mik[ee]

Epic Short Film!

2010-11-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Check out this amazing short film I saw off of vimeo!

Attitude is altitude

2010-07-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

I accidentally stumbled on a bookmark to Nick Vujicic's "Attitude is altitude" youtube video. I think we all have moments in our life that we feel overwhelmed with pressure from our friends/work/relationships/family/life. I think this video helps find inspiration in tough times. I hope everyone is having a fantastic Sunday and remember to keep your head up!

-M

3D or not to 3D, that is the question!?

2010-07-09T21:09:00.001-07:00

Welcome back interneetsss. In your absence, you were missed. Now you have returned, though, things they are alright. Let us begin living again.

I actually got internet back on Wensday but I've been too busy to post till today! The thing I kinda want to talk about today is the arrival of 3D to the theaters and my feelings about it all. I'll go into more detail about the animation in a later post. Some friends want to see the upcoming animation Despicable Me and while deciding on weather to see it in 3D, I had to check up reviews to see if it's worth it. But what to you is "worth it".

What counts to a good 3D movie and why does that count for that? I, myself, have only seen two 3D movies. They are Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans. Ever since watching Clash of the Titans, I have vowed that I would not fall for the 3D hype once again. Which gives why I looked up reviews on seeing Despicable Me in 3D. I remember walking out the theater with a nasty feeling of wasted money all night long! It wasn't the greatest movie in the world but since they added 3D after the movie was shot, it ended up using 3D in like a couple scenes throughout the WHOLE movie!

My question to you is how do you justify spending the extra price of 3+ dollars (or what ever it is by you) to see these movies in 3D? Do you expect the same quality as in the movie "Avatar" or do you enjoy having subtle effects added to it (kinda like Alice in Wonderland)? Do any of the recent movies reached your expectation in 3D (Toy Story 3? Etc.) You can either comment on here or send me a tweet ( http://twitter.com/mikeeshields ) or even send me an email ( Mshields08@ymail.com )

I hope to hear from you!

-M

Lot of stuff on my mind

2010-06-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I know I haven't been on this blog in a while but I've been very busy! I think I've got an appetite for little blogs here and there again so expect a little more! I have a little short film I'm working on for my reel. My hopes is that future companies can see my work and see that I can do the job needed! I think I'm going to blog about the deets during my process of my short film.

I already have a story board I drew up and the character designs for the two main characters are almost done. One of the characters is based off my friend who I don't see much of. It always makes me laugh seeing his image on the character I'm drawing and it reminds of me good times. Cassie... oh well, back to sketching away, I'm going into production as soon as I can finish up the clothes of the characters and how the office is going to be set up. WHooops, I let out a little detail there.

See you around Internets!

-M

Max Graphics Presents: A Milwaukee Lakefront Commercial

2010-03-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'd like to show off a project that I've been working on. The group calls themselves "Max Graphics" and here is our most recent piece of work! Comment and subscribe!

Heavy Rain Thoughts (WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW)

2010-03-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hey there Internets, long time no see. I want to get right into this so let's begin.

I was actually blown away that Scott Shelby was the killer because I thought the developers said that none of the characters is the killer. When I started putting the pieces back together, I was like "THE EFFF!?". If I were to rate the game, I would have to say it is a "Must Play"! Ya, I don't think putting a number rating on it justifies how amazing the game is. Ya, sure, it has ton of plot holes but I haven't played anything like this before (I never got my hands on Indigo Prophecy). The way the game deals with tension is some of the most interesting things to come to games. Also, I would have to say that some scenes really strike some emotion in you (i.e. when Ethan blacks out and is running around to find his son).

So, I would have to say the game's graphics and animation areas are outstanding. You can really tell how much detail they put into this game! The voice acting got a little annoying time to time(the kids in this game feel emotionless when they speak/show emotion).

I often found myself taking a break from the game just because of how tense/nerve racking some of the events were. It was really tiring (in a good way) when you were always on the edge of your seat trying to press the right button combination. But on the other hand, I was always wanting to find more clues on who is the origami killer.

The one other thing I wanted to say is how I liked replaying the game and carefully listening/watching Scott Shelby's emotions and thoughts. I think I spent a lot of time at Game Faqs reading everyone's speculations on Scott's character. It was then I realized how much I actually cared about the character. I made all my actions with this character in a positive way. I saved the store clerk, saved the mom, saved Kramer, saved Lauren and here I go finding out he was the killer the whole time. Now, this may be different with everyone else (that's why this game is soo great) but that's how I just felt.

Now for some plot holes that have been mentioned on the internet. The first one is that the game never really tells you how/why Ethan mars blacks out and finds origami figures in his hand. The next thing that really irritated me was that the game never really tells you why the reporter gives the look she gives when Anne Shepard tells her that the origami killer is Scott Shelby? There are some more plots holes but those are the ones that really stuck to me.

Overall, go try out this game!!!

@insomniacgames tweets!

2009-09-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

Are you following @insomniacgames? you aren't? Why not! You could be the first to see videos like this!

Tweeted as "Weapons 101"

Game Design

2009-08-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

Interesting video I saw that @insomniacgames posted.

On Break!

2009-08-24T11:43:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! I saw this on Kotaku and it brought me back when I use to play with Legos as a kid.

There was always the 3 different building items that kids use to build with when I was a kid. What was your building equipment? I personally loved Legos and always tried to work the K'Nex. I had a few Tinker Toys but I always ended up making swords/gun type items from them so I don't remember making any cool. As for Legos, oh man. The creative and love I spent into making cities/cars was a cite to see. I also had one of the giant containers that had a mix of everything along with many different builds (ranging from Aliens to Robin Hood). If you don't remember any of what I stated, maybe the pictures below might spark a memory or two!

K'Nex

Legos

Tinker Toys

Eye pet looks so adorable!

2009-07-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Sony hit my sweet spot for these virtual pets. It looks like some casual fun!

Fat Princess comes on the 30th!

2009-07-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

2 days! 2 more days till Fat Princess comes out. Watching all the gameplay videos reminds me of a old Playstation 1 game called "Team Buddies". I was chating with my buddy Greg a couple days ago at school, we both came to a conclusion. This generation's arcade games have created more excitement for us than some of our "Hardcore" title picks. Especially on the PSN network with innovative titles like Pixel Junk Monsters, Warhawk, Flower, Rag Doll Kung Fu(A major upgrade from the original PC title) and the upcoming Fat Princess. Also, can't forget titles like Castle Crashers and Splosion Man(I might have spelt this wrong). What these titles provide is a bit of a break from the causal shooter or action genre.

Fat Princess interview from the Playstation Blog

I'm back!

2009-07-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry for the leap of absence from the blogging community!

The question I've been asking myself ever since the Playstation 3 was first released so long ago *remembers the PS3 lines to find out that the store you waited at only had like 3 PS3s. ahh the memories!* is what the heck is up with the R2 and L2 buttons. I know that they were going to perfect for certain games but I didn't know which ones. As I opened up my box of random games, I found my copy of Twisted Metal 4. Popping it into my PS3, I soon realized that the R2 and L2 buttons were made perfect for this game! The feel of pressing the triggers to shoot my misles and machine gun bullets was so satisfying.

The thing I basically wanted to ask was, hey Sony, where's my Twisted Metal 6? WHERE!?

E3 After thoughts!

2009-06-03T14:52:00.001-07:00

Well, I believe we are on a brink on seeing something new and fresh! After seeing both the Xbox 360 and PS3 new motion devices, I am super stoked to see more! The body motion sensor with the Xbox 360 (I assume it's done through a camera or something) was quite interesting. It reminds me of an enhanced Eye Toy. What really got me was what what Mr. Peter Molyneux. It struck me how much we've evolved from the days of "Pong". If you haven't seen it yet, here you go!

As for the PS3, I'm so excited for that new motion sensor. I feel that it hits my weakness that I had for the Wii when it was first announced. And seeing as they've been testing out the technology behind this video.

I can only imagine what they can do with it.

Here's what they showed at the PS3 Conference.

The whole idea of having the ability to interact with those objects with that kind of precision is amazing. The ever so dying area of rail gun shooters could be revived so easily with this controller alone. Think of the graphical power of the PS3 mixed with Wii motion sensored games. Everyone wants Wii-HD, well PS3 kind of beat it there!

