Divertissementz

...And thanks for all the fish.

2008-07-27T04:34:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like everyone has left to greener pastures, so I think I shall post my farewell. With the rising of Frank's Basement and Austen's Perception Roll, Divertissmentz has fallen in battle. There have been many a good time here, many a funny NAC, many a snide remark in comment. I shall never forget the countdown to Rock Band, and the innevetable post on how the GEN1 guitars sucked balls. Right through to the unveiling of the GEN2 guitars and their reed switch awesomeness. Its time to bid farewell , she she served us well. Maybe Frank can make an archive on his new site. Or with even less effort required on his part, a link here.

With heavy heart, goodbye old friend, you shall be missed.

I'm Done, But Not Really

2008-05-12T12:25:00.001-07:00

So, with the release of Frank's Basement, I've decided to leave Divertissementz and start my own. I figure if I'm gonna blog reguarly, I might as well have my own. Anyway, it's called Roll for Perception. I'm looking for others willing to blog too, so if you're interested, shoot me an email and I'll get you set up.

Festo AirJelly blows my mind!

2008-04-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is probably one of the coolest inventions I've seen in recent memory. How it controls the amount of helium and rises and falls also confuses the living daylights out of me. Don't know what I'm talking about? Watch the video. My eyes are still popping out of the sockets.

Via Endgadget

Clannad meets Pokemon. Result? Entirely too cute for it to continue existing

2008-04-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so those of who check Kotaku on a regular basic probably already saw this. For those of you who don't, watch this. It's a fan made combination of Clannad with Pokemans. You, uh, might wanna brace yourself for cute overload.

Brand New 'Speed Racer' Preview... Uh... Dang

2008-04-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

I has ustream show

2008-04-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

New Naruto Game Animation blows my mind!

2008-04-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I am most certainly NOT a Naruto fan. At all. But after seeing some stills from the upcoming game, Naruto: Ultima Ninja Storm (commence eye roll manuever), I had to see what this thing looked like moving. I found a trailer on Game Trailers this morning. I have to say, despite my apprehension to play a game with the word Ultimate used so prominently in it's name, this looks amazing. It's the first time where, were I not paying attention, I could easily mistake this for the best hand drawn animation ever!

Check it out:

Best Viral Video of 08!

2008-04-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ok this video wont imbed correctly, so here is the link. This is the funniest thing I've seen so far this year. I thought it was real for the first minute, then was like WTF?

Dreamworks Bought the Rights to Ghost in the Shell

2008-04-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

"DreamWorks has acquired rights to the Japanese manga "Ghost in the Shell" with plans to adapt the futuristic police thriller as a 3-D live-action feature."

Tell me that doesn't excite. Just try and say that without smiling. Yeah, I didn't think so. This is definitely exciting news for all of us Batou loving nerds who have been waiting for something awesome like this to happen. Oh, and did I mention that the movie is being produced and directed by Steven Spielberg?

Granted, I'm not the biggest Ghost in the Shell fan, but I definitely thought it was a cool concept and it's a perfect candidate for a live action adaption. This gets me excited for a couple of reasons. First of all, it means that more and more studios are realizing the potential of turning animes into live actions. And second, I really hope this begins a trend. There are at least two anime live action adaptions I know of thus far, including this one, and so far they both sound awesome. (Yes, I'm a DBZ fan. So sue me.)

Now they need to start doing a few other good anime live actions. Then I'll be happy. =D

Via Variety

Koreans steal Jim's love of guitar.

2008-04-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

I officially HATE Zach Kim, I don't care that I've fav'd his videos on youtube I just hate him...

New Macross, also Jim steals Austen's also.

2008-04-14T18:22:00.001-07:00

Well its April, that means its almost summer, also, for Anime geeks its the new season for epic goodness. And thus the screen from Macross Frontier. Thats right kiddies an updated Marcoss for your Robot-Plane-Robot.....plane needs. Here we see a giant robo-biomecha thing holding our poor, poor VF-22 Valkerie pilot for crushing time... Episode two kicked total arse, I'm totally getting this series until it gets licensed, because all Macross and Robotech do... Its just a matter of time...

Too Much Mac Time

2008-04-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone. It's entirely too easy to post videos to youtube for me now.

Mac Get! The Video

2008-04-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

Butt Chat Premiere!

2008-04-05T01:43:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the new 24" iMac Tyler and I started a new podcast called Butt Chat! It's us, talking on our butts! Enjoy it! http://www.youshare.com/view.php?file=ButtChat1.mp3

NIM i.e. NEW IMAC DAY

2008-04-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Movie coming soon!

Thats right, I'm the best Rock Bander EVER. Also software update.

2008-04-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

If you've heard the buzz already this isn't news at all. But if your just wondering how good Jim is at this game, why after only 3 tries consisting of a 97% and a 99% we get the 100% Thats right folks, Jim got the flawless victory award, its actually called the "Flawless Performance-Guitar on Expert" achievement. Too bad its only worth a mere pittance, 10 gamer points LAME!

Also the new update to the software on Rock Band is perfect, gone are the days of playing the same song over and over and over until you die of boredom. A new in game music store has been added, reminiscent of Guitar Hero where you buy the extra tracks, only with -=sigh=- you hard earned REAL monies. I like the preview feature so you can hear the song before you buy it and possibly regret it... The fan caps have been reworked to let non expert players advance further in career mode, hopefully we will beat the game now Frank, and see if there are more songs we don't have lol.

I don't know if its me being retarded, or they made hammer ons and pull offs more like a hybrid between GH1 and GH2. On the new Boston song I downloaded, More Than a Feeling, I'm having trouble with them... We shall see as I play harder songs, I may be getting my timing off as Ashley's TV permanently screwed with my brain with the 35-55ms delay! Oh hey I know I'll blame the guitar for now, and then when the new one comes I can still blame that one, and next Tuesday when I get the wireless one, yet ANOTHER guitar to blame for my lack of skill...

Posting with my touchpod

2008-04-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

lolololol I'm posting from my very own touchpod! Super awesome! Also this keyboard works pretty good even with my fat fingers.

You have GOT to be kidding me...

2008-04-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so as many of you know I just recently bought an iPod nano. It was the 8GB version and was $200. Not bad and I enjoyed it... until it freaked out lost battery power... long story. Anyway, I returned it and bought a Touchpod... which was pretty much the coolest return experience in my life. Well... sort of.

Anyway, so I'm checking the Woots and lo and behold, today's Woot is an iPod nano, 8GB...... for $138. What. The. Crap.

Austen is a gullible idiot. Also, Frank is a jerk

2008-04-01T20:55:00.001-07:00

The title pretty much says it all. Here is a text message conversation that happened earlier.

Frank: Well I'm officially going out with someone now.
Austen: What?! Who?
Frank: Her name is April.
Austen: Who's april? you're talking about dating her? Seriously?
Frank: Yeah. Her full name is April... Fools! Lololololololol!
Austen: Lol you're a jerk.

...... Yeah. Shut up.

BLAST THIS DAY!!!!!!

2008-04-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Why oh why won't THIS really happen? Only with a gooder cast? And directed by Peter Jackson, of course filmed in New Zealand....

Disc unreadable hawhu? -=look at xbox that just FELL=- NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

2008-03-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

Well Rock Band is offically toasted. Tonight at Ashley's party thing, we were jamming out, when somehow, someone knocked over the Xbox, and well... It left 5 complete circles of death on the disc, and now is totally unreadable. So rock Band is bye bye until either EA is really really cool and hooks me up with one, or i have to friggin shell out another 60 bucks for a new game only copy. One way or another guys, it looks like its Guitar Hero for now... -=shudder=- Sorry Austen I stoleded your angry bebeh...

