Debate of the Year: Sterling vs. Thompson

[Image stolen courtesy of BuckF1tches of Destructoid]

My apologies. I couldn't find another picture, since Jim's own Podcastle picture was taken down. In any case, here's the spark of the day.

Destructoid's Podcastle Episode 11 hosted by none other than the most egoistical gaming maniac ever to walk the face of this hell frozen planet, side steps the sanity train and crushes skull with the infamous and widely hated, Jack Thompson.

Four words: E P I C. Yes, they are words. That's exactly how epic this is.

Metareview: GTA IV

To be upfront and honest, I was NEVER considering buying this game. Until now.



Check out the image below.



99/100 based on SEVENTEEN REVIEWS! This hasn't been achieved since Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (i.e. TEN years ago), when the gaming community was much smaller, when expectations and hype were much lower, and when multiplatform experiences weren't much of an issue.

Chris Roper from the PlayStation team on IGN, one of my favourite editors, had this to say about it: "I could go on and on about why Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games we've ever seen and why even folks who are easily offended should play it, but that would be pointless. The only thing you need to know is that you have to play this game. Period."

I'm on the fence. On one hand this is possibly the best experience any one game may be able to provide - ever. On the other hand, I'm heading back to school (i.e. priorities and no time!). And with another month, MGS4 will be released - which has been MY awaited game release for like friggin' three years.

Update: Here's the list that IGN provided:

Dell's 22-inch LCD Monitor

Dell recently unveiled probably one of the most visually stunning displays I've ever seen. Surrounded with an eye-catching pane of plexiglass with tweeters embedded into it, the Dell Crystal takes the functionality of a Dell SP2008WFP and provides a gorgeous exterior to it. Its laden with design-infused details including touch buttons, sleek embedded wiring, and even a beautiful stand.

Unfortunately, it seems that somewhere in between the plexiglass and the actual monitor, Dell has lost some of its bright shining attributes in both technical specs and user functionality. MaximumPC dinged it for its low greyscale range and its beautiful, yet frustrating touch-buttons. Furthermore... well, I'll just be straight forward with the price and let you decide on your emotions: $1200.

[via Engadget]

METAL GEAR ONLINE

Metal Gear Solid is my all-time favourite game series.

That being said, let me scream out in joy as: I'M ON THE METAL GEAR SOLID BETA!



The preorder package for MGS4 comes with a Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 DVD. With about 15 minutes of nostalgic videos, sequences from the upcoming MGS4, and a bloody good narrator, this DVD makes the wait even more painful.

Metal Gear Online starts April 21st. Keep your eyes out for some awesome hands-on impressions and pictures.



Metal Gear Solid 4 arrives in stores globally June 12th.

Video: The Humans Are Dead

In a world where robot's have taken over the world and have since, destroyed all remnants of humankind, once spotlight of humanity continues to roar over the subwoofers and tweeters scattered throughout the land we call Earth. Take special note of the chorus =)




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Engadget gets Deutsched.

Recently, Engadget, one of the most esteemed web blogs on everything to do with technology, was asked in a very professional manner from Deutsche Telekom (owners of T-Mobile in the US) to discontinue the use of the colour magenta for their mobile sister-site Engadget Mobile. Yup.

This April Fool's joke late birthday present, sparked a revolution of all that is contained within t3h Intarwebz. DT provided the following reason:

"As you are likely aware, Deutsche Telekom and its whole group, including the T-Mobile companies worldwide have been using the color magenta as a company identifier and core branding element for many years. The company therefore holds trademark protection for the use of this color in connection with its products and services in many territories around the world."

While this is completely ridiculous and out-of-the-blue, there is SOME (but not too much) justification for DT's act. In addition to the use of magenta, EngadgeT-Mobile, also deploys vertical dots that somewhat resemble the horizontal dots on the T-Mobile logo. The letter states that this is a required act so as to "avoid any possible confusion with the consumer regarding the origin or sponsorship of [the] blog". While it is DT's responsibility to protect their trademarks, given the circumstances, this is pure ludicrous (and laughably good entertainment). There IS no possible confusion for a web blog and a 3G GSM-based US Wireless Carrier.

In response to the ridiculous act from DT, Engadget literally plastered their main site and sister-site with the colour magenta. This tomfoolery lead to the support from other mobile blogs including Phone Scoop, Phone Arena, Fitch, and Gearbits (although they've been brought down due to an understanding server bandwidth influx). Ryan Block, editor-in-chief of Engadget, created his own image in support of Engadget, which was quickly picked up by the rest of the gadget community.

Priceless.