Thoughts of a Random Gamer

I came across a video this morning and didn't know what to say. This may very well be one of the biggest, "WHAT THE HELL!?!" moments in advertisement history. Check out this ad for the Microsoft Zune and draw conclusions for yourself. Personally I thought of it as more of an editorial statement. Check out the video below and you will see what I mean:

Once again the ingenuity of gamers show through! Some patient soul has figured out how to make a fully functional NES console that will fit in your pocket. Granted, this does employ the use of emulators, but it is an achievement all the same. Everything on the device has been repurposed from assorted other electronics, making this even more remarkable. Check out the demo video below:

This doesn't replace my weekly post but I found this while trolling College Humor and thought everybody would get a kick out of it in view of Mega Man 9 and Donkey Kong on the NES. Enjoy!

As with everything is this day and age, it is nearly impossible to keep a secret, especially when the internet is involved. Today, leaked videos of the first ten minutes of Gears of War 2 began to float around the internet. Fortunately I have been able to round up videos of the first ten minutes of gameplay, one with the tutorial session and one without tutorial. Check out videos below:

Without Tutorial

With Tutorial


After viewing these videos, I am even more excited for the release of Gears of War 2! I guess I will see you in line when the game launches on November 7th.

Square Enix and Disney Fans rejoiced together when it was announced that Kingdom Heart: Birth by Sleep would be coming to the PlayStation Portable. Unfortunately, other than a few screenshots from Tokyo Game Show, there has been very little information on the status of the game.

At TGS, select members of the press where able to get limited hands-on time with the game, but none of that was supposed to be videotaped. Undeterred, some intrepid soul managed to sneak out with footage anyway! Check out the video below.

So is it everything you expected? I know I can't wait to get my hands on it. Now the trick is getting Square Enix to confirm an actual release date! I can assume that it will be someday between now and when hell freezes over, but other than that, your guess is as good as mine.

From a scientific point of view, it seems like Wii Fit would do very little to help one actually get in better shape. Never missing an opportunity to lampoon a worthy target, the guys over at SarcasticGamer have whipped up a hilarious parody trailer, making fun of this fact. It is good to see this media darling getting knocked down a peg or two. I can honestly say that this is one of the most best parodies I have seen in a long time. Check out the video below:

Anticipation for Gears of War 2 has reached a fever pitch. Details of the game have been leaking out right and left! Among the leaked material is a video featuring one of the game's new bosses. The boss is a octopus-like creature straight out of the very bowels of hell. This is like nothing you would have ever seen in the original Gears of War! Check out the video below:

As you have seen by now, damn near anything is possible in LittleBigPlanet. Here is another example of creativity at its best, as a user has recreated the entire concept demo of Mirror's Edge, using only the tools available in LittleBigPlanet. Check out the video below and be amazed:

I can't wait until the game is officially available for sale! The floodgates of outstanding content will be wide open. The real question is, will you be able to find the gems that are hiding in everyone else's crappy levels? What do you think?

Nearly everyone is familiar with the Discovery Channel show, Mythbusters. Some industrious gamers have decided to take matters into their own hands, going through and testing numerous myths associated with Bungie's Halo 3. They have managed to produce 5 episodes worth of mythbusting goodness and the video evidence leaves nothing to doubt. Check out each the five episodes below:

Episode 1:

Episode 2:



Episode 3:



Episode 4:



Episode 5:



Here is to more Mythbusting in the future!

Resistance 2 is one of the most anticipated games of this year. The beta recently opened to the general public and videos of the gameplay are beginning to trickle out. One such leaked video features the new cooperative aspects of the game. Check the video below:

A reader just posted their coop clip into the comments section, so here is another video! It is over 15 minutes worth of Resistance 2 coop hotness, so try not to get too excited. Enjoy the video below:



Thanks for the input readers. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section.

Some sick bastard has decided that LittleBigPlanet was too cute and cuddly for their liking. They have used the immense freedom that the game allows, to create a fully functional couple having sex, complete with thrusting action. All I can say when I see things like this is, "With great power, comes great responsibility." Check out the video below, if you dare...

