Mightier

Mightier from Ratloop on Vimeo.

I'm always interested in new and different ways of doing things if they work. I enjoy the idea of a level editor for a game, and I have to admit that the concept of drawing on a piece of paper certainly brings a new flavor to the world of gaming, even if it is a bit limited in capacity.

Mightier is a game I would very much love to try. I'm not sure if I will ever try it, because the idea of actually printing something out and then trying to 'scan' it with a webcam seems pretty, well, time consuming, but I'd definitely love to give it a try.

Being an experiment, I'm really curious as to whether or not they'll ever do something with this technology, if it might be refined and go somewhere with it. I imagine that it could be adapted for use with consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360, which both have webcam accessories. Maybe. The game does make concessions to those without a printer and webcam, but I imagine that the fun of the game has to come from solving the pencil and paper puzzles, even if they appear to be a little simplistic.

The other piece to this is the fact that you can draw your character, and give him some detail, although it looks like the system decides things like depth on it's own, it would be great if artists with a little more skill with a pencil could make some truly intricate character art for use with their game. Much like Spore and Little Big Planet, the ability to share these with others would also be a great feature.

I can also imagine future games using this concept could be fun. There have been other games where you can design basic enemies and characters, but this certainly presents a whole new dimension to user interaction. I have to give credit to Lucas Pope and Keiko Ishizaka for their creation.

From what I've seen, it looks like a good proof of concept, and if I ever get around to playing it, I'll tell you how well it actually works. In the mean time, I enjoyed the video, and find the idea compelling, so, that's something, yes?

Majel Barrett- Roddenberry

It's a sad day for nerds... Majel Barrett-Roddenberry has died of leukemia at 76. Normally when a celebrity of any sort dies, I don't feel terribly sad, except at the loss of a human being. In this case, I'm actually saddened because she's been part of the Star Trek series for 4 decades, more than my entire life, which, incidentally, has been spent enjoying Star Trek.

Rest is peace Majel, Nurse Chapel, Luwaxana, Computer. Rest in peace.

(Please note, I had to fight hard not to make a transporter "beam up" joke, as well as 'Boldly Go', and several others. My apologies for not trying to be funny about this one...)

Lenovo Presents: The Most Ridiculous Laptop Ever

I was blown away when Lenovo started putting Wacom Tablets on the palm rests of their laptops. It seems like a great idea and wonderful answer to those wanting a pressure sensitive tablet that's bigger than 12 inches, and offers more levels of pressure than Wacom enabled tablet screens, which don't have near the density and capability of a Cintiq.

Apparently someone at Lenovo has started looking at all the things that graphic professionals want in a computer. They looked at the tablet, and then noticed the dual monitor set-ups and thought, hey, why don't we take everything and cram it into a laptop.

Welcome to the new W700 series.

Overkill? Oh yes. By a long shot.

Quad core processors, nVidia Quattro video cards with a gigabyte of memory, 4GB of system RAM, a 17" screen at 1920 x 1200 resolution, and a second 10.6" at 768 x 1280 resolution.... and...

Alright, here's the thing. It's got all the cutting edge capabilities you could ever want in a laptop, and then it goes and adds more!

The thing is, I'm not sure what is worse, the fact that this thing is so completely overpowered and impractical for almost every setting, or the fact that I get it, and want one desperately.

I don't even want to guess at how much the top of the line configuration of this thing will run... well, actually I do want to guess, and I'm guessing at least $6500 for all the bells and whistles.

All so you can have a watered down version of a more powerful, bigger, and better desktop that you can carry with you.

Walmart + iPhone = ???

So, there's been a rumor running around for a while that Walmart will be selling iPhones, possibly on the cheap. There have been plenty of suggestions about pricing and capacity. The going rumor was that they'd be offering a 4GB model for $99.

Apparently Engadget now has what they feel is an authentic scan of an internal memo outlining what's really going down.

They'll be offering the 8GB and 16GB models at a mere $2 discount ($197 and $297 respectively) and AT&T will still require the same 2 year contract to get things done.

There are a lot of things that still seem suspect about this, as it is apparently written by an employee at one location. It would seem a little more legitimate if written as a corporate memo, something with a more global tone.

If true, I feel this is mostly good news for the elitist Apple enthusiasts. I imagine that the average iPhone owner feels a certain sense of elitism from owning such a product. The fact that Walmart is going to be selling them alone is probably enough to make their skin crawl, but, I would guess that Walmart selling a $99 model would be enough to shatter the fragile psyche of all the Apple-tards that get that sense of superiority and satisfaction for paying their precious Apple-tax.

