Uninspired Perfection
It’s amazing sometimes the memories, or a place in time, that a particular song, or a distinct smell can bring a person back to. And just now I got hit with a one-two punch from my music player, armed and loaded with over twenty-four thousand tracks, and set to shuffle. And just like that – epiphany. Just now (actually a week ago today, as of this posting) I was listening to Jonathan Coultan/Ellen McLain’s Still Alive, followed by Godley & Creme’s Cry, and a thought that has been brewing in the back of my mind for sometime now, finally bubbled up to the top – and then as I said before, epiphany; sad, sad epiphany actually. The best gaming moments of this console generation, have very likely already come and gone . . . years ago. 
(more…)
The Risk Adverse Medium
Joystiq’s Jason Lomberg wrote a nice editorial piece concerning video gaming’s shallowness, entitled, I’m Tired of Saving the World. In the piece he goes on about how in creating only the most surface of stories, and always avoiding the more interpersonal type of stories that directly connect with the human condition, gaming as a whole has sold itself short as a medium. In the piece he gives several examples of where gaming has gone wrong, and several more examples of some promising work done in recent years, that while their merits may be debatable depending on who you are, tend to attempt to push games into becoming a more versatile medium; and hopefully, into the true potential inherently in the medium.
Anyone who has known me for more than a few years, across almost any forum I have frequented, knows this issue, and it really is an issue with the medium, is one of those I have written about passionately over the past decade. It used to seem that I was alone in my feelings toward how far the true potential of the medium could stretch, but lately it seems that slowly, more, and more people (at least in the gaming press), are beginning to wake up to this potential. If you have not already read Jason Lomberg’s editorial (linked above), then do so, it is a really good read. And pretty much every thing that follows in the rest of this post, serves kind of as an addendum to what he wrote. I have a future post planned to expound far more into the subject matter than this post is today. I’ve been writing about this for ten years, so you can bet I have more than a few observations, and things to share on the issue. (more…)
From THQ, and the Makers of Fallout: New Vegas
January’s Game Informer world premiers a freshly announced South Park: The Game, a role-play game (RPG) from publisher THQ, and developer Obsidian Entertainment, developers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Alpha Protocol and Fallout: New Vegas. The game will be a full-sized, premium priced game, coming to PC and current gen HD consoles, presumably in 2012. And based on the Game Informer cover art, will be a game take some manner of inspiration from the season six episode, The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers, and Make Love, Not Warcraft, an episode from the 10th season. (more…)
Too Far, Too Fast
Was checking out some 240Hz HDTVs today. You know the problem with the 240Hz mode on these TVs? You see too much. Was watching Tron Legacy on blu-ray, and while at times it looked amazing in the 240Hz mode, at other times you could tell when a prop was a prop (made of wood, or plastic), and you could tell when a special effect was a special effect (younger, evil Jeff Bridges looks like MOVA-powered CGI). There is a bit of the magic lost on any film when you can see through the fourth wall that way. And while with an older film, say like, A New Hope, you expect existing display quality to blow the source quality out of the water to the point where you can see every effect and prop in the film for what it is. When you get a similar effect on what amounts to a brand new film, then perhaps display quality is progressing a bit too far, too fast for our own good. Definitely outpacing how fast Hollywood can keep up with it.
What the Hell am I Doing? 