As promised, Nintendo held a major press conference giving gamers more details on the 3DS and what to expect in the months to come.

Read the full story

I remember playing Tomb Raider when I was younger.  Specifically, I played to ogle the beautiful Lara Croft’s buttocks and breasteses as she fought her way through enemies and puzzles (in my defense, I was a teenage boy without a social life at the time).  Oh, and I suppose the gameplay was nice, though as I’ve mentioned, it was far from my main interest in the game.  Over time, as I became less socially awkward, I drifted away from the Tomb Raider series.  Until, that is, we received a review code for the Summer of Arcade title, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Read the full story

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light hasn’t even been released yet, and already DLC is announced. Today, Crystal Dynamics let the cat out of the bag, and some pretty exciting details were included too. Read the full story

With my 28th (I know, I’m so old) birthday coming up in just 5 days, I feel a wish list is in order. If little kids can get away with it, then I have every right to have a list too. The items listed range from highly unlikely to possible, and are placed in no particular order. So with that…here’s my wish list.

New Washing Machine

If you happened to read the post yesterday about our shitty Sunday, you will know that our washing machine took a nosedive and practically flooded a good portion of our house. Since washing machines aren’t known to be a cheap appliance, it makes the perfect gift.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3

I know that Star Wars: The Old Republic is coming out next year, but if you’re a KotOR fan, you know it’s different. I’m talking about a proper RPG, not an MMO, and I want it to happen in the same timeline as KotOR and KotOR 2. Hell, I’d even love for Revan to be back, but I digress. BioWare and Obsidian made two fantastic games, and really gave us RPG fans something special. Should an Xbox 360 copy of the game manage to get into my mailbox on June 29th, who am I to turn it down?

A Winning Lottery Ticket

If you live in the United States, then you know that our economy sucks right now. The job market is terrible, and those who have jobs are constantly stressed about losing what they do have. People are losing their houses, having to file bankruptcy, and credit scores throughout the country are plummeting daily. Even though Chris has a secure job, and his salary is better than what others our age are earning, we still struggle like anybody else. I should probably clarify that we don’t live beyond our means, and have cut our budget and bills down as much as we can to try and give us something to stash away into savings. With Chris needing to do some major repairs to his car (he’s been driving around for over a  month with his check engine light on, been driving around for the same amount of time on a badly patched up tire, he desperately needs new brake pads and rotors, and I could go on and on), he still has his student loans to pay off, and in the near future we’d like to add on to our family. All of that costs money. Should I have a winning lottery ticket, I’d, first off, probably have a heart attack, but a lot of our daily stresses would be gone. I’d be able to give my daughter everything she could ever want and more, I’d be able to help take some of the pressure off of Chris, and I could pay BioWare to make me my own damn KotOR!

An iPhone 4

Who doesn’t want a new shiny?! I currently have an iPhone 3G, which is jailbroken (shhh, don’t tell) and I would love to have an iPhone 4. I really wanted a 3GS, but I knew that if I waited for the next one, it would be everything the 3GS is, and more. I want to be able to take great pictures, record and edit movies, and do everything the iPhone 4 is capable of. I just lack the funds to get one. Obviously an iPhone 4 is an expensive present (especially because I’d want the 32 GB version), but it’s something I would get continuous usage out of it, and I would be able to review the most recent iPhone apps/games without having to worry about OS compatibility!

A Sony PlayStation 3

Yeah, I said it. A PS3. Why? Well, for starters, I collect video game systems. We also would love to have a Blu-Ray player in the house. On World of Meh!, we don’t have anybody with a PS3 to review the games, so that would help out our site. We would also be able to play games exclusively for PS3 (hello Little Big Planet and Twisted Metal). Again, this is an expensive gift, but if a person doesn’t dream big, then why even dream at all?

A New Video Card For Our PC

Another tech item, but one that is desperately needed. Ever since we came up with the idea of hooking up my PC to our 42″ HDTV, we have gone through two video cards. The first one fizzled out in less than 48 hours. The second, and most recent to shit on us, lasted from about December until now, but that’s still a short time, and they aren’t cheap. The problem is that the fan will start screwing up, and eventually not working, causing the video card to overheat and cut off the feed to our TV. For awhile we were having a large fan of mine blow into the tower, with hopes of delaying the overheating, but one day the fan overheated and didn’t want to work. It’s also a pain in the ass because the fan isn’t quiet. So, yes…. new, nice, and shiny video card please!

