Angry Videogame Nerd: Superman 64 - NSFW

AVGN reviews Superman 64. . .PLUS SPECIAL BONUS!

Hey Joe

Zero Punctuation. . .A day later.

This week Yahtzee takes a look at Age of Conan and laments that he could not attend E3 this year.

Rush plays Tom Sawyer on Rock Band. . .and fails.

"They hate us!"
"We suck."

Mountain Song

What'cha Been Playing?? Summer Doldrums Edition

It's summertime, and as it was in childhood for me, this summer in particular has a timeless quality. What games have I been playing on these busy yet strangely lazy days? Ones that afford a person a great deal of leaway if they happen to have a short attention span! These games all can be played while you're also grilling ribs in the backyard:

• Penny Arcade Adventures (Xbox 360) -- As I've mentioned before, this is a straight forward RPG made by people who love the genre and get paid to be funny. So far the game play is a bit repetitive and the missions have been following the following template: get told to investigate area X, walk through the area from left-to-right or right-to-left, fight random monsters of a limited variety, find clue at end of area. Sound fun? This game is for you. To be fair, I'm not nearly done with it -- I'll report back when / if I finish. Supposedly this one is short. So far? Not Recommended.
  
• Rock Band (PS3 / Xbox 360 / PS2 / Wii) -- A few new Rush songs were released as DLC so I had to get back in. I ended up passing on the master track version of Working Man, as I already have the cover version, but Closer to The Heart was a great edition to my DLC library. I have to say, if one doesn't work on keeping their mad skillz sharpened, they sure lose their edge. . .must. . .try. . .harder. One last note: I have to cast my vote on a critical issue; I much prefer Rock Band to Guitar Hero. Who wants to play a plastic guitar while looking rejects of the television show Spitting Image? Not me. Rock Band is Highly Recommended.
  
• Space Invaders Extreme (PSP / DS) -- I'm going to make this nice and sparkeling clear: for one year following my family's purchase of our Atari 2600 circa 1981, my dad only bought one game to play in addition to Combat, and that was Space Invaders. Though initially I enjoyed the game, it wasn't long before it became BORING. Space Invaders was no Space Shuttle! Anyway, fast-forward to now and we have Space Invaders Extreme -- a budget priced modern reimaging of a title you'd remember fondly if you happen to wear rose colored glasses(TM) all the time. I heard a lot of good things about this game, but really, it was the price that grabbed me -- how could I go wrong? Apparently I couldn't. . .this really is a great game and the price makes it a sweet deal. If you're into music-based shooters that have psycodelic graphics and puzzle elements, this one is for you. I can't speak for the DS version, but it's great on the PSP. Highly Recommended.
  

What have you been playing??

GAMEDEALS: This Week's Deal Summary

Follow GAMEDEALS on Twitter to get posts as they happen!

Tweet Summary for Week ending 7/19:

• Space Invaders Extreme (PSP / DS) - $20 - Released at a bargain price, this tweaked out version of Space Invaders ROCKS!
• Price Drop: Beyond Good and Evil (PS2 / GC or Wii) $6!! One of the best games no-one played of the last-gen. Zelda mechanics with an original cast of characers and a compelling story. Play it on your Wii or PS3. . .$6?? GO!
  
• Price Drop: Rock Band Special Edition (PS2) $99 at Amazon - Deals can be had on other platforms as well.
• Price Drop: Assassin's Creed (PS3 / Xbox 360) $24 NEW at Amazon - This was one of last holiday season's stand-out hits. It sold a TON, so maybe you already have it -- if not, now is your chance.
• Gamestop in-store special: 20% any used game or accessory. Print the coupon and go on the retail adventure of your life! Gamestop deals generally can be stacked, so a smart shopper can make out like a bandit.
• Nights: Jouney into Dreams (Wii) PRE-PLAYED 1/2 off - $14 -- GameFly has a 100% Guaranteed on used games and their prices are up to half off of other retailers. Members get free shipping as well!
• Devil May Cry 4 (360 / PS3) PRE-PLAYED - $20
• Shockwave Wireless Controller for Nintendo Wii / Gamecube - $15 -- Works just as well as the Wavebird but is a fraction of the price. Great for Smash Bros. or raiding the Gamecube back catalog. . .GO!
  

Gamestop: 20% any used game or accessory

Gamestop is having an in-store special this week. 20% off any used game or accessory. Combine this with your Edge card for MASSIVE DAMAGE.

