The Amazing Sony Spider-Man Rumours

Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a summer extravaganza with favourable audience and critical reaction. This cinema goer had a blast and found the sequel to be a much better, satisfying and amazing experience. Even with an over 700 million dollar pay day in theatres worldwide, the bean counters condemned it as a failure.

As of now, rumour has it that Sony has begun retooling it's franchise plans, even though Spidey 2 was already retooled to expand franchise plans. oh, boy.

Sony's original intent was to spin off a Sinister Six flick, an obvious choice considering Spidey 2's plot. As well as a Black Cat movie featuring Felicity Jones, who was in the Spider's second outing as well. Until, Sony releases a press release regarding these future films, we have no idea if they are happening.

The word on the street is that Sony is interested in working with The Mouse House (Disney) on getting Spidey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This would work fantastic with The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 in 2018 and Part 2 in 2019. It definitely provides enough time for the two studios to work something out. If it happens, it would be a great way to co-market the franchises and bring more interest to Sony's movie universe.

There are those out there who would love to see Sony get rid of Spidey and toss him back to Marvel Studios, but that will never be the case. You have to remember back in the day, the perception of comic book movies was poor and the Marvel flicks produced reflected that. To Sony and the late producer Laura Ziskin's credit, they fought for Spider-Man's cinematic rights. They hired Sam Raimi, released a fantastic first picture and really got Marvel's movie ball rolling.

So here we are today. Rumour and speculation fill the air in Sony's future Spider-Man plans. Until, that press release is out, all we can do is guess.

The Curious Case of PlayStation TV

This piece of hardware is small. Really small. Smaller than a deck of cards. It's features feel big and yet, not at the same time.

As sweet as it is to be able to play Killzone: Mercenary, Freedom Wars and the Persona games on your big TV set, the exclusion of Netflix is troubling. Luckily, more apps are coming like PS Now and PS4 Live Stream. The UI is the Vita's touchscreen interface which doesn't translate well on the television. Now controlled with a Dualshock 3 or 4, it feels unintuitive. Then you have Sony's insanely high priced proprietary memory cards required for the device, will just cause consumer's headaches.

PS TV feels like a glass that's half full or half empty, you decide. I love the slick design and small size. I had an extra 32gb card kicking around and loaded it up, via my Vita, with games and movies. I get joy out of the device and can easily  throw it in my satchel. It's clearly aimed at PlayStation fans,  those who are invested in its ecosystem and digital content.

If you're new, interested or curious, I recommend the $139.99 package. It comes with a PS TV, 8gb card, The Lego Movie game digital voucher and a Dualshock 3.

Now it's time to bust mine out to battle in the Freedom Wars. ;)

I'm Still Enjoying The Alien

I'm a daddy with very limited time on his hands. It takes a lot. Yes, I mean a lot, to keep me interested, invested and hooked to stay with any modern game.

Most of my game time has been with classic arcade titles. They're quick, fun to play and rewarding. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Pac-Land and more have been my game space. I'm still looking forward to Freedom Wars and Minecraft on the PS Vita very much.

I'm glad to say there is one big budgeted console experience that has me hooked.

Alien Isolation

It's addictive, intense, adrenaline pumping and a blast to play.  I've completed the meaty 20 to 25 hour campaign once, with my second play through going on right now. I've tackled a number of the survival modes and completed the movie dlc's. Now there is more coming down the pipeline with the first of five planned extra dlc packs coming out right now.

I can't get the enough of this game. It should be part of your gaming collection.

A strong contender for my GOTY. 😊

The Alien Isolation Experience

This universe is huge. From a set of classic celebrated films (Alien and Aliens) to an expanded universe shared with the Predator series, the Alien saga is The Lord of The Rings of sci-fi terror.

