LIFE TO UP!

Promotional Image: Sony Computer Entertainment

When it comes to consoles, I’m more of an Xbox guy. There’s nothing fanboy about my preference, it’s just the system I’ve fallen into playing more. Every so often, I’ll play a Wii game with my kids, but most of time is spent on the Xbox - it just has more of the games I like. But I still cross lines to play exclusive PS3 games — Little Big Planet was great, as were the Uncharted games.

I started looking at PS3 games recently, in anticipation of God of War 3 coming out and I read some early reviews for a game that sounded really intriguing, Heavy Rain. The game is billed as a psychological thriller and tells the story of a city held in fear as a monster called the Origami Killer kidnaps and kills the city’s children. You are tasked with tracking down the killer’s identity. The reviews gave Hard Rain pretty high marks, so I figured I’d give it a try.

The game immediately immerses you in one of four playable characters and allows you explore your environment. There’s essentially zero learning time because, throughout the course of the game, the controls for any action your character needs to make are presented on screen. At first, this idea might seem intrusive, but because of the cinematic presentation of the choices, it’s not. The controls have a translucent quality about them and - at times - melt into the background. But what’s really unique about Heavy Rain is that the choices you make influence not just the storyline that the game follows, but the ending, as well. The result is a game that can be played through to twenty-two completely different endings, making this game the PS3 version of the Choose Your Own Adventure books.

Before you run down to your local game shop, be warned: this is not a game for kids. Yes, there is profanity, violence, adult situations and nudity. But the game also deals with very mature themes and decisions you are forced to make. Your morals will be tested time and time again and the choices you make affect these very real - both looking and acting - characters. It’s like a really good mystery novel that you’ve been allowed to participate in.

Without getting into any spoilers, one of the characters you play is Ethan, who is a dad. Ethan has to make some decisions affecting his family and some of them are tough ones. Unlike playing the part of an Italian plumber or a faceless special forces commando, this character hits a little close to home, making you think about your own kids and your own family.

Last week, I was about halfway through my first run-through of the game, when I saw a post about Heavy Rain over at Penny Arcade. Gabe said “If you’re a parent, (especially a Dad) this game can be pretty difficult to play at times … What I do know is that after a late night playing it, I sneak into my son’s room and hug him before I go to bed. I think Heavy Rain is probably one of the most important games ever made. Maybe not one of the best, but definitely important.”

Heavy Rain is a game that is enjoyable and compelling and with so many endings, it has a high level of replayability. If you’re a dad and you have access to a PS3, check it out.

WIRED: One of the most immersive game experiences in recent memory. Fantastic looking characters & environments.

TIRED: Some annoying bugs, including save freezes, audio hiccups and awkward camera angles.

Heavy Rain, Sony Playstation 3, $54.99

Look what came in the mail! The latest Brickmaster package from the LEGO Club.

For the few of you who are not familiar with LEGO Brickmaster, every two months you get an exclusive LEGO model kit and an expanded LEGO Club magazine. (A subscription to LEGO Brickmaster is a great gift for your LEGO-loving geeklet.)

This edition of the Brickmaster magazine had more ads for LEGO products than content. But it does have a great LEGO Star Wars Clone Wars pull-out poster with ARC Fighters, Republic Cruisers, and Y Wings engaging droids and Tri-fighters in a space battle.

This edition of Brickmaster also has the last issue of the Bionicle comic. The epic battle between Makuta and Mata Nui has come to end. (LEGO has stopped making Bionicle kits.) Or maybe it’s not. Bionicle.com continues the adventure online in the final Bionicle novel: Journey’s End.

The centerpiece of the Brickmaster package is always the new LEGO Model kit. This edition’s kit was labeled Creator #20014, 4 X 4 Dynamo. The Brickmaster magazine also contains instructions for re-building the 69 pieces into the All-Terrain Racer.

Here is the movie building the kit into the 4 X 4 Dynamo.

I think I got a few steps closer to how I want my LEGO assembly movies to work.

Happy Comics Release Day!

Given that I picked on DC earlier this week for their Cry of Justice mini-series and their continual reliance on gore and death, I wanted to spotlight something they did very right.

DC: The New Frontier.

When someone asks me why I love superheroes, this is the story I give them.

