Hello gamers and yes this thought might cause a problem, just like everything in our gaming community. Because opinions are like crossing enemy borders, even though it is a peaceful walk; they just do not like how you strut. That is fine because that is what we do as gamers and so far for the past few months the debate started. After information came to light about GTA V certain people started to question this new 3 point of view gameplay. I didn’t think about it at first until recently where it might collapse upon itself. The characters of Franklin, Michael and Trevor are all in doubt interesting characters, but once the trailers released; almost everyone was gearing towards Trevor. Before I get any further Watchdogs is the new Open World espionage game that does something different from other sandbox titles. The hack everything features is a different kind of ability that has not really been done for an open world game where you control everything that has a chip in it. Please try to keep an open mind during the post.

When I first saw the three trailers of the Grand Theft Auto V title and boom Trevor is the best character out of the three. I say this because he is the chaos of the story that everyone will enjoy playing, he is the character that steps outside of the rules and looks to get into a lot of fun trouble. Between Michael and Franklin; their story-line is pretty cliché. It is already starting to be a popularity contest and so far Trevor is winning, but that in it brought up questions about the title now where some are saying which will be the sandbox winner this fall?

Now Watchdogs is what I feel a mixture of Bourne Identity with the 1995 movie Hackers. This sandbox looks to have a nice weight to it since you are a specific revenge mission, but with the ability to tap into any piece of tech all over the city. Indeed this is a cliché plot with a more technical weapon to enact your missions. The plot surrounding Watchdogs is about information warfare since the world is pretty much running on computers. It begs the questions of who exactly is running the computers everyone depends on. It is an action induced thrill ride that I hope they keep things hidden about the story and antagonist.

In that being said I went around and asked some people, as well as fans on my page what do they feel would be the true sandbox power house this fall? I was happy with the feedback because even though GTA has a strong following, some feel that the best of the series was San Andreas. I thought it was Vice City, but that was just 80′s nostalgia at its best for me. When GTA IV came out it was step up for them graphic wise for the next gen consoles, but there was something lacking in my opinion or rather too many annoying situations with the cell phone feature. Keeping up with morality was an intriguing challenge, but came at the wrong time when you are on a mission. I know they was going after the real factor of the matter, but nothing like being in a middle of a gun fight with your cousin calling to go to a titty bar to make you want to smash your phone. That is just me though, but here is the original question I asked the fans.

“Now that GTA V is coming out you will get three characters to choose from and already even in the ads people are mostly interested in Trevor who is the crazy and seem to cause the most chaos! It comes to mind of quality over quantity. Now WatchDogs has you going through the world using your hacking abilities to infiltrate and regulate on your opponents. Pretty much hacking the planet to work in your favor is a badass new concept. Now here is the question I ask you all. Since both are coming out at the same time and I know GTA has a long following. Do you Think WatchDogs can take the win?”

The first to respond was Clorice Zombiemom Reyes: “I’m going with Watch Dogs!
I am anticipating Watch Dogs because it not only looks impressive, but the whole thing of the game is more what I find enjoyable and I’m just not a GTA fan. However, I have to say that I may still try out GTA V because it sounds like there will be a lot more to it than the usual.”

Now George Miyares gave his reasons why he is sticking with GTA: ” it’s all about gta v every game wishes it could be what gta is it’s always been the biggest sand box game and the best 1 and it’ll only get better, watchdogs is way out of its league there’s no competition here.”

I wanted George to elaborate more on why he felt GTA in his opinion will remain supreme over all, so I decided to have a discussion with him to further his thoughts.

Kuma: All right so I take you are a full on GTA fan which is cool. Care to elaborate more on your feelings why WatchDogs will fail?

George: I never said watchdogs will fail I just said it won’t be able to complete with gta but I’m sure there’s people that will buy both or one or the other but there’s just no competition because gta is the one that began massive sandbox games and every game no matter what type of style of gameplay they all want to be like gta, just look at the graphics for gta they’re always 1 step ahead of everyone else there graphics look like ps4 graphics.

