So this Jonathan Coulton guy is great. Code Monkey is just one of many songs he released for free in 2005 and 2006 as part of his Thing a Week project.

Another instant classic (one you should listen to right now) is his Week 26 thing, "RE: Your Brains," sung from the standpoint of a jerky coworker turned jerky zombie.

Looks like he has a lot of fans, some of whom are featured here as winners of a Code Monkey remix contest.

Hope you all had a nice Christmas weekend.

10zenmonkeys has picked the best (caution: grown folks' content) and worst in Web videos from 2006.

I'm sure you've already seen Number Eight (from the "good" list) on YouTube, but it bears mentioning here. Shoulda been Number One.

Code Monkey love you. A lot.

Sony announced this morning that PS3 owners can download a free playable preview of the next Gran Turismo game. Looks like "Gran Turismo HD Concept," available through the PlayStation Store, is much more than your standard demo.

From the press release:

Upon downloading Gran Turismo HD Concept, PS3 users have access to the
Eiger Nordwand course and can compete in Time Trial races to collect and
unlock new cars. Upon unlocking the initial 10 cars, the player has access to
10 more "Tuned Cars," as well as access to a new driving mode called "Drift
Trial."

In the "Drift Trial" mode, the player can master the art of drifting and
achieve ultimate control of their car. Furthermore, when connected to the
PLAYSTATION(R)Network (PS Network), the player can upload their times and view
the Top 10 rankings for each car and mode, as well as play and save replays
online.

Also, you'll find stock and tuner versions of these cars:

• 1995 Suzuki Cappucino
• 1989 Mazda Eunos Roadster
• 2004 Honda Integra TYPE R
• 1996 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR
• 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe
• 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR
• 2005 Lotus Elise 111R
• 1994 Nissan SKYLINE GT-R Vspec II
• 1995 Toyota Celica GT-FOUR Rally Car
• 2006 Ferrari 599

And you thought you were going to celebrate Christmas by levelling your rogue this weekend.

Silly you.

GameDaily is reporting that a strap-related class action lawsuit has been filed against Nintendo.

From the story:

According to the attorneys at Green Welling LLP, a nationwide class action lawsuit has been filed against Washington-based Nintendo of America for the "defective nature" of the Wii straps. The suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington alleges that Nintendo violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act by engaging in "unfair or deceptive practices."

"Owners of the Nintendo Wii reported that when they used the Nintendo remote and wrist strap, as instructed by the material that accompanied the Wii console, the wrist strap broke and caused the remote to leave the user's hand. Nintendo's failure to include a remote that is free from defects is in breach of Nintendo's own product warranty," said Green Welling in a statement.

I wanted to find out for myself what Nintendo had to say, so I contacted them this morning and got this response from a spokeswoman:

We believe the lawsuit to be completely without merit. Nintendo has a long tradition of delivering high-quality products and excellent customer service, and we take all reports from our customers seriously. At the time we became aware of the lawsuit, we had already taken appropriate steps to reinforce with consumers the proper use of the Wii Remote and had made stronger replacement wrist straps available. This suit has had no effect on those efforts.

Looks like you can get a new strap for your Wii.

I'm wondering how people are breaking stuff. I've been about as aggressive as you can be with the Remote, and I haven't even come close to hurting myself or letting the thing fly out of my hand to hurt someone else or bash my TV. I can see where, in a four-person tennis match, for instance, an unecessarily flailing arm might bruise a nearby competitor. I remember playing a standard driving game with a girlfriend a few years ago. She seemed to think that violently jerking the controller to the left and to the right would make the cars turn better. So I can understand that some people get a little excited about playing. But I suspect most of the trouble comes from people who are too lazy to take that extra millisecond to tighten the strap before they start playing. If you have horror stories about the Wii controller, post 'em here.

In other news, UbiSoft just announced Prince of Persia: Rival Swords, due in March for the Wii. Check out these screen shots for hints about how the controller will work with both the sneaking and all-out combat modes of the game.

Mostly, I watch the VGAs to see the world-premier game trailers. This year, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 looked pretty good.

But the one thing that really caught my eye was the trailer for Spike TV's upcoming cartoon "Afro Samurai." The first of five shows airs at 12:30 a.m. Jan. 4 and stars VGA host Samuel L. Jackson, who does several voices including the brooding main character and his groovy extrovert of a sidekick (who may or may not be a ghost or an alter ego). Ron Perlman (he played the title roll in "Hellboy") and Kelly Hu (Deathstrike in "X-Men 2") join Jackson, and The RZA is responsible for the theme music.

I remembered that Spike TV had sent a screener of the first episode, so I decided to check it out and was not disappointed. It's funny, extremely violent (please don't let your kids watch) and stylish. I had to double check the press materials to make sure Quentin Tarentino didn't have a hand in it. It looks a little bit like the animated portion of "Kill Bill, Vol. 1." But according to the press release, the show is "produced by Japanese studio Gonzo in association/partnership with GDH K.K. and FUNimation Entertainment." It's built out of a creative collaboration between Jackson and artist Takashi “Bob” Okazaki. I wouldn't be surprised if we see an "Afro Samurai" game some time this year.

Anyhoo, obviously I can't post the opening episode, but here are are a few stills to tide you over until Jan. 4. All of these photos come from Spike TV. The top few show Afro. The guy with the guns - the one who looks kind of like Jericho Cross from Darkwatch - is Perlman's character, Justice. He's a bad guy who killed Afro's father. The last two pictures show Okiku, a healer.

They had all the indgredients for a great show. Samuel L. Jackson is the best awards show host ever. They had most of the top games of the year and even managed to include a few sleepers this time. The bands were top-notch.

But Spike TV's Video Game Awards are still a joke to real gamers. All those cap-toothed celebs struggling to make a connection with their audience - it was just painful to watch. Even Tony Hawk (who should know better) somehow screwed up the line "all your base are belong to us." Let's blame the writers on that one.

The announcers need to go over their material beforehand - with an expert or two. I counted at least a dozen times when they mashed together a game name and a developer's or publisher's name. Games were re-christened "Gears of War Epic" or "Okami Capcom." Learn to pause, people! Other award shows can do it. For instance: "Peter Jackson (brief pause) 'King Kong'" or, better yet "Peter Jackson for 'King Kong'." Better still: "'King Kong,' produced and directed by Peter Jackson."

And why invent genres just for the show? I mean, what the hell is a "shooter game"? I've played shooters, shooting games and first-person shooters, but never a "shooter game." I believe they had an entire award category dedicated to this nonexistent type of game. I cringed every time they said it.

It all reminded me of the story Steve Kent, the author of "The Ultimate History of Video Games" once told me about an interview with a "Baywatch" starlet (I won't name her) who was trying too hard to connect with gamers. He asked her if she played video games, and she told him she loved to play Super Mario Bros. on her Atari.

Man, two weeks of vacation can just wreck a guy.

After sifting through mountains of mail (in three flavors!) I've come to the conclusion that what's really needed at this time of the year is MORE TIME TO PLAY ZELDA.

Seriously, the WoW 2.0.whatever patch, a.k.a. "The Boredom Before the Storm," left me with nothing to do online but sketchy PvP and farming for the last few alchemy recipes I really want - the ones that probably won't amount to much after TBC. Sure hope der expansion drops on Jan. 16, like they say it will.

I played a ton of Twilight Princess while on vacation, and I have to say it just keeps getting better as I go along. There are some great new toys, and while I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone who hasn't gotten this far, I will say that The Spinner is particularly awesome. Hyrule and its surrounding fifedoms are vast and vastly cool. In typical Zelda fashion, as you explore the immense world you'll make note of stuff you need to come back to as soon as you aquire the appropriate key or tool. There are almost too many of these stations, and, if you're an old guy like me, you might find mental note taking is just not sufficient. It's been a loooong time since I got out pad and pencil to jot down gameplay notes, but I'm tempted to do so for this epic game.

As good as it is, there are a few things I think could be better:

• I wish the acts of bow shooting, boomerang throwing and slingshot shooting were more analogous to their real-life counterparts. As it stands, you basically use the Wii Remote to point at a target on the screen and then press a button to execute the move. It would be better if, say, you had to make a sidearm throwing motion in order to set the boomerang aflight.
• In a similar fashion, the barbed grappling end of the Clawshot (the successor to the fabled Hookshot) could be flung from its metal sleeve.
• Or maybe you could draw back the remote the way you would a sinewy bowstring (or elastic sling) and then let an arrow (or pellet) fly with a button tap. It's not a perfect simulation, but it would be a little better than the simple point-and-press mechanism in place. I've seen and played the Wii Wario Ware game (not to mention Wii Sports), so I know these and many other types of movement tracking are possible.

Fishing, fortunately, is almost dead-on and could stand alone as its own game. I didn't much care for the fly fishing, but the rod-and-reel stuff is a blast. Cast as you would a real line and then tug the Remote to the left or to the right while slowly reeling in the lure with the Nunchuck. Snag a fish and jerk the controller back to set the hook. When the fish jumps, flick the controller forward to give some slack. All the while, the Remote is buzzing with realistic vibrations and emiting the sounds of a straining reel as you wind the fish toward your boat before grabbing and landing it. Fishing wasn't this much fun with the customized rod-and-reel controllers for the old Dreamcast, N64 and PSOne games. This is about as good as such an in-game activity can get until someone figures out how to make a controller alter its mass and/or weight in real-time registration of the presence of fighting fish.

Anyway, what else is going on?

I've been hearing a lot about Wii parties out at PLU, the interactive electronic entertainments so strenuous they result in actual perspiration. As I understand it, our not-so-secret agents are working hard to capture video of said glee-filled events, which you might see here at some point in the near future.

Penny Arcade, for whom I have no shortage of affection, had a funny strip (during one of our recent winter storms, hence the unfinished product) in answer to some of the claims about the Wii Remote being a dangerous TV-wrecking weapon.

And what's this I'm reading about the "Left Behind" game stirring up so much raw and bitter emotion? I inadvertently left a copy of the game on my desk before heading out for vacation. Then, it was just a game. Now, it's a controversy, one that might require the attentions of my dear father, who has read every book in the series. I'll try to install "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" tonight and maybe have Dad over for some dinner and virtual tribulation warfare sometime soon.

If you pray in a video game, does it count as a real prayer?

Hey, take it easy out there!

I've heard several PS3 horror stories from readers today, lots of I-waited-in-line-for-nothing tales.

But nothing was as bad as the shooting and the brawling that took place elsewhere in the country.

The Pierce County Library System held its first ever Manga Art Contest during October, and it was a whopper, generating 201 entries from 166 students throughout Pierce County.

Students in grades 5-12 submitted entries in three categories, based on the popular Japanese comics and cartoons. The library announced the winners today.

I'm listing the winners here and posting the first-place artwork. But you can also go here for a full gallery of the top entries in each category.

