It does stink around here, Zombito...

...why don't you take a shower in formaldehyde. I should have killed Ito earlier, maybe he would have already posted. Anyways, here is a quick and easy post. Some vids, some good press. Everybody ride your bike. Two vids after the jump.

Watchmen, bringin' in the New Year

I wont rehash all the bullshit going on between the WB and Fox over the release of Watchmen... just watch this and tell me Fox isnt a little bitch if they keep this from us.
Watchmen Exclusive

This worm reminds me of my Zombie guts... Heh!

Happy New Year, everyone!


Wishing you all a curiously disgusting start to 2009.
-ZombieR

images courtesy of BoingBoing.net

Sabiduria Mexicana

I often read themonitor.com while at work. This article regarding the compromise reached between the Dept. of Homeland Security and the University of Texas at Brownsville caught my attention and even made me chuckle a bit. A quick recap: a portion of the UTB campus was unfortunately located on the south side of projected path for the "Border Wall." Some solutions included having students bring their passports to school so that they could attend their classes in the no mans land between the river and the wall... pretty ridiculous, I know. Anyway, a "friendlier" version of the fence has been constructed in this area, but you gotta appreciate this nugget from a Mexican worker who is just happy to be working.

"One of the laborers, a man from Veracruz, Mexico holding a temporary work visa, agreed.
"They're going to jump over it," he said in Spanish. "I'm glad I'm not paying for it." He smiled and returned to painting one of the fence's columns."

The man has a point, but he's a total cagapalo. Your thoughts?

Must. Watch. Lost.

I cant effin' WAIT!

Seriously though, it smells like rotting flesh around here.

VHS... we hardly knew thee...

Just kidding. We knew you all our lives!! And now you're DEAD. My fondest memory of the format by FAR is my cassette of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the movie - I bought it for $20 with my birthday money and its one of my favorite movies to this day. Wow, flashback... I just remembered all the National Geographic "Trials of Life" tapes my parents bought for the family, heck I'm tempted to call it the original Planet Earth. And who can forget all those clunky white-case Disney VHS tapes? Aintitcool has an interesting article eulogizing the VHS which is posted in its entirety after the jump. As usual, Harry Knowles is meandering and long-winded. By the way, does it smell like rotting flesh around here?

"Hey folks, Harry here... In 1977, my home was burglarized by a friend of the family and around $100,000 in collectibles at 1977 prices were stolen and fenced around the country. Yet to the casual observer, nothing was missing at our house. The settlement money with the insurance company bought me my first television in my room - I was the first of my friends to have a TV. It's also when I got a stereo system with state of the art album play ability. My parents got a video game system that was astonishing... it was called PONG. And then the last thing was a VHS vcr player and new HUGE 27" Television. We were the first people we knew that had a VHS. Blank tapes cost a fortune, but within the year we had over 600 features on VHS and tens upon tens of hours of cartoons. We recorded so much off those early days of television - it was the beginning of an 8000 tape VHS collection. We still have most of the home recorded stuff, including things that have never hit DVD - and probably never will at this rate.
Flash forward to 2008, near 2009 - at Yoko and mine's abode - I have a VHS to DVD converter, but it isn't hooked into my system. So if you brought a VHS to my house, I couldn't play it. So it came as no surprise when the unknown hero of AICN, RoRo told me that he'd read that the last producer of VHS tapes has decided to no longer make VHS tapes.

VHS has been dying ever since the advent of DVD - I suppose DVD is dying ever since the advent of Blu-Ray and many would say Blu-Ray is already dying due to Digital Download... but that's an argument for another column. Here - we come to eulogize the mighty VHS.

God. VHS changed everything. The ability to play and own something you loved when you wanted to was a miracle. Before VHS - film on demand was an extremely elitist deal. You had to collect 35mm film, 16mm film or Super 8mm or 8mm film. And very few people had the wealth or storage capacity to amass significant home libraries. VHS changed that forever. Prior to VHS, my family would acquire 6 films a year on 16mm... but like I said, after that first year - we had over 600 features.

My father created a complicated labeling and organizing system that had footage measures as to the start times of various programs on a tape. We had a remote control that had a wire running from the START/STOP FF/RWD of the little thing you'd hold in your hand. It was crazy. I have such an impossible library of memories and films that were brought to me via VHS... home recorded off of television. That's how I found VIVA VILLA and SAHARA - both of which played at BNAT this year to a room of movie geeks basically seeing the film for the very first time.