Naughty Bear on Xbox 360

It has cute, cuddly teddy bears, and they are fabulously violent. This is a game that Chris and I have been looking at for quite some time. Coming out on the day of my birthday, I really hope I can get a copy, soon. From what I’ve seen in the trailers, Naughty Bear is going to be such a badass game. In one of the trailers, the main bear knocked another bear onto the ground, and then as the bear was struggling to get up, the main bear puts his foot on the other bears throat… crushing it and killing him. I know, it sounds evil and violent… and that’s why I want it. Tee hee!

Two Tickets To The Upcoming Local Deftones Concert

How strange that on the same day I announce on World of Meh! that our Blogathon charity is One Love For Chi, we also find out that Deftones are coming to Fresno on August 7th. I’ve never been able to see the Deftones in concert, but I’ve always wanted to. I remember a few years back they performed here in town on my actual birthday but I was unable to go. What sucks is that the tickets go on sale Saturday morning, making it impossible for us to save up and purchase them – and they are $32 per person (yow). Since it’s a General Admission show, and since it’s at a smaller venue, the odds are not in my favor. By the time we’d be able to afford two tickets, the concert would be sold out… so go birthday wish list!

A Puppy

You all know we have our evil cat, Moogle, but a dog would be great. The last dog we had, Donnie, was great but he had major flaws. One was that his previous owner abused him, making his interactions with Chris a little strange. I’d love to have a puppy so that we can train him or her right from the beginning, and not have any bad habits or traumas to worry about. Since we are in a house now, we have a backyard where the little one could run around, and we have a great dog park right down the street where they could play with the other dogs in our neighborhood. Another great thing is that right down the street, there is a fantastic vet place that does inexpensive spaying, neutering, and vaccinations. With me being home so much, it does get a little boring and lonely, so having a dog around would be a lot of fun. With cats, they are so bitchy and unpredictable, but with a dog, they are always happy to see you.

A Capture Card

If you are unfamiliar with what a capture card is, it’s a card (duh) that goes into your PC and you can record or stream the content of your monitor. Having a capture card would be one way we can connect with our World of Meh! gaming fans, by having our games and playtime constantly streaming on sites like Justin.tv or Ustream. When I would stream, I used our webcam and tied it up using pink ribbon to the tripod we have for our camcorder. Very ghetto, but it worked… sorta.

A Haircut

So, most of the items on this wish list are all tech related, so me throwing in a haircut probably seems strange as Hell, and I agree. Consider this – I haven’t had a hair cut since February of last year. Prior to that, I hadn’t had a haircut since late 2007. Why might you ask? Because haircuts for women are ridiculously expensive. It’s said that a woman should have a haircut about every month and a half, to prevent split ends and all of that other froofy shit, but at close to $100 for each time, that adds up really quickly. So yes, a haircut, and not some Super Cuts crap either. I’m talking about a proper haircut where the edges are even, and I don’t have to worry about getting all jacked up.

Chocobo Racing for PlayStation

Chocobo Racing was a fucking EPIC game. Sadly, it was stolen from me years ago. It’s a difficult game to find, and when you can find it, it’s either in bad condition or very expensive. I loved Chocobo Racing, and when I saw that it was one of my stolen games, I cried. All I want to do is be able to be Bahamut and zoom on the racetracks past Squall, Seifer, White Mage, and other Squaresoft (Square Enix doesn’t exist to me) characters. It was a sad, sad day when I lost my Chocobo Racing. Makes me want to pour out a 40 oz for all my dead homies.

An iPad

If I can want an iPhone 4, then I sure as Hell can want an iPad too! With Chris having to go to bed early for work, there are times where I’m not tired enough to fall asleep. Having an iPad would be great so that I can watch something and not risk him being woken up, like how the TV could. Some of you might say how I can watch videos on an iPhone, but remember… the iPhone has a significantly smaller screen than the iPad. The iPad would also make some games even more awesome, with the larger screen allowing me to see things easier than on the iPad. There have also been a couple of iPad games I had the chance to review, but had to turn it down.

A Real Lightsaber

A red, staff lightsaber would own. Hard. Why red? For the Sith! Why staff? Because that’s what I like. In any Star Wars game I play, I always opt for staff when possible. I’m not a fan of dual-wielding lightsabers, and I honestly don’t know why. Personal preference I suppose. Should red not be available, I am perfectly fine with silver. Blue, purple, or green would be too ‘Jedi’ and the Sith in me wouldn’t be too pleased. Also, I don’t want it to be one of those fake lightsabers, or a replica. I want the real deal people! Lightsaber… make it so.

