First of all I will like to say thank you to Valve for making such a great sale during thanksgiving. Even though I'm not American, the sale was a real benefit for me because with only 20 dollars I was able to buy 10 games, 10 AMAZING games.

I bought the following games:

- Deus Ex Collection ($5),
- Indie Clever Pack (contains VVVVVV, Eufloria, World of Goo, Doc Clock The toasted sandwich of time and Iron Grip: Warlord) ($5),
- Machinarium ($5),
- Knights Of The Old Republic ($2.50)
- Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's Revenge Special Edition ($2.50).

Also I bought Super Meat Boy for $9.99. So that sums up to 30 bucks for eleven games, man that was cheap. Let me explain this to all of you, the currency exchange for Chilean pesos to Dollars is "The amount of dollars X 480 approximately so when I was spending 30 USD I was actually spending 14.400 Chilean pesos. To put you in perspective a used PS3 game cost around that much over here so that was pretty cash saving for me. Also it has made me decide to start purchasing games for pc only via steam (except in some special ocassions) because it's cheaper, faster and way more rewarding when it has achievements, steamplay and Pc/Mac buy once get it for both systems.

Of all the games I got I have only finished just one: VVVVVV so I wrote a little review of it so keep reading if you're interested!



VVVVVV

VVVVVV is one of those strange cases in videogames where despite the sometimes crushing difficulty (I'm talkin to you "veni, vidi, vici") It still manages to keep the player glued to the screen with the goal of finishing the game.



VVVVVV's story is rather simple: A group of 6 people named after colors, all starting with "V", get transported to a weird dimension after a malfunction in their spaceship. As Viridian, the captain of the team, you must find the 5 missing crew members to finish the game. The special gameplay mechaninc of this platformer is that you can flip yourself and walk in the roof all of this just hitting the action button (assigned to V, spacebar or up). It might sound simple but it is amazingly fun and addictive, this is helped by the amazing level design with absolutley no faults at all, everything has been extremely well put together you can reach any place that the games wants you to go and you will never get "stuck". You will never stop playing even when you're facing some of the toughest challenges in the game. Also there are some extra modes after you finish the story mode, like time trial, and 20 trinkets, collectibles that unlock a song selector for you to choose in the main adventure.



The game is very short, it took me a little less than 2 hours to finish it with 8 trinkets collected, but it really does feel like you spent more time playing it when you're done this is mostly because the game is really hard, sometimes you have to be very precise to finish a section and even though you can rescue any member in any order you want there are some really hard stages and gameplay variations to keep you entertained during the adventure.



The graphics are simple yet charming, they mimic the very old pc games, but the most notable aspect has to be the music, if you like chiptune music like Anamanaguchi then most of the tunes will get stuck in your head and they really set the tone depending on the stage or platform challenge you are facing.



In the end VVVVVV is an amazing game that I managed to somehow love despite it has things that I hate in games (that it is very short and sometimes it can be hard as hell to the point of getting you frustrated) The price maybe a little to high for what you're getting ($5 bucks on steam) but since I bought it with a pack it cost me a dollar but I really think it's worth the not discounted price although I still think it is a tad short. Please play this game you will be happy after you do it and also you will support the amazing indie gaming developer that is Terry Cavanagh. The only thing I can say is that I just can't wait to play his next game.

Score: 9/10

Oh and by the way add me to Steam if you want, since I have just started to really use it I could use some friend for L4D2 or TF2. My user name is Anidem, just add me.

Thanks for reading!

You know why "The Freeman" has that face? It's because he know he has to go kick combine's ass once again as Half-Life 2 has been given to a newcomer to the series.

This is a quick blog just to announce the winner of my free half-life 2 digital copy contest is NoMore. He already received the game and I hope he likes it. By they way now valve owes me because I may or may have not added a new fan to their incredible half-life series.

Once again congratulations to NoMore who was the only contestant since it looks that everyone here had the game already. You can read his entry here: http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/NoMore/-hl2contest-why-i-want-it-178566.phtml

Hey did you heard the news? They say that someone is giving away Half Life 2 AKA one of the best fps shooters and all around best games of all time for free! How to enter the contest you ask? Well it's easy:

Just make a new blog post about why do you think you deserve to win half life 2, the blog has to have a "[HL2CONTEST]" tag on the title so I can identify it or you can just PM me with the link to your blog if I somehow missed it. You can use whatever argument you find appropriate but I won't take the "Because I do" argument (that's lazy and I know you people are smart and creative) The time for writing this entries will be until this Monday July 12th at 00:00 AM (GMT -4:00, because that's my time zone)so start now and you will have the chance to win this MASTERPIECE. Remember this is a once in a life time chance so START WRITING!!

