Kathunter's Personal Space

This is just awesome.

"A guy is claiming that he and a pal were practicing the Tomoe Nage move on the long jump track at his school. The move, made popular in the latest Splinter Cell game, involved one guy lying on his back and then hurling his friend over his head, with the use of his legs, like a human missle."

[via: Kotaku]

This is a call out to publishers in general, but tonight, Ubisoft.

You have a current niche in the market as a leader in the markets active XBox Live titles, but who the heck does your QA? Tonight I was in Brothers in Arms and couldn't send an invite to my friends who I knew owned the game (everyone was playing the new Halo maps). The thing is, this is not just a problem with BinA, who I know you never intended to take over the live community, but it is almost every title on your roster that has a serious problem with XBL communication. But don't feel isolated, because your best friend, Electronic Arts, has the exact same problem!

I have decided, as actual hard-core Live gamers, we should create a list of XBox Live features we insist on, and find a way to be heard. Sure, I personally feel that all XB games should be XB aware, aka Prince of Persia (developers, this is just smart marketing), however if I can't have that, I will settle for being able to:

• listen to my voice mail in ANY XBL game
• send a voice message from any XBL game
• and navigate my friends list without repagination every time someone signs on

I am not asking for another fantastic Halo lobby experience. With the exception of Rainbow Six, that seems to be a pipe dream. All I ask of everyone out there - is not to totally fuck it up. Welcome to gaming in 2000 damn 5.

Almost two years ago, I had a dream. You see, I was the editor of my high school newspaper, and started my working career in the newspaper business. Everyone said my personal blog (better known as intimate vomit) was the best thing since fried grits, so I left my job as Webmaster of Gamedaily with a few contacts to try out this freelance thing.

Since then I have patched together an unpredictable collection of $200 jobs. You see, I have to pay $800 a month for one bedroom in my roommate's house, as well as all the other dimes and quarters it takes to live in this freakin expensive city. (I have no idea how the hippys ever survived. None of them were carrying PDA's at Dead show. Sometime in 2000, I moved to San Franciso from Greenville, SC where I had aan awesome 2 bedroom home with a wrap around porch complete with rocking chair for the total price of $350 a month. That was living!

When I was a full-time programmer, money was never an issue. I was so excited that for the first time in my life, I did not have to run to the grocery store and buy a frozen dinner just to write a check for $35 over before my next pay day, only to write another check for $35 over later in order to deposit the first "loan" in my very lonley bank account. (In case you were wondering, God invented overdraft protection especially for me.)

All of the sudden, as a freelance game journalist, I found myself back in some very old and uncomfortable shoes. Don't get me wrong, I don't love money. I can live without it. But man I miss shopping. You know you are poor when you wear your new Splinter Cell t-shirt to a party like it was a $200 Armani sweater, and let's not even talk about the 5" roots in my hair. (I did, however, scrape up the cash to buy Conker, but I won't say anything negative about a non-Ubi game in this blog, so we will leave that alone for now.)

Everything was going to be ok. I had a new brilliant idea. I would live off the cash from this Frag Doll gig and combine it with the millions I made as a freelance game journalist! It sounded like a great idea, until an editor asked for a "pitch".

"What is this thing, "Pitch", you speak of. Can't you just tell me what to do?"

Nope, as a freelancer, you come up with ideas that gamers think would be interesting, then put on your salesman hat, and convince them it is a freakin fantastic idea, and you are the only one who could possibly tell it. Are we allowed to say "crap" in these blogs? Anyway, if you are lucky, you sell enough stories to pay the rent that month. If you are successful, you also buy groceries, and if you are a rockstar, you can actually go shopping. Man I miss shopping.

So I found this awesome alternative. For whatever reason, people thought I would be a great host for TV game shows (ok, so not TV, but shows that you download online). The theory was, gamers wanted to see someone on the screen who knew about games, not some pretty actress reading a script. Man, this was a great gig. With some serious prep work, I was able to rule the mike at these local press events for GTtv. Who knew I was so awesome right?? Then Yahoo! Games asked me to be a host for their new TV show, Repeat.

"Not a problem," I tell the producer "I am a total pro. relax and watch the professional at work." Of course I knew what I was doing. I had two major events under my belt, and a total of 3 months experience. I should ask for a raise before I ever begin taping.

This brings us Tuesday morning, June 28.

My first day filming is at the Yahoo campus in Sunnyvale, CA, and it is freakin huge, man. Do you know they get free coffee? Lattes. I mean, we are talking super duper fancy smancy. Raymond, my producer, decides we are going to adlib everything. Awesome. I took theater at Easley High School. No sweat.

That is until the set was lit, and the cameras were in my face. There was no mike in my hand to nervously grasp. My co-host was a thousand miles away, and I was supposed to "wittily banter" with this kid I could not see without showing the bad side of my hair! As prepared as I thought I was, I sat and missed line after line (after line) until we finally wrapped and I shrank out of the city to my train home.

