Game of the Day: Street Fighter X Mega Man

Today's game of the day is Street Fighter X Mega Man.

Do you like Street Fighter? Do you like Mega Man? Well this is the game for you. This is an awesome game it is a 8-bit Mega Man style game with Street Fighter characters and the Bosses. The music for the game is the theme music from the stages in Street Fighter composed in 8-Bit Mega Man style. Since its a PC game you can play with the keyboard or if you have a USB controller that can be used. I have a wired Xbox 360 controller I use and I've heard you can use pretty much any USB controller (I don't know 100% if all controllers work but I'm pretty sure you can configure any controller to work with the game).  This is a free fan made game that stays very true to the Mega Man franchise. If you would like to try this game out you can download it from the link below.

Download Street Fighter X Mega Man

Here is a gameplay video courtesy of IGN

Street Fighter X Mega Man Gameplay Commentary by IGN

Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters: Revised 2013

It's Black History month and its time to honor and remember all the Black people that have made and impact in history. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. I made a list in 2011 but since then I have played a couple of new games with characters that have claimed their spots on this list. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

9. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

*8. Clementine – The Walking Dead – Clementine is a tough little girl. She survived a zombie apocalypse on her on until she was rescued. She had to grow up quickly and she is also a very good shot. Her self-reliance and toughness for a little girl get her a spot on this list.

7. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

*6. Lee Everett – The Walking Dead – Lee is a character that came out of left field for me. Lee has tons of responsibility thrown on him he come across a little girl named Clementine and he ends up being her guardian and he does a good job taking care of her. He has to make a lot of tough decisions good and bad. He knows when to make the tough decision which earns him a spot on this list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn't a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2, Balrog –  Street Fighter Series, Dee Jay –  Street Fighter Series, Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

*New Addition to the list

Games of 2012

Well another year has come to an end. So lets talk about the games of 2012. I didn't really get a chance to play many new games this year due to the fact that my budget was tight and not too much came out that tripped my trigger this year. I am not going to do a top games countdown this year because I didn't play to many new games this year. Instead I'm just going to talk about the games that come out this year that I played and liked.

The first new game I bought this year was:

Mass Effect 3: This has to be my favorite release of the year I love this trilogy and this game didn't disappoint me. It has a great story and awesome battle system. The slogan of the game is "Take back Earth" and you must do that. The Reapers are attacking Earth and you must save earth but getting as much support as you can and building a great team like in previous games. If you have transferred a game save from Mass Effect 1 and imported into Mass Effect 2 and then imported that file into Mass Effect 3 you will have an awesome experience. Your choices in previous games will effect how people view you and some of the events. If you are a fan of RPG and/or Shooters this is a must buy. If you have the game on the Xbox 360 and you have a Kinect it truly is better when using the Kinect. You can call out commands to your party and they will do it. You can also switch to a weapon by calling its name. I also head if you say "boomstick" and you have a shotgun you will switch to you shotgun. The Kinect add a new element of game play letting you use your abilities with out worrying about pulling up a menu. For me the game is awesome with out the Kinect but using the Kinect add so much more to the game (It also adds so much more to the Xbox 360 over all). You should get a Kinect for this game its worth it I suggest starting with Mass Effect 1 so you can import your files into the sequels for me doing that give you the full experience of all the games. They recently released Mass Effect 1 for PS3 and the Trilogy in a 3 pack for PS3 and Xbox 360 (I'm not Sure about the Wii U but you can get ME3 on it).

The next game I got was:

Diablo III: I have been waiting for this game for a long time and It is amazing. I was so happy when this game came out. In fact I bought the collector's edition (Blog Post: Diablo III...Yeah its that good!). Fans of Diablo rejoiced when we heard the announcement for Diablo III. I was so pumped for this game unfortunately when i got home my video card in my laptop was unsupported. That bummed me out but lucky for me my wife had recently got a new laptop before launch and I was able to play the game on her laptop so all hope wasn't lost. This game is awesome with new characters and new enemies. I chose the Monk to play first I have also played a Demon Hunter. The game is so much fun and with very diverse characters, harder difficulties with a new one added Inferno difficulty and game updates the replay value is very high. It is another great game from Blizzard. There are some gripes but I can over look them because the game is genuinely fun. If you are a fan of Diablo and other hack and slash RPGs you need to get Diablo III its so much fun.

