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Al-Gore Blog

Sexy Update!

I became editor of three *sexy* people today. They are: Sarah Michelle Gellar  Avril Lavigne  and... Jessica Alba  SWEET!!! :D In other news i'm $40 away from having enough money to buy a xbox 360! :D

Nine more games target 360 launch

Take-Two, Activision games add to growing list of launch games--and hype; number now reaches a possible 17. Though Microsoft has not officially confirmed the entire launch lineup of games expected on day one of the Xbox 360's debut, two game publishers are publicly declaring their contributions. According to a report from Reuters, Take-Two Interactive and Activision have announced nine Xbox 360 games between them that will be on store shelves November 22, the day the console is released in the US. The rivalry between Take-Two and Electronic Arts in the sports market will continue in the next-generation, as Take-Two, parent company of the 2K Sports brand, is expecting to have NBA 2K6, NHL 2K6, Top Spin 2, and Amped 3 on the Xbox 360 opening bill. Away from the feats of cyberathletes, Take-Two expects to take on the role-playing world with Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Activision is declaring a quartet of launch games for the 360, including a trio of sequels and an all-new IP. WWII shooter Call of Duty 2, first-person shooter Quake 4, and skater Tony Hawk's American Wasteland have all been pegged for day one release by the publisher. Activision believes Gun, an all-new Western-themed action game, will also mosey into stores November 22, according to Reuters. Microsoft has not officially announced any of these games as available for the launch of the Xbox 360. Adding these nine to the previous eight confirmed at X05 (Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo: Elements of Power, Perfect Dark Zero, Madden NFL 06, NBA Live 06, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, FIFA 06, and Need for Speed Most Wanted) would bring the total to 17 games ready for launch. Given that Microsoft has repeatedly stated that 15-20 games will be ready for the console's debut, including all of these games would mean that other launch candidates may not be ready for day one, as previously thought. Games such as THQ's Saint's Row, Sega's Full Auto and Condemned: Origins, and Tecmo's Dead or Alive 4 would now be put on the bubble or pushed back to the second wave of games expected at the end of this year, or early 2006. According to David Reid, director of platform marketing for the Xbox, the remaining games for launch are still "in the final stages of certification" and will shortly be announced officially. Speaking of the xbox 360. Right now I have $211 saved up to get it. I'm half way there! :D Until I spend it all on GTA: LCS and Stubbs the Zombie.

EA: patron of the arts to the tune of $15.6M

It seems so long ago that a humble Livejournal post riled up a storm of controversy over EA's labor practices. Deception, exploitation, families rent asunder—EA was painted as the whip-cracking, slave-driving villain, and apparently justifiably so. Today it was reported that EA has settled a lawsuit with one group of its irate employees. EA will grant a sum of $15.6M, plus a one-time stock payout, to approximately 200 of its California employees working as entry level "animators, modelers, texture artists, lighters, background effects artists, and environmental artists." The plaintiffs will then be reclassified as hourly employees, eligible for overtime pay. However, this leaves a few threads dangling: for one, this only addresses artists. What about junior designers and coders? A lawsuit is still in progress regarding the programmers at EA, but will they fare as well? Also, this settlement only addresses California operations: what about EA's strongholds in Canada, or their new Tiburon location in Florida? Finally, analysts predict that this could in fact worsen the actual work conditions of the newly-hourly artists at EA, upping the likelihood of their being axed if productivity drops and opening them up to more demanding quota-based expectations. "Think of it more like a factory worker," said financial analyst Michael Pachter. "The assembly line just sped up." "EA Games! Quicker! Shoddier! More profit-focused!" You guys can just replace your "Challenge Everything" line with that if you want. Free of charge.  Take a look at EA's new logo:  :shock:

