Video Roundup for 3/31/10 aka Happy Birthday to Me...

Today I turned 23 years old and still feeling the same... I would like to thank everyone for their birthday wishes and greetings on Twitter, Facebook, and messaging my phone too.

Anyway...

Today, a new trailer for Super Mario Galaxy 2, my most anticipated Wii game this year, was out for the interwebs showcasing the powerups that will be in the game. Some from the last game like the Bee Suit, Fire Mario, and the Starman return, but the new ones are neat stuff from Rock Mario, which is like a flashback to the Goron Mask in Zelda: Majora's Mask, and yellow Yoshi providing light for hidden paths, which is similar to the Lens of Truth from the N64 Zelda games as well. Its nice that Nintendo is referring to their past even from other games to incorporate into Mario games today. Sure, the decision with the new hub may scare off hardcore fanboys, but I don't care because I know Mario Galaxy 2 will be still be amazing being another contender for my game of the year.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is not the only Nintendo game everyone is buzzed about at the moment as a new gameplay trailer for Metroid: Other M was revealed yesterday as it finally shows footage that we can figure out what this game actually is for once. Team Ninja's take on the legendary franchise is still definitely interesting stuff as it shows in this video of Samus battling enemies in 2.5D and first person at any time. The simplified controls of just the Wiimote sideways remains to be seen in the final game if it was the right call. Of course, the story's presentation may suck since Nintendo and Team Ninja are not really going to make it epic and all, but the gameplay will be the make or break deal for me. I'm still buying it regardless because its Metroid and I don't see it being a disappointment.

And of course, it wouldn't be a gaming blog post here without mentioning the game that will be the most of my gaming life in 2010, which is Super Street Fighter IV. This is footage (of about a hour and a half) from yesterday's 1up Game Night where Richard Li of 1up, Haunts of iPlayWinner.com, A_Rival, and Magus1234 (NorCal SF players) were playing casuals with some of the characters. Of course the level of play is expected to be high level stuff as things were being very noticeable. I'm surprised like most people that T. Hawk is way better than people thought and could be a beast in the right hands as A. Rival put on a great display of what he can do with that much power and damage (Standing RH is just disgusting stuff). Also impressive on this video is the potential of Cody (played by Haunts) to the point I would use him as a possible main. I just like his options and style especially rushing down doing BnB combos as well as easy ultra setups. Juri is also expected to be pretty good despite her learning curve like some characters in the game with her rushdown game as well as her defensive options. Dudley is shaping up to be too good once close doing his crazy sheninegans. I'm not sure if I would use Dudley seriously since the Dudley army might be too much in numbers when the game comes out as everyone would use him because he is a dope character that is also one of the best characters in the game with so many options. I also like Ibuki being a vortex-like character with her own options, but I just don't see myself using her that much. Anyway, enjoy more high-level Super SF4 nonsense, but I seriously want to play this now!!!

March 2010 Music Roundup aka "The Raymond vs. Raymond" Edition

This music roundup only features the new Usher album, Raymond vs. Raymond. After his last album was somewhat of a disappointment with only "Love in This Club" as the only smash hit from there, it seemed like Usher was maybe trying too hard to recapture the magic he had with Confessions. I feel like that his new album, out next week, is way better than last one, Here I Stand after a few listens due to more potential of hit singles. Sure, this album has been through major Internet leakage ever since earlier this year which has been putting the album through constant delays till now, but now that is out, most of the leaked songs have been cut into the final product, which is good. Anyway, Usher's latest is filled with bangers from his current hit single, "Hey Daddy" (Daddy's Home) and good thing the Piles verse got cut out in the final album, his new single, "Lil Freak" featuring Nicki Minaj (music video that got premiered on BET last night is above) as Nicki is still always her crazy self as I think she is like this generation's Lil' Kim the way she has been hyped up lately, and "OMG" featuring and produced by Will.I.Am. The album definitely starts off right with "Monstar" as a great opening track. Other standouts to me are "There Goes My Baby," "Mars vs. Venus," "Okay," and "Making Love" (Into the Night). I felt the middle part of the album goes a little off after starting up on a high note, but the last songs put it back into top notch quality people expect out of Usher. This ain't going to be as good as Confessions or even his earlier albums, but Raymond vs. Raymond is definitely a step in the right direction again for one of my favorite artists.

