Hypocrisy is everywhere; everyone has been guilty of it at some point. However, this bugs me a little bit, and I need to get it of my chest.
Our school has a fairly loose dress code, but there are a few rules that I personally refuse to abide by, due to a lack of coherent reasoning behind them. Namely, the wearing of camouflage is banned district-wide, due to "encouraging militant and/or gang activity". That would make sense, if we weren't a 97% white school situated firmly between a long row of fast food joints and Suburbia. I'm not racist, so don't take my comments as such. If we were a 50% white, 50% black school, the likelihood of crime or violence would be much greater, more so if we were an inner city school. But what do our administrators hope to prevent with not allowing camo?
It's supposed to be the "banning of wearing 'colors'", if I'm not mistaken. Essentially, they are wanting everyone to stop wearing camo because that's a traditionally militant symbol. The funny thing is, we don't get in trouble for wearing all black. If the teachers see a group of students wearing black outfits with evil-looking designs or something of the sort, not a word is spoken. I'd think that would be the first thing on the chopping block after Columbine. Yet camo is banned. What if it's not a military pattern? What if it is hunting pattern, like Mossy Oak Breakup? That's not militant, it's hunting. (By the way, no popular company/department store sells a military camouflage pattern.)
The next one is the wallet chain. I wear one roughly 2 feet long all the time. If a teacher asks me to put it in my pocket, I do. But I will not take it off. Teachers haven't told me to take it off this year. Yet today, I got stopped by an administrator for the camo and got yelled at for the chain as well. I'm not a troublemaking student by any means, but I will fight this just for the hell of it.
One thing every administrator failed to notice was the fact that my new Watchmen t-shirt has a photo of The Comedian on it, holding a sniper rifle, with a flask sitting on a foreground table. Not a single person metioned it.
The administrator that originally busted me for it was in the office, and I was making copies in there. She came up and asked me how many people had also talked to me about the shorts. When I told her "None whatsoever", she looked appaled. She brought in another vice principal to see, an with both of them there, I said this:
"Well, no one has talked to me other than you about the shorts and the chain, but it seems like you didn't notice the most egregious violation I'm wearing. My shirt clearly shows a man holding a rifle, pointed out the window at a crowd. There is also a flask sitting on the table near my waistline. Not to mention, not a single person in over three weeks has noticed that I wear my (I pull back my hair to show) headphones all day long."
Their collective looks of shock were priceless. Honestly, so worth it. They were speechless, so much so that all they could do was walk back to their offices, heads slightly hung in unadmitting shame.
I will be wearing the shorts again next week.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Concert Month: A Preview
Alright, so all last year I bitched about how few good shows came around here: Gigantour (April) was in Louisville, Behemoth (May) @Bogarts in town, and Children of Bodom (Sept./Oct, I think) was in Columbus. And that was about it. It sucks being a metalhead resident to Cincinnatio, due to an unspoken "Fuck playing near Ohio- Cleveland sucks enough, fuck the rest of them" pact taken by most notable bands. Matal Masters was closest in Philly and Cleveland, and Iron Maiden was in Cleveland as well, a show only our devoted Maiden fan Jake went to.
This year is looking right the hell up, folks. Great shows, both festival and headlining tours, are headed within 150 miles of the good 'ol Nati. First up, we have the month of April. Headlining at the Madhatter across the river, Napalm Death are tearing up the (513) with support from Kataklysm, Toxic Holocaust, and Trap Them. That's the 13th. Then, one week later on the 21st, the No Fear Energy Tour hits Columbus- HARD. Lamb of God headlining to support Wrath, As I Lay Dying, Children of Bodom, God Forbid, and Municipal Waste supporting. This is a can't-miss-show for me, because I love LoG and MW, and the rest will be fun to see live.
