Gears of War 3 - The delay, the wait and the future

So we were all looking forward to the day in April 2011 when GOW3 finally found itself nestled spinningly in our XBox machines. That won't happen till the fall now, not Cliffy's fault but a commercial decision to make GOW3 the season's big seller. 

The consolation prize is, however, a beta version of the game which we'll be able to test online. That'll do pig, that'll do. Now it's safe to say all GOW fans are still pretty peeved at the delay, but at least we have the teaser to keep us going.

The question is, however, what do we do after it's all over? I have a few suggestions and maybe you will have some too. Feel free share.

1. A prequel. Most obvious, take us back to E-day or even the Pendulum Wars. I favor the former as the Locusts are central to gameplay. I don't think I'll dig fighting/killing humans as much (that'll make it more like the Earthbound titles like COD or MOH). 

2. A Cole 'Train'/Baird series? Now I'm not sure how a story without Marcus would fly, but these two characters have enough charisma to carry a game, and with a little fleshing out and backstory we can add depth to their exploits. Of course one could build a game around Dom and family too. 

3. A fill-in-the-gaps Cole/Baird DL. Might sound weird but I wouldn't mind playing as Cole and Baird on the missions they took on while we played as Dom and Fenix in the first two instalments. Gap fillers have a lot of potential and could include games based on the gaps between each game. 

4. Retrofitting. I can foresee anniversary editions of GOWI with reconstituted visuals - suped up and with new scenes or missions. The deleted scene was a great addition to GOWII and could be a great survey of how similar supplements can be incorporated in any or all of the instalments and any time. This is cool and doesn't necessarily change the integrity or flow of the game as we now know it. 

5. Online innovation. Epic already gives us plenty of surprises online. What with Boomer only Hoard missions, Beast Mode, new map packs and multiplied experience points, and the 4-way campaign among other things, the online possibilities are endless. There's no reason why after the third and final chapter new weaponry, beasts, executions or even characters can't be added or more maps based on the novels included. 

6. The comic as a resource. Lastly for me, the comic and novels have a life of their own and have the potential to breathe more life into the game. Pretty simple.

A part of me (and I'm sure all of us) doesn't want it to end here and sorta believes it won't. At the same time we don't want what happened to The Matrix to happen to GOW. Sometimes just enough really is good enough. 

Jamaican Shotta Makes His Debut on XBOX/PS3 Title "BRINK"

An XBOX Live friend told me about Brink. So I casually checked it out only to be heaved into a world of excitement. Not because it looks like a rapid fire action shooter with magnificent gameplay and excellently designed fighting environments (and even a story to contextualize the all-out violence), No.

I was excited because there's a Jamaican (Rastafarian to be specific) character! Braap! Braap! (that's Jamaican for 'Hurrah!'). The screenshot below shows the Shotta (that's Jamaican for 'gunman'), complete with dreadlocks and colour appropriate Rasta bandana, and what looks like a Reggae Boyz jersey (that's Jamaica's national football team). 

But it gets even better. The part that got me jumping up and down in the impressive cinematic trailer, is when the Shotta fires off a rocket and you see scrawled on the shell casing, 'Jah lick them with thunder'. An oft used invocation by the Afrocentric Yardie (that's Jamaican for...'Jamaican') in reference to hated enemies.  Now it's in standard English, for the non-Jamaicans, but I appreciate the effort and attention brought to Jamaican culture. More accurately it would read 'Jah lick dem wid tunda'.

This is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but finally our penchant for violence is making it to the big times!

The obvious questions are; were there any Jamaicans directly involved in the project? What sparked the choice of character/s? And how can we take this fortuitous occurrence and learn from it? Truth be told, marketing a country can occur in a great many ways what with the multiplicity of portals from console games, mini-games, smart phone apps and even audio books. Whether unwittingly or not Jamaica's 'appearance' in this game does two things: 1. It brings attention to the Island 2. Develops an albeit indirect sense of pride in the locals. Of course the marketing need not be violence laden, but as they say, any publicity is good publicity - or can be spun thus.

