E3 Preditions/Hopes

It's always tricking coming up with an interesting E3 prediction list. Some items invariably end up being too obvious and safe, and some are outlandishly unrealistic or simply the product of our hopes and dreams. Anyway, here are some things I think we can look forward to when E3 starts up in two weeks (Microsoft's press conference is June 1, Nintendo's and Sony's are June 2):

--Microsoft and Sony will announce some fancy motion-controlled peripheral that they'll say is super family-friendly and will expand the market and so and so on...M$ for the 360, Sony for the PS2 and maybe PS3. Neither will really do much to dent Nintendo's stranglehold on the market and fail to capture any buzz in the enthusiast press.
--Microsoft will have a video demo of gameplay from Halo: ODST, and maybe a closed-door hands-on, but no hands-on on the floor. People will lose their shit. The game is going to be larger in scope than they originally said it would be. The multiplayer will just end up being an expansion to the Halo 3 multiplayer rather than a whole new multiplayer platform.
--Mass Effect 2 is going to look shit-hot, and is going to blow everyone away. Fall 09, but don't be surprised if it gets pushed back to early 2010. It'll definitely come this fiscal year though (through March '10)
--Nintendo and Microsoft won't have any big hardware announcements, but Sony will. The updated PSP rumors will be mostly true, and it will come out this fall. Paired with that will be increased download support for games to PSP, kiosks at Gamestop, Best Buy, and maybe Wal-Mart for transferring PSP UMD games to memory sticks and/or the new PSP's flash memory, and an uptick in the number of PS1 games being released on PSN/PSP. Sony WILL announce a PS3 slim, though I'm a bit skeptical whether or not it's going to look like those leaked photos from China.
--Twisted Metal for PS3, with David Jaffe presenting it.
--God of War 3 will have a brief playable demo on the floor.
--Nintendo will announce some more games that will work well with Wii Motion Plus, some more Wii Fit stuff that uses the balance board, and maybe some other casual-friendly games, but the enthusiast crowd will be underwhelmed as usual. Why should Nintendo come out with ANYTHING new right now when they have Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart DS, Wii Play, and New Super Mario Bros in the top 10 for software every single month? They're raking in money without even trying.
--Sony won't announce a price drop. They'll save that and/or more bundles (because the value proposition arguement has been working SO WELL) for this holiday season.
--Kojima will announce his next project he's working on. Probably Metal Gear Solid 5. The man cannot drag himself away from that series.
--FFXIII is given an official March 2010 US release on PS3, but the 360 release won't come until later in 2010.
--Sony will announce they're also going to start having Netflix streaming as well, coming soon.
--Splinter Cell Conviction will be shown during Microsoft's press conference, people will be underwhelmed.
--Heavy Rain will be the belle of the ball among enthusiast press, and mainstream press will be intrigued, but when it comes out this fall, it won't sell well.


Things that should happen/I want to happen:
--Ueda's team will finally at least give us a teaser of the game they're working on for PS3.
--Nintendo will announce they're going to start selling old GameBoy and GameBoy Advanced titles on DSiWare. People will lose their shit.
--Nintendo will announce a new Metroid game...not sure it'll be on DS or Wii, or where it will fit in with the timeline of Metroid, but it'll be there.
--The Matsuda/Sakimoto/Yoshida team will announce a new game for either 360 or PS3 or both. LOL I'm dreaming.
--Valve will show at least a teaser for Half Life 2: Episode 3. People will lose their shit.
--And on a totally unrelated note, Sarah Connor Chronicles will be un-canceled after Terminator: Salvation does bonanza at the box office.

Ron-Ron's Reputation and Inconsistant Foul Calling

Alright people, let's get this thing going again.

I want to talk about flagrant fouls in the NBA, in light of some recent questionable calls and no-calls that have been happening in the playoffs. Namely, I want to talk about the fact that Ron Artest is a victim of a his reputation, and whether there should be any rule changes regarding flagrants and technical fouls.

First of all, I flat out feel bad for Ron Artest. Here's a guy who's been thrown out in two of the last three Rockets games, and even though I'm a huge Lakers fan, I don't think he should have been thrown out in either game. In regards to the fracas with Kobe, I believe both players should have been assessed technical fouls: Kobe for his elbow again Artest, and Artest for his in-your-face retaliatory gesture. Regardless of how benign his intentious actually were in coming up to Kobe, it was over the line, but not ejection over the line.

That's where Artest's reputation is working against him. Joey Crawford pretty much immediately tossed Artest when he saw even a hint of possible aggression from Artest. Obviously the guy is still tainted from the Malice in the Palace and always will be, but it's outrageous to think a guy, any player, would get tossed when he didn't even throw a punch or make any sort of threatening gesture at all.

Same thing for his foul against Pau in Game 3. That was just a tough, hard, playoff foul that you make to prevent an easy layup at the end of the game. Flagrant? Maybe, probably if this was the regular season, but ejection? Absolutely not. He didn't even hit his head, something that Rajon Rondo couldn't say after he clobbered Brad Miller in the face in round 1. And yet Rondo went off scott-free, Miller missed his free throws, and Boston went on to win that series. Again, reputation: Artest is known for going off and getting in brawls, while Rondo is known for keeping his cool.

It all comes back to something I read the other day that I think Phil Jackson said: it's all arbitrary. The rules are written so that the league can retroactively explain away almost anything. I agree that certain amounts of leeway should be written into the rules--subjectivity from refs and higher-ups is an inevitable feature in any sport--but it's tough to swallow when things are being called so inconsistantly.



Finally, on an unrelated note, I started thinking about the fact that technical fouls are not assessed as personal fouls in the NBA, even though they are in many other leagues around the world. I really think they should be. It would further discourage bad behavior among players if they knew that technical fouls could put them on the bench with foul trouble.

Sean's tunage

Hope yall are ready for some good new tunes.  Give them a chance and hopefully you'll find a new band you like. 

Never Wanted To Dance                  Mindless Self Indulgence

A couple months ago I saw this band live and am addicted now.  The bassist is beautiful.  Oh ya, and its a song about getting turned down at a dance.  Check out 'Get it Up' if you like this song.

Was in der Zeitung steht                  d.o.c.h.!        

I have absolutely no clue what these guys are saying.  But I get a sense of righteousness while listening.  Yall from German club may get more out of it

 Kill the Director                                  The Wombats

The lyrics of this one are just too darn relatable.  I like their insights into relationships and whatnot.  They're from England so you may have already heard of them Mark.

Something To Believe                  Lucky Boys Confusion

This song captures the torment of agnosticism.  LBC is one of my top three favorite bands.  They're in the Chicago area and play tons of live shows.  Check out 'Anything, Anything' if you like this band.

long before rock'n'roll                          Mando Diao

The greatest band in Sweden.  I think the song is about wishing for the remembered purity in a relationship before sex complicates things.  or something like that

Sleepless                  Until June

Such a very pretty song.  Its about the first days in love

Colorado Sunrise          3OH!3

This band from Boulder Colorado is one of my new favorites.  What I especially like is that they sing hardcore lyrics about uncool things, like getting beat up.  At the very least their songs will get you moving

Twistinside          Everclear

The best everclear song you never hear.  Art's depressed angst about not amounting to anything in life picks me up when I'm down.

