tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3068488435496071232008-11-06T14:15:23.226-06:00TechnologyFree Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-66011181082353177462008-11-06T14:13:00.000-06:002008-11-06T14:15:23.250-06:00Faced With a Global Environmental Threat, Local Grassroots Organizers are Getting Results<table style="border:0px; padding:0px;"><tr><td><font style="font-size:13px; font-family:Verdana; font-weight:bold; font-color:#293546">TV zombies protest Panasonic</font></td></tr><tr><td><script type="text/javascript" src="http://tribeca.vidavee.com/advance/trh/embedAsset.js?vtagView=on&embedded=yes&showEndCard=off&loadStream=off&autoplay=off&width=470&height=264&shareWidgets=${shareWidgets}&vtag=yes&startVolume=50&hidecontrolbar=no&textureStrip=yes&displayTime=yes&volumeLock=off&watermark=yes&skin=v3AdvInt_nj.swf&link=http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2008/10/tv_zombies_protest_panasonic.html&dockey=3F4FC6133E68E9064C3E79DDCA251637"></script></td></tr></table><br /><br />In 2002, the Basel Action Network, a Seattle-based non-profit, released a report and documentary called "Exporting Harm: The High Tech Trashing of Asia" that exposed the shameful truth about the fate of obsolete electronic waste: many so-called "recyclers" are shipping our old PCs, TVs and other gadgets to poor communities in developing nations overseas. Images of crude scrap operations contaminating entire villages with an array of toxins (such as lead and mercury) shocked citizens and recycling advocates alike. <br /><br />Now, six years later, a report published by the Government Accountability Office reaches the same conclusions -- a toxic flood of U.S. e-waste is being dumped on the global poor in Southeast Asia and Africa. The watchdog group for Congress documented how the few laws that are in place to stem the flow are not enforced well by our own U.S. EPA. While this report is certainly discouraging, there is an inspiring story to be told about the enormous progress that has been made in the past several years on the issues surrounding electronic waste and recycling. <br /><br />This is a story about people and organizations of all types and sizes coming together to make an impact on a global environmental health and justice threat. The international movement pushing for a cleaner high-tech industry has come to Houston -- so you can plug in and get involved today.<br /><br />Despite its image of a new, clean industry free from smokestacks, high-tech has its own pollution problems. Silicon Valley is home to more hyper-polluted toxic waste sites per capita on the Superfund list than any other area in the nation. Electronic waste already makes up the majority of heavy metals (such as lead or mercury) going to our nation's landfills. Electronics contain many other toxic metals and chemicals. One such family of chemicals, brominated flame retardants, are now present in mother's milk samples and meat and dairy products in Texas supermarkets, at levels shown to cause serious health problems in animal tests.<br /><br />In the industry's heart, the non-profit Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition has been pushing electronics manufacturers to reduce harmful pollution for over 25 years. This group is among the leaders of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, along with: Basel Action Network (Seattle), Clean Production Action (NY, MA, Montreal), Center for Environmental Health (Oakland), Clean Water Action (nationwide) and Texas Campaign for the Environment (Austin, Dallas, Houston). <br /><br />Since 2002, the Electronics TakeBack Coalition has been at the forefront of efforts to create a more sustainable electronics industry and can count many successes just in the past few years. Essential to its first major victory was the advocacy group Texas Campaign for the Environment. Starting in 2002, TCE organized high-profile demonstrations, public pressure and door-to-door grassroots support to convince computer giant Dell to offer free, responsible recycling for all its products -- worldwide. Even today no other high-tech firm offers such a comprehensive recycling program.<br /><br />Texas Campaign for the Environment and the Coalition applied similar pressure next on Apple. Despite the presence of Vice President Al Gore or their board of directors, Apple lagged behind its competitors or environmental issues. With help from international pressure, the Coalition launched its “Green My Apple” campaign in 2004. The result: Apple now offers recycling programs and has began phasing out some of the most harmful chemicals and metals used in its products. Importantly, Apple and many other high-tech firms also dropped their opposition to legislation requiring all manufacturers to provide recycling. Transforming from adversaries to partners, Dell, HP and Texas Campaign for the Environment joined to pass such legislation in Texas in 2007. <br />Passing such "Producer TakeBack" laws, state-by-state, has been another success story for the Coalition. These laws have been on the books in the European Union since 2002. In 2004, Maine was the first U.S. state to hold manufacturers accountable for recycling. There are now 16 states with similar laws, plus New York City. Progress is accelerating: nine Producer TakeBack laws have passed in 2008 alone, and nine more are currently under consideration.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the Texas legislation doesn't cover televisions, and most TV makers do not offer free nation-wide recycling. With the fast-approaching switch to Digital TV in 2009, Texas Campaign for the Environment and the Coalition have been pressuring TV manufacturers to change their policies for the better. In 2007, Sony became the first to respond. The company forged a partnership with Houston-based Waste Management to provide drop-off locations for TVs, Walkmans, Playstations, or any other Sony product. In 2008, LG/Zenith and Samsung have also announced free recycling programs. In fact, the industry coalition (dominated by TV makers) that previously lobbied fiercely against Producer TakeBack legislation has now dissolved, marking a sea change within the industry.<br /><br />The idea and successful push to hold manufacturers responsible for taking back their products is nothing short of a revolution in the recycling movement. Instead of creating government-run (and funded) programs, making producers responsible means they have a profit motive to design electronics without toxic materials and create products that are more easily recycled. When the manufacturer is responsible for the entire life cycle of its products, it pays to reduce waste, phase out toxins, and redesign products with recycling in mind. This also forces the manufacturers to ensure that their products are really recycled responsibly, since their brand names and reputations are at risk if they are caught exporting e-waste overseas. A true long-term solution, Producer TakeBack uses market forces to drive the entire industry toward sustainability -- and it can be applied to more than just electronics.<br /><br />Many obstacles remain, but the momentum is clear. Houston Congress member Gene Green has introduced a resolution (HR 1395) as a first step toward halting the export of toxic e-waste abroad; Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has introduced its Senate companion (SR 663) as well. Texas counts more co-sponsors of the House Resolution than every state save California. <br /><br />Texas' computer recycling law is underway; you can visit www.texasrecyclescomputers.org and www.texastakeback.org for recycling information. The public pressure campaign to tell TV manufacturers to "Take Back My TV" continues, and you can help hold their feet to the fire by visiting www.takebackmytv.com. <br /><br />Texas Campaign for the Environment has re-opened its office in Houston after a long absence. With offices in Austin and Dallas as well, TCE is building the community-based support needed to influence local, state and national lawmakers, as well as the public pressure needed to convince CEOs to change corporate policy. The success of its campaign rests with its year-round grassroots organizing efforts, meaning you'll see them out on the streets in your neighborhoods. When they pay you a visit, they hope you'll become another person who is part of the solution.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Zac Trahan<br />Houston Program Director<br />Texas Campaign for the Environment<br />3100 Richmond #290<br />Houston, TX 77098<br />713-337-4192<br />www.texasenvironment.org <br /></span>Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-27622554278106998042008-10-26T17:44:00.001-05:002008-10-26T22:01:16.085-05:00The Orange Box reviewed: Valve tells the industry to step it upBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/HL2ep2_screen02-789979.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 211px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/HL2ep2_screen02-789932.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Valve's maverick digital distribution service, Steam, is trailblazing the PC scene by offering a centralized community, free matchmaking and convenient downloading. Sharing the love with console owners, the Orange Box is continuing Valve's generous offerings with five games packed onto one disc for $60. For gamers used to stupidly-priced hard-drives, blood-sucking micro-transactions and retro-robberies, the Orange Box is a savior. A game without bureaucratic restrictions. A free man.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Life gives you a crowbar…</span><br />Half-Life 2 and HL2: Episode One are amazing games, but they’re showing their age (but more like Madonna than Keith Richards). Their transparent set-pieces, clumsy weapon selection (mapped to the D-pad) and linear battles feel antiquated. But the brand new Episode Two takes the gameplay off-rails, and provides new, larger environments for non-linear skirmishes. The devious Hunters debut with AI programmed to flank and smoke you out of hiding, all while remaining strangely emotive. Episode Two perfects Valve's oscillation between combat and puzzle-solving with what is described as the biggest physics-based puzzle in the series. Which is good, because with so many great console-centric shooters ending in disappointment, Valve needs to deliver a fresh and satisfying conclusion to the HL epic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Portal_Screen05-779364.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 169px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Portal_Screen05-779317.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let them eat cake</span><br />An hour-and-a-half into Portal has me unnerved. The corrugated windows that feed into empty observation rooms, sterile walls and the hum of the fluorescent lighting escalates to an insanity-inducing silence. Even more distressing, GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System), the disembodied monitor of the "experiment," is starting to sound a few ingredients short of a fruit-cake. Armed with a portal gun, you can shoot two openings onto any flat surface, creating a two-way warp. As the meat of the Zelda-esque puzzles, this mechanic is used in labyrinthine variations coated with a Dharma Initiative vibe. The musings of your over-seer provide the backdrop for the story—yes, a plot in a puzzle game you'll actually care about. What's on average a three-hour tour, Portal might be the shortest contender ever for Game of the Year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/TF2_Screen07-741706.