update:

- gatlinburg was in.fucking.sane. the stories are long, amazing, and not getting posted up here, to protect the innocent. if anyone wants any more details, ill be glad to talk about it... not on the blogosphere though.

- im alive. see point #1 as far as more details go, but this is always good news! before anyone freaks out, nothing serious happened, but there were some moments that got a little hairy.

- Super Nintendo is the greatest game console of all time. Followed by NES, PS2, then N64. The rest will most likely be forgotten, for one reason or another.

This has completely nothing to do with anything, I understand. However, it is pertinent to my interests. So dig it.

Peace up, a town.

NASCAR, Damage

Anyone who has ever played any of the Gran Turismo games knows that, if nothing else, it is realistic as fuck.

Well, minus there being no damage system

Wait, nevermind.

Yea, thats good and all, but what is a racing game without NASCAR?

BAM! NASCAR sponsorship in the most realistic driving simulator of all time.


This seriously may be my favorite game of all time. I say that more than I mean it, but this time I really mean it.

Watch the trailer:

A look back and a look forward

If you remember, it was about a year ago to the day that I was wrapping up the decision making process on what was then called the ps360 fund. Back then I was wavering between the then mighty Xbox 360 and the adolescent PS3 who, while still had loads of potential, would have probably only gotten the job done then if you put a paper bag over her... er.. it.

Yadda yadda fast forward to now and things are looking pretty stellar on the PS3 front. Rather than moaning on and on about frame rates and streaming-this-and-that, I'll go the youtube vid way to demonstrate my point. Because everyone knows reading is a dying art:

Fat Princess - A PS3 exclusive capture the flag type PSN (Playstation Network) game that looks about as fun as it does cute. Nothing like a quick mindless game of capture the flag without all of the stress that comes with Killzone 2 or such.

One of my favorite things to do in the old NCAA series was create my own school, whether it be ole' PHS, Dayton, or even the Sharonville Eagles. There is just something that is neat about creating your own tradition from scratch, especially in a sport like college football. Create-a-School mysteriously disappeared in this generation of games, but it's back in NCAA 10.... oh is it ever back. This has potential to be my favorite game of all time if this works out well. In two parts:

More NCAA Football 10 Info

More NCAA Football 10 News & Previews

Slightly skeptical on how well this will work still, but a game from the creators of SOCOM with 256 players all playing on the same map (assuming it is the size of Rhode Island, at a minimum) intrigues me. Also a PS3 exclusive. Since pre-rendered vids are for sucks, find some in-game footage here.

Pixeljunks new game (currently titled 1-4). I know that means nothing to anyone reading this so let me just summarize by saying they are really really good at making sure 2D has a place on HD screens still. Their games are absolutely stunning to watch

That's good for now. Needless to say, I'm pretty stoked. Then there is also that whole Beatles Rock Band thing too.... which you know... is a must buy.

And the list gets longer...

For the first time owning a PS3 I can honestly say that I have a bonafide game wishlist. Not my typical "on if I were to win a million dollars I would buy this this this and this," I always have one of those.

No no, this is a list of games that if you find me in a weak moment I just may go out and buy. And I'll definitely end up buying more than one. At $60 a pop, that is no small statement. The list is as follows (in a somewhat particular order):

1.) Killzone 2 - Holy shit. Granted, I don't have a 360 so I have actually never played Gears of War and my Halo 3 time is limited, but after playing just the demo for this, I'm thinking we may have a new best FPS for consoles. Unlike over 90% of games in this generation, the gameplay is on par with the graphics. And oh (again..) holy shit (/again...) is that saying something:

Picture this at a cool 60 fps. Try not to wet the bed. (Click for a higher res)

Video - The framerate isn't that bad in game:




2.) Little Big Planet - After getting the tease of a weekend long beta play, I'm really surprised this one isn't already on my shelf. Either way, still one of my favorite games out currently (with NO BLOOD OR GUTS OR FOOTBALLS EVEN!, how 'bout that ma!). I dig the creation capabilities and since release they have really embraced the download-able content (DLC) scene with weekly (usually free) releases of new goodies. A good game just gets better.

3.) Skate 2 - This one intriques me. Usually the skating genre is Tony Hawk's to lay claim to, but this new franchise is starting to make some serious ground and worry the Tony Hawkers. The motion-based controls seem somewhat gimmicky to me, but I'm not gonna knock it until I've tried it.

