Recently returning home on a terrifying sky journey, Gabriel tried to explain that he couldn't shut off his game system - couldn't - because the Mana Tree had just released some kind of surge, unleashing monsters upon isle of Illusia. His aircraft's stern women were unmoved, even by the delicacy and imminence of his imaginary plight, because the genuine danger posed by airborne videogames was simply too grave.
I read Richard Marcinko's (sort of) autobiography (thing) a few years ago, a book called Rogue Warrior, and... It was interesting. I felt a lot of pressure to like it, because the person who loaned it to me clearly didn't believe I was "man enough" to enjoy this thick wedge of masculine escapism. What he did not know, because many people don't, is that I am actually super manly. There are times where I will turn away from my game of Bejeweled to make use of a spittoon.
I didn't have to work very hard to like it, as the man whose bio was being auto'd has done a lot of really interesting things in his life. I wasn't sure which things to believe in their totality, as some of these fantastical scenarios seemed a little embroidered - and I don't really mean "a little" embroidered, I mean like "five old ladies on a Sunday afternoon" embroidered. Real life can be exceedingly strange, though, and that's before you add Firearms and International Intrigue. So who knows.
It's almost weird that his "work" - any way you reckon it, either his writings or his body count - hasn't been mined directly before now. It's referenced, sometimes obliquely. I think it's hard to talk about counter-terrorism as a military action and not have his name come up. When I heard Bethesda was making a game based on his exploits, I assumed it would be based on his activities in command of Red Cell, an entity designed to infiltrate American installations. It's not, at least, not yet - it seems to be aimed squarely at the now well-developed Ghost Recon/Rainbow Six community, with co-op gameplay you can drop in and drop out of live. It's also doing something novel in adversarial multi, where each side chooses their own half of the map and goes at it.
The shots look a little early yet, but it's Unreal Engine 3 and we know by now what that thing can do. The best, most detailed information is probably this IGN interview that discusses the tile system (and more) in much greater detail.
Stopping by EB last week, we got the impression that they were in possession of great piles of Final Fantasy XII, either behind the counter or in the "back," that mythical place where things sometimes are. If it's the same at your store, and it may well be, that means that you'll actually be able to get the game on All Hallow's Een instead of November first, which... While not a huge amount of time, if you've been marking the days since the last one, I imagine you would like to avoid twenty-four hours of unnecessary torment.
(CW)TB out.
Is a completely different game.
I'd gotten that impression already from an older magazine article, and certainly the screenshots from current-gen versions - showing Sam clearly working with a partner on many missions - were intriguing. Gamespot's also calling the story itself better executed than the next-generation offering. This would not surprise me - I'm enjoying the new one a lot, but I'm a "Splinter Cell Fan" in the way that people are "Metal Gear Fans" or were once "Final Fantasy Fans." This said, what happens in prison apparently stays in prison, because the storytelling there is (to put it mildly) "jarring and abrupt." I'm open to a more narrative interpretation of the franchise, as long as they actually narratively interpret some shit.
This might be one to prioritize for Backwards Compatibility, guys, especially with much of the work already done on its predecessor.
The most powerful motivator to grab the title on the older systems is the return of the unbelievably cool co-op missions. I've raved, wild of eye, on Seattle streetcorners about this mode on Chaos Theory and I'm about to do it again here. This is the future of the series, whether they like it or not. The original came with four missions and then delivered another two online, while the new co-op mode actually drops twelve missions right on the disc. There's also another new multiplayer mode that appears to emphasize a type of aggressive spy. But for those who were disappointed by the next-gen's dismissal of the novel cooperative mode, this is your cue to perform a celebratory dance.
(CW)TB
Tycho’s wife Brenna is actually a professional costume maker. We roped her into creating some Halloween costumes for the boys this year. Kara and I decided to make Gabe a Moogle and Tycho wanted Elliot to be a Crocolisk. Yes I know we are huge fucking nerds.
Here’s Kara getting Gabe’s Moogle costume on.
Brenna walking her Crocolisk
A mighty Crocolisk growl!
A Moogle in repose.
I can’t wait to explain what he is at every house we go to tonight.
He’s even got the Crocolisk tongue.
Gabe was not thrilled with the head piece.
So we let him take it off.
And then gave him a cupcake.
Hey, that’s not canonical!
We’ll probably be taking Gabe out to do his trick or treating at the mall tonight. It’s going to be about a million degrees below freezing today so it’s probably best to seek our candy inside. This will be the first year we take him out on Halloween and I’m really excited. Everyone knows it’s a Dad’s job to check all the candy before the kid can eat any. Got to make sure it’s all safe to eat.
-Gabe out
