PSN Demo Showcase for 1/8/2010...

This week's demo showcase on the Playstation Network features two games coming out later this month that might be worth your attention or at least trying out.



First off is a short demo for Capcom's Dark Void which has been known for quite a while. I first played this way back at Comic-Con 2008 and it was a way early build, but showcased what the game is capable of with the vertical cover and the flight mechanics. It was a way early build with bugs and inconsistent framerate, but I still thought it was an okay game at that time. Fast forward to 2010 when the game is close to release and a short 10 minute demo gets released for players to mess with. The flight and standard shooting gets demonstrated for players to get accustomed to. The flight section is a simple tutorial of how to fly and such while the shooting part is your typical third-person cover-based shooter like Gears of War. Put together, the gameplay is okay, but other than the flight sections that remind you of Crimson Skies (those developers are making this game), the general shooting has been executed better in other games. The main character is voiced by everyone's favorite video game voice actor Nolan North (Nathan Drake in the Uncharted games and Desmond in Assassin's Creed 2) and you don't really get a good sense of the story in the demo other than it being the first time you're getting the jetpack. Graphically, the game looks okay for what it is, but don't expect it to look jaw-dropping such as the water not being as detailed, the environments looking a little bland, and so on. I do however dig the soundtrack of this game as it is sounds somewhat different compared to most games of the genre. My time with Dark Void is that it is an okay game for doing what its intended to do when the final product comes out, but it is not something that will blow you away at first glance. After the flop that was the 3D Bionic Commando with a western developer and Capcom publishing it, I feel that Dark Void may get that same fate, which is unfortunate, but likely happening considering the crowded Q1 lineup.

The other game I have messing with this week is the open beta for MAG, developed by Zipper, the folks that brought you the first three SOCOM games. This has been Zipper's baby for a while as well as what they have been up to. MAG to them feels like it is the next level for SOCOM being focused on massively multiplayer online battles. It has also been in beta for some months already only being open for I think this week only with the final game out at the end of the month. If SOCOM 3 felt like an experiment for Zipper, it indeed is in which MAG is expanding on what that started. Basically, this game does not grab me right away the same way SOCOM 3 did. Maybe it is the 256 player online battles with huge maps, there are better shooters out there to get or wait for, or I'm still tired of the genre in general. For shooter fans though, MAG may be worth your time especially for those with only a Playstation 3.

You choose a faction you stick around for the whole game (I picked Valor) and you deploy in the game's maps to take out the opposition in a variety of modes from suppression to sabotage, your typical territories type of game. The customization ranges from getting your kits ready and character's appearance. Weight does play a role in which what weapons you'll be using and the armor as well affecting your movement. Rolling with a standard assault setup (M4A1, M9 pistol, grenades, and a repair kit), its a typical modern-based first-person shooter with classes such as snipers and heavy gunners. The twist to sabotage mode is that once both choke points have been secured by the attacking team, then there's one more final choke point to be captured while the defenders are drawn back to their corner. MAG also follows other standards other shooters have started such as a level up system and more. However, as I said earlier, MAG didn't grab my attention as if it is just another shooter trying to be successful as Battlefield and Modern Warfar 2. If you want to compare betas, even the Bad Company 2 Beta is better than this beta even with one map because I have a better time with that compared to MAG. For the audience it is intended for that type of shooter, then it might be something for you.

Well that's it for the PSN Demo showcase this week. I still think Dark Void and MAG could still be decent games at the end of the day, but I don't see them being special games that everyone will remember. With the month already off to a great start with Bayonetta (still surprisingly passing on it) and the highly anticipated Mass Effect 2 at the end of the month on the 360 and PC, 2010 for games will be great throughout all twelve months. Then again, maybe it is the lack of being in a gaming mood I have been dealing with at the start of the year. I'll just wait for Super Street Fighter IV which is the game that matters to me this year especially with all the coverage for it at CES this week.

First post of 2010 - The newest Super SF4 Trailer...

