A Night at the Symphony, well not exactly...

This past Sunday I had the a great opportunity to enjoy an experience that I really never knew nothing about. This even was called Video Games Live which was playing in New York City at the Beacon Theater. Now when I say I'm a gamer, I might not fall into the category that some of these fans were. After grabbing a bite at a local Burger joint my friend Ray Carsillo, (1050 ESPN, Geekstuffunlimited@blogspot.com and more) we were off to the symphony. As soon as you walk into the building, you knew you weren't there for a sit down and shut up and listen kind of show. The first thing I noticed was that Samas Aran (zero suit), Cloud from FF7 and more outrageous costumes were at the show with me. As I sat down shortly after some videos, they had a costume contest and this little Mario kid won for speaking with a Italian accent. I thought it was hilarious, since there were around six other Mario's. The real show finally began as composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall came out introduced themselves as the creators of video games live and put on a pretty sick show.


They opened with Hideo Kojima introducing the music of Metal Gear Solid. As soon as that happened I was completely into the show. They had so much that I really don't want to ruin for anyone who might be interested in going to the show. But they even had Ralph Baer...RALPH BAER!!! The father of video games, via Skype to talk to the audience. Yeah, I'm a geek but anyone reading this is too. But with they had more with music from games like Final Fantasy 7, Kingdom Hearts, World of Warcraft, Diablo III (which isn't even out yet), Mass Effect, Halo, Super Mario Brothers, and more. Plus some pretty cool things in between. They said that they haven't had the same exact set list twice in a row. So the shows never stay the same which is even cooler. The show plays all over the place but only one show a city so if your interested check the local listings and see this show if you are a true blue gamer. For my final rating Video Games Live gets a 3.5X out of 5X.


-T

Hidden Blades,Knifes, Secrets,and...Da Vinci?....Okay!

Assassin's Creed 2 is the sequel to Assassin's Creed, a game that got a 9 out of 10 on almost every single gamer rating system. AC2 (Assassins Creed 2) starts out almost immediately after the first game. You take control of Desmond moments after Assassin's Creed ends, and he's lying in his room when Lucy enters in a panic, covered in blood. She has just minutes to get Desmond onto the Animus, the machine that can visualise his genetic memories. This time, though, instead of heading back to the Third Crusade, he wakes up in Renaissance-era Italy. He is literally born as the new character Ezio Auditore. Also a young Leonardo da Vinci is recreated within the game, as an aid to the player who provides a host of weapons and contraptions available for use.At one point in the game, the player can access Leonardo's flying machine which he actually built, keeping airborne using thermals from fires lit by friends gathered previously in the game. The game will also feature a host of new mission types for the player to complete.Much has been made about the new setting of ACII, and as anyone who played the first game would expect, the environments look stunning. More than 30,000 images were taken of the real buildings in Italy, many of which have made it as textures in the finished game. The buildings are also much bigger than before, such as the Duomo in Florence, and many of the characters actually existed in the time the game is set. No attempt has been made to hide the seedier side of 15th-century life, either. Characters swear at each other and use extremely crass terminology, and you can hire prostitutes to distract enemies if you so desire. Assassin's Creed II is set for release on November 20 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and in 2010 on the PC. And when it comes out Xtreme Gaming Zone will have a full review for you.















-Q

Master Chief Who?! ODST Is Where It's At!

Let's Lay the Smack-down on this Halo extension. ODST is an awesome campaign and addictive new Firefight mode make ODST a thrilling new entry in the Halo franchise. It does nothing less then delivers. When you first start ODST you wake up all alone in a hostile city. Pockets of enemies are hiding in the nearly pitch-black environment and your allies are nowhere to be found. In the opening moments of Halo 3: ODST, you are vulnerable and aimless--two elements that have never been explored in a Halo game before. These quiet, moody scenes flow into the spirited, high-energy battles the franchise is known for, but this feeling of desolation never fully dissolves. ODST is an awesome entry in the franchise because it not only showcases the elements that have made previous games in the series so explosively fun, but it also introduces a handful of new ideas that add a unique spin on the classic formula. The most exhilarating of the new features is the Firefight mode, a cooperative battle against a never-ending swarm of covenant soldiers that is as intense and rewarding as anything that has appeared in the series. Whether you love the solitude of the single-player campaign, the camaraderie of cooperative encounters, or the blood lust of multiplayer competition, Halo 3: ODST is a fantastic package.


