Did I get you with that title?

Jokes aside, I’d like to take a timeout from my normal routine of game-oriented material to write a quick note about how important the upcoming elections are, and how I’m voting on a few key initiatives.  There are important propositions on the ballot for California, and of course, the general election for the presidency.

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Yes on Prop 2 - Improved treatment of farm animals

I can’t see how anyone who has seen the horrific videos that have surfaced over the last few years of sickly cows being bullied around with forklifts and birds being force fed gross amounts of food couldn’t be concerned about the handling of our nation’s food supply while it’s still living and breathing.  Animals who are raised for human consumption deserve better, and Prop 2 is a step in the right direction for that.

No on Prop 4 - Forcing pregnant minors to wait 48 hours and obtain parental consent before having an abortion

Conservatives have been trying to slowly chip way at women’s rights and women’s right to health care by throwing these kinds of laws at voters, without a worry for the real people affected by them or the problems they pose.  Pregnant teenagers in troubled homes would be forced to make matters worse, and potentially violent, by being required to inform their parents about their pregnancy before having it terminated.  Prop 4 only serves to make hard times worse, and further erodes women’s rights in the process.

No on Prop 8 - Altering the definition of marriage in the California state constitution
Prop 8 seeks to change the definition of marriage in the California state constitution from “two people” to “a man and a woman.”  The fact that this state recognizes same-sex marriage from a legal standpoint does not weaken the religious institution of marriage.  It does not force churches to recognize or perform same-sex marriages.  And it does not mandate teaching of same-sex marriage in schools.

I’m not gay, and I have very few friends who are, but anyone can see how plainly an encroachment this proposition is on basic civil rights.  This kind of legislation is one step away from disallowing couple of different race to marry, and I am completely disgusted that this legislative trash gets put on the ballot every election.

Barack Obama for President of the United States

Over the last 8 years, the United States has been on a collision course.  Our country used to have good-standing and was seen as a pillar of strength and democracy in the world; now we are despised by many, and are viewed as the source of much of the world’s strife.  Our president is not respected at home or abroad.  Our economy is in shambles.  And many of our young men and women who placed their lives and faith in our military are stuck in Iraq, fighting a war which has no conditions for victory.

The United States needs a president who brings something new to the table, and who gets there without grinding people together to create division and disunity.  We need someone who will bring our troops home safely, and without leaving Iraq in a worse condition than it was before we invaded.  We need someone who has a good plan for restoring the economy, and for the future of the nation as a whole.

We need Barack Obama.  And tomorrow I will be casting my vote for him.  I hope that you will join me, and that we might push this country back in the right direction and create history in one fell swoop.
So let’s fix America!  Don’t forget to get out and vote tomorrow if you haven’t already!

Photo courtesy of Ana Schaeffer

My boss sent me the link to this video earlier today.  Remember the old Anheuser-Busch “Waaasssuuuup?” commercials from 2000?  This is an update to those classic ads, but with a better message to push.

I actually thought the last bit was somewhat touching.  After all the laughs of the first section, it’s a solemn and smart note to end on.  It’s funny how big a difference 8 years can make, huh?

So anyway, BlizzCon!  It was awesome.  My brother and I arrived in Orange County bright and early on Friday morning, picked up our passes, dropped off our luggage at the hotel, and made our way into the Anaheim Convention Center to see what Blizzard had in store for us.

The entire convention center was dark, illuminated only by multicolored lights and spotlights shining the Blizzard logo on the ground.  Various islands of booths, displays, and photo areas were placed around the floor, and much larger areas were sectioned off to house many rows of computers set up for people to try out all of Blizzard’s latest and greatest (Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, and Wrath of the Lich King).

In the convention center’s largest room, a massive hall of chairs had been set up for the opening and closing ceremonies, and for other announcements and forums where the audience size was expected to be large.  At the opposite end of the center, a smaller stage had been set up, as a special place for awards to be handed out to tournament players, as well as an alternate viewing area to the live events happening in the main hall.