Well I finally got around to blog something for 2010, which is obviously about my most wanted game of the year, Super Street Fighter IV. This game will have a big presence at this weekend's Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas (basically the only game that matters there since games are not that big at CES anymore) with the full roster revealed so far playable and hopefully the 2nd Ultras (which some of those debuted from this trailer). Also in this new trailer are new alternate costumes for the characters as some are awesome (Balrog's and Zangief going mecha while others feel like misses such as Chun-Li's (not sexy enough), Cammy getting Bison's attire, Rufus and Dan being crazy). The 2nd Ultras though finally get shown and now selectable between which one to roll with before a match starts. Ryu gets his Shin Shoryuken back (aka the Metsu Shoryuken), Ken gets a flaming hurricane kick variant Ultra (similar to his recommended 3rd Strike super art), Dhalsim gets a mid-air throw Ultra, Zangief gets the mid-air 720 ultra (Still makes me say WTF, but hey that's cool), Fuerte gets a crazy one too, and so on. It remains to be seen how useful these 2nd Ultras can be as some possibilities can come out of them such as will Ryu's Metsu Shoryuken have the same options as his Metsu Hadouken Ultra (What I mean is that there so many moves Ryu can utilize that can lead to his Ultra as a combo ender)? How much priority would air command ultras have in the game? Who knows, but let the speculation begin. The trailer also showcases new rival battles featuring Guile/Bison, Ryu/Ken in the temple, Adon/Sagat at the Beautiful Bay, Cody/Guy at Crowded Downtown, and Dee Jay/Rufus at the Overpass stage.

With second ultras now confirmed for Super Street Fighter IV, the only thing that's left on everyone's mind is when the reveal for the 3rd Strike characters (Dudley, Makoto, and Ibuki) will inevitably happen (since everything else according to that rumored list a while back seems likely true so far). I'm counting on that happening next month since the game is now delayed to Spring instead of the crowded March (good for me!) window of amazing games like Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III. I'm ready for Super Street Fighter IV to come out and dying to play it as does everyone else, but I'm willing to have the patience and let the HYPE continue to be embedded in my mind.

Speaking of Street Fighter, that reminds me, I'm playing at another Arcade Infinity Ranbat tournament on Sunday. So we'll see how that goes since I haven't been playing SF4 that much lately due to school being back in my mind again as well as spending more time and money with my friends (Specifically the one night Vegas trip last weekend, which was fun!). I'm already trying to cut down on the game purchases for the year as a New Year's Resolution so I can spend money on the better things in life rather than my own pleasures too (passing on Bayonetta as an example), but there will be still reviews of games I wouldn't pass on like Heavy Rain, FFXIII, GOW III, and of course Super SFIV.

With 2010 off and running, I'm ready for whatever is ahead for me this year as 2009 changed my life around as a whole.

UPDATE - CES is off and running and tons of new Super Street Fighter IV footage are showing up with more new ultras being seen for the first time. Take a look at them below:

Akuma's 2nd ultra could of been better (Where's the ground pound super?).



Viper gets a better looking 2nd Ultra!!! (Who knows how useful it will be in terms of setting it up).



Cammy gets an interesting one and it only works on counter hit? Hmmm...

My Obligatory 2009 Game of the Year Feature...

Well I at least I'm able to do this earlier than last year as I will reflect upon my top ten games of the year. 2009 is a different story compared to 2008 due to a change of consoles from the Xbox 360 to the Playstation 3. If you checked the reviews tab on the side, you noticed the drop on reviews as I have been pretty selectable with PS3 and PSN games unlike I would with 360 games because of being an achievement whore throughout the time I had with the system. Anyway, here are my top ten games of the year and yes, I have missed some of the bigger titles this year due to my lack of interest or I just flat out don't have that much time as I want to.

10) DJ Hero

So, I actually didn't buy the game for myself hence I didn't review it, but I played it enough to like it a lot. DJ Hero is definitely what the rhythm genre needed since we are starting to see a decline with the rocking (Guitar Hero/Rock Band) in terms of sales and its stability of being good games now. It is a solid start for a potential franchise if Activision still wants to roll with it despite its lack of sales being a disappointment for them and it is worth trying out at least once. Also, it depends if you love the type of music DJ Hero offers from mainstream hip-hop, R&B, electronica, and house. Despite how fun the game is with the turntable controller, its lasting value as a platform will be a make or break for them with more downloadable content, but it seems like they are already thinking about the inevitable sequel next year. Still though, DJ Hero is good enough to make my top ten of 2009.