May rolls through, and hits us like a brick. Back to back are Paganfest and Testament, both in town, both amazing live shows. I love Testament, and I love the Paganfest lineup this year. Then the Thrash show to end all Thrash shows: German legends Kreator are playing over Exodus, Belphegor, and newcomers Warbringer. If you haven't checked them out, I give my highest recommendations to fans of old-school thrash records like Darkness Descends and Bonded by Blood. Their debut was one of my top picks for 2008, and their new album due out this year shouldn't disappoint.
Alright, barring some scheduling conflicts, I can hit most of the shows listed, and I'm psyched as hell for them. If any locals are reading this blog and thinking of attending, comment of what shows you'll be seeing. I may see you there.
This year is looking right the hell up, folks. Great shows, both festival and headlining tours, are headed within 150 miles of the good 'ol Nati. First up, we have the month of April. Headlining at the Madhatter across the river, Napalm Death are tearing up the (513) with support from Kataklysm, Toxic Holocaust, and Trap Them. That's the 13th. Then, one week later on the 21st, the No Fear Energy Tour hits Columbus- HARD. Lamb of God headlining to support Wrath, As I Lay Dying, Children of Bodom, God Forbid, and Municipal Waste supporting. This is a can't-miss-show for me, because I love LoG and MW, and the rest will be fun to see live.
May rolls through, and hits us like a brick. Back to back are Paganfest and Testament, both in town, both amazing live shows. I love Testament, and I love the Paganfest lineup this year. Then the Thrash show to end all Thrash shows: German legends Kreator are playing over Exodus, Belphegor, and newcomers Warbringer. If you haven't checked them out, I give my highest recommendations to fans of old-school thrash records like Darkness Descends and Bonded by Blood. Their debut was one of my top picks for 2008, and their new album due out this year shouldn't disappoint.
Alright, barring some scheduling conflicts, I can hit most of the shows listed, and I'm psyched as hell for them. If any locals are reading this blog and thinking of attending, comment of what shows you'll be seeing. I may see you there.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Scapegoating: In Reply
(This post is a response to The Mosh Pit's post about censorship.)
I must wholeheartedly disagree with you, Garrett. I don't see censorship as a major concern in today's more tolerant, liberal society. The far more important issue is that of constant scapegoating of vaguely controversial media, like music, movies, and video games. However, even that is coming to a bit of a finality. Still though, it is far worse for fans of these media than censorship because the majority of censorship comes from this baseless blame.
See, the art of scapegoating is essentially a means of deflecting blame to someone/thing/where else. For example, rather than admit their fault in the shambles they called an economy, post-WWI Germans were eager to blame someone else. Hitler came forward, spouting off about the Jews' supposed control of the banks and all the world's money and claimed conspiracy. Thus, in the minds of common Germans, the concentration camps were at worst a neutral issue in their minds; an "out of site, out of mind" policy, if you will. Things have changed in Germany, but the example remains as relevant as ever.
Parents began straying from traditional punishment-based parenting around the 60's and 70's, in an effort to "not become their fathers". However, once is came to punishing their kids for ill behavior, they were unwilling to take necessary measures. Their unwillingness culminated during their children's teen years, when the lack of punishment for misdeeds resulted in children everywhere (in the U.S.) taking an attitude of "You can't punish me". Teachers everywhere lost faith in humanity, parents lost control of their kids, and politicians looked (like they commonly do) for a way to spin a negative into a positive. In comes, first, heavy metal.
What could be easier to blame than a music teaching kids to question the world as it is handed to them? "We're Not Gonna Take It". "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". The "KISS Army". These kids are obviously the scum of the Earth, and violate every human right known to man... right?
Except that they dont. In fact, they go with tradition: when your reality sucks, do what you can to positively alter it. History supports me on this, many times over. Being American (and not having ever taken a serious World History class [not my choice, by the way]) I think I'll use American History to support.
Reality: A king 3000 miles away is taxing the shit out of everything you buy, making arbitrary rules just because, and making YOU pay for wars you aren't fighting.
Alteration: Form your own country after fighting your American ass off for it.
Reality: Economic sinkhole just opened up and swallowed the world market.
