What do you call a theory, in which it can only be applied to a particular person, and not anyone else. Whatever it is supposed to be called, I do have a theory when it comes to video games and me. Out of every 5 PS# games that I can get my hands on, I would most likely finish 1. And for the past year, despite playing a considerable amount of games, I only finished 4.

Judging by that, I may be better of renting games rather than buying them.The latest game I played was God of War III which a friend lent to me and I promptly finished it in 3 days. It makes more economical sense but there are two factors that prevent me from doing so. Barring God of War III, I usually take a long time to finish a particular title and I do have a preference for open-world action RPG types which can take months to complete. And to a lesser degree, I like keeping the games I play (for this alone I intend to get a new copy of GOW III).

So renting video games may not be every gamer’s cup of tea (or bottle of Redbull), but hey, if you are the type that fits the profile (plays and completes games in a matter of days and don’t want the hassle of reselling whatever you have bought), check out the following bunch of Malaysian stores  that offer video game rentals. All of them are active on the online forum that I frequent:

1. Blackmango Games – In the business of renting games since 2007 (http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=561277&hl=rent)
2. Doraemon Blu Ray & PS3 Game Rental – In the business since 2007 (http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/594198/+0)
3. Jitu.Unggul – Rental Services for PS3 Games – Big games library and delivery-to-doorstep for certain areas (http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1047109&hl=rent)
4. Heavy Arm Rent & Play Gamestore – New titles, cheap rate (http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1350604&hl=rent)

One of things about writing about video games is that I get plenty of games to review all the time. These games are either from the US iTunes store or are PS3 Region 1 (US) games. This makes it necessary for me to have both an US iTunes account and a US Sony PSN Account ID.

The downside is that when it comes to buying things, neither of the two online marketplaces accept Malaysian credit cards. So what does a guy has to do to get his game on? While I previously used Entropay, I recently discovered a site called Maximus Cards that sells PSN and iTunes top-up cards and they accept payment via Paypal!

Once payment is successful, the Top-Up card’s code/serial number is immediately e-mailed to your e-mail address, so that you can quickly top-up your credit on the respective online marketplace and start buying stuff. Pretty convenient eh? I myself bought an iTunes Music Card recently for purchases on the US iTunes App Store.

Maximus Cards carries an impressive range of top-up cards, ranging from Xbox Live Points, PSN Cards, Wii Points, iTunes Music Cards, and World of Warcraft Prepaid Cards. Click here to check it out.

Taking a break from the iPad coverage, here’s a bit of news that will delight owners of Battlefield Bad Company 2 for the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3.

Previously available only as a Pre-Order exclusive, the Squad Rush Mode for Bad Company 2 is now unlocked for all PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers. This new mode pits 2 squads of 4 players against one another in an intense infantry-only version of the Rush game mode.

Check out the following trailer to get an idea what this new gameplay mode is about:

In other news, be sure to be a fan of the Battlefield Franchise Official Facebook HQ for the latest breaking news. The page also includes a special Tips & Tactics section with some of the best fan-created strategies from all-around social media. You can view the page here: http://www.facebook.com/battlefield

Battlefield Bad Company 2 fans! Listen up! The Bad Company 2 VIP Map Pack 2 is now out for public download. This second Map Pack adds two maps upgrades – Capture strategic town positions as Arica Harbour is enhanced with Conquest mode and secure M-COM stations in Laguna Presa, updated with Rush Mode.

You can be sure of brutal door-to-door street fights to test your infantry skills to the max. Check out the action-packed trailer below:

So, how do you get the Map Pack in the first place? Each new copy of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 comes with a VIP code that can be used to redeem the map. If you purchased the console version of the game used, you can purchase the Map Pack via the in-game store. PC gamers on the other hand get the content as a game update.

Do you notice the nice colourful icons used to represent the trophies earned in a majority of current PS3 games? If you look properly, you’ll find that they have the potential for being wonderful works of art.

Take for example, Bayonetta. The game may look like crap on the PS3 but its stained-glass inspired trophy icons are certainly eye-catching:

One of my favourites are the bunch of trophy icons from Fallout 3. Here, the iconic Fallout 3..err..icon, is rendered in cartoon style and at the same time easily conveying the meaning of each trophy:

While the two games above are great examples of trophy icon art, there are some games that are particularly lazy on the trophy art. Case in point, God of War III. The game uses the same icon rendered in several different colours. The same goes for Heavy Rain as well.