To all the TV hosts on G4 and Spike who I ever gave any flack to, I apologize.

I play this game around 8 hours a week for my Frag Doll stuff while the other ladies are on SCCT, so I can say it is worth a shot. If you are into PC games, check out the demo.

"A playable demo is now available for Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, allowing the chance to sample Gearbox Software's World War II first-person shooter (described in the read me as "the first game in the Brothers in Arms game series"). Here's the description of the demo, which also includes a tutorial: "The demo contains the first level of the game, 'Rendevous [sic] with Destiny', where you must parachute into Normandy and head for St Mere l'Eglise. Once you've finished that stage you'll jump ahead to 'Action at Vierville' where you must clear the town of Germans using both your squad and Sgt Risners M5 Stuart tank."

[via: Blue's News]

Quick - someone with a Nintendo hand needs to cut off the finger, put it in the Wendy's chili and send them the photo! Sure winner.

"GS: What we know about the game's main character is that he's a crazy, cynical homeless guy. American, where did that character profile come from?

AM: Ha! It came purely from my experience living in Los Angeles. To be honest, the game concept was inspired by a billboard that I saw while driving along Sunset Boulevard one day. There, hanging above the glitz and glamour of the Sunset Strip, was an overly PC billboard that inquired, "Bioterror attack. Are you prepared?!" And I thought to myself, "Uh, no." At that moment, I decided to create a game about the current American "fear culture" and have it presented through the eyes of the ultimate reluctant hero...a man who's given up on humanity and himself. "

[via: Gamespot

There is no other industry in the WORLD where a press conference goes quite like the ones at E3. I swear, last year, I saw grown men jump out of their seats and hug other men as tears ran down their face when the Zelda trailer was shown. And grown gamers don't hug.

"Tip 1. Boo at the Nintendo Conference

Without question, each year's single most embarrassing moment for the enthusiast press occurs at the Nintendo press conference. Because many videogame journalists began their obsession with videogames on a Nintendo console, the Japanese company enjoys unequalled adoration at E3. Often this goes to extremes.

This phenomenon is painfully evident when you hear the reaction to any big Nintendo announcement.

Zelda for the DS? -- Screams of joy.
Mario for the Revolution? -- Apoplectic delight
Chartreuse Game Boy? -- Hoots aplenty
Metroid Prime 3? -- High level Oprah audience hysteria and loss of consciousness

Don't believe it? Just check out video feeds of past Nintendo press conferences. It's cringe inducing but extremely hilarious.

So, how does one make this moment more awkward? Try booing and booing loudly. No one ever does that."

[via: GameDAILY Biz]

kathunter: the wendy's finger lady has been arrested for grand theft
seanbaby: Awesome.
seanbaby: In relation to the finger incident?
kathunter: one sec - I could not tell from the short news segment, let me check online
kathunter:Here

kathunter: A Clark County Detention Center official said Ayala was booked Thursday night as a fugitive from San Jose.
Family friend Ken Bono said officers raided the home around 9 p.m. and caught Ayala alone as she was watching "Meet the Fockers" on video.
"I had just left to get some soda at the store, and when I came back she was gone and there were cars from the (Las Vegas and San Jose) police," said Bono, 23, who lives with Ayala. "They said it for grand theft or something."
kathunter: what awesome news reporter included the DVD she was watching
kathunter: as if the Fockers told something about her personality
seanbaby: "Woman with pedestrian sense of humor lives depressing life."
kathunter: like those kids who committed suicide while listening to megadeath
seanbaby: Well that's important because Megadeath makes you commit suicide.
seanbaby: That's science fact.
kathunter: and the fockers promote cannibalism?
seanbaby: At the very least.

As a side note, I am totally irritated that it is currently impossible to watch the news without hearing a reference to eating fingers, but Wendy's is trying to make it up to me. According to the article...

"On Thursday, Wendy's announced it would offer free Frosty shakes to all Bay Area customers this weekend as a show of goodwill and commitment in the wake of its investigation.

"In an unofficial statement, Larry Probst said, 'Well, we really feel it was a good deal for us. I mean, we have a quite a few titles that feature God in them, such as Populus, Black and White, and even The Sims, just to name a few. We felt that it was in our best interests to get the exclusive on Him before anyone else had the chance to snap Him up.'

The contract is speculated to hold God to an exclusive five year deal with EA, including using His likeness on box art, marketing, and especially His Voice of God for trailers and previews to the song of twenty five billion a year for five years. 'Everyone knows we have more money than God,' Probst proclaimed, 'we just figured we should leverage that and grab God while we still could.'

'Well, I thought it was a great deal at the time, I mean, five years is only a blink of an eye for me, but I have to admit that I had my doubts at first,' God said in an interview. 'I'm looking at it from the perspective that at least this way I can make sure everyone at EA gets Sunday off.'"

