Let me first say that I'm going to call "inFAMOUS" just Infamous from now on. I can't keep up with that stupid capitalization. Also, I have no idea why I picked that picture for this.
Infamous and Prototype are two open world, third person action games that star roughly similar looking characters with super powers. They also were released at about the same time. Infamous was a PS3 exclusive, and Prototype was released on the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Holy shit, Prototype won in sales. Who'd have guessed it. Pretty much anyone with a brain, but it seems to be big news on a few gaming sites.
Although Infamous received the better ratings overall, Prototype was reviewed pretty decently as well. It has the multiplatform "thing" going for it too, one of those platforms being the 360 which has a much larger install base than the PS3. It also has more word of mouth advertising. Both PS3 and 360 gamers had been talking about Prototype, and waiting for it to come out. So those gamers that are part of this community, who happen to have a PS3, were probably more likely to be interested in Prototype than Infamous because their friends were.
Why then did Infamous beat Prototype on the PS3? I was wondering this myself, but I think the answer might be a bit more complicated than the numbers. The PS3 came out second. Its also the weaker selling of the two consoles. Its also considered fairly expensive. Although I would disagree that it is more expensive when looking at the big picture, how expensive it appears to be is what affects it sales. So the people who would buy a PS3 are those that don't care much about this. These would be the "hardcore" gamers, and those who don't have much of a budget issue when it comes to video games. Basically I'm saying, those that own a PS3 are more likely to own another console than those that own any other console. I have read stats pointing to this (I don't feel like looking them), but it also just makes some logical sense. When you look at it this way, those that own both a PS3 and a 360 I think were more likely to be influenced by word of mouth to get Prototype over Infamous. They may have gotten it on the 360 because of achievements, or because that's just the console they heard the most buzz about it for or because they knew other people doing that and didn't want to be different. You know how much people hate being different.
Another thought is that if you combine the PS3 sales of prototype with the sales of Infamous they are fairly close to the 360 sales of Prototype. Maybe just the same amount of people on both consoles wanted to play that kind of game, and more of those with a choice chose Infamous, and those on the 360 didn't really have the option to choose.
Its a weird case study for those developers with the option of going multiplatform.
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Thursday
inFAMOUS v. Prototype
Wednesday
A Methaphor for Evolution
Here be science discussion. If that be something you are uninterested in, turn back now.
Anywho, Evolution is kind of an odd topic for this blog, I'll admit. I am quite the science dork, however, and Evolution has to be a topic people want to argue about most. It is kind of old news though, and is widely accepted by the scientific community. In fact, entire fields are based on it that shouldn't be producing results (but are) were the theory of Evolution a bunch of hogwash. Still, you can't mention the word without an argument. In my personal "discussions" I have found that this stems largely from a complete ignorance of what Evolution actually is by those that fervently argue it is bullshit. I have even had people defend their inaccurate understanding of Evolution when I have tried to correct them. These very same people will admit that they have not studied the subject, and only understand it from hearsay. Given, people that talk to me about Evolution is far from a fair sample of all detractors, but for those that don't quite understand the process I have thought of a fairly basic metaphor.
First lets talk about what seems to be the improper understanding of Evolution by many. I have heard Evolution described as a "force" of nature. A species encounters a change in environment, and Evolution takes to the scene and the species changes to adapt to the environment. Some also think of it simply as a force that drive the "advancement" of a species. Making less sophisticated species more like humans, and eventually advancing humans intelligence and sophistication.
These are the main erroneous ideas, and its not hard to figure out why people would think these. I mean this is how Evolution is often explained in classrooms or on television. Both are incorrect.
First lets get rid of the idea that Evolution is something. Evolution is only a word. It is not a force of nature. It does not exist. It is an abstract idea. Its a word that indicates a naturally occurring process. This is a process that happens with more than just species. That's where this metaphor comes in. Evolution even happens with language, in fact the process is far more quick with language.
