What I Think About Things and Why

So, the dust is starting to collect on this little project. Not too many viewers left, mostly friends who occasionally pop in to check out the site. And then leave. It's dismal, really. Sad, even. Possibly, downright depressing. Here's what I think, everything. All at once. What the site needs is a punch in the arm, one of those over-arching supercool articles that gets dug up a lot and seen by cool people. And they tell two friends, and so on, and so on.

I think that the internet does have a limit. It's true, that with the shrinking cost of storing information, the cost to increase bandwidth and extrapolate the amount of "web real estate" is going down. The internet is ever expanding, much like the universe, and guess what, most of it is porn. However, you will never find anything. We are beginning to reach what I like to call "web saturation". there is so much stuff out there, and there are many sites devoted to the same stuff. The fact is, that ten years ago, if you searched for "favorite Bright Eyes song" on Google, you would have gotten a big chunk of results. Not too many to look through most of them though.

Today that search request delivers almost two and a half million results.

We swim in a vast ocean of information, constantly being produced, constantly being recorded, copied and embellished upon. In the age of modern computing and mass networking, humans have discovered the ability to speak out. No longer does "the news" apply to journalism majors and anchors and reporters. Every voice that has the courage to yell out, virtually, has the power. No one but the people of the online community can decide what happens to your editorial on the world. Digg it up, this is good, this Stumbler doesn't like that, I Reddit. We have come into contact with the first form of democratic media, in it's purest untouched, unedited form. Free at last, free at last, we are Anonymous, and our word is for all to hear, to rally to to cry out to the world. ALL THIS BASE IS BELONG TO US!

Even those who haven't been nerdy since the dawn of the dot com craze, or earlier, are starting to see the mass media appeal of the internet. Tiny antique shops have websites to hawk their old china on, every shut in with access to a PC buys and sells on eBay and Amazon, and even those who were once afraid to approach the computer are drawn to the ease of use of the internet. My Granmother has a Facebook account. About 6 out of 10 of the readers of this could probably say the same thing.

What does it mean? Does all this mainstream interneting affect the world that much? What does it matter if the elderly facebook and the tech-illiterate start blogging? Will it change the world? Will it disrupt the climate of the long forgotten internet?

About sixty years ago, a technology came to the homes of nearly every american. It was a device designed purely for the delivery and communication of information: valid, important, educational. Something to keep the people informed. We now call this TV, television, the boob tube, the idiot box. To be honest, looking back, it's hardly what we had in mind at the outset.

Television is filled with crap now. Sports broadcasts, reality shows (fake and real), celebrity gossip, game shows, cartoons, sitcoms, soap operas, made for TV movies, made for the big screen yet horribly edited movies, and worst of all, Tyler Perry. All of this garbage is interceded by scraps of news programs that last for an hour, maybe two, but only long enough to not divert you away from the more frivolous distractions. The ever chattering, always present, ad-filled bastard of a decent and innocent idea. Even as someone who can enjoy a little intelligent entertainment, it's hard to stomach about ninety percent of programming.

What changed the television sets? What made them go from newsboxes to entertainment devices? It was the push of the everyday individual. the need to expand the boundaries of what entertainment is shoved the television to cater to the needs of the generations. A look at television now reveals the inherent ADD culture. Shows rarely last longer than half an hour, and if they do, it's because of a special event. Then you get that full hour. Even then, though, all the programming is split into smaller, manageable chunks by the commercial time. Adverts, on average, last sixty seconds, sometimes a little more if it's one of those irritating infomercials, sometimes as short as the now famous one-second commercial for the Miller high Life that played during the Super Bowl this last year.

If all of this sameness is threatening to you, never fear. You can always change the channel, exponentially increase the amount of programs, commercials, reruns, etc. The simplest televisions have at least twelve channels. "Basic" cable has almost one hundred. If you had every option available on a digital cable program, it approaches one thousand. One thousand shifting, changing, miasmic frequencies of information being driven into the eyes. Bright colors, flashing lights, anything to keep a distracted mind interested.

So what about the internet? The tool for connecting every computer in the world to one another via a glorified phone line. Intended for the transfer and sharing of information across towns, states, nations, continents, all in an instant. The crowning acheivements of all of this technology, making it faster, making it clearer, making it smoother, what are they? LOLcats. FAILblog. The ultimate integration of internet technology is the ability to combine a multimedia experience of visuals, audio, information and present it with ease. the most advanced website designers spend their time devoting energy to making people falling off of skateboards and onto their crotches intensely well run.