I can't say that I'm emotional about VHS going away. The last time I watched some of those old VHS tapes, about 4 years ago - the quality. My god, I can't describe it. I can't believe that was how it all was. My original STAR WARS vhs... forget about it. Shredded. ENTER THE DRAGON - the jump before and after every fight... if you watched it through you'd wonder what the hell you were watching. There's a Chinese philosophy about how everytime you use something you affected it and a part of you changed that thing forever. With VHS, you felt that... and winced.

In the digital age - as of now that seems to be a thankfully lost thing. My youth was on tape - 8-track, cassette and VHS.... and cartridges (video games). My adult life is digital. VHS is dead, long live Digital!"

Is there anything better than sharing a Disney classic?


I totally want to high five the Green Ranger!! Watch out for that "New BAD GUY!!"

Ugghhhhh...

Zombie Rogeliooo like original Warhaaaawk on Sony's Playstation 1 gaming system...  

Ha! My first official post to TripleChimp! All kidding aside, not even Adry prematurely putting me to death could keep me from participating in this kick-ass new blogging venture.  While a bit tardy (cut me so F'ing slack...  Adry killed me for Pete's sake and it took me a while to figure out how to re-animate myself!), I look forward to posting my thoughts on video games, film, retro gaming, and other delightful goings-on from within my rotting, mushbucket-of-a-head.

I smell like hot, rotting garbage, now...  Thanks, Adry.

Stinky hugs and kisses,

-ZombieR

PSX: Warhawk

In an effort to lure in Rogelio (or is it ZombIto) I've found a Warhawk trailer on youtube! Back when the PS1 was still known simply as the PlayStation (or PSX depending on where in the world you were), I must've seen Rogelio play this games for HOURS. Badass soundtrack, badass gameplay, and at the time badass graphics. Trailer after the jump... try not to Sonic BOOM your shorts!



I'm tempted to say "they dont make them like they used to..." but that would be a lie. Although the new Warhawk for PS3 doesnt seem quite as promising.

Who Watches the Watchmen...?

...apparently not WB legal. As a huge fan of Alan Moore and David Gibbons' "Watchmen," I'm upset to hear of its current situation. Lets hope Fox and WB can work this out because I want to watch the Watchmen!! Variety article after the jump.


Fox wins ruling in 'Watchmen' case
Judge finds in favor of studio
DAVE MCNARY

A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that 20th Century Fox owns the distribution rights to "Watchmen," representing a setback for Warner Bros.' plans to release the pic in March.

“Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the ‘Watchmen’ motion picture,” the ruling said.

Judge Gary Allen Feess issued the surprise ruling Wednesday -- a week after setting a Jan. 20 trial date for Fox's suit -- and indicated he would issue a more detailed ruling soon. Warner spokesman Scott Rowe declined to comment.

Warner Bros. has not backed off a release date of March 6 for "Watchmen," directed by Zack Snyder and starring Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley.

Fox filed the suit in February, contending it retains distribution rights to the graphic novel penned by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.

The suit asserts that producer Lawrence Gordon's option to acquire Fox's remaining interest in "Watchmen" was never exercised, thereby leaving Fox with its rights under a 1994 turnaround agreement. Warner Bros. has denied Fox's assertions and contended Fox doesn't hold the copyright.

Fox originally acquired the rights to "Watchmen" in the late 1980s and spent more than $1 million developing the project, which later went to Universal and then Paramount before landing at Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.

Double Chimp...?

Rest in peace Rogelio, we never knew thee. Unfortunately the oldest chimp has decided that this blog is not worth his time. Instead of changing the name to Doube Chimp, we are holding a memorium to commemorate his non existence, or not. Most likely not. Maybe he will raise from the dead and we will have a zombie chimp for a contributor.

Best. Prank. Ever

I dont think this trumps Adrian's badass Thundercats post, but I dare you not to laugh.

All things Home

IGN has an excellent article up explaining the difference between the three main versions of Home - UK, Japan and USA. I like it because it gives you a good idea of what its really like. Of course they forgot to mention that the most fun thing to do in Home is the Body Pop in front of the people playing chess at the mall. Enjoy the read:
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/940/940564p1.html

Thundercats hoooooooooooo!!!

