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Psycho Babble
Growing up, I often envisioned the future as.....something greater than what we have in the today. That one day we would leave behind all these petty differences that have divided us as a species. War. Hunger. Poverty. Disease. All of these notions and states of being eventually swept away in the name of the greater good. But, as I got older and the world showed me different, as the cynical adult within me rose up, I knew that despite the efforts of the few, the many would mar us in the past. The rich would only get richer, the poor would only get poorer. Diseases would still try entire nations. And constant wars would separate us even more.

And although the science fictions of the past have become the new sciences of today, it is a worrisome trend. This notion that one day I will awaken to the idea, and the dawn, of a future imperfect. A dystopia. A place where humanity has only learned new ways to addict themselves to old vices. A place where the escalation of war only seems to eclipse the previous one in terms of death and atrocity. A place that has no middle ground. Only the rich. And only the very poor.

It is a bleak picture, I know. But I cannot help but see the signs that we are at this tipping point. A crucial moment when we awaken to the reality that the once proud and noble tomorrow is simply a very dark today. A future that, sadly enough.......

..........has no future.



The Future is Red
“A year here and he still dreamed of cyberspace, hope fading nightly. All the speed he took, all the turns he'd taken and the corners he cut in Night City, and he'd still see the matrix in his dreams, bright lattices of logic unfolding across that colourless void... The Sprawl was a long, strange way home now over the Pacific, and he was no Console Man, no cyberspace cowboy. Just another hustler, trying to make it through. But the dreams came on in the Japanese night like livewire voodoo, and he'd cry for it, cry in his sleep, and wake alone in the dark, curled in his capsule in some coffin hotel, hands clawed into the bedslab, temper foam bunched between his fingers, trying to reach the console that wasn't there.” - William Gibson, Neuromancer

Based on the popular pen and paper table top game by Mike Pondsmith, upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 will be several firsts for Polish video game developer (and publisher) CD Projekt Red. For one, not only will this be the developer's first new game outing outside of their wildly popular Witcher franchise (which itself is based on the wildly popular book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski), the other is that Cyberpunk 2077 will be CD Projekt's first try at a multiplayer element. Though as to what kind of experience it will be, CD has said that it is still "experimenting" on it.

In a recent interview with Eurogamer CD Projekt Red's Managing Director Adam Badowski confirmed that "[Cyberpunk 2077] will be a story-based RPG experience with amazing single-player playthroughs, but we're going to add multiplayer features." Beyond that, considering the game is still in a very early pre-production phase, nothing else is known (or was said) on the matter. What is known is that CDPR is looking to keep their appeal to both console and PC players alike, bringing them both the same experiences regardless of how they game, so long as they keep gaming. "I don't think that the gaming world is split between PC and consoles," Badowski said. "I'm a console player and I was a PC player and ... I don't want to be treated as stupid or less smart than a PC player. It's not like that. We definitely want to bring mature and ambitious gaming experience to the wider audience."

As far as the game goes, don't expect Cyberpunk to set you down as a predetermined hero. Rather, Cyberpunk will allow you to create your own, and define him (or her) however you want. "Cyberpunk will have different character classes," Badowski said. But again, as to what those will be, and just how extensive the game's character creation engine will be, it's still too early to say. What we do know is that Cyberpunk will be a very open world experience, leading one to believe that an easy 50-hours-or-so long tour of duty will be required to get the full experience out of the game. "The first and most important environment for Cyberpunk is the city, obviously," Badowski said. "But not only the city: you can expect some more environments in the Cyberpunk game. We want to start in the Night City, which is cool. And yes it will be an open world game as well."



Speaking in Tongues
Probably one of the most creative aspects of the game will be its unique use of how it will attempt to deal with the regional language barriers that most games seem to face upon release. For example, having to translate the entire game's rather extensive spoken language track from Polish to English when it makes its way over to U.S. distributors. Or having to translate that into Japanese when it hits Japanese markets. Rather, CD Projekt’s Sebastian Stepien revealed that they plan to record all NPCs in their original, intended language with a translator implant acting as your in-game Babelfish.

“As of yet no decisions have been made, but we’re thinking about a system that could tell the world’s story. The idea is to record everything in original languages, i.e. if we’ll meet Mexicans in the game, they’ll be talking [in Spanish] - portrayed by [real] Mexican actors. The player would be able to buy a translator implant, and depending on how advanced it is, he’ll get a better or worse translation.” Stephien says that, not only will this be a unique feature, it will also add to the authenticity of the game. “You can’t reliably recreate street slang of Los Angeles or some other American city, you can’t simply dub it and reproduce those emotions, rhythms of speech, mannerisms." he said. "Everything has to be cohesive. Otherwise we’d simply hear that Polish actors are trying to imitate Americans. That won’t work.”

Speaking of implants, the game will offer your character the ability to augment their bodies with a rather extensive array of bio-mechanical devices, ranging from the previously stated translator implant to more extensive devices that can impact the way your character interacts wit the world around them in any number of ways. But use caution. The more you implant and augment your character, the more you run the risk of losing your empathy towards your fellow man. Too many augments and your character becomes abrasive, inhuman, and eventually loses all self-restraint until they turn into a “psycho.” And when that happens, CD Projekt says, expect to have a very lethal intervention with the Psycho Squad, the game's equivalent to police's S.W.A.T. team.

"These guys are exceptional, these guys are crack troops," said Badowski. "The fact that they're proud of that name tells you a bit about their mindset. They wear a badge with their official emblem on their right sleeve, but their left is reserved for their unofficial Psycho Squad emblem. It's primitively made and the image itself is on the crude side of things. It's not unlike a badge special force operators might make and wear to distinguish themselves from the ranks of grunts in any theater of war."

Beyond that, and the announcement that the tale of Geralt will continue with their upcoming Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (more on that in a later article), CD Projeckt is keeping some ideas on the close backburner. "We have some prototypes and we'll see if we can deliver something cool to the players....every studio should have good R&D, especially independent studios. It's good to know what you may do in the future."

But, Badowski adds, "We have two leading projects, and they are the two hearts of our company. It's [a] crucial moment for Cyberpunk," he explained, "because we have tonnes of ideas and we need to have the perfect direction and we have to be in-line with the global vision of the game. We don't want to grow too big on the prototyping stage because it's much easier to manage We need to have precise, good, well-organized strike teams for that. The guys are working together brainstorming a lot, so a smaller team is better. And then we will go out to full production speed."

Cyberpunk 2077 is slated to be released - in CD's own words - "When it's ready." Honestly, if it delivers on all the promises it intends to make before release, I'm willing to wait for as long as it takes.