The News Tribune will print some of the winning entries on the Wednesday, Nov. 22 Show & Tell page. And, on a personal note, I just want to say that these kids are amazing artists. They seem to fully grasp the style of both the artwork and the storytelling involved in manga. I'm impressed with their work, and I'm excited about the great response the library got for its first contest. I can hardly wait until next year's manga contest.

“We were very impressed with the talent, skill and competence of these middle and high school students,” said Judy Nelson, youth services coordinator for the Library System. “The art contest isn’t about winning; it’s about involvement and self expression.”

An awards ceremony takes place at 7 tonight at the library's administration center, 3005 112th St. E. in Tacoma. Go the the web site for more info, or call 253-536-6500.

WINNERS

Best Original Character, 5-8th grade
1st place: Elysa Gray-Saito, Eatonville
2nd place: Stephanie Dinh, Gig Harbor
3rd place: Paripa Wutikrikanlaya, Puyallup.

Best Original Character, 9-12th grade
1st place: Emily Baldado, Gig Harbor
2nd place: Jamie Koehl, Gig Harbor
3rd place: Shernise Lynn Ward, Gig Harbor

Best Comic Strip, 5-8th grade
1st place: Stacy Yeh, University Place
2nd place: Season Warren, Gig Harbor
3rd place: Rachel Serrano, Olympia

Best Comic Strip, 9-12th grade
1st place: Kristen Monk, Tacoma
2nd place: Michelle Barreto, Lakewood
3rd place: Ashleigh Jacobsen, Puyallup

Best Fan Art, 5-8th grade
1st place: Stephanie Dinh, Gig Harbor
2nd place: Samantha Burke, Puyallup
3rd place: Timothy Humbert, University Place

Best Fan Art, 9-12th grade
1st place: Summer (Letty) Lovet, Milton
2nd place: Stephanie Salacka, Puyallup
3rd place: Aurora Fae Pickering, Lake Tapps

Pierce County Library Foundation gave first-place winners $50, second-place winners $25, and third-place winners $10.

The Library judges/youth services librarians, were so impressed with the caliber of the artwork, they also selected six entries to recognize with Library Choice Awards.

Library Choice Award winners
Caity Carter, Gig Harbor
Clairessa Fredsti, Orting
Ashley Torres, Gig Harbor
Kim Westenhiser, Gig Harbor
Erica Ma, Vaughn
Kate Allan, DuPont

FIRST-PLACE ARTWORK (click for larger pics)

Best Original Character, 5-8th grade
Elysa Gray-Saito, 7th grade, Eatonville Middle School

Best Original Character, 9-12th grade
Emily Baldado, 9th grade, Peninsual High School ("Ongaku no Yami" or "Music of Shadows")

Best Comic Strip, 5-8th grade
Stacy Yeh, 8th grade, Curtis Junior High School ("How to Create a Doujinshi in 6 Easy Steps")

Best Comic Strip, 9-12th grade
Kristen Monk, 10th grade Stadium High School ("Hikaru's Guardian Angel")

Best Fan Art, 5-8th grade
Stephanie Dinh, 5th Grade, St. Nicholas Catholic School ("Flower Princess")

Best Fan Art, 9-12th grade
Summer (Letty) Lovex, 11th grade, Puyallup H.S. ("Fall Down Sunshine")

Just go buy a new TV right now. If, like me, you've been watching TV shows and movies and playing games on an old tube TV, you've been thinking about it anyway. Might as well stop prolonging the inevitable.

Sony reps were in Seattle this morning, showing off the PlayStation 3 to media types. There's nothing wrong with a tube-TV. But everything looks soooooo much better in the highest of high-def modes. Even those of you with 720p screens might consider yourselves out of date when you see games like Resistance: Fall of Man, NBA 07 and Genji: Days of the Blade in 1080i or the end-all-be-all 1080p. I'm still figuring out that, for now, higher numbers and letters indicate higher quality. "i" stands for interlaced, and "p" is for progressive-scan, which, I'm told, is optimum. The numbers indicate the number of strands images are broken into. I think. If I'm wrong or have put too rudimentary a spin on it, please let me know. What I am sure of is that games and movies look absolutely stunning in 1080p mode, and I want to go out and get one of these most-expensive of high-end TVs right now. Alas, it looks like I'll be waiting for tax-return time. And even then I may have to sell my child. But that just means more playing time for me.

Of the three first-party (Sony in-house) launch titles I played this morning, the one I'm most looking forward to picking up again is Resistance: Fall of Man. With graphics that outshine even those of the phenomenally great-looking PC game Half-Life 2, a fun story and inventive weapons and gameplay, Resistance is a dead-on candidate for game of the year. It starts out as a World War II first-person shooter (groan). But then the aliens show up (yay!) and turn it into a frantic frag fest that mixes 1940s weapons and European settings with high-tech alien guns and gizmos.

The good men and women over at Insomniac Games have served up something extra special. (Cue the voice of "Simpsons" talking head Troy McClure) You may remember them from such games as Ratchet & Clank, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal and Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando. Okay, they've done other stuff, too, but I wanted to bring up the R&C games because 1) I love them, and 2) I've always thought Insomniac should bring their affinity for creating whacky weapons into another genre. I wasn't disappointed in Resistance, a game in which you'll find guns whose bullets can follow enemies around corners and guns that can pluck bullets from a hail of enemy fire, wad up the whole mess and launch a ball of metal back at the bad guys.

And it's not that the bad guys are dumb. At times you'll swear they're being controlled by other human players, as though maybe Sony hired a hoard of gamers to secretly monitor every PS3 and somehow sense whenever a game of Resistance is being booted up. Then they quietly connect to your console over the Intertron and try to outwit you. I'm told that's not the case; computer controlled enemies really are that intelligent. Aliens will sneak down hallways and try and outflank you as you're blasting through old apartment buildings. They'll learn your grenade tossing habits (and prowess) and proactively practice shrapnel avoidance.

In places, Resistance is a lot like Gears of War, another early game-of-the-year contender, this one from Epic/Microsoft for the Xbox 360. In both games, you'll find that you can never have too much cover. Often, the next rock, pile of rubble or burned out vehicle is your next BFF (Best Friend for Life, for the uninitiated) as your work your way through enemy fire.

Environments are alive with character and color, from gritty, small European towns to verdant (albeit bullet riddled) forests. Bullets affect everything you can see. They flatten tires, realistically knock chunks of glass out of window panes and splinter trees. This is a game I'll play and replay. I can hardly wait to take it online and test my skills in (real) multiplayer mode.

I played so much Resistance, I didn't have a lot of time for the other Sony games. But I did take a moment to notice the sweat dripping from the necks and arms of Sonics players and the tiny "goose bumps" on the basketball in NBA 07. The game has a lot to prove in order to be on the same playing field as bball titles from EA and 2K, but it looks great, and gameplay is as smooth as can be. Plus, it's just nice to see an arena-based sports game in which the cheering "fans" don't all look like they were cut out of cardboard.

Genji was a fast paced martial-arts adventure. There are four heroes, and you'll frequently swap them in and out of your control, one at a time, as the story progresses. I played as two of the characters in game segments that brought to mind such movies as "House of Flying Daggers," "The Last Samurai" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." What impressed me most was the number of enemies on the screen at once. Sometimes it seemed like I was fighting about two dozen bad guys at once, either slashing at them with dual samurai swords or swatting them with the pillar-like weapon wielded by the big burly giant character. Draw distance is another fine feature of the PS3 games I tested - well, Genji and Resistance, at least. You can see incredibly far into the distance in both games and you don't lose any definition. Often in current-gen games, graphic elements fade into shadow or become blurry as they approach a virtual horizon.

I wish I'd been able to test some third-party titles, specifically the skateboard game Tony Hawk's Project 8 from Activision. Supposedly it's the one launch game that takes full advantage of the PS3's motion-sensitive SIXAXIS controller. From what I've seen and heard and read, you'll use the controller to both balance and steer your skaters. Sony was viewed as kind of a Johnny Come Lately when they announced the SIXAXIS earlier this year, well after Nintendo had introduced its revolutionary Remote controller for the Wii. I can tell you right now that even the simple act of swinging a bat in the retro and intentionally unflashy baseball activity of Nintendo's Wii Sports collection is an unequivocal blast. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait to fully test the SIXAXIS. But after messing around with the PS3 for just an hour, my faith has been stirred.

For your viewing pleasure:

It's that time again. Seems like we just did this a few years ago. (Invoke Cranky Old Man voice: "Back in my day, it was all about the PlayStation, the Nintendo 64 and the Sega Saturn!")

We're looking at the holiday launch of two new systems, with one good one already on the market. And I'm looking to you to tell me how it's going to go down. Which company will win the latest war of the consoles? And why? Do you have a Wii reserved? How about a PS3? Or maybe you're a staunch 360 fan, secure in the knowledge that, for $50, Gears of War probably will keep your interest through the end of the year?

Are you going to stand out in the cold until midnight to be the first to grab your chosen system? Or systems? What's it going to be?

Our official query is below, but really I'm interested in any discussion regarding the shape of console gaming:

Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii game systems will begin appearing on store shelves, respectively, Nov. 17 and 19. They’ll join Microsoft’s 360 in the race for next-generation video gaming supremacy. Who will win the war? And why? Let us know which, if any, of the three systems you’re planning to support and tell us about your choice. Also, are you a hard-core early adopter willing to wait outside in the cold for a chance at one of these game players? Or are you more of a wait-and-see type of gamer? Tell us all about it through the Gamers Journal blog (blogs.thenewstribune.com/gamers) or send an e-mail to bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com.

It's not the first game-swapping site, but it could be as big as MySpace considering the fact that it shares a founder with MySpace.

SaySwap (www.sayswap.com) is a social site where gamers build credibility points by sending their old games to other members who have those games on their "want list." Cred points become virtual currency called Purchase Points, and you can spend those points grabbing games from other users' "have lists."

Could be pretty cool, as long as they track seller/shipper integrity the way e-Bay does. Anyway, it could help you upgrade those inevitable holiday-season bombs and launch-window duds. There's something in there about a $4 or $5 initial charge to get started with the shipping part of the program. Looks like everything else is free, though.

Well, it's the gaming event I always wanted to see. Unfortunately it's happening in San Francisco.

“Couples, Computers and Gaming” takes place Nov. 11. According to press materials it's "a comprehensive look at the interaction of couples and gaming as the industry adapts to create, develop and promote games."

Four of the seven girlz 0f destruction
via.com.tw

It seemed like kind of a small get-together, but then I noticed that Dawn and Drew (from Sirius Radio) will be there as well as John Broady of Gamespot; analyst Rob Enderle; Mary Schuyler, producer of the Desperate Housewives PC game, and the girlz 0f destruction pro gaming team.