So, it's good, I suppose, that Walmart won't have a lock on the Jesusphone's counterpart, the MereMortalphone.

Post 350 - Customers are stupid

Everyone else writes about their crappy jobs... why shouldn't I?

During the day, I'm in retail management. I don't do it because I really love it, I do it because I'm paid pretty well to do something I'm pretty good at. However, working retail would be much better if it weren't for all the pesky customers. I do mean pesky, because most customers aren't a problem, it's the handful of idiots and self centered fools that sometimes makes it intolerable.

For some reason I don't often write about this stuff, but I figure now is as good a time as any...

Here's a couple from today.

Customer A -

Covering my cashier's break is usually not a big deal. I get parked at the front for a while and spend most of the time directing traffic, and rigning through customers. It's fun to be an extremely overpaid cashier from time to time.

But today a customer walks in and sets a book down on the counter in front me. She doesn't say anything.

Time out, I should really inform you that I've taken a hard stance on basic communication. I no longer respond to people waving things in my face, or saying single words as though they are a question (Customer, "Ink?" Me, "Are we playing some sort of word association game?")

So, here I am, a customer and a book in front of me. I've said hello. A few moments pass by and it's obvious the customer has no plans on making her intentions known verbally. So, I decide I should probably verify the situation and say, "Were you looking to return this?"

She replies with an obvious tone of annoyance, "Yes!"

Great. So, I pick up the book, from which a receipt is sticking out. A quick glance at the receipt shows that it is dated for the first part of March, 2008. Yes, 9 months ago. The most forgiving retailers offer 90 days, or 3 months for return on most items. We offer 30 days, and technically, we would classify this as media / software, and therefore it falls under a 14 day return policy.

I say, "I'm sorry, but I can't return this item, it's well past our return policy."

She grunts and says, "I called the store and they said it would be fine." You see, the receipt was for another location, which she says that she'd called.

I reply with, "Well, I'm not sure who you spoke with, but unfortunately I won't be able to return this item, you've had it for over 9 months."

She rolls her eyes, "This is ridiculous. I don't do this job anymore, I found it in my cabinet and I don't need it!"

Finally, frustrated, I reply, still calm as I always am, "Well, if you'd found it 8 months ago and brought it back to us, we'd have been glad to return it, but we won't be able to return it now."

She said something about my being an awful human being (I honestly don't remember what she said, and really don't care at all). I thanked her as she left.

I don't understand people. I really don't. I mean, I get that the economy sucks and that people are looking to do what they can, but still, this is beyond silly. It's a book. It's a book that she's had laying around for months, and now she doesn't want it and thinks that I we should just take it back for her.


Customer B -

The second customer after Customer A was a man who, after our transaction and general chit chat, said, "Thanks. It's not often you get great customer service from someone who is polite and efficient (yes he used the word efficient). Keep up the good work."

Now, this man was not around at the same time as Customer A. Amazing that I can get such a wide array of comments about my service.

Customer C -

It's later in the day, and one of my cashiers pages me to the front for assistance with a return. She says, "Customer will be waiting at Register 11". This tells me that I'm not coming up to turn a key, or provide a quick solution. No, this is foreboding. I'm coming up to 'deal' with a customer.

Here's the situation. The customer has a receipt from another location, which is dated in the last 3 weeks. On the receipt is two items, once is $24.99, and the other is $3.49. She used a special promotional coupon that is '$25 off a $25 purchase'. Her total came to $3.48 plus tax after said coupon.

She says, "I need you to do an adjustment because that item is $10 cheaper this week."

Immediately I see a fatal flaw, and I explain, "I can do that, but you'll end up owing us money, you got a much better deal with the coupon."

She stares at me for a moment, and then says, "No, you'd be giving me $10 back!"

Deep breath. "No, ma'am, you used a coupon that took $25 off a $25 purchase, if I take this item down by ten dollars, you're total purchase falls below $25, and your coupon no longer applies. You'd then owe me $15."

"No," she says, with a sharp tone, "I talked to such and such (at the location she bought the items from in the first place) and she told me it would be fine!"

Finally I says, "Alright, then you'll need to go to that location and speak with that person, I won't be able to do the adjustment without charging you another $15 since you won't qualify for the coupon anymore."