Other games I played this year were:

Halo 4: Another game in the Halo series and once again is delivers. A new enemy has awaken the Promethean. This game has awesome single player campaign and awesome Multiplayer. Just like any other Halo is awesome. If you are a fan of the series you must by this game. This is the first Halo games that Bungie had nothing to do with. 343 Industries did a great job with the game. They removed all purple from the game so anything that was purple is now blue which isn't a big deal. There isn't much more to say is a Halo game and its lots of fun. If you played the other games you will be able to jump right in

Borderlands 2: If you have played Borderlands and liked it Borderlands 2 is that times 10 its awesome. New character, more guns, a better story line and more twist. The first Borderlands was a great games and tons of fun. Borderlands 2 to me is an even better game. Borderlands 2 takes what is great about the first game and just builds on it and makes it better. The characters you choose from now are The Commando, The Gunzerker, The Siren, The Assassin and the Mechomancer (DLC - Add On). Each character is unique and added to the replay value. I have played with the Commando and he is tuns of fun. He is like Roland the Solder from the first game his special is a turret as well. Its different the Commando doesn't heal like the Solder does but I believe his turret does more damage (from what I've seen I believe this to be true). This game is awesome and with the DLC out and coming out its just adds to the fun.

Skylanders Giants: This game is so much fun. I was able to get this game during a Black Friday sale and I wish I played a Skylanders game sooner. I haven't played the first one but I'm sure is great based on what I've played of Skylanders Giants. Beware this game is a money pit because you will want to buy more and more Skylanders. Lucky me I found sales at JCPenney during Christmas so I save a ton of money. I also won lots of gift certificates during JCPenney's Christmas button contest. So I barely spent any money on most of my Skylanders. If you get this game 1 giant and 2 normal Skylanders. you will need at least 1 of every element and there are 8 Elements. Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Tech, Magic, Life and Undead. All you really need is 1 of every element but you can buy as many as you want. The Skylanders have built-in memory so you can play them on your friends games and they keep their levels, gold, and skills. You also get a code with your Skylanders when you buy them. You take the code and put them online and you can play with other people with the online Skylanders game. So you get two games for the price of one. This game is very fun and addictive.

Street Fighter X Mega Man: A great free game. This was made by independent programmers with contributions from Capcom. It is an 8-bit Mega Man game with the Street Fighters as bosses. Each level also has the music of all the Street Fighter bosses in 8-bit Mega Man form. If you are a fan of Mega Man and Street Fighter you must get this game. Its free you have no excuse (Download Street Fighter X Mega Man).

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2: Another fun Pokemon game. This is the first special edition that is actually different game. Pokemon Yellow was the same as Red and Blue except you starting Pokemon was Pikachu and you fought Jessie and James from Team Rocket. Not to say the special edition games are bad they are very good and add extra goodies and if you collect games like me you usually get all the Pokemon game (I don't have them all yet but hope to have them soon). These games take place 2 years after the events in the previous games. You get a new story line, new hero/heroin, new gym leaders and more. A great Pokemon game for all the Pokemon fans.

The Walking Dead: This game is awesome if you are a fan of The Walking Dead you must get this game. This game follows a different story line and its very good. You get to see the struggles of another diverse group of survivors. You take control of Lee who for some reason is in a the back of a cop car. You end up getting out of the car and encountering Walkers. You come to a house where you find a little girl and you start traveling together. That is all I'm going to say about this story because I don't want any spoilers in this post. The game style is an adventure type game maybe like a point-and-click adventure. I compare it to Myst but its more like the new p&c game Back To The Future. This game is separated into five episode and at $5 each its totally worth it. Sometimes you can find deals I got all five episodes on Xbox 360 for $10. Its also available of PS3 and Steam (and Steam will run deals on the game too).

Happy Wars: Happy Wars is a fun free game on the Xbox Live Arcade. Its a very good online game of fun war and fun destruction.

Kinect Party: Another fun free game on the XBLA. If you have a Kinect download it and you can get some  quick achievements.

