Happy 10th Birthday Diablo II

Today June 29, 2010 it the day 10 year ago that the highly anticipated game Diablo II came out. It was the sequel to the great game Diablo. Diablo II Improved on Diablo is so many ways added 5 character classes which are totally unique to each other. These Characters were: The Barbarian, The Paladin, The Amazon, and The Necromancer (my favorite character).

This game have very high replay value for example you could play as The Paladin and beat the game then play through as the Necromancer and beat the game and it’s a different experience each time because each character is unique in the fact that you need a different strategy to beat the game. The online play was phenomenal you could save your only characters on battle.net and play from any computer with Diablo II installed. You also had another option you can play offline then log into open battle.net and use your single play character online which was cool also because they also let you play on a LAN if you didn’t have internet access. The plus to playing online is that you can show off you characters in the chat rooms/lobbies. When you use open battle.net it only showed someone in a robe but either way playing only was lots of fun.

Exactly a year later on June 29, 2001 the expansion Diablo II: Lord of Destruction which added so much more to the game including two new characters: The Assassin and The Druid.

It also came with a bigger stash to hold more gold and items. It’s also added another act to the game Act V which gave you 6 more quests and the final quest where you fight Baal the Lord of Destruction. This gave the game so much more and Blizzard new exactly what to do with this game. Another thing that is gave Diablo II was that it gave the game very high replay value was when you beat the game it gave you more difficulties which help you level up your characters. When you beat the game with a certain character the first time you play the game on Normal. After you beat it you unlock Nightmare difficulty which is much more challenging you also get to go in the secret cow level as long as you have a full tomb of town portal and wirt’s leg and you put them in the Horadric Cube and the hit the transmute button and it opens the portal to the secret cow level. Make sure you are in the Rogue Encampment form the Act I. Diablo II is a awesome game and if you play World of Warcraft there is a lot of Diablo influence on the game but that’s my opinion of that game. Diablo II is an awesome game that so many including myself play this game people still play Diablo I these games haven’t lost their steam and I doubt they ever will. Happy Birthday Diablo II it’s been ten great years and we hope for many more years.

Great Finds: Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis

The other day I was looking through Goodwill and I came across a Super Nintendo. The SNES came with 1 controller and 2 games in great shape. The games are Zombies ate my Neighbors and Fatal Fury 2.

The SNES didn’t have any hook up but lucky for me I picked up an extra set of SNES av cables for only $1. The SNES with the controller and 2 games only cost me $5 so even though I need an ac adapter everything cost me $6 for the system. Also the system works where I have a SNES I was able to use the hook ups from my 1st SNES and it worked just fine.

A week before finding the SNES I found another Model 1 Sega Genesis. It had the hook ups and the system works but no controllers.

The Genesis only cost $7 so again it was a great deal even without controllers. It’s easy to find controllers and AC adapters without breaking the bank. I have been getting lucky and my local Goodwill store I just hope I my luck continues and I find some more great systems, games and accessories.

Game(s) of the Day: Michael Jackson's Monnwalker

In Memory of the late great King of Pop Michael Jackson


Today’s game(s) of the day Is Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker for the Arcade and the Sega Genesis.

These games were based on the movie Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker.
The Arcade game was made first and it was a multiplayer adventure where you could be Michael Jackson in a White Suit or a Red Suit it all depended on which slot you put your quarter in. Some versions let you play with three players which had Michael Jackson in a Black Suit. The point of the game was to go around and save children and defeat the bosses. You could dance to wipe out all the enemies and you can also receive the Robo-Michael power up. He was a metal Machine that shot lasers from his arms. This was a great game and it was very fun to play. Here is video of the game play of the arcade game.

The Sega Genesis version is a bit different then the arcade version. This game is a side scrolling adventure. The point of this game is you go around and save the same little girl in the red dress with a teddy bear and there are a lot of those little girls. You are armed with glitter to throw on the enemies and you are armed with your special moves including: Michael Jackson’s signature hat throw, you can spin around and the make everyone on the stage dance with you and wipe them out which should only be used in boss battles, and last but not least you get the Robo-Michael power up its pretty rare but its way different and way cooler then Robo-Michael‘s in the arcade version. In the Genesis version he is a giant robot that flies around and shoots lasers and rockets it also reveals the location on all the little girls but you can rescue them. This games weren’t the best games and there were pretty repetitious, but when this game came out there weren’t many games like this that were based on a celebrity. It’s still a fun game and no matter what you say about MJ remember what Dave Chappelle said, “He made Thriller…THRILLER”. The Angry Video Game Nerd did a review on this game and he was brutally honest as usual but he didn’t rip on it as bad as most game he reviews. It’s a great video you can check it out below. This video was made before while Michael Jackson was still alive and it contains explicit language and content viewer discretion is advised.

To see more of the Anger Video Game Nerd's reviews click here.

My friend also wrote a blog post about Moonwalker in memory of Michael Jackson click here to check it out.

Michael Jackson was an amazing artist and no one can compare to him he was the King of Pop and will forever be missed.

E3 '10 - The Wrap Up

E3 has been over for about a week and I’ve finally had time to absorb all that I saw.

There were a lot of game and gadgets I saw (via G4tv and G4tv.com) that got me very excited. I can’t talk about everything I saw so I will talk about what I really liked.

