With the news of Ray and Greg retiring from games, I wrote this thing over here. I'd be pretty stoked if you read it and commented. Warning: it's not really written for people who play games as much as it is composed for people that start companies.

After working in a few startups over the last 4 years I've really come to appreciate the hard work and team effort that goes into building something from nothing. It's amazing to think almost 20 years ago two doctors got together to build what would be one of the best RPG development houses in the world. Neverwinter Nights was instrumental to helping me break into the game industry and a clear catalyst to landing the job I had at GameSpot. If it wasn't for the Aurora Toolset and the collaboration with some talented college friends, I'd probably would've been writing end-user training manuals for enterprise software all these years (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Today, I'm excited to be helping to build something that has been designed to make the startup life easier, leaner, and more illuminated.I hope to succeed and wouldbe chuffed to bits if you'd share it with your friends on Twitter & Facebook...especially if they are the entrepreneurial type[s].

I wish each of you all the best and will continue to check in here from time to time. Just thought some of you might find the write-up of interest.

Happy playing, my friends!

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If you want the best of the thread distilled down to a nice jumping-on point, click here. If you want to get in there and mix it up, no need to thank me. It was the least I could do.

If you follow comics, where do you usually get your information from?

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That video is four years old.

But today's release of the Mr Freeze trailer for Arkham City gave me a renewed desire for some ICE cream.

What flavor do you prefer?

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I hope you are all doing well!

I got the message. And the message was clear.

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Well, I guess I am talking about a world destroyed. Today's announcement of the new World of Warcraft expansion definitely sounds awesome. Changing the face of Azeroth sounds turbulent, but also promising for shaking up the world, the game, and the addition of some exciting new races. I am very much looking forward to playing a Worgen, almost as much as I had anticipated the arrival of the blood Elves.

Now if you will excuse me, I will go back to taking in Blizzcon, less people.

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Hastings, you are such a tease.

. . .and if you are thinking about showing up, forget it. The whole Con is sold out. No onsite memberships will be sold. So, I guess that explains the random dude I saw last year with Dino's badge.

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The lion's share of the games I am interested in getting/must play are coming out in 2010.

While I can't decide whether Mass Effect 2 or Castlevania will be the game of show for me, I can safely say 2009 seems to hold little in the way of enticing titles coming out of interest. The surprise game of interest to me, Split/Second is said to be coming out in Q1 of next year. The driving experience looks pretty fun. I have found--over the last year--that I enjoy arcade racers and this title's destructible/unlockable environments looks like a blast. Castlevania Lords of Shadow looks like a great game, based on that one magnificent trailer, and I hope to see a lot more very soon. TGS is sure to be a fountain of trailers, hype, and awesome.

Crackdown 2 comes out next year, but. . . I don't know. The idea of collectiing more Agility Orbs (confirmed in the trailer) or Hidden Orbs is not something I find enticing. I did enough of that in the first game and it was arguably a process that spoiled the fun of the title for me.

Final Fantasy XIII is an obligatory play for me. Finding out the game wasn't coming to North America until next year took the wind out of my sails, but has not deterred my faith in the franchise . . . despite my pass on XI and XII.

Lost Planet 2 needs no introduction. It was arguably the greatest thing in 2007. . . next to The Orange Box. What I saw of LP2, looks bigger, better, and a lot more exciting. Hopefully I'll get to enjoy a lot more coop (anything is more than zero). The carry-over of multiplayer modes is good news too. . . so long as the achievements are not predicated upon ranked wins as they were last time.

The new Metroid has me excited that the series is going back to a non-FPS format. While the game looks a lot like Xenosaga, Star Ocean, and predictably Ninja Gaiden. Metroid has never been known for characterization, despite Fusion having some great backstory sections and interaction with friendly alien entities. My concern is having two females prominently displayed in the trailer is the game devolving into Space Station Number 9 terrcitory or some other vapid Soap spectacle. The trailer does concern me; especially if I find out the alien brawling is all controlled via quick-time events.

Exceptions

Last year we knew ODST was coming out in 2009, but I can't say I am especially psyched about its release. In truth I all but forgot about it after the rush of last year's announcement. Fall of Reach is too early to say anything about.

My afore-mentioned loyalty to both Chair and Orson Scott Card gives me hope in 2009 only because Shadow Complex is going to emerge in a matter of weeks. I love Metrovania gameplay and this should easily scratch that itch.

