2009/2010 Goodies

Lets ignore the two-month gap and assume that this post is coming shortly after my E3 event synopsis. So I think I kinda promised that I would be discussing the important stuff that I learned from E3: these important things would, of course, be the games.

During my long stay in the English countryside I had plenty of time to ignore it and concentrate on E3 announcements. Seeing as I had all this time I also made a variety of lists and classifications. This post will contain the principal info which is a list of games, their respective platforms and release dates. My successive posts will then describe why gamers should be excited about this list.

I'll apologise in advance if this post doesn't do much for you however it is a necessary evil for what follows. I mean if I just described how great this game would be then you'd be asking yourself so many other questions. Screw the apologies, just the amount of games on this list shows how great a year this could be.

ACE Games

Xbox 360

Mass Effect 2 (Q1 2010)

PS3

God of War 3 (Q1 2010)

Uncharted 2 (Nov. 13th)

Heavy Rain (Q1 2010)

Trico (TBA)

Yakuza 3 (?)

Good Games

Xbox 360

Left 4 Dead 2 (Nov. 17th)

Crackdown 2 (TBA)

Halo 3 ODST (Sept. 22nd)

Alan Wake (Q1 2010)

Splinter Cell Conviction (Oct. 17th)

Great and interesting games on both Platforms

Bioshock 2 (Oct. 30th)

Lost Planet 2 (TBA)

Dragon Age Origins (Nov. 6th)

Assassins Creed 2 (Nov. 17th)

The Saboteur (Dec. 8th)

Final Fantasy XIII (Q1/Q2 2010)

Modern Warfare 2 (Nov. 10th)

Borderlands (Oct. 20th)

Alpha Protocol (Oct. 6th)

Darksiders (Jan. 1st)

(The quality of the games is speculative and may be erroneous)

As you can see some of the games are missing a few details, however that does not diminish the excitement that there announcements elicit. The PS3 is looking pretty strong with its line-up however many of its exclusive don't come out any time soon. The Xbox 360 is looking solid but most of the big games in the near future are all multi-platform so no worries for both owners.

The next post will discuss individual games in a bit more depth. Please notify me of any oversights.

Proof of Life

I am still alive. I will post more soon. Promise. Berts Over and Out.

Yes I'm lazy, but I'm back

Well, I'm back. After an unpleasant stint of academic responsibility I have taken excessive time to do absolutely nothing. It was good, it bordered between being boring while simultaneously being awesome. Now I feel that I should start doing a few things so that I don't devolve into a pile of inanimate goo (I've been sitting on the sofa watching E3 footage and MMA for days as I'm stuck in the countryside with no games consoles and erratic weather. Not looking for pity, I'm demanding it)

Big news for those who appreciate the higher art form of gaming. As the news is fairly extensive I shall do a series of posts that will bring an abridged version of the important E3 announcements. Here it goes.

Press Conferences

The games will not be covered in the press conferences as there are simply too many for one post. The Press Conferences section will be a summary of the basic announcements and some accompanying comments related to those announcements.

Sony

- This press conference was genuinely exciting. Sony released big announcements with some phenomenal game titles as well as new hardware announcements. In all honesty my excitement comes from their line up of games rather than the hardware stuff as it is still too early in development to see if it holds any potential. Their announcement of a new PSP model was leaked before the show and frankly doesn't interest me in the least. Also the fact that the new PSP GO costs 250 euros isn't bordering on ludicrous rather it's trekked some ways into that territory.

The new motion controls shown can go two ways. The likely direction is that they are gonna copy Nintendo and attempt to hook-in the casual consumer with a barrage of pseudo-games, in this case it does not overly interest me. However it is possible that they actually use this hardware well to bring casual games to the platform while at the same time employing the dual motion sensor for core games as the shield and sword tech demo in the conference showed a glimmer of promise. This pretty much covers the core announcements, excluding games, made by Sony. Overall the conference dragged in some places but was well presented and held enough exciting news to keep the viewer interested in the announcements.

Nintendo

- This conference was appallingly bad. In fairness the titles announced by Nintendo are genuinely good and Nintendo fans have reason to be happy with this years showing, it's simply that the presentation was so horrible that I spaced out after a few minutes. The only real non-game announcement I think they made was the development of the Wii vitality sensor. This is essentially a sensor that you clip on your finger that monitors your heart rate. The only way I can think of using this is to incorporate it with workout games to monitor your heart which is really quite lame. I do hold the hope however that I am wrong and Nintendo will find some way to make it more fun but I remain quite skeptical.

