The Brütal Legend team has been celebrating "Metal Monday" on Twitter for the past few weeks.
Since my internet was knocked out the other day and I only now got it back, I'm going to forgo the usual stuff and post some of my own metal riffs for Metal Monday. I make up all kinds of rock, but metal might be my favorite to play.
I just recorded the video, so try refreshing the page if the video doesn't play right away.
Rock on.
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
Brütal awesomeness
Fanaticism is alright where heavy metal is concerned.
I used to sleep to music like that (my brother would say he couldn't sleep without the radio on). Pantera, Judas Priest, you name it. My entire life has had a metal soundtrack. "Children of the Grave" is just one great tune Tim Schafer has seemingly divined from my past. And, I swear, listening to Jack Black in this game is like a typical conversation with my cousin Danny. It's like this game was made just for me.
Maybe that's why I'm the only one who uses the umlaut. In any case, I think this 16-minute preview speaks for itself. Say it with me...
Brütal Legend!
In the words of my cousin:
I used to sleep to music like that (my brother would say he couldn't sleep without the radio on). Pantera, Judas Priest, you name it. My entire life has had a metal soundtrack. "Children of the Grave" is just one great tune Tim Schafer has seemingly divined from my past. And, I swear, listening to Jack Black in this game is like a typical conversation with my cousin Danny. It's like this game was made just for me.
Maybe that's why I'm the only one who uses the umlaut. In any case, I think this 16-minute preview speaks for itself. Say it with me...
Brütal Legend!
In the words of my cousin:
Then the Lord said, "Let there be rock." And Aaron said, "No, let there be metal, and let it be heavy."
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
stupid computers!
I joked to a friend that computers, cars, and women are alike because they're all sure to break down and require maintenance from time to time. ;)
In this case, that's an understatement. My video card is dead. May it burn in h... i mean, may it rest in peace.
Since my hard drive has occasionally clicked for over a year, threatening to go on strike (I have, of course, seen my share of blue screens of death), and because my computer is at least six years old, I figure it's probably time to just poney up for a whole new computer. One of the reasons I've been avoiding buying PC games in the past year or two is my PC's age.
Anyway, I'm just letting y'all know that my posts might be sporadic for the next week or two. But I'll post when I can.
In this case, that's an understatement. My video card is dead. May it burn in h... i mean, may it rest in peace.
Since my hard drive has occasionally clicked for over a year, threatening to go on strike (I have, of course, seen my share of blue screens of death), and because my computer is at least six years old, I figure it's probably time to just poney up for a whole new computer. One of the reasons I've been avoiding buying PC games in the past year or two is my PC's age.
Anyway, I'm just letting y'all know that my posts might be sporadic for the next week or two. But I'll post when I can.
Monday, June 22, 2009
blog compensation and the FTC
Apparently, the Federal Trade Commission has decided to start policing bloggers.
Companies increasingly include bloggers in their marketing drives. The FTC is concerned that not all bloggers reveal their relationships with these companies while consumers turn to the blogs for product reviews. Basically, the FTC believes consumers have a right to full disclosure when receiving product advice.
I'm generally not a fan of government regulatory agencies, but the FTC proposal certainly makes sense under current law. It's more a clarification of how existing laws apply to blogs than a creation of new rules. There's ample room for regulatory abuse, but I expect it will generally be business as usual.
In any case, this seems like a good time to talk about my own site's company relationships. I've spoken about them with fellow bloggers from time to time, but never explicitly discussed it on here.
First, you've probably noticed the "Partners" section in my sidebar. I used to have it labeled as something else, though I don't recall the label. For five or six months now, I've received a small amount of revenue in the form of monthly payments for including hypertext ads in that section for various companies and organizations -- enough money to buy one or two games each month. The advertisers are found through a middleman company, and I accept only ads that I think are somewhat relevant to my site.
When I started this blog years ago, I never dreamed I'd be able to make any money or derive any benefits from it. Now that I do, I'm a little stricter with myself about posting almost every weekday, but you can peruse my archives and see that the content is basically the same. I have had to consider how commercial I'll let the site become, though.
I think my priorities are pretty clear. If money was my top priority, I'd be spamming and posting all over the internet, writing more about news, writing many articles per day, etc. But money is not my top priority for this site, nor will ever be. That's why most my articles are still philosophical and niche, why I only write one article per day, and why I rarely mention my site apart from POTD (Post of the Day) links on Twitter.
Over the years, I've been given beta access directly by developers, given interview opportunities, given products and prizes to give away in contests, and have even received a few review copies of games. On a few occasions, I've been solicited for design advice by developers; and I briefly worked for a European developer (primarily as a reviewer). I continue to link to CrosuS, a product which I contributed to in a small way, but more because it is unique and respectable than because I have any affiliation with it (my contribution to CrosuS was negligible).
Most relations I've had with marketers have been brief, but I've been an EA Contact for months now. EA has given me exclusive screenshots, interview opportunities, a heads-up on new web content, and a few free review copies. In return, I offer to review particular games and help games I like gain exposure... usually by incorporating details of the game into a philosophical discussion typical of Anyway Games. I only review and market games I'm truly interested in. I've rejected offers concerning many games, from EA and others, such as THQ's Dragonica Online.
Have these relationships affected the honesty of my reviews and comments? I don't believe so. You might note that, while I gave Dead Space and Spore good reviews and have praised many EA games (just look at their present list of upcoming titles -- impressive), my reviews were not so kind to other of the publisher's games, like The Godfather II (which I received a review copy of) and Mass Effect. In fact, I am one of the few who have been very critical of Mass Effect, despite acknowledging that it's a good game overall (I'll be writing about hopes for the sequel this week).
Pandemic is responsible for one of my favorite games of all time, Star Wars: Battlefront. Recently, I've been helping them to advertise The Saboteur because it looks like a potentially awesome game. But I wrote a rather scathing review of another Pandemic title, LOTR: Conquest.
The point is that I am a brutally, compulsively honest person. I have Asperger Syndrome and am a reasoned Catholic. Put those two together, and the result is an extremely stubborn commitment to truth and morality. I care more about truth, God and my fellow human beings than profit and rewards. And I reject the common notion that moral rules change depending on whether one is acting in or outside of business. I certainly am not always right or accurate, but I try very hard to be honest with myself and others.
I also try to be open. So I've added a note in this site's heading for readers who don't communicate with me regularly. I try to make my biases plain, but please feel free to ask me if ever you'd like to know where I'm coming from.
Companies increasingly include bloggers in their marketing drives. The FTC is concerned that not all bloggers reveal their relationships with these companies while consumers turn to the blogs for product reviews. Basically, the FTC believes consumers have a right to full disclosure when receiving product advice.
If the guidelines are approved, bloggers would have to back up claims and disclose if they're being compensated — the FTC doesn't currently plan to specify how. The FTC could order violators to stop and pay restitution to customers, and it could ask the Justice Department to sue for civil penalties.