We are suffering from a downfall of the worst kind, allowing our nature as easily distracted and hedonistic individuals to control what we view and produce online. The web is now filled with what television has been filled up with: Perez Hilton celebrity gossip, videos of "real-life" wipeouts, sports highlights by the second, online gaming and gambling, cartoons made on Macromedia Flash, misguided series of web comedies, bootleg movies. Tyler Perry has a website.

Is it too late? It might be, but just like global warming, we can slow the process, take our time to realize how valuable the Internet is. We need to consider that just because the internet is a place that we are free to say whatever we want doesn't mean we have to say everything. Let every blog be meaningful, let every article you Digg be at least a little bit informational, and let every funny picture be hosted only once, because it really only needs to be there one time, right? We can save ourselves from drowning, if we can realize that it's happening. the internet can still be funny, but it also needs to be smart. We have the power, we are the rulers, and we decide what floats to the top and what doesn't.

Good night, and good luck.

The Nintendo Press Conference at E3: Read while you watch as a companion!

Huh.

Where to begin over the announcements made at the biggest Exposition of Gaming Glory about the Juggernaut of the console market?

How about the beginning...

The latest foray into Mario's universe looks very interesting. Take the two very popular DS Mario games and combine them. Four players, two dimensions, and some interesting dynamics on the Wii, for sure.

More Wii Fit BS. Oh, and now you can BE Mario. People are going to be breaking those balance boards...

Still no Zelda...

Oooooh...the MotionPlus with a new Red Steel Game...maybe they can get all the motion right this time. That game could have been great, and this is just what it needs. SportsResort looks fun, but where is the core attraction?

Oh. Golden Sun. There it is.

Now to complain.

Why doesn't Square release REAL games for the Nintendo systems?

FF: Crystal Chronicles, but not FF: XIII.

This new Kingdom Hearts spinoff, but not KH3.

Still no Zelda...

I wish this woman would go away, I liked it when Shigeru used to do these things and they would combine his broken Engrish with dubbed Japanese.

Do it yourself WarioWare? That's gonna be naughty in the future. People are twisted.

LOZ: Spirit Tracks. Saw this trailer. Love Zelda. Want Zelda for Wii. Where is Miyamoto?

Iwata is coming on now. Finally a Japanese guy. Haha. Love the Engrish.

Oy...no more with these "Maybe gamers". I want you to appeal to me, the Core gamer. Don't do this Iwata.

Wii vitality Sensor...Hospital equipment?

This could be interesting...imagine a Resident Evil Game where the horror is based on your heart rate...

Crazy Woman back...more Mario News?

Full 3d Mario Game...sweet.

Yoshi.

Galaxy Style Gravity Manipulation...

64 style large worlds too, though...

An atypically unoriginal name. Super Mario Galaxy...2. Oh well. Looks cool, looks fun.

Still no Zelda...

Oh Reggie, I DO Want more.

Third Party Titles with a "harder edge".

"The Conduit" from Sega.

Trailer makes it look like Terminator, Bioshock, and Metroid combined.

"Resident Evil: The Dark Side Chronicles" from Capcom.

Old Characters, RE4 style Gameplay. Kinda skimpy on the trailer budget...

"Dead Space: Extraction" from EA.

Re-Make/Prequel.

Edgier game from Nintendo themselves?

With Team Ninja...

Metroid: Other M.

Oh wow. That looks in tents...so cool...

Miyamoto isn't here yet. Still no Zelda...

Waaaah. It's over.

Well, once again, we have seen a lot of attractions for those "new" gamers that need less challenging titles. However, this year at least provided some interesting titles for the core gamer. New Metroid, some third party up and comings. New Mario Galaxy. I can live with that.

So. No Zelda Wii. Yet. No Miyamoto on stage AT ALL. Way too much talking, not enough games.

Overall. An exciting year is ahead of us.

Flip-Flop Fanboy: The OcaRe-run of Time

Well, hindsight is always 20-20, isn't it folks?

I must say that on the face of it, a straight up remake of one of Nintendo's most popular (and subsequently ported) outings in the Zelda franchise, even with a fresh lick of paint and Twilight Style Motion Control (Maybe even Plus+, you never know...) wouldn't be a good idea.

But looking back at Ocarina's history, it is entirely possible that a remake wouldn't be entirely horrible at all.

