Archives for the Month of August 2005 on Alt-F4
Finally Moved in
After what seemed like and infinite period of unpacking, I think I'm finally unpacked. Here's to Case's fast network which allows me to blog just as fast as before!
Expect some articles in the next few days, and an upcoming interview with the producers of Nightlife:Entropy, a new game that will revolutionize the world of MMORPGs.
Nintendo Kennel Club Nintendogs Q&A
Transcript from NKC Chat - Handler Notes - Nintendo Kennel Club
I purchased Meteos and Nintendogs on Tuesday, I'll write up full reviews for them both after I get settled in on campus.
For now, check out the exclusive Q&A for Nintendogs, Nintendo's newest puppy simulator/game for the Nintend DS.
CNet Intervew with ESRB President
Unlevel playing field for video games? | Newsmakers | CNET News.com
Given my thoughts on this issue(as previously highlighted in another post) I found this interview particularly interesting. Unfortunate that the majority of the article is not really that interesting, but one thing struck me as interesting.
In the article President Vance states that in light of the "Hot Coffee" fiasco, developers of PC games will now need to disclose all content that will Ship with the game(given the relevance for the rating), even if that material is inaccessible by normal means. Even if the material requires external tinkering and reverse engineering/manipulation of the code to access. I found this quite interesting.
I would imagine, most pieces of commercial software include some type of easter eggs and hidden things that litter the code. I've even heard of some programs written that contain witty comments in the original coding that. This is very hypothetical, but is it reasonable to blame the developer if a coder slips in an unauthorized item that changes the rating? What if the content is created by people that hack the game's code using partial code to create items inappropriate for the rating? Say for instance the code in the game on its own does not provide for unclothed character models, but allows for a string that inserts other textures on the model. Alone, this is harmless, but if a person develops a "nude patch" does this change the rating of the game, under the probable new ESRB procedures?
Oh well.
At least it's good to see that President Vance knows her organization has become a political tool.
Goldeneye Source
GoldenEye Source : HL2 Modification
A good part of my late 1990s was spent with my N64. GoldenEye 64 was by far one of THE best games for the N64. This game is, in my opinion, the height of the console FPS world. GoldenEye is still my favorite FPS on a console, followed by yet annother hit, Perfect Dark. You can look for the sure-to-be-disappointing sequal on the X-Box 360 this winters.
Unfortunatly, GoldenEye and Perfect Dark were the end of GOOD console FPS. These games provided a deep, quality gameplay experience that has been lost in the world of Halo. And further more, Dual Analog does not equal a good gaming interface....keyboard and mouse are superior.
And with that, Goldeneye will live on...As GoldenEye Source! Check it out.
Customizeable Laptop
Coboc.com - Your Source for Do-It-Yourself Laptops, Components, and Accessories
One definate plus of PCs over laptops is the ability for customization when purchasing a new machine. This website eliminates part of this issue. Thanks to Andy for the link.
GTA:SA "Hot Coffee" Content Removed
GTA: San Andreas Patches Released - Shacknews
Does this mean t can go back to an M rating?
Religion is Lost in 21st Century America
I've been following Mano Singham's Blog for a few weeks now. This particular entry interests me, seeing that I'm a convert away from being a Christian. He hit the nail on the head with the state of Christianity in the US today.
A good reality check, if you will.
Of course it doesn't even take into account the whole "God is on our side" mentality that many from my home county in Ohio hold. It's interesting how religion is so readily used as a weapon against others and as a political tool. I suppose people only believe what they want to.
Goodbye Mr. Jennings
CNN.com - Peter Jennings dies of lung cancer - Aug 8, 2005
Sad news that cancer claims another life. As a child of a mother who was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer, I know that cancer can take its toll on families, even when it is beaten back(like in my mother's case).
The world will miss you.
The ESRB is Broken|Updated
Slashdot | Jack Thompson Continues To Talk
It's good to see that Mr. Thompson's recent victory over GTA:SA has started a witch hunt about Sex in Video games. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know that someone is looking out for my children. Wait, I'm 18. I have no children...in fact, this man is trying to protect me. Well, that's good to know*slight eye roll*.
Several weeks ago, Thompson decided that patches available for The Sims 2 were in appropriate for children who are 13 and up. The said patches remove the blur effect that make the Sims appear nude, revealing their Barby-doll like features to anyone playing with a moded game.
Now, Thompson has decided that Killer 7's scene of a woman sitting on a disabled man moaning is a "full on sex scene" and that any game containing such should receive an AO(Adults Only) rating, instead of M(17+).
I'm beginning to be a bit confused. Killer 7, a game where you play an assassin with multiple personalities(one of which slits her wrists to reveal secrets)in order to defeat enemies and absorb their blood. Now, I should not that while I did purchase Killer 7 a few days ago, I have yet to observe the so called "full-blown sex scene", but I feel confident in saying that if this game is to be rated AO, it's not because of the sex, it's because of the extreme(yet artsy) violence. I mean she slits her wrists to reveal passages with the blood. That is potentially more dangerous, in my opinion, than a moaning, fully-clothed woman straddling a fully-clothed, wheelchair bound man.
Continue reading "The ESRB is Broken|Updated"
4am Blog F.E.A.R
It's 4am again. Summer turnes me into a night person. It's ok when I don't have to work, nut being unemplyed isn't the greatest all the time either
I started playing Guild Wars a few days ago. Yes, about 3. Yes, I've logged a rediculous ammount of time. Hey the SO has been working alot of hours, and all my friends are addicted to World of Warcraft, what do you expect me to do. My Necro/Ranger is now level 9. It's alot better than beta. I might get arround to writing a review for it it...now that's something that I haven't done since I had a small gaming news site.
I'll be bloging more once the school year gets back into swing. I'll probablly have more exciting things to write then. I wish I knew how to use this moveable type thingy. I'm going to have to do some reading on customization, and how to do some "cool tricks" with it. And pictures. Lots of pictures.
And with that, my F.E.A.R single player demo is done downloading. Excuse me while I slip away to try it out.