Thrik

Nice! That reminds me, it's time for the Christmas avatar.

Interesting survey that Ubisoft has been sending out: http://kotaku.com/ubisoft-is-asking-surprising-questions-about-assassins-1478714690 My impression is that Ubisoft realises the whole sci-fi storyline perhaps isn't so hot now, yet like me they clearly see the value in things like the Animus' database of historical facts (which I have to admit I very much enjoyed in AC2). Lots of very specific questions about exactly what parts of the Ass Creed experience people like. Seems like something worth filling in for those who want more good-ass games.

The Wii U tablet is literally vital for stuff in some games, even if it's just bonus levels. I just can't see it ever happening, and what of the games that need it? Is completionisting those games going to be impossible?

Trying to have any kind of reply-based discussion on Twitter does get irritating quite quickly. Recently we had one going where like six of us were in on it, and by the time everyone's name had been included in the reply (@Guy1, @Guy2, @Guy3, etc) there was hardly any room to actually write anything. Not to mention that following the conversation can be troublesome, and depending on which 'reply' button people click on certain people who joined in later can get left out. So yeah, that part is a bit of a mess. If you don't get involved with responding to tweets much I guess it's not going to be a concern. To my mind, it'd be better having a tweet being its own self-contained instance that people can leave threaded comments on — just like a blog post. But Twitter is such a huge thing with its own cultures and obsessives that I'm pretty sure it's staying how it is.

Excellent:

Rodi I'm definitely enjoying the new album. I do feel it being four long massive tracks (or 42 tiny ones) is a miss, I'd prefer more traditional lengths for easier randomised playlisting — but there's some fantastic instrumentation and writing going on here. Even if he is repeating himself a bit in terms of style (which I would also throw at 01011001), there's still unique stuff on offer. Some tracks have started appearing on YouTube, these are some good tastes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzuyye1Mt1U With that said, I think The Human Equation is going to remain my favourite album, and Universal Migrator Part 1 a close second. I have practically every Ajren album on CD, including Guilt Machine which yes I too very much enjoy.

Heh, heh, heh. That post just reminded me of this Consolevania skit:

I think you guys are underestimating the capability of these things. If you try and fuck with them they will kill you.

This game sounds like a blast. Who's playing it on last-gen consoles? I can't say there's that much visual difference between the versions, but if the PS3 version is also really laggy and such I'll just wait. I've been waiting since Monkey Island 3 for a great new pirate game, after all — a bit longer won't hurt!

I don't think these drone things are likely to be as expensive to build as one might imagine, especially if mass-produced. Look at how quickly they can roll cars out when the demand is there. I'd imagine that Amazon would just write off a certain percentage of them in their budgets the same way they do for returns, lost packages, etc. The weird thing is that the technology is actually all there now, so this kind of idea isn't blowing the mind the way I feel it should. It seems inevitable, really. I'm sure there'll be all sorts of logistical issues, but they'll be overcome. Even if these things are only offered to businesses with contracts, that's still going to be really useful if they want to be able to get things on demand the same day without having couriers do it. And if consumers can benefit from this too as the dream implies, awesome. That point about them being able to take signatures terrifies me, though. It'd probably have one of those digital pen tablets on its top like most delivery drivers tend to use nowadays. But what if its razor-sharp blades start spinning as you're signing it? What if it does it on purpose...?!

Or just a gun.

As far as OCD habits go that's a pretty weird one. Are you even making yourself play the shitty spin-offs and such in order? Man. If Mario had anything remotely resembling a story I'd understand.

First new Ayreon album in some years is out. You definitely have to be open to prog metal and sci-fi cheese to enjoy it, but it's really awesome if you are — one of my all-time favourite artists thanks to the wonderful melodies and instrumentation, but the kind of music I have to listen to alone because wow this is some intense cheese. There's not much to share on YouTube yet so here are some blasts from the past: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW2g4NNKgdE [Edit] Found a preview clip for the new album:

Man, I was listening to some more of Taylor Davies' stuff and it's almost like she's progressively working through my favourite movie themes. I'll put them in spoilers so as to not interrupt the game-focused nature of this thread. But man... this is some good shit.

Jesus Christ. What if they're actually larger versions of the Nano Quadrotors? They could pick grown men up and rip them apart! This could be the beginning of the end.

Nice. Does the share feature not support YouTube yet? I've seen an awful lot of these videos appearing on Facebook but not so many elsewhere. Seems odd as the PS3 has an excellent YouTube app, I'd have thought it'd be #1 on the share list. It has to be coming, though.

You know, until you just said that I didn't even realise they were pre-rendered sprites. I just assumed the 3D models were being rendered Grim Fandango-style. I have to say, in the footage I've seen it definitely doesn't stand out as a problem — most of the game is designed in a sprite-friendly way like the classics it seems. It is an odd decision considering that modern hardware should be capable of rendering that kind of thing in real time. If the game made use of Disney-esque 'fluid' animation I could see an argument for it.

The beta footage that link goes to looks great to me, I think I'm going to enjoy this. It evokes good memories seeing some returning characters from Broken Sword 1 & 2, and the artwork really hits the original style IMO. Certainly beats this mess.

OK, sweet symphonic metal rendition. The bit of the Super Mario World original that kicks in here at about 2:00 gets me every time and is definitely my all-time favourite piece of Mario music.

Well, sadly they only got halfway there. I feel pretty bad for them as they sunk a lot of personal funds to get it to where they did, but I guess that's just the not-go-glam reality of how ambitious indie development can go. Still, at least they've all got great portfolio pieces. Going mobile-only perhaps wasn't the best choice, I'm not sure that many 'gamer' gamers genuinely actually care about mobile games. Maybe the story isn't over yet, who knows. Interestingly, the whole soundtrack was produced and it's pretty good! Hearty and enjoyable pirate music: No, just kidding that last one isn't from the game. But the composer is obviously a fan.

Speaking of which, I've heard in a few places the PS4 doesn't actually have even the PS3's capabilities when it comes to handling music, videos, and pictures. I saw a message from Sony saying they're looking into implementing all that, but I'm sure I read somewhere it doesn't even support MP3s right now...? I'm finding it hard to get clear information about these features exactly — can anyone who has one share? As it is my tentative plan is to get a PS4 next spring/summer when the first part of Metal Gear Solid 5 comes out, but I certainly won't be giving up my PS3 until that's all in place because my whole music and video collections live on it. If anything, I was hoping for that stuff to all be significantly enhanced (album and artist organisation, use of cover art, etc).

I've never done it, but I can only assume that it relates to the desire to be part of 'the next big thing' or 'the moment'. A new wave of consoles coming out doesn't happen awfully often, and it's usually a very exciting time for gamers when it does due to the new possibilities that are unlocked. I guess that in a way it's similar to being one of the first people to own a new iPhone, book, game, or any other product the moment it's released by sitting in the rain all night when you could — like most rational people — just have it delivered or wait a few days, because what the fuck is a few days?

So, shit. This is out in three days! There doesn't seem to have been much in the way of new media to complement the imminent release, I can only assume that a whole stack of screenshots and videos will be out soon. But what I will say is that this just tickled my nostalgia bones very nicely:

I think it's clear that the increasingly lifelike nature of games is destined to unlock one thing: some seriously hilarious videos.