Oh the last note I would like to talk about is Left 4 Dead 2. Really Valve? Really? A year after the first one is released, you create another one. I don't know how I feel yet but seeing as I might have to chip out another 40 dollars for only 5 campaigns. I might have to wait for the "Steam Deals". Don't get me wrong, it looks interesting and fun but I thought that since I bought L4D 1, that it would at least last 2 years. They better add the new infected to the original L4D campaigns! The new concept for the "Charger" seems very needed and I am wondering if they'll add any new infected that resembles the "Screamer" from the developer commentary. I also love the idea of the witch walking around in daylight!

Those are just some thoughts! I hope everyone is pumped for the upcoming games of 2009/2010!

Oh ya, Uncharted 2 looks outstanding. The part where the helicopter is shooting inside the building and the lights are moving with shadows of the items on the floor = incredible!

On my summer break!

2009-05-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hey hey, I'm off on my summer break and it's been such a needed relaxing period. I went swimming / hot tubing yesterday and it felt so chill. I woke up today to check out some more information on the game "inFamous". Found some sweet dev. diary videos on Game Trailers. Videos like these remind me of when I first started out wanting to make games and why. Just the thrill to make "fun" games. The video also has some an awesome intro. Check it out.
"

Video Games | inFAMOUS | Exclusive Developer Diary: Episode 1 HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Rag Doll Kung Fu Rocks!

2009-05-20T10:29:00.001-07:00

I didn't think I was gonna love Rag Doll Kun Fu: Fists of Plastic but it's turning out to be great fun! Think of Super Smash with puppets that also uses the motion sensor intuitively. I am digging the motion sensor lightning ball charge up and super punch (w/e punch that propels you at the enemy). Check out the game play video I left below! Don't under estimate how fun this game is! And it's also free for this week only (I think?) so what are you waiting for?

Summer!

2009-05-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

School ends in like a week! I've been busy finishing final projects and such! I did managed to find my way over to Game Trailers and see the Uncharted 2 gameplay. Oh wow! The animation of everything is so fluid and nice! It really brings a new level of detail to video games! Check it out!

Uncharted 2 gets even more badass!

2009-04-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

After hearing about the 3 player coop levels and multiplayer addition to Uncharted 2, I absolutely was pumped to listen to the Multiplayer design interview! Check it out here!

Coke Ads

2009-04-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

As I was watching House on Hulu, I saw this fantastic ad for Coke Cola. Now, as a Coke addict, I love seeing anything Coke related. I like how the commercial plays with the feeling of normalness of life with Coke at hand. And without Coke, the world ceases to remain functional. Great idea, and great drink!

Updated my side stuff!

2009-04-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

I thought today would be a good day to update all the sidebar columns (most of them at least). I also got to take a chance to watch the latest episode in Game Trailer's Bonus Round. It was quite interesting to hear everyone's thoughts on "On Live". You know what, here. Just watch it here

Fire

2009-04-13T17:37:00.001-07:00

Started working on some fire with Fume FX and here is a quick render of it. Tell me what you think!

Sonic Unreal!

2009-04-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

I got to play the Titan expansion pack to Unreal Tournament recently. I thought it was pretty sweet. The tide of the battle really changes when you are able to use the Titan mutator (which makes you a 15 foot character with a Gatling shock rifle and missile launcher).

Here's a quick synopsis of it.

But what really caught my eye was a user mod that combined the Unreal 2D mod and a custom made level of sonic. Ya, I know, Awesome right? Check it out here!

avoid getting Carpal Tunnel

2009-04-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

If your a gamer like me, it'll only be a matter of time before you get carpal tunnel. Hopefully this will help you!

Words of the wise - Hideo Kojima

2009-03-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

The man behind the Metal Gear Solid franchise speaks at GDC. This is why I love GDC, listening to the rockstars of the industry talk about game design!

Farewell Filefront!!! I will sorely miss you!

2009-03-25T15:15:00.001-07:00

The game demo site File Front will be no more as of March 30th! I always used this site for anything file related that dealt with video games, and I will sorely miss you!

GDC kicks off and I'm already excited for the future!

2009-03-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not going to say I thought of this idea up before (I did) but I thought the idea of playing video games from a stream sort was crazy! Plus at the time, the internet connections weren't as powerful as they are today. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's something called "On Live". I think these videos do a better explaining it!

I'm really excited for developers because the ideas for this is endless. The whole spectating games aspect to this service is what has me going! Games like Counter-Strike have utilities such as HLTV for spectating but even with that, the amount of players viewing can only be about 2000 player. This is something that Video Game tournaments needed! On top of that, I'm really excited to see how developers interact with their communities. I see many "play against the developer" games about to spring up! I hope to also see many new innovative ideas come out since it looks like the developers get to choose their games price point. This will be a good thing with the economy it is at the moment.

With that said, here are some downsides to if this platform does take off. Did everyone forget how Nvidia and ATI are going to feel about this? Sure, the PC's that are running this service need to be beast machines but then the option to buy and upgrade personal computers becomes less attractive. Like, would you rather buy a lower pc and play Crysis on ON Live or upgrade the crap out of your home pc rig and play it from their. With money as an issue, I can see people going the On Live route (depending the pricing of the whole service + the game). Also, it's mentioned that you can max out all the settings on Crysis Warhead and play it from your computer. What happens when your game crashes on a computer half way around the world? I mean, if your computer crashes now, all you have to do is hit the restart and it reboots up. I'd like to hear how they're dealing with that problem. Also, they stated that colleges can use this service? Ha! College net isn't the greatest and I doubt it could handle the HD viewing that people are use to!

Here's to hoping for the best for this new platform! Here's to all the desk jobs that use this service and get nothing productive done!

EDIT:Here's a picture of what the platform will look like with the TV plug in and controller!

New Havok AI SDK demo

2009-03-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Found this to be a cool demo for the new Havok AI SDK. Food's done, gotta go!

Havok 'AI SDK' demo

EDIT: More!

Havok 'Red Dress Cloth' demo

Nazi Zombies are the shit!

2009-03-23T18:15:00.001-07:00

They are awesome and this trailer justifies how the Zombie mode in Call of Duty 5 needs its own game. Note:This is from the new map pack that just came out!

What's in the box!

2009-03-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

What's in it?

EDITAccording to Gamespy the video isn't anything offical from Valve. It was made by fans of the series Half Life (The community behind Valve games is amazing!!!!). Which leads me to my next thought, where's Half Life Episode 3? Also, what are they packaging in it this time? Counter-Strike 2.0? Where is that new information Gabe Newell?

NICE KICKS!

2009-03-18T15:45:00.001-07:00

I saw these puppies on Kotaku and they look so baddass! I doubt I'd be caught wearing them due to the whole purple laces (come on, where on the Playstation brand do you see that much purple?). Anyways, just wanted to drop something on the blog!

New South Park tonight! Hope it's better than the season opener!

EDIT: That South Park was a major let down! Well, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't the greatness I wanted. You know what was the greatness that I loved. This Resident Evil 5 Zombie clip from IGN!

After weekend of Resident Evil 5...

2009-03-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

As you might know, Resident Evil 5 came out Friday the 13th and we beat it Saturday night! (Yes, we played nonstop!). Here are some thoughts about it. The bad? It seems a lot more toned down. I mean the violent death animations that I loved in Resident Evil 4 are no where to be seen in Resident Evil 5! I even sometimes died in RE4, just to see the death animation. THEY WERE THAT GOOD! That plus there aren't a lot of impossible moments in the game that really pushed the coop portion! The single player felt way too easy (we played with another person!) and it's a shame! With all the upgrades you can get, it's a shame the game didn't ramp up the difficulty. This is clearly seen with some of the bosses! Now, for the good! It's a really fun experience that will definitely make you yell at your teammate! The combo system which basically means, you can hit a body part of a enemy than both Sheva and Chris can do a melee move, is outstanding. You'll definitely get a kick when you versus the first chainsaw enemy (shown below) and both characters kick him around like he was a cardboard box.

"Chainsaws and zombies go together like peanut butter and jelly!"