This would be sweet.

Merry Christmas from Portal

Happy from the companion Aperture Labs. Nice little vid from last year. I love that song.

Nothing can stop the Luggernaut!!!

Hellllooooooo Chilllddrreennnnn! Sorry, I've been playing too much Fallout. So the Luggernaut by Traitor Cycles is out. It's a lugged steel frame at an affordable price. Looks very clean and classy. Here is the link to their info page. I've been wanting a lugged frame for a while. Maybe I'll get one eventually.

Joker - Brian Azzarello

Christmas came early this year and it came in the form of a homicidal maniac. Older bro, Rogelio, bought me the new "Joker" graphic novel by Brian Azzarello which tells the tale of Joker's release from Arkham and the subsequent crime spree to reclaim his territory... is it better than poop on rye?

This story is awesome from page one. Typically, I'm not the guy to finish something I'm reading in one sitting - blame it on the ADHD - but "Joker" damn near demands you give it the attention it deserves (I gave in for fear that the Joker would reach out and sic the Croc on me or break a bottle on my face)! There is no two ways about it, this is a damn scary Joker. The rest of the villains (some who only make brief cameos) are also great re-imaginings. Killer Croc as the Joker's muscle, Penguin as the Joker's impish money-man, Harley Quinn cold-blooded and sexy as hell, Two-Face, the Joker's underworld adversary and even the Riddler (as a cross between Depp's Willy Wonka and Criss Angel) make the rounds but as you may have guessed, the Joker steals the show. I highly recommend this title to any comic book enthusiast, let alone Batman fans.

Small Spoiler Alert:
As a testament to how awesome the Joker is in this, I didnt even realize that Batman hadnt even made an appearance yet and I was almost on the last page.

Sunday: Chimp Edition

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Every Sunday from now on I will be putting up a chimp pic. Maybe have a little wrap up for the week. Rogelio and I are going to my parents today to spend the holidays. Can't wait. Hope you like the first chimp. Kind of looks like Efren if you ask me.

Get LOST!

Im a huge fan of Lost...

Now is the time to catch up on all the old episodes, cause the new season starts in January.

Zombies Zombies Zombies!

My sweet Dr. Belzerino gave me my christmas presents early this year. The Zombie Survival Guide so far is pretty great. Can't wait to finish it so I can be fully prepared for the zombie apocalypse. On other zombie news, it seems that Russia has already had an "event". Check it out after the jump.

Home Update... Human downgrade.

As many of you may know Home had an interesting update for users on Thursday (12/18). The good news is that they expanded the facial hair category offering up a bevy of beards! The bad news (or good depending on your experience) is that the voice chat has been indefinitely removed presumably because of the more colorful language used by some of its users. I think this points to a bigger problem with these online gaming communities/experiences... the lack of respect. More after the jump.

I´ve seen this in almost every form of online interaction (involving my game console) that I´ve had. Just play a little Halo and Im willing to bet you´ll hear a whole lot of the ¨n¨ word among other racial slurs. When I first tried out the online play for Soul Caliber, I was matched up against a bright young fellow with the creative gamertag ¨SniperAddict666.¨ I whooped his monkey ass, which prompted him to send me a message in which he referred to me as a ¨dirty cheatin´ jew wetback n*****.¨ I was surprised at how I reacted to this. Mainly because I wasn't offended, rather disappointed. Maybe I´m reading to much into this, but I just don´t like where this mentality is headed. ¨Since you cant actually get to me, I can say whatever I want w/o consequence.¨And No, I don´t consider getting banned as a proper form of punishment because it doesnt change the fact that these gamers lack respect. What say you?

Uhhh, le drool.

His their site here.

FreakAngels

So I've been reading this online comic. It gets updated every Friday, which can be frustrating cause it leaves me wanting more. Each weekly installment is six pages and there have been 39 so far. You do the math. It's sci-fi dystopian future type and pretty good imo. Here's the link. There is a pulldown menu on the right for more episodes.

TGIF!

Semester is OVERRRRRR!! After a shitty weather week it is a beautiful Friday. I feel good and I hope you do too. A little vid with some chill music to go with my mood after the jump.