Kuma: That is where I am going to have to disagree because of games like Sleeping Dogs and Saints Row, forced GTA to upgrade their game mechanics, hence why they are trying to push more about the driving mechanics and all around combat with GTA. Graphics are fine and all, but the one thing GTA was lacking was the gameplay element in their controls.

George: I agree with you there but I disagree with them changing their game mechanics because of sleeping dogs cause gta was announced October 25th 2011.

I like to thank the community of RAM where one of their members was happy to share their opinion as well. Thanks to Danny Fernando for expressing his own feelings on the versus match up.

“Personally I wanna say GTA but I know Watch Dogs is gonna win, it’s cool, its bad ass, its seriously high tech and its freaking bad ass level is probably over 9000… But seriously… i have a feeling Watch Dogs would win, but if I were to choose I’d chose GTA just because after seeing some of the new game play footage, it looks quite interesting… VERY interesting, compared to all the old ones. I like GTA… i like kicking little annoying kids in the face, or stealing some dudes Dodge Charger…or even a heli… with the new GTA coming out, not only do you get the point of view from one character but you get the P.O.V. from 3!!!!!! lol… I’m excited for GTA more than watch dogs… though i do gotta say… watch dogs DOES look pretty interesting as well.”

In the end I am going to get both, but I am not going to lie and say Trevor already has my vote for being the best and most interesting part of the GTA title. However WatchDogs is going to have my full attention this November, but GTA will have the lead when it drops September 17th, so that will be a two month advantage for Rockstar. In the mean time I hope to hear some constructive feedback from you the audience on this topic. Either way if you want a jump on either title, please head on over to Kuma’s aStore to pre-order from amazon. Stay frosty gamers!

Baseball is a game that I love. I can’t tell you what my first experience with it was (cause my memory is shot), but my house was full of Yankee fans, yet my Dad was kind of a closet Met fan. Imagine how happy I was when by age 12, when I acquired my first game console (the infamous 8-bit Nintendo) and a game called RBI Baseball. Yeah, I know…Bases Loaded was the game to have but RBI was sweet nectar in comparison. Fast forward to the present and the latest, greatest Baseball game – Sony’s MLB: The Show franchise. The game has not only been the best possible sports simulator, but it has ousted other franchises. Not something that can be easily done unless your name is EA. As far as a lot of us are concerned, it is the penultimate Baseball video game. Where other franchises like MVP, 2K and a bunch of others have failed, Sony has cleaned house and took over.

I have purchased and played MLB:TS since 2008. Prior to that me and my friend Adam beat the hell out of MVP Baseball and loved it because it had such a deep playability (If you can remember, you could play and work up any minor league players “by hand” so to speak). Since then, I haven’t seen that possibility outside of MLB’s much ballyhooed RTTS (Road to the Show). That has really been what has helped MLB become what it is today. But time….well, time is a bit of a bitch and this game is losing its hold on me. One of the things that developers fail to realize (in my opinion), is that small improvements may keep’em coming, but it also leads to ignoring your product. You can include all that is thought to be worthwhile. But Sony keeps forgetting the most important part. Since I have an inordinate amount of experience with Baseball games, I’ll help break it down for you…

Competition is at the heart of every game known to man. It, and winning, is the basis for the existence of gaming. The majority of what gamers enjoy is being able to face either the AI or their best buddies in a lively match for bragging rights, a lunch at either ones expense, or just to kill time. But the one facet that exists that isn’t spoken about when it comes to sports based video games is this: FUN. That’s it. If it isn’t fun then you can’t begin to enjoy the game. This is a problem for almost all sports games. Game developers have entrenched themselves into the concept of bringing forth a simulation of the sport, that they forget that you gotta have fun! I’ve come across a few games (mostly sports related) that feel like in order to play them, you have to dedicate yourself to them as if they were a job. Once you start to create your team/player/season/franchise etc, you then have a chance at playing the actual game. You do more prep work than anything else. If you were to take a survey of sports related gamers, you’d find that a good portion of them will tell you that they spend over 35% of their gaming experience working their rosters/players to epic heights. Sometimes, depending on the person, it may be higher. This is especially true for those who go into CAC (Gamers know this acronym, but to those who don’t: Create A Character). Once you do this, it is a requirement that concentrate your time and efforts to this creation of yours in order to receive trophies and such. Granted those aspects of games are placed there and used by consumers who like that kind of stuff, so this isn’t a knock at them. What I’m trying to get at is: why can’t you just play a game from the onset and have fun with it? I enjoy game depth as much as the next person, but these levels are so deep they look like the rabbit hole Dorothy and Toto fell into.

