When fighting the undead it helps to have an advantage. In the case of zombies, they are traditionally slow and dumb. This mentality doesn't always work with vampires, who are both supremely powerful and intelligent. Now imagine yourself in a city in suburban Los Angeles. The primary residents? You guessed it, vampires. And in this dreary, perpetually wet wonderland, it's your job as a special ops member to take them out, each and every one. The problem is that pound-for-pound, humans have no chance against vampires.

Thus is the premise of Vampire Rain set to launch on Xbox 360 tomorrow. Developer Artoon (who are also working on the forthcoming Blue Dragon), provided a solution to the human vs. vampire problem: stealth. With high-tech weapons at your disposal and enough distance, vampires become the same as any targets, except that should you miss, and they get close, you will die.

Built on such a unique concept, the question remains: how will the inclusion of vampires provide a different approach to the genre? Expect a full review soon after launch. For now, check out the awesome trailer!

Many view games simply as a hobby, a chance to waste legions of zombies, save the earth from total destruction, or engage in historical war campaigns. However, there is a subset of hardcore gamers who engage in competitive gaming, either to make a living or simply to gain bragging rights (or both). In the golden age of arcade gaming, you may have encountered a competitor who, after losing, cited all sorts of excuses in an attempt to save face. “That was cheap” or “anyone can win with that character” or “you did the same move over and over again!” I’m sure you’ve experienced severe beatdowns too. I remember as a kid getting trumped by that unstoppable Ken uppercut. It’s invincible! No Fair! Instead of simply using logic to figure the situation out, you mash harder and attempt to rush the competition down, only to get beaten that much faster.

“Winning at competitive games requires a results-oriented mindset that many players are simply not willing to adopt. This book walks players through the entire process: how to choose a game and learn basic proficiency, how to break through the mental barriers that hold most players back, and how to handle the issues that top players face.” - David Sirlin

Author (and proprietor of the insightful http://www.sirlin.net) David Sirlin breaks down the idea of playing to win in his book of the same name and it’s an engaging ride as he takes you across the gamut of competitive gaming with cross-references to Sun Tzu’s Art of War. His writing is on-point, interesting, and shows a true understanding of the mindset needed in playing to win (something he says many gamers are simply not willing to do). Whether you are a competitive gamer or a bench-warmer like myself, Playing to Win offers a unique look into the competitive gaming field.

A project begun at Stanford in 2000 has found its way to the Playstation 3. I can’t say that I fully understand everything they are doing behind the scenes, but basically: “Folding@Home is a distributed computing project — people from through out the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. Every computer makes the project closer to our goals.” (http://folding.stanford.edu/)

The overall goal? To understand the process of protein folding. Misfolded proteins lead to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and more, so understanding them could lead to a cure. For a really indepth look at this, read the article in the June 2007 issue of PSM. The project began as a PC-focused venture, but thanks to the power of the PS3, it’s “processing the given proteins approximately 20 times faster than most platforms involved in F@H.” (PSM, June 2007.) So far, there’s no mention of it being offered on other next gen platforms.

Once you load the client on your computer or PS3, join team GotNext. Add team number “70427″ in the appropriate field. Who said videogames weren’t good for society?

I’m going to do something here that may very well ruin whatever credibility I had on this site. I’m going to recommend DOA: Dead or Alive as a must see movie this summer. Thanks to the DVD hitting Asian markets (yes, the legit DVD, not bootleg), I was able to watch all 83 minutes of quick cut, cheesetastic T&A-filled fighting. Helmed by veteran Hong Kong maestro Corey Yuen, DOA does an impressive job of making this cast (most of whom are not real martial artists) appear like masters with slick editing and all sorts of other techniques this Hong Kong filmmaker had at his disposal.

Kasumi, Christie, Helena, and Tina are the main focus (Lei Fang gets totally shafted). The choice of Devon Aoki as Kasumi is questionable (she’s not nearly cute enough to pull this off), though the rest of the cast matches pretty well. After a video-game style intro to each main character, the story herds them to the DOA tournament by way of invitation where they attend with their own agendas (Kasumi is looking for her brother, Tina wants to prove herself, and Christie wants the prize money and more). What they discover–besides volleyball and partying–is that they will have to fight to save not only their lives, but the lives of their fellow contestants.

