4STRENGTH4STAM LEATHER BELT?!

GTA LINKFEST!

kPod — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:43:16 +0000

Ooorah?

Seriously though, because I have very little time before I bundle off to work, and I know that most people will just read the top few because they’re funny, and then spend the rest of their evening in Liberty City, I will make it easy on you. I’m just going to link to the articles themselves, and call it at that. OK? OK.

Three observations:

Daily Mail was obviously the first to link the stabbing to a violent video game, despite how quickly it was pointed out that the victim wasn’t even in line for the damn thing.
The PS3 version is the one that has been listed for both points of failure listed above.
People will always, without doubt, try to wring anything for money (but that’s a given, yes?)

Enjoy!

Crytek is no longer an exclusive developer for the PC.

kPod — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:30:29 +0000

I’m surprised that they didn’t see this coming, but maybe the makers of Crysis were naive.

Citing things such as ‘massive piracy’, and therefore small returns, Cevat Yerli (the President of Crytek) has said that they will no longer be making games exclusively for the PC platform. Don’t misinterpret this; they will still be making games for the PC, it just won’t be the only platform that they are working on.

Now I have a chance at playing Crysis, since if they develop it for the games consoles, I will finally have the specs required to play it.

Tags: crysis, crytek, pc

We’ve Won: Get over it.

kPod — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:03:31 +0000

Yes, that is the resounding sound from Richard Bartle, the creator of MUD, who is currently teaching at the University of Essex. He is in fact, referring to gamers.

If only I had the sheer brashness as this guy has, I would have come out with a similar message. It lays into those that are in parliament at the moment, saying that all these terms for gaming, such as “moral decay” and “aggressive tendencies” are just code for them not understanding the whole idea of gaming, and why it has attracted such a following. The article further delves into the Byron Report’s real reason for existing; to give politicians some real wallop when it came to going on their crusade against the video game industry. The problem is, the report that they were dying to see was indeed balanced and fair. The author relates it to her birth year, because her generation was the maiden audience for home computing, and therefore gaming as a whole.

I loved reading this article, and I highly recommend that you read it yourself. It can be found here.

Tags: videogames, byron review, byron report, parliament

GTA IV Brings XBLA releases to a halt.

kPod — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:34:18 +0000

OK, that might be slightly sensationalist, but it’s certainly true to a degree.

There will be no Xbox Live Arcade release this week, due to Grand Theft Auto IV. Not sure if you’ve heard of it, but it’s supposed to be this average sandbox game where you play a two-bit criminal trying to get rich and get on top of the gangs in a place called Liberty City.

Should do well.

On a serious note though, I don’t like this. I don’t like how Microsoft are sitting on their laurels, and not releasing a game. Granted, they’re not really that good anyway (imho), and it’s always good to give workers some time off, but in a game that’s selling more for their major opposition than for them, especially in system sales as well, I would hope that they used the time to come up with something else. With MGS4’s ominous arrival, Microsoft will no doubt have tough times ahead.

Tags: grandtheft auto, rockstar, take two, ps3, sony, 360, xbox, microsoft

UK Retail don’t seem to grasp the idea of an embargo. [GTA]

kPod — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:32:23 +0000

The definition of an embargo is “A deadline before which information should not be published”. That means, Big Four, that you are not to sell a product before the embargo is up.

As much as I would love the owners of the Big Four would read this, I doubt they would. But regardless, images of a shop receipt have appeared on the official Sony PS forums. The receipt provided is a genuine one from Clackmannanshire, where an ASDA retailer has sold the game for the PS3 before the embargo is lifted (It’s still down for another ten and a half hours, as of time of posting). They are selling it for £39.71, if you’re interested.

Since all retailers had to sign a legally binding agreement, they have broken it for all retailers in the world, and it will all snowball. What’s more disturbing, is that the copy in the photograph was bought on Friday the 25th.

Please see here for said photograph.

I honestly hope that ASDA goes on Take2’s blacklist for games releases, and that their restock delivery goes missing.