The all-day event, which takes place at Ruby Skye in SF, looks to have some decent support (Women in Games International, Gamespot, Buena Vista Games, Millions of Us, Polywell Computers, and S3 Graphics, for starters), and is open to "anyone with an interest in maintaining a healthy balance of gaming and relationships."

Tickets are available at www.TicketWeb.com, and more information on the event may be found on the VIA website.

Seems like an ideal event for Western Washington, hint, hint. Anyone?
 

Activision just announced a few minutes ago that, much like Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam will make use of the innovative motion-sensing Wii Remote controller, Tony Hawk's Project 8 will make use of the PS3's SIXAXIS controller.

From the announcement:

By tilting and twisting the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller, gamers will have the power in their hands to control each skater’s actions, which were captured for the game using three-dimensional body and face scanning technology, as well as motion capture data.

And:

By leveraging the next gen console’s SIXAXIS™ wireless controller, players will be able to balance and steer skaters through every rail grind, manual, revert, ollie and combo, as well as control slow motion...

In addition to Hawk, these skaters will be in the game:

Bob Burnquist
Dustin Dollin
Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins
Nyjah Huston
Bam Margera
Rodney Mullen
Paul “P-Rod” Rodriguez Jr.
Ryan Sheckler
Daewon Song
Mike Vallely
Stevie Williams

And I guess you can shorten the URL I mentioned earlier to simply www.thp8.com.

I know, I know. Another Tony Hawk game?

Well, yeah.

I think the franchise got its second wind with last year's game, and it looks like Activision is going to drop a demo for Tony Hawk's Project 8 Friday on Xbox Live.

Downhill Jam is another story. I mean, it looks great - but no demo... yet. Soon, though. Very soon. Through the Wii's online Demo Channel or whatever it'll be called. Seems like Nintendo could provide downloadable demos for the DS, too. That could be fun.

Hard to believe that, a month from today, both the Wii and the PS3 will have made their debuts.

Not like you need to be reminded, but teh flu suxxorz.

One of my favorite writers is our very own Sean Robinson. He's covered a bunch of the big crime stories in recent years. His stuff on gang life in Tacoma is riveting. One of my other favorites is Sean's Dad, Ken, who once compared the sinus side of having a cold/the flu to having a rolled-up sleeping bag stuffed up a nostril.

That was me last week, at least one sleeping bag stuffed up at least one nostril. And all of the rest of the symptoms that go along with that.

Anyhoo, I missed ya. And I missed some news.

For starters, here's a leveling guide for The Burning Crusade.

And don't forget to get your limited-edition Golden Tamagotchi!

Okay, real news. I'm catching up on my gaming. I played some WoW off and on last week, but my fingers were too weak to do much. This week, I'm trying to finish the last bit of the exquisite Okami for PS2 and the gritty-as-hell Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the Xbox 360. The latter likely will be the object of my Oct. 27 column.

Octomber, November and December are cherry picking months, meaning there's almost no way to play every single AAA game for every system, especially when you factor in 2.5 new systems (Xbox 360 is technically a year old, but its latest wave of games has to be considered "next generation").

So how do you narrow it down? PC games only? Sports games only? M-rated games only? Strictly Zelda?

As a reviewer, I've got my hands full, so don't hesitate to drop a comment about the coverage you'd like to see.

This should probably go over on E.J.'s blog, but it touches on gaming, or at least gambling, so here you go.

When I go to Las Vegas, I generally roll some dice for the "serious gambling" portion of the trip. Then I relax with the "goof-off gambling" of roulette. And then I take a trip over to the nearest sports book to place a bet or two on the strangest propositions I can find.

So, when BetUS.com announced the following props and odds this morning, my next-trip-to-Vegas countdown timer kicked in:

What Will Happen Next To Whitney Houston?
Whitney to release a single with P.Diddy: 5-1
Whitney's next album to debut at Number 1: 6-4
Whitney to re-enter rehab before December 31, 2006: 2-1
Whitney to remarry Bobby before December 31, 2006: 10-1

Singer-actressWhitneyHouston, left, sticks her tongue out at her husband, singer Bobby Brown, during a court hearing on Monday, Nov. 25, 2002, in Dekalb County State Court in Decatur, Ga. Brown was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant for a DUI arrest in 1996. Judge Wayne Purdom set a trial of Jan. 21, 2003. Brown remains free on bond. He was arrested in Atlanta earlier this month on charges of possessing less than an ounce of marijuana, speeding and having no driver's license or proof of insurance.(AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Except for a few minor story flaws, the South Park season opener was pretty hilarious. It was basically a half-hour WoW machinima feature with South Park style. I'm willing to overlook the fact that you can't gain 50 levels just by killing boars in Elwynn Forest, no matter how hard you try. They pretty much nailed the nuances of the game while adding their own lore to it. Kind of begs the question: On which server do Trey and Matt play?

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the stats for Sword of 1,000 Truths were something like this:

120 damage per second (base dmg in the 300-400 range per swing?)
+80 stamina (a hefty 800 health boost)
Instant mana drain (I'm assuming there's a "% chance" of this effect on hit. For fun, let's say it procs one out of every ten hits.)

Also, It looked to me as though Kyle was one-handing that sucker. Imagine dual wielding a pair of those babies. I'm assuming the weapon class is either Legendary (orange) or Artifact (red).

Any thoughts?

I'm heading out for the evening. But - and it always happens this way - I just happened to check EvilAvatar as I was packing up my stuff. Better head over there, or perhaps even to Blizzard's own announcement, to see the cool stuff that'll come with the Collector's Edition of the
Burning Crusade expansion for World of WarCraft.

Here's a quick glance at the listed goodies:

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade on both CD and DVD
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Behind-the-Scenes DVD
The Art of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Hardcover Art Book
Exclusive In-Game Pet: Netherwhelp
Two World of Warcraft Trading Card Game Starter Packs, plus Exclusive Cards
Map of Outland Mouse Pad
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Soundtrack CD

Rumor has it that Sony is about to announce a funky name for its PlayStation 3 controller. If the Intertrode is right (is it ever wrong?), the controller formerly knows as "boomerang" will get the palindromic and overly capitalized name SIXAXIS.

Wednesday's season opener sees our boys going hardcore.
COMEDY CENTRAL.COM

Maybe you've seen the televised trailers for the first episode in the new season of "South Park."

Official show blurb:

The boys dedicate their lives to defeating a mad gamer and saving the World of Warcraft.

Over the weekend, Blizzard posted a new teaser on the front page of their World of WarCraft site. Looks like our guys are completely hooked on the game, just like everyone else in the known world. What are they up to now, like, 20 billion players? (I'm counting subscriptions gamers have taken out in perpetuity for their great-great grandkids.)

The new season of "South Park" starts at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Comedy Central, as if Blizzard needed any oomph to increase interest in their Burning Crusade x-pack due next month.

Activision and id Software announced today that the original DOOM is now available for download via Xbox Live Arcade.

For 800 game points, you'll get the full single-player game and a 2- to 4-person multiplayer game. Multiplayer is for both split-screen and Xbox Live and comes in both co-op and deathmatch flavors. The game sports 5.1 Surround Sound as well as enhanced graphics for high-def displays.

Sure it's 13 years old, but the nostalgia factor alone ought to make it worth spending some game points.

I guess when I said Jack Thompson would be weighing in on the recent mass shootings in Canada, I didn't realize he had more important things to attend to.

Cody Posey is the kid who, on newsman Sam Donaldson's ranch, killed his father, stepmother and stepsister back in 2004. Court proceedings seem to demonstrate he was horribly abused by his father and stepmother.

Early this year, a jury found Posey guilty. The judge spared him from jail, finding that Posey suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Looks like Posey will be in a juvenile facility for rehab until he's 21.

Jack Thompson, the Miami attorney who often is at the forefront of video game legislation, blames the whole mess on Grand Theft Auto, a game Posey allegedly played. Thompson filed a suit against Rockstar, Take 2 and Sony today in Albuquerque. He hasn't yet made public the dollar amount of the suit.

What do you think?

The Seattle Table Hockey League (a regional league) will host its first night of league play beginning at about 6:30 tonight at the Days Inn Tacoma, 6802 Tacoma Mall Blvd. (253-475-5900)

League president Paul Wright said he's got about a dozen players signed up for the new season. Anyone can get in on the action. If you missed my story, they're playing on STIGA tables, and the action is fast and furious. The STHL was looking for a home, and I'm glad they found one in Tacoma for their opening night!

You can get in touch with Paul at p3murds@aol.com.

If you believe the forecast, it should be "partly cloudy" Saturday and "mostly sunny" Sunday. Even as I type this I can feel a few rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds that have covered the South Sound for most of Thursday.

The thing is, our Northwest Drifting folks need sunshine. If it rains in the Tenino area (near South Sound Speedway) on Saturday, the drifters can't do their thing on Sunday. And you want to see them do their thing. So pray for sunshine.

We need to see none of this:

So we can have an abundance of this:

And maybe even a little bit of this:

Okay, that last one is an AP photo of an Alaskan volcano. For some reason, it shows up in our photo archives along with the drifting shots Bruce Kellman took a few weeks ago. Seems appropriate, actually. The point: smoke is better than clouds this weekend. If you want to try your hand at drifting, you'll have to pay $75, show up at 9 a.m. at South Sound Speedway for a drivers' meeting and have your vehicle and gear pass a safety check. Spectators get in for $15. The event lasts until 6 p.m. or until the drivers run out of tires, whichever comes first. Drivers need helmets, and, since the pits are open to visitors, everyone has to wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts.

I'll see you there.

The Nintendo Fusion Tour all-ages show takes place Oct. 31 at the Fenix, 1700 First Ave. in Seattle. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $23.50 at TicketsWest. Hawthorne Heights headlines. Relient K, Emery, Plain White T's and The Sleeping are on tap, too.

Don't forget to sign up for the next InfernaLAN. InfernaLANs are the amazingly well-run LAN parties that take place at the Intel campus in DuPont. These guys rock so hard they were asked to handle the LAN stuff at this year's Penny Arcade Expo. Their quarterly weekend LANs are the best networked gaming events you can attend in our area.

This quarter's InfernaLAN runs from 9 p.m. Oct. 6 to 9 a.m. Oct. 8. They max out at about 300 players, and half those spots were already gone as of today. Be sure to check the rules on age and attendance. I believe minors have to be accompanied by adults. Cost for the entire weekend is $25 in advance or $30 at the door.

Janet Jensen took these shots from the January InfernaLAN:

Dance Factory is a lot like Dance Dance Revolution, except you can dance to tracks from almost any CD instead of just preset songlists. The game can recognize a wide variety of beats. Just as in DDR, you have to stomp on a dance mat and match the step directions on the screen in solo or competition mode.

