My next car...

Minus the racist flag, naturally :)

David

SPIKE AWARDS + GAME AWARDS IN GENERAL

UPDATE: VIDEO UPDATED/FIXED:



Oh and my 10 min. YOUTUBE limit ran out...but I was done rambling anyway :)

And here is the post I did on neo-gaf about the whole GOD OF WAR 3 Trailer reaction:

So my take on all of this, FWIW:

a- The footage aired on Spike looked meh. It was dark and grainy and I was watching on a SD television. But the SAME footage shown in screen grabs from this thread- which I guess was taken off an HDTV playing the footage in HD- was 100% ONE of the two GOD OF WAR 3 things I saw when I was in Santa Monica a few weeks ago. It is NOT the thing I was raving about- as I made clear in a video post a week ago- but I still think it looks darn good. To me, the stuff Spike showed when viewed in proper resolution looks like a AAA God Of War to me. It doesn’t rock my world but it doesn’t look: meh. It looks like I’d expect a next-gen GOW to look. Granted, the team still has a long way to go and I imagine the final game- in all areas- will look much better. But I still thought it looked good. Fair to disagree but at least you know where I am coming from/where my barometer is set for my expectations of AAA next gen graphics.
b- What I was raving about has not been shown outside of internal Sony meetings. I imagine it will be shown soon, but I have no idea. I also assume that the Spike stuff was turned in earlier than the stuff I saw (that I raved about) as the stuff I saw was for a meeting and didn’t need to be edited, reviewed by Spike,Sony marketing,etc. The stuff I saw that I raved about was probably finished 1-2 days before I got to the studios. The Spike stuff I saw had aleady been turned into Spike so it was 100% older. Not that I thought it was bad- again- just I can see how the new stuff I saw looked further along, for sure. And to give you an idea, the stuff I saw that I raved about looked about 25-30% better than what you see in this thread (the Spike footage played on HD). If that’s not exciting and cool enough for you, fair enough. It happened to blow me away and remains the best looking console game I’ve ever seen…beyond Gears 2 which so far is the best looking console game ever released.
c- Fuck you idiots with the painting thing. It’s not semantics, it’s not a trick phrase. If you know God of War then it doesn’t take much of a leap to assume I meant the footage looked like a painting of the concept art or a realistic, but bold and dramatic Renaissance era style painting. I am well aware a painting can be Andy Warhol style or can be Wind Waker style or can be- as one eloquent Gaffer wrote- simply them wiping their ass on paper and calling that a painting. But come on…is this really something you want to bust my balls on? We can argue and debate- when the footage comes out- if you agree with me that the footage DOES INDEED feel like a GOD OF WAR painting/GOD OF WAR concept art piece come to life…that seems a fair debate. But do you people really want to keep wasting your time and energy acting as if I was trying to sneak something by you because the term ‘painting’ can encompass all art styles? I think it was pretty clear what I meant. If I had seen something in GOD OF WAR 3 that indicated the art style had changed to a PAINTED Manga style or a WINDWAKER painted style or even something that tried to emulate the painted stylings of one particular neo gaffer’s fecal paste splattered onto a sheet of Charmin, then I would have hinted at something like that…but I didn’t so isn’t it kind of obvious what kind of painting I meant?
d. Some of the venom aimed at me is amazing. I'm not out to get anyone, I'm not out to screw anyone over. I was expressing my feelings on a game I had seen. It was not PR it was not spin it was not marketing. It was being jazzed about some ultra cool graphics and tech and I was sharing that info and excitement. I stand to gain NOTHING if GOD OF WAR 3 is a success. Hell, I stand to lose more if it is a big hit given that if the game fails- which it will not come close to failure, by the way- but if it DID fail, I look even better because then folks will go, "well, see what happens when Jaffe leaves...the game falls apart" and my stock goes up. Not that I want that to happen and not that that will happen given the talent on that team and what I have seen so far, but all I am saying is: to those who think this was/is some sort of attempt at starting a hype train, use your heads.


Take care- eager for the footage I saw to come out and then have that discussion/debate.

