Gamer's Blog

You are Rico Rodriguez, a CIA agent with balls the size of 2 hippos tied together. You got thrown into this island nation called Palau and your primary task is to wreck havoc in all conceivable shape and form. You are given a grappling tool that seems to defy the laws of physics and a bag that pulls out infinite parachutes that break your impossible falls and jumps. Sounds like a bad game right? HELL NO!

By all means the premise and the mechanics of Just Cause 2 spell a bad game but once you get into riding it you are in for one hell of a gaming experience. First, the setting. You are in Palau, an archipelago (kayong mga pinoy na di alam kung ano archipelago mahiya kayo) that has in it military bases, small towns, fishing villages, mountain settlements, airports, oil rigs. You name it, Palau has it. The environment ranges from hot arid deserts, snow capped mountain ranges, white sandy beaches and jungle terrain. And guess what, you can navigate and visit ALL of these settings, every single location… THE ENTIRE FREAKIN’ COUNTRY.

Your primary objective is to romp around the islands doing missions for 3 factions and for your agency. You get missions by getting chaos points. You get chaos points by, well, raining down fire and brimstone wherever you grapple your physics defying hook on. What are the ways to do this? Let me illustrate by citing a couple of things I did to gain chaos points.

• Grappled a motorcycle driver to steal his ride. While doing my Chuck Norris/Van Dame “balance on a bike” impersonations, I hooked on a helicopter passing by and stole that. Using the chopper’s guns, I fired at a water tower and fuel dump inside a military base nearby then crashed the chopper on cell tower and generator.
• I jacked myself a sports car, drove to top speed, jumped on its roof fired a my rocket launcher blowing up a gas station, opened my parachute, got propelled to the air as my car gets hit by enemy fire.

Suffice to say, action is the name of the game, not realism.

The graphics are simply stunning. Albeit the vehicle and NPC textures aren’t that impressive, but the environment is absolutely breathtaking. Climbing up a tower to look over a sandy beach as the water glistens and the cloud cover shifts is simply awesome. We tried grabbing a boat and drive it to the open sea, stopped and looked at the water, the waves. Then just for the hell of it, we jump into the open ocean. Lo and behold, there are corals, seaweed, fish and underwater rocks. The attention to detail is astounding.

Sound design isn’t that impressive but still immerses you into the game. The waves as they hit rocks, the roaring of a jet engine, the cars, the scooters they all sound very authentic, even the gunfire. One thing really impressed me is the attention to detail even on the languages the NPCs spoke. Mga kapatid, may nananagalog sa game na ito. Gulat na gulat akong nakita may nagsabing “HOY BUMABA KA DIYAN!” nung umakyat ako sa bubong ng tricycle. Some speak Thai and Indonesian as well. My only complaint is the bad voice acting by one particular character that sounds soooooooo fake with her accent.

Gameplay in Just Cause 2 is absolutely brilliant even with its loose grip on reality. Infact, being unreal helps in the fun. Infinite parachutes mean infinite jumps over ledges and even out of planes and choppers. The grappling hook makes getting to places easier and even downright hilarious when used on the proper combination of vehicles (i.e. hooking a motorcycle to a helicopter and fly it out). Apart from the bottomless parachute bag and the “hook of the Gods” you can also get weapons from enemies and buy them from the blackmarket. You can also upgrade your vehicles from there as well. So far the best help the blackmarket can help you is when you can them you can opt to have them extract you and bring you to a nearby stronghold you already unlocked. This beats running around the gigantic map, REALLY GIGANTIC map.

As for replay value, how many ways can you think of to blow up one objective? Well, top of my head, I have 15 already. Sky is the limit with this game so replay value is pretty much through the roof. There is no dull moment and each moment you’d want to play differently.

Just Cause 2 is a bit buggy however. You get stuck in the strangest of places and sometimes the physics engine fails (tank is propelled into the air by an exploding grenade, weird). However, the slight and occasional bugs don’t hamper the gameplay much making this one of the most fun games we’ve ever played in a long while.

