RetroLiberty stars Aaron Stapish and Ricky Avila where they focus on looking back at the consoles that they not only grew up with playing but continues to hunt for video games released for the system to this day.

PlayStation Gang: I gotta admit, I’m having a bit of a fan moment. I love the show and content of RetroLiberty. How would you describe the channel?

Aaron Stapish: Hahah well thank you dude! I appreciate the kind words.  RetroLiberty is a show about two guys who grew up in the 80′s and 90′s who have always been gamers. When we “grew up” we both firmly believed that gaming was perfected in that time and we felt the need to share our love for retro gaming with the internet…whether it be collecting, reviews, top 10′s, or whatever…it’s a passion we both felt we had to share.

PSG: One particular series that really caught my attention to RetroLiberty and it was actually the Metal Jesus Rocks shout out video that I first heard was about the game hunting/collecting videos. Do you and Ricky have a game plan or a general guideline before searching?

Aaron: Actually no. We like to keep game hunting as fun as possible. Our rules are simply to go out and have fun no matter what. Even if we do not find any amazing games …or any great deals. But…yes we do have games that we are on the lookout for but we don’t stress if we can’t find them.

Aaron Stapish

PSG: How often do you find hidden gems? Expensive games on the cheap, rare games, missing titles from a collection? Do you limit yourself from searching online retailers (eBay)?

Aaron: We find hidden gems a lot. They are usually easy to find because most re sellers do not pick them up. They usually look for big popular titles. Hidden gems are awesome because the majority of the time….people sell them for just a few bucks. As far as finding expensive games for cheap…I’d say about 50% of the time we go….it happens. And when it does, you get a rush! And Neither Ricky nor I ever use eBay….ever hahah.

PSG: I’m assuming collecting the games are far more easier than locating boxes, manuals etc?

Aaron: Very very true. But its weird….I run across a ton of genesis cases…and most people don’t even want them for some reason. I have no idea why. Nes and SNES boxes are hard to come by….and also even harder to come by in decent shape due to them being cardboard.

PSG: When does a console go from current to retro? Do you keep to just the consoles released around the 1980s-1990s or well you branch to newer systems if you’re not already actively collecting recent titles/systems.

Aaron: That’s actually how I personally look at it. Its kinda like “oldies” when it comes to music. When I hear classic rock stations playing nirvana…or something like that…I’m like “huh?” Haha I consider led Zeppelin…etc classic. I feel like most cartridge based games and maaaybe some CD based games “retro”

PSG: So if a gamer was to go back to the classics and start collecting, where do you recommend they start off with in terms of a system that is relatively easy to collect for and won’t break the bank when completing?

Aaron: The NES for sure. Now…if you are looking for the big titles….ehhh not so much. But with over 700 games on the console the games are easy to find. And an overwhelming number of games are less than 5-10 bucks. Plus….its the NES. It saved video games haha.

PSG: haha very true, we’re Sony based but we’ll give Nintendo that one. I’ll risk getting called out if I don’t ask this but rarest game owned/greatest find?

Aaron: Hahah whoops! hmmm I’d say a PC engine core grafx II (turbo grafx mini) for $3 ….the seller thought it was a router! I almost lost my mind!

PSG: Ooh that is a nice find! So what are you playing now? Anything you can recommend? Not going to lie, after seeing Sunset Riders shown off on Retro Liberty, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for a copy out in the wild!

Aaron: Haha heck yea! Sunset Riders is awesome! And right now….I am working through the +mode in shovel knight. I’m also playing decap attack on the Genesis. And as far as a recommendation…..I would say give Crash Team Racing a go! With all the Mario Kart 8 love going around….its a good time to play some CTR

PSG: I might be wrong and didn’t do enough homework before the interview but I don’t think we’ve seen a game room tour of your personal collection. From what I can from the videos however is that you have a very notable collection. Rough estimate on how many video game titles/consoles you actually own?

Aaron: Shhh don’t remind everyone! Haha we did one for Rickys room…..but that’s all. I would say that I have about 1,500 games. I actually am not a fan of game room tours….which is why I avoided doing one …shhh..NEXT QUESTION hahahahha!