Various other areas included a small elevated platform with a desk on the top, at which a few commentators would sit and deliver their take on the event as it rolled on (for pay-per-view viewers), two merchandise stores, a retrospective on past Blizzard games, a collection of concept art, a TCG / adventure game store and play area, information booths, and small bars, where drinks of all sorts could be obtained.  An upstairs room was also reserved for other segments of the conference, and huge screens were set up all over the convention center so that no matter what one was doing, the important stuff would not be missed.

You can view a map of the event here.

After a quick breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe (the only restaurant that was open at the time) in Down Town Disney, we arrived at BlizzCon.  My brother (Spencer) and I wandered around for a while just taking in the various sights and sounds.  We leaned over the low barrier to watch fans trying out Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 for the first time.  We gaped at the seemingly endless lines to get into the Blizzard stores.  And we checked out the display set up for Blizzard’s past endeavors in gaming, which included the Lost Vikings games, an isometric racing game, and of course, Warcraft.

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Soon my brother and I will be packing up and getting ready for what will hopefully be a fun two days down in Anaheim, as we attend BlizzCon 2008!

I’ve been so busy with work and other things over the last few days, I haven’t really had time to even think about it, but now that we’re a day before the event I’m getting very excited about going.  After only a short flight and a quick ride, we’ll be heading over to the Anaheim Convention Center and getting an early start on the long days Blizzard has planned.

I don’t have much more to say for now, other than I’m getting more excited as the event draws closer.  If you’re interested in seeing BlizzCon but weren’t able to get tickets, Blizzard’s apparently struck a deal with DirectTV for a live PPV broadcast, so you might be interested in that.  Either way, with upcoming games like StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3, it should be a great show, and I will be back to say more about everything when I can!

Perhaps it’s a bit too early in the year to start worrying about what game might actually win GOTY for 2008, seeing as almost all outlets for gaming have a strong holiday lineup on deck.  But I read an article over on DLB-Network, a website run by a buddy of mine, and it got me to thinking - just what games this year are likely to be GOTY?  Which one do I think will nab the title on other websites / magazines?

I decided I’d list all the contenders, give my thoughts and my reasoning, and see what other people think.  Many of these games came from the list proposed at DLB-Network, and some are from my own line of thought.

Grand Theft Auto 4

I believe GTA4 is a strong contender for GOTY 2008.  Some may balk at this, saying that the game wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be, but I beg to differ; the game was solid, fun, and even though it didn’t always live up to the hype, it was unarguably one of the better games released in ‘08.  The game was epic in size, it sold amazingly well, was a multi-platform release, and became a cultural phenomenon in the weeks building up to and following its release.  It pushed the GTA franchise outward in all the right directions and had an interesting message, and it would not surprise me at all if GTA4 piles on the GOTY awards for 2008.

Metal Gear Solid 4

I’ve not played MGS4, but I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about it.  The game upped the bar for graphics in PS3 titles, as well as for (non-)interactive story-telling, possibly to detriment.  Though the game garnered strong ratings across the board, many now complain (much like GTA4) that the game was over-hyped and over-rated.  Another common complaint was that the game bogged down players with too many cut-scenes and not enough actual gameplay.  The final strike against it however, in my opinion, is the PS3 platform exclusivity.  MGS4 had impressive sales numbers, but too few people have played this game for it to be dubbed GOTY 2008, in large part due to its release on a single platform.  In an age where reviewers are too afraid to give the same game on different platforms different scores, I just can’t see a single-platform title earning GOTY, good as the game may be.

Spore

Will Wright’s wet dream, Spore, had always shown promise of being a game-to-end-all-other-games, even from it’s early unveiling at E3 several years ago.  Even a year before its release, I recall talking with people about how great the game would be, and being quite excited about it myself.  Upon its eventual release, the world found that, while it was a decent and fun game, Spore wasn’t exactly all it was cracked up to be.  The game also fell prey to the same DRM woes that have haunted other recent PC releases.  And though many are playing the game now and will be playing it into the distant future, I think that the possibility for achieving any sort of GOTY commendations were dashed long ago when the game became a shallow amalgam of different game genres, and a rich simulator of none.

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