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/TF2_Screen07-741648.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A shooter for everyone?</span><br />Leading up to Team Fortress 2, Valve chiseled-away at four versions before fixating on the current Incredibles-meets-Norman Rockwell aesthetic. Pretty and functional, the cartoon-y look helps distinguish each of the nine classes in TF2. Each class varies in speed, health and damage. The Heavy walks slow and has more health, whereas the Scout is extremely fast, but only takes a few rounds to drop. Other classes bring a layer of depth to the online shooter genre. The Spy and the Engineer, for example, have an Itchy and Scratchy relationship—the Engineer builds machine-gun and the Spy, disguised as one of the opposing team's members, disables the turret incognito. What's most promising about TF2 is its allure to those intimidated by online shooters. Classes like the Medic, Pyro, and—to some extent—the Engineer, rely on skill-sets other than twitch shooting. But, with a Holiday season full of online-shooters, it’s yet to be determined if console gamers can open-up to Valve.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-70712442912692326752008-09-10T19:34:00.002-05:002008-09-10T19:47:45.350-05:00I think Michael Stipe wrote a song about thistHE Large Hadron Collider is fidna make some chocolate!!! <br />The machine, that is touted as having the potential of creating small black holes has been fired off. Its projected "shoot date" was Sept. 9, 2008 and judging by the artwork on Google.com, everything went as planned. <br />Cool points here---<br />Steven Hawking might get such a raging hard-on that he walks into the potential black hole and battles it to the death.<br />The New World Order's plan of Capitalist Globalization will not actually "go down".<br />All them sinners is gon' be warshed away!!<br /><br />Bad points here---<br />Everyone and everything you know will evaporate like American dignity.<br /><br />A couple of videos about what this thing MIGHT do and what it actually DOES does.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BXzugu39pKM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BXzugu39pKM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qQNpucos9wc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qQNpucos9wc&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-33418382852439259182008-08-11T18:59:00.003-05:002008-10-26T22:14:15.641-05:00Sid Meirer's Civilization Revolution reviewedBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Publisher: 2K Games | Developer: Firaxis Games | Platform: Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360 | Rating: E10+ | Players: 2-4 via Online & Wi-Fi</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/12th04-image60-725522.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/12th04-image60-725395.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="font-size:85%;">Final Grade:</span> </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >B+</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:85%;" >In three words:</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Deep, Accessible & Addictive</span><br /><br />I was at E3, at a demo of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Borderlands</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">BioShock</span>, when 2K rep came over, asking if I wanted a demo of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sid Meirer's Civilization Revolution</span>.<br />"No thanks," I responded. "I have a meeting in 15 minutes, and I don't want to be late."<br />"It only takes 15 minutes," the rep quipped.<br />"Thanks, but I gotta get going," I said, thinking myself: "Yea, like I'm going to miss my hands-on with Fallout 3 to see the absolute train-wreck of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Civilization</span>'s PC exodus to home consoles."<br /><br />And my pessimistic attitude stood firm, until I got home from E3 where a review copy of <span style="font-weight: bold;">CivRev</span> was waiting for me. I felt a little bad for declining the demo at E3, so the first night I got home (even though I'd had my fill of gaming) I popped the disc into my Xbox 360, and gave it a try. Next thing I know it's 4 in the morning, and I've just won my first campaign. <span style="font-weight: bold;">CivRev</span> is addictive in the "just-one-more-turn" kinda way. Each new turn meant I would have another infantry unit to defend my home base, that I'd be one more turn closer to finishing my nuclear research. Would a great leader abandon their civilization at a time like this? Hell no.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/12th04-image36-790493.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/12th04-image36-790475.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The turn-based system is the sole reason <span style="font-weight: bold;">CivRev</span> works so well on consoles. It plays more like a board game where each side takes its turn (think: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Risk</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Monopoly</span>) than the PC counterpart, which plays without any turns whatsoever. And with that, developer Firaxis Games has struck gold with a winning translation of a revered PC strategy game to the home and portable consoles.<br /><br />You won't find the immense depth of the PC version, but I wouldn't call <span style="font-weight: bold;">CivRev</span> shallow either. There are the 16 civilizations to choose from, and you can still win a campaign through means other than the total annihilation of your enemies. Technological, financial and cultural domination are all other paths to victory, but a main complaint I have with the game is that it doesn't give the player enough cues of how to win with these other ways. And, it's much easier to just farm out the most military units and win with military might.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/image0051-730621.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/image0051-730604.bmp" alt="" border="0" /></a> When you're engaged in combat, there's this great one-to-one/dice-roll mechanic. Your troop's stats will factor into the dice-roll aspect of combat, but there's also this one-to-one system where the actual animation of your troops deal damage. If your troops move in right away, they'll gain an advantage on the offensive, but if they back-up, they'll be handicapped. Likewise, if your troops are on a hill, or defending a home base, they'll gain defensive bonuses. And even the map and characters interact. If one of your archers gets struck by a warrior unit near a mountain or building, he'll fly backward and actually bounce off of the structures.<br />There's also much less micromanaging. Your villagers collect resources near your home without having to be directed to do so. They'll automatically balance the type of resources they collect, but you also have the options to tell certain villages to mine more technology, gold or food.<br /><br />Another element that was designed specifically for the console versions is the small size of the maps. And while I don't feel that they need to be bigger, it is a little concerning that you'll always be surrounded by other civilizations competing for the same resources. And, things get claustrophobic quickly if you don't make alliances, or dominate a neighboring civilization early. But at the same time, the size of the maps, or lack of, is also a factor that helps speed up the game -- you can complete a campaign in about three hours, whereas some campaigns on the PC can last upwards of eight to 10 hours.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/12th04-image45-736348.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/12th04-image45-736289.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Given that real-time-strategy games usually suffer when brought to consoles, <span style="font-weight: bold;">CivRev</span> is able to side-step the traps of the PC translation. Other console RTS games suffer from the pacing and controls, the size of the characters and maps, but developer Firaxis Games turns the disadvantages of the hardware into advantages, and paves the way for the console RTS' revolution.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-46664246118253354302008-07-27T21:31:00.005-05:002008-10-26T22:20:35.572-05:00E3 08: Sony Press ConferenceBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Flower_7-799564.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Flower_7-799552.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />On the same stage that Jack Palance did his famous one-armed <span id="g04-3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">push-ups </span><span id="ib7y" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">at the 1992 Oscars, we saw the comic-book artist Jim Lee do the same. </span><span id="ntyk" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Touché</span><span id="ib7y0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Jim, and </span><span id="ntyk0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">touché</span><span id="ib7y1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Sony. Last year's E3 was really a bad year for everyone. Each of the big three press conferences had at least one major embarrassing moment, but this year Sony and Microsoft managed to save face 100 </span><span id="g.b1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">percent</span> (read my write<span id="z:28" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">-</span><span id="ib7y2" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">up on Nintendo's press conference to get the dish on </span><span id="z:280" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">their</span><span id="ib7y3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> embarrassing moment. Here's a hint: it was the entire show). And while I would say that Microsoft stole the show, Sony wasn't far behind. Their main shortcoming: not showing enough new games, gameplay, and the lack of surprising announcements (also don't forget that little blight called Home).</span><br /><br />Sony's Jack Trentton did an excellent job hosting the event and set the tone at the start <span id="e:ry0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">by </span><span id="l5q6" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">basically saying, "every PlayStation console takes a few years to hit </span><span id="e:ry1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">its</span><span id="l5q60" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> stride, so forgive us for not blowing you away this year." Which </span><span id="zpd6" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">is true, historically</span>. If you look at the PS1 and PS2, it wasn't until year four or five that we saw games like <span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Fantasy XII</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Grand Theft Auto III</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Metal Gear Solid</span>. So with that out of the way, they continued to show a line-up of expected, but exciting titles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/newyork_scene-799709.