Any type of blog could be scrutinized, not just ones that specialize in reviews.
.... the guidelines also would cover the broader and common practice of affiliate marketing, in which bloggers and other sites get a commission when someone clicks on a link that leads to a purchase at a retailer.
I'm generally not a fan of government regulatory agencies, but the FTC proposal certainly makes sense under current law. It's more a clarification of how existing laws apply to blogs than a creation of new rules. There's ample room for regulatory abuse, but I expect it will generally be business as usual.
In any case, this seems like a good time to talk about my own site's company relationships. I've spoken about them with fellow bloggers from time to time, but never explicitly discussed it on here.
First, you've probably noticed the "Partners" section in my sidebar. I used to have it labeled as something else, though I don't recall the label. For five or six months now, I've received a small amount of revenue in the form of monthly payments for including hypertext ads in that section for various companies and organizations -- enough money to buy one or two games each month. The advertisers are found through a middleman company, and I accept only ads that I think are somewhat relevant to my site.
When I started this blog years ago, I never dreamed I'd be able to make any money or derive any benefits from it. Now that I do, I'm a little stricter with myself about posting almost every weekday, but you can peruse my archives and see that the content is basically the same. I have had to consider how commercial I'll let the site become, though.
I think my priorities are pretty clear. If money was my top priority, I'd be spamming and posting all over the internet, writing more about news, writing many articles per day, etc. But money is not my top priority for this site, nor will ever be. That's why most my articles are still philosophical and niche, why I only write one article per day, and why I rarely mention my site apart from POTD (Post of the Day) links on Twitter.
Over the years, I've been given beta access directly by developers, given interview opportunities, given products and prizes to give away in contests, and have even received a few review copies of games. On a few occasions, I've been solicited for design advice by developers; and I briefly worked for a European developer (primarily as a reviewer). I continue to link to CrosuS, a product which I contributed to in a small way, but more because it is unique and respectable than because I have any affiliation with it (my contribution to CrosuS was negligible).
Most relations I've had with marketers have been brief, but I've been an EA Contact for months now. EA has given me exclusive screenshots, interview opportunities, a heads-up on new web content, and a few free review copies. In return, I offer to review particular games and help games I like gain exposure... usually by incorporating details of the game into a philosophical discussion typical of Anyway Games. I only review and market games I'm truly interested in. I've rejected offers concerning many games, from EA and others, such as THQ's Dragonica Online.
Have these relationships affected the honesty of my reviews and comments? I don't believe so. You might note that, while I gave Dead Space and Spore good reviews and have praised many EA games (just look at their present list of upcoming titles -- impressive), my reviews were not so kind to other of the publisher's games, like The Godfather II (which I received a review copy of) and Mass Effect. In fact, I am one of the few who have been very critical of Mass Effect, despite acknowledging that it's a good game overall (I'll be writing about hopes for the sequel this week).
Pandemic is responsible for one of my favorite games of all time, Star Wars: Battlefront. Recently, I've been helping them to advertise The Saboteur because it looks like a potentially awesome game. But I wrote a rather scathing review of another Pandemic title, LOTR: Conquest.
The point is that I am a brutally, compulsively honest person. I have Asperger Syndrome and am a reasoned Catholic. Put those two together, and the result is an extremely stubborn commitment to truth and morality. I care more about truth, God and my fellow human beings than profit and rewards. And I reject the common notion that moral rules change depending on whether one is acting in or outside of business. I certainly am not always right or accurate, but I try very hard to be honest with myself and others.
I also try to be open. So I've added a note in this site's heading for readers who don't communicate with me regularly. I try to make my biases plain, but please feel free to ask me if ever you'd like to know where I'm coming from.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
possible Ustream show
I decided the other day that I'd like to do something special for the release of Brütal Legend, since the music Shafer seems to be celebrating in that game is an important part of who I am. One of the possibilities that jumped to mind was to crank up my amp and rock out on my guitar live.
So then I thought, "I've already got a good webcam coming in the mail. Is there some way I can stream a live show for free?". And you know what? Hell yes, there is!
Well, now that I've seen Ustream in action, I've decided I'm going to start a live show there in the coming weeks (assuming the new webcam I got is up to the job). The question is: What sort of show should it be?
It might just be about guitar and music. I bought that webcam so I could upload videos of my songs onto YouTube. No matter what I do with the live show, I'll be playing guitar at least some of the time. But I could do a show about gaming.
I'd basically be responding to whatever articles I read that day, perhaps using that day's blog as the starting point... then responding to questions and comments. Maybe I'd mix it with brief guitar lessons. When I write a review, I could answer questions about the game and respond to criticisms. When I hold a contest or giveaway, the gist of it would be on the show. Honestly, I'm a clearer thinker when I'm writing, but it might be less dry for y'all if you can watch and listen to me. It would be sometime in the afternoon or night, Central Standard Time.
What do you think? Would you be interested in a live or recorded video show that reflected this blog's content? Check out Ustream show or two, like this one, and let me know.
By the way, I'll likely be away from internet most of the time until Monday. Don't worry. I'll make it through... somehow.
So then I thought, "I've already got a good webcam coming in the mail. Is there some way I can stream a live show for free?". And you know what? Hell yes, there is!
Well, now that I've seen Ustream in action, I've decided I'm going to start a live show there in the coming weeks (assuming the new webcam I got is up to the job). The question is: What sort of show should it be?
It might just be about guitar and music. I bought that webcam so I could upload videos of my songs onto YouTube. No matter what I do with the live show, I'll be playing guitar at least some of the time. But I could do a show about gaming.
I'd basically be responding to whatever articles I read that day, perhaps using that day's blog as the starting point... then responding to questions and comments. Maybe I'd mix it with brief guitar lessons. When I write a review, I could answer questions about the game and respond to criticisms. When I hold a contest or giveaway, the gist of it would be on the show. Honestly, I'm a clearer thinker when I'm writing, but it might be less dry for y'all if you can watch and listen to me. It would be sometime in the afternoon or night, Central Standard Time.
What do you think? Would you be interested in a live or recorded video show that reflected this blog's content? Check out Ustream show or two, like this one, and let me know.
By the way, I'll likely be away from internet most of the time until Monday. Don't worry. I'll make it through... somehow.
Monday, April 13, 2009
the Valhalla project, etc
I've added a new link to my blog list, but it's not really a blog. It's a blogger biography project meant to help bloggers get to know each other a little better. What I like most is how you can browse by different criteria, like location and profession.
I'm on there now as well, if you ever get curious. And since it has the familiar "five random things" question, I no longer feel obligated to respond to Ysh's meme. =P
I might really update my blogroll eventually, but not today. Some of those sites are in permanent hibernation, I think, and I read others that aren't listed there.
And in case you're curious, I get most of my gaming news these days from friends in Twitter (especially Alchemic Dream) and N4G. For previews and reviews, I usually turn to GameTrailers. What sites do you rely on?