The 100th Blog Post - Game of the Day - Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Today's Game of the Day is Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

Since today is Halloween and its our 100th blog post on the Video Game Pad I thought I would talk about an awesome game that not too many people know about. This is the perfect game for Halloween too. This game is an RPG where you are a newly turned vampire. You must complete various quests for the Elder vampire aka the Prince. You will also meet many other Vampires as well. When you start the game you Get to choose from 7 different vampire clans:  Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, or Ventrue. Each clan has its advantages and disadvantages and they all have different styles of game play which gives the game high replay value (To learn more about the clans check out the wiki.). You have a very elaborate character building system. You can either be a brawler, a gunman or stealthy. You can also choose to be a persuasive vampire, a seductive vampire or an intimidating vampire. You can also build other skills like finance or computers. You also have set abilities which are based on which clan you pick. The game also has awesome voice acting and its like watching a movie at times. You will find yourself absorbed in this game  and find yourself playing for a long time. I also like how they set up the vampires up in this game how they they aren't your typical vampires and it feels more realistic. Also you can't let people see you are a vampire because you will violate the masquerade laws and if you have 5 violations you get a game over. You can also get masquerade redemption's as well. You also must maintain your humanity to control the beast inside of you  .if you have low humanity and your blood is low you are more likely to go into a frenzy and you will attack and feed on people in to open causing you to get a masquerade violation. There is a lot that goes into this game and that's what makes it awesome. Happy Halloween and thank you for reading the 100th blog post. We hope you continue to read on as we continue to write posts.

Diablo III...Yeah its that good!

Me with my Collector's Edition of Diablo III on Launch Day May 15, 2012.

It’s has been a little over 2 weeks since Diablo III has been released and it has lived up to the hype. I will say I am a little bias being a big Diablo fan but it’s awesome. Blizzard has done it again. This game is so much fun and you will find yourself playing it over and over again. You can choose from one of these five characters classes: The Barbarian, The Witch Doctor, The Wizard, The Monk and The Demon Hunter. Also for the first time in Diablo all classes have the option to be either male or female. If you have played any of the previous games in this trilogy you will know that the classes were gender specific for each class. I decided to start as a Monk and they are support/melee characters. They have the power to heal themselves and allies and they are also fierce martial artist. I have also tried the Demon Hunter and they are ranged characters duel wielding crossbows if your choose that. I haven’t played as the Barbarian, the Witch Doctor or the Wizard yet but no surprise the Barbarian is strictly melee and the Witch Doctor and Wizard are casters. This game is both wonderful as a single player experience and as a multiplayer experience as well you are also rewarded with achievements by playing each mode. If you are a fan of hack and slash RPGs you must own this game it is so awesome. If you aren’t a fan try the game out and you may be converted. Diablo III is a masterpiece just like Diablo and Diablo II are.

If you plan to buy the game check out this link to make sure your graphics card in your computer is compatible with Diablo III.

Game of the Day: League of Legends

Today’s game of the day is League of Legends for the PC. This is a really good game that is free. I finally tried it out and I really like it. League of Legends has an kind of RTS/Tower Defense type of game play. You pick a champion and you and your team must destroy your opposing team’s nexus the team to do that first wins. This is a game that is totally worth checking out because it will cost you nothing to download. It’s a very fun game and a very competitive game. It has the RTS feel but you don’t have to build building and the only character you control is your champion. It kind of has the tower defense feel because you get minions that spawn to help your assault on your opponent and they also help you defend your base along with your defense turrets. You get to level up your champion and have them learn spells as well. You can also purchase items that help boost your stats. You also get points for playing the game a leveling up and you can use that to unlock more champions. You can also purchase these points to unlock stuff in the game but if you are like you will just earn the points by playing the game. This is a game that you have to play and it’s free so there is no excuse for not trying this game out.

To try this game out go to leagueoflegends.com to create a free profile and download the game.

Happy 15th Anniversary Diablo

On December 31, 1996 the world was introduced to an awesome game known as Diablo. This game is awesome and pretty much any hack and slash game is modeled after Diablo and compared to Diablo. You can choose from one of three classes: the Warrior, the Rogue and the Sorcerer. The Warrior is a walking take he is all about melee fighting and his high vitality. The Rogue is a master of the Bow she has very high dexterity she is also with some blades that require high dexterity. She is mainly a ranged fighter but she can handle some melee fighting also. The Sorcerer is all magic he is probably the hardest character to start with especially if you play the single player campaign. Once you level him up thought his magic is amazing and he can wipeout groups of enemies with very little effort. The single player campaign was fun but what made this game was the multiplayer. I loved playing Diablo online with people especially my friends. Battle.net made it so easy to play Diablo online and I would spends so much time leveling up characters and going into the depths of Hell to defeat Diablo. Diablo is still played online but not as much as it used to be played because of Diablo II. There was an expansion pack for Diablo called Hellfire which added a new character The Monk. He was a quick melee character to my knowledge. I never played Hellfire and I’m not sure how many people did because it lacked multiplayer which probably hurt sales. A friend of mine had it though and told me about it. He said the Monk was awesome with a staff. The staff was the Sorcerer’s choice of weapon but he would only swing the staff one time and only one way. The Monk on the other hand swung the staff back and forth attacking fast with both ends of the staff. I would like to play Hellfire one day but when it was out I wasn’t too interested because it didn’t have multiplayer. When we thought it couldn’t get better Blizzard released Diablo II 4 years later on June 29, 2000. Diablo was such an awesome game and Diablo II comes out add it is just the perfect sequel upgraded it every way possible. I’m not going to into too much detail with Diablo II because I wrote a blog about Diablo II on its 10th birthday (click here to check out the post). Now with the release of Diablo III right around the corner (I hope) from the looks of it fans and new comers to Diablo will be treated to an awesome game. This is also the first time that you will be able to select the gender of the class you pick. The gender has always been assigned to a class in Diablo 1 and 2. Not we can choose which it’s a small thing but it is nice to have the freedom to choose. Diablo III looks amazing and I can’t for it to come out and when it does I will have more to say about the game.

