*Volunteer Positions* While evaluating the state of the Gaming Journalism scene, I noticed that we at Real Otaku Gamer has a unique approach when covering geek/otaku culture. As the site gets restructured and we go into our 3rd year, we are looking to create opportunities that will help the site become more robust and varied with coverage. Real Otaku Gamer has a global vision, we accept writers from all over the world.

These new job positions are going to help Real Otaku Gamer become more organized and develop a bigger community so we can grow as a brand. These positions are volunteer only as we are a small site. As we grow so will the sponsors and hopefully revenue.

IF HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE POSITIONS, Email us at feedback@realotakugamer.com

These New Positions are as follows:

1. Community Manager: You will be taking care of the daily running of the site. You will work along side the Editor in Chief and other Admins on the site with promoting the site and helping build a brand. You must have good communication skills.

2.Marketing and PR: You will be responsible for all Public Relations with companies and the community. You must have good communication skills and be able to relate to people of a number of levels. You will also run contests and giveaways.

3.Managing Editor: You will work closely with all staff to make sure the posts we produce, are up to our standards.

4.Social Media Manager: You will be in charge of growing our social networking presence. You will be working close to the senior staff.

5. Assistant to Editor in Chief: You will assist the E.I.C. in the daily running of the site.

6.Advertising and Promotion: contact us for more details.

7.Art Director: contact us for more details.

8.Podcast Producer/Editor: contact us for more details.

9.Video Producer/Editor :contact us for more details.

Now, the next few positions are for the Real Otaku Gamer Specialists. These positions are dedicated for people who want to cover a specific genre/category. This is where your inner Otaku can really shine.

1. PC

2. Mobile/Tablet

3. Tech

4. Anime

5. Manga

6. Comics

7. Nintendo

8. Sony

9. Microsoft

10. Movies/Television

11. Asian Cinema

12.Indie Games

13.Toys/models and Merchandise

14.Convention Coverage

15.Cosplay and Cosplay Culture

To apply for these positions, you must first submit a writing sample and once the sample is approved, submit an small essay telling us why we should pick you for the job you are interested in. An essay is not necessary for all positions. Deadline to have the samples submitted is May 20th, 2013. We must have all essays in my May 17th. Send the Essays and Samples to feedback@realotakugamer.com.

If you have any questions about any of the positions and their responsibilities, just email us at feedback@realotakugamer.com or go to the Twitter and Facebook pages. Thanks you for your time.

Andre Tipton

Founder/Editor in Chief

We at Real Otaku Gamer love movies, we hope you enjoy the new Silent Hill Revelation 3D which is out today. The first Silent Hill movie was actually pretty good in this authors book and I am looking forward to the next movie. In a virtual round table conference call with 2 other journalists, We were able to get an interview with Micheal J. Bassett, the director of the new movie. Here are a couple of questions we asked.

ROG: One thing I did notice in the trailers, was the fact that you incorporated a lot of the character designs and models from the games in the movie. How Challenging was that for you and the team?

Michael:I am a fan on the games, I was basically a PC gamer and a lot of my friends were console gamers, so they said “you have to play this game, Silent Hill”. I am a gamer, so I played it and I thought is was freaky and I loved the sound design and the characters. I think is was a seminal part of gaming history with has a short history of only 25 years. Fast forward 10-15 years I was a filmmaker and I had done a few horror movies.  While working with the producer of the first Silent Hill movie and talking to him I told him I love the film and wold love to see a sequel and after him say he wants someone to do it, I jumped at the chance. 

ROG: One more question. What other gaming franchises do you think would make a good movie adaptation?

Michael: Wow!! That is a good question. There are so many. If someone were to back a big truck full of money to my house, I would love to do a Half-Life film. It is one of my favorite games of all time. It made me think that games have some of the same level of storytelling that movies do. Deus Ex would be another great example, and Assassins Creed is being done. I would like to do Doom and do it properly as well. There are so many good titles. 

Thanks to Michael J. Bassett. Also thanks to the other journalists on the call.

Here is the Interview in its entirety.

In a surprise announcement, Capcom has revealed plans for the Darkstalkers remake we old school fans have been waiting for. In a press release issued today, Capcom announced Darkstalkers Resurrection. Darkstalkers Resurrection is a HD remake of Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge and Darkstalkers 3. There are so many new and updated features, the press release itself will explain it all.