The Good:
Firefight mode is a blast, Campaign is well-paced, with tons of great moments, The between level sections are moody and engaging , same great multiplayer from Halo 3, with three new maps, and most important No Flood!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Bad:
Multiplayer is basically from Halo 3, Damage indicators are annoying, and no dual wielding in story mood...wtf is that about!







-Q

Xtreme Gaming Zone C.O.D - Nazi Zombies Muisc Video

All rights owned by Activision and Rammstein. This was my first time using Final Cut. This was clips from gameplay footage that I cut up and put music behind. Just a little preview of whats to come. Hope you enjoy the video. Comment

Wolfenstein: Killing Nazi's at its finest

I decided to take some time and enjoy a solid first person shooter. This game is called Wolfenstein, the Nazi fighting, magic wielding, firefight, starring you as the main character Agent B.J Blazkowicz. This game leads after the actions of the first game, which was Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The game follows the events of the last game where you play as Blazkowics and are sent on a mission to stop a warship that is controlled by Nazi's which is planning to fire on London in 1943. As you progress farther and farther you gain a medallian and to keep things short you kick the junk out of a boat load of Nazi scumbags.



I really enjoyed this game from off the get go. If they fixed the minor details this game could have been a huge impact on the gaming world. But it lacked alot in the graphics department. Kinda looked like a PS2 game of Medal Honor or Call of Duty. The cut scene graphics were really good which confused me. I mean the whole "veil" idea which gives you a view of two different views is pretty cool, so I can see why the graphics might not be as good but it was very bad for a next-gen console game. Also the multiplayer was pretty terrible. It wasn't fun and it lacked alot. The story was so much better and thats what dragged me in. The black market idea was cool and the upgrades too. Also the futuristic weapons made it pretty interesting, espcially when using the particle cannon and tuning Nazi jerks into dust.


In conclusion this game was average. A great plot, but not great graphics. Good gameplay, but terrible multiplayer. For a game in my opinion to be amazing it should contain all of these items and excel in each. Raven software was the creator and if they want to make a sequel they should concentrate more on improving the graphics, strike the multiplayer and increase the graphics. For my final score this game lands a 3X out of a possible 5. Wolfenstein is out now for PS3, 360 and PC.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: The Good, The Bad, and the Superteam

If anyone remembers the first game that came out way back when, i think 2006 it was, you should remember running around with your team of heroes fighting villains and bad guys until you beat the game. There are some boss battles and more, when that game came out, I thought it was great. Before I bought the new game, I tried playing the old game and realized it wasn't that good. Maybe three years ago but today's game are alot better. But this set me up for not a good approval rate for the new game. But I was truly wrong. As the game started the graphics for the movies were pure amazing and it felt like a comic book movie being revealed. As you start the game your have to play as four characters just for the first level. Ironman, Captain America, Wolverine and Spider-Man. The game opens up with you and your heroes buddies all working together fighting dooms soldiers and robots.

As you progress through the game it reveals the a great plot. The civil war. No, not the civil war with Abe Lincoln and the confederacy. But for you comic book like me, the civil war where heroes are fighting each other. The Pro-Registration act is being attempted to become a law because after the heroes failing to stop the death of over 600 civilians in Connecticut the government and American people for the Heroes to become known to the public. Ironman and Mr. Fantastic are fighting for it. Captain America is fighting the government (I know right, Captain America) with the Heroes to Hire for the act to be dismembered. This brings heroes to each others throats. That's a quick grasp of the civil war plot but the game offers another whole storyline. The best part is that you can choose a side. So not is there only one storyline, but two. Also the fusions are incredible. Two team members can set up for a powerful move after fighting enough enemies.


In conclusion this game offers a good amount of characters. You can play as villains like Venom and Green Goblin, neutral characters like Gambit and Deadpool and of course heroes. The unlockable characters are only unlocked by playing the game and collecting items and beating bosses. For me this game should have had all the characters from the first game, into this game. I know alot of characters aren't part of the civil war but alot of those characters were enjoyable to play with. Plus I'm still mad that the Punisher has still not been included in the game, thanks to licensing. Keeping out Ghostrider and Blade from the first, plus Silver Surfer and more was not a plus for this game. But the game play is very good, up to four players either online or at home, pretty good graphics and a solid story. For my final score Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 gets 3.5X points out of 5. Also now the game offers a new character for download. Carnage! Thats pretty awesome but with Carnage and Venom on the same with Spider-man and Green Goblin, I don't feel safe for Spider-man. Well since thats been said, i'll back again with another review.

-T