Later ya’ll…

David

FUCKING BRILLIANT

I was actually on HOME last nite, started a club and everything (Sweet Tooth's Lair)...I think there is much potential there but they need to get LOTS more stuff to do in it....but still...this video...fucking great!

David

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND...

...ok, a bit dramatic. Hell, WAYYYY over dramatic...but:

LOOOOOOVE the new functionality of Kotaku. It really is fantastic how you can get more news and not miss posts. LOVE IT!

But I HATE the look- it's confusing and garish. And this is coming from a guy who has a blog that looks like liquid poo.

But I'm not a pro...those guys are.

Dear Kotaku: love the change...please fix the look :)

Or don't...still one of my fave sites! :)

David

FUCK WILLPOWER...

We are making sugar cookies for our oldest daughter's school holiday festival.

We are supposed to make them early tonite, before she goes to bed.

It is 11:30am right now.

This was the last tub of sugar cookie dough the store had.

I pray to God that- by the time she gets home- there will be enough dough left for us to make the amount of cookies we promised...

...hell, I pray there will be enough to make a single cookie...

...and yet...I can feel it...calling me...needing me...me WANTS it...



It begins...

THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE!

Ok guys, that's it! Thanks! Last one in under the wire was- I think- name was Jguy? Something like that?

Will send the cards out end of the week- if you care to do so, take a pic with your shiny new EAT SLEEP PLAY holiday card and I'll post it on the blog...but only if you want to...I like stuff like that. I know some people hate to be 'on the net'...so no worries.

Also, keep an eye out for our end of the year EAT SLEEP PLAY 'big' holiday gift. If we can swing a few extra, we'll be giving them out via the blog to Eat Sleep Play fans. Maybe a random drawing, maybe a CALLING ALL CARS competition...not sure yet. Will let ya'll know.

Take it easy, ya'll!

David

MY HOLIDAY GAMES+ WHY SO MANY GAMES AT XMAS?!?!+ GOD OF WAR RUMORS

SPIKE TV HATES ME+ DIGITAL MEDIA LOVE IN + MGS4+ GAME BIZ WOES+ CASUAL MARKET

Hey! Happy Monday ya'll!

REST IN PEACE, FORRY... :(

If you don't know Forrest J Ackerman, this should help...

I was more of a Starlog kid myself, just missing out on the heyday of Famous Monsters of Filmland. But I still read Forry's mag (he was its creator and editor) and was always excited to see the covers. Never made it to his prop filled house in LA, always meant to...never did. But I always recognized a kindred spirit in Mr. Ackerman and I'm sad to see him go.

These days his role is probably best being played by Harry Knowles and that seems- to me- like a damn fine fitting transfer of power. One uber fan to the next.

It's also cool that the internet has brought all us geeks together in a way that a magazine from the 60's and 70's never could. But Famous Monsters- and Forry- was one of the first big steps in letting so many of us geeks- so often isolated and alone and feeling like outsiders- know that they were not alone. And that's a damn cool legacy to leave, you know?

Good Old Days...

My brother- who is celebrating his bday today- went to Davenport's Pizza in Mountain Brook Village tonite with much of the family. Wish we coulda been there...ah well, next time!

BUT check it- he just sent me these; pics from the pizza place:






They STILL got arcade games in there! And look! Thems are some OLD SCHOOL arcade games too! Donkey Kong!??! And what's this I see?!?! Is it?!?! IT IS!!! It's Phoenix! Man I loved that game- used to play it all the time at the bowling alley at Eastwdood mall...ah memories!

To younger readers you prob. don't get the big deal, do you? Ah well, was from another time...the arcades of the old days are dead and gone, have been for well over a decade...but GOD they used to be magical places. And this just brings it all back...so glad I got to grow up during that time...

So damn cool!

David

LORDY, LORDY...LOOK WHO'S 40!

...well it ain't me...not yet...but I saw that on a sign ages ago in Cahaba Heights (near where I grew up) and I always liked it :)

Ok so hey- here's a l'll video post ah dun made :)



Later ya'll :)

David

WHEREIN I GO ON ABOUT...pretty much nothing...

Lord, I can ramble on, can't I? I need to make some time to edit this shit...still, perhaps there's something in here for you!

