amishler

I am giddy right now. I'm literally giggling at work. And this is probably obvious by now, given Tim's flair with the written word, but even if you don't have a desire to own a particular item, be sure and read all the descriptions. They're awesome. I think I'll start out with the soundtrack and a 2HB poster. I really want the signed print, but I can't justify it at the moment.

Soundtrack? Edit:

Looks like I'd better start stocking up on pants. And neighbors.

I think I'm in love.Also, 66%, though I'm not sure why. I guess I'm hoping for "The Little Intel Extreme Engine That Could."

I can't really speak to how far the show has come since it started, as that's the first episode I've watched, but I agree, and hope, that it will continue to get better as time goes on. I hope it does; I would love to watch a well-done show about new and upcoming games, and I find it promising that they're focusing on less high-profile original games like Psychonauts and (even though I'm not interested in it) Area 51, as opposed to just plugging the latest greatest sequels and franchises.They still have a long way to go before it's something that I would watch on a regular basis, though. My previous posts were an attempt at constructive criticism, pointing out things they could do to make the show run more smoothly and make it more watchable. If it came across as a rant and nothing more, then that's my fault. I majored in journalism/communication, and I take these things too seriously sometimes. But make no mistake about it, this is journalism. They're researching topics, interviewing people, and putting information on the public record. Granted, it's not on the same level as the Pope's death or the price of oil, but the basic principles are (or should be) the same. GameSpot, of all the large gaming sites, is the best place in my opinion for solid gaming print journalism. Therefore, I'm optimistic about their chances of putting together a solid video program as well. I just don't think they're there yet.

Whether for comedic effect or not, you've skipped over the many, many steps between the Ryan MacDonalds and the Tom Brokaws of the world. Of course they shouldn't try to hire someone of that stature; Brokaw's salary alone would probably bankrupt Ziff Davis within a year or two. By the same token, GameSpot doesn't have Bob Woodward writing reviews for them. Still they've managed to put together a staff that's knowledgeable about video games and capable of writing about them in a competent, informative and frequently entertaining manner. If they're going to go full-tilt into another medium like video, they need to do the same thing. Start recruiting at universities' journalism departments. Get people who know how to work a camera, both in front of and behind it. Basically, put the same effort into the video segments as they do for the written portion of the site, or don't do it at all. Half-assed stuff like "On the Spot" just feeds into the notion of games journalism not being on the same level of "real journalism".

My understanding is that when they were working on converting the original Katamari Damacy for European release, they ran into some showstopping problems with the differing framerates between NTSC and PAL, and dropped it. But the plan is to release the second one worldwide, at which point I recommend you give it a try.If KD2 is the exact same game as KD, only with different locations to roll around, I'll still buy it without a second thought. Having said that, I hope they flesh out the multiplayer a bit more. Instead of having just one arena with varying sets of objects to roll up, they could make each in-game level a multiplayer arena. I'm anxiously awaiting more news (and bigger screenshots) of this, as well as the DS version of KD.

I heard Area 51 also incorporates one of the major features of Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels by allowing you to go forwards and backwards, in addition to left and right. Anyone who's read the Double Fine Action News knows that Tim Schafer is an entertaining personality. Granted, he's probably more comfortable as a writer than a speaker, but I've heard good things from people who have attended his presentations at GDC and the like. I think if the "On the Spot" hosts had a better sense of how to run a broadcast show, Tim could have really gone to town, but there was no sense of rhythm on the show. I don't think the idea of a video version of GameSpot is an inherently bad one, but they should get some people on board who have a background in broadcast, rather than these guys, who have all the broadcast skills you'd expect of a couple of print journalists.

I rarely watch their video segments for that reason, though I made an exception yesterday. It was worth it, if for no other reason than for this exchange:GameSpot Guy: I have a question here from Joe Gamer in...MD...is that...Maryland? Tim: Medical Doctor.

Man, and I had been doing so well at not really caring one way or the other about the DS. Those days are now gone. Now I can only hope it drops to $99 by the time DS is released. Also, that Animal Crossing DS doesn't suck my life away like the original did (not bloody likely). And speaking of überfun quirkiness, maybe it's just the fanboy in me, but does anybody else find it tantalizing to think about what Tim Schafer and Double Fine could do with the DS?

When I saw what the shirt actually looks like, I made a trip to my local GameStop and preordered the PC version. It's like Tim says: In a life-or-death situation, it's best to have a loaner copy. The GameStop clerk said the shirts are supposed to be in at the end of this month, which is pretty exciting; I just assumed I would get it at the same time as the game. Unless there's excellent artwork on both sides, I'm thinking of framing it, as I don't have much use for logo-y shirts anymore. Besides, I've been looking for some cool stuff to put on my walls.