The answer as to why this is the way it is, is kind of easy. It’s our fault. We ask developers to come up with new and interesting ways to keep our attention, they do it, then we’re swamped. We are hit with so much content that the game looks as if you should’ve written up a resume and cover letter. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy challenges. I have found myself staying awake at times past 1 am just to get past my high score on Temple Run 2, just like others. But simply put the efforts to make these games realistically challenging can make their allure shine bright like an old penny. I’ll take my money and put it towards a seat in the nosebleeds of Yankee Stadium if I want to see the challenge as up close as I can afford. Sony, your Road to the Show is leading me away from MLB: The Show franchise and towards the real deal.

I swear the more I get information about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows direct download game; the more I get shell shocked. This time around we get a look at the fiercer of the green machine, my favorite character of the series Raphael. I have related to Raph for many years and the first time I saw the live action TMNT movie in 1990, I was for a better form of emotion “Shell Shocked”. I say this now, when TMNT: Out of the Shadows releases; Raph is all mines to use in this title. In that being said please enjoy the video to see why I claimed to be Raphael!

I particular enjoy Raphael for his more brawler style of combat and of course being more of kick your shell first and still don’t bother to ask any questions. He is the toughest out of the four, might not be the brightest when it comes to be logical. However I am not much of genius when it comes to logic, but I assure you I will get an A in butt kicking when TMNT: Out of the Shadows finally drops this summer for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Stay frosty gamers!

Be sure to check out the Michelangelo Preview: KKEnt Preview of TMNT Mikey Trailer

Hello fans and welcome back to this months Honorable Mention, where I Kuma interview those select few in our entertainment community that deserve to be mentioned. There are a lot of fascinating gamers, musicians, artist and bloggers out there communicating with the masses. I just want to spread their word and work around even more. This month we have a sit down with Ms. Elly Honda who I first met on another gaming page and funny to find out it is a small world since we shared mutual friends with many other gamers. Elly is a fascinating gamer who, also enjoys Conventions and dressing up in Lolita wear. It would be foolish of me not to get an in-depth look at this particular gamer and her life.

Kuma: This month in our Honorable mention we have Ms. Elly Honda. A very vivid gamer and fantastic Lolita of the Millenium. Elly tell us a bit about yourself?

Elly: Hiya! I was born and raised in the Washington D.C area, and currently live in Oceanside, California!
There’s always been games in my life. I don’t remember a time where there wasn’t. Ever since I was old enough to hold a controller, I’ve been playing games. I remember being tiny and holding up the duck hunt gun (but being terrible at it, I pointed the gun directly to the tv…I thought I was cleaver *laughs*) I had a computer ever since 5 or 6, and my parents got lots of educational games for me to play. We had the internet very early on. There always been games.

Kuma: Wow during that time what would of been the first game you accomplished and paved your way to going into games fully?

Elly: Hmmm, the first game I accomplished. I’m pretty sure it was something like Madeline for the PC at a very young age. Or some other educational children’s game. As far as a game that changed my life and paved the way for me to be a gamer forever, I will have to say Final Fantasy VII. While saying that automatically makes some people face-palm into oblivion, hear me out. It came out when I was about seven, and my family had just gotten a Playstation One. It was one of the first games we got for it (along with Crash Bandicoot), and I was completely in awe that it was on disks (three!). It was the first time in my life that a game wasn’t a cartridge. I opened the insert and looked through the characters, and decided Aeris was my favorite. (oh, my face when she died….*laughs*) We popped the game in and my brother, who was good at all games, was having trouble getting used to an RPG. I decided that this game must be glorious. The music from Nobuo Uematsu overtook my ears, and the concept of an actual in-depth story excited me. I didn’t go to the best schools growing up, and I couldn’t really spell or read much to save my life…..But I wanted to play this game. My brother would read all the words to me, but after a while, he didn’t feel like doing it anymore. It forced me to learn to read. I started sounding out the words, and he would quickly go to the next screen. It forced me to learn to read faster. FFVII literally taught me how to read. It taught me how to spell. I became the best at it in my entire school.

