I wonder if Dragonfyre would be interested in this game...

Probably not. That dude's lame.

I figure I'll be documenting my progress over time. I'm not very musically inclined, but I'm patient and resilient. I actually regret not documenting my process with RB3 Pro Keys more, since it did turn out to be an amazing learning experience.

That's interesting.  My wife, who plays piano, hated RB3 Pro Keys.  The on-screen keyboard display had no bearing whatsoever on actual musical notation, so it was really difficult for her to learn anything.  

Well, there's two things RB3 pro keys doesn't do. It doesn't teach you how to read sheet music, and it doesn't teach you how to play the left hand part of the song.

Learning the left hand part is kind of a big deal - but I never was a one-handed RB3 keys player anyways, so it wasn't too big of an issue to me. Both hands, and a foot pedal to activate star power. Good enough. I get the 'exercise' in, even if I'm doing it technically wrong. I can't really handle four note chords without the second hand anyways. It's worth pointing out that there's a free PC app called Synthesia, which takes any midi file and converts it to the same falling notes style you see in Rock Band. It's awesome.

As far as the 'rock band sheet music' - for a good percentage of the songs, it actually is the correct right hand part. I've tried playing a number of songs from RB3, using the actual chart, and most songs are the correct chart. I'll try playing along with my RB3 keyboard plugged in via the midi adapter to my PC via Fruity Loops, and play along.  Sometimes a key-shift isn't represented (bohemian rhapsody and sister christian both have this). But if you take the chart for we didn't start the fire, or werewolves of london for example - those charts sound correct when played. Of course, as a rookie - who had never touched a musical instrument (outside of an 8th grade music credit for trumpet) - I'm constantly amazing myself at the riffs I'm able to pick up and play.

On the other hand, I'm not going to be sitting down and playing like this amazing street spirit piano duet

Also I just derailed my own thread. Woo! Rocksmith day!

I'll be especially interested to hear how it goes for a newie like Larraque.  I imagine I won't have the discipline for this, but I'd still be tempted to try.

I figure I'll be documenting my progress over time. I'm not very musically inclined, but I'm patient and resilient. I actually regret not documenting my process with RB3 Pro Keys more, since it did turn out to be an amazing learning experience.

Kotaku does a gut check and says don't buy it because it's a niche game and you wouldn't like it anyways.

ultimately what you have in Rocksmith isn't a game, it's an instructor, an instructor with a peculiar way of teaching that may get you to play songs, but still not understand what you're really doing. If you're looking for something that will mechanically run you through the progressive skills it takes to learn to play something like Nirvana's In Bloom, then get this. But if you want a game give Rocksmith a pass.

And

t manages to do what Guitar Hero and even Rock Band only hinted at—take real-world musical instruction and apply it to a video game setting. It's well-made, and it works… except for lag, which bugged the crap out of me but which I eventually got around.

Rocksmith is just so niche…

Wired's review is way more positive, giving it a 9/10.

WIRED Rocksmith is an amazing learning tool for the guitar. The eventual progression of rhythm games was to get to this point, where you are playing real instruments and actually learning how to play, rather than some sort of cartoonish emulation.

TIRED The game is hard for beginners. Really hard. Playing the guitar is not easy, intuitive to some sure, but certainly not easy without patience and plenty of practice. So Rocksmith is not for those not versed in patience, as would be any task that requires constant practice.

I'll be getting my copy of Rocksmith on the way home today. Which means its time to dust off the laguna guitar + amp I bought a few years back but never managed to learn how to play.



I'm starting from absolute zero. I don't know how to tune the guitar, don't know how to play anything well... So lets see if Rocksmith lives up to its promise. This past year, the majority of my video gaming time has been dedicated to Rock Band 3's pro keys mode. I've taken that all the way from easy to being able to handle most songs on expert, with a few FCs thrown in for good measure. My RB3 Pro Keys stats are looking good, and I've been able to turn around and use these skills I've picked up to start playing actual songs on Piano.

I've wanted to do the same for Pro Guitar mode in RB3, but the idea of purchasing a $300 video game controller guitar just didn't appeal.

Early previews look promising:

http://videogamewriters.com/preview-four-days-with-rocksmith-26811

I've got my pre-order in (Radiohead - Bodysnatchers as free DLC? Sign me up!) and now it's time to get excited.

Rocksmith for the 360. 

Great link describing the goals of the movement:

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10?op=1

(An early list of "grievances" included some legitimate beefs, but was otherwise just a vague attack on "corporations." Given that these are the same corporations that employ more than 100 million Americans and make the products we all use every day, this broadside did not resonate with most Americans).

