Recent Buys: Episode 32 - Long Overdue

I haven't done one of these in a while and I feel like with all that stuff I've bought this past two months and didn't make a video / post on that this is long over due.

I'm not going to count the purchases I've made since the last Recent Buys but instead I'll talk about the things that I got in the last week. First off would be Dark Souls II for the PS3. I was craving for a new game and since Will had a spare R1 copy, I took it off his hands for a cheaper price than getting off the stores.

Next up would be some PSN cards. Initially bought the $50 card to renew my PS+ subscription but then I found out about the flash sale that happened this past weekend so I also got a $10 card and bought a bunch of stuff from the sale. Off the top of my head I got Crash Bandicoot 1 to 3, RetroCity Rampage, Urban Trial Freestyle, Super Stardust HD, a bunch of Telltale games, them being Sam & Max 9, Tales from Monkey Island, Jurassic Park and Back to the Future. I also got a few other things that I can't seem to remember and I'm too lazy to boot up my PS3 to check.

Lastly, more of an impulse buy if anything. Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes for the PS3. Been wanting to own a Sengoku Basara game in HD but I don't want to shell out more than 2000php on a Sengoku Basara game that's in Japanese. Samurai Heroes, from what I can tell, is the exact same game as the one I played on the Wii but playing on a gamepad is much better than the flailing mess that was the Wiimote nunchuck controls. The reason I call this an impulse buy is because I went to Greenhills looking for some figurines since the shops posted their monthly arrivals on Facebook but when i got there I was told that the particular figure that I was planning to get was pulled back for some reason and the other figure that I was planning to get from another shop was already sold out. So I went around seeing if I could find anything else that I could get so the trip wouldn't be a waste. Lo and behold, Sengoku Basara for 600php. I almost also got Alpha Protocol that was going for 500php but I remembered that a convention (Ozine) is happening this weekend at SMX and I should save some money for that.

And that's it for this episode of Recent Buys. Sorry if this little series isn't consistent as to what type it'll be (either a written post, video, or just an image on our Facebook page). Anyways, until next time!

PSN North America's Flash Sale brings 30 great titles down to .99 cents for the weekend

Looking for a great game for the ongoing long holy weekend? Sony goes generous and announces a Flash Sale pricing 30 titles for only $0.99. These titles go span from PS3 titles, PS Vita, and even PS1 greats. A pretty amazing list of great and classic games if you ask us.  Crash Bandocoot 1-3 plus team racing, Braid, Tokyo Jungle, Super Stardust are complete steals. Check the full list below.

• Back to the Future: The Game (PS3)
• Blast Factor (PS3)
• Braid (PS3)
• Crash Bandicoot (PSOne Classic)
• Crash Bandicoot 2 (PSOne Classic)
• Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PSOne Classic)
• Crash Team Racing (PSOne Classic)
• Crash Commando (PS3)
• Echochrome 2 (PS3)
• Everyday Shooter (PS3/PSP)
• Gex: Enter the Gecko (PSOne Classic)
• Gotham City Impostors (PS3)
• Jurassic Park: The Game (PS3)
• Plants vs. Zombies (PS3)
• Red Faction (PS2 Classic)
• Red Faction 2 (PS2 Classic)
• Red Faction: Battlegrounds (PS3)
• Retro/Grade (PS3)
• Retro City Rampage (PS3/PS Vita)
• Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse (PS3)
• Spyro the Dragon (PSOne Classic)
• Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (PSOne Classic)
• Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PSOne Classic)
• Stuntman: Ignition (PS2 Classic)
• Super Stardust HD (PS3)
• Tales of Monkey Island (PS3)
• Tokyo Jungle (PS3)
• Urban Trial Freestyle (PS3/PS Vita)
• When Vikings Attack! (PS3/PS Vita)
• World Gone Sour (PS3)

[Source: Sony Entertainment Network]

Kontrol Freek - Rcade Freek for PS3 and Xbox 360

Datablitz just got a wave of products from KontrolFreek. I'm a sucker for gaming accessories and have been looking for these in local shops for quite some time now.

