March 2012
1 post
My Thoughts on the Mass Effect 3 Ending
Before you read, please be warned, I will be discussing the endings of Mass Effect 2 and 3. I also mention the endings of Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4. So clearly Major Spoiler is present.
And damn proud of it.
MASS EFFECT 2
I wasn’t a fan of the Mass Effect series initially. Brian, my roommate in college, played the first one and I...
January 2012
1 post
My Cosplays - Wolverine, Snake, & Rambo
When I decided to start working on a Wolverine/Logan costume, I never thought that this was actually a thing that several other people do. I had never heard of the term “cosplaying” or had known that there is an entire community behind it. I did grow up in Mexico City though, and that amount of dedication and passion to nerdy things is kind of non-existent there. Or if it does exist, people are...
October 2011
1 post
A Video Game Hero with One Face
I’m sure you’ve heard of “A Hero with a Thousand Faces,” a book where Joseph Campbell breaks down a bunch of different stories and shows how they are all structured in practically the same way.
The funny thing is that in video games, it seems that the modern day video game action hero has one face with slight variations. And that face is a ruggedly handsome chap with short black hair,...
June 2011
6 posts
Transformers Dark of the Moon
This week I got to play Transformers and I really am enjoying the game so far. What is nice about it is that it is not directly based on the movie, it is actually a prequel to the upcoming movie, very much like how Tron Evolution took place before the events of Tron Legacy. I like it when games do this because then it is more motivating to play the game since there won’t be any spoilers to...
Green Lantern
Planning on seeing the movie this weekend? Kind of a tough choice isn’t it. People are saying it isn’t as good as X-Men First Class, and is actually around the quality of Origins and X-Men 3. I personally did not mind X-Men 3, it was entertaining. So if it is in the same level of quality as that, I would be fine with that. But if it is an origins level movie, bah. Anyway, check out...
E3 2011
We went to E3 this year and it was amazing. I personally could have not been happier with how our coverage turned out and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to go.Things started off really bright and early, as we were all required to wait in line for Nintendo’s press conference. It wasn’t too bad since as soon as it was 7:30 the line started moving and we were briskly given our...
Funny E3 Video
One of our team members didn’t get a chance to go to E3 this year, so as a gesture of kindness some members of the team decided to bring E3 to him. Hilarity ensues :D
Phil is an awesome guy for doing this and I found it genuinely hilarious. I am glad that everybody went all out on it and I think it perfectly parodies all the elements of E3. From the hardware, to the booth ladies, to the...
X-Men and E3
I just saw the X-Men First Class movie yesterday, and I was absolutely blown away. It is a great movie that is definitely worth spending your hard earned money on. It’s got great performances from the two leads, an engaging storyline, and really cool action sequences.
I think I am kind of a unique fan to the X-Men series because I don’t see these films the same way I see the Spider-Man films. I...
Portal 2 in 2!
You have probably all played Portal 2 by now, and in case you haven’t, but would like to see the story, check out what the guys at Mahalo have cooked up! Be warned that there are plenty of spoilers in the video below! I have not had the chance to play it yet, but after watching the video I feel like I have to. The sense of humor in the story is what most makes the game interesting to me....
May 2011
7 posts
Mass Effect 2 vs Mario Galaxy 2
After 32 hours I beat Mass Effect 2, and my God, was it an experience. The final mission is absolutely insane and I was on the edge of my seat in every single cut scene as I knew that there was a chance that my team members could die.
SPOILERS BELOW:
Tali was awesome in going through the vents and closing the door, and she luckily did not get shot. Miranda also led the distraction team twice...
Awesome Goldfish Music Video
Is probably the best word to describe this. Just take a look at this song:
I love it. And I also really enjoy all the video game references in it! They have references from video games old and new, and perhaps most importantly, they make a reference to Metal Gear Solid. In case you see it in the video, but don’t exactly know where it comes from, that is from Metal Gear Solid 2, as it is...
Venom, Wolverine, and Snake
After work on Friday I went over to the comic book store and started to browse through the different sections. Naturally, I drifted on over to the Spider-Man section as that is the franchise that I am most familiar with and have read several comics from. Specifically though, I am a fan of Venom, perhaps the most famous Spider-Man villain turned anti-hero of all time. In case you are not familiar...
