Atomic Playground

We're Getting The Band Back Together

2007-09-13T01:36:00.000-05:00

So, the three of you that occasionally read this blog may have noticed that it hasn't been updated in a couple of months. You probably just thought that this was another fly-by-night blog that's disappearing into the bowels of the internets as so many others have before. Well, sorry to disappoint, but not so much.

Playgrounds are a lonely place in the summer, what with all the youngin's being shipped off to camp, so we at the AP decided to take a much needed summer vacation. Consider this your notice. The plan was to resume in late August, but hey, plans change. What do you expect when you're not paying for something?

Anyway, the reason behind the delay is that the Playground's main office is relocating. New York has been good to us, but now that retirement is upon yours truly (did I mention I'm under 30? Jealous?), we're getting out of town and kicking back in the mid-west. The move should happen in the next month, and once we set up shop out there, things should get back to the normal levels of awesomeness that abound at the Atomic Playground. Check that - expect even more awesomeness than before. Yeah, that's more like it.

In the meantime, there may be a few updates between packing boxes and chasing the rats out of the building - this is New York, after all. The good news about going dark over the summer was that there was next to nothing going on, aside from some lackluster releases at the box office (Hot Rod anyone?). But now that we're swinging into the fall, good things should be a coming, so we'll have to get back to work. But not today.

So be patient - you'll be able to get your fix at the Playground again in no time. And until then, may I recommend mind altering drugs to keep you distracted? They do a body good.

Friday Freebie - There's Something To Be Said For Compatibility

2007-07-27T17:25:00.000-05:00

I'm sure at some point during your travels of the interwebs, you've come across a video (pr0n related, no doubt) that just wouldn't play on your system. Blame codecs - there's too damn many of them out there to keep up. There's Xvid, DivX, HuffYUV, and those are just some of the more popular among the internets 1337. Wouldn't it be nice to create a video that you knew would work on any PC running Windows? Sure would, and the solution is at hand:

Now, I'm no Microsoft fanboy - I'm a firm believer in the fact that Bill Gates and Google are in a race to take over the world. But I have to admit that using the Windows platform - while frustrating at times - does offer some convenience. And to that end, we have the Windows Media Encoder. This little guy is designed to take a wide variety of video files, or live capture, and transcode the file into the Windows Media Video (WMV) format. This will ensure compatibility with any PC running a modern copy of Windows, as WMV files are natively supported in Media Player.

Of course, MS is quick to tout numerous other supposed "benefits" of the WMV format, but honestly, these are no different than what any other codec creator will tell you. Nonetheless, with this program you do get a full featured interface for transcoding your files over to WMV. There are even numerous preset options for bitrates and other variables, broken up into categories based on what you plan on doing with the video (saving it to your hard drive, internet streaming, etc.). This is nice for all the noobs out there who haven't had that much experience working with video files.

Unfortunately, there are no provisions for editing video files, so you'll need to do that elsewhere. But that's not really the point of this tool. After all, if you wanted to edit and save a video in the WMV format initially, you could just use Movie Maker, which ships with every copy of XP. Instead, this tool is best for converting older files over to ensure compatibility.

Do I suggest that you convert your entire video library to WMV? Hell no. Unless you're streaming videos to an Xbox 360 or something, there's just no point. But when you need to make sure that a video will play on another machine, this is a nice way to do it.

The Windows Media Encoder homepage can be found here, and the download is right here (there's an alternate version for those of you on 64-bit OSs right here). Also, for you Vista guys, MS has noted some possible compatibility issues, so be sure to check out this Hotfix. Man, if Microsoft can't build apps for Vista, what chance to third parties have...

And for those of you wondering about a tool for audio files and the WMA format, don't bother. Despite their best efforts, Microsoft has yet to derail the MP3 train, so that's your best bet. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Tuesday Trainwreck - I Remember When Jim Carrey Was Actually Entertaining

2007-07-24T17:52:00.000-05:00

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Dumb And Dumber. The Cable Guy. These are all really good Jim Carrey movies. And it's not just a case of looking at the past through rose-colored glasses. Go back and watch any one of them, and I dare you not to laugh out loud at some point. Go ahead, watch one right now. I'll wait. I've got two hours to kill.

So, what did you think? Funny, right? I know! Now that you've enjoyed a good movie, how about some more Jim Carrey goodness, but this time in television form? Just fire up an ep of In Living Color, and bang, Fire Marshall Bill and Veracosa are taking you on a journey to comedy town. Good times (for the record, Jim was never on that show - I'm just using it as an expression). So all that begs the question - what the hell happened to Jim Carrey's career?

Oh yeah - he stopped being funny. Old Jimmy boy seemed to have more misses than hits in his recent comedy attempts (*cough* Grinch *cough*), so he finally decided to just stop trying. Can't say I blame him. I imagine that being a failure is tough. But instead of just giving up acting all together and spending his days swimming in his giant Money Bin, Jim decided to give serious acting a try. Lucky us:

The Number 23 stars Jim as a man who becomes obsessed with a book detailing all the strange coincidences having to do with the number 23 in the world. Crazy stuff basically, like when people say that the 13 stripes on the American flag signify the 13 original colonies. We all know it's for luck! Anyway, convinced that the book was written about him, Carrey slowly descends into a world of paranoid delusion, aiming to solve the fictitious mysteries put forth on its pages.

This movie isn't supposed to be a comedy, but some people do seem to find comedic undertones in Carrey's acting. I'm not convinced it's intentional though - like it or not, Carrey is a comedian at heart, and his acting style reflects it. Even when undertaking a serious role, his true nature shines through. Truth be told, that aspect does make this movie somewhat watchable, but its poor story and overall cheesy tone relegate this disk to Trainwreck status.

If you're desperate for something to watch in 10 years, and you happen to come across this one in the $2.99 bargain bin at Best Buy, you could do worse. But watching Jim Carrey in his current state is almost too painful to endure. The good old days of funnyman Jim may be gone, but I'd rather relive them through the magic of DVD than subject myself to his current offerings. Time to throw in the towel, pal, and head back to Canada - the moose will have more love for you than we will.

Friday Freebie - Ditch The Ribbon Toolbar Forever

2007-07-20T19:56:00.000-05:00

Let's face it - we all need one of those "office suite" programs every now and then. Maybe you need to write a letter to the collection agency, explaining why you're 11 months behind on those credit card payments. Or maybe you need to put together a spreadsheet so you can figure out how much crack you need to sell every month before you can afford those new rims. In any event, an office suite will be your ticket to success.

For the past hundred years or so, Microsoft Office has been the standard. It's gotten bulky and bloated over the years, and can be a real PITA sometimes, but it's fairly powerful and usually has the right tool for the job. But, it's from Microsoft - strike one. It also will cost you the price of a kidney on the black market for the all singing, all dancing version - strike two. And now, in the latest version, they did away with the familiar toolbars that everyone loves, in favor of a hip new interface called Ribbon. Yeah, nothing says hip, cool, and productive all at the same time quite like ribbons do.

But what's a boy to do? If you head down to your local Best Buy, you'll find that Office is the only game in town. Bill Gates, the 800 lb. gorilla that he is, has successfully muscled almost every other player out of the mainstream office suite market (Corel doesn't count since they're Canadian). Well, you're just looking in the wrong place. As usual, the internets delivers:

OpenOffice is a fully featured suite of programs, and it has the ability to do just about anything you can do with Microsoft's Office package. Featuring a word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation creator, drawing tools, and an equation editor, OpenOffice can effectively cover all the needs of even the most die hard consumer, and even some smaller businesses. These aren't some cheap knock off programs either - these are fully featured, developed, and tested programs.

And, the best part of this whole package is that it's free (I'm sure most of you figured that out by virtue of it being featured as this week's Freebie, but I just wanted to be clear for the glue sniffers among you). That's right, you get an entire Office replacement at no cost. And this isn't just shareware or adware - the programs are completely free and open.

Of course, Microsoft Office does offer more than you get here. For instance, there's no email client or HTML editor, but you can easily find great free versions of those types of programs on the web if you bother to look. And at least one of those has been covered in a past Freebie.

Honestly, there's no reason not to check this program out, even if you have a newer version of Office. The two programs will happily coexist, and you may find that you prefer the sleeker, simpler offerings of OpenOffice. And if you're still rocking Office 2000 or earlier, you owe it to yourself to upgrade to something more powerful. Uncle kilroy thinks you deserve it.

You can check out the OpenOffice homepage here, and the download page can be found here (another one for the FreeBSD guys out there). So go check it out, and then write me a thank you letter using your new found set of programs. Be sure to put a nice border on the letter too - maybe something with kittens.

Tuesday Trainwreck - The Reason Why Elizabeth Berkley Doesn't Have A Career Anymore

2007-07-17T17:50:00.000-05:00

1995 was a crazy year. The European Union was still forming, the Space Shuttle docked with the Mir space station for the first time, and people were setting off bombs in Oklahoma City. And there was also some court case about an ex-football player named O.J. But all that was trumped by a singular motion picture release. One film that changed the world as we know it. A mere 128 minutes that redefined everything that we thought we knew. That film - that epic - was none other than Showgirls:

In case you hadn't figured it out by now, that was my sarcastic voice. I know, it sounds a lot like my regular voice. Anyway, some genius decided that it was time to re-release Showgirls on DVD - again - so here we are, with cannon fodder.

For those of you that were living under a rock back in the year of our Yahoo!, let me break down the movie for you. Showgirls tells the story of Elizabeth Berkley trying to find work after Saved By The Bell came to a close, and she was passed over for The College Years. Undaunted, Liz bravely makes her way to Las Vegas, desperate to prove that it doesn't take a huge rack to make it in Sin City, as long as you're willing to show off what you've got. Her efforts are stymied by the incumbent slut on stage, but after pulling a Tonya Harding on the competition, and with a little help from that guy from Twin Peaks, she becomes the next big thing. Take that Tiffani-Amber Thiessen!

For some unknown reason, this flick has actually become a cult classic over the years. Personally, I think that a lot of people just have really bad taste, or haven't discovered how much more entertaining other diversions can by, like watching paint dry or needlepoint. Or maybe it's just all those guys that grew up watching SBTB can't enough of seeing Jessie's knockers on screen, and thinking about what might have been if only they had been cast over Mario Lopez as her high school love interest. Don't worry guys - he didn't touch her either. He was much too busy rubbing suntan lotion on Mark Paul Gosselarr to notice her.

Besides, everyone knows that the first season of SBTB was the best, before Jessie and Kelly showed up, when Hayley Mills taught a young Zack and Screech how to be men in this dog eat dog world. Wait, what were we discussing again?

Internet Radio Lives To Fight Another Day - And It Will Have To

2007-07-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

Many of you probably get through your day at work with a little help from internet radio - I know I do. But what you might not have known is that come Monday, there was an excellent chance that your favorite site or station would have been silent. That's because a few months back, the Copyright Royalty Board raised the costs that internet stations have to pay to SoundExchange, a rights organization that collects royalty fees for musicians and record labels. In other words, the jerks that the idiot record executives pay to rake in the dough.

One of the things that makes internet radio so popular is its diversity. Most broadcast stations occupying the airwaves today are owned by Clear Channel, which controls the playlists nationwide to make sure that "popular", big label music sells. So if your tastes differ from that of the popular kids, you're out of luck. And even if you find a station you like, odds are they'll play a lot of the same artists over and over again. I swear, every classic rock station plays at least one Led Zeppelin and one Rolling Stones song every hour. Haven't they ever heard of too much of a good thing?

Satellite radio is a little better. First off, there are more channels, so there are more opportunities for diversity. Second, the company doesn't control the playlists as tightly, so the DJs are allowed to stray from the mainstream a little more often. But, your choices are still limited, not to mention that you have to buy a new radio and pay a monthly subscription fee.

That brings us to internet radio. In contrast to broadcast and satellite, the variety is almost endless. Like bluegrass? You're covered. Jazz? No problem. Hip-hop folk? You're weird, but I'm sure it's out there somewhere. And to top it all off, most stations are free. There are always banner ads on the webpage, and sometimes there are commercials or trailers to listen to, but there's no separate subscription. All you need is a computer and an internet connection, which you already have if you're reading this. Seems like a good deal. However, this free model means that stations can't pay the same royalty rates that broadcasters with big name sponsorships can. This wouldn't be an issue, except for the fact that music labels are beginning to demand higher royalties from internet radio, since it is seen as a threat to the traditional means of delivering media.

On the downside, the sound quality isn't always top-notch. Thanks to broadband connections, this has gotten better over the years, but some smaller sites still broadcast at a low bitrate. If you're listening at low volumes in the office or through an average set of computer speakers, this won't be an issue. But there are plenty of free sites that offer high quality streams as well, though they usually don't cover quite as many of the smaller genres. Still, you'll find a more varied list of songs than you will on your local stations.

Another shortcoming is the fact that you have to be tethered to a computer to listen to the music. Sure, you can also access the sites through WiFi hotspots, but unless you live in a wired city, you won't be listening to these stations in your car or while out jogging anytime soon.

But these downsides aren't enough to deter thousands of people from logging on to sites like Pandora everyday and enjoying great music. And thankfully, that will get to continue, at least for a little while longer. Earlier this week at a Congressional hearing, SoundExchange agreed not to enforce the new royalty rates, which would have gone into effect this Monday, and instead agreed to renegotiate the rates with the internet broadcasters. What's best about this story, however, is the fact that this was made possible in part by the thousands of internet radio fans that contacted their elected representatives and spoke out about the new royalty rates.

No one wants to deny musicians and record labels their fair share, but that share shouldn't be so large that it puts an entire industry out of business. The labels need to remember that without listeners, their music would be worthless. It's also great to see that when people work together to support something they believe in, real change is possible. The fight isn't over, though. To stay updated, check out the blog by Tim Westergren, the founder of Pandora Radio. Today, internet radio. Tomorrow, the world!

Friday Freebie - Do People Even Know What Usenet Is?

2007-07-13T17:18:00.000-05:00

When people these days think about the internets, they usually just think of the world wide web. Those www addresses have become so ubiquitous, even your grandmother has one. But there's actually a lot more out there on the tube system, and it's all free for the taking. In fact, you're probably paying for access to it with your monthly broadband bill, and didn't even know it.

I'm sure most of you frequent a message forum or two on your favorite websites. These are great, but if your tastes are varied, you may find yourself browsing to a dozen sites to post all your thoughts on the moon landing hoax and that photo of Bigfoot you took on your last camping trip. Not to mention, those forums tend to be moderated pretty heavily, so you have to watch your language and what you post. Too bad there isn't a place you can go and speak your mind, not to mention break a few laws. Well, guess what - there is. It's called Usenet.

Usenet was created long before the web, and it's essentially nothing but forums. These forums are called newsgroups, and there are literally thousands of them, covering almost any topic you can imagine, and people communicate by posting messages or data. That's right, you can get pictures, music, even software from newsgroups. All you need is access to a newsgroup server, which you're probably already getting from your ISP, and a news reader program:

When it comes to Usenet programs, Xnews is the best around. This tiny little package, which is free for the taking, let's you access all the newsgroups you want to visit. Not only can you post and read messages, but uploads and downloads are quick and easy. The program also automatically recombines multipart messages, making them simple to retrieve.

I'm sure you're now asking, what the hell's a multipart message? Well, remember when I mentioned that data could be uploaded to newsgroups? This is done by storing data inside the post, not by attaching to it. The thing is, each message has a size limit, which by today's standards is fairly small. This means that a multi-megabyte file can span tens or hundreds of messages. And that's why it's important to have a robust program to download them. Xnews fits that bill nicely.

Now, concerning those downloads. As I mentioned earlier, you can find almost anything posted on newsgroups. And if you don't see what you want, you can always ask. That being said, many of the things that people get from newsgroups are not legal downloads. In other words, you can find pirated music, movies, and software rather easily. Legally I can't encourage you to go get your fill, but now that you know what's out there, I certainly can't stop you from putting that knowledge to good (bad?) use. Just be smart about what you're doing. Oh, and before I forget, there's also tons or free pron out there. TONS!

Another word of warning for you. Usenet is kind of like the wild west, meaning there's the potential for danger around every corner. There are lots of viruses and spyware out there, so make sure your scanners are up to date. Also, do not, under any circumstance, give out your personal information on these groups. This is where the real crazies live online. Of course, without risk, there is no reward.

The Xnews homepage can be found right here, and the download is right here. There's also a brief online manual, which can be found here. So have fun, but be careful. You never know what you're going to find on Usenet.

Nothing Enhances Your Gaming Experience Like A Cheap Piece Of Plastic

2007-07-12T18:36:00.000-05:00

If you're any kind of gamer, odds are you've owned numerous consoles over the years. And each of those consoles had a specific controller. But that wasn't all - it probably had some specialized controllers as well, that either came with the main unit, were bundled with a game, or were sold separately. Some of these controllers were useful, like the NES Advantage - one of my personal favorites. Some, not so much.

Light guns usually fell somewhere in between. The were hella cool, and worked pretty well. In fact, to this day, light guns are still sold for consoles in Japan. That being said, they weren't very popular. This wasn't due to a problem with the gun itself, mind you, but with the lack of software for it. When you think of light gun games, one instantly comes to mind - Duck Hunt. But can you name five? I didn't think so.

There's another problem with light guns - they only work with direct view (or CRT) televisions. This means that they're not compatible with all those fancy flat screen HDTVs that the kids are buying these days. So whatever is a game company to do? Easy - release a piece of plastic that looks like a gun. And that's exactly what Nintendo is doing. Currently dubbed the Wii Zapper, this piece is actually just a controller shell that your Wiimore and Nunchuk snap into. Essentially, it adds no functionality to a game, since it is just a hollow piece of plastic. But it looks like a gun, sort of.

The fun doesn't stop there, folks. The big N has also announced that a new version of the venerable Mario Kart series would debut on the Wii soon, and it will include a plastic steering wheel to help ease casual gamers into the driving experience. Again, the piece will just be a plastic shell that the Wiimote plugs into, and adds no actual functionality to the game.

Now I'm all for enhancing game play, but are cheap plastic accessories the way to do it? I want good games, not gimmicks. I don't see myself ever holding a toy plastic steering wheel to play Mario Kart - I've managed just fine on every other version of the game without it. And sure, I could see the Zapper being somewhat useful, but for how many games? Are people going to buy this thing just so they can download Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley (there's #2 for ya) off the Virtual Console? I guess history really does tend to repeat itself.

If we've learned one thing throughout the years in the gaming industry, it's that software is king. It doesn't matter if you have the most expensive console or the cheapest console. If you don't have any good games, you're doomed to failure. And no accessory, no matter how cheap or cool, is going to change that.

If You're Reading This Article Out Loud, You May Owe The RIAA Some Money

2007-07-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

The digital age has presented consumers with more entertainment options than anyone could have imagined twenty years ago. Video on demand, MP3s, and the internet mean that you can watch or listen to almost anything you want, anytime you want. For the consumer, this is fantastic. But for content owners like the RIAA (headed by old Mitch up there) and the MPAA, this is hell on earth.

In the analog days, there was little that could be done about people recording songs off the radio or copying a cassette. And as we transitioned to the computer age, that process only got easier. However, that digital transition also made it possible for content owners to begin flexing their muscles and restricting what the consumer could do with the content that he or she legally purchased. (For those disputing the historical accuracy of this, I concede that Macrovision was around long before digital downloads. But I'm making a point here, so pipe down.) More and more severe DRM has meant that songs purchased from internet music services, videos purchased from places like iTunes or the Xbox Marketplace, and even computer games and software, are now crippled, and can only be used in the limited scope that the content owner deems fit.

For some time now, satellite radio has found itself in the RIAA's crosshairs. This has become even more true since the XM/Sirius merger was announced, with the RIAA accusing the companies of selling equipment that infringes on the copyrights of their artists. That equipment? Digital recorders that allow you to save songs played on the air. Something you have been able to do legally with terrestrial radio for years. Of course, in the old days, when you did this using a blank cassette or music CD (different from the blank CDs for your PC), a portion of the purchase price of that blank went to the RIAA, to "offset" the loss from the sale of an official recording. So, even if you bought a blank cassette to just record some funny answering machine messages, the RIAA still got a piece of it. Sound fair? I didn't think so.

