So last time I posted, which was quite awhile ago*, I mentioned that I had started at a new video game company but I wasn't able to say exactly what I was working on...

That has changed and I am pleased, for the interested (probably about two of you) that I am currently working on the recently announced Ratchet & Clank for PSP!

And yes, I will be at E3 this year, representing my awesome company, so if you are there stop by the High Impact area (wherever that ends up being) and say hi.

Why, why would you make me cry Metal Slug? I've been faithful all these years, and you keep dishing out shoddy reruns. Could I at least have a new bazooka this time?

I'm back from the Silent Hill screening and I can safely say it's not a travesty. We'll be posting more in-depth about it next week, but without going into too much detail it's faithful to the game but still manages to weave its own story...

A few weeks ago, I posted about some Kidrobot tchotchkes, including their Super Mario Magnets. Well, it's not Kidrobot, but have a looksee at what I found at a local store...

While I work away in my office, I almost always have the television on as a bit of background noise, usually tuned to The History Channel or Discovery Channel. While I was chugging away on a project today, slightly irritated at a commercial break, when I heard the words 'video game companies' calmly mentioned and my ears perk up. "What's a low-rent, infomercial-esque ad like this have to do with video games?" I wondered.

Ahh, Brain Age...

I guess I got bit by the Oblivion bug, just like everyone else and have been, on the side, writing my own little diary about my dinosaur: Terrifying Lizard(!!): Super King Awesome and his quest for honor, redemptiom, and dino-prostitutes.

Come along with me as I discover The Elder Scrolls for the first time:

http://obliviondino.blogspot.com

What happens when the tactical tale from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is separated from its stealthy gameplay? Perhaps more importantly, is the end result worth putting your controller down for?

I spent a bit of time with Black this past week and, while I wasn't terribly enamored with the game itself, I was surprised to see something I haven't noticed in quite some time:

None of the cut-scenes are pre-rendered CGI clips, nor do they utilize the in-game engine. Black uses live-action footage in full motion video for its cut-scenes.

If you forget about games adapted from films/television shows, and if you ignore games that incorporate pre-rendered full-motion video into the gameplay (i.e. FMV games), then you're left with very, very, very few games where the developer actually spent the time to have hire actors, light the scene, film the scene, process it, edit it and insert it into the game. Mr. LeFeuvre and I tried to come up with a list of titles that fit that criteria and we couldn't come up with any that weren't Myst-like (for example, Zork: Grand Inquisitor).

Those crazy cats at Kidrobot are at it again. To complement their infamous, newly re-stocked Super Mario magnets (don't forget series two!) and their still-available Super Mario Stage and Super Mario keyrings, you can now pick up a Nintendo Controller keyring featuring either original Mario or Super Mario.

The icing on the cake? Embedded sound effects in the controller. Is it just me or does that Famicom look just never goes out of style.

Two dozen viewpoints on the role of video games, two dozen reasons to read.

As some of you may know, I was greatly anticipating Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, not because of the new camera (so far, I actually find it a bit disorienting) or the online gameplay (I have yet to play a match but, thanks to Mr. LeFeuvre, I could if I wanted to!) but because of the third disc, available only in the limited edition of the game. This third disc, Existence, compiles all of the cut-scenes from the game and weaves a film from of the scripted content. It sounded like a bold experiment and I was terribly interested to see how it would play out.

I placed my pre-order for the limited edition about two or three weeks prior to the game's release at my local Gamestop, even calling ahead to make sure that they were still taking pre-orders, since a number of big online sites had ceased taking pre-orders. However, when I arrived and plunked down my $5 advance, they couldn't find the limited edition in the computer system. Nonetheless, I was assured that there would be a copy waiting for me upon release.

Of course that's when I turned to Unitdaisy and told her 'I know I'm gonna get screwed by this.'...

Oh how time flies. It seems like just last week I was attending the Data Destruction Tour, thrilling to the live Game Boy-generated sounds of Nullsleep, Bit Shifter, Covox and Bud Melvin. Well, Bit Shifter and Nullsleep are at it again - they're cozying on up for an international tour this time around, a tour so enthralling it can only be described as the International Chiptune Resistance...

I'm not sure if people have noticed but I've been ignoring my beloved TNG Journal. Hell, I've been pretty scant around the site in general.

Well, there's a pretty damn good reason: I just moved to LA for a new job!

Roger Ibars loves joysticks and he loves creating works exploring the facets of control, so he merged the two into a body of work called Hard-Wired Devices. Starkly beautifully and functionally perverse, it's an intriguing collection that's well worth your time...

It's been a while since Chicago has had a bit of chip-fun in the live music department, but that drought is finally over!