We got a ton of video footage from PAX this year, and our honored video tech guy, Justin, has produced two more pieces for your perusal. One of our antics with vast amounts of Top Ramen (official food of the GVL when we have absolutely nothing else) and the other is a condensed and filtered version of the PA Create-A-Panel that Gabe and Tycho put did for the yearly live comic.
Oh, and please ignore my voice.
I felt the familiar rush flow through me. Adrenaline infused with pure rock and roll. My hand was starting to cramp, but it didn’t matter. The crowd’s cheering reinforced my conclusion that Tongue and Groove had yet another five-star performance. I prepared myself for an encore, the energy from the audience deceived me. No—they were cheering for the top-hatted character that was approaching the front of the stage, coming forth to steal my thunder. With a strange combination of awe and annoyance, Slash from Guns N’ Roses came forward in an attempt to upstage me at my own concert. I gritted my teeth, steeled my nerve, and accepted his challenge. I knew my career could not continue unless I bested this legend, and to do it, I would have to play dirty.
“Guitar Hero 3” is the first of the series to be produced without Red Octane. With this loss came several changes.
The basic controls remain the same, requiring Nintendo thumbs and Atari fingers to compensate for rampant stupid hands. Hammer drops and pull-offs (changing notes by adding or removing fingers on a single strum, making the game a little closer to actually playing the guitar) continue to be necessary for certain songs, but seem more random than in previous versions. On higher difficulty levels, songs appear to be artificially harder by seemingly random uses of these techniques, and adding fast notes where none exist in the song.
The song list remains impressive and engaging, while sets are put together with very appropriate backgrounds. Cartoon-like segments between sets create a loose storyline that is light and amusing, with a definite similarity to Gorillaz video styling.
The biggest difference between this incarnation of the game and previous versions are the introduction of boss battles, in which single players are pitted against well-known musicians in a new battle mode. Power-ups are used in conjunction with standard game play to allow players to interrupt the other. It feels more like playing Mario Kart than air guitar on crack. These battles throw off game play and seem ill fitted with a franchise that had done so well on making players feel like guitar heroes.
A slightly smaller difference is the inclusion of online multiplayer gaming. This feature simply allows the multiplayer modes to be extended over your next gen system’s online network. You’ll find yourself playing against people with both remarkable and “so unremarkable as to be remarkable” skills, as well as the possibility of being able to beat the developers at their own game.
Overall, I give “Guitar Hero 3” a 7 out of 10. It’s amusing and fun, but really, it’s just a time killer until Rock Band comes out.
We met Wil Wheaton at PAX this year. While we were standing in line, all of us wearing our Geek Vs Life shirts (available now from the store, all except the faux Atari shirt that’s part of this story), Jon says to me “We should have brought a shirt for Wil.” “Well, damn. I guess we’ll remember for next year to be more prepared.”
This year’s PAX was our first real foray into on live journalism as it was for the site. When we finally made our way to the front of the line, Mr. Wheaton says “That shirt is AWESOME!” I look down, muttering a curse at myself and our lack of forethought, and can feel Jon’s eyes burning a hole in the side of my head. We talk about gaming for a bit, got a picture and some video, and I promised to send Wil one of our shirts. He was kind and courteous, probably from his years doing the convention circuit, so at the time I couldn’t tell if this was practiced niceness or genuine, but it didn’t matter all that much. He was cool.
I suppose I was nervous. I was a huge fan of TNG, and had only just started reading his blog. The entire incident threw me off slightly. I packed up the shirt after the convention, and using the card he’d given us his address on (the best piece of swag from the weekend, IMHO) stopped by the post office on my way to work and sent it down. Over the course of the next few days, I’d wished that I’d put more on/in that small pouch. I’d wished we’d written on the shirt, put in a letter or something to make it more personal. So I’m doing this to attempt to make up for it, as a thank you for sharing his life with us. Here’s my review for his book, The Happiest Days of Our Lives.
Wil Wheaton is blessed with incredible articulation. His voice is inviting and close. As you read his work you feel like you’re sitting at the other side of the kitchen table from him, after the dice have been laid to rest for the evening, just talking. Not a celebrity, but just a geek putting to type what’s on his mind. You can’t help but feel close, and not alone.
Many of us don’t have the drive or talent to put down what we feel or what we’ve been through, nor do we feel comfortable enough to share it. Reading what Wil has put in his blog makes the big bad world seem smaller and kinder.
The Happiest Days of Our Lives is a collection of stories that can be found in his collection of digital work on the web. Most short and funny, one sad, all touching. It’s a quick read, and I found that I haven’t laughed as much with a book since Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman. It was simply a joy. It made me remember my own past; what I look back at fondly, what I look back at and want to kick myself for, and what I look back at and break down. It also reminded me that the happiest days of our lives are still happening.
Thank you for sharing, Wil.
You know, I have nothing against reality shows (or their not-so-distant cousin, game shows). I watch Survivor, I watch The Amazing Race, I watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, I watch Dancing with the Stars. I’ll even watch Big Brother and a few others, if there’s nothing on. But I do think there are too many reality shows. And, unfortunately, we’re only in store for more. A lot more.
If you haven’t heard, the Writer’s Guild of America’s contract expired at midnight on Halloween (such a wonderfully auspicious day in itself). And, like any good contract fiasco in the US, no agreement was reached between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The major sticking points were residuals from DVD sales, and digital distribution. Which reminds me, I still need to go to NBC.com and watch the first half of last week’s Heroes, since I missed it…
What this strike means, for your average American television consumer, is that any show that is scripted, isn’t going to have any scripts to shoot from past what’s already done. The first crop of shows this is effecting has already gone into effect: late night talk shows, and the like. From what IMDB is reporting (they credit trade reports), ABC, CBS, and NBC all are putting their late-night shows into repeats starting tonight, as well as The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report.
Given the scripting/shooting schedule of most network programs, we likely aren’t going to see shows abruptly go into reruns until after Christmas, probably in January or February. And it won’t necessarily affect all shows. ABC already has at least a partial season of Lost ready to go for February, and CBS has 7 new episodes of Jericho, as well as a few other shows. But, for the most part, expect either reruns, or replacements. And, since you don’t need scripts for them, reality shows and game shows are going to be those replacements.
Here’s a list of a few of the reality shows expected or suspected to debut/return midseason:
ABC
Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (reality competition)
Oprah Winfrey’s The Big Give (reality competition)
Wive Swap (reality)
Supernanny (reality)
Just for Laughs (hidden-camera)
Here Come the Newlyweds (reality competition)
Duel (quiz game show)
Wanna Bet (quiz game show)
CBS
Power of 10 (game show)
Million Dollar Password (game show)
Jingles (reality competition)
Big Brother (reality competition)
FOX
American Idol (reality competition)
Hell’s Kitchen (reality competition)
Kitchen Nightmares (reality)
Nothing But the Truth (game show)
When Women Rule the Earth (reality)
Lady or a Tramp (reality competition)
NBC
Clash of the Choirs (reality competition)
The Apprentice (reality competition) << Celebrity Edition
My Dad is Better Than Your Dad (game show)
Amne$ia (game show)
American Gladiators (game show)
CW
Beauty and the Geek (reality competition)
America’s Next Top Model (reality competition)
Crowned: Mother of All Pagents (reality competition)
Farmer Wants a Wife (reality dating)
Pussycat Dolls Presents (reality competition)
