Malik
(10/23/06)
Yesterday was one hell
of a bad day for any Seahawk fan. Seeing the Vikings crush the
Seahawks, and especially seeing Matt Hasselbeck go down with a
sprained knee...wow...just wow. I suppose, maybe I can look at the
bright side. The Seahawks are still tied for first in the NFC West.
Also, the other team we're tied with, the Rams, did face defeat at
the 'Hawks' hands last week, so we're more in first place than them.
However, when the status
of Hasselbeck is unknown, as of when I am typing this, and having
two loses already this season, things could definitely look better.
I know, as a Seahawks fan, that until I hear things one way or
another about Hasselbeck that my mind will not be able to be clearly
focused.
If that wasn't enough to
ruin a weekend, I finally downloaded the Tony Hawk Project 8 demo
and the Lumines Live trial game from the 360 Marketplace. First off,
I don't know who's idea it is to call Lumines a whole new breed of
puzzle game, and who is the person spreading nasty rumors about how
1337-zor this game is, but I must insist that it stops.
I had never played
Lumines on the PSP, despite being a closet puzzle game fanatic. I
will find myself playing games like Hexic and Zuma more times than a
normal person should. Tetris is in my DS and has not left for more
than a single hour since I got it over the Summer. However, playing
Lumines Live, even with a slight bit of alcoholic helper (beer),
makes me see the game as puzzle-lite. It has all of the fun of
Columns...if Columns was made by a person who never wanted anyone to
actually have fun with their game. In the standard modes
(non-puzzle), the game is about as mindless and pointless as a game
of Tamagochi...but without being able to take pride in watching the
virtual pet die a horrible and poop-filled death.
I had previously never
played a puzzle game before that could not at least fill a few hours
of my life with pointless clicking and analogue smashing (or mouse
moving)...until Lumines Live. If this is what the crazy fad known as
Lumines is all about, then consider me uninterested.
On that note, I also
played the Tony Hawk 8 demo for about an hour. Despite how the "nail
the trick" interface is supposed to redefine this stale genre, I
really can see that this game franchise needs to end. It looks like,
literally, more of the same. I suppose, if the game no longer has
it's THUG inspired "kewlness" in it, then I'd pick it up at a
bargain price next year. Otherwise, I can say without a doubt that
I've played this game before...when it was called THPS4. That's all
it is. Unless the demo is really holding back on us, there will not
be anything new to it, besides some HD visuals, and that is just not
worth $60 for a 4 year old game...especially one I already own.
Lastly, if anyone even
cares, I know I don't really, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is now on the
360 Arcade. I would care...I'd really love to care. However, between
this game already being out a few times over and the fact that the
360 analogue stick is not meant for this game, I just can't find the
insincerity needed to care about this game. Actually, I just can't
find the love for any 2D fighters in the modern console world.
A good old school 2D
fighter needs a very imprecise and very responsive controller. For
example, when the Dreamcast came out with the Rival Schools sequel
(why the hell can't I think of the name of this game?), the game was
solid, but the high precision of the Dreamcast analogue stick made
the game into an exercise in annoyance. The same applies to the 360
2D fighters. The modern analogue stick is not made for a world that
involves 8-directions (in a 45 degree spread) and not a perfect 360
degree field of movement on the stick.
Also, if you think
something like the upcoming
360 arcade sticks will help out with this problem, you are
greatly mistaken. In fact, $60 (the price of a full game) for a
stick that was built by a kid on a sugar high ("...and then we'll
add the d-pad...and then we'll add buttons...I want more buttons...I
want two analogue sticks...MAKE IT SQUARE!!!!!...and then we'll...")
is flat out pathetic. By the way, those are two shoulder buttons on
the top left (along with two more on the top right)...just imagine
how you would use those two L buttons while still using the left
analogue stick. I know rumors are saying that Microsoft is also
looking to make some competition for this thing. My advice; stop
now!
Ok. I think it's safe to
say that I am in a bad mood today. Spending most of Saturday
cleaning a major mold infestation in my home (with bleach mist
flying through my lungs and the horrid smell of vinegar permeating
every surface) is the true definition of hell. I actually do this at
work all the time (being a microbiologist), but I sure as hell don't
like having to do it at home, while not being paid. Then playing
Lumines Live during one of my few breaks only made that day worse.
Throw in watching Hasselbeck get taken down with an easy to avoid
rolling collision pretty much capped on the bullshit of this
weekend. At least I did get in a little Tales of the Abyss, and that
kept me from just losing all patience.