The Blue Bomber Continues to be at its Comfort Zone... The Mega Man 10 (WiiWare) Review

Mega Man makes its glorious return to its 8-bit roots with Mega Man 9 back in 2008. Capcom made the right call going back to what made those games great in the first place being 8-bit rather than try to hang with today's crowd of using 3D backgrounds. While it is still as challenging as previous games, it still was successful being on the downloadable game services recapturing the nostalgia as well as bringing new players into the fold. It is no surprise that Capcom continues to ride on the success with Mega Man 10 continuing to stay true to the classic formula with a new slate of robots to defeat as well as messing with new weapons. Even though it is still a solid game worthy of the franchise, this one feels a little more experimental, but not as crazy as the later NES games. It is not the best one in the franchise, but Mega Man 10 is definitely not the worst catering to both casual and hardcore players.

Mega Man 10's story is pretty simple as a virus called Robenza is spreading making all robots sick and it is up to Mega Man to save the day once again even though Dr. Wily may seem he is not behind it at all, but you can take a good guess what happens especially if you have been playing these games. The core formula stays the same with another cast of eight robots to defeat at any order even though the recommended order this time seems more logical to figure out than past games, especially Mega Man 9. With this new entry, two difficulties are offered at the gate with the default normal difficulty, which is still the way for purists. The other difficulty is an easier one for casual players that think these games are still too hard. They are still intimidating to play with especially for newcomers, but those that have experience with classic games are sure to take on the normal difficulty as expected even though it still provides a decent challenge. Also unlocked from the start is the ability to play as Proto Man, Mega Man's brother, but expect the experience to be quite different as Proto Man takes more damage when hit, has the slide, and the charge shot ability. Those that want to spike up the challenge would go with Proto Man, but Mega Man is still the safe choice to go with.

As far as the core formula is concerned, there are still eight stages to transverse with their own separate twists such as a sandstorm in Commando Man's stage, the return of disappearing blocks in Sheep Man's stage, and incoming traffic in Nitro Man's stage. The level design is still fine catering to the theme of the robot, but it has been better in previous games. Only certain weapons after defeating bosses are quite useful such as the Water Shield, the Commando Bomb, and the Triple Blade in more situations compared to others besides using them to figure out the weak point of a certain boss. As mentioned earlier, the boss order is a little more easier to figure out, but it does not mean it is a cake walk. Enemies and obstacles are willing to ruin your experience in frustration especially in Hard mode. More replay value is there with time attack mode, along with online leaderboards and replays, various challenges that test your skills, and upcoming downloadable content. Even though it is not as hard as other games in the franchise, Mega Man 10 is still provides a decent challenge for any player, but the classic gameplay is still as solid as it was before.

As expected, the 8-bit graphics in Mega Man 10 still work really well as there is no need to spice things up. It is simple as it gets with colorful levels of varied themes as well as different concepts meshing together such as the sandstorm mentioned previously. The WiiWare version remains as the best looking of all the versions since the 360 and PS3 versions have a border surrounding the gameplay as well as a filter issue if you even notice the differences. The soundtrack is not as good as previous games as it seems like they were still experimenting with establishing different sounds to have new background music, but at least they are willing to take chances with it. Mega Man 9's soundtrack remains as the best since the NES days as it feels close to those glorious days compared to 10. The sound effects also remain the same for franchise standards.

Mega Man 10 feels like the franchise is playing safe even though it is still a solid entry. It is not as good as some games in the franchise, but it is definitely not the worst one. It seems like they are trying to take things in a different direction even though it retains that same classic feel. The increase in replay value with more modes to play through besides the main game does make overall package more worthy of the ten dollars even though there is downloadable content coming in a matter of weeks with new modes and even a new character to play as. For fans of Mega Man and classic gaming, this is still worth it to have in your collection as this generation of consoles still leaves room for these type of games on their rightful spot, the downloadable game services. I am still interested, however, where Capcom goes next with the franchise though whether they continue to ride on the success of this old school approach or not.

