Most everyone I work with here at THQ has dreams of one day parlaying the toil and drudgery of the QA department for the perceived fame and glory of our colleagues across the street in the Production Development department.
But it looks like maybe we're going about it all wrong. Maybe all we had to do to get that promotion to Associate Producer was to star in a few high profile porn flicks.
A few days ago it was announced that THQ's Volition Studio had hired a new "Special Developer". None other than the "Brown Jenna Jameson", Tera Patrick. Sigh. I didn't post about it because I didn't find it as respectable a marketing ploy as when THQ used Gary Busey, or when THQ implicated that GTA was for n00bs and lamerz. But there is a new video up on IGN that is too bad (good?) to be ignored. Enjoy:
I know I'm drinking the THQ kool aid here. But hey, you might as well like some of the game your own company makes right? And we put out some greatRTSgames. I know there's little chance that I'll be able to convince anyone in my family (except maybe Raleigh) that this game merits a few hours of their Star Craft 2 playing time, but damn it I'm going to try:
I know this shit is just marketing material. But I also know that I like red heads. And I also know I like classic video games. So I can't help myself but repost some Concept Art from Sega's Golden Axe: Beast Rider. These images are pretty much directly lifted directly from the Sega Nerds website. I love the podcast that these guys have, and you've gotta respect their undying Sega love:
For those of you who are not Sega Nerds, I have also posted a developer play through of the game. The game looks good. BUT. It must be said that it does not have co op. And that's kind of like having Sonic without the Rings or mario without the Mushrooms...but if the game is fun, then the game is fun. I guess every company needs a god of war rip off.
Rather than do a seperate post for each of this videos I figured I'd just post trailers for all of the games that I am buying into the hype for. This is totally biased. I tried to get some Wii Stuff in there. Stuff to look out for is the "You're in the Movies", looks like a good party game. Also, so sequels to favorites like Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Along side some games I've never even heard of that look like they might be good like "I am Alive". Anyway, set aside some time and climb on board the hype train:
I'm trying to find video of Microsoft's casual game "You're in the movies", It looks like the blog o sphere is pretty meh on it cause there's no space marines...but for my money that one would pass the Cemo test...which means: MAINSTREAM SUCCESS!!!
Until I can find it, make due with this soon to be Casi-Hard classic:
The "true" sequel to FEAR. Which was a fun game. This one is falling into the too bad there's no co op. I bought the FEAR expansion for xbox, but haven't opened it because i have so little solo game time. It's the main reason I haven't finished BioShock, Call of Duty 4, or Mass Effect. I have about an hour a week of solo game time...the rest is with Becca, so it's Puzzle Quest, Halo, or something like that.
Still, we have been known to play through survival horro by passing the controller around and crying like school girls:
here's a couple of videos that came out today from Fallout 3's E3 hype-o-tron.
I already posted a Fallout 3 video, but this game is starting to look good. having said that, Becca and I got oblivion and both played our characters for about 30 minutes before going back to Gears of War. It looks like this game will have enough "run and gun" to keep us hooked. Too bad no co-op. I need to have a catch phrase. TBNC. or something which is short hand for..."might not buy this one...too bad."
here's the first vid, which is expanded from the one they showed at the press conference:
This next video is in game footage from the Microsoft press conference:
Becca and I played through Resident Evil on the PS2 and started on Wii before we decided that we'd played it already and as great as it was, it wasn't really giving us enough to justify ignoring Bioshock and the rest of the "too be played" pile.
Having said that, I'm more than excited about the series "next gen" update (see what I did there...Res Evil 4 on wii "last gen"). Here's the play through from the Microsoft E3 Press conference this morning:
It's no secret that my dad is a huge StarCraft fan. I've tried many times unsuccessfully to parlay that love into an appreciation of the Sci Fi RTS that THQ puts out. Namely Dawn of War. Now I had a 5 hour a day StarCraft habit so I know how good that game is. But you'll just have to trust me that I like Dawn of WAr just as much. It's not exactly the same. You can't really turtle and there's more micromanagement that goes on in maintaining the rock paper scissors balance...but I think DoW is every bit as fun as star craft.