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[ Watch Video ]

Looking forward to a better-quality version of the trailer.

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Whatever the reasoning, a few games stood out to me as my new titles of interest.

Shadow Complex

Once upon a time I applied for a job at Chair Entertainment. Since Epic acquired the Provo-based studio (and maker of one of my favorite XBLA games, Undertow), I have struggled to see how the two companies could go well together. From what I have seen of Shadow Complex and what I know of the creators, I will have to carve out some money to download this Epic title. I like Metroid, I like Castlevania, and I love to hate the corruption within the United States government . . . so, why not?

Lego Rock Band

It wasn't really shown in a press conference, but a new trailer dropped for it today. It reminded me what I love most about Legos and what I dislike most about Rock Band (the heavy songs I hate). I'd love to link the trailer, but I can't. Playing inoffensive contemporary tracks on a pirate ship, in a castle, or adorned with space paraphernalia is a dream come true. They just need to get some tracks from Man . . . or Astroman! and The Aquabats in there and it is a no-brainer.

The Beatles Rock Band

I can hope my instruments will carry over and multiple vocalists will be able to harmonize on some of the greatest songs of the 20th Century, but I don't know for sure. What I do know is my adolescent love of The Beatles and my current enjoyment of casual rhythm games conjoin to form an undeniable draw for me to want to play this game. Admittedly, I don't know much about it--since the live streams of Microsoft's Press Con were universally dead to me today--but I did catch a fun trailer while I was on Giant Bomb. That counts for something I suppose.

Metal Gear Solid Rising

I enjoyed MGS4 last year as a great way to wrap up the Solid Snake storyline, but I wanted more time to understand the mess that had become Raiden. Hopefully MGS Rising will be that opportunity. After all, with synthetic blood, artificial limbs, and fake angst, you'd think they could give him a replacement lower lip. I mean, really.

Final Fantasy XIII

Sure it is not coming out until next year, but I have some cautious optimism. I skirted FFXI and FFXII, but I am interested to see what is going on in the return to a true futuristic Final Fantasy universe. Lost Odyssey was a Pyrrhic victory for my JRPG tastes. By playing it I realized my appetite that can only be satiated by SquareEnix, anything else is not as interesting and Atlas leaves a nasty aftertaste.

As far as games I might rent or borrow from my financially flush friends, I could include:

Brutal Legend

Halo 3 ODST

Forza Motorsport 3

Halo Reach

Crackdown 2

Mass Effect 2

That pretty much was the extent of my Day 1 impressions. I concluded everything else I saw was wholly unappealing to me. Perhaps Day 2 will have Sony reigniting my interest in my PSP or providing a compelling reason to spend money I don't have on their third console. Heck, they might break with Microsoft's strategy and announce a new console. At this point, any manufacturer is foolish to release new console hardware. Natal isn't bad, per se, but really wasn't the closer a lot of us were looking for from Microsoft's introduction to this revitalized E3. Nintendo may very well showcase that Mario game they are working on during their Press Con tomorrow. personally, I want a decent Zelda, even if it will be on the DS. At this point in my life, family gaming is becoming more and more interesting to me.

Ubisoft, whenever you bring James Cameron out, make sure you have a way to get him off the stage. You should have learned from his history with the Oscars.

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Yes, I am still playing WoW.

Yes, Sunday Driving (more like morning drive) has returned.

Yes, I am looking forward to the Island DLC for Burnout Paradise.

No, I don't comment on other rumors or speculation.

Yes, I am interviewing places.

No, I am not sorry I rarely turn on my 360 as much as I used to.

Yes, I agree. Racquetball is the best court sport ever. Take that Squash!

Yes, I did.

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Sure there is that initial, damaging fall, but the body has yet to come to a stop. The picture (above) is doubly amusing since the artist portrays the cat about to go over a cliff to new lows.

I would laugh more if it weren't so depressing in its reality.

Yet another reason why I hate cats.

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This video is a little bit of awesome that I discovered after following some links from some of my facebook contacts.

After some soul-searching, I am pretty sure I am going to retire to New Zealand and be a sheep herder so I can do something like this during the mid-year. South Island FTW! Thank Badger for the link.

This week will be a hoot with GDC in full effect in San Francisco and a new character coming to our D&D campaign.

