10.29.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It, Video Games at 2:12 pm by earl
No, I’m not talking about sales or which game is the best, I’m talking about the game rivalries we’re facing today, namely the big battle between Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band, and Skate and Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground. So which one is better and which one deserves your cold hard-earned cash? This is the way I see it.
About a year ago we heard new of Skate, which was rumored to be a Tony Hawk killer. Well, Skate did release back in mid-September, and Proving Ground just released a week or two ago. So, with releases like this, the Battle of the Bands, and all of the rivalries of genres which can look really similar, which one should you buy? Well, it all depends on what you want! No two games are exactly alike. One may be way better then the other and the other can be an atrocious failure, one may have a different gameplay aspect, one may be more broad than the other, whicever you prefer. If you don’t wanna pay $200 for Rock Band but want a more cheaper experience, go with Guitar Hero! It all depends on what you want!
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10.17.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 9:11 am by earl
As you may know, there is a war going on between Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, and each are striving to win this console war. And I’m going to share the way I see each company can win. If you disagree with me please leave a comment and I wil gladly explain further. Micrsoft was the first entrant into this war, and it provided and is still provided solid games, a great array of console extras including Live Arcade, and a reasonable price. Really the only place Microsoft needs to improve is in its customer service. About……. too many 360s give off the red circle of death, which will cause that poor gamer to have to go through a long period to get it fixed. There are also some problems with the 360 in Japan, but great games like Halo 3 have helped.
Then there’s Nintendo. Its Wii has shown to be outselling each of the other consoles by staggering amounts. However, with the delay of Brawl, they need more games. We have Galaxy, Guitar hero 3, The Simpsons, and plenty more, but Nintendo just needs to give the hardcore gaming crowd some more love. I’ll be fine with Galaxy and THe Simpsons, but really besides lack of hardcore games, Nintendo doesn’t need that much more work. With Wii Fit, DAH Big WIlly Unleashed, Brawl, Mariokart, and more on the horizon in 2008, it looks pretty good for the Wii.
Finally the PS3. Sony went from first last gen to last this gen. What went wrong? Well, it mainly has to do with the ridiculous price of the PS3. At $500 dollars, $300 looks a lot better for a 360 which is getting a majority on the PS3’s once exclusive titles. The PS3 only has a few exclusives coming out-Uncharted, MGS4 (for now), Ratchet and Clank. Sony just needs to get those exclusives back, and lower some prices. It has made some progress.
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10.07.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It, Video Games at 2:12 pm by earl
As you may know, this year there are tons of great titles coming out for each of the three new consoles, I mean the PS3 has Uncharted and R & C 5, the 360 has Mass Effect and Ace Combat 6, and the Wii has games like Mario Galaxy, Brawl, and Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. However, when looking at these titles, you have to wonder, which will climb victorious and be the best game of the year? Sure there are millions of different ones, but one will probably get more than the others. At the end of this year I’ll probably say Brawl is the best, but that’s just because I’ve been waiting six years and it just looks really really good. But there are tons of other games going for that prize. So which will it be? Of course we’re going to ahve to wait until we can really have a definitive answer, but I think Halo 3 is so far really reigning supreme. We’ve had Heavenly Sword, Bioshock, Warioware, Phantom Hourglass, Burning Crusades, Forza 2, Skate, and World in Conflict, all of which are great games. And really the games that I see really sticking out as some of the greater competition later this year is Guitar Hero 3, Ratchet and Clank 5, Kane and Lynch:Dead Men, Super Mario Galaxy, Brawl, Conan, Ace Combat 6, TimeShift, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4, Crysis, Assassin’s Creed, Rock Band, just to name a few!!! Here’s my order of top five most likely games to win Game of the Year the most:
1. Mass Effect
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Assassin’s Creed
4. Halo 3
5. Call of Duty 4
There are several other games to list, but that’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it. Unless Mass Effect bombs.
