Archive for May, 2008
Not Copying…Waving
They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, unless it’s that weird guy from the mailroom who suddenly started dressing exactly the same as me, starts talking like me in the staff lunchroom and insists that everyone else in the office refers to him as Twinsy Jez…but the less said about that the better. Where was I? Ah yes, imitation. There’s been a lot of discussion about Microsoft’s up-coming new motion sensing controller. It’s an echo of the debate that raged when Sony debuted the Sixaxis. To the Nintendo fanboys, Microsoft’s motion sensing controller is a clear sign that, the team at Redmond has lost its imagination, and at worst, that the company has lost its way altogether and simply copied a competitor’s good idea.
Which is not really surprising. Fanboys (and girls I presume) show an intense blind loyalty to their console of choice that makes Ford and Holden supporters look positively disloyal, and religious fanatics look like they’re wavering by comparison.
No commentsAussies Bag Bargain Basement Tivo Subscription
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Tivo is readying to launch in Oz with a keenly-priced subscription deal. How keenly priced? How does free sound? Sure, there’s no such thing as a free HD PVR, and the price of the recorder is likely to be a little higher than it might have been, had the Tivo/Channel Seven/Unwired consortium been able to sign you up to an on-going monthly subscription to access the Electronic Program Guide.
Now, the epg is the life blood of the Tivo (and any other DVR for that matter). Without it, it’s only slightly more useful than a doorstop. Sure, you’ll have great picture quality, but you’ll be managing your recordings as effectively as your old VCR could manage, which is to say not at all. The epg was something any Tivo buyer would have had to pony up for no matter how reluctantly. Without it, the whole purchase would be a little pointless. Yet it was always going to be a hard sell. Sure Foxtel charge an on-going subscription, but you do however get additional programming above and beyond the offerings of the free to air broadcasters.
No commentsSurgical Precision
You’ve possibly seen the results of this study already. Apparently, doctors who spend three hours a week playing video games make fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27 percent faster than their non-video game playing counterparts. Presumably so they could get back to playing that damn addictive video game. The only downside is when things do go bad, some of the surgeons had a tendency to pick the patient off the operating table and throw them against the wall, before resetting all the monitors and starting over with a fresh patient. Sure, the study shows an improvement in eye-to-hand coordination. That’s a no brainer. Two hours with Metroid Prime: Hunters and you’ll have tweaked your eye-to-hand coordination to a level good enough to land an Airbus. What it doesn’t measure is the effect of eye strain. Before surgery, always ask your surgeon if he has a serious Visine habit.
No commentsInvasion Blueprint…it’s a Classic
With Mercenaries 2: World in Flames dropping into your favourite video games retail outlet in a little over three months we thought it an opportune time to revisit the controversy which surrounded this title back in June 2006. We also really wanted a reason to republish an article which first appeared in a slightly different guise in June 2006 over at PALGN. You might think of it as reheated left-overs, enviromentally correct recycling, or a slow news day. We call it Classic Incomplete Gamer.
All of those clamouring for greater realism in games will no doubt be pleased by the latest publicity surrounding Pandemic’s upcoming game, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. The game has Venezuelan politicians in a lather. According to a Reuters report, the video game provides a blueprint for violently overthrowing President Hugo Chavez. That’s right. You read correctly; a blueprint! Pandemic lead designers need to take a bow. Sure, IGN voted you runner-up in the PS3 Best Action category, E3 2006, but that pales into comparison to these accolades from the Venezuelan pollies.
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