The other great part is that the game gives you a ending! The ending isn't the greatest but at least they tie up some loose ends! If your real into the story, the game gives you documents all around the levels which can satisfy the hardcore RE fanbase! The next thing that I loved about the game was playing mercenaries with a buddy! You do start off pretty weak but once you unlock new levels / characters, you can basically tank every enemy the game has to throw to you! That doesn't mean your invisible because the game makes sure there is always something behind you.

"Having a teammate with you will definitely help when dealing with enemies surrounding you!"

Final Thoughts:
PROS:The game is an outstanding experience that is meant to be played with a friend. The intel found will please the hardcore RE fanbase. Mercenaries mode stays fresh by having Co-op also in it! Nothing beats taking out 3 chain saw guys with a buddy!
CONS:Way to easy single player may turn off some Resident Evil 4 players. The bosses aren't too rememberable cept for the Wesker! Death animations feel weak compared to Resident Evil 4's death animations.

I feel bad by referring this game back to it's older predecessor RE4 but that's what the main bugs of the RE5 is(at least for me). It's an awesome game that will probally compete for game of the year!

Gaming trends

2009-03-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

First thing I'd like to say is that the new Facebook look is quite obnoxious! The home page has so much coming at the user and it's a little overwhelming. The idea that you can now see everything that anyone says to a friend is a interesting feature. The new [>] arrow feature instead of saying "Mikee has wrote:" is another feature I don't understand. It is the first day of using the new look but these are all my first impressions.

Now for my main rant/debate that has been in my head. It's Friday the 13th today and you know what that means. Bad luck! and Resident Evil 5 comes out today! The main hook of the game is that it's a Resident Evil game with Co-op done right! In about 20 minutes or so, I'll be playing it so I'll post some impressions of it! But to my rant. When I use to game back on the Sega Gensis or even on Windows 95 era, it was all single player centered games. Granted, there were others but for the most part, it was all about the single player experience. Soon later, the multiplayer age rolled into effect. Games like Counter-Strike, Rainbow Six, Mech Warrior 4:Vengence (MSN gaming zone!) and many others came to play. Here we are in the later years of the good ol' 2000's and we're going into the co-op game trend. My question is this, what's next? What will be the biggest improvement on? Will it be the game to site networking? Games like Killzone 2, Halo 3, Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 all lead back to a online account on a website. Where you can track kills, talk on forums and much more. Will this become more mainstream? Will the feature of split screen multiplayer ever come back? Just think of what you think of when you think of Multiplayer? Ask me when I was in middle school, and I would have been Counter-Strike or Nightfire splitscren on the PS2.

PS2's game cover for the game Nightfire

It's what I love about this type of industry. The idea that how rapidly the times have changed for gaming and what features we all know / love.

/end rant

EDIT: This video helps remind me of the split screen multiplayer of James Bond:Nightfire!

Transformers 2 Trailer!

2009-03-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Watch this in the HD quality (hit play and then at the bottom right, there should be a icon named "HD". Hit it!) and be prepared to be awed! I am a big fan of the first one and big fan of Michael Bay's movies (Friday the 13th, YES!) and this just shouts out "BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE EPIC"! I love the first one and the CG they had for it! Just viewing the trailer, I can tell the CG even looks smoother than before! I can't wait, you'll see me there opening night!

Left 4 Dead DLC!

2009-03-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, you just stumble back to your old favorite sites and find something real juicy! That's what happened to me when I glanced over IGN.com. I saw a title hinting on explaining the Left 4 Dead DLC and was like (o_O)! After reading the whole thing (click here for the whole article) I basically became super happy! Along with making the 2 co-op maps competitive (they stated this before that we would do this so I wasn't to excited), they are adding a whole new mode called Survival. You basically just try and hold your ground or run around for ammo/medkits for as long as you can. There is a time counter that clocks in how long you've been on. Here's a quick glimpse of it:

The challenge? More than one of each special zombie type can come at you! So think like 2 tanks chasing you down! Sounds like a challenge? You betcha!

What I find interesting is how different the vibe you get from this zombie game. The whole screen shouts chaos and panic but in a sense of order (if this makes any sense). On top of all this, the Valve designers (according to IGN) have made it to the 10 minute mark! Definitly check out more coverage at IGN.com!

Killzone 2 baby!

2009-03-03T15:39:00.001-08:00

I picked up Killzone 2 recently and have been addicted to the multiplayer! Let's talk about things that were amazing. The mech suit in the single player is amazing. It reminds me of the days I use to play Mech Warrior 4 Vengeance! It's that satisfying! Killzone 2 is also not the first game to feature class base teams or the whole Warzone mode (you play through all 5 modes online in one game session) but it does it so well! The controls are well...you either love em or hate em. They feel as if the weapons, the movement of the character all have this "weight" that isn't as quick as other shooters (Call of Duty 4, I'm looking at you!). It really isn't that bad because the game isn't suppose to be one man army charging in. It plays as a tactical shooter without all the commanding of other players! Now, let's talk about the bad. The multiplayer unlock system is ridiculous! I won't say I'm the best player at this game but I am quite sure that new players may be turned off at the high learning curve to the online. Other than that, I think that the game is amazing! It really did live up to the footage shown at the E3 showing so long ago! Let's take a look at that!

Note: I know that you can't be able to judge from Youtube footage but it's what I'm comparing to!

E3 2005 Trailer:

First level gameplay 2009

Inspire.

2009-02-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

Back in my first semester of college, my Photoshop teacher talked to me about inspiration. Where we get it, and how it can help with developing ideas. I just watched a TED speech on the Jill Taylor's stroke. I think it's definitely inspiring and amazing to watch. Do watch it!

Oh Zuma!

2009-02-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

The Zuma demo came out for PSN today. A perfect example of a simple concept but with a brilliant design. If you've never played, it's bubble shooter but instead of the multi-colored balls going straight down, they wrap around you.

The game also has a perfect pacing that introduces new challenges later on. You'll be challenge from tunnels which you can't fire into and multiple waves of colored balls. Maybe I'm a little clouded by the addictiveness the game has to offer but that aside, I don't I've played anything recently that has gotten me to the same addiction as this game (run on sentence, I knowz).

Edit:

Side note, found this on GT. It shows some of the mo-cap in Resident Evil 5 was done. Looked interesting enough to post. Enjoy!

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

2009-02-18T22:40:00.000-08:00

In my new year's resolution, I stated that I was out to search for a Pownce substitute. I think that this blog/facebook has filled the gap. If you've never heard of Pownce, it was a micro blog website that competed against Twitter (even if it didn't try to). It was a close circle of people that sent each other links and pictures. On this blog of mine, I've posted countless videos/links to things I find interesting. That takes care of the links/pictures that I use to post on Pownce and then I also blog on here. As for a social network that I reach out to, I fiddle around on Facebook. Together, the two fill my need of Pownce. What I'm trying to say is that I found a cool Left 4 Dead parody from GameTrailers. Check it out!

Happy Vday. God of War 3

2009-02-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines weekend to all!

Wanted to drop this by everyone. It's the epic God of War 3 trailer!
Was David Jaffe talking shit when he said
"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"

Up to you to decide! I think the begining sequence was AMAZING! Just download the video and look at the details put on the textures on the crow and on the environment. It's so pretty! The other thing I loved about the trailer was the voice of Kratos. It helps bring out a feeling of epic-ness to the viewer. Man, first time I watched it, I basically said "Oh SHIT!". Well enough of my rant, enjoy you guys! To download, go to gametrailers.com and download the HD version.

-Mikee

Edit:

Here's a designer interview on God Of War 3!

Looks like this is the last God of War! If it's anywhere near as epic as Metal Gear Solid 4 was, I won't have any doubts! Definitely check it out!

Half Life the mini series

2009-02-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

I was on the Joystiq and found this gem. Just released from the Purchase brothers, here is the Half Life Mini Series! It's a little NFSW so do use caution but overall, it's pretty badass!

Bacon Explosion

2009-02-06T16:04:00.001-08:00

Found something delish on the internet! All you bacon lovers enjoy!

Dig Dug the movie and K2 videos!

