Cloverfield. OMG.

Just saw the movie and I can't even describe how awesome..... just..... wow. Totally blown away. I'm a major fan of monster movies and this was totally unexpected.

I knew it was shaky cam and all so be prepared for that if you go see it. You get used to it pretty quickly. I love the fact that all the actors are total unknowns and the entire movie is told from one character's point of view. You have no idea why the monster is there, where it came from or anything else - the characters don't dwell on watching TV and the military has no answers either.

So it's the most realistic portrayal of what it would probably be like if a creature was rampaging through New York. We were totally blown away by it and need to go watch it again.

Major Apple Love

These days it's hard not to notice just how awesome Apple has become. Sure, you pay a premium price but you enjoy the best of the best with an aesthetic quality unmatched by even their most sincere imitators.

I've been an Apple guy since 1979 and devoted 10 years of my life to the 6502 nestled deep within the Apple II series. I admired the Mac but wasn't a Mac nut until the latest OS release, Leopard. And now the Mac just simply rocks.

It started with the iPhone I got back in June. Coolest device I've ever owned and it's still the best. Frequent firmware upgrades make me really happy. Because of the phone I went out and got a MacBook laptop with Leopard installed so I could see if Mac OS X with all of NeXTSTEP's awesomeness inside it was really all I was hoping it would be. And wow, was I blown away.

Until you've used a computer where the OS was written FOR the specific hardware you just don't know what you're missing. The world of the PC is based on the reality that everyone's computer is different and requires special drivers to make it work right - but only with that one device. The Mac is different - it's designed to work together as a whole and you can really tell the difference. Even the pixelicious scrolling in Safari is enough to show you how smoooooth the experience is.

So, in love with the MacBook, I went out and got an Apple TV since I had tired of the buggy-ass D-Link streaming video box I have (and the garbage one before it). And again I was totally amazed at how awesome and easy this device turned out. I'm a total iTunes devotee so the Apple TV just worked exactly as I had hoped. Better in fact.

And now MacWorld 2008 has shown promise that Apple's long awaited rise to prominence has begun. I'm excited about the future of Apple again.

Duke Nukem Forever Screenshot!

We all knew the day would come - the eventual release of Duke Nukem Forever. Well, the release date has not been set but to placate those anticipating a Christmas launch (ain't happening) the team at 3DRealms has finally released a DNF screenshot of The Duke hisself!

And tomorrow at noon, Texas time, they will be releasing the first teaser trailer for the game!!!

I, for one, cannot wait for the Duke to rise again. It's been a looooong time but it's better to be late and super great than punctual and barely functional.

UPDATE: The teaser is out and I love it! (right-click, save as) The Duke is back and I'm going to like it no matter what.

My own observations and thoughts from the teaser:

(1) Love the Terminator hammering going on while the scenes fly by. Ominously badass.

(2) The redone Duke theme song sounds a little overworked for me. Heavier power chords like the original would sound harder if run through a Pantera-style GSP (Dimebag's sound ruled).

(3) Totally love the American flag at the end - Duke is All-American FTW!

(4) I love the quote at the end, "I'm looking for some alien toilet to park my bricks, who's first?" The reason is because it portends more sophisticated one-liners than you'd expect. I loved D3D's lines immensely but seeing a slight evolution in style was very nice.

(5) The tech is great, the graphics (textures, anims, etc.) are great. If the gameplay holds true to the original in that there's intense FPS fighting and tons of interactivity with the environment then I'm predicting huge success. One huge reason Half-Life 2 did so well was that they stuck with their incredible formula from HL1 and it continues to work.

My thought is that the very interactive nature of D3D's environment was one of the defining elements of Duke's IP and that continuing to include that kind of interactivity with the environment will further cement Duke's IP and heighten the probability of DNF's success. That and the over-the-top Duke attitude and humor make for one of the most engaging character-driven FPS's to come along in.....oh, about 12 years (come February 2008).

Happy 17th Birthday Keen!

As if DOOM wasn't old enough to make me feel my age now it's Commander Keen's birthday and I'm REALLY feelin' it. Today I'll just do a combo birthday announcement for the 1st and 2nd Keen trilogies (1-3 and 4-6) since Keen 4-6 was released on December 15th, 1991 and will be 16 years old. They're like big, old babies! LOL.

If you'd like to remember Keen or if you've never heard of it, check out some of these sites:

Keen History

Official Keen Site

Another Official Keen Site

Commander Keen fan site

Wikipedia entry

Back when Keen was released it was a sensation because no one had played a smooth Mario-style game on a PC before. I have a big box full of the letters from parents who wrote in ordering the game along with lots of praise - at that point we felt we were on the right track. And it all started with this little fella!