On the old BPC blog, I made a post for the 10th anniversary of the Columbine shootings. In the wake of the devastating events in Connecticut, I'd like to repost it:


10 Years On, Columbine and Video Games: A Direct Link to Nowhere

At around 11:20 in the morning on April 20th, 1999, 18 year old Eric Harris and 17 year old Dylan Klebolt entered the Columbine High School grounds in Littleton, Colorado armed with semi-automatic weapons, shotguns and ammunition. Their initial plan of using various homemade explosive devices to destroy the school having failed, as part of an elaborate plan of revenge against a world they no longer felt a part of, they embarked on a shooting spree that by the end left themselves and 12 students and one teacher dead, along with 25 more people injured.

In light of such a horrific event, the obvious question repeatedly asked is "Why?". In the inevitable rush to make sense of the seemingly senseless, a lot of links are made as to what might have motivated the killers, and these days no link is more voraciously touted than violent video games. 10 years on, USA today has published a story supposedly debunking the myths that surround the shootings. In it they appear to absolve video games as a cause by disassociating Harris and Klebolt from "The Trenchcoat Mafia", a group of gaming students at the school But if you want to ask the question of whether, in this infamous case, there is a videogame connection, the answer must be an unequivocal "yes".

Both killers played the popular first person shooters of the era, most notably id Software's DOOM games. Harris was the more dominant personality and planner of the operation, and at the expense of being accused of dealing in the hyperbole that usually surrounds an event such as Columbine, was completely obsessed with the game. It's abundantly clear by examining documents collected by the police after the shootings that DOOM was ubiquitous in Harris' life. In the archive of his idle sketchings numerous DOOM related doodles are drawn, and in his personal correspondence and assignments one can constantly find references to the game. He was an avid designer of DOOM game levels, and had even written a fan letter to id Software and asked them for a job. One school assignment dated 8/24/98 is titled "25 things that make me different". Here is Harris' number one thing from that list:

"My love for a computer game called DOOM. Doom is such a big part of my life and no one I know can recreate evironments in DOOM as good as me. I know almost anything there is to know about that game, so I believe that seperates me from the rest of the world."

Harris elucidates further in the assignment:

"Doom is so burned into my head my thougths usually have something to do with the game. Whether it be a level or environment or whatever. In fact a dream I had yesterday was about a "Deathmatch" level that I have never even been to. It was so vivid and detailed I will probably try to recreate it using a map editor. It had 3 ledges and a very high tree house like area also, but describing it would take forever. What I cant do in real life, I try to do in doom, like if I walk by a small building I would recreate it as good as I could and then explore it, go on the roof, under it, or even shoot at it. The fact is, I love that game and if others tell me "hey its just a game" I say "ok, I dont care""

Dylan Klebolt played FPS games as well, but apparently not to the excessive extent of Harris. This leaves us with a clear, direct link between two young men who murdered 13 people and violent video games such as DOOM. But as far as connecting the dots between the cause of mass shootings and video game play, where does that leave us?

Nowhere.

Harris and Klebolt were obviously into Doom, as well as Duke Nukem 3D, Quake and other FPS's. But even if there had been a note left that said "We are doing this act to recreate playing DOOM.", you'd still have nothing. An obsession with a first person shooter video game is not the cause of real-life violence, but a symptom of a possibly troubled and even sick mind. Like everything in life, there is no easy answer, no magic key, no straight path to lead you directly to what you're looking for. It was a tapestry of issues that led to the Columbine massacre, including a fixation on guns and easy access to them (through a Brady Bill loophole that neglects background checks for private gun sales), inattentive parents, teachers and school administration officials, and a couple of suicidal, loner kids who fell through the cracks.

It's so much easier to pick one possible aspect of "why", wrap it around you like a shawl and take comfort that you've found the answer. So much easier than deconstruction a person's life and taking a close look at all the things that serve to alienate them from their family and peers, that serve as bricks in the wall between. But the fact is, Harris' obsession with DOOM was not a cause of the violence, merely a symptom. DOOM sold tens of millions of copies as shareware and was an intense, involving game that drew the player in through the character's eyes, like no other before it. By its very design it invited hardcore gamers' fixations, so where are the hundreds of mass school shootings as a result of young people being exposed to it (or even preoccupied with it)? Columbine was a tragedy and surely a personal holocaust to the families involved, but it is hardly representative of a pandemic of violence. And DOOM's connection to it, while palpable, is NOT a major contributing factor.

Commander Engrame sneered.

"How?!" He was furious. Furious that the girl had, somehow, in some way, escaped his grasp yet again.

Scoutsman Kerl was on his knees, his forehead pressed to the ground. "Forgiveness Commander. I swear that I do not know how. But I shall find her.” He’d been apologizing ever since they had found him unconscious and all the horses gone along with a dead soldier.

Engrame huffed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. After pulling the girl up, staring at her, into those fierce silvery eyes, his heart had all but leapt out of his chest. Finally, after weeks of false leads, dead ends, dead bodies, he could finally go home with prize in hand. That it was tempting to just slit this little bitch's throat after binding her hand and foot and tossing her across the saddle of his horse was palpable. And so easy to do. But the Orom commanded her alive, if only to do the deed himself. The only one condolence he took was at least he would let Engrame watch.

He could finally go home. To his family, to his people. His people, not this dirty, inbred rabble, but men and women of civilization. Intelligence. Order. Obedience. He would be home. Soon.

That was the plan, at least, until they had awoke a few hours ago to find all the horses gone along with a dead soldier.

Clever, insolent little girl. How she had managed to unbind the ropes, and kill one of his men, an armed and armored man of war no less, released all the horses so they could not follow her, and somehow snuck past one of his best trackers without leaving signs of passage was.....unholy, unnatural, and almost impossible. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he knew that this same meek sounding little girl he’d seen walking along the Merchant Road earlier had somehow done this all on her own, by her own hand, was impossible. Had to be.

“Phayo!”

Commander?” Phayo said, bowing his head gently. His most trustworthy, and skilled tracker.

“Find her. You have leave to hunt. But I want her alive. If she travels with companions however. Execute them. And make sure she watches."

“Yes, Commander, by your will.” Phayo left the line and ran in the same direction the girl had escaped. Commander Engrame turned his attention back to his scout. The man still had his face buried in the dirt. Groveling and writhing in sheer terror for mercy. But a man who shows mercy shows weakness. A man who shows weakness shows fear. And a man who shows fear is a coward. A liability. A weak link. It was time to make the chain strong again, by removing the weak link.

Engrame stepped behind his scout, tucking his hands behind his back. "Up, Scout Kerl."

Kerl rose, straight-backed, his hands resting on his thighs, but before he could stand, Engrame knelt behind him, thrusting his dagger into the base of the skull, He gripped Kerl by his throat, steadying him as his blade punctured the man's brain, taking demonic delight as he twisted and turned the blade. And as the light in Kerl's eyes slowly faded, Engrame whispered gently in his ear one last time.

