Dark Wii
Posted by: kmikeym
The Wii is very "kid-friendly" and is clearly the best video game system to buy for kids. But the News Channel is sort of fucked up:
This is just a small example, but it's scrolling past as soon as you turn on your Wii! If you actually enter the News Channel it's all rapes and murders from across the globe. Dark and terrible things happening all the time... It just doesn't seem very Wii.
Design Advice: Verification Codes
Posted by: kmikeym
I don't like verification codes, but as I have seen the effects of spammers on web forms and comments and such I know they are needed. But a verification code is not a password and does not needed to be treated as "sensitive information".
I really like the conversational way that verification is handled here:
Just remember, verification doesn't have to be boring and difficult. It can be clever and fun.
Prepping For 2008 on XBOX
Posted by: kmikeym
Gaming in 2008 looks really fun. Josh pointed me to this message board thread: The xbox 360 2008 (slated!) Thread!, which loads pretty slow because it has screenshots for almost all the XBOX360 games scheduled to come out next year.
Josh noted that "Video gaming 2008 seems to consist primarily of walking in the woods."
I wanted to make a list of the games that interest me based on these screenshots as a reference to look back on later. I'll use the NetFlix system of 1 to 5 stars.
Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures: ***
I'm not really that interested in Conan, but I really liked the horse-riding of Assassin's Creed and it seems like this could be fun if they don't make the combat system stupid.
Alan Wake: ****
An image of the forest is all we get? YES PLEASE!
Alone in the dark 5: **
I'm just not a survival horror fan. But I'll give it an extra star because I think it will be fun to watch someone else play it.
Army of two: *****
A game designed for co-op mode!
Banjo kazooie 3: *
Just have no interest in this.
Battlefield: Bad company: ***
I love shooting people. I would rather shoot a person than an alien or a monster or a zombie. This looks like it's about shooting people and flying helicopters, and that seems like a fun game.
Bionic commando: ***
Why just three stars? Because while I loved Bionic Commando I was also never that good at it. I'm just not good at hard games.
Borderlands: ****
Cyber-Ninja's in the post-apocalypse? Yeah... this could be fun.
Brother in arms: Hells Highway: ***
WW2 games get boring. Yeah, you get to shoot people... but it just seems so done!
Brutal legend (psychonauts dev): *
This looks like the characters in Rock Band. It also looks and feels like a game I have seen a thousand times.
Burnout paradise: *****
I will be buying this game.
Civilization Revolution: ****
I am glad these games are coming to the XBOX. I like them.
Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath: **
I prefer turn-based strategy to "real time".
Command and Conquer: Tiberium: ***
FPS? This could be neat.
Condemned 2: bloodshot: *
Yawn.
Crash time: **
I'll probably be good with Burnout.
Culdcept saga: *
Nope. No interest in this.
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Elements: *
I like 3rd person more than 1st person, and I don't like magic and swords much.
Dark Sector: **
Eh... not for me.
Dead Island: *
Blah.
Dead Space: ****
Whoah, this looks neat.
Destroy all humans 3: ***
I've been somewhat interested in the havoc you can wreak in these games, but never played any of them. Might be fun.
Devil may cry 4: **
Maybe my roommate will get this and I can watch him play?
Dynasty warriors 6: *
Nope.
Elveon: *
I like lasers more than swords.
Endwar: ****
Now this looks good! Boom! Boom!
Fable 2: ***
I played a little of Fable 1, and it was okay. Maybe this will be better!
Farcry 2: ****
Farcry was really fun! I bet this will be as well.
Fallout 3: **
You'd think I'd like this, but it just doesn't feel/look original to me.
Fifa street 3: *
Nah, I like to be able to set the concession prices in my sports games.
Fracture: ***
This game looks like a million others, but in a way I find appealing.
Frontline: Fuel of war: ***
I think it would be fun to shoot Josh in the face in this game.
Ghostbusters 3: ***
I want my roommate to get this so i can watch him play it!
Grand theft auto 4: *****
I thought I was done with GTA, but this looks great!
GTR: *
Realism and driving don't mix.
Guilty Gear 2: Overture: *
I have no idea what this is about.
Hail to the Chimp: *
Title alone, no thanks.
Halo wars: ***
Interesting. I'm guessing this is a RTS in the HALO world...
Haze: ***
Maybe, as long as there are no monsters or stupid thing.
Hellboy: The Science of Evil: **
Not my fave comic.
