We're a geek culture podcast and blog covering video games, music, food and more. We are the kinds of people who evangelize whatever we are into - it could be anything - but it's usually pretty geeky. We're casual, conversational, NSFW and hopefully interesting. We hope you enjoy it.
posted by Mike on September 29, 2007 4:56 PM in Music
Unemployment is a bitch. Now that I've joined the ranks of the working class again, my retrospect is clarifying. Being out of work, to me, is like a great fog in your mind. For some reason my line of work and my job opens all the ducts of imagination in my brain. While you're in the fog of joblessness, you're only able to ask yourself questions. Questions like the ones David Byrne asks here in "Once In A Lifetime" - one of the greatest songs of the early MTV era. I'm sure there's a much better parallel you could draw for a Talking Heads song, but it's such a perfect anthem for getting off your ass and doing something.
We talked about it on last week's podcast, but now I want to show you how to make your own steampunk style badass Nerf gun, and give you an opportunity to be lazy and just buy one of your very own! It's easy to do if you have any sort of experience with models or taking things apart (what good Geek hasn't taken apart their toys?) and with a little paint and a screwdriver, you too can be amazing. Hit the jump for the full tutorial.
Lots of people are saying that nerd tv is taking over. All the recent big popular shows as well as the brand new shows this fall have either nerd-type stars, such as Chuck, or are the sci-fi that us geeks have been known to love for a long time. Lost, Heroes, Bionic Woman, Journeyman, Battlestar Galactica, etc. The internet is a-buzz that TV is made for us now. But that's not the underlying theme of all these shows. It's not designed specifically for geek, or just the genres that we enjoy.
Nope, it's a much more traditional style and genre that is taking center stage on TV. You have to look at some of the other popular shows as well. Not just the brand new ones, some that been going for a few years as well. Look back a bit, and look on other channels, even look at the ones that didn't last because people are trying to exploit this new popularity all over. 24, Prison Break, Drive, Dead Zone, Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, CSI, and more. What do these shows have in common with the ones mentioned above?
Mystery.
On the most basic level, all of these shows are about the mystery. Some are individual whodunnit mysteries in each episode. Some are action or drama or sci-fi at first glance, but what truly draws in the audience is the big mystery story arc that is running through the whole season. Some have individual mysteries with a big mystery arc on top of it.
I think it's because we're getting smarter. We want more from our entertainment. We want to be challenged and feel like we can figure it out for ourselves. I am reminded of a story I heard on NPR a couple of years ago, interviewing an author of a book called Everything Bad is Good For You. He talked about how TV shows are much more complicated now. There are multiple stories going on at once. Characters are more complex. We have to think about our shows. Not everything is completely spelled out for us. The mystery genre is just the natural progression of where we've been going all along.
I am finally making some more progress in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, but like any Metroid game I like to take my time and slowly explore everything. It's making me want to go back to some of the 2d games like Zero Mission but my stack is increasing ever larger with Dragon Quest Monsters: Rocket Slime and Children of Mana having just arrived at my door.
Also there's a little game called Halo 3 just released this week, so I should probably get up on that. What's on your plate for this weekend, Geekateers?
posted by Qais on September 28, 2007 2:41 PM in Games
I am widely renowned as being a penny pincher of epic proportion. Often times I simply ignore new games until the price tag drops to what I consider a reasonable level, with a few exceptions. One of the exceptions was Bioshock, another will be Rockband.
For a while price points of $200 were being thrown around as what you'd be shelling out for the Rockband bundle. It would appear that we're going to see this for slightly less than expected. Amazon has the full bundle of drum kit, guitar, and microphone along with a copy of the game and usb hub for $170. Those lacking in the great fortune required for owning a 360 (or the disposable income required for owning a PS3) can pick up a bundle for the PS2 for $160, although it bears mentioning that the game and instruments will be sold separately.
I will almost certainly end up being one of the midnight line waiters for this game and if my impressions of it from PAX are accurate than I will end up annoying my neighbors for nights on end with the near incessant tapping of drumstick on drum.
CTZ over at Destructoid interviewed me last week for his Art Attack Friday feature, and it has gone live today! He managed to boil down my life's work into one teensy html page on the internets. Sniffle. Check it out and see some art that I done did.
posted by Chris on September 28, 2007 12:46 AM in Games, Music
The Phendrana Drifts theme is probably one of my favorite tracks from the stellar Metroid Prime soundtrack, and in today's Your Personal Soundtrack we see some sort of strange Guitar Hero hack for the Metroid Metal version. It looks pretty intense for such a slow, relaxing song.