Games have always been a staple of the franchise. From a couple of terrific and terrifying Commodore 64 games to the modern Alien VS Predator games. Most of these games have been based on Aliens, few have been made of the original Ridley Scott film. In Fact, only 2 games have ever existed. One for the Atari 2600, which is an unusual Pac-Man clone. The second, was an atmospheric Commodore 64 title. Slow, heart pounding, tense and actually pretty good. Sega and Creative Assembly’s 2014 Alien Isolation is much like that C64 classic in tone and in spirit.

I like this very much.

Alien Isolation is a game I have waited for a long time. A great sequel to the original movie. It’s clocking around 20 to 25 hours and every single minute is intense. I haven't jumped, screamed, swore and enjoyed a survivor horror game like this in a long time.

The Alien is truly terrifying. A fast, unstoppable star beast who has nothing better to do but wipe anything out of its way. On top of that, you’ll encounter the most creepy android’s in any medium. Their glowing red eyes and non-expressive faces will fill your soul with horror. You’ll also encounter a bunch of human a-hole’s. And they all would like to see you dead.

Now, does all of this sound good?

Oh, yes! I mean it is a survival horror game. I mean, it’s not Mario, Pac-Man or Tetris.

I love this game. Throughout my playthrough, I made sure my emotions were in check. I love this universe. I love the movies and expanded universe stuff and other spin-off media. The game, presentation wise, nails Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece. You are living in that world. It truly is beautiful and terrifying. So, I wanted to make sure my judgement wasn’t clouded from a critical point of view.

Is this a good game?

Oh, hell yes!

That’s the most satisfying part. The presentation is stellar but the game is just as impressive.

If you’re a fan of the Alien saga or a fan of the hardcore survival horror games, than this is right up your steam filled, strobe lit, dark corridor. Damn good stuff.

Post E3 2014 Impressions - Big Games, Big Indies, Vita In The Details

Big Games, Big Indies, Vita In The Details

I think we knew it was going to happen. The day that an independent developed title would win an E3 conference. It happened and a lot sooner than expected.

No Man's Sky is being developed by Hello Games, who previously developed the solid Joe Danger titles. The reaction for their latest title was huge, even catching the developers off guard. No Man's Sky is a big title that has existed in the hearts of gamers forever. Featuring space travelling, planet exploration, ship battles within a huge procedurally-generated galaxy. Even with these details, the game is surrounded in mystery. The game is launching as a PlayStation 4 exclusive in the future. I cant wait.

Bungie has created phenomenal worlds in the past. The creator's of Microsoft's Halo universe, have gone 3rd party and alongside Activision, are developing and creating a half a billion dollars of a new universe for everyone to play in. Destiny will be arriving at the beginning of September, only a few months away. Launching with exclusive content for PS4, Destiny appears to be a tactical shooter, with loot and exploration a plenty. I'm a sucker for these types of game's. I can't wait to see what all they hype surrounding this title will be. It will launch not only with exclusive content for Sony's next-gen platform, but be bundled with a white PlayStation 4 as well. Tempting!

Finally, The PlayStation Vita was shown a little love at the big show. The devil was in the details when it came to the portable. Some exciting games are coming out this year for it including: The explosive Freedom Wars, the addictive Minecraft, the beloved Child of Light, the legendary Gim Fandango and the family friendly Disney's Infinity 2.0. Not too shabby. Also, PlayStation TV will be released fairly soon allowing Vita titles to be played on your big HD screen. I can't wait to play Killzone: Mercenary on my big screen! If history serve's, expect bigger announcements for Sony's portable at Germany's gamescom. It was there that Killzone: Mercenary, Tearaway and Borderlands 2 where all announced. So, let's keep our fingers crossed. Maybe, Sony Bend has something big for it soon. Hmm...

Finally, Bandai-Namco are developing the latest Super Smash Bros. title for Nintendo. Not only are Sonic The Hedgehog and Mega Man ready for battle in this instalment, but Pac-Man as well!

Pac-Man! Pac-Man! Pac-Man!

This announcement made me smile the biggest out of everything unveiled. I can't wait to play it!

