Forever Thinking with Portals
In 2007, Valve released The Orange Box compilation, advertising that it had five games for the price of one. Half-Life 2 and its episodes (including the never-before-released Episode 2), the much-anticipated Team Fortress 2 and a little project called Portal. Of all five of these games, Portal was the one to take home all of the awards. People were obsessed with it, and it has spawned a meme that everyone knows: The cake is a lie.
Now, we're all sick of that meme now, but it goes to show how a well-made game can invade every aspect of people's lives, even those who don't play it. The credits song, Still Alive, found its way onto the Rock Band DLC list and everyone from my closest friends to my girlfriend to my mom has at least played Portal, and I've never heard a bad thing about it. Penny Arcade had a hilarious comics concerning the use of Portal (here), and to this day I find myself talking to my friends about what we would do with a portal gun.
Portal 2 was released recently, and I'm sure many of you have played or heard of it. It even caused Dyn, Inc. to give employees an extra day of paid time off to play the game, since so many were staying home anyways. Portal and Portal 2 are games that thrive entirely on brainy, smart and clever things. The gameplay is all about solving puzzles, finding where to go and making sense of the crazy things that your portals can get you to, or enable you to do. On top of that, the character development is based entirely on jokes and quips and one-liners that are often aimed at the player, but so well demonstrate the animosity and intentions of whoever's talking to you. Hell, there's a character that gores on a rant about developing a combustible lemon and burning a house down with it, but it manages to be inspiring, sad, chilling and touching all at once.
As I walk about the halls in school every day, I'm thinking with Portals. I imagine crossing hallways more quickly, or going up stairs really quickly, or putting one at my house so that, at the end of the day, I can get home instantly. The world of Portal, the technology and the characters, are all so endearing and genuine and funny that it worms its way into your brain in a way that only true masterpieces can. Any time I see a white wall, I think, "A portal can go there."
Also, the ending was fucking crazy.
May 16, 2011
Apr 22, 2011
Paid to Play
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who are willing to change and those who are not. People who are not willing to change do business the old-fashioned way, on old-fashioned hours and with old-fashioned rules. No going on Reddit or playing Flash games during work, keep your work and your hobbies separate, do your job the way we tell you to do it.
Those people are what I like to call stupid.
If you're alive and have once talked to another human being, you've heard the term "Facebook me" or "Google it", and that's not a coincidence. Both of those sites are massive money-machines, run by extremely smart people providing extremely smart services. Google is on top of the world (literally, it fought the Chinese government once), and Facebook is fast approaching. Two direct competitors, each forcing the other to innovate and pave the way for the future. What do they have in common though? Awesome work structure.
If you've ever been inside the Facebook offices, seen a video of what goes on in there or even if you've seen The Social Network, you'll know that the Facebook offices are not full of rules and regulations restricting you to your workspace and only allowing you outside during lunch hours. It looks like a really spacious college dorm room more than anything else, and that kind of comfortable atmosphere is proven to lead to higher productivity. After all, if you love your job, you want it to do well.
Google has the same thing going on. Here's a link with photos from both offices, and you can see that both of the offices are not what comes to mind when you think 'professional'. Google has a goddamn slide in their office. People are riding bikes around, or just sitting and talking, and someone's in what looks like a massive sound room just hanging out. Despite these places not looking like the epitome of usefulness, these are arguably the two most well-known companies of our day.
So, seeing that, why aren't all companies that deal in technology going for relaxing atmospheres like that? Obviously, most companies can't afford such massive, spacious offices, but that's not what it takes to create a relaxed atmosphere. Each day, Google has each engineer work 20% of their time developing their own ideas. That's a fifth of their working time that they are allowed to take a break and develop something personally (which has led to the creation of several other Google-owned services, like G-mail). It seems simple, really: do things to make people like their job.
Dyn Inc., in Manchester, New Hampshire has taken this in and decided to do something about it. Being a software company that supplies Twitter, Twitpic and Wikia, their employees have to know computers. And if you know computers, guess what? You probably like games. After seeing that their attendance plummets yearly when a blockbuster game is released, they decided to add an extra day of paid time off so you can indulge in your videogaming.
Yeah, I know, right? How great is that?
Small steps like these can go a long way to showing your employees that you care about them and their hobbies. Allowing people free time to pursue what they personally want is a simple way to revitalize and refocus a person, and a lot of old-fashioned businesspeople could learn from these Google, Facebook and Dyn, Inc.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who are willing to change and those who are not. People who are not willing to change do business the old-fashioned way, on old-fashioned hours and with old-fashioned rules. No going on Reddit or playing Flash games during work, keep your work and your hobbies separate, do your job the way we tell you to do it.
Those people are what I like to call stupid.
If you're alive and have once talked to another human being, you've heard the term "Facebook me" or "Google it", and that's not a coincidence. Both of those sites are massive money-machines, run by extremely smart people providing extremely smart services. Google is on top of the world (literally, it fought the Chinese government once), and Facebook is fast approaching. Two direct competitors, each forcing the other to innovate and pave the way for the future. What do they have in common though? Awesome work structure.
If you've ever been inside the Facebook offices, seen a video of what goes on in there or even if you've seen The Social Network, you'll know that the Facebook offices are not full of rules and regulations restricting you to your workspace and only allowing you outside during lunch hours. It looks like a really spacious college dorm room more than anything else, and that kind of comfortable atmosphere is proven to lead to higher productivity. After all, if you love your job, you want it to do well.
Google has the same thing going on. Here's a link with photos from both offices, and you can see that both of the offices are not what comes to mind when you think 'professional'. Google has a goddamn slide in their office. People are riding bikes around, or just sitting and talking, and someone's in what looks like a massive sound room just hanging out. Despite these places not looking like the epitome of usefulness, these are arguably the two most well-known companies of our day.
So, seeing that, why aren't all companies that deal in technology going for relaxing atmospheres like that? Obviously, most companies can't afford such massive, spacious offices, but that's not what it takes to create a relaxed atmosphere. Each day, Google has each engineer work 20% of their time developing their own ideas. That's a fifth of their working time that they are allowed to take a break and develop something personally (which has led to the creation of several other Google-owned services, like G-mail). It seems simple, really: do things to make people like their job.
Dyn Inc., in Manchester, New Hampshire has taken this in and decided to do something about it. Being a software company that supplies Twitter, Twitpic and Wikia, their employees have to know computers. And if you know computers, guess what? You probably like games. After seeing that their attendance plummets yearly when a blockbuster game is released, they decided to add an extra day of paid time off so you can indulge in your videogaming.
Yeah, I know, right? How great is that?
Small steps like these can go a long way to showing your employees that you care about them and their hobbies. Allowing people free time to pursue what they personally want is a simple way to revitalize and refocus a person, and a lot of old-fashioned businesspeople could learn from these Google, Facebook and Dyn, Inc.
Apr 11, 2011
Nintendo 3DS Derives Deceitful Discernment
The recent release of Nintendo's 3DS has been met with, among gamers, generally positive attitudes. Being from Nintendo, not a lot of people doubted that it would be successful, and it has sold decently well (though I notice it's still stocked in almost every store I've been to). Right from the get-go, though, Nintendo has done what it can to cover its ass regarding the 3D functionality. They said that you should take a break every thirty minutes to avoid feelings of nausea or illness, and they have warned that children under six years of age should not play the 3DS as it might damage the development of their eyes.
Even though eye specialists have said that there are no harmful side-effects whatsoever to be concerned about, that hasn't stopped certain sources from conducting their own non-peer reviewed, half-assed, blatantly biased and defamatory "study" on how the 3DS affects people who play it. The Sun, an overseas newspaper/gossip paper, decided to get in on this 3DS-hating with their own shitty experiment, deciding to follow no guidelines whatsoever. If you read the link, you'll see that they fail to define anything going on (such as how much 3D is being used, what the baseline for human heart-rate of blood pressure is) and subject the fellow to playing the 3DS while doing different activities.
Yeah, in order to test the effect of the Nintendo 3DS, they have the person playing do other things.
I hope I don't have to explain why that immediately invalidates everything they claim to have discovered. Yeah, viewing 3D in a moving car makes pulse and blood pressure go up, and yes it causes nausea. So does just being in a goddamn car.
The conclusion they come to is that the longer you play the 3DS, the higher your heart rate and blood pressure will be, and they fail to take into account that they had the subject walk around and ride in a car while he played the 3DS. The link I posted (here, for convenience), has a satirical but also serious follow-up, in which they have one of their staff members go out and read The Sun while sitting, walking and riding in a car. I don't want to spoil it, so please give it a read, the results are great.
It pisses me off that gossip magazines can get away with doing such biased, prickish things without getting any backlash at all. Likely, they'll have higher sales and the 3DS will suffer a little because the folks at The Sun who did this study are completely clueless as to how to actually carry out an experiment. Or they did this on purpose, and they're just assholes.
The recent release of Nintendo's 3DS has been met with, among gamers, generally positive attitudes. Being from Nintendo, not a lot of people doubted that it would be successful, and it has sold decently well (though I notice it's still stocked in almost every store I've been to). Right from the get-go, though, Nintendo has done what it can to cover its ass regarding the 3D functionality. They said that you should take a break every thirty minutes to avoid feelings of nausea or illness, and they have warned that children under six years of age should not play the 3DS as it might damage the development of their eyes.
Even though eye specialists have said that there are no harmful side-effects whatsoever to be concerned about, that hasn't stopped certain sources from conducting their own non-peer reviewed, half-assed, blatantly biased and defamatory "study" on how the 3DS affects people who play it. The Sun, an overseas newspaper/gossip paper, decided to get in on this 3DS-hating with their own shitty experiment, deciding to follow no guidelines whatsoever. If you read the link, you'll see that they fail to define anything going on (such as how much 3D is being used, what the baseline for human heart-rate of blood pressure is) and subject the fellow to playing the 3DS while doing different activities.
Yeah, in order to test the effect of the Nintendo 3DS, they have the person playing do other things.
I hope I don't have to explain why that immediately invalidates everything they claim to have discovered. Yeah, viewing 3D in a moving car makes pulse and blood pressure go up, and yes it causes nausea. So does just being in a goddamn car.
The conclusion they come to is that the longer you play the 3DS, the higher your heart rate and blood pressure will be, and they fail to take into account that they had the subject walk around and ride in a car while he played the 3DS. The link I posted (here, for convenience), has a satirical but also serious follow-up, in which they have one of their staff members go out and read The Sun while sitting, walking and riding in a car. I don't want to spoil it, so please give it a read, the results are great.
