Childhood Ruined

Voltron Force
Tags: Voltron Force Episodes,Voltron Force,Voltron Force Games

PSN to be Down Until Tuesday

According to a source of Playstation Universe's, PSN will be down until Tuesday for NA & EU users, Monday for JP users. The source also added that the PSN servers were hit with a LOIC (Low Orbit Ion Cannon) which allowed a DDOS (Dedicated Denial of Service) attack to occur. The hackers were able to gain access to the user account database & admin Dev database. Because of this, Sony decided to take down PSN & Qriocity to transfer back-ups to new servers, reissue Dev accounts, & conduct a thorough investigation.

It will be interesting to see how Sony conducts itself after everything is brought back up. The once-a-day blog updates help add to the validity of this information and show just how serious this is to the network.

Tri-Ace Releases a Tantalizing Tech Demo

The video is called "Physically Based Rendering version 0.1" and shows off their in-house game engine. The theme of the video is set within the Star Ocean universe showing off elements of the third & fourth games. Tri-Ace goes into further detail on their Research & Development page about what is taking place.

Technical facts:

• Rendered in real-time on Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3
• Runs at 30Hz with 720p and is directly captured from the video output on the devkit
• Real-time lighting and shadowing used (no baked light maps)
• Key features are physically-based shading models, physically-based lighting and image-based global illumination

Ragnarok Online goes Free 2 Play

This weekend the team behind Ragnarok Online, GRAVITY Co., Ltd., announced that the game has gone "Free to Play." Doing away with monthly subscriptions, Gravity now offers the game free of charge to all of their users. Players can now instead pay a fee for a VIP package to get all of the bonus' subscribers had received (better drop rate, higher EXP gain, larger storage, and additional buffs). As an added bonus for this weekend, RO players can try-out the VIP package for 3 days to get a feel for what they could be playing with. To get in on the action, head over to Play Ragnarok and download the client.

Machinima Live Playing Halo Reach + X-Box Live Offer

Online TV Shows by Ustream


www.machinimagold.com

Machinima & Microsoft are teaming up to off a 1 year subscription to X-Box Live Gold for $39.99 (that's $20 off).

Thread Tracker

Another "personal" reference post so I don't have to dig through pages & pages of threads.

Threads I maintain;

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas
X-Men: First Class
Daredevil (Reboot)
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Superman (Reboot)
Wonder Woman (TV Reboot)
Conan the Barbarian (Reboot)
The Smurfs in 3D
Upcoming Dreamworks Animation Films
Prometheus
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: The Movie
Silent Hill: Revelation
Tomb Raider (Reboot)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dead Man Stalking
Terminator


Threads I update;

The First Avenger: Captain America
Underworld 4
Super 8
Thor
Sucker Punch
Wolverine
Batman
The Amazing Spider-Man
Iron Man 3
Green Lantern
Deadpool
Transformers 3
The Avengers
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Dominique Young Unique

Another tumblr find. Dominique is a Hip Hop MC making waves in the industry. I find her music to be much more enjoyable compared to a lot of other female MC's in the game. Her beats are also produced by David Alexander, the same guy who makes Yo! Majesty's beats. She hail's from Tampa Bay and can be seen this next week at SXSW. A recent single of her's, War Talk, is being picked up by a large number of blogs & video sites. Give her a listen & if by chance you are in Texas for SXSW, go check her out.

SXSW Shows

• Tuesday March 15, Spill, 212 East 6th Street, 12:30am - 3:30am
• Wednesday March 16, Club 1808, 1808 East 12th Street, 12:30am-3:30am
• Wednesday March 16, The Liberty, 1618 1/2 E 6th St, 2:00pm-5:00pm
• Thursday March 17, Cheer Up Charlies (Ms Bea’s), 1104 East 6th Street, 12:00am-3:00am
• Friday March 18, Peckerhead's, 402 East 6th, 2:00pm-5:00pm
• Saturday March 19, 501 Studios, 501 HWY I-35, 9:00pm-12:00am
• Sunday March 20, Beerland, 771 Red River Street, 4:30pm-7:30pm

Dominique Young Unique - Glamorous Touch Mixtape by Artjam Records
Dominique Young Unique Domination Mixtape by Artjam Records

Smokey Robotic

Discovered these guys via tumblr and have fallen in love with their music. You could probably stick them under the Indie Dance genre, but they also sound a little New Wave, Pop Rock, and even Hip Hop (to a point). Their single "Forever My Love" is currently making it's way through the internet, partially because Lindsay Lohan is promoting them due her brother being a band member. Give them listen, it's a fun ride.



