Thanks to Homer Rabara for the image.

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Sorry for the low volume level, but it was early and I didn't want to wake up my neighbors.

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Alec Mason vs. Cole MacGrath

Tale of the Tape

Last Name

Cole MacGrath: MacGrath

Alec Mason: Mason

Winner: Mason

Occupation

Cole MacGrath: Bike messenger

Alec Mason: Space miner, explosives expert, rebel

Winner: Mason

Powers

Cole MacGrath: Controls electricity

Alec Mason: SLEDGEHAMMER

Winner: Tie

Weakness

Cole MacGrath: Water balloons, water pistols, showers/baths, humidity, sweat

Alec Mason: Falling buildings

Winner: Mason

Haircut

Cole MacGrath: Close-cropped, blond

Alec Mason: Close-cropped, brown

Winner: Tie

Outfit

Cole MacGrath: Black and yellow leather

Alec Mason: Sweet-ass green trenchcoat

Winner (for Pittsburgh Steelers fans): Cole MacGrath (for everyone else): Alec Mason

Hygiene

Cole MacGrath: Hobo filthy (see Weakness, above)

Alec Mason: Slightly dusty, in need of shave

Winner: Alec Mason

Significant Other

Cole MacGrath: Trish (doctor)

Alec Mason: SLEDGEHAMMER (sledgehammer)

Winner: Alec Mason

Additional scientific facts about Alec Mason and Cole MacGrath (with assistance from fellow scholar Chris Watters):

• Alec Mason is only afraid of falling buildings. Cole pees himself when he thinks of lawn sprinklers.
• Also, Cole pees himself when he thinks about peeing himself. Then he dies anyway.
• Cole can't go outside if there is a chance of showers. Alec drives a ATV off a sweet jump then explodes the clouds to make it rain
• Cole hasn't taken a shower since the explosion. Alec Mason showers in the tears of Jesus.
• Cole stays hydrated by licking a moist washcloth. Alec wrings water out of Martian rock, EDF rebar, and the air.
• Cole can't use moist towelettes after enjoying BBQ. Alec Mason can.
• Cole's fans ask him to charge their cell phones. Alec's fans ask him to sire their children.
• Cole spent three days in a coma after touching a dog's wet nose. Alec Mason has genetically engineered Martian wolves from dust.
• Cole's hair is short because he is in a constant state of electrolysis. Alec's is short because the follicles have unionized.
• Cole's jacket isn't leather, it's insulated rubber. Alec Mason's trenchcoat is made out of unicorn pelt.
• When a building gets in his way: Cole clambers over it. Alec breaks it and the laws of the physics by destroying its very matter.
• Cole can't climb fences. Alec Mason doesn't BELIEVE in fences.
• Cole has nightmares about the ocean. The ocean has nightmares about Alec Mason.

Got your own Alec vs Cole science you want to drop? Let me know in the comments below.

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Sentences and paragraphs can kiss it.

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I can't wait to write previews for this game, because I will insist on using the full name of the game at all times.

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...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Fuel McCarthy and Dr. 48 preview House of the Dead: Overkill

Fair warning: Foul, foul language ahead.

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- Kaz Hirai

A: Make nine-and-a-half years worth of good games quickly?

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That's the question that's been running through my brain ever since news of the announcement that Harmonix and Apple Corps Ltd would be combining efforts on a Beatles-themed project came to light. Several outlets were reporting at the outset that the game would be a dedicated Rock Band expansion devoted to the Fab Four but that turned out not to be the case. Instead, we'll have a "full, new music game built from the ground up," according to Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopolous.

The licensing of The Beatles' music has had a... ahem... long and winding road; these days, the vast majority of the group's catalog is owned by Sony and Michael Jackson (the King of Pop purchased the publishing rights to around 200 songs in 1985), with royalties still being paid out to John Lennon's estate and to Paul McCartney. In 2006, the Cirque du Soleil production, "Love", was unveiled in Las Vegas, which combined some of the group's most famous songs with the visual wizardry of the long-running show company.

So, Apple Corps Ltd's long-standing dispute with Apple over licensing of the music to the latter's iTunes service notwithstanding, the company has been willing to extend use the Beatles' music, as long as it's in the right context. But what does that mean for Harmonix's just-announced game?

