Malik
(10/17/05)
Well, I will keep
this brief, but Jack
Thompson is at it again. I don't know whether to call him a
conspiracy theorist or a preacher this time. On one hand, he has
some unusual thoughts on the structure of the National Institute on
Media and the Family, with how they are being controlled by Target
and Best Buy. It makes me think of the classic Simpsons episode when
Grandpa Simpson made his love enhancing tonic. Namely, the scene
when the children of Springfield are trying to decide why their
parents were vanishing (in which we learn of the conspiracy of the
Rand Corporation, reverse vampires, etc, to try to do away with
dinner). This time, however, it's Target, Best Buy, and NIMF in an
effort to push evil games on children...yeah...that makes sense...or
not. On
the other hand, Thompson is also explaining how David Walsh
(president of NIMF) "has lost his way" as a Christian. I
never realized that this was about religion, since I don't remember
anything in the Bible about video games, violent content, or ESRB
ratings and enforcement of those ratings. I guess they were hidden
somewhere in the back of the Bible...on one of those pages that
usually gets overlooked...or something... It
all just makes me wonder if Thompson even believes what he's saying.
I can understand the theory that he is just trying to make a name
for himself, but I have trouble understanding the alternative
perspective; that he actually would believe the words that are
coming out of his mouth. Anyway,
on to something less insane... Microsoft
has started to prepare more for the 360 launch by getting ready
software patches to link
the 360 to Media Center PCs. This move should allow for easier
transfer of files from a PC to the 360. It was coming anyway, but
it's nice to see that Microsoft, considering their history of
releasing buggy patches and software, are taking a good initiative
on this one. The quick release of this patch should help to ensure
that things are actually running smoothly by the time the 360 is
actually released. In
particular, I've been awaiting this since I plan to use the Media
Center abilities of the 360. As someone who has been running video
files on the PC on a TV (serving as a second monitor), but still
having to deal with the hassle of sound coming out of the PC sound
system, it will be nice to have something fully integrated into my
home entertainment system (not just in video, but in audio too) for
watching my fansubs, etc. I just hope the 360 can handle it's end of
this (in other words, no surprise news at launch of how the 360 will
only play some obscure video file format, like the PSP does). As
you can probably tell, I just don't have much to talk about right
now. I was hoping that my copy of Shonen Super Stars would have
arrived sometime early in the weekend, but it's looking like it'll
instead be here today. If so, I'll have plenty to talk about
tomorrow. Until then... Malik
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Malik
(10/18/05)
I always like to
see that when one of these supposed
heroes to the morality of America flakes out, that the gaming
society still can
pull through and show that some of us aren't jerks. I also like
to see the word "satire" used in such a strange way...it's
like how many people throw around the word "irony" to mean
anything from it's actual meaning to meaning a slap-stick incident
on a typical low-audience sit-com.
Anyway, despite
all of this, I do want to say that the Penny-Arcade
people represented our type of people (geeks/gamers) perfectly and
showed that while many critics of our style of entertainment may SAY
they are in it to help others, you just have to look at us geeks to
see that we are in it for others. Maybe there's some weird hidden
part of the "evil" video games that not only "train
children to kill", but also "train people to give freely
of themselves". That, or maybe the hypocrites are just asses.
########## Anyway, I guess while Penny-Arcade is doing things like
donating to charity in another person's name, that same person can
go the confusing way. Instead of doing something along the lines of,
maybe, matching PA's donation, Jack Thompson has decided to try to file
charges, with the good old Seattle PD, of "criminal harassment"
against PA. Seriously, Mr. Thompson, now is a great chance for you
to do something like say, "they may have donated when I didn't,
but I'll do the right thing and match your donation" or some
such thing that shows that you can do more than just say you
represent morality. I keep hearing of Thompson saying how much he
cares, but I don't think any of us have actually seen him back it up
with actions (lawsuits and filling charges with the police actually
show the opposite). I won't say anything bad (in terms of more than
saying "it's my humble opinion that..." and that "it
looks like, to me...") about Mr. Thompson (mainly due to my
fear of his lawsuits of doom finding me), but I really don't think I
could say anything good either (and even a game hater can say that
PA donated some money to charity).
