2876
General Chat / Re: Halbred's Paleo-News Thread
« on: January 30, 2010, 09:46:13 PM »
Eastern thinker, yes.
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2877
Reader Reviews / Re: Rate The Last Game You Played
« on: January 29, 2010, 08:32:50 PM »
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
Pretty decent sequel to the original on the PSP, and ties nicely into AS2. The combat is more simplistic, but that's fine. There's plenty to do, and connecting the game to AC 2 opens up a bunch of new weapons which are very useful early in the game. Unfortunately, once you beat the game, there's no unlockable content (as far as I can see).
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
I forgot how crazy this game can be. The move lists are plagued by bizarre symbols that aren't explained (kind of like Soul Calibur...) so you end up doing a lot of button mashing. Wonderful sprite animation and great character designs, though. Best in a two-player setting. The online play is decent, but I get my ass whupped by people who actually know what they're doing. Technical 2D fighters aren't really my bag.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Is it just me, or does this not feel like a Zelda game? I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm two dungeons in and still not really liking it.
God of War (GoW Collection)
Oh my gosh this game looks incredible on the PS3. Anti-aliasing! Hilariously, the gameplay looks better than most cutscenes. Beat the original on Hard, fully intend to beat God Mode before going on to GoW2. Played the E3 demo, it was too short! Anyway, this most recent playthrough reminded me why I love the series so much. GoW is just plain EPIC from start to finish, and on the tougher difficulty levels, it's not a button-masher, you've gotta know what you're doing.
Pretty decent sequel to the original on the PSP, and ties nicely into AS2. The combat is more simplistic, but that's fine. There's plenty to do, and connecting the game to AC 2 opens up a bunch of new weapons which are very useful early in the game. Unfortunately, once you beat the game, there's no unlockable content (as far as I can see).
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
I forgot how crazy this game can be. The move lists are plagued by bizarre symbols that aren't explained (kind of like Soul Calibur...) so you end up doing a lot of button mashing. Wonderful sprite animation and great character designs, though. Best in a two-player setting. The online play is decent, but I get my ass whupped by people who actually know what they're doing. Technical 2D fighters aren't really my bag.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Is it just me, or does this not feel like a Zelda game? I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm two dungeons in and still not really liking it.
God of War (GoW Collection)
Oh my gosh this game looks incredible on the PS3. Anti-aliasing! Hilariously, the gameplay looks better than most cutscenes. Beat the original on Hard, fully intend to beat God Mode before going on to GoW2. Played the E3 demo, it was too short! Anyway, this most recent playthrough reminded me why I love the series so much. GoW is just plain EPIC from start to finish, and on the tougher difficulty levels, it's not a button-masher, you've gotta know what you're doing.
2878
Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #11 Discussion: Super Mario RPG
« on: January 29, 2010, 08:25:45 PM »
Having the Jump Scarf helps. I've gotten to 30 before, but never 100. If you have the SNES original available, why not play that? Otherwise, it's likely cheaper (and more reliable) to buy it on VC. I'll be playing it on my SNES.
2879
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Metroid Other M
« on: January 29, 2010, 07:26:26 PM »
The picture they chose is, I believe, FROM the E3 trailer.
2880
General Chat / Re: Halbred's Paleo-News Thread
« on: January 29, 2010, 05:03:53 PM »
Two new bonerrific paleo news stories:
Every wonder what color dinosaurs were? Well, thanks to a new electronic-microscope study of Sinosauropteryx fossils (among others), we can say that its tail feathers were somewhere between orange and red. Seriously. The preservation is so good that parts of the tail feathers preserve melanosome cells, which give your skin their pigment. Color-changing animals (like chameleons) are able to shrink and expand their melanosomes, which changes their color. Anyway, the shape and structure of the melanosomes of Sinosauropteryx's tail feathers show that they were between orange and red. Similar studies are underway for the feathers of Confuciusornis, an enantiornithine bird.
