Greetings humans, Monki here with your weekly swing around the world of video games.
The GDC (Game Developers Conference) was held this week out in California and believe it or not absolutely nothing important was announced...
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That's the column folks, have yourselves a wonderful week, I'll see ya'll next time!
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...did I say 'nothing'? My bad. I meant to say Sony FINALLY made a valid attempt at gaining some positive footing in this console war. It took damn near half a year, but Sony has finally shown something worth building positive buzz around. I'll delve more into that in a bit, but lemme get to some housekeeping first.
Have you submitted your art for the 8 Bit Contest yet? You've got until the middle of next week to submit your video game inspired art to aicn.monki@gmail.com. Remember, this can be any form of art, painting, photography, music, quilt-making, I don't care. As long as it was inspired by video games, submit it. Oh, and it has to be YOUR original work too!! E-mail me if you have any questions!
Also, the South by Southwest Festival begins today (I'm writing this on Friday). Today brings the Interactive and Film festival portions of SXSW while the Music begins sometime in the middle of next week. Are you in town promoting a video game or video game based movie? Would you like to be featured in an article on Ain't It Cool News? If the answer to both of those questions is 'yes' then you should drop me a line and we can meet up somewhere and after you give me a few hundred dollars, we can talk shop! Or we can just talk, either way is fine I suppose. So, drop me a line, I'll be in town till next Thursday then I'm swinging off to another island in the Atlantic.
That's right, your trusty old simian Monki will be traveling back out to Bermuda for the Bermuda International Film Festival. That being said, I need a couple of recommendations for DS titles to pick up for the trip over the Atlantic. Anyone got any good ones?
We have so much time and so little to cover, here we go!
Press Releases of the Week!
I'm going to talk about the following release a little bit further down, but I figure I'd drop the "official" release before digging in and opening up some discussion. So, read on about "PlayStation Home."
TOKYO and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 7, 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced the unveiling of a first-of-its-kind 3D online user community service for the PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system. The service, known as "Home," will enable users to create their own avatar and explore a real-time virtual community, as if they are playing a detailed 3D game for PS3. The service will become available globally beginning in fall 2007.
Home will be demonstrated at the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, California on March 7 as a key element of SCEI Worldwide Studios' President Phil Harrison's keynote presentation titled "Game 3.0: Developing and Creating for the 3rd Age of Videogames."
Home is a real-time online 3D, networked community available on the PLAYSTATION Network It allows PS3 users to interact, communicate, join online games, shop, share private content and even build and show off their own personal spaces to others in real time. Home will be available as a free download from the PLAYSTATION Store and will launch directly from XMB (XrossMediaBar) on PS3.
With an avatar uniquely customized according to each user's preference, users can explore the 3D community that is Home – a sleek, modern environment featuring spacious common areas; custom spaces dedicated to specific games; and personal apartments. Each user is assigned an apartment in Home where they can invite others to join them as they show off their own style in an area they can personalize themselves with furniture, art and other items – even a different view from their windows. They can also show their personal video, pictures and other digital media content found on their PS3 hard drives in their apartments. Very rich interactive communication with others is achieved through built in text, audio and video chat, along with sophisticated emotional animations for each character.
Sharing continues in the "Hall of Fame," where users can display new 3D trophies that will be unlocked through in-game achievements, as well as real time score rankings in PS3 games.
"This is a significant step forward in the area of user community services and emergent entertainment experiences," said Izumi Kawanishi, Corporate Executive and CTO Software, SCEI. "While the 3D graphics demonstrate the power of PS3 and the PLAYSTATION Network, the most impressive feature in Home is the variety of ways in which multiple consumers, as well as our third-party partners, can experience the next generation of communication by interacting and sharing among each other. I feel strongly that this unique blend of community, user-generated content, collaboration and commerce will expand the future of computer entertainment."