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 141px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/newyork_scene-798720.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>First was what most people are calling game of the show: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Little Big Planet</span>. Last year I gushed about this game, and <span id="u35e" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">now my enthusiasm has intensified</span><span id="x.gf" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. This year, </span><span id="sb-6" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">t</span><span id="x.gf0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">hey used <span style="font-weight: bold;">Little Big Planet</span> as a Power Point presentation. That's right, they </span><span id="rvyr" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">presented</span><span id="x.gf1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> their sales numbers and projections in-game, in a c</span><span id="qcvx" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ustom-created <span style="font-weight: bold;">Little Big Planet</span> level</span>. I've never heard such a long applause for sales numbers in my life. Youtube it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/e3_chi_levGrab-727598.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 153px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/e3_chi_levGrab-727432.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Later, they went on to to show a few games, mostly trailers, and even brought exclusive developer Insomniac Games on-stage to demo <span style="font-weight: bold;">Resistance 2</span>. If you're unfamiliar, this is basically Sony's Halo. That's terribly reductionist, but <span id="wliw" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">very telling, in a nutshell.</span><span id="n3ww" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> I was none impressed by their showing. The demo was the most removed from visceral that I can</span><span id="gnks" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> imagine</span><span id="n3ww0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> a AAA first-person-shooter being. The stage they showed had this giant enemy (like Godzilla-giant</span><span id="n3ww1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">) playing cat and mouse with the player through the roof-tops of downtown Chicago. Everything about the demo was bland, and my actual hands-on with the game later in the day didn't reassure me</span><span id="k9ld" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Greenlight-PathwaytoDeath-702479.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 162px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Greenlight-PathwaytoDeath-702344.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span id="szox" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sony</span><span id="m:oy" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> also showed a few new upgrades to the PlayStation Network (PSN) where you can now rent movies directly on your PS3, which would be news if Microsoft hadn't done it already a year ago. But we did get a brief look into some exclusive downloadable titles that are nothing like what you'll find on the Xbox 360's Live Arcade line-up. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fat Princess</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Flower</span> were the show-stealers. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fat Princess</span> looks like a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gauntlet</span>-esque, online-versus game that has a story-book art style with over-the-top violence. It's cute meets cruel with unique character classes adding to the complexity. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Flower</span>, another "Game-of-the-Show" for a lot of E3-goers</span><span id="epi6" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> is the next game by the creator of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Flow</span>. To hear it from the creator is to fully grasp what it is: a visual poem, telling the tale of a flower's dream. Seriously, that's how he describes it. You control the petal of a flower, guiding it through the wind while trying to pollinate and spring to life <span id="j9:h" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">various plat-life in fields and gardens</span>. If it's a little confusing, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Flower</span> is supposed to be metaphorical in design and presentation, understood when you play/feel the game.<br /><br />And in what I would describe as a bad Thanksgiving family moment where your meth-addict cousin is noticeably absent, and your aunt and uncle assure you they're doing good in rehab -- Sony showed a little <span style="font-weight: bold;">Home</span> in a quick and nervous manner. All we saw was a short trailer of Sony's grand virtual-community feature in <span id="chs6" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">its</span><span id="pcsd" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> latest state, which looks just like it did two years ago. Seriously, I think they could can this project and no one would care.</span> <span id="pcsd0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br />Sony concluded with a trailer of the next big thing by Zipper Interactive (the guys that make <span style="font-weight: bold;">Socom</span>) which was universally recognized as the worst game name ever: <span style="font-weight: bold;">M.A.G.</span> (<span style="font-weight: bold;">Massive Action Game</span>). <span style="font-weight: bold;">M.A.G.</span>'s claim to fame is that it's a 250 player online shooter with persistent character building similar to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Call of Duty 4</span>'s online component.</span> <span id="pcsd1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br />At the end of it, I wasn't rushing to play any Sony games; they really didn't show many. But, I wasn't down on them either. If history is to repeat itself, then we will see a giant library of excellent games that you can only find on the PS3. But, what wasn't a factor </span><span id="a2nh" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10</span> years ago is the growing monster that is Microsoft's Xbox 360. And what history really shows is that it's the games, not the hardware, that sets the competition apart.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-30929791999971958812008-07-27T17:50:00.010-05:002008-10-26T22:23:46.812-05:00E3 08: Nintendo Press ConferenceBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/WiiMusic_Lifestyle_02-716429.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 189px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/WiiMusic_Lifestyle_02-715671.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Zzzzzzzzzz. Zzzzzzzzzz. No, seriously: Zzzzzzzzzzz. I slept through Nintendo's press conference. Or as I like to say: "Min-tendo," because all they make now are minigames. I know that there's already a ton of backlash from Nintendo's showing at E3, and for that I almost feel like I should be the contrary voice. Even after the conference, when the show-floor opened up, I walked into Nintendo's booth to give them a chance, and walked right back out. There was nothing there for me. Of everything they announced<span id="abg9" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> -- </span><span id="ijm-" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">known quantities like <span style="font-weight: bold;">Animal Crossing City Folk</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Shaun White's Snowboarding</span> (using the Wii Fit balance board), and the actually good looking first-person-shooter <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Conduit</span> </span><span id="abg90" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">--</span><span id="ijm-0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> nothing spoke to me. It's clear that Nintendo is abandoning the "hardcore" gamer for the more lucrative alpha-mom and "casual gamer."</span> <span id="zpn8" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/WiiSportsResort_Screen_03-729015.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 159px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/WiiSportsResort_Screen_03-728945.bmp" alt="" border="0" /></a><span id="zpn8" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I don't intend to sound like a whining gaming nerd</span><span id="q:qo" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, b</span><span id="zpn80" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ut when</span><span id="ijm-1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> their biggest announcement, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wii Music</span></span><span id="q:qo0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> was shown I almost puked and swallowed in my mouth. That game looks re-fucking-dick-ulous. It's basically a pantomime music game (DO NOT think: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Guitar Hero</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rock Band</span>) that <span id="czv00" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">emits</span><span id="dxzn" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> horrible </span><span id="czv01" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">atonal</span><span id="dxzn0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> music while the player flails around with imaginary instruments. They did say that this game was a hit in the office for four- to six-year-olds, but seriously, if you want to get that audience don't waste my time at 8:30 </span><span id="d-.x" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">a.m.</span><span id="dxzn1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> I spent the previous night hanging out with grown-up gamers playing grown-up games. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wii Music</span> easily wins the most embarrassing moment of E3 '08.</span> <span id="dxzn2" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Wii_MotionPlus-711970.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 204px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Wii_MotionPlus-710843.