Austin Game Conference

Next week, I will be attending the Game Writers Conference in Austin, TX. I was just putting my schedule together, and I am really excited! With sessions like "Narrative Design" and "Writing Comedy for Games" the experience should be very interesting. Some pretty good talent will be there, including folks who worked on God of War, Psychonauts and Jade Empire -- just some of the best-written games of the last few years. The downside is a lack of sessions devoted to MMO writing, although a guy who worked on Neverwinter Nights 2 is giving a talk entitled, "How to Write the Best Game. Ever."

MMO, Boy!

Say what you want about LOtR Online, that shit looks gorgeous.


Check out the image gallery at IGN.

PS3 Website Up

Sony has launched the official Japanese PS3 site. Hooray?

Speaking of Sony, Joystiq plugged a Wired article about Sony yesterday. I read the piece last night, and while it does come across pretty evenhanded, I find it hard to believe that Sony would actually "bet it all" on a $600 entertainment device. Although the writer is probably correct in his assumption that Sony is no longer thinking about the customer. I mean, I can't imagine that there are enough gamers out there (much less mainstream folk) willing to pony up that kind of dough to substantiate the price tag. I guess we'll see...

PS3 launches in Japan on 11/11.

Arrested Development on G4

Somehow this bit of news slipped through the cracks: starting Monday, G4 is putting Arrested Development back on the air, four (or is it five?) days a week. This decision speaks to the channel's apparent schizophrenia, although at least they are picking good shows. But in all seriousness, who do they think is watching? Based on their programming line-up and branding, it is impossible to tell.

lolz n00b!

Speaking of posting, this is a funny bit about posting on the Steam forums, something which I just came across this morning. I'm sure it's really old. But since I find visitng public message boards to be the online equivalent of wading chest-deep into raw sewage, I thought it was pretty clever. Post at your own discretion.

Blogger Woes...Blogger Blows?

I set up this site on our Jilly server over a year ago with no problems, and have been enjoying the futuristic fun of blogging -- not only a great, "low impact" creative outletm, but also nice way to keep track of fun things on the internets. In general, Blogger has been easy to use and, when I had a few hiccups with archiving, their customer service was excellent. However, I've noticed a definite trend in the last few months: 404 errors when I try to pull up the Blogger home page, bizarre login errors, lots of postus interruptus and poor Blogger server response in general. WTF? Well, according to Wired, this has been going on for a while (interesting that linked article was written right around the time I started this blog). Wired also does a feature this month about the proliferation of splogs, or spam blogs. God, I hate those fucking things. I wonder if that's what's ruining it for the rest of us?

Gee, I hope this post works.

Nobody Beats the Wiz

Aw, yeah! I can't believe I forgot that the Wizard hit DVD last week. I guess I was too busy watching the totally awesome "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" on Sci-Fi, another guilty pleasure.

Segregated Survivor Roolz

Am I the only one who thinks that some people are making a big deal out of a whole lot of nothing? I can't wait for the new season of Survivor, just like I couldn't wait for last year's. Burnett keeps topping himself, and those who think that this is just a "ratings stunt" forget that the show has been a success for nearly its entire run on CBS.

Next year, I look forward to the Jews versus the Goyim.

YouTube Generation

What compels the newest generation of youngsters to post videos like the one below? I mean, it is really quite charming until you realize that they posted it on purpose.


Then again, back in the day, me and my friends made a video of our lip synch to Pete Townsend's "Face the Face" -- and I was playing lead tennis racket. We probably thought it was the coolest thing ever and would have posted it to YouTube, had it existed. So go fig.

The Headlines Write Themselves

Box Office Mojo has a nice recap of the somewhat disappointing performance of Sankes on a Plane. I say "somewhat" because the movie did pretty okay, despite not living up to the massive amount of fanboy hysteria on the web. Talk about box office poison! Yuk yuk yuk yuk.

Quiet, You!

This picture cracks me up:

Vintage Rock Posters

Hot damn. Here's a pretty cool site that I stumbled across today: Wolfgang's Vault.


You could spend hours looking at all the vintage posters these guys are selling. Granted, most of them seem to be from the west coast, and some of them are REALLY pricey...but if you have a favorite band (and who doesn't?) you're sure to find something here to tickle your fancy. And your wallet!

Dog Police

Old timers will remember these nutjobs as the winners of MTV's first "Basement Tapes" contest. You can't put a price tag on this kind of genius.


Holy crap, was that really 1980?

Oogloo and Anju

Seth of 8 Bit Weapon just brought this to my attention: a series of Cartoon Network shorts called Oogloo + Anju that features chip music in its soundtrack. Pretty cool, and the shorts are awesome! You can watch them all on the site, or tune in to Sunday Pants on CN (if it is still on).

Geek Moment

Speaking of my favorite movies ever, I just got finished watching Flash Gordon (1980). Towards the end of the movie, during the climactic battle, some music started playing that seemed weirdly familiar (and not just because I've seen the movie dozens of times). It was bothering me, until I remembered that I was hearing music from a video game...but what game? Ah, yes, it's Vanguard! A great coin-op game and one of my favorite Atari 2600 ports. I just played it in Stella right now to be sure, and yep, same music.

Well, turns out the movie didn't borrow from the game, the game "borrowed" from the movie! (Vanguard came out in 1981.) I don't know how a Japanese videogame manufacturer decided to lift random instrumental Queen music from an over-the-top sci-fi romp starring a former football player, the chick from Manimal and a guy named after the smoker's tooth polish...but there you go. And I confirmed it in Wikipedia, so it has to be true!