Kuma: It is cool that an RPG was the gateway to reading and in some cases a new language if you got the imports. With that positive spin how do you feel about societies views on gamers?

Elly: I don’t really care about societies view on gamers. People have negative feelings towards a lot of things they don’t know about. Its neither here nor there, for me. I just continue doing my thing. I’ve always been an outcast growing up, and I didn’t mind it. While a lot of kids were doing drugs, didn’t know how to read at all, getting accidently pregnant as young as 13, I was playing games. I was learning. I was reading. I was completely out of trouble and growing in creativity. I wasn’t out in the streets. I don’t feel the need to go out and hurt anyone because I play simulations. Some random politician who has grown up in a good neighborhood all their lives is going to tell me about myself? You can cry about it or you can just move on. The only view I truly take to heart is Jesus’s view on me. Not much else matters. That being said, I don’t think very young children (and some adults with anger issues or whatever) should play certain games—but that’s for every form of media, entertainment, and so on.

Kuma: Interesting point and you are commended for not falling into societies views. However other than gaming what other hobbies or talents you take up?

Elly: I don’t think I have many talents that most of the world thinks are cool *laughs* I am very patient, especially with children (even though I have none). I can forgive people for things that most people would not. I don’t believe in unforgiveness. There is nothing anyone could do to me that I wouldn’t forgive. (this doesn’t mean I open myself to get taken advantage of! Huge difference!) People say I have relatively good advice. I’m overwhelmingly clumsy to the point that it may be a talent that I’m still alive *laughs*. As far as hobbies, well, I’ve painted my coffee table a month ago (red, black, and gold)–and that was pretty fun. Decorating the house I’ve recently moved into has been rather fun. I’m into makeup and the artistry therein. Lolita fashion. Although, admittedly, I haven’t worn it as much as usual since moving, since its so much hotter here, and I haven’t met any other Lolitas’ out here. Dying my hair funky colors. I recently went to a watercolor painting event to raise money for children, and the instructor said I was a natural at it, and that I should take it up, so I might get into that pretty soon. I’m also a thrill seeker. Rollarcoasters, jumping out of airplanes—all those things excite me.

Kuma: I am actually shocked that you have no met many Lolitas in Cali, especially since the biggest con happens in Cali. Now I have talked to you about your moving arrangements and congrats on the marriage by the way. Is your husband a gamer as well? If so how is it having that kind of player two?

Elly: A lot of them are in San fran, which is like, six hours drive, at least.
I could find some Lolitas’ in LA and SD if I really wanted to, but those are a bit of a drive, too, vs, Washington D.C, where there were Lolitas’ 5 minutes away from me. California traffic can be unreal *laughs* Thank you!
Absolutely. I’ve never not once dated a non-gamer. I’m just too weird. *laughs*, I need someone to understand my inside jokes. When I hear crows waking me up in the morning and I say, “Fiddlesticks is ulting outside the window” I need him to understand what I’m saying and not look at me sideways. I wouldn’t be outside of marrying a non-gamer for love, but why when I can have it all? Despite us both being gamers, we had some growing pains as far as playing together while dating. I was primarily a console gamer, and he was primarily a pc gamer. The pc i currently had couldn’t handle the latest things, so there wasn’t much I could play with him. One day an Alienware Laptop showed up to my door. He said, “Its not really a gift for you. Its a gift for me. I want to play with you!” I was soon gifted lots of games via steam to entice me into playing PC. League of Legends and the MASS EFFECT series really changed things for me, and now I’m primarily on PC! (BUT I’m still a console gamer! I’ll play on ANYTHING. A good game is a good game.) He still steals my kills in League of Legends, and I often try to steal blue buff from him when hes Mid and I’m ADC. Just to be a jerk lol.

