A Fun Kinect Cartoon

I've got one of those new fanangled Kinect thingers and I find this quite funny. :)

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Mass Effect 2 is best on PS3... well DUH.

IGN.com proclaims Mass Effect 2 is best on PS3. Well DUH. They only had a year to get it right. Let me put it to you in a designers perspective. Being a "cleanup man" in graphic design is easily the best way to get critical praise in the cheapest sense. ANYONE can come in on a job 60 percent of the way in and say "what the hell? This is done wrong, this is the way to do it right!" After all is said and done, the original designer is a doofus (word of the DAY!) and you are a super hero that shits golden eggs.

Mass Effect 2 came out on XboX 360 and PC over a year ago now. The developers for the PS3 version didn't even announce the version for MONTHS after the 360 release. They had the opportunity to say "what did we do wrong, how can we make it right?" and then go ahead and do it.

Now don't get me wrong, I think it's great that the game has gotten better. I just think it's kind of "poor filler" for magazines and game sites to put garbage articles like the one to follow out. Why bother? OF COURSE the newest version will be the best. It's like Mass Effect 2- version 2.0.  It damned well better be better!

I've gotta see it for myself. Mass Effect as a series has stolen over 200 hours of my life away.

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Link to farce article on IGN.

Now that Mass Effect 2 is out on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, I can finally answer the question: Which version is best? I recently reviewed Mass Effect 2 on PlayStation 3 and called it the best version available. Focusing solely on value, that's completely true. But all three versions of Mass Effect 2 have their own strengths and weaknesses worth discussing.

Many who took issue with my statement about the superiority of the PlayStation 3 version did so for two primary reasons: save importation from the original Mass Effect, possible only on the PC and Xbox 360, and stunning visual fidelity that can only be attained on PC. Both are fair gripes.

If you're looking for the unabridged and fully complete version of Mass Effect 2, then you may want to stay away from the PlayStation 3 release of the game. The original Mass Effect was published by Microsoft and will never find its way to Sony's PlayStation 3. That's a fact that PS3 gamers simply have to deal with. The good news is that BioWare and Darkhorse Comics crafted a bit of a workaround in an interactive digital comic that's only available to PlayStation 3 owners via the Cerberus Network. As long as you have a voucher code that comes with every new version of the game, you'll be able to download the comic free of charge (though it can be purchased for those of you who buy the game used). The comic doesn't replace the experience of having played the original Mass Effect, but it does bridge the gap for gamers who didn't play the story-rich first title, and it does so fairly well.

Our cross-platform graphical comparison.

Gamers who played through Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox 360 or PC versions may scoff at the notion that this comic somehow makes every aspect of the story coherent, and they're right. You simply cannot have the full Mass Effect Trilogy experience on the PlayStation 3. But this may not bother too many gamers, especially those who are new to the franchise. After all, the original Mass Effect, while a great experience in its own right, is still considered an inferior product to the sequel. So the PlayStation 3 version of the game is great for those who want to cut right to the chase and get in on the action.

Mass Effect 2 no doubt looks best on a beastly PC rig, but I find griping about the graphical look of the three versions needless. After all, you're playing a great-looking game no matter which platform you decide to work your way through. And while ME2 on the PlayStation 3 runs on the Mass Effect 3 engine, the changes aren't mind-blowing. In many ways, the graphical differences between the versions are negligible and unimportant. A pretty game is a pretty game, and Mass Effect 2 has a decidedly pretty look on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Where the PlayStation 3 version really shines is with the package's value. The Xbox 360 and PC versions don't include Mass Effect 2's most compelling DLC unless you pay extra for it. The Xbox 360 version even comes on two separate discs, a cumbersome solution in gaming these days. That just goes to show Mass Effect 2's scope. Regardless, the entire game fits on a single Blu-ray disc, and it comes with most of the DLC you had to pay for on Xbox 360 and PC.

The comic explains the story's fundamentals to PS3 gamers.

True, you can find Mass Effect 2 for the Xbox 360 and PC for cheaper than a brand new PlayStation 3 copy, but you're also not getting an identical product. The fact that Mass Effect 2 on PS3 comes wrapped with much of the game's pertinent DLC makes it a compelling package for the PlayStation 3 faithful. Not only do you not have to buy a lot of DLC on PS3, but you don't have to download it, install it, and figure out how it fits into the story. It's all right there for you from the get-go.