Score = 8/10

Pros:

• Retains the classic 8-bit feel from the gameplay and the graphics
• New cast of robots to defeat and weapons to mess with
• More replay value with various difficulties, challenges, and time attack
• Still a solid entry in the franchise

Cons:

• Not as good as some Mega Man games, but definitely not too bad
• Soundtrack could of been better

Super Street Fighter IV Video Blowout!!!

Now that I beaten God of War III and gotten the review written, its time for me to get back preparing for April 27 with Super Street Fighter IV by still playing the vanilla version. I am in the process of leveling up a new main since I realized I can't win with the dictator, aka Bison, that much anymore. I will still use him depending on the matchup, but I starred to use Chun-Li more since she is more of a safe character with a less risky playstyle like Bison. Plus, she seems to be way better in Super SF4 with her fireball Ultra being easily comboable.. In the meantime, enjoy some new and actually pretty good Super SF4 footage...

Dudley vs. Balrog - Dudley is looking like one of the better characters in the game, especially from word of mouth. Balrog's Dirty Bull Ultra seems only useful to me if you cannot execute Headbutt to Ultra 1 at all. Then again, his first Ultra has other uses such as "Keno-eyeing." It remains to be seen how changed Balrog is from vanilla SF4, but he seems to be the same.

Guy vs. Guile - Guile still sucks in my opinion as his Sonic Hurricane Ultra makes him a little better, but not much. It probably depends on how improved his normals are. Guy, however, is one of those characters that can be deadly in the right hands, so there will probably some standout players using him.

Rose vs. Sakura - Actually I think Rose's Soul Satellite Ultra makes her a little better since she would have a temporary shield. Doesn't mean she is a better character in general as she looks the same. Sakura also seems the same even with a fireball ultra. I don't see both of them going up or down in the tier list.

Ryu vs. Ken - Expect these two mainstays to still be the popular characters to go with when the game comes out, which means the flowcharts return equaling another dumb online experience against random people. Ryu's regular Shoryuken being 2 hits (medium and fierce) does change him up a bit and supposedly Ken has improved in terms of faster moves to be in par with the other shotos since I think he's the weakest shoto in vanilla SF4.

Makoto vs. FeiLong - I actually like Makoto in this game as most of her 3rd Strike game is intact. Of course, it will be tougher against fireball characters since projectiles are useful unlike 3rd Strike. I'm just not sure if saving up for the super rage and then her first ultra would be worth it, since her other EX moves seem useful. FeiLong seems to be the same despite the new counter ultra, which I'm not a fan of those in general.

E. Honda vs. Vega - I like Honda in this game compared to vanilla SF4 because of his grab ultra. I'm still not sure to believe that he would be dangerous against fireball characters HD Remix style of EX Headbutt going through fireballs. It would be nice to have making a way better character than now. Vega seems to be the same despite a better and useful second ultra.

Blanka vs. Seth - Seth, especially according to word from the streets, is a way better character, making him nastier than ever compared to vanilla despite still having the lowest health. Just as long as he does not get hit, he is still dangerous and annoying to fight at least. Plus, having an anti-air Ultra is another reason he is significantly better in Super. Blanka seems unchanged to me despite having the Shout of Earth Ultra as he can still be annoying to fight against most of the time.

Adon vs. Sagat - Sagat definitely seems nerfed as everyone claimed to be, but not much. His BnB to Ultra combo is still there, but with the Tiger Cannon, it does seem to do much damage compared to his Tiger Destruction Ultra, so I think Sagat players will stick to his first ultra. Adon definitely looks like Adon from past games as I like his FADC Ultra combo connecting all the way despite the damage scaling.