Outside The Lines EP by Smokey Robotic
Smokey Robotic LP by Smokey Robotic

Bioware: No SecuROM on Dragon Age 2, Release Control instead

Dtoid is now reporting that Bioware has responded to complaints about SecuROM being "ninja'd" into copies of DA2. Instead they say the software is actually Sony's Release Control software which was placed to prevent early usage of the game. The two software's are very similar to a point that they share files that can easily raise concerns about SecuROM invading the machine. Bioware did go on to say that any RC files left over can be easily removed.

You can read Bioware's full statement here.

Square Enix Shuts Down Final Fantasty XI, XIV Servers to Conserve Energy

Japan's power company, TEPCO, has asked major businesses to try to conserve power in any way possible and Square Enix has decided to do that by shutting down their FFXI, FFXIV, & PlayOnline servers for at least a week, maybe even a month if need be. All current subscribers are being given the month of April free of charge as compensation. While the XI user base may survive if it does come down to having a month of no service, XIV may not. SE is still trying to build a stable following for XIV after its troubled launch and first few months there-after and any downtime will hurt their efforts. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

Press Release:

"Due to the continuous earthquakes occurring in the eastern regions of Japan since Mar. 11, 2011, the power companies in Japan have encouraged everyone to cooperate by conserving as much energy as possible as it is feared there will not be enough power supply. Based on the current situation, we have decided to shut down the game servers temporarily, and therefore to suspend services of FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XI, and PlayOnline temporarily.

The services will be temporarily suspended for at least a week starting on Mar. 13, 2011 3:00 (PDT). We will provide an update regarding the reinstatement of the service as additional information becomes available. In connection with the temporary suspension of services, players will not be billed for any PlayOnline service throughout the April billing cycle. Additional information regarding this matter will also be posted as it becomes available.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you for your understanding of this unusual situations."

link

Statement from TEPCO:

"A big earthquake occurred in the northern part of Japan at 2:46PM of March 11th 2011. Because TEPCO's facilities have been seriously damaged, power shortage may occur.
TEPCO appreciates customers' cooperation in reducing electricity usage by avoiding using unnecessary lighting and electrical equipment.
We are taking all measures to restore power, however, we expect extremely challenging situation in power supply for a while. We kindly ask our customers to cooperate with us in reducing usage of power"

Disaster Dates Fuel Conspiracy Theory

Dates:
9/11 - obv
1/11 - haiti
3/11 - japan

All the eleventh, the first three signs. 3+11=14, the number of months since Haiti. And the two that started it all: 9+11 1+11 = 2012.

post

Also, 9 + 1 + 3 = 13, the supposed day in December that the world will end!

post

Evangelion 2.0 Now Playing in Minneapolis, MN

The Eva remake/reboot is now playing on the big screen at the St. Anthony Main theater in Minneapolis. Been looking forward to watching this and will probably buy the blu-ray anyways, but there is something special about seeing a movie in the theater. Eva will be in town for 1 week then move along on it's "tour" of the U.S.

St. Anthony Main
115 Main Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 612-331-4723
4:25 9:45pm

Synopsis:

"In the earliest battles against the monstrous Angels, young Eva pilots Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity’s hopes on their shoulders. Now, with the deadly onslaught of the Angels escalating and the apocalyptic Third Impact looming, Shinji and Rei find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots, the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. Maneuvering their enormous Eva machines into combat, the four young souls fight desperately to save mankind from the heavens — but will they be able to save themselves?"

SecuROM DRM Found in PC Version of Dragon Age 2

Dtoid, via Vivid Gamer, is reporting that EA has snuck it's dreaded DRM program into the PC version even though it has said previously that it would not. EA could also see itself in some legal trouble as a court order said that they would have to disclose ahead of time if they would be enclosing a DRM into their product.



The "gamer's rights consumer advocate group," Reclaim Your Game, is currently in the process of informing their subscribers of this action. It has also raised the following concerns;

* Inconsistent information about DRM
* No EULA for SecuROM
* SecuROM files hidden from user
* SecuROM files not removed after online activation
* DRM removal tool not included; SecuROM remains even after user uninstalls game

You can read the full document of complaints & concerns here (.pdf) or here (site).

Mass Effect 2 DLC "Arrival" Advertised in PS3 Version of Dragon Age 2

Kudos to Attack of the Fanboy for reporting this. It appears the ME2 DLC "Arrival" is only being advertised in the PS3 version of Dragon Age 2. And honestly, searching around the web I've seen no mention of the DLC coming to XBox 360 or PC. Watch the DA2 un-boxing video below to see the promo.



