Yes, it's true. It's damn true. I've been severely lacking the motivation to plunk myself down in front of the computer and do a real, honest-to-goodness update. I find that i need to be in a certain sort of mood in order to be able to write effectively, and lately i find that sort of mood to be somewhat elusive. Forgive me, dear readers (what very few of you there are). I'll try to be better.
After struggling for a couple of weeks due to extremely limited funds, i finally received my bonus payout from the previous quarter, and set about obtaining the last few pieces of the puzzle in order to make my new apartment feel like home. Now that everything is arranged the way i like it and i've begun decorating and personalizing, the sense of unfamiliarity has all but vanished, and i feel relaxed and comfortable in my new living quarters.
So come visit. I love company. Maybe i'll cook something for you.
Nothing much new to report on the work front. As a team, we're performing at the top of our game, and things are running along very smoothly as we gear up for the 4th quarter. As always, the release of the new Madden marked the unofficial start of the Xmas season, and as we move forward, there's a major title releasing almost every single week between now and the end of the year.
Without a doubt, this will be the busiest, craziest, and biggest holiday the game industry has ever experienced. Not only have we already seen price drops for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, but the Wii should actually be in stock and available this year. Aside from the consoles themselves, there's a plethora of AAA titles on the horizon: Super Mario Galaxy, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4, Heavenly Sword, Smackdown vs Raw 2008, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, Guitar Hero 3, Rock Band, and Super Smash Bros Brawl... just to name a few.
And let us not forget the unstoppable juggernaut: Halo 3.
Needless to say, we'll be kicking things into overdrive over the next few weeks. It's going to be fast-paced, stressful, and exhausting, but it's also gonna be a lot of fun. I love this time of year.
While we're on the subject of games, i should mention that BioShock released today. I've been playing it for about a week now (thanks to the idiots at Toys-R-Us breaking the manufacturer-mandated street date), and i have to say that, without a doubt, it's a complete and total masterpiece, and one of the best games i've ever played. It's rare to see a game developer spend so much time and effort polishing and fine-tuning every single detail to such a fine degree, but it definitely pays off here.
The environments and character designs are gorgeous, the gameplay is rock-solid, and the story and narrative could easily give some of the best Hollywood fare a serious run for its money. Add in the fact that it's got an EXTREMELY creepy and unsettling vibe, and that you will be faced with some extremely difficult moral decisions to make, and you're just starting to scratch the surface. If you want a game that will totally immerse you and take you from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, then you need this game.
While gaming still isn't considered a legitimate form of entertainment by society at large, BioShock is proof that the interactive medium is just as capable of exploring mature and complex themes and emotionally resonating with the player as any other form of entertainment out there. If ever there was an example of a game that could be considered a work of art, this is it.
In other news, i've hung out with Shannon a few times since moving into the new place. We had really lost touch while i was in Arizona, and though i had seen her once or twice after moving back last fall, it was never with any real consistency. She came over one night to check out the new place, and we went to see Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos a couple of weeks ago. The show was fantastic, but the venue had no air conditioning, so it was something like 110 degrees inside. We stayed near the back of the crowd, slipping outside periodically to cool off, and by the time we left, we were both so completely soaked with sweat that we looked like we had walked a mile during a hurricane.
Yeah. That's gross.
I was the owner of a Vietnamese potbellied pig for about 24 hours. She was given to me by a customer from Hollywood Video, and i spent most of Saturday evening trying to house-train her, without much luck. She was very sweet, though - climbing into my lap every time i sat down, and nudging me with her snout whenever i wasn't paying enough attention to her. If only she would've stopped peeing under the bed every fifteen minutes, she would've been awesome. I tried to give her a bath, which turned into quite a fiasco, and she made so much noise that my neighbor notified the management. They paid me a visit, and as it turns out, Vietnamese potbellied pigs are considered an "exotic breed" of animal, and thus are not allowed on the premises.
I was pretty disappointed, as having a pig in the house is infinitely cooler than having a dog or a cat, but rules are rules. I was able to find a good home for her, with a backyard for her to run around in and some children to pay attention to her - it's probably better that way, rather than being cooped up in an apartment all day waiting for me to come home. It was fun while it lasted, but i think my next furry creature will probably be a cat. I like low-maintenance animals.
