It's a start

Things have been crazy lately, but I haven't forgotten about FanBased. In fact, I'm in the process of adding forums so that all of you can have a soapbox of your very own. The forums are live as we speak, though I'm still working on the overall design and such. Eventually, you'll see everything come together into one cohesive experience ... the blogs, forums, news, print, podcasts, and everything else. For now though, since this is still a one-man operation, you'll have to deal with bits and pieces at a time.

Anyway, if you need a direct link to the forums, you can find them at http://www.visionaryink.com/forums/. Go on over an register to get ahead of the curve.

Later

Gaming News

Time for another round of video game news. Here we go:

• E3 Cracking Down on Booth Babes?
  
  The Entertainment Software Association, those fine folks responsible for putting together the E3 expo every year, recently sent word that it will be putting harsher penalties in place for exhibitors who violate the event's long standing but often ignored dress code.
  
  According to the ESA, "Material, including live models, conduct that is sexually explicit and/or sexually provocative, including but not limited to nudity, partial nudity and bathing suit bottoms, are prohibited on the Show floor, all common areas, and at any access points to the Show." Exhibitors in violation of this will be given one verbal warning, followed by a fine of $5000 to be paid on-site and a refusal to allow the models back on the floor until they comply with the dress code.
  
  Only time will tell if attendees will continue to see as much eye candy on the E3 floor as they do on the screens, or if this announcement actually marks the beginning of the end of the booth babe era.
  
  
• Nintendo to Re"DS"ign the DS
  
  Nintendo, the reigning king of the handheld market, officially unveiled the latest plan continue its dominance … the DS Lite.  Without much fanfare, the company's Japanese website announced a slimmer, trimmer version of its best-selling DS hardware is scheduled to hit store shelves on March 2nd of this year. The redesigned version of the DS hardware is about 43 percent smaller and 21 percent lighter than the current model. Aside from compact size, the biggest change in the DS Lite is the addition of a brightness control for the system's dual screens. So, how much will this Weight Watchers inspired system set back gamers? Right now, the price for the new system is set at 16,800 yen or about $145 US … slightly higher that the price of the current plus sized model.
  
  
• Siren Lures in a Movie Deal
  
  Despite mixed results at the box office, Hollywood still can't seem to get enough of the video game industry. According to an article on Variety earlier this week, Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures has picked up the motion picture rights to Sony's creepy survival horror game, Siren. Although there's currently no director or cast attached to the project, the Variety piece does credit writer Michael Gordon with putting together the screenplay. Gordon does have some experience at adapting other properties to the big screen. His previous writing credits include the upcoming Warner Bros., 300, which based on the Frank Miller graphic novel.
  
  Early details of the movie's plot center on an American medical student searching for her missing sister in Japan. Eventually, she finds her way to the village of Hanuda, where supernatural forces have taken over. Principal filming is expected to begin on Siren later this year.
  
  
• Phantom Lapboard Comes Up With Some Real Cash
  
  File this under the "They're Still Around?" category. It's been three years since Infinium Labs first announced its plans to get into the gaming industry with the Phantom video game console. And while the console itself seems no closer to being released, the company has announced plans to release the system's uniquely designed wireless keyboard and mouse combo to PC gamers. Of course, it takes money to release a new product. And money is something that Infinium Labs has been struggling with in recent months. Now comes the announcement that private equity firm Golden Gate Investors is coming to the rescue to the tune of $5 million. With the new funding, Infinium hopes to be able to move forward with its plans to release the Phantom Lapboard later this year.
  
  
• Sony "Zips" Up SOCOM Developer
  
  Hot on the heels of its acquisition of Killzone developer, Guerrila Games, Sony has announced that it has also snatched up Zipper Interactive, the studio responsible for its top selling SOCOM franchise. As a part of the deal, Zipper will become a part of Sony's ever-growing SCE Worldwide studio. The day to day operations of Zipper will be handled by the current management and execs from SCE Worldwide's Foster City studio. Financial details of the purchase haven't been released, but it’s a safe bet that Sony paid a pretty penny for the studio responsible for one of the company's biggest selling franchises.

More interesting developments on the job front as well. If you're interested in news tidbits like these, expect to see and hear much more in the near future. I hate having to be clandestine here, but there are a couple of projects about to start which will guarantee that you'll be seeing a lot more of my name around the video game and comic industries shortly. Got your curiousity piqued yet? Then keep tuning in here and see where things are going.

Peeking in the Swag Bag

I've been sorting through a few of the various items in the Swag Bag. I figured I'd put together a list of a few of the things so that people can get an idea of some of the fun, unique, and sometimes warped collectibles that accumulate in my line of work. Also, it's an opportunity for people to try hitting me up for some of the stuff (heh).

