Merry Christmas and Congrats to GeekBeerz

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and plenty of games to keep you entertained for the next month :). Also, Congrats to GeekBeerz for making it into the new year, meaning that this was basically our first year of success! Lasting 1.0 to 4.0 theme updates, 6 podcast episodes, and still goin! And we have a very special surprise coming in early 2012, as of now you guys can call it:




                                                          * PROJECT SCION *




So Merry Christmas to all, now shut up and go play your games.

GeekBeerz vs Ju-on part 1 video now on youtube!

Hey guys, I finally put this video online! Craig is hilarious in this! It was hard to connect my camcorder due to my laptop's picky security, but I was finally able to do it. Here is the vid:


This will also be on youtube, we're hoping to get some comments soon. Part 2 and 3 will come on eventually, I have the actual video footage and Geoff has the audio so we'll have to plan a day to put it all together soon. until next time...

Pokemon's newly Announced game: Pokemon + Nobunaga's Ambition!

I expected the next game to be Gray version, Sherman expected the remakes of Ruby and Sapphire. But we got this..... uh....... wha!? A pokemon game with completley new gameplay and possibly a quest based story that's actually legit? Here's the teaser:


Apparently this takes place in a time long long before the events of red, blue, and yellow versions. If that's true then i have one question: Why is mewtwo there? wasn't he made in a lab during red, blue, and yellow era??? I guess a Psychic type could travel back in time or something.

So what does everyone think? Is this a good step for Gamefreak?

EDIT: Here's an english trailer with Youtube's new feature FREAKING SNOW!!!

Adventure/ RPG WINNERS!!!! a GBAwards exclusive

FIRST PLACE: Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception [PS3], Batman: Arkham City [PS3, 360, PC], AND Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [PS3, 360, PC]

Wow! a three way tie!!!! Now what should we call this? Batman: Skyrim's Deception??? these three majestic games made it into first place together by being most favored of all ten games within the genre of this year. While none of us on GeekBeerz have gotten to fully experience Uncharted 3 yet, we have certainly played batman and Skyrim and they are AWESOME! Go get one of these three games now!!!


SECOND PLACE: Assassin's Creed: Revelations [PS3, 360, PC]

While sadly being considered the lowest rated game in the assassin franchise, it's still a very high rated game and one that many still quite consider pleasing. It is time for everyone to know the ending of Ezio once and for all! And hopefully they will now make Assassin's creed 3 and release it in 2013-14.


THIRD PLACE: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword [Wii]

It won the best Wii game of 2011 award, and got close to winning the highest award on this one, but still managed to make it to third place. This is most likely one of the greatest Zelda games ever made. And indeed the best game to get for the Wii.


FOURTH PLACE: Dark Souls [PS3, 360]

Admit it, this is absolutely the hardest game to ever be made. But it's gameplay and large world maps make this a favorable game to waste 60 hours on.


FIFTH PLACE: Ratchet and Clank: All 4 one [PS3]

Ratchet and clank is already cool, but making this new game member a four player experience just makes the whole game a complete package.

Very good games in these two genres. No wonder why three tied, They are all just way too awesome to be lesser than the other. [more about these on the GBAwards page]

FPS WINNERS!!!!! a GBAwards exclusive

FIRST PLACE: Crysis 2 [PS3, 360, PC]

The first successful sandbox was highly praised when first released on the PC, and it's sequel is just as magnificent and even console owners got to share the beauty. It should also win an award for best graphics ever. I know I know, graphics don't make a game, but they can sometimes make the experience and damn! this one makes a goooood experience.


SECOND PLACE: Resistance 3 [PS3]

The first in the title was a great game for being one of the first to ever come out for the PS3, the second game wasn't as appreciated as one would hope, the PSP spinoff sucked, but now we have the third and final one in the trilogy. This one, without sounding prideful, IS the best of the trilogy. And the best part is that they now introduced a survival horror aspect to it! that alone costs 60 bucks in my book.