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If you liked Castle Crashers better than that other game with the [insert your opinion here] ending, be sure to visit this page and vote. I am still recovering from the awesome Xbox Live Arcade year. Seriously, I have to choose between Rez HD, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Castle Crashers, A Kingdom for Keflings, and Galaga Legions. Those were all awesome games and (for me) beat out anything else* released during the same period.

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If you aren't clear on the current state of the economic meltdown, I trust you to check out Bozanimal's excellent series on the subject. While every industrialized nation on the face of the Earth has been trying to rectify the problem. Unfortunately, the country most responsible for this mess seems to have the least comprehension of the consequences of its actions.

Today's economic and political leaders seem to be unable to resuscitate the economic activity to which we have become accustomed.

Behold the levels of historical borrowing in comparison to today's leveraged debt. Money borrowed (or debt) from the Federal Reserve is sometimes necessary to jumpstart normal banking and economic activity. But what if Obama's soothsayers and financial magicians are incapable of bringing back the prosperity of indulgent consumption that has traditionally driven the US (and global) economy? What of all this borrowing and investment? Is the party over? Who is the more foolish; the people who lived excessively, borrowing against the future or the people who invested wisely only to see their savings evaporate thanks to the foolishness of others? In 1996, Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan posited the following question, "But how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions as they have in Japan over the past decade?"

The problem he alludes to with Japan was an evaporation of half of the equity in the stock exchange over a one-year period and a disasterous collapse of confidence in the market. That sounds a great deal like what we see today in the US. When speculation rallied US assets in the 90s, and then again in the early part of this decade, it was easy for investors to buy in at high asset prices (if they were even investing at all) only to watch an arguably inflated value evaporate over a similar one-year period. Today's trading just about brings us back to the point when Greenspan asked if we knew the full consequences of speculation. As reported from the major news sources of the country, The Dow (one of the principal market measures of US corporate and economic strength) has fallen below 7,000.

I'm not saying Greespan was prescient, but he asked the right question. Many people were ready to stone Peter Schiff ten years later for suggesting there may be negative fallout, but it is somewhat amusing to see he has been vindicated, despite nobody listening to his voice of warning about US financial investments. Greenspan made a mistake, the seeds of failure were sown in the Clinton years, the Bush administration only delayed the inevitable by ratcheting up a call for consumption, and the Obama administration really only seems to care about either short-term solutions or rewarding the private contributors who donated him into office. If our own foibles have brought us to this point, I can only wonder what will happen when debt-soaked, possibly starving foreign banks decide they want to repatriate the US dollars they have been sitting on. What will happen when the dollar dives during hyperinflation (thanks to all of the borrowing we are doing today) and once high-grade investments offer little more interest to investors than a shelf full of Big Rigs Over the Road Racing? The good news is you still own whatever you invested in (assuming the company has not entirely collapsed). The other good news is there is a possibilitythat asset could increase in value. The bad news is the best years may be behind us.

We have seen some of the fattest years on record, and frequently I hear questions along the liines of how long will the years of famine last before our day of deliverance? Some liken these days to that of the Roman Empire just before the conquerers came. Personally, I doubt anybody in this current administration has a clue (since they can't even pay their own taxes), but I hope one day the people of America will learn how to wisely cover their money and properly manage their asse[t]s. I should probably get to that myself.

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I figured I'd take a break from my glut of life and Warcraft (those are two different things) for some self-reflection. First, I gotta say "Wahooo!" over the public unveiling of Lost Planet 2. The original was one of my favorite games of 2007. Based on the end of theoriginal, I can see how the diversity of environments has come to pass. I loved Lost Planet's multiplayer quite a bit. I particularly enjoyed playing against honorable, respectful, and cagey overseas opponents. Hopefully when you aren't trudging through snow you will move at a pace faster than "plodding." I am very excited and optimistic about this title, but I doubt it will be coming out in 2009. . . but I could be wrong.

During my recent WoW binges I've had the occaison to continue to associate with Bethany, Justin, James Yu, Stanley Lin, and others from my time at GameSpot. During one of our guild chats, I found out James Yu, Senior Hardware Editor, has departed. He will be missed, but I hope he is on to brighter prospects in the hardware industry. He is a talented professional and a very amiable individual. He lent one of the best keyboards in the office to me and provided some great pointers on TF2. Godspeed, James!