More exciting (to me) is the new alvarezsauroid in town. Alvarezsaurs are a poorly-known group of termite-eating miniature theropods from around the world. The most famous members are Shuvuuia and Mononykus. When they were originally discovered, they were thought to be birds, and indeed, they share a lot of features with birds, including a mobile joint in the snout, a nearly horizontal pubis, and a keeled sternum. Alvarezsaurs later recognized as such showed that they were basal maniraptor theropods, but BOY are they wierd. Aside from being tiny, alvarezsaurs have short, but very muscular arms with a single functional finger that ends in an huge, powerful claw.
The claw was used for scratch-digging in wet bark termite mounds. That was only recently discovered. But exactly how alvarezsaurs got so wierd has never been understood until now. A new taxon, Haplocheirus, was just found in China. It is huge compared to later alvarezsaurs--3 meters instead of 1 or less -- and it has all three fingers and lots of sharp teeth. However, its skull shows many similarities with later alvarezsaurs, and the hands are strange. The 3rd finger is greatly reduced, the 2nd finger is long but thin, and the 1st finger is large and powerful. The olecranon process of the ulna is also enlarged, but not so much as in Mononykus and Shuvuuia.
So it's a wonderful transitional form between basal maniraptors and later "true" alvarezsaurs. What's even more surprising is that it is 60 million years older than the next-oldest alvarezsaur, meaning that the group has a huge chronologic range. More importantly, Haplocheirus predates Archaeopteryx, meaning that maniraptor theropods must have diversified very quickly during the Middle Jurassic.
Every wonder what color dinosaurs were? Well, thanks to a new electronic-microscope study of Sinosauropteryx fossils (among others), we can say that its tail feathers were somewhere between orange and red. Seriously. The preservation is so good that parts of the tail feathers preserve melanosome cells, which give your skin their pigment. Color-changing animals (like chameleons) are able to shrink and expand their melanosomes, which changes their color. Anyway, the shape and structure of the melanosomes of Sinosauropteryx's tail feathers show that they were between orange and red. Similar studies are underway for the feathers of Confuciusornis, an enantiornithine bird.
More exciting (to me) is the new alvarezsauroid in town. Alvarezsaurs are a poorly-known group of termite-eating miniature theropods from around the world. The most famous members are Shuvuuia and Mononykus. When they were originally discovered, they were thought to be birds, and indeed, they share a lot of features with birds, including a mobile joint in the snout, a nearly horizontal pubis, and a keeled sternum. Alvarezsaurs later recognized as such showed that they were basal maniraptor theropods, but BOY are they wierd. Aside from being tiny, alvarezsaurs have short, but very muscular arms with a single functional finger that ends in an huge, powerful claw.
The claw was used for scratch-digging in wet bark termite mounds. That was only recently discovered. But exactly how alvarezsaurs got so wierd has never been understood until now. A new taxon, Haplocheirus, was just found in China. It is huge compared to later alvarezsaurs--3 meters instead of 1 or less -- and it has all three fingers and lots of sharp teeth. However, its skull shows many similarities with later alvarezsaurs, and the hands are strange. The 3rd finger is greatly reduced, the 2nd finger is long but thin, and the 1st finger is large and powerful. The olecranon process of the ulna is also enlarged, but not so much as in Mononykus and Shuvuuia.
So it's a wonderful transitional form between basal maniraptors and later "true" alvarezsaurs. What's even more surprising is that it is 60 million years older than the next-oldest alvarezsaur, meaning that the group has a huge chronologic range. More importantly, Haplocheirus predates Archaeopteryx, meaning that maniraptor theropods must have diversified very quickly during the Middle Jurassic.
2881
Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 180
« on: January 29, 2010, 01:13:20 PM »
One could also suggest that "art" encourages discussion as to its significance or meaning. It's pretty obvious what a hammer is for, but those cave paintings could mean a lot of different things.