Talen and The Summer Obsession will be at the mall from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Game screens:

We're running a Q&A story in Sunday's Soundlife, based on an interview I did today with Comedy Central's Carlos Mencia. Mencia does the "Mind of Mencia" show, and he's doing three stand-up shows at The Moore Theatre in Seattle next weekend.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a few comments from Carlos, stuff that didn't make it into Sunday's story. Careful, though. He's raw and uncensored here.

In this clip, he talks about how his friends see him.

Here, he sort of answers my question about who his fans and haters are.

And here's my favorite riff, in which Carlos unapologetically and unPC-ly talks about the origins of the "dee-dee-dee" catchphrase, that has come to symbolize people who, well... have a listen.

I direct you to G4TV's "The Feed" blog, for a concise, correct (and, for some readers, potentially offensive) take on the video-game hate that is dominating media coverage of the recent shootings in Montreal, Canada.

Best line: "... we all know there was no violence before Pong."

The (/sigh) "media" is going nuts again over one crazy idiot's fascination with an obscure and perverse "video game." Jack Thompson will weigh in on CNN and say that he predicted just such an event, and games, gamers and the entire gaming industry are going to be demonized again - for about five minutes until the next big nasty thing happens and everyone realizes they were waaaay overreacting.

Your thoughts?

Best news of the year:

Nintendo just announced that their revolutionary new Wii gaming console will retail for $249.99 beginning Nov. 19 (Dec. 2 in Japan). The price includes one wireless Wii Remote controller, one Nunchuck controller (the mouse-like thing that plugs into the Remote) and, best of all, a Wii Sports disk featuring five games.

Wii will also have an Xbox-Dashboard-like feature, the Wii Channel Menu, sort of a jumping-off point for all of the console's functions. From the Channel Menu, users can pick games to play, get news or weather, view or send photos or create playable caricatures of themselves to use in actual games, according to an update sent out from Nintendo this morning.

I'm not sure how it'll work yet (credit card?), but users will be able to redeem "Wii Points" to download classic NES and SNES and N64 games to the Wii.

The Wii Sports disk contains tennis, baseball, golf, bowling and boxing.

As for the new Zelda game, it looks like Twilight Princes will be one of 30 titles to hit the Wii between launch and Dec. 31. EXCITE TRUCK is another title that will launch at or shortly after launch. Wii games will be priced at $49.99. The Wii can also play any of the 530 GameCube games released in North America.

Look for more info in the coming weeks. Nintendo is hosting huge media events in New York, Europe and Japan today. I'll post stuff as it comes up.

So that zillionaire back east finally picked a winner from among the entrants who were vying for $25,000 in a contest to find the poor rich man a new name.

The winner?

Sunshine Megatron.

That is all.

I've been hearing rumblings out of Europe about a delay in the launch of the PlayStation 3. Seems the European launch date has been pushed to March 7, 2007.

But Sony's U.S. guy, Kaz Kirai, issued a statement this morning assuring North American fans that the company is on track for a Nov. 17 launch here. The delay only affects European players, who seem to get everything later than we do. I kinda feel sorry for those guys. Game and system launches usually go: Japan/North America and then, a few months later, Europe. I bet the import market is smoking over there across the pond.

Another Sony rumor seems to involve a hybird PSP phone. Heard anything about that one?

Okay, so Nick's PAX pictures didn't turn out.

You can see plenty of pictures over at Penny Arcade, but I really wanted to show you some shots of the strip-creation session. It's pretty amazing how Gabe and Tycho take raw paper and a simple script and turn into their thrice-weekly strip. I think Gabe had seven or eight layers of art going for Wednesday's strip.

They took some suggestions from the audience, including the lamp shade on the head of the guy in the final panel, the inclusion of Div (the randiest of their randy appliances) and the pulsating heart in the second panel. Actually, for the heart, Gabe drew the guy's hand and then explained that, since it's a type of outstretched hand he's drawn many times, readers have commented that it looks like it needs to be holding a heart. He drew it in as fan service and then, at the audience's bidding, left it there.

While Gabe (Mike) was drawing, Tycho (Jerry) took questions. After Gabe finished the strip, he added another layer and doodled on his and Tycho's characters in the first panel. He said he'd post that version of the strip, too, and it looks like it's up today.

Anyhoo... as I've said, that session was the coolest, especially if you've been reading the strip as long as I have. My son, a newer fan, was inspired (doubly so by meeting Jerry afterward) and has been hard at work planning his own webcomic. Maybe I'll be able to post some samples later. Sorry about the picture situation, but, if you're a fan at all, you've probably seen the tons of slide shows and movies out there on the "Intertron" (as the guys would call it) anyway.

I was out at South Sound Speedway today researching a story on drifting, and I caught up with Bob Wan of Northwest Drifting, owner of Auburn's Drift Office drifting supply store.

Turns out, Bob has been organizing drifting events all over Western Washington. About once a month, about two dozen drifters meet at the figure-eight track in the Tenino/Rochester area for some tire-smoking fun. If you don't know what drifting is, let me just describe it the way these guys describe it. It's automotive ballet.

Anyway, Bob's shop is hot right now, sort of the epicenter of the Northwest drifting scene. I got to talking with him, and he asked me about my lanyard. On my way out today, I had replaced my worn-out Tribune lanyard with the ATI lanyard I got Saturday at PAX. I told Bob I'd been to PAX, and it turns out he knows all about Penny Arcade. He used to work in the games industry - as a vice president for Virgin Interactive, no less, before Virgin got bought out by Electronic Arts. It was cool to reminisce with him about the good ol' days of Seventh Guest (the first CD-ROM game) and talk about new games, including the D1 drifting game.

I'm not really going anywhere with this, except to say that it's interesting where you find former game-industry types these days. The industry is known for chewing folks up and spitting them out. It's just cool that Bob landed on his feet in another fun industry. Check out the Northwest drifting scene if you haven't already. Then read my story in late September and head down to South Sound Speedway when Bob and the gang are planning to be there again (tentatively Sept. 24).

I've got tons of PAX and non-PAX stuff to write about, but I just wanted to drop in a quick line (in case you haven't heard) about the Penny Arcade video game in develoment by the guys over at Hothead Games.

I don't have much information about it yet, but at PAX, Jerry and Gabe did say it'll be an episodic RPG set in the Penny Arcade universe.

Woot!

Whew!

Spent most of Saturday up at the Penny Arcade Expo. Check it out:

You can tell the guys have outgrown Bellevue's Meydenbauer Center. For the first PAX, the "Exhibition Hall" was one of the upstairs meeting rooms. For PAX 2006, it was one of the much larger downstairs rooms. In this photo, you can see people milling around on the bottom floor. The Exhibition Hall is to the right on that floor. BTW, sorry about the crummy quality of these photos. I got a fancy digital camera/DVD recorder for my kid. I just haven't figured it out yet : P I took my son, Nathan, and his friend, Nick, to PAX. Nick promised to send some shots from the highlight of our day, the session with Penny Arcade creators Jerry "Tycho" Holkins and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik. My camera battery conked out just as the day was getting good. But we'll get to that in a bit. First, more crummy pictures:

These guys were playing Hero Card, which looked like an interesting card and table-top RPG hybrid. The Exhhibition Hall was so crowded, it was really hard to just stop and look at any one thing for a reasonable length of time. I was glad to hear that PAX is moving to the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in downtown Seattle next year. That's the place where Sakuracon is held. I got to talk to Jerry for a few minutes after the PA strip creation session. He signed some books for Nate and Nick (they were elated) and chatted for a few minutes about how the new venue should be good for PAX. I've talked to him a few times at various gaming events. I know he and Mike delve into "mature" territory some times in their comic, but in person - at their own show, even - these guys are so warm and so gracious. They're wearing their success with humilty, and it's refreshing. Okay, off the soapbox now. Um, where was I? Oh, yes. I'll try to take a closer look at Hero Card later this week.

Man, I hate to beat on Nintendo. They've got their Dual Screen game machines running perfectly, and they showed plenty of new games for the cool little handheld. Not that they needed to. In the PAX "Wireless Lounge" (really just a small ocean of gigantic pillows) DS users made up the bulk of the loungers. One of the highlights of the show was when we were sitting in a huge conference room with about 1,000 other people and someone yelled out "I'm hosting a StarFox DS game, anybody want to join?" Within seconds, he had more than enough takers. They had a six-person wireless LAN going up until (and probably during) Gabe and Tycho's presentation. A girl in front of us found plenty of participants in the wireless chat rooms (you connect through the installed PictoChat software on the DS). Wish I'd brought my machine.

Wait. I was goint to bash Nintendo. Oh yeah: they didn't have the Wii at PAX. Very disappointing. The only Wii stuff I saw was a game trailer for the Wii Rayman game over at the UbiSoft booth. It was astonishing. But I wanted to play the dang thing. And Nate and Nick were crushed. Oh well. I'm headed up to Nintendo for a Wii preview in early September. I'll share all the info I can as soon as that happens. Next picture!

Speaking of UbiSoft, over at their booth they were showing game trailers on a giant screen. And you could play just about everything they were showing. One game that really stuck out was Assassin's Creed. I highly recommend hitting that link. Time for some daylight:

Like I said, the Exhibition Hall offered plenty of views of forthcoming AAA games. But the highlight of our day was getting to see Gabe and Tycho create a comic strip. They did this during a massive Q&A session. The above picture shows a fraction of the line of people waiting to get into that session. The line inside Meydenbauer Center was probably as long as what you see here. BUT... the line as a whole, wrapped around the corner:

And headed off into infinity - or, at least, around one more corner. I got tired of tracking it to its seemingly nonexistent end. Once inside for the presentation, though, all line-related angst melted away in what turned out to be a spectacular session with The Guys. On Wednesday, you'll see the comic they came up with. They had a little help from the audience, so some of that day's strip might not make sense if you weren't at PAX. Nathan's friend Nick is going to send me some shots of the work in progress (shown on two large projection screens). Again, my camera conked out at the most inopportune time. By the way...

That's Gabe (Mike Krahulik) on the left and Tycho (Jerry Holkins) on the right. They don't look anything like their strip counterparts. Hopefully I'll get some of the comic-strip photos up later tonight or tomorrow. For now, I do have one more shot of the LAN party that Intel set up this year. Intel, or at least the Intel employees who run the awesome quarterly InfernaLAN party down here in Pierce Couty at the Intel campus in DuPont, had a huge presence at the show. In addition to running a perfectly smooth LAN, they were giving away $1,000 processors - two of which went to audience members during the Red Vs. Blue Q&A that took place right after the PA session. Dang! I knew I should have asked a question! Oh well. Here's a shot of a small portion of one of the PC gaming rooms:

Be back later with more!

I don't know why, but those "Separated at Birth?" books always used to crack me up when I was a kid. So, for lack of anything more random, I'm going to start my own similar feature here on the blog. I'm not sure it won't get shot down, but for now, see if you can see what I see in these pairs. I should have more, but these are the ones I remember thinking about during the past year or so. (Okay, the last one is recent.)