The New Frontier was published as a six-issue mini-series beginning in 2004, the same year as Identity Crisis, the mini-series that I panned on Monday. I feel about that the same way I feel about the musical episode of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. If I had to go through that mediocre season just so I could have the musical episode, then it was worth it.

Summary:

The story begins in the 1950s, as the Golden Age heroes are retiring or being forced to retire by a hostile government and then follows the renewal of the age of heroes with the appearances of the Silver Age Flash, Green Lantern, and many others, most notably the Martian Manhunter.

All the heroes, those trusted by the government and those working on their own, are brought together to face the overwhelming threat of a sentient island intent on destroying America and then the world.

But that’s only the bare bones of the plot. It’s really about what makes a hero,  with or without powers.

What Kids Will Like About It:

The opening chapter features a military squad fighting dinosaurs–including a T-Rex– on the Island That Time Forget. There’s a terrific action sequence as Flash fights Captain Cold to save his lady love, Iris. Hal Jordan’s joy at being able to fly via power ring is great to read.

And there’s a wonderful action sequence at the end as the heroes band together against all odds to save the world.

The New Frontier was made into a direct to DVD movie, which might be a good way to introduce kids to the story. It’s a nice adaptation but while it preserves the story, I thought it was a little solemn.

What Parents Will Like About It:

This story deals with some very serious issues: The government spying on citizens. Racism. Madness. Death. Like Pixar’s Up, it’s a very adult story with very childlike trappings and thus can reach both audiences.

It has one of the most touching and tragic sacrifices to save others that I’ve ever read. Even now, it puts a lump in my throat. (Sadly, this didn’t make it into the movie.)

It is also the best Hal Jordan story I’ve ever read. I’d never particularly liked the character until this story. And if you’re a fan of the Barry Allen Flash or the Martian Manhunter, you want to read this story.

Best Panel:

I could pick a lot of heroic panels or splash pages. But the one image that sticks with me more than any other from the series is this one, which shows the tragic  end of John Henry Irons.

This image is exactly what I meant when I said superhero stories could handle the most horrific events well, with the right tone, without resorting to blood or the death of innocents.

About the Creator:

The series is the vision of Darwyn Cooke, who also wrote Selina’s Big Score for DC, a novel that started the Catwoman revamp continued by Ed Brubaker. Cooke has been featured in the New York Times for his graphic novel adaption of The Hunter, based on the 1962 crime novel by Donald Westlake.

Dork Tower #805 by John Kovalic

Read all the Dork Towers that have run on GeekDad.

Find the Dork Tower archives, DT printed collections, more cool comics, awesome games and a whole lot more at the Dork Tower Website.

Google’s announcement that it intends to build and test superfast fiber-optic broadband networks in a few communities around the United States has a few locations pulling out all the stops to be chosen with some attention-getting stunts that scream to the search giant: “Pick me! Pick me!”

Some cities have (temporarily) renamed themselves with some sort of Google-ish name. Others have seen that and raised, promising to include “Google” in the name of every newborn. And the negative ads are starting to coming out, with some candidates exposing the shortcomings of others.

I understand the high temperature that this particular fever brings. Ultrahigh-speed broadband from a company such as Google would be massive. The thought of having internet speeds one hundred times faster than my current service is pretty damn appealing. So it didn’t really surprise me when my own hometown of Sarasota, Florida, joined the ranks of Duluth, Minnesota, or Topeka, Kansas, or Buffalo, New York, and others in some sort of publicity stunt to draw the attention of Google.

It’s not unfounded. Sarasota has a lot to offer and of course, I’m biased. The whole thing is a great use of social media, with hundreds of Facebook groups popping up and towns making their own viral videos. Trust me, if you’ve ever been to Central Florida along the coast you wouldn’t think that the populace here would even know what a viral video is, much less be able to comprehend making one.

So far, the most popular stunts have been Topeka renaming their town Google for one month, and Duluth making a set of tongue-in-cheek videos with their mayor proclaiming that every first-born child will be named either Google Fiber or Googlette Fiber. Sarasota has made their own video, showing that Duluth is very cold and Topeka doesn’t have much of a view, while Sarasota is paradise (Tip to Sarasota: Put the video on Google-owned YouTube instead of only Facebook. Just sayin’).

Sarasota currently ranks fifth on the list, while Grand Rapids, Michigan, leads the pack so far with over 20,000 votes. Sarasota’s stunt is renaming the popular park, City Island, to Google Island. Unoriginal at best, but the point is the same.

