Game Jam NYC

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New York City Game Development community is continually growing and trying new ways to get noticed.
Game Jam an annual event held in Manhattan which pits a couple of development teams against each other to make a entire video game in 48 hours...yes 2 days.
Those who follow the site know I'm also in the game development field so I was planning on participating but I had too many prior arrangements.None the less Justin & I made the trip to the east side of the city to check it out.
Great event! We wanted to take more pictures and video but we decided against it to protect some of the unprotected material.

Someone At Sega Grew A Brain...

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Year after year videogame companies try to come up with the next big thing. Creating new a IP is a very high risk venture but can reap high rewards. Often times when the publisher commits to a new game that wasnt received to well, they will shove a sequel down our throat regardless. If the public likes the new product from the jump, then look out they will annualize the game, make a movie & or license the game's characters out.

For some reason Sega didn't get that memo. In a way that's a good thing, we don't want another Capcom (see my capcom article here), but original Sega fans are starving for many franchises to return. Whether that's through a remake or a re-release we will take what we can get(unless its like the new Golden Axe). I can make the case that Sega owns stronger IPs than ANY video publisher. Sega battled Nintendo & Sony with all 1st party software remember. For some reason console cycle after console cycle, Sega sits on all their great franchises. Yes we get alot of Sonic games now but there was a time when Sega even abandoned him! Sega Saturn era anyone? Yes I know the story about Sonic Xtreme but thats another article.
Good news though, Sega is starting to show signs of recovery.


Virtua Fighter 5 final showdown was announced today for XBLA & PSN. That game has been in the Japanese arcades since 2010. Why is Sega taking 2 years to port it(2012 release date) I don't know and I don't care I'm just happy its coming out! I'm a little concerned with the watered down graphics but they have a year to work on it so we will see. Remember the original Virtua Fighter 5 was only 3.3 GB.

Sonic CD has been rumored by Major Nelson to be coming out on XBLA...yes the holy Sonic CD! That game is a true hidden gem. I hope we can get a HD version oh my God I'm hyped just typing this.


Sega Rally just had a really nice arcade release a few weeks back. Im really enjoying it.


Guardian Heroes will be coming out any week now,that will be a 1st day buy!

If Sega continues this trend as well as develop/publish some more new IPs. I really feel Sega can be in better shape financially then it ever has been!
Keep up the good work Sega :)

(Havent said that in years)


Lets Analyze NBA 2k12 "Greatest" Trailer

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The trailer above shows 5 NBA legends Jordan, Magic, Bird, Dr J & Kareem. According to IGN NBA 2K12 will feature a game mode called "NBA's Greatest," which will allow the user to play through 15 historic games and control 15 basketball legends. Who's the other 10? Lets save that for another post. Lets figure out which 5 historic games for these 5 legends shown.

Michael Jordan
Last year was all about Jordan, 2k did a great job letting us play his greatest games. So whats left?
Bulls vs Rockets! The Bulls and Rockets won 8 consecutive championships in the 90s...8!
If you pause the trailer at the 35 second mark you can see the 1991 roster.
They only played each other once in Chicago that year. That game Jordan had the flu(again yes I know) Jordan scored 34 points shooting 60% from the field and blocking Hakeem The Dream 3 times...Lets just hope 2k doesn't make us block Hakeem 3 times for the achievement.

Magic Johnson
Magic had ALOT of great games but I'm not sure why 2k decided to show him against this Blazer team.
In 1985 Magic had 23 assist against the Blazers but since the trailer shows Kevin Duckworth -number 00-(he wasn't a Blazer in 85). I' am led to believe we will control Magic playing against the the Blazers in the 1991 western conference finals where the Lakers beat the Blazers 4-2.
Magic vs Clyde will be fun regardless.

Larry Bird
Once I saw the trailer I immediately thought OMG the shootout!
1988 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals game 7! Hawks vs Celtics or Wilkins vs Bird.
Bird scored 34 and D.Wilkins scored 47(only missing 4 shots.)
The Celtics squeaked out a 2 point win thanks to Birds 20 fourth quarter points. Wilkins battled at the end as well scoring 14 in the games final period alone.
One of the greatest NBA games EVER!

Kareem Abdul Jabbar
The NBA's all time leading scorer. Personally I would rather play as Kareem on the Bucks with the Big O but 2k has him later in his career as a Laker.
The game shown in the trailer is Kareem playing against the Hawks. Now this may have been a random game they threw in there because nothing adds up. Lets analyze this.
The biggest game Kareem had against the Hawks was in 1975, Kareems 1st year as a Laker. That game he scored 39 points, 23 rebounds and blocked 10 shots. The 2nd big game against the Hawks was in 1980(Magic Johnson rookie year) when he scored 28 pts, 15 rebounds and blocked 10 shots.
Now I'm pretty sure its not the 1975 game because both rosters lacked stars. While the 1980 roster had Magic Johnson on it the Hawks did not wear the jersey shown(unless it was a hidden alternate). Also the 1980 Hawks didn't have Wilkins. No offense John Drew(the Hawks star before Wilkins) but I doubt 2k will ever recreate you.