Colin with some tricks from Jason Yim on Vimeo.

Trailers

I had wanted to post the newest Street Fighter IV footage I could find but instead was completely sidtracked by this...


what a horrible trailer. the explosions at the end were a bit much as well.

...now this is a trailer! except for the shitty cg Reptile, this trailer still gets me pumped. MORTAL KOMBAAAT!!

a fun memory: after seeing this movie, my mother took my friend Alvaro and I to Best Buy to buy the soundtrack. I still have the cd somewhere.

Bored at work?

...I am, which is good news for you because I've been dickin' around on the internet looking for stuff to entertain our loyal readers. Most of this comes from FailBlog. Heres a taste...

see more pwn and owned pictures
more fail hilarity after the jump.


see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

Deadly Creatures...

This new game, Deadly Creatures: Hunt or be Hunted, coming out for the Wii is oddly appealing to me. Seems like it could be fun if they get the combat right... I hate me some rats! Plus, Dennis Hopper is in the game! I know he's done so much but for some reason I always think of Speed and his voice over on the Gorillaz track "Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head." Dev Diaries after the jump.

To Glow or not to Glow

I should be studying right now, but check out this sweet vid anyways. Pretty nifty if you don't want to look like a tool with a bunch of reflectors on your bike.


Bright Bike from Michael Mandiberg on Vimeo.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (retro review)

When I first got my PS3 some months back the first thing I did was download some demos... namely Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Let me tell ya, I played the heck out of this demo (I must of played it fifty times through). The fun of playing this demo reminded me of the Metal Gear Solid demo for the original PlayStation which included Solid Snake's infiltration of Shadow Moses Island. It speaks volumes of a game that a short demo can have so much replay value based on the sheer joy of playing it through. Retro-review after the jump.

I did eventually get the game, actually my lovely girlfriend Eleni purchased it for me but I think its cause she got tired of seeing me play through the demo over and over. If you havent pick up on it yet, I loved the game.

PROS
Graphics: This game is gorgeous. Everything from the jungles to the caves just look awesome. The "wet-rock" texture although sometimes mocked really works to make you feel like you can reach out and feel the cold wet rock. You can tell that Naughty Dog really took their time with this one and no where is it more evident than with the main character himself, Nathan Drake. I swear I could feel his heart racing while in the midst of a gunfight (which by the way are awesome but ill save it for the gameplay segment). Bottom line on graphics, the characters look good, the enemies look good, the environments look good, even the damned toucan that I always shoot at looks good (too bad I cant make him look DEAD).

Fluid Movement: I suppose this could be included in the graphics discussion... but Nathan is animated so damn well. You can tell when he's under stress, you almost shit your pants when he does (after a nearly missed jump or something), and beating the shit our of someone from close range (in slo-mo, no less) is quite the viceral experience. Which leads to gameplay...

Gameplay: This game is a blast to play. I used to be a HUGE Tomb Raider fan (I & II only) back on the original PlayStation. I wont say that this game is Tomb Raider, they're definitely different games, however it did sate my appetite for jungle trapising and relic hunting. That being said, Uncharted has definitely left ol' Lara Croft in the dust with this game. Back to gameplay: head shots will give you instant kills and man is it fun to pull 'em off. This game does have a duck and cover game mechanic reminiscnet of Gears of War (for you 360 owners), this is a good thing, frankly if it works why not use it? You pretty much always have to find cover in this game, especially in the latter half, if you want to survive. However, when there is only one or two guys left I always got a rush from running at them and in slow mo introducing their faces to my (Nathan's) fists. Lastly, the jet ski parts although they could use a little polishing, are very fun too. I mean how often do you get to jet ski up a raging river littered with explosive barrels?!

Music: The music in this game is the kind of good that you dont really realize it in when playing but you'll find yourself humming it the next day. The theme kicks ass, the in-gmae music is more mood setting, but the quality of the composition is clear.

Voice Acting: I enjoy the occasional "master of un-locking" b-movie dialogue from time to time, but i prefer the polished and professioinal voice-acting found in such games as the metal gear series. Uncharted has great voice actors in every role from protagonist Nathan Drake down to the slimy Eddie Raja. Once again, the care and attention put into every aspect of this game is clearly evident.

Story: the story is good, but typical of an action adventure game. I wont go too into it so as not to spoil it for players.