Mediocre News Compendium: Old, Old News

Not that this is "old, old news", necessarily, that's actually a quote from John Romero! Oh man, what a fake-out! Seriously though, here's some old news. From Shacknews: John Romero has co-founded a new development studio and is — even as we speak — working on some kind of "new game". Romero had this to say: "Daikatana's old, old news now. Like, over 5 years ago. And the fact that everyone remembers that particular game instead of the dozens of other games I've made just shows how negatively slanted the media is - negativity sells. When news of my new game somehow gets out, I think everyone will be a bit shocked." Anyway, prepare to be sold some negativity: People not currently working on new games include around 10,000 Sony employees. They were laid off as part of a "major restructuring", which included the closing of eleven plants and fifteen "unprofitable operations". This is apparently the handiwork of new Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer, who, in unrelated news, had this to say about the upcoming PlayStation 3: "We will galvanize groupwide resources like never before to ensure its success". Ubisoft, who have previously been going back and forth on whether or not they would allow themselves to be bought out by EA (EA currently owns 20% of Ubisoft) have now gone back. Or forth. One of the two. In recent months Ubisoft have vowed to stay independent, then it turned out that they only really wanted to remain independent of EA... and now EA may not be that bad. CEO Yves Guillemot: "We are not safe from a hostile action from Electronic Arts, which it would be difficult to block if they make a genuinely interesting offer... If somebody is interested in our competitive advantages and this person is willing to pay for those at their right price, then we will choose what is best for our shareholders and our employees". And finally, in news totally unrelated to CEOs and corporate restructuring: Stubbs the Zombie will have co-op mode, there will be a Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy for Xbox, which is basically the Double Pack but with the inclusion of San Andreas. Speaking of which, San Andreas has a special edition on the way, which features a prequel movie and the 'Sunday Driver' movie. And even though it's a special edition, there is still very little sex. :(  Microsoft and Nintendo are both having their birthday today. MS is 30 years old. Nintendo has been around for 116 years now.

Then & Now: Part 2

I started taking some comparison photos. These aren't great quality as they are just photographs of my TV while I have GTAIII in the PS2. The LCS images come from various sources.  PART 2   Portland: Hepburn Heights and Harwood   Some vehicle pics showing Rockstar's love of lens flare. Where did that tree in 8-Ball's yard suddenly appear from in 2001?   Gas Station and Firehouse in Harwood. What's that tower for? Staunton Island   I'm not sure if either this piece of land has been flooded or if I've got the wrong angle. Either way some trees have disappeared and cranes erected.   It makes sense that the Staunton Plaza construction site doesn't yet exist in LCS.   They haven't even started building the Staunton Plaza Yet/   The GTAIII shot is taken from the base of the Love Media Building. I guess it's still being built in LCS. Shoreside Vale   can't quite see the Cochrane Dam in '98, but that's probably just the angle.  We only listen to FUNK ROCK!

Then & Now: Part 1

I started taking some comparison photos. These aren't great quality as they are just photographs of my TV while I have GTAIII in the PS2. The LCS images come from various sources.  PART 1   Portland: Red Light District   The most well known change: Luigi's Sex Club 7 was once Paulie's Revue Bar.   Rear entrance to Paulie's/Sex Club 7: The door was once blue and had a spyhole   The Sindacco owned Casino/Bordello known as the 'Doll's House' has gone the same way as its owners by 2001.   Ammu-nation seems to have changed its lettering for a while around 1998. Portland: Saint Marks   Is that a Madd Dogg poster by the soon to be demolished building? Portland: Chinatown   L-Train track, Bobcat, PCJ-600 and a crane that wasn't there in LCS.   No hanging banners in GTA3. Portland: Callahan Point and Atlantic Quays   The Triad Fish Factory. Is that the Callahan Bridge being constructed?   The Bikers meet by Greasy Joe's. (actually it's called 'Rusty Brown's Ring Donuts' in LCS) Tomorrow Then & Now: Part 2 Featuring Portland: Hepburn Heights and Harwood Staunton Island Shoreside Vale  I was to lazy to do Portland: Hepburn Heights and Harwood, Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale that's why I'm doing them tomorrow. Lazy me.