By the way, to the
Jack Thompson supporters, I just want to say this was another chance
to show that your camp is full of people who care, and you guys blew
it.
So, I finally got
my copy of Shonen Jump Super Stars last night. I cannot believe how
sweet a Smash Brothers like game can play on the DS. In fact, I have
to say this is possibly the game I had in mind as a definite
possibility when I first got my DS. To bad, despite how it contains
many characters that Americans would know so well like Yugi (Yu-Gi-Oh!),
Yusuke (Yu Yu Hakusho), Naruto (Naruto), One-Piece guy (I don't
watch One-Piece since the American dubbing is so damned bad and I
was late in trying to give the fansubs a chance), the Bo-Bobobo guys
(I can't spell it correctly, despite it's use of only two letters in
it's name...), and the cast of DBZ (from DBZ), we Americans will
never see it in English.
Also, while few
people who read this will go through the hassles of importing it, I
just have to say that this game shows exactly how to use the touch
screen of the DS in an action based game. Before you start a battle,
you will make a manga page of characters. Some characters will be
active fighting characters, while others will pop in to throw a few
punches, and some will just give stat boosts. To design these decks
from the hundreds (there's over 700 to chose from), you can either
scroll through huge listings of your kona (the manga panels that
make up a page), or you can use the touch screen to chose what type
of kona you wish to currently view. That is a nice and unobtrusive
touch feature.
Even more
important is how you play a battle. You will see the action on the
top screen and you page of manga konas will fill the bottom screen.
To change characters in a fight, or to pull out some support from a
support kona, you simply have to touch that kona on your touch
screen. It's quick, it can be built into combos (hit your current
character, another fighting character, and then your current one
again for a massive team attack), it can require some skill, and it
doesn't require anything as annoying as drawing some lame archaic
symbol on the screen to end a fight. Best of all, you play on the
top screen, so it doesn't matter if you smudge your bottom touch
screen with sweaty fingers as you're playing. If you couldn't tell,
those last two comments are directed towards Castlevania: DS.
The only problem
with this game is that an English speaker (who doesn't read
Japanese...that is) cannot play the game too easily without a
translational walkthrough. It's not
hard to find one, but you will have to play the single player
game in front of a computer. I doubt the multiplayer has such a hindrance,
but I'll have to wait until the weekend to know that answer.
I can say, without
a doubt, that this is one of the most addictive games that will
never come to the US. The saddest part of this is that the manga
characters seen in the game are pretty much all known in the US
since we do get Shonen Jump, translated, in the US. While it may be
a smaller target audience than some games have had, it would
definitely warrant a small initial release, and then a larger
release when word of mouth gets people who don't know Shonen Jump
into wanting the game. Blah...and best of all, for those who watch
the latest fan-subs of shows like Bleach; the game is up to date
with the manga, so Ichigo has his Bankai (if you understand what I
mean, I tip my hat to you...if I was wearing my hat right now I
would, that is).
I also got, last
night, a demo of Shadow of Colossus, and somehow I could not find
the will power to break away from my DS long enough to play this
thing. I was hoping to have had some time with the Shadow demo, but
I guess that will hopefully have to wait for tonight...assuming I
can give up my Shonen time.
Malik
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Malik
(10/20/05)
I didn't post
yesterday. It just wasn't worth it with the lack of news and how
I've just been playing a shit ton of Shonen Jump Super Stars (which
is fine and all, but I think the game was nicely summarized with my
Tuesday post). Throw in all that there wasn't to report about and
that I was feeling a bit under the weather and...well...you get no
post.
Anyway, there is a
bit of news today. First off, I tried out a Shadow of the Colossus
demo that I got in the mail. I am thoroughly impressed in almost
every way. The game is beautiful (this is eye candy beyond the
levels of what we normally get in eye candy), the sounds are
amazingly tranquil, the mechanics of the game are amazingly fun and
addictive, and it would be an awesome game until you beat it. That
would be precisely why I won't buy it. Between how short the demo
was (and it was 1/16th of the game) and how short many reviews call
it, I think it's more of a game to wait for when it'll eventually
fall to $20. As soon as it's that price, I'm all over it.