So, what are the protesters so upset about, really?

Do they have legitimate gripes?

To answer the latter question first, yes, they have very legitimate gripes.

And if America cannot figure out a way to address these gripes, the country will likely become increasingly "de-stabilized," as sociologists might say. And in that scenario, the current protests will likely be only the beginning.

The problem in a nutshell is this: Inequality in this country has hit a level that has been seen only once in the nation's history, and unemployment has reached a level that has been seen only once since the Great Depression. And, at the same time, corporate profits are at a record high.

In other words, in the never-ending tug-of-war between "labor" and "capital," there has rarely—if ever—been a time when "capital" was so clearly winning.

When asked for his motives Joe replied:

"Lets just say they moved me.... INTO A BIGGER HOUSE!!!!! Oh. Whoops. I said the loud part quiet and the quiet part loud again."

Although considering the appearance of his house in 2008... how could we blame the man?

Kinectimals: Now with Bears

Kinectimals can smell the menstruation?

In for Heroes 6.

Would be fun if he really *was* jesus.

I mean, imagine having to be jesus in our time? Lockup in mental institutions and police surveillance would be the least of his problems.

I don't think we are ready for it.

I think the whole "miracle" thing would solve that problem. And if Jesus can't do miracles, then what the fuck are Christians waiting for his second coming for? 

Jesus without miracles is like U2 without the Joshua Tree. It's hard to give a shit. 

Whatever. These groups have POWER!

2800 points = $35.00
140 points back = $1.75

What a bargain!
(It's still better than nothing... but I'm not going out of my way to get it)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML2Oa4Oigvo&feature=player_embedded

99% of people who claim to be Jesus end up in a coat which makes you hug yourself. Meet one of the other 1%.

Note to self: Threatening to kill children - never funny.

I couldn't hope for better news to start the week. 

A few users here, including myself, have experienced the same.

http://gamingtrend.com/forums/console-gaming/xbox-live-account-gone/

http://gamingtrend.com/forums/off-topic/hacked-watch-your-xbox-live-accounts/msg809111/#msg809111

Six seasons and a movie!

I like Ron Paul because he doesn't appeal to this woman.

What have they planned to deal with the whalers on the moon?

And the tornado in Joplin was also a message from God, right? 

When my account got hacked, they bought Call of Duty: Black Ops (check your purchase history on the xbox live website - you'll see what was purchased), and then followed up by the hacker trying to ebay the account.

Why do so many gamers haggle over the lack of great single-player games.. when most of them don't finish them?

maybe the games aren't great enough to finish?

You suffer from severe 'Gamer ADD'. You opinion doesn't count. 

   22 games finished so far this year (hopefulyl with 2 more being add3ed this week), 45 last year, mister 'I haven't beaten a single player game in years' 

Finishing a race in forza, and a tour in Rock band doesn't count.

Day One: Rocksmith, Skyrim
Wait for Reviews: Deus Ex, Dead Island

Nothing else is even on my radar. 
But I'm sure that'll change once I hear about some more good DS / 360 RPGs and strategy games.

My account was hacked about a month ago (July 18th, to be exact...)

The hacker bought 75$ worth of xbox live points at about 6am. I called Microsoft within an hour of it happening, got the account reset back to my xbox, and the money restored from their purchase to my account. After getting off the phone and being told multiple times not to use the points, I monitored my account closely and maybe fifteen minutes later of my account being supposedly locked, the hacker purchased Call of Duty: Black Ops. 

Thankfully, Microsoft was pretty good about it all. They had my account locked down for a couple days while they investigated, and then I was back up and running.

A little over a week later (July 28th), I got an e-mail from some random person named Wendy, who said they had purchased COD: Black Ops through ebay, and was given my e-mail address. Yup - the scammer tried to SELL my xbox live account on ebay.  I reported that transaction to microsoft and to ebay / paypal.

They tried to make her go to rehab. She said noooo. No. No.

RIP Amy.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110621031636AAlErSE


Seems reasonable.

Will try Boulder Dash XL. Hope it's more like the original and less like the GBA version that came out several years ago.

Getting Erasure and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Should be excellent pro keys songs

That whole site is very anti-atheist. I find it humorous. They were pounding their chest at the top of their lungs trying to get legitimized by challenging Penn Jillette (the magician) to debate atheism with them. They also had this tidbit today.

