GamerNode: Pro Tip's Columns

Pro Tip: Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares

Pro Tip: Enable the classic Resident Evil camera.

For a bit of nostalgia, examine the front door in Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares three consecutive times, and you will be treated to a new perspective -- many of them, in fact -- on Chris and Jill's mission in the Spencer mansion. Doing this will activate a static camera mode that ups the tension, but limits combat effectiveness. It made my day.

[Eddie Inzauto]

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Pro Tip: Demon's Souls

This edition of Pro Tip is a 4-in-1 Demon's Souls bonanza. With the release of this stellar, yet fiercely challenging action RPG from Atlus and From Software, there's no doubt that many gamers will be seeking shelter from the proverbial storm... of DEATH. So, Pro Tip is here to help.

Just like you, I died a lot while playing through Demon's Souls, and I'm sure I will continue to do so on subsequent play-throughs, but here are a few nuggets of advice that will at least prolong your life (and afterlife, as it may be) in Demon's Souls.

Pro Tip: Take it SLOOOOW.

This is the simplest tip I could muster for this game, and is possibly the most valuable. Enemies like to hide around corners and ambush players. They're not morally opposed to ganging up on lonely adventurers, either, so take it slowly....

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Pro Tip: Grand Theft Auto IV

Well, having braved cops, thugs, mobsters, bombings, hit men, angry citizens, and an assortment of other colorful characters in Grand Theft Auto IV, I have gained wisdom from the school of hard knocks and have made a list of things that may make your trip through Liberty City more productive and fun.

I had a blast playing the game and these are the little tidbits of knowledge that I acquired while dying needlessly or playing through a level a bizilion times because I didn't think through what I needed to do.

Look Both Ways Before You Cross the Street

It's such a simple rule and something that we all have been taught since childhood. But in GTA IV, you get the feeling that you're invincible... until a car slams into you while you're running across the street. I know you're a heavy dude and all...

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Pro Tip: Ninja Gaiden II

Creighton is off cruising around Europe, so he left me with the responsibility of writing the Pro Tip for this week. My goals for filling his shoes were simple: 1) Figure out which game to write about, 2) Figure out what tips would be worthy of the "Pro" designation, and 3) Post the column in a timely manner on Thursday. Oops. Better late than never, I suppose.

This week's Pro Tip comes from the bloody mess that is Ninja Gaiden II, where well-timed strikes, not button mashing, are the first secret to success. Now I'm new to this Pro Tip thing, so I almost want to describe extensive strategy that will allow you to slay your foes faster than a PR rep spins NPD numbers, but I will save that for the strategy guide (coming June 2120), and focus on just one tidbit of life-saving tippage for today...

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Pro Tip: Super Dodge Ball Brawlers

Although it has taken a few weeks (2 actually) for me to clear some space in my schedule I have finally procured a copy of Super Dodge Ball Brawlers for the DS.

The game is startlingly similar to the version on the NES, for those of us who can remember that far back. I say startlingly similar because as soon as I picked it up I was taken back to the days of playing Super Dodge Ball in my cousin's basement, but I also recognized some new features, the most palpable being the power shots.

I'm pretty sure there were power shots in the NES version of the game (though it's been a few decades, so I could be wrong), but I don't recall them being as robust as in this iteration of the game. Each player has two of what seems to be over a dozen different super power shots -- one on the ground, one...

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Pro Tip: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness E...

This week I've been playing a lot of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 1. Its title alone warrants downloading at least the demo.

I absolutely love this game. A sentence I did not think I was ever going to say or write in conjunction with PAA: OTRSPOD as I am not a fan of any turn-based genre. I have tried a few Japanese RPGs including Final Fantasy VII, and I just can't do it. I can't stand the combat. I don't like waiting my turn while someone smacks me in the face.Somehow Penny Arcade and the team at Hothead games have created some kind of mutant game. During the exploration it feels very much like a point-and-click adventure, and if you're playing it on the PC, Mac, or Linux, it actually is a point and click adventure (I'm playing it on my 360

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Pro Tip: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Welcome to another evening edition of Pro Tip. I am an extremely recent PS3 owner (got one yesterday). I picked up one of the two games exclusive to the platform that I am interested in along with it. Thus far I'm only a few hours into Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, but I feel compelled to talk about it.

For those not familiar with the story, we follow Nathan Drake on a whirlwind adventure on the hunt for Sir Francis Drake's 400-year-old treasure. It's very Indiana Jones but with more shooting and less whip. Actually a whip would be really cool in this game.

Thus far I've done a lot exploring of ancient Mayan (maybe?) temples and had to solve very few puzzles to make my way through. As a seasoned Zelda player I was hoping for some really cool in-depth puzzles as I explored a temple near the...

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Pro Tip: Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 is one of the best multiplayer games I've ever played. The team at Valve has done a fantastic job of balancing the classes, weapons and maps. They did everything in their power to ensure their multiplayer game was as good as it possibly could be, except include a party system... but that's a discussion for another feature.

My biggest problem with Team Fortress 2 is on the users' end. Every time I play that game it is players that get me frustrated. And there is a quick fix to get me unfrustrated.

Pro Tip: Use a microphone

I've only played the 360 version so I'm not sure if this is an issue on the PC at all. But no one talks during TF2. This is probably more important than in any other multiplayer game because it is all objective based. How are you supposed to know how t...

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Pro Tip: The World Ends With You

I have been playing The World Ends With You for the past couple of weeks. It is a fantastic game and anyone with a DS should pick it up. However, I'm not going to suggest anyone go out and purchase this game at its current 40 dollar price point.