Before you start
to think it's perfect, I do have to say the game has two flaws.
Besides it being short, the game has some camera issues (I fought
the camera the entire time I played the demo) and the controls could
have used a little tweaking. This is especially bad when you are
trying to either ride your horse with any precision (that's a pain
in the ass) or when you're jumping from one cliff that you're
hanging onto (not standing on) to another. These are the only two
things that really brought me any frustration, but I don't know how
much they will matter in the final game (since I don't know how much
you'll do these activities in the final game).
I can say,
however, that the moment you slay a colossus...there is no word to
describe the feeling of slaying something that you had to physically
climb up. Plus, they don't just die...they fall and they shake the
Earth beneath them as they do so. The one colossus I took down in
the demo was the single coolest enemy I've ever defeated in a video
game.
As for some less
personal of news...and I say less personal because I wouldn't waste
my money with this doomed thing; The
Gizmondo, which is due to launch in two days, is sounding more
and more like a joke. For a portable, I would want a good reason to
buy something that is going against Nintendo and Sony. Well, instead
of a good reason, we get crap. Namely, we get a small line-up of
games with almost no appeal (Carmageddon? What, are we back in
1997?), with the exception of a couple of EA titles. Then again,
what doesn't EA put out games for. They are the definition of the
overly wealthy publisher that could afford to do anything, no matter
how dumb, and still turn a profit.
However, beyond
the system itself being a joke, the price point is even more so. In
fact, it makes me think of shareware/trial versions of a PC utility
versus the full program. For $400 you can have the full program.
However, for $230 you get the trial version which will constantly
remind you of it's inferiority by pumping ads onto your display. I
should say that this was the plan...key word being
"was".
Now the system, no
matter the price, will give all Americans stupid enough to blow
their money on this thing (hey, I collect video game systems and
even I would turn this one down like it was an N-Gage or a Zodiac),
when they could afford a PSP or a DS (with a game or two) for the
same price, annoying ads. Instead, the expensive system will turn
your Gizmondo into a GPS system. However, if you want to have GPS
coverage of the full US (and not just one region), the ultimate
price of the Navigator comes out to $250 (there's another PSP in
that money).
First off, if you
want GPS that badly, go with something designed for it. Maybe a GPS
system? Yeah. Also, for the price of a Gizmondo, with the full US
covered in it's GPS system, you will pay the price of two PSPs or
almost 3 DSes. In other words, if you want GPS, go with something
cheaper and more reliable than a game system, and if you want games
you should check out Nintendo and Sony. If you want all, you can get
all three systems for just a hair more than a fully equipped
Navigator version of the Gizmondo. Better yet, you would also have
an actual selection of games to play and not just two EA games (that
will play better on practically every other system) and some games
from the PC of the 1990's.
With how many good
games and systems are on the market right now (this month alone, we
have added about a dozen high quality pseudo-must-have games and
we'll be adding a new console in a hair over a month), this is the
wrong time for a has-been like Tiger to try to make a comeback. This
is as ridiculous as making a
new Rocky movie 15 years after the last one bombed. I guess if
Stallone can try, then Tiger is free to flop as well.
Malik
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Malik
(10/21/05)
I guess Sony has
finally cleared out their excessive inventory of 32MB memory duo
cards. I say this because they will finally offer a PSP package that
doesn't contain a worthless piece of shit in terms of memory cards
for the PSP. In fact, this is a pretty good deal. Starting next
month, for $300 (instead of the old price of $250), a PSP purchaser
will get a 1GB
memory duo pro with their PSP. While the 32MB card only served
to let a PSP owner have enough room for a few game saves OR a couple
of music tracks, the 1GB setup will leave room to actually take
advantage of the PSP's video, music, picture, and game
capabilities.