Home will go into a closed beta test this spring with a full launch targeted for later this year. By having a broad range of business partners participate in Home, along with an expansive catalog of upcoming game software titles for PS3, SCEI will continue to enhance the new world of entertainment and vigorously promote PS3 as the next generation computer entertainment platform.
Soooo much to discuss...must hold off until rant portion of column....keep reading...
Nintendo has created a good thing with the Mii Channel on the Nintendo Wii. It's almost as fun to create characters as it is to play the damn games. Nothing makes me happier than seeing Chuck Norris bowling next to me when I'm trying to break my personal best (249) in Wii Sports. Anyway, a new round of commercials is going to push this aspect of the Wii.
NINTENDO NEWS: NINTENDO PUTS MIIS ON PARADEMarch 9, 2007
Nintendo's customizable Mii caricatures for the Wii video game system have taken the country by storm. Millions upon millions of these caricatures now populate Wii systems worldwide and compete in games like Wii Sports and Wii Play.
Early next week Nintendo of America is scheduled to roll out a new round of Wii commercials featuring these popular Mii caricatures. One commercial is set in a living room with a family, while the other takes place in a board room. Both commercials feature the "Wii would like to play" gentlemen from the original commercials and highlight the fun that people have customizing their own caricatures before using them in games.
A link to view these commercials is available in the forums of Wii's MySpace page at MySpace.com/HowWiiPlay and also on Nintendo's Online Press Room : [TV Spot 1] [TV Spot 2]
Numerous Web sites have cropped up to showcase the many ways that Wii owners continue to express their creativity through the creation of new and interesting Miis. People have created Miis dedicated to their favorite fictional characters, historical figures, sports stars and musicians.
For more information about the Mii caricature phenomenon, please visit http://us.wii.com/channel_mii.jsp
I've taken the liberty of placing both of the ads up on my YouTube account so you don't have to go through the trouble of downloading them, unzipping them, and having glorious quicktime installed. Don't say I never got ya nothing.
Pretty Images of the Week!
The GDC brought forth a crap-ton of new trailers and what not. I'm going to pick a few titles that I think look pretty badass. You be the judge.
#1, The Darkness. Based off of the comic book. You are a gangster that has ...special... abilities.
Looks family friendly to me!
#2, the plumber that started it all in his newest title, Super Mario Galaxy.
Looks pretty damn spiffy to me...great music too.
#3, here's another one for the Nintendo crowd. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS.
I love that you have control over the boomerang and what not. Pretty slick!
#4, Warhound. A game I haven't heard much about, but after watching this trailer, I want to hear more about.
So THAT is how you take a helicopter out of the sky. Ah ha.
#5, Little Big Planet. Along with "Home" Sony showed off this new title in the works.
A PS3 title for a younger audience? Can't be!!
Alright, 5 trailers ought to do it.
Monki's Eight Most Important Stories of the Week!
So, everything went crazy at the GDC, here are a few key stories that I pulled from all over the web. If you want more GDC coverage, check out Kotaku's coverage or Joystiq's coverage or Gamespot's coverage or just do a Google search for GDC 07. You are bound to find stories.
Spielberg + Wii = 49.95 well spent. So THAT is why I saw him at E3!
Open-source SimCity for the $100 laptop project. Now poor kids can hate virtual blackouts too!
The in-game ads are coming...okay, they've been here... but more of them are coming.
The new Star Wars game is going to be insane. Keep reading about it.
In 2007, some people still don't know that things exists called "blogs." And whatever you say will end up on one almost immediately. Moron.
If you see someone outside the female dorms playing with their DS trying to pick up chicks...please hit them for me. This looks cool as hell though.
A LOT of people play on XBox Live. I mean, a shit-ton of people.
Obligatory WoW news article. I do it to please the masses.
$600 Social Networking System of the Week!
Finally. Time to take off my shoes, put on my slippers, and talk about this new-fangled PlayStation Home. For those of you who don't know, watch the video. (Good lord there are a lot of videos this week.)
Pretty neat, huh? I believe my first comment about "Home" to my nearby coworkers was, "Oh shit, finally something interesting on the PS3."
