3D is back with a vengeance, just like Bruce Willis in a Die Hard movie. Our parents can probably remember seeing some of those weird movies with red and blue lines and those funny cardboard glasses with the red and blue lenses. But this new revolution ain't your mom and dads 3D. This new revolution is all about a crisp digital picture and less goofy looking 3D glasses.
Over the past few years 3D has been slowing building steam (with Superman Returns and the Happy Potter movies using a few 3D scenes). Disney has helped popularize 3D again, but releasing (and re-releasing) many of their CG cartoons in 3D. All of this momentum built up until Avatar took 3D to a new level.
I have been called a 3D Nazi by a few friends that swear by 3D (*cough Arman cough*), but I really just don't see the point to it. I mean, my mind knows its just an optical illusion, and usually not a very good one (yes, I'm looking at you Clash of the Titans). I'm all for things that add to the art of story telling. I think special effects have helped add to the story telling in many new movies (though they can also take away from the story by being too over the top (of course someone should tell that to George Lucas), but I don't think 3D, at this stage, adds anything to the movie. I did not feel the avatar story anymore in 3D than I did in 2D.
I think that since it doesn't add anything to the story or feel of a movie, that it really isn't needed. I think that film companies simply are using this 3D fad as a gimmick to make easy money. They make more money because they charge a few bucks more for the ticket (more than a few bucks if you see it in IMax 3D).
Because companies have shown they can make a ton more money showing movies in 3D, more companies have decided to cash in on this cash cow. 3D is already coming into our homes in the forms of 3D TVs and Blu_ray players. It will also be invading video games within the next year with the release of Nintendo's 3DS hand held system and Sony via the PS3 (which got an update to be a legit 3D Blu-ray player). Cause that's what I want to do for hours on end, wear some glasses while I play Gran Turismo or Killzone 3 on my ps3
I'll buy into the idea of 3D when it is more like something out of a sci-fi movie. When we're watching holograms, projected out of something in the floor or roof, movie around in a full 3D environment, then I'll get on board. At that point the image will be actually 3D. This new movement is really more like 2.5D than 3D.
Sometimes I feel that I am the only one in the world who does not care for 3D. I'm not just being a cheap bastard either. If I felt 3D was worth it I would shell out the extra money for it. I hope 3D, in this form, is simply a fad until something better comes along.
let me know where you stand on the 3D war. Are you for it? Against it? Or do you simply not really care.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A Nerd's World: Get ready to Move
A Nerd's World: Get ready to Move: "Sony announced the PlayStation Move, a motion controller system that looks much like the Wii controller (except with a very cool LED glowing..."
Get ready to Move
Sony announced the PlayStation Move, a motion controller system that looks much like the Wii controller (except with a very cool LED glowing ball on the end), last year at the E3 convention. There wasn't much official news about it from then until last week, during the 2010 E3. Sony announced price ranges, as well as games and functionality.
While the Move is definitely trying to pull in some of the casual games that may be bored with the Wii's lack of good games (other than 1st party Nintendo games), Sony promises that the hardcore gamer will like it too. Sony promises 1:1 movement ratio with the Move controller, something Nintendo claimed when the Wii first released, though we later found out Nintendo's claim for 1:1 was off (which is why they release Wii Motion Plus as an add on to controllers). Instead of using an RF system like the Wii, the Move's controller is tracked by using the PlayStation Eye. The camera in the PlayStation Eye tracks the LEDs in the sphere on the end of the controller.
The demos I watched really did seem to be 1:1 ratio. The onscreen avatars seemed to move exactly the way the people holding the controller did. Sony announced a few games for the Move, which included a Harry Potter-ish wizard game call Sorcery. This game looks amazing to me. You can select different spells and cast them by flinging the wand at the screen. I think the demo really showed off the movement quality that Sony claims is possible with the Move. The person running the demo had no problem selecting spells quickly and easily, and was very accurate in casting them. The move also promises to add functionality to the First Person Shooter genre. Adding a wii-like nunchuk to the Move's main controller, you can control movement of your character better than you ever good with the Wii. The demos they ran playing games that would normally require a controller looked very good. The aiming seemed much more fluid than what we are used to with the Wii, which usually doesn't do exactly what you want it to do.