Kuma:*laughs* that is too cute for words. That is pretty cool how your co-exist being on two different platforms. Now you have your own fanpage on FB, care to share what it is about?

Elly: I wouldn’t call it a fanpage. I don’t want people to worship me. I’m just some chick who games. I made it so that I could be in control of what I wanted posted. I wanted to make albums of gaming related things, and wanted to share them publicly. I wanted to know other gamers from different walks of life. I post about games I’m interested in—I don’t have to talk about things I don’t want to. Its more so a profile page of my gamer life, on my own terms. It wouldn’t be bad if some random good sweet soul with connections gave me a pass to E3, either *laughs*

Kuma: That is actually pretty cool and we all would love an E3 pass. Speaking of E3, since you did a live chat with others gamers last year, any plans for another this year and what are your anticipations?

Elly: absolutely. I initially started the page because I made a live chat for my gamer friends to join in and we all watch E3 together and discuss the different presentations. This was especially helpful because I had just moved 3000 miles away from my friends! Well, people I didn’t even know ended up joining. I decided I should make something larger scale. I will definitely do a live chat event for this year’s E3, as well as for Microsoft’s reveal later this month.

I’m anticipating Square Enix to actually release SOMETHING.

For Microsoft to actually make a quality system and make me want to purchase it (I didn’t buy an XBOX, and a 360 is in my house that never gets touched….)

I was looking forward to Nintendo doing something compelling, but they bowed out of E3.

Anything from Quantic Dreams (Heavy Rain), indie developers like ThatGameCompany, and the like. Anything Kojima puts out I’ll buy without question. I’d enjoy some new Fallout news!

Kuma: You have some great anticipations for E3. I thank Elly for taking the time to speak with us here at Kuma Kreations Entertainment and finally any final thoughts out there for new geeks/gamers that feel like outcast?

Elly: Use good judgement. Not only with games, but with everything. Are you doing something wrong? Is what you’re doing hurting others? How does doing whatever you’re doing now effect you in the long run? Someones always telling you how you should be this or that or their ideal of beauty or success. Everyone is not a cookie cutter mold of perfect (and a “perfect” human isn’t all that perfect!). There is nothing wrong with being unique. Enjoy this life, and put your thoughts and efforts on things that will really bring you REAL joy and not temporary happiness.

Ladies and Gentlemen Elly Honda. I thank her for taking the time out of her busy schedule to chat with us here on KKEnt and please be sure to check out her thoughts on her Facebook page Facebook.com/EllyhondaGG. That my friends is just part one of this months honorable mention, so please check back as we obtain our next candidate. Stay frosty!

Happy Monday everyone and since everyone despises the day I figured I preview the latest information of one of DC’s amazing speedster the Flash in Infinite Crisis. For those of you that play M.O.B.A games (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) are pretty familiar with the style of game-play Turbine has decided to tackle on. Here is a little history of the title which first started in 1985 called Crisis on Infinite Earths and then later revisited in 2005 renamed Infinite Crisis. It was a short mini-series showcasing a multi-verse of our beloved heroes and villains, which you will adapt in this upcoming straight to PC game. My first taste of M.O.B.A was with Warcraft 3′s Dota game and now I tackle on League Of Legends, but for Turbine to decide to take a known franchise and drop it into this genre; it was of course my duty to sign up for the beta! In that please enjoy the latest showcase of Central City’s very own superhero The Flash!

Quick Bio of The Flash:

“Universe of Origin: Prime
Beloved by the people of Central City and gifted with a brilliant mind, the Flash uses super speed to dash from threat to threat.
A police scientist in Central City, Barry Allen was caught in a chemical explosion when a lightning bolt crashed through his laboratory windows. Able to control the motion of every molecule in his body, Barry moves at extreme speeds, phases through solid matter, and whips up whirlwinds.
The Flash moves faster by using powers and does more damage the faster he is moving. His playstyle centers around hitting hard and fast and then getting out after securing a kill or dealing significant damage.”