9) Punch-Out!! (Wii)

The new Punch-Out is a reminder of how you can still do old-school franchises the same way in today's world of gaming. Out of all the franchises Nintendo has decided to bring back, its this one and Little Mac's return feels like a love letter to the NES crowd more than trying to make it appeal to their casual market. As a hardcore Wii game, this is as hardcore as it gets being purely old-school if you loved Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! back in the day. Yeah, this one does not have the magic the original in terms of how a cultural phenomenon it was, but this Wii iteration is one of the better Wii games out this year.

8) Fat Princess

I pretty much call Fat Princess the "cutesy Team Fortress 2." I mean it in a good way because it is a must play online multiplayer experience. Once things do click and you work as a team with other online players, that is when the game satisfies and truly delivers. The class system works and it is still gets patched and balanced with changes, which is neat. At the same time, it does have its charm with the cutesy look being filled with blood and carnage along with feeding the fat princess cake. This is one of the better downloadable games out this year being both fresh and chaotic at the same time.

7) WipeOut HD Fury

Even though Wipeout HD came out last year, the Fury expansion makes it a completely different game and a more complete package with more modes, tracks, and changes to the gameplay. The new modes from Zone Battle, Detonator, and Eliminator makes it one of the most intense racing games I have played. At the same time, this game still looks gorgeous especially with the backgrounds playing Zone mode as they are just sights to behold. A new campaign showcasing the new modes and tracks, the crucial quick 180 turn addition to destroy opponents, and other online additions make Fury the definitive futuristic racing game of the generation.

6) Flower

My favorite game that came out on the Playstation Network without hesitation is the indie hit Flower by thatgamecompany. This is one of those games that is more about living the experience rather than playing the game because that is what Flower is, a special and original experience. Sure, there are some elements that make it more of a game especially later on, but it still never loses its focus of being a beautiful experience. As a game that heavily relies on the Sixaxis, it is the best use of that functionality out this year. Flower feels like you're relaxing and the last time I experienced something similar vibes from is Rez, another indie game I love. Even though Flower is not what you expect out of games these days, it does throw something completely different and original making it awesome.

5) Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion (ARC)

Last year, Tekken 6.0 made my top ten games of the year as Bloodline Rebellion counts it for this year in terms of Tekken. More specifically, I'm counting the arcade version and not the disappointing console version of the game because well the arcade version is still the way to play this game and Namco made less dumb decisions with it compared to console with Scenario Campaign and the rocky start to online play. Despite that, Bloodline Rebellion is Tekken at its best gameplay-wise with balance changes, new characters, new moves for existing characters, and more customizations. It is also the most balanced fighting game I have played in recent memory even though that has been for the franchise since Tekken 5 DR came out as the majority of characters are pretty good with the high tiers still better, but others can still win especially in tournaments. Tekken 6 BR at its core is still a superb fighting game at the arcades and also on consoles despite its issues.

4) New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Once again, Nintendo gives us another example of how to do old-school right, which is the case with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It is one of the better games in the legendary franchise as if you remember a line from my review, this is pretty much the baby of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World because its combines elements from both games along with the DS game to make it a way better 2D Mario game than New Super Mario Bros. DS. The big addition of co-op multiplayer with up to four players makes it a better game because that is where all the fun is at in terms of teaming up to reach impossible heights or trying to kill each other off by being total jerks. NSMB Wii is one of the better local multiplayer experiences out now and it is worth trying out to screw your friends.

3) Batman: Arkham Asylum

Who never thought that we would ever bow down to the Dark Knight in the videogame world? With Arkham Asylum, this is one of my favorite games out in this generation of consoles. I never seen such a polished game based on a popular comic book character in my life and it proves that you can still make a pretty good comic book game rather than trying to rake in the cash because of the property. Arkham Asylum is not really an original game as I got vibes from various games such as BioShock and Metroid Prime. It definitely feels like Metroid Prime with the exploration, the scanning with detective mode, and progression of traveling across various buildings of the infamous island. Most importantly, this is finally the game that you are actually the Batman being true to the character from being a badass at close combat to a stealthy dude using the environment to his advantage. This also feels like I'm watching a long episode of the 90s animated series since the voice actors from that cartoon being the voices for Batman and the Joker, which is awesome. Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of those games you can not miss this year to play.