Mass Effect 2
My good friend Brett has not been able to stop talking or thinking about Mass Effect 2 since I met him, and could not recommend it enough for me. I gotta admit, I was initially hesitant to play this game as I am not a fan of RPG’s and had read that this game requires 20 plus hours to complete without doing any of the sidequests. Yesterday I really sunk my teeth into it, and, pardon the expression,...
Game Slave 2
I recently got Netflix on my PS3 and couldn’t be happier with it. I have been catching up on movies I have always wanted to see, as well as revisiting classic cartoon shows from my childhood. I already saw all of Godzilla: The Series, and saw a little bit of Rocko’s Modern Life. Recently I have been seeing Invader Zim, and it truly is like seeing a brand new TV show for me because they aired so...
Partying
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April 2011
4 posts
Release Dates
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 I remember a time in the video game industry where the only month in which anything launched on was November. It was as if every other month in the...
Gameplay vs Story
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Video Games are really quite a tough pickle to categorize when it comes to modern day entertainment. They are like movies in that they deliver fully...
Rush'N Attack is over
I completed Rush’N attack and it was pretty dissapointing for me. I had been looking forward to playing this game since the first gameplay trailers showed up, and I am sad to say that it really isn’t that great of a game. Yes, the stealth mechanics do pretty much work. If you slowly sneak up to a guy, he won’t hear you, and you can snap his neck. And in certain parts of the game...
Rush'N Attack: Is it now?
Before I get to the title of the post, I would like to wrap up my experience in passing Dead to Rights in Detective Difficulty. I finally made it to the last level and managed to not only beat it, but achieve gold ranking as well. As I finished playing the game I truly appreciated what a great final level it is. Not only do you infiltrate the bad guys command center and get to hear them complain...
March 2011
4 posts
Dead to Rights: Revisited
Since I finished Digger HD up last week I decided to do a game which came out a while ago, but is an extremely fun play. I am talking about Dead to Rights: Retribution. In this game you control Jack Slate, and you are on a mission to find out who was behind the murder of your father. You also have the help of your brutally viscious dog Shadow. I am currently passing the game on hard as you really...
Digger is done!
I have been working on Digger for the past week, and I must say, the final levels became extremely difficult to pass without losing a life. They really start to ramp up in difficulty as soon as you reach the final 10. The enemies begin to react more intelligently, more of them spawn in a given time, and they turn into their snake form a lot more freuently than in the first couple levels. It...
Killzone 3 Review
I have written about Killzone 3 for quite a while now, so now, without further ado, here is what I had to say about it: It really did turn out to be an exceptionally well executed game, and it really gets me pumped for Sonys next big shooter, Resistance 3, which is actually featured for a brief moment as a poster in Battle: LA! We went to see this film this weekend, and though we did...
Killzone 3 and Digger
I finished up all of Killzone 3 and it really turned out to be a great game. I especially enjoyed the latter levels where the game offered you amazing weaponry. From a machine gun that can eviscerate Helghasts to an energy gun that can literally make them explode into blood. The final level of the game also had you manning the gun of a ship, and even nuking an entire planet. Check out the final...
February 2011
4 posts
Killzone 3 and the Oscars!
Killzone 3 finally arrived and it has been an amazing experience so far. They tweaked everything that needed tweaking, and have delivered another seminal first person experience. From the graphics, to the story, to the finely tuned gamplay - this is one of the best first person shooters ever made. You get the feeling that you are truly at war, and are truly controlling a person, not just a...
MvC3: Wolverine
So remember that special challenge I hinted at last week? Well I finally got around to completing it. In case you haven’t heard of it, the Ladder Challenge room in X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a special room in the DLC package. In this room you face wave after wave of enemies who become increasingly difficult. And if you happen to fail in any one of them, you have to start all over again,...
Killzone 3 Demo!
I played the Killzone 3 demo this week and it is nothing short of epic. I felt extremely comfortable with the controls, and loved taking down enemies from cover. Also, there are several new features that I noticed were implemented that were shown off in the demo. Also, when you complete the demo, you are rewarded with a beautifully cut trailer for the upcoming game, which can be seen below: ...