4.) Every Rock Band song available for download - God, I like this game. Consider me the next Ringo once MTV game's next rhythm game comes out (consider it number 3.5 on this list). It damn well better support Rock Band "instruments".

5.) Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising - I loved the first game in this uber-realistic "military strategy" (they don't like to be called shooters) series when I played it on Xbox, it just looked like something that was released before technology would fully allow it to achieve its objective. Maybe the power of the consoles in this generation will really make this shine. Sadly though, this is the type of game that is best bought on the PC so the mod scene can really get a hold of it and make it amazing. It seems like it could still fare well on the consoles though... we'll see.

6.) Watchmen: The End is Nigh - This would be a bit of a fanboy purchase more than anything. I can't imagine it being much more than a made for the movie release type game. Those types of games generally are the worst types of games. Save Goldeneye... ah sweet sweet Goldeneye. The price seems a bit steep for a "PSN" release too; they generally hover near $10.00, slightly more than a Blockbuster rental.

7.) NCAA Football '10 - Premature? Hell yes. I have high hopes (slash expectations) that EA will finally get it right on their third or fourth or whatever it is now year on this generation. '09 was right on the cusp of the greatness of the old PS2 games, but still no I-AA teams, playbook creator, etc. kept it from being perfect. Fix a few of these things and we could have a winner. Or create a Head Coach for college football. The differences between coaching in college and the pros are immense (ask Charlie) and it could make for one hell of a sports simulation.

LittleBigPlanet Delayed

Wonderful. The game that Sony was hoping would be the major "console pusher" of holiday season '08 is being delayed from an expected release on Tuesday, to mid-November.

Apparently, one of the background songs in the game contains two phrases from the Qur'an which Muslim types don't like. From what I learned in basically my religion 101 class, a fairly fundamental Islamic belief is that the Qur'an is literally the word of Allah. This is why it is RARELY translated. Allah (in keeping with the "no translation rule," the Arabic term for God, which, regardless of what your old aunt from Tennessee wants to tell you - and if I remember correctly - is actually the exact same God Christians worship. Fun fact.).

So, some song, the artist of which is actually Muslim (Sunni no doubt), had a few Arabic phrases in it and one of the beta testers noticed it. Rather than mentioning this, oh I dunno, BEFORE MILLIONS OF COPIES WERE MADE AND DISTRIBUTED, he decided to wait until a day or so ago.

Now, tens of millions of dollars in investment later, everything is being recalled, Blue Ray disks (not the less expensive DVDs, mind you) are being burned with the same version of the game, sans song, and shipped all over the world again.

Personally I see this from three sides:

1.) Gamer side - Shit shit shit, this sucks. As a beta tester for the game and college kid with seriously no money, I was considering giving some plasma for money to buy this game. It's that good. The creativity it allows as well as the ability to play others created levels from around the world was really exciting, even in a limited beta version. I can't imagine how this will be in a full release.

2.) Moral side - I understand the problem, and to be fair to the person who mentioned it, he suggested releasing a patch deleting the song (I assume this would be possible) and from here on out printing the new copies sans song. Problem is, he is not the voice of the entire Muslim community, so drastic steps needed to be taken to please everyone. to be honest I feel like if this was released in America only it would not be a major issue, admittedly because American-Muslim relations are so far in the shitter that 95% of the country would give two shits, with maybe 40% actually celebrating pissing Muslims off. The game was initially delayed for Europe only by the company that created it, but Sony stepped in and gave the word to hold it for the world.

3.) Business side - Someone will be getting fired over this. If there has ever been an example of a company putting their eggs in one basket, LittleBigPlanet may be it. Since it was publicly announced in March 2007, they have not skirted around the fact that it is anticipated to be a "console pusher" to get them back competing with the 360 in software sales. Since Sony is still losing money for every system sold, having blockbuster software titles is that much more important. Make no mistake, the fact that they are hoping to have it completely reprinted, shipped, and released in about three weeks time shows how important this is for the company. If I were to explain it in an analogy, it would be like Carson Palmer getting hurt for the Beng--- oh wait. Yea, it's like that.