Flickr Update!

2008-03-28T00:49:00.000-07:00

Hurray! It's time for another Flickr update. *Cue epic music* DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!
Did you make to this weeks update? Check it out here!

Also, here's a preview.

Monty Oum Strikes again with Dead Fantasy II

2008-03-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

Prepare for you brain to explode in fanboyish explosion of glee. Also, the animation and direction thereof is absolutely incredible. Enjoy!

Gurren Lagann Figure is super posable

2008-03-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?! A Gurren Lagann fan?! ... Okay, so you got me there. But even if you're not a Gurren Lagann fan, this figure is impressive to say the least. Revoltech is releasing a 120mm action figure in Mid-May that I must get. Granted, it's fairly small (just over 4 inches in American measurements) but the replaceable heads, and the amazing amount of articulation makes up for it. You can reserve it now for 1805 Yen (rougly $18) at your favorite Japanese figure store. I think I might just get this one. Now observe some pictures of it's awesome!

Linkage to pictures.

New Sonic Game Looks Dang Good!?

2008-03-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

It took me a while to realize my jaw was hanging open after I saw this video. Could this be the first good console Sonic game since Sonic Adventure? (And the first game to make me wish I had a 360? @_@)

Cubecraft - A Papercraft with a gimmick!

2008-03-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Okay so they all have a gimmick, but this one's fairly neat and simply for the beginner papercrafter. The idea of the site is that this guy comes out with a new model every week. A lot of them are super awesome, and they take very little time. He's got a pretty good variety going so far; he's got everything from Kirby to Mr. Stay Puft, and from Master Chief to MC Chris. Check it out here.

More images of The Car.... Teehee

2008-03-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Guitar Hero: On Tour for the DS Announced

2008-03-19T14:40:00.001-07:00

As predicted, the DS iteration of Guitar Hero has been officially announced. But how the crap is that going to work, you ask? Well, by way of the above pictured lame ass peripheral that snaps onto your DS.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Guitar Hero. But I've just about had it with these franchises that try and "revolutionize" things and "try something different" when it's just not necessary. Guitar Hero was fine the way it was. I openly welcome dlc (and would love if Nintendo would stop being lame and let it come to the Wii version =[ ) and I really like the idea of coop career mode. But Guitar Hero for the DS... come on!

The DS version will have 20 exclusive songs, most of which are original master tracks, though whether or not that matters seeing as how it's on the DS is yet to be seen.

Observe the cheesiest ad for a Guitar Hero game yet.

Exclusive Reveal via IGN
Interview with Yahoo

Something awesome is afoot...

2008-03-18T09:56:00.001-07:00

Yes, something awesome indeed. Unfortunately priced at $81.98, the Gurren Lagann OST is officially available on Amazon. However, they are selling like hotcakes! As of the writing of this post, there are only 3 left though Amazon claims there are more on the way.

Also, for those who were wondering what in the world was going on with the release of Gurren Lagann Volume 1, it's finally available! Yay! Let the ridiculous spending of money commence!

The New Car

2008-03-16T07:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, on the Ides of March, we finally broke down (following our previous car's example ;) ) and bought a brand new 2008 Scion xD.

Okay, am I the only who notices that the name of my car looks like an ASCII happy face? Yeah, that's awesome.

Also, here's some pics!

The most amazing papercraft I've ever seen

2008-03-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is apparently from an anime put out by Ghibli (not Miyazaki interestingly enough) called Tales from Earthsea. Drooling for it yet? You a whole book of papercraft from the film here. Also, here's a little guide to making the "sitting" version.

Introducing HappySoda

2008-03-14T17:26:00.001-07:00

I recently came across this guy. HappySoda is a website dedicated to "pretty anime things". This guy is incredible! He photographs some of the best anime character figurines I've ever seen. This guy's stuff is just... just gorgeous. There's nothing else to say, just check it out.

*Edit* Sorry about the incorrect post earlier. Great work though, Mr. HappySoda. =)

Worst. Day. Ever.

2008-03-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

AND IT'S ONLY 10 AM! So for those who haven't heard... my car exploded on the highway this morning. Yeah, that sucked. Now who knows what's wrong with it. My first thought was the timing belt exploded. And that's what everyone I've described it too said it was too. Which means that my car is now useless. AND I JUST PUMPED LIKE $300 INTO IT MAKING IT ALL NICE AGAIN! AHHHHH!!!

Plus the freaking tow was $85. =( Plus I was late to work by an hour and a half. =( Plus I was overdrafted $150 due to stupid random credits from like a month ago. =( CAN THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE?! AHHGHGHGHH!!!

New Wall-E Trailer ... It's Spacetastic!

2008-03-13T09:00:00.004-07:00

The Incredible Hulk Trailer.... Marvel got it right!

2008-03-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Minority Report Interface is awesome!

2008-03-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

Behold! The Swarm have arrived!

2008-03-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

So, just in case you forgot. Starcraft 2 is coming out this year. Blizzard has been steadily releasing more and more info on it every month mostly about the Protoss and the Terrans. But now, finally, they've released the trailer for the Zerg. You really need to just watch this video. It actually gave me goosebumps. The in-game cinematics are breathtaking to say the least, not to mention the sheer number of units allowed are pretty much insane. Observe the clip at 1:05. Seriously, I just about peed my pants. Enjoy!

Why I love SSBB

2008-03-11T11:41:00.001-07:00

As I'm sure most of you know, a certain game was released this weekend. I love this game. It is fun. That is all there is to it. When someone on the street asks me what Brawl is, I say it is fun epitomized. If someone asks me what fun is, I will say Brawl. They are synonymous.

But there are certain things that make Brawl awesome. A few of things are the sheer number of playable characters and the remarkable different play styles inherent in each of them. Another aspect that is awesome is the items now available. The smash ball for instance.

But now, one of the coolest aspects of this game. Creating your own levels! Albeit, the level editor is fairly limited in it's scope. But what we do get, is pretty amazing. But not only can you make awesome levels, but you can share them with anybody! IGN has created a whole website dedicated to the sharing of Brawl levels! Observe!

That is all. See you in the game!

Fairly awesome Dragonball Z Live action

2008-03-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

I found this neat little video via Japanator. I've only just recently discovered Japanator, but I'm quickly becoming a fan.

Now, I know what you're thinking; "DBZ live action? NEXT!" Which is fine. But I have to say, that despite the fact that this is done by amateurs, it gives me hope that the "pro" version done by Fox could conceivably be worth watching, if for nothing other than big explosions and cool effects. Anyway, enjoy this clip.

Is this awesome?

2008-03-07T10:35:00.001-08:00

Why yes, yes it is. Also, we must make one!

Too Much Basement Time

2008-03-06T23:08:00.001-08:00

Jim + Rock Band Mic + Garage Band + Basic Cable + Frank + Rum =

Stupid Mac vs. PC Debates with Frank and Craig!

2008-03-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

I had a great sarcastic debate with my friend Craig, over text messages today, that I have no choice but to post. Here goes!

Frank: Crap now I actually want an iPhone. They finally did what they should have all along: released a free software development kit to the public. Now it'll do all.

Craig: What will the software kit do? Make it so anybody can write anything for it? Like word excel power point games and what have you?

Frank: Yep. And WT library.

Craig: I already got wt library on my phone... Why would I want it on an I phone?

Frank: Good question. Maybe I'll get a phone like yours. =p

Craig: If u get an iphone u have to get crappy at&t

Frank: This is true. For now anyway. I'll wait till I can get one with Net 10 or cricket or something.

Craig: Just get a phone like mine. It's way cheaper anyways and not so trendy or a palm centro like phone.