Right now, the RIAA is lobbying Congress to force the satellite radio companies to pay higher royalty rates on the songs that they play, to again "offset" this loss of a sale. Personally, I think this is nothing but extortion, as the RIAA can't prove that the song I save on my satellite radio would have translated into a sale, had I not had a satellite radio recorder. It's the same argument the movie and music industries have been using for years with regard to online piracy. When they speak about the billions of dollars lost to piracy, they're assuming that had the content not been available online, you would have bought it anyway. That's just plain ridiculous.

Not surprisingly, the RIAA already has the support of some members on Capitol Hill. In case you haven't heard, laws are generally for sale to the highest bidder. Thankfully, nothing has really been made of this yet, but it's only a matter of time before these devices are crippled further and/or taken off the market.

I know I've said it before, but if we don't do something about it, we're going to lose what little fair use rights we have left. Take a stand - contact your congressman, the FCC, and the EFF (they're the good guys in this), and let them know what you think. Together, we can make a difference. Okay, that was a little too "public service announcement" for my taste, but you get the point.

And the most ironic part about this story? I'm posting it on Fair Use Day. Don't be surprised that you've never heard of it - this isn't one of the man's favorite holidays. I had hoped to have a little celebration for it, Atomic style, but anything fun that I do here could end up getting the website shut down. So, you'll just have to celebrate on your own. Make it a good one!

Tuesday Trainwreck - Freaky, Even For A Scientologist

2007-07-10T18:16:00.000-05:00

Today's Trainwreck took a little digging to find. Usually, the weekly load of trash that is the new release bin is overflowing with junk just ripe for the picking. But this week, the disasters were few and far between. This is not because everything that was released was great, mind you. This is because almost nothing was released at all.

Blame the summer doldrums, blame E3, blame that homeless guy who lives outside of Best Buy and freaks out the delivery guy - it was just a slow week. I started in the DVD section, and try as I might, I couldn't even find a disk worth using as a coaster. I briefly moved to the hi-def DVD rack (there's just one), and almost found something worth writing about, but it just wasn't worth it. Next up was the video game section, which was so empty I could swear I heard crickets chirping within the shelves. I finally made my way to the CDs, only to find that the few new releases this week were decent. You wouldn't believe my level of disappointment. I felt like a fallen warrior - my sword broken, my horse dead, and my blood about to spill forth from my armor. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a glimmer of horror that is John Travolta in drag:

Hallelujah!, I shouted to the heavens. From out of the weeds, fate smiled upon me this day, and brought forth a CD so rotten, so putrid, so stinking of death, that it was the perfect candidate for a Trainwreck. Amongst the piddling crap that offered itself to the ignorant consumer, this wretched disk burned bright with the fires of despair. Hairspray - The Motion Picture Soundtrack, was just the ticket I needed to ride on this Trainwreck.

What is there to say about this disk that can't be imagined from just listing the performers? You've got John Travolta, Ricki "Go Ricki, Go Ricki" Lake, Brittany Snow, Queen Latifah, and, the King of Rock, Christopher Walken. Nothing says dance party like a little Chris W. pumping from the speakers! Most sane people don't even want to hear these people talk, let alone sing. Anyone who buys this disk is instantly off my Christmas card list.

Honestly, I don't know whether to advise the readers to take up arms and storm the offices of New Line for putting out this filth, or to thank them for saving my column this week. Let's just call it a draw and do nothing. Laziness is easier.

And might I recommend using the above for your wallpaper this week? Hear me out - just put it on your office computer. Then, when you start to feel like you have the worst job in the world, just look at your screen and the image of John Travolta in a wig. Not only will you feel better about the work you do, but you'll lose your appetite. It's a way to feel good and lose weight! Drop me a line if you want a high-res version - that one will make you skip dinner as well.

Cheaper, But Still Classy

2007-07-09T17:21:00.001-05:00

For weeks now, Sony has been doing its best to deny the rumors about a potential price cut on its flagship console, the PS3, in order to save the good news for this week's E3 conference. But to paraphrase Wham!, their best wasn't good enough, and the rumors continued. It got worse, in a sense, when adds for a price break on the PS3 started to leak online.

So, now it's official - the PS3 isn't quite as expensive as it used to be! Confirmed by Sony, the 60 GB version of the PS3 will now retail for $499, one hundred dollars less than its previous price. Crazy Kaz had something else up his sleeve, as Sony also took the opportunity to announce a new console variant at the now vacant $599 price point - an 80 GB version bundled with a copy of MotorStorm, one of the best games released on the PS3 to date.

Most believe that this is just the beginning of the good news from Sony. The company has been talking about a rush of new games that are set to come to the console this fall. Up until now, we haven't had too many details on some of them, but that should all change at E3.

This type of news is just what Sony needed to give its failing video game business a desperately needed shot in the arm. Only time will tell, however, if it's enough. Sony has been banking on the value of the PS3's Blu-Ray player this whole time, and so far, that gamble doesn't seem to be paying off. This price cut and a handful of new games may not be enough to pull the PS3 out of last place in the console wars at this time, but it's a step in the right direction. So start saving - sooner or later, you're going to want that black beauty.

The Nintendo Wii: Dumbing Down Video Games Since 2006

2007-07-06T20:42:00.000-05:00

In this current generation of video game consoles, there's no doubt where each box stands as far as technological prowess is concerned. On the top end, you have the PS3. It's sleek, sexy, high tech, and very expensive. It's basically that girl in high school that wouldn't give you the time of day. In the middle is the Xbox 360. It's got some looks, it enjoys a lot of activities, and doesn't mind you playing with your friends. It's the college sweetheart of consoles. And on the bottom, there's the Nintendo Wii. It's hot, cheap, and loads of fun, but definitely not something you'd want your mother to see you playing with. The Wii is that girl in the alley you gave $20 bucks to for a good time.

Now I'm not saying that the PS3 is the best console on the market - it's simply the most complex and most expensive. And as such, it doesn't exactly attract the "casual" gaming market. That's where the Wii comes in and cleans up. Everybody and their grandmother are literally playing this thing. The problem is that grandma begins to get confused when she has to start pressing a bunch of buttons. And that's when EA's Family Play comes to the rescue.

It appears the guys at EA think that, at ten buttons each, the PS3 and 360 controllers are too much for a casual gamer's mind to master. So they've solved this problem by creating games that work with the mere 6 buttons offered on the Wiimote.

EA Family Play, to be implemented on Madden NFL 08, NBA Live 08, and FIFA 08, is a control scheme that gives the player only the most "essential" controls in a game, and let's the AI do the heavy lifting. This allows grandma, the foreign girl, and that kid who fell off the slide in second grade the ability to play games that would otherwise be too complex for their feeble little minds to handle.

Now, no one is saying that sports game are easy. Indeed, there are a myriad of controls that one needs to master. But that's the point of a game like that - to give the player the type of control that they would have in the real world. Otherwise, you may as well just watch a game on TV, since you're really not in control anyway. And I'm sure this tactic will upset a lot of serious gamers at first, but to them I'll only say this: you wouldn't be caught dead playing one of these games on the Wii anyway due to the crappy graphics, so get over it. And I'm sorry to break the news to you, but if the only console you have right now is a Wii, you're not a serious gamer.

Obviously, EA is just looking for a way to get more people to buy titles that are viewed as intimidating to the casual set. But honestly, the casual gamer has no business playing this type of a game. There are plenty of games on the Wii that suit casual players, like Wii Sports and WarioWare. And I just can't see the old folks gathering round the tube at the home to play a rousing game of NBA Live. Don't you know? Grandmas can't jump.

Have A Dead Xbox 360? Don't Worry - The Boys In Redmond Will Pick Up The Tab

2007-07-06T18:12:00.000-05:00

Everyone that owns an Xbox 360 knows about the dreaded red rings of death. It's a fear we all must live with every time we fire up a game on the console. Despite this knowledge, though, Microsoft has never admitted that there's a problem with the console's design. And, that hasn't changed. What has changed, however, is what MS is doing about all those dead consoles. They're fixing them, free of charge, for three years.

In a letter posted on the official Xbox website yesterday, Peter Moore, head of the video game division at Microsoft, announced that MS would be retroactively extending the "general" hardware warranty on all Xbox 360's sold in the U.S. to three years. This is up from the current one year. What this means is that any Xbox suffering from a three red rings failure, even those purchased on launch day, will be repaired under warranty, free of charge. Even shipping will be paid.

It's important to note that this enhanced warranty only covers the three red rings problem. So, if the DVD tray mechanism in your launch console breaks tomorrow, this extended warranty probably won't cover it (try anyway - it's worth a shot). That being said, this is still phenomenal news that is long overdue.

Also, just to be clear, this warranty is fully retroactive. That means that any console owners who paid for repairs on this problem (or even just paid for shipping) will have their costs refunded. It's great to see Microsoft going the extra mile on this one.

But as I said previously, despite this announcement, Microsoft has not stated that there is a fundamental flaw with the design of the console. Instead, this was simply billed as a way of improving the customer service experience associated with 360 repairs. Moore was also not specific on the "improvements to the console" that have already been made. However, it's safe to assume that the additional heat sinks we reported on earlier are part of that package.

Whatever the reason, and whatever the spin, kudos to Microsoft and Peter Moore for stepping up to the plate and doing something about what has seemed to become an epidemic of console failures. I'll be gaming with more confidence knowing that MS has my back should my 360 decide to have a meltdown. Of course, with my luck, that meltdown will happen 3 years and 1 day after my purchase...

Friday Freebie - Access Your PC From The Far Reaches Of The Globe

2007-07-06T17:12:00.000-05:00

Assuming the far reaches of the globe are equipped with PCs and internet access, that is. But who doesn't have high speed internet these days? Hell, compared to the rest of the industrialized world, U.S. broadband isn't really the broad. But that's a rant for another article. Today, we're just looking at a little piece of software that will let you browse your photos, email, or anything else on your computer from a distance:

RealVNC is software that runs on your PC at home, and also on the PC that you are using to connect to it. VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing, which is just a fancy way of saying that you can control every aspect of your home PC from the remote computer. RealVNC creates a secure connection as well, so your data will remain private even though it's going over the public internet.

VNC software is also a good choice for remotely fixing and monitoring other computers. For instance, let's say there's a problem with your parents computer. If you installed RealVNC on it, you could access it from the comfort of your own home and possibly fix the problem, all without ever hauling your lazy butt out of the chair. Pretty slick. More experienced users also can use VNC to install updates on multiple PCs in their home, all from one machine.

There are some downsides to VNC, however. The refresh rate on the screen of the viewing PC can be poor at times, depending on the applications that are running. Also, you can watch video (though it's choppy at best), but there's no audio over VNC. Finally, you'll have to do some port forwarding on your router to access your computer from outside your local network, so if you're a networking noob, the initial setup can be a bit tricky.

Fortunately, there's an abundance of information about VNC software and configurations on the net, so the answers to most questions are just a click away. RealVNC's site also offers documentation to get you up and running.

RealVNC is available for a variety of operating systems, so you can grab your copy right here. The install is quick and easy, and before you know it, you'll be accessing all types of files from the road. Now it's up to you to find some files worth accessing.

Dear Guitar Hero, Pwnage! Sincerely, Rock Band

2007-07-05T18:29:00.000-05:00

At some point, we've all dreamed of becoming a rock god, and thanks to Guitar Hero, gamers everywhere have been able to live that dream. But now, the stakes have been raised.

We've known about Rock Band, the game that would allow you to play more than just the guitar, for some time. To be specific, it gives you lead guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, all in one package. But now we have the first game play footage, and let me tell know, it kicks some serious Guitar Hero booty.

Posted by the guys over at Destructoid earlier, this video shows just how much rockin' you and your clan of misfits can really do. The guitars are similar to what we already have with GH, but the vocals and kick ass drum set really make this package a must have.

No official prices have been announced, but early rumors are that the game and all its peripherals will run you about $200 in a single package (items should also be available separately if you don't have three friends yet, but they'll cost you more that way). That's fairly pricey, but when you consider all that you're getting, it's a good deal. Hell, you're willing to pay $130 bucks for a Spartan helmet, so stop complaining you cheap bastard.

No Metroid Prime 3 For You! At Least, Not Until August 27

2007-07-03T19:55:00.001-05:00

It's fairly common knowledge in the community right now - the Wii is in a bit of a software slump. It's cool, it happens - the PS3 has been going through it...well, forever. And now it looks like you'll have to wait even longer for a quality title to show up on the baby white box.

News broke earlier today that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption would be delayed until August 27, a week later than its previously announced release date. Not a big deal by any means, but that wasn't all. It was also confirmed by Nintendo that Metroid would not feature any type of online play. This wasn't a huge shock, but it's still a blow against a title of this potential caliber. It also begs the question - if they're not tweaking the multiplayer, what's the cause of the delay?

The big N also stated today that Super Smash Bros. Brawl would not be playable at E3 later this month. Along with Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros. is one the more anticipated titles of 2007 for the Wii. This news doesn't bode well for the franchise, as it implies that either the controls are far from perfect, or general development of the game is behind schedule. The ominous "Planned for 2007 Release" blurb on the official website doesn't exactly fill me with confidence about the release date either.

While the Wii may be currently crushing the sales figures of all the other next-gen machines, a console cannot survive on hype alone. Sooner or later, an anemic library is going to catch up to it, and when that happens, no amount of motion control will make up for the void left in your gaming schedule. I guess there's always the Virtual Console in the meantime...

Tuesday Trainwreck - Ghostbusters? Oh, Those Ghostbusters

2007-07-03T17:16:00.000-05:00

Before you start sending those angry emails or leaving some flaming comments, read the article first. It's not about the Ghostbusters that we all know and love. Those were the four guys living in the firehouse, battling the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, and watching the game with Slimer. No, these are the "other" Ghostbusters. You know, the "fake" Ghostbusters, also known as Filmation's Ghostbusters:

Filmation's Ghostbusters tells the tale of two dudes and their pet monkey (look at the picture if you don't believe me) charged with temporarily ridding the world of ghosts and goblins. They hung out in some wacky headquarters, and drove a car that could not only fly, but talk. I think the monkey talked as well, albeit in a primate accent. They battled the forces of Prime Evil, a half robot/half ghost creature bent on taking over the world with his demon army. Sounds like someone I know.

The Filmation guys were essentially the jobbers to what were billed as The Real Ghostbusters, the animated series based on the movie from the 1980s. In reality, though, Filmation's Ghostbusters (previously known as The Original Ghostbusters) was not a direct ripoff. It was based on a 1970s live action TV series. Much like most TV in the 1970s, it was terrible, which is why no one remembers it.

Though the TV series that Filmation adapted did predate the movie, and wouldn't have technically infringed on its rights, they did make one change. The original series was called The Ghost Busters - Filmation made it one word and released the series on the heels of the movie, in an attempt to capitalize on its supernatural success. They even beat the movie-based cartoon to air. Of course, all this didn't sit well with the laywers, and an expensive, pointless legal battle ensued. In the end, we were still left with two series, but they had specific names - Filmation's Ghostbusters and The Real Ghostbusters.

Nauseating legal battles aside, this series was awful. The comedy was slapstick at best, the plots were thinner than ecotoplasm, and the characters were annoying. In retrospect, though, I don't recall liking either series that much, but this one is definitely the worst of the two.

At the end of the day, this series was just a lame attempt to cash in on a franchise no one remembered by playing off a currently popular franchise that everybody loved. The truth is, had this cartoon had the opportunity to stand alone, it may have held up to the test of time a little better. Then again, a talking monkey and a robotic ghost a rarely a recipe for success.

Friday Freebie - Give That Old XP Box A Kick In The Pants And Get It Moving Again

2007-06-29T16:47:00.000-05:00

How old is the rig that you're checking out this site on right now - 3 years old? Maybe 4? I bet it's not as fast as it used to be. Just like everything else, as computers get older, they tend to get slower. And that's especially true if you don't keep up on the maintenance. There are some things you can do right through Windows to improve performance, like defragment your hard drive, and occasionally running virus and spyware scans with third-party software. But what about tracking down driver problems or disk access issues? A lot of "system suite" software utilities over to help out in this department, in return for a little green from your wallet. Or you can let Bill Gates do the work for you:

Today's Freebie is a program called Bootvis. This program was developed by Microsoft, and is supposed to help cut the startup time of your PC. Yes, I said "supposed to". Officially, MS never endorsed this tool for that purpose, mostly because depending on your configuration, not everyone will see an improvement. That's just the nature of computers. But the fact is, on a decent system in otherwise good condition, running Bootvis optimization can cut your startup times in half.

Here's how it works. Bootvis automatically reboots your computer a number of times, and "traces" each of the boots. (Tracing means that it looks at how drivers and files load, how long each of those processes takes, and how much stress the boot process places on the system.) Multiple reboots are performed to make sure that the program receives accurate information. Then, once the traces are complete, Bootvis reorganizes the files and drivers that load during startup in order to optimize your PC's potential. It also gives you some fancy graphs, like those in the screen shot above, to show you how your system boots.

Another reason that MS never officially endorsed this program is because everything that it does is done by Windows automatically every now and then, assuming you haven't disabled any necessary services. The Bootvis program just forces the optimization to happen immediately, so you tend to notice the benefits. There's no harm in running the program frequently, but you won't see noticeable improvements if you're firing it up every two weeks.

One more thing - this program only works with Windows XP. Don't try to run it on Vista or 98, or anything else. You'll probably end up wrecking your system.

The program has always been unsupported by Microsoft (like Tweak UI), but now they're not evening offering the download anymore. But don't worry, the web comes to your rescue once again. You can grab the download right here, and if that ever goes dark, a quick Google search should easily find you another download. So breathe a little bit of new life into that old machine, but remember, don't expect miracles. Bootvis simply part of a well-balanced diet for your PC.

The Wii Virtual Console - Not Just For Old Crap Anymore

2007-06-27T18:48:00.000-05:00

Since the Wii's release, people have been playing two types of games on the console: Wii Sports, and old stuff that they played when they were 8 years old. But what if the Wii is the only console you have, and you're tired of gaming like it's 1989? Don't worry - the big N's got you covered. Eventually.

Newsweek originally broke the story that has now been confirmed by Nintendo, which is that they are officially getting into the new downloadable games business. No more will the Virtual Console be populated only by 8-bit gems from yesteryear and crap you wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole when you were little. Coming in 2008 and currently known as WiiWare, the service will feature original games from all the publishers you know and tolerate like Capcom and Sega. There's no word on a pricing structure for these games, and we probably won't see that for some time, but you can bet that they'll slot in higher than the copy of Kid Chameleon you just downloaded.

We can infer some bads news from this as well. With original content making its way to the VC, it's only a matter of time before microtransactions become a part of the Nintendo world. Ironically, N's lack of innovation in the online sector has actually saved its customers from the hassles that are microtransactions, but all good things must come to an end.

People have been clamouring for original content on the VC for a while now, so this is definitely a good move. Even though Nintendo has made a bunch of money off the old games, there's still more to be had - you only have to look at the cash cow that is the Xbox Live Arcade to see that. I just hope that some of the games available for download are more entertaining and well developed than Red Steel. That shouldn't be too difficult.

Screw The Mortgage Payment - Get An iPhone!

2007-06-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

Apple knows how to make people lust after their products. They did it with the iMac, the iPod, and now comes the iPhone. I think it has to do with the "i". After all, Apple changed the name of the iTV to Apple TV at the last minute, and guess what, its sales have been somewhat less than stellar. But that won't be the case for the iPhone - people are already lining up to pay far out the ass for this little beauty.

And pay you will - the low end model costs $500, with the top of the line ringing in at a cool $600. Hmm, sounds like the same pricing structure for another much hyped piece of electronic gear. But the costs don't stop there - Apple finally released the rate plans for the phone, and the cheapest will cost you $60 bucks a month. It's $100 for the top drawer plan. Plus, AT&T is tacking on a $36 activation fee, just cause they can. And that's with a 2-year contract. For those kinds of prices, this had better be one sexy beast.

If there's one bright spot about buying an iPhone, it's that you don't have to stick around the store for an hour while the clerk activates the damn thing. Instead, just take it home, load up iTunes, and you can activate it online - pretty slick. That being said, I think most people buy their phones online these days, so activation really isn't that much of a hassle for the average joe.

So what do you do once you get your grubby little paws on the iPhone this Friday? Why, you sell it on eBay, of course. Or, if you're one of those insecure types that wants the phone to impress your friends and to compensate for your teeny weeny, you can do just about anything with it - send text messages and emails, surf the web, get directions, listen to music. Honestly, that's a pretty good feature list. I wonder if this thing makes phone calls...

