I spent the last hour reading allegations that Eidos dangled a six-digit advertising deal over GameSpot’s head in order to have long-time editor Jeff Gerstmann fired for the critical tone of his now-pulled 6/10 video review of Kane and Lynch (a text-only review remains). Whatever the real story, Gerstmann is currently out of a job.Truth be told, game makers have long since pressured gaming media to publish favorable game reviews as a higher score equates to greater sales. And while most publications will tell you otherwise (even self-serving at times), my sources confirm that several outlets have delt with the dilemma and even succumbed to filthy lucre.
The good news is the current publicity surrounding the issue will end up benefiting our favorite hobby in terms of its integrity, or lack thereof. Sadly, I’m not sure my fellow gamers want honest reviews, at least from the critics.
Continue reading at Infendo…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3BTuX_7qXI[/youtube]
Here’s a clever Canadian TV spot released in 2007 for Mr. Sub that lampoons Mormon missionaries — something I had the honor of experiencing for two years (’99-00) while in Brazil. Good times. Funny commercial.[via Don Loper]
Google has released an updated version of Google Maps Mobile (2.0) that includes a “my location” feature in addition to the proven mapping goodness. The jerry rig GPS uses cell towers to approximate your positioning. I tried it on my Blackberry, and it was eight blocks off from my actual position — but still pretty good for my general vicinity. You’d be screwed in areas with zero cell phone service, but cool nonetheless. Here’s hoping accuracy increases once the application leaves beta.
Photo credit: GigaOm
Rob Walker of the New York Times seemingly belittles the enjoyment level of my latest addiction, Guitar Hero III. And I quote:
“You’re not actually playing the guitar. No matter how good you may get at Guitar Hero, if you decide to take up the real instrument at some point, you’ll be starting from scratch.”
Being that the man writes for the Times, I’m sure he can appreciate the difference between the entertaining fantasy of video games and the dedication required to learn, play, and ultimately enjoy creating live music — in this case with a guitar.
Guitar Hero works, however, because it convincingly feels like you are a seasoned musician, even if you play real guitar like myself.
I’ve played rhythm guitar for 14 years now. I’ve also performed live in several bands to crowds upwards of 300 people. It is a powerful experience.
Why would I play Guitar Hero then? Because I can be the lead guitarist that I never was. Because I can play songs that otherwise would take much more practice to pull off. Because I can stir feelings from my youth — a memorable time in my life that has since past as the adult in me pursues more rewarding ends.
That’s why.
Lindsey, Sadie, Maddie, and I took a three hour drive to Moab, Utah the day after Thanksgiving to do a little casual site seeing. In between Sadie’s public disturbances, we managed to take some pictures of the beautiful red rock country.
Arches National Park
Here’s Lindsey and Maddie about two thirds into the three mile Delicate Arch hike. Unfortunately for six week old Maddie, this is one of the few pictures of her as she opted for sleep in lieu of curiosity.
Continue reading…
We’re betting you already have an ample supply of choice games to play this Christmas given the recent glut of releases. But that doesn’t mean the following titles aren’t deserving of your attention. Afflicted by a lack of advertising, an unfamiliar name, or just taking a back seat to Halo and Mario, these unsung holiday games should be on your radar — if not your game shelf.
Continue reading at GamePro…
Publicly professing your gratitude once a year makes up for an otherwise selfish individual, right? Whatever the case, here are 10 things I’m thankful for in 2007, a day before Thanksgiving — some genuine, others with tongue in cheek. Continue reading…
Lindsey and I were channel surfing on Saturday night before stopping on PBS HD to listen to the charismatic Paolo Nutini live in concert. I came away very impressed with the 20-year old Scottish-Italian that sounds like a mix of Bob Marly and Bob Dylan. Man, can he sing.
His album, These Streets, features the most original lyrics I’ve listened to all year. Last Request, Rewind, Million Faces, These Streets, New Shoes, White Lies, and Autumn all come highly recommended. Definitely check out this easy listening if you haven’t already.