C. Viper vs. Ibuki/Dhalsim vs. Cammy - I love Viper's 2nd Ultra even though there are not as many opportunities to land it like her first one. Once again, she is still one of the better characters in the right hands. Ibuki is also another character that would be deadly in the right hands as it seems like she could have her own vortex setups, but that remains to be seen. Dhalsim is what I expected him to be since he is somewhat better with his second ultra and Cammy's new ultra is a counter like FeiLong's, which I guess can be useful in certain situations. Here at SoCal, we have been witnessing somewhat of a mini Cammy movement with more players using her and going far as well such as James Chen, who started it basically, along with the U.S. number one player Justin Wong using her as a secondary since she is like a female Rufus with her dive kick as well as Combofiend, who recently starting using her in tournaments.

Guy vs. Cody/Gen vs. Dan - Cody is a solid addition to the roster to me which his own shenanigans. Dan is well still Dan even though he has a fireball ultra and Gen supposedly went through some drastic changes according to the community that has played it so far, but we will still see it certain tactics like his MK to Chop links are gone in the final game.

Cammy vs. Chun-Li - Refer to what I said about those two earlier.

Ryu vs. Ken/Abel vs. Dudley

Juri mirror, Abel vs. Dudley (Again)

Akuma vs. Gouken



Dee Jay vs. Rufus



T. Hawk vs. M. Bison



Zangief vs. El Fuerte

Vengeance Ends Here... The God of War III Review

Please note - This review and the videos being shown may contain spoilers, so read and watch at your own risk if you have not beaten the game yet.

The God of War franchise has been unrivaled in terms of pushing the action genre and the Playstation consoles to their limits with amazing graphics, an epic sense of scale, memorable battles against foes that are way bigger than Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta, and one of the best theatrical scores in the gaming business. God of War III has been a long time coming for those that wanted to finish what Kratos had started especially after the ending of the last game. Now that the epic trilogy comes into an end, it seemed be Sony Santa Monica are always willing to outdo themselves as it truly shows in this finale to Kratos's quest for vengeance. God of War III not only to pushes the envelope of the Playstation 3 and the action genre, it also pushes the envelope for gaming in general being a true masterpiece. As the first two games were among the my personal favorites, this sequel is unlike anything else I have played in recent years in terms of delivering memorable moment after another.

Kratos has been through a lot to set the stage for the finale of his quest for vengeance. God of War III starts off after the second game ended with the Ghost of Sparta on Gaia as they along with the rest of the titans set off to climb up Mount Olympus to take on Zeus and the rest of the Gods. The story is as simple as it gets when the primary goal to kill Zeus and anything else that stands in Kratos's way. Sure, the plot will take you on various twists and turns such as making a return trip to the underworld one last time to get rid of Hades once and for all, the titans backstabbing you because they believe that he was on their side, and of course Zeus being the leader of the Gods being his own crazy business. As expected like the first two games, God of War III starts off with a bang with arguably the best opening sequence in gaming of as late fighting Poseidon with Gaia on your side. If you thought the fun stops after the beginning, think again as the game continues to pound in an epic and insane scene one over another at a beautiful pace.

The core formula remains intact in God of War III as well as in the past. The combat is still very satisfying and even improved such as having more useful weapons at your disposal besides Kratos's signature blades. The blades are still the go to weapon in most situations, but the other weapons like the Cestus, Claws of Hades, and Nemesis Whip are great additions adding their own fun flavor into the combat. Magic once again returns as well as each weapon contains its own magic spell such as the Army of Sparta. The item meter is also another significant element to the combat with the bow, Helios's head, and Hermes's boots as they are more used to transverse through the environment rather than combat even though they have their uses. Another element making a return is the rage meter, now called the Rage of Sparta, where Kratos goes crazy for a limited time with the Sword of Olympus. While the combat is at its best for the franchise, everything else also remains the same in this entry from the platforming retaining its same frustrations such as jumps unregistering when needed where they are probably mistimed even though the grappling sections are still fun to navigate. The new Icarus flying sections are also enjoyable when dodging obstacles. Of course like in every God of War game, there are also puzzles to solve, which there are plenty here, but some of them could of done better. Plus, there is the traditional sex mini-game as well since that has been a mainstay since the franchise started. All of this is designed in a clever and beautiful way especially how the context sensitive sequences are played out when the buttons to perform the activities are displayed similarly to the PS3 controller on the screen making you watch the scene at its full glory rather than trying to look for the button to press.

