Ahead of its Time?

That's right! That game is "Steel Battalion", a game that could have been three years too soon. It was an X-Box exclusive from Capcom that baffled both the press and mech fans alike, mainly because of the $199 price tag.

I still remember when I walked into Toys R' Us in Times Square, NYC to drop my well earned Christmas cash. Years later I could reminisce that the game was only okay at best. Thankfully, I'll always have a reminder courtesy of YouTube.

Incredibly Edible Contraptions, Or Things That I Read Today

It's funny, I just don't read books anymore. And I bet I know what you're thinking, "Well, how is that funny." Well dear reader, it just is (or maybe a better position is ironic). Actually it's because there was a time, a very long time ago, that I did read books instead of repulsive, grammatically incorrect articles and poorly written blog post. In fact, everyday I find new subscriptions for my RSS Reader and I try, vainly, to keep up with a ridiculous amount of content.

Today, I decided to stray from my typical web surfing routine, and I started a fascinating book edited by one of my favorite writers, the one and only Clive Thompson.

Clive's been featured in many relevant science and culture compilations as one of the best technology writers in the business. He's submits stuff all the time for Wired and the New York Times. The book, titled, "The Best Technology Writing of 2008", is really a who's who of some of the most talented science writers. These diligent folks record the effects of technology on our daily live, and then feed it back to us without the tech speak that invades so much science writing.

"What can we do with our strange new powers" is an interesting position Clive takes when he describes some of the articles featured as part of the introductory chapter.

Now before you start getting antsy, I can assure you this isn't a book review or some personal critique on the book. I get to do that sort of thing at a different job. Plus, I'd never try to waste your time that way, or mine for that matter. I just like to look back at the stuff I read, or experience. Just like I do with games.

The first chapter introduced me to Dave Arnold, a master engineer that builds some of the coolest culinary gadgets in the restaurant business.

David helps master chefs experiment with new and exciting gadgets that can introduce a plethora of tasty experiences the next time you visit a fancy restaurant in New York City. He works mainly with the extraordinary Wylie Dufresne.

Check out the video below for more on the type of work David does.

Ending the Silence

Sadly, it's been weeks since I've posted anything on this blog.

My recent silence was for two very specific reasons: a) I've been trying to figure personal things out, and b) I moved to a much nicer (a.k.a. bigger/cleaner/incredible) space. Remember folks, I've been out here on the west coast for over a year, so it was due time for an upgrade from my previous misery-filled cubby hole of a room. Plus, my new roommates are fabulous! Even though they are all non-gamers, they've adapted to my quirky habits, eventually joining me on a few occasions.

I have to say that taking time off did me a whole lot of good. I got to enjoy "Too Human", despite the enormous amount of hate the game received two months ago. I also finished Quantic Dream's "Indigo Prophesy" - a game that sounds like a much cooler experience when you replay it, or if you share your experiences in some sort of group discussion. I've done neither, and the game's ending did disappoint like most games do, but there were still plenty of things I enjoyed in this game, particularly the character development.

I didn't expect to enjoy this game when I discovered you can control four central character's in the story. Blame other games I've played where it ended up as very cut, copy, and paste. Surprisingly, this system lead to some interesting discoveries for me. It felt like I was trying to play mental chess against myself. The game forces you would hide the evidence from yourself, and then try to find it again.

Take the opening murder sequence, as an example. You can choose to clean up the mess and hide the murder weapon, only to return an examine the crime scene later as a completely different character. You're role is transferred, as you attempt to catch yourself, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure if I'm just getting too old for this sot of thing, but I have to admit that I found this story-telling mechanic astounding, even if it felt very point-and-click-adventure-ish (an obvious influence for the design team).

I'd like to write some more about it one day, but my recent obsession with RockBand 2 stands in the way. Here are a few other notable things that happened (either to me or on the web) while I was away:

- Variety's Ben Fritz spoiled the shit out of one special enemy in the Force Unleashed. Great article, but shame on you Ben. Shame.

- I finished "Bionic Commando: Rearmed", my personal favorite downloadable game of the year (so far, anyway).