Metroid Metal by Stemage is available for free from their website.
Stumbling around a bit today I discovered RadioLovers.com, a repository of a bunch of classic old radio shows, from dramas like Avenger to mysteries like Boris Karloff and yes, even old Batman radio plays. There's a ton of cool stuff up there, and it's all free. Good for listening, cutting up and mashing together. I imagine you could even load some of the spookier stuff up onto an iPod and make your own haunted house, just in time for Halloween.
Prepare yourself geeks, for on our heels is the coming of a new dark age. The world as we know it rapidly ceases to be and anarchy reigns in the streets. Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria! At least that's the case if you're one of the Larouche Youth Movement, one of the most stultifyingly dimwitted pack of misguided college kids I have ever had the misfortune of being accosted by on the street.
Supposedly Halo 3 marks the "3rd Wave" of the destruction of the U.S. in that it drives all the children of this great nation toward idleness and procrastination when they could be doing things like "discovering fusion power or rediscovering the universal principles in Classical physical science and art". I'm not sure how many of you are actually super scientists with the capacity for actually discovering fusion power but the last time I checked most of the people I game with struggled in Algebra, let alone Advanced Particle Physics. Now if in actuality you are some kind of deformed super science prodigy you should probably be working out the whole fusion thing, it's kind of important, but everyone needs downtime, and in that downtime I expect you to revel in gruesome blood filled scenes of murder and the joy of firing aimlessly into a crowd from a rooftop perch.
Wait wait, stop, looks like the Larouchites think that's also ruining what they've termed (in an astounding show of originality) the X Generation.
posted by Chris on September 27, 2007 9:15 AM in Comics
Oh god, these old ones are horrible. They get better as they go along, trust me. What we see here is me trying to be clever and holding on to the old web comic standards of 4th wall breaking and Dada-esque silliness. The character concepts here were based on the idea that Buber was a bowling pin, Phil was a stick man and Sock was a hedgehog who thought he was a sock puppet. I know, it's a stretch.
Time for your weekly update of what our community is up to here at The Weekly Geek. Our forums are always hoppin', so go register and hang out with your new best friends.
In spite of what you may think, I do not in fact spend my days sipping drinks on a rooftop lounge in front a laptop, scouring the intertubes for news to bring you, my Geeks of Week. No, I like many of you, am bound by the shackles of commerce and have the detestable misfortune of having a day job. At this day job, again, like many of you, I am constantly tasked with finding new ways to distract myself and accomplish as little as possible, thus ensuring the vicious cycle of corporate life is complete.
Occasionally I accomplish this by pounding my keyboard in a furious rage over the latest Halo 3 news, at which point Furniss steps in to make my writing intelligible. However, more often than not I can be found sitting at my desk, an Excel spreadsheet open for plausible deniability, shirking my duties and playing a browser game. Most of the time these games are easily forgettable and I hold no special reverence for them, sometimes though I find a game that just tickles me in ways indescribable. Manifold is just such a game. It's short, pretty, doesn't make an obscene amount of noise, and engages me to the point of distraction so that I can forget about the time I'm wasting furthering someone else's goals.
Manifold provides you the opportunity to hurl gravity defying orbs at walls, with which to propel yourself (a strange alien silhouette) over a bevy of obstacles. Each time you die (which I did numerous times figuring out just how high I could launch myself) you're simply deposited back at the last level you were playing with a change in the soothing background hue. This is simply a fun time-wasting opportunity, and I demand you play it immediately.
You might say to me, Colette, what about this is geeky? I will reply to you: Dear reader, it is the ultimate in geek-chic for the D & D enthusiast, the fantasy fiction reader, and the Dragoncon cosplayer. It's an irresistible milkshake of cute, clever and downright dorky, and if I had a dog to put it on, he'd already be outfitted.