Craig: Sounds like u'd buy a turd... If it was made by mac

Frank: Nah. I'm not gonna buy the Macbook Air. XD

Craig: So there is hope for u... ?

Frank: Who knows? Maybe some day Apple will have me 100% brain washed. ;3

Craig: Geeze I know! They must go after the 'wanna believe' religiously inclined type.

Frank: I hear conservative religious people are their number one customers.

Craig: Ha. Sarcasm is so much harder to pick up on text.

Frank: Lol I know!

Craig: Macs are awesome...

Thr Grateful Dead to Hit Rock Band

2008-03-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

According to this page, this week a six song pack featuring nothing but the Grateful Dead is going to be released for 800 microsoft points. First time i've seen that happen.

~Nephirij~

Mass Effect DLC

2008-03-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

In a recent email newsletter from XBox live, i have received information regarding Mass Effect DLC. the first content Pack, entitled "Bring Down the Sky" is set to release this upcoming monday the 10th of march, 2008. Downloading this pac will not only get you new explorable worlds and new missions, totaling approximately 90 minutes of gameplay, but it also includes an acheivement that will net you 50 Gamerscore points. more info can be found Here.

~Nephirij~

PAX 10!

2008-03-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

So, if you go down a couple of posts, you see that Austen was kind enough to allow me this pity post. (Thanks Austen!) Penny-Arcade.com, my favorite web comic, is now accepting submissions from indie game developers for a chance to showcase their games. The top 10 games chosen by a panel of 50 industry experts, including Penny-Arcade's Gabe and Tycho, will then be shown in the exhibition hall of PAX '08. If you wish to submit your own games, you have until May 7th, 2008 to do so. more info Here.

Now if only I could get my search-fu as high level as Austen's...

~Nephirij~

For those planning to play as Ike instead of Marth....

2008-03-05T10:18:00.000-08:00

Observe this little moveset demo. Something I noticed right away, he's not a Marth clone. Not even close. He's clearly a lot heavier and is actually much closer to Roy than Marth. He's TOUGH! When he uses his insta-kill move, fully powered, it tacks on 40% damage and rockets the opponent, literally, out of the park. Observe and contemplate.

Also, for those who notice it, his Smash... is freaking Omnislash!

Gurren Lagann Movie Confirmed!

2008-03-04T22:09:00.004-08:00

MANLY! No real info yet but here's hoping the movie is as awesome as the show. And to be that awesome it can't be a recap! (You hear me japanese anime making guys!? NO RECAP MOVIE!)

Chris! Blog about ....

2008-03-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

THIS! I've been waiting for a few days now, and I haven't seen you post anything about it. I'm leaving THIS kind of post up to you, don't let me down man. ;)

Nokia Morph Concept Video

2008-02-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

This, is the future. At least I hope it is. How awesome would this be?

Gurren Lagann Releases Today

2008-02-26T16:26:00.001-08:00

Just thought I'd let you guys know, Gurren Lagann is officially released (in English) today. So... go buy it.

Destructoid - My Other Home

2008-02-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. "Stop posting, already Austen! GEEZ!" I figured I'd let you guys in on my other blog that I regularly write on. It's my personal blog on Destructoid. Observe the hilarity here. I try my best to post the decent stuff on Divertissementz as well, but I like to leave it up to the other dudes to get some in too. ;D Enjoy.

Stuff White People Like... Are all gamers actually white?

2008-02-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

So I was on my lunch break earlier today and I had on NPR (yeah, yeah. Laugh it up) and they had on a blogger by the name of Christian Lander. He was talking with Neal Conan about his "controversial" blog, Stuff White People Like. They started out talking about why is controversial and why some people were saying it was racist. And then they started talking about the things he actually blogged about, and the phone calls started pouring in. It was HILARIOUS! There were posts abouts everything from listening to NPR, threatening to move to Canada but never actually doing it, Mos Def, standing still at concerts, and expensive sandwiches.

And then two things occurred to me; (1) I'm freaking white! And (2), GAMERS are freaking white. I think about all of the conventions I've been to, namely PAX, and I swear, everyone around me is either white, or might as well be. What do you think, is it just me? Or could this guy's blog be named 'Stuff White People and Gamers Like"?

Linkage: Stuff White People Like

Truth Ads Most Insidious Thing on TV?

2008-02-25T16:40:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one that notices that in every one of those "Truth anti-smoking" TV ads, despite whatever purportedly accurate statistics are stated, the people speaking out against smoking are portrayed in as negative an emotional light as possible? The first rule of advertising is to appeal to the viewer's emotions instead of their mind and when they're constantly making people against smoking appear rude, obnoxious, and generally like total freaks, one must question the real motives to this long running ad campaign. An ad campaign funded by tobacco companies. Is this a clear conspiracy to promote smoking while pretending to fight it or am I just seeing things?

Debate over at PA forum.

Audiosurf - Where did this game come from?

2008-02-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

So I was going through the list of new releases on Steam the other day and came across this little gem called Audiosurf. I hadn't heard of it before so I downloaded the demo and started playing. What I found was amazing!

Audiosurf is a game based solely around music. According to the website, it's a music-adapting puzzle racer. (Wrap your mind around that!) You use your own music from your machine and literally ride the song. You can select different "racers", each racer is a different game mode and changes the object of the game. It's a lot of fun! Everything in the game, including the blocks coming at you, the track itself, and all of the silly Geometry Wars style explosions in the background are all done on the fly based on the music. If you've ever played with G-Force, this is a really fun interactive version of that!

Oh, and did I mention that it comes with the Orange Box soundtrack... for free?

In summary, open Steam, drop the $10 bucks and buy this game. You won't regret it.

Chrono Resurrection - What Could Have Been

2008-02-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

Behold, a fan made recut of Chrono Trigger. It's in full 3D and has some spectacular visuals and an impressive art direction from a couple of noobs. I wish, oh MAN, I wish this would actually happen. Unfortunately for all of us, Square Enix would never let it happen. But in the mean time, there's no problem drooling over what could have been. Check it out:

Batman - Gotham Knight First Look

2008-02-20T15:38:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure we all know by now, The Dark Knight comes out very very soon. But what you may not know is that just before the release of Dark Knight, we all get a little treat in the form of Batman - Gotham Knight. Basically the creators behind Batman got together and came up with six, loosely connected stories and gave them out to six different anime studios. You'll remember, this has been done before, and it was awesome. Today, we finally got a promo video showcasing some scenes from the upcoming animated release, and some commentary from the guys behind it. It's an interesting watch, to say the least. Enjoy.

I Wish I Was At GDC

2008-02-20T09:38:00.001-08:00

Because I want to see this in person.

Fez... Pretty Much the Coolest Game Ever. Or at least the flippiest

2008-02-19T21:29:00.001-08:00

GDC 2008: Lifelike Motion Capture Brought to Unreal Engine 3

2008-02-19T15:36:00.001-08:00

I'm just going to post these videos so you can see. They are the most incredible motion capture I've ever seen for a video game. Which companies are currently implementing this into their games is not revealed, but we do know that there is a good chance we'll see this being used sometime before the close of the year. Yeah, I'm impressed too.

This is a direct quote that I thought might get your attention. Seriously, when I read this, my jaw LITERALLY dropped.
The Contour system generates so much data, Perlman says, that the full value of the rendering won't be apparent until hardware speeds improve. "With markers, you kind of get the resolution of what those markers are and that's it," Perlman says. "When a next-generation game system comes out, or they decide they want to do something for a feature film, you can't really use the data. With Contour, it's actually capturing the data at much higher resolutions than any system in the world, even for feature films, can currently use. What we do is we store that data away ... and when a next generation video game machine comes out and they want the data at higher resolution, they can."

