Video games, video games, video games

I’ve been up playing GTA 4 every minute I’m not working. Awesome. Detail on a level that I’ve never seen in a game. You can stand around on a random street corner for 5 minutes and not see the same person twice. Go to a different part of town and everyone is wearing different styles of clothes. Neighborhoods exist the same way they do in real life. And I’ve only played for like 2 hours. If initial estimates are correct, I still have about 40 hours left just to beat the story. All this without even touching the multiplayer yet. But everyone asks, “Is it really so good?” The answer, “Yes….if you like video games.” My brother will not pick it up and have any more fun than he would have with the previous ones. If you only like playing the Wii, you’re not gonna get as much out of this game as someone who has been gaming their whole life. You may like running around and shooting people, but you can do that in all of the GTA games. It’s the attention to detail and the story that really sets this game apart I’ll probably have more to say about it later as I play more. BUT, there is still more video game news. Check out the picture below. It’s a painting of Bowser (Mario’s arch nemesis), but as if Bowser were a real creature. Not to be confused with Pixeloo’s “untoonings” of Mario, Jessica Rabbit, and Homer, this is an actual painting. It was done completely in Photoshop and was inspired by Pixeloo’s work. Sweet. We need more like this. Click on the pic to see more detail. Click HERE to see the artist’s site.

I would have loved this show…

This show is the most awesome mix of late 70’s/early 80’s haircuts, video games, and cheeziness.  I would have killed to be on this show if it was on when I was young.  Much like I would have killed to be on Guts.  Or at least just hold a piece of the Crag for a little while.  Hit the link to watch old episodes of Starcade HERE

My new favorite YouTube channel

Just found some interesting videos on the New Scientist channel on YouTube.  The first is a video of a self assembling modular robot. Think T2, but a million times less advanced. Still cool.  The next video shows how traffic jams can appear for no reason at all.  Japanese researchers showed with this test that there isn’t always a cause for traffic jams.  I think they should have tried this test with non-Asian drivers. I kid. But seriously…

What’s that? You smell that too? I think it’s hypocrite…

So there is a new game that’s going to be coming out based on The Bourne Identity. I admittedly have only seen the first movie and don’t remember it very well, but I hear they are really cool. At least the trailers look pretty cool. But apparently the star of the movie has pulled out of lending his voice and likeness to the game. “Why?” you may ask. He won’t say (through his publicist), but his mom is more than happy to explain why. She says “

“Matt and I don’t share the same views about violence in adult films, but we do see eye-to-eye on the importance of protecting children. We both support regulations to stop the marketing of violence in films to children through violent toys, products, and video games.”

Brilliant. Violence in video games (for which the most users are over the age of 25), is definitely unacceptable. As long as we keep the violence in the movies that eventually get shown for free on tv, our kids will be ok. Idiot. I was actually able to find an old interview with Matt where he explains his views. Check it below.

50 Cent ain’t got nothin on these beats

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking.  Timbaland is the best producer. That dude Pharell kicks the hottest beats. Or maybe you’re like me and don’t listen to music made by a half-retarded one armed dyslexic idiot who pushes a bunch of buttons to “drop a beat”.  Either way, it’s easy when you just sit in front of a computer and push buttons.  Try making your own mechanical drum machine.  Check it…

What did the serial killer say to the 10 year old?

Nope, not the punch line for a joke, though if it were I bet it would be a gross joke. Radar magazine published the letters that Bill Geerhart sent to different politicos and serial killers from 1999-2001.  He asked them simple questions like “Should I drop out of school?” while posing as a 10 year old named Billy Geerhart.  The responses he got were a little strange, especially coming from such varied sources as Charles Manson and Larry Flynt.  I like Flynt’s advice that he should wait until he’s 18 to get into porn magazine, and that until there he should read Sears & Roebucks catalogs.    Read all of them HERE

Who ya gonna call?

That’s right, Ghostbusters is back. A new Ghostbusters video game is in the works right now, and scheduled for a release around Halloween. And, after much market research, they will be keeping the original theme song. Here’s how that research went…

Company: What would you do if we changed the theme song in the new game?

Public: We would kill you. Literally.

Check out some more pictures at this link HERE

That Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Kid…

…better thank Gary Stearn next time he beats up on Elton John in front of a crowd of screaming fans. The NYT ran a sweet article about the world’s last pinball manufacturer. Located outside Chicago in Melrose Park, Stern Pinball Inc. is the ONLY company in the world that still makes pinball machines. Pinball, you know that big box that you push buttons on and the ball bounces around? No, it’s not on the Wii…never mind. Anyways, I’ve had a pinball machine in my basement for as long as I can remember, and I have some great memories of sitting down there alone trying to beat my own high score of 63,000. No, that score is not missing any zeros. It’s an older game that didn’t have to inflate your ego by making each bounce worth 10,000,000 points, but still way more fun than a lot of the newer ones that have video screens that show you The Terminator destroying something because your ball went up a ramp. My machine is an electric machine and could still be recreated by someone with no computer skills. It truly is a thing of beauty. Either way, check out the awesome article, as well as the even cooler slide show. How sweet would it be to tour the pinball manufacturing company?

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Cool ads, and making of videos

Christophe Huet makes some crazy pictures that are eye opening to say the least. You’ve probably seen some of the before, since he was one of the main artists for the PS3 ad campaign. His website is really cool (even though it is flash), and it shows of a lot of this work, like the one below. Even cooler is the accompanying “making of” feature that shows the different steps involved in creating these pieces. It’s not a step by step tutorial, but it does show you the general process. Check it HERE

Awesome work Japan!

The Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) just released a video of a full Earth rise. It was filmed in HD (of course) and it available HERE Read more about it, and see some pictures HERE