It pisses me off that gossip magazines can get away with doing such biased, prickish things without getting any backlash at all. Likely, they'll have higher sales and the 3DS will suffer a little because the folks at The Sun who did this study are completely clueless as to how to actually carry out an experiment. Or they did this on purpose, and they're just assholes.
Apr 5, 2011
Heavy Rain, Heavy Story, Light Impact
There will be Heavy Rain spoilers. Because I love spoiling shit for people more than anything else in the world.
If you own a PS3, or know someone with a PS3, or keep up with videogame news at all, chances are you've probably heard of a game called Heavy Rain. Since the announcement of the PS3, Sony and developer Quantic Dream have backed it as a mature game for adults and for those who care about advancing videogame as an art form. Particular attention has been paid to the story, which was one of the major selling points. It was to be a game that blended the line between cinema and videogame, with a story for the ages.
In the department of graphics and visual style, this game succeeded and that's not up for debate. The characters and environments look authentic and appropriately rain-soaked (it's always raining in Heavy Rain, by the way), and sometimes even you yourself feel waterlogged. Heavy Rain managed to overcome something called the uncanny valley, something that many games and toys fall prey to. Basically, the uncanny valley is where things that look almost human go to die, like marionettes or toys of babies. The faces and, very importantly, the eyes of the character models in Heavy Rain have a discernible source of life behind them, giving the illusion that something is going on in their brain. This is flaunted during loading screens, where the character you'll be taking control of looks around in silence. Characters look sad, hopeful, thoughtful, distressed and a wide range of other emotions, and it really helps set the mood.
When it comes to the promise of a heavy story, Heavy Rain is certainly no slouch in the premise. For the last few years, a city has been tormented by a killer who has been nicknamed The Origami Killer, due to his habit of placing an origami figure in the hands of his victims. The killer kidnaps young boys in public and they stay missing for 4-6 days before turning up dead. One of the characters you play, Ethan Mars, has his son kidnapped and he must find his son before he turns up dead as well.
With a premise like that, the story is ripe for drama, heartbreak, love, terror and a number of other things. Heavy Rain attempts to deliver on all of these and it has a mixed amount of success. To start with the good, holy shit fight scenes. The game has numerous battles, both hand-to-hand and gunfights, that follow very intense choreography. The game is controlled by QTEs (quick-time events) that require button presses at different points, and that determines your triumph or failure in certain tasks. With this method of control, the game can have a lot going on and not risk enemy AI or player choice ruining the set piece. The fistfights are amazingly intense, and most of them left me sweaty-pawed and bolt upright.
It's when the game tried to get into heavier things like death, sadness, love and sex that things begin to fall apart. No matter how much life is behind the eyes of the characters, kissing never looks quite right. Most games don't show lip-to-lip kissing, because that's something that is almost impossibly difficult to animate. Many of Heavy Rain's intimate scenes are made almost laughable because they attempt to depict it head-on, without anything in the way. It comes off as two people touching lips and not doing much else, which ruins the mood.
There are several points in this game where characters (could possibly) die, and I played through a few times with some different scenes to get a feel for what it's like to lose a main character. It all comes down to the delivery of these deaths; Quantic Dream simply didn't cast the right group of voice actors. QD is a France-based studio, and they chose to set their game in America. That's all well and good, but when a small child is drowning and begging for help in a perfect American accent, it kills the mood to have a little French kid run to and fro searching for help. Similarly, Ethan's son (pre-kidnap, of course) doesn't sound happy enough at his happiest or sad enough at his lowest point. Some of the voice actors are simply excellent, like Ethan himself, and it really ruins the sense of immersion and suspension of disbelief to hear accent breaks so often with other characters.
Going back to the point of main characters being able to die, there were some scenes that, at the time, felt absolutely filled with danger, which had me gripping my controller tighter than one should grip a controller. As it turns out, many of these scenes pose no danger at all. In one of Ethan's trials to save his son, he is tasked with killing a man. No matter how you approach this, It leads to being chased through the house while being fired at with a shotgun. It is possible to be shot (barely making you fumble, though) but it's not possible to die, even if you set the controller down and fail every button prompt.
Now, that's not to say that Heavy Rain is not a fun game, because that's far from the truth. I beat it in three sittings, and went back and forth between scenes to see alternate outcomes. It's paced wonderfully and while it isn't afraid to present you with hard choices, or go into daring territory (a shower scene with actual boobies!), it falls short of what it promised. Heavy Rain is a good game, a strong game and an experience everyone should have and support. It's a tentative step in a new direction, so of course it won't be perfect. It shows where improvements have to be made, and I applaud it for trying. I'll take an original game over Call of Duty any day.
There will be Heavy Rain spoilers. Because I love spoiling shit for people more than anything else in the world.
If you own a PS3, or know someone with a PS3, or keep up with videogame news at all, chances are you've probably heard of a game called Heavy Rain. Since the announcement of the PS3, Sony and developer Quantic Dream have backed it as a mature game for adults and for those who care about advancing videogame as an art form. Particular attention has been paid to the story, which was one of the major selling points. It was to be a game that blended the line between cinema and videogame, with a story for the ages.
 |
| Scott Shelby, one of the playable characters (Source) |
When it comes to the promise of a heavy story, Heavy Rain is certainly no slouch in the premise. For the last few years, a city has been tormented by a killer who has been nicknamed The Origami Killer, due to his habit of placing an origami figure in the hands of his victims. The killer kidnaps young boys in public and they stay missing for 4-6 days before turning up dead. One of the characters you play, Ethan Mars, has his son kidnapped and he must find his son before he turns up dead as well.
With a premise like that, the story is ripe for drama, heartbreak, love, terror and a number of other things. Heavy Rain attempts to deliver on all of these and it has a mixed amount of success. To start with the good, holy shit fight scenes. The game has numerous battles, both hand-to-hand and gunfights, that follow very intense choreography. The game is controlled by QTEs (quick-time events) that require button presses at different points, and that determines your triumph or failure in certain tasks. With this method of control, the game can have a lot going on and not risk enemy AI or player choice ruining the set piece. The fistfights are amazingly intense, and most of them left me sweaty-pawed and bolt upright.
 |
| Ethan Mars, father of the latest Origami Killer victim (Source) |
There are several points in this game where characters (could possibly) die, and I played through a few times with some different scenes to get a feel for what it's like to lose a main character. It all comes down to the delivery of these deaths; Quantic Dream simply didn't cast the right group of voice actors. QD is a France-based studio, and they chose to set their game in America. That's all well and good, but when a small child is drowning and begging for help in a perfect American accent, it kills the mood to have a little French kid run to and fro searching for help. Similarly, Ethan's son (pre-kidnap, of course) doesn't sound happy enough at his happiest or sad enough at his lowest point. Some of the voice actors are simply excellent, like Ethan himself, and it really ruins the sense of immersion and suspension of disbelief to hear accent breaks so often with other characters.
Going back to the point of main characters being able to die, there were some scenes that, at the time, felt absolutely filled with danger, which had me gripping my controller tighter than one should grip a controller. As it turns out, many of these scenes pose no danger at all. In one of Ethan's trials to save his son, he is tasked with killing a man. No matter how you approach this, It leads to being chased through the house while being fired at with a shotgun. It is possible to be shot (barely making you fumble, though) but it's not possible to die, even if you set the controller down and fail every button prompt.
 |
| Madison Paige, journalist and friend to Ethan (Source) |
Apr 3, 2011
Bioshock 2: Memorable Moments and Final Thoughts
Once again, there will be quite significant spoilers about (potentially) both Bioshock games, so read at your own risk.
After one final, long sit-down with Bioshock 2, I made it to the end. Mostly it was a game of shootin' dudes, and shoot dudes I did. Shoot and shock and burn and hypnotize, confuse, cover in insects, beat down, et cetera. The very first thing I took away from Bioshock 2 was, "Damn, that felt good."
A number of significant refinements have been made to the core shooting mechanics, addressing exactly the problems I had with the first game's action. The actual act of aiming is much smoother and much easier to manage; you'll never find yourself spinning about while trying to find exactly who's shooting you.
Subject Delta is also a physically more capable fellow than Quiet McUn-named from the prequel. In the first Bioshock, for some baffling reason, you could not hold your Plasmid hand and gun hand up at the same time, even though they were two separate hands. Now that you can have a Plasmid going while you shoot, you can provide back-up fire by covering your ass with plasmids while you reload a larger weapon, such as a shotgun or a grenade launcher. On top of that, you're also blessed with a melee attack, which comes in handy to stop charging enemies or just show those fuckers who's boss around these parts. Gunplay is handled much better in Bioshock 2 than previously, and that makes it a much more fun game.
Around the end of the game, you're put into the body of a Little Sister to free yourself from the restraints that Sophia Lamb has put you into to wait for you to die (with an acknowledgement to Vita-Chambers, saying that you need to die naturally else you be revived). Inhabiting this Little Sister, you see the world in a different way. Rapture is a city on a decades-long trip of decay. Leaks have spring everywhere, corpses and blood litter the ground. Big Daddies are in algae-covered diving suits, toting drills that are soaked in gore.
But you, through the eyes of a Little Sister, are in a giant, royal ballroom. Everything is cushioned in bright crimson velvet, the walls lined with ornate sheet. Big Daddies are, quite literally, knights in shining armour. They are plated with extremely detailed and beautiful golden suits. There are posters everywhere, detailing a Little Sister's lifestyle. "Good girls always harvest!", referring to jabbing a needle into a corpse and then drinking the blood.
This struck me as amazingly sad. Wandering around a city I had spent fifteen hours in, knowing what a complete shithole it was, and then seeing it through the eyes of what is essentially a re-purposed and brainwashed human being. The whole idea is really hit home when you see statues of Subject Delta that depict meetings with characters you have had and the choices you made. Regardless of whether you killed the person, or spared them, the Little Sisters saw it as the 'right thing', looking up to you as their literal Daddy. "Subject Delta meets Dr. Gil," and then it showed Delta strangling a snake, a reference to original sin. In reality, I had actually electrocuted a defenseless, insane man while he begged me for his life. An act that was clearly, purely terrible and selfish had resulted in the Little Sisters erecting a mental memorial to commemorate how amazing I was.
There's more to the sequence that just that, but I really do recommend that you pick up Bioshock 2 if you can. I think it tops its predecessor in nearly every way, and you owe it to yourself if you want a game with some heavy-hitting themes and consequences. I'm going to cut it short here because I feel like I'm rambling on, but Bioshock 2 is a game that I won't soon forget.
Once again, there will be quite significant spoilers about (potentially) both Bioshock games, so read at your own risk.