- John Davison made a critical statement about the relevance of reviews to an average consumer over on his personal blog and What They Play.

- I went to PAX 2008 and saw a lot of games and even more gamers.

- The new season of the 1UP Show has a very creative opening title segment you can't help but love. Seriously kids, you should be watching this every week. This week, the crew checks out Bionic Commando (not Rearmed, the other one), Spore, and a possible late great title from Sega, Yakuza 2.

Catching Up

I've got a bit of catching up to do as its been a while since I posted anything in this space. It isn't for lack of trying, I've just been really busy.

But I will be posting some stuff from my hotel. Possibly a last hurrah, but I'm still uncertain (conflicted or whatever).

More information coming soon.

Trimming the Fat

My video game shelf is getting a bit crowded. Maybe it's all the darn peripherals (Wii Wheel, Wii Fit, Wii Zapper, and Rock Band), but its time to weed out the crap that's slowly slipped into my collection. So this month the axe is comes down and seven games are on the chopping block (perhaps eight).


Goodbye and Good riddance!

On the Way Out:
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Xbox 360) - I reviewed this controversial title last year for Gamehelper.com, back when we did reviews.
Bully: Scholarship Edition (Xbox 360) - Completely mislead by my nostalgic love of the PS2 original. Although gamers everywhere cried foul when this up-rezed port showed plenty of freezes and gameplay hiccups, the later patches Rockstar and Mad Doc released corrected those issues. The port still looked bad, with inconsistent art direction and served as proof positive that developers can't just up the resolution on a next gen game and consider their job done.
Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360) Played it last fall, finished it and slowly realized I'll never play it again. The magic wore off this one pretty quick.
Timeshift (Xbox 360) Sadly, still wrapped in shrink wrap. Never played it.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)
Resident Evil masquerading as House of the Dead. Not a bad game, but not a very memorable one, either.
Frequency (PS2)
As a fan of all things Harmoix, I bought this game hoping I could revisit the magic of the 'old days'. But playing Frequency through an upscaled PS3 on an HD television was not a formula for success. Instead, the timings on the notes were impossible thanks to unfamiliar HDTV refresh rates. There's no way to fix it either.
Animal Crossing (Gamecube) I bought the DS version, and I'd rather play it on the go.
Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) Completely heinous emo-swordplay wankery at it's finest. Fun for five minutes and then it's gone. I'm only sad because I really wanted to love this one. Oh, and dice games as a prelude to the final boss equals fail.
Unreal Tournament III (PS3) The first console game to support custom user generated content. But I kept hoping I could use the Gears of War mods in single player so I could fool myself into enjoying this bloated shooter. Oh, and playing as Master Chief (thanks mod community) didn't save it for me, either.

Undecided:
Mario Kart Wii (Wii) "Mario Kart: Double Dash" was better. Really, it was.

Every few months I'll focus on making this a regular practice. Who knew spring cleaning in August was so refreshing.

Balancing Act - Or Day One of Playing with Wii Fit

It's 4 a.m. in San Francisco, and while I struggle with yet another sleepless night, I can't help but marvel at today's turn of events.

As I found myself awake last night (again), I spent most of the night reading up on Nintendo's leap into the world of family fitness. This leap is something that I've always been curious about both a gamer and a guy who likes to try interesting things. But alas, it seems that the older I get, the more i become agitated with my lack of healthy habits. I don't like jogging, I hate sweating, and I've been blessed with a fast metabolism that's slowly slowing down the closer I get to 30. Instead of fruits, salads, and the occasional jogs, I wallow in my unhealthy state, blindly convinced that it will never get the best of me.

Who am I kidding? But maybe the fact that I dwell on it is proof that it's affecting me, right now. But rather than get all esoteric and bore you with some psychoanalytical thinking, I'll just get to the point - I bought "Wii Fit" today.

There, I said it.