P.S. the past two blog posts being horribly long will not turn into a trend, I promise

UPDATE: ah the joys of blog posting on developing events... apparently media molecule (the publishing/design company responsible for the game) is going with the patch/change future discs route. This makes a lot more sense, and further shows what I was saying about this being a huge product for Sony. The patch was made and ready for release about 12 hours after it came to their knowledge. For some perspective on that: NCAA 09 finished a gameplay patch about a week following the release, but Sony did not approve it and put it up for download until two months later. This speed of turnover is rare to say the least (unprecedented is more like it)

Woes of fantasy football

I am cursed:

No kidding, this was my fantasy team at the beginning of the year:

Yes it's a weird roster set up, I know.

QB: Tom Brady - shit.
RB: Julius Jones - considering he was going to be the go-to guy with Morrice injured, he has been very unimpressive.
RB: Chris Johnson - the rookie on the Titans, the one player I'm not totally disappointed in.
RB/WR: Reggie Bush - Don't get it twisted, he's a wide reciever/utility player; not a running back.
WR: Braylon Edwards - Finally got his head out of his ass on Monday, we'll he where he goes.
TE/WR: Roy Williams - Just traded after a highly unproductive year.
TE: Kellen Winslow - Just was released from the hospital for a pretty serious non-football illness.
DP: Patrick Willis - OK I lied, he hasn't been bad either. Still, a defensive player isn't winning any games.
D: Giants - Injuries and no Strahan has left a mark.


I kid you not.
Cursed I tell ya.

Math is fun

One thing that as been surprising to me is that in my engineering specific classes, a lot of the time there is very little focus on getting the right answer. A lot of times it is like math-light. Constants are rounded to the point to where, as one of my professors puts it, "You aren't right, but neither is thermodynamics, and at least you are in the game."

In doing math-light a lot this year (though when you are dealing with something like a Benedict-Webb-Rubin equation, not much can be considered "light" about it...) it's surprised me how easy even complex math can become but just knowing "this number gonna be really big, so screw this number, its only gonna change the final answer by like .2, oh but this number matters," and so on and so on.

This morning I saw that one of the supplies of the New York Times had not been emptied (they usually are by about 10 minutes after 8 AM, when classes start) and switched to the Science section because I'm a huge nerd and Wall Street confuses the shit out of me, only to find this article.

Basically, that sense of approximation is starting to be linked to one's mathematical ability. This seems kind of stupid and common sense-ish to me, but the WAY that they were able to test for it is really kind of cool. Basically, the test flashes a random number of circles on a screen for .2 seconds, some blue some yellow. It is your job to determine, basically off of a gut instinct, which color circles there were more of.

Sort of a why didn't I think of that type of thing...

Anywho, I like to think I have a mildly varied readership, so I'm curious how some people test. Clink the link above, go for maybe 20 or so tries, and lemme know what you get.

For the record, I went 50 times, got 76%. I'm sure at least one person will try to beat the system and play like seven times to get 100%, so ahead of time.... I win.

The part where I review popular media.

Hmm, where to begin...

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Forgetting Sarah Marshall

I can't remember if its Sara or Sarah, but honestly I really don't care. That is a great summary of the entire movie. Forgetable. The musical parts were actually very well done (the main character is a songwriter for a crappy TV show, who his ex, Sara(h) Marshall, is the star of), and there was a girl that looked a lot like what Michelle Rodriguez would look like if she wasn't such a tomboy (see: better than the Jessicas.). Other than that, your everyday young adult comedy.

As sort of a side note... it seemed like the director was on some kind of a weird mission to make Americans not feel as creepy about seeing penises on camera. It was odd, like the first time he showed it there was just a quick glance, then as the movie went on that glance evolved into nearly a complete scene of just naked dude. Sweet, but no thanks. I think I may need to go on a Hawaiaan retreat just to forget that now....

2/5 awkward moments

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Death At A Funeral

Why are British comedies so damn funny sometimes? People sometimes refer to America as being a little brother of sorts to England/UKoGBaNI. It shows best in our sense of humor. UKoGBaNI brought us The Office, America brings us Flavor of Love. UKoGBaNI brings us Death At A Funeral, America brings us Weekend at Bernies. But I digress...

Seriously, this is a funny movie. Full of black humor (my favorite) since, well, it does take place at a funeral. There are the normal characters like the cranky old uncle that nobody wants to take care of anymore, the wildly successful brother that nobody ever talks to anymore, and even the more contemporary "funeral crasher". However, this takes it a step further and throws in the guy-who-accidentally-took-major-hallucinagens and the gay-lover-of-the-dead-father-nobody-knew-about.