After one final, long sit-down with Bioshock 2, I made it to the end. Mostly it was a game of shootin' dudes, and shoot dudes I did. Shoot and shock and burn and hypnotize, confuse, cover in insects, beat down, et cetera. The very first thing I took away from Bioshock 2 was, "Damn, that felt good."
A number of significant refinements have been made to the core shooting mechanics, addressing exactly the problems I had with the first game's action. The actual act of aiming is much smoother and much easier to manage; you'll never find yourself spinning about while trying to find exactly who's shooting you.
Subject Delta is also a physically more capable fellow than Quiet McUn-named from the prequel. In the first Bioshock, for some baffling reason, you could not hold your Plasmid hand and gun hand up at the same time, even though they were two separate hands. Now that you can have a Plasmid going while you shoot, you can provide back-up fire by covering your ass with plasmids while you reload a larger weapon, such as a shotgun or a grenade launcher. On top of that, you're also blessed with a melee attack, which comes in handy to stop charging enemies or just show those fuckers who's boss around these parts. Gunplay is handled much better in Bioshock 2 than previously, and that makes it a much more fun game.
Around the end of the game, you're put into the body of a Little Sister to free yourself from the restraints that Sophia Lamb has put you into to wait for you to die (with an acknowledgement to Vita-Chambers, saying that you need to die naturally else you be revived). Inhabiting this Little Sister, you see the world in a different way. Rapture is a city on a decades-long trip of decay. Leaks have spring everywhere, corpses and blood litter the ground. Big Daddies are in algae-covered diving suits, toting drills that are soaked in gore.
 |
| One of the instructional posters seen by a Little Sister |
This struck me as amazingly sad. Wandering around a city I had spent fifteen hours in, knowing what a complete shithole it was, and then seeing it through the eyes of what is essentially a re-purposed and brainwashed human being. The whole idea is really hit home when you see statues of Subject Delta that depict meetings with characters you have had and the choices you made. Regardless of whether you killed the person, or spared them, the Little Sisters saw it as the 'right thing', looking up to you as their literal Daddy. "Subject Delta meets Dr. Gil," and then it showed Delta strangling a snake, a reference to original sin. In reality, I had actually electrocuted a defenseless, insane man while he begged me for his life. An act that was clearly, purely terrible and selfish had resulted in the Little Sisters erecting a mental memorial to commemorate how amazing I was.
There's more to the sequence that just that, but I really do recommend that you pick up Bioshock 2 if you can. I think it tops its predecessor in nearly every way, and you owe it to yourself if you want a game with some heavy-hitting themes and consequences. I'm going to cut it short here because I feel like I'm rambling on, but Bioshock 2 is a game that I won't soon forget.
Apr 1, 2011
A Tale of Two Cities
A few of you, if you are gamers, may remember a title called 'Bioshock' that came out in 2007, though I didn't get around to it until 2009. It could have been the delay in my playing it that stopped me from enjoying it, or it could have been that all of the hype and awards it received made me think it to be something that it simply was not.
FROM THIS POINT ON, I WILL PROCEED TO SPOIL THE FUCK OUT OF BIOSHOCK ONE AND TWO, BY THE WAY.
Bioshock was lauded and hailed as one of the finest games to have ever been released, a masterpiece in story and gameplay with the most emergent playstyles of any FPS game to ever grace this earth, ever. It won Game of the Year and scored near-perfect on every site it was reviewed on. My first exposure to Bioshock was non-gameplay render of the thing. Maybe you remember: some guy tries to take a little girl, gets drilled in the tummy by a diving suit monster, and then throws bees at swimsuit man's face.
Needless to say, I was intrigued.
Now, I don't know why I took so long to get around to it, but I didn't like what I played. The controls were twitchy and inaccurate, as if the guns were an afterthought to the exploration. I could deal with that, to an extent, but the actual structure of the game is what turned me off. Every quest in that game is a fetch quest. "Would you kindly pick up this bee honey? Would you kindly construct a rocket? Would you kindly take some pictures?"
At the halfway point, it's revealed that you are a clone engineered to respond to "Would you kindly", which is a bomb-ass twist and it's extremely clever, forcing you to re-examine how you play the game. Unfortunately, the 'big bad' is killed in a cutscene, and then your friend basically says, "OOH I'M ACTUALLY THE BAD GUY MWAHAHAHA" and then you get a secret code to give yourself free will.
Now, this poses two problems. One, now that your 'friend' is the big bad, what's to hate? The game did an amazing job of making you really care about Atlas and his campaign against Andrew Ryan, so you find yourself very challenged to really start to hate him. Two, now that the "Would you kindly" trigger is taken away from your character, you have absolutely zero reason to keep playing. The entire story was driven by "Would you kindly" and the fact that you had literally no choice in the matter, but now you're expected to suddenly hate your BFF and continue without your trigger word? It was a poor choice in the story, and I had to slug through what I consider to be one of my top five worst gaming moments.
It's truly a shame, considering that the city and history of Rapture is so beautifully and artfully captured. Without nothing other than one single look, in the first five minutes of the game, you know that Rapture was a once-prosperous secret city that went to shit. The cardinal rule of writing is "Show, don't tell" and Bioshock is the only game that could have had me simply wander around and really want to experience it.
That brings us to Bioshock 2. Some people call it a hasty cash-in to make a quick buck on the Game of the Year, and they wouldn't be entirely wrong. Businesses exist to make money, whatever that takes, but I wouldn't call it hasty. It's clear that a lot of thought and love went into this project, but it was inevitable that the magic of first laying eyes upon the desecrated city of Rapture wouldn't be captured again. Instead, we're treated to something very different: playing as a Big Daddy, originally something that you sought to destroy in Bioshock 2's predecessor.
Subject Delta, you're called. A free-thinking prototype Big Daddy, capable of making your own decisions . As opposed to being a nameless man thrust into Rapture, you now play as someone who was a resident from the beginning. As you progress, you meet people who know exactly who you are, people who have different opinions on you. One of the more unique things of being a Big Daddy, aside from the suit and Rivet Gun, is being able to adopt Little Sisters and protect them.
In Bioshock 1, your exposure of Little Sisters was limited to the five seconds before you fought a Big Daddy and then purifying them (or ripping a slug from their insides and killing them). As Subject Delta, Little Sisters take to you for care and protection, giving the Save/Kill choice some real emotional meaning, rather than acting as an arbitrary Good/Evil karma choice. As you move and explore with Little Sisters, they react to things you do, and it really hits you to have a Little Sister demonstrate just how fucked up Rapture truly is.
I remember the exact moment that I realized how horrific the city is: I had electrocuted an enemy and then beat him to death with my drill. As his corpse lie twitching on the floor, my Little Sister exclaimed, "Look daddy! He's dancing, he's dancing!"
This young girl, who could not possibly be older than six, with no concept of life or death, of sadness or of right and wrong. To her, seeing people mauled, shot and burned to death was part of life, and then her duty was to extract the blood from corpses and give Big Daddies ADAM, a mutagen. People told you how wrong this was in the first Bioshock, but seeing it firsthand, taking part in this twisted ritual, gives you insight that you simply did not have before.
While Bioshock introduced us to the Utopian-turned-dystopian society, and gave us a history of what caused the wondrous city to fall, Bioshock 2 acts as a more personal epilogue; the story of one man, cast out and exiled by all of Rapture, trying to find his original Little Sister and doing whatever it takes to get her back.
Bioshock 2 is a far more emotional experience than its predecessor, undermined by the very fact that its setting is so beautiful in its destruction. Subject Delta's quest for Elenore is one of sacrifice and dehumanization of a thinking mind, but also one that is too often overlooked in favour of what's going on outside of Delta's mind, rather than what is happening to Delta.
A few of you, if you are gamers, may remember a title called 'Bioshock' that came out in 2007, though I didn't get around to it until 2009. It could have been the delay in my playing it that stopped me from enjoying it, or it could have been that all of the hype and awards it received made me think it to be something that it simply was not.
FROM THIS POINT ON, I WILL PROCEED TO SPOIL THE FUCK OUT OF BIOSHOCK ONE AND TWO, BY THE WAY.
Bioshock was lauded and hailed as one of the finest games to have ever been released, a masterpiece in story and gameplay with the most emergent playstyles of any FPS game to ever grace this earth, ever. It won Game of the Year and scored near-perfect on every site it was reviewed on. My first exposure to Bioshock was non-gameplay render of the thing. Maybe you remember: some guy tries to take a little girl, gets drilled in the tummy by a diving suit monster, and then throws bees at swimsuit man's face.
Needless to say, I was intrigued.
Now, I don't know why I took so long to get around to it, but I didn't like what I played. The controls were twitchy and inaccurate, as if the guns were an afterthought to the exploration. I could deal with that, to an extent, but the actual structure of the game is what turned me off. Every quest in that game is a fetch quest. "Would you kindly pick up this bee honey? Would you kindly construct a rocket? Would you kindly take some pictures?"
At the halfway point, it's revealed that you are a clone engineered to respond to "Would you kindly", which is a bomb-ass twist and it's extremely clever, forcing you to re-examine how you play the game. Unfortunately, the 'big bad' is killed in a cutscene, and then your friend basically says, "OOH I'M ACTUALLY THE BAD GUY MWAHAHAHA" and then you get a secret code to give yourself free will.
Now, this poses two problems. One, now that your 'friend' is the big bad, what's to hate? The game did an amazing job of making you really care about Atlas and his campaign against Andrew Ryan, so you find yourself very challenged to really start to hate him. Two, now that the "Would you kindly" trigger is taken away from your character, you have absolutely zero reason to keep playing. The entire story was driven by "Would you kindly" and the fact that you had literally no choice in the matter, but now you're expected to suddenly hate your BFF and continue without your trigger word? It was a poor choice in the story, and I had to slug through what I consider to be one of my top five worst gaming moments.
It's truly a shame, considering that the city and history of Rapture is so beautifully and artfully captured. Without nothing other than one single look, in the first five minutes of the game, you know that Rapture was a once-prosperous secret city that went to shit. The cardinal rule of writing is "Show, don't tell" and Bioshock is the only game that could have had me simply wander around and really want to experience it.
 |
| A Little Sister with her Big Daddy (Original Picture) |
Subject Delta, you're called. A free-thinking prototype Big Daddy, capable of making your own decisions . As opposed to being a nameless man thrust into Rapture, you now play as someone who was a resident from the beginning. As you progress, you meet people who know exactly who you are, people who have different opinions on you. One of the more unique things of being a Big Daddy, aside from the suit and Rivet Gun, is being able to adopt Little Sisters and protect them.