2) Street Fighter IV (PS3)

In all of my gaming life, never has one game completely changed my life around like Street Fighter IV. It brought me a new perspective in the fighting game culture and I decided to play this a high competitive level against the country's best players. With all those times being spent at tournaments at various locales in SoCal from Arcade Infinity, the Dreamlab at Arcadia, Irvine for West Coast Warzone, and Hooters for Bar Fights, they brought some of the best times of my life as a whole. I have gotten to know new friends and the best players from the scene to the point I hang out with them on a regular basis. Its just crazy that one game has brought me new friends that are amazing people at the same time. Its pretty safe to say now that I'm a completely different gamer with Street Fighter IV. Anyway, the arcade version was my favorite game of last year and I would easily make the console version my game of the year again, but that's probably too biased since the number one game for me this year totally deserved it. You seen me ramble about Street Fighter IV a lot on this blog, so I won't talk about it that much now, but yeah, I never thought Street Fighter would change my life before I decided to actually hang out with the fighting game scene gaining new friendships with such great people.

1) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2 definitely deserves my game of the year for 2009 because it is truly one of the best games I ever played in quite a while. This is the game that finally defines the Playstation 3 for what it is as a console in gaming today and an amazing experience from beginning to end. The campaign is just jaw-dropping and plays out like an actual movie with Nolan North reprising his role as Nathan Drake. He really sells the character that everyone enjoys as well as the supporting cast. The gameplay is more refined from the cover-based shooting, the melee combat, and the puzzles. With the amazing setpieces, this game is even better than most of the summer blockbuster movies out this year easily topping them in terms of quality. Even if you're done with the campaign, there is the multiplayer, which is pretty solid (of course not as good or addicting as Modern Warfare 2) with the standard set of modes to play with along with the Uncharted twist being thrown in. This is also the best looking game out this generation so far as everything looks beautiful top to bottom. The various locales are sights to behold to the point they are real and all of this is done with no slowdown at all making it extremely polished. The sounds are also the best of the business with the superb voice acting and one of the best gaming soundtracks with its theatrical approach. To me, it is too obvious that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is my favorite game of 2009.

Well, that's my top ten games of 2009 in a nutshell... More gaming is ahead in 2010 and starting off with a bang!

My Top 100 Songs of 2009

So I decided to make some long list of my 100 songs of the year and this is pretty much my taste of mainstream music in a nutshell. Lots of hip-hop, R&B, and pop in there, but the rock has their place in my mind as well this year even though there wasn't really much rock music I enjoyed this year. Anyway, here's the long list:

1) Jay Sean – “Down” feat. Lil’ Wayne

2) The Dream – “Rockin That Thing”

3) Drake – “Best I Ever Had”

4) Kid Cudi – “Day & Nite”

5) David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland – “When Love Takes Over”

6) Pitbull – “Shut It Down” feat. Akon

7) Jamie Foxx – “Digital Girl (Remix)” feat. Drake, Kanye West, & The Dream

8) Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance”

9) LMFAO – “La La La”

10) David Guetta feat. Akon – “Sexy Chick (Chuckie & Lil’ Jon Remix)”

11) Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind II”

12) The Dream – “Rockin That Thing (Remix)” feat. Ludacris, Juelz Santana, and Rick Ross, and Fabolous

13) Pitbull – “Hotel Room (Room Service)”

14) Jamie Foxx – “Blame It (On the Alcohol)” feat. T-Pain

15) Muse – “Uprising”

16) Silversun Pickups – “Panic Switch”

17) LMFAO – “Shots” feat. Lil’ Jon

18) FM – “Girls on the Dance Floor”

19) Paradiso Girls – “Patron Tequila” feat. Lil’ Jon & Eve

20) The Dream – “Walking on the Moon” feat. Kanye West

21) Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”

22) Kid Sister – “Right Hand Hi”

23) Jay Sean – “Do You Remember” feat. Lil’ Jon & Sean Paul

24) David Guetta – “Sexy Chick” feat. Akon

25) Kid Cudi – “Day & Nite” (Crookers Remix)

26) Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”

27) Jeremih – “Birthday Sex (Uptempo Remix)”

28) Pitbull – “Calle Ocho (I Know You Want Me)”

29) Ya Boy – “We Run LA” feat. Dr. Hollywood

30) Kid Sister – “I’ll House You (Reebok Classic Remix)”

31) Clipse – “Kinda Like A Big Deal” feat. Kanye West

32) Birdman – “Always Strapped” feat. Lil’ Wayne

33) Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”