So, here goes:

• An Xbox version of Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, signed by the developers over at Radical Entertainment
  
• Three retail games for the Nokia N-Gage: High Seize, One, and X-Men Legends II
  
• Darkwatch T-Shirt (XL) and comic book
  
• Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory hoodie (S)
  
• Art of Guild Wars hardback book
  
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas embroidered socks (yes, I said "socks")
  
• Fable metal die, sides read: Choose Good, Choose Evil, Follow Your Heart, Trust Your Instincts, Yes Absolutely, and No Definitely Not
  
• War of the Monsters foam rock
  
• Destroy All Humans! ray gun (shoots smoke rings)
  
• A set of the limited edition City of Villains HeroClix initially available only in the CoV Collector's Edition
  
• Set of Hot Shots Golf Fore! golfballs
  
• Metal Gear Solid Cold War Camouflage Snake Kubrick figure
  
• Mortal Kombat Deception Skull Head Scorpion action figure
  
• Mortal Kombat Deception Cold Snap Sub-Zero action figure
  
• E3 2005 exclusive DS card featuring theLegend of Zelda: Twilight Princess trailer
  
• Zero Hour exclusive Xbox 360 faceplate
  
• Red vs. Blue Season 1, 2, and 3 DVDs signed by the guys at Rooster Teeth
  
• Doom theatrical one sheet poster
  
• Gizmondo handheld device (Smart Adds version) w/ 3 games
  
• Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction Xbox demo, signed by writer Paul Jenkins
  
• Wristband embroidered with the SEGA logo
  
• Wristband embroidered with the Dead or Alive 4 logo
  
• Plastic fan from Tokyo Game Show promoting Viewtiful Joe and MegaMan (aka Rockman)
  
• Final Fantasy XI Online Atlas, sealed w/ exclusive Yoshitaka Amano book jacket

I've got more stuff in the bag, but this list is just for starters. So ... anyone got any unique ideas for dishing stuff out? Or are you just going to try calling dibs on the different things? For the record ... that last option probably won't work on me ... unless you get REAL creative when calling dibs. (heh)

Later,
David

An explanation on opinions

Y'know, one of the drawbacks to writing reviews and editorials is that, while I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinion, everyone seems to expect me to agree with theirs. Earlier in the blog, I posted a piece titled "Getting Desensetized" discussing the my thoughts about a study on the supposed effects of violent video games. Today, someone decided to comment on it. A few people told me they thought I should just delete it and forget about it ... but I decided instead that maybe this would be a perfect time to try and explain what is important to me about opinions. Here's the original comment that got it started, as well as my response:

Anonymous said...

this artical sucks dude can't u come up with a better sack of crap than this.

Friday, January 20, 2006 12:12:00 PM

WldCard said...

This "artical" wasn't an article. It was simply me talking about why this study bugged me. People can twist any data around to fit their means, and on the surface this seems like more of the same.

It's an opinion ... like the top of the page says: "Come on in and check out what I'm thinking, what I'm working on, what's happening in the industry, and whatever other unique adventures happen along the way."

A couple of people saw this comment and thought I should just delete it and forget about it. And for just a split second, I considered it. But the thing is, I always tell people that my reviews are simply my opinions, and that I don't expect anyone to necessarily agree or disagree with me.

Well, my "editorials" like this are the same type of thing. It's just me voicing my opinion ... much like you decided to do in your comment. The different is, in my piece I gave REASONS for my thoughts. I tried to explain WHY exactly I felt the way I did about the study. Just like in the reviews, I always explain WHY I like or dislike a game/book/etc. I may not expect you to agree with me, but I try my best to put forth my reasoning for my way of thinking.

So, maybe you really do believe that the blog entry was a "sack of crap". Hell, I'm sure there are plenty of people who agree with you. I'm also sure that there are people who disagree with you. It's your opinion and you are welcome to it. That is your right and your prerogative, and no one should deny that to you ... just as I'd expect no one to deny it to me. The difference is, when I expressed my opinion, I gave my reasoning for it and left it open for discussion.

Your comment, on the other hand, brought nothing to the table. No reasoning. No point of interest. Nothing. So, to wrap things up in your own words, "dude can't u come up with a better sack of crap than this"?

Friday, January 20, 2006 12:51:40 PM

Now, for the record, this blog is a hodgepodge of things. There are going to be news stories, editorials, career updates, as well as some trivial stuff I just happen to feel like writing about at any given time. Some stuff will be serious, some stuff won't. Some stuff will be informative, and ... well ... some stuff may be more on the pointless side. Either way though, it's always going to be entertaining.

Having said all of that, now it's time for you to express YOUR opinion.

New name, new look, and a new beginning

So ... some of you out there have been wondering when I was going to get around to updating Stacking the Deck. How's this for an update?

Here's the deal. It's a new year, and things are already progressing at a crazy rate. I'm still writing regularly for GameSpy. I'm also doing a lot more work for Electric Playground and Play Magazine. In fact, I'm currently working on a feature for Play. As usual, I'll let all of you know when it gets published.

Now, besides the usual chaos of my writing gigs, I'm also finally getting some other projects of mine off the ground. I'm working on developing a few intellectual properties for various outlets (tv, games, comics, etc.). I'm also planning to put together a podcast covering different areas of fandom. I'm basically sticking my finger into a host of different pies. An even better food metaphor is throwing a bunch of spaghetti agains the wall and see what sticks.

Since I still own the name "FanBased Media", I figured that the new year was a great time to put it to use. And so, after a lot of redesign, trial and error, and numerous pots of coffee ... here we are.

Let me know what you think, and keep checking back to see what's in store.

More work stuff

It's been a while since I've updated everyone on what I've been working on. Well, I haven't exactly been sitting around with my thumb up my ass. I've actually been getting some work done. Need proof?