Notice anything that might suggest familial resemblance or even identical twinship?

John Kerry and Morla, the asthmatic mega-turtle from "The Neverending Story"?

Chubby Anna Nicole Smith and Bugs' chubby girl-bunny friend?

And last but not least we have:

John Mark Karr (alleged murderer of JonBenet Ramsay) and...

The infamous G-Man from the Half-Life games.

What? Too soon?

Just read over at GameDaily that PopCap, the Seattle company that makes some of the world's best "casual" games, has partnered with Valve.

Valve, as you know, is the company behind Half-Life and Half-Life 2. PopCap is going to make use of Valve's Steam service, which already provides a home - and a steady download pipeline - for dozens of great games from Valve's and third-party libraries.

Sort of an interesting way to go, considering Xbox Live Arcade and GameTap are out there. GameTap, by the way, announced today that they've hit the 600-game mark (they've got 600 classic arcade and home-system games on tap for PC gamers). Makes me wonder about the future of content delivery and the partnerships that may form in the next few months. Think there'll ever be a merger among all or some of the big players - maybe call it SteamTap Live or something, hehe. Hmmmm.....

From Bethesda (the Oblivion guys) comes the news that all five of the actors who played leading roles as captains on "Star Trek" television shows will reprise their roles in the new video game Star Trek: Legacy.

The five actors will lend their voices to the game thusly:

· William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk from the STAR TREK: The Original Series – 1966-1969
· Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard from STAR TREK: The Next Generation® – 1987-1994
· Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Lafayette Sisko from STAR TREK: Deep Space Nine® –1993-1999
· Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway from STAR TREK: Voyager® – 1995-2001
· Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer in STAR TREK: Enterprise™ – 2001-2005

This is just a guess, but I'm thinking players are going to be jumping around in time a bit.

If you believe the hype from EA's marketing machine, today is Christmas in August and a very merry Maddenoliday indeed.

My buddy Ernest Jasmin hit the central Tacoma Gamestop late last night to take in a bit of "Midnight Madden-ness" and pick up a copy of the game. He told me there were about 60 guys (some of them with girlfriends!) hanging around waiting for the twitching hour.

Got any Madden stories? They don't have to be current. I'm just compiling a list of readers' Madden Memories. Post yours here in response to this blog item, or send them directly to me at bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com

Remember Typing of the Dead for the Sega DreamCast? We need more zombie related word games and activities, imo. Boing Boing has a link to Spelling with Zombies an activity that lets you spell out words and phrases with zombie characters. Have fun!

GameDaily has an interesting story about how the State of Illinois has to pay the games industry a ton of cash.

From the story:

Like pouring salt on an open wound, after Illinois' violent video games law was overturned last year, the state has now been forced to reimburse the video game industry over half a million dollars for legal fees, the ESA announced today.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has happily announced that the State of Illinois has been ordered by Judge Matthew F. Kennelly, United States District Judge, Northern District of Illinois to pay the video game industry $510,528.64 in attorney's fees "for its unconstitutional effort to enact a law banning the sale of violent video games."

Jury duty lasts until the end of this week, but I've got today off, so I thought I'd come in and check my e-mail. I'm starting to get those wonderful "Your mailbox is over the limit, you big loser!" messages.

Anyway, on to business: the Scarface game.

Like a lot of gamers, I've been feeling as though there's really no need for a "Scarface" game. We got the soundtrack in Grand Theft Auto III and the setting, Miami - right down to Montana Mansion (or at least a version of it), in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. In Vice City, you could even visit the hotel room and bathroom where the infamous chainsaw scene took place.

Of course, these were just allusions to the movie. Vivendi Universal has the rigths to the actual movie and will publish the video game "Scarface: The World is Yours" this fall for PC, PS2 and Xbox.

Even though I'm a huge fan of the movie, I wasn't really interested in the game. But today Vivendi announced an innovative "Mix Tape" feature. They say they'll have about 100 songs in the game, and players will be able to customize playlists. That's kinda cool.

The game site is here. And here's a short list of some of the songs that will be on the soundtrack:

Debbie Harry - “Rush Rush” (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Public Enemy - “Don’t Believe The Hype
Run DMC - “Sucker MCs”
Judas Priest - “Breaking the Law”
Rick James - “Super Freak”
Grandmaster Flash - “The Message”
Peter Tosh - “Steppin’ Razor”
Rick James - “Give It To Me Baby”
Beth Anderson - “Dance Dance Dance” (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Burning Spear - “Social Living”
Iggy Pop - “The Passenger”
Johnny Cash - “I’m an Easy Rider”

Gaaaaah! This is late, but I just got it a few minutes ago. I'm on JURY DUTY this week and next, and I'm not even supposed to be here. But I go through e-mail withdrawal. I'm glad I checked, because some of you might actually be able to make this event. Here's the announcement I got from Capcom:

CAPCOM KICKS OFF LAUNCH OF DEAD RISING™ FOR XBOX 360™ VIDEO GAME AND ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM FROM MICROSOFT

Dead Rising, the highly anticipated, non-stop, pulse-pounding zombie extravaganza for Xbox 360, is heading to stores this Tuesday. The game redefines “retail hell” as you’re trapped in a shopping center for 72 hours, using anything and everything possible to survive against a swarm of flesh hungry zombies. What better way to celebrate the release than to head to the mall? Capcom and Microsoft invite you to EB Games at Redmond Town Center to pick up your copy AND get it signed by executive producer, Keiji Inafune!

WHAT: Dead Rising Game Signing Event
Get your copy of Dead Rising and have it signed by executive producer, Keiji Inafune!

WHEN: Tuesday, August 8, 2006
4:00pm – 6:00pm

WHERE: EB Games at Redmond Town Center
16495 NE 74th Street
Redmond, Washington 98052
425-895-8331

WHO: You and Keiji Inafune, executive producer for Dead Rising

WHY: To celebrate the launch of Dead Rising for Xbox 360

For more information on Dead Rising, please visit http://ww2.capcom.com/deadrising/

I downloaded the demo on Xbox Live a few days ago, and I've been playing little else since then. There are few gaming moments that compare with mowing down a mall full of zombies with a shopping cart - or bowling them over with a, um, bowling ball.

Okay, I also downloaded the Saints Row demo and have kicked around the neighborhood a bit. Both games are impressive in their own ways, but Dead Rising is upon us NOW! I wish I could make the event, but I've got some civic duties to perform. I don't know when I'll be able to post next, but I'll try to bark at you later this week.

My standard pitch for your Top Games entries goes like something like this:

Send me any variation you want, just label it clearly: "Top Five Games I Want to Play This Month." "My Top Three Game Boy Advance Games." "My Top 13 PC Games of All Timezorz." Or whatever. Post them here, or email them directly to me at bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com

You guys are sending me some awesome lists. In the past month, we've printed two lists in the Friday GO section, and they were huge hits, causing more readers to send even more lists.

The following was published this past Friday, Aug. 4:

This week's Reader Top Games lists comes from Glenn Geiss, 46, of Port Orchard. Glenn writes:

"Well, I've been gaming since the dawn of time (early 1980s) and have played games on Atari 800s, STs, Commodore 64s, IBMs, Macs and too many consoles. But I'll restrain myself to PC-style games for this list. This isn't in any particular order – these games by themselves each deserve consideration as #1 in my opinion."

10. Zork I, II and II – First game I bought for a computer was Zork III, and it was the most
immersive experience I had ever had in my life up until that point.

9. Doom – Well, this game HAS to be here. While Wolfenstein 3-D was the grandfather, Doom was the first game that really made quantum leaps of technology and gaming experiences. Oh, and multiplayer didn't hurt either.

8. Sid Meier's Pirates! – Wow. And the remake was even better, even though it was almost a byte-for byte rehash.

7. Masters of Orion II – Greatest space-based 4X game ever made.

6. Planetfall – It seems slightly unfair to include a second Infocom game, but Planetfall was their absolute best game. I still get choked up thinking about poor Floyd. This was the pinnacle of text-based adventure games.

5. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – It may be simply because it's new – but this game quite frankly has established a new bar for other RPG games to go over. it is what every single RPG over the past 20 years has aspired to be.

4. Command & Conquer: Red Alert – End-all-be-all real-time-strategy game.

3. Falcon 4.0 – Even after all these years, Falcon 4.0 still stands as the greatest single achievement in modern combat flight simulators.

2. Civilization IV – While it's the fourth in the series, it's arguably the best of the bunch.

1. Diablo II – This game sucked more time out of my life than almost any other game. It was the perfect marriage of RPG and online instanced play. The Lords of Destruction expansion gave it new life and replayability. Secret Cow Level, anyone?

Honorable Mentions include Starcraft, Quake, Air Warrior, Gunship!, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Wing Commander series, Lemmings, X-Com, Pools of Radiance, Dungeon Master, Rails West!, Reach for the Star, Railroad Tycoon and Duke Nukem 3-D.
Hope this brings back happy memories.

Well, it's not quite dead, but it looks like the world's largest games show, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is getting a makeover - and some much-needed liposuction.

I've been to most of the E3 shows, and I can tell you this: It's a much different show when you're working than it is when you're just there to play. And, of course, I'd much rather play than work.

Fans who are just there to play have it great. They can just stroll the show floor, stop and play whatever they want, linger as long as they want, come and go at will. Me, I have appointments every 15 minutes throughout the show. I have to practically sprint from booth to booth to get my interviews. I generally lose about ten pounds per show (seriously) along with some of my hearing (half joking). I ache all over by the end of the first day - just as I'm starting to write my first round of stories. While pure game fans are out at the Sony party, enjoying free food, beer and live music performed by a Sony recording artist, I'm locked in my room, hacking away at my laptop until 2 a.m. Then the alarm goes of at 6 a.m., and I do it all over again.

I know, I know: /playtinyviolin

In some ways, I'll miss the big show with its big impressive booths and its small, out-of-the-way hidden treasures. And I don't know if I like this new vision for E3. It seems like more of a conference than an "expo." Take these snippets from the ESA press release, for instance:

"...the 2007 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo) is evolving into a more intimate event focused on targeted, personalized meetings and activities..."

and

"It will focus on press events and small meetings with media, retail, development, and other key sectors. While there will be opportunities for game demonstrations, E3Expo 2007 will not feature the large trade show environment of previous years."

Seems like it'll be good for those who are there to work, and not so good for those who are there to play.

Guys,

From time to time, I'll be posting reader mail here, especially when there's a good chance that you all might be able to help the senders.

Today, I got this e-mail (below) from a Tacoma gamer who is looking for more PS2 online games like Everquest. Of course, Final Fantasy XI came to mind, and I suggested a few other games, too.

Please chime in if you have any other suggestions.

Here's my response and the original e-mail:

Shayne,

Thanks for writing!

