Yeah... I missing out on Banjo

Since I'm 360-less till next week (hopefully), I'm missing out on finishing Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Looks like the photo mode's showroom is finally up and there's a NeoGAF thread to post great pictures of this special game. Basically, screw the haters because this game is pretty good from what I played so far before it started acting weird leading to my Halo 360's death.

Banjo approves of this message...

End of an Era: Total Request Live

TRL - MTV Shows

I'll be honest, but ten years ago, I watched TRL at its prime on MTV when the pop explosion was everywhere. I think I stopped caring about the show when Carson left his hosting duties, but still watched it every now and then. Last night was the big finale for the show as the curtain is closed that sparked up many careers and a pinnacle of pop culture for its time. At least they ended with a bang with lots of celebrities there like Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez from N'Sync, Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Ludacris, Kid Rock, Diddy, and more (it felt like the past and present of music in terms of guests that included Miley Cyrus (She's not dead) and Taylor Swift). The performances were also great with Beyonce, 50 Cent, Fall Out Boy, Nelly, Ludacris, Snoop, and Backstreet Boys. Other guests called in like Travis Barker, Christina Aguilera, and Eminem to celebrate ten years of the show. There was a countdown of the top ten videos that had a heavy influence on the show and it was obvious that Britney's "Baby, One More Time" is number one with other great hits. It does suck to see TRL end especially it was the only thing remaining on MTV regarding music, but I guess it is time to move on.

At least MTV still cares about music videos with thousands of them available online and still premiering new ones like Rihanna's "Rehab" featuring Justin Timberlake (video below).

Rihanna - New Music - More Music Videos

Off-topic: I'm currently listening to Kanye's album, 808's and Heartbreak, now.

Since I'm posted the Rihanna/Justin video, I might as well post this too from SNL last weekend.

So Left 4 Dead is out this week...

Left 4 Dead is out tomorrow and it is going to be something special for FPS fans. Reviews are starting to roll out everywhere and the second commercial is out now (video above). I'm still buying this next month on 360. Hopefully the game will be still active at that time and I think it will (I can see it top 5 on the XBL charts for a couple of months).

A weekend full of emotions...

Other than living near the current firestorm (aka the Triangle Complex Fire) here at Southern California, yesterday and so far today is full of emotions.

First of all, I'm still good where I live regarding the current fire at Corona, Diamond Bar, Brea, Yorba Linda, and Carbon Canyon. Good thing it hasn't reached the main vicinity of Chino Hills yet (it has reached Southern sections however), but we are ready just in case to leave and hope for the best.

At least, I tried to distract myself from all this fire coverage by watching Quantum of Solace yesterday with the family. The new Bond movie was enjoyable at best, but obviously wasn't the best Bond movie (Casino Royale is better than this one). Daniel Craig is still a pretty good Bond that has gone to a pissed off direction for QoS (the sequel to CR). Of course, this flick is more personal for him being a revenge tale than just another typical Bond movie. I am surprised of this movie making about 70 million, but I guess it is the strength for the franchise as a whole that helped it.

Last night was the big UFC fight between Randy Corture and Brock Lesnar. I watched this at Buffalo Wild Wings and it was a crazy crowd with the majority hoping Randy would defend his title. Most of the MMA world kind of felt shocked when Brock knocked him down which led to the hammerfists for the victory. It is just crazy that in four fights, Brock is the new UFC Heavyweight Champion. He did come a long way from his WWE days to actually working hard in a real sport to win a title that he earned by defeating the UFC legend. Props to Brock for winning and I'm looking forward to next month's PPV with perhaps the best card for an UFC event.

Yes, my 360 is still dead as I will send it to repairs on Tuesday. I hope it returns in good shape before Thanksgiving for more Banjo and hopefully SSFIIT HD Remix.

SSFIIT HD Remix = Thanksgiving??