Mova Contour Reality Capture in Unreal Engine 3 from Joy Stiq on Vimeo.

Mova Contour Reality Capture - Gangster Demo (not real-time) from Joy Stiq on Vimeo.
-via Joystiq

HD Format Wars Are Officially OVER!

2008-02-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so for those of you who haven't heard yet. Toshiba announced earlier today that HD DVD is offially dead. Basically, that means it's over. Blu Ray is now the de facto HD format going forward.

For those of you who, sadly, chose HD DVD and are effectively screwed by this decision. I might make a few suggestions. One, stop buying HD DVDs like right now. Two, go buy yourself a dual format player to ease the transition pain. Or if you are going to simply delve head first into the HD world and would like to buy a decent Blu Ray player. May I suggest the Playstation 3. Regardless of how you feel about the gaming system aspect of the playstation 3, the fact remains that it's pretty much the cheapest Blu Ray player in existence. It updates itself on a fairly regular basis, and you get a gaming system to boot. Not a bad deal.

Also, for those 360 HD DVD add on owners out there; Don't worry. Microsoft isn't completely stupid. Rest assured they will be releasing a Blu Ray add-on in the not-so-distant future.

Hurray it's over!

The Talent Show

2008-02-16T23:12:00.001-08:00

So earlier tonight our congregation (Greenburg Road) had a little talent show of sorts. It was fantastic! I honestly had no idea so many of our brothers and sisters had such incredible talent. For example, I knew Craig Edelman played the fiddle, but I had no idea how good he was. And Brad Dean was pure genius with his Nixon and Bobby Kennedy impressions. Spot on! But the one who stole the show, no doubt, was Manny Granadus. My goodness, that man has a fantastic voice. I kid you not, the second he started singing (albeit in spanish) everyone in the room looked up in pure shock that it wasn't a recording and he was actually singing. Amazing, brother, absolutely amazing.

I took quite a few pictures and I made a little compilation video so those who chose not to come could get a chance to see. Check out the pictures here. And the video is embedded below. Enjoy.

Indiana Jones IV Trailer!

2008-02-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

Spore to Release 09.07.08

2008-02-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

This spore announcement was made via a trailer on Spore's site. But September is so far away. and that doesn't leave me much time to play before StarCraft2. Oh well.

~Nephirij~

P.S. See Austen, I do post...

Behold.... Turok

2008-02-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

Dino-sized dump here.

Yeah. Holy cow.

Get 'Lost' Thursday -- The crap is going on Edition

2008-02-07T16:25:00.001-08:00

It's that time again! It's time to get back to smashing your head against a wall and pumping out some theories. Lost is back and hot dang is it turning out to be a good start to another amazing, mind blowing season.

Seeing as how I'm an avid fan and I'm sure there are many others out there who read Destructoid, I thought it would be fitting to start an ongoing post on Thursdays. The idea is to catch up on the newest episode and what we can hope to expect in the coming episode. I figure it'll be a good way to toss some theories around and see what comes of them.

First off, let's recap what happened towards the end of Season 3. By the way, if it wasn't obvious enough, SPOILERS FROLIC THROUGHOUT THIS POST. So towards the end of season 3, Locke had left and essentially joined The Others. He was a symbol of hope it seemed for a lot of The Others... except their "leader", Ben. Ben saw him as a threat and a challenge to his superiority over the rest of the Others. Ben was not being healed by the Island like Locke and it bothered him considerably. As time progressed, Locke heard more and more about a mysterious man named Jacob. He was apparently who Ben answered to, though for some unexplained reason only Ben could speak with him. At one point Locke and Ben get into a pissing contest and Ben agreed to take Locke to see Jacob. What we wound up seeing was, to this day, confusing and CLEARLY incredibly important to the furthering of the plot and the mystery of the Island. After Locke saw the craziness that was Jacob's cabin, Ben took him the ditch that held the remains of the DHARMA members that had been slaughtered during The Purge. Ben shot Locke and left him for dead.

Meanwhile, back at the survivor camp, Juliet has seemingly switched sides and is becoming more and more attached to Jack. We discover that Sun got pregnant on the Island by her husband, Jin. This is great news and yet bad news at the same time. It's great news because it's Jin's baby, and not that other guy. It's bad news because all women who get pregnant on the island DIE before they can carry the baby to term. There are also hints that two other women are pregnant but it is unclear who. There's a possibility that Kate is pregnant with Sawyer's baby. Dun dun dunnn!

Amongst all the drama that ensues, we discover that the Others are coming for the pregnant women to experiment on them. Juliet was recruited to do this initially but she pulls a fast one on Ben and tells the survivors about Ben's plan. For the first time they know exactly when and where the Others are going to be and Jack intends to take advantage of this.

Also, Desmond has had another future vision. This time he sees "rescue" and believes it to be his long lost, super rich, Irish girlfriend Penny. He leads a group consisting of Jin, Hurley and Charlie out into the jungle. Unfortunately, Desmond changes his vision by saving Charlie from suffering a brutal arrow to the throat and therefore "changes" the events. They find a downed parachuter named Naomi who crashed her Helicopter into the ocean and ejected. She says she's from a freighter 80 nautical miles west of the island and they've come to rescue them. She has a satellite phone.

Back to the plan. Jack and Sayid work out the details and decide that they're going, literally, blow the crap out of the Others coming for the women. They go back to the Black Rock (you know that creepy, land locked, slave ship in "The Dark Zone"?) and grab some dynamite. They plant the dynamite in 3 of the tents that were supposedly to have the pregnant women in them sleeping away. Sayid, Bernard and Jin stay behind to set off the explosives as the rest of the survivors head to the radio tower that Danielle had recorded that message 16 years ago at.

Meanwhile back with the Others, Ben finds out about Juliet's treachery and is obviously pissed. He orders that they head out immediately and plans to meet the survivors head on himself. He brings his "daughter", Alex, along for the ride because he discovered that her boyfriend was the one who had informed the survivors of their coming early.

Desmond has another vision that Charlie will save them all by going to an underwater DHARMA station called the Looking Glass. They discover that they have to go down there to turn off the communications jamming in order for Naomi's satellite phone to work so they can be saved. Charlie volunteers, accepting the fact that he's going to die in order for them to live, especially his new love Claire.

Desmond accompanies Charlie out into the ocean. Charlie goes down to the station and finds that the station is being (wo)manned by two others who have been ordered by Ben to jam all communications. (We have yet to know why) Charlie is bound and they are panicking as how he knows about the station and the jamming.

Meanwhile, Ben meets up with the survivors and let's Jack know that Naomi is not who she says she is. And that she is dangerous. He says that if she is allowed to get her people on the Island, it will be the beginning of the end.

Charlie, with a little help from Desmond and Mikhail, saves the day by turning off the jamming and discovering an incoming transmission. He finds out that Penny has no idea who Naomi is and has no clue what the freighter is. Right as he finds this out Mikhail taps on the window from outside in the ocean holding a grenade in one hand and the pin in the other. Charlie quickly closes the hatch and ensures that the jamming stays off, saves Desmond from certain death and thus meets his ultimate fate.

This enables Naomi to get a lock on the freighter's signal. But OH SNAP Locke appears out of nowhere and throws a knife into her back. Jack grabs the phone and makes the call. Locke and Jack are now on opposing sides. Locke knows there's problems afoot, but Jack wants off the Island worse than anything. END SEASON 3.

Season 4
So far we've seen one episode of season 4: The Beginning of the End. In this episode we are presented with the introduction of the flash forward. We find out that there were 6 who got off the island. (The Oceanic Six) Of the six we know who 3 of them are. Hurley, Jack and Kate.