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10.06.07
Posted in Comics, Movies, Music, Quotes, Randomness, Sweet Internet Games, Tech, The Tube, The Way Earl Sees It, Top Tens, Video Games, Videos, Weapons of Mass Enjoyment at 5:23 pm by earl
Ok, I did have a huge really drawn out description of me thanking everyone, but the MAN running iblog365 messed it up! Just like they did with my favorite posting system. Thanks! And thank you to the reader. Thanks. If you didn’t read it between 5:25 and 5:28 today, you missed out on some comedic genius. Thank you guys who helped out.
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09.28.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It, Video Games at 12:42 pm by earl
Over the past few years, there has been a growing phenomenon about video gaming as a sport. And although I watch these events, I sometimes question, Is gaming a sport? I aim to find out. Throughout the years, networks like Dish and USA have provided coverage on major gaming events like Major Leaque Gaming and the Halo 2 tournament. But yet, there aren’t as many responses as there would be for, say the Superbowl. Why is this? Well for one, really the only people that will watch (and enjoy) Pro Gaming are gamers, and really, gamers would rather play that game then watch others play it. You can’t go out and play a football game with 20 other people that easily, but you can begin a pro gaming round with the flip of a switch. And as far as the question of is gaming a sport goes, it really depends on what you consider a sport.
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09.15.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 5:43 pm by earl
 
     
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As we all know, there are several new video games that are coming out that are spreading out brand new series, and will possibly last for years to come. But what about old school games like Mario and Sonic? Can they still survive in a new enviroment full of shiny graphics, gameplay innovations, and the soon to be beaten Blu-ray? Or will they just eat the dust like Sonic has and be only remembered as a distinct memory that will never receive an update? And if so, which of our newer series will meet that fate, and when?
Well, the Way I see it, there are a couple of different answers. Back in the 80s we received Mario, the Italian plumber who was rescuing Peach from the cruel hands of Bowser over and over again. And just about 5 months ago we received his newest installment, Super Paper Mario, which was a huge success. And we planning on getting another one in November. So we could definitely say that Mario, the old-school king, is still reigning on his throne. And he’s not the only one. Old-school superstars like Metroid, Zelda, and more are still kicking butt after 20 years! However, some characters fail to meet that expectation, like Sonic. Before you Sonic Fans (Steven and The Dirty Kid) fly off the handle, take a look at these scores of the last few Sonic games since its last good game, Sonic Adventure Battle 2. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)-2 out of 5, Shadow the Hedgehog-2 out of 5/ 1 out of 5/ Worst Game of the Year, not to mention all the other games that were even worse than Larry the Cably Guy:Health Inspector. Sure, Sonic has had some good games, but with 50 good games and only about 15 being good, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. Overall, when it comes to if old school games will live or die, it’s all a matter of content. One reason Sonic games fail is because of their new, trying to be hip content, which fails miserably, one reason we loved the original was because it was just fun to run and attack Eggman. We don;t really care about the emo-style whinings of Shadow. And series like Metroid which have new content and yet succeed do that because the new content is actually worthwhile. If you decide to add new content, do it right.
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09.09.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 6:08 pm by earl
Another thing that makes me mad are Game Delays. Too many times have I gotten my hopes up for a game coming out on a certain date and then they get pushed back. Back in June of this year, I had gotten my hopes up for Super Smash Bros. Brawl coming out on June 16. Oh no, it didn’t, and now I’m waiting until December 3rd for my Brawliness. Give me my Brawliness Nintendo! I understand that it takes a while to make a game (despite the Megaman games), but don’t get my hopes up for a soon release and then shatter my hopes! Don’t do it! And on December 3rd I want Brawl!
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Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 5:37 pm by earl
 
I would just like to apologize to my loyal fans (all 3 of you) for really just putting stuff about video games for the past few (thousand) posts. And just to show how much I want to make it up, the next 5 posts will be entirely my original ideas and my comedic genius. And I’ve also created a new series, Earl’s Tantrums, which will reveal the things that make me mad. Enjoy.
