George Hotz, the Infamous PS3 Hacker Vows to Never Buy Sony Again

George Hotz was involved in a court case against Sony for his work in hacking the PS3, and he is now prevented by law from ever accessing any Sony product in a way that isn't outlined in the terms of service for that product. Apparently there is a boycott of Sony products going on (whether that is just in the community of hackers or not, I do not know) which Hotz is supporting. More than supporting really, as he's encouraging anyone who will listen to never buy anything else from Sony and return any Sony product if possible.

It makes sense for him; if he's ever found to have violated that laws laid down by the court order, he's liable to face a $10,000 fine for each violation. Honestly, I'm really uncomfortable with the whole situation. Not his rooting to boycott Sony, but this basically guarantees that he's going to move onto other systems to do what he does best. I'm not inherently against hacking directly, but it is definitely the catalyst for piracy, which I find very objectionable in the ways that most people take advantage of it. If I might explain that, quite simply I don't object to piracy that involves games or products that aren't (and most likely will not be) directly purchasable in/from your region. I consider having to buy from an importer as an indirect purchase. That said, I've never pirated something currently being sold, and I very rarely play pirated games on a PC emulator.

George Hotz has a blog where you can follow the situation as told by him.
I don't mean to start a heated debate on hacking (or piracy) but if you'd like to discuss it, then throw out a comment in the comments section.

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Ridge Racer Unbounded Teaser Video (PS3, 360, PC)

Rather than being developed by Namco, like Ridge Racer 3D for the 3DS, this one is being handled by Bugbear Entertainment. You may or may not know them for the FlatOut series, racers with a heavy focus on vehicle destruction (and human ejection). Whereas the Ridge Racer series typically rewards you with usable boosts for drifting, drafting, and passing without hitting barriers or other racers, Unbounded will mix things up by "adding a punishing dose of destruction". The trailer says to expect it in 2012.

The FlatOut series was fairly well liked by those seeking some destructive racing, and it seems like Unbounded will follow that formula, maybe with a bit more class. I like my racers arcadey, so I'll keep an eye on this.

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Podcast Review - Podcast Beyond!: PSP2, NGP, and You (ep. 172)

Lots of little subjects this week about one big subject; the recently revealed NGP from Sony.

Hear the podcast here.

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Anarchy Reigns, a New Game From PlatinumGames (the makers of Madworld, Bayonetta)(PS3/360)

Shortly known as Max Anarchy, this game from PlatinumGames is an online third-person multiplayer brawler coming to the PS3 and 360 this fall. The game's director, Masaki Yamanaka said this of the game:

 "Anarchy Reigns is unique in that allows a large number of players to go fist to fist in online multiplayer battles. The challenge of creating a brawler like this is second to none, but neither is the gameplay. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat are both amped far beyond what you would ever experience in a shooter. I'm making this the game that I have always wanted to play, and I won't stop until that goal is met. I hope you all look forward to brawling online."

Screenshots show that there will be quite a selection of brawlers, including a very familiar looking chain-saw wielder:

For a game that seems somewhat MMO-ish, the detailing looks very impressive, but I personally don't have an interest in this kind of competitive third-person perspective brawler.

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In-Depth Look at Move Controls in Killzone 3

See, not just Nintendo stuff. : P

This nearly half hour video shows all the subtleties of the Move controls that are in Killzone 3. For Wii owners that have played some FPSs after (and including) Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, honestly not that much is new. But what is new is interesting, and they are things that the Wii is fully capable of doing. For instance, at 11:24 he begins talking about the dynamic dead-zones in the game. Basically, as you lead the cursor back towards the center of the screen it creates a new boundary for the dead-zone and the camera stops turning. This is a really great design, because it lets you target an enemy as soon as you react to them, as soon as they come into view, rather than trying to center them in the dead-zone because it extends the dead-zone. But how do you reset this new, big dead-zone? Simple; just lead the cursor back to the edge of the dead-zone and it resumes turning the camera, or you can push the cursor onto the opposite half of the screen and it resets it back to your custom setting. While I really like the idea of this dynamic dead-zone, I also haven't tried it. I can see the potential of making the dead-zone so large that it's problematic and time-consuming to resume turning, so it would be best if there was an option to turn it on or off, instead.

Another interesting control addition is how the cursor snaps to body parts when lock-on is enabled and activated. Only available in the easiest difficulties, this uses the gyroscopic sensors to let you "point" the controller at an area that makes the gun target snap to a different body part. I haven't played a post-Modern Warfare FPS, so I don't have too much experience with how those games use the snap function when you zoom, but this seems like it's a level above that.

I think the whole video is worth a watch for Move owners, Wii owners, and developers making FPS for Move and Wii! Tell me what you guys think of all the little innovations that the Killzone 3 team applied to the controls.

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