I usually do not ask questions when it comes to a M.O.B.A game when it comes to the initial story-line. It many cases each character will have their own story and you go into battle with only one objective to defeat the player to end the game by destroying their defenses. In these videos of Batman, Wonder Woman, Doomsday and of course The Flash; I did not see any minions coming to your aid while you are battling it out. That does not mean there aren’t any, but my question would be, “Is it necessary?”. Each character that will be used is pretty much a power house on their own and the only ones that would have minions is either Joker or any of the other villains.

The switch when it comes to M.O.B.A games as my friend Betty keeps pressuring me to do is try other characters and I am all like, “Dang it I don’t want to!”, but it is not just about trying them out! It is also to know what kind of damage they do, so you can have an advantage when facing them and that is common knowledge for M.O.B.A games. Infinite Crisis will definitely have me trying out everyone they showcase in the game and I already know which will be my favorite and that will be Doomsday. However want to know are they saving what they feel the best for last? They have not showcased the one hero that many are probably wondering about and that is Superman. I am guessing they will have the nerf the heck out of him because he would be too Tanked, but who knows what they will do with that kryptonian.

I will continue to research and talk to my experts on the matter on who they feel would be top notch in this game or rather who they would want to be added even if they were not in the Infinite Crisis story-line. Thank you all for checking out my thoughts and preview; if you would be so kind in dropping your own thoughts in the comments below, that would be most productive. I would like to hear what you think even if you are not a player of M.O.B.A games. In the meantime enjoy your Monday and prepare for the release sometime this year. Stay frosty gamers!

There were a lot of new games released lately, but one of them is a demo called FUSE from Insomniac Games. This title has been talked about for a few years and now you can try out this demo with full four player co-op. I took on the role of Jacob Kimble who has a unique crossbow that sets enemies on fire, but I was too busy dealing damage to the opposition. However I will let the video speak for itself, please enjoy.

Some pre-order bonus information:

• Four Hyperion Prototype Agent Armor Skins—Upgrade your agents’ look with four special, state-of-the-art armor skins discovered inside the top-secret Hyperion Base
• Four Hyperion Prototype Weapon Skins—Customize your Fuse weapons with four skins based on each of the original prototypes developed inside Hyperion Base
• Quickdraw Team Perk—Increase your damage with this team perk adding powerful Fuse elements to all one-handed weapons for all four characters in your squad

 
Fuse demo gives you best of both worlds by letting players take part in a four player co-op campaign, but if you can’t find three more people; there is a swap option to take control of the other characters. There is even better news that the A.I companions actually did a great job being on auto-pilot before you take control. This feature is called the LEAP as you seen in the video while holding the select button and choosing which character to LEAP to. The cover system is pretty much like any other cover system, but the addition of attacks when another enemy is on the other side. This is not new, but still fun to look at; especially with two different animations. Out of all the weapons being used through the demo I favored the crossbow and the shield weaponry that redirects bullets at the enemy. The special ability of Naya to utilize cloak was a fun skill.

In terms of skills there will be options to level up your characters even more while you advance through the campaign. I am not sure what the final skill tree will consist of, but so far it is looking pretty simple. The storyline in itself seems linear, but the characters personalities are what I am fascinated by. These are not your run of the mill soldiers from what I have seen and what you have witnessed so far, but be sure to check back for my full review when this title drops later this month. Stay frosty gamers!

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to this preview post about the new Lego title coming to the iOS, Nintendo 3Ds and PlayStation Vita handheld. I rarely get a chance to post kid friend games for the masses, including those few parents that get confused on what games to purchase for their young ones. The problem that I am seeing with this title is the fact that people either don’t know anything about it or never heard of it since it is one of Lego’s titles not based on a mainstream franchise. However please enjoy the preview trailer below!

The journey takes you on an adventure as Laval races to unlock the secrets of the legendary triple-Chi armor before Cragger can manipulate its awesome power. If Cragger gets a hold of the triple-Chi then the balance will be tipped and that is not good for the people of Chima! As you venture off with your allies through to explore Lion Temple, Eagle Spire, Gorilla Forrest, Rhino Quary, Croc Swamp and more to harness the power of chi. The chi abilities will consist of leap, swing, fly and fight through 15 levels of intense action! I think the real task as you play through Lavals Journey is finding out the true legend behind the triple chi! Be ready to when Lego Legend of Chima drops this August. As a reminder you can always make your video game purchases in Kuma’s aStore which all profits go towards my site and contest. Stay frosty gamers!