To me, it comes back to my original question: Who is the intended audience? While I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who actively dislikes The Beatles, I'm not sure if they are as relevant to the hardcore game-buying demographic as they might have been, say, ten years ago. I consider myself a moderate fan of the group--they lost me somewhere around The Yellow Submarine--but I have a hard time believing that the typical 18 year-old as totally psyched about this announcement as, say, your typical 48 year-old.

But, then, what 48 year-old is going to play (much less buy) a game like this, unless Harmonix radically simplifies the gameplay? Rigopolous has stated that this game will use Rock Band instruments but, as it stands now, further details are few and far between. I can only imagine the look of bewilderment my mom or dad would have if I sat them down in front of a set of Rock Band drums and told them to hold it down for me while I rocked some Rush. And it's tough to see how a Beatles game that uses the pricey Rock Band peripherals could be considered casual enough to draw in tons of new fans, Lennon and McCartney be damned.

So I'm left puzzled. If the Beatles game is a dumbed down Rock Band experience aimed at a casual crowd, it will likely turn off the hardcore Rock Band fans, a good chunk of whom won't have much of a connection to the music in the first place. And while the older set might relish in a perfectly marketed casual gaming chunk of 60's nostalgia for Xbox 360 and PS3, can it really be called "casual" if you've got to spend a bunch of cash for the accessories you need to play it?

Rigopolous has already stated the game will use explore the Beatles iconic psychedelic imagery--such as that found in the film The Yellow Submarine. My best bet? The Beatles game will be a sort of gaming equivalent to director Julie Taymor's film Across the Universe, a re-imagining/visual exploration of the Beatles catalog. I imagine the musical gameplay aspects (i.e. playing along with Beatles tunes) will be either entirely optional or, perhaps more likely, will give the player multiple options for interaction (everything from straight karaoke, to playing along with Rock Band instruments, or following note patterns with a standard controller). Ensuring a large (and customizable) spectrum of interaction seems like a must-have feature when dealing with what could potentially be one of the widest demographic spreads we've ever seen in a videogame.

So what do you think? Are you excited about the Harmonix/Beatles game? Do you think a Beatles game with Rock Band-esque gameplay can be a hit with both young and old gamers? What does this game need to do in order to be a gameplay success?

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Last week, I wrote a pretty angry entry regarding Rock Band 2 and the inclusion of "Tangled Up in Blue" in the game. And while I still feel that song is terrible, the tone of that entry was probably more vindictive than was necessary.

Regardless, it's water under the bridge for me, now that Harmonix has released the slightly delayed album pack of Rush's "Moving Pictures" this week. I'm a legitimate Rush nut--I've seen the band at least 15 times live all over the country--and playing through this album in Rock Band 2 took me back to the days when I was a teenager, working to try and figure out Geddy Lee's basslines on my crappy Squier Jazz bass and Epiphone practice amp.

As for highlights--and there are so many great moments on this album, both as a listener and a Rock Band player--the best for me has to be the sheer sound of it. Much has been written about the sound quality in album downloads in Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band and, to my untrained ears, "Moving Pictures" is sounding better than ever. Even better, I'll point out, than the gold re-master of the CD that was released a few years ago.

Rush being a trio, the bass, guitar, and drums all get prominent placement in the original mixes anyway but, for me, the bellweather on the Rock Band version of "Moving Pictures" is the keyboard-centric "The Camera Eye", a 10-minute opus that is one of my favorite Rush songs. Great drumming by Neil Peart, excellent, muscular bass-playing by Geddy, and, naturally, fantastic guitar work by Alex Lifeson. What surprised me, however, was how the keyboards--which are a central focus in the song--are so prominent in the mix. Engineers could have buried the keys in the mix, instead focusing on the (sometimes minimal) guitar work in certain sections. By focusing on the dominant instrument, however, they've created a stronger musical statement, even if it isn't necessarily always a fantastic interactive experience.

So thanks, Harmonix. You've made an old Rush fan happy. Now, I'm wondering if you've heard Rush's "Vapor Trails"...

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Just in case you're curious, I am still terrible at fighting games.

