Not too much going on game-wise…
- Hey, remember yesterday’s story about the PS3 being one percent as powerful as the human brain? Okay, so now the same guy is saying that the PS5 will be equally powerful.
- Meanwhile, CBS has an E3 wrap-up which, despite the slightly overly alarmist tone in sections, is easily one of the best mainstream pieces on video games in long whiles. My favorite part:
The video game industry believes that it is being taken more seriously, but it is not. The money that gaming makes is garnering recognition, but the crucial lesson developers and publishers need to learn is that money does not equal maturity.
All we?ve gotten from the moneymaking is MTV specials and businessmen thinking that they understand what video games are about.
If the game industry wants to sit at the adult table, it needs to act like a grown-up and not a speed-freak teenager. Obsessions with sex and violence do not exemplify time-told experience. At the same time, pandering to such obsessions shows nothing but a childish plea for attention.
Now, granted, being obsessed with sex and violence is not exactly unique to video games, but the point is still valid.
- While I generally hate long winded “this is the way game outta be!” rants, even though I sometimes comes close to doing the same, this one here brings up a few interesting points and is actually worth reading. Plus, I really like the idea of a Matlock game.
Which reminds me, I still have to find my old game design proposal for the Charles in Charge RPG back from my Ubi Soft days for Job to prove that I’m not full of it.
- Check this out: a brand new NES! Sorta:
The Generation NEX plays NES & NeoFami (Famicom) games, supports wireless controls (presumably for their own line of wireless NES controllers), and even supports rumble; I’m assuming this features has to be written in for individual title).
I’ve always been interested in getting a NeoFami, so I’m interested, but $60 is rather steep considering the average NeoFami goes for about $30. Also, when I first saw this thing, I thought it was another NES-styled Revolution Photoshops that’s been floating around the net.
- Some (maybe) final E3 stuff: I guess I was wrong about there not being any noteworthy obscure games. Metronome is an adventure game with a heavy emphasis on sound creation and recording. Seems promosing (I do dig the art style). Also, Alien Hominid is apparently coming to the GBA (at least), which is great news. But what would even be better is if they add diagonally shooting this time around…
Oh, and here’s the entire Spore presentation is now online. Also available and worth checking out is a presentation from Masaya Matsuura, whom most people don’t know about, but was a key figure behind PaRappa the Rapper and Vib Ribbon.
And speaking of, I’m (finally) putting the final touches on my interview with Rodney Greenblat for Gamasutra, so that should be live sometime next week, hopefully.
- And one last IC related item: thanks to them, I was just made aware of Gamer Br, a Brazilian documentary on its gaming scene. Other than the fact that it was heavy into the Sega Master System well after it was dead elsewhere in the world, I know next to nothing about the Brazilian gaming scene, plus I’m a sucker for documentaries in general, so I’m downloading it right, and so should you.
- As for other real world stuff, I came across a shitload of YTMND’s relating to easily the worst thing ever to come out of the new Star Wars trilogy, with my personal fave being this one, followed by this one. Oh, and this one is sorta neat.
Hey, its been a slow day at work, okay?
Plus, here’s a really awesome pic of folks dressed up for Episode 3 courtesy of a nice guy who does comics that I met at last year’s SPX:
- So that story about the lion mutilating the 42 midgets in Cambodia keeps popping up all over the place. In fact, I’m still getting emails about it from friends and acquaintances about every other day. Like that other fake BBC report about the mosquitos that turn folks into zombies, its never gonna die.
Last week, Joe, whom I passed along the link to a short while back (since he loves anything related to little people), told me that Howard Stern was talking about the story under the assumption that it was real, and I thought about the notion of calling him in and setting the record straight.
Though I can’t blame anyone for being fooled since it does look totally legit. Its getting harder and harder to tell what’s fake or not. For example, Jay sent this a while ago and I still can’t figure out if this sex offender is real or not. Either or, good God! And even though I sorta think it’s fake, for some reason, I really don’t want it to be.
Again, slow day at work.