[Currently Drinking: Shirley Temple]
To fade or not to fade, that is the question.
Fact: Nintendo’s Wii is on track to outsell Sony’s record-setting PS2 at 115 million units sold. That’s according to comparative NPD sales data for both systems. No other console has sold faster in its first eight months of availability than the Wii.
Despite its undisputed initial success, however, several industry pundits remain unconvinced. “The Wii will fade,” they say, suggesting that the machine’s novel motion-controls and antiquated graphics will soon cause the system to wane in popularity.
Continue reading at GamePro…
Our family camera of three and a half years has been having aperture issues for a while. The trusty Canon would still take pictures, but the quality was getting progressively worse. Still, that didn’t deter me from stretching my dollar.
This morning, however, I noticed spilt chocolate milk all over the camera. Lindsey and the girls were visiting their grandpa in Salt Lake City last night, and the two products must have crossed wires in the diaper bag.
It was as good of an excuse as any to finally upgrade to the digital SLR camera shown above.
I currently use Bloglines as my feed reader of choice. It’s gotten the job done over the past three years, and overall I’m happy with it. But if there were a feed reader that could do the following, I’d make the switch to a new platform:
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Timed feeds. I should be able to regulate my individual feed intake. I’ve already cut down my total feeds from 400 to 40, but there are still feeds that I’d like to have updated either once a week or once a month while others get updated daily.
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Feed restrictions. This is more of an extension of the above item, but I’d love to restrict feed consumptions during certain hours (read: 9-5) to optimize productivity. Mindless thumbing through my feeds is more fun than performing menial work that still needs to be done.
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Feed priority. Again, this is related to item one, but I’d consider bumping my feeds back up if I could prioritize and time them. Tagging would be nice as well as better integration with Del.ici.ous and/or saved feed items.
Does such a reader exists? How would you improve your feed reader?
Link
NOTE: I run XP on my desktop and OS X on my PowerBook.
I haven’t played in a band for years — until tonight. It wasn’t the kind I used to enjoy as a confused teenager or hipster undergrad. But it sure felt the same.
I’m talking about Guitar Hero III for Wii; specifically playing online together with an old friend from high school, Casey Willis.
We took turns playing imaginary guitar and bass in real-time on Fisher Price-like axes — he in Georgia, and I in Utah. Even though I work online for a living, I’m still amazed by the simple things the internet is capable of achieving. In this case helping two has-beens feel young again.
And we didn’t even have to deal with a mediocre PA system.
Libertarian underdog Ron Paul raised more than $4.2 million yesterday — the greatest single day fund raising amount of any Republican so far and third only to Clinton and Obama this year. The Associated Press tells why: “Paul advocates limited government and low taxes like other Republicans, but he stands alone as the only GOP presidential candidate opposed to the Iraq war. He also has opposed Bush administration security measures that he says encroach on civil liberties.”
My Blackberry inexplicably died on Saturday afternoon while napping on the kitchen counter. Two years of age seemingly put the kibosh on the device’s ability to connect to T-mobile.
So I called T-mobile to solve the issue. It turned out my phone had in fact died and was no longer under warranty. I would need to buy a new phone.
Reality bearing down, I decided to do what I’ve done so many times to successful results as a consumer: ask if my continued business would be worth an exception — in this case having to fork over $100 for a replacement.
“You’ve been with us a long time, Mr. Snow,” the last manager happily said over the phone. “We’ll send out a new phone right away (read: your $1200/year cell phone account is worth a $100 concession).”
Half of life is simply asking.
The conventional “rise in development cost” argument doesn’t always add up — here’s why.
When Microsoft released the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005, it marked the first time that console gamers would be treated to high-definition graphics in all their detailed glory. It also marked the beginning of an era where major game publishers would impose a $10 next-gen tax — $60 per game instead of the usual $50.
Rumblings of a price increase for video games began in 2004 as publishers non-exclusively decided that a $10 price hike would help offset the rise in production costs as more and more money was being spent on big budget games. The move, in theory, would help mitigate the high risk of releasing video games. Microsoft and Sony obliged with the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), but interestingly not everyone got on board.
