Unusual interest in survival

I've never been a big fan of the survival game(or movie) genre. I just never really got into it. This is especially so in with the Resident Evil franchise. I'd seen the first incarnation of the series on the GameCube and it never impressed me. The controls looked kind of clunky and the aspect made it look difficult to see anything.

However, Resident Evil 4 has really sparked my interest. After a few incredibly high reviews from Gamespy, Palgn and IGN with comments such as "The best graphics on any console so far" I'm putting firmly at the top of my list of wanted games.

Admittedly it was watching a couple of in game video footage that sealed the deal for me. The game seemed to flow so smoothly from live action to cut scene that it presented a cinematic gaming experience.

From IGN

There are no pre-rendered sequences in Resident Evil 4, but you wouldn't know it
when watching the opening cinematic, which quickly and conveniently brings you
up-to-date on the situation. Always a stickler for presentation, Capcom has
really outdone itself with this game, going the extra mile to deliver you truly
gorgeous, beautifully choreographed cut-scenes that drive the story. What's
more, because these sequences all use the game engine, they're seamless.

The only problem is with the lack of Gamecube support in the Austalian market finding a copy to buy is a almost impossible task.

Plans for the Black Screen to Hit Australian Stores

After being disappointed that Sony's DVP-CX995V a 400 Disc SACD/DVD Player wouldn't be coming to Australia because our market is too small. (Apparently the UK market is also too small as the player is only made with support of NTSC discs, so even if you were to import one you'd have to get rid of your PAL dvd collection)
So it was with hesitation that I emailed Sony Central asking if the Sony HCS-W90 was due to be shipped here.

To my surprise the screen is expected to hit Australian shores around christmas, no word on the expected cost (although the screen does cost USD$2000 in the US). The screen is such a big innovation in the world of projectors because it allows the screen to be used in environments with high ambient light. This brings the projector and screen combination in direct competition with the conventional flat screen market, making the more likely to succeed in duel purpose rooms.

The strange world of pop culture

I was browsing through a Video game store today trying to see if there were any new title's of interest on my floundering console the GameCube. Tucked away on the bottom two shelves of the Gameboy advance stand were a smattering of old titles. Still no sign of Resident Evil 4 a game recieving rave reviews (including quotes such as 'the most accomplished graphics across all consoles... ever' looks like my favorite little black box is going the way of the N64. However, back to why I started this post, I had a brief glance over the DS titles where I spied Nintendogs sitting on the coming soon shelf. As I picked up one of three versions on the shelf one of the assistants confronted me with the notion "That's going to be a huge game for the DS!". What is it about disposable pets that's so appealing. In the late nineties it was the Tamagotchi and the Furby that were the must have items. Has our society become so "convenient" that we have on demand and customisable pets to carry around in our pockets? Is it at the point where consoles are reliant on the "cutes" of patting a dog with a stylus to make a break? I think although it is one of the only "games" to fully utilise the DS interface I won't be rushing out for this one. Anyway I better get back to it, I'm sure it's about time to train the pokemon or feed the neopets.

The Next Gen Console Bickering begins (or continues).

From an article in The Age, Sony has come out with all guns blazing against the new Xbox360. Phil Harrison, executive vice-president of Sony Computer Entertainment, says PS3 will be the most powerful next-generation console.

"PlayStation 3 is going to eat up huge amounts of content. We need 50GB of storage on a disc in order to really bring those games to life. There's no way
Xbox 360 can compete because they're only using DVD."

This comes on the back of Bill Gate's comments directly challenging the PS3 release.

'The day Sony launches [the new PlayStation], and they walk right into Halo 3.'

This all seems to be a bit much for the game developers with Gabe Newell, the Founder and Managing Director of Valve, who has come out this week sheading some darkness on the light of the new consoles.

Technologically, I think every game developer should be terrified of the next generation of processors. Your existing code, you can just throw it away. It's not going to be helpful in creating next generation game titles.

Most of the problems of getting these systems running on these multicore processors are not solved. They are doctoral theses, not known implementation problems. So it's not even clear that over the lifespan of these next generation systems that they will be solved problems. The amount of time it takes to get a good multicore engine running, the Xbox 360 might not even be on the market any longer. That should scare the crap out of everybody.