The most shining point of the gameplay obviously comes in the form of the multiple boss battles Kratos deals with throughout the game, but since this is God of War III, these boss battles are pushed another level, perhaps a level unreached by others because this game sets a new standard for they are done. These boss battles make a true testament of the game's scale and amazing graphics in their multiple stages. This is especially the case when fighting Poseidon at the beginning of the game as well as trying to topple down the titan Cronos later on. They are truly unmatched compared to everything else out there as Sony Santa Monica has done a masterful job delivering the promise on these boss battles being better than ever. That same sense of satisfaction once Kratos takes them out by the now infamous context-sensitive sequences are among some of the best scenes in gaming today. It makes you ask the question of how they are able to make all of this happen, but they did making the whole package something special. There are lots of other clever design decisions they have made throughout the game that proved to be memorable from first person beatdowns, true head to head battles, and more. Even though God of War III is long as the previous two games, which is about eight to ten hours, it is still an experience unlike no other that the franchise has always delivered from beginning to end. After the game is over, there are the challenges and combat arena to mess around with as well as harder difficulties if you want a challenge, even though the default difficulty is not that bad.

Graphically, God of War III feels like its own beast as it is arguably the best looking game of this current console generation so far. The character models are unlike anything I have seen in other games, especially Kratos himself looking too ridiculous at times because he just looks too good in action and when being covered up in blood. The sense of scale is also unmatched compared to everything else out there today as it is too insane how the developers were able to make it happen from all those camera angles from the Poseidon fight, Cronos being as huge as he is intended to be while still being to see yourself fight from a far camera distance, and the environments in general. I did not have much issues with the free camera during the game other making some jumps frustrating, but that is something minor. The framerate runs at a clear 60 frames per second in certain cases as it tries its best to stay slightly below that number throughout the game especially in crazy situations. The lighting also feels like done by the best of the business as well. Of course, the blood is unlike any other in this new installment pushing the gore to its limits since it is still a mature rated game, but at least it does not as overused as other games. David Jaffe's infamous painting quote definitely seems like a true statement especially how God of War III came out to look like.

The sound quality also remains unmatched compared to the rest of the market in God of War III. The theatrical soundtrack is once again top notch with such epic orchestral tunes as well as keeping the signature theme in a different way. The voice acting in addition is one of the best in the gaming business as everyone played their roles right once again. Kratos is still as angry as he was since he first started his quest as well as the voice actors of Zeus, Gaia, and Athena returned to their roles. It is the little things and the sound effects though that make it truly special even from the swiping of the blades, enemies slamming the ground, and parts getting ripped apart.

Even though 2010 is off to a great start in terms of great games coming out week after week, God of War III is leagues above everything else that is out now including the Japanese action games, and Dante's Inferno. Not only it pushes the Playstation 3 to its limits with its amazing graphics and sound, it sets a new standard for gaming for the coming years. There is no other experience like this in this current generation of consoles being unmatched compared to the rest of the competition. The combat is at the franchise's best, it redefines scale to a whole new direction, and basically this is a blockbuster movie done right delivering epic moments every hour throughout the game until its conclusion. Sure, it is purely perfect as a game, but you won't find anything better on the store shelf now with God of War III. It is truly a epic masterpiece from beginning to end.

Score = 10/10

Pros:

• Improved and refined combat to become the best of the franchise
• Sense of scale is unlike any other
• Memorable moments at every hour that is paced beautifully from beginning to end
• Arguably the best graphics in this current console generation
• Sound quality is the best of the business today from the theatrical soundtrack and the voice acting.