In Bioshock 1, your exposure of Little Sisters was limited to the five seconds before you fought a Big Daddy and then purifying them (or ripping a slug from their insides and killing them). As Subject Delta, Little Sisters take to you for care and protection, giving the Save/Kill choice some real emotional meaning, rather than acting as an arbitrary Good/Evil karma choice. As you move and explore with Little Sisters, they react to things you do, and it really hits you to have a Little Sister demonstrate just how fucked up Rapture truly is.
I remember the exact moment that I realized how horrific the city is: I had electrocuted an enemy and then beat him to death with my drill. As his corpse lie twitching on the floor, my Little Sister exclaimed, "Look daddy! He's dancing, he's dancing!"
This young girl, who could not possibly be older than six, with no concept of life or death, of sadness or of right and wrong. To her, seeing people mauled, shot and burned to death was part of life, and then her duty was to extract the blood from corpses and give Big Daddies ADAM, a mutagen. People told you how wrong this was in the first Bioshock, but seeing it firsthand, taking part in this twisted ritual, gives you insight that you simply did not have before.
While Bioshock introduced us to the Utopian-turned-dystopian society, and gave us a history of what caused the wondrous city to fall, Bioshock 2 acts as a more personal epilogue; the story of one man, cast out and exiled by all of Rapture, trying to find his original Little Sister and doing whatever it takes to get her back.
Bioshock 2 is a far more emotional experience than its predecessor, undermined by the very fact that its setting is so beautiful in its destruction. Subject Delta's quest for Elenore is one of sacrifice and dehumanization of a thinking mind, but also one that is too often overlooked in favour of what's going on outside of Delta's mind, rather than what is happening to Delta.
Mar 24, 2011
Excitement and Childhood
Whenever I write, I often find myself returning to my childhood and with good reason. It's not only something easy to grasp at and express, but it's the time in my life where the most joy can be found. Not only, as a child, is everyone free from the responsibilities of a job, or schoolwork, the stress of not knowing what you wanted to do with your life, or about making your significant other happy (and no, proposing to your childhood friend in kindergarten doesn't count as having to worry about a girlfriend). Life as a child is a blissful time, for most, and a lot of people would give a whole lot to be back into that mindset.
Let me digress to another childhood memory. I'm about seven years old and somehow NBA Street finds its way into my home. Who bought it? Maybe my brother, or my parents as a gift. I dunno, I don't really like basketball. When I started getting into this game, though, I was glued to it. I didn't know any teams or any individual players, but the game was so fluid and well-crafted that I didn't care. I blew through career mode and my brother and I played a bunch of the multiplayer. Hours and hours of my time was sunk into this game.
My uncle Doug, the one that got me into videogames in the first place, happened upon this game as we were playing it. This was when he was still pretty heavily into games, so he was better than my brother and I at them. After he was acquainted with the controls, he played me in a match and, of course, he easily bested me. As a kid, I was apt to cry at the slightest provocation, and this was enough to do it. I started bawling and denying that I was crying over losing the game, but There was no doubt that losing was the reason. It's kind of embarrassing now, but, as a child, this was the biggest worry I had. Losing to my uncle in a basketball game.
It takes a lot to pull an adult or a teenager into that mindset again, but Nintendo has always been able to tap into my inner child and make me want to buy everything they pump out. From consoles to entries in their tried-and-true series, I really want everything they have to offer. I stood in line for the Wii at 4 in the morning with my dad, I pre-ordered Twilight Princess nearly two years before it was out, and now the 3DS has grabbed on to my eyes and forced them to stare at its secret parts. Whenever anything about the 3DS comes on screen, whether it be on the television or on the computer, my head turns.
What's that? Augmented reality? Count me in. Glasses-free 3D? Yes please. Ocarina of Time remake? I have to change my pants. To link this back to what I've said earlier, the 3DS erases all of my worries when I hear about it. Something about the thing just taps into my childhood and I've no idea why. All of its features, all of its promised titles just make me want to dump $250 on this device.
Thank you, Nintendo, for bringing my childhood back.
Whenever I write, I often find myself returning to my childhood and with good reason. It's not only something easy to grasp at and express, but it's the time in my life where the most joy can be found. Not only, as a child, is everyone free from the responsibilities of a job, or schoolwork, the stress of not knowing what you wanted to do with your life, or about making your significant other happy (and no, proposing to your childhood friend in kindergarten doesn't count as having to worry about a girlfriend). Life as a child is a blissful time, for most, and a lot of people would give a whole lot to be back into that mindset.
Let me digress to another childhood memory. I'm about seven years old and somehow NBA Street finds its way into my home. Who bought it? Maybe my brother, or my parents as a gift. I dunno, I don't really like basketball. When I started getting into this game, though, I was glued to it. I didn't know any teams or any individual players, but the game was so fluid and well-crafted that I didn't care. I blew through career mode and my brother and I played a bunch of the multiplayer. Hours and hours of my time was sunk into this game.
My uncle Doug, the one that got me into videogames in the first place, happened upon this game as we were playing it. This was when he was still pretty heavily into games, so he was better than my brother and I at them. After he was acquainted with the controls, he played me in a match and, of course, he easily bested me. As a kid, I was apt to cry at the slightest provocation, and this was enough to do it. I started bawling and denying that I was crying over losing the game, but There was no doubt that losing was the reason. It's kind of embarrassing now, but, as a child, this was the biggest worry I had. Losing to my uncle in a basketball game.
It takes a lot to pull an adult or a teenager into that mindset again, but Nintendo has always been able to tap into my inner child and make me want to buy everything they pump out. From consoles to entries in their tried-and-true series, I really want everything they have to offer. I stood in line for the Wii at 4 in the morning with my dad, I pre-ordered Twilight Princess nearly two years before it was out, and now the 3DS has grabbed on to my eyes and forced them to stare at its secret parts. Whenever anything about the 3DS comes on screen, whether it be on the television or on the computer, my head turns.
What's that? Augmented reality? Count me in. Glasses-free 3D? Yes please. Ocarina of Time remake? I have to change my pants. To link this back to what I've said earlier, the 3DS erases all of my worries when I hear about it. Something about the thing just taps into my childhood and I've no idea why. All of its features, all of its promised titles just make me want to dump $250 on this device.
Thank you, Nintendo, for bringing my childhood back.
Mar 19, 2011
Gameplay Vs. Game Premise
Some gamers need solid gameplay to lead them to the end of a game, and that's no fault on them. From old games like Doom to newer ones like the Black Ops or Modern Warfare 2, we see proof that solid, reliable mechanics are all it takes to drive a game home. Yes, Call of Duty games have a story, but that isn't the focal point. It's eight to ten hours of explosions to get you ready for multiplayer, and there's nothing wrong with that. Other gamers, like myself, are far more driven by story and development. The Mass Effect series comes to mind, especially since the gameplay in the first Mass Effect game was lacking in some areas. Of the two, gameplay or premise, which is more important?
A few days ago my brother bought Alpha Protocol. It was used and pretty cheap, but he bought it because I've been talking about it for a while. If you've heard of Alpha Protocol, than you know its sad, sad story. A story more twisted and intriguing than a serial killer, with character interaction and development punctuated by short- and long-term consequences to your actions, all lost under the sea of broken mechanics and shitty gameplay. I'm here to tell you that every bit of this is true. In the five hours I've had my paws on Alpha Protocol, several missions have been spoiled by AI that is borderline retarded. For example, a guard was suspicious of a noise I made to distract him, but instead of going to investigate the noise, he walked towards me. He didn't see me at all, but he was clearly homing in on my exact position.
Frustration after frustration, Alpha Protocol is a game that I can't stop thinking about, no matter how many times I try to tell myself it's terrible. Back to Mass Effect, one of the big hooks is actions and consequences. You can talk to people and be good, bad, or neutral. How people think of you affects your endgame in the form of your close friends dying or humanity thinking you're a total dick. That's great and all, but that game assumes everyone hates an aggressive person and loves a kiss-ass. The characters in Alpha Protocol have different expectations. There's a female character who dresses quite provocatively, and reacts well to aggressiveness and suave attitudes, but not very well to being objectified and viewed as a sex symbol. Another character, Sean Darcy, is a cocky prick who thinks he's the funniest guy alive. You can get on his good side by joking back to him and giving him underhanded compliments, but he's bothered by kiss-assery. These dynamic and unique characters give the game a truly unique feel, and takes away the written-in-stone lines between good and bad.
The game did not sell very well, despite its hugely engrossing world and interaction system, and it didn't sell because the action mechanics are, honestly, pretty terrible. As a result, the realistic consequence system and ditching of the almighty Karma meter are going to be buried and forgotten. The premise and scope of the game are pretty awesome, but it fell short of glory because of its broken gameplay. It feels janky and unpolished, and it's a shame because a few more months would have done the game well. I believe that mechanics are more important than the premise of a game but, with that said, I will always opt for a game with a good premise and promising features. People who make games should always try to push the envelope (within a reasonable amount, of course) and deliver unique, fulfilling gameplay experiences, and Alpha Protocol is oh so fulfilling.
When it works, that is.
Some gamers need solid gameplay to lead them to the end of a game, and that's no fault on them. From old games like Doom to newer ones like the Black Ops or Modern Warfare 2, we see proof that solid, reliable mechanics are all it takes to drive a game home. Yes, Call of Duty games have a story, but that isn't the focal point. It's eight to ten hours of explosions to get you ready for multiplayer, and there's nothing wrong with that. Other gamers, like myself, are far more driven by story and development. The Mass Effect series comes to mind, especially since the gameplay in the first Mass Effect game was lacking in some areas. Of the two, gameplay or premise, which is more important?
A few days ago my brother bought Alpha Protocol. It was used and pretty cheap, but he bought it because I've been talking about it for a while. If you've heard of Alpha Protocol, than you know its sad, sad story. A story more twisted and intriguing than a serial killer, with character interaction and development punctuated by short- and long-term consequences to your actions, all lost under the sea of broken mechanics and shitty gameplay. I'm here to tell you that every bit of this is true. In the five hours I've had my paws on Alpha Protocol, several missions have been spoiled by AI that is borderline retarded. For example, a guard was suspicious of a noise I made to distract him, but instead of going to investigate the noise, he walked towards me. He didn't see me at all, but he was clearly homing in on my exact position.
