Blank (Media) Slate

I’ve known this project was in the works for a couple years now. It started as a “wouldn’t it be fun” kind of idea, and slowly became more real as my brother began compiling the necessary schematics and “how-to” docs to make the dream a reality. Imagine the grin on my face, then, when Flickr notified me this morning that a photo of the completed project was ready for my viewing pleasure.

Those of us old enough to remember a time when you could only play video games at an arcade will appreciate this. Mark built a cabinet that’s nearly identical to the ones we used to feed with quarters at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade. The primary difference, of course, is that rather than playing only one game, his runs a MAME emulator under Linux so you can jam to all of your old favorites.

Ahhh… for the hours spent with the posse amidst the din of the outdoor arcade on a breezy summer night. Nicely done, BlackRazor.

It might come as a surprise to the folk around the office… but I’m not actually what I’d consider to be a video gamer. Even though I like to jam on San Francisco Rush 2049 with the crew at the end of the day (ya’ gotta’ love the mindless drive around and blow things up game play on a giant plasma screen), that’s the sum total of my current interest in gaming. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t pick up a controller when I get home.

That being said, I do periodically become enamored with a particular game and have a brief affair with the pastime. It started when I loaded the floppies (before personal computers had hard drives, and data was stored on 5.25″ plastic disks in square sheaths that actually bent) of Zork. That game is what got me into programming… I just had to write my own text-based adventures. Many hours in college playing Prince of Persia exposed me to the fluid character animation driven by motion-capturing (encouraging my initial career as CGI designer for TV).

After that, I fell in love with Myst, prompting me to buy my first CD-ROM drive (when they were optional). Then, it was Tomb Raider for which I had to buy a PlayStation. Next, I had to upgrade to a PS2 when Sly Cooper came out (which enabled me to rekindle my affair with the new Prince of Persia: Sands of Time).

Those are the only games I’ve ever spent enough time with to actually complete. I have purchased a few other games, but not many. And none of the the others struck the same chord (or captured as many lost hours of enraptured entertainment).

And now… it’s Heavenly Sword that has my jaw hitting the floor as I drool for a new PS3:

I saw this advertised on TV, and was intrigued. With my CGI background, I get how trailers like this (along with most in-game cut scenes) are made. I’m generally disappointed when the render engine of the platform can’t recreate the same level of detail. So I was literally shocked into stunned disbelief when I saw a running version of the game at Best Buy. The video above is a recording of the exact sequence I was playing in the store. It was awe-inspiringly gorgeous. The background atmospherics, character interaction and overall animation rendering was… unbelievably believable.

The question, of course, is this affair worth $500? If you toss the Blu-Ray DVD player in as a bonus, it gets closer to being reasonable… but then I’d have to upgrade my TV, DVR, and cable service just to keep up with the boost from analog to HD (because I’m sure I’d be sad to see the rest of my visual media consumption diet pale in comparison). Add it up, and this $60 game could be the tipping point that sucks $5k out of my pocket (plus increased monthly cable bills).

BTW - This post started out as an intro for me to lay out a discussion I had with some CTOs at last night’s Boston Technology Leadership Council (about a render-driven TV series). But I’m sure no one’s read this far… if you’re still with me, though, check out the other video clips of the Heavenly Sword at Game Spot. And let me know if you get it… I’ll bring the snacks.