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span id="dxzn2" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Echoing the success of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wii Play</span> (the collection of </span><span id="d-.x1" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">minigames</span><span id="dxzn3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> bundled with a Wiimote)</span><span id="d-.x2" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span><span id="dxzn4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Nintendo announced </span><span id="ovh." style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">its</span><span id="dxzn5" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> new controller cash-in with their new one-to-one Motion Plus controller add-on. The Motion Plus allows developers to make games that track the full 3D movement of the Wiimote, instead of what we have now which is up/down, side-to-side (including diagonals) and acceleration inputs. This is great for that Lightsaber game we all want, but it comes at the cost of splitting the market with those who have the add-on and those who don't. The </span><span id="hjgv0" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">M</span>otion Plus controller will ship with <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wii Sports Resort</span>, which will use the add-on in minigames like Fencing and Jet-Skiing.<br /><br />All I can say is Nintendo is <span id="mdbb" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">the ubiquitous game maker</span>. It's just a shame they're not making games for those who made them so.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-82923924721630143612008-07-27T17:49:00.008-05:002008-10-26T22:29:39.813-05:00E3 08: Microsoft Press ConferenceBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/ReaverAttack-707660.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/ReaverAttack-707524.bmp" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/SwampTroll-704404.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/SwampTroll-704267.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Peace, freedom, and bacon and eggs: the opening line from Bethesda's new (and hilarious) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fall</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">out 3</span> trailer cued the Pavlovian-salivation response that remained high (for the most part) throughout Microsoft's E3 press conference. Last year, in Santa Monica, Microsoft came on stage and reassured gamers that '07 was the year of Microsoft. They were hyping up surefire games like <span style="font-weight: bold;">Call of Duty 4</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Halo 3</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mass Effect</span>, but what we saw then were mostly trailers, not gameplay. So, to my surprise, Microsoft followed the excellent <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fallout 3 </span>demo with on-stage demonstrations of three more AAA games. Maybe you've heard of them: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Resident Evil 5</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gears of War 2</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fable 2</span>? All of the games demoed great, and the hype was high for all.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/GWRE2_screen_8-705871.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/GWRE2_screen_8-705083.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>After the heavy-hitters, they followed up with what was, for me, the most impressive line-up of games for E3: the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) downloadable titles (yes, the Playstation Network games are in that category too -- more on them later). First, we saw <span style="font-weight: bold;">Geometry Wars 2</span>, which instantly reminded me how bad-ass <span style="font-weight: bold;">Geometry Wars Evolved</span> was. In <span style="font-weight: bold;">GW2</span>, you now have not only new single player modes, but also 16 mutliplayer modes with both inventive verses and co-operative play. Next we saw something no one anticipated, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Glaga Legions</span>, developed by the same Namco-Bandia team that created the excellent <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pac-Man Championship Edition</span>. The mid-conference low followed after that with two cock-teases: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Portal Still Alive</span> (extra downloadable stages sans GLaDOS) and a strange flash of a screen for the <span style="font-weight: bold;">South Park</span> XBLA game.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/GL_area5d-774357.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 157px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/GL_area5d-774228.bmp" alt="" border="0" /></a>Where Microsoft did slip, and slip, and slip was in the already-leaked section of their conference. Leading up the event, a marketing firm, Intellisponse, had a flood of information pulled off their site which contained the images of the new <span style="font-weight: bold;">Avatars</span>, the karaoke game called <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lips</span> and references to the new 3D interface for the Xbox 360 Dashboard. While it wasn't the stuff core gamers salivate over, I couldn't help but wonder if this slew of new features beat Playstation 3's<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Home</span> to the punch (which was practically absent at Sony's press event). What was exciting was the announcement of a Microsoft/Netflix partnership that allows Netflix and Xbox Live Gold subscribers to stream any movie from the Netflix database. You'll be able to watch these movies along with your friends (who also have the appropriate services) over Xbox Live with full voice-chat functionality. And before amping up again, they showed the audience more "casual" titles, which are a response to the success of the Nintendo Wii. We're in the Movies came off as sort of embarrassing, but later when I actually played it, turned out to be fun.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/E3_keynote_MyXbox-782330.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 140px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/E3_keynote_MyXbox-782298.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>To wrap up the show, Square Enix took the stage to showcase three role-playing-games that they've been working on for the Xbox 360: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Last Remnant</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Infinite Undiscovery</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Star Ocean</span>: The Last Hope. They all looked great, and just as Microsoft was ending the press conference, they pulled a Steve-Jobs-one-more-thing stunt: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Fantasy XIII</span> coming to the Xbox 360 in North America and Europe. No release date, or new footage, but enough to get everyone talking.<br /><br />Of the big three, Microsoft's press conference came out ahead. Sure they had the luxury of going first, but neither Sony nor Nintendo showed as much gameplay, nor did they have the amount of surprises that Microsoft did. And yes, I am partial to the Xbox 360, so maybe that influenced my outlook, but I think anyone would have a hard time making a case for the other two as victors in the media blitz that is E3.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-39164285840104345282008-03-24T14:48:00.003-05:002008-10-26T22:04:49.301-05:00Turning Point: Fall of Liberty reviewBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/tp-765190.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/tp-764760.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p></p><p>Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is a decent first person shooter. Take that statement, travel back in time to 1995, and it may hold true. But to today's standard, its concept and execution are simply the worst I've ever seen. The atrocities start with the most obvious -- the graphics. Many now-gen games get the "Xbox-visuals" slap, but TP looks worse than bad shooters of the first Xbox era. TP is better suited for its acronym's homonym: toilet paper. But, I imagine the disc isn't very absorbent, which is to also say, it fails in every possible way imaginable.</p><p><br /></p><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/tp_03-730187.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/tp_03-729790.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> </p><p></p><p><br /></p><p>TP also has the worst case of periscope-fire I've ever seen: enemies face and point their guns away from you, but their bullets magically turn 90 degrees and fly right toward you. The cheapness doesn't end there. Turning Point struggles with making the game artificially difficult by hiding enemies in complete darkness, having shotgun-toting enemies slam doors open just as you approach, or the worst -- forcing you to climb down a ladder (because a 10-foot drop will kill you) while a barrage of Nazis fire at your back. </p><p>Love Jerry Bruckheimer's Independence Day? Then you'll love TP too, because it lets you blow up the White House. Cool right? Wrong! Not only is the game atrocious -- PS2 level graphics, paper-airplane grenade physics, laughable animation -- but TP's concept assumes that a) the United States has no military, b) a random construction worker can save the country, and c) a Nazi invasion of the US is actually a get-out-of-jail-free card for the overly-abused WWII setting. Even worse is the thought that this title will have a $60 price tag. Spark, you're the real axis of evil. Simply the worst idea (and excuse) of a FPS. Ever. </p><p style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>Final Grade: <strong style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">F</strong></b></span></p>Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-36003019152577406742008-03-05T13:11:00.004-06:002008-10-26T22:37:13.760-05:00Burnout: Paradise review. The Art of the Car Crash<span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">By Tyler Barber</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/burnout-blog-713651.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/burnout-blog-713498.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's too bad most gamers don't use their console's USB camera, because my favorite extra in Burnout Paradise, Mugshots, doesn't get the mileage it deserves. Your camera will take snapshots of your victorious moments while racing against your friends, or feral strangers, online. But the main draw here isn't flicking-off someone online, it's the seamless integration of the single and multiplayer modes. With a tap of the D-pad you'll instantly link up to race against, or just mess around with your online friends. Not just a great way to race, there's plenty of stat keeping on each street that updates who's ahead of who for everything in Paradise City. In order to get all those people online, however, it takes an arcade approach to racing that may have some sim-gearheads wanting a bit more.<br /><br /> While the most talked about feature in Paradise may be the online stuff, offline, there's still plenty of racing to go around. Each intersection acts as a starting point to one of several game modes (Marked Man and Road Rage are my favorites), and are noticeably absent from the online racing. Marked Man is a one man race where your opponents aren't gunning for first place, instead they're trying to total your ride before you cross the finish line. In Road Rage there's no finish line -- your goal is to take down a certain number of cars before time runs out. These modes had me the most hype, jumping out of my seat with "holy-shit" phrases cheering the amount of destruction each crash rendered. And glorious these crashes are -- they look straight out of a Hollywood action flick.