Also the Wii motion plus is coming out soon so that the Wii can finally track the full motion of the controller. Although this was somewhat promised at the beginning of the Wii and makes buying all the controller accessories a small fortune it does promise to increase the potential of games that wish to use the motion controller more prominently. Altogether not a bad conference in terms of games but I have to wonder why all the suits at Nintendo are being payed if their press conference was that bad.

Microsoft

- Probably the best conference in terms of presentation. They kept up a nice flow of games and announcements while steering clear of sales figures and pie charts. Started with some big multi-platform games then moved on to a long reel of game exclusives. The only real new hardware presentation, beyond adding Facebook, Twitter, misc. into Xbox Live, was Project Natal. Although they had some tech demos demonstrating their better 'eye-toy' I remain very skeptical about the potential, at our current technology level, of this device.

My 'gut' instinct is that the main reason for Natal is to add the casual market slice to their profit chart. I would like to clarify that I do not begrudge any of the companies attempting to access the more casual market but I would hope that they see the inherent potential in using the new hardware for game purposes as well. Their conference was mainly focused on games so there is not much to write.

That pretty much sums up the press conferences as I don't plan to cover the major developers and publishers as their main announcements were covered by the big three. Next post I'll cover the real meat of E3, the games.

Shadow of the Colossus with friends?

Okay, so I'm posting about a new game coming out which looks amazing. Now let me acknowledge that there are quite a few games coming out in the near future which look fantastic but this one has got me quite buzzed because of what it could potentially deliver. It may end up not being that great however at the moment it is nothing less than spun gold. The game is Lost Planet 2 and the console is 360 (YES!!). 

Now the reason that the game has gotten me so excited is because it reminds me, in some ways, of the masterpiece that is Shadow of the Colossus. Now the game will most probably not have the artistic glory of shadow of the colossus nor its hauntingly beautiful story however it seems to have taken one of its core gameplay mechanics and decided to implement it with a wider scope. 

Basically what it seems to be demonstrating is a team, co-op of up to at least 4 players, trying to take down this behemoth-like creature. Alone the players are useless but with proper strategy the Davids may take out the monstrous Goliath. Enough talk as one should most definitely watch the trailer right here. (watch trailer in HD if your connection can handle it as the visuals are spectacular)

I hope my readers will be as excited as I am for I foresee that, barring one of them being stupid and going and getting a job in some third world country, we shall enjoy killing monstrous things together.

PS - the makers of shadow of the colossus and ICO are working on a new IP which should be debuted at this years E3. 

Surrounded by the Force

I would like to take this opportunity to inform all those people that think Glasgow is dangerous that they are wrong. Sure, Glasgow may be the stabbing capital of Europe and have loads of crack addicts, but it also has something that other cities lack...Jedi. 

Yes, that's right, I am constantly protected by Jedi. Overall 8 individuals in the Strathclyde security services admitted to following the faith of the Jedi. In fact they were the only agency in Britain to openly admit this information. This puts me at considerable ease as the combination of their unmatched combat abilities and formidable interrogation techniques make them the ultimate warrior. Oh, they can also use the force to push things and stuff. And lightning, they can make lightning with their hands. Etc. Etc.

While I believe the officer below may be an American Jedi I'm sure the Scottish ones are just as fearsome.

This picture isn't really related to my post but I felt the need to include it. 

Procrastination tools

This is a post for those that love procrastination. The following are a couple of internet goodies that will be hugely helpful in facilitating the aforementioned process. One offers media entertainment while the other offers videogame joy.

Lets start with the media one. Well lets forget this one for now as it seems to be experiencing technical problems (hopefully temporary). Technical problems have been fixed and the site can be found here. With loads of TV shows etc. this site is pretty good for catching up on the latest heroes episodes (which have gotten a lot better) or anything else really.

The online game one is a site that hosts some of the best flash games I've ever played. It can be found here. I recommend Final Ninja Zero and Commando 2. 

Now a little comic strip to make this post somewhat worthwhile. 

Damn... damn...