Take care!

David

O HOLIDAY TREE! O HOLIDAY TREE!

Yes, I have a holiday tree.

Yes, I am agnostic.

Which is why I don't really call it a Christmas tree. Except when I do :)

I love the holidays and about 5 years ago I decided that I was going to celebrate the season any damn way I pleased.

And part of that celebration is embracing Xmas trees and decorations as well as lighting the Menorah on the first night of Hanukkah. Part of it is watching HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS and the CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS special and opening the door for the Hanukkah man (I'll explain later) while also being fully aware that I may very well not believe in God...or maybe I do. Depends on the day. Today- and certainly lately- I kind of do. To the point that there are days where I buy into the more new age concept that we are all God...or even that we are all the same being spread out into multiple consciousnesses.

So like I said: agnostic.

Or fucking insane.

All the damn way, baby.

Check out my Christmas tree decorations! We put it up Thanksgiving morning! A few years back we decided to try to do a sort of old fashioned Christmas tree and that is mainly what it is (in terms of ornaments and such) but as of late, more pop culture elements have been creeping in :)

Hope you guys/gals had a great holiday!


'taint Xmas without the web slingah! Why did I just type 'slinger' that way? What am I, at a baseball game selling peanuts?


Jews for Jesus? Nah. Just seems appropriate given our mixed family and backgrounds. Like I said, it's a HOLIDAY tree :)



Saw these at the Hallmark store and thought they were cool. Not SD manga style, but close. And ya'll know I'm on a Disney kick these days.



There he is! Gotta have one of these, yes? Think I got this at last year's EAT SLEEP PLAY Xmas party. Someone should make a GOD OF WAR one...that would be sweet!

Ok, gonna head out for some coffee (addicted to the Einstein Bros. Winter Blend...I kid you not, it tasted like fecal paste smells at first...but now I can't go a day without it)....

Later!

David

ps. YES, it's a fake tree. Had a real one several years back and dug it but the pine needles got all over the place and it was a pain to chop up enough so it would fit in the trash bins...but one day when I strike it GUITAR HERO rich, I'm buying one of those massive trees that you see the rich folk have in the movies that fit into the giant living rooms and what not :)

pps. no, there are no presents under the tree. The economy man! The economy!!! Actually, we just have not been shopping yet. Also, with a 3 and a 5 year old, you think I'm sticking stuff to unwrap under the tree, out in the open? HELLS no! Plus, I never got that. Maybe some Christians can help out here: if Santa brings the gifts on Xmas eve, why do I always see trees with presents under them much sooner than Xmas eve. Where do you tell kids those came from?

Any geek worth their salt...

...must have already seen this going around the net. But I just saw it today for the first time and wanted to share in case you happened to miss it.

Best thing ever!




David

Is it totally 'the G word' that I want this?

I grew up in a time when the words 'GAY' and 'FAG' were easily tossed around as insults. I am ashamed to admit that I- as a boy and teenager- used both terms when jokingly insulting my friends (and seriously insulting my enemies) more than I should have (i.e. more than once). But it was the times and back then it never occurred to many of us that using those words in such a fashion could have really been hurting a gay person who was in earshot- closeted or out, but back then, I didn't know a single gay person in my school...I imagine that's very different for high schoolers today?...

...but today, for me and the people I know, the F word in any context and the word 'Gay' when used in a derogatory way are simply unacceptable. I hope visitors to this blog feel the same.

But the issue now is, I find myself without a good word to describe a guy- or the action of a guy- that is wimpy and soft and girly. I mean, I could use the words: wimpy, soft, and girly, but none of those have the same punch as the old 'G word', you know? How much of the power of the 'G word' tho, comes from the fact that a portion of our society still has an ignorance and hatred of gay people? And how much of it comes from the actual phonics of the word itself? Probably the former. Especially considering that I do know gay people now and with the exception of one, I no longer associate gay people with the adjectives wimpy, soft, or girly.

And before you accuse me of being ultra PC, remember, that same sort of 'oh you're being too sensitive' sentiment was tossed around back in the 60's when discussing civil rights for African Americans. And look where we are- thank God- today. Look who is in the White House.