<br /><br /> Racing across the open city can be overwhelming at first. I lost several races where I was in the first-place position, but veering off the main path sent me into no-man's-land. Even in the losses though, Paradise's open world is forgiving enough that you'll almost never feel too slighted for losing a race. Mainly, I wish there was a quick retry option on the Burning Route races where you earn advanced models of each vehicle. Burning Route races are held at very specific locations, and trudging back all the way to the start when you lost near the finish is a chore.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/us_concept_muscle012-745073.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/us_concept_muscle012-744920.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> Another side-step is the gimmicky Showtime mode that replaces the popular Crash Mode of previous Burnouts. Before, you actually felt like you caused this massive domino-like-collision, whereas now you flop along the road like a fish-out-of-water aiming for oncoming traffic. With luck, we'll get to download the classic Crash Mode in the near future.<br /><br /> Burnout Paradise does an excellent job at ushering the arcade racer into the realm of next-gen gameplay. The forward-thinking online integration alone could have a ripple effect on other genres' multiplayer plans. Even if you're not into racing games much, give Burnout Paradise a try, if just for the crashes. My biggest challenge with Burnout Paradise, though, is prying my friends from their Call of Duty 4 multiplayer addiction to join me online.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Final Grade:</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);font-size:180%;" >A-</span></span>Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-31765964353541298612008-02-12T14:38:00.001-06:002008-10-26T22:47:05.088-05:00Download These Gems: hidden treasures on your Xbox 360/PlayStation 3By Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/RezHD_03-739404.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/RezHD_03-739397.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />With several huge titles like Grand Theft Auto IV, Fall Out 3 and Burnout Paradise coming to consoles in '08, I made it my New Year's resolution to pay more attention to the smaller guys. Both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 offer smaller, downloadable games created by smaller development teams, and in some cases, by a single person. These are the games your girlfriend will actually play with you. Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network house these little titles, and if you're not too accustomed to surfing your console's dashboard, you may have yet to notice the wealth of inexpensive gaming gems offered. Below I've compiled a list of stand-out titles out now, and ones on the horizon.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Multiplatform</span> </span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">(Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network)</span></span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/biocomando-714396.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 153px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/biocomando-714385.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >Bionic Commando Rearmed <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">- Spring '08</span></span><br />The second-most exciting arcade game to come out this year (see below for the first) is the remake of the NES classic, Bionic Commando. If you don't remember, Bionic Commando was an excellent adventure game that gave you a bionic arm to swing from ledges, cross gaps and nab out-of-reach ammo. For Rearmed we get a superb graphical overhaul with fluid animation and dynamic lighting. A few new abilities -- like grabbing and throwing barrels and baddies, and tossing grenades -- bring some minty-freshness to the game. For the first time, two-player co-op will give you some the much needed reinforcements for this excellent remake.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/puzzlequest-789510.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/puzzlequest-789501.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >Puzzle Quest <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">- Out Now</span></span><br />My latest RPG addiction is this puzzle game. In it, you basically play Bejeweled -- matching three alike items to destroy rows and columns -- but the twist is you have a persistent character that you level up through battles against various enemies with their own spells and tricks. You can even siege small villages on the overworld map to gain more loot. Puzzle Quest is available on several other platforms: PC, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, but none of those can top the fact that the XLA version offers achievements. This was easily one of the surprise hits of '07. A must for RPG and puzzle fans alike.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Xbox Live Arcade</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Exclusives<br /><br /></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/castle-crasher-793655.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/castle-crasher-793640.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >Castle Crashers <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">- 2008, TBA</span></span><br />From the creators of the excellent and unnervingly hard Alien Homminoid (also downloadable on Xbox Live Arcade) comes a four-player beat-em-up in the vein of the old Ninja Turtles and X-men arcade games. Behemoth's tiny development team pour personality and style into all their games, and this one's not short on either. Super-cute, graffiti-esque knights take on hordes of evil-but-cute-looking dudes, and their larger-than-life bosses. This is without a doubt the most exciting arcade title in '08. Simple, but beautifully executed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/RezHD_02-741439.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/RezHD_02-741432.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >Rez HD <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">- Out Now</span></span><br />Originally a cult hit for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, Rez HD is a great game to put on during an acid trip. With simple vector graphics and trippy visual effects that are synced with the music, this remakes sports widescreen and HD output. A bit hard to describe, Rez is one of those games you've just got to experience. Swiping your cursor over the enemy sends out an attack to the tune of varying instruments that go along with the drum and bass soundtrack. When things heat up, and you've got several enemies on the screen, the music pumps right along with the frantic-ness, adding to the sense of urgency.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/exit_02-753791.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/exit_02-753779.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >Exit <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">- Out Now</span></span><br />This excellent action-puzzler was first released on the PlayStation Portable, but didn't receive the sales that it originality deserved. Exit casts you as this everyday man, saving people from burning buildings. Sounds a bit oversimplified? Well, don't think about it too much, the basis of the gameplay relies on traveling up and down elevators to reach stranded civilians, where you then lead them to safety. Not only fun, this game offers a very unique Dick Tracy style that helps punctuate the action.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">PlayStation Network</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Exclusives</span></span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/echo-760379.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 171px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/echo-760374.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Echochrome</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">- 2008, TBA</span></span><br />Part M.C. Escher, part puzzler, this game takes super simple graphics, and has you turning the world to make its illusions work for you. For example, say a path has a gap that your dude needs to pass. In Echochrome, all you have to do is swing the stage around so that a column blocks your view of the gap, and voila, you can walk right past it. The basis of the gameplay is all about subjective perception, and how you can use it to navigate each stage to its end. The best part? Infinite replayability because you'll be able to create and share your own stages on PSN.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/flow-740977.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 167px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/flow-740972.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >flOw, and flOwer <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">- Out Now, and 2008, TBA (respectively)</span></span><br />Jenova Chen and Nicholas Clark first created flOw as their thesis project for the University of Southern California, which later got picked up by Sony and distributed through PSN. Their follow up, flOwer, remains a mystery, but if flOw is any indication of what they're planning for flOwer, expect it to have gorgeously rich visuals, probably some pollen-type migration, and definitely another game that can be enhanced by the use of psychoactive drugs. Check out flOw now, and wait for flOwer later this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/evershooter_01-782702.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 206px;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/evershooter_01-782675.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >Everyday Shooter <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">- Out Now</span></span><br />One man, Jonathan Mak, created this fantastic top-down shooter. To hear Jonathan describe it, Everyday Shooter is, "...an album of games exploring the expressive power of abstract shooters. Dissolute sounds of destruction are replaced with guitar riffs harmonizing over an all-guitar soundtrack, while modulating shapes celebrate the flowing beauty of geometry." In it, you're basically an abstract dot, flying around an abstract world, shooting down shapes while procedurally generating the music that coats the experience. Simply the richest visual and audio of all the arcade titles.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-82799813463221440922007-12-28T15:48:00.002-06:002008-10-26T22:56:36.379-05:00Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ReviewBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/sonofa-799852"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/sonofa-799835" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In his comfortable apartment an overweight man sips coffee in-between respawns playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer. Perking up, Fatty notices a man in a business suit.