34) Alicia Keys – “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart”

35) Keri Hilson – “Knock You Down” feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo

36) Slightly Stoopid – “2am”

37) Fabolous – “Throw It in the Bag” feat. The Dream

38) Lady Gaga – “Paparazzi”

39) Flo Rida – “Right Round”

40) Kid Cudi – “I Make Her Say” feat. Kanye West & Common

41) DJ Class – “I’m The S***”

42) Snoop Dogg – “Gangsta Luv” feat. The Dream

43) Beyonce – “Sweet Dreams”

44) LMFAO – “I’m in Miami Trick”

45) Jay-Z – “Run This Town” feat. Kanye West & Rihanna

46) FM – “2 is Better” feat. Ya Boy & Lil Eddie

47) Eminem – “Crack A Bottle” feat. Dr. Dre & 50 Cent

48) Lady Gaga – “Lovegame”

49) Black Eyed Peas – “Meet Me Halfway”

50) Flo Rida – “Be on You” feat. Ne-Yo

51) 50 Cent – “Baby by Me” feat. Ne-Yo

52) Three Six Mafia – “Feel It” feat. Tiesto, Sean Kingston, & Flo Rida

53) Jay-Z – “Empire State of Mind” feat. Alicia Keys

54) Britney Spears – “3”

55) Soulja Boy – “Turn My Swag On”

56) Baby Bash – “Outta Control” feat. Pitbull

57) Kanye West – “Paranoid”

58) Madcon – “Beggin”

59) Jason Derulo – “Whatcha Say”

60) Lady Gaga – “Telephone” feat. Beyonce

61) Rihanna – “Hard” feat. Young Jeezy

62) Mario – “Break Up” feat. Gucci Mane & Sean Garrett

63) Lil’ Jon – “Give It All You Got” feat. Kree

64) Snoop Dogg – “That’s Tha Homie”

65) Jay-Z – “D.O.A. (Death of Auto Tune)”

66) Verse Simmons – “Buy You A Round”

67) Birdman – “Written On Her” feat. Jay Sean

68) Fabolous – “Money Goes Honey Stay (When the Money Goes Remix)” feat. Jay-Z

69) Clipse – “I’m Good” (feat. Pharell)”

70) Drake – “Successful” feat. Trey Songz

71) Paramore – “Ignorance”

72) Robin Thicke – “Sex Therapy”

73) Lil’ Jon – “Get Out of Your Mind” feat. LMFAO

74) Snoop Dogg – “I Wanna Rock”

75) Timbaland – “Morning After Dark” feat. SoShy & Nelly Furtado

76) Jeremih – “Imma Star (Everywhere We Are)”

77) Beyonce – “Halo”

78) Cheryl Cole – “3 Words”

79) Young Money – “Every Girl”

80) Beyonce – “Diva”

81) Ciara – “Work” feat. Missy Eilott

82) Fabolous – “Everything Everyday Everywhere” feat. Keri Hilson

83) Drake – “Forever” feat. Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, & Eminem

84) Jeremih – “Raindrops”

85) T.I. – “Dead & Gone” feat. Justin Timberlake

86) Dorrough – “Ice Cream Paint Job”

87) Ciara – “Love, Sex, & Magic” feat. Justin Timberlake

88) AFI – “Medicate”

89) Chris Brown – “I Can Transform Ya” feat. Swizz Beatz & Lil’ Wayne

90) Jeremih – “Break Up to Make Up”

91) Chelley – “Took the Night”

92) 50 Cent – “Do You Think About Me”

93) Cassie – “Let’s Get Crazy” feat. Akon

94) Amerie – “Heard ‘Em All”

95) Space Cowboy – “Falling Down” feat. Chelsea Korka

96) Alicia Keys – “Doesn’t Mean Anything”

97) O’Neal McKnight – “Champagne (Red Lights Remix)” feat. Busta Rhymes

98) Sean Paul – “Hold Your Hand”

99) Lil’ Jon – “I Do” feat. Swizz Beatz & Snoop Dogg

100) Lupe Fiasco – “Shining Down” feat. Matthew Santos

Teasing The Real Driving Simulator... Quick Hands-On with the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Demo