Graphics – 9
Sound – 8
Gameplay – 10
Replay Value – 10

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything breathtaking from Microsoft and on this year’s E3, they dropped a bomb that could change the console industry. Remember project Natal? The video sensor based gaming control/interaction system they revealed on last year’s E3? Well its not called Kinect (Kinetic Connect) and it could wipe Nintendo of the motion control map.

Kinect employs a sophisticated camera/sensor system mounted on your television set connected to your 360 of course. What does it do? well, it tracks your movement, scans your body, answers to your body’s commands and heck, depending on the software, talks and responds as well.

We were very impressed with their Kinectimals title which will allow people of all ages to acquire pets to take care of. You can teach them tricks, play games, and basically cuddle virtually with your beloved animal. Also impressive is Ubisoft’s Your Shape which is the best fitness software we’ve seen since nintendo came out with the Wii Fit.

Check out the video on the main site for the Kinectimals feature. Kinect is set for release during the holidays. Magpakabait na mga bata kung gusto niyo ng Kinect this Christmas.

The Prince of Persia IP has been for quite a while, from the pixelated 2d characters on the first game decades ago to the Full Featured film with Jake Gyllenhaal. It has come a long way from the 386x PCs to the big screen and you would think that the next installation on the game franchise should all wow us. Sadly that is not the case.

You play another Prince of Persia (duh!). You are helping your brothers defend your home city when you find out your brother wants to release Solomon’s Army as a desperate move to fight the conquerors of your country. You find out later that the army is evil and you have to stop it. Pretty standard Prince of Persia plot.

The gameplay is what you would expect from a Prince of Persia game. You jump around, killing opponents, mash buttons in combinations to stop the evil, and fall several times. Funny thing is, you only have 2 attack buttons which seriously reduces combat to a mash and pray activity. Dodging is counter-productive as well considering you’re always surrounded.

Although there is a sense of satisfaction when you pull off jumps and grabs unscathed, a sense of achievement is sadly missing since the obstacles are very easy to navigate through. In the more later levels the obstacles become absurdly difficult turning your ease in the first few levels intro extreme frustration.

Graphics wise, we expected this game to be a beauty considering the last prince of Persia was a cell shaded masterpiece. Repeated enemy textures anyone? There’s no noticeable variety in the opponents you encounter even in the environments you playthrough. Even on the PC where everything should look a lot better than in consoles (provided you have a powerful PC), the game looks and feels bland.

The sound design isn’t particularly notable either. Voice acting is on the shabby but acceptable end. The sword clashes and sound effects of boulders and catapults don’t excite the senses. The music is pretty standard fare too.

As for replay value, there isn’t much. Yes, you can play it again if you want to, but you’ll be doing the same things you did on your first playthrough leaving no room for decision making in this railed out action adventure.

Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands is a disappointment considering the satisfactory success of the movie it came out with.

Graphics – 5
Sound – 5
Gameplay – 4
Replay Value – 3

Once upon a time, there was Apple’s Newton. It was so advanced and expensive that consumers… hmm… trashed it. Then the market moves on.

Apple’s iPad brought us back to the world of tablets where every single techno-titan such as Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Fujitsu tried to saturate with their convertible laptops and failed. Yes, those companies sold only a few units. Only until Apple has captured consumers around the world with their iDevices.

Steve Jobs with the Apple iPad

Para sa mga adek ng DoTA na walang kamalay-malay sa labas ng computer shop, Apple released last April its latest “magical” device, as Steve Jobs called it, the iPad.

Apple’s iPad is a tablet computer with the same function, looks and features of an iPod Touch (hopefully hindi naman nakakalito spelling ng dalawang device hehe – mga jejemon diyan baka malito ha). 2 main features that differentiate it from its older brother is its 10″ size and 3G communication capability. Yes pinoy gamers, you’ll be spending more for the same capabilities as an iPod Touch for over $500 bucks but with a better screen real state and 3G.

The iPad was backed by the same rich apps present in iPhones and iPods through Apple’s iTunes. With thousands of apps ready for download, your iPad is on steroids and ready to rock & roll.