<br /><br />"Excuse me sir, but we've secretly replaced your testosterone-inflated shooter with a deep RPG experience."<br /><br />Lowering his coffee mug, the well-girthed gamer's face shifts. Perplexed at first, then slowly changing shape into an angry-scrunched-butthole face exclaiming, "you son-of-a-BITCH!'<br /><br />With one swift movement, his potato-sack-like arm flips over the coffee table along with the aforementioned coffee mug. The ensuing frenzy destroyed both the fat man's apartment and his macho facade. How could he admit to his buds that he's been playing a role-playing-game? That stuff's for pale losers who watch Anime all day about blue-spiky-haired 15 year olds' inability to confess their love to red-spiky-haired 9-year-old-transvestites-with-double-D's.<br /><br />Not to worry my rotund friend. Yes, we have been playing an RPG, but it's not the type of RPG that removes your testicles. It's the fucking Call of Duty 4 multiplayer RPG. Well, technically it's not an RPG, and no one's calling it an RPG, but if you look at its core: a persistent character that you level up, unlock new weapons, perks and challenges, the lines start to blur.<br /><br />CoD4 offers aggressive campaign and online modes set in the modern-day war-zone. If you've never played the previous Call of Duty games, then you're in for a treat, but if like me and you’ve played all the previous games, expect that same on-rails shooting-gallery experience of that established the series. Though its structure is a bit played-out, the campaign mode still offers some of the best tour-guide combat this side of Half-Life 2.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/emag_cod4_360_082407_1_10490-739637.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/emag_cod4_360_082407_1_10490-739360.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If the campaign is just good, consider the multiplayer excellent. Infinity Ward, the developers behind CoD4, have broken ground on the consoles offering a wide-range of customization, unlock-able items and challenges.<br /><br />But be prepared to have your ass kicked. CoD4 easily hosts the most competitive online shooting on any console. And with matchmaking that isn't quite as good as Halo's, you'll be out-ranked almost all the time. Even so, with so much frantic action going on, even the lowest ranked member of the team can help.<br /><br />Balancing all of these elements could be a nightmare, but for the most part, CoD4's weapons, perks and stages are balanced. But, one area that will have you calling foul are the bonuses you get with multiple kills without dying. Cap enough dudes in a row and you can call in an air-strike on any section of the map. Kill enough guys in the air-strike, and you'll unlock the ability to call in a helicopter that mercilessly guns down the opposition. Sounds sweet right? That's unless you're on the receiving end. If your team's getting their ass kicked, you could fall victim to several back-to-back helicopter and air-strikes, making it even harder to come back.<br /><br />With a glut of excellent shooters hitting the consoles this season, CoD4 is definitely in the top ranks. Ultimately, between Halo 3, The Orange Box and CoD4, its more a matter of taste than pragmatic truth to which game is "better." I'd find it hard to believe that any fan of the shooter genre would be disappointed with CoD4.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Final Grade:</span> <span style="font-size:180%;">A</span></span>Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-60865659461646804512007-12-20T10:25:00.001-06:002008-10-26T23:05:02.714-05:00Mass Effect (on your social life)By Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/RAD-746681.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/RAD-746673.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hello, my name is Tyler Barber and I am a Mass Effect addict. It started when I got my copy of ME early for review. That first day I thought, "I'll create a character, dabble with the game, and move on." Little did I know that hours later, I'd still be tweaking my customizable character, without even starting the game. I've had almost a week's worth of nights where the rising sun has been a sobering exclamation of, "hey, it's 6 a.m. loser, go to bed already!" But I can't help it. I'm out of control. ME has a grip on my life, and I'm here today to take the steps necessary to rectify my addiction, and become a productive member of society.<br /><br />Unsurprisingly, developer Bioware exceeds in creating believable characters in a universe that you actually care about. As in their previous RPGs, (Knight of the Old Republic, Jade Empire) ME lets you play as an asshole, a push-over, or as some moody middle-ground. My recommendation: asshole all the way. The dialog options only show the sentiment of what your character is thinking. What you actually do say can be very unexpected, and oftentimes brutal.<br /><br />The combat is extremely satisfying as the encounters are genuinely difficult. You'll have to juggle the right ammo and armor for each encounter, as well as control your character's special abilities (only if you want to). Be careful choosing your character’s class -- the abilities you'll use are dictated by which class you chose from the start. Which is one area where ME runs into trouble.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/10.0.12.66-image35_2-791361.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/10.0.12.66-image35_2-791352.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Another area where ME is lacking is that there isn't any kind of tutorial or guide to help the player understand the mechanics of the game. With little explanation of controls or tactics, players could easily become confused and/or frustrated. It's here where I think Bioware stumbles in capturing the non-RPG-playing audience.<br /><br />Where ME really suffers are the numerous technical issues that plague everything from bad loading times, to horrible graphics pop-in. In a game that has so much of its creative talent and resources poured into sculpting an immersive universe, it's astonishing that there are so many times in the game where a technical problem pulls you right out of experience. Given that ME is a planned trilogy, there's hope that the sequels will rid themselves of these issues.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Final Grade:</span> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">B+</span></span>Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-65685863601382620652007-11-14T13:25:00.002-06:002008-10-26T23:08:58.788-05:00Only Consentual Ball SmashingBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/heimlich-741919.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/heimlich-741914.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This misinformed gamer was pleasantly surprised last night when I realized that Rockstar games was not promoting Manhunt 2, but the much friendlier Table Tennis.<br /><br />What transpired was a back patio party at Helios with two Wiis set-up for all night ping-pong. Omar Al-Bochi (the "sexy" Omar) loosely organized a tournament of several dudes and a handful of deceptively-good hipster chicks. The winner was my hometown homie Luis Grimaldo who shut-out Penny Royal drummer Evan Dunavan in what a gentleman would call a good game, but in reality it was more like a step-child-abuse-fest. GALENA PARK REPRESENT!Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-52792056424063085412007-11-13T14:16:00.001-06:002008-10-26T23:13:02.185-05:00Manhunt 2 party at Avant Garden, Tonight!By Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Wii-Heart-717044.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Wii-Heart-717038.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Tonight, Tuesday November 13th, Rockstar Games is going to promote "murder simulator" Manhunt 2 for the Nintendo Wii at Avant Garden (formerly Helios). It should be a treat as Manhunt 2 has been surrounded by controversy for the past six months, being banned in several countries, slapped with an A/O (Adults Only) rating and is the personal enemy of Neo-Con Florida lawyer Jack Thompson. But what has been met with so much controversy, Manhunt 2's review scores have been showing a game that is just "meh."<br /><br />Although, if you're into gore-porn like the Saw or Hostel movies, Manhunt 2 is probably just the right fit for your gimp suit. Some argue that the most compelling feature of the first Manhunt, released for the PS2, was the headset functionality that picks up any sound you make (breathing, talking, munching) and alerts nearby enemies to your position.<br /><br />Still, Manhunt 2 doesn't go limp on the features for the Wii. Using unique motion-controls, Manhunt 2 sports small gameplay segments that have the player mimicking the murder motions. Of course, this is also the focal-point of its controversy: that pantomiming the homicidal-optometry on screen is somehow more detrimental than just watching someone get their eyes gouged out.<br /><br />It all starts tonight at 9, and you'll wanna get there early for the free keg and pizza. See, reading the full articles does pay off.<br /><br />Avant Garden is located at 411 Westheimer.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-43245093682934562292007-10-17T02:30:00.001-05:002008-10-26T23:15:21.712-05:00Brutal Legend Trailer: Tim Schafer awesomates awesomeness with Jack Black voicing leadBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gamevideos6" align="middle" height="405" width="420"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="play" value="true"><param name="loop" value="true"><param name="scale" value="showall"><param name="wmode" value="window"><param name="devicefont" value="false"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><param name="menu" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="salign" value=""><param name="movie" value="http://www.gamevideos.com:80/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&src=http://www.gamevideos.com:80/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D15547%26ordinal%3D1192633914403%26adPlay%3Dfalse"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <embed src="http://www.gamevideos.com:80/swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&src=http://www.gamevideos.com:80/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D15547%26ordinal%3D1192633914403%26adPlay%3Dfalse" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="window" devicefont="false" id="gamevideos6" bgcolor="#000000" name="gamevideos6" menu="true" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="405" width="420"></embed></object><br /><br />No, you probably didn't play the critically acclaimed Psychonaughts, but something tells me that casting Jack Black as the game's protagonist ensures that many of you will play Schafer's latest, Brutal Legend.<br /><br />The trailer is all CG, but from what I can tell, they're hitting all the sweet spots: babes, copious blood, demons, hell, machine-gun-toting hot-rods, axes that chop and axes that shred. Top that with a rich-glaze-over-the-top hair-metal and you've got a cult classic.