Yeah Yeah                  Matt and Kim

I dare you not to enjoy this song.  Fun pop

Golden Skans                                  Klaxons        

I really like relaxing to this song.  A nice chill peppy beat to get you feeling good after a tough day.

String of Pearls                           Jimmie's Chicken Shack   (Bonus Song as Drew only used 9)

The guy is singing about not being able to give his girlfriend what she wants.  Or something.  I really have no idea but love singing along on a warm summer day.

Assumptions Galore!

Ok, so hopefully some of you made it through my last tome.  While compiling all that information I found some common threads.  Or more precisely I figured out what assumptions are being argued.  Maybe this will let us have a proper discourse.

Assumption divide 1 - The purpose of education is for personal attainment vs societal enculturation.  The whole argument usually boils down to this.  Are we learning to help ourselves or learning to help others.  Particular nuances get sticky but I lean heavily towards the former.  A neat RAND policy document from 1982 was quite illuminating about the government's desire to program citizenship behaviors into American children.

Assumption divide 2 - Education can be measured by test scores.  This was surprisingly common, especially amongst policy makers and educators and those who felt the second way on the last assumption.  Another way to look at it is - education's effectiveness is in the eye of the beholder.  Why should a future plumber pay thousands of dollars to learn about symbolism in early 20th century literature?  How will this help him or her pay the bills or be a successful parent or enjoy life?

Assumption divide 3 - There is a universal best way to educate.  This parallels a hang up I have with evolutionary eugenicists (digression averted).  Maybe rote memorization of multiplication tables is better for some children.  With a national Board of Education a one size fits all approach is inevitable and those kids will be left out.  The idea of a universal best has been disproved most prominently with spaghetti sauce.   Check out Malcolm Gladwell's speech to TED if you wanna learn more.

Assumption divide 4 - More education is better.  This ties in with the 2nd assumption.  But obviously there is a point where the marginal benefit of education is less than the marginal cost.  Only an individual can dynamically respond when this happens.

Assumption divide 5 - Government knows best vs Parents know best.  This one speaks for itself and is highly controversial

Assumption divide 6 - More resources should be provided to low achievers vs more resources to those with greater potential.    Kurt Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' dealt with this dilemma

Assumption divide 7 - More facilities and individualized programs are better.  The DC study seems to disprove this sadly.

I know this isn't everything but at least it is a start.

So what do you guys think???  What am I missing?  What is left to ponder?  How can we use this information to make a difference?  Should we make a difference?  Does the current situation appeal to you based on how you lean regarding the aforementioned assumptions??  

Education - some numbers

A couple of weeks ago I wrote questioning the conventional 'wisdom' of current practices.  And I was rightly questioned about unsubstantiated claims regarding private market based education vs public education.  In an effort to redress the lack of evidence or data I have been searching for the past week for hard facts on the subject.  I have to admit though, that I have neither the resources nor inclination to unearth more and so am left with an incomplete understanding.  But as zefrank pointed out, thats the way to start.  So here is what I found-

In Milwaukee (Hoxby, 2001) the gov spent 11,000k per public school student.  They offered an 8k voucher for children to go to private schools.  Test scores in public schools went up 8% in math, reading, and science.  And more money was left for public schools.  

Adam Smith spent a whole chapter in 'Wealth of Nations' giving examples of the costs of socializing education.  He argued that it cheapened the worth of the product (learning) and allowed inferior educators into the system causing a downward spiral.  

High school science scores decreased following the push for science education in public schools in the 1960's.  There is at least a small correlation.

Levitt of Freakonomics showed that academic achievement was correlated with the number of books in a household, when a kid's mom had her first child, the socioeconomic status of the parents, and the desire to change schools (notice not the actual attainment of that goal).  This would imply a more deterministic view.  No matter what, those destined for achievement will rise to the top.  Interesting side note - a recent longitudinal study in Wisconsin found each extra close friend by high-school friends correlated with 2% higher earnings later in life.  We'll be rich!

Lubienski 2008, adjusting for demographics found no difference in 4-8th grade test scores amongst private and public school kids.  The adjustment of data is questionable, but interesting to note

Lips and Feinberg of the Heritage Foundation 2006, studied the DC voucher program and found that parents of students involved became more attentive, public school scores improved, and african americans were helped the most.

Helen Ladd of Duke, 2003, argues that there is no data to show new school openings due to vouchers.  

Susan Choy 1997, found that private school teachers were paid less, had less credentials, taught more advanced classes, and were happier and more satisfied.  

Robert Costrell 2009 found that Milwaukee saved $32 million dollars because of the voucher program last year alone

Brandl 1998 found that per pupil government spending, inflation adjusted, has quintupled since 1950 while test scores have been stagnant.  

Wolf and Hoople 2006, tried to figure out what caused the improvements in African-American test scores in the DC voucher program.  Surprisingly the most important variable was that the schools where voucher kids went and excelled had fewer facilities and optional programs.  The authors did not anticipate this result and postulated several reasons - it created an 'all for one' atmosphere and focused on education rather than sports or other activities.

I apologize for the exceeding length of this post but I felt it was necessary to understand the current evidence before discussing improvements.  The articles and data were collected with the help of EBSCO.  Also, I tried to avoid any Cato commentary to avoid the semblance of bias.

Do you Tweet?

So who Tweets? If people don't know what that is, it's twittering at www.twitter.com. I don't do it all that much but i think it's pretty cool how you can follow people like Shaq and Steve Nash and a few others and sorta get their thoughts on everyday type of stuff, not to mention hearing what people you actually know are doing and stuff. I guess it's just another way for me to fuck around on the internet and waste my life away, but i have so much fun wasting my life. Anyway, if you're interested i'm on there and so is matt so follow me if you want.

Love, the MMO

I first heard about this game about a year ago and thought the concept art looked amazing, and in fact it looks just like the actual game. It's made by one guy. Can you believe that? I suggest watching it in HD.

Mark's tracks to listen to

Ha! It worked. I used the same program as Gary and i have to say it's pretty cool. I'm not sure when or if i'll ever use it again, but like i said it's pretty neat. I tried to pick as many bands that i think most of you have never heard of, lots of European stuff basically. On with the songs.

Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters--MGMT: I've been listening to this album a lot since i've been over here and i really like it. This is my favorite song from the album, not sure why, just love it.

We Own the Sky--M83: I found this French band last year and really enjoy them. They've got a really 80s sound and remind me a little of Air.

Test Transmission--Kasabian: English band who Matt and i found through FIFA. My favorite song from a good band overall but shit live.

Only this Moment--Royksopp: Another Euro band from Norway who have a great electro sound. Their new album is dropping soon and sounds good. They also do that song on the Geico commericals, Remind me. This is from their live album.

