Jordy

Shadow of the Colossus

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 03:40:59 GMT

3 hours in -- it IS that good.

This Wednesday the game industry takes one step forward

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 04:54:03 GMT

Shadow of The Colossus.

Gamerankings = http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/924364.asp

IGN, Gamespy, Gamespot, PSM, 1up all agree -

- It's an immersive artistic masterpiece

- Totally original and unique - unlike anything else out there

- Unparalled visuals and art design

- Unparalled musical score

- Ground breaking NON motion-captured animation

- A vast world to explore (with no threat from random enemies) that has no loading zones - it's entirely SEAMLESS

- It has an emotionally involving story told through the gameplay as opposed to constant cut-scenes (the equivalent of a great film telling its story visually instead of relying entirely on dialogue)

- One of the greatest endings ever seen in a video game

- Incredibly epic battles that continue to outdo the previous one

In case you have a ps2 and haven't heard of this game. It's about a man trying to waken (or ressurect - the plot is mostly ambiguous) his "lover" by performing a ritual that takes him to an ancient desertered land soley inhabited by 16 colossi. He must slay all of them to save her. All he has is a sword, bow, and his horse. You have to climb these giant beasts by grabbing onto their fur or whatever you can and stabbing your sword into their weak points. Theres a lot of exploration and some puzzle solving as well, but for the most part, the game is a true experiment in minimalist design. It's one of the few video games that can actually be classified as a true piece of art. And the game designer behind this is the most important person since Shigeru Miyamoto and Hideo Kojima.

It's rare for a developer to take risks and make a original game these days so the fact that this title is coming out makes me appreciate it that much more. If you have a ps2 do yourself a favor and AT LEAST rent it to see what its like.

Anyway, I think it's safe to guess what I'll be doing come wednesday.

=)

A few more beautiful pics behind the cut...

lol

Sun, 16 Oct 2005 20:09:56 GMT

"in my very humble opinion, for me the best way to gain mass is to imagine yourself as a ravenous beast with a perpetual thirst and hunger for protein. the power of the mind induces a craving. i think for gaining mass diet is the biggest part so when i wake up everyday, in my fog, i say to myself. unleash the beast, devastate the feast. that means inhale as many quality foods as you can as often as you can handle it. that and eating before workout and after also something i supplementthat helps me is twinlab amino fuel before and after working out i keep it in my car i take it right before i go in and right after, so its convienent. other than that u must lift like a f'ing savage, with no mercy for anything. u must really learn to motivate yourself, think of all the fat people, the weaklings, the beta males, whatever fuels your desire to lift. for me i just always envision the day that i will be the most ruthless, the most devastating, most ferocious and freakishly powerful son of a b*tch at my gym. that and girls motivate me, sometimes when i lift im only thinking of boobs and moving the weights as if i were moving my hands closer to the boobs. that works for me lol.

anyway, in summary. EAT BIG, LIFT BIG, THINK BIG, GET BIG. thats the program. now get with it."

Steven Spielberg signed his soul to the devil (And a Jack Thompson Update)

Sat, 15 Oct 2005 01:20:26 GMT

And by devil, of course, I mean EA (Electronic Arts). In a recent announcment, Spielberg made a deal to develop 3 original intellectual properties for EA (who usually relies on licenses or stealing other developers games by buying them out).

Here's what he had to say about EA:

"...Mr. Spielberg stated that he has “been playing EA games for years and has watched them master the interactive format.”

And here's what another person had to say about it:

"And by "master" he meant "buy up licenses and rights to brands and properties in order to reduce competition and have a monopoly on names and trademarks so they don't have to innovate and can slightly tweak the previous years version of a game and release it as the next year's version without having to worry about others doing actual improvements and competing with them."

^_^

Couldn't be any more on the money than that. Shame on Spielberg for helping out EA like this. They are single handedly destroying the game industry.

And read this recent letter sent to Jack Thompson!

" Dear Mr. Thompson,

I founded the National Institute on Media and the Family ten years ago to engage in research and education about the effects of media on children's health and development. Our original premise that "media are powerful" has been validated scientifically and socially many times over. Our work has been cited by organizations around the world and our credibility has been well established.

One of the areas of greatest concern is the issue of violent media's effect on children. I know that you share that common concern and I am well aware that you have frequently cited me and our organization as a source of scientific information. However, over the past few months, I and members of my board have a growing concern that your use of our name, without our permission, has had a negative influence as we try to educate the public on this important issue.

Your commentary has included extreme hyperbole and your tactics have included personally attacking individuals for whom I have a great deal of respect. I believe that respect is essential in all our dealings, including respect for those with whom we disagree. Some of the people that you have publicly criticized are not only people of integrity, but are people who have worked to improve the lives of children.

