Gene Wilder is still alive?

The wonders of Scientology!

Agree...sort of.

I thought the remake was just okay. While it was visually interesting, which is usually the case with most of Tim Burton's movies, there wasn't much heart, soul, or whatever you call it, especially in comparison with the original. Johnny Depp's version of Willy Wonka was just a creepy weirdo. I wasn't as overtly offended as Gene Wilder, but I think that it was kind of a needless remake, much like a lot of movie reboot/remakes nowadays.

I've asked around and from what it seems, Microsoft is not trying to sell the console to US, the gamers, because we're going to buy it anyway.  They're trying to sell it to the nongamer who wants a fancy box in their living room so Microsoft can "own the living room."  This sort of makes sense since they used to own the office and don't own that anymore, so they've gotta try dominating at something.

The problem for them is that they forgot they have a real strong competitor in Sony and that the assumption that we're 'going to buy it anyway' was probably a shitty one.

That's interesting because back in 2001 or 2002 when the first Xbox was in development, I was a Microsoft employee in the old WebTV group in the SF Bay Area. I remember going to an internal group meeting/presentation where Xbox was unveiled (there wasn't even a prototype ready yet)  and even back then, over 10 years ago, it was made pretty clear during the presentation that the Xbox would be the first step in a long range goal of putting an entertainment hub in everyone's living room. Xbone sounds like the final iteration of that goal.

Here's what I feel is the difference between Sony and Microsoft after this E3:

Sony is listening to what gamers want.

Microsoft is telling gamers what they think they need.

Awesome! Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SBzRmWeC6Ds#!\

Star Wars, as read by an all star voice over cast.

Oh. My. God. That is so freaking hilarious.

Has anyone seen the entire Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo press events posted online anywhere? I missed the Sony and Nintendo presentations and I really want to see them in full unedited form. Will GT post them eventually?

In Microsoft's world, that's just far too confusing to people.

"The producer on the game at Microsoft Studios told Eurogamer at an event at E3 last night that the company decided to use this release strategy because when it comes to fighting games, most players only focus on a handful of characters.

"It's really impressive to have a roster of 50 characters, but how many of those characters am I really going to play?" the producer said. "And I have to buy a $60 game in order to play those one or two characters I want to play."

That is just about one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Really Microsoft? You think you know what's best for gamers? Thanks for looking out for us. The world is a better place because of you. How's that XBox None DRM policy working out for ya?

Wow. For those who didn't see the livestream, go watch this video when they announced 'no restrictions on used games and everything else that Microsoft fucked up on and hard':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ-To7WJyWs

Sony KNOWS they have Microsoft beat. Totally beat. Right there.

LOL, what an obscene beatdown of Microsoft. Tretton looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.

I am completely stunned that Sony just blew Microsoft out of the water so epically. They hit on just about every bullet point they needed to execute on. I, along with many of you, have been following the console wars for years and I can't recall a more decisive whipping in recent history. I'm super excited about PS4 and will gladly put in my preorder ASAP.

While the launch price is "only" $499, no doubt every retailer will only sell it as part of a forced bundle, which will probably push the entry priced up into the $600+ range.

No thanks. I'm out, at least for the first 6 months to a year after launch day.

Who could have predicted that the pricing fail of the PS3 at launch would become this year's standard.

Insert obligatory Battlefield appearance here...

Jesus, what real gamer actually talks like these three clowns?

More awkward witty dialog!

did he just say DVR?

Game DVR.

Oh god, the dialog between these two guys is painful.

i don't have smartglass

Then you have no Spark.  

Drivitar?? LOL

The fact that Sony has been so quiet about this is worrisome.

Honestly, I don't see how Sony doesn't have a similar kind of policy. Let's say they do allow used game sale as we currently know it (or some form of policy similar) then publishers would have two significantly different set of rules to have to contend with when publishing their games. Maybe that's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but at this point, this whole subject of used game resale is still a giant ambiguous mess.

So if it's now up to the publisher, what incentive is there for them to allow used resale of their games?

Wow, Sony is getting the next generation served up to them on a silver platter, if they are smart about it. Then again, it's Sony so I expect them to blow this opportunity somehow.

LOL, girls are SO emo!

I wonder if the girl in this video will stop watching. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNipTRi7t2o

(Spoiler alert: don't watch if you have not seen the episode yet!)

Tonight's episode: holy shit! Holy SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!!!!!

And it wasn't even the finale! 

Are you one of the unsullied?  No spoilers and have not read the books?  I kinda wish I did not have pre knowledge of events.

Read a comment tonight that cracked me up, they called Jorah  "Sir Jorah of House Friendzone"

Obviously I have not read any of the books, which is a conscious decision I made back when season 1 ended. I figured I would get the full head exploding experience by not knowing anything that might be coming. Glad I decided to hold off on the books. From what I have heard from those who have read all the books, even crazier stuff happens later on. Bring it on, I say!

Tonight's episode: holy shit! Holy SHIT!! HOLY SHIT!!!!!

And it wasn't even the finale! 

LOL, you guys need new friends then.