Jack has gone pretty much insane. He's grown a beard and is popping pills left and right. He also goes to a mysterious funeral for "neither a friend nor family member". Hurley is also having issues. The episode actually starts with Hurley running from the cops for no apparent reason. As the episode progresses we discover that he is seeing Charlie who has a message for him. A message that Hurley is needed back on the Island. Hurley goes back to the nuthouse. Oh yeah, and he gets a little lost meeting back with the other survivors on the island and sees "Jacob". And if I do say so myself, he looks an awful lot like Jack's dad. (hmmmm)

We don't know much about Kate, except that she is most likely living with someone.

Back to the "present", the Island is quickly being divided. The survivors are now broken into two different groups. A group that follows Locke who believe they need to stay on the Island, and a group that follow Jack, who want to leave.

So that's the recent happenings of Lost. What will happen in tonights' episode? Heck if I know. From what little can be told from the promos, it seems we'll get a bit more insight on the people from the freighter and what they're actually about. I can't wait. Check in next week for some theories on what's ACTUALLY going on and a recap of tonight's episode.

The Best Play of Super Bowl XLII

2008-02-05T08:39:00.001-08:00

Yes, I was upset that the Patriots didn't win. I'm not a Patriots fan, mind you. It just would've been awesome to see the second perfect season ever. Instead the 1972 Dolphins cracked open a bottle of champagne and said "Ahhh, that's too bad". This was largely due to this insane play. Seriously, the Giant's quarterback must have been slathered in butter for this to have happened.

M. Night Shymalan's 'The Happening' Teaser

2008-02-04T13:48:00.001-08:00

M. Night Shymalan's new movie, 'The Happening' has received very little publicity of late. However the trailer is being attached to 'Jumper' and was just leaked earlier this week. Mnightfans got their hands on it first and I just happened to find it.

The trailer is, of course, a teaser, but it at least gives you an idea of what the movie will be about. It looks pretty dark and fairly intense, but knowing Shymalan, it should be good either way. And most of the time, things are not as they seem in Shymalan movies and if memory serves, trailers are not to be believed. (See: Lady In The Water) Anyway, enough of my babbling. Check out the trailer.

The Best Of The Best Super Bowl Ads

2008-02-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

Audi R8

Pepsi with Justin Timberlake

Doritos

Coca Cola

E*Trade

Sweet Video Of The Week == Gurren Lagann 300

2008-02-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

There are those who know about Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. And then there are those who SHOULD know about Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. For those who do know about it, you probably love it. And this video. This one's for you. It's kinda dorky since it's a fan compilation. But, to it's defense, it's an incredibly well done compilation. Basically, this guy combines footage from Gurren Lagann (one of the best animes of recent years) and the audio from the 300 trailer. Enjoy!

ROCK BAND Coming to the Wii - CONFIRMED

2008-01-31T18:41:00.000-08:00

IGN got the inside scoop from EA, turns out all our hopes and dreams were right, Rock Band is coming to the Wii. Oh yeah! I knew my waiting (not so patiently) would pay off.

The article:
Rock Band Confirmed for Wii
EA's CEO mentions the game's 'coming launch' during a conference call.
by Ryan Geddes

January 31, 2008 - In a third-quarter conference call today, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello confirmed that a Wii version of Rock band is forthcoming.

Riccitiello mentioned the game at the end of the call's question-and-answer session. There was no release date given, but Riccitiello referred to the "coming launch" of a Wii version of the game.

There's been speculation about a Wii installment of Rock Band's since the game was announced. In April 2007, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos said a Wii-specific version of the title would be coming out in the future.

"We will, at some time, bring Rock Band to every [important] platform," Rigopulos said at the time, adding that Harmonix would optimize future versions of Rock Band to fit the strengths of the platform. "I think the Wiimote is something that holds enormous promise."

Despite Rigopulos' strong statements, no official announcement had been made about a Wii version of Rock Band until Riccitiello's off-hand statement in today's conference call.

After the call, we contacted an EA rep for more details, but all we got was a confirmation that, indeed, a Wii version of Rock Band is coming.

There's still no release date (let alone any word on instruments or how additional song content might work on the Wii), but we'll let you know as soon as more info presents itself.

Lost Season 4 Premiere ... Anyone?

2008-01-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

So the Lost Season 4 premiere event is tonight at 8:00 PM. Is anyone aside from my wife and I going to be watching it? Perhaps we could have a Lost hangout watching party. Anyone, anyone? We'd be more than willing to have a few people over if they were interested in doing so. Food will be provided. =D

ConceptArt.org is AMAZING

2008-01-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

These are, I kid you not, 3 hour speed paintings done by an amateur on the Conceptart.org forums. Prepare yourself, these are incredible. The second I saw them my jaw hit the floor and I just about screamed when I read that they were speed paintings that he did on his SPARE TIME. Check out the forum here, and the thread here. Here's an entire thread 150 pages long full of nothing but speed paintings.

*EDIT* Okay it turns out that Blogger is stupid and won't resize to allow the full width of these pictures to be seen so I'll just link them here.

Colossus, Beast, Iceman
Carnage (seriously, holy crap on this one)
Thor, Iron Man
Venom (DANG!!)
Wolverine VS Hulk (scary, but so awesome!)

Neat Lost ARG

2008-01-30T19:38:00.001-08:00

Observe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcmm_QXbFiY
Then go to http://flyoceanicair.com/
Then go to http://www.find815.com/

If you're a Lost fan like I am. The new video on Find815.com will make you very nearly soil yourself. Seriously, the connections are NUTS. I can't wait until tomorrow!

PAX Registration and Hotel - Alright Dudes Let's Make Some Decisions

2008-01-30T15:09:00.001-08:00

Some as was previously mentioned, PAX early-bird registration has opened to the public. The PAX site has finally opened and the news and forums posts have begun a-flowing. You've got until March 31st to reserve your pass for only $40 so let's go on it.

But, who's going? Let's get a running total going, or at least 5 confirmed dudes so we can get a room reserved before they're gone. Last year it was a matter of weeks before the first hotel was booked solid. Looks like the average PAX rate for the three hotels is $169 a night, which is $340 if we stay Friday and Saturday night. Divide that by five dudes per room and that's $68 per dude. That's a pretty good deal!

I'm also interested in taking the train up to Seattle this year instead of giving my first of kin to simply park. If anyone else is interested in utilizing public transit, let me know. We can work something out.

Here's some the hotel info:

Sheraton
($169 for singles or doubles)
1400 6th Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone: (206) 621-9000

* Pay wireless Internet ($10/day)
* In-room safe
* Coffee Maker
* Mini fridge
* Rollaway beds available for $25

Book online now!

The Grand Hyatt
($169 for singles or doubles, $179 for corner suites)
721 Pine St
Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone: 1.800.233.1234

Online Instructions:

1. Go to www.grandseattle.hyatt.com
2. Enter discount code "G-PENN" into the group/corporate # field.

The Roosevelt Hotel
($165 for singles or doubles)
1531 Seventh Avenue (Pine)
Seattle, Washington 98101
Phone: (800)716-6199 (ask for group number "ROS-GF151")

* Pay wireless Internet ($10/day)
* Rollaway beds available for $10/night

Online Instructions:

1. Go to https://www.coasthotels.com/rates?selectHotel=ROS
2. Use discount code ROS-GF151 in "group" box.

Joystiq Has HUGE SMBB Spoilerage! They will amaze and excite you!

2008-01-29T12:56:00.000-08:00

There is so much to here that I'm simply going to provide a link to the article. The spoilers are amazing and make me REALLY excited about the potential this game has. Observe the article here.

Also, a few pictures to wet your appetite.