She snatches her receipt and takes a pen, turning over the receipt and very obviously scrutinizing my name badge. I shift it so it's easier for her to read, and she writes my name down after a moment of obvious surprise. She asks If I'm working tomorrow, and I reply, certainly, but I won't be able to do that adjustment tomorrow either, and I thank her as she leaves.

What I love about this is that she, much like Customer A, claims to have called the store before hand to verify the legitimacy of her transaction, and claims that she was told that everything would be alright. The problem is that there's a huge difference between, "I recently purchased an item and now it's $10 cheaper, can I come in and get a refund for the difference?" and "I purchased an item 3 weeks ago and now it's $10 dollars cheaper, however, I used a $25 off $25 purchase coupon, so I basically didn't pay for anything, and you'd actually just be paying me $10 for the privileged of having me as a customer." Similarly, I'm sure the average person can spot the difference between, "I have a book, and the receipt, am I able to return it?" and "I bought a book over 9 months ago and I just stumbled across it and now I want to return it, is that ok?"

Now, this is only a small sampling of what I deal with every day. In addition to these today, I had multiple geriatrics that apparently can't find anything on their own, even when right in front of them, or have enormous signs emblazoned specifically with what they want clearly visible from everywhere in the store. I had a customer ask me to help them find an accessory for a product, however they weren't able to tell me what it was, or the model of the product they needed it for, or even what type it was. And many more. Just today.

I don't understand how most of these people find their way out of their homes in the morning.

Asteroids Watch

Gaze upon another piece of nerd fashion hardware I want:



Apparently it works from a small accelerometer built into the watch. You twist your wrist, and move your ship, but it will also just play by itself the rest of the time.

Read about it at Boing Boing Gadgets.

Oh, it's the same guy that made the Pong Watch.

Update on the Disc Scritching...

er... Scratching.

So, Kotaku today link a story from Edge regarding the great Microsoft disc scratching epidemic of the 21st century.

Says a representative for Microsoft, "While we have had some users contact us with concerns about scratched discs, it is much less than 1 percent of the total Xbox 360 user base."

That's right, less than 1% according to Microsoft. Of course, 1% of millions is still tens of thousands, however, I have to side with Microsoft on this one (as I'm sure you guessed from the tone of my last post).

The representative goes on to say, "Xbox 360 is designed so that it will not damage a game disc as long as the console is not moved while the disc is spinning. Too much movement of any game console, not just Xbox 360, can cause scratches on a disc."

Now, I have say, as Kotaku pointed out at the end of their post, if a disc is scratched because you moved the console while the disc was spinning after being told not to, is it really Microsoft's fault?

Of course, this age we live in means that even explicit instructions can be ignored and still result in recompense, so I won't claim that there's no case against Microsoft, being stupid is, unfortunately, a reason for people to get paid (bearing in mind that Microsoft's policy is to replace the damaged discs).

Hooray for litigation.

Not only is MC Hammer doing something...

but people seem to care. Joystiq is running a story about MC Hammer because he's apparently involved in a project with Activision.

They cite his Twitter page:

First: "I got one day to recover, then it's LA to Activision to get a glance of a top secrete[sic] project."

A day later: "Activision was fantastic ... action!"

So, from this, they've deduced the following: MC Hammer is still working professionally, and second, that he's involved in some sort of secret project (hopefully not a secreted project) with Activision.


I have to zero in on a completely different angle to this: MC Hammer is still somehow relevant. I'm not entirely sure how, being that I assumed he'd completely faded into obscurity over a decade ago. However, his 12,000+ followers seem interested in his activities. Moreover, Joystiq, a reputable news source to be sure, seems to be interested in reporting this gem.

Perhaps they, like me, have succumbed to morbid curiosity. What could Activision possibly want from the mostly defunct rap artist? Is this a glimpse at a new Guitar Hero? Guitar Hero: 80's Rap Edition?

Who knows. I suppose it's possible we'll find out eventually. When we do, you can be sure I more than likely spout off some opinion about it.

Panasonic Remote is Physical Entandre Embodied

First of all, I know that title doesn't really make sense.

I'm all about interesting and unique design. This item certainly qualifies, although in a really unusual manner.

Next Nature shows us a remote concept that is, well, creepy. Next Nature talks about things like 'human-product relationships' and 'A remote is the ideal meaphor for the disturbance electronic distration poses to life.'[sic].