Treasure Hunting: The game has 60 treasures hidden throughout the game (plus a 61st extra secret one), and at least for me, it succesfully stretched out the replay value for a several more hours.

Trophies: Sony and Naughty Dog released a patch for the game that adds the Trophy support... still havent gotten em all, but I'm close.

CONS
Repetition: My only real complaint is that it can be slightly repetitive. That being said, the game is so much fun that even after beating it I played it through another 3 times before moving on to another game.

Enemies: I dont wanna give too much away, but some of the "bad guys" towards the end of the game didnt really do it for me.

Bottom Line: The game kicks ass. I had hours and hours of fun with it and still when I go back to it I have more fun with it. Considering its bound to hit Greatest Hits sooner or later, I highly recommend keeping an eye out for it.

It'll never happen to me!

I guess some folks still dont get it... Wear the damn wii-mote strap!


...poor TV.

Austin branch of Midway closes

Recently, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been making efforts to attract more video game developers to Austin offering tax breaks among other incentives to relocate to the capital. Perry has expressed a desire to make Austin a new hub for the video game industry. Personally I think it would be great to have a burgeoning video game industry to complement the ever-expanding film industry already present in the city, attracting more of what my professor Dr. Carbonara referred to as the "creative working class." Unfortunately this NY Times article may signal a halt to Gov. Perry's plan...

Midway Games to Cut Work Force by 25%

By REUTERS
Published: December 16, 2008
Filed at 3:13 p.m. ET


Dec 16 (Reuters) - Midway Games (NYSE:MWY) Inc , a video game maker, said it would cut its global workforce by 25 percent, close a studio in Austin, Texas and suspend development on many non-core games to reduce its cost structure.

Separately, the maker of the popular "Mortal Kombat" video game series said in a filing with U.S. regulators that it expects to incur a total charge of about $21.7 million in the fourth quarter, including a severance-related cash charge of about $1.6 million.

The company, whose shares fell as much as 10 percent, said the headcount reduction, of about 180 full-time employees, would take place across multiple disciplines within its Austin, Chicago and San Diego locations.

Earlier this month, media mogul Sumner Redstone and his holding companies sold 80.3 million shares of Midway for 0.12 cent each.

Shares of Chicago-based Midway were down 2 cents at 17 cents in afternoon trade on Nasdaq.


Lets hope this doesnt scare any more developers out of the area!

Machinima Jackson and Donkey Rogers

I get a real kick out of stuff like this...


Anyone wanna throw down on some Soul Caliber IV? My gamer tag is EfrenJS.

Then we have Mr. Rogers distracting a poor kid who is just trying to play some Kong...

Admit it... it was kinda cool to see the inside of the cabinet.

Need some motivation?

Just found a sweet ass vid. It kind of peters out towards the end, but still pretty effing cool. See if you can spot all the movies in it.

Merry Christmas from TheTragonDragon.

You can go to this link to make your own.

Maybe not so "recession-proof" after all

The NY Times has an interesting article up on the subject of game sales. I'd say its a bit mixed... sales have slowed but are still up when compared to last year. Read the entire NYTimes article and you decide...

Growth Slows for Video Game Market
By Matt Richtel
Sales of video game software grew far less rapidly in November than they did in October, according to a report published Thursday by the NPD Group, a market research firm.

The data suggests that the video game market, which industry executives and analysts have characterized as relatively recession-proof, is feeling the pinch of consumer caution.

For the month of November, software sales in the United States were $1.45 billion, up 11 percent from the same month a year earlier. But that growth rate is down sharply from October, when sales were up 35 percent over a year ago.

More broadly, sales in the video game market over all — which includes software, hardware and accessories — rose 10 percent in November as compared with a year ago. In October, the increase was 18 percent.

NPD characterized the sales growth as strong, given that Thanksgiving was later this year than last, meaning that the big holiday sales push started later as well.

The video game industry tends to have its own cycles, which are somewhat separate from macroeconomic patterns. That is because the industry’s ebbs and flows track closely with the introduction, adoption and obsolescence of new hardware platforms. This year was supposed to be a big one for the industry, because the latest generation of consoles — the Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 — are all available and supported by many software titles.

But the growth slowdown in such a critical month as November may well indicate that the rapid downturn in the economy is taking its toll on the industry.