DARKSTALKERS RE-AWAKEN WITH DARKSTALKERS^® RESURRECTION ON PLAYSTATION^®NETWORK AND XBOX LIVE^® ARCADE

New Digital Title Features Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge and Darkstalkers 3 with Updated Graphics and Robust Online Features
SAN MATEO, Calif. — October 11, 2012 — Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that the fan-favorite Darkstalkers® franchise is back and ready to take the fight to current gen consoles. Featuring a unique and colorful cast of characters, blended with fast-paced fighting action, Darkstalkers® Resurrection contains two games, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge and Darkstalkers 3, that will be available to download in early 2013 for $14.99 on PlayStation®Network and 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

The two-for-one priced combo breathes new life into each game with a slew of features including robust GGPO-enabled online game play, HD graphical filtering with multiple viewing options, replay sharing, Spectator Mode, in-game achievements, Challenge/Tutorial Mode and an un-lockable vault filled with concept artwork, videos and more.

Players who want to face-off against their friends online are able to with GGPO-enabled online game play that helps create a virtually lag-free fighting game experience. Building upon the online system previously introduced in Street Fighter® III: Third Strike Online Edition and Marvel vs. Capcom® Origins, online game play now includes upgraded matchmaking with additional options such as region matching, ping lock and ping display.

While taking a break from competition, players have replay sharing and Challenge Mode at their disposal to help them hone their fighting game skills.  Replays can be uploaded to the game’s match server or directly to YouTube. The Challenge/Tutorial Mode contains trials to help players deepen their knowledge of the characters and their specific strategies. For those that prefer to learn from watching other people play, Spectator Mode and “Watch With Friends” allows players to watch games either live online or saved from previous matches. Players can discuss both live and saved games in real time.

 

Now this is amazing news to this editor. This was hinted earlier this month on Yoshinori Ono’s Twitter feed, and Capcom announced it at the 25th Anniversary Panel at New York Comic Con. We at ROG cannot wait for this title to be released.

Here are screenshots and the announcement trailer.

We are back again!! Again!! Even though we said the wrong episode number. We are old, what do you expect? Sit back and enjoy us rip on the NFL replacement refs and all of our gaming opinions. Our good friend Robert Workman stops buy and classes up the place, or downgrades the place? We need all the help we can get sometimes. Robert is one of our favorite gamers. Anyway, we also discuss kids playing online, and Big Shel moving to Texas. We talk about the new games coming out as well. Enjoy the show!!!

A hardcore gamer used to mean someone who played a variety of games because the welcomed the challenge and different game play experiences that the world of gaming offers.  Today the so-called hardcore gamer is someone who is loyal to a gaming genre or franchise and doesn’t want to play anything that is not gritty and dirty. They are also people who are so loyal to their favorite consoles or gaming genre that everything that is not what they like, are regarded sub-par and not worthy of a single look. This contrast could be the fault of the game makers who are after the next big game or there is truly no creativity in gaming anymore.

Back during the mid 1980’s through the mid 1990’s Nintendo could basically do no wrong. Nintendo had some of the best companies in the world working on some of the best games in the history of video games. The Game Boy was the best-selling handheld gaming device in history. Most Hardcore gamers had the Nintendo Entertainment System, The Super Nintendo and a Game Boy and enjoyed the games on all three platforms.

Now in the mid 1990’s The Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation consoles were released and brought CD based Gaming to the mainstream. Those consoles changed the way video games looked and sounded with the advanced CD technology in the hardware. The hardcore gamers were seeing games in a whole new light. Then came the Nintendo 64 system, and that is the day the love died for most hardcore gamers.

Deny it if you want, but when Nintendo announced that they did not choose the CD format because of loading times and they were going to stick with cartridges some fans abandoned them. Some of the “hardcore” gamers never went back. In the eyes of the hardcore, Nintendo dropped the ball and they were from that day on, a generation behind. However, in the grand history of video games, the Nintendo 64 was a gaming marvel. If not for the N64, there would be no Goldeneye 007, Super Mario 64, Super Smash Brothers,  The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time or Mario Party. These are games that broke the mold as far as game design and game play mechanics.

Super Mario 64 is the blueprint for all modern platformers.

Super Mario 64 was the blueprint for the 3D platformer.  Goldeneye 007 single-handedly brought the first console first person shooter into the mainstream, until Halo on the original Xbox. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time helped mold the 3D action adventure genre into what it is today. Super Smash Brothers and Mario Party both were a phenomenon like no other and they have both spawned numerous clones. However some hardcore gamers couldn’t get past the cartridge hump. Which, in this writer’s opinion, doesn’t make them hardcore at all. With that being said, let’s move on.