Organic Armor also make costumes for adults and kids, and can whip you up a hell of a horned helmet if you happen to be in need. I don't have specific reason to buy a horned helmet, but I'll be damned if I don't want one. Sir Didymus would be proud.
posted by Chris on September 26, 2007 11:34 AM in Music
The Blow is one of my all-time favorite bands. Currently consisting of Northwest native Khaela Maricich, electro rocker YACHT created the beats for many of her songs. Actually, I think all of them. After seeing Khaela perform at Sasquatch this year, I can't get her honest, thoughtful voice and insightful lyrics out of my head. In this video for Knowing The Things That I Know, Khaela and YACHT play Magic cards. Romantically.
posted by Qais on September 25, 2007 3:39 PM in Games, Rant
Throughout the day Chris Furniss, the inimitable overlord of all things weekly and geekly in nature, will jabber at me incessantly through the aetheric void of the tubes. Most of the time our conversation is limited to an unintelligible hooting and keyboard mashing the likes of which could only be the result of an epileptic seizure. However, occasionally one or the other of us will manage something that could possibly be construed as sensical or even literate most of the time these are simply links or a quote from those far greater than ourselves.
When Chris sent me the link to the above image exclaiming, "OMG EPICLULZ D00D" I was of course immediately suspicious. We had played this game before, and assuming that my threats of physical violence if he sent me another LOLcat had gone heeded I clicked. For a moment I wondered if perhaps this was like some Magic Eye image, that I would need a moment for what I was truly supposed to see to sink in. Nope, that is not the case. Apparently it's pretty hilarious that you're able to flip an Elephant (one of the big machines you fly around and shoot kittens or walruses or dragons with or something in Halo 3).
Thinking that perhaps my humor module needs to be replaced I have decided to turn to you my gentle Geeks. Please, someone explain why it is funny that I can flip a gigantic tank while in the Forge. A mysterious prize will be awarded for the best answer, seriously.
posted by Qais on September 25, 2007 2:37 PM in Games
Once again Germany blazes a trail of understanding, enlightenment, and liberal policy when it comes to video games. It would appear that Jericho, the upcoming release from the horrific mind of Clive Barker. Of course, being a Clive Barker creation the game is going to feature blood, probably some gore, monsters, dark creepy places, and probably some more blood so it's no real surprise that much like Gears of War and Manhunt 2 (even post gore edits) Jericho was denied a rating by the USK, the German version of the ESRB.
Having no real experience with the USK I decided that I should earn my journalistic dollars and do a little research. As it turns out, when the USK denies to rate a game it is effectively done for in Germany. Jericho will only be released on PC in Germany, is not allowed to be sold in retail shops or online, and no marketing, advertisement, or promotion for the game is allowed. Sony and Microsoft, even if they were allowed to market the game and release it for their platforms in Germany wouldn't be allowed to sell it except through shady out-of-shopping-cart transactions ala the Good Guy transaction scene in Child's Play.
Interestingly, the PC, 360, and PS3 demo for Jericho is going to be released tomorrow. I'm curious as to whether it's release in Germany will be blocked considering it is game they have effectively blackballed from sale in their country.
posted by Chris on September 25, 2007 11:41 AM in Games
Geometry Wars! Known as one of the reasons I purchased an Xbox 360 - this fantastic series is coming to the DS and the Wii and the requisite marketing rush has begun. Not only have they released a cool trailer featuring dorks dressed in dorky costumes dancing to Particle Man by They Might Be Giants, but we get a heaping helping of LOLcat inspired Geometry Wars humor. Viral marketing is often cheesy and flops miserably, but this is tongue in cheek enough to get a chuckle out of me.
Tailgating Apple's new iPod announcement, two high profile troubles for iTunes probably isn't what Steve Jobs had in mind.
First, UK megastars Radiohead interjected their two cents on why they won't lend their tunes to Apple's popular download service. Mike Schramm from The Unofficial Apple Weblog explains:
Radiohead is choosing not to sell their latest album on iTunes not because their record company is pressuring them out of the deal-- their record company is EMI, and they're more than willing to sell the record DRM free-- but because iTunes is forcing them to break up their album into songs that can be sold separately.
It seems Thom Yorke and the lads have some principles. Chiefly, to screw their Apple-devoted fans out of music all in the name of preserving the sanctity of the album. Now, this sounds a lot harsher than I want it to. I'm an album listener to the core and as such, I understand Radiohead's stance more profoundly than most. The problem lies elsewhere - they're risking alienating fans (perhaps millions of them) for a cause that is fast becoming irrelevant. The album needs to evolve with the digital times. In this case, I'll side with iTunes. Unfortunately though, this might set a precedent for musicians with the same antiquated romanticist ideals.