Personally, I don't know about metaphors and relationships as they relate to rubber remote controls that become excited by your imminent touch. Still, I suppose it would be interesting to have.

The Xbox Disc Scandal!

First - Apparently there's some ways you can cause damage to Xbox 360 game discs while it's in your console. Back in 2005, Joystiq was annoyed about some problems with the Xbox 360 console. So annoyed they felt they should make a list, and the damage to the discs made that list in the number 8 spot.

Second - here's a report about a class action lawsuit due to damage to Xbox 360 game discs. Back in 2007, people were up in arms about the occasional damage to their video games.

Finally - Microsoft apparently knew about the the problem early on, and that means they are bad. Apparently they knew, and rather than spend millions to fix the problem, they chose to spend less on just adding information to the user manual that told customers not to do anything to move their console while in use, and then replace discs that were damaged in this manner.

Here's the problem, I've used electronics for many years. I've used optical disc drives in some capacity or another for most of those years. Without ever having read anything to lead me in this direction, I've always assumed that portable devices are meant to move around to some degree, while non-portable devices are not.

I understand that a majority of the problems seems to come from people shifting the orientation of their Xbox's while in use. To me, this seems like simple physics. Two thin layers of plastic sandwiching a thinner layer of pitted aluminum spinning at unnatural speeds should be left to its own.

I remember the sound it would make when I would jostle my old portable CD player, and the scratches that my discs would sustain during the process. I know the scratches that my CDs would sustain in the my car deck when I'd hit a particularly bad pothole or go over a speedbump a bit to quickly.

Why then, does this seem so unbelievable to people?

I understand being frustrated if the problem stems from someone running around too near to the console, but still, I can't say I'm remotely surprised. It seems like most of the people writing and talking about this are acting as though this is completely unacceptable, and you should be able to play hackey sack with the console while in operation and suffer no ill effects.

Statements like this are baffling:

"I regularly move my laptop while its hard disk and DVD drives are spinning, and no damage has occurred yet."

You can't compare the two, they're completely different animals. Besides the obvious differences in the design of the drive, I can't remember of time that I carried my laptop around while the drive was in motion that I wasn't careful throughout the process. Perhaps I'm alone in this, and most people burn DVD Movies while defragmenting their hard drives and using their laptops for a rousing game of four sqaure...

I've completely lost my train of thought.

Anyway, I've probably made my point. I don't really remember. I'm going to back to recovering from surgery.

Bush vs. Shoe - The Flash Game...

Alright, either the folks over at Enterprise are either very efficient in the ways of Flash-fu, or they are truly seers and prophets.

Less than 24 hours after the now infamous Iraq Press Conference Shoe Dodging Incident, they have created a Flash game about it. Bush's Boot Camp is a terrible game, but it gets points for speed.

I will say, I'm amazed that the guy was able to get not one, but two shoes off before anyone (but the president) reacted. I'm guessing the secret service's interest in the president's safety is directly tied to his approval rating. I will also say that I am also amazed by the President's reaction time.

Cantor Exchange

Alright, I believe in a free market, and I believe in stock and trading, but I have to say that this seems a little far fetched to me.

Cantor Exchange -
(A warning, the site is poorly designed. It looks like they didn't publish their flash movie correctly, and they have it embedded in a fixed width table at 1280 pixels wide that will really wreak havoc in many people's browsers.)

"For the first time ever, entertainment professionals, traders and movie lovers alike can hedge and speculate on the ticket sales of Hollywood blockbusters. With real-time quotes and 24-hour trading, Movie Box Office Contracts on the Cantor Exchange will give traders a chance to experience a stake in movies based on a film’s box office performance."

They are proposing that we trade movies like the futures market. I understand it, but at the same time, I really don't. Sure, we all knew The Day the Earth Stood Still was going to do pretty well in the the box office, just like we know that Doubt would not. Even though, without having seen either of them, I know that Doubt is likely a superior movie to The Day the Earth Stood Still on almost every levels (except as having a terrible lead actor in a remake of an already terrible movie).

Anyway, I'll keep an eye on this. I'm curious to see if they get approved, and if they do, how it works out. I'd like to think that I could do fairly well on the movie market, but I feel like even a chimp could predict box office draws these days.

Pangolin = Cute

	Alright, what you need to know is this: these things are cute. I want one. Read about 'em. Read more.

Grippity

Alright, I meant to post about Grippity when I first read about the device's prototype back in November.