Really, wait until it drops to 35 or even 30. I only picked it up because I had a 25 dollar gift card to Best Buy that had been sitting around since Christmas and the game intrigued me.

I'm just going to go over this broad brush, to give you a feel for how the game works. You are part of some weird screwed up game. You have seven days to stay alive and complete seven missions (one per day).

You go around the game collecting pins. These pins have abilities that you can use to fight Noise (invisible monsters). You can shoot fire, summon light...

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Pro Tip: Mario Kart Wii

It has been heralded as the Pro Tip of the century. After being hampered with problems, frustration and even the threat of Mario Kart retirement, I bring you this weeks Pro Tip.

I love Mario Kart. I have loved every version of Mario Kart since its debut on the Super Nintendo. While most racing games that focus on weapons and not actual racing don't hold my attention, the cartoony nature and classic weapons kept me coming back.

So when Mario Kart was announced for the Wii I was instantly excited. I even bought into the free wheel that was going to be included in the box. How great would it be to use an actual racing wheel with Mario Kart while tossing red shells and sliding around turns?! I'll tell you. Not great at all.

Pro Tip: Use the Wiimote and nunchuk

Mario Kart Wii was released on S...

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Pro Tip: Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Last week I promised you my favorite pro tip from my favorite game of all time. Well, for those of you who didn't read the title of this piece, it is Zombies Ate My Neighbors from the Super Nintendo. It was also out on the Sega Genesis, but that means nothing to me.

There isn't too much I can say about Zombies Ate My Neighbors without having you all play it. It's a near perfect game. The levels get increasingly harder, adding more baddies. Aside from your normal assortment of werewolves, zombies, and mummies there are giant babies, football players, and cheerleader-obsessed Martians. Also everything from water guns to tomatoes to dinner plates to bazookas are weapons in game, and that was long before Dead Rising did all that.

It's just amazing, so let's leave it there. My Pro Tip is one ...

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Pro Tip: Super Metroid

Yes you read the title right. This week is a blast from the past. I received a copy of Super Metroid as a gift a couple of weeks ago and finally got around to popping it into my Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I have never actually finished a Metroid game, and never played Super Metroid until this week.

After switching the controls to something logical, instead of the crazy setup they start you with, I was dropped into a situation that had me, as Samus, returning to the planet Zebus to... do stuff. I think I'm trying to find a baby metroid but like many games from this era, the game is not exactly story-driven. Anyway, I'm dropped onto a world and have to go exploring.

Pro Tip: Trust your gut when you explore.

Like Metroid before it, Super Metroid has the kind of layout where you can...

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Pro Tip: Rainbow Six: Vegas 2

I finally, finally, finally got to put some time into Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 yesterday. Although I think they should change the name of the game to "Creighton dies a lot" I loved it. The game has been sitting on my shelf all wrapped up since its release and it felt good to finally play it. 

Having not played a tactical shooter like Rainbow Six since I completed Vegas at the end of 2006, jumping back into the swing of things took some getting used to and so I bring you this weeks Pro Tip.

Pro Tip: Seriously, the tactical commands are not just for show; use them.

I have been playing games with a more frenetic pace lately; Halo, Turok, Army of Two, Fronlines... just to name a few. It took me some time to get used to not only the controls, and use of the cover system, but the pace.

Rainbow Six: V...

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Pro Tip: Super Smash Bros.

Welcome to the evening edition of Pro Tip, a weekly column where I pull a game off my shelf and try to pass along a quick and helpfull tip. This week I'm mixing it up a little. Instead of focusing on one game, I am taking things broad brush. I'm looking at Super Smash Bros. as a franchise

The concept behind Super Smash Bros., or SSB as we call it in my house, is to take all of the gaming legends and pit them against one another in an all out winner-take-all... er... brawl. Luckily, when it comes to gaming legends, Nintendo has the market cornered.

The game itself probably comes from two guys geeking out about who would win in a fight, Mario or Link. From there they decided to create a game that, as the Nintendo manifest dictates, has come out on every console since it's inception

I don't...

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Pro Tip: Army of Two

Welcome back to Pro Tip. This week we're tackling Army of Two, bro. Overall the game is... interesting. Yeah, I'm definitely going to go with interesting. Although I haven't played through the whole game, I feel I am able to make that call at this time.

Thus far, I have played the game entirely with my roommate and from a purely co-op perspective, I'll say it is absolutely worth grabbing. I can't imagine this game without actual human co-op and I'm pretty sure that is exactly what EA wanted. We know that 6 out of 5 times relying on AI in a game will lead to disastrous results so, yeah, make a friend.

Even though the game is pretty straight forward it does have some cool new game mechanics; the use of aggro being my favorite. This tactic requires one guy to distract your enemies by shoo...

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Pro Tip: Frontlines: Fuel of War

Welcome to the first installment in a new column we like to call Pro Tip. This weeks Pro Tip, as the article title might suggest, is from Frontlines: Fuel of War.

Frontlines is just an average shooter. It's nothing special. It doesn't redefine the genre, it doesn't show us anything we haven't seen, it doesn't even have a cover system. What it does have is some pretty horrible vehicle controls. And that brings us to our main subject.

Pro Tip: If you want to survive the last thing you should do is get in a vehicle.

Halfway through the first level of Frontlines your commander suggests you take a vehicle and go to an oil refinery. Don't. You can walk just about everywhere in the game and I suggest you do because trying to drive a vehicle will get you frustrated, get you killed, and make yo...

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