is developing a new console as a recent hiring spree tipped off the market. While there was no official comment from Microsoft at the time, we all could assume what the software giant was up to. The XBox360 helped revolutionize the industry and even managed to get many gamers off the couch with the addition of Kinect. The new console is rumored to stay in tune with Kinect as it has been a huge success.

So what are the specs? No one knows for sure, but this is what we have dug up:
1. Online all the time: The new console will almost always require an online connection to validate users and the content available to them in an effort to reduce piracy.
2. Blu-Ray: The HD-DVD lost the battle and now the new console will come bundled with the well known Blu-Ray player.
3. Processor: A new AMD 4-6 core processor to help manage the next generation games.
4. GPU: AMD dual GPU’s. Depending on release date we could see the next gen GPU’s in use.

Sony on the other hand has been quoted that they are trying to push out the new Playstation before Microsoft releases the new XBox. This would be a smart move if executed correctly, the failures from the launch of the PS3 left a lot of developers with headaches when initially designing games for the console.

The new Playstaion code named “Orbis” is hinted to have the following specs:
1. Content Management: Restrictions placed on used titles where a license will need to be purchased for play. As a side note, many developers have already implimented this on some titles and I see no reason why both consoles would have almost no decision on this as it would be mainly up to the developer.
2. AMD x64 Processor: Sporting multiple cores and this time with enough supporting hardware to fully support it.
3. GPU: AMD’s Southern Islands GPU which will be capable of allowing full 1080p games in 3d and full HD resolutions around 4096×2160
4. No backwards compatibility: Not too big of a surprise as next gen PS3′s dropped support for PS2 games unless purchased and downloaded from the network.

With all of the rumors floating around it is difficult to state any accuracy to the claims above. Either way I am looking forward to having a shiny new 720 and Orbis when they are released. Do you think Playstation will find a way to dominate the market after being knocked down by the 360?

Let the battle begin! EA goes head to head with the Modern Warfare franchise in hopes of making it to the top of the leaderboard. We provide our insights into the game by analyzing both trailers, what do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy2WcvR9c7Y

The next installment of SOCOM 4 which is set to be released on April 19th will come with a code to access the Resistance 3 demo. Of course you can only get this code if you have pre-ordered SOCOM 4 from a participating retailer.

The multiplayer beta for SOCOM 4 is coming to an end with the new game rapidly approaching the release date. StartGamer intends on creating a comprehensive walk through as well a trophy and achievement guides.

SOCOM 4 is set to take place in Asia as you take control of the main character Cullen Gray, the “Ops Commander”. This third person tactical shooter will utilize the Playstation Move technology which has received praise from many players who claim the system works perfectly with the game.

SOCOM 4 gives the player access to many commands which can be used to control your squad as you progress through the game. Set way points and control the behavior of your group to complete the mission objectives.

On to the other title. We recently published a short review based on the detail we already know about the game Resistance 3. The new addition to the resistance series offers a new plot which shakes up the past two installments of this game. Focused more on the struggle for humanity you are thrown more into character story lines. Read the full story here: Resistance 3 Review / Release Date.

Two great titles, which ones will you pick up?

The new game is set to have Evil Ryu, Oni, Yun, and Yang as playable characters. In addition to the new characters players will also have the ability to send replay video to friends.

A lot of speculation is focused around the new character Oni, may believe this will be a version of Akuma or Panthro.

Additional costumes will be revealed and one great new feature for multiplayer battles. Those who do not have the new game will still be able to play with those who do, this is a great feature and Capcom should praised for it, I wish other publishers would follow suit. Not only does this allow people to continue playing without purchasing the DLC, it gives them a taste of what they are missing. A great sales pitch for the franchise.

No price point or release date has yet to be set by the publisher. We can expect to hear on the official release next week as to when the new Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition will be available.

