Jared Rea

My PlayStation 3 has been getting quite a bit of love recently because apparently, I really want to have some sort of epileptic fit. Wipeout HD came out last week and it made the perfect companion for the Blu-Ray copy of Speed Racer I picked up. Both are utterly gorgeous visions of a futuristic society where only the race matters that demand to be seen, played, purchased and loved.

Wipeout and I go way back. While I enjoyed the original, it wasn’t until I got my PlayStation and Wipout XL that I totally fell for it. I actually went back and played it tonight and oddly enough, playing Wipeout HD and the more recent PSP sequels have completely changed the way I have to play XL. Back then, I could only play racers in the cockpit view, as I was hopelessly addicted to Ridge Racer, Rave Racer any other sort of arcade Racer you could throw at me, all of which demanded use of a cockpit view. Nowadays, I’ve been downgraded to “far.”

Wipeout XL still holds up great to this day, even if the clipping tests my sanity as it crackles and pops at the edge of the screen. In the face of the majesty of Wipeout HD, that’s about the best compliment one could hope for.

Returning to the world of 1080p, I found myself playing so much Wipeout HD that I had to go out and snag Nullriver’s MediaLink so that I could create a customized soundtrack to fit my reckless hovering. Of course, I downloaded NeoGAF’s G.A.M.E. 3.0 which is mind blowingly awesome, but I also added in a couple of tracks from my library. Needs some Pendulum, but let me know what you’re up to.

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“I’ve seen the prophecy. I’ve seen the other dimension. I’ve got the tools. Now there’s just one thing I’ve got to do. I’VE GOT TO DRIFT!”

After sitting on it for quite some time, I present to you Overdriftacular 2.0, the original Avalanche racer, just in time for the one year anniversary of Halo 3. Enjoy!

One year ago, I made the following statements in regards to Halo 3-

“Halo 3 is an extremely solid, impeccably paced adventure that never seems to tire itself out.”

“If the original Halo was “Combat Evolved,” this is ‘Combat Perfected.’”

“Halo 3 is a perfect example of why art is more important than tech.”

“It’s a shame that a title so brilliantly crafted is so perfectly situated to become the polarizing icon of the console wars.”

I finished the fight and went on to grant it game of the year status for my employers at the time. Over Bioshock, over Rock Band, Super Mario Galaxy, The Orange Box, Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4 … you name it. I made the argument that, if anything, Halo 3 was the most underrated game of the year in a world that considers it the complete opposite.

Looking back, I stand by every single bit of it. Buying two cat helmets was definitely overkill, though. Happy Anniversary Bungie and here’s to another year of the best damn shooter around.

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She’s cute, she’s talented and her feet are famous on the Internet. Yes, Miss Shelby sure has a lot of things going for her and now she can add one more accolade to that list: published illustrator! Presenting Z-Day and You: Or How I Learned to Love the Taste of Human Flesh. It’s half zombie survival guide and half brain eating tutorial, merged together into one cutesy book.

It’s never too young to teach the young ones how best to protect themselves from the living dead!

Do check it out and support her undead arts or Munny habits. The two of us have already started talking about her next project which should yield some fairly awesome results. It may be starring a certain favorite puppy of ours.

Seeing as how I don’t have either an arcade or thousands of dollars to throw at Aksys Games for their latest and greatest in 2D fighting, I did my civic duty and instead tracked down the recently released Battle Fantasia instead. This was no easy task as it seems as though Battle Fantasia, ARC’s 2D-3D hybrid fighter, didn’t get a push to retail stores. I asked my local Gamestop jockey for it and it wasn’t in their computers. Checking the websites of the larger retailers turned up nothing. It seemed as though the only option was to order it online or direct from Aksys, but I had another plan, even if my equally hardcore friends advised otherwise.

Scott: Fuck Battle Fantasia. Its not a good game.

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Everyone loves to hate lists and so when the GameTap elders asked me to put together one for the greatest rhythm games of all time, I decided to take it seriously. I joked that in my quest for the definitive list, I had assembled the “Council of Elrond” of rhythm gaming afficinados. Between the lot of us, we could boast nearly 60 years of play and knowledge of this single, young genre.

Shit got real and for the most part, people really appreciated it, though tons of people disagreed. Most of the outrage was over the lack of PaRappa the Rapper, which I can understand, but if you’re going for quality something like that really can’t make the cut regardless of how much I adore it myself. And for however controversial it was to hand the top honor to Rock Band only a month after its release, I stand by it, only I’d like to attach the number two.

For the record, I fought like hell to keep Bust a Move off the list, only because I think nostalgia is a bitch. Still, in the end, everyone agreed that it deserved a spot on the list, a low one at that.

I’m tossing this back online as my Pop’n Music relapse has reminded me of it and also because GameTap no longer exists, so neither does this article. The name “No Doubt, Get Loud!” is a reference to a Beatmania IIDX track, but really, it was just me giving the middle finger to Google for the sake of something catchy. Onwards!

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Every 3rd Strike tournament should feature at least one match being broad casted in drunken Spanish. Gotta love the folks down at FFA. I’m thinking about making a trip down south next month, so if everything goes according to plan I’ll have to bring the video camera.

Ranbat 5.3 was pretty good, if just for the only EX Mountain Kick you’ll ever see make contact. Thanks, Scott!

Thanks to the release of “Charlene (I’m Right Behind You)” in Rock Band yesterday, I’ve finally snagged an achievement that has haunted me: Flawless Groove. I come from the Bemani / Guitar Freaks school of down-strum only, so really, this was a long time coming. I’m rhythm gaming dinosaur, I know. I still refuse to touch the bar during a game of Dance Dance Revolution to this day no matter what, amongst many other superstitions and (most likely) bad habits.

But hey, good news for you up-strumming freaks like Miss Shelby. The Rock Band bass guitar is now available, featuring a longer neck and split strum bar for two-finger play. Who says no one cares about bassists?