NEW ADDITION: If you feel that you can't express your reasons for winning this game for FREE with words then explain it with a picture.
Whatever method you choose it has to have good arguments which can be clever and/or fun.

Every contestant needs to have a Steam Account because that's the way the prize is going to be delivered.

Ok so here's the deal, the other day I was replaying Half Life 2 and I remembered I had a free copy to give. Why is that you ask? Well it is because I first got HL2 stand alone and then I bought the Orange Box last year and then I discovered that Steam allows you to give a game you already own (It's not every game available, they have a list about which games you can give). I have offered this game to friends and none of them have showed any interest in this game and then I thought of Destructoid community and how I could actually give the game to someone who actually wants it.

How to win? Well, I want some challenge so what you have to do is just make a new blog post about why do you think you deserve to win half life 2, the blog has to have a "[HL2CONTEST]" tag on the title so I can identify it or you can just PM me with the link to your blog if I somehow missed it. You can use whatever argument you find appropriate but I won't take the "Because I do" argument (that's lazy and I know you people are smart and creative) The time for writing this entries will be until this Sunday July 11th so start now and you will have the chance to win this MASTERPIECE. Remember this is a once in a life time chance so START WRITING!!

That's all and thanks for reading :)

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the person that wins this contest needs to have a Steam Account. Have to say in case someone wants to participate and doesn't have one. Creating an account is free by the way.

Hi everyone it's been a while since I wrote something here on my blog but I've been very busy and stuff, also I didn't had a sort of inspiration for writing anything but now I am inspired so here it goes. First of I will like to start with small reviews of lots of games I've been playing since I'm now proud owner of a PS3 (got it for Christmas). Then I will talk about some other things like E3 and so. Get ready cos this sure is going to be a long, long post.

PS3 short/quick reviews:
(The reviews are in the order I have bought these games)

Uncharted Drakes Fortune:

This game was better than what I expected to be, it has amazing graphics, sound and voice acting. The story might be your typical Hollywood movie but thanks to the amazing actors that deliver the lines it never gets boring. The only complain I can have is the where those freak zombies things appear and its starts to get like relying on the shotgun to much. It also lacked another component to keep playing it and some control problems like using the sixaxis for balancing and throwing grenades but it was all addressed in the sequel which you will see reviewed at the bottom of this page. But all in all it was a great game, with interesting puzzles and definitively worth replaying more than once.
Score: 9/10

Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of The Patriots:

"Oh my god" Those were my words after beating this game (actually they weren't, I said something in Spanish because that's my first language for those of you that don't know, but since it was difficult for me to try to translate what I said so it had the same meaning in both languages I decided to stick with this aforementioned phrase) I've been playing the Metal gear solid series since I was 9 or 10 so it was emotional to me to see it end in such a high and powerful note. It took everything I loved from the series and throw right to my face (like the flashbacks, the return of some of the cast of the whole series, etc) and it mixed that with the best gameplay of the series, or rather the needed update the series needed to appeal to everyone. Graphics, sound, and the same old fucking crazy story as always kept me entertained for the 20 or so hours I took to beat this game. Also it has one of the most emotional endings I have ever witnessed in my entire life as a gamer (those who love the series as much as I do will agree the rest won't, but whatever it is an opinion).
Also it has multiplayer, I am not a very online gaming guy but I don't know why I loved this so much I always play this game when I can and it's awesome. It also helps that I'm actually very good at it (i think) I mostly play team deathmatch so if anyone wants to add me or has played with me my name is Anidem in the game, so if you see me try to kill me, if you can. (just joking, I don't think I am THAT good)
Score: 11/10

Guitar Hero 3 & 5:

I know what you will probably say "What you have 2 guitar heroeses! that is too many they are all the same" the truth is that I wanted 5, no I actually wanted Rock Band (yay!), but it wasn't available anywhere here in a bundle that came with a guitar but there was 3 with a guitar bundle and it was cheap so I got that. Then I needed more songs so I bought 5. They are both very good music games, the thing I have with these games is that they don't come with all the music I will like them to have (a matter of taste) and the guitar hero games have less music in their DLC catalog than the Rock Band ones so I wasn't tempted to keep playing them. Sometimes I play 5 but then it bores me and I don't play it for some very long time. In the end they are fun games that are actually funnier when you are playing them with someone else, maybe I am determined to think that Rock Band is better and therefore I lower my expectations with this series or maybe not and Rock Band is actually better (which I think It is because I played it for a prolonged time when I worked at a videogame store during summer)
Score: 8/10 (or maybe 7.5/10)

