I Love Japanese TV
Our TGS coverage will be kicking off in earnest a bit later in the week but, in the meantime, the GameSpot crew is embedded in Tokyo and have been prepping for a fun and exhausting week. Here's a taste of one of my favorite things--Japanese television, which is endlessly fascinating to me. I took these mix of clips this morning from a variety of different channels:
Sorry for the low volume level, but it was early and I didn't want to wake up my neighbors.
Print
Comment
Tag
Facebook
Digg thisAlec Mason vs. Cole MacGrath: The Facts
Lately, I've been having a great time with both Red Faction: Guerrilla and Infamous. And while both game's plots share similarities--a lone protagonist taking up against an overwhelming enemy--it's the differences between Red Faction's Alec Mason and inFamous' Cole MacGrath that stand out to me. Thus, I present for your consideration, my careful scientific study of the two heroes of each respective game.
Alec Mason vs. Cole MacGrath
Tale of the Tape
Last Name
Cole MacGrath: MacGrath
Alec Mason: Mason
Winner: Mason
Occupation
Cole MacGrath: Bike messenger
Alec Mason: Space miner, explosives expert, rebel
Winner: Mason
Powers
Cole MacGrath: Controls electricity
Alec Mason: SLEDGEHAMMER
Winner: Tie
Weakness
Cole MacGrath: Water balloons, water pistols, showers/baths, humidity, sweat
Alec Mason: Falling buildings
Winner: Mason
Haircut
Cole MacGrath: Close-cropped, blond
Alec Mason: Close-cropped, brown
Winner: Tie
Outfit
Cole MacGrath: Black and yellow leather
Alec Mason: Sweet-ass green trenchcoat
Winner (for Pittsburgh Steelers fans): Cole MacGrath (for everyone else): Alec Mason
Hygiene
Cole MacGrath: Hobo filthy (see Weakness, above)
Alec Mason: Slightly dusty, in need of shave
Winner: Alec Mason
Significant Other
Cole MacGrath: Trish (doctor)
Alec Mason: SLEDGEHAMMER (sledgehammer)
Winner: Alec Mason
Additional scientific facts about Alec Mason and Cole MacGrath (with assistance from fellow scholar Chris Watters):
- Alec Mason is only afraid of falling buildings. Cole pees himself when he thinks of lawn sprinklers.
- Also, Cole pees himself when he thinks about peeing himself. Then he dies anyway.
- Cole can't go outside if there is a chance of showers. Alec drives a ATV off a sweet jump then explodes the clouds to make it rain
- Cole hasn't taken a shower since the explosion. Alec Mason showers in the tears of Jesus.
- Cole stays hydrated by licking a moist washcloth. Alec wrings water out of Martian rock, EDF rebar, and the air.
- Cole can't use moist towelettes after enjoying BBQ. Alec Mason can.
- Cole's fans ask him to charge their cell phones. Alec's fans ask him to sire their children.
- Cole spent three days in a coma after touching a dog's wet nose. Alec Mason has genetically engineered Martian wolves from dust.
- Cole's hair is short because he is in a constant state of electrolysis. Alec's is short because the follicles have unionized.
- Cole's jacket isn't leather, it's insulated rubber. Alec Mason's trenchcoat is made out of unicorn pelt.
- When a building gets in his way: Cole clambers over it. Alec breaks it and the laws of the physics by destroying its very matter.
- Cole can't climb fences. Alec Mason doesn't BELIEVE in fences.
- Cole has nightmares about the ocean. The ocean has nightmares about Alec Mason.
Got your own Alec vs Cole science you want to drop? Let me know in the comments below.
Ted "Million Dollar Man" DiBiase vs. The Recession
Return of the Flow
Flowchart Preview: Major Minor's Majestic March
Sentences and paragraphs can kiss it.
2009's Best Game Title or "You Missed an 'A!'"
DeJoban Game's upcoming BASE-jumping game: AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! -- A Reckless Disregard for Gravity.
I can't wait to write previews for this game, because I will insist on using the full name of the game at all times.
Recent Reviews
Then there's "Naughty", a tune that can only be referred to as a R&B pop masterpiece. This is "dance" music as played by masters of their craft, ingenious hooks, deadly rhythm combinations and finely honed production values. Forget the drum machine beats and cheesy synth effects which would take over the pop scene a few years after "Naughty" released; this CD's creation was clearly a labor of love for all those involved.
Besides Chaka's typically incredible vocal performances (it's all too easy to forget just what a unique powerhouse vocalist she is), it's the musicians playing the backing tracks who set this CD apart. Legendary bassist Anthony Jackson, in particular, set a new standard in R&B bass playing with his performances on these songs, taking his typical melodic yet complex approach to his extended range instruments which, at the time, were rarely used. Each bass line on this CD is an absolute masterpiece, played with flair, precision, and fury not seen since the James Jamerson Motown days and rarely matched since.
I approach this review from a biased standpoint but, as a bass player, it's my opinion that this CD should be in the standard lexicon of every modern day bass player. It is just as immediate and impressive a musical statement, within its own context, as Stanley Clarke's "School Days" and Jaco Pastorius' eponymous debut.
Jackson, in interviews since this CD was made, marveled at the amount of freedom that he and his fellow studio musicians were given during the recording sessions for this CD. In fact, in several tunes, he was given extra time to work out his ingenious parts on his own, come back to the studio and re-record over his initial takes -- a phenomenon that is unheard of in today's factory-like pop recording industry.
Despite this kind of artistic freedom among backing musicians being basically extinct today, it is comforting to know that at least we have quality recordings such as "Naughty" to prove that, sometimes, the end truly justifies the means.
Repeated listens, as they so often do, rewarded my ears and I came to fall in love with the immediacy of IBE's production. This CD is a firm statement of return for the Hip, who perhaps felt the shine of the previous studio efforts was holding them back.
That same immediacy and in-your-face production value can also be found in Downie's stellar lyrics, such as when he directly addresses his listeners in the second single, "Summer's Killing Us":
"And does your family know your wishes?
Because this tune will do you like the dishes."
His typical skewed, poetic eye also shines in the apparently political commentary of "It Can't Be Nashville Every Night" and the oddly moving "Gus: The Polar Bear From Central Park" the conceit of which discusses the well-documented and slow descent into madness suffered by the aforementioned Gus, living in the Central Park Zoo, thousands of miles away from his native habitat.
The Hip are in fine form in this latest release. In all honesty, I never thought they would top "In Violet Light" -- which, to my ears was a perfect balance of restraint, songwriting and studio flair. I was wrong. The songs are just as good on "In Between Evolution" but the production and energy capturing The Hip as a great live band, makes this my favorite title in their catalog.