Dr. J
Again I don't understand why they have the older Dr. J on the Sixers. Dr. J on the NY Nets is what we want. Maybe because it was in the ABA, 2k refrained.
The footage of the Doc dunking didn't show which team he played against but from the looks of it my guess we would play the 82-83 season when the Sixers won the championship in sweeping fashion against the mighty Lakers.

Again this hasnt been confirmed by 2k. This is just my educated guess on what "NBA Greatest" mode will offer.

Sonic Needs To Be Evicted From Green Hill Zone

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After playing the E3 "Sonic Generations" demo I wanted to throw up. I wasnt impressed by the same gameplay and im sooooo sick of green hill zone. That zone is so plain and safe its sad.Its like making pasta with no sauce or making a sandwich with no spread. Sega thinks the nostalgia will grab us old school gamers but instead it shows me they're trying to cash in on nostalgia instead of focusing on the gameplay. Yes we know the Sonic series is dead, I believe Green Hill is one of the reason why. If that's his home then you know what, its time to move...also Sonic when you move dont move into a land filled with blue skies and green grass(like Green Hill Zone).

Look at all these versions of Green Hill Zone.



Emerald Zone is pretty much the same damn thing!







Seaside Hill the same damn thing

Splash hill zone...Love how sega just takes the Green out the title

Green Grove Act sega? Really Looks like Green Hill Zone with a name twist

Will Sony & Microsoft Team Up For Their New Console??

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For those who havent heard, someone at Microsoft registered the domain name Microsoft-Sony.com. Yes I know anyone can register a domain name and nothing may come of this, but here is why I think this would be good for the overall health of the gaming industry.


1.PSN outtage & 3 red lights: Both PS3 and Xbox360 users experienced gaming hardships. While we were at home crying and complaining these 2 companies lost billions because of these unique events.

Sony is great at making hardware, besides a little D.R.E. on the PS2 all 3 Playstations are like tanks. They keep ticking.

Microsoft is a software 1st company. They create great OS and UI...but most importantly a secure network.

If this dream console happens let Sony focus on the hardware while Microsoft does the software(Dash,System updates etc etc)


2.Too many consoles: Do we really need 3? Lets look at videos games golden years NES vs Master System then SNES vs Genesis. Now that Nintendos new console is for the "hardcore audience" let make a 2 man race again.


3.Iphone/Andriod & Facebook: Believe it or not Mobile and Social games are taking over gaming. While Sony fanboys & Xbots fight the Social & Mobile markets are making more and more $. Why should you care???Investors and Developers are leaving traditional console gaming to work in those fields. Yu Suzuki is a perfect example,he created Shenmue and Virtua Fighter among many others. Now he will be focused on Social games for Japan....sucks I know.




Regardless if this happens or not Sony and Microsoft fans need to come together.Hardcore gamers represent a very small percentage of the world.Instead of fighting about Halo vs Uncharted lets enjoy games as one....as brothers.Lets use our all hate on garbage like Farmville and Angry Birds lol joking joking!















The Top Ten JRPG Games!

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During this discussion we considered pretty much ever JRPG from Phantasy Star 1 to FF13 and everything in between.
Since Zelda and Kingdom Hearts are action oriented Jrpgs we decided to leave those two great series off the list.
Check out our discussion to see how & why we came up with the list.



10.Star Ocean
9.Shining Force 3
8.Pokeman Series
7.Mario RPG
6.Tales of Symphonia

5.Grandia 2


4.Final Fantasy 6



3.Panzer Dragoon Saga



2.Chrono Trigger



1.Final Fantasy 7




L.A. Noire Achievement/Trophy Tips

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*No spoilers*
Need help finding cars,landmarks or even film canisters?
Don't fret help has arrived!

Achievement/Trophy:
Hollywoodland-Find and inspect all gold film reels



These videos below will guide you.












The Long Arm Of The Law-Complete all street crime cases.
Pull up the map and find the street crimes before they call(Free Roam mode). The unsolved cases will show a red icon. Remember each "Desk" has a limited number of street crimes. It will tell you when you've completed all the street crimes at that desk. If the street crimes aren't showing up on the map just restart Free Roam mode.



Auto Fanatic-Drive every vehicle in the city.