Alteration: Join a growing war that we (thanks to an attack on our soil) have a stake in, convert factories and such at home into a war economy, make money, end war by using history's first true "Super-Weapon".
But, of course, the blame is on metal, simply because it talks about issues politicians would rather we were in the dark about. The music isn't aggressive, it's violent. The lyrics aren't political, they're anti-government. The appearance isn't about evoking a good fear in fans or about attracting attention to increase record sales, it's about worshiping Satan. Everything is twisted, everything is distorted, and everything about us is EVIL.
Video games come along and, with each generation of consoles becoming "more realistic", the blame shifts to them. Jack Thompson made his entire law career (which is over now) on fighting video games. Suddenly, in ten years time, games go from cute little hedgehogs and plumbers to unstoppable killing machines and psychotic serial killers. Suddenly, they aren't games anymore; there is no entaertainment value to them. Now, according to politicans, they are "murder simulators". They are "death trainers". Rather than provide a means of stress release in a controlled, implication-free environment, they teach that the real world is just as the game world- without law, order, or punishment.
In this Digital Age when an artist can attract an audience no matter how controversial their work, censorship is not the problem. Blaming real world problems on entertainment media instead of accepting that the true nature of these problems lies with how children are raised is the REAL issue.
I must wholeheartedly disagree with you, Garrett. I don't see censorship as a major concern in today's more tolerant, liberal society. The far more important issue is that of constant scapegoating of vaguely controversial media, like music, movies, and video games. However, even that is coming to a bit of a finality. Still though, it is far worse for fans of these media than censorship because the majority of censorship comes from this baseless blame.
See, the art of scapegoating is essentially a means of deflecting blame to someone/thing/where else. For example, rather than admit their fault in the shambles they called an economy, post-WWI Germans were eager to blame someone else. Hitler came forward, spouting off about the Jews' supposed control of the banks and all the world's money and claimed conspiracy. Thus, in the minds of common Germans, the concentration camps were at worst a neutral issue in their minds; an "out of site, out of mind" policy, if you will. Things have changed in Germany, but the example remains as relevant as ever.
Parents began straying from traditional punishment-based parenting around the 60's and 70's, in an effort to "not become their fathers". However, once is came to punishing their kids for ill behavior, they were unwilling to take necessary measures. Their unwillingness culminated during their children's teen years, when the lack of punishment for misdeeds resulted in children everywhere (in the U.S.) taking an attitude of "You can't punish me". Teachers everywhere lost faith in humanity, parents lost control of their kids, and politicians looked (like they commonly do) for a way to spin a negative into a positive. In comes, first, heavy metal.
What could be easier to blame than a music teaching kids to question the world as it is handed to them? "We're Not Gonna Take It". "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". The "KISS Army". These kids are obviously the scum of the Earth, and violate every human right known to man... right?
Except that they dont. In fact, they go with tradition: when your reality sucks, do what you can to positively alter it. History supports me on this, many times over. Being American (and not having ever taken a serious World History class [not my choice, by the way]) I think I'll use American History to support.
Reality: A king 3000 miles away is taxing the shit out of everything you buy, making arbitrary rules just because, and making YOU pay for wars you aren't fighting.
Alteration: Form your own country after fighting your American ass off for it.
Reality: Economic sinkhole just opened up and swallowed the world market.
Alteration: Join a growing war that we (thanks to an attack on our soil) have a stake in, convert factories and such at home into a war economy, make money, end war by using history's first true "Super-Weapon".
But, of course, the blame is on metal, simply because it talks about issues politicians would rather we were in the dark about. The music isn't aggressive, it's violent. The lyrics aren't political, they're anti-government. The appearance isn't about evoking a good fear in fans or about attracting attention to increase record sales, it's about worshiping Satan. Everything is twisted, everything is distorted, and everything about us is EVIL.