To learn more about Diablo you can check out this site http://www.blizzard.com/diablo3

Top Games of 2011

I finally got some time to get my top lists together. It only top 7 due to a limited cash flow this year I was unable to buy or rent games to play (we all can relate to that). But here it is my Top 7 games of 2011. These are games I have played if I haven’t played the game it’s not on this list.

7. Lego Harry Potter: Years 5 – 7: The Lego games keep getting better and better. This is a great addition to the Lego game and they have added so much more to the game play this go around. If you have played Lego Harry Potter: Years 1 – 4 you won’t be lost. They also have duals and many other things that make this an awesome game. It is also darker just like the Books and Movies are the farther you get into it the darker is gets.

6. L.A. Noire - This is one of the most original games I’ve played in a while. You get to start as a cop and move your way up the ladder at the LAPD. You have to investigate crime scenes, gather clues and evidence and Question and Interrogate witnesses and suspects. You also have to watch these people closely and figure out if they are telling the truth, fibbing a little or outright lying. If you accuse someone of lying you must be able to back it up. You have to fully investigate if you didn’t fully look over a crime scene you can miss something and if you can’t back up your claim you can lose a case or let a bad guy off the hook. When driving around the city it’s like GTA4 except you are the Law this time.

5. Mortal Kombat – This is an amazing fighting game. The thing I like most is the simplicity. The Moves are easy to do and the graphics are awesome. One small thing in the game that is huge for me is the ability to change your stance just like in a real fight. That may not be a big thing but someone like me who practices martial arts it is a big thing. This brings me back to the first Mortal Kombat. It’s so awesome that they went back to the old school style while keeping it new school. They also brought by the famous uppercut that everyone love. The Fatalities are awesome and you have more to choose from in this game. Even if you aren’t a fan of Mortal Kombat but you like fighting game you got to try this game out. If you Like Mortal Kombat you probably own this game if not go buy it.

4. Pokémon Black & White – An awesome addition to the Pokémon series. It adds so much an awesome story line, lots of content and for the first time you get 2 rivals which later turned its 3 rivals. What is nice about these Pokémon games is that unlike the other games that are pretty much identical games with different Pokémon. Black & White are the same but have a lot of differences like Black has the Black City and White has the White Forest. Also there is a city in the Black version that looks futuristic and high tech, but in the White version the city is an old looking city where the people cling to the old ways. Black has rotation battles and White has triple battles throughout the game. You can battle any way you want online which is awesome. The online battle system is very fun and the trading system is awesome it lets you connect to people all over the world and you can get all the Pokémon you need from others as long as you have a Pokémon they want. If you like RPGs this is a great handheld RPG. This is a great game for the fan I took a hiatus from Pokémon after Gold & Silver and this is the game that brought me back to the series now I have a lot of catching up to do.

3. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim – This is an fantastic game I have played other Elder Scrolls games is the past and this game has left the other in the dusts. The other games in the series are good but Skyrim is just that much better. I love the level up system and I also like that you can wield a spell in one hand and a melee weapon in the other. You can build up your character any way you want it feels like there are no restrictions to what you can do. Just like any other game in the series there is a lot to do and you will want to do it all.

