stenchy Blog

0 comments by stenchy on Oct 16th, 2008 digg this super bookmark

I have been forced somehow to take part in the magicks of online social networking, follow me.Oh yes, and apparently I'm getting shortbread cookies shaped like the Heavy from TF2- how thoughtful. They'll be nice to snack on while I'm play Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, Dead Space, World of Goo, LittleBigPlanet and whatever else strikes my fancy in the next couple of months.

0 comments by stenchy on Sep 27th, 2008 digg this super bookmark

Finally caved and got a HD console, well my girlfriend did (whee early birthday gift!) Upon hearing that GTA4 will be a Games For Windows Live title on the PC (read: no mods), I picked that up as my first game. My username is OreoJackson if you want to add me.

note to self: must get HD TV now to experience BLU-RAY goodness.

1 comment by stenchy on Aug 20th, 2008 digg this super bookmark

So I finally got approved for my media pass for PAX '08. It's going to be my first year there and I'm looking forward to checking out the spectacle since this is probably the closest I'll ever get to the old E3. They also have a bunch of good concerts going on with game-themed music and a crazy multi-game competition called the Omegathon. I'll be bringing news from the many panels at the show related to game development and stopping by the PAX 10 qualifiers' booths. Any ModDBer's heading out to PAX? Gimme a shout and we'll hang out/have some drinks.

Watching the latest video replay review from Tales of Heroes and its making me want to get back into Company of Heroes again. That game is packed so full of awesome. Speaking of RTS's, got my RA3 beta some time ago and got some time recently to get it setup and try it out. Except I couldn't.... some sort of login bug. Oh well, at least I have Bionic Commando Rearmed to keep me entertained.

Oh yeah, mods. Check out GfG#2 and show your support when they creator pops onto the next Modcast!

0 comments by stenchy on Jun 27th, 2008 digg this super bookmark

Man, it always seems the mod previews come in bunches. Got a couple on the way this week and was contacted for yet another today. As a result I'm currently installing a preview copy of Cold War Crisis for C&C: Zero Hour. It's shaping up to be a massive mod (currently over 1 GB - still downloading updates) so I'm excited to see what it plays like.

You'll get the official word on what it's like to play later on this week. Until then you can check out their profile. Stay tuned. Now I'm off to watch WALL-E tonight. Seeya!

2 comments by stenchy on May 17th, 2008 digg this super bookmark

Just recently got back from an opening at the Vancouver Art Gallery for their new exhibit called KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art.

Its served as a bit of a refreshing reminder of how much games (and comics, animation and Anime) have impacted our culture, everybody's culture. Here I was, celebrating and observing games as art in a public forum filled with people of all ages, many of which wouldn't be considered gamers. It wasn't something like the Games Developers Conference or E3 where everyone in attendance is deeply rooted and/or attached to computer and video games in some way. It was wild to just see people taking in the huge projection of 20 different screens of Quake 1 being played simultaneously in an art gallery. Quake 1! It also kinda of opened my eyes to how ubiquitous computer and video gaming in all its forms has really become and how in the the future it will be near impossible to find anyone who isn't a gamer on some level.

The computer and video games part of this exhibit was co-curated by Will Wright, who was asked to help select a very limited amount of works that he believed to be the most influential to his area of expertise. Here's the titles that were up on display:

Pac-man
Civilization
Super Mario World
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Quake 1
Grand Theft Auto (3, Vice City and San Andreas)
Sims
Spore

It was great to attend the opening and if you are in the Vancouver area this summer (the exhibit ends September 17), it's worth checking out the entire exhibit (lots of stuff on the comics, animation and Anime side of things). Will Wright will also be in town and presenting a lecture June 4th on the importance of video games in our culture.

1 comment by stenchy on Jan 17th, 2008 digg this super bookmark

I'm trying to do everything I can (as much as is humanly possible - considering I was brought on after the contest started) to make this year's Mod of the Year contest the best yet. I know that presentation for the past years' results was pretty lacking and was always rushed. This year is different; I'll be making sure that content ModDB puts out from now on reaches some sort of standard. Most of all, I want to make this all about giving the top mods a chance to shine and let gamers know why their on top. With their help, hopefully, the results will be fantastic.

Anyways, in other news, INtense! tells me that the PM system is just about ready to go. Expect that to be intergrated into the site really, really soon. Can't wait to use it - it'll make contacting all you mod teams out there (yeah, you!) much easier I suspect. That's all for now, stay tuned fellow modders....

6 comments by stenchy on Dec 28th, 2007 digg this super bookmark

Hot on the heels of my last post comes news of Wiisis, a Crysis mod that utilizes the wiimote. The good news is this puppy is ready to be released. The bad news? Release won't happen until the Crysis SDK is finalized and released due to NDA restrictions.

Want to know more? Check out the preview announcement and higher resolution video.

Thanks crymod.com! Don't forget to watch me to get future updates on interesting gaming news through my blog!

1 comment by stenchy on Dec 26th, 2007 digg this super bookmark

So some people thought the Wii would be a fad, some think it still is. Whatever it is, it's selling like hotcakes and grabbing market share faster than Nintendo could have hoped. The Wii's innovative control options allow for versatility in gameplay that hasn't even come close to reaching its potential. Since the "wiimote" uses bluetooth functionality to communicate wirelessly, some of these innovations are transposing onto the PC platform.

It wasn't too long before the beloved Half-Life 2 got the wiimote treatment. Fans could experience the FPS in a whole new way for just the price of a few new accesories (a wiimote with nunchuk, sensor bar and bluetooth dongle). Although this new control option may not coerce the most hardcore players away from their mice and keyboards, it offers a genuinely unique experience that can contribute to gameplay immersion. However, the wiimote isn't just all about the waggle...

Interesting developments have been posted by Johnny Chung Lee that offer plenty of new ways use your wiimote. Examples include finger tracking, multi-point virtual whiteboards and head tracking for VR displays. The most interesting of these with regards to gaming is the last video. Sure it may make you look like even more of a geek strapping on more headgear (in addition to a headset microphone) to play your favorite games, but at least you would be able to physically peek around those corners! What do you guys think... is it the future?

Check out Johnny Lee's Wii projects page for the other videos and his project blog for even more details.