The game that immediately comes to mind is Final Fantasy XI. Seems like it would be perfect for you guys. Square released a PC version and then customized the game for PS2. Now, PC and PS2 folks can play together on the same severs. I’m not sure if it’s a broadband-only game, so you might want to check on that if that’s an issue. I’m into World of WarCraft right now and haven’t played much FFXI, but my friends tell me it’s an excellent MMORPG.

I hate to direct you to a retail Web site, but Best Buy does have a short list of some decent online games you might like. Most of them are war games like SOCOM, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell. But I had forgotten about The Sims: Bustin’ Out. That game is a blast, although it’s more about providing a home and social life for your toon, and not so much about developing their powers. It’s on the PS2’s Greatest Hits list, so it’s only $20.

Anyway, that’s off the top of my head. I’ll do a little hunting tonight (when I’m not on deadline, hehe) and try to come up with some more action/adventure titles you might like.

I’m going to post your e-mail and this response on my blog. Maybe some other folks will have better advice : )

Bill

On 7/28/06 9:17 AM, "Shayne Harris-Bastian" wrote:

Hi, I enjoy your column very much. I am a pretty avid gamer, and it’s nice to have a section of the newspaper set aside for it. I currently have a problem though, and I was hoping you could help me.
I currently play Everquest: Frontiers for the ps2, and have become very good friends with someone who lives all the way over in East Canada. As you may imagine, we have become a little bored with Everquest, having killed every mob and completed every quest several times over for many different class/archetype/race combo’s. We’re looking for another similar online game to play. It doesn’t have to be a MMORPG, it can be just an online game. Currently, we play Champions of Norrath and Return to Arms when we tire of EQ, as we both like the swords and spells/ growing your toon kind of games.
Neither of us like PC games, and neither of us own a Xbox/360, as we are both saving up for and waiting for ps3 to drop, so can you either give me a list of, or point me to a good source of finding a list, of some other similar online games we could play together on the ps2?
Thanks!

Just a few days ago we were talking about Microsoft dropping the price of the Xbox 360 to rout Sony during the holidays.

Game Daily has an interesting piece about just this very thing.

This is how it starts.

This summer marks the 25th anniversary of:

MTV, Frogger and the 7-11 Big Gulp.

That is all.

Super Monkey Ball games appeal to me on a primal level. I don't know why, but they do. Rolling those monkeys around complex mazes is just ridiculously addictive. Same goes for the flying areas, where you have to land your monkey right on the bullseye for the best points.

Anyhoo, I've beaten Prey and Titan Quest and now the summer game I'm looking forward to most is Super Monkey Ball Adventure, even though some early reviews seem to indicate that the game is too hard.

Crybabies.

I still can't wait to pick up this game, and I'm fascinated by what I see in some of the screen shots. Here are a few I'd like to share. The top two are from the GameCube version, bottom two are from the PS2 version. The game is also coming out for the PSP.

I can't for the life of me remember which game it was (and I'm too busy/lazy to look it up right now), but waaaay back in the day, there was a game that, if you beat it, gave you a code. You'd send the code to the publisher, and they'd send you a T-shirt. That's what we call a tangible reward for gaming prowess. At the time, it seemed a lot cooler than just entering your initials on the high-score list.

Sony isn't quite reviving the practice, but they are offering digital prizes for folks who beat the downloadable LocoRoco demo (version 1.01) for the PlayStation Portable before Aug. 19. You have to lead enough (not sure of the exact number) LocoRocos to the end goal line of the demo level. Then you'll get a password you can enter at this PC site or this PSP site.

You can win sound files and wallpapers. I know, I know. Big deal. But it gives me hope that someday companies will hand out, I don't know, Amazon codes maybe, if you beat a game on the highest difficulty setting. Enter the code and they'll ship you a shirt or a hat or whatever.

For now, download the LocoRoco demo from your PSP here. Get additional instructions/information here.

I'm posting this item up front because it brings up a topic I've been meaning to address.

On Friday, in response to another post, "pmcmakin" wrote:

Bill, what is the word on the street about the price of the Xbox 360 price coming down when the Playstation 3 becomes available?

Here's what I think:

Pmcmakin,

Thanks for writing. Right now, it seems like Microsoft and Nintendo are holding their cards close. No one is saying anything, officially or otherwise, about price drops.

But I have to think they're on the way. Imagine if the Xbox 360 drops down to $299 or even $249. They'll be HALF the price of PS3, and they'll have a library full of great games, many of which are already on the "used" or "bargain" shelf. Just the other day, I saw Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter for $25. With the Wii clocking in somewhere between $199 and $249, you could buy BOTH systems for less than the price of a PS3.

Anyway, I've heard a few rumblings among other games writers about imminent price drops. And even though nothing is set in stone yet, I'm betting we'll see some announcements in September or October. (Nintendo sometimes makes big announcements toward the end of August.) This is a chance for Microsoft, especially, to gain a lot of ground on Sony. In my opinion, they'd be crazy to stay at $400. Of course, stranger things have happened.

Thanks to Rick Pierce of Puyallup for supplying this week's list for our new Readers' Top Games section in the GO entertainment magazine. I've posted Rick's original entry below. You should check out his webcomic, too :)

And if you have a list for our Readers' Top Games feature, post it in response to this item or send an e-mail directly to me. We're not stuck to a Top Five format, by the way. You can send us any list - worst games, best games by genre, top 10, top 7, top 14, whatever.

Rick's list:

Hi Bill, it's Rick (Pierce, from the PierceLogic webcomic ;-) - so glad you're writing in your blog again. I was worried that it had been abandoned, but you gave a good excuse, so...

Just thought I'd pass along my list for 5 Best Games of all time. I would have done 10, but too many came in between 6 and 10 that it ended up being more like a top 35 list - and I'm too lazy to list why I like all of those. So five it is!
Dunno what you have in mind with this, but here goes.

5. Body Harvest - N64:
Before Rockstar became Rockstar, this game helped launch everything that Grand Theft Auto would be famous for in the coming years. Wide-open levels, different vehicles one could jump into and drive (or fly), a story based on mini-missions, and an assortment of weapons to turn your foes into blood-colored jelly.

4. TheSims - PC:
What "Best Games List" could squeak by without this title being on it? TheSims redefined what kind games could sell, leaving some developers with jaws dropped as if they were trying out for the part of a zombie in some horror flick. Sure, there would continue to be first person shooters with monsters and aliens, but there was also room for a new wave of games to enter the market; games without guns or weapons or strange animals that you just have to collect.

3. Civilization II - PC:
Proving that turn-based games could be as fun as anything in real-time, Sid Meier's Civilization II was the defining chapter in the now four-part series. What really made this great game spectacular was the Fantastic Worlds add-on, which allowed players to create custom content without having to hack the game manually.

2. SimCity IV - PC:
Shadowed by TheSims' enormous popularity, this city-building simulator hit store shelves with much fanfare but not many buyers. That didn't make it any less of a great game, as it was easy to see that game developers poured their souls into this latest version of the SimCity series. It was so good that to this day I enjoy playing it, four years since its release.

1. Halo 2 - Xbox:
Not that the original Halo doesn't deserve the top spot on this list, but rather Halo 2 being the much greater continuation of the Halo storyline is what causes it to nab 'number one'. What makes Halo 2 so great is that the developers listened to the hordes of Halo fans and stuck with what worked when it was time to make the sequel. One can only imagine the alchemy that's taking place to bring forth Halo 3, but I'm sure it's going to be wonderful. Possibly even enough to relinquish Halo 2 from it's throne.

Eventually this list will likely evolve to include wonders like World of Warcraft and Oblivion, but I'll stand by my list as it is for now.

-Pierce
www.piercelogic.com

Looks like the Mayor of Las Vegas is upset about the story line of the new Rainbow Six game. It's set in his city and revolves around terrorist activities there and the Rainbow team's attempts to save the day.

Big deal, I say.

The Mayor's disposition has been a hot topic on a blog or two in the past few days.

I'm in agreement with those who are pointing to movies such as "Casino," "Con Air," "Leaving Las Vegas," "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" and others that, in part or in total, don't exactly paint the City that Never Sleeps in the most flattering light.

Anyway, Rainbow Six Vegas looks like it'll be another glorious installment in a venerable series that continually focuses on, you know, the good guys.

GameDaily has an interesting piece about some of the habits of game reviewers that drive game developers crazy. Despite the snarky title of my post here, I was curious about how developers perceive reviews of their games. Because of the PR machines in place, they hardly ever get a chance to vent. I also took a quick personal inventory, and I don't believe I'm guilty of any of the things developers hate.

Anyway, there's a place to comment at the end of their story. And, as always, there's plenty of room for comment here.

Wizards of the Coast recently announced its DnD Fan Film Contest. Grand prize is a video-editing computer and a camera plus a buncha DnD stuff.

Looks like you need to enter over at 1UP. You'll have to register with those guys to get complete rules and an entry form, but you're looking at submitting movies that don't exceed five minutes in length in MPEG, QuickTime, Windows Video or AVI format. Entries are due by Sept. 1.

Along these same lines, I'm wondering if Tacoma's Dead Gentlemen will enter. They've done two hilarious movies about playing DnD, "The Gamers" and "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising." A five-minute flick might not interest guys who make full-length award-winning features, but it would be cool to see how much fun they could have in 300 seconds.

I haven't screened "The Gamers" in about a year, but watching the trailer (Naughty language warning!) made me laugh till I cried – again.

By the way, trying to code "DnD" sux, and our Web folks are gone for the day, so I can't ask them for help. As you can see, I had to type "DnD" throughout this post (except in the title, for some reason) instead of using an ampersand. That's because the ampersand version ends up looking like this: D&D (the system actually tries to insert an ampersand and then comes up with a smiley face instead, which I ordinarily would find extremely funny if it weren't so frustrating and I didn't have a million other things to do!)

/sigh, I'm such a noob. I notice other sites have similar issues, so at least I'm not completely alone :P

Like I said, I was on vacation : P

Back on July 5, Lore Sjoberg over at Wired had a great story about oddball controllers he'd like to see. Everyone knows about the Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller and the Guitar Hero guitar controller. But how about Lore's beer and brick controllers?

Sadly, there's no concept art.

Feel free do add your own dream contoller ideas to the discussion. Post here, or e-mail me at bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com.

The annual summer music fest takes of Aug. 4, but you can grab sound clips, artist bios and interviews and other stuff for your PSP right now.

The PSP portal site features these and other downloads, including the festival's program guide. It's part of the June Content Pack. It looks like Sony will provide updated info later this month, probably in a July Content Pack.

Lollapalooza, btw, happens over three days in Chicago's Grant Park. The lineup includes the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Wilco, the Flaming Lips, Gnarls Barkley and Common.

I probably should have mentioned that I'm on vacation. Sry about that.

