A Wii bit of Inadequacy

 

Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man is exactly what I looked like, I just couldn’t get use to the controls.  How the Wii may have destroyed my life…

Recently, some good friends of mine stopped over at my humble abode, to play some Wii, and not only did I disappoint my guests but I was ashamed of myself.  As an avid gamer and game journalist, it saddens me to confess, I am just not that good at the Wii. 

Having grown up on Mario and the other band of character stereotypes, I felt as if I had the hand eye co-ordination thing under control, until the Wii came along and ruined everything.  It hadn’t even dawned on me of my Wii inadequacies until playing Steven Spielberg's, yeah I'm a name dropper, Boom Blocks.  My lack of whipping motion caused me to come in last in every single mini game. 

The progress I was making left me feeling as if I could be beaten by a five year old, or even an eighty five year old.  Don’t get me wrong, I have full respect for five year olds, their turkey hand art is phenomenal, and I love the clumps of dusty candy the elderly crowd gives out.  I just didn’t want to be beating at video games by either one of them.

 

The next step was a Wii boot camp.  A regimented, army-esc style training.  I wanted to be a contender, a champion, a fighter.  With my glass o’ eggs, I was ready to become the Mohammed Ali of Wii gaming.  After hours of “training,” I still found myself a bit behind, so I knew then this wasn’t going to be an easy task. 

Perhaps as the years, or even decades pass, I too will hit the ranks of a Wii champion.  But for now, I will awkwardly navigate Mario into enemies and black holes. 

It’ll Rot Your Brains Out…

 

While doing my part for society, watching my soon to be sister in law’s cats, I came into an appalling scene.  The cats were watching The Jerry Springer Show.  The television was left on to keep them company, but it may have only rotted their tiny little brains.  

It made me flash back, to a time much simpler than now.  A time where Sitcom’s ruled the world, and talk shows exhumed journalistic integrity.  But then it was all shattered by the reality show revolution.  And just like any Sci-Fi Dystopian plot, society had crashed and burned. 

It was how enthralled they were with the show when I walked in.  Both sitting so calm with a hint of eagerness, they were like small children watching a Saturday morning toy commercial.  They looked over only for a moment before returning to the TV.
They were just as in love with the human misery as we normally are.  So the TV Executives finally got the coveted demographic of the house hold pet. 

When you look at television scheduling you will see some of the most primetime and popular shows are reality love shows.  Like this year’s smash hit, More To Love. A bastard child of The Bachelor/Bachelorette love show formula.  You look at those shows and say “hey, at least that ain’t me.”  First off, you guys have horrible grammar, and secondly its true, we love to see other people go through the torturous trials of love. 
 

I don’t blame the cats for watching this daytime gem.  Between Springer and Judge Joe Brown, the programming schedule of most television networks is just down right wrong.

And now, what you have all been waiting for, hot Human on Human fighting action.  Enjoy.

A new age...

Following the latest trends, is what The Digital Life is all about. Follow me on my trek down the mobile road.

New posts and new ways of posting is the new face of The Digital Life. With up to date news on all things digital, you will wonder why this hasn't been done earlier. So, just sit back and enjoy.

--
- Robert
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Why not take a Vacation to Post Apocalyptic Washington DC: A Fallout 3 Review.

Hello to all you cats out there in the capital wasteland, it’s me Three do... Sir Robert with your lowdown on the ghoul ravaged wastelands.

A game like Fallout 3 only comes around once in a long time. A game with this complexity is usually adored by the gaming elite and kept in the vast “vault” of nerdom. However, Fallout 3 has been adopted by the vast spectrum that makes up the gaming community.

Let’s start with the rich storyline that this game follows. Set in a post apocalyptic nuclear wasteland, you follow the life of the young lad from Vault 101. The opening scenes are a flash back to the first moments in life for the young vault dweller. This is where you begin to choose your path by flipping through the bright and colourful book of your attributes and choosing which way your character will learn throughout the game. The game follows every step in Vault 101, until the day your father, voiced by <i>Liam Neeson</i>, leaves the Vault mysteriously. Since he is the only parent you know, as your mother died during labour, you leave the vault to explore that bright and radiation soaked land that lies at the door of your humble abode.

Much like other Action/RPG games, you follow a complex quest driven storyline. Every action you take in the game determines the outcomes. A karma based system helps to determine how evil or good your character is. When I say every action, I mean every action; from Nuking a city to stealing a tin of food will determine your “street cred” with the other characters throughout the game.

Game play wise, it is very similar to Oblivion, another <i>Bestheda</i> mammoth, only this time you get guns. Not only do you get guns, but you can modify and create your own. Weapons range from pistols to alien blasters, which used in the right situations, could leave you walking away with more experience points and new sense of self satisfaction. The main player in game play is the <b>VATS system</b>, standing for Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System. This system allows for you to momentarily freeze the game play to focus on certain areas of your foe. Depending on how much AP, or attack points, you have you can select specific parts of the body in which you would like to aim for. Even though you have selected it doesn’t mean you will hit the target. To actually hit your target you need to upgrade your gun skills so you can gain power and accuracy out of your shots.