OK, I know nearly all of my non-Amish readers have went to watch a movie in the theaters. And, every now and then, there will be that mind-numbingly annoying person in the theater. My most recent experience was in Transformers, so far my favorite movie of this year, although I’m sure I could have enjoyed the movie more without this particular person. Yes, anonymous person, this post is somewhat devoted to you. I honestly can’t wait to see the movie on DVD because I probably didn’t hear half of the movie because of this person. OK, the person sat two seats down from me ( I’m sure of it Silverwing), although it felt like she was directly in my ear. Anyway, it’s time I get on my soapbox. Honestly, I can understand if the movie is funny, if you’re enjoying it, but when you’re laughing and it sounds like your abdomen is exploding, and your shouting out profanities like it is, than you should seriously consider either waiting until the last day in theaters (It was opening night when this happened), or when it comes out on DVD. Because I was seriously considering going over there and “escorting” them out myself. This might involve plasma swords.
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08.29.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 8:34 am by earl
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Well, the way I see it, no. I know that I am a Wii Fanboy, and I am proud of it, but that shouldn’t effect my opinion on this matter. Many people today are asking the question, Is the Wii only for kids? Well, the question was started bck at E3 07 when many gamers were raging against Nintendo due to the lack of hard-core games. Well, yes, I can agree with that. I look forward to playing Metroid, Mario, Rayman, Zelda, and more on my Wii as much as the next hard-core gamer. But we have to acknowledge something. We have to share. They did name it Wii, not Mii. Let me explain. With the Wii’s motion sensing capabilities, there will be kid-friendly/gimmicky games until the end of its lifespan, because that’s why some people bought it. Other people like myself bought it because of the fact that it has some great games that aren’t so gimmicky about it. Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Destroy All Humans 3, Brawl, and more are coming out soon that will keep me satisfied with my Wii. Overall, we just have to remeber what the Wii started off as and will always be-A User-Friendly Console.
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08.02.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 3:53 pm by earl
 
If you’re big into the world of gaming, you probably heard a month or two ago when a little game called Manhunt 2 got banned with an AO rating because it had intense, gory violence that went over the edge. But, that also got some people rasing the comment, if movies do the same thing, how come games are treated differently? Well, one part is that children play video games. And no, it’s not that people just think that only kids play video games. Any person with a TV that watches any TV channel would eventually draw that conslusion. The reason is that they think only kids play video games, it’s because teenagers and adults aren’t the only one playing video games. It’s one thing to watch somebody get shot, stabbed, or beaten, it’s another to do it in a game. To be controlling that, causing the character YOUR controlling to do that. In a movie you can close your eyes and plug your ears, sometimes in a game, you have to do it and watch as you do it and know you did it. Video Games and movies are two completely different forms of entertainment and should be accounted as so. That’s why we have the MPAA to rate movies and the ESRB to rate games.  Â
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07.17.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 9:33 am by earl
I just deided I would join in the whole world on topics. One thing that had been going aroud the world controversially was talking on the cellphone while driving, and it was proved just as dangerous as drunk driving bythe Mythbusters. But another thing that has just entered our crosshairs is doin’ the text messaging while driving. Not only do we think this is dangerous, we’ve proven it. Just some time ago, a group of 5 young women lost their lives in a car accident when they hit a big rig head on. But how do we know texting was the cause? Police actually recovered the cellphone and found several text messages that had been sent/received just before the accident happened. The last one was received just 38 seconds before the 911 call. But although we can’t prove the driver was the texter, we can assume she had something to do with it being her phone. There’s no doubt that this is an extremely dangerous habit, and one that we should all stay away from. Think about it. You piloting a 2000 lb or more piece of metal than can go up to no telling how fast…..while trying to share the newest gossip with your girlfriends. The way I see it, you have a couple of choices:
- ACTUALLY TALK TO THAT PERSON ON THE PHONE WITH A HEADSET!!!!! If you’re tesxting them because you can’t talk to them because they’re in class or something, they shouldn’t be texting!
- Let someone else drive.
- Wait until you get out of the car at your destination or at a pit stop!
- Get a rotary cellphone that way it eliminates texting.
 Wise up, or it could be your life.
