Happy Birthday Xbox!

This day in history (at least in the great USA) saw the release of the console EVERYONE (including me) scoffed at when first announced; The original Xbox.

The console may have been chunky, and the controllers may have been a weapon of mass destruction (Seriously, those things were massive and sharp!) but they were the start of a great gaming console revolution, and today in 2001 saw the release of the 360 console that would shape things to come. I still use my Crystal Xbox as a stand for my TV because the console is too beautiful to destroy.

Happy Birthday Xbox! It still works and the ads for the 360 are no longer as strange! Sony took that role.

Metal Gear Solid HD Has 2 Surprises!

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection will hit PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 8th in the US and February 3rd 2012 in Europe. Today also brought another cool announcement related to this upcoming HD pack. The Collection includes Metal Gear Solid 2, 3 and a spitshined version of Peace Walker, but Konami just announced that Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2, the series' origins, will be added to this already sweet deal.

It's a shame that the first Metal Gear Solid won't be available on this pack, but I already have Metal Gear Solid on both the Playstation and the Gamecube. It's also readily available through the PSN, so I'm sure Sony probably doesn't want to lose that revenue. But I can't wait to play through this series in true HD. It's been a while since I've played 2 and 3, though I don't expect I'll be replaying 4 anytime soon.

The Best Moment Of Gears Of War 3

I've just finished playing Gears Of War 3, and picked up the Gears Of War 3 exclusive console. To put it in a nutshell, it was an amazing evolution of the Microsoft franchise and of the genre in general, but one thing I was not prepared for was this little detail, which I will automatically classify as the best moment in the franchise so far. I guess that doesn't say much for the series.

No spoilers, just enjoy this funny little easter egg thrown into the game for fun.

The Artist Behind Bastion, Jen Zee

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A few weeks ago the Xbox Live Arcade game, Bastion, hit the digital marketplace and it's goddamn amazing. While Ms. Splosion Man stole my heart for the best arcade game of 2011, Bastion comes close second. The narration is unlike anything I've seen or heard in a video game and makes for a truly original hack-and-slash RPG, but it's the art that truly hits home. With influences of classic JRPGS such as Tales of Phantasia and Shining Force, Bastion's art style is simply beautiful; filled to the brim with color and a hand-painted looking palette. 

Yes, I could sit here and ooze over how much I f**king love Bastion, I should also get the point of this post. Artist Jen Zee is the woman behind what you see in game, and she's absolutely brilliant. After spending a bit of time looking into Jen's career, I've dug up a few pieces that are just as incredibly as Jen's work on Bastion. Hit the break to check out 5 pieces by Jen Zee.

Will Windows 8 Allow Xbox 360 Games? Possibly.

EVERY gamer in the world just collectively creamed their pants.

And it ALL comes back to PC gaming.

Teknylate and Insideris have reported that with the next version of Microsoft’s PC operating system, Windows 8, will include the function to allow users to play Xbox 360 games on their PC’s. Interestingly, Games for Windows Marketplace, the PC gaming portal from Microsoft, was integrated into Xbox.com. Microsoft has not made an official statement about the feature yet.

If this is true, I'll be happy. I love PC gaming, and we've had a bit of a falling out lately. Maybe with this feature and Steam my PC and I can get back in touch? Although, this still sounds like a kid claiming, "XBOX 720 IS DA NEW CONSOLES" from the playground. I'm hopeful, but doubtful. But still VERY hopeful.

Always Bet On Duke: My Duke Nukem Love Story

A new trailer just popped up for Duke Nukem Forever, a game that to many was a thing of legend.  Vaporware.  There was even a website dedicated to tracking everything that had happened since the game was announced back in April, 1997.  Found here, btw.

Wakfu: The Animated Series

Wakfu is an MMO and TV series developed by French Studio Ankama.  If you've ever heard of Dofus, this sequel takes place 1,000 years after the fact.  The game hasn't been released just yet, but seems to have a beautiful art style and addictive turn based gameplay.

The clip above is from season 1 of the TV series of Wakfu, released in 2008.  Why haven't we heard about it till now?!  The animation is insanely well done, mimicking the game style near to perfectly.  The series enjoys a large following in Europe, but is relatively unknown in North America.  An Xbox release of 'Isles of Wakfu' in the near future might remedy that issue.