Continue reading at GamePro…
The toy compact disc you see pictured above is not compatible with PS3 hardware — in fact, the little booger is twice as thick as standard CDs.
But the irregular gauge nor warranty endangerment would keep my little Sadie from trying to play “I’m a Little Tea Pot” on the ill suited $500 machine this past Monday. Amazingly, the PS3 took the disc, but wouldn’t give it back — the Blu-ray drive was in duress.
Continue reading…
According to the Federal Trade Commission (PDF), more than 30 million Americans fell for one of the top 10 scams of 2005.
10. Business Opportunities: .8 mil
9. Credit Repair Scams: 1.2 mil
8. Advance-Fee Loans: 1.7 mil
7. Unauthorized Billing – Internet Services: 1.8 mil
6. Credit Card Insurance: 2.1 mil
5. Work-at-Home Programs: 2.4 mil
4. Prize Promotions: 2.7 mil
3. Unauthorized Billing: Buyers Clubs 3.2 mil
2. Foreign Lottery Scams: 3.2 mil
1. Fraudulent Weight-Loss Products: 4.8 mil
Part of me wants to feel sorry for these 30 million people — just because you can exploit the ignorant doesn’t mean you should. But the other part of me thinks these dupes got what they paid for: succumbing to naivety or believing that cutting corners can produce superfluous results.
Enter the most absolute of all cliches: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” But alas, people don’t want wisdom — they want to avoid hard work at all costs.
[via Consumerist]
TV Spot #1: Horribly bad acting. Laughable. A waste of money.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30yxHqSUva8[/youtube]
TV Spot #2: Direct, effective, though slightly forgettable.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay4vXZWxeuU[/youtube]
Outdated visuals suck. Enter the high-resolution remake; an effective way to revitalize and modernize classic gameplay for a new generation of gamers or for those wanting to experience a favorite for the second time. For a good example of what we’re talking about, think of Super Contra on Xbox Live Arcade or even New Super Mario Bros. on the DS.
Due to their enduring levels and game design, these are the games that would most benefit from high definition graphics, updated sound, and extra content.
Continue reading at GamePro…
Seth Mnookin, a freelancer of four years, waxes poetic on the subject of unproductive efficiency in a recent Wired column:
“My campaign to increase productivity had become yet another distraction — and a significant one. Suddenly I needed to time-manage my time management… [so] I forced myself to quit optimizing how I get things done and start actually getting things done.”
Amen to that — and precisely in line with what Timothy Ferriss counsels in The 4-Hour Work Week. Productivity, not efficiency, is paramount. Now if I could only practice what I preach…
I’m a big fan of video games. I write about them, play them, and deny my addiction to them when not eating out with Lindsey and the girls or watching sports. One game I’m particularly excited for this holiday is Rock Band.
The Associated Press has the story: “While “Guitar Hero” limits participants to one instrument, “Rock Band” will accommodate a singer, a lead guitar, a base or rhythm guitar and a drum kit. To score points, players must hit exactly the right note, the right tempo or sing in key. “You can play it alone, with your friends, or online,” says Brent Dady, product manager of EA.”
I’ll still buy the new Guitar Hero later this month when it’s released on Wii, but am anxious to play Rock Band with a group of friends. Interestingly, the latter game is getting so much attention that music labels are asking how they can get involved to combat struggling album sales.
Rock Band releases Nov. for Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2 with a Wii version expected earlier next year.
The AP explores the phenomenon of Brazilian technobrega – a movement that encourages and exploits pirated music in an effort to promote ticket sales of live show performances. It’s a very interesting read on a country I know and love.
From the article: “‘Piracy is the way to get established and get your name out. There’s no way to stop it, so we’re using it to our advantage,’ explains Gabi Amarantos, who frequently appears on Brazilian TV on the strength of bootleg sales of her CDs (from which artists don’t get a cut).”