The closest we may get to a game room tour from Aaron.

PSG: haha moving along. So Retro Liberty has been up for a year or two now? I’m sure you’ve been collecting far before the series started. What triggered the idea of starting a channel in the first place?

Aaron: Hahah we will hit 2 years in a few months. Yea we were both collecting before the show. And as far as starting a show….I was obsessed with the gaming scene in YouTube. I was dying to be apart of it….the people all seemed so real and so much fun. And I have met most everyone ….and let me tell you…they are all awesome in real life!

PSG: Yeah it seems that everyone knows each other throughout the different channels like its an active community within YouTube. What goes into the production of an episode?

Aaron: Too much…..haha I brought it upon myself. But I bought all the equipment myself. Nikon1V1 with a RODE mic attached. I edit about 20-30 hours per episode. And I edit on a iMac using Final Cut Pro X. I am obsessed with over editing …hahaha its super fun to turn video clips into a full show. Its daunting in the beginning… But once a episode is half done…it gets very exciting. And its all worth it!

PSG: With that said, when/what can we expect next coming down the Retro Liberty pipeline next?

Aaron: I have been pretty on the ball with weekly videos lately. But this next video may be a tad late….its a NesPursuit and those take the longest to edit….it gets tiring with a full time job and a wife and 3 kids. But its all for fun so its enjoyable to do.

RetroLiberty Links:

YouTube | Facebook | Google Plus | Instagram | Twitter 

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Yosuke Matsuda, the president of Square Enix recently talked to Nikkei Trendy for an interview (translated by Siliconera). During the interview, Yosuke mentioned that the latest title released as a JRPG, Bravely Default, took them for surprise. Development for the title was expected to be released and picked up for a rather small niche community of fans. Unexpectedly, the game sold very well world wide. This made the development team realize that from now on, games in their development process should be made for core fans first and foremost rather than trying to appeal to wide range of audience.

Yosuke goes on to say that when Square Enix tried to make a title that would be more appealing to a wide range of audience rather than the fans of the series, the game always ends up selling as an incomplete title unfit for an audience.

If you focus too much on the global aspect, you might lose sight of who you’re actually making the game for…

Noticing the errors, Yoskue has now decided that future development titles in the series would be focused on pleasing fans of the series rather than trying to gain new players.

 AAA titles we’re currently developing for series, we basically want to go back to their roots and focus on the core audience…

The post Square Enix Will Start Developing Titles For Core Gamers appeared first on PlayStation Gang.

IGN has the chance to chat with Kojima where he spilled the beans that he’s actually worried if he made the game too big. During the interview, Kojima revealed that the game will be at least 200x bigger than Ground Zeroes and that alone may turn potential players away.

“The Phantom Pain has the risk that people won’t be able to finish the story as it will be more than 200x bigger than Ground Zeroes.”

Kojima has even stated in the past that one of the main reasons The Phantom Pain has been made in what is now current generation consoles is for the mere power. Past generation consoles wouldn’t have been able to process the power that the game will contain. Nevertheless, Metal Gear Solid fans will have time to gear up for the epic tale that lays await for them. The Phantom Pain is aimed for a 2015 release but let us know in the comments below if you plan on playing through The Phantom Pain and if you believe having a long campaign is a turnoff.

The post Kojima Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain “Too Big To Clear” appeared first on PlayStation Gang.

One title that caught our interest is a Metal Gear Solid game that takes the style of GTA. During an interview with Game Informer, Kojima made mention of making a Metal Gear Solid title with the same feel as Grand Theft Auto.

One thing is that within Kojima Productions I’d love to put all my efforts and time into creating a Metal Gear Solid that’s kind of what [Rockstar] does with GTA. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. It’s still a business. In parallel we have to work on other projects and make things balanced towards Konami as a whole. Finding that balance with how to work on all our projects proves to be a little difficult.

While we’re certainly interested in seeing just what this game would be like, it may not ever see the light of day. It’s also very interesting to see that after playing around with the franchise for over 25 years making main campaign titles, spin-offs and even remakes, Kojima still has several different ideas as to where the series should head too. With that said, would you play a GTA style Metal Gear Solid game? For now, fans of the series can pick up the next title Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes starting this March 18th, 2014 on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and the Xbox One.

