We just saw it from a different point of view

Another foray into folk music tonight, I’m afraid. This is one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs, probably behind “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.”

Merry Christmas!

So last night, on Christmas Eve, I linked Jussi Bjorling’s version of “O Holy Night.”  Tonight I have a song that’s a little more contemporary, but still a classic in its own right – “A Fairtyale in New York” by The Pogues.  It’s one of my favorite Christmas songs despite the somewhat-negative portrayal of my favorite holiday.  Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Random

Posted via web from dmkemick’s posterous

Hip-Hop: Can-I-Bus and Eminem Battle Reignited

This is kind of an “off-topic” post but since Canibus is my favorite rapper this news has me pumped. Today a new track leaked with Canibus, DZK and D-12 on the same song dissing Eminem. This is a continuation of the original Bis/Eminem battle that was never resolved. A lot of people are confused by the timing because Canibus has been talking a lot about collaborations being the future of rap, an idea he’s supporting with SpitBoss.com. In recent interviews he’s talked about the rebirth of lyricism coming from unity and big names working together, and he’s also hinted at being out of the rap-battle scene, so why does this track come out now?

Honestly, and this is completely unofficial, I think that Canibus might have reached out to Eminem to put this behind them and maybe put out a song together. Eminem might have ignored/declined the offer, leading Bis to write the verses contained in the song. The song seems to scream of provocation. I think Canibus is just trying to get Eminem’s attention here so that he can come out with a solo track like 2nd Round Knockout down the road. Either way it’s very exciting. The video is below.

Server Closet

Whoever ran these cables must have been very short.

Posted via web from dmkemick’s posterous

How Blu-Ray Succeeds : Watchmen

There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not Blu-Ray discs will ever be popular enough to supersede DVD as the king of physical movie media formats.  Most people agree that, though the quality is great, it’s not as noticeable as the jump from VHS to DVD was.  Add to that the fact that blu-ray discs are still pretty expensive compared to their DVD counterparts (not to mention the cost of a good BD player in the first place)  and the inspiration to upgrade is somewhat lacking.  Therefore, given the seemingly slow adoption of blu-ray many, people including myself have hypothesized that the next great step forward is in high-quality streaming content.  Though the picture quality might not be comparable to blu-ray, the convenience factor is a huge selling point.

I have a blu-ray player but I still buy and watch DVDs most of the time, mostly because of cost.  If I’m trying to decide between a $15 DVD or a $23 blu-ray and the movie isn’t one I’m a super-fan of, I’ll probably save some cash and go with the DVD.  On the other hand I just purchased the blu-ray version of a movie I enjoyed quite a bit, and that’s for a few reasons.

The reasons I had no qualms about purchasing Watchmen on blu-ray are numerous.  First off it’s a visually impressive movie, and I know I’ll get a better experience from the higher-quality blu-ray.  When I’m looking at a comedy or drama that doesn’t feature much action it’s hard to get excited about the movie’s blu-ray version, but in this case I know the movie won’t disappoint.  Second, it comes with a digital copy of the movie.  When choosing between a DVD with no digital copy and a blu-ray with one, I’ll generally go for the blu-ray.  It’s just nice to have a copy of the movie on my myriad of devices instead of just on my TV.

Lastly, the extra features are actually worth having blu-ray for.  There is a feature called “maximum movie mode” with which all of the people who purchased the director’s cut of Watchmen in blu-ray will be able to view the movie alongside the director, Zack Snyder.  I’m usually not one for special features unless it’s a movie I care a great deal about, but that’s just plain cool.

This is kind of a random and rambling post, but it was something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit lately.  I want blu-ray to succeed, I truly do, but in order to get there I think more movie studios have to include awesome purchase-worthy extras to get people excited.  Once the platform is being exploited to offer an experience that’s truly unique when compared to  its DVD counterpart, and when price drops on discs and players, I think it’ll start catching on.  There’s still time for blu-ray to make a run, but in the meantime free digital copies of the movies are a good start.

PSP is Go!