Gamers are an interesting breed of folk. We know what we like, and seriously voice what we don’t. We are, in a sense, what the voting masses should be – vocal, passionate, stead-fast and driven. The majority of what comes across our fingertips are cobbled pieces of polymer based materials shaped and combined to make what pleases us. And we love it…the new and the old. Just like anything in this world, games have a foundation. Not only in the coding, but in the physical aspects. The original gaming systems that were released yesteryear have spawned into machines that at one point, foreign countries were thought to have bought them in masses to use their high processing power to act as the brains of weapons of somewhat sizable destruction.

But the machines are only part of the story. The games themselves are what everyone REALLY salivates over. Those round shining plates that glimmer and teem with millions of 1’s and 0’s, and morph themselves into pixels full of color and character. But what makes the whole thing worth it all is the show. You know….the show! E3 is coming and the mills are at full speed, showcasing a multitude of products. And as always, the list of what will be seen is small but big on content.

So far what has been heard is promising. Sony is presumably going to showcase the much ballyhooed PS4. Since they didn’t bother giving us even a rendering of what the console will look like, we’ve had to gaze at the new controller. Like that was good enough to show, but even a concept drawing was out of the question. It’s almost as if they’ve treated us like the proverbial ass being tempted with the dangling carrot. And Sony is definitely not the only one guilty of that. As of this writing, we are 2 weeks away from Microsoft making its “big announcement”. What it contains is up for debate, but why do something of that magnitude with E3 just a breath away? Nintendo seems to be mute. And I don’t think it’s because they’ve nothing to show. Nintendo has already shown off a new console, released it and added peripherals. They’ve got in on the new hotness way before anybody else. But the issue with that is…..well, they don’t seem to be putting out fires with all this newness. Even for those of us who are of the casual lot, hearing about anything Nintendo related has been hard to come across. We have yet to hear how they’ve hit it out the park. They may have hit it out of their own park, but that doesn’t really fare well. Tooting your own horn just gets you looked at and not much else.

This is one of the reasons why I can’t look forward to E3. Manufacturers have done more to present their products outside of these conventions that at them. If we can have Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo showcase hardware and software outside events like E3, then why are they there to begin with? It’s not like they are upstarts trying to gain a foothold in the market. It’s not like they have something to prove. Overall, the top 3 gaming consoles hold a hearty and sizable share of the video gaming industry. But they only exist to help take all of those aforementioned components and bring them to life. E3 should be only for the games, not for the consoles or non-upstarts. It should be to show the world what has been done without Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo in mind. So what’s the question? Would it be worth watching it? Or is that event just as bloated as a fashion show on 5th Ave? I say skip it and use your discretion.

CAPCOM’s upcoming action-adventure title Remember Me has critic’s raving and, according to IGN is said to be “…one of the most interesting Action Games OF THE YEAR.”.  With such high reviews, we here at Kuma Kreations had to check it out.

The year is 2084 and the world as we know it has forever changed thanks to the development of Memory Digitization Technology. Memories can now be stored, shared, sold, bought or traded..  Any remnants of privacy and intimacy are long gone due to an explosive growth of social networking in the early 21^st Century.

When asked about the concept of the technology that is exploited in Remember Me, creative director Jean-Max Moris had this to say:

“In the beginning, we knew we wanted to do a cyberpunk game, and we were looking for a meaningful [social] trend we could extrapolate into the future,” explains Moris. “Looking around, it was easy to see that the new big thing…was social networks and the way they change the way we relate to other people… how we deal with privacy, with intimacy. And we thought, ‘Well, what would the next step be?’”