I've never understood the point of making a bill contingent on a game's content. Washington (State) tried that a year or two ago; they passed a law making it a crime to sell games to minors that depict violence towards police officers. Of course, the bill's implicit target was Grand Theft Auto and games of that ilk, but technically it also applied to less obvious fare like WarioWare. Because I know that every time I played WarioWare, I immediately wanted to have my pet monkey throw banana peels at police cars to make them skid out of control. Anyway, long story long, the law was declared unconstitutional and thrown out. Which is probably what would happen if this bill passes in Illinois. From a legislative standpoint, why not base the law on a game's rating and make it illegal to sell minors M-rated games? It becomes less of a free speech issue at that point, since it's not directed at specific content, but at the rating that the industry has voluntarily given the game. Better yet, apply the law not just to retailers, but to parents who are so negligent as to let their kids play these games in the first place. If parents were more involved in their children's gaming habits, they'd know better next time Junior asks to borrow the car and get an advance on his allowance so he can buy a monkey and some bananas.

Isn't the PC version $30? Not that $30 is an insubstantial amount compared to $50, but it's a little less anyway. I still haven't been able to get into my 2nd runthrough of KotOR 2; maybe I'll trade it in at GameStop to help pay for the PC version and get the shirt as well...

The EB employee I spoke to this evening wasn't familiar with this particular promotion yet, but said that promotional items are distributed in the order in which the game was reserved, regardless of when the order was placed. So as long as they get the cards I should be safe, as I'm pretty sure I was the first (and may still be the only) person to preorder Psychonauts at that location. I love the fact that Gamestop shows a plain white t-shirt. In keeping with the spirit of the game, I guess we're supposed to use our mental powers to project the actual shirt image onto that blank canvas.

That's a pretty awesome bonus! I hadn't seen it before today. I preordered in January at a local EB. I'm going to stop by after work today and see if 1) the promo applies to retail stores as well as online orders, and 2) I'll still get the deck of cards even though I preordered before they announced it as a bonus. I'm guessing the answer is yes to both, because if it was online only, I could just cancel my preorder, get the balance as a gift card and order it online, depriving the store of revenue. I'm guessing that EB corporate wouldn't be too keen on encouraging the cannibalization of one of their divisions to the benefit of another. And if they were only offering the bonus to people who ordered after it was announced, I could easily cancel my preorder and re-reserve it, which would make no sense at all. But I'll do whatever it takes to get that deck of cards!

I preordered my copy (Xbox) today at my local EB Games. They have a deal right now where you get an extra $10 trade-in value for each pair of games you bring in. I traded six games, most of which go for $20 or less these days, and got $71 in credit. Had I thought about it, I might have used $15 of the other $21 to order the strategy guide. Tim told Moos they've submitted some pretty cool artwork for the book. Instead, I put it towards Xenosaga Episode II. Oh well.

Okay, I either misplaced my hard copy of CGW, or imagined getting it and only have the digital copy. Either way, here's the text of the article (like I said earlier, that's pretty much all there is anyway, save for a large model of Raz that could be found any number of places):

I have the December CGW in digital format. It uses Zinio Reader, which is an enhanced PDF format. If anybody would like a copy, PM me your email address; it allows me to email copies to people, and as far as I know, there's no limit to how many I can send out. In the meantime, you can download the reader here. I also have the hard copy at home; I'll try to get the article scanned and posted tonight (7-8 hours from now). It's one page, mostly text; the only picture is a character model of Raz. Not much we haven't already read/heard, but it's a nice article anyway, introducing the game to the PC crowd. Here's a taste:

According to this GameSpot article (and this Tim Fandango article ), Majesco is the new publisher of Psychonauts. Apparently there was a new trailer shown at G-phoria (the G4/Tech TV gaming award show), and it featured the Majesco logo at the end. This in addition to tips from "well-placed industry sources," which we all know is code for Info Cow. Or Chris. Discuss amongst yourselves. My two cents: I don't know much about Majesco (they apparently publish the GBA Video series, as well as a range of not-quite-blockbuster games like Bloodrayne and Bomberman), but at this point, the fact that it's being published is good enough for me.

Which proves once and for all that AG should provide complete coverage of Psychonauts.That feature list sounds very cool. It takes the best aspects of my favorite genres and combines them into one ubergenre. ("Whoa. What kind of game is that? Platformer? Adventure? RPG?" "No, man...it's Psychonauts." "Whoa." "Indeed.")

Whoa. I was all like, "Cool! This thread has the same name as me." (Fun fact*: my legal last name is Rules, but I had it changed because it seemed a bit presumptuous.) And then I read it, and I was all like, "Hey, not only does this thread have the same name as me, it's about me." And then I was all like, "Whoa. :erm:" But you already knew that part. Yufster, just to clear things up, I wasn't calling you a liar. I was saying that everyone is inherently trustworthy on their birthday, and look! It was true; Tim found a new publisher, just like you said. If the ellipses implied mistrust and/or skepticism, I apologize. I was young and needed the money. (That reminds me, Moos, we never have discussed the profit-sharing scheme for Tim Fandango. Where's my cut?) I agree with the general consensus that Psychonauts isn't a holiday season game. It's better off trying to hit a spot where it's one of the only releases in a one- or two-week period, so it can get more attention and bang for the marketing buck. It probably still won't be a blockbuster, but hopefully it can drum up a lot of word of mouth support. And it stands a much better chance of that if the mystery publisher isn't busy trying to sell an extra 100,000 stocking-stuffer copies of Splinter Cell: Medusa's Teatime, Lord of the Rings: Orcs Gone Wild, or whatever games the kids like these days. *May not be an actual fact. Or fun, for that matter.