There's no doubt that the iPhone is going to be the hot gadget of the year, but with the high cost of ownership and the exclusive deal with AT&T, I have to wonder just how many people will actually nut up and max out their platinum card for this puppy. You know, besides celebrities.

Tuesday Trainwreck - Would Someone Please Kill This Franchise Already?

2007-06-26T16:59:00.000-05:00

I don't know how much more of this game franchise I can take. I'm sure it would be different if I were 13 and a girl, but guess what, I'm not. I'm a red-blooded American man. When I kill something in a video game, I want to do it with a rifle, lightsaber, or chainsaw. I want the thing I'm killing to be big, mean, and ugly. And when it dies, I want it lying face down in a pool of it's own blood. But instead, I get Pokemon Battle Revolution:

Now I know some of you are going to cry foul here, given that I just devoted a Trainwreck to these cute little fighting bastards only two months ago. Well, get over it - this had to be done. Why, you ask? Simple. This game has the potential to trick innocent people - meaning non-Pokemon fans - into buying it by virtue of the fact that this is the first Wii title released in the States to support online play.

One of the biggest gripes about the Wii since its launch has been the lack of online play, so I can easily envision hoards of unsuspecting buyers grabbing this title for no other reason than to pwn a 12 year old in Uzbekistan. And that's all it takes to start down the slippery slope of having to catch them all. It's best to just let sleeping dogs lie.

On a side note, it pains me to think that this title could end up being the big seller for the Wii to date, whether or not newbies are sucked in with the promise of friend codes. After the disappointing long term sales of Zelda and Paper Mario, and RE4 failing to make a splash, this one could easily take the title. I guess there's always Wii Sports...

Finally Put That PSP To Good Use

2007-06-25T16:49:00.000-05:00

The PSP, Sony's little handheld that could but didn't, has led a tough life. Always standing in the shadows of both its older sibling, the PS2, and even its younger sibling, the PS3, not to mention feuding with the more talented handheld that lives down the street, the Nintendo DS, the PSP has never been able to carve out a niche for itself in the mainstream market. Unfortunately, that hasn't changed.

But, today's news does change things for those that believe the PSP is destined for things beyond bad ports of PS2 games and slow, clunky web browsing. To those people, homebrew is the lifeblood of this little handheld, and things are starting to look up on that front. Word is hitting the intertubes that a new exploit will allow PSP users to run homebrew code no matter what firmware their PlayStation Lite is using.

In the past, a PSP owner had to make a choice between playing the latest games and running homebrew code. That's because the homebrew exploits only ran on older firmware, while newer games forced firmware upgrades (in a move to stymie the homebrew community). Usually, that choice was easy - just about all the new games out there suck balls, so homebrew it was. But now, a new exploit called Illuminati (insert your own Tom Hanks Da Vinci Code joke here), enabled through the game Lumines, a title you should own if you already have a PSP, promises to enable homebrew apps on your PSP no matter what firmware you're rocking.

Notice I used the word "promises" - right now, the exploit does little more than launch itself on your Portable Station of Play. But this is just the first step, because if the exploit allows this code to run, it will allow anything. So, get ready to play all those old NES ROMs right along side...whatever the hell is being released for the PSP these days.

It always baffles me how a community can come out and support a device better than a manufacturer can. It's happened countless times before - there's AppleTV, the Audrey, and even the iPod, just to name a few. And now with this mod, the PSP homebrew community may finally be able to break out of the shadows. So don't put that PSP on eBay yet - good things are coming.

Looks Like You Won't Be Playing God Anytime Soon

2007-06-22T22:28:00.000-05:00

It's everyone's dream to mold the universe, and all the creatures that inhabit it, in your own image. Well, get over it, cause that's not happening in real life, and it looks like it won't be happening in video game form for a while, at least. And that's because Spore, the much anticipated game from legendary SimCity creator Will Wright, has apparently been delayed again.

Earlier this week, Kotaku reported that EA, the publisher for the title, moved the release of the game from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2009. Those details are pretty slim, and it could mean that the game will still be released next year (EA's 2009 fiscal year actually begins in 2008). Still, when you consider that many people thought we'd be playing the game by now, any delay seems like an eternity.

In the end, I don't think anyone will complain if the game delivers everything it's promising. But some questions do come to mind. Will there still be just as much buzz over this title when it's finally released, or will people have moved on? Will the title ever be released, or will it suffer the same fate as Duke Nukem Forever? Will Batman stop the Joker before he poisons Gotham? To find out the answers to these thrilling questions, tune in tomorrow - same bat time, same bat channel.

Friday Freebie - Make Windows Your B*tch

2007-06-22T16:58:00.000-05:00

Windows has a funny (meaning annoying) tendency to do whatever the hell it wants to, whether or not you want it done. It can be really frustrating when you're typing a story for your blog, only to have XP focus on a new window because a new download is starting. Maybe I minimized the window for a reason! Now you can take back some control from Bill Gates:

Tweak UI (user interface) is a tool that was released by Microsoft a few years back, and is designed to let you easily control some of the more specific behaviors of Windows without having to edit the registry. The program is part of larger suite of tools known as the Windows PowerToys, but each tool can be downloaded and installed separately.

With Tweak UI, you can adjust settings for window focus, options on the "New" context menu, set privacy settings, and more. The menus are accessed from the tree on the left - they're broken down into groups, with specific items under each heading. Changes are a simple click away.

One thing worth mentioning - although this software was created by Microsoft, it is not officially supported. So, if you make some changes and completely hose your system, you're on your own. Thankfully (for novice users), the options in Tweak UI won't really let you destroy your system for the most part. They can, however, cause some really annoying behavior depending on what you mess with. The point is, if you're not sure what something does, do a web search before messing around with it.

For those of you that may remember Tweak UI from the Windows 98 days, the program works in much the same way on XP. The one major difference is its location. Under 98, the program resided in the Control Panel. Now, you'll find it on the All Programs menu. It's six of one, half a dozen of the other once you get used to it.

Now, the bad news - Tweak UI is currently only being offered for XP. With a little searching, you should be able to find the 95/98 version if you're still living and working in the last decade. And a set of PowerToys have not yet been released for Vista, but you can expect them at some point in the not-too-distant future.

You can view all the PowerToys here, and the download for Tweak UI itself is here. Don't be afraid - stand up to Windows and show it who's the boss. It worked for Tony Danza, at least for about 8 seasons.

The Days Of Grilling Steaks On The Xbox 360 Are Coming To An End

2007-06-21T17:01:00.000-05:00

Everybody that owns an Xbox 360 knows of the dreaded three red lights of death. It's essentially your console giving you the finger and flushing your hard earned $400 bucks straight down the crapper, as it signifies the death of yet another once oh-so-mighty-and-promising next-gen game console. And the leading cause of premature 360 deaths is widely attributed to overheating. It's not good for your car, and it's not good for your console. So what can you do to help save the life of an Xbox 360 you know and love? Apparently not much, but big daddy Bill Gates seems to have the answer.

Just last week, Engadget reported that Microsoft has increased the cooling capacity of the 360 in order to extend the life of its little white fun box. A bigger heat sink and a new heat pipe seem to be the answer, and it sure looks snazzy. Time will tell if this is the panacea that the 360 has desperately needed.

So far, it's only been confirmed that refurbished 360's are getting the special cooling treatment, so there's no guarantee that the shiny new Elite you pick up next week will be a cool customer. But now that MS is finally taking action, it'll only be a matter of time before new rigs are outfitted with the industrial strength a/c unit as well.

All I can say is, it's about damn time. Overheating has been a problem with this console since day one, and it's taken a freaking year and a half for MS to do something about it. Maybe they can fix Windows next. That's only been broken for 20 years or so...

Tuesday Trainwreck - There's No Substitute For The Original

2007-06-19T14:41:00.000-05:00

The Wii generated a lot of buzz when it was first released, and sales continue to be at the top of the console charts. Unfortunately for Nintendo, most people seem to be buying the console just to play Wii Sports and Wii Play. But the big N is looking to change all that with some key game releases throughout 2007. Some of them look good. Others look like this:

Resident Evil 4 was a smash hit on the GameCube - it was arguably the best RE game to date. So, Nintendo decided that if it worked on the Cube, it'll work on the Wii. Way off the mark on that one.

Some people really enjoy the Wii's new control scheme using the Wiimote. For games like Wii Sports, the controls are intuitive and easy to grasp. For games like Madden 2007, not so much. The problem with the Wiimote is that it's not particularly accurate. It can be downright frustrating to lock on to a moving target on the screen and track it, just because the controls are too jumpy. For this reason, the Wii is not a console aimed at shooters.

Just to be clear here, the Wiimote does not work like a light gun. Those were quite accurate, because they bounced infrared light directly off the television screen. The Wiimote, however, uses motion sensors and the sensor bar to determine the controllers position in a three-dimensional space, and to determine its position and angle relative to the TV. If it sounds complex, that's because it is. The fact that it works as well as it does is a testament to Nintendo. That being said, there are limitations to the control scheme, and accuracy is one of them.

As far as the game itself is concerned, it looks and feels very much like the GC version did. And it should - aside from the control schemes, they are essentially the same game. But controls can make or break a title, and for RE4 on the Wii, they simply ruin the experience. Despite its low intro price of $30, this game is best kept on the Cube. If you haven't played the GC version, you should - you can probably pick it up for an even better price.

The Wii is bound to have some great titles eventually. Developers just need to keep the strengths and weaknesses of the Wii's controls in mind when porting a game over. Just like Wii Sports wouldn't play well on a PS2, some games just won't play well on the Wii.

Friday Freebie - Play Your Flash Movies Anywhere, Anytime

2007-06-15T17:35:00.000-05:00

Wow, deja vu. The double feature week continues right now with another Freebie to clog up your hard drive. And, because everyone loves themes, today's Freebies are related. We just looked at a way to play your Flash games from your PC, but what about your Flash movies? You know, all those clips on YouTube, Google Video, and those other sites you don't tell your girlfriend about? We've got you covered there as well:

FLV Player is a dedicated program for playing Flash movies (flv files) directly from your hard drive. No longer do you have to bookmark pages - just download the movie or grab it from your temp directory, and with this software installed, you can play it anytime you want, no internet access required.

Unlike the last program, this one does require installation, but it's quick and easy. This is also a fairly basic app, so you can't arrange fancy playlists or easily navigate through the files (though some fast forwarding and rewinding is possible). For those and even more advanced features, you'll probably have to wait for the official Adobe Media Player, set to be released later this year (we'll cover the program once it's released). But until then, this is an excellent free alternative.

You can grab this program here, and then start watching all those movies you saved but didn't know how to play. Just make sure that no one can see your monitor when you're enjoying those "special" videos.

Friday Freebie - Play Your Flash Games Anywhere, Anytime

2007-06-15T17:12:00.000-05:00

Flash can be used for either good or evil. It's good in the form of minigames that let you kill 15 minutes (or more) at work. It's evil when an entire website has been created in Flash, with menus that take forever to load and crappy background music you just can't shut off. Not to mention, the sites don't work with your phone or PDA. More often than not, evil wins out on the web. But once in a while, you stumble upon a Flash game that reminds you why this software does actually have some redeeming qualities.

So what happens when you find a game you like, and you want to keep it locally on your hard drive for when you're out of Wi-Fi access range? Easy enough - just copy the game file out of your temp directory, and you're good to go. But in order to play that game later, you have to use your browser, which is a pain. Wouldn't it be nice to have a dedicated, stand alone Flash player that you could associate with these games, so all you have to do is click the game icon to start playing? Well, ask and you shall receive:

The Adobe Flash Player is a stand alone app designed to play Flash content (swf files) outside of your browser. The program is a single file that requires no installation - just copy it to wherever you want it to live on your hard drive, double click the exe file to associate Flash content with the program, and you're set. From that point on, all swf files opened from your hard drive will open in the Flash Player. Quick and easy.

Officially, this player is billed as a debugger for Flash creators, so they don't have to mess around with embedding their Flash programs in web pages just to test them. But, it works perfectly well as a stand alone player, so why not make use of it?

One word of warning - it's best to follow the steps above for saving and associating the file types. If you open the exe file and then move it, Windows may not be able to find the program, and then you'll be forced to edit the registry (or perform some trickery) to get things working again. Bottom line - just save the file somewhere other than your desktop before opening it, and you should have no problems.

The download page can be found here, and a direct link to the Windows version is here (the descriptions on the download page are a little confusing). A Mac version is available as well. So go ahead and save those Flash games, cause now you can play them anytime you want, online or off. Who says you can only waste time at work?

I Hope They Give Her A Skimpy Costume

2007-06-13T18:34:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, the CW drama Smallville, the show about Superman's coming of age, is still on the air. At this point, I'm not sure who's watching it. Don't get me wrong - the show started off great. But it's been a tough road over the years. The mythos of the Man of Steel is long and detailed, so there's only so much that can be done before you start stepping on toes and pissing people off. The other side of that is the show has spent many seasons doing nothing - story arks that go on for half the year are conveniently wiped out just before the point of no return, which usually doesn't sit well with the more general, non-comic fan part of the audience.

For the past couple of years, the formula for keeping the show going has been to involve other DC characters in the mix. Lois Lane became a regular, and we've seen guest appearances by Aquaman, The Flash, Green Arrow, and a few other lesser heroes that no one really cares about. They even started the Justice League, which was really lame.

And word has just dropped that it'll be more of the same next season. In an official press release, it was announced that Supergirl would be joining the cast. There have been multiple back stories for this character, but the one they're going with is that she's Clark's cousin from Krypton, and she has all of Kal-El's abilities. The distinction is important - this means she can fly, something that Clark has yet to do in the series. If you ask me, it's about time he started. Flying is the coolest part of being Superman. Well, that and the x-ray vision.

The release doesn't mention who'll be playing the role, but it should be a hottie. Supergirl has been portrayed by some foxes over the years, and is usually drop dead gorgeous in comic form.

Despite the "boring" persona that many attribute to the character, Supergirl has always been one of my favorites. There's just something about a hot chick that can bend steel - know what I mean? I don't think this will be anywhere near enough to please the dissolving fan base of the show, but I'm sure as hell happy about the announcement. I wonder how long it will be before someone pitches a show about Black Cat or Black Canary...

I Wonder If Super Smash Bros Brawl Will Work With My NES Advantage...

2007-06-12T18:46:00.000-05:00

At this rate, it may just happen. The Wiimote is a revolutionary control scheme. Unfortunately, revolutionary does not necessarily mean good. For every fanboy out there that loves the damn thing, there's someone who just can't get used to it. Beyond that, the type of motion control offered by Nintendo doesn't necessarily lend itself to all styles of gameplay. For instance, it's essentially useless in that Mario text adventure game. You know, Super Paper Mario?

For some time, we've known that the next Smash Bros. sequel would be released on the Wii in 2007. What we didn't know was how the game would be controlled. Early reports had it that a GameCube controller would be necessary to play the game. Of course, that doesn't really help the big N in the argument against the Wii being nothing but two GameCubes duct taped together. So, through whatever engineering wizardry they could muster, we now have confirmation that the game can be played through no less than 4 - yes, four - control schemes.

In a post on the official Smash Bros. website, Nintendo is stating that the game will be playable (1) with the Wii controller and nunchuk, (2) with the Wii controller turned on its side, (3) with the Classic Controller, and (4) with the GameCube controller. Interesting stuff, but let's be clear here - options 2, 3, and 4 are essentially the same, with option 2 suffering from a slight button deficit. My thinking here is that the game is probably best played with the standard style control system, but may be passable with the Wiimote/nunchuk combo. Of course, there's no confirmation that the combo will even use the motion sensing functionality of the controller, so that may have been implemented for just the analog stick and extra buttons.

We won't know which controller works best until the game is released, but since it was designed from day 1 with the GC controller in mind, I'm guessing that'll be the pad of choice. Too bad, cause I hate that controller - I've just never been able to get used to the button layout. Of course, I'm not too fond of the Wiimote either. Here's hoping the Classic Controller is passable.

At the end of the day, choice is a good thing, and it's good to see that Nintendo isn't requiring that customers purchase a last gen controller to use a next gen game. Still, if these control schemes are just half-assed attempts at using the Wiimote, that may be worse than not having them at all. The controls are arguably the most important aspect of a game. Without those, you're just watching bad TV.

Tuesday Trainwreck - The Only Thing Evil About This Movie Is That They're Charging For It

2007-06-12T17:28:00.001-05:00

What's this - two Trainwrecks in a row? That's right. Due to our MIA status last week, I mentioned that some double features were in order. So here we are, second round. This is a great opportunity, since we can explore the worst from both video games and DVDs. We've already covered the trash that is the Rise of the Silver Surfer game, so let's move on to some craptacular cinema - Primeval:

Let's jump right into the plot. Don't worry - the water's shallow. This movie is based on the true story of a 23 foot long man-eating crocodile. Essentially, we follow a news crew that travels to the African jungles. Their mission is to catch the creature on tape, and maybe even capture this beast, to exploit him and make some money. These are American journalists, after all. Now, what a news crew knows about hunting or croc wrangling, I'll never know. Maybe they watched Crocodile Dundee before they left.

Anyway, it turns out they're not the only ones hunting in this jungle - the croc, known by the locals as "Gustave" (strikes fear in your heart, doesn't it?), is fixing to make our crack team of heroes his main course. There's a lot of back of forth with this, and the team has a bunch of encounters with the croc. Oh, and there's also a civil war going on too. I don't think this movie was sponsored by the African Board of Tourism.

In the end, Gustave eats a bunch of people, and we all have a good laugh at the fact that this is the career that Dominic Purcell made out of his Prison Break fame. Good times.

To be fair, there's a lot of action in this movie, and I wouldn't throw Brooke Langton out of bed. Until I was done with her, at least. But the plot is just too weak to get you really involved in the movie. This is the kind of thing you watch on HBO at 2 a.m. when nothing else is on - assuming you haven't already cancelled your subscription. So find something better to spend your drug money on - like drugs.

Tuesday Trainwreck - Not Nearly As Fantastic As You Hoped

2007-06-12T16:59:00.000-05:00

I'm just going to come right out and say it - movie tie-in games suck. It started with the E.T. game for the Atari some 25 years ago, and until people stop shelling out their hard earned cash for this crap, it'll never end. That's what brings us to Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer:

Now you'll notice from the box art that I've singled out the Xbox 360 version of the game. I thought of making it more generic, since honestly, this Trainwreck applies to all versions, but I decided to leave it in to prove a point. Some people are going to buy this game because they're FF nuts, and there's nothing I can do about that. But, I may be able to stop them from shelling out a full $60 for this title, and instead convince them that parting with only $40 for the PS2 is somewhat less painful. For the rest - just avoid the game on all platforms.

Movie games are essentially doomed right from the beginning. They have less development time, the designers working on the game are usually not the pick of the litter, and the story is somewhat closed, since it usually has to relate to the movie in some way. Also, the game is usually designed from the most basic perspective possible, to make it easier to port to every console, portable, and cell phone on the market. All those factors add up to a game that just doesn't cut the mustard.

In all honesty, I'm not even sure why this movie was made. I'm a FF fan, no doubt, and I was excited about the first movie, but like most I considered it a letdown. As far as this sequel is concerned, I'll definitely see it, but I don't have high hopes. And if the movie is going to be bad, you can only imagine what kind of a disaster the game must be.

If you're going to spend money on anything relating to FF, go see the movie. The special effects should be outstanding - especially the Surfer - and Jessica Alba is a stone hottie. But even 360 graphics don't do her justice. Marvin and Tammi said it best - "Ain't nothing like the real thing".

You Got Apple In My Windows!

2007-06-11T16:55:00.000-05:00

So let's say you're a PC guy, but you've kind of got a thing for Steve Jobs. It's okay. I don't swing from that side of the plate myself, but there's nothing wrong with having a man crush. *cough*Gay*cough* Excuse me.

So what's a boy to do? Abandon the PC world entirely and become a loyal Mac user? Hell no. Are you crazy? Instead, just grab enough Apple gear to make you feel hip and trendy, and to bring you a step closer to your personal lord and savior, the turtle-necked one. But until now, that gear has been few and far between. Sure, you can snatch up an iPod with all the trimmings, and there's iTunes and QuickTime - does anyone on a PC use QT? - but what about the basics, like a browser? Well, rejoice - your time has come.