Now that the LittleBigPlanet Beta has come to an end, I thought that it would be appropriate to reflect on my favorite user-created level. Some ingenious soul took the time to meticulously recreate an interactive environment inspired by the PS2 classic, Shadow of the Colossus. This is an exercise in detail on an epic scale, that is worth applauding. Check out the video below:

I would never have the patience necessary to design a level like this. How about you?

Saints Row 2 has yet to have been released, but already looks to be stirring up controversy. A gameplay video that leaked yesterday, shows a fully nude female, attempting to complete some kind of a streaking mission. Check out the clip for yourself, but be warned, it is NSFW.

If this is a ploy to sell more copies of their game, and I have a sad feeling that it just may work. Makes me wonder if this was brought to the ESA's attention when the game was being rated. Start the countdown until the first Jack Thompson comment now.

Once again my random stumblings across the internet have struck paydirt, as I have run across the most amazing LittleBigPlanet level that I have ever seen. If you are a fan of Final Fantasy X you can appreciate the piano piece, "To Zanarkand." Well, somebody not only went and recreated it in LittleBigPlanet, they created a special level to go along with it. Check it out and be amazed!

So what do you think, a bit much or just as amazing as promised? Let me know in the comments...

While trolling around on the interwebs today, I came across some leaked footage of Gears of War 2's newly redesigned multiplayer experience. It looks fantastic! Check out the videos below, and try not to drool.

The game releases exclusively for the Xbox 360 on November 7th. I'll see you in line!

[UPDATE: Thanks to the good folks in the N4G comments section, here is another video to add to the set!]

Windows Only: A while back, I was poking around engadget and came across a post about a D-Link media streamer that pumps online video to your TV from popular sites like Hulu, College Humor, YouTube and others, provided you have a plug-in. In that post, they referenced a program called PlayOn:

"...but we'll stick to rocking PlayOn with our 360 and PS3."

I was intrigued!

I decided to follow the link and soon found myself on www.themediamall.com. I decided to download and install PlayOn (free beta trial for 60 days) to give it a go. Now, anyone that has stumbled across this blog probably knows that the 360 will soon be adding Netflix's Watch Instantly support, but PlayOn touts some other nice features, like streaming from Hulu, ESPN, CNN and YouTube. After reading about the benefits and not being patient enough to wait for the (weak Netflix just announced an agreement with Starz Play - check it out!) selection of Netflix's streaming catalog, I fired it up and I must say, it's quite impressive. They just released another version of the beta which enables Netflix account access (the initial beta I installed did not have that enabled yet).

The system operates over uPnP on your network, and you have to have the service installed on your computer to work with your 360 or PS3. Since I don't have access to a PS3, I'll walk you through the 360 version.

If you've ever streamed media from your computer to your 360, it's easy as pie to get PlayOn to recognize on the 360. Go to your media tab and change the source to PlayOn: computername. Once that is set, you will see a list of the different sites to choose video from. I didn't really care much for the sorting method - you really need to know exactly what you're looking for - and there isn't any sort of search functionality. However, they are planning support for Hulu user accounts, so you could actually log in to your Hulu account and PlayOn will list the shows you subscribe to from Hulu.

Once you have selected the show to watch, you launch it just like any other video you'd watch on the 360 (press A if you've never watched a video) and it buffers for a couple seconds and then you have your media. The quality is actually pretty good - not HD, but you certainly can't complain.

When the 360 update hits, I don't know if the service will still be compatible, but until then, it's a great way to get streaming media off your dinky computer or laptop display and on to your big beautiful TV. Also, if you're on a PS3 and you don't have the hope of Netflix streaming media in the near future, but would like that benefit your 360 counterparts will soon be getting, PlayOn adds that and much more.

One last thing: every once in a while I suffer from a bad connection, or perhaps it's a bug, but I am unable to connect to the server source and it'll display an "Unable to Connect" message while waiting for my media options to display. If you experience this or know how to remedy it, leave a comment! Now I'm going to get caught up on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia!

source: PlayOn!

Over my lunch today, I was looking for a suitable trailer for my next post when I stumbled across this little gem. The setting was the 2008 National Spelling Bee. The tension was so thick in the air that you could cut it with a knife, as Sameer Mishra stepped up to the microphone. What occurred next left the room in stitches:

This is what most would refer to as getting caught in the act. After an intense game of Wii Sports, this smitten guy decides to take a bit of a "break." Hilarity ensues...