Anyways, THQ just released a new E3 Trailer 'introducting a new race' namely the Eldar. I think it's more like we're seeing the Eldar for the first time...since they were introduced in the first game...but that's semantics. Here's the vid:
I don't know what to make of this game. It still seems like an april fools joke. I'd rather just have an "ulitmate alliance" style game using these justice league character models...I know catwoman is supposed to be sexy...but jesus, even she's got a bit of the "Ivy Syndrome going on..."
Well kids, next week is E3. I wont' get to go this year because I made the mistake of moving far enough up in the company that I'm to important to waste on farting around at the booth.
Anyway, this means I'll have time to treat you all to the latest Trailers coming out of E3. Don't expect any "HotSCLUSIVES", but this is for most of my "bros" who don't RSS all the game blogs like I do. Anyway...here's FallOut 3:
It's kind of weird to be a guy and have a song from exile in guyvile in your head because all those songs are so grrrl powerful...but the fucking divorce song. Man that song was so powerful to me back then. I don't know why. I guess I was an angsty teen. And today it's in my head...and I just wish I had a guitar so I could look up the tab on OLGA and sing it out of my head...but I don't have a guitar (gave it back to Greg, but it was his to begin with...so there you go).
So instead I"m going to write the lyrics down...which is how I used to get songs out of my head in high school college...my "note" books are full of song lyrics...some my own creation...some others. I should qualify that I'm not feeling like this about Becca...It's just a song...and I have it in my head so enjoy it...
"And the license said you had to stick around until I was dead. But if you're tired of looking at my face I guess I already am. But you've never been a waste of my time. And it's never been a drag. So take a deep breath and count back from ten. And maybe it'll be alright."
But the best fucking part. The part that so sums up relationships and compromises you make is:
"You put in my hand, a loaded gun, and then told me not to fire it. Then you did the things you said were up to me, and then accused me of trying to fuck it up."
God that fucking line. mean so much to me as a kid. I don't even really know what it means...but it just drips with injustice. And impudent rage.
I don't know. It's still in my head. Time to listen to numa numa...that'll purge any song from your cortex.
As they would say (because they're from the UK) "Bloody Brilliant".
The concert was amazing. The first time they've played together in 25 years. The pretty much played everything (the benefit of having only put out 2 albums). All the songs were slightly updated. Not too much, but enough that you felt like a lot of them would be at home on the dancefloor at Suicide or Perversion.
All I can say is Fucking Alison Moyet. Wow. That chick floored me. She can sing. I actually had tears in my eyes a couple of times. Which is partly due to nostalgia. Partly wishing Raleigh was there to geek out with me. And partly because it was just so powerful. The only show I could compare it to would be portishead. And I'd have to give the nod to Yaz, because there is just something so strong about Moyet's stage presence. Amazing.
The theater was an old movie palace in downtown Los Angeles, which was also an experience. Downtown can be kind of scary and walking out of there you feel like you sort of wish you had parked a little closer.
But still, there's something about downtown that is sort of exhilerating. I wish I could have seen it in the 20s, must have been amazing. The car ruined it. If we couldn't drive, all those abandoned apartments would have people living in them. There's so many people that work down there it's a shame that the place is a dangerous, crack filled ghost town after 6PM.
But I"m getting a little off topic. which is that Yaz was amazing. And thanks to the power of the internet I can share it with you via peoples annoying cell phone videos (does anyone else hate cell phone video takers at shows? I feel like...come on man...unplug and just "feel the vibes" , but what do I know I still buy CDs.)
Anyway the only video I could find of the night I went to is a video of them fucking up "Don't Go"...which even in itself was graceful. They just stopped and started again and the crowd went ape shit both times...so whatever:
Then there are a few others...gotta get in state farm for Becca (her favorite):
And lastly the amazing Reel to Reel performance of I before E which made me miss raleigh the most (dont' know why, just brought back a lot of mark pratter memories):
I'm doing my part to save the planet. And get rid of my addiction to oil and my fucking car.
I'm getting sick of being bent over a barrel by my auto. I recently wasted 1000 bucks on a car that I originally spent 1400 on. What a joke. Think of the sweet Sirrus I could have bought for that much money.
So today was my first day of bike commuting to work. About 80% of the 25 mile commute was by bus...but I think on the way home I'm going to get off on Reseda and ride ten or so miles home.
It felt great. I got into work a half hour early and I feel like a million bucks.
I have my trusty steed behind me ready for a lunchtime ride. Woot Woot!!!
I'll post some pictures of the bus on my way home.
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