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Bioshock 2

Will I Buy Kinect? Maybe, Just Drop The Price

I understand what the Kinect, Microsoft's new peripheral for the Xbox 360, can do. It allows users to play video games and control their consoles with their bodies. That is the one thing that has me excited about Kinect. I can control Netflix by moving my arms around; that is awesome. I not only get to watch Mythbusters, but I get a mini-workout as well. Okay, maybe it is not much of a workout but I am trying to give it the benefit of the doubt...

Kinect will run for $150. That is just way too much for me. I am jobless, living with my mother for the time being and jobless. Did I mention I don't have a job to support such an expensive hobby like video gaming? I think I did. Maybe if it was $75 or $85, THEN and only then will I be interested in such a fine piece of technology as the Wii without the Wiimote, I mean Kinect is.

Featured Site of The Week: Goozex

I am a person who recycles. Well, recycles video games.

I found out about a great video game/movie trading site called Goozex a few weeks ago and it's helped my gaming habits get back into shape.

Goozex works on a points system that lets gamers buy used and some new titles with points they've earned from trading old or used games and movies. 100 points equates to $5, 200 points for $10 until 1000 points which is $50.  

It is a pretty cool site because you can buy games which would be almost $50 at one place, but be an equivilent of $15 on Goozex.

I've gotten games like Assassins Creed 2, Fable 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum and a few more titles for very cheap prices.

Featured Site of the Week: Good News: Shut Up!

There are many video game web sites out in the internet. They try to bring you news, reviews and other things you want. Some do it unsuccessfully. Do you know why? Because they just suck!

Not really, they just do not have that character which makes other sites what they are. Good News: Shut Up! is one of those sites which character. Created by Arien Russell and James Henry, it brings news and reviews to gamers with feeling.

They also have a podcast that runs every Wednesday where they share their voices and opinions outside of the site amongst themselves and with special guests.

They bring their humorous talents together with other gamers in order to let their voices be heard. If anything, they are gamers like you and me.

Check them out at goodnewsshutup.com

Hulu On The Xbox 360 Could Make My Day If It Happens

There have been numerous rumors going around the internet that Hulu will be coming to the Xbox 360.

I think this is a great thing for users who enjoy watching television shows and movies streamed to their consoles. But, I do not think it is so great that users have to pay a fee for older content while the newer will be free. That is what most of the rumors state will commence when the service might hit Xbox Live.

Is it really fair that Xbox Live users have to pay another subscription fee for old content? Why can't we just have our early episodes of House or Lost free of charge? Can we not have it like it is on the Hulu site?

The fate of the video streaming service might be revealed in this years E3, which is not so far away.

Why Replay?

As kids, many of us played one video game more than once, five or more times over. It was because we were just kids who could not afford to buy new games. We just stuck to one game and replayed it so much we remembered almost every line and moment in the game.

Those gamers, now older and with jobs, have options to buy new games or replay the ones they already own. They also have an option on what to do with those old games. The deciding factor of whether we give the game away or sell it is whether that game has replay value. There are many different ways to enjoy a game after completing the story or mode.

Play the game on harder difficulties. Difficulties were made to challenge seasoned players. There are usually three difficulties: easy, medium, and hard. Sometimes, there is a really hard, which is for the top players who want to not only beat the challenges developers make, but to challenge themselves as gamers. The Halo series is a great example of a game that ups the difficulties enough that players can become masters of the game.

Halo also shows us another great way to add replay value to a game: multiplayer. It can be online with random people or on a couch with your significant other. Gamers have a need to play with other people because it is a great feeling to share moments with others. Just to emphasize, not all multiplayer modes are good, but games like Halo and Left 4 Dead let gamers play and work together as a team to accomplish great things that would seem mundane if played alone.

One way to unlock difficulties is by completing the game. Completing a game does not always mean finishing a story, but obtaining every item, collectible, weapon, power, or jewel in the game’s world. There may be multiple story lines to complete; one is always not enough to see a whole story from every point of view.

To get those multiple point of views, gamers can play through the game again as another character. If a game has multiple characters, that usually means there are multiple stories to play through and new experiences to gain from playing those stories. This applies to RPGs and Fighting games. Street Fighter IV has numerous characters like Ryu and Ken that each has their own fighting styles and stories to learn and master. Dragon Age: Origins also has several stories to go through with numerous characters to choose from.  

Customization is another aspect that will save a game from getting sold or forgotten. Allowing gamers to create their own levels and challenges for themselves add a ton of replay value to a game. Little Big Planet lets gamers develop levels for themselves and create a world of their own that they can share with their friends and experience the fun of creation with people all around the world or in their own home.

Pac Man and Donkey Kong gave gamers the gift of competition by obtaining high scores and beating out other people from the top list of players. It is now known as leader boards in online games, but it’s the same thing. Geometry Wars: Evolved and its sequel also added fun and excitement because it allowed gamers to see their friend’s scores in each game mode. Competition does not only add replay value, but desire for more challenges for developers to look upon when creating a sequel.

The next time you’re looking at that shiny new game, remember your games at home and wonder about all the things it did right that would make you want to play it again before chucking it out the window.     

Featured Site of The Week: Cheap Ass Gamer

I am a cheap gamer. If I can get a game for less than its regular retail price, I am getting it, hands down.

The best site for me to find great deals is Cheap Ass Gamer.

CAG was created by CheayD who resides on Tokyo, Japan. The site posts deals from all over the web. Users can post deals in the deals thread. The community is huge and there are people with voices here, not just video game-hunting zombies looking to score a good deal. The forums on CAG are a place for people to share deals and opinions with other users who care what they have to say.

CAG has a price tracker where users can create a wishlist and view what the prices of their games are from multiple retailers, used and new. There is even a user market where people can post games they can sell or trade with other users.

CAG has a podcast with hosts CheapyD, a fellow CAG members Wombat and Shipwreck which is described as "a humorous, yet adult discussion of video games and the topics that surround them, such as: industry news, previews and reviews, game deals and shopping, gaming in Japan, and much more." 

If your looking for a cheap game or just a general discussion about anything video game, you can sure find something at Cheap Ass Gamer.  

Picture Provided by Ski Hawk's page on Cheap Ass Gamer.