Advent Rising team Making Ender's Game game

2008-01-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

Your favorite author has teamed up with some game creators to create a game based on the Battle Room from Ender's Game. Is this Awesome? I say maybe.

According to this press release Chair Entertainment Group and Orson Scott Card are teaming up to release this potentially mind bogglingly awesome game across all current generation consoles, including handhelds and PC. All versions will be made available in downloadable versions. What this means for the DS version I have absolutely no idea.

Card himself has given the company his blessing, saying, "From the moment I started working with Donald Mustard and his team at Chair, I knew that these were the guys I wanted to do the first Ender's Game video game,...It's not enough to slap the Ender's Game name on just any game--it has to be exciting, memorable, and endlessly replayable. Chair shares my understanding of this and I am looking forward to working with them to ensure the game is as authentically Enderish as possible."

I'm cautiously optimistic about this project, but I'm curious how they're going to pull it off. Also, which 'Battle Room' do you think they're talking about? The one with a bunch of kids in a giant cube with zero gravity? Or the one in Command School where they're controlling entire armadas and blowing the crap out of buggers? Either choice could potentially be amazing. Here's hoping they do a good job, Ender's Game is still one of my all time favorite books.

Super Smash Bros Brawl Intro Movie Leaked - Spoilers Ahoy

2008-01-28T21:21:00.000-08:00

This post has been tagged SPOILERIFIC.

So after watching the drool-tastic video above, you probably noticed a few "unannounced" characters jumping around. Namely, Marth and Ness. Needless to say, I'm excited about both. I like the idea of having multiple characters from the same franchise fighting against each other.

Another little spoiler that's not in this particular video that some of you may not know about. Iwata has been doing an "Iwata Asks" with one of the creators of Smash Bros. It's an incredibly interesting read to say the least and they've released a few intriguing little spoilers as well. In this case, that there are several versions of Link available to play as. There's the obvious Twilight Princess model. And there's the shorter, more awesome, Wind Waker Link.

Also, the story mode in SMBB is actually written by non other than Kazushige Nojima. For those who don't recognize the name, this is the genius behind the storyline of Final Fantasy VII. (Yeah, THAT guy!)

Unfortunately all of this pre-release excitement is soon to end, seeing as how Japan will be getting their grubby little hands on Smash Bros at the end of the week. I'm sure we'll all be pouring over YouTube like a pack of hungry wolves searching for those "elusive" videos of Lucario and Jigglypuff going at it. ;)

Crazy Video of The Day: Hyper Parsnip Bitches!

2008-01-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

Seriously, this video... is insane. I don't know if it's an actual game or if it's just some hilarious video mockery of side scrollers. Either way, it's absolutely hilarious. Enjoy!

Small word of caution. There's some mild language and some mild use of cartoonish violence.

Ahem...

2008-01-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

The Khoo has struck again! Early Bird Pre-Registration is live. the link can be found Here. Have fun.

~Nephirij~

Battlestar Galactica Season 4... Also Soon To Come

2008-01-25T15:39:00.001-08:00

Coming in April, drooling fans will finally get to see the stunning conclusion to Battlestar Galactica. This dark, space epic is a must-see for any self-professed lover of science fiction. This show is amazing and the end to season 3 was on heck of cliff hanger. With a nearly 9 month hiatus, fans are salivating at any mention of season 4 and what will be the ultimate fate of the human race.

I recently remembered that I have access to Hulu, which is still in beta and is actually getting quite good. Here's one of the final episodes from season 3. For any who have yet to catch up to the show, this is an awesome episode. And for those who have yet to catch up... enjoy this mind blowing, 'WHAT THE CRAP?!' inducing episode. ;) Enjoy

Countdown To Lost Season 4 Premiere

2008-01-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

Oh baby oh baby six days to go for the premiere of Lost Season 4. It's been almost a year since we've seen any new Lost and, as a desperate fan of the show, it's been too long. This season promises to pick up where the last season left off and, if TV Guide is to be believed, the wait was worth it.

I just watched through season 3 once more to refresh myself and here are some questions that are still yet to be answered (Warning, spoilers are afoot)

-What was the DHARMA initiative doing on the island?
-What are those freaky smoke monsters up to and how the crap did they get there?
-Why do women who get pregnant on the island die?
-Why can Desmond see the future?
-Why did Naomi's boat show up?
-Does she work for Penny? What is Penny really up to?
-Why is Ben TERRIFIED of these people?
-Polar bears? The Black Rock?
-What the CRAP was that purple light?
-Why is Locke special?
-Who are The Others.. REALLY?
-WHO THE CRAP IS JACOB AND WHAT THE CRAP WAS ALL THAT BUSINESS?
-Did they really leave the island?

My wife and I will definitely be tuning in next Thursday to watch two hour season premiere. Anyone who wants to join is most certainly welcome to join us. Also, feel free to speculate on any number of these questions. I know I have plenty of theories. Mwa haha!

Also, a sneak peak at the season premiere. Woo hoo!

The Force Unleashed == Shaping Up To Look Amazing

2008-01-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

Final Fantasy: Adiemus -- A Musical Montage

2008-01-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know these are done all the time. But I'm a huge Final Fantasy nerd and I really love this song. On top of it all, the clips shown are some of the most memorable from the best of the games. The only one missing is Aeris' death from VII. Oh well, what's a nerd to do? Anyway, enjoy.

Last.fm Just Got That Much More Awesome

2008-01-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

Last.fm has just announced that, starting today, you will be able to play entire tracks and albums for free through the Last.fm website. Believe it or not they actually got all four major record labels to sign on the deal and participate.

For those of you who are just now tuning in, or are currently having a hard time soaking this in: this is a big deal. This is a huge change for the music industry, one that hasn't been seen since we were introduced to iTunes.

Right now it's going into public beta. You can listen to a track up to three times for free before the notification comes up that you'll need to sign up for the new subscription service they will be introducing. The new subscription service will allow you to listen to any track unlimited times and some "other useful things". Details on the subscription service are a little sketchy at the moment, but I'm sure the brains over at Last.fm will let us know soon.

Another interesting aspect of this is that they will be paying the artists directly. This is great news for independent artists who are looking for their big break. Now, not only can you submit your music to be play on Last.fm, but you get paid per play. Think of it as Google Adsense for music.

All in all, I'm pretty stoked that this is coming out. DRM is all but gone and the mediums currently available for music distribution are getting more interesting and more innovative everyday. Who knows, maybe soon we'll be able to get music planted directly into our brain. The iChip. Yeah, that could be cool. Except for the part where we all turn into iRobots controlled by iSteveJobs. That's pretty iScary. DANGIT!

Drumming to Super Mario 2

2008-01-23T07:29:00.001-08:00

Alright so this is kind of a cop out, "I found this on Digg", post. But, to my defense, this is stupid awesome. This guy is apparently some sort of big shot drummer over in France. I've never heard of him, but I can say that this definitely proves that everything is improved with a good round of percussion. Also, his drum set alone is pretty amazing. Not to mention the fact that he definitely knows how to use them.

Was Cloverfield Awesome?... Why Yes, Yes It Was

2008-01-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

'Nuff said. Also, Flickr update.

BREAKING: Penny Arcade Forum Finds Brawl Character Reveal Hidden in Video

2008-01-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

Official Japanese Brawl Video

Forumites on the Penny Arcade thread for SSBB spotted clear evidence of previously unconfirmed characters hidden inside the official video linked above. At 4:21 there are some frames that show a couple stickers selected. At the bottom right of the screen the game displays little icons for the playable characters the sticker buffs in the one player game.