Here's to E3 and here's to next year's!

Pac-Man Turns 34 Years Old

Time to party like it's 1980!

Pac-Man turns 34 years old. His official birthday in Japan, his home country, is May 22nd, 1980. So, in my neck of the woods of Saskatchewan, being 15 hours behind Japan, I can celebrate his birthday on May 21st, 1980.

Hmmm... So you could technically celebrate Pac-Man's birthday on both days, making it a two day event. Party hard, play the game, watch the cartoons, BBQ, celebrate hot weather and all of that.

What I love is that my birthday is May 24th. So it becomes this all week celebration of good times!

So here's to Pac-Man! The game that literally started it all with the world's fascination with digital gaming!

inFAMOUS Releases It's Second Son

If you can get a PlayStation 4, now's the time.

Games be coming. Games be out now.

Tomb Raider was just released a little while ago. A port of last year's fantastic PS3 return of Lara Croft, the next-gen edition looks and plays incredible. A great title to show off the abilities of the new PS4 controller.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a bridge gap title between two different hardware generations. Simultaneously in development between previous and next-gen, Hideo Kojima's latest masterpiece is a beefy prologue to next year's The Phantom Pain. It is a ton of fun to play. Clocking in at only 4GB as a PSN download, it's the perfect game to leave on your PS4's hard drive without fear of it eating space.

Finally, it's out. The next big first party experience ignites with inFAMOUS: Second Son. A big sprawling, open world superhero extravaganza. Gorgeous visuals. Plays sweet. Damn, I love the story and the characters involved. As lead character Delsin Rowe you explosively use your powers around the city of Seattle, Washington. Deslin and his interaction with his older brother Reggie are gold. Well written, funny and emotional stuff. I love playing this game. It's big, really big.

Go out now, find a PS4. Get these game's and a Vita while you're at it. Remote Play works pretty darn good with them.

METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES INCOMING

T-Minus 2 days for the North American launch for MGSV:GZ. Simply stated, I am jacked up for its release!

Kojima' epic series includes some of the finest game play, storytelling and production value gaming has ever seen. His deep mythology of narrative, spanning multiple generations of characters, decades and alternate world history rivals even the most beloved Hollywood franchises.

So time to celebrate Ground Zeroes release with a replay of the classics, from Metal Gear Solid to the masterpiece that is Peace Walker.

Sweet!

Boss, is that you? Boss? Boossss!?!?

Metal Gear News - Quick Round Up

I have to drop a big fat, "Thanks!" to The Snake Soup for the following 411. The Soup is a Metal Gear fan site that has been on the internets for years and years and some more years. So, yo! Check it out!

KFC Introduces THE BIG BOSS!

Well holy shit! Just in time for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes comes the Colonel's answer to freedom. BIG BOSS! A double chicken burger, looking much like the Big Mac but f'that! We're talking about THE BIG BOSS here! Looks like I'm getting one of these alongside my purchase of the game on Tuesday.

Boss? Are you there? Boss? Boss? BOOOSSSSSS?!?!?!?!?

Kojima's Twitch Interview Online

The latest from the man who built Snake/Big Boss. Over 50 minutes long, get the scoop from the legendary Hideo Kojima himself.

Check it out, YO!

So, yes. Big Boss returns this upcoming Tuesday in stores across North America. Then there's the  mysterious release date for MGSV: The Phantom Pain, which may not be out until 2015. Crap... However, for now, I'll enjoy Ground Zeroes and that new Big Boss chicken burger.

Tomb Raider 2014: PS4 Style

Lara Croft is one of the video game’s most iconic characters. Since her 1996 debut on the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC, it has been a love or hate relationship. Core Design’s adventure series had a strong start with Tomb Raider 1 to 3. The original trilogy featured fun, high adventure galore from battling dinosaurs to entering the depths of Area 51. Then things started to go downhill after that. Their final 3 Lara Croft adventures just plain sucked. Oh, we’ve had our ups and downs with Croft, but the ups have been very positive recently thanks to Crystal Dynamics.