And so, no, I don't think I am being too sensitive about this. Words matter in that they help form our reality. And so I will choose to continue to avoid these two words. But that brings me to the issue, the dilemma, and the whole point of this post.

I saw this online this morning, and I really, really want it.




Does that make me totally...err....wimpy, soft and girly? :)

David

HAPPY THANKSGIVING YA'LL!

Be safe! Have fun! And- if I may be so bold as to offer advice- do try to take some time out to appreciate and be thankful for what you've got. You hear about shit like these attacks in India today and it makes one grateful for all that is good in life. Granted, it should not take a terrorist attack to make you feel that way, but sometimes you do forget.


And I tell you, my life has been a heck of an interesting ride this last year, but I wouldn't change a thing and I am so grateful for all that I do have. I hope you guys/gals feel the same. Thanks for reading, enjoy your holiday, and I'll chat with you guys later on.

As for my plans: Watch Macy's holiday parade with the kids, Tgiving lunch with the family, then dessert at a friend's house, some games (MGS4, GEARS OF WAR2, MK VS. DCU), and maybe I will catch a movie (Australia maybe but I didn't like the director's other flicks...maybe 4 XMASes even tho I hear it's totally average and forgettable)...but hey, it's the holidays so I gotta see SOMETHING!

Oh, and I leave you with this internet classic. I am sure you've seen it 1000 times but- for me anyway- it NEVER gets old!

Later!

David

CAPITAL LETTERS WILL KILL US ALL!!!

CAPITAL LETTERS ARE COMING TO GET YOU! THEY WILL KILL YOU! THEY WILL FIRST OFFEND YOU AND THEN THEY WILL DRAIN THE LIFE FORCE FROM YOUR EVERY ORIFICE! CAPITAL LETTERS...THEY WILL BE THE END OF US ALL!!!!!


DAVID

VGXPOWTF?!?

+++++UPDATE:

Two things:

a- LOVE MGS4...have yet to finish it but I LOVE it. I just think as an overall game- for ME- Gears was able to achieve its goals better and thus, the overall game experience- for me- was better. But MGS4's ambitions were clearly very, very lofty, ambitious, and forward thinking and I think they succeeded at achieving those ambitions 90% of the time. GEARS SEEMED - what do I know?- to shoot for a simpler set of goals and they- to ME- nailed every single one of those goals. Both games are essential playing (and will probably remain so beyond 2008) and it's very possible that given how much unique stuff MGS4 tries to do, it could eventually be seen as the 'better' game. And I think it will certainly be seen as the game that influences more games- from a pure mechanics standpoint- going forward. Altho the Gears reload 'mini game' is genius and for some reason- for me- works SO MUCH BETTER in Gears 2 than in Gears 1 (altho I don't think it's changed so I dunno why I am saying that...but in GOW2 it just seems to fit in better). But come on, they are both classics.

b- We have not gone multiplatform. We are 100% exclusive to Sony and we are proud of and grateful for that affiliation. It means a lot to us to be exclusive to Sony, given our history with the company and love the idea of providing ultra fun games exclusively for the PS3 audience. I remember being a kid with my ATARI 2600 and my best friend had the INTELLIVISION and it rocked to have exclusives that helped define my console. It was also fun to go over to his house to play stuff that I could not play at home (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, B-17 Bomber!) In this day and age, exclusives gets more and more rare and so it's pretty cool to be aiding in carrying on with that tradition. Doesn't mean we will ALWAYS be single platform, but right now we see no reason not to be and are- again- very, very happy with the situation and would love to think Sony will always want us to be exclusive to them.

END UPDATE

++++++++++



For those wondering where I was this weekend- when I had just posted saying I was going to be making a Skype enabled appearance at the Video Game Expo in Philadelphia- well here is your answer:

I was sitting at home, on my ass, playing some MK vs. DCU and waiting to go virtually on stage.

But then as the minutes ticked by, I started to realize, "Hey, this thing ain't happening..."

So I went for a walk with the ex-wife to get some coffee and hang out.

Odd thing is,I JUST found out- as in minutes ago, as in TONITE, SUNDAY NITE-that the appearance was officially cancelled an hour (or perhaps just minutes) before it was supposed to occur.