This is where we find some familiar likenesses including highly suspected brawlers including the returning Jigglypuff and Ness(!) and newcomer Lucario!!! Okay so I barely know who Lucario is other than he's one of the Pokemon that can say more than his name in Pokemon movies. But hey, way to go Penny Arcade forum people!

UPDATE: Wow, this completely confirms Nintendo slipped up: they've edited the video! Now the sections of the screen that showed the stats for the stickers are totally blank! Way to totally confirm things Nintendo!

DANGEREUX! New Penny Arcade Gameplay Footage

2008-01-19T22:06:00.001-08:00

Game Trailers released some new footage of the actual gameplay of the upcoming Penny Arcade game; On The Rainslick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 1. No 'fruit friend' in this video, but we get a first hand look at the fighting system. From the looks of it, it's a modified version of the ATB (active time battle) system.

My only issue with this clip is that it looks like battles are not going to be particularly quick affairs; they're going to be long and drawn out. Hopefully there won't be dozens upon dozens right after one another. Aside from that though, the game is looking really good with it's new polish. The cell shaded avatars look really good and definitely look like something Tycho and Gabe would pump out. Anyway, enough of my babbling. Enjoy the clip.

Adam Phillips Flash Genius!

2008-01-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

While beating Fancy Pants 2, see Austen's post below, I collected all of the trophies. And back on the title screen, I went to the trophy room, and started looking at them. Then I double jumped the second one, who the creator of Fancy Pants is a big fan of and found this guy is a flash genius! His name is Adam Phillips, to save you the trouble of finding the trophies, his site is here: Bitey Castle . His Brackenwood series, as its called, is fantastic! I love his character Bitey, he is a goat-man-thing of sorts, but also happens to be a huge jackass, just for the sake of being a jackass. He has even rumored to do a feature length flash film, personally I am looking forward to this. All of the art and animation is done by himself, with a little outside help for particle effects and scripting. He uses Adobe Flash CS3 to pull this all off. I have yet to read his stories, but I assume they are every good as the animation is, as its all based off his writings. Bye for now!

Fancy Pants Adventure: World 2

2008-01-19T00:35:00.000-08:00

Alright I still have yet to play Fancy Pants Adventre: World 1. But if it's anything like it's successor it's probably amazing. I actually found this fun little game on complete accident. But what I came to find is that it is probably one of the best animated sidescrolling platformer I've ever played in my life! And it's a simple flash based adventure! The music is oddly catchy and even as I write this post I have it stuck in my head.

This game isn't the next Mario. But if you find yourself with a little free time on the computer, this game is definitely worth a look-see. Enjoy!

Just Got Back From Cloverfield.....

2008-01-18T01:42:00.000-08:00

So my wife and I just got back from Cloverfield. I have no doubt that a lot of people who won't see it until this weekend will be asking what this movie is about, so I figured this merited it's own post.

First of all, The Monster. Honestly, I fully understand why a lot of reviewers have a hard time explaining it. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's like.. kind of pale and yet... scaly. But also kinda slimy. It's HUGE and holy freaking CRAP it's scary. Seriously, everytime this thing is on screen, everyone in the theater literally screamed. Both my wife and the random lady sitting on my other side visibly gasped and grasped their chair arms every single time. The damage this thing does to New York... it's unbelievable.

Let me make this absolutely, 100% clear. THIS IS NOT GODZILLA. Not even remotely close. This monster would kick Godzilla's gargantuan butt.

Another thing, Cloverfield is remarkably intense. You absolutely feel the full weight of the devastation and absolute horror that is happening to these people. And believe me, these people go through quite a bit.

The movie itself is short. It's just shy of 90 minutes, but I promise your knuckles will be white from grabbing the arm rest, you'll have to remind yourself to blink and you'll need to wipe off your chin because your mouth will be hanging open in absolute awe and horror the entire 84 minutes.

Also, I don't know where these actors came from, I didn't recognize any of them. But, I'll remember their faces forever. Hud especially is one of the coolest characters in a movie ever. Which is strange because he gets a grand total of MAYBE 3 minutes of actual SCREEN time throughout the movie, because he's the one behind the camera. I swear to you, this guy is hilarious. I swear though, he says EXACTLY what I would be saying in this situation though. A quote. "'What the HELL is THAT?!' 'Oh that? That's a huge terrible something.' 'OH MY GOD! What was THAT?!''Oh that? A smaller something. Also terrible.'" (Critter I kid you not, that is a direct quote. Even the 'ALSO'. Seriously, this guy is ME!.)

A WARNING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE YET TO SEE IT!! If you ever get any kind of motion sickness, I HIGHLY suggest you take some Dramamine before this movie. The ENTIRE movie is shot with a hands-on camera. It's very shaky at times due to running away from a GIANT MONSTER, among other things... You have been warned.

Oh, and one last note before I go to bed; this movie... It is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's not your typical movie. If there has ever been a 'redefining of a genre', this is it. And dang, it's done well.

.... Also the Star Trek trailer was abso-freakinglutely amazing. I heard a lot of people poo poo it. But dang, anyone who's a fan of Star Trek in any kinda way, you're going to be excited to see it. The trailer isn't long and doesn't show much. But what it does show... man it's gonna be good.

The Last Cloverfield Post I'll make .... Until After I See It

2008-01-17T14:35:00.001-08:00

Okay, so if it's not clear that I'm excited about Cloverfield by now, you probably aren't aware of who I am, or who you are for that matter. This movie excites for more reasons than I can count. A lot of them are different than what you'd expect though. Yes, it's a monster movie, a J.J. Abrams film, a total guy movie, and YES it has the Star Trek trailer attached to it. Those are all awesome. But I'm more excited about the movies that could potentially spawn from this movie doing well.

I'm not sure if you've noticed, or if it's just me, but the movie going experience these past few years have been absolutely flooded with sequels and prequels and trilogies and out-n-out garbage. It's getting pretty ridiculous and I, for one, am tired of it. I miss original movies that had a cool story, good story telling and actual creativity attached. This is why I've grown so attached to a lot of J.J. Abrams work. Everything he does is so original and ingenious.

Lost. My god, Lost is a breath of fresh air amongst the Sea of Stagnant television that has been this past decade. It's completely original, it's unimaginably engaging. It's smart. And most of all it's creative. Every character is interesting and has an intriguing back story and when a character dies, they die for a reason. Their death MEANS something to you and often sucks REALLY bad. But at the same time it just makes you want more.

This brings me back to Cloverfield. I have no doubt that this movie is going to be more of this creative breath of fresh air to a movie industry that has needed it for some time. I've read a lot of reviews and even the naysayers have to admit that this movie is wholly different than movies we've come to know. I can't help but wonder if the reason it's getting some of the bad reviews it's getting isn't because we've been so over saturated with ridiculously bad plot lines and meaningless characters that we've forgotten about the wonder and mystery that movies are supposed instill.

Anyway, I could go on for a long time about why I'm excited about this movie. But, long story short, I'm excited that if a lot of people like this movie. The big wigs might start to realize that making fresh, creative new movies are a good thing and hopefully we'll see some more in the coming years. Along with that, I came across this little gem of a review. Don't worry, there are no major spoilers. But this guy's perspective on the movie is enlightening and exciting. Check it out here.

More Smash Bros Brawl Footage to Hold You Over

2008-01-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here's some extra footage to hold you over until March. Please don't kill yourself for yet another hold up and the year's best game!

I AM GOING TO START KILLING PEOPLE....