"May the Orom forget your name."

He let loose of Kerl's throat, standing as he pulled his dagger from the man's head. With a quick kick, he sent Kerl's lifeless body to slam face first into the dirt. "Let that be your grave," he spat as he turned and headed back to camp.





Central Duenin



The heat was unbearable. Sweat was dripping into her eyes, and she blinked furiously to relieve the sting. Even the shade here was no relief from the sun's brutality. Her mind wondered, longed for the cool mountain air of home, but reality settled and she knew that she had no home to return to. She wanted to sleep, but the images of Brigit and Hemi kept flooding her mind. There was Brigit in the center of the field of flowers holding up a bouquet of yellow flowers, a sweet smile on her little face. The light in her brown eyes faded as tears of blood streamed down her face. Her little mouth opening in a silent scream as flames surrounded her, engulfing her.

Sterling wanted to rid herself of the nightmarish images. She was exhausted. She’d been on the run from the Severon for nearly two weeks, hiding and avoiding any village along the way. She’d fled with no weapon, no money, and only the simple clothes she now wore. She had managed to steal food from a few isolated farmhouses along the way, but she hadn’t eaten in almost two days. If she was going to make it to Kai’Vari she needed to eat. And now here she was on the out skirts of Hemrac hiding among the hedgerow that lined the nearly immaculate cobblestone road for any signs of the Severon.

The village sat in a shallow bowl in the land surrounded by fields of wheat and corn. The hedgerow she lay under sat atop one of the rolling hills overlooking and leading to the quite village below. It was perfect for watching the comings and goings of the village inhabitants. She came upon this village last night during a storm and had hidden in one of the outlying barns for safety. She’d risen before the moonset and hid among the hedges before any of the citizens were up for their morning chores. She’d known that riding into any village on a horse branded by the Severon Militia was asking for trouble. Especially one with a saddle that no doubt had the seal of a commander's.

And so she left the horse at a farm and taken another one in its place. There had been no sign of the Severon or any other military patrols in the village since this morning and now that the noon sun had long since passed she felt safe to emerge from hiding. Her body screamed in protest as she stood from her prone position. She itched from not having a proper bath. Wading in streams and rivers was not the same as relaxing in steaming water. She felt the weight of the pouch she’d stolen from a wondering merchant; perhaps she’d treat herself tonight.

She made her way down the winding path until she reached the edge of the village. The main street ran from one end of the village to the other with streets veering off like tentacles. The main street was quite after the long afternoon of bustle. She made her way towards the only pub in the town, the Crow’s Head. She paused before entering taking a look over her shoulder for any followers. Satisfied she was alone Sterling pushed the door open and entered the darkened interior. She’d made a habit of not making a flashy entry, but no matter how quite her entrance she felt all eyes on her as the door swung shut behind her.

Sterling avoided eye contact with the other patrons and scanned the room. A booth in the far corner looked inviting. She walked the perimeter of the room keeping one eye on the pub’s customers as she slid into the booth. Her back was to the wall so she could see the entire pub. The smell of food cooking wafted into the dining room enticing Sterling. She had not eaten a proper meal in three days, not since she’d caught a rabbit with the pilfered bow and arrows she’d stolen

Hemi would have beaten her rear raw if he knew of all the things she’d done since she fled the orphanage. Her eyes lost focus as a thought of Hemi jumped to the fore front of her mind. He’d only been inches from her when he died. She swore that she would bring revenge down upon this Commander tenfold for what he’d done to Hemi. She missed them all so much she felt emptiness in her heart. Just breathing was painful when thoughts of Mother Anwell and Hemi and all the other girls came to her.

She missed Brigit most of all.

“What can I get you, miss?” The waitress words startled Sterling.

“Uh, ale, I suppose, and whatever food you have.” Sterling looked up into the plump face of the waitress. Her eyes were shining, cheeks rosy from the warmth of the pub. Sterling knew the instant the woman saw her silver eyes. The light behind her brown eyes vanished and the smile melted into a frown.

“We don't serve your kind here. I suggest you leave. Before I have you tossed out on your sorry ass”

Frustrated by the woman’s attitude Sterling plunked the bag of gold down on the table, “I have coin for food and bed.”

The wench simply scoffed and sniffed. "You money's no good here. I don't care if you have the Orom's personal gold crowns in there. We. Don't. Serve. Your. Kind. Now get the hell out of OUR pub."

Sterling narrowed her eyes and rose to meet the woman's glare. “I’m not leaving until you serve me.”

“We’ll just see about that” she growled as she pushed stepped back and through the swinging doors of the kitchen. Sterling replaced the pouch of gold back on her belt and stared out into the dining room. She realized then that she’d gained the attention of the other customers. She felt exposed without her hood to conceal her eyes. She averted her gaze to a scare in the wood table and tried to sink into the further in to the darkness.

“A what?!” Sterling jumped at the booming voice that came from the kitchen it was followed by a burly man that pushed through the swinging doors. “I’ll be damned if I serve a Devian in my inn.” Sterling sat up straight her eyes widening at the man that stood before her. He was a mass of blubber, hair and sweat. His white shirt was stained with food and filth. His round face was red from the heat of the kitchen fire. Meaty hands were propped on his rotund waist as he stared down at Sterling.

She stared up into his eyes that were nearly invisible behind the folds fatty skin. She was accustomed to fear and confusion when people looked into her unusual eyes, but this man looked down at her with hatred in his eyes. What had she done to deserve this man’s hate? It was not her fault he was an ignorant fool. Anger seeped into her skin as he looked down at her. She could feel her skin burning with the anger, muscles throbbing with the rising heat.

"What'd you do? Eat the Devian that walked in here?”

Sterling blinked and realized she was on her feet, as the man effortlessly gathered her up one handed by the scuff of her shirt, pulling her up until she was inches from his face. The man snarled. "Yeah, although judgin' by your skin and bone ass, you'll jus' be an appetizer."

"So much for country hospitality."

She turned her head to find a man standing next to her and the fat man. He had his hands pressed between them as trying to separate them. She looked down and felt her checks blush when she saw his warm hand pressed a little too conveniently against her breast. The "cook" spit on the floor and dropped her back into her chair. Great, Sterling thought. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself, oh gods the pub is the perfect place to lay low. Just another face in the crowd. She huffed and blew a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

“I'm not serving a godless Devian," the cook said, wiping his hand on the blood smeared apron that barely fit around his rotund waist.

“Bertrand,” the man had a smooth way of talking, though his accent was not Dueninian, “regardless of where she’s from her money is no different than yours or mine. Didn’t you just say the other day you needed more customers?” He had a smile on his lips as he winked at Sterling. “She’s a customer, so therefore your need her, am I mistaken?”