Well, let’s look into said ‘Next Step’…

This visionary 3^rd person shooter takes place in Neo-Paris in the year 2084.  Players are put into the role of Nilin, a former memory hunter with a unique and powerful ability to not only steal one’s memories, but also alter them.  The government soon becomes aware of her ability, and fearful of her knowledge and capabilities, has her immediately imprisoned and her memory wiped clean.  Now, we guide her,  the city’s most wanted fugitive with no memory, through her mission to recover her identity with the help of her last and only friend.

From the looks of it, Remember Me has a little something for everybody.  The adventure of roaming and exploring a dark-futuristic portrayal of a city once idolized for its romance and artistry that has been ruined by a ‘consensual dictatorship’ could be a game in itself for any fan of a good MMO. The hoards of mutant memory hunters, called Leapers (which used to be human, however, their addiction to memories has taken over and transformed them into crazed subhuman wretches), swarming beneath the streets is definitely appealing to the zombie lovers and pulls in fans of popular horror games.  And, lets not forget the action of it all, which will appeal to all fans of classic fighting games.

Remember Me is said to have a skill level for any gamer.  You can keep the tactics simple, but DONTNOD has also incorporated a Combo Lab, which enables every player to tailor combos to suit every scenario that may be encountered during game play.

That might sound simple enough, but apparently the combo-creation system has proven to be immensely complex. You can’t adjust the button inputs, but instead, select the moves those inputs produce. You start with just a three-move combo and a small handful of attack options, but as you progress in the game more options become available as you gain experience and defeat enemies. There are also four different types of moves (power, regen, chain, and cool down), all of which offer advantages and disadvantages that correspond to their specific purpose.

All-in-all, Remember Me looks to be very promising and balanced mix of combat and exploration. I personally believe it will live up to the hype and reviews.  I know that I will definitely be adding it to my collection as soon as possible.  It will be released for XBOX, PS3 and PC on June 4th and you can check out the trailer below.

The Lost Planet series has had its ups and downs through the years with a slight failure with its second title, but I believe that Lost Planet 3  will bring back to the old style of what made it amazing. There are new truths to discover about the foreboding planet and the colonial history of E.D.N. III, which will pit you with new harsher conditions that will skin crawl. You play as Jim the new character in the series who is a rig pilot who leaves Earth to take on a hazardous but lucrative contract on E.D.N. III. I don’t think he planned on living Earth to face off more than just the freezing cold, but working for Neo-Venus Construction was the intention to colonize this planet. The rich energy source of Thermal Energy is running low and it is up to Jim and his team to locate a natural source. The fate of his mission and a fast way to get back to Earth to be with his family depends on finding the energy and surviving the harsh territories of the Akrid. You think you will be able to brave the harsh climate change as well as face the many enemy dangers not from other human adversaries, but from the indigenous wildlife?

There is some awesome pre-order bonus to look forward too, but I will leave that up to you and here are some extra game features.

• Return to extreme conditions – Taking the series back to its roots Lost Planet 3 returns to E.D.N. III, delivering a dynamic battle field that’s more dangerous than ever before with an ever changing climate that will affect the way you play.
• Brave the terrifying – Play as blue collar worker Jim, risking assignments in treacherous conditions to earn his hazard pay and return home to his family
• Home away from home – Protect yourself from hostile Akrid and the unpredictable ice storms on E.D.N. III with your utility rig. Equipped with an assortment of tools you’ll need to learn to use the rig to your advantage in order to survive
• Gameplay Variety – Offering a mix of first person combat in the rig and third person gunplay on foot
• Intense, cinematic experience –Developed with the Unreal Engine 3, Lost Planet 3 presents a visually stunning and unique terrain that impacts the gameplay
• Killer enemies – The Akrid are back, bigger and angrier and demanding a more tactical approach during combat
• Reveal the hidden truths of E.D.N. III – The uncharted world has many secrets locked away. Jim’ search for T-Energy will ultimately reveal further mysteries
• Lonely Planet? – Lost Planet 3 will support a full set of multiplayer modes that enhance players experience of the Lost Planet world

Lost Planet 3 will be released on August 27th of this year and as in the video I would suggest acquiring your pre-orders which you can do at Kuma’s Amazon Store. I thank you all for dropping in for this preview and I hope you have an amazing weekend. Stay frosty gamers!