Some alarming news has made its way onto the Internet. Apparently Shadow of the Colossus is being made into a movie. This is a piece of saddening news for me. Not only because I believe this wondrous game does not lend itself to the medium of film, but also due to the fact that Hollywood is getting the same bunch of incompetent people to manage this project that seem to manage all those bungled game-to-movie attempts. 

I am not going to talk about the particulars of this future bungle, or who will be responsible for the desecration of one of the most artistic games ever made, rather I am going to devote this post to the majesty that is Shadow of the Colossus.

Shadow of the Colossus was made by the creators of ICO, a wondrous game in its own right, and tells the tale of a boy and his princess. Part of the inherent beauty in the game is its simplicity. The plot is subtle and compelling, the graphics are nothing short of breathtaking, and the gameplay is phenomenally fun.

While the boy and his princess plot may seem trite and cliche, I can assure you that this game presents it in a manner that is completely engrossing. The entrance cutscene outlines the final steps of a journey; a boy bringing a seemingly unconscious girl to a temple in the hopes of restoring her health. In this temple he is told that the only way to restore her is to destroy the 16 monsters roaming the lands. 

In a bid to save the girl he loves the boy sets out upon his horse to complete this task. Every time he defeats a monster he is returned to the temple to see the creature's effigy collapse. That is almost the full extent of the story until the end. The unobtrusive yet present approach to storytelling constantly reminds you of why you are playing the game while remaining understated and elegant in its design. There is more to the story that is discovered towards the end however I have no wish to spoil it.

The graphics are gorgeous and the journeying to fight the various creatures is never dull as the natural beauty of your surroundings puts you into a meditative state before battle. Your horse is your constant companion and is present at all times. This mechanic is ingenious as the combination of the horses constant presence and nobody else to share your journey with ensures that an unbreakable bond between the player and the horse is formed. Throughout all of this a symphonic music score plays quietly in the background, rousing up only in times of battle.

The gameplay is fantastic as there are only the titanic creatures that you battle. At the outset of every leg of your journey you wonder what creature you will next encounter and chances are that you will be surprised at its majesty and power every time. This is because the creatures you confront are gigantic representations of oddly formed animals with a Mayan aesthetic, each one different from the last. The game requires you to physically climb these behemoths to be able to target the only point where they may be injured. 

It is impossible to fully describe the intricacies of what occurs further without ruining the game to some extent and so that is all I am going to say regarding the game. I do however strongly urge anybody with a PS2 and a desire to play games that elicit real wonder to give it a chance. 

The Future of Gaming?

There has been some potentially big news for the gaming industry. A service called OnLive was recently revealed and its premise is mind-numbingly cool. The service claims to be able to stream any videogame to your TV or computer, regardless of its GPU or any other internal hardware, with no lag. 

When I say any game, I mean any game in existence. (EDIT) Apparently it might be limited to any PC game. But with all the ports of games going on these days, the list is still pretty extensive. (END EDIT) First the CPU info. Issues like the processing power required to play the game, the software compatibility and other various issues will no longer be a problem. Whether it's a mac or windows, a desktop or a laptop these are factors of the past. For streaming games to your TV all your require is a small box, a bit like a tiny console, and a controller as shown below. 

The technology is all very complicated and quite cool. The basic manner in which OnLive delivers this service is by running your games on local hardware and sending you the information over the internet into your visual output. This means that no data analysis is being done by any of your local hardware thus the lack of any required specifications for computers. 

The concept is fantastic and I had no idea that we were anywhere close to this kind of technology which brings me to the final point. You need a pretty fast internet for this service to be operable. The developers are saying that a bandwidth of around 5 megabytes will be sufficient. Critics say that even with the 5 megabyte guideline it will be impossible to accomplish what OnLive sets out to do, and it is likely that they may very well be right. But if they are not the implications for the gaming industry are pretty insane.

Even if isn't done tomorrow it looks like this may be the future of the industry. Personally I'm pretty glad to cut out the middle-man and hand my money to the people responsible for the game I'm playing. Also, the concept is just so science fiction that I can't help but like it.

Awesome Marketing Monkeys!!!

Awesome!! Awesome!!

Those were my words when I made the discovery. That little viral marketing website that is showcasing Bioshock 2 is receiving updates. 