Malik |
Malik
(10/24/06)
I spent all of Saturday
cleaning mold from my apartment. Sunday I watched as Matt Hasselbeck
was taken down with a knee sprain on the first drive of the third
quarter. Monday I learned that Hasselbeck is out for at least three
to four weeks. Last night I get no sleep because the f#@%-tards who
live above me would shut the f#@% up. This morning the noise
continued leaving me with three hours of sleep. Then it becomes a
torrential downpour as I drive and walk to work. To wrap it all up,
my iPod decides to freeze with no hope of unlocking. Wow...if things
keep remaining this good, maybe I can expect a bus to hit me on the
way home from work.
At least there is
some news to dive into. In particular, the rumors of the
Microsoft 360 100GB hard drives are bogus. Yes, Microsoft is now
saying that these rumors were just that; rumors. I say good. I for
one would've hated to have seen where things were heading if a
probable $200 add-on, besides the HD-DVD player, were to find it's
way to the 360. After all, it would probably mean an increase in
size for game demos and Arcade games, which would almost force an
increased HDD on the consumers (including myself). I sure as hell
don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on an add-on for the 360
that would cost a fraction of that on a PC...despite being an
over-glorified PC HDD.
Also, Jack
Thompson is now facing a
"Petition for Order to Show Cause". In other words, Take Two's
lawyers are trying to get Jack charged with contempt over his
outbursts following a Judge's approval of Bully. I say good. Maybe
it's just me being annoyed from getting no sleep, or maybe it's the
pain in my hands (from hitting the ceiling repeatedly last night to
try to get my neighbors to shut the f#@$ up), but I want to see this
lawyer face the wrath of his own style of justice. He brings about
frivolous lawsuits left and right, so maybe it's about time he was
on the other side of the law.
In fact, I would
love for him to be charged with contempt, since that alone will
lower his standing in the court and make him even less desirable to
potential plaintiffs than his typical tirades already have made him.
Take Two and Blank Rome (the law firm that represents Take
Two)...take 'em down a peg. Do it for all of us geeks in the world.
I especially hope
this keeps Jack pre-occupied as the
"gay" love scenes of Bully are starting to take center stage.
Also, for those who complain about the ability for Bully's hero to
kiss boys (as well as girls), I have a feeling you are the same type
of people who were pissed at Makoto (the gay character) in Enchanted
Arms. Well, I just have two things to say...
First of all, some
people, whether you want to believe it or not, are gay in real life.
In fact, there are quite a few. So, if you cannot accept a gay
character in a video game, then you need to stop your close minded
and bigoted ways. Just because a character in a game you play is
gay, it doesn't mean that you are. Of course, maybe you're
complaining so much because you need a little push out from your own
closet...?
Secondly, if you
find the subject matter in a game, movie, music, or whatever to be
objectionable, then there is an easy solution; just don't watch/play
it. Is that so hard. The last thing you need in the world is for
more censorship. Censorship is a magical tool that only causes grief
and problems, no matter how it is played out. If freedom of speech
is denied for one thing, then it can just as easily be denied for
something you enjoy. I personally find WWII games and movies to be
objectionable (mainly because we already know how it ends...we knew
long ago and more games/movies will not change that), so what if I
tried to force them to be censored (it would never happen since I
love our freedom of expression)?
In life, there are
many things that you will find objectionable, and many things you
enjoy will be objectionable to other people. The simple rule for us
all to live in harmony is for us all to learn to respect the desires
of others (assuming they are not just sick and f#@$ing twisted
desires...like lighting small animals on fire or some other idiotic
activity). All we need is a little respect, as Aretha Franklyn told
us so many times.
Since I need one
more thing to bitch about before I pass out from exhaustion...Sony
is causing some
problems in the old legal department. It seems that Sony decided
to do us all a "favor". Since we all know that finding actual data
from the real sources can be hard to do, Sony decided to help out by
telling us some facts and making up a few others while they're at
it. After all, when the spin-masters at Sony are on the job, what
else do we need? Well, maybe some solid facts that don't lead to
Sony being sued by both Microsoft and Nintendo...but that's just me
being picky and demanding a little too much.
On a side note for
Sony...when you're trying to do so good of a deed for us gamers as
to point out our faults in buying anything but your high quality
merchandise, you may want to avoid the whole lies and deception
thing. I appreciate the deception, but for some reason Microsoft and
Nintendo don't. And now for everyone's favorite emotional-meta tag .
I need some
sleep...and a band-aid or two for my hands...let's hope that my luck
turns before a bus slams me into a ditch...