That said, hardware sales grew 10 percent in November, as compared with 5 percent in October. And the big winner — and apparent driver of the industry’s growth — is the Nintendo Wii. It sold 2 million units in November. Microsoft sold 836,000 Xbox 360s, while Sony sold 378,000 units of PlayStation 3.

Nintendo also fared well in software sales — at least relative to competitors. Of the 10 best-selling games in November, four belonged to Nintendo, while three were from Activision Blizzard, according to NPD.

The NPD data comes out two days after Electronic Arts, the publisher of Madden football and other sports titles, surprised investors by saying it would not meet its sales and profit projections for its fiscal 2009.

It was the second time in six weeks that Electronic Arts had downgraded its projections.

The fact that Electronic Arts cut its forecast so rapidly left some question as to whether the video game market as a whole was facing unexpected pressure from the economic downturn. Indeed, one industry analyst said that in the days leading up to the latest cut, Electronic Arts was assuring Wall Street that it would hit the lower end of its financial guidance. The fact that it made such an about-face suggests that the market turned sharply.

The latest numbers appear to suggest that the market did turn sharply, but also that the problems facing Electronic Arts are in part a result of its own internal issues and not macroeconomic ones. Of the 10 best-selling games in November, Electronic Arts publishes only one, Left4Dead (the eighth-best-selling game, despite a substantial marketing campaign).

For many years, E.A. successfully defied the conventions of the video game industry, which is essentially a hits-driven business that rewards companies that come up with hot titles. E.A. managed to find great financial stability by creating sports franchises that generated tens of millions of dollars each year. The trouble is that E.A. has been unable to generate new hit games, and its operating margins sank over the last few years.

VGA Trailerama!!

Caught the Video Game Awards on Spike last night. It was an awkward, throw-away show. However its saving grace was a few funny performances by hot Jack Black and some awesome World Premiere trailers which you can see after the jump.

Here are some of the standouts:
God of War III

Mafia II

Uncharted 2

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned (exclusive XBLA DLC)

and Watchmen: The End is Nigh


Which game are you most looking forward to?

The Garbage Unleashed...

So... I downloaded the new Force Unleashed DLC this weekend at a not so cheap $9.99... review after the jump.

I was very excited for the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Apprentice Mission Pack. I'd had so much fun playing the original game that the prospect of force pushing and force electrocuting my way through the Jedi temple (which is the location of the "mission") had me foaming at the mouth. Unfortunately this bit of DLC does not deliver.

Pros:
Gameplay:Although I am completely disappointed with this mission pack, the fact remains that the core gameplay is still intact. The game plays well, although I did notice a few glitchy moves here and there when trying to electrocute my storm-troopin' enemies. I really think the developers missed the opportunity to introduce some new force powers.

Skins: I'm a sucker for extra skins. The fact that you get six new character skins (including Mace Windu among others) and also three new costumes for the Apprentice helps justify the $10 price tag... but only if you're a huge fan of the game.

Cons:
Scenery: I will give the pack credit for having a lot of distinct statues, busts, and other jedi themed relics throughout. However, I would of enjoyed seeing more rooms or chambers that made me feel like I was in the temple I saw in the prequels. Its there, but not to the extent I feel it should be.

Trial of the Mind: The mission is supposed to mirror a Jedi Trial for the Secret Apprentice, however, the execution falls flat. There is a Trial of the Mind portion in which you have to "Force-Guide" some glowing orb along a predetermined path and I can only describe it as un-fun. It feels like an attempt to elongate the experience but it, at least for me, was an annoying obstacle on my way to the finish.

Duration: This is by far my biggest complaint. It took longer to download this add-on than it did to beat it. I think I spent anywhere from a half hour to forty-five minutes to beat this "level," and thats considering that I took several breaks to play with my puppy Temo aswell as take him out to do his business.

Leveling: You start the level with you're guy almost comepletely powered up... the troops and jedi training robots didnt stand a chance.

I really wanted to like this. I supposed if I ever play through the full game again, I'll have new skins to choose from, but was it worth downloading? Unfortunately the answer is "no."

This is for Double A Ron

So my good friend Aaron "I wish I was cool" Garcia thinks that cycling isn't any fun. I am posting a video of what I hope happens to him after the jump.