Microsoft

Microsoft has made some partner ships with Activision and ESPN. That mean with Activision any add-ons for their games come out first for Microsoft. With ESPN you will be able to watch all sports on ESPN on your Xbox 360 and it’s free for Xbox Live gold members. This was a great move on Microsoft’s part I think this will be a great thing for them. With Games of course Halo Reach and Gears of War 3 caught my eye but I have already talked about these games. Call of Duty: Black Ops looks awesome but the best game I saw for the Xbox 360 was Metal Gear Solid: Rising. This game looks so awesome you are a ninja and it strays from the traditional game play of the MGS series, but the game play looks awesome with a game engine that lets you cut anything into pieces. This includes cutting people into pieces and cutting random things like tables and fruits. Also the Microsoft Kinect looks awesome with the ability to recognize you and log you in just by waving at it. My problem with this gadget is that the price is going to be $150 which is way too much, but there is a chance they may change the price and hopefully make it cheaper. The Kinect looks cool but a price tag of $150 is way too much for this. They have also released the Xbox 360 Slim which looks awesome as well hopefully solving the Red Ring of Death once and for all.

Nintendo

Nintendo had announced The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This is a Zelda game design just for the Wii and it will use the Wii Motion Plus which will give the sword a more realistic feel along with Link’s other weapons. They also announced a new Goldeneye 007 game for the Wii. Fans have been waiting for this game for a long time and it looks amazing. I’m not a big fan of FPS games on the Wii, but this one should be different and maybe they will use the Wii Motion Plus as well. They also announced some other great game like a new NBA Jam game with controls exclusive for the Wii (a new NBA Jam for the the 360 and PS3 as well). Nintendo has also announced the Mario Sports Mix, Wii Party, Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Epic Mickey. They also announced the Nintendo 3DS which looks really cool and they have announced Kid Icarus Uprising and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. The game I’m most excited about for the Wii is Donkey Kong County Returns. It’s going to be like the old school Donkey Kong Country and it will have game play like the New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Sony

I don’t own a Playstation 3 but the Playstation Move look very cool. I saw 2 games that look really cool Infamous 2 is one of those games. I would get the first one if I buy a PS3. The next game is the new Twisted Metal and this game look awesome I still play Twisted Metal 2 on the PS1 and this new Twisted Metal is making me want to buy a PS3.

That covers the Big 3 now on to the software developing companies. Bioware is coming one with the Star Wars: The Old Republic. This game look amazing but I’m still not sure if it will pull me away from World of Warcraft only time will tell. EA games is coming out with a new Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. This game looks so freakin’ awesome. You can play are the racer or the cops. The online system they have in place for this game is awesome. You will have people on your list you are running from and people who you are chasing. You will also have a most wanted and when they log on to play and you can initiate the change. I’m not a big racing game fan but I and really thinking about getting this game when it comes out. Konomi is coming out with a 2 new Castlevania games. The fist is Castlevania: Lord of Shadows which will be for Xbox 360 and PS3. I’m a huge Castlevania fan and I am really looking forward to a brand new Castlevania and it’s not the only one that’s coming. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair which looks to be a 2D style Symphony of the Night style of Castlevania for the Xbox Live Arcade and maybe for the Playstation Network I can’t wait to try these games out. Capcom is coming out with a highly anticipated sequal Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. I’m again stoke because Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is probably one of the best fighting games out there and there are going to have tons of new characters and it will most likely be set up like Street Fighter 4/Super Street Fighter 4 and they are great games as well so Marvel vs. Capcom 3 should deliver another great experience. Last but not least Ubisoft has obtained the license to make Michael Jackson games and I’m hoping there re-release Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker the game on XBLA, PSN, and Wii Virtural Console. There were so many games I saw this year while watching coverage of E3 and all I know is there is a bright future for the gaming world there is something for everyone and all the companies are doing what they can to go over the top.

E3 '10

E3 '10 is this week and I think it going to be a big year. The game I'm the most excited about Star Wars: The Old Republic. I am very excited about the game because I love KOTOR. I wish they would have made a 3rd game to complete the game for us because the 2nd game left us hanging big time with the horrible endings it had. Bioware can't be held responsible for that because Obsidian made the sequel to KOTOR. They didn't do a bad job with the game but they got lazy with the ending. The question on my mind is will The Old Republic take the crown of top MMORPG from World of Warcraft and more importantly with it take me away from WoW? Only time will answer this question for us. I am very excited to see what everyone at E3 has to offer. I'll be doing my research and watching E3 Live on G4TV (G4TV.com). I'll have more to say when E3 is complete.

World of Warcraft Video: Wrought

Another great video by Cranius and Legs

Here are the lyrics:
I'm left alone with all the monsters in my head
They say to me you won't choose life over death
Insane attraction causes stillness in my mind
Only a fraction of the things I've left to find

Oh without you, all alone
I see right through
Strong intentions left and gone

I can't control my so impulsive frame of mind
I feel the reigns, the bridle, jerk my head in line
I wanna scream I wanna kill I wanna shout
I choke it back and take a punch right in the mouth

Oh without you, all alone
I see right through
Strong intentions left and gone

(Ahhh) I cannot take this on my own, (ahhh) there's no excitement
(Ahhh) You rather see me rot alone
(Ahhh) Instead I suffer here for this

I take a breath from that toxic mask of mine
And fight the urge to disappear into the night
And by my side I see a monster on my wing
He drives me on he keeps me safe he makes me see

That without you, all alone
I see right through
Strong intentions left and gone

(Ahhh) I cannot take this on my own, (ahhh) there's no excitement
(Ahhh) You rather see me rot alone
(Ahhh) Instead I suffer here for this

You see me, I'm pleading
For you to stop my bleeding
You see me, I'm pleading
For you to stop my bleeding

(Ahhh) I cannot take this on my own, (ahhh) there's no excitement
(Ahhh) You rather see me rot alone
(Ahhh) Instead I suffer here for this

You see me, I'm pleading
For you to stop my bleeding
You see me, I'm pleading
For you to stop my bleeding
For you to stop my bleeding
For you to stop my bleeding

More songs and videos at Cranius.com