I'm on there now as well, if you ever get curious. And since it has the familiar "five random things" question, I no longer feel obligated to respond to Ysh's meme. =P
I might really update my blogroll eventually, but not today. Some of those sites are in permanent hibernation, I think, and I read others that aren't listed there.
And in case you're curious, I get most of my gaming news these days from friends in Twitter (especially Alchemic Dream) and N4G. For previews and reviews, I usually turn to GameTrailers. What sites do you rely on?
Friday, February 06, 2009
Anyway Tales
At different points in my life, I've written short stories and poetry. I even started a novel when I was a kid, but quickly realized what a pain in the arse that would be, haha. And of course I've long written lyrics for my music (I've been songwriting about 15 years or so).
Well, I've decided to create a second blog on which to post that stuff. Partially because I'm a reclusive introvert and little, if any, of it is likely to get published otherwise. And partially to coax me back into writing. I still write lyrics all the time, since I'm always making new music (I have too much), but I'd like to get back into making short stories and maybe poetry as well.
Anyway, I don't intend this new fiction blog to be as regular as the game blog. But maybe two or three times a week I'll try to post something. I'll probably have to write new stories and poems, since I either can't find or don't like most of my old ones. Of course, I just said that's half the point, didn't I? Lyrics I have plenty of, so perhaps I'll post a couple lyrics and one of something else each week.
If Myspace or some other site will let me upload mp3s for free and embed those songs in my blog posts, then I'll show you how the music goes to the lyrics. I'm not a great performer, but I'm a good creator.
As it says at the top of that new blog, I welcome criticism. Little of this stuff has ever been reviewed by anyone, so I'm sure it could all be improved.
Anyway, you can go to the site at any time through my profile or in the sidebar links as my fiction.
Well, I've decided to create a second blog on which to post that stuff. Partially because I'm a reclusive introvert and little, if any, of it is likely to get published otherwise. And partially to coax me back into writing. I still write lyrics all the time, since I'm always making new music (I have too much), but I'd like to get back into making short stories and maybe poetry as well.
Anyway, I don't intend this new fiction blog to be as regular as the game blog. But maybe two or three times a week I'll try to post something. I'll probably have to write new stories and poems, since I either can't find or don't like most of my old ones. Of course, I just said that's half the point, didn't I? Lyrics I have plenty of, so perhaps I'll post a couple lyrics and one of something else each week.
If Myspace or some other site will let me upload mp3s for free and embed those songs in my blog posts, then I'll show you how the music goes to the lyrics. I'm not a great performer, but I'm a good creator.
As it says at the top of that new blog, I welcome criticism. Little of this stuff has ever been reviewed by anyone, so I'm sure it could all be improved.
Anyway, you can go to the site at any time through my profile or in the sidebar links as my fiction.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Twittered
I decided to give Twitter a try. To be honest, I have no idea what to expect. I don't really know what it's about, but I'm guessing it's kind of like a delayed IM.
Anyway, feel free to follow me (username: hallower1980) if you have it, and I'll add yours from there. Any advice is welcome too.
Anyway, feel free to follow me (username: hallower1980) if you have it, and I'll add yours from there. Any advice is welcome too.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
hopes of 2009
I've been unable to think of anything fresh these past couple of days, so I'm just going to list the games I'm watching in 2009 and give some brief thoughts on each. I haven't heard or read anything about some of these in a while. I'm not certain about any of them, but they all have my hopeful.
GODFATHER 2
I'm hoping to have a copy of this in the coming weeks. The first Godfather game is fun, but lacks depth. The sequel seems to have far more dynamics, including rival gangs that will try to take your territories while you're taking theirs. Those dynamics should add some replayability and personalized gameplay. We'll see.
BACKBREAKER
Finally, someone's trying to put the physical dynamics and unpredictability of real American football into a video game. Finally, you can take pleasure in some hits being harder than others. And the developers are obviously trying to shake up other elements of the game as well. I haven't seen any updates in a while, but I have high hopes for this one.
THE AGENCY
James Bond (007) on one side, John McClane (Die Hard) on the other. True FPS action and over-the-top, straight-faced silliness. This seems to be an MMO that drops a lot of the baggage that usually defines MMOs. It looks to be a lot of fun, and perhaps might even show the industry how to make games rather than rat mazes.
SECTION 8
I hadn't heard of this game until a few days ago. Players can drop onto any spot of the battlefield, a feature Medal of Honor: Airborne proved can be a lot of fun and adds replayability. Bots are provided for both offline and online fragfests. Multiplayer matches include the possibility of missions which coax players out of their usual routines. And the game seems to include a number of dynamics to spice things up. It's caught my interest.
FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4
Round 3 is great, but Round 4 sounds like it will require more tactical thinking from the player. This could be a nice upgrade to a great series.
BORDERLANDS
A Mad Max setting with RPG-like advancement and a Diablo-esque loot system. Little has been shown yet, but I always love the combination of guns and cars. Placed in an open world, and my interest is peaked.
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2
... or whatever you want to call it. Call of Duty 4 is a monumental game -- a fun, intense single-player mode and the first multiplayer fragfest that I've thoroughly enjoyed since the original Perfect Dark. The customization and leveling in multiplayer was pure genius. Hopefully, Infinity Ward will push the genre, but not so much that they abandon what made their previous work great.
BLOODBOWL
Honestly, I know nothing about this one, except that it's based on a unique and brutal boardgame that I loved as a kid. Fast, brutal action and brazen silliness work so well together when artfully combined.
TOM CLANCY'S HAWX
Co-op dogfights in modern jets? Count me in. The game looks fun, but I'm left to wonder about replayability. Clear, concise missions can be fun, but I wouldn't buy the game unless there was something to do after I've completed all those missions. If HAWX includes enough dynamics and customization of gameplay, then this one could be a blast. It would be great if they'd allow players to select a vehicle for each single-player mission, the way MoH: Airborne allows players to select weapons.
GUITAR HERO: METALLICA
Yes, St. Anger sucked, and I don't much care for the new stuff either. But as a rocker raised on songs like "Don't Tread On Me", "Battery", and "Harvester of Sorrow", I can't wait to blare it through my TV and play along. These music games really are a unique and fun way to enjoy your favorite music. It doesn't hurt that Corrosion of Conformity, Children of Bodom, and other great bands have some tunes in this game.
GHOSTBUSTERS
Alright, so this one could be just a typically shallow and linear Hollywood hackjob. But hey, it's Ghostbusters! Coming from a film IP, it would be easy for the writers to prioritize a linear plot over interaction and personalization, but here's hoping it will turn out well. I'm glad the actors are all involved.
SACRED 2: FALLEN ANGEL
I half expect this to be mediocre, but it would be nice to play a Diablo-type game on a console for a change. I know they've been on consoles before, but this will be my first (not counting Too Human, which really isn't the same).