Video games come along and, with each generation of consoles becoming "more realistic", the blame shifts to them. Jack Thompson made his entire law career (which is over now) on fighting video games. Suddenly, in ten years time, games go from cute little hedgehogs and plumbers to unstoppable killing machines and psychotic serial killers. Suddenly, they aren't games anymore; there is no entaertainment value to them. Now, according to politicans, they are "murder simulators". They are "death trainers". Rather than provide a means of stress release in a controlled, implication-free environment, they teach that the real world is just as the game world- without law, order, or punishment.
In this Digital Age when an artist can attract an audience no matter how controversial their work, censorship is not the problem. Blaming real world problems on entertainment media instead of accepting that the true nature of these problems lies with how children are raised is the REAL issue.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
I have a twitter Now.
Yeah. So, not much to this one... I have a Twitter now. check it out: www.twitter.com/thetompkins
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wisdom Teeth, Delta Blues, and Droogies
Okay, so for my first major surgery in 4 years, I have three (luckily not yet impacted) wisdom teeth removed today and well, it wasn't as bad as everyone seems to thing it is. I took some Valium about a half an hour before my appointment, and was drowsy on my on my way there (I was driven, don't worry). I got there, and the went through the mandatory "Are you nervous? Do you need me to numb where I'm gonna place the IV?" thing and went into the operating room. The last thing I remember was the nruse saying something to the effect of "You're going to start feeling more and more relaxed until yo-".
Out cold.
I wake up at home,mouth stuffed with gauze, with only a minor headache and an insatiable craving for Vanilla pudding. Thankfully, one of the foods you're allowed to eat is in fact soft pudding, so lucky me. I started watching American Psycho, and it is a spectacular movie in much the same vein as Metamorphosis, a novella we recently read in AP English. I finished it, and watched possibly my favorite dystopian future movie ever, A Clockwork Orange. An adaptation of Anthony Burgess' legendary cult novel, it is by far one of the most twisted movies ever. Hell, less than 30 minutes in, Burgess/Kubrick manage to work in two completely logical rape scenes (I say logical in the sense that they don't fee forced in any way). I recommend both movies it you like twisted storytelling at its finest.
One other thing I did do in preparation was to download some eerie music to accompany my downtime- namely Blue Oyster Cult, The Sword, and Robert Johnson, the most legendary bluesman ever. With only one known song stretching over 2:59, his 29 original recordings are must-haves for aspiring blues guitarists. In general his music is above anything I have ever heard in terms of feeling, soul, and that sense of "He poured his heart into this song" that accompanies blues like a shadow.
It's been about 14 hours since the surgery itself and, other than a dull ache in my lower jaw and one loose stitch end on my top left, I'm actually feeling back to fairly normal.
Gods of Metal, grant me a way of convincing my parents that going to two concerts in Louisville two school nights in a row is a good idea?
(Post- publish: I apologize for the numerous grammatical mistakes in my last post, but the sedative hadn't quite worn off yet.)
Out cold.
I wake up at home,mouth stuffed with gauze, with only a minor headache and an insatiable craving for Vanilla pudding. Thankfully, one of the foods you're allowed to eat is in fact soft pudding, so lucky me. I started watching American Psycho, and it is a spectacular movie in much the same vein as Metamorphosis, a novella we recently read in AP English. I finished it, and watched possibly my favorite dystopian future movie ever, A Clockwork Orange. An adaptation of Anthony Burgess' legendary cult novel, it is by far one of the most twisted movies ever. Hell, less than 30 minutes in, Burgess/Kubrick manage to work in two completely logical rape scenes (I say logical in the sense that they don't fee forced in any way). I recommend both movies it you like twisted storytelling at its finest.
One other thing I did do in preparation was to download some eerie music to accompany my downtime- namely Blue Oyster Cult, The Sword, and Robert Johnson, the most legendary bluesman ever. With only one known song stretching over 2:59, his 29 original recordings are must-haves for aspiring blues guitarists. In general his music is above anything I have ever heard in terms of feeling, soul, and that sense of "He poured his heart into this song" that accompanies blues like a shadow.