2. Gears of War 3 – This was the most anticipated game of 2011 for me and it was a great way to end the trilogy. With 4 player co-op and very fun multiplayer modes this is a great game for the shooter fans. This story is great and pretty much all the loose ends are tied up you also find out if Clayton Carmine lives or dies. I voted to Save Carmine and I know people who Voted to have it killed off like it brothers but if you haven’t played the game I won’t ruin it for you. They added a couple more weapons and some new multiplayer modes include Beast mode which is the reverse of Horde mode. Horde mode is my favorite multiplayer mode to play.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – This game is simply a masterpiece. This game truly blew me away. Most Zelda games do but this game skyrocketed into my list of top Zelda games which I will save for another blog. I have never in my opinion played a bad Legend of Zelda game I thing they are bad one (As I’ve said before I don’t count the games on the CD-I they aren’t true Zelda game and I haven’t played them so it best to leave those games forgotten). I love playing with the WiiMotion Plus it added so much to the game and its pretty accurate. The story is awesome and the game play is as well. This game is a must play and a must own so go get it if you own a Wii there isn’t an excuse for you not to own this game.

Here is my list of top 4 games I haven’t played but want to play. These are based looks and what the reviews have said.

4. Portal 2 – Portal 1 was totally awesome game and then we get portal 2 which looks 10 times better.

3. Batman: Arkham City – Batman: Arkham Asylum was another awesome game and from want I have seen and heard Arkham City is much better.

2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – I love the Modern Warfare series I will purchase this game soon. It looks so awesome. If it is anything like the previous Modern Warfare games it will be awesome.

1. Super Mario 3D Land – I don’t own a 3DS but I want a 3DS for this game. I have watched someone play it and it looks awesome this game looks like a good enough reason to buy a 3DS.

Here is my top list of most anticipated game of 2012.

4. Bioshock Infinite – Bioshock came out of the blue and blew me away this series is awesome and I can’t wait for this latest installment.

3. Halo 4 – I love the Halo Series and can’t wait for the 4th installment I love the story line of this series and I love the multiplayer as well.

2. Diablo III – This year marks the 15th anniversary the Diablo Series so it’s a perfect year to release a new Diablo game. I hope that this game come out this year we have been told it will be out in the first quarter of 2012, but we know how Blizzard is they are perfectionists and they will push a game back just to make sure everything is perfect. It’s good to know they do this but its can get frustration as anticipation builds the more and more as we wait for this game.

1. Mass Effect 3 – My most anticipated game of 2012. This is my favorite video game trilogy and I haven’t even played the 3rd game yet but I know it will be awesome. Bioware is the best at making choice adventure games and it always gives you a reason to play the game multiple times. I will be sad to see the Mass Effect games come to the end but all good things must come to an end. That is why Mass Effect 3 is my most anticipated game of 2012 because the first two games and so freaking awesome.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta Test

 

About two weeks ago I had the privilege to be a beta tester for the new MMORPG from Bioware and Lucas Arts called Star Wars: The Old Republic. I was able to test the game for two days and from what I played this is going to be an awesome game.When you get into the game you are going to get to pick your allegiance. You get a choice between The Galactic Republic and The Sith Empire. I choose The Sith Empire because we all know the Dark Side of the Force is stronger. The Character I chose was the Sith Inquisitor. He is a Force driven Sith and is very good with Force Lightning. He is the equivalent of the Jedi Consular from the Light Side. There are a few races to choose from I choose to be a human and Humans have the ability to rally their allies. There are a couple of other races to choose from but one that stuck out to me was the Sith race. If you choose to have a character that is of the Sith race they have a special ability to Punish their allies for screwing up. I'm pretty sure that race isn't available for the dark side. There are also Non Jedi characters and the one I really would like to try is the Bounty Hunter. Who doesn't want to be a Bounty Hunter with Boba Fett being one of the most popular (if not the most popular) character in all of the Star Wars universe. That enough about the other classes back to the Sith Inquistor. The Inquistor's story start off as you being a slave and you have just been recruited by the Sith. You will be sent on various missions to see if you are worthy of this Sith. I didn't get to far but I played enough of the game to get a feel and know that I will be good. I can probably rival the popularity of World of Warcraft but we can't say for sure just yet. We will know all once the game comes out and has been around for a little while. If you have played WOW (or any MMORPG) you should get the hang of this quick. The game is loads of fun and if you are a Star Wars fan you will probably love this game. You might even like this game even if you aren't a fan of Star Wars. The game is fun and have seems to have a lot to offer from what I was able to see. Now on to the cons of the beta. These cons aren't really aimed at the game they are more aimed at the Beta. When I picked a server to play on I was in the Queue for over 3 hours and there was  a lot of lag. The game probably ran slow because my laptop isn't a high performance gaming laptop, but my Internet connection is fast and I experience lots of lag. This was probably because so many people were on and the servers were full to the top with testers and that will be fixed when the game come out. One day I logged on and could barely move around. Aside from the lag this game was loads of fun to play and will be when its released December 20, 2011.