Again, if you haven’t already go watch Good Copy Bad Copy like now. Go on. Shoo! It’s really good — though it does contain some explicit language given the coverage of hip hop music and copyrights.
… While looking from my living room window (in Orem). Photo was taken with a point and click digital camera made by Canon that cost $119 when purchased three years ago. Don’t be fooled: It’s the beautiful surroundings — not the camera or camera man.
I love Utah.
Answer: prominently list your service fees on your home page to weed out unfitting clients.
If you sell products, this is a no-brainer. But since a majority of U.S. business are service-based companies, this is a must if you want to spend more time closing business instead of qualifying it. At the least, and when using custom bids, you should be listing your minimum purchase order on your home page (yes, I said home page) — and DON’T bury your pricing; make it palpable.
“But I don’t compete on pricing, so there’s no need to list my fees,” you may exclaim. Neither do I. But the reality remains that a majority of consumers still do, so you’d be wise in politely showing ill-suited customers the door sooner rather than later — it really is better for all involved.
I’ve been doing this for two years now and can honestly say it has increased my close rate while improving my sales effectiveness (read: no more wasting time on clients I’m not well-suited for). I regularly refer prospective web clients to my single-page (though outdated) site to ensure they understand from the get-go if I’m within their budget.
Madison Snow spawned Thurs. Oct. 11, 2007 at 4:22pm MDT. She weighed 8.2 oz and is 19 inches long. Mom and baby doing fine…
Hello world!
Continue reading…
Steve Krug argues in his book Don’t Make Me Think! that a good program or product should let users accomplish their intended tasks as easily and directly as possible. The less time it takes a person to complete a desired task (even if only by a few seconds), the more satisfying it becomes. When that happens, people are more likely to use a product in greater frequency and return for more. So in the spirit of improved usability, here are ten standard features every videogame designer should embrace.
Continue reading at Business Week…
Despite its problems, the United States is still the most opportune place to go from rags to riches.
I refamiliarized myself with this concept two weeks ago after stumbling upon a program on CNBC that examined the storied (and controversial) history of the McDonald’s burger empire.
The report profiled one man who was raised in the slums without an education. Fifteen years ago he started in fries at the Golden Arches. Now he’s about to become a franchisee. The move will make him a millionaire given all the business McDonald’s generates but predicated on the man’s dedication.
Stories like this inspire and remind me that monetary riches are made by perseverance, not by industry.
Sadie woke up early today. After getting up with her and dozing off on the couch, she unfortunately decided to turn on the Today Show on NBC. I don’t watch morning shows, and now I know why. The programming is pathetic — it’s like a prolonged advertisement filled with periodic non-news and weather updates every 10 minutes. Just horrible…
Which made me wonder: Will morning shows continue to air once the baby-boomer generation passes on? Who else is watching this dross?
My first born turns two today. Happy birthday, squirt! Slide show by her mother.
As the Tokyo Game Show comes to a close, we pay homage to the major gaming contributions wrought in Japan with a nifty time line spanning more than a century.
1889 – Nintendo is formed in late September by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards which are used for several popular Japanese games. Over the years the company will transform into one of the most powerful and influential video game companies in the world.
1941 – Gunpei Yokoi is born. His ingenuity in creating a mechanical arm for his own enjoyment while on the job would later inspire Nintendo authoritarian president Hiroshi Yamauchi to extend Nintendo’s business beyond that of playing cards. Yokoi would go one to design Metroid and the Game Boy before dying in a car crash in 1997.
Continue reading at GamePro…
I got a good chuckle today in reading a comment by my younger sister Lexia on my wife’s blog.
“Considering that the last time I set my alarm was for 5:30 PM, I would not consider myself ambitious when it comes to setting clocks,” she replied when asked about her wake-up schedule. “I am the complete opposite of ambitious. I am not a morning person either and hate any kind of sound before noon.”
Now that’s an idiosyncrasy!
Even though Wal-Mart spreads like a germ, as evidenced in this video, times are changing (sorta).