For me to be excited about the PlayStation Move is a surprise to me. I really don't care of the Wii. I think it's fun for party like games, Wii Sports and games like that, but doesn't translate well to more hardcore games (Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario Cart, Metroid). Move looks like it may be out to change our perception of laggy, glitchy and frustrating motion control. If Sony can get movement ratio to 1:1 and bring out quality games that aren't just thrown together, or rip offs of popular wii games, then I will definitely be on board for this party.
While the Move is definitely trying to pull in some of the casual games that may be bored with the Wii's lack of good games (other than 1st party Nintendo games), Sony promises that the hardcore gamer will like it too. Sony promises 1:1 movement ratio with the Move controller, something Nintendo claimed when the Wii first released, though we later found out Nintendo's claim for 1:1 was off (which is why they release Wii Motion Plus as an add on to controllers). Instead of using an RF system like the Wii, the Move's controller is tracked by using the PlayStation Eye. The camera in the PlayStation Eye tracks the LEDs in the sphere on the end of the controller.
The demos I watched really did seem to be 1:1 ratio. The onscreen avatars seemed to move exactly the way the people holding the controller did. Sony announced a few games for the Move, which included a Harry Potter-ish wizard game call Sorcery. This game looks amazing to me. You can select different spells and cast them by flinging the wand at the screen. I think the demo really showed off the movement quality that Sony claims is possible with the Move. The person running the demo had no problem selecting spells quickly and easily, and was very accurate in casting them. The move also promises to add functionality to the First Person Shooter genre. Adding a wii-like nunchuk to the Move's main controller, you can control movement of your character better than you ever good with the Wii. The demos they ran playing games that would normally require a controller looked very good. The aiming seemed much more fluid than what we are used to with the Wii, which usually doesn't do exactly what you want it to do.
For me to be excited about the PlayStation Move is a surprise to me. I really don't care of the Wii. I think it's fun for party like games, Wii Sports and games like that, but doesn't translate well to more hardcore games (Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario Cart, Metroid). Move looks like it may be out to change our perception of laggy, glitchy and frustrating motion control. If Sony can get movement ratio to 1:1 and bring out quality games that aren't just thrown together, or rip offs of popular wii games, then I will definitely be on board for this party.
To Infinity, and Beyond!
I watched Toy Story 3 over the weekend because I was bored at my house. You can ask anyone that knows me and they'll tell you, I was not looking forward to this movie at all. I love sequels as much as the next guy, but just felt this movie wasn't needed. I didn't really like Toy Story 2 nearly as much as I liked the original.
Enough lallygagging, you're here for a review.
With that said, I was simply blown away by this movie. I went into it expecting not to like it. Expecting to be sitting there, asking myself, "why did they feel the need to make another one?" Instead, I found myself glad they made another one, something I can not say about many sequels. Of course, its a Disney Pixar movie, what else should I have expected.
I felt that the movie was really made for the people that were kids when the original came out. The movie seemed directed towards a more adult audience than I was expecting. It had much darker overtones than any other Pixar movie I have ever seen, which really helped me get drawn into the movie.
Having many older characters return (nearly all of them, except the voice of Slinky Dog, Jim Varney, who passed away shortly after Toy Story 2), also helped me get pulled in. It was nice to hear everyone voiced by the original actors (even Andy was voiced by the same kid, now an adult, that voiced him in the first two movies). I can't stand when they make sequels and change the characters around, like we'll never notice.
I touched on the mature themes of this movie a bit earlier. The theme of being wanted/needed is very prominent in the movie. The toys are feeling abandoned by Andy, who is now to old to play with his toys. They do a great job making you feel what the toys are going through, allowing you to feel the angst and rejection they feel. It made me really feel bad about all those toys I simply threw away or donated when I was younger. Made me wonder how they felt, if they felt anything at all. The theme of mortality is also throughout the movie. As they show toys that simply want to survive and continue to be someone's special toy.
The movie made me care about characters I had forgotten I cared about. That is the key to great story telling. Without giving any spoilers, there are some heavy, emotional scenes, that will bring tears to many peoples eyes. I recommend this movie to everyone who ever loved the original movie as a kid, or even as an adult. This movie is a great movie to take your family to, or even just the girl friend. You will not feel ripped off after the credits roll at how much you spent, unless you see it in 3D...which I don't recommend, but that's an entirely different blog for a different time.
Enough lallygagging, you're here for a review.
With that said, I was simply blown away by this movie. I went into it expecting not to like it. Expecting to be sitting there, asking myself, "why did they feel the need to make another one?" Instead, I found myself glad they made another one, something I can not say about many sequels. Of course, its a Disney Pixar movie, what else should I have expected.