2009-02-02T16:43:00.001-08:00

Been working a lot on final projects for school but I did stumble onto two good videos! One is a fake trailer for Dig Dug. I found the game tie ins to be hilarious! The other one was one on the Killzone 2 dev team! It's translated through text at the bottom of the video so do enjoy! Back to work!

Dig Dug

Killzone 2 Dev Team

Source:Ign.com

Killzone 2 is a month away

2009-01-31T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm watching videos of Killzone 2 and am really hyped by it! I don't know what I was more pumped for. Metal Gear Solid 4 or Killzone 2? Solid Snake brings up old memories but Killzone has a place my gamer heart. But what ever, these gameplay videos look sick!

FEAR 2 Level Design.

2009-01-28T17:15:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted on here in a while because it's been hectic! Two things I just want to point out,

1. I will be playing the RE5 demo tomorrow at my friend Dean's house
2. Hell YES! to #1.

It looks amazing and my buddy sent me a text today saying, "RE5 is hard". Haha. I remember playing Resident Evil 4 and entering the first town, I was just like, "damn, this game is hard." Does anyone else remember how hard the first town was? And how hard the first chainsaw guy was!? I wonder if they nuked the characters to hit a younger audience. I really hope they don't! The difficulty of the game was what made it interesting. Well, until you picked up better weapons later on. Then you just rolled every zombie like you were playing Left 4 Dead.

Besides this, I'm really excited for FEAR 2. The demo had some problems (I played the PS3 version) like frame rate issues and the controls were "clunky". By clunky, I mean that any FPS developer should not! I mean NEVER assign the R2 and L2 buttons as shoot! It just doesn't work the same way it does on the Xbox 360. That and get rid of the whole glowing enemies. That just takes away from the realism the game is trying to achieve. I'm just nit picking because the game looks good. After seeing this video from IGN, I'm back to "really excited" for the game again. Check this out!

RE5!!!!!!

2009-01-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

OMG, a Resident Evil game that you get to duke it out with Wesker? I'm all in! 2009 Gaming is looking so fucking good! Sony has a terrific line up coming up! (Heavy Rain, Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, GOW3, RE5, Prototype). I know that some of those are multiplication but still!

Infamous looks awesome!

2009-01-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

The animations look so fluid on the Infamous! The game itself is turning out to look like a hot seller in 2009. The only concern I have is the enemy differences in design. Frankly, there is none. They all seem to wear this red cloak and fight against the protagonist. I hope there more variations and some that take advantage that your powers are only electricity (i.e. a water enemy that runs at you to hold you and fry your powers. Leaving you only to use melee or to maneuver around the enemy till your powers come back!). I'm sure that the developers of Sly Cooper will create a masterpiece! Here's a sweet video from CES from them.

My New Years Resolution

2009-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share my New Year's resolution. I think everyone has an idea in which gets lost in the daily stress of life. This way, I can look back and see how much I've achieved. They kind of remind me of Playstation 3 trophies or Xbox 360 achievements, LuLz.

--New Years Resolution List--

Be open minded and don't turn down everything instantly.

Get out more.

Have a new outlook in life.

Marry Jessica Alba. Make 2 babies.

Eat out more occasionally and order their "most popular dish"

Try not be an ass.

Get into a serious relationship.

Be thankful for what I got.

Talk to my favorite people more often! You know who you are! <3

Take down all the posters in my room and re-do it.

Go/do to more lans!

Get matthew to quit wow.

Meet Allan in IRL. Try not to die from all the laughter and outrageous free styling he'll do when I meet him.

Start drinking tea in the morning.

Take a trip.

Try something new every week.

Enter in more competitions.

Start running at 11 oclock at night again.

Don't deal with bullshit anymore.

Stop making fun of Jon Amidjojo because he's bi-curious.

Learn 3ds Max like a professional.

Learn the lyrics to "I'm the best mang" by Eli Porter (the greatest MC ever to live. Look him up on urban dictionary. if it's on there, it's legit right?)

Make Sam Wittig buy me a damn movie.

Find something to fill my "Pownce" void.

To go around and tell people I don't know that I'm a famous hand model. Slap them when they look at hands.

Place in under 64th place on the Resistance 2 tourney!

Attend another GDC!

Metal Gear Improv!

2009-01-06T22:09:00.001-08:00

I'm surfing the net and I saw this. This is amazing improv between the characters of Metal Gear!

Really interesting read about Left 4 Dead

2009-01-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

Read this [ Link ]

I think it's amazing how play testing and general game design help create the game we all love(at least I really do!) today. The thing I love the most about Left 4 Dead is the clear idea of where your suppose to go! My Counter-strike team decided to just run through the level. Who ever got knocked down became a pipe bomb! I don't memorize the levels in L4D and running through, I had a clear, precise knowledge of where to go! That's what makes the game so enjoyable. The lack of frustration (unless your playing on Expert). Check out the differences in screenshots!

Early Version of L4D:

Later Version:

For more information go to the link above!

Edit:
While playing today, I found a sweet server which tracked what achievements you could/not do still. One example is that we shot each other already (which angered me cause I was going for that achievement) so we couldn't get the achievement for "Completing a campaign without a person taking any friendly fire damage". I also saw the Hulk in the server. My buddies and I quickly disposed of him. Check out this pic of it!

Lars and the Real Girl

2009-01-03T01:03:00.001-08:00

First off, Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and fun time!
Now for the my first post for the new year.

I've been meaning to watch the movie, Lars and the Real Girl. Here's the trailer!

After seeing this a while back, I thought it'd be a comedy with somewhat of a story. WAS I WRONG OR WHAT! It was actually a love story with a hint of comedy. I for one am usually one for action and horror movies but this is one hit a home run with me. I really enjoyed it! I think what sets with me was the soundtrack. There is a scene in the movie in which little words are said (I know, I know, it's bland but I'm trying not to say any spoilers). The music becomes the words of the characters on scene and it felt like it just clicked together. This is definitely one of those movies that you need to see! Hey, look at me. I'm not a fan of typical chick flicks but this movie is just too well done to pass up!

The News and How Stupid They Look!

2008-12-23T20:12:00.000-08:00

I was checking out Edge's top 10 gaming videos and I found this little treat. Seeing that Christmas comes and everyone sits down and plays their games, I thought this would be appropriate. WARNING, you WILL notice the following:
1. Stupidity of the news.
2. How the news treats Geoff and cuts him off at the end
3. It is really sad when the lady talks about "What happened to Atari, and pinball..."

MGS on LBP looks really nice!

2008-12-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

I'm really digging the VR missions they are showing. What do you think?

X-Men Origins

2008-12-17T21:40:00.000-08:00

For the people who didn't go see The Day the World Stood Still, here's the X-men Origins movie trailer. I'm actually excited for it and I first wasn't. Two things that make it interesting.
1. Gambit is in it
2. GAMBIT IS IN THE FUCKING MOVIE
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

Game Damage!

2008-12-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

As I'm writing this, I'm loading up the Game Damage website which at the moment looks like it's being brought down by it's truckload of visitors. I'm dead serious, the website is loading so slow that I think I'm on 56k! It could possibly be my internet but by seeing on popular Yahtzee is with his Zero Punctuation reviews, I wouldn't doubt the site hit a 200k visitor mark already. What's that you say? You never saw a review by him? Get out of the cave and watch this:

Well, he's in a new show that will probably with a huge following. I'm just spreading the word because it's something fresh. You can tell that they're doing this from out of their pocket since the ending contest is for a bag of sweets (probably gummy bears?!?). Besides that, it had some interesting moments (i.e. the Duke Nukem Design Team) and some other boring parts (The MGS rip offs. Come on, it's been done and it just feels more annoying than good). It also seems wierd seeing Yahtzee on another game show because you kind of hear his old rants on this show. Besides that, I feel it's a well done video cast(is that what it's called these days?). Here's the video:

What!?!!!?!!?