The plot thickens as more information is released. Girls are disappearing like gumdrops. Light seems to be moving south along the coast. 

Check back every once in a while to see what those crazy marketing people do next.

www.somethinginthesea.com

Awesome!!

An Enigmatic Approach

It's been a while since I've posted about my interactive digital form of entertainment.......Video Games!! That so deserved capitals. 

Anyways, I'm just writing to inform my fellow gaming brethren that a few new tidbits about anticipated games have been floated out by their respective companies and have made their way onto the internet.

I'm sure that all have seen the teaser trailer for Mass Effect 2 but if you haven't go give it a look.

Another tantalising tease regarding another highly anticipated game has become available. All I'm gonna say is check this site out. It may take a while to load so be patient.

http://somethinginthesea.com/

Enjoy 

Whoa!! Whoa!! Whoa!!!!!

U.S. police brutality is once again in the spotlight. It occured in Seattle, which is just a bit too far north for my my North vs. South prejudice.

Apparently the detainee 'assaulted' the officer and he, in turn, responded with an act of force in order to prevent further damage to his person. Now I just want to say that I tend to be quite impartial when observing events and I am definitely not somebody who leaps at the chance to criticise authority. In this case however, let's just say that I would not want to be the police officer's defense attorney.

Also don't blame the random dude who kinda goes along with it. He is just a trainee and is, I hope, too stunned and unsure to actually stop the insane man.

Check the events out here to see what happened. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7917288.stm

p.s. I'm sure the reader who is boycotting the BBC can get the video source at other news sites or youtube :p

An Anonymous Whisper

One has to wonder where exactly many news stories get their information. Generally a story begins as a collection of facts presented in a professional manner. The journalist identifies an issue, collects the necessary information, and presents it to the reader.

However, after reading an extensive collection of articles throughout these past years, it's clear that many articles are entirely based upon a quote, or two, and common perception/knowledge. Past articles are frequently used as sources and stories are continuously updated without the necessary investigation. This method of reporting can be extremely dangerous.

I am aware that presenting an article with an in-depth historical description, as well as all relevant facts, is unfeasible and would necessitate every article to be of excessive length. However I would advocate greater care and attention to detail in reporting as many times "facts" seem to evolve over time.

The danger of writing an article, without continuously examining the foundations of the story, is that some stories become so twisted through repeated telling that they enter the realm of fiction. 

I would like to bring to attention the Y2K debacle. I find it hilarious and pathetic that the whole scare stemmed, apparently, from two computer analysts stating that some computers may be adversely affected at the turn of the millennium, due to the technical limitations of the internal clocks.

It has been estimated that hundreds of billions of dollars, by the US, and hundreds of millions, by the UK, were spent on prevention measures. Ironic that when 1/1/2000 unfolded the countries that spent an enormous amount of money on prevention fared as well as those that spent none, with only few and minor problems reported across the globe.

Now, I am not saying that there was no need to investigate the problem however the media played a key role in inflating the problem. The media has a lot of power, and anybody that says it does not influence the governments stance is beyond naive. All that money wasted when it could have been put to so much better use.

As a wise dead man once said "With great power comes great responsibility" (Uncle Ben 19#$)

The news media must act with great care, as its influence plays a part in shaping the world. 

Bath of Emperors

This event happened some time ago however I feel no guilt about posting it at such a late date.

Many of the story's details are speculation and facts that have come from some source or another. The problem is that the event itself is so ludicrous that I don't believe any respectable (boring) news companies even bothered to do a follow-up in order to disclose all the facts. So this is what I know.

A somewhat paunchy tourist took an hour long swim in the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace. The facts of why he was swimming in the Imperial Palace moat are slightly muddled, however the important thing is that he was:

a) totally naked

b) aggressive.

Hiyaaa!!! Gaijin Smash

The tourist is British. His motive for jumping into the moat and subsequently attacking the police for trying to get him out was due to the fact that he had dropped his bag, which included his passport, into the water. This is also adequate explanation of why he attempted to retrieve it naked.

The Japanese response to his actions? Typical, they laughed and took pictures of him with their mobile phones. They also released him without charges stating that he was mentally unstable. 

Check online for some hilarious videos, like this one http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0WHTtMwodcM, of his battle against the man.