I felt that the movie was really made for the people that were kids when the original came out. The movie seemed directed towards a more adult audience than I was expecting. It had much darker overtones than any other Pixar movie I have ever seen, which really helped me get drawn into the movie.
Having many older characters return (nearly all of them, except the voice of Slinky Dog, Jim Varney, who passed away shortly after Toy Story 2), also helped me get pulled in. It was nice to hear everyone voiced by the original actors (even Andy was voiced by the same kid, now an adult, that voiced him in the first two movies). I can't stand when they make sequels and change the characters around, like we'll never notice.
I touched on the mature themes of this movie a bit earlier. The theme of being wanted/needed is very prominent in the movie. The toys are feeling abandoned by Andy, who is now to old to play with his toys. They do a great job making you feel what the toys are going through, allowing you to feel the angst and rejection they feel. It made me really feel bad about all those toys I simply threw away or donated when I was younger. Made me wonder how they felt, if they felt anything at all. The theme of mortality is also throughout the movie. As they show toys that simply want to survive and continue to be someone's special toy.
The movie made me care about characters I had forgotten I cared about. That is the key to great story telling. Without giving any spoilers, there are some heavy, emotional scenes, that will bring tears to many peoples eyes. I recommend this movie to everyone who ever loved the original movie as a kid, or even as an adult. This movie is a great movie to take your family to, or even just the girl friend. You will not feel ripped off after the credits roll at how much you spent, unless you see it in 3D...which I don't recommend, but that's an entirely different blog for a different time.
How Big do you think my room is?
Thanks to Nintendo, the gaming world was introduced to the first tangible form of motion control. The Wii has been widely successful and had sold more units than both the PS3 and the Xbox360. This has prompted both Sony and Microsoft to design their own motion controllers to be used with their video game consoles. This makes me ask the question, How big do you think my room is?
Motion controlled video games can be fun. The downside to me is the space they may require to actually play them. Playing a game by yourself may not be a very big problem on the Wii, but stuff four people trying to play Mario Party in the same area, and space become limited. Some games require much more movement than Mario Party, and it can be difficult. I have a good sized bedroom, bigger than many people I know, and even when its clean, getting two or more people standing there, swinging their controllers, is a challenge.
If you watch the commercials for these motion controllers you'll usually see wide open living rooms. My problem is that most people do not have large, wide opened living rooms. Many people have smaller rooms, with a lot of furniture, namely a large coffee table. The commercials make me think that these large companies think we have all the room we need to play these games, but its really quite the contrary. Most of us have cramped spaces to play in, which are more often our bed rooms (not the living room like every commercial seems to portray).
Motion controlled video games can be fun. The downside to me is the space they may require to actually play them. Playing a game by yourself may not be a very big problem on the Wii, but stuff four people trying to play Mario Party in the same area, and space become limited. Some games require much more movement than Mario Party, and it can be difficult. I have a good sized bedroom, bigger than many people I know, and even when its clean, getting two or more people standing there, swinging their controllers, is a challenge.
If you watch the commercials for these motion controllers you'll usually see wide open living rooms. My problem is that most people do not have large, wide opened living rooms. Many people have smaller rooms, with a lot of furniture, namely a large coffee table. The commercials make me think that these large companies think we have all the room we need to play these games, but its really quite the contrary. Most of us have cramped spaces to play in, which are more often our bed rooms (not the living room like every commercial seems to portray).
This Blog
This blog is a chance for me to get there and voice my opinion on many things that I love. Some of these loves include video games, movies, technology and maybe even music. I plan on getting my opinion on these subjects to help educate other people on the topics I choose.
I'm hoping that you, as one of my readers, will participate in the discussion and let me know what you think as well. I love a good debate, so let me know what you think, even if it is not along the same lines as what I may think.
I'm looking forward to using this blog as a creative outlet to my writing, which is something I have all but given up. I'm hoping that you will enjoy reading about the things I post and will even tell your friends about this blog.
Thanks for checking me out.
I'm hoping that you, as one of my readers, will participate in the discussion and let me know what you think as well. I love a good debate, so let me know what you think, even if it is not along the same lines as what I may think.
I'm looking forward to using this blog as a creative outlet to my writing, which is something I have all but given up. I'm hoping that you will enjoy reading about the things I post and will even tell your friends about this blog.
Thanks for checking me out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)