Frustration after frustration, Alpha Protocol is a game that I can't stop thinking about, no matter how many times I try to tell myself it's terrible. Back to Mass Effect, one of the big hooks is actions and consequences. You can talk to people and be good, bad, or neutral. How people think of you affects your endgame in the form of your close friends dying or humanity thinking you're a total dick. That's great and all, but that game assumes everyone hates an aggressive person and loves a kiss-ass. The characters in Alpha Protocol have different expectations. There's a female character who dresses quite provocatively, and reacts well to aggressiveness and suave attitudes, but not very well to being objectified and viewed as a sex symbol. Another character, Sean Darcy, is a cocky prick who thinks he's the funniest guy alive. You can get on his good side by joking back to him and giving him underhanded compliments, but he's bothered by kiss-assery. These dynamic and unique characters give the game a truly unique feel, and takes away the written-in-stone lines between good and bad.
The game did not sell very well, despite its hugely engrossing world and interaction system, and it didn't sell because the action mechanics are, honestly, pretty terrible. As a result, the realistic consequence system and ditching of the almighty Karma meter are going to be buried and forgotten. The premise and scope of the game are pretty awesome, but it fell short of glory because of its broken gameplay. It feels janky and unpolished, and it's a shame because a few more months would have done the game well. I believe that mechanics are more important than the premise of a game but, with that said, I will always opt for a game with a good premise and promising features. People who make games should always try to push the envelope (within a reasonable amount, of course) and deliver unique, fulfilling gameplay experiences, and Alpha Protocol is oh so fulfilling.
When it works, that is.
Mar 11, 2011
Purchasing and Purchasing a Right to Use
You go out to a store, and you buy something you want. Let's say it's a book. You buy this book, holy shit, you've been looking forward to this book for a year and a half now. It's the second book in the series, and after reading the first, you're hooked. So you take this book home, but as it turns out, you have some plans, and they're important to you. While you're out, you say, "Man, that author sure picked a crappy publisher to team up with." When you come home, your book is gone, with a note left by the publishers.
Have you just been robbed?
When you purchase something, you own it, correct? Well, a Bioware forum use, "v_ware", had this happen to him. He bought an online copy of Dragon Age II and posted a question: he asked if Bioware had "sold their souls to the EA devil?" Bioware and EA responded by hitting him with a 72-hour ban. Not just any ban, however, they got him with a community ban. This means that anything to do with EA, for 72 hours, he was totally stopped from using. When he went to install Dragon Age II, he wasn't allowed to.
Has he just been robbed?
Yes, in short. This person paid about $60 for a game, meaning he owns it (or at least a 'license to play', some smart-asses will say), but either way he has a right to play and own his copy. His activation code was in his possession before he was banned, so he should have had access to it. Regardless of whether or not he broke forum rules, that should not cross over into his purchase history. He bought rights to play the game, and taking those rights away (and essentially stealing $60 from him), regardless of what amount of time, is illegal.
This all rolls back around to piracy. Time and time again, we're pegged by absolutely ludicrous DRM to prevent pirates from taking games, but legitimate customers are treated like shit. Sure, he didn't pirate the game, but what's stopping him now? He paid money, and in return he was restricted access to his purchase. People who didn't pay money for this game get to it without developers interfering, not to mention they get all of the DLC and extra content for free, too, without any hassle.
Look, publishers, if you want people to stop pirating, just be nice to us. Don't ban us from our rights, don't take our money and don't bludgeon us into unconsciousness with your unreasonable DRM and policies.
You go out to a store, and you buy something you want. Let's say it's a book. You buy this book, holy shit, you've been looking forward to this book for a year and a half now. It's the second book in the series, and after reading the first, you're hooked. So you take this book home, but as it turns out, you have some plans, and they're important to you. While you're out, you say, "Man, that author sure picked a crappy publisher to team up with." When you come home, your book is gone, with a note left by the publishers.
Have you just been robbed?
When you purchase something, you own it, correct? Well, a Bioware forum use, "v_ware", had this happen to him. He bought an online copy of Dragon Age II and posted a question: he asked if Bioware had "sold their souls to the EA devil?" Bioware and EA responded by hitting him with a 72-hour ban. Not just any ban, however, they got him with a community ban. This means that anything to do with EA, for 72 hours, he was totally stopped from using. When he went to install Dragon Age II, he wasn't allowed to.
Has he just been robbed?
Yes, in short. This person paid about $60 for a game, meaning he owns it (or at least a 'license to play', some smart-asses will say), but either way he has a right to play and own his copy. His activation code was in his possession before he was banned, so he should have had access to it. Regardless of whether or not he broke forum rules, that should not cross over into his purchase history. He bought rights to play the game, and taking those rights away (and essentially stealing $60 from him), regardless of what amount of time, is illegal.
This all rolls back around to piracy. Time and time again, we're pegged by absolutely ludicrous DRM to prevent pirates from taking games, but legitimate customers are treated like shit. Sure, he didn't pirate the game, but what's stopping him now? He paid money, and in return he was restricted access to his purchase. People who didn't pay money for this game get to it without developers interfering, not to mention they get all of the DLC and extra content for free, too, without any hassle.
Look, publishers, if you want people to stop pirating, just be nice to us. Don't ban us from our rights, don't take our money and don't bludgeon us into unconsciousness with your unreasonable DRM and policies.
Mar 8, 2011
Today's Entry in Things I love, Pt. 2
Alright, let's get right into it.
3) Being inspired. Well, not being inspired, but specifically the moment when you get inspired. No matter what you're doing, that feeling that you need to get off of your ass and go do whatever it is you're inspired to do. I write a lot, and when I get shocked into alertness by an idea that's screaming and punching the confines of my skull, I get up and get writing. Like Chuck Palahniuk says, "Shit or get off the pot."
Nothing is quite so fulfilling, don't you agree? In a life where we spend all of our time begrudingly doing homework, waking up earlier than we want and going to bed later than we care to, having a moment where nothing else really matters and there's only one thing you want to do is, truly, a gift.
4) Cooling down. It's winter right now in the Great White North, and it kind of sucks. Before I go out, I have to put on a huge coat and gloves and stand around while other people get ready. In most cases, it's super hot in the house and I get a vaguely naseous feeling in my tummy that waxes and wanes. My feet get uncomfortably sweaty in my shoes and my face alternates between shivers and burning hot, and then, finally, we can step outside. Instead of getting a nice, cool breeze and feeling relief from the sick feelings and overly-hot coats, a massive and ice-cold breeze punches me in the face but stays out of my coat. I stay hot underneath my coat, but my face and hands and legs get stiff and frozen-cold. When you get back inside, your joints seem to be stuck together and the process of heating up in painful.
When you're hot and sweaty, though, a cold shower is the most relieving thing you could ever imagine. All of the thick, sticky, sweat that's making your clothes stick like you to glue gets washed off. The grime and dirt and generally unclean feeling gets swirled down the drain and everyone likes you better for being clean. Cooling down with a nice, cold shower on a hot summer day? Unbeatable.
Alright, let's get right into it.
3) Being inspired. Well, not being inspired, but specifically the moment when you get inspired. No matter what you're doing, that feeling that you need to get off of your ass and go do whatever it is you're inspired to do. I write a lot, and when I get shocked into alertness by an idea that's screaming and punching the confines of my skull, I get up and get writing. Like Chuck Palahniuk says, "Shit or get off the pot."
Nothing is quite so fulfilling, don't you agree? In a life where we spend all of our time begrudingly doing homework, waking up earlier than we want and going to bed later than we care to, having a moment where nothing else really matters and there's only one thing you want to do is, truly, a gift.
4) Cooling down. It's winter right now in the Great White North, and it kind of sucks. Before I go out, I have to put on a huge coat and gloves and stand around while other people get ready. In most cases, it's super hot in the house and I get a vaguely naseous feeling in my tummy that waxes and wanes. My feet get uncomfortably sweaty in my shoes and my face alternates between shivers and burning hot, and then, finally, we can step outside. Instead of getting a nice, cool breeze and feeling relief from the sick feelings and overly-hot coats, a massive and ice-cold breeze punches me in the face but stays out of my coat. I stay hot underneath my coat, but my face and hands and legs get stiff and frozen-cold. When you get back inside, your joints seem to be stuck together and the process of heating up in painful.
When you're hot and sweaty, though, a cold shower is the most relieving thing you could ever imagine. All of the thick, sticky, sweat that's making your clothes stick like you to glue gets washed off. The grime and dirt and generally unclean feeling gets swirled down the drain and everyone likes you better for being clean. Cooling down with a nice, cold shower on a hot summer day? Unbeatable.
Mar 3, 2011
Today's Entry in the Things I love
When there are no more topics floating around in my brain, I get really angry and turn into a prissy bitch. I neglect this blog and I decide that you all suck and that I have no followers or reason to keep updating this. While most of those are probably true, I'll keep updating for my own sake, because I suck at getting things done and this is a good way for me to keep on something. That's what she said.
The reason that I'm here right now is because we have a supply in The Maths and fuck that. So I'm gonna write about a few things I love and hopefully you love them too.
1) Sneezes. My friend just sneezed like three times (he says it's five but I was counting), and it reminded me that I really have to sneeze too, but I can't. On my way to class, I could feel it festering in my nasal cavities, scraping at the sides of my nose and making me anxious to get it over with. Usually at that point, I turn into the sun to get it out, but there were people behind me and I have a reputation to uphold. Nevertheless, the thought of sneezing gets me all excited. The build-up to the release is like nose-sex, a cleansing burst of matter that makes everything else, even if just for a moment, secondary to your pleasure.
Oh yeah. . . Sneezing is awesome.
2) Sleeping in. This is something that's escaped me since the start of this semester. Physics makes every morning an early one, and play practice and performance makes every night a late one. Finally, things are calming down a little bit, but it's been months since I've gotten a few nights in a row of good sleep. Wrapping yourself up in a blanket and burying your face into a pillow is a feeling of comfort that nothing else really compares to, and the way you sink into a certain shape after having a mattress for a long time is like meeting an old friend every night, an old friend that you use solely to sleep with. I can't think of enough vaguely sexual descriptions to get across how much I (and hopefully you!) love sleeping. Just know that nothing will ever be as amazing as a good night's sleep.
When there are no more topics floating around in my brain, I get really angry and turn into a prissy bitch. I neglect this blog and I decide that you all suck and that I have no followers or reason to keep updating this. While most of those are probably true, I'll keep updating for my own sake, because I suck at getting things done and this is a good way for me to keep on something. That's what she said.
The reason that I'm here right now is because we have a supply in The Maths and fuck that. So I'm gonna write about a few things I love and hopefully you love them too.