Now in the end, the inclusion of this Jamaican character in the trailer seems to  be a creative choice. The characters are highly customisable, so I don't know how the Jamaicaness figures into the game itself.  But one can find the 'Dreadlocks' on the Brink homepage under the Archetype tab labelled 'The Warrior'. He has an uncanny resemblance to Reggae singer Junior Kelly, sans beard. Judge for yourself.

One might remember the spike in tourism New Zealand experienced as a spin-off of the amazing vistas featured in the Peter Jackson directed Ring trilogy. Then there was the paltry and thinly veiled extended ad for Australia in the self-titled movie starring Nicole Kidman.

                                                                      

Anyway, the question is, how can we get more depictions of Jamaica and more Jamaican talent in the right places? And with reference to that alleged football jersey, we can't forget the Worldwide love affair many had with our 1998 World Cup qualifying team. Our jersey ended up in a Pepsi ad and folks wanted to purchase our jerseys! I, for example am a Jamaican voice over artist eager to enter the gaming industry - I strongly encourage some rich Jamaican to pay my way in...somehow. I'm doing it for my country, of course.

Watch the trailer for Brink. It's pretty awesome. Coming this fall.

Buju Banton's Gold Spoon in Standard English (or thereabouts)

Intro
How is that you are so stunning?!
You must be a contraption that manufactures beauty itself!
Youthful, untainted and verdant I say!

Buju Banton is attending to this issue. Pay attention to this!

Chorus
Woman, based on your stunning appearance I am behoved to shout loudly 'You appear to have been born into wealth and privilege!'. X2

I will declare, 'You are beautiful' loudly to all four points of the compass! I will travel by foot and spread the news everywhere that you are without doubt the best among women.

Tell the World, say I, that Buju B is in charge of all main thoroughfares! What I am declaring is not hear-say!

Chorus X2

You are gorgeous in the dress which you have purchased for yourself!
As a result, let it be known to your lessers that they have not attained your lofty status. And under no circumstance is your couture on loan to you.

Verse 1
Let your peers and adversaries continue with their gossiping, the entire brood is a blight on society.
You, on the other hand, are self-sufficient and upwardly mobile.
If a woman looks on in envy, let her be. If she wishes to gossip about you, so be it.
Their slander is of no consequence to you. It is a mere fact of nature that your status in life only continues to improve by leaps and bounds.

Chorus X2

Verse 2
I give thanks to you, her Mother, for giving birth to her! Her destiny and mine are entwined!

How is it that your beauty is so great? Are you the very source of greatness?
The perfection of your physiognomy suggests that you are the source of physical perfection!
Your ability to dance so well is proof you are a contraption that creates dance itself!
How is it that your very scent is so captivating?

Chorus X2

Bridge
It is a fact that the ladies from Whitehouse have unceasing beauty, and those from the Southern regions are voluptuous without end. The ladies from Dunkirk demonstrate attractiveness that defies description. The women of the upper classes also betray perpetual beauty.

Chorus X2

Woman, the mentally imbalanced behaviour of your peers is a result of your stunning appearance. With this in mind, give full expression to your feelings! You are both untainted and superior!

This translation is dedicated to all woman of character and substance. But most of all to my Empress, 'Di bes widout doubt'.

iPhone OS 4 & The iPad - Software is the Hero, Hardware is the Sidekick

Apple's iPhone OS 4 is set to be unleashed this summer, and of course it also foreshadows what's in store for the iPad 3.0 or 1.3 depending. But I believe, the combination of Multi-Touch technology, the sleekness of the iPad and the dynamism of the software that runs it, heralds a shift in the interaction between hardware and software for all future devices.

What do I mean? Apple's software along with the numerous independently produced apps  effectively changes the function of the physical device. An iPhone, and more so an iPad, is essentially a blank slate - a digital chameleon that takes the shape of whatever you need at any point in time. This could mean that hardware will change far less frequently and perhaps, as environmental issues become more urgent, not change much at all, once the necessary physical facilities are in place (like a camera lens).

The implications are obvious: with limited natural resources, paper-saving digital devices also require resources to be produced, so it makes sense that physical devices will become more static, while software becomes more dynamic. Keyboards need not be produced - the only thing that makes laptop a laptop - when they can exist in a digital space, making tablets far more Eco-friendly products needing fewer resources to manufacture. And let's face it, we can store more data in smaller and smaller physical spaces so it's just a matter of time before tablets, or the iPad, will do everything your laptop can.

