1P Start

Yep, I’m a hypocrite. After writing the article a few weeks ago giving five reasons why I’m not playing Grand Theft Auto IV, I’m addicted to it now. The reason why I am playing the game so soon after writing the article came about from a perfect storm of getting a PS3 as a wedding gift and then having a roommate who had gotten GTA IV for free for the PS3. There was no reason left for me not to at least try it out.

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Grand Theft Auto 4 has now been out for 5 days, and with this being the first weekend since it’s release, I expect a lot of people will just be getting to grips with the game. So I thought we should take a look at what’s happened around the release, and how the game has been received in different quarters.

The sales bale began on Tuesday at Midnight, with many gamers queuing up at their local games retailer to be the first to get their hands on the game. 5 days later, and both Sony and Microsoft are already arguing over which console has seen the best return on the game. The only sales figures we actually have to go on at the point are from the UK, where the game sold 600,000 copies in 24 hours, making it the new one day record holder.

From the reviews of the game, it seems the PS3 version had a slight edge in the graphics department, looking sexier, and suffering from less frame-rate issues. Both versions have however shipped with bugs, with the PS3 reportedly suffering worse from Rockstar’s seeming inability to release a game without some sort of problem.

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If you have not caught on, I have sort of a fetish for Tetris (seriously).

Well a couple of Tetris related happenings have come crossed my path recently, the first being something I hope to see you all in (then CRUSH YOU!).. a Tetris Splash Tournament being held on Xbox 360. This is the second one to be created and held just by other Tetris lovers on the official Xbox.com forums. User ‘cyno‘ has posted the information in a post here.

The long and short of it is, send him a PM that you would like to be in the tournament by March 12 (tomorrow) at 5:00pm. On the 14th, check the Tetris Splash forums and see the brackets.. easy enough? Well sign up and get to practicing! Want to see the best of the best from the last tournament, check this video below so you know what you are getting yourself into:

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Ladies and Gents it pains me to say my farewells to 1PStart. I’ve been here only a short time, though I’ve been at Xbox 360 Rally (another 451 site) for just under a year. I will miss you guys, though you’re probably throwing a party, chanting “he’s leaving! Huzzah! Huzzah!”. If you do miss me, though, you can find me at my new home BingeGamer.net.

It’s been fun, and I hope to see y’all around.

P.S.: Qbix — E-mail me, dude. I’m still gonna get your GTA IV to ya.

A staple in any gaming site, is a end of the year type list and/or holiday wish list. JW and yours truly have each picked the top three games for the main three consoles and some other categories for PSP, DS, Xbox Live Arcade, Virtual Console, and even finish our picks with the best console of 2007. To help with the ‘holiday list’ portion of this, I checked CheapAssGamer and Google for any good deals that will make sure you can save some cash in getting the… Top Ten Best Games Awards Holiday Picks of 2007! So lets get this going:

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In my youth I was a huge wrestling fan. I was lucky enough to start watching wrestling at the height of the WWF/WCW wars of the 1990s, and actually switched my allegiance from WCW to WWF during what is now known as the “Attitude” era. Hell, I still own Stone Cold Steve Austin shirts, and I still wear them with pride.

Just not in public.

THQ has been pumping out the WWF/WWE games since 2000, and in fact has been involved the development and publishing of wrestling games since 1997’s atrociously bad WCW Nitro. Apparently, after a decade of practice, they still can’t get it right.

And it only enhanced the bad tastes Conan left in my mouth. (If any one of you sons of bitches makes a comment on that, I will hunt down your entire bloodline)

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When I was a youngster, I loved action movies. I loved the mindless violence and massive explosions that were quickly followed by the cheesiest of cheesy one-liners delivered by the biggest stars of the day: Arnold, Sylvester, Steven and Dolph. But, as I’ve grown my tastes have matured ever-so-slightly as to no longer want the mindless bloodbaths unless they have an engaging story and character development… yeah, I’ll just keep telling myself that. Anyways, when Conan came across my desk, I was naturally curious. After all, it’s based on the novels which brought about the awesome(ly cheesy) Arnold vehicles of the 1980s that were filled with blood, guts and sex, so naturally the game would as well, right?!

Unfortunately, once you get into the game the violence and sex quickly wears thin.

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I have been a huge fan of racing games since I was but a youngling, playing the original Need for Speed on that newfangled PlayStation. At the time I thought it was freaking awesome to see a 3D car slam head-on into a tree. As time went by, and I grew older, I demanded more and more realism in my racing experience. I wanted better track times, better control of my car, and an overall more realistic feel for the game.

Unfortunately, I was also raised in a poor household, so my family could never afford those fancy force feedback racing wheels that I hear all of you racing aficionados talking about. Well, gaming accessories company Kontrolfreek is hoping to change that with their new device, the ‘speedfreek’ for the Xbox 360. But what is the speedfreek, and how does it work? Well, read after the break for my full rundown on the device.

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You know, of all the franchises that scream “video game”, Gundam is it. I mean, think about it; you have giant robots with swords and guns beating the hell out of each other. Sure enough, there have been many cracks at a good Gundam game, but sadly, none of them have ever really lived up to the Gundam license.