Why is everyone so outraged when a jury of her peers acquitted Casey Anthony of the most serious charges, when 1.2 million women make a "choice" similar to the charges every day and get away with it? [11]

/facepalm

Also it's the gay's fault that portugal has shitty credit.

Ravaged by liberal policies -- including same-sex marriage -- Portugal sees its debt rating downgraded by Moody's by four levels, to a rating similar to that of junk bonds.

these cards remind me why to me MTG isn't viable as a fun game anymore.  Power creep has killed it for me.  It says a lot when they reprint cards that have pretty much always been OP and they decide they are balanced now.

Sol Ring isn't balanced. I would put it as one of the top 11 most powerful cards in the game. (5 moxes, Black Lotus, Time Walk, Ancestral Recall, Mana Crypt, and Library of Alexandria currently comprise the rest of my short list)

It just makes for more explosive starts. In 1 v 1 duels, it is an amazing card. However, in 3 or 4 player free for all games (which is what Commander is intended for), having an explosive start is dangerous.

As a foreigner, I'm fairly new in my understanding of American politics. Recently, while doing some research on another topic I came across this site:

http://conservapedia.com/Main_Page

It's a good read - I don't think I've ever been more consistently offended by a web site.

Sure - you've got the usual liberal bashing rhetoric (a good deal more insulting than I usually see, however)...

The Worst Fiscal Crisis Since The Great Depression. No worries, the President of the United States has the time to personally post on his Twitter account.

Another topic:

Dumb, dumber and dumbest: "Michael Moore will be guest on Keith Olbermann's first new 'Countdown' show tonight" [9] ... in front of a clueless liberal audience.

Some of the primary topics they have on their first page deal with creationism - and 'fighting against the atheistic evolution movement'...

The popular Christian YouTube video maker Shockofgod is rolling out the creationist tanks in Texas. A team of creationists is telling Texas churches about Creation Ministries International's Question evolution! campaign this week![1]

The Shockawenow blog reports multiple ways the campaign is being spread. Texas is a key state when it comes to U.S. biology textbooks. Shockofgod says a team of creationists is going to take "massive action"!

and

Government-funded atheism leads to an absurd, untestable claim that "at least 30 million black holes had formed before the universe was 1 billion years old." [25] Was there Al Gore-style global warming then, too???

Government funded atheism? WTF is that?

So I was curious how they define a conservative:

http://conservapedia.com/Conservatism

Alternatively, a conservative is willing to learn and advocate the insights of economics and the morality of the Bible for the benefit of all, recognizing that the Bible is the most logical book ever written. Specifically, conservatives seek or support:
Limited government and balanced budgets
Capitalism and free markets
Classroom prayer
Prohibition of abortion and respect for human life
Abstinence education
Traditional marriage, not same-sex marriage
Respect for differences between men and women, boys and girls
Laws against pornography
The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms
Economic allocative efficiency (as opposed to popular equity)
The death penalty
Parental control of education
Private medical care and retirement plans
Canceling failed social support programs
No world government
Enforcement of current laws regarding immigration
Respect for our military ... past and present
Rejection of junk science such as evolution and global warming
Low taxes, especially for families
Confederationism (less power for the federal government and more for local and state governments)
A strong national defense

- Limited government and balanced budgets

I can't argue against that. But some of those ideals they strive for are downright scary. Particularly:

- The Death Penalty

It would be cheaper than stuffing people into prisons I guess....  I do realize there's arguments for both sides - but even one person killed accidentally is too many.

- Laws against pornography

The only law against pornography is that it shouldn't be sold to minors under 18. Everything else is fine.

- Traditional marriage, not same-sex marriage
- Classroom prayer
- Prohibition of abortion and respect for human life
- Abstinence education
- Rejection of junk science such as evolution and global warming

This group I lump together because they are absolutely terrifying to me as an atheist. Calling Evolution junk science is basically saying they are rejecting reality. (Disclaimer: I am not a scientist. As such, I haven't really gone into the research behind evolution and instead I have accepted it on the basis of collective human reasoning) Classroom prayer? That doesn't make sense if you don't go to a christian school. Abortion? I'm not a woman - therefore my vote does not count. Abstinence education - I would rather teach common sense. In my roman catholic school, I was never shown how to use a condom - and my parents never showed me either. So... that was extremely embarrassing the first time. Think 40 year old virgin embarrassing.

A small percentage of conservatives are like this... right?

