Elder Scrolls MMO rumors

mmorpg.com is reporting that work may have secretly been underway on an Elder Scrolls MMO since 2006.

I was actually playing Oblivion last night instead of Star Trek Online because I am struggling with the concept of being able to ever handle the time demands of an MMO again (even though I've pre-ordered STO, because... it's freaking TREK). I don't know if I WANT Elder Scrolls to be an MMO. Do I want to feel all that time pressure to "keep up?"

I know that change is always scary, but can be good. It can also be bad. My initial reaction to this is that I don't WANT it to be an MMO. I want my story-rich open-ended experience where I get to poke around indefinitely and do whatever I want, without running into some griefer or kid hitting the jump button ad infinitum.

I'm so in love with Oblivion the way it is, I was really looking forward to embarking again on a similar adventure style. I'd be very sad if that never happens again.

Beyond Cool

Youtube Dueling

Yesterday, I ambushed one of my Mac-loving friends with this:



He countered with this:



I humbly admit defeat. I mean...they used the Wilhelm Scream. Next time, Stu! NEXXXXT TIIIIME!

Gran Up Torino mashup

Helps that I've seen both movies, but this was one of the cleverest mashups I've seen in a long time.

Pixar's: Gran Up Torino - watch more funny videos

Future Pinball with a 360 controller

In case you missed my review a while back about Future Pinball...definitely look into it. Future Pinball's one of those free on the internet gems that don't come along very often, and open up a world of creative possibilities when they do.

You can just play Future Pinball on a regular PC, but some people have used large LCD panels and the platform's dual-screen support to create pinball table emulators like the one shown below:





I just came across a post on Pinnacle Game Profiler by a user who has adapted the Future Pinball controls to work with an XBox 360 controller. He did an awesome job of illustrating the walk-through, so if you're interested, you should be able to follow the instructions.

Geekumentary: Second Skin Trailer

Second Skin Trailer from Pure West on Vimeo.

Just ordered this one, full review to come! :)

Geekumentary - Special When Lit A Pinball Documentary

Just came across an update on a geekumentary I started following some time ago. Special When Lit: A Pinball Documentary just got a writeup in the Australian site Filmink.com.

Special When Lit is the definitive story of the rise and fall of pinball as told by the fans, collectors, designers and champion players from across the globe. Shot all over the world, though predominantly in America, by London-based Australian filmmakers Brett O'Sullivan, Clayton Jacobsen and Emily Rickard, and edited in the UK with the final sound mix completed in Australia, the film truly is an international production with worldwide appeal.

TILT: The Battle to Save Pinball set the bar pretty high, but I'm happy to see another contender, and look forward to watching this movie. That's the nice thing about documentaries; there can be 2, 3, 4 of them on the exact same topic, and all covering sufficiently different angles and with different approaches such that they don't exclude one another. That's why I don't mind when I hear rumblings that other people are working on designer board game documentaries, and in fact, welcome it.