I haven't been post blog updates because I've been busy with my writing "career" (pfft.)
My first novel is in my editor's hands, as we speak. I'm glad I married my editor some years ago, because it makes the "so, whadaya think?" conversations much easier. I don't actually have feelings, so breaking bad news to me is easy for her.
I was kicking around a few ideas about what I was gonna move onto next when I ran into an old friend who was kind enough to open a metaphorical door for me, and that may yield something very interesting or it may not. Either way, I've lost nothing, and it's the most interesting project for which I've ever been solicited. It's right up my alley, and it's going to answer a question I'd been asking myself, which was:
"Can I write something commercial for a big-time director?"
Because I'm not a total newb at this, I'm not gonna say more, but I'll let ya know if anything turns into anything.
So, yeah, I've been writing, and it's funny that huge opportunities stress me out.
Also, I'm thinking I might be at the Pink Galleon @ Olive & Fee-Fee Thursday night if anyone wants to meet up for a beer. I'll probably be there 10-ish, but we'll see.
I'll try to post again tomorrow or Thursday. Soon, I'll actually be talking about details regarding the book.
-Blaine
On sale now!
20090623
20090612
Frakkin' Friday
I've been underground all week, working on actual offline, book-ish writing, so that's why I haven't posted. I've been editing one large piece, and writing something all-new, which has been invigorating.
On Writing
I'd never written a masturbation scene before, let alone one that goes badly, but it was actually a lot of fun, even if it did try to make me a little self-conscious, which is the death of any writer. It's probably the filthiest thing I've ever written, but it's not gratuitous, and the extreme of the activity in the scene contrasts nicely with the outcome. I was pretty pleased with it, but I think, tonally, it's a little too oppressive and dark, so I may need to go back and pepper the first chapter with a little more humor.
Editing, though, is tough. There's one section left in the other book that I'm still trying to elevate to the quality of the rest of the book. What's funny is that it's my favorite section, and it is the one that is most lacking. I love the actual story in this section, but the writing is kinda juvenile and crap (most of it is from 10 years ago, so I gotta spank my 20-year old, immature self at times) in some parts, and the tone just doesn't fit with what's happening to a character, and the transformation she's going through.
Man, I can't wait to be able to be more specific about all this. Soon, I hope.
On Exercising
So, I had never been to a YMCA before our dance class last Friday (and, yes, I really enjoyed it, as it's a fascinating challenge to me), so I had no idea that it was a place that you work out. I had always assumed it was a place that homeless Catholics stay and teach weird shit like the rumba, which we're learning now. My assumption had been that it would be some derelict building, covered in rot and pro-hate Catholic messages.
I was wrong.
It's a beautiful facility, first. Second, its sole purpose seems to be fitness. I don't know if that's normal or not, but I've had a lifetime membership for a while, and had never used it before last Friday night, when we went to our first dance class.
Since then, we've been back every other day to work out, and it's been great. They have a bunch of cycles there that I really like, and I've been doing 4-6 miles each time while either rocking out on my iPod, playing my PSP, or chatting with my wife, who is always on the stair-thing next to me. Gonna try reading on it soon, too.
What's nice about the cycle is that it doesn't murder my knees, which I ruined while playing catcher in baseball in high school. Every other exercise machine I've tried just kills my knees. I think I can stick with this.
Oh, and the on-site child care is awesome.
My goal is to drop 100 pounds in a year, and to stop being the punchline to the great American joke.
On Reading
Inspired by Trevor's recent post over @ 1UP, I thought I'd take a moment to share what I've been reading.
I've been kinda slumming it lately with my books. I've been reading a lot of Star Wars/Warhammer 40k fiction, but most of it has been surprisingly good. In particular, I really enjoyed the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series and the Warhammer 40k: Horus Heresy series.
This is speaking as someone who tends to look down his nose at crappy novel cash-ins for established sci-fi franchises.
Legacy of the Force is a nine-book series set about 25 years after Return of the Jedi, and follows the rise of a Sith in the unlikeliest of places. I tend to despise these spin-off books, but this series is actually really good. The movie characters actually speak and act the way they should, which I find is the thing that bothers me the most about novel tie-ins to these kinds of series. It features a lot of the familiar characters from the classic Star Wars trilogy, as well as a lot of cool, new characters.
