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Video Game Lair
Thoughts of a Wandering Gamer

GDC!

2/29/2012

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GDC is just around the corner, and I can't wait to head to the Moscone center in San Francisco again to check out the show floor! This year, I won't be going to the summits and tutorials, but I'm hoping to talk to plenty of people at developer booths and around the city. GDC is more about networking than game announcements, but the year-end awards ceremony usually has a surprise or two, and it's exciting to see the new tech that will drive the games of the future.

I know Epic will be showing off Unreal Engine 4 behind closed doors and I can't wait to see the reaction. Last year, the 3ds and Vita graced the show floor (though the vita was encased in bulletproof glass), and now that the handhelds are both on the market, I wonder which developers will be recruiting for future handheld projects. It doesn't seem like there will be any new gadgets on display, so the focus will be squarely on games.

I met a ton of people at GDC the past two years and I hope to meet many more this year!
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Plants Vs. Zombies Vita Review

2/25/2012

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Plants Vs. Zombies has landed on almost every platform in the known world, and now it comes to Vita. In many ways, the Vita is the perfect place to play this great game with its huge screen, touch controls, and easy sunlight-collecting capabilities. Read the whole review here!
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The Vita: Week Two.

2/23/2012

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Well, I've had one week with the Vita, and I'm becoming more and more impressed with the system each day. Using the touchscreen to navigate the apps is great, and even in the past week, Twitter, Facebook and Netflix apps have landed on the system, making it all the more useful. I've downloaded Stardust and Plants Vs. Zombies, and so far I'm loving the ability to jump out of one game and into another in a matter of seconds. The screen continues to impress me. I'm honestly waiting for a kindle app so I can read books on this thing! I think at this point, the Vita has left the PSP in the dust. It's a much more robust system, and I think there's a huge potential for future apps, and of course games on Sony's newest baby.
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Sorry PSP...
There are a few drawbacks though. 1. PS1 classics don't work on the system yet. Why wasn't this included at launch? I'm craving some good old RPG's, and the Vita would be the perfect way to play them. 2. The battery life, while respectable, could always be longer. If I'm playing games non-stop, I'm getting around 4-5 hours out of the battery. With how powerful the system is, this is expected, but I still want more. Since I can do so much on the system, I'm constantly using it, and therefore have to charge it often. Good thing the sleep mode is so efficient. 3. There still isn't a killer app. Sure, Uncharted was awesome, and I'm really excited to pick up Rayman, but those are both games that have been done before (Rayman's a direct port!). There isn't anything truly new out yet, and until Gravity Rush, I don't think there will be aside from some PSN games.

That's a pretty minor list of quibbles. Even though Uncharted is the only "killer app" for the Vita so far, I'm thoroughly enjoying every game I've played on the system. In a few months, I think there will be a few more "must play" games that help the Vita stand on its own as a desirable handheld. If the games keep coming, I'll have no problem calling the Vita my favorite handheld of all time. The GBA SP will put up a good fight, but in the end, I can just do more on my Vita.
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Uncharted: Golden Abyss Review is live!

2/22/2012

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The day has finally arrived. Uncharted is on a handheld. Can it possibly hold up to its big brothers on the PS3? Read my review here to find out!
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The screenshot is a pretty good indication though...
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Vita Now Has Netflix!

2/21/2012

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Along with today's PSN update came the Netflix app for Vita. It hasn't showed up in the Vita's store yet, but you can download it from your PS3 and transfer it to your Vita using the data manager. The UI is just as bad as it is on PS3, but videos load quickly and look great on the Vita's screen.

Next on my wishlist is a Kindle app. I'd love to be able to read books on that five inch screen.

If apps like this keep flowing in, the Vita might be a worthy tablet replacement!
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Vita Hardware Review

2/15/2012

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My Vita arrived in the mail today, and I've had hours to play around with it. So far, I'm thoroughly impressed by the games, the software, and the system itself. The five inch OLED screen is beautiful, we've finally got dual analog sticks in a handheld, and the device feels and plays like a portable PS3. Read my full review and see more pics here!
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Stay tuned in the coming weeks for my Vita game reviews.
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Vita games are small!

2/13/2012

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My copy of Uncharted: Golden Abyss and my 8 gig memory card got here today, and I was shocked at how small the game cases are.
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As you can see, the Vita game cases aren't much larger than 3DS game cases. I was disappointingly devoid of a manual, but I guess it's better to start getting used to the extinction of paper manuals at this point. The blue plastic resembles a blu-ray case, only more opaque. The game carts themselves are about 1/3 as thick and 2/3 as tall and wide as 3DS cartridges.
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One thing's for sure: having Uncharted is making it extremely hard to wait for the system to arrive. Tune in on Wednesday the 15th to see my first impressions of the system itself!
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Mario Kart 7 Review

2/12/2012

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There's just something about playing Mario Kart on a handheld that feels so right! The 3DS has finally gotten in on the Mario Kart action. Read on to see how the newest entry in the series is here.
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Final Fantasy XIII Review

2/4/2012

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Now that Final Fantasy XIII-2 is out, I decided to finally review Final Fantasy XIII. It's a game that I wanted to like, but it has some big problems. Some may be able to put up with the linear environments, annoying characters and odd pacing decisions, but I couldn't bring myself to finish the game, even after investing thirty hours to play through eleven chapters. Check out my review here.
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