Secondly, Amazon launched its music download store this morning. The huge draw here is lack of DRM protection on their inexpensively peddled, high-quality MP3s. Rob Pegararo from the Washington Post expounds:
Any venture by Amazon into digital music downloads would be a big deal in the music business, but this one is also DRM-free--every track is sold as a 256-kbps MP3 file without any copying restrictions or controls. You can play them on the hardware and software of your choice.
So far, I've seen songs selling for 89 or 99 cents each and albums going for $5.69 to $9.99--in each case, a decent discount over the prices at Apple's iTunes Store, and in particular the $1.29 Apple charges for DRM-free iTunes Plus song downloads.
There's got to be a catch though, right? Amazon's one downfall, at present, is a small selection. Right now only EMI and Universal are offering their respective catalogs to the service. Ironically though, you can buy Radiohead's music on Amazon via album-only downloads. Even more ironically, the top song since the store launched has been "1 2 3 4" by Feist, the same song Apple is trying to sell the iPod Nano with. If Amazon can bring more music on board, they could soon be the proverbial thorn in Jobs' side. I'll side with Amazon on this one, Apple's got their work cut out for them.
posted by Chris on September 25, 2007 10:43 AM in Games
Awesome game trading site Goozex announced today the official launch of their new Video Game Community Facebook app, which allows you to not only link up your Goozex profile to the popular social networking service, but add reviews, make lists of favorite games, and share content.
I personally really like the idea of cataloging my games all in one place (because I am super anal retentive about cataloging) and Goozex is the obvious choice since you can put games up for trade. Integration with an application I already use like Facebook is even better.
Well, Photo Mission Tuesday is off to a rocky start, but I like what I did receive. Only one person submitted a picture of their interpretation of "punching chocolate."
Thanks to Jason McIntosh for participating.
We'll give it another shot for next week and see if this goes any where.
Your next mission is:
Does Not Compute
I'll change up the guidelines slightly to make it a bit more accessible.
1) The photo must be a photo. Just take a picture with some sort of camera. It can be a digital camera, a scanned-in Polaroid, whatever. You can Photoshop it a bit if you want, but it has to start with the picture you took as the base.
2) Nothing that's not safe for work. That is, no nudity, shock images, whatever. I really shouldn't have to explain it to you.
posted by Chris on September 24, 2007 11:32 PM in Comics
Some people have asked "Hey, Chris did a webcomic? Where can I see such a thing!" and I am here to bring you something so completely amazing it makes birds sing and children laugh, the scent of freshly baked bread wafts by your nostrils just hearing the name The Necronomicon.
I originally started doing a webcomic around 2001. It was horrible. It still exists online, too. I later remade this horrible comic in a less horrible fashion around 2004, which I am now going to republish here on The Weekly Geek. I am going to give you a little backstory with each strip as well!
The fonts are small. The humor lacks punchlines. Remember, I am not creating this now but showing you, the adoring Weekly Geek public, what it is like to stare into the eyes of madness. I mean... make a webcomic. Cheers, and enjoy the first strip from The Necronomicon.
posted by Chris on September 24, 2007 7:00 PM in Games, Music
One game that has been stuck in my head for the better part of my adult life is Final Fantasy 6 (3) for the SNES. Not only was it a masterpiece utilizing the limited capabilities of the SNES to produce crisp, hand drawn sprites - Nobuo Uematsu pushed the sound chip to the max to create beautiful, sweeping scores. Seriously, the Final Fantasy 6 soundtrack is one of the best game soundtracks of all time and this song proves it. Dancing Mad is the final boss battle theme, is about 8 minutes long, and is completely brilliant. Enjoy.
posted by Chris on September 24, 2007 6:47 PM in Podcast
Grant and Chris nerd it up this week talking about toy guns and how to make them cooler. And, in a tragic turn of events Nerf violence is perpetrated for the very first time on the podcast. Of course they discuss the Haloez, Tokyo Game Show announcements, parallel universes, NES nostalgia, reader questions and Colette joins at the end to talk Yaoi. Try to find THAT mix of subjects on any other podcast! Hah!
First and foremost I'd like to apologize for the subject, I know I know, there is no redemption for a man such as myself, a repellent shell of a human barely able to even make polite conversation without making oblique references to bodily functions. However my references to pokemans should be forgiven as I bring you what is easily the best game mod to grace our luscious tubes.