Below is a list of the confirmed characters making an appearance in MK9:

Baraka
Cyrax
Ermac
Jade
Jax
Johnny Cage
Kabal
Kano
Kitana
Kung Lao
Liu Kang
Mileena
NightwolfNoob Saibot
Quan Chi
Raiden
Reptile
Scorpion
Sektor
Shang Tsung
Sheeva
Sindel
Smoke
Sonya
Stryker
Sub-Zero

Mortal Kombat 9 characters will now be more unique than ever, each character will have their own stance and pose while standing and fighting. Previous versions of the game had all characters poised in the same positions.  Not only will every character have fatalities, they have been slated to receive two per character making a total of 50-60 different fatalities right out of the box. Kenshi is already confirmed to be available as part of a future DLC as well as a mystery character for now called “The Lady in Red”.

As far as bosses Goro, Kintaro, and Shao Kahn have been confirmed but it is still unknown if they will be playable.

There will be at least 25 arenas, all of which are available from the initial game release, no news on DLC additions yet.

The five new maps are set to include a zoo, hotel, convoy, stockpile, and a new zombie map. It would appear the convoy takes place on a highway as we can see exit signs prevalent in the flyers background. The next release in the series has been highly anticipated, the actual map names may not be what is depicted here. Activision has refused to comment so far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-RxBMH0yzI

No price point has been set but we can all assume it will be the same as the “First Strike”, around 14.99.

Insomniac Games is currently developing the next Resistance. The next highly anticipated first person shooter exclusive to the Playstation 3.

From Imsomniac Games Website:

August, 1957. America is lost. Four years after the end of the critically-acclaimed Resistance 2, dishonorably discharged Sentinel Joseph Capelli has given up fighting the Chimeran menace. Now he’s in hiding with other survivors, including his wife and young son. But when Dr. Fyodor Malikov arrives with the opportunity to deliver a blow to the occupying Chimeran force, Capelli must leave his family and journey the harrowing road from Oklahoma to New York City. Along the way, he’ll encounter the remnants of humanity left in the aftermath of the brutal Chimeran invasion.
Powered by InsomniacGames’ fifth-generation PlayStation 3 technology, Resistance 3 portrays Capelli’s heroic survival inside the brutal Resistance world. Featuring new upgradeable weapons, the return of the weapon wheel, two-player online or split-screen campaign co-op and a progression-based multiplayer experience, Resistance 3 delivers a heroic-yet savage first-person shooter experience for PlayStation 3.

Chimeran forces are at it again, this time it is a struggle for humanity. Focus has shifted according to Imsomniac, from an all out war to a more personal level of involvement leaving man fighting for more than just a cause. The new release is set to place the player into an environment which draws the user in, questioning the survival of human race and captivating us with stories on the struggle.

Capeli, the main character starts the game out by being discovered by the Chimeran forces. He must then protect the local citizens and try to lead them to safety. With a year of games failing to achieve a strong story line, lets hope that Insomniac can get it right.

One of the big advances (hopefully) is the change in multiplayer. No longer will we have massive battles but a maximum of 8v8. This design is meant to bring players together to cooperate as a team to secure objectives and eliminate the enemy. More strategy will be involved as the run and gun mentality is likely to get you killed much faster.

Let’s take a look at the gameplay, a video from IGN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px2VThf9D30

From the video I can tell you that I am impressed, the cinematic clips are great and it would look like they are really trying to tug at your morality by portraying characters in cut-scenes using actual actors rather than 3d models. The graphics definitely looked more polished off than any of the predecessors, it will be interesting to see how the game engine stacks up to others such as the Crytec engine which powers Crysis 2.

The game is also going to support 3D and Playstation Move. The combination of these two will make for some intense game play for those who can afford the technology. Playstation Move has begun picking up speed as more games are offering support for it, titles such as SOCOM 4 have already been receiving great reviews while using Move.

This game is on my list as a title I am sure to buy. Fans of this franchise should be excited for this release as it is sure to bring a new style of play and with any luck a great storyline. The game is set to be released in September of 2011 (the 6th), two months ahead of the next Modern Warfare, a great strategy in my opinion. Releasing the game ahead of the Modern Warfare release will help ensure sales and give players enough time to sink their teeth into the game and possibly purchase any DLC that may be offered.

Will you be buying the game? Wait for the demo? Pre-order now!?