Broken Fork! from Ian Roche on Vimeo.

Have you ever been to Baia?

I know this blog is supposed to be about video games (and cycling) but I couldnt resist after that portuguese dog from earlier... Pure bliss after the jump.

This one goes out to Eleni and Andy, not sure which of you two is more a fan of the seminal Disney classic The Three Caballeros.

Wake Up America

This 1990 Good Morning America piece validates my prediction that video games arent going nowheres. Enjoy some retro gaming news!

This dog creeps me out

Not sure why I find this so hilarious. Video after the jump. Forgive the formatting error... Adrian is working on it.


*Update: I fixed it - Adrian

Fallout 3... will suck you in.

So I recently finished Fallout 3. I have to say, it is one of the best games I have played in a very very long time. If you haven't picked it up yet, go get it. In a winter season of great games, Fallout 3 stands out for me amongst greats like Left 4 Dead and Fable II. Check my review after the jump.

One of the greatest aspects of the game might be my biggest complaint. It is impossible to play this game for a half hour. I found myself loading my game to "just do a quest" and ending up playing for hours. There is nothing wrong with being so engrossed in a game that you completely lose track of time, as a matter of fact, it's great. BUT when you have other things to do such as work, studying, or giving time to family and friends or significant other, it could be a problem.

Pros:
V.A.T.S.: This system is such a huge improvement over ESIV: Oblivion, Bethesda's previous game. At first I was a bit undecided on the new fighting method. It seems as bit out of place to stop live action. Fortunately you quickly get used to it. One of the extra treats is slow-mo destruction of your targets body. It can be quite entertaining.

Length: I'm a little afraid to check how many hours I have already put into the game, but I assure you it is a lot. I am nowhere near completing the game or even 2/3s of the way through discovering every location on the map. There are so many quests and so many different ways to complete them that replay value is near endless.

Scenery: The landscape is beautifully destructed. The world outside the vault definitely looks and feels like what a post-apocalyptic world should. When you finally get to the National Mall the ruins are so well designed, enough left to make you want to visit. Be a tourist.

Gameplay: Although I was already very used to Oblivion's gameplay, I fell right in to the controls. Things become very familiar very quickly. Only complaint is this, I am embarrassed on how long it took me to realize that you have to hold donw "B" to be able to turn your light on. Something that I could definitely have used early on in the game. Maybe I should have read the directions.

Story: The story-line is fantastic. While in search of your father, I found myself truly wanted to find out what happened. What was he working on. Why did he leave me behind. I was eventually distracted by the many side quests which have their own involved story arcs. All in all, a great story.

Cons:
Leveling: One of the things I enjoyed most about Oblivion is that you were able to continue leveling up your character. Part of the replay value was to finish making your character the best he could be. Not so in Fallout. You cap at level 20. I suppose that it makes the game a little more enjoyable if you aren't some super human that can never get hurt, not to mention the strategy involved in making a character you like playing as most. Although, if you like attaining everything, seeing all the possible perks and not being able to choose them can be disheartening. Not to mention I didn't realize that you capped at 20. I would have definitely done things differently.
I do hear that the coming DLC will raise the possible level as well as include new perks.

Completing the game: Another cool aspect of Oblivion was that after you finish the game you were able to continue found quests and even find new ones. Again, this is not so in Fallout. Once you beat the game, thats it. You get an ending depending on how you played the game and then credits. I was disappointed when I wasn't able to go explore the outcomes of my decisions, finish open quests and explore the rest of the map. Of course you can always load up your save and not beat the game.

Dogmeat: After I lost my dog in Fable II I truly missed him. You get so used to having him around that you can't help but be a little sad after he's gone. On the other hand, I felt no attachment to Dogmeat. Why? First of all some bloody raiders killed him before I knew the poor pup. Secondly, I was still raw about losing my dog from Fable II. Maybe you will have a different experience. I hope you do. What is the take home message: save, save a lot.

All in all I am very impressed with the game. Any complaint was by comparing it to Bethesda's previous game. After playing what the winter offered Fallout 3 is just a cut above the rest. Go buy it if you haven't.

So.... Home is kinda boring.

My thoughts on Home (if the title didnt give it away) after the jump!