1) Sneezes. My friend just sneezed like three times (he says it's five but I was counting), and it reminded me that I really have to sneeze too, but I can't. On my way to class, I could feel it festering in my nasal cavities, scraping at the sides of my nose and making me anxious to get it over with. Usually at that point, I turn into the sun to get it out, but there were people behind me and I have a reputation to uphold. Nevertheless, the thought of sneezing gets me all excited. The build-up to the release is like nose-sex, a cleansing burst of matter that makes everything else, even if just for a moment, secondary to your pleasure.
Oh yeah. . . Sneezing is awesome.
2) Sleeping in. This is something that's escaped me since the start of this semester. Physics makes every morning an early one, and play practice and performance makes every night a late one. Finally, things are calming down a little bit, but it's been months since I've gotten a few nights in a row of good sleep. Wrapping yourself up in a blanket and burying your face into a pillow is a feeling of comfort that nothing else really compares to, and the way you sink into a certain shape after having a mattress for a long time is like meeting an old friend every night, an old friend that you use solely to sleep with. I can't think of enough vaguely sexual descriptions to get across how much I (and hopefully you!) love sleeping. Just know that nothing will ever be as amazing as a good night's sleep.
Feb 25, 2011
Blocked Websites and the Problem with Restrictions
If you're a teenager and you go to high school, elementary school or middle school, or any other kind of school that you're not directly paying for, you probably know that websites have blocks. In my country, it's Bess Block. It sounds like Best Block, but it's not and it's probably the worst restriction ever. All of the blocks have to be manually submitted and reviewed before they're blocked or approved to be unblocked. It's not like the program filters out certain search results or blocks contents based on parameters that have been set. For the longest time, What Would Tyler Durden Do, a very raunchy and NSFW celebrity gossip website, was unblocked until a student was caught on it. Similarly, a popular site in my school is just a hastily-slapped-together web page that walks like a research database, but is actually a ton of flash games if you take the time to scroll down.
My question to things like Bess Block is, what's the point? The idea of it is good. Guide students away from games and motivate them to get thewir work done efficiently and on time. The inherent problem with trying to block anything or restrict students, especially teenagers, is that they'll feel driven to try and get around this block. We, the teenagers, absolutely hate being told no. If you tell us not to drink or smoke or have sex, we'll try our hardest to do all of those things. If you tell us not to play games on the internet, we will. There are a hundred ways to get around the website blocks, and more are popping up all of the time.
Usually, getting work done is a priority for me. When I'm trying to find pictures for a project or research someone famous, like a philosopher or a war hero, some teacher somewhere has decided that this website is unsafe. Well, this leads me to get angry and then to play games on a site that I know isn't blocked. They wanna see an animal, then I'll shit on the floor!
This is a terrible way to go about it. If you look elsewhere, like the world of gaming, you can see the same thing happening with PC games. Developers and publishers are so worried about people stealing their product that they slap on super-strict DRM which ends up messing up gameplay for the people who bought it legitimately. Instead of trying to find a way to encourage people to buy games instead of pirate, or to do their work instead of play games, they try to grab us by the collar and sit us down and force us to do things their way.
It doesn't work. Either have a full, functional and sophisticated blocking system (or DRM) or don't have it at all. We don't like being pushed around, and the stupid attempts being made by schools and developers to stop it isn't helping at all.
EDIT: Tyler Durden is still up. Someone unblocked it. Oh Bess Block, you suck.
If you're a teenager and you go to high school, elementary school or middle school, or any other kind of school that you're not directly paying for, you probably know that websites have blocks. In my country, it's Bess Block. It sounds like Best Block, but it's not and it's probably the worst restriction ever. All of the blocks have to be manually submitted and reviewed before they're blocked or approved to be unblocked. It's not like the program filters out certain search results or blocks contents based on parameters that have been set. For the longest time, What Would Tyler Durden Do, a very raunchy and NSFW celebrity gossip website, was unblocked until a student was caught on it. Similarly, a popular site in my school is just a hastily-slapped-together web page that walks like a research database, but is actually a ton of flash games if you take the time to scroll down.
My question to things like Bess Block is, what's the point? The idea of it is good. Guide students away from games and motivate them to get thewir work done efficiently and on time. The inherent problem with trying to block anything or restrict students, especially teenagers, is that they'll feel driven to try and get around this block. We, the teenagers, absolutely hate being told no. If you tell us not to drink or smoke or have sex, we'll try our hardest to do all of those things. If you tell us not to play games on the internet, we will. There are a hundred ways to get around the website blocks, and more are popping up all of the time.
Usually, getting work done is a priority for me. When I'm trying to find pictures for a project or research someone famous, like a philosopher or a war hero, some teacher somewhere has decided that this website is unsafe. Well, this leads me to get angry and then to play games on a site that I know isn't blocked. They wanna see an animal, then I'll shit on the floor!
This is a terrible way to go about it. If you look elsewhere, like the world of gaming, you can see the same thing happening with PC games. Developers and publishers are so worried about people stealing their product that they slap on super-strict DRM which ends up messing up gameplay for the people who bought it legitimately. Instead of trying to find a way to encourage people to buy games instead of pirate, or to do their work instead of play games, they try to grab us by the collar and sit us down and force us to do things their way.
It doesn't work. Either have a full, functional and sophisticated blocking system (or DRM) or don't have it at all. We don't like being pushed around, and the stupid attempts being made by schools and developers to stop it isn't helping at all.
EDIT: Tyler Durden is still up. Someone unblocked it. Oh Bess Block, you suck.
Feb 24, 2011
Alien Banners and the Killing of Spare Time
All of my loyal, fanatic readers may have noticed something is a bit off. Did I get a new, worse air freshener? Did I change the carpet? Or is this new, shiny blog simply losing its beautiful, illustrious shine? Well, if you really were loyal and fanatic, you'd notice that THERE'S A NEW HEADER! Huge thanks goes out to my buddy Ryan for making this awesome, awesome banner. He also has a blog and I'd fucking love to link to it, but the internet doesn't want the page to load, so I'll edit that in when it comes back up. It's called The Mixed Drink Rant, so google that shit and take a peek.
Second things second. When it comes to spare time, I have absolutely none at the moment. I'm cutting into my fantastic dinner to write this, and God has seen fit to bestow upon me the wonderful gift of being able to hammer out blog posts really quickly. (Not actually religious, btw)
Between all of this stupid, time-consuming school and this exhausting, exhausting play, I don't have much free time at all. So if, for the next few days, you come here and there are no new posts, fret not. I live still, but I just can't get anything done.
Once again, big thanks to my buddy for the banner. And the blog link is coming soon!
EDIT: Here's the link, if you decided Googling was too hard. Enjoy!
All of my loyal, fanatic readers may have noticed something is a bit off. Did I get a new, worse air freshener? Did I change the carpet? Or is this new, shiny blog simply losing its beautiful, illustrious shine? Well, if you really were loyal and fanatic, you'd notice that THERE'S A NEW HEADER! Huge thanks goes out to my buddy Ryan for making this awesome, awesome banner. He also has a blog and I'd fucking love to link to it, but the internet doesn't want the page to load, so I'll edit that in when it comes back up. It's called The Mixed Drink Rant, so google that shit and take a peek.
Second things second. When it comes to spare time, I have absolutely none at the moment. I'm cutting into my fantastic dinner to write this, and God has seen fit to bestow upon me the wonderful gift of being able to hammer out blog posts really quickly. (Not actually religious, btw)
Between all of this stupid, time-consuming school and this exhausting, exhausting play, I don't have much free time at all. So if, for the next few days, you come here and there are no new posts, fret not. I live still, but I just can't get anything done.
Once again, big thanks to my buddy for the banner. And the blog link is coming soon!
EDIT: Here's the link, if you decided Googling was too hard. Enjoy!
Feb 23, 2011
Death and Things That are Important
Have you done anything recently? And I mean really done something. Not just go to school for a week straight, or finish all of your homework, because that's stuff you have to do. What about stuff you don't need to do? Anything like volunteering, extra-cirricular activities, spending time with your parents or friends. Something more than what you are required to do.
For the past few months, I've been all wrapped up in a play called 'Death', by Woody Allen. Drama has always been something I've enjoyed taking part in, so it seemed like an easy decision to sign up. Everything started out well. We did a read-through, everyone had their parts and we were working on memorizing our lines. Due to complications, one of our cast members had to leave and parts (including mine) were shuffled around. A bunch of the male talent started out from nothing. And then people stopped showing up, only coming once every few weeks. We had five snow days, then, and missed out on a bunch of practices. We didn't have our set. Costumes weren't done. We were weeks and weeks behind.
While trying my hardest to keep positive and keep attending the rehearsals, my friends and I couldn't help but feel that we were doomed. This was to be performed in a month, and we had nothing done, and then performed again for the Sears Drama Festival, where we'd be judged and rated. How embarrassing would it be to be the worst of three or four participating schools? Joining this play was something I was beginning to regret. Come the night of the first performance for parents and loved ones, we hadn't had a single perfect rehearsal of the play.
And we nailed it.
I've done two performances of the play since then, and each time it gets better than the last. Through all of the stress, bad rehearsals, missing cast and re-purposed props, the spirit of our crew and team shine through and we get better. Joining this play is one of the best things I've done in my high school career, even if it is an extra workload. At the end of each performance, when I look at my team, all of their faces are lit up with a smile. We can't help it.
So, what are you waiting for? Get into something. As cliche as it sounds, you'll have the time of your life.
Have you done anything recently? And I mean really done something. Not just go to school for a week straight, or finish all of your homework, because that's stuff you have to do. What about stuff you don't need to do? Anything like volunteering, extra-cirricular activities, spending time with your parents or friends. Something more than what you are required to do.
For the past few months, I've been all wrapped up in a play called 'Death', by Woody Allen. Drama has always been something I've enjoyed taking part in, so it seemed like an easy decision to sign up. Everything started out well. We did a read-through, everyone had their parts and we were working on memorizing our lines. Due to complications, one of our cast members had to leave and parts (including mine) were shuffled around. A bunch of the male talent started out from nothing. And then people stopped showing up, only coming once every few weeks. We had five snow days, then, and missed out on a bunch of practices. We didn't have our set. Costumes weren't done. We were weeks and weeks behind.
While trying my hardest to keep positive and keep attending the rehearsals, my friends and I couldn't help but feel that we were doomed. This was to be performed in a month, and we had nothing done, and then performed again for the Sears Drama Festival, where we'd be judged and rated. How embarrassing would it be to be the worst of three or four participating schools? Joining this play was something I was beginning to regret. Come the night of the first performance for parents and loved ones, we hadn't had a single perfect rehearsal of the play.
