Need for Speed: Shift Preview

Hello all. I had the opportunity to try out the new Need for Speed: Shift video game courtesy of Screwattack.com. Check out the blog I wrote, gameplay video, and interview with the online community manager.

http://screwattack.com/node/28515

Bioshock 2 Marketing Beach Event Jones Beach August 8 2009

For those that do not know, marketing has taken a new face. New innovative ways are being thought of to get a product's name out and generate interest. What 2K Marin, the developers of Bioshock 2, did was bring Rapture up from the sea so to speak. 2K Marin strategically went to beaches around the world, planting bottles and rocks from the Bioshock universe. I went to one of the beaches, which happened to be at Jones Beach. You should also know all these beach events happened at the time of sunrise. For Jones Beach on August 8th 2009, it was 5:56 am. Surprisngly around 30-40, mostly young people around 20-30, dressed for anything but a day at the beach came to check out what this mysterious and cryptic event was going to have. We eventually found our way to a small mountain of sand where marketing from 2K Marin were standing. On the ground around the hill were bottles of wine stuck in the ground. While they were bottles, they are made of plastic. When the cork is removed, there are three pamphelts inside. Two are for Electro-bolt and Decoy plasmids and the other is a double-sided advertisement for Rapture, the iconic underwater city from Bioshock. Someone else reported that they found a symbol painted under a rock. Though it was short, it was fun to be a part of this strange, yet unique marketing event.

For more info about the event, click here and here. These articles are courtesy of video game blog Kotaku. I am thankful to Kotaku for using some of my photos.

Resident Evil 5 Contest News Story

Resident 5 Contest

Click the above link and check out an "Arm and a Leg" to see my Resident Evil 5 contest news story.

An Alternative To Graduate School

http://www.thesomervillenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=302

Chris Jericho is not to blame for what happened

It seems that WWE wrestlers and abuse of women go hand in hand (that's a joke har har). The latest fracas of a WWE wrestler beating up a woman is now with Chris Jericho. Now I am very biased in a situation like this. I had once had the great opportunity to interview Chris Jericho when he came to Boston University to do a book signing for his autobiography. I did a phone interview with him and found him to be cordial, pleasant, and a great interview. At the book signing, he was chatting casually with fans and answered more questions from me. Also, he signed a book of Shakespeare's plays for one fan who didn't have enough money to buy his book. You have to be a really cool dude to do that. I am also a Jericho mark. He is the best wrestler working today.


Now on to the incident. The video is all over Youtube so feel free to watch and make your own assessment. The video doesn't show it, but from eyewitness reports, it was said that Jericho is trying to leave in his vehicle. It was then the fans take it too far. They blocked his vehicle and he is forced to get out and tell them to move. He is arguing with someone, probably that idiot guy who calls him "motherfucker" and "disgrace to Canadians." Someone puts his hands on him, don't know who though. He then tries to get back into his car and is then pushed into by that blonde lady (that's the nicest term I'm willing to call her.) Jericho then snaps back and pushes and punches that lady. Security in the meantime is off in la-la land.


And so it happened. Jericho was attacked physically and he defends himself. Questions arise from this: did Jericho even know a woman pushed him, did he attack the first person he saw and it just happened to be her, when Jericho realized he punched someone was he playing his role as a heel by showing little emotion?


I don't think questions like this will be answered. The local police who responded to the scene called it a "minor incident," so this is as probably as far as the incident will go. However, I think it is clear the lady provoked Jericho and what happened was a result of frustration. No I don't think "the bitch deserved it" as I bet some have said on some message boards. It happened as a matter of circumstance. Had their been past revelations of Jericho beating up women (not including the incident with HBK's wife har har), I would have a different assessment of this. But nothing has come about of this. I therefore have to believe that Jericho's actions were that of a man who was provoked and nothing else.