To learn more about Star Wars: The Old Republic check out their website swtor.com.

E3 2011 Summary

This E3 was great this year. The Big 3 showed some cool things this year. I’m going to start with the one who stole the show Nintendo: They announced their new system and it’s called the WiiU. Nintendo has never been good at naming their systems but it still looks awesome. The controller has a screen on it so you can watch TV and play games by using the screen on the controller. It also backwards compatible with Wii games but I’m not sure if it will be for the GameCube but I hope it is. I am also very excited about Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The additions to the 3DS look awesome as well. Microsoft’s press conference was ok I am totally pumped for Modern Warfare 3 I love that series. I am also pumped for Gears of War 3. I’m also excited to learn that they are making a Halo: Anniversary Edition with Xbox Live multiplayer. I love the original Halo it is one of my most favorite games and the best Halo games in the series. The biggest surprise was the announcement for a new Halo trilogy starting with Halo 4 and being a fan of the Halo series I am very happy they are making more Halo games. This is a big deal Halo 4 will be the first Halo game without any influence from Bungie. I only can hope the integrity of the series stays intact. Microsoft is also expanded the with the Kinect library. The coolest thing I saw it that you will be able to use the connect along with the controller while playing Mass Effect 3 which is a game I can’t wait to get a hold of. I’m not sure if I will have a Kinect when Mass Effect 3 comes out (I would really like to have a Kinect thought) but I will be getting the game never the less. If I do get a Kinect after I have beaten Mass Effect 3 I will probably go back and play it again because Mass Effect 1 & 2 have such a high replay value I’m pretty sure that Mass Effect 3 will also have a very high replay value. Sony had some good things. I don’t own a PS3 yet so I won’t say too much. Uncharted 3 is coming out and that is one series I would really love to play and I would like to play Infamous as well. It was nice that Sony apologized to all the people who used the Playstation Network about the outage. But the thing I’m really excited about is Sony’s new handheld coming out the Playstation Vita. It looks awesome and it definitely an upgrade to the next generation. I have to say Sony is doing a good job with their handhelds they are the only company that has been able to compete with Nintendo’s handhelds and still be selling their own handhelds. Nintendo at one point owned the handheld market but with the PSP and the PS Vita Nintendo doesn’t own it anymore. Nintendo still has the upper hand and may dominate at times but Sony knows how to make a good handhelds. Again this was a great E3 so many good games are coming out and I can’t wait until I can try them. The only thing I didn’t like was during the Ubisoft press conference there was a guy known as Mr. Caffeine he was so annoying I may skip Ubisoft’s press conference if he returns next year. Other than that it was awesome and I hope to attend E3 in the near future.

E3 2011

It’s that time of the year again it’s time for E3. I will be watching on G4TV (G4TV.com) all the coverage this week. So far I have heard Nintendo will be announcing a new system, Microsoft might be announcing Halo 4, and there will be a more footage from Gears of War 3. I am pumped as usual to see what the future of gaming will hold and I can’t wait. E3 starts today and like I said I will be watching it on G4TV (G4TV.com) because I’m unable to attend E3. To the lucky people who got to go to E3 this year I envy you. One year I will attend E3 that is my goal. I am going to keep you posted on what I see and hear. I hope everyone enjoys E3 this year.

Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters

Check out my revised list.

Black History Month is a time to reflect back on all the great black people who made a different in the world. People like the North Carolina A & T Four, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and many more have made a huge impact on the world today. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Balrog/Dee Jay– Street Fighter Series: These guys are awesome Balrog is a Boxer who is a tough brute I remember the first time I fought him he tore me up. Dee Jay is a cool Kickboxer from Jamaica. These guys both differ in personality Balrog being a bad guy and a stone wall, and Dee Jay being a cool guy who can fight and loves to have fun. They tie for the tenth spot because they are both great boxer and great characters in the Street Fighter series.

9. Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series: This guy has been in every punch out that I can remember he is very notable for having very fast and explosive moves. He is one of the toughest guys to fight in any of the Punch Out games. I remember in Super Punch-Out!! on the SNES after knocking him down twice he jumps up and comes at your with a barrage of attacks and you have split seconds to get in and hit him. If you are not quick to dodge him you will get knocked out even if you haven’t been knocked down once.

8. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

7. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

6. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn’t a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and Mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

My Top 11 Games of 2010

Well 2010 is over and we are in 2011 and it should be another great year in gaming. Here is a top 11 list of games that I thought were the best of 2010 that I played. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Lego Harry Potter Years 1 – 4 - I love the Lego games. I grew up playing with Legos and its great they makes games based on great movies and comic books like Star Wars and Batman. Lego Harry Potter brings you to Hogwarts in the Lego Universe and its tons of fun.

10. Super Street Fighter IV – This game is more than just an expansion of Street Fighter IV. It added more characters and more game modes it’s an awesome game from the Street Fighter series and it keeps its old school feel.

9. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Finally a 3D Castlevania that is very good. This game is awesome and Konami bringing on Hideo Kojima for this game was the best thing they could have done. This game is awesome and it has a very awesome battle system.

8. Bioshock 2 – This is the sequel to one of my favorite FPS games. You take control of the first Big Daddy and you get to dual weld weapons and plasmids. It’s a great sequel to a great game with a great story line. Bioshock 2 keeps the eerie dark atmosphere that made me love the first Bioshock.

7. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies – The Dragon Quest series is a solid series and Dragon Quest IX is a perfect addition. Every Dragon Quest game has a similar party/battle system and that’s what keeps people playing these games.

6. Donkey Kong Country Returns – When I heard they were making a new Donkey Kong Country and E3 I was so happy. This game is just like the original games. The multiplayer is the best in this game you can play simultaneously with a 2nd player. This is an awesome addition and if you played the any of the older Donkey Kong Country games you will understand what I mean. me

5. Halo Reach – This is the Halo that was perfect for Bungie to go out with. This game was awesome with a solid single player campaign, but the multiplayer is where this game excels. With more options of game play, better matchmaking, and best of all a beefed up Firefight which is my opinion was the biggest improvement to multiplayer. I’ve been a Halo fan from the beginning and this is an awesome game for the series.

4. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair – This is a great 2D Castlevania and the best part of this game is that it’s multiplayer. This game was designed to be played multiplayer you can play single player, but you should build up a character first before you play single player. You can choose from a great cast of characters which include: Soma Cruz, Alucard, Jonathan Morris, Shanoa, and Charlotte Aulin. You can also download an extra level and extra characters which include: Yoko Belnadas, Julius Belmont, Maria Renard, and Richter Belmont. Some characters may share similarities but there are have their differences. This is a great game for the Castlevania fans

3. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty – When this game finally came out all the Starcraft fans flocked to the store to get this game. It took Blizzard long enough to release it, but if you know Blizzard Entertainment they will not release a game until they believe its fully ready for release. Even after its released they are constantly releasing update patches. This is a perfect sequel to an awesome RTS. If you are a fan of Starcraft you must game this game. If you aren’t a fan of Starcraft or Real Time Strategies you might want to check this out because it’s an RTS anyone can get into. The reason is not only does it have solid multiplayer it has a solid single player campaign and not many RTS games have the best story line for a single player campaign.

2. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn – This is the must own game for the Nintendo DS. This Golden Sun game is the best in the series. They have improved on everything in the game. The first two Golden Sun on the Game Boy Advance in fact Golden Sun is the reason I went out and bought a Game Boy Advance just so I could play Golden Sun. The battle system in Dark Dawn is better because if you played the first two games if everyone targets the same enemy and that enemy is defeated the remaining characters that haven’t attacked will just defend. In Dark Dawn they just switch to the next enemy and attack them. Golden Sun is a solid series you don’t have to play the first two Golden Sun games to get into Dark Dawn. Dark Dawn takes place 30 years after the 2nd game ends. Regardless of if you have played the first two Golden Sun games or not this is still a must own.

1. Mass Effect 2 – This is the best game of 2010 it came out in January 2010 but nothing could top it. This game is a masterpiece. The guys at Bioware really know how to make a game. Mass Effect 2 improves on the first Mass Effect in so many ways. The best part of this game is that you can import your character from Mass Effect and continue the story in Mass Effect 2. This is so great because people remember who you are I remember doing something good for someone and they said in the first Mass Effect they owed me a drink. When I bumped into her again she did just that. The Character development is so great and the great voice acting is awesome especially from Keith David (who is awesome in everything he does) as Captain David Anderson who depending on your choice in Mass Effect will be Councilman Anderson or Admiral Anderson in Mass Effect 2. You don’t have to play the first Mass Effect to enjoy Mass Effect 2, but in my opinion the game is much better if you import a character from Mass Effect 1 into Mass Effect 2.