Horus Heresy is the origin story of the Warhammer 40k universe, and it's told through an interesting and fragmented structure throughout the books. It's cool, because the first 4-5 books tell a central story, and then the subsequent novels show the fallout of that event all over the galaxy. Warhammer 40k has always had a cool fiction behind it, even if it gets a bit derivative at moments. The presentation and execution has always been pretty solid.
To satisfy my obsession with all things war/political, I've been reading William Manchester's WWII memoir, Goodbye Darkness, and just finished it last night. It was FANTASTIC. His account of Okinawa is one of the most harrowing things I've ever read. The book is incredibly gripping, and Manchester, truly a wordsmith, held me rapt as he retraced his steps through the Pacific Theater of Operations in WWII. At times it was laugh-out-loud funny and other times I was so sickened by the conduct of the Japanese that I wanted to punch somebody. Ultimately, though, Manchester transports you there, and puts you right next to him as he gives a very frank account of his thoughts and experiences.
The book starts out very slow, and will have you wondering where it's going during the first couple of chapters, but if you stick with it, you will be swept away to another time and another place.
Otherwise
- played some Jade Empire: Special Edition and Company of Heroes; both games still rock my world
- watched Fanboys and LOVED it; great for anyone whose taste is good enough to allow them to love Star Wars
- I am SUPER-hyped for True Blood to return Sunday! Best new show of last year!
- I downloaded Final Fantasy VII, Medal of Honor, and Medal of Honor: Underground on my PSP this week; GREAT memories from my late-teens/early-twenties; should be perfect for the cycle at the Y
- gonna grab the new map pack for Call of Duty: World at War today; double XP weekend this weekend, too; I actually really like the multiplayer in this game
- gonna jump back into the Uncharted 2 beta this weekend, too; tried it when I was fucking hammered last weekend, but really liked it; wanna try it sober
How is life for everyone else? What do you have going on this weekend? Anything gaming or anything exciting in the meatspace?
See ya on Monday!
-Blaine
On Writing
I'd never written a masturbation scene before, let alone one that goes badly, but it was actually a lot of fun, even if it did try to make me a little self-conscious, which is the death of any writer. It's probably the filthiest thing I've ever written, but it's not gratuitous, and the extreme of the activity in the scene contrasts nicely with the outcome. I was pretty pleased with it, but I think, tonally, it's a little too oppressive and dark, so I may need to go back and pepper the first chapter with a little more humor.
Editing, though, is tough. There's one section left in the other book that I'm still trying to elevate to the quality of the rest of the book. What's funny is that it's my favorite section, and it is the one that is most lacking. I love the actual story in this section, but the writing is kinda juvenile and crap (most of it is from 10 years ago, so I gotta spank my 20-year old, immature self at times) in some parts, and the tone just doesn't fit with what's happening to a character, and the transformation she's going through.
Man, I can't wait to be able to be more specific about all this. Soon, I hope.
On Exercising
So, I had never been to a YMCA before our dance class last Friday (and, yes, I really enjoyed it, as it's a fascinating challenge to me), so I had no idea that it was a place that you work out. I had always assumed it was a place that homeless Catholics stay and teach weird shit like the rumba, which we're learning now. My assumption had been that it would be some derelict building, covered in rot and pro-hate Catholic messages.
I was wrong.
It's a beautiful facility, first. Second, its sole purpose seems to be fitness. I don't know if that's normal or not, but I've had a lifetime membership for a while, and had never used it before last Friday night, when we went to our first dance class.
Since then, we've been back every other day to work out, and it's been great. They have a bunch of cycles there that I really like, and I've been doing 4-6 miles each time while either rocking out on my iPod, playing my PSP, or chatting with my wife, who is always on the stair-thing next to me. Gonna try reading on it soon, too.
What's nice about the cycle is that it doesn't murder my knees, which I ruined while playing catcher in baseball in high school. Every other exercise machine I've tried just kills my knees. I think I can stick with this.
Oh, and the on-site child care is awesome.
My goal is to drop 100 pounds in a year, and to stop being the punchline to the great American joke.
On Reading
Inspired by Trevor's recent post over @ 1UP, I thought I'd take a moment to share what I've been reading.
