Wednesday, November 16, 2011

What are Nintendo up to?

It was around this time last year that I finally went out and bought a Wii, I recall Nintendo had just recently released the Mario Anniversary console that was that funny red colour and came with a copy of New Super Mario Bros (??) as well as basically Mario All-Stars and a book.

I couldn't wait though and bought the Motion Plus pack with Sports Resort...I just wanted to get it home and set up - After all, Donkey Kong Country Returns was coming out. That and Goldeneye was an exclusive.

Not 12 months later and the console bundled with Mario Kart is about half the price I paid for my system.

Moving on...I have had Nintendo's for over 20 years - NES, Gameboy, SNES, N64, DS and Wii. I am not overly blown away by the 3DS - In fact considering certain 'Smart' Phones have the same 3D technology integrated, Steve Jobs philosophy of integration of components into ONE unit, perhaps people will no longer want a seperate device for hand held gaming - Android, iOS, Windows Mobile 7 and other mobile OS's will probably swoop in more than they already have - And the SONY PSP best watch out too.

I'm concerned about Nintendo now as they might be heading down the path of SEGA and focusing attention on developing software - Iconic branded games such as Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, etc for other hardware platforms.

Supposedly this Christmas season the weight of Nintendo's holiday success balances on...the redesign of the Wii (sits down flat and doesn't have backwards Gamecube capability) and the release of the new Zelda game Skyward Sword.

I don't think it's going to be enough personally - The Wii has been out for years, if they are looked after the consoles last for years people already have Wii's - And Zelda? Great games but they don't suit everybody's taste. Perhaps if Nintendo did focus in on game software hings wouldn't be THAT bad...I mean theoretically they'd have more time towards making great games.

I just hope to never see them on SONY.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cowbell Aplenty!

Today I was introduced to a new piece of music, something I really needed as I haven't made a significant new music discovery it what feels like 12 months (Eliza Doolittle).

The song is also an awesome song - Magic Carpet Ride, covered by Stonefield (group of chicks).

The Bruce Dickinson (SNL Christopher Walken) would have been impressed, as the cowbell player really did explore the recording space with this rendition of a classic song originally by Steppenwolf.


The song is on the recent Triple J release 'Like a Version Volume Seven' (or YouTube it).


Just because I found it amusing, here is a shot of Google Chrome spot on the money with their search prediction :D




Sunday, November 13, 2011

Jay-Z 'Occupy's opportunity to ca$h in

In the news this evening Jay-Z (who? lol j/k he's some form of entertainer to particular audiences) has been criticized for selling 'Occupy Wall St' themed shirts and they have been taken down for sale (AKA everyone wanting one now).
Source: news.com.au

I wondered what caused the criticism that lead to taking the item of the shelves (online store)...perhaps a lot of Wall St. "Suits" are big Jay-Z aficionado's and took offense? Hmm maybe...Perhaps more likely, a faceless corporation affiliated with Jay-Z, such as SONY, had board members that wanted to 'stick it' to 'Occupy' supporters and removed the shirts from sale.

I was off on both assumptions - What was I thinking? The criticism came from 'Occupy' supporters and general observation that Jay-Z et al. would be making MONEY from the sales. Jay-Z and his crew are trying to piggyback on the notoriety of others...probably sourcing garments from sweat shops and investing the high profit margin into financing corporate scum - All from a notion that this kind of behavior is wrong.

It makes me think of Che Guevara, his approach to popular/consumer culture, and how the iconic image of his face is sloganized on all sorts of commercial merchandise.

Because my readers also like a bit of video footage, and I'd never seen a Che Guevana video before I figured I'd share a video I found uploaded by someone on YouTube - A poem read by Che Guevara, written by 'A desperate man'  w/ Enlgish Subtitles.