What is the point? The point is that Google has most likely already chosen a destination for their ultrahigh-speed broadband testing grounds. It’s going to be a town with fiber already in the ground, and it’s going to be a town that has something that will really test the broadband. Google is going to need the right kind of technology and industry in order to truly test their network. A hundred times faster than our current internet speeds is fast, really fast. As individuals, do we really need that type of speed in our homes? Well, of course we do. What kind of question is that?

A great side effect of Google Fiber even thinking about coming into a market such as Sarasota, where Comcast or Verizon are the only options, is that it will prompt both of those companies to adjust their current behavior when it comes to high-speed broadband. Comcast has mentioned restricting broadband, while Verizon is still limited to certain areas. Both these activities will have to change in order to compete. Comcast will have to keep unrestricted broadband, while Verizon might want to think about expanding past the highway, not to mention competitive pricing. Google plans on creating an open-access provider network; that is, they’ll provide their service to independent ISPs who will then sell to you, similar to how the phone system operates.

Which again, filters back to price point. Ultrahigh-speed broadband? The future is here, and its name is Google Fiber. Of course, this could be just the start of Google Skynet for all we know. I for one, welcome my new Google overlords to Sarasota, and I’ll let you all know how superfast and awesome their broadband is.

Towns have until March 26 to nominate themselves through Google’s RFI site.

See Also:

• Google to Build Ultrafast, Consumer Broadband Networks in U.S.
• YouTube’s Bandwidth Bill Is Zero. Welcome to the New Net
• Verizon Makes Sure NYC Gets Plenty of Fiber
• The Wired Interview: FCC Chair on Broadband, Google and His iPhone
• Broadband Providers Suck. Can Google Help?
• Feds Need Your Broadband Suggestions, Google Says
• FCC to Propose Higher Broadband Speeds
• Cost, Crotchetiness Keep Broadband Out of 1/3 of U.S. Homes

Photo by Alan Levine; used under Creative Commons Attribution license.

Why, really, did the 3-D movie trend start? Does anybody remember, before the trend began, thinking “You know the problem with movies? They’re too two-dimensional?” We didn’t think so. 3-D is so entrenched in the movie industry now that commercials for the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans actually point out that it is “also in 2-D” — as though that wasn’t the norm.

Now there’s talk of re-releasing classic films, converted to 3-D. You really would think people would learn a lesson from the hue and cry over colorization of old black and white films in the 1980s, but apparently you’d be wrong.

Here, then, are the top 10 movies that, for one reason or another, we at GeekDad fervently hope are never … what would the word be? “3-D-ized?” “Depth-ized?” We need a word that evokes the concept of things that looked fine to begin with getting alterations for superficial, faux-cosmetic reasons in order to earn more money. Perhaps something involving Cher.

10. Alien — The chest-burst scene is quite scary and gory enough, without the baby coming out of the screen towards the audience, thank you very much.

9. The Pirates of the Caribbean films — Orlando Bloom is wooden enough in two dimensions. And besides, with the exception of Jack, virtually all of the characters are one-dimensional, so displaying them in three really seems like overkill.

8. The Evil Dead films — Honestly, we’re just afraid someone might injure himself running away for fear of losing an eye to Bruce Campbell’s chin.

7. The Big Lebowski — While the bowling scenes might look pretty cool in 3-D, consider the scene where the thug pees on The Dude’s rug. Or the scene where Walter bites off a guy’s ear. Some things we’re better off not seeing in 3-D.

6. Die Hard — We’re pretty sure we’re better off not being any closer to the bloodied, sweaty John McClane. We’re afraid that people with overactive imaginations might start to think they can smell him, which is certainly not something to be wished for.

5. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home — With all due respect to the late, great James Doohan, nobody wants Scotty’s stomach any closer to them than absolutely necessary. Plus, in 3-D, it would probably be pretty obvious that the closeups of the whales were done with models.

4. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial — If you or someone you love is the sort who gets emotional at movies, consider how much more powerful the emotions would be if E.T. weren’t just reaching out to Elliott, but to you.

3. The Lord of the Rings trilogy –  It would be far too likely that all the careful perspective shots director Peter Jackson used to establish the differences in characters’ size would be lost, or at least badly screwed up, by the 3-D conversion process.