I took two weeks in order to burn off some time. We have a use-or-lose policy around here. When my vacation started back on June 26, I was exactly one day away from the point where I'd have been losing vacation hours. Can't have that : )

Anyhoo, i'll be back on July 10 - the day Prey should be in stores. Talk about bad timing. I should have taken an extra week so I could stay home and play the game. Judging by the demo, it's going to be insane. Hellooooo, sleepless nights : P

It's been a while, so here's a reminder. Send me your game lists. Any lists. Top 10 Best Games of All Time. Top Six Worst Games to Play While Doing Yoga. Top 13 Beneficial Game Glitches. Whatever. We'll take it all, and we might even run your list in an upcoming entertainment section. Just be sure to include your name, age, the town where you live and your phone number. (We won't publish phone numbers).

In a related matter, perhaps you saw this story. Please feel free to add to our starter list of "Movies and TV Shows That Should Never Become Games But Here's What They Might Look Like If They Did." Post a reply right here, or send an e-mail direclty to me at bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com

The Prey demo dropped last night. Just looking at the preview movies gives me more vertigo than I've experienced since the first Descent game. All that "gravity flipping" and "wall walking," it's enough to make a guy nauseous - in the best way possible.

Prey has been a joke for a long time since it seems like it's been delayed more times than the next Duke Nukem game. But it looks like it's finally going to see the light of day on July 10.

My early impression: It's Turok meets Shadowman meets Aliens, Predator and The Thing. Honestly, I'm not sure you can go wrong with a mix like that.

Tell me this screenshot doesn't bring at least some of those franchises to mind:

Okay, this looks like it's been around since E3, so probably every caster in WoW knows about these new legendary staves. But in case you've missed it, i'll link to their class-specific descriptions. I haven't seen any pictures yet.

Looks like you have to collect and combine 40 splinters-of-something-or-other from bosses in the new 40-man raid dungeon. And, of course, the spinters don't drop every time you kill a boss. I've read that the drop rate is between 16 and 30 percent. And remember, this is supposed to be the most difficult dungeon yet, so you'll have to be in a guild that's well equipped and ready to put in some work.

I'm assuming that the first 40 splinters will go to the caster who wins the /random (1-100) roll for the first one. It really doesn't make sense to dole out shards to every caster. Think about it: multiply the number of regularly attending casters in your raid group by 40. Let's say, for instance, that you have 20 reliable casters (nukers and healers, since staves can go to locks, mages, droods or priests). That's 800 shards needed to get a legendary staff for each one of them. That's a MINIMUM of 800 boss kills since, as I mentioned, the drop rate looks like it's somewhere (roughly) between one in three and one in six. It's conceivable that you would have to perform more than 4,000 boss kills in order to get staves for 20 people. It would take forever to outfit them all with legendary staves - which, I guess, is why the label is "legendary." Nah, most guilds will outfit one person at a time. Even getting one staff is going to take some MAJOR work by some talented players.

Anyhoo, pls send pics of a male orc wielding the warlock staff kkthxbye.

I was busy last night, so I didn't get a chance to download World of WarCraft patch 1.11. But, like you, I've been reading up on it, and it's a doozy. Check out the patch notes to see how your class and professions were affected. There's a new 40-main raid dungeon, a few dozen new quests at Light's Hope Chapel (which is now a fully functioning outpost) and some new ways of getting epic enchantments out of Zul'Gurub.

I'm only scratching the surface, but I do want to mention one more thing. There's a new quest line for a legendary weapon for casters. Mmmmmmm, legendary...

I was the Reader Representative last week, so I didn't have much time for blogging. Change the format of your TV guide section, and you'll hear about it. I took almost 300 calls on that topic alone last week.

Anyway, just wanted to make sure you saw this stuff about our two mints worth of Mentos/Coke fun. The "Watch our cool video" link links to, um... a cool video.

Twin Galaxies, record keeper for this wonderful thing of ours, has verified a new Pitfall record.

From their front-page item:

Daniel Vignes was looking for a title to go for that deemed respect. He didn't have to look far before Pitfall caught his eye, a title everyone knew.

Daniel's path to Pitfall "perfection" started just a couple months ago when he started playing Pitfall seriously, a game he played as a kid.

Little did Daniel know that hours of practice where about to pay off as he started recording and powered on his Atari console. A run that would make the gaming community sit up and take notice.

Daniel not only beat the the prevous World Record, He shattered it!

And in doing so, he brings the "Fastest Perfect Game" back to the US.

Slashdot is reporting that Vignes finished the game with one minute and 28 seconds left on the timer. No comment on Twin Galaxies' grasp of grammar and sentence structure. I will say this though: Their registration process is wonky, so I wasn't able to dig deeper and, you know, find out what the previous record was.

Man, I can't even understand the words, but I still can't get that LocoRoco song out of my head.

LocoRoco is a weird new Japanese platformer coming to the PlayStation Portable. If you own a PSP, you can get the demo after you download and install the new firmware update.

I'm not talking about the song you hear at the title screen. I mean that insanely catchy ditty that starts playing as soon as you enter the first level.

It doesn't seem to have any bearing on gameplay, but you should know that the first of the yellow round LocoRocos you get seems to be the lead singer. The rest, the ones you pick up on the way to the end of the level (it's a 2-D sidescroller), are the backup singers. Only, you can choose whether to have them form one big LocoRoco or divide them up into many smaller LocoRocos. On second thought, there's a part in the first level where you roll underneath a sleeping moon. I think it flashes the number 15, which might mean you need to have collected 15 LocoRocos by that point in order to wake up the moon and access some secret area. I only had 12 LocoRocos when I first got there, and I'm scared to go back and play again because I think that song is secretly melting my brain.

Seriously, though... the game is a little rough at the moment (Sony's not done with it yet), but it has a lot of promise. The song is just a bunch of little kids singing what I believe are nonsensical words. But the tune is catchy as hell. It's Mmmbop all over again.

GameDaily has some good commentary on a Washington Times editorial that blasts Sens. Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman – and democrats in general – over the recent rash of videogame legislation.

The Times op-ed piece is here.

I would only add that some republicans have also supported these laws that are, according to the Times and recent court rulings, "of dubious constitutionality."

If you haven't already, I highly recommend playing through Half-Life 2: Episode One with the interactive commentary feature enabled (after you've played through once or twice without it, I mean).

A few months ago, Valve released a playable tech demo called The Lost Coast. It was mostly just to show off some of the new lighting and design techniques they were toying with. In that demo, you could walk up to "talk bubble" nodes and "use" them the way you'd use other game objects. You could look at a node and press the default "E" key, as though you were picking up a box or opening a door in the game. "Using" a node would start some recorded commentary, usually a minute or so of exposition by one of the Valve designers or artists. It's the interactive equivalent of choosing to run a DVD movie with the commentary track enabled. You control the commentary in real time while you play. If you don't want to hear the commentary tied to a node, just don't click the node. Or, to stop a node, just click it again after you've started it. There are more than 100 commentary nodes in Episode One.

In The Lost Coast, commentary nodes look like this:

In Half-Life 2: Episode One, they have more of a 3-D look to them. I'll try to get a pic up later.

A lot of the commentary for The Lost Coast was way over my head. I mean, I understand the concept of volumetric lighting and how you might tweak this or that bit of programming to make some pools of water appear murkier than other pools of water, but when you start explaining the math behind it all, I just nod right off. The commentary for Episode One, however, is much more engaging. You can hear level designers talking about why they did things a certain way, and often they'll describe early versions of an area you're standing in. When you hear them talk about some of the challenges they faced while trying to get their AI characters to interact intelligently with their complex environments in a way that doesn't leave playtesters bewildered, you can begin to understand why it might take six years to crank out a game.

Interactive commentary is a cool way to delve into the art and science of good - make that great - game design. It really sinks in when you can stand in a virtual game environment and look around while the designers are describing what they were thinking while building it. Oh - plus, in Episode One, you don't take any damage from enemies while the commentary tracks are running. There are usually six to ten commentary nodes per game level (loading point to loading point). If you play your cards right, you can almost use the commentary as a shield.

Gabe has an interesting post over at PA today.

Looks like the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has hired Gabe and Tycho (Mike Krahulic and Jerry Holkins of Seattle) to create an ad campaign that will inform gamers and the general public about what the ESRB does. Expect to see their ads in magazines this summer. I'm wondering if they'll do some TV spots, too. I think they developed characters to match each of the ESRB's game ratings and then came up with simple (and no doubt humorous) stories that stress the impact of those ratings on those characters.

Here's a sneak preview of two characters that were visible at the Electronic Entertainment Expo a few weeks ago:

These guys have become not just a voice for gamers and their issues but a pop culture phenomenon. I know they've talked about it before, but I'm betting there's a Penny-Arcade cartoon about ready to happen. It would be perfect for Adult Swim or maybe G4 - or some other less restrictive cable network.

I hope I don't sound condescending, but I'm really proud of these guys; proud to have them in our area, and proud of the way they've handled their rapid rise to fame. They've lost none of their edge (or edginess) and maintain all of their ample relevance. I'm looking forward to their next iteration.

Don't do it!

Don't read the GameSpot hands-on preview of Half-Life 2: Episode One!

Unless you want to ruin the surprise and find out all about the lingering questions Valve will answer.

I didn't get past the spoiler alert, but it looks like they played through the whole thing already.

Filthy bastages.

I'm waiting for 10 a.m. tomorrow with you guys.

/cover ears and eyes for the next 15 1/2 hours : P

My friend and coworker Amanda Raymond, an artist here at the Tribune, gave me this list. Enjoy!
(For you noobs, Final Fantasy XI is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, or MMORPG. If you've never played FFXI or any other MMORPG you probably won't understand most of these.)

Btw, Is there a decent World of WarCraft list out there?

If you do any of these in real life, you might be a FFXI addict:

1. Someone asks you how your day went. You reply: "It sucked! I had to party
with n00bs in Valkurm Dunes again!"

2. You replace lyrics for the South Park theme song to this "Goin' down to
Bastok, gonna have myself a time"

3. You can't make money irl because you don't know how to open a bazaar and
you can't find the auction house.

4. Your family has filed a missing person report because they haven't seen
you in 3 weeks.

5. You try to pay your bills with gil.

6. You're at the epicenter of a major disaster and you start shouting "{RAISE} {PLEASE} {G7} {HELP ME OUT!}"

7. You voted for Karst in 2004.

8. You accidentally hit an animal while driving and you leap from the car to
see if it dropped beastman seals or crystals.

9. You won't go out at night because you're afraid of undead or bogy aggro.

10. You gave out treats on Halloween and are upset because you didn't get a
trick staff.

11. You can't find your moogle anywhere.

12. When you go out to eat, you order meat mithkabobs, sushi or roast
mushrooms, depending on your job atm.

13. You go to an army recruiting center and ask them for a signet and an
Empress Band recharge, and to check your conquest points.