I was taken aback by the amount of detail that went into this thing. The giant open courtyards, the gamer zone place set up, the trophy rooms. The idea of having a giant statue of Tommy Vercetti or whoever the next GTA anti-hero will be adorning my virtual 'apartment' for all to see.
Cool as hell.
But then I started thinking. A social network of nothing but owners of PlayStation 3s. Hmmmm....no sir, I don't like it. How many friends of yours own PlayStation 3s? No, you know what, how many FEMALES do you know that own PlayStation 3s? Seriously.
One of the main reasons that guys even bother with social networking is the idea that they might meet a chick on there, however unlikely that may be. You think MySpace would exist if it weren't for 18 year old emo chicks and their angled-down-don't-look-at-the-camera-cause-I'm-too-damn-emo pictures?
Gamers come in two varieties: A) the casual gamer who would enjoy nothing more than to play a few games of Brain Age on their DS or perhaps some Viva Pinata on their 360, and B) the hardcore gamer who would rather steal a car in GTA and shoot up some demons in Doom 3 before getting anywhere near Nintendogs. Don't get me wrong, I know there are gamers out there that fit somewhere in the middle, but here's the deal: "Home" is built towards a community THAT DOES NOT EXIST ON THE PS3.
Sony has pushed the hell out of 'next-gen' graphics and hardcore this and hardcore that with their waffle iron, completely pushing away someone who may be a casual social gamer. "Home" is an attempt to try to wrangle in that 'other' crowd that hasn't picked up a sixaxis yet.
If Sony would have launched with 'Home' in place this current generation of consoles would have a much much different look to it. But the fact of the matter is, they didn't. Sony was late to the party and brought the exact same french onion dip that Nintendo brought along with more chips that aren't as good as what Microsoft brought. Now, throw your keys into the bowl and get fucked up.
Oh, and before I finish up this bit let me remind you WHO will be on "Home."
Fuckwads.
A lot of fuckwads. Have you played Halo 2 for more than 15 minutes on XBox Live? Imagine trying to walk through a giant world of nothing but 12 year olds hiding behind that Logitech microphone and voice modulator. Just imagine all the intellectual conversations we will all be having over a game of pool in a virtual pool hall! The future is now!
Sony, I want you to be good. I really do. Give me God of War 3 for the PS3. Give me something that will make me have to go out and pick up a shiny new dust-catching console. Push Microsoft to develop better titles, I dare you. Competition is good for the soul. If I want to play Second Life, I'll play Second Life, no need to drop that into your console. Just stick to what you are good at: violent, realistic, awesome games. Thank you.
I Miss SXSW Wrap-Up of the Week!
This is the first year I haven't had a SXSW badge in a few years and boy is it sinking in. I just got a call from a friend who was standing next to Paul Rudd at the opening night party. I want to high-five Paul Rudd. I want to meet Alan Cumming and give him a high-five.
Having a 'real' 9-5 job, having only so many days off and having to use that time off to go to a different film festival while SXSW is going on is pretty rough but I can't complain a whole lot.
For what it's worth, Ain't It Cool has been a part of my life for about ten years now. I first met Harry in 2000 (after reading the site for a few years) and my first article went up March 11th, 2001 after watching Gingersnaps at SXSW. SXSW is the REASON why I'm on AICN. I've made some really cool friends here at the site and gotten opportunities I would have never of gotten without the help of AICN. So, here's to you dear readers for making the site what it is.
So, if anyone sees me on Sunday, I'll buy the first drink and we can celebrate to six awesome years on AICN.
So, until next time, back up the tree (or into the cage) I go!
-Monki
AICN and AMODA present 8 Bit at the Alamo Drafthouse!
Buy your tickets now!
Monki's Eight Most Important Stories of the Week!
$600 Social Networking System of the Week!
I Miss SXSW Wrap-Up of the Week!
AICN and AMODA present 8 Bit at the Alamo Drafthouse!
Buy your tickets now!