So, having shown examples of trophy art, which do you prefer? The interesting ones like Bayonetta or  or the boring ones?

That…was pretty fast. 9 hours of game time spread over 3 days and I find myself staring at the ending credits for God of War III. Just to put things into perspective, I usually take a long time to finish my games but I’ve been improving on my times lately. Red Faction took weeks instead of the better part of a year in the case of Fallout 3.

So, having finished God of War III, what are my thoughts about the game? Well, there’s plenty to like. The graphics are really cool, and the voice acting, lets just say my dad thought I was watching a movie. The gameplay was hardcore and I’m actually surprised at the number of puzzles in this game.

The designers deserve a pat on the back for a job well done with the levels, they complement the gameplay A LOT! The craziest levels were in the Labyrinth, and yes, I nearly did chuck my controller out of the window in one moment of frustration. But since that was consider uneconomical, I bashed the DS3 against one of the sofa cushions instead. Heh!

While the number of positives derived from the game makes it a truly worthy contender for “Game of the Year“, I do have some gripes. For starters, the camera is mostly fixed, and save some points of the game, there’s no way to freely move the camera to take in the amazing graphics. The lack of visual cues can be frustrating for, err, n00bs like me.

In any case, the game is a keeper and while a friend of mine loaned me a copy, I think I’m gonna buy one as a keepsake. Parents, do note that this game is not for kids and unless you want to explain to your child what an all-girl threesome is, it’s best that they stay away from the game.

Check out the God of War III trophies comparison with the rest of the fellas in my friends list:

One little two little three little Greek Gods. Four little five little six little Greek Gods. Six little dead Greek Gods. I killed plenty of Greek Gods yesterday afternoon, starting with Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Hermes, Hercules and ending with the wretched looking Hephaestus. Such is the nature of God of War III that makes slaying these jokers a joy to behold.

I have a couple of Titans notched to my blade as well, Gaia, Chronos, and I think that big red lava looking guy, Perses. There’s plenty of carnage in GoWIII and the upgrade system lends a hand in making the weapons really powerful over time.

So it’s chop chop chop and while there’s a naughty little diversion in the form of Aphrodite, killing is certainly the name of the game and all done by means of having a bloodbath.

The killing of Greek Gods continues tonight and tonight they’ll dine in Hell. Or Hades. Wait…that guy is dead.

First rule about Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club. After barging through rather cerebral games on the PS3, I came to a point that I wanted something that expounded the simpler times, something like Outrun, but minus the racing part.

I ended up buying Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic on the PSN, heh, proving the adage that “when in doubt, beat something up”. OK, I made the last part up but SFII turned out to be a blast, and it comes with a rather interesting history.

The game is a remake of the Street Fighter II Turbo, which according to Wikipedia, was the fifth and final arcade iteration of SFII. The game features updated HD graphics and rebalanced gameplay by renowned designer David Sirlin.

Here’s a little bit of trivia. Did you know that you can download the entire soundtrack to Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for free? You can do so here. Even more interesting is that you can read David Sirlin’s book, Playing to Win, which is a study on competitive gaming, online! Click here to read.

With the exception of the GTA series, I really like free-roam games. Stuff like Fallout 3, inFamous and even Red Faction. But why no love for GTA? Well, I guess walking around and beating up people in a realistic sandbox environment, as opposed to one that is sci-fi or fantasy, is not my cup of tea.

In any case, I just started playing Mercenaries 2. I loved the original game on the PS2 but the transition from Korean war zone to sunny Venezuela on the PS3 felt a little lost in translation. For starters the graphics are just inconsistent and the controls are surprisingly archaic for a current generation game.

The yawns came right after winning 2 trophies; the lack of excitement is certainly a cause for concern. But this maybe due to the intense Bayonetta session (where I got my ass handed to me) prior to playing Mercenaries 2.

Anyways, I’ll be writing on whether the game has any redeeming qualities, so stay tuned. iPhone game reviews coming up next.

I don’t know how true is this but I heard that retailers and importers alike got together to fix the price of the first batch of Region 3 God of War III at about RM 200 a copy. This is significantly higher than a typical Region 3 version of a game, which usually goes about RM 170-ish a game.

In any case, it gets better. The restocks coming in next week will be at around RM 230 a copy!

For that price, I can get an R1 over at Play-Asia (click here to view). I think I’ll wait it out until the price stabilises.