BRUTAL LEGEND: ROADHSHOW OF DESTRUCTION
I almost forgot this one! Brutal Legend is a tribute to the music that made my childhood. With many favorite musicians on board with development, and a comedic actor who has already dedicated many works to the subject (Jack Black), it's looking good. Once again, action mixed with comedy and over-the-top scenarios. As my old band's singer used to always say, "you better axe somebody!"
What have I forgotten? Halo Wars and Aliens: Colonial Marines could be cool, but I'm expecting them to be merely alright.
GODFATHER 2
I'm hoping to have a copy of this in the coming weeks. The first Godfather game is fun, but lacks depth. The sequel seems to have far more dynamics, including rival gangs that will try to take your territories while you're taking theirs. Those dynamics should add some replayability and personalized gameplay. We'll see.
BACKBREAKER
Finally, someone's trying to put the physical dynamics and unpredictability of real American football into a video game. Finally, you can take pleasure in some hits being harder than others. And the developers are obviously trying to shake up other elements of the game as well. I haven't seen any updates in a while, but I have high hopes for this one.
THE AGENCY
James Bond (007) on one side, John McClane (Die Hard) on the other. True FPS action and over-the-top, straight-faced silliness. This seems to be an MMO that drops a lot of the baggage that usually defines MMOs. It looks to be a lot of fun, and perhaps might even show the industry how to make games rather than rat mazes.
SECTION 8
I hadn't heard of this game until a few days ago. Players can drop onto any spot of the battlefield, a feature Medal of Honor: Airborne proved can be a lot of fun and adds replayability. Bots are provided for both offline and online fragfests. Multiplayer matches include the possibility of missions which coax players out of their usual routines. And the game seems to include a number of dynamics to spice things up. It's caught my interest.
FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4
Round 3 is great, but Round 4 sounds like it will require more tactical thinking from the player. This could be a nice upgrade to a great series.
BORDERLANDS
A Mad Max setting with RPG-like advancement and a Diablo-esque loot system. Little has been shown yet, but I always love the combination of guns and cars. Placed in an open world, and my interest is peaked.
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2
... or whatever you want to call it. Call of Duty 4 is a monumental game -- a fun, intense single-player mode and the first multiplayer fragfest that I've thoroughly enjoyed since the original Perfect Dark. The customization and leveling in multiplayer was pure genius. Hopefully, Infinity Ward will push the genre, but not so much that they abandon what made their previous work great.
BLOODBOWL
Honestly, I know nothing about this one, except that it's based on a unique and brutal boardgame that I loved as a kid. Fast, brutal action and brazen silliness work so well together when artfully combined.
TOM CLANCY'S HAWX
Co-op dogfights in modern jets? Count me in. The game looks fun, but I'm left to wonder about replayability. Clear, concise missions can be fun, but I wouldn't buy the game unless there was something to do after I've completed all those missions. If HAWX includes enough dynamics and customization of gameplay, then this one could be a blast. It would be great if they'd allow players to select a vehicle for each single-player mission, the way MoH: Airborne allows players to select weapons.
GUITAR HERO: METALLICA
Yes, St. Anger sucked, and I don't much care for the new stuff either. But as a rocker raised on songs like "Don't Tread On Me", "Battery", and "Harvester of Sorrow", I can't wait to blare it through my TV and play along. These music games really are a unique and fun way to enjoy your favorite music. It doesn't hurt that Corrosion of Conformity, Children of Bodom, and other great bands have some tunes in this game.
GHOSTBUSTERS
Alright, so this one could be just a typically shallow and linear Hollywood hackjob. But hey, it's Ghostbusters! Coming from a film IP, it would be easy for the writers to prioritize a linear plot over interaction and personalization, but here's hoping it will turn out well. I'm glad the actors are all involved.
SACRED 2: FALLEN ANGEL
I half expect this to be mediocre, but it would be nice to play a Diablo-type game on a console for a change. I know they've been on consoles before, but this will be my first (not counting Too Human, which really isn't the same).
BRUTAL LEGEND: ROADHSHOW OF DESTRUCTION
I almost forgot this one! Brutal Legend is a tribute to the music that made my childhood. With many favorite musicians on board with development, and a comedic actor who has already dedicated many works to the subject (Jack Black), it's looking good. Once again, action mixed with comedy and over-the-top scenarios. As my old band's singer used to always say, "you better axe somebody!"
What have I forgotten? Halo Wars and Aliens: Colonial Marines could be cool, but I'm expecting them to be merely alright.
Friday, January 02, 2009
new appreciation
I'm still recovering from the holidays, and still have family visiting... and there's SEC teams playing bowl games today, so I don't have much to say today. But here are some short thoughts.
I was given Guitar Hero: World Tour for Christmas, with just the guitar and another. It's my first music game, ironically enough, and I'm loving it. After some nagging from my visiting sisters, I bought Rock Band 2 as well so I could have drums and a mic. Rock Band seems to have a hell of a lot more DLC, and great stuff ("Electric Crown" by Testament, "Dr. Feelgood" by Motley Crue, old Metallica, etc), but so far (it's still early) World Tour feels better and is more challenging. I'm loving both.
I'm looking forward to experimenting with World Tour's recording studio. As a songwriter for over 15 years, I'm hoping to create all sorts of stuff. I'm not sure how versatile or effective it is yet.
These music games have me enjoying songs in a whole new way. I wonder how games can help us to appreciate other things, like literature, in new ways. The main barrier to good translation of literature is still dialogue, for which AI remains insufficient. But perhaps designers can compensate elsewhere.
There's a LOTR: Conquest multiplayer demo on XBL today! It will be a while before I can try it out, but I recommend it to anyone. It's fashioned after Star Wars: Battlefront, and I consider that one of the best games of all-time; so much replayability and so much variety. I look forward to stomping on you all with my oliphant.
I was given Guitar Hero: World Tour for Christmas, with just the guitar and another. It's my first music game, ironically enough, and I'm loving it. After some nagging from my visiting sisters, I bought Rock Band 2 as well so I could have drums and a mic. Rock Band seems to have a hell of a lot more DLC, and great stuff ("Electric Crown" by Testament, "Dr. Feelgood" by Motley Crue, old Metallica, etc), but so far (it's still early) World Tour feels better and is more challenging. I'm loving both.
I'm looking forward to experimenting with World Tour's recording studio. As a songwriter for over 15 years, I'm hoping to create all sorts of stuff. I'm not sure how versatile or effective it is yet.
These music games have me enjoying songs in a whole new way. I wonder how games can help us to appreciate other things, like literature, in new ways. The main barrier to good translation of literature is still dialogue, for which AI remains insufficient. But perhaps designers can compensate elsewhere.