Holy Crap

Yes, folks. Warner Bros. is remaking my favorite film of all time. I'm beside myself with terrified excitement!

Chad Vader

This is very funny.


More info can be found here. Thanks to Molly for the head's up!

Bob Marley Cell Phone Game

The makers of Bomberman and Bonk's Adventure finally bring us the cell phone game we've all been waiting for. From the official site: "Hey Mon! Enjoy the tropics as you play as Bob Marley in some fun mini games. This game celebrates Marley's passions, from island life, soccer, and of course, music - Reggae style!" No mention of the "pass the dutchie" mini-game. Someone please explain this screenshot:


Obviously, this is the "steer the soccer ball meteor with the power of Jah" mini-game. What's that sound you hear? Why, the sound of Bob Marley spinning in his grave, of course!

Thanks to Kotaku for the link.

RIP Phantom

How can you kill something...that is ALREADY DEAD? Finally living up to its namesake, the Phantom console seems to be kaputski once and for all.

Rabbitts of the Lost Ark

I don't care if you think they sold out, the 30-second bunnies are still freaking funny.

Cartoon Network MMO

From the Associated Press, a new article which can be found here and elsewhere.

YouTube for Games?

Yes...that's what Microsoft says. I predict 1,000 different versions of Joanna Dark nude mods, but I'm a skeptic. (Who knows...maybe this will breed the next Counterstrike for consoles.)

Thanks to Eric for link.

Hate + Love = Fun!

Here is a great blogpost in which the writer muses about his love/hate relationship with WoW. Frankly, it makes extracting oneself from Warcraft sound a lot like quitting smoking. (Something I am all too familiar with, unfortunately.) Dude, can I bum a gold?

Finally!

According to USA Today, Pac-Man is going digital. All I can say is: about fucking time. Remember when we had to play Pac-Man with nothing but beads, a couple of sponges and a tennis ball? That sucked!

Ribbit

Microsoft is really crowing (croaking?) about Frogger on Xbox Live Arcade. (Did you know it was also on GameTap? Bet you didn't!) Anyway, peep IGN's "review" of Frogger, and don't miss the top five upcoming games in the genre:

1. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent (X360)
2. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
3. Lost Planet (X360)
4. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2)
5. N3: Ninety-Nine Nights (X360)

I love that part in Splinter Cell when Sam Fisher puts Lambert on his back and ferries him across the Seine to escape the Chinese Mafia and a bunch of snapping turtles!

I <3 Murder Simulation

I'm probably totally outside scooping this, but anyway...you may remember Jack Thompson's "Modest Video Game Proposal" -- a ham-fisted attempt at satire in which the notorious anti-game lawyer described (basically) the most violent video game ever. He then went on to challenge game developers to make the game, and promised to give some money to charity if any accepted the challenge. Bah blah blah...if you need a refresher, read it here.

Anyway, earlier this year, someone made the game...


Ha! Ready? It's great fun! Features include "seven unique weapons, a Realistic Urine Engine and an ending that is almost 15 seconds long!" (From the official site.)

The game is surprisingly polished, and actually reminds me quite a bit of Dad 'n Me, a hytserically violent River City-esque romp from the guys who made Alien Hominid.

And check it: if you don't want to bother with the game, watch a playthrough on Google Video! What a world.

New Audioslave

Audioslave's new album, Revelations, comes out in less than a month. Didn't they just put out a record? Man, time flies when you're not waiting for new Audioslave albums! Anyhoo, I listened to the single -- entitled "Original Fire" -- on their official site. It's good, but a little wanky. Definitely not the awesomeness of "Your Time Has Come" (seen here) but I remain hopeful! Don't let me down, gentlemen. Make with the rock.

Wii Launch Titles from Ubisoft

Just got back from vacation and I'm catching up on all my emails...one came in from Ubisoft while I was gone, announcing their seven confirmed launch titles for the Wii:

Blazing Angels®: Squadrons of WW II: As a squadron leader and ace fighter pilot, leverage the Wii controller to experience intense dog fighting in the famous air battles of WW II. Air combat simulation, rating pending.

Far Cry®: As Jack Carver, use the Wii Remote to drive, shoot, slash, jump and climb your way through a rebel-infested tropical hell. First-person action shooter, rating pending.

GT Pro Series: Immerse yourself in the fast-paced action of this exclusive Wii car-racing game and take full advantage of the Wii Remote. Racing game, rating pending.

Open Season™: Allows gamers to relive the humor and adventure of Sony Pictures Animation’s highly anticipated, first feature-length CG animated film. Kids adventure, rating pending.

Monster 4X4 World Circuit: Use the Wii Remote to perform spectacular stunts, jump and race the most powerful Monster Trucks, and go head-to-head in pulse-pounding off-road competitions all over the world. Truck racing, rating pending.

Rayman Raving Rabbids™: Experience the return of Rayman when his world is threatened by a devastating invasion of crazed, out-of-control bunnies. Whether it be crazy Kung-Fu action or competing in the cow toss, players will use the Wii Remote in the most imaginative and innovative ways possible to defeat these whacky rabbids. Action-adventure, rating pending.

Red Steel™: This Wii exclusive title takes place in modern-day Japan and challenges players to master both the ancient art of the katana and the sophisticated technology of modern firearms. First-person action, rating pending.

Red Steel is the only thing I can really get really excited about, although Rayman could be a blast since Michel Ancel is once again involved in the series.

God, how many more versions of Far Cry will we have to suffer through?