I've been kinda slumming it lately with my books. I've been reading a lot of Star Wars/Warhammer 40k fiction, but most of it has been surprisingly good. In particular, I really enjoyed the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series and the Warhammer 40k: Horus Heresy series.
This is speaking as someone who tends to look down his nose at crappy novel cash-ins for established sci-fi franchises.
Legacy of the Force is a nine-book series set about 25 years after Return of the Jedi, and follows the rise of a Sith in the unlikeliest of places. I tend to despise these spin-off books, but this series is actually really good. The movie characters actually speak and act the way they should, which I find is the thing that bothers me the most about novel tie-ins to these kinds of series. It features a lot of the familiar characters from the classic Star Wars trilogy, as well as a lot of cool, new characters.
Horus Heresy is the origin story of the Warhammer 40k universe, and it's told through an interesting and fragmented structure throughout the books. It's cool, because the first 4-5 books tell a central story, and then the subsequent novels show the fallout of that event all over the galaxy. Warhammer 40k has always had a cool fiction behind it, even if it gets a bit derivative at moments. The presentation and execution has always been pretty solid.
To satisfy my obsession with all things war/political, I've been reading William Manchester's WWII memoir, Goodbye Darkness, and just finished it last night. It was FANTASTIC. His account of Okinawa is one of the most harrowing things I've ever read. The book is incredibly gripping, and Manchester, truly a wordsmith, held me rapt as he retraced his steps through the Pacific Theater of Operations in WWII. At times it was laugh-out-loud funny and other times I was so sickened by the conduct of the Japanese that I wanted to punch somebody. Ultimately, though, Manchester transports you there, and puts you right next to him as he gives a very frank account of his thoughts and experiences.
The book starts out very slow, and will have you wondering where it's going during the first couple of chapters, but if you stick with it, you will be swept away to another time and another place.
Otherwise
- played some Jade Empire: Special Edition and Company of Heroes; both games still rock my world
- watched Fanboys and LOVED it; great for anyone whose taste is good enough to allow them to love Star Wars
- I am SUPER-hyped for True Blood to return Sunday! Best new show of last year!
- I downloaded Final Fantasy VII, Medal of Honor, and Medal of Honor: Underground on my PSP this week; GREAT memories from my late-teens/early-twenties; should be perfect for the cycle at the Y
- gonna grab the new map pack for Call of Duty: World at War today; double XP weekend this weekend, too; I actually really like the multiplayer in this game
- gonna jump back into the Uncharted 2 beta this weekend, too; tried it when I was fucking hammered last weekend, but really liked it; wanna try it sober
How is life for everyone else? What do you have going on this weekend? Anything gaming or anything exciting in the meatspace?
See ya on Monday!
-Blaine
20090605
The Weekend Cometh (all over your face!)
Tonight marks the first night of our Ballroom Dancing class. We are definitely a married couple, but I'm actually looking forward to it. My wife's a fun gal, and any excuse to engage with her is one I'll take.
With any luck, this will lead to a fun night, in which we dance, have some dinner, and then totally have lots of sex. That would be ideal. Of course, it depends on what our 3-year old allows to happen, but I have a good feeling about all this.
Podcasting
The post-E3 Untitled Podcast is getting recorded either tomorrow evening or Sunday during the day. I'm still waiting to hear back from Tony on what works best for him, but we'll see. We both have some pretty strong opinions, and I'm really stoked to get behind the mic for this one. We're gonna do four categories: 'What Ya Loved,' 'What Could Go Either Way,' 'What Needs Work,' and 'What Wasn't There.' We'll be talking about games, services, and hardware, so anything is open game.
Saturday
My street is having its first annual block party, and I'm really looking forward to getting loaded with my neighbors, and finding out what the deal is with the people that own and live in 'the Lot that Time Forgot,' as it's astonishing to see such a terrible homeowner in my neck of the woods, but I'm thankful for them, since people are gawking at their dilapidated shit instead of mine.
I also like the concept of having a tight neighborhood that can band together and stand against things that are bad, like Wal-Mart and drunk drivers.
Sunday
'Get shit done Day,' as it's become for me, tends to start with an explosion of hard labor in the yard during the AM hours, followed by a shower and relaxation, and probably some gaming.