There's a LOTR: Conquest multiplayer demo on XBL today! It will be a while before I can try it out, but I recommend it to anyone. It's fashioned after Star Wars: Battlefront, and I consider that one of the best games of all-time; so much replayability and so much variety. I look forward to stomping on you all with my oliphant.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Halloween traditions
So what are your Halloween traditions? I'm particularly interested in what my foreign friends do for this time, if anything, but I'm talking about more than just jack'o'lanterns and trick-or-treating.
If my 360 wasn't shipped off for repair, I'd play Dead Space tonight. What other games are good for a scare?
My main Halloween tradition is listening to a handful of creepy tunes. Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain is excellent, as is the pencil-art accompaniment Disney included in Fantasia. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is another classic, particularly good when played on an organ. But my favorite Halloween music is the Astro-Creep 2000 by White Zombie! Wonderfully dark and creepy.
As for movies... Unfortunately, the only horror DVD I own is Frailty. It's a good one, but I wish I had more. I do own The Ghost and The Darkness, which is creepy for some but not for others. Some other random horror movies I like: Bram Stoker's Dracula, Event Horizon, Alien .... It's hard to think of good ones. There are so few.
Anyway, what do you do for Halloween?
If my 360 wasn't shipped off for repair, I'd play Dead Space tonight. What other games are good for a scare?
My main Halloween tradition is listening to a handful of creepy tunes. Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain is excellent, as is the pencil-art accompaniment Disney included in Fantasia. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor is another classic, particularly good when played on an organ. But my favorite Halloween music is the Astro-Creep 2000 by White Zombie! Wonderfully dark and creepy.
As for movies... Unfortunately, the only horror DVD I own is Frailty. It's a good one, but I wish I had more. I do own The Ghost and The Darkness, which is creepy for some but not for others. Some other random horror movies I like: Bram Stoker's Dracula, Event Horizon, Alien .... It's hard to think of good ones. There are so few.
Anyway, what do you do for Halloween?
Friday, September 26, 2008
Iron Grip: Warlord closed beta
Isotx is taking applications now for the closed beta of Iron Grip: Warlord, their unique FPS/RTS hybrid.
I worked for Isotx very briefly and was privileged to offer a small contribution to the Iron Grip lore. So I'm excited to see the game start to reach fruition.
Warlord continues from Iron Grip: The Oppression, a Half-Life 2 total conversion mod that you can find here. What makes The Oppression a unique multiplayer game is that one side plays the game as an FPS while the other side plays as an RTS.
Warlord, on the other hand, is not a mod. It's a full commercial game that takes place in a different corner of the Iron Grip universe (which is huge) and follows the same style of gameplay. Isotx decided to revamp the graphics earlier this year, and it shows. The game's looking good:
I worked for Isotx very briefly and was privileged to offer a small contribution to the Iron Grip lore. So I'm excited to see the game start to reach fruition.
Warlord continues from Iron Grip: The Oppression, a Half-Life 2 total conversion mod that you can find here. What makes The Oppression a unique multiplayer game is that one side plays the game as an FPS while the other side plays as an RTS.
Warlord, on the other hand, is not a mod. It's a full commercial game that takes place in a different corner of the Iron Grip universe (which is huge) and follows the same style of gameplay. Isotx decided to revamp the graphics earlier this year, and it shows. The game's looking good:
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
back from Ike at last
Apparently, I just needed to leave town for power to be restored to my house. ;) After 10 days, the energy company finally got power to my street last night. I just got back from a day trip to Oklahoma, and it's nice to have air conditioning and internet again... and lights... and refrigeration.
Honestly, it wasn't that bad for me. I adapted to the lack of air conditioning pretty quick, and I was prepared with flashlights and non-perishable foods. I still had gas to boil eggs and cook sausages. Meat and bread have always been the core of my diet, but that's about all I was eating without electricity.
My relatives, friends, and I pulled through the hurricane alright. My side of Houston (northwest) got hit with 80+ winds, hard downdrafts, and tornadoes, so pretty much everyone had branches and trees to cut and clear. I lost a bradford pear tree in the backyard, among other things, but it fell against the fence. Four of my neighbors had trees leaning on or in their homes, and that was seen on almost every street in town. My sister in the Woodlands and her three immediate neighbors had eleven trees down, each at least two stories tall. A saving grace was that the winds tended to remain high, so they didn't toss around people and cars and such.
Needless to say, we were very blessed. The weather was a full 15 degrees below normal, and the humidity ridiculously low, for this time of year (we don't get seasons here... just summer and spatterings of cool weather from October through March). A friend of mine thought that was normal for hurricanes, but we had typical 90+ heat and 90%+ humidity after Hurricane Alicia in '83. It finally got back to 95 or so this Sunday, but it wasn't that bad if you had gotten your physical labor done before then. There's a lot more mosquitoes around right now, since the storm dropped over 12 inches of rain here in Spring.
I have a cul-de-sac across the street from me, and all of my neighbors met there each night for dinner while the power was out. At its peak, we had about 30 folks eating brisket, burgers, and whatever else had to be cooked before it went bad from lack of refridgeration. We even got a firepit out there and camped around the fire as we ate and chatted.
Of course, not everyone had it as good as us. A friend of a friend lost his 10-year-old son during the cleanup after the storm. He's a professional tree remover/trimmer, but as he was cutting a loose branch down in his own yard his son suddenly ran into harm's way. One of my neighbors tried to juggle funeral plans that happened to coincide with the hurricane. Others I know had significant damage to their homes (I just got a little water seeping in around the fireplace), but the boy is the only life I know was lost near me.
In all of Galveston, as in areas around Houston, street signs and stop signs are down. Considering that the homes there were also devastated, I can't imagine how the few residents allowed back into the city are finding their ways around. I had clean water and gas -- they didn't, and still don't. Those coastal cities were annihilated. You have to expect that sort of catastrophic damage from time to time if you live anywhere on the Gulf Coast, particularly on the barrier islands and deltas, but I still sympathize with all the folks who can't even go back to their home city yet. It's one thing for your home to be destroyed. Imagine your entire town being unrecognizable. Rita was worse for Mississippi, of course (there wasn't even debris left then), but Ike was pretty terrible.
There will be a lot of talk over the coming years, similar to the talk surrounding New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina, about how much help Galveston and the other coastal cities should be offered from the rest of the nation. Please keep in mind that there is no part of the country that is free from natural disasters. The Northeast suffers from terrible blizzards. The Midwest suffers from tornadoes much bigger and stronger than the ones we get here. The Southwest has droughts. California gets earthquakes and mudslides. Hawaii and the Northwest live under the shadow of volcanoes (they don't strike often, but they do blow; the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was lucky as pyroclastic eruptions go). All of the West is under the threat of tsunamis. Also keep in mind that humankind has always built cities along the water. I'm not suggesting all this means Galveston must be rebuilt with federal tax dollars. I'm just saying this should be part of your consideration.
And even fools and idiots, like the shocking number of Galvestonians who chose to remain in the city during the hurricane -- in fact, especially fools and idiots -- should be treated with charity. A lot of people need your prayers and aid right now. Many of them don't deserve it, but please offer it to them anyway.
