God of War III

This weekend the good folks at Sony Computer Entertainment saw it fit to give me early access to the game. They did a selected "valued PlayStation®Network user" access code giveaway and I guess they value me :-)

It is the E3 2009 demo and within the demo file they've included the E3 trailer from the same event. And what do I think?  

First off the demo is pretty kick-arse and does showcase alot of the gameplay mechanics and does it well. It looks great and feels organic to play once you've screwed your head around the controls and the flow of it's use. Made me want the game and the PSP game and made me look forward to the re-issue of GoW and GoW II in upscaled Blu-Ray glory.

Visceral and primal, yet sophisticated and absolutely NOT for kids! I am pretty hardened when it comes to violence in my media but this has some moments even I felt a bit "urk.. feel a little sick". I do love it when things can shake me up and stir something deep in me. :)

I do see that this is a 6+month old build and that it's essentially a beta code but with this as the basis for the late March 2010 release, this game is going to be awesome! No questions asked. If this is a real taste for the game I am so there come March 24th next year, first in line.

I do however question the reasoning behind this type of demo release. I guess they like to do something special at times and make some feel special in the process. But having said that, they ought to have a new demo out some time prior to the game being released for all PSN users.

IIIUUUHH! Hardcopy! or??

In todays world there are plenty of ways to get games (and other media) from the developer to you. You can go to a shop and pick it up, or go order a copy off the Internet or even get it digitally via the wonder of the online space. Right.. So. What is the future of game distribution and how will it affect and effect our way of getting them, keeping them and playing them?

The old way.

You go and buy a game with box and a manual and everything else that might ship with it. You know like special editions or pre-order bonuses or whatever. The game is now yours. You can keep it forever and play it forever provided your console/PC (as with OS'es progressing and making old games hard to either run or install and those kind of problems) don't die on you or you fuck up the disc or whatever media they use in the future. So far so good right?

The new way (sort of).

You get your game through a download service such as PSN, XBL, Steam, GOG and whomever else does digital distribution. You put in your details and that and hey presto a little while after you're playing you newly acquired game without even so much as farting in physical effort. In other words, It's brilliant! 

So far so good. Choices! Options!

Now I'm going to argue the pros and the cons of both these forms of getting your gaming needs met and a pondering of the future of such distribution.

Buying on physical media: 

Aright, you go buy your game at a proper shop, you know one within a building and with clerks and everything. You pay your money (usually 40-60$/399-599NOK/30-50€) and in return you get the game you want. In a nice little box with the extra stuff the publisher put in with it. Great! It's yours forever and you can play this thing til you die an old man or woman if you so desire. And you can show it off, take it with you to friends places and give them away or trade them(though that's a total rip-off if you ask me) in for other games. 

So far all is good. But wait! this also means that there is extra cost involved in getting this game to you. Cost that could go to making gaming better and might lead to more game developing companies surviving. And also costs that keeps games expensive to you the consumer.

Buying digitally:

Now you go into the online space to get your game. You put in you personal details and payment option and make an account and all that jazz to prepare for shopping. You find your game, pay, download and Todd's your uncle. You didn't spend money on transport to get you to a from the shop, all you did was sit comfortably at home (some other location) and got the game delivered to you directly and stored on your media of choice (memory stick, harddrive, solid state drive, phone etc.) and you're playing and having fun. And you probably saved money too. (10-15$/50-100NOK/8-13€).

Good stuff right. Publisher don't have to pay for replication, disc and manual (and extras) manufacturing and and the money can instead go to the licence fees and such and then more money goes back to the developers and you know everyone wins right? Well not so fast!  What about owning your game you payed for. So far digital distribution isn't full ownership. Why you ask? Well here are a few reasons why. First of all you can't take this copy over to a friends house and do what you like with it, no more trade-in and having a collection to show off. Secondly you are at the mercy of these distribution companies to have access to it in case of corruption of you games, your PC needs reintalling or you change PC and such, you know bad luck. And what about the future, you might want to go back and revisit your old games but holy crap! The service went down and you can no longer access it. In essence until these distribution companies can guarantee you lifetime access to your games you bought, you're just leasing them for a unknown time-frame, might be 2 years it might be 10 or such. 