2. The Muppet Movie — This is a near-perfect movie, with, at most a few sour notes in an otherwise symphonic masterpiece. It works, as does anything involving Muppets, because it was meticulously filmed so the Muppets were utterly believable as characters. Converting it to 3-D would be bound to make the Muppets look more like they do in real life — that is to say, less like living beings.

1. The Star Wars saga — As though he hadn’t tinkered with the Star Wars films enough already, George Lucas has publicly stated his intentions to release 3-D versions of them. It wasn’t bad enough that he made Greedo shoot first; now he wants to mess around with the whole look and feel of the movies. If we haven’t made our case yet, we have but three more words for you: 3-D Jar Jar.

There are of course plenty more where those came from — feel free to add your own ideas in the comments. Interestingly, while compiling this list, a few films stuck out as ones that might actually be improved by 3-D conversion — look for a list of those next week.

1. Hey, no problem.. 2. Hmm, getting a little crowded here. 3. Yowza!

So, the App o’ the Day is Teragati, brought to you by Mike Tsao of Attachment Computing (and a stay-at-home dad). Mike described it as a mix of “old-school Galaga mixed in with Doodle Jump-style gameplay” and it’s perfect for a little bit of casual gameplay, 60 seconds at a time (if you last that long). If you’ve played Doodle Jump (or one of many similar apps) you’ll be familiar with the concept: tilt the iPhone left and right to steer while the ship zooms relentlessly forward. In this case, however, you aren’t jumping from platform to platform, but dodging asteroids and missiles, and collecting shiny gold power-ups. You can tap the screen for a shield, but if you use it up you’ll have to wait for it to recharge.

The interface is fairly minimal, with no tutorial or help screen: you just start it up and go. Mike explained that he really wanted the game to involve some exploration, so he didn’t spell out how every single thing works. (Version 1.2 did add some little yellow hint text on the main screen, but it’s just a hint.) It took me some trial and error at first to realize which things would kill me and which wouldn’t. Big rocks and incoming missiles = bad, gold things = good. What about these little green rocks? Or those blue spiky things? Or that noxious looking gas cloud? Well, run into one and you’ll find out.

Of course, as with other “keep playing until you die” games, the difficulty ramps up over time, as you can see by the screenshots above. First you get mostly open space with plenty of room to maneuver around the asteroids. But then the asteroids start coming faster and denser, and even start to drift left and right instead of just straight down. And, of course, there are those pesky missiles. There may be more than that, but I haven’t gotten past Level 6 yet so you’ll have to tell me.

The game uses OpenFeint to tie into leaderboards, chat, friends, and achievements (as well as other OpenFeint games). I didn’t link to my Twitter and Facebook accounts with it but I did like being able to compare scores with other players and check on my (lack of) Achievements. There’s also a little unlock icon on the front page—it provides you with a code, and putting in a friend’s code apparently will unlock some bonuses. There are several locks shown on the screen, for several bonuses, but since I have *sniff* no friends I wasn’t able to try that feature out. The graphics are simple and remind me an old Asteroids-type game I had on my PC back in college. The soundtrack is a trance-like electronic loop that’ll help put you in a half-hypnotic state that sucks you into the game for much longer than 60 seconds. (You can turn off the music in your iPhone settings screen.) You will, however, want to keep the sound on, because there are audio cues that you’ll miss otherwise.

Version 1.2 introduces the Electrodes.

I’ll admit—at first I didn’t really get into the game very much, but then after I fiddled around a little more and made a few discoveries about how things worked, it really started to hook me. It doesn’t offer the variety of some other much more complex games, but for a pretty simple concept it can really help you while away some idle time. (For me, I’ve found that sometimes it’s the simple games that I keep coming back to—for example, I was playing Orbital so much that I decided to give it up for Lent.)

Teragati is a mere $.99 from the iTunes store, and is definitely worth checking out if the idea of a tilt-control space scroller appeals to you. If you buy it, let me know. I’m looking for some friends to trade unlock codes with.

Wired: Simple and addictive. OpenFeint lets you show off your achievements with everyone else who’s playing.

Tired: OpenFeint’s pop-up achievement messages can be pretty distracting when you have a missile on your tail. Soundtrack can get pretty repetitive.

Disclosure: Attachment Computing provided a download code for review purposes.