Xbox 360 launching November 22

Microsoft announces its next-gen console's US launch date at the Tokyo Game Show; console will hit Europe December 2, Japan December 10 for 37,900 yen. Show lineup also revealed. Ever since Microsoft revealed that it was going to launch the Xbox 360 worldwide this year, gamers have been asking themselves one question: When? The majority of industry-watchers agreed that it would likely be in mid-November. After all, that would coincide with the fourth anniversary of the original Xbox's November 15 launch and the third anniversary of Xbox Live going online. It would also give developers the maximum amount of time to polish the first games for the console while allowing Microsoft to take full advantage of the holiday shopping season, which traditionally starts the day after Thanksgiving. As the fourth quarter of 2005 approached, more clues to a mid-November launch surfaced. Even before Microsoft unveiled the machine on MTV on May 12, the network accidentally revealed that the first games for the platform would be "due in November." Later that month, a Canadian subcontractor accidentally told a newspaper that the company had "a huge mandate for getting [the Xbox 360] out for Thanksgiving this year." Now it appears that Microsoft will make its pre-Turkey Day mandate…barely. In its pre-Tokyo Game Show conference on Thursday afternoon, Microsoft announced that it is shipping the Xbox 360 in North America on Tuesday, November 22, two days before Thanksgiving. The company also said the console is already being manufactured en masse, with "state-of-the-art facilities producing millions of units." As previously revealed this week, Microsoft will stagger the release of the Xbox 360 by territory. Europe will get the console on Friday, December 2, while it will hit Japanese store shelves on Saturday, December 10. Microsoft also announced the Japanese price for the Xbox 360. Instead of the two SKUs announced for North America and Europe, Japanese gamers will have only one available for 37,900 yen ($343.20). It will be the equivalent of the $399 Xbox 360 package in the US and will come with the 20GB detachable Xbox 360 hard drive, a wireless controller, a media remote control, a component HD-AV cable, an ethernet cable, and batteries. The first Japanese shipment will include a number of commemorative packs that also bundle in an Xbox 360 headset valued at 2,500 yen. The possibility of a "core" system sans hard drive being released in Japan in the future wasn't ruled out, but there are certainly no plans to do so at this time, even though the only announced game that requires it at this point is Final Fantasy XI. There will be seven games available for the Xbox 360's Japanese launch: · Ridge Racer 6 · Frame City · Dead or Alive 4 · Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter · (eM)-eNCHANT-arM · Tetris: The Grandmaster Ace · Everyparty Other games confirmed for release during the Japanese Xbox 360 launch period (up to and including January 2006) include: · Dynasty Warriors 5 Special · Need for Speed Most Wanted · Wrestle Kingdom · Ninety-Nine Nights · Project Gotham Racing 3 · Tengai Makyou Ziria Xbox 360 accessories confirmed for the Japanese launch period include: · Wireless controller · Controller · Faceplates · Memory units · Wireless LAN adapter · Play and charge kit · Rechargeable battery · D-connection HD AV cable · Component HD AV cable · VGA HD AV cable · S-video HD AV cable · Headset · Media remote "This holiday season, gamers in Japan, Europe and North America pining to experience jaw-dropping high-definition graphics, unmatched online play and compelling digital entertainment features of Xbox 360 will finally have the chance," said chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach. "Renowned development studios around the world are busy putting the finishing touches on their Xbox 360 games. We expect a strong portfolio of titles on launch day and through the holidays that will appeal to fans of every genre and gamers in every region, and with more than 200 games currently in development, continuous new additions to the library are on the way." Of the 200 games Bach mentioned, 27 will be on display at the Xbox 360 booth at the Tokyo Game Show. . (eM)-eNCHANT-arM (FromSoftware Inc.) · Bomberman -- Act Zero (Hudson Soft Co. Ltd.) · Call of Duty 2 (Activision Inc.) · Chromehounds (Sega) · Dead Rising (Capcom) · Dynasty Warriors 5 Special (Koei Co. Ltd.) · Everyparty (Microsoft Game Studios) · Far East of Eden -- Ziria (Hudson Soft) · Final Fantasy XI (Square Enix Co. Ltd.) · Frame City Killer (Namco) · Gears of War (Microsoft Game Studios) · Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios) · Mobile Suit Gundam (tentative title) (Bandai Co. Ltd.) · Need for Speed Most Wanted (Electronic Arts) · Ninety-Nine Nights (Microsoft Game Studios) · The Outfit (THQ) · Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Game Studios) · Resident Evil 5 (Capcom) · Ridge Racer 6 (Namco) · Rumble Roses XX (tentative title) (Konami) · Shutoku Battle (tentative title) (Genki Co. Ltd.) · Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega) · Saint’s Row (THQ) · Test Drive Unlimited (Atari Inc.) · Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft Entertainment) · World Air Force (tentative title) (Taito Corp.) · Wrestle Kingdom (Yuke’s Co. Ltd.)  I got five: 1) Being an editor rocks!  2) this is #2 3) I'm getting The Sims 2: Night out today! 4) Forget #4. 5) Xbox 360 launching November 22!!!!!!!

Game Boy Micro US Packaging

Have a look at how the mini system will be boxed next week. It's very unusual. Next week Nintendo will unleash the Game Boy Micro in the US. Two versions of the system will be launched in this territory: Black and Silver, and both will retail for $99.99 each. Both systems will feature three faceplates that can be interchanged. When it hits shelves stateside, it will come sealed in very unique packaging that strays from the traditional game system packaging of Game Boy past:   It's clear by this unusual see-through packaging that Nintendo is targeting the Game Boy Micro, at least in the US, at the iPod-centric, fashion-conscious, casual consumer. The Game Boy Micro shrinks the components of a Game Boy Advance into a miniscule system that's only four inches wide, two inches long, and not even an inch thick. Its 2 inch screen is backlit for incredible clarity. Unlike the GBA SP, the Game Boy Micro will only play GBA-specific titles. It is not compatible with Game Boy Color or classic Game Boy games. One more week to go before its September 19th release.