Cons:

• Platforming can be frustrating at times (probably my mistiming of jumps usually), but it is fairly minor.
• Don't expect a long campaign like the last two games (8-10 hours long), but the length is perfect for a game like this.

Video of the Day... aka Sony's Kevin Butler is awesome.

Today's video is another amazing Sony commercial starring everyone's favorite VP these days, Kevin Butler. This time he hypes up the Playstation Move, aka the PS3's upcoming motion controller, as well as taking shots at Nintendo's Wii and the Xbox 360's Project Natal motion techniques because it is true, you would waggle like crazy in Wii Boxing if you don't care and who cares about a big red ball (for Natal). The war for motion controller supremacy in the console world rages on, but let's just say Sony is willing to call out their opponents in a funny manner compared to Nintendo and Microsoft. Still though, we'll see if Sony can back up their promises for Playstation Move when it comes out later this year. I'll probably get it for myself anyway to see what the big deal and difference it has compared to the competition.

Rock Band gets all Gaga...

I mentioned this last week, but the Lady Gaga DLC for Rock Band is now out on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Thursday on Playstation Network. After seeing them in action, I'm surprised of the transition to the game as they are surely fun. Of course, they're not hard at all as expected, but it is going to attract lots of sales and it actually is so far, which is good. Goes to show it has to take the music artist everyone is talking about to make a game like Rock Band successful again for the mainstream audience. Especially with the music genre still slowly declining, this is like the smartest thing to do to get everyone back again. I gotta give MTV and Harmonix props for having the balls to release this even though its shies away from the normal audience of Rock Band players that are like "HEAVY METAL!!!!! IT ROCKS!!!" It is surely a vocal paradise for those that love to sing, but this is Lady Gaga, everyone is going to do it now. Especially for those that don't like what most of the Rock Band DLC offers, this is up their alley. Some would even claim that it is the "DLC of the forever" which is funny, but this is still amazing that this happened. At least there's the South Park version of "Poker Face" for the guys as well as if normal Gaga is enough. I still need to play this for myself eventually and maybe even UStream it for kicks at some party in mind, so we'll see.

Music Video of the Day for 3/15/10

Today's music video I have been bumping to is for one of the hottest songs out this year with "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley" by Lloyd Banks featuring Juelz Santana. Nothing too crazy in this video, which is what I expect with hot cars, hot ladies, and groupies. This song is just too sick to blast right now in the car, the clubs, and even do a freestyle.

The latest on my YouTube channel for 3/12/10 aka The "I'm Kinda Busy" Edition

Just a quickie here while I crank out papers, papers, and more papers. This made my night with Lady Gaga's new music video with Beyonce for "Telephone." Once again, Gaga amazes yet again with her crazy creativity especially being about ten minutes long. I will repeat what I tweeted last night that whether you love her or hate her, this video is still pretty epic. I would also like to mention Lady Gaga being in Rock Band as DLC next week, which is pretty awesome. For those that are wandering which songs you will rock out to, they are "Bad Romance," (Yes!!) "Monster," (Yes!!!), "Just Dance," and "Poker Face." (Yes!) In addition, there is also the South Park version of "Poker Face" with Cartman being his best Cartman impression released as Rock Band DLC next week as well, which is also awesome. In the meantime, if you haven't seen the "Telephone" video since everyone is still talking about it, here it is below.

Lack of Blogging...

So I have been not blogging lately, due to being busy with school (crunch time now) and actually living the life. Anyway, here is what to expect this month on G Unit Ver1's World.

• Project Blocks Megapost! (This happened last weekend... but I'll get around to it soon)
• Mega Man 10 Review (WiiWare) - Currently in progress of playing as I got four bosses down.
• God of War III Review - Obviously, this will happen as it will occupy a part of my Spring Break. Can't wait to play this!
• Music Roundups feat. Gorillaz, Ludacris, and more: Plus, other songs that stuck out in my mind... but I still update my top 10 songs I have been blasting frequently.
• And my birthday is coming up lol.