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07.09.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 12:34 pm by earl
 
With the new Harry Potter movie coming out this Friday and the final book coming out the next Friday, the question comes back up: “Is Harry Potter evil?”. Well, many people have debated on this controversial topic, especially with the new book coming out July 13. I personally will be at home watching the Season Premiere of Monk and Psych, mostly because I don’t really care for Harry Potter and I would probably just end up making a lot of jokes about Harry Potter and end up getting thrown out of Books-A-Million. But back to the main question, “Is Harry Potter Evil?”. Well, what does the Bible have to say about it? Back in early Exodus whe nMoses was sent by God to set the Isrealites free, when he was performing his “miracles” you might say with his staff, there were sorcerers that tryed to pull off the same tricks. Yes, I know, the movie is not real, but I do think that it has had some influence on society, with more and more people going to Psychics or whatnot. No, I don’t think this is making people go outside casting spells on other people, becuase that’s pretty much the same thing as Spiderman. Overall, I  think that Harry Potter isn’t going to cause the downfall of society, I just think that this is just getting kid’s imagination going, but it could be somewhat of a bad influence in a wrong mindset. It all depends on how you look at it. Me personally, I’ll just stay home and watch Monk.
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06.15.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 2:30 pm by earl
It seems every summer we get some great movies, and along with those we get some mediocre games that could be great! Why does this happen? I think it’s due to time. When a gullible developer makes a movie game, they only have a certain time limit to squeeze in material so they can release it on-time with the movie. This has happened with Spider-man, Pirates, Fantastic Four, and more! Let’s hope the same thing doesn’t happen with Transformers. Also, another proof it’s due to time is because of other great movie games-Movie games like the Godfather and more were great, mainly because designers had time! With games like Dirty Harry and others coming out after their movies, let’s hope they can follow the mafia boss himself.
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06.05.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 11:41 am by earl
You may notice that a lot of game companies are making different versions of their consoles, most of the time the newer one having a snazzy bigger hard drive, or a sleeker design. But should I really be concerned about which console to buy? Well, the way I see it, the companies usually make a second version for a certain reason, as stated earlier. And it all depends on what you want as a customer. If you want a bigger hard drive to back up your Gears of War saves and your Switchfoot music, get the Elite version! If you want a smaller PS2, get it! It all depends on what you want!
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05.30.07
Posted in The Way Earl Sees It at 9:53 am by earl
                                 
               
                    
Well, each of the brand new consoles have been out for almost a year, and you may wonder, “Who’s winning?”. I think it is clear that the PS2 won last generation, mainly due to it’s great third-party support. But now with the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360, who will win this time? Well, I have the privilege to play all 3 consoles, and own one of them, so I am going to make share my theories on this crucial topic.
Well, it’s no doubt that a console should be judged by how much fun it is, and that graphics, sound, and shinyness are just little perks. And in this case, the Wii would win, mainly due to the fact that it has had some considerably good games for its first year, not that the 360 didn’t and still has coming to 2 years. The PS3, however, hasn’t really had the best luck. Its launch was by-far a catastrophe, mainly due to lack of units, outrageous prices, and right now it only has a couple of good titles-Resistance, Elder Scrolls (Which you could just get on PC/360!), Virtua Fighter, Fight Night, whci hmost of the good titles you could just get on other, cheaper, consoles. The Wii had a great launch (Noone got shot!), affordability, and it has also sold a ton more units than the PS3 while it’s starting to approach the 360! It has also had some great titles, including Rayman, Zelda, Warioware, Super Paper Mario, SSX Blur, Excitetruck, Trauma Center, etc. Which, yes oyou can get one or two of these on other consoles, but with the motion sensing, you’re going to get a better time on the Wii! The 360 has also had some great titles. And each of these consoles has some great games on the way! Overall, I don’t think you can put the Wii in the same console war as the 360 and the PS3, because neither of them can beat the Wii in the “fun factor”, and I’ll admit the Wii’s graphics aren’t even close to the 360’s/PS3’s! But that’s not what makes a console, how much fun it is does, and, according to that, the Wii is definitely winning! Boom! Overall, I think that really Nintendo doesn’t have to worry about winning, because they earned immunity in this Survivor challenge by introducing the motion-sensing, only Microsoft and Sony, do, Microsoft is whooping Son’y tail!
Fianl Verdict-360 and Wii are tied for first because of their playability and great games, and PS3 is lingering behind. It’s needs to work really hard to get ahead in this race. Â
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