This game has mood, and nothing creates the mood more than the eerie soundtrack that comes with the game. There are two main radio stations in the game, first being a station with a call to arms speech by the Enclave President John Henry Eden, voiced by <i>Malcolm McDowell</i>. The reason this adds to the mood is that it is a loop of the speech, which means it doesn’t determine to the player if he is still alive or how long this call to arms radio has been playing. The second and perhaps the most mood creating is Galaxy radio. This station spews out 1940’s/50’s post war big band and jazz music. Which when you are walking through a nuclear wasteland filled with mutants and other people with a bad disposition towards life, it creates a surreal atmosphere.

With a few big name actors and a few not so big name actors, the voice acting is phenomenal. From names already dropped in this review like <i>Liam Neeson</i> and <i>Malcolm McDowell</i>, add the polish that the game gives off. Not only is the acting polished, but the graphics are definitely living up to the potential of the current generation consoles and PC hardware.

Even though there are hours upon hours of mutant slaying game play, the team at Bestheda have released multiple expansions as downloadable content. The first release was Operation Anchorage, which follows the simulated battle for Anchorage, Alaska during the invasion from China. The other piece of Fallout downloadable content is The Pitt. This chapter takes place in the enslaved Pittsburgh of the future, which follows as you fight your way to release all the enslaved humans from the enclave. And the last released is the Broken Steel, which is a continuation of the original story line where you finally rid the wasteland of the Enclave menace.

So if you find yourself in a post apocalyptic future, where everything is out to get you, it’s time to pick up your PIP-boy 3000 and your hunting rifle and do your part for the sake of humanity.

Going Viral…

Creating videos for the web has become a phenomenon throughout the world.  I thought I would dissect the  thought process behind why one would dedicate such time creating these videos on the web.  

The act of creating internet videos, spawns from the same thing that all artistic mediums come from, Inspiration!   And the idea of becoming an internet sensation. 

“Well there were a few reasons mainly. part of it was because I've always had a love of acting, editing and making videos,” said Dave Stiles, an internet video creator.

Just like anything else on the internet, home brew videos have become huge, because viewers can easily become producers.  Any digital recording device can produce a decent quality image.  Using the internet, self made video stars can easily distribute their works. 

“The other part was how easy it is to share your works and ideas with others with the convenience of streaming video websites,” said Stiles.  “You didn't have those options back in the late 90's early millennium.”

Social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube have become effective tools for the internet Spielbergs. 

Choosing the right team can make or break the success of the web series.  Working with people in which you know and have a similar vision will make the whole production side much easier. 

“We all work together but never all three at once. we mostly think about creative and new ideas while we go about our daily routine,” said Stiles.  “That tends to generate daily phone calls and three way messaging to express those ideas to one another.”

Now with that said, the best scripted internet videos have seen the highest viewings on You Tube.  Showing dedication to your ideas will eventually pay off.

“We try and have one day a week where we come together and polish out a skit,” said Stiles.  “Before the actual filming begins later in the week.”

So if you have a great script, good production value, and you have loaded the video on to the web, how do you advertise your series or one time video to your viewers.  Many people start with word of mouth, going through venues like friends, family and co-workers. 

“We figured, going into this, that the best way to attract viewers would be word of mouth and through online networks (facebook), generally friends, co-workers and family.” Said Stiles.

Another way is to link yourself to search engines and other websites to maximize your viewership.  And with a lot of work many have created niche fan bases around the world.

“If we become a big enough hit with those then we may end up trying to market and publicize ourselves more so in the community,” said Stiles.  “Davey actually garnered a very small fan base in Poland, so i guess we might be big in Poland someday.”

To see Dave Stiles and the rest of the Lame for Fame group go to:

Lame For Fame You Tube link

Just to give you a taste here is their first entry:

Guys Night In

Doctor, Doctor Tell Me the News…

It is a strong statement to say, that the recent announcement from the FDA to allow the first human trials of stem cell research, is ground breaking.  But, it is the only thing that best describes it’s impact on the medical community. 

This is a glimmer of hope for the regenerative science community, since the executive order by the Bush administration, to limit stem cell research in 2001.  Although there has been research done, the previous trials have been done only on test animals. 

What does this mean?  it could be a potential shift of possibilities in medical science. 

The first trials are set to begin this summer,  in different places across the United States.  The initiative has been giving a $3 billion dollar injection from the California State government. 

Although it started out with a big leap, the next few years will proceed with baby steps.  As scientists unfurl a new realm of science, the potential of major breakthroughs could lead to major medical marvels.