For those of you outside the Bay Area, this weekend is Wondercon. It is San Francisco's answer to the unmatched San Diego Comic Convention. Sure it is put on by the same parent organization, but anything is a pale imitation of Comic-Con. Since I won't be hitting San Diego this year, the family is making the trip up to the City for Wondercon. It should be a great opportunity to meet, greet, and hobnob with individuals from many different industries, whilst taking in the local cosplay. My wife suggested we all dress up, but she didn't like the costume Ideas I had for her.

While she was away yesterday, my son and I had some bonding time playing Rock Band 2. Sure it was me singing and him sleeping, but he did clap at one point during my rendition of "Hungry Like the Wolf". It was as epic as my long distance nose wipe this morning. Who knew I could wipe my daughter's nose from ten feet away with a cloth? I didn't until this morning. Now I am off to wipe smug looks off of monster faces.

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Colbert's coverage of the inauguration and the first days of President Barack Hussain Obama in the oval office were amusing. Seriously, this last week, was just kind of meh all around. Perhaps I feel that way because I have been mostly head's down in my consulting work and other job-related activities. Both have been going well, but taking a lot of time.

Last week, on the other hand had quite the body count. Ricardo Montalban, Patrick McGoohan, and other notable celebs returned to their Maker. Ricardo "These-are-my-real-pecs" Montalban was best known to the world as the master of Fantasy Island. To the nerdcore he was the poetry spitting mastermind of galactic domination KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! Patrick "I-am-not-a-number-I-am-a-free-man" McGoohan was the legend behind The Prisoner, the best television show ever to grace the airwaves. . . ever. As has been observed by Badger, "It's the gutsiest show I've ever watched. Behind all the espionage, the paranoia, the double-crossing, the show was about having the guts to define yourself on your own terms. Who you are is nobody's business but your own."

Be seeing you.

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Remember Ravi Drums from the E3 2008 Niintendo press conference?

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Whilst visiting my family tonight, I discovered the latest thing that Ravi Drums has been doing. Yup, a candid camera knock-off with Howie Mandel. Yet another reason I still don't watch television, except perhaps some Colbert binges.

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After a long day of no raiding options, I messaged a friend of mine some of you may know. I asked if she knew anybody who might be willing or interested in running Deadmines with me. This person said she'd join up. Well, not only did she she join up, she solo'd the dungeon. She cut a swath of destruction through hundreds of enemies then would come back to save me from that one that was about to get me. I watched groups of minions blow up in magical discharges, henchmen get their faces melted by ennervating beams, and large, mechanical bosses brought low by one woman.

My level 19 Warrior was on clean-up duty. My responsibility was to loot bodies and take booty in what can only be described as a fantastic dungeon. It was marvelous to watch and lucritive in the end. Since I have auto-loot turned on, every time I opened an enemy inventory, all the contents transferred to my inventory. This made it difficult to leave those glasses of millk for the caster. Nevertheless, we made it through and this morning I have been trying to figure out what to do with all of my loot. I'm definitely keeping the rolling pin. In that one run, I got no less than five blue items.

I just can't use them all. Despite seven days of trial left, I am starting to think about maybe, possibly . . . perhaps dropping a few dollars for the classic box. After all, I am not buying the expansions or anything. I'd just like to get a better ROI on all this loot I am hauling in and the auction house seems to be the place to get it.

Thanks Bethany for a great run through Deadmines. We should do that agin some time when I can be of assistance.

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Playing on a trial account is fun, but limited. i can't create groups, whisper to people, or do some other things that would make the experience optimal, but that is why I have started to consider maybe buying my way into 30 days.

<_<

I am having an absolute blast running around the areas. I finished every quest available in the Night Elf starting island, ventured down to the Barrens, hit Ironforge, Stormwind, and many other Alliance hotspots. I have solo'd some dungeons, run some quests using only unarmed attacks, and even had my first guild invite. Really, what is not to like?

Perhaps it is due to my trial account status, but the queue for getting in is really bothering me. I joined the queue at 60-something. I am now at . . . 293, which is down from the high-water mark of 360-something. The estimated time to join may make more sense to those with priority entry status (read: subscribers). For me, it has become a game of its own. When I was 238th in line, I ranged from an 8 minute join time to facing a predicted wait time of over three hours. in real time, I have been amusing myself for three hours, since I logged off to make some updates and check to see if others wanted to join for some collaborative escapades.

In retrospect, that may have been a poor decision. Stupid stripped-down trial. I love you and I hate you.

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