Skip ahead to 1:38 if you don't want to see the DA2 fluff.

Mind Blown by Adam Garcia

"I drew you a mind-blowing optical illusion. I hope you enjoy the shit out of it."

Old classmate of mine, Adam Garcia, dropped this little gem last night on Twitter.

Dragon Age 2 & MLB `11 The Show to Require 3.56

So following the leak of Dragon Age 2, it has now been found that in order to play the game upon release, for PS3, you will need to have your PS3 updated to version 3.56. It also turns out that some stores broke the street date for MLB `11 The Show and subsequently it was discovered that that too requires the most current version.




Sources: PS3 News, PS3 Hax

Dragon Age 2 Hits the Web Early

EA is having some bad luck this winter. Today the XBox 360 & PS3 versions of Dragon Age 2 were leaked to the internet. This is the second major EA release to be leaked in under a month, the first being Crysis 2. The 2nd Quarter report for EA shareholders is going to look hellish.

Konami Trolls Suikoden Fans via Facebook

"Dear Suikoden Fans,

Thank you all for being such dedicated, wonderful fans. Your collective passion for Suikoden is amazing, and is deeply appreciated. And we certainly understand your desire for new information regarding Suikoden.

The simple truth is we have no news of any further development of the series at this time. While we realize this might not be the answer you’re looking for, we wanted to directly acknowledge your dedication."

source

Oh, thanks Konami. So you've now officially killed off one of the best RPG lores to exist in video game history. Thanks a ton!

Mass Effect 2 DLC "Arrival" Coming Soon

Joystiq, via BioWare Forums, is reporting that with the latest game patch, the new DLC is revealed through the updated trophies.

To Quote:

One of the Trophies, "Covert Action," refers to a Dr. Amanda Kenson, who was previously mentioned in a recent Cerberus Network update:

Historians and astronomers alike are abuzz tonight over a new paper published by Dr. Amanda Kenson of the University of Arcturus ... "Only a small fraction of the mass effect relays date back 50,000 years," she writes, "The majority are far older, indicating they were created by a species predating even the Protheans." ... What civilization could have spanned the galaxy for not thousands, but millions of years? If this were the case, we should have found mountains of evidence of their passing. Where is this species now?"

Some believe that "Arrival" can refer to the arrival of the Reapers, setting up events for the upcoming Mass Effect 3. Others, however, are more fixated on figuring out how to acquire one of the more ominous Trophies for the DLC: "The Ultimate Sacrifice." Wasn't dying once sacrifice enough?

This isn't the first time that details have been revealed about a EA DLC via a trophy update. In the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Ultimate Edition, all of the trophies from the Vietnam DLC were preloaded on the disc.



To further "confirm" this new DLC, Inside Gaming's Adam Kovic (Dead Pixel) recently attended a EA event at which he & the rest of the IG staff arranged an agreement not to talk about a certain upcoming DLC until February 25th.

"Unhackable" PS3 Coming In The Near Future?

According to EverythingHQ, Sony will be dropping a "hack-proof," 300GB system in the near future for a mere £186.99 ($300).

To Quote:

With all the recent price drops circulating Sony’s PlayStation 3 console and even reports suggesting the company may even introduce an official price drop, you can’t help wonder why Sony are really doing this for. If they really wanted to drop the price of their machine the best opportunity would have been at E3 last year. So, there must be a motive behind the recent price drops from major retailers – Sony are reportedly looking into a hack-proof PS3 SKU.

According to what I have been told by an anonymous source Sony are already deep into plans of developing a hack-proof PS3 system. This is mainly due to the recent leaks of Killzone 3 which has worried Sony of their console becoming a mainstream threat to piracy.

The hack-proof SKU will be a slim PlayStation 3 model and will contain a 300GB hard drive as an incentive to purchase the hack-proof system – the price of the SKU will be £186.99, my source informs me. The scheduled launch is unsure at this time due to Sony seeing if they can win the battle in the courts against the root of all the PS3 hacks – George Hotz.

Sony is essentially trying to get rid of all the old SKUs with these price drops – and even their own price drop incoming possibly – so it makes way for their new hack-proof model.

If the rumor is true, then has Sony learned nothing about claiming that the PS3 is unhackable? Look where that got them last time..

Oh Baby Youuuu, Youuuu Got What I Neeeeed

Cleverly stolen from here.

Even the Daily News took the day off

Another quality clean-up by the crews along Como Ave.