The Laws have Changed--The New Pornographers: A band i'm just getting into that i really like so far. Pretty poppy but my early impressions of the band are good.

Why Are You Looking Grave?--Mew: One of my top 5 bands. From Denmark, awesome live, and getting a new album soon. If you like this song look them up cause they're the best.

Ophelia--Kashmir: A great song from a great band. I've listened to this album so many times and it's totally solid, this is my favorite song from said album.

Newjack--Justice: If you like Daft Punk, look this band up cause it has break neck beats that you can't help but nod to.

And I Was A Boy From School--Hot Chip: You've proly heard this one cause it's pretty popular but i really love this song and the band as well. I still haven't listened to thier new album(like a year old) much, but i will.

My Kingdom--Future Sound of London: I think Gareth would really love this band. I belive this band is done but it's great electro music.

If you want to get into Football, er soccer, now's the time

So as all of you are well aware, i like football, a lot(yes i'm using the european football cause i've lived over here long enough and no longer feel like a poser when using it). I just wanted to give you a few reasons why, if any of you are interested, now is the perfect time to follow the beautiful game as it nears the end of the season. A little side note: when i say football i mean soccer and when i mean soccer i just mean EPL or English soccer. There's so many arguments on the SPL and Serie A and all that but i focus on the EPL and that's where the bulk of my knowledge lies so just bare with me.

Anyway, I've been amazingly lucky this season to be over here. I'm getting more coverage than i ever have before. I haven't been to as many matches as i'd like to have been but work keeps me pretty busy so that i can't go every weekend or anything like that. However, it's like American football in that it takes up most of the sports coverage over here so on any day i get more news about the EPL than you do in a month in the States. I've been to 6 matches so far and hopefully can go to one more before i leave. The best part for me is that this season has been awesome. With that said, i encourage all of you to check soccernet and at least the tables at the end of the weekend to see how the league is shaking out. Some reasons to get into it now:

1. The title race is far from over. While only 2 weekends ago it seemed like Man United would be celebrating yet another title not only domestically but possibly in the Champions leage and FA cup. With the Carling Cup already in their trophy cabinet and the World Club Cup there as well, they're going for an unpresidented quad! That'd be 5 trophies in one season which would be nutty. However, they were beaten badly by Liverpool 2 weekends ago at Old Trafford which has revitalized the title race. That and the fact that Man U went to Fulham this weekend and got beat 2-0 against a team that hadn't beaten them since the 50s, well it seems like the unbeatable are certainly not that. So for the first time in a few years we're going to have a genuine title race with Man U., Liverpool only 1 point behind, and Chelsea 4 points behind Man U. Needless to say, the last few weeks of the prem should be interesting with 3 teams so close to each other at the top of the standings. On form alone i'd say that Liverpool could have a real chance of catching Man U. and ending their long drought without a domestic trophy. However, with 2 weeks off due to international fixtures the momentum that Stevie G. and the reds have built up is going to go away. It's not really fair but i think Man U. will come back resettled and refocused for the rest of the season. But who knows, i hope that Liverpool, even though i'm supposed to hate them as an Evertonian, comes back and takes the title.

2. Maybe better than the fight at the top of the table is the fight at the bottom. All season long there has been a nearly 10 team pile up to see who will get religated. At this point, no one can really say who's going down, except for West Brom, but the other 2 spots for religation are wide open between about 7 or 8 squads. There are only 7 points that separate 19th place from 12th place leaving everyone in between these spots as serious and realistic canidates for religation to the Coca-Cola Championship. This is going to leave a serious fight for all these teams to stay up and bring with it some great 6 pointers between religation threatened sides. Another great thing about this bottom of the table pile-up is that there are some big and well established premier league clubs in the mire. Bigger teams with large payrolls like Newcastle and Portsmouth are still in danger of going down making it that much more intersting. Unlike with other American sports, the bad teams in the league still have something to play for rather than trying to tank to get a better draft position. The end of the season race to see who goes down and who stays up should be a close one.

3. I know most of you don't really watch football and don't have a good outlet to watch the matches, but there are some good websites with highlights on them if you wanna catch up on the weekends action. The one i mostly use is http://www.footytube.com/. The best part about highlights is that it cuts out what most people consider boring parts of the game, just giving you all the best chances, yellow card offenses, and of course goals.

Anyway this season has been extremely satisfying for me and i feel really lucky to have been over here for most of it and to actually be immersed in it rather than scraping the internet for information and trying to find matches to watch at 8 in the morning. If you wanna get into football, now is the perfect time.

Conventional Economic Bull

A recent comment by a friend of mine regarding John Stossel's recent 20/20 special 'Bailouts and Bull' got me thinking about this subject.  In his special, Stossel (though in his sometimes annoying way) questions the imperative tone government is taking on the economy - as in 'we must' do so and so.  And my friend considered his idea, that market corrections and a little pain are good things, as the epitome of rude.  So I wanted to examine some of the statements and assumptions commonly made by the government and media with you guys and in a Socratic way come to the truth as it were.  Here we go:

Worst financial crisis since Great Depression - Right now I understand we have 0% inflation and 8% unemployment.  The entire 70's and 80's were worse than that so I think that assertion is out off the bat.

Stimulus packages work - I have never heard of a stimulus package that has.  FDR's was debunked by Friedman and Japan's is a walking cautionary tale

Government action helps - I don't see how this could be.  How can a bureaucracy allocate capital more efficiently that a market system? And it takes at least a year for fiscal policy to enter the system, much too late to help.  It is more likely to overcorrect like what happens when pilots get caught in a resonance wave in a thunder storm.

Reduced regulation caused this - Glass Seagal was repealed during Clinton years and as far as I understand that was the only major regulation reduction in recent history.  The federal register has ballooned instead.  The bank crises of the late 1800's usually were corrected by individual banks with months when there was a complete lack of regulation too.

Deflation is bad - Who says?  It was the way of the world for the past couple thousand years before fiat monetary systems right?  The only positives about inflation are that it reduces the national debt and allows companies to cut wages without anyone knowing.

Falling house prices are bad - They rise and fall all the time in Hong Kong according to a friend of mine and thats a pretty healthy economy.  Ta boot homes are a terrible investment return wise anyways I would think (i'm guessing 5% annually).  Better to put extra capital in a higher returning company (S&P averaged 12% before this debacle)

More government education is needed.  We're spending over 11k a student on average for k-12 kids in public education according to stossel.  I know kids who went to preppy private schools for 3k a year.  Sounds like we're over paying for public school.

Gov can help right businesses too big to fail - They want GM and Chrysler to lead the world in fuel economy in order to become solvent again.  Uh that makes no sense.  As oil prices (except for 2007-2008) are the lowest they've been this century, that would be a stupid business decision.  The House as I write this also just voted to impose punitive taxes on AIG bonuses. If the company hadn't been nationalized it wouldn't matter and furthermore if they don't pay top level people they'll quit and then where is the company?  Better to just stay out of it.