Well, it should be out on the U.S. Playstation Store by the time you read this, but I have messing around with the Japanese version of the Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Demo, or as Polyphony Digital calls it the GT Academy Time Trial Challenge. This seems to be a limited demo as they will times until sometime next month, but we finally get to test drive a little tease of what is come with Gran Turismo 5. There is only one track and one car (of two variations) in this small demo of about 200 MBs. Surely, this is some early stuff as I don't think some of the features GT5 is heavily promoting is in this demo like car damage (or I haven't checked the options). It is only the car, the Indianapolis Road Course, time trial, leaderboards, and replays. At least the time trial is unlimited in which you can take as many laps as you want with the Nissan 370z (either normal or tuned). In terms of how it plays, it controls like Gran Turismo with x being the accelerate and square being the brake as if it might be hard to adjust back to that style of controls if you have been playing racers on the Xbox 360 like Forza Motorsport 3. Of course, steering wheel controllers are supported as well if you truly want that real experience. Basically, it is the Gran Turismo you know and love for more than a decade as I didn't notice any drastic changes to the gameplay other than the default racing line introduced in Prologue, which can be turned off. As I mentioned before, this time trial demo is pretty much a challenge to find the fastest times per country as leaderboards and demos are separated by location. As far as the graphics go, this is only the beginning of how much potential GT5 can get with the realism from the track design, the cockpit view, having an actual human driving, and so on. Gran Turismo 5 is expected to come out here in the States in the summer of 2010 and good thing this teaser is out there for us to try out to ease the long wait, but so far, I'm liking it even though it remains to be seen how huge everything else will be.

Don't care if its a little early... My Top 10 Albums of the Year

Yeah, it might be a little early to discuss this, but I might as well get it over with, so here we go with my top ten albums of the year. Keep in mind my taste of music and how they are ranked, so I will ignore the haters of such artists.

10) Pitbull - The Rebelution

I shall start this off with a definitive party album with Pitbull's The Rebelution. Love or hate him, this dude makes the hits and this one is full of them even though some of the ones are from last year with "Krazy," "Go Girl," and "The Anthem." If you were at the clubs though, you would go crazy every time "Calle Ocho," "Hotel Room (Room Service)," or "Shut It Down" gets blasted and it is just good times. I mostly enjoyed the hits and party jams of this album as the other stuff kind of fall a little flat, but if you just want to party and go nuts, Pitbull's latest should be heavy in rotation.

9) Silversun Pickups - Swoon

I actually like The Silversun Pickups as "Lazy Eye" (a Rock Band 2 favorite of mine) and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" are my personal favorite hit songs from them. "Panic Switch" is now my new favorite from them which is the lead single for their Swoon album. I just love hearing that song every time it gets played on KROQ. Anyway, their latest album is more of the group and that is enough for me to make my top ten.

8) Jay Sean - All or Nothing

My favorite new male artist of the year has to be Jay Sean (well not technically new since he has been around in the UK world of music, but new to us here at the states). The beginning of the album starts off right with "Do You" and "Fire" as great songs to get the tempo going before the megahits "Down" and "Do You Remember" go off. Jay Sean's latest does use songs from his album My Own Way with "Ride It," "Stuck in the Middle," "All or Nothing," and "Stay" for food reasons introducing the American audience to what they missed back at England. With already his success here in the States, I think Jay Sean is here to stay for a while not being an one hit wonder like most upcoming male R&B artists that came in recent years.

7) Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Back to some real hip-hop with Mos Def and his latest, The Ecstatic. This is some good old fashion hip-hop music that does not rely on house music beats, auto-tune, or meaningless lyrics as Mos delivers once again. If you're a fan of "good" hip-hop and rap, this album should not be missed and worth your listening time.

6) Robin Thicke - Sex Therapy: The Experience

This is a last minute addition as Robin Thicke's latest album just came out today and I'm already loving it. This is him at his best right now as he kills it in Sex Therapy: The Experience. The album definitely lives up to the theme as if it is like some story being told as you're in some waiting in some room to be operated. This album is also filled with cameos from Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Young Money's rising female rapper Nicki Minaj, Estelle, and The Game. Still though with the cameos, Robin delivers the soul music with his own style and why he is one of the better artists coming out from this decade with previous hits like "I Wanna Love You Girl" and the amazing ballad "Lost Without You." If you love that soul music, this is a must listen as soon as possible as if you are actually in sex therapy.

5) Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom

Also coming out today is Alicia Keys's latest, The Element of Freedom, and it is already up there on my list because its Alicia Keys first of all and she does not disappoint as well. I already mentioned my thoughts about the album in an earlier music roundup, but she delivers again with amazing songs from beginning to end. Actually, this is one of those albums every time you blast, you would start from the beginning and finish it out. Personally, added to her repertoire of instant classics are "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart," "Wait Until You See My Smile," "Unthinkable (I'm Ready)," "Like A Sea," and "Empire State of Mind (Part II)." Even her new ladies anthem with Beyonce, "Put It in a Love Song" is not that bad and I don't mind if it is one of her next singles considering its radio playback lately. This is another album that should be missed by one of the better music artists of today.

4) David Guetta - One Love

My latest appreciation of house/club music this whole year (since apparently I like to go clubbing I guess) has made this album go way high in my top ten list. David Guetta has now become of the known DJs this year with One Love filled with club bangers especially "Sexy Chick" with Akon even though I love the remix with Lil' Jon more now these days (refer to my top 10 songs I'm blasting list). Actually my favorite song from the album is the first track, "When Love Takes Over" with Kelly Rowland. This is a great starter to get things going and Kelly surprisingly delivers in the song as well. Of course, "Sexy Chick" is more known to us due to its constant radio playback and a favorite at the nightclubs, but the rest of Guetta's album is top notch. Other than the two songs I mentioned previously, other favorites of mine range from "Memories" with Kid Cudi, "Missing You," "How Soon is Now," and the title track "One Love" with Estelle. If you that house music, David Guetta gives you various aspects of it and gets you into that nightclub vibe no matter where you at in the time of day.

3) Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)

This may come as a surprise, but admit it, Lady Gaga is kind of awesome and taking over the pop music world as we know it. The Fame Monster is an extension of her first album with eight more songs as an EP, but I'm counting the deluxe edition because it includes all of her first album along with then new stuff. So you get the hits you love or hate every time you hear them from "Just Dance," "Poker Face," "Paparazzi," and "Lovegame" to her new stuff like the lead single, "Bad Romance." I already said my thoughts about this album in an earlier post and how she is that good of an musician and talented as hell, but the EP is filled with singles to choose from to make videos make "Alejandro," "Monster," and hopefully her next single, "Telephone" with Beyonce. It is likely she will go with "Speechless," one of her better ballads showcasing a different side of her than being crazy all the time and she has been performing it on television lately, which I don't mind since she kills it every time she performs that song. Let's face it people, Lady Gaga will be around for a while delivering her crazy antics and weird style to the world while making some good music at the same time.

2) Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Number two on my top ten is Kid Cudi's debut album, which is amazing from beginning to end. Sure, its hard to tell whether or not he is a true rapper or someone that can deliver good hooks, but Cudi does bring it. I wished more singles came out of his album as the potential for videos of certain videos seems crazy, but "Day N Nite" has been his statement that Cudi is no joke. Both the original and the remix are great songs, but the rest of the album's production is awesome with the various beats being used. I don't care if Cudi is going through an identity crisis of what to stick with in the future, but being multi-talented appearing on everyone's albums seems to be a good thing and I'll support that.

1) Muse - The Resistance

In case you don't know, my favorite band is Muse and it is not shocking that their newest album, The Resistance, is my favorite album of the year. From start to finish, this is Muse at their best being one of their better albums in their career with their earlier stuff still having the slight edge. Also, if Black Holes and Relevations didn't elevate them to mainstream status, their latest surely did reaching the mainstream crowd performing on American programs left and right from MTV's Video Music Awards, KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas last Sunday, and Saturday Night Live this weekend. "Uprising" starts the album right being a typical lead single type of song you expect out of a rock band. After that is when the album truly shines with the title track, "United States of Eurasa," and the rest. This is some special stuff and I'm glad Muse is finally getting that success they deserved. Just watching that KROQ concert online the other night made me appreciate them even more because they are that good live and their hit songs are just a blast to listen every time they get played. This album is among my highest recommendation for any music fan that enjoys the art as a whole.

So there are my top ten albums for 2009 and my top 100 songs of the year will be up soon as I need to start organizing that list, but don't be shocked to see songs by these artists from this list on there as well.