Another speculative date for HD Remix courtesy of many web sites is Thanksgiving Day (the 27th). It makes sense at least on PSN, and XBLA could get it the day before. As mentioned previously, it won't make sense to put this game out on the NXE launch day (the 19th) since Microsoft would rather release a game that takes advantage of NXE's features like avatars and Live Party (Kingdom of Keflings is likely out on Wednesday and hopefully Uno Rush). Since my 360 is currently dead and waiting to be sent for repairs hoping to be done by that holiday weekend, HD Remix would make a nice return for me. Plus, those who wanted Banjo-Kazooie XBLA, which is out on the 25th, already got it for free by pre-ordering Nuts & Bolts.

Anyway, here's the 1up Show segment regarding HD Remix.

UPDATE - Now coming out next Wednesday (the 26th) and my 360 better come back repaired by then (sending it in this Wednesday (the 19th).

Skate 2 takes over GameTrailers TV

This weekend's GameTrailers TV is a Skate 2 special (Yes!!!) on Spike. The full episode should be up soon online, but here's the new trailer that focuses on the storyline here.

2008: Then and Now (My GOTY Preview) Part I

Sometimes, some of the reviews I have up here were perhaps underrated or even overrated after posting them. Maybe its time to revisit this year's games so far in a "Then and Now" feature in preparation for my Game of the Year feature posts.

Omega Five (XBLA)

Then: 8/10

Now: 7.5/10 - This was a great 2D shooter to start out the year on Xbox Live Arcade. It was short and sweet being a hour game (even two hours), but having four characters that play differently (okay two of them were basically the same, but still different in other ways) did spice up the gameplay a bit. At first, being a 2D shooter means it will be hard and it is when playing for the first time, but once you learn patterns and strategies for weapons to use, it is actually one of the easier 2D shooters in a while. After getting all 200 achievement points, there's nothing else to worry about unless you feel like tackling the harder difficulties and that game can be hard along with competing for high scores.

Burnout Paradise (360)

Then: 9/10

Now: 9.5/10 - Thanks to lots of replayability with downloadable content Criterion has been pumping out throughout the year with more freeburn challenges, bikes, the upcoming island, and the Party Pack re-release in January, Burnout Paradise is arguably my favorite racing game of the year. I do want to play Midnight Club: Los Angeles,maybe Need for Speed Undercover, WipeOut HD, and Motorstorm: PR, but Burnout continues to be amazing even in November of this year. Its seamless drop-in and drop-out online world began a new trend for this generation of games. Of course, no race restart still remains Paradise's biggest flaw until Party Pack re-release, but Paradise City is still a great place to drive and cause havoc.

Rez HD (XBLA)

Then: 9.5/10

Now: 10/10 - Yeah, Rez is surprisingly my favorite Live Arcade game of all-time likely till SSFIIT HD Remix comes out. That game is just something special and especially never playing the original on PS2 and Dreamcast to witness it in its true glory. Even today, I still feel playing Area 5 (not counting the boss rush in the end) because of the Adam Freeland song, Fear, and I still get better at it on score attack every time I play it, which is crazy. Rez is just pure perfection on Xbox Live Arcade and I wished more people played this to appreciate its awesomeness.

Devil May Cry 4 (360)

Then: 8.5/10

Now: 8/10 - Devil May Cry 3 is one of my favorite PS2 games (both original and special editions) and the fourth game didn't really live up to the hype as I hoped. Sure, it still has the core DMC action with Nero and Dante, but I guess I didn't feel compelled to beat it on harder difficulties (Beaten on Easy and Devil Hunter). Plus, the repetition of boss battles and going backwards when being Dante is DMC4's biggest drawback in being as good as the third one and even the first game.

Tekken 6 (ARC)

Then: 9/10

Now: 9/10 - I still enjoy Tekken 6 and its gameplay additions like bound and rage, so I hope Bloodline Rebellion makes the right changes with these new systems and the new characters Lars and Alisa being fun characters to play as. Yeah, it is not a huge leap over Tekken 5 DR with the core gameplay of being combo-driven, but I still believe T6 is indeed Namco's better fighting game not taking huge risks and making silly decisions like they deal with the Soul Calibur franchise. I guess I prefer Tekken's simplicity over Soul Calibur's depth.

Part II of this feature will be soon (maybe tomorrow).