In order to truly enjoy the film, there are some prerequisites. Step 1: turn off brain. This will ensure that all understandings of physics, plausibility, reality, meaningful storyline, and so forth will not be an issue. Step 2: enjoy! It’s that simple. The movie is not the best martial arts film ever, nor is it attempting to be. It’s a true testament to a game series founded on pretty girls with big boobs kicking all sorts of ass. Think Mortal Kombat only with much better fight sequences and the king of all villains: Eric Roberts.

Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) and its American presence, NIS America, have built a huge reputation over the past couple years as the torch-carriers for the 2D RPG fan, with Ar Tonelico recently offering a great dose of traditional, albeit excellent, action; lots of interactions with cute girls; and an item creation system that is simple and fun.

Here’s a quick look at a handful of titles coming out this year…

Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (release date: April 24, PSP). Here’s what I hope will happen, this game will rock the PSP like the previous NIS games were supposed to. We need more solid, 2D RPGs on the PSP and I’m crossing my fingers that this will be it (and we know there’s a killer app coming too, more on that below). From the site: “Long, long ago, battles were waged with blade and spell. The lush island of Aedis was constantly submerged in bloodshed. Eventually, this hatred and anger gave birth to an entity known as Mugen, which brought an end to all things. Mugen’s dark lightning scorched the land, split the earth, and shattered the vessels of life. The few survivors fled to an ancient relic, the Otherworld Tower. As they entered, some descended into the earth, while others climbed to the heavens. Some, however, still had faith in their land, and remained in Aedis. Thus has the legend this world has passed down. Now they call it a fairy tale, a mere child’s fantasy.”

Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm (release date: May 29, PS2) is the 3rd in a series of alchemy RPG games by Gust. With a strong focus on item creation and good old-school battles, the 3rd time may be the charm for this great series. From the site: “Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm tells the story of two young adventurers, Edge and Iris. They accidentally discover a fragment of a magical book that can grant any wish, once all 8 pieces are brought back together. On their quest to find all the pieces, they are joined by a rag-tag team of alchemists and warriors.”

Soul Nomad (release date: August 2007, PS2). Is this Disgaea 3? All kidding aside, the trailer makes this look like an awesome SRPG. From the press release: “This latest project from Nippon Ichi Software combines the infamous grid-based strategy engine of Disgaea with the deep game play of a traditional style RPG for a new and unique experience. Crime apparently pays well as players are encouraged to steal, abduct, and kick villagers in the butt to get what you want.” Consider this on my most anticipated list!

Dragoneer’s Aria (release date: summer 2007, PSP). Another PSP RPG coming our way. According to the press release: “Developed by Hit Maker, Dragoneer’s Aria takes advantage of PlayStation® Portable’s advanced hardware providing an compelling story telling with flawless transition between adventure and battles. Players can now battle enemies as a team through PlayStation® Portable’s ADHOC function. Up to 4 players can play at the same time.”

GrimGrimoire (release date: June 2007, PS2). According to the press release: “The fantasy real time strategy game (RTS) is scheduled to release in summer 2007, and is co-developed by Nippon Ichi Software and Vanillaware. In the game, players will take on the role of Lillet Blan, a young magician who is admitted to a prestigious yet mystical magic school; however, on the 5th day of school, everyone mysteriously vanishes. Lillet, awakens the next day to find out she is once again living out the first day of school; however, her memories from the previous days are intact, giving her the opportunity to solve the mysteries behind the disappearances and prevent the tragedy from occurring.” Definitely check out the trailer for this one, it looks amazing.

Disgaea PSP (release date: summer 2007, PSP). Not only is this the Disgaea we know and love, but there is additional content and a new multiplayer mode!!! According to the press release: “Gamers will now be able to play their favorite game on the go. And premiering with the North American release, Disgaea® PSP will feature a multiplayer mode, enabling players to pit their armies against each other. There will also be a brand new Geo Cube feature, which will alter the rules of battle, bringing a brand new element of strategy to the game, and spicing up player vs. player battles. A new story mode has also been added, allowing players to play as their favorite vassal.” Will this lead to perhaps some SRPG presence on Xbox Live with multiplayer? I’ve long thought the future of the 2D SRPG was on places such as Xbox Live where downloadable content would be available at intervals and where there could be human against human battles. It looks like even players who have put more than their share in to the original will have some new things to play with on the PSP version.

Note: all content taken from the NIS America website: http://www.nisamerica.com/