Even though we have no formal relationship your use of my name and your inclusion of my name in correspondence have created the impression that we condone these tactics. We do not. The result is that our position and reputation as a research based, non-partisan, solution-focused organization has been jeopardized. Consequently, I ask that you cease using the Institute's or my name in any way that would give the impression that we support your efforts. I also ask that you remove the link to our website that appears on your site.

Sincerely,

David Walsh, PH.D."

Two Trends that NEED To be retired ASAP

Fri, 23 Sep 2005 13:37:25 GMT

No, it doesn't make you cool. No, it isn't funny.

In 20 years when we hear "Fo'shizzle" we will all be laughing our asses off. However, I'll be there to say "I told you so".

This trend is going to be the death of the 2000's. These bold butterfly/bug-eye sunglasses are getting out of hand. Every girl at Towson University wears them and apparently there is some competition to see who can sport the largest pair. They cover up your face. They look absolutely ridiculous. Only 2% of the female population can actually pull them off.

Seriously... next time you see girls wearing these take a good long look at them. They look like MORONS.

Like I said before, I'll be here 20 years from now to say "I told you so".

Mike Patton In Firecracker...

Wed, 21 Sep 2005 02:43:30 GMT

Roger Ebert just reviewed the movie as it is gearing up for a limited release.

He gave it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars :D

GO MIKE PATTON! (my music god)

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050817/REVIEWS/508170301/1023

Nintendo Revolution Controller

Fri, 16 Sep 2005 20:50:22 GMT

Before you freak out, the thing can be used as a "laser pointer" as well as a virtual reality hand that moves through space by tilting, turning, rolling, and moving forwards, backwards, left, right, up, and down.

This potentially allows first person games to take a giant leap forward in immersiveness and interactivity. As well, Real-time strategy games and games that are best played with a mouse (Black and White for PC for example would be AMAZING with this game.

They also have a normal controlled that this thing plugs into as well as the ability to add numerous add-ons to the controller like the analog stick in the picture above.

This is a huge ass step, but it remains to be seen if it's in the right direction. Is the world ready for this? Are the developers? Will this be another powerglove or virtual boy or will this seperate the gaming market like Nintendo intends.

All I know is that I'm glad Nintendo is doing something different because I don't want three identical consoles again.

FUCK YEAH!

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 13:41:15 GMT

Metal Gear Solid 4 -- First pics behind the cut!!!

Anyone who can read Japanese, feel free to summarize! ;)

And speaking of God's gifts to man, Smucker's natural creamy peanut butter on a spoon is the cock and balls.

I'M FUCKING IN!!!

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:21:19 GMT

I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM FOR KANSAI GAIDAI UNIVERSITY!

I love working out!

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 20:40:47 GMT

It feels so good. And I can also say that I love cardio too.

I also love my new heart rate monitor, it makes doing cardio SO much easier.

Off to Sigur Ros concert now, I hope I come back with their new cd :)

Addicted to a new graphic novel..

Mon, 05 Sep 2005 00:28:07 GMT

First it was Blankets, one of the greatest things I've ever read...

Now, it's Bone...

Don't be fooled by the cartoony character, it's not a children's comic. It's a comedic epic fantasy adventure (new genre? O_O) with a healthy dose of social commentary thrown in for good measure. Think Disney meets Lord of The Rings meets Star Wars. Badass, I know. :)

Bone was a comic book series that lasted for about 10 years. Just recently Cartoon Books released a one volume edition for only $24.99, meaning you get 10 years worth of comics in one (huge) book for a great price.

I'm about 1/5th of the way into it and I absolutely adore it. Jeff Smith, the author/illustrator, is a great writer and one of the most talented illustrators around. He is absolutely brilliant at animating his charcters... and he also draws one of the most beautiful female characters I've ever seen.

Anyway, if you are interested in graphic novels that are something more than superheroes and anime characters, I highly recommend both Bone and Blankets.

Videogames are one of the most important artistic mediums in the world...

Sat, 03 Sep 2005 22:07:56 GMT

...It's just too bad that this notion may never be fully realized. Thanks to soaring production budgets, the buisiness model, money hungry corporations like EA, and the nature of the industry, truly artistic games - games that can be considered as something more than a game - can be counted on two hands.

In fact, I don't think I could even fill up one hand.

I've been wanting to make some sort of entry about this because it's been bugging me for a while now. Each year more and more sequels come out and less original games made. It's understandable given the nature of the industry, but that doesn't make it any less depressing. I want to see *new* products, I want to see creative games, and I want to see some people trying to make experiences - NOT games.

I think the potential for video games as art is enormous. You can make people feel any emotion, take them to any world you create, do anything... and it's all INTERACTIVE... making it that much more powerful when compared to film.