In his infinite wisdom, Jobs has decided to take on MS in their own backyard. That's right - you can now get Safari, Apple's home-grown browser, for XP and Vista (in beta form, for now). No more must you suffer with regular IE and Firefox offerings - now you can browse like an Apple god.

For anyone who's used Safari on the Mac, you know that it's a very good piece of software. It's certainly the browser of choice on OS X, but I think that's because many Mac users probably haven't given Firefox a fair shake. Still, it'll be interesting to see if Apple can make a dent in the Windows browser market.

Historically, Apple has had little reason to compete in the Windows arena. They've always been more focused on bringing users over to their own walled garden, as opposed to venturing out and sharing their goods with others. That's part of the reason I've never been a Mac fan - that and the fact that the machines seem too simplistic. I mean, why can't they just put a damn eject button on the front of the box? I'm sure they could design a nice touch-sensitive button that would look great and add $100 to the selling price of the rig. But this is a topic for another article.

You can grab the beta here, with or without QT bundled (go without). Who knows - maybe a little Apple is just what Windows needs to spice things up a bit.

We Built This Famicom On A Ton Of Games

2007-06-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

Some people have way too much time on their hands. The above video is proof of that - it's a compilation of title screens for every game released on the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES), in chronological order of release, and set to one hell of a tune. And you thought you knew a lot about import video games...

CBS Now Resumes Your Coverage Of World War III

2007-06-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

The TV viewing audience is a vocal bunch. When something pisses them off, they tend to raise a little hell about it. Sometimes that's a bad thing. I mean, be honest - in retrospect, was another season or two of Roswell really a good idea? But sometimes, the crazy viewers who won't take no for an answer get it right. And that was the case with Jericho.

For those of you that haven't been acquainted, Jericho tells the tale about a town struggling for survival in a post-apocalyptic America. It's a powerful premise, and something that hasn't really been seen on TV before. So, as expected, it generated a lot of pre-season buzz last fall. Whether the show lived up to that buzz, however, is a matter of opinion.

The show started fairly strong - the premise was enough to hook most people. Unfortunately, it got a little sappy around mid-season, and some viewers started to lose interest. That's too bad, because despite the down-turn in action, the writing and acting were still top notch. However, that change isn't what caused the most significant loss in viewers - the three month hiatus took care of that.

In their infinite wisdom, the CBS execs decided that they wouldn't "over saturate" the public with too much Jericho. So, instead of airing the series between the months of December through February, they aired crappy specials, mid-season junk, and cheap reality TV in its place. When Jericho finally returned, many viewers had lost track of the show, and just didn't get back into it. The worst part? The final episodes of the season were some of the best. Each show was filled with real tension and serious issues that kept you wanting more. This was truly the best show of the season that no one was watching.

As a result of the lackluster ratings for the second half of the year, CBS canned the show just before announcing this year's fall lineup. But the Jericho faithful held strong, and to show their support, sent nuts to the CBS offices (because they were nuts to cancel the show - get it?). And, much like it did for the original Star Trek series back in 1967, the campaign worked. Earlier this week, CBS officially announced that Jericho would return as a mid-season replacement due to the support of the viewers.

This is good news for a deserving TV show. In this day and age, good TV is hard to find. But Jericho consistently delivers. Look for this one when it returns for season 2. And if you missed any of season 1, consider picking up the DVD box set when it's released, probably later this year.

As a grateful viewer, thanks to everyone that helped to bring back one of my favorite shows of the season. Now if we could just kill that stupid Heroes spin-off scheduled for next season...

Note - Speaking of returning from the dead, some of you may have noticed a distinct lack of posts on the Playground this week. This was not a planned absence, but sometimes, recess does get cancelled. I'm happy to report that the troubles are over, however, and things should return to normal first thing next week. We're already planning some double features to make up for the lack of them this week, so don't worry - the kidd always delivers. Thanks for hanging in.

I Want My Wii Lightsaber!

2007-06-01T23:16:00.000-05:00

As soon as the Wiimote was revealed, one word sprang into every sci-fi geeks mind - lightsaber. It was so obvious - if the controller can be held as a bat, or a tennis racket, then there's no reason it couldn't be held as a lightsaber. Hell, it's so obvious that they should have had a launch game for it. But for months now, we've heard the sound of silence on this topic, instead of the gentle hum of the Jedi weapon of choice.

Finally, it seems that someone is chiming in on the topic. In an article published over on Fin24, the head of LucasArts stated that "a Wii game that lets players wield virtual light sabers is on the horizon". All I can say is, it damn well better be.

There are no details on the game itself, so allow me to offer a few ideas. It should not be a "traditional" Star Wars game. I don't care about flying the Millennium Falcon with the Wiimote. I don't want to guide some no-name Jedi on a quest to find some crystals. This game should be a straight-up lightsaber fighting game, Mortal Kombat style. Include everyone who's ever used a lightsaber - Luke, Vader, Maul, Obi-Wan - and make them all playable. Make it tournament style, and include online multiplayer. And that's it. Do that, and you'll make a ton of money.

Please LucasArts, don't let us down like you have so many times in the past. Just make it good, and make it quick - my Wii is collecting dust faster than my PS3, and that thing is a dust magnet.

You Can't Work Your Stick In This Car

2007-06-01T18:25:00.000-05:00

Anyone that's ever driven in a Jaguar knows that they have one of the stupidest transmission selectors in the world - the "J-Gate". It's big, it's clunky, and it's a total pain to use. So, when word got out that the company was finally doing away with it, people were excited. Now we see what the replacement is, and people are...confused. That's a good word for it.

Pictured above is Jag's new selector. As you can see, it's no longer a stick, but a knob of some kind. While Jag has yet to make an official announcement on how it works, the popular theory is that you simply turn it to select a gear. Makes sense, but damn if it's not weird looking.

The cool part of the setup are the concentric rings around the knob. When the car is turned off, the rings rise up flat with the knob, creating an aluminum "panel" of sorts and preventing the knob from being turned. Then, when you start the car again, the rings drop down, restoring access to the selector.

The whole setup is somewhat futuristic. When was the last time you saw this on a car? Never, that's when. But at the same time, it's somewhat nostalgic. The whole thing is reminiscent of the 1982 flick Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, since it's the same control seen on the fictional "Genesis Device" in the movie. As far as I know, there have been no marketing tie ins yet, but Ricardo Montalban is reportedly available for work.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go polish my knob.

Friday Freebie - A New Way To Get Your Spam On

2007-06-01T17:16:00.000-05:00

So you're not that into the webmail scene. It's cool, I hear ya. There's a lot to be said for "old fashioned", pop3 email accounts. But most pop3 users are still messing with Outlook Express, since that's what their ISP had them install to setup the account. And don't get me wrong - OE is a decent program, if not a little bloated, buggy, and unstable. You do have alternatives, though, and one of them is Thunderbird:

From Mozilla, the same folks that brought you Firefox, Thunderbird is a free email client for your PC or Mac. It features all the basic things you've come to expect from an email client, such as tagging, searching, message templates, signatures - it's all there. Plus, it's a small, streamlined piece of software, so you can load it fast and work quickly.

Now let's say you have both a pop3 and a Gmail account, as most of us do. Thunderbird has you covered there as well. It has the ability to access both pop3 and webmail services, so you can view all your messages through a single interface. No more bouncing between programs just to send pictures of your kid to everyone in the universe.

Migrating between email clients can be a bit of a pain, so make sure you give this program a run through before you decide to officially make the switch. But this is definitely worth your time, so go grab the download right now. Then send me an email to let me know what you think, but don't include pictures of your kid. I only accept pics of funny cats and naked ladies.

The Future Of Nintendo, According To Some Random, Anonymous Dude On The Internet

2007-05-31T18:53:00.000-05:00

The internet is great. It allows all sorts of information and facts to make their way across the world in seconds. It also means that any schmuck with a keyboard can post whatever random thought he wants for millions to see. This site is proof of that.

Nintendo recently held a media summit, aka a "pre-E3 showing off for the press on our own terms" event. Here, they supposedly displayed the games that were on tap for the rest of 2007, as well as a few teasers for what 2008 would hold. Of course, all this information is very hush hush, held secret under embargoes and non-disclosure agreements. But that didn't stop an alleged attendee from posting the big N's secrets for all to see.

In a story that appeared on Nintendo Galaxy this weekend, the poster claimed knowledge of release dates for games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl (11/12/07) and Super Mario Galaxy (12/10/07), as well as providing details on these games and Metroid Prime 3. And for 2008, he claimed that new Animal Crossing and Mario Kart titles, just to name a few, would be on the way.

By far, though, the biggest piece of "news" in his post had to do with a short teaser trailer for what the poster claimed is a new Zelda game, presumably for the Wii. Now this is were I call shenanigans. Everything up to this point was somewhat believable. But a new Zelda game? Granted, Twilight Princess hasn't exactly been a smash hit for the Wii - it is just a souped-up GameCube game, after all - but it's only been on shelves for 7 months. If a new Zelda game is in the works, it has to be a good 2-3 years off.

Honestly, this is all probably just a bunch of net bull. But it's still fun to talk about. And who knows? Come July, maybe we'll all be talking about the brave soul that defied Nintendo and brought us this golden information early. Then again, maybe monkeys will fly out of my ass.

The Entire Star Wars Epic, Episodes I-VI, All On One Disk!

2007-05-31T17:46:00.000-05:00

Too bad we're not talking about the movies. But hey, at least I got your attention. As we all know, Star Wars celebrated its 30th anniversary last Friday. And with timing being everything and all, Traveller's Tales took it upon themselves last week to announce the latest game in the Lego Star Wars franchise.

As I alluded to in my ever-so-deceptive title, this as-yet untitled game will span the entire Star Wars movie epic, and will include characters and stories from all six episodes. But, as Ars Technica reported, this is not just a rehash of the existing two titles. The levels from the previous games will be altered, and there will be new content as well. The multiplayer will also be enhanced, with online play available using the PS3 or Xbox 360.

Despite the potential for some been there, done that moments, this is sure to be a must have title. The Lego Star Wars games are great fun, if a little too simplistic at times. Still, what other game has a playable Chewbacca character that rips the arms off of his enemies? Wookies rule.

There's no release date on this one yet, but look for this to hit before the end of the year. And if you're a little short on cash at release time, just use the Jedi mind trick on the guy at the store.

P.S. - I'd just like to mention that this is the 100th post here at the Atomic Playground. It's taken a couple of months to get here, but this is a true milestone. A special thanks to all the readers for coming by and hanging out on the Playground, and thanks to everyone working behind the scenes and keeping this place going. Next stop - 1000!

Give Your Computer All The TV It Can Handle

2007-05-29T19:01:00.000-05:00

At least, that's the theory. You know that fancy digital cable feed that brings all 37 HBO channels into your house (and Spice, of course)? Well, it doesn't play well with your PC. See, the cable industry thinks you're a pirate, and that, if given the chance, you will make it your life's mission to upload as much of that digital cable feed to the internet for other pirates to download and enjoy. And because of that, they hate you and want to make your life a living hell.

Enter CableCards - the solution to the set top box dilemma. Sort of. In theory, the CableCard is supposed to allow you to use the tuner built in to your TV and recording devices to actually - get this - watch and record TV, without a pesky cable box and cable box rental fee screwing things up. But there are a few catches.

First, you need a cable card for every device that you want to watch and/or record TV on. Second, those cards aren't free - you rent them from your provider, just like the box. Third, the cards don't support interactive services like video on demand, so if you're a VOD junkie, you'll still need a box. And, last but not least, the stupid things don't really work that well.

Case in point - people have been waiting for CableCard tuners to come to the PC for some time, so users of Microsoft's Windows Media Center could watch and record their digital cable feeds. Well, the devices are finally poised to come to market, but as a report on Engadget shows us, these things aren't necessarily ready for prime time.

The guys tried to setup two separate installations. One went by the book, and was quick and easy. The other? After two days, the CableCard still wasn't working properly. And this wasn't with Joe Blow trying to install it - this was with big-wigs from MS and Time Warner Cable on hand. Good show guys.

Thanks to their piracy fears, studios and IP holders have made the simple act of watching and recording TV needlessly complicated. Does anyone remember the day when you took something out the box, plugged it in, and it just worked and did everything that is was supposed to? Yeah, neither do I, but my grandpa tells me those days were awesome.

Oh, and for those of you still scratching your heads and pretending like you aren't really a nerd, the picture above is ATi's CableCard adapter for Vista PCs. Don't lie - you knew all along.

Haven't We Rocked Out Enough?

2007-05-29T18:44:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or does it seem like there's a new Guitar Hero announcement every other week? Who knew that all it took to take over the video game industry was a cheap plastic guitar. Well, actually, I guess it takes three cheap plastic guitars.

We knew that Guitar Hero 3 would be making its way to your next gen console of choice before the holiday shopping season began, but now we have a few more details. First up, wireless controllers have been confirmed for the big three - the PS3, 360, and Wii. Honestly, I'm surprised about the announcement for the 360, but pleasantly. And for those of you still rocking the old school PS2, some good news - your existing controller will work with the new game.

Next up is a partial track list for the game. Here's what has been confirmed so far:

Paint It Black (The Rolling Stones)
Cherub Rock (Smashing Pumpkins)
Sabotage (Beastie Boys)
The Metal (Tenacious D)
My Name is Jonas (Weezer)
Knights of Cydonia (Muse)
Rock And Roll All Nite (Kiss)
School’s Out (Alice Cooper)
Slow Ride (Fog Hat)
Cult of Personality (Living Colour)
Barracuda (Heart)

There are definitely some great bands listed above, but many of the songs are just...meh. I'm sure the best is yet to come, buy still, the best Weezer song they could come up with was My Name Is Jonas?

What do you guys think of the song list? Is this just the first bomb RO will be dropping, or is the franchise starting to lose the fire?

Tuesday Trainwreck - Who Got The Hooch?

2007-05-29T17:18:00.000-05:00

The AP crew is back from our long weekend (Happy Memorial Day, by the way), ready to get back to the important task of writing about rumors and reviewing trash. Hey, if we don't do it, and the other ten million sites out there don't either, then who will? Let's not find out. So with that, let's get back to business.

A word on this trainwreck, however - I contemplated switching this column to a Wednesday Trainwreck this week for a couple of reasons. First, the hangover hasn't really gone away yet, despite the fact that it's now Tuesday afternoon. Damn you Jack Daniels! Too loud. Second, and perhaps more relevant to the feature, is that almost nothing being released this week will actually be available today. Because of Monday's holiday, most items are just being shipped out to retailers today, and won't hit the shelves until tomorrow.

Then I realized - this is an excellent chance for a preemptive strike. See, by the time all three of you read this column on a normal Tuesday, you've already had the chance to go out and buy the very thing I'm telling you not to buy. But this week, you'll be an informed consumer. You're welcome. Don't get the wrong idea, though - I'm not moving this feature to Monday. Monday's suck enough as it is, without the demands of a feature series that has to be published. Besides, Monday Trainwreck just doesn't have the same ring to it. I'd have to change the column to something like Monday Melee, which is totally gay, and would also mean that I've have to create a new graphic. Pass.

Okay, enough rambling - that was supposed to be one paragraph. So let's jump right into it:

Yes movie lovers, this week's trainwreck is Basic Instinct. But not just any version - this is the hi-def Blu-Ray edition of Basic Instinct. Think about what that means for a minute.

Now I know there are probably a bunch of you out there right now calling me an ass on this one. For a lot of 20-something guys, this was their first big screen look at lady parts in all their glory. But realize what we're talking about here - these are Sharon Stone's lady parts. In hi def. This woman is old enough to be your mother.

Granted, she was still pretty hot when this movie was filmed, so it's not all bad. But when you combine 49-year-old hooch with a shitty script, poor acting, and the skinny Rice-A-Roni guy, you don't have something worth wasting $30 bucks over. Besides, didn't you already buy this movie when the special edition DVD with the ice pick came out?

Bottom line, you've seen Sharon's va-jay-jay more times than you've needed to at this point, so it's time to move on to greener pastures. And I don't mean Britney Spears.

Happy 30th Anniversary Star Wars

2007-05-25T16:52:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's been this long, but it's true. 30 years ago, in a movie theater far, far away, a legend was born. And that legend was Star Wars. Ever since that day, we've been obsessed with lightsabers, the Millennium Falcon, and of course, Darth Vader. This series has touched the life of almost everyone in this country, and even the world. And because of that, we need to celebrate geek style. Let the internet festivities begin!

First, go take The Ultimate Star Wars Personality Test and find out your true identity in the Star Wars universe. If you turn out to be Queen Amidala, you have my condolences.

Next, get yourself some learning over at the Star Wars Wikipedia page. Whether you're a noob or a nerd, you'll find out something that you didn't know. Then you can wow your guild with some mad knowledge.

After Wiki, go get yourself some Star Wars wallpaper so you can decorate your desktop with style. There are literally hundreds of wallpapers available, so you should have no trouble finding something to satisfy even the most discerning wookie. And guys, if you can't find what you're looking for, I've got you covered. Finding the right image is as easy as counting to 1, 2, 3, and 4. You're welcome.

Now it's time to rock out. And for that, we've got one of the best Star Wars rap songs ever - it's Fett's Vette, by mc chris. Even Vader would appreciate the skills on this track.

Then finally, come back here and share your favorite Star Wars moment with the rest of the Atomic Playground community via the comments section. What's my favorite? Easy - Slave Leia. Oh yeah. As for second favorite - the end of Empire, and the battle between Luke and Vader. It's classic.

So enjoy all the Star Wars goodness that the net has to offer. Later this evening, be sure to check out our friends over on G4. Attack of the Show! will kick off a 2 hour Star Wars special at 7 pm ET, followed by a Star Wars themed X-Play at 9 pm ET. Our friends over at Epileptic Gaming will also have some special Star Wars coverage tonight, and they go live at 7 pm ET.

And in case you were wondering just what Star Wars character the kidd is, wonder no more:

I'm Han Solo baby! Send your princesses this way.

And, of course, what would a special occasion be on the Playground without a video. So, for your viewing pleasure, may I present a classic:

Obi-Wan would be proud, young master Jedi.

May the force be with you.

Friday Freebie - Special Star Wars Anniversary Edition

2007-05-25T12:22:00.000-05:00

For those of you not on a first name basis with the Sith Lord, today is a special day for Star Wars. On this day, 30 years ago, the first Star Wars movie (Episode IV) opened in the United States. Since then, it's been a defining force in our culture, and the phenomenon continues today. So, keeping this in mind, I felt that a special Star Wars edition of the Friday Freebie was in order.

Not many things in the Star Wars universe are free. Turns out, George Lucas has really cornered the market on getting money out of people for the same thing over and over again. But if you look hard enough, you can find something cool that doesn't cost a dime.

So what is a fanboy to do when you want to show your love for all things Star Wars, in vehicle form, but can't scrape up the cash for one of those fancy Lego kits or some "official" Hasbro goodness? You make one yourself out of paper. See, you can find anything on the internet:

The Movie Paper Craft Gallery is your stop when you want to make a Star Wars model on the cheap. They have kits for all your favorite vehicles, including the massive AT-AT (shown above), the even more massive Imperial Star Destroyer, and everyones favorite, the Millennium Falcon. All you need to supply is paper, scissors, tape, glue, and a hell of a lot of patience.

These kits certainly aren't easy, but making something this complex out of paper is pretty cool. Not to mention, you're wallet is not $50 lighter, which is always a plus. So take your time, and have some fun with them.

There's even more Star Wars fun to come, so be sure to check back at the Atomic Playground later in the day for the main course. Until then, start folding!

The PS3 Is An Even Better Media Console - Too Bad There Are Still No Games For It

2007-05-24T18:11:00.000-05:00

Say what you will about the PS3 - it's expensive, it's big, it's a dust magnet - it's one powerful console. And Sony just keeps making it more powerful. Case in point - firmware 1.8 was just released, and it effectively turns the PS3 into an upscaling DVD player. The back catalog of PS1 and PS2 games will also be upscaled to HD resolutions with this firmware, so across the board, the PS3 is now delivering a full high def experience.