2882
TalkBack / Re: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Gets ESRB Rating
« on: January 28, 2010, 07:44:25 PM »
You don't have to BEAT it. You find it as an item in one of the levels, which immediately unlocks it.
2883
TalkBack / Re: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Gets ESRB Rating
« on: January 26, 2010, 03:46:34 PM »
It's really good, but tough as nails. If you want to try it right now, go find Castlevania: The Dracula Chronicles X (PSP). The main game is a 2.5D remake of Rondo, but the original Rondo is unlockable, as is Symphony of the Night.
2884
TalkBack / Re: Xbox Popped My Stressball.
« on: January 26, 2010, 12:33:39 AM »
Wow, James, that is one epic dose of FAIL. I especially like that the guy's name is "Biff." You could have easily made a reference "Death of a Salesman." You took the high road--something I would not have done. This story, and this story alone is reason enough for me to avoid buying an Xbox 360 of any make or model. This is more horrible than the Red Ring of Death to me, because every day you're sitting there and it's NOT getting done. I would crawling the walls. Pure rage would be spewing from my frothy lips. I couldn't stand it when the Best Buy took six weeks to deliver Soul Calibur IV, for Cthulhu's sake.
Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 is not worth this potential price. I'm sorry, Kasumi. You and your "breast physics" will have to wait.
Hey, look, there's a PSP version coming out. Not kidding! Who's got two thumbs and is VERY happy? THIS GUY.
Keep us appraised, James. As much as your story blows, it's hilariously written.
Also, I think it would be great if you read this on the air on RFN. To read it is one thing, to have it narrated is entirely another.
Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 is not worth this potential price. I'm sorry, Kasumi. You and your "breast physics" will have to wait.
Hey, look, there's a PSP version coming out. Not kidding! Who's got two thumbs and is VERY happy? THIS GUY.
Keep us appraised, James. As much as your story blows, it's hilariously written.
Also, I think it would be great if you read this on the air on RFN. To read it is one thing, to have it narrated is entirely another.
2885
TalkBack / Re: Classic Controller Pro Announced for North America
« on: January 25, 2010, 08:18:13 PM »
Great--this gives me a good excuse to buy a second Classic Controller for my 2-player VC games (and there are a few).
2886
Reader Reviews / Re: Rate The Last Game You Played
« on: January 25, 2010, 06:35:56 PM »
Assassin's Creed 2
Almost finished with it. So much better than the first game, which I also loved.
Braid
Can't decide whether this game is challenging or frustrating. Either way, it's pretentious.
Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
Just beat it with four people. Good arcadey fun, wouldn't pay any more for it than half-off, which is what I bought it for.
Excitebots
Super-fun! Kind of hard sometimes, the course designs are either awesome or kind of poorly laid-out.
Let's Tap
LETS TAP LETS TAP CHOOSE A TAPPING GAME. It's actually really fun!
Almost finished with it. So much better than the first game, which I also loved.
Braid
Can't decide whether this game is challenging or frustrating. Either way, it's pretentious.
Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
Just beat it with four people. Good arcadey fun, wouldn't pay any more for it than half-off, which is what I bought it for.
Excitebots
Super-fun! Kind of hard sometimes, the course designs are either awesome or kind of poorly laid-out.
Let's Tap
LETS TAP LETS TAP CHOOSE A TAPPING GAME. It's actually really fun!
2887
Nintendo Gaming / Re: Excitebots:Trick Racing!
« on: January 25, 2010, 06:20:15 PM »
Indeed, I just bought it recently and added all the people in the Excitebots friend code thread. I love the game, but I kind of wish it had more traditional controls sometimes...
2888
Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 180
« on: January 25, 2010, 06:10:46 PM »
Good point. There is certainly a meeting point between art and practicality. Samurai armor is very much a good example of this. I think it's "art" when it ceases being used for whatever practical purpose it was originally meant for BECAUSE OF the artistic influence. How's that sound?
2889
Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 180
« on: January 25, 2010, 01:06:13 AM »
Great episode as always, gents.