I direct your attention to the playstation 2 game, "ICO". ICO is what one would probably think of first when asked "What video games can be classfied as art (or is an artistic statement)?".

ICO was (and still is) revolutionary. It came out a few years ago to critical acclaim but was met with lackluster sales.

If you are a gamer and have yet to pick up ICO, I urge you to do so. This is a game in a league of its own. Through brilliant use of impressiont inspired visuals, audio, gameplay, and storytelling, ICO manages to be more than a game.

You are a young boy who has to lead a girl out of a castle and away from her evil mother (a sorceress). The story sounds simple and cliche, true, but it's presented in a way that couldn't be any more original.

The story and character development is all done visually and without dialogue. There's also a very small amount of cut scenes to further the story. It's the interaction you have with the girl while you play (done visually and in-game - without the use of recognisable dialogue) that creates an incredible emotional attatchment to this character.

ICO is not the only artistic masterpiece in the game industry. There are others. But first, I want to show some pictures from the astounding Shadow of the Colossus... it's done by the same team that made ICO.

SotC brings back the same atmosphere of ICO and creates a game that just might break through into the mainstream due to the shift of focus on action instead of puzzles. In SotC you are a young man with a horse trying to save a girl from death by performing a strange ritual. You have to slay colossi, often as big as sky scrapers, in hopes of bringing her back to life.

Here is the website if you want to get a feel for the game:

http://www.us.playstation.com/Content/OGS/SCUS-97472/Site/

Again, there will be no dialogue. In fact, there are no enemies except for the colossi! Basically, the team created a huge world for you to explore full of ruins and beautiful landscapes. You can ride through and explore at your leisure or you can make your way for the next colossus you have to fight. To take down the colossus you will have to climb up it's body and stab it. One of the most brilliant aspects to the game (and it's subtle) but the colossus, though huge, intimidating, and dangerous do not look all that evil. In fact, they have an innocent look to them. It almost makes you feel bad for killing them (The game has not come out yet and won't be out till mid-october, but I hear that this is something the story delves into as the game progresses).

Other games I would consider art:

- Katamari Damacy (I'm sure many of you guys reading this know what this game is)

- Rez (A on-the-rail shooter that is completely driven by the soundtrack (everything you do makes noises to the beat)

- Killer 7 (I'm not a fan of the game, but it is very unique)

- Okami (though it hasn't come out) - The game is made to look like Japanese sumi on rice paper. Absolutely brilliant visually. It's supposed to play similar to a Zelda game.

And there you go. That's the list I could come up with. However, these are all the games I consider that try to make an (artistic) statement both visually and gameplay wise.

There are other games I consider art for reasons such as perfecting cinematic style, atmosphere, emotional involvment, and dialogue/writing. Games like the Metal Gear Solid series are pure genius. They create a world unlike any other, there is cinematic genius (it's intentionally over-the-top for anyone that doesn't realize that), and visually the art is some of the best around. Half-Life 2 is another game I'd consider a perfect gaming experience. The System Shock and Thief series on PC are both shining stars in the gaming industry as well. I'd also like to mention Beyond Good and Evil as well as Psychonauts. Planescape: Torment (an RPG for the PC) is flat out one of the best written stories I've ever read. It's as compelling as any book you could pick up. I'm serious... try it out if you don't believe me. The person that penned the story/dialogue in that game is a brilliant writer.

There's some good stuff to look forward to, though this notion of video games as art may never be fully embraced.

Although I realize it's sort of hypocritical, I can't wait for Katamari Damacy's sequel "We Love Katamari". It will basically be more of the same, but I'm not going to complain when that "more of" is something I can't get anywhere else. It comes out in a couple weeks.

Shadow of The Colossus releases in mid October, and from the demo I played, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be every bit as important as ICO was. Keep your eye on this game if you are intrigued, it will be worth it.

Moving on Saturday

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 00:32:58 GMT

So moving was delayed a couple days but I'll be back in Towson on saturday. It's a promise.

I'll also be without internet for a couple weeks so if you wanna hang out or talk, you'll have to call me :p

I'll probably still manage to sneak on AIM, check my e-mail, and possibly update my LJ, though.

geek fo lif

OLDBOY - YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 03:01:05 GMT

OLDBOY just came out on DVD this week... it's a south korean movie (god bless south korea... they're having a cinema explosion) and it's one of the most fantastic movies I've ever seen.

As long as you have a strong stomach (there's a few extremely grusome scenes) I couldn't give it a higher recommendation. If you like movies like Kill Bill, Se7en, and Fight Club, you need to see it ASAP.

I don't want to give you too much of the plot, but this is the set up:

A man is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years without knowing why. When he is mysteriously released he has to find out who did it, why, and get his revenge. There's quite a bit more to it than that. It's very violent at times, has some incredible dark humor, and is BEAUTIFULLLY shot.