So on my end folks: I had- and still have- no idea what happened.

I had been in very regular contact with the VGXPO people over the last month. Very nice folks, clearly they are interested in putting on a good show and if they continue to want my support in the future, I see no reason to withhold it.

BUT you'd think sometime between last Thursday afternoon (when I first started trying to reach them to get some 411 and confirmation) and, say, 5 minutes before our talk was scheduled to go on, SOMEONE from the show could have called or emailed me to let me know what the fuck was going on.

Alas, it's Sunday nite at 10 in San Diego and I've not heard a word from these guys.

What the fuck.

But I'm sure they cancelled it for a good reason. I know as of Monday, there were some firewall issues we were trying to deal with in order to get the Skype going. So I got no beef with them canceling it. Hell, it's not like I was gonna get paid for it (I don't take money for this kind of stuff). My issue is more with: hey, could you guys have fucking given me a heads up? Before you cancelled it? DURING your canceling it? How about over a day AFTER we were scheduled to go on. But alas, nada. Still have not heard word one.

And damn, it's a good thing I didn't, you know, have PLANS or anything that I had set aside in order to be there for the dang show. You know, the one I wasn't getting PAID to do? The one I did for FREE cause I'm a nice guy and thought it would be fun to support a 'game show for gamers instead of just industry peeps' kind of deal? Yeah, that one. THAT show. Sheesh.

Anyway, hope no one showed up to see me and was pissed. And hell, I hope everyone involved in putting on my part of the show is ok. Hope no one got sick or anything.

But anyway, there's the info.

If there's any interest, we'll do a live video blog again- at this site- in the next few weeks and we can all get together online and chat games. Deal?

Ok, gotta run. Office is a damned mess and I wanna clean it before the week gets going. It's real hard for me to get focused on work when the office looks like nuke hit.

David

ps. I saw GOD OF WAR III when I was in Santa Monica last week. I can and will not give away details. But I think it's ok for me to say two things:

a- HOLY HOLY HOLY FUCKING HELL!!!!
b- I thought GEARS OF WARS 2 looked about as good as a next-gen game could look....and that game is currently- and will probably remain- my game of the year. And hell, I think I actually get to vote on that kind of stuff in some circles :) And unless I get blown away by POP or something else I missed, GEARS 2 is the SHIT....this year. Dudes and dudettes, fucking WAIT till you see the amazing graphics...just fucking wait. And yes, Xbots, accuse me all you want of being a Sony fanboy. Just remember two things:

#1- I just said GEARS 2 is the BEST fucking playing and looking game of the year....better than any PS3 game. And there are some damn good PS3 games, I feel.

#2- FUCK YOU! I ain't no fan boy but this mother fucking game looks like nothing you've ever played...and you can hold me to that when this thing hits and when they start showing gameplay footage. It looks like a painting come to life- it's THAT good looking.

David

COME SEE ME THIS WEEKEND!...well, sort of :)

Hey- so the folks who put on the Video Game Expo (that's VGXPO to you and me) asked me to come speak this weekend at the big show. Problem is, it's in Philly and I didn't want to travel so close to Thanksgiving...lots to do around here, ya know?

BUT they were kind enough to allow me to attend via the magic of Skype and/or Ichat. Now I know we tried something similar in Nottingham a few weeks back and had some tech glitches. This should go smoother as we:

a- are gonna prob. go with the stabler Skype versus Ichat
b- are going to test it out more thoroughly than we did in Nottingham...we DID a test but failed to take into account duration which- it turns out- matters. Longer you are on the signal-especially so far away- worse it seems to get. I don't know why, but there you go.
c- The show location and my house are much closer than my house and Europe so the signal should be stronger/better.

Anyhow, I've been turning down many of these very generous invites over the last year as I really have little to say that I don't already say here on the blog. And I figure if you care enough to come see me talk, you've already cared enough to visit my blog (where you can see me rant from the comfort of your own home/laptop) and so, what are you really going to get out of this? Also- until I have a new game to promote- what the hell am I really? A guy with a big mouth and a blog who has cranked out some hit games working with some amazing teams but has not had a real hit since 2005? I mean, shit...I'm this close to signing autographs sitting next to the game designer of Hungry Hungry Hippos and the chick who played Small Wonder at Comic Con next year :)...and trust me, some of the Jaffe haters would tell you that I don't even rate that! Fucktards.