Dark Phoenix Statue

I’ve wanted this statue for about 10 years now, and when I could find it, it was too expensive. Now, it’s both difficult to find and expensive. Sure there are other Dark Phoenix statues out there, but this one is the best, and I like the best. Jean is in a better pose in this statue than the others, and the Phoenix itself looks better than in the others. The Dark Phoenix is one of my favorite comic book characters, and this statue would make me a giddy fan girl.

GIR or HK-47

Both robots are different, but a shit load of fun. With GIR, I’d have the “Doom Song” and with HK-47, I’d have him calling humans ‘Meatbags‘. I know, HK-47 is technically an evil droid, but was he not loyal to Revan? I rest my case. If I had HK-47, nobody would fuck with me, and I’d have some thing intelligent to converse with – I can’t say that for most of the humans on this planet. GIR would be pure comedic value, and I’d also get the dog I’d want all in one. With GIR, we’d be able to watch TV shows together, discuss our mutual love for bacon, and eat pizza.

So there you have it…. some of the top things on my birthday wish list. Since I’m human, obviously I want more things. I admit it, I’m a greedy bastard, but at least I am honest about it! Odds are, I won’t get a damn thing from this list, but it’s still nice to hope!

- Me

Now through Tuesday, June 21st, get massive discounts on many Xbox Live Arcade titles. Sadly, we own most of the ones listed so we can’t fully take advantage of this deal, but this is fantastic for those of you who are wanting to expand your XBLA library. Read the full story

Just a few hours ago, Nintendo unveiled the next addition to it’s handheld family, the 3DS. Global President for Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, presented the handheld, and gave us some really great information. The premiere of the device was a big deal. A lit up column rose from the ground, and atop of it was the 3DS.

Unlike other 3D technology out there, the 3DS doesn’t require you to wear any glasses. I think that’s great because I already have to wear glasses. I don’t need another pair on top of my everyday ones. No glasses ensure there is “nothing between you and the experience”. The 3DS boasts a 3.5 light screen display on top, and only the bottom screen is touch. Why? They found that touch screens mixed with 3D didn’t go over too well, and I can’t blame them for wanting to give us the best product possible. In fact, I’m glad they were looking out for us.

It’s been 6 years since the Nintendo DS first launched. Since then they’ve made improvements to the graphic capability and the 3DS will display those advancements. There is a 3D depth slider, where the player can control the depth perception, a new slide pad for analog play, motion sensors, and gyro-sensors. The 3DS will still come with a camera, and all pictures taken can be viewed in 3D. How cool is that?

One huge upgrade is that the 3DS can play 3D movies. No specific details will be discussed at E3 this week, but as the handheld launch gets closer, I’m sure we will know more. At the Nintendo booth, 3DS are on display and viewers can choose from How to Train Your Dragon by Dreamworks, Tangled by Disney, or Legend of the Guardians by WB to watch. The 3DS will still be able to access the internet via Wi-Fi, and even if you aren’t near Wi-Fi, new stages, quests, ghost data, and rankings will be automatically downloaded. Another awesome feature is if you are away from your DS, your 3DS can still communicate with other 3DS and gather new data, items, etc. No authorization required.

Loads of developers are on board with the 3DS, and they even announced who and what titles we can expect. Here is a quick rundown:

• Nintendogs featuring cats
• Kid Icarus: Uprising
• Capcom – Resident Evil. New, original and where players can explore all sorts of secrets, and who knows what can be hiding behind objects at the end of hallways, or even furniture?
• Ubisoft – Assassins Creed
• Square Enix – Kingdom Hearts
• Konami – Metal Gear
• Activision – DJ Hero
• Namco – Ridge Racer
• Level-5 – Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle

At the very end of the presentation, there was a short trailer for the 3DS, featuring Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Reggie Fils-Amie. I don’t know if it’s an indicator of what’s to come, but check it out and tell me in the comments below what you think. If it is, then some pretty amazing things are heading our way.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83GoGHBkdyg

- Me

Today I was bored and felt like playing something fun. I remembered some people on Twitter telling me about Steam and how you can download free demos. You guys have probably figured out by now that I love free stuff, so if I could entertain myself and pass the time for free… you bet your sweet ass I was going to.

So I went to the Steam website and came across a demo I found interesting. After I downloaded the necessary stuff, I tried to play that demo and I thought it was crap. I was actually pretty bummed but then I came across a little jewel – Yosumin!