[via: game girl advance]

So I bought this game with the intention of doing one of them handy dandy video reviews for GTtv, but someone over there beat me to the punch, so I defaulted to Psychonauts. Bad news? I am out $50 bucks. Good news? It made me buy the game!!

Who else is playing this? I am only 8 hours into the game, but so far my impressions are...

- Modified console RPG combat theory introduced in Fable
- Brilliant voice acting and script
- Predictable gameplay (think KoTOR I with a different storyline, if you played it, there is close to zero learning curve)
- Slightly distracting Asian females. They went all out with the models. How do you guys get through the game?? I even had trouble concentrating.
- Needs more high level puzzles

What do you think?

"In a surprise move, retailers GameStop Corp and Electronic Boutique Holdings Corp jointly announced today that the two have entered into a definitive agreement and plan of merger. The company to be formed from the merger will be called GameStop Corp, will be pulling in annual revenues of $3.8 billion, spanning 3,200 stores across all 50 United States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as around 600 international stores. Under the agreement, Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp shareholders will receive $38.15 in cash, plus the equivalent of 0.78795 shares of GameStop Corp Class A common stock for each share of Electronics Boutique, with the total transaction being at $1.44 billion with consideration consisting of approximately 70% cash and 30% common stock."

[via: GameGossip.com]

"If you think video games are engrossing now, just wait: PlayStation maker Sony Corp. has been granted a patent for beaming sensory information directly into the brain.
The technique could one day be used to create video games in which you can smell, taste, and touch, or to help people who are blind or deaf.
The U.S. patent, granted to Sony researcher Thomas Dawson, describes a technique for aiming ultrasonic pulses at specific areas of the brain to induce 'sensory experiences' such as smells, sounds and images.
'The pulsed ultrasonic signal alters the neural timing in the cortex,' the patent states."

[via: CNN.com]

"Microsoft Teams With MTV to Provide Exclusive Sneak Peek at the Debut of the Next-Generation Xbox - Xbox: "MTV: Music Television and Microsoft Corp. announced today a global marketing alliance to unveil the next-generation Xbox video game system on MTV channels in the United States, Asia Pacific and Europe, all within a 24-hour window � a first for the video game industry. The highly anticipated console will be revealed to video game fanatics, music lovers and MTV viewers via a high-energy half-hour program titled 'MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed.'"

[via: TeamXBox]

The fucking fantabulous Terra Nova brought to light a couple of entrepreneurial mmogers in WoW who actually bought up the entire IF Auction House (minus the top end items) and reposted them at a higher price. These kids also were apparently running a temporary storage business for a monthly fee that operates the same way my storage buildings here – miss your weekly payment and your items go up for auction. Read both the entry and the comments. There are a couple discussions here that intrique me.

One is which is real value in the game--is it gold, or is it experience. Yes, many of us will plunk down more than we should on a potions or a stack of copper in return for the skill points or chance to level before we log. In return we make financially-conscious players rich. I would be interested in seeing a study where someone studies a group of players and compares their in-game money management to their real-world habits. Personally, once I saw how cheap you could purchase gold online, it lost value (note: I have not actually purchased gold online. I figure I should concentrate on my own rent before I buy the “Badass Sword of the Monkey.”)

The second discussion is the skill set that reaps the most money. Half argue mining/skinning while the other say only go consumables. (By the way is anyone making money on enchantment? I know it is necessary for the guild, but has anyone broken an actual profit?)

One of the really fantastic things about being a game journalist (ok I get that there are not so many terrible things about the job besides the money) are the events that publishers put together before the big E3 trade show in May where everyone drops their proverbial pants.

If you are a working reporter at E3, you can easily be required to file 10-15 stories in the span of 3 days. Publishers get this, and offer us a chance to preview a good portion of their games this month in "Pre-E3" events here in San Francisco. Between now and the end of April, most of the online and print journalists will have an opportunity to play 70% of the games on the show floor. Maybe we only see one of two levels, but at least we outline the stories to a point where the deadlines become feasible.

I'm a freelancer, so the super cool events I usually miss (like THQ's recent WWE wrestlemania 21 this week) but that is the price to pay for playing in my bedroom intead of an office. However, I was invited to Namco's event this evening for a preview of Katamari Damacy 2 (working title) as well as the American version of Namco Museum for the PSP.

One night, Sean told me that the only the Bungie needed to do to steal another $50 from his wallet was to move the alien bastards around to different places on the map and he would buy the game all over again. Not sayin this is a Halo, but certain online sites have claimed KD2 will be more of the same, and who knows wait and see, but even if it is - I WANT MORE! Release dates and price will be announced later.

If you did not play the Japanese release of Namco Museum for PSP you are in for a treat. This is great subway gaming. Something old, something new, something borrowed...

Thursday is Ubisoft's Pre-E3, however they lost my invitation in the mail. I plan on crashing. Next week.. Midway and THQ and more.