THIRD PLACE: Gears of War 3 [360]

I already spilled the beans as to why this game rocks when it won the best 360 game award, so I won't say too much more other than that anyone who owns any 360 0f any kind should conisder getting this.



FOURTH PLACE: Killzone 3 [PS3]

Sony had two specific games that were third entrees to their licenses this year, one of them was Killzone 3. Again, this third one is the best of the now trilogy of killzone. This one easily dominates for it's better story and better feel of war. Also, this game has that feel of "metal against metal" unlike the last two games which have had "metal against pillows" feel.


FIFTH PLACE: Call of Duty MW3 [PS3, 360, Wii, DS, PC]

Many people have mixed feelings about the call of duty games now. Those opinions might eventually destroy the future of call of duty for good, but not Infinity ward's final modern warfare installment. While the ending of the game wasn't as amazing as many would have wanted, but given that this entree has given us the best look for a world war III universe it deserves to at least be on the top five.


There you go, until next time. [see more about these games on the GBAwards page]

Puzzle Winners!!!!!!! a GBAwards exclusive

FIRST PLACE: Portal 2 [PS3, 360, PC]

Whenever you think of a puzzle game, or somebody asks you if you know of one, only one specific game comes to mind: PORTAL! In this case it's the newly released sequel, which again was appropriately made by Valve. With more character and more detail into the test chambers themselves, Portal 2 is easily a win for 2011!


SECOND PLACE: Catherine [PS3, 360, PC]

While bizzare and strange to some, Catherine was still a good game amongst all other puzzlers. And the idea of surviving a mysterious nightmare every night in order to survive the next day is one that not many can ignore.

THIRD PLACE: N/A

FOURTH PLACE: Tetris remake [PS3]

We all knew what to expect from this game, which is basically the same recycled stuff from previous titles. Sure now there's more pizazz, but it still doesn't help with this now stale franchise. However, it still managed to get itself surprising noticed.

FIFTH PLACE: N/A

I know it's sad that puzzle games weren't big this year, possibly becuase they knew Valve would dominate. Hopefully next year we'll get more, and more worth our money. [see more about these contestants on the GBAwards page]

Skyrim modders add multiplayer

People find new ways to surprise me everyday, but this by far takes the cake. A new mod has been created for Skyrim that adds multiplayer functionality, complete with a friends list and a chat box. At this point, it's in its alpha stages. The character models it uses for other people are just the basic prisoner model and animations don't work yet. You can download the mod here, but be warned, the mod requires A LOT of tampering with the source files of the game. Here's a video of how it looks now.



Let's see how Bethesda reacts to this with their next game.

Square Enix servers hacked

This year, we've seen many game company's servers get hacked. It didn't really come as a surprise reading this email I got this morning:

Dear Square Enix Member,

You are receiving this email because Square Enix detected a limited server intrusion on December 12, 2011, and temporarily suspended the US/JP editions of the SQUARE ENIX MEMBERS service in order to conduct an investigation.

Based on our investigation, we have found no evidence at this point that any personal information was accessed. User login credentials and credit card information are not stored on the affected server. We are continuing to investigate.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the temporary suspension of the SQUARE ENIX MEMBERS service. We take data security extremely seriously and we regret any inconvenience this may have caused our customers and fans. We appreciate your patience and support at this time as we finalize our investigation in the next few days.

Any updates will be posted on our corporate website at: http://www.square-enix.com/na/

Sincerely,

SQUARE ENIX

So I think you know what to do by this time. Have fun changing your passwords :)

Metal Gear Rising new teaser, and dead before Platinum?

First of all, here's the teaser:



Now doesn't that just look bada$$!? Well after watching that, it's surprising that the game was actually cancelled before another development team took over the product.
Apparently the original development team lost interest in whatever the bloody hacking and slashing game had for a story, so Kajima decided that the game would be cancelled. that is until Platinum games (creators of Vanquish) decided to take over production for the game. Meaning now that the game will have a different story than what was originally intended.