At some point someone decided that combining all the stereotypes of anime with GTA would be a good idea, and how right they are. In the video you can see a hydrocephalic anime schoolgirl run rampant through San Andreas (listen for CJ) fighting off motorcycle cops turned hoverbike riding Pokémon, tank straddling mechs, and driving around town on a scooter towing a vending cart which if true to the original storyline of GTA has a veritable cornucopia of pharmaceuticals and weapons on hand for when you finish your surreal rampage.
One of my favorite directors, Wes Anderson (he of The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore fame) has announced he is going to be releasing a short film that leads up to his new movie The Darjeeling Limited titled Hotel Chevalier. It's slated to be released at Apple Stores across the country, and for free on iTunes.
While his movies may be a bit formulaic, it's a good formulaic in my opinion. Also one of the TUAW commenters is fueling a mini rumor fire by saying that Natalie Portman has a small nude scene. Win!
posted by Qais on September 24, 2007 3:01 PM in Games
THQ has announced plans to release a sequel to the ever-popular Saint's Row, an open world game in which you assist a gang in a balls out takeover of the city of Stilwater (I'd still like to know what happened to the other L). Interestingly, Greg Donovan, the lead producer with Volition (THQ's in house development studio), was quoted as saying that Saint's Row 2 will have "the most robust open-world feature set ever developed in the genre" which if you've played Oblivion or other vast open-world games you know can get obnoxious after a while. Personally I've never been a huge fan of gangland games but I'll most likely pick this up, with promises of "a much darker and more sinister story" I'd be foolhardy not to at least take it for a horribly violent spin.
No one likes to feed our mailbag. Does it smell? Is it socially awkward? Is our mailbag the internet equivalent of that guy who butts in on your conversations and just doesn't go away? Don't despair, you can always submit questions to us here! We record The Weekly Geek podcast every week on Monday evenings, and we'd love to answer some of your questions. Interested in our opinions on Halo? Want to know the square root of something? Post a question for the geeks in the comments and we will choose the best ones to talk about on the air.
Tonight's podcast will feature Chris, Grant, Qais and Colette. Adjust your comments accordingly!
Well, the Podcastiversary Contest has been over for a bit now. And if you wanna know who won, you gotsta go listen to the last podcast episode to find out.
However, I thought that all of you who participated in the contest might like to know all the correct answers to our multitude of questions and where some of the questions came from. I also want to share with you some of the hilarious incorrect answers that were submitted.
Fatal Fury is a classic Neo Geo title - one of those crazy arcade games you could take home with you. I remember seeing stuff about Neo Geo as a kid and thinking it was the best thing in the known universe - being able to play a game at the arcade and then having the same experience at home! Without sticky floors or greasy joysticks! Though, being a poor kid I missed out on this obviously mind-blowing experience. I also didn't go to the arcade too often. Fighting games have never really been my thing, and while I casually enjoyed Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat, my expertise never really escaped the realm of button mashing. Fatal Fury almost completely relies on memorization of special move sequences which is the kind of thing that made me want to put my fist through a wall as a kid. There was always that one punk who committed every single special move to memory and would just wipe the floor with you. Now with Fatal Fury Special, you can meet every single one of those jerk kids online and either experience heart-wrenching defeat or join the collective. Isn't Xbox Live grand?
posted by Grant on September 23, 2007 3:22 PM in Music
Here we go, my first YPS entry. Now, I don't really follow music very much. Certainly not to the level of Chris and Mike. And what I do listen to really doesn't fit much with the indie type style that is prevalent on this site. But I do have one band that I enjoy that kinda fits that style. So I'm going to use it to ease into this YPS stuff, so as to not shock all of our faithful music geeks.
Nerf Herder is a fairly small-time band (I think) that put out 3 albums. I was first introduced to them in high school by a guy named Ned. For whatever reason, I really liked them right away. They've got a fun sound that I think is fairly unique. They fit into the "nerd rock" style of music. I always wanna sing along with their stuff and it always puts me in a good mood. Some of my favorite tunes are Pantera Fans in Love, Mr. Spock, Vivian, and the song posted below, Van Halen.
Oh, and you may know Nerf Herder as the band that made the Buffy theme song.