There are a few things you need for the process of Evolution to exist. The first is iterations. With species, that is our generations. With language, you can think of a word as a species. So the word "hat" would be like Zebras, and the iterations of "hat" are each time its spoken, rather than generations like with Zebras. The next thing you need for Evolution, is randomization. Species get this from DNA. Although DNA is mostly sequenced based on heredity, the process is far from perfect and can result in abnormalities. This is the randomization that Evolution needs. For language randomization comes from the speaker. No one says the word exactly the same each time and no one says it exactly the same as other people. This is far more random than abnormalities in DNA, which is why language changes so much faster. The final thing you need, for basic Evolution, is a measure of success. Without this, species and language would have quickly descended into chaos, as all randomizations would carry on. However, each has a measure of success. With species this is simply the iterations ability to reproduce. The DNA of that iteration is carried on when it reproduces to the next generation. If the abnormality helps that particular animal reproduce more successfully than others of its species, it will reproduce more, pass its randomization through DNA to more iterations than those without it. An example of this could be something like a digit on a hand being offset from the others, such as the human opposable thumb. This would allow that species to grasp objects better, making gathering of food far easier than those without. Their chance to survive increases because of this, and so does their chance to mate (because they will live longer). It also means less food for those without this feature, which will only increase the spread of it to future generations. With language the success of an iteration is the further use of it. Iterations of words do not have to pass directly down a tree, so they are not limited by generations. If someone decides that "What's up?" takes too long to say, and shortens it to "Waddup?" This can spread instantly to hundreds of subsequent iterations by many speakers. The word can further be changed by other speakers to "Wazzup?" and continue in this degradation. However, you will note that the creation of these new "species" descendant of "What's Up?" does not necessarily mean the extinction of its ancestors. This is true of biological evolution as well. It is more true of language because words do not depend on as scarce of resources as species. The only resource words need is speakers. Speakers can be limited by geography, however. Language can only travel so quickly across distances. This has become much faster, which has lead to the slowing of language's evolution (as well as standardized dictionaries, but that is not a common thread language has with species). However, before telephones and the internet, this geographical isolation limited the languages resources, leading to far more radical changes with each iteration. Lack of outside interference of other language "species" also lead to words in one speaker pool to be completely different than those in another speaker pool, creating different languages. In species this can be seen in the different species of bird of paradise in Papua New Guinea, and how much they have evolved in their isolated environment. This is also the process that more commonly creates location specific iterations of animals. Such as the differences between various species of cats in the world that are cut of from one another geographically.
This is a very, very simplistic run down of the process of Evolution, but I hope it is a far more understandable than the way they teach it in elementary.
As for Creationism: If you want to believe it, go nuts. However, it has nothing to do with science, and no one has any evidence to the contrary. None that say different have bothered to present any proper scientific findings to the scientific community for scrutiny. It is entirely reliant on your faith. Teach it in churches and private schools if you want, but keep it out of public schools.
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Friday
Bioshock & Bullshit
A guess one post a year is a good post rate; amirite?
What is... happening, folks? Fall is upon us again! And with it! GAMES! Hoo-rah. But lets not talk about that. No, oh, not quite yet. We need to catch up. I need to know "How you feelin'?" OK, no I don't. I don't actually give a shit. Partially because you don't exist and I'm only typing as if talking to someone as a device to help my thought process, but! I digress. Lets jump, for old times sake:
Nostalgia has such a nostalgic feeling, I've always thought. "I feel like I have felt like I have felt something before," no? Fairly no-stal-gic writing on my "blag." Not about games though, so that is a bit off. I could talk about Bioshock 2? But its like, big daddy big drill big sisters; andyoucanreadallofthatsomeplaceelse. This site is supposed to offer a more... personal touch. "I'm super, super excited about Bioshock 2, you guises!" ... I don't think that exactly qualifies as an interesting post. But I am. If you want to know what I'm excited about, eat for breakfast, and when I take my bowel movements, check out this site called twitter, and never come back here again. Little of value will be lost. Well, I guess that is a bit harsh. Here's some games I'm looking forward to:
Bioshock 2, Uncharted 2, Beatles Rock Band, Darksiders: Wrath of War, Ratched & Clank Future 2: A Crank in Time, Ass Creed 2, and like a few hundred other games.
I get up at 4PM, so I don't eat breakfast, and my bowel was shot and killed in Vietnam.
This am useful post.