I know I've probably been rambling here, but I'm seriously wondering what I'm missing.  Either all the knowledge and modes of thinking I have are flawed or we're being bamboozled by someone or something.  

So please let me know where I'm wrong here

Trailer for new game by The Behemoth

The Behemoth - Game #3 Trailer from The Behemoth on Vimeo.

What the H is going on there? Is it a co-op platformer or a Smash Bros. fighter? Or an opera. It's supposed to come out in '10 but Castle Crashers was delayed a ton so I'll take that with a grain of salt. I hope online play isn't as glitchy as the other.

Fallout 3: The Pitt: The Trailer

Click through the title for the HD version. Hopefully this is more like the regular game than the more combat oriented Operation Anchorage. Shooting two enemy types over and over again gets a little tiring. But Lorddamnit, what I really want is the level cap raised!

Muzak: Drew's Track Pack

Here's my list of 10 songs, with a Jared-like description next to each one.

Moth by Ours - This is probably my favorite band and favorite song of theirs at the moment. The lead singer has a crazy range, probably comparable to Matt Bellamy.

Needle in the Hay by Elliott Smith - Just a great acoustic and depressing song about a junkie needing his fix. It's also the song in the Royal Tenenbaums when Luke Wilson tries to commit suicide.

Sunshine by John Murphy - This is the main theme song in the movie Sunshine. It really is epic and I want it played when/if I ever die.

Soldier's Poem by Muse - I think everybody here knows Muse, but just had have them on here. This song rules and I'm in the process of making a music video for it.

Timebomb by Old 97's - Finally an upbeat song on my list! I think they are technically a country band, so I guess they are my only exception thus far of "all country sucks."

Kill Monsters in the Rain by Steel Train - Really weird how I found them. I was on wikipedia looking at Arrested Development, which lead me to look at the actors and their upcoming projects, which lead me to Maebe (whatever her real name is), which led me to find out she's dating some dude from the band Steel Train, which I found out was about to play on Conan after a commercial break. Boom.

The Day the World Went Away by Nine Inch Nails - This is the song from the Terminator Salvation trailer. It's an alright song, but in context of the movie, it rules. Notice how any NiN song in any trailer = completely badass trailer.

Four Winds by Bright Eyes - My fried got me to listen to this band a couple days ago. They kinda sound like Modest Mouse, so I thought I'd put em up here.

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley - After watching Watchmen, I started listening to this song again. It is a much more personal version of it and way better than the original, in my opinion.

A new frontier for video games in the media: Jimmy Fallon!?

So, this story about how Jimmy Fallon, who recently took over for Conan's old time slot on NBC, is going to quote "treat game debuts like movie premiers" has really piqued my interest. There was some talk about it on last week's ListenUP podcast, and their big question was who were they going to have on the show to talk about these games? Are they going to show a trailer for the game? Demo the game for a few minutes on the show? There are so many possibilities here. Everybody on ListenUP seemed very skeptical to the idea of having some of the people from the development side of things on the show simply because there aren't many big name developers out there who you could put on a show like that.

You know what though? I think that's something the gaming industry is missing, and something that this Jimmy Fallon show could help fill in. First off, I think there are plenty of compelling developers to have on the show to talk about their games...guys like Cliff Blezinski, David Jaffe, Dylan Cuthbert, and so on, not to mention all the amazing Japanese developers who I've seen have fascinating discussions about their games. I mean, could you imagine how awesome it would be have Hideo Kojima on a US talk show talking about Metal Gear? Suda 51? The arrogant and lecherous Itagaki? This isn't even mentioning having people on who we could then start hearing more from because they were on the show, because they got exposure. I just hope they don't take the easy way out, as one of the guys on the podcast suggested, and have like the cover athlete from the new Madden on the show, or something like that...that's a total cop-out. If they're going to have this guy on and other geeky types, which it sounds like they're going to and I think is fantastic, then why not some of the men and women behind these games that millions of people love?

It's time for the gaming industry to have the luminaries who work behind the scenes recognized for their achievements and creative visions, just like directors of movies have been enjoying for decades.

(Also, um...the Jimmy Fallon Show house band is...The Roots!?!? What!? That's awesome! Questlove in the house! Is that going to be a permanent thing?)

Gareth's Song Picks

I’m trying this alternative to the playlist app Jared is using currently. It seems to have a better library of music and it definitely has a better search and UI. I don’t listen to much new music so it wasn’t easy making a list of songs I really liked, that were representative of my tastes as a whole and at the same time were fresh or unknown enough to be interesting to other people.

Oxygene 2 – Jean Michel Jarre
Nothing new, but listening to Oxygene 4 on GTA IV the other day reminded me of this which I like just as much if not more.

Magellan – Mike Oldfield
I recently discovered this guy. This track is from the album The Songs of Distant Earth which he composed to be a score of sorts to Arthur C. Clarke’s novel of the same name. I love Electronica like this that gives a feeling of exploring a distant planet or coasting through a nebula in a spacesuit. Another artist like this is Mark Dwane who I could not find in this or any library. All his music is composed entirely on MIDI guitar and his first album, titled The Monuments of Mars, was inspired by the first photos of the planet taken by the Viking probe.

Endless Wire [Extended Version] – The Who
Their recent album of the same name was pretty good. This is the best song on it.

Mohammed’s Radio – Warren Zevon
This one is from the late 70s but I really like Warren Zevon and I’m not sure if many are familiar with him.

Code Monkey – Jonathan Coulton
The darling of internet music, he’s pretty darn popular but I’m curious as to how much of his music you’ve heard. He has many recognizable and funny songs, this is one of the best. Also of note: Re Your Brains, Still Alive, and Chiron Beta Prime.

Above – Blue Man Group
Not only do they put on a good show, but they make really cool music with weird objects. Plus they did a techno mix of the X-Files theme.

It’s a Dream – Neil Young
In the album Prairie Wind, the third album in a trio along with Harvest and Harvest Moon, it’s a call back to his quite country sound. And that voice… Fried knows what I’m talking about.

Beautiful World – Colin Hay
The lead singer of Men at Work. An upbeat song from Going Somewhere. The alternate version on Man at Work is even more upbeat.

Copperline – James Taylor
A great James Taylor song you don’t hear on the radio all the time. Awesome road music.

Kaneda – Geinoh Yamashirogumi
From Akira, a primal, energetic, evocative number that works to embody the power of a god. This is up there along with all the movie score greats. Also, it’s good for kicking the shit out of a rival biker gang.

Is Battlestar Galactica Sexist?

My favorite Science Fiction blog io9.com has an insightful article discussing the roles of gender in BSG and whether or not Feminist ideals are represented. I thought it noteworthy enough to recommend here.

Watchmen

I went to the midnight showing at Century and got there an hour early which I guess wasn't early enough because apparently they let people into the theater long before I got there. As a result I sat down in the bottom few rows. I was in the center so the viewing angle wasn't that bad, I just wasn't at the optimum distance. And of course we got the usual dregs of society as theater mates, it being the debut of the latest Hollywood spectacle and all.