BUT this whole virtual appearance thing is pretty darn neat to me. And so doing it that way is enough to bring me out into the semi-real world. But after this, I prob. won't be doing anything like this till we are promoting the new game. I mean what's the point really?

As for promoting the new game, when is that, you ask? Well at least I hope you ask!

Who knows. Going to visit Sony today but we prob. won't pick a launch day. My gut/guess tells me we're looking sometime in 2010. Certainly not later than that. Perhaps sooner.

Ok, gotta pack for my trip!

Take it easy ya'll! And come see the virtual me this weekend in Philadelphia!

David

SHAZAM!!!

++++UPDATE:

HOLY FUCK! Look what I found in this interview with Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon!

In talking about downloadable content for MK VS. DCU he says:

BOON:: No. I think [the characters we chose] are the most popular. I think that pretty much encompassed 90% of the audience. We'd hear people complaining if we didn't have Superman in the game. ... There was the occasional person who said Lobo or Doomsday or someone like that [should have made the cut] but we're hoping to do downloadable content on this game, so that could also be a great opportunity to add some of the ones that were left out.

WOW! FUCKING DOOMSDAY!?! Hell...better yet: FUCKING LOBO!?!? IN A MK GAME?!?! Ok, count me in. Best DLC ever man! Please make this happen, Midway!

Ok...ahem, I'm calm now :)

END UPDATE
++++++++++++



Had forgotten this hit this week. Saw a review on Kotaku, realized it was out. Ran and picked it up during lunch yesterday and played for a few hours late last nite. I have ALWAYS loved MK, but especially the earlier 2D games. This one feels like a decent cross between old school 2D MK and some of the later 3D efforts.

I'm digging it. The online is buttery smooth and Captan Marvel fucking ROCKS! He's my fave...his special attacks are so fun and really link well together. Green Lantern so far seems kind of cheap but I must just be fighting him wrong cause I know in this day and age they would not allow a character to be that cheap in a fighting game. But man, once someone gets me with that hammer attack, I just can't get up to defend or counter.

Never been much of a SF or TEKKEN or VF fan...that stuff is amazing but way too deep for me. MK is more my speed, for sure! And I am digging this one. Something is a BIT off in the combat, tho. It's not that it's sluggish. It may have to do with reach for the jumps and some of the attacks...the distance the attacks go is a bit too short for me and keeps me from falling into that great combat rhythm I used to get with earlier MKs. I find myself missing a good 30-50% of the attacks just by a few virtual inches. And that bugs. But overall, it's fun! Enough to keep me from finishing the stunning GEARS OF WAR 2 for at least another few nights while I learn some more characters, finish the story mode, and battle online. But then come the weekend, it's back to Gears!

Also, played this yesterday:


CLICK HERE FOR PETA'S COOKING MAMA PARODY...IT'S COOL! PROMISE!

NOTE: Took the actual game off the site as it turns out the sound was interfering with the video posts....


I've always been an 'on the edge' Vegetarian. Not a vegan (but we do make sure to get most eggs and cheese products from animal friendly farms). But the meat stuff- since I was a kid- always kind of grossed me out. I DO like the taste of chicken and steak. But the concept of eating something that was very recently walking around is usually too much for me to stomach. But sometimes I deal with it and enjoy a steak at Ruth's Chris or an egg and bacon biscuit at Mickey D's ('mamma! mamma! Grandma won a Centipede game at Mickey D's!!!)...but after playing this- and watching the movie at the end- fuck it. I'm done. For good this time. And I feel pretty darn good about it. It's not for everyone, but it is for me, that's for sure.

Big dog and pony with the Sony folks tomorrow- wish us luck!

Talk later!

David

ps. the sound is coming from the Peta game- sorry about that. Wish I could turn it off....if it gets annoying, I will just rip the game from the post and put up a link.