Thyroid

I messed-up the thread title. Sorry. Thought I'd fixed it. Anyone here with the power to do so, feel free to change it. It's still interesting, because of what happened to Infinity Ward. Although it's not an entirely accurate example, as Blizzard is higher-up the chain, it's still worth noting.

Speaking of Breach, PAX and stupid (or in this case high people): wQmXifRw9nM

Is this any good? Blah, I know it's not the thread for it, but allow me to post a bit of fiction.

Woohoo! I'm so excited I did a little tap dance and squeed. Concept art. Hmm! Official site. Edit: As Thorn's now dumped thread mentioned (sorry ), you can get a free episode of Ice Station Santa (S02E01) at the official site, plus a couple of excellent deals.

Simple, effective, brilliant. Editing at its finest. 6IPAGXyFvrs

Video games: the addiction Tom Bissell was an acclaimed, prize-winning young writer. Then he started playing the video game Grand Theft Auto. For three years he has been cocaine addicted, sleep deprived and barely able to write a word. Any regrets? Absolutely none. The article itself is a little tedious, but that subtitle had me laughing rather loudly.

What the fuck. A MacGuffin is an object or goal that the characters are chasing after - it's the papers in the spy's suitcase, the cursed treasure the pirates are seeking. It's what moves the plot forward. It doesn't need to be explained, but that's only because it isn't essential to the surface of the plot. An origami appearing in Ethan's hand is very much essential to the plot... Here's of Hitchcock explaining it better than I can.

Some do, but if memory serves they don't keep the job for long. A large percentage try to get involved in the case by one way or another, though.

I saw Shutter Island the other day. It was good. I didn't think much of the book, but the story works better in movie form - partially, I think, due to Scorsese's masterful direction. It's not camerawork or anything like that; he just knows how to keep you riveted. All in all, it's worth checking out if you want a decent-to-good thriller, but you'll lose nothing by waiting to rent it.

Though there's a lot of issues with Heavy Rain's writing, the largest one - and the one that I think goes unnoticed - is the killer's motive. Let me explain. A serial killer will murder for a certain fulfillment. Ted Bundy, for example, murdered women of a certain age, look, and most importantly hair style - features that reminded him of his mother [edit: or some girl he was in love with; I don't remember, really]. Ed Kemper did something similar, and his own career ended after he actually killed his mother. He handed himself in; he was done. There's loads of ways people to reach that point; it's usually a long, consistent process of abuse. You stuff a child into the cracks and keep him there long enough, he'll crawl out a monster. . Not that most of this would be a problem if the game weren't taking itself so seiously. PS:There's a flashback set in 1977, but with a character that says "Yippie kie yay". How come?

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Heh, considering that it's standard for customs here to charge 600%, be happy. A $1000 used car you buy from Korea will end-up costing you $6000 on the border alone.

If you like crime novels, read Charles's Willeford's Miami Blues. It is one of the best novels I've ever read. This isn't said with any of the self-doubt, delusion, or bashfulness that came with my declaring Lester Bangs the best writer of last century (decidedly, he isn't). I'd be reading the sequel already, if I could. Here's an excerpt, if you're so inclined to buy the book (which you should be):

Incidentally, anyone ever pick-up any Idle Thumbs references in TTG games? I remember 8-Bit Is Enough having something a reference to "The Wizaaaard", but that's about it.

Yeah, that's come up a bunch of times. Maybe they'll just gradually change it? It starts out as a bunch of roots, and then slowly changes to steel? And yeah, I really dislike Guybrush's expressions and face. That's my main beef with this SE. Here's hoping they fix 'er.

This is one of my favorite pasttimes, and I especially love seeing people play adventure games. It's like a casual version of playtesting, and you see what works and what doesn't. is a favorite: the guy, playing The Secret of Monkey Island: SE, starts out weirded-out and confused, but is laughing and loving it by the end. Lovely transition, and shows how the game, apart from some obscure, niggling puzzles, has aged gracefully.

Red Riding looks good. It's a trilogy presented as one movie or somethng, with three different directors. I've been craving good crime fiction ever since I finished Charles Willeford's Miami Blues; this looks like it could be the remedy. Ebert liked it. (Youtube).

For PC and I think Mac, yes.

Indeed it does. Also, I'm surprised at how the Telltale engine has grown! I just pre-order'd. Typically Telltaleish, I stay up till well into the wee hours of the a.m., get some sleep, and learn the next day that the site launced minutes after I hit the sack.

It just occurred to me that the "puzzles" thing could be the long-lost "medium difficulty" mode.

The characters - apart from Guybrush and Elaine - look fine to me (Guybrush is a bit too boyish, Elaine a little too angry). LeChuck is a highlight. I'm not sure about the puzzles. It's probably a joke - or, Schafer and Gilbert (who seems a bit involved) are fixing shit up. Not sure *what* they're fixing, as MI2 is a pretty complete experience - especially, I think, towards the end.

Some new details. I guess an episode is the new game's equivalent of a Zone?

Game Informer scans. Tad bit spoiler-ish. The game looks like it's going to rock, though. The snippets of dialogue are hilarious. Day one pre-order for me.

While I agree that the way they finally revealed it was anti-climactic, more Portal is a good thing, overriding any disappointment I have and resulting in a joyous squeeeeeeeeeeeee, as children would say.

"Runic's official position: Fuck Kotick. We Stand With Infinity Ward." I wonder if that's wise.