I decided today to check out NYC's new Highline Park. What once was an elevated train track, a relic of the past, is now a modern park setting, stories high above Manhattan's West Side. It truly is a gorgeous sight, but hovering over 15th St. and 10th Ave., I noticed a tiny visitor below me. Do you see him? Keep reading to see a closer look:
2009 has been a 2D fighting fan's best year since the days of the Dreamcast - We finally got Street Fighter IV, Mark of the Wolves and KoF '98 Ultimate Match hit XBLA, and this month we see the retail release of two more 2D fighters, BlazBlu and KoF XII. As Ken Masters might say, "Yay!"
Last week, I was saddened by the lag-infested online play of Mark of the Wolves, and since this week's KoF '98 UM is another SNK Playmore game, I was expecting the worst. But thankfully, this one is seemingly programmed much better. I did experience some game-killing lag, but it was far less frequent than with MoW. Only when other players' pings were in the 200+ millisecond range did the game really start to chug. My only complain, which is no fault of SNK, is that very few people are playing online.
Other than that, though, what can I say? It's King of Fighters '98 with some extra characters, a few new stages, and a gameplay tweak or two. If you've already played '98, you'll be right at home as not much has changed. If you haven't though, get ready for a steep learning curve. This game is definitely not a simple one. There are three different fighting styles, different roll commands, and different ways to pull off special moves. KoF noobs should check out the more simple XI before they try anything in the late '90s era.
So if you're a fan of KoF already, this is a definite purchase, since it's the definitive version of '98. It's the fastest-loading (other than Neo-Geo) and the most feature-packed version of the game. You can choose between new menus and old, arranged or original music, and 3D [Dreamcast] or original backgrounds. It would have been nice to see redrawn sprites and backgrounds but what can you expect for 800 MS points? In any case, this will tide you over until KoF XII finally hits stores later this month.
Yay! It's KoF '98, tons of options, newly included characters, decent online play, cheaper than the PS2 version.
Nay! Sometimes laggy, steep learning curve, pretty ugly for a game that kinda-sorta came out in 2008 [JPN PS2, arcade].
For those of you who REALLY hate reading, or only learned to read numbers: 9/10
No, not 2005's spectacular reboot of the legendary survival horror series, I'm talking about the fourth Resident Evil film (loosely based off the video games). Despite receiving almost unanimously negative reviews each film has surpassed its predecessor at the box office, the third topping over $150 million worldwide. Because of this success many of us expected (and dreaded) the announcement of the next installment. Now that time has come as Screen Gems has confirmed that we will be seeing more undead kickassery with a release date for the fourth installment in one of the most successful video game movie franchises of all time, entitled Resident Evil: Afterlife. If it wasn't for the utterly gorgeous Milla Jovovich (and my undying love for zombies... get it?) I wouldn't be interested in this film. Supposedly we might be getting another reason to see this movie, as Leon S. Kennedy has been rumored to appear and if the rumors are true actor Jensen Ackles might be assuming the role of Resident Evil 4's (now I'm talking about the game) protagonist. If you're interested, Afterlife will be shuffling to theaters on September 17th of next year.
Just in time for summer, Gamestop is offering the worst Wii bundles of all time. Yes, worse than the $1200 shovelware bundles available at system launch.
The first bundle, Summer Fun, comes with the Wii, a Wiimote, and a Nunchuk for $249.99. And it comes with a free squirtgun. No, not a Super Soaker--this piece of crap that the dollar store is too embarrassed to carry. If this would make you order your Wii from Gamestop, might I interest you in the deed to the fabulous Brooklyn Bridge?
Seriously, what marketing genius came up with this one?
Tired of advertisements populating the city streets, the airwaves, and you computer screen? Well open up for more, because it looks like Microsoft will be unlocking the floodgates for ads on Xbox Live. Personally, I'm a bit pissed. Hit the link for my argument.
If OnLive is the console killer, what's the OnLive killer? The answer might be Gaikai, another cloud-based gaming system. This one is being headed up by the infamous David Perry, creator of Earthworm Jim and all-around nice guy. Clearly this idea is catching on, and the whole industry could get shaken up in the not too distant future. Check out this video demonstration by Mr. Perry himself.
I've blogged about the Woot shirts before, but for those of you new here's the deal. The shirts are 10 bucks with free shipping, but the downside is they're only on sale for one day. For this particular shirt that day is today.
More popular designs go on sale later on but the price goes to $15. Still not bad for a tshirt, and they're high quality to boot.
You like your pixels fat and juicy, don’t ya? You can be honest with us, it’s the internet! We here at The BBPS have a particular fondness for the porcine persuasion, and in honor of those who let it all hang out, we present to you: The Huskiest Hotties in Video Games.
We've mentioned the Synthcart before in our chiptunes articles, so I went ahead and put together a quick look at the basics of the software. I forgot to mention the song in the beginning of the video is by Atarimatt, and to see me and my Synthcart in action check out the video after the link:
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 