Actual gamer wins Playboy Cyber Girl award

Jo Garcia could very well be the hottest legit girl gamer since forever. After answering a few questions following her victory in Playboy's online-only Cyber Girl Of The Year search, we find it hard to believe she's just trying as hard as Ubisoft's Frag Dolls to be real.

Garcia is one of those gals who'd say gamers aren't just geeks. What really sets her apart, though, aside from being a Playboy model is her genuine experience with actual games that aren't Diner Dash or Bejewelled. "I love RPGs that tell stories," she said before naming Final Fantasy, Radiata Stories, and the Xenosaga installments as favorites.

To quote:

I like those games because they have a lot of sidequests. You can build up your character doing small things. I'm 100 hours into FFXII and I'm not even done with the game yet. I'm doing all the hunts and the sidequests - I'm probably a third into the game and my guys are at level 60. I hold my characters high so when I go through the game it's a lot easier.

If you don't believe she's not just making that up, we dare you to contest her encounters with Final Fantasy XII's ultimate weapon. Here's what she had to say about the Zodiac Spear:

I actually got the Zodiac Spear the first time I played it... you have to go through hell to get that spear, but I happened to get it the first time because someone told me about it. You can't open certain boxes, but then you have to go through and fight that nasty esper at the end... I died three times before I actually beat it.

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MGS4 product placement solid

Hideo Kojima has established himself as a man with more than a few surprises, but we were still caught off guard with the revelation of serious product placements in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. We're not just talking CalorieMate, because even the wildly popular Apple iPod will grace the PlayStation 3 exclusive.

At the press event which recently highlighted Japan's Roppongi Hills, Konami and Kojima Productions unloaded the goods that Snake will interact with. These include an in-game iPod - a gadget the legendary hero will use to put on some music. The next big item is Regain, an energy drink prominent enough in Japan to warrant its own MGS-flavored commercial.

Other real world items we're going to see in MGS4 are somewhat stylish choices, such as Triumph motorcycles (same brand Tom Cruise used in Mission Impossible) and trendy Japanese phones. To top it all is the presence of bombshell idol Akina Minami who'll only turn 19 this May 15. Unfortunately, unlike other products in the game, she doesn't have a price tag in 3D nor in real life.

You probably already want proof, so here's the Regain trailer. Find screenshots here.

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Snake's past revisited

Here's the other video that made Gametrailers a blast to visit today. On the spot is none other than Metal Gear, a series more popular among us Pinoy gamers. Seemingly inspired by a fan-made retrospective which recently went online, GT came up with an in-depth look at Solid Snake's past.

For hardcore fans of Hideo Kojima's works like us here at GamerTotoy, the intensive feature is godsend. No stones were left unturned, as everything from Kojima's earlier titles to the travesty known as the original Metal Gear's U.S. version were put to light. We don't want to spoil anything, so we'll just leave the video below for your viewing pleasure.

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Gears of War 2 gameplay debuts

The ever reliable source for video game trailers, Gametrailers, is on the roll today with two features that made me happy I jumped online. First in line is a scoop of the visceral Xbox 360 title Gears of War 2's gameplay footage. It's almost safe to say Epic Games won't disappoint after only watching a snippet of the action-packed third-person shooter.

Back at the Game Developers Conference 2008, Epic design director Cliffy Bleszinski and his crew confirmed Gears of War 2 and teased with a little tech demo showcasing how much the Unreal Engine 3 has improved. Now, we actually get to see GoW 2 in action as Marcus Fenix makes his return only to fight for his life in a locust-occupied territory. Here's to hoping you enjoy the video below!

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Fight Night to make a comeback in 2009

It seems Pacquiao still has a chance to appear in video games, even after Fight Night creators EA Chicago went down under. Through press wire, Electronic Arts announced Fight Night Round 4 will be throwing punches on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 straight from EA Canada's corner.

Bad news is, the confirmation is a little early - Fight Night Round 4 won't be out until 2009. Don't let that knock you down, though, because the positives easily outweigh the seemingly painful wait. Mike Tyson's return to the ring highlights the game's hefty list of promises.

According to EA, the upcoming fighter will stand on a new engine capable of hosting a plethora of fighting styles and demonstrating boxer differences. As such, Tyson's going to don his brawling inside style while Muhammad Ali's set to do what he does best with his superior reach, hand speed, and footwork.

In addition, Fight Night Round 4 is said to employ a "physics-based animation system that recreates the full spectrum of true-to-life punch impacts, giving boxers a devastating arsenal of punches, blocks and ring movement." Whether or not it trumps Euphoria, Tyson probably has our money.

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Doom 4 officially emerges

Admittedly, calling on another Doom title is much like saying the moon will certainly turn full. Not to say we're not psyched, though, because hardcore fans need the ground-breaking first-person shooter's legacy to go on. With that said, in case you're yet to catch my drift, id Software has announced Doom 4.

To be exact, id Software stated Doom 4 is currently in production and the company is currently working to expand the staff in charge of crafting the game. Unfortunately, everything is still under the dark as no target platforms nor release window were mentioned.

Speculations suggest id Tech 5 technology will power Doom 4, which is pretty logical considering id tagged the Doom 3 engine as id Tech 4. We saw the beast run the unreleased racing title Rage with solid frame rate even when rendered in insane resolution, leaving us excited to see the BFG9000 blasting demons next-gen style.

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Totoy asks: is gaming's weaker prominence in RP a good thing?

Sometimes, I think it's actually good that our country is nowhere near the forefront of the gaming industry. When I read about controversies surrounding offensive content of M-rated titles such as Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV, I wonder if we're somehow lucky there's no MTRCB or anything policing our favorite entertainment media. Upon hearing cringe-worthy analysts trying to rain on someone's parade as if they're eager to dictate what gamers should enjoy, I learn to appreciate the fact that local broadsheets don't dabble into what game is hot or not.

Sure, it would be nice if mainstream gaming wasn't known as Counter-Strike or Ragnarok. But if the hobby made more commotion than what's already enough for mayors to be concerned about computer rental cafes and mothers worried about how their kids spend money, we'd be hampered by extra baggage.

Take Forbes' recent article about Grand Theft Auto IV potentially stealing the Wii's thunder, for example. Or the rampant speculations of Niko Bellic trumping Iron Man's silver screen appearance. The latter proved absurd, while I doubt the former has enough legs for analysts to keep such story running until the next GTA or blockbuster Wii title.

Forbes quoted the popular Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter who said GTAIV is "one of a series of good games that will each convince consumers that there is a lot of good content on the other two boxes." I say money people may know about stocks, but not what the audience wants. After all, the mockery over Nintendo's unconventional moniker for its console was quickly stifled by unprecedented sales.

To sum it up, even if we don't have high-profile midnight launch parties and ads of games on TV, maybe we're lucky enough we can enjoy our past-time in peace. Who needs publicity and finance experts stirring up troubles to spoil the fun, right?

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