I thought the movie was good. Not great. Not anywhere near as great as the book. How could it be? Being confined to under three hours makes that basically impossible. But even the three hour ten minute director's cut probably won't satisfy either. Even putting aside the elements unique to graphic novels that are impossible to transplant, you still have the problem of the shear length and breadth of story and information vital to the work. Truncated, this story is a shadow of what it once was. A shadow that gets part of the point across in an entertaining way, but a shadow nonetheless. I think it would have done better as a miniseries on HBO or something.

Warning! Thar be spoilers in the comments...

Trailers! (or, in space no one can hear you shoot a Thompson)

I'm not sure how excited I should be about this first one. Called Pandorum, it's a horror movie in space--the best kind--with something about saving mankind. There's nothing special about the director or writer as far as I can tell, but Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid are in it so I'll probably give it a look.


Here's the important trailer release this week. Public Enemies. 1930s gangster John Dillinger played by Johnny Depp, pursued by Christian Bale, Directed by Michael Mann. Also, guns. What more does a human need?

The Return of the Yard Dog

I've been watching basketball for some time now. Everyone knows I'm a fan of the Lakers, and a large reason I became such fervent fan was The Diesel. Shaq. The Big Catcus. Superman (you can't just steal that name from Shaq Daddy, Dwight!). Man of Steel. On and on the nicknames go. He was an act of God in the paint. Even the "hack-a-Shaq" defense didn't phase him. He was just so damn powerful and big that centers across the league simply became a prison yard bitch for-- at the time-- number 34. In addition, when he started his career, Shaq dominated and humilated even future legends like Hakeem, Robinson, and Ewing.

But the past couple of years... well, Shaq has become semi-geriatric on the court. Slow to get up. Slow to rebounds. No spring in his step. No dynamite in his legs. It's depressing to watch Shaq decline. I never really realized how much I like Shaq until after watching a game last year where he struggled to take care of business. I saddened. I almost couldn't watch an idol and defining player like Shaq just not play like he should be. I missed him just barrelling through the lane to dunk on some tool... or not because everyone got the fuck out of the way. But that seems to be changing some.

After watching him light up the Lake Show, calling Chris Bosh the RuPaul of basketball, and playing better than Dwight Howard, an emerging force in his own right; my faith is being restored. It feels good to know the rightful order of the universe is slowing returning for Shaq. I love seeing the fear in centers return because they know they are going home bruised after the game. I like that analysists are back to talking about how teams will handle O'Neal. Now, I want to see him perform. The All-Star game showed he still has some in the tank, but the last week or so has proven it.

I only hope the amazing Phoenix staff (see links below) can keep Shaqtus moving at this pace. It's funny that Shaq said he never wanted to stay passed his welcome in the NBA. It's hard for me to imagine basketball without the Diesel. Even if his movies never were that good (same for the albums-- which I have by the way hehe), he's always been an amazing entertainer. I just don't see anyone picking up the torch of being the whole package like he is. Maybe, some new rookie will appear and shock the NBA back to life after Shaq retires. Maybe. But in the mean time...

I missed you big guy-- even if you aren't on my team anymore.

Here's some articles for more detail on this:

http://slamonline.com/online/nba/2009/01/shaqs-revival/

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/03/03/thomas.shaq.20090303/index.html

T4 Trailer

Click the title link for a slightly crisper version. Here's the new sweetness from Terminator Salvation. An interesting little twist I was unaware of with the beginning of the machines' use of [engage Ahnud voice] CYBERNETIC ORGANISMS [disengage] and the ramifications of such a tactic. This and the new Trek trailer are playing in front of Watchmen this weekend. I'm going to the midnight showing on Thursday with a bunch of REI people. I hope no one dresses up as Dr. Manhattan...

Muzak: Week 3

Back with another addition!

Green Eyes by Discover America: I actually discovered this band at the same concert I fell in love with MuteMath. Funny, they drove over 24 hrs straight from Seattle to make the show, and the lead singer was so tired he forgot the words to a song. He just apologized and asked for a beer. Good times.

End of the World by Armor For Sleep: So, I've known about these guys forever. Seen them. Talked with them. Good guys. This is off their latest album, but their other stuff is definitely good if you enjoy that style.

Minerva by Deftones: Yeah, yeah. This has been out for long time, and everyone has probably heard it. It just popped in my head the other day and would not go away! Still good...

Rainbow by G. Love & Jack Johnson: Typical style of these two. Just a damn happy song. I can't help but feel better after listening to this song.

Leave by Glen Hansard: Easily one of the most emotional songs I've ever heard. If you haven't seen Once, I recommend you check it out. A very... subtle movie with a great soundtrack.

Anhedonia by The Graduate: These guys are kinda dance/pop rock. I wanted to put up Interlude but couldn't find it. Oh, well. Lyrics are kinda blah, but I enjoy the music.

Paris by Groove Armada: This song isn't necessarily typical of them. They really push more into club soundtrack, but this song has a nice feel to it.

Lately by Helio Sequence: Again, this song just popped into my head the other day. Nice, chill band in the vein of indie rock and Coldplay.

It's Always Better by I Hate Kate: I know this band is pretty popular in the Midwest (from what I hear), so I don't know if you've heard of them. A fun, fun song. Like I said in a comment: sometimes I just need to hear a fun song!

Waves by Jay Dilla/Jay Dee: Undoubtedly, you've probably heard this song on an AdultSwim buffer. He's a DJ by trade and does some occasional rapping. Beforewarned: Jay Dee has some awesome instrumental albums with great samples, but his albums with rapping are TERRIBLE. Just warning you not to judge him on these albums.

Questions? Comments? Good.

A Terrifying Vision of the Future

Do you guys really think that the things Simmons is predicting here will come true?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090227

I really want to just dismiss many of his bold predictions as untrue, but as Simmons often does, he backs up his points with extensive research and convincing anecdotes and sources and historical precedence. Do you think some NBA teams are going to go under? Do you think that, as he claims, 2 or 3 or more teams will be forced to relocate? What about the claim that 15 NHL teams will go under? Most importantly, do you think we have an unavoidable lockout coming in a couple years?

I hope he's wrong, I really do.

Blind Politics

As many of you know, President Obama gave his first address to Congress a little bit ago. I watched part of it, but I couldn't bring myself to watch all of it because listening to politicians is as entertaining as watching pubic hair curl. Regardless, I was sitting with my dad when he mentioned he doesn't like Obama or what he's trying to accomplish. I asked him why he wouldn't want someone to succeed who's in a position to possibly jump-start our economy (sooooo many people use the word "fix" like the economy can simply be repaired like a car... dumb)? My dad paused and said, "Well, when you put it that way, I guess, I want Obama to succeed even though I didn't vote for him." My dad immediately followed that statement with: "He's going to be a one-term President."

