Mundinator

Wii Remote Shenanigans

Don't ask, just watch.  I blame this on you, Nintendo.

Jeff Gerstmann's "Kane and Lynch" Review

So this appears to be the video that Jeff Gerstmann posted to Gamespot about Kane and Lynch that got him fired.   I didn't want to post anything about it before because lots of other people had already and I hadn't seen the video that got him fired (since Gameslut...er, spot took it down).

Yeah, I don't think any of us doubt that the review is quite on the side of kicking the game swiftly in the nutz.  I haven't played Kane and Lynch, but if Jeff is even somewhat accurate in his description of the game, its not something I am likely to enjoy either.

So, to the topic of Jeff being fired.  I don't know the details of the who and the what and the why.  I'm not going to come out and say, "Fuck you guys for firing someone for being honest!" because, frankly, I was not there.  I don't know the agreement between Jeff and Gamespot.  For all I know, they told him to write a good review because that is what they were paid for.  Dirty as it sounds, game companies pay for reviews...period.  Don't ever let that out of your mind.  Professional game review companies are generally for sale to the highest bidder.

This kinda brings to the table the question of where to really get honest reviews.  I mean, fuck, someone on a major review site was BRUTALLY HONEST and was fired.  Soooo, I have to say that this means to me that we can't trust any reviews that come from major sources, because their agenda is so important that they will fire people who do not align themselves with it.  Basically, reviews may or may not be honest and hence can no longer be trusted AT ALL. 

Look, its not like I really need reviewers to choose a game to play, but many people out there turn to these sources.  They turn to them like they turn to friends for what new game is cool out there.  Well I say that's crap.  I do have an idea on how to fix this problem, but its a secret at the moment.  It's a "Project X."  I'll leave it at that for the moment.

Other Things
I added a number of industry people I know to my blog list.  Check them out.  They have a lot of really interesting stuff to say! :)

I added Jeff's Blog to my list of links on the side...much respect for honesty.

Surfer Girl has a strange and seemingly revealing blog about industry news.  More on her soon.  I think she is really a dude, btw.  Also, seems to be someone with some connection on the inside.  Is she a recruiter?

BioShock almost didn't make the list of top selling games in the UK.  It was #10 for 360 games, but failed to appear anywhere else.  Wow...

Head Tracking for the Wii

Holy crap this has to be the coolest thing evar!  Watch the video and you will know what I mean.  Head tracking rocks.  I just have to wonder what games could possibly use this tech. 

FPS: The head movement could be used for ducking and dodging.
Boxing: OMG ducking dodging and stuff!

Ok, so I think its just too early or I'm too tired, but I can't think of a ton of applications for this tech, but it's quite cool.

I leave you with one final cool thought...imagine an entire art gallery where each picture moved like this.  Sure it would only work for one person at a time, but I think people would have so much fun playing in the gallery space.  Hmm...side project?

Wii Remote Hooked Up to XBox360

So Waru360 apparently hooked up a Wii Remote up to an XBox360 a few months ago!  A few of the people commenting on this video think it's a fake since the 360 has no libraries for dealing with bluetooth, but Waru followed up with a post providing more details.

Not exactly rocket science, but a damn cool accomplishment that wouldn't be as possible if it wasn't for XNA.