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Thursday
The Fall of... Too Many Games/My Sanity
Their are seriously too many releases this Fall. I'm not sure if it is as bad as last year. Last year was BAD. Its hard to say. I think, for me, last year was the Fall of the PS3, and I don't mean downfall. I'm the only one who see's it as such. Well, I'm one of the few. This year seems far more even. I probably am looking forward to more non-exclusive titles than anything. Though, I'm looking forward to exclusive titles MORE, but still. If any console is taking the crown this year, it might be the 360. Hard to say. A lot of the "360" games I'm looking forward to are not "360" games, but games I'm not buying on the PC, because I don't feel like it. The Wii is almost entirely absent. The PS3 has had an awesome showing. Well. Lets jump this shit before I talk more about the games I care about.
Ok, multi-plats: Fracture, Dead Space, Spiderman: Web of Shadows, Farcry 2, Fallout 3, Legendary: The Box (although, less so), Mirror's Edge, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Left 4 Dead, Prince of Persia Prodigy, and Sonic Unleashed (unsure, but hopeful.)
Well.. Damn. Thats a lot of multi-plats. Fracture has dropped pretty low on the list since playing a demo of it, but I'm still interested in it. Plus, hey, I met a few of the guys that worked on it. So I almost have to check it out. I almost like it more for the technology than the actual game. Take that game and smash it together with the new Red Faction and you have physics porn. I'd play that shit all day just to blow shit up. I can't fucking wait until they can get a machine to handle that. Legendary: The Box I almost completely don't care about, but I did for a little bit, so I left it on the list. Whatever. Sonic Unleashed! Yeah. I know I'm one of the few with high hopes for this game. I know its going to break my heart, but just let me have this time. This time prior to its release where I can't fantasize about its greatness, and its reviving of SEGA to its former glory. You know, until I play it, and find out its just as shitty as all of the other Sonic games lately, handleheld games not included.
PS3 games: Little Big Planet & Resistance 2.
360: Fable 2 & Gears of War 2.
Pretty much the same as what I just said. Holy shit has Fable 2 been consuming my life. When I get Gears of War 2 there will be no saving me.
Someone send me some money for all this shit.
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Saturday
Word of the Day: Patina
patina \PAT-n-uh; puh-TEEN-uh\, noun:
1. The color or incrustation which age gives to works of art; especially, the green rust which covers ancient bronzes, coins, and medals.
2. The sheen on any surface, produced by age and use.
3. An appearance or aura produced by habit, practice, or use.
4. A superficial layer or exterior.
[The ship] was sleek and black, her decks scrubbed smooth with holystones, her deckhouses glistening with the yellowed patina of old varnish.-- Gary Kinder, Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea
So, I don't know about you... but I've never heard this word come up. Ever. Not even at some fucking smart school. Like Harvard. Or Yale. Not that that bothers me, but I'm telling you right now the dictionary is full of useless, shit-filled words that beg me to review them and just trash them to shit.
I suppose it's supposed to be a synonym of the sorts for a shine on something. Or sheen, as the author of this word would describe it. Again, these fucking people making up fucking shit words. I'm getting aggravated. Sheen? What the fuck is that... all I'm getting is some sort of way of referring to the family of actors. You know... Charlie... Martin... those are basically the only ones who matter.
I'm getting a kick out of the example I chose. Mind you, there were several but this one stood out the most. Why? Here, I'll show you.
[The cock] was sleek and black, her dicks scrubbed smooth with testicles, her dickholes glistening with the yellowed patina of old phalli.-- Gary Kinder, Ship of Dicks in the Deep Blue Cock
See what I did there? I changed the words. This is what Mr. Kinder was really thinking when he wrote this passage. I know this shit. I'm fucking aware. That's what he gets for messing with the WORD OF THE FUCKING DAY. That's my fucking department. He can't touch that shit.
Basically, I'm telling you that this word, this FUCKING word, pastina, is what it describes: superficial. Fake. Not real. Lies. Bullshit. See where I'm going? Do yourself a favor... stay away from the word of the day today. Probably tomorrow's too, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
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Monday
POLL RESULTS IN: PEOPLE DEMAND "COCKTHRISTY"
U.S. President Bush Delivering Speech On "Cockthirsty" Epidemic
Scientists are pointing to a recent study conducted on the web page "A Big Mastodon," which has apparently discovered something SHOCKING. All this and more at 11.