Over at GameSpy you can check out my work on these:

• Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World (GBA)
  
• America's Army: Rise of a Soldier (Xbox)
  
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted (X360)
  
• Naruto: Ninja Council (GBA) Preview
  
• World Championship Poker 2 (PSP)

While over at the Electric Playground, you can read these:

• Mario Kart DS (NDS)
  
• Gizmondo Hardware
  
• NASCAR 06: Total Team Control (Xbox)
  
• Geist (GCN)
  
• Darkwatch (Xbox)
  
• 187 Ride or Die (PS2)
  
• Nintendogs (NDS)
  
• Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (Xbox)

And finally, in this month's Play Magazine is the following piece:


Zero Hour article (Play Magazine, January 2006) 
Some of this stuff is older, and only just getting around to being published. Other stuff has been written within the past week. Either way, there's a lot of my stuff out there right now (woo hoo!!). And things are only going to be getting more busy with the coming year. I'll keep all of you posted as usual. In the meantime, check out the stuff that's out there and let me know what you think.

Later.

Getting Desensetized

There's a new study forthcoming in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, which supposedly finds that people who play violent video games experience an increase in aggressive behavior and a decreased reaction to violent imagery.

"It's already well known that playing violent video games increases aggressive behavior and decreases helping behavior," said Brad Bushman, a researcher at the University of Michigan. "But this study is the first to link exposure to violent video games with a diminished reaction to violent images."

The research was conducted by Bushman, a U-M professor of psychology and communications studies and a faculty associate at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR), along with fellow researchers Bruce Bartholow, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Marc Sestir at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Most of us naturally have a strong aversion to the sight of blood and gore," Bartholow said. "Surgeons and soldiers may need to overcome these reactions in order to perform their duties. But for most people, a diminished reaction to the effects of violence is not adaptive. It can reduce inhibitions against aggressive behavior and increase the possibility of inflicting violence on others."

On the surface, this study looks potentially damning for the video game industry. However, after a closer look at the details of the study, one can't help but question the results. Take a look at some of the research techinques used to come up with these findings:

For the study, the researchers asked 39 male undergraduates how often they played their five favorite video games, and how violent the games were. The researchers also assessed participants' irritability and aggressiveness, asking them how much they identified with statements like the following: "I easily fly off the handle with those who don't listen or understand" and "If somebody hits me, I hit back."

Next, the researchers outfitted participants with electrode caps to obtain EEG data, including the average amplitude of a particular type of brainwave, known as P300, which is believed to be an indicator of how people evaluate a stimulus, such as a photograph. After doing so, the researchers showed participants a series of images. The content of the images was emotionally neutral (a mushroom, a man riding a bicycle), violent (a man holding a gun to another man's head) or negative but nonviolent (a dead dog). While participants viewed the images, their brain waves were recorded.

After viewing the images, participants were told they were competing in a reaction time task with another person to see who could press a button faster following a tone. The slower person would supposedly receive a blast of noise through a pair of headphones, with the intensity and duration of the blast determined before each round by the previous round's winner. Actually there was no partner, but participants' tendency to administer long, loud blasts of noise is a widely used, reliable measure of aggression.

What the researchers found was that participants who routinely played violent video games responded less to violent images, as measured by a diminished amplitude of their P300 brainwaves. But this was not true of their response to other, equally negative, nonviolent images. The researchers also found that the smaller the brainwave reaction to violent images, the more likely participants were to behave aggressively in the reaction time task by blasting their "partner" with loud, unpleasant noise.

Read at face value, the research seems a bit flawed to me. The noise test is a key example. Basically, each of the 39 male participants were told to hit a button as fast as possible. The loser would get a blast of loud noise ... with the volume and length of the noise determined by the winner of the previous round. If the blast is detemined over a period of sequential rounds, then each "winner" knows that he's subject to losing the round and getting hit with the consequence he set. On the other hand, if the participant thinks that he's setting the level for the next set of competitors, he's still likely to set the bar at the same level he would expect to be given to himself. Truthfully? That's not violence ... that's competition at best, and pissing contest between guys at worst.

As far as the image test goes, these participants were college students ... not teenagers. Before I graduated high school, I was already reading pulp fiction stories by the likes of Raymond Chandler (a great author) and Dashiel Hammett. I also had seen much worse than a picture of a man with a gun to his head in my history classes. Would a picture like that get much of a stimulus reaction from me? Probably not ... though not because of anything like video games. And to be perfectly honest, I've been around guns before and even had them pointed at me. And yeah, I'm sure THAT caused a peak in my P300 brainwaves at the time. By their own admission, there was no change in how participants were affected by the "negative but nonviolent" imagery.

I'm more than a little curious to take a look at the full study once it's published. Unfortunately, with all of these studies trying to prove one thing or another, I've become more than a little desensetized ... not to violence, but to these damned studies. Here's the frightening thing about studies, with a little time, money, and ingenuity, and with the right test group, I could put together a study showing that cute and fuzzy bunnies can drive people to acts of road rage.

Too often, researchers go into a study looking for a particular answer. Many times that expectation of a predetermined outcome causes those responsible to skew things in their favor, intentionally or not. The scientific method is supposed to begin with the question, not the hypothesis:

• Define the question
  
• Gather information and resources
  
• Form hypothesis
  
• Plan experiment
  
• Do experiment and collect data
  
• Analyze data
  
• Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypotheses
  
• Communicate results

This method is generally meant to be cyclic in nature. Once the data is interpreted, new hypothesis can be formed an tested as well. I've seen far too many cases though in which researchers spend too much time trying to prove their hypothesis, instead of letting the raw data lead them to new ideas and interpretations.