More Tablets to Come

Acer, MSI and HP have all expressed their intention to compete with Apple by releasing their own version of tablet computers that promises to deliver a rich array of connectivity for high-def video and USB devices which the iPad obviously lacks.

A slew of devices will be presented in the upcoming Computex while Dell already announced the availability of its 5″ Streak this June 4 to be first launched in the UK and later in the US and the rest of Europe.

Fusion Garage with its $500 JooJoo tablet is already selling in the US but isn’t doing well. It was designed for browsing the web and nothing more. Unlike the iPad, JooJoo has no marketplace like iTunes to extend its functionality. It may have supported Flash but with the current software and support it’s quite a disaster.

HP Slate

Among all the upcoming tablets, I was more excited at what HP will unveil. It was earlier known that HP Slate will be powered by the Intel Atom microprocessor and Windows 7 operating system. But recently this was rumored to be canceled to give way for software (and maybe a hardware) overhaul after they announced the acquisition of Palm. What’s the big deal you say? Well, because along with the acquisition is the ownership of one of the world’s best smartphone OS – the WebOS! WebOS is believed to be the best ecosystem to run a modern smartphone and tablets with its fantastic multitasking and synergy features. With the cash that HP will be pouring into the development of this WebOS and porting it to better and more cutting-edge devices, this will make those devices at par if not better than Andoid and iPhone OS.

The future of tablets is the most exciting development in the world of gadgetry. It will surely revolutionize our way of computing, the same way Asus revolutionized the world with its Netbook.

With Asus, MSI, and Acer promising to deliver cost-effective tablets before the year ends, it is guaranteed that every gadget-loving-teens will try to afford one. Imagine the flexibility of bringing a lightweight device that you can use inside school to take down notes and browse the web for research. I am already happy with my netbook and iPod Touch but a tablet will sure come in handy.

The long awaited Assassin’s Creed 2 has been on the wish list of a lot of fans of the first game since its announcement some months back. Regrettably its only been recently that we here at Pinoy Gaming Network secured our copy and registered it. Well better late than never I say. So here it is mga kapatid, our review or Assassin’s Creed 2.

The story begins right after the events of the first game. You still play as Desmond, you’re still trapped in the laboratory of Abstergo the organization representing the modern templars that seek the Piece of Eden, powerful artifacts that were once used to control the world. After a daring escape assisted by Lucy your new found friend, you are brought to a hidden facility run by Assassins where they jack you back into a new and improved Animus 2.0. This time you won’t be in control of Altair, you will be controlling Ezio a young man of Italy during the 1400′s. Yep, you read it, THE RENAISSANCE.

For a console port, Assassin’s Creed 2 (AC2) looks fairly well rendered. On a high end PC, expect to see a lot of eye candy especially when you have Ezio climb really tall towers to look over Italian cities such as Firenze (Florence) and Venice. On top of those towers, the view is absolutely marvelous. Is it just me though or did the developers lessen the number of people inside the cities since part 1? Not only that but Ezio’s clothing clip on top of his other clothes? Perhaps its the console porting that did this. A PC game of this calibre, I’d expect, would have more polish. Generally though, the feel of the first game has been essentially preserved, even if the setting was changed.

Soundwise AC2 remains to be truly inspired. Markets sound like markets with people hawking their wares. Street corners are busy with carpet sellers, fish merchants, blacksmiths and even prostitutes! Yes, another game with prostis. What could have been improved is the transition of the sounds. When you walk towards a market, you should be able to hear the market sounds slowly getting louder, instead, you hear the market sounds the moment you step into an imaginary line that separates the market from the other places. It makes the transition sound contrived. Other than that, AC2 has superb sound mastery from music during chase scenes to the clanging of swords and even as weapons hit flesh.

Gameplay has dramatically changed in AC2 since part 1. Now, there are over a hundred ways to go about your mission not only because, as was part 1, its a open world game, but also the myriad of weapons under you can wield against the bad guys. You now get a second hidden blade which you can taint with poison, a small pistol, smoke bombs, oh and you can even throw money to distract people. To get around the game, you still do the awesome free runs on rooftops and on the streets of Italy the same way you did back in AC1. The game also has special action sequences as well, from driving a carriage to flying Leonardo da Vinci’s ornithopter.