I've been doing crossfit for 5 years and typically the obnoxious ones are the one who are high strung, type A personalities who are hardcore into the competition aspect of it. I do it because it's the only thing in all the years I've struggled with my weight that has actually worked. If done properly at a good gym, it can really change your life, both physically and mentally, but I learned a long time ago that evangelizing it only works when people are ready to make that commitment and are truly interested. Being obnoxious and pushing it on people is a waste of time and really off-putting, so I only tell people about if they ask me about it first.

Anyhow, whether it's crossfit or any other exercise program, people in general should do what they are comfortable with and what works best for them.

Machete don't text!

I do Crossfit and that looks a lot like a Tabata workout which in 8 cycles of 20 seconds of movement and 10 seconds of rest. Only thing is that Tabata is commonly used as a warmup activity instead of the actual workout.

Last time the online MS store had a sale on points, they screwed up my order (sent me the confirmation email with no redemption code), which then took two weeks to resolve through their incompetent outsourced "customer service".

Never again for me, unless they're giving away points for free.

Jumpman: one of the greatest, if not THE greatest platform game ever created. For my Atari 800 back in the day.

I was disappointed the reunion show never addressed Shamar's drama, or Brandon's "I am the author of my demise" meltdown. I couldn't even tell if Brandon was there (the non-jury cast members were in the front of the regular audience), although it would be understandable if the producers did not invite him to the reunion.

The Blood vs Water season coming this fall is supposed to be past contestants returning to play against family/loved ones. I pray they do not invite Dawn or the Hantz men back for that. I wonder if they are considering bringing back Boston Rob vs Amber for another go at it.

Game is out apparently.

I just read the GT review, which got me all excited. Then I read the Gamespot review which in comparison confuses me. From the GT review I got the sense that there is an extensive tutorial system that teaches moves of the characters and other various nuances of the fighting system. In the Gamespot review, this bit seems flat out contradictory:

"If you're new to fighting games, you'll find Injustice's educational options disappointingly sparse. An extremely basic tutorial runs first-time fighters through the fundamentals, and that's it. There's a practice mode, but any information on fighting game theory or character-specific instructions is left to independent study. The S.T.A.R. Labs missions, Injustice's version of MK's challenge tower, offer some character-specific instruction, but are more of an enjoyable distraction than a way to prepare for real combat.

To further compound the confusion, other, lesser features are left completely unexplained."

I tried the demo, which I liked, and I trust GT reviews more than Gamespot reviews, but the differences in the reviews are...interesting.

What the hell??

Anyone care to speculate as to what ship the Enterprise is fighting at 1:13 and 1:29? Enterprise-E (no way)? Re-imagined USS Reliant?

One of the two confirmed dead was an 8 year old boy.

What the FUCK is wrong with people these days?? It's all so frustrating and depressing...

Ebert wrote this last July about the love affair with his wife. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking to read the day after his death. We should all be so lucky to have anything close to a relationship like this with a partner.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/07/roger_loves_chaz.html

Noticed that Andrew Stanton is the director of this, which is fascinating to me since he was the director of the mega-flop that was John Carter. A buddy of mine who knows people within Pixar says Stanton will never direct another live action film again as long as he is still within the Disney movie collective.

Stanton also directed a little film called "Finding Nemo". And that's...the rest of the story!

Well yeah, I knew he directed Nemo. My point is that unless it's Pixar animated movies, he's not getting any more shots at live action non-Pixar stuff as long as he is associated with Disney. After a colossal flop on the scale of John Carter, I would have expected him to be the fall guy and end up leaving Pixar/Disney, but apparently he is still respected by the leadership at Pixar, thus a second chance to restore his name with Finding Dory.

Noticed that Andrew Stanton is the director of this, which is fascinating to me since he was the director of the mega-flop that was John Carter. A buddy of mine who knows people within Pixar says Stanton will never direct another live action film again as long as he is still within the Disney movie collective.

Been spending a little time today researching the LucasArts game library to remind myself of some of my personal favorites. Looking back, they sure did make an incredible number of great and classic games:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LucasArts_games

My favorites:
Rescue on Fractalus - That and Ballblazer were the first LA games I ever played. Rescue was so awesome because of the jump-out-of-your-chair moment when the pilot you were supposed to rescue was an alien and scared the living crap out of you. Good times.

Their Finest Hour/Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe - I spent countless hours at my friend's house playing these games. As flight sims, they were not terribly realistic even back in the day, but the gameplay was so incredibly addicting and compelling. The graphics at the time were pretty awesome too.

X-Wing/Tie Fighter - A couple of the greatest games ever made in my opinion. Yes, the missions were highly scripted and almost puzzle-like a lot of the time, but there was nothing cooler than flying those iconic Star Wars ships. The fact that a modern sequel, or even reboot game was never developed was a colossal missed opportunity by LA. Hell, even reskinned versions of the originals on Xbox Live or PSN would have been a sure fire hit.

Full Throttle - Probably my favorite LA adventure game. The story, voice acting and soundtrack were all perfect. If only the game wasn't so short. I still listen to the soundtrack today, by the Bone Jackals (Bone to Pick is the album and still available on Amazon). This game deserved a sequel, which LA attempted twice but canceled.

*sigh* truly an end of an era...

LucasArts was no more than a shell of their once great selves. It's sad but it's a nostalgic sadness more than anything. Sucks for those who all got laid off though.