Anyway, that's enough of a soapbox moment for the moment. What are your thoughts?

Don't call it a comeback!!

Yeah yeah, so it's a cheesy subject, but it's also oddly fitting. I know I've been out of touch for bit (well, publicly at least). I know I'm always saying how swamped I am with wirk (and I am), but things are really nuts at the moment for a lot of reasons.

First, let's tackle the big personal issues:

I found out recently that my dad is going to have to go in for some neck/spine surgery. He went in for an MRI last week and, based on how the results go, he'll need to have some work done to fix some compression in the spine that's causing pressure on some nerves. I've been checking in with him to see how things are developing. He's up in VA, and there's really no one there to be with him. So, whenever the surgery is scheduled, I'll be taking off out of town for a bit to be there for him during the surgery and afterwards to help him out. Growing up, my dad and I weren't necessarily close, but as we've both gotten older, our relationship has grown. Nowadays, even if he wasn't my dad, he'd be a damned good friend ... one of the best in fact. And as you guys know, I'm always there for my friends.

Also on the personal side, I've been trying to take some time to unwind a bit ... basically taking some time for myself. I've been running around like a chicken with his head chopped off for a while now, so I needed to take a bit of a breather to collect myself. All work and no play makes Jack (or in this case, David) a dull boy. So I've been trying to do a little more to get away from the ball and chain that is my PC. Been trying to catch up with a few old friends, as well as making some new ones. Hey, what can I say? Even *I* deserve a break from time to time.

Of course there were a couple of other things that kept me from updating a little more on the blog here. First off was the trip to Vegas. I posted earlier about how that trip went. Admittedly, I've been having a lot of fun with my Xbox 360 since I got back. Of course, I think it's hilarious that the 360 is capable of so much, and yet the game I'm most addicted to is the cheap $5 arcade-style game, Geometry Wars Evolved. It's like Smash TV meets Asteroids. Playing that has got me itching to bring the classic systems out of mothballs to play some of my old favorites. Speaking of favorite games ... if ANYONE out there has never experienced the classic game Zombies Ate My Neighbors ... GO FIND IT!! I'm playing it almost as much as my 360, and it's probably the one game they'll have to pry from my cold dead hands.

Back to the 360, I wrote up a review for the 360 version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted for GameSpy. The game is a lot of fun, but the real story is in how great the game looks ... especially with the environmental effects like lighting and reflections. It looks amazing, especially in hi-def. I've also had a buch of reviews go up over at the Electric Playground website. I'll try to get around to posting links later, but in the meantime, go check out the site.

And since we're on the subject of Electric Playground (and by association, Greedy Productions), there's a lot going on over there. Things are finally cranking again on the EP website. I'll be posting a lot more material over there now that things are working, and everyone is working to really push the site to a new level. You'll be seeing a lot more in the way of updates, more interesting articles, and even a few surprises down the road. There's even some work being done to redesign the site to reflect the changes in the show as well. I'll also be working a lot more closely with Greedy Productions on a couple of other projects they're working on. I'll even be contributing some script writing series of video packages. Basically, it all adds up to equal more work for me (WOO HOO!!).

And speaking of more work, I wrote up a piece on Zero Hour for Play Magazine. When it hits the stands, I'll let all of you know. In the meantime, I'll let everyone know to keep their eyes peeled for news coming out of Play. I'll be working with Dave and the guys more, providing material and such, and helping out with a few cool new plans that they have in store for the near future.

So, does that cover everything? Not even close ... but if I threw everything out here at once, what motivation would you have to keep coming back, eh?

Oh yeah ... one last thing. I haven't forgotten about you guys who have actually asked about the fan club plans. Heh. Y'know, I keep commenting on how I want my groupies, and having a groupie recruitment drive (HA!), but someone pointed out one thing ... what about the guys? One suggestion that's been made (which I think I'll run with) was keep going w/ the whole "rock star" mentality, and have both "Groupies" and "Roadies". I'm also trying to come up with some cool and unique merchandise for people to have fun with. Thanks to a bunch of my friends in the comic industry, you can expect to see some REALLY cool visuals in the near future. Posters, t-shirts, teddy bears, and yes ... due to popular demand ... the infamous fan club thong will all still be available, though with some fun new designs. I want to set up some other things for people who are genuinely interested in the fan club idea too. So throw out some suggestions. I'm even chipping in a lot of goodies from the "swag bag".

BTW ... those of you with particularly sharp eyes may notice some minor tweaks I did to my profile picture. Bonus points to those of you who recognize the signature on the handheld's new skin.