Final Fantasy XIII:

I haven't finished this game so my score can change in the near future, but I will review it anyway. In the graphics and sound department I have nothing bad to say about it, I actually dig the battle system and find it frenetic and fun to watch because, let's be honest, it takes the game pretty much from you and plays by itself but I don't have problems with that If I want I can change it and try to order the attacks and just get a little more control over it. The story is very confusing at the beginning and it stays like this until you arrive to Grand Pulse and after that you can actually order the pieces and get a coherent understanding of it, and its actually pretty cool. I read Jim's review and I agree with some of his complaints about the game but for me they aren't as unforgivable as he sees them, but it is his opinion and you can't blame the guy for not liking it. Other things are the linearity for the most part of the game (you know, the straight/one way, dungeons/corridors with just like one detour that has a treasure in it) but it opens up later when you arrive to Pulse. Also I hated Vanille's voice in the beginning but now I'm used to it so it doesn't matters to me anymore, Lightning is cool, Snow is a stereotype as so it is Hope, Sazh is funny and Fang is awesome, a pretty forgivable cast compared to the ones of the other titles like Balthier for example. Maybe is not what most of us expected but as a fan I love it and hope to finish it before this month ends or so.
Score (so far): 8.5/10

Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition:

One recommendation when playing this game: play it coop, is fun as hell when you do it. I played it with my sister who hates horror games because they scare her and at the beginning this wasn't the exception but then she started to laugh at the cheesy dialogues and the lack of something that scares you and started to see it for what it is: An action game that has little, if not nothing, of scary. Actually it has the same gameplay from 4 with a few retouches like the on screen inventory, or the ability give commands to your partner (when it is CPU controlled). One thing that did bother me though was the lack of a merchant like character from RE4, I fucking loved that guy it was hilarious (I always giggled when he said: "What are ya buying?" or "What are ya sellin?" hahaha) The game is action oriented and it has massive action set pieces and bosses, except for Wesker, it was cheap, boring and stupid as a last boss. How the fuck can a guy who has fucking matrix like powers and shit like that be defeated with a syringe and then melted in to lava to reappear as a tyrant wannabe that suddenly lost all of his fucking powers and dies with some knifing and two rockets to his face? (Yeah that was a rant) But anyway I loved to play it coop and I think you appreciate the game more that way. The extra modes like Mercenaries and Mercenaries reunion are entertaining as it is the online component even though I find it a little mediocre but what else could you do with it. Rants aside its great, not RE4 great, but great coop fun game that will grab you from start to finish, buy it if you have someone to play it with even if it is online. And as some people says, it's more of a little evolution than the revolution its predecessor was.
Score: 9/10

Pro Evolution Soccer 2010:

I love football, best sport ever, my country didn't pass the phase of sixteen but it showed an amazing performance and I hoped that any of you who are still watching the world cup where impressed with Chile because certainly most of the specialized press did. Now as for the game is the same I love and always will, it has some refinements in the gameplay and the menus are far superior to those in the 2009 version (those where fucking horrid) The online game is very laggy or at least it was for me. I have played it once and i lost like 5-0 because I was lagging as hell but please correct me if I'm wrong because I will love to play it online and see how my skills are compared to the people around the world. The typical game modes like friendly match, international cups and leagues are still there but the one that really catches me is Master league I can play that thing for hours and not be bored a minute. I love to play with AC Milan but not with the real players but the ones that are created in the game and start as an underdog and claim the top spot in my league and Europe If you have the game do it is awesome, addictive and funny as hell.
My score for this game is completely biased so please understand it.
Score: 10/10
Side note: I really hope Germany wins the World Cup, they have been at an incredible level of sportsmanship and team play, they destroyed both England and Argentina playing some of the best offensive football I have seen. I'm sure Spain is gonna be difficult but they will win. And if Paul the Octopus says they will win it will be so (That octopus is never wrong people)

Assassin's Creed 2:

I played and finished the first one on PC and I totally had the same complains as everyone else did: very promising but too repetitive and some very dull and boring side missions but loved the climbing and combat. This one fixed almost everything, better combat, better side missions, the main assassination missions are much more diverse than the ones on the first one, it has less off the animus time, which is a total +1 score in my book, better graphics, refined combat, the ability to contract people like whores or bandits, buy new weapons and armor upgrades, a health system and a more interesting story overall. This one breaks the rule of "second parts are never good" and it delivers with style and grace, I'm still shocked at how many things they did improved and what could have the first game become if it had this refinements. I haven't finished it yet (I'm in Venice) but I think it's enough for me to give it a score. Some complaints I have is that sometimes I get bored, I don't know why but I just quit the game also some character models look awkward (Lucy anyone?) But I love it, love renaissance Italy, the music and the fact that there are historical character's in it like Leonardo Da Vinci or Lorenzo di Medici. Still though is far from perfect and it sure lacks replay value which I hope Brotherhood will fix. And the collect things missions are not funny (feathers are boring) except for the subject 16 hidden messages.
Score: 9/10

Katamari Forever:

I loved the first one for PS2 and despite the fact that I haven't played a lot of this game I'm sure I will like it but it feels a little bit repetitive to me. I love the art style and the graphics, also the soundtrack is great. And I think that's it I will love to give this game a 10/10 but it doesn't deserve it is more of the same. Is not that having more is bad it's just that it is too similar to the first one like nothing has changed except for coop and bigger levels and things like that but there's is not a single thing in my view that adds another layer of gameplay that reinvigorates the game.
Score: 7.5/10

Little Big Planet GOTY Edition:

Sack Boy cutest thing ever? Maybe. This game is amazing I still haven't got the time to start creating a level but from what I've seen you can create some very fun things with the level creator. It's a game like no other really and I don't think there will ever be one without it being called a total ripoff of this soon to be series. I really love the costumes and ways you can dressed the character and the levels created by the developers are really amazing. It also helps that the graphics are beautiful and the soundtrack too, I loved the fact you can play your own music. This game has like infinite replay value because of it's 2 million plus community created levels and the fact they still keep doing them and they will all be compatible with the sequel, but it has its lows like the platforming. Jumping is sloppy or floaty put is very difficult to play some stages and it gets very frustrating after failing so many times I should also mentioned the fact that this is a platform mostly game and I say this because there are some levels that aren't like the ones where you can hope on a car or a user created look a like car. Still though is amazing and the sequel will give us more variety and more options because it will be a real game creator or so Media Molecule has said.
Score: 9.5/10

Uncharted 2 Among Thieves:

This is really the killer app, the best looking game this generation and one of the most amazing and fun action adventure games I have ever played. From the refinements in gameplay to the addition of an amazing multiplayer mode that includes, deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag like games and 3 player coop, it is the full package. Is perfect in every way, I haven't seen a single thing that can lower my perfect score from this even the stupid yeti that appears later in the game I can accept because I laughed at it and hated it because it took like 1000 bullets to kill. It has platforming, puzzle solving, shooting and the most Hollywood-esque cinematics ever seen in a videogame, the voice actors are great, the whole team of actors should win a price for outstanding achievement in voice acting in a videogame or something like that, the story is funnier than the first one and at the same time more interesting, the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good but with errors and it has this quirky funny scenes like the Marco Polo thing at the hotel or the fact that you can browse Drake's Journal and see his annotations and his Sully mustache drawings (Hilarious). If you ever one to show someone why he/she should buy a PS3 put this game in an HDTV with a 5.1 sound system and it will blew him/her away.
Score: 10/10


Somethings About E3


Nintendo
E3 was the return to glory, the biggest "forgive us for such lame press conferences the last 2 or 3 years" from Nintendo. They blew me away with everything they showed from Kirby made of string to the marvel the 3DS is (I can't fucking wait to see it with my own eyes, it has to be sorcery as Jim said). But one of the things that excited me the most was Skyward Sword, let me explain why. My first 2 blog posts on Dtoid where about a series of things I thought Nintendo should to improve Zelda and it looks like some of my prayers were answered. Things like mandatory MotionPlus, increased difficulty, more "open" or innovative dungeons are things that I have seen in the,E3 demo videos around the net so if you have some time go and check them out maybe I missed some points or you think I am wrong and shouldn't ever speak about improving Zelda or whatever. Other highlights were Metroid Other M, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Dragon Quest IX, hell even Mario Sports mix. I haven't given my Wii attention for along time and its there collecting dust but soon it will be used again when OtherM comes out.
Also I loved the fact that Nintendo totally changed its strategy and did the exact opposite of what Sony and Microsoft did: They already showed motion controls like 4 years ago, now its time to please the fans and the hardcore gamers with what they want, loved it, almost cried of pure happiness.