I personally find the analog sticks on the PS3's dual-shock 3 controller a tad on the short side and while I don't have the most precise aim in shooters, better leverage on your thumb sticks is never a bad thing. I could have gone for the more regular grips like the classic or the FPS Freek but ever since I found out about the Rcade Freek back in like 2011, those piqued my interest the most.

They grip on the analog sticks quite well and don't get knocked off easily unless your really force it. The smooth rounded plastic surface of the Rcade Freek keeps true to the style of cherry top arcade sticks and while they may not provide the best grip to your thumb, the increase in height definitely adds leverage and could in turn provide more presicion in your gaming.

I don't really use the analog sticks for fighting games except for maybe Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 but I chose the Rcade Freek for the throwback to old arcade machines. Datablitz had them in two colors, Throwback Black and Retro Red and priced at 495php a pair which ain't bad. I might go back and get me one of those FPS Freek ones next time.

For more information about KontrolFreek, visit Kontrolfreek.com.

Red Dead Redemption - Timed Trials Episode 5

For this week's episode Timed Trials, we take a look at Red Dead Redemption, a game that I'm sure most of you, if not all, have already played. I myself have not been able to play RDR until now. I hope you enjoy our first experience playing this pretty darn good cowboy game from Rockstar.

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Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes released early in the Philippines

Just like the previous Metal Gear Solid games, we go bonkers when it's close to release day. The prequel to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is planned for a March 18 release but folks over in the Philippines was able to get the game as early as March 14. Why? Heck, if only I had the answer to that one. 

On March 14, Datablitz, considered as the go-to place to get your original video games, announced on their Facebook that Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was now available for purchase.

While everybody was ecstatic that the latest Metal Gear Solid game is now out, we wondered how it was released almost a week before release.

Games One Gadget, or also known as iTech, also announced the game is now on sale in their branches on the same day.

WHATS THE BIG DEAL??

I'm sure you're wondering at this point what's the big deal? Yes, it's a good thing we get the game a week earlier than the rest of the world, but did they  really break the street date(Release date)? That's not good for the game industry taking the Philippines seriously.

Products always have marketing strategies and they have a reason a specific product will be released on a given date. Let's say Konami isn't happy with official retails breaking release dates, they wouldn't be that excited to do any future business here. This isn't the first time, and it probably won't be that big of a deal, but this would provide a bad image for the community here. If they do have permission to release a game that early from the publishers and developers, awesome, but what if they didn't? These kinds of moves from retailers can ruin the possibility of having video game developers or publishers ever considering the Philippines a possible location to market their games locally. Simply giving them problems like breaking street dates won't make us good friends with them in the long run. Wouldn't it be awesome to have launch parties from the developers/publishers or proper pre-order incentives, yes?

Maybe it was done to maximize sales -  Releasing the product before any official review of the game was released would provide a higher payout since everybody's purchase decision is based on the publisher's marketing and their love of the franchise, not from first-hand experience from other players/reviewers.

Another point is -- It's very erratic on how video games are released in the Philippines. We sometimes get games earlier than others, sometimes a week late, or we get it on the said date with the rest of the world. So where can we get definite information? Release date was the best reference point, but it looks like that can't be the definite source now thanks to this.

When the game was available(March 14) in official stores, no review of the game was released, the game is not even released in Japan and the rest of the world, and the digital copy of the game is not yet available on Xbox Live and PSN. You can't even use the online features or redeem your DLC code because it's not even out. Kotaku just reported that the game was even delayed in Austrailia and New Zealand.

Datablitz's Facebook post on their pre-orders even promotes the known release date.

There's no definite answer to how Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was released. We asked Datablitz through Facebook but it was a longshot since I doubt their community manager would bother giving an answer. Worth a try.

That, and I asked  when the Xbox 360 version will be available because it is currently only available on PS3 and PS4.

Nothing to worry about? This is a game that's only around 2 hours long anyways.  Or do you have a theory to why we we're special enough to get the game before the rest of the world?  Sound off on the comments below.