Next Week
Next week is my last week before classes resume, and while my time off hasn't been nearly as productive as I'd like, it's sure been relaxing and soul-mending. I let the world make me its bitch over the last 10 or so months, and I let people drag me down to their level, and I'm done with that shit. It's funny that lessons we learned so long ago need to be reinforced every so often. I really let myself slip, as a person, and let baby shit like school interfere become an issue for me, which I can promise you was endlessly humiliating.
So, I'm eager to get back in the saddle and make these classes my bitch. What's nice, too, is that I've worked out a good schedule for myself for this summer, and I'll have a nice balance between work, creative work, and play.
Also, next Sunday (6/14, in case you're a moron and don't understand what 'next Sunday' means) is the return of True Blood, the best show I've seen since Battlestar Galactica or Firefly. If you haven't watched it up to this point, a) you're a sad individual and b) it's out on Blu-Ray (and DVD for you cavemen.)
Either way, it's an amazing show, and I hope you're watching it, too.
On Writing
Been working on old shit so much lately that I'm now dying to break out and work on something new. Thinking about writing my first 'real world' book, with no fantastical elements. Yeah, I know, I think that shit tends to be pretty boring, too, but I wanna take a stab at making it interesting. I've always kicked around this idea about a guy who's beating it one night and finds his girlfriend in pictures on a hardcore site, and the subsequent journey he undertakes. We'll see. If it's not my main series, I tend to be pretty flighty with my projects.
Peace Out
That's probably enough for now.
Quick question, for the podcast: who won the Press Conference Battle? Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony? Why do you think so?
Have a great weekend, and I'll post the podcast link this weekend!
-Blaine
With any luck, this will lead to a fun night, in which we dance, have some dinner, and then totally have lots of sex. That would be ideal. Of course, it depends on what our 3-year old allows to happen, but I have a good feeling about all this.
Podcasting
The post-E3 Untitled Podcast is getting recorded either tomorrow evening or Sunday during the day. I'm still waiting to hear back from Tony on what works best for him, but we'll see. We both have some pretty strong opinions, and I'm really stoked to get behind the mic for this one. We're gonna do four categories: 'What Ya Loved,' 'What Could Go Either Way,' 'What Needs Work,' and 'What Wasn't There.' We'll be talking about games, services, and hardware, so anything is open game.
Saturday
My street is having its first annual block party, and I'm really looking forward to getting loaded with my neighbors, and finding out what the deal is with the people that own and live in 'the Lot that Time Forgot,' as it's astonishing to see such a terrible homeowner in my neck of the woods, but I'm thankful for them, since people are gawking at their dilapidated shit instead of mine.
I also like the concept of having a tight neighborhood that can band together and stand against things that are bad, like Wal-Mart and drunk drivers.
Sunday
'Get shit done Day,' as it's become for me, tends to start with an explosion of hard labor in the yard during the AM hours, followed by a shower and relaxation, and probably some gaming.
Next Week
Next week is my last week before classes resume, and while my time off hasn't been nearly as productive as I'd like, it's sure been relaxing and soul-mending. I let the world make me its bitch over the last 10 or so months, and I let people drag me down to their level, and I'm done with that shit. It's funny that lessons we learned so long ago need to be reinforced every so often. I really let myself slip, as a person, and let baby shit like school interfere become an issue for me, which I can promise you was endlessly humiliating.
So, I'm eager to get back in the saddle and make these classes my bitch. What's nice, too, is that I've worked out a good schedule for myself for this summer, and I'll have a nice balance between work, creative work, and play.
Also, next Sunday (6/14, in case you're a moron and don't understand what 'next Sunday' means) is the return of True Blood, the best show I've seen since Battlestar Galactica or Firefly. If you haven't watched it up to this point, a) you're a sad individual and b) it's out on Blu-Ray (and DVD for you cavemen.)
Either way, it's an amazing show, and I hope you're watching it, too.
On Writing
Been working on old shit so much lately that I'm now dying to break out and work on something new. Thinking about writing my first 'real world' book, with no fantastical elements. Yeah, I know, I think that shit tends to be pretty boring, too, but I wanna take a stab at making it interesting. I've always kicked around this idea about a guy who's beating it one night and finds his girlfriend in pictures on a hardcore site, and the subsequent journey he undertakes. We'll see. If it's not my main series, I tend to be pretty flighty with my projects.