Malik
P.S. Lik-Sang...rest
in piece our old friend...and as I emphasized above; Sony, go
f#@$ yourselves! |
Malik
(10/24/06)
Maybe it was somehow
tied in to my Bitchings yesterday, but everything has started to get
more mellow and enjoyable. For example, right after I posted, I got
a package in the mail with the new Iron Maiden CD (and some Reel Big
Fish), as well as Velveeta getting some Rammstein. Then my iPod
started to work correctly and I finally was able to install iTunes
on my main PC, which had had some problems with the InstallShield
installation with the previous version of iTunes. It's always nice
when everything comes together.
Anyway, to touch
on something I ended with last night...the
whole Lik-Sang.com closure. I really feel that this is a deeper
issue than the simple rants on most message boards. On one side, we
tend to have Sony fanboys who shout a wonderful "hurray!" in hearing
Sony finally winning a lawsuit against on of their bitter "rivals".
On the other hand, we tend to have the Sony haters who are pissed
off to see Sony get away with this "heinous crime". If only life was
this simple...
The way I see it,
in the entirety, is that this is more of a grey issue. There is no
black and white solution to this. While gray importing may be
frowned upon by many countries, I still can't help but feel that
this type of activity is just not defined enough. The laws behind
gray imports are about as non-existent and vague as humanly
possible, especially when you consider that every country in the
world has a different set of gray importing laws and regulations.
Also, as for the
people (Sony fanboys and haters alike) who say that this sets a
precedent for future lawsuits against other game importers, like
PlayAsia and YesAsia, I have one thing to say; the case of Sony
versus Lik-Sang was not technically won in a legal argument. This
case was won, by Sony, on the simple grounds that in London you must
be present with legal representatives in the court at the time of
your trial or you will face an automatic defeat. Lik-Sang did not
have any representation at this event. It may be for a million
possible factors...probably Lik-Sang did not want to put up the
money needed to have representation, for either lazy reasons or,
more likely, because it would be rather pricey for this Hong Kong
based business. That is the whole reason that Lik-Sang lost, and
this cannot be used to set precedent. In fact, the only "precedent"
this sets in place is actually a firm reminder to other importers;
attend the trial or be defeated. Also, it's a reminder that Sony has
the money and international presence to attend the trial, so if you
get called to court by them, they will deliver their side of the
case.
However, there's
another side of this that I find amusing...in a rather morbid way.
Sony executives and employees would often times use Lik-Sang's
service. That's like going out of your way to order McDonalds food
by your own free will and then suing McD's when you get fat. It's
hypocrisy in the simplest of terms. Maybe if Sony never used this
business it could be a different matter, but they did and this will
only make them seem more the enemy to the Sony haters and the Sony
neutral. For the record, when Sony is now claiming that
they did business with Lik-Sang for research purposes, I somehow
can't believe it. Why would you do over-cover research like
that?!
The other side of
this that angers me is that Sony is now in the habit of releasing
region free games and systems. For example, if I walk down to an
importer, and assuming I still had my PSP (which I don't
because...well, I saw the rats jumping off and knew this ship was
sinking), I could buy a Japanese or European PSP game and play it in
any American PSP. The games are no longer bound to region, so why
should it be so damned "evil" to purchase myself a Japanese PSP
(which even has English language menus)? Maybe I want a White PSP
(which came to Japan first). Maybe it was that stretch between
December of 2004 and April of 2005 and I wanted a PSP before the
North American release. Maybe people in Europe are sick of being
shafted (they have always received consoles of any nature after the
other two major regions...with Australia getting things even worse
still).
Whatever the
reason you may have, it is probably reasonable, assuming it's for a
region free console. Importing of consoles is big and it will not be
halted by Sony's attempts to be vein and arrogant. If anything, this
will just push game importing into the black market areas that
became common for other shunned (and more illegal) activities, like
ROM downloads and console modding.
The simple fact
remains...the PS3, like with the PSP, the PS2, and almost any Sony
system that will ever grace (or disgrace) the Earth will come to
Europe far after the console sees it's first sale. So, when Sony of
Europe is the primary body that caused this lawsuit, I think
something becomes obvious; Sony of Europe needs to change their
business model or face some bad PR. Not only is Sony basically
saying they don't consider Europe or Australia to be as important of
markets (unlike what Nintendo and Microsoft have both shown...at
least towards Europe), they are also saying that they will fight
with all of their legal muscle to keep putting Europe down. At least
that's the PR message I'm getting since Sony consoles bought over
Lik-Sang still originate with Lik-Sang buying from Sony, which means
Sony gets paid either way.