For anyone looking to expand their collection, a new product came out this past weekend called MTG Commander. Each package has a deck  specifically built for that 100 card format - one of each card - and are loaded with goodies for multiplayer.

Each deck retails for about $30 and can be found at walmart and target. If you go to your local game store, they have probably marked the price up. Online stores are charging upwards of $50 per deck

Also, these decks are AWESOME. Each one has 20 rares/mythics, and very few bad cards in each one. Some of the cards are downright incredible. A few of my favorites:




Oh, and there's a sol ring and a lightning greaves in each deck.



(I bought all five decks.........  )

Even though it will take awhile to get this, Amazon has the wood body Fender Strat replica RB guitar on sale for $60.  This is not the pro model but is probably the best looking controller guitar Ive seen.  

http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Fender-Stratocaster-Replica-Xbox-360/dp/B00473WX2O?t=slicinc-20&tag=slicinc-20

I need to replace one of my plastic guitars (the guitar hero 3 model gibsons just don't hold up long term with their detachable necks). Not sure I want to drop $60 on it though. Any comments on the durability of these controllers?

Actually the GH3 Gibsons are by far the most solid.  

That's depressing. I've gone through four of them in three years.

Well the show is well done, but I want to kick everyone in the face. 

You want to kick the king of the north in the face?

Even though it will take awhile to get this, Amazon has the wood body Fender Strat replica RB guitar on sale for $60.  This is not the pro model but is probably the best looking controller guitar Ive seen.   

http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Fender-Stratocaster-Replica-Xbox-360/dp/B00473WX2O?t=slicinc-20&tag=slicinc-20

I need to replace one of my plastic guitars (the guitar hero 3 model gibsons just don't hold up long term with their detachable necks). Not sure I want to drop $60 on it though. Any comments on the durability of these controllers?

I had to look at the original post date to try to figure out what was going on.

I played the demo, and in the campaign menu, they have three options.  I know what the first two are about, but how does the "Revenge" campaign work?

Revenge is against improved versions of the decks from the regular campaign. Not sure how you could improve on Koth's deck though.  

Game was a blast until I had to face off against Karn's pile of bullcrap.

My first game he went turn 3 tinker for Darksteel Colossus. I didn't have an immediate answer. Good game Karn.  

Second try - This time, he plays (on the play no less) turn one island, TWO Mox Sapphires, Show and Tell... revealing ...... Darksteel Colossus

I hadn't even had a turn yet. Mox Sapphire is limited to only a one of in Vintage (the only format you're allowed to play them) as is Tinker, to stop people from having turns like that. Playing against really overpowered decks is not fun when you're playing cards like Sengir Vampire.

I did eventually beat him with the blue green deck after about 6 attempts (where he didn't get a show and tell or tinker off).  I had to get a combination of Lorthos the Tidemaker (attacking, tapping 8 permanents including his icy manipulator, steel hellkite and wurmcoil engine...) and kozilek --- but it still didn't feel like a fair match.

I also tried out some Archenemy last night and I quite like their implementation. I do find it unfortunate that the computer controls the enemy while playing online though. While playing with two computer controlled AIs, I found myself wondering why they were playing so badly. You don't rush out four creatures on your turn - you're just asking to get them all killed.

I think it's mostly luck.  I got beaten badly the first 2 times with green and white.  The third time I beat him easily with green and finished with 25 health (healing).

I'm not too sure how hard the Koth duel is meant to be. My first time through I fell way behind when he played removal spell after removal spell. It certainly does feel like an uphill battle though.

The white gideon (white weenie) deck certainly feels like it's on the lower end of the power level curve.

I know die-hards complained about the dumbed-down aspect of the last one, but as someone who likes the idea of MTG, but never really got to play it more than a couple of times, I enjoyed the mellow difficulty curve.  

I was concerned about that when I started playing. MTG is not the simplest game to explain to people. Off the top of my head, the first game involved equipment, flying, instants, vigilance, haste, and forestwalk. That is a LOT to throw at new players. If you run with the green deck instead of the white one, you've got hexproof, reach, trample, regenerate....

I don't know wtf Larraque is talking about (weenie? stompy?) but as someone who never played Magic besides the last version of this game, I like it.

I, uh, recognized Serra Angel and Wall of Wood.  silly newfangled cards.

* CeeKay strokes his Shivan Dragon

Hence why I tried to produce a link to all the cards. There's quite a few spoilers for the new core set in there too.

I don't know wtf Larraque is talking about (weenie? stompy?) but as someone who never played Magic besides the last version of this game, I like it.

I play a lot of magic