They've also got a new album coming out in October, I have heard.
posted by Mike on September 22, 2007 9:57 AM in Music
On the heels of my Challengers review i just can't douse my heated obsession for this band. A.C. Newman's perfect falsetto, Neko Case and Kathryn Calder's gorgeous backing vocals. Perfect, chugging power pop that doesn't get old with repeated listens. I have a feeling that just like their older album Twin Cinema, this new record will be stuck in my player for a good year solid. Here's a live performance on Letterman of their latest single "My Rights Versus Yours".
posted by Grant on September 22, 2007 9:01 AM in Cartoons
For those of you who have been paying attention, Amy and I got all caught up on Avatar: The Last Airbender a few weeks back, via DVDs borrowed from friends and rented from Netflix.
Well the time has finally arrived for the new season to start up. Book III: Fire picks up a few weeks after the last chapter in season 2. What has become of Aang and his crew? And did the show live up to the high expectations it has created for itself? Hit the jump to find out.
I am a youngin', there I've said it. There are simply some games that I can't connect with people on from a nostalgia standpoint. Now I'm no slouch, I've done my due diligence and gone out of my way to experience classic games so I could at least have an understanding of how much the industry has improved, and how little you can deliver while still providing a really fun game but there are still times I find myself perplexed at the talk of the ancient and saddled with a host of new-old games to find and play.
With that in mind it's difficult to formulate an opinion on the new DS peripheral being released by Taito, the creators of Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble, and Qix, all of which I've sought out and played (as a matter of fact Space Invaders is the reason I go to my favorite bar here in Seattle). I've yet to find an original machine so playing with a spinner has never been an option, and while I am usually the first to offer vehement protestation at any bulky peripheral being added to my hand held I am intrigued by having the opportunity to play updates of classic games as they were meant to be played.
There are definitely conflictingreports out over whether this thing is the silicon and plastic incarnation of Christ or just another overpriced piece of crap you'll use once and ignore. Personally I have a feeling I'll end up loving this little thing to death in combo with Space Invaders Extreme while ignoring the rumored Guitar Hero DS peripheral as gimmicky and silly.
What is going to be discussed on Monday's podcast, you ask? Well look no further! We compile links during the week to pass on to you, the intrepid Weekly Geek listener. Here are a few items that caught our fancy:
While I am going to be spending most of the weekend cleaning house, as my landlord is going to sell the place and I have to get it all spiffed up for any potential buyers - I am still going to make some time for gaming. This weekend I imagine will be dedicated to Eternal Sonata and even more Metroid Prime 3. Mike, his little brother and I checked out the three player co-op on Eternal Sonata yesterday and it is pretty irresistible. Have you guys checked it out yet? If not, what are you playing this weekend? Anyone digging deep into their stack of unplayed games?
posted by Colette on September 21, 2007 6:55 AM in Music
I discovered Lamb by accident back in the days when I used to wander around music stores and check out CD covers (no listening stations, people! I know, I'm OLD!) The combination of excellent beats and Lou's dynamic voice caught me like a fish on a sharp hook, and I've been listening ever since. The band members have since split into solo projects which are all quite good, but I still keep coming back to the first self-titled album and loving it every bit as as much as the first time. "Gorecki" was inspired by Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, which ought to appeal to you modern classical elitists out there (like me.)
posted by Qais on September 20, 2007 4:48 PM in Games
Tokyo Game Show has kicked off and what better way to start the news from Japan than the re-emergence of Playstation's dual shock controllers. After the clamoring from fan boys and fan girls alike Sony has finally capitulated and is bringing dual shock to it's PS3 controllers. When asked how Sixaxis and DualShock would play well with one another Sony exec Phil Harrison responded, "The two can counterexist due to some very clever algorithms that filter out the effect of motion sensitivity and part of that is done inside the controller and part of it in the library."
For those upset that the games they've already shelled out hard earned dollars for will be without the rumble we all know and love I say fear not! Sony is planning on releasing retroactive upgrades for dual shock support. The only question now is whether you're willing to shell out nearly $500 for a system that is still being outdone by it's forbear.
Sadly, those of us not living the jet set life in Japan will have to wait until Spring to get our hands on a Dual Shock controller where as those in Japan should see them in November. Were I a Sony fanboy, I'm sure this would simply be another reason to add to the mountain of reasons I should move to Japan.
