A WHOLE NEW WORLD!!!

Work sucks. School sucks. This weather sucks.

It's 10,000 degrees outside and you get swamp butt walking from your car to your class or work and hate your life. You work for 2 hours looking at a computer screen or working with incompetent individuals who ask you how to use the copier. You go to the bathroom for your break only to realize after the fact that there is no toilet paper. You finish your day after zoning out 3 times and day dreaming about the random hottie that walked in to your office and go back into your car where it smells like something died in it (maybe that was a little piece of your water stained pants from this morning). Traffic (shaking head). Then finally home.

You sit around and look around your room. Roof is leaking brown water. Toilet is always running. Your heater shoots out cooler air then your air condition. The milk in your fridge turned to yogurt. It sucks just like work. You want a new home, a new life, a new look. You want (in the words of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, a whole new world).

Well look no further. Phantasy Star Online Universe is offering a free downloadable demo that is fairly nice. It could be a lot better, but if you want my personal opinion leave a comment and I'll reply. You can choose four different classes (and two genders per class) that you view yourself as and also can change how you look and what you wear.

Now you can run around dancing with random people, or stare at them and contemplate what they must be thinking about as they sit down and glare out of a window. Talk about deep. Sitting down in a video game and waiting to see who runs up to you to dance with their butt cheeks in your face (shaking head).

Anyway, if you want a free demo for a long game, and to have fun this is a nice change of pace and reality. By the way, to have more fun, create your own preset comments to make some of those deep philosophical squatters what you really think of their pose.

phantasy star online image taken from
http://consoles.gwn.com/previews/gamepreview.php/id/155/title/Phantasy_Star_Universe.html

BCG's Weekend Pick!

On the lineup for this weekend are sports, movies and games! This weekend's sports kick off with UFC 85: Bedlam, which the main event being Matt Hughes against Thiago Alves. The card isn't the most star studded line up we've seen but quality fighters like Bisping, Vera and Swick are fighting on the main card. Either chip in with some buddies for the pay per view or head over to Hooters and watch it for the cost of some wings. On Sunday is game 2 of the NBA finals with the Boston Celtics leading the L.A. Lakers 1-0 in the series. The game's free and is looks to be a better series than first thought, and it seems as though the Lakers won't be steamrolling anybody to their 15th title.

On the movies front are Kung Fu Panda and Don't Mess with the Zohan. Critics have been high on KFP and not so excited about Zohan but hey if you like Sandler than you know what to expect and should enjoy this also.

Finally we come to the games. Some pretty good releases this week, with Lego Indiana Jones, The Bourne Conspiracy and of coarse Ninja Gaiden II. You really can't go wrong with any of these titles. NG II is as bloody as a game can get, Bourne looks like a solid rent, and if you've never played any of the Lego games, don't over look this one because their kiddie appearance hides a really fun game.

This weekend is tough to pick, if I could I'd do it all but since I can't I'll make a pick. This weekend's pick is... the Movies! I picked sports and MMA last weekend and like I said this weekend's card isn't the strongest. The games are great but with none of them having online multiplayer and the rest of the months game releases are a bit weak, you can take your time with these. Plus who doesn't love funny animated animal movies, especially ones about kung fu!(Look I like Jack Black and I've been to the movies once since my son was born 5 months ago, so I could use a night out!) But honestly, you really can't go wrong with whatever you pick, so enjoy and thank me on Monday!

Take Two announces even more "Rapture" in our future!

In a financial call to investors, Take Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnik confirmed that the company intends to release a third BioShock game. When asked whether or not the upcoming movie would co-inside with the release of BioShock 2, Zelnik answered saying, "Its unlikely the picture would be released coincident with BioShock 2. It's more likely it would be released coincident with BioShock 3."

Of course details are essentially no-existent as of right now considering that the sequel is still quiet a ways off, but anyone who played the first knows that there can never be too much BioShock.

BCG's Weekend Pick!

The weekend is upon us, so what is there to do? Well as tempting as the Sex and The City movie is, this weekend is an all MMA weekend. On Saturday at 9pm est., CBS is having it's first nationally televised MMA event, "EliteXC presents Primetime". On the card is Robbie Lawler taking on Scott Smith, Gina Carano (of American Gladiators fame) taking on Kaitlin Young, and the main event, Kimbo Slice against James Thompson. While everyone is tuning in for the Kimbo Slice fight, the true talent comes in the form of the Lawler-Smith fight and has the potential to show what a true MMA fight is like.

Then on Sunday at 9pm est., Versus is airing WEC's Faber vs Pulver. For those who don't know, WEC is the UFC's smaller sister company. This show should far and above be the better of the two shows this weekend and it's a shame it won't get the coverage the CBS show will. The main event between current WEC featherweight champion and #1 ranked featherweight in the world, Urijah Faber and former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver should be nothing short of electric. For those who get Versus, (and this blogger does, thank God) should not miss out.

The best part of this weekend's events? They're free! So spend the money on some pizzas, a case of beer, invite the buddies over and enjoy. You can thank me on Monday!

Ubisoft taking us "Beyond Good and Evil" again!

At Ubisofts 2008 event in Paris, the CEO Yves Guillemot introduced a trailer for a, as of now, unannounced project by Michel Ancel. Ancel was the designer of Ubisoft critically acclaimed (but under selling) 2003 game, Beyond Good and Evil.

Anybody who played the first game can clearly see that the trailer is for a sequel and in all honesty...it's about time. Take my advice, if you missed out on the first one, do not let this one pass you by. Actually if you can find it, play through the first one. Even though it's five years old, it's still a great game and one of my favorites from the original xbox.

Ubisoft brings it's own "White" to the mountains!

Ubisoft officially announced it's new snowboarding title, Shaun White Snowboarding. Utilizing the Assassin's Creed engine, Ubisoft hopes to bring a more realistic approach to the action sports genre. Ubisoft intends to have 16 player online and is working closely with the "red tomato" himself Shaun White, to bring a new perspective to the game.

This blogger can't wait to see that bright red hair contrast against the powder, on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this holiday!

The world to become a bit "ODD"-er!

The highly regarded Oddworld series is coming back! Confirmed by Oddworld Inhabitants studio president, Lorne Lanning, to GamesIndustry.biz. They hope to bring a more cinematic feel to the series and hope to bring animations that are on par with movies.

The company is currently working on another project, so it will be a few more years before we see this out on shelves.