2008-12-14T21:09:00.001-08:00

I just watched the Spike Video Game Awards and I thought it was pretty well made! It seemed like an event for the gamers (even if it was a little geared toward male gamers). The one thing I will debate was the "Game of the Year" award. Come on, seriously? Grand Theft Auto 4?!!?! I will give them that that game must have been a long painful process to create (the level of detail is quite amazing!) but still! I really thought Fallout 3, Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid 4 or Gears 2 would have taken it! I rooted for Dead Space to pick it up but I knew better for that. Well, whatever, congratulations to everyone who got an award! I also thought Will Wright's speech about how he got into gaming to be inspiring. It kind of reminds me of when I first started thinking about creating games.

oh ya, the Uncharted 2 trailer was really well done. Everytime I see Drake, he really feels down to earth. I can see myself in his shoes and saying his exact words and another game about him is FREAKING AWESOME! Here's the trailer!

Uncharted 2 Teaser | Games & Gadgets | SPIKE.com

Birthday

2008-12-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

I just want to thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Most people think it's just nothing to say Happy Birthday but to me, it does. It was really funny to see all the inside jokes I've had with people and to remember back to good old times. Some ones that pop in my head is Gina and The Outsiders. This sparks up moments in stupid middle school classes I had (with a certain info lit teacher). Good times! Speaking of good old times, in Pownce, people would post pictures of the avatars and ask people what changed. If you were apart of the close community, you would know. That said, I forgot and now I regret it because the site is closing down. Anyways, I grabbed a quick screen render so I can remember that my birthday marked a close date to Pownce's December 15th closing. R.I.P. Pownce.

I'm going to definitely play some old video game titles till parents arrive home in a few hours then see what's up. Play some of my old favorites (Half Life, Sonic, Power Stone, Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead(okay, this one's new but it's amazing), Ratchet and Clank, and many more). Thanks again for the wishes!

zelda remake

2008-11-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most inventful levels I have ever seen using Little Big Planet!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

Hideo Kojima receives Lifetime Achievement Award from MTV

2008-11-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

Hideo Kojima receives Lifetime Achievement Award from MTV

Hell to the yes! I remember playing the first Metal Gear and thinking it was the best game evarrr. Props to that man!

Resistance 2

2008-11-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

Resistance 2 has some really interesting Co-Op. I've been playing it all day and it really does feel mmo-esk. You have characters who tank and other characters who are damage dealers and other characters who heal. You get where I'm going with this. Well back to playing, just wanted to give an update what I've been playing.

Left 4 Dead or should I say, Dawn of the Dead:tthe game

2008-11-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

The title is basically what the game is. The game is a straight up multiplayer shooter that plays out like a zombie apocalypse movie (Warts and all. haha Zero P reference). The gameplay can be summed up like this:

If that doesn't interest you, then don't even bother with the game. It's basically the same thing over and over. The repition can be felt through the gameplay and also the weapons. You get 6 guns (Uzi, pump shotgun, Pistol, auto shotgun, M4 machine gun, auto sniper) and it feels as if Valve didn't have enough time to add more guns(it's been in development since 2004/05. Sometime between there). Sure, you can debate that the guns, it has, has a purpose. None of these guns don't have a purpose (some would argue the auto sniper) but always ending up with a shotgun or machine gun can get tiresome.

The positives about the game is that the replayability is very high (especially if you have the PC version). Everytime you play throughout a level, it will always be different. It will have different zombie spawns, different weapon spawns and different pacing. This is all done through the game A.I. director. To sum it all up, it is basically if a guy watched you play the game and added zombies for the hell of it just to screw with you. It only leads me to wonder how Valve is going to use the A.I. director for future games (i.e. Left 4 Dead 2/ Half Life Episode 3).
PC gamers will be in joy because like any other Valve game, expect a ton of mods/modes added in. The Verses mode seems like it was unfinished to the main part that it is unfinished. You can only play the first 2 "movies".

Levels, I almost forgot. You might want to think about getting the game for the Xbox 360. Valve says it will support the game more on the console rather than PC but only time will tell. The game ships with co-op for 4 levels. It will take anytime from an hour to two hours+ depending on the difficulty. The level names are posted below in the posters that the game shows you during mid-levels.

Few games these days can truly give me "immersion". Game developers are always talking about it but few come close to giving you that "feeling". It's amazing, it's repetitive, it's trying to be a movie. If your a zombie movie lover, your only reading this to confirm to others that the game is awesome. If your in between on getting it, just ask yourself this question. Who would I take to survive a zombie apocalypse and would they actually be a good choice? Because you can finally test it out with this game!

Happy birthday Half Life

2008-11-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Half Life! It's been 10 years since you've entered my heart as favorite fps of all time. Looking back how the series started, I can only wonder what is to come with Half Life Episode 3!

How it all began....

Heidi Klum Commercial Spreads!

2008-11-17T05:10:00.000-08:00

The Heidi Klum guitar commercial is spreading. It first hit the tv airwaves (which wasn't the director cut). Then the director's cut hit the internet tubes! Then it came back to the television in the news program. What kind of bugs me about this is that they used the directors cut (a la the one that isn't shown on television) to create a motion of disguest. Well it turns out that the female analyst say that it's tame compared to other beer commercials. Check it out below!

[Source = NintendoRaw / FileFront ]

Sequel crazy

2008-11-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

The game industry is on a new trend of what I call "sequel crazy". Just look at the two top games that game out in the beginning of November. Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2. Well okay, they were original new IP's from the start of the next gen consoles so that's okay. On the other hand, you see, Resident Evil 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Unreal Tournament 3, and many others. Has the industry been playing the safe bet too much with the next generation of consoles? (I'm not talking about the Wii because it's apparently it's not competing against it's bigger brothers, Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360.)

Have we, the gamers, been accepting the new titles with open hearts on and on only to see original ideas banished. Take a look at last generations Ico which wasn't a great seller but considered an amazing game. I'm only talking about this because I was in a discussion with a friend about the next, next generation of video games (the Sony PS4 and Xbox 720). It will be interesting to see what happens then? Will there be a Metal Gear Solid 5 out then? A Halo 5? It will be interesting to see because those games are top sellers. Games like Mirror's Edge and Little Big Planet are examples of how originality can be a fresh experience. But the industry is out to make money so will the trend of originality continue to die (but likely to pop up in Nintendo's market)? I think only time will tell.

On the note of sequels, here's footage comparing the original Gears of War maps to the Gears of War 2 maps. Enjoy!

Gears of War 2 'Who Wants Toast?' clip

The Gaming Community and the Devs

2008-11-11T23:30:00.000-08:00

Quick chat about the gaming community and developers can talk in forums. I recently won a recent Crysis Wars Post of the Week which was no doubt awesome. I basically stated my opinion on how to make the game more balanced and fun. For more check out this link. It leads me to hope that gameplay balance issues will be sorted out. Winning isn't what really makes me happy, it's that they considered my suggestions. Think of it like this, you make a wonderful pie. You tasted it yourself and it's amazing(to you at least). You give it to a friend, they immediately say that the pie has a horrible after taste. Thus ripping out the love you had for the pie/ that friend(haha). Developers have this exact same reaction. The day their game ships and they see the reviews/meta score is basically how they can rate themselves (in terms of quality). Seeing developers taking the time to see how it can be changed shows how good the company is (i.e. Crytek).

On that exact note, here is footage of something I really wanted to see. The Insomniac Community Day! Hopefully one day, I'll get to tour those offices! Anyways, enjoy!

Guitar Hero Ads Rock with Heidi Klum

2008-11-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

I was on 1up.com and I found this comparison of Guitar Hero World Tour commercials. They stated that it was a bit silly for a bunch of guys in underwear rocking out in a commercial. But with Heidi Klum, it was less silly. I don't know if this was the perfect commercial to hit their audience. I see what they were trying to do with the male's in underwear commercial but I don't know it was executed that well. I see both commercials on the air so maybe they're doing a combination to please both the male/female audience? The commercial also shows how you look when you actually play which could be looked at as a negative. I feel that they should have started off as if the actors were at a rock concert (show them at an actually rock concert) then move back to the underwear look. I also posted the Rock Band 2 commercial for comparison. What do you guys think?

Original Commercial

Heidi Klum take

Guitar Hero World Tour 'Heidi Klum 30 Sec' TV ad

Rock Band 2 Commercial

[ Source = 1up.com ]

The Future?