No, I haven't completely lost my senses in some Choco-licious Easter Stupor. As mind-bendingly wonderful the cocoa-based wonder-drug is, it does nothing to effect my clarity and focus on this wonderfully wonderful chocolately chocolate...

...Okay, maybe a little...

But back on topic. Ever since the 1995 SpaceWorld tech demo, the title was hotly anticipated. Whereas Super Mario 64, which was developed alongside Ocarina, was released the next year as a launch title, Ocarina spent a while longer in development limbo, bouncing from a 64DD title, to a stand-alone cartridge title with a DD-Based expansion to come along after...

For the uninitiated or the un-nerdy, the Nintendo 64DD (Disk Drive) was an unmitigated commercial failure, originally conceived to sit underneath the N64 and run along with it, expanding on already released titles. (Random Fact: This was the original premise of Banjo-Tooie Stop'n'Swop interaction with it's predecessor).

Most of the titles in development moved to cartridge or were canned entirely. (Random Fact: The Death of the DD put paid to the development of the first 3D Pokemon RPG. Pokemon Stadium was also on the list, but moved over to Cart form.) This was the fate of the Ocarina expansion, known in quarters as 'Ura Zelda' or 'Zelda Gaiden' (The later name springing from memory only). It did eventually seem to resurface in the form of a Bonus Disk in certain LOZ: Wind Waker packages as 'Master Quest', though all this really did was change about dungeons slightly.

I'm guessing though, that it was intended to be something much more... And only helped fuel speculation of rumours of 'Temple(s) of Light' (See Fake on Left) and being able to actually get the Triforce itself.

So, this is what I'm saying:

If I got told that OcaReRun was actually going to be a fully realised, bells and whistles version of everything Ura Zelda was supposed to be, and maybe more (I'm thinking in amongst the veins of a lot of Fable II's DLC in additional story veins, emphasis on seemingly secondary characters and some kick-ass sub-quests)...

Then I'm willing to give my support to it.

This way, it's less Lucas' deviant exploits in Peru, and more a long-awaited Director's Cut, or Extended Edition. Nintendo reading from the book of Peter Jackson and LOTR.

Possibly controversial in amongst those of you I speak to, but...

The thought of seeing Ocarina become deeper, even richer an experience, ESPECIALLY given the (oft-complained about on my part) superficiality of current generation Wii games...

Surely that's worth placing the sword back in it's pedestal for?

Dan's Guide to Video Games... Resident Evil 5

When you hear T-virus do the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?
When you have nightmares does a certain Presidents daughter's voice pierce your sleep?
"LEON!!! HELP ME LEON!!!"

Recently, Capcom released another installment to the Resident Evil series. This one, sequentially named Resident Evil 5. After the events of Resident Evil 4, a new type of enemy was introduced into the series' horrifying armory of enemies. Las Plagas. These enemies have been forced to have a parasite injected into their bodies. The parasite grows and grows until Leon comes along and timely blows there head off. At which point the parasite activates and explodes out of the stump where a head was once attached, effectively emptying the player's bladder.

And thus Resident Evil 5 picks up. Many fans wondered whether the T-virus would make a reappearance, or whether the Las Plagas would haunt another portion of the world. Long story short: It's kinda the Plagas. Chris Redfield is sent to Africa on a mission to capture a man who is suspected of selling Biological Weapons on the black market, and thus, once again, all hell breaks loose.

Okay, enough backstory. Check it. In RE5 you get to play the entire game with a partner, whether it be with CapCom's self-proclaimed smartest AI, who appearently finds it effective to shoot enemies THROUGH it's human partner, or with a friend on the same XBox, or over XBox Live. Go CapCom for trying something new, sort of. The new partner system is insane when you play it over Xbox Live. Each partner retains there own inventory, gold stash, ammunition etc. Ammo and Herbs can be trades and given to the other player, guns however, cannot be given. Which makes sense, even though it is annoying. When two human players are playing the game, one can be the point man, armed with a shotgun, pistol, and grenades, while the other is support wielding a high powered rifle, machine gun, and pistol. Yes, that is indeed how I played through with my co-auther K Bridges. He was the front man, I was support. It worked VERY well, when he wasn't too busy looking around to ignore his partner's frantic yelling of a chainsaw wielding lunatic who was chasing him.

Off of this whole two player thing. The game runs very well. Control system is much like the previous games. TONS of bonus material. Myself, I am only 23% through the game.