Maybe it will be end of the giant consoles as we know it with the humble revolution rising from the ashes with it's plethora of downloadable back catalogue.
Unlikely I know but nothing a Big Nintendo Fan hasn't drempt of already...

The world goes mad... again

This little rant is proudly brought to you by the woman who is sueing Rockstar Games over the sexual material in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
From The Age

Gamemaker sued over hidden sex in GTA

A woman, who was upset she bought the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for her 14-year-old grandson without knowing it contained hidden, sexually explicit scenes has sued the manufacturer on behalf of consumers nationwide.
Ms Cohen said in the suit that she bought the game in late 2004 for her grandson when it was rated "M" for mature, for players 17 and older. According to the suit, she directed that it be taken away from her grandson, which was done.

Ok I haven't played the game but from the reliable review from Amyo, the basis of the story involves you leading your gang to take over the streets of San Andreas. To claim the streets you basically spend your time

running from crooked cops, starting and finishing gang wars, stealing guns from the army .....

So my gripe comes from the fact that it was perfectly fine for Ms Cohen to buy the game for her 14yo when he had to run a gang, murder cops, murder rival gang members, steal cars, steal guns, start gang wars and so on, but as soon as it has sex in the game it becomes unacceptable... surely if she was worried about her poor innocent 14 you grandson she would have bought him Mario Party.... anyway I think I might go through in Counter Strike and settle in for some wholesome Counter Terroist killing.

Morning Mini Disc Musings

As I trundle in on the bus this morning, listening to the 6th album on my MD I wondered about the slow desuction of the format.Having long been a supporter of Sony's MD format my recent move to the NetMD and HiMD technologies has been a surprisingly beneficial. The NetMD technology makes the previously tedious task of transferring music to a disc a breeze (even if, as previously mentioned, the SonicStage program is unfriendly). It's amazing that this didn't make the MD the portable music device the IPOD now is. Guess the marketing machine at Apple was running a little smoother than Sony's.

The irony of commercial radio

It's rare that I'm listening to a station other than triplej but on my way home I was station surfing (because my MD deck in the car has stopped reading discs all together, but that's another story). I stumbled across one of the marginally less main stream stations and the were playing the latest single by Brisbane band 'Butterfingers'. They have a very catchy Australian brand Hip Hop , often with very funky back beats. They made it into the hottest 100 last year with 'Yo Mama'. But I digress, the radio station was attempting to play 'FIGJAM' (if you can remember back to school you'll work out what it means) the trouble is with the nature of 'Butterfingers' lyrics they ended up cutting out more of the song than they played. If you going to play the song you're likely to offend your listener base regardless whether you blank out the swearing or not. You may as well play a warning, leave the song intact and just enjoy the awesome wordplay... Oh well enough ranting, back to triplej.

Sony not the only ones to have black screens

Screen Innovations have introduced the latest convenience in home and commercial entertainment with the new Mirage Screen, a new front projection screen product that allows users to see clearly in high-brightness environments. This new technology represents a true breakthrough as it allows viewers to enjoy a realistic home theater experience in environments other than darkened rooms.

Sony unveiled a similar technology back in November of last year, but the technology has yet to reach the commercial market.

Mirage revolutionizes screen technology, letting customers enjoy the benefits of big-screen entertainment in virtually any setting, transforming home theater into home entertainment.Set for official launch at the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association EXPO (CEDIA) on September 9, 2005 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Mirage Screen offers 10 times greater contrast than standard front projection screens.“We are pleased to introduce to the market a new product that offers consumers better technology, with a creative flair at an affordable price,” said Ryan Gustafson, president of Screen Innovations.“The key to quality home entertainment is always comfort. Now consumers will enjoy the best performance from a product that fits any lifestyle.”
How does it work?
The Screen Innovations Mirage Screen, with optics by DNP, features a patented high-contrast filter that covers 60% of the screen surface. This filter allows the projected image to be reflected by the screen and effectively absorbs incidental light from other angles from such sources as windows and room lighting. As a result, the screen is virtually unaffected by ambient light.
Screen Innovations Mirage Screen Product Highlights:
• Optical Front Projection
• Projection in Brightly-lit Rooms
• 10x higher contrast than standard front projection screens
• 2x brighter images
• Compatible with all LCD, DLP, and LCOS projectors
• Screen sizes available in 1” diagonal increments:
4:3 60”-100”16:9 60”-120”