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PlayStation Rewards Program Quests

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 8, 2010Posted in: Video Games

As silly as these “Quests” sound, I found myself reflexively mentally sorting out which tasks I could do easily. Something about “Quests” or “Achievements” or “Badges” just gets my goal-oriented brain going.

Unfortunately, there’s no metric for tracking what exactly you get for completing each quest – we’re supposed to just trust that their completion helps some arbitrary progress bar fill up and that we will be somehow rewarded at an unspecified time.

At least these tasks seem more novel than Microsoft’s own Xbox Live Rewards program. Their idea of rewards only apply if you buy stuff that generally is cheaper elsewhere. (Seriously, if you’re paying full price for an Xbox LIVE renewal, you’re not doing enough shopping on Amazon)

Completing Quests isn’t mandatory to earn progress, they’re just another way (on top of the existing ways) for you to have fun with the program.  Stay tuned because we’re rolling out new Quests on an ongoing basis. And most importantly, go have fun.

Here are the Quests we are starting with:

Speak Your Mind – Review 5 games on PlayStation.com

Share the Play – Place your portable ID on 5 websites

No Place Like Home – Go to PlayStation Home and visit the Central Plaza

Demo Down – Download 5 game demos from PlayStation Store

Check Your Pulse – Download PULSE in HD on your PS3 system

Read it and Reap – Read 10 emails from PlayStation

Click It – Learn more by clicking through in 5 different emails from PlayStation

Movie Maniac – Rent or buy a movie from PlayStation Store

Move It – Play any eligible PlayStation Move game (see FAQ for list of eligible games)

Read: Announcing Quests – PlayStation.com Forums.

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PlayStation Phone ‘Zeus Z1’ caught on video again, this time you can actually see it

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 8, 2010Posted in: Technology, Video Games

I want this to succeed, but I’m worried they’ll half ass both the phone and game portions of the device. Having Android as a foundation helps, but the Playstation Phone really needs to have AAA games to have a chance at a sale for me. It needs to have at least PSP game quality parity and I’m not sure it can do that given the limited amount of storage space and system resources on the phone. I can totally see it just becoming another PSP Go that has people talking at first, but ends up being completely irrelevant.

Read: PlayStation Phone ‘Zeus Z1’ caught on video again, this time you can actually see it (update) — Engadget.

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Would You Pay $20 Grand to Watch Films at Home the Same Day They Hit Theaters?

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 8, 2010Posted in: Movies

I totally love services that require extravagant wastes of money like this. It encourages me to get to a point in my life where I can be “that guy” that buys shit like this.

Prima Cinema Inc. is the new start-up company behind the service, which would charge a one-time fee of $20,000 in order to install what they call a “digital-delivery system”, and then there would be an additional $500 fee per film. The Wall Street Journal says that Prima wants to attract “the world’s best-appointed living rooms”, which may limit the market a bit, sure, but, like Universal’s Adam Fogelson points out, it’s such a niche market that it shouldn’t harm “any of our existing partners or revenue streams.”

Read: Would You Pay $20 Grand to Watch Films at Home the Same Day They Hit Theaters? – The Moviefone Blog.

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Bootlegged: Aloe Blacc and The Grand Scheme @ Echoplex, Los Angeles 12/3/10

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 8, 2010Posted in: Bootlegged, Music

I don’t know what was more surprising – the fact that Soul music is being revived in an age of autotune and chillwave indie music or the fact that most of the crowd at the Echoplex was of the decidedly hipster variety.

Scratch that, it’s Echo Park, of course it’s going to be full of hipsters.

But the neo-soul movement is definitely in effect with artists like Mayer Hawthorne gaining a sizable audience. It’s not surprising that both he and Aloe Blacc are on LA-based independent label, Stones Throw.

You may know Mr. Blacc from the theme to HBO’s How To Make It In America. It’s one of the more memorable introduction sequences in recent television history. His 1 hour set at the Echoplex didn’t disappoint either. I’m no expert on soul music, but I had a great time at Aloe’s show. With an entertaining and talented backing band, The Grand Scheme, Aloe Blacc played cuts from not only his own album, Good Things, but also injected quite a few covers into his set as well. It’s as if he knew his mainly white audience needed to hear some comfort songs to help them ease into the genre. Songs like Hall & Oates’ “Maneater” or Green Day’s “Basket Case.” He also did a Velvet Underground song and a haunting cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

Check out the Green Day cover clip and another video after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Why Grand Theft Auto Won’t Be Annualized

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 7, 2010Posted in: Games Industry, Video Games

I whole-heartedly agree with Mr. Zelnick. It makes me much more confident and excited about the quality of Take-Two titles in the future. Look at Activision completely driving the Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk franchises to the ground. Even EA has wised up a little bit too. (Non sports-games withstanding)

Take-Two Chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick:

“My belief is that even a very, very high quality, annualized franchise runs the risk of burning customers out. ‘I’ve seen that five years in a row, I’ve had enough,'” he said. “If we had to use a film analogy, we’d like to be James Bond. You may have to wait a few years in between, but you’ll always want to see it.”