When I saw the picture, I was initially intrigued. Then I read the article:

"We don't have a ton of detail about the apparently patented design, other than the fact that it's not yet in production, but the makers expect it to cost about $1,000 once available."

I was immediately repulsed, scared, and a little hurt. The concept is interesting, but $1000 for a keyboard, no matter what it does, is just silly.

So, I was going to post about it, but time got away from me, and I didn't get to rant about it. Earlier this month, however, I got some good news:

"The final unit is expected in about six months, and should retail for $100."

Somewhere between the first report and this one they found a way to shave $900 off the price tag. That, or perhaps they really just didn't know how much things cost and decided to throw a number out there.

Now, this negates my initial impressions a bit... I have mixed feelings about this thing. It's a keyboard, but, it really doesn't look like it's laid out intuitively... you use it with only 4 fingers, and while I know sheer math doesn't pan out this way, it seems like losing the use of 2 digits in the typing process would make it less efficient, even if you add the mouse to the unit. Finally, wouldn't holding the keyboard all day make cause you to exert a lot more effort than just laying your hand on your desk?

If the price tag pans out, and it becomes available to me, I might have to give it a try. Perhaps.

A little more holiday cheer.

So, what we've got here is pretty self explanatory. It's a table full of images. Enjoy.

Of Macy's and Santa

Well, as is the annual way of doing things, I've had my kids play hooky from school to take them to see the Macy's Christmas display at their 8th Floor Auditorium in Downtown Minneapolis. This year's theme is A Day in the Life of an Elf.

After, we went to Ridgedale Mall in Minnetonka to see Santa.

I have to admit that this year's display was better than I expected. I didn't have high hopes for this one for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. It was, however, cute, if not a little shorter than usual.

It's amazing, every year, because it seems I'm not the only parent making this decision. There are always a lot of children. I think it has a lot to do with being a single parent, I don't have my children on the weekends, just during the week, and when they have school, it limits the things that that I can do with them.

Anyway, here's some pictures.

Where's the snow?

So, I had heard today that we're supposed to see some snow today. It's not snowing here yet, so I thought I'd look at the map to see where it is...



I live in that middle void.

32 Below Freezing

First point: It's 0 degrees. That's 32 degrees below the freezing mark, depending on how you keep score.

Second point: That means it's really cold.

Third point: I would really have preferred to have not been outside in the cold.

Fourth point (Having nothing to do with the first three): While normally finding the stuff from collegehumor.com pretty hit or miss, the Google Reader Blog listed jakeandamir.com as a 'pick', and having chortled at Hardly Working in the past, I though I'd give it a spin.

Fifth point (relating entirely to the previous point): Over the last few days I've watched every single one... while sad, I'm ok with it. Funny is funny, and clocking in under 2 minutes each (with only a handful of exceptions), they're good for a quick laugh too.

Sixth point: I'm tired. Later.

It should be dark....

Seriously, it should be, being after 10 o'clock at night...




Maybe I'm just crazy.

Apple recommending Anti-virus software?

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

For many years, Apple and their lackeys have been spouting off about Mac OS X's security and stability, which is, of course, complete fallacy, but it makes them feel good. On average, Mac OS X actually crashes with almost identical frequency, and on release, Vista was shown to have fewer security vulnerabilities than any Mac OS X release to date (worse, Apple is slow to patch those threats, and often just won't because they don't think they need to).

Another commonly spouted pile of rubbish regarding Mac OS X is that they don't need anti-virus software, because they're more secure.

No. Sorry. And even Apple is quietly recommending anti-virus software.

The difference between Mac OS X and Windows, really, is that Windows use is substantially more prevalent. They run on the same hardware, and use many of the same conventions. Virii for the Mac is rare not because Mac OS X is a better operating system, but because there's been basically no point in writing them. If you're trying to hurt people, or make money, why target a vast minority?

If a terrorist wanted to hurt the U.S., they're probably not going to do much damage by setting off a cherry bomb in Puerto Rico, are they?

Here's the deal. I use Windows, and I really don't have much against Mac OS X except I'm more comfortable in Windows, and prefer an environment that I have more control over.

I think it important to note, as I've done before. I don't hate Apple, or Macs. I hate the people that put Apple and Macs on ridiculous pedestals. Mac OS X is not perfect, nor is it superior to Windows. They both have their pros and cons.