That's not the only change - PSP remote play is being enabled across the net. So, assuming you leave your PS3 on 24/7, you can access its content from any Wi-Fi connection using your PSP. That means photos, music, and maybe even video can be streamed directly to you. Sony has done a great job ramping up this feature. Initially, remote play was only available via a direct connection with the PS3's built-in Wi-Fi. In a later firmware update, the access was expanded to your internal home network. And now, the net. Scheduled for firmware 1.9 - intergalactic access.

But one problem remains for the PS3 - the game library is still pretty slim. Sure, there are a bunch of ports, but none of them would drive a system sale. The fact is, you can count the number of titles worth owning on one hand. You could say the same thing about the Wii as well, but with its drop in the bucket price, it's just not that much of an issue. But there is hope for the PS3 - many AAA first party titles are on the way, and scheduled for release before the end of 2007. So now may not be a particularly strong time for Sony, but things are looking up for the holiday shopping season.

So Sony, keep cranking out the updates, but don't forget about the games. They are, after all, the main ingredient in a game console.

For the full list of features in the new firmware, you can pimp the press release here. And just to clear things up - no, things didn't go backwards. The 2.0 firmware we reported on previously is still in the works, so just chill and enjoy what you have for now.

Tuesday Trainwreck - Mel Gibson Strikes Again

2007-05-22T17:28:00.000-05:00

Remember when Mel Gibson was cool? I guess it depends on how old you are. Everyone over 20 raise you hand. Damn, now I feel old. Anyway, back in the day, Mel Gibson was a cool guy that starred in a bunch of kick-ass films like Mad Max and Lethal Weapon (the first one - the rest were a waste of video tape). But now, he's just some old racist making movies that no one can understand:

And when I say that no one can understand Apocalypto, I mean it literally. You see, in his infinite wisdom, Mr. Gibson decided that the film should be performed in a dead Mayan language. I'm not really sure which one. I'd Google it, but honestly, does it really matter? Suffice it to say, you will be reading if you watch this movie. And reading is for suckers.

What was the point of having all the dialogue be in ancient Mayan? If you ask Mel, I'm sure he'd tell you that it's supposed to bring you deeper into the story and make you feel like you're living as part of the tribe. But in reality, I'm sure it's just a grandiose attempt to both generate hype for the movie, and make it feel more historically accurate than it really is. It certainly worked on the first part.

As for the plot, the story revolves around a young man in the tribe named Jaguar Paw. Hmm, I guess it's better than Frog Scrotum. Anyway, the tribe is attacked, a bunch of his friends are killed, and he a few others are taken prisoner. Eventually, they're brought to a temple to be sacrificed to some god that no one has ever heard of (let's say Kianto, just for the hell of it), and Jag must escape to save his wife and son. Oh yeah, they got trapped in a well at some point. I wonder if her name was Jessica...

From a purely cinematic standpoint, this movie isn't terrible. There are some cool action scenes, and the temple sequence borders on "epic". But all in all, it's not enough to make up for the fact that this movie pretends to teach you something about ancient times, as well as pass on a metaphor about today's society. And I don't need to learn anything when I'm watching a movie. That's my brain turned off time.

If you're really looking to waste some money, there's even a Blu-Ray version of this flick available. I'm sure it's very pretty, but meh. And I realize this is against the nature of this feature, but if you're looking for a new release to spend your money on this week, might I suggest Season 3 of Airwolf?

If A 13 Year Old Downloads A Song From Kazaa, The Terrorists Win

2007-05-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

The war on drugs is apparently over. The war on crime? Done. The war on the West Nile virus? Killer bees? Dr. Phil? All finished. I don't know if we actually won any of them, but I can tell you this - America is now facing a greater threat than all of those combined, and it's going to take a collective effort to overcome it. Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves - the war against attempted copyright infringement has begun!

Wait, really? That's it? That's the big one? Okay, whatever.

While we were all busy watching American Idol and playing the Halo 3 beta, America fell behind every other country in everything. We're not the smartest, we're not the best dressed, and we're not producing anything of value. Except for movies, TV, music, and video games, and even some of that is questionable. So, there's a big effort to keep your cheap, thieving hands off of anything you didn't overpay for.

Enter Alberto Gonzales (aka Gonzo), Attorney General of the U.S. He's decided that copyright infringement is so significant, that even attempting it should result in jail time. Let's think about some of the other crimes out there that you can get arrested for merely attempting, and not committing: Speeding? No. Littering? No. Possessing an illegal weapon? No. Drug trafficking? No. Let's just cut to the chase here - we're talking about crimes along the lines of murder and manslaughter, which is just a fancy form of murder. That's right - if you even think about uploading a song to the internet, you might as well just try and kill somebody.

The level of ridiculousness here is astounding. What the hell is Gonzo thinking? Are we that desperate to put people in jail? Is a bootleg copy of Elf really worth all that much? Could this country get any more screwed up?

Time and time again, laws are put on the books that make it more difficult for honest, paying consumers to enjoy their media. And this is just another one of them. The world doesn't come to an end when some kid downloads a Britney Spears single off the internet (god knows why you would want to, but that's a subject for another article). The "old men" in Washington need to crawl out of their coffins and get in touch with the real world, and stop listening to the MPAA, RIAA, and all the other billion-dollar lobbyists buying their own laws. It's crap, and it has to stop.

For more information about what you can do to turn the tides, check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit group that's actually on our side. This country used to be the greatest land in the world, but things are slowly changing. Sure, this doesn't seem like much, but when freedom is taken away one piece at a time, you don't notice it. Yet soon enough, we'll all be left with nothing.

Warhawk - Get It Straight Up, Or With A Twist

2007-05-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

Warhawk is one of those games that Sony just doesn't seem to know what to do with. First it had a single player campaign, then it was multiplayer only. First it was coming out on Blu-Ray, then it was only available by download. After that, it was Blu-Ray only again. And now it's both. Way to give a game emotional problems Sony...

As it stands right now, you'll be able to download Warhawk directly from the PlayStation Network if you want to save a few bucks and don't care about having the physical game disk. But, if you prefer, you will also be able to buy it in a store on Blu-Ray (probably for a few bucks more). As an added bonus for those folks that buy the disk, it will come packaged with a free Bluetooth headset for use with the game, and any other game that supports voice chat. That's a great bonus, as a decent headset can easily run $20-$40 bucks (or $60 if you're an Xbox 360 user).

Also of interest for this game is that it will feature an online beta starting May 24 (sorry, the sign up period has already passed). I'm thinking that the developers want to make sure people are satisfied with the multiplayer aspects of the game, since that's all they'll be getting. As I mentioned earlier, there will be no single player campaign out of the box. This is the biggest sticking point of the game for me. Sure, multiplayer is great, but what happens in a year or two when most people have moved on to other games? Putting together a match is going to become a real PITA. Of course, it's possible that Sony will release a single player option as a future download, but I hate microtransactions.

This game is currently scheduled to be released in the third quarter of the year, but that could change depending on the outcome of the beta. It'll certainly be worth a look when it does hit, and if the price is right, it may at least be worth the download. Right now, this game has some serious potential - let's hope it doesn't get wasted.

Motion Control - It's Not Just For The Wii Anymore

2007-05-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

When Nintendo announced their motion sensitive controller, a lot of people called it an innovation. The jury's still out on that one. When Sony later announced that their PS3 controller was also motion sensitive, most people called it a ripoff. And they were right.

But the ripoffs don't stop there. At Sony's Gamer Day event, which took place this week, they announced many new games for the PS3. But the one that stole the show was High Velocity Bowling. Well, okay, not so much stole. What can I say, though - bowling is the one real sport I'm not terrible at. So, you're getting an article on it. Deal.

Anyway, what makes HVB stand out is its use of Sony's SixAxis controller. Essentially, it allows you to replicate the bowling motion, just as you do on the Wii. And you were wondering where the other ripoff was, weren't you? The game is basically a souped-up version of bowling from Wii Sports, complete with a claw machine minigame and scratch n' sniff nacho cheese case. At least, I hope so.

I guess its main claim to fame is that it looks better than Wii Sports. I generally like my bowlers to have arms and legs, but I'm weird that way. Have a look and judge for yourself:

Microsoft Gives The Boot To Xbox 360 Modders - Master Chief Denies Any Knowledge Of The Situation

2007-05-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

Modders have always been the bane of a console maker's existence. You see, due to the high cost of cutting edge equipment, manufacturers often sell their consoles at a loss, thereby subsidizing the cost (unless your company name starts with an "N" and ends with "intendo"). The idea is to offer a more attractive price on the console, and then make the money back through accessories, licensing, and software sales.

The reason manufacturers despise modders, however, is because once a console has its security features disabled, you can easily play bootleg (translation: illegal) ROMs downloaded from warez sites. For the consumer, this means free games. For the manufacturer, this means no opportunity to make back the cost of the console, or earn a profit.

Console makers have tried to thwart modders for years, first through design revisions, and then through firmware updates on the disks. But now, thanks to the power of the internet, firmware upgrades can be delivered right to your console, any time the manufacturer wants to send them. And for MS, that time is now.

Reports are coming in from all around the web that Microsoft has begun blocking consoles that are detected as "modded" from its Live service, essentially cutting off users from updates, downloads, and multiplayer games. And, perhaps most importantly to MS, the Halo 3 beta. Make no mistake, the timing of this act was no coincidence.

So far, Bungie has denied any involvement or knowledge in this, and that's probably the truth. MS controls the reins on Live, and can do what they want. They even have a certain amount of control over a publisher's content, so Bungie would likely have no right to object to this action, if they were informed of it at all.

So what's the big deal, right? If people mod their consoles, they're obviously cheating in games or running hacked ROMs, right? No. There are many legitimate reasons to mod a console, and no console has been modded more famously than the original Xbox, through a project known as the Xbox Media Center, or XBMC. This mod allowed users to turn their Xbox into a very powerful media device, capable of playing back just about any digital content you can imagine - including perfectly legal music and movies.

The 360 modding scene hasn't taken off yet, due to some extra security built in to the console to purposely make mods more difficult to implement. However, workarounds have already been discovered, and it's only a matter of time before hackers find a way to do some amazing things with the console - they always do.

The fact is, Live is Microsoft's walled garden, and they can do what they want. They've done this kind of thing in the past with the original Xbox, and have publicly stated on numerous occasions that anyone caught using a modded console on the Live service would be banned. So, users know that they are operating at their own risk. Still, that doesn't really make the situation fair. I'm all for kicking out the cheaters and keeping the playing field level, but there are better ways than to ban people that are simply trying to enhance the user experience with their console.

Perhaps the most disturbing point in all of this, however, is that MS is not publicly advertising how users that have been incorrectly flagged as modders can get their Live access reinstated. If this program is anything like Microsoft's Windows Activation and Validation system, there are going to be some errors, and these people will simply be left out in the cold. So, if your console has not been modded and you've still been banned from Live, contact Xbox support at 1-800-4-MY-XBOX, and give the rep an ear full.

Friday Freebie - It's Something Free From Microsoft, But You Have To Hurry

2007-05-18T19:44:00.000-05:00

It's not every day that Bill Gates cracks open his wallet and gives something back to the masses that made him the richest man in the world. And, well, today's not that day. But you're still getting something for free courtesy of Microsoft. Heck, they don't mind - it was free for them too! They just whipped and tortured a few interns to make this happen:

The game is called Aegis Wing, and it's available now, for free, on the XBLA. It was literally created by three interns working at Microsoft, and now, it's yours for the taking.

The game is a side scrolling space shooter that seems to have been inspired by Defender. Not only do the games look and play similarly, but they were both kind of a pain in the ass. That being said, this has the potential to be an addictive little time waster if you're into space shooters. Plus it's good for 200 achievement points, and we're all achievement whores, aren't we?

There's no official reason behind MS releasing this one for free, but odds are it's to garner some publicity for their XNA software. While this isn't a great game in any sense, it is very impressive when you take into account the fact that three college kids created it in just a couple months. Imagine what you're dumb ass could do!

Now here's the catch - the game is completely free, available to silver and gold level Live members, but only for a limited time. There's no word on when that will change, though, so if you want to give this one a try, be sure to grab it as soon as possible. And even if this isn't your thing, grab it anyway. You may be surprised. You'll also be sending a message to MS that free is good, and who knows - maybe they'll listen and release more free stuff in the future. Bill, if you're reading this, I could use something good for next week's column - hook a brother up!

Enjoying That Halo 3 Beta Yet? Yeah, I Didn't Think So

2007-05-16T17:21:00.000-05:00

This week has been quite the Halo 3 week. Not only has Microsoft confirmed the launch of H3 for Sep. 25, but today is also the day that the open beta program goes live. That's right, all those folks that forked out $60 for the "special" Crackdown disk that came with H3 beta access can now play...wait for it...Crackdown. Nice.

There appears to be a problem with Live, in that it's not letting Crackdown owners download the H3 beta. Bungie and Microsoft are reportedly working on the issue, but it could be "up to 24 hours" before the problem is resolved. So all you Master Chief wannabes out there are just going to have to keep on waiting.

With that in mind, is the beta worth the wait? Yes and no. This new game is definitely Halo, and everything that you love about the franchise is still present. So if you're still playing H2, you'll love this. That being said, this game is definitely Halo, meaning there's very little innovation. If you've had your fill of Halo 2, you won't find a lot of new things here. The one disappointment has been the graphics, however - the game looks like an upsampled H2. Luckily, there's still a few months until the release, and I'm sure the devs are going to spend all of that time shinin' things up real nice.

Honestly, Bungie can't be blamed for playing it safe. So long as they don't piss off the fans, they're guaranteed to sell a few million copies in a matter of days (the preorder is already hovering around the 3 million mark, which is amazing). Still, something beyond a Halo 2.5 would have been nice.

There's a lot riding on this beta for MS, so I'm sure the Crackdown issues will be resolved soon. Then it's every noob for himself. So find some cover, bring plenty of ammo, and snipe like there's no tomorrow. Eventually...

Tuesday Trainwreck - How Did This Show Stay On The Air So Long?

2007-05-15T17:26:00.000-05:00

I have to warn you - unspeakable evil lies within this post. The horrors which you are about to witness could leave you shaken, scarred, and tormented for the rest of your life. Those with weak constitutions should turn back now, as I can't be held responsible for the grim fate that awaits you should you proceed to read this article. And for those who choose to proceed, all I can say is, abandon all hope, ye who enter here:

Oh, the humanity! The horror! The bad writing and rigid acting! Damn you God! Why have you forsaken us? Ah,...I think I've made my point. And what happened to the fat guy?

I thought long and hard about what I should write for this article, but finally I came to the conclusion that Wings speaks for itself. It's a terrible, terrible show that should never have seen the light of day, and that's about it. But, for some reason that I'll never be able to wrap my brain around, people watched it. And some of those people are going to buy this DVD. Hell, this is the fourth season, so odds are someone out there bought the first three. Hopefully, that bad decision by some poor, unfortunate soul won't reflect harshly on the rest of us.

So let me just say this before moving on - don't buy this. That's it - that's all I've got. I'm not going to beg or plead with you. If you decide not to take my advice, enjoy you're stay in hell. The rest of us will be there eventually.

But that leaves us with the rest of this article, so let's kill some time. How about a song? Let's go with "Misty Morning, Albert Bridge" by The Pogues:

I dreamt we were standing

By the banks of the Thames

Where the cold grey waters ripple

In the misty morning light

Held a match to your cigarette

Watched the smoke curl in the mist

Your eyes, blue as the ocean between us

Smiling at me

I awoke alone and lonely

In a faraway place

The sun fell cold upon my face

The cracks in the ceiling spelt hell
Turned to the wall

Pulled the sheets around my head

Tried to sleep, and dream my way

Back to you again

Count the days

Slowly passing by

Step on a plane

And fly away

I'll see you then

As the dawnbirds sing

On a cold and misty morning

By the Albert Bridge

Now wasn't that nicer than talking about Wings? Yeah, I thought so. Thanks Pogues. This musical moment was brought to you by the Atomic Playground. Because we care.

Gears Of War Golf - Gives A Whole New Meaning To The Term Bogey

2007-05-14T21:29:00.000-05:00

Every gamer knows that Mario is more than just a plumber. Sure, his original adventures had him roaming around in pipes, but he quickly branched out into other fields such as soccer, baseball, go kart racing, and even melees. But he's not the only multi-talented video game hero out there. So not to be outdone, Marcus Fenix from Gears of War fame is branching out...into golf. Not football. Not jai alai. Golf.

At first glance, this one seems really screwed up. What the hell does a third person shooter have to do with golfing? But think about it - how does a warrior relax after a tough weekend of shooting badies in the head? He hits the back nine and gets him some at the nineteenth hole.

Now truth be told, this game probably won't be coming to a 360 near you, which is too bad since Rockstar Table Tennis could use some competition. According to this article, the game was created as a demo to prove to Korean devs that the Unreal engine could also be used for casual games (maybe this could be a Wii release). Golf is huge in Korea, so what better way to showcase the possibilities for them?

If this ended up being a real game, Marcus would be following precisely in Mario's footsteps, as he's starred in numerous golf games as well. And there could be a market for this title - I picture it as Outlaw Golf 2 with more guns and explosions, which isn't a bad thing. Maybe it's time someone injected a little action into golf, and I can't think of anyone better than Epic to do that. Just don't try to charge me 60 bucks for it.

Sony Announces PS3 Firmware Revision 2.0...Sort Of

2007-05-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

Hot on the heels of the latest firmware release for the Xbox 360, Sony announced the next firmware revision for the PS3 today...and then pulled it, hoping no one noticed it was out. Of course, this is the internet, so now everyone knows about it. Technology rules.

Firmware 2.0 promises to be a decent upgrade, with a lot of added features. What appears to be the full feature list was leaked earlier today, although explanations about the options were no where to be found. Expect those when the firmware actually goes live. Or at least, a couple days later, since that's usually how Sony handles these situations. That being said, there's no word yet on when this puppy will drop.

Among the list of items slated for the next release are desktop wallpaper, support for RSS feeds, new slide show effects, and revised file sorting - that last one was really overdue. You can pimp the full list here.

Admittedly, a lot of this stuff is already on the Xbox, but they had a head start in getting there. It's good to see that Sony is setting the bar high, and is piling in as many features as they can. All I gots to say is keep them coming boys. Oh, and some good games would be nice too. You know, if it's not too much trouble.

Break Out The Hairspray - The 80s Are Cool Again

2007-05-11T21:14:00.000-05:00

It was only a matter of time. Eventually, all the old cheesy crap from years past somehow becomes cool again. Maybe as we get older, we become more nostalgic for the good old days. Maybe our memories paint a prettier picture than reality ever could. Or maybe we just don't learn from history, and are therefore doomed to repeat it. Whatever the reason, there's money to be made, and Red Octane is up to the challenge.

Announced just this week, Guitar Hero: Rock The 80s! promises to transport us back to a time when ripped acid washed jeans were cool, Camaros were plentiful, and bandanas were tied to everything in sight. It was also the time of the glorious hair bands like Poison and Bon Jovi. Where are they now? Nursing homes.

So far, seven songs have been confirmed for the game:

I Ran (A Flock of Seagulls)
Round and Round (Ratt)
I Wanna Rock (Twisted Sister)
I Want Candy (Bow Wow Wow)
Heat of the Moment (Asia)
Metal Health (Quiet Riot)
Holy Diver (Dio)

Extra points for anyone who can tell me the link between Ronnie James Dio and South Park (hint: Wikipedia knows all).

For now, there's no official release date, but you can expect this to drop sometime over the summer. Oh, and one more thing - it's a PS2 exclusive! That's right MS fanboys, the 360 has been left out in the cold. Here's hoping you held on to that PS2.

In the meantime, rock on:

Friday Freebie - Another Way To Thumb Your Nose At Internet Explorer

2007-05-11T18:48:00.000-05:00

Last week, we took a look at Mozilla Firefox, an up and coming alternative to the internet's least favorite (yet most popular) browser, IE. This week, we'll continue that theme with yet another browser. Yeah, I know. Now you've got two - what could you possibly need a third browser for? Well, they're all free, so what are you complaining about? And they each have their own set of features, so one may appeal to you more than another. So this week's freebie is Opera:

No, not the Italian music sung by fat chicks. This is a free browser alternative to the more mainstream IE and Firefox. Opera has a very small following, even in comparison to Firefox, but it's a devoted group. And thanks to some good marketing and innovation, people are finally starting to recognize the name.