So what do you guys think? does it upset you that the game is now under a new development team? Or do you just care if the game will be a success or not?

New teasers for "the Last of Us", "Fortnite", and "Fall of Cybertron"

It's now the month for the VGA 2011, where new games and teasers are promoted and announced. And 3 in particular really showed off new goodies! The first teaser is for a recently announced game called the Last of Us:



It is a recently announced game from the Naughty Dog dudes (you know, the masterminds behind Uncharted) so I expect this game to have some similar epic sequences like those seen in the uncharted games.
the story is about a zombie post apocalyptic world where both zombies and humans are killing each other to survive. Sadly this is a PS3 exclusive, so Xbox fans are going to miss out.

The next teaser is a game being developed by the masterminds of gears of war, here's the teaser:




A very strange approach, to go from a very gory realistic game to a somewhat cartoony game with graphics similiar to that of team fortress 2. Apparently the basic point of the game is to wreck havoc and steal things to later build up a fortress from whatever you stole to protect yourself from strange creatures. As of now, I have no real interest in this game.

Now for the next, and my personal favorite, teaser for the next installment in High Moon's transformers cybertron franchise:




Holy sh*t! I loved the first epic game, and I already had high hopes for the sequel, but dang!
The story takes place almost exactly where the first game ended, with the planet dying and the inhabitants evacuating. And this time they have introduced the freakin Dinobots!!!

Unlike the first game, where it was an over-the-shoulder shooter like gears of war and a vehicle battle like twisted metal, now you are able to play RPG style with the Dinobots who only use mideval like weapons to bring all kinds of hell. I'm going to have fun in fall 2012 :)

So what do you guys think? do any of these game teasers excite you or do you guys need more convincing?

More exclusive Console winners : a GBAwards exclusive!

This time we have the Xbox 360, PSP, and Nintendo 3DS exclusive winners. Some might agree, others will have their own opinions. But here they are:

*platinum winner*
Gears of War 3

Console: Xbox 360

Released: September 2011

Admit it, we all LOVE to play gears of war. And that is why the third entry is considered the best Xbox exclusive of this year. Like the PS3, the Xbox also had some pretty good exclusives for 2011. But Gears of war 3 wins becuase of its epic praise from fans and its perfect example of how good an over-the-shoulder shooter should really be like. And you also have to admit, we all like blood and gore every now and then, and this game has great desires to spill all that in your face without warning. Thank you Microsoft for continuing this franchise and, hopefully, continuing it in the future to come.

Runner ups:

Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary *gold*

Rise of Nightmares *silver*

Dance Central 2 *bronze*

Minecraft *beer*(people actually like this turd, so it had to be put on)

*platinum winner*
Corpse Party

Console: PSP

Released: December 2011

This game just barely made it into the year, being only released last week, but it turned out to be a good Horror game for the PSP. the handheld playstation has not released many games this year, due to advertising for the Xpheria phone and preparing for the PSVITA, so there were only a few games to compete with. But trust me, Corpse party gives you exactly what the title says. it's a horror game that focuses more on the death sequences and gorefest side of fear. It is a game that cannot be missed. So thank you Sony for giving the PSP one last game to enjoy before the PSVITA's release.

Runner ups:

the Valkyria chronicles III *gold*

N/A *silver*

Macross triangle frontier *bronze*

N/A *beer*

*platinum winner*
Super Mario 3DS

Console: Nintendo 3DS

Released: November 2011

When a new handheld system is in danger, Mario comes to the rescue! if it wasn't for the fanbase over the Mario games and the release of this new handheld game, the 3DS would have easily been in trouble. Sure star fox and Zelda came out two, and were also great games, but it seems that people praise mario even more than those great classics. So thanks Nintendo for saving a Hand held that has great potential for the future.

Runner ups:

Star Fox 64 3D *gold*

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time *silver* [i remembered how to spell Ocarina :)]

Street Fighter IV: 3D *bronze*

Pac-man and Galaga Dimensions *beer*

until next time...