Transporter 3

I'm not going to say it was good for what it was. I am going to say that it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

I've read reviews that said that this movie was terrible, and that they should just have stopped with the second installment.

I disagree.

As far as I'm concerned, they can just keep making them. They're simply good fun.

This film has all the things you want from an action flick, specifically, action, arguably the most important ingredient. The story is rather throw away, being that it revolves around an environmental treaty, the Ukraine, or maybe Uzbekistan, I don't really remember, is being pressured to sign a treaty that will allow some organization to dump toxic waste in their country, probably. Anyway, a diplomats daughter is kidnapped, and Frank, our intrepid hero is wired to explode should he get too far away, and is forced to drive really fast, get into exotic suit-centric fights, and finally sleep with his lovely cargo.

These things all go into the plus column. The driving, which you'd expect being a movie about a professional driver going about his business. His Audi (black, with chrome accents, like nearly every other vehicle in this car) is, in no uncertain terms, beautiful. The fights scenes in this film are well crafted, if not as visceral as those in the last installment, or perhaps the Bourne series. He does, however, show his ability to not only wear his suits well, but put them to good use as weapons. Then we come to his beautiful cargo, who I must point out is an absolutely rare beauty, and is the perfect final ingredient for the recipe.

There are some negatives, obviously the story doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. Even though the films fight choreographer is the same man that worked in the first two, this film features much less martial art. The fact that he's tethered to his car isn't used as well as you might expect, in that there's no use of it during the fight scenes, which play out much like they did in previous films, just in less abundance, and there's surprisingly little actual fast driving.

However, it's still good fun, and, as I said, was far better than I'd expected. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good action movie.

Besides, there's not a lot of other choices in the theaters right now... You've got Baz Luhrman's sickly sappy-looking Australia, 14 Cartoons, and teen girl's sexy Harry Potter, Twilight.

Gears of War 2 - Semi-final Thoughts

I'm not sure whether I'm happy or angry about my experience with the last half of this game.

When last I talked about this game, I had mentioned that I was really frustrated with the first half of the game. I talked about the lame rail moments, the almost silly simplicity of the battles, and the fact that I almost didn't want to see the rest.

Thankfully, I did. Only because the last half of the game was farm more enjoyable. I finished the campaign with Mike yesterday, and he and I had similar thoughts: Why the hell wasn't the first half of the game as good as the last half.

Most of the battles of the last half of the game were much more fun than those of the first. The story was still fairly weak, although, unlike the second half of the first game, we knew why we were doing what we were doing, it was just for a really silly reason.

I will admit, though, that there was a moment in the game where I felt that they'd actually nailed a cinematic moment. It's not the sort of thing that you'd expect from a game like this, and if you play it, you'll know it when it hits you.

Admittedly, much of the 'camera' work in this game is much better than most, better than the first, although, like most games, they could really do with bringing on an actual director to help out. This is especially true with the GoW series, since they insist on showing you a cut scene for everything from major plot points to riding a platform down 8 feet. (I'm not making that last bit up, there is actually a cut scene that plays when you get on an elevator, it shows you going down about 8 feet, and the camera turns a bit. If done right, there might have been some value to it, but instead, it was just jarring and irritating.)

Now, I will say that the ending, especially the final 'boss battle', was unbelievably easy. We had actually completed the final battle, ready for the end, and it was a few seconds before we realized that it was actually over.

Still, from round about the middle of Act III to around the middle of Act VI there was a great deal of fun to be had. This leaves me with the question, why must we endure the first two and a half acts? I can't believe that the game couldn't be made so much better with some simple re-tooling. It's especially odd that those Acts, which are predominantly outside, could have been a great deal more fun if we'd been allowed to play in that environment the way Gears of War was meant to be played. I recall rolling by areas during rail-shooting portions that made we wish I could just get off the rails and enjoy them.

So, having enjoyed the last half of the game, am I willing to forgive the first half and recommend it as being a superior installment?

No.

No, I am not.

I've now logged a lot of hours playing the campaign, and plenty of hours playing Horde, and I'll say that they've made a lot of improvements to the title from the first that makes it more fun to play. Yet, I just can't condone the bad campaign mode. Had there been anything about the second half to the game that really blew me away, perhaps I'd be singing a different tune.

So, I'll make a compromise. I'll say that I will recommend the game to anyone that loves multiplayer, and gets their kicks from that. Anyone that will be valuing the game's price tag by the hours logged online playing various modes will love this game.