Most people who lose any election want the opposition who won to fail, or at least, this is what I can gather from various media sources and friends/family I've spoken with. This makes no sense to me, and this is also a reason I hate our political system, which is completely reliant on partisan opposition. I understand questioning the government. My dad was doing the same while watching President Obama's speech. I do the same no matter what's going on. But in the end, don't we want those who are elected to succeed? It would seem those who lost elections are so bitter and hell-bent on stopping those that won. Why? People have disagreements. Granted. But when our economy is in such a state as it is, wouldn't it make a little more sense to stop bitching that you lost and start working out the differences?

This creates constant counters (alliteration is fun!) to anything coming from the winning party. If candidate A gets elected, wouldn't those who voted for candidate B want candidate A to succeed? I can understand the reasons why people wouldn't, but it just irritates me to no end! Do I think Obama was good choice? Naw. Do I think McCain would've been better? Naw. But now that Obama's in office, I would like him to succeed because he's THE PRESIDENT OF MY COUNTRY. Wishing him to fail is like wishing for me to fail. Argue against him. Protest him. Do whatever makes you feel like you're fufilling your obligation as a citizen. But flatout hoping your country's leader will fuck up makes no sense.

Personally, I oppose President Obama's (and Congress') huge, rediculous "stimulus" package a.k.a pork bill. But does that mean I don't want it to succeed now that it is going to be enacted? No. I realize that spending is going to happen whether I disagree or not, so why not put some confidence in it? People need to oppose things they don't believe in. I get that especially if it's something really is going to harm a lot of people. But I honestly see no point in bitching over a bill that doesn't affect civil liberties in anyway (that I can see...) and is only trying to improve the state of living for everyone. You may disagree, as I do, with the way in which this stimulus package is going to operate, but the fact remains: it's going to happen. Might as well hope it works, right?

I know this post is a rant, and there are some holes in it. But I had to get that off my chest.

Trilogy Meter

This chart seems to be making the rounds through the weberscape and it's worth mentioning. Pretty cool concept, visualising your enjoyment of movies that way. Most of his evaluations I agree with, with a few exceptions. Matrix 2 and 3 should be way higher. I thought I like Reloaded better than Revolutions but I just rewatched them on Blu-ray and that battle scene inside the city of Zion looks incredible so I might put Rev above Reload. Star Trek doesn't really belong on there because the series has way too many other movies that matter. Nonetheless, I would ratchet 2 up a little higher and then put 1 right under it. Jurassic Park deserves to be higher, no questions. Lord of the Rings is basically spot on. I think Blade should tower over Blade 2, which admittedly wasn't bad. Terminator should be a little higher. And finally, Aliens 3 deserves much better than that. I really liked that one. Are there any other trilogies that should be on there? I can't think of anymore.

Your two cents (yen...)

Matt, you mentioned the PS9 in a comment, and this got me thinking: what would you like to see most on the next-generation of consoles? Now, I'm not talking better graphics or something we know companies are going to do anyway (online gaming, increased HD support, etc.). I'm talking about something nobody is doing right now that you would like to see! Even if the idea is completely far-fetched (but technologically feasible, please), put it up!

For me, I'd like to have cross-platform online play, the ability to plug-and-play any mouse and keyboard setup (you know they could!!), have the ability to actually see what your friends are playing-- a glimpse, if you will-- and have the ability to make old-school 2D games on your computer and then transfer them to your console of choice.

Again, don't worry about if it would never happen or "There's no way ______ would allow that to happen!" Just say what you would like if the world revolved around you. It could happen!

*guitar riff* McWORLD!!!!!

Muzak: Week 2

Alright, I think I'll start doing a rundown of the music I put up each week. I'm thinking I'll try to put up ten new tracks every Sunday, and then I'll give a brief synop of the artists or songs.

The Offbeat by FLYamSAM: I don't really know anything about FLYamSAM. They are a featured artist on Ghostly Artists record company. I recommend checking them out further there.

The Funeral by Band of Horses: A heartfelt band that mixes country and indie. The lead singer looks like a lumberjack. You may have heard them on a Ford commercial awhile back. This song is lyrically intense.

Sowing Season (Yeah) by Brand New: Nothing they do is really brand new perse, but this song has and always will make me want to kick some ass! They have fairly unique guitar riffs and lyrics, but they are not always able to escape completely from their emo/screamo breathren.

Hearts on Fire by Cut Copy: I know I tried showing the Everharts these guys a long time ago, but I think Mark has finally caught the Cut Copy fever. Nothing too original here, but they simply are a great-fun-dance band. Dig it, bitch.

SPACE HO's by Danger Doom: What is there to say about Danger Doom? They are the shit for hip hop. Great beats. Funny and entertaining lyrics. Good voice. Man. They are really good. Might've heard them on NBA 2K9-- Sofa King, anyone?

Ride by Cary Brothers: Famous for Blue Eyes on the Garden State soundtrack. This entire album (and their body of work) sound exactly like Garden State. Not necessarily bad. Very chill, of course, with a side of light techno beats interlaced.

1878 by Dear Hunter: Alright, so I really dig this band. Instruments are great. They have two albums. The first (Act 1: ...) follows the life and death of a young man. Intriguing, no? Oh, did I mention almost the entire first album was made by one man?

Hard Sun by Eddie Vedder: Um, how can someone not long EV? I'm not sure. This is from the Into the Wild soundtrack that he made. Amazing, amazing...

If You're Into It by Flight of the Conchords: Most people already know these guys. I find you love or hate them. Personally, I love 'em. BOWIE!

Home by Foo Fighters: Dave Grohl really has a knack for writing ballads. This song is simple and powerful.

Well, I know I can't please all of you, but you always have the option to turn off the music. :P

Lefties

On Friday, I watched the Pacers vs. Wolves game at the Target Center...by no means was it pretty with Al Jefferson, Danny Granger, and Mike Denleavey out, but I did notice one bright spot. Was anybody else aware that Troy Murphey is averaging like 14 pts and 11 rebounds a game? The guy's 5th in the league in rebounding, and he hits two threes a game! He played great, but beyond that, I noticed something else about him. He's a lefty.

So, along with watching famous Laker lefties Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher warm up before tonight's Wolves vs. Lakers game, I got to thinking about what an all-lefty NBA all-star team would look like.

First off, let's look at some of the best left-handers in the league.

Obviously the two big names who most people know are lefties are Chris Bosh and Michael Redd. Redd is one of the best spot-up shooters in the league and has an underrated ability to drive the lane as well; he's a pure scorer. Chris Bosh, of course, is one of the best power forwards in the league. Both are gold medalists for team USA.

I already mentioned Odom and Fisher, the Lakers' lefty duo who are so critical to the team's success. Fisher runs the triangle as well as anybody who Phil Jackson coached; it's no coincidence that the Lakers started playing way better when he returned to the team in 2007. Odom is the Lakers' x-factor. When he plays well, as he's been doing since Bynum went down, the team is nearly unbeatable. He's a big, athletic guy who's long on defense, can get you 20 rebounds, and hit threes.