Let’s talk about dramatic changes. Now you need MONEY. First of all because your weapons get damaged and you will need the money to get them repaired at the local blacksmith. Second is because you may want to buy new weapons and armor, one cannot survive in AC2 without a decent set. Third is to heal yourself, you now get potions to heal yourself with. And last, and something more interesting (spoiler) since you need to upgrade the Villa your uncle Mario runs. The Villa can generate income for you over time, but you will have to invest some money on it for it to grow. Investments in an action adventure, I love it! I myself invested heavily to acquire a whorehouse for the Villa, sue me, a town needs its prostis. I mean where would the politicians go if there’s no whorehouse, right?

The game is an open world, you can travel anywhere you want anytime you want which means there is a lot of ways to play it the first time, second time and so on. There is always a new way to play it, that pretty much takes care of the replay value. However it throws in a couple more surprises. You need to collect several disks from the tombs of dead assassins to unlock Altair’s armor, which looks pretty badass. Also you can choose to collect all the statues and paintings for the Villa and acquire all the upgrades for it. You could also go on side missions such as races, assassinations, beat ups and some special events. So there’s a lot of gameplay hours on AC2 which makes it a game worth buying.

Graphics – 9
Sound – 8
Gameplay – 9
Replay Value – 8

In the recent Gstar conference, Korea’s biggest gaming event, Global Business Manager Yunghun Lee gave some revealing answers on the fate of Ragnarok Online II and why development has slowed down. It was rumored that the previous CEO was taking the company into a bad direction, thus a lot of Gravity’s game releases have been flops. Previously still, former chairman Jung Ryool Kim was accused of diverting Gravity’s funds to himself. The current CEO as of 2008 Brian Yoon Seok Kang plans on taking Ragnarok to expansive heights.

“It’s a difficult question to answer,” Lee admitted. “We launched Ragnarok II in 2007. That version wasn’t really enough for the market, so we tried to revise all the systems, but it takes time. We changed the engine and everything, it’s like a totally new game. The engine changed several times, but now we’re using Gamebryo.”

This is all funny to us here in Pinoygaming since Korea’s beta site for Ragnarok 2 is closed (previously www.ragnarok2.co.kr). However the game being a Gamebryo engine game does pose something interesting. Gamebryo is the same engine as Fallout 3 and Dark Age of Camelot. Those games were visually stunning and the gameplay was superb. If you want to see what the Gamebryo engine looks like, check out Atlantica Online, which uses the same engine.

We here at Pinoy Gaming Network look forward to this release, if ever there is really going to be one. It has been postponed too many times already and we’re getting tired of waiting for it.

Ever wonder why in Korea their professional gamers are considered celebrities endorsing not only computer equipment but also shoes and the like? Don’t you wish we have something like that here in the Philippines? Don’t you wish you could tell your mom or your wife… “I’m a professional gamer.” everytime they tell you you spend too much time on the PC?

Well mga kapatid, X-Play has the answer for you. X-Play is announcing the launch of Pro Gaming League (PGL) where the top players of online games in the Philippines could battle it out and have a chance of winning Php 1,000,000. Yes, that is 6 zeros there. Di ka naduduleng 1 million yan. And guess what, you won’t only gain fortune, you will get fame as well since matches in the PGL will be televised in GMA7.

Let the rise of Cybergaming as a new sport in the Philippines begin!

The biggest gathering of gamers around the Philippines is set to happen today at E-Games’ Domination IV here at the SMX Convention Center.

Domination IV is a clash of all the games published by E-Games particularly ZX Online, RAN and Cabal.

E-Games will also announce two new games that will hit the local market – Band Master and Superstar. Both are casual games designed especially for music-loving-gamers. You should try these games if you’re a fan of Audition and O2Jam.