I also want to add
something...Sony claimed this lawsuit was brought about because they
were worried about non-European PSPs being unsafe for European
gamers. Well, on one hand, I have and had non-European Sony
systems...does this mean I should be afraid since European Sony
products are far "safer"? Maybe I should avoid all Sony
products...after all, their batteries already cause laptops to
explode, so maybe my PS2 is next?! That was a bit of sarcasm, but
it's quite fitting when Sony is trying to claim this is in the name
of safety.
Also, it's
interesting that Lik-Sang supplied official SONY BRANDED AC power
converters with any PSP sale to Europe so that these non-European
PSPs would be safe on European home outlets. If I wanted to try to
interpret this finding, I could get even more sarcastic (Sony power
converters must be bad for my health and will destroy the
world!!!!). Oh well...I guess I'll just stick to my trips to Tashi
Station to get my power converters.
In the end, this
whole matter was nasty and unpleasant for all involed (even the one
company that "won"). Lik-Sang was a great importing site. I have
another that's my personal favorite, but I'll avoid naming (to keep
them less on the radar and...well, they don't pay me to advertise
for them...now if they did...$!), but Lik-Sang was always my
favorite third place option, behind my favorite site and getting
friends and family in Asia to pick me up some gear. The importing
fans, and we all know who we are, are not coming away unscratched,
as we will not have fewer options, and options are always good.
However, most of all, despite what they may think, Sony is coming
away a major loser in this one just from the PR this is generating.
I have never seen more message board threads crying out for a Sony
purchasing strike than I saw in the last 24 hours.
At least I wasn't
counting on importing any time soon. Also, maybe this will give some
more attention to European gamers and help them to become less of
second class gamers. Now if only something can bring the plight of
the Australian gamer to the forefront...
Malik |
Malik
(10/25/06)
TROGDOR!!!!
Well, the
final songs of Guitar Hero 2 have been revealed. Yes, the
commercial rock was already shown a few weeks back, but now we know
the b-sides (AKA: the extra songs). Most of it, like one would
expect, is stuff that no one has ever heard before, unless you're a
fan of underground rock clubs (which, I know, are almost nonexistent
in my home town).
Most importantly
there are two songs that I know I will download the instant I obtain
the in game money needed to unlock them. Yes, I'm talking about
Trogdor from Strong Bad and Thunder Horse from Dethklok. It's great
to see that being bought up by Activision has not diminished
Harmonix's humor one bit.
It's a bit of a
slow day today, in almost all regards to my life. I honestly can't
complain. Normally, a lack of news would bring me down, but things
have been stressful and strange for the last few days. Between not
sleeping (thanks to the f#@$ers who live above me), stressing at
work, and the BS that has come with most of the recent gaming news
(like the whole Lik-Sang thing), I just haven't had any good old
Malik Time.
Last night, I got
in some of the first massive time blocks with Tales of the Abyss for
the last few days. I'm now officially over the hump (I'll keep the
spoilers out of this...they didn't harm no one so I won't force them
in here). I don't mean 50% done...I think that was last week. I mean
I'm now at that magical time in all Tales games when I can do a
majority of the side quests.
In particular, I'm
at the point when I can start getting costumes (which always come
about from humorous situations) and the best hidden weapons, items,
and the hidden village of the game. In other words, I'm at that
great point from which I will play about 15 hours without
progressing the plot one bit. Viva Namco! Viva Tales!
Anyway, like I
said...not much going on. It's a slow day, and so I'll keep this
short today. Plus, I have some things to get ready for to geek out
some with some friends tonight. Peace.
Malik |
Malik
(10/26/06)
Just when you think
you've had enough of something and couldn't stand anymore,
along comes another helping. True, you still can't stomach
anymore, but if you remove yourself from the situation and treat it
objectively, the latest tirade of Jack Thompson can be seen with a
fair share of humor.
First of all,
while in court defending himself against the charges that Jack
should be tried for contempt of court, Jack did not bother to stop
for one second to act in what Judge Ronald Friedman would call a
professional manner befitting a trial lawyer. This type of action
included trying to display some large cardboard sign, having
non-legal arguments with the Judge, and...well...just being a
nuisance to the court.
So, the judge,
doing what would be right for this case, excused himself from the
whole Jack issue and is bringing in another judge to handle the
issue. I think Friedman did the right thing, since he just would not
be able to escape this whole crap-fest, unless he made a literal
escape. Nothing helps one's legal career as a lawyer like causing a
judge to leave a case your in with the stern warning that the next
judge "might not be as kind".