Messing with the Fluids... The Pikeljunk Shooter Review

Note: The gameplay footage consists of me playing utilizing the YouTube upload feature.

Pixeljunk Shooter is the fourth title in the franchise that started off with Racers, Monsters, and Eden. These are some of the better downloadable games out there on Playstation Network with consistent sense of providing original and unorthodox gameplay experiences. Shooter continues Q Games' notion of providing that same experience by taking a similar concept, the twin-stick shooter, and then mix it in with interacting with water, lava, ice, and toxic to make it feel original. The two concepts combined together make Shooter one of the better downloadable titles to come out on PSN this year and if you're a fan of the Pixeljunk franchise, this game should not missed for the ten dollar purchase.

There is a sense of story in Shooter in which you are a ship sent to the underground of a planet to rescue survivors and explore the depths of such planet witnessing any diversions that you affect the experience. The controls in Shooter are not exactly like a normal twin-stick shooter as there is still a button to shoot, but the ship does indeed maneuver like such games. There is also a grapple button to rescue survivors, attain gems to unlock more levels, and pull switches. These survivors can be killed if they are not saved in time or if they are accidentally killed by your shots, which happened to me in certain situations. Having five survivors killed will end your game and you have to start over from the beginning of the level you started, but extra lives can be gained easily by gathering a hundred coins from the levels or killing enemies. Your ship does not technically have a health meter, but instead a heat meter at its normal state as being close to lava does heat up your ship and you have to let it cool down by water to replenish. Being shot by enemy fire also does not result in an instant death as it will raise your heat level up to the warning state, but bumping to them sure does. Other than playing it alone, there is an option for local co-op as well with two ships transversing the underground depths.

The big idea of Pixeljunk Shooter is interacting with the water, lava, ice, and toxic in the three worlds that consist of five levels each with the last level ending in a boss battle. This interaction basically makes it somewhat a puzzle game along with the shooter figuring out how to navigate through these levels alive. It is common sense how these fluids interact with each other affecting the levels from water on lava turns to rock, the lava dissolves the ice, water and toxic = gas, gas and lava = explosions, and so on. You get a sense of satisfaction seeing them interact with each other to make certain areas open as the level design is top notch. These puzzles are not that difficult to figure out as I rarely had a hard time navigating through these levels. Speaking of difficulty, this game is among the easiest of the Pixeljunk games as it is more forgiving to beat the game, there is no harsh penalties, and it is not as frustrating as say the later sections of Eden. Shooter is however a short game being downloadable as it takes a handful of hours to beat as each level for the first time takes 15-20 minutes to beat, but longer to 100% everything rescuing all the survivors and finding all the gems/hidden areas. It does also leave the door open for the inevitable Encore expansion.

Graphically, Shooter retains the same style of the Pixeljunk franchise with its use of colors, which still works and looks beautiful. The thing that strikes me is the water, lava, and toxic physics, which do matter in a game like this where they interact with each other. The soundtrack is also awesome as it fits the tone and theme of the game even though it may be a departure from previous Pixeljunk titles. Like Eden, Shooter does have YouTube support in which you can upload your recordings to YouTube, which is a neat idea and the quality of the videos are great. It will be interesting to see how the community utilizes this feature from high score runs, speed runs, getting 100$ tuns, or any random turn of events.

Pixeljunk Shooter is another superb game in the franchise as Q Games manages to innovate yet again with combining a twin stick shooter and puzzle elements with the fluids into one. These concepts together truly make it feel original and unorthodox as you don't experience games like these every day. It is definitely a game to relax to playing compared to most games out there as there is not as much frustration unless you are trying to find everything in the game or you accidentally killed a survivor by firing like a mad man. There is enough replay value to keep playing even though it can be beaten in a few hours, but the door is clearly open for downloadable content or the inevitable "Encore" expansion. For ten dollars, Shooter is worth your time and money being an unique experience only on the Playstation Network.

Score = 9/10

Pros:

• Unique concept of throwing an environmental twist to the twin stick shooter
• More forgiving than previous Pixeljunk games
• The various fluids interacting with each other turn out great as the physics are truly astounding.
• Great soundtrack fitting to the tone and theme of the game
• YouTube upload feature works

Cons:

• Yeah, online co-op could of worked as it is local only as teamwork and voice chat is a necessity.
• Over before you know it, but leaves the door for more with the "Encore" expansion