Despite their small market share, Opera has actually been around since 1994, although they didn't have software available to the public until 1996. If you want proof of their longevity, just take a look at the browser's current version number: 9.2. In contrast, IE is only at 7, and Firefox a mere 2. But it wasn't easy for Opera in those early days. Unlike its main rivals of the time, IE and Netscape Navigator, Opera wasn't free - you had to pay for the software. For many, this was a deal breaker.

Some web users wanted more features and a streamlined browsing experience, however, and were willing to shell out for a browser. This kept Opera in the game, and their business model allowed them to innovate. Eventually, they were able to switch to an ad-supported business model (the browser actually contained a permanent banner ad), and this helped increase their market share. It wasn't until recently, though, that the Opera became completely free.

To this day, Opera continues to set itself apart from other browsers with innovations such as "Speed Dial", an interface that allows you to choose from a thumbnail preview of your favorite websites. And that's not all - Opera is also the browser of choice for Nintendo. Wii owners can access the Internet through a custom Opera browser available on the Wii shop channel (free until June 30, 2007), and in Japan, the Opera browser is sold for use on the DS portable system. Opera also makes a browser for web-enabled cell phones and PDAs, making them a one stop browser shop.

If you'd like to give this puppy a try, you can download the browser here. Just about every OS is covered, so you don't have any excuse to pass this one up. And don't worry - no fat chicks will try to jump out of your browser and sing to you, unless you're into that kind of thing.

Don't Have Enough Simpsons Crap? Then Get Yourself An Official Simpsons-Themed Xbox 360

2007-05-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

You knew it was only a matter of time before two of the biggest franchises in the world - The Simpsons and Microsoft - got together. And here they are, going totally next gen on you with a Simpsons-themed Xbox 360.

Engadget is reporting that as part of a movie tie-in deal, Microsoft is producing a limited run of 100 Simpsons 360s to give away as promotional items. So, that means the only way you'll ever get your grubby little hands on one of these bad boys is through the power of eBay. Another downside - the console is only the premium version, not the elite.

Frankly, this doesn't surprise me one bit. The Simpsons have whored out their name to just about every product under the sun, so a video game console - something that has nothing to do with the series, unless you count that one Christmas episode - should come as no surprise. Still, it's a nice piece, and should be a great centerpiece in 100 lucky people's collection. Until they all brick with the three red lights of death, that is.

Tuesday Trainwreck - Straight Up Now Kill Me

2007-05-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

We haven't had a music post in a while, so when I saw this title on the new release list, I knew this had trainwreck written all over it. See, someone decided that America needed to be reminded that Paula Abdul was at one time a successful musician, instead of the drugged-up hack she is today. What that person didn't realize is that we didn't forget about Paula's career by accident - we chose to forget. But now, we're all painfully reminded with the release of Paula Abdul Greatest Hits - Straight Up!:

Now I could turn this article into a rant about why American Idol is slowly killing our society, but instead, I'll just stick to the CD. There's no doubt that at one point in time, Paula was popular. Hell, even I listened to some of her music for a brief period back in 1990 (I had a troubled childhood). But those days are long gone, and for good reason - the music, much like the musician, has not aged well.

Like many greatest hits albums before it, this one follows the formula of five or six decent older songs, and then a dozen "newer" tracks which are invariably craptacular. But even the decent songs aren't really worth revisiting. While there aren't exactly a ton of great artists on the scene right now, there are enough to keep your attention from things that are better left in the past.

And don't even get me started on Paula - this is a chick with problems. I don't know, maybe those Idol paychecks are starting to bounce, and she needs some quick cash to keep the Vicodin supply topped off. Honestly though, the reason for this release doesn't matter. All that matters is that you stay away...far away.

If you're looking for some tunes to get you through the month, check out the new Maroon 5 album, or even the Spiderman 3 soundtrack - both are better investments than Paula. Remember, if you buy her CD, you're giving her drug money, and that makes you an enabler. You don't want to be part of the problem, do you? Of course not. Be part of the solution, and just say no to crappy music.

This public service announcement has been brought to you by your friends at the Atomic Playground.

Xbox 360 Spring Update - Good Thing Bandwidth Is Cheap

2007-05-08T14:02:00.000-05:00

The latest firmware update to the Xbox 360 is set to roll out this week, and the feature list has left me wondering - is anyone excited about this? Updates for the 360 only come twice a year, unlike the seemingly weekly releases for the PS3, so people used to actually look forward to these things. I remember when background downloading was finally announced - that was an update to remember. But now...if the download wasn't automatic, it almost wouldn't be worth the time.

Here are some of the upcoming features, taken from the official Microsoft press release:

Tie in with Windows Live Messenger, so you can IM with your Messenger contacts directly from your 360.
Support for the handheld QWERTY keyboard attachment, set to be released later this summer.
A more complete achievement notification, detailing the name of the unlocked achievement and the points awarded.
A new Live Marketplace blade for accessing content from Live.
New download options for games (XBLA and demos) and Marketplace video content.

And, of course, we can't forget about the more robust parental controls - I know everyone's been waiting for those.

Honestly, there's just nothing here to write home about for me. I guess the IM tie-in is big for some people, though I've never liked instant messaging myself. And don't get me wrong - I'm glad MS is still developing the capabilities of the console - but something new and innovating would be nice. How about DivX support? Or a (good) browser?

Of course, there's no reason not to get the update, but I'd wait a couple days to download it. These updates have been known to brick a few consoles, and the 360 doesn't really need any help there. Let's just hope that Bill Gates has something good up his sleeve for the fall.

Happy Cinco de Mayo From The Atomic Playground!

2007-05-05T00:34:00.000-05:00

Que pasa? Here on the east coast, it is officially Cinco de Mayo, and you know what that means baby - the tequila will be flowing!

There are only a couple days a year that it's considered okay to get completely drunk off your ass and go nuts, and today is one of them. So make the most of it - just try to steer clear of the alcohol poisoning.

Speaking of which, the party just started, and I think these guys are wasted already:

So Happy Cinco de Mayo, and viva la raza!

Play The Sims On Your PS3! Oh, It's Just The Beta For Playstation Home

2007-05-04T20:19:00.000-05:00

You were excited for a second there, weren't you? Well, allow me to throw some cold water on you. Reports are coming in from around the interwebs that the beta testers for the upcoming Playstation Home service are now able to download the software from the Playstation Store via their PS3. Early reports stated that the software could not yet be installed, but later stories surfaced that the service is now active.

Playstation Home was announced earlier in the year at GDC by Sony, as their main online presence for the PS3. The service resembles The Sims or Second Life, in that you navigate a humanoid avatar around a 3D world and interact with other users. There are public spaces, but each user also has their own private "apartment" in which they can entertain friends and store their game trophies (the PS3 version of achievement points).

Just how useful the service will be remains to be seen. No one really knows what level of integration PS Home will have with games, and whether or not the service can act as a lobby for online multiplayer battles. I'm guessing that type of functionality won't be present at first, but it should serve as a way to interact with your clan after a match.

As more users enter the beta, updates should come fast and furious. That's what's good about the internet - we'll probably have the juicy details before Sony does. But if you didn't sign up for the beta, it's too late now. You'll just have to wait until the service officially launches this fall to get your virtual groove on PS3 style. Back to World of Warcraft for you.

Something Free From Microsoft - And All It Cost You Was $480

2007-05-04T19:22:00.000-05:00

You couldn't just be happy with the version of the Xbox 360 that you had. No, you had to go and upgrade to the Elite, with it's precious HDMI port, 120 GB HD, and sleek black finish. Yes, I'm jealous. But in the process of handing over $480 to Bill Gates and friends, you ended up making your video game life just a little bit harder. And that's because the Elite wasn't designed for you - it was designed for new customers.

Apparently, the suits at MS thought that all the complaints about the lack of an HDMI port on the old 360 came from people who flat out refused to buy one. So, the Elite was made for them. It never occurred to them that existing 360 owners would want to "upgrade" to the new system, so MS left out one crucial piece of the upgrade puzzle - the HD transfer cable.

You know all that crap you download off of Xbox Live? It's stored on your existing hard drive. And in order to make use of it on your new console, with your new hard drive, you need to transfer the data via a special cable. Unfortunately, MS decided not to package the cable with the Elite, and only packages it with the separately purchased 120 GB HD. So, those people replacing their old consoles were left out in the cold regarding their save games and downloadable content. Unless they wanted to shell out even more cash for a memory card to transfer the data that way.

But once upgraders started to complain, the boys in Redmond finally decided to give them the transfer cable free of charge - it's really the least you should get for $480. If you need the cable, you can get the PDF form here. Too bad you have to mail or fax it back - there's no online submission. Hell, it's not like these people make software to access the internet or run servers or anything.

And once you receive your cable in the mail (8-12 weeks later, I'm sure), you can get the instructions on how to use it here. See, even Microsoft can do the right thing eventually. Why, I'll bet in 20 years, they'll even turn off product activation in Windows XP. I won't bet much, of course...

Friday Freebie - The IE Alternative That You Should Really Already Have

2007-05-04T17:21:00.000-05:00

I'm going to guess that a lot of our more seasoned readers already have this freebie, but for all the rest, it's worth the feature. The majority of the world surfs the net with whatever browser came preloaded on their PC, and that usually means Internet Explorer. And while Microsoft did step up its game with the (long overdue) release of IE7, that piece of software still isn't necessarily the best browser for the job. Not to mention the new interface is downright ugly. But fear not - an alternative is at hand, and it is named Firefox:

Back in the late 1990s, the browser war was a big deal. The internet had just exploded (not literally - that won't happen for a few months yet at least), and Netscape Navigator was king. But thanks to some alleged unfair business practices, MS was quickly gaining ground with its buggy but upcoming IE. So what was Netscape to do? Put a hex on Bill Gates? No! They decided to completely redo their browser, using a project known as Mozilla. Unfortunately, it was too little too late for the company, and they lost their market share before a meaningful new browser could be born.

But that wasn't the end of the Mozilla project. That team kept chugging along, slowing building a better browser. And eventually, after a few naming problems, Firefox was born. At first, few people took notice. Over time, though, people grew tired of IE's inherent flaws and MS's lack of innovation in the browser market, and began to look elsewhere. That's when Firefox really took off. So to speak.

The truth is, even with all the support Firefox receives from the web elite, IE is still used by over 80% of all web surfers, just because it's there and it's what people are used to. But if you're willing to give something new a try, Firefox is worth the download. The interface is clean, but customizable. Plus, there are plenty of add-ons for the browser, so you can incorporate a whole bunch of additional tools right in one window. It's also very fast, due to Mozilla's minimalist approach to coding - always a good thing. And the best part, besides the lack of a price? It's stable. Aside from the occasional memory leak, the browser isn't going to crash on you two or three times a day. That alone makes this a must have.

As for downsides, there's really only one. Many web pages today are designed specifically for IE. What that means is they follow IE's coding requirements, and not necessarily web standards. So, it's possible that a few of your favorite pages won't look quite right when viewed through Firefox. This has improved over the years, as web developers started to realize how popular Firefox was becoming. But you'll always have IE to fall back on for those few pages if necessary. And the truth is, it's a small price to pay for a slicker, faster, more stable browsing experience.

Downloads for Windows, Mac, and Linux machines can be found right here. They've even got our foreign friends covered, with versions available in multiple languages. So next time you visit the Atomic Playground, I expect you to be viewing it through Firefox. Don't worry - the site looks just as good through it as it does IE.

Note - no foxes were set on fire during the making of this browser, or during this review. Well, not on purpose at least...

God Bless The Internet - HD-DVD Is Officially Cracked!

2007-05-02T16:15:00.000-05:00

The internet is a wonderful, magical entity teaming with people from all walks of life. Okay, it's mostly a bunch of old creepy guys in chat rooms trading porn. But there are a few shining stars in the tubes - people who dedicate their time to making information free, and tearing down the barriers to freedom erected by those greedy corporate fatcats. And those fine folks have struck again, this time taking down one of the next gen HD formats. That's right - HD-DVD has been cracked!

For most people...this isn't news. No one really cares about the so-called "next gen format war". The average consumer is happy with his regular DVD, with only those bleeding edge early adopters taking the plunge on the new stuff. But this crack isn't about helping the masses now - it's about helping them in the future.

Every day, more and more of our digital rights are taken away at the hands of DRM. And the DRM found in the next gen optical disks is some of the strongest stuff as yet unleashed on the public. Some in the industry even went so far to say that it would never be cracked. But that statement is like issuing an open invitation to all the hackers, crackers, and netizens with too much time on their hands to pool their resources and take down the system - and that's just what happened earlier in the week.

News of the crack spread across the internet fast, and quickly became the top story on sites like Digg. Now, it shouldn't come as any surprise to find that the corporate bigwigs didn't want this information disseminated to the masses, so they quickly sent their hell hound lawyers into action. As a result, the stories disappeared from Digg. But that wasn't the end of this tale. As a mighty army, the internet nerds rose as one, and pushed every article out there on the HD-DVD crack to the top of the Digg charts. And Digg heard the call.

Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg, posted a story to the site explaining why the initial articles were removed. But, more importantly, he also stated that the company respected the wishes of its users, and that all other stories referencing the crack would be allowed to remain on Digg. He even posted the crack code himself in his blog.

I really respect Mr. Rose for standing up to the big corporations, and standing behind the wishes of the people that have made his site the success that it is. I hope that this will not be the end of Digg, but if it is, to put it in Mr. Rose's words, "at least we died trying".

Let this be a lesson to everyone on the internet. Don't let your rights be taken away without a fight. You have to stand up for the little things - if you don't, there won't be anyone left to stand up for the big things. If you want to help, start at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization created to help people fight for their digital rights. And again, a thanks to everyone on the net that made both this crack possible, and made it known. There is freedom in information.

It's Finally Okay To Play Video Games At School

2007-05-02T13:52:00.000-05:00

Personally, I never got the whole DDR thing (that's Dance Dance Revolution for those of you completely removed from reality). I make lazy an art form, so any game that makes me get off my duff and actually perform some type of physical activity is strictly verboten. But someone seems to like these games, as there's no shortage of them for just about any console you can think of. Even arcades aren't safe. Wait...do arcades even exist anymore?

Anyway, there's one good thing about DDR - it's bringing games to school. Now kids can get their fix without sneaking their DS into class and risking detention. A large number of schools across the country have decided to incorporate DDR into the phys. ed. curriculum, giving kids an alternative to the kickball and ping pong that we grew up playing in school. The hope is that video games like these will make it fun for kids to get some exercise, so they can shed all the McDonald's pounds in time for the prom.

Who knows - maybe this is just the start of things to come. If video games get a legitimate foothold in schools, how much longer will it be before standardized testing is replaced by Big Brain Academy, driver's ed. is replaced by Gran Turismo, and algebra is replaced by Grand Theft Auto? If they had that when I was in school, I might have gone more often. Yeah, probably not...

Tuesday Trainwreck - Beware The Chick Flick

2007-05-01T18:59:00.000-05:00

I picked this week's Trainwreck based on the assumption that no women actually read this site. This theory is based on a couple factors. First, more than half the stories on this site are about video games, and the only three girl gamers that I know don't bother to read this page. Second, I haven't had any hotties email me pics of their boobies as a direct result of this site (though I did receive a pic of this boob). So with all that in mind, this week's Trainwreck is the biggest chick flick of the year, Dreamgirls:

If you like movies about singing, feelings, and relationships, then you're a wuss. Go read another website. But, as long as you're here, let me tell you that you'll like this movie. For all the rest of us that just want a few explosions and some full frontal nudity, this flick is two hours of torture.

Based on the cast list alone, you'd think this one was worth the price of admission - you've got Eddie Murphy (without the fat suit), Jamie Fox, Danny Glover, and Beyonce Knowles for some much needed hotness. But even this cast can't change the fact that this is a touchy feely movie, and honestly, not even a great one of those.

In short, the plot revolves around three women who want to become music stars. They start as backup singers for Murphy, and eventually form their own group. But, jealousy and infighting in the group over who is the real star ultimately causes their downfall. Yeah, it's the same thing that broke up Poison - no one in the music biz is safe.

The one saving grace of the movie is the music - say what you want, but that Jennifer Hudson can sing. Unfortunately, the music is incomplete, as most of the songs are only presented as clips in the movie. What's there is gold, but there's just not enough of it to make this movie worthwhile to a male audience.

Bottom line, this isn't a bad movie - if you're a chick, you'll love it. But if you're a dude, getting through it will be rough. On the plus side, sitting through this with a chick will probably score you some major points, and could mean an even bigger score later in the night. So when this DVD ends, fire up the Barry White and make all her dreams come true.

And for any girls that are actually reading this - you can send those pics of your boobies to me right here. Thanks!

A Debut To Forget - No One Cares About The Xbox 360 Elite

2007-05-01T14:02:00.000-05:00

I had a late night Saturday night - I'm just starting to recover. It was so late that Saturday night magically turned into Sunday morning. It was the craziest thing - this big glowing disk rose over the horizon, and suddenly, a new day was born. I'm told this is called a sunrise, and that it happens every day. I'm not usually conscious during the time this supposedly happens, so I can't say for sure. But I'm glad I got to see at least one.

Anyway, this Sunday marked the official launch of the Xbox 360 Elite. Assuming you hadn't already snagged one, this was your opportunity. So, since this was essentially free time for me, I decided to head down to my local Target to cover the "launch event".

I arrived in the parking lot at 7 a.m., exactly one hour before the store opening. There was already a line of about 10 people in front of the store, which seemed like a reasonable number. Then I started talking to the crowd, and I found out the horrific truth - today was a Wii day. That's right, 10 people were at Target at 7 a.m. on the Xbox 360 Elite's launch day to buy a Nintendo Wii. Fantastic. But, there was still an hour to go, so I held out hope.

By the time the store opened, two lines had formed out front. The larger was for the Wii, with about 30-35 people. The smaller was for the Elite, and it consisted of...1 person. That's right: o-n-e. I guess technically that shouldn't be called a "line", but I'm editorializing here.

Of course, none of this is much of a surprise. Almost no one was clamouring for a more expensive version of the 360. If anything, people wanted just the opposite. And with the supply/demand ratio for the Wii where it is, I'm guessing that most Sunday mornings outside of Target look just like this one. So what's a slightly-upgraded console to do? I guess a rampant 360 killing spree is an option, but more than likely, it'll just be back to the boardroom for Bill Gates and the gang.

Until a new battle plan can be drawn up, we'll just have to live with the fact that the 360 is the "middle console" that just doesn't get it's fair share of attention. Instead of focusing on a good value console that delivers a wide library of games, people would rather talk about the sexy console that costs an arm and a leg and treats you like dirt in front of your friends, the PS3 (even if only to bash it - it's kind of a Paris Hilton thing), or the fun baby console that saves puppies and reverses global warming, the Wii. But don't cry for the 360 - it doesn't want your pity. It just wants your money.

All New Remake Ninja Action Is Now On Your PS3

2007-04-28T00:37:00.000-05:00

It's a bit sad when the hottest properties on a consoles are the demos. But unfortunately for Sony, the games just keep getting overshadowed. Many agree that GT:HD puts normal titles to shame, and now, there's one more demo available that can make a similar claim. It's Ninja Gaiden: Sigma, and it looks freakin' awesome.

Some of you old school gamers will remember the original Ninja Gaiden for the NES. The game looked good for it's time (except the wind effect - what the hell was going on there), but that was 8-bit territory. There were numerous sequels on various consoles, and that's all led up to the stunning release on the PS3...of the demo.

Now one thing must be said before anything else - this game is not exactly brand new. Instead, it is a remake of Ninja Gaiden Black from the original Xbox. That being said, the graphics of the game have been completely overhauled, and visually, this is a completely new experience. The demo is running at a full 1080p at 60 fps, and it doesn't get any more hi-def than that. And let me tell you, the frame rate is solid - thank you very much Cell processor!

Even if you've never played Ninja Gaiden before, if you have a PS3, you should download this demo just to see how good a game can look. And if you are a fan, then you've already got the demo, and should be playing it instead of sitting here and reading this like a little bitch. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to enjoy the next generation of gaming...courtesy of a demo.