Tags: asda, grand theft auto, rockstar, taketwo, complete idiots

A Quick Clarification.

kPod — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:24:39 +0000

Since I have gone for a couple of days without posting a story on here, I think it’s time that I explain the way things are going to go from tomorrow (Tuesday), here at 4STRENGTH4STAM.

The podcast will NOT be going ahead for now. The RSS feed icon is empty bar a test entry, and will stay that way for a little while. Until then, if you really want to hear me go to GameOnYou’s podcast.
On Weekdays there will be three entries posted a day as a minimum.
On Weekends, there will be one entry posted a day as a minimum.
One article a week will be posted as a minimum.

Anything extra will be posted in due course. All I can say is that I’m sorry for clogging up your feedreader. ;D

Just a quick post from my new laptop.

kPod — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:04:09 +0000

So my new laptop arrived today. And I have to admit, that it’s a pain to type with. Especially when it gets to the apostrophes. Damn those things. Other than that, there doesn’t really seem to be a problem with it. Although, having to bring your knees together in order to rest it on your lap is a bit silly, just as a note, and you could probably get hand cramp from using it for too long.

But even now, I’m starting to get around all that, and only make the occasional mistake because the way that the keyboard is designed is that you have to think about what buttons you need to press, thus making less mistakes. I highly doubt that I will be getting to the point where I can type with all my fingers, nor that I’ll be able to type at my usual speed. But as a complimentary laptop, it’s brilliant.

Brawl is finally on the cards.

kPod — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:09:23 +0000

Do not adjust your set.

This is not a drill.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is pencilled in for a June 27th release. It’s only been five months, after all. Oh gosh you can taste the sarcasm. However, the Australian release is STILL unconfirmed.

In other news, Nintendo has done their whole release schedule for the foreseeable future, and as much as some of them are not surprises, it’s surprising in itself that some of the games listed in the release schedule have in fact already been released. I spotted a few April 18th’s on here. Seriously.

Highlights:

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness (4th July)
Etrian Odyssey (6th June)
Wii Fit (Tomorrow: 25th April)
WiiWare Service (May 20th)
Everyone’s Nintendo Channel (May 30th)

I was genuinely looking for an ‘Also, cocks.’ on the release schedule. A lot of them are so vague, going into quarters, or occasionally months. Although Iron-Man IS stated as a Spring 2008 release.

Tags: nintendo, wii, ds, super smash brothers, brawl, wii fit, wiiware, nintendo channel

PS3 GTA outsells 360 3:1, spouts Asda.

kPod — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:37:49 +0000

Since when did ASDA start selling video game consoles? I thought they sold bad food and worse clothes. Ah well.

According to ASDA’s head of games (They have a games department?! WTF?!), the pre-orders for the PS3 version of GTA IV are outstripping that of the 360 equivalent by an approximate ratio of three to one. These are just pre-orders on the website though, and doesn’t count the ballsy customers that ask in-store.

I’m an avid 360 supporter, simply because it’s the lesser of two evils. But when I see this, I’m not surprised. GTA IV was a massive thing for PS3 owners, and of course still is. With the lack of decent titles out for the Glossy Black Wonder, of course more people are going to jump on this. Not to mention, it really is the second-best time to get a PS3 (The best of course, being when Metal Gear Solid 4 comes out). The 360’s hardware market is pretty much bordering on practical saturation, and there are a lot more games out for it that actually have some merit to them. Not to mention that Microsoft might also have inadvertently helped the PS3 by advertising the game, since it’s obviously a multi-platform release.

Tags: grandtheft auto, rockstar, take two, asda

CoD4 PS3 content out TOMORROW.

kPod — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:44:22 +0000

It may be a little late, but according to IW, they’ve been making sure that it’s just right. And with the time it took to develop CoD4, I can understand why. Let’s admit it, the game is a multiplayer masterpiece, and already there are others trying to get in on the action.

The Variety Map Pack for the PS3 will be released on Thursday, 24th of April. That’s tomorrow, except for those of you who live in the US (in which case, why are you reading this?) where it’ll be tomorrow, in about quarter of an hour from now.

Tags: callof duty, infinity ward, activision, variety map pack