Greatest Console exclusive games: a GBAwards exclusive!

Now we'll get to see which games were considered the best for two specific consoles, games that are exclusive to that console only. Today we just have two console winners. The next will be Xbox sometime later this week. Now here are the two console exclusive winners:

*platinum winner*
LittleBIGplanet 2

console: PS3

Release: January 2011

Surprisingly, a lot of really good PS3 exclusives came out this year. All were neck and neck to be the greatest, but in the end it was LittleBigPlanet 2 that achieved. Perhaps it's the fact that you're able to create entire games on this fabulous platformer, or maybe it's the family friendly fun that never gets boring. LBP also succeeds in the multiplayer aspect that allows you to play locally with three other people. It seems no matter how many times you play this, you will always find something you've never seen the last time you played. Good job LBP and thank you Sony for making LBP a future legacy.

Runner ups:

Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception *gold*

Infamous 2 *silver*

Killzone 3 *bronze*

Resistance 3 *beer*

*platinum winner*
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Console: Wii

Released: November 2011

When this game was announced, and after almost a full year of waiting, we knew that this game had great potential. It presented itself nicely and the gameplay itself is well achieved. besides the Ocriana (Ocrana?) of time 3DS remake, this is the newest Zelda game that we've gotten since what seems like forever, and boy was the wait worth it. Not only was this the Wii's last great game, and this years best Wii game, but it perhaps is the greatest Wii game to ever be made. Thank you Nintendo for allowing us to play as link on the Wii one last time.

Runnerups:

Xenoblade *gold* (foreign but it still had great success)

Kirbys Return to dreamland *silver*

Mario sports mix *bronze*

N/A *beer*

[NOTE: 2011 was not the best year for the Wii. Besides the amazing Skyward Sword, not many other Wii exclusive games came out or were worth mentioning. This is probably due to their preparations for the Wii U]

now these are just the rewards for greatest console exclusives, we still have the contests for greatest game of a specific genre. until next time...

introducing the GBAwards

.

I realize that we are nearing the end of the year 2011, and we have had some really awesome games come out this year, and a few crappy ones. I thought that it'd be fun to see what were the most favored and the least noticed by not just the geekbeerz team but from everyone in general. I figure that every gaming reviewer does something like this so, what the heck, we should too.

First, we'll look into the best 5 games in each specific genre. which are:

Rpg, Fps, Horror, Puzzle, Strategy, Platformer, Handheld, and action

then after that, we'll narrow it down to the top 5 greatest games of all time of 2011. and perhaps pick the greatest for each console.

Here are the prizes that will be given:
.



the GBAward: this award goes to the greatest game ever made in 2011. The one that everyone agrees was amazing and stands out over every other game of this year. only one of these awards will be given.

the Platinum award (first place): the award that goes to the best game of a specific genre. the one that wins a majority of the votes.

the Gold award (second place): given to the second best game of a specific genre.

the Silver award (third place): given to the third best game of a specific genre.the Bronze award (fourth place): given to the fourth best game of a specific genre.



the Beer award (fifth place): given to the fifth best game of a specific genre. a game that managed to at least make it to the top five.


I hope that everyone participates :)

Xenoblade to come to the US?

There's a rumor that Xenoblade, a JRPG published by Nintendo, will finally be seeing a US release some time in April 2012. Previously, it suffered the same fate as Fatal Frame 4 a few years back. Fortunately for Xenoblade however, it got a UK release, making it slightly easier to import with minor soft modding. The only downside with this news is that if it does come out, it will be a Gamestop exclusive item.

I'm really excited for this to come out over here, but if my money is going to Gamestop, it makes me reconsider buying it at all. I don't want this to turn into a Gamestop rant. If you want that, click this link. Despite that fact of the place selling it, I'm still very much so hoping that this news is true. Below is a trailer for the game.



Hopefully some of the other fantastic games that Operation Rainfall are trying to get over here make it as well.

Source: ScrewAttack (video)
Neogaf