SourPK

2009-12-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

I'm In Japan Fools!

2009-09-08T01:55:00.000-06:00

'Fat Princess' is delicious fun

2009-05-01T14:07:00.002-06:00

Here's the last gaming column for the semester. I'm done with school and looking for a job now...

"The “Fat Princess” beta allows PlayStation 3 owners to combine three of life’s greatest guilty pleasures – cake, blood and mayhem."

'Fat Princess' is delicious fun

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Menomena - Wet and Rusting

2009-04-23T23:45:00.000-06:00

#62.3 - Menomena - Wet and Rusting
by lablogotheque

I've Been Busy... [UPDATE]

2009-04-16T11:35:00.004-06:00

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Facebook quote:

"Dylan Cuthbert -- just heard from the first person to complete Eden Encore in a marathon run - took him 9 hours(!) and he still has plenty of trophies to get"

I made the news today for being really nerdy. Go me.

PixelJunk Eden Encore Super Secret Special Awesome Mode (SPOILERS)

Is Gaming The Downfall of American Society?

2009-04-03T15:43:00.002-06:00

Why does the news media misrepresent gaming?

Why do violent video games cause school shootings?

Read my latest column to explore these questions.

Is Gaming the downfall of American Society?

Manual

2009-03-27T00:04:00.001-06:00

Press Play And Enjoy (NSFW A Cappella Edition)

2009-03-23T16:57:00.008-06:00

Resident Evil 5 Review

2009-03-20T12:14:00.001-06:00

Check out my latest review in the Statesman newspaper. ZOMBIES!!!

'Resident Evil 5' is infectious fun

Animal Crossing Is For Pedophiles

2009-03-17T13:23:00.006-06:00

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Animal Crossing Is For Pedophiles
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Gaming: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

2009-03-06T10:49:00.005-07:00

Yes, it's Friday... What happens on Friday besides a new episode of Dollhouse? My gaming column of course.

For this week's column I stand on a soap box and vent my frustration towards the gaming industry. It's not a lengthy read (I try to keep my columns within 600 words).

So go on, read it. Anyone who feels strongly towards gaming, or is extremely nerdy, will appreciate the message.

Gaming: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Resident Evil 5 In The House

2009-03-05T14:42:00.002-07:00

Press Play And Enjoy

2009-02-27T16:17:00.002-07:00

I Made Cheesecake Today

2009-02-19T23:56:00.002-07:00

The Whispered Marathon [UPDATE]

2009-02-19T23:01:00.008-07:00

Very soon The Whispered World will be hitting store shelves, or at least I'm assuming so. The game is set to release in the first quarter of this year, which by my hopeful calculations means sometime within the next few months. *fingers crossed*

I haven't talked with Daedalic Entertainment recently, but I'm going to be shooting them an email soon to see if I can secure a review copy of the game. I've already tried once before, but my request was denied due to the fact that it's still in development.

Anyway, the point is I'm trying. I want to get this amazing game in my hands as soon as possible so I can not only review it, but also demonstrate it on a live broadcast.

Yes that's right, a live broadcast. It's been a while and I'm sure many have forgotten, so consider this a formal reminder of my upcoming The Whispered World gaming marathon.

I'll be broadcasting live via Ustream on the day of release. The purpose of the broadcast is to properly show The Whispered World in it's entirety to anyone interested. I'm very much aware that this game is indie developed and mostly unknown. Hopefully I can help promote this breathtaking game.

On that note, keep paying attention to this blog and I'll post the details as soon as I know them.

The Whispered World

[UPDATE] I just got an email back from Daedalic Entertainment saying The Whispered World has been pushed back to Q2 2009 in Germany. Furthermore, an English languge localization version will be released afterwards.

So whats my guess as to when this game will be released state side? August. Mind you, I'll have a copy of this game in my hands on the day of German release.

Stretching Up With Life

2009-02-19T22:37:00.004-07:00

Busy busy busy -- the story of my life. In addition to balancing two part-time jobs and going to school full-time, I've tackled the enormous task of applying to two Universities in Japan.

