It’s that time of the year…COMIC-CON!

This is an exciting week. Not only because it’s the one year anniversary for this blog…but also that it coincides with the biggest geek fest in the world: SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION INTERNATIONAL!

Again, I am going into this unsure if I have a pass or not (though I have many leads working on it). This time my partner-in-Con will be Brandon, as a kinda farewell gift before he moves to the Philippines.

Here are the top 5 things I’m looking forward to this year:

1) Random acts of celebrity sightings. I only care about celebrities when they’re relevant to my life. Which is why I only care about them at Comic-Con. Last year I had people randomly walk past me (cast of The Big Bang Theory) and within visual sight (Olivia Munn). Really, there are only three people I really want to meet. Summer Glau, Kristen Bell, and Olivia Munn. I haven’t heard if Kristen Bell is going to be there, Summer Glau has a panel for her new NBC show, and Olivia Munn is usually around the G4 booth. Other than that, I’ll be okay with surprise run-ins while walking the floor.

2) Actually going to panels. The lines get long quick, so I’ll really have to be on point for this. I really want Brandon to go to the Tron panel. There’s a bunch of panels for TV shows (The Big Bang Theory), video games (Halo: Reach), and movies (Thor) I’d like to catch. There’s nothing like being in a room full of fellow fans getting excited about every little piece of spoiler information you have the privilege to receive.

3) Nerds Gone Wild! In cosplay. I’m excited to see who dresses as what. Who puts that extra effort. Who should have put less effort. Who should have came as something else. This is probably the best part of the convention.

4) Friday is Star Wars Day! Nuff’ said.

5) Sunday is the day for those looking for deals. All the big companies dump all their excess freebies. Booths are usually looking to unload all their stuff at reduced prices. Temptation is a big thing. A shrinking bank account is bigger. I look to find a healthy medium which allows me enough money to drive back home.

We’re still trying to compile our ideal Comic-Con schedule. There are also plenty of non-Comic-Con-related activities going on this well too. So I’m pretty sure no one is getting any sleep.

Last year I wanted to blog after each day. I won’t promise that this year seeing how that was an utter failure. But if I can, I will do my best. Check back!

But if you can’t go this year, G4 is going to have live coverage. It’ll be like you’re there without all the sweaty nerds!

Star Wars: The Old Republic E3 2010 Trailer

This was by far, my favorite trailer from E3. Their first one was already pretty awesome. The second one doesn’t disappoint.

I know the game play won’t look like this, but if a trailer’s job is to get people excited about a game: SOLD! And I don’t even play MMOs (massively multiplayer online game).

Even if you don’t play video games, just enjoy the visual awesomeness.

P.S.: I wonder when Luke is going to learn how to do the Jedi hadoken. I hope Yoda wrote down the code for that somewhere.

E3 2010: Top showstoppers and disappointments

If you don’t know, E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It’s an annual computer and video game trade show held at the LA Convention Center where companies show off their newest game titles and creations. It’s kinda like a Comic Con, except it’s only for folks involved in the industry (video game designers, producers, media, etc.).

I was pretty much glued to G4 last week watching E3 coverage. A lot of really good stuff came out of it, so much so that I just wasn’t able to grab my jaw off the ground and write about it.

But let’s hear from the people who were actually there.

I’m definitely looking forward to Rock Band 3 and the chance to have new instruments and even more people play together. I’ll give it to the creators, they’re really trying to keep people interested in the series.

But I don’t agree with “Too Many Sequels”. While I like seeing new and innovative games come out, I also like seeing where people can take already-established titles. It’s easy to get lazy and make a sequel stale. But I think with some upcoming games, the sequels can bring more innovation freshness than some new games. As long as there’s evolution.

Oh, and I might even consider getting a DS next year. 3-D? Are you forreal?!

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/e3-2010-top-showstoppers-and-disappointments/1402833

E3 2010: Top showstoppers and disappointments

by Ben Silverman and Mike Smith

It might be ‘game over’ for E3 2010, but gamers have plenty to look forward to. We saw a new Xbox 360 design from Microsoft, an impressive motion-control system from Sony, an absolute barnstormer of a show from Nintendo, and enough new games to keep us busy for years.

But while we were wowed by a few surprising announcements, several high-profile products were strangely MIA. Here are the top 5 surprises — and top 5 bummers — of the biggest video game spectacle of the year.

Top 5 Showstoppers

Nintendo does 3D

Think Sony is the king of 3D? So did we — until we got some face time with Nintendo’s newly unveiled 3DS handheld, the talk of E3.

Like everyone else, we were a bit skeptical of the company’s ability to cram a legit 3D experience into a handheld device without requiring special glasses or a pricey new TV.

Then we got our hands on the unit, and lo and behold, it’s a minor miracle. A simple slider lets users determine the intensity of the 3D effect; flick it to “full,” and the image suddenly gains depth, essentially rivaling the fancier 3D tech found in other devices but at a fraction of the cost. And it works incredibly well: from gunning down enemies in popular Nintendo space shooter Starfox to watching ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ the handheld’s hi-res screen handles 3D effortlessly. It is, in a word, awesome.

Nintendo has yet to announce pricing (it’s due out in March 2011), but regardless of the specifics, the 3DS looks poised to bring 3D gaming to your life without obliterating your bank account.

Rock Band gets real

The once-mighty music game genre has been limping along in the past year or so, but make no mistake: Rock Band 3 is on the case, and this time, it’s playing for real.

With two new guitar peripherals — one of which is a legit, six-string Squier Stratocaster that can be plugged into both your game console and your Marshall half-stack — developer Harmonix is hoping to give game geeks a real-world education. Not only can gamers learn how to play real guitar by plucking through the game’s ‘Pro mode’, but actual musicians can plug in and play through any of the game’s tracks alongside their plastic-peripheral-playing gamer friends. Bringing gamers and musicians together at last? Music to our ears.