I'll get back to normal posting next week.
Honestly, it wasn't that bad for me. I adapted to the lack of air conditioning pretty quick, and I was prepared with flashlights and non-perishable foods. I still had gas to boil eggs and cook sausages. Meat and bread have always been the core of my diet, but that's about all I was eating without electricity.
My relatives, friends, and I pulled through the hurricane alright. My side of Houston (northwest) got hit with 80+ winds, hard downdrafts, and tornadoes, so pretty much everyone had branches and trees to cut and clear. I lost a bradford pear tree in the backyard, among other things, but it fell against the fence. Four of my neighbors had trees leaning on or in their homes, and that was seen on almost every street in town. My sister in the Woodlands and her three immediate neighbors had eleven trees down, each at least two stories tall. A saving grace was that the winds tended to remain high, so they didn't toss around people and cars and such.
Needless to say, we were very blessed. The weather was a full 15 degrees below normal, and the humidity ridiculously low, for this time of year (we don't get seasons here... just summer and spatterings of cool weather from October through March). A friend of mine thought that was normal for hurricanes, but we had typical 90+ heat and 90%+ humidity after Hurricane Alicia in '83. It finally got back to 95 or so this Sunday, but it wasn't that bad if you had gotten your physical labor done before then. There's a lot more mosquitoes around right now, since the storm dropped over 12 inches of rain here in Spring.
I have a cul-de-sac across the street from me, and all of my neighbors met there each night for dinner while the power was out. At its peak, we had about 30 folks eating brisket, burgers, and whatever else had to be cooked before it went bad from lack of refridgeration. We even got a firepit out there and camped around the fire as we ate and chatted.
Of course, not everyone had it as good as us. A friend of a friend lost his 10-year-old son during the cleanup after the storm. He's a professional tree remover/trimmer, but as he was cutting a loose branch down in his own yard his son suddenly ran into harm's way. One of my neighbors tried to juggle funeral plans that happened to coincide with the hurricane. Others I know had significant damage to their homes (I just got a little water seeping in around the fireplace), but the boy is the only life I know was lost near me.
In all of Galveston, as in areas around Houston, street signs and stop signs are down. Considering that the homes there were also devastated, I can't imagine how the few residents allowed back into the city are finding their ways around. I had clean water and gas -- they didn't, and still don't. Those coastal cities were annihilated. You have to expect that sort of catastrophic damage from time to time if you live anywhere on the Gulf Coast, particularly on the barrier islands and deltas, but I still sympathize with all the folks who can't even go back to their home city yet. It's one thing for your home to be destroyed. Imagine your entire town being unrecognizable. Rita was worse for Mississippi, of course (there wasn't even debris left then), but Ike was pretty terrible.
There will be a lot of talk over the coming years, similar to the talk surrounding New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina, about how much help Galveston and the other coastal cities should be offered from the rest of the nation. Please keep in mind that there is no part of the country that is free from natural disasters. The Northeast suffers from terrible blizzards. The Midwest suffers from tornadoes much bigger and stronger than the ones we get here. The Southwest has droughts. California gets earthquakes and mudslides. Hawaii and the Northwest live under the shadow of volcanoes (they don't strike often, but they do blow; the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was lucky as pyroclastic eruptions go). All of the West is under the threat of tsunamis. Also keep in mind that humankind has always built cities along the water. I'm not suggesting all this means Galveston must be rebuilt with federal tax dollars. I'm just saying this should be part of your consideration.
And even fools and idiots, like the shocking number of Galvestonians who chose to remain in the city during the hurricane -- in fact, especially fools and idiots -- should be treated with charity. A lot of people need your prayers and aid right now. Many of them don't deserve it, but please offer it to them anyway.
I'll get back to normal posting next week.
Friday, September 12, 2008
hurricane hiatus
I live in a town called Spring, just outside the Houston city limits to the northwest. For the moment, it's looking like my area is going to get hit by the strongest part of Hurricane Ike, the northeast corner of the eye. That could change, of course. Hurricanes are mostly unpredictable.
I'm not too worried for myself. I've got a strong brick house that's never been flooded. It's heavily wooded here, so I'm sure we'll get trees and debris smashing cars and windows, messing up roofs. But that's minor stuff. I'm far enough inland that I don't have to worry about the surge, and that's what's going to kill people and completely destroy lots of property. We could get tornadoes here, but there's no point in worrying about something you can't predict.
But the storm will almost certainly knock out my power and perhaps other utilities for a few days or more. So I'm giving you the heads up that I probably won't be posting for a while. I wish I could say my posts have been sporadic this week because I was preparing for the hurricane, but it was more laziness than anything, haha.
Anyway, no need to worry about me. Pray for the folks closer to the coast. This hurricane might not be strong, but it's big and the storm surge is going to devastate many towns. Already, houses are starting to be torn up in Galveston by the waves, and Ike hasn't even landed yet. Pray for those people. You'll never know just how powerful those prayers are. God bless.
I'm not too worried for myself. I've got a strong brick house that's never been flooded. It's heavily wooded here, so I'm sure we'll get trees and debris smashing cars and windows, messing up roofs. But that's minor stuff. I'm far enough inland that I don't have to worry about the surge, and that's what's going to kill people and completely destroy lots of property. We could get tornadoes here, but there's no point in worrying about something you can't predict.
But the storm will almost certainly knock out my power and perhaps other utilities for a few days or more. So I'm giving you the heads up that I probably won't be posting for a while. I wish I could say my posts have been sporadic this week because I was preparing for the hurricane, but it was more laziness than anything, haha.
Anyway, no need to worry about me. Pray for the folks closer to the coast. This hurricane might not be strong, but it's big and the storm surge is going to devastate many towns. Already, houses are starting to be torn up in Galveston by the waves, and Ike hasn't even landed yet. Pray for those people. You'll never know just how powerful those prayers are. God bless.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Red Alert free; hurricanes
If you haven't heard already, EA's letting anyone download the original Command & Conquer: Red Alert for free today at this site. You can also get Red Alert 2 "free" if you pre-order Red Alert 3. I'd say that's a hell of a deal for folks who were already planning on buying Red Alert 3.
If you've never played a Red Alert game, I can't say I'm sure you'll enjoy the original (just because it's so old), but it's definitely worth trying. The only RTS series that compares in popularity is Starcraft. Red Alert was my favorite RTS until I played LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth 2.
edit: I tried for hours to get the original Red Alert working on my Win XP -- the Win 95 version and the DOS version -- but to no avail. I give up. I hope you have more luck with it.
On another note, hurricane Gustav could knock out my internet for a while.
I live just north of Houston. Right now, Gustav's aimed for New Orleans (city of my birth), but I've been watching hurricanes long enough to know that the weather forecasters are only making educated guesses and this thing could turn at any time. Even if Gustav doesn't turn, it might spin out tornadoes here or drop enough rain to knock out the power. I'm too far inland to worry about it, really. It's the people on the coast who need your prayers, but I'm just letting you know I might not update this site for a while after Monday.