That said, computers and many, if not all digital devices, can very well find their existence condensed into one device. It may not be the iPad alone, but the race is likely to be which device will be the ubiquitous one. So far the iPhone/iPad duo is way ahead. Where will the money be made? In Software updates. I can see game consoles selling updates rather than machines. UI's will become the cash cow rather than machines themselves. Perhaps Apple's machines will become ubiquitous while other companies merely fall in line and try to provide the best UI within Apple's physical framework.

Anyway, below are the OS 4 specifics:

iPhone OS 4

iPhone's OS 4 will feature multitasking, among other things, (Jobs made it clear that the OS 4 functionality will feature in the iPad 3rd gen and not the second gen - we wait with sweaty palms), along with a 5X digital zoom for the camera, custom wallpaper, spell check, gift apps among the 100 new features. Also, app developers will be able to design products for of the applications on the iPhone.

To be specific MT means you will be able to access apps while using an app, and pick up where u left off in each application. Very simple, but much desired. 

1. Background audio - featuring Pandora and it's millions of streamed tunes, controlled from the lock screen - buy from iTunes. Play anytime.
2. Skype - Receive calls! Pretty much anytime and still receive your iPhone calls. And use other apps while on Skype calls.
3. Sat Nav/Background location - Background location = Keep receiving directions while using other apps. Low power locating using cell towers rather than GPS. Custom services for each app.
4. Push notifications - All to Apple straight to you.
5. Local notifications - No need for a server. All done on the iPhone.
6. Task completion - Operation in apps continue/are completed even when app is not in use (e.g Facebook photo upload). 
7. Fast app switch - No need to relaunch, restart or restore apps. Just start where you left off.

Other features:

• Home screen folders for apps - auto naming, better organization
• Unified inbox - get all mail in one place, organized by thread/conversation, open attachments, switch bewteen inboxes faster
• iBooks - yep. Nuff said.
• Enterprise - Better data encryption for email and app developers. Receive apps wirelessly not just when plugged in to iTunes.
• Games - Social Gaming Network. Challenge and play with friends. Get matched up with others like with XBox Live. Achievements, leaderboards etc.
• iAd - The moneymaker...for Apple and developers. Keeps free apps free. 'Elegant' commercialisation.The exponential opportunity for ads per app, per usage, per user. 

Lot's more on the Apple website. The link's above - have fun!

Why The Internet Is Beginning to Suck

The internet used to be a place where you could find practically anything. More importantly, it used to be a place where you could find what you were looking for, whatever it was, and Google was a fantastic help in your search. But Google seems to be Googling the life out of the Internet.

I don't know if anyone else has search engine issues, but it appears to me that one now only finds what Google is paid to make you find, rather than what you are looking for. Located in the UK, no matter how much I want to find businesses related my field (I'm a professional voice over) in Hong Kong or Abu Dhabi, UK results relentlessly appear. Why? The point of the internet is that it isn't bounded by borders or limited to geographical location, yet still my search results always seem to be guided ever so subtlety by where I may be at any time. 

Do you remember when YouTube really was about YOU? You could find just about anything on it and post just about anything on it. Then Google happened and the rules changed. What we thought were real life events and people were actually corporate advertising masquerading as real life. What we thought was a place that facilitated freedom of information and expression became loyal to corporate obligation and consumer advertising then subject to litigation and copyright infringement. There is hardly any YOU left in YouTube, and nothing seems to have replaced it as a place for folks to do their thing. Why is this?

The Internet was powerful because it was a communal collective. It was made up of everyone who used it. But its potential for profit has led to all the independent fragments being gobbled up by corporate monsters. Hence the Internet has become centralised. Let's face it, how can you refuse a huge payday as a small business owner, like Facebook's Zuckerburg  or YouTube's Hurley? But as the people cave in, the Internet becomes smaller and less of what it was meant to be. Less of what made it a powerful tool. Sometimes we don't even know when it happens. Nowadays, the Monoliths design their products to appear like boutiques and small creative thinkers - only to purvey a prescribed profit driven agenda that we happily(?) fall for. 