Peace Out
That's probably enough for now.
Quick question, for the podcast: who won the Press Conference Battle? Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony? Why do you think so?
Have a great weekend, and I'll post the podcast link this weekend!
-Blaine
20090604
Some E3 Commentary
So, yeah, I've been a bit blog-shy this week.
Part of it has been that I spent Monday overloading my brain with press-conferences, and then Tuesday was a total clusterfuck. First, I was working my real job while streaming the Nintendo conference, then my stream collapsed in on itself during the Sony conference while I was still working, then when I was off-work, I lost power.
Summer storms in St. Louis are nothing to fuck with. We'll get hit for an hour with end-of-the-world weather, and in the past, it's left the city without power for weeks. We're right at that point where the Gulf Stream hits those northern bursts, and every summer, we get nailed at least once.
I remember, back in 2006, after that monster storm, spending my birthday trying to save my restaurant's food from going bad by loading up a U-Haul with all my food and running it to a buddy's store that had just gotten power back.
Anyway, Tuesday, my family and I, assuming it would be a few days 'til power was restored, holed up at my parents' house, which, despite being a rather castle-like structure with any amenity one could crave, is so remote that it has satellite internet, and is not the kind of place from which one would desire to download video.
Wednesday, I found that Ameren had actually restored our power overnight, and we moved back in. I was pleased to note that all of our trees actually stayed up this time, with minimal branch loss (we once had part of a tree fall on a neighbor's house, and the branch loss is usually so bad that we fill our entire front lawn with branch debris for pickup by the city), and no visible damage to the house.
One last thing about the summer storms here.
It's interesting to see my neighborhood during our 10-20 power outages a year, as that's when a lot of us seem to finally come out of our houses and share a laugh or give each other a hand. My super-cool neighbor, who's close to my age and has a wife and son, as well, and I went down to the playground a few doors over, and cleared some of the debris off the playground so that access wasn't restricted. We took our boys down, talked some E3, then got into a fascinating discussion about gaming shows in general, as he works for a company that helps game developers in the late stages of products or demos. He works on physics engines, and actually has some serious development cred. I haven't asked his permission, so I'm not gonna reveal his identity here, or what he's worked on, but suffice to say that some of the projects he's worked on have left me jaw-dropped. Basically, he's one of the guys who gets called in when a project needs to meet a deadline and isn't going to, whether it be a game or a conference demo.
So, yeah, it was an amazingly enlightening discussion about the game industry, and how much goes into just showing off a game that isn't out yet.
Anyway, having neighbors that pitch in and help is awesome.
That E3 Thing
So, I just wanted to talk a little about the motion-control outbreak that's happened.
I'll start with the Wii, since that happened several years ago.
I love the motion-control possibilities of the Wii, but have yet to see them implemented in a truly meaningful way. I don't understand why the Wii Motion Plus is a $20 fix instead of something that shipped as part of the final controller. I know that the fact that it's a GameCube with motion control was an effort to keep price down, but the games look like ass now. Since it's not totally relevant, I wont bring up the abomination that are Friend Codes.
Now fast forward to this year's E3.
Microsoft, after a really solid showing at their press conference, closed with Project Natal.
What's interesting about Project Natal is that it's basically stereoscopic cameras doing mo-cap on YOU, instead of a controller. That opens up a lot of possibilities.
Fighting games, provided you can clear out enough space in your gaming area, are the first thing that come to mind. Shift to a first-person perspective, get your reflexes ready, and you've got the makings of a bad-ass bare-knuckled brawler.
If you can scan in weapons, a first-person Soul Calibur could be awesome, assuming you can leap 20 feet into the air.
The Sony 'wand' thing is pretty neat too, and I really dug the sword-and-shield bit. For some reason, I actually feel a little better about having to hold something, since I worry about things like triggers and minute inputs.
That being said, I'm going to go back to my original concerns about the Wii, since they still hold true for the MS and Sony implementations.
There's no resistance when hitting a ball or an enemy, and you can't truly move infinitely in a 3D space.