If you're one of the folks evacuating or travelling through Louisiana right now, be aware that gas stations are running out of gas and not all of them will have more delivered anytime soon. Some relatives of mine just drove back to Houston from Mobile. Ironically, they said I-10 was alright (they travelled in the middle of the night), but Texas is diverting traffic around Liberty and other areas. 1960 east of Houston (the route I usually take to 90) is closed off.
Hurricane Hannah's looking like it might hit the Florida keys soon.
May God keep you safe.
If you've never played a Red Alert game, I can't say I'm sure you'll enjoy the original (just because it's so old), but it's definitely worth trying. The only RTS series that compares in popularity is Starcraft. Red Alert was my favorite RTS until I played LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth 2.
edit: I tried for hours to get the original Red Alert working on my Win XP -- the Win 95 version and the DOS version -- but to no avail. I give up. I hope you have more luck with it.
On another note, hurricane Gustav could knock out my internet for a while.
I live just north of Houston. Right now, Gustav's aimed for New Orleans (city of my birth), but I've been watching hurricanes long enough to know that the weather forecasters are only making educated guesses and this thing could turn at any time. Even if Gustav doesn't turn, it might spin out tornadoes here or drop enough rain to knock out the power. I'm too far inland to worry about it, really. It's the people on the coast who need your prayers, but I'm just letting you know I might not update this site for a while after Monday.
If you're one of the folks evacuating or travelling through Louisiana right now, be aware that gas stations are running out of gas and not all of them will have more delivered anytime soon. Some relatives of mine just drove back to Houston from Mobile. Ironically, they said I-10 was alright (they travelled in the middle of the night), but Texas is diverting traffic around Liberty and other areas. 1960 east of Houston (the route I usually take to 90) is closed off.
Hurricane Hannah's looking like it might hit the Florida keys soon.
May God keep you safe.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
games and ... stamps?
This is ridiculous.
Ridiculous, but brilliant. You just know everything on that site's going to sell like hotcakes.
By the way, I just realized that the WAR beta will reopen around the same time as Spore's release. If that's not malicious torture, I don't know what is.
I have two games pre-ordered at the moment: Spore and Fable 2. There's a ton of other great games coming out this fall and winter that I want, but that's all the money I have free for gaming right now. I'd consider switching my Fable 2 money to WAR so I can join my Casualties friends, but I've already downloaded the Pub Games and so feel obligated to stick with Fable 2. To be honest with myself, I'm going to have to wait on a lot of great games.
The other games on my "must have" list which are due out soon:
Ridiculous, but brilliant. You just know everything on that site's going to sell like hotcakes.
By the way, I just realized that the WAR beta will reopen around the same time as Spore's release. If that's not malicious torture, I don't know what is.
I have two games pre-ordered at the moment: Spore and Fable 2. There's a ton of other great games coming out this fall and winter that I want, but that's all the money I have free for gaming right now. I'd consider switching my Fable 2 money to WAR so I can join my Casualties friends, but I've already downloaded the Pub Games and so feel obligated to stick with Fable 2. To be honest with myself, I'm going to have to wait on a lot of great games.
The other games on my "must have" list which are due out soon:
- Warhammer Online
- Dead Space
- LOTR: Conquest
- Fallout 3
- Gears of War 2
- Saints Row 2
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Far Cry 2
- Diablo 3
- Starcraft 2
- Project Offset
- Red Faction: Guerilla
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
- Backbreaker
- The Agency
- Godfather 2
- Bloodbowl
- Goldenaxe
- Halo Wars
- Borderlands
- Rise of the Argonauts
- Saboteur
- Left 4 Dead
- Sacred 2
- Tom Clancy's Endwar
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
WAR is everywhere
This new cinematic trailer for WAR is quite simply the coolest video I have ever seen! Wow.
Why the hell don't people make feature films like this?! I mean it. Sure, it's an insane amount of work, but it'd be insanely popular with scenes like this and a solid story.
Of course, no Marauder would ever go down so easily. ;) Yes, I'm in beta, and my main is a ruthless Marauder:
Oh, and by the way.. that huge Chaos monster at the end? I saw that in-game last night!
After completing a quest in the troll mountains, reclaiming a mighty scepter and unleashing its power on an altar, Tchar'zanek himself stepped from the giant portal behind me and spoke to me! He basically congratulated me and said I was worthy servant of Chaos.
Again, wow. I stayed up waaaay too late last night (and have been paying for it, believe me), but that was the perfect ending to a long adventure.
If WAR has anything at all going for it, it's a kickass setting and quests that feel alive. Great job, Mythic.
Why the hell don't people make feature films like this?! I mean it. Sure, it's an insane amount of work, but it'd be insanely popular with scenes like this and a solid story.
Of course, no Marauder would ever go down so easily. ;) Yes, I'm in beta, and my main is a ruthless Marauder:
Oh, and by the way.. that huge Chaos monster at the end? I saw that in-game last night!
After completing a quest in the troll mountains, reclaiming a mighty scepter and unleashing its power on an altar, Tchar'zanek himself stepped from the giant portal behind me and spoke to me! He basically congratulated me and said I was worthy servant of Chaos.
Again, wow. I stayed up waaaay too late last night (and have been paying for it, believe me), but that was the perfect ending to a long adventure.
If WAR has anything at all going for it, it's a kickass setting and quests that feel alive. Great job, Mythic.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Lazy Days
My song "Lazy Days" is on iTunes now.
It's not a professional recording (professionally mastered, at least), but it's cool all the same. Months ago, a small company called Quickstar Productions contacted me and offered to place this song of mine on their next Chill Out acoustic compilation album (the picture above is from a different album of the same series). I don't expect to make much money from it. The main benefit is exposure. Aside from showing up on iTunes, Quickstar will be promoting the CD to various radio stations, labels, managers, and other industry folks around the country.
I'm hoping to record one of my metal songs soon for Casualties and Warhammer Online, a song called "A Season For War". Creative versatility is my greatest gift with music. I can compose in any style. So if I get that recorded, I'll link it back here so you can hear how various my songs can be.
Anyway, I hope you like it.
edit: I just listened to the iTunes preview for the first time, and I wish they had started the clip from a different point. It's really a riff-driven song, in my view. I grew up on early 90s rock like Metallica, Alice in Chains, Skid Row, Pantera, Ozzy, Pearl Jam, etc. So most of my music is riff-driven. Anyway, you can catch a little bit of that at the end of the iTunes clip.
It's not a professional recording (professionally mastered, at least), but it's cool all the same. Months ago, a small company called Quickstar Productions contacted me and offered to place this song of mine on their next Chill Out acoustic compilation album (the picture above is from a different album of the same series). I don't expect to make much money from it. The main benefit is exposure. Aside from showing up on iTunes, Quickstar will be promoting the CD to various radio stations, labels, managers, and other industry folks around the country.