Bertrand pointed a sausage like finger at Sterling, “I don't care. I'm not taking her money."

The man thumbed a single gold bit at Bertrand. "Then take mine."

Bertrand caught the coin with swift, surprisingly nimble fingers. He huffed and finally nodded. "Fine," he glared down at Sterling, "but if you cause any trouble, my little hors d'oeuvres, I'll be serving you up to the mutts outside.” With a hefty huff he turned and retreated to the bowels of the kitchen.

“May I?” Sterling startled when she realized that the strange man was still standing next to her table. He seemed harmless enough with his blonde hair and blue eyes. She examined him for a moment before answering. She was wary, but he had come to her aid. Mother Anwell would scold her for not returning the favor and offering him a place to sit, but she told herself to be cautious. She motioned to the vacant seat and with a smile he melted his tall frame into the chair. “Name's Kellen, Kellen Leiten.” He seemed almost too cheerful. His blue eyes sparkled in the darkness as if there was some inner light behind them. He had a constant smile on his limps and his teeth were strong and white. Sterling was mesmerized by the aura that surrounded him. He was like a prince that had stepped out of one of Brigit’s fairy tales. His shoulders were broad and the white shirt he wore hung loosely on his muscular frame. He was so completely different than any other Dueninian she’d seen before.

“Berac.”

“Hmm?” Sterling shook herself from her daze long enough to say.

“I said, I’m from Berac," he said, smiling slyly. That explained the crisp throaty accent she noticed before. “Though, I’ve been her in Duenin for almost a year now.”

“Why so far from home?” Sterling’s curiosity got the better of her. Berac was to the far west and isolated by the Isanami Mountains. Sterling had only heard stories of Berac and its rolling hills of vineyards and the crystal blue water that ran along the coastline.

“Ah yes. Well my father thought me to take over the family business, and, well, he and I disagreed about that course. So, here I am finding my own way in the great land of Duenin.” He spread his arms wide as if the pub encompassed the entire world. “And you, you are not from around these parts either. What with those strange eyes of yours, I’d say your -”

“New Alden. I’m from New Alden.” She lied. Her heart was racing. She did not want to him finish his words so she cut him off and lied about where she was from.

“A beautiful city indeed and one full of excitement.” He stood when the waitress returned with a platter of food. “Well, I will take my leave then. Perhaps we’ll see each other again.”

“I doubt it.” Sterling said around a mouth full of roast. Mother Anwell would have slapped the food out of her mouth for such atrocious manners, but her stomach was empty and her need of food was far greater than any sense of manners she may have once had. Sterling watched him leave over the rim of her cup as she washed down the roast. He was an odd man indeed. Was he too cheerful? Perhaps that was the way of the Beracians.

She pushed Kellen Leiten out of her mind and focused it on the delicious meal that lay before her. Despite the cooks grotesque appearance he had a talent for food. The platter was filled with roasted beef, carrots, and potatoes. All of it was covered in thick beef gravy that gave off the aroma of rosemary. The portion was huge, enough for a grown man to stuff himself, but she was able to finish off the entire plate along with the bread that came along with the meal. She washed it all down with the tankard of ale the waitress had brought.

The waitress was still wary of her when she returned to take the empty platter, giving Sterling a wide berth and side glances. She jumped when Sterling asked for a room. “There is one available, but it’s the most expensive. It’s the last one on the right at the end of the hall.”

“I’ll take it.” Sterling said without hesitation. She was quietly thanking the rich merchant she pilfered the gold from. “I’d also like a bath brought up with hot water.”

Sterling stood the waitress backed away quickly with fear and confusion in her eyes, “A bath? But I’ve heard that when Devians get wet they turn into beast.”

Sterling couldn’t help but laugh, “First of all I have no idea what a Devian is, but I can assure you that I do not turn into a monster when I bathe, in fact it’s quite the opposite. I turn into one the dirtier I get.” She started towards the stairs that led to the upper rooms.

Sterling found the room the waitress and indicated and opened the door and stood dumbstruck. This was the most expensive? It was nothing more than an old worn out bed and a thread bare rug. There was a small table with a chipped wash basin. It smelled of old body odor along with other aromas that Sterling did not want to identify. Luckily the room had a window. Sterling bypassed the bed and threw up the window. The night was warm, but at least it let in some fresh air. The room over looked the stable yard of the inn and just below a short roof that covered the back porch where the kitchen was located.

There was a sharp rap at the door, “Your bath miss.” She opened the door to two men who brought in a large copper wash tub and two buckets of steaming water. The tub sat in the middle of the room on the threadbare rug and took up the majority of the empty space. The first boy reached into his pocket and handed her a bar of soap wrapped in a thin cloth.

“Thank you.” She said as she handed them each a gold coin. The light in their eyes told Sterling that the fat owner didn’t give them much in the way of wages.

Sterling was so excited she threw off her clothes and shoes as quickly as possible and stepped into the tub. It was large enough for Sterling to sit down and have the water come to her waist, the sides reaching up over her shoulders so just her head was above the rim. The water was hot and soothed her tired muscles. The heavy chain of she wore felt lighter in the water as the pendant that once belonged to her mother lay between her breasts. She lifted the stone out of the water and examined it in the light. Hemi had told her it had once belonged to her mother and that it was precious to her. What was so special about this stone? All it did now was remind her of what she’d lost. She’d thought about selling it for gold, but had stopped herself before going through with it. After all it was the only thing she had left from her old life. She let the stone fall in the water where it slowly sank and lay once again against her heart.

She sat there a minute relaxing for the first time in nearly three weeks. The Severon had dogged her the entire way. If she stayed in one place for too long they would inevitably show up and she’d be on the run again. But she hadn’t see them in three days and with no sign of them riding into Hemrac while she lay hidden in the hedge row she felt confident for the first time that she had finally lost their trail. Before the water started to grow cold she quickly washed the dirt and grime from her travels and dunked her head under the water. She thought about what would happen tomorrow. Where would she go next? She still had a ways to go before she reached Kai’Vari. Would she be able to stay ahead of the Severon? Sterling came up for air and turned her attention to her hair. Using the soap she washed the sweat and dirt from its long strands. Satisfied she dunked her head back under the water to rinse out the suds.

Once again she emerged from the water gasping for air. Soap ran into her eyes and she reached for the bath sheet one of the men had provided earlier. Eyes closed, she fumbled for it. She leaned and finally stood, naked to the world, as she reached and splayed her hands in in the air. She finally brushed up against it, at eye level. She furrowed her brow. Wasn't it on a small stool next to the bath the last time she saw it? She yanked and scrubbed her eyes furiously. And as soon as her eyes cleared and finally opened, it was in that instant she realized she was no longer alone in the room. Kellen Leiten was settled back on the stool, boots propped against the lip of the tub. That sly, handsome grin stretched from ear to ear, like a happy fox that had just gorged itself on the farmer's henhouse.