Troy Murphey surprised and impressed me when I saw him in-person. Now, he's pretty awful on defense, and he was 1-for-6 on shots inside the three-point arc weirdly enough, but he had a double-double by halftime and was lights out from three. His lefty stroke is beautiful for a tall, gangly white guy.

Now, onto some guys I hadn't thought of at first. Josh Smith. Smith's blocks per game are down this year, but man, this guy's a freak. Like Odom, he's a versatile athlete. He brings big rebounds, a fierce presence on the defensive end, and all kinds of different things on offense. Smith's big left hand is to be feared in the paint.

Tayshaun Prince, one of my favorite players in the league. Tayshaun Prince is like Mr. Fantastic he's so long. He's a crazy good defender, an underrated (and underutilized) offensive threat, and another USA gold medalist from last summer. I think every single organization in the league wishes they had Prince on their team for what he brings both on the court and for the hard work, dedication, and other intangibles he brings off the court.

Finally, we have one of the deadliest scorers in the world: Manu Ginobili. Oh man, how did I almost forget about GINOBILI! Manu makes absurd layups go in seemingly without effort. He's simply one of the most talented scorers on the planet when he's playing well.

So, to recap, we've got Bosh, Redd, Odom, Fisher, Murphey, Smith, Prince, and GINOBILI. That's a pretty damn nice 8-man rotation. Now here's the question: who should start?

My starting five is Bosh at center, Smith at PF, Prince at SF, Redd at SG, and Fisher at PG. Fisher is a no-brainer because he's really the only pure point guard this team has. Redd is also a no-brainer to start over Ginobili, both because he'd be great along with Bosh's post-up game and Fisher's penetration to get open for threes, and because Ginobili is already used to playing off the bench. I like having Smith start at PF over Odom or Murphey because of how well he plays off other big men coming over from the weak side to get blocks. I also wanted a strong defensive presence like Smith and Prince to back up Redd and Fisher, neither of who are exactly top-teir defensive players (Redd because he's just not, Fisher because he's old). Bosh has seen plenty of time at center even though that's not his position, and honestly, after watching Al Jefferson play center all season when he's "naturally" a power forward, I think Bosh can handle it. Finally, Prince is a strong defensive presence who doesn't need the ball and does all the little things to fill out this starting five.

As for the other three, bring in Odom or Murphey if you need more size to match up with a team like the Lakers. Bring in Murphey and Manu if you want more three-point shooting. Have Manu lead the scoring charge off the bench.

So, what do you guys think? Am I forgetting any other great left handed players in the league?

Of course, this is all kind of absurd speculation. I mean, if we're going to make a left-handed team, we might as well make a right-handed team...but that's basically just naming all the best players in the world who aren't on this list, so LeBron, Kobe, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard...that's my starting five. I guess the righties win again.

A Look at Sony's New Device From The Onion News Network

Boardman might have seen this but it's just too good for no one else to.

New feature!

Hey, so I was thinking our website is a little... quiet. I decided to add a music player. What do you guys think? I can switch out the music every couple of days or something. I'll try to keep it fresh and varied. If you guys don't like the idea, let me know, and it's gone.

Good day, sirs!

The Masochistic Gamer

I'm not entirely sure about the rest of you, but I started gaming when I was three. I grew up with the NES and GameBoy, and besides the obvious graphic and sound differences, today's game just aren't the same breed. What I mean by this is simple: today's games, for the most part, are quite easy. Even a lot of games with "expert" or "hardcore" modes really are not that difficult. There are some gems for sure like Ninja Gaiden (which really makes me want to replay the original... well, mainly, the third one).

Now, some games I can really get into and want to utterly dominate the hardest settings. God of War I and II being the most recently I've finished that provided a very difficult challenge. Left 4 Dead is next on my list but is proving to be very much dependent on specific play throughs and partners rather than mastering section by section. Anyway. What I would like to know is:

Do you think gaming has gone soft? If so, why? What is the most recent game you absolute had to dominate even though it was so hard you wanted to destroy your TV? Any games you wish you had beaten completely but had to give up? What about a game that wasn't necessarily hard but you made it hard by giving yourself your own challenges?

Around the NBA

A couple clips I found on Truehoop's bullets today that I just have to share with you guys.

First up, we have the D-League dunk contest. Now, when I heard that James White was going to be in this, I made a guess that the D-League dunk contest would be as good or better than the NBA dunk contest. If you guys don't know who James While is already, do yourself a favorite and look up his name on Youtube. The guy makes Jordan's famous free-throw line dunk look like amateur hour. Anyway, Here's all the best dunks from D-League competition. My favorite is White's third dunk over the seated guy. In X-mo, it seriously looks like Hong Kong cinema wire-fu, only he doesn't have any wires. Insane.

Second, we have a really funny video of Chris Paul, Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Magic Johnson, and Bill Russell sitting at a table evaluating Barack Obama's game. Great stuff. I would be so nervous and self-conscious if I was Obama knowing that these legends were watching and analyzing my game!

Lastly, what do you guys think of the Brad Miller to Chicago deal? I've never been a big Brad Miller fan, and I don't like the Bulls right now except for Rose, so I don't really have much to say about this deal. I think overall the Bulls got the better deal because Salmons is a good piece, but they still don't have a low-post scorer like Bosh or Amare, and now they're even more crowded for shooters and scorers wtih Salmons. As for the Kings, I don't even know what they're doing. They have a lot of great young talent, but nothing that screams cohesion, and no one that yells superstar franchise player. I don't know where that team is going.

Worst Band of All Time

The news that Saliva is coming to Oke City for a concert got many of my friends to dog on them as a sub-par band.  Eventually the discussed turned to other 'bad' bands like Hinder and Nickelback.

So here is my question.  What qualities are universally disliked in music?  Is there a set criteria that prevents a band from becoming well liked? Or rather is musical interest fractured like spaghetti sauce preferences and gregorian chants may have actually been cool at the time?  What is your least favorite band?

McGrady Should Retire

I'm just saying.

At this point, after so many surgeries, McGrady essentially has the body of someone 10 years older than him, if not worse. He is a detriment, even a cancer to the success of the Houston Rockets. The dream of Yao and McGrady teaming up to win a title is dead, and Houston needs to recognize that fact and move on. McGrady should be considered a giant 2010 expiring contract and nothing more, because at this point, that's all he is.

I mean, microfracture surgery? At 29, soon to be 30, on knees and legs that have seen more operations than a Trauma Center game?

The most I could ever see him being after this surgery is having a Grant Hill-like comeback...as a roleplayer, playing 20-30 minutes a night, and being more of a locker room guy than an on-the-court presence.

The Big Legendaries

It was amazing to see Kobe and Shaq work it during today's All-Star game. That third quarter spurt with the two of them playing exactly how they did back in the 2000-2002 Lakers teams gave me a nostalgic giddiness I've never felt before. There was one play in particular when Kobe dribbled it up court, Shaq posted at the top of the foul line and started moving deeper, and Kobe gave him a perfect entry lob pass. Shaq easily overpowered his man and threw it down with authority. Straight of Phil's playbook circa 2000. I think Adande's article over at ESPN summed it up nicely.