I suppose this brings you all up to speed on what's happening with The Main Event lately. I'll try to do a better job of updating regularly. If i can pull myself away from BioShock long enough.
After struggling for a couple of weeks due to extremely limited funds, i finally received my bonus payout from the previous quarter, and set about obtaining the last few pieces of the puzzle in order to make my new apartment feel like home. Now that everything is arranged the way i like it and i've begun decorating and personalizing, the sense of unfamiliarity has all but vanished, and i feel relaxed and comfortable in my new living quarters.
So come visit. I love company. Maybe i'll cook something for you.
Nothing much new to report on the work front. As a team, we're performing at the top of our game, and things are running along very smoothly as we gear up for the 4th quarter. As always, the release of the new Madden marked the unofficial start of the Xmas season, and as we move forward, there's a major title releasing almost every single week between now and the end of the year.
Without a doubt, this will be the busiest, craziest, and biggest holiday the game industry has ever experienced. Not only have we already seen price drops for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, but the Wii should actually be in stock and available this year. Aside from the consoles themselves, there's a plethora of AAA titles on the horizon: Super Mario Galaxy, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4, Heavenly Sword, Smackdown vs Raw 2008, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, Guitar Hero 3, Rock Band, and Super Smash Bros Brawl... just to name a few.
And let us not forget the unstoppable juggernaut: Halo 3.
Needless to say, we'll be kicking things into overdrive over the next few weeks. It's going to be fast-paced, stressful, and exhausting, but it's also gonna be a lot of fun. I love this time of year.
While we're on the subject of games, i should mention that BioShock released today. I've been playing it for about a week now (thanks to the idiots at Toys-R-Us breaking the manufacturer-mandated street date), and i have to say that, without a doubt, it's a complete and total masterpiece, and one of the best games i've ever played. It's rare to see a game developer spend so much time and effort polishing and fine-tuning every single detail to such a fine degree, but it definitely pays off here.
The environments and character designs are gorgeous, the gameplay is rock-solid, and the story and narrative could easily give some of the best Hollywood fare a serious run for its money. Add in the fact that it's got an EXTREMELY creepy and unsettling vibe, and that you will be faced with some extremely difficult moral decisions to make, and you're just starting to scratch the surface. If you want a game that will totally immerse you and take you from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, then you need this game.
While gaming still isn't considered a legitimate form of entertainment by society at large, BioShock is proof that the interactive medium is just as capable of exploring mature and complex themes and emotionally resonating with the player as any other form of entertainment out there. If ever there was an example of a game that could be considered a work of art, this is it.
In other news, i've hung out with Shannon a few times since moving into the new place. We had really lost touch while i was in Arizona, and though i had seen her once or twice after moving back last fall, it was never with any real consistency. She came over one night to check out the new place, and we went to see Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos a couple of weeks ago. The show was fantastic, but the venue had no air conditioning, so it was something like 110 degrees inside. We stayed near the back of the crowd, slipping outside periodically to cool off, and by the time we left, we were both so completely soaked with sweat that we looked like we had walked a mile during a hurricane.
Yeah. That's gross.
I was the owner of a Vietnamese potbellied pig for about 24 hours. She was given to me by a customer from Hollywood Video, and i spent most of Saturday evening trying to house-train her, without much luck. She was very sweet, though - climbing into my lap every time i sat down, and nudging me with her snout whenever i wasn't paying enough attention to her. If only she would've stopped peeing under the bed every fifteen minutes, she would've been awesome. I tried to give her a bath, which turned into quite a fiasco, and she made so much noise that my neighbor notified the management. They paid me a visit, and as it turns out, Vietnamese potbellied pigs are considered an "exotic breed" of animal, and thus are not allowed on the premises.
I was pretty disappointed, as having a pig in the house is infinitely cooler than having a dog or a cat, but rules are rules. I was able to find a good home for her, with a backyard for her to run around in and some children to pay attention to her - it's probably better that way, rather than being cooped up in an apartment all day waiting for me to come home. It was fun while it lasted, but i think my next furry creature will probably be a cat. I like low-maintenance animals.
I suppose this brings you all up to speed on what's happening with The Main Event lately. I'll try to do a better job of updating regularly. If i can pull myself away from BioShock long enough.