GameStop Expo 2012

Only a few days ago, I was in Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio surrounded by unreleased video games I was itching to play. There were so many options, and I wish I would have had enough time to play them all. By the time 4:00 p.m. rolled around, my hands were full with free stuff and my head was spinning from all the awesomeness I had just experienced. Say farewell to sleep and money my friends, because when these games come out, you'll be hooked.

Fable Journey for Xbox 360 Kinect

The Games 

My first encounter with an unreleased game at the expo was in the VIP room an hour before the event opened it's doors. Amid the food displays, water jugs filled with fruit punch and gamers sorting through their bags filled with goodies were two stands with a playable level of Lego Lord of the Rings.

This Lego adaption had the typical quirky comedy infused with the already great Lord of the Rings storyline. As expected, each character had unique abilities. For example, any tall character could throw Gimli so he could break high targets. Yet another game on my 'to buy' list. In addition to Lego Lord of the Rings, I managed to get my hands on Dishonored and Halo 4.

Dishonored was everything I hoped it would be; grungy, laced with blood and lots of stealth. I only played a few minutes into the level, but for what I played I know it's going to be amazing. My favorite ability was mind control - it's not everyday you get to scurry around as a rat.

I was too short to properly see the screen.

The lines to play Halo 4 were surprisingly short. After watching only two games, I got my chance to play. My boyfriend and I played a single Free-for-All match with a total of 12 players, each on their own screen.

Multiplayer played like a dream. It was the perfect mix of Halo 3's general gameplay and Halo Reach's items, classes and abilities. There are also a few new additions, such as the ability to sprint by pushing down the left thumb stick. For the little bit that I was able to play, I know this upcoming November will be filled with sleepless nights. 

The Swag

What's an expo/convention without free stuff? In addition to my goodie bag for being a VIP member, I picked up quite a bit.

Agent 47 Bag - Adventure Time Lanyard (2) - Adventure Time Button (2) - I'm a Fighter Dead or Alive Necklace - Power Up Lanyard - Sonic the Hedgehog Hat - Signed Game Informer posters - GameStop Bag - NOS Lanyard - Skylanders Figure 

Also, I was one of the very lucky winners of a Square Enix drawing. Every hour at the Square Enix booth, a few prizes would be given to the people who held a winning ticket. In the first drawing round, I won the second prize pack; a set of six Final FantasyXIII-2 figures!

Aside from all the free stuff, I made some sweet purchases as well. My boyfriend and I purchased a Retro Lancer Replica along with a Creeper vinyl figure - both of which were cheaper at the expo than they were online. 

The Experience 

Out of the three general sessions offered, I only went to two. Activison's was first on the list, I skipped Ubisoft's to play games and Square Enix's was last. These sessions were a lot different from what I expected, but more on that later.

My favorite thing from the expo was meeting the editorial team of Game Informer. Since Game Informer was the magazine that really got me interested in video game journalism, it was an honor for me to meet the team who is responsible for the magazine's success.

Me and the Game Informer editorial team

If only I would have had more time. I could have played the WiiU, Assassin's Creed III or even would have waited in the never ending line to try Black Ops 2. There was so much to try, but in between the general sessions and waiting in lines, there just wasn't time for it all. Maybe next year I'll pass on the general sessions and sped more time on the floor.

Overall, the expo was definitely worth going to. Between playing awesome unreleased games and the great free merchandise, I know the GameStop Expo is something I will continue to go to. Whether or not I choose to be VIP is a story for another time.

For more pictures from the expo, check out my Facebook gallery.


Yours truly,
HavokRose

The Eve of the Expo

In less than nine hours, I will be walking through halls filled with video games among their creators and the people who love them. I'm so excited, I passed out in a restaurant.

via MTV

Expect plenty of live blogging on my twitter and Facebook.

Stay tuned!

Yours truly,
HavokRose

Nintendo Pulls the Plug on Nintendo Power

As a journalism major with a focus on magazines and feature writing, I often pop into the magazine isle of the grocery store or book store. I remember the days when Game Informer was sold in all local stores, when all three major consoles had their magazine on the racks and when the video game section rivaled the wedding section. Now, finding a variety of video game magazines on the shelf is rare.

This week, the our options just became more limited.

According to IGN and G4, Nintendo is stopping production of it's official magazine Nintendo Power. Like the Official Xbox Magazine and Playstation the Official Magazine, Nintendo Power was not only an exclusive news source for the company, but also an easy marketing tool.

via Nintendo Power

Nintendo was the longest running official gaming magazine of the big three. The magazine was originally published by Nintendo, but those responsibilities were handed over to Future Publishing in 2007.

What could this mean for the rest of the video game magazines? Much of print media is already on it's last threads. Game Informer doesn't offer a print version on the shelves. Other gaming publications like GamePro have already called it quits, so who will be next? Will publications be purely online like IGN or will the print publications simply die out? As much as I love IGN, no one likes a monopoly.

On a positive note, Dark Horse Comics announce last week that it is releasing an official english copy of the The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia. This book was released for the 25th anniversary of the Zelda series in Japan and is finally making it's way to the US. It will include information about the entire series including the popular timeline that puts every Zelda game in order.

via Dark Horse

It will be released January 29 and is available for preorder now for $20.99 on Amazon.

What are your thoughts on Nintendo Power closing? Will you miss it?

Yours truly,
HavokRose

Website Feature: Gourmet Gaming

Games like Cooking Mama really get my appetite going. Here you are preparing delicious food and you can't even eat it. It's like composing a symphony and not being able to hear how all the parts finally come together - I'm talking to you Beethoven. One gamer has the food creativity of a culinary master and has figured out how to make out favorite in-game treats into real life products.

