The Jak & Daxter Precursor Legacy

Jak & Daxter. Jak & Dax. Jaxter. Whatever you may want to call it, it's a fun and addicting series. The subtitle of the first game, "The Precursor Legacy", alludes to the Precursors, god-like beings who create the world and the universe around it as well as Precursor orbs which are a kind of rare currency. Kind of.

The series is difficult to tackle because each game seems to exude a different attitude as both the main characters evolve and grow. The first is more innocent with darker undertones as Jak discovers a lot more about Lurkers and time travel than he ever thought he would. While Daxter has to learn how to cope with being turned into an ottsel after falling into a vat of Dark Eco. Eco being a natural gas Jak's village uses as a source of power, with different properties which can be harvested for different uses, like energy or fuel, or say, secret powers.

For the whole of the game Jak doesn't speak and we have to rely on Daxter's witty observations to get a sense of what Jak may be thinking or feeling. Being best friends they are apparently at the stage where they can practically read each other's minds.

Precursor Legacy is more about discovering and unlocking the hidden abilities that Jak has stowed away in his genes and learning more about what kind of world they come from, which comes in handy once you get to the ending and start up the second game (which picks up right where it left off, pretty much).

Dante's Inferno: Heresy, sixth circle of Hell

Electronic Arts and and Visceral Games' somewhat controversial game adaptation of Dante Alighieri's Dante's Inferno epic poem is out with a new video, this time focusing on the sixth circle of Hell: Heresy.

In this video the developers talk about designing the level and how important it was to incorporate the religious contexts from the poem into this particular level. They also talk about how your choices as Dante- to save a soul or condemn them- change the way you fight in the game and how, like real life, weighing the pros and cons of your choices can be a burden.

 This morality meter is not uncommon in games, having been integrated into both Fable games (Lionhead Studios) and partially in Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks), as well as Bioshock (2k Games) and Mass Effect (Bioware). It makes for a unique game experience every time you play and is certainly something that should be seen in more games.

Look for the demo on PSN and Xbox Live sometime next month. The game is set to be released February 9th, 2010.

Via Kotaku: Dante's Inferno Heresy level looks hot.

Portland gamers, looking for a job? Come to Ground Kontrol!

Via an informal invitation sent to the Portland Mercury on Monday, InstantAction.com has announced an event they will be holding at Grount Kontrol, a class arcade game venue in NW Portland.

This Wednesday, November 11th from 6-9pm, IA  will be hosting an RSVP-only event at Ground Kontrol for any and all interested gamers who are looking for work. It's not only a good opportunity for talented individuals to find a job in an industry they enjoy, but you'll also connect with your fellow gamers with the help of the free refreshments and open bar.

InstantAction.com is a game company that specializes in web-based games ranging from action to puzzler to FPS. Sign-up is completely free and you have the opportunity to play alongside other IA members or unregistered guests in real-time as well as engage in discussions in the forum.

Any inquiries should be sent to Ian at iant @ garagegames.com for RSVP information and details.

[Source]

Founder of San Diego Comic Con Passes Away - San Diego 6

Founder of San Diego Comic Con Passes Away - San Diego 6

Yes, sad but true, he is gone. Though I never met him, I can thank him for opening my eyes to the wonders of a convention and how it can bring you close to those that you admire and, in some case, worship, without seeming too creepy. Mostly because there is always someone else to out-creep you, and that makes me feel better about myself.

I've only attended SDCC once and it was a mind-blowing experience. One that I still haven't fully recorded in written format, but if you'd like to read the first and only production of my elusive SDCC review, you can find it at Re:Generator: SDCC in the eyes of a small girl.

Perhaps at the passing of it's founding father, I may revisit my adventures at San Diego Comic Con one last time and post a op-ed memoir, one that will confuse and baffle and maybe make little sense. We'll see.

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Halloween video spooktacular

In lieu of writing another op-ed about one of the many games I enjoy, I've decided that for Halloween I will share a few music videos/songs that get me into the Halloween spirit any time of the year. Some of these I've already posted on Re:Generator Magazine, but some are favourites that I would probably post regardless of the day. Please enjoy the picks and feel free to suggest your own!

First, a short film featuring Teller from the comedy-magic duo Penn & Teller about the zombie overtaking of Las Vegas. Very awesome, fun, and intriguing, plus, Teller speaks!




Oingo Boingo, being my number one favourite band, of course gets a little favouritism from me.

Just Another Day by Oingo Boingo



Insanity by Oingo Boingo



Remains of the Day by Danny Elfman, for Corpse Bride

Brutal Legend: An action-adventure game

Okay, I'm going to come out and say this right now: Brutal Legend is not a Real-Time Strategy game. I repeat, Brutal Legend IS NOT AN RTS.

There are a lot of people confused right now about where BL stands genre-wise and it's really easy to explain and it's perfectly easy to see that it's an action-adventure. But because there are RTS-like elements in the game, and because the whole of the gameplay stemmed from the multiplayer, people are automatically tagging it as an RTS. It's really not, and here's why.

Real-Time Strategy games are exactly what they sound like. You're playing a game as a commander of an army or resistance and you have to use- here's the key word- strategy and planning to set up defenses and prepare for your initial attack on your enemy in order to win the battle. You can't just run out into the field and start attacking- okay, you can, but it may not be a good idea, especially since in most RTS games you would be leaving one part of your operation vulnerable as your army runs to wherever you tell them to. You can't afford to do that or the enemy will exploit that vulnerability in order to win. Whether you're playing against AI or another person it's the same.

Many people would have you believe that the majority of the BL gameplay is RTS based. These people are wrong. In fact, they are so wrong that they are the main cause of everyone crinkling their brows at BL and going, "Well if it's an RTS then I'm not playing it," causing them to miss out on a truly fun game for all the wrong reasons. I am not denying that there are parts of the game that involve RTS-like portions, but what I am saying is that it is not the entire game

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

This game is a mindfuck. I don't usually swear but there is no other word for this game than that. It's also a really good game, especially by Gamecube standards, and if you've never played this game then there is one thing you should know before you do: you'll never see the time the same way again when it's 3:33.

Alexandra Roivas is just doing her thing, sleeping like humans do at 3:33 in the morning when she gets a call from the Rhode Island police regarding her grandfather, Edward Roivas. She hurries over only to be greeted with the churned and hardly recognizable remains of her grandfather, save for a ring still on a skeletal finger. She decides to stay at his mansion to try and discover more about him and what happened to him.

Somehow the police are okay with this despite it being a crime scene and it's three in the morning with a glob of human meat in the center of the foyer. Sure, let her stay if she wants, what could possibly go wrong?