They rebooted the franchise once already, way back in 2006 with the delightful Tomb Raider Legend. I loved that game. I played the crap out of it on my Nintendo Gamecube, Sony PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The story, characters, gameplay, music, everything came together with an explosive satisfying experience. The team would make two other entries, an anniversary remake of the original adventure and a direct sequel to Legend entitled Tomb Raider Underworld. A solid adventure but felt a tad bit underwhelming (Ha! See what I did there!) compared to the new kid in town, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series (dun-dun-duuunnnnn!!!!).

So, Crystal Dynamics rebooted the series once again in 2013 with a game simply titled Tomb Raider and what a spectacular adventure it is. They took everything awesome about Tomb Raider and ramped it up. They also didn’t piggy back on Naughty Dog and simply rip off their great ideas of action-adventure-Indiana Jones things and stuff. Featuring action and adventure galore of course, but this new Tomb Raider emphasised on a fairly addictive and enjoyable “survival game” experience.

Now in 2014, the next-gen Tomb Raider experience happened on the PlayStation 4 and X-Box One. I recently finished the game on my PS4 with an 80% completion file (Must… work... towards 100%). Damn, what a great game to have at this point in the early, early days of the next-gen consoles. It looks phenomenal and plays sweet.

I especially love the way the game utilizes all of the PS4 control inputs. You use the touch pad on the controller to navigate the game’s in map and look at collected treasured relics with relative easy. If you purchased a camera, one can use voice commands as well. This game is probably the best way to show off all of the new extra bells and whistles of the PS4’s controller experience. Very nice indeed.

This game is simply incredible. A fantastic reboot made better on the PS4 with full 1080p and 60fps. The old love is back again and better than ever.

Pac-Man News Round Up

It’s the state of the Pac-Man Union. The 1st yearly quarter update of what is going on with the awesome yellow man. So what’s up?

Pac-Man Museum

The perfect way to get your Pac-Man Fever on is the just released Pac-Man Museum. Available for the PS3, X-Box 360 and PC, the museum features a fantastic collection of Pac’s greatest hits from the original arcade games Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man (yeah!) and Pac-Land (hell, yeah!). Plus, Pac-Man Championship Edition and the latest arcade sensation Pac-Man Battle Royal. Sweet!

There are more treasures to be found in the package. Purchase now and you’ll receive Ms. Pac-Man as a free download until the end of March. Otherwise, it’s a $4.99 download. The collection will run you $19.99 which appears a bit high. However, the collection is packed and feature Battle Royal which is a fantastic party game for Pac fans and non-gamers alike.

This is a great package to bring old and new fans together.

Pac-Man and The Ghostly Adventures

Still the #1 rated kids show on Disney XD, the “Mouse House” has ordered a second run of new episodes. The series has finally hit DVD retail shelves in volume chunks. Burger King just ran a successful kid’s meal campaign featuring the series. Plus, a video game based on the new hotness, hit several platforms before the Christmas season with delightful results.

The new series appears to be a huge success. More toys and apparel are coming down the pipeline. Bandai Namco and Avi Arad’s relaunch/re-imagining of the iconic character  has hit gold.

My little girl and I love the new Pac!

Pac-Man Storms IAAPA 2013

The Pac is an icon. His most beloved arena is of course where it all began, the arcade. Now we have more Pac-themed amusements headed our way to Chucky Cheese and theatre arcade’s.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions held a trade show last November showing off developers latest and greatest interactive amusements. Fun stuff indeed! The best part? Bandai-Namco’s storm of Pac-Man games and goodies.

Embedded below, is a video featuring all of the excitement. Co-hosted with a bunch of hotties who help demonstrate the new goodness, this only helps an already Awesome video… Awesomer! ;)

Enjoy!