The way I see it, if full digital distribution is the future, then new standards in storing and accessing your purchases must be established. 

1) Price of games must drop along with other DLC (read:addons) 2) Storage must be a lot cheaper 3) Distributors service/servers maintained forever. to ensure you access to your purchases for a lifetime. (you bought it you own it so only fair) 4) In case of distributor going bankrupt or discontinuing their services the prior customer base must be sold off (with proper protection of personal information and that end of the business) to a new one to maintain proper ownership. 5) a swap-games option must be enabled to be able to gift someone a game or simply swap games to have more games played (and this would also eliminate piracy a lot as people could just swap games between them on the fly). 6) country borders and treating different regions differently must die a horrible death.

These are my thoughts on the matter. 

Curious to hear your thoughts. 

Digital Life

Since the start of Sanctuary season 2 I've started to be involved with the Sanctuary For All (SFA for short) community.  There I have found a great group of friends, yes i call them friends already, that has been nothing but nice and welcoming. There I've found someone to discuss my favourite show and my other interests and basically found like-minded people. Thanks to my fellow Sancturians, You're awesome!

I've also become more active on Twitter (See top of blog to find me) and have had good short-burst conversations, and at the same time found out I'm a bit Stargate-autistic. Lots of my fellow Sancturians is there and it's a great way to keep up with the more behind the scenes of my two fave sci-fi shows; Sanctuary and Stargate Universe. 

And I've gone and bought Brütal Legend, and that game is so Metal and awesome! If you are 1) a fan of metal and hard rock, 2) like Jack Black, 3) like Tim Schaefer (any of those three) you need to buy this game! Period!

Waiting on my Sanctuary season 1 DVD, should be here next week. :)

Other than that I'm working and eating and sleeping and keeping up with my online stuff and shows. 

My New Number 1 Show

Season two started Friday (or yesterday for me) and the show is back in a tour de force manner. The story kicks off right where it left off in season 1 and the performance of the cast was thrilling, heartbreaking, astonishing and compelling in a great way. Special honours goes to Amanda Tapping and Emilie Ullerup for their heart tugging portrayal. And for great snark and flare Jonathon Young. And the interaction between Amanda and Christopher Heyerdahl is so sweet in a creepy scary kind of way (but still a good way).  Yes I on purpose use the actors name to give them the proper respect and praise for their excellent work. Plus I will not spoil anything for you, as I hate spoilers myself.

The show is turning into a formidable force to be reckoned with and I am so impressed with it due to the way it started, as a passion project on the internet in the form of a web-series. Damien Kindler, Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping has done a phenomenal job bringing this to life and what a blessing it is that it got picked up and made into a proper high quality TV show. 

I have nothing but praise for this show and I urge you to all get the season 1 DVD boxset where you'll get the webisodes and other extras. I'm getting it soon. 

Watch it! 

Rocktober Is Soon Upon Us

From EA's own YouTube 

STOKED!!!

Out Rocktober 13th, 15th or 16th, depending on where you are in the world.

PS3 and Xbox 360

This is so Metal!

News As It Were

I've gotten on the track of learning japanese now, using my Let's Learn Hiragana book. So far I've learn to read and identify 4 out of 46 of the basic Hiragana and also sort of write them. A good start I find. :-) I feel this is now a real achievable goal me learning this rather beautiful language. If I keep up my studies this project of mine will be a success. I'll be keeping you posted on my progress. :-) 

Apart from that I'm working a lot and is feeling rather good about my life in general. Sure I do have some low/dark moments but I overcome them by various means. Been reading a bit, gotten through volume 1 of the Berserk and Samurai Deeper Kyo manga. And is about to start book 2 of Timothy Zahn*s Thrawn Trilogy. Waiting on october 15th, then Brütal Legend a game I'm so stoked for comes out, 6ft cheeseburger erection type stoked (if you get that one you are a geek), AND I really hope they release the full soundtrack for it!