Good times. Many lol moments, which are rare for me when I'm not watching The Office. Recommended

5/5 Bangers and mash

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Rome: Total War

I can't really think of anyone who would really care about this one for two reasons. One, about 95% of you aren't nearly as big of a nerd as me (yes, that is meant to sound condescending, so THERE) and two, this game has been out for almost five years now, so that train has come and gone.

But anywho, this game really, really rocks my socks. It is like Civilization meets Dynasty Warriors meets Starcraft, minus all the excessive stuff nobody likes about those games. Plus Spartain warriors, which at that point is just icing on the cake.

Basically, you are the supreme dictator for life (a position I am always attracted to) of one of history's great empires. It is your goal to rule the world, mainly through conquest by using your armies of men and animals (like horses and elephants and stuff) that can number into the thousands. It all makes for very good visuals, like Lord of the Rings type battles. The tension is all heightened by a pretty impressive soundtrack (for a video game...) and sound effects. Destruction has never been so fun.

It is also what has held me back from buying my ps360, which my bank account appreciates.

5/5 Onager smashes to the walls of Sparta

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That is all for now. Since I obviously suck at keeping updated, I am thinking of stockpiling massive short quips, and putting a timed release on them so there is at least something new to look at. No, this doesn't take the place of my glory, I'll still post actual blogs just as much (relative term) as I do now. In the end, it'll work out well for both of us.

It's not you, it's me. I dunno why I said that, it just seemed like a good thing to do.

HELPPPPP

Here is my problem. I don't have classes tomorrow. And, excluding a 20 page paper, I don't have shit to do.

Addictinggames has taken a turn for the worse lately. No, I don't like Guitar Hero ripoffs, thank you very little.

Gimmie some good time wasters, preferably of the online variety.

Holla atcha boi'


Oh, and for your viewing pleasure, a picture of two old men screwing:


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You pervs....

PS3 Fund meet the Xbox 360

The GREAT news is that this is currently the biggest question in my life

That's right, I've had a little change of heart. It is somewhat sobering really, to think that for the first generation of gaming since Sony entered the scene, I will be opting for another company. Most people probably wouldn't understant it, but that's because most people aren't nerds. This ia a good thing.

Think of World Of Warcraft all the sudden spewing over into WWIII. Talk about a black comedy waiting to happen.

But yes, after doing a little more research on the two systems (which, to be honest, I should have done last time too. After a good two years with the '2 I ended up going Xbox, which is what made it to the dorm.) What shocked me is that the graphics competition, something that the Sony marketing execs made sure nobody thought was even worth looking into, favors the 360.

Well, not necessarily. The graphics card is more powerful in the 360, but the PS3 processor is stronger than the 360. The speculation here is that eventually game developers are going to figure out how to tap the power of the processor, and shit will hit the fan.

But that is all tea-leaf reading as of now.

The fact is that in previous generations the Sony console was game developers "primary console" for the most part, with the same games on other systems simply being "ports" of the Playstation version. This generation the 360 has that honor, at least as of now.

That honor hasn't really ever switched in one game system's lifetime.

So, as much as it pains me to say it (actually, it doesn't hurt at all, I'm still gonna have a pretty kickass waste of time) Xbox 360 it is.


Fundage count: $123.31 (won 5 dollars playing poker a night ago)

Minesweeper: A Conceit

All I really need to know I learned in Minesweeper:

* It always starts with a blank slate.
* At first, nobody understands it. "It's too confusing" ... "What do all the numbers mean" ... "Eff you happy face" ... "I need help" etc.
* The first few steps decide the rest.
* Some games are given a lot from the start, other times I need to work my ass off to even get the slightest glimer of hope.
* The times I have to work my ass off are always the more satisfying.
* Any click could be my last.
* Risks must be taken to survive.
* Everyone takes too many risks.
* Time is my enemy.
* After every mistake, I learn a little more.
* I constantly forget what you learn.
* Things can, and will, get frustrating as hell.
* The last steps are usually the hardest.
* Victory is sweet.
* In the end, this combination of work, frustration, and risk fits together to create one seamless tapestry.

You have no idea how long it took me to get this screen capture. The time wasn't even good. Hurl.

Game Update

Obviously I haven't been posting a lot here lately. Honestly, these games are just more entertaining. Take a gander:

Blast-o-matic

This bad boy is much like kitten-cannon (which all my readers are surely aware of by this point), except there are 10 buttons you must hit in time instead of an arc/velocity ratio. It's a smart alternative for those anti-physicists out there. This high score is very, VERY beatable, I know.