I don't think James knows what his own definition of "art" is. Having said that, as an artist myself, I've come to my own definition over the years. It is a modified form of Scott McCloud's excellent, though overbroad, definition in his seminal "Understanding Comics." To him, art is anything that requires creative thought. At first, this sounds like an odd definition--he essentially states that art is anything that is NOT related to reproduction or survival.
As a naturalist, I wholly disagree that the three categories can be segregated from each-other. Creative thought is often but into trying to reproduce, or to make money for one's survival.
No, I rather prefer to think that "art" is anything that requires creative thought beyond practical means. Let's say you make clay pots for a living. Clay pots require some creative thought, some problem-solving, and improvement in design over time. But their purpose is entirely practical. You carry things in pots. However, let's say that you start carving symbols into the pots. Maybe you charge a little more per pot. However, they are still used primarily for carrying things. Well, one day you carve very intricate designs into a clay pot, then put it aside. It is distinctly NOT used for carrying things. Its value is too great--what if the pot breaks? All the work you put into it will be lost. Because of the added effort, that pot has more value, and that value is emotionally determined.
So, under this definition, all video games are art by their very existance. Creative thought went into even the worst games. They are, in themselves, entirely IMpractical. The same goes for literature, film, and television. Quality does not equal art. It is the process of creating something inherently creative--not practical--that warrants the term "art."
James is advocating a sort of rubrik that can never be realized. Author's (or creator's) intent is NEVER apparant unless you have the creator right there, and you ask what their intent was regarding whatever it is they created. Often, you'll find that creators have multiple intentions or, more rarely, they cannot pinpoint what their intention was. What is great art comes from drug-induced euphoric states, as sometimes happens? The next day, the artist might not even remember making the piece of art, much less what the intention was.
Let's look at it another way. I am a paleoartist. In order to achieve was I consider a successful product, I actually try to remove all creative licensing from my pictures. If I can't get ahold of valid, first-tier references for, say, Dimorphodon macronyx, I probably won't restore it. The knowledge has to be there first, and if some crucial aspect of the anatomy is unknown (like the skull of Masiakosaurus), I will not restore it. Is my work "art?" No, not especially. It's informative, and the purpose is to educate. My paleoart may require a creative mind, but the end result is not art. I am drawing practical representations of extinct animals. Were I to stylize my dinosaurs for the hell of it, that would be art. But a Tyrannosaurus rex based on skeletal references and studies of its integument and A&P is not art--it's informative.
I don't think James knows what his own definition of "art" is. Having said that, as an artist myself, I've come to my own definition over the years. It is a modified form of Scott McCloud's excellent, though overbroad, definition in his seminal "Understanding Comics." To him, art is anything that requires creative thought. At first, this sounds like an odd definition--he essentially states that art is anything that is NOT related to reproduction or survival.
As a naturalist, I wholly disagree that the three categories can be segregated from each-other. Creative thought is often but into trying to reproduce, or to make money for one's survival.
No, I rather prefer to think that "art" is anything that requires creative thought beyond practical means. Let's say you make clay pots for a living. Clay pots require some creative thought, some problem-solving, and improvement in design over time. But their purpose is entirely practical. You carry things in pots. However, let's say that you start carving symbols into the pots. Maybe you charge a little more per pot. However, they are still used primarily for carrying things. Well, one day you carve very intricate designs into a clay pot, then put it aside. It is distinctly NOT used for carrying things. Its value is too great--what if the pot breaks? All the work you put into it will be lost. Because of the added effort, that pot has more value, and that value is emotionally determined.
So, under this definition, all video games are art by their very existance. Creative thought went into even the worst games. They are, in themselves, entirely IMpractical. The same goes for literature, film, and television. Quality does not equal art. It is the process of creating something inherently creative--not practical--that warrants the term "art."