“What the hell are doing in my room?!” She wrapped the small, oh so small piece of cloth around her body. “How long have you been there?”

There was a knowing smile in his eyes. “Long enough to know you can hold your breath for a very long time.” Sterling could feel her cheeks start to burn.

She tugged at the bath sheet again and crossed her arms. “Show's over. Now get out,” She growled. The smile in his eyes quickly vanished as he advanced on her. Sterling’s heart rate went up a notch as she prepared to defend herself. But when he didn’t attack she was taken off guard. He went passed her and to the door. He opened it just a crack and listened for a moment. When he turned back to her he was a completely different person. His eyes were fierce and the smile was gone. He was no longer the jovial man that had rescued her earlier.

“The Severon are here.”

The words he uttered drained the blood from Sterling’s face. Her body went numb at the mention of the army that had doggedly tracked her like a fox. How had they found her? It had been three days since she last saw them. She’d been so careful to cover her tracks and to stay out of sight not venturing into any villages staying off the main roads.

“Quickly now, get dressed.” She heard his words from a great distance but she couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. She just stood there and watched as he braced the lone chair in the room under the handle on the door. He must have noticed she was not moving and came over to her placing his hands on her bare shoulders, “Sterling.” He gave her a quick shake. Sterling blinked at her name and came out of her fog, “Sterling, quickly now. Get dressed they are just down stairs. We can escape out the window, but you must get dressed.”

“Okay.” Her body started to move on its own. Ignoring the fact that Kellen was there with her she dropped the sheet and quickly pulled on her clothes. She regretted that they were still filthy, she had wanted to wash them as well, but there was nothing she could do about it now as she laced up her trousers and pulled the leather vest on over her white shirt. She sat down and pulled on her boots.

“Are you ready yet?” She could hear the impatience in his voice.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“Come on.” Kellen left his post at the door and climbed out the window. He held a hand out for her, but Sterling was frozen in place as the handle on the door started to turn. “Sterling.” He whispered forcefully.

When the door failed to open there was a loud knock on the door, “You in there open up.”

“Sterling.” Kellen reached back in the window and grabbed ahold of her arm and yanked her out the window just as the door came crashing in.

They were running towards two horses Kellen had waiting when Sterling heard a familiar voice, “She jumped out the window!” Sterling’s legs stopped on their own accord, she turned and looking out the open window was the man responsible for the death of everyone she loved. Commander Engrame. She felt a fire start in her heart, a fire of hate filled her body and she started to turn back to the inn. She was going to kill that man for what he’d done.

“You little.....bitch!”

“Sterling!” Kellen rode in front of her blocking her view of the window. “Get on the damn horse!”

She came to her senses and mounted the second horse. As they rode out of the stable yard she took one look back, but the Commander was no longer there.

“Who the hell was that?” Kellen yelled over the pounding hoof beats. Sterling glanced one last time back towards the fading image of the Severon Commander. This Commander Engrame. She finally turned back and whispered in Kellen's ear two simple words.

“A monster."
Source

First and foremost, let me express that I'm a fanboy. So much so, that over the course of the last few months I've bought 6 copies of the game, not for myself mind you, but for other folks that I hope will be joining me in playing what i feel is an overall fun experience. My undoubtedly over biased opinion shouldn't persuade/dissuade anyone on the fence about pre-ordering or pre-purchasing this game and this post just isn't meant to do anything of the sort. What I'm thinking about right now is, where do we go now that this Beta Weekend Event #2 is over, what should we realistically expect in the coming months? Where can ArenaNet improve? Where is the game flawed and what parts seem perfectly good fun? It's definitely not my place to judge the direction ArenaNet is going, but i certainly do have my opinions about what's in store for us as consumers of this somewhat brightly polished piece of work. The list below isn't in any order of importance, but it as as it comes to mind, fresh off this weekends many hours of play.

Graphically Enhanced - Functionally Gimped
 
Visually the game is pretty stunning, the art style is very tastefully done even if it isn't everyone's cup-o-tea. There's a very large attention to detail in the overall look of the game, however it does come at a cost and that is often functionality. Granted I'm not saying the game is functionally inept, but there are some pretty glaring issues with the way certain parts of the game handle.

Damn, your storage pane is a huge pain!

If your into crafting, playing the auction house game or simply just being able to run around town figuring out what you have in account storage, you'll understand this bit. Account storage really needs to be simplified, there's just far too much screen real estate being used and being a huge fan of Guild Wars account storage, it really should be able to be kept open while running about in town. I spent a good deal of time running back and forth, pulling items out and returning them to my account storage, then trotting off to the auction house and back again to a crafting table. I do love the fact that there are specific areas for crafting supplies and ultimately one could have personal storage of up to 140 items (7 bags of 20), however in the early stages of crafting, it's entirely to cumbersome to click and run around sorting your crafting goodies.

Improvements here could be:

    Account storage needs to be simplified (more compact)
    Account storage pane should stay open while in town
    Tabs for crafting materials should be separated from mini pet storage, etc.
    Crafting windows should have a filter (level of crafting) to cut down the list

Radar Love

Next comes an out and about bit. I've talked about this many times with people, but a follow option should be possible. I know it would be a pathing nightmare to follow a party member everywhere, but if your toon even ran off in the basic direction of the party member you were trying to follow it would be a huge improvement. There have been major improvements to how you locate individual party members both on the map and out in the world, but these could definitely be clearer. Much time was spent scouring the map for party member locations, I almost feel if they made those little blue dot's blip, like a radar would, it would improve that functionality ten-fold. This not to mention that if they were on a different layer, you couldn't see them at all.

Map markers, great-balls-of-fire, would that be a massive improvement to a party. Placing a flag on the world map would be monumental for party organization and having a button to center it would be stellar.

Improvements here could be:

    Radar blips on the world map indicating a party member location
    Setting waypoint flags and a "center on" button on the world map
    Detachable radar map/mini map.
    Some way to run in the general direction of a party member when double clicking their icon.
    Double clicking an NPC in town should go to that NPC

Gah, stop shooting already!

I played a ranger for awhile and what really irked me most is the lack of a cancel function for skills that fired off automatically. Granted in Guild Wars 1 you could just take a step and cancel a long cast or a skill that continued to fire off past the initial cast. However the much improved system of being able to move and fire off skills has completely removed that dynamic. I suspect there should be a default way to cancel a skill, I'd suggest that quick tap of the shift key or something similar should be at play here. The best default way was the escape key (which didn't always work, especially if your target was already dead). I didn't pour through the key-bindings to see if there was a key to assign for this function however, so I couldn't make a big stink here. However, there should be something default and regardless I'd also like to see the continued cast skills be able to work on switched targets. If a skill continues firing off arrows, I should really be able to just switch targets and it continue to do damage, not just fire them off blindly.