What’s amazing and what struck me the most with today’s event is the massive network of computers around the place. There are literally over 300 computers scattered around the venue! This is one awesome LAN party guys so if your still there at your home, you should come here and party with all your friends.

Will keep on updating this post as the day progresses.

The first ever bloggers’ conference sponsored by E-Games was held last March 27, 2010 at The Old Spaghetti House in SM North. E-Games has taken its first step in reaching out to the game bloggers to be able to know what gamers truly want.

During the conference, they introduced a new watch-out-for –game: Dragonica. It will be launched during the Domination but we got a taste of this new online adventure game, much thanks to a couple of GMs present during the conference.

Coincide this event, just a floor above, Road to Domination 4 was filled with gamers and fans. For the Runes of Magic fanatics, how do you acquire XP when you have to be interrupted by work? Ching Merano was generous to share some tips (hint: decorate your house). She also gave us a teaser of another game they are launching aside from Dragonica. All we can say is that this other game will require more than pressing buttons. Intriguing, huh? More information on that, you just have to find out during the main event.

lyansa ng Media at Showbiz Inc. proposed the putting up of "gay toilets" in government offices and commercial establishments. They pointed out that through this exclusive toilets, discrimination among gays and lesbians would be minimized.

Comelec today allowed Joseph “Erap” Estrada to run for president on 2010 national election. This finally settles doubts of his ability to campaign once again despite the prohibition of the constitution to bar elected president from running once more. Comelec cited the disqualification cases filed by lawyers Ely Pamatong, Evelio Formento and Merelo Estrada as lacking [...]

Knowing each candidates is one of the many steps we have to do to expect a better and functional government. Each candidates vying for position in the government masquerades themselves with lots of propaganda. Some says true while some lies. May mga sumasakay sa issue at may ilang sangkot sa issue. Susan “Toots” Ople is [...]

I have compiled all the names of official candidates for the 2010 national election. Though official, there will still be a chance that some will be disqualified or added like Joseph “Erap” Estrada and Mirriam Defensor Santiago who has disqualification cases filed against them. Presidential and Senatorial candidates are grouped by their party. Nationalista Party President: Manny Villar [...]

Last week I posted the most recent SWS survey which showed decreasing gap of voter’s preference to presidentiables Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar. From that survey, Aquino’s lead over Villar is down by 11%, a steep decline from 19%. Surprisingly, Aquino wasn’t satisfied with the result and even remarked that Villar’s camp fabricated the result in [...]

There’s only but one news that interest me most during election period, the release of survey by SWS, Pulse Asia and other organizations. Today, Inquirer.net published the latest result of SWS survey which showed presidential candidate Manny Villar improving his ratings by 6%. Villar’s rating is now at 33%, narrowing Noynoy’s lead down to 11%. It’s a [...]

Before anything else, I would like to greet everyone a happy new year. Hoping that this new decade, 2010, brings more fulfillment into our life and we’d be able to make a better positive impact to friends, families, co-workers and to all the people around us. Susan “Toots” Ople is the youngest daughter of the late [...]

Before I became a blogger, a first run a community forum dedicated to gaming. Most of my members are comprised of young people and honestly, most of them are able to express their constructive opinion even if they are addicted to gaming. One of the topic being raised in the then pRO Chaos Board was about [...]

Commission on Election released today the official list of candidates that may run for 2010 National Election. Comelect chairman Jose Melo said that they approved the candidacies of the following to run for President: Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party (LP) Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal who is running as independent Manny Villar [...]

I was reading The Philippine Star newspaper early this morning while having my breakfast at Jollibee when I chanced upon this one comment printed under Inbox World section. I wonder why senators questions whether PGMA can run for congress but never question Erap’s candidacy for president. A convicted felon?! Where is the virtue? – Laureano [...]

Senator Panfilo Lacson said ‘the President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo might only be “testing the waters” to see if she could impose martial law in other parts of the country, especially in areas where violence could occur in the 2010 elections.’ Kung mayroon ka nga namang presidente sa kasalukuyan na animo’y ganid at kapit-tuko sa kapangyarihan ay [...]