There were many great games that were made this year. Sadly I was not able to play every game. So there are a few Games I haven’t played from 2010 that I want to play and demos don’t count. Here is a top 5 list of best games of 2010 based on looks and reviews alone.

5. Rock Band 3 – If you played Rock Band 1, 2 or even Lego Rock Band there isn’t too much of a difference between the games except a few upgrades and new playlists. Then Rock Band 3 comes along and added a keyboard and a pro guitar/bass. I really want to try out the keyboard and I’m not too crazy about trying out the pro guitar because it’s just another guitar to buy and I already have 2 guitars. It’s cool they are trying to make the game more realistic so that it feels like a real guitar. They have made a lot of innovations to this series and that’s why I want this game.

4. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX – I love Pac-Man. I have played the original Pac-Man Championship Edition and it was fun but this game looks awesome and it had very good reviews. I can download this game from the Xbox Live Arcade but I’m running out of space on my hard drive I still haven’t upgraded from a 20GB hard drive and once I do I can download this game.

3. Red Dead Redemption – This game have gotten perfect scores across the board. I’m not too big a fan of western games but this game might change my mind. The game looks awesome and what I’ve heard it truly lives up to the hype.

2. Kirby’s Epic Yarn – I love Kirby games. This game looks awesome and seems to be simple fun. The game has gotten decent reviews. I like Kirby games and I really want this game.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops – Some people would say I’m stupid for not getting this game the day it came out but I really couldn’t. I still haven’t played it but I really to play this game. I’m a huge of the Modern Warfare series and I’ve been told that Black Ops stays true to Call of Duty. Black Ops wasn’t made my Infinity Ward but most people don’t seem to care. I really want this game because Modern Warfare 1 & 2 are my favorite FPS games to play online. Once I can I will be getting this game and I hope I can get it very soon.

Well that’s the games of 2010 that made an impression on me. I’m looking forward to see what the games of 2011 will bring to the table. I will also not forget the games that came out in the past years. There are still many games I need to play and I hope to get to play all these games very soon. I hope you all are ready to play some games this year because there are some great games coming out like: Marvel VS Capcom 3, Pokemon Black & White, Mass Effect 3, Hopefully Diablo III, and many more. I hope everyone has a great year of gaming.

The first week impressions of Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

It’s been a week since the release of Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty and I have to say it’s awesome. This is what we have been waiting for a Blizzard has delivered just like they always do. The game play is similar to the Original with much better Graphics. This game is everything I thought it would be and while I was installing it I was recapped during the install process on what has happened that good for those who haven’t play the first Starcraft they can learn the background of this game. This is probably the best real time strategy game out there right now. The game has awesome multi-player and a great single player campaign I haven’t beat the game yet but from what I’ve played I’ve it’s an awesome game. The game has in cons though you only get a Terran single player campaign you get a special Protoss campaign but it’s very short and you don’t even get a Zerg campaign at all. Another thing is you must have or create a battle.net account to play the game and there is no LAN support for multi player if you want to play multiplayer you have to play on battle.net and you can't spawn copies to play with buddies who don’t have the game either so if you have multiple family members that want to play at the same time they are must spend $60 and buy their own copy of Starcraft II. This game may have cons but these cons don’t affect the game play it’s still a 10 out of 10 for me. If you don’t own this game go out and buy it’s amazing and you don’t even have to be an RTS fan to like this game. Angry Joe did a review of this game and he touched on everything that needed to be touched on and I agree with his review. Check out his review below. This video contains explicit language and content view discretion is advised.

To see more of Angry Joe’s review you can go to AngryJoeShow.com or ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com.

Your First Weekend With Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

This is a great video that is on G4tv.com and it shows you all the gear you need for your first weekend with Starcraft II.

Game Reviews - E3 2011

Wow! The Darkmoon Faire!... Is Bad

Billy has decided to visit the Darkmoon Faire and he doesn't seem to be impressed check out this video to see he experience at the faire.

This video was made by wowcrendor to see more of his video's click here.

World of Warcraft 101: The City Life

Billy has reached his first city and its time for him to learn about City Life in World of Warcraft.

This video was made by wowcrendor to see more of his video's click here.

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.

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.