What that means is that if I'm locked in combat with an opponent, and they score a blow, I'm not knocked off guard, or if they block a blow, my forward movement doesn't stop. It's still a fairly empty experience.
Also, if I'm playing Doom 4 on my console of choice (the one with acceptable visual capabilities, not the Wii), I'm having to use a stick to move my character, instead of capturing that intense need to creep through the halls. Yeah, I can still make him creep with the stick, but how much more intense is it to capture that movement yourself (if you've ever played Paintball, you know what I mean. I won't dishonor our troops by comparing their life or death experiences to a game of Doom), and pop around that corner to catch an enemy unawares?
I know I'm throwing a fit that we don't have the holodeck yet, and I understand that this a natural step in that direction, especially if they can combine this with 3D tech, but I'm just pointing out why I'm a bit skeptical.
I am very curious to try out both PS360 setups, and really what it comes down to is SOFTWARE. If the software is there, then so am I.
E3 Games
If you've followed my Twitter, then you have pretty good idea of what games have me stoked.
It seems like we're gonna choke on a glut of games again this fall, as I'm slated to snag NCAA Football 10 and Madden NFL 10 this summer, followed by Alpha Protocol, Dragon Age: Origins, Modern Warfare 2, BioShock 2, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Heavy Rain, and Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days. Those fall games are all in less than a 2-month span. That's crazy.
That's not even touching the stuff that's not out 'til next year. If all the Q1 2010 games actually release in Q1 2010, we're gonna see a busy January-March, which could be kinda weird.
Oh, and I want/need Final Fantasy VII on my PSP NOW! Ooh, and the original Medal of Honor is available for $6? Man, they're really starting to make some headway with the PSP downloadable market. If I can get portable versions of every PS1 Final Fantasy released thus far, I'd be thrilled. Between my DS Lite and the PSP, I'd have FF1-9 portably. Really, I'd love a portable version of FFVIII, one of the only Final Fantasy games I've never finished.
Okay, enough blabbing. What's got you all hot and bothered @ E3? I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule tomorrow. Also, we're recording the second E3 2009 Untitled Podcast either Saturday or Sunday.
So, yeah, like I was asking, what are you happy about from E3? Did you listen to our PRE3 Untitled Podcast: Special Edition episode? What'd you think of it?
Cool. I'll be back tomorrow. Peace out.
-Blaine
Part of it has been that I spent Monday overloading my brain with press-conferences, and then Tuesday was a total clusterfuck. First, I was working my real job while streaming the Nintendo conference, then my stream collapsed in on itself during the Sony conference while I was still working, then when I was off-work, I lost power.
Summer storms in St. Louis are nothing to fuck with. We'll get hit for an hour with end-of-the-world weather, and in the past, it's left the city without power for weeks. We're right at that point where the Gulf Stream hits those northern bursts, and every summer, we get nailed at least once.
I remember, back in 2006, after that monster storm, spending my birthday trying to save my restaurant's food from going bad by loading up a U-Haul with all my food and running it to a buddy's store that had just gotten power back.
Anyway, Tuesday, my family and I, assuming it would be a few days 'til power was restored, holed up at my parents' house, which, despite being a rather castle-like structure with any amenity one could crave, is so remote that it has satellite internet, and is not the kind of place from which one would desire to download video.
Wednesday, I found that Ameren had actually restored our power overnight, and we moved back in. I was pleased to note that all of our trees actually stayed up this time, with minimal branch loss (we once had part of a tree fall on a neighbor's house, and the branch loss is usually so bad that we fill our entire front lawn with branch debris for pickup by the city), and no visible damage to the house.
One last thing about the summer storms here.
It's interesting to see my neighborhood during our 10-20 power outages a year, as that's when a lot of us seem to finally come out of our houses and share a laugh or give each other a hand. My super-cool neighbor, who's close to my age and has a wife and son, as well, and I went down to the playground a few doors over, and cleared some of the debris off the playground so that access wasn't restricted. We took our boys down, talked some E3, then got into a fascinating discussion about gaming shows in general, as he works for a company that helps game developers in the late stages of products or demos. He works on physics engines, and actually has some serious development cred. I haven't asked his permission, so I'm not gonna reveal his identity here, or what he's worked on, but suffice to say that some of the projects he's worked on have left me jaw-dropped. Basically, he's one of the guys who gets called in when a project needs to meet a deadline and isn't going to, whether it be a game or a conference demo.