It's been about 14 hours since the surgery itself and, other than a dull ache in my lower jaw and one loose stitch end on my top left, I'm actually feeling back to fairly normal.
Gods of Metal, grant me a way of convincing my parents that going to two concerts in Louisville two school nights in a row is a good idea?
(Post- publish: I apologize for the numerous grammatical mistakes in my last post, but the sedative hadn't quite worn off yet.)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
More Things That Piss Me Off
All right. Here we go again. I will start this off clearly explaining who is pissing me off this time.
FUCK YOU BLACK TIDE. FUCK YOU.
FUCK YOU BLACK TIDE. FUCK YOU.
Ok, why am I angry at Black Tide? Well, it's novelty hyping bullshit. For some reason, people (namely the mainstream) attribute teens (or worse, pre-teens) playing instruments to being ROCK GODS!!!!!
And clearly, they are not.
Now, I'm all for new talent breaking the mid-20's mold, but that's the problem. With age comes experience, at least in this case. Most metalheads (because that is the genre I will be focusing on) start playing somewhere between 12 and 18- right about when they start LISTENING to metal. Thus, when they hit 25, they can have anywhere from 7-13 years of experience under their belts. Gabriel from Black Tide (lead vocals/guitars) isn't even legal yet (according to Wiki ATOW, 16 be the age).
They got kicked off the Jager stage at Ozzfest BECAUSE of their age.
Now... the meat of the problem: their medocrity. (Disclaimer: Gabriel IS A BETTER player than I am. No question there, but I've only been playing for 4 months.) I'm saying that, for the level of critical praise they recieved (3.5/5 from AllMusic, positive Kerrang! and Blabbermouth reviews) they aren't that good.
I like a good novelty act now and again, but to keep me interested you need to have a lot of talent to back up the hype. Kittie is a good example, but they petered out. Girlschool is fantastic. Lordi is hilarious, but they can throw out some of the best hooky riffs in the business. Black Tide accomplishes no such feat. See, they tried to break into Thrash Metal, a predominately Old-Guard dominated genre. Mistake. Then, they recorded what can only be described as fitting the music store label of "Pop-Rock". Mistake. Then, they recorded a shirtless, campy "Sk8r" video for Shockwave, their first single. MISTAKE. Either go all-out camp (Lordi) or go badass (Warbringer). Half-ass it and pay the price.
Stop now. Seriously, it's been established that people trying to stray too far from the metal genre (while still calling yourself metal and fanbasing metalheads) are shot down in miserable balls of flames.
And clearly, they are not.
Now, I'm all for new talent breaking the mid-20's mold, but that's the problem. With age comes experience, at least in this case. Most metalheads (because that is the genre I will be focusing on) start playing somewhere between 12 and 18- right about when they start LISTENING to metal. Thus, when they hit 25, they can have anywhere from 7-13 years of experience under their belts. Gabriel from Black Tide (lead vocals/guitars) isn't even legal yet (according to Wiki ATOW, 16 be the age).
They got kicked off the Jager stage at Ozzfest BECAUSE of their age.
Now... the meat of the problem: their medocrity. (Disclaimer: Gabriel IS A BETTER player than I am. No question there, but I've only been playing for 4 months.) I'm saying that, for the level of critical praise they recieved (3.5/5 from AllMusic, positive Kerrang! and Blabbermouth reviews) they aren't that good.
I like a good novelty act now and again, but to keep me interested you need to have a lot of talent to back up the hype. Kittie is a good example, but they petered out. Girlschool is fantastic. Lordi is hilarious, but they can throw out some of the best hooky riffs in the business. Black Tide accomplishes no such feat. See, they tried to break into Thrash Metal, a predominately Old-Guard dominated genre. Mistake. Then, they recorded what can only be described as fitting the music store label of "Pop-Rock". Mistake. Then, they recorded a shirtless, campy "Sk8r" video for Shockwave, their first single. MISTAKE. Either go all-out camp (Lordi) or go badass (Warbringer). Half-ass it and pay the price.
