http://www.sleepygamer.com By gamers, for gamers Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:17:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en   I know the Net is already saturated with God of War III info, but I thought that I should share my 2 cents.  Being a huge fan of the God of War franchise myself, you can probably take my opinion with a grain of salt.  But when you have tight ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/06/16/god-of-war-iii-first-impressions/ Van and I were fortunate enough to attend E3 this year down in Los Angeles, and although most of the good stuff was shrouded in secrecy behind closed doors, we were able to try out what we could on the showroom floor.  If I'd have to classify the show's vibe, ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/06/11/e3-hands-on-roundup-part-i/ Although most of the announcements at this year's Game Developer's Conference (GDC) were a bit boring, there was one that peaked everyone's interest: OnLive.  Why is it such a hot topic?  Well, if they are successful, it could possibly lead to a unified game console future and put all of ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/04/02/whats-up-with-onlive/ For the next installment of the outstanding series of multiplayer-focused Battlefield games, it seems EA and DICE wanted  to make something different.  While the cell-shaded, cartoony look and 3rd person perspective are what first catch the eye, it's the "free to play" business model, with revenue gained solely via advertising ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/03/12/beta-impressions-battlefield-heroes/   So why am I excited about this release?  Well... it's Street Fighter 4, duh.  Even though the number 4 suggests that this the 4th game in the series, it's really the 12th if you count all the iterations of SFI, SFII, SF Alpha, and SFIII.  Don't get me started on ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/03/02/street-fighter-iv-review/ The 8-bit video game era of the late 80's and early 90's was an important period in gaming.  Where intuitive game design and refined controls were still at very early stages of development.  It was a time of cheat codes, Game Genie, and Nintendo game tip hotlines.  Most of all, ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/02/22/retro-game-challenge-review/ You may have heard that the federal deadline for the digital television transition has been postponed until June 2009.  However, a lot of the local channels are still beginning their digital only transmissions in just a little less than a week from now.  So what does this mean to you?  ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/02/10/the-digital-signal-is-coming/ Let's face it, every game has it's fair share of painful load screens.  Maybe they come up early, as you boot the game up, perhaps they are sprinkled at the ends of levels, but they're inevitable.  Technology has certainly improved, but so too have the resources required to run most ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/02/05/sleight-of-hand-hiding-the-downtime/ With the phenomenal sales of the original PS1 and PS2, Sony was once way ahead of the curve.  So it's come to be quite a disappointment to see the PS3 limping along this generation.  When Ken Kuturagi unveiled the PS3 back in 2005, it was touted as the most powerful ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/01/19/what-sony-needs-to-do-in-2009/ Brand new game series' are usually few and far between, and good ones are even more unlikely.  The current generation has seen it's fair share of potential new franchises, but many new notables have yet to have produced proper sequels.  The cycle of innovation, refinement, then innovation is the foundation ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2009/01/16/new-ips-that-desperately-need-a-sequel/   Out of all the games out this holiday season, this is what I've been pouring most of my hours into.  It's gotten to the point in which other epics, like Fallout 3 and Little Big Planet, are simply neglected and collecting dust.  There's something about the original Street Fighter II ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/12/29/super-street-fighter-ii-turbo-hd-remix-review/ The gamble that Bethesda made in acquiring the rights from Interplay seems to be paying off. The fanatical outcry from the incredibly vocal Fallout fans has died down. The game is finally out and available for the masses to judge for themselves. And yet, as I log ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/12/16/fallout-3-review/ When Home was first announced, Sony had built up a lot of hype for this service.  First of all, it's absolutely free and it provided a full 3-D interactive experience to online gaming.  Also, did I mention it was free?  However, after the long delay, it seemed that Home's momentum ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/12/10/initial-impressions-playstation-home-beta/ Your gut is probably bulging the size of a bowling ball after stuffing yourself with turkey the last few days.  Don't worry, there's help.  I can show you plenty of games that can help you lose the holiday weight right in the comfort of your home.  Just make sure that ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/11/29/games-to-shave-off-those-turkey-pounds/ Sleepy Gamer is thankful for.. bite-sized game experiences. I love the occasional 50-60 hour RPG experience as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's nice to just sit down and play a game for 5-10 minutes.  Thankfully, there are a host of games that are just perfect for that situation.  ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/11/26/what-were-thankful-for/ Be sure to check out Part I for the Wii and PS3 breakdowns. Xbox 360 None of the current consoles have fragmented the consumer experience more than the Xbox 360.  One could argue that the tiered offering of the of Xbox 360 line of consoles was designed to appeal to a broad ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/11/24/gaming-101-hidden-costs-of-gaming-part-ii/ You just got yourself a 50" HDTV and you're thinking, man ... isn't life grand?  You never felt so good watching Miss Congeniality on your crisp 1080p display until... you raise the volume.  As good as the picture looks, most tvs have really crappy speakers.  It is time, my friend, ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/11/15/101-buying-a-surround-sound-stereo-pt-1-htib/ Just thinking about the Dreamcast brings back lots of fond memories.  Witnessing the red swirl as you powered it on, you knew that there was something special about it.   This was the first system that truly felt "next gen".  The thought of playing an arcade-perfect Marvel vs. Capcom at the ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/11/07/tribute-to-the-sega-dreamcast/ In the spirits of Halloween, this post is dedicated to 4 scary video game moments that I've experienced.  I was originally going to do 5, but I couldn't think of a 5th moment that scared the crap out of me without listing the same game franchise twice.  Plus, it's Friday, ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/10/31/4-scary-moments-in-video-gaming/ Upon receiving a beta key for Resistance 2, I was really eager to rush home and download the beta.  However, after 3.5 hours for 2GB download, in addition to the 10 minute install, plus another 15 minutes for an update, I was finally ready to play.  So is this game ... http://www.sleepygamer.com/2008/10/26/first-impressions-resistance-2-multiplayer-beta/