Considering the
options of either getting a 32MB card and a wrist-strap or getting
(for $50 more) about a gig of extra memory and no wrist-strap, the
choice is obvious. I just wish Sony didn't start the PSP lifespan
with the ridiculously underpowered 32MB cards. It also means it's
time for Sony to start selling their 1GB PSP named memory sticks (a
definite improvement since it can be a real chore to find a
reasonable price on a 1GB stick). It's just too bad that Sony waited
until most people are unable to use homebrew to do this (since I
know my PSP v.1.50 is filled to it's 1GB capacity with games).
It's also too bad
that this is all happening after GTA:LCS is coming out, since I'm
willing to bet that the game requires an upgrade to 1.51 or
2.0...which means the first must have title, which will limit
homebrew abilities, will also force the upgrade prior to the ready
access of memory for all. If anyone ever argues that Sony was stupid
in delaying the release of a PSP package with reasonable space, I
think this logic shows anything but their shortsightedness.
Well, speaking of
GTA:LCS, next week is the week. It will also be the week that Civ4
comes out. That's on top of this week getting Shadow of the
Colossus, THAW (if you still can stomach spending $50 on the series
every fall), AoE3...it's last year all over again. Just like last
year, I saw the battle coming and drew my line in the sand long ago.
I'll be picking up GTA and Civ4 next week, but I'm otherwise laying
low until the 360 launch. I just can't afford to go off the handle
with a limited budget.
I watch my friend
Bastich play some Shadow last night and I do have to comment. This
game, in it's full glory, is a thousand times better than the demo
made it look (and the demo made it look freakin' awesome). This is a
game that goes to 11 on almost every possible level. Even the
lacking sensation I got from the camera is made up for if you learn
to stop fighting it. The camera knows what it's doing. It may piss
off the player and the audience from time to time, but in reality
it's only trying to give you the most cinematic gaming experience
possible. While this may make game play suffer a little, it usually
will make up for it by making it feel like each scene has it's own
personal cinematography expert involved.
Beyond that arguable
issue, the rest of the game is amazing. The bosses are all
completely unique and require a completely original approach, the
visuals are the most impressive I've ever seen on the PS2 (while
Burnout Revenge pushed visual quality to the extreme, Shadow pushed
artistic quality in conjunction with visual quality well over the
preconceived limits), the audio is perfectly planned in a way that
the music always matches the game, and the world is simply amazing.
While the story is quite subtle, you can tell from looking at the
land that this place has one hell of a history to it. There are
ruined temples, barren wastes, lakes, caves, underground
lakes...some people say the next Zelda will involve a world similar
to this, and if it's true, I'm ready to do a fanboy freakout on the
game.
However, despite
all of this, I think the true highlight of the quality that was
programmed into this game can be seen in your horse. Not only does
it move realistically, and does it sound real. No, the best aspect
is how it acts real. It will get spooked and run from a fight. It
will get bored and wonder off if you leave it to it's own devices.
Hell, last night, Bastich simply followed his horse at one point to
see what it was up to, and that (despite how non-eventful it was)
was amazing. It left the main temple (your base of operations, so to
speak) as a leisurely pace, walked outside, got spooked and ran for
a bit, calmed down and started to eat grass (or that's what it
looked like it was trying to do), and then it took notice of the
hero and started to wiggle it's head in recognition. If you push the
horse too hard, it will get angry. Also, if it doesn't like where
you're trying to go, it will try to make it's own decision about
your destination. This shows that not only did the programmers know
their research (it acts like a real freakin' horse), but they put in
far more effort and time than you would ever seen on a standard
platformer.
I still doubt I'll
buy this game. Why? The 360, GTA, and Civ4 are all devouring my bank
account. However, I do know I'll be begging my friend the instant he
finishes to let me borrow the game. Without a doubt, I can say that
this is a once in a console-generation game. I can also say that
when Fumito Ueda (the director of Shadow) makes his
next game for the PS3, it might be a reason, on it's own, to buy
the George
Foreman Grill knock-off.
Malik
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