Clan of the Gray Wolf

The Way Games Work: PlayStation Move

August 15th, 2010 |

Roo explains the inner workings of the upcoming PlayStation Move peripheral. Just how much is it like the Nintendo Wii? How well can we expect the motion controls to work? And what's with that glowing ball on top? Answers to these questions and more in this episode of "The Way Games Work".

10 comments |

Tags: The Way Games Work

It might be new, but it's inifinitly Bioshock

August 14th, 2010 |

Commodore128

I don't normally simply re-post things here from other sites. Nor do I throw my weight behind the hype machine of the game industry with any regularity. But there are special occasions where I feel amply moved by something to post about it here. Today is one of those days. This week, a very dramatic (although maybe not all that surprising) announcement came from irrational Games through their head man, and one of my heroes in videogames Ken Levine. This is the studio that created Bioshock, one of my favorite games of the last few years and, perhaps more interestingly, had absolutely nothing to do with the Bioshock sequel. Well it turns out that Ken and the crew weren't just sitting around the studio twiddling their thumbs or playing Peggle. They also weren't fleshing out the film that is reportedly being made with the Bioshock license (joy!) They've been hard at work at a new game in the Bioshock universe that has a few surprises in it: Bioshock Infinite.

Rather than go through and flesh all of it out, I'll just post some videos for your perusal. The first is the trailer which is quite captivating, providing a provocative game experience combined with a few evocative feelings from us that are fans of the series.

Commodore128's blog |

Login or register to post comments

Understanding the Internet better through Absurdity

August 11th, 2010 |

Roo

The internets can be a scary and confusing place at times. Lolcats, Weegees, Numa Numas...

Like many people, I like to think I'm hip. That I'm with it. But one man alone can't keep track of all the memes the web seems to plop out at an alarming rate. You may be familiar with the informative knowyourmeme.com, which keeps track of all the somewhat well known internet phenomena and explains it in easy to understand English.

What you may NOT be aware of (though you probably are) is the Know Your Meme YouTube channel, which explains memes in easy to understand English, but with bonuses like cute girls in labcoats and Weird Al Yankovic to help. Prepare to waste the rest of your day there.

Bonus bit of tid: One of my favorite memes is "If You Watch X Backwards, It’s About Y"

Roo's blog |

1 comment

Reflection on the best of games

August 6th, 2010 |

Commodore128

Me too...

I have a question for all of you gamers out there. Have you ever played a game that you really connected with? And I'm not talking connected like holding a vibrating controller or crouching into a Virtual Boy. I'm talking about a game or series of games that touched you or just engaged you deeply on an emotional level. Sure, we've all had the conversation with our friends about our “favorite” games but I'm not sure that quite gets to it since many games that we love for one reason or another has nothing to do with emotional connection with it. For example I love Puzzle Quest but I doubt I'm surprising anybody in saying that it never really engaged me emotionally or touched me in any deep way. It's just a good game, it's not the greatest thing to happen to videogames.

But my question for all of you today is do you have games that really have gone to that extra level and touched you? Maybe you don't. Maybe the games you play are pure entertainment oriented, and the thrill of playing and eventually beating a game is the most important part for you. Maybe you like videogames but you're looking more for a way to occupy your mind, preferring not to think, let alone feel anything. Maybe you're a cold and heartless individual with an impossible threshold for emotional connection. But I'm betting here that most of you already have an answer to my question.

Commodore128's blog |

12 comments

More Than Just a Game

August 4th, 2010 |

Roo

Today I've got a little something different. A few weeks ago, someone had seen my mega-sized review of EarthBound and felt that they should share a story of how much the game had affected their life. I was actually rather humbled and touched that someone would open up so much to another person who's essentially a stranger on the internet, but open up he did.

I'd like to share his story with you. Yes, it's ostensibly about EarthBound, but it's really a story that could be retold countless times about many young gamers with almost any game. Sometimes growing up a geek can be hard. Sometimes you're lonely. Sometimes you're ostracized. Sometimes others just don't get why certain characters, storylines, or musical pieces from games can resonate so much with you. But it's sobering when you realize that there are many, many people who know exactly how it feels - and how these simple games can shape lives.

The entire story is below the bump (I only edited personal details like names and e-mail addresses that I figured would be inappropriate to share. And warning, there are spoilers for EB).

Roo's blog |

8 comments

16-Bit Gems #16: Alien Soldier (Genesis/Mega Drive)

August 1st, 2010 |

Roo

Roo explores one of the best run & gun games ever made - and one that didn't originally make it to America - with Alien Soldier. This game has it all: Tons of bosses, great weapons, a cyborg chicken... In fact, you could call the game not just a gem, but a "treasure". Yuk yuk yuk, thanks folks, we'll be here all week. Try the veal!

11 comments |

Tags: 16-Bit Gem

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Changes

July 30th, 2010 |

Commodore128

Turn and face the strain. It was so easy for David Bowie to sing it, but the fact is folks that change can be tough. Well today I’m gonna open up a bit and get off the videogame/geek track as well if you don’t mind. I’ve got some major changes coming in my life and without setting off any alarm bells, I’d like to let everybody here know. :)

I’m making major career changes beginning next week which marks a very exciting time in my life, but it also might bring a few more hinderences to the work I do for the CotGW. I’m not absolutely sure yet what my schedule will look like in the coming months, but I will say that at any moment, my free time may go from little (which it is already) to none. If this happens, I wanted to give everybody a heads up to how I'm going to proceed.

Commodore128's blog |

5 comments