Grand Theft Auto 5, the New Information

Looking for the latest news about Rockstar's GTA5? You have come to the right place. As the game is within mere months of release, new information is coming every day.

September 17 can't come soon enough

There are games, and then there are games that make you the laziest person on the planet for half a year. This game definitely falls into (what I think will be) the latter category. With the wealth of information that has been released this past week, this game looks like it may just keep me from finishing my degree this year.

Grand Theft Auto 5 will be coming to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 17, 2013. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we will be getting this game for PC according to several sources. Rockstar has stated that they want to remain focused on consoles. Check out the official website here.

What can you look forward to? Take a look at this video from Rev3Games.

 

If you don't have the time to watch an 11 minute video, or just can't, here are some things I am most looking forward too.

Heists: In GTA5, Michael (the rich white guy) is a film buff and starts to get into real life theft. In order to break into that bank, museum or whatever, YOU will need to gather intelligence, find an armored car, buy the masks and plan the mission.

This takes a huge turn from other games and previous iterations of Grand Theft Auto that hold your hand and has all of this already completed.

A Living World: From coyotes and deer in the forests to gangstas in the ghetto and even SHARKS THAT WILL KILL YOU in the oceans, Los Santos looks like a place I will be spending most of my time come fall. (and winter (and spring))

Character Specialization: Franklin (the CJ clone) is the better of the three when you need someone shot. He can handle guns and pistols better than the other two. 

Michael, on the other hand, used to be a pilot. Or at least he had his pilot license. This means Michael will be your go to guy when you want to fly. 

And then, there is Trevor. I could write an entire article on Trevor, and I may do so soon, but for now I will stick to the format. Trevor specializes in melee attacks. When you just want to cause mayhem with a baseball bat, a chainsaw or just your fists, Trevor is your guy. He is the berserker of the bunch. It doesn't hurt that he is bat-shit-crazy and holds no regard for personal injury either.

These are some of the things I am most looking forward to. What are you looking forward to most? Will you be buying GTA 5? For what console? Does it make you rage that it will not be on PC? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to follow for more commentary and news.

Microsoft's Illumiroom and Why it Sucks

Microsoft has released a tech demo video for it's new device that may be used on the next Xbox. In case you haven't seen it, watch the video below, or click here for the official site.

Introducing... an expensive piece of shit

Now, I think this is a terrible idea. And, so do the guys over at cracked.com. XJ Selman has 4 Reasons You'd Never Use Microsoft's New Gaming Device. The writer goes in depth on how much it sucks, and I encourage you to check that link out.

Here are the problems that I would have with such a device, that aren't covered in that article.

1. I have a big TV, 72" DLP. This takes up a lot of real estate in itself, so any augmentation around it would be maybe a foot in all directions around the screen.
2. I don't even own a coffee table for this thing to be placed on. 
3. My living room is quite small. Maybe 14 feet from wall to wall. I couldn't possibly fit my recliner, then a coffee table and my TV into that area and expect it to work.
4. I watch movies and play many games on my PS3 in 3D (with glasses), this wouldn't work with Illumiroom. So, next Xbox won't play 3D games? At least not with Illumiroom.
5. It doesn't seem to add anything real or meaningful to the gaming experience. It is a novelty, rather.

Some of you may disagree with my last statement. However, I see many other gaming peripherals that can add much more depth and immersion and has none of the limitations of the Illumiroom. One such device is the Oculus Rift. A full 3D headset. I can only hope that Sony will have some kind of support for that integrated into the PlayStation 4.

What are your thoughts? Will you buy the Illumiroom? What would your limitations be? Let me know in the comments below!

IBM, and the World's Smallest Movie

International Business Machines, IBM, is at it again and once more in the headlines. They have made the worlds smallest movie.

You may remember IBM's Watson that was featured on, and won, Jeopardy. (See what Watson is currently doing here.)

'A Boy and His Atom' was created making images of singular atoms and filmed at an ultra-microscopic scale. (100 million times magnification) Keep in mind, this movie isn't smallest as in shortest, but as in smallest possible scale.

Once you are done watching, click on the annotation at the end to see how it was made.

And for even more information, click here to visit the official webpage.

Or get some other opinions from around the web:
http://cnet.co/11B1Whi

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/video-news/video-a-boy-and-his-atom-the-worlds-smallest-movie-29240171.html

http://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2013/05/01/a-boy-and-his-atom/

Double Dragon Neon

Last year, Double Dragon Neon was released for Xbox live and PSN. The game costs $15 and is a reboot of the Double Dragon games from the 80's.

I can remember this being so hard to me as a child on the NES, but, I loved Double Dragon. I loved the music, the action and Marian. I loved the crappy movie that came out in the early 90's too.

Alyssa Milano as Marian

So when Neon came out last year, I loved it too.Such a great game. If you complete the game, you get a nice treat from the boss of the game reminiscent of the suprise you get in Portal games. If you haven't played it yet, pick it up and don't watch this video.

Check out more on my channel, http://www.youtube.com/billyspongemonkey

New Youtube Videos and More Frequent Posts

So, I have neglected my blog for some time now. I will be doing some site maintenance soon and cleaning things up.

I also have a Youtube account. You can find my channel @ youtube.com/billyspongemonkey.

If you want some more randomness every now and then, subscribe!

I leave you with Four baby geese. Something goes wrong?

Drinkify

I found a website that lets you enter the name of a singer or band, and it will suggest a drink to accompany the mood of the music. For most artists, it will also play one of their songs. So, below, I have listed some of my favorite artist and accompanying drinks. Click on the links below.

So many choices and only one liver.

Rock
Lynyrd Skynyrd (and the one I am currently drinking)
The Beatles
Led Zeppelin (Plays an interesting remix of Stairway sometimes)
Metallica

FREEBIRD!

Electronic, DnB, Dubstep


Pendulam
Daft Punk
Bassnectar
Skrillex (a very interesting drink.)
Deadmau5

Country


Johnny Cash
Merle Haggard
George Jones

Some other very interesting choices


Rebecca Black
Power Rangers (lsd?)
Barney (marijuana?
Afroman (take a wild guess)

Something like this?

I am sure there are many more interesting musician/ drink combos to be had. Play around with it yourself here, or tell me your favorites in the comments below.

Un Monstre a Paris

It has been a little while since my last update. I had finals this week, so I made sure I got those done first. 

Click here for IMDb info

Anyway, I found an excellent French animated film recently called, "Un Monstre a Paris" (A Monster in Paris). They have an English version of it as well, which is the one that I watched first. It is not very well known here in the US and hasn't seen a theatrical release either. I watched it with my 4 year old son, and he loves it as well. It is one of those Pixar type movies, not only in animation style, but that it appeals to both adults and children. It is definitely worth your time to try to find this film. I am not sure you could even find it in a retail store here in the US, so you may need to do some searching online. (If you can't find a hard copy of it click here to download)

                                             Here is one of the songs from the French version. 

The film follows two Parisians who make a little trouble in a scientist's lab while he is away. This leads to the accidental creation of a seven foot tall beast that causes an uproar throughout Paris. In any case, if you are looking for something different to watch with the family, or even all by your forever alonesome, check out this movie.