The Wall Street Journal reports: “Wal-Mart’s influence over the retail universe is slipping. In fact, the industry’s titan is scrambling to keep up with swifter rivals that are redefining the business all around it. It can still disrupt prices, as it did last year by cutting some generic prescriptions to $4. But success is no longer guaranteed.”
Note: I shop and buy groceries at Wal-Mart.
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated images 30 musician’s who also happen to be avid sports fans… Eddie Vedder a Cub’s fan and Robert Plant a tennis enthusiast. Who knew?
I wrote the following for the November issue of Business 2.0. Unfortunately, the magazine went under in October. Just my luck.
I purchased the Pantone Huey a few months ago on a recommendation by a friend. I had heard of monitor calibrators before, but mistakenly thought they only benefited persons with noticeable monitor discrepancies. The problem is that many times the human eye doesn’t readily observe discoloration, thus their owners continue to live in an imprecise and misrepresented world. The Huey has received many awards, it’s affordable, and it’s from the creator of the most widely-used color classification system around. In addition, the hardware enhances visibility for a variety of lighting environments and supports both Windows and Macintosh operating systems. Since first using the Huey, my monitor accuracy has peaked ensuring that both my readability and usability projects are done in superlative form.
After 10 million votes, the results are in. Designer Mark Ecko will brand Barry Bonds’s record-breaking home run ball with an asterisk and the Hall of Fame will accept it — blemishes and all. Let it serve as a reminder that it takes more than a number to earn the respect of your peers.
“This ball wouldn’t be coming to Cooperstown if Marc hadn’t bought it from the fan who caught it and then let the fans have their say,” Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey told The Associated Press. “We’re delighted to have the ball. It’s a historic piece of baseball history.”
What a *perfect* exhibit for a museum.
DISCLOSURE: After reading Game of Shadows and numerous reports, I’ve come to the conclusion that a) Barry Bonds is not a cool dude, and b) he knowingly took steroids in an effort to break records despite his being one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game.
Mercury News
Microsoft released Halo 3 for Xbox 360 today. The game will sell millions, it’s already getting very good reviews, and Microsoft hopes (and needs) the game to be the biggest entertainment launch in history to reverse ongoing losses in its Xbox division.
“With nary a pirate, a spider or a wand in sight, day-one sales of [Halo 3] are expected to shatter entertainment sales records and top the biggest entertainment launches of all time,” Microsoft said in a statement. The current holder of that record is Sony’s Spider Man 3.
Over the weekend, Microsoft sent out what game journo Dean Takahashi called “propaganda: an $800 bribe (shown above) to convince the gaming press that Halo 3 is the biggest event of the year.” Takahashi says he’ll send the free loot back to Microsoft in an effort to tame the hype.
I could be wrong, but assuming Takahashi’s calculations are correct, the swag bag could be one of the most exorbitant press kits ever released. But will it serve its purpose in convincing the world by way of glowing coverage that Halo 3 is a mass media event that transcends rank and file video game enthusiasts like myself?
I’m not so sure.
Halo 3 needs to be more than a great game to achieve its commercial objectives. It needs to boost and maintain solid Xbox 360 sales which have slowed in a post-Wii world. It needs to offset the $10 million plus in marketing costs that Microsoft has so far shelled out. It needs to appeal to a lot more people than it has in the past even though the third installment is largely the same game.
But it will need more than an auspicious swag bag to accomplish all that, and I don’t think any game, regardless of who makes it, is that good.
… like this one.
My wife Lindsey is a natural writer. Here’s her latest perceptive, genuine, and punchy post on parental expectations, entitled Never Say Never:
Before I became a mom, I had some expectations that I thought were fairly reasonable. Sure, I had heard that each child comes with their own personality, but I wasn’t fully aware of the fact that they really do come with a mind of their own and that they use that mind from a very early age. To show how naive I was, here are just a few things I knew my kids would never do:1) I was never going to have a child that sucked her thumb. Sadie’s been doing this (and continues to do this) since she was 4 months old.
2) I was never going to have a child that was attached to a blanket. Sadie has two.