The post Hideo Kojima Ideally Looking For GTA Style For Metal Gear Solid appeared first on PlayStation Gang.

Yoshinori Kitase directed Final Fantasy VII but has now been placed as a series producer for the Final Fantasy franchise. Since Final Fantasy VII, fans all over have been looking for an HD remake of the game but has yet to happen. Now Yoshinori mentions as to what would need to happen in order to get an HD remake out for current generation consoles.

“If you simply ask me if I personally would like to do that, yes I would. Definitely. There’s no lie about it. But you must believe me when I say it would take a lot to happen.”

Within the interview, we learn that there are at total of three key factors that would need to be present. To start off with, staff availability and budget would need to be in placed. Right now, if the a development team went into production for Final Fantasy VII HD Remake, the overall process would take significantly longer to develop compared to the quality of Final Fantasy 13.

Though the biggest issue at the moment for any of the production to be even considered would be the motivation to create the remake. Yoshinori isn’t up for the battle right now as it would be the biggest project he would have ever done in his life work. I can’t imagine the stress one would have trying to recreate a classic that so many people in the franchise adores. However, it’s not out of the question as Yoshinori truly does wish to make an HD remake some point.

The post Final Fantasy VII HD Remake “It Would Take A Lot To Make It Happen” appeared first on PlayStation Gang.

What we don’t think about is the time it takes to complete these big budget games. Neil Druckmann has stated that he was tired and needed a break. After four years of working with The Last of Us and finishing the recently DLC Left Behind, it was time for Neil to sit back and recharge the batteries. However, it was still unsure of where Naughty Dog is going to head next.

“We have started brainstorming some stuff. To be honest, some of them are sequel ideas, and some of them are brand new IP – we’ve spent the last few weeks brainstorming new IP. So we have to get some good steps and see… It’s kind of like how we approached Left Behind.

“Can we tell people a story that’s really worth telling, and that’s not repeating itself? And if we can’t, where can we get inspired – what is something that’s really going to challenge us, and push storytelling in this medium forward?”

As for the rumors of if The Last of Us would be heading to the PlayStation 4 console in a future bundle, Neil didn’t give out a straight answer. Turns out it depends on the demand, if there’s enough demand for The Last of Us on the PS4 then resources at Naught Dog would be placed to bring over a port.

Let us know what you think about a possible The Last of Us sequel. Do you want to see Naughty Dog continue the story within the same universe as The Last of Us or would you rather see a brand new IP?

The post Naughty Dog Deciding On The Last of Us 2 or New IP appeared first on PlayStation Gang.

While he doesn’t want to be just remembered as the Metal Gear Solid guy, we will ultimately look highly in him for that regard. Now as he approaches being 50 years old, Hideo Kojima is currently looking for a successor for the Metal Gear Solid series though he knows it will be a tough find. Within the interview, Kojima has made note that he is taking a careful look as to who can pick up the series as he leaves. In fact, he went on to say that quality is very important to him.

“I don’t know if the Metal Gear brand sometimes is a bit heavy to carry. The franchise is difficult to handle. But so far I’ve had no success [passing the torch]. Metal Gear Rising [Revengeance], fortunately that was a spin-off so that went well. Ideally I would like to step out from the Metal Gear franchise as a producer and dedicate myself to other games. So far that has proven to be a bit difficult.”

While he does want to take a step away from Metal Gear Solid, Kojima isn’t leaving the video game scene. He mentions that he would like to take on a different video game, something far away from the style of Metal Gear Solid it seems. Now, Hideo Kojima has been saying he would step down from taking on the Metal Gear Solid series for awhile now and he has yet to do so. However, it’s nice to know that while he still plans on stepping down and venture into a new series, the Metal Gear Solid franchise will ultimately be picked solely by Kojima himself.

The post Hideo Kojima Looking For New Metal Gear Solid Successor appeared first on PlayStation Gang.