Sony
Oh Sony, I love you but you always seem to screw up somehow. Move is a total wii rip off even if they manage to make some cool games with it (which I have no doubt they will) that won't erase from my mind the fact that you copy Nintendo shamelessly. Aside from that I gotta say I was impressed with Killzone 3, Little Big Planet 2 (amazing), Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (even better looking that 2), Dead Space 2 (brutal and awesome) and a real release date for Gran Turismo 5 even though I don't think I will buy it. Playstation Plus looks interesting but I'm not so sure yet, I have to see what free games it comes with. Also Kevin Butler, cool, fun guy (came at the right time to save us from that boring 10 minute coca cola partnership no one cares) with the greatest speech ever anyone has said on a E3 press conference. MarcusPSP? bad, horrible, not funny or cool and it doesn't help that Nintendo totally killed the PSP after showing the 3DS. And that's it.

Microsoft
Skittles? Skittles? Dear lord... It was a casual fest in a hardcore infested room. Kinect is boring maybe it will be fun if Molyneux does a Black & White title or if someone creates a very good thing with it (oh there is: Child of Eden) but that's it. Other than that there was Gear 3, amazing as always, Fable 3 and Halo: Reach which will surely sell millions because it has the Halo name on it. But it had something amazing, incredible, beautiful and over the top: Metal Gear Solid RISING, OH MY GOD, greatest bad ass game ever, it was really amazing see all that destruction with a 1:1 precision cut. If this game supports move I will have to buy it, also watermelons.
Oh and Microsoft not even giving away free new xbox 360 slims saved you from this shameful presentation.

In the end Nintendo rocked everyone socks and took us to gaming heaven for like 2 hours.

Thank you for reading and sorry if I wasted your time this thing was huge and I'm supposed to be studying and I'm not because I got carried away with this, thanks again.

PS: My new user name is not permanent I'm still thinking of a new one, suggestions are welcome

It's been almost 7 months since I don't write anyting on my blog, the reason is that I didn't feel the need to. Even though I have been visiting the site every once in a while to check out gaming news and stuff. So, great things happened last year, I got myself a PS3 for christmas with Uncharted and MGS 4 and I loved both games more than i thought I would (specially uncharted) and since then I have acquiered some others (like guitar hero 5)

But I was waiting for FFXIII and then suddenly this huge earthquake came out of nowhere and took everyone by surprise (I'm from Chile for those of you that don't know). So after all this catastrofe and death tolls I got my FF fix to help me aleiviate the damage and to get my head out of these trouble times we are living in (but we will persevere I assure you that plus I did my share of support by giving supplies and clothes to the people that need it and I plan to help even more as time goes on).

So far I like FFXIII a lot. Im really diggin the battle system and accepting the linearity of the title as a whole even thoguh I haven't reached the certain part of the game where you can go to do all these sidequests. As for the story I gotta say is pretty interesting, I really like the fact that squareenix gave everyone of the playable characters the same importances (or at least almost the same importance, because you can assume that the "main one" is Lightning) and gave everyone of them very good backgrounds (except for Hope).

Speaking again of the battle system, I gotta say I like how fast it moves and even if it takes a while to understand it in its enteirty (like 15 hours of learning new things) once you know how it works you really find yourself having a fun time and not taking your eyes from the action at anytime.

On the graphics department is one of the most beautiful games I have ever seen, the worlds are gorgeous, very detailed and filled with all kinds of colors that blend both dreamscape-like and sci-fi settings. Characters models are also very well done with almost no weirdness (except for Lightnings fingers, on In-game videos, they seem too blocky and manly for a girl also they are different from those of the other females in the main cast, but that just me complaining a little too much)

The sound is also top notch with an amazing soundtrack and one of the most addictive battle themes of any RPG. Voice acting is excellent too except for Vanille that can get a little tiresome after some time (but then she just grows on you and you tend to accept that everytime you hear that high pitched voice is her again with some good-cheerup commentary)

In conclusion really like this game (although is obvious), so far is on my top list of Final Fantasy games of all time. Of course that there are some things that annoy me like the fact that of the advance of the story is battle-cutscene-battle-cutscene-Stage boss although i suposse is for the sake of the linearity and the fact that this Final Fantasy entry more than any other in the series has been made to appeal the masses more than the all time fans. I hope I will post my review when I finish so until next time and thank you for reading!