And we nailed it.
I've done two performances of the play since then, and each time it gets better than the last. Through all of the stress, bad rehearsals, missing cast and re-purposed props, the spirit of our crew and team shine through and we get better. Joining this play is one of the best things I've done in my high school career, even if it is an extra workload. At the end of each performance, when I look at my team, all of their faces are lit up with a smile. We can't help it.
So, what are you waiting for? Get into something. As cliche as it sounds, you'll have the time of your life.
Feb 21, 2011
Podcasts and Silly Names Therein
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm under the impression that podcasts are just the best. Long, in-depth discussions and videos that allow people to see and hear why and how things work are, simply put, absolutely fascinating to me. I used to be really antsy when it came to the internet (I blame that on gamer-ADD), but now there's nothing I love more than sitting down for an hour or so and sinking my teeth into a meaty podcast. To me, they're just the bomb.
Hey, speaking of 'the bomb', I've been sitting down and sinking my teeth into a lot of Giant Bomb's awesome, awesome bombcasts (it's a silly name for podcast!), mailbags, quick looks and such. Maybe you know Giant Bomb, maybe you don't, but there's no doubt that it's infinitely better than the creator's original venture. Ryan Davis, formerly of IGN, was fired for some reason that isn't officially stated but the generally accepted reason is that he gave a bad review to Kane and Shit- er, Kane and Lynch, and IGN didn't like that.
Something I've really grown to love about Giant Bomb, and something that's kept me coming back, time and time again, is the sense of comradrie between all of the guys who work there. It's normal for guys to get together and laugh during a podcast, but almost all of the features on the site show these guys getting along spectacularly whilst also doing their jobs. Whether it's the staff opening a massive box of twinkies, or two of the staff sitting down and playing a game (not dissimilar to an LP), the videos are always rife with laughter and fun and everyone is having a great time.
Does that not seem like a dream job to you, if you game? Sitting in a gamer cave-a basement complete with a shit-ton of big tvs, a green screen, high-end computers and a bunch of posters and merchandise- with all of your friends, making videos of yourselves opening fan mail or getting drunk at the bar that you also have?
Oh yeah, they have a bar.
This post is dedicated to everyone who wants to do that for a living. If I could work with my friends playing videogames and going to a bunch of gaming conventions throughout the year, well gee, I couldn't be happier.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm under the impression that podcasts are just the best. Long, in-depth discussions and videos that allow people to see and hear why and how things work are, simply put, absolutely fascinating to me. I used to be really antsy when it came to the internet (I blame that on gamer-ADD), but now there's nothing I love more than sitting down for an hour or so and sinking my teeth into a meaty podcast. To me, they're just the bomb.
Hey, speaking of 'the bomb', I've been sitting down and sinking my teeth into a lot of Giant Bomb's awesome, awesome bombcasts (it's a silly name for podcast!), mailbags, quick looks and such. Maybe you know Giant Bomb, maybe you don't, but there's no doubt that it's infinitely better than the creator's original venture. Ryan Davis, formerly of IGN, was fired for some reason that isn't officially stated but the generally accepted reason is that he gave a bad review to Kane and Shit- er, Kane and Lynch, and IGN didn't like that.
Something I've really grown to love about Giant Bomb, and something that's kept me coming back, time and time again, is the sense of comradrie between all of the guys who work there. It's normal for guys to get together and laugh during a podcast, but almost all of the features on the site show these guys getting along spectacularly whilst also doing their jobs. Whether it's the staff opening a massive box of twinkies, or two of the staff sitting down and playing a game (not dissimilar to an LP), the videos are always rife with laughter and fun and everyone is having a great time.
Does that not seem like a dream job to you, if you game? Sitting in a gamer cave-a basement complete with a shit-ton of big tvs, a green screen, high-end computers and a bunch of posters and merchandise- with all of your friends, making videos of yourselves opening fan mail or getting drunk at the bar that you also have?
Oh yeah, they have a bar.
This post is dedicated to everyone who wants to do that for a living. If I could work with my friends playing videogames and going to a bunch of gaming conventions throughout the year, well gee, I couldn't be happier.
Feb 18, 2011
127 Hours Passed in 127 Seconds
127 Hours is another brilliant movie that passed me by because it wasn't in theaters until after it had been nominated. I had heard about it before it was released, and I was, to say the least, extremely excited to see it. Being trapped somewhere, hopeless and desperate is something that is something of a nightmare to me. A truly great movie has two things: character development and mental connection. Good movies might have just one, like Die Hard (who doesn't want to be a terrorist kicker-asser?), but to be great you have to have both. That's something that 127 Hours accomplishes, seemingly, without effort.
From the get-go, the movie faces a massive challenge, and that challenge is holding your interest. The ending is well-known (though if you don't know it, I won't say it here), and that's something I kept in mind going in. The middle is often the most difficult part of a story to tell, but 127 Hours is all middle. It wastes no time setting up the situation, but the opening is extremely different than you might expect, which is a great move by the director to grab your attention. He then meets two girls in his travels, and his interaction with these two ladies sets up his personality and shows you how he is in the moment. Fun-loving, laid-back, easygoing and easy to get along with, but earlier scenarios set up that he is afraid of commitment and closed-off. In fifteen minutes, we have a solid ground for the middle.
And then it gets to the meat. He falls into a hole, his arm is trapped in a rock. At first, the movie concentrates on the hopelessness and isolation. As he screams for help, the camera zooms out to show the landscape: a barren, desolate valley, with not a single soul around. The rest of the movie centers on his emotional revelations, and his realization of why he is the way he is.
I am not an easy man to make cry, but every single twist of fate, every single turn of the tables, every little event and glimmer or hope and condemnation had an effect on me. There isn't an event in this movie that is wasted. If not for my girlfriend being beside me, there would have been two separate occasions where I would have cried: once out of pure happiness for the guy, and once out of sadness, during his revelations. In no small part, this is thanks to James Franco's absolutely stunning performance. He swings from happy-go-lucky cool guy to brink-of-insanity and then comes around for a side of soul-searching. He cycles through so many realistic emotions that it's hard not to become mentally invested in him.
In closing, all I have to say is that more happens in 127 Hours, a movie all about someone trapped in a crack in the earth, than in any movie I can think of. The emotional journey that James Franco takes us through is, all at once, touching and revolting. Sometimes, 127 Hours is painful to watch, but I admire a movie that isn't afraid to make you cringe. This is a movie that, amidst the bland action movies, is like a splash of cold water to the face. It jerks you out of a trance, grabs you by the collar and pulls you through a riveting and beautiful tale of human perseverance. You will walk out of 127 Hours with a new appreciation for your life and those around you.
127 Hours is another brilliant movie that passed me by because it wasn't in theaters until after it had been nominated. I had heard about it before it was released, and I was, to say the least, extremely excited to see it. Being trapped somewhere, hopeless and desperate is something that is something of a nightmare to me. A truly great movie has two things: character development and mental connection. Good movies might have just one, like Die Hard (who doesn't want to be a terrorist kicker-asser?), but to be great you have to have both. That's something that 127 Hours accomplishes, seemingly, without effort.
From the get-go, the movie faces a massive challenge, and that challenge is holding your interest. The ending is well-known (though if you don't know it, I won't say it here), and that's something I kept in mind going in. The middle is often the most difficult part of a story to tell, but 127 Hours is all middle. It wastes no time setting up the situation, but the opening is extremely different than you might expect, which is a great move by the director to grab your attention. He then meets two girls in his travels, and his interaction with these two ladies sets up his personality and shows you how he is in the moment. Fun-loving, laid-back, easygoing and easy to get along with, but earlier scenarios set up that he is afraid of commitment and closed-off. In fifteen minutes, we have a solid ground for the middle.
And then it gets to the meat. He falls into a hole, his arm is trapped in a rock. At first, the movie concentrates on the hopelessness and isolation. As he screams for help, the camera zooms out to show the landscape: a barren, desolate valley, with not a single soul around. The rest of the movie centers on his emotional revelations, and his realization of why he is the way he is.
I am not an easy man to make cry, but every single twist of fate, every single turn of the tables, every little event and glimmer or hope and condemnation had an effect on me. There isn't an event in this movie that is wasted. If not for my girlfriend being beside me, there would have been two separate occasions where I would have cried: once out of pure happiness for the guy, and once out of sadness, during his revelations. In no small part, this is thanks to James Franco's absolutely stunning performance. He swings from happy-go-lucky cool guy to brink-of-insanity and then comes around for a side of soul-searching. He cycles through so many realistic emotions that it's hard not to become mentally invested in him.
In closing, all I have to say is that more happens in 127 Hours, a movie all about someone trapped in a crack in the earth, than in any movie I can think of. The emotional journey that James Franco takes us through is, all at once, touching and revolting. Sometimes, 127 Hours is painful to watch, but I admire a movie that isn't afraid to make you cringe. This is a movie that, amidst the bland action movies, is like a splash of cold water to the face. It jerks you out of a trance, grabs you by the collar and pulls you through a riveting and beautiful tale of human perseverance. You will walk out of 127 Hours with a new appreciation for your life and those around you.
Feb 16, 2011
Brilliance in Movie Form
I remember, a year ago, seeing trailers for The Social Network run before other movies played. The movie theater was awash in a giant, collective sigh. Really, a movie based on Facebook? There could really be no worse idea. Yeah, so what, it's a social networking site, big deal. I proceeded to not think about the movie right up until it was nominated for 6 Golden Globes and 8 Academy awards. I was blown away at how this movie had gotten such glowing reviews, and I resolved to see it for myself.
Upon watching it, I was completely blown away. While I had written this movie off as a crappy Facebook movie, Now I can clearly see that it's not so much about Facebook as it is about the creators of Facebook. What The Social Network does, and what so many movies year after year fail to do, is create rich, human characters that you feel for. Mark Zuckerberg's character, played by Jesse Eisenberg, is generally portrayed as a smart-ass prick without emotions, and Eduardo Saverin (played by the amazingly talented Andrew Garfield), but Zuckerberg's humanity shows through during the court cases, where his silence portrays the pain that he feels for betraying his friend.
On the topic of Andrew Garfield, his performance as Eduardo Saverin is nothing short of absolutely sensational. In a movie full of hackers and asshole entrepreneurs, Garfield is the only character who is truly and completely human. He starts out as a hopeful and helpful best friend to Zuckerberg, and the movie ups the tension when Sean Parker (portrayed by Justin Timberlake) is introduced, and the differences between Sean and Eduardo ultimately lead Eduardo to sue Zuckerberg.
