Kotaku reported that the Catwoman Bundle DLC code will be printed on the back of customer receipts. Good for GameStop and Warner Bros, and good for gamers.

Listen, Arkham City looks like it’s going to be an amazing game. The reviews are off the charts at major gaming publications, and it will probably go on to sell  a boatload of copies. However, is it really necessary to charge for content in the first place that was announced right alongside the game itself (from day 1, we knew Catwoman would be in the game)?

GameStop is pretty cool for offering these codes, but I could get used copies of Arkham City for much cheaper elsewhere. Unfortunately, I’d have to pay an extra $10 to unlock Catwoman.

A copy of Arkham City that was already paid for in full and that WB got a cut of.

A copy of Arkham City that I may not have had any intention of buying brand new, so a new sale wasn’t lost to the company.

I’m using Arkham City as an example only because it’s part of the news story, but you could substitute this game and publisher for a few others, and the point is still valid.

"You can't have me, Batman! . . . unless you pay $10"

Yeah yeah, I know: if I don’t like the price, I can 1) buy the game new or 2) don’t get the DLC at all; no one’s forcing me. However, when that argument is relied upon too much (as it tends to be in quite a few places on the Internet), then the status quo is established and reinforced; we begin to let developers get away with quite a bit because it’s capitalism and, well, we don’t HAVE to give in. So then how does great change come about? How do we improve things for ourselves as gamers? Sure, we could get the message across by collectively not buying games that require online passes. But don’t we have a right to let developers and publishers know verbally too that we’d like things to be different?

So what’re my points?

1) Gamers shouldn’t have to pay more for a used copy of a game so that the developer or publisher gets their cut. It isn’t done in other used industries, so games should be no different. You got your cut from the original copy; be happy.

2) Gamers who express their disappointment over “online pass” prices or used game DLC prices are just as entitled to make their arguments as those who believe you should just not buy the game or pay for the DLC.

/end mini-rant

What are your thoughts on the Catwoman codes, used games, and developers who want to get a cut of used games? Don’t be shy!

Since when did Robin look such like a badass?

In this clip, Robin shows that he’s just as capable as Batman; he skulks, he fights, he looks brooding in his hoodie!

Enjoy:

What do you think? Does this make you excited to play as the Boy Wonder?

I recently bought Valkyria Chronicles at gamestop for $30.  Its an amazing deal and I highly recommend picking up a copy. I can easily say that this game is THE BEST strategy/RPG on the PS3.

I love the story and found the anime cut scenes to be amazing.  Just when I thought I couldn’t get any more of this awesome game I found out that the first episode of the animated series is available on the Japanese PSN.  It is available in 2 formats  HD (400 yen) and SD (300 yen).  If you own a PS3 you already have a nice tv so might as well get the HD version.

Or if you are a cheap Internet Pirate!  Damn those Pirates are crazy, they are all over CNN!!  OK i digress…

If you are famaliar with Bittorrent you can download all the episodes here:

http://www.mininova.org/search/valkyria/seeds

wriXeL does not promote piracy…. i aint saying, I’m just saying…

Although the game didn’t do as well financially I still believe is a gem that got overlooked by the masses.

Here is a link to the official japanese site:

http://www.valkyria-anime.com/

Street Fighter 4 National Tournament.

I got up this morning, played on XBL for a bit, ate some food, walked my dog and then took a trip to my local Gamestop. It was around 1:45pm and I had noticed that a couple other contestants had also arrived early. After standing around for a couple of minutes the tournament started. Everyone was kinda loitering around but once the 1^st battle was called everyone got serious.  The Gamestop we played at didn’t have a lot of contestants so it wasn’t as hectic as I thought it would be.

“Where the battle went down”

While the 1st two contestants were fighting it out, I got a chance to talk to some of the other players.  We all talked about how the tournament scene has changed in the past couple of years and our opinions on the new SF4.  Before I knew it, I was up to battle “Adam C.” Although I had practiced earlier, it just wasn’t enough.  Adam demolished me.  Adam actually makes custom joysticks so if you are need of some high quality goods he’s your man.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to get everyone’s name but I did manage to get the names of the 2 people who are going to round 2.

The tournament reminded me of the arcades back in the 90s. My older brother was the one who got me into street fighter and I’ve been hooked ever since. We would search around the house for loose change just to have another chance at vanquishing M. BISON. I haven’t been to a Street Fighter tournament in a REALLY LONG time and it was really awesome to chat it up with gamers. Playing some SF4 and discussing the good ‘ol days was one of the highlights of the tournament. I think gaemstop made a really smart move with this tournament and I hope to see more in the future.

Best of luck to Hannibal & Guilbecto!

Speaking of joysticks,  mine JUST came in the mail….

wow it looks pretty…

If you ever want to battle me, my XBOX Live tag is:

“Echo Nova X”