I, however, must base my opinion on the single player campaign, the mode that should be, by all rights and regards, the most polished and best that the game has to offer. Maybe that's wrong of me. Maybe I shouldn't be holding the single player campaign to such scrutiny.

But, that's my take on Gears of War 2.

I think that's it's worth noting that I have since played through Gears of War again. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Sure, it has it's quirks, and there's a few areas that frustrate me, but I still enjoyed it all the way through.

Gears of War 2 - Secondary Thoughts

Mike swung by today for a couple hours, and we plowed through a bit more of the co-op campaign.

While my opinion largely remains the same, especially after playing through the horribly unintuitive Centaur driving chapter (which requires the left stick for forward and reverse and the right stick for left and right camera, and after aiming the camera, forward turns your vehicle in that direction) I can honestly say that there's been a bit more Locust fighting, finally, and that has the game redeeming some points.

It's not a lot, mind you, and being forced to watch cut scenes for what seems like hours when having to retry an area is just as brutal as ever. However, if they keep up with the Locusts, we might at least end the game on a better note.

For those following along, this is where we left off today:




It appears that this is the end of the third act, meaning that there are two more acts of gameplay, followed by act 6, which is most certainly the final battle (as done in Gears 1).

As I said, I'll keep everyone apprised.

I suppose it's worth noting that there's one big advantage to playing GoW2, and that's the fact that they throw achievements at you like they're going out of style. It's crazy, I've been playing GTA:IV for the last few months, and that game is extremely tight with the gamerpoints, in stark contrast to the Gears series that gives you achievments just for playing the game, and they come quickly. (I suppose it should be noted that GTA:IV gives points just for playing as well, but being that I've been playing that on and off for the last couple months and I'm only about 50% of the way through... there's some disparity).

Oblong's g-speak

It's as close as we've seen to the interface seen in Minority Report.

It helps to watch the video to see what we're talking about.



After watching that, you can visit Oblong Industries.

I'm sure I really don't need to say much about this, except that it looks really cool.

Of course, I've heard plenty of people say that they really wish they had this sort of interface, but personally, I think it's great for spy / police movies, and looks great, but I imagine that it would get really tiring standing in front of the enormous screen and flailing your arms around.

I use a computer because it takes all the things I do, and puts it into one manageable space. Having to stand in front of a 100" screen and lifting, moving, and pushing objects around seems like so much more work.

Of course, that's just me.

And I'm not saying I wouldn't love an opportunity to try it out, and wouldn't turn these guys down if they wanted to install this into my home.

Ian Flemming's Jame Bond, 007, in Quantum of Solace

I will make this fairly brief.

I didn't hate Casino Royale. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I really dig Daniel Craig as James Bond. However, he doesn't seem capable of expressing human emotion. Casino Royale was written pretty poorly to begin with, and the fact that he was meant to be a green around the gills rookie who makes some mistakes and falls deeply in love with someone was just not really conveyed well in that film. Add to this the fact that film is very disjointed and completely loses thread at points makes it pretty hard to watch.

That said, Quantum of Solace improves on this a bit. Not much. But a bit.

The action sequences in this movie are frenetic (my word of the day) and balanced really well with the right amount of camera shake and quick cuts. They feel much like scenes from the original Bourne movie, which is great since that is one of my favorite action flicks of all time.

The story has some holes in it, and while I deplore films that try and cram the plot down your throat, I also dislike movies like this that seem hell bent on almost keeping you in the dark.

There are a lot of components that seem completely unnecessary throughout this movie, and the pace is a little muddled.

It's a Bond movie, and I enjoyed watching it for the most part, but I think I'll be much happier when we get away from this story line and move on to something Daniel Craig a bit better at playing. I'm hoping that they'll do one more to wrap up the 'Quantum' storyline, and since we're past Vespa and her killer now, Daniel Craig's Bond wont need to have emotion anymore, and I think I'll be much happier watching.

If you like Bond, you should enjoy this for the most part.

Gears of War 2 - Initial Impressions.

No, I haven't bought the game yet. (And for that, I'm actually glad) However, Mike brought his copy over yesterday and we logged about 7 hours of game play between Horde and Co-op.

Most of that time was spent playing about half-way through the main campaign, and I have to say that I've never been more disappointed from hype. Everything that I've heard about GoW2 is that the new campaign completely blows you away, and that it's so good, it'll make you never want to play the original game again. I'm having that exact opposite problem, I want to play GoW1 even more now than ever.