Stop now. Seriously, it's been established that people trying to stray too far from the metal genre (while still calling yourself metal and fanbasing metalheads) are shot down in miserable balls of flames.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Bright Possibilities
Sony has been catching a ton of shit lately for its failed PS3 hyping- LittleBigPlanet, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Warhawk, among others, have been getting crazy press for their own takes on their respective genres, but the sales have done nothing to reflect the quality. Nintendo hasn't even put out a post-Thanksgiving Nintendo franchise game like Mario or Zelda for the Wii. Everyone is absolutely in love with the Xbox360 and all its fucking majesticness- yet the fact that it had a 67% FAILURE rate for its launch year has somehow not phased people. I know many of my friends are on their second, third, or even fourth 360 since they adopted the console a Xmas or two ago.
That said, the PS Network is looking up. The PS3 is getting some great games in the coming year, the library of DLG/DLC on the PlayStationNetwork is growing rapidly, and interconnectivity between the PS3/P is getting more useful every day. I recently began using the PSN Store, much like the 360's Marketplace, and finding some great gems hidden amongst the library of good DLGs. For one thing, the PSN allows users to download PS1 classics, for those of us who grew up playing not Mario or Zelda, but Crash Bandicoot, Twisted Metal, and Spyro the Dragon. That library is getting more expansive every week and month. The games return in all their former glory, and most are playable on the PS3 OR THE PSP. Portable Crash? I have two, and at $6.99 apiece, I'd say thats a great deal.
The orginal content is even more exciting. Games under $10 like echochrome, a game full of puzzles inspired by the works of M.C. Escher, is intensly entertaining and offers a $5 expansion featuring hundreds of different user-created puzzles (a feature in the game). With nearly 60 fun and challenging puzzles in the game itself, it makes for a great single or multiplayer experience. Beats, a $4.99 game from Sony Europe, is a portable rythym game based on titles like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and DDR. 2 things seperate it from these titles: it needs no expensive peripherals to play, and it uses the music you already have. That's right, you add music to your PSP, select the track from the in-game menu, and it generates a challenge BASED ON THE SONG. Playing a speed metal track- get 30-note strings with rapid changes to different notes and areas on screen. Funk- weird transitions and breakdowns.
All that is well and good, but what about the PS3 owners who want a 30, 40, or 50 hour game and are not concerned about cost? We're fucked for exclusives! The best one we have is MGS4, and that only lasts as long as you want it to! Resistance was fun, but it got overshadowed by Gears of War for 360. Warhawk was online-only, and no story mode. GTA IV- no DLC even announced for us yet. What's a guy to do?
OH wait, that's right, wait for God of War III, due out soon next year. HD bloodshed like no one else can do bloodshed. Or how about inFamous? Coming out of SuckerPunch Studios (of Sly Cooper fame) it tells the story of a morally ambiguous character named Cole (before you skeet your collective selves, he's white and NOT voiced by "Terrible" Terry Tate) who gains developing superpowers based around electricity after an explosion rocks New York City. In the same vein as Fable and Elder Scrolls IV, your actions determine your social standing and public opinion- as well as publishers having hinted that the more brutal you are, the more violent your powers are; thus, the more evil you become, the more difficult it is to reverse. While it's not a PS exclusive, Brutal Legend shows the most- well, fuck hyping this game again, even though it deserves it. Read my last post.
The PS3 is looking up in the coming year and if it can get some big name titles under it's belt SOON, it might begin working it's way out of the 3rd place hole it has dug itself into. Stop hyping "1080p support and Blu-Ray capability" Sony- start pushing the "Our games kick ass" creed you have always done so well. If you aren't off your high horse yet, you better start dismounting soon or the 360 will push you guys the way of Sega- making occasionally noteworthy games for other people's consoles. Don't fuck around in '09, guys- we still believe in you, but you need to step it up. You should realize now you aren't invincible, and that now YOU are the late one to the party- you need to play catch up this time, not Microsoft, not Nintendo.