Got My Grub On

Went down to Mayslack's for their Chili Cook-Off. Tried about 10 or so of the 23(?) chili's being presented before my taste palette was fried. The one being served in the pic above got my vote. His unique ingredient was Surly's Coffee Blend. Others used Ghost Peppers, Mexican Chocolate, Bratwurst meat, Surly Furious, and a wide array of other things I didn't bother asking about. Had fun, I just wish it wasn't so bloody cold out.

WVNMLPS Gets Bigger

My homies Wants Vs Needs have a new website, you should check them out.

wantsversusneeds.com

New Soundcloud Favorites

Chromeo-Hot Mess (Punks Jump Up remix) by Punks Jump Up

Dirty Inc - The Rainbow Theme (Dirty Inc's Cow Tipping Frenzy Mix) by Dirty Inc (Dirty Trax)
^ this shines @ 1:58

Dirty Inc vs KP - Kissed A Girl by Dirty Inc (Dirty Trax)

Dirty Inc - The Bear Necessities (Rumble in the Jungle ReeeMix) by Dirty Inc (Dirty Trax)
^ 2:10

Porter Robinson - The Wildcat (Lazy Rich Remix) by RirAandDulKunG

SymantiX - The Chemistry by Semiotic Records
^ 2:33

John Hughes gets a gallery devoted entirely to himself

The showing is at Gallery 1988 in Venice CA and features artwork inspired by National Lampoon’s Vacation, Sixteen Candles, Mr. Mom, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Plaines Trains & Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Dutch, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off among others. You can view, and purchase, the works at the link below.

The Road To Shermer: A Tribute to John Hughes

One Weekend, Two Major FPS Leaks

FPSfags got an early Valentines Day gift. On Friday Crysis 2 (beta build) + the Crytek3 Engine were leaked online. A seemingly hefty torrent weighing in at 9.21 gigabytes has given fanboys an early look at the much hyped about title. EA & Crytek are on the hunt atm, people are reporting that the torrent has been pulled from Pirate Bay & Demonoid.



Because it's a beta build the graphics are unpolished, reportedly the build is limited to DX9 & medium settings, but it is more than playable. It took players less than a day to get multiplayer working, but sadly only in LAN format.



The other big leak this weekend happened today, Sunday. Sony's flagship FPS Killzone 3 got released by some Eurofag. PS3 News, via MadFanBoy, is
saying there are two versions of the Killzone 3 client out right now. The 3D enabled version weighing in at 41.4GB and the regular version at 22.3GB.



Crysis 2 will be in stores on March 22, 2011 and Killzone 3 February 22, 2011.

Waka Flocka Flame x The Hood Internet

Waka Flocka Flame x The Hood Internet by hoodinternet

Mid-Week Favorites from Soundcloud

The Collectable Few - Headstrong (RAC Maury Mix) by Remix Artist Collective

White Sea - Ladykiller (Gigamesh Remix) [preview] by GIGAMESH

La Roux - Quicksand (Boy 8-Bit Remix) by Boy 8-Bit

Wallpaper. - The Remix (RAC Maury Mix) by Remix Artist Collective

ShapeShifter (Mr. Vega Remix) by Mr_Vega_Music

Rock it Roll it by Dirtyloud

Tommie Sunshine - Limit Of Your Mind [New Original] by tommiesunshine

Been listening to this far too much

Solid Steel Radio Show 21/1/2011 Part 3 + 4 - Point to C, Chris Read by Ninja Tune & Big Dada

Personal Alpha/Beta Tracking

Just a list for me to refer back to.

Alpha:

Final Fantasy XIV (PC, March 2010-June 2010)

Closed Beta:

Battlefield Heroes (PC, April 2009-June 2009)
Battlefield: Play4Free (PC, March 2011-ongoing)
Darkspore (PC, March 2011)
Final Fantasy XI (PS2, August 2003-October 2003)
Final Fantasy XIV (PC, July 2010-August 2010)
Lord of Ultima (PC, March 2010)
Machinima Respawn Facebook App (PC, December 2010-February 2011)
M.A.G. (PS3, August 2009-December 2009)
Resident Evil: Outbreak (PS2, 2004)
S.O.C.O.M. 2 (PS2, October 2003)
Sony Playstation Rewards Program (PC/PS3, November 2010-March 2011)
Wakfu (PC, February 2011-ongoing)

Open Beta:

Battlefield Heroes (PC, June 2009)
Final Fantasy XIV (PC, August 2010-September 2010)
Killzone 3 (PS3, February 2011)
Lord of Ultima (PC, March 2010)
Machinima Respawn Facebook App (PC, February 2011-ongoing)
M.A.G. (PS3, January 2010)
Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty (PC, July 2010)