<br /><br />So watch the trailer, provided by the good folks at gamevideos.com, (check 'em out, tons of exclusive vids) and let us know what you think.<br /><br />RAWK!Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-89016168482799663682007-10-02T15:23:00.000-05:002007-10-02T15:38:13.955-05:00“Sing out Louise!” SingStar: Pop, Rocks!, Amped & ‘80s ReviewedBy Jody Worthington<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/rock-out-741739.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/rock-out-741732.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Console: Sony PlayStation 2 | Rating: E10+ | Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe<br /><br />It was about 10 o’clock on a Friday night when the pizza guy showed up. Only - we didn’t hear him. His feeble knocks were completely inaudible over the thumping bass of “I’m a Survivor” by Destiny’s Child, the spastic jumping-slash-booty-dancing and the piercing, sporadic shrieks we tried to pass off as “singing.” For singers, non-singers, gamers and non-gamers, SingStar karaoke for the PlayStation 2 brings about a revolution within two venerated, cult-ish pasttimes: videogames and karaoke.<br /><br />First, forget that it’s a videogame. I did. I’m your typical non-gamer, the type who twiddles aimlessly with analog sticks and is confounded when my boyfriend tells me that “up means down.” Yet, the first time I hooked up the PS2 and popped in a DVD, I found the SingStar control scheme and menu panels to be pretty visceral. The clean, white background and simple colored icons are refreshing. The complete lack of a daunting learning curve allowed me to concentrate on the most important part - picking a song.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/NTSC3_ZZTop_GimmeAllYourLovin-726583.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/NTSC3_ZZTop_GimmeAllYourLovin-726576.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /> The song selection is, surprisingly, quite awesome. Now, I’ve done a lot of karaoke - I even own an old-school clunker of a karaoke machine and a ton of CDs to go with it. I’ve always lamented about the lame-ness of most karaoke compilation discs. They usually consist of two or three good, solid hits, while the other 20-odd tracks are pure duds that no one has heard of. Not so with SingStar. Every DVD is bulging with hits that people actually get excited about. So far, there are four compilations: Amped, Rocks!, Pop and ‘80s. You can buy each game on its own for $30, or with the two obligatory microphones included for around $50. There is also a bundle package with an exclusive white PS2, SingStar Pop, and both microphones.<br /><br /> The dual mic setup is crucial - I’d say the duet and battle mode are 100 times more fun than the traditional solo approach. Duet lets you share the burden of embarrassment during the high warbles of Europe’s “The Final Countdown,” while battle mode ups the ante a bit. Competitors (red team vs. blue team) will take turns screeching/rapping/grunting the versus and choruses, while striving to get the most pitch-accuracy points. Some songs are great for battle mode (usually the ones that have rapid-fire back-and-forth cadences, notably Run DMC’s “It’s Tricky”).<br /><br /> The makers of SingStar know that a great song is enhanced tri-fold by a great music video. Until now, I had never seen such a large crowd gather ‘round the TV for karaoke. If you don’t care to sing, or don’t care about watching people sing, you can just catch the original recordings and their accompanying music videos.<br /><br /> Quite the opposite of the geek-in-basement-for-days stereotypical gaming experience, SingStar, with its ADD-proof music videos and easy learning curve, creates an impromptu party atmosphere - whether you have two or 20 people.<br /><br />Final Grade: B+Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-27832855715355907662007-10-02T14:59:00.001-05:002008-10-27T14:50:04.894-05:00Halo Short Film by Director Neil BlomkampBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9Wfm5KFjDXQ"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9Wfm5KFjDXQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>Though I got my copy of Halo 3 early, I didn't have enough time with the game to write an in-depth review for the most recent issue of the Free Press (October, Issue 84). I figured this live-action video short from director Neil Blomkamp would help you through the long wait 'til our next issue.<br /><br />The video is the third in a series of shorts from the budding director, who a year ago was getting set to direct the Halo movie, but has since only worked on the short films due to the funding being pulled from the film. Blomkamp has never directed a feature film before, but he has done several other shorts and commercials that are thematically complimentary to the tone of Halo 3. All of Blomkamp's shorts have a grounded-futuristic, yet grainy video quality to them. I really hope the funding can come through on the Halo film, and that Neil is in the director's chair, as the video above perfectly captures the Halo universe that I've come to love.<br /><br />As for Halo 3 -- in short, it's amazing, but the long answer will be dealt with in the next issue. Really, all you need to know is that if you don't own an Xbox 360 or an Xbox Live Gold account, acquire those two quickly, then get Halo 3 and find me online: dirtytea.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-77745040673691381752007-10-02T14:05:00.002-05:002008-10-26T21:39:13.972-05:002007, A Deep Sea Odyssey: BioShock ReviewedBy Tyler Barber<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/BioShock_7-776909.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/BioShock_7-776899.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Every five or six years, there comes a videogame that's avowed by gamers, developers and critics as a beacon of gaming's progression as both an art and a respectable form of entertainment. Enter BioShock, a rich adventure carefully crafted to provoke ominous moral and gameplay decisions.<br />"Is not a man entitled to profit from the sweat of his brow?" asks Andrew Ryan, the megalomaniacal dictator of the maritime metropolis ironically named Rapture. You find yourself struggling to answer such philosophical questions minutes after your plane crashes in the Mid-Atlantic, where you descend to a sunken city. Built leagues beneath the ocean's surface, Rapture is a product of idealists and elitists looking to forge a utopia where science, industry and art are unconstrained by authority -- DIY genetic engineering has become as commonplace as buying a new TV set. However, a macabre irony greets you as you're introduced to Rapture: cryptic warnings scrawled in blood across beautifully detailed Art Deco walls, bellicose scavengers roaming the city in search of Adam, the genetic currency needed to splice genes into superhuman powers called Plasmids. You learn that the side-effects of gene splicing disfigured and lead to the eventual demise of both Rapture and its residents. All that's left is the ravaged skeleton of a city buckling under the pressure of the dark sea.<br /><br />Big Daddies<br />My vision shakes and blurs as I crouch behind a machine-gun turret rigged to an office chair, unleashing a hail of bullets on my assailant. If I hadn't hacked the turret seconds before I would be taking 50 caliber rounds to the face. As the rumbling gets closer, a behemoth encased in a diving suit rounds the corner: the Big Daddy -- the newest and most unnerving icon to videogames. I royally piss-off the Big Daddy when I set him aflame using my Incinerate Plasmid. Through a blanket of fire, I see the yellow-cautious glow of the Big Daddy's helmet-portholes turn bright red. He emits a roar, paralyzing me behind the turret. Luckily, the hacked turret is already pumping lead into the beast. Unluckily, the turret stands no chance at stopping the Big Daddy's charge. Flying 10 feet backward through the room, my health is all but depleted when I noticed the Big Daddy standing in a glorious puddle a water. Arming my Electro Bolt Plasmid I shoot electricity at the puddle, stopping the beast in his tracks as he seizures with lightning dancing around his exoskeleton. I step forward, place my shotgun to his face and pull the trigger.<br />The Big Daddy drops like a ton of bricks and I notice something I didn't before. A little girl crouches at the side of the fallen monster, sobbing at the loss of her protector. Looking directly at me, the little girl backs into a corner begging for her life, crying out a hollow pray for, "Mr. Bubbles" to wake up. A voice overhead tells me its a Little Sister, and that she carries inside her the only material in Rapture that ensures my survival, Adam. I can save the possessed girl's life, but extract less Adam, or I can kill her, and harvest all the Adam she has. What would you do?<br /><br />Choices and Details<br />If reduced to two words, BioShock is all about choices and details. Not only will you rack your brain trying to outsmart the malicious AI of your aggressors, you'll also get the bends trying to decide whether or not you're going to "harvest" the Little Sisters. All the while, you're swept away by the flood of detail that Rapture encompasses in both in its fiction and aesthetics. From start to finish, BioShock delivers on gameplay, graphics, sound, mood, pacing, story and setting, while perpetually introducing new elements to the gameplay. More importantly to videogames as a whole, BioShock has managed to slip in some serious topics (like the pros and cons of Objectivism) into its fiction, and gameplay that has yet to be executed so elegantly in other games.<br /><br />End Scene<br />Stretched to the sky with a slight kindle, the dire, black monolith placidly beacons the primitive closer. A new horizon is peeking over the convex profile of our world of gaming. The primitive nervously approaches the monolith, with its forefinger perked outward. Touching the monolith imbues the Heavens with golden enlightenment as trumpets blare Strauss' Zarathustra. A videogame emerges: BioShock. You are welcomed gamer, to the intelligent age, the age of Rapture.<br /><br />Final Grade: A+Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-31676858774410365192007-08-21T20:31:00.001-05:002008-10-27T14:46:05.774-05:00Enter, BioShockBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/ah24-716142.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/ah24-716122.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"...a day which will live in infamy." Roosevelt may have delivered that line after the pivotal Pearl Harbor invasion, but I think it's more applicable here.<br /><br />Today, BioShock for the Xbox 360 debuts to the world. Last week a megaton demo of BioShock dropped on Xbox Live, and instantly — with only half an hour of stick time — gamers everywhere are declaring BioShock the apex of gaming today.