FredEffinChopin

That smug dickbag..... I'm tempted to create a nick over there just to add to the numbers of people (who should be his adoring public, in his mind) that think that he's a piece of human garbage. His presence in video game journalism is a fluke, and he's the only person who doesn't seem to realize it. When 90% of your comments are critical, it must be because everyone is an idiot but you, right Joel? What a deluded and insecure man. Congrats on the star loss, less chance you'll get mistaken for an asskisser over at Kotaku. Seems like everyone there toting a star has shit on the corners of their mouths nowadays.

Looks like a game day in Amazon's gold box. PS Move bundle going on sale @11am PDT.

Another one, just because I'm so late to the party.

Who doesn't love a redhead?

UGH wrong thread, sorry. *hangs head in shame*

GET HIM!!!!

I was floored myself. While I didn't read it in its entirety, I was going to start trying to put my observations and analysis into words that might help explain (mostly to me) what was going on in por Joel's thoroughly, successfully trolled head when he wrote that, but then I remembered what a waste of time Joel and Gawker are. It tickles me to think of how long he spent writing that and trying to make it sound intelligent, and how closely he probably watched the topic to see what kind of responses his best attempt at antagonism got. "Did anyone respect it?" He must've felt like a real maverick. Fucking pathetic, gloriously so.

Well played there, well played.

Bah, I was looking for more of a FPS/dating sim/sport/puzzle/space shooter. Why doesn't anyone cater to me any more? I'm telling you, the market has gone to the casuals.

That is some of the coolest pre-order bonus ever.

It does seem glamorous.

Dammit, none of these places on the East coast. This is the second time I have to miss out on a $50 move bundle. Oh well, I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled. After seeing that deal twice, I refuse to pay full price for it.

Wow, that's honestly one of the best reviews I've read in at least a few months. No stone left un-turned there, and all very well articulated. I'd say that's very useful to a curious party considering a purchase. As far as what I hunted this thread down to say: Despite its many shortcomings, I'm helplessly drawn to this game. I plowed through it solo quickly, and was terribly let down to find out that nobody was playing online when I was done. I mean nobody. I don't think I've seen that kind of online community since I tried to play some Chessmaster online on the PS2. This is actually worse. In Chessmater I think I encountered a total of 2 opponents in my couple of weeks of peeking in and looking for opponents. There isn't a sign of life in Brink, not one. I guess what I'm getting at here is if anyone actually plays this on PS3 and would like to team up, please send an invite. I got one dude from a trophy-boosting thread on my friend list, but I wouldn't mind a second or third, as conflicting schedules may well see to it that that guy and I never play again. I am trophy whorish at times, but I'm seriously just looking for some games here. I'm usually a late-night gamer, though I can be found at other times as well. EST.

I just can't believe how fast it's happened. Just about every console I can think of had nothing resembling a blockbuster lineup at launch. While this fate isn't that surprising (aside from the proximity to the 3DS release), I still can't believe I saw it go down, especially in the blink of an eye. While I wouldn't venture a guess as to which of these play the biggest role, it seems some combination of 1. The handheld market having their needs suited by smart phones 2. The 3D functionality and classic titles not having the appeal that Nintendo anticipated 3.The announcement of Vita's price those things had a much bigger impact than most people would've guessed. They've addressed one of those issues, I'm curious to see how things play out for them now.

Alice: Madness Returns It was neat. Seems like an easy platinum that normally I'd go for, but I don't know if I can sit through the whole thing again just yet... I don't know if it's just me, but the game was longer than I expected. I'm thinking I'll have to let this one go in favor of playing new titles, and working on my Fight Night Champion online stats.

Brink is $19.99 on Amazon today, 360 & PS3. I snagged one, what the hell. Let's hope it comes through at least a little.

It's one of my favorite lines from Doc Holiday, as portrayed by Val Kilmer in Tombstone. Here is the link (I even timestamped it for you!) for anyone who hasn't seen it and is curious.

Eddie approves of this thread. WARNING WARNING NUCLEAR ATTAAAAACK!