2008-01-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

Well it seems the trend lately is to announce a product, and then just before its release, OOPS SORRY were pushing it back another month. First it was Rock Band, then Brawl, then Brawl again, and yet Brawl again it seems... Well now its YET ANOTHER Rock Band related push back. All the instruments that were scheduled to pop up on February 4th are pushed back to March 4th. I can't say I blame them, with all the failures at launch, I'm surprised they just didn't cave in and make a deal with Red Octane. Hopefully they have tightened up things at the China plant, so these faults don't reoccur. We already know the REV2 guitar was great, so hopefully the wireless REV will be that much better. Only time will tell....

Also: Hopes and Dreams Crushed

2008-01-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

As a continuation of my PAX posts, PRD recently posted Here that there will be no open call for Enforcers this year, as almost all of last years Enforcers and those from previous years are staying on. Here's hoping I can be an Enforcer in '09.

~Nephirij~

PAX Registration to Open Soon

2008-01-15T11:16:00.001-08:00

I know that this is not a very big story, as compared to MacWorld or a Smash Bros delay, but I figured I'd get the ball rolling on my soon to be plethora of PAX posts. Robert Khoo recently posted in this thread that pax early bird registration would be opening within two weeks of his posting. That was five days ago. This is a good thread to watch, because he also states that before they officially announce pre-registration opening on the main Penny-Arcade.com page, he is going to post a link to the pre-registration form, to give us a chance to "Beta test" the form. I can't wait.

~Nephirij~

MacWorld 2008 Begins - Keynote to Insight Hemmoraging amongst Apple Fans

2008-01-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

So I'm excited, are you excited?! I'M SO EXCITED!!! Soon, Steve Jobs will don his black turtle neck and begin speaking to his loyal worshipers of the Apple. What shall the Mac Gods bestow upon us today? Insanely skinny multi-touch tablets? 80GB iPod Touch? The iHouse? iChips directly connected to my iBrain?! We shall find out soon. Stay tuned, I'll update this post with all the juicy details as they're released.

UPDATE: Steve announces Time Machine compliment: Time Capsule. Basically Time Machine is great for desktop machines, but horrible for laptops. Time Capsule is essentially the same thing, but done wirelessly. Neat.

It's actually a wireless hard drive. It looks like an Airport Extreme but with more ports in the back. Two models: 500GB and 1TB. (GEEZ!) $299, $499.

UPDATE: New iPhone features:
Maps with locations, webclips, customizable home screens, SMS multiple people at once, chapters, subtitles, and language support in video, and lyrics support in audio.

iPhone SDK to be released in February. HOLY CRAP!

Tons of other features for the iPhones, cool stuff. Rearranging icons. Maps demo now -- page curls up, search and directions buttons now -- if you've seen the 1.1.3 demo vids, this is exactly it. "Schoom. And there we are." as it locates Steve in the Moscone. "I can flip right into directions, and it uses my current location to start..." calculating the route back.

Really super accurate GPS. Customizable Home Screen.

UPDATE: iTunes. Movie Rentals, including HD. $2.99 for old movies, $3.99 for new movies. Also, Apple TV getting a bit of an update. Rent directly from AppleTV only a dollar more. No computer needed anymore. Pretty cool.

Movies stream directly to you so the movies you rent you can watch IMMEDIATELY.

HD Podcasts. Also HD Music Videos. Steve's very excited about the amount of HD stuff they've got.

AppleTV reduced to $229. Effective today.

THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. THE MACBOOK AIR. It's tiny. REALLY tiny. It's the thinnest, lightest laptop in the world. Seriously, HOLY CRAP. This thing is TINY. At it's widest point it's .76 inches thick. At it's thinnest point... .16 INCHES!! It's so thin you can fit it inside a vanilla envelope. He puts it in it!

BRAIN SPLODE!!! It’s an LED backlit display that’s instant-on. It also has a built-in iSight camera, and a full-sized keyboard. Backlit too, with a trackpad and multi-touch gesture support on the trackpad.

Intel Core 2 Duo Inside, 1.6 GHz standard, with a 1.8GHz upgrade available. Apple asked Intel to shrink their Core 2 Duo processors down to a package 60% smaller in order to fit it inside the MacBook Air. And here’s Intel’s CEO Paul Otellini to talk about it.

While browsing the web, the battery has about a 5 hour life. It has a solid state hard drive. No optical drive whatsoever. But it has the Time Capsule, Movie Rentals and even has a special new feature called Remote Drive. It can literally borrow the optical drive of another computer on the same wireless network and install things that requite an optical drive, remotely. Impressive.

$1799. Ships in two weeks, you can pre-order it now.

Smash Bros Brawl Delayed Again

2008-01-15T06:43:00.001-08:00

Now we have to wait until March 9. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

That is all.

HUGE Cloverfield Monster Details

2008-01-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Slashfilm just got the skinny on a treasure trove of info on the Cloverfield monster. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please come out from the rock you're living under and turn on the interwebs.

Anyway, it's big. This article is chock full of info. It has some small insights into the storytelling of the movie itself, and HUGE insights into the monster. I'm just going to provide a link to the article for those who want to read it, so no spoilers will be had in this post, but I will tell you this: This movie is going to be scary. I mean REALLY scary. You may not get that impression when you first read this article. But take into consideration the last paragraph of this article. Now think about who's producing this, who's writing it, and who's directing it. These guys are not amateurs. They make intense shows and a lot of them are intense for a multitude of reasons, not just BOO!, something scary just popped out. Plan on a ton of emotional drama mixed and tainted with unbelievable horror and terrifying things.

All in all, after this article. Any amount of skepticism I may have had about seeing this movie is gone. See you at the movies!

THE ARTICLE OF DOOOOM!!!

UPDATE: It seems there's a review too, this guy didn't just like the movie, he RAVES about it. Seriously, I've never read a more excited review of a movie... ever. Listen to what this guy says. Check it out here. Small warning, this guy has a pretty bad mouth, but this guy is excited. Read with caution.

CES: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed MORE DETAILS

2008-01-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

I found this little gem amongst Arstechnica's little archive. Prepare to freak out. Seriously, I think I peed a little when I read this stuff. Enjoy!

"So should we show him Grim Fandango 2?" That's the question I'm asked as I walk into Lucasart's suite at CES, and everyone laughs. I don't laugh, because that joke IS NOT FUNNY; it's like they showed me a kitten and then killed it. But we are going to see Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and in terms of impressive use of Force effects, this is above and beyond anything we've seen in previous games.

"Every time you hit that face button, we want you to feel that power," I'm told as I watch one of the Lucasarts employees show off Force Unleashed. I'm not allowed to do a full preview, but I can say that the game is fast and mean; the force powers do some crazy things, and the play is impacted by the physics in amazing ways.

You try to pick up a StormTrooper and he grabs onto a crate while screaming. You yank up on him with the Force again, and both the 'Trooper and the crate fly into the air. The force powers and the physics get even crazier; if you force push a metal door, it twists and deforms realistically. Some of the other things that stood out:

* The main character, the secret apprentice of Darth Vader, is played by Sam Witwer, BattleStar Galactica's Crashdown
* He holds his lightsaber behind his back in a way that looks very unorthodox but pleasingly menacing, and also allows players to see the entire lightsaber since the camera is always behind the player.
* Boss bottles will be huge in scope, including a Rancor fight. There will be God of War-like button-tapping sections at the end of the battle, but it will only be for more points; you won't lose a battle by missing a button press
* There will be character and lightsaber customization, although you won't be able to dual-wield or have dual-bladed lightsabers
* The Wii version of the game will include a two-player duel mode where you can show off your lightsaber skills against a friend in the same room.
* The PSP version will contain classic scenes from other Star Wars movies with the more over-the-top force powers of Unleashed

I was very impressed by the game; it looked great and the Force powers really brought home the idea of this evil, dominating character. The game is currently in alpha and planned for a summer release.

Via ArsTechnica