Engadget just put up a post confirming that the PSP Go is a reality based on an upcoming episode of Sony’s Qore.  The details of the new handheld are nearly identical to what had been discussed before, but now we get to see what the unit will actually look like.  Image and a link back to Engadget’s post are below.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/30/sonys-psp-go-leaks-out-before-e3-is-obviously-a-go/

Kojima’s Next Game – Not “Tornado Outbreak”

The time has once again run out on Hideo Kojima’s countdown.  The storm that has been depicted through every update of the countdown persists and is ever-more severe, but now amidst the flashes of lightning is the face of an aging Big Boss.  Looks like the Metal Gear franchise isn’t dead just yet.  This time the countdown is set to run out as E3 begins, so presumably we’ll find out the details in about 5 days.

Game Reviews – The Chronicles of Riddick : Assault on Dark Athena and Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

First off I want to thank the fine folks at RocketXL for giving me the opportunity to review these games.  They sent the review copies and the process has been going really smoothly.  They’ve also been hard-at-work providing assets for the two games I’m going to review, so if you’re a gamer like me I have to highly encourage you to check them out!

We’ll start with Dark Athena.  Using the widget below you’ll be able to browse some screenshots from the game and see some video of the gameplay to get an idea of the look and feel.

Next up is Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.  It’s an exciting cooperative hack-and-slash game that I can’t wait to delve into with my buddies online.  Thanks again to Romeo at RocketXL for giving me access to the videos below:

Sacred 2 has officially gone gold as well, so there’s a lot of anticipation for the title.  Look for my review of both games coming as soon as I can finish them!

Hideo Kojima’s next game – Tornado Outbreak?

Hideo Kojima’s “Kojima Productions” is best known for cranking out highly-acclaimed titles in the Metal Gear Solid franchise – most recently my game of the year for 2008, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.  So then, when a teaser website went up for Kojima’s next project a whole lot of buzz was generated in the gaming industry.  The most obvious conclusion is that the Metal Gear Solid franchise had not concluded despite the finality of MGS4, but the latest developments might be pointing to an entirely new franchise.

First of all you have to consider the teaser website.  It initially showed a flash video of a field of grass with ominous looking clouds being blown by a stiff wind.  The website was just recently updated though, and now there is the addition of thunder and lightning, as well as a countdown clock.  Another noteworthy addition is the appearance of an “S” or “5″ outline in the video whenever lightning strikes.  Very interesting.

To be honest this website would be pretty vague if not for a possible leak by Gamefly.com.  Gamefly put up a placeholder for a new Playstation 3 game called “Tornado Outbreak” which is being published by Konami, the same publisher who works with Kojima Productions.  The game’s page has no artwork, rating or release date but given the publisher and the title’s link to the themes in the teaser content a lot of folks are assuming that Tornado Outbreak is what we’ll get.

Obviously if this is the case a lot of Metal Gear fans will be pretty disappointed.  Given the overwhelming success derived from Solid Snake’s exploits, why would Kojima stray from his trademark franchise?  Taking into account what we’ve seen, a stormy field animation possibly tied to a game called “Tornado Outbreak,” the concept seems muddled.  Will it be some sort of storm chaser simulation?  What an odd concept.  Still, it could be something entirely different.  The title wouldn’t necessarily depict the content or gameplay, but perhaps the setting.  Some have suggested that it could be a new survival horror IP similar to Silent Hill or Siren, which instead takes place in the midwest during a bout of severe weather.  Add to that the fact that these are all just rumors and here-say, and we find ourselves knee-deep in speculation.

It’s entirely possible that Tornado Outbreak is not Kojima Productions’ next project, and that a new Metal Gear Solid game will be announced.  However, even if that isn’t the case, I trust these guys.  No matter what they decide to do I believe that they’re one of the most forward-thinking Japanese developers who understand and respect Western audiences and development styles, and they never let a game go out the door that hasn’t been polished to a blindingly-bright shine.  Quality is not an issue when Kojima is involved, so no matter what we’ll get a great game out of the deal whether it’s based on a new franchise or not.

You can see the website right here: http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/next/