Based on all of this, the PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 2 is the best stand-alone product when compared to its counterparts on Xbox 360 and PC. It unequivocally gives you the most bang for your buck while attempting to offer as seamless an experience as possible. However, this shouldn't persuade those who began their quest on PC or Xbox 360 to suddenly jump ship. If you look at the three Mass Effect games as one big experience without boundaries between titles, then you're already on the right track by playing on Xbox 360 or PC. But if you want to get in on the action on the PlayStation 3 and have never experienced Mass Effect before, then Mass Effect 2 on the PS3 is definitely the way to go.

Two Worlds 2: Second impressions

Ok guys, anyone out there in geekland who may be reading this, Two Worlds 2, while far superior to the original, can be a frustrating experience. Right now, I've learned that the horseback riding is still heavily flawed, the voice acting is downright awful, and the quest log in bugged. The improvements are great, but the flaws do affect the experience. I'm about 5 hours in, and the forced horseback ride to save a starving village from someone who just doesn't want to help them is really bothersome. I have quests that I've completed still in my questlog, and you know what? They may have fired the shitty dialog writer from the first game, but replaced him with an equally bad casting director.

Wait for this one guys, don't get it first day. The price will drop, like they always do for this sort of game. It's a $29.99 game, definitely not a $59.99 game.

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Photo of the Week #2: Generational

I shot both of these with a simple objective in mind, to show the growth of table hockey through the years, with the life size hockey puck in the background for perspective. There was little setup, just standing the players in such a way to show the development of the players over the years. The furthest back has the flat plastic players known throughout the late 60's through the early 2000's. The middle players are from the 1990's Wayne Gretzky's Overtime Hockey version, and the foreground players are from the current "Stiga" brand. I practiced playing with F-stops on each shot, with the goalies shot at f-32 (a 3 second exposure) and the players were shot at f 1.8 (I don't remember the exposure but it was near instantaneous). 

Click each for a larger version.

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Islanders lock up Matt Moulson with three-year, $9.4 million deal

From Yahoo

By Sean Leahy

What an interesting week it's been for New York Islanders GM Garth Snow and his relationship with agent Don Meehan.
Over the weekend, Snow's waiver claim of Meehan client Evgeni Nabokov(notes) went belly-up when the veteran goaltender decided not to report to the team, causing the Islanders to suspend him indefinitely.
Today, on the heels the Nabokov mess, another Meehan client, Matt Moulson(notes), re-signed with the Islanders, inking a three-year, $9.4 million deal through the 2013-14 season.
Rumors had popped up recently about Moulson's future and whether or not he'd join the list of budding Islanders stars that have left by trade or via free agency, but Moulson told Newsday's Katie Strang that he had no interest in hitting the open market this summer as an unrestricted free agent. 
From Newsday (sub. required):

"From the get go, I told both sides--my agent and [GM] Garth Snow-- where I wanted to be. I didn't want to go into free agency. So there was a commitment from both sides. I want to be a part of the group that turns this back into a winning franchise," Moulson said.

He also talked about his happiness playing for the Islanders organization:

"I think there are some things people don't know about this team," Moulson said. "I've told my agent and other people around the league about how we're treated, how they treat our families. [Team owner Charles Wang] and Snow are involved in everything and that filters down to everyone on the team."
"I don't know if I've ever played on as close-knit as a team as this one," Moulson continued. "That's what makes it so fun, once we get wins. The biggest thing for me is the guys. I don't want to be apart from this group."

Moulson is a great example of a low risk, high reward player looking at his career. In two seasons in the Los Angeles Kings' organization, Moulson spent most of his time with Manchester of the AHL. He signed a one-year deal with the Islanders in the summer of 2009 and in two seasons on Long Island has rewarded Snow's faith in him with 47 goals.
Last season, Moulson earned himself a $2.45 million deal for this season after a 30-goal performance. Now on pace to do it again, Moulson's hard work had paid off for him and this signing shows that Snow is willing to invest in the core pieces that will fit his plan for the franchise.

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Now this is how a sports blogger can write.

A BRILLIANTLY written blog piece on Evgeni Nabokov refusing to report to the New York Islanders by one of the best blog reporters around, Justin Bourne. (on a side note, shitty self opinionated sports bloggers note: this is meant to be a personal shot, so he's ALLOWED TO SAY THESE THINGS... you whiny "you don't know what you are doing GM" bloggers got nothing on this guy, so you cannot):

Evgeni Nabokov was claimed on waivers by the Islanders, but has no intentions of reporting. Justin Bourne's been in that situation, and says Nabby needs to suck it up.