Go here for the website and trailer:

http://films.tartanfilmsusa.com/oldboy/

FUCK!

Thu, 18 Aug 2005 04:28:27 GMT

:( :( :(

"Joe Ranft, the heart of Pixar, was killed yesterday in a car accident. We are all hit hard by this sudden news and we're all beyond sadness here at the studio. Joe's contribution to Animation has been immense and far reaching. He taught and mentored a whole generation of creators, I can't even begin to describe how dearly he will be missed. His spirit and legacy will live on through the hundreds of stories that are being told and will be told by all the artists and directors he mentored and inspired. A prayer from all our community goes to his family."

(from cartoon brew)

Domino - Trailer

Fri, 12 Aug 2005 03:34:06 GMT

This movie looks fucking awesome

AND DAMN Keira Knightly is fucking hot

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/domino.html

Ok bye now! :)

I told people sports were bad! :p

Sat, 06 Aug 2005 17:40:27 GMT

http://www.thelouisvillechannel.com/news/4809476/detail.html

O_O

Hmmm

Sat, 06 Aug 2005 01:34:25 GMT

- I'm feeling very restless this past week. I think it has to do with the fact that I haven't been too productive and I've kinda fallen into a funk since moving back to my parents. I really don't like being here, thats for sure.

School can't start soon enough... I hope I meet some cool people this fall. And I'm going to cross my fingers about the living situation, too. And about getting accepted into Kansai Gaidai university.

- I started up acupuncture. It's cool so far. The acpuncturist is very, very, very nice and seems to know her stuff. I've talked to two doctors about acupuncture and they backed it 110%... they both think it does wonders. I was surprised to hear that from them.

- Going to New York on August 12-14 with Sylvia.

- Going to the beach the weekend after with Josh.

- I need to get out of the house, asap. It's depressing here.

Where did everyone go?

Fri, 05 Aug 2005 02:16:12 GMT

HILLARIOUS

Thu, 04 Aug 2005 03:52:52 GMT

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/07/28/disappearing.apple.ap/index.html

How can Pearl Jam rock so hard and suck so much at the same time?

Sat, 30 Jul 2005 15:18:46 GMT

Their good stuff is absolutely classic. Their other stuff is... well... horrible.

How do they manage to do that? O_O

Haha... old pics of me :)

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 20:32:28 GMT

The X on my hand was from a concert or something... i wasn't a straightedge dork ;)

Some people are SO FUCKED UP

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 19:15:00 GMT

http://pc.ign.com/articles/637/637171p1.html

For those not in the know:

Rockstar developed Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for computer and video game consoles. Recently, it was found out that there was HIDDEN content within the game that allows you to play a sex mini-game. If the ESRB (the peopel who rate the game) knew about this, the game wouldn't have recieved a M (mature - 17 years or older) rating and would have recieved an AO (adults only - 18 years and older) rating instead.

At first, Rockstar denied that this material was actually left on the game disc and said that hackers created it. Yet the guy that found it, insisted that it was already on the disc and he just "unlocked" it. Soon, it was proven that the content really was hidden and that rockstar lied. Since then, they haven't said too much. They're in deep shit.

Now this article isn't really about Rockstar... it's about a Grandmother who bought GTA:SA for her 14 year old grandson. She is now sueing Rockster because of this hidden sex mini-game.

How fucking retarded is that? She bought Grand Theft Auto for her grandson, which contains tons of graphic violence, adult situations (having sex with hookers, for example), profanity, drug use, etc etc etc.... yet the fact that she was "decieved" concerning the sex mini-game makes her want to sue. Not to mention that the rating is M, stating that the game isn't suitable for children under the age of 17. How can this case be taken seriously?? Why hasn't someone back handed this old fruit of a woman?

What is wrong with the world when people this ass backwards are being taken seriously? If she wins this law suit I will personally go to her house when she's sleeping and urinate in her denture water.

Now, I'm not defending Rockstar's actions here, as it was pretty moronic for them to LIE, but seriously... the fact that there's a sex mini-game (NO NUDITY!) and people are THIS up in arms over it... seriously... the governement has more important things to worry about. :|

Today is...

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 03:45:09 GMT

Sylvia and my 1 month =)

yay.

THE BEST POP ARTIST EVERRR

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 01:22:40 GMT

http://www.dahv.com/

GOD I WANT TO FUCK HER 10 YEAR OLD BRAINS OUT WHEN SHE SINGS ABOUT KEEPING IT REAL IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND TELLING BOYS TO STAY AWAY FROM HER SLUMBER PARTIES!

Oh and make sure to listen to all her music samples as well as check out her pictures of her with various celebrities.