Epic Default Productions

Allow me to qualify this article; Stargate: Universe is good. Quite good. Season 1 of the new BSG good. So why the negative title?

negative titles are just my bag, baby

that we haven’t died of swine flu. Seriously, we haven’t.

I mean, I haven’t, anyway.

Okay, everyone might be dead of swine flu.

(Image by one Bruce Eagle of Northern Star Art; I think he might mean “flew.”)

What follows is Part I of a twisted, part-story, part-history of a formerly prevalent form of gaming. Read on if you dare gaze upon the twisted face of what once was — or if you’re simply curious as to what PC gamers are rambling on about as you pass them by on the street refusing to offer spare change. Parts Two, and perhaps Three, are to come.

It is a phenomenon considered elitist to some, archaic to others, but to a select few, it is a way of life. I speak, as the title belies, of the LAN party – one of the geekiest known forms of entertainment by anybody’s reckoning. One may wonder why the standard-bearers of this institution carry on, even in the face of the MMOG and console multiplayer; indeed, when more prevalent and less expensive technologies become the norm, why would anyone persist with an outmoded, financially burdening form of the art? The deranged ramblings of an old man follow…

My brother linked me a speed run of the NES title Ducktales, viewing which gave me pause.

Speed runs of recent titles are no foreign pursuit — indeed, I sometimes watch them simply to hasten my own runs of games, and they make decent music videos. Seeing an old title played, however, is something staggering to me. When I was first playing these games, they were expansive alien landscapes, environments that had no conceivable end, something that could hold the perpetual interest of my young mind. To view them, played in their entirety in mere minutes, is to see them dismantled before my very eyes, the memory of them torn from my childhood and dashed to pieces.

It is an experience as terrible as it is fascinating.

(Apologies to those who saw this early: lawl WordPress scheduling. Also, this is tagged LTTP because it fits the profile to a degree, and also because CW’s idea is a damned good one.)

I acquired a copy of Call of Duty 4 for 360, used, after continued insistence from a console-supremacist friend. CoD4 itself was nothing new to me — having owned the game on PC since release, in addition to previously being a fan of the series — but I figured it afforded me a chance to make a straight apples to apples comparison between platforms. Indeed, CoD4 has been hailed as a truly sublime console shooter, came in second only to Microsoft’s Halo 3 for Live activity in 2008, and was only recently usurped by its Treyarch-developed sequel, World at War, while still regularly appearing in the top ten. In all, it’s pretty clear that Infinity Ward did something very right in every version of their game, PC and 360 alike.

To be entirely honest, though, I played my 360 copy only once. One time. I started CoD4, played a round online with the aforementioned friend, and then immediately shelved it. My mind had already been made up; there was no way the console version could match up to the Windows release. This is a typical line of thinking for me, one challenged more and more as I’ve come to own current consoles, but still a common first assumption.

This past weekend, I played a few intense rounds of laser tag. In an effort to be, and I quote, “tactical as hell,” I spent most of the game crouched — an action, which, as it turns out, is a lot harder than it looks. As my thighs ached, reminding me just how out of shape I really am, the urge came upon me to play some Call of Duty 4. This left me with two options, and I chose the option that allowed me to recline comfortably at the couch. “At very least,” I thought as the 360 began spinning the disc, “I can give the two a proper comparison.”

(continue reading…)

I’m willing to call it official, at least as far as Pepsi’s branding is concerned. The new designs are considerably less noisy, and as a result, feel much less tied to the 90s — nearly reminiscent of more far-out concepts peddled in sci-fi films. It’s arguable that the new Mtn Dew design is busy (especially compared to the previously revealed concepts), but even then, it leans in the direction of minimalist branding (much like what McDonalds has tried in Japan).

Regardless of whether or not Pepsi is hitching its wagon to the successful and recognizable Obama logo, seeing this kind of branding both pursued and implemented is enough to convince me that we’re officially living the future. 2009 is a nice, solid number for the future, so let’s run with it.

Welcome to the future! Hovercars and off-world colonies all around!

That, or Road Warrior-style collapse; I don’t pretend to be in charge around here.

Tell Oz that his arbitrary declarations are meaningless in the comments, or tell everyone that all will bow to the will of Lord Humungous, in the forums!

Let’s be honest with ourselves; 2008 wasn’t a good year for gaming, it wasn’t a great year for gaming, hell, you might think it was a landmark year for gaming, but none of these descriptions are really accurate.

It was, however, the first year the gaming industry was downright cruel to its consumers.

I’ve been trying, really trying, to get through every A-list title of 2008 — I’m not even close to beating most of them, and still haven’t even touched Prince of Persia, Fallout 3, FarCry 2, Fable 2, or Mirror’s Edge (among others I’ve probably forgotten). But, the end of 2008 is upon us, so despite this huge gap in my gaming experience this year, it’s time to make my picks for the first-annual Epic Default Ten.

Thankfully, it doesn’t all have to be games; indeed, the bent to this set of awards is pretty irreverent. Let’s get started, shall we?
(-Champion Standing Goes To…-)

The latest push of Microsoft’s “I’m a PC” campaign has come, in the form of t-shirts that you probably pay for with your money.  Seriously. No, seriously. I can’t find a “buy” link, but rest assured I’ll update this post with it when I find one.

Honestly, I’ve found the whole ad blitz to be a horrible waste of effort on Microsoft’s part. Indeed, the old abbreviation “M$” had might as well stand for “Mad $tacks;” even in the midst of a recession they’re making money hand over fist (to the tune of $15.1 billion this latest fiscal quarter).  Despite losing some ground in the laptop field, Windows remains the dominant desktop OS, holds a healthy chunk of the server OS market, hell, even the Xbox 360 division is finally turning a profit. I suspect, regardless of the “I’m a PC” ads, they don’t need youthful hipsters. At least, not as much as they seem to think they do.

Marketing blowholery aside, am I alone in thinking the DOS shirt design looks pretty swank? I do love me some DOS.

(as seen on Engadget.)

Tell Oz that he is, indeed, all alone. Hit the comment link!

Dear Sony:

Thank you again for the lovely Playstation 3. I confess, you guys came up with a heck of a scheme to sell them. $250 Playstations? Even I couldn’t resist, and while I’ll be paying off and closing my Sony Card the moment the first bill arrives, you still have to be praised for a clever hook.

Now, I understand you folks have to drum up certain technologies, specifically Blu-Ray. You guys spent a lot of money on developing it, marketing it, and paying movie studios to drop HD-DVD (yeah, you claim otherwise, but it’s still pretty suspicious). It’s natural for you to call Blu-Ray releases to my attention — indeed, I am intrigued by the prospect of seeing some films in high-definition.

Just try to know your audience, okay? Mention Serenity, or The Dark Knight, or Sin City, or even Hackers, and I’ll probably be intrigued enough to pick up a Blu-Ray Disc. However, there are some films which I doubt really gain anything out of the 1080p, full-surround experience, indeed, it’s questionable that the directors considered these movies to be big-screen pictures.

Simply put, Step Brothers is not going to convince me to go Blu-Ray.

Just, you know, try a little harder. You’ll seperate me from more of my money one of these times, I’m sure.

Still not buying a PSP,
- Oz