2008-11-06T10:49:00.001-08:00

When the first Wii was shown, I immediately thought, "Hey, it has controls that basically replicate the mouse and keyboard." After using it, I thought, it was a good first start (I played a couple FPS's with it) but I wonder what will come down the road. Down the road and not the first example after the Wii's motion sensor, comes this motion detection for the computer. Now, it states the mouse and keyboard are dead... What's wrong with that? Because I don't know if I would throw my beautiful Logitech keyboard and mouse for my own hands. Only time will tell if this will be as hyped as the video states but I am excited for it!

Fallout 3 Evolution

2008-11-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

I've been playing Fallout 3 like sleep is a chore. I thought this is a good time to check out the previous Fallouts (I was kind of young so I didn't get the opportunity to play em).

This video sure helped!

Resistance 2 arrives today!

2008-11-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

This game comes out today...

which is made by these guys

and this game comes out Friday...

which is made by this guy..

which means everyone I know will be losing sleep. haha

I'll do a video blog sometime within the next two weeks. Other than that, I've been playing recently Fallout 3. It starts off kinda slow but once you pick up a decent rifle and armor, the game picks up. It's really good and it is for anyone looking for that apocalyptic story or for someone who liked Oblivion. The game isn't perfect, there's bugs every now and then (at least for the pc) but it can be overlooked from the game's landscape/gameplay. Also, if you thought it was a FPS, your wrong. If you thought it was an RPG, it's not. It takes them together and creates a hybrid. This is one hybrid that everyone should at least try.

Resistance 1 vs. Resistance 2

2008-10-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

With the game just a week away, I'd like to go over this video comparing the two. The game engine has definitely got an overhaul in the second iteration. What does that mean for the player, it means you'll believe the world your playing in more. PS3fanboy asks it's viewers if the game is "too colorful". I'm one in favor for that it's not "too" colorful. It is just enough to make it not look like a cartoonish version of Reistance. Comparing it to games such as Team Fortress 2, it doesn't come close to the art style. Team Fortress 2's art style helps represent the game in the fun quirky matter it is. Everything in the game goes well together. That said, I'm glad they didn't go exactly with that look. Resistance 2 is suppose to be a dark and gloomy time for America. Giving it a cartoon look would clash with that idea. Maybe I'm just crazy, what is your input? Here's the video comparing Resistance 1 and 2.

Gaming Gone Mainstream!

2008-10-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

Ya, that's right, it's a Guitar Hero ad with KFC! I wonder what Mr. Sanders would say if you went back in time and told him about Guitar Hero. He would think you were insane!

Gaming sure has traveled into the mainstream audience. Whether it be in the Nintendo's Wii or Guitar Hero, video games has leaped from social outcast to social non-outcast? Haha, well you understand what I mean. Look at the movies, Max Payne is a movie! This was rumored back when the first one came out(I have the OPM magazine that talks about it becoming a movie!). It really is amazing to see it become a true form of art. But like all forms of art, it's up to future developers to keep it alive! I hope that I become one designer that keeps the idea and expands on it.

Side note: I just watched this video about company start ups and failures with Kevin rose. It's really intriguing to know how the popular website Digg started up.
Enjoy!

Dark City is freakin cool!

2008-10-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some 3ds Max modeling for school and decided to take a break and watch the movie Dark City. I've had it lying around and I thought the trailer made it seem epic so why not. I watched the movie with low expectations and it blew away those expectations. Okay, the acting is not the best, the action wasn't as satisfying as the Matrix and the film's look (it was made in 1998) can make skip this gem. Without giving away too much, the movie is about a main character who looses his memory and is accused of murder. That character is John Murdock and the movie is his fight to find the truth about the city. Here's a trailer to set you up with the look / feel of the movie.

If you see this movie at your local Walmart, do your self a favor and give it a go. It will be one movie you won't regret owning!

[Pros: The concept is executed perfectly! The movie's quotes/lines can be remembered well due to the harmony with the story's plot. The city and its inhabitants are lifelike and believable (sometimes a bit creepy). One of the best Sci Fi movies in the end of the 20th century. ]
[Cons: Acting doesn't get to anywhere near bad but some might think parts that are meant to be dramatic are funny. The action can be rather dull at times. ]

Remember to "sleep now".

Along with this, I've been dying to play me some Resistance 2. I saw the Co-Op beta gameplay and it looks really fun! The more I see of it, the more I can see where they got their influences from. One game that the Insomniac crew got ideas from is definitely the Battlefield franchise. The whole co-op campaign can show you that they got the idea straight from that.

The teamplay is great but I wonder how this game will play with only 2 players or even 3. Full 8 player co-op looks a tad bit easier but what about the people that just want to play with a buddy. It'll be interesting to see how the balance works out. In Battlefield 2, a lot people used the medic or certain class compared to the other unused classes. I really hope that this doesn't happen with this game but only time will tell!

Resistance 2 Ad!

2008-10-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

I saw this today and I think this Resistance 2 advertisement is pure genius! I don't know if the mainstream public knows enough about this title and I hope it doesn't get buried underneath all these upcoming triple A titles. Good luck Insomniac guys!

Max Payne or Max Fail?

2008-10-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

Before I go into detail with my review of Max Payne, I'd like to say a few words about Dead Space! If you haven't tried it yet, do so now! Actually try it at night with surround sound and by yourself. If you don't get surprised at all then, you aren't human! Here's a senario (spoiler alert-sorta, skip to the next paragraph) that I witnessed while playing the game. An enemy came threw a broken vent in the side and attacked me. I shot it a couple times until it went back in the vents it came threw. I said, "Alright, maybe it's a scripted event that I wasn't suppose to kill it". Wrong was I! As I was walking away, the enemy came back threw and attacked me from behind! I ended up finishing him but it's moments like these that really make the game interesting and scary.

The game's enemy design are awesome because the "hyped" body dismemberment mechanic is amazing. You shoot a enemy in the leg, they fall down and drag their body towards you! I also think you should definitely check out the animated comic before playing the game. It tells you about how everything went to hell and then some.

[ Movie Review of Max Payne ]
Trailer:

Why is it that video game movies never turn out as good as you'd expect? Also, why did the director choose not to create a movie for the gaming audience instead of mixing the two? This is the main downfall for the movie and which I hated it for it. Here are some of the thoughts that went through my head while watching it:

" Where is the Max Payne that always takes painkillers? Why are the other side characters always talking? Mark Wahlberg is badass and looks like Max Payne. WTF, why is Ludacris a cop? Why did it take so long to get the killing? I want more killing! I should probably refill my soda (pop to the people that call soda, pop). I want more slow motion sequences! The main enemy got taken out from one shot, wtf? "

If you played the game, you'll be saying the same things. The movie suffers from trying to hard to get the causal audience and the gaming audience to like the movie. It ends up into a movie that they both won't like and is another video game movie gone bad. Seeing the trailer, I thought this was going to be a mix between the movie "Shoot'em Up" with the Max Payne story line. Man, was I wrong! If you were expecting a action packed movie, you aren't going to find it here. Another thing that bugged me was all these side characters talking. I try and think back what made Max Payne the game, Max Payne the game. I remembered the beginning comics that made the intro cut scene to every level. It had Max Payne talking to himself about the situation. Here's a video to help remind you if you forgot.

Beginning cut scene to Max Payne:

This isn't used at all in the movie and it is a shame. Instead, you hear from boring characters that you forget within seconds. That said, you don't fall into the world of Max Payne, you fall into a generic city. I don't know about you but I remember the game having tons of drug addicts, strippers, and crooked cops chasing him. The movie doesn't even have enough of these to satisfy that!

It's not all bad though. Mark Wahlberg's performance is like in every other movie, amazing. He really sets himself to look and act like Max Payne. The effects of the movie can be just amazing at times. The city's weather is always changing from snowy and night to sunny and bright. It seemed to me that they were trying to make it seem like Max Payne never knew what time of the day it was. It is moments like that that are really cool. The sad part of it all is that these positives don't save the movie from the disappointment it is.

___________________________________________________________________________________
C-
Pros: Mark Wahlberg is Max Payne, cool effects from weather to gun shots
Cons: Everything else. It tries to hard to be mix the mainstream audience with the gaming audience and just fails at it.