Later,
David

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Zero Hour, work, and the fact there's no "i" in WldCard

Well, I'm back from the 360 Zero hour Launch event. It was an adventure, to say the least. By all rights, I should be curled up in a bed still, catching up on some sorely lacking sleep ... but I'm an insomniac by nature. So, how did things go? Here are some highlights:

• The Road Trip to Zero Hour
  Pete and I took off from Vegas about 2:00p (Note: All times are in PST for this, even though I'm an East Coast boy). We figured that would put us getting into Palmdale before 6:00p, and since the event didn't open til 7:00p, we'd be set. Of course, the gods of traffic had other ideas. At two different points on I-15 South, we hit some major traffic due to accidents. Oddly enough, both were cleared away by the time we got to them. In fact, the only proof we had that there WAS an accident was the ambulance that sped down the emergency lane, and the small scattering of glass and such. Once we finally got close to Palmdale (the location of Zero Hour), we were trying to figure out if we were still heading the right direction, when like a sign from above, a bright green beacon shot off in the distance. Zero Hour had just started, and the hangar was lit up in a mass of neon green light. So, like sailors chasing the North Star, we plotted our course and made landfall around 7:15 or so ...
  
  
• Tagged and Released ... Over and Over Again
  One tip for the minds behind Zero Hour ... plan out your access just a little better. I checked into Zero Hour at the Media Check-In area, and was surprised to find out that just fifteen minutes into the show, they had completely run out of Media badges. As a backup plan, they started giving out Crew badges instead. For the most part, this worked out fine ... but there were snags. Mainly, every time there was something set up for attendees, I had to keep explaining that I was press and not part of the event crew. Plus, people kept stopping me to ask where things were taking place and such.
  
  Then there was the problem with occasional security guard who was trying to deny access to the VIP/Press lounge to those of us with Crew badges (after the first night of getting in w/ no problems). I'd even brought one of the guys from Edleman (the PR firm coordinating the event) with me to verify me as press, and they STILL wouldn't let me in. So, Charlie decided to fix that problem real quick by slapping a green VIP wristband on me, giving me full access again. I saw some of the other press guys got fixed up as well, so things seemed to work out and the issues with passes seemed over, right? Not so fast.
  
  Apparently, the standard issue white wristband (general entry), was the key factor in identifying who was eligible to buy a 360 at Zero Hour. VIP's were assumed to have already won one of the consoles. Now, I'd already registered to attend Zero Hour prior to getting on the Press list, so I was still reserved a time to buy a 360 system ... but without that white wristband, I couldn't get to the registers to pay for it. So, it was time for another walk ... talked with Charlie again, and ended up taking off the VIP wristband, checking in outside like I just showed up at the event, got my white wristband, and then had to get ANOTHER writband (orange this time) to allow access to the lounge again.
  
  In an ironic twist, at about 5:00p on Monday, Microsoft announce that it was going to allow EVERYONE to hit the registers and buy a system ... whether you had a white wristband or not. So, I ended up jumping through a lot of unneccessary hoops ... though as they say, it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, it wasn't just me I was looking out for. Pete had cancelled his 360 pre-order at EBGames because we were supposed to be able to buy the 360 at the show. So if he couldn't get HIS system, he'd have been screwed royally.
  
  
• "Sleep"? What is this "sleep" of which you speak?
  By about 3:00a or so, some areas of Zero Hour looked a lot like Jonestown. Bodies were lying all over the place, as people started to feel the effects of a 29+ hour event. Bean bags were strewn about all as people trying to create makeshift beds. Still, some gamers were toughing it out, as the various gaming stations were generally full throughout the event. The early morning hours weren't quite so crowded, as some of the attendees had obviously decided to bail out to nearby hotels in exchage for a comfortable bed. Me? I toughed it out witha quick 30 minute nap in the lounge. Meanwhile, Pete found himself a couch and crashed for about 3 hours or so. This sleep schedule would come back to haunt us later.
  
  
• The Presentations
  All throughout the event, publishers had presentations going on at the main stage area. For the most part, these were demos of games due out at launch, along with some footage of a few new games. Tecmo ran some DOA 4 tournaments, Activision had some Call of Duty 2 multiplayer action going on, and Rare gave players a chance to win a copy of Perfect Dark Zero by battling it out in Deathmatch.
  
  Microsoft ran some demos showing the advantages of the Xbox Live Gold memberships, and what the 360 can do online, not only as a gaming system, but also as an entertainment device. Microsoft even incorporated some of the new multimedia features into the games. One key feature for those of you out there that like your custom Xbox soundtracks (Shane), the 360 can stream music from your portable audio player or PC straight into the game you're playing. The 360 uses a seperate audio channel for this as well, meaning that your soundtrack doesn't impact the sound effects and voiceovers in the games you're playing. Instead, it simply replaces the music of the game you're playing. So, there's no need to turn down the TV and listen to your tunes ... you can have the best of both worlds. There were also demos run on how to use a Media Center equipped PC, the 360, and your home entertainment center to create a pretty amazing entertainment package.
  
  The biggest highlight of the show had to be the Gears of War demo. I swear that the more and more I see of this game, the more amazed I am. Gears of War is shaping up to be for the 360 what Halo was for the original Xbox. There are really no words that can describe just how damned good this game looks, sounds, and plays ... that's right ... plays. Everything that Epic showed off at Zero Hour for Gears of War was realtime. As Cliffy B said, "No prerendered bullshit." I'm really looking forward to getting my hannds on this one.
  