I'm proud to say that my applications are going along smoothly. I still need to write up a research proposal, apply for a student loan and see the doctor to prove that I'm healthy. With any luck, that's all I have left to do, but you never know -- something else might pop up.

But enough about that anxious topic, how about I talk about what I've been up to lately. Like say for example, with my gaming column. Well, unfortunately I don't have links for my recent work. The Statesman has been running into some web administration problems as of late and so my recent reviews are not up. *sigh*

There's good news however. My latest review (as of today) is up on the site. So without further ado -- Noby Noby Boy Stretches Game Design

JCOM 2160: Reading Three

2009-02-11T06:18:00.006-07:00

I found the nobody knows you’re a dog comic to be quite funny. It’s true that the internet is full of anonymous people. And I believe three points can be raised from this fact.

1) Cyber bullying is a huge issue. The internet if full of rude and hateful comments. If you don’t believe me, check the comments on any video on Youtube video. Heck, even on this blog I’ve had people leave nasty comments.

So why is this? It’s because people are more likely to say mean things when it’s not directly to someone’s face -- the sad fact of the internet.

2) Credibility? Probably not. Anyone can write articles on the internet. Anyone. Trust your sources before citing them, but don't be over trusting.

3) A marketplace of ideas is a beautiful thing. The ability for anyone to use the internet is rather poetic. Everyone is connected to one another, even if that someone is five years old, or even a dog.

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Speaking as someone who refuses to use Myspace, I was reluctant to start a Facebook account last year. I mean, they’re the same things, right? Essentially, yes.

The whole concept of Facebook and Myspace is to stay in touch with people. And as this article points out,Face up to Facebook ,sometimes staying in touch means knowing too much about someone else.

In my opinion social networking sites are nothing but gossip central. Seriously, who needs to keep tabs on 500 “friends?” That’s a whole lot of information, on a whole lot of people. I simply don’t see the point.

On the other hand, I use Facebook to stay in touch with games industry folk. It's surprisingly a great tool to talk important people that I would likely not be able to talk to otherwise. So I suppose these sites have a legitimate purpose depending on the intentions.

This Is My Cat -- He Sleeps On His Face.

2009-01-29T23:45:00.002-07:00

JCOM 2160: Reading Two

2009-01-25T21:14:00.006-07:00

Did you know search engines such as Google are tracking information on every query? In a way, Google has a digital fingerprint on nearly every American. Should search engines be allowed to do this?

According to U.S. law, Google is entirely within their right to maintain information on search results. Furthermore, the data collected from searches can be stored forever.

The thought of a huge corporation knowing so much about me is unsettling and I can’t imagine many others would be too keen about it either. Google may be within their rights, but it seems ethically wrong to keep all of that information. If knowledge is power, then Google has quite a bit of it.

To find out more about the privacy issues surrounding search engines, visit this link: When google is not your friend

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Right now, the internet is a marketplace of free flowing ideas. You have the freedom to choose whether you want to use Google, Yahoo, or you can even use your own custom made search engine. This freedom is all thanks to net neutrality.

But what if net neutrality didn’t exist? In fact, some internet service providers (ISP) are trying to change federal laws right now to abolish net neutrality. If these ISP’s are successful in changing the laws, companies such as Google and Yahoo will be paying the ISP’s a premium in order to use the internet.

If these ISP’s have their way, the internet may end up being a lot like cable television – the more you pay for a package, the more channels you get. I know we all hate paying for content on TV too.

Hopefully the net neutrality laws never change. Yet, this is a very real issue.

To find out more about net neutrality, visit this link: The coming tug of war over the internet

Look Who Won A Contest (Thank You!)

2009-01-21T18:48:00.008-07:00

You know that Resident Evil 5 contest I wrote about in a post below? (scroll down, it's there) Well it turns out I won. I'm shocked.

So what do I get for winning? My full name will be printed in the credits of the NA game manuals. Pretty nifty.

Thank you to everyone who clicked on that link. As you can see -- your help has paid off.