Highlander: ***
I like Highlander, but I bet I won't like this game.
Huxley: ****
This looks terrible, but in a way that makes me think it would be fun to play.
Infinite undiscovery: *
Nope.
Iron Man: ****
PLEASE! be a good game!
Just cause 2: ****
Woods. Running. Okay... I'm intrigued.
Kingdom under fire: Circle of doom: *
Nope.
Left 4 Dead: ***
Will it be as good as the zombies in a mall game?
Lost odyssey: *
Lost on me.
Mafia 2: ****
Yeah! I love a sandbox driving and shooting game!
Mercenaries 2: *****
I will love this game.
Midnight club: Los Angeles: ***
Extra star for L.A.
Ninja gaiden 2: *
Nope, these games are too hard!
Operation darkness: ***
Hrm... Maybe. Maybe.
Operation flashpoint 2: ****
This looks fun to play!
Postal 3: ***
This seems to take random shooting people too far. I bet it's not good.
Project offset: **
Eh... this seems off to me. Fantasy?
Prototype: ****
I don't like monsters, but I do like running really fast and being able to throw cars and stuff.
Quake wars: *
I am bored of Quake.
Rainbow Six Vegas 2: ****
I like these games where you just get shot and die. No re-spawning, no being all gung ho. Cautious and careful is more fun.
Resident evil 5: ****
I'll probably just watch, but it will be fun!
Rise of the Argonauts: *
Oh, God no.
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy: **
I just can't imagine they could make this game any good.
Rogue Warrior: ***
This looks fun to me. What is hook I wonder? I mean, this could be any game in the world.
Sabotage: **
Something about this title and screenshot makes me think this is going to be gimmicky. If that gimmick is fun, then I might like it...
Saboteur: **
WW2 again. Ugh.
Sacred 2 : Fallen Angel: *
Nope.
Saints row 2: *****
The original was SO FUN!
Sega Superstars Tennis: *
I just see how I can get excited about tennis video games that aren't on the Wii.
Silent hill 5: *
Survival horror... I always die.
Soul calibur 4: *
More like Bore Calibur. Get it?
Splinter cell: Conviction: ****
The fact that he is throwing a chair at that man instead of shooting a gun makes me very excited.
Starwars: Force unleashed: *
I have no patience for RPGs, and I hate Star Wars now.
Street fighter 4: ***
As bad as I am at Street Fighting, this looks fun!
Supreme Commander: *
Come on, let me do this in a city and crush things!
Tales of vesperia: *
Wow. No. No.
The club: ****
I don't know what it is, but I'd like to join.
The Last Remnant: **
I'm mildly intrigued, but I bet I won't like it.
T0mb raider: Underworld: *
Nope.
Too human: *
Nope.
Top Spin 3: **
The design looks nice. But no thanks.
Turok 5: *
Dino hunting is too close to monster hunting.
Universe at War: Earth Assault: *
This looks like Command & Conquer.
Unreal tournament 3: *
Nah. Competitive shooters are made to be watched, but this does look fun.
Viking: Battle for Asgard: ***
The viking hook makes the whole fantasy thing more appealing.
Warhound: ***
Again? The woods, the gun, the FPS? Man...
World in conflict: ****
I like conflict!
iPhone Hack: Notes
Posted by: kmikeym
So I wanted to copy some text from the internet, and put it on my iPhone as a reminder. We all know you can't copy text on the iPhone, but I was on my computer! So I copied the text and then ...
Wait.
What the? Where can I put text so that it shows up on my iPhone? You can't do it!! You can't write anything on your computer and then move that text to your iPhone. That is crazy.
Your dear friend Notes McNoterson to the rescue! Who is Mr. McNoterson you ask? He is your an entry in your Address Book where you paste notes. This entry is then sync'd to your iPhone and you can view and even edit the notes.
Let's see it in action!
Yesterday on the Belmont Station Blog they mentioned Lakefront's Fuel Cafe Coffee Stout, a beer with caffeine! YES PLEASE! I want to remember that the next time I'm there, so I copy the text and paste it into the notes section of Notes McNoterson:
(I did a Google Image Search for "fancy man" to find an image.)
Next, sync your iPhone with iTunes:
And then look up Mr. McNoterson to see what you want to be reminded of:
Pow! There you have it. You now have a notes field you can edit on your iPhone or your computer and they will sync. (But really Apple, how hard would it be to just make "Notes" work?)
Ms. Pac Man (video)
Posted by: kmikeym