So after downllading, installing and spending HOURS to finally connect I ended up slightly underwhelmed. The avatar creator appears to be robust but is actually kinda restricted. Basically, I wasnt able to get my guy to look like me. I walked around the Central Plaza, the Mall, Uncharted themed space "Sully's Bar," and of course my apartment. If it wasnt for the awesome view out my balcony I might never return.
Home looks great. For the most part, it seemed like the hundreds of people I ran into were having fun and I had a blast having a dance-off with Rogelio (the running man is by far my favorite).

Observations:
1)There is an extreme dearth of female Home users which was excessivley pointed out by at least 20 users (male) running around saying "Sausage Fest."
2)The chess set up on the 2nd floor of the Mall is cool but I dont think people should have to wait to play. I got lucky, a table opened up 3 minutes after I showed up. I got schooled by some guy named Mullet.
3)$5 for a couch?! I would have completely redecorated my apartment if the accessories were 50c!
4)Unfortunately, communicating is a bit awkward practically necesitating a headset.
5)and lastly, I cant wait to see what Home develops into.

one last note: i couldnt help but laugh when some guy said to everyone around him at the mall "Hey you guys wanna play Gears of War II?! Oh wait..." quickly followed by "Halo 3 is better than everything on PS3." I probably would of laughed harder if I wasnt trying to fight back tears.

Mama, I'm coming HOME!!

Sony is finally releasing the hotly anticipated playstation HOME. Go download it, PS3 owners!

sorry adrian, there is always the New Xbox Live Experience!

Prediction...

I'm fascinated by trend forecasting. I dont think I'm particularly good at it but still enjoy thinking about what may be coming down the line. So here is my first attempt at a legitimate prediction for where video gaming will be in the next 5 years. There has been a lot of talk recently about how the video game industry is "recession proof," in fact retailers like EB Games have been posting higher profits than in previous years even in light of the current national economic situation.
This morning, I saw a piece on Good Morning America (or was it the Early Show) which focused on the growing popularity of activities that allow a family to stay home as opposed to having to spend money on travelling (I think the word the anchor used was "stay-cation"), and cited video gaming as a healthy alternative. This leads me to believe that the longer the economic crisis lasts, the more time video games will have to further infiltrate the hearts and minds of American families. Of course I'm well aware that video games are already wildly popular aswell as succesful, but I think we can all agree that video gaming as a whole still lacks that full acceptance and understanding from the general public.

In the past I've told people (non-gamers) that I'm highly interested in video gaming and have without exception been given a look of "Isnt that cute he still plays pac-man" or "he's probably a slacker."

The video game industry generates more money than the movie industry but lacks the overwhelming acceptance that movies enjoy, however video gaming is everyday closer to taking that spot. Consider that video games now have their own award show (incidentaly it airs this Sunday on the Spike network if I'm not mistaken), consider that Major League Gaming and others like it albeit with some bumps in the road have done a lot to popularize video games as a legitimate competitive activity even having a tournament broadcast on one of the major networks, then consider that its never been a better time to be a gamer. My prediction is that within the next 5 years, video gaming will capitalize on what the current economic crisis is morphing our entertainment habits into and prevail as the preferred form of entertainment in the United States.

Shit Adrian Likes!

So cycling is one of my main hobbies.  I own a IRO singlespeed with a flip flop hub with freewheel and fixed gears.  I also have a nice Cervelo (which I owned before Sastre won the last TDF).  Anyways, expect to get some cycling posts from me.  I'll leave you all with this vid after the jump.


yfg nasty 3! from kr!$+＠1k? on Vimeo.


Update: The blog changed names to Triple Chimp, so my post title doesn't make as much sense anymore.

The start of something good!

Well to say that I´m just a little excited about what my brother and I are starting would be an understatement. In the interest of full disclosure this isn´t my first blog - I had to set one up for a class in college but I wont count it ¨porque no le puse heart.¨ 

Stay tuned for posts heavily influenced by a lifetime of competitive video gaming (by that I mean old school competition with siblings and not MLG stuff) and geek/pop culture consumption. All in all its a good day for video gaming.

Welcome to Triple Chimp

Hello Folks and Welcome to Triple Chimp!  A forum for my brothers and me.  We are going to focus mostly on the video game industry along with our other hobbies.  Hopefully you all will enjoy.