The Beautiful People

I've been lately thinking about people I find attractive, beautiful, gorgeous and sexy, as such I'm forging ahead now. Now this will not be a "Top 10" type list but just a look into what I find to be the above mentioned. The order is random and just will contain what makes them attractive. 

Stephen Fry:

He opens his mouth and what comes out sounds like poetry, such an exquisite use of the English language. Even when being crude and cheeky it sounds marvelous. And he writes just as well as he sounds. I love a man that can express himself well. The way he chooses to to dress himself is so cool. It's so exciting to see what tie/accessories, shirt, suit combo he does, or for that matter when being casual, even then he is classy. He is such a gorgeous man, inside and outside. A beautiful face with sweet eyes, tall and handsome. I love it when he sports the longish messy hair, like on QI season 5/6. Makes me wish I was a man. 

Keith Olbermann:

A silver fox. That silver mane graduating into black with that radiant face, cheeky smile and those blue eyes. a great sense of style, also a man with great suits, shirts and ties and that is something I like a lot. His voice is of that great baritone quality and he uses it to great effect in his delivery of his Special Comments and when I'm watching Countdown I get a thrill in his usage of the English language, rare for americans to use it that way. And at some point during the show I just get lost in how good looking he is. He is a caring and loving man with his emotions rather on his sleeve, which is another reason I find him beautiful. And check back on my November 11th '08 post to see what made me a true fan of him.

Amanda Tapping:

Now this is a woman I've been in love with for a good while. She is such a beautiful and gorgeous woman. She has these big blue awesome eyes and a super sweet face and fantastic hair. And her personality is a sweet, caring, cheeky and strong force. She is one talented woman, She writes, produces, directs and acts and has her own show now(with some of her StarGate collegues) and she is funny as hell! If you look up her convention appearances or even the commentary she's done on the SG-1 DVDs you'll know why. Once again I wish I was a man.

Eddie Izzard:

A man that can pull of wearing a dress and high heels better than some women can. And he got nice legs. He is such a funny, goofy, random guy and has that je ne sais quoi sexy thing going on. He has this amazing ability to go from handsome rugged man to this feminine gorgeous version of himself. and he's a self-proclaimed action transvestite. And I like his acting and his stand-up is great. What can I say he appeals to both side of my sexuality. 

Hugh Laurie:

I've always thought he was good looking but he is the sort of man that gets better with age. That tall slender frame with that nice rugged look he sports now since becoming Dr. House and those fantastic blue eyes, makes a girl pay attention. And he like Fry have my kind of outlook on things and I find being funny a sexy attribute. He's talented, and a great musician and has this very English humbleness to him, which is quite a good quality. 

David Hewlett:

He's just cute as a puppy, I mean, such a sweet, funny man. He's a handsome guy that don't get the attention he deserves.  Always eager to interact with fans and don't take himself serious at all. And a great comedic talent, with an amazing ability to really bring forth some hardcore emotions and portrayal of character (just see how far he went with Dr. McKay) and a good actor/writer/director. See his A Dogs Breakfast to know why, and has some added value for Stargate fans. 

Claudia Black:

Dark haired spunky yet goofy woman, with a big radiant smile and pretty eyes. First caught my eyes in Farscape as an aggressive, yet troubled Peacekeeper warrior. And if you've seen Farscape you'll know why I'm so keen on her.  She has since become more beautiful and has a great sense of humour and good at sillyness. Good with fans and doesn't take herself seriously. 

These are some of the poeple I find attractive and makes my heart skip a beat or beat harder. I just felt putting it out there.

The Journey Has Begun

Today my book order arrived from the UK.

Let's Learn Hiragana and Let's Learn katakana. So now my venture into learning japanese is at hand. I've begun to dabble with it already and has learned my first hiragana. And having a quick look at the hiragana alphabet as it were I might have worked out how I should write my own name. Though progressing through this I might be proven right or I'll find out I'm wrong. Time will tell.

So I'll be tri-lingual by the time this is completed. (or quad-lingual if you count swedish).