Video Games Based on 2011 Movie Releases

Ah, video games based on movies. Usually they're so bad they leave gamers screaming in frustration. It's  not always because the game doesn't reflect the movie well, the main issue is the game's broken. It's rushed, the controls don't respond, the graphics are choppy, it basically should have a Surgeon General warning on the box. Of course, there's exceptions to the rule.

As a gamer, I usually avoid movie tie in games, like Harry Potter. I'm a book nerd and while the movies are okay, the games based on the movies are mediocre at best. And I want more from a franchise like HP where there is such a rich, detailed world to explore. I'm hoping to be graced with a Knights of the Old Republic style game one day.

My HP geekiness aside, 2011 is full of big blockbuster type movies, which means a video game will be released just in time. While I don't have any expectations for these games, I'm hoping they will at least step up the quality a bit. A move in the right direction, if you will. Thor will be one follow, as the game is different on each system except the 360 and PS3 versions. Of course, all that variety can mean none of the versions are good. Captain America will have a different storyline then the movie, so at least that's interesting.

Once 2011 is over, we will see what impact video games based on movies will have. Maybe it will be a great year, or maybe I'm just cynical, cause I'm not hold my breath.

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PS3's Yellow Light of Death (YLOD) and Saved Data Loss

I should have known better. When I first got my 20 gb PS3, it was clear the hard drive needed to be bigger. I could barely save two or three games on it. So I had a 250 gb hard drive installed. Before the installation, I saved all my data to a flash drive. If I didn't, I would lose everything.

Fast forward to Christmas Eve 2010. My family is watching a Venture Bros DVD on the PS3. All of a sudden it shuts itself off. The PS3 never did that before, so I try to turn it back on. It won't. That's when I see the YLOD first hand. My console is 4 years old, so the warranty is expired. I never continued to back up my data. Stupid, I know. I remember the moment when I hit me. Since I went through replacing the hard drive already, I remembered the PS3 re-formats every new hard drive that's installed. Duh. Well, all is not lost yet. There are ways to try to save single player data after the YLOD. The best way, I think, is to send your PS3 to a professional third party repair shop. Not only will they repair your PS3 and give you it back. (Which Sony doesn't do) Some places will also try to fix the PS3 just enough to recover data. So even if the fix isn't permanent, at least you will have your data.

Hopefully, the PS3 will start offering cloud saving to Plus subscribers with the new firmware update. I'm not a Plus member,  but I will be if I can save my data online.

For complete details on what happens after the YLOD, what data will be saved and lost, and what you can do click here

Video Game Franchises Getting a Reboot in 2011

Over the years, some video game franchises can lose popularity. Whether it's due to lack of innovation or the quality taking a hit, there are many games that haven't released that awe-inspiring, completely new title in awhile. 2011 will see at least 4 video game franchises getting rebooted. What is different about the new Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, and Mortal Kombat? Some are returning to their roots, others are branching out and getting a new twist.    For more details click here.

Video Game Tattoo

It may seem strange that I have over 20 tattoos and not one is video game related. I plan on fixing that soon. I'm going to get a gaming inspired tattoo that spans from my elbow to my wrist. Instead of picking just one game, I decided to incorporate images that come from many games that I have loved over the years. So far I planned something from Zelda, Mario, Resident Evil, Gears of War, and Left 4 Dead. Those "somethings" are undecided as of right now. For other games I have weighted companion cube from Portal, nurses from Silent Hill, Alma from F.E.A.R., Vault Boy from Fallout and Darth Revan from Knights of the Old Republic. There are other ideas I have floating around like Talim from Soul Caliber fighting Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat. I definitely want something BioShock, but I might get a Big Daddy on my leg instead. I also want to incorporate more older games from the 8-bit era and maybe R.O.B. the robot. Of course there are many other games I want to do something with, but I'm afraid I'll run out of room. :) At least my husband is a tattoo artist and will help me pick out what looks best.

It will probably be awhile until everything is mapped out, but I'm just excited I finally decided on what type of gaming tattoo I want.

5 of the Worst Horror Video Games

I'm a big fan of horror video games. There are some really great ones out there, but others ones are so bad, they're almost funny. Resident Evil is a great survival horror series, but games like Survivor are just terrible. Other horror games are based on movies like Ju-On. The American remake of this movie is bad and so is the Wii exclusive game. What makes these horror game horrible and what others made the list?

Read more here.