Friday Freebie - Live Your Dream Of Editing Video Like The Pros

2007-04-27T17:13:00.000-05:00

Some kids watch TV and movies when they're young and think to themselves, "someday I'll be in that show". Those kids are stupid - they're way to ugly and homely to ever make it in Hollywood. But you were the realistic one. You thought to yourself, "someday I'll be making that show". Well, it turns out you were stupid too - just not quite as stupid as the other kids. It's okay, though, because your time to shine has finally come, courtesy of VirtualDub:

With this program and the hardware you probably already have, you can capture, edit, and create your own movies. Or, you can make existing movies better. Think the director's cut of Blade Runner was too out there? Make your own director's cut, and show Ridley Scott what you really think of his so-called talent.

Now I know there are probably some people out there claiming they don't need this program because they already have Windows Movie Maker. And we all know if Bill Gates approved it, it must be gold. Now technically, WMM is an excellent piece of software, and can do a lot of great things with it. But, it also has a lot of limitations. You won't find those in VirtualDub. Here, you're going to get many of the same tools that the pros get when they edit in Vegas or Premiere Pro. It's just not as pretty, is all.

The interface is clean, with most of the options accessible through the file menus instead of toolbars. This keeps things uncluttered, but can make it difficult for a noob to find exactly what they're looking for. Thankfully, there is some basic documentation to help you get started on the website, but if you can't figure out the more advanced tools on your own, you'll need to enlist help from a site like Doom9.

There may be a steep learning curve, but the results are worth it. You really can create professional looking videos if you take your time and do things right. So grab a copy of VirtualDub for Windows right here, and start channeling your inner Steven Spielberg.

Sony Releases A Camera For The PS3 - Did Anyone Ever Buy The PS2 Version?

2007-04-26T17:27:00.000-05:00

For those of you that have been on the fence over whether or not to pick up a PS3, you just got your reason - Sony is releasing a new PS3 camera! Can you taste the excitement? Okay, this isn't exactly the peripheral that everyone was clamouring for...or anyone was clamouring for, for that matter. But, it's here, so we might as well talk about it.

The first thing you'll notice is that they changed the name from EyeToy to PlayStation Eye. The second thing is the huge, honkin' microphone that is now strapped to the top of the camera. According to the press release, this is a "four microphone array", which supposedly allows for location tracking as well as some noise canceling features. Meaning, no need for a headset. That's a good innovation.

Now, some bad news - it's not an HD camera. While it does support higher resolutions than the old EyeToy did, it's only 640 x 480 at 60 fps (or 320 x 240 at 120 fps, which would make it suitable for fast-paced action games). Also, while it can record video to the PS3 hard drive, which you can edit and add effects to with the free included software, you can't export it to another device - it can only live on the PS3. I'm sure they'll let you do something with it in the upcoming Home service, but still, the ability to save files to a USB flash key or external HD would have been nice.

Ultimately, the success of this peripheral will come down to how developers support it. The only games associated with the original EyeToy were simple, waste of time games. If the PlayStation Eye gets the same kind of lineup, you can expect this thing to fall flat on its lens. That being said, it could have some life in Home, as the Xbox 360's Vision camera does on Live's video chat. Time will tell.

No price has been announced, and no release date, though it's expected that this will hit sometime in the summer. You can pimp the full press release and some pics here. In the meantime, better get a hair cut and some acne medication, because soon enough, you'll be live for the whole world to see.

Get Yourself A God Of War Demo On UMD For The PSP - For Free!

2007-04-25T19:12:00.000-05:00

I know that UMDs aren't selling all that well these days, but I never thought Sony would actually start giving them away for free. Well, that's exactly what's happening now, in the form of a God of War: Chains of Olympus demo, which Sony will send you - free!

Everyone knows that GOW is a system seller, so I'm sure Sony is banking on the goodness of this title moving more than a few PSPs. And what better way to get the word out on the game than to release a demo. But, this isn't a downloadable demo - this one is on UMD. Why do that? Well, there's a good chance that the file size of this demo would be more than the average person's Memory Stick can handle, due to the killer graphics. So, Sony is giving it away gratis on UMD. They're even picking up the shipping (there's no word yet on how long it will take to get your copy).

Head over to the God of War: Chains of Olympus website to get your disk. If you have a Playstation Underground account, you're all set. If not, it's free to sign up. Then, just click the link, and you're golden. But don't wait on this one too long, cause "supplies are limited". So get off your ass, click the mouse, and enjoy some GOW on your PSP...in 4 to 6 weeks, probably.

And Here I Thought Robin And Aquaman Were The Only Gay Superheroes

2007-04-24T19:24:00.000-05:00

Ever notice how Spiderman's "spidey sense" only tingled when he was around other men? It looks like Marvel's favorite son is finally coming out of the closet, and he's heading straight for Broadway. That's right, it's Spiderman: The Musical.

Let me say that for you one more time: Spiderman: The Musical. Let's wait a minute before we go on, to give the comic fanboys a chance to calm down, breathe, and pick their jaws up off the floor. Okay? Great. I guess all those years of wearing tights and shooting men with his sticky goo have finally caught up with everyone's favorite webslinger. Now Spidey's fabulous, and he's gonna shout it from the stage.

The music for this monstrosity will be developed by U2's Bono and The Edge. Don't these guys have a tree to go save or something? And as of right now, there's no release date.

Honestly, I'm just as surprised about this as you are. Sure, the costume's a little fruity - a real man wears a cape when he fights crime. But still, between Mary Jane and Black Cat, he always had a hot chick on his arm. Still, you've got to wonder about a grown man that lives with his aunt. That's never a good sign.

Halo 3 In Full HD - Hope Master Chief's Armor Is Nice And Shiny

2007-04-24T17:31:00.000-05:00

For Sony and Microsoft, this generation of consoles is all about the graphics. And for good reason - with more and more homes switching to HD, sharper graphics are becoming important to more people. Not to mention, nicer looking games tend to provide a more realistic experience than their 8-bit ancestors ever could.

The current rumor hitting the net has MS mandating that Bungie, the developer behind the Halo series, deliver the game in full 1080p HD at 60 fps. For the noobs out there, that means really kick-ass graphics. But two questions have to be asked - can Bungie deliver, and is the 360 up to the task?

Everyone is expecting Halo 3 to be absolutely gorgeous, so even if it's not "full HD", Bungie should come close (that being said, they could release something ugly as sin and it would probably still set sales records). But assuming Bungie can deliver that full HD experience, I don't think the 360 can support it. The console just doesn't seem to have the hardware to make those numbers happen, and still deliver a rich gaming experience with detailed landscapes and hordes of enemies.

Hopefully I'm wrong, but we'll see. I will say that it's best not to judge based on the upcoming demo, as that is sure to be rough. Of course, if Halo 3 were a PS3 title, this would be a whole different story...

Let the flaming begin!

Tuesday Trainwreck - These Damn Pokemon's Are Ganging Up On Us

2007-04-24T16:55:00.000-05:00

I won't lie to you - Pokemon scares me. All those kids with "pocket monsters" - it's just not right. Personally, I thought the whole trend would die long ago, especially when all the knock off versions started to appear (of the hundred or so that were spawned from hell, only Yu-Gi-Oh comes to mind - I guess the alcohol is doing its job). But just like with New Coke, I was wrong, and those Japanese factories are still pumping out Pokemon games by the truckload. And now there's a new one to add to the mix - Pokemon Diamond Version:

Oh, crap - are you telling me there's a second one? F*ck. Apparently these things travel in packs, cause also making it's way out of Japan this week is Pokemon Pearl Version:

So why two games? A couple reasons: Japanese games developers (a) want to make me hang myself, and (b) know how to separate money from a consumer. For some unimaginable reason, Pokemon fans are die hard, and will purchase anything and everything containing those stupid little monsters that they can get their hands on. It must be some kind of mind control or something...

Thankfully, I can report that I've never played a Pokemon game, and with any luck, I never will. So you'll just have to trust me on this trainwreck. I'm sure the games are very amusing, in a totally demented, IQ smaller than your shoe size kind of way, but this is not a path you want to head down. So when you see these things sitting on the shelf at Best Buy, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and grab a copy of Armored Core 4 instead - it's the lesser of two (three?) evils.

The Next Next Gen In Gaming Starts...A Couple Days Ago

2007-04-23T18:26:00.000-05:00

Not content with the current crop of next gen consoles? Do you think the Elite is just a way to make you buy the same damn console a second time? Well then, maybe an Xbox 720 is just what the doctor, and Bill Gates, ordered.

A patent application for a "multi-component gaming system" was recently filed by Microsoft, and some are claiming that it could be the next major console offering from the Redmond gang. MS has confirmed that they're developing the next console, with a tentative release date in the 2010-2011 time frame, but there's no evidence that they've gotten beyond the planning stage. So, this could easily just end up being a patent for a way to connect your Zune to your 360. But who the hell cares about something like that?

So what will the next-next gen bring us? Let's have some speculation from you guys in the comments. Personally, I'm thinking glow in the dark consoles, 17 axis control, and microtransactions - lots and lots of microtransactions. Want to turn on that console? That'll be 100 MS points sucker.

Time To Buy That Wheel For The Xbox 360 - Forza 2 Is Coming

2007-04-21T00:42:00.000-05:00

We all know that Forza Motorsport 2 is coming to the Xbox 360 in May, but what we didn't know is what we'd be driving when that happened. The Forza team has been leaking car lists for months now, and finally, the full list is out. Posted Thursday on the official Forza website, the full list can be found here.

The list is impressive to say the least. Just about every major manufacturer can be found, and the offerings include new and classic cars, as well as special edition racers. No less than 20 Ferrari's are featured on the list, along with such other notable names as Maserati, Lotus, Shelby, Porsche, and Aston Martin. Heck, even the Honda Civic in on the list (the racing version, of course).

Forza is a true racing sim, and is perhaps the purest sim to be had on any console. Racing fans everywhere have been waiting for this one since the 360's release, and it's sure to live up to the hype. But as I mentioned, driving those beauties with anything but a wheel is a tragedy, so seriously consider picking up the Wireless Racing Wheel to go along with this title. The game is scheduled to feature force feedback, in order to take full advantage of what the wheel has to offer.

Face it, you'll probably never own a Porsche or Ferrari, so this is as close as you're going to get. And if you think the wheel is too expensive, just think of all the money you'll save on speeding tickets.

Proof That Some British Comedy Is Actually Funny

2007-04-21T00:24:00.000-05:00

Try as I might, I've just never been able to find Mr. Bean funny. There's just something weird about British comedy - it's not funny. But, there are a few exceptions. One of them was the exceptional flick Shaun of the Dead, about the lighter side of zombies (I've said it before, and I'll say it again - zombies are always a hit in a movie). Now, that same team is back in Hot Fuzz.

Hot Fuzz is about a police force in a small British town, where crimes just don't seem to happen. Unfortunately, that's because the "fuzz" are too stupid to see what's going on. Luckily, a former big city super cop is now on their team, and he's setting things right. But that's just the story - the comedy is what makes the movie.

Don't misunderstand here. This isn't some slapstick police movie along the lines of Police Academy. And no, just because that movie wasn't funny doesn't mean that it was British. The comedy in Hot Fuzz is secondary, almost played down, and that's what makes it so laugh out loud funny. Trust me, you will like this movie.

If you haven't seen Shaun of the Dead yet, now is a great time to snag the DVD. And then hit the theaters for Hot Fuzz, which opens this weekend. But be sure to check the net, as the film seems to have a limited release.

Come to think of it, I guess all British comedy isn't bad. After all, Benny Hill was a Brit, and he was great. Or was it just the half naked girls he used to chase around? Now that's good TV.

Happy 420 From The Atomic Playground!

2007-04-20T17:34:00.000-05:00

Once again, that most special of days is upon us. No, not Christmas or Guy Fawkes Day, it's 420. For those of you that don't know what today is, you really need to find out. For the rest, I hope you've already enjoyed the day a few times, if you know what I mean.

This is the first 420 for the Atomic Playground, so we're celebrating in style. Too bad we won't remember any of it tomorrow.

And if you're groovin' at home tonight, you should tune in to a special night of 420 programming hosted by our friends at G4. Check out special 420 editions of Attack of the Show! and X-Play. AOTS is coming to you straight from Amsterdam, where it's 420 every day of the year, and X-Play will follow with a one hour special. Then, it's the greatest 420 movie of all time, and a Playground favorite, The Big Lebowski.

So from everyone here at the Chronic (I mean Atomic) Playground, Happy 420!

Oh, and in case you were wondering what the official 420 theme song is, wonder no more:

Friday Freebie - Defend Your Tower (Not That Tower)

2007-04-20T11:45:00.000-05:00

Gaming is an essential part of the PC experience. Without games, you're left to do nothing on the computer but work, shop, and download pictures of naked ladies in compromising positions. You need to keep things fun, and that's where the games come in. But what do you do if you need a quick gaming fix at work? You hit the internet games, like Desktop Tower Defense, a simple yet surprisingly addictive strategy game:

You start out with a certain amount of gold, and you need to buy and position various weapons to kill the enemies that advance on you. For every enemy you kill, you get more gold to buy new weapons or upgrade your old ones. Of course, as you level up, the enemies get tougher, so you need to keep your hardware in top condition.

Regarding strategy, you need to arrange your weapons so that they slow the enemy down. This usually involves creating a sort of maze, as seen above. This gives you more time to blast the hell out of those little creeps. And, while the game can be paused at any time, you can't work on your map with the game paused, so upgrades need to be done in real time, and therefore, timed just right.

The game features numerous difficulty levels, as well as fun and challenge modes. All in all, this is a fun little distraction, and is especially good for killing 15 minutes when you're supposed to be working. You can play Desktop Tower Defense online right here.

Now, for those of you complaining that this isn't much of a freebie, as it's not an actual program, you can grab the Flash file out of your browser's cache and play it at any time, even when no internet connection is available (you'll have to manually load it into your browser). That being said, Adobe will be releasing a standalone Media Player later in the year that will allow users to interact with all their Flash content while offline, so be sure to look for that in a future Friday Freebie.

Another PS3 Firmware Update - Time To Dig Up That Damn USB Cable

2007-04-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

All the Sony fanboy chatrooms were abuzz today, what with the release of firmware 1.70 for the PS3. It's hard to believe that people still get excited about these releases - they're so frequent, you could practically set your watch by them. And there's nothing I like more than the opportunity to brick my console as many times as possible.

Here's what's included in version 1.70:

PSOne downloaded games are now playable on the PS3
Saves from the PS3 can now be used on the PSP (i.e., PSOne saves)
Vibration support has been added to emulated PS1 and PS2 titles (all older titles now support vibration when you put the disc in your PlayStation 3)

Personally, there's nothing there that really sparks my interest. New games cost enough that I don't need to throw money at downloading old ones, no matter where I can play them. And if I want to play a PS1 or PS2 game that I already own, I'll use that console, and have all the rumble I want. But, I guess that makes too much sense.

It's worth mentioning that in order to take advantage of said rumble on legacy titles using the PS3, you'll need a USB controller, or a USB adapter for your PS2 controller. They're easy enough to find on the web, but it's just one more thing to buy.

I realize that it sounds like I'm ragging on Sony, but the truth is, I'm happy to see these updates. Sony has always said that they're thinking long term with the PS3, and it's great to see them continuing to develop and refine the software. And all for free, no less. They've still got some catching up to do with regard to Microsoft, but they've made significant progress over the past six months. At this point, it's probably just a matter of time.

I do have just one request for Sony, though - stop making me plug in the damn controller every freakin' time I do a firmware upgrade! It's a total PITA! I realize it probably has something to do with the way Bluetooth works, but come on - you guys are smart - figure out a solution. If Japanese engineers could defeat Godzilla, surely they can slay the Bluetooth dragon as well. Just get some help from Mothra.

Looking For An Xbox 360 Elite A Little Early? Target May Be Your Hookup

2007-04-19T21:48:00.000-05:00

Are you a gamer looking for something to plug into the HDMI port on that shiny new flat screen? Or maybe you're running low on HD space due to all that horse armor. If so, the Xbox 360 Elite may be for you. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until April 29 to grab yours. Or you could just go to Target right now.

A story recently popped up on Digg, where someone was able to pick up the Elite at his local Target - he's even got the receipt to prove it. It's no surprise that someone was able to get it early. This kind of thing always happens with special editions. What's surprising is that someone was able to buy the console this early. If it's already made its way to stores, what are they waiting until the 29th for?

But do you want to know the best part of all this? You can walk into a Target and buy a console that's not even officially for sale yet, but you can't buy a Nintendo Wii there, a console that's been on the market for six months! Looks like Microsoft cornered the market on Chinese sweatshops.

For the record, I stopped by my local Target here in New York earlier today, and there were no Elite's (or Wii's) to be had. Plenty of PS3's and Core/Pro 360's, though. Oh, and the display 360 was on the fritz, having overheated, and was giving a "red lights of death" warning. They must have left it on for more than two hours. Gee, I can't wait to brick an even more expensive version of the 360!

Command Your 360 To Get This Demo, And Conquer All Who Stand In Your Way

2007-04-19T18:43:00.000-05:00

Who wrote that title? Anyway, it was announced recently that one of the best RTS franchises, Command & Conquer, is coming to the Xbox 360 with C&C 3: Tiberium Wars. The game, already available for the PC, is scheduled to arrive for the 360 on May 10. But, there's a demo coming to the Live Marketplace, and rumor has it that it could be available as early as tonight.

This installment is the first all-new C&C game in a while, and it's just what the series needs to wake things up. It also features FMV cut scenes starring such greats as Billy Dee Williams and Michael Ironside. The FMV thing hasn't been popular for a while, but they set the stage well for the rest of the game, and are not out of place.

The recent announcement of Games for Windows Live by Microsoft means that we could see 360 and PC interoperability on many future titles, but unfortunately, C&C3 is not scheduled to have this right out of the box. Of course, a Live update could change all that, so don't lose hope of pwning 13 year olds on 360s and PCs everywhere.

The download will probably come in at around 1 GB, so be sure to clear off some HD space. After all, the Elite isn't out yet. Or is it...

And The Violence Continues - Bomb Threat At G4 TV Studio

2007-04-19T18:04:00.000-05:00

It's difficult to make a joke about a bomb threat, especially considering the kind of violence that this week began with. So, despite the graphic, let's just cut to the chase. A bomb threat was issued this morning at the G4 TV Studio in Los Angeles, a favorite network of gamers and gen x/y'ers, and home to such shows as Attack of the Show! and X-Play. The story was broken earlier today by our friends over at Destructiod.

Thankfully, it appears to have been either a hoax or a misunderstanding, and there don't seem to be any injuries related to the scare. Nonetheless, our thoughts are with all our friends at G4 today.

This was just the latest in a series of bomb threats this week, most of which have been targeted at college campuses. Honestly, I think the public at large has been through enough, and especially the kids at these schools. There's no point in terrorizing innocent people like this, so the idiots behind it need to grow up, pull their heads out of their asses, and get a life.

If You're Not Down With Jeremy Piven, He's Got Two Words For Ya - Smokin' Aces

2007-04-18T18:40:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard of this little HBO series called Entourage. It stars Jeremy Piven as movie agent Ari Gold, a Hollywood player that wheels, deals, and makes all the big moves. Sure, there are a few other characters on the show - some actor dude and his friends - but Piven is where it's at. He's the man, on screen and off.

That brief yet frightening journey into the realm of Jeremy Piven's universe was brought to you by the Atomic Playground. We now return you to your normal dimension, where Jeremy Piven is just a small-time schmuck with a chip on his shoulder. He thinks the world revolves around him, and even industry jerks think he's nothing but a d-bag. Despite that, Smokin' Aces is a decent movie, and an even better DVD.

In the flick, Piven plays a Vegas magician turned snitch against the mob, and gets a contract put on his head. This brings all the low-lifes out of the woodwork, with each one trying to take him down and cash in on the bounty, and it's up to two FBI agents to keep him safe for the trial. The flick stars such names as Ben Affleck (it's a good movie despite him), Ray Liotta, Jason Bateman, Andy Garcia, and of course, Jeremy Piven. It's packed with great action sequences, guns, a unique cast, and is overall a really fun movie. Just don't expect too much from it.

But as I said earlier, the DVD is where this one shines. It's loaded with extras, including commentary, deleted scenes, and more. So don't hesitate to pick this one up - just don't pay more than $15 bucks for it, unless you're going the hi-def route.

And after you watch it, get down on your knees and thank the good lord above for blessing us with an acting talent like Jeremy Piven. He's as good as (Ari) Gold. That was terrible...