14. You are only aware of the end of the world because your server is
suddenly and mysteriously empty.

15. You can't remember 5th grade math, but you can name all the food
effects.

16. You try to find the recipe and skillcap for the synthesis of a car.

17. You wear a RDM AF hat. In real life.

18.. You wear a RNG AF hat. In real life. Bonus points if the cops arrest you
for possession.

19. You don't fear death because you plan to HP if you die.

20. You tried to buy Big Bird so you'd have your own chocobo to ride.

21. You have to say /sh before you shout.

22. You expect your spouse or significant other to make meals in no less
than 10 seconds.

23. You have nightmares where you wake up screaming "VOKE IT!! VOKE IT!!"

24. When you get into trouble, you try to use your 2 hr.

25. You put your ex on your blacklist.

26. You wonder why your real life isn't as successful as your character's
life.

27. You tell your friends you'll brb or are afk, in real life.

28. You can actually make this face: >.> or O.O

29. When your dog has gas, you refer to it as "Gastric bomb"

I've been saying it since Microsoft announced the Xbox 360: sooner or later, they're going to get into the handheld gaming biz.

In a story that hit today over at GameDaily.com, analysts are predicting the same thing.

I think Microsoft is looking for the next iPod, so they'll want a portable gaming device that can do everything a video iPod can do - and play games, too. I'm not sure whether they'll throw in elements like Web browsing and photo/video recording, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Nor would it surprise me if they came up with some new kind of compression that would squeeze games down into bite-size, downloadable morsels. And I'll bet their handheld device will dock with the Xbox 360 and utilize the Xbox Live broadband service.

Even less surprising: GameDailly.com has another story today about how Apple is looking to get into the portable games biz.

Hmmmmm.

Half-Life 2: Episode One debuts Thursday, June 1.

I must have messed up my wristwatch over the weekend. According to it, today is June 1.

I'll try to get my game unlocked Thursday morning and chime in here with some comments. More than likely, I'll have a full review Friday, June 9. I just played through the original Half-Life 2, so the events of that game should be fresh in my aged brain when I start playing the new chapter.

/bonk.

I've seen a ton of previews for Half-Life 2:Episode One, but, as of about 1 p.m. this afternoon, not a single review.

The episode, the first of three, was released at 10 a.m. today. If you're like me, you "pre-loaded" the game through Valve's proprietary Steam pipeline and were just waiting for the 10 a.m. release time. I didn't have a chance to unlock the game at 10 a.m. since I had to be in the office for morning meetings. But I'm going to try to leave early and get the thing up and running early this evening. I'll try to play through tonight (Valve says it's only four to six hours long) and post some comments tomorrow.

My Steven Seagal interview is over at EJ's Bring the Noise blog.

Basically, I just wanted to mess around with audio files and guest blogging. And since EJ is an accomplished gamer, I'm sure he'll make a few appearances here from time to time.

Anyway, have a great weekend.

With all this talk about Half-Life 2, I forgot to mention that the first official follow-up is due next week.

Valve, a Bellevue company, is set to release Half-Life 2: Episode One on Tuesday, June 1. It should be available at game stores and through Steam, Valve's proprietary download service.

Episode One is the first of three planned follow-ups to Half-Life 2. It's supposed to be a relatively short, $20 game. Valve chief Gabe Newell said earlier this week that players can expect about four to six hours of gameplay in the episode. The next installment is due before the end of the year, and Valve will release a third and final episode in 2007.

Keep in mind that six years passed between the release of Half-Life and the release of Half-Life 2. In a statement earlier this week, Newell said "Given the rapid changes in PC gaming, we expect episodic games will have the same impact on single-player gaming that Counter-Strike had on multiplayer." Pretty strong stuff. But he also mentioned how quickly PC technology changes these days. Episodic games serve both developers and gamers better than "waiting 6 years for another monolithic product," Newell said.

How do you feel about that? At the moment, without having played a lick of Episode One, I'm in favor of the business plan. At first, I thought it might be cool if Valve would release $10 episodes every other month. But every six to nine months or so seems about right. I remember paying $30 for Blue Shift, the third installment of the original Half-Life game. Eight hours of gameplay just left me wanting more. At the time, I was kinda ticked off because I knew I had just played the last true piece of Half-Life gaming I would be getting until the release of Half-Life 2. I didn't feel the least bit guilty about factoring quantity into my assessment of quality.

But I'm all for getting four to six hours of Valve-quality Half-Life-2 gaming a couple of times per year - at $20 a pop. The development cycle gives the Valve guys a chance to keep pace with technology advancements and provide optimal gaming experiences. Often, due to time constraints, developers have to throw out a few things they really wanted to include. We all saw how some of the elements from Half-Life 2 trailers didn't make it into the final game. Episodic development could give talented designers like the guys at Valve a chance to implement all kinds of fun stuff and get it out the door quickly. If they're smart, they're working on a lengthier final installment, too, hopefully while also plugging away at Half-Life 3. I'm betting that Episode Three will cap the current story line in grand fashion.

Anyway, I'll come down off my soapbox - still need to actually play Episode One before I make my final decision anyway. I'm sure I'll be left wanting more. But just knowing that more is coming in a few months could significantly sweeten the deal.

Nintendo just announced that their new console, the Wii, will cost no more than $250 in North America.

That's half the cost of Sony's low-end PlayStation 3, the one with the 20GB hard drive.

I got so lost on YouTube yesterday. It was ridiculous. Seriously, I'm supposed to turn in this interview piece about Steven Seagal coming to Seattle with his blues band, and I wasted half an hour just watching Half-Life 2 fan videos.

My favorite so far: Zombies in the Moonlight.

CAUTION: It's not for those with weak stomachs.
And it is artfully done, but it could use a little more variety.

Man, I knew the Oblivion engine was robust, but this is insane.

This is a YouTube video by someone who went to a lot of work setting up an incredible virtual dominos display using in-game objects such as books, swords, ropes and metal balls.

Other folks have done this in other games, but this one really shows off just how much freedom games are giving players these days – even if you only have an elementary-school level understanding of game tinkering. I mean, there are endless hours of adventures waiting outside those cathedral doors, but this player chose to build an elaborate contraption.

Enjoy.

Ubisoft just announced a partnership with Touchstone Television. They're making a "Lost" video game.

Which reminds me: I'm working on kind of a goofball story about movies and TV shows (past and present) that should NEVER become video games. But, if they did, what would they look like?

Nominations?

We've recently discovered that our rotating top ten lists might not be available to us any longer. These are the lists that run with or near my column and outline the top ten best-selling games for the previous week (or the top ten most rented games).

So...

I'd rather read about what you're playing anyway. Yeah, you. Send me any variation you want, just label it clearly. "Top Five Games I Want to Play This Month." "My Top Three Game Boy Advance Games." "My Top 13 PC Games of All Timezorz."

Or whatever. Post them here, or email them directly to me at bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com

I can see it now. The next Video Games Report Card event.

Gears of War. Great looking game, maybe the best of E3 this year.

It's gonna get an F minus.

Seems any time you put an "of war" in a game title, you're just begging for controversy.

But I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Have there been any "of war" games that weren't full of blood and guts? Seriously. I want to know.

Jacob Brenner, a young aspiring photographer, snapped some nice shots of Tom and Katie in Aberdeen the other day and was kind enough to e-mail them to us.

Thanks, Jacob!

Activision recently did a survey asking gamers what type of superpower they'd want. Here are the results:

- 28% - ability to read minds
- 15% - ability to fly
- 11% - ability to become invisible
- 9% - super strength
- 1% - ability to walk through walls
- 15% - other

Some of the "other" responses, which were open-ended, included:
- endless supply of cash
- ability to heal the sick
- ability to know if someone is lying or telling the truth
- ability to bring back the dead
- prevent telemarketers from calling
- not have to worry about paying my bills
- straighten hair
- ability to see through fancy Orwellian corporate propaganda
- ability to see the future
- x-ray vision

What would yours be?

I went down to Aberdeen Tuesday to cover the visit by Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. They were great with the crowd and spent at least an hour shaking hands, taking pictures and signing autographs.

I haven't had a chance to read all of the coverage of the event, so I'll ask you guys the question everyone keeps asking me: Where was the baby?

Still sequestered from the parents since birth?

$1,000-an-hour nanny?

Short-term cryosleep?

Does anyone know?

I love the way game companies word their press releases to basically say "we ain't gonna tell ya," but in a nice way.

Take the pricing and release-date information from Nintendo's E3 Wii announcement:

"Wii will be available in the fourth quarter of 2006 and priced affordably for the mass market."

By the way, because game companies measure time in fiscal years (tax season to tax season), "fourth quarter of 2006" could technically mean March of 2007.

I'm just saying.

$499, are you outta your mind?

Sony announced the PlayStation 3 will cost $499 with a 20GB hard drive, $599 with a 60GB hard drive.

Ouch!

Anyone remember the 3DO?

So, let's get this straight: By the time the PS3 comes out (Nov. 17), the Xbox 360 will be getting its third or fourth wave of games, have a good-sized library of AAA titles AND cost $150 LESS than the PS3? Factor in a timely price drop from Microsoft, and which system looks more appealing to the average consumer?

The Stormtroopers of Garrison Titan came down from King County to help celebrate Free Comic Book day at Comic Book Ink in Tacoma.

Free Comic Book day took place Saturday, May 6. Comic Book Ink owner John Munn sent along these pictures of the 'troopers - and a few of their friends.

By the way, the store, near East 72nd Street and Portland Avenue, is up for another Eisner Award for Best Comic Book Store in the History of the World. Or something like that.

Who's minding the store?

"Hey, kid! Ewok tryouts are NEXT week!

"Uh... Got any Witchblade?"

Lightsaber, lightschmaber

Tony Hawk's Really Awesome Saint Helens Adventure?

Every city and/or geographic region wants to appear in a Tony Hawk game. But after seeing today's front page, I'm more convinced than ever that the Northwest would make a great skate playground for the series.

Structures like this were meant to be skated.

"Sopranos" fans rejoice!

I think.

Depends on whether or not THQ can give the TV series a proper video-game treatment. Looks like most of the cast are signed on for the voice acting. That's a great start. Series director David Chase collaborated on the storyline.

Bada BING! Sounds good so far.

So...

Whaddya think?

The name of Nintendo's next game system:

Wii.

The console formerly known as "Revolution."

Like it? Hate it? Why?

If you were the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, and you found out, after giving the latest Grand Theft Auto game an M (Mature) rating, that it contained softcore porn, you'd be more careful, too.

I'm not surprised that they pre-empted bad press by jumping on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, another high-profile game, after hearing that hackers have added nude models to that game.

The ESRB's response? Boost the T (Teen) rating up to an M. GTA: San Andreas, by the way, went from M to AO (Adults Only) until Rockstar published new discs without the hidden naughtiness.