Improvements here could be:

    A quick cancel key for skills with longer casts or that continue to fire past activation
    Switching targets should take damage on extended skills, not just fire off blindly.

Personal Story, it's like stop and go traffic.
 
Unfortunately, many people might think completion of the personal storyline basically means the game is over, so I get why there are gaps between level requirements to move through the story. This on top of the fact that they are trying to move you along through the content and those areas really require you to be survivable at a certain level. However, in some cases there are 4-5 levels between the next step in the story making the flow really fall away. Where was I in the story 4 hours ago, while i had to go level?

I honestly feel this is a major flaw, an almost glaringly poor design. I'm hard pressed to think of a quick fix for this really. But, it does come to mind that they could integrate the areas "story" within the main story, to make you feel more like playing a specific zone flows with your personal story. An example would be something along the lines of Beetletuns problem with graphitti and pests… It's a very simplified idea here, but tossing you back out into an area should somehow work in line with your story, so you at least feel as though those sometimes 5 levels are being done with some purpose, and that the zone your in is some what in line with the story. It's there in the beginning, but it quickly falls away as you progress. Guild Wars 1 actually had that flow, since you were moving through the content as part of the story. This flow concept is gravely missing in Guild Wars 2. I may be off-base here with all of the story and across all the races in all the areas, but you really do get a sense of disconnect once you are required to trot around dealing with all the zones problems, leveling up to the next part of the story.

WvWvW - WuV, why must you smother me?
 
I can't really get into any PVP issues, but in closing this up, WvWvW (World Versus World Versus World or WuV) seems to be the developmental version of a needy, whining fiance. There just seems to be so much focus, not only on it's flaws but on fine tuning the idea of this epic battle. I get that it's a popular part of the game world, I see it's potential, but just like that great graphics focus making features functionally gimped, WvW seems to be ripping the developmental steam right out of PVE. It's more of a cautionary thing, and less than a huge problem at this point. Kinda like my buddy not being able to go out on Friday cause his wife needs more *me* time. Yet, I can see the pain skill balancing had on PVE in Guild Wars 1 during the early days, down the road a ways I can see the impact focus being pushed toward the more grueling aspects of WvW development, ultimately burning the PVE bridge down. I'm truly hoping that it won't be all hands on deck, cuddling with WuV because of it's awkward "emotional problems". If it becomes that needy lover, we as PVE fans might have to dump the rest of the game altogether. Let's face it WuV, you're a game all on your own.

So I managed to get my hands on a Vita (3G/WiFi version) shortly after launch, and I also got a 16GB memory card along with Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Wipeout 2048 (Thank you Sony, I love you too).
So what do I think after a week of ownership? Well quite honestly, I couldn't be happier with this marvel of portable gaming.

So why, oh why, do I love my Vita so much?
Well let's break it down a little so I can explain how I feel about this wonderful machine.
*I have not activated any 3G services yet (I just haven't had the need). I just wanted to put that out there before I get started.

Hardware.
The Vita is much lighter than I expected but still feels very robust. It fits comfortably in the hands with a couple of matte grip areas on the back to rest your fingertips on. A quad-core processor and quad-core graphics processor power the impressive graphics, which show up wonderfully on the 5-inch display, which is the best looking handheld gaming display I've ever seen. Everything looks good on the Vita, games, movies (streamed from Netflix), and photos. Even the operating system is amazing to look at. There are left and right shoulder buttons, a PlayStation button, and Start and Select buttons. The Start and Select buttons are really small and not particularly easy to hit, but as you rarely use them whilst playing, I don't think it's going to be an issue. On top of the Vita are the power and volume buttons, along with the slot for game cards and a proprietary port of some sort (can't find any info on what this is for). The bottom of the Vita houses the headphone socket, a microphone, USB charging and communication connection, and a slot for the memory card. The memory cards are proprietary to Sony but look a lot like micro SD cards. There are two cameras built into the Vita, one front and one rear facing. They work great for the augmented reality games and some of the other game demos I've tried, but they're not going to take the place of your digital camera or even your smartphone camera anytime soon.

Controls.
First thing that you'll notice is that it looks just like any other piece of Sony gaming hardware. The screen is flanked by two analog thumb sticks, then above those are the classic PlayStation buttons on the right and a D-pad on the left. Both the buttons and D-pad feel smaller than the ones I remember on the PSP. The most impressive thing of course is that finally someone has made a portable system with dual analog sticks, hooray! Next be prepared to be blown away, not only is the gorgeous display a touch screen, but the back of the handheld is a touchpad too.
When I first got the Vita my initial reaction was that the analog controls where a little 'twitchy' but I have to say that after a week, I've gotten used to them. Both the placement and responsiveness took me a few days to get the hang of, but also remember I haven't had a portable system for the last 6 months since my first generation PSP went kaput recently.
The touch screen is ultra responsive and my only complaint is that it suffers from the same thing all touch screens do . . . . oily fingerprint smears.

Display.
I really haven't paid too much attention to OLED screens in general. I'm more than happy with my LED TV so didn't really pursue OLEDS very much. I know they're supposed to be better than LCD with greater clarity and brighter colors. Well all I can say is that 'they' are not wrong, the 5” OLED screen is amazing with awesome depth and color. It's definitely the most vivid screen I've seen, and I've yet to see any problems with screen tearing or pixilation when watching movies or playing games.


Graphics.
Gorgeous is the first word that comes to mind. I really can't tell you what the resolution is, because I haven't bothered to look it up, but I can tell you it looks just like my PlayStation 3, just on a smaller scale. I dare you to look at the screen and not be impressed!

Extras.
Playstation Vita does more than just play games. Here are some of the highlights included in the operating system:

Google Maps is included in the operating system, which works exactly as you’d expect if you’ve ever used it on a smartphone or tablet. The GPS seemed pretty accurate, but I don’t see this being used much. I just can’t imagine too many scenarios where it would be easier to pull out your Vita than your smartphone, maybe it would useful for people without smartphones though?

Web Browser. Yes there's a web browser, yes it's better than the PlayStation 3 one, but you’re only likely to use it for quickly looking something up as it’s still pretty mediocre by today’s standards.

There are currently apps for Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and Netflix. More apps have been promised in the future. Netflix works flawlessly and has a very similar interface to the PlayStation 3 app. I'm hoping for a Skype app next.

Near is the app which adds a social aspect to the device by showing you nearby Vita users, what they’re playing and what trophies they’ve won etc. There's also a way to share “Game Goods” using this app, but for the life of me, I'm still not 100% sure how this all works. Quite frankly I found the app confusing.