James is advocating a sort of rubrik that can never be realized. Author's (or creator's) intent is NEVER apparant unless you have the creator right there, and you ask what their intent was regarding whatever it is they created. Often, you'll find that creators have multiple intentions or, more rarely, they cannot pinpoint what their intention was. What is great art comes from drug-induced euphoric states, as sometimes happens? The next day, the artist might not even remember making the piece of art, much less what the intention was.
Let's look at it another way. I am a paleoartist. In order to achieve was I consider a successful product, I actually try to remove all creative licensing from my pictures. If I can't get ahold of valid, first-tier references for, say, Dimorphodon macronyx, I probably won't restore it. The knowledge has to be there first, and if some crucial aspect of the anatomy is unknown (like the skull of Masiakosaurus), I will not restore it. Is my work "art?" No, not especially. It's informative, and the purpose is to educate. My paleoart may require a creative mind, but the end result is not art. I am drawing practical representations of extinct animals. Were I to stylize my dinosaurs for the hell of it, that would be art. But a Tyrannosaurus rex based on skeletal references and studies of its integument and A&P is not art--it's informative.
2890
Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Trivia: Podcast Edition - Episode 66
« on: January 23, 2010, 06:12:33 PM »
Yay! I always have a great time cohosting Radio Trivia, TYP. Thanks for having me!
2891
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen
« on: January 23, 2010, 05:11:09 AM »
Last episode of Conan:
Awesome. The man is a class act.
Awesome. The man is a class act.
2892
Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 179
« on: January 23, 2010, 05:10:15 AM »
My NA version of Wind Waker has a gold box, too.
2893
Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #11 Poll -- Second Chance Edition
« on: January 23, 2010, 05:09:35 AM »
Mallow is kind of a crybaby. The awesomeness that is Geno makes up for it, though.
2894
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen
« on: January 22, 2010, 06:39:06 PM »
Considering it. I used to be in love with Lucy Lawless, so I might check this out just for her.
2895
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last movie you've seen
« on: January 21, 2010, 11:41:39 PM »
Gamera the Brave
Awful movie, especially for somebody like me who loves the Heisei Trilogy. This newest and lone Millenium entry absolutely sucks by comparison. There are even a few Showa entries I'd rather have watched. Half the script consists of a little boy screaming "TOTO!" because that's what he named Gamera. The movie's opening five minutes is the best, showing what happened to the old Gamera. Otherwise, this movie is a waste of time.
Awful movie, especially for somebody like me who loves the Heisei Trilogy. This newest and lone Millenium entry absolutely sucks by comparison. There are even a few Showa entries I'd rather have watched. Half the script consists of a little boy screaming "TOTO!" because that's what he named Gamera. The movie's opening five minutes is the best, showing what happened to the old Gamera. Otherwise, this movie is a waste of time.
2896
General Gaming / Re: I Know the Game is Garbage but I'm Buying It Anway
« on: January 21, 2010, 04:26:44 PM »
Haven't even touched Heroes since the 2nd season because it sucked so much.
(says the guy who's looking forward to the last season of Lost)
(says the guy who's looking forward to the last season of Lost)
2897
TalkBack / Re: Enticing Pre-Order Bonuses for the Upcoming Pokémon Titles
« on: January 21, 2010, 02:57:00 PM »
Actually, the game would be $35 without the pedometer, so $5 for it seems about right.
2898
Podcast Discussion / Re: PAX East Panel -- RFN: A Live Nintendo Podcast for Grown-Ups
« on: January 21, 2010, 03:15:43 AM »
That's so awesome. If I could afford it, I'd totally go.
2899
TalkBack / Re: REVIEWS: Kamen Rider Dragon Knight
« on: January 21, 2010, 03:15:10 AM »
That was not made clear AT ALL in the spartan instruction manual or the game itself, which features virtually no text.
2900
Movies & TV / Re: Rate the last TV show you've seen
« on: January 20, 2010, 03:57:18 PM »
Yeah. I feel like the show only started getting good during the last two seasons, when the island itself was the focus. Still, a LOT of stuff doesn't make sense. This last season has a LOT to answer for.
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