Well that’s it. 2014 is going to be sweet! Its fantastic to see such an iconic 80’s arcade character remain so popular with children and adults of all ages.

Now it’s time to play a bit of Pac-Man World on my PS Vita!

Chomp! Chomp! ;)

Pac-Man World Finally Arrives on PSN

This was one of my favourite games to play on my PlayStation One way back in the day. A pure joy and delight, I’m so happy that I can finally play it on my Vita on the go.

Released back in the autumn fall of 1999, Pac-Man World was one of the most colorful and eye catching game’s of the day. A great game that stood proudly beside my gaming delights that included Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII. I was so excited to play it back then, just as I want too, once again today.

There is this beautiful back catalogue of classic Namco titles on the PSN. Ranging from Tekken 2 to Klonoa to R4. However, Pac-Man World was the one I missed the most. It took so long to finally be re-released. A forgotten gem of the PS1 era. It was definitely worth the wait.

Those who’ve watched or played Bandai-Namco’s latest Pac-Venture, Pac-Man and The Ghostly Adventures, will feel right at home. Pac-Man World was the third Pac-Man platformer since 1984’s Pac-Land and 1994’s Pac-In-Time. Wow!

Now we celebrate the re-release of a classic. It’s a joy of a game and a steal at $5.99, now playable on the PS3, Vita and PSP. Heck, it even includes the original arcade game, fully emulated and playable. So you get the best of both world’s, one of the greatest arcade game’s of all time alongside of one of the best platformer’s.

Now all we need Bandai-Namco to do is re-release Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness and all those Namco Museum PS1 classics. ;)

Viva La Vita!

Finally. The PS Vita has sprung to life with a variety of new content, services and a new model to top it off. All of this is coming out, within the next several months.

Viva La Vita indeed.

Revealed at TGS last year, the second generation model of Vita will be coming to North America in “Spring” according to Sony. This new model features an LCD display (good-bye OLED *sniff*), Micro-USB connector (hooray!) for charging/data transfer, slimmer/lighter build (sweet!) and 1GB of internal memory (nice!). It will be available, bundled with Borderlands 2 and an 8GB memory card for $199.99.

When I first heard about this bundle, I screamed with joy for two reasons. First, I was just looking at possibly importing one of the new models and paying, of course, a crap load of money. I love my Vita. So to have the new model would be ultra-sweet. Now my importing days are over and I get to save a ton. Hooray!

Second, Sony just bundled their greatest handheld device with a killer app. Now there are no excuses, you have to get a Vita now. Borderlands is one of those franchises I got into late in the game. When the first game hit PS Plus as a free download, I gave it a shot and regretted not getting into this world earlier. Damn good game. Now the sequel is out in a “Game of The Year Edition” on the PS3 and with the Vita version coming out soon, you will be able to transfer your save across from one platform to another. Oh, joy! Joy! Joy!

On top of this great news, a bunch of new content has been unveiled. Including: The God of War Collection, The Sly Cooper Collection, Invizimals, The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead Season 2. Plus, PlayStation Now will be available very soon. This online service will allow you to “stream” PlayStation 3 games onto your handheld. OMG!

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… I love my Vita. I love it’s interaction with the PlayStation 4. My little girl was watching one of her favourite stories on the family TV but I wanted to play the new Tomb Raider instead. So, I fired up Remote Play and played it on the handheld. Oh Vita, thank you.

To have Sony give it a well deserved “shot in the arm” with new content, PS Now and a new model is fantastic. The platform deserves success and it deserves to have more users join the party. The ultimate companion piece to the PlayStation 4 appears to have a long and fruitful future.

Sony! Google! Apple! A Look At 3 Tablets From 2013

My little girl's first computer, is a tablet.

Mine was a desktop Commodore 64.

Times have changed.

2013 was a phenomenal year for tablets. Companies released a number of exceptional mobile tablets. Powerful, versatile and housing unique features, separating one from the other. Thank goodness! Previous years saw companies basically release the same tablet with a different brand name. It was a situation in which everyone bolted out a, "Hey look at us! We have a tablet like the iPad and we are a hell of a lot cheaper". However, 2013 was the year that changed everything.

