Don't see it alone ...

A couple of nights ago, I went to see the new horror movie Paranormal Activity with, amongst others, my fellow staffers Matt and Jess. One of the perks of joining the team here at Armchair Diplomat.

The movie is based around a couple living together, Katie and Micah, who have been experiencing some “paranormal activities” (see what they did there?). Thusly Micah invests in a video camera to film the occurrances in the hopes of solving the problem. With this as the set-up, the entire film is done documentary style. The couple set the camera up in their bedroom whilst they sleep, with a camera angle showing them sleeping, as well as the hallway. “Why tell us the camera angle, newbie?” Fair question, if worded harshly. I tell you this as this is a scary movie that subscribes to the theory that less is more. The basis of this movie is that what you can’t see CAN hurt you. If you are afraid of what goes bump in the night, then this movie is not for you as you will most likely crap your pants.  For serious.

The movie starts somewhat slowly, establishing the couples relationship and the occasional item falling off a counter to show the “paranormal activity” (still loving it?) at work. Incidentally, the writer/director Oren Peli came up with the concept for this movie after some laundry detergent fell off a shelf in his house. He claims that it was too far back on the shelf for it to have tipped of it’s own accord, and thus cinema was made. In related news, I could have sworn that I had another two donuts left, but there’s only one. I’m currently in talks with Paramount.

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Pirates with the Pox of LeChuck just love to do Bishop impressions

Just a quick update (I’m damagingly hungover) to remind everyone that Tales of Monkey Island Episode 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood is out today, ready for download.  The execution part obviously can’t end up being too permanent, given Guybrush’s unkillable nature and the fact that there’s still another episode to go after this one.

A few more classic characters have obviously been re-introduced, including boat/coffin/life-insurance salesman Stan who’s been featured in one of the game’s teaser screenshots.

We’ll have a full write-up some time in the coming week (there’s quite a backlog around here all of a sudden).

Head on over to the Telltale Games website to get your copy, and if you haven’t yet taken a look, be sure to check out Magnus’ “I Wonder What Happens In…” animation for the most recent episode.  Always pure gold!

Seriously, this ISN'T just a mid-jump pic (click to enlarge)

Here’s a little oddity we caught at the eGames Expo today.  At some point during the day someone managed to enable what I presume is a developer tool in Assassin’s Creed 2 that allows the hero Ezio fly around the map, flapping his arms.  Apparently he takes his name’s Greek meaning a little too literally.

Once again, I’ve no idea how or why this was activated, but it seemed to make things a lot easier for the guy who was playing at the time, who could just flap his way over the rooftops until he was hovering right above his assassination target.

Drop, then stab.  End of mission.

I’ll see what I can find out tomorrow what this was all about, but it makes for a hilarious screenshot.  More details, and a hands-on preview article on Assassin’s Creed 2 early next week!

A sea of geekdom

Well, the whole Armchair Diplomat crew has rocked along for the eGames Expo; a mass of games titles (both new, unreleased, and old) are up for the playing.

So far we’ve checked out Assassin’s Creed 2 (hands on to come), Fairytale Fights, A Boy and His Blob, Just Dance (which we have christened Just Pants, and expect a highly embarrassing video to come).

We have yet explored the gadgetry “Digital Lifestyles” side of the expo, but I’m sure we’ll make our way over there at some point today.

Stay tuned for updates, and if you want Twitter action, follow @ACDiplomat and @xutraa.

No more five o'clock shadow reviewers allowed

It’s been a surprising week down here in Australia for viewer’s of the ABC’s gaming show Good Game.  Monday’s episode broke the news that long time co-presenter Junglist has been given the boot and replaced with a new female presenter: Hex.  Almost no explanation was given to the viewership, other than that Junglist had taken a “behind the scenes” role on the show.

The show’s management has been rather tight-lipped about the whole affair all week, weathering a viewer backlash of monumental proportions, until today when an official statement was issued on the Good Game forums.  Here’s a sample:

For all sorts of reasons we are unable to tell you things that have happened over many months inside Team Good Game which have impacted on the production. That’s just real life folks. We know it leaves many questions unanswered but we have reached that point where we really can’t say any more than that.

But we can tell you this much…

The decision to take Junglist off air was not forced upon us by ABC Management and it’s one that is fully supported by all the GG team. We are gutted that it has come to this but in our opinion it absolutely had to happen.

Understandably upset with the whole situation, this would apparently be the straw that broke the camel’s back for Junglist, who up until today had honoured his confidentiality clause to the letter.  Further on in the same forum post, however, Junglist dropped a little hard knowledge:

I feel now as if I’m being professionally attacked, so here’s a truth bomb. In the meeting where I was told I would be replaced, the reason given was they wanted a girl on the show. “Mass appeal” was a direct quote from that meeting. After a half-hour of explaining how they’ll lose their hardcore following, they responded that yes, they knew this, but expected to make up the numbers with a new following. “A show can grow beyond its hardcore base”, is another direct quote.

The decision was forced by ABC management, for a mass appeal direction, and will naturally be dumbed down for the loss of experience. Case in point: Monday night’s show. Both Forza 3 and Kingdom Hearts clearly written by people with no idea about those franchises. Hell, no one on the team even thought to correct the presenters on how to pronounce “Forza” correctly? Expect a lot more of that…

Both the show’s producer and co-presenter have different versions of events, but it’s obvious that this is something that has come down from high up in the ABC’s management.  To this effect, Junglist is hoping that irate viewers lay off new presenter Hex, as “all she ever did was accept a cool job”.  For those interested, you can join the Save Junglist movement, even if all evidence points to it being irreconcilable.

Hitler isn’t happy, people.

