It’s a strange thing, this aging. I was watching the Futurama movie Bender’s Game the other day when I started thinking about my first D&D experience (now twenty years ago) SSI’s Curse of the Azure Bonds. Admittedly, the cover of the box is what caught my eye. “Chick’s in low cut chainmail? I must know more.” Of course the box was the only thing with low cut anything on it but it didn’t matter. Ten minutes into the game my life had changed forever, I knew it then as I know it now – I was into Dungeons & Dragons.
Twenty years of dragons, role playing and nerdly pontifications later I felt a need to play Curse again. There was some difficulty finding a 5.25” drive and a fun discovery that my machine now is lightning on a leash compared to the turbo 286 I explored the world with back in the day. However, a little time and a little help from Mo’Slo and I was back in business, old school style.
I don’t have a big ass projection system at home. I do have some good sized TV’s here and there but my siblings and I are getting older now and our eyesight doesn’t work out as well as it did when we were all eighteen. To combat this minor factor we strung my 360 up to a set of 2.1 computer speakers, grabbed my sister’s projector and cleared a spot on the dinning room wall for a little game time.
Well, to be exact we cleared a spot big enough for a 154 inch picture – my bro and I busted out the tape measure cuz we just HAD to know. [sniff] Bragging rights being what they are and all. Yeah, it was huge. No crazy screens, theater style seating or surround sound but we did have the biggest picture any of us had ever played Halo on and that’s what counts. We are hoping to do the same thing again tomorrow for some serious game time now that we know the setup works and how to rig it up.
Ahhh, a zero dollar solution to a non-existent problem… life is good.
It’s a great thing when the virtual world lines up with our own real life personalities. Playing through on Fable II the second time (slightly less angelic than my last run) my character was recruited by the Assassination Society. One of the first contracts was my favorite.
This fine pic is a death warrant. The guild wanted this menace put down… publicly. My character was only too happy to oblige. What’s her crime? Always correcting other people’s grammer. [heartfelt sigh] This is a group of people after my own heart.
It was quite a pleasure to complete the contract. Laura – and her constant corrections – were silenced on the streets of Old Bowerstone with a single shot from my augmented master pistol. I totally had a Pulp Fiction moment. Standing there with my golden pistol shining in the sun with half a dozen witnesses looking on my character shouted, “Correct my pronunciation one more frakken time.” Then kicked off the safety and fulfilled the contract.
Let this stand as a notice to all those who relish this twisted practice, your time is at an end. The uneducated, unwashed, uncouth, bastard children of bad communication skills have something for you. And we deliver… publicly.
What you’re seeing here is the result of Chuck spending about 10 minutes getting on top the pinwheel with a Mongoose on the Last Resort map in Halo 3.
We celebrated my brother’s birthday recently, and — not to give away too many wild secrets in the life of geeks — there was pizza and Halo 3 involved. (Shocking, I know.) We are often asked to play Halo live and join up with others, which is super sweet. The only trouble is that our style of playing breaks down after a little while into “I bet I can put this vehicle…” and the score is pretty useless after that.
What I can’t really put into this picture is Chuck pitching the handle bars of the Mongoose back and forth which makes the Master Chief dance like Pee-Wee Herman.
A fun time was had by all.
Fable II, after the fateful day in the spire and the defeat of Lucien, is quite entertaining. I really didn’t think it was going to be. After all what can one actually accomplish after saving the world and defeating the most evil man in the land? As it turns out there’s some badass left to the game yet. There’s even one item that makes playing without a dog at your side almost worth it. I’m not kidding.
My quest to vanquish the storyline in Fable II was achieved last night. Lionheart (my character) was proclaimed “Hero” throughout the land and the forces of evil were turned back from the path of ultimate doom. Yes, it is quite a tale but that’s not the story I wish to tell you.
As you can see Lionheart is brave and fearsome however it was not she who saved the land. Yes songs were sung and statues erected in her honor – it was not this hero that summoned the courage to lift Albion out of its fog of despair.
This is the face of the hero I speak of, seen here with his trusty companion Lionheart. As with many stories what actually happened was a little different than the bards sing it. No statues of Old Smeller stand to his bravery. No children dance about chanting his name as if it were a ward against evil. No, he is simply forgotten. Even though it was he who gave his life for the world that it might live – not Lionheart.
I tell you this not as a spoiler, for your quest will be different than mine. Each must follow his own path as is the Fable way.
It is just a reminder that when the fate of humanity hangs by a gossamer thread above the fire of damnation itself – there is no greater champion than the strength of a dog’s heart.
Old Smeller 12/25/08 – 01/04/09
He lived a lifetime in a few days but left everyone he met better for having known him. You are the truest friend to us all.
You will be missed.
Following in the wake of Star Wars Galaxies and a supposedly-coming-soon Star Trek MMO comes Auran Games’ announcement of a BSG MMO which will take place during the first Cylon War. Sleuth site MMOCrunch says Sierra Online will publish, though no dates have been set.
