Random thoughts and such

Stacking the Deck, as a whole, is a peek into the world in which I live as a video game journalist. Sometimes I'll discuss the latest gaming news. Sometimes, it may involve business trips to cover gaming events. Sometimes it may involve particular articles I'm working on. Sometimes it may involve me simply taking some down time at the beach with a friend or ice cream with my nephews. More often than not, it also includes my ongoing recruitment drive of both fans and groupies ... after all, I've got a growing ego to feed and I could use all the help I can get. Egos tend to be hungry little buggers, and in need of the occasional extra attention. My point is, Stacking the Deck is a place to get a glimpse into what I do for a living ... as well as the type of person I am. Raymond Chandler once said in his essay The Simple Art of Murder, "The story is his adventure in search of a hidden truth, and it would be no adventure if it did not happen to a man fit for adventure." Well folks, Stacking the Deck IS my adventure ... or at least a part of it. You guys and gals are always welcome to pop in for a visit. Just make sure to tip your waiters and waitresses before you go. In this case? Leaving your two cents worth behind is preferable to the standard fifteen percent.

Moving right along, there's a lot happening in the gaming world lately. First off, for those of you out there planning to pick up an Xbox 360, don't worry about having to save space for your old Xbox system. Ever since the first talks came up about whether or not the new Xbox would be backwards compatible, people have been saying how difficult the process would be. See ... the original Xbox used Nvidia graphics processors, while the 360 uses processors developed by ATI. The two use different proprietary instruction codes. It's a lot like trying to run PC software on a Mac. Techincally it CAN be done, but more often than not it's a pain in the ass to get working, and it never runs smoothly. Well, fret not Xbox-ers ... Microsoft and Nvidia have apparently come to an agreement which will allow MS to license the proprietary Xbox technology from Nvidia so that the 360 will be able to run all of the games from the original system without having to force the issue.

We all know by now that Vin Diesel is a HUGE video game fan. Diesel even went so far as to start up his own video game development house, Tigon Studios. Now Vin Diesel is bringing his love of games to the big screen, as the actor has signed on to star in a feature film based on the Eidos video game Hitman. Diesel will also serve as executive producer for the upcoming flick. Diesel is also set to hold talks between Tigon, Eidos, and Io (the original developers of the Hitman franchise) to discuss his involvement in future Hitman games.

Speaking of video game movies, Microsoft shocked Hollywood recently when it delivered copies of a script for a Halo feature film to various film studios ... along with a strict set of demands, including full creative control, $10 million up front commitment, 15 percent of the profits, and a speedy filming schedule. The latest news is that Twentieth Century Fox and Universal have teamed up with an offer which will give Microsoft $5 million upfront, 10 percent of the gross profits, and a speedy filming schedule (though not as fast as Microsoft intially asked for), and will see the two studios split the distribution rights ... with Universal handling the domestic distribution and Fox taking care of the international rights.

Finally, before I wrap up this blog entry, I am working on a few things. I wrapped up a preview of Mega Man Battle Network 5 for GameSpy the other day. I've also written up a review of Disney's Magical Quest 3 for the GBA, which should go up live later today. I'm also working on a preview of Splinter Cell Chaos Theory for the NDS and a review of Bomberman DS. I'll post links to all of the articles as they go live. And yes, I AM still working out the details for my first contest here at Stacking the Deck. Keep checking back for more details.