  
• The Goodies
  What show would be complete without some exclusive goodies for people in attendance. There were Zero Hour hoodies from Adiddas, T-shirts for just about every game at the show, hats, keychains, wristbands, calendars, and more. For Live subscribers, there were exclusive Gamer Profile pictures to use on your account (as you can see here, I'm using one now on my Gamercard), as well as an exclusive Zero Hour Achievement to show off to friends. Also, attendees got to sign up for an exclusive Zero Hour faceplate, which will be sent out to everyone who signed up. As we all know by now, I love the little goodies like this. I even grabbed some stuff to give away as part of the swag bag.
  
  
• The Games
  You didn't think I'd skip THIS part, did you? Besides the demos put on by publishers, Zero Hour had a huge number of gaming stations set up running all of the 360's launch titles, as well as preview builds of some games coming down the pipe. I got to play some Final Fantasy XII on the 360, and it looks like its shaping up nicely. According to the Square-Enix rep at the show, the game still has a few minor bugs to workout, but should be hitting shelves early next year (hopefully by Spring). There was Ninety-Nine Nights. This game plays a lot like Kingdom Under Fire or Dynasty Warriors, with the player taking part in an epic fight on a hugely populated battlefield. On the 360 though, huge batles take on a hole new meaning. Hundreds of characters swarm you on the screen simultaneously as you cut a path through them all. The visuals are quite impressive so far, but even more impressive is that even in this early build, the framerate never once drops. And if killing trolls and such isn't to your liking, how about killing hordes of zombies? Capcom's upcoming 360 title puts the player in the role of a journalist trapped in a town infected by the undead. There's not a lot of thought in this game ... simply you, a weapon, and hundreds upon hundreds of undead to pound into oblivion before they turn you into lunchmeat. It's brutal, it's gory, it's mindless, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. I'm constantly impressed by not only the technical capabilites of the 360, but also in how publishers use it.
  
  
• There's STILL no "i" in WldCard
  It seems like no matter how often people see my nickname, or how many times I tell people, or how many emails or IM's we send back and forth, I'll never make anyone remember that WldCard is spelled with no "i" in my nickname. Hey, it's what sets me apart. For Zero Hour, MS took down the Gamertags of a bunch of gamers and added them to a massive mural it's putting together. I ended up finding my tag written (fairly large as well) on the mural ... but with the damned "i" in the name. What makes it even funnier is that you can see the person who painted it added the "i" after the fact, apparently thinking she had misspelled it the first time ... even though *I* am the one who worte it ... in print. And for those of you who have seen my handwriting, you know that it's easily read and recognized. Oh well, I guess on the upside, that will cut back on the number of unsolicited Friend Requests on Xbox Live.
  
  
• The Units Arrive!!
  After a quick concert by Louis XIV,a clock started counting down from 360 seconds. As soon as the ticker hit Zero, out rolled a motorcade of Best Buys trucks, packed to the brim with 360 units. Pete and I were already in line to pick ours up with Scot Rubin (of All Games Network and formerly of G4). Scot and I were discussing some work stuff during the concert. Once those trucks opened up though, it was all about getting the 360 and getting the hell out of Dodge. I'll give security a lot of credit. They managed to keep everyone from rushing the line and jumping ahead of others (though a few managed to squeak by). The line moved fairly quickly as we all picked up our systems. Pete and I were out the door less than 15 minutes after the line started moving at 9:00p. Technically the even was going to continue on until 12:01a ... but after all we'd already done, we were ready to get out, get back to Pete's place in Vegas, and get some well-earned sleep. So, w/ 360s in hand, we made a beeline for the car, hopped in, and hit the road. Which leads us to ...
  
  
• The Trip FROM Zero Hour
  As happy as we were to see that green hanger lit up in front of us on the way TO zero Hour, Pete and I were at least as happy to see that same building in the rear view mirror leaving FROM Zero Hour. The lack of sleep was racking our bodies. My muscles ached, my eyes burned, and my knee was killing me. I'd already been dealing with jetlag from the flight out, but I'd also done the entirety of the event (the flight out on Saturday, the five hour drive on Sunday, and the 29 hour Zero hour event itself) on a total of five hours' sleep (four on Satuday night and one during Zero Hour). Pete wasn't doing much better either. The directions out of the Palmdale were screwed up, we were tired, and with a four hour trip ahead of us (assuming we didn't run into traffic again) we knew there was no way in hell we'd make it back to Vegas in a straight shot. We alternated driving and made it to the first available rest area, where we crashed for about an hour and a half. Fat lot of good that did ... it only made us more tired. Still Pete tried to tough it out a little further until finally we got to the next rest area and switched off. I managed to take us the rest of the way into Vegas, and gave Pete the wheel to get back to his place.

So today? Today is all about recovery. Once everything settles in, I'll have more to post.

Road trippin'

Well, I'm on my way out to Palmdale as we speak. Out on I-15 South, in the middle of nowhere, and we (Pete and myself) are stuck in traffic. Go figure. Heh.

More to come.

Up for a race?

So I picked up Mario Kart DS today, and I'm itching to put the pedal to the metal. If any of you have the game and feel up to some online action, drop me a line and we'll get the "Friend Roster" thing set up.

Later.

News, news, everywhere ...

... and no time to stop and think. Okay, so I brutally paraphrased the old saying, but only because that's the sentiment of the moment. Things are bonkers this week. Why? Stay tuned to find out. But first, let's hit the news from the industry. Ready? Here we go:

• 2K Games Deciphers The Da Vinci Code
  

  2K Games, a division of Take Two Interactive, announced today that it has signed an exclusive worldwide deal with Sony Pictures to publish and distribute video games based on Sony's upcoming big screen adaptation of The Da Vinci Code. The games are currently in production at the development studio, The Collective.