Daniella - the creator of Gourmet Gaming - takes the concept way farther than the simple Cooking Mama recipes you could easily find around the internet. She has created recipes for Costume Quest's Mossy Log, Pokemon's Poffins and many more. This gamer gone food artist has crafted some of the most delectable desserts and snacks I've ever seen. Maybe it's just her amazing photography skills, but all the food she puts up on her website looks amazing.

Kingdom Hearts - Spark Lemon via Gourmet Gaming

Looking at the recipes and delicious food is one thing, but making them is a whole different story. Each recipe is rated on a scale from one to five hearts to show the level of difficulty. In addition, all recipes include the metric and customary units - a nice gesture for all her American fans.

Out of all her recipes, I decided to take a stab at making her recipe for The Sims  Goopy Carbonara. With a two heart difficulty rating, I figured it would be an easy dinner dish and a good place to start in all of her crazy foods.

Video Game and Reality Carbonara via Gourmet Gaming

For the recipe, click here!

Mine didn't turn out so pretty, but my tastebuds were pleased. The next time I make this recipe there are two things I plan to do differently.

For one, I wasn't able to find cubed ham the recipe called for at my local Fiesta - the Mexican food store my friend insisted we go to for ingredients - so I just used flat lunchmeat ham instead. It worked just as well but because it shriveled so much, it resulted in a frugal amount of ham in the overall dish, leaving it tasting a little bland. It's a good cheap replacement, but if you do use this substitute then make sure you add a generous amount of it.

One other thing I would do is make more of the sauce. The amount the recipe makes just didn't create that 'goopy' feeling for me. It still tasted great, but it would have tasted fantastic if there was just a bit more.

My take on the Goopy Carbonara

I plan on returning to her website for many more dinner recipes. I'm hoping she does a recipe for Fallout's Surgar Bombs next!

Yours truly,
HavokRose

OUYA

A new type of console has been proposed to the gaming comminuty that promises a platform that will encourage development and free-to-play games. For $99 in March, you could get your hands on the OUYA (ooh- ya) console, controller with a touch screen with all the typical fixings, and of free-to-play games on launch day.

via USA Today

The idea behing this console came from the easily developed and sold games that we currently get on our smartphones and tablets. However, they want to bring those talented developers behind these simple games back to our living rooms. The OUYA is meant to be a simple platform that nearly anyone can develop for and sell their games.

It will run on an Android program and is 100 percent hackable - one of the biggest selling points of this new machine. They chose Android because a majority of developers already know how to develop programs for this system.

An open indie market? I like the sound of that, especially if these games will be sold for lower prices than what we pay for a typical Xbox 360 or PS3 game. Since the developers won't be paying for a lot of publishing costs and they will be sold online, the games should be substancially cheaper. I think this is going to be a great platform to support the small developer who is just getting their feet off the ground.

However, in order for them to move out of the prototype phase and into the production, they are calling to us gamers and developers for funding - and they are definitely rewarding us. Depending on how much you donate, you can get your username reserved, the acutal console with your name engraved on it, or an invitation to the fancy launch party.

via Geeky Gadgets

On Kickstarter, they set their goal for $950,000 with the last day to donate on August 9. Right now, they have more than surpassed their goal with 29 days left - I don't think they need to wait till August to get started. I'm contributing $10 to get my username reserved, but I'll wait till March to purchase to console.

What do you think? Will you be donating?

Yours truly,
HavokRose

P.S. If you want more information on the OUYA, visit their Kickstarter page which includes more pictures and a video.

Happy Birthday, America

Via GameStatics

Patriotism at its best. 

If only they would have released Assassin's Creed III today - it would have been perfect. Oh well, time to go get a hotdog. 

Yours truly, 

HavokRose

Oh yeah, Nintendo

So, remember that conference that happened earlier this month? E3? Yeah, I remember that too. I also remember too many psychology terms and not enough about introductory U.S. Government. Summer school is fun - I hope you realize that is sarcasm.

With that sad excuse for an apology, I present to you what you may have missed at the Nintendo 2012 E3 conference - which really wasn't that much. So lets make this short.

via Kotaku

The Nintendo conference was far from spectacular. Of course, my hero Miyamoto was present and set the stage for Reggie Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo of America. Fils-Aime guided us through our Nintendo journey with awkward faces and comments. And by journey, I mean a petting zoo. No Amazon jungle with unknown surprises at every turn - just baby goats, pigs, and even a few Pikmin.


Games Announced: 

• Pikmin 3
• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Batman Arkham City Armored Edition
• Scribblenauts Unlimited [3DS] [Also on WiiU]
• Darksiders II
• Mass Effect 3 
• Tank! Tank! Tank!
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Trine 2: Director's Cut
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge 
• Aliens Colonial Maries
• Wii Fit U 
• SiNG  
• New Super Mario Bros. 2   [3DS]
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star   [3DS]
• Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon  [3DS]
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate  [3DS]
• Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
• Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance [3DS] [Also on WiiU]
• Lego City: Undercover [3DS] 
• Just Dance 4 
• ZombiU 
• Nintendo Land

 (3DS = Nintendo 3DS)

Aside from games, not much else was announced. We were informed that the WiiU will allow for two WiiU pads to be connected and that there will be more ways to connect online with friends by posting updates that are displayed on the Miiverse - WiiU's new home screen. 

Who know's what they will announce in the coming months. Perhaps they will just wait for us to purchase our WiiUs this holiday season to find out more.  

To watch the conference for yourself, click here.

Was there anything you wanted to see that Nintendo didn't present? What did you think? 

Yours truly, 

HavokRose 

P.S. I seriously apologize for the tardiness of this post. I don't advise taking two summer classes while working - it's not fun. In the next month I promise to make it up to you all. Thank you for your support/readership!