*sigh* Yes, I know how I'm about to make myself look. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so85zA4CzCM I rarely get upset over celebrity deaths. The only other time I can think of was when Joe Strummer passed away, as he had a profound impact on my life. While Amy did not have that kind of impact on me as a person, she certainly did establish a connection with me as a appreciative fan of her work. When someone's art is that open and personal, people can often feel like they get to know the artist on a personal level, which certainly is the case for me here. Not only did I really enjoy her music and have tremendous respect for her unique talents, but I came to love her in a fashion, and wish for the best for her. I've known girls like Amy. I've known guys like Amy, and I've identified directly with her in ways as well. While this outcome seemed inevitable in ways, it doesn't stop me from feeling sadness over thinking of how differently things might have turned out. The video is a live performance of October Song, written for her deceased bird Ava. Rest in peace sweetie, you deserve it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/15IBD8UL6F98D It has nothing to do with whether or not the word is considered a swear word. Leaning on words is just something people are inclined to do. I'd wager that some of the best critical thinkers of history, even if their areas of expertise involved written and spoken language, have some of the filthiest mouths in history. That's my take anyway. A great man (Bill Hicks) once said "What came first, the hardon or the Madonna video?" Also, not to legitimize the overuse of (perceived) offensive language, but: Language is about expression, and swearing is certainly an effective method of oiling up your point so that it'll slide neatly into the ears and consciousness of anyone listening. I will agree that some people will fall back on it for lack of any other words to draw from to express their thoughts, but those people just lack a robust vocabulary, or become too flustered when on the spot to sort their thoughts out before they begin moving their mouths. I don't think the existence of the word "fuck" is in any way responsible.

Yeah,the two are totally different worlds, besides being (despite the exclusion of a hi-hat, or any left foot activity) strikingly similar in execution. Creating sound is totally different than mimicking the physical motions that create them. RB is like karaoke where a drill sergeant with an eagle-eye is heckling you. If/when one gets used to it, playing a familiar tune can feel somewhat natural, and I often can get into it physically almost as if I'm playing, but more often it is more of a challenge than something that flows naturally. The good side of that for me was that it forced me to do things I wouldn't have done, even were I to cover the song with a group. Personally, as I'm not and never have been the most disciplined (?) drummer, if I was faced with something I couldn't pull off entirely accurately, I would just do something that sounded similar enough, rather than try to teach myself something new or familiarize myself with something that is awkward to me on the spot. RB definitely stepped my game up in some ways thanks to that gamer score-chasing/perfection mentality. The thing that makes it really annoying in certain songs, is that you know the drummer you're mimicking probably never played this the same exact way twice. Radar Love is a good example of it, twice in one song. All the dancing around on the ride isn't something that was likely deliberately written note-for-note, the drummer is just having a good time. Where one could do something indiscernible to most people while playing that song, making it an EXACT copy can make that a very challenging thing to accomplish. The second time Radar Love showcases the shortcoming of RB drums, is the end where the drummer just starts going nuts and sporadically rolling all over the place while the song breaks down. It's a little too much to be expected to perfectly duplicate someone else's wild and random playing. In my opinion anyway. The first couple of times I very briefly tried it out at friends' houses when the first RB came out, I was totally lost. Not only because the fact that reading instructions was totally unnatural seeming, but because I'm used to keeping the time as a drummer, not adapting to someone else's, or playing along to a metronome. The other problem, I came to realize later, was that (in the case of the songs I knew, which was all I attempted) my tendency was to play along as I would with the song, which doesn't fly in easy-hard modes. When I finally decided to order a RB2 bundle last summer, I decided that my best approach might be to just start playing at expert, where things would play the way they sound, and it certainly worked out. Made for a rough first week or so with a lot of songs, but most of it came more naturally than when I messed around with other difficulties. I'm fascinated by how useful of a tool it can be for learning actual drums. I have a friend with no previous drumming experience who plays on expert, and has a pretty respectable record. I had been expressing interest in seeing him try to play drums in the studio for months, and just recently he told me he had went to the studio a few times with some friends. What I didn't see coming at all was that he said he was following along with rock band tracks on the phone to aid in the drumming. While something like that did occur to me, it didn't stop it from sounding really weird. I plan on going with him the next time he and his friends jam, to observe and (hopefully) offer some tips. While I can't call it a drum trainer, the game certainly does have some sort of potential to give people a huge head start.