After a month and a bit hiatus, due to Bone’s drunken hijinks, comic number 3 is finally here!

Assassin’s Creed 2 is out next month, and everyone here at Armchair Diplomat is looking forward to playing it this weekend at the eGames Expo.

But after hearing a little while ago that Leonardo DaVinci acts as Ezio’s gadget savvy “Q” in game, it put me to pondering: What gadgets is the renaissance genius going to break out?  Here’s what I thought was the most obvious choice:

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As seen in a post by the amazing Kevin over at grinding.be, here is a video from the delightful people at the User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) conference (check out their YouTube channel for more awesomeness!).

University of Washington student, T. Scott Sponas, has created a muscle to computer interface which (among other wonderful things, like possibly mapping ASL/sign language) will allow you to play Guitar Hero without a guitar.

I wanted someone to break out into a ‘Deeledeeleedeeleee Wyld Stallyns!’ at some point there. If you go and skip ahead to 00:56 seconds you’ll see the magic, but I highly recommend watching the whole movie.

Notice the bad-ass monitors they had to strap onto the guy’s arm just to show this off, too.  Not exactly plug-and-play enabled, to say the very least.

Lightning güitars are pretty metal

Exclüding the whole genre of games that ask yoü to emülate it’s creation, müsic based games have never really featüred highly in the gaming scene.  And it’s not that sürprising either, considering games like Aerosmith’s Revolütion X which, if not totally awfül gameplay-wise, certainly crowbarred in the müsical angle.  The last müsically strüctüred game I’ve actüally enjoyed is the delightfül Aüditoriüm, büt before that we may very well have to harken back to the heady days of Rock ‘n Roll Racing for the Sega Mega Drive.

Well now I can add another name to my diminüitive list, becaüse not only does Tim Schafer’s Brütal Legend manage to üse it’s soürce material of heavy metal in a brilliant way, büt the game even manages to make the entire sitüation seem logical.  A certain “flaming-sküll-against-a-füll-moon” logic, yes, büt logic none the less.

Yoü take the role of Eddie Riggs, the “greatest roadie in the biz”, who after being crüshed in an ünfortünate accident involving a müsic stage, is teleported to another world entirely based on heavy metal.  Not long after he arrives in this world he meets Ophelia, a young t-shirt clad woman from Bladehenge, which is perhaps the final settlement of free hümans.  Meeting üp with Bladehenge’s leader Lars Halford, Eddie üses his roadie know-how to mobilise an entire army of heavy metal headbangers in a rock revolütion.

It’s a bizarre concept, büt for some reason everything manages to flow together qüite well. The epic, sweeping, metal-album-cover inspired landscapes. The genre aligned inhabitants. The entirely carnivoroüs animal life. The world that Tim Schafer wraps around the player is so beautifül you could jüst weep black tears onto a doüble tailed scorpion. Yoü’re actively encoüraged to explore it too, with a wide range of collectables and (not qüite as ranged) side missions scattered aroünd the environment.

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Sure I’m currently away on holiday, enjoying the heady “building the 70′s forgot” heights of Hobart’s Wrest Point Casino, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t some serious game playing this week, right? …. Right?

What Matt’s Been Playing:

After finishing Brutal Legend, I’ve been finishing up all the available side-missions.  I’m sorry to say that it hasn’t been much of an enjoyable task.  Most of them have been fairly repetitive, although I did enjoy the hunting challenges.

Attempts to play through Sam & Max Through Time and Space have bee hampered slightly by picking up Borderlands.  You have to love a title that settles all qualms by stating in big bold letters on the back: “Two-Player Splitscreen“.  The game is pretty awesome, although the splitscreen menu system is as stupid as I’ve seen in a long time.  Side scrolling your inventory?  Bizarre.

Looking forward to eGames Expo coming up this week, checking out Assassin’s Creed 2 and a couple of others.  By all means let us know if you’re attending and want to say hi!

What Mark’s Been Playing:

Once again, a week of little played. We played the computer version of Risk. I quite disliked it as I was getting smashed and, in seriously childish fashion, took my bat and ball and went home.

Things of note, however:

1. Dalek helmets do restrict Wii Sports gameplay. Who would’ve thought?
2. Operation Flashpoint 2: Fuck You I’m a Dragon was shit. So incredibly shit, in fact, that I took it back to the retailer. I NEVER take back a game as there’s always that time, a few months in the future, when you want to give it another run through. I do not forsee this with OP2:FYIAD. After playing the original, and that one by the other company (ARMA I think it was), I was so incredibly disappointed with it that I couldn’t even have it around the house. Who the fuck wants to crawl five kilometres to an objective to get smashed by a gunship helicopter?
3. Looking forward to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2. I think that makes it COD8, or maybe COD4 to the power of 2, so what’s that? COD16? Maths wasn’t my strong suit.

Now with character closure!

Knights of the Old Republic II was a deeply flawed game. Legend has it the developers were pushed to release the game in time for the holiday season and as a result giant chunks of plot, missions, even entire worlds were left out of the game and it was riddled with bugs.

I played (or should that be suffered?) through the original version once, sent Matt a text immediately afterwards saying “OMFG worst ending EVAR!”, then uninstalled the game and tried never to think about it again. Little did I know, however, that others reached the end and instead of sending derisive text messages they decided they could improve the game. Now there are dozens of third party mods and patches for the game which do everything from improving its graphics to resurrecting missions that were cut from the original to … uh … making the characters wear less clothes. Bless you, shut in programmers!

The most complete effort to date has just been released in beta format – the TSL Restored Content Mod v1.4. Snappy title, huh? It won’t litter the game with n00dz and it won’t make your lightsaber any bigger, but what it will attempt to do is restore all the bits of plot that were cut from the original game.

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