Now before you close this browser and stamp off, convinced that I've finally lost my marbles (or the few that I had to begin with), here me out: First, I don't believe that Wii Fit is designed to make you more slender or physically fit than I do any other contraption that you see on late night television. You know, the pills, clothes, or DIY workout stations that fit in your closet, guaranteeing new ways to lose weight, or your money back (incidentally, I wonder if anyone has ever actually sacked up and confessed that one of those products didn't, demanding their refund and scowling with contempt for their delusional short-comings). Anyway,...


The reason that I bought "Wii Fit" wasn't for the promise that I'll lose weight (or get fit), but the motivation to try and be more conscious, and hopefully do something about it. Maybe this is the same thing that motivates people to sign up for the nearest gym, or read tons of books on healthy practices they can enjoy during their everyday life. Regardless if this over priced bathroom scale becomes nothing more than a $90 dust magnet, it still one step closer to me actually doing something about this gut that's growing between my chest and my mid-section (you know, the area formerly known as my stomach).

Plus, I've got bigger regrets than a measly $90 bucks. Like the time I bought "Steel Battalion", and slowly watched my geek cred rise like it was inflated stock (that thing sat in the closet for months after I played the game for a two weeks straight). Was it awesome? Yes, but was it worth it? Absolutely not.

It just feels so bizarre to me that I even own this product. I mean just read how awkward my gaming tonight was: I returned to "Soul Caliber IV" and vanquished another three floors of computer generated scum and villany. I fired up a quick session of "Halo 3" co-op campaign, and relived my favorite moment battling the four-legged Scarab Tank. Oh, and I started my first night of "Wii Fit" at 2:30 a.m.

See what I mean. It sounds so bizarre!

But even if I know the concept of Wii Fit helping me lose weight is a placebo effect at it's best, I'm still curious enough to give it a shot. Yeah, it's a lot different than the stuff I normally seek from my games, but isn't that why I play games in the first place - to try new and exciting things that I normally don't do. That could be solving mysteries as the curious Professor Layton, terrorizing the busy street of Paradise City. These are still fun things to me, and maybe I can weave Wii Fit into that gaming diet.

But what really concerns me right now is: Is anybody playing Wii Fit, right now? June sales data shows that "Wii Fit" sold half of what it did in May, that's the debut month in case that seems unreasonable. But my concern is that I hardy see any of Wii Fits impact in the stuff I read daily.

Are supply problems holding this back because the Wii system is still averaging insane numbers mother to month?


Couch Potatoe, Confirmed
Maybe a month from now I'll still be playing "Wii Fit"? Or maybe I'll just give in to real excercise and get a bike?

Game Diary - August 9, 2008

Shamefully, I haven't had a single entry in this game diary for weeks. And that isn't due to a lack of playing games. I've just been a little too burned out to write about them. I'd try and play catch up, but there really isn't a point to focusing on the games I've played in the past few weeks. Instead, I'll just focus on today.

So downloadable games have my undivided attention thin month. And I'm totally fine with that considering the quality level. Last week, mentioned how infuriating it was for me to play Geometry Wars 2. But instead of seeking out anger management classes, I just took some time off and played it today for the first time since. Kyle Orland, of Joystiq, is still beating the crap out of my scores, but I'll live. And I even came close to topping him today, twice.

The mode that did manage to mess with my blood pressure wa Pacisfism - the mode that everybody is talking about these days where your object to avoid the blue diamond-shaped enemies, and fly through gates that will blow them up when they get close.

While listening to an awesome 1UP Yours, I reached my new best of 35,000,000. Kyle's 44,000,000 is just within reach, an he's my only target since no one on my Xbox friends list has bought the game yet.

"Braid" is only other game keeping me busy, and it's worthy of incredible praise. This is truly a magnificent experience that draws from every traditional platformer I've played since my Super Mario Bros. days on the NES. The water colored art, the thematic play mechanics of each level, and the carefully crafted puzzles have helped me to really appreciate smart game design.

I finished it today, collecting all the puzzle pieces (and I feel quite sheepish that I had to cheat to get one of them). I don't know what I think of the ending yet, it was... not something I understand right now (it's 5 am on a Saturday) so I'll have to dissect it in my head tomorrow when I can be more coherent.

Next week: Signing up for a second semester at Bullworth Academy for Bully: Scholarship Edition.