Enter the GameCube. Now this was the last time that a Nintendo console was technically comparable or superior to the competing consoles. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox dominated that generation with the third party support. The GameCube had great games like Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Zero and the remake of the first Resident Evil game. They also had Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, Killer 7, Skies of Arcadia Legends, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, and the Metroid Prime series.  Other games like Super Mario Sunshine and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would have been included in that list, but those are not considered hardcore because they are not M-rated.

This is one of the best GameCube games you didn’t buy.

Next is the first lightning rod of all the hardcore Nintendo hate, The Nintendo Wii. Now it is a popular saying among gamers that the Wii console is for your grandmother, little kids or casual gamers. This author begs to differ. The Nintendo Wii DOES have some hardcore games, you just need to open your eyes and look. Games like Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, Madworld, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Donkey Kong Country Returns, No More Heroes, and many more. Most of these games were overlooked by the so-called “hardcore gamers” because these were franchises that were not established. That is the fault of the gamers not being willing to try anything new.

Another Wii game many of you slept on.

Let us turn to the Nintendo 3DS/DS.  This is one of the highest and fastest selling handhelds in history. With that being stated, The Sony PlayStation Portable was considered the handheld for hardcore gamers. The Nintendo DS outsold the PSP in the US at a ratio of 4 to 1. The thing about the DS/3DS was the fact that many of the classic gaming franchises we consider hardcore we released on the device.  Titles like Contra, Metroid, Castlevania, Chrono Trigger, and The Zelda and Mario series helps keep the DS/3DS in the hands of the hardcore gamer who likes true portable gaming. The unique game play styles the DS/3DS gives us is one of the main reasons the handheld does so well.

Now, the second lightning rod of Nintendo hate, the Wii U. A console that is not released yet, but already has the hardcore gamers generally dismissing Nintendo. Some gamers have even suggested that Nintendo set the gaming generation out because in their eyes Nintendo is dead and buried. More suggest that Nintendo go the route that Sega has gone, third-party developer. Both are nonsense, in this author’s opinion. What most of these gamers don’t realize is the Wii U is made for us core/hardcore gamers. It has HD graphics for the graphic whores and even a new pro controller for traditional game control. After Nintendo gave you all that now you are complaining about the games. Have we become a nation of whiny gamers? That is for another editorial by this same author.

Hardcore Gamers think this is the only cool game for the Wii U.

Now with all of that said, the hardcore gamer still questions the relevance of Nintendo. While their consoles and companies of choice have been playing catch up with the innovation of Nintendo, now the hardcore are throwing stones and the Wii U and now at the 3DS. This practice is sad by this author’s standard. While Nintendo is finally catching up to Microsoft and Sony on a graphical level, Sony and Microsoft have not caught up to Nintendo on an innovative level.  So is the Wii U the console that will both innovate and satisfy the graphic whores? It will probably not. One thing it will do is get even more people enjoying the gaming experience in other ways than currently available. As previously stated, the thing about the Wii U is that it was made with the hardcore gamer in mind. This is the Nintendo console for you. The fact the Nintendo made a Classic Controller Pro is proof of that.

Hopefully this editorial doesn’t come off as a fan-boy rant. It is not intended to seem that way. All companies and consoles deserve their shine and when a segment of society bashes them without an informed opinion, it is not fair. The bottom line is, Nintendo has always had the games and the audience. Many of you have grown up with Nintendo.  The problem is many of you are not growing with Nintendo.  Nintendo never abandoned the hardcore gamer, it is the other way around.

This game is not considered a hardcore game. Why not revisit it and see for yourself?

Unless you have been living under a rock, or you have been too busy playing  Call of Duty, or maybe frying your processor playing Diablo III. Maybe you are counting  down the days to get your hands on Guild Wars 2. Let’s face it, you are more than likely enjoying for all of the Comic Con ’12 madness. Just in case you have heard, Square Enix and IO Interactive are rebooting the Hitman franchise and it is shaping up to be another major hit for the studio.

This new demo being played is called “Streets of Hope”. It debuted at E3 2012 and this new video is commentated by game director Tore Blystad and IO Interactive community member Travis Barbour. This  new level follows agent 47 as he looks for Lenny “the limp” Dexter, who knows where Victoria (the woman he is sworn to protect) is located.

He must take out several of Lenny’s gang members and kidnap him to get the information. This trailer shows the well done level design and gameplay mechanics of this title coming out on November 20. Enjoy!

Here are some images and information that we have obtained from Nintendo about the Nintendo 3DS XL. If you watch the Japanese and UK Nintendo Direct presentations, you will notice that the box for the UK version was kinda small. Well The US versions of The 3DS XL are the only ones packaged with an ac adapter. The system will be available in Japan and the UK on July 28th and the US version will be available on Aug 19th to coincide with the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2.

