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.