Dynasty Warriors Gundam does it’s best to change that. Does it succeed? Keep reading and find out.

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Zero Punctuation’s Yahtzee has gotten his hands on Halo 3, and what follows is nothing short of glorious. While many Xbox fanboys will take a step back and possibly shit themselves when they see this video, those of us who have taken a minute to step back, and objectively look at the game can agree on at least one of the things he points out in this video.

In my case, I’ve gotta agree that the bloom effects are freaking over-the-top. To be kind.

[The Escapist]

The Escapist, Zero Punctuation, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Halo 3, Bungie, Designtopia, Yahtzee, review

GameTrailers has posted their review of the latest entry in the WWII shooter franchise that we have to blame for starting the endless stream of WWII shooters, Medal of Honor: Airborne.

While the review is fairly positive, I’ve gone on record saying that unless it has Michael Corleone as an unlockable character, I refuse to fight my way through Italy yet again. The US has been in countless military battles, people — pick one that DOESN’T start with “World War”.

PC, PlayStation 3, Sony, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Electronic Arts, EA Games, Medal of Honor, Airborne

So, have you ever seen a bad review for Bioshock? Of course you havn’t. Practically every reviewer has rated it in the top 90%, claiming it is the best game of the year, and that it is Game of the Year material. Though I don’t disagree with that, it is always good to look on the other side, and look at Bioshock in a negative maner. Why? Because it’s funny as hell.

Check out the awesomely bad Bioshock review where even if you are a Bioshock fanboy, you won’t be able to resist agreeing with this guy.

[Escapist Magazine]

Xbox 360, Bioshock, Bioshock Review, Escapist Magazine

I received a fairly large and heavy box the other day, and as I started opening it, I tried to figure out what it could be. Could someone be sending me a 360 Elite? Or, even better, a collectors edition of Bioshock before it has even been released! I started to breathe heavily. As I opened the last flap, and I looked down into the box, something very interesting looked back. Even though I would like a free Elite, I wasn’t disappointed. It was a “Limited Edition Halo 3 Mountain Dew Game Fuel” box. Yeah, it might be a long title, but it is sure badass.

The box has two cans of Mountain Dew’s Limited Edition Game Fuel, which seems to be the highly caffeinated drink with added cherry citrus flavors. Though interested in the taste, this won’t be opened for collectors reasons, because the cans themselves have Halo 3 all over them. It looks as if Mountain Dew is going to be pushing this “Game Fuel” upon the launch of Halo 3, just to make it easier for us gamers NOT to sleep. I really appreciate this, and will display it with my other collectibles. There is nothing better in the world than free caffeine. Thanks to the PR department that sent me this. Check out the photos after the break.

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The Nintendo Wii Mod Chips offer better value to customers and clients and that too at the most competitive costs. This fact has fueled the rising popularity of these chips among different people all across the world. Some of the more popular Nintendo Wii Mod Chips include the Wiinja chip, the Wiikey and the Cyclowiz modchips for the Wii. To add to the list, a number of new chips have now been released.

Among the new lot, the WiiC wii mod chip is the most popular. The features of the WiiC wii mod chip, also called the Wi-IC  are very similar to those of the other Nintendo Wii Mod chips on the market today. You can update setup settings via a DVD update disc. In addition, you can also update and upgrade the built in bios on the WiiC itself. You can change the setting of your Wii to think it’s a Japanese Wii instead of a Nintendo Wii purchased here in the USA. Re-programming of chips is possible and it is quite easy to make certain games compatible, which were previously not compatible. The WiiC has a built-in failsafe for easily updating a mod chip completely or even just the settings. There is an in-built default option which can be used for resetting the chip to the state it was in prior to the update. The WiiC also has a built in multi function LED’s for install diagnostics and status check; this ensures that the installation is working perfectly, as it should be. All these features are available at industry leading costs, which make these deals all the more attractive.

The WiiD is another fully featured Nintendo Wii mod chip. It allows users to play all of their import and backup Gamecube and Nintendo Wii Games, as well as Gamecube Homebrew games right out of the box. The WiiD is easy to install and upgrade. And the best part is that it is compatible with every single Wii comnsole system on the market today.

One can play car online games on the computer and enjoy the joy ride as and when they want to! If a person is interested in cars, speed, competition and wants to achieve his or her goals within a specific time frame, the car online games would be the games that he or she could go for. He of she can then visit the Internet, select a car online game of his or her choice, and enjoy all the thrills that these games have to offer.

With car online games, gamers can choose to simply drive through different landscapes, race in competitions or compete with other online users. They can also enter virtual races and take part in all sorts of rallies. Certain car online games are strategic in nature, where in players have to decide on the course of action that they need to follow. And the best part is that most of these car online games are free and users can download and enjoy the games as and when they want to!

Car online games range of games that have very simplistic designs to the ones which are designed keeping in mind the avid gamers. In many of these games, the design is so good that you would believe that you are inside these games. Gamers can invite their friends to play along with them. More often than not, users become friendly with the people competing with them online.

So, what are you waiting for? Go online, select a game that caters to your interests and spend a few hours of pure thrill and entertainment!