“I think that’s a more valuable approach and we’ve proven that for Take-Two that works.”

Read: Why Grand Theft Auto Won’t Be Annualized – PC News at IGN.

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Complete Noble Map Pack Quick Looks

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 7, 2010Posted in: Video Games

These went up a couple of weeks ago, but they’re still worth watching, especially if you’re any fan of Halo. This is how you get fans excited about an upcoming release – with honest, candid and informative developer commentary videos. I’ll take these over any bullshot movie trailer wannabe videos anyday.

Watch: Bungie.net : Complete Noble Map Pack Quick Looks : 11/23/2010 6:09 AM PST.

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Pilot Program – Chrome OS

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 7, 2010Posted in: Technology

I would try this if I felt I had the time to really give them good feedback on it and also use a beta product as my primary computer.

The Chrome operating system is a work in progress. We’re looking for the right users to try it out and tell us how we can make it better.

Each participant in the Pilot program will receive a Cr-48 Chrome notebook; in return, we’ll expect you to use it regularly and send us detailed feedback.

Sound interesting? Please note:

  • Chrome OS is for people who live on the web.
    It runs web-based applications, not legacy PC software.
  • The Pilot program is not for the faint of heart.
    Things might not always work just right.

The Pilot program is open to individuals, businesses, schools, non-profits and developers based in the United States. Learn about Chrome notebooks for business

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. We’ll review the requests that come in and contact you if you’ve been selected.

Pilot Program – Chrome OS.

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Site News

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 2, 2010Posted in: Site News

Hello friends.

You may have noticed a little change in the site updates recently. Namely, a bunch of shorter posts with links. It’s a win/win because it lets me feel a little less pressured to hit the home run with every post I make while also giving you guys a lot more content to peruse through.

Rest assured, I’ll still be doing the featured review or column for time to time though. Let us know in the comments how the new format is working for you.

Also, in a shameless bit of self-promotion, I’m currently also a new editor for Lalawag – it’s a tech blog based in Los Angeles, but will cover the “big” tech news as well. You might see a little less tech content here, but you can still find my musings over there.

As always, follow me on twitter @renowned as you’ll often get some gems of knowledge and lulz that you won’t get elsewhere.

Excelsior!

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Prosecutors Dismiss Xbox Modding Case Mid-Trial

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 2, 2010Posted in: Video Games

This case reminds me of the RIAA lawsuits against specific file sharers. It seems like an incredible waste of resources to go after one dude Anaheim who is tinkering with Xboxes in his spare time. The prosecutors sound pretty incompetent too. Let people tinker with their shit if they want to. If they’re out there selling DVD-Rs of games to the mass market with the intent of profiting off someone else’s IP’s then go after them.

Jurors, who heard only one day of testimony, left the courthouse with mixed opinions on the case. “When we left yesterday, I was thinking, ‘What are we doing here?’” said juror Paul Dietz, a 27-year-old actor. He said he “probably would have” acquitted.

Read: Prosecutors Dismiss Xbox Modding Case Mid-Trial | Threat Level | Wired.com.

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December Bonus with Hot Arcade Games 400 MS Point Rebate

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on December 2, 2010Posted in: Recommendations, Video Games

Microsoft is offering 400 MS Points ($5) back if you buy any two LIVE Arcade games they have listed. It’s a decent deal if you’re looking for some games to play.

Here’s my picks (with genres):

  • LIMBO – single player puzzle platformer
  • Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light – 2 player co-op action/puzzle
  • Super Meat Boy – single player challenging platformer
  • Monday Night Combat – multiplayer online team shooter/tower defense hybrid
  • Shadow Complex – single player 2D adventure (like Metroid/Castlevania)

There’s more titles, but these are the ones I’ve played through and can whole heartedly recommend. Be sure to follow the directions in the link, you need to download a Gamer Pic before you can take advantage of the discount.

Read: December Bonus with Hot Arcade Games – Xbox.com.

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