Friday, April 24, 2009
PSP Freemasonry Wrap Up
If you think New York City never sleeps, that’s not true. Restaurants start closing up right around 10PM, as the crew found out last night after our meetup. This goes for Outback and Olive Garden, so we ended up taking our ruckus to the back of a diner near 8th and 23rd. The only other folks there were a group old men dressed in suits.
“Mafia?” I whispered to our resident fanboy, Mechanic.
“No, maybe freemasons,” replied Daeth.
Let me save you the trouble and give you the Wikipedia link right here. Because we weren’t entirely sure, I toned it down a bit but still got my fair share of gaming discussion and quite a few laughs.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Rock Band 2, GHWT, and LBP Madness
Last night’s huge gaming party was a testament to the teamwork and dedication the folks of TPN in the name of great gaming. LittleBigPlanet, Rock Band 2, and the Guitar Hero: World Tour all came alive in one incredible gaming night, overwhelming the senses, and delivering a spectacular night we won’t soon forget.
We needed an extra TV with so many consoles (two PS3’s, one 360, and a Dreamcast!) present in the same room. So Daemoncel brought in an extra set all the way from Jersey, and we fired up Marvel vs Capcom 2 while filling out our Rock band library, thanks to gamesharing (thanks AgeofPanik). John kept the laughs coming while Jamie kept a gentle lookout for the little kids who came along for the evening.
Dre then walked in from the pouring rain with an extra two consoles, an additional Rock Band set for 360, and an advance copy of LittleBigPlanet. From then on, things were completely out of control, just the way I like it. We played both music games simultaneously, the volume blaring ever higher out of separate sides of the room. Then we settled in for some four-player LBP action, tackling a variety of courses. I was impressed with how the camera kept up with all four players, and wondered how much thought went into keeping the levels multiplayer friendly, because now it seemed like there was no other way to play this game.
Some old friends dropped in, and we chatted and caught up on life in spurts, but it was brief thanks to a whole chorus of gamers yelling Living on a Prayer in the other room. I’ve definitely made a convert of at least one of them to Rock Band, but he doesn’t access the net from his system so I’ll have to help him out a bit.
My favorite moment was watching Sack Boys being run over by cars in LBP. That, and of course seeing the singer model in GHWT perform a series of Michael Jackson moves during Beat It. I’m looking forward to more pics from other folks, because I was too busy playing and yelling to capture much on film. Look for more updates on our wrap up forum soon.
Editorials • Games • Impressions • Multiplayer • PS3 • (2) Comments • Permalink
Friday, August 22, 2008
Cafe28 Meetup: Suspicious Package Edition
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Though it seemed like everyone either forgot about last night’s meetup or was off on vacation, a few diehard PSP fans still came out for some nice gaming discussion and a quick bite to eat afterwards. I still managed to get a match play in with Dan on Hot Shots Golf, and there was even some old Tekken game-sharing action...damn that game still looks incredible. My D-pad hasn’t been functioning too well though, so I’ll be looking forward to picking up one of the new PSP models soon.
The real news was the new location though. Cafe 28 was more spacious than I had imagined, and seemed to offer every kind of deli and drink offering you’d expect. Add in the nice clean artsy environment, no hobos, and cell phone access, and electrical outlets, and you have a very nice new home for all future PSP gatherings. Now, we just need the new games to start coming out. Either that, or start rediscovering the charms of our existing library.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Epic 10 Hour Rock Band Marathon
As blazingly hot as it was this past Saturday afternoon, nothing was as face-meltingly molten as the Rock Band session unleashed in the deep recesses of Queens with the hardcore rockers of The PSP Nation. The night before, I set up the room by pushing the couch back, plugging in Bose speakers to the set, and propping up the gamer food table in the corner. We started the afternoon promptly at 12:00 noon, and rocked until exhaustion at around 10, racking up as many fans in the game before nearly passing out. More after the jump.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Hot Shots and Spoon Hero at the Seaport
A gorgeous day awaited the PSP fans who trecked down to the South Street Seaport for a day of Hot Shots and good old Uno’s grub. Although there’s quite a large crowd at the harbor, the indoor food court never seems to short on seating space for our crew. We chatted about the iPod’s impending launch, of course, along with what we expect from E3 (read: not much, other than Rock Band 2 news) and had a couple of sweet rounds of Hot Shots 2: Open Tee.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Fireworks at South Street Seaport Meetup
Over at our forum, Kuniochi writes:
“The threat of rain, low attendance, and possible cancellation, didn’t stop people from showing. We had about 10-12 people in attendance. Among them were long time veterans FreakinRat and NRed! NRed made his first appearance in over two years...”
It’s good to hear Nred’s doing well. Sounds like an amazing time was had. And I’m really blown away by the quality of these photographs. Time to upgrade my crap camera. Great job on the write-up, girl!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Get Your Iron Man Wallpaper
Movies and games are the biggest rewards I get for my work-filled weeks. If you haven’t already done so, you owe it to yourself to go check out this great movie. I try to “hang on” to great movie experiences via wallpapers, soundtracks, and action figures whenever I can. Looking forward to the sequel in 2010.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
No Pineapples at Uno’s. Still Plenty of Laughs.