I'm hoping to record one of my metal songs soon for Casualties and Warhammer Online, a song called "A Season For War". Creative versatility is my greatest gift with music. I can compose in any style. So if I get that recorded, I'll link it back here so you can hear how various my songs can be.
Anyway, I hope you like it.
edit: I just listened to the iTunes preview for the first time, and I wish they had started the clip from a different point. It's really a riff-driven song, in my view. I grew up on early 90s rock like Metallica, Alice in Chains, Skid Row, Pantera, Ozzy, Pearl Jam, etc. So most of my music is riff-driven. Anyway, you can catch a little bit of that at the end of the iTunes clip.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Casualties of War
I've added a link to the new Warhammer guild I'm a part of, Casualties of War.
Half the bloggers I know are members already. I normally avoid guilds like plague, but this one's a bunch of people I respect and the guild is devoted to fun (rather than grinds and server domination). These are people who acknowledge that non-virtual life comes first, and we're just sharing a great hobby together.
The guild's not restricted to bloggers. So if you're interested, check it out.
Keen and Graev have also started a Warhammer guild. Theirs will probably be great too, but it has a slightly different focus than ours. If CoW doesn't suit you, take a look at that one.
I have to say, I'm excited about finally getting to game with so many folks from our little blogosphere. Hope to see you there!
Half the bloggers I know are members already. I normally avoid guilds like plague, but this one's a bunch of people I respect and the guild is devoted to fun (rather than grinds and server domination). These are people who acknowledge that non-virtual life comes first, and we're just sharing a great hobby together.
The guild's not restricted to bloggers. So if you're interested, check it out.
Keen and Graev have also started a Warhammer guild. Theirs will probably be great too, but it has a slightly different focus than ours. If CoW doesn't suit you, take a look at that one.
I have to say, I'm excited about finally getting to game with so many folks from our little blogosphere. Hope to see you there!
Saturday, August 09, 2008
stuff I listen to (and write/play)
Tipa seems to have started it. Then Kanthalos picked it up. Now it's my turn to share some tunes I like, mostly from bands that never made it that big.
"Outlaw" by The Scream (audio only):
I wish they had a video for other songs on that album, like "Tell Me Why" or "I Don't Care". The singer, John Corabi, went on to make a kickass album with Motley Crue in their short period without Vince Neill. Here's another song from that album. Some say it's the best album Motley Crue ever made.
"High Wire" live by Badlands (takes a moment for the video to kick in):
Badlands' self-titled album and Voodoo Highway have some of the best rock guitar ever, and the whole band's good. Jake E. Lee also played for Ozzy on songs like "Shot In the Dark".
"Losin' Your Mind" by Pride & Glory (the video shortens the song):
Nobody's had more influence on my guitar style and songwriting than Zakk Wylde. Ozzy's got a knack for finding incredible guitarists. No More Tears, Ozzmosis, Pride & Glory, Zakk's Book of Shadows, and the first few Black Label Society albums are all amazing.
It was a shock when I found out that Zakk was good friends with my other favorite guitarist, Dime Darrell of Pantera. If you've never heard "Hollow", you're really missing out:
I've got a Dime tribute song that I'll have to give a proper recording sometime. When he died, myself and many others were surprised to find ourselves tearing up over this guy we had never met. A phenomenal musician.
"Crazy Love" by Gruntruck:
To be honest, I've never been able to explain why I love Gruntruck's Push album as much as I do, but I listen to it more often than almost any other album. Simple, but awesome. I recommend it to any fan of grunge. YouTube also has the video for "Tribe", from that same album.
And finally, you can find a video of "Heaven and Hell" by Circus of Power here (there's no embed code). I wish there was a video for "Swamp Devil". I stumbled onto this other Artimus Pyledriver song by the same name while looking for it. Pretty cool.
Needless to say, I love to hear rock, metal, and grunge with a Southern flavor. That's pretty much sums up my own style.
You can find my music here. It's permanently linked on the sidebar. Unfortunately, I rarely take the time to record things well, and I'm usually too shy to belt out the vocals to do them well, but the site at least gives people a taste of what I do. My greatest gift with music is adaptability -- I can write in any style -- but whether or not there's much variety on my site depends on when you check it. I'll have a song on the next Quickstar acoustic compilation album, like this, due out sometime in the coming weeks. The song's called "Lazy Days".
Oh yeah, on one of the songs up on my site, a ballad called "Her Story", you can hear the vocals of someone you know.
"Outlaw" by The Scream (audio only):
I wish they had a video for other songs on that album, like "Tell Me Why" or "I Don't Care". The singer, John Corabi, went on to make a kickass album with Motley Crue in their short period without Vince Neill. Here's another song from that album. Some say it's the best album Motley Crue ever made.
"High Wire" live by Badlands (takes a moment for the video to kick in):
Badlands' self-titled album and Voodoo Highway have some of the best rock guitar ever, and the whole band's good. Jake E. Lee also played for Ozzy on songs like "Shot In the Dark".
"Losin' Your Mind" by Pride & Glory (the video shortens the song):
Nobody's had more influence on my guitar style and songwriting than Zakk Wylde. Ozzy's got a knack for finding incredible guitarists. No More Tears, Ozzmosis, Pride & Glory, Zakk's Book of Shadows, and the first few Black Label Society albums are all amazing.
It was a shock when I found out that Zakk was good friends with my other favorite guitarist, Dime Darrell of Pantera. If you've never heard "Hollow", you're really missing out:
I've got a Dime tribute song that I'll have to give a proper recording sometime. When he died, myself and many others were surprised to find ourselves tearing up over this guy we had never met. A phenomenal musician.
"Crazy Love" by Gruntruck:
To be honest, I've never been able to explain why I love Gruntruck's Push album as much as I do, but I listen to it more often than almost any other album. Simple, but awesome. I recommend it to any fan of grunge. YouTube also has the video for "Tribe", from that same album.
And finally, you can find a video of "Heaven and Hell" by Circus of Power here (there's no embed code). I wish there was a video for "Swamp Devil". I stumbled onto this other Artimus Pyledriver song by the same name while looking for it. Pretty cool.
Needless to say, I love to hear rock, metal, and grunge with a Southern flavor. That's pretty much sums up my own style.
You can find my music here. It's permanently linked on the sidebar. Unfortunately, I rarely take the time to record things well, and I'm usually too shy to belt out the vocals to do them well, but the site at least gives people a taste of what I do. My greatest gift with music is adaptability -- I can write in any style -- but whether or not there's much variety on my site depends on when you check it. I'll have a song on the next Quickstar acoustic compilation album, like this, due out sometime in the coming weeks. The song's called "Lazy Days".
Oh yeah, on one of the songs up on my site, a ballad called "Her Story", you can hear the vocals of someone you know.
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