 

 

 

As you can see the North American versions of the 3DS XL will come in two colors, red and blue. Other colors will be announced months after the launch and there are different colors depending on which region you live in. We not sure if the North American models with come bundled with a cradle or not, that should be announced in the coming weeks.

As you can see the face of the device is black matte finish much better that the shiny surface of the original 3DS. Also notice the select, home and start buttons. They are actually buttons instead of being housed inside the console which makes the buttons easier to access. Now the battery life is better than the original 3DS, if you are playing a 3DS game you will get between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours extra playtime. Playing Nintendo DS games the playtime increases from 2 to 3 hours. The price of the Nintendo 3DS XL will be $199.99 and will be released on August 19th. Check out the pics below for pictures of the Nintendo 3DS XL and the stylus, as well as a teaser trailer for Nintendo Direct.

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Our friends at Urgent Fury and Brady Games are hosting two weeks of tournaments for Starhawk on the PlayStation 3.

Introducing the Urgent Fury Dust Tournament.

Dust is a Starhawk® tournament series designed to give teams an enhanced experience competing online in a cheat free and respectful environment. Each team will battle it out online in eight versus eight matches, preparing their teams for an upcoming Scenario Based TacMap Tournament to be held this summer. Prizes and additional sponsors will be announced at a later date. The Tournament starts in August, but you have to be pre qualified before you can jump in. Slots are filling up quickly, so you need to get over to Urgent Fury and get your information in.

Urgent Fury is one of the best Tournament communities on the net today. For seven years they has had a reputation of providing an excellent tournament experience like no other. Using the Scenario Based TacMap Tournament model, They have provided a fair and cheat free tournament experience. These guys know their stuff and we ate Real Otaku Gamer are eager to work with them on our upcoming tournament projects. So go and check the out at www.urgentfury.com and join this and many other tournament they host.

In something that took everyone by surprise, the company Ocean Media has been under internet fire lately. The main reason for the combined attack from many outlets is because of a VERY poor decision made by an employee Ocean Marketing, the company who was behind the creation of The Avenger game controller. In what seemed like probably the most ridiculous choice made by someone in the work environment, Paul Christoforo decided to verbally attack a customer of Ocean Marketing’s website.

Known now only as Dave, Dave wanted to inquire on the status of his order for 2 Playstation 3 controllers from their website, with hopes of it arriving before or on Christmas day. When he received a few lackluster responses from Paul, who at the time was responding to Dave’s emails to the company, Dave began to explain his displeasure of the treatment he was getting from Ocean Marketing’s service. To which Paul decided to aggressively respond back to Dave with less then stellar treatment from a company employee.

Having felt insulted and appalled at the response, Dave responded back expressing his anger, demanding he receive the product which he paid for WAY in advanced. Paul had then responded with another aggressive email, almost along the lines of bragging about people he, and/or the company, knew within the game industry, including dropping names like Kotaku, IGN, and PAX. Dave, after recieving the email response, sent over the email chain to Mike Krahulik, the man who runs PAX and the Penny Arcade website. It was at this point the whole situation got as low as it possibly could, to which Paul had continued to go back and forth with Mike on various topics, all leading to Mike posting the craziness on the Penny Arcade website.

After the post went live, Ocean Marketing started receiving huge backlash for the remainder of December 27th. Places like Twitter, Youtube, and even the Ocean Marketing website felt the power of many angry people from the internet. It had even gotten to a point to where not only were multiple Twitter accounts were made from the fallout, but at some point, it was made public that Paul Christoforo was let go from Ocean Marketing.

The whole situation is crazy in of itself. This is a prime example of what NOT TO DO to your customers in any field that you work in. Sometimes, a little common sense can go a very long way, and save you a very big internet flaming headache.

Read the original post from the Penny Arcade Website — http://penny-arcade.com/resources/just-wow1.html

I had a chance to sit down and chat it up with Comedian, Actor, and Voice-Actor Peter Kelamis recently. Peter is most notably recognized as the voice of Goku in the Ocean’s dub version of DRAGONBALL Z. However, Peter is also known for voicing a bunch of other characters in different shows such as Ed Edd and Eddy, Transformers Cybertron, and Class of Titans. We also had a chance to dive into his early career of stand-up comedy and movies/tv shows, including one of his most popular roles in Stargate Universe. Check out the entire interview below, its a total of three parts. There’s plenty of stuff here for everyone, all this and more on this segment of THE BITT.