  
  
• BioWare and Pandemic Join Creative Forces
  

  There's a new powerhouse in the gaming industry today as the announcement came down that development houses BioWare and Pandemic Studios have merged as part of a financial deal with private equity firm Elevation Partners. The deal, valued at more than $300 million, will make the new studio one of the largest and best-funded video-game development studios in the world.

  
  
• ESA Wins Against Michigan Law
  

  The Entertainment Software Association announced yesterday that U.S. District Court Judge George Steeh has granted a preliminary injunction to prevent the implementation of Michigan's Public Act 107, a law designed to make it a criminal offense to sell or rent violent video games to anyone under the age of 17. Under the proposed law, originally set to go into effect on Dec. 1, anyone who knowing sells or rents an "ultra-violent explicit video game harmful to minors" could face fines of $5,000-$40,000 and up to 93 days in prison.

  
  
• Mega Man Set To Blast Onto PSP
  

  Capcom jumped onto the remake bandwagon a couple of months ago when it announced that it was bringing the first Resident Evil game to DS owners in the form of Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. Now Capcom is giving PSP owners a chance to relive some classic memories with the upcoming release of two "new" Mega Man titles, Mega Man Powered Up and Mega Man Maverick Hunter X.

So, now that we've got that out of the way, I guess it's time to update you guys on everything going on with me.

First off, expect some interesting news, photots, and remote posts starting next Sunday. It's official. I'm heading out to cover the Xbox 360 Zero Hour event out in the Mohave. Yeah, I do know the exact location, and no I can't say where just yet. Anyway, the event is a 29-hour party, starting at 7:00p PST on the 20th and ends at 12:01a on the 22nd ... right when the Xbox 360 goes on sale officially around the country.

Also in the world of Dave, I've got a lot more work coming down the pipe. For starters, the Electric Playground website has finally gotten fixed up, making it possible to post articles again. Things have been slow going over there as of late, and my involvement as a result had dropped quite a bit. However, now that the technical issues have been fixed up, my goal is to turn the site around. I've already talked with "TV's Vince Lucas" (sorry Vic ... that one's for Ray), Rob, and the other guys at the EP crew, and as soon as the new permissions are set, I'll be handling a lot of the editorial and posting responsibilities for the site. That means more reviews, more previews, and even a return to the days of full feature articles on the site (oooo ... ahhhh).

So what else is going on? Well, I've been in talks with Dave over at Play Magazine about doing some new stuff for the magazine. If everything comes together, it's not going to be the usual freelance fare either. Until things get set up, I can't say too much, but suffice to say it's one of those things that's been keeping me busy.

Earlier this week, I found a surprise in my normal mix of mail. The folks at Gizmondo sent me one of their new Gizmondo handheld devices. The system has been out in the UK for a few months, and only recently hit US shores in 14 select cities. The full scale release is coming in January. The Gizmondo is a Swiss Army knife of techincal gadgetry. It's a movie player, music player, digital camera, SMS and MMS messenger, GPRS browser (similar to web-capable cell phones), and GPS. There are also plans to include Email capabilites shortly. Oh yeah ... did I mention it plays games too? Look for a full review of the hardware on the EP site soon. I will say though that I've been surprised at how much I actually like the device. You just have to look at it with an open mind, and not immediately compare it to other gaming devices.

There's a lot more going on, but it'll have to wait for a later update.

City of Heroes/Villains Recruitment

Monday marked the official, long awaited release of City of Villains, the sequel/expansion to the popular superhero MMO game City of Heroes. Besides the fun new twist of playing the bad guys, the game also expands on what Supergroups (the guilds of the game) are capable of. So, what does that mean here? It's recruitment time!!

So here's the deal ... I have two Supergroups forming, The Stacked Deck for City of Heroes and Legacy of Evil for City of Villains. If you're interested in signing up for either of these official Stacking the Deck groups, you'll need to create a character on the Freedom server. Once you're there, send an in-game email or tell to either of my main characters, Crimson Thunder (for CoH) and Crimson Plague (for CoV). I'm already in the process of earning Prestige to expand the bases of both groups. Plus, I'm working on a way to incorporate some fun events into both groups, both online and offline.

Drop me a line and let me know if you're interested.

Cracking The (Da Vinci) Code

Courtesy of a press release from Take Two Interactive:

New York, NY – November 2, 2005

2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today an exclusive worldwide agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer Products to publish and distribute current generation console video games based on the highly-anticipated The Da Vinci Code film by Oscar™ winning director Ron Howard, which is based on Dan Brown’s best-selling novel. The games are being developed by The Collective, a division of Foundation 9 Entertainment and a top developer of action titles. Timed to coincide with the film release date, The Da Vinci Code games are expected to be available in May 2006.

"We are thrilled to work with Sony Pictures on one of its most anticipated film properties," said Christoph Hartmann, Managing Director at 2K Games. "The Da Vinci Code is exactly the type of high-caliber licensed property 2K Games looks for when developing movie-based games."