Konami’s Silent Hill happens to be one of the pioneers for the genre with Team Silent leaving players captured into the main characters life, their guilt as they make their way through Silent Hill. The series doesn’t rely on jump scares; instead the game throws you on what will ultimately be a psychologically terrifying thrill ride.

I could expand my thoughts on the series endlessly but that’s not what this article is about.I had the privilege of sitting down with Director Jay Ness who brought you the film Silent Hill Anniversary. We talked about how he first got into filming, the film Silent Hill Anniversary and his recent announcement of directing another film in the Silent Hill Universe. Also, at the end we’ve provided photos of the production and premier of Silent Hill Anniversary.

PSG: Jay Ness, thanks so much for taking time out of your day to join us at www.PlayStationGang.com!

Jay: Absolutely.

So there’s no better place to start than the beginning. Tell us about little Jay Ness, was there always that desire to become a film director?

In a sense, all signs pointed this way. It goes back to being one of my first few passions beyond drawing, comics or video games themselves. We had a VHS camera that allowed me to start telling short animated stories with my action figures which later evolved into using my friends to act and so forth. That had to have started when I was about…8 or 9.

Wow so this has been an ongoing process. Most of the published works you’ve filmed are music videos. Was Silent Hill Anniversary your first project that broke you into filming and directing in that caliber?

I’d have to consider Anniversary my leap into this caliber of filmmaking, without a doubt. The Silent Hill Experience comes with me into all of my other projects which has consistently motivated and challenged me to strive with my creations. “Go up. If we’re doing this again, we’ve got to go up because there isn’t enough time to poke around the same place.” That’s my mentality.

So obviously you must have a rather strong fondness to the Silent Hill series for you to take on what was years of work correct?

The franchise uses a really amazing concept and that is why I love it as a filmmaker. The idea that one’s journey to Silent Hill differs from another alone is bizarre. Your worst nightmares are brought to life in Silent Hill. Your fears, demons, guilt, oppression, It’s a prison you’ve created. Therefore, it’s a psychologically terrifying experience for every character since we all have different brains. As far as the length of production goes, I simply like to start what I finish. The production took a long time due to pattern of events in my personal life. Not to make this about something it isn’t but within months of each other I was in and out of the hospital due to an auto-immune diagnosis followed closely by a concussion caused by cold assault. That stopped production for uncountable months.

That’s horrible to hear, was there also any pressure from Konami? We’ve seen several films get canned because of legal issues. Was there any comments from Konami themselves or any members of development teams throughout the Silent Hill series?

That’s a really good question; no one has asked me that before. In short, yes. I once coincidentally sat at a table with someone from Konami while visiting L.A. and that of course opened up lots of conversation. Interestingly, THE Silent Hill feature film’s special FX guy, Paul Jones, is a fan of our film’s special FX artist. I know they’ve had some conversations about our picture and both feature films. How could I forget – Akira Yamaoka gave his approval and I couldn’t help but notice some of the video games production team were “liking” our Facebook page on their profiles. Maybe that doesn’t count? Or does it? We tried to crossover our short in conjunction with Silent Hill: Revelation via the Machinima Network marketing team but nothing came of that.

Silent Hill Anniversary is based on the events in Silent Hill 2. Was there a particular reason you went with that installment? I’m not sure when you first wrote out the draft for Silent Hill Anniversary.

Our film had come out after Downpour. September of 2012 was the official release. Development was beginning around Silent Homecoming, Origins and Shattered Memories. I guess that explains why a couple of the films shots are over 2 years older than the rest. At the beginning, the film was plugged as a Silent Hill 2 fan film because of the protagonist. The film’s concept is a lot more like the original game with Harry and Cheryl dynamic. Not to mention a car accident and chase through the fog. Except, instead of Harry searching for Cheryl, we have James willingly going to Silent Hill seeking his wife, Mary. Considering limited resources, such as a lack of child actors and a skeleton production team – it took characters like Cheryl/Heather out of the equation.