Continue reading…
A week prior to the third and final game’s release, we examine 20 signs for determining if you’re a Halo addict. Believe.
Continue reading at GamePro…
Clothing designer Mark Ecko bought Barry Bond’s record-breaking 756 home run ball for $750,000. That’s cheap considering all the publicity his brand is getting.
Take it away, ESPN: “Barry Bonds thinks Marc Ecko, the man who purchased the ball from his 756th home run, is wasting his money, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle. Ecko, a fashion desiginer, purchased the baseball for $750,000 and is taking votes on the Internet on what he should do with it: Give the ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame, brand it with an asterisk or blast it into space.”
This story will run in every major sports section in the nation. Ecko Clothing, which targets sports fans, will see an influx of web traffic and brand interest. Sales will spike, not to mention Ecko’s mindshare, and the brilliant marketer would have done it for a measly $750,000 greenbacks.
Nice form.
What constitutes a colossal flop? After hours upon hours of research (thanks Google and Wikipedia!), the following games were selected from a pool of mediocrity due to their brazen use of hype, failed expectations, dismal sales, or all of the above.
Continue reading at GamePro…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXIGeGhEhAs[/youtube]
Watch the replay. Surly a sign of the times.
BYU committed 14 penalties for an unthinkable total of 138 lost yards in their 55-47 loss to lowly Tulsa on Saturday.
Who’s to blame for the slipshod play? Head coach Bronco Mendenhall — the guy seemingly doesn’t discipline his players.
Said the coach after the game, “On the offensive side, we executed at our highest level.”
You did? Four sloppy turnovers and 138 lost yards (a large part of which were on offensive) are superlative execution? You’re living in la-la land if you think that, Mendenhall.
How about you make your entire team run 100 wind-sprints for every penalty committed, regardless of the offender? Do the same if not more for turnovers. Having never coached college football, I can guarantee those penalties, fumbles, and interceptions will rapidly decrease as a result.
You don’t have to win, just hold on to the freaking ball and don’t commit careless mistakes.
Mountain West Conference teams, BYU chief among them, have no case in whining and complaining about a lack of respect offered by mainstream media when compared to stalwart SEC, ACC, Big 10, and Pac 10 teams. How can you respect this kind of mediocrity?
The answer: you can’t.
It’s been more than two years since I’ve seen a live band perform, the last being a piano-rock trio named Keane. Before that, it was 2-3 years since seeing a live concert as this thing called life, family, and work slowly takes over.
Tonight I’m going to seeing another trio named Muse with some friends. While I enjoy groups of all sizes (I’m an equal-opportunity fanman), I’ve always liked three-man rock bands for the following reasons: Continue reading…
As the voting season slowly heats up, I (an unaffiliated, apathetic voter) would like to know:
Why/why not in the comments, please.
Lindsey and I are anxiously awaiting the pending arrival of our second child next month, a girl that will don the ever-popular name of Madison (Maddie for short). Despite my being a newbie dad, I’ve learned a few tricks in keeping a pregnant wife happy.
Here are five suggestions for doing just that.
- This first one should be obvious, but just in case: Never tell a pregnant women she’s fat. She knows this. Also, her feet (and maybe even her legs) will inevitably swell with water due to the added weight of a baby. Don’t be a retard; avoid this one at all costs. Continue reading…
Take it away, Mr. Jobs:
“We have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple’s website next week… We want to do the right thing for our valued iPhone customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to live up to your high expectations of Apple.”
Nice form. (Thanks, Nic!)
Steve Jobs told a class of Stanford undergraduates in 2005: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” meaning don’t let external factors such as other people’s thinking dictate how you make a livelihood. In short, do what you love.
But doing what you love is just some overused romantic expression that doesn’t really apply outside of über geeks like Jobs, right? Wrong. Despite its being cliché and having been hijacked by get-rich-quick schemes, doing what you love can be achieved by anyone assuming you have the patience to seek it out, have the guts to act on your instincts, and are not easily persuaded by societal pressures when determining your career path.
Continue reading…