The Wolverine Bowl
So since I finished the story mode of Little Big Planet 2, I have been working on a game that I thoroughly enjoy playing: X-Men Origins Wolverine. It is a game that came out as a tie in to the movie, but as I have told several people around the office, it is pretty much the rare exception where the game based on the movie is better than the movie. Why you ask? Because the game captures what it...
January 2011
5 posts
Little Big Fight 2: Gears of Blood
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 This week I finished Little Big Planet 2, and it was awesome. Even though I was initially frustrated by the pretty steep difficulty curve in the...
Little Big Planet 2 First Impressions
Little Big Planet 2 finally released this week and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Initially I was a bit skeptical about the game considering just how much you could do with the original. I was worried that it would be along the lines of Left for Dead 2, where many felt that that standalone game could have easily been added as DLC for the original. In Little Big Planet 2 this...
The Fight , LBP2, and X-Men Origins:Wolverine
So this week, in anticipation of the imminent release of Little Big Planet 2, I decided to do a walkthrough of the demo. It looks like they are adding tons of new features to the already great series including the ability to create little robot buddies, jump on intense trampolines, and shoot a missile launcher. If you are interested in checking it out, how about you take a look at the intro video...
CES 2011!
I just got back from the CES convention in Vegas and I had an incredible time. This was the first convention that I have assisted as a member of the press and it was a great experience. We covered all sorts of awesome stuff and interviewed plenty of interesting people. From nyko, PDP, to even Microsoft! Furthermore, we had a sneak peak at the new Marvel vs Capcom 3 at the Capcom booth! Just for...
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a great new years eve. Here are just a few samples of the cool stuff that was done this week. Sohinki is still hard at work at covering every possible aspect of Cataclysm. Here is a great video of his: Also, in the casual side of the team, check out this funny review for one of the versions of the Tron video game. I had some trouble reviewing the console version of Tron,...
December 2010
4 posts
Merry Christmas!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Things have been busy at Mahalo, and with the lack of new games play, the team has been hard at work at creating more excellent content on older games. For example, take a look at this ridiculously awesome Tyra Saw 2 Mashup: Or check out the hardened mode walkthrough for Call of Duty: And if you would like an in depth look at the weapons for Call of...
Tron Time
I finally passed all of Tron, and even got around to editing my video review of it. It was a decent game, but not one without its fair share of issues. Check out my video review below: And not only did I get a chance to do that, I also recorded a few of my multiplayer matches for your enjoyment as well. The match below I am particularly proud of as I managed to kill 20 people without dying...
MGS4 on 360!?
Yep, that is basically what Miss. Munn said during the VGA’s in the poorly conceived joke: “I was red ringing 3 Xboxes watching every goddamn cut of Metal Gear Solid 4” Really Olivia? Don’t you mean “cutscene”? And how on earth did you red ring your 360 with the PS3 exclusive title? This sort of joke really harkens back to early video game days where everything video game related was assumed...
MGS4 on 360!?
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Yep, that is basically what Miss. Munn said during the VGA’s in the poorly conceived joke: “I was red ringing 3 Xboxes watching every goddamn cut...
November 2010
4 posts
Donkey Kong returns to own you
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 As you might have gathered from the title, I have been playing Donkey Kong Country returns for the Wii this week. And I am happy to say that it...
Untitled
You wouldn’t believe just how good of a back workout I got this week. And not from going to the gym, but from playing The Fight: Lights Out. Later on in the game the opponents really need a pummeling to go down, and that means plenty of jabs, uppercuts, and hooks. That means a whole upper body workout. My back has been sore for 3 days now and my right pec is still recovering from all the hooks. I...
God of Fight Lights
Pretty eventful week. First of all, I completed my God of War: Ghost of Sparta videos. God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a fantastic game, and I continue to be amazed at just how much they can squeeze out of the PSP. The game looks even better than the first GOW! I am particularly proud of beating all the Challenge of the Gods, and especially Challenge 4. In this challenge I had to defeat an army...
Untitled
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Just got back from going to the shooting range, and let me tell you, it was plenty of fun. I, along with my good friends Wes and Brett, got to shoot...
10/31/10
It was a pretty good week today. Finally got around to completing The Shoot, and I also managed to pass Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. I did not get a chance to play the first one, so I was looking forward to a new experience. The game is a lot of fun, although it unfortunately suffers from some repetitive level design, as most of the levels in the second half of the game look exactly the...