Also, Shaq's nutmeg of Dwight Howard, to use a soccer term, has to be one of the best plays of the last few years at the All-Star game, right?

As for who played well or not--as if it matters that much anyway--it was nice to see Brandon Roy get some dunks when we're used to seeing him handle the ball and take jumpers. Chris Paul was the straw the stirred the drink for the West. What's with Yao always playing so stiff during the All-Star game when he has a billion Chinese people voting for him? Dirk and Pau working the two-man game was Euro-tastic. Iverson and Pierce were selfish as usual. What was with Joe Johnson tonight? Maybe he's still getting over that flu that kept him out of the game against the Wolves last week. LeBron had a couple great plays, but didn't really get his teammates involved and didn't get any dunks until the end. Howard looked like he was focusing too much on having fun and not enough on making it a game. The East's lack of a true point guard and lack of depth at center really killed them.

I leave you with The Big Jabbawockee's incredible dancing skills.

ListenUP on Sony's Plight: What can Sony do to Get Back in the Game?

There was an interesting discussion on this week's ListenUP about the plight that Sony finds themselves in re: their poor hardware sales for the PS3. If you think about it, they're really in trouble. They're clearly in "last place" in this generation of hardware compared to the 360 and the Wii. Their machine in the most expensive in a suddenly crappy economy where people are valuing inexpensive products. People are kind of lukewarm on adopting blu-ray as a replacement for DVD, which is especially a problem for the PS3 because the fact that it's also a blu-ray player is a huge selling point. Their hardware lineup of exclusives isn't exactly blowing everybody away. In fact, having a high definition gaming platform period isn't really "in" right now...the Wii is still selling like crazy, and it's obvious that the video game market has changed.

On the podcast, Garnett and the guys talked about how Sony needs to hit the panic button and do something about it...something drastic. I particularly like the idea of going bundle-crazy. It seems to clear to me that they aren't going to just lower the price, and I don't even think that's the right answer, because then they're still going up against the 360 and the Wii, which are both just as cheap and debatably offer more games that people want. I think if you bundle the system, an HDMI cable (why it doesn't come with it in the first place is absurd, they're like $2 on Amazon), 2 controllers, the blu-ray remote, and a couple of games (say, Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet? Or Resistance 2 and Ratchet and Clank? Or go third party and stick in Mirror's Edge and Burnout Paradise?), or a voucher for $50 on the PSN store (for games like Pixeljunk, Wipeout HD, Ratchet and Clank, etc)...that will really move hardware. Like I said earlier, people are valuing, erm, value, and Sony needs to sell that, big time. At this point, it's all they have going for them.

The trouble I see with Sony down the road, is that unlike last generation where Xbox was losing but then came back and did well this time, I don't think Sony will be able to accomplish the same task. Why? Because of the nature of online gaming. Most of the people I know who play games online play almost all of them on their Xbox 360. Next console generation, what do you think people are going to do when they want to play games with their friends? They're going to carry over their Xbox Live friends, especially if the new console plays nice with the old console, so they're going to buy Microsoft's next machine, not Sony's. I don't care if Sony's internet stuff improves and becomes better than Live, people go where their friends are. And right now, that's Xbox.

I think Sony just didn't have enough killer apps that made people get PS3s quick enough. Where was Final Fantasy, God of War, and Gran Tourismo? All absent, all STILL absent. Sony brushed off the FFXIII non-exclusivity thing, but I seriously think that that's going to cost them hundreds of thousands of units, even if the 360 port is shitty. No joke. I knew or saw dozens of people who said, "well I guess I don't have to buy a PS3 now!", when that happened. I even knew some people who went and bought 360s right after that happened because FFXIII on PS3 was the only thing holding them back. And at this point, as great as all their upcoming exclusives look (helloooooo God of War 3!), it's too late.

Now, having said all this, at the end of the day, I don't really care about what companies win out or whose stuff is selling better. I care about good games, good online services, and a system that works well. It just makes me sad that the hardware developer than got me in to console gaming is fading.

(Also, as a note about the blog itself...is anybody besides Gareth and I going to post stuff?)

Escape From City 17

Apparently these guys made this amazing first episode to this miniseries with $500. Now, I'm sure that's not counting camera and computer equipment, but that's still impressive. What's sad is it looks better than probably anything Hollywood can make. I suggest going to the Youtube page and seeing the larger version.

Downloadable Game Love

I actually just a had a little back-and-forth with Pixeljunk head honcho Dylan Cuthbert on Facebook after he posted a cryptic status update about an upcoming expansion for Pixeljunk Eden, and it got me thinking about those Pixeljunk games and downloadable games in general. And hey, it goes along with our poll! Blog synergy at work.

I realized a month or two ago when I was thinking about what my favorite games of 2008 were that at least two or three of them were downloadable titles: Pixeljunk Eden, Penny Arcade Episode 1, and Wipeout HD. That's a really remarkable fact, for a couple different reasons. Here's what I like so much about downloadable games:

1. They're relatively inexpensive compared to standard retail games you buy at a store.
2. You just download the file, and that's that. No packaging, no hassel of going to the store or even waiting for you order to arrive. It's a modern, efficient, and eco-friendly way to get your game on.
3. A lot of these games being delivered are fully fleshed out games. Wipeout HD is a great example...yeah, they recycled courses from the PSP titles, but I hadn't played those, so they were all new to me, and I played the hell out of that game, and it looked AMAZING. This is besides getting actual full games via download, like Burnout Paradise, which is an absurd $20 on PSN for the whole game.
4. In a time of economic crisis and companies who bet on 100% sure things being the only ones who are making money (Activision "exploiting" Guitar Hero, CoD, etc), downloadable titles are currently one of if not the only avenue for creative, innovative, fresh, bold, risky ideas and games to come to fruition. Look at Flower, which I'm downloading right now...what a bizarre concept! But I've heard nothing but good about it, and I can't wait to try it.

I just think downloadable titles are so good for the gaming industry as a whole for all the reasons I stated above.

And getting back to what originally inspired me to mention this, the Pixeljunk series...I just want to applaud what the guys over at Q Games are going again. Pixeljunk Monsters refined the desktop tower defense-style game and made it accessible and fun for console gamers. Mark and I spent hours playing it together in our dorm last year, pointing at the screen for where to build what towers and so on. Pixeljunk Eden was one of my favorite games of last year, and was the most engaging audio/visual experience I've had playing a game since Rez. I'm so excited for Pixeljunk Monsters on PSP, Eden Encore, and Pixeljunk Dungeon (!?) later this year.

I didn't even really touch on some of the great games on the other consoles as well: World of Goo is amazing on Wii or PC, LostWinds is a stylish, innovative platformer on Wii, and there are tons of great downloadable games on 360, both remakes of old things and brand new stuff. Braid? Castle Crashers? Geometry Wars 2?

What do you guys feel about downloadable games? What are some of your favorites and why? What else do you think could be done with downloadable titles like this? Which ones are you excited for this year?