Tuesday Trainwreck - If Chevy Chase Were Dead, He'd Be Spinning In His Grave

2007-04-17T18:54:00.000-05:00

What in the hell happened to the once proud name of National Lampoon? The franchise that gave us National Lampoon's Vacation, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and probably some other good movies too, is apparently just a distant memory. Almost all the releases over the past decade or so have been nothing but B-quality crap with some T&A thrown in (not that I have anything against T&A - I'm just making a point here). And this flick fits that formula to a tee: National Lampoon's Pucked:

Now I know what you're thinking: "kidd, you're just a hater. How can a flick starring Jon Bon Jovi, David Faustino, and Nora Dunn be anything but awesome!" What can I say, I have a low opinion of others. And for those of you scratching your heads, David Faustino is the kid from Married...With Children.

The movie's about a guy who decides to live his dream by creating a female hockey team. Take a minute and read that again. Go ahead, I'll wait. Got that? So, long story short, he ends up in court after falling helplessly in debt, and must use his legal skills (he used to be a lawyer, by the way) to get himself out of hot water. At least, I think that's how it ends - I fell asleep about an hour into it, and just couldn't bring myself to hit rewind. It's that kind of a movie. Feel free to leave a comment and confirm the accuracy of this one.

About the only redeeming quality of the movie is that it stars the delicious Estella Warren, who's probably best known for her role in the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes. That girl can play with my hockey stick any time she wants.

In short? Amazon wants a full $20 for this, so I wouldn't waste my time. Anymore than I already have, that is. But, if you and your buddies need to have something on the TV while getting smashed, this makes a good something - especially when it hits the bargain bin in three months.

Come to think of it, I haven't heard anything from Chevy Chase in a while, so maybe he really has gone to that great multiplex in the sky. But even if he isn't dead, his career - and his residuals - certainly are.

Guitar Hero 3 - Cause Two Guitars Just Wasn't Enough

2007-04-16T17:17:00.000-05:00

It seems that one Guitar Hero story wasn't enough for this week, so here we go, two in a row! Fast on the heels of the Harmonix announcement last week, Red Octane has announced that Guitar Hero 3 will premiere later this year for no less than 4 consoles - the 360, PS2, PS3, and Wii. So no matter what type of fanboy you are, Red Octane's got you covered this fall.

The big news with this one is two-fold. First up, GameSpot is reporting that online play will be co-op this time around, meaning there will actually be some "online play". Second, the Wii version will not make you shred using a Wiimote. There will be a guitar controller for all the consoles, but there's no official confirmation yet on which ones will be wireless. Good money is on the PS3 version, while the Wii could be a "hybrid" wireless setup, as with classic controller. Count on MS to attach a cord to the damn thing one more time...

And for those of you wondering about the microtransactions, don't worry, they'll be there - the three next-gen consoles will have a full marketplace with downloadable songs (at least). It'll be interesting to see if pricing is uniform across all the online services.

You can't blame RO for cashing in on a goldmine like GH. It's rare that a peripheral sells as well as the guitar controllers do, so they might as well make the scratch wherever they can. It reminds me of an old saying: "A gamer and his money are soon parted."

Activision Issues A Fix For Guitar Hero 2 Whammy Bar - 360 Rock Wannabes Raise Axes In Victory

2007-04-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

Ever since Guitar Hero 2 was released for the 360, next-gen rock gods in training have been complaining about a problem with the whammy bar on the guitar controller. Apparently, it was laggy and unresponsive. Activision issued a statement that they were looking into the problem, and even released the model numbers of the problem guitars. But now, salvation is at hand, and a fix is as close as your 360 console.

It seems Activision has released an update to Xbox Live that supposedly fixes the problem with the whammy bar. There's no word on exactly what the update does, since this was widely believed to be a hardware problem, but I guess the good folks at Red Octane have figured something out. If this is truly a fix, the good news is that buyers will no longer have to fight with the Best Buy sales guy to return a defective controller.

While it's nice to see the company working hard and issuing a fix, it would have been nicer to see the fix appear on Live before the expansion packs did, but I guess that would be asking a little too much. Broken controller? We'll fix it, but first, buy some songs that you can't really play yet! Ah, capitalism.

As a proud owner of GH2 for the PS2, I won't be able to test this one, so drop us some comments and let us know if everything's kosher now. Cause let's face it - no guy can live with a defective whammy bar.

Update - Destructoid is reporting that the GH2 update is bricking 360's left and right, so it's probably a good idea to not install this bad boy. Well done, Activision - way to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Super Paper Mario Is A Hit - Okay, That Makes Two Good Games For The Wii...

2007-04-14T02:42:00.000-05:00

The big N has got a real problem on its hands these days. Sure, the console seems to be selling well, and Super Paper Mario appears to be a hit. But the fact is, it's a desperately needed hit. The Wii needs a serious infusion of some good games stat, or this system may follow in the GameCube's footsteps.

Think about this - when the Wii first launched, it was all that anyone was talking about. It had an innovative new control system, and it had a new Zelda game. What wasn't to like? And yes, Zelda was great, but a console can't survive on one game. It needs a steady stream of new titles, especially from third party developers, in order to thrive. That's part of the reason why the GC failed, and is also part of the reason why the PS2 was the runaway success last generation.

So how are things starting out this gen for N? Well, so far no good. Third parties haven't come to grips with the new control system yet, and that's held back some of the more promising games (do I really need to mention Red Steel?). Not to mention that online play is completely nonexistent at this point. Oh, and there's a console shortage. Is that enough for now?

Obviously, it's too soon to proclaim the Wii DOA. But Nintendo, it's time to start getting on the ball and making this console the long-term success that it could be. Bring on Metroid, bring on Mario Galaxy, and for the love of god, bring on online play for something other than Pokemon.

Michael Douglas Fans Rejoice - The Box Set You've Been Waiting For Has Arrived!

2007-04-14T02:04:00.000-05:00

DVD sales are a billion dollar industry. Hollywood is making money faster than they can count it off of these things. But movies on DVD aren't the big seller - TV is. A few years back, someone finally had the idea to start releasing TV series on DVD, and consumers started eating it up. It was a great decision for everyone, only now, things are starting to get out of hand. It seems that just about every TV series is starting to get the DVD treatment. Even those that don't need it, such as The Streets of San Francisco.

For those of you too young to remember, which would probably be everyone reading this, the show starred an old Karl Malden and a young(er) Michael Douglas, a pair of cops trying to clean up the crime ridden streets of San Fran. Hence the title. Malden played the vet, trying to keep the brash Douglas in line, as they solved such capers as "I Left My Rice-A-Roni in San Francisco", "A Trolley Car Named Desire", and "Gangs of the Golden Gate". Yes, it was truly...a really boring hour of television.

So here's a message to Hollywood - just because a show is old, that doesn't make it a classic. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of great old shows out there that deserve a nice box set for us to drop $40 bucks on, but this crap is not it. If you're gonna release crap, give us some In Search Of... with Leonard Nimoy. That's some crap that we can all enjoy.

Master Shake And The Crew Finally Hit The Big Screen - Boston Put On High Alert

2007-04-13T23:49:00.000-05:00

Everyone's favorite late night, low budget, basic cable cartoon is finally hitting the big screen this weekend. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters promises to be 90 minutes of bullshit the likes of which you have never seen. And what else would you expect from the Adult Swim gods?

We all remember the nonsense involving the viral marketing campaign for the movie in Boston, and I'm happy to report that the city hasn't blown up anything because of the release of the movie...yet. This is only the opening weekend, after all, so the city still has at least two weeks to go overboard and pull some crazy ass crap again.

Anyone who's an Aqua Teen fan needs to see this movie. Anyone who's not a fan needs to watch the show. Yes, it's weird at first, but after a few episodes, certain brain cells will die off, and you'll be able to enjoy the mind-numbing splendor that is Meatwad, Carl, the Mooninites, and Master Shake (no one cares about Frylock - he's a drag).

So that's it. No reviews, no inside info - just go see the damn movie. It's got to be better than Grindhouse was.

Friday Freebie - More Versatile Than Betamax

2007-04-13T20:33:00.000-05:00

Got a bunch of videos on your computer? Sure, of course you do. In fact, what with all the BitTorrent movies, Comedy Central clips, and porn, I'll bet your hard drive is overflowing with video. Too bad it's all in different formats, requiring different players. It makes watching your favorites a hassle. Luckily, there is an answer, and it doesn't involve re-encoding everything. All it takes is VLC:

VLC is a media player capable of playing back just about any video file type you can throw at it. You can play one file at a time, or queue up a full play list, and sit back and enjoy an entire season of 24 without ever touching your mouse. The player is sleek and uncluttered, and while the interface is a little boring, it's just one less thing to distract you from the actual video.

And best of all (besides the whole free thing), there are versions available for 16 different operating systems! So unless you're on an Amiga or some other weird ass OS, you should have no trouble getting VLC up and running.

Check out VLC's website here, and grab your downloads here. Do it now - those Jenna Jameson vids aren't going to play themselves.

Tuesday Trainwreck - What's So Hard About Bending Air? Look, I'm Doing It Right Now

2007-04-10T20:55:00.000-05:00

A couple years back, anime (aka Japanimation) became huge in the states. Thanks to it, we have such gems as Pokeman and Yu Gi Oh - however the hell you spell that. But apparently, all that authentic Japanese anime wasn't enough for Nickelodeon. Yes, the network does still exist, and it's more craptacular than ever. And they're bringing us pseudo-anime in the guise of Avatar - The Last Airbender:

Now I admit, I don't know that much about the series. In fact, I hadn't even really heard of it until seeing a review of an Avatar game over on X-Play. But I can tell you this - it's stupid. Apparently, some kid gets frozen in snow, and wakes hundreds of years later to find the Earth taken over by the forces of fire. So, Avatar starts bending air in order to defeat them. Yeah, I don't get it either. I mean, I'm no scientist, but doesn't pushing air into a fire just make the fire stronger?

As I mentioned earlier, this isn't even real anime anyway. This stuff was created right here in the U.S. Okay, it was probably made in Indonesia or something, but that doesn't make it anime, cause it was conceived here in the states. So even die-hard anime fans need not apply for this stuff.

Short story shorter, don't even bother getting started on this one. While the show does seem to have a loyal fanbase, it's just a group of guys that were oxygen deprived due to all the air bending going on around them, so they don't know any better. What's your excuse? Exactly. Go bend something else. I don't really care what, just do it with style. You know, like Beckham.

Someone Tell Good Charlotte That Goth Is Over

2007-04-09T18:16:00.000-05:00

We all know that music is half about the artist's image, but some bands just seem to try too hard. The Stones still pretend to be young, Diddy still pretends to be fresh, and Justin Timberlake still pretends that he can sing. And then there's Good Charlotte, who dropped a new album a couple weeks back called Good Morning Revival. As if enough people didn't hate these guys already, they're playing the tortured souls. Do 13 year old girls even care at this point?

This group has taken a lot of flack since day one. Many thought of them as Green Day junior when they first hit the scene, and that's not too far off. But the rip is, that wasn't really a bad thing. Of all the bands of the time to be compared to, they could have done much worse. And, to top it off, they had a good sound.

The fact now is, they still have a good sound. Their music has evolved over the years, moving to an alt/rock mix that's all their own. And yet the image holds them back. Even gamers, the very people that understand what it's like to be outcasts, don't run with them (and I say that as a proud gamer, so all the haters can lay off). Case in point - Microsoft gave them Artist of the Month status on XBox Live to debut the single Keep Your Hands Off My Girl from the new album, and everybody talked trash about them. Granted, that's not exactly the hottest cut off the new disk, but I don't remember that many people mouthin' off when Jessica Simpson was Artist of the Month. I guess having a nice rack lets you get away with shit...

While it's true that the "tortured loner" feel is all over this album, the tracks are still catchy and easy to groove to. Break Apart Her Heart and Dance Floor Anthem are two definite standouts, so if you're not willing to pony up for the whole album, at least consider dropping a couple bucks for those singles at your download service of choice. And remember, this kind of image crap is all just record company PR bullshit. At the end of the day, you should make your music choices based on the music, and not who's singing it. Of course, that doesn't mean I encourage anyone to go out and listen to Madonna - that bitch is crazy.

Where Have All The Wii's Gone?

2007-04-07T01:08:00.000-05:00

We live in a country built on mass consumerism. If you've got money to spend, there's a store with a product to sell you. It's the American way. But apparently, it's not the Japanese way. And this brings us to our question - where the hell are all the Wii's?

According to Wikipedia, the Wii was released here in the states on November 19, 2006 to rave reviews. Everyone and their brother had to have one. Lines stretched for miles, the black market was overrun with Wii's, and men and women alike performed unspeakable sexual acts just for the opportunity to purchase a console. Combine that with the holidays, and the console supply was understandably scarce. But that was 6 freakin' months ago.

Here we are, April 2007, and the Nintendo isle is still surprising bare at most retailers. Small shipments arrive once every few weeks, and sell out faster than the Rolling Stones during a halftime show. About the only store that gets a steady supply of stock is the Nintendo World Store in NYC.

So what's going on? Some are speculating that N is holding back consoles so their profit margins don't get too out of whack. At this point, that's about the only reason there could be. There's certainly no manufacturing issues - the damn console is a GameCube in a rectangular case.

Whatever the reason, this nonsense has to stop. Gamers have been waiting patiently for months now, but the frustration levels are rising. Nintendo needs to ship a whole bunch of these things ASAP, and retailers need to put them on the shelves immediately. No more of that waiting for the Sunday sale crap. As an American, it's my right to throw my money away on frivolous items that I don't really need. God Bless America!

Friday Freebie - Spies Like Them

2007-04-06T19:31:00.000-05:00

For one day only here at the Atomic Playground, we're running a Friday Freebie special - two for the price of none. That's right, we're giving you a 2-fer, just like at Ruby Tuesday. But if you're getting buzzed off of this, you're either doing something really wrong, or really right.

This week's freebie picks up where last week's left off, with computer security. You may think that virus protection is all you need to keep you safe while trolling the interwebs, but I got news for ya pal - there are spies out there, lurking in the shadows, just waiting for you to make the wrong move. And when you do, they'll be all up in your grill. Yes, I'm talking spyware. The fact is, even if you play it safe, you're still at risk. So here are two tools to help you evade the spies and keep you flying under the radar. First up is Ad-Aware:

This one is probably the best known spyware killer, and it works great. It offers intelligent scanning and full on-demand system scanning. There are new definition updates available all the time, and the automatic spyware removal is quick and painless. Plus, it's got a slick looking interface. For the casual user, it's easy to fire up and start scanning. But for the advanced nerd, there are plenty of options to tweak out your scanning preferences.

But that's not the only game in town. Next up is Spybot - Search & Destroy:

While perhaps not as widely known, this scanner has a large following. It's great at tracking down that pesky spyware and adware that's hiding deep in the recesses of your registry. It too offers frequent updates and automatic removal of the bad stuff, so usage is a snap.

So which one of the above should you get? Both. And I'm not saying that just because they're free, although that is a pretty good reason. The fact is, while each of them does an excellent job, they each do their jobs a little differently. So what one scanner may miss, the other will catch. By using both, you're getting some damn good protection. One item to mention though - neither of these scanners will protect you in real time. They're both "after the fact" scanners, meaning they'll remove spyware and adware that has already infected your machine. So, don't go clicking on anything just because you've got these guys installed. That's just asking for trouble.

You can check out Ad-Aware here, and download it here. And Spybot can be seen here, and downloaded here. And for those of you internet vets complaining that you already have this stuff, and want a different freebie, tough. We've got to help the noobs out from time to time too.

It's A Sony Price Drop - No, Not The PS3, And No, Not The PS2

2007-04-04T17:15:00.000-05:00

Sony has finally listened to the masses, and issued a price drop on one of its video game devices. Unfortunately, it's the one that nobody cares about. No, I don't mean the PS3. It's the PSP, and the core unit - the one that doesn't come with any accessories - is now $169.99.

Rumor has it that the price drop came because big-box retailers couldn't sell the damn thing, and were threatening to pull it from the shelves. So, will the new price point make this the must have portable? No. What, you want an explanation why not? Well, there's practically no decent games, the controls are a pain, the battery life sucks, and it's still $40 more than the DS. But hey, it sure looks good. Too bad gamers are ashamed to be seen in public carrying one of these things.

This is definitely a step in the right direction, but there's still a long way to go if Sony wants to conquer the portable market. And it's the same story as with the PS3 - they need good games. Yes, price is a factor, but people will shell out the cash if they have a compelling reason to. And right now, that's just not there. So while the price is low enough that this could be considered an impulse buy, there's just no reason to go for it at this point.

If you're looking for a good portable gaming system, the DS is still the way to go. Sorry Sony, but looks aren't everything.

Tuesday Trainwreck - Baseball Is Boring

2007-04-03T17:35:00.000-05:00

The GameCube is dead. Yeah, I said it. So what? You wanna fight about it? I didn't think so. Hell, even the big N themselves have kicked the little cube to the curb, in favor of the shiny new Wii. God, I hate that name...

So what does console death mean in this day and age? It means no decent games are coming out. Instead, we get trash like this - Backyard Sports Baseball 2007:

Can't afford a real baseball game for your console? If that's the case, this game is targeted at you. It's also targeted at children under 3, people suffering from some sort of mental retardation, and anyone who enjoys eating lead paint. Basically, those too dumb to know any better, or too poor to care.

Having said that, there's nothing redeeming about this game. Hell, there's nothing redeeming about the sport of baseball. It's just a bunch of prettyboys "adjusting" themselves on a field. They even run and hide inside when it starts raining. Nothing but a bunch of wussies if you ask me. And talk about boring. If I wanted to watch a bunch of guys stand around and do nothing for 3 hours, I'd watch C-SPAN, or go to Home Depot. Now there's a workforce that knows how to kill time.

I guess I should get on with the game review, but honestly, I just don't care about this one. Just trust me when I tell you it's bad. It's really bad. If you're desperate for a cheap baseball game, go hit the used stores and grab a copy of MVP or 2K Baseball from a couple years back. Otherwise, you're just throwing your money away.

(Note: If this feature were called Wednesday Trainwreck instead, the winner would be Luxor 2 on the XBLA. It's an Egyptian-themed puzzle game that's just really boring - baseball boring. You've probably never heard of the first one, since only about 4 copies were sold worldwide. But, since it was a PSP title, 4 copies means that it qualifies as Player's Choice. In any event, stay away, and buy TMNT with those points if you haven't already.)

I Want My MP3!

2007-04-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

Digital music downloads have been a controversial topic for some time now. Sure, they let you grab only the tracks you want, when you want them, for about a buck a song. But, those songs are basically crippled thanks to the loveliness that is DRM. Depending on where you buy the songs from, you might not be able to burn them on CD, play them on another computer, or put them on your mobile device of choice. But finally, the tides are turning.

Back in February, I commented on an open letter from Steve Jobs asking the recording industry to drop DRM in favor of a more open business model. I was skeptical of his motives, and frankly, I still am, but the proof is in the pudding. Yum, pudding.

As if people didn't have enough reason to use iTunes, they just got one more. EMI and Apple, in a joint announcement over the weekend, stated that DRM free music would be coming to iTunes this May. How much music? All of it. That's right, EMI's entire digital catalog will now be available DRM free. That means you can do anything you want with the files after you buy them, including posting them on P2P sites. As if that weren't enough, the music will also be encoded at a higher bit rate than it currently is - 256 kbps.

Of course, there are downsides. The biggest is that this new format will cost more - $1.29 per song. Also, the tunes will only be available in AAC format, so no MP3 for you. Still, that's a fairly small downside. And for those of you that like your music cheap and restricted, the original 99 cent, FairPlay locked files will still be available.

If you've already purchased EMI music through iTunes, you'll have the opportunity to "upgrade" to the new files for 30 cents a song when the catalog goes live. Of course, that assumes you live under a rock and haven't figured out how to remove the DRM yourself. Google is your friend.

There's no word yet on when the other labels will get on board, but it's only a matter of time at this point. And for those of you morally opposed to using iTunes, the DRM free EMI catalog will be making its way to other digital music retailers after the iTunes release. Each retailer will even get a say in what file type and bit rate are used, so there should be plenty of choices in the market once everything shakes out.

Finally, the sun is rising on the digital music horizon. How many years did it take? Still, better late than never. And you've really got to hand it to Jobs. He makes things happen. Take that Bill Gates - you got served!