Perhaps we don't fall for it - but it's beginning to feel like we don't have a choice. As corporations appropriate all the cyber-estate and make profit the prime motive of the Netscape, we are left to the mercy of the few. They make rules we have no choice but to follow. Or we succumb to the design and accept it as the only option relinquishing our freedom to create, break boundaries and plumb the depths of Cyberspace.

If not for the continual search to monetize the net, we could be enjoying it in all its piebald, multifaceted, multi-collective glory. And indeed, the demand that the internet should enrich the already dominant media firms seems to be a fait accomplis. But we should stop and ask why their profit must take primacy.

In venting my frustration about the hijacking of the internet and ineffectual search engines, a friend suggested that I conduct more research in order to input more specific search terms, in order to get more targeted results. Only problem is that research is likely to be conducted on...ya. Vicious Circle complete.

The iPad First Look: Underwhelming But Not For the Reasons You Might Think

I'm a Mac fan but I'm not particularly impressed with the iPad. Not because it wasn't what was expected, but because it was exactly what was expected. There is no wow factor in the iPad. Just a 's'aright' factor.

The So-so and So what

It's essentially a giant iPhone/iTouch, which is what most people surmised it would be carrying all the iPhone apps, iWork (with applications custom designed for the iPad). It does everything an iPhone does but make phone calls and worst of all there seems to be NO CAMERA, which makes no sense for a communications product. No mention was made of iChat or instant messaging and with no camera, Skype is out of the question. Doesn't seem to be able to run MS Office - though if it can run iWork - why not? Also, no magazines available. The more you want, the more you will have to pay.

The Up

All the usual stuff: iTunes, movies and yes, books, newspapers - and the exciting addition of iBooks bookstore. It's the addition of the print material that makes it exciting, but not exciting enough to say, 'supercalifragelisticexpialidoshous'.  It'll make lots of money for Apple. It does have a 10 hour battery life - but under what circumstances?

It will be unlocked and free to use with the AT&T contract flexible and can be dropped anytime. Oh, and the screen is 9.7" on the diagonal.

The price makes it fairly accessible starting at $499 US and going up to $829 US depending on the AT&T download quota you buy and whether it's a 3G model. All models come with Wi-Fi.

What I'm hoping is that it can do more than was said. Apple does have a habit of including plusses without mentioning them. But in the end, it's disappointing because it didn't live above expectations - and that's what we're used to with Apple. I will happily wait for the next gen model to see if it has a camera, will be ever-so-slightly bigger and can run OS X along with other apps like GarageBand.

The one possible salvation is the exponential effect of APPS. The SDK kit is already available for developers to start on the new stuff for the iPad. I can imagine writing apps that might require a stylus and maybe even design apps for the artists. Who knows. I think Apple may have been banking on the as yet unknown apps to bolster the iPad in the way they have the iPhone.

The wait is over, and so is the revolution...at least for now.

Check this link for more details. This link is for the first hands on test.

It's to reach stores in 60 days and the 3G models 30 days later. International markets will see it in June.

What Do You Want the Fabled Apple Tablet To Do?

It's only  a rumour,  but seems to be accepted as a given and all eyes are eagerly anticipating the Jan 26 'launch date'.

If and when it happens, what will this device do? What will it look like? For certain is it now set up be the greatest technological disappointment or phenom for the new decade.

But if you could design your tablet - what would it be like? What functions would you want? How would it work?

My take:

• It would be the size of a closed Macbook but as thin as an iPhone. 
• The screen would be about 13 inches and it would have all the function of a Macbook. 
• It would have a hard shell swivel screen cover that could double as a stand to keep the screen upright.
• A touch screen keyboard and some smart external keyboard attachment - the touch keyboard has customisable options that regulate: size, transparency, key position and function, and general interface (an iPhone interface or the iTablet interface - whatever that is).
• It would have a built in mouse - nothing more than a tiny ball or touch pad - about 1/4 the size of the pad on a Macbook.
• Some buttons would be included on the side panel but can be customised.
• Keys could have multifunction built in. Press the 2 and the @ and € also pop up a al iPhone and you can punch your option with another finger. Simples.

Love to hear your ideas.