Mercenaries Mode: Dude. I always loved this mode. I still played this mode on my Wii when I came home for the weekends. It's just amazing. Go kill stuff, you have 2 minutes. Go. That's just awesome. I would like to think of my partner and I at being pretty good at this game. Yea, not. We played one round of mercenaries, and they graded us with a D. The lowest rank next to death. Damn. Lots of practice ahead of us.

Overall
Graphics: 9/10 - Beautifully terrifying graphics. Recommendation: Diaper.
Sound: 8/10 - Well done.
Gameplay: 9/10 - Same ole high quality I expect from the Resident Evil team.
Difficulty: 8/10 - The game is pretty difficult the first time around. After the first playthrough it is easier, with the option of unlimited ammo, the game just gets easier. The mercenaries mode is where the difficulty really shines. You have 2 minutes. Kill as many things as you can. O yeah. You get the guns CapCom lets you have. No uber shotgun here... Damn.
Replay Value: 9/10 - The main storyline can be replayed using the SAME WEAPONS you just upgraded throughout the entire previous playthrough. Nothing like killing first level Manjini with a fully upgraded shotgun. The Mercenaries mode is crazy hard, that is where the real challenge of the game lies.
Multiplayer: 9.5/10 - Amazing Multiplayer abilities. There is nothing more terrifying than hearing your partner scream because of something, and you have NO IDEA what is causing it. So you scream anyway.
Overall Grade: A-
Recomendation: Go Buy It. Seriously. You won't regret it. Just make sure you have a friend who has it also and is willing to play it with you.

Commercial Success killed the New Idea... Star.

Bad title, I know... But. It ties in.

DigitalSpy are reporting (link) that Nintendo are due to announce the next Wii outing for our favourite Green-Clad, Elven Hero...

The title?

"The Legend of Zelda: We've Run Out of Ideas So We're Remaking Ocarina of Time Instead."

*Rolls Eyes*

Bad Nintendo! *fwaps with rolled up Newspaper* BAD! We want new ideas. NEW! Yes it's a brilliant universe, but we're seriously going into Lucas-Esque Re-Touching (Read: Molesting) of the Original Star Wars movies...

And that way madness lies...

- DA Out.

Movies that aren't old enough to be classics, but I still took this long to see.

I went to the library over this last weekend and checked out "The Wackness" featuring Nickelodeon's Josh Peck and several other stars you wouldn't expect in a film about drugs, sex and living as a white teen who has serious depressive problems and listens to Notorious BIG.

We'll start at the least obvious and work our way up. The soundtrack, along with the snippets of original score, was really great. It's fun to dig up those old 90's hip hop tunes after you watch this. If you have them.

The acting was great. Ben Kingsley returns to the world of great cinema, but is actually outshined by the subtle greatness of Peck. Peck transforms into the teenage drug dealer in an instant, and you can tell that he is the emerging star of his former duo on children's television. Pretty good work from Famke Janssen and the Olsen twin who isn't out of her skull as well. Great return performance from Juno's Thirlby.

The story is atypical in the world of teen dramas and spans an entire three months in a sort of faux Odyssey of gritty New York. It has love, sex, humor, and everything else. A good if not great film. 4/5.

Going for the No-Prize...

From Emma Frost's Wiki page:

"At the meeting, it is revealed that she and Prince Namor share a romantic history. During her days as the White Queen, Sebastian Shaw sends Emma to convince Namor to join the Hellfire Club. Instead, Namor takes her to his kingdom and they begin a relationship. Believing Emma to have betrayed him for Namor, Shaw sends a reprogrammed sentinel to Atlantis, attacking the two and destroying the kingdom. As Namor confronts Shaw for his treachery, Selene takes telepathic hold of Emma, erasing her memories of Namor, who vows revenge on Shaw. In the present, Emma reveals that her initial battle with Phoenix unlocked her memories of Namor. She makes a pact with him, seducing Shaw and using her telepathy to make Namor believe she has executed him, while secretly telepathically incapacitating Shaw. Per their deal, Namor vows to protect mutant-kind as his own people, while Emma, more determined to fill her role as a leader of mutant-kind, contacts Scott to have Shaw captured by the X-Men for "crimes against mutant-kind." Approaching him later in his cell, Emma reveals that she has captured Shaw for Namor and on the basis that the Sentinels he commissioned were ones later used by Cassandra Nova to destroy Genosha. She sentences him to remember nothing but the faces of the Genoshan victims using her telepathy. "

So, no Brazillian Rainforests...? No Wild Sentinels...? Just having Sebastian Shaw to blame, then wasting him as a future antagonist...?

*roll eyes*