I love puzzle games. When I had a 360, I used to play the hell out of Hexic and loved it. I have Bejewled for my iPhone, I proudly own Super Puzzle Fighter II: Turbo for my PSX, and I cracked out on the Puzzle Kombat mini game for Mortal Kombat: Deception.

Yosumin! is a fantastic puzzle game by Square Enix. I did have my reservations about it since almost everything released by Square, since they merged with Enix, has been subpar. Yosumin! was like a breath of fresh air.

The controls were easy since you just use your mouse, and it wasn’t complicated. The number one thing I hate about PC games is that you use a keyboard instead of a controller or mouse. Yosumin! made sure that I didn’t have to screw around with that mess.

The demo was unfortunately limited to 60 minutes, and I knew that this was the type of game where time just flies. I was given the option to play Yosumin! Adventure or Endless Yosumin!, so I chose Adventure since I was curious as to what the story line would be for this game.

The story was actually pretty cute. Here is the actual description for it:

Once upon a time, deep in the Forest of the Yosumin!, which lies somewhere far away, but not too far from here, there was a shrine decorated with beautiful stained glass.

One night, someone came and took the stained glass, then smashed it into pieces and spread it far and wide over the world.

Work your way through the world of the yosumin in search of the lost pieces of their treasured stained-glass window!

Use the special Treats you earn along the way to help you make your way through the myriad of multifarious levels!

Image Courtesy of Steam and Square Enix

Pretty simple, right? Yes and no actually. The initial stages gave you tips, told you what to do, and I liked that. I didn’t want to have to play a guessing game regarding what I was supposed to do and what not. I wanted instant gratification. Yosumin! gave that to me. Within a matter of seconds I was playing the game like I was an expert at it, but that’s not to say that I didn’t fail a few stages because I did. Two of them actually. I was given the option to continue though, and to start right back at the same stage so that I didn’t have to plow through it all again. I liked that, a lot.

Image Courtesy of Steam and Square Enix

I also liked how each level was different. Since I started at the beginning, each level became more difficult and I loved it. Each level contained at least 5 stages and it didn’t seem like it was too much. Some of the easier stuff just required me to get a certain amount of red, orange, and green yosumin in order to complete that stage. You also had a meter and were timed. If you made large sets, the meter would go back up again.

The sounds were great too. It never became annoying, or too cheesy, nor was it to kiddie for me. I even found myself humming along after a few stages. The songs and sounds would change too when your meter was low which was nice because I hate when you get no warnings in games. It makes them frustrating.

Image Courtesy of Steam and Square Enix

As I progressed, there were more and more things to do in the stages. In some I was required to get a certain amount of glass shards in order to complete it, and in others I had to get a certain color shard in order for the shard to go away.

In the image below, you will see in the lower right hand corner of the board that there is a blue shard. To the left of the board you will see where it tells you how many yosumin and shards you need to get in order to pass the stage. With that particular shard, you had to get yosumin of the same color around it and make either the square or rectangle for it to disappear. If you used a different color the shard would stay and you wouldn’t get credit for it.

Image Courtesy of Steam and Square Enix

Once you completed all of the stages, you were done with that level. I believe I made it through 6 of the 10 levels that were in the demo. After each level was done, you watched a little clip of the glass you saved be put back into the shrine. Some of the pieces I earned started to connect with each other, but it wasn’t enough for me to make anything out. I did see some yosumin in the glass but there wasn’t anything else I could see.

Image Courtesy of Steam and Square Enix

There were a couple times in the game where I was able to make the entire board into a move. When that happened, the board would start to shake a little and then I would hear “YOSUMIN!!!” That move got me mega points so I tried to do it as often as possible.

Image Courtesy of Steam and Square Enix

When my 60 minutes was up, I was completely bummed. I really became enthralled with the game and really wanted to continue playing it. I was surprised to see that you could download the full version of the game for only $9.99 because I consider that a steal. The full version has so many levels and so much more content that I could honestly be here for a long time, boring you all to death with the details.

Out of all of the puzzle games I have played recently, Yosumin! has to be one of the best by far. If we had some sort of a rating system on our blog, I’d give it a 5 out of 5 or whatever. The colors were great, the sounds were great, the gameplay was great… literally my only complaint was that my demo ended. It’s rare for me to come across a game and be able to say that.

So, if you like puzzle games give Yosumin! a try. It’s fantastic and it’s cheap! What more could you want?

I did manage to record some video using the Qik app on my iPhone. It’s not the best in the world, but you can see the gameplay, hear the sounds (and even me humming), and get a feel for it. Enjoy!!

- She Who Has The Last Word