Content manager is built into the operating system, and allows you to transfer information between the Vita and a PlayStation 3 or computer. The content manager is really easy to use, and even contains it's own installation files for your PC which organizes a database on your PC for transferring between your PC and the Vita. My only complaint would be that whilst your Vita is transferring to or from your PlayStation 3, it's not possible to use your PlayStation 3 for anything else. Background transfers are on my wish list for future firmware updates..

Remote Play is a feature which was poorly implemented on the PSP in my opinion. So I'm really pleased to say that setting up and using remote play on the Vita has been a dream and completely without problems. I've tried it from several different locations and it has performed flawlessly every time. My only wish is that more PS3 games use the full potential of this feature, as it seems that right now, only minis and PSOne games are playable via remote play. Let's hope this changes soon.

Party is the app used to create a party so you can chat and play games etc over the PlayStation network. Currently I can't get this working unless it's with other Vita users, but you're supposed to be able to cross game chat with people on the PS3 also. I'll post an update when this feature starts working.

The PlayStation store is slightly revamped and clearly structured specifically for the Vita. It's easy to navigate and also recognizes the fact that I'm a PlayStation Plus member. One downside we have discovered is that my son can't log into the Vita using his own PSN account as apparently the Vita only wants to use one account (namely mine). This is a shame as we would dearly love to be able to earn trophies and save games under our own accounts. This is another item on my wishlist.

Operating system.
Probably the one thing about the operating system that impressed me the most was how intuitive it is. I handed the Vita to my wife, who is less than technically savvy with such things, and she was able to start navigating immediately. Granted she got lost in the menus and eventually tossed it back to me, but I was still impressed that she was able to use it with no instruction from me.
Sliding between screens and switching between apps happens at lightning fast speeds, even when switching out of a game and into google maps is almost seamless.
Managing home screens, moving icons around, customizing backgrounds etc is easy and similar to the way most smartphones handle it. In fact the whole interface reminds you of a smartphone in many ways (which is probably why my wife picked it up so quickly).

So enough about hardware I hear you say, what about the games?

Games.
Games are either downloaded digitally from the PlayStation store or you can purchase them on Game Cards, which basically look like SD cards (but they're actually a format that's proprietary to Sony). From what I can tell, you get around a $5 discount for getting them digitally (I compared prices at Gamestop). Remember that if you plan on doing the digital download, you're going to need a bunch of memory cards, which are not cheap.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
First of all if you own a Vita (or are planning on getting one), you NEED to own this game. This game alone could sell a million Vita's. Along with the usual amazing story telling and graphics, Golden Abyss makes full use of all the extra interfaces you get with a Vita. The touchscreen and rear touchpad are extremely well implemented and playing quickly becomes very intuitive. I refuse to post any game spoilers, but apparently (and I read it on the internet so it must be true), this game is longer than Uncharted 3, and critics claim it's better than Uncharted 3. I can tell you from personal experience it's exactly what you'd expect from an Uncharted game, and then some!

Wipeout 2048.
No real surprises here. Wipeout is a great racing franchise and this game is no exception. The graphics are lightning fast and really show off the capabilities of the OLED display. This game also offers what Sony are calling “Cross-Play” (still sounds dirty to me ), which basically means that it will inter connect with Wipeout HD on the PlayStation 3. Exactly how this all works I can't really say as it's not been implemented yet, so rest assured as soon as it's working, I'll update my review.
I have to admit that as good as Golden Abyss is, I still find myself popping Wipeout 2048 into the Vita for those “I've got 20 minutes to spare” moments. I can't wait until they get cross-play working.

I have managed to copy some of my Mini's to the Vita and they play great, with no issues.
There are three free games available in the PlayStation Store for the Vita. Cliff Diver, Fireworks, and Table Soccer. All of these titles use the augmented reality cards (supplied with the Vita) to turn your everyday environment into the play are for your game. They're simple games that are well-designed to work with the Vita.

The Vita's battery life is really the only downside that I see at this stage. Sony quote battery life at 5 hours. I will use my Vita mostly whilst traveling, so I'm going to struggle with such a short battery life. Especially flying across country as I often do. I guess it's just something I'll have to live with, at least until I find the nearest USB power supply

Overall I'm extremely pleased, and pleasantly impressed with the Vita. Honestly I think Sony have a great portable gaming system, I just hope they fully implement all the possibilities that this system can offer. I would love to play my PS3 games remotely from my Vita, I'm getting tired of dragging my PlayStation 3 all around the worlds airports.

MartB64

It's been quite a long time since this aired, but i thought it be fun to resurrect this video.
We've had a fantastic and fun run since back in the day. Yet another reminder why i love this group!

It has been several months since I last posted anything here and for any regular readers I apologize.  I've been busy with real world work, but I've also become a regular contributor to VGBlogger.com.  But since it is a new year I wanted to take a moment and write about some of the new tech I've recently started using as well as some of the new gaming goodness that will be available next month.

First off Christmas was a pretty good time for all the gamers in my house.  My kids got iPods and Just Dance 3 for the Wii (which is something that I find enjoyable to watch, but almost impossible to play with my own "white man" sense of coordination) and I got Skyrim.  The other big game-friendly tech that showed up at Christmas time was Sony's new PlayStation 3D Display.  All I can say is wow.  The image on the display is absolutely amazing.

I typically have my PS3 hooked up to a 42" Westinghouse, which is sadly showing inevitable signs of decay and poor health.  Which is a shame since the TV is only four years old.  The HDMI ports on the big unit are dead, the TV tuner seems to be on the fritz, and the menu system doesn't seem to keep the settings I've adjusted.  Fortunately, Santa delivered the 3D display this year and so I found myself clearing off a desk next to my entertainment console where the new beautiful display sits.  While the viewing space is only 24" diagonally, I find that sitting in my desk chair (at a desk no less) I have the perfect distance and center "sweet spot" for watching all that is pushed out from the screen.

Okay.  I'm sorta getting ahead of myself though.  The PlayStation 3D Display is Sony's newly released panel with gaming as the core focus.  In the box is one pair of active shutter glasses, a 5' HDMI cable and of course the display and base (oh and a copy of Motorstorm Apocalypse).  Set up took less than five minutes, put the display into the base, connect the HDMI cable and fire up the PS3.  The display itself is a marvel to look at, a super high gloss front, thin, like super thin.  I'm blown away by how thin the display is compared to my chunky Westinghouse.  Speakers are built into the sides of the display and a sub woofer is built into the back.  There are 2 HDMI ports as well as 1 component cable for a total 3 inputs and a 3.5 mm headphone jack for audio out.

