The Lair of the Monkey

That’s me, not the blog.  So I’d suggest you go and grab a steaming mug of tea, sit down and read some archived posts on this here gaming blog.  There’s plenty to choose from in all sorts of categories so you should find something to entertain you.  Why not search for something like Silent Hill or go read my great arcade games feature.  That’s right, I didn’t link it.  Now you officially have to go and search for it.  And no, I won’t tell you why I’m going away, but it’s not going to be fun is all I can say.  Enjoy, keep playing games whatever your chosen format(s) and don’t buy any HD-DVD’s!

I’ll leave you with Kasumi from Dead or Alive - enjoy!

Who the hell is that?

Well, it just happens to be the producer for Street Fighter 4, and he’s taking us 3D.  Sort of.  Go over to Kotaku and watch the interview.  All will become clear.

The BBC has a great article written to highlight what has come about from the recent panel brought together by the one and only Dave Perry.  The following is an excerpt:

Data sent over fibre optic networks is subject to the limitations of the speed of light, which means interactivity between the server and gamer will never have a latency below 70 milliseconds.

That could impact the kinds of experiences it was possible to offer people in the future because data could not move back and forth fast enough.

In the short term, Mr Young, said different devices, from consoles to the web and PCs, would co-exist in the home.

“For content creators your canvas just got bigger,” he said.

Raph Koster, who was the lead designer on Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, said the console industry was already being beaten by the web.

“Overall if you look at audience reach, quantity of games made and for that matter, although its difficult to measure, creativity, the web is kicking the console industry’s ass in a major way.”

The rest is after the click.

Gears of War 2 on the Xbox 360 has been announced for November 2008.  You heard it here - but not first.  What can I say, if it’s as good as the first, albeit maybe with a little more depth (but let’s face it, the gameplay was compulsive) we’ll all have a great time.

Check out the post over at Forever Geek - there’s a new weird gaming headset.  Not only has it got a gyroscope to pick up your movement but it can also realise any emotion you have and respond to it.  It might even read your mind!  More info after the leap…

Kotaku has featured the upcoming new edition of The Witcher on the PC.  It has some new additions including:

Small tweaks like shortening load times and increasing combat accuracy are just the beginning. The English language version of the game has been completely reworked to include text left out of the initial release, while the German version is getting redone voice overs. CD Projekt is adding over 50 new supporting character models to further immersion, with 100 new animated gestures added to make conversation flow more naturally. 

So there you have it.  The best PC roleplayer of the year just got better…

I’ve made no bones about the fact that Devil May Cry 4 is a brilliant game, what with amazing third person action, upgradable weapons, full on video sequences and rather interesting (if incredibly similar) characters. What I don’t like though, is the PS3 version. Why is that?

IT TAKES 22 MINUTES TO INSTALL

Now, in case you didn’t read the above correctly, let me restate it on this gaming blog… THE PS3 VERSION OF DMC4 TAKES 22 MINUTES TO INSTALL BEFORE YOU CAN PLAY IT. Why is that? Well frankly I have no idea - and whatever I hear, it’s not a good enough answer. If I could install and play Crysis in less time than that, whatever Capcom have done, the seemingly odd second you save here and there as compared to the Xbox 360 version doesn’t justify this at all. I thought the whole reason we played consoles was because it was quicker and easier to get to the action? This is the sort of stuff that REALLY makes me mad. GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Look how pretty the action is - just don’t expect to get there soon if you’re just putting the DVD disc into your PS3…

You, dear readers, are extremely lucky.  Over at Kotaku I’ve discovered that there is yet another announcement concerning what is sure to be the best game ever (!!?!?!?!?) - Street Fighter 4.  This time, a new character is shown in the form of Abel.  This is a guy with no memory - though he looks like he’s dressed in some sort of kickboxing attire.  Why on Earth he entered a brutal martial arts tournament when he could be trying to find out who he is remains to be seen…

Yes, that includes me.  The latest Bioware newsletter has all the skinny on it but basically everyone’s out in praise of this epic sci-fi action-based role-player.  Could I have fitted in any more hyphen/dash use?  I doubt it….

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a bit of Dead Space on Xbox 360, which is impressive.  The game is a sci-fi survival horror - you’ll be sure to be impressed by the video on the EA site.  Go and read my preview at Forever Geek…