The Disrespectful Economist

The Friday issue of the Economist has been withheld in Thailand due to the slanderous nature of one of its articles. The naughty article in question recounts the somewhat embarrassing situation of a writer who slandered the monarchy.

This writer in his book had a brief passage where he was critical of an unnamed royal figure. This most heinous of crimes has landed him a three year jail sentence after he visited Thailand for tourism. The funny part of this story is that his book sold a total of 7 copies and he was not even aware that the material he was writing constituted a criminal offence......... what a fool, right?

Let us hope that the monarch is magnanimous and pardons him like he pardoned the last offender, a swiss man that was sentenced to jail for 10 years because he had been defacing the monarchs image. 

Long Live King Bhumibol Adulyadj the Merciful

Update (21/02/09) - The guilty man has been pardoned. Good news.

Finally!!!

Stem cell research has finally been given the stamp of approval by the U.S. government. The FDA has given the go-ahead for clinical trials involving the therapeutic implantation of stem cells derived from embryos. Clinical trials will involve 8-10 candidates who have recently suffered nerve damage in their spinal cord. The research hopes to demonstrate that the stem cells will be responsible for nerve reparation and return the injured individual to a healthy state. While the trial is fairly risky, as the nervous system is one of the most complex, the potential benefits that will be derived from this trial are countless.

Stem cell research has been restricted since 2001 when the Bush administration imposed severe restrictions on the regulations governing its research, and limited its funding. However with the inauguration of Obama, Science will return to its rightful place of importance. Although Obama had no official direct influence on the FDAs decision, it has been speculated by many that the timing of the approval is not a coincidence.

The potential benefits that could be garnered by further exploration of stem cell research are limitless and could precipitate the advancement of the entire medical field. Various diseases including; cancer, blindness, heart disease and many others could be potentially prevented by successful stem cell research.

Results have so far been inconclusive, however the very fact that this area of study is now receiving government support is exciting. It is possible that stem cell research will not yield results but I love the fact that it is being explored, because if we are limited by fear and trepidation then we will never reach new heights.

Hope

Hope is what gives meaning to so many lives. The hope that the future will bring welcome changes. The hope that we have not reached the peak of what we are capable of and we will work harder for the betterment of our fellow man. The hope that our actions will have significance and meaning. The hope that tomorrow will be just that much brighter than today.

People say that hope is last to die, but I disagree, hope never dies. 

I hope that his actions will benefit the world

Thoughts on Information

It has been a while. The mixture of vacation and an initial lack of Internet access have kept me from posting for far too long. Now that I have returned to operating my normal routine I am able to put my thoughts to digital paper once again.

It has been a busy time on the international scene as -

Wow, it's snowing for real. I just looked out the window and there are these giant snowflakes cascading down upon the frigid pavement. Isn't it supposed to be getting warmer? I mean we've passed Christmas so surely the pendulum has reached its peak and should be swinging in the opposite direction. Damn breaking off in the middle of that sentence to talk about snow makes me look bad in so many ways.

- Israel took military action against Gaza stating their intention of ending further rocket attacks against their territories. Further information regarding some of the facts surrounding those attacks may be viewed at http://sundrycharms.blogspot.com/. While all the information provided is accurate it may be slightly coloured by the personal views of the author (no offense Jo as I know that this is intended) and further reading is recommended.

That being said, a very important aspect of Jo's blog is that it captures stories that are not front page. A recent article regarding gay rights, or lack of, in Africa was mentioned. It is important that people be aware of a breadth of issues and don't limit their focus to any single one. The media should not be used as a venue for the most shocking or immediate news but rather should provide the reader with the diverse ongoings of the world.

The power the media has to influence our opinions is substantial, it is for this reason that I dislike biased articles as it may mislead the reader providing them with facts in a discriminatory manner. On a primary level international journalism should inform the reader of the facts of the situation. On a secondary level it may provide informed reasoning behind the actions taken sourcing from the areas of political theory, history and deduction. However it is my belief that unless the publication is personal it should be generally devoid of emotion regarding its style and tone. Now how to do this while providing an interesting piece of work. Hmmm. Dunno if it is always possible.

I just wanted to state that I am not criticizing current journalistic standards as some publications follow this unbiased approach quite well. However I do believe coverage has become an issue at times, as novel events seem to takeover the headlines and appropriate the entirety of the news time.