One of the most annoying achievements/trophies in the game. The trick to this is,while playing through the story mode switch cars as much as you can. If you see a parking lot go into every car before you continue with your mission. In free roam the cars are placed randomly so all online faqs telling you this car is here that car is there will only leave you frustrated.

Best advice I can give you is to play the game normally and it will come.


Public Menace-Rack up $47,000 in penalties during a single story case.

Simple...act like your playing GTA.


Roscoe And Friends-Kill at least one bad guy with every gun.

Pick up every gun you see while progressing through the game. The only trick is during Cole's 1st shootout drop your shotgun and use Cole default gun as a "beat cop" because that will be your only access to that gun since its so weak. If you need helping using the last weapon on the last mission "PM" me because I don't want to spoil anything here.


Shamus To The Stars- Complete all story cases with a five star rating.

Three things determine your rating.

1.Clues- Do a thorough search of every scene

2.Questions- If you get a question wrong, you can always reset and start from the last auto save.

3.Damage-To avoid City/Car damage let your partner drive.


Star Map-Discover all landmark locations around the city.

Zoom in on your computer if needed













5 Reasons Why You Must Buy Guardian Heroes!

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Today Sega announced the Saturn classic Guardian Heroes for XBLA! Great news for Sega fans. Some of you dont understand how big this is....let me break it down

1)Guardian Heroes sales for aprox. $110 on amazon $90 on Amazon. Now the world can experience this greatness for $10-$20 (no price announced).

2)Many people said this was Sega Saturns best game. Receiving 9s and 10s from every major publication.

3)Buying this will show Sega that we still have interest in Saturn games. The install base for the Saturn was extremely low so lots of people didnt experience some timeless classics.

4)Just look at these added features!

• Action-RPG Brawling: Choose one of five heroes to level up and guide along a branching storyline with five different endings• Friends, Foes, and Fighters: Play the game’s Story Mode alone or with a second player, or challenge Versus Mode with up to 12 players at once
• Extended Gameplay: Time Attack Mode, Arcade Mode, Arrange Mode and more allow players to explore every nuance of 45 different fighters
• Fully Re-Mastered: All-new graphics and visual effects bring the classic to life in a completely high-definition, widescreen presentation

5)See Video Below

NBA 2k11 Jordan Challenge Guide & Achievement/Trophy Tips

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Still haven't got all the achievements/trophies in NBA2k11??
Have you given up on the Jordan Challenges??
Well after reading this simple guide you will feel like a 2k master!

Live the Dream - Complete all of the Jordan Challenge games
Now most of you don't have problems with "the arrival","69 points","Bad Boys",1991 nba finals" & "double nickel". Those challenges just ask for you to score alot of points and shoot a good percentage.To keep you shooting % high go in for alot of dunks and don't take many contested shots.
The two biggest questions I receive is how can I stop Drexler in "The Shrug" & even worse Wilkins in "Shootout"? Easy, plenty of help defense and deny them the ball. Once Drexler or Wilkins touch the ball double team asap! Also set Pippen to guard both and make him deny the ball. If that doesnt work well go in the roster menu and lower Drexler & Wilkins stats.Making them a 50 overall will make it easy for you.That way is pretty cheap but hey do what you must.
Three others that i personally found hard were "Fathers Day Victory" "The Flu Game" & "Last Dance" The steals in "Last dance" bugged me but hack away.Once a "non guard" Utah jazz player touches the ball run Jordan to him and go for the steal.I got alot of steals from Malone since he touched the ball so much & his handle rating is pretty low. Fathers Day Victory & The Flu Game requires alot of rebounds...the trick to this is just move Jordan to the PF or even Center position in the 2nd half of the game. That puts him in a great position to go for alot of boards.It worked for me!

Achievements/Trophies

4-Point Line - Pull off a successful 4-point play with any player, in a non-simulated game.
This can be very tough but the trick is to pump fake alot. Once your opponent is in the air lean into him and pray it goes in.*this requires alot of luck*

Five by Five - Record 5 or more in 5 different stats with any player in a non-simulated game.
This requires at least 5 points,5 assist,5 rebounds,5 blocks & 5 steals Personally I used Jordan hes a great all around player. I felt the blocks were the hardest but stay aggressive with Jordan try to be involved in EVERY play even on defense.

G Dominance - Win by at least 50 points with any team, in a non-simulated game & G Performance - Score at least 48 points with Kevin Durant to set a new career high, in a non-simulated game.
Easy,play 12 min quarters and play on Rookie.

Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown (20) Beat LeBron James in the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown.
Quantity OVER Quality in this mode to win.If you do more dunks than Lebron you will more than likely win. Two simple dunks will give you a score of 70 + 70(140) while Lebrons one great dunk will net him a 90. Dunk fast and you will rack up points fast to win. Its actually pretty easy.

Any more tips needed? Please leave a comment below I would love to help.

Video Game Industry Is Becoming A F'N Joke

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L.A. Noire will have retailer exclusive DLC.
Really...Really... as the Miz so eloquently put it. Now this isn't a new thing but the "cute" trend has turned nasty this time around.
Rockstar announced that depending on where you pre-order the game will determine what dlc you get. We usually hear about a Gamestop bonus ie:Pre Order Split Second and receive a Gamestop car(who cares) but this time five..count them five retailers are involved. Gamestop, Walmart,Best Buy, Amazon & Rockstargames.com .

Pre-Order from
Gamestop: "Naked City" Mission
Walmart: "A slip of the tongue" Mission
Best Buy: "The Sharpshooter" detective suit
Amazon: "The Broderick" detective suit
Rockstargames.com: Free t-shirt (not as bad)

Where do we draw the line? I want to experience the WHOLE game when i spend my $60 not portions. If I don't preorder look how much I will miss out on wtf. I don't mind the little outfits but missions....MISSIONS!! Sorry I'm pissed.
I'm sure the extras will be sold as DLC later but why should I have to pay for something that was done when the game went gold. DLC ripoffs are another post for another day.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 Launch Party

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Whats up everyone. Im still recovering from the Marvel vs Capcom party, it was great. I spoke to so many great ppl. I also had a nice chat with Seth Killian the community manager for Capcom. Seth didn't reveal much but he did say we may see Birdie and/or Sodom make a return to the Street Fighter series....well at least I put the bug into his ear.

Check out the footage I took with my itouch.

NBA 2K11 My Player Mode Tips

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For those having trouble with my player mode don't fret Justin and I are here to save you. This mode can be extremely frustrating in the beginning, but with a little practice, patience & these tips you will be Rookie Of The Year/MVP in no time.

Keenan's/Bess Tips:

-Increase the minutes
Playing more minutes will allow you to pad your stats more, also allow you to earn a better teammate grade. Personally I play on 8 minutes but i know alot of people who play 12 minutes per quarter.

-Don't play on anything above All-Star difficulty
No I'm not being a puss... I love the challenge, but the problem is you will lose all your games since your teammates, wont play on the same level. For some reason they stay on Pro.

-Pick the right drills

You don't have to play all the drills. You can do 1 of 2 things.

1. Pick the drill your best at and reap the benefits from getting the same gold benefits over and over.

Example :Do 20 shooting drills in a row to develop the hell outta your jump shots.

2. Pick the Dribbling course and get speed +1 or +2 (Tip: Pause the game to see the moves)

Now you can take those points away from the speed attribute and use them elsewhere. Remember speed is the most expensive attribute so you will net A LOT of points if you take away your "Speed +2" bonus. Also speed isn't the most important attribute in this game.

My speed is a 75 and I just scored 78 points this weekend, the next game I had 53.11 & 10....again speed isn't that important.

-Use your points to develop the mid range shot

The mid range shot covers a lot of the court! Its also ridiculously easy 2 max out. Once you boost this past 80, all you need is a little space and you will make almost all your shots. Remember you'll need a little space which can be created with a pick and pop or even a fast break.

Also pick a shot you love. Personally I love J.Alexanders shot, some say Ray Allen's is the best.

-How to guard a superstar/mismatch

Early in your career you will be matched up against the beast, aka Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Durant etc etc. With your defense so low they will abuse you, so the best thing you can do is deny them the ball and contest every shot. These superstars love to shoot even if your on them, so as long as your in their face your teammate rating wont decrease.

Justin's/The Cool One Tips:

- Defense is the key to getting a A+. You know it doesn't matter what position you play. If you can block a shot, get a rebound or even a steal, your grade goes up quickly.

- Complete milestones. Milestones gives major points and will help you boost your player more faster.

- Complete objectives and win rival games. As the game states itself win rival games and double your points.

- You want to be Rookie Of The Year, then chuck, chuck, chuck. My player averages 48.8 points per game. Three pointers will help you with your scoring average. Being the top leading scorer will double you chances of Rookie Of The Year.

- Make sure your offensive and defense awareness is up. Your rating will shoot up quickly.

- Do not play the D- league. Chances are you won't get called up to the NBA till mid of the seasons. This will ruin your chances of Rookie Of The Year.

- Know your position and your role. Stick your man and set up plays that will get your team the win. If you need help with plays, then do scrimmage. Scrimmage will help you learn pick and rolls, etc.

If you have more tips then put them in the comment section.