Turning on the display is a bit of a design flaw.  The power buttons, menu and volume buttons are on the back of the speaker on the right side.  The same side that the HDMI cable connects at.  I found that turning the display on or adjusting the volume, I would have to be careful not to bump the HDMI cable (it's kinda freaky to see the pristine image suddenly flash green and jumble and then reset back to pristine all by accidentally bumping the HDMI cable while attempting to adjust the volume).  That being said, Sony has coincidentally release an update to their PlayStation Blu-ray remote.  While the remote isn't included, I would strongly recommend picking it up (but more on that in a bit).

So the PS3 is hooked up, the display is on, how does it look playing games?  The first thing I noticed was just how much sharper items on the XMB look.  Trophies look better, installed game icon's look sharper, everything looks cleaner.  Now maybe that's because even at 1080p the screen real estate is that much smaller, and thus things look better, but I'd guess that the 3D display just has more going on to make the images look that much better.

Since Motorstorm Apocalypse was included in the box, I fired that up first.  I got a second pair of glasses with the display because one of the coolest features touted by Sony is the SimulView technology.  Basically it allows the 3D display to send a full screen 2D image to one set of glasses while sending a second 2D image to the other set of glasses so that instead of having a split screen two player local experience, each player gets a full screen view of their game.  This works really well with Motorstorm Apocalypse.  Turning off the Simulview, I switched to a single player 3D experience and the game really gives a great sense of depth and scope to the massive destruction that all of the races are centered around.

One of the cool things about PlayStation 3 games is the simple fact that lots of them had 3D capabilities that were enabled after firmware 3.30 was pushed out to the PS3.  Because of that I was able to sample 3D on a fair amount of games in my back catalog.  Super Stardust HD, Pain, Wipeout HD, were just a few downloadable games I gave a 3D go at.  Pain only has 3D enabled during a bowling section, which is fun and definitely takes advantage of the 3D display, it is nothing worth gushing over.  Wipeout HD in 3D is fairly impressive, except for the fact that everything is moving so fast the 3D effect is lost in the blurring speed of all that is going on.  Super Stardust HD is amazing.  The game displays at so many depths of field at the same time, all the while asteroids and ships and explosions are careening about giving a true feast for the eyes.

As far as disc based games go I've played a fairly wide range of titles to see just how well the display responds.  MLB 11 The Show is really awesome with 3D enabled.  Batting in 3D, you get a really great sense of when the ball is crossing the plate.  The rest of the game is fun to see the stadiums come to life with 3D.  A greater sense of how different each field really is and how that can impact a home run being just a double, depending on where the ball is hit.

Killzone 3 and Resistance 3 both support 3D output.  Killzone 3 also supports SimulView for two player local co-op.  As of right now Resistance 3 does not support SimulView, but hopefully Insomniac has a patch to add the feature at some point in the future.  Both games look awesome in 3D.  One aspect I hadn't even considered before playing a first person shooter in 3D was the simple fact that a game in 3D would actually give the effect of looking down a gun barrel and feel real!  Of course the environments pop and add a greater depth of field in both but the effect of a gun barrel sticking out in front of my nose was truly an experience I hadn't considered before.

One of the most recent titles to come out that I've probably spent the most time on while playing in 3D has been Batman Arkham City.  With over 20 hours playing in 3D I found myself impressed with how the world pops, and the various levels of field depth add to the overall immersion of the game.  My one complaint about Batman Arkham City was the initial darkness of the game.  When the active shutter glasses kick in, a dark hue plays across my field of vision.  Since most of Arkham City is played in dark alleys or dim lit buildings, I had to adjust both the level of brightness and the level of 3D being pushed out.  Once I found the sweet spot I found that I my time the game world quickly added up.

Two things I'd like to note before closing this post.  First off, I wish that developers would all figure out a way to allow for adjustments in how strong the 3D is displayed in the same section of the menu structure.  Some games would only allow for adjustments at the main menu and thus testing to see if a level was too intense couldn't be discovered without loading the game, "testing the waters" and then hoping all the way back to the main menu to adjust if necessary.  Other games allow for adjustments directly in the thick of action, which is much easier to adjust the level of intensity without losing the flow of game play.

The second closing comment I have is regarding the lack of remote control.  Since the display doesn't come with a remote, one of the first things I did was look to replace my original PlayStation Blu-ray remote.  Of course the original only remote only worked with the PS3 and not with any TVs because it only communicated via bluetooth.  The new remote connects via bluetooth and infrared and adds some additional buttons (to switch control between PS3, TV and Amp) as well as volume and channel control.  Since I don't have a cable box hooked up to the display (and there is no TV tuner built in) the channel control doesn't add any benefit, but the volume control is an absolute must in my opinion, so that you don't end up screwing up the HDMI connection as you reach behind the panel to adjust the levels.  One of the other nice enhancements on the remote is the circle directional button.  On the old remote, the directional buttons felt loose and would sometimes lead the cursor to move in the wrong direction (up instead of left for example).  With the new remote, the directional buttons almost click and have a slight snappy push back when navigating on screen menus.  The new remote is a tad longer, but is thinner and feels good even though there are additional buttons placed across the surface.  The one thing keeping the remote from being perfect is the lack of backlit buttons, but for just about $20, the remote is more than capable given all that it can control.

As a person who spends a pretty large amount of time in front of displays (both at work and at home gaming) I have to say that the new PlayStation 3D Display is just short of spectacular.  The sounds produced are good and the visuals (both 3D and non) are a feast for the eyes.  The price is incredibly good as well right now.  Best Buy is listing it at $299, Amazon is listing it for $399.  Depending on the store, the package is still incredibly good.  A pair of glasses included, an HDMI cable, plus a game.  Sony has been promoting 3D as one of the incredible features that the PS3 is capable of, and now has given gamers a truly affordable way to get a feature that really does enhance the overall gaming experience.

Check back next month as the new tech continues to roll out.  I'll be giving a review of the new Wireless Stereo Headset once my order from Amazon arrives, as well the new PlayStation Vita as soon as that becomes available.
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Source

Hi everybody, long time no blog! ^___^
How have you all been?

Anyhow, today something very exciting happened! Me & my brother share the same PS3, and we use his e-mail for it.
He told me a few hours ago that he had received an e-mail from Ubisoft. Our PS3 ID had been one of the chosen ones to test the Assassin's Creed Revelations Beta!
You can only imagine how hyped I was! It's been painful to wait for this game to come out, and now that I get to experience some of it's features in advance, I could not be any happier.

The beta testing will start tomorrow, and end when the full game is released.(77 days?)
So, I'll be having a great 77 days of assassinating and yelling at my brothers that it's my turn now.

When I've played it enough and gathered enough info to state an opinion, I'll be making a review of some kind.
Thanks to Duchess for sharing my excitement & giving me the idea of sharing all this with you guys! ^__^

-Thudley