Rebate or not to rebate, there is no question.

2008-10-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

I have a theory. "Rebates" or what I liked to call invisible money is all fake. I consider it to be like an energy drink that states that if you drink more than two, you might die? While some of us that aren't use to intense caffeine intake would die, the rest (also most of the world) would be fine. It's a placebo to make us feel better about what ever we're buying and I for one can't stand it.

Gas prices going down!

2008-10-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

You saw it here first (no you probably didn't!). I find it ironic that people use to complain and bitch about gas prices sky rocketing up but I don't see any of them talking about how the prices went down. Maybe it'll go back to $3.10 tomorrow, next week, or in the next minute but hey, it's lower and that makes me happy!

Quarantine Review!

2008-10-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

[ Review time for the movie Quarantine! ]

Here's a quick trailer of the movie.

For those who want a quick idea of what the movie is, it's basically mix of Cloverfield and 28 Weeks Later. The storyline without giving out too many spoilers is about a group of people stuck in an apartment building. Things go bananas and now they're fighting for their life.
Now for the good! It's phenomenal if you liked either of the movies previously named. The sound and tension of the movie really lets you sink yourself into the atmosphere. This movie has some cool effects done with the body of the undead, dead people. There are some moments in the movie that have that "pop in" effect for a scare. Those were pretty good and anyone easily scared will jump! Let me describe it to you. I saw that trailer and the parts that I knew were coming still had me feeling the tension and suspense on what was yet to come! Now any movie that does that is worth seeing! I also loved how the movie throws out "foreshadowing". It does it slightly that normal viewers will see and put it in back of the mind. That is until the moment you connect the pieces together and jump!
Now for the bad. Like any other movie, it really makes some of the characters feel real and grounded. On the other side of this is the stupidity that you usually get from side/supporting characters. You will be annoyed why character [A] forgot that character [b] and [c] were fucking infected. Along with that, if you weren't a fan of what I like to call "spin the camera and jerk it enough so that the viewer feels sick" camera shots from Cloverfield, you won't like certain parts of this movie. What the movie is trying (I think at least) to do is to make the viewer move their head as if they were in the movie. Sometimes it's basically becomes one giant clusterfuck of a mess.
Besides these top annoyances, you will love this movie! It does what it is trying to do very well (atmosphere and tension) with some side annoyances. If you saw the trailer and was even a tad bit curious, it's a movie for you!

Gears of Wars 2 looks to pretty good

2008-10-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say that Gears of War 2 looks promising. The active human capture the flag seems cool but I don't know how well it is during gameplay. That said, everything else looks amazing. The map Avalanche has a actually avalanche that can comes in random and kills enemies. The whole co-op last stand mode is a under used mode in most shooters. One great game that used that same kind of mode was Unreal Tournament 2004. Well anyways, I thought I'd share this ESPN exclusive video. Enjoy!

No love for Resistance 2!

2008-10-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Gametrailers' podcast,Bonus Round had no love for Resistance 2. I'm not a fanboy by any sorts (saying that probably means I'm in fanboy denial) but come on. Everyone really dismissed how big Resistance 2 will be. Look at Haze for the PS3. It has "same look as the Halo 3 cept yellow" and wasn't able to catch the mainstream audience. It only sold about 67,000 (in the first month of May according to http://www.gamedaily.com) and wasn't that amazing of a game. Don't get me wrong, Gears of War 2 is gonna be a seller but to really say that Resistance 2 isn't going to pull in a ton of audience is dumb. I posted up a post in the forums and you can see below the video. Just my 2 cents.

After watching it, I posted this..

"I disagree with those three that Resistance 2 doesn't look like it can be recognized through the other shooters. Casual gamers don't look at Half Life's Gorden Free and go, oh man, he's a badass. They would if someone told them about the game. Same thing goes with Resistance 2, once someone is told of the concept behind it, it becomes recognized. Saying that Gears' Marcus and Halo 3's Master Chief are more known is because hey, there's already a bigger install base on the 360. Of course more people will know of these characters because there's more people w/ 360's talking about it and telling people about the idea behind the game. And as for which game do you think gamers are gonna get, I think both. If they're really a hardcore gamer, they already have both systems and plan on getting both."

Why is there only 24 hours in a day?

2008-10-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

I know many friends that got this achievement. Anger and broken controllers followed shortly after!

Running in real life = running in WoW?

2008-10-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

With all the buzz that happened with Wii fit, I wonder if this could easily get as much hype if it became a retailed item. Look at it like this, on Direct TV, there is a Blizzcon special HD coverage that is coming up. Along with the special is an exclusive in game item that is for the people who purchased the Direct TV coverage. On Ebay, the prices for such item became over the hundred dollar mark. Now remember, this is only for a "in game" item.

Here is a picture of the item.

Here is the price people are willing to pay just for the item (no including the coverage you get with Direct TV).

Okay, so you get where I'm going with this. If a in game like this can be sold for an overpriced amount (look at image above & NOTE: the Direct TV coverage only costs 40 dollars if you already have Direct TV), Blizzard could appeal to those who would want a work out during the game if they released a product like the one shown above.

Why the hate?

2008-09-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

Edited*

[ Watch this! ]

So looking on Kotaku, I read something that caught me by surprise. Not because he's the director, not because the way he brushed it off so quickly in the video but why haven't I heard a damn thing about it before. No rumors came up, David Jaffe didn't hint to anything and, the news hasn't hit the Playstation blog. Anyways, he's directed the Rush Hour movies (not as bad as Kotaku states) and X-men 3 The Last Stand. I won't protect him from Rush Hour 3 because it was a rehashed version of 1/2 but the rest of his movies were pretty good. Here's the thing too, it's a video game movie. It'll make just as much or just under the amount it would make if say *insert big name director here* directed it. That said, I assume the game companies know this and are taking the advantage of this. I'm not saying the new movie is going to be horrible (i.e. Bloodrayne series), nor am I saying it is going to be a triple A movie. It will hopefully make it's way in the middle with the Resident Evil series or even the Silent Hill movie are at!
Congrats Brett Ratner! Good luck, don't screw up!

Video games are already looked at to be the reason why anyone does anything wrong anymore (i.e. GTA debates on it's themes of violence and crime), I don't think crappy video game movies don't need to be added to the video game hate list!

[ More info here! ]

Halo sword for realz?

2008-09-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

The internet is the spawn of everything crazy to cats with guns. I was searching a picture for one of my projects and I saw this.

It's life like, it's a real Halo sword!

I don't know what the ending price was but if anyone knows, please leave a comment! I'm really interested how much that thing actually sold for. The Geekologic blog stated it was selling at $255 dollars with 2 days left on the bidding. If your in shock the price for the real life sword was so cheap, let me tell you that Ebay has this nasty habit of raising by 50% in the last hour. Well I'm off to bed, goodnight!

Far Cry 2 Map Making - very cool!

2008-09-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

I just saw this on Game Trailers and I'd thought I'd share! When I was first watched it, I was really liking the idea that you can attack the areas with different tactics. That is until (from watching the video a couple times) I saw that the rooftops aren't accessible. Now imagine with me, close your eyes. You enter one of these specific areas, you sneak behind one of their main buildings and take out the perimeter guards. You move onto boxes and move upward towards the rooftop of a building where the enemy is having a meeting. Once they're done, they walk outside to see their guards taken out. They sprint to their fallen and while this is happening, you silently take them out from top of the rooftops. Now, that's freedom. With the Far Cry 2 footage, they state strategic fighting but I have yet to see someone use it well through the videos. Especially when sneaking around these outposts, I've seen players play it out more of a typical shooter. Now, that's nothing to be ashamed off but with the rooftop idea, it would allow for more space to move around like a ninja. I really hope they have something like that in the final build!

Mirror's Edge actaully looks "better" when it was first concieved

2008-09-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a proof of concept video for the game "Mirror's Edge". I personally think this game looks action packed during these cut scenes than the ones they show the public now. Also, note that the main character always holds the gun but in the updated version, she now has to pick up guns to use them. Interesting how the ideas evolved/changed. Check it out.