Here's an idea of why: several reviews I'd heard said that the first act of GoW2 (in the hospital) is a recall to the original GoW, playing much like the first game. Guess which part of the new game I enjoyed the most? That's right, the hospital.

Here are my problems:

There are not enough locust.

The original Gears was fun because you got to wade through locust like you would the swimming pool at the rec. center. It was brutal, it was maddening, it was frenetic, and hectic. There were a few minor breaks in the main game play, but for the most part it was a pretty standard pattern all throughout. The thing that really made it compelling was that, while very linear, you moved through the areas, and then found in an interesting to defend area, and then continued moving.

This game does not bother with this formula. Instead they give you much fewer enemies, 3 times the cut scenes, and a lot more gimmicky activity.

In Act 3, we hit an area where we needed to find our way into a building. We walked in the rain for about 10 minutes, passing a ton of really good cover which would be really fun to fight locusts from, but there was nothing to fight. When finally we encounter enemies, all they are is Wretches, which are the worst enemies in the game because they can be downed in a few shots, and just bum rush you, breaking the fun of the duck and cover fighting system.

They still haven't fixed the broken checkpoint system.

In the first gears, there were some points where it was hard enough that you'd die a few times trying to get through an area, and you'd be forced to restart at the beginning of a checkpoint. The problem is that the checkpoints are always triggered right before everyone sticks their fingers to their ears (and temples and backs of their heads as walking seemed to move their hands around) and listen to a series of long and unskippable dialog.

In most cases, having to go through that over and over in an already frustratingly difficult area could really break the flow of game a bit.

GoW2 seems to take this problem and actually make it worse. Of course, hardcore seems much easier, so death isn't as common, but there's a terrible example of this at the beginning of the second act (or end of the first, maybe it's hard to tell now as they don't list what the actual act and chapter numbers are now as you move through the story). In this area, you're on top of what amounts to a big rolling oil rig, a terrible vehicle in concept because there's no place that you're inside and armored, but instead you stand in the open on a huge platform, on which there only 1 mounted machine gun. You are tasked with shooting down Nemecyst mortars, which are big round projectiles that change course in the air quickly while heading toward your rig, after which, you are supposed to shoot down a Reaver, which is a big flying locust with locusts on it's back. Sadly, it took us a couple tries to figure out that you just have to take out the Reaver's crew, and not actually the Reaver (which seems counter intuitive since it is a sentient being and seems like it should need a crew on it's back to keep it from just exploding, but that's how the game works).

If you fail in those tasks, you're forced to sit through about a minute of first person cut scene, where scripted evens have to take place and you cannot skip it to get to the fighting.


Levels you think, "I'm glad I don't have to play that again..."

The first GoW had a lot going for it. Even the most difficult levels had me saying, wow, that was tough, yet I could see myself going back and playing it again, trying to better my score. This Gears, however, has the opposite effect. Challenging areas are making me feel relieved that I'd never have to play them again.

That's just wrong. I should feel that way about a game... especially not Gears of War 2.

I know I'll be playing through the co-op with Mike at least one more time (so he can get the co-op achievements on his console too), but in all honesty, I think neither of us are really looking forward to it. Not like the first Gears where there were points when we actually talked about wanting to play through an area again on another play through, this game has us almost dreading just finishing it the first time.

What does this mean?

I don't hate the game. I should be honest about that, I really don't hate it. It's Gears of War 2, and I dig that. But with all the hype that the campaign has gotten, such as quotes like, "it will ruin Gears of War 1 for you, I never want to play the first game again, the second is so good!" I feel like punching those reviewers, because this game has actually made me want to pick up the controller and go back to the first Gears all the more.

I will say that Horde is a ton of fun, and I will probably pick this one up soon simply to play Horde online with my friends, and there are other multiplayer aspects to the game that certainly make it worth owning. I'm just very disappointed so far with the campaign, and expected a lot more out of it.


I'm sure I'll be back with an update on some final thoughts once we've beaten the second half of the campaign. Perhaps something will happen to make it all worth while. But I doubt it.

New Car

Well, yesterday I took Mike so he could find a new car. We were having trouble finding something that fit his needs, and then I found this, which fits my needs and my price range. So, I sold Mike my car, and I bought this thing. It was under Blue Book value, and runs amazingly well, and is immaculate.

It's a '97 Buick Park Avenue with 130,000.