The concept of virtual economies is fascinating, and for a while now I've been of the mind that it's only a matter of time before someone really capitalizes on it in the form of MMO commerce. What a great idea right? Setting up a system in which everyone can trade nothing for nothing and both sides feel like they've accomplished something or if nothing else gained something of value. You know those moments where someone makes a metric fuckton of money from an idea you discarded as silly? I just had one of those.
Playspan, a virtual world goods seller, has received $6.5 million in venture funding and they haven't even gotten off the ground yet. The kicker, the founder of the company is 12 years old and started the company with the profits he made from selling items he won from questing during his 5th grade school year. In 5th grade I was staring dreamily out the window imagining my classmates screaming in terror as death beams rained down from my moon fortress, not building the foundation of an empire.
posted by Chris on September 20, 2007 9:35 AM in Music
Remember back when Depeche Mode was a million times more ridiculous than they are now? A stretch, I know! Today's thing to get stuck in your head is Just Can't Get Enough featuring Dave Gahan and Martin Gore both looking like they belong in boy bands. Depeche Mode is another one of my perennial favorites, having first become infatuated with them during my exchange student trip to Germany in 1999. Literally, I'd have my headphones in wherever I walked, and I was usually listening to a Depeche Mode or Portishead CD.
Also, there should be a term in English for the one member of a three person band (usually the drummer) whose name no one remembers.
posted by Chris on September 19, 2007 10:52 PM in Music
I had only recently gotten into Pulp, but as happens with many bands I quickly became obsessed with Jarvis Cocker and his 90's Brit Pop awkward sexiness. For today's Personal Soundtrack, I present to you This is Hardcore, a mini novella porn piece video thing.
We love you more when you come into the forums and interact with us and other TWG fans. Because our fans our rad, and fans hanging out with more fans is even radder.
Wacky stuff goes down in the forums, and I think you need to be kept apprised of what's going on there. Check it out, register, and join the insanity.
posted by Chris on September 19, 2007 2:40 PM in Games
Apparently not even games that are fresh and innovative can escape the temptation of downloadable content equivalent to a cheat code. New DLC announced today on Major Nelson's blog shows that even Chopin can get dirty like Woods.
Title: Eternal Sonata
Content: Piano Music Key Price: 80 Microsoft Points Availability: Only in Canada, United States Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) FANTASY VIOLENCE,MILD LANGUAGE,USE OF ALCOHOL] Don't want to play through the entire game to get the music? Download this key to unlock all the Chopin piano pieces in the game. Note: All music that can be unlocked by this key can also be unlocked by progressing the game. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Although this is a pay-for-cheat code sort of deal, the thing you unlock is a bit more innocuous than a maxed out player character. Still, does this rob the player of the experience of playing the game? Or is this more of an easy way for Namco to feature the amazing music of Eternal Sonata?
posted by Amy on September 19, 2007 11:19 AM in Geek Culture
Adult Swim on Cartoon Network is playing Cowboy Bebop again! After watching the first episode, I had an uncontrollable desire to hop on YouTube and find a video of my favorite Bebop moment. Ein, a Corgi, eats some funny mushrooms and hilarity ensues.
If you haven't watched Cowboy Bebop yet, you really should give it a try. It's a futuristic space western with a kick-ass bounty hunter, an ex-cop with a robotic arm, a mysterious lady who loves money, a super-smart hacker kid, and a cute Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Also, the soundtrack is one of the best I've run across in a TV series. What could be better than that? Hit the jump if you are interested in checking out the full episode.
posted by Chris on September 18, 2007 10:46 PM in Music
Portishead is one of those bands that I never skip over when they come up on random. A staple from my high school days, it's been about that long since they've released a new album. There are rumors of them coming back fairly soon, but until then enjoy this video for the song Only You, one of my favorites of all time.
posted by Colette on September 18, 2007 8:48 PM in Games
The only thing that could excite me after the holy sacrament of scrumptiousness that was BioShock was a good solid RPG. I was expecting something a little more utilitarian as RPGs have not broken the mold much lately, so it was a great surprise to play Eternal Sonata at E3 and find not only an exquisitely beautiful title, but one that seemed to have a truly unique storyline as well. I raced to the store today and snatched up the last copy, eager to dive headfirst into the game.