Next off, Jack
decided to do one of his famous cease and desist orders against
Midway Games for
what someone at Gaming Target did with the kreate-a-fighter mode
on Mortal Kombat Armageddon. I'll trail off about now, but feel free
to click the old links and enjoy some nice attempts to make some
real people in MKA.
In one of my
typical random subject changes,
Lik-Sang.com had some final words in response to Sony. Sony
claimed, shortly after Lik-Sang was forced to close their e-doors,
that they had nothing to do with Lik-Sang's demise. Well, as it's
plainly clear, when Sony had brought lawsuits against Lik-Sang in
every possible European country, the legal fees alone would be
enough to put Lik-Sang out of operations (assuming they would try to
fight so many of the same identical lawsuit). So, the options were
simple and clear; lose all of their money paying for lawyers or go
out of business and at least end things on a more stable note.
I have to agree
with what Lik-Sang said in the end. If Sony bought PSPs from Lik-Sang
just to investigate Lik-Sang's practices, then they probably would
not had kept it on the down low in their court filings. Sony is the
company that killed off Lik-Sang. Sony and Lik-Sang can argue (as
well as all import gamers and Sony fanboys or haters) what Sony was
trying to do, but the simple truth remains...no matter what you call
it, Sony's actions were what killed off Lik-Sang.
It would be like
me hitting a friend in the face to kill a bug that landed on him. I
could say I only did what I needed to to eliminate the bug...but I
still did hit my friend in the face. The friend could say I hit him
with intent, and I could say I was doing a good deed...however, I
should take responsibility for my actions and admit one truth; I did
inflict violence.
To keep things in
perspective on why Lik-Sang was so loved in Europe, and why Sony so
despised them, I'll just say this; The PSP initial bundle deal in
Europe cost 269.99Euros (~344 USD), it was ~$250 in North America,
and in Japan it ran around 24,800Yen (~210.85 USD). It also came out
5 months later in the US than Japan and almost a half year later
still in Europe. The same is seen with the PS3, of which the $500 (USD)
version will run ~$635 USD when it launches in Europe...several
months later.
Throw in that Sony
Computer Entertainment World Europe vice president
Jamie MacDonald's comments from earlier this month about
European gamers, and you can see some things. I'll just say this;
I'm not trying to show any reason why Sony should be shunned (after
all, Tales of the Abyss, in my PS2, is my current pride and joy),
but any company that says a region doesn't mind paying extra and
waiting longer for a console obviously has some twisted perceptions
and a twisted idea of customer appreciation. Also, any company that
would allow this type of PR-spin to manifest itself is probably not
too reliable when they say they did not try to kill a company like
Lik-Sang (that was offering the chance for Europeans to pay less for
the product...killing into Sony's poorly conceived European profit
ideas).
On a completely
different note, and a different side of insanity, this Sunday is
when
Toy R Us is doing their Wii and PS3 pre-orders...both on the
same day. It should be a lot of fun if your idea of fun is to stand
in a long line and still face a strong chance of rejection. I may
have considered going for this type of "fun" except for Toys R Us
either forgetting or counting on one thing to keep things
relaxed...if Sunday and Sunday means football.
On that note, this
Sunday will be an interesting day, since for the first time in a
nice long stretch of years, the Seahawks will be starting without
their number one quarterback. Since Seneca Wallace has not had a
chance to prove himself when he's had time to actually practice with
the regular team the week before, it could easily go either way. On
one hand, if we're lucky, Wallace's skills that he's shown in a few
trick plays can also be a factor in his QB skills. If that's the
case, then things could be pretty interesting. On the other hand, if
his performance last Sunday against the Vikings is an indication of
how things will go down, then it may be a dark day for Seattle fans.
I like to remain
optimistic about this type of thing, but I really have a bad feeling
about the next few weeks for the Seahawks. The team is just missing
a few too many important players, and with the second string QB in
place, now definitely is not the right time to be without our
rushing game...and it's probably at least one more game before Shaun
Alexander comes back to help out on that front.
In the end, I plan
to have a nice relaxing time on Sunday...or maybe a frantic morning
if I chose to still try going the pre-order route for the Wii out of
fear of seeing the Seahawks get broken even further...but when you
consider Toys R Us opening an hour after kick off, I see myself not
getting a Wii from them one way or the other. So, when Sunday rolls
around, either I'll be having a great time by the time Toys R Us
opens...or I'll be half drunk before noon watching the stretchers
pull more Seahawks off the field of battle.
Malik |
|
For Those Who Don't
Have Flash Plug-Ins...
Rested
XP News
Reviews
Videos Features
Forums
Archives Search
This Site Links
Contact Us Disclaimer
|
|
|