<br /><br />Fear not hyperbole reader! Review scores for BioShock have been pouring in, weighing it on a scale of the good ol' 1-10:<br /><br />10 - <a href="http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3162017">1up</a><br />10 - <a href="http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/bioshock/813243p1.html">GameSpy</a><br />10 - <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/41497688-5BCB-4C0A-B952-A1B1440E2139.htm">Game Informer</a><br />10 - <a href="http://www.gamedaily.com/games/bioshock/xbox-360/game-reviews/review/6341/1722/">GameDaily</a><br />10 - <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=81479">Eruogamer</a><br />10 - <a href="http://www.gamesradar.com/us/xbox360/game/reviews/article.jsp?articleId=2007081511272150653077&sectionId=1000">Games Radar</a><br />10 - <a href="http://videogames.yahoo.com/xbox360/bioshock/reviews/">Yahoo! Games</a><br />10 - <a href="http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/reviews/129608.shtml">GamePro</a><br />9.7 - <a href="http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/813/813214p1.html">IGN</a><br />9 - <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/bioshock/review.html?sid=6176947">GameSpot</a><br /><br />But enough numbers — all you'll ever get from Number's is crabs — the real reason to get this game is because it feels, well, real. When you play BioShock, there's this dissonance where you feel drowned in the game's world and in its story, but at the same time, there's this awareness that someone meticulously crafted this world for you to enjoy (or for you to be terrorized in).<br /><br />With the current generation of gaming coming in the HD era, where the average gamer is a 29 year-old male and where it's not uncool to play games, we're finally seeing the maturation of the industry. Like the Beatles' White Album to rock and roll, BioShock is undeniably taking acid (no not really). BioShock is a game that gamers are pointing to and saying: "see, games are more to us than entertainment." When the Beatles first got together, they were practically a boy-band, playing fun, light-hearted songs. It wasn't until later that the Beatles, along with many other bands, started creating music that not only defined what we consider rock and roll, but also defined its own culture. And like the rock and roll culture pre-Blackbird, the gaming culture is relatively young. We're still convincing our parents that we're not wasting our time.<br /><br />Enough preaching. If you're so inclined to pick up BioShock today, you shouldn't have problems finding a copy. Everyone is going to be stocked like crazy for the release of BioShock. Don't have an Xbox 360? Now's a good time to buy, as there has recently been a price cut across all Xbox 360 skus. I recommend the Pro (formerly known as the Premium) or the Elite. I wouldn't recommend the Core pack to my worst enemy. Do the math yourself: no wireless controllers, no hard drive (a lot of games coming out, like GTAIV, will require a HDD, or run better on a machine with one), and no HDMI output.<br /><br />Too bad BioShock hit on a deadline week for the Free Press. Woe is me!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/IMG_1494_web-792411.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/IMG_1494_web-792390.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-21654544883926315142007-08-06T13:53:00.001-05:002008-10-27T14:40:39.589-05:00'08 is the New '07: Grand Theft Auto IV DelayedBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/003-797240.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/003-797228.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />An emerging trend in next-gen game development is that developers are having to push back release dates, more and more. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was the most recent upsetting delay until last week, when a Take Two conference call revealed that Grand Theft Auto IV will be <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/02/grand-theft-auto-iv-delayed-from-oct-to-fiscal-q2-08/">delayed to second quarter '08</a> (February-April).<br /><br />This announcement was a shock because Rockstar is the one developer that will have the courage to set, and make exact release dates for their games early in their development cycle. On the other hand, the demo of GTAIV shown at E3 had obvious issues with frame-rate, pop-up, and showed alot of placeholder assets. Add to that the fact that no one's even seen the game running on a PS3 (everything shown so far has been running on the Xbox 360). So, it wasn't totally unexpected either.<br /><br />I was not only excited about playing the game, but also about the record-breaking sales that the game industry as a whole would experience this holiday season. What would have been a perfect storm of games that would rival the 2004 holiday season will now be a huge proverbal "what if?"<br /><span class="on down" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span><br />While the Internets are busy pointing fingers to the cause of the delay, all Take Two would say is that it was due to <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/02/take-2-grand-theft-auto-iv-delay-almost-strictly-technological/">"technical problems."</a> Some think it's the <a href="http://kotaku.com/gaming/pachter-watch/pachter-blames-ps3-for-gta-iv-delay-285713.php">tricky PS3 development</a> holding the game back, others decry the <a href="http://kotaku.com/gaming/not-good/microsoft-+-you-dont-need-hard-drive-but-you-do-but-you-dont-286456.php">hard drive-less Core Xbox 360</a> as being a burden on Rockstar. The reality is probably a little of both, but don't hold your breath for Rockstar to oust one console over the other.<br /><br />Still, the previous Grand Theft Autos were simply time-vacuums. And now that GTAIV is out of the question for '07, I'm a bit relieved that I'm going to have the time to play all the other great games coming out this holiday. The GTAIV <a href="http://kotaku.com/gaming/analyst/gta-delay-good-for-activision-ea-285662.php">delay is a blessing in disguise</a> for many involved.<br /><br />So Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Fable 2, Too Human and Killzone 2 have another former '07 title to add to their club. Looks like '08 is the new '07.Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-81044391290463028402007-08-01T19:36:00.001-05:002008-10-27T14:33:55.116-05:00E3 Shows Multi-Platform Innovation<span style="font-size:85%;">By Tyler Barber</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/blog-header-764451.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/blog-header-764444.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The setting and the games at this year's E3 were refreshing. I came away happy to see that several developers are actually innovating in genres which have been in danger of becoming depleted of all creativity.<br /><br />For example, the Call of Duty brand is known for its excellence in the WWII shooter genre (minus Call of Duty 3), but when WWII shooters are coming out faster than boy-band has-beens, someone's gotta take a walk on the wild side. Here comes Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, where developer Infinity Ward takes a welcome turn into the modern age of combat, and presents it in a package that is delicious as it is a kick in the nuts.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/CoDMD-360-Grp3-11-727731.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/CoDMD-360-Grp3-11-727713.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | <span style="font-size:85%;">Release Date: Fall</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Forget the crapfest that was Call of Duty 3 -- it was developed by a whole different team. Infinity Ward is the development powerhouse that gets the game right, and with the newest CoD, we're out of World War II and into modern times. CoD 4 was one of the most talked about games at E3, as it blindsided everyone with its ultra-intense combat and ridiculously good-looking graphics. The game's animation, sound and scope of environments will make this game the war-shooter to beat.</p><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/rockband_05-778817.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/rockband_05-778791.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Rock Band | <span style="font-size:85%;">Release Date: November 20</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What do you wanna do with your life? If you know the answer, buy this game, because unless you are actually in a band, this is the only way you'll ever RAWK! Rock Band is going to sweep the world by storm. Take Guitar Hero and add, drums, vocals, the ability to jam with friends online, better art direction and song-licensing handled by MTV -- and you can begin to see what will be not only the must-have party game, but also the new King of Rock.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Busenitz_Res-712047.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/Busenitz_Res-711760.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Skate | <span style="font-size:85%;">Release Date: September 12</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Tony Hawk games were fun, but after a gagillion sequels the series became stale. Skate, on the other hand, takes the skating genre and makes it as fresh as chronic in November. Eschewing the over-the-top skating found in the Tony Hawk games, Skate will put players in a more realistic world. And, with the skate video visual style of the game, landing a simple but perfect kick-flip never felt so rewarding. Like the Halo 3 Saved Films, Skate too will allow you to record, edit and post your replays online.<script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"margin-bottom:0in\"\>\u003cbr\>\n\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"margin-bottom:0in\"\>Burnout Paradise | Winter\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"margin-bottom:0in\"\>The racing genre has many incarnations:\narcade, simulation, action. But Burnout Paradise will take those and\ntrade them for an open-world with seamless online integration. You'll\nride around town competing in several emergent challenges such as\npower-sliding into a parallel parking space, gaining the best time on\nany given street, or your basic race challenge. This time the races\nstart at traffic lights, where you'll coerce you neighboring\ncar-owners into burning rubber. Easily the most original racing-game\nyet.\u003c/p\>\n",0] ); D(["ce"]); //--></script></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/E3_action25-704282.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/uploaded_images/E3_action25-704270.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Burnout Paradise | <span style="font-size:85%;">Winter</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The racing genre has many incarnations: arcade, simulation, action. But Burnout Paradise will take those and trade them for an open world with seamless online integration. You'll ride around town competing in several emergent challenges such as power-sliding into a parallel parking space, gaining the best time on any given street, or your basic race challenge. This time the races start at traffic lights, where you'll coerce you neighboring car-owners into burning rubber. Easily the most original racing-game yet.</p>Free Press Houstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03576435599798196440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306848843549607123.post-78549477679427975332007-07-27T12:00:00.003-05:002008-10-27T14:18:25.346-05:00Metal Gear Solid 4 Shows its Bits and PiecesBy Tyler Barber<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.freep