The way the movie is directed and edited is nothing short of fantastic. The movie could easily have been a complete bore to watch and waste of two and a half hours, but thanks to David Fincher's unique and almost eclectic directing style as well as music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the movie manages to make a rowboat race and a dinner conversation edge-of-your-seat thrill-rides.
Of all of the movies I've seen, especially in the past few years, The Social Network ranks in the the top 3. If you're only going to see one movie for the rest of the year, I'd recommend this be the one. And certainly don't let yourself miss this amazing movie.
I remember, a year ago, seeing trailers for The Social Network run before other movies played. The movie theater was awash in a giant, collective sigh. Really, a movie based on Facebook? There could really be no worse idea. Yeah, so what, it's a social networking site, big deal. I proceeded to not think about the movie right up until it was nominated for 6 Golden Globes and 8 Academy awards. I was blown away at how this movie had gotten such glowing reviews, and I resolved to see it for myself.
Upon watching it, I was completely blown away. While I had written this movie off as a crappy Facebook movie, Now I can clearly see that it's not so much about Facebook as it is about the creators of Facebook. What The Social Network does, and what so many movies year after year fail to do, is create rich, human characters that you feel for. Mark Zuckerberg's character, played by Jesse Eisenberg, is generally portrayed as a smart-ass prick without emotions, and Eduardo Saverin (played by the amazingly talented Andrew Garfield), but Zuckerberg's humanity shows through during the court cases, where his silence portrays the pain that he feels for betraying his friend.
On the topic of Andrew Garfield, his performance as Eduardo Saverin is nothing short of absolutely sensational. In a movie full of hackers and asshole entrepreneurs, Garfield is the only character who is truly and completely human. He starts out as a hopeful and helpful best friend to Zuckerberg, and the movie ups the tension when Sean Parker (portrayed by Justin Timberlake) is introduced, and the differences between Sean and Eduardo ultimately lead Eduardo to sue Zuckerberg.
The way the movie is directed and edited is nothing short of fantastic. The movie could easily have been a complete bore to watch and waste of two and a half hours, but thanks to David Fincher's unique and almost eclectic directing style as well as music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the movie manages to make a rowboat race and a dinner conversation edge-of-your-seat thrill-rides.
Of all of the movies I've seen, especially in the past few years, The Social Network ranks in the the top 3. If you're only going to see one movie for the rest of the year, I'd recommend this be the one. And certainly don't let yourself miss this amazing movie.
Feb 15, 2011
Today's Cool Things
As of today, I am going to start weekly updates of what I'm doing, what I have done, or what I think is cool. This is to get me writing and to (hopefully) keep (both of) you interested. I'll try to make it accessible (like not talking about the new gear I picked up in World of Warcraft) and whatnot. And let's start today with something I think we can all agree is straight-up goddamn awesome.
Savings.
A lot of companies that sell cables are very big on touting how amazing they are, saying that their digital signal is the best around, and that gold-plated connectors help signal and make everything about it a million billion times more awesome. Wanna hear something great? IT DOESN'T. At all. With cables, it either works completely or it doesn't at all, like how a computer charging cable will continue to provide power until it's fully out of the socket.
Next time you see an HDMI cable for $70 (some even go for over $100 per foot- holy fuck!), say no to that BS and make a trip over to Walk-mart. They have HDMI cables, and probably a lot of other cables, for not a whole lot of money. That's the thing you want to go for, not the Hell-powered diamond-plated thirty foot cable with signal boosters every inch. It doesn't make a lick 'o' difference.
Save yourself some cash. Don't buy expensive cables.
As of today, I am going to start weekly updates of what I'm doing, what I have done, or what I think is cool. This is to get me writing and to (hopefully) keep (both of) you interested. I'll try to make it accessible (like not talking about the new gear I picked up in World of Warcraft) and whatnot. And let's start today with something I think we can all agree is straight-up goddamn awesome.
Savings.
A lot of companies that sell cables are very big on touting how amazing they are, saying that their digital signal is the best around, and that gold-plated connectors help signal and make everything about it a million billion times more awesome. Wanna hear something great? IT DOESN'T. At all. With cables, it either works completely or it doesn't at all, like how a computer charging cable will continue to provide power until it's fully out of the socket.
Next time you see an HDMI cable for $70 (some even go for over $100 per foot- holy fuck!), say no to that BS and make a trip over to Walk-mart. They have HDMI cables, and probably a lot of other cables, for not a whole lot of money. That's the thing you want to go for, not the Hell-powered diamond-plated thirty foot cable with signal boosters every inch. It doesn't make a lick 'o' difference.
Save yourself some cash. Don't buy expensive cables.
Feb 2, 2011
Hot Topic: UBB
UBB. Usage-based billing. This is something that internet service providers are going to start implementing. When I heard about this, I sort of blew it off. But then I started to think about how unfair it is. my family pays for 60 GB of internet per month. Do we use all of it? No, but we use more than 25 GB. It does what it needs to, it supports what we do, and we can afford it. I use Steam, so I have to purchase and download games. My mom watches a lot of YouTube, I torrent. But as of March 1st, anything over 25 GB will run you $2. Yeah, two dollars to transmit data, which costs nearly nothing. And even if you don't surpass your 25 GB limit, you still have to pay the full price of the bill.
I can't say anything that this awesome anti-UBB site doesn't already say. It's amazingly worded and points out every single flaw with this disgusting limit imposed on us. I can't stress enough that you need to get this out. Tell everyone, show them this website, and do everything you can to oppose the UBB. The movement is massive, and we need every single bit of help we can get to defend our rights to what we're paying for. Seriously, this isn't a joking matter. We all need to pitch in.
UBB. Usage-based billing. This is something that internet service providers are going to start implementing. When I heard about this, I sort of blew it off. But then I started to think about how unfair it is. my family pays for 60 GB of internet per month. Do we use all of it? No, but we use more than 25 GB. It does what it needs to, it supports what we do, and we can afford it. I use Steam, so I have to purchase and download games. My mom watches a lot of YouTube, I torrent. But as of March 1st, anything over 25 GB will run you $2. Yeah, two dollars to transmit data, which costs nearly nothing. And even if you don't surpass your 25 GB limit, you still have to pay the full price of the bill.
I can't say anything that this awesome anti-UBB site doesn't already say. It's amazingly worded and points out every single flaw with this disgusting limit imposed on us. I can't stress enough that you need to get this out. Tell everyone, show them this website, and do everything you can to oppose the UBB. The movement is massive, and we need every single bit of help we can get to defend our rights to what we're paying for. Seriously, this isn't a joking matter. We all need to pitch in.
Jan 16, 2011
Violence Is Not a Selling Point
There always has to be a selling point to sell a game. If there isn't something unique or special, no sort of gimmick, no one will buy your game. Game developers, designers and marketers all know this very well. After all, they didn't get where they are now by being dumb. Whether it's Red Dead's western setting, Donkey Kong Country Return's. . . well, returning, or Fallout's black-humour take on post-apocalyptic setting, there's always something to help sell a game. There's nothing wrong with that. Until it turns to violence.
We're trying to get beyond that, as an industry. Right now, for the most part, games are viewed as a childish waste of time, and with the biggest sellers being glorified war games, it's kind of easy to see why. And when you tune into gaming forums or listen to voice chats, you'd most likely hear insults and racial slurs being thrown back and forth. We're getting better, I'll admit. With Bioware and Rockstar pushing the boundaries of storytelling and characterization, and with indie games coming through in huge, gushing torrents of beautiful artwork and unique gameplay, we are becoming something more than what people think we are.
It's lost, though, when you start trying to sell your game by saying how violent it is. This brings me around to Dead Space 2. The first Dead Space was an awesome action game that was marketed as a horror game and defended its horror title by having some things pop out at you sometimes. It was gruesome, it was violent, but most importantly it came out of nowhere. It had very little exposure compared to most AAA game titles, and it still sold very well. Dead Space 2 kicked off its marketing campaign with a 'design your own kill move' contest, where people sent in a move for the protagonist Isaac Clarke to kill an enemy with. Already off to a bad start, encouraging your customers to tap into the murderous side of themselves. And now it has a promotional contest where people show their mom trailers of the game and record their reactions. In this video, it boasts about how Dead Space 2 is one of the "most anticipated and violent games of the year".
Gamers are more mature than this. People are more mature than this. Do we really need violence to sell a game? No. Just look at the Wii and all of the games it sells. One of the least violent systems, and its leading the pack in terms of total units sold. Dead Space 2 just misunderstands it selling points. It should be going as a finely-crafted action game with horror themes, not a bloody kill-fest. C'mon guys.
There always has to be a selling point to sell a game. If there isn't something unique or special, no sort of gimmick, no one will buy your game. Game developers, designers and marketers all know this very well. After all, they didn't get where they are now by being dumb. Whether it's Red Dead's western setting, Donkey Kong Country Return's. . . well, returning, or Fallout's black-humour take on post-apocalyptic setting, there's always something to help sell a game. There's nothing wrong with that. Until it turns to violence.
We're trying to get beyond that, as an industry. Right now, for the most part, games are viewed as a childish waste of time, and with the biggest sellers being glorified war games, it's kind of easy to see why. And when you tune into gaming forums or listen to voice chats, you'd most likely hear insults and racial slurs being thrown back and forth. We're getting better, I'll admit. With Bioware and Rockstar pushing the boundaries of storytelling and characterization, and with indie games coming through in huge, gushing torrents of beautiful artwork and unique gameplay, we are becoming something more than what people think we are.
It's lost, though, when you start trying to sell your game by saying how violent it is. This brings me around to Dead Space 2. The first Dead Space was an awesome action game that was marketed as a horror game and defended its horror title by having some things pop out at you sometimes. It was gruesome, it was violent, but most importantly it came out of nowhere. It had very little exposure compared to most AAA game titles, and it still sold very well. Dead Space 2 kicked off its marketing campaign with a 'design your own kill move' contest, where people sent in a move for the protagonist Isaac Clarke to kill an enemy with. Already off to a bad start, encouraging your customers to tap into the murderous side of themselves. And now it has a promotional contest where people show their mom trailers of the game and record their reactions. In this video, it boasts about how Dead Space 2 is one of the "most anticipated and violent games of the year".
Gamers are more mature than this. People are more mature than this. Do we really need violence to sell a game? No. Just look at the Wii and all of the games it sells. One of the least violent systems, and its leading the pack in terms of total units sold. Dead Space 2 just misunderstands it selling points. It should be going as a finely-crafted action game with horror themes, not a bloody kill-fest. C'mon guys.
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