So, yeah, it was an amazingly enlightening discussion about the game industry, and how much goes into just showing off a game that isn't out yet.
Anyway, having neighbors that pitch in and help is awesome.
That E3 Thing
So, I just wanted to talk a little about the motion-control outbreak that's happened.
I'll start with the Wii, since that happened several years ago.
I love the motion-control possibilities of the Wii, but have yet to see them implemented in a truly meaningful way. I don't understand why the Wii Motion Plus is a $20 fix instead of something that shipped as part of the final controller. I know that the fact that it's a GameCube with motion control was an effort to keep price down, but the games look like ass now. Since it's not totally relevant, I wont bring up the abomination that are Friend Codes.
Now fast forward to this year's E3.
Microsoft, after a really solid showing at their press conference, closed with Project Natal.
What's interesting about Project Natal is that it's basically stereoscopic cameras doing mo-cap on YOU, instead of a controller. That opens up a lot of possibilities.
Fighting games, provided you can clear out enough space in your gaming area, are the first thing that come to mind. Shift to a first-person perspective, get your reflexes ready, and you've got the makings of a bad-ass bare-knuckled brawler.
If you can scan in weapons, a first-person Soul Calibur could be awesome, assuming you can leap 20 feet into the air.
The Sony 'wand' thing is pretty neat too, and I really dug the sword-and-shield bit. For some reason, I actually feel a little better about having to hold something, since I worry about things like triggers and minute inputs.
That being said, I'm going to go back to my original concerns about the Wii, since they still hold true for the MS and Sony implementations.
There's no resistance when hitting a ball or an enemy, and you can't truly move infinitely in a 3D space.
What that means is that if I'm locked in combat with an opponent, and they score a blow, I'm not knocked off guard, or if they block a blow, my forward movement doesn't stop. It's still a fairly empty experience.
Also, if I'm playing Doom 4 on my console of choice (the one with acceptable visual capabilities, not the Wii), I'm having to use a stick to move my character, instead of capturing that intense need to creep through the halls. Yeah, I can still make him creep with the stick, but how much more intense is it to capture that movement yourself (if you've ever played Paintball, you know what I mean. I won't dishonor our troops by comparing their life or death experiences to a game of Doom), and pop around that corner to catch an enemy unawares?
I know I'm throwing a fit that we don't have the holodeck yet, and I understand that this a natural step in that direction, especially if they can combine this with 3D tech, but I'm just pointing out why I'm a bit skeptical.
I am very curious to try out both PS360 setups, and really what it comes down to is SOFTWARE. If the software is there, then so am I.
E3 Games
If you've followed my Twitter, then you have pretty good idea of what games have me stoked.
It seems like we're gonna choke on a glut of games again this fall, as I'm slated to snag NCAA Football 10 and Madden NFL 10 this summer, followed by Alpha Protocol, Dragon Age: Origins, Modern Warfare 2, BioShock 2, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Heavy Rain, and Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days. Those fall games are all in less than a 2-month span. That's crazy.
That's not even touching the stuff that's not out 'til next year. If all the Q1 2010 games actually release in Q1 2010, we're gonna see a busy January-March, which could be kinda weird.
Oh, and I want/need Final Fantasy VII on my PSP NOW! Ooh, and the original Medal of Honor is available for $6? Man, they're really starting to make some headway with the PSP downloadable market. If I can get portable versions of every PS1 Final Fantasy released thus far, I'd be thrilled. Between my DS Lite and the PSP, I'd have FF1-9 portably. Really, I'd love a portable version of FFVIII, one of the only Final Fantasy games I've never finished.
Okay, enough blabbing. What's got you all hot and bothered @ E3? I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule tomorrow. Also, we're recording the second E3 2009 Untitled Podcast either Saturday or Sunday.
So, yeah, like I was asking, what are you happy about from E3? Did you listen to our PRE3 Untitled Podcast: Special Edition episode? What'd you think of it?
Cool. I'll be back tomorrow. Peace out.
-Blaine
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