Wrestlevania

Top closing punnage.

Toss.

The many-orificed alien he's about to atomic double-fist, obviously.

Dr.Gash and one's self have recently started another, more frequently updated and less ambitious project together. Our intended format for Play's Lost Diablog was a bit of a behemoth to wrestle with on a regular and timely basis, sadly. We're planning to keep the idea of Play's alive there somehow though, likely in the form of a category, so we can still post longer, more considered pieces, as well as the topical commentary. We've only posted a few things so far though, so probably not worth adding it for now I guess. Quite proud of the name, mind...

I know it's a bit of a sore (groin) subject 'round these parts, but... thoughts?

You know, I've just realised: that screenshot screams Gay Exchange...

Do you have trouble getting people to hold your "hand" then, Ginger?

I didn't realise that was from Heavy Rain! Thought it was someone's mucking about with Alyx in Garry's Mod. Edit: Further hilarity...

Blame Prey. And Gears of War. Now show me your boobies, you fossilised bigotry simulator.

(In all seriousness, I wonder if GameSpot ever really will be able to shake this perception of being bought now.) Anyway, this is just another "well known" game designer courting media interest by talking shite. Braben, Molyneux, Dyack -- they all do this on a fairly regular basis. More frequently if the launch of their next game is imminent. Personally, I never found the Heavy Rain trailer impressive with regards to the uncanny valley. It's still a talking clockwork mannequin.

This one's even more fun -- squeeze her tits and her arse gets bigger!

I'm working late (again) and have Deadmau5's haunting Faxing Berlin on loop... Edit: In fact fuck it, download Retroid's Summer Breeze 2007 Promo Mix (Part 1) (it's in the Media section) and turn it up to 11. Amazing, beautiful, intelligent dance music.

's all good, Holmes...

3rd one's out.

To be clear: I started last night on episode 3 as I've watched the first two a couple of times in the past, in an effort to get into the series, but then failed to make a habit of it. For me, there was enough style and intrigue in the first two to want to stick with it. It's just that watching it on my laptop is uncomfortable, anti-social and inconvenient. Being able to watch it on my TV via the 360 is a real boon and much more likely to keep me watching now. I'm just worried that I won't be able to switch off at a sensible hour now!

Poor, simple cow's finally snapped. Can't condemn her for it either.

I liked the demo. Very polished. Not my sort of game though.

I sat down and watched episodes 3, 4 and 5 of season 1 of The Wire last night and, upon reflection this morning, it does seem kind of slow to get going. But then it's about building up the complexity of the different characters' relationships. And they're genuinely interesting and non-typical portrayals, which makes a tangible difference. All the build-up is starting to get pretty nail-biting already, too. I can't wait to watch some more tonight!

So what now, what with the advertorial prolapse over at GameSpot highlighting just how fickle we - as consumers - are supposed to be? N'gai Croal highlighted well the fragility of the publisher ad-supported games media in terms of its vulnerability to "supposed" PR manipulation, citing the only truly independent sources for Video game reportage are those publications who do not rely on gert stacks of games publisher's green for sustenance. (As a side note, I don't agree with Croal's citation of MTV as a reliable source as they've recently made video games coverage a core part of their business. In no small part thanks to the captive audience they can offer up to publishers.) But, before we completely derail on the Newsweek article, let me be clear: I'm not interested in dissecting this one particular article here on Thumbs. It's just a small part of the diagnosis, not the problem itself. I want people to talk about how they feel about the whole escapade. Personally, as a reader of computer and Video game magazines since the Spectrum era, this has become glaringly obvious to me over time. You could sum it up simply as this: "Don't play with matches at the petrol station." But that discredits and sweeps aside the far wider issue; is there ever really a way the enthusiast press can ever get away from this parasitic relationship with publishers?

It's the danger of over-reliance on one or two key sources of major commercial funding - from a particular manufacturer, product line, whatever - that's most dangerous. And in this instance your point is more than valid, irrespective of the media sector it's funding. It's never ever going to 100% transparent that what you're reading isn't being influenced by marketing money. But if you can see a publication is being balanced, if their writing is consistent and fair, then you can usually spot the bullshit a mile off. Yes, you have to take the plunge and invest time to build up this trust, but that's why there are so many publications out there. GameSpot mined a very deep vein of trust over the many years it's been around, tapping literally dozens of well-respected freelance Video game journalists to write for them explicitly to build up this trust. Which is why this has caused such an outcry -- the new management have set this huge stockpile of goodwill and respect ablaze, just for a few grubby thousand dollars. Everything about it stank and loyal readers immediately put the pieces together and cried foul.

Splendid, and no less ridiculous than The Day Today's opener -- does the main theme ever actually end?!

That's the point; the only "news" services that have a vested interest in people buying a product are those who rely heavily on those manufacturers for sponsorship. Hence my clarification of ThunderPeel's statement above, as it's largely the enthusiast press who risk biting the hand that feeds them the most.

I've always liked . It implies sickly sweet utopian perfection, yet there's a rather sinister and fragile undercurrent.

I started season 1 at the beginning of the year but never got further than episode 3. Now that the 360 can stream good quality video from my laptop, this should be significantly more enjoyable. Yet another series I've only watched in part, but still really want to dedicate time to.

So, in the meantime, I should steal it like every other worthwhile TV serial of the last 4 years?