So let's take a look 3 key tablets from 3 different manufactures from 2013. Oh snap! That is a lot of 3's in one sentence.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z

 I love Android. I love Sony's take on Android.

Sony advertises this tablet as featuring the best of all of Sony's innovations from software to hardware. It's very true.

They are Android's best manufacture. Their apps are slick. The Walkman app works like a charm. Their photo app works really, really good. Their editing tools from picture to video are all top of the line. These of course, are all free and pre-installed on the device. They all work really, really well.

Sony's Android OS experience is very nice stuff. Mini-apps can be run directly on the desktop from a web browser to a note taker, I found them to be extremely helpful. Launching any app can be quickly accomplished thanks to a quick launch button that can be accessed on any screen.

Hardware is where this tablet really shines. It's dust resistant and WATER PROOF. I put the WATER PROOF in CAPS because it's very important, especially when you have a toddler. Plus, I've played games, listened to music and surfed the internet in my tub because of this. It also includes a built in IR making it the best universal remote control in the universe for your television. What's this? It also includes NFC. Sweet! These are definitely huge selling points. The tablet is the thinest and lightest of it's 10.1" form factor. It really is beautiful to hold and look at.

The screen is awesome. A 1920 x 1200 display, powered by Sony's mobile Bravia 2 technology. It is sharp featuring incredible contrast and colours that are deep and rich.

Plus, it includes PlayStation Mobile and Dualshock 3 support for gaming. Hooray!

I love this tablet. It is my current favourite tablet. You get so much unique value for your money. Highly recommended!

Google Nexus 7 (2013)

The best tablet value for your money. Period.

If you want to stay on top of what Google is doing with the Android OS, this is the cheapest and easiest way to stay ahead of curve. KitKat 4.4 is available right now and every single Android update release will hit this device first.

The beautiful 7" display features a 1920 x 1200 resolution outputting more than 2.3 million pixels. Wow! External audio for the device is top of the line. Thanks to Fraunhofer, developers of the MP3 format and AAC Codec, have created a 5.1 surround sound experience direct from the tablet's stereo speakers. Impressive! Finally, a tablet that has phenomenal audio output.

Smooth, fast and compact, the Asus built device will cost you around $229, the cheapest tablet on this list and is typically on sale most of the time. I purchased a 32gb version for $50 cheaper than the retail price. Hunt around, look in flyers or online for deals.

Again, the best value for you money.

Apple iPad mini with Retina Display

Wow. You know why Apple is on top when you get one of these babies.

Beautiful. Elegant. Powerful.

The brand new iPad mini features a gorgeous Retina Display. The 7.9" display comes to life with an incredible 2048x1536 resolution. Nice! Plus, the same 64-bit processor that powers the brand new iPad and iPhone is in here. Hardware wise, Apple didn't skimp out on the mini because of it's small form factor. They where dead serious in making a very powerful, compact computer disguised as a tablet.

Of course, there is that App Store. Yep, that App Store is damn good. Apps and apps and apps. Everything is there and the pricing is awesome thanks to sales. The App Store dosen't even need a holiday to have a sale, some publisher will just start a sale in celebration of an app release and BOOM! Everyone jumps on board and there are sales non-stop. That's why I love the App Store.

We received this as a Christmas Gift and it is a delight for my baby girl. She loves playing with it, colouring, reading and watching her stories. My girl's first computer and it's a tablet. I have nostalgic memories of my C64 days growing up but damn, I have to admit, an Apple iPad Mini is a sweeter first time computer. ;)

Built tough, easy to use and runs like a charm.

If you've got the money, it's highly recommended!

* * * *

There you go. Three of the best tablets from 2013 that'll have you marching into 2014. If you pick one of these up, congratulations! You're in for a treat!