Charles Cecil, designer of the critically acclaimed title Broken Sword, has joined the development team at The Collective to aid in the game’s design. Revolving around secret societies, ancient cover-ups and calculated vengeance, the gameplay in The Da Vinci Code will feature action-oriented suspense for seasoned gamers and The Da Vinci Code fans alike.

Dan Brown’s critically-acclaimed book “The Da Vinci Code” is the best-selling novel of all time and has spent more than two years on the New York Times best-seller list. It has also been translated into 42 languages. To date, there are more than 38.6 million copies of the novel in print, averaging more than two million copies sold each month.

Wow ... a video game based on The Da Vinci Code. And it's being developed by The Collective? Why does that all seem familiar to me?

A couple of new reviews

Lately I've been waiting until I have a handful of reviews up before I post links, but I decided to make an exception today. Why? Because for all of you who seem to love it when I trash a bad game, then one of these reviews is for you ... and here's a hint, it's NOT the Disney game.

• Chicken Little (PS2, Xbox, GCN)
  
• Conflict: Global Terror (Xbox, PS2)

Enjoy.

New little addition to the blog template

So ... did you happen to notice the new little addition to the site? Yeah, that little card underneath my profile. That's my Xbox Live card, a new feature of the upgraded Xbox Live. Now you can broadcast your info for the world to see. "So David", you ask inquisitively, "why is your info pretty threadbare right now?" Well, that's because the Gamerscore, Reputation, etc. don't officially make their debut until the release of the Xbox 360 next month. So just consider this as me getting a little bit of a head start on things to come.

The latest round of gaming news

Here we go again, courtesy of my work for the folks over at GameSpy. Just click on a headline to read the full news article:

• Microsoft Unveils the Mystery of Hex 168
  

  No, this isn't the plot of a new X-Files motion picture, nor is it the mad ramblings of a crackpot. Actually, it's the latest viral marketing campaign coming out of Microsoft. So what exactly does "Hex 168" mean? For you uber-geeks out there, the hexadecimal code 1-6-8 translates to the binary code of 0001 0110 1000, which (besides being an interesting palindrome) translates from binary code into decimal code as "360". That's right folks. If you haven't guessed it already, the mystery of Hex 168 is all about the Xbox 360. And now that the secret has been exposed, the real fun begins.

  
  
• Dead Or Alive 4 Calls In for Some Halo Support
  

  For weeks now, the rumor mill has been buzzing over the word that Tecmo's upcoming Dead or Alive 4 would be featuring a special guest star added to the fighting fray along with the regular cast of characters. Well, the official word came down on Wednesday as it was announced that the game would be featuring special material straight from Microsoft's best-selling Halo franchise.

  
  
• GameStop and Nintendo Give Dog Owners A Halloween Treat (DS)
  

  Owners of Nintendo's hugely successful pet simulator, Nintendogs, are in for an added treat this Halloween weekend, courtesy of Nintendo and GameStop. Nintendo has announced that it is teaming with the video game retailer to host its Nintendogs Tricks and Treats Weekend, running from Friday, October 28th through Sunday, October 30th. During this time, virtual dog owners will be able to visit their local GameStop store, and walk away with an exclusive in-game item.

  
  
• Electroplankton Gets Exclusive U.S. Debut (DS)
  

  Electroplankton, Nintendo's curiously unique experience for the DS, has been entertaining Japanese gamers for months. Now the company has announced that the game will make its U.S. debut on January 9th. However, if you're a DS owner looking to get your plankton groove on, don't go looking on store shelves for a copy of the game.

As always, comment on what you see and let me know your opinions.

More reviews

Here you go ... more work to look over. Lots of sports this time around.

• Gretzky NHL 06 (PSP)
  
• NBA Live 06 (PSP)
  
• NCAA March Madness 2006 (Xbox, PS2)
  
• Blitz: The League (Xbox, PS2)

Enjoy.

News updates

Hmm ... so you've probably noticed I haven't done many news updates here lately. Wondering why? Well, I'll tell ya. Things have been nuts. More importantly, I've started writing news for GameSpy lately. So what does that mean for the news here? There's a couple of minor tweaks coming.

Here's the deal ... I'll still be posting various news stories here in the normal format. But, since I'm writing news for GameSpy as well, I'm going to also be linking some news articles over to their site. Why? Because I really don't feel like trying to write the same news articles up twice, once for GameSpy and once for here. So, I've gotten the okay from GameSpy to quote snippets of my articles here and link to the full articles over there. I'm going to try this out for a little bit and see how it works out for everyone. And like I said, I'll still include full news articles here as well, just not duplicates of what I'm already writing for GameSpy.

And just so you know what to expect, here's the first round of GameSpy news.

• Nintendo and Waypoint Go Online With McD(S)
  

  It looks like DS owners will soon be getting some Mario Kart or Metroid Prime: Hunters game time with their Happy Meals. According to a statement released Tuesday, Nintendo has partnered up with Internet provider Wayport to bring its Nintendo WiFi Connection service to DS users at more than 6,000 McDonald's restaurants throughout the United States.

  
  
• Game Companies Get Into The Holiday Spirit
  

  The Christmas shopping season is fast approaching, and with it comes the usual round of special deals from meant to entice consumers to choose one product over another. For gamers, that means being on the lookout for a host of new and sometimes fashionable console deals as well.

Let me know your thoughts.