Here's an excerpt from my congratulations email from Capcom:

"Congratulations sourpk!

You`re one of the top 100 users for phase 1 of the Resident Evil 5 Kijuju site leader boards. We`d love to put your name in the Resident Evil 5 game manual, and need some information from you..."

"The names of the winners will only appear in the Regular Edition and Collector`s Edition manuals for North America and South America. If you live outside of these regions, please include your address if you would like to receive a copy of the game manual. "

This Happened To Me Yesterday. True Story.

2009-01-19T04:48:00.001-07:00

Best Man Fail

2009-01-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

The Best Letter That Never Was

2009-01-15T06:08:00.004-07:00

Because I write for the newspaper, I'm not allowed to submit letters to the editor. The following is a letter I recently wrote that will never see the light of day. Enjoy.

To the editor:

Last Wednesday the Statesman ran a feature called “What if dating were a video game?” I love the article, but I feel as though it’s lacking a crucial element – the male perspective.

So in order to address this complaint, I would like to propose a hypothetical dating scenario. *Ah hem*

Jim likes Susan. Jim asks Susan on a date. Susan says yes. However, Jim’s nothing more than an average Aggie and Susan is ridiculously smoking hot. Here’s how the date would unfold if dating were a video game and told from a males perspective.

To start out with, Jim needs to get dressed for the big night. But before he does that, he’s going to need to enter the Konami code. Doing so will unlock every snazzy outfit in his closet as well as give his wallet unlimited coinage. After all, he’s going to need all the help he can get tonight.

Then after an hour of character customization including facial reconstruction and liposuction, Jim is ready to embrace the night with the looks of a Calvin Klein underwear model. However, Jim still has one major problem, which his washboard abs can’t fix. How is he going to pick up his date if he doesn’t own a car?

Fear not Jim, if dating is like a video game, why not just steal a car? Imagine pulling up to her apartment in a slightly damaged Dodge Banshee. I guarantee she’ll think you’re made of money (little does she know).

As the night proceeds with a movie and dinner, Jim is feeling confident and Susan is totally digging Jim. Oh but wait, Susan’s beginning to get emotional and cry over her ex-boyfriend. No sweat Jim, you can always skip the dialog. And if things get really sappy, just press pause and skip the entire scene, problem solved.

Finally, when the date is over and the two are standing in front of Susan’s doorstep, Jim begins to feel anxious about the night. Luckily for him, how “well” the date went is entirely irrelevant. You see, Jim was smart enough to make multiple save files throughout the night.

Email Etiquette (JCOM 2160)

2009-01-13T21:55:00.010-07:00

People ask me all the time, "Tim, why is sending emails on the interwebs so hard?" I know, the internet can be a very tricky and complicated place, but don't stress over it, because I'm here to explain the do's and the don'ts of proper email etiquette.

Step 1 -Sending fan mail to your favorite celebrity can be fun, but remember, don't write every thought that comes into your head. Here's what I mean:

DEAR GEORGE CLOONEY,

I THOUGHT U WUR SO DREAMY N DAT 1 MOVIE!!!!!!111! LULZ ;) UR JES 2 KEWL. PLZ BE MY FRIEND. KAY?

YOUR NUMBER ONE FAN
-CUTECHICK897

Step 2 - Let's analyze what cutechick897 did wrong in this email.

First off, Cutechick897 used all caps. All caps implies that the writer is yelling. How rude! You should always use an indoor voice when sending emails.

Second, Using phrases such as "U, UR, PLZ," etc. are never okay. Ever. The same goes for emoticons. Unless you're, a highschool girl who just bought a cell phone -- always use proper grammar and spelling. Trust me, your boss won't be flattered.

Step 3 - This is the most important step -- be respectful and courteous no matter who the addressee is. Being nice is just as important as forming a coherent sentence.

If you'd like to find out more about proper email etiquette and proper internet etiquette in general, here are two links to start you off on the right foot:
Email Replies
Net Etiquette

Press Play And Enjoy

2009-01-07T23:46:00.000-07:00