I once took less money to play for the team of my choice. A lot less money. But, I wanted to be on the East Coast near my fiancée, and it was supposed to be a smart move for my career. Then one afternoon, coach wanted to see me to pass along a little message: I was being shipped to Boise. Just like that, the come-hither finger that had beckoned me into coach's office was figuratively jammed up my ass.

I sat there and watched his pudgy face puke out the explanation for the move and realized I had a bit of a conundrum, not unlike what Evgeni Nabokov must be going through right now: Should you move to a place you don't want to be for less than you're worth?

The answer was, and is, obvious: fucking right you should. What are your other options? Become a writer?

Just last year, Nabokov was making five million bucks a season as the starting goaltender for the San Jose Sharks — a lifestyle that went off the rails when opposing teams and Sharks management figured out that he's generally shitty when it counts. Sick of watching him vomit all over his skates every spring, the Sharks cut their ties, allowing Evgeni a sackful of freedom to choose his new home.

He chose the KHL, which might tell you everything you need to know about Nabby's ability to make good decisions.

That experiment went poorly, presumably because it's Russia, so last week Nabokov decided he'd like to come back to North America and play for the Red Wings, who were happy to have him given that their starter (Jimmy Howard) was hurt, and their backup (Chris Osgood) is bad.

But this meant he'd have to clear waivers, meaning any awful team could grab him for slightly less than a song, and it was pretty obvious by the time he committed to Detroit that some awful team would. He had to know it would happen, since I knew it was going to happen, and I talk less with NHL GMs than his agent does.

We assumed his return meant he was willing to play anywhere in the NHL, as that was the situation he was inevitably walking into after walking out on mother Russia. It was the perfect formula for the struggling and checkbook-averse New York Islanders (especially the whole pro-rated peanuts contract thing), so they grabbed him off waivers.

So their GM Garth Snow called Nabokov. Nabokov hung up on him. Which is fucked.

Now, admittedly, being told you have to play somewhere you think is shitty — Nassau Coliseum was ranked 122nd of 122 pro sports facilities by ESPN, so a lot of people would tend to agree with him on that — isn't ideal, but dude, pick up your still-hefty NHL paycheck with a little class. I got traded to the hockey hotbed of Boise, Idaho when I was in the ECHL and at least had the courtesy to take the boss's phone calls.

I can relate to his disappointment, to some extent. I had signed with the Reading Royals of the ECHL that year, and had made some sacrifices to get exactly what I wanted. I took $800 a month less, which if you know anything about minor league hockey is not an insignificant pay cut. But it was worth it to me to play in Reading: I could live near my fiancée and play in a city close to several AHL teams, which tends to lead to opportunities. Boise couldn't offer me any of those things, so my sacrifices were rendered utterly meaningless.

Between my career taking a turn for the worse, just having my car shipped to the east coast, and being assigned to a state decidedly not in driving distance to my ladyfriend's house, the angst and disappointment shredded my heart. I was not a happy Idaho Steelhead.

A wise man once said, you can't always get what you want. I went to Boise (actually a nice little city, by the way) because that's the way the world of sports works, and not everyone who's good enough to play at a certain level gets to choose their home. Nabokov had plenty of time to prove himself in the NHL before every team in the league agreed they'd rather not have him and his contract demands, given that he's 35 years old with a resume peppered with playoff save percentages that look more like free throw shooting numbers. So he took his puck and went home, and now he wants back in the game and has the audacity to hang up on the general manager of an NHL team who's actually willing to give him a chance.

No, Evgeni, of course you should get to pick your team. Especially after shitting on that $24 million Russian contract.

The Isles, for their part, have played the whole thing beautifully. They've suspended Nabokov for the season, and will just hang on to him to trade his rights for a pick, if anyone will have him. But even that looks a whole lot less likely after he's demonstrated to the league that he's a prima donna. To top it all off, he says he "hasn't really been on the ice" since his flailings in Russia. Thanks for that cherry on the sundae, bud.

Athletes like LeBron James get to choose their team. Alex Rodriguez gets to pick his team. Hell, Manny Ramirez just picked his team. But even some great players — take Randy Moss this year — have to report to places they don't really want to be. It's all part of the deal if you want to play in the league.

Middle-of-the-pack fucks like us, Evgeni? We go where we're told.

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Sucks to your asth-mar Nabokov. Sucks to you.

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Doctor Who Stuff

This is the absolutely fun intro for the National Television Awards in the UK starring everybody's favorite Doctor! Enjoy!



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