***UPDATE*** One of the lesser known gripes PS3 owners had is the inability to view flash videos outside of YouTube. That means Cracked.com, Metacafe, Dailymotion, and Break were all lacking video support. However, that has been fixed with a recent update allowing users to view flash videos from almost every known FLV source. Cool as hell, in my opinion.
That said, the PS Network is looking up. The PS3 is getting some great games in the coming year, the library of DLG/DLC on the PlayStationNetwork is growing rapidly, and interconnectivity between the PS3/P is getting more useful every day. I recently began using the PSN Store, much like the 360's Marketplace, and finding some great gems hidden amongst the library of good DLGs. For one thing, the PSN allows users to download PS1 classics, for those of us who grew up playing not Mario or Zelda, but Crash Bandicoot, Twisted Metal, and Spyro the Dragon. That library is getting more expansive every week and month. The games return in all their former glory, and most are playable on the PS3 OR THE PSP. Portable Crash? I have two, and at $6.99 apiece, I'd say thats a great deal.
The orginal content is even more exciting. Games under $10 like echochrome, a game full of puzzles inspired by the works of M.C. Escher, is intensly entertaining and offers a $5 expansion featuring hundreds of different user-created puzzles (a feature in the game). With nearly 60 fun and challenging puzzles in the game itself, it makes for a great single or multiplayer experience. Beats, a $4.99 game from Sony Europe, is a portable rythym game based on titles like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and DDR. 2 things seperate it from these titles: it needs no expensive peripherals to play, and it uses the music you already have. That's right, you add music to your PSP, select the track from the in-game menu, and it generates a challenge BASED ON THE SONG. Playing a speed metal track- get 30-note strings with rapid changes to different notes and areas on screen. Funk- weird transitions and breakdowns.
All that is well and good, but what about the PS3 owners who want a 30, 40, or 50 hour game and are not concerned about cost? We're fucked for exclusives! The best one we have is MGS4, and that only lasts as long as you want it to! Resistance was fun, but it got overshadowed by Gears of War for 360. Warhawk was online-only, and no story mode. GTA IV- no DLC even announced for us yet. What's a guy to do?
OH wait, that's right, wait for God of War III, due out soon next year. HD bloodshed like no one else can do bloodshed. Or how about inFamous? Coming out of SuckerPunch Studios (of Sly Cooper fame) it tells the story of a morally ambiguous character named Cole (before you skeet your collective selves, he's white and NOT voiced by "Terrible" Terry Tate) who gains developing superpowers based around electricity after an explosion rocks New York City. In the same vein as Fable and Elder Scrolls IV, your actions determine your social standing and public opinion- as well as publishers having hinted that the more brutal you are, the more violent your powers are; thus, the more evil you become, the more difficult it is to reverse. While it's not a PS exclusive, Brutal Legend shows the most- well, fuck hyping this game again, even though it deserves it. Read my last post.
The PS3 is looking up in the coming year and if it can get some big name titles under it's belt SOON, it might begin working it's way out of the 3rd place hole it has dug itself into. Stop hyping "1080p support and Blu-Ray capability" Sony- start pushing the "Our games kick ass" creed you have always done so well. If you aren't off your high horse yet, you better start dismounting soon or the 360 will push you guys the way of Sega- making occasionally noteworthy games for other people's consoles. Don't fuck around in '09, guys- we still believe in you, but you need to step it up. You should realize now you aren't invincible, and that now YOU are the late one to the party- you need to play catch up this time, not Microsoft, not Nintendo.
***UPDATE*** One of the lesser known gripes PS3 owners had is the inability to view flash videos outside of YouTube. That means Cracked.com, Metacafe, Dailymotion, and Break were all lacking video support. However, that has been fixed with a recent update allowing users to view flash videos from almost every known FLV source. Cool as hell, in my opinion.
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