Super Crazy Guitarman Maniac Deluxe 2

This one wins the longest title catagory. It's the poor man's Guitar Hero, actually a pretty good representation of the type of replayability of the real one (the i-cant-stand-this-terrible-song-anymore kind).

Butt Pics

It's not as vulgar as it sounds (I know... shucks...) but it's a cute idea for a game following those good ole holiday work parties. Basically, everyone (except the CEO-types... losers) is wasted and your character thinks its a great idea to scan booty pictures on the cooperate issued Xerox. Just stay away from previously mentioned CEO types, or else you'll get a big ZOMG WTFzors, followed by a prompt game over.

P.S. if anyone finds the secret game(?), let me know

And finally, I end with a game that is going to cost you some money, but is worth a serious, serious look.
Valve software is most famous for the Halflife series (for the gameing illterate, back in the 90s a little mod for Halflife called "Counterstrike" was created, which in turn became probably the most popular FPS of all time). Back then, which was 1998 to be exact, Valve was a relatively unknown company that blew up majorly with Halflife and its many modifications. This is largely because Valve takes great pride in its game engines (like artificial physics and stuff...). Well, with Half-life 2 (released in 2004... Valve is also known for taking FREAKING FOREVER to make a game) they created a totally knew engine, Source, along with a totally seperate physics engine, Havok. This one has some pretty good real-world physics in it. So, with Orange Box (a collection of games released this past year, containing a second episode of Half-life and some other equally fun games) they released Portal.
Portal is not like any first-person-shooter I have ever, ever experienced. It's actually only about 5% FPS, and 95% puzzle-game. In Portal you are a human lab-rat for a weapons research company. You have been given a gun that has the ability to basically transport you through the same dimension. It's hard to explain, because it's honestly kind of beyond basic human instincts. With this gun, you navigate a series of 19 mazes (because you are a lab rat, after all), with cake promised at the end. Just watch the videos. I'm obsessed. Oh, and GLaDOS (your robot overlord) is pretty freaking hilarious, too.

Trailer



Fun stuff to do


One of the levels

Proclaiming my Nerd-ness on the mountains

Situation: I just finished a solid 10-hour calculus studying binge. It's 3AM, I wish I could sleep but dreaming about integrals and sums to infinity sucks big ones, so I turn to addictinggames for some lighthearted fun.

I fail miserably.

If you haven't played any tower defense type games then consider yourself lucky. Avoid them like the plauge. They redefine addictive. On this night I speak of I decide to play a little Shock Defense. Nothing special really stands out about this version of tower D. Some you completely create a path, while others are clearly geared towards a specific audience. Anyways, instead of being able to relax I proceed to open Excel and start a spreadsheet "analysis" of a game. A freaking mindless game.

My strategy basically is to only buy the land cannons and air towers and upgrade them to the max as soon as I get them (which, by the way, costs $51 and $62, respectively). If you are at all remotely intelligent as to where they are placed, and always purchase the income tribute, it is possible to get by without losing even one life. Oh, and after level 30 just sell all the air towers and max out on land canons because, well, you know what I'll just show you.

Behold, I am more obsessive compulsive than you:

The sweet nectar of victory

Beat it. seriously. Try.

You can't do it.

Three Reasons why Tecmo Super Bowl rules

With an emphasis on the SUPER

1.) Tecmo SUPER bowl (unlike its ugly little brother) had the ability to hold full seasons, complete with stat tracking and a post-season playoff EXACTLY like the true NFL. Quite the accomplishment for its time. Still my second favorite season mode of all time (that is, any sports genre) Hint: Madden's "franchise" mode is not my favorite.

2.) B. A. and a d-pad. Simplicity is beauty. No hit-stick. No fancy graphics to slow gameplay. Just good ole fashioned FOOTBAW!!!!!!111!1!1!one!!!!1AHHHHH!

3.) Bo-FREAKIN' Jackson.

NSFW - Still heavy in chuckles

September 25 cannot come soon enough. Or me getting a 360, FO' FREE. (Money is expensive)

Heh...

BWOOONS!

I would right a long article praising the beauty (and satisfying popping sound of the bloons) of this game.... but that would waste valuable bloons time. Do it. Do it.


And if you really like it, play some of mine (I know, pretty easy so far.)