Mirror's Edge 'Proof of Concept' clip HD

Video Blog 2! Austin GDC, Heroes and Crysis Warhead

2008-09-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

- Heroes -
Rating:A+
Pros:Awesome action. Gave what hardcore fans of the series a start of a season that they wanted
Cons:If you beginning on watching the series, you will be confused like no other. A lot of things happening can be a little overwhelming.

- Crysis Warhead -
Rating:9/10 = A-
Pros:Action Packed. So many moments that you will remember! Team Deathmatch Multiplayer is awesome!
Cons:Very short (4-5 hours) single player story. Power Struggle seems a little empty with only 32 people in it.

Oh, for those who aren't giving Crysis Warhead a try, check out this game play footage!

Shower away baby!

2008-09-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sink Showering Monkey

hahahahaaa, I love how when when an animal does anything that a human would do = amusing and hilarious! It's in the human DNA! Tomorrow I'll upload a video blog and it'll highlight tonight's heroes t.v. show!

see ya tomorrow internetz!

BACK from the Austin GDC

2008-09-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

I'll upload a video blog for everything that happened at the Austin GDC. It was overall fun and Austin is a great place to host something like that. I'm going to move away from talking about the Austin GDC until I do my video upload.

Next on my agenda is to talk about this CA intro for the game Resistance 2 (PS3).
Here's a trailer for it that I recently just saw.

I'm a big fan of the innovation of the guns of the Insomniac team but this trailer really proves they've learned from their previous games. The whole cutscene had me only imagining what was going to happen. I'm glad they gave Nathan Hale a voice because it really brings his character out of the general army type characters. I also loved how they used the amount of tracer bullets to show utter chaotic and specific. I am glad that they learned from their mistakes from the previous game and applying it to the new version unlike somethings in life (Steve Jobs, give the iphone users the power to copy and paste!)

Oh, I feel like I'm just rambling but I picked up Crysis Warhead today. I heard good things about it and at only $30.00, how can you go wrong. Loving it now, hopefully it'll finish with a bang!

I'll talk to you guys more soon!

-Mikee

The oath of a meatatarian

2008-09-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

I was at Wendys and under my food, I found this. I find it amazing because I'm a big fan of the baconator. I even made a website for it a while back (www.freewebs.com/baconation).

Hello all!

2008-09-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, I haven't really posted on here in a while (I'll do a video blog soon) but I've been enjoying my break now from school. Got a semester done and I am relaxing with people still in my hometown that didn't leave for far away colleges. The time before my Austin GDC trip is counting down and I will probably do a yahoo live chat when I'm down there so come chat with me! I think it'll be fun coming to it and learning everything about the game industry as in industry. The up's and down's of being a game design and so fourth. Anyways, I'm off to go to my old highschool to pick up a year book that I never got (things are expensive!). Later guys!

Oh David Jaffe

2008-09-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

I was looking up stuff for the upcoming game The Rise of the Argonauts and I found this on youtube. I think it's hilarious because he's doing God of War 3 right now and I love his personality. He speaks his opinion and his mind. Check this out!

Energy, does it flow in you?

2008-09-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

I just did a t-shirt design for the 6 Hour Power T-Shirt design contest. It was fun and overall I liked how the shirt turned out!

I think the "does it flow in you" could have been done better but I couldn't find a text that I liked/worked the whole feeling of the t-shirt. The t-shirt was suppose to reflect the word "energy" and tie it into the drink Verry Berry. Help me out and vote for it! Click here to vote for it. Thanks.

Difference in PS3 Bundles?

2008-08-26T16:50:00.001-07:00

If you were wondering what PS3 Bundle you should of got, the extinct 60 Gig was probably the best. It had it all, Ethernet port, 4 usb ports, and ps2 backwards capability.

DEATH RACE

2008-08-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

I watched Death Race last night and it was awesome! Anyone that came in, wanting more than a car combat movie, was going to be very disappointed. Story = bad (should have been titled "loosely based on the old cult classic). Characters = alright (some you'll remember after the movie, some of them you will ask if they actually in the movie.) Fun Factor = Amazing if you love car combat and anything like Twisted Metal (psone/ps2 game).

What I'm trying to say is, the movie rocked for me and anyone that remotely wanted to see it, should see it. It's got over the top action (sometimes very unrealistic, i.e. tanker with a tank turret racing @ 100mph) that everyone should see!

rank: B+

Cons: It loosely follows the old movie.
Pros: It loosely follows the old movie.

Little Big Planet

2008-08-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

I rarely see good trailers for upcoming games but every Little Big Planet truely catches me into the Little Big Planet hype. It's cute, it's laughable, it'll make smile and feel like a little kid, it's Little Big Planet....

You can't always win

2008-08-23T21:10:00.001-07:00

So yesterday, I got my tickets and everything for the Austin GDC. Right after (probably 5 minutes), I check my email and look what I find.....

I am extremely pissed because not only it Kevin and Alex from Diggnation going to be there but the Mythbusters are going there. Tickets to fly out the California are ridiculous right now but I'm more pissed that I got a two days notice :(. Anyways, you can't always win and I have Austin GDC to look forward too! I sent back the email so I hope someone out there got the lucky tickets!

Office Space

2008-08-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

My buddy who got a new alienware wanted to destroy other computers so we agreed on doing it "office space" style. Don't understand what I mean? You will in this video! Enjoy!

feels good to destroy from Mike Shields on Vimeo.

Memories

2008-08-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

I saw this trailer.

This game reminded me a mix of a couple different games. Does anyone remember Rogue Ops? It had a chick dodging lasers just like in video. The beginning reminded me of MGS4 (the whole Humvee drive sequence). And the last part reminded me of the new Project Origins mech sequence. What I'm trying to get at is why? Don't they companies look at their games anymore? The ending scene showed two people that feel like they were put into that situation just for the hell of it. I think back to the days where companies just spit out games to see if anyone would buy it but in today's prices, creating a game costs money! So why the hell would you not put more effort in the game/trailer. Ehh, maybe I'm being too bitter but I have a point. It's like all the games are regurgitations of previous games (I basically mean, nothing new, NOTHING NEW. Same shooting, Same Mech combat, Same EVERYTHING). Thank gawd the game isn't out or I'd probally be ripping on it more. Anyways, I just wanted to rant a bit since I haven't posted in a while.

Anyways, I checked up online and the PC version of Grid is like 13 gigs. Damn taking up my precious HDD space, that and Supreme Commander take up 20 gigs. I don't think I'll pick up Grid though because of that reason.

I'll do a quick post of what I've been up too and some funny videos. Oh yea, I wanted to post up a video of my buddies' new Alienware Laptop. I know I know, expensive expensive but look at that baby glow!
Enjoy!

My buddy Leslie's new alienware laptop from Mike Shields on Vimeo.

I hate people like this

2008-08-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

You may know of Quentin Tarantino for Death Proof or the Kill Bill 1 and 2, well in this video, the interviewer yells at him for making violent movies that little kids are going to copy and kill others. This lady seems so ignorant and she does sound like Kyle's Mom from South Park. I don't think Quentin Tarantino acted very professional but hey, sometimes you can't get through to some people. He does make some interesting points in today's industry. Violence can date back all the way back to Hamlet. Anyone remember that story? Tragic Hero? (spoiler alert if you didn't know the story! lol) Everyone basically dies? Yes! Well, I'd rather not rant but violence has seen back then and is seen today. I remember a couple years ago when the video game industry always got yelled at for creating violent content. Games like Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto 3 come to mind but it always comes back to that debate. If video games are a source of "art", why are we limiting some games. I'll leave on that note so enjoy the video, I thought it was amusing.

Time Travel

2008-08-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

I recently upgraded to 3 gigs of ram due to all multiple programs I run. I thought this video showing the ultimate gaming computer from 1998 was appropriate to post. It really shows how much technology has evolved and basically shows what the future is capable of. Enjoy.

Clever and Fun videos

2008-08-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Once in while, you tend to just find videos that intrigue you and make you smile. Besides watching anything of Little Big Planet (which mostly anything from there will make me smile i.e. this picture ) but I recently saw this video on ps3 fanboy. I thought it was hilarious and clever and everyone should see it. It's Metal Gear Thumb Wars and yes, it does look as awesome as it sounds.