Offer expires Thursday, July 24th -- CLIP & GO!

Zero Punctuation Wednesday

This week, Yahtzee takes on Along in the Dark. . .I'm not far enough along in the game to have a proper opinion, but I like it so far. Apparently it takes quite a turn for the worst!

Tin Omen

My wife was in Tiananmen Square during its moment in the sun, circa 1989. She wisely decided to clear out before night fell and the tanks rolled -- what a head-trip indeed.

The Update MEGAPOST

Few understand the mysterious forces at work behind where I focus my time and energy. One thing is certain: I disappeared from view for quite some time, with barely even a tweet to announce my on-line presence. What have I been up to? Let's break it down:

Life

Now that school is out we're living full-time in our shoreline home. That means lots of kayaking, playing on sand bars, sailing, and a dark dark tan. At work, people believe I'm visiting remote tropical islands. My boys are very tan as well, and my wife believes giant pink jungle hats will somehow shield her from the sun's effect on human skin -- I'm not sure if its working.

The Fourth was a big highlight and had a small party to celebrate. We were all totally blown away by how seriously this neighborhood practices their Fourth of July rituals. Parties, bands, great food and a HUGE neighborhood fireworks display were all in full force. The kids also participated in a neighborhood parade -- I'll be posting those pictures shortly for friends and family to see. Next year we plan on hosting a larger event here.

Repairs, Maintenance and Upgrades

There's been plenty of work to do. Areas of focus:

• Battle of the Weeds -- my backyard is infested with violets. I now feel confident I will win this war, though I'm glad we have city water! Any idea of the impact Weed-Be-Gone has on drinking water?
  
• Mending Fences -- I finally fixed my backyard fence. While my neighbors complete major operation after major operation (with the help of heavy machinery), the gaping maw exposed by my broken fence has remained open. I have finally had the time and will to close the gap! While some of my neighbors may outshine me with mechanize industriousness, at least I'm not like the guy with small trees growing in his gutter!
• Fixin' the boat -- Oh how a small chip in the gelcoat can grow. I think I have it repaired now, time will tell.
• The Shed -- I put some vents in, but I know much larger repair are looming.
• Home Network -- my eeePC is doing triple duty as a highly portable laptop, a capable (if overclocked) desktop machine and now a media server (thank you TVersity). Watching movies on my PS3 has never been better.
  

Work

Summer can be slow with all the vacations, but that doesn't mean that there's hasn't been a lot to do. I recently got back from a trip to San Diego. We gave a talk on our approach to SOA and got a lot of great feedback. The reaction at home to the write-ups have been positive as well -- it's been a very nice week.

Gaming

I have been enjoying both my PS3 and Xbox 360 (among others) down here at the shore, though I haven't spent a lot of time playing games. I've been leaving the actual playing to my boys. :) I now have broadband here with a nice wifi router and thus you will see that I'm back on PSN and Xbox Live -- downloadable content here I come!

Playing:

• Uncharted Drake's Fortune (PS3) -- I'm pretty far along in this. . .gotta keep going.
• Lego Indiana Jones (All consoles) -- The kids love it!
  
• Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) -- wow, great game! It's tough for me to play during the day because it scares the kids.
• Final Fantasy III (DS) -- I bought this game when it came out and promptly put it on my game shelf. Recently I picked it up and I love it. If you like JRPGs, this is one to check out. A Final Fantasy IV remake is also on the way to DS, I'll have to check that out as well.
• Alone in the Dark (Xbox 360) -- Reviews haven't been stellar, but I'm having a lot of fun with this. I took advantage of a pre-order deal and I'm now the proud owner of a black "Alone in the Dark" t-shirt as well. Too cool.
  
• Penny Arcade Adventures (Xbox 360) -- I'm not a huge Penny Arcade fan, but I'm familiar with their comics. It's an RPG made by people who love the genre as well as pen-and-paper gaming. Lots of humor here, though I'm not sure if I'm being penalized for not reading the comic on a daily basis.
  

Looking forward to:

• Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People (Wii) - An episodic WiiWare title by Telltale Games (Sam & Max) featuring the cast of Homestar Runner? Sign me UP!
• RezHD (Xbox 360) -- I love the game, but should I buy this version when I can play it on my Dreamcast?
• More Rockband (PS3 / Xbox 360) -- I left Rockband behind, but I really should bring it here. Truthfully, more time with Guitar Hero III hasn't made me a fan. . .and new Rockband DLC is calling me. New Rush Tracks?? YEAH!