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There has got to be something seriously wrong with a pizza restaurant that doesn’t carry pineapples. I mean, Hawaiian-style pizza (ham and pineapple toppings) is an option even with the worst pizza delivery services (looking at you, Domino’s). Longtime member, and rarely seen participant, ChopsNYC was craving for the taste something fierce at our meetup last week at the Seaport. Alas, he had to settle for a couple of beers to satisfy his palate, which may not be a bad thing depending on whether or not you’re in a 12-step program.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Seaport Covers Outlets. Doesn’t Stop TPN.
I don’t know what kind of moochers the South Street Seaport had as visitors since our last meetup there months ago, but it was enough for the place to put lock-boxes over all the available electrical outlets. Good thing my laptop charges all day at work. Other than that slight annoyance, and folks getting a little lost, a fantastic time was had last night with lots of joking, laughing, and gaming on our newly revived PSP. Thanks Crisis Core, Monster Hunter 2nd G, God of War, and Flatout.
Flatout had a max user limit of 4, which I found rather odd, because in single player you normally have 8 racers. Sure, the framerate goes to shit, and the controls are pure hell, but damned if it isn’t fun smashing your driver through a windshield. I was expecting to get the entire crew into an 8-way game to really have it let loose. As it was, we did a little racing (tip: stick to 3 laps or less) and a bit more of destruction derby.
FreakinRat came out of nowhere this week and kicked my butt several times on Flatout. TriggerHappy also dropped by and showed off his new iPhone, like everyone else has been doing. Finally, Pimpscooby and Dre made special appearances, accompanied by their new baby and making TPN history, by introducing us to the youngest gamer of all time. Word is she can rock a Sixaxis as well as she does a PSP.
I really loved the Seaport. If only it were a little closer to a subway entrance...then again I think that’s the reason there are so few bums around. Free WiFi is always a good thing, but pair it up with a nice view of the river, sunlight, and cell phone access and you can’t go wrong. See more pictures of the event on our world famous forum right here.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Manhattan Mall - Out With a Whimper?
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It would seem that the rumors of the Manhattan Mall food court shutting down are true. Last night’s meetup at our usual spot in mid-town seemed lacking somehow. But if you wanted to find the source of all the gloom, all you had to do was look up to see a series of empty food stands, including TPN favorites Arby’s and Subways.
I tried not to let it get to my head too much. After all, Chipotle was going to be our food stop later that night anyway, and there was plenty of interesting conversation in store. In the meantime, I was really impressed at how entertaining Worms 2 could be in a four player matchup. My opponents were swinging on ninja ropes and dropping dynamite from the air like seasoned pros. Lost both rounds, but got some sweet revenge on my Wipeout Pulse as usual.
More pictures and a funny little vid after the jump. Next stop, South Street Seaport, on the first week of April. Hopefully the sun glare won’t ruin the handheld gaming.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Photo: 80’s 133tness
To think, if I’d have seen this picture in my early childhood, I’d be ridiculously envious. I remember how huge Nintendo Power, Ducktales, mullets, and stone washed jeans were back then. I wonder what they’ll be saying about us in 2028.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Burnout Paradise Gangbang
What happens when a TPN member falls asleep behind the wheel during a team jump challenge on Burnout Paradise? We try to push him off a cliff with our cars to complete the event, of course. You can witness the all-out carnage in a short video below, thanks to Kuniochi.
Even though Burnout Paradise missed the holiday launch window, I’ve been playing it every chance I can between Rock Band. I really enjoy the ridiculous stunts it asks you pull off, but going online is so easy I haven’t had a chance to get through much of the single-player action. C-class cars FTL!.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Crisis Core Coming: Site Updated
Say what you will about Final Fantasy 7 (overrated *cough-cough*), it still introduced us to some really great characters, and fans have been clamoring quite loudly for a PS3 remake. Come next month, American PSP owners are getting the next best thing with the long-awaited release of Crisis Core. We have a newly designed website for the US release to prove it, where you can find some info on the story, the characters, and the battle system.
I hope the slots-like functionality doesn’t overwhelm the potential this game has. I’m also crossing my fingers for summons abilities, even if they took 4 minutes to show in the original FF7. No matter what, it’s destined to be the the greatest RPG in PSP history. Brave Story, look out!
God of War: Chains of Olympus Demo Video
All I can say is Wow. I’m going to make sweet love to this game.
Patapon Pwns Loco Roco FTW
If early reviews are any indication, the upcoming rhythm game, Patapon will be the next to set PSPs on fire everywhere across the US. You control a disembodied god that leads a village of little one-eyed warriors to victory by tapping on a marching drum. Unique, charming, deep, and aurally captivating, it looks like a real winner and one of the first big post-Christmas releases, following Wipeout Pulse of course. Look for it on February 26.