As shallow as it is, I have to say it: For a dying guy, Chopin is SMOKIN HAWT. I think it's his voice actor making it so, as I want to melt his voice into sweet cream butter and rub it all over my nubile flesh. Now that we've gotten my kinky bits out of the way, I don't have to keep making unintelligible references throughout this article. Eternal Sonata is ten times as beautiful in actual play as it is in screenshots and clips -- for some reason, they can't seem to do justice to this title. Playing the first few minutes literally feels as if you've submerged into a completely different universe, which is something RPGs have been failing at a lot lately. Of course, atmosphere can only go so far.
The first half hour of play is as story heavy as you might expect. While the demo may lead you to believe the game will be very simplistic, there is a rich story concept at the heart here. I expected nothing left from a game that is about the dreams of a dying composer, but it's nice to see the story unfolding well even at this early stage. Players annoyed by cut scenes may be bothered and want to get to the gameplay, but luckily these scenes can be skipped if you like. They add a lot to the story though, so be warned you may miss some great details if you do.
So far the fighting is good, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it great. I like the free range movement and the way the attacks feel while landing, but the initial few areas have you meet the same creature through the level over and over, and the battles get a bit repetitive. I'm hoping as music becomes more involved, it will help with this. Turn based fighting can kill a game in the modern player's eyes, so it needs something to keep it interesting (demonstrated beautifully in the old PS1 title The Legend of Dragoon.)
Bottom line: If you love RPGs, pick it up. It's beautiful, the story is interesting and so far the play is comfortable. I'm fascinated with the use of music and can't wait to learn how to use it. Frankly, regardless of whatever the games' weaknesses may be (listed here or not), it beats the hell out of fighting poop monsters in Blue Dragon. Whose idea was an enemy made of poop, anyway?
Seattle is home to many things piratical in nature, the Seafair Pirates, the Seattle Heritage Shipyard (which houses old wooden boats), and Flying Lab Software makers of Pirates of the Burning Sea. In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day the folks over at Flying Lab are putting together a little shindig for your perverse enjoyment. Those in attendance will have an opportunity to play Pirates of the Burning Sea (of course) as well as enjoy the antics of the Seafair Pirates, tour their boat The Moby Dick, get their faces painted (totally piratical as demonstrated by Johnny Depp in one of the Pirates movies I can't be bothered to look up), eat copious amounts of unhealthy food, and possibly murder a small child depending on how you react to crowds and hordes of sugar high children covered in runny face paint. I'll probably be in attendance (if briefly) and I fully expect to see some of you there repping for the Weekly Geek, sound off if you'll be there showing your allegiance to Geeks instead of Pirates.
Feast your peepers on the full invite after the jump.
I've got a new weekly content addition for all of you. We're gonna start a little bit of fan interaction here at The Weekly Geek. I wanted to do something simple that most people could probably do, but still silly and fun. Thus, I have created Photo Mission Tuesday.
The concept is pretty simple. Every Tuesday, I will give you a phrase (usually non-sensical) and you have to go take a picture of it. That's it. I don't want to put many restrictions on it so you can have fun and be as creative as you want to be with it. Interpret the new mission each week however you want to, as long as your picture somehow shows it, either to the letter or to the spirit. It can be any place, any one, any thing, as long as it fits.
The only guidelines are:
1) The photo must be a photo. Just take a picture with some sort of camera, don't fiddle with it in Photoshop or whatever. It can be a digital camera, a scanned-in Polaroid, whatever.
2) Nothing that's not safe for work. That is, no nudity, shock images, whatever. I really shouldn't have to explain it to you.
When you have your picture, send it to me at thegeek@weeklygeekshow.com and it will be featured the following week, along with a new mission. Pictures are due to me before the following Tuesday.
I will pick one picture out of all the submissions as my personal favorite. It will be prominently displayed as being the best and used as the main picture included on the front page of the website for the results blog post.
Your first mission, should you choose to accept it, is:
The Weekly Geek is done on a zero budget, with no funding other than ads and merch. Help support the site with a donation! Consider it like tipping your waiter. We also give gifts for larger donations.
I am widely renowned as being a penny pincher of epic proportion. Often times I simply ignore new games until the price tag drops to what I consider a reasonable level, with a few exceptions. One of the exceptions was Bioshock, another will be Rockband.
is one of the best I've run across in a TV series. What could be better than that? Hit the jump if you are interested in checking out the full episode.