One bit of bad news: you’ll only be able to play as human. No Cylons for you!
Battlestar Galactica MMO Announced [MMOCrunch]
An online gaming site confirmed today that lucky 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, and DS players will indeed be able to step inside the black suit and play as Darth Vader in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game — but only in the first level because the man in black is just too powerful. From that point forward, players will proceed as Vader’s “secret padawan.”
While this is good news for most people, it’s bad for me — and for Sean. We never got past the level in Battlefront II in which Vader’s playable because each time one of us became Vader we relentlessly force choked everyone, including each other. Though team-killing is normally de rigueur-no, it’s completely permissible when you’re playing Luke’s dad. Why? Because you’re Vader, of course.
Here’s to enjoying the first level a few times before we give up.
Vader Playable In SW: TFU [QJ.net]
After attending a Microsoft blogger event in Singapore recently, CNet Asia’s resident “geek” Nicholas Khoo reports that the much anticipated next game in the Star Wars canon, Force Unleashed will descend upon we rabid fans September 16th this year. Those of you in Asia will have to wait until the next day, and the rest of Europe will just have to suffer until the 19th.
‘Unleashed in you-can’t-play-but-can-watch demo form continues to garner rave previews from numerous sources, and Khoo suggests that goody-goody gamers may be able to find an angelic path in the game — even though you apparently start as Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. Woot!
Khoo’s Blogger Party/Gear Score [CNet Asia]
SW: TFU [Lucasarts.com]
The rumor’s been floating around that Tron 2 is in the works for some time, but now a 2011 release date is showing up in Disney docs. Scifi Scanner reports that the sequel will consist entirely of 3D work, and io9 chimes in with a director: Joseph Kosinski, whom IMDB lists as directing a 2010 Logan’s Run big-screen update. (Please tell me it’ll include Scarlett Johanssen running in tight white.)
We’ve had a chance to witness the Tron world in 3D already via the Tron 2.0 (pictured/review). But even though current 360/PS3 rendering capabilities totally smoke the original, it’ll be a joy to see what the latest and greatest can do with a killer story. As you can imagine, we’ll be watching closely for more details.
The folks over at XBox 360 Fanboy posted two new gameplay videos from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Pay special attention to the second one in which the player force-pushes some trees, bending and breaking them. Now I understand why everyone’s so excited about the games application of Pixelux’s Digital Molecular Matter to handle a destructible environment. You just don’t get this kind of interaction from current technology.
The game will also incorporate NaturalMotion’s Euphoria, a software package that renders 3D characters by simulating individual muscle and nervous system interaction. The result: non-player characters react slightly differently each time, even if you provide identical input.
If Lucasfilm Director of Content Management Steve Sansweet’s 2006 ComicCon indication that the game will include “major revelations” about the franchise isn’t enough to tempt you into shelling out your hard-earned cash for this game, maybe this will.
Either that, or the possibility of wielding a light saber via Wii remote.
SW: TFU Gameplay Videos [XBox 360 Fanboy]
Fans will be happy to hear that BSG/DS9 writers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson are preparing the story behind the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines game now scheduled for release late this year.
The Weddle/Thompson team’s Galactica credits include “Rapture,” “Maelstrom”, the incredible “Exodus: Part 1″ and “Exodus: Part 2,” plus the pre-season-three “Resistance” webisodes. They also penned twelve Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes including “Extreme Measures,” “‘Til Death Do Us Part,” and “Prodigal Daughter.”
Gaming blog Play says the Aliens title will consist of squad-based combat in “confined environments, which various nasties will no doubt be leaping and creeping out of.” Let’s hope that the writers who brought us the “greatest moment in sci-fi since the Millennium Falcon arrived at the end of Star Wars,” the Ferengi “Great River”, and Ezri Dax’s joyous family find a place for their talents in the game.
Sega Promise Aliens In “Late 2008″ [Play.tm]
Aliens: Colonial Marines [Wikipedia]
GWCers on Flickr
Recent Blog Comments
on #42: Juan Chooses a Tablet { Looking forward to the reasoning behind the Ipad, in a similar position but so far I can't justify the price + data contract despite a... } – May 09, 4:26 PM
on #321: Avengers Pt. 4, Thor { First off - it is great to be back. I have been away for a couple years. I was listening during the original run of... } – Apr 24, 7:23 PM
on #28: Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan Nyan (Cat) { I would like at least one episode where Audra doesn't try to "beat" along with the intro. It gets old. Thanks. } – Apr 21, 12:50 PM
on #31: Sight Unseen { The episode commentaries seem to becoming less about the show and more about everything else. You guys get off track easy, and tend to stay... } – Apr 04, 11:19 PM
on #37: Draw Something/360 Cloud Sync Fail { I was sick too! You and I might be carrying around each others germs. } – Mar 29, 6:39 AM