Therefore, I thought it’d be best suited to focus on James and the relationship he has with his psyche. It’s very much homage to the Team Silent era from my perspective. Though, you can see the influence of the feature film through Paul Galazka’s visual effects. I think it was an intelligent choice for anyone who sees the film that hasn’t played all the Silent Hill games. It’s a transition to the “otherworld” and it’s vivid. In short, I don’t see it as a Silent Hill 2 fan film. The film acts as its own entity considering the influence spanning the first few games.

You mention that there was a lack of child actors. Was the case and crew prominently made up of friends?

With the exception of Izabela Zelmanska (VFX Dead Island: Riptide), Paul Galazka and Jeremy Frye – Everyone else involved came somewhere from my neighborhood within my circle of contacts.  We were lucky enough to have the first three names mentioned. Paul and Izabela are from Poland, I’ve never met with them in person, only via Skype audio. Paul had seen a teaser I’d cut in late 2011 followed by sending over an email that read “Hi, I’m Paul. This is no joke. Let’s have fun and make something sweet. Count me in!” The crew had posted ads online across the world to find 3D VFX and motion graphics artists. Izabela and Jeremy were the ones that got back to us. It was wild, there reels are incredible.

As a fan of the Silent Hill series myself, I watched your film and absolutely loved it. I think you and the crew did an incredible job. Looking back at the film yourself, is there anything you wished you could have added in or redone differently?

Thanks Dennis. It was a lot of time and energy. It’s cool to know we didn’t completely “scratch” the ball for you. It’s impossible to please all. Looking back on the film, I can tell you the things I hate and things I like or love absolutely. But nothing says I better than the fact that I am interested in going back into the universe and doing something completely different than what we saw in Anniversary. I have a formula in mind that just makes me wish it was there before making Anniversary because it’s wicked.

Speaking of going back into the Silent Hill universe, you’ve mentioned that you’re doing another film. Though what that film contains or based on is a complete mystery. (SPOILER ALERT) You do however see a hole in the very end of Silent Hill Anniversary and it’s now posted on the Facebook page which would lead us to believe Silent Hill 4: The Room. Can we break any news?

“The Room” is strongly being considered and I always thought it could make some wonderful cinema on the screen. That is where I initially thought we’d take it. The Room brings up some obstacles that challenge this vision in my head. More specifically, the game could EASILY not be a Silent Hill game. It’s my understanding that it wasn’t originally a game within the Silent Hill series. Silent Hill 4 is incredibly scary, much more like a typical nightmare than what the other games offer. It’s a less personal experience than the other stories. The character Henry is sort of in the wrong place at the wrong time which his story crosses over into events related to Silent Hill, because of the room. It’s the psychological status of Henry that is challenging. My idea works better with a character like James who is lost, delusional, alone suppressed etc. Where Henry has his head on his shoulders, more so and wants to know why things are happening and ultimately figure out how to get the fuck out of his apartment!

It’s coming down the pipeline and I’ll have news to break soon. Some pivotal decisions need to be made. If you want me to make up some rumors, I can do that…”Gosling is interested in supporting role. Josh Hartnett lives here in Minneapolis with me and mentioned an interest in actually playing the town, Silent Hill, itself. We’re currently in talks with Jennifer Lawrence too……”

I’m more intrigued than ever! Moving away slightly from Silent Hill, you’ve announced that you’re not working on the film until another video game related production is complete. Any word on what this production is about?

I’ll bet you are! All this film needs is a heart throb like J.G.L. to make ends meet. Hell, I’d let Gordon-Levitt direct it and I’ll put my hands up…yes. Back to the real world and off of Silent Hill. I’ve dropped lots of hints on the social network Instagram and Twitter using photos as to which game this new project is based on. If you play games and know a little about this or that…you’ll probably have a good idea of which game it’s based on. But I can’t say.  The creative team has put way too much into this for me to just spoil it and I respect their talents and time. I’m sorry! I can promise you it’s straight up my alley and you’ll know exactly what it happening of it as soon as I do. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. The good news is that we are expecting news very soon, as in really soon. Did I just say the same thing twice? Oh well, you know what I’m implying.

[ Watch Silent Hill: Anniversary]

Jay Ness – Official Website

The post (Exclusive Interview) Director Jay Ness – Silent Hill Anniversary appeared first on PlayStation Gang.