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Based on their minimal levels of interactivity and rampant repetition, there's a few questionable song choices in Rock Band 2 ("So What'cha Want", "E-Pro", among others). Still, none begin to approach the levels of maddening tedium that is "Tangled Up in Blue". As a result, I would like to petition here and now for the post-release removal of the song via a patch. Seriously, if I have to play this song again in a Mystery Setlist, I cannot be held responsible for what I do to my dogs:

Look at them! They're so cute! They're my boys! Don't make me hurt them, Harmonix!

P.S. - Just in case I haven't made my feelings perfectly clear: I DO NOT LIKE THE SONG "TANGLED UP IN BLUE". NEITHER AS A SONG OR AS A ROCK BAND 2 INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE.

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It's a pretty standard little puzzle game, playing a lot like Hexic but with Chinese characters on the blocks and cute little anime characters. According to the rep who was telling me about the game, fans can go to the Wind & Water web site and make their own custom avatars which will then be featured in the game when it's released this summer, though it doesn't look like a U.S. release is planned.

Not really my type of game but it's just nice to see the Dreamcast still in action. *Sniff*, I miss 1999.

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Day 1 here in Leipzig for the Games Convention and while we've got a big Gears of War 2 session later in the day, there have been a few more low-key sessions this morning that have been worthwhile. Shaun checked out the episodic game development session while I sat in on a session devoted to successful development of multiplayer games. Hosted by Dan Irish and Stephane Morichere-Matte of Threewave Software, the session discussed the best practices and common pitfalls that come in creating the multiplayer portions of games.

After the session, Shaun, Tyler, Jan, and myself discussed the best way to approach a blog entry to what can be seen as a pretty dry subject. We decided the best method would be through the use of visual aids. Behold, then, our visual summary of what it takes to create a successful multiplayer game in today's tough business environment:

(Click for full screen)

This important Visual Aid copyright GameSpot.

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Oh and Diablo III? Looks nice, doesn't it?

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Episode 4 of our sports gaming video show, The Lineup, is a go! On this show, we keep it simple: boxing and football. In addtion to first looks at Fight Night Round 4, and an X's and O's segment on 2K's Prizefighter, we've got the latest edition of Aaron's annual quest to whip Mike Tyson's butt in Punch Out! On the gridiron front, we're going old school with the first look at Tecmo Bowl Kickoff, induct our first game into The Lineup Hall of Fame, and end things off with Shanker and Aaron battling it out... blindfolded. Yes, it's just as ridiculous as it sounds.

Punching, hitting, and Shanker becoming an apologist for Mike Tyson's criminal career... this show's got it all! We hope you enjoy this episode of The Lineup as much as NBA referees enjoy fixing games... allegedly!

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So I'm sitting on my couch this morning, playing GRID online with a bunch of folks from Switzerland. Or at least, I think they're from Switzerland, judging by the flags they're rocking next to their names. Could be England. Anyway, we're running a Formula 1000 race (by far my favorite cars in the game) at Donington (except for Spa, probably my favorite track in the game) and I'm holding my own in fourth place.

All of a sudden, as I'm trying to judge whether I'm going to brake on that blind, slightly uphill turn eight, the game goes crazy on me, the screen turns the color of puke, and I'm instantly awarded two achievements: Short Haul (for driving 500 miles in the game) and Long Haul (for driving 1000 miles). This after only having driven approximately 300 miles in the game total. Huh?

Now, a game-crashing bug isn't all that new but I don't think I've ever seen a bug so severe that it broke the achievement system. Not that I'm complaining or anything; I'll take the achievements points however I can get them. But this was new for me. Has anyone else run into anything like this in GRID, or any other game for that matter?

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Hello everyone, I'd like to take a moment to tell you about all of the good stuff that can be found in this, the third episode of our sports gaming video show, The Lineup. I'd love to talk about our full report from the 2008 NFL Draft, complete with first looks of NCAA 09 and Madden 09. I'd like to point you to the debut of a brand new strategy segment in the show, where we break down EA Sports' UEFA Euro 2008. I'd like to even tell you about our interviews with TNA wrestlers like AJ Styles and Jay Lethal.

But, really, none of that matters when compard to The Lineup's Wii Fit tips. Trust me, watching this show will give you an entirely new perspective on Nintendo's new fitness product, how to use your dog to cheat at jogging, and when it's okay to use yoga to beat up the elderly.

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