Man plays Grand Theft Auto IV for 40 hours, breaks record

I’ve played video games for a few hours straight. I don’t know my record, but I do remember the sun being up, darkness, then sun rise. But for 40 hours…geez. Talk about getting caught up. And really, is this a record one should be proud about? Is it something to put on a resume? Would your parents brag about this to their friends?

I do think it’s funny that he did physical activity to train for something that requires you to sit for a long time. But based on outside appearance, he doesn’t seem out of shape.

Among the other reasons why I would never come close to this, I also get bored of things quick. I could probably play ten different games in 40 hours. That’s if I ever had the time to do that.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/man-plays-grand-theft-auto-iv-for-40-hours-breaks-record/1365827

Man plays Grand Theft Auto IV for 40 hours, breaks record

by Mike Smith

// Buzz up!

We’ve had an all-night gaming session or three in our time, but this is ridiculous.

Some records are made to be broken. By the same guy.

 

Chirantan Patnaik, a resident of Mumbai, India, became an official Guinness Record holder last month when he clocked over 40 continuous hours playing Rockstar’s 2008 smash Grand Theft Auto IV, reports GameCulture. Patnaik trained for the marathon event by running, exercising, and yoga — which no doubt prepared him well for Grand Theft Auto’s themes of running, shooting, and stealing cars.

The previous record was held by a U.S. citizen and stood at a mere 28 hours and one minute. Patnaik, who has a day job as an equities trader, isn’t done, either: he plans to challenge his own record in an attempt to make it to 48 hours.

“I enjoyed the game very much. It’s fun playing long hours. It wasn’t that exhaustive for me, as one might feel,” Patnaik told long-running Indian news channel Zeenews. Under the rules laid down by Guinness, Patnaik could take a ten-minute break every hour, but he only took four over the course of his two-day session.

How did he keep his energy levels up? “Staying away from coffee and eating dates during my game helped me to stay alert and fit,” he told Zeenews.

Maybe it’s just us, but fiber-packed snacks like dates just don’t seem like a good snack choice for a marathon like this. Chirantan, we admire your commitment…not to mention your intestinal fortitude.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 OFFICAL LAUNCH TRAILER!

Not that I have any game console that would allow me to play this, nor do I have the time to commit to playing, it is something to look forward to when I go back to San Diego. The game play centers around the “Secret War” and “Civil War” story lines, so that should provide for some interesting scenarios.  I hear they’re going to have a secret Mickey Mouse unlockable character…

Naw I’m just kidding. The first game was fun to play, I’m sure this will be a good follow up. Oh, and it comes out on Sept. 15. Let me know if you get it (so I can come over and play!)

Stressed? Try the GMA Stress Reliever!

courtesy of http://tanginamogma.co.tv/

sorry, I tried finding a way to put the flash file on here, but you have to go to the website. thanks Mark Aquino for trying to help me out!

 

Study: Games are depressing…or are they?

Man…this report makes me sad. And depressed. But I guess the ending gives me a bit of hope. Let’s not be so negative, let’s find the positive aspect of video games! I was depressed when I wasn’t playing video games, what about that!

Study: Games are depressing…or are they?

by Mike Smith

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/study-games-are-depressing-or-are-they-/1346074

The average gamer is 35, overweight, and more likely to be depressed, says a new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study, which was carried out in the Seattle-Tacoma area, found that gamers reported “lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental-health concerns.”

It also indicated a curious difference between male and female gamers: the former proved more overweight and reported more Internet usage than non-gamer men, while female gamers reported more depression and lower general health than non-gamer women.

But which comes first, the games or the poor health? The researchers hypothesized that depressed individuals might be turning to games as a means of self-medication, immersing themselves in a game’s world as a way of forgetting about real-life troubles.

“Habitual use of video games as a coping response may [provide] a genesis for obsessive-compulsive video-game playing, if not video-game addiction,” one researcher told MSNBC. The study calls for “further research among adults to clarify how to use digital opportunities more effectively to promote health and prevent disease.”

As luck would have it, a study at East Carolina University funded by Bejeweled maker Popcap Games is also investigating the possible mental health benefits of game playing. Having already discovered that Bejeweled can improve mood and heart rhythms, the Carolina group is about to embark on an investigation in an attempt to determine whether games like Bejeweled can also deliver clinically significant improvements to depression sufferers.

“The research is part of a broad array of unconventional efforts that video game companies are devising to find new markets for their products,” says Shankar Vedantam, writing this week for the Washington Post. “Many of these steps are based on the idea that depression and other disorders — as well as everyday stress and worry — involve systematic patterns of thought and self-doubt, and that games can distract people and put them in a different mental zone.”

San Diego Comic Convention International 2009: The Wrap Up (Lyle Edition)

So here we go. I’m going to talk about everything before, during, and after the Con. It’s all about the overall experience right? Feel free to fast forward to what you think are the good parts.

I lived in San Diego for 18 years of my life, but I never went to comic con. Many factors played into this:

1) I didn’t have a good grasp on my nerd identity and pride

2) I didn’t drive until I moved

3) It really wasn’t as big back then

I went to SF’s WonderCon in 2006 with my fellow Bindlestiff Nerds and I had a great time. To be in a huge room with fellow geeks was very empowering. Then I started to open up to the idea of going to Comic-Con in SD. Last year was the perfect time because I’d be in town for Shea’s wedding with a bunch of folks also planning on going. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get my hands on a pass and that weekend was so crazy that I had to choose between sleep and Comic-Con. Being the driver, I chose the latter.