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Tycho

In a turn of events that has as its consequence a deep sense of personal relief, Gabriel has finally conceded that the PC is a legitimate gaming platform with the purchase of an incredibly powerful laptop.  I think it was the imminence of Aion that provided the final push - it’s not the only game, certainly, but one in a list which includes Star Wars: The Old Republic and is primarily concerned with that subset of electronic entertainment known as “Online Delights.”

Even in the beta of Aion, which didn’t have the breadth of customization now available in the retail product, players could create stunningly attractive characters of both sexes.  World of Warcraft characters have always had powerful silhouettes, an extension of Blizzard’s interface genius, and it’s easy to tell that their avatars are intended to be bipedal sentients of some kind.  By comparison, when you create your counterpart in Aion, there is the fear that it might escape from your computer and lead a life of its own because it is indistinguishable from a real person.

Female characters in Aion are worthy of particular mention.  We have decided that “hot” is too tawdry to represent their ethereal nature, and have decided instead that they are authentically beautiful.  Of course, when I create female characters, it’s a sign of some furled depravity waiting to burst to its full dimensions.  When he makes one, apparently it’s the awesome thing to do.

As marketing fluff goes, “They Were Warned Not To Mistake Grace For Mercy” is substantially more robust than one expects from a banner ad.

I am currently obsessed with Turntables, but luckily I’ve had enough actual experience with these devices to understand that actually buying a set would be a fool’s errand.  It’s just that I’ve finally finished Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, and I’m swollen with the rugged defiance of their renegade praxis.  I would have assumed that something like Beat Juggling (where a cut from two records can be bounced back and forth to extend it) was an impossible feat, and ceased to investigate it, but I am often guilty of mistaking the merely unprecedented for the thoroughly impossible.  The movie “Scratch,” apparently watchable in its entirety on YouTube, is a mightily enjoyable primer.  You might check the trailer for this director’s new movie, “Art & Copy,” if you would like to invest some fallow moment in a thoroughly enjoyable enterprise.

Oh, and also, JESUS FUCKING CHRIST

(CW)TB out.

i have to celebrate you

Gabe

I stopped by EB yesterday to pick up a copy of Deadspace: Extraction. The store out at the Northgate mall is on my way to work so I popped in there just as they were opening. I asked for Deadspace and the girl told me that she had sold out of the couple they got and that I should have pre-ordered it. Being told that I should have pre-ordered a game is like the dentist telling me that I need to floss more. I’m not sure how shaming your customers is a good business policy.

I told her this was a big game from a big publisher and I just assumed they would have more than a couple copies. It’s not like I went in there asking for some obscure NIS game. She told me that no one had really pre-ordered it and again explained that I should pre-order the stuff I want.

I ended up going literally across the street to Best Buy in search of the game and had no trouble finding it. In fact they had a bunch.

Dear EB, this is how a fucking store works. You go there and you buy the thing you want. No one gives you shit for not pre-ordering it. No one asks you to pre-order games you might want six months from now. They don’t try and sell you a used copy. You just walk in and buy what you want.

Also why are all EB’s staffed by girls now? I’m not complaining, I just think it’s sort of odd that in all the Eb’s around me I haven’t seen one guy working the counter. Is this some sort of new company policy?

I have two Penny Arcade related updates for you:

-Episode 6 of the D&D podcast went up today, you can find it here. Things are not looking good for our heroes.

-Page 3 of our Tekken comic book went up today, you can get that here.

-Gabe out

Tycho

or whatever!

(CW)TB