And... We're back. Its seems a recent study, comprised of a thorough sample size of three people, has shown that the world is utterly obsessed with "Cockthirsty." Scientists have conducted several follow-up experiments, but it is as of yet unknown what "Cockthirsty" is.
U.S. politicians believe it to refer to a new kind of WMD and are taking "every necessary precaution."
I don't know about you, but I'll sleeping just a little less soundly tonight. Back to you, Tom.
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Sonic Uncensored
I've mentioned before that I'm quite the Sonic, and Sega, fanboy at heart. Though they have both lost their way and torment me so, I have lingering hope that one day they will rise again. Well, perhaps I wouldn't call myself a fanboy, per se, but with my age, and my families' console choices when I was a child, I was raised on the Sega Genesis far more than any Nintendo product like those a few years older than me. I have a sort of... nostalgic gravitation towards the company, that this "new Sega" has all but severed. Despite all of their transgressions, there remains a slim hope for Sonic and his pals to reclaim their rightful spot in the world of video games. Rather I should say, there are two slim hopes.
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, as it is so lengthily titled, I have kept my eye on since it was first whispered about. A Sonic RPG? Ridiculous no? Then I learn it is being handled by Bioware... creators of Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and Baulder's Gate... I can't think of a game Bioware has worked on that I don't like. They are a master of interactive storytelling. I don't think the company is infallible, huge design flaws in the games I have mentioned are proof to that, but their games have always been downright enjoyable despite any problems with them. Mario RPG is the game I look to as a way to explain to people how this can work, because despite Bioware's involvement, most people find it hard to trust anything with Sonic's name on it nowadays. Mario RPG was worked on by Square, and did a great job of meshing a simplified turn-based combat system with a few gameplay aspects from the Mario universe, and made it work surprisingly well. I don't think its hard to see how its possible to do the same with the Sonic universe. This will also be one of the first games to give us an in depth look into Sonic's world, and with Bioware doing the storytelling... I'm very interested to see what kind of world they have fleshed out for him. The only thing that is keeping me cautious about this game is that, being a small DS title, it will probably be worked on by a small team at Bioware, most likely by less experienced employees. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though. I have faith in Bioware to put out a great game, even if I don't have the same faith in Sonic Team and Sega, which leads me to the other glimmer of hope for Sonic.
Sonic Unleashed had a leaked video appear not to long ago, leading to Sega just going and announcing the title. Its another 3d affair, scheduled for the 360, PS3, and Wii... which throws off warning lights right away. The game seems to blend 2D gameplay sections into the game, giving it the feel of the old side-scroller Sonics of yesteryear, and his outings on the handhelds... like that of Sonic Rivals. There is still "3D gameplay" to be had though. The hopeful things about this game are the fact that Sonic Team is working on this one, as opposed to the horrendous Sonic the Hedgehog for the 360 and PS3, and the early video LOOKS beautiful, both graphically and gameplay wise. Looks can be deceiving though, and their are still a lot of things keeping me from dropping my cautious optimism. Mainly: At night apparently Sonic transforms into some kind of beast mode... yeah. Aside from making me say out loud: What the FUCK? This is an overused way to attempt to regain interest in a series that has fallen from grace... an overused attempt that almost never works. It doesn't, however, imply in any way that the game will be BAD, its just a sign that... shit, look out. Don't count on this game to be the messiah until you fucking play it. The other problem I have is with the art style... Its jarring. Sonic games seem to try for cartoony main characters in a realistic world with realistic people (although no people have been shown yet, to my knowledge.) Why? I have no idea. Visually, it looks silly. It just seems like they are trying to show off graphics but neglected to ask themselves what kind of graphics make sense to the fucking game. This type of an oversight is not a good sign in my eyes. The other, main thing to be cautious about is... it doesn't matter how good it LOOKS, Sega's problem has been with glitches, terrible engine performance, shitty controls, and horrible storylines. How the game looks after 20 minutes of loading might be fantastic, but if the controls are shit, it loads forever every 20